My daughter's an author too!

Are you in the need for new books for your kids? Check out Dawn M. Paul's (my daughter's) books on Amazon.com. She is writing a series of middle grade novels (for ages 7-12 years old) with the finale due out in the fall. She also has a picture book and a coloring and activity book. You should hear her talk about her main character, Christian Tompta. She sounds like he's her buddy. Anyway, he's a little gnome who has to go on a mission into adulthood. These are fantasy/adventure books based on Scandinavian folklore, gnomes as guardians of home and hearth, moving to Ohio. I enjoy my visits there. Anyway, here's a list of her titles: "Gnomeling," "Gnomeling Goes Home," "Gnomeling Journeys to Joddeburg," "Meet Christian Tompta" (that's her gnome's name) and "Gnomeling, a Companion Coloring and Activity Book." Here's a link to her Amazon author page where you can click on them to purchase: https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-M.-Paul/e/B01BN681HS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1526415267&sr=8-1 Dawn is also a strong Christian and her first book was her testimony, called "You Are Forgiven." It's uplifting, if you're looking for that type of book. Check out her books. I hope you enjoy them!

Oh, nuts!

I am sure all of us have had these moments. Like forgetting something important you needed for work, finishing a project just to find you have forgotten an important detail or making a bad decision about even a simple task! When I was very young some of my biggest Oh nuts moments were connected to a red paddle that was attached to the end of my mother's hand. It began it's life being a toy and ended up making contact with my butt instead of the ball that was originally attached to the paddle by a thin elastic string. I remember my sister and I ran across mothers red paddle and we took it upon ourselves to hide the hideous thing from mom up in the attic under some insulation. Our parents left us alone for a couple of hours one evening. The house had just had some remodeling work done and we had been given fair warning to be careful so that the new freshly painted rooms would remain that way. We planned on just spending the evening watching tv but we were overcome with the need for snacks. First we made hot chocolate. We set up tv trays in the new living room assuring ourselves that we had a place to set the snacks where we could NEATLY eat them. My sister was older so she was in charge. She could use the stove so she quickly whipped up a batch of divinity serving both of us a small plate of the scrumptious dessert. She had garnished the plate with beautiful green grapes. That's when things got crazy. She reached over to my tv tray, wadded my candy in a ball, added some grapes then stuffed it into my hot chocolate. A fine mess she had constructed from my treats. I instantly got angry, withdrew the mess from my cup and threw the sticky,chocolatity ball of divinity at her and of course missed hitting her entirely, but I did not miss hitting the freshly painted wall. Chaos insued and before we knew the sticky mess was from the ceiling to floor. The dilemma seemed overwhelming but we finally made amends and together we cleaned up the mess. We were in bed when our parents got home. The next morning we were called downstairs by our dad and he and our mother were standing in the brand newly constructed living room. Of course they asked what we had done the night before to which we both relied "nothing". One look at mom and we knew we were in trouble but we also knew the red paddle was safely tucked under insulation in the attic. Imagine our surprise when dad pointed to all the chocolate sticky spots we had overlooked on the ceiling. We were both ashamed of ourselves for lying. Mom slipped into there bedroom and came back out into the living room, one hand behind her back. Now this is where our "oh nuts" moment appeared as mom produced the red paddle from behind her back just for this special occasion. I don't remember what ever happened to the paddle. Maybe we out grew it or maybe our dad disposed of the nasty thing. He never spanked any of us and I believe when mom did, he felt our pain. Never ever, under any circumstances underestimate a mother.

Evolution!

Whoa! Man it's been a long time since I posted here and a lot has happened since then! I am now retired from a job I worked at for 29 years! Yep! 29 long years! I retired in July and since then have been seriously busy! I now believe what everyone has told me about retirement, that once you retire you have less time then before to accomplish many of the things you have put off for years! Being tied up at a 9 to 5 job or whatever your hours might be, sometimes might be more helpful than harmful. When you are limited by a certain time frame to finish a project you are more likely to keep at it until the finished product in is your hands. When the opportunity to have a different time frame arrives, putting the task at hand on hold until tomorrow is quite liberating but unfortunately not as time effective! I have tried to established a routine of working at my "new job". I try to get up by seven and check emails, catch up on my turn on Words with Friends, then have breakfast and shower and get to work. Work that I might add is now even more delightful then my "old" type of work. I have a craft room that calls my name on a daily basis. Inside those four walls that are lined with shelves of rubber stamps, paper and ink pads, I create. And create, and create! I have evolved from a novice stamper to creating my own designs! And I love it! I also now have an etsy shop! http://www.etsy.com/shop/totouchaheart. Check it out if you have a chance and see how far I have come! Wishing you all a wonderful day filled with love and sunshine!

Wow! It's been forever!

