Giving Thanks by Leah St. James

It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., a  time to pause to give thanks and reflect on our blessings. Among mine are the many friendships I've made in the writing world, especially my fellow Roses of Prose. What an honor it was to be asked to join you a few years ago, and what a joy it's been to get to know you each a little. I will be checking in regularly with you on Facebook, and I'm so looking forward to reading this year's crop of holiday stories.

This quote from Emerson says it all for me:

 

Whether you're celebrating with a crowd or an intimate group, whether your version of the Thanksgiving feast is today, tomorrow or a week from now, wishing you a time of joy and laughter, and the love of many friends, old and new. 

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Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the power of love. Learn more at her website. Happy Thanksgiving!

Being Thankful by Diane Burton

This time of year, you’ll see many posts on being thankful. I hope you’ll indulge me with one more. I am so blessed with my family. Hubs and I were married on Thanksgiving Day. He says that’s how he’ll never forget our anniversary. 😊 After forty-six years, we’ve had many events—big and small—to be thankful for. We’ve had good times and difficult ones. Our relationship grew stronger during the difficult times. We don’t always see eye-to-eye on issues. Most of the time, we cancel each other’s vote. We enjoy different TV shows and movies. I love reading fiction. He doesn’t. However, he will read my books. His usual response: not bad or pretty good. Glowing praise from him. Together, we raised two children. Because of the demands of his job, he missed much of the children’s early years. He’s making up for that with our youngest grandchildren.

I’m so proud of our children. Despite the “normal” teenage conflicts, when I despaired that we’d ever have a good relationship, they’ve become loving, responsible adults with families of their own. I admire their parenting skills. Most of all, I’m thankful they found loving spouses who support them in so many ways.

There’s a saying “If I knew grandchildren were so much fun, I would’ve had them first.” I can say, with all certainty, that’s true. During a stressful time, we visited our daughter’s family in Indianapolis when our first grandchild was a baby. Rocking a sleeping baby brought so much peace and relaxation. My stress went away as I cuddled her. With each grandchild (five now), I’ve felt the same. Time disappeared. I had nowhere else to be. No chores to do. Just holding and rocking a baby was enough. I wish I’d known that when my babies were that small. I’m so thankful for the second chance.

While I’m thankful for living in a land of freedom, I fear for our future. In our efforts to protect our country, will our liberties be lost? Will Emma Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty (“…give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me…”) be a lie? I’m thankful my ancestors found refuge here.

As I give thanks, I must add the fabulous authors I’ve found here on this blog. We went from strangers to friends as we shared our lives, our sadness and triumphs. I’m grateful for the support they’ve given me, the attagirls and the commiserations. While the deadlines for twice monthly posts always seem to catch me unawares, I wouldn’t have missed this experience. These ladies made me stretch my creativity with the annual holiday stories. Prior to my first time, I hadn’t written a short story since high school (back in the Dark Ages). Talk about fear and trepidation! That was in 2013. Now, I look forward to writing a short story that begins with the same first line as the others. More than that, I look forward to reading the others’ stories. Despite the same prompt, we all have such different stories. I hope you enjoy them, too. My story will be up on December 8 – 10.

With this being my last post, I want to say how thankful I am for all of our readers. Enjoy the holidays.

The Holiday Table by Mackenzie Crowne

© Adobe Stock

For a girl who grew up in a large Irish clan full of loving loudmouths, Thanksgiving Day kicks off a time of family, food, fellowship, and…football, of course. 'Tis the season of goodwill and, for our family, the holiday table has always been ground zero for experiencing the joy of the season. Each year, beginning in mid November, the table expanders were pulled from the closet to accommodate the extra bodies that inevitably joined our gatherings. Stampedes into the living room to secure the best seat for the game followed the hours of overeating, conversation and laughter.

Come to think of it, that describes my memories of pretty much any given fall or winter Sunday when I was a girl.

