Praises and Peeves

When I sat down to figure out what I should blog about today, I found myself torn between a few topics–my upcoming Amish research trip, the soon-to-be overhaul of my office, and that groundhog we all know and don’t love. Yet, out of the blue, came something totally different–a desire to sing some praises and share some peeves.

First, a song of praise…

There’s a little cupcake bakery–Baked by Melissa–near Grand Central station that is nothing short of amazing! The cupcakes are tiny and not all too cheap, but…wow. Just wow.

Now, a pet peeve…

Mean spirited people annoy me. In particular, the ones who take a private issue and leak it out so as to color people’s opinions (and thus, validate themselves somehow) with one very skewed side of the story, while the other person takes the classy road and remains mum even years later. There’s always one who plays dirty, isn’t there? 

A song of praise…

I adore Johnny Rockets. Love the atmosphere (tableside jukeboxes are awesome–especially for a nickel a song), the burgers, the shakes. Yum!

A peeve…

I’d been looking forward to a trip to said burger joint for a few weeks. Finally get to go and,  yup,  you guessed it…it’s closed. As in, gone for good with no warning.

A song of praise…

Happy people. The ones who recognize good and sing its praises. They can just turn a day around with a smile, can’t they?

A peeve…

People who are unkind (wait…this is the same as above).

A song of praise…

There are a handful of really amazing authors out there who are simply nice people. My youngest is working on her Silver Award for scouts. As part of her project, she’s collecting books from authors with encouraging inscriptions for M.S. patients going through infusion therapy. We put a call out on my Facebook page and a small (but very generous) group responded with books. Class acts all the way.  A special shout out goes to: Judy Merrill Larsen, Maggie Barbieri, Jeffrey Marks, Paige Shelton, and Evelyn David. 

A peeve…  

Bullies. And by bullies, I don’t mean the school yard variety. I mean the kind who masquerade as a regular person but rule by intimidation. And a quick side peeve: people who allow bullies into the lives of kids, even going so far as to allow the bully to become their mouthpiece with even the most mundane of correspondence.

A song of praise…

I’ve been reading the Murder 101 series by my now friend, Maggie Barbieri and they are awesome!!! If you like a great wit and strong plotting/characters, give ‘em a try!

A peeve…

Laundry–enough said.

Well, that’s it for me at the moment. Now it’s your turn!

~Elizabeth

Hopeless and Happy…

I have a confession to make.

I got $20 in a birthday card from my aunt yesterday and I bought a gift card with it…

My thinking? If I hung onto it in its original form, it would get spent on something like a carton of milk or shampoo or something. And while I’ll have to buy those things anyway, my birthday money is supposed to be for me…for something fun.

My gift card of choice? To a bookstore, of course.   Hopeless, I know…

Anyone else ever buy themselves a gift card?

~Elizabeth

Bridging the Gap

There’s something about this time of year that gets to me. Some of it, is the fact that the house looks so empty after the added cozyness that naturally comes with all the assorted Christmas decorations. Some of it, I suppose is the downward turn of the temperatures (which never got above 26 here yesterday). And some of it, too, I believe is this mindset we all seem to have that life is going to suddenly be differerent just because there’s a new year on the calendar.

For me, I find myself craving things at this time of year that I’ve only recently (in the last few years or so) come to see as my coping mechanism. Things, I believe, my psyche needs to fill in the holes until life naturally takes over the task.

I crave hugs.

I crave the comfort and warmth of a blanket wrapped around me whenever humanly possible.

I crave the lift my spirit gets in quiet, heartfelt conversations.

I crave books.

I crave simplicity and a sense of calm.

And I crave the feel of the sun on my face.

Anyone else deal with similar feelings at this time of year? Any tried and true methods for getting your feet on firmer ground?

~Elizabeth

When Creative Meets Gift Giving

There are some folks who are good at crafting–sewing, crocheting, stamping, you name it. There are some who are good with their hands–fixing things, building things, etc. And then there are those who are the master of the clever idea–visualizing something and seeing it through to the end.

As a writer, I guess I fall most closely into the third group. Painters probably do, too. And, year by year, I’m starting to see my Dear Daughter #1 does, as well.

