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18 06, 2026

How to Host a Cozy Backyard Book Club

By |2026-06-18T07:23:27-05:00June 18th, 2026|Guest blogger, Writer's Life|0 Comments

A Blog by Jenna Sherman

A backyard book club gathering should feel warm, relaxed, and personal—not like a pop quiz under string lights. If you’re hosting a book club, your job isn’t to impress people with literary analysis. It’s to create an atmosphere where conversation flows, snacks are easy, and everyone leaves already excited for the next meeting.

In Short

  • Comfort first: soft seating, layered lighting, and blankets if it’s chilly.
  • Keep food simple and shareable.
  • Guide discussion with a light structure, not lectures.

Step-by-Step: Setting the Scene

  1. Anchor the seating area.
    Arrange chairs and outdoor cushions in a loose circle so everyone can see each other.
  2. Layer your lighting.
    String lights overhead, a few lanterns on tables, and battery candles for glow. Avoid harsh floodlights; aim for warm and inviting.
  3. Plan for temperature shifts.
    Keep a basket of blankets nearby. In warmer months, set out a small fan or citronella candles.
  4. Create a natural “food zone.”
    Use a side table or bar cart so snacks are easy to access without interrupting conversation.

Simple, Crowd-Pleasing Food and Drink Ideas

A Cozy Tradition

When book clubs meet outdoors in fall or early spring, a small, shared tradition can make gatherings feel special. Some groups have started bringing matching sweatshirts to slip on as the sun goes down. It’s a simple way to signal, “We’re part of this.”

Ordering customizable hoodies for every occasion has become surprisingly easy. Many online platforms let you upload a design with your club’s name, a favorite literary quote, or even an inside joke from a memorable read. You can order exactly the number you need—no massive minimums required.

Structuring Discussion

Segment What to Do Why It Works
First Impressions One word or short phrase from each person Gets everyone speaking quickly
Favorite Moment Share a scene that stood out Encourages storytelling
Open Question “What surprised you most?” Invites diverse perspectives
Real-Life Tie-In How did this connect to your own life? Makes the book personal

A Resource for Choosing Better Reads

If picking the next book is always a struggle, Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com) is a helpful place to browse lists, read reviews, and see what similar readers love. You can even create a private group shelf to vote on upcoming titles.

FAQ

How long should a backyard book club last?
About 90 minutes to two hours is ideal. Long enough for real discussion, short enough to keep energy high.

What if someone didn’t finish the book?
Let them come anyway. Focus on themes and reactions rather than plot specifics.

How many people are too many?
Six to ten tends to be the sweet spot for meaningful conversation.

Hosting a cozy backyard book club isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence. When guests feel relaxed and included, they’ll associate your backyard with connection, laughter, and stories worth sharing. And that’s what keeps them coming back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jenna Sherman is a mom of three (two girls and a boy). She created Parent-Leaders.com to help other parents acquire the skills they need to raise future leaders by providing a collection of valuable, up-to-date, authoritative resources.

Take a minute to visit Jenna Sherman’s blog for helpful tips.

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26 01, 2026

Winter Storm Warning

By |2026-01-25T13:22:41-06:00January 26th, 2026|A Writer's Life, Make Me Think Monday, Writer's Life|4 Comments

Here in my corner of  Texas, we’re in the midst of an uncharacteristic winter ice storm. Weather forecasters begin their hyped forecasting about its arrival over a week before.

As the storm approached, a Weather.com headline read: Widespread heavy snow and a damaging ice storm are on the table from the South into the Midwest and Northeast, including a potential nor’easter.

I understand all the media coverage. This is a BIG storm.

Warnings are good. Especially since Southerners do not do well on ice, or in my experience, even in the rain.

Both ice and rain make the large spaghetti bowl overpasses slick. Freeway ramps with ice, snow, or rain become downright dangerous. Like riding giant rollercoasters without the bar clamp holding you in tight.

Texans living on the Gulf Coast definitely aren’t trained for snow or ice. We know how to sweat. Not so much how to slip, slide, or skate on wet or icy roads.

It is COLD outside and getting colder. I have to give the forecasters credit for warning about that. Houston’s humidity can make thirty degrees feel like -30.

Friends and family wonder how I managed the cold in our Colorado mountain home. Simple: Colorado has dry cold. And road equipment to clear the ice and snow. We kept a roaring fire going. And layered up clothing…like I have on today.

I hope you’re far from the path of this winter storm. If you are shivering today, stay inside, stay warm, stay safe.

If you’re a writer, don’t let the shivers keep you from your keyboard. Bundle up with fingerless gloves, grab a mug of hot chocolate, and let the words blaze.

