Christmas Cheer



The week before Christmas and I'm almost ready. I have picked out all of the gifts that I'm giving (except for the Hubster). I've ordered some gifts that are supposed to be here on Tuesday.  These are for Daughter and Son In Law. They are leaving to visit his family before the weekend...so my gifts for them will get here just in time! I'm excited about these gifts.  I hope they love them. I had a fun time choosing them.

 





I've also been enjoying some hot tea in the cups that were gifts from the Dtr & Son 'N Law.  I was craving a lemony tea similar to Russian Tea.  I've been drinking a lot of bottled citrus green tea lately and decided to have it hot. It was super fast and easy.

When I was growing up, my mother used to have different ideas for homemade gifts for Christmas presents.  One year it was Russian Tea Mix. I remember making the mix and packaging. We also kept a mix in our kitchen and often enjoyed a cup on cold afternoons. The warm green tea that I had this weekend reminded me of the warm and comforting citrus taste. 

Danielle, of the blog, Runs With Spatulas, posted a Russian Tea recipe.  I'm so delighted that it looks quite like the recipe Mom and I used when we made our powdered tea mixes.

I remember once trying to make the mix and improvising with non-sugar substitutes. All I can tell you was it did not work. The substitutes simply did not produce the same volume of the mix.  I have wanted to find this recipe so that I can give Russian Tea gift jars. Since I just found the recipe, and I work all of next week, I think this may be a gift project for next year.

If you are not on Pinterest you totally should be. It's very fun.  It's like a virtual scrapbook of ideas.  I'd be delighted if you followed me.  And, of course, I want to see your boards and follow you as well.

Quick Poll:  Which is better:  Pumpkin Pie or Sweet Potato Pie?  For me, the answer is hands down Sweet Potato Pie.  It's sweeter and creamier.

A restaurant owner in a nearby city was featured in the local Indy Week paper. The name of her restaurant?  Sweet Potatoes.  I must go try this.  The article is here: A new book by N.C. chef Stephanie Tyson: Tyson shares about 100 recipes of the Winston-Salem restaurant's famous dishes in Well, Shut My Mouth! The Sweet Potatoes Restaurant Cookbook.

Ms. Tyson also shared a recipe from her new cookbook.

This weekend I saw the article, The Rise and Fall of Recipe Cards, A Brief History in the Slate Ezine website. The article has a fairly interesting point of view and is somewhat interesting. I realized that it has been forever since I've seen a real handwritten recipe card. The thought of a physical recipe card made me nostalgic. So, in honor of the not yet lost art of the Recipe Card, I put Stephanie Tyson's recipe on a Recipe Card for you.

Enjoy your week!

Kimberly's Note: Anytime I have made anything with sweet potatoes, I've used the potatoes I buy in a can from the grocery store.  It cuts out the majority of the time and I think it's just easier.

Hello December!

I wonder how it can be so! A little over two weeks away is the big celebration in our family. This year it seemed to slip up on me. This may be because we seemed to have such a busy year with family festivities. 

One of my sisters plans to spend the holiday out of town with her husband's family as well.  Both daughter and sis will be in the colder northeast for the holiday. This will leave my hubby here with 2nd sister and our parents. I had so much fun at our Christmas gathering last year that I can't help but be a little disappointed that we won't all be together on Christmas day this year. --But that is me being selfish and I don't mean to be. This year will be wonderful in a different way.

Last year was the first Christmas that my Hubby and daughter were back in the town that I grew up in. Our house is less than a mile from my parents' house and about the same distance to daughter and her husband.  I love that!  Both my sisters live within 10 miles of me. This is so nice after being on opposite coasts for 7 of the past 8 years.

Hubby and I had the family to our house for lunch and presents. Hubby and I had been in the house only six months when we hosted the Christmas lunch. Hubby actually had only been here two months. We were in the midst of our home updates. All of the new paint was complete, but not the rest of our projects. And, to say that I'm not good in the kitchen is an understatement.  Lunch would have been supper if not for Sissy!  She deserved her "ta-da" moment. --But crashing the photo just had to be done.

Hubster and Daughter~~and a yummy glass of wine

Last year was a truly wonderful first Christmas "back home". 