For Christmas 2010, DD #1 made our blended brood a homemade game. She crafted a board, came up with the game pieces and rules, and packaged the whole thing in a decorated game box. We’ve played it several times over the past year and had a blast each and every time. The care and thought and time she put into making that game jettisoned it to one of my favorite gifts that year.  

As a wedding gift for my husband and I, she put together a “date jar” filled with slips of paper containing simple and clever date ideas. And, honestly, I couldn’t think of a better gift.

This year, she did it again, making a “Go Fish” style game for our blended brood once again–creating cards reflecting the various interests and talents of each member of the family (including, Angus the cat). The pictures make me smile…a lot. The game itself, brings family time. And as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t get much better than that.

This picture was snapped during a round on Christmas Day night. I think I was winning at the time (see all the matches in the foreground where I’d been sitting?)!       

(Psst…Miss Clever, herself–a.k.a. DD #1–is sitting in the back right.)

I see these things she does and I can’t help but wonder whether this ability of hers will be one she’ll continue to use throughout her life (I hope).  

Do you know any clever/creative people? Anything they’ve done that really stands out?

~Elizabeth

P.S. Today is Dear Daughter #1′s birthday!

Ho-Ho-Ho

As Santa goes through his list one final time in preparation for his travels on Saturday night, I’ve been making my own list and checking it twice, too. Only my list is more of a to-do list than a naughty/nice list. So far, despite vast craziness, things are getting done. Unfortunately, because of said craziness, the things are getting done but not in their usual fun, Christmasy way.

Which prompted me to slow things down just a wee-bit last night. I grabbed my newly purchased copy of Miracle on 34th Street (with both the colorized and black and white versions) and popped it into the DVD player. Sure enough, the movie that’s worked it’s magic on me every year for as long as I can remember, did it’s thing.

And now, today, despite the lengthy list of to-do’s still in front of me, I’m determined to infuse that Christmasy feel every chance I can. I will play my Haygood’s Christmas CD while I bake a caramel/chocolate topped shortbread this afternoon, I’ll tackle the cards I didn’t think I’d be able to do but am determined to send while it’s baking, and I’ll (hopefully) finish up the last of my shopping so the wrapping-while-I-watch-Lifetime-Christmas-movies can begin.

So how’s your pre-holiday lists coming along?

~Elizabeth

A Plan and An Explanation

On Monday, I said I’d be back blogging Tuesday (a prediction I missed by a day–sorry). I also said I want to do something new…which I do off and on for the last few weeks of 2011. 

When I can, I’d like to post a picture of whatever struck my visual fancy that particular day and leave it to all of you to suggest a caption. Caption writing is actually a really good brain exercise–and can be fun, too.  I’ll still do some regular blogs as well, but I just feel a hankering to mess with something a bit different for a little while.

So look for that to start later this week.

In the meantime, here’s a visual explanation as to why I was AWOL on Monday (I took Dear Daughter #2 on a special Mom-and-Me weekend to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom). We had a FABULOUS time!!

~Elizabeth 

Aunt Mary

I’m sorry I skipped out on the blog yesterday, but I have a good excuse. A really good excuse.

I got to spend Monday evening into Tuesday with my aunt. And, if you’d ever met my aunt, you’d understand why I think time with her is worth missing a blog post.

You see, my Aunt Mary is,  without a doubt, my rock. She’s stuck by me for as long as I can remember, loving me and supporting me through everything. And when something’s up inside my heart, she knows. I don’t have to say a word… She just knows.

Because she knows me. And knowing me isn’t easy. I’m very guarded with my feelings. Friendly and caring towards others, sure. But allow someone to get too close to me? Um, not easy.

But Aunt Mary, she asks.

And she doesn’t take the simple window dressing answer I’m conditioned to give because it’s usually good enough for everyone else.

I’ve tried to figure out what’s different with her… Why I’ll open up to her in a way I don’t open up to anyone else. She doesn’t pry. She doesn’t pester. Yet when she asks, I answer.

The best I can come up with is this:  She makes me feel safe. I know that when she asks…she listens. And no matter what I say, no matter whether I get angry or my voice cracks with tears, she loves me through it all. She sees me as the little girl I was and the woman I’ve become. She’s proud of me, she cares about me, and there are no conditions placed on that. Ever.   

