It’s December, a month full of traditions and celebrations for many people. This week on the blog hop, Dani Jace asks: How do you decorate for the holidays? Do you have a theme? Show a picture of your favorite decoration and tell the history if it was handed down to you or something you made. I tease my husband about his Christmas decorating every year, but in truth I do love what he does. He has a bit of an obsession with Christmas lights. Not quite to the standard of the Griswold’s, but we’re getting close. 😊 Not only does he string lights outside, but inside the house we have them framing the windows, under the hearth, inside the fireplace, on the mantle, draped over bookcases, and twisted in the poinsettia branches. In the dark December evenings of Northern BC, it is cozy and welcoming to see them everywhere. I don’t decorate to a theme, One thing I do do every year, though, is buy one decoration for each of our children as a stocking stuffer. When our daughters moved out of the house, I kept one from each of them as my own memento, and gave the rest to them. My son is less enthusiastic about the tradition, but someday he’ll appreciate the idea, I hope!
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It’s one of my favourite types of hops today! This week, Leslie Hatchtel says: Two days until Thanksgiving. Share your favorite Thanksgiving recipe. If you joined me from Caro Kinkead, welcome! In Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving the second Monday of October, so we're gearing up for Christmas already, and good recipes for a crowd are always welcome. One of my new favourites is an easy-peasy side dish. You can make it in the oven, but I use the slow cooker, especially if I'm making a lot of it and need the oven for other things. Cheesy Broccoli Casserole (makes 8 servings, very easy to double!) 1 boxed stuffing mix 1 can mushroom soup ½ can Cheez Whiz 6 cups of broccoli (either frozen and thawed, or fresh and pre-cooked just until crisp) Make stuffing as per directions. Mix soup and Cheez Whiz. Place broccoli in greased casserole or slow cooker. Pour mixture over top and stir well. Spread stuffing over top to make a crust. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes (or slow cooker on low for 3 hours) or until heated through. So easy and yummy. No one minds eating their vegetables this way! :) For another new recipe, head over to Leslie Hachtel, who instigated this hop today! Thanks to everyone who purchased CROSSROADS CORNER - I truly appreciate your support! |
Leslie also had a new release this November. Congratulations! "Freed From Morocco" is Book Three in the Morocco Series is now available on Amazon. Kidnapped and taken to Morocco, Lady Olivia prays for someone to come and save her. Help appears in the form of Tristan, the man she loves. He disguises himself as an English ambassador in order to rescue her, but he is betrayed. Now, she must find a way to help him. Can they escape? And will they ever be free from the clutches of the sultan? |
We're coming to the end of the 2018 Blog Hop with Romance Writers Weekly. We’ll be taking a few weeks off over the holiday season, so our next post won’t be until January 8. I hope we’ll see you back then!
On this, our last blog of the year, Leslie Hachtel asks:
If you could have any Christmas wish come true, what would it be?
If you joined me from Jenna Da Sie, welcome!
I know it is corny, but this question really does bring into focus what makes us truly happy in life. After all, it’s not the gifts under the tree (although they are much appreciated!), it’s the people we share this time with. It’s the memories we’ll make that will help us through the tough times, and the laughter and stories we’ll tell that will brighten each day. And whether you celebrate a religious holiday or not, I think those are the wishes we all share during this season.
I’d like to wish each of you the blessings of the season, and hope this time of year, no matter how you celebrate, brings you peace and joy.
See you in 2019!
Be sure to hop over to Leslie Hachtel and find out what her Christmas wish is!
On this, our last blog of the year, Leslie Hachtel asks:
If you could have any Christmas wish come true, what would it be?
If you joined me from Jenna Da Sie, welcome!
I know it is corny, but this question really does bring into focus what makes us truly happy in life. After all, it’s not the gifts under the tree (although they are much appreciated!), it’s the people we share this time with. It’s the memories we’ll make that will help us through the tough times, and the laughter and stories we’ll tell that will brighten each day. And whether you celebrate a religious holiday or not, I think those are the wishes we all share during this season.
I’d like to wish each of you the blessings of the season, and hope this time of year, no matter how you celebrate, brings you peace and joy.
See you in 2019!
Be sure to hop over to Leslie Hachtel and find out what her Christmas wish is!
We had an unusually warm November, and while the weather is supposed to starting cooling off, there is not even a skiff of snow on the ground. But it’s easy to get into the Christmas spirit with decorations and baking, even if the weather is not cooperating. That’s why I chose this topic this week on Romance Writers Weekly:
I’m not much of a baker, except for at Christmas. Share your favourite holiday treat recipe!
