So What Are You Thankful For?

You want to hear mine first?

(probably cause you can’t think of anything right off the top of your head, huh?)

Alright, then.

I am thankful for:

Food, warmth, and my amazing husband.

My crazy, irritating, entertaining, strange, and strangely supportive family.

The internet, my smart phone, and our car.

Tea, chocolate and ice cream (yes, I know I already covered food. I’m especially thankful for these, though, so shhh.)

My writing ability, all the books I get to read, the fact that I don’t totally suck at typing.

I am also thankful for all of you, my followers. The way you kinda give a crap about what I have been doing, actually commenting and liking my posts, and in general helping to prop up my fragile writer’s self-worth. It really does mean a lot to me.

So thank you, blog followers. Thank you.

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Here’s a little bit of not-sappy info about Thanksgiving. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvjAS7uzwJs

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Happy Thanksgiving!

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My Man Is Tough – A Poem

“My man is tough.”

“Is he rough?”

“No, he’s very gentle.”

“Like a flower petal?”

“No. I’ll give you an example.

PMS, he can handle.

When I’m sick or hurt

He does the housework.”

“Can he chop down trees?”

“Yes, don’t interrupt, please.”

“Does he go shark fishing?”

“Is your brain missing?”

“Has he wrestled a bear?”

“Did you escape from somewhere?”

“Is he a pro wrestler guy?”

“I lost you somewhere, didn’t I?

He’s tough enough to deal with me.

That’s as tough as he needs to be.”

“He hasn’t been to the moon and back?”

“As Yoda would say, “Sense, you lack.

Tough isn’t always rough.

Brave isn’t quite enough.

He’s emotionally strong,

tells me when I’m wrong.

Deals with my family,

and doesn’t think worse of me.

He’s kind and gentle,

a little sentimental.

When my day has been rough,

His arms are enough.

Yes, he can use a Sawzall,

a wrench, and a splitting maul.

But you’re missing my point,

So I’ll be blunt.

My man has seen me at my worst,

And they still haven’t had to call a hearse.”

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What are your thoughts on my latest poetry writing session?

Did you find it funny? Repetitive? Sweet? Thought provoking?

Tell me in the comments! 🙂

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In conclusion!:

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My favorite part of this scene starts at about 3:00.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDYX_PgorRY

My husband may not always understand me, but he loves me through the confusion.

I am forever thankful for that.

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A Late Night Christmas Post

Holly – No, I Wasn’t drunk when I drew it!!!

Here I sit, on my bed, beneath a blanket, and my brand new Laptop Holder with Advanced Cooling System (thanks Mom and Dad!).  In a few minutes I will have to get up and take another dose of cold medication.

I only managed to get to one family Christmas get-together this year, Christmas Eve evening.  My mother’s side of the family has already been passing this cold around, so those who don’t have it now have at least been exposed to it by someone else.  My father’s side of the family, though, decided to do a morning thing.  I already am not good at mornings, add a cold to that, and the fact that my late grandmother’s husband is very susceptible to lung problems, so we (hubby and I) opted to stay home and work on getting me better.

Christmas with my mother’s family is always an adventure.  Even though there are not a million of us, I suppose at times we can come across as though there are.  We all love to talk, laugh, and sing; and about half of us love to argue (some say debate, but since I hate confrontation, it always comes across as arguing).  After the dinner prayer was said by my father, we all took our turn through the kitchen and loaded our plates.  At that point the sounds in the room were compliments to the cooks, the children arguing over who’s plate belonged to whom, and the usual small noises associated with people eating a large, delicious meal.  Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!!!  Yum!

Fast forward half an hour, and we’re all relaxing in the living room, chatting away.  Someone asks, “when are we going to open the presents?”  One of my brothers-in-law puts on a Santa hat and begins handing out colorful bags and boxes.  Paper, ribbons, and tissue paper are flying through the air.  Half a dozen pocket knives come out of nowhere to aid in the opening of boxes and the release of various toys from their specially designed, impossible to open packaging.  Grandma has people listening intently just in case she should make the slightest noise of a want or need (she has rheumatoid arthritis).  The two little ones are soon in a battle of the wills over a new toy keyboard (the poor things were very overstimulated).

My husband received a DVD of Brave, t-shirts, cookies, goodies, etc.  I was given a new skirt, gloves, a book cozy, and a few other things.  We were both given some movie tickets, and a gift certificate to a restaurant we like.