You can’t put a price tag on that.

So tell me, who’s your Aunt Mary in life?

~Elizabeth

Thanks

Seeing as how my family celebrated Thanksgiving back in October this year, there won’t be the traditional turkey dinner for me tomorrow. Instead, I’ll be elsewhere, partaking in a Thanksgiving-day custom I’ve never fully understood. And it’s okay, because next year, things will be normal and I can look back on this year as an “experience.”

In the meantime, I find myself wanting to talk about those things for which I am most thankful for this year…

1) I’m thankful for my daughters. They’ve taught me more about life than I could have ever imagined.

2) I’m thankful for my husband and the opportunity to be a stepmom to two really good boys.

3) I’m thankful for my friends. For loving me for who I am rather than who they think I should or shouldn’t be.

4) I’m thankful for my doctor out in St. Louis who has managed to take the fear out of M.S. for me.

5) I’m thankful for my readers who keep my series going with their purchase and their kind words. You’re helping fulfill a lifelong dream every time you do!

6) I’m thankful for relative strangers who show manners and kindness–such things can make a gray day so much better and they serve as examples for parents trying to do the right thing by their kids.

7) And while this may coincide with #5, I’m also thankful for all of you, for stopping by here each day (lurkers and non-lurkers, alike).

I hope you all have a truly wonderful Thanksgiving!

~Elizabeth

Magical Notes

Music soothes the savage beast.

While I’m not sure who, exactly, said that quote for the first time (Bugs Bunny, maybe?), I couldn’t agree more. It doesn’t matter what kind of mood you’re in, music has a way of helping you work stuff out or, if nothing else, forget for a while.

I’ve been known to write about music on occasion simply because it fascinates me. It is, in my opinion, the true universal language. People might have different tastes (I’m an 80′s girl and a Christian rock fan), but put music on in a room of people and it just seems to take the tension out of shoulders, faces.

Take me, for instance. If I’m really struggling with something, I like to take a drive…with the tunes cranked. Within a song or two, the tension starts ebbing. A few songs beyond that, and suddenly things look a bit more surmountable than they did prior to the drive. Kind of like Rocky in Rocky IV when he has that fight with Adrian and he goes off in his black vette and the music is pounding in the background (great song to drive/unwind to, by the way).

If I’m blue, I like to pull out a favorite song or two and just dance. One of my favorites for this? And We Danced by the Hooters. A playing (or two) of that and the blues aren’t quite so blue anymore.

So how about you? Do you turn to music when you’re angry or sad? Any tried and true favorites guaranteed to pull you from your funk?

~Elizabeth

Catching Up

Now that the latest manuscript has been sent off to my editor, it’s time to catch up on all the other aspects of life that were forced into the back seat so “deadline day” could ride shotgun.  Suddenly, all of the things I was able to ignore while I sat, hunched, over a keyboard all day, are now waving signs in my face saying–notice me, notice me.

And I’m noticing.

*cringe*

I see the mailings that need to go out (something on today’s list, as a matter of fact).

I see the inbound mail that’s started to stack up (and collect dust).

I see the TBR pile that’s remained untouched for much too long (so excited to start on that one).

I see the closet with summer clothes that needs to be switched out.

I see the hair on top of my head that’s in desperate need of a little attention (also, on today’s list… *insert sigh of relief*).

I see all the friends I need to catch back up with (we are in touch always, but the content has grown too short as of late).

I see the kitchen that is begging to be used for cooking lots of yummy dinners, rather than the hurried-ones of late.

I see the empty pantry that is in desperate need of restocking.

I see the family that could use a little extra TLC (just spent a wonderful evening/day with my youngest in conjunction with a book signing Monday night).

And I see me, who’s also been shoved to the side for a little too long (pedicure, anyone?   ). 

Normally, when I finish a book, I try to cram all my catch up into a week before I’m back at it again. This time, though, I’m taking several weeks to catch up and unwind ( I’ve written 11 novels in the past 3 1/2 years so I’m a bit tuckered) before getting back at the next round of contracted books.

So, this is where I’ll take a nice, deep inhale and let it out extra slowly. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Where are you in life now? Head down, working towards a goal of some sort? Or playing catch up with a side of chill?

~Elizabeth