When I originally wrote the story Prince Taylor's Corn Maze Halloween, ( one of the Princess Jelisa children's stories) one of the characters was dressed as Captain Hook. In editing the story for publication, the character was changed to a simple pirate captain, which I felt made him more relatable.
When I started looking at clothes for the dolls, back in 2016, one of the articles I read suggested using clothes made for preemies. In order to see how they fit, I purchased an outfit that my grandson liked. The print on the shirt (a on piece that was long enough to snap over a diaper) was a teddy bear with a pirate scarf and eye patch. Although it was too long for the doll's torso, I saved it, thinking I could use it later or remake it.
I searched Pinterest and online costume retailers and found a variety of ideas. I decided I wanted something simple, the kids could see themselves as. The shirt was a perfect beginning. I cut the bottom off the shirt, keeping it a little long to go over his pants. Next, I made a red scarf from some red cotton and tied it around his head. The eye patch was made from black felt and held on by a piece of black elastic. I was planning to pair the shirt with some blue pants but Lilly, my granddaughter, insisted he needed red pants. So I used a basic pattern to make him a pair of red pants. We used some boots, previously purchased for one of the other dolls. Jilly, another granddaughter told me real pirates always wore a vest. So she helped me find some felt squares to make a two-toned vest. Finally no pirate would be complete without a waist sash. His ended up being black satin.
This has ended up being one of my favorite outfits to make for this particular doll. Next to the camouflage outfit, it is also a favorite of my grandson. I hope you like it as well as he does.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Monday, January 8, 2018
A Princess Inspired Costume
My 4 year old daughter hardly ever goes a day without wearing some kind of a princess dress. Some days it is one of her favorite Sunday dresses, but most days she can be found prancing around the house in a dress-up costume. For Halloween, she wanted to be Cinderella. She found a dress at a local thrift store she decided was "perfect". A week later another dress arrived, purchased by her mother from Amazon. It was a brighter blue with an organza overlay. I thought she could wear the new dress for Halloween and the used dress for play, she insisted the first dress was her costume. However it was the second dress which became my inspiration for a costume for one of the characters in my newest book.
I bought some scrap pieces of blue silk and white organza from our favorite fabric store. Since I was short on money and didn't want to purchase a new pattern for just one outfit, I used some creative knowledge to change a pattern I already owned. Cutting the sleeve wider than the pattern I ended up with a full puffy sleeve. I figured out that two half (1/2) circles would make a simple flounce. Jilly's dress had gold braid trim down the front, which I didn't have any of, but I did have about twelve (12) inches of ruffled lace,I could use. I decided would look just as nice. Jilly was thrilled with the new princess dress for the doll. Jilly wanted to wear long gloves with her costume, so of course the doll had to have the same. Luckily I already had a pair of gloves which Princess Jelisa was happy to let us borrow for the night. A pair of clear sandals worked as her glass slippers.
Here is a picture of the finished princess costume that one of the book characters wore in the book, Prince Taylor's Corn Maze Halloween.( one of the Princess Jelisa children's stories).
I bought some scrap pieces of blue silk and white organza from our favorite fabric store. Since I was short on money and didn't want to purchase a new pattern for just one outfit, I used some creative knowledge to change a pattern I already owned. Cutting the sleeve wider than the pattern I ended up with a full puffy sleeve. I figured out that two half (1/2) circles would make a simple flounce. Jilly's dress had gold braid trim down the front, which I didn't have any of, but I did have about twelve (12) inches of ruffled lace,I could use. I decided would look just as nice. Jilly was thrilled with the new princess dress for the doll. Jilly wanted to wear long gloves with her costume, so of course the doll had to have the same. Luckily I already had a pair of gloves which Princess Jelisa was happy to let us borrow for the night. A pair of clear sandals worked as her glass slippers. Here is a picture of the finished princess costume that one of the book characters wore in the book, Prince Taylor's Corn Maze Halloween.( one of the Princess Jelisa children's stories).
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Sewing- My Unusual Step in Publishing
Time has flown since my last post. I could say I wonder where the time went, but I know where most of it was spent.
Many of my fellow writers spent October facing a blank computer screen or paper, writing everyday and building their stories. Others prepared for NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month,) and the challenge of writing 50,000 words during the thirty days of November. I hope they felt my encouragement as I replied to their comments on Facebook.
