I want to paint my front door Red, or Peacock blue or maybe even Black. I want to hang a swing in the middle of my office. Not one of those old, boring, wicker egg-shaped deals. I want a swing with a wide wooden seat that’s painted Tangerine Tango Orange. Oh, and the swing has to be suspended on long, thick oatmeal colored macramé ropes that are soft to the touch. Of course, my swing must be hung in a fashion that allows me ample room to pump my long legs so I can stretch my toes up towards my ceiling. And speaking of ceilings, I also want to add a skylight or two to my office, so I can see the stars while I’m enjoying my evening swing.
      While I’m heading through my list of wants, I want to create the perfect fashion line that will of course be featured in the next Vogue Magazine and worn by Oprah, Emma and Reese. I wish to build a massive teak table for my office that’s big enough for me to lay out yards of fabric and tons of books I’ve yet to read by authors I’ve never heard of. I want to speak three more languages, be known as an expert on healing crystals and travel to Australia.
      For a woman in her sixties I still have a lot of wants, desires and dreams. But my front door will probably remain white, my office is too small for a large table, let alone a swing. And since there is a second story comfortably resting on top of my home office – the sky lights are out. I’m creative and I do sew, but not well enough to ever be featured as a designer in any magazine. I speak English and a bit of Spanish, know a smidgen about healing crystals and have never been to Australia.
      So how do I not despair and continue to power through my life with such a big list of unfulfilled dreams? I imagine, envision, research, fantasize, visualize and then… I write. In short, I give life to my dreams when I tell my stories.
      When I write, I control my whole world. I have the power to bring life to any  desire, curiosity or interest I might have. My characters can be fashion designers, carpenters or creative entrepreneurs. They can be rich, curious, beautiful, provoctive, engaging, powerful, sarcastic, brilliant, silly or any other quality I might wish to paint them with.  I’m not confined by financial restrictions, time, geography, ability, language, knowledge or skills. All of these can be addressed with a some hard core research and quick run of my fingers across my computer keyboard. My only limitations are those created within my mind.
      That’s one of the reasons why writing sometimes makes me feel giddy with power. I can do or be anything through the manipulation of words. I can paint my front door any color, have my own swing, become a famous fashion icon or anyone else that my imagination so desires. Rather than growing frustrated with my earthly limitations, I simply find the words to experience my desires through the stories I write. Even if I can’t actually physically have it all, I can imagine what it would be like.
      I love to pick out something that seems totally unattainable and bring it to fruition through the plot, setting and characters who live in my stories. And since I write about the paranormal world, I have even greater freedom to pretend.
      It’s all rather magical and I love it.

​     Summer is just around the corner and many of us have already started planning our family vacations. If you too are in the midst of gathering travel ideas, don’t forget to include your kids in the process.
     Not sure how to start?  It’s as simple as a trip to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local library. Find a book or two about the places you plan to visit. A well selected storybook or child focused travel book can be an invaluable tool when it comes to building enthusiasm, sparking curiosity and planting important destination facts.
     Get your kids excited about where they are going and what they’ll see. Introduce them to some of the town’s historical characters, artwork, curious facts or interesting folklore. By providing them with an engaging preview of the places they’ll see, you're more apt to get their buy in.
But don’t stop there. There are two more things you can do to make your trip all the more memorable for your child.
     While on your trip, collect an age appropriate book or two at each of the sites you visit.
     These books are sure to capture kid friendly info about:

• The people who live or lived there
• The geography & ecosystem
• How the state or country came to be?
• Important historical figures
• The culture
• Language
• Flowers & animal life
• Curious facts, legends & folklore

     Make sure that you or your child write down on the back cover, the date and place where you bought the book. Add one thing your child found most interesting about the place. And if time allows, take a moment to read a little something from the book while you are still there. By doing so, you might just find another place of interest close by that you’s like to visit.
     If the book happens to mention that Lupines fill the hillsides just outside of town, go looking for them. If the story mentions a historical site or local birds, make a point to check them out. And once you’re home, read the stories together. Encourage your kids to compare and contrasts the places you’ve been and the things you’ve all seen as a family.
     Finally, consider having your child keep a travel diary. They don’t need to write a novel and this isn’t even something in which you’ll want to correct spelling or sentence structure. Just let this be a chance for your child to capture a few of their own personal memories of what they found most exciting about their trip.
Looking for something to do on a rainy afternoon next winter? Have your kids  take out their books and journals, make some popcorn and sit down and share recollections of  your exciting family vacation.

