Take Five, Everybody!
Looks like it’s time for a break from blogging for me.
Temporarily, of course.
I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to stay away, but I need to focus on my book for a while.
Apparently, I can’t multi-task.
Be back later.
Photo credit: Wikimedia, Linuxerist
A Royal Writer Riddle
His latest books give quite a thrill.
(Though some will find them gruesome)
Each plot twist makes the judges reel.
(He’s earned a Christy two-some)
Who Is He?
Click HERE to comment or to see the answer.
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Photos: Wikimedia, Michael Maggs
Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Confession #1: I love blog Reading Lists.
You know. The blogger’s log of all the books he’s read lately.
When I see what he reads in his spare time, I know him better. After all, You Are What You Read.
And while I’m picking through the list, I often find a couple of titles to add to my gotta-read-it list.
Confession #2: I didn’t intend to read lots of books this year.
Even though I love reading, I’m supposed to be writing and I generally don’t write when I’m reading. Somehow, when I’m in the middle of someone else’s story, mine won’t surface.
Which lead me to . . .
Confession #3: I didn’t do much writing this year.
My bad.
Therefore, my New Year’s resolution is: Read less. Write more.
In the meantime, I’ll snoop other bloggers’ reading lists, and update my own.
Here’s a link to my 2011 log, but the whittled version appears below. (in no particular order)
Top 10 Faves
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
The Robe, by Lloyd Cassel Douglas
The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Adult Children, by John & Linda Friel
How to Grow a Novel, by Sol Stein
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
Room, by Emma Donoghue
June Bug, by Chris Fabry
On Writing, by Stephen King
Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell
If you are what you read, then I must be . . .
A determined writer, frazzled wife, struggling Christian, who is entertained by . . . curiously inspirational, juvenile, and/or slightly twisted stories.
Yep, that’s me.
What was your favorite read of the year?
Did you keep a reading log?
If so, leave a link so we can creep on your blog.
“Not Too Sweet” Roll-Out Cookies
Roll-out cookies are a Christmas tradition in our family. Funny, it seems that’s the only time of year we go to the trouble. This recipe produces cookies with tea cake texture. Half the family prefers them with icing; the others gobble them without.
Enjoy the recipe, complete with Nana’s hints:
Aunt Mary’s Christmas Cookies
Heat oven to 425°. Mix shortening, sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend in remaining ingredients. (You may want to chill the dough 10-15 minutes at this point, even overnight won’t hurt. Let it set out a few minutes for workable dough.) Divide dough into three parts. Roll each part 1/4 inch thick on well-floured board. (Lots of flour!) Cut into shapes. Bake 6-8 minutes. Cool. (Watch these closely, and remove from oven when the edges start to brown.) Decorate as desired. Makes about a dozen 2-inch cookies. (You can also tint half the dough with red food coloring and half with green. Then you don’t need to decorate!)
Variations: For chocolate cookies, mix in 1-ounce unsweetened chocolate. For peanut butter cookies, mix in 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter.
Janae’s Nearsighted Reindeer
Which we noticed could double as a
Buxom She-Elf
A Busy Blogger’s Christmas Limerick
There once was a writer named V.V.
Who shopped until she got sleepy.
She ran out of time
And wrote down this rhyme
And said, “Why do I try to blog weekly?”
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Christmas 1994 - (nice goggles)
Mr. Bacon, Babysitter
Meet Mr. Bacon,
A sizzling bendy man, recently introduced to the blogosphere by
Patrick Ross of The Artist’s Road.
Since then, Mr. Bacon has gone from the frying pan into the fire,
visiting blogs all around the country.
He traveled to Texas a few weeks ago and surprised us with a visit.
Being the gentleman that he is, Mr. Bacon insisted on babysitting while my husband and I went on a much-needed date. Jillian and Janae were a teensy bit offended, feeling they were too old for babysitting, but they knew they’d have a great time with the old ham anyway.
They showed our visitor around the house
then they all went outside to play.
Mr. Bacon won a game of hide-and-seek
before they played on the see-saw.
Mr. Bacon held on tight,
but Jillian was just too heavy.