Time just flies by too fast. With so many things to do each day, time slips by us and before we know it another years has slid by. It's almost Valentines day...a day to remind everyone how very much we love them. But for everyone I love, everyday is Valentines day! I love telling my family how very much I care about them. I hope you do the same, to a family member, a friend or just by showing someone you care with a random act of kindness! Let's all remember to share those warm and fuzzy feelings everyday!

Memorial Day...2011

Wow! Amazing how time flies by. It's spring here in Minnesota but by all accounts it would be very hard to tell as on this day May, 25,2011 my furnace is still running....and running! But we are blessed with tons of rain instead of tornadoes..or lemon sized hail. Instead we are a bit chilled and wet. Better then most I dare say. By the time summer actually shows up we'll whiz right through it directly into fall!
This memorial weekend had been filled with ideas of camping, swimming, and having family fun out at Hickory Hills campgrounds where we have our camper parked. With impending rain though, plans have been a bit changed. I will be here sharing a few hours with my youngest granddaughter who will be staying over on Friday night. Then Sat. we might take a chance at spending time at the camper....hopefully a few hours with a bit of sun.
The most important thing about this weekend however, is to remember all those special people who have given their time, dedication or their lives to insure our freedoms...freedom to complain about the weather, to go camping or just to spend time with our families. God Bless you all!

Old Friends, New Friends on Facebook

It's funny what facebook can bring into your life. I recently went away for a weekend and came home to find a friends request from a very dear old friend....one from elementary school! We were friends from about 2nd grade until sixth grade when I moved to another town. So it's been about 42 years since we have seen one another. I accepted the request and we have been catching up, little by little, on what has transpired in our lives since we had been seperated.
The funny thing is that so many times we develop friendships because of common interests or similar ways of thinking. 42 years later I find that my friend is also an author. Marynell Lund has written the book called, The Normal Side of Insanity. The book contains life experiences about several types of abuse she has suffered during her lifetime.
I on the other hand, have not. But what I have also done in my book is bring to light the different facuets of abuse, but in a fictious manner. There Should Have Been Roses deals with physical and mental abuse suffered by a woman at the hands of a man who professes to love her. Her inability to leave and the consequenses she suffers because of "love" are the heart of my story.
Both books are well worth reading. Both deal with issues that need to be exposed. I hope someone, somewhere, will pick up one of our books and pass along the information that could save someone's life.
So Marynell, it's wonderful to have you back in my life and much success with your new book!

Christmas...it's a coming!

Well the season is sneaking up on us so grab on to the vitamins and get your self in shape for all the holiday events! It's hard to think ahead when the weather is balmy and there is no snow on the ground to remind us that Santa will soon be on his way! But when you start the countdown you'll realize that Christmas will be here before we know it!
Last year I had the pleasure of winning some Heartwarming Vintage cuts from Crafty Secrets. At the time I recieved them I really didn't know what I would do with them...use them for cards? Use them in a scrapbook? So they were tossed in a drawer. Well this year I pulled them out and had so much fun making Vintage Christmas cards that I just had to share them with you!
I don't know why I stayed away from the beautiful designs when all my life I have loved Victorian styled anything! Lace, ribbons, feathers and vintage buttons! Most of the embellishments I had laying around my craft room just waiting for this moment! So here are a couple of my Vintage Christmas cards! I hope you enjoy them!

There Should have been Roses

Finally the journey to complete my first romance is over and the book is now available at barnesandnoble.com borders.com or amazon.com It's been a thrilling adventure with many changes and challenges!
There Should have been Roses is the story of Sarah who travels down many paths to find true love and an fullfilling relationship, but not without bumps and bruises that we all suffer when finding our one soulmate!

Little Prints

Well spring is just around the corner..it's kind of peeking it's way around the last of the winter weather and with more sunshine comes more energy! I am talking about spring house cleaning. I've been restlessly waiting for warmer temps so I can get to it and get the windows sparkling again too! I see the little prints my granddaughter has left behind and those however, are going to stay! They are a gift she left behind proving that she was here and that once again we had a wonderful time together! Here's a gift for all you parents and grandparents who look at those little prints that are left all over your house!

Little Prints

Little handprints on the wall
They don't bother me at all!
A little child left them there,
For me to see that they'd been here!

Little prints on a chair,
Remind me they were sitting there!
We shared a meal and talked a bunch!
About important things like toys and lunch!

Little footprints by the door,
Some days I wish there would be more
For visits from that a little child
Are filled with fun and hugs and smiles!

Little Prints for all to see
That blessings were bestowed on me!
For little prints are gifts of love
From someone special up above!

Enjoy the little prints! And don't forget to visit www.cafepress.com/totouchaheart

Friends!

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family! This is so true. Sometimes it's our friends that are the ones who pick us up when we are down. They are the ones who oft times offer the best support when we venture into a new field or a new experience. Sometimes friends are closer then family because we have a tendency to pick friends that enjoy the same types of activities, attitudes and attributes! I have many friends with different types of status. I have a best friend, good friends and acquaintances. I have a couple of new friends that I would like to share with you. Please feel free to visit "my friends" at their place in space! http://natureinspired.blogspot.com and www.embellished-dreams.blogspot.com

They love having visitors...and you can stop by here anytime!

