Day Off

Taking the day off today. But be sure to stop back tomorrow as I’m starting something new…

~Elizabeth

These Shoes Were Made For Walking

It was about sixteen years ago when I sat in the Stride Rite store at my local mall, watching Dear Daughter #1 get fitted for her very first pair of shoes. To this day, I can still remember the slight  hesitation on her little face when I stood her up so the sales lady could double check her feet in the sizer…and then again when that first adorable pair of shoes was finally laced onto her feet.

That image played itself through my head yesterday as I sat in a chair in the middle of Macy’s while that same not-so-little-anymore girl tried on very different shoes–the kind that will take her to her first winter formal later this month. This time she didn’t need the sizer. Or anyone to lace anything up. And instead of holding her hands while she walked around the store, I got to watch her wobble just a little as she navigated her way around in heels.

The experience left me a little nostalgic and maybe a wee bit teary-eyed (we won’t tell her that, though, okay?), but it also brought a smile to my face, too. Because although she’s almost seventeen now, I still saw that sweet baby in her face every time she looked across at me–that same hint of hesitation in her eyes.

It goes so fast. All of it. And while I couldn’t possibly have spent any more time with her than I already did when she was little, I can’t help but wish I could wiggle my nose and relive it all one more time…

~Elizabeth

Get Your Tickets…

Looking back at my childhood, I realize I was quite the little entrepreneur. I created puppet shows (and sold tickets), threw backyard carnivals (and sold tickets), hosted lemonade stands, and picked up trash at the local swimming pool for a dime a bucket every chance I got.

I worked, I saved, and, on occasion, I used my hard-earned money on something I couldn’t live without. 

The funny thing is, as much as I enjoyed being able to take my money and buy the doll I’d been eyeballing or the board game I’d been seeing advertised on TV, I was equally enamored by the process. I mean, really, coming up with all those games for my carnival and making all those puppets was fun. Really, really fun.

So tell me, what kind of things did you do to make money as a young kid?

 
~Elizabeth

To Dream or Not to Dream

One of the questions I’m often asked when I give a talk is whether my ideas come to me during dreams. The answer I give is pretty straight forward.

No.

I get ideas in the shower, in the car, the radio, conversations, etc. But never from dreams I’ve had while I’m sleeping. I can say this with certainty because I’m one of those people who rarely dream. Or, if I do, I don’t remember them.

Sure, I’ll have the occasional Uh-Oh-I-Forgot-I-Had-That-Class-This-Semester dream (why, I have no idea because I never missed classes), but, other than that, nothing worthy of incorporating into a novel.

So tell me, are you a dreamer at night? Do you remember them in the morning? Any odd reoccuring dreams like my missing-a-class-all-semester dream you care to share?

~Elizabeth

Woo, and a HOO

I’m heading down to Lititz, PA for a talk/book signing with Dear Daughter #2 this evening. In addition to just being there together, I get to truly relax knowing I just turned in Book # 7 (the Christmas book). Woo-hoo!!!

And, for the  next few weeks, I’ll be catching up on all the other aspects of my life that tend to fall by the side when I’m on deadline (which I’ve been on for a continuous basis for the past 3 1/2 years). I’ll be back in the saddle writing full-time after December 1st, but for now…

Woo. Hoo.

Woo. Hoo.

Woo. Hoo.

~Elizabeth

**Pssst… I’ll still be blogging.

Happy Halloween

So, Mother Nature decided to get in on the whole “Trick or Treat” aspect of Halloween this year and served up a few not-so-nice tricks at my house.

That said, I’m in need of a few treats. Like hearing what was a) the best halloween costume you’ve ever seen (whether you wore it or not) and b) the weirdest/wildest costume you’ve ever seen…

Anyone?

                                                  ~Elizabeth

Do As the Canadians Do

Last week, while expressing a hankering for Thanksgiving-type foods on my Facebook page, a Canadian fan pointed out that their Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

Curious, I did a quick search and discovered that Canada’s Thanksgiving is today. So, since this year’s actual Thanksgiving holiday is going to have my family going off in several different directions, I figured we’d have ours along with the Canadians.

On the menu tonight? Homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, homemade bread (yum, yum), cranberry sauce, white corn, and of course…turkey. And when that’s all done, some gooey butter cake. 

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Anyway, let me be the first to say, Happy Thanksgiving!!! Among the many things I’m thankful for this year, I can’t forget all of you–readers-turned-friends who are helping me realize my lifelong dream of being an author. Thank you!

~Elizabeth

Scarecrow Making 101

Over the weekend, my daughters and I took a scarecrow-making workshop. We brought the shirt and pants, and the farm supplied the post, the hay, and the rest of the supplies. When we were done, we brought home the 2011 addition to our Halloween decoration collection.

