Blogging is for Everyone! Or is It?

To my surprise, I've been blogging for six years.  Really.  Since late 2005, I've been sharing my opinions, right or wrong, good or bad, wanted or not wanted, in cyberspace.  I don't even know why I started or why I continue, but it's like a bad habit: Very hard to break...even when I have nothing worthwhile to say.

Blogging has been instrumental in helping along some of the changes in cyberspace.  With Facebook, My Space, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, Triberr, and who knows what else, the world is shrinking by the day.  No, make that by the hour.  The internet has introduced us to new people and new friends all over the world.  That's a good thing!  But it's blogging that gives the broadest canvas to users, whether bloggers or blog visitors.

No one else in my family blogs.  Or did.  My oldest daughter decided to put her toe in the water and has, in only a month, completely submerged herself in it and (not surprisingly) is enjoying it.  Hey, I was the one who suggested she take a drama class in high school, and she ended up not only getting parts in plays, but earned the job of student director her senior year.  Blogging was made for her, believe me.  Her main topic of most posts?  Make-up and shopping, hence the name of her blog--Diary of a Shopaholic.  She even posted a video she made on how to apply "smoky eyes."  I manage to post YouTube videos.  What can I say?  It's a new world out there for the newer generation.  And at her age, I was the mother of a 2-year-old and a newborn.  Her daughter is 10.

Amazingly, she isn't the only one of my "inner circle" to slide into the blogosphere.  Desire author and longtime friend Kathie DeNosky recently appeared on the scene with a brand new blog.  Kathie has just started blogging and loves to give away books, so don't miss visiting her at Kathie's World.

 And then there's friend and author Kristi Gold's new blog, where you'll discover how magical she is with words.  Within minutes, she'll have you smiling, if not laughing out loud, as she looks at life with her special brand of humor.  But it doesn't stop there.  The three of us--Kathie, Kristi and myself--will begin blogging together on Valentine's Day as the Ditz Sisters.  And if you know us, you know the "ditz" label isn't a joke. ;)  More info when the big day arrives!

I'll be adding a blog list here on the blog, so if you're a blogger, send me a link and I'll add it.  If you aren't a blogger, but you visit them, be sure to occasionally leave a comment to let the person blogging know that you've been there.  Sometimes it seems pretty lonely out there.

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~ Author Unknown

'Tis the Season for Having the Nasties

I hab uh code.  (translated: I have a cold.)

I feel a lot like the little girl in the picture over <--there  and wish it would go away so I could feel better.  No fever, just a whole bunch of sneezing and blowing and just all around feeling punk.  What a way to start the new year, huh?  I guess I should be thankful that this didn't start until two days ago, so I was feeling fine for New Year's Eve and Day.  Well, pretty much.

New Year's Eve was enjoyable and spent at my oldest daughter's house.  The younger set karaoked to the Glee sing-along on Wii, while the rest of us sat back and provided encouragement.  For me, going out to a wild party to end and start the year took a nosedive years--lots of years--ago.  I don't mind.

Come New Year's Day morning, and I was awakened at 8:15 a.m.  by the guys putting new siding on my house.  It just so happened that they were working on the spot on exactly the other side of the wall from my bed.  Thankfully, I hadn't had any alcohol the night before, so there wasn't a bit of hangover, but that didn't mean it was pleasant.  They finished on Monday, and I breathed a big sigh of relief. Very little was accomplished over the four days they were working here.

Not only was there noise and a sneezy cold, but my car battery kept dying overnight.  My son-in-law was kind enough to get and install a new starter, and we thought that was the end of it...until the next morning (yesterday), when the battery was dead as a door nail again.  The battery is now replaced with a new one, but I'm still holding my breath.

The moral of the past few days is that we usually manage somehow to get through most of the hugely irritating things that come along and happen to us on what can sometimes seem a daily basis.  Today is quiet.  I spent time yesterday evening with my favorite critique group and will be talking with my bestest writing buddies this afternoon.  I couldn't ask for better friends and am blessed to have them in my life.  Car problems or no car problems, cold and sneezing or no cold and sneezing, life happens.  Somehow we manage to move on and find the sunshine.

Here's hoping everyone's 2012 is filled with sunshine and rainbows and the very best life can offer.

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you, those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

The Holiday Push

I was feeling a bit like the dogs on the left, slugging along and not much concerned with anything special.  And then I looked at my calendar and realized there are only 12 days until Christmas.  Less than two weeks.  Just around the corner.  Will be here before you know it.