I also spent time in October working on my Princess Jelisa stories, but it looked it little different. During the first of the month I edited the story I had chosen to publish as the 8th book, and formatted the basic wording of the book I had in mind. I was hoping to publish the book by the week before Halloween, and was so far on schedule, with the next step being the illustrations. Under normal conditions I may have made my personal deadline, but not this time.
I love sewing. I used to sew a lot, making clothing for my husband, my five children and myself, as well as things to make our home more presentable or comfortable. Over the past year I had found a few hours, when my granddaughter was not using the sewing machine, to sew a variety of outfits for the dolls I had purchased. At the time, I didn't really know exactly how I would use the dolls or the clothes they would need. I still don't know how or when I will use what I already have.
Although the dolls have a variety of outfits, I realized they did not have the right outfits for the particular story I was hoping to publish in October. In the story, I described several costumes which the children wore to Prince Taylor's Halloween celebration, most of which they did not have. So as part of publishing I now had the opportunity to enjoy the creative experiences of sewing some fun costumes, or adding pieces from former outfits to make them part of a costume.
In the end I ended up sewing all or part of the following costumes:
Many of my fellow writers spent October facing a blank computer screen or paper, writing everyday and building their stories. Others prepared for NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month,) and the challenge of writing 50,000 words during the thirty days of November. I hope they felt my encouragement as I replied to their comments on Facebook.
I also spent time in October working on my Princess Jelisa stories, but it looked it little different. During the first of the month I edited the story I had chosen to publish as the 8th book, and formatted the basic wording of the book I had in mind. I was hoping to publish the book by the week before Halloween, and was so far on schedule, with the next step being the illustrations. Under normal conditions I may have made my personal deadline, but not this time.
I love sewing. I used to sew a lot, making clothing for my husband, my five children and myself, as well as things to make our home more presentable or comfortable. Over the past year I had found a few hours, when my granddaughter was not using the sewing machine, to sew a variety of outfits for the dolls I had purchased. At the time, I didn't really know exactly how I would use the dolls or the clothes they would need. I still don't know how or when I will use what I already have.
Although the dolls have a variety of outfits, I realized they did not have the right outfits for the particular story I was hoping to publish in October. In the story, I described several costumes which the children wore to Prince Taylor's Halloween celebration, most of which they did not have. So as part of publishing I now had the opportunity to enjoy the creative experiences of sewing some fun costumes, or adding pieces from former outfits to make them part of a costume.
In the end I ended up sewing all or part of the following costumes:
- Pirate
- Witch
- Cinderella
- Clown
- Victorian Vampiress
- Doctor
As part of sharing my writing experience, it seems appropriate to share the outfits either as I create them or as I use them in the stories. Please feel free to submit your comments regarding the writing or sewing shares.
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Boost of Self-Confidence
I spent most of today updating some older resumes with information about the employment I have enjoyed over the past eight (8) years. The best par of my day was that in searching through the old resumes on my computer I came across an exercise done around 2003.At an employment workshop I had attended we were told to just list skills we felt we had gained through life experiences, volunteer opportunities or former employment that could be of benefit to a business or another person. At that time I managed to list almost two pages worth of various office, management, accounting and technical skills along with a list of personal services I had performed since high school, and did not even include the skills needed to be a wife and mother.
It was interesting to review the skills I had listed, It brought to mind the many people I have had the pleasure to work with over the years. I thought about the things I learned from them and even more about the things they learned from me, along with the many ways I added value to the businesses.
I remembered several positions where I had been hired for my varied skills, asked to reorganize the office, set-up a new accounting system, create and implement new tracking systems and develop effective office procedures. Later, after the systems, forms and procedures were working efficiently and running almost automatically, I was asked to then train someone else, whom they believed they could pay less, to run the office as I had been. I remember laughing months and years later when I found out that it had sometimes taken two (in one case-three) people to replace me in order to keep everything running as smoothly as when I left.
I recalled two positions where I worked for several months as a temporary employee and then ended up training my replacement, because the temp agency insisted the company I was working for would have to pay a full year salary as a finders fee in order for me to be continue past the original contract date. Both companies, I found out later, ended up hiring two people to accomplish the work I had been regularly completing, and in the long run ended up spending even more than if they had retained my services.
Finally, I reflected on my current employment, which I have been informed will be ending soon.
