A Song to Count Your Blessings

    In this special season of giving thanks for all we have, I want to share one of my favorite songs, Count Your Blessings, by Bing Crosby, from 1954's White Christmas. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't Hate Me Because ... Plus The Goodbye Lie Diaries - Miss Ella

The time is now.
Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

Jane Marie writes:  Through no fault of my own, the azaleas are in bloom again here in Florida.  Please don't be mad, if you are wearing a woolen parka over four layers of shirts and sweaters.  Perhaps the image of these pretty, perky azaleas will brighten your day.  Perhaps not.  (I have noticed how teasing is much more fun for the teaser.)

The Goodbye Lie Diaries
Circa Late 1800s
Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

*Miss Ella Dunnigan

Miss Ella writes:  Now really, Jane Marie.  While those photographs are lovely, you showing them to those in parts of the world which do not have such balmy weather as ours, is less than gracious.  I'm sorry to treat you as a child, but you should know better.  Always be kind - or folks might think you're related to Aunt Noreen.  You are, of course, but I see no need in advertising that fact. Do you?   

*Miss Ella Dunnigan in The Goodbye Lie historical romance series is the ever-wise matriarch of the Irish American family of four grown or soon to be grown children, two grandmothers, one kin and the other, well, she might as well be kin, the often snarling Aunt Noreen and a husband, Michael.  Family is just the beginning ...

Zentangle for All!

     I recently took a Zentangle* class at our Island Art Association Gallery located at 18 N. 2nd St, Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida. (904 261-7020)  Local artists share their talents and supplies with anyone interested in the different art forms they teach.  Since I had never heard of Zentangle, I googled it and it looked interesting.  Little did I know how simple it is to do.

     Meant to be a relaxation exercise, my decorative pumpkin is the result. I've taken pictures from different angles to show it off. :-) There are particular patterns to copy, and/or you can create your own.  A fine tipped permanent ink black Sharpie marker and, in this case, a foam pumpkin, from a craft store, with a solid plastic covering, works perfectly.  Whatever you decorate, make certain it is a nonporous surface or else the ink might bleed, causing uneven lines.  You can use a larger tipped black Sharpie to fill in any solid black areas you desire.  The thicker tip will fill in faster and you won't dull your fine point pen. 

     I asked what else can be decorated.  The instructor showed a birthday card with a Zentangle cake on the the front.  She also mentioned she had decorated the collar and cuffs of a long sleeve white blouse using a fabric pen.  I can see it now, coupled with a black sweater.  Very fetching.

     To find other objects on which to draw, I went to my kitchen cupboard and tried writing on the bottom of a coffee mug and mason jar.  Then I rubbed where I'd drawn and it didn't smear.  So I went to the dollar store, got a couple of plain white ceramic mugs, a square ceramic dinner plate and an easel to display the finished product.  Oh, and some plain white ornaments.  Who says you can't use fine point colored markers, too?  

     The next time granddaughter Ava visits, we'll be Zentangling!  She's excited to give it a try because it's perfect for all ages! In fact, it would be a fun thing to do as a family affair over the holidays.  Everybody can decorate his or her own mug!  Be sure and sign and date it, too!

*The Zentangle®Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.  It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas.  "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc.  Learn more at zentangle.com. 

Meet Bagatha

     My companion at every book signing, Bagatha is  hardworking, attractive  and always at the ready 
when I need her assistance.  Who is this creature with the most unusual name?  It is my 12 inch tall, give or take, doll who wears a white cotton cap and colorful floral patterned dress.  After a busy day, her full skirts are slender. Why? Because inside those skirts she holds our bags by which we can offer free gift wrapping to any who want to protect their Goodbye Lie series novels from the elements.  By free gift wrapping, we mean those plastic bags meant for recycling.  Try though we might to always take our own cloth totes to the stores, we still end up with the plastic bags. Folks always chuckle over this complimentary bonus.  You know me, chuckling is almost as good as guffawing.
     When trying to think of a name for the dolly, I asked my granddaughter, Ava, for her suggestions. With nary a blink, Ava replied "Bagatha." Perfect and clever!                                                                Please join us and our fictional Dunnigan family characters in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in the Goodbye Lie novels, set in the late 1880s.  Let them create long lasting memories for you. They certainly have for me.                 
                                        -jmm