This topic has become a tradition on RWW, and it’s a great way to discover new recipes. Here’s a family favourite, though, that’s great for people like me who like to eat treats but not spend half a day making them. This recipe comes from my aunt, who calls them “Oat Delights.” I can't remember when the name changed, but we now call them "Chocolate Haystacks."
2 c. sugar
6 tbsp. cocoa
½ c. butter
½ c. milk
½ tsp. vanilla
1 c. shredded coconut
3 c. instant or minute oats
Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add vanilla.
Remove from heat and stir in coconut and oats.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Chill for a few hours, then enjoy! Keep in a well-sealed plastic container as they will dry out otherwise.
If you give these a try, I’d love to hear from you. To get your next recipe, head over to Leslie Hachtel's blog!
I’m not much of a baker, except for at Christmas. Share your favourite holiday treat recipe!
This topic has become a tradition on RWW, and it’s a great way to discover new recipes. Here’s a family favourite, though, that’s great for people like me who like to eat treats but not spend half a day making them. This recipe comes from my aunt, who calls them “Oat Delights.” I can't remember when the name changed, but we now call them "Chocolate Haystacks."
2 c. sugar
6 tbsp. cocoa
½ c. butter
½ c. milk
½ tsp. vanilla
1 c. shredded coconut
3 c. instant or minute oats
Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add vanilla.
Remove from heat and stir in coconut and oats.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Chill for a few hours, then enjoy! Keep in a well-sealed plastic container as they will dry out otherwise.
If you give these a try, I’d love to hear from you. To get your next recipe, head over to Leslie Hachtel's blog!
This week on Romance Writers Weekly, Dani Jace asks:
Tis the season for craft fairs. Do you do any crafting, if so what? If not, what’s the favorite thing that you’ve purchased at a craft fair or just a fair.
Those who know me best will be giggling at this week’s topic. A crafter I am not. I have made a few things over the years, but if they’d had Pinterest Fails twenty years ago, I would have been a top contributor.
I’m capable of using a hot glue gun, and can stitch a reasonable straight seam on a sewing machine (I'm good at curtains). But I did not inherit the crafting gene from my mom.
Mom is the reason I love craft fairs. We wander the stalls, and while I gaze in awe at the amazing things people make with such seeming ease, my mom looks at them and goes, “I can do that.” It’s become a bit of a tradition. We go to craft fairs and I pick out what I like – and then my mom goes home and makes it for me as a Christmas gift.
Both my daughters are crafty, although in different ways. Eldest Daughter makes jams and pickles and refashions clothes she buys at thrift stores. Middle Child refinishes old furniture into something new and modern. She also creates lovely wooden signs and wall displays – you know, the ones that cost an arm and a leg in a home décor store.
The upside, of course, is I get all the benefits of homemade crafting, without having to do the work myself! To be honest, it really is a win-win.
That being said, I saw this Flannel Shirt Wreath project recently, and I’m considering giving it a go. It doesn’t require much more than a glue gun, so I think I might be able to handle it. And doesn’t it look perfect for a winter decoration?
How about you? Are you a crafty person? I’d love to see pics of your work – just drop them in the comments! Then hop on over to Leslie Hachtel as she’s your next stop in our blog this week.
Tis the season for craft fairs. Do you do any crafting, if so what? If not, what’s the favorite thing that you’ve purchased at a craft fair or just a fair.
Those who know me best will be giggling at this week’s topic. A crafter I am not. I have made a few things over the years, but if they’d had Pinterest Fails twenty years ago, I would have been a top contributor.
I’m capable of using a hot glue gun, and can stitch a reasonable straight seam on a sewing machine (I'm good at curtains). But I did not inherit the crafting gene from my mom.
Mom is the reason I love craft fairs. We wander the stalls, and while I gaze in awe at the amazing things people make with such seeming ease, my mom looks at them and goes, “I can do that.” It’s become a bit of a tradition. We go to craft fairs and I pick out what I like – and then my mom goes home and makes it for me as a Christmas gift.
Both my daughters are crafty, although in different ways. Eldest Daughter makes jams and pickles and refashions clothes she buys at thrift stores. Middle Child refinishes old furniture into something new and modern. She also creates lovely wooden signs and wall displays – you know, the ones that cost an arm and a leg in a home décor store.
The upside, of course, is I get all the benefits of homemade crafting, without having to do the work myself! To be honest, it really is a win-win.
That being said, I saw this Flannel Shirt Wreath project recently, and I’m considering giving it a go. It doesn’t require much more than a glue gun, so I think I might be able to handle it. And doesn’t it look perfect for a winter decoration?
