Goodbye Lie Pinterest

I love Pinterest! 

 

 

Please visit my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy board at: http://www.pinterest.com/1janemarie/amelia-islands-goodbye-lie-trilogy-by-jane-marie-m/.  Find the fashion Breelan wears, the fan Carolena carries, the furnishings Peeper polishes and so many other items circa the 1880s and there about, when the novels take place.  If you look closely, you may just see those Dunnigan girls and even Aunt Noreen walking between the images...

Enjoy my other ever-changing boards, too, which include:
Rich Romance
For the Manor
Created by Hand
People/Places/Prizes
Just for Me
Martha Bear and Captain Fancy Patch
For the Tum-Tum
Word, Words,
Faith

See them all my boards at http://www.pinterest.com/1janemarie/ 

Left Handed Discovery

I'm left handed and recently discovered something about pens with advertising on them.  If you hold the pen in your right hand, you can read the name.  If you hold it in your left hand, the name is upside down!  Talk about discrimination.  It's such an unfair world, don't you think?

Quick Fix

Did you just get a phone call from a friend or relative saying she, he or they were just around the corner and would arrive at your place in five minutes? There are dishes in the sink and the dishwasher is full of dirty or clean dishes! What can you do?

Remove the top rack in the oven. Find a basin or bucket that will fit in the oven. Quickly fill it with the dirty dishes and hide them in the oven. Just don't forget they are in there and turn it on the next morning to preheat.

This handy hint came from the mother of  Jo Nix. Thanks, Mom!

PS With all the ways I try to avoid or hasten my time spent doing chores, I'm ashamed of myself for never thinking of this.  Of course, in the past, I have gotten really good at barring the way with a sawhorse and zigzagging caution tape across the kitchen entrance.  

What a mess!

Open Face Tomato Cheese Sandwich - Family Fave

Martha Bear

 

 
Martha Bear, spokesbear for our 700 page  website, www.GraciousJaneMarie.com , star  of her own free online silly short stories at www.MarthaBear.com and who makes cameo appearances in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy says, "Since tomatoes are available year-round in the grocery stores, you don't have to wait to grow your own. Two or three open face sandwiches per person are usually requested, so have sufficient tomato slices, bread and cheese on hand for the number of people you’ll be serving.

 



To make one open face sandwich, you’ll need:

• 1 slice of a large fresh tomato or enough smaller slices to cover one slice of bread
• 1 slice of bread
• 1 slice mild yellow cheese (I use Velveeta lite.) 
• Oregano, fresh or dried

Set the oven to broil. 

Place all the bread on a cookie sheet and heat until the bread is lightly brown on one side. 

Remove the bread from the oven and turn the bread over. 

Place the cheese on the untoasted side of the bread. 

Top with a tomato slice. 

Sprinkle each sandwich with oregano. 

Return sandwiches to the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and the edges of the bread are brown.  

Serve while hot. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

This recipe is reprinted from our website, www.GraciousJaneMarie.com.

Quote by Nancy Kamp

"We make glaciers look like medal winners..."
                        -Nancy Kamp
                         freelance editing
                         jewelry making  
                         www.greenlightWrite.com

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Marie Dunnigan - the horse tail





Late 1800s

Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida
 

Marie Dunnigan

Marie Dunnigan writes:  I recently learned the most dreadful news while I was volunteering as a nursing assistant. There was a young man in a wheel chair with a bandage around his eyes.  I asked what happened to him and a nurse said he was hit across the face by a horse’s tail.  While everyone knows not to stand behind a horse lest it kick you, the swish of his tail is like a whip, but it is more than that.  The nurse explained how the hair from the horse tail is jagged and not smooth like that of the mane, so it actually lacerated the man’s eyes.  I so hope he recovers.  Over my long eighteen years on this earth, I had never heard there was a difference in texture between the horse’s mane and tail.  I knew surgeons use the hair from the mane to stitch up wounds and guessed they didn’t use the tail only because of the location where it naturally would be dirty.  While I would prefer being at home reading a romantic novel in the shade of our talkin' tree, I must admit when I learn new things, I feel smart, almost as smart of Carolena, my big sister.  She has the best brain of all of us, except our mother.  Miss Ella outsmarts Daddy every day of his life.

