Alternative Fashion Society

Last night I attended an event in downtown Phoenix. The Alternative Fashion Society showcased 15 up-and-coming Phoenix designers in a show called Madame Trapeze, and I was fortunate enough to have been invited. We were there to support my BFF's nephew and daughter who were involved in the show, and hey, when your kids actually want you to show up to something, you go. Let me just say it's been a loooong time since I've done anything this late, loud, and downtown.

Promoter Jen Deveroux along with Alekzander Shaw and Nelson Hawks produced a feast for the eyes, and DJ tricky t had the place thumping with a non-stop mix of fresh and vintage dance and alt tracks. The venue was well managed, clean and the crowd, cool. Onstage before and during the show, a handful of local artists worked on canvases, and an array of fine art stood as a backdrop. I was very impressed with all of the art exhibited, almost as impressed as seeing the works-in-progress develop right before my eyes, throughout the show.

Banding Hendrix, progressive artist and muralist.

Nyla the High Pimptress (a.k.a. Myryka, my amazing former bellydance teacher) entertained the crowd pre- and during the show with sultry twists on the circular trapeze.

As for the fashion, what can I say - it's definitely alternative. Most of it is some sort of bedroom wear/lingerie, and very sexy if you have the body to pull it off, which most of these girls (and guys) did. Though alternative boudoir and costume lines like Dolls R'nt Dead,  Missconstrued, and Hell on Heels definitely took center stage, there were a few exceptions. Notably, a street/skate line called Noble Savage, custom couture line Looks Good Anya, Robot Rowboat, HausofStardust, the much-talked-about Kelly Calabrese, and a line of latex fashion that I could see Katy Perry and Nikki Minaj (or maybe that girl in 50 Shades of Gray) fighting over, Vital Vein.

Here are some photos, click on one to see a slideshow.

HausofStardust

HausofStardust

vital vein

vital vein

vital vein

vital vein

hell on heels couture

hell on heels couture

this model (above) flipped me off with a flourish, which I thought was pretty cool,and seemed in character for her since the back of her legs are tattooed"Fuck" and "You"I say stick to your guns,consistency is admirable.

kelly calabrese

dolls r'nt dead

dolls r'nt dead

Robot Rowboat (model: Tiffany Brown)

looks good an-ya

looks good an-ya

noble savage

noble savage

noble savage

noble savage

noble savage, the designer

There were many more, 15 designers in all, which is way too much for a little suburban horse blogger like me to keep track of (although I did feel pretty badass in the press pit with my notebook and auto-focus camera). All I can say is, if you are looking for fun in Phoenix, don't mind being out late, and are open-minded, check out an Alternative Fashion Society show. The last thing you will be is bored.

And how about these posters? Shout out to the graphic designer.

If you were a part of this event and would like me to add credits to any of the above photos, please comment below, I will be glad to accommodate.

Live an artful life.

The End

kelly calabrese

An Ode to my Brother...by the way, you smell.

For the 5 people who read this blog, sorry I haven't written.But what do you say when you don't know what to say?You just say it, I guess.My brother has a brain tumor.I mean, how else do you put it?Fucking cancer.This is my brother John.

1970

1984

2009

When I was 5, John and I were playing in the sandbox. I was pissed at him for putting rocks in the sand, and he was pissed at me for putting Barbie in the Tonka truck. I said to him,

"I dont' give a..."

I paused, and then dared to say it:

"DAMN!"

John promptly jumped up, and ran inside to tell on me. I had my mouth washed out with soap. I can still taste it. To make things worse, we got the extra special treat of going to McDonald's for dinner that night (just think, it was a treat back then) and not even a vanilla milkshake could get the taste of soap out of my mouth. I think John felt guilty for telling on me, because he had no idea how severe and painful the punishment would be. Or how much he would have to listen to me bitch and whine about it. He patted me on the back.

And that's how big brothers are. One minute they're throwing you under the bus, and the next minute they're making sure you're OK.

Our younger years had alternating moments of fighting like cats, and then laughing hysterically. Riding somewhere in the car could either be complete torture:

"He touched me!""No, she touched me!""Move over!""When are we gonna get there?""He stuck his tongue out at me!""Stop it!""Mo-om!"

Or a contest to see who could keep a straight face the longest while the other made funny faces. It usually ended up with stuff flying out of our noses because we were laughing so hard, and our dad threatening to:

"...pull this car over right NOW, and you can walk to Grandma's!"

Which always shut me up because I had no idea how to get to Grandma's, and was usually wearing very uncomfortable shoes.

Then we went through a phase where we literally wanted to kill each other.

Normal, right?

Then we became friends.

It started right around the time when we both realized that our parents were going to split up, in our early teens.  The funny thing is, even though we spent the rest of our lives apart (he with my dad and me with our mom, and then in different states), we've always been very close.