With eight kids, our table was large even before the expanders were inserted. On normal days, that scared stretch of wood sat ten and there was rarely an open seat. One side didn’t actually have chairs. Instead, there was an oversized, hard wooden bench that stretched the full length of the table. Thank God we were a skinny bunch, since most of the time, those relegated to the bench shared it with four other bottoms.

The fact is, the only thing that distinguished Thanksgiving and Christmas from just about every other weekend at our table was the expanded menu. Christmas meant roast beef, one of Dad’s specialties and a personal favorite of mine, while Mom oversaw Thanksgiving and the dry bird. She made a mean cherry pie but, unfortunately, like me, she wasn’t much of a cook. (Hence the skinny butts)

Many years have passed since our clan gathered around that scarred table, but the raucous and wonderful memories we made there never fade—like the yearly battle over the wishbone, or the year dad choked out a laugh at something my brother said, and spittled dessert over all of us. We have our own tables now in Boston, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix. Mom, Dad, and a beloved brother share a table in Heaven these days, and thousands of miles separate the rest of us, but the love and laughter we found at that table draw us back together often.

So, as we enter this joyous season and you and yours gather around your own holiday tables, here is my wish for you. May your Turkey be juicy, your favorite team victorious, and your bottom skinny.

When Mac isn’t gathering for the holidays with family and friends, she spends her time weaving HEAs for her characters, like Gabe and Jane, the hero and heroine of A CASE FOR CALAMITY, a Christmas novella via

The Wild Rose Press.

Those Good Distractions by Brenda Whiteside

We writers often speak of distractions that keep us from writing. I like to think I can write through most anything. I'm not saying how good my prose is when I'm in the throes of life's complications, but I shoulder on. MOST of the time. These last few weeks, not even yours truly could get a word down on paper.

A game of Jenga on Thanksgiving

If left alone, regardless of what ails me or is disrupting my mental calm, I write. What I like to call physical distractions are another story. Our RV is only a year old and we've had problems from day one. We're supposed to be at the RV ranch mixing it up with our winter visitor friends, but the RV had some issues and we had to take it to Prescott which is two and a half hours away. It turned into a week of frustration. While in Prescott we stay with Mom, sister, and brother-in-law. They are what I mean by physical distractions. Although my mom is my biggest fan and can't wait until my next book comes out, she doesn't quite get it that it won't happen unless I have time to write. Family...got to love them.

We barely got the RV parked and we were off to our son's home for Thanksgiving. It's a short,

She cooked it all plus pies!

wonderful holiday and I wouldn't even want to write. We've had a great time, and I'm particularly thankful I have a daughter-in-law who likes to cook because mom-in-law doesn't. She did every little thing for our feast. I was tasked with playing with my granddaughter. Oh what a job. LOL

We'll head back to the RV ranch today, but it will be at least two days before any writing gets done. There's tons to unpack and set up. AND I'll miss all my wonderful distractions called family!

Looking for a good book to read between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or maybe a Christmas present? Books are the best kind of present. Look here:
Brenda's Amazon Author Page

Best Cranberry Sauce Ever by Jannine Gallant

Thanksgiving is almost here, so of course we're all thinking about food. The smell of the turkey roasting in the oven. The gorgeousness of the pumpkin pie waiting on the counter. I love to cook, and I frequently make up my own recipes, so I thought I'd share my family's traditional holiday fare with you. One problem, though...I never measure anything. I make a killer scratch stuffing for that roasting turkey, but it's hard to write down, "Sprinkle (or dump) in a little of this and a little of that, taste, and add more." Not very helpful. There is one dish I have actually put into recipe form. Cranberry sauce. If you are currently eating this with your holiday meal...

...I'm here to save you from yourself. Even if you're dressing it up so it looks like this...

...it still tastes like that can. Trust me on this. For years, I tried different cranberry sauce recipes, looking for one that was perfect. They all failed my taste test, so I gave up and created my own. It's simple to make and extremely tasty. Give it a shot, so your family can have this...

...with your holiday meal, instead!

