* I WONDER *

♫♪ They say it's your birthday. It's my birthday too, yeah. They say it's your birthday. We're gonna have a good time. I'm glad it's your birthday. Happy birthday to you! ♪♫
by Lennon/McCartney

I wonder....how did I get this old??

Yes, today is my birthday. I'll be meeting my friend "K" for lunch again this year. She and I were both born on the 6th of January, but in different years. It's the only time we get together all year, so we really look forward to it.

(Here's some celebrities born on January 6th, too. Loretta Young, Danny Thomas, Carl Sandburg, Khalil Gibran, Capucine, Howie Long, Bonnie Franklin, Pepe Le Pew, AND, she may not be a celebrity...yet...but blog friend, Rachel Cotterill. Stop by and wish her a Happy Birthday, too.

I would LOVE to have a cake like this! How about you?!

(Google: www.piece-a-cake.com)

Actually, I've had a couple of scrumptious looking and tasting cupcakes recently from Jilly's Cupcake Bar and Cafe in St. Louis, Mo.

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

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip." -- Author Unknown

* Nostalgic Sundays *

It's Time for Another Nostalgic Sunday

I can't believe it is January 2012. Where the heck did 2011 go? Oh well....no sense wondering. 'Tis a new year and a new day and a new ME!

BUT, although I'm evolving, discovering, and achieving new things, I still love to reminisce. And so on New Year's Day 2012, here is my last Christmasy post for the season.

This is my brother and me in front of our tiny house in Illinois. Since the date stamp says January 1956, I'm not sure if this was actually taken in December or January. The ones I've posted lately seem to have been developed the month following the event. Either way, here we are enjoying a bit of snow during Christmas time.

My brother, Mike again. Looks like he helped shovel the sidewalk!

I'll have to dig out the original photo and see if there's a date on this, but it's definitely around the same time. Were we adorable, or what?!

 

This is another old ornament hanging on our 2011 tree. My mother bought a "collection" of these in the mid 1960s, when she worked at a downtown St. Louis department store called Famous-Barr. I'm sure she got them after Christmas one year, to save even more money in addition to her employee discount. Famous-Barr at that time was our version of Macy's. Very nice clothing, shoes, and notions...my favorite part of the store! (I don't remember everything in that section, but I'm pretty sure the beautiful stationery was sold there.) The less expensive clothes were in the Bargain Basement! Do you remember those days? The "Pay Toilet" also was around at that time.

~~~~~~

That's it for Christmasy Nostalgic Sundays until November and December of 2012!

Welcome to my newest follower, Accidental Writer...... my 280th follower!! That number doesn't seem possible, but I know many bloggers have thousands of followers, and they haven't even been blogging nearly as long as I have. The numbers really don't mean anything to me. It's just fun to see them add up and meet new people! Anyway, I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"We do not remember days; we remember moments." --Cesare Pavese



* Saying Goodbye to Another Year *

One of my favorite movies is "When Harry Met Sally." There are so many great scenes and dialogue in it, but for tonight I must post a very appropriate one. It's at the New Year's Eve party. Harry just told Sally how much he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. After a little while, it's midnight and people begin to sing "Auld Lang Syne."  Following is their dialogue:

Harry:  My whole life I have never known what this song means.


Sally: I know exactly what you mean.


Harry: I mean, should old acquaintances be forgot. Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances, or does it mean if we do happen to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we forgot them…..


Sally: Maybe you're just supposed to remember you forgot them, or something – anyway it's about old friends.

~~~~     ~~~~

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

Happy New Year to Everyone! May 2012 be our best year yet!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." – Mark Twain

* Writing, Journaling, & Self Growth *

Yesterday I wrote about the 2012 desk calendar, Bylines, and what a wonderful aide it is for writers. Even though I love the technology and ease of my laptop, I still have to write things down if I'm going to remember them. Yes, I know there are calendars on the computer and on my Blackberry, but I am old-fashioned in many ways. I must write important notes, appointments, deadlines, etc. Then the words are right there, for me to see, in black and white (or whatever marvelous ink color I choose to use!) And because of my need for organization, I've just ordered my Bylines Calendar, and I'm establishing my goals.

*Note added 12/30/11 at 10:30am:  I just realized that Tama Kieves' photo looks remarkably like my profile photo! Mine was taken years ago. I swear I did not copy her pose!!

"My Life in 2012: Accomplishing My Goals." 

Part One:  Using my Bylines Calendar.

Part Two:  Writing Daily.

(And I don't mean blog writing, but there will be time for that, as well.)

My plan for daily writing will begin on January 2nd, (because it's Monday) and will involve Mari McCarthy's journaling book, "Peace of Mind and Body." Mari is a writer, singer, and journaling guru.
I received her jouraling book in a blog give-away a few months ago, but I never "found" the time to begin writing in it. I'm SO ready to begin now.

Tama Kieves is the author of "This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love." Tama's book was given to me a few years ago by someone who knew my dream of being a published writer. That book changed my life! Since then, I've purchased it once or twice to give as gifts to writer friends. It's one of those books you go back to from time to time, to re-read the inspiring words, to jump start that fire in your soul!

There are other writers and speakers who've written valuable books on these same subjects. I'll try to share them tomorrow.

Also, I've been reading blogs of other writers and their goals for next year. I'll try to share some of their ideas and suggestions tomorrow, too.

