* I WONDER... ABOUT ROBERT BRAULT *

It's Friday....time for another I Wonder!

 

I am extremely grateful and happy to know Robert Brault. Some of my blog friends also know Robert and his writing genius. If you think you don't know him, you've probably read one of his hundred (or thousand?) quotes, and just didn't realize who the author was. If you Google Mr. Brault, you'll see what I mean.

Not too long ago, he let us in on some BIG news. Northern Sun is publishing a 2012 wall calendar and a set of note cards, with Robert's amazing thoughts and quotes, plus some beautiful photos. Oh my goodness. Can you say, "Christmas Gifts?!"

I've already placed my online order for one calendar and one set of note cards....for now. I'll buy more, as soon as I figure out how many I need!

I Wonder: How many of his 2012 calendars, and note card sets will be purchased online  just today?

Please click on the Northern Sun link and take a look, and maybe place an order!

What would be more fitting than to close with a Robert Brault quote today??

 "I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar." -- Robert Brault

* Doors Open & Keys Turn *

I've collected a few things over the years and shared an item or two on my blog. Somewhere along this journey of mine I became very interested in decorative doorknobs and vintage-looking keys.

When I began this collection, the idea of them having a deep meaning never entered my mind, until just recently. Ahhh.....doorknobs open doors (to success) and keys turn the locks (to success.)

Welcome to my newest followers, Lani and Hensrule. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

And didn't you just love Aunt Clara on the TV show, Bewitched??

Aunt Clara: Wouldn't you like to see my doorknob collection?
Phyllis Stephens: I beg your pardon?
Samantha Stephens: Aunt Clara collects doorknobs.
Aunt Clara: I have three thousand.

* Nostalgic Sundays *

Thoughts about Nostalgic Sunday:

When I was a young girl, Sundays meant going to Mass. Sometimes my mom made homemade donuts after we got home. That was a special treat. Other times, we had bacon and eggs, or pancakes. No plain old cold cereal on a Sunday. (We never went out to eat for breakfast! Whoever heard of such a thing?! In fact when I was really young, I'm pretty sure the only times we ate out was when we were on summer vacations, and stopped at those roadside restaurants. That, too, was special.)

Sundays meant the "funny papers" or just the "funnies." Even when I was too young to read, I still loved to lie on the floor and look at all the colorful drawings, trying to figure out what each little story was about.

Sunday evenings also meant certain TV shows: The Ed Sullivan Show. The Wonderful World of Disney. Lassie. I wasn't very old when I'd already figured out that Lassie lived with a bunch of not-too-smart humans. (Whenever our previous dog, Tiger-Gal, would bark at us because she obviously wanted something, The Ronald and I would say to her, "What is it girl? Is it Timmy? What?? He fell down the well?! OMG!")

And that brings me to the submission I sent Friday evening to Chicken Soup for the Soul. It's the humorous story about our first dog, Rocky, and his encounter with a houseplant. ☺

(I Can't Believe My Dog Did That!)

"Now, Andy, before you go traipsing around the country on any manhunt, you come along home and have dinner first." -- Aunt Bee        

* Are You Kidding Me? *

OMG! Only this minute did I see that in my Profile Photo, I look just like Maxine! (see post below) Hand on face, open mouth, and I guess she's wearing glasses??!!

Only difference is.....I'm happy 99% of the time.....and Maxine is crabby 100% of the time! 
Oh, and I need to be holding a cup of coffee!  ☺

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day." -- Unknown

* A Waggish Wednesday *

I'm in a silly mood tonight which is usually quite common for me. It made me think of the word "waggish" which I discovered a year or so ago. I looked back through my old posts just now and noticed that not only was it one year ago, it was in the month of September! I used it for two post titles. One on the 15th of September 2010, and one on the 30th.


If you've known me for very long, you know I love it when these ♪♫ Twilight Zoney ♪♫ things happen to me. These Cosmic Sensations. These Serendipitous Happenings. You get the idea.

So, what is my waggish post for tonight. (By the way, "waggish" mean roguish in merriment and good humor, mischievous, merry, droll, comical, and funny.....Pretty much describes me!)

Uh...maybe THIS is why I'm feeling so kooky tonight!

I'm feeling good because I'm writing. Last night I submitted a short-short fictional story for a contest.

AND I'm writing a story for "Chicken Soup for the Soul; I Can't Believe My Dog Did That!" I'm working on a humorous story I began some time ago. It's about our first dog, Rocky. I don't have any digital photos of him, but he looked very similar to Tiger Gal. I would be thrilled, obviously, if the story was accepted for publication!

Welcome to my newest follower, Kelley. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!


"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja-vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before." Steven Wright

* Gratitude - Optimism - Bliss *

Tons of things are going on in my life these days. Most are wonderful. Some...not so much. But because I stay optimistic 99% of the time, that's how I manage to feel when I fall asleep at night. Optimistic. Blissful. Grateful.

As I dug through mountains of papers in my office this afternoon, I found a page I had torn out of Country Living magazine last November. I loved the display of white dishes, blue and white patterned dishes, and tiny white pumpkins. I'll share the beautiful quote below that appeared on that page.

