To Bill and Coo

    Yes, as you may know, to bill and coo means to 

smooch and speak softly to each other. As the author of The Goodbye Lie  historical romance novels, I thought it best to find out the origin of this idiom. (Don't be too impressed.  I looked it up.)  I guessed the coo represented the sweet sound doves make, doves usually being the birds in love birds.  But billing?  I had no idea.  It seems the origin of billing is from birds affectionately rubbing their bills together. It's as simple as that.  These are the things that clog my mine.  -jmm

                             The Goodbye Lie series  

        in E-books and Paperbacks

The Goodbye Lie series is on Amelia Island in north Florida, circa late 1800s

 - the Lure, the Love, the Legend that is the Dunnigan family saga ...    

With the Happy Comes ...

Ever-Watching Abby,  the Food Warden

     Everybody is wishing everybody else a happy new year, myself included. But with the happy comes the new year diet. And with the diet comes the going without fun food. With the prize of a skinnier you as a goal, may I present a poem I composed over a 4.78 second period. With that much intense thought, you know it's good. For your encouragement:

A clean, fresh start,
A brand new year,
Those sugary sweets?
We must steer clear!

We shall do this,
Oh, yes we can.
And remember, dear friends,
Don't ingest luscious Spam!

Happy 2019
from 
the Dunnigan Family Players
and
 Jane Marie!

Another Book Title

 

     Occasionally, I am inspired with ideas for future books.  Oh, these will not be written by me.  I am busy enough working on Amelia Island's Sand and Sin, #4 in my Goodbye Lie Trilogy, Plus One and this blog.  Hey, writing such in-depth articles as what you're reading now, takes me into the realm of deep thought.  
     So back to another inspired title of a book I will never write. It's a story about a man on a disastrous blind date and I'd call it: 

Ready, Met, Woe!  

How's that for in-depth thinking?  

Grammy Camp - Paintbrush Dolls

Granddaughter Ava's Bride Doll

     A big part of our annual Grammy Camp is all about creating. Last year, we made dolls from perfume bottles. This year we made these fabulous dolls from paintbrushes. They are fashioned with odd trinkets from my lifetime collection of stuff in my craft boxes.  Here is how we made ours:

You'll need:

Paintbrush from the Dollar Store
Glue
Paint of your choice to cover the brush handle and bristles, optional

Grammy's Irish Doll

Face - large(about 1") clear glass button-rounds-trace a circle on paper, draw a face and glue it to the back of the glass button with clear glue
Trim - glitter, ribbon, flowers, buttons, shells, rick-rack, fabric etc. 

Simple or fancy, make your paintbrush doll as a gift, as an ornament, door hanger, wall art, etc.  Remember, no two will be alike and it's relaxing me time or time with the kids, plus it's just pure fun!

Beneath a Reading Tree

  

     To me, the title of this post sounds like you should expect to read a poem.  Not this time. It's more for those who like/love to read novels because this image screams, "I want to be the girl nestled under the tree holding the book." I found the picture at Free Trinkets and Treasures blog. http://freetrinketstreasures.blogspot.com/ . Visit them and email  a thank you for allowing us to use this picture. 

Notice the white heart carved into the tree. Ahh ...

Purchase The Goodbye Lie series here,
in E-book and Paperback. 
Each novel stands alone and features one of the grown siblings in the Dunnigan family from Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida,
in Victorian times.

2017 Annual Christmas Letter

Somebody else's Christmas Cactus

     Here is another of our annual appalling          

appealing family Christmas letters.  Hope your year was filled with events and quotes as great as ours!

 

Mother tried out for the community theater production of Little Mermaid.  She will play the coveted role of seaweed.

 

Auntie instructed Son to put up the trellis for the wedding ceremony.  He readily agreed, adding, "What’s a trellis?"

 

Uncle asked, "Who was the last one to brush?"  “Brush what?” came the reply in unison. That happened in May.

 

Father warned: "Don't go in there.  He's got The Crud and he'll take us all down with him."

 

The doorbell rang. "Who ordered this kind of pizza?  I hate mushrooms so I ain't paying.  Granny, it’s for you."

 

"Who wants a white Russian?"  “I don't, but I'll take a furry Frenchman."

 

Uncle Tree-tree talks into the TV clicker and replaces the batteries when he can't change the channels. It keeps him busy and away from the garbage can.

  

It rained so hard the apple pie was good.

 

Father cut the grass and his toe nails, in that order. 

 

Cousin Skin bought a ticket and wore a sneaker.

 

The pool was not cleaned this year.

 

“Anybody got any TUMS?”

 

A feather was on the sidewalk.

 

Ants carried off the cat food.

 

Mother sewed on a button then removed the blood stains with her spit.

 

Brother got a new one.

 

The cat coughed up a pickle.

 

The timer on the sprinkler got reset.

 

The oven burned the chicken. 

 

The repairman made two trips to plug in the toaster.  He wears a uniform and is Father's nephew.

 

Friday's newspaper was thinner than the bacon.

 

Sometimes we didn’t dry the dishes.

 

The stairs still need watering.

 

The chimney smells funny.

 

Merry Christmas
from all the crew and characters at
Gracious Jane Marie and
Amelia Island Novels Blog