Hope everyone is enjoying this part of the holiday.

Thanksgiving Feast and Fotos

See what I did there in the title? A little alliteration. This year the Thanksgiving festivities were at my daughter's house. She had the turkey and the ham with all the fixins'! And it was way yummy.

In my last post, I shared some of my blessings that I'm thankful for. In this post, I'll share some photos to go along with them. Oh, and I totally forgot to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING on my last post! I hope all had a great time with family and loved ones. And, as Ellen DeGeneres tweeted the other day, hopefully, a few of those people overlap.

And, last but not least (or maybe least):  Check out those slippers!

The bottom of each shoe says something different.  One says "Very" and the other one says "Merry".

I think someone is getting into the Holiday Spirit!

A Little Story About My Halloween...(before it's too late)

I really should be asleep now.  I have the beginnings of a cold....the kind where it feels like my limbs are coated in wet cement.  I took some sinus medicine last night which helped clear up the congestion...but the fatigue, not so much.

I haven't yet posted about my Zombie Lurch.  I figure if I don't post about it before Thanksgiving the moment will have passed.  So I'll post now. (Though, I realize the moment is sort of gone.)

GOAL= Healthy Weight (?)

I was on a weight loss program that lasted an embarrassingly long time. The first 6 months I did great and lost an appropriate amount of weight. Then I plateaued for another 6 months. Flat. Each time I went to weigh in I comforted myself that "No Gain = No Gain", which is a WIN. But I really wanted to jump start to get that next 10 pounds off. That would not have put me at "goal", but it would have put me at a number I would be willing to have on my driver's license.

Why I Love Willie...

Many years ago I met my husband. We were both in college and I was completely smitten. Our relationship was born out of pure enjoyment of each other's company. And it was built on lots and lots of laughter. Hubby and I met because we both worked on the college media floor of the student union.  He was a photographer and I was not.  But I was in need of some photographs for my publication (which was not his publication).  Make sense? Anyway, I sort of stalked him. For the sake of my publication, you know?

My Evening with Mary Chapin

 Click here for Image Source

This past summer I was going through the mail and pulling out catalogs to be tossed. I was actually in the car with Hubby and absent-mindedly glanced through the one odd size catalog from Carolina Performing Arts. I'd already decided that this was to go in the recycle bin when I just happened to see Mary Chapin Carpenter was scheduled to perform. What? There is a name I hadn't seen on the music scene in a while.  At least I hadn't seen her name in "my" music scene. I changed my attitude about this publication and immediately shifted into a new gear/task.

Paint Like the Artist You ARE

Saturday evening my daughter and I went to an Art Studio to learn (by doing) to create a painting on canvas.  This seems to be a new trend in hobby studios. (Back in the '90s I spent many an afternoon painting ceramics in similar studios). The artist instructor truly did give step-by-step instructions and we all left with paintings that looked quite similar to what we intended.

If you live in the Triangle Area of NC you should check out the Painting Studio called "Artistic Abandon". What a great name! They are said to have the Best Wine and Painting Parties in Raleigh. You bring the wine (and munchies if you want) and they provide the rest: Canvas, Paint, Brushes, Aprons and amazing instruction. --Of course, wine and munchies are completely optional.

The website information is here: Artistic Abandon. They also have a Facebook Page.

Let's play a game:  Below are two paintings from this weekend's painting excursion. See if you can tell which one is mine and which one was painted by my daughter. (Answer is at the end.  --Though my discussion of our painting styles may give you all the clues you need.)

I sat beside my daughter and, although the teacher said several times "this is not a competition", I was completely intimidated by my daughter's talent. She has such a steady hand and is able to precisely draw and paint. Her flowers were so much more the look I was striving for. Even though I love precision in paintings, I have not been able to train myself to achieve this. So while my daughter and I were both following the exact same instructions, my piece looks much more impressionistic.

I think it's cool to see how two people can paint the exact same thing and have different results. I know that art is like that...everyone is influenced by a  different point of view. This exercise helped me see that it's not only an artist's point of view that differentiates their work. We can each see the same thing a little differently. In addition, we each have a unique way of expressing ourselves. So, even if we saw it the same way, our depiction of that "thing" will have another nuanced difference. 

