The Rehal World

MY FIRST BOOK SIGNING!!

2011-05-22T11:05:00.008-04:00

I am happy to announce my first book signing event for CAROUSEL KISSES!

SATURDAY, JUNE 4th, 2-4 P.M. AT BORDERSEXPRESS IN SWAMPSCOTT.

We’re going to make it a party with lemonade, penny candy and lots of fun. Hope you’ll stop by and share some of your memories from the good old days.

CAROUSEL KISSES is now available at Borders Express in Vinnin Square in Swampscott and online at Amazon and Barnes & Nobel.

I’m looking into making Carousel Kisses available on Kindle. More on this later.

Information is also available on the book’s site, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com and my site, www.luv s2write.com and I post updated info on Facebook and Twitter.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

I can hardly believe it! Today, we celebrated our third anniversary as a writing group with an awesome luncheon at the home of one of our members. You can visit us at www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com. Please stop by and wee what’s new. We appreciate your comments.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

Disney trip was wonderful! We had a relaxing week, great weather and a lot of fun. The Flower Festival was going on at Epcot. Beautiful flowers and the butterfly exhibit. We went to dinner at Shula’s at the Dolphin Hotel and Il Mulino at the Swan. Dick enjoyed his walks around the Boardwalk and I got in some pool time and shopping at Downtown Disney. We hotel hopped one day and visited the Polynesian and the Grand Floridian. We took a lovely boat ride but got caught in a rain shower on the way back. Guess who was sitting by the open part and got soaked?

We buzzed through the Magic Kingdom. Rode the People Mover, saw the Carousel of Progress, had lunch at Tony’s and caught a little of the parade. We saw Davy Jones in concert in Epcot. Great show. As usual, we spent a lot of time at Epcot and ended our week with a late lunch in Germany.

We are looking forward to summer on the deck, which is just about ready. All we need now is good weather.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

May you all enjoy a wonderful summer!!

Lina

CAROUSEL KISSES LAUNCHED AT LAST!

2011-02-26T13:11:00.006-05:00

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

I am happy to announce that my book, CAROUSEL KISSES, is finally out there and available for purchase! It’s been a long time coming and a lot of work, but the book is out. Now comes the marketing. Look for press releases in local papers and on Wicked Local online.

CAROUSEL KISSES is now online at Amazon and Barnes & Nobel. It is also available on many distribution lists, including Ingram, for bookstores and through me directly. I even have an estore through Amazon at CreateSpace. http://createspace.com/3559723 if you would like to find out more about the book. Chances are, if you are reading this, you know me and have heard a lot about my book already.

Information is also available on the book's site, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com and my site, www.luvs2write.com and I post updated info on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m busy learning the ins and outs of the publishing world, a whole new thing to me. All this print on demand and ebook stuff can be a bit confusing, but I’m learning as I go. I’m thinking about making the book Kindle ready further down the road.

WHITE BIRCH BOOKS is a great bookstore in North Conway, New Hampshire. CAROUSEL KISSES is going to be available there. If you are in the North Conway area, please stop in and visit this awesome store. Check out their website: www.whitebirchbooks.com

If you have read my book and can spare a few minutes to go on Amazon.com and write a review, I would appreciate it so much.

Thank you to all who have bought my book already and to those who have been so supportive of my efforts to get this book published. Your comments and encouragement have been helpful and truly appreciated.

NORTH CONWAY: FEBRUARY 2011

In other Rehal news, Dick and I enjoyed another great weekend in North Conway in February. We stayed at the Suites at Eastern Slope Inn again and had the same unit in the Carriage House that we like so much. No Magical Express this time, but we still had fun.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers on Friday and met up with Angela and Kevin at The Moat that evening for a while. On Saturday, we hit the outlet stores as usual for a little shopping. That night, we had a lovely dinner with our good friends Bill and Jean Jones who live in the area. They introduced us to a new restaurant, The Black Cap, not far from where we were staying. I stopped in to visit my friends at the North Conway 5 and 10 Cent Store and showed them a copy of CAROUSEL KISSES. They are mentioned in the book. I am hoping they might carry it as well. I’ll let you know if/when I hear.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

This wonderful group continues to flourish. We have seven members at present. It’s a phenomenal group of women writers. My good friend, Gail Lowe, (author of Former Things) attended one of our meetings as a guest author. You can visit us at www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com. Please stop by. We appreciate your comments. Bookmark the site and visit often.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

Our next Disney trip is coming up in May. We are looking forward to some sunshine. This has been a terrible winter. I’m sick of snow. Can’t wait for spring.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

May you all enjoy a wonderful spring!!

