Writing as a Gift

With Christmas around the corner, I find myself once again faced with the annual challenge of finding 'that right gift'. To me, a gift should reach out and touch the heart of the receiver with special Christmas magic.  It's not something carefully marketed and picked from the overstocked store shelves of commercialism, but rather, the perfect gift should be an extension of me and represent my love for the receiver.

In past years I have enlisted my cooking skills by baking and canning goods, wrapping them in decorative cellophane clad baskets or mailing my tasty treats in form of a care package.  Cooking is a wonderful way to share a little piece of my love but once devoured, the cheer is gone.  So, I've switched to what I do best.

By combining my love of writing with my passion for photography, I create photo books. Years ago, I started using a website called Snapfish.  It is affordable and user friendly.  It offers hundreds of styles, templates and ideas so you can make your book as customized or simple as you desire. I have, however, stopped using Snapfish because a fellow photographer turned me on to Shutterfly.

Shutterfly is a bit more pricey than Snapfish but the quality is superior.  The images have a better resolution and the books are bound better.

This time of year both sites offer awesome discounts.  Snapfish has even offered buy one get two free; so if you're feeling thrifty, check out their deals.  If price is no object, I'd recommend, Shutterfly. If I'm going to go through all the hassle, then I want my book to last.

Christmas ornaments can also be made from both websites.  I've used both Shutterfly and Snapfish as well as another website.  I have been pleased with all of the creations and will continue to use which ever site offers the best price or convenience.  Making photo ornaments is a tradition I will continue.  We had so much fun decorating the tree with special moments captured from years past.

Photo books are the gift that keeps giving.  All too often I spy my love ones flipping through the books, caught with a smile as they relive the warmth and memories each page contains and I too am filled with happiness.  

Living the Moments

For me, there are two realms of writing in which my life fluctuates between. The physical realm where I spend my time actively writing, researching, and daydreaming about a particular piece or pieces of literature; and the living realm where I castoff from my notebooks and computer, put down my pen and focus on living my own life. A sabbatical - where my writer's mind has time to focus on the here and now and not the plot and characters. But even on hiatus, I am ever the writer. The first time I made the decision to shift into the living realm, I was in college. Life was happening all around me and I made the choice to stop observing and live it to the fullest. Looking back, this strategy not only gave me ample experiences to draw from for my writing but it was the right time in my life to live such a carefree lifestyle - a lifestyle that is beyond my reach now.

Recently, I once again, reached a point in my life where it was time to shift into the living realm - sharing and experiencing the precious moments life has to offer; but now, as those moments are still ever present, I am ready to slowly begin the transition back to the physical realm - hopefully, and accomplish some of my writing goals.

Garden Journal - Veggies

Happy mother's day. As my gift, my husband tilled our garden and our family spent the evening planting. Earlier, I ordered seeds from http://www.johnnyseeds.com/. It is my first time using the company and I am excited to see how their varieties produce.

So far we have planted four rows of Xtra-tender brand corn, and two rows each of Jade snap bush beans and E-Z pick snap bush beans. My husband and niece also planted several rows of onion starts from Wal-mart.

We still need to plant all the vines - squash and melons and purchase our live plants of tomatoes and peppers.

Journal Entry - Plantings in Veggie Garden

With the help of my daughter, we cleaned out one of our raised beds and freshened the soil by mixing in compost. Then, we placed a metal fence, (which I'd purchased years ago for when my dogs where puppies as a 'play pen')down the middle of the bed. We planted Sugar Snap peas on either side of the fence and Butter Crunch Lettuce towards the outer edge of the bed - along with two other varieties of lettuces (green butterhead and black seeded simpson), two varieties of carrots (Nelson early), spinach (EMU smooth leaf), and cilantro.

Gardening Journal Entry

I used to keep track of all the plants in my garden in a spiral notebook but I have found that garden journaling on a blog site has advantages. I no longer have to save all those annoying plastic plant tags since I can add a link to the plant variety and have all the virtual information at my finger tips.  The following is an example of my virtual linking skills.  Click on each variety to gain more information.

Yesterday I purchased five plants at Home Depot, four of which I planted this morning.

To the edge of my shade garden I add two different varieties of Violas: 'Starry Night' and 'Etain'.

I planted a pot of Grape Hyacinth, 'Blue Magic', bulbs of which I tried to divide and separate the individual bulbs randomly spacing them for added effect to the south corner of my front perennial bed.

Finally, I added Mossy Rockfoil 'Touran Scarlet' along the sidewalk boarder of my perennial garden.

I still have a gallon sized Columbine 'Winky double red & white' to plant but I haven't decided where to place it but I'm leaning towards the loamy bed along the front porch.

Spring Equals Crocuses

Nothing announces the arrival of spring like those first little bloomers, the crocus. Mine have been blooming since the end of March around the 27th and are still holding to their claim on my garden. I have enjoyed watching the few bulbs I planted a couple of years ago spread and naturalize in my perennial bed. They bring me so much enjoyment that I realize I need to add to my collection especially since mine lack any yellow varieties.

Also today as I walk about my garden I notice that my hyacinths are beginning to open. Their sweet scent perfumed that air as I went about with so easy clean up chores. In the future I'd also like to add more, especially the grape hyacinths.

This blog is an entry for my garden journal. Garden journals are a great way not only to keep track of dates and plant varieties but also future plans.

One final observation, I noticed that my magnolia bush not only is filled with fuzzy bud but two of the buds are beginning to open and reveal the deep pink Flowers curled within. I purchased the bush two years ago but this will be the first time it blooms. I wanted a tree but wasn't ready to make the financial commitment but now with the bush being to lovely I may had to look into adding a tree.

Examining Changes

It is amazing how quickly a life can change. So often I am caught in a false sense of knowing where my life is heading but in truth I have very little control. In my first novel, I've explored this concept, dubbing it the Akna - the golden thread of life. As the thread twists and loops, peoples' lives change. It's not a new concept but modern society tends to view it as mythology. Call it fate, karma, or God's Will but there truly seems to be something larger than all of us that binds us and shapes us.

Now with that said, I hope, in light of my newest adventure, that I will be able to stay on task with my writing goals. Hopefully, I should have more time for writing but I remember last time, I had very little strength to accomplish anything. Gardening and canning seem even farther from the possible. In the end only the Akna knows what's to come.

Mini CheeseCake

A friend from work recently shared this receipt with me and I have to say - I'm quite crazy about it. Not only is it quick, and easy to make, but requires very few ingredients and avoids the hassle of the traditional Springform pan. Instead, the mini cakes are baked in a muffin pan creating just the right serving of this delicious dessert. My four-year old enjoy 'designing' the individual cheesecakes.


Mini cheesecakes (makes 12)

12 vanilla wafers
16 oz cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 325. Use muffin liners and place one wafer in each liner.

Mix cream cheese, vanilla, sugar until well blended then add eggs and mix well.

Fill liners 3/4 full and bake 25 minutes.

Remove and cool and chill before topping with fruit, nuts, chocolate, Carmel or whatever your mind can create.