* SHARING OLD POSTS *

While trying to decide what to write about in my "new" blog posts, and not being able to come up with much of anything, I had the most scathingly brilliant idea!  (Yes, Cathy C Hall! https://c-c-hall.com/ )

I'm going to re-post some from the past, at least for now or until I feel as if I can write something decent again. When I look back and read some posts from my early blogging years, 2009-2013, I feel as if I'm reading someone else's writing. I truly mean it! I think to myself, Wow, that is some beautiful writing, and then I remember that I'm the one who wrote it! 

Oh, and you know what else was wonderful to read? All the comments, and some from people who aren't blogging anymore, which made me sad. Their blog either is totally gone, or they haven't posted in years. It makes me want to go back through emails and see if I have one for many of them, and see if we can catch up with each other that way. 

And, maybe I'll have contests again where I give away a book, or bookmark, or fancy pens, etc.

Thanks to all who stop by to make sure I'm still alive and bouncing off the walls! 😄

~~~~~~

And I'll end with a couple of favorites from Maxine:

"Ever feel like you've had too much coffee? Me neither." 

"Fashion magazines are society's way of saying 'If you don't feel inadequate already, read one of these!'

* THOUGHTS ON A WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON *

Recently, I've scrolled through my blog looking at photos I posted, and the topics I wrote about. 

And I gotta say, I wrote some pretty darn good blog posts! 😀

It almost makes me sad that those days are gone now, for me anyway, 

and I can't seem to get back into it.

Some people are still blogging just as much as they did long ago. 

I noticed most of my posts were done from 2009 to 2013.

Those were the years I was so passionate about writing; Working to get my memoir completed. Submitting stories here and there for possible publications. 

And the beginning of some wonderful relationships with blog friends. 

Many I still have. Many I need to work on.

I did complete my memoir and published it in November 2013. 

A lot has happened between then and now. Some good, some bad. Some happy, some sad. 

Here it is...the year 2020! That really does sound odd, doesn't it? 

I don't make bucket lists or predictions or promises, but I can say this...

I'm going to do everything in my power to live this year, the best I can.

And this guy here, who is smiling, brings me happiness every single day. 

"Charlie's the name. Bringing joy is my game!"

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
― Oscar Wilde

It seems like most of my posts are about time flying by, and I intend to stop it! Yes, indeed! I'm going to stop it right now...Writing about it, that is.....since there's nothing I can actually do about slowing it down. You know that saying, "It is what it is."

I hope to begin blogging again with some type of routine. 

I miss the writing, which is a very good thing.

 

 

You Tube



 

I've got some ideas beginning to percolate, too, which is such a great feeling! I truly thought I'd lost the desire to write.

 

AND, I miss my blog friends! Yes! I miss reading your blogs and staying connected!

~~~~~

The two following sentences were included in my post of January 2nd of this year:

1) I do hope to fit in some other creative-type pursuits.
2) And I truly want to become consistent in living an organized life.

 

I'm working on those and succeeding quite a bit, especially the "organized life" part. Have I mentioned that Ron and I moved again?? I feel like a military wife....a very old military wife! Ha! In fact this last move...and I DO mean LAST....is part of what inspired me to start writing again...so, as usual, Everything Happens For a Reason.

And as I wrote on the upper right column of my blog, in November 2016: I'm not sure what my dreams are, but I'm anxious to find out. Maybe when I get to that fork in the road, I should take it!

P.S. Did any of you click on the percolator to hear its sound? I had to turn my volume all the way up to hear it. Loved it. It's such a neat reminder of an every day occurrence in my mother's kitchen when I was growing up.
 

"SOMETIMES ON THE WAY TO YOUR DREAM, YOU GET LOST AND FIND A BETTER ONE." - Unknown (as seen on River's blog, "Drifting Through Life")

*** Aaaacccckkkkk! Please let me know if you see a few sentences in teeny-tiny print! I keep changing the font size over and over and over.....and I keep seeing it as tiny! This blogger is *&@#$!    Yep, it's fixed finally!

