Countdown to the Holidays: Tree Decorating

One of my favorite parts of the Holidays is unwrapping the decorations and ornaments. There are several Rubbermaid bins in our attic just stuffed with Christmas accoutrements waiting to be let loose each December.

My daughter loves this part now, too. She likes to be the one to unwrap certain "special" ornaments from the boxes - especially anything she's made over the years, as well as certain special ornaments that are "hers." The crystal swan. The penguin with the hot chocolate. The sparkly purple flip flop. The marshmallow s'more guy. She also wants to be the one to put those on the tree so everyone can see them first.

She also likes to be the one to unwrap the glass ornaments - the little ones that go near the top of the tree, and the big antique ones that I "hide" in the china cabinet, now that there are so few of them left.
My sons also get into the act, but there again, they only want to hang certain ornaments. The ones they made in preschool. The sparkly basketball to celebrate that he made the team again. The one shaped like a guitar that his aunt found for him in the city. These are the ones they want to hang.

The rest of the ornaments? Not so much.


Don't get me wrong, I love decorating the tree. But now that my daughter has covered the dining room table with unwrapped ornaments, the task seems daunting.

How about you? Do your kids help out until the very end, or do they lose interest and wander off after their few sparklies are hung? Is there a trick to this process that wasn't in the Mommy Handbook?

*sigh*

Let's get the coffee pot brewing and get started!

Sunday Reading

Just need to share this wonderfully sweet Christmas romance with everyone!

SWEET INSPIRATION should be on everyone's Christmas reading list! I know Penny Watson from the New England Romance Writer's Association - she published this story last year, about one of Santa's (hot, sexy) sons finding true love. Her second Klaus brothers tale is coming soon (with another sexy torso on the cover, too!)

This book won first place in a 2008 romance contest, and since Wild Rose Press published it last year it's gotten rave reviews. It's also ON SALE for a mere $3 right now at the publisher's website - why not pop over there and download it for a fun, quirky Christmas story that'll shake off your stress and get you in the holiday mood? It's also ON SALE at Amazon.com for your Kindle, Mom. Check it out - fast read and cute story!

In other writing news, I participated in a group book signing with 20 other local Cape Cod authors yesterday, held at the Cape Cod Cultural Center in Yarmouth. I was selling and signing copies of my paperback, PERFECT STRANGERS, and had such fun chatting with other authors and having friends stop in to buy my book!

I shared a table with Marie Sherman, who I'd only known via email prior to yesterday. Marie was an officer of the court until her recent retirement, and has been a Justice of the Peace for many years (she still performs the occasional wedding.) Her book, SAY I DO, is a collection of short stories, about the many weddings she's performed over the years. CapeWomenOnline ran an excerpt from her book in the Spring 2010 issue. Not available as an ebook, you'll need to find it on-Cape at many local bookstores and retailers. Fun gift for the bride-to-be.


Also at the book signing was another romantic suspense author, Pamela Loewy, who lives just over the bridge in Plymouth. It's fun to meet new authors, and Pam was really nice to chat with. Like Penny Watson, Pam also writes for The Wild Rose Press.


Her book, SAVING JEMMA, is available as a paperback and an ebook. I just downloaded it to my Nook today, so I'll have to read it and review it for you all soon... but I absolutely LOVE her cover art! Snowy cabin nestled in the woods - looks like another good book to curl up with under the Christmas tree lights!

So what's on your reading list this Holiday Season? Are you choosing Christmas-themed stories, or avoiding them like the plague? I'm embracing the season - so far, at least!

Happy Holiday Reading!

Countdown to the Holidays: Cut-throat Dreidel and the Holiday Stroll

The Holiday Stroll is always the first weekend in December. Even though it's currently Hanukkah, the Stroll is really all about Christmas.

At our meeting Thursday night, my Girl Scout troop did celebrate the second night of Hanukkah with the lighting of the candles, the Hebrew prayers read by one of my Scouts who is Jewish... and a rousing game of cut-throat dreidel. The girls had a blast.

