Wading Through Life...
I’ll admit, I’m a full-on Fall Lover. The changing color of the leaves. Cooler temperatures. The spooky atmosphere. Not to mention the pumpkin muffins, apple cider, pecan pie…LOL It’s the season I could live in forever (and only really get to enjoy for about 2 weeks here in the southern US). But there are still things I love about winter, especially this first part before I get tired of the cold temps that have hung around a little too long. Here’s my list of winter favorite things:- The Galaxy of Lights: this is a holiday lights display at the botanical gardens in my home town. Each year has something a little different, along with old favorites. We like to go to the walking nights as a family and enjoy hot chocolate as we stroll through the lit gardens.
2. ASMR videos that help me focus at work or when I’m writing. This winter greenhouse is one of my new faves.
3. Chocolate chip bundt cake!! One of our family faves that my husband’s grandmother always made for the holidays. We have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s so popular, I have to make 2 at a time!
4. Holiday books (like mine that is on sale below!). Some of my other faves including Undisclosed by Ella Sheridan.
5. Christmas present shopping. One of my love languages is finding just the right gift for the right person. I really enjoy giving someone something that I think they’ll enjoy and that fits their interests. I’m not a fan of gift cards unless its one I know that person really needs/wants (like the young adults in my life trying to buy groceries and work day lunches on a limited income). Unfortunately, I’m not as keen to wrap them all. 😊
6. Time spent around the fire pit with marshmallows for roasting and a blanket to snuggle into, surrounded by family and friends.
7. Decorating the spaces around me (be it for fall, Thanksgiving, or Christmas). This year I’m enjoying decorating my cubicle, which has helped me meet lots of people at my new job when they stop by to check it out.
8. Time off for the holidays! Woot! Woot! This year, hubby has some time off too, so we will be relaxing and enjoying a slower pace for a few days.
9. The possibility of snow… I know this may sound weird to those of you who live in snow-covered climes, but we rarely get snow here (and when we do, it doesn’t last long). So the mere mention of snow around the holidays causes lots of excitement and a rush to the nearest grocery store. My kids, though grown, still love it to. So no matter what time it starts, we are bundled up to walk down the road and be the first to make footprints in the winter wonderland.
10. An abundance of family time. It’s so rejuvenating to spend time just visiting (as we call it here in the South) with those I love. Watching Christmas movies. Playing board games. Catching up. Laughing.
What makes the list of your Faves for Winter Season? Post in the comments below.
Holiday Reading
HOLIDAY STORM (A Covington Corner novella)
NOW on Sale for $1.99
As her boss, he’d made her life miserable for years. Now she’s snowed in with him for the holidays…with access to the secrets he’s been hiding from her.
Piper Waverly’s boss demands she collect a contract from his house during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve…that is his frustrating M.O., even if he is a sexy former rock star. What she didn’t expect was to spend Christmas at his isolated mountain retreat—just the two of them.
But seclusion with the thorn-in-her-side has some surprising benefits. Her arch nemesis shows a surprisingly sensual side that draws her. She is also able to pry into the side of his life he’s hidden from her for so long. Tantalizing…until his secrets hit too close to home.
Does the hidden room in his house hold the key to her family tragedy? Has he always been closer than she thought? Will her newfound love withstand the coming storm?
Read the entire Secrets of Covington Corner novella series:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Shadow Manor
Buy it now at your favorite retailer https://books2read.com/u/bxjMek
It Caught My Eye...
I have a really bad habit.
It’s one that encourages exactly the opposite behaviors of the prolific, productive writer/human I want to be.
I focus on what I haven’t gotten done, instead of focusing on what’s on my schedule, what I have time for, or what I’ve already accomplished. The spotlight only shines on What I Haven’t Done…
That’s so sad.
How often do we do this to ourselves? I’ll never build energy to move forward by beating myself up over the unfinished items in my wake. And that’s what I need—energy and momentum to go forth and conquer. (one of my life mottos!)