 

 

2014

Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Florida

 

Jane Marie writes:  I, too, found out this fact when we were visiting Fort Clinch, here on Amelia Island, Florida.  While there are no real soldiers stationed there in this time, gentleman called re-enactors dress in Civil War uniforms and pretend the year is 1864.  It’s so very interesting to those of us who love history.  Well, I know you’ve been to Fort Clinch over the years.  I don’t know if the two-story building directly across the parade ground from the main entrance was build in your day. When you climb the stairs to the second floor hospital, the first thing you notice is, unlike the other buildings with red brick interiors, all the walls here are  painted white inside and the windows are opened.  The breeze was glorious this hot late summer day and the man playing the part of the surgeon explained that General Grant, (I am sorry if that name still upsets you), I believe he said it was Grant, received word how a bright and ventilated room speeds healing. To this end, he ordered all the infirmaries, where possible, should be located on the second floor and have white walls.  He also mentioned to those of us visiting about the difference between a horse’s mane and tail.  I’m not around horses very often. We ride in automobiles, powered by gasoline, but next time I am, I will compare the two by feel.

Oh, and as to your mother being the smart one in the family, I have to agree.  With all that goes on in the lives of the Dunnigans of Amelia Island, it takes a powerful woman to handle the unexpected and keep everyone feeling comforted and stable--everyone except Aunt Noreen.  She is impossible to control...


Marie is the youngest sibling of four Dunnigan children featured in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set on Amelia Island, Florida in the 1880s.  Through the magic of electronics, she and the other characters in these fictional novels are able to communicate with their author, Jane Marie Malcolm, who, coincidentally resides in the same town of Fernandina on Amelia Island, Florida.

Amelia Island's GOODBYE LIE & VELVET UNDERTOW on KINDLE

ORDER TODAY!

The Goodbye Lie Kindle Edition $2.99
Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow Kindle Edition $3.99
Amelia Island's Velvet Undertow NOOK Buy As Gift: $3.43

Request your signed & personalized Paperbacks of Goodbye Lie & Velvet Undertow at graciousjanemarie@yahoo.com. Each novel is $13.22 with FREE SHIPPING!!! Get BOTH books for just $23.99, a $9.91 savings over original retail plus FREE SHIPPING!!!

Goodbye Lie Trilogy Trivia

In Amelia Island's VELVET UNDERTOW, what does young Jack Patrick Dunnigan hang from the trees?

 

 

Excerpt:

   "Do you know what your son has done this time?” Mrs. Ickles hollered in Miss Ella's face.

   "Good day to you, too."

   "Apparently, you don't. So, let me enlighten you. ...  I go into town to learn he and those other savages have been hanging dead snakes from the tree branches across South 3rd and Broome. When the ladies pass underneath in their buggies, why, I myself have seen two faint dead away! And one of them was driving alone! Her horse saw the snakes, bolted, and ran the whole rig into the iceman’s wagon, spilling huge chunks all over the street. What with the screaming and whinnying, it was one disagreeable agitation, I can tell you. It was so bad, we've had to cancel this morning's meeting of the Literary League, and we have our annual Buy a Book sale in two weeks' time! Frankly, Miss Ella, that boy of yours is the meanest white child in Fernandina!"

 

We Have Just Hit 500 Postings!

Do I hear the call for 501?  You bet!

Free Scarf Organizer

I like scarves.  I wear scarves. I have several scarves.   I fold them. I stack them.  They slip and slide and fall on the floor.  I pick them up and repeat the maintenance process.  Yes, there are all styles of scarf organizers out there, but they cost money.  So, as I stood in my closet one day, I turned around to realize I had my own built in organizer, the rectangular spaces on the front of the wire shelf!  As you can see in the photo below, my scarves are happy, healthy, and hanging- all for free!  And who doesn't like free? 

What Is This Gift?

I gave this  glazed ceramic bowl to my daughter, Barbra, as a gift. Because it matches her dishes, she was crazy about it. Then she asked me, "Just what is it?"

I had no answer for her.  You see, I got it several years ago, put it away in the closet and when I found it, I couldn't recall its purpose.  Someone suggested it might be a sort of bundt pan.  If so, why the spout visible in the upper left of the photo?  Someone else said it might be for chips and dip, but the center cup that is molded into the ceramic is way too small to hold much salsa or anything else. The overall diameter is about 12 inches. It's only about 3 inches deep and I believe it says microwavable on the bottom. It's now collecting dust at Barbra's house.  Beyond that, I don't have a clue. 

Please send your suggestions about what it might be to graciousjanemarie@yahoo.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jane.m.malcolm.  My child would like to put her present to good use!