He was catapulted through the air,
splatting on the fence!
He gave the girls a stern lecture because of it.
Our guest felt better after Janae brought him a Band-aid,
so they went for a walk.
Soon all was forgotten
and the girls taught Mr. Bacon to cart-wheel.
Next they went inside for a game of Life,
but Mr. B wouldn’t stay off the spinner.
They tried Yahtzee, but it took too long to roll the dice.
(Besides, the girls suspected Bacon was cheating.)
After that, they gave up on games
and played Polly Pockets for a while.
When Mr. B found his favorite movie,
he went hog-wild!
After the movie, it was bedtime,
so Mr. Bacon read the girls a book.
The next morning
we invited Mr. Bacon to stay for breakfast,
but he said he had to run.
He was off to California to visit his nephew, Kevin.
(You can see the family resemblance.)
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If you’d like Mr. Bacon to visit your blog, contact Melissa Crytzer-Fry. In the meantime, read more of Mr. Bacon’s escapades in these locations:
Washington D.C. with Patrick Ross
The Sonoran Desert with Melissa Crytzer-Fry
Maine with Julia Munroe Martin
Phoenix with Cynthia Robertson
and Northern Arizona with Suzie Ivy
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Photo Credit: Kevin Bacon, via Wikimedia – Sagindie
The First 200 Posts
Wow. 200 blog posts.
Have you read them all? I certainly hope not.
Some Most of them are quite lame.
You could go back and read them, but
For simplicity’s sake, I’ve omitted:
The boring posts. The preachy or embarrassing ones. The posts that leave you thinking, “Huh?” As well as the ones that merely link to a YouTube video. And the ones I immediately regretted posting in the first place, or got less than 10 hits, or zero comments. The occasional book review, and all the sweet devotionals. (that I’m truly lousy at writing)Which leaves these FIVE (5):
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Maybe I Should Hurl My Book at People for Attention
What’s It Like to be Color Blind?
The 12 Days of a Writer’s Christmas
You Might Be a Writer If . . .
Fascinating Facts About V.V. Denman
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All things should be done decently and in order. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:40 and 14:33 (taken entirely out of context)
Happy Thanksgiving!
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Can’t see the video? Click here.
Thanksgiving Menu Flowchart
Finally . . .
A handy flowchart to help you decide
what to bring for Thanksgiving Dinner
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Are you Pinterested in this flowchart? then Pin It
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Purity – That Invisible Line in the Sand
Recently, I led a purity class for 6th grade girls and their mothers.
We used the Passport-2-Purity curriculum by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Over a six-week period, we discussed peer pressure, parental expectations, and (of course) the birds and the bees. The course ended with the daughters signing a “Wait-to-Date Contract” stating they would follow the guidance of their parents.
Together, each family set their own boundaries.
It was unanimously accepted the girls would not engage in sex before marriage, but other than that, the mothers and daughters decided what actions were beyond the acceptable standards. In other words, what would be allowed?
Holding hands? Dating in a group? Kissing? Being alone with a boy? Touching? .We never discussed it in class, but I imagined this:
Family #1 decides their line in the sand is: “No sex before marriage.” However, someone points out that wherever the line is drawn, many teenagers will step slightly past it. Whoa. Not good.
So Family #2 decides to draw the line at: “No touching below the neck.” Yet the mothers all agree they don’t want a boy’s grubby hands anywhere near their girls’ young bodies. Better move the line over a bit, just to be safe.
Family #3 has a brilliant idea: “No alone time with a boy.” But darling daughter argues that she’s looked forward to dating for years and besides, the boys she knows are super trustworthy.
Therefore, Family #4 compromises. Dating will be allowed but “No kissing.” Another mother rolls her eyes. That’s asking too much. Every girl has the right to a good night kiss on the front porch, right? But . . . what if they’re not on the front porch?
Family #5 wonders if “No physical contact“ might be appropriate. The teenagers could simply hang out with the family and have fun together. Family #5 decides to keep this idea to themselves though. Everyone would probably laugh.
Not an easy decision.
Where do you draw the line?
Wikimedia, compliments of Snowmanradio