​Right after I retired, I wrote this blog for the dads at my school. The tone rings true today, so I’m sharing it  again for dads everywhere.
​
        I am not an avid Facebook follower. I tend to look at it once or twice a week and then move on. However, lately I find myself glued to my screen, searching with interest through the numerous faces of young people graduating from middle, high school and college. Many of these graduates I was blessed to have as students during their elementary school years. They have grown, matured, changed. All decked out in their caps and gowns, some have changed so much that they are no longer immediately recognizable to me. Sweet cherub faces that morphed into young beauties and handsome young men; each of them certainly taller than when they left our fifth grade classrooms.
       But as I actively searched out the names below each picture a million memories flooded in. Memories of shouting out to my students,  “Readers are Leaders” and hearing their response of “And Leaders Read!” I can hear them singing “Fifty Nifty United States From 13 original colonies…” and I can still see their red faces as their Fun Run background music died out and they collapsed their tired bodies onto the grass. Those were amazing days.
       I also remember the kids who were the natural leaders, the class clowns, the one’s who had tons of friends and those who struggled to maintain even one. Elementary school is a time of establishing those foundations upon which to build a strong inner personal structure. And it’s harder for some kids than for others.
       As I reflected further, I also remembered the parents who stood by these amazing graduates. Success looks different for each child. Some grow to be high academic achievers, others explode on the athletic fields, while others find their joy as ballerinas, artists, scientists, actors, or musicians. And there are many who excel in more than one area.
      But I truly believe that none of these students would have done as well without the parents who stood by their side. Moms are incredibly important,  but since Father’s Day is almost  here, I wanted to pay tribute to the dads who I saw make a difference.
      Whether it was setting up for the carnival, reading in the classroom, preparing the field for our FUN RUN, driving their patrol car onto campus for kids to see or raising money for our school – these dads were visible leaders. They demonstrated their commitment to not just their child, but to all of the children of our school.
It’s important for young boys and girls to see adult men in action. And these fathers stepped up and acted as role models extraordinare while serving in a myriad of activities. Through their visible actions and commitment to their child’s school, they showed kids how to resolve conflicts, get along, be respectful, use humor in stressful situations and the importance of friendship.
       In a time when work commitments require so much from adults, choosing to take a moment to get involved in a child’s school day can be quite challenging. It can also be life changing for both father and child.
        The future success of our children rests in part with those dads who freely share of their time. But the glow from their actions often spreads across the entire school. Many of these dads will never know how much their positive interactions actually helped another child. Kids mimic what they see and when they see goodness shared, they are more apt to adopt those same behaviors.
          So I honor you dads and I honor your wonderful sons and daughters as they move through their education. Hopefully when your child’s time come, and their own child needs a helping hand, they will remember what you once did and jump right in.
 
Happy Father’s Day to you all.

I grew up in the days of Singer Sewing Machine Stores where girls were taught how to operate a sewing machine on Saturday afternoons by patient old ladies who had long ago mastered their craft. Vests, wrap around skirts and long handled hippy bags made of colorful flowered fabrics, were just a few of the finished products many girls walked out of their class with.

My mother was an amazing seamstress who gave up trying to teach me how to sew. Instead, she wisely enrolled me in a sewing class taught at the Singer Sewing Machine Store. Mrs. Alice was a tiny, white haired  woman who I was sure was older than God himself. She tried her hardest to tutor me on how to read a pattern, manage fabrics and the basics of threading a sewing machine, winding a bobbin and throttling through the simplest stitches.

Three times my mother enrolled me in the same six-week sewing class.  Unfortunately, I was an impatient, bad tempered child who ended up breaking three sewing machines before I finally learned the basics of sewing. Mrs. Alice was a gifted instructor. She never gave up on me; encouraging me with patience and care.
After fits of tears, anger and frustration finally dissipated, I actually ended up learning how to sew.
But if truth be told, I learned far more from Mrs. Alice than just sewing techniques.  I learned a lot about myself, my limits, my well hidden talents and my ability to persevere. She taught me how to turn my temper into talent. To this day I am grateful to both my teacher and my mother and, of course, the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Sorry about the 3 broken machines!

So you might be wondering if it’s time to enroll your own child in a sewing class and here are some reasons to consider.
​
Kids reap more than you know, when you teach them to sew.

Math Skills  -  They learn how to calculate the amount of fabric needed to complete an item by understanding the correlation between the length and  width of fabric and the pattern requirements.

Money Management  -   How to figure out just how far money can or cannot  go.  If they have $20.00 and need 3 1/4 yards for a project, what is the most expensive fabric they can buy to complete their project? If they have a  20% off coupon, how much money will they save? Adding up the cost of fabric, patterns, pins and stabilizer can be mind expanding!

