* We Need a Little Christmas *

I love the 1974 musical "Mame" with Lucille Ball and Robert Preston. And yes, I know...Lucy is NOT a singer, but she's actually much better than she portrayed in the old "I Love Lucy" show. And yes, I know the movie was NOT a commercial success. What can I say? To each his/her own!

Why do I like this movie so much? Because of the character Mame. She's fun and wacky and loves life. She even tries to stay upbeat during the Great Depression and after getting fired from her job. That's when she comes home and sings "We need a little Christmas" with her young nephew Patrick and her loyal house attendant, Ito. Of course, there are many more great scenes, but since it's December.....How about a Little Christmas from my House to Yours? 

These adorable porcelain dolls are part of a Christmas tree.

They're both singers in a Christmas choir, holding their song books. 

I got my camera as close as possible and took a picture of the inside of one of the song books, because there are actual words and music in it! The song is: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear

Here is the tree. It's about 36" high and is standing on an end table in the living room. I bought it a couple of years ago at a local craft fair. The price was so incredibly low, I had to buy it instantly! 

See where the choir girls are, and there are three snowmen in front of them. There are all kinds of other ornaments included, plus the lights, obviously. Everything is glued and stays in place, too. I just love it and can't imagine why it was so inexpensive! Maybe it was purchased at a garage sale for a cheapie price and then resold at the craft fair!

 None of these photos turned out very well. I think it's partly because my camera battery needed a charge. 

Here's one of the cute little ornaments. 

We have one other tree that stands in the family room and it, too, is a cheapie! The Ronald and I bought it about 5 years ago at a Walgreens. It was a floor display, about 6 ft tall and narrow. Nothing fancy, but came with mulit-colored twinkle lights.....all for $15.00. Ya can't beat that!! I'll post photos of it some other time.  

P.S. I know I owe so many e-mails, and blog visits and comments, and I stress over it every day. I promise that tomorrow - Wednesday the 12th - I will begin my attempt to catch up!  

** Update: 10:00pm CST** Thanks to the incredibly insightful podso, I won't be adding anymore stress to my life during the holidays concerning e-mails or blog comments. I hope everyone will understand, as podso predicted, and will do the best I can! 

And I leave you today with a favorite quote from "Mame"

"Life is a banquet! And most poor fools are starving to death!" -- Mame

* Leaps of Faith and Me: A Continuing Scenario *

Does this happen to you? Just when you think your plans are set and the road ahead is straight and clear, you come to a hill and on the way down, a mirage appears to lie ahead in the distance, right in the middle of the road....

Once again it's time for me to take another leap of faith, actually two giant leaps of faith, because I feel that I'm on the brink of something big and it's time to take control of my own destiny. 

I'm excited, invigorated, and ready to say, "Look out world. Here I come!"

I apologize for sounding secretive or mysterious, but I can't reveal things until they've actually begun. It should be soon, though.

Have you noticed my new plaque I posted on the right side bar? It's kind of hard to miss, isn't it? I saw it a couple of weeks ago at Home Goods and although it's not in any of my color schemes, it yelled at me to buy it. I mean...how could I resist? It says ALL the things I believe in, and it even has "Follow Your Bliss" on it. Sold! 

Oh, and on a side note: I've begun writing a sequel to my memoir! I still have so many stories to tell. Now I just need a title! ☺

Welcome to my newest follower Trish at Desktop Retreat.

I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see!  

And because I believe in all those sayings, that's why I have to make those leaps of faith when something presents itself: 

Follow Your Heart. Never Give UP. Nothing is Impossible. 

Books and Christmas...Christmas and Books

While blog hopping the other day I came across a photo of a Christmas tree made out of books. It was the coolest thing, but I don't remember where I saw it. (see previous blog post about my confusion and lack of attention span!) 

Then yesterday my awesome friend, S. who is not a blogger and didn't even know I'd recently seen such a thing, sent me this:  

http://thedecorologist.com/a-book-lovers-christmas-tree 

I just love this! It's not the same one I saw on the other blog so that prompted me to Google Christmas trees made from books....and oh my gosh, you won't believe how many creative "trees" there are. Here's the link for hundreds of images that also includes "trees" made from recycled products. The book trees though are my favorites, naturally! 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Christmas+tree+of+books&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=x3fAUNKZJ6mq2gXV34DQAw&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=667 

photo by Becky

And speaking of Christmas and books.....how about books wrapped in "book" Christmas wrapping?? 

And do any of you remember these adorable Christmas cards I bought a couple of years ago? I found them at: Bodleian Library - University of Oxford.  Love them!

Whatever you do today, take a little time to savor the joy of reading, especially if it's a printed book!

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.-- first line of Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott  (one of my all time favorite books)

* If It's Tuesday, I'm Confused....Again *

First I want to say a huge Thank You to all the wonderful women who stopped and left such heartfelt comments on my Thanksgiving Day and December 1st posts. It truly means so much to me! I love my bloggy friends!

If you're a long time reader of mine, you may remember I've used this same post title before. That's because my days are so busy and I get so mixed up sometimes that I honestly don't know what day it is! But, hey....I'm having fun, so I'm not complaining!

I saw the following gadget/button on Annesphamily's blog and it made me laugh out loud. It is SO ME! And Anne gave me permission to use it on my blog, too........

Isn't that hilarious??!!

The past few days I've been busy with writerly stuff and house cleaning stuff......and a bit of Christmas decorating stuff. I found an awesome CD in my son's bedroom that I confiscated! Hey, he moved out when he began college....uh...in January of 2007. He left a few things behind and he obviously hasn't missed this particular CD yet! It's "Joe Cocker, The Ultimate Collection." In fact, I'm listening to it right now. Fabulous!