WRITING AND CONTESTS AND DEADLINES

Two years ago, I was one of 30 people chosen to audition for the Listen to Your Mother show in St. Louis, Missouri. I didn't do well at my audition and I'm sure that's the reason I wasn't chosen to read my story at the actual event. I knew I blew it, so I wasn't upset with the judges.

I considered submitting a mother-related story again last year, but I was busy promoting my memoir, and didn't participate.

This year, though, as the submission days began to zoom by, I considered it further and determined that if my muse would cooperate, I'd give it a try. And so, at 11:45pm on February 16th, (15 minutes before the deadline!) I hit the "Send" button and it was officially entered into the contest.

The show is Saturday, May 9th, 2015.

Many days, my time seems to go by like this, but when there's a deadline looming, I make myself work - - which is writing - - which is work!

 

This morning at 9:14am, I received an e-mail that began like this:
"Congratulations! We enjoyed reading your [...]." 

And even though it said "Congratulations," I still thought it was going to be a kindhearted rejection letter!

But as I continued reading, it said I was one of 40 chosen to audition! I'm a bit more confident this year, so hopefully I'll do a better job reading my story. My time slot is Saturday, February 28th at 2:00pm. Wish me luck!!

~~~

What about all of you?? What are you working on? Any particular contests or calls for submissions? Writing on your blog or in a journal? I'm interested, so please comment and let us know, especially if you have anything new to share.

~  ~  ~

My fonts are messing with me again and I'm trying to ignore the problem. Acckkk!

* A BLOG TOUR STOP FOR MY FRIEND, CAMILLE FAYE *

Hello Everyone! Please welcome a writer friend of mine whom I've known for quite a few years: Camille Faye! (Although at this point, she may have lost interest in being my friend anymore since I've been very forgetful at posting this for her. Please forgive me, again, Camille!)

Without further ado, I present Camille and her views on writing and blogging.

 

 

How Blogging can Boost your Writing Career

One of my greatest accomplishments was earning a Journalism degree from the University of Missouri, but my professors made it very clear that journalists have a high burnout rate in their careers and an even higher divorce rate. So when I began dating the man who is now my husband a few months before graduation, I shifted my plans toward a more family-friendly career.

In our first year of marriage, I pursued freelance writing for print. I'd spend hours and hours researching different periodicals, then scanning several installments of each magazine or newspaper I wanted to submit to because that's what they tell you to do. Then I spent more hours churning out query letters, gearing them toward the specific readership, and submitting them to those magazines and newspapers, each with their own unique submission guidelines. And then after I'd put in tons and tons of work...

Rejection. And lots of it.

After a few months of trying, I don't think I got one paid gig. It made me feel like my degree was worthless, I'd wasted my time pursuing freelance writing, and I pushed my writing goals to the back burner.

A few years later, when I was teaching, a colleague told me about blogging. She'd been writing about her life with Type I diabetes and it led to paid work with some well-known publications on health and diabetes. I'd tried freelance writing sporadically without many publication credits under my belt, and I really wanted to give writing another shot.

Since beginning my blogging journey, I can tell you with certainty that blogging has benefits for writers.

1) Blogging helps you establish a writing routine.

"A Day in the Life," my first blog, centered around my life as a mom, teacher, and writer. Now that I've released a novel, I've shut down that blog in order to focus on my fiction writing, but the impetus behind my blog was to get me into a daily writing habit. Over the years, I've studied what successful writers say about writing in books like On Writing by Stephen King or Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. All successful writers do the same thing: commit to a daily writing practice. So I decided to dedicate myself to writing fifteen minutes per day. It doesn't sound like much, but many days it would extend to an hour or so. Once I had established that practice, I decided to undertake a huge bucket list item: writing a novel. By committing to those fifteen hallowed minutes, I was able to produce a version of Voodoo Butterfly that New York agents and editors actually requested to read, and I attribute my success to my initial dedication to writing through blogging.

