Exciting News!

Now that she has officially launched her newest work, I can finally

share my exciting news with you.  I have the honor of being one of nine women

featured in this wonderful new book by best-selling author, Cindy Adkins!

If you've had the privilege of reading any of Cindy's previous works, or

if you're familiar with her blog, Whimsical Musings, you know Cindy's

writing style to be quite engaging and informative.

She is a sweet and multi-talented woman who eagerly

encourages all whom she comes in contact with—myself included.

I have no doubt, you will enjoy reading anything Cindy writes!

Want to see the lineup of bloggers in her new book...

Women: 

Blogging Can Give You Wings?

Sonia Crouse, Karen Valentine, Pat Winter, Debra Germain,

Nicole Germain-Perez, Soraya Julian, Debbie Manno, Sharon Hughes...

and yours truly   ; )

You may already be familiar with these wonderful women, if not,

I encourage you to stop by and say hello.

To preview Cindy's book on Amazon, just click the button in my sidebar.

Hugs to all!

The Glories of Morning

~THE MORNING-GLORY~



Was it worthwhile to paint so fair

Thy every leaf—to vein with faultless art

Each petal, taking the boon light and air

Of summer so to heart?

To bring thy beauty unto perfect flower,

Then, like a passing fragrance or a smile,

Vanish away, beyond recovery's power.

Was it, frail bloom, worthwhile?

Thy silence answers: "Life was mine!

And I, who pass without regret or grief,

Have cared the more to make my moment fine,

Because it was so brief.

In its first radiance I have seen

The sun!  Why tarry then till comes the night?

I go my way, content that I have been

Part of the morning light!"

~Florence Earle Coates~

I love to rise early, to behold the beauty of nature unfolding before my eyes—

to have the sun's first rays greet me with the promise of a new day...

to be enchanted by the melodious chirping of the song birds—awakening

from their night's slumber...

to be captivated by the simple charm of the delicate blooms

of morning glories. 

For a short while, in the early morning hours, there is a tangible peace—one

unparalleled by any other time of day.

Ahhh...the glories of morning.   ; )

Joining Sally's Blue Monday, Julie's Inspire Me Mondays, Carrie's

Amaze Me Monday, Susan's Outdoor Wednesday, SJ's

Creative Bloggers' Party, Mary's Share the Love Wednesdays,

Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday, Tracie's

Cottage Flora Thursdays, Cindy's Show and Tell Friday,

Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday, Beth's Silver Sunday,

and Tammy's Anything Goes.

Funny Faux Pas Follies #4 - Paying it Back!

Welcome to week four of Funny Faux Pas Follies!

Are you ready to have some fun and enjoy a bit of light-hearted humor?

Great; then let's party!

Okay.  For three straight weeks, I've let you see my blundering side. 

But I thought I would take a different turn, for this party, and show you a side of

myself that doesn't surface very often—

the prankster.   ; )

And once again, this humorous little tale involves my

darling daughter, Asheley.

If you remember from last week, Asheley was a child who was in constant motion.

She really seemed to have only two speeds—high and off.

So traveling in a vehicle with Ashe, when she was young, was quite a challenge at times.

The old familiar, "are we there yet" began forming on her lips, almost

as soon as her seat belt clicked in—and often continued, until we arrived at our destination.

It actually got so bad on one long trip, I silently prayed, "Lord, would it be a sin if I

muzzled my child?" 

Just kidding—sort of!   ; )

Thankfully, it was just a phase, and, happily, one that she outgrew.

JAKE & ASHE THE DAY ASHE GOT HER CAR

Now, fast forward to Ashe's senior year in high school.

She had been invited to spend spring break with the family of one

of her very best friends—Jake.

Jake and Ashe had been friends for a long time, and we had seen so much of him over

the years of their friendship, he was like a member of our family.

  As a matter of fact, he even tagged along with us, when it was time

to purchase a car for Asheley. 

And they even went to each other's separate school dances—as a couple.

Because we knew Jake so well, and were assured that his parents would uphold good

Christian values, we felt peace about sanctioning

this trip to the beach.

On the morning of Asheley's departure, her dad kissed her goodbye

and left for work.  I helped her finish packing and then prepared to take

her to Jake's family's home.

Shortly after arriving there, and after a few minutes of conversation with his parents,

I kissed Ashe, said goodbye, and told her to

call me as soon as she got to the beach cottage.

When I returned home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that hubby

had decided to take the day off, and had come back home,

so he and I could spend time together.

Jester Image & Jester Graphics

I feel it necessary to preface the rest of the story with a disclaimer...

I'm not the prank-playing type. 

I'm actually considered to be the serious one of the bunch—

by my family members.

But this 4 1/2 hour trip of Asheley's was just too tempting to pass up.  So I enlisted

hubby's help for a bit of payback.

It had been about twenty minutes since I had left Ashe off, but it had been hours

 since she had seen her dad.  To make her believe that he was still at work,

I had him use his cell phone to call to ask her if she was there yet—of course,

knowing full well, she was not.

Then about thirty minutes later, I called from home and asked her if she was there yet. 

Thirty minutes after that, hubby called from his cell again, to ask her if she was

there yet.

And so it went, for the entirety of Asheley's trip to the beach.

Well, except for the last 45 minutes or so—when mysteriously, Ashe couldn't be reached

on her cell phone.  lol

But we just patiently waited, until we knew that they had had plenty of time to

arrive at the beach cottage, and we called again.  This time Asheley answered.  Before I

could say a word, she said, "Yes, Mom!  I'm there!!!"

Hearing the intensity of the frustration in her voice, I decided to fill her in on the prank.

It took Ashe and Jake quite awhile before they could see the humor in my

"paying it back," for all those years of, "Are we there yet?"

But Jake's parents thought it was a hoot. 

Imagine that!   ; )

Let it Snow!

Be sure to enter my fantastic year-end giveaway here.  Just a few more days
until the winner is announced!

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of cold weather.  As a matter of fact, that's something you
 learned about me from my very first post—
way back in January of this year!

Really, the only time I even like winter is when there's snow on the ground.

On two separate weekends this month, Mother Nature teased me into believing

a winter wonderland was in the making.

The first time it snowed—during the first week of this month—it amounted to nothing

 more than a light dusting of the white stuff.

Then, about a week later, I watched snowflakes the size of large cotton balls

 fall from the sky.

Not only were the flakes gigantic, but the snowfall was so heavy, I just knew there

would be at least a foot of snow to blanket the landscape.

But when all was said and done, the accumulation was not more than an inch or so.

Well...

it is only December, after all, and good snowfalls don't usually arrive here

 until late January.

But...

 this year, I got an extra Christmas present—snow on Christmas Day!

And not just a flurry, but a good snow!

What constitutes a good snow, you ask?

One that keeps this Southerner indoors, near a warm heat source, sipping a hot drink,

 and reading a good book.

Hey, it's the closest I can get to winter hibernation!!!   ; )

Joining Kathleen for White Wednesday and Susan for Outdoor Wednesday.