(photo taken by Becky from front porch)
What's that I saw in the evening sky yesterday around 5:00pm???
Why, it was a blue sky, with a few little clouds here and there, and the beginnng of a pretty sunset!! The dark and dreary gloom that surrounded us for so many days finally lifted! It may not last, but I joyfully accepted the here-and-now of it, and I sang "Oh Happy Day"! (see song 158 in play list below!)

After going through my copy of "Time to Write" again yesterday, I have another, new burst of writing energy, thus the reason I am up and at my laptop at 1:00 am Monday morning! Now, back to my writing!! I hope everyone has a happy Monday!

Oh Happy Day.....oh happy day.... ♫♪♪♫

"Light tomorrow with today!" -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

*The Contest Winner Is...Drum Roll Please...JANEL

Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for all the entries in my First Ever Blog Contest! I've jotted down all the book suggestions on one of my many pieces of scrap paper, and hope to get around to reading them someday! (By the way, I will list the names later!)

Janel is the Big Winner and has chosen to receive "Thinking Write", by Kelly L. Stone. I will contact Kelly and have her autograph a bookplate for Janel, and her book will be shipped asap!!

(Photo of book cover courtesy of Kelly L.Stone)

I really appreciate all of you that took the time to enter and I plan on having different contests fairly often, so please don't forget to stop by often, and tell your friends!

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” -- Paul Sweeney

** It's Saturday Jan 23rd -- My Contest Ends Tonight at Midnight **

Hey Everyone!

There's still time to enter my First Blog Contest. Just read the instructions and rules posted last Saturday, January 16th. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced tomorrow morning sometime!

This has been really fun and interesting for me and I hope for all of you as well.


"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

- Douglas Adams

** It's Friday....and... "There Ain't No Sunshine...♫♪.."

Well.....it was another lovely day of no sunshine here in this part of the country. The forecast was for at least partial sun, but alas the meteorologists were wrong again....Now, we may possibly catch a glimpse of that beautiful golden ball by NEXT TUESDAY. Awww...I said I'd quit complaining about the weather, but it's kind of hard sometimes! If I wanted to live in this kind of climate, I wouldn't be living in the Midwest, I'd be living in the Seattle/Tacoma area! And, I have lived there before.....and it really was depressing. I must've lived there at least a month before I knew Mt. Rainier could be seen right outside my apartment window! It took that long for the clouds to move on, the rain and fog to disappear, and the skies to clear up!

Oh well, the last I heard we'll be getting colder temps and snow flurries later next week.....and I'll be in Iowa for a Women's Writing Retreat, so I could be in the middle of a blizzard there! 

No sense complaining about the weather....It could always be worse.

“There will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting” -- George Carlin

** National Hugging Day **

How many of you knew that today was National Hugging Day? I sure didn't! In fact, I would venture to say that a lot of people didn't. I only found out when I sat down for a few minutes to have a bite of lunch and watch some of the noon news on TV. Besides talking about it, the anchor also showed a few videos of a guy walking up to complete strangers on a city sidewalk and trying to persuade them to give and receive a hug. It was very interesting to watch. You can imagine, you might feel a little weird if a stranger wanted to hug you, too. I also felt sorry for the guy when people shook their heads "no" and walked away. Very cool psychology experiment!

Some people just don't show any physical emotions, even with their own family members, which I can't fathom because everyone in my family is "a hugger". I love to give and receive hugs...to my family and friends...and even people I may have just met. That's just me....So look out, next time you see me, I'll probably want to hug you! (And hey, don't forget to give yourself some "inner" hugs! Love yourself!)

