Holiday Spirits

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, these days the Christmas decorations don’t wait until December. But I wish they would. For me, the magic of the season sparkles more if it isn’t stretched over such a long period.

Well, at last, it’s December, when the lights shine a little more brightly. To those of you living in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, happy midsummer! To those in northern climes, I hope you get just enough snow for a pretty holiday.

Here in Southern California, I’m still harvesting a few tomatoes and peppers. And still digging up weeds. Isn’t there always a tradeoff?

Last year, I had a December Harlequin to toot about. This year, after October’s release of The Surgeon’s Surprise Twins, I’ll have to wait until February. That’s when the seventh book in my Safe Harbor Medical series, The Detective’s Accidental Baby, will be available.

In the meantime, I’m pleased that readers are enjoying the reissue (for Kindle and Nook) of my earlier romance, A Warm December. There’s a hero who dresses as Santa, a heroine named Merrie who’s a veterinarian, and even an orphan. It’s set in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

I wish you all a happy season!

Christmas Craft ideas

Christmas is right around the corner...those of you Mom's who are room mothers or have been put in charge of coming up with holiday craft ideas for a school christmas party will enjoy this site I stumbled upon. 

My kids are college age so the days of school Christmas parties...at least the kind with crafts and treats are long gone, but I still enjoy making a small craft that I can attach to a present or a tin of homemade cookies for my neighbors. 

Check out this Link for lots of cute ideas.  When you click on the picture of the craft you'll be taken to the blog where the idea originated.

Here are a few samples...

Reindeer Gift Bag

Christmas Peanuts Gnomes

Candy Wreath

If you have any cute Christmas craft ideas or Christmas cookie decorating tips please share them! 

Marin
A Rodeo Man's Promise (Dec 2011)
Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2011)
All My Heroes are Cowboys
www.marinthomas.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite things about holidays is that every year, even though it’s a day steeped in tradition, a fresh new memory is made.

I live in Canada where we celebrate Thanksgiving in early October, so I thought I’d share something new I tried this year. First I should tell you that I love to set the dining room table for a special occasion so I tend to go all out with the china, crystal, candles, linens and fresh flowers.

This year I decided it might be fun to add placecards. I started by searching online for “vintage Thanksgiving graphics” and this one caught my eye.

I printed the image on white cardstock, trimmed it to size, glued it on a piece of gold paper, and added the names by hand. Then, at each place setting, I propped the card on tiny white pumpkins I found at a local farmers' market.

My pink-and-white china doesn’t lend itself to traditional fall colors, so the gold and white worked well with my color scheme. Best of all it was easy and inexpensive!

Now I’m planning my Christmas tablescape. I think moose placecards will be fun because I have a lot of moose-themed holiday ornaments. What do you think of this?

Or this?

I haven't decided how to display them, but I might use pinecones. If you can think of a better idea, please let me know!

For now I’m wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving filled with everyone and everything you love.

Happy holidays!

Until next time,
Lee
http://www.leemckenzie.com/
The Christmas Secret (available now!)
The Daddy Project (TBA)
Daddy Unexpectedly (TBA)

The thing about technology...

Technology is a beautiful thing. I love my computer, couldn't live without the word processing program I use to do my writing, and—as my husband would no doubt be very quick to tell you—I am...oh, let's say...just a teeny bit captivated by e-mail. LOL

When you're a writer on a deadline, technology can be a wonderful thing. Or not.

Recently, I was plugging away at the work-in-progress when a new program I'd installed on the computer began acting up and my screen froze—and proceeded to freeze every ten minutes.

As I continued to plug away, the program began to spontaneously combust and shut itself down every five minutes.

Then, even though I had set the backup feature to do its thing every two minutes, I discovered it had decided not to do its thing at all. So I lost countless pages of writing.

And this program's designed to help make the writing process go smoothly! Grr...

But wait, there's more.

A few days later, I was deep into the best part of drafting a story, the part where thoughts burst into your brain so quickly, you can barely type fast enough to get them down before you lose them, and...and... The keyboard died. (sigh)

The computer settled down, finally, and that seemed the end of the catastrophes.

Although, today—I suppose just to make sure I didn't get too complacent—this blog post refused to go live....

Yes, technology is a beautiful thing, isn't it? When it works. LOL

Well, despite all the recent frustrations, the good news is that being on deadline means I'm due to have a new book out. (smile) That's just one of the many things I have to be thankful for in this week before Thanksgiving.

Another of them is you.

Thanks so much for stopping by. And, if you celebrate it, I hope you have a wonderful turkey day filled with family and friends and good food.