2) Blogging provides you with immediate gratification.

Writers want to know how their work affects their readers, otherwise we would stick to private journals. All those hours that I'd committed to churning out query letters, which ended up in piles of rejection letters, made me hate writing. I couldn't even get an idea off the ground, before it got shot down. With blogging, you get to enter a community of people who are interested in what you're saying. In my personal blog, I mainly received comments from other bloggers whom I had met through local writing groups. With my new group blog, The LitLadies, and with my blog tour for Voodoo Butterfly, I've received comments from people all over the world and get to work with best-selling authors, like Claire Cook and Susan McBride. My readership is responding to what I "say" through my writing and that is truly gratifying.

3) Blogging can grow your readership.

 

"Platform" is THE buzzword for writers these days. New authors have to market themselves because publishers either don't have a marketing budget or only focus their marketing budget on the big guys like Charlaine Harris and John Grisham. I use The Lit Ladies blog to show people who I am and what I write about (which is love, purpose, and the paranormal in New Orleans). My group blog and these stops on my blog tour, allow people across the world, in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Australia, to get to know me and my work. Unless I had the time and the budget to personally visit all those places, I wouldn't have been able to reach all those people. The entire world of readers is at my feet through the magic of blogging.

 

About Voodoo Butterfly:

When twenty-five-year old Sophie Nouveau inherits her grandmother's voodoo shop she knows nothing about voodoo. Or her family's history of Mind Changers who have the power to change evil people good. To complicate matters, someone doesn't want Sophie in New Orleans and sends a series of death threats to scare her away from her new enchanted life. 

 

Tipped off by her grandmother's ghost, Sophie realizes her mind changing spell's been missing one magic ingredient: true love. If Sophie cannot experience transformative love, she cannot make her spell work, and she will be powerless to fight back when confronted by the one who wants her dead.

About the Author:

Camille Faye lives in Missouri, loves on her family, and writes during the baby’s nap time. She grew up in a haunted house, which sparked her fascination with the paranormal. Before becoming a writer, she reported for an NBC affiliate and taught writing at universities in Missouri and Illinois. She found the muse for her debut novel, Voodoo Butterfly, during a family trip to New Orleans where she dreamt of a woman who had the power to change evil people good. The Northwest Houston RWA named her novel, Voodoo Butterfly, a 2013 Lone Star Contest finalist. Camille's stories are inspired by her travels to 27 countries and counting! Follow her journey at Camillefaye.com

Voodoo Butterfly is available on Amazon.com for $2.99. It's free for some people, so check your Amazon membership perks (Kindle Unlimited and Amazon Prime).

-------------------------------------

Camille Faye | Author

Voodoo Butterfly | Available on Amazon.com

Experience love, purpose, and the paranormal in New Orleans.

http://www.camillefaye.com/

www.thelitladies.com

Facebook | Twitter

Photo courtesy: Kristina B.

Thank you Camille, for allowing me to be part of your Voodoo Butterfly blog tour. I've really enjoyed reading your viewpoints and I have learned a few things, too!

* NOSTALGIC SUNDAY *

It's Time Again for Another Nostalgic Sunday!

Hello and Happy Nostalgic Sunday. Today's nostalgia pertains to two things.

(I've been lamenting lately about trying to get back into blogging on a regular basis. Although I was pretty sure I knew the reasons why I hadn't been able to solve my problem, I was still stuck. And wouldn't you know that serendipity came along just when I needed it? I happened upon the blog of Jennifer Brown Banks @ Pen & Pro$per and when I read her post about blogging, taking breaks from blogging, etc. Ah Ha.... And so, here I am today....)

~~~

 

Yesterday, The Ronald and I attended Trash or Treasure in the town of Collinsville, Illinois, which is about 40 miles from our house. Trash or Treasure is very similar to the fabulous PBS program, Antiques Roadshow, only a smaller venue. If you're a fan of the roadshow, you've probably dreamed of having something that's worth a lot of money, just like some of the people on the show!