But before I show you the finished product, I’ll show you a few shots along the way…

  Here’s Dear Daughter # 1 and Dear Daughter # 2 with our work in progress. At this point, we’d stuffed his head and were working on stuffing his pants. We brought along a pair of capris, which makes him look a bit squatty, but it worked. 

On your right, this qualifies as an inspection of our scarecrow’s arms and the realization that if we don’t stuff them, he’s going to be a laughingstock in the scarecrow world.

Sooooo…

We must stuff, right?

  First we tried it while he was standing. But we soon discovered that he did better when sprawled out on the tarp… 

And then it was on to designing his face.

We knew we wanted something sweet and fun. Our preferred decorations are the kind that induce smiles not fear.

 The farm had a few Yankees hats for the taking. And, since we’re not Yankees fans, we opted to cover it over with a pumpkin instead!  

And, voila, we have our scarecrow. His name is Chuckles. Chuckles The Scarecrow.

So what do you think?

~Elizabeth

Snapshots

Wanna see some pictures?

 This first picture (on your left) is a chipmunk just after he scurried up a plant in an effort to hide from Angus (the 28-toed cat). You see, Angus is the personal critter ferry in our neighborhood. He scoops up chipmunks, mice, and frogs in his mouth and carries them to various points around the yard. When he gets them to wherever it is he’s determined to take them, he drops them. And, nine times out of ten, they get up and run away. This particular chipmunk didn’t necessarily want a round-trip back to where he came, so, instead, he picked a plant to climb while he waited for Angus to get bored or distracted (doesn’t take long, trust me).  Here’s another view on your right…

Next, comes a quick peek at one of my favorite things to do–decorate for the holiday/seasons. I’ve been assembling this collection for a number of years and it’s just one of those things that makes me happy.

Dear Daughter # 2 and I found this little pilgrim (on your left) at K-mart last week…isn’t he really cute? He’s got a really happy little face. 

As for the turkey, he was just too fun to resist when I stumbled across him last year.  The Autumn-colored candle has gotten a little warped this past year (we have a very hot attic) but it’s hanging tough! 

And see the “candy corn” table runner on the table to your right? That was made for me by one of my readers. Isn’t that really cool?  And while the framed photographs on the left hand side of the table may be too small to see in this picture, one is of Dear Daughter # 1 on her second Halloween (wearing a Halloween outfit I decorated) and one is of Dear Daughter #2 on her second Halloween (also wearing a little Halloween sweatshirt I made for her).

That’s it for pictures for now.

As for decorating, I’m hoping to locate a box with a few more Autumn favorites inside before I call it a day. Worse case, there will be a full sized scarecrow sitting in the middle of our yard by the week’s end (we’re taking a scarecrow-making workshop next Saturday morning). 

Have you started decorating for Autumn  yet?

~Elizabeth

One For The Memory Books

This past weekend, Dear Daughter # 1 and I spent the weekend in New York City. I didn’t bring my computer, she didn’t bring any of her gadgets. It was just a weekend for the two of us to be together.

And what an amazing time we had.

I started building up to this weekend back in January by giving her a new one-word clue on the first of every month. Her clue-trail was nine words, taking us to September. Once she received all nine clues, she knew what we were doing (or, rather, where we were going).

Her final clues:  How about we spend a weekend in the city?

I picked the city for DD # 1 because it’s right up her alley with the shows and the people and the busy-ness.

We kicked off our Friday evening with dinner at a small Japanese restaurant on the upper west side before heading down to the Times Square area to take in the Broadway show, ANYTHING GOES. The show was super fun and Sutton Foster (the lead) was fantastic. And the dancing? Wow. This show, without a doubt, goes on my list of Broadway favorites!

Saturday morning we had breakfast at a little french pastry shop across the street from where we were staying and then walked 30 blocks south to see our second (and final) show of the weekend–HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS with Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter). This was a great show too! Radcliffe did an awesome job in the lead role alongside John Laroquette and Michael Park. Wow. When the show was over, we walked three blocks over and 30 blocks north back to our place–passing tons of police officers from all over the country who were in the city to honor the 9/11 anniversary.  We shopped along the way and then hunkered down for an evening of Glee episodes (I had to get caught up) and Ben & Jerry’s (I had Karamel Sutra–Oh. My. Gosh.).

Sunday was breakfast at a tea house and a walk in Central Park–stopping to see the sea lions and the polar bear in the Central Park Zoo. We even got to watch (with me giggling the whole time) as a baby sea lion was trained!!

And by the time we headed home last night, our weekend had officially moved into one of my I’m-so-glad-I-took-the-time-to-do-this-with-her mom moments (of which I’m pleased to say I have many).

Next up? DD # 2 (who has received her 9th clue and has a few more to collect).

So tell me, what’s a memory you hold dear with a parent or a special family member?

~Elizabeth