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Archive for 'holiday'



It’s Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day! (Contest)
Friday, November 15th, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Sandy Kelly!
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It’s another of those weird holidays I so love. This one actually makes sense for its timing. It’s “Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day!”

My daughter actually tackled that chore a few days ago, clearing out room for Thanksgiving meal storage. The amount of condiments we had accumulated was unbelievable—and yes, quite a few had expired. Leftovers in Tupperware—gone. Fuzzy fruit and vegetables—gone. She’s always death on old cheese and lunchmeat. She watches those pesky, almost unreadable expiration dates, where I tend to do a sniff test before eating. And has anyone ever watched the comedy with Al Brooks and Debbie Reynolds, Mother? The funniest scene, to me, was her cutting the green off a huge block of cheese she’d gotten from the senior center while Al Brooks curled his nose in disgust. My mother would always cut off the edges of old cheese. My daughter? Oh no. I have to be quick to finish a lovely wedge of cheese before she tosses it in the bin.

Anyway, does this holiday sound like one you could celebrate? Do you have any old foods stories to share? I think we actually found spices in the cabinet that had expired in 2012… Answer for a chance to win a free download of one of my books!

Happy National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day! (Contest)
Monday, October 21st, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Kim Croddy!
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It is a thing! And definitely a holiday I can get behind. Some Canadian computer museum started this holiday in 2010. How can you celebrate it?

Start with the files you have saved to your desktop. Did you save a recipe you never tried and won’t? Delete it. Do you need those files cluttering up your desktop when you open up your computer every day? If not, delete, or save them somewhere that makes better sense.

Then open your files in Explorer. Have you accumulated more junk there? I know when I’m working on a book, I can accumulate a bunch of pictures of settings I want to use, but when I’m done with the book, why keep them? Delete. I also don’t need every version of the book file I saved. Delete, delete!

When I’ve gone through all my files, I like to follow with emptying out my Downloads and Recycle Bin, followed by running a quick Disk Cleanup to clear out my computer’s memory.

Afterward, I feel virtuous for cleaning out my virtual files. For a chance to win your choice of download from among my backlist of books, tell me how often you clean out your virtual files!

Tell me a story: Romantic Halloween? (Contest)
Friday, October 18th, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
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‘Tis the season and all. No, not that season. However, Halloween is drawing closer, and I know there are romantic tales to tell.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, study the picture above then tell me a story about this couple. The story doesn’t have to be long or even any good. Just have fun with it!

Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Halloween Movies & Activities
Saturday, October 12th, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
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Halloween is always a fun time of year for our family. It’s the kickoff to the holiday season—Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Nicklaus Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve… We celebrate them all because we love excuses for celebrating.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, and then offer suggestions in the comments for Halloween movies or activities that would be fun for the family!

 

For those interested, here’s my health update:  Read the rest of this entry »

Happy International Coffee Day! (Contest)
Tuesday, October 1st, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Jackie Wisherd!
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It’s not an official holiday, but it’s one I can get behind! I looooove coffee. When I was younger, I drank it all day long. Black. No sugar. All day long. These days, I have to keep it to two cups in the morning or I wreck my ability to fall asleep at night. My mornings, though, are always super-charged by the mighty coffee bean.

I know there are folks who detest the taste. Not something I understand. I drank from a large community urn when I was in the military. You were lucky in the morning to get a fresh, aromatic cup. By late afternoon, it was sludge, but I still poured a cup of ambition.

Coffee is more than a drink. It’s a ritual—for me, anyway. I have my first cup sitting with my daughter as the kids scurry to get ready for school. I carry the second cup to my desk to begin work for the day. I set it on that old cup warmer at the corner of my desk and drink it, one sip at a time, while I check my To Do list, begin my blog—and I’m off. I love this particular cup. The kids gave it to me one Christmas as a joke, a gentle funny dig because…guess what? I’m not so silent about correcting their grammar. I have tons of writerly mugs. Tons of Grandma mugs. They all have meaning and memories. I have cups my dad used for years that I cry over whenever they break or crack. Some I glue back together and use as pen holders because I won’t consign them to the trash. I’m sure you have some of those meaningful/memory-packed cups, too.

Enough about coffee and cups, though. It’s Tuesday. The first day of the month. I have a calendar to update, bills to pay. Pages to edit. It’s time to get to work.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you’re a fan of coffee. If you are, how do you like it? Black or doctored? If there’s another beverage you prefer, tell me what it is and how you like it, too! Have a wonderful day, y’all!

Happy Labor Day! (Contest)
Monday, September 2nd, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Laura Bowles!
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I am just popping in to say Happy Labor Day to all of you U.S. residents! It marks the unofficial end to summer and is a national holiday—so the kids are home for the day! We’re keeping it lowkey. The SIL is cooking burgers on the grill. Perhaps we’ll have a movie night (we’re thinking Fall Guy). We’re sticking close to home and to each other.

If you’re celebrating, what are your plans? If you’re not a U.S. resident, do you have a similar holiday? Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

10 Ways to “Celebrate” International Panic Day + a Puzzle! (Contest)
Tuesday, June 18th, 2024

UPDATE: The winner is…Deb Brown!
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International Panic Day is a “mock” holiday meant to give people a day to intentionally de-stress.

I’m all for that! Well, I’m all for another odd holiday and all for destressing! How ’bout you?

I thought making a list of ways I like to destress would be fun…

  1. 🐈 Pet a pet
  2. 📻 Listen to music
  3. ☕ Drink a cup of tea
  4. 😮‍💨 Breathe
  5. 🧘‍♀️ Meditate
  6. 🏊‍♀️ Swim!
  7. 👭 Spend time with friends
  8. 🚶‍♀️ Go for a walk
  9. 👩‍⚕️ See a therapist
  10. 🏝️ Get away from it all!

The last two aren’t things I generally do, but I was struggling to get to 10! I also managed to fit in a puzzle for you all since so many of you enjoy them!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then add to my list of 10 or tell me which items on my list you use!