* LOOKING FOR GUEST BLOGGERS *

First, I apologize for not posting my originally intended photos of my beautiful winnings in Creative Carmelina's give-away. Time just got away from me this weekend. Stay tuned, though, because Carmelina even wrapped the items  so delicately and I have pictures of everything!

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I've toyed with the idea for quite a while to host quite a few Guest Bloggers. I've seen it done on other blogs (and I've been a guest myself) and it's a great way to meet new people. SO...I'm asking for VGBs...Volunteer Guest Bloggers! 

Clip Art

Please contact me by e-mail, not in the comment section. If you don't already have it, it's on my Profile page. Let me know what you have in mind for a post. If I think it will work, you're hired! (well, not exactly hired.....there's no pay involved, ya know!)

One thing I'm not looking for: Anyone wanting to market any goods. At this time, I don't want the posts to be about selling or promoting anything. I want something written from your heart....just about any subject. 

You don't have to be a writer or one of my followers. If you know someone you think would like to write a post and they'd be a good fit, please let them know. And, obviously, if I've mentioned being a guest blogger to you, please e-mail and remind me! 

I haven't decided how many bloggers I'd like, so don't hesitate because you think maybe I've already received too many requests. 

This will help me greatly to keep working on my writing without totally being away from blogging so much. 

 


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

* IT'S DEFINITELY HODGEPODGE *

Somehow another Friday quickly arrived and soon will be phffft! (and I accomplished many things...didn't waste a lot of time ) As soon as I typed that funny word, I remembered there's a 1954 movie with that as the title. Can you imagine?? (It's a comedy with Jack Lemmon, Judy Holliday, Jack Carson, and Kim Novak as the main characters.) 

"Hey Becky. What movie are you going to see at the show this weekend?"

"Phffft!"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"I said, I'm going to see Phffft!"

My goodness, there must've been a lot of unintentional spitting going on when people spoke that word! 

(For trivia buffs, The title "Phffft" comes from Walter Winchell's column which was widely read during the 1950s. When a celebrity couple's marriage broke up, Winchell would describe the break-up as "phffft".)

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Have you ever had those annoying "eye floaters"? I've had them off and on for years, but a couple of weeks ago one appeared that was larger and darker. So, I decided maybe I should see my opthamologist. My appointment was yesterday afternoon and I'm happy to report that mine isn't serious, just annoying! I can live with that!

The following is from Webmd.

Eye floaters move as the eyes move. They generally appear to dart away when you try to focus on them.
Eye floaters can appear in many different shapes, such as:

• Black or gray dots

• Squiggly lines

• Threadlike strands, which can be knobby and semi-transparent

• Cobwebs

• Ring shaped

Once you develop eye floaters they usually do not go away, though they tend to improve over time.

Causes of Eye Floaters

Most eye floaters are caused by small flecks of a protein called collagen.

The back compartment of the eye is filled with a gel-like substance called vitreous humor.

How do you like that?? I have "humor" in my eyes!  

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Do any of you ever watch Live From Daryl's House on the cable channel Palladia? I stumbled across it a few months ago and I LOVE it! Daryl Hall is the other half of the famous Hall and Oates singing duo of the '70s & '80s. Daryl has other singers come to his house and they play music and sing songs from both their careers. I haven't seen a show yet I didn't like. 

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Writing Contest: It's the annual Column Contest of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. You don't have to be a bona fide columnist to enter. There are categories for bloggers, too. Click on the link for full details. Deadline is April 1st. (and that's no joke!)

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Yesterday I submitted a story for a contest that I'm really excited about. I worked on it for days! That's all I want to share at the moment, though. Send me some good karma, please!
                                                 ~~~~~

AND, I'm still working a lot on my memoir. When does the editing end?!

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P.S. I received Carmelina's package and will share photos of my goodies on Sunday!

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

"Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it." -- Dali Lama

* My Newest Epiphany *

Some of you may be wondering where I've been the past week. I've been extremely busy and have gotten quite a few things accomplished, but as usual, I'm still behind on everything. While lamenting the fact that I'll never get caught up, I had an epiphany. 

There is no such thing as being caught up!