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24 11, 2025

Christmas Traditions Officially Begin

By |2025-11-19T15:03:55-06:00November 24th, 2025|Christmas, Holidays, Writer's Life|3 Comments

Santa Claus waves to spectators along Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

This week, Santa Claus will wave to the crowds along Central Park West at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—his official signal that the Christmas season begins. You will watch the parade on Thanksgiving, won’t you?

For me, the moment Santa arrives at Macy’s means Christmas preparations and traditions can officially begin. I adore Christmas customs, and throughout this month I’ll be sharing a few of my favorites—starting with the Advent wreath.

If you attend a traditional liturgical church, you will probably light the first candle of the Advent wreath this Sunday, November 30.

Not familiar with the tradition? Here’s the quick version:

Advent, from adventus meaning “coming” or “visit,” encompasses the four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It marks the beginning of the liturgical year for many Christian churches.

The observance began sometime after the 4th century, and by the Middle Ages expanded to include not only Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, but also His promised return and His presence with us through the Holy Spirit.

Advent services often center on an evergreen wreath—its circle representing eternity and its greenery symbolizing the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. The wreath holds three purple (or blue) candles, one pink candle, and one white candle. One candle is lit each week:

  • Prophecy Candle – First Sunday
  • Bethlehem Candle – Second Sunday
  • Shepherd Candle (pink) – Third Sunday
  • Angel Candle – Fourth Sunday
  • Christ Candle (white) – Lit on Christmas Eve

Some churches instead focus on the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

To learn more about Advent traditions, click here.

If your church doesn’t use an Advent wreath, creating one at home can become a beautiful family tradition. It’s a simple, meaningful way to keep Christ at the center of your Christmas season—and to gently push back against the holiday’s commercial chaos.

For little ones, here’s a link to an Advent wreath coloring page and other fun Christmas activities to keep small hands busy.

Is an Advent wreath part of your Christmas celebration?

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11 09, 2025

By |2025-09-11T08:21:01-05:00September 11th, 2025|Holidays, Writer's Life|1 Comment

Today is Patriot Day, the twenty-fourth anniversary of 9-11. The day we pause to honor and remember those who lost their lives.

It’s a bittersweet holiday for too many. One that triggers memories for many of us.

I can describe exactly where I was, what I was doing, and all those feelings stir again.

That morning, I was having a cup of tea and watching the Today show on NBC. Matt Lauer stopped his author interview mid-question, and the screen switched to a commercial break.

When the cameras returned, he and Katie Couric showed a replay of the first plane striking the first tower.

Then I stared in horror as the second plane hit the other tower in real time. I could not believe what I was seeing.

Fear and panic washed through my body. I was convinced our country was under enemy attack. Fighter jets flying overhead outside my Houston home only heightened my concern.

I made frantic calls to warn friends and family. My heart raced until everyone finally made it safely home.

Our nephew’s family lives in Battery Park, close to the World Trade Center. We’d walked over to the Towers for lunch when visiting them in the summer of 2001. Thankfully, he and his family were able to walk through thick clouds filled with debris and escape across the Hudson. His eyewitness account still sends chills down my spine.

As the day progressed and we learned of the attack on the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania, the horror and anxiety only increased.

The anniversary of 9-11 stirs my memories every year. I get through the day by remembering how our country came together and supported each other. I’m reminded of Charles R. Swindoll’s words:

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”

Next year, we plan to visit the Museum and Memorial to pay our respects in person.

The original broadcast of the 9-11-2001 Today Show can be seen here.

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5 08, 2024

Hoarding Stuff vs Sentimental Clutter

By |2024-08-04T15:36:55-05:00August 5th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Make Me Think Monday, Writer's Life|1 Comment

Merriam-Webster defines hoarding as the compulsion to continually accumulate a variety of items that are often considered useless or worthless by others accompanied by an inability to discard the items without great distress.

A second definition is a temporary board fence put about a building being erected or repaired. As a wordsmith, I thought was interesting. But I digress.

Sometimes it’s not a compulsion to accumulate, but simply the fact you’ve lived a long time that you have so much stuff.

We’ve downsized multiple times and decluttered regularly. Still, there are personal things I just can’t bring myself to discard.

Like the antiques, my husband and I acquired over the years. Though, with each downsize/declutter pieces and collections have been passed on or sold.

That’s as it should be.

Our children’s generation and their children’s generation aren’t “into” antiques like we were. (Probably because they grew up with the old stuff.)

Their lives, their choices.

But if looking at the contents of our China cabinets or setting a hot cup of tea on a Victorian marble-top table makes us happy, we’ll hang onto the old stuff.