Below is the answer to the game above:

We've all heard that point of view is shaped by our experiences. But I don't remember hearing much about the artist's representation of that point of view. My weekend painting experience helped crystallize for me that the artist's "expression" may not reflect the essence of what they were trying to create.  For me, it's most likely lack of training and practice that results in a painting that is much more impressionistic than I intended.

Here is a snapshot of how my painting was accomplished:

I had a great time. And I'm pleased with my first attempt at putting a paintbrush to canvas.  I've already signed up for another class/party. There are a few paintings that I'm dying to do! 

And, oh....since I will be spending a lot of time at the Art Studio, friends and family shouldn't be surprised if they receive an original work of art from Yours Truly for Christmas.  --Then again, I may become too attached to give them up.   

September Walk-a-Thon

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Danielle signed up to participate in the Ovarian Cancer Walk to raise money for research and to raise awareness. (I signed up with D.)

Daughter is quite good at organizing.  She organized me by sending me a schedule so that we were on time to the event. 

This is what she sent: 

Wake-up: 7am
Leave your house: 7:45am
Be at my place to pick me up at: 8am
Breakfast at Ricks: 8:20-9:20am (should be plenty of time to relax and enjoy a nice breakfast)
Leave for Raleigh (40min drive): 9:20am
Arrive: 10am
Sign in: 10:15am
Walk Starts: 10:30am

We followed her timeline to a "T" and were quite pleased to actually show up early to the event. The light drizzle did not dampen our spirits.

The DJ played some great music which helped keep our energy up.

**Awareness Raising Info**: Ovarian Cancer symptoms are easily mistaken for benign conditions. The symptoms can be a subtle as heartburn. The most universal symptom is bloating. --But as women, feeling bloated is rarely something that would cause us to raise an eyebrow. 

Early detection and treatment is the only way to beat this. I recommend that you know your body and pay attention to symptoms that are unusual for you or that last more than 2 weeks. 

Ovarian Cancer Alliance

My biggest recommendation: 

**Keep your annual exams with your gynecologist**

Talk to your doctor about:

1. Having an annual blood test for serum CA-125. This can be an earlier indicator of a problem.

2. Getting tested for the genetic mutations that increase your risks. Knowing your results gives you the opportunity to work proactively with your doctor to decide preventative measures. 

A Labor Day Mini Vacation

Hubby and I used this three day weekend to go to the beach! Yay! I haven't been to the beach since July 2010.  Before that, I hadn't been to the beach in years. YEARS!

In my childhood, going to the beach was at least an annual event. If we were lucky, we got to go several times each summer.

I have so many wonderful beach memories it seems wrong to try to list them. It would be like I'm choosing one memory over another. When we were kids, Mom and Dad got my sisters and me up in the wee hours of the morning before sunrise. For Dad, the time of arrival was half the fun. If we were going to "go to the beach" we were going to be there "all day". Getting in the car before sunrise got us to the beach before lunch.

My favorite times to go to the beach were "off-season". The beaches were less crowded and the weather more breezy and comfortable. This summer was so hot I couldn't bear the thought of a visit to a place without shade. But this weekend, the weather was perfect. So Hubs and I made a spontaneous trip east.

Where We Write

As I mentioned on Sunday night (Monday Morning), I've joined a Blogging Campaign.  It's my first time so I don't know what to expect. So far, I have been exposed to a core group of bloggers that share some of my interests. In turn, bloggers are also introduced to me. The theory is that if I share an interest with these fellow bloggers, we may also share an audience.  So, there are several bloggers that are shown in the "Following Me" category on the left sidebar.  If you enjoy my blog...or blogs in general, you may enjoy their blogs as well. 

So...after you read my blog post(s), you may want to check out the blogs of my colleagues. I can tell you is that I have read each of the blogs of my followers and I am hooked. The only downside I can see about the campaign is that now I have even more really good bloggers that are grabbing my attention.  Which is not really a downside. I find myself wanting to read not just the most recent post(s) but as many previous posts as I can read in a single sitting. Yeah, like I said, I'm hooked.