What skills had I used effectively and often? Which skills had I offered to use for the benefit of the company which were not utilized? What ideas did I offer which I later saw someone else implement and then be praised for? What services did I offer which they said they want me to perform but then hired someone else to do at twice what they were paying me? What skills did I use or things did I do that no one really knew I had done? What choices did I make to improve my self personally? What new skills did I learn or refine during this time?
As I finished updating the skill list for the day I decided I was pretty awesome. The fear I would not be able to find new employment or a way to support my family as I need to diminished. I felt confident the future will take care of itself if I just relax and keep moving forward steadily.
I encourage you to take a few minutes (or more) to take an account of your own talents and skills. I am certain you will find you too have forgotten how awesome and wonderful you really are. I know it...do you?
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Lifetime Learners
Our lesson in one of our Sunday church classes was on the importance of continuing to learn throughout our lifetime. As I listened to the encouragement of the teacher I couldn't help but think of some of those in my life that taught the importance of continually reading and learning, no matter how old or what y our circumstances.
My Grandma Ivie was an example to me of someone who sought all kinds of learning. As a young lady she taught school, so education was always important to her. What I remember about her was that she was always wanting to know more, about anything or everything she could. Living on a fixed income, grandma didn't have a lot of money to buy fancy books, but she always made sure she purchased the readers digest each month. You could always find copies of the two or three most recent editions on her porch reading stand during the summer or on her bedside table in the winter. This precious storehouse of knowledge was not just tossed but stored in boxes and sacks in the room beyond the kitchen. I believe, even in her late 90s grandma went a month without her monthly issue of knowledge. As we grew we realized no matter what subject we were learning in school, grandma knew all about it and had interesting facts our teachers had never thought of sharing. If any of us ever needed an idea for a report, essay or other school paper we could depend on grandma to find one or more copies of the Readers Digest that would have information on a topic of interest. I wonder how many of us grandchildren still depend on that small little magazine to enlighten, educate, make one ponder or enjoy a moment of laughter each month.
I thought also of my Grandfather Pugh. Even at 98 years of age, you could be sure that he would find time to sit down and read .each day He had an old stuffed armchair he would sit in as he read. The table next to him always contained a stack of books he was in the middle of reading. Grandpa rarely read a book cover to cover. He would read, take notes, and then often set it aside and come back to it hours or days later with a new perspective and/or questions to find answers to. Although he read and studied many church books, he was also well versed in the classics. He could tell the story of almost any classic we were studying in school, explaining not only plot and characters, but the emotions of the characters that were often overlooked or too hastily passed over in discussions. I used to think grandpa had the most wonderful library upstairs. He had an entire wall covered with bookcases full of books he had read, and two more glass front bookcases that held well worn editions, and a few first editions, and collections of college textbooks, reference books and school books. While it sometimes seemed like a mess to grandma and I, grandpa knew where every book belonged. He always knew if someone borrowed a book, and if asked if he had a particular book or one containing a specific story, it would take him only a few minutes to hand you exactly what was asked for (or needed).
So with this kind of a heritage is it any wonder I enjoy reading (and writing.)? I have been so blessed with wonderful examples of how to continually grow and learn, no matter what my present circumstances may be. I hope that in some way I can reach a level even close to what they achieved and taught. I guess, that itself, is part of the lifetime of learning - patience and perseverance.
My Grandma Ivie was an example to me of someone who sought all kinds of learning. As a young lady she taught school, so education was always important to her. What I remember about her was that she was always wanting to know more, about anything or everything she could. Living on a fixed income, grandma didn't have a lot of money to buy fancy books, but she always made sure she purchased the readers digest each month. You could always find copies of the two or three most recent editions on her porch reading stand during the summer or on her bedside table in the winter. This precious storehouse of knowledge was not just tossed but stored in boxes and sacks in the room beyond the kitchen. I believe, even in her late 90s grandma went a month without her monthly issue of knowledge. As we grew we realized no matter what subject we were learning in school, grandma knew all about it and had interesting facts our teachers had never thought of sharing. If any of us ever needed an idea for a report, essay or other school paper we could depend on grandma to find one or more copies of the Readers Digest that would have information on a topic of interest. I wonder how many of us grandchildren still depend on that small little magazine to enlighten, educate, make one ponder or enjoy a moment of laughter each month.