 

Handbell Choirs- Wow!

As you may know, I ring handbells.  I have been referred to as the senior ringer in my group.  It is not because I am expert or better than anyone else.  In fact,  I believe I peaked a decade ago.  No, they called me senior because I've been ringing for a very long time-- and I love it.  I figure it is as close to playing in an orchestra as I'll ever get.  Coincidently, Breelan Dunnigan, heroine in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie, plays handbells in 1882.  Go figure!

I think you will enjoy these three videos below.  Each is different from the other and each is wonderful.  Don't forget the third link without the picture.  The lack of picture is operator error, I'm sure.  (That would be me.)  Click on the link and enjoy number 3.

As always, thank you to YouTube.com.

Adele's Rolling in the Deep - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyFmJxApKRA -  Amazing Handbell Choir -The Impulse Handbell Ensemble is made up high school students from the Morganville, NJ area.  Published on Dec 21, 2012

We Three Kings- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYwSt_4tbkE- Hyles-Anderson College live at First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Uploaded on Dec 7, 2011



Click on the link below for:  
Pirates of the Caribbean & Phantom of the Opera - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xmHuS57DV0-  18th Concert, Daejeon Handbell Choir / Aug.28,2010 / Daejeon Handbell Choir - South Korea

Valentine Treasures

 Pretty Things, Romantic Things

 for

Your Valentine's Day ...

close-up - note the pewter box in the photo is featured on the cover of The Goodbye Lie

 

words and photos from the heart of Jane Marie

Heart Garland

Here is an easy extra you can make last minute for Valentine's Day, a bridal shower, tea party, wedding and/or wedding reception,  a paper garland of hearts. You can even use recycled paper, just turn the printed side inward.

Cut strips of paper, 1/2 to 1 inch wide. I used pink and purple. The longer the strips, the bigger the hearts. Staple two strips together at the top and bend around to form a heart. Staple at the bottom. Add two more strips to each side of the bottom staple, being sure the new strips point toward the top of the heart. Staple the new strips to the old strips over the bottom staple and curve the new strips down to form another heart. Continue in this manner to make your garland as long as you want.

Wear as a crown, a necklace, swag it or put around the base of a potted plant or vase of flowers. Decorate the world with heart garland!     

Goodbye Lie Diaries - Peeper Worries plus Coffee Roast

1880s Fernandina, Florida



Grandmother Peeper

Grandmother Peeper writes:

Aunt Noreen just give me a earful, Jane Marie, saying ya ought not ta be writin' about the squabbles betwixt my Breelan and them two fellas, Captain Waite  and Lt. Trip, the gents achasin' her. Them words a yourn in The Goodbye Lie is pretty personal, I admit, but if'n Breelan don't mind folks reading 'bout her findin' her true love, who is Aunt Noreen ta say different? Why, if a singin' kangaroo jumped out of a tree and landed in front a her, she'd scold him fer bein' off key. So what's she know?  Nothin'!  She ain't worth the spit it takes ta say her name.

Oh, I forgot ta tell you, Janie, we gots ta git ourselves a new fish fer the well.  I think one a Jack Patrick's friends come by, pulled it up in the bucket then took it home fer supper. Nugget is down at the creek just afishin' hisself silly, getting another sos it can eat the bugs in the well water fer us. 

We're havin' Grammy's Coffee Roast Beef after church, come Sundee noon.  Ya need ta be acookin' some a that meat fer yourself and your family, making sure your Barbra has the recipe when you're gone.  It's a keeper.

**********************
Present Time, Fernandina, Florida 
Jane Marie writes:

Hey Peep,
I appreciate you cautioning me over my writing.  Don't worry.  Remember, I dedicated The Goodbye Lie to my father, because I didn't want either of us to be embarrassed when he read it.  He wasn't.  So, if it passed the Daddy test, I think we're safe.

I've made the Coffee Roast before. You're right.  It's time to make it again.  And yes, I'll be sure Barbra has the recipe.

We've had terribly cold nights last week.  I hope my orange tree will survive.  It has dropped some leaves, but I think it is still hanging on. Fingers crossed.    

And try not to fight with Aunt Noreen.  Although, we all find your tiffs interesting to follow, dare I say entertaining, they can't be good for your blood pressure or your bunions.

Love to the family- and that includes Aunt Noreen! Remember, she's still Michael's sister and if you love him, and I know you do, you'll love his sister. Well, you can at least pretend, can't you?