Lina

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2010-12-21T19:46:00.013-05:00

The trees are up. The lights are lit. The elves are busy at the North Pole. Santa is at the malls. I no sooner put away my summer clothes and it was time to drag out my Anna Lee dolls. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here. We’ll soon be toasting a new year. Winter is on its way.

We had some major bumps in the road between June of 2009 and May of 2010, but we managed to get through them. We had a great summer, a fantastic trip to Disney in October and a relaxing weekend in North Conway in December. We have a new grandson, a beautiful family and wonderful friends. We are truly blessed.

DISNEY: OCTOBER 2010

This trip was amazing! Two of our kids were there with their families. The whole Disney experience is different when seen through the eyes of children. Some of our grandkids have been to Disney before. This was Mason’s first trip and Katie’s second. I loved seeing the expressions on their faces when they met the characters.

We stayed at the Boardwalk Hotel this time, which worked out well for us. Gina, John and Katie were at the Dolphin, a five minute walk from us. Michelle, Clive and Mason were at Caribbean Beach, also close by. We all spent a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The kids were great company for each other. They were both a little afraid of some of the rides. Katie did not like Snow White’s Scary Adventure. Mason wasn’t crazy about the Haunted Castle, but he went on Splash Mountain with his grandfather. Both kids loved It’s A Small World. How could they not?

Dick and I enjoyed a nice quiet dinner at Shula’s one night and a lovely Italian dinner at Il Mulino’s at the Swan. We spent a lot of time on the Boardwalk. The kids were fascinated with the magicians and jugglers. It was a magical trip, except the last night when Katie took a header out of her stroller on the way out of Hollywood Studios.

NORTH CONWAY: DECEMBER 2010

Dick and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend in North Conway in December. We stayed at the Suites at Eastern Slope Inn. Our unit was behind the inn near the railroad station. The Magical Express passed by our door. It was so close that I could wave to the people on board as they headed for the North Pole. I got a big kick out of watching the train go by and taking pictures of the children.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers, pizza one night at the Flatbread Company, the restaurant at the inn, and shopped the outlet stores. On Saturday night, we had a lovely dinner at the White Mountain Hotel, another one of our favorite places up north. I stopped in at Zeb’s and the North Conway 5 and 10 Cent Store and all the little shops in the center of town. We did a lot of shopping and eating.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES / SWEET VIOLETS

The news on Carousel Kisses is not good. I’ve run into some publishing problems and cannot tell you when my book will be available at this time. I will let you know as soon as possible. In the meantime, I am working on starting a publishing company of my own so that I can publish books myself as many authors do these days. I don’t know the fate of CAROUSEL KISSSES right now, but I can tell you that I am working on my next book, SWEET VIOLETS. I will keep you posted on what’s happening with the publishing company and both books. I hope to have some good news soon. I will update you through my website, www.luvs2write.com , the website/blog for the book, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com , Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for your support.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

Dick and I will be celebrating our 11^th wedding anniversary in January. We have a special weekend in North Conway planned in February in honor of the occasion.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year in 2011!!

Lina

Summer's End....

2010-09-05T20:27:00.035-04:00

I hope you have all enjoyed the beach, barbecues, concerts, boating, golf and other great summer activities.

Dick and I took advantage of a perfect summer day in July. We went into Boston on the Blue Line. In 15 minutes, we were at the Aquarium station about to take in all that Boston Harbor has to offer. The photo opps were incredible: tall buildings, fabulous hotels and condos, restaurants, the Aquarium, magnificent boats offering harbor cruises and tourists from all over the world enjoying the picturesque harbor.

We walked over to the North End for the Feast of Saint Agrippina. It’s a fun place to visit. We love the atmosphere, music and food. Our last stop was Fanueil Hall and the Market Place.

The following Sunday, we continued our walking tour of Boston. We got off at Copley Plaza and wandered through the Copley Fairmont and the Taj on our way to the Public Gardens. I was in awe of the enormous old willow trees and the way their branches touched the water and swayed in the warm summer breezes.

The Swan Boats have been a popular attraction in Boston for decades. They glide through the water carrying passengers who have taken the time to enjoy the tranquility of this beautiful spot. After a quick stop at the infamous Cheers for a bit of nostalgia, we headed to Boston Commons.

It was heartwarming to watch families playing Frisbee or enjoying a picnic under a lovely shade tree and young couples sitting on a blanket reading a book. It was nice to feel the serenity and to watch the kids cooling off in the Frog Pond. Another one hundred pictures later, we stopped at Clarke’s at Fanueil Hall for a leisurely lunch before heading home.