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. bag of cranberries, washed
1 1/2 cups peeled, chopped apple
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider

Bring all ingredients to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer 30 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and mash. Cool then chill until serving.

If you're looking for an exciting read during the holidays to while away your time while the turkey is roasting, visit my WEBSITE to find out more about my books. Happy Thanksgiving! Please eat responsibly... LOL

Ten Things I'm Thankful For by Christine DePetrillo

In no particular order...

1. A reclining couch. I just think better leaning back at a 120-degree angle. I do all my writing on my reclining couch and the words come a lot faster than when at a 90-degree angle. And 180 degrees would just make me sleepy.
2. Saturdays. My favorite day of the week. Anything is possible on a Saturday. It’s got its own brand of magic.
3. The woods. The happiest of places for me. I love the music nature makes. Trees offer a serenity I can’t find anywhere else.
4. The Werewolf. He reminds me to play… and growl at neighbors.
5. The Husband. I wouldn’t know how to vinyl side a house if he and I never met. There’s actually many things I wouldn’t know without him.
6. Family and friends. It’s always good knowing there are people in my corner, cheering me on or ready to laugh with me.
7. My readers. I love those loyal fans who are the first to buy my books and are willing to tell (or in some cases bully) people to read my stories. I write for you, peeps.
8. Book Boyfriends. Where else can you collect men and have it be acceptable to society? Only in the pages of those happily-ever-afters. I can’t get enough of them.
9. Opportunities. They are all around us if we keep our eyes and hearts open. I’ve been doing that more lately and am amazed at how doors open when you pay attention. 
10. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Because I had to have one sweet treat on this list. Peanut butter cups are my go-to candy. Just don’t leave me alone with a bag of them. I don’t really understand the concept of “serving size” when left unattended with these.

What are you thankful for this year?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

Happy to be a mutt...by Leah St. James

As I sat on my couch, wondering what wonderful words of wisdom I could share with you this Thanksgiving week (ha!), an ad for AcestryDNA.com came on the TV. You know – where you send them a sample of your DNA, they analyze it and  send you back your “real” heritage.

What a fun topic for Thanksgiving, I thought – the American holiday where we commemorate the English settlers’ survival in The New World back in 1600-something. Since then, our nation has become a true melting pot of many nationalities and backgrounds, which I think is one of its greatest strength.

In the commercial, the woman said she’s always thought she was 100 percent Hispanic, only to discover that she’s “everything.”  And that’s the point of the commercial – that you never really know exactly what your make-up is, unless you undergo DNA testing, of course.

Let’s take my son, as an example. He sent his spit off in a plastic vial a few years back, and he did get a few interesting results.

But first, some background:

My husband loves studying genealogy and has traced his ancestors’ roots to Germany (50 percent), Ireland (25 percent) and Wales (25 percent).  As an odd side note, he considers himself more Welsh than Irish, despite the identical percentages. And he’s an accountant. Go figure.

I, on the other hand, am a mutt. Or at least I think I am. My mother was adopted, although back then the records weren’t sealed. Her adoptive parents told her she was from the Prussian part of Germany – which I found quite romantic. I’m not German. I’m PRUSSIAN. The knowledge  spawned many fantasies of discovering myself to be long-lost royalty from some tiny Germanic principality. My father’s side isn’t much better. He left when I was about four, so we know little about his background, but Mom always said he was all German.  Years later, we found out his mother’s side was from Eastern Europe – either Poland or Lithuania...something like that. So I’m German, Prussian and some sort of Eastern European. I’ve always guestimated myself as 75 percent German and 25 percent Eastern European.

So if I do the math, my children would be:

12.5 percent Irish
12.5 percent Welsh
62.5 percent(ish) German
12.5 percent Eastern European

If there are mathematicians/statisticians out there, please don’t grade me on this. It’s been decades since I cracked a book on genetics, and I’m sure my methodology has a few holes in it. :-)

Anyway, take a look at the report my son got back

His heritage is  99 percent European. Makes sense. But if we drill down, we see that some of the percentages are a little off. More from Ireland than Great Britain? Interesting. One of those Welsh ancestors must have come from Ireland!

