HOLIDAY MOMENTS — PART II — NOV. 29

Holiday Moments from Long Ago -- My Four Kids

My favorite thing about the holidays is the opportunity to connect with family and friends. In the hullabaloo of the merchandising, there is that small corner of the world in which family moments can stand out against the backdrop of materialistic fervor.

Yesterday was one of those times. For the past few years, these get-togethers have become a tradition.  My son from LA travels to Sacramento for the Thanksgiving event, and then, with his three kids, meets up with those of us who live in Central California for lunch and sharing.  And photo ops.  Those are not as popular with the kids, who like to goof around and make faces.

But this time, they were eager enough to get into their own activities that they actually cooperated quickly.

It was pretty cold here yesterday, so while they were running around, we adults were shivering nearby.

Here are some of the photos.

 

Waiting for the Food!

Six Grandkids All in a Row

Hide and Seek

These are moments I will treasure always, and having the photos ensures that the memories will be there at a glance.

What special moments have you enjoyed over the holidays?  I hope you’ll stop by and share….

A BIT OF ME (ME) — HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMENTS

Good morning, and welcome to this meme, hosted by There’s A Book.

Today’s prompt is to share bits of favorite birthday moments.

Favorite birthdays for someone like me, who has had a LOT of birthdays (LOL), are a bit harder to select.

I guess I could go with some that feature fabulous cakes, or I could focus on the people at the birthday “party.”  I think I’ll go with the latter.

There are a couple—I can’t just pick one!—beginning with one a couple of years ago, when I traveled to Sedona, AZ, one of my favorite vacation spots with my youngest son and his wife.  We enjoyed the beautiful Red Rock Country and even rode a jeep up into the higher places.

Jeep Ride in Sedona

Beautiful Red Rock Country

Then my birthday THIS year (it was in October) was an unexpected treat when a group of friends (people I met in unique circumstances) gathered at one of our favorite restaurants for a festive lunch.

Convivial Moments on a Birthday

Friends

I could probably go on and on, since I’ve had SO many birthdays so far…but I won’t.

Except that as far back as age seven, I recall birthday parties with some of my favorite folks like my grandmother.  We always had cake, and I got to sip the delicious-smelling coffee.   Maybe that’s how I came to be such a caffeine addict?

So, those are just a few birthdays, but from this post, you can gather that a variety of experiences combine to make up my “favorite birthday” moments.

What about the rest of you?  Anything you’d like to share?

HOLIDAY MOMENTS: PART I — NOV. 26

Holiday Moments

 

Good morning, and welcome to the holiday post-mortem:  a time and place for reminiscing and sharing tidbits.

Yesterday I joined my daughter and her family for some feasting, laughing, and socializing.

Here are a few photo ops, beginning with one of the four-legged family members who showed his feelings about it all.

Shall We Let the Cat Out of the Bag?

Or a brief “shining” moment for another cat, hanging out with Noah.

A Moment in the Spotlight

Note the way the light is showcasing this cat, named Janis Joplin.

 

A Thanksgiving Table -- Before the Feast

And here is a very satisfied cat curled up in a ball in the sun.

Mork is Snoozing

A good time was had by all.

 

On Sunday, I will showcase Part II of the Holiday Moments, when another clan of family members gathers for a feast that doesn’t include turkey.

TEASER TUESDAYS — NOV. 23

 

Good morning, and welcome to Teaser Tuesdays, hosted by Should Be Reading.  We gather here to share excerpts from our current reads.

Here’s how it works:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today I’m sharing a snippet from The Dead Lie Down, by Sophie Hannah.

Here’s a tidbit from Amazon:  Hannah seamlessly melds the police procedural with a gothic-inspired whodunit….

 

 

Teaser:  Nobody had ever asked Olivia Zailer to list her least favourite words, but if they had, ‘logic’ and ‘research’ might well have been among them, suggestive as they were of excessive amounts of time and effort.  Yet here she was, immersed in both and even quite enjoying it. p. 279

What tidbits did you find today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.

 

A BIT OF ME (ME) — GRATITUDE — NOV. 20

Today I’m very excited to connect with other bloggers in this event hosted by There’s A Book.

Every week, we come together and ponder a question posed by our host.  Today’s question:

Name at least one (more if you want) thing you are grateful for.

That’s an easy one.  There are so many things for which I’m grateful, and this time of the year really brings those moments to the forefront, since it’s the time we usually gather around and enjoy those with whom we share special connections.

My special gratitude goes out to my family members, some of whom live far away.

Grandkids — Thanksgiving 2009

We have a special holiday tradition that includes getting together on the weekend after Thanksgiving (with my second son who celebrates out of town); he and his three children meet us in a favorite restaurant, along with the grandchildren who live in my city, and afterwards, we make them pose for a picture.

I’m grateful that they put up with that tradition, since that’s not the favorite part of the event for them.

Throughout the year, I have opportunities to get together with the grandkids who live in town, and we have moments like these:

Local Grandkids — A Get-Together

And then there’s my youngest grandson, who comes over for sleepovers and enjoys movies and eating.

Noah and a Smoothie

Aside from my family moments, I thrive on my ability to focus on my creativity and connect with other bloggers.

I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year, and feel exhilarated that I have completed 45,785 words (of the 50,000 word goal), and since we have to reach the goal by November 30, I feel as though I’m making good progress.

Creation Station

And I’m also very fortunate to have a large collection of books to dive into, although sometimes I see the TBR stacks as an obstacle to overcome.  But that’s just the downside.  The upside…I could read from these stacks for the next year, at least!

Revised TBRs – One View

Another View

And these photos are just the ones in my bedroom.  My office has a fairly large number of “newer” stacks.