We truly have many great places to visit and some amazing things to do and sites to see, right in our own back yard.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

I am hoping to announce soon that Carousel Kisses is available. When I know, you’ll know. The cover is done and we are close to publication. I have re-vamped my personal website, www.luvs2write.com and have a website/blog for the book, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com. I am now on Twitter under Carousel Kisses and have a Facebook page for the book. Tide Dancer, my publisher, has added me to their website, www.tidedancer.com . I will continue to send out updates on my blog, through personal email and on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thank you for your support.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

We celebrated our second anniversary as a writing group with a luncheon at the home of one of our members. You can visit us at www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com. Please stop by. We appreciate your comments. Bookmark the site and visit often.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

We are expecting our 5^th (yes, I said number 5) grandchild next week! Another boy.

We are looking forward to our next Disney trip in October. This one will be a magical happening with some of our kids there, including two grandkids. We have a relaxing weekend planned in North Conway in December.

My class reunion is coming up soon. LEHS (Lynn English High School) Class of 1965, September 24^th at Gannon in Lynn. If you were a member of this class, try to make it. If you know someone who was, please tell them about it in case they don’t already know.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

Lina

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUM, SUM, SUMMERTIME.....

2010-06-01T16:34:00.010-04:00

I hope you have all enjoyed the great weather over the Memorial Day weekend. It's a good beginning to the summer season.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

Carousel Kisses will be available soon. Hopefully, you will be able to find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble sometime this month. My publisher, Tide Dancer Publications, has been working hard to get my book out there in the world. Rene Morris has designed a fantastic cover. I have been busy working on rebuilding my luvs2write website and starting a blog/website for the book. You will be able to find out more about the book at http://www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com/. It is under construction right now, but will be ready before long. I have new bookmarks and business cards. I will send out updates via personal email, on my blog, Facebook and LinkedIn as I get them.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

The new website for North Shore Scribes is up and running. Not all of our members are on it yet, but it is a work in progress. Each member will soon have a page for posting her own work. You can visit us at http://www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com/. Please stop by and feel free to leave a comment. Bookmark the site and visit often, as I will be adding some good stuff. We are celebrating our second anniversary as a writing group on the North Shore at a luncheon later this month.

DISNEY 2010:

We had some hot weather in Disney World last month. Every day was in the high 80's to 90 something. I got in a lot of pool time. I danced on stage with Chubby Checker! We "Twisted the Night Away." Well, a little of it anyway. I went to two of his shows in one night. Talk about nostalgia.

Lori, my brother Rick and I had some fun at Hollywood Studios on the Great Movie Ride. We saw the Indiana Jones show and participated in American Idol at the American Idol Theater. We had a fun lunch at the Prime Time 50's Diner.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

We just celebrated Dick's 50th year class reunion at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Danvers. Lots of great photos popping up on Facebook. It was the best reunion the LCHS class of 1960 has ever had. A great time was had by all who attended.

My class reunion is coming up in September. LEHS class of 1965, September 24th at Gannon in Lynn. If you were a member of this class, try to make it. If you know someone who was, please tell them about it in case they don't already know.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

Happy summer to everyone!

Lina

HAPPY SPRING!!

2010-04-17T10:25:00.016-04:00

Spring is here and we have the deck to prove it. Dick has outdone himself again. He's added an array of colorful butterflies and pastel bunnies to his garden, creating this year's theme, Butterflies Are Free. The pansies (my favorite), tulips, lilies and hydrangeas are doing well despite the cold temperatures. They are surrounded by various hanging ornaments, wind chimes, statues, solar candles, twirling things, trinkets and glass balls. If you know my husband, you know our patio is his domain and that he spends a lot of time making it a special place to relax and enjoy the moment. I take no credit for the gorgeous flowers or the decor. My part is to look, take pictures and not to touch.

Soon, he will plant the daisies that will stay with us throughout the summer and fall. Last year, we had daisies well into December. I wonder if we will see that again.

NEWS:

The biggest news is that I'm working again. Yeah! I'm working at Care Connection in Malden. It's a division of Intercity Home Care. I've just completed my fourth week there.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

Another big news item is my book, Carousel Kisses. My publisher, Tide Dancer Publications, expects it to be out sometime in early summer. Another yeah! As many of you know, this is a revised edition of the book. If you read the first one and liked it, you will now be able to tell your friends about it and how they can get it. I've added a two stories, a poem and more photos to the new edition. It will be available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, through the publisher and on my soon to be launched website for the book plus various other places that will be announced later.

Carousel Kisses is a collection of nostalgic short stories, personal essays and poems about growing up in the late 1950's to early 1960's. It is a look back at the days of lemonade stands, pajama parties, sand lot baseball, five and ten cent stores with lunch counters, soda fountains, amusement parks and penny arcades. It's a great gift idea, especially for your baby boomer parents or friends. People love nostalgia.