 

Beautiful bowl left to me by my Great Aunt Grace

.....and a different view

 

I have a couple of items I thought might be worth something monetarily, so The Ronald and I drove over there. It was a chilly, but glorious, sunny day and the trip was such fun.

We traveled over highways we hadn't been on in a long time, and drove over the new (Feb 2014) Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge for the first time. We'd seen videos of it on the local news while it was being built, then when it was completed and opened to traffic. But being on it, of course, is amazing. It's really beautiful! These are the two pictures I took while we drove across it....one from inside the front windshield, one out the back.



It is a "cable-stayed" bridge, which I'd never heard of before. I assumed it was a suspension bridge, but NO....they are two different things. The link explains both, and shows pictures and drawings, which I didn't bother to read entirely. (too much like a math word problem to me!)

Photo from Stl.today  (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

SO....the two different nostalgic things on this post are:

1) The beautiful bowl from my Aunt Grace: It's not worth much, monetarily, which is great to know because now I will have it out where it can be seen, and at times maybe used. And of course, it means THE WORLD to me because it was my aunt's and she chose me as the recipient!

I wrote about the bowl in my memoir in the chapter titled "Self-Centered Sadie." I'm still very grateful that I actually retrieved it and can enjoy it until the day I pass it on to a beloved relative of mine...yet to be determined!

~

2) The new bridge named for St. Louis Cardinals, Baseball Hall of Fame member, Stan "The Man" Musial. Stan was a baseball favorite here in St. Louis his entire baseball career, from 1941 - 1963. (That just doesn't happen these days.) His nickname could also be "The Gentleman" because that's what he always was. I was aware of him and how important he was even at a very young age. And would you believe I also mentioned him in my memoir?! It's in the chapter "I Adored my Dad."



"Sharing tales of those we've lost is how we keep from really losing them." - Mitch Albom, For One More Day

(One of my absolute favorite books. I've read it at least three times in the past couple of years !)

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I NEED HELP??

See this mess of books and papers? It looks eerily like my home office.

I can't figure it out. I don't sit around all day doing nothing. I usually get up early and stay up late. And yes, I'm on my laptop blogging, networking, and e-mailing, for quite a while. Then I do some actual writing. I honestly don't waste a lot of time.  

And yet......

Its like that saying, The harder I work, the behinder I get. 

I do have somewhat of a system. (See my little jotted notes below?) They are some I clipped together in June 2011, to keep track of contests, calls for submissions, and notes for my memoir. At least I had them clipped together! 

And I do have files and folders, but I don't keep up with them. I'm nowhere near as organized as I used to be when I was younger, and worked full-time in offices. My mind is always in a zillion directions now and I don't stay focused. Is it because I'm older? Or because I have so much writerly stuff on my mind? Whatever the reason....now is the time to change!

I've read quite a few blogs lately that have a new Word for the Year. Something they want to focus on. I've decided that's what I need, too. After much soul-searching, the following three words jumped out at me:

Concentrate - Organize - Complete

What do you think? Is there any hope for me?!
Do you have a Word for the Year?



* Welcome to my newest follower Josie Two Shoes. I hope you will stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! *


*Note: Yesterday, I did get caught up (I think) replying to individual comments on my blog all the way back to December 9th! Today, I'll be making the rounds to as many blogs as I can!





"I'm a disorganized mess. My purse is gross: I once found a shoulder pad, string cheese, and a Christmas ornament in it!" -- Hoda Kotb

* I'M FEATURED ON JENNIFER SHIRK'S BLOG *

Happy Monday, everyone! 

Today the very talented author and all around wonderful gal, Jennifer Shirk, is featuring me on her blog. There is an informative Q&A section, plus a giveaway for a free, gift wrapped copy of my memoir! Please stop by, leave a comment (and it would be nice to let her know what a fabulous job she did) and be entered in the drawing. Do it quickly, too, because the giveaway ends this Thursday, December 19 at 11:59 pm, EST. (Sorry, only good for US and Canada, due to shipping costs.)

