Recent Posts

I don’t know how many of you have already started or finished your gift lists but I’m nearly done!  I have a few things to pick up for my sister and her husband, but that’s it.  You know though, the giving season quickly becomes busy and hectic and sometimes we forget why we celebrate Christmas.  But planning in advance to keep your heart in the holidays makes it stay in the forefront.  Here are some ideas to help you to do that:

Who is as excited as I am about the upcoming release of Liongate’s THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE?  It’s coming out THIS FRIDAY, November 22nd.  #TickTock it’s only 3 days away!  I’m a sad panda because I’m going to have to wait a bit to see it, since my parents are visiting for the Thanksgiving holiday, and are arriving on Thursday.  I haven’t seen them in over a year and it’s not the type of movie they’re really into.  But I digress… let’s talk more about Catching Fire shall we?!

I got to tell you folks, one of the best things about living in a large metroplex is the shopping.  Coming from a small city of about 150,000 people and moving to a metropolis of 6 million gives a new perspective on where and what you can buy!

Very close to our home here in North Texas is an awesome ‘outlet’ mall called Grapevine Mills.  You may have heard of it because it’s a premier tourist destination for those that visit the area.

I love surprises…but I hate surprises.  You know what I mean?!

I like to give people a general idea of what I’d appreciate for gifts so I make a list, and that way I’m surprised, but not surprised.  Got it?!

I have at least a couple of people on my shopping list that I know I can pick up a bunch of things for them at Best Buy.

Inspired by a true story, A Christmas Gift for Rose is a heartwarming novella of sacrifice and deep love.

Born in the midst of the hardships of the Great Depression, Rose grew up in Berlin, Ohio, in the arms of a loving Amish family. But as she prepares to marry, she’s thrown into confusion when she learns the truth of her birth. She was born Englisch and abandoned when the family moved on in search of work.

A few weeks ago I was introduced to a shopping site called Modnique. 

Modnique is a global fashion e-commerce company that was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Redondo Beach, Calif. Modnique runs boutique events for apparel, jewelry, shoes, handbags, watches, accessories, kids and beauty at up to 85% off retail. The company specializes in sourcing and shipping brands from around the world.

My mom and dad are coming for Thanksgiving this year.  They are arriving this Thursday and leaving on December 3rd.  In the 14 years we’ve lived in the U.S. they’ve only come one other time at Thanksgiving, and this year my sister and her family are coming for Christmas too!  The first time we’ve had family for Christmas!  I don’t know, it might have something to do with the fact that they live in frigid Canada and now we live in Texas … 

Books written in blood.  Most are lost, their Keepers with them.  A curse that befell a people.  A Kingdom with no King.  Life couldn’t get more harrowing fro the Elfies, a blend of Elves and Fairies.  Or for sixteen-year-old Jules Blaze.  Or could it?

For Jules, the heir of a Keeper, no less, suspects his family hides a forgotten secret.  It was bad enough that his people, the Elfies of Reign, triggered a curse which reduced the entire inhabitants to a mere inch centuries ago.

My parents turned me on to olive oil years ago when my dad started using it to lower his cholesterol.  But even though I knew it was healthier for us to use rather than butter in the frying pan, sometimes the flavor of it combined with what I was making just seemed off.

Thanksgiving dinner is about the only time I can get away with serving squash at the dinner table – I love it, but the rest of my family not so much.