NORTH SHORE SCRIBES:

My writing group, the North Shore Scribes, is about to celebrate its second anniversary in May. We now have eight members and still meet one Saturday a month. The group is planning a luncheon for our June meeting, hosted by one of our members. To further mark the occasion, we are creating a blog/website that will allow our writers to share their work with you. We cover several genres including fiction, non-fiction, memoir writing, nostalgia and poetry. This site will provide some interesting reading. More on this later.

DISNEY:

Another Disney trip is coming up for us. We are looking forward to sunshine, fun and seeing my favorite mouse and all the characters again. Go Mickey!

Thank you for reading my blog. Feel free to pass it along to your friends.

Lina

Catching Up

2010-02-17T13:07:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone! Hard to believe we are in the second month of a new year! I’m ready for new and exciting challenges in 2010.

Dick and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in January. How fast did that go by? We are looking forward to our annual celebration weekend up north. This year, we will be spending three nights at the Suites at Eastern Slopes Inn. I’m excited about being right in the center of town and within walking distance of my favorite places. I’m sure it will be busier than it was in early December when we were last there. Looks like they got some snow from yesterday’s storm. We don’t ski. We shop, eat, hang out and enjoy the scenery. The snow will make for some beautiful pictures.

Disney: Volunteer Program

I recently participated in Disney’s “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” volunteer program. I volunteer at North Shore Elder Services (NSES) in Danvers. NSES is a registered participant of the program. In early February, I worked a day on a special project for them. Yesterday, I received a voucher for my one day, one park ticket. It was fun being part of this wonderful program. Can’t wait to redeem my voucher in May! You can be part of it by going to http://www.disneyparks.com/, finding a registered participant and volunteer project that suits you and signing up. Please read all the rules and instructions. It’s a bit complicated.

On My Writing: Carousel Kisses

I have exciting news about my book, Carousel Kisses! As most of you know, I wrote and self-published the book in 2005. In October of 2009, I met with my friend, Cindy Oldham, co-author of Kaleidoscope Memories, a book of short stories celebrating family life that she wrote with her two sisters. Cindy is the owner of Tide Dancer Publications in Kissimmee, Florida. We talked for hours about our families, our books, writing and publishing. She encouraged me to go further with my book. As usual, I had to ponder every aspect of such a project.

I am thrilled to announce that I finally made a decision to go global with Carousel Kisses and that Tide Dancer Publications is going to publish it!

Once I made up my mind, I worked hard on revisions that I believe will enhance the book. It still has the same stories and poetry as the original version, but I have added two new stories, one poem and lots of photos. If you read the original version and liked it, please tell your friends and family about it when it comes out. It will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel.

I am in the process of creating a website specifically for the book and working on my next book, Sweet Violets.

I will let you know more on all of this as soon as possible.

On other writing news: I write a nostalgia column for North Shore Elder Services in their monthly newsletter, The Shoreline. The newsletter provides great information on health issues and services available to seniors and elders on the North Shore. I also post a link on Facebook.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Lots of Ho, Ho, Ho

2009-12-13T22:46:00.027-05:00

It seems like the holiday season starts earlier every year. The decorations are up in the stores before the kids have eaten all their Halloween candy. Retailers jump into Christmas so fast they almost squeeze Thanksgiving out of the loop. It’s more about Black Friday, a day I don’t participate in and cannot understand. For me, there just isn’t a bargain worth going out at four or five in the morning, standing in line for hours and risking the chance of getting trampled only to find out the item has been sold out.

I envy those who have their shopping done already. I have great intentions and often squirrel away a gift or two in August. As usual, I’m not done. I started our cards in October. My plan was to have them all ready to drop in the mail when we came back from North Conway on December 3rd. This might have worked if I had remembered to buy the stamps. Our cards went in yesterday’s mail.
On the travel scene:

Dick and I had a great trip to Disney in late October. The Halloween decorations were a nice change of pace. The weather hit record breaking temperatures of mid to high 80’s all week. We enjoyed the food and wine festival in Epcot, saw Boys 2 Men in concert at the American Pavilion, ate lunch at Tony’s in the Magic Kingdom and Dick talked me into auditioning for American Idol at Hollywood Studios (MGM). They didn’t send me to Hollywood, but we had a lot of laughs and sat in the audience for one of the shows.

A bit of nostalgia.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, we spent four nights at the Attitash Mountain Village Resort in Bartlett, New Hampshire. We had lunch at Horsefeathers in North Conway on our first day. The weather was great. I left Dick watching football and headed for my favorite nearby shops: Zeb’s General Store, the Penguin, Beggar’s Pouch, the Spruce Hurricane, Cool Jewels and the 5 and 10.