We haven't spent nearly enough time together. There was always going to be that time, you know, in the future, where we would have some sort of camping trip together, and hash out all the family bullshit, and have this totally immersing bonding session.

In no way could I have imagined that the totally immersing bonding session would take place in a hospital room after a meeting with a neuro-oncologist.

But we did. My brother, his wife Chris and I had an incredible roller-coaster of a week together.  We laughed, cried, held hands, ate chocolate, and thanked god for the incredible ICU nursing staff at Evanston Hospital. My sister-in-law, her family, my parents and myself had a constant rotation so that my brother would always have someone in his room with him. I learned how to sleep on a waiting room couch, and the quickest route to the cafeteria. Thank goodness they had Starbuck's coffee.

John & Chris

Then when he got to go home, I busied myself with cooking, tidying and running errands so the two of them could relax. I cherished seeing them in their home. Sitting together and having a meal. Browsing through Christmas catalogues. Looking at all of the things that make them happy - their books, music and movie collections. Pictures of friends and family. Carefully placed model airplanes make with painstaking detail by my dad, and given as birthday gifts. Art made by nieces and nephews, in places of honor on the refrigerator door. I wanted to absorb it all, make it a part of a memory so that when it came time for me to go, this is where I can picture them from a distance. My brother's guitar in the living room, and drum set in the basement. The piano in the front room.

on their wedding day

We celebrated John's small victories, like being able to sleep for a couple of hours, or take a shower, or take a shit. Then, too soon, he had to go back to the hospital, in an ambulance, with a debilitating headache. This time, a different facility, and the care was not so nice, or professional. The doctor assigned to John was something out of a movie - on the worst ego trip imaginable, and not one shred of empathy. His nursing care was lacking in decision-making abilities and any type of follow-through, which resulted in us watching my brother going through the most gut-wrenching, heart breaking pain I've ever witnessed in another human being. My incredible sister-in-law Chris completely (and rightly so) lost her shit on that doctor, and read him the riot act that he deserved. I stood right next to her and backed her up as well as I could - not that she needed it - mostly by nodding and saying, "yeah."

getting ready for an MRI

Then my week was up. I had to say goodbye to them in the hospital. Thankfully he went home the next day, under new orders for levels of steroids that he'd been taking to quell the rate of swelling in the brain due to the tumor.

He's halfway through his radiation/chemotherapy treatment now, and goes through daily ups and downs. As the tumor reacts to the treatment, it flares up and pushes on different areas of the brain, causing different side effects. One day he went completely blind for two hours. His taste buds have gone wacky and some things that he really wants to enjoy - like beer - have a bitter or "off" taste. He'll have numbness or pain in his hand and wrist, which for a musician is particularly frustrating. He takes his chemo in the form of a pill, in the evening, and he says that in the middle of the night, he can feel his body reacting to it. It's hard to sleep.

We try to make sure to talk every few days. We check in with each other, the three of us, and talk about what's going on with him physically, what he was able to to that day, we talk about my kids, and about our parents and how well or not-so-well they are handling the situation. But mostly we just talk.

I have to say, my brother is an amazing person. He'll be the first one to argue against that. He'll say what an asshole he's been over the years to various people, or that he should've done this, or shouldn't have done that. But I don't see that. Maybe it's the nature of being the little sister, but I have always, ALWAYS, looked up to my brother.

• He's an amazing musician - he started out playing the trombone in Junior High, then, listening to big-band records,
• taught himself how to play drums (starting with one snare drum and a spare piece of carpet to pound on),
• then, by monkeying around with various pianos, whether it be at church, school, or Grandma's house, taught himself how to play piano,
• then had to have an incredibly patient woman (Holla, Sue Schiller) re-teach him to play properly and read piano music,
• then went on to play guitar...he's one of those disgusting people that can play pretty much any instrument you put in his hands.
• He worked his ass off,
• put himself through college in his early 30's,
• finally married the love of his life (took you long enough!)
• and has been co-owner, teacher, and all around badass guitar specialist extraordinaire at The Music Room in Palatine Illinois, with his partner of 20 years.

His biggest joy as a businessman is helping a kid get set up with his first guitar. Finding the right fit, and seeing their faces light up when they strike the first chord. He's goofy as hell, a kid at heart, really, and just loves what he does. That's why everyone around John loves him.

The evidence is in the hundreds and hundreds of emails, texts, cards, posts on his Facebook page, and on the Caring Bridge site that Carol, his business partner and longtime friend, set up for him. Carol put out the call to their wide-reaching community of friends for a Christmas ornament drive, since John and Chris had no energy to haul out decorations, and on Christmas Eve, when the family was away at my cousins' house for family celebration, Carol and her boyfriend Rick, along with a host of volunteers,

set up a Christmas tree with hundreds of ornaments sent from near and far with love from everyone they knew, and cards with messages of hope and cheer for John's health and recovery. It was truly inspiring.

