HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I'm so excited about this holiday season! Now that it's December, I will be posting a variety of reviews for holiday reads (along with my usual reviews), so come back often for a visit. Share your thoughts in the comments box and I may have few surprises for my loyal followers along the way. Reviews start this week, so stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!!!

Do you have plans for tonight? We will stay home and pass out treats for little ghosts and goblins that appear on our doorstep, while my son and his wife takes our grandson out in his Yoda costume.

Our neighborhood is usually pretty quiet on Halloween. Not many houses on our street are lit up. Most people are off to parties or taking their kids trick-or-treating. So, because we’re just about the only house on the block with a light on, ghouls think it’s kind of a waste of time.

That means we enjoy even more the ones who do show up!

Here’s a little trivia about this spooky holiday: Why are bats one of the symbols of Halloween?

In ancient times, people gathered around giant bonfires to ward off evil spirits. Small flying insects were attracted to the warmth and bright lights these fires created … the same insects that were natural food for bats.

The people would see the bats flickering in and out of the light from the fire and they became part of the Halloween lore. This connection grew stronger with the discovery of the vampire bat in the 17^th century and tales circulated throughout Europe of bats that drank blood.

It soon became a natural association – a creature that drinks the blood of its prey in the dark of night!

Pump Up Your Book blog tour: A Christmas Journey Home by Kathi Macias

 

Welcome to another Pump Up Your Book blog tour. This one features a wonderful new holiday book by Kathi Macias.

From the back of the book:

During Isabella Alcantata’s seventh month of pregnancy, her parents and siblings are murdered in gang- and drug-related violence—in a home targeted by mistake. Isabella knows the same thing could easily happen to her and her husband, Francisco. When her grandfather offers to hire a “coyote” to bring them across the border to America, she agrees.

Living on one of the smaller spreads along the Arizona border, Miriam Nelson becomes furious with God and turns from her faith when her border patrol agent husband, David, is killed in a skirmish with drug smugglers. Her mother and young son do their best to woo her back from anger and bitterness.

Isabella and Miriam—one driven by fear and a promise, the other by bitterness and revenge—must make their journeys along different pathways to the same destination on Christmas Eve. Forced to face their personal demons, Isabella and Miriam soon discover a common yearning to bind them together in a most miraculous way.

About the author:

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs.

She is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats and writers’ conferences and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association).

Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, Calif., with her husband Al. For more information about her, stop by her website.

Just my opinion:

A Christmas Journey Home is a modern-day tale of the Nativity story told in the New Testament. Here is a young Mexican woman who enters the U.S. illegally with her husband. Through a grueling set of circumstances when they first arrive, her husband is killed by camp raiders and she must continue on alone.

On the other side of the story is another young woman whose husband is killed by drug smugglers while he is on duty as a border patrol agent. Left with a small son to care for, bitterness and hatred become her mantra. She now hates illegal immigrants more than anything and she is quickly burying herself in her own, secluded world.

When fate brings these two women together, they must find a way to trust and care for each other … and to communicate. It’s a touching story and a great read for the upcoming holiday season.

For more information about this blog tour, visit the Pump UpYour Book website. Look for this book at your favorite bookstore or visit Amazon for details.

Happy Labor Day to all my readers!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Have a safe holiday!

Quotes for Father's Day

"One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters." ~ George Herbert

"You will find that if you really try to be a father, your child will meet you halfway." ~ Robert Brault

"If the past cannot teach the present and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and the world has wasted a great deal of time." ~ Russell Hoban

"My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." ~ Clarence Budington Kelland
 
“Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice” ~ Unknown

"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father!" ~ Lydia M. Child
 
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection." ~ Sigmund Freud
     

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. The holiday was officially proclaimed May 5, 1868, by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. It is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971).

Here in Othello, the local VFW places small flags on the graves of each veteran at the cemetery. They also line the edge of the grounds with large casket-size flags, many of which were donated by family members of veterans. My sister’s flag flies among those. She served in the Army in the mid-1960s.

The photo above is one I took in 2004. My husband Eric coordinates the flag flying at the cemetery and spends the day there – in uniform – to answer questions and help visitors find the graves of their relatives buried there. The little girl was running around pulling flags out of the ground and having a great time. Rather than having to continuously replace them, Eric offered her a flag of her own. You can see the look of delight on her face!

This is one of my favorite photos I’ve taken through the years. I love the contrast of ages between Eric and the toddler, especially against the patriotic background. It’s truly one of those pictures that say a thousand words!

Eric is now retired from the service, having spent 40 years in uniform. He started in the active Army during the Vietnam War and served two tours of duty there. Afterward, he was a member of the reserves, both Army and Air Force, then joined the National Guard. The last years of his service were with the Washington State Guard, which is the third line of defense in our state.

Of course, he doesn’t see these many years of giving to his country as a “big deal,” but we are all very proud of his service.

I’d like to share a poem I found, which was written by Roger W. Hancock, who is known as the Poet Patriot. You can read more of his poetry at www.PoetPatriot.com.

Freedom's Colors

Red is for Bravery;
blood shed in sacrifice.
Freedom came with lives the price.