Thank you, Jennifer!

* Welcome to my newest followers Brenda @ It's A Beautiful Life, Dreaming, Johanna Garth, and Yvonne. I hope all of you will stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you so much! * (I still need to add the links for these four beautiful ladies' blogs. I wanted to post their welcome now before I forget!!) 

   ** December 22: Blog links attached to these four lovely ladies' blogs! **

* Merry Go Round *

I've been on a self-propelled Merry Go Round for quite some time. Pushing and striving to accomplish all the things that are important to me as I go faster and faster without really getting anywhere.....just going around in circles.

Writing my memoir is THE most important thing in my life right now. Add to that blogging and my blog friends, my family and writer friends, handwriting letters, reading as much as I can, entering writing and photography contests & calls for submissions, attending writerly functions, trying to keep up with e-mails, etc.

I'm not complaining, really I'm not. I love being busy, but I'm not talented enough to successfully do everything, so what I've been doing is lots of things inadequately. I feel badly that I haven't kept up with reading everyone's blogs, and/or leaving comments. And I haven't even kept up with thanking everyone for the comments left for me.

(photo: courtesy Google)

So, I'm taking another Blog Break to concentrate on my book. I plan on posting Nostalgic Sundays as often as I can, because those will fit right in with my memoir. And if I come up with something that I feel is important to mention on my blog....I definitely will.

Thanks for your understanding, and I truly hope everyone won't forget about  me! (I will keep in touch by e-mail, too!)



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

Wandering Wednesday

As far as my rant yesterday, I really don't know what all the changes will be when all is said and done, and I decided to Go With The Flow and not waste [any more of] my time stressing over it! (But I can still be mad, right?!) AND, I googled Free Blogs, and found a couple that I messed around with yesterday. Also found a couple that weren't free, but were reasonable. I'm ready to just wait and see. And as Doris Day always sang  --  ♪♫ Que Sera, Sera. Whatever will be, will be.. ♪♫


* Also, I apologize for not responding to your comments lately. I honestly appreciate everyone who reads my blog, and especially those who take the time to leave a comment. AND, I've also been terrible about getting around to read all the blogs I love. I'm going to try to do much better on that. *

~~~~~

I won't be posting anything new until at least Sunday night. One of my cousins and her husband are coming to town. I'm SO excited because we've only seen each other twice since we were little girls, and I've never met her husband! She's bringing some old photos to share, too. ☺

  ~~~~~

(photo taken by Becky)

The Ronald and I are really enjoying bird watching. We have one bird feeder in our back yard (in above photo) and three in the front, all hanging from tree branches. My favorite is the cardinal. The males seem to have a particularly brilliant color this year. I have no idea if it's mating season, or what...but when I see and/or hear one, I must stop and revel in their charm and beauty!



Do you have any plans for the weekend? What brings you joy?




"In memory everything seems to happen to music." - Tennessee Williams

* TO ALL BLOGGERS *

TO ALL BLOGSPOT FRIENDS ~~~~

THE "NEW" AND "IMPROVED" BLOGGER GUI << whatever GUI means....IS GOING TO BE

FORCED UPON ALL OF US, IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AND WE ARE BEING TOLD

THERE IS NO WAY TO KEEP OUR OLD (AND MUCH MORE USER FRIENDLY, UNIQUE,

BEAUTIFUL) TEMPLATES, HEADERS, BACKGROUNDS, ETC.

I'VE READ MANY COMPLAINTS IN DIFFERENT COMMENT AREAS, BUT I REALLY

DON'T THINK ANYONE AT GOOGLE/BLOGGER IS LISTENING. I ALREADY SENT THEM

MY FEELINGS WITH THIS: "IF I WANTED A PLAIN AND BORING BLOG, I WOULD'VE

USED WORDPRESS!!" (sorry to all the Wordpress users...but that's how I view them.)