Loving nostalgia the way I do, I can never get enough of The North Conway 5 and 10 Cent Store. Stepping over the threshold of this historic five and dime is like walking into a time machine that sends you back into a bygone era. The toy counter is packed with board games, Chinese checkers, Tiddly Winks, Pick Up Sticks, yo-yo’s, paper dolls, magic slates, weaving looms and potholder loops. Remember Slinky? The old wooden floors creak as you make your way over to the cedar trinket boxes, embroidered handkerchiefs and the candy counter stocked with malted milk balls, snow caps and pink Canada mints.

On a high shelf, in between two metal wind-up toys, I spotted a bottle of Blue Waltz perfume. It was not for sale, but the saleslady took it down, opened it and let me take a whiff. The scent of that perfume in the little heart shaped bottle with the blue tulip cap brought back memories of Christmas shopping when I was a kid. Blue Waltz was twenty-nine cents then and my favorite perfume. I bought it for my mother and my aunts every year. Funny how the littlest things can jog the memory. I got into a conversation with the woman and found she grew up on the north shore, not far from where I live. We had fun reminiscing about Blue Waltz, Evening in Paris, Woolworth’s, Christmas shopping and what life was like back then. It was a great beginning to our trip.

We spent one afternoon of our stay at the Mount Washington Hotel. There was snow at Mount Washington and I was able to get some breathtaking photos of the mountains from the veranda that wraps around this magnificent hotel. We had lunch across from Bretton Woods, watching the skiers enjoying the winter sport.

We came home to howling winds at Seaport after a quiet relaxing four days in the mountains. That’s New England.

Thank you for reading my blog.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS.

BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2010.

Lina

Sweet September

2009-09-15T14:30:00.005-04:00

September is half over. Jobs are scarce, but I continue to network and explore possibilities. The right thing will turn up. In the meantime, I’m learning how to use my new camera, spending time with Katie, writing and doing volunteer work. Dick and I have enjoyed some great day trips.

We took the subway into Boston for the Feast of Saint Anthony. I saw the Rose Kennedy Greenway for the first time and found interesting photo opportunities in the North End. Walking along the narrow streets, we watched vendors set up their pushcarts in preparation for the biggest feast of the summer. We wandered through, taking in the aromas of various pasta dishes, pizza, sausage, peppers and onion. So much great food! It started to rain just as I was eating my ziti. I saved the gourmet biscotti for later and we headed back to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. We stopped for a drink at an outside café, walked back to the subway and got home before the deluge.

That same weekend, we took a ride to Ipswich for fried clams and continued on to the beautiful seaside town of Newburyport. I loved having bigger boats and different scenery to take pictures of and rambling through the Oldies Market. I got some terrific shots. We went to a farm stand on the way home. I found an unexpected photo opportunity. They had chickens, turkeys, a llama and, of all things, a buffalo. You know I had to get his picture. Photography can be a challenging and sometimes dangerous hobby.

Last Friday, Dick took me on a mystery ride. Not knowing where I could end up, I grabbed a hooded jacket and my camera. It was cold and windy at Salisbury Beach. Even though it has changed so much and doesn’t have the flavor I remember as a kid, I liked being there. I looked at what it is now and saw visions of the exciting place it once was. I stood where the Frolics used to be and remembered the night when I was fourteen and my dad took me there to see Paul Anka. I took some pictures of the crashing waves, something that had always been part of that beach. I thought about the rental cottages and some of the family vacations spent there. Recalling it all so vividly, I pointed out where the flying horses, boats, tilt-a-whirl, rollercoaster, Ferris wheel, dodgem cars and fun house with the barrels once stood. It was like stepping into a time machine. We had a slice of pizza at Tripoli’s. It’s not the same as it was all those years ago, but my taste buds were working from memory. A light rain began to fall. We ate in the car and I was further surprised when we continued on to Hampton Beach where the Seafood Festival was beginning.

It was colder and windy at Hampton too, but not raining. We walked through the tents and stores and food booths for an hour and a half. I had fun taking more pictures. It rained hard all the way home. Once again, we got out before a deluge.

On the writing scene: I’ve been toying with the idea of resurrecting Carousel Kisses and getting it out there in the global market. I’ve even been thinking of starting my own publishing company. I have added a story or two to Sweet Violets and hope to get that one further along while I have the time. As you can see, I’m blogging again.