What really made me happy was the way friends of the family, and fringe relatives were unthinkingly absorbed into our group.  No lengthy introductions, no seating them beside someone they might have something in common with.  We just let them come into our lives, tell them to make themselves comfortable, and treat them as though they’ve always been a part of us.  Having been reminded of the way my family treats guests, it’s little wonder at my having so many ‘sisters’: Young women who have been ‘adopted’ by my bio-sisters and I, and who are now just as important in our lives as each of the original four of us.  There have even been a couple who’s home lives were scrambled enough that they took to calling my parents Mom and Dad.

The importance of family and friends is loud and clear in the Christmas season (and Hanukkah :D).  I hope that you took some time to remind your loved ones how important they are to you.  If not, there’s still a few days before the New Year gets here, and the great Money Machine starts gearing up for St. Valentines day.

A Rollercoaster of a Week

Well, Hello again. 

Have you had the kind of week I just experienced?

On Wednesday afternoon I had just decided that the fever was gone and I could resume my regular activities, when an uncle called to tell me that my last Great-grandparent had peacefully passed away at about 12:30pm.

Then there was that horrible shooting in Connecticut a day later, and a couple other sad things relayed to me by my husband that evening.  Cried myself to sleep.

The next day was a niece’s Princess themed birthday party, which I was very late to, because I had to wait for a migraine to subside before going anywhere near excited toddlers.  It was a good party, though.  She had many friends and relatives attend, and received tons of toys, including a pink Schwinn tricycle, and a Cinderella Pez dispenser.  Kind of a toss up as to which one she liked better, really.  One gives you sugar, the other lets you go fast.  Eh, why not both?

Then Sunday morning, as we were sitting in church, the children were called up to help sing a song.  It was so hard not to cry, for oh, so many reasons.  The service was wonderful, though.

So now, I am in something of a stunned, reflective mood.  Not sure what I’m reflecting on.  Perhaps it’s the fact that at least my Great-grandmother was most way through her 90’s.  That I’m glad she had a good life, full of love and family, a quiet passing, and many people who will remember her fondly.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m glad I have lots of family.  No, I do not have 12 first cousins and 50 second cousins, but compared to some people, I do have many in my life whom I consider to be family, loved ones, friends who are so close they are treated as brothers, sister, spare fathers and mothers, aunts and uncles.  They do not take away from the love I have for my biological family.  If anything, they help magnify the love I have for everyone who makes my life special.

This Christmas will be difficult in some ways.  This year I have lost a grandmother, and a great-grandmother, the World has spent this last year just getting crazier and crazier,  and we are still not financially stable enough for children.

However, this Christmas will be wonderful in many ways: my nephews are now big enough to open their presents with little to no help; we may all be going through tight financial times, but we will still all get together, giving perhaps a few more gifts that are ‘needed’ rather than just ‘wanted’; the loss of loved ones seems to amplify my awareness of the need to love now, to tell the ones I have that they are special, wanted, and thought of; watching the snow fall outside it’s also crystal clear that I am thankful for a warm house, hot food to eat, and a wonderful husband to curl up with on cold nights.

Perhaps it’s the low blood sugar making me sappy, but when I really think about it, I have much to be thankful for in my life.  I realize that the ‘traditional’ time to be thankful was last month, but it’s so very important to see, and acknowledge what you have now.  If you don’t learn to be comfortable with little, then you will never be content with more, no matter how much ‘more’ you acquire.

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I have, unfortunately, done almost no writing this week.

There have been a couple additions to my book ideas folder.  Perhaps an anthology or two, with the help of a few relatives, would be in order.

I have been reading my mother’s romance novel, although admittedly I have been slacking on that project as well.  Not for lack of interest.  Far from it, I can hardly wait to find out who is causing so much trouble and pain, and to see how the main love interests finally get together, and to discover what becomes of all the eligible bachelors who’ve come out of the woodwork.

Perhaps taking my vitamins on a regular basis will help with this lackadaisical feeling.  I should also start taking walks again.  Maybe if I start taking care of myself the way I should some of the fog will lift from my brain, and some of the lead will drop from my…tush.

Doing it will be the only way to find out.  I guess now that I’ve told you it had better start getting done, huh?  Down coat, and ear muffs, here I come!  After I take this multivitamin, that is.

Until Next Time…

So, what has been your overall mood this month, so far?  Have you been looking forward to Christmas?  Or dreading it because of the memories it will dredge up?  A strange mix of the two?