In addition to finding pure enjoyment in these new blogs, I'm following, I'm finding new sparks of inspiration. I read a blog and I'm like: "Yeah! I get that!" And I want to go home and write.

So, today, I'm giving a shout out to Megan of the blog: Paws Fangs and Smiles. Specifically, the first post of hers I read was: "Where Do You Write?".  The blog had a photo of a really cool desk.  A really cool desk (go take a peek and come right back). Anyway, it got me thinking...where do "we" (the royal "we") write? I've written in many places...and I will mention them as we go on. But I find that I find it fascinating to see where others write. 

A while back I stumbled upon this post:  "Where I Write" by Nova Ren Suma. This post stuck with me. It moved me somehow. I ran across the post earlier this year and thought: "Cool. I'd like to write there". Then several months later, I had a vague memory of a post I'd read about an NYC writer's loft. I wanted to read it again. --I wanted to imagine myself there. I needed the visual to get back to what I imagine to be my zen place.  I did not immediately remember where I had seen this. After several days (yeah, days) of wracking my brain and combing my Internet history logs, I started to think I would not find it. I became possessed to find the blog.  Well...my work to find and bookmark this blog is a gift I give to you. 

Since Nova wrote this particular post, she's written several others that are about different places that she's written.  I'd love to visit every one of those places. You'll see that Nova has published several YA novels. They are now on my list of books to read.

Coincidentally, on Sunday, another of my new blogger friends, Kimberly Zook of Zook Book Nook, was also thinking about where writers write.  Her post "Writer-Mamas Favorite Places" also resonated with me.  I especially like her photos of where she writes. With several photos, I was like..."Huh...I do that too".

This post is longer than I planned and I still have so much I want to say. Like, I want to tell you about my visit to Margaret Mitchell's house. I saw the desk and the typewriter where she wrote Gone With The Wind. --Actually, the furniture and the typewriter may be replicas (I can't remember), but the house and the window...all real. 

[They did not allow us to photograph....so I have to use photos from the Margaret Mitchell House Museum site.]

And, of course, I can't resist a photo of Carrie Bradshaw sitting at her window...writing at night. (Or is she really reading blogs?). I really get that though.  Writing at night. My muse strikes and doesn't let go until 1:00 a.m. many nights. 

I promised to tell you about where I write...but, I haven't been able to find a single photo of me writing. Or even of my prior writing desks...and I've had a couple.  So, I will have to keep looking and share with you another time. I did, however, find a photo of me from MANY years ago. The photo is from my Husband's and my first apartment.  I was sitting at our entertainment center talking on the phone. I found very many photos of me talking on the phone.  None of me writing, but many of me on the phone...go figure.

Anyway, I've put some labels on the photo of some items we actually owned. Some of the items are making a come back as "Retro", which goes to show: I was cool before cool was retro.

A Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

Creative Commons

Don't you love New York in the fall?  It makes me want to buy school supplies.  I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.

One of my favorite lines in one of my favorite movies:  You've Got Mail.

It does not feel like fall here but school is starting back and that always makes me think of fresh starts and school supplies.

I want to give a shout-out to all the teachers I know. I'm surrounded by people who either are or were teachers. One person I know is entering into her first year of teacherhood (high school I think). Another has become a pre-school teacher. I know two kindergarten teachers and a retired English and Spanish teacher.  As well as a teacher who now specializes in English as a Second Language. In the blogging community, I've also found a couple of teachers that I feel like I "know" on some real level. As Kathleen Kelly said: "The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings".

I do love school supplies. Around this time I can find some really cool notebooks and organize things.

Many years ago I had the opportunity to teach.  Interestingly, I thought I would be a teacher when I first went to college. I wanted to teach high school English. But then I took a required course Freshman year and knew I would not be able to commit to the major. In fact, I dropped the class and started looking for another major.

Many years after college and well into my professional life (banker), I took some time off from the career track and pursued my desire to actually teach school.  I taught 7th-grade math in a school with a largely "under-served" population. I learned at least as much as the kids did.  --Probably more. I also learned how I would do it differently if I had the chance to teach again. I feel I better understand some of the realities that my students and their parents had to deal with. Their reality makes it difficult to really expect homework to be meaningful. 