*********************

Coffee Roast Beef

(The recipe is below but here, also, is the link to the recipe on our 700 page website, www.GraciousJaneMarie. It is for those who love a rich beefy taste. http://www.greenlightwrite.com/coffeebeef.htm )

The story goes that cowboys in the Wild West roasted beef seasoned with coffee over the campfire.  My husband came across this recipe in Roswell, New Mexico at a potluck supper.  Give it a try for something different and delicious.    Enjoy,     Jane Marie

http://www.greenlightwrite.com/homegraciousjanemarie.htm

You'll need: 3 pound beef roast (with the fat removed) 6 cups of strong brewed coffee 4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced or garlic powder Preheat the oven to 325° F  Make several slits in the raw roast and insert the garlic chips or sprinkle the roast generously with garlic powder.  Place the meat in a roasting pan and pour the coffee beside it - not over it or it will wash off the garlic powder.  Cover with foil or lid.  Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the meat falls apart, removing the cover during the last half an hour to brown the meat. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.  Make gravy from the drippings or serve the unthickened coffee/beef broth left in the bottom of the pan over noodles, rice or potatoes.  Pass the salt and pepper. I’ve also made this in the slow cooker set on low for 6 to 8 hours until it turns into stringy meat.

Goodbye Lie Romance - An Excerpt

Honor, Treachery, Epic Romance

 are just part of
 Amelia Island's GOODBYE LIE Trilogy where

 Little House on the Prairie meets Gone With The Wind ...

  Men will die for Breelan Dunnigan

      in 





   

Treat yourself and get your copy here: http://www.greenlightwrite.com/homegraciousjanemarie.htm  

 



Goodbye Lie Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oAsQkLUoJY



 

Review: A rollercoaster of emotions … [which] include … loving the characters. … The unexpected ending makes a jaw dropping jolt to the senses. --ReaderViews.com

Find romance every day and every night between the covers of Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie.  Set in 1882 Florida, here is a snippet of the spirit of my kind of romance! -jmm

Excerpt:
    "Trip it shall be. Please, call me Breelan." And he held her secure, leading her in wild spins around and around. She threw her head back as she laughed softly, her hair covering his uniformed forearm.

     Waite was completely aware of Breelan's movements. He wanted to kiss the ivory of her flawless bare shoulders. But when he saw the lieutenant's arm tighten around Breelan's waist, Waite's desire turned violent as he imagined ripping the soldier's arm off at the elbow. He resented the man, any man, holding her, let alone holding her as close as this gent was. Trip's body pressed intimately against Breelan’s green dress, separating her skin from his by only a few thin layers of silk and cotton. His officer's white-gloved fingers entwined themselves in the ends of her satiny brown hair. At least, his actual flesh wasn't in contact with hers, Waite consoled himself. He was glad a gentleman always wore gloves when dancing so as not to soil a woman's gown with perspiration. He'd considered many customs foolish and a waste of time. Not this one. For this social edict, he thanked the stars. 

     "Waite, darling," Miss Visper spoke a second time. "You're not listening to me, are you?"

     Caught. He was having difficulty tearing his eyes from Breelan. He asked, his tone mocking, "Leona, do you think I'd dance with a woman and she not be the center of all my attention?"

     "I think one thing. You're most engaging and you know it. Any woman who allows herself to love you is demented. You'll only break her heart."

     "You flatter me. But I think the excursion to that point would be an escapade not to be missed," he suggested, stroking her mind, using her. He excused his selfishness because he knew she wanted him. He needed a woman tonight and she was an alluring, if somewhat obvious creature...

 

***

Returning Iowa Friends

At a recent book signing, I was pleased to see Joan and Donna from Winterset, Iowa.  They are already GOODBYE LIErs and are anxious to read Mark of a Man, #3 in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie trilogy.  Stay tuned, girls...



Joan and Donna

Potato Stamping - a Goodbye Lie Fave

  

I love old fashioned crafts because they're easy and fun and because our ancestors created them.  Potato stamping is a wonderful family activity. It is featured it in my historical romance novel, Amelia Island's The Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in 1882 in north Florida.  In the story, the Dunnigan children are kept occupied with this activity so as to protect them from the frantic goings-on by the adults around them. 

    

potato stamps with paint

completed T shirt more T Shirts

 

Caution:  Since a knife is needed for cutting the potato, an adult must be present to supervise.