So what are you grateful for?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.

A-Z WEDNESDAY — NOV. 17

 

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday, hosted by Reading at the Beach. Here we gather to share books that we’ve rediscovered by going through the alphabet.

To join, here’s all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books
Find an author whose first or last name starts with the letter of the week

Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back to Reading At The Beach and leave your link in the comments.
5~ If you’ve already reviewed the book, add the link.

This week’s letter:  Author – First or Last Name – “O”

 

My Sister, My Love, by Joyce Carol Oates, is a psychological exploration of a family shrouded in secrets and dark dysfunction.

Here is my review.

 

Oates has the unique ability to delve into the dark side of humanity and plumb the depths for all the treasures hidden way below the surface.  And then she explores and reveals each nugget with literary prose that will leave the reader spellbound.

 

What did you find on your shelves this week?  I hope you’ll come on by and share….

THE ULTIMATE TESTAMENT — A REVIEW

From early childhood, Lindsay understood responsibility. When her mother Crystal chose stripping and drugs above caring for her two daughters, the nurturing fell to Lindsay. Watching over Kerrie Ann became her role in life. But when Crystal was arrested, nothing could keep Lindsay and Kerrie Ann together. Placed in separate foster homes, they lost track of one another for many years.

By the time Kerrie Ann inadvertently discovered that she had an older sister—a fact she hadn’t remembered because she’d been three years old at the time of their separation—she was in desperate straits. If anyone needed a big sister, it was Kerrie Ann. Somehow, she had made many of the same mistakes as her own mother, with drug use and bad choices; her daughter Bella ended up in the foster care system.

In their years apart, Lindsay had lucked out and was adopted by a loving family. When her adoptive parents died, they left her the beautiful coastal home she loved. Now a bookstore owner in the small town of Blue Moon Bay, Lindsay has just about everything she ever wanted. But a major developer is trying to crush her so that he can build his resort.

When the two sisters finally reconnect, they both have more than enough trouble to overcome.

Will Kerrie Ann reconnect with the sister she doesn’t remember, or will their differences drive a greater wedge between them? How will Kerrie Ann begin to change her life so that she can get her daughter back? And what will a handsome stranger who inadvertently enters Lindsay’s life bring to the table? More trouble? Or the possible solution to at least one of her problems.

From the opening pages until the very end, I was compelled to keep reading. The story and the characters felt so familiar to me, especially since I had spent years working with dysfunctional families. Finding the fragile connections between family members and working to strengthen them were my goals, so I could totally relate to the struggles and drama in this story. Once in a Blue Moon is a tale of a family, but it is more than that. It is the ultimate testament to the strength of family bonds, no matter how many obstacles crop up along the way; it is also a reminder of how easily these bonds can be severed and that the task of maintaining them is the most important one in life.

A definite five star read for me.

A BIT OF ME (ME) — SKILL SHARPENING

Welcome to our Saturday venue for sharing bits and pieces of ourselves, aside from our books and our blogging.

Hosted by There’s A Book, we meet to ponder a question each week.

Today, our question is:

If you could take a class in anything (for free) what would it be and why?

I had to think about that one, but not very long.  Whenever I’m working on the computer and I’m confronted with some kind of glitch, or a question of what to do in specific situations comes up, I think:  Oh, I wish I’d taken a computer course!

And when I’m plugging away on my latest WIP, I think to myself that even though I’ve had all kinds of courses in English language, and have practiced my writing craft over the years, it would be fun to attend a conference or workshop.  To stimulate new ideas.  Like this one, maybe.

It wouldn’t hurt to have this course in a beautiful spot like this—since it’s free and all.

What about you?  What do you dream about learning?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.

THURSDAY IMPRESSIONS — NOV. 11

A SNOWY FAMILY DAY

 

From my header above, you’re probably thinking that I skipped right from early fall to deep winter—a season wrapped up in snowy images.

But I’m just practicing…and remembering snowy days in the past.

Awhile ago, some of you may remember that little blog called Snow Impressions, which I’ve merged into this one.  That blog featured my two granddaughters, as depicted above, as the “permanent” header.  So then, as in now, it’s all about remembering.  Here’s the STORY.

In the photo (header), the girls were seven.  That was eons ago, as you know, since they’re teenagers now.  Young teens, but still teens.

Now they have Facebook pages and think about all those “teen” things.

But I’ll bet they still remember the snowy vacation at the little “cabin in the woods.”

Here are some updated photos of them.

Fiona - 2010

Aubrey - 2010 - With Youngest Brother

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here on Day 11 of NaNoWriMo, hoping I can keep my creative juices flowing.  I’ve done well so far, but I know (from past experience) that there’s an inevitable slump.  I’m stockpiling my words.  So later, I’ll go over to Creative Moments and write an update.

 

 

A-Z WEDNESDAY — NOV. 10

 

Welcome to A-Z Wednesday, hosted by Reading at the Beach. In this event, we work our way through the alphabet, celebrating the books we love.

To join, here’s all you have to do:
Go to your stack of books
Find an author whose first or last name starts with the letter of the week

Post:
1~ a photo of the book
2~ title and synopsis
3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)
4~ Come back to Reading At The Beach and leave your link in the comments.
5~ If you’ve already reviewed the book, add the link.

This week’s letter:  Author – First or Last Name – “N”

The book I’m featuring today is by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, a favorite author of mine.

Abuse of Power is a story about an idealistic young widow with two children who, as a police officer, is caught in an agonizing tug-of-war between conscience and career.

I haven’t read this one in awhile, but now, guess where it’s going?  On my “rereads” stack, which is toppling dangerously.

What have you rediscovered today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.