Things that cause the most trouble when decluttering are the things with sentimental attachments. Things like a metal stand hubby made in his metal shop class or the little bowl I made in my wood shop class.

Back when we were in school, Texas girls and boys were required to take home economics and shop classes as electives.

Even if your master plan was college, before you graduated, you had to take both classes.

Both pieces have traveled with us through all our moves to ten different states, some states more than once.

His stand sometimes held a circular piece of plywood to be a little side table. For the last thirty-plus years, it’s held our gazing ball in the garden. My dish has always held safety pins and loose buttons. That’s where it is today.

Does that make us hoarders or collectors of sentimental clutter?

Neither, I say. Both objects bring back thoughts of how we met in high school.

The boxes of baby clothes, military uniforms, high school letter sweaters, my grandmother’s handsewn dresses, and his mother’s handsewn quilts stored in the barn — well, those might count as sentimental hoarding.

But again, I can’t get rid of them, because each article recalls fond memories of times past.

And that’s the real reason I keep things, I mean hoard things, the memories. Don’t we all?

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24 06, 2024

Fires, Hurricanes, and Evacuations

By |2024-06-22T09:38:32-05:00June 24th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Writer's Life|2 Comments

CBS News reported fires burning in the Ruidoso, New Mexico area recently, which triggered memories for me.

Eleven years ago this month, the West Fork Complex East Zone FIRE erupted where we lived in southern Colorado.

As the name West Fork Complex implies, multiple fires surrounded our home in the Rio Grande National Forest. Lightning started all three fires that exploded into forests of heavy dead timber and pine bark beetle-infested pines.

That experience changed my whole outlook on the words we hear so often during hurricanes, fires, and floods: mandatory evacuation.

Our skies looked like this.

At first, there was no raised concern because forest fires in the summer are a common occurrence in Colorado. We lived with the smoke and kept going. Ashes landed on our decks and in our yards, on our houses and cars, and on us as the fire encroached upon our world.

That’s black ashes. It was everywhere, inside and outside.

At first, there was too much wind, too high elevations, and too much dead tree fuel to risk the lives of firefighters. Instead, they watched the West Fork fire closely.

Life became scary as we gathered in the Community Center to get details and updates.

We heard words I’d only heard applied to hurricanes – pre-evacuation notice. Reverse 911 calls began with updates on the status coming in. At six a.m. on Friday, June 21, 2013, the scary message came:

MANDATORY EVACUATION: be out by 10 a.m.

Thanks to Bob Mayer’s The Green Beret Preparation and Survival Guide we were prepared. It’s a super book with lists of what you need to have ready in case of any emergency. Buy a copy here.

We finished loading our cars with possessions we wanted to save and left not knowing if we’d have a house when we returned. From our rearview mirror:

By the time the fires were contained on July 15, 2013, a total of 109,049 acres of public and private land had been destroyed. Amazingly no deaths and only a few structures were lost. It was the third-largest wildfire in Colorado history and cost about $33 million to fight.

Hopefully, those affected by the Ruidoso, New Mexico fire left when their Mandatory Evacuation order came. We’ve been there, done that and it’s not easy.

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17 06, 2024

I Celebrate Three Fathers on Father’s Day

By |2024-06-14T15:19:52-05:00June 17th, 2024|Holidays, Writer's Life|0 Comments

For some celebrating Father’s Day might means a birth father. For others, it’s a stepfather or a relative or friend that serves the father’s role.

I’ve been blessed with three godly men who were notable examples of a father’s love, offering faith and wisdom and guidance along my way.

 

My daddy taught me how to fish, how to hunt, and how to dress out my bounty. He taught me how to build things, grow things, and cook around a campfire. He taught me raunchy songs and words as though a son, not a daughter, and then reminded me to always be a lady. =)

 

My second father was my beloved uncle who told me often he received word of my birth when he was on Ivo Jima. A Marine through and through, he taught me to shoot straight, with a firearm and with my words. He taught me the fun of antique auctions and old things. He showed unconditional love in the tough times and tough love when needed. He was a wise counselor.

I inherited my preacher father-in-love when I married his son. My third father shared his Bible wisdom and whetted my appetite for Bible study. Best of all he raised his only son to be a great husband and a godly father.

All three are gone so Father’s Day is a bit sad for me. Remembering them on their special day brings back fond memories and makes me smile.

As Holley Gerth says:

“One of the greatest blessings God can give us is a father whose faith passes on the heritage of the past, provides blessings in the present, and guides us with wisdom for the future.”

