Unwrapped Toy

Every year our church has an advent tree in the foyer decorated with tags listing gifts needed for those less fortunate. I always pick the tag for the unwrapped toy and then I go out an buy a baby doll.

Today, I strolled through the aisles of Toys R Us looking for the perfect baby doll. This year my choice was the You & Me, Giggles & Coos Baby. When the baby doll's hand is squeezed its eyes close and open. It also makes delightful baby noises.

I love it.

Maybe someday I'll have grandchildren and I won't buy baby dolls anymore. But I still believe the simplest toys are the best.

Should I buy wooden blocks next year?

Our Trio

This is the annual photo! Hubby and I managed to corral our daughters for a few minutes and take some snapshots. Our daughters cooperated, which was nice. When they were younger, taking a photo of the three of them was often a monumental task.

New Vocabulary

Daughters #1, #2, and #3 are staying for the weekend. I am learning new vocabulary words. Some of them are not so nice like the one I learned today. According to English Through The Ages (a great book for writers) the word was coined in 1660. I guess I have lived a sheltered life. Oh well.

No Turkey

Here's our Fakesgiving gang--minus me because I took the picture. We dined at the Macaroni Grill. No turkey there. However, we all had plenty to eat. Several brought food home. Not me, I ate everything. I had planned ahead by having a cup of yogurt for lunch--and I did not have salad before the main course.

My mother is doing somewhat better. Her blood pressure is apparently under control now, but she suffered with a stiff neck all week. Last night's dinner out was a big excursion for her, but she had a nice time.

Sister #1 and her family stayed at our house overnight before they headed back home. Sister #2 and her gang stayed with Mom and Dad.

I sure wish everyone lived close by.

Fakesgiving

Usually, every year at Thanksgiving the entire clan gathers at my house--the clan being my sisters with their spouses and children, my parents, our own daughters, and sometimes my uncle's family. Some years I have fed 22 people--and one dog (Cassie, who makes an appearance in Heaven's Blue).

However, this year Sister #2's husband must work on the Friday after Thanksgiving. So she thought we could all get together for the feast this weekend. Daughter #2 cannot be here and neither can Sister #1's oldest son who is in college. I intend to make the usual turkey dinner on Thanksgiving--but just thinking about making another huge feast this weekend made me exhausted.

Instead we are going out to eat. Sister #1 decided to dub this "Fakesgiving." For me, it means I will be able to chat and enjoy everyone's company.

I think I'll want to do this next year. :^)

Art Opening

Today the library had an art opening and one of my paintings was in the show. I sold the painting! (My first sale!) I have been in Grace Graupe-Pillard's painting workshop for a long, long time. That's Grace on the right in the photo. She holds class shows every now and then, and I've had my paintings in other shows, but this was the first time someone wanted to buy one of my paintings--which is awesome.

Hubby was impressed. He took the photo.

My Mom

Yesterday was my mother's 85th birthday. She spent the day at the hospital--getting an MRI among other things. Her blood pressure readings have been in the stratosphere. However, the tests she has had proved that her kidneys are fine. The cardiologist found her heart okay--but for a few skipped beats. Still, for an 85 year old woman, she is in relatively good shape.

Evidently, her medication is a big part of the problem. Until that problem is straightened out, I'll be running back and forth to the hospital to visit.

Books Sandwiched In

I love to talk about books! Today I had a great time doing just that at the Books Sandwiched In program in Atlantic Highlands. The Books Sandwiched In program (BSI) is affiliated with Atlantic Highlands Friends of the Library. They are a wonderful group of people and they asked some good questions.


Hubby came along to help.

He got a free cup of coffee. :^)

Cheers!

Here's one of the photos taken during our daughters' visit to the Netherlands. They stopped at an abbey where a bunch of monks make ale. Looks like everyone had a great time!

Happy Halloween!

My Halloween costume this year was a combination of two former costumes. I looked completely ridiculous, which is okay. I'd rather go for something funny than something ghoulish.

The kiddies knew what I was--a clown queen. However, one of my coworkers thought I looked like a cross between Burger King, Bozo, and something from the Pirates of the Caribbean.

Hubby decided I was Dracu-Bozo, Queen of the Vampire Clowns. :^)

The difficult part of this costume was the nose. If I ever put on that nose again, I will use duct tape to keep it in place.

How They Grew

Over the years, we measured our daughters' heights on the door jam of the downstairs hall closet. There were pencil marks, names, and measurements taken at sporadic intervals. Today, hubby painted over the measurements. I took a few photos before he applied the brush.

Sigh.

Four Stars!

A Rush of Light received a four star review in Romantic Times Book Review magazine. I have no idea what the review says because I am not a subscriber and will not get a copy of the magazine until it arrives at my local bookstore. However, you can watch this space and sooner or later you, too, can read the entire review. :^)

Our World Travelers

Daughters #1 & #2 took a vacation together. For their first trip abroad, they went to the Netherlands to visit their cousin and her family who now live there. They had a very nice time and came home loaded with licorice--evidently a favorite of the Dutch.