Thirty-two percent from Western Europe, 22 percent from Eastern – those I can buy. But 11 percent from the Iberian Peninsula?

According to AcestrDNA.com, “People in this DNA ethnicity group may identify as: Spanish, Portuguese, Hispanic.” 

Now there’s a mystery!

This result prompted hubby to order his own spit kit from the company. Alas, even after two attempts, the samples he sent weren’t enough to generate results – very disappointing.

My sister, when she saw the report, implored me to send my own sample off for testing, figuring the “Iberians” must be from our side, and she didn’t feel like spitting in a cup. I promptly declined. I don’t want my DNA floating around out there, stored in some lab!  Some crook could get hold of it and do who-knows-what with it!

Although maybe I should, just in case some obscure Germanic principality is seeking descendants of its royal line....

Nah. In truth, I’m happy to be a mutt. I’m happy to be American. 

So as I celebrate Thanksgiving with my husband and two grown sons, I’ll thank the fates that landed me in this country of freedoms, in a family that hasn’t been rich in money but has been so rich in love.  I’ll give a prayer of thanks  for our collective health, for our jobs, for the joy of story-telling and for those who love reading. 

Wishing you and yours a joyous and safe Thanksgiving.

Leah writes stories of mystery and romance, good and evil and the power of love. She blogs here the 22nd of each month, but posts odds and ends, like pictures of her son's six-month-old kitten, on Facebook.She loves chatting on Twitter and occasionally blogs on her own website.

Thanksgiving at my house by Barbara Edward

Thanksgiving at my house this year.

Most of my family last summer

My husband and I are eating at home. Alone.

As you know, my husband and I have a large family. All our children are married with children of their own. So where are the multiple invitations to various houses? We didn’t get even one this year. 

Don’t get me wrong. I really tried not to be hurt. After all, I knew years ago my daughters-in-law would want to spend holidays with their families and I tried to be understanding. One or the other would say, hey, come over here. We’re having turkey with so-n-so, but there’s room for two more.

I'll admit It made me itch to be the the add-on.

His family? Hey, what can I say? His daughters host his ex-wife and her husband every holiday. And they are uncomfortable with us there. To be honest, I was, too. I gave a sigh of relief we’re not invited, but his feelings are hurt that neither his two sons or two daughters included him.

So we’re planning a festive meal together. Cornish game hens since even a small turkey is too much, brussels sprouts, corn bread, baked potatoes, fresh-made cranberry sauce, cranberry bread, 

We’ll overeat and sleep through the football games.

We’ll take the dog for a walk if its nice. Or snowing.

I’ll Thank God for my family and pray for every good thing to be theirs. I’ll include my husband's family since I do like theI

I’ll exchange smiles with my husband and Thank God that he survived his bladder cancer last winter. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Take an afternoon and read my Christmas novella to get in the mood.

Dixie’s Gift by Barbara Edwards

Buy Link: https://amzn.com/B017OJGVIY

Ellen Carter deeply grieves for her husband Dan, but at least she still has Dixie, her beloved Malinois. However, soon Dixie leaves her too. But the faithful dog cannot rest easy in heaven while her mistress is unhappy. Dixie pleads with the Archangel Michael to let her send help, and intercedes for Ellen in the only way she can. But will Ellen get the message, and more importantly, will she accept Dixie's gift?

Sexy newcomer Michael Burke can barely take enough time from his successful restaurant for a decent night's sleep, let alone romance. Still, he is intrigued by the beautiful widow and can't resist entering her shop. Sparks fly, and when Ellen has an accident in a snowstorm, he comes to her rescue. Trapped by a blizzard and aided by Dixie's Gift, Ellen and Michael find more than shelter--they find love.

Buy Link: https://amzn.com/B017OJGVIY

Please follow, friend or like me. I love to hear from my readers.