 

Paint.  Read the label on the paint before applying it to make sure you're using the correct type for the object you will be stamping.  If stamping on wood, acrylic (washable) paint will work.  Poster or acrylic paint is good for paper.   Use fabric paint for fabric.  Be careful of water color paints because they may be too thin.  The outline of your stamp might look blurred.

     Always test the consistency of paint and the coverage of your stamp on a paper towel or rag or wood scrap, whatever is similar to your intended finished product.

     Once the paint on your design is completely dry, heat set paint on fabric designs with an iron set on high.  Stroke the iron over the picture while it is covered with a protective cloth (like an old pillow case) for three or four minutes.   Do not scorch and DO NOT USE STEAM.

 

You'll need:

•  Sharp knife (for adult hands only)
• 1 large fresh potato, at least 3" in diameter to make two stamps
• Pencil for outlining pattern on potato or cookie cutter
• Paint - see notes above
• Paint brush, sponge brush or cotton swabs
• Aluminum foil or paper plate for paint palette
• Paper towels for blotting and testing stamp
• Multi-colored felt tip markers (optional)
• Glitter (optional)
• Beads (optional)
• Buttons (optional)
• Thin ribbon or lace for bows (optional)
• Pencil with new eraser for dots (optional)

 

Wash the potato to remove any dirt and pat dry with paper towels.  Do not peel.

Cut the potato evenly in half using a large knife to make a clean cut.  It needs to be as flat a surface as possible without ridges - these will show when you stamp. 

Decide on what image you want to stamp.  A simple pattern will be easier to cut into the potato than an intricate one.  If making initials, make them block style, bold and backwards!  Save the complicated snowflake-type shapes for when you've mastered the easy stuff.

With the pencil, trace or draw your pattern free-hand on the cut side of the potato, or press a cookie cutter 1/4 inch into the flat white surface of the potato.

Cut away the area outside the stamp so that the stamp protrudes by at least ¼ inch.  I found it was best to cut away small sections at time, being careful not to let the knife slip under the actual stamp part, or it will fall off.

Squirt a small puddle of paint on the foil.  With a brush or cotton swab, paint the stamp portion of the potato, making sure the stamping surface only is evenly covered.  Wipe off any paint that slops over the edge.  You want a crisp outline. 

Test your stamp on a paper towel to see how much paint and pressure are required before you actually begin stamping your project.

To change colors using the same stamp design, wipe away any excess paint from the stamp and paint on a new color.

Let the paint of an already stamped design dry before partially stamping over it with another color if that's the look you desire.  If you want the colors of the paints to blend, then quickly stamp the new color over the color used just before it.

Get creative.  Personalize items or decorate wrapping paper, book covers, picture frames, stationary, brown bags as gift bags and lunch bags.  Stamp gift tags, envelopes, refrigerator pictures, T shirts, paper and cloth napkins, tablecloths, doll clothes, etc.  If you can think of it, you can decorate it. 

 

Embellishments for T-shirts or fabric purses:

• Sprinkle glitter on the paint while it's still wet so it will stick.
• Glue tiny beads, buttons (sewn on fabric) or ribbon bows (safety pinned for removal for washing if necessary)
• Outline the stamp with a marking pen or paint a boarder around each stamp pattern or random stamps on the object you're making so it will stand out. 
• Spatter paint - Dip an old toothbrush in gold paint or any other color and run your finger along the bristles from tip back toward you, while pointing the toothbrush at the object you're decorating.  The paint will speckle the surface.  Practice first on a newspaper to test the technique and discover the coverage you want.

"Necklace" look (as in photo above) - Repeatedly dip the flat new eraser of a pencil into paint and dab it onto a shirt in a draped pattern to resemble the beads of a necklace.  Make it a choker or a long necklace, whatever appeals to you.

 

If you cover your potato stamps in cold water in the refrigerator, they will keep for a day or two.

 

Enjoy!

 

Reprinted article from www.GraciousJaneMarie.com

What Do You See?

I attended a meeting and in the board room was a large conference table with a very busy faux wood grain pattern, or at least I think it was supposed to be wood.  My attention quickly turned from the subject being discussed to the table's surface.  The more I examined it, the more odd creature faces I saw.  Some were cute, sort of, and some were scary.  I hope I never have to talk business around that thing again because it gave me the creeps!  See if you can see any of the faces I did.    

 

 

table from a distance- busy pattern

 

 

large seal face showing one eye, nose and mouth?