This year I’ve begun working with a Kanban board, which has seriously helped my productivity and attitude. In January, when I was taking the items down to start on February’s tasks, I automatically carried all the old sticky notes to the trash can. After all, I didn’t need them anymore, right?
Wrong!
At the last minute, I paused. In my hand were over a dozen things I had done in January. I HAD ACCOMPLISHED these things. And let me tell ya, over the last year, I’ve been pretty paralyzed, especially in the marketing arena. Getting these things done was a huge step for me and something I should acknowledge. Hell, celebrate even!
Rather than throw them away like trash, I took these precious reminders of my forward momentum and put them in this simple basket. Then I marked them as DONE.
To others, this might not be important or necessary, but for me its becoming more important on a daily basis to STOP beating myself up over what I didn’t do, ant START acknowledging the things I did do, did make time for, did accomplish.
Because those things are damn hard in my busy world, and that makes me a kick-ass author and person!
How do you celebrate your DONE?
Dani
Rather than throw them away like trash, I took these precious reminders of my forward momentum and put them in this simple basket. Then I marked them as DONE.
To others, this might not be important or necessary, but for me its becoming more important on a daily basis to STOP beating myself up over what I didn’t do, ant START acknowledging the things I did do, did make time for, did accomplish.
Because those things are damn hard in my busy world, and that makes me a kick-ass author and person!
How do you celebrate your DONE?
Dani
This week I'm on an adventure--and this time its not just in my imagination! I'm traveling with friends through the bustling cities and green countryside of Ireland! I wish y'all could join me, but alas, there's not enough room on the bus. Sorry! I'll return with pictures and lively tales in 2 weeks. Until then, I hope you enjoy this taste of Irish culture. *wink*
(Okay, maybe Scottish, but pretty, right?)
Dani
(Okay, maybe Scottish, but pretty, right?)
Dani 
As a writer, I love my job. As a woman who can be a little high-strung, who juggles a full-time job and family, I worry about being able to give my best to my writing and not letting it be the thing that drives me over the edge. I found a cool post on Twitter by YA author Fiona Paul, where she gives tips on not letting your writing drive you crazy in 2013. Funny and informative! If you feel your moods swinging and reactions to little things a little on the grumpy side, you'll find this blog post as helpful as I did.
http://fionapaulbooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-not-to-let-your-writing-make-you.html
New Year is one of my favorite holidays! We spend lots of family time together. Plus the new calendar year reminds me to renew goals and commitments I may have let fall to the wayside.
I hope your New Year celebration is blessed with love and laughter, and that the coming months bring immeasurable joy and peace to you and your family.
My Wish for You:
Merry Christmas...
And a wonderful New Year!
I'm hanging out on the RomCon erotic romance blog today, talking about snow storms (and crazy behavior) here in the South! Join me! As always, there's a giftie up for grabs!
http://www.romcon.com/erotica-blog-18-and-over
Crock Pot Cooking, Part 1 -- Party Food!
December tends to be full of parties and potlucks where the obligatory dish must be provided. Then there’s the issue of having food that tastes better warm, but goes cold while its on the buffet. The answer: Crock Pot!
I have to admit I’ve fallen in love with mine since going back to work. Add in the new slow cooker bags and clean-up is as easy as a wipe down.
So in hopes of making your holiday parties easy AND enjoyable, I’m sharing a few recipes with you today.
Cheese Dip
1 block Queso Blanco Velveeta cheese
1 pound hamburger meat, browned and drained
1 can green chilies, drain most of the juice out
Chop the cheese into smaller squares and melt in the microwave. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.
Barbequed Smokies
2 packages Little Smokies, favorite brand
1 bottle barbeque sauce, favorite brand
These are super easy and will keep all day! Just dump both ingredients into the crockpot and simmer until the smokies plump up.
Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
2 bags frozen meatballs
20 ounces ketchup
¾ large jar of grape jelly
3 heavy dashes of Red Hot sauce
Thaw meatballs in the microwave. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl (jelly will still be a little lumpy). Put meatballs in the crockpot, set to high if you’re in a hurry or low if you have plenty of time. Pour the sauce over the top. Let simmer until heated thoroughly. (or if you prefer traditional meatballs, just cover with your favorite spaghetti sauce)
And don’t forget my quick Apple Cider recipe at http://daniwade.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/autumns-harvest-blog-hop/
So share your quick and easy party recipes with us today! Or your favorite party eats! :)
One lucky commenter will win a prize pack from yours truly, including a $5 Amazon gift card.* Comment with your email address to qualify!
It's a Happy Holiday from your favorite Authors and Bloggers. While we know everyone celebrates a different way, we wanted to make sure that you guys knew how much we treasure you all. So from Dec 14th to Dec 17th, all 200 or so of us will be blogging about the holidays and what they mean to us. We may talk about our favorite holiday traditions, recipes, gifts, reads, heroes, and so much more. We want to hear about what you do for the holidays, what you read, and who you'll spend it with. We hope to see you here and happy hopping!
And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
But that's not all....
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
December tends to be full of parties and potlucks where the obligatory dish must be provided. Then there’s the issue of having food that tastes better warm, but goes cold while its on the buffet. The answer: Crock Pot!
I have to admit I’ve fallen in love with mine since going back to work. Add in the new slow cooker bags and clean-up is as easy as a wipe down.
So in hopes of making your holiday parties easy AND enjoyable, I’m sharing a few recipes with you today.
Cheese Dip
1 block Queso Blanco Velveeta cheese
1 pound hamburger meat, browned and drained
1 can green chilies, drain most of the juice out
Chop the cheese into smaller squares and melt in the microwave. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips.
Barbequed Smokies
2 packages Little Smokies, favorite brand
1 bottle barbeque sauce, favorite brand
These are super easy and will keep all day! Just dump both ingredients into the crockpot and simmer until the smokies plump up.
Sweet and Spicy Meatballs
2 bags frozen meatballs
20 ounces ketchup
¾ large jar of grape jelly
3 heavy dashes of Red Hot sauce
Thaw meatballs in the microwave. Whisk the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl (jelly will still be a little lumpy). Put meatballs in the crockpot, set to high if you’re in a hurry or low if you have plenty of time. Pour the sauce over the top. Let simmer until heated thoroughly. (or if you prefer traditional meatballs, just cover with your favorite spaghetti sauce)
And don’t forget my quick Apple Cider recipe at http://daniwade.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/autumns-harvest-blog-hop/
So share your quick and easy party recipes with us today! Or your favorite party eats! :)
One lucky commenter will win a prize pack from yours truly, including a $5 Amazon gift card.* Comment with your email address to qualify!
It's a Happy Holiday from your favorite Authors and Bloggers. While we know everyone celebrates a different way, we wanted to make sure that you guys knew how much we treasure you all. So from Dec 14th to Dec 17th, all 200 or so of us will be blogging about the holidays and what they mean to us. We may talk about our favorite holiday traditions, recipes, gifts, reads, heroes, and so much more. We want to hear about what you do for the holidays, what you read, and who you'll spend it with. We hope to see you here and happy hopping!
And while we do that, we are EACH doing a giveaway. Yep. There will be over 200 giveaways on each blog hosted by that Author or Blogger.
But that's not all....
We have THREE grand prizes. You as a reader can go to EACH blog and comment with your email address and be entered to win. Yep, you can enter over 200 times!
Now what are those prizes?
1st Grand Prize: A Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet
2nd Grand Prize: A $200 Amazon or B&N Gift Card
3rd Grand Prize: A Swag Pack that contains paperbacks, ebooks, 50+ bookmarks, cover flats, magnets, pens, coffee cozies, and more!
*Winner from Dani Wade blog must claim gift within 5 days of being notified they've won.
I'm hanging out with a great group of writers, my fellow 2009 Golden Heart finalist group known as the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. We're talking about Writing through the Christmas Crazies! I'd love for you to join us with your own tips for writing during this chaotic holiday season at www.rubyslipperedsisterhood.com .