In closing, I'd like to add one more note. Our family recently suffered a loss in the death of one of our cousins. Second-cousin to John and me, he was just a bit older than us, and all in all, a pretty cool dude. Upon hearing the news, my brother wrote this:

Sometime between Christmas and New Year's, my cousin Paul died. Don't know the circumstances, don't know anything really. What I do know is that I never told him that he was the reason I became a drummer. He was older than me, just enough to be that really cool cousin (to my ten-year-old-brain). He had a Gold Sparkle Slingerland set that was just the bomb.Paul was sickly all his life - although I never knew that. I never heard him complain about not feeling good - don't get me wrong, Paul will go down as one of history's greatest complainers - but he never talked to me about not feeling well. He'd complain about the same stuff I would: "Why isn't Phil Collins more known as a Drummer?"We all have people in our lives that we owe debts of gratitude to; people with whom we've lost touch; people that changed us, and possibly we them. I want to ask you all to think about those people in your life, and reach out to them, somehow, before it's too late.Paul died alone. Damnit.

In response to seeing this I have to say to my brother John:

You have always been my hero. I know that sounds SUPER cheesy, but it's true. I have looked up to you my whole life. I tried to be like you, but completely failed at playing any type of musical instrument (not for not trying), and joined choir because you and Chris and all of your friends were in choir. (shout out to Mrs. Keene) If Paul inspired you to be a drummer, you inspired me to be an actor. Actor? Yes. It was after seeing you in Guys & Dolls that I wanted to be up there, on stage, having as much fun. And when I realized music wasn't really my thing, I discovered that acting was. And through that, it led to my newfound love of writing, which I could not be more grateful for.

But other than that, having you as a brother, and observing you and your friends growing up, I was able to understand the male gender as a whole. As little kids, we got dirty, we played Army, or Cowboys & Indians. We shot BB guns and climbed trees. I wore your hand-me-down Toughskins and t-shirts, tried NOT to "throw like a girl," and listened in on your Dungeons & Dragons games with James & Droop. I wanted to be a Boy Scout, not a Girl Scout. We joked about gross disgusting stuff like boogers and farts and poop. I found out what guys liked and didn't like in girls. And that, while some girls are very pretty, and these are the girls that guys like to look at, they're not necessarily the girls that guys want to hang out with. I paid attention.

And now I live with three booger-fart-poop guys, and I dig it. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have a sister. Especially seeing Mom and her sisters' relationships, or that of my friends. But I'm so glad I have a brother. As a guy, you taught me what kind of girl to be, and, had it not been for growing up with you, and seeing how things affected you as a kid, I would not have been able to be the parent I am to my boys. I would not have been the same person, wife or mother if not for you.

I'm glad we have this crazy sense of humor and that we can laugh at things like brain tumors, and that our nicknames for each other revolve around some sort of fecal matter. That we can vent to each other about our fucked-up family, and laugh about that, too. (more of that here.)

And I'm sure somewhere in your mind you are thinking you don't deserve any of the praise you have been getting, from me or anyone else. And you're thinking about some of the mistakes you've made over the years and wish you could take them back.

But I'm here to tell you that I would have you as my brother, as you are today, and I would not change you one iota, other than to take away your suffering. I wish you no pain, no remorse, no regret, and I wish you lots and lots of laughs. Laugh so hard that stuff comes out your nose.

Namely, that fucking tumor.

Most of all I wish and hope that we have many many more laughs together.

On a beach. Toes in the sand.

I love you.

...by the way, you smell.

Your little sister.

The Real Deal; and A Sidebar on the Kardashians

Do you ever have one of those days when you're just like, "Screw it."Sometimes I feel like I'm always trying to impress people. You do it, too. We all do. It's the nature of our society. You suck in your stomach so you don't look so fat, you wear a particular type of shoe or drive a specific kind of car. You want people to think well of you, to like you, and say, "hey, that guy, he's doin' all right," in that Opie Taylor kind of way.

Big Phony from iamkoream, via Lifehack.Click to read another great article

And by impressing people, I don't mean in that Kardashian* sense of painting this totally phony picture of happiness and success but is really just a shallow materialistic sham, ready to sell out to the highest bidder−I just mean that the average person, by nature wants others to perceive him in a positive light, whatever that means to the individual.In reality, you pick your nose like everyone else, and sometimes you fart when you get up from the couch. That's the real deal. I mean, hey, sometimes you got a booger situation, right? Geez.So, yeah, when I go to work, I try and look presentable. I mean, I don't spend 2 hours in the bathroom primping, but I do want to put on a little make-up and maybe brush my hair or something. But like, today...today I look gross.

celebrities without make-up: me and Chroi

I'm wearing an old ratty pair of jeans, a pair of slippers, the shirt I wore to bed last night and a sweatshirt that needs to be thrown in the wash.  I don't have any make-up on, my hair smells like a horse and my hands smell like sulphur, from this treatment I just put on Keira's mane.

