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Friday, July 29, 2016

Celebrating those Small Things Again!



It's time for another edition of. . .

CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS!


This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .


Cooler temperatures! It is about 10 degrees cooler this week, but with 70-80% humidity, stepping out the door still means sweating like a waterfall. Still, we can do the chores without falling over and gasping for air somewhere in the weeds. I didn't lie in the weeds (too many ticks and chiggers), but some of my family members did. Such situations call for a spray down with the garden hose!

Rainbows! Several rain clouds have pulled over this week, and we've been blessed with lovely rainbows over our little valley. Yesterday, we even had a double. Yes, my shovel is at the ready to dig up that pot o' gold. Hmmm...leprechauns in the Ozarks?


What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Get some writing done? Climb a mountain? Find a fantastic new Slushie flavor? Get a hair cut?
What are you celebrating?


Friday, July 22, 2016

Celebrate the Small Things



It's time for another edition of. . .

CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS!


This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .

Horribly hot, humid weather??? 
Ha! Not.

Right now, I'm dreaming of jumping into a snowdrift and being thankful that in about six weeks, September will come bringing, perhaps, some beginning Autumn breezes.

I'm doing a little happy dance that my garden has produced 1 cucumber, 1 zucchini and 2 tomatoes so far. It appears that many more things are on their way.

My front deck painting is showing signs that it might get done this year. It's one that stretches around half of the house and is high above ground, which means I need a ladder to do quite a bit of it. BUT it probably will get done. 

And we're celebrating that the school has decided to push back the first day by 5 days, meaning the kids get a little more freedom.


What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Surviving these scorching temperatures or are you lucky enough to live out of the bubble-of-fire (I think that sounds more dramatic)? 

What are you celebrating this week?




And don't forget to check out the GIVEAWAY tab above! Especially the book, GIANT THE LION, only has one or two entries and is sure to put a smile on some young reader's face.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Celebrate the Small Things


It's time for another edition of. . .

CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS!


This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .


1) A cattle chute! Frustrating circumstances lead to a super fast, build-a-cattle-chute action last Sunday. My brother was sweet enough to cut down several cedars for poles, I picked up materials and--with hubs and oldest son too--we built a new catch pen, added a couple of gates, and constructed a solid chute 32 feet long. *manly grrr*

2) Sudden, short vacation! Other frustrating circumstances (and a lot of begging and bribing on my oldest son's part) had me, my son and my two youngest on a road trip to Little Rock, AR for several days. It was nice to get away from the farm, and the kids loved the hotel pool.

3) Ice water! Both of these activities involved a lot of hot, sweating weather. Oh, ice water! It is a true wonder and delight.


What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week?

Friday, July 8, 2016

Celebrate the Small Things



It's time for another edition of. . .

CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS!


This is a weekly blog hop sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about those moments. This is the chance for us to reflect back on those and remember that there are tons of things worth celebrating.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .


1) Healthy again! Last week, some of you may have noticed that I sort of skipped my Celebrate post. It's not that I don't adore hopping and around and visiting everyone (I really do), but I ended up in bed with a nasty flu. But goodbye bug! I'm up and kicking again.

2) 4th of July with the family! My sister and her family came out to visit my parents. Since I haven't seen them for over 2 years, it was nice to spend some time with them. And the kids had a blast.

3) Vegetables in my garden are still alive! The last two years haven't been exactly encouraging in the gardening area. Even this year has proven to be a bit frustrating. But it looks like I might actually get to see something this year. (I know. I should keep my mouth shut before I jinx it, and they all die off on me again. So ssshhhh....I'm not really celebrating this out loud.)


What about you? Have a happy 4th? Catch a grasshopper? Go ice skating? Jump into the air and shout for no reason whatsoever?

What put a smile on your face this past week?




Wednesday, July 6, 2016

IWSG - Writing? Ha!

It's time for. . . IWSG!

What is that?

Well, for those of you who don't know. . .the amazing founder of this awesome group, Alex J. Cavanaugh, says it this way:

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Special thanks goes to the cohosts this month: Yolanda Renee, Tyrean Martinson, Madeline Mora-Summonte , LK Hill, Rachna Chhabria, and JA Scott!

This month, the wonderful brains driving IWSG have decided to try something new. To help inspire our monthly posts, they are now offering a monthly question. This month's question is:
What's the best thing someone has ever said about your writing?


The phrase I love to hear is "I couldn't put this down." 

(Another secret one of mine was 'I wanted to slap that girl!', but that wouldn't work into this post as nicely. . .)

I love reading books which just won't let me take a break. I HAVE to know what's going to happen next even if it means loosing a night's sleep. So when I hear that my writing does that to someone, it's a reassurance that I can do it. I can drag someone away from reality and keep them entranced in my world. 

That's all I want for now. 


As to the Writing? Ha! in the post title.....Lol! Let's just say that the last weeks have been anything but productive thanks to life. But I'm not worried. Things always seem to come in waves and phases.