  

wide eyed alien heads?

 

eel profile with its mouth open, facing right?

 

Oops, Another Lucy Moment

Oops, I did it again. Taking a line from Britney Spear’s song, I once again got myself in and, questionably, out of a pickle this morning.  There I am, readying my person for an early meeting.  Granted, it was 7 a.m., on a cold winter’s day for Florida, and two out of four light bulbs were burned out over the bathroom vanity, but is that an excuse?  I certainly think so.  Anyway, I’m brushing my hair as I often do before attending  meetings. The exception is when I meet with  Button, the cat,  Abby, the dog, and Martha Bear, the ursine, http://www.greenlightwrite.com/marthabearcentral.htm , for they do not require  such formal preparations as this.

 

Back to my incident. There I am, brush in hand, looking at myself in the dim light and thinking how my hair needs some lift due to the new conditioner I used.  That stuff will be going back to the store as soon as I can find my receipt.  Now what did I do with that thing?  It’s then I remember I have some hair raising, volumizer, poofy stuff in the cupboard below. I hadn’t used it in ages, but it should still be good.  Do those things expire and sour like lumpy milk?  Squirting a little on my right palm, I pat it here and there and everywhere on my head.  A slight almond scent, I don’t recall smelling the last time I used it, wafted through the shower’s steam.  Eyes closed, rub, rub, more pat, pat and I am ready to observe a fuller head of hair. Expecting one thing and seeing another equals SHOCKER!  What I observe is a semi-greasy mass of semi-curly waves.  I did not verify what I grabbed from under the sink.  What is it?  I dash to the window to take a look at the label in the breaking light of dawn.  Remember, it’s pretty dark in the bathroom.  The good news is that I count that dash as two calisthenics, as in exercise.  I figure any time you move your feet, you’re exercising.  That romp to the sliding glass door probably burned one-one hundredth of a calorie, don’t you think?

 

At the window, I still can’t read the label.  Grrr!  “Where are my glasses?” I shout, as I do approximately every 13. 27 seconds of my life, or so it seems to Bruce, my husband.  “If you’d only get one of those string-things so you can hang your glasses around your neck…” he says.  That’s a blog for another day.  After finding my lost lenses in the dog’s bed, yet another blog, I put them on, adjusting them just so because one of the temple arms ( I looked that up) is missing.  Clarifying what is soaking into my brain at this point, I say a quick prayer of thanks that the substance I so generously applied to my scalp  is  not toilet bowl cleaner, but my granddaughter’s shampoo for curly hair! 

 

Having zero time to re-wash and dry my hair, I do what any former Girl Scout does. I apply copious amounts of glitter body powder to absorb the oil from the shampoo. A fast brush through, a quick goodbye kiss to Bruce, who looks at me in his usual way when I do unusual things, and I am out the door, the evidence of my latest Lucy moment apparent in my trail of white dust. 

 

Home again, in the comfort of my Story Central corner, I think back, happy no one was hateful enough to comment on my flat, dull, except for the sparkles, ten shades lighter powdered gray hair.  People can be so nice, can’t they? 

Disney's Castle Comes Alive Video

Our family spent time at Disney World in Orlando, Florida just after Christmas.  There is always something new and wonderful to behold there.  This time, for me, it was what they have done to Cinderella's castle.  Please click on the video below and enjoy.  Being privileged to see this 10 minute projected spectacle in person created a memory I'll keep forever.   

 

Video from AttractionsMagazine.com

 

(I took a video very similar to the one above, but managed to get the sidewalk and street light in the process, making it my usual home movie.)

 

photo by JMM

photo by JMM

photo by JMM

 

Mark of a Man Excerpt- Crusty Anchor

Making the Mark:
Readers often ask me where I get ideas for my novels.  Here is one quick explanation with a short excerpt from my upcoming Amelia Island's Mark of a Man, part of Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy. Set in 1898, the action happens from Florida up to Pennsylvania, down to Cuba and back to Florida. This particular scene is set in the Crusty Anchor Pub. The fictional pub is named for my granddaughter's stuffed cat.  When she was very little, she used to chew on the tail, it would dry, and get icky between washings.  Hence, we nicknamed the animal, CRUSTY Kitty.  The ANCHOR is to honor my brother, a Navy man, and there you have it- Crusty Anchor.