How about you? Are you a crafty person? I’d love to see pics of your work – just drop them in the comments! Then hop on over to Leslie Hachtel as she’s your next stop in our blog this week.
This will be our last Romance Writers Weekly post for 2017. We'll be taking time off over the next couple weeks to celebrate the holidays, and be back to blogging on January 9, 2018. So to wrap things up, CL Marcolini asked us to share a holiday meme or gif that illustrates our frame of mind this time of year.
If you joined me from Dani Jace, welcome!
As everyone know, the holidays can be stressful. Find the perfect gifts, making time to bake, hosting people for dinners. But it's also a time to celebrate. I think this meme is frantic enough for the first, and fun enough for the second. Plus, it's the Minions. I love the Minions!
If you joined me from Dani Jace, welcome!
As everyone know, the holidays can be stressful. Find the perfect gifts, making time to bake, hosting people for dinners. But it's also a time to celebrate. I think this meme is frantic enough for the first, and fun enough for the second. Plus, it's the Minions. I love the Minions!
I wish you and yours the very best this holidays season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Now be sure to hop on to A.S. Fenichel's blog to see what she chose!
We are in the holiday spirit here at the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop! This week, J.J. Devine asks:
What is your favorite holiday cookie recipe?
If you joined me from Jenna Da Sie http://jennadasie.com, welcome!
I’ll say it write off. I’m not much of a baker. If any of my family are reading this, they are now rolling on the floor laughing at this understatement. That’s not to say I never bake. I make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread and zucchini muffins. But when I do, it usually means the planets have aligned in a very rare sighting!
The only time I always make treats is at Christmas, and I have two all-time favourites. Today I’m going to share Chocolate Haystacks (otherwise known as Oat Delights). The irony is they are a non-bake cookie—but that’s party why I like them!
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp. cocoa
½ cup butter
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
3 cups minute or quick oats
Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add vanilla and stir.
Remove from heat and add coconut and oats.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Chill.
Make about 4 dozen. I usually double the recipe, as they freeze well.
I hope you've discovered a new to you recipe, and be sure to continue collecting your holiday baking recipes with J.J. Devine! Thanks for stopping by!
What is your favorite holiday cookie recipe?
If you joined me from Jenna Da Sie http://jennadasie.com, welcome!
I’ll say it write off. I’m not much of a baker. If any of my family are reading this, they are now rolling on the floor laughing at this understatement. That’s not to say I never bake. I make chocolate chip cookies and banana bread and zucchini muffins. But when I do, it usually means the planets have aligned in a very rare sighting!
The only time I always make treats is at Christmas, and I have two all-time favourites. Today I’m going to share Chocolate Haystacks (otherwise known as Oat Delights). The irony is they are a non-bake cookie—but that’s party why I like them!
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp. cocoa
½ cup butter
½ cup milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut
3 cups minute or quick oats
Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Add vanilla and stir.
Remove from heat and add coconut and oats.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Chill.
Make about 4 dozen. I usually double the recipe, as they freeze well.
I hope you've discovered a new to you recipe, and be sure to continue collecting your holiday baking recipes with J.J. Devine! Thanks for stopping by!
The holiday season is upon us! This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog, C.L. Marcolini asks:
What do you do to get into the holiday spirit?
If you joined me from A.S. Fenichel, welcome!
The weather is a big influence for me in getting into the holiday spirit. Here in Northern British Columbia, we don’t usually have to worry about having a white Christmas. But winters have been getting warmer over the last several years, and the snow we’ve gotten recently is wet and slushy, like spring snow. Despite that, the clean white covering is the first sign it’s time to get ready for the holidays.
What do you do to get into the holiday spirit?
If you joined me from A.S. Fenichel, welcome!
The weather is a big influence for me in getting into the holiday spirit. Here in Northern British Columbia, we don’t usually have to worry about having a white Christmas. But winters have been getting warmer over the last several years, and the snow we’ve gotten recently is wet and slushy, like spring snow. Despite that, the clean white covering is the first sign it’s time to get ready for the holidays.
The next influence on me for getting into the spirit are Christmas lights. My husband loves putting up lights, and we tease him that he is the neighbourhood Clark Griswold. But I have to admit, when the days are so short, it is lovely to come home to a brightly lit up house.
And then there’s the music. I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas songs. There are few new carols released that I like. I prefer the old standbys, but don’t mind a new version of an old favourite once in a while. I discovered The Pentatonix Christmas album last year, and it’s joined the rotation with Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, John Berry, and others.