I hope your summer was a good one, despite the torrential downpours of June and July and the steaminess that followed the rainy days of this ridiculous excuse of a summer. I hope your vacations went well and that you are enjoying the cooler days and a sweet September as we segue in fall. Dick and I are looking forward to Disney in October and I’m trying not to think about Black Friday or Christmas shopping being so close.

Happy fall!

Hello Again! I'm back!

2009-08-13T20:00:00.003-04:00

I think it’s about time I try this blogging thing again. I spent hours creating it then dropped it like a rock. I made an attempt to get back to it several months ago. After spending an hour writing a post and checking it over, I hit the wrong button and blew it away forever. I hope I do better this time around and will start with trying to fill you in on my most recent adventures.

A little over a year ago, I started the North Shore Scribes, a group for women writers. This small, wonderful group of talented ladies meets once a month on Saturday mornings to share the craft they love. By using their writing knowledge and life’s experiences, each one brings something special to the two-hour sessions. Whether it’s fiction, memoirs, poetry, screenplays, or just a short piece about something that recently inspired us, we read, critique, encourage and support each other and enjoy a few good laughs in the process. We discuss our work and where we want to go with it. I look forward to more inspiring times with these creative women.

I’m currently enjoying some time at home. There hasn’t been much of a summer, but free time is free time. I’ll take what I can get and use it wisely. I made a list of things I want to do and have been trying to get to at least one or two every week. I visited the Peabody Essex and the Lynn Museums, browsed the shops in Salem and went to Revere Beach to see the sand sculptures for the first time. I go to the Mall in the middle of the week. I go for walks and take pictures with my new camera. Looks like I’ve started blogging again. Hopefully, I will get back to my writing and work on finishing Sweet Violets. I also plan to dabble in oil painting again before the summer is over. I’ve been to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and am looking forward to our next Disney trip in October.

I try to spend as much time with Katie, my granddaughter, as possible. Hard to believe she is two and a half already. She knows that on Wednesday nights, “Mimi” (that’s who I am now), comes to visit and on the weekends she usually goes shopping with Mimi and her mother. Dick and I have four grandchildren now. Libby, Mason, Katie and Ben. Octoberfest should be a rousing event this year.

I hope this brings you up to speed. If there is anything in particular you want to chat about on here, please feel free to let me know. As always, I appreciate your comments and feedback.

Hope to keep this going a little longer this time. I will try to post a few new photos to show you what I’m doing with the new camera.

Lina

Christmas Here I Come

2007-11-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

The new village is up. I bought yet another piece when I went out to buy boxes for wrapping presents. I couldn't resist it. A sweet little house on top of a mountain of snow surrounded by tiny colored lights and a little train that goes around the house. Well, it's supposed to go around the house. It gets stuck. I guess I'll have to return it. The village is up to 10 buildings and a small news stand. I'll hate myself when it's time to take it down and store it.

Other than that, I've been sick, so I haven't finished my Christmas shopping. Ha Ha, like I would have it done by now anyway.

Thanksgiving was great. My nine month old granddaughter, Katie, had a grand time for herself. It was fun watching her discover new things. She's crawling all over the place now and sure gets around the room fast. The kids all seem to like it here because we have so many "things" for them to touch and go after. I try to kid proof the best I can, but I can't put everything away. We don't have anywhere to put it all.

My friend Nancy and I have started an email story cirlce. We have written some holiday stories and emailed them to each other and now are sending them to our friends via email. We are inviting others to send their holiday memories and including them in our circle and sending them around too. It's fun. I may end up posting them on here so we can have an easier way of forwarding the stories. Adding them to emails is taking too long.

The Christmas rush is on. I hope I can slow down a bit and enjoy the fun part of it.

Happy holidays to you!

Found it!

2007-11-25T13:46:00.000-05:00

The missing town has been found. This is going to be the best and biggest village I've done in a while. I'm adding a few pieces I haven't used in the past few years. Not sure where or how I'll fit them yet, but I'm going to try. I'll let you know how it turns out. Of course, the grandchildren will wreak havoc with it, I'm sure, but what is it all for anyway? (Photo is part of last year's village.)

A Safe Place

2007-11-25T10:24:00.001-05:00

I know I'm not the only one who puts things away in "a safe place." Whenever I can't find something, my daughter tells me, "It's in a safe place." My husband says the same thing. They know me. Well, I've outdone myself this time. I started taking out the Christmas decorations yesterday and it seems I've lost the 5 main buildings of my village. Dick said, "You lost a whole village?" Well, not the whole village exactly. I can't find the church, theater, emporium, bake shop and hotel. I only use the 5 main pieces to this lovely village I bought at Costco a long time ago. It's all that fits on the bookcase. Last year, I bought a big piece and added it on a small extension I made. I found that one. (But, I thought I bought more than one?) I know I squished the 5 buildings into a big plastic storage bag and tucked it away so it would be "safe." But, where? I did find some people and trees and various small pieces. We live in a small condo. I don't have the room I used to and I like having the village, but just a small one now. I haven't got the time or energy to build a big city every year anymore. I'm happy with a small town. If it doesn't turn up in today's search, I will use the one building and cut it down to a vignette. We live in less than 1,000 square feet and don't have much storage space. How could I lose a small town?