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Growing Old Gracefully...or Not

How many of you like to watch Doctor Oz's TV show?  I've become an Oz junkie.  There's just something about his no-nonsense approach to good health that appeals to me.  He understands that being human is just that—human, not a machine.  And even when we "know better" we still make bad health choices on occasion.  But he forgives us and encourages us to keep trying.  No matter what the topic on his show, by the end of the sixty- minute segment I already feel better about myself and I feel like I have control over my health.  One episode that made a big difference for me was a show about hair color and how choosing the right color can make you look younger.   
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/hair-colors-take-decades-your-face

For years I used boxed hair colors and I usually chose a dark shade of brown…the color my hair had been in my youth.  Dr. Oz's show taught me to "lighten up".  Now I'm a lighter shade of brown and have highlights that add depth and dimension to the color and make my face appear less harsh. 

It's been a process of sorts, but over the past few years I've learned to embrace getting older….to be the best I can be for whatever age I am and the Dr. Oz  show has been a great motivator in encouraging me to take care of myself.

Is there someone…a show…a book…that's given you sound  advice on growing old gracefully? 

Marin

A Rodeo Man's Promise (Dec 2011)

Arizona Cowboy (Feb 2012)

All My Heroes are Cowboys

Veterans Day and WWII

After living in Waxahachie over two years, my husband and I finally went to the Veterans Day festivities this year. They had set up both an American and a German camp and they did battle for the bridge coming into town.There were vintage vehicles and airplanes. People dressed in vintage WWII uniforms and costumes. Even an evening USO show with Georgie Burns. Sorry, Bob Hope couldn't make it this year.

Such a wonderful opportunity to honor all the men and women who have served this great country, both past and present. So proud of my dad, sons, daughter-in-law, uncles and all the other people out there who have served.

WWII has always seemed like such a romantic time period to me. I grew up listening to my parents stories about how my dad was a tail gunner in a B-17. How my mom left her parents’ farm during the war and moved to Dallas to find a job. Looking back at my dad’s pictures from overseas. Many of the war and the planes and even a few of him dancing with women he met while in the military. He actually returned after the war ended and taught dance for a time. He was the king of the jitterbug. Our house was always filled with music . He’s been gone nearly twenty-five years, but I still treasure his vintage big band record collection.

Anyone else have a particular era that they find romantic.

Hockey is Waaaay More Fun Than Lounging on the Sofa!!

Remember our Romance Road Trip?  Gorgeous Louisa and her

super-talented Oilers goalie, Ian, are still an adorable couple!!

After a freakishly hot summer here in Oklahoma, it's cooling down and time for Oilers Hockey!!  I've been sick for so long with that *&^%$ mystery tummyache, I was beginning to doubt if I'd even make it to the first few games.  Finally, the last test with the last specialist showed a not-so-little problem that landed me in surgery a few days later.

Fast forward a little over a week and while I tire easier than I'd like and still have twinges of surgical pain, the mystery knife pain that's held me prisoner since May is gone.  Can I get an Amen? 

I'm not just being a drama queen when eluding to pain being the ultimate warden.  After a while, I felt caged.  Pain pills made me nauseous, which only made me feel worse.  Thus, I've spent months on the sofa and it was getting old.  Now that I'm sprung, I've been deep cleaning the house that's felt dormant and at least trying to catch up on laundry.  Hannah and I went girl-shopping Saturday afternoon and I did lunch with Russell Sunday afternoon.

Another task Hannah and I tackled is buying silverware--more specifically, forks.  We were down to three.  How does that happen?  Where did they go?  We now have a nice, new set I'm counting after meals!!

Wish I had some clever moral to this story or a definitive reason for what I went through.  I have gained a new respect for anyone suffering from chronic pain.  Having had one doctor tell me it was all in my head, don't take that sort of disrespect!!  Only you know your body and insist the search for the problem doesn't end until you say!!

Quick shout-out of thanks to my amazing family and friends who've suffered this with me--Big Terry, Little Terry, Hannah & Russell, Mom & Dad, Margaret, Winnie, all of my fab Facebook friends local and far away, and of course Sweet Pea, Cocoa and Daisy--at the worst of this, you all made life worth living.

As for my Oilers, they're doing great!!  Yesterday, since Hubby's out of town and Hannah was doing her Ice Girl thing, Louisa and I cheered them on to a HUGE win over Wichita!!  Let's Go Oilers!!! 

 

 

 

SMELLY THINGS AT OUR HOUSE...

The drought in Texas has caused many problems, the least of which is an armadillo rooting up our yard. Every time my husband waters the grass the next morning the yard is rooted up with deep holes. The armor-shelled creature is digging for ants, beetles, worms and other unpleasant little insects. In the photo below he burrowed into the ground. It’s ruining our lawn so the hubby devised a plan. He was going to trap the armadillo and take him far far away deep into the woods away from houses.