Every day brings new challenges to every one of us, no matter our situation. It doesn't matter whether we're young stay-at-home moms, women who have careers outside the home, middle-aged, retired, whatever. 

Laundry will always pile up. Dishes will get dirty. Tables will get dusty. And rugs/floors will have crumbs and dog hairs on them. That's called life! 

I am SO grateful I have a husband who does not care about these things.

And at this point in my life, I've become much less concerned about the way my house looks, too, unless friends or family are coming over! Then look out! 

And so my deadlines involve writing. I've just completed going through the edited version of my memoir. Next I'll make some changes as suggested by my fabulous editor and friend: Margo Dill 

(I can't say enough wonderful things about Margo -- at least not today! I don't have the time! I just crack myself up sometimes! Seriously, I'll be talking more about Margo at a later date.)

So, this means I'm getting closer and closer to the actual publishing of my book in print! Have I mentioned that a local fellow writer (and member of Saturday Writers) came to me and said he will get my Word document formatted the way createspace needs it....and at no charge to me?? What a great guy. I must use the word "grateful" again! This will help me publish From Pigtails to Chin Hairs much sooner than I thought I could..... 

* Welcome to my newest followers Claire Hegarty, Heather Farrar, and Marie Agneau. I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! * 

P.S. I know I "owe" quite a few e-mails and I will do my best to reply soon! Please don't think I've forgotten or that I'm ignoring anyone. 

* Saturday, 2/2 Another P.S. I forgot to mention the beautiful crocheted pink tea cup and other fabulous items I won in Carmelina's 2000 Followers Giveaway! If you're not familiar with Carmelina, please stop by her blog. She is an amazing artist and all around lovely lady!

"When one door closes another one opens." -- Alexander Graham

* THE JOURNEY OF LIFE *

After reading a beautiful and inspiring post over at Julie's A Thought Grows, I decided to post mainly quotes today. My regular visitors know how much I love them: funny ones, serious ones, uplifting and inspiring ones. 

Julie's blog post is about mountain climbing and writing.....and oh yes, I definitely agree they are similar!

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"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." -- Greg Anderson

"Too often we are so preoccupied with the destination, we forget the journey." -- Unknown

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." -- Annie Dillard

"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life really takes place." -- Barbara DeAngelis

