In just 2 minutes and 46 seconds, this video from Igniter Media and narrated by Willie Minor sums up the reason for the season using a simple basic scale.
I never heard this from my piano teachers, but what a great lesson to share.
Christmas is always such a paradox for me.
I love it, but hate so much that goes with the season like the decorating, the baking, the Christmas cards, the parties, the gift shopping… you get the idea. And, most of all, I hate the rushing to get everything done. I want to wiggle my nose like Samantha from the Bewitched TV series of the sixties and seventies and have all the preparations done.
At the same time, I miss all the falderol after years of not decking the halls. Why did we stop decorating, baking, and partying? Several reasons…
Last year I broke my right wrist at Thanksgiving and had surgery, so not much Christmas happened last year.
Before that, we were only at our cabin for December so it seemed pointless to decorate or bake at either the Colorado place or our Texas home, which meant three years of not much Christmas spirit around either homestead.
When we made the decision to move permanently to Colorado and put the Texas house up for sale, the Realtor said no Christmas decorations. We took her advice and celebrated the holiday sans decorations and homemade holiday treats instead we went to relatives’ homes during the season.
Our move and remodel/addition consumed two more years of no decorating, baking, etc. We always had a tree, though. Our son-in-law hiked up into the forest behind our house and cut one.
This year, we vowed to change what was becoming a trend of a minimalist holiday celebration. It is time to get back into the holiday spirit.
I donned my “I hate this part.” tee shirt, gathered all the red and green plastic containers filled with years of holiday decorations, played Christmas music from satellite radio, and begin the arduous task of making the house festive.
Then the part of Christmas that I love came rushing back…
Every ornament and all the decorations whispered a story. Memories brought smiles as we hung ornaments and added touches of Christmas to all the rooms in the house. We went slowly, taking time to relish each and every precious memory.
Seeing the house transform into a winter wonderland inspired my husband to make his famous Chex Mix. Familiar scents from that holiday favorite spurred plans for other traditions like his pralines and fudge.
I’m also planning to bake Christmas cookies for the first time in years. I’ve even started practicing Christmas carols.
We had helpers, who reminded us of Christmases past when our adult children were toddlers fascinated by the sights, the sounds, and the smells of the season.
It’s fun seeing all the familiar Christmas things again. We’re truly pumped about our celebration this year and refuse to allow even the tiniest thought about what has to be done to undo after New Year’s Day.
What about you? Do you have an “I hate this part.” of the season? If not, what’s your most favorite part of your holiday season?
If you live in the United States, you’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving Day soon.
We Americans began celebrating the day during the Civil War when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Since 1924, many of us spend the day watching New York City’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or football. The National Football League has been broadcasting games since its inception in 1920. And, of course, there are always the collegiate teams to cheer for. Around our house, timing of our Thanksgiving Day meal is based on when the University of Texas Longhorns play.
Things today are different from that first Pilgrim Thanksgiving feast in the early autumn of 1621. What hasn’t change is the basis for Thanksgiving. We still pause on this day to give thanks for our blessings.
While I believe an attitude of gratitude should be an everyday occurrence, this Thanksgiving I am reminded of my many blessings:
A loving husband (who’s the hero model for my novels)
Family and friends (far and near)
My pets (who brighten every day)
Most especially you, my readers
If you are traveling this Thanksgiving Day, I wish you Godspeed. Our weather forecast for here in the mountains of Colorado is for snow on Thanksgiving Day, which will make a perfect day for those who ski or like to watch football games.
Me, I’m not that crazy about football or skiing. I’ll be cozied next to the fireplace reading.
If you have a Kindle, you can be reading too. Pick up a copy of my latest release. It’s my special Thanksgiving Thank you for you.
When Love Returns for KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1My5CeW 
SOURCE: http://quotesgram.com/time-to-refocus-my-life-quotes/
Halloween was Saturday, which means whatever calm and order existed in our personal worlds will soon disappear into preparations for the coming holidays.
Don’t get me wrong. The holidays are my favorite time of year.
At the same time I dread them because the days been Halloween and New Year’s Day can be so overwhelming.
Plus, this year I have a new writing project due by the end of the year—When Love Trusts, Book three in the Fitzpatrick Family series.
Because Chicken Wrangler Sara and I want to enjoy the holidays with our families, and hopefully reduce our stress, we will be taking turns posting blogs once a week instead of our two individual blogs each week. This plan worked well last holiday season and we’re counting on it working again this year.
What will you be doing to de-stress, re-group, and re-focus during this holiday season?
Need ideas? Check out these articles at Huffington Post and WebMD
Last week, I discussed how using a wrong word could make readers cringe. Read that post here. Today we’re looking at the problem of misspelled words.
Word processors, phones, and pads/tablets have spell checker apps and most word processors offer an auto correct feature to assist in editing. Still, misspellings slip into our writing and Social Media posts. When that happens our readers can think we aren’t trying to write well or do sloppy editing.
Truth is, most of us struggle with all the confusing words in the English language that are exceptions to spelling rules. Spelling bee champions seemed to be the only ones who can whiz through words most of us couldn’t even look up in the dictionary.
Check out this sentence and see how many words you can find misspelled. (HINT: There are a lot.) Ignore the fact the sentence does not make sense. We’re looking for spelling/misuse errors.
You’re acknowlegment of my atempt to accomodate enough wierd camoflage equiptment just shows a concensus would only inadvertantly embarass any seperate liason by the comittee in trying to guage an miniscule withdrawl.
Did you find fourteen spelling mistakes? What about the grammatical errors? There are some tricky English words whose spelling you just have to learn.
Here’s a list of twenty-four most commonly misspelled words that make me crazy. Should you want to see longer lists of the most commonly misspelled words in English, check here or here.
