Celebrate the Small Things!

This weekly blog hop is sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. 

What exactly are we celebrating?

Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about these moments as if they never existed at all. 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) I don't know if this is something really to celebrate...I guess I'll think of it as a victory after several rounds of battle. We caught 4 possum in 10 days, all of which were attempting to get into our chicken coop. This amazes me because we've had chickens for 3 years and haven't had any trouble. And all of a sudden 4? I'm beginning to believe it's a secret possum conspiracy to take over our farm...or maybe more?

2) College tour! Our oldest daughter starts college this Fall and has known where she's wanted to go all along. Yesterday, I joined her for a tour and wow. College campuses are so much cooler than when I was studying. The pool--wow wow. Hot tubs...lazy rivers... And then the climbing walls! Oh and there's an entire tower for repelling. Let's not forget at least 2 Starbucks on campus (that will hurt the bank account)....free laundry (I guess that means the end of quarter glory--and more change for Starbucks coffee?)...free shuttle service (because now a 10-15 minute walk across the grounds is too much?) There's also a free editing/proofreading office for all papers--not sure what I think of that part, though. I know proof reading is a drag but isn't that kind of what education is about? And the recreation center with organized camping tours and everything. Slowly I'm wondering if maybe it's time to go back and get another degree.

3) Starbucks coffee! Lol! This is a no-brainer. If there were two on campus, you know I used the rare chance I have to get one.


So, that kind of wraps up this week. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet, which is also something to celebrate.

What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Chase a cat? Giggle in the bathtub? Discover a meaning of life? What are you celebrating?

Celebrate the Small Things

This weekly blog hop is sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. 

What exactly are we celebrating?

Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about these moments as if they never existed at all. 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. . .

This week was full of small surprises.

1) We caught two opossums! The tricky critters had dined on two of my chickens, so they needed to go. We packed them up and drove them to a lovely place they can now call their new home.
And my chickens are happy again.



2) My youngest son was accepted into the gifted group at school. This was a big thing for him since his best friend is in the group too.

3) The Christmas package finally arrived from Germany. My parents-in-law had sent it off the end of November, but it was delayed on the east coast thanks to all of the storms. We thought it was lost, but it came today packed full with tons and tons of Lebkuchen.

4) Looks like I'll have a small shout-out to make on the writing end of things soon. And this isn't the ray of hope I was talking about last week, but something else.

5) I've received several pokes and messages from different acquaintances and friends I haven't heard from in awhile...all in the last couple of days. So I'm feeling warm and fuzzy inside.


And that pretty much wraps up this week.

So, what about you? What put a smile on your face the last days? Hear a new song? Find a new book? Discover a new TV show? What are you celebrating?

Celebrate the Small Things

This weekly blog hop is sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. 

What exactly are we celebrating?

Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about these moments as if they never existed at all. 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) ARCs! I received a small stack of upcoming reads, and there are a couple in there that I'm really excited about diving into. 

2) A little hope on the writing end of things! A ray of light broke through on the writing front this last week, something a bit unexpected. I'm not sure if it means anything yet, but it's always nice to get these hopeful, happy moments.

3) Drawing with the kids! My kids pulled out their large collection of colored pencils and coloring books, and we spent a bit of time coloring together.

4) Keys found! This is a little story, so I'm just going to go with the main points:
Part I 
- my oldest son drove my tractor to help with farm chores.
- during chore help, son forgot to close gate to pony pen. Pony got out and son chased him (this was actually hilarious to watch...shhh... my son doesn't know I was peeking through the kitchen window and getting a kick out of him running around after get-a-way pony - I should add here, to my own defense, that the pony is SUPER tame and comes immediately when called, but since son was running, pony thought he was playing with him and they went around and around and around and around....well, you get the picture)
Part II
- couple days later, I need tractor but keys not on hook. Of course, search through pockets and such came up empty.
- We only have one set of keys, since the hardware stores in our area are pretty limited and claim that our key is extremely rare and they can't make a copy (I have to remember to take it to the 'big' city next time we head that way ;) )
-  son remembers that key fell out of pocket during pony chase. . .most likely somewhere in the area where we feed the animals the hay. In other words, total lost cause. (instead of needle in hay stack, key in hay stack. . .which isn't any easier.)
Part III
- I'd come to mental terms with the fact that there was no tractor until my hubs had a chance to re-wire the ignition to enable a keyless start (not something done quickly)
- I went to feed cows with wheelbarrow and was wishing key would just suddenly be lying on ground before me. Ah, those dreams!
- I look down and TADAH! The key was poking out of the hay on the ground right next to my wheelbarrow tire!!!
I was on my knees with a thousand prayers of thanks. 

So, what about you?
What put a smile on your face this last week? Did you catch that jolt of warm weather passing through? Enjoy a piece of chocolate? Hear a song you haven't heard in a while?

What are you celebrating???

Celebrate the Small Things into the New Year!

This weekly blog hop is sponsored by the amazing Lexa Cain, and co-hosted by L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge and myself. 

What exactly are we celebrating?

Every week, wonderful things happen, tiny things, which make us smile. But as time grabs us up, we forget all about these moments as if they never existed at all. 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. . .

First, Happy New Year! It's already almost been an entire week, but it takes me forever to realize that it's now 2017 instead of 2016. Usually, I keep writing the wrong number until at least the end of March.


1) Snow! It's not much. Almost an inch, but that's more than enough to have schools close down for two days here. I always have to laugh a little. Growing up in Denver, an inch was nothing. I remember us having school when it was even 6 inches or more. But here it's a rarity, so no one really knows how to handle it.  But the kids are happy...and who can blame them? Christmas break just got extended!

2) A calf! Of course, the sudden drop in temperatures kicked off the birth of one of our cows. It was a first time heifer (translated: a young cow who hadn't birthed before), and that can cause problems. So I was a bit nervous. But all went well and natural. I love to watch the calves jump and play around. So cute!

3) IWSG! Not only did I remember it this month, but it's always nice to hop around and say hi to everyone. Congrats to all anthology winners too!


And that wraps up this week pretty well. 

What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Are you bundling up from the sudden snow too or surfing on the waves? Have a nice slide into the New Year? What are you celebrating this week?

Begin the year with IWSG!

A brand new year, and new breezes in the writing world. What a fresh IWSG!

This is a monthly blog hop created by the super stealthy and amazing Alex J. Cavanaugh. Writers are a species of their own and often misunderstood. This hop offers a safe place to seek support or offer it to others.

Go ahead and head on over here to find out more or jump on board!


This month, I'm charging into the world of writing with fresh inspiration and determination! Who knows what this year will hold, but either way, let's tackle it. Go! Go! Go!


And now, on to this month's question:

What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?

Does the answer 'all of them' count???

I see many of the so-called rules more like this . . .

They have their importance and shouldn't be ignored. But to hold them as the last and only cornerstones of writing is going a bit too far.

Should we keep the rules in mind? Yes.

Does following them, in general, make for better writing? Yes.

Are they the one, only and absolute way? Often but not always. 

There are times when the rules aren't the best choice. It doesn't happen often, but it can.  

Still, just like a pirate battling the way through the waves and canon fire, knowing when it's worth the risk to ignore certain rules is a wisdom gained with tons of rum and experience. Oh, and don't forget a dash of pirate's luck! Get it wrong, and the ship goes down. But so is life on the vast, free seas!

(Maybe I'm having a little bit too much of that salty fun *pirate growl*)

So what about you?

What rule would you like to see walk the plank?