Instead of quotes this time, I'm posting two of the Sub Chapters in Tama's book:



"Just Start Dancing and The Band Will Find You."

"When You Nurture Yourself, You Nurture Your Dreams."

Bylines Calendar for Writers

The 2012 Bylines Calendar is ready to purchase! I have one of the previous years and I can attest to the fact that it is an awesome desk calendar!

Here's some information from Sylvia Forbes, editor of Bylines:

The Bylines 2012 Writer's Desk Calendar is now available. The 2012 edition has 53 more great essays about the writing life, and includes even more literary holidays. It's a terrific place to keep track of deadlines and meetings, to list goals for the year, and to get inspired to write. Inside are listings of literary festivals, online writing resources, birthdays of famous authors, and more.

This year's Bylines features the desk of nineteenth century American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson on the cover. His desk is actually a round table, and he wrote sitting in a rocking chair. His complete study is recreated at the Concord Museum, in Concord, Massachusetts, where Emerson lived. Many high school English teachers still teach about Emerson and his writings, over 100 years later.

This year, writers are from 25 states, plus Ireland and the UK. The state with the most entries is Kansas, with 4; however, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Oregon and Oklahoma each have 3 entries. This year, two poems are included in the book.

It can be ordered from Amazon or Bylines Calendar. Price is only $14.95, plus shipping.

*I can certainly use one of these calendars again this year. I have writing plans and goals and need something to keep me organized!*


NOTE: Sylvia is currently taking submissions for Bylines 2013. Deadline is March 1, 2012.
See Submission guidelines. 
 

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

“Goals are dreams with deadlines.” -- Diana Scharf Hunt

 

"A deadline is negative inspiration. Still it's better than no inspiration at all." -- Rita Mae Brown

** Almost a White Christmas **

Just a couple of days late!

 

The weather prognosticators said we might get enough snow overnight

for just a little dusting on the grassy areas.

Vern's first experience with snow at our house.

I think he preferred looking at it from the inside.

I slept later than usual today, so I missed the huge, wet flakes that came down sometime between midnight and 5:00am this morning. Most of it melted by this afternoon, but it's very cold again and the roads and sidewalks will be freezing.....Not a good thing, obviously.

We had a very nice Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family and friends.

Then, The Ronald and I rested yesterday.....a lot!  I'll post more about Christmas soon.

"They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?" – Jeanette Winterson





* Nostalgic Sundays *

Since Nostalgic Sunday falls on Christmas Day,

 I'm posting this early, on Friday afternoon, the 23rd.

It's time again for Christmases Past!

I may have enough old photos to post one more on

New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

(to be determined!)

My mother hasn't been in any of the other Christmas pictures. I guess she must have taken most of them. But I know, too, she didn't like getting her picture taken. She wasn't happy with the way she looked. (Hmmm, imagine that? A woman past 40 who doesn't like photos of herself??)

 

 

 

This was taken in 1964. From left to right: My brother, Mike. My mother, my sister Marian, her husband and their two little girls, and then me....wearing one of many-more-to-follow-pointy glasses. (How do you like my white knee-socks with my jumper?!) Other sister, Jo Ann, must have taken this one.

This was a house we rented for approximately seven years. (my age was from about 10 to 17 years old.) Whenever my dreams include a house, this is the one that's in 99% of them.....still....after all these years. Do you dream about certain houses? Friends' houses? Other family members' houses? 

 

 

 

Can you tell what those red things are, hanging on both sides of the wall mirror? They are Christmas card holders that look like stockings. My mother saw a pattern for them in a magazine when we lived in Lincoln, Nebraska. Sewing was involved and she could actually sew. (Not me. She tried and Jo Ann tried and Marian tried to teach me...That story will have to wait for a different blog post.) The "stockings" were made of felt, with pockets on them, to hold the cards. There's also gold, zig-zag ribbon along the sides. I remember so well, watching her make them on her Singer sewing machine. They also had little sequins all over them, and I was allowed to sew some of them because that was done by hand. I would've been 8 or 9 years old then.

Fast forward many years, and voile' here is a similar one I made. It's actually the second one I made within a few years. Our Christmas things were/are stored in the basement, and the first one became wet and ruined when we had water damage. Youngest son, Mark, helped me with both of them. (The more I think about it, I wonder if I made one of these when Scott was little....)They were done the Miss Becky Homecky Way -- with super glue and glitter glue!

 

I wish you all a very beautiful and blissful Christmas!

"Christmas - that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance. It may weave a spell of nostalgia. Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance--a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved." - Augusta E. Rundel

* Snow for Christmas? *

All I want for Christmas is a snowflake, or two, or more! According to our weather forecasts, we won't be having a White Christmas. I am SO disappointed. I'm spoiled because we've had very snowy winters the past few years. In actuality, the chance of St. Louis  having a White Christmas is something like 20%. So, like I said...I'm spoiled. I'm disappointed. I expect December snow every year now. Maybe that Cold Front will dip a little farther South and farther East than first predicted.....

I'll just have to look at pictures from last December....and remember.....

I probably won't be posting again until *Nostalgic Sunday* and since that falls on Christmas Day, I'll most likely post it on Christmas Eve.

But I WILL try to get around to as many blogs as possible, and leave comments.

Welcome to my newest followers, Run Away to Hike and Creepy Query Girl. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! Thank you!

"Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers” -- Unknown