Preserving Family

There is nothing more important in our lives, in our world and for our existance as, family. And second to family, is preserving the treasures that make up the memories that are so important to pass on to the next generation. Many people capture those moments in pictures and many like to arrange them into scrapbooks or memory books so the children of this generation will have the history of their ancestors. Recently I discovered on my computer a program that many may already have knowledge of and that is the Window's Movie Maker. The program in itself is so easy to manuver that even small children can create a video, with a musical background and pick and chose which memories they would like to capture and preserve. I am now making videos of each one of my grandchildren starting with pictures of their births until the present day. For Christmas I am going to make a video for each one of my own children with pictures from the past and call it Heritage. The video will include pics of their greatgrand parents, their grandparents and myself from birth to present. I hope you will take advantage of the wonderful world of videos presented to you through Windows!

Fourth of July: Our Independence

I attended a very large event this last Saturday in Souix City Iowa. They began the event, a very large Jazz Festival which featured B.B.King with the National Anthem. I looked around and was disappointed to see that many people in the crowd did not stand or put their hand over their hearts. We are on the cusp of the celebration to end all celebrations and are looking forward to the picnic, spending time with our families, the parades and fireworks while halfway around the world our troops are spending their days protecting the independence we will be celebrating! Let's not forget the reasons for the celebration. Take pride in your country! Stand when they play the national anthem and stand when the flag of our great country passes by, for so many are giving up their lives to Stand Up for America!

Memorial Day

With the end of May approaching we look forward to Memorial Day. The celebration of the rememerance of those who have gone on without us whether it be family, the troops who have sacrificed everything for us or those who died on 9/11. To all of those who are survivers of a loved one, this one is for you!

Memories

There's a silence in your life today

A place no one can share.

A missing part, within your heart

for one that was so rare.

Where memories now must fill the gap

for the voice you'll never hear.

It's soft refrain, will now remain,

Just an echo in your ears.

There's sometimes disagreement,

Between the people that we love,

But time can heal, no one can steal

Great lessons from above.

So when it's time to say "goodbye"

there is no easy way.

Forgive, forget, shrug off regrets

For there's nothing left to say.

There's a silence in your life today

A place no one can share.

But their in your heart, those missing parts,

For love is still so rare.

Tribute to the troops

Being the mother-in-law of two career military "sons" I can relate to the pain and heartache a family goes through with the seperation from their loved ones. "Waiting for you to come home" was written for my own two while they served their time in both Afghanistan and Iraq. To all our troops and for their families, We'll be waiting for you to come home!

Waiting for you to come home!

In all our lives, we never thought
You'd go so far away.
If we had the choice, I hope you know
Close by us you would stay.
But the time had come, a call you heard
To keep our country free.
With your head held high,
No last "goodbyes" a soldier you must be.
So you went away to that foreign land
Where turmoil stirs our peace.
You left behind the land you love
To calm a threatening beast.
Our hearts are filled with so much pride.
We're free because of you.
No words express the love we feel
Or the gratitude that's due.
Tonight you'll sleep in that foreign land
And if you feel like you're alone,
Remember first, a million prayers
Because we'll be waiting for you to come home!

Mothers

While we are concerned with saving Mother Earth we also have to pay tribute to all mothers with a special day in May. Precious Gift was written for all the mom's in the world who are certainly a special gift to us all!

Precious Gift

In His hands, he mixed all good things,
Like angel dust and butterfly wings!
The fluffiest of clouds and softest down.
A fragrant rose, and baby’s sounds!
Then added just a pinch of dew.
Rainbow colors and laughter too!
Then he said to the world,
“Are you ready for this?
For she can heal with just a kiss!”
She can walk the earth to save a child.
And never mind the “extra mile.”
While the rest of the world is sound asleep.
A constant vigil she will keep.
She’ll touch a flower and make it bloom,
Her radiant smile will warm a room!
She’ll calm a world of hurt and fear.
And though she’s strong you can see the tears.
For a mother is filled with a special love.
She’s a precious gift from heaven above!

Jill Holmes

Mother of all mothers!

Today is Earth day. The day to celebrate and learn more about saving our great planet. Each little thing we do to conserve our natural resources helps. So celebrate and do what you can to preserve our planet for our children's future.

To Touch a Heart

Hi everyone. I'm Jill Holmes a Minnesota author and poet. I am the author of An Ax in the Sandbox, and To Touch a Heart. Ax is a contemporary novel and To Touch a Heart is a collection of short stories and award winning poetry. This is my first blog but have a website www.totouchaheartbyjillholmes.com and my books are available from my webpage. Hope I can stir up some interest and meet other writers and create new relationships!