IS THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO?? I REALLY DON'T KNOW. AND IF ANYONE HAS

INFORMATION PROVING THAT WE'LL STILL BE ABLE TO HAVE OUR OWN CREATIVE

LOOK....PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR E-MAIL ME.

HERE'S WHERE I FOUND THE MOST RECENT INFO:

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2012/04/better-get-into-new-blogger-gui-soon.html

  ** I am angry! How about you?! **

* Additional Info - 5:00 PM, CDT *

I've been searching for alternative, free blogs, that are user friendly AND have unique/creative templates, etc. So far, I've been playing around with www.simplesite.com. Please check out mine!http://www.simplesite.com/beckywritergal and let me know what you think...so far! I only have 1% of info on it! :)

"They paved paradise...And put up a parking lot..." -- Joni Mitchell

* I WONDER *

It's time for another Friday, "I Wonder" communique'.

I wonder: I wonder when I'll ever get caught up reading and commenting on all the blogs I love! (This is one of my goals for the weekend.) If I haven't stopped by your blog in awhile, it's nothing personal. Same goes for if I owe you an e-mail. In fact, if I do owe you an e-mail, please let me know!

AND, speaking of this weekend, all you members (and visitors) of Saturday Writers, we're having a fantastic guest speaker at tomorrow's meeting! Check here to see who it is and find out more information.

* Beautiful Moments Need Not Be Expensive *

This kind of says it all, doesn't it?

I just realized this morning that I missed my 2 Year Blog Anniversary by two days! I began blogging on November 10, 2008, after much persuading and urging by writer-blog-friend, Karrie Mcallister. She helped me realize that I did indeed need a blog. Karrie even helped me get started on blogspot...all the way from Ohio. Yay for e-mail! I'm sure other writer friends told me about blogging, too, but Karrie was the catalyst.

Thanks again, Karrie! I owe ya!

Remember when I posted a picture of this old tree recently? I mentioned that's where we see an owl or two from time to time. Well.....I know it's very hard to see, but at the top of the tree, a little left of the center, is one of those beautiful birds! I actually took this picture from my office window this morning, holding my camera between the slats in the blinds. I zoomed as close as I could (not the best camera for long shots!) and used the "no flash" feature. If you click on this, though, you'll see a huge view.

What prompted me to look out the window was I heard the familar hoot-hoot that I hear so often! The last time that happened, by the time I went and grabbed my camera, he had flown away.

More Simple Pleasures!

Tiger-Gal's view when she lays by the front storm door.

She LOVES to lay there and keep a watchful eye, and/or snooze and I LOVE to watch her, too.

More Simple Pleasures!

Two Guys With Books!

I bought the little duck for a couple of dollars earlier this year at a place called Apple Wagon. It's located in Williamsburg, Missouri, which we pass when we drive to Osage Beach, Mo. He was just so cute, standing there holding his book...and me being a book person...I just had to have him! I didn't think any more about it....as in maybe having a "collection of book holding animals and/or people"...until I saw old Santa there, at Dollar Tree! Well, you know I had to buy him, too. So, I guess since I have TWO of them, I've officially begun a collection!

More Simple Pleasures!

"The simplest things give me ideas." - Joan Miro

* Yikes Friday - Part 2 *

As I mentioned before, I am so upbeat and excited about things going on in my life right now! Everything just feels so "right", you know? I had a conversation the other day with someone about my book, and the time I spend on my blog, etc. And yes, I know the time spent on blogging is time that could be spent on my book. BUT, I feel as if I'm right where I should be at this point in my life. This journey of mine, of writing my book, of becoming friends with other writers, of learning so much more about writing, of meeting new wonderful people through blogging. I feel as if I'm walking on a winding path that's leading me toward my goals, all at just the right speed and time. I've been envisioning my success for quite a long while now, and I am almost there. I can feel it.

(courtey: flickr)

“The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. The gift is yours - it is an amazing journey - and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins.” -- Bob Moawad