& & &…

What is on your Christmas list?  Example: I would like an Amazon gift card, a Wizard 101 cash card, decaffeinated English Breakfast tea, a small jar of Stevia powder, almonds, pepitas, lots of big hugs, my back popped by my youngest sister, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some help putting together a cover for my book of poetry.

Here’s To Our Thanksgivings!

Gobble, gobble has a whole new meaning…

 

Here’s hoping our Thanksgivings are full of love, laughter, and quality time with loved ones.

Here’s a little prayer sent up to help us mind our tongues when someone’s opinion rubs us the wrong way.

Here’s to that gentle tap on the shin that most husbands will receive when their wife hears the opening line to a personal viewpoint that would be sure to set the room on fire (and to his interpreting this ‘love tap’ correctly).

Here’s to the careful negotiations over the last piece of Aunt Grace’s famed pumpkin pie.

Let us all remember that this is a season where we take a little time out of our busy schedules to look around and be appreciative of the things we have.

Whether we are with relatives, good friends, or a room of relative strangers, may we all be surrounded by happiness and positive thoughts.

This is me wishing everyone a safe and fun Thanksgiving!

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NaNoWriMo Word Count is now – 10,214 

My fingers are tired.

The white noise ended after the first hour. After checking my word count I decided to add another 150 words to push me over 10, 000.  This is the number I ended up at after I’d finished writing out a couple more of the main character’s diary entries.  No where near the normal 50,000 word goal, but getting closer to my more realistic goal of using this month to map out the main story line.

Loving the plot so far.

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What are some of your family’s Thanksgiving traditions that you love? 

Have you made some new ones in your own home? 

What are things you are particularly thankful for this year?

Tell me, tell me!  My curiosity knows no bounds.

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November Thankfulness

Tonight I have been thinking of all the little things for which I am thankful.  Do you want to read my list?

Too bad.  Here it is anyway.

My parents: They raised a wonderfully neurotic young woman who can’t seem to go a single day without wondering what would have happened if (insert historically Huge event) had happened slightly differently.  They taught me to love books, singing, my sisters, my country, cars, driving, and target practice.
My sisters: Without them I would not be the fiercely protective person I am today. While I was growing up, if you said anything mean about me, ya I would cry.  If you said anything about my sisters, or worse yet actually pushed one of them around? Duck!

They are now my best friends, my support group, and some of my loudest cheerleaders.

My husband: An amazing man. So glad we got introduced. Yes, he is a couple decades older than me. Don’t let that fool you. He is my rock, my muse, and my constant encourager. I don’t think I would have started writing without his prompting, nudging, nagging, and praise.

My extended family: Wow. They taught me that you don’t have to agree in order to get along (for the most part). We may wander around in our own little worlds for the most part, but when the crap hits the fan they’re your best bet.

My first car: Thank you Daddy, and Aunt Dawn! Aunt Dawn told my father that if we could get the car running, I could have it.  Daddy knew what was wrong with it and sent his daughter off to earn the money to fix it.  I wouldn’t trade that summer of learning for anything.  Those memories of working in the garage are precious.

Back when gas was an inconvenience (not a line item of its self on the budget!) I used to have my sisters pile in the adorable clunker and we would go to the nearest gas station. After exhausting a $20 on gas and junk food we would cruise around the countryside.  Good times.

My first boyfriend: Yes, an odd thing to be thankful for, but hear me out. He taught me that being up on that shining pedestal is a scary place to be. I learned at an early age that you never want to seek a man who will think you’re perfect. You can never truly love someone unless you acknowledge and accept their flaws, as well as their virtues.

Small towns: They are wonderful. If you get one small enough you can walk into the library and check out a book even though you forgot your card. Half the residents know you, the other half know of you, even when you were home-schooled and hadn’t attended a day of school with them.  On summer break the town is small enough you can walk over to the library, the burger joint, and the park. I miss that place.

Amazing authors: Without your books, TV shows, movies and plays to take me to strange and wonderful places I might have turned out to be a very different person. Thank you for writing!

NaNoWriMo: Without the challenge of writing without going back and editing, getting this far in a first draft would have been torture. I have not written nearly as much as I had hoped, but it has been painless. I had thought it was impossible to write without my inner editor demanding that I go back and change things, thus interrupting my creative flow. Now I know that not only can I do it, but I can enjoy doing it.

Well, that’s my short list.

What are you thankful for?  Is there someone in your life who pushes you toward being a better version of yourself?  Was there a strange twist of fate that shaped your future?  Did your second grade teacher illuminate your mind to life’s possibilities?