Oh−and that's the other thing. I have two horses for sale.

They should be all polished and pretty and shiny, in tip-top showroom condition in case someone would like to come and take a look at them. Fina's doing fine, actually.

Her coat is coming in nice and thick and shaggy, her feather is long and straight, and she is really responding to her training: leading, backing, picking up her feet and walking over rails. Good girl!And eating hair. Bad girl!I noticed that after Fina was born, Chroicoragh and Keira both started to be missing some hair. Baby horses teethe, just like anyone else, and they have a tendency to sometimes chew off the mane and tail of their dams and the other horses around them.

before Fina

Chroi is pretty good about shooing Fina away−although her forelock is noticeably shorter−but Keira is too sweet. She'll stand there and let Fina groom her, and now a portion of her mane is completely gone. I didn't even notice it until today when I was out brushing them while they ate.

I haven't had the time lately to hang out in their stalls with them as I like to. It's such a nice, passive relaxing thing to do. I throw some hay down for them, curry them, scratch and brush and untangle manes and tails, talk to them and just let my mind wander. But lately it's like: throw the hay, give 'em a few scratches, and get back to whatever task it is at hand. So I didn't even notice her mane. Where there used to be a thick, full "double" mane (when a horse has so much hair it hangs over both sides of its neck), there is now basically nothing.

punk rock horse

Now this is where I'm supposed to pretend like nothing's wrong and my horses are perfect. (Well, they are−apart from the mane, but that's beside the point. :)

Tell them what they've won, Gene!

Well, Bob, it's A NEW HORSE!

Quite a few people, when selling something, whether it's a car, a T.V., or a washing machine, don't want you, the buyer to notice the faults. It goes along with the general mentality that it is easier to sell something that is perceived as being without fault. And I get it−hey, I've done it. But in this case I'm kind of in the mind set that with an animal, things happen. Foals chew on manes.

After Fina.

What're you going to do? Put in extensions? Hair grows back, just as Chroicoragh's feather has. And although Keira will temporarily look like a punk rock-chick with half her head shaved, her beautiful mane will eventually grow back, probably thicker, and more silver, than ever. I don't feel the need to pretend like, "Oh, my gosh, I didn't even notice!" or sugar coat it. It is what it is, there's no reason to lie about it or try to falsely impress anyone about it. She's an amazing horse either way, and whoever ends up with her is going to be damn lucky.So, at the very least, know this: while I will cover my zits with make-up, and suck in my stomach, if you ever buy a horse from me, it will be an honest sale.

++++

*Sidebar on the Kardashians

With all the hubbub going on about the Kardashians, and one of my day jobs being "the magazine lady," as I'm known at the grocery store, being subjected to each and every gossip cover story as they are printed, and the speculation that surrounds each latest story, I felt compelled to begin this dialogue.Personally, my take on this whole phenomenon is that I am equally captivated, disgusted and impressed at their expert manipulation of the media market. One minute they make me feel like throwing up, and the next minute I'm going, "Oh, her hair looks really pretty."Obviously the Kardashians are an incredibly savvy group of business people, led by Mom Kris Jenner.

I would never dare to call them stupid. And obviously there is a time and place for what they are doing, because they are making millions and millions of dollars off the fact that we all find them fascinating. And who wouldn't? They are giving us exactly what we are asking for: an escape from our own lives, watching extremely beautiful people being as fucked up as we are.

The hook lies in the fact that we all delude ourselves that if we had that kind of money and power, we would somehow be above them, we wouldn't stoop to such drastic levels of behavior, we wouldn't sell out and we wouldn't be so self-absorbed and generally distasteful.But the irony is that the very reason the Kardashians have such fame, power and wealth is because WE as a society are giving it to them. WE are saying, "Ugh you disgust me, but can I see more?"

And the reason that it drives us so crazy is we realize that the only difference between them and us is that they are going to their dentist appointment in a limo, and wearing platform heels. Like I said, they are just as messed up as the rest of us are, they just don't have a problem paying their electric bill at the end of the month.And speaking of money, the manner in which the Kardashians win their audience is by virtue of

S-E-X.

Don't kid yourself. You might have sisters, and the show reminds you of your relationship with them.

You might have a good friend who is dating - or has kids with - a total douche.

You might be the girl in your family that doesn't get as much attention as your sisters, but you're the one everyone would rather hang out with because you're not as much of a snob.

You might even be "the pretty one."