Let me say I'm totally proud of the year I was a teacher. And I feel even more love and respect for our career teachers.

I also really love the movie "You've Got Mail. I found a published script right here: Script of "You've Got Mail". I was doing a search to make sure I had the quote above right.  I found that just reading the script made me fall in love with it again.

I leave you with this sweet email. 

Subject: RE: Brinkley Date: 9/16/98 7:28:50 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Shopgirl To: NY152 I like to start my notes to you as if we're already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we're the oldest and dearest friends -- as opposed to what we actually are, people who don't know each other's names and met in a Chat Room where we both claimed we'd never been before. What will he say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer, I wait impatiently as it boots up. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing, not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail. From you.

Celia Rivenbark's New Book



Celia Rivenbark

I want to give a shout out for Celia Rivenbark and her new book that was released today. Her new book is: You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the Pool. Several months back, I wrote a blog that included discovering Celia Rivenbark at a local Independent Bookstore. I loved the title of the book "You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning". I basically read the first chapter right there in the store. Of course, I actually bought the book.

I felt like Celia gets me...or I get her. Neither of us would be mistaken for a "cookie-cutter" mother of the year. I felt like I was reading a kindred spirit when she explained why she yells "BOOOOO" whenever kids claim their perfect attendance award. I mean, I totally get that. Perfect Attendance? Let's put school and life into perspective, shall we?

When my daughter was in elementary school, they got all uppity because she was tardy once or twice (a week) or so. I drove my daughter to school each day...so often the tardiness was a reflection on me. I still remember her sweet voice saying, "Mom. You have to come inside to sign me in when I'm late." I'd be all "What makes you think you are late?"  She would say things like, "We are the only ones in the parking lot, Mom". So...I would park illegally and walk my cherub into the school office to "sign her in". The sign in late sheet was basically the school's record of me acknowledging that "Yes, I know my daughter is late (again)".  The sheet also required an explanation for the tardiness.  I couldn't use the "she missed the bus" excuse (after that first time). And, I never actually wrote, "Because, duh...I'm late," or "We're not morning people".  I usually wrote something like "traffic". But one day...I simply wrote: "You don't even want to know".

So, like I said, Celia gets me.

Tonight I went to another local independent bookstore to hear Celia read and talk about her newest book that was released today. My hubby went with me...and I grabbed his arm several times when the hilarity was just so right on. My favorite essay that she read was about her daughter's science fair project that was entered into the Science Fair competition. No spoiler alert here.  Suffice it to say Celia's impressions are dead-on funny.

So...I'm putting the word out.  The goal?  Helping Celia Rivenbark's book make it onto the NY Times Best Seller list. That could be really cool.

A Trip to a Local Vineyard

Last Saturday, some of my new friends and I traveled to Willow Spring, NC to visit Adams Vineyards. The vineyard is primarily muscadine grapes.  If you are from NC, you have probably eaten the native muscadine grapes off the vine.

Photo Credit: GAFRO via Creative Commons

The green grapes shown here are Scuppernong.  I guess I should have known but didn't that Scuppernong is a type of Muscadine. My Mother's parents grew muscadine grapes. My strongest memory of the grapes was that I often sought refuge from the summer heat under the vine. While trying to stay cool, I would often eat a grape or two. 

I want to tell you more about the things I learned and admire about the people behind Adams Vineyard. First of all, Joyce Adams, the owner, sat with us and told us the Vineyard history, which when you come right down to it is her personal history too. Joyce was so open about telling us how they decided to begin the vineyard and some of the things that she has learned along the way. I'm sure Joyce will not mind if I share this history--especially if you decide to try their wine sometime soon. (Check out their website: Adams Vineyards)

The land is over 100 acres and has been in the Adams' family since the 1700s.  It was granted to them by the King of England in a Land Grant and has not left the family since. The Adams family has lived on the farm for nine generations. Joyce lives in the same house that her husband was born in. 

In recent history, the land was primarily used for tobacco farming. Joyce said she knew of a time when there was a dammed creek or river and they were able to grow rice as well. The Adams farm (like most, if not all tobacco farms) were part to the Tobacco Allotment program which ended in a buyout in 2004.  

Photo Credit: Plantra.com

It was then that John decided to begin a vineyard. The first grape was planted in February 2006. It sounds like Joyce did most of the actual planting. John had become ill and was not able to plant himself, but Joyce said he supervised her from the truck. It is fun to hear Joyce tell the story. She says the vineyard was John's dream...not hers, and yet she was the one putting plants in the ground and putting grape grow tubes around the young plants.

Joyce and John had to learn to navigate the requirements of running this new business which includes working with the FDA for approvals as well as obtaining building permits and following a multitude of building codes. This was all in addition to the investment required for the wine tanks and fermenters and coolers. It takes a lot of fortitude to decide to undertake this business from scratch. Clearly, John and Joyce had that fortitude. The vineyard began with five acres of grapes that have now grown to eight acres with nine varieties of Muscadine grapes. The vineyard opened its doors to visitors in September 2008.

John had recovered enough to be the primary winemaker of the business. He had been doing well with his illness and had a good prognosis. But in October he became suddenly seriously sick. He was hospitalized and died within a week.

Joyce tells this part of the story sweetly. Being with her husband in the hospital was clearly another paragraph in their love story. They had been married for fifty years. Joyce told us that as she sat with her husband, he was very alert and still thinking of the vineyard. He kept telling her to remember to do this and remember to do that. Joyce told John not to worry...that the vineyard would be fine. She and their son, Quincy, have made good on that promise.

Quincy took over the management of the grapes and winemaking. Quincy's approach to winemaking is different from his father's. Joyce says that you can tell from the taste of the wine that was developed by Quincy or his father.

In all, we tasted 8 wines. For me, the clear favorite was Papa Johnny's White Bliss (one of their semi-sweet wines).  It was crisp and light and not overly sweet.  I liked it enough to get a bottle. I learned after buying my bottle that this was Quincy's first recipe. He named it for his father. Somehow knowing this makes the wine and the experience even sweeter.

Who's a Good Boy?

Jacob is the cutest poodle puppy I've seen...like ever. He is plenty rotten. Here is the first picture we ever took of our little guy. It was the week before Christmas in 2008.  Such a cute guy...who could resist.

Jacob did pretty well with his training, though there is much that he tries to get away with.  At one time he was able to hold a "Down Stay" for 20 minutes in the middle of Pet Smart.  Now...not so much.

He does a pretty good job of "Leave It", but can't resist giving kisses way past an acceptable amount.

He walks really well on a leash. He does his very cute poodle prance and is so happy on a leash because it means he gets to "go".

My sister in law surprised us with this watercolor as a "Just 'Cause" gift. I L.O.V.E this print.

Jacob is quite bouncy...like most poodles.  He has not been to the beach, but I believe he would bounce just like the watercolor poodle above. 

Jacob is now 2 and half years old. He's lucky he's so cute...that is why he gets away with so much. 

Jacob always wants to go for a ride in the car. Will go absolutely anywhere...just wants to ride.

At the end of a fun day full of excursions...Jacob can sleep anywhere.

Red Kitchen Update

My Red Kitchen

Not long ago I included a post about the The Kitchen Makeover and I asked for feed back about what kitchen counter tops and replacement islands. Today, we are virtually finished with the Kitchen Transformation. Finished for now, anyway. We had quite a lot of fun changing the room to make it reflect our personality.

Sunday Musings

If you are following my blog please don't leave me...there were posts that appeared and then disappeared over the last two days...I know this. I've been obsessed with all things blog lately. I've been desperately trying to figure out how to get my blog to look the way I want it.  There's this whole HTML thing going on behind the scenes that I'm trying to master. And, frankly, it's kicking my a$$.

My daughter has a blog and I'm really liking how she has made hers look. She was good enough to come to my house yesterday and teach me some of the design tricks she has learned. (Forever grateful.) I spent the rest of the afternoon trying out new things on my blog.