Do you have a father figure you count as a blessing? I’d love to hear about your daddy in the comments.

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20 05, 2024

Rainstorms

By |2024-05-17T10:22:57-05:00May 20th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Writer's Life|0 Comments

It’s raining, it’s pouring.

That’s been the situation where I live for too many days lately. Yesterday, we had another wild storm.

As the rain and wind increased, a poem my grandmother quoted during rainstorms ran through my head.

It’s raining, it’s pouring, The old man is snoring.
He went to bed, and he bumped his head,
And couldn’t get up in the morning.

With a quick Google check for the origin, I was gravely disappointed to learn that the nursery rhyme wasn’t talking about the weather at all, but a tale of a man who liked to drink.

I prefer thinking it’s about rain. That’s what my grandmother said, and she was smarter than Google.

The poem is also a catchy folk song.

The rains are gone today, but I’m not singing. The devastating storm with one-hundred-mile-an-hour winds knocked out power lines. Take a look at this screen capture from our local news station:

Plus there were lots of trees and limbs downed. Predictions range from hours to days to weeks to get everything up and running again.

I’ll still be singing my grandmother’s nursery rhyme during the next storm, but for now, I’m thankful we have a whole house generator.

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13 05, 2024

Mother’s Day and Flowers

By |2024-05-12T09:53:58-05:00May 13th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Holidays, Writer's Life|0 Comments

love background with mothers day illustration

Did you wear a corsage for Mother’s Day Sunday at church services? I did.

Growing up in the Hill Country of Texas, almost everyone at church sported a carnation or a corsage on Mother’s Day. It’s a longstanding Southern tradition, and, even though you’re the one wearing the flower, the purpose is to celebrate your mother’s presence in your life.

Color matters. Red or pink flowers meant your mother was still with us. If she’d crossed over, you wore white.

Every Mother’s Day, my mother would load us into the station wagon and take us to her mother’s house before church. Grandmother grew red and white rose bushes. We’d pick a blossom to wear on our Sunday dress or shirt.

Because our Mother was very much alive, all three of us cut red roses. Nowadays, I wear a white rose.

Wearing a Mother’s Day corsage is a Southerner’s way to say, “I love you, Mom and I’m so glad to share this day with you” or “I’ll never forget you and I’ll love you always.”

Flowers on Mother’s Day is one of the many ways Southerners show their manners without words. Like when we pull over for a funeral procession to let the bereaved know we understand their grief and we’re sorry for their loss.

Or “carry food” to a neighbor or to church after a funeral to offer support and love.

Or open doors for the person behind us to be helpful and show respect.

For me, it’s a matter of being polite. Something that’s stressed to all Southern children until it’s automatic.

If you’re not into corsages, cut flowers also work for Mother’s Day remembrance. Flower colors in bouquets silently speak too. According to Pantone, the color specialist,

Green reflects a mother’s protective nature,

Yellow– Mom’s optimistic outlook towards life and her children,

Pink – her compassionate and nurturing soul, and

Red – a mother’s passion and empowerment.

If you missed Mother’s Day, flowers are welcome any day.

I’m sure you’ll find lots of flower bouquet choices half-price today. My supermarket sure had Mother’s Day flowers everywhere.

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29 04, 2024

Wind Chimes – Yea or Nay

By |2024-04-28T15:40:45-05:00April 29th, 2024|A Writer's Life, Writer's Life|1 Comment

Wind chimes are one of my favorite yard art forms. The high winds we’ve been having lately have my chimes whipping up lots of music.

Did you know wind chimes date from around 1100 BC in Ancient Rome? The first wind chime was an assemblage of bells on a pole called a tintinnabulum. It served to ward off evil and bring good fortune and prosperity. Tintinnabulum chimes were often found hanging in temples.

From Rome, “modern” wind chimes spread to countries like Japan and India eventually worldwide. Today, wind chimes have other uses besides warding off evil spirits.

Besides the obvious yard art, other uses include:

  • Scare birds from farming lands.
  • Feng Shui arrangements.
  • Hung in memory of a loved one.

Most people use wind chimes like I do for decorative purposes and to listen to nice sounds.

It is true some wind chimes don’t make pleasant noise, but those constructed with tuned tubes make lovely soft tinkling sounds. You can even choose the musical key you want.

This article from Better Homes & Gardens suggests “The 13 Best Wind Chimes of 2024 to Create a Soothing Soundscape”

My newest wind chime is a glass chime with bluebonnets, a Christmas gift. The glass adds the perfect tingling sound to my collection.

What about you? Are you a fan of wind chimes or do you fall in the don’t-like-the-noise category?

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