But the reason we tune in to the Kardashians week after week is to see their hot bodies, glossy lips and miles of cleavage. We want to think that yeah, we ARE like them, so why couldn't we have what they have? Why couldn't we have a Roberto Cavalli gown, Christian Louboutin shoes and a personal trainer? We would rock the shit out of some Louboutins.

These are the ones I wear to Wal-Mart.

We want to see what they're wearing, how they did their hair, what kind of jewelry they have on, which car are they are driving, what mascara they wear, and their diet pill of choice. Because they just make it look so appealing, all shiny and sparkly and white-teethy and new.

It all fits, it all goes together, they didn't have to go to eight different stores to find it on sale, and bring in a coupon from the newspaper. It wasn't a hand-me-down from their BFF's closet clean-out. And they don't have the same fashion worries you do: that maybe the top you are wearing to your kid's parent-teacher conference is the same top you wore for work three days ago and you're hoping no one notices that you wore the same top twice in one week. But you really love the color, and the neckline is flattering on you, and you got it on sale at Target for $8.99 and it's the only new thing in your closet and you're sick of wearing the same old crap.

So you watch the Kardashians because you want new clothes, you want your hair to look good, you want people to think you are pretty, and you don't want to have to worry about doing your laundry, cleaning up the house, picking up the kids, going grocery shopping, getting the tires rotated, and what to fix for dinner.

But then we all complain about how much attention they are given. About how the media plays up the dramatizations, and how the Kardashian family just eats it all up and continues to make gads and gads of money off of it. (Reportedly $65 million this past year.)

And if they are making a living off of selling themselves; their bodies; their image and their name, what does that make them? 

And if we buy their mascara, their diet pills, and their handbag, and we are basically saying, "here is some money, I want to buy you," we are paying them. WE are keeping them in business.

What does that make us?I would LOVE to hear your comments.**POSTSCRIPT: For a great interview with Kris Jenner, click here. Hey, I'm all about hearing all sides to the story.

I like: Creative Writing #2; Show, Don't Tell

Many of you writers out there have heard the critique, "Show, don't tell?" Upon hearing this cryptic comment did you say to yourself What the hell is that supposed to mean?Telling vs. Showing

Photo: Declan McCullagh

Telling:

The cathedral was very big and beautiful on the inside. There was a lot of light.

Showing:

Upon entering the grand space, my footsteps echoed on the smooth marble. Rays of colored sunlight criss-crossed the aisle that lay ahead of me, specks of dust glinting and twisting in the soft current. Compelled to raise my eyes to the view above, I was rewarded with a vision of perfect architecture. Ancient beams and arches met each other in precise symmetry, and hand-leaded mosaics of tinted glass told the stories of the saints. My breath caught in my throat.

Do you see the difference? In telling, your voice is more passive, and you'll notice a lot of was-es. One of the very first things I learned from my mentor is to "get rid of those was-es." It was hard! :) But now I notice that when I take out a was and replace it with more showing, it makes my story better. It's also one of the first things I notice when I'm reading others' work. You have no idea how prevalent the passive voice is in some of today's best-selling novels. It can be depressing to read something that has been published, and is selling well, and realize that, while maybe you couldn't have written it better, the writer could have benefitted from a tighter edit.Anyway, I'm not here to preach, I'm here to teach. The next time you write a page, get your red pen, and circle all of your was-es. Make it a challenge to see how many you can get rid of−it's not easy, but it will make your writing shine.Here is my creative writing exercise from a "show, don't tell" session. (Warning: explicit language.)Telling:

Peter shined his shoes, went to work and got fired.

Showing:

"Aw, f*ck," exhaled Peter as he realized he'd just spilt coffee on his newly polished Giorgio Armanis. His $1700.00 Giorgio Armanis. And it couldn't be black coffee, no−that would be too easy. He'd just gotten it to the exact mixture of cream and sugar to make it taste perfect. He looked at his watch and took another quick sip of coffee, being careful not to spill it this time before he set it down. Checking his watch again, he hopped down the hall while slipping the Italian leather loafer from his heel and reached for an old towel in the closet. "God damn it," he swore as he tried to soak the sugary coffee out of the impeccable hand stitching, "Now I'm gonna be late."And late he was. Hoping to avoid getting noticed as he exited the elevator, Peter tried to camouflage himself behind the heavy-set lady from accounting, the one with the big hair. But as he made the turn to head to his office of course he had to run into the firm's senior partner, Jack Mayhoffer (he he), and of course, in the process of stopping short, spilled coffee on Mr. Mayhoffer's silk tie. The tie that his late wife had given him on their last anniversary."Oh shit," said Peter.

