UPDATE: The winner is…Loretta C. Rogers!
*~*~*

All but two gifts are bought. So, that stress is over. Now, the family and I are settling into the last days of school before the holiday begins. We haven’t started bingeing on Christmas movies. Hopefully, we’ll have time for one today.

In the meantime, the weather is dismal. Not nearly cold enough and rainy. So, the last leaves are still clinging to the trees, the grass is brown with patches of green. The horse and goats love that. The forecasts aren’t hopeful for a white Christmas.

So, the image I chose today is lovely, eerie, and wintery—just so I can get into the mood of the season. I think I need to stock up on hot chocolate and gingersnaps. Something to help fuel the holiday feel.

I love that so many of you seem to be enjoying my Christmas Advent giveaways on Facebook! We’ll keep it up until Christmas Eve!

In the meantime, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle then offer your suggestions for holiday movies to watch. My daughter leans toward Hallmark Christmas movies. She vetoed the Krampus movie—and I don’t dare mention my favorite, Die Hard. So, any other suggestions will be appreciated!

UPDATE: The winner is…Melinda Barrera!
*~*~*

I don’t know about you, but I’ve fallen out of the habit of writing letters—and I think it’s a damn shame. Worse, I think it’s very sad that penmanship and letter-writing are no longer taught in school. Did you have a teacher who helped you find a pen pal somewhere in the world for you to exchange letters with?

It’s such a civilized thing to do, I think. A tangible way of connecting. I think the last time I exchanged letters with someone on a regular basis was with my grandmother. She enjoyed getting letters and saved them. I have letters of hers that I saved. They were never of anything very important, just notes to catch her up on what was happening in my life. There was real joy seeing a letter from her waiting in my mailbox. She shared little tidbits of her daily life, and I could hear her voice when I read them. Again, that tangible proof of love.

My question to you today, for a chance to win a FREE download of one of my books, is… Do you write letters? Not emails. Physical letters? Do you receive them? And do you miss them, too?

UPDATE: The winner is…Terra Oenning!
*~*~*

In keeping with my Christmas Countdown over on Facebook, today’s word search puzzle’s theme is Christmas Tree Ornaments! We all have our preference for dressing up a tree. My granddaughter prefers a more modern and coordinated tree. My dd and I love a cozy, weirdly mismatched tree because we love the ornaments we’ve gathered over the years. The 10-year-old loves her tiny tree that’s decorated with pink pigs—her choice.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me about your favorite ornament!

Just a quick note before I start… Thanks to everyone posting on Facebook as part of the Daily Advent Countdown! It’s already been fun, and something I think I’ll do every year. I really like thinking up ways to play & celebrate online! On to my Sunday, pre-planning tarot card pull…

I’ve had this guy before. It’s Daedalus. You might know him as the father of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and melted his wax-and-feathers wings. Daedalus was a very inventive and prosperous man, who made things for kings. Here, he’s being a bit of a butt. Note the grapes framing the picture. Grapes always mean “plenty.” His wealth is cemented by the four golden pentacles he holds tightly in his arms. He’s not letting anyone steal those from him. But look at his eyes. He’s not happy, despite the fact he has so much. He’s watching his nephew Talos at the workbench, and that’s envy on his face. You see, he can already tell that Talos will be a better artisan than he is. He’s jealous!

So, what does this mean for me? It’s weird to pull this card now. I’m not paying any attention to any other person who’s doing better than me. I’m not jealous of anyone. Is the card telling me not to hoard my talents? Maybe…it’s telling me to “spend” my gifts. I’ll have to think about this one.

What does The Mythic Tarot book tell me? It says there may be a “stagnation of creative energy” if I “hold too tightly to things which are bound up with one’s sense of self-value.”

Open Contests

1. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Flea Market Treasure — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Gabbi Grey: A Sweet Story (Contest) —  This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Upcoming Releases & a Local Legend (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Anna T.S./Michal Scott: Frances Watkins Harper – A Woman’s Reach Must Exceed Her Grasp (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. November into December (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Delilah’s Daily Advent! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…cindy!
*~*~*

I’m up early to get ready for the Christmas craft sale today! I’ll post this blog and go jump in the shower. Even if it rains, and that puts a damper on folks turning out for the sale, it will be fun! I always shop the other vendors, and the venue feeds us really, really well. I can’t wait for the homemade chili!

In the meantime, solve the puzzle! Then tell me whether you have any homemade holiday decorations you treasure for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Psst! And don’t forget to head over to my Friends page on Facebook to enter the Advent contest!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Soppe!
*~*~*

The Devlins are big on Christmas. Today, the Elves on the Shelf made their appearance in our house, bringing coloring books and individual advent calendar gift boxes for the girls. So, every morning, they’ll be opening the doors of their little boxes to claim their prizes. On the night of the 5th, they’ll leave out their shoes for Santa to let them know whether they’ve been naughty or nice by leaving gifts or pieces of coal in their shoes for them the next morning. We’ll have weekend Christmas movie nights. Our decorations are all over the house. I think we have six trees, large and small, all over the place. Yeah, we go all out. Every day’s a celebration.

So, I thought it might be fun to spread the joy to you, too.

Every day, counting down to the 24th, I’ll give away a small prize on my Friends page on Facebook. If you aren’t already a friend, you can head over here to join: Delilah’s Friend Page. Be sure to comment on my daily advent posts there because I’ll be picking one commenter to receive a small simple prize. It could be one of my hand painted bookmarks, postcards, some other small artists’ card, a handmade snowman ornament, or a free book.

Be looking for those notices and be sure to comment! Good luck, and ‘Tis the Season, y’all! Let me know here if you like this idea for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beth!
*~*~*

November

 

1. I compiled all three Triplehorn Brand books into a single volume and published the box set on November 20th! Thanks to everyone who picked up a copy!
2. I completed writing my standalone small-town/sci-fi/romantic comedy, Little Green Dreams (follow the link to pre-order!)! Something I’ve been thinking about writing for years. And I finally have a cover!
3. I began work on Malcolm (Book #10 of Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT).
4. I completed 4 editing projects for other authors in November.
5. I completed NaNoWriMo 2023!

Health-related:

1. I have not been exercising enough. I’ve gained weight—not saying how much! (Thanksgiving is a blessing and curse!)
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 135-155.

Happiness-related: 

1. I worked on making items to sell alongside my daughter at the local Christmas craft fair!
2. Despite the heavy writing workload, I have managed to do some painting. Here are some examples…

December

For work-related, I plan:

1. To make one more pass through Little Green Dreams to find any errors I may have missed, then release it on December 12th!
2. To write, and hopefully publish, my next Stepbrothers Stepping Out short story—With His Fire Crew.
3. To complete writing Malcolm, my next Montana Bounty Hunters book!
4. To complete 4 editing projects in December!

For health related, I plan:

1. To not make promises about counting points for my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s that time of year and I know I’d be setting myself up for failure. However, I will try to make healthier choices—emphasizing no late-night snacking!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
3. To pay attention to my daily steps, trips up and down the stairs, and to incorporate some chair exercises.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To participate in a local arts and crafts event December 2nd!
2. To make some last pieces of jewelry and cards for Christmas gifts!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in December…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!