NEW YEARS EVE - countdown to 2013

As we get ready to ring in the new year, it's always a time of reflection for me. I like to look back on the year, the new friends I've made, the old friends I've reconnected with, the progress I've made with personal goals and all the fun along the way.

Here in our household we've always followed the tradition of fresh black-eyed peas on New Years Day for good luck. I start on Sunday soaking a good salty Virginia ham and on New Years Eve I'll be slow cooking that ham and the black-eyed peas together.

Now, it was news to me to learn today that you're supposed to eat collards for money. Who knew? Not me, and I have a garden full of fresh collards. I think I'll add them to the menu just for good measure, even if they don't sound too good together.

We stay home, the husband and I, on New Years Eve and we'll probably celebrate 2013 on the Greenland time zone. I can stay awake that long!

What will you be doing and what traditions do you follow?

About Nancy :: I am the author of the Adams Grove series and the co-author of the YA novel, inkBLOT. I write stories from the crossroad of small town and suspense.

Check out my website NancyNaigle.com and on facebook and twitter @NancyNaigle

Two more Adams Grove novels coming out in 2013. Wedding Cake and Big Mistakes will come out in July, followed by Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies around Labor Day.  Thanks so much for being a part of my journey.
Hugs and happy reading.

Take a Moment to be Thankful--I Will

Here on the eve of that All American Food Fest called Thanksgiving Day, instead of exploring the world of myths, I'm pondering some "truths" for which I am deeply grateful.

Thanksgiving is not only an opportunity to indulge your love for all things starchy and gravy, thereby inducing the infamous "turkey coma," but also a day for which we should pause and ponder the good fortune of our lives.

This year, perhaps we can all be thankful that the election mayhem is well and truly over. The election commercials have ceased clogging the airwaves. PAC's are no longer stalking our  home phones. And everyone can resume normal life, as we know it.

Then there is our great good fortune to live in this country. All politics aside, we are fortunate to live in the ol' USofA. We can walk our streets in relative safety, no need to fear the whine of incoming missiles. We can go to the local store and are offered a variety of goods that would stagger some. We can worship our higher power of choice without fear of another groups attempting to obliterate us from the face of the earth. We can pursue whatever level of education or knowledge we choose without someone censoring our information or trying to kill us for reaching above our station/race/sex. The list in my heart goes on, but these stand out and I am thankful.

More personally, I am thankful for the multitude of blessings this year. I remain in good health as do all members of my family, far and wide. My son and new daughter-in-law will be blessing our family with a grand-daughter in the coming year. My writing continues to improve and my novella was accepted for publication - Collector's Item coming out in 2013. I have broadened my base of friends and have connected with a wonderful group of talented women to create this blog - Words, Women, Wisdom.

And I continue to have the loving support of a wonderful man, my husband of sixteen years.

So, take a moment tomorrow, before you dive into that Thanksgiving Bonanza and count your blessings. I guarantee it will make the meal all the sweeter.

Happy Thanksgiving and Blessed Be!

Denise Golinowski is a reader and writer of fantasy and romance. Her first enovella, The Festival of the Flowers: The Courtesan and the Scholar is available now through the Wild Rose Press. Her second enovella, Collector's Item will also be published by The Wild Rose Press in 2013. You can also visit her blog at Golinowski's Gambol.

SWEET TEA AND SUMMER VACATIONS

Happy last summer Monday of July friends.
Nancy Naigle here and I'll be joining you the last Monday of every month from my farm here in southern Virginia. We raise goats here on Holland Farm which is located not but about 20 minutes from the Carolina line off I95. Thanks for joining me today.

I love summer and as a kid I loved summer vacations. Here in southern Virginia my family spent a lot of time on the beach, sunning, crabbing, and enjoying the outdoors. As we hit those middle grade years we did the Busch Gardens and Kings Dominion trips. How did we survive the heat? I don't do it so well these days. Well, beach days are over for me. Aside from the fact that I can't stand the thought of shopping for a swimsuit, I swear it's hotter now than it used to be. My momma is a redhead so you can imagine how well I tan -- yeah, I don't. I get burnt slap up while my husband turns as brown as piece of jerky. It's just not fair.

One thing that I do still love about summer is getting together for picnics and cookouts. Okay, cookout and eat-in. Isn't it cool when you get to the point where everyone has their specialty so you barely have to suggest who is bringing what -- everyone already knows. My step-children hit that level this year. Michelle brings watergate salad and Michael surprised us with his homemade potato salad at our last get together. Both were perfect. I guess that was their final step into adulthood. :) We'll be celebrating Michael's 30th birthday in August. Seems like not that long ago he was learning to drive...in my car...my heart racing....gulp!

Summer tip: When the temperatures are scorching I try to make ice cubes out of whatever beverage I'm serving, too. It helps keep folks with a cool drink in hand that stays fresh to the last drop. There's nothing worse than watered down sweet tea!

Here's the link to Pearl's famous sweet tea from my novel Sweet Tea and Secrets~

http://www.NancyNaigle.com/sweettea.htm 

Here's to summer vacation memories and making new ones that are just as wonderful.
Hugs and happy summer~
Nancy