I thought also of my Grandfather Pugh. Even at 98 years of age, you could be sure that he would find time to sit down and read .each day He had an old stuffed armchair he would sit in as he read. The table next to him always contained a stack of books he was in the middle of reading. Grandpa rarely read a book cover to cover. He would read, take notes, and then often set it aside and come back to it hours or days later with a new perspective and/or questions to find answers to. Although he read and studied many church books, he was also well versed in the classics. He could tell the story of almost any classic we were studying in school, explaining not only plot and characters, but the emotions of the characters that were often overlooked or too hastily passed over in discussions. I used to think grandpa had the most wonderful library upstairs. He had an entire wall covered with bookcases full of books he had read, and two more glass front bookcases that held well worn editions, and a few first editions, and collections of college textbooks, reference books and school books. While it sometimes seemed like a mess to grandma and I, grandpa knew where every book belonged. He always knew if someone borrowed a book, and if asked if he had a particular book or one containing a specific story, it would take him only a few minutes to hand you exactly what was asked for (or needed).
So with this kind of a heritage is it any wonder I enjoy reading (and writing.)? I have been so blessed with wonderful examples of how to continually grow and learn, no matter what my present circumstances may be. I hope that in some way I can reach a level even close to what they achieved and taught. I guess, that itself, is part of the lifetime of learning - patience and perseverance.
Friday, September 1, 2017
The Promise Took a Turn
As I started the new year I promised myself I would do more with my writing this year. I started the year posting regularly to this blog, and actually did so fairly regularly until April. I was feeling fairly pleased with myself. That was the month I attended a writer's conference in the area.
The writer's conference was geared more toward those writing a novel but there was something that happened after the conference. My promise took a turn in a different direction. There were a number of authors who had books for sale, some on how or what to write, a number of science fiction, numerous romances, a variety of fantasy and even some scripts/screenplays. What I did not see many of were books for children, although I think there was one table that I thought offered a few. I remember walking away with the question as to why didn't more people write for children?
One of the things I found was that many writers said they had thought about writing for children but they didn't know what children would like, and didn't want to risk the reputations they had built as an author writing fiction for adults. Another prohibitive factor mentioned was the cost of illustrating a children's book with 24 or more full color pages, even using freelance illustrators.
Well, a reputation was not something I was terribly worried about at the time. I had published two self-help books, but had only sold a few to date. I didn't have reputation or a reader base of hundreds. What I did have was a feeling that did not go away, that I needed to share what I had already written before worrying about writing more. I had spent much of 2016 following a prompting to purchase stuffed animals that would go along with a series of stories I had written over the years as my grandchildren were growing up. Along with the animals, I found myself purchasing two dolls whom I felt were much like the princess and prince in the stories. At the conference I had learned about several websites that offered free or low priced photos that could be used or edited for illustrations and particularly covers. I had also talked with several authors during lunch that were happy with results they had received via Kindle Direct Publishing. One of the authors in the audience during one of the presentations asked a question about using a presentation program to design the cover and/or front pages of a book. His question prompted me to search the internet for more information. In doing so I came across an idea of how to prepare a children's book using a slide presentation program. The final thing that convinced me publishing my stories might be possible, even on a budget, was that while taking a refresher course in publishing, I found an easy way to combine elements from different photos into a slide presentation.
As the weeks passed, an idea began to move forward and the belief that it was at least worth the effort. So I began to self-illustrate some of my stories using low-cost purchased backgrounds and images, and adding elements of photos of the animals and dolls I had taken myself. The next step was to add the text, making minor edits to the stories as they had originally been written and format them into a form that could be repeated. The final step, for me, was to decide was what the covers should be - something about the particular book or something that would be recognizable from book to book. I finally decided to use the same cover for each book, but to make each unique by varying the color of the background. The first of the books about Princess Jelisa was finally published in July in both print and ebook formats. . As of today I have published 6 of the possible 20 or more stories I have written.
I don't know about you, but for me keeping a promise to myself, has been something I am really excited about. It may not look like what I anticipated or expected back in January, but too many new year resolutions in the past have disintegrated or been pushed aside by other demands by this time of the year. So I am anxious to continue my efforts. I invite you to follow me as I share more of the Princess Jelisa stories and more of my own as well.
The writer's conference was geared more toward those writing a novel but there was something that happened after the conference. My promise took a turn in a different direction. There were a number of authors who had books for sale, some on how or what to write, a number of science fiction, numerous romances, a variety of fantasy and even some scripts/screenplays. What I did not see many of were books for children, although I think there was one table that I thought offered a few. I remember walking away with the question as to why didn't more people write for children?