And then it was time for the Stroll... and Christmas stuff.


The Pilgrim Church in Harwich Port allows the Girl Scout troops in town to set up tables to sell crafts and homemade items. It's a great location because one, it's indoors (!) and two, there's a steady stream of people coming through the Fellowship Hall to buy the hot dogs and chili that the church sells.

It's my 5th year working the Holiday Stroll with my daughter and the Girl Scouts. For the last 4 years, I've been working our craft table for the entire 3 hours. We usually make $100, and last night was no exception, despite the slow foot traffic.

The "exception" at our table was that I was also selling and signing copies of my book - a tentative foot into the waters of book signing events. I had signed up for a double-sized corner table to allow us extra space for this, but the configuration was changed by the church and this was our allotment.

You can see my book poster on the left-hand side of the table, amidst the crafts.

It was fun, talking to people about writing romance novels and signing copies of my book. One friend brought in the two copies she'd ordered online to have me sign them - one is a gift for her sister. Most of the books I sold last night were to people I know... but I live in this town, so I know a lot of people.

One woman I'd never seen before was staring at my poster as she ate her chili. She came across the room to grab one of my postcards to read the book blurb, and then came back with cash to buy a book and have me sign it.

Unfortunately... the box of books I ordered more than 2 weeks ago didn't arrive in time. I had ordered one box of books when I planned this signing, and then a second box when I confirmed the SHELF SPACE signing sponsored by A Book in the Hand, but those aren't here yet. So I split up the one box I do have and took half to last night's event.

I sold them all. WHAT a cool feeling. I only wish I'd had more. But for a first signing, it was heartening to receive such a great response.

Maybe the box of books will be at the post office today, in time for the next event.

Puppy Learns a New Trick

One of Puppy's Absolute Favorite Things is riding in the car. Don't ask me why, but she gets all bouncy when she sees me grab the car keys. And it's not just when she thinks we're headed to the dog park.

She gets excited in the morning to go to the bus stop and in the afternoons to ride around and just do errands. She insists on riding along later in the day when we drive down to the high school to pick up the oldest child after sports (it's a half hour each way, and she LOVES it.)

She likes to stick her head out the window, her jowls flapping in the breeze. The doggy-ness of my car is evidenced by the coating of drool on both rear windows (and the thick layer of white fur on the floor o fthe back seat.) Luckily, I have one of the newer minivans where the windows go down - I can't imagine what she would have done in the old Odyssey!

New "trick" this week: On Tuesday, we were driving home from basketball tryouts (he made the team, btw) and Puppy wanted her window put down. My son and I were busy talking in the front seat, and Puppy decided to take matters into her own paws.

She lowered her own window.

Now, I'm sure you're thinking - like we did at the time - it was pure luck that her paw hit the button the right way to lower the window. They are power windows, after all. So we laughed, and forgot about it.

Until she did the same thing the next morning on the way to the bus.

She didn't even ask that second time, she just lowered her window and stuck her nose out into the cold breeze.

Smart Puppy! Luckily, there is a parental control lock up with the driver, so I can "lock out" her power button. But so far, I just think it's a cool trick ;-)

What have your dogs learned lately?


In other news .... I'll be selling and signing my latest romantic suspense

PERFECT STRANGERS

tonight 12/3 at the Harwich Port Holiday Stroll - - look for my table and poster inside the Pilgrim Congregational Church's Fellowship Hall on Route 28 !

...and again tomorrow 12/4 at the SHELF SPACE event sponsored by A Book in the Hand, in Yarmouth at the Cape Cod Cultural Center. Twenty-two local Cape authors will be at the Center selling and signing books - come do some "Buy Local" shopping with your local authors!

...and next week I'll be the featured author on the A WRITER'S MIND blog on December 11th and 12th. Make sure to stop by and leave a comment to win some great prizes!

If you're on Cape Cod, stop by and say hi! (I'm even baking cookies for tomorrow's event! Well, all the authors are baking - should be a delicious signing!)

Have a great weekend!