See the difference? Now, my showing paragraph is an un-edited 15 minute exercise. Though rife with swear words, and an inside joke, it does much more than say "Peter shined his shoes, went to work and got fired."Next time your writing seems to be lacking a little something, try showing what is happening around your characters, and how they react.Don't just tell your reader what happened, show them.More great writing tips:Ingrid SundbergThe Purple CrayonJennifer J. StewartJill Corcoran 

I'm Sending You Away...again

I love you, but go away. Go! Explore, meet new people, read new blogs. I'll be waiting for you when you get back. Maybe I'll even make you some pot roast. Mashed potatoes? Yes, please.One of the great things about blogging is that you get exposed to so many other blogs. Some are just OK, some consist of mostly advertising, but a lot of them are pretty awesome.

1. Will Write for Coffee

Your first destination, if you'll allow me some more shameless self-promotion, is to my friend Anne Tibbets's blog, Will Write for Coffee, where I have been asked to...drumroll please... guest post! I'm so flattered and excited! Not that it takes much to flatter me or excite me, but hey, I'll take what I can get. But as a writer, it's pretty flattering and exciting. This is my first foray into writing for someone else, please stop by and read:

Why You Should Attend a Writer's Conference.

Anne is a writer who has published two books: The Amulet Chronicles, co-authored with Erika Ely Lewis, and The Beast Call, her latest. She is currently working on a sequel to The Beast Call, and an edgy YA nail-biter, The Line. She also just happens to be married to a good friend of mine from high school. Yeah, we go back. I'm so excited for Anne as she builds on her momentum and gears up to be the Next Big Author. Just wait, I'll be able to say I told you so.

2. Everyday Life

Lyn is a teacher, photographer and artist living in West Yorkshire, UK. In Everyday Life, she shares photos that capture the beauty around her. Her images are simple, but she has a way of looking at things that makes you think if you were with her at the time, she'd point out some detail to you that you'd missed somehow, even though it was right in front of you.Not to mention the fact that by showing me a part of the world I personally love, I kind of feel like I'm taking a little journey when I read her posts. She has a penchant for sunrises and sunsets, architecture, gardens and her cat, Lucy.She and her husband take all these cool trips, from walks right around the corner to day trips around England, and this year to France. Lyn snaps away, and gives you a glimpse of something you'd never see if not for her eye or lens.A few shots from Lyn:(Clicking on each photo will take you to the original post)

Cool sites I've found through her site:365 Project: take a photo a day to document your lifeBig Huge Labs: do fun stuff with your photos; mosaics, posters, pop art and much more. Can't wait to play with this.

3. Moon to Moon and What the Moon Saw

I don't know much about this blogger, but she posts photos of the most cool, laid back hippie-gypsy interiors and images, and sometimes will include amazing songs that you forgot you knew and are so happy to recall.If there's any bone in your body that inexplicably feels at home around the Bohemian, you will fall in instant, romantic, patchwork, vine-y, wooden, floating scarves and natural sunlight LOVE. This is just a small sample:

Here's one of the songs - Sisters of the Moon, by Fleetwood Mac (Tusk, 1979)

Free download.

I tried to embed it as a player so you could listen to it here first but I can't $#%*ing figure it out and I've been pulling out my hair. If you know how, please leave a comment, before I go bald.

So please have fun blog surfing. I hope you enjoy these little spots on the web as much as I do. One of the other great things about blogging is that your peers are very supportive. It's a nice community, another way of getting to know those who share our planet, and keeping in touch globally through common interests.

I wholeheartedly believe in the idea that if we support other artists, not only will this goodwill come back to us, but by sharing ART in general it enriches the lives of everyone around us, and will hopefully bring a sense of beauty and awe that will supersede the pervasive negativity that seems to be pushed upon us at every turn. To experience art is to experience love. 

On that note, I'd like to share a video I found on another blog, Heart Shaped.

The story can be read here. Note: keep watching, you'll see what it's about.

Enjoy ♡

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3_bCfrOPI4]

I enjoy reading your comments, please feel free to leave feedback. xo

I'm Sending You Away #1

I Like: Creative Writing #1

OK, so here's the deal. I've got a lot of stuff going on.  I really want to stick to my goal of blogging once a week, and I'm trying to not use ALL of my writing time on my blog. Have to get back to my novel! I've been going over some of my older critique group notes, my own notes and research, and I just can't let this story go.*If any of my readers (and I know there's a few):1) were horse crazy girls or boys,2) are suckers for fairy and folklore,4) own anything decorated with Celtic knotwork,5) generally geek out at Renaissance festivals (Huzzah!),

The kids are so embarrassed.

6) love nature, adventure and7) had a crush on your best friend's brother or sister, then this book is for you.

*Fate chimed in while in the process of writing this post. I had to run some errands, and while at the return desk of the library, a little girl walked up to the librarian, reluctant little brother in tow, stood with her chin resting on the countertop and asked "Do you have any Fairy books?"