One of the things I found was that many writers said they had thought about writing for children but they didn't know what children would like, and didn't want to risk the reputations they had built as an author writing fiction for adults. Another prohibitive factor mentioned was the cost of illustrating a children's book with 24 or more full color pages, even using freelance illustrators.
Well, a reputation was not something I was terribly worried about at the time. I had published two self-help books, but had only sold a few to date. I didn't have reputation or a reader base of hundreds. What I did have was a feeling that did not go away, that I needed to share what I had already written before worrying about writing more. I had spent much of 2016 following a prompting to purchase stuffed animals that would go along with a series of stories I had written over the years as my grandchildren were growing up. Along with the animals, I found myself purchasing two dolls whom I felt were much like the princess and prince in the stories. At the conference I had learned about several websites that offered free or low priced photos that could be used or edited for illustrations and particularly covers. I had also talked with several authors during lunch that were happy with results they had received via Kindle Direct Publishing. One of the authors in the audience during one of the presentations asked a question about using a presentation program to design the cover and/or front pages of a book. His question prompted me to search the internet for more information. In doing so I came across an idea of how to prepare a children's book using a slide presentation program. The final thing that convinced me publishing my stories might be possible, even on a budget, was that while taking a refresher course in publishing, I found an easy way to combine elements from different photos into a slide presentation.
As the weeks passed, an idea began to move forward and the belief that it was at least worth the effort. So I began to self-illustrate some of my stories using low-cost purchased backgrounds and images, and adding elements of photos of the animals and dolls I had taken myself. The next step was to add the text, making minor edits to the stories as they had originally been written and format them into a form that could be repeated. The final step, for me, was to decide was what the covers should be - something about the particular book or something that would be recognizable from book to book. I finally decided to use the same cover for each book, but to make each unique by varying the color of the background. The first of the books about Princess Jelisa was finally published in July in both print and ebook formats. . As of today I have published 6 of the possible 20 or more stories I have written.
I don't know about you, but for me keeping a promise to myself, has been something I am really excited about. It may not look like what I anticipated or expected back in January, but too many new year resolutions in the past have disintegrated or been pushed aside by other demands by this time of the year. So I am anxious to continue my efforts. I invite you to follow me as I share more of the Princess Jelisa stories and more of my own as well.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
A Mini-Vacation
Back in May, our family took what my granddaughter and I call a "mini-vacation". Usually it has just been Alexandra and I, but this time we got to include the two newest members of our family, Lilly and Jilly. As usual, it was kind of a spur of the moment, unplanned escape from everyday life.
The two little girls have this exhausting (for me) belief that anytime grandma is not at work she should be doing something with them, especially if I am off all day. They don't care if there are dishes or clothes that need washing, if the floor needs to be mopped or vacuumed or the toys put away. They do care a lot about whether I can take them shopping, to the park, zoo or aquarium, or any other activity they classify for the day as fun.
Because I needed to use (or lose) some vacation time I had earned, I ended up having Wednesday through Friday off. Alex and I had some errands that had to be handled and appointments I had already scheduled and Alex needed to work so we kept our plans close to home. I booked a room at Embassy Suites, a hotel located near the closest shopping mall, within walking distance of Alex's work and less than five minutes from home. for Thursday and Friday evening. We used Wednesday to shop with both girls, and let them go to Build-A-Bear and make a new soft friend. After dropping Alex off we went to a nearby park where the girls could run, jump and play to get some energy out before going home for naps, dinner and a little house cleaning, and packing for the coming days.
Lilly had been begging Cathy for a day alone, so on Thursday, Alex and I took Jilly with us. Most of the morning was spent shopping for some things Alex needed. After dropping Alex off, Jilly and I went to Chucky Cheese for lunch. Being the middle of a school day, there were very few people there and Jilly had a ball being able to just run around play games and enjoy the rides without anyone holding on to her. When I could finally get her away, we checked into the hotel, where she immediately had to change so we could go swimming. (Is there any other reason to go to a hotel?". After she tired of swimming she watched TV and played with her new stuffed animal. until she decided she was "too hungry to wait". So we walked across the street and the two of us had a dinner at a "big eating store" called Olive Garden. Once back at the hotel, Jilly put her pajamas on and promptly fell asleep watching a movie while grandma read emails on the computer. Around 11 pm I had to carry her out to the car so we could pick up Alex. Thursday morning we went downstairs for the continental breakfast.