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Giving Thanks by Christine DePetrillo

I have so much to be thankful for during this current reincarnation of myself. I don't know all the details about my past lives, but I hope they were as awesome as this one has been so far.

The following list is some of the things I'm giving thanks for this year:

1. Health - I feel great! There must be something to all that advice about diet and exercise and meditation. Or maybe it's the weekly wine therapy. Either way, here's to many more years of feeling at optimal physical and mental performance.

2. The Husband - Seriously, the dude gets better as the years go on. Nearly 19 years of marriage and I haven't thought about exchanging him once.

3. The Family - As far as families go, mine's pretty awesome. I hear a lot about family life from my students and all the tales aren't happy ones. I don't think I realized as a kid how wonderful my parents--and even my younger brother--were. They are all still wonderful and I'm fortunate to have come from such good DNA.

4. The Work Peeps - Good Goddess, if I didn't have my work besties, I would have gone insane on the job a long time ago. It's so important to have adults that you can look at with that "do-you-believe-this-shit?" expression on your face and have them give you the "right?" look back. Subtle, but often the difference between making it to the end of the work day or walking off the job.

5. The Writing/Reading Peeps - Being friends with other writers has enriched my life on so many levels. It's great to be around other people who understand the drive to tell stories. I've also met tons of awesome readers that have made this year marvelous for me as a writer. Readers rock!

6. Fur Babies - I'm one of those people who requires connection to furry creatures. My cats and dog often remind me to slow down for a minute - sleep in a curled up position, lounge in rectangles of sun-warmed wood flooring, stretch, play, cuddle... I'm a more balanced person because of them.

7. Mother Nature - I'd rather be outside than inside and I continually am in awe of everything Mother Nature gives us. Sometimes when I'm walking my dog, I breathe deeply and try to take in as much of the natural world as I can. I want to have that essence with me wherever I go. I'm always giving thanks for the beauty I see all around me. Everything from the texture of rose petals to the cloudless blue of the sky to the melody of a brook to the scent of a pinecone fills me with an energy I couldn't live without.

8. My Muse - She hasn't abandoned me. Ideas for writing keep coming. My Muse has been busy this year and she shows no signs of retiring. I love her fortitude and loyalty.

What are you thankful for this year?

Toodles,
Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com
SAFE, Book One, The Shielded Series, available now.
PROTECTED, Book Two, The Shielded Series, coming soon!

Thanksgiving, End of the Year, and Short Stories

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. With all the recent violence in the world, I was especially reminded to be thankful that my family is safe, that our little corner of the universe was spared the tragedies others are experiencing. The president of my writers’ group (Mid-Michigan RWA) encouraged us to write ten things we’re grateful for this year. This great exercise made me stop the frenzy of getting ready for company and planning a big dinner. Among things like our families, most of us wrote about the friends we’ve made in the writing community. I’m especially grateful for my wonderful online friends, like the Roses who welcomed me into their fold three years ago. Thank you, ladies. I’ve enjoyed getting to know and thank you all for your encouragement and support.

This post marks my last “official” post of the year. (More on that below.) So I’ll wish you all Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. We started out 2015 writing on themes. At first, that seemed to give us direction. But then our posts became almost too similar. I’m so glad we returned to “free range” topics. I’ve been surprised (and pleased) at the topics I’ve written about that elicited a strong response. I’m sure the other Roses have had that experience, too. Sometimes, we inadvertently strike a chord that resonates within the readers. What a great feeling.

Back to the reason this is my last post of the year. Starting tomorrow, the Roses bring a special gift to our readers. Our annual collection of free short stories, Ringing in the Holidays. As in the past, all our stories begin with the same first line: A ringing phone at two in the morning never brought good news. The talented Alison Henderson designed the cover. Isn’t it great?

By luck of the draw, I was given the privilege of kicking off this year’s collection. So come back tomorrow for part one of “The Christmas Jailbirds.”

Diane Burton writes romantic adventure . . . stories that take place on Earth and beyond. She blogs here on the 8th and 30th of each month and on Mondays on her own site: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/