​Engineering Skills -    The engineering of how a sewing machine actually works and the value of actually using an instructional manual. The responsibility of taking care of a machine so that it will always work to its fullest.

Time Management  -    Defining and allocating  time necessary to complete a desired item. How to find the time within a schedule already filled with school and sports.

Preparation – Having materials organized and ready to work can make the process go smoother and faster. Taking time to read, reflect, plan out and pin before beginning can lead to greater success.

Persistence  -  By staying committed and working hard – goals are actually attainable. Recognizing mistakes as valuable learning experiences can be key. You can discover just as much from tearing out and starting over as from sewing correctly the first time. Sometimes you have to try more than once to get it right.

Patience -   Learning to slow down, listen, endure frustration and to persevere through challenging learning opportunities, can surely teach patience.  If the project is valued, putting in the effort will be worth it.
Pride  - There is no better feeling than to look at something and know that YOU made it. 

Like learning any new skills, sewing provides a plethora of growth opportunities for your child. Even if you do not sew yourself, there are still many places to take your child so that they can acquire this skill and along the way have fun, make a few new friends and develop self pride.
​
What do you sow when you teach a child to sew?  Soooooo much more!
 
I am a retired elementary school principal, an author of parenting books and a fiction series, a mother and a pretty good seamstress. Oh, and I know how to fix my own sewing machine – most of the time!

            I knew that I needed to work on the next chapter of my book if there was any chance it would be completed by this July.  But did I?  Did I hit the keyboard, do a little more research on witchcraft in the 1600’s or even pick up my editing pencil to work on what I’d already written?
            No.  Instead, I sewed.
           I made my granddaughter bibs and blankets and stuffed bunnies. I made pot holders and hot mitts. I love to sew almost as much as I love to write and my two passions often collide with each other. Truthfully, I know I often turn to sewing when I’m stuck for an idea and I was good and stuck! I had a million directions that I wanted to take my story, but no clear path. It always seems that when I’m three quarters of the way through writing a new book, I lose speed. My focus waivers and I become fearful that my creativity is ebbing. A scary feeling indeed for any new writer like myself.
         So what did I do?
         I transferred all of my energies into my third passion – reading. But not just any reading. I was seeking something to jolt my spirits, inspire my creativity and get me motivated. So I want to share with you where I found it – in case you’re ever searching for something to inspire your  own creativity.
            Visiting Barnes and Noble with my sister, on a quest for a book about how to build a bird house, that’s creative right? - I  stumbled upon Where Women Create.  It’s a great magazine, albeit a bit pricey, that shares the stories of truly creative modern day women. And what a great treat it turned out to be!
            I savored the magazine like a fine wine. Okay, I savored it over a couple glasses of fine wine before deciding that I wouldn’t just speed read through the pages. I wanted to immerse myself in each woman’s story, take in her words of inspiration and enjoy the great photography that accompanied each story. I read an account or two each day over the next week. Of course, I soon realized that I had to replace the wine with cups of hot hazelnut coffee – my favorite – if I was going to get the full value out of this periodical.
            The magazine focuses on women who express their creativity daily in a myriad of ways. It talks about what they do, where they do it and how many of them have been able to make a successful career using their innovative skills. They share their tricks of the trade, their frustrations and inspirations. Some seem to have realized success early on while others have worked for years to bring their dreams to fruition.
            Anyway, I truly enjoyed the inspiration I found within the pages of Where Women Create.  These are artsy women who have created magic, many of them from their own kitchen table. The magazine is a relaxing trip through the lives of inventive, resourceful women. I can’t tell you for sure whether it was the wine, the words or the  wonderful stories that inspired me to return to my writing. Whatever it was, it worked and I am back with a renewed spirit.
            Oh, and guess what I else I found in the magazine? A sister series; a magazine  called  (apron*ology). Now I can be inspired with both my writing and my sewing. Who knew?
            Have a wonderful, inspired and magical day!

If you have a moment and the inclination to -  I sure would appreciate it if you'd vote for me. I have been nominated in two different categories for a Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewers Choice Award. For a new writer this is one exciting thing to happen.
Please make sure you click under both categories - then scroll all the way to the bottom to complete the voting process.
Thanks so much for your support and here is the link:
https://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/event/2017-prg-reviewers-choice-awards/
​

Today is a great day to share a smile, a kind word and some uplifting words with someone new.....of course, you can always do that again tomorrow.