Welcome to my two newest followers JJ and podso. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see!  

I really like the quote I'm ending with tonight and I've used it a couple of times before, too. It really speaks to me because it's exactly how I feel about myself.



"We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves." -- Lynn Hall

* A New Dawn - A New Day *

It's 4:30 am, CST and I've been wide awake for a couple of hours. Why? Because I was exhausted last night and went to bed way too early. So, here I am wide awake and raring to go! 

The first thing I did was fix myself a small yogurt parfait. (Yep, even at this time of morning!) I try to always have three major food items on hand: yogurt, fresh strawberries, and granola cereal.  

Then I walked over to the kitchen calendar and flipped the page to December. There's something invigorating about seeing that new month, all those "blank" days just waiting for life to happen. And this morning, for the first time in my life, a song popped into my head right then and there.

♫♪ 

Birds flying high

You know how I feel

Sun in the sky

You know how I feel

Breeze driftin' on by

You know how I feel

It's a new dawn

It's a new day

It's a new life

For me

And I'm feeling good

I'm feeling good

"Feeling Good"
(Lyrics & Music by Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse)

And for whatever reason, that's exactly how I feel this morning: happy, excited, calm, anxiously waiting for whatever the day may bring. I can just hear Michael Buble singing this, because although I know it's been sung hundreds of times, his voice is the one I'm most familiar with. 

http://familycrafts.about.com/

What about you? How do you feel when you see a new calendar page? And please, don't allow your stress level to rise just because it's December 1st! 

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters. -- Audrey Hepburn

Authors, Memoirs, Book Signings, Oh My!

Last night I attended a wonderful taping of a local radio program; "The Fontbonne University KMOX Charlie Brennan Book of the Month Club." (Wow, that's a mouthful, isn't it? It can be heard online and as soon as I find out when the shows will air, I'll post it here.)

I don't know how many people were in the audience, but the theater was packed. We had the pleasure of hearing about the lives of two totally different men: Kevin Killeen and John Pizzarelli.

Kevin Killeen is: a very funny guy, also has a program on KMOX 1120 AM radio in St. Louis, and has written a hilarious, charming, nostalgic memoir/novel about growing up Catholic in the 1960's. His publisher is Blank Slate Press, a St. Louis company.

Never Hug a Nun

All of his escapades take place in the idyllic St. Louis suburb, Webster Groves, Missouri.

I cannot wait to begin reading this book! Kevin was so kind and encouraging when I told him I'd just finished writing my memoir. What a neat guy! 

~~~

John Pizzarelli is: another very funny guy, has traveled the world over playing guitar for the best of the best singers and musicians. Just to name a few: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, James Taylor, and Paul McCartney. John is also a fabulous singer as is his wife, Jessica Molaskey. 

World on a String; a Musical Memoir

This, too, is another memoir I can't wait to read.

Please support your local independent book store, and if you don't have one near you, you can order from indie stores online. 

Welcome to my newest followers Knuckled 54, farawayeyes, and Encourage One Another. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see!  

"You can go other places, all right - you can live on the other side of the world, but you can't ever leave home." -- Sue Monk Kidd, The Mermaid Chair

* Thanksgiving is More Than Just One Day *

While Vern and I walked yesterday, I marveled at the glorious leaves, some of which still clung to branches, many covered portions of yards, and others skidded and tumbled along the streets and sidewalks. 

I thought again how everything that has previously happened in my life has brought me to where I am right now. How every event that occurred, whether happy or sad, has been part of my life's path. 

When I was a child the route was chosen for me by my parents, and then when I was a young adult, I decided my own course. Sometimes I needed to make a detour and other times the detour was already in place ahead of me. 

Countless people waste so much precious time fretting about "If Onlys." 

If only I'd taken that job I wanted.
If only my parents didn't do this or that.
If only I had more money.
Etc. 

I learned a long time ago to stop thinking that way. When and how did I figure that out? I really can't remember, at least not at this moment. 

All I know is this: I'm very happy. And material things have nothing to do with my happiness. Can I say that I'm glad every "bad" incident happened in order for me to be in this blissful state of mind? I guess that's what I've been trying to say. It's that domino effect.

Although I sincerely thought I knew what my feelings were about everything in my past, I didn't really begin to know until I began to write my memoir. I still have more to think about. More to learn. More to delve into. I'll just have to start on "the sequel," I guess. ☺

~~~~~

This post doesn't really seem like a Thanksgiving one, does it? I may have gotten a bit too reflective, but my point is this: 

I am alive. I am here on this beautiful earth. My life is not perfect and neither am I! But I'm grateful & thankful, every single day of my life for every single thing that happened along the way. It has made me who I am. 

~~~~~

Happy Thanksgiving!

And have a cup of yummy flavored coffee with me, with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles on top!

"This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control you own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy." -- Susan Polis Schutz

Vern, The Iditarod, and Me

Today, after I got home from the Tuesday morning Coffee & Critique (writing) group, which also included staying afterwards for a fun (and yummy) lunch with five of my gal pals, Vern was really ready to go outside. 

He loves to go on his daily walk with me and it usually happens sometime around noon. (Today it was after 2:00pm!) When it's quite a bit later than that, he almost literally drags me along the first few yards.....and I'm grateful for that because it's a slight incline and I don't mind the help! 

This picture isn't from today but this is a good example. 

As he pulled me along, he looked like he was really working hard, tugging a heavy load behind him! It was then I thought about him running in The Iditarod and it made me smile!

Mush, Vern. Mush! 

 "Progress has little to do with speed, but much to do with direction." -- Unknown

"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog." -- Unknown