Welcome to my newest follower, Andrea. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life...It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." -- Melody Beattie

* Nostalgic Sundays *

It's time for another Nostalgic Sunday.

 

This time of year when it begins to be a bit cooler and the sun sets earlier, I get in the mood for good, old-fashioned comfort food. (which is what Aunt Bee prepared every day, I think!) On Friday, I wrote about making meatloaf for Lynn's blog so what did I do today? Bought fresh ground meat! I'll be whipping up a meatloaf dinner today, complete with baked potatoes, and various veggies.

I also have a new chili recipe I'll make soon....in my crock pot. And I have a few casserole recipes to make and freeze for later. Yummy goodness! Mmmm. Is your mouth watering? Mine sure is.

I also have to mention the fabulous Andy Griffith. During my quick lunch today, the TV was on and I came across the movie: No Time for Sergeants. I only watched for about ten minutes, but during that short period of time, I laughed out loud at his backwoods, naive ways, especially when he described trying to take the reading test. There's no way I could explain it and do it justice, you'll just have to watch the movie sometime. ☺

Also, Welcome to my newest follower, Jennifer Shirk. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

Andy Taylor: Opie! Time to come in, son.

Opie Taylor: Aw Pa, just a little while longer... please?
Andy Taylor: Well, OK.
[to Barney]
Andy Taylor: Daylight's precious when you're a youngin'

* I WONDER *

It's time for another I Wonder.  Really? Already??

I feel "kind of old" when I keep talking about how fast time is flying by, but uh...I AM kind of old!☺

So, on to another subject. I just realized a couple of days ago, after a gentle reminder from fabulous friend, Lynn, at Lynn, What's for Dinner?, that it was my turn to be her featured "chef"...and I say that with a fallacious smile. Since I'm not much of a cook (at all!), my recipe is a simple one. Please stop by and see what else Lynn posted about me.

I'm so fortunate that Lynn is one of my home town blog friends. In fact, I knew her before either of us began blogging. She's sweet, kind, funny, and a great writer. She's keeping three blogs at the moment, too. Please check out her two Food Blogs: Lynn, What's for Dinner?, Lynn, What's for Dessert? and her Writer Blog, Present Letters, which is always letters written to a very special person.

My I Wonder for today is: How many of you consider yourselves "chefs"? What are your favorite recipes, both dinners and desserts? (or can you say, "Take Out"?)

Mother's words of wisdom: "Answer me! Don't talk with food in your mouth!"
-- Erma Bombeck

I Love a Story Like His

I'm so happy that Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. won "America's Got Talent." Although I didn't watch it very often (every time I checked NBC, it seemed to be on), when I heard him sing, I just couldn't believe how beautiful his voice was. Never off key. Always wonderful. And what a story he has...from where he was, to where he is now. He seems grounded and I hope the winnings and the success won't make him forget his true self. Congratulations to the man with a voice like Sinatra's!

"People often remark that I'm pretty lucky. Luck is only important in so far as getting the chance to sell yourself at the right moment. After that, you've got to have talent and know how to use it."
Frank Sinatra

A Winner and Philosophy

* Today feels like Monday. The Ronald and I spent the weekend with friends in their lovely house on The Lake! Got home really late Sunday night, so I was draggin' yesterday. Today my inner motor will be chugging along until it hits high speed!

* The winner of my Give-Away from September 7th....is....drum roll, please!......Carol Kilgore, from Under the Tiki Hut! Carol, please send your address and I'll get your three books mailed right away. Congratulations and thanks for entering!

* Speaking of books, which leads to reading and writing....once again I've put my memoir on the back burner. I'm submitting to more anthologies and entering more contests. Doing so has once again helped with the enormous pressure I've subjected myself to, for so long. I'm also reading more, which I know helps my writing. Also, I will stop posting about whether my memoir is almost finished, partly finished, asking for title ideas, and anything else pertaining to it! Y'all are probably thinking, "Whew, thank goodness!" ☺

* My friend, S. and I ate Chinese for lunch on Saturday. My fortune cookie said: "Life to you is a bold adventure. You can expect greatness if you avoid the great mess!"

I like that philosophy. How about you?

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." -- Woody Allen

* Writerly News *

Have you ever read ReadingWriters or The Verb ezine. I received an e-mail today from them stating that The Verb will come back sometime in 2012, but as Elizabeth Guy put it, it was time to let ReadingWriters go. If you've never read or heard of any of this, just click on the site.

Their contest is still open. It's called The Road of Eerie Writing Contest . Check out the link for that, too. Deadline is September 15th, midnight Pacific Time. Prize is $100.00

There are so many awesome contests right now that I'm trying to write for...and time is running out on some of them. If you haven't tried the The Bartleby Snopes Dialogue Only contest, you really should give it a try. I think it's the most unique and cool contest I've ever entered....mostly because they keep you so informed on your status!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I won't be posting until probably Monday, the 12th.

"We are what we believe we are." Benjamin N. Cardozo

* News for Local Friends *

Beautiful Office Furniture For Sale

As I wrote on August 24th, The Ronald and I are going to downsize and move sometime in the near future. 

