Happy Holidays! A. Catherine Noon here, of Noon & Wilder, bringing you greetings from the Pacific Northwest of the US. Greetings to Delilah Devlin and thank you for hosting me today. And to you, Dear Reader, I wish all the warmth of the season.

I’m excited to report that the great overhaul of Noon & Wilder is done! We’re still working on our other sites, but those will be up shortly too. Take a peek!

https://noonandwilder.com/
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And our books are back up, too! Plus we have a little holiday special for you: Six Geese Laid will be out this year in ebook and paper formats for you to enjoy – previously, it was only available by audio in a fantastic reading by Vance Bastien of WROTE Podcast.

I don’t know about you, Dear Reader, but the last three years have really been a rough ride for Noon & Wilder. For one thing, I’m now living in Washington State instead of Chicago. I moved here for what I thought was my dream day job (I work in the insurance industry), but it turned out to be, not to be overdramatic, a nightmare. At the beginning of this year, I found a great new place that is turning out to be everything I wanted: great bosses, a good work team, and very little day-to-day drama. Turns out, having a solid grounding with work and home is conducive to writing.

I have continued my journaling practices and this year added a couple new techniques to my tool bag, including Yoga Nidra and pray/rain journaling. As part of that, I’ve re-started facilitating workshops, and that brings me to my next announcement: we have a free one our masterclass with Coach Jonni, called “Journaling Courage.” We’ll broadcast live on Facebook on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at 11:00 A.M. PST (GMT -8).

https://www.facebook.com/groups/writerzengardencreativecluster/
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Even if you’ve never tried journaling before, I hope you’ll join us for Coach Jonni’s workshop. She’ll have tools and ideas for beginners and veterans alike.

Lastly, Dear Reader, I would love to hear from YOU: what are you most excited about in the upcoming holiday season or in 2020? Please tell me in the comments.

Cheers!

– Noony

UPDATE: The winner is…Patricia Barraclough!
*~*~*

Diana Cosby ©2019

Liam and the Christmas Sheep

Gifts come in many shapes and sizes, but I believe the most precious ones are those delivered from the heart. It’s easy to get caught up in the mayhem of life, particularly during the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, but every day, there are people amidst the chaos who help you, who take time out of their busy lives to make a difference in yours. This year, why not return that gift?

This holiday season, as wrapped gifts exchange hands, I ask you to pause, reflect on those who’ve truly made a difference in your life, and if possible, find a special way to say thank you. This can be a simple gesture—something like a greeting card, a bouquet of flowers, or a heartfelt poem. Maybe you could bake someone their favorite cookies? Or, present them a coupon book filled with everyday chores, which they can tear out and give you to do on those trying days when they need a helping hand. The absolute best gift you can offer another person is one given from the heart. And when special-delivered, without any strings attached, it touches their own.

This Christmas, I’m making gift baskets filled with my favorite homemade things, such as macadamia-butterscotch chip cookies, shortbread, double chocolate-orange-pecan biscotti, Vermont maple syrup, and more. With each one, I’m sharing a part of myself with the other person.

What ideas can you think of? Remember—the more original and inventive, the more fun! I can’t wait to hear your ideas!

My gift to you, one of my favorite recipes:

SEATHAN MACGRUDER’S MACADAMIA BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

Ingredients:
1 tsp. salt                     1 tsp. baking powder               1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar                   ⅞th cup peanut butter          12 oz. butterscotch chips
1 cup butter                  2 eggs                                  3 cups flour
1 tbsp. Amaretto or vanilla
1¼th cup chopped macadamia nuts
1⅛th cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl mix butter, sugar, and brown sugar, then whip in the Amaretto (or vanilla) and peanut butter. Beat in eggs. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once mixed, add butterscotch chips and macadamia nuts. Mix in flour. Chill dough.

Bake:
Bake for 11 minutes, or until golden brown.

Cool and enjoy!

Author’s note:
An avid baker who enjoys creating new twists on recipes, Seathan MacGruder is the hero of His Conquest, the 3rd book in the best-selling MacGruder brothers’ Scottish medieval romantic suspense series. For more information about the MacGruder brothers, visit Diana’s website!

I sincerely wish everyone health, friendship and happiness this holiday season.

Contest

ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘Giving The Gift of Thanks,’ on Delilah’s blog between 1 December 2019 – 8 December 2019. The winner will receive one of Diana’s mugs and a tote.

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
https://www.dianacosby.com/
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance/ Forbidden Realm‒14th April 2020