Last night I discovered Microsoft Word has a word template called "Blog Post". So...I spent the time configuring Word to work with Blogger. My thought is/was to be able to type my posts in Word, along with images, and then upload straight from Word. It only partially worked. It uploaded the text but none of the images. --Which is pretty much useless to me.  The whole point for me was to be able to do some funky things with my images that are too difficult for me to do in Blogger itself. 

Then I found if I downloaded a program from Blogger to work with Word that it will all be so easy.  Again...wrong. It's all about the images. They don't seem to want to come into this blog unless I'm in the blogger. So many hours of frustration have ensued.

I just simply need to learn HTML. That's all there is to it.

I want to be able to share images and I want them to to "stay" where I put it.

My Sissy just offered to let me borrow a book and let me read it before she does. That is so generous. It's the new book by Liane Moriarty.

The first Liane Moriarty book I read was Three Wishes and I LOVED it! It is about Triplets on their 34th Birthday (and the year that led up to it. The sisters are in a nice restaurant celebrating their shared birthday when they have a sister fight. One that ends with the pregnant sister getting a fondue fork in her belly. (But not in a sinister, murderous, kind of way. More like in a sisterly, "I'm really mad at you", kind of way.)  Needless to say, this one had me at "hello", ahem, "fork in belly". Who needs Jersey Shore when you can read such a fun read?

After I devoured Three Wishes, I shared it with my Sissy. --The youngest one. That's right, while we aren't triplets, we are three sisters that are very close in age. My Sissy and I have a very similar sense of humor and she loved the book too.

Moriarity's second book...I loved, NOT AT ALL. And, I'm a little scared now. How can one book be so screechingly funny that I can't wait for more...and the next be so painful that I can't imagine it is the same writer?

Sissy is in the middle of a new mystery, so I don't know when she'll read this new book by Liane Moriarty. I'm hoping to get her take on it first.

I recently finished reading the last of Jen Lancaster's memoirs.  LOVED THEM ALL. But most especially loved SUCH A PRETTY FAT.

Now I'm reading Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella.  I'm about a third of the way through...and I'm not sure I will be able to stop myself from jumping to the last chapter to verify that it gets better. --I do that sometimes...if a book is starting to teeter on the "suck-a-meter", then I will jump to the end to see if it sounds like it got better.  If it does, then, typically I read backwards.  Really...what I do is read the last chapter. If I sort of liked it, or was intrigued enough to know how the characters "got there" then I read the next to the last chapter...and so on. I'm hoping not to have to go there with this one.

I consider myself an avid reader, but I decided long ago that life is too short to read a book beyond the "it could get good" stage.

I remember the first time I dared not actually read a book was in 9th grade. The book was...David Copperfield. I'd read Oliver Twist the year before and was surprised that I liked it. But Copperfield? I tried it for like three chapters and then decided if I couldn't pass with Cliff Notes then I just wouldn't pass. 

Well..that's what I'm thinking about tonight as I try to wind down the weekend. Hope everyone had a good weekend.

NC Waterfall Photos Available for Viewing

You remember that last month that my Hubby and I spent several days in the NC Mountains, photographing waterfalls.  I promised photos would follow...and here they are. I hope that you enjoy the photographs.

Mail Call & Modern Design

I've been thinking a lot about writing lately. By "this" I mean writing with a pen and paper, versus using the laptop. I had coffee with a new friend today and our discussion was about our relationship with writing.  Specifically, we were talking about writing for yourself and not writing related to a profession. We talked about how the simple act of writing can bring about a Zen-like moment that involves being fully in the moment. 

Five Year Diary

I've been a journal writer off and on since I was young. Actually, I remember getting my first diary when I was in 1st grade. It was a "5 Year" Diary. Each page was divided into five small sections and the pages were dated January 1 to December 31. The idea was that you would write an entry on the January 1st page each year for five years. The photo to the right is exactly the diary, except that my diary was blue. I was just learning to read and write on my own and I wanted very much to fill the diary with secret stories. I knew right away that this diary was not going to last five years. I tried for the first few entries to keep my musings to the prescribed amount of space on the page. But I found, even then, that once any real writing began I could not predict the amount of space that would be required. 