Is your heart beating faster, making your blood rush a little?  I'm picking my jaw up from the floor where it dropped.  You've I've got to be kidding!

I spent a wonderful evening with my critique group last night at the home of Love Inspired author Patricia Davids.  She should be sick of me, by now.  I was there, along with many friends from our writers group, on Sunday for our annual Christmas party.  Her house is beautifully decorated for the holidays!  I'm green with envy.  Or would be if I was into the holidays.  Not that I'm the Grinch or completely into the Bah!  Humbug! thing.  I've spent a lot of years decorating and cooking and shopping and wrapping and...

It's taken a few years, but I've finally abdicated my role of holiday hostess in the family.  As it is now, I might fix the turkey and another dish or two, and I'll help set the table and clean up after the meal, but I don't have to worry if there's going to be room for all 14 (gasp!) of us or if dinner is going to be late/cold/wilted.  I don't have to clean.  I don't have to decorate.  It's not that I don't miss all those things, especially the holiday decorations, because I do.  It's just that there are other things that have become more important, such as not worrying or having to rush. When I used to wish for a small slice of peace, now I get to enjoy the big chunks. I like that.

On Friday night, my youngest daughter and I will attend the local ice skating show.  This is the third year that Scarlett, my oldest granddaughter, has been a part of it.  It's fun.  It's a bit cold.  And it's always a pleasure to enjoy the local talent, from the tiniest little skater who has mastered staying upright, to the competition skaters who are definitely professionals.

Twelve more days.  Yes, the holiday push is definitely on.  And while many will be hustling and bustling around, making sure everything is perfect, I'll be enjoying the fruits and sparkles of their labor.  Maybe next year I'll do a little more.  Or maybe I'll enjoy this year so much that I won't. ;)

Anyone who believes that men are the equal of women has never seen a man trying to wrap a Christmas present.  - Anonymous 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

It's pretty obvious by the picture on the left that one of my favorite things is Autumn aka Fall.  What's not to like about the freshest and most invigorating season of each year?

While driving to pay my car insurance this morning, I decided to start making myself more aware of the things around me.  Much better than focusing on the driving habits of others. ;)  The weatherman said to expect a beautiful day in the 70s, and at 61 degrees right now, it's hard to imagine better.  The only small drawback is the wind.  There's a stiff breeze (23 mpg) coming out of the northeast.  Still, there's a positive to even that.  The breeze is stirring the leaves that have fallen, sending them skittering and swirling across yards and streets.

There are no clouds in the sky, just a bright, azure blue that is breathtaking.  The air has a whisper of crispness, making it completely comfortable outside.  As I drove, I noticed two men making small repairs on a church building, while at another location, others were raking the multi-colored leaves into piles.

But the one thing that really made me smile was the two small children, a boy and a girl about the ages of 3 and 4, who were playing in the leaves in their yard.  The boy was standing and throwing leaves over his head, while the girl sat in pile of leaves and swirled them around her.  I couldn't hear them laughing, but it was clear from the joy on their faces that they were having the time of their lives at that moment.

I'm beginning to realize how important it is to look for these moments of enjoyment, whether mine or someone else's, and make memories that will always bring a smile.

This evening I'll go to a Porch Party given my a dear fellow author, who is eager to share her new enclosed porch with friends.  If, as the weatherman says, our high tomorrow is barely 40 degrees, I wouldn't be surprised if the party moves from the porch to the inside fireplace.  Wherever it is that we all eventually gather, it will be another memory to hold close.  I can't wait!

Friendship is love with understanding.

In Memory of Jim Henson on His 75th Birthday

If you're not using Google Chrome, you're missing out on having fun today.  To the left is the Google Doodle that appears on the main page of the browser in honor of Jim Henson's birthday.  The doodle is interactive and took me completely by surprise a couple of times.  I'm still laughing!

I was just out of high school when Sesame Street premiered, so I missed a lot of the early Henson work.  By the time my first daughter was old enough to grasp TV, she not only watched Sesame Street, but she fell in love with Fraggle Rock.  So did I.  And now I've introduced it to my grandkids, who love it, too.

Instead of including a video, I'd rather leave this link to a fellow author's blog, where you'll find two very special videos she chose to honor Jim Henson.  I don't think Myrna Mackenzie will mind if I share. :)