He went to Lowe’s and bought a trap. The instructions were to bait it with table scraps, fruit or sardines. Well, I wasn’t giving the armadillo my fruit and we didn’t have any table scarps so he baited it with stinky sardines. Three days went by and nothing. The armadillo rooted all around the trap but didn’t go in it. On the fourth morning my husband came in and said, “I caught something.”

“What?” I asked.

“Come out and see.”

I had on my robe and didn’t want to go out at 7 in the morning, but I did. This is what he caught. A SKUNK!!

I looked at him and he looked at me. ‘How do you plan to get that out of the trap?” I asked.

“I was hoping you’d have a suggestion,” was his response.

“No,” I told him. “I’m going into the house and lock the door and not let you in if you’re all stinky.”

“Thanks,” he called.

I went into the house and made my way to the front bedroom so I could see what he was doing. He got his long rod and reel he uses on the Texas Gulf Coast. He stood as far away as he could and slowly lowered the hook. The skunk couldn’t see him because of the solid aluminum piece in the middle. Several times the hubby tried to catch the latch with the hook. I was holding my breath. Finally he caught it and reeled the hook upward and the latch popped and opened. (photo taken after skunk was released. Didn't want to get too close) Hubby slowly laid the rod on the grass and walked several feet away and watched. The skunk turned around and trotted out of the cage and into the woods without spraying that foul stinky scent on anything. Ingenious. I was so proud of the hubby.

So far it’s armadillo 28. Hubby 0, if you don’t count the skunk. But fall has arrived with cooler temperatures and a few showers so he hasn’t watered lately and the little devil has moved on to someone else’s yard.

What’s happening at your house? I’d love to hear some stories.

Thanks,
Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/
The Texan’s Bride – Oct ‘11

Only Precious To Me by Megan

When I returned from the RWA National convention in July, I had strep throat. Bad. Coming home on July 2, a Saturday, meant my doctor wouldn't be in until Tuesday! I had three excruciating days of throat pain to endure. So I watched TV. lol

Yes, I watched Cardinals baseball--no surprise there. YAY to my team for their amazing comeback and World Series win!! (Y'all knew I'd sneak in a mention of the boys, didn't you?) However, I watched a lot of TV, and I tried different shows, one of which was "Storage Wars." For those of you who haven't seen it, when renters fail to pay for three months, their storage lockers are put up for auction. The show centers on four main buyers--two own thrift stores, one is a collector and one (I think) takes stuff to thrift markets. After winning a locker, they go through it and evaluate its worth.

I admit, I thought it was a trashy, low-class version of "Antiques Roadshow," the PBS program where people have their "treasures" evaluated by experts. And it may be, lol, but I've become hooked. I don't care for the bickering, but I love to see what's been stored, what treasures or unique items are found, and of course, how much they're worth. It's kind of like a pirate of old opening a chest to discover if it's clothing or doubloons.

My family didn't have antiques,--or doubloons for that matter. :) But we had some cool traditions that had props. On Thanksgiving, we would use the turkey salt and pepper shakers. Only on Thanksgiving. That's when my mom would also make Whipped Cream Salad, which I later learned was similar to Ambrosia, but since I never ate it, I had no idea. Whipped cream and the unused mandarin oranges and pineapple bits from the sweet potatoes, and sometimes coconut. [shudder] Had she thrown in chocolate, I might have at least tried it, but honestly, none of those things appeal to me, and coconut is a deal-breaker. She served it in what we called the Whipped Cream Salad bowl, a carnival glass dish she received as a bonus for buying gasoline or something back in the 50s.

For several years, I searched for a cute Thanksgiving turkey set to continue the tradition in my home. The only sets I found had two toms and no hen. No hen? I don't think so. Almost twelve years passed when my mom gave me the turkeys for my birthday. I've never had a more special present! No, they're not valuable, except for the memories. A couple of years later, she gave me the Whipped Cream Salad bowl. To me, these are priceless items. (I serve mashed potatoes in the WCS bowl,)

The other item in my picture is a potholder my mother-in-law made, which we only use in the fall. The guys on "Storage Wars" would no doubt throw this stuff out (even the carnival glass bowl isn't valuable), but these things remind me what I'm truly thankful for--my family.

And if I can keep my brother or sister from stealing them when they visit, I'll pass them down to my children. LOL

What beloved item/s do y'all treasure? I'd love to hear about them.

Best,
Megan Kelly

www.megankellybooks.com

OCTOBER WINNER!!!

CONGRATULATIONS Jo! You’re the October winner. To receive your free autographed books please contact Laura Marie Altom and Barbara White Daille through their Web sites.

To enter the contest simply leave a blog comment and your name will go into the drawing. Simple and painless. And FREE BOOKS.