My friend and I spoke at length of the benefits we get from journal writing. We believe that there are no hard and fast rules. There is no rule that says you must journal every day. There is no rule that says anything. It is a tool to pick up when you want or need.

Tonight, as I was thinking of my own relationship with writing, one of the things that come to mind was when I was an avid letter writer. My first experiences as a "letter writer" began in the 6th grade. (Funny what specifics I remember. Especially when you consider that I truly can't remember where I put my sweater...again.) My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Paris (originally from Boston), had a contest for writing essays and the number of homework assignments actually completed and turned in. (Have I mentioned before that I am competitive?) I won this contest twice! The first time I won a box of stationary. The stationary had daisies on it and there was a big bottle bubble design to encapsulate your writing. The Jim Croce song "Time in a Bottle" was really big that year.

That summer I met a friend during day camp when we took a field trip to the Amusement Park. I still remember her name (Darla...will keep last name private for, well, privacy). Darla did not live near me. She lived in Virginia, which seemed quite far. She was one or two years older than I was and I thought she was quite wise. She brought her Kodak Instamatic (camera) on the trip and took many photos of our fun time on the rides. We decided after that week of camp that we would stay friends by being pen pals. And she promised to send me copies of the pictures when they came back from being developed. (Who knew how long that would be). And, sure enough, Darla and I were pen pals for a year or two. This was a pretty good writing relationship, especially considering that she was already in Junior High and I was going into Junior High the next year. I remember lots of letters. I don't remember what we wrote about, but I remember that I used my stationary. I also remember the joy of getting a letter back from her. There is nothing quite like getting a real letter in the real mailbox.

In 7th grade, my professed best friend decided to live with her father instead of her mother. This meant that she would move to the next town over and would not be near me anymore. No more spend the nights and no more conspiring on the school playground. I already had confidence that friendships don't have to end just because of distance. The solution...letter writing. Julie and I wrote very regularly. (Typically, we wrote each other once a week.) After a while, she decided to move back "home" with her mother and sister. When she came back she had experienced life differently and we had developed different interests. The friendship naturally ran its course.

At the end of 7th grade another friend (also named Julie) moved. Julie and I had grown close after my "first" Julie had moved away. New Julie came to school in the middle of the year. Her Dad had a job in our town. New Julie was from Michigan. She was tall and confident. She dressed differently than those of us that had never moved more than 5 or 10 miles since kindergarten. But she was so confident and likable she did not suffer from being teased. She wore a Vietnam POW bracelet. I remember being intrigued by that. I had been insulated from the status of the war. Of course I knew about the war in Vietnam I just didn't KNOW about it. At the end of the year, her family returned to Michigan. She and I were letter writers for about a year as well.

As an adult, I began to write letters diligently after leaving Virginia Beach. Hubster and I lived there for three years. Our daughter was born there. But we decided to move to NC when our daughter was 18 months old. The first year in the new town in NC was one that I did not know anyone. (This was not my home town). I was lonely for the friendships that I had recently cemented. So, at night I would write letters or postcards. During that experience I found two things to be true: Number one: Letter writing can deepen a friendship more deeply than a phone call. One of my friends continued with our deep friendship writing for many years. The letter writing friendship was also kept fresh and alive by several visits back to see her. This person is still someone that I consider to be a very deep friend. And Number two: I was driven to find fun and exciting things to do during my "regular" non working life so that I could have something fun and interesting to write about. The adventures made me a better writer AND the writing made me a better adventurer.  That was key to getting acclimated and finding my niche in this new town.

It is fitting that I would be thinking about writing and letter writing in particular. I began thinking of "snail mail" today when I saw the fun new stamps issued by the US Post Office last week. The stamps are a series to celebrate American Industrial Designers.

Last month, you'll remember that I was in Atanta. The Hubs and I went to the High Museum of Modern Art. I really enjoyed the Exhibition on Modern Design. Many of the things in the exhibit are pieces of furniture or lamps or other items that filled many homes in the '60s and '70s. Seeing these items made me happy and nostalgic. The new stamps make me happy for the beauty of everyday things.

The Museum Allowed Photos

The same week that the USPS issued the new stamps, mail delivery resumed for our Canadian neighbors.