What do you do to get in the spirit? I’d love to hear from you! Then, be sure to hop onto the next stop on the blog, Leslie Hachtel!
Today's topic on Romance Writers Weekly comes from – me!
Telling stories is as old as the first time a caveman came back from a hunt and told about the big one that got away. Every family and relationship has a story or two that gets told at every get-together. What’s that story in your family? What’s that tale that everyone loves to hear told over and over again?
Oral histories are precious and easily lost. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, I encourage you to jot down some of your family favourites in a computer document or journal. I believe it is so important for the next generation to be connected to those that came before.
Every family has those special stories, some going back generations. For example, my father's ancestor settled in Nova Scotia in the 1700's. Legend has it that he married an Indian woman, and those of us with dark hair and dark eyes are throwbacks to her. This doesn't take into the account the multitude of other genes that have contributed to us from other members of the family, of course, which is what makes it a legend, I guess!
Most of our family's favourite stories make us laugh so hard tears come to our eyes at every telling. On my mother's side, her family emigrated to Canada from Belgium after World War 2. My grandmother's family was from quite well off, and hadn't been too happy about her moving across the globe to be the wife of a farmer. Their first house was small and primitive – but across the street was a large, lovely, well-kept home. So my grandmother took a photo of that and sent it to her mother, with the implication that was their house. I love that story!
My own mother is a creative, talented woman with a daring, adventurous side. She is often the subject of our family stories. Like the time she glued pearl beads to my young brothers' ears to play a trick on our conservative grandmother. Or, in the 1950's, how she smuggled a chipmunk to Belgium on an airplane. The story my own children love best is the one where she was snowshoeing along a road and a snowplow approached. She thought it would be fun to stand under that nice, soft spray of snow arcing off the blade of the blow. Yeah – it's not soft. It's hard, packed tight by momentum. It knocked her flat on her back and all my dad could see of her was the tips of her snowshoes and a mound of snow. My kids wrote lyrics to the tune of Gramma Got Run Over by a Reindeer to memorialize their favourite Gramma story.
Be sure to visit A.S. Fenichel next for a peek at her family stories. And I'd love to hear from you, too! You're invited to tell your own funny, poignant, well-loved family story in the comments. I'll be sure to read and respond to them all.
Telling stories is as old as the first time a caveman came back from a hunt and told about the big one that got away. Every family and relationship has a story or two that gets told at every get-together. What’s that story in your family? What’s that tale that everyone loves to hear told over and over again?
Oral histories are precious and easily lost. Even if you don't consider yourself a writer, I encourage you to jot down some of your family favourites in a computer document or journal. I believe it is so important for the next generation to be connected to those that came before.
Every family has those special stories, some going back generations. For example, my father's ancestor settled in Nova Scotia in the 1700's. Legend has it that he married an Indian woman, and those of us with dark hair and dark eyes are throwbacks to her. This doesn't take into the account the multitude of other genes that have contributed to us from other members of the family, of course, which is what makes it a legend, I guess!
Most of our family's favourite stories make us laugh so hard tears come to our eyes at every telling. On my mother's side, her family emigrated to Canada from Belgium after World War 2. My grandmother's family was from quite well off, and hadn't been too happy about her moving across the globe to be the wife of a farmer. Their first house was small and primitive – but across the street was a large, lovely, well-kept home. So my grandmother took a photo of that and sent it to her mother, with the implication that was their house. I love that story!
My own mother is a creative, talented woman with a daring, adventurous side. She is often the subject of our family stories. Like the time she glued pearl beads to my young brothers' ears to play a trick on our conservative grandmother. Or, in the 1950's, how she smuggled a chipmunk to Belgium on an airplane. The story my own children love best is the one where she was snowshoeing along a road and a snowplow approached. She thought it would be fun to stand under that nice, soft spray of snow arcing off the blade of the blow. Yeah – it's not soft. It's hard, packed tight by momentum. It knocked her flat on her back and all my dad could see of her was the tips of her snowshoes and a mound of snow. My kids wrote lyrics to the tune of Gramma Got Run Over by a Reindeer to memorialize their favourite Gramma story.
Be sure to visit A.S. Fenichel next for a peek at her family stories. And I'd love to hear from you, too! You're invited to tell your own funny, poignant, well-loved family story in the comments. I'll be sure to read and respond to them all.
As we head into the holiday season, Sarah Hegger has challenged us to write "All I want for Christmas … " It could be a memoir, a thought, a wish list or flash fiction. If you joined me from Eden Ashe, welcome!