After breakfast, we packed up Jilly and went home to switch kids. Jilly was excited to tell Cathy about her day and have a "mommy day" with her while we took Lilly with us. Of course the first thing on her fun to do list was swimming with Alex. Swimming always make everyone hungry, so a trip to Café Rio was in order. A movie at the big theatre in the mall sounded like a good idea, along with drinks, popcorn and candy. Alex didn't remember every eating at T.J. Fridays before, so it was a wonderful adventure for her and it was fun sampling some of their appetizers. By then we were all ready to head back to the hotel for a leisurely night of computer and coloring activities and just lounging in bed. In the morning I was able to garner about an hour of quiet, uninterrupted writing time before Lilly was awake and demanding attention. We let Alex sleep a little longer then woke her up to accompany us tot he breakfast buffet downstairs.
I love our mini-vacations. We don't take them as often as we would like, but they are worth the wait and the months of saving it sometimes involves. Lilly and Jilly have both been suggesting the past few days that we can go to the big house by the stores and stay overnight in a room again. They promise to be good.
Look around your own neighborhood for an opportunity to escape. It doesn't have to be overnight stays. Recently my daughter took a week off and she and her children found a museum, a fun park, an event or and attraction to go to each day for a week all within a 10 mile radius of their home. The point is, to get away, enjoy life and relax.
The two little girls have this exhausting (for me) belief that anytime grandma is not at work she should be doing something with them, especially if I am off all day. They don't care if there are dishes or clothes that need washing, if the floor needs to be mopped or vacuumed or the toys put away. They do care a lot about whether I can take them shopping, to the park, zoo or aquarium, or any other activity they classify for the day as fun.
Because I needed to use (or lose) some vacation time I had earned, I ended up having Wednesday through Friday off. Alex and I had some errands that had to be handled and appointments I had already scheduled and Alex needed to work so we kept our plans close to home. I booked a room at Embassy Suites, a hotel located near the closest shopping mall, within walking distance of Alex's work and less than five minutes from home. for Thursday and Friday evening. We used Wednesday to shop with both girls, and let them go to Build-A-Bear and make a new soft friend. After dropping Alex off we went to a nearby park where the girls could run, jump and play to get some energy out before going home for naps, dinner and a little house cleaning, and packing for the coming days.
Lilly had been begging Cathy for a day alone, so on Thursday, Alex and I took Jilly with us. Most of the morning was spent shopping for some things Alex needed. After dropping Alex off, Jilly and I went to Chucky Cheese for lunch. Being the middle of a school day, there were very few people there and Jilly had a ball being able to just run around play games and enjoy the rides without anyone holding on to her. When I could finally get her away, we checked into the hotel, where she immediately had to change so we could go swimming. (Is there any other reason to go to a hotel?". After she tired of swimming she watched TV and played with her new stuffed animal. until she decided she was "too hungry to wait". So we walked across the street and the two of us had a dinner at a "big eating store" called Olive Garden. Once back at the hotel, Jilly put her pajamas on and promptly fell asleep watching a movie while grandma read emails on the computer. Around 11 pm I had to carry her out to the car so we could pick up Alex. Thursday morning we went downstairs for the continental breakfast.
After breakfast, we packed up Jilly and went home to switch kids. Jilly was excited to tell Cathy about her day and have a "mommy day" with her while we took Lilly with us. Of course the first thing on her fun to do list was swimming with Alex. Swimming always make everyone hungry, so a trip to Café Rio was in order. A movie at the big theatre in the mall sounded like a good idea, along with drinks, popcorn and candy. Alex didn't remember every eating at T.J. Fridays before, so it was a wonderful adventure for her and it was fun sampling some of their appetizers. By then we were all ready to head back to the hotel for a leisurely night of computer and coloring activities and just lounging in bed. In the morning I was able to garner about an hour of quiet, uninterrupted writing time before Lilly was awake and demanding attention. We let Alex sleep a little longer then woke her up to accompany us tot he breakfast buffet downstairs.
I love our mini-vacations. We don't take them as often as we would like, but they are worth the wait and the months of saving it sometimes involves. Lilly and Jilly have both been suggesting the past few days that we can go to the big house by the stores and stay overnight in a room again. They promise to be good.
Look around your own neighborhood for an opportunity to escape. It doesn't have to be overnight stays. Recently my daughter took a week off and she and her children found a museum, a fun park, an event or and attraction to go to each day for a week all within a 10 mile radius of their home. The point is, to get away, enjoy life and relax.
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