This Life...
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Sunday Snippet: The Retreat Check-In Edition
What a wondrous time this has been! And today is our last full day here at this beautiful mountain house, so I’m feeling both sad that we will be starting our trek home tomorrow and yet happy and oh, so grateful for the days we’ve shared here. We’ve laughed and read aloud and asked for words and opinions–“Listen…what’s wrong with this?” “Not a thing.” or “Take *that phrase* and move it to right after your introductory phrase…” “Ah, there, okay.” “Would he say______?” “Not if he’s looking for redemption.” “Do you want some toast with French butter?” “Well, yeah…” “How about cake?” “Yes! Cake!” “This is such a beautiful house!”…
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Sunday Snippet: The Too Excited to Breathe & Giveaway Edition
It’s coming up! We are a mere 5 days away from Word Wranglers writer’s retreat in North Carolina and the four of us who are able to attend are about to pop, we’re so excited. First of all, outside of Liz and me, we’ve never met in person. So I get to meet Margie on Wednesday when I go pick her up at the airport, Liz gets to meet her when she picks us up and we get on the road, then all of us get to meet Janie when we arrive in NC. Liz and I travel together frequently, and we’re anticipating all the fun we’ll have adding Margie…
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Guest Author Sarah Vance-Tompkins is Here with A Giveaway and…
Congratulations to Karen Dubrinsky–you are the winner of Sarah’s giveaway! Sarah will be in touch with you! A cover reveal! I’m so pleased to welcome Sarah Vance-Tompkins to the blog! Sarah was born in a small town in northern Michigan. She spent every summer exploring the sugar sand beaches near Sleeping Bear National Park. She left her heart behind when she moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. She received an MFA in Film Production and went on to work in feature film development in Hollywood. She has worked as a reporter for a weekly entertainment trade publication, and been paid to write obituaries, press releases,…
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Sunday Snippet: A Garden Tour Edition
Confessions time: My brain is mush. I have nothing brilliant or even halfway intelligent to offer this morning. I wish I did. So, this edition of the Sunday Snippet is compliments of my genius writing bestie, Liz Flaherty, who said to me, “Take a picture and write about it.” You get several pictures as I give you a little tour of my gardens or as Liz calls them, my “flowerbeds.” One day, either she or I will explore the difference in those two terms, but not today. Today, I’m going to show you my flowers. First, here’s a shot of my incredible front garden–the window you see is my office…
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Sunday Snippet: The Mid-July Gratitude Check-In Edition
Every couple of years, I break out my copy of Sara Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance. She calls it “A Daybook of Comfort and Joy,” and it truly is. If you’ve never read the book, I recommend it highly and it’s even available as an e-book! I downloaded it to my Kindle a few years ago, which makes it easy to have wherever I am, but I’m still partial to the hardback book because it has my notes in it from previous years, and it’s cool to read those, too. I’ve been doing the Simple Abundance meditations this year because I need that centering after the last eighteen months. Part of…
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Sunday Snippet: The Lazy, Rainy Weekend Edition
And so it is–a lazy, rainy weekend at the lake. It’s too icky outside for a boat ride or a swim. Too gloomy and stormy for a walk, so I’m sitting here at my computer contemplating what to write. I did something this morning I do so rarely that I can’t remember the last time it happened. I stayed in bed and read for two hours. My normal schedule is to get up at six and write for a couple of hours–even before I make coffee or face the world. It’s a good habit to have and I’m glad I do it because otherwise, nothing at all would get written.…
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Sunday Snippet: The July 4 Edition
It’s July 4 and we are celebrating our nation’s birthday with a cookout at Son’s and some much-needed family time. It’s been a grand week with the completion of a couple of editing gigs, some words written, and a fun visit with friend Moe, who came down from the lake to spend some time with us. Loved having her here! I got to see a bluebird for the first time (photo is a little blurred because I was trying to catch him before he flew off–but here he is sitting on the gutter). Here’s one of my favorite pictures of Son and Grandboy from a July 4 celebration a…
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Sunday Snippet: The How Is It Sunday Again and I’m Meandering Edition
Holy cats, kids, it’s Sunday again! No idea how that happened. It’s been an eventful week here at casa Reinhardt, although as I look back on the last seven days, what sticks out most is work. I’ve been working a lot this month of June and now as July appears on the horizon, I find myself wondering what happened to the first third of summer. Does that ever happen to you? Time just sort of slipping away while you’re trying to plan your life? I keep thinking that one day I’ll be organized and I’ll get to sketching classes and lunch with friends, old and new and time with sister…
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Sunday Snippet: The French Butter Edition
I love French butter. We discovered it in Paris, naturally enough, and it’s perfect butter. Creamy and delicious with just the right touch of salt. We ate it on croissants at the little café around the corner from our apartment and on crusty baguettes from the boulangerie next to the laverie (laundromat). It was sheer paradis sur terre (heaven on Earth). I’d never really appreciated butter of any kind before that trip to Paris because my mom bought margarine and that’s what I grew up on. My grandmother had butter at her house and I recall thinking it tasted…oily. And because the size of my butt has been an issue my…
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Snippet Sunday: The Real Snippet Edition
It’s been a busy week. I’ve got a couple of editing gigs going and I’m trying to write. We’ve been up at the lake since Thursday and although I love this place, I confess I’m more easily distracted when we are here. We won’t be coming up again until June, which is fine–we avoid the holiday weekends. It just gets too people-y for us. Husband’s had a good weekend–we put the boat in the water and that always makes him happy. Tomorrow I get to meet Liz for a writing day and that always makes me happy. I’m working on book 3 of the Lange Brothers series and it’s coming…