Daughter #2 showed us her photos of the teeny, tiny cars she saw. She also had photos of Dutch jack o'lanterns which are somewhat different from the ones we carve over here. First of all, the Dutch don't call them jack o' lanterns. They call them Halloweens. :^)

I had a little pumpkin on the kitchen table and Daughter #2 was inspired to create her own Dutch-style Halloween.

Wonderful E-Books!

I got my batch of e-books to judge for the EPPIE contest so I'll be doing more reading than usual for a while--not that I mind. :^)

Every year, the EPPIE Awards are presented to the best e-books. Two of my books won in the inspirational category, Sea of Hope in 2002 and Heaven's Blue in 2005. Winning was such a thrill!

It is a great contest.

The Flea Market

I joined hubby for a trip to one of the flea markets today. The weather was clear and cool--just perfect for walking around outdoors. I found a bargain on my favorite soap, I got twelve pairs of crew socks for $8, and I got three hardcover books. Plus I got some exercise. :^)

The piles and piles of STUFF at the flea market always amaze me. Many people have way more than they need. Our own house is cluttered. We tried the flea market a few times to get rid of our excess, but we did not do well. We tried a few garage sales, but again we did not get rid of everything.

Lately, if I really want to get rid of something I put it out on the corner near the road with a big sign on it that says FREE. This seems to be the most effective method to eliminate clutter. We got rid of several large items this way--an extension ladder, a dollhouse, a broken lawnmower, and an old bicycle. In anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, whatever I put out was whisked away.

Now I'm beginning to think that someone who has a table at one of the flea markets probably took my stuff and added it to their huge assortment of items for sale. But it's okay. At least, I don't have to trip over those pieces of clutter anymore.

Another Fantastic Conference!

On Friday and Saturday I attended the annual New Jersey Romance Writers' Conference. I sat around with other authors in the PAN Retreats, drank wine, ate chocolate cookies, and discussed the business of writing. I heard of obstacles that have prevented some of the authors from reaching the top. "We all want to be stars," said Shirley Hailstock.

That is so true.

Saturday's speakers and workshops were wonderful. Carla Neggers gave out tips for writing a breakout novel. Victoria Alexander explained the way she looks at life from a writer's viewpoint.

As always, I made sure to sit in on the editors' panel. Last year, all the editors wanted erotica. This year paranormal was the number one request. I have been writing seriously for a long, long time and I have seen the pendulum swing back and forth so often I simply sigh when a "new" trend is announced.

Next year, those editors will all be craving something else.

I received six FREE books and I sold a few of my books at the bookfair.

There are some New Jersey Romance Writers who have left our fair state, but who returned for the conference. It was so nice to see them.

Now I can't wait for next year's conference. :^)

Birthdays

We celebrated four birthdays this weekend. Daughter #1, Daughter #2, my father, and I all share the same birthday week. There's 196 years between us. That's way too many candles for one small cake. I simply used all twenty candles that came in the box.

We had a great time just gabbing and eating.

Flyboys

Hubby and I went to see Flyboys last night. Hubby loved it. He was still thinking about it today and what a great movie it was.

I found much of it nerve-wracking but it was definitely worth seeing simply for the cowboy, Rawlings, played by James Franco. He is a classic hero. Unfortunately, it was rather easy to figure out which of the other characters were expendable.

Favorite Fungus

Every year aroung this time, a fungus grows in our yard. Hubby thinks this is a fabulous fungus. It seems to get a bit bigger every year. Should we be worried?

Hubby put the dollar bill in the photo so it is easier to see how big this mammoth fungus is.

I've been busy with my real job this week. In addition to work, I had to attend a workshop on Thursday night. Plus I am trying to write as much as possible. And I'm still exercising. I know if I did not have my ebook reader, I would probably have no inclination to exercise. But reading an interesting book is my motivation.

Everyone has a story.

Here's a photo of a nun talking to Donna Birdsell. The nun had a story to tell about literacy. It seems that a lot of people have stories to tell--especially when they meet up with a bunch of authors. However, not everyone wants to write down their own stories. One couple told us about their wonderful love story--it would make a great book, they said. So we encouraged them to write it themselves, but they were not very enthusiastic about that.

Sadly, we found there are some people who insist they don't have the time to read as they passed by our booth. Personally, I cannot imagine a life where there is no time to read. Everyone winds up sitting in a doctor's office at some point. Lots of us wind up sitting in the DMV or the Social Security Office for hours. Some of us are lucky enough to sit on the beach once in a while. Picking up a book is a great way to unwind--or to get your mind off your troubles. At least it is for me.

Still, we met a number of enthusiastic readers, too. And some people who were already writing their own stories. So, of course, we invited them to join us at the New Jersey Romance Writers. I hope they will!