Disney Trip Nov. 2007

2007-11-23T13:17:00.001-05:00

Photobucket Album

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2007-11-21T07:12:00.000-05:00

Hello again. We're back from our Disney trip. We had a wonderful time and I have lots to blog about and some photos I will share with you. I just haven't had much time since I've been back. I will catch up soon. I promise.

In the meantime, I wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

My Mother Said...

2007-11-09T20:54:00.000-05:00

My mother always told me to count the change. Whenever she sent me to the store, she would say, "And count the change." I always made sure I did. I wasn't going home and getting blamed for someone else's mistake. Today, (whenever I pay with cash) I try to be cognizant of the amount of the sale, how much I give the cashier and how much I get back.

My mother's words came back to me when I stopped at the ATM on my way home from work. I withdrew more cash than usual because I'm going on vacation. When the money popped out of the little slot, I grabbed the $20 bills and began counting. When I realized what a bad idea it is to stand in the little ATM area where anyone can be watching and count cash, I quickly tucked the money in my wallet and hurried out the door, holding on to my pocketbook. On the way to the car, I thought about why I do that and what a bad idea it is. I guess it's because my mother taught me to "count my change."

'Tis the Season..........already?

2007-11-07T20:24:00.000-05:00

I love the holiday season. The aroma of the turkey and stuffing filling the house and fresh (well used to be) baked pies, beautifully decorated Christmas trees (even the artificial ones that look so real), the TV specials, holiday movies and the lights. I love the lights. But, already?

For the past couple of weeks, I've been listening to people making comments about all the Christmas "stuff" being out in the stores. Every year we complain because retailers have the holiday decorations up too soon. Well, they do have to start early to get us to buy early. I'll go along with that, to a point. Last year, a lot of us lashed out (rightfully so) at malls, stores and businesses that started using the words "holiday tree." December 25th is Christmas and I don't want to call it anything else. My tree is a Christmas tree. I joined that bandwagon in a heartbeat. I, along with millions of other baby boomer woman who have a huge collective voice when it comes to buying power, refused to shop in such ridiculous stores. Take away my Christmas tree or my Easter bunny and I can get mean. We seemed to have won that battle.

Tonight, on my way home from work, I saw four houses on one street all decorated for Christmas. I couldn't believe my reaction to this since I am going to Disney World next week and can't wait to see the Christmas trees and lights and the fabulous display at MGM. If this were the day after Thanksgiving, I would have said, "Oh, how pretty." Instead, all I could say was, "Already?" As soon as Thanksgiving passes, I'm looking for the lights, but the first week in November, I'm just not ready yet.

I love the Thanksgiving season too. Lots of foliage, lovely fall colors, apple picking, families getting together, giving thanks for what we have. It's a short holiday that is getting shorter every year. I love the lights and can't wait to put our own out (even though we live in a condo and some humbugs complain about owners hanging "Christmas lights" on their balconies and will only allow white "holiday lights"). But, that's okay because my husband puts together a gorgeous display.

As we begin our "holiday" shopping, no matter what we call it, let's enjoy this time of year while we have it. When I come back from vacation, I'll post a couple of pictures of the Christmas trees at Disney World and the spectacular lights at MGM. By then, I should be ready to drive around and look at the lights here at home.

Serving Virtual Beverages

2007-11-06T18:31:00.000-05:00

So many friends have been visiting. I wish I could offer you a cup of coffee or tea. Guess we'll have to settle for virtual beverages here, unless you grab a cup of whatever it is you like and sit for a while and browse. My friend Hannelore, from the Boomer Women Speak forums came by today and left a comment. Thank you, and please come back. I think this is growing.

Thank You For Stopping By

2007-11-05T22:31:00.001-05:00

Thank you to those who have visited my new blog. Special thanks to those who have left such nice comments. Several of you have commented on the Cosmetics Anonymous post. It seems we can all relate to that one. I will post one of my Rehal World stories again shortly. I love writing about things people can read and relate to.

Phyllis, I put things under my bathroom sink that don't fit in the medicine/cosmetic cabinet too. I'm always buying baskets to keep stuff in. I think it's going to organize the hair dryers, curling irons, Costco size bottles of mouthwash and extra rolls of toilet tissue. It doesn't.