Most spell checkers should catch these for you. Maybe not.
Consider the possessive adjective Its vs the contraction it’s. Too often my spell checker in Word advises me to write “it’s” when the context calls for its.
You shouldn’t rely on your grammar/spell checkers. I highly recommend mastering correct spellings of troublesome words yourself just to be sure.
Have you ever used to instead of too, its instead it’s, or they’re in place of their? You are not alone.
Sometimes such word errors are simple mistakes.
Other times our mistake is because English has so many confusing words that look alike, sound alike or, worse yet, look and sound alike yet have different meanings. Then there are other words that look and sound different but are similar in meaning. It’s no wonder we make mistakes.
Unfortunately, when we misuse words, our readers cringe. That’s not a good thing.
Check out this infographic for the ten most commonly misused words.
SOURCE: http://gohunters.com/blog/commonly-confused-words/
You’ll find a complete list of commonly misused words here. What would you add to the list?
Me, I’m neither a grammar guru or a grammar policeman. I haven’t the linguistic knowledge to recognize every error or the guts to call someone out for fear I’d be incorrect.
Some people correct others’ grammar during casual conversation or on social media (especially FB) while remaining oblivious to why people find the habit annoying. From their perspective, they’re only helping.
No matter how you go about correcting someone’s English, unless you are a teacher grading a student’s work or a copy editor, you can come off as acting superior aka a Grammar Nazi.
The Urban Dictionary defines a Grammar Nazi: One who uses proper grammar and spelling to subtly mock or deride those who do not; an exhibitor of grammatical superiority.
I’m not saying proper spelling and grammar aren’t important. Quite the contrary, proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are very important.
However, consistently pointing out linguistic shortcomings to gain a twisted sense of superiority is very much like junior high put-downs. If the error offers no impediment to understanding, there’s no real reason to give unsolicited correction.
My recommendation, if you tend toward these Grammar Nazis tendencies, is to resist the urge to fix. It’s not attractive when you publicly shame people for grammatical gaffes in conversation or typos in social media. On the other hand, if you are the aforementioned teacher or copy editor, by all means, mark every error you find and provide the proper form.
While I’m saddened by the increased loosening of rules where grammatical errors are accepted in social, public communication in society, especially when it applies to public forums and social media, I’m not about to become a Grammar Nazi. I make too many errors myself.
I will admit to having certain pet peeves where spelling, grammar, and punctuation are concerned. I’ll be sharing those in blogs over the next few weeks.
What about you? Are you a grammar purist or a police officer when you read or hear a grammatical errors?
I spent two weeks in Ireland last month. The timing was troublesome because I truly love watching summer give way to fall here in the Rio Grande Forest.
Actually, I dearly love everything about this time of year…the way the shadows lengthen and the crispness that fills the air replacing the warmth of summer days.
Ireland had fall color and it was lovely, but I fretted that my time there would mean I’d miss my most favorite season in the Colorado mountains. On the other hand, I was not willing to forfeit an opportunity to spend time in my beloved Ireland.
I truly panicked when the leaves in the higher elevations began to show their shades of yellow, red, and orange early this year. I knew for sure the color change in my little mountain town would be over by the time I returned.
Much to my delight the Aspen trees waited for me! I was blessed to return to green leaves that are just now slowly changing.
Every day since my return I walk Toby and Buster or sit on the porch sipping tea and say with Emily Bronte… 
How about you? Do you enjoy the shift from summer to fall as much as I do? Is Mother Nature showering you with her color displays this fall?
Edie Melson recently posted this graphic for media sharing by her followers. The photograph she chose aptly portrays E. B. White’s words. Writers do look through windows or hide behind portals.
The graphic got me to thinking about another oft-repeated writing quote: “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.”
There’s another version, attributed to Ernest Hemingway that says, “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.”
Though writers these days are more likely to sit a computer, the point of the quote is the same. Writing does require the writer to unveil or mask his deeper thoughts and beliefs.
Quote investigator found evidence that others have used the bleeding vein quote. Sportswriter Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith used it in 1949. Before that, Paul Gallico wrote in his 1946 book Confessions of a Story Writer.
It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader.
Truthfully it doesn’t matters so much who originated the quote. What matters is that writers do indeed give up a part of themselves with every word they put on a page.
Sometimes we wear a mask and vicarious walk through our character drawing on feelings and experiences to infuse our stories with emotion for our readers. Consciously or unconsciously, what we write can reveal (and sometimes purge) our personal deep feelings, hurts, and pains.
Is writing a mask or an unveiling? I believe it can be both.
What do you think?
The Urban Dictionary defines a closet writer as anyone who is involved in any of the arts (e.g. music, writing, drawing, photography, etc.) but will not admit it. Either that or he/she literally hides it somewhere and only shows certain people.
When I mention I’m a writer, I frequently hear, “I always wanted to write a book.” Other times, people give a wistful tilt of their head and get a faraway look in their eyes. Some even sigh aloud, and I have to wonder whether those people are closet writers.
Do any of these signs describe you? If so, you might be harboring a fugitive author within.
But you say, even if those things are true about me, the ability to write is inbred. True writers are born with calluses on the forefinger and thumb of their writing hand, not made.
Not true at all.
Writing can be a gift. It is also a craft that can be learned. There are resources upon resources available to help writers hone their craft. If you don’t believe me, try doing a Google search of writing craft or how to write fiction. Then search writing workshops and writing conferences.
Or check my website for writer resources or contact me. I’ll share my recommendations for writing workshops and conferences.
For those of you who recognize the signs in yourself, my advice is to stop hiding your penchant for writing. Make the leap from that closet. We need people in our world who care about words and meaning, definitions and spelling. We need grammar tyrants and style experts.
The world needs creative word artists, musicians, and artists like you closet writers.
