Free Valentine Tree Plus Breelan and The Goodbye Lie Diaries

     I love to decorate at no cost by way of using items I already have.  So, if you possess a plant, no matter the size, that is screaming decorate me with valentines, well, do it.  Here is what I did:

     A living Norfolk pine, formerly decorated for Christmas, has delicate branches which are pretty, but not strong.  With that in mind, I wound a string of white lights up and down the trunk.  We had different diameter silver balls and I used them.  I love dried flowers, hence the purple statice, a few white roses and baby's breath. With pink, purple and white copy paper, I cut out valentines of variou shapes and sizes. The best part was adding the teddy bear. I covered the black plastic pot in a white tablecloth, securing it in the back with one of those black binder clips, pooling it artfully. 😁 I made sure the cloth was away from the trunk in order to water the plant.  Finally, I added a couple of cherubs and a pretty heart shaped plate from my sister, Nancy Kamp, and there you have it.  It didn't cost a penny.

     The plan is to decorate this living tree for the different holidays. I can't wait! 

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The Goodbye Lie Diaries 

(Definded - Through the magic of electronics and a sprinkle of stardust, we are able to communicate with the Dunnigan family of The Goodbye Lie series, set in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida in the late 1800s!  Scattered through this blog, you will discover a diary entry from Breelan, Peeper, Miss Ella, Pat ... and others who live inside the pages of my historcal romance/suspense/mystery novels. They offer their positive comments, well mostly positive, until Aunt Noreen pipes up.  Oops, that was less than gracious.  I confess I have been reprimanded for telling too much of their personal stories in the books.  I apologized, but then explained how their tales are so mesmerizing and entertaining, it would be a disservice not to share.  (Guilt often works well.) Grudgingly, I was forgiven.  It's nice to have the permission of the fictional characters about whom you are writing.    

Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida

Breelan writes:  Such a lovely idea, Jane Marie. We can decorate Miss Ella's parlor palm.  I'm sure my mother will allow us to do so.  She is all in when it comes to family activies.   The children can help with the paper valentines and make cookies to hang, enough for us all,  Aunt Noreen and Uncle Clabe, too.  We will just have to wait to add the cookies on Valentine's Day morning lest our father strips the palm of anything eatable within the first thrity minutes.  Oh, I know.  We can assign Grandmother Peeper to gurad duty. She may be advanced in years, but she can hear the ting of the metal cookie jar lid being raised from clear out in the barn, so she will catch her Mr. Michael quick enough.

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The Goodbye Lie series, set in the late 1800s, in Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida reveals the deeds and misdeeds of the Irish-American Dunnigan family. 

  

The Goodbye Lie historical romance series 

is available in E-books and Paperbacks