Mark of a Man excerpt: 
   Aunt Jency was a youthful thing and delicate, barely older than Pat, himself. In the short while he'd known her, he decided he liked her. She seemed a fine and caring person, even if she wasn't much of cook. From the looks of her husband's belly, he was finding sustenance somewhere.
   They caught sight of the rough, painted sign spelling out Crusty Anchor Pub in faded red letters. Pat envisioned it rowdy with mariners and didn't want to see Jency put in an uncomfortable position. To his pleasant surprise, the small place was mostly crowded with families. The chatter was high and the aroma wonderful. 
   They sat at a table in the center of the room with thirty or so customers enjoying their meals. Twenty feet from the window, they crooked their necks to get a glimpse of the darkening sky and deep gray of Presque Isle Bay.
   "You know, y'all," Pat commented, "the scene outside reminds me of Florida, with the boats, I mean."
   "You'll be having your fill of water by the time your hitch is up in the Navy."
   "You're right about that, Uncle John," Pat agreed, but silently hoped he was wrong, since water was what floated his family's business.  
   "Hear that accent, y'all?" mimicked a booming male voice. "Sounds like we got us a dirty Grayback clear up here in Erie."
   Tightly and quickly, Pat blinked, hoping that menacing voice behind him spouted only an empty challenge. Hags-teeth! Brawling got him where he was today. In the second before he turned to face his aggressor, he tossed a glance at Uncle John who was polishing his utensils on the sleeve of his plaid shirt and seemingly paying no mind. Jency, bending over her child, shielded the baby with her body. Pat stood, spun on his boot, and stepped away from the table, in case there was trouble. He tensed, saying, "The war's long past, man. If you still want to do this, I'll give you one free swing. After that--"...

   Perpetua stirred, fussed, and Jency pulled forth a tea towel wrapped baby bottle. "Good, it's still warm."
   "It had best be," the child's father said. "We don't want our little girl to be unhappy."
   "My daddy always says girls are made for spoilin', Uncle John. I see you both have the same philosophy."
   Their attention turned from one another and back to the baby when she let out a huge wail as the bottle slipped from her mother's hand and pulled from Perpetua's mouth to crash to the floor. Spikes of glass glistened in the light of the oil lamps on the surrounding square tables.
   "Oh dear," Jency murmured, the worry heavy in her tone. "Perpetua may still be hungry. I never imagined this happening. I haven't another bottle with me."  She lifted the baby over her shoulder and patted the child's back. A soft burp erupted and Perpetua calmed down.
   "Shall we go before the poor thing realizes she hasn't had a full meal?" Uncle John ordered in the form of a question.  
   The buggy ride jostled Perpetua back to sleep. Pat talked softly so as not to wake her. "Thank you both for a wonderful taste of home." The moment he'd said it, he realized the thoughtlessness of his remark. He would never intentionally hurt Jency's feelings about her cooking. "I mean--being with you has reminded me of my family in Fernandina. I miss them a great deal."
   Riding up to their front door, Pat dismounted and helped Jency and the baby down from the buggy. He didn’t go inside. Instead, he shook his uncle's hand and kissed the back of his aunt's on their front stoop.
   "Well, son, we'll write to your father and tell him what a fine man he has in you. Be sure and come visit us again when you get leave. Don't be a stranger."
   "I won't, sir." On his horse, "Thanks again, Uncle."
   "Goodbye, Pat." A tender smile lit Jency's face. Perpetua whimpered. "I must see to my little one."
   Riding away, Pat aimed his ear in the direction of Uncle John's house.  Curious, he thought, how similar a child's cry was to that of a woman's.  

 

Peeper's New Year's Warning!

Happy New Year!

You may have heard to eat black-eyed peas on January 1st for prosperity in the new year because the peas represent coins. Having pork/ham means a positive advance into the future since pigs eat in a forward movement, not side to side. Consume cornbread to keep your family close in spirit.

*Grandmother Peeper writes in her Goodbye Lie Diary entry, "Don't wash anything on New Year's Day, lest ya wash a family member way!" 

No worries here, Peep. We ate canned black-eyed peas.  Apologies to you great Southern home cooks. Add cornbread muffies from Jiffy muffin mix and my personal variation on Reubens- thinly sliced ham instead of corned beef.  While we may have circled these traditions as opposed to enacting them exactly, I promise you, Peeper, I will do no laundry, give the dog a bath or wash a dish today, as per your warning. 

Take heed, dear friends.  Peeper has spoken!

(*Peeper adopted the 1880's fictional Dunnigan family in my Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy.)