     It's the last day of January and officially Hot Chocolate Day - a wonderfully uncomplicated event that we all can get behind.  Although I must openly confess that I don't need a special day to encourage me to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or  really any form of chocolate. 
     Like many of you, I am a choco-holic  with my favorite form of chocolate being Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I've often wished that Hershey's would make their own peanut butter flavored hot chocolate. In fact, I may have to write  them to share  that idea.
     I just love the taste of Peanut Butter Cups  and each holiday gives me another reason to  celebrate. I revel in Reese's Christmas trees, hearts, pumpkins and eggs.  No matter what peanut butter stuffed shape Hershey's makes - I'll  buy it  because they never fail to make me happy. Oh and I love to take the little cups and bake them into special occasion  cookies. If you haven't done it, you should try.
     Anyway, if you're out and about, working  or just don't have time to grab  a good old cup of hot chocolate, head to your nearest vending machine or market. Hopefully you'll find a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup just waiting for you. Oh, and Easter will soon be here - watch out for those super sized, peanut butter filled eggs.  I might just try melting one in hot milk this year and see if I can create a new Easter treat.
​     Happy Hot Chocolate Day to you all!

       When I heard this morning that it’s - Do Something Fun At Work Day, I originally felt a bit left out.  You see, I’m retired. So what am I supposed to do on this  particular day to have fun? Especially since I now spend my days just writing books,  sewing, doing yoga and walking on the beach.
      Well, retired or not I decided to have some fun by writing, sewing and walking on the beach! No yoga  today – there’s only so much fun I can have in one day! 
                                             Hope you have a fun day at whatever you do!

Every January I sit down and try to establish a few new goals to work on during the upcoming year. I dutifully read articles and listen carefully to speakers all sharing how they successfully reached their goals. And I just want to laugh, cry or get angry.
 
Why is it so easy for some and so hard for the rest of us? Even just thinking about establishing new goals is torture for me as I’m almost always overwhelmed with fear that I’ll not meet my self-established trials. Hence, I’m usually unhappy, even before I start.
 
Sure, over the years I’ve had both success and failure reaching my goals. But mostly I’ve had to be content reaching a frustrated self-awareness tinged with happiness. Huh?
 
Oh sure, I was successful in reaching a couple of my goals this year. I made a large quilt, upped my yoga skills and wrote my first cozy mystery. Ta…da! A lot of hard work went into each of these areas of growth and I am really proud of my successes.
 
But there have been far too many other goals that I just never met. If I let myself dwell on it, I could get really bummed out. There’s still a dress on my sewing room mannequin half sewn. And I never finished it because I didn’t lose the weight to fit into it. Two of several goals not met!
 
So this year I’m taking a different tact – I’m using a revised strategy to set my goals.
 
Instead of just pulling something out of my hat or revisiting goals that I’m just never going to reach,  I’m going to set goals that build on previous successes AND failures. I didn’t set as many as I had in the past, but I did spend some time thinking before coming up with these five that I’d like to share with you.
 
#1        Drink more water-  This should be a relatively easy goal to attain. I just need to remember to have a bottle or glass of water near me at all times…and a bathroom not too far away. I’m getting older and more water equals greater health and I want to be healthier.
#2        Move More - This may sound like such an easy for goal to you. But it’s a tough one for me. You see, I love to sit and sew, sit and write, sit and read, sit and watch movies. In truth, I’m a little embarrassesd to admith that I just love to sit.
Is moving more actually an attainable goal?  Yes – I just need to get my sorry self up and going each and every day. This goal will also require me to organize my life better – to actually calendar specific times to move. Like taking a walk first thing in the morning - because once I sit down to read, sew or write – it’s tough to get me out and about. Again, my focus is on living a healthier life.
#3        Challenge myself to learn one new thing a month  OR how to do one thing a month better than I did before – It may be as simple as learning about a new phone app,  how to use that expensive sewing machine foot I bought last year or how to play Black Jack – something I just realized I’ve always wanted to learn. Four of the months I’m going to force myself to revisit something that I wasn’t very successful at first time around. Since I am a lousy cook – one of the months I’ll focus on cooking for sure. That should be interesting- remember, I am not a good cook - hope no one dies from food poisoning!
#4       Learn how to be a grandmother – This will be a new gig for me and I know that I will have a lot to learn! But it is so exciting.
#5       Make Time – time to smile, to notice things, to say thank you, to laugh at myself and with my friends, to say I love you more and to be grateful.
 
I feel pretty good about these goals. They feel right. They feel doable. Will I reach success? All I can tell you is that I’m not afraid to try, I’m a little excited and more than ready to get started…especially with the one about being a first time grandma!
 
Happy New Year to you all. May 2018 be a healthy, happy year for each and every one of you. And may your goal setting process be a fulfilling and happy experience.