I swear I did not make that up. This book has to get written.

So in order to conserve writing time while still delivering posts for you, my faithful readers, (I did it! I addressed the reader! There, I did it again!) some of my newer posts will be excerpts from my writing notebooks. I've accumulated quite a few over the past six years, and I've got a pile of material that I'm afraid I'll never get to.So I'm going to share it here.Much of it is incomplete, as in notes or ideas that were begun and never completed. And yes, everyone does that. No artist would ever have time to draw to fruition each and every one of their ideas.The purpose of this is 4-fold:

• to provide regular reading (be responsible)
• to get out of having to think up and edit and photograph every post (be lazy)
• to finally go through all of my notes (do research)
• and hopefully along the way, I'll be able to provide an idea to someone else. (I'll play the muse)

Here is your first installment:This is from the Scottsdale Library's creative writer's workshop on Fridays. Before I had to go back to work (yuck!), I moderated these meetings for awhile, and loved every minute. Creative writing workshops are a great way to get ideas flowing. You could arrange one with your study group, church group, library, or do it on your own. (Helpful links below.)The writing prompt for this day was a picture, along with a question:

You hid something here a long time ago.  What was it?  Tell why it needed to be hidden.

OR

You found something here today.  What is it?  Tell why you are here.

For those of you who would like to do this exercise, take 15 minutes to free write a response to the photo and one of the questions. Then continue reading below.

Ready set GO

Here was my 15-minute response:

8/15/08 The morning air being crisp and fresh, I decided to walk across the field⎯rather than take the carriage⎯to the small parsonage where my dear friend Charlotte resides with her husband. He sister is to be wed in June, and the two of us have been sewing linens for her table as a wedding gift. On my way, I cut across a glen which I had seen and passed by many times as a girl, but in the morning light, something caught my eye. Vine covered ruins Crumbling ruins, set upon by thick green vines. They look to have been hidden for many a hundred years by a massive oak that now lay prone on the forest floor, a victim of wood rot and heavy wind, I presume. I gingerly picked my way around the massive fallen soldier, quite ruining my hem in the process. How ancient the stone wall seemed. I figured it a relic of the ancient Romans that once invaded our shores.

That's as far as I got. I don't even know what my character found in the ruins! The suspense! Other than a few run-on sentences and a misplaced use of the word "they":

Crumbling ruins, set upon by thick green vines. They look to have been hidden...

Here, They appears to mean the vines, when my intent was to describe the ruins. Not to mention, the first sentence is incomplete. But the great thing about writing exercises is that you aren't editing as you go. The goal is just to bring forth an idea from which to build upon.And yes, Austen fans, I believe at the time this was written I had either just re-read the book or viewed one of my favorite movies, Pride and Prejudice. And, no, my heroine would NOT have found a smoldering Mr. Darcy waiting behind that wall!

Not that there's anything wrong with that :)

Writing exercise links:

Susan Taylor Brown

Meredith Sue Willis

The above exercise was stolen from one of these two sites, but I can't remember which one. I will be happy to credit the source if and when I figure it out.

What are you doing? Go get your pen! Stop staring at Mr. Darcy!

Write!

For a creative writing meeting, all you need are willing participants, pen & paper, and about one hour or more. Go around the table and have members introduce themselves and speak a bit as to what kind of writing they are interested in. Give them the prompt, and let everyone write for 15 minutes. Then go around and allow the members to share what they wrote, if they wish. Then do it again with a new prompt. Your second round could be completely different, or build upon the first. And there are no rules other than to express yourself. Have fun!**This post is dedicated to my friend Sara who inspired me to 1) Use a numbered list; and 2) Let my freak flag fly.

Free E-Book!

My friend Anne Tibbets's new book, The Beast Call is getting great reviews all over the web. And today, it is being offered for FREE on Smashwords!!

Here is the link to Anne's Blog where you can get the code. If you are reading this after August 22, not to worry, the E-Book on Smashwords is only 99 cents. Bargain!Here is the short description:

Seventeen year old Dray is no ordinary human. But possessing a magical capability to talk to animals in a land where magic is feared, is dangerous.

For anyone loving a little magic, some animals and a kick-ass heroine, give The Beast Call a read. And if you don't have an E-Reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.) you can read it online.Thanks for reading, new post coming soon.

Focus

It's never been one of my strong points. I'm amazed at people who can choose just one thing, make that their prime concern, and follow one straight path all the way up to the top to succeed in that one thing. Examples are everywhere, but one that stood out to me recently is a guy named Jeremy Wade, who Animal Planet describes as an "extreme angler," which means this guy is really good at catching really big fish. Particularly those dwelling in rivers.