White is for Liberty;
freedom's purity.
Life be free from God's decree.

Blue is for Justice;
as vast as the sky.
Over freedom's land to occupy.

If you have a few moments to spare, visit your local cemetery and walk through the gravesites of the veterans. Take the time to bow your head and thank them for their service to our country. Without them, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have today.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY

May you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

Happy Valentines Day ...

... to all my readers and visitors!!!

Birthday of a King

In the little village of Bethlehem
There lay a child one day
And the sky was bright
With a holy light
O'er the place where Jesus lay. 

Alleluia
O how the angels sang!
Alleluia
How it rang!
And the sky was bright
With a holy light
'Twas the birthday of a King. 

Humble birthplace
But O
How much God gave to us that day!
From the manger bed what a path has led
What a perfect holy way. 

Alleluia
O how the angels sang!
Alleluia
How it rang!
And the sky was bright
With a Holy light
'Twas the birthday of a King.

On Christmas Eve

By Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer

From the book jacket:

“Lucy and Charlie’s relationship has been on the rocks. With the newfound confidence that comes with her nursing career, Lucy realizes she doesn’t need to put up with Charlie’s nonsense anymore. But just as she’s about to call it quits, a lost-looking teenager crosses her path. … Seeing that the girl is sick and alone, Lucy takes her in despite Charlie’s protests.

Betty is a busy woman, but with a grown son embarking on his own life, and an ex-husband starting a new family, she realizes she’s been too busy to find a life partner of her own. That is until Santa bears an unexpected gift at the Rotary Club’s Christmas party: himself. … Has the holiday cheer gone to her head, or is she really attracted to a struggling magazine writer who plays dress-up?”

I hadn’t read any of the Cape Light novels before, so this was a good opportunity to try one. The authors made the book interesting and even though it was full novel length, it was a fast read during this busy time of year.

Although I could tell who was writing which part of the book, I still enjoyed it and the cover is gorgeous with one of Thomas Kinkade’s lovely paintings.

This book is really two stories in one and both are fun reads. However, they don’t really seem to connect, so I wish the authors would have written them as separate books. That took a bit away from the book as I kept waiting to see how they would blend together.

And that’s why I gave this novel only 4 books instead of 5, which would have put it on the list of one of my favorite holiday reads. Still, it’s well worth your time to pick this one up or choose it for a gift this Christmas.

Holiday Trivia

 

• The first “Book of Carols” was printed in 1521.
• Wencelas (907-929) was the king of Bohemia and was noted for his piety, compassion and generosity. The carol about him dates from the 19^th century.
• It was the English who started the custom of kissing under the mistletoe in the early 17^th century. It was customary for a man to remove a berry each time he kissed a girl under the mistletoe. When there were no more berries left, no more kisses were exchanged.
• The Christmas classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was written by Clement Clark Moore in 1822 as a gift to his children.
• Electric lights for Christmas trees were first used in 1895.
• “It’s a Wonderful Life” appears on TV more often than any other holiday movie.
• “Rudolph” was created by Montgomery Ward in the late 1930s for a holiday promotion.
• “Jingle Bells was originally written for Thanksgiving.
• If you received all the gifts in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” you would receive 364 gifts.
• The first state to recognize the Christmas holiday was Alabama.
• Christmas became a national holiday in America on June 26, 1870.
• During the Christmas-Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made. Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorate the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
• During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.
• The Christmas season begins at sundown on 24th December and lasts through sundown on 5th January. For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.
• The movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) features more than 52,000 Christmas lights, about 8,200 Christmas ornaments, and nearly 2,000 candy canes.
• The Puritans forbade the singing of Christmas carols.
• Mrs. Claus, Santa's wife, was first introduced in 1889 in the book “Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride” by the poet Katherine Lee Bates.
• Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.

Holiday Traditions: Christmas Cards

The tradition of sending Christmas cards to friends and family dates back to the Victorian period in England. 
 

The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole for the British Postal Service in London in 1843 and featured an illustration by British artist John Callcott Horsley. The center panel showed a family with children, parents and grandparents raising their glasses in a Christmas toast. The side panels featured acts of Christmas charity: feeding the hungry and clothing the naked. 

The inscription read "A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You." Two batches totaling 2,050 cards were printed and sold that year for a shilling each. 

"Official" Christmas cards began with Queen Victoria in the 1840s. Early English cards rarely showed winter or religious themes, instead favoring flowers, fairies and other fanciful designs that reminded the recipient of the approach of spring. Humorous and sentimental images of children and animals were popular, as were increasingly elaborate shapes, decorations and materials. 

In 1875, Louis Prang became the first printer to offer cards in America, though the popularity of his cards led to cheap imitations that eventually drove him from the market. The advent of the postcard spelled the end for elaborate Victorian-style cards, but by the 1920s, cards with envelopes had returned. In 1953, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first official White House card.

The production of Christmas cards was, throughout the 20th century, a profitable business for many stationery manufacturers, with the design of cards continually evolving with changing tastes and printing techniques. The World Wars brought cards with patriotic themes. Idiosyncratic "studio cards" with cartoon illustrations and risqué humor caught on in the 1950s.

Here are a few examples of cards available today: