IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE: Holiday Spirit Gift Rule Book Trailers Zahra's Earth-Friendly Tip My Personal Gossip |
|
|
HOLIDAY SPIRIT Traditions create and fuel holiday spirit. Some traditions are carried forward from childhood. Some are born anew out of creativity, ingenuity, or necessity. Regardless of the history or longevity of our individual traditions, they are what make us nostalgic for the holidays, home, family, and friends. Putting up the tree and, one-by-one, unwrapping memories attached to decades of commemorative and handmade ornaments is how my family injects a healthy dose of holiday spirit into our hearts in early December. Other cherished traditions in our home include baking cookies to give away, hanging candy canes on the tree for family and friends to grab for a sweet treat throughout the month of December, and walking around the neighborhood to enjoy light displays. I hope you have a December filled with traditions, love, memories, and plenty of holiday spirit! |
|
|
Both my early childhood education background and the fact I authored three early reader chapter books make this gift rule poem a personal favorite. For number 4, I would be honored if you chose books from my Thurston T. Turtle series for young readers on your gift list! |
|
|
BOOK TRAILERS Pop-up shops and other book events in which I would typically participate are not the norm this holiday season. My author friends and I aren't sharing tables at bazaars to sell and sign books. Nor are we eating chocolate, drinking coffee, and buying the wares of other vendors during down time. Since my book peddling is virtual this year, I created trailers for my Thurston T. Turtle books using the iMovie app on my laptop. Two trailers are included below. The third will be shared on social media soon! |
|
|
ZAHRA'S EARTH-FRIENDLY TIP |
|
|
Zahra, the main character of the middle grade novels I've been drafting, learned from her best friend Danni all about presents. Mostly what she learned was that humans wrap lots and lots of presents using lots and lots of wrapping paper and lots and lots of tape during the holidays. |
|
|
Much to Zahra's relief, there are also lots and lots of ways to reduce our holiday gift-wrapping carbon footprint. Zahra suggests checking out this Wellness Mama article for some fun, earth-friendly wrapping ideas: |
|
|
The awning is gone. After one of the many post-hurricane storms that barreled through North Carolina this year ripped apart the awning on my home office window, I decided it was time to let it go. When we bought our house, the awnings installed in the 1950s were intact. And they served an important purpose until 2010, when we replaced the old boiler system and attic fan with modern heat and air conditioning units. Fast forward to 2020 when a battering of wind gusts and heavy rains finally split the awning fabric at the seams. At first, I wondered how much it would cost to repair or replace the fabric. But as I gazed between the torn panels, my thoughts shifted to the view. I began to wonder if we could just tear down this awning? And if I cleaned the window and we took out the screen (we never open this particular window, anyway), wouldn't it be great to gaze out at the crows and hawks, cardinals and squirrels, trees and clouds? So I convinced Hubby to remove the awning fabric and as much of the hardware as possible. Then he took out the screen and stored it in the attic. I cleaned the glass, inside and out. |
|
|
My home office view is now spectacular. The photo on the right is the sunset I was missing before the awning was destroyed. The only downside is that when I'm on a Zoom call and a bird catches my eye or the sun peeks through the clouds and I look, everyone on the call gets the impression I'm rolling my eyes. To be fair, there are probably times I am rolling my eyes. But mostly, I'm enjoying my new view. |
|
|
|
|