(photo courtesy of CrossDaily.com)

"Sometimes it's better to put love into hugs than to put it into words" -- Author Unknown

** Appreciate Life More **

Today while driving home from getting my hair cut (really short and I love it!), I was still silently sulking about the shroud of fog that has engulfed our area the past few days. I was sick of the cloudiness, the damp cold, the absence of sunlight and warmth. I couldn't even find any decent music on my car radio as I scanned the stations. Then I had one of those moments....What is the matter with me? Look how fortunate I am: I'm driving a car, I have a lovely house to go home to, I have all the necessities in life, plus so much more, which many people might consider luxuries.....And so, I snapped out of it! No more whining or complaining! And in honor of how I felt, I searched for just the right quote to end with. Instead of a quote, I discovered a poem, which in reality is eight quotes, but some really good ones.
Do Less
DO LESS THINKING,
and pay more attention to your heart.
DO LESS ACQUIRING,
and pay more attention to what you already have.
DO LESS COMPLAINING,
and pay more attention to giving.
DO LESS CONTROLLING,
and pay more attention to letting go.
DO LESS CRITICIZING,
and pay more attention to complimenting.
DO LESS ARGUING,
and pay more attention to forgiveness.
DO LESS RUNNING AROUND,
and pay more attention to stillness.
DO LESS TALKING,
and pay more attention to silence.

Author -- Unknown

** Another Foggy, Dancin' Day in Paradise **

Various thoughts on another foggy morning......

Where's the sun?? I need the sunshine!!! I can only turn on so many lights inside my house, to make it bright and light and sunny-ish.....before the entire neighborhood loses their electricity!

Last night, I changed my Play List (again), because I wanted more..♪ Dancin' Music! ♫....Everybody dance now!! ♫♪  ..I can't be in a blah mood listening to these songs!

There's still plenty of time to enter my Book Give-Away Contest. Just scroll down, read all about it, and submit your comment(s). I'll post the winner on Sunday, January 24th.

Back to my cleaning and organizing. I am making fantastic progress in this office, and fitting in some writing, too! ☺

Have a happy day everyone! Paradise is in the eye of the beholder!


"The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.” – Unknown

** My First Blog Contest for a Book Give-Away **

Have you ever stumbled across a book in the library, bookstore, or online, when you were actually searching for something else?....And you were curious because of the title, book cover, or first couple of sentences you read? And it turned out to be an amazing book? One that made you remember why you love to read so much? A self-help book that helped you tremendously? A novel that you couldn’t forget? A book you had to tell others about? And try to find more by the same author?

That experience has happened to me quite a few times and I thought it would be fun to know if I'm not alone in this. I'd like to do this every other month or so, depending on the responses I receive! The prize this first time will be one of Kelly L. Stone's wonderful books, either "Thinking Write: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind" or "Time to Write: Professional Writers Reveal How to Fit Writing into Your Busy Life". The winner can choose which one he or she would like, and Kelly will autograph a bookplate, especially to the winner! I'm choosing Kelly as my first author, because I stumbled across her book "Time to Write" in the library while searching for other books about writing. Just the first few sentences made such an impression on me that I borrowed it that evening, and purchased it shortly after, so I would have it forever and could always go back to it for more inspiration! Thanks, Kelly, for being part of my first blog contest!

Just a couple of “Rules.” Addendum: The copyright year (rule 3) is not that important! I'm mostly particular about the author not being famous. (rule 1)

1) It can’t be written by a “famous” author. Someone we’ve all heard of….Those people that are continually pumping out books and winding up on the Best Sellers List. I want to hear about unknowns & semi-unknowns, male or female writers.

2) It can’t be a book that someone recommended to you. You had to have found it all by yourself.

3) Leave a comment telling me the name of the book, the author, the copyright date, approximately when you read it, and a brief description about the affect it had on you.

4) You many enter up to 3 books, but they all must be on separate comments.

I’ve found most of my favorite writers this way and I’m curious about the rest of you! This should be a great way to share some of those hidden gems out there. I’m really looking forward to discovering more great writers! Tell your friends, too, to stop by my blog and enter for a chance to win.

*Don't fret if you don't see your comment immediately, or even really fast! I have the comment moderation on, so it may be awhile before I get around to checking them!*


Deadline will be next Saturday, January 23rd at midnight CST.
The winner’s name will be chosen randomly.
I will not post any comments I believe to be vulgar or in bad taste, etc. If the comment isn't posted, it obviously won't be eligible to win.


Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." -- Helen Exley