Charlene, thanks for the tip about the Vaseline. Imagine how many tubes and bottles it could take the place of?

Jo, If my cabinet looks like yours, it's because we shop together. :)

Technical Difficulties

2007-11-05T19:20:00.000-05:00

More technical problems today. My picture disappeared for a while, but I think I have it back now. Some people are having a hard time reading the font. I don't know why it comes out bigger on some and tiny on other screens. Most of it has been fairly user friendly. This post is a test. I am going to try to make the font bigger and see what happens.

Work in progress

2007-11-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

This is a work in progress. The last post doesn't have the "0 comments" so if you want to comment, please do so on another post. I haven't figured this out yet. Thanks.

Learning the Cyber Ropes

2007-11-04T08:25:00.000-05:00

I'm finding this site fairly easy to work on, but the comments part is confusing. Thank you to Jane Carroll for commenting. I may have to play around with it a little more to get it right. I'll keep on trying. Photos upload easily. That's a good thing. I love adding photos.

I won't have much time for blogging today. The kids are all coming over (grandchildren too). My little Katie is 9 months old today.

Cosmetics Anonymous

2007-11-03T21:25:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here's an example of a Rehal World story. I bought a new lipstick today. Elizabeth Grady - Rasberry. I seem to have this thing for lipsticks. I'm always on the hunt for the perfect color. I gave up trying to find one that stays on. I know better than that. Here is what baffles me.

Women spend millions of dollars a year on health and beauty aids. We buy foot scrubs, body rubs, facial peels, sunscreens and bath products. Our bathroom closets and vanities are full of shampoos, conditioners, hairsprays, scented soaps, bath oils, ointments and nail polishes. Is there anything more relaxing than a good long soak in a tub full of foaming bubbles?

The answer to that might be a day of beauty at a local spa where we could get a full body massage, a facial, manicure, pedicure, waxing and purchase a jar of their latest age-defying miracle cream that is guaranteed to make wrinkles vanish overnight.

In my medicine cabinet, I have a variety of lipsticks with matching liners, several glosses, powder blushes, cleansing milk, skin toner, my favorite moisturizer, foundations, eye shadows, make-up brushes, perfumes, body lotions, hand creams, mouthwash, dental floss, one hydrating mask, an electric toothbrush, cold remedies and a jar of Noxema.

With all these amazing products that promise to keep me young and vibrant, I should look gorgeous, feel soft, smell awesome and be wrinkle free. So why do I have fine lines at the corners of my eyes, hair growing where I don’t want it and dry skin? Why do I call it a medicine cabinet when the only thing in it that comes close to being classified as medicinal is a jar of Vicks Vapo Rub? I should call it my cosmetic cabinet. That would make more sense.

Women aren’t the only ones who indulge in such items. Inside my husband’s “medicine” cabinet I found shaving cream, after shave lotion, several colognes, deodorant, shampoo, hairspray, ear drops, sunblock, foot powder, ointment, bandages, Q-tips, Robitussin and my Susan Lucci skin care system. The vanity drawers are overflowing with items we both use such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, disposable razor blades, soaps, combs and brushes.

Medicines should not be kept in the bathroom. They should be stored in a cool dry place out of the reach of children, as stated on the bottles. I keep my medications in the kitchen. There isn’t any room in my medicine cabinet.

And so it blows...

2007-11-03T13:24:00.000-04:00

Just to keep you informed about this hurricane turned nor'easter, I thought I would let you know I live on the east coast close to Boston. We live on a marina, so the water is literally at my back door. It's getting pretty nasty out there. Luckily, I was able to go out this morning and get my nails done. I do have my priorities. High tide should be about 4 p.m. I hope we don't lose our power. I added the rose because it's a pretty picture and we won't see roses again for a while now. ( I also wanted to see how hard it would be to add photos. It wasn't hard at all, so you will see more of them on this blog.)

Welcome

2007-11-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

The first thing I want to do here is welcome you to my latest blog. I've tried several, as some of you know. Sometimes they aren't user friendly and I give up on them. The one I call "Fuzzy Pink Muse" is mostly my writing and book promotions. Here I would like to just write about whatever comes to me at the time. More journaling, I guess. I want to make it a place for people to visit and communicate back and forth when I figure all that out.

I'll add photos here and there if they upload easily enough. If not, it will be rather a plain blog.

I would like to talk about things that happen and make me think. I have been toying with the idea of a column of some kind called "The Rehal World." Sometimes, something seemingly ordinary happens, an idea springs from it and I write about it. I want to do that here in The Rehal World.

Let's hope it works.

Thanks for visiting. Come by often.