Here is my short, but hopefully sweet, contribution to this week's blog hop.
ALL through the dark winter nights
I wait with joyful anticipation
WANTing only the time of togetherness.
FOR when family and friends gather, I know it is
CHRISTMAS.
What do you think? I'd love to read your comments. Then click on through to Jeana E. Mann for the next stop on our hop!
Here is my short, but hopefully sweet, contribution to this week's blog hop.
ALL through the dark winter nights
I wait with joyful anticipation
WANTing only the time of togetherness.
FOR when family and friends gather, I know it is
CHRISTMAS.
What do you think? I'd love to read your comments. Then click on through to Jeana E. Mann for the next stop on our hop!
Tomorrow, I'll be hosting fellow Romance Writer Weekly author Collette Cameron. She's sharing some of the more icky, er, interesting research she discovered while writing her new short story, "A Kiss for Miss Kingsley" (I love that title). Come back and visit, won't you? Here's an excerpt - sounds great, doesn't it?
EXCERPT
“This is a monumental mistake.” Fingering the ruby pendant hanging at her neck, Olivia Kingsley peeked out the window as the conveyance rounded the corner onto Berkeley Square. Carriage upon carriage, like great shiny beetles, lined up beside an ostentatious manor.
Guests in their evening finery swarmed before the grand entrance and on the stairs as they waited their turn to enter Viscount and Viscountess Wimpleton’s home.
Trepidation dried her mouth and tightened her chest. Yes, attending the ball was a featherbrained solicitation for disaster. No good could come of it.
God’s toenails, what was I thinking, agreeing to Auntie Muriel’s addlepated scheme?
Olivia flattened against the sky-blue squab in the corner of her aunt’s coach and vehemently shook her head. “I cannot do it.”
A curl came loose, plopping onto Olivia’s forehead.
Bother.
She shoved the annoying tendril beneath a pin, having no doubt the tresses would work their way free before evening’s end. Patting the circlet of rubies adorning her hair, she assured herself the band remained secure.
Her pulse beat an erratic staccato, and she searched for a plausible excuse for refusing to attend the ball after all.
“I ... We,” she wiggled her gloved fingers at her brother, Bradford, lounging on the opposite seat, appearing as contented as their fat cat, Socrates, after lapping a saucer of cream, “were not invited.”
Terribly gauche, that. Showing up at a haut ton function, no invitation in hand.
“Nonsense, darling. It’s perfectly acceptable for you to accompany me.” Aunt Muriel, the Duchess of Daventry, patted Olivia’s knee with her plump hand. “Lady Wimpleton is one of my dearest friends. Why, we had our come-out together, and I’m positive had she known that you and Bradford had recently returned to England, she would have extended an invitation herself.”
Not if she knew the volatile way her son and I parted company, she wouldn’t have.
EXCERPT
“This is a monumental mistake.” Fingering the ruby pendant hanging at her neck, Olivia Kingsley peeked out the window as the conveyance rounded the corner onto Berkeley Square. Carriage upon carriage, like great shiny beetles, lined up beside an ostentatious manor.
Guests in their evening finery swarmed before the grand entrance and on the stairs as they waited their turn to enter Viscount and Viscountess Wimpleton’s home.
Trepidation dried her mouth and tightened her chest. Yes, attending the ball was a featherbrained solicitation for disaster. No good could come of it.
God’s toenails, what was I thinking, agreeing to Auntie Muriel’s addlepated scheme?
Olivia flattened against the sky-blue squab in the corner of her aunt’s coach and vehemently shook her head. “I cannot do it.”
A curl came loose, plopping onto Olivia’s forehead.
Bother.
She shoved the annoying tendril beneath a pin, having no doubt the tresses would work their way free before evening’s end. Patting the circlet of rubies adorning her hair, she assured herself the band remained secure.
Her pulse beat an erratic staccato, and she searched for a plausible excuse for refusing to attend the ball after all.
“I ... We,” she wiggled her gloved fingers at her brother, Bradford, lounging on the opposite seat, appearing as contented as their fat cat, Socrates, after lapping a saucer of cream, “were not invited.”
Terribly gauche, that. Showing up at a haut ton function, no invitation in hand.
“Nonsense, darling. It’s perfectly acceptable for you to accompany me.” Aunt Muriel, the Duchess of Daventry, patted Olivia’s knee with her plump hand. “Lady Wimpleton is one of my dearest friends. Why, we had our come-out together, and I’m positive had she known that you and Bradford had recently returned to England, she would have extended an invitation herself.”
Not if she knew the volatile way her son and I parted company, she wouldn’t have.