We'll have quite a few things to sell. A few of those items are in my office. They are gorgeous pieces of furniture (at least I think so!) in the Christopher Lowell Shore Collection, which was exclusive at Office Depot. They're about 5 years old, were professionally assembled, and look practically brand new.

I managed to clean them out sufficiently for "Selling" Photos!

Desk with hutch on top.

Another view of desk and hutch.

Pull-out thingy for key board (and part of chair)

The desk chair. It also has arms, which I had taken off.
We still have them, though.

Another view of desk, hutch, and chair.

Hutch on top of bookcase.
(Only one light bulb in at the moment!)

This is the bookcase under the hutch.

Another view of bookcase and hutch.

All of the furniture is in wonderful shape. Everything is attached (not just a hutch standing on top of the desk or bookcase).

Anyone who is interested, please e-mail me. I'm asking very reasonable prices. Oh, and none of the accessories are included!

"But every house where love abides, and friendship is a guest, is surely home, and home-sweet-home; for there the heart can rest." -- Henry Van Dyke

* Congrats and Give-Away *

First of all, congratulations to everyone who's story or poem was accepted for the Storm Country anthology. That is the book the Missouri Writers Guild put together to donate money to the Joplin, Missouri school libraries.

Now for my contest give-away. As I mentioned in my previous post the only requirement is to leave a comment here! That's it. The one restriction is that only US bloggers can enter. (My apologies to my out-of-country friends!)

Below are the books:

Skipping Christmas: by John Grisham
(hardcover) Cute humorous Holiday book

The Lemon Jelly Cake: by Madeline Babcock Smith
Originally written in 1952. A very charming book!
(paperback)

A Morning Cup of Meditation: by John A. Bright-Fey
Awesome hardcover book for juggling life with meditation!
Also comes with a CD (hardcover)

All three books are in great shape and could even be given as gifts.

Just leave a comment here and I'll choose a winner by random.org on Tuesday, September 13th. **If I receive more than 20 comments, by 20 different people... I know how some of your minds work! ☺I'll choose three winners, and each will receive one book. If I get less than 20 comments, then one person will receive all three books.**



Also, Welcome to my newest follower, Juliann of Daily Snapshot. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need." -- Jerry Gillies

* CONTEST INFORMATION *

Just this morning I submitted a story to Bartleby Snopes for their Dialogue Only Contest. It's the  most interesting writing I've ever done, and hopefully it was really good, too! Find out the rules at the link. Deadline is September 12, 2011.

Speaking of contests....I haven't had one in a while, so in the next few days I'll come up with something. It will be simple to enter. Just leave a comment on that particular post! That's it. You don't have to be a follower or anything fancy!

Have a great rest of the week! Hey all you US friends.....does today feel like Monday to you?

* Saturday Centus *

It's Saturday Centus time with Jenny Matlock. If you've never participated in this before, give it a try. It's really lots of fun!

Here's today's rules & prompt:

WORD COUNT - Up to 100 words AND the 7 words of the prompt (107 total maximum words - For those of you that want more words please feel free to link up multiple stories!)
STYLE OF WRITING - Any

USE A PICTURE IF YOU LIKE

THE PROMPT THIS WEEK IS: "what kind of a pizza is this"
My take on the prompt is below, coming in at 107 words.


He prepared a surprise, romantic dinner for me. Hmmm, my boyfriend wasn't much of a cook, at least that I knew of. Maybe he thought after an evening like this, I'd fall into his arms and do the thing he so wanted me to do.


As I stepped into his apartment, he steered me toward the table and pulled out a chair. I knew immediately what dinner was by the mouthwatering aroma rising from my plate to my nostrils.


"What kind of a pizza is this?", I uttered, breathlessly.


"It's your favorite, darling. Now, will you do that favor for me?"


"Oh, you bet I will ."

* I WONDER *

It's been three weeks since my last I Wonder post. I don't remember why I missed the one on August 19th, but I really remember why I missed last week's.

One reason: I was busy getting things ready for the Saturday Writers meeting which was the next day. My scheduled speaker had to cancel and I scrambled for someone to take her place. Many thanks to Debbie Marshall, president of Missouri Writers Guild (MWG), who came to our rescue.

Second reason: I was dealing with what I thought was a very painful toothache. After a visit to my dentist on the 25th, and then an oral surgeon on the 26th.....neither could figure out what was wrong. I told both of them, "What can I say? I'm weird!" So, on Monday, the 29th, I saw my primary doctor and was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. I won't go into details because I don't want to come across as whiny, but I had some really awful pain, for quite a few days. (I knew it wasn't a sinus infection, either, because I had none of the usual symptoms. I get them often enough to know!)

My I Wonder for this Friday is: I wonder how many of you have any special plans for this 3-Day Weekend?

Me? I have no special plans.

 I just want to relax and write, and write and relax, etc.

Also, Welcome to my newest follower, Maryann Miller. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

 

"If all the cars in the United States were placed end to end, it would probably be Labor Day Weekend." ~Doug Larson