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it." -- Jean de la Fontaine

"You should live every day like it's your last day because one day you're gonna be right." -- Ray Charles

~~~

It took me quite a few years to realize that life is about The Journey, and not The Destination. 

How about you? Do you have a favorite quote about life you'd like to share?

* Tea Cup Tuesday *

Welcome to a Tea Cup Tuesday! This weekly meme is hosted by Terri at Artful Affirmations and Martha of Martha's Favorites. 

I think it's been at least a year since I participated in Tea Cup Tuesdays. My blog is obviously not about decorating or tableware, but I do love tea cup sets, and tea pots, etc. So, I decided today was the day to take part in it again. I'm reposting part of one from May of 2010.

Below is one of my favorites, even though I couldn't possibly drink anything from it!

This is an adorable little set I bought years ago from one of those "Home Decorator" parties that women hosted in their homes. I don't remember the name of it, at the moment, but this was not their typical item, and must've been available for a certain period of time.

They are miniature in size. The cups and saucers are attached and are approximately one inch high, and the cup is one and a half inches wide. The tea pot is about 3-1/2 inches high and the tiny lid actually comes off.

They appear to be crocheted out of heavy white thread and are highly starched....thus keeping their shapes!
I especially fell in love with them, because in addition to my love of tea pots and tea cup sets, they reminded me so much of some starched knick-knacks my *maternal grandma* had in her curio cabinets....one being, in particular, of a crocheted high heel shoe!

* I wrote about my magical summer vacations at grandma's house in my soon to be released memoir, "From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More"




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




"Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet, than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years." -- Richard Bach

* Cover Reveal for Julie Flanders *

I'm very happy to take part in the cover reveal of Julie Flanders' debut novel ~ Polar Night

Julie is a writer blog friend who is always so supportive of others and I'm grateful that somehow our paths crossed. Please take a moment to read the book blurb and feel free to leave a comment directed to Julie. She'll be stopping by later. 

Book Blurb: When Detective Danny Fitzpatrick leaves his hometown of Chicago and moves to Fairbanks, Alaska he wants nothing more than to escape the violence and heartbreak that left his life in pieces. Numbed by alcohol and the frozen temperatures of an Alaskan winter, Danny is content with a dead-end job investigating Fairbanks' cold cases. That all changes when a pretty blond woman goes missing on the winter solstice, and Danny stumbles upon some surprising connections between her disappearance and that of another Fairbanks woman three years earlier. Forced out of his lethargy, Danny sets out to both find the missing woman and solve his own cold case.

The investigation points Danny towards Aleksei Nechayev, the handsome and charming proprietor of an old asylum turned haunted tourist attraction in the Arctic town of Coldfoot. As he tries to find a link between Nechayev and his case, Danny's instinct tells him that Nechayev is much more than what he seems.

Danny has no idea that Nechayev is hiding a secret that is much more horrifying than anything he could ever have imagined. As his obsession with finding the missing women grows, Danny finds his own life in danger. And when the truth is finally revealed, the world as he knows it will never be the same.

Bio: Julie Flanders is a librarian and a freelance writer who has written for both online and print publications. She is an avid animal lover and shares her home in Cincinnati, Ohio with her dog and cat. Polar Night, a suspense thriller with a supernatural twist, is her first novel. It will be published by Ink Smith Publishing on February 7, 2013. Find Julie online at her blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook.

* I NEED HELP! I'M LOSING MY MIND! *

Many of us have blogged about having difficulty remembering things. I'm referring to our short-term memory: Major things. Minor things. Dates, appointments, e-mails, phone calls, errands that need to be completed, particular items from the grocery store, etc.

I'm constantly apologizing for forgetting, too. Even when I write notes....they get covered up with papers, they don't make it to my purse, they don't get written on the calendar. I drive myself nuts! I don't know what the answer is. 

Does anyone have a system that works for them??

Here's one of my latest and funniest memory lapses:
I made quite a few Christmas cut-out cookies last month and used the Two Christmas Sprinkle Colors on them: Red and Green.

These are from my 2011 cookies.

Since I was making dozens and dozens of cookies, I began to run out of one of the colors. I knew which color it was, but when I got to the grocery aisle and began looking at the colors, I never could remember.....and, of course I'd forgotten to write it down! 

So, first trip to store, I came home with Red Sprinkles, which resulted in 1-1/2 containers of Red, and only the 1/4 container of Green. Oooh, I was aggravated at myself!

A few days later, I'm back at the store, and this time I'd even written the color on my list, which I forgot and left on the kitchen island. Again, I stand and look at the colors. Again, I'm not sure. I buy another container of Red! 

So, at home I had 2-1/2 containers of Red and still the one, lonely 1/4 container of Green!

I stopped even trying after that. I managed to do fine with the Green I had, and I'll have plenty of Red for Valentine's Day, and everything else right up to Christmas cookies of 2013!

(As I've said before, it's a very good thing my Long-Term Memory is amazing since I write about my memories!)


* What forgetful things have you done recently?? Am I ready for the Loony Bin, or am I "sort of" normal?! *




"Life must go on; I forget just why." -- Edna St. Vincent Millay

* DOG BOOKS AND BOOK BABY *

And the winner is......

I drew names out of a hat last night and the winner of NYMB...On Dogs is Joanne Fox! And how appropriate, because I just noticed this morning that Joanne has a gorgeous dog, Harvey, who wrote her most recent blog post! :)

Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope to have more give-aways again this year. Especially since The Ronald and I really will be moving one of these days, I need to get rid of a lot of stuff!  

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I have a writer friend who is considering publishing her book on Book Baby. She asked if I knew anything about it, and my answer was no. I've heard of it, but that's all. Has anyone had experience with them, or knows of someone? Please leave comments or e-mail me, whether the experience was good or bad. 

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* Welcome to my newest follower Patricia, who keeps up with four blogs! (She's a very talented artist, among many other talents! I know her from Treasure Barn. If you click on that link, and check out her profile page, you'll find her other blogs.) I hope you'll stop by often and always enjoy what you read and see! *

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? I thought I was the only one."-- C.S. Lewis