In fact, he's gotten so good at catching huge fish that he's been able to make a living at it. He goes all over the world, meeting incredibly interesting people, and helping them discover and catch the thing under the water that ate their cousin last week.Now, that's a pretty specialized field of expertise. He started out with a zoology degree, taught school, traveled and wrote, and all the while had a curiosity to find these really big fish.There are days when I would love to have that kind of focus. The problem is, there are too many great things I'd like to try. And some I'd even like to accomplish.I've mentioned my creative side before. That creativity, coupled with a genuine interest in everything around me, or in it's simplest form, curiosity, produce what my dad refers to as a "Jane" of all trades and master of none. Well, he's got the Master of None part right, anyway.

 (side note: this is part of the reason I love Wikipedia. They actually have a page about the saying Jack of all trades. From it, I just learned that I can also be referred to as a generalist -- another useless tidbit of information that might come in handy if you ever qualify as a contestant on Jeopardy!)Anyway, back to focus (see what I mean??) Is it a type A/type B personality thing? Or is it just ADD? I wonder. You hear about focus in regard to athletes. They train vigorously night and day. Championships lead to scholarships, which lead to careers, then sponsorships and if they're lucky they can spend their retirement as network commentators. All because of focus in one specific area.What causes someone like Michael Phelps (a specialist) to be supremely focused on swimming; training constantly, over many years, to reach a pinnacle matched by no other swimmer?

And someone like me to be so macro-focused as to want to try it all:

• ballet
• cheerleading
• theater
• yoga
• bellydance
• sky dive
• deejay
• paint
• sew
• write
• blog
• web master
• horse owner
• cook
• wife
• mom

I mean, does it make me well-rounded or just plain crazy? And what about all the things I have yet to do:

• earn a college degree
• world traveling
• graphic design
• wood crafting
• screen writing
• advertising (Don Draper, you're my hero)*
• stand-up comedy (Kathy GRIF-fin!)**
• star in my own show on the Travel Channel (it could happen)
• write for Family Guy (or at least sit in on a recording session)
• be a guest panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
• live in a little cottage in the woods, on the beach, with a pasture for the horses and a big red barn. And a studio. And a chicken coop. And a gourmet kitchen. (it could happen)
• finish my book

The problem with being a generalist is that all of these interests and pursuits take time. I've never been fast at anything, and each new thing I want to do, i.e., build a website or blog, takes time to learn.Time, research, and a few ...For Dummies books:

So, even though I don't have a full-time job, and people wonder why I am always so busy, it's because I'm teaching myself new things, learning more and more every day about the way the world is working nowadays, or trying to work, and what trends to follow, what to avoid, products and services that might be better or worse than others, while at the same time keeping up with the latest in publishing news - or trying to keep up, as the case may be, since the industry is changing more and more every time I see it.I'm also trying to keep up with the everyday stuff, too - like everyone else out there. Taking care of my husband and two boys, housework (blah), laundry (double blah), and now that the kids are fully fledged teen males, more and more of my time is spent grocery shopping (eh), cooking (which I actually like), and cleaning up (which I actually don't like).And in my free time :) I sew.

And because I always have a movie playing in my head:

*you have to say this in the voice of Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off .

**you have to say this in the voice Kathy Griffin uses when she's imitating the way Oprah Winfrey welcomes her guests.

So what kind of crazy stuff do you do?

I Like: Music

Don't worry, I will get back to the name game, but I wanted to introduce a new category on my blog:I Like.Things I saw, read, heard, tasted or clicked, and liked enough to pass it on.Check it out:

If you're one of the few people who've never heard Adele's Rolling in the Deep, take a listen. It only takes one time to love it. It's infectious.

http://assets.mixpod.com/swf/mp3/mixpod.swfNow meet this same song, remixed three ways:http://assets.mixpod.com/swf/mp3/mixpod.swfRolling In The Deep (Ben Samples Remix) from ThisSongIsSick.comGreat version if you are having a party with lots of people, a real house-crusher that you see in teen movies where the sole goal is losing your virginity - that type of party - but the cast is a little older, and a little more cosmopolitan-cool, and most of them have already gotten laid. Put this song on and turn it up LOUD. Awesome pop-dub-techno track. No one will get bored listening to this thumper. The girls closest to the stero will be grooving their hips in that way when you just cant help moving your body, so you just pop a few beats out while engaging in casual conversation, and flip your hair a little. So, put the cuties by the speakers. (free download)http://assets.mixpod.com/swf/mp3/mixpod.swfRolling In The Deep - Mike Posner from freshnewtracks.comSame party, about four hours later, half the people have gone home. Only the cool kids are left. Everyone's relaxed, mellow, and getting acquainted. This track features a male voice singing the song. You're picturing him, some mellow dude hanging out on the old corduroy couch in the basement, flipping through your mom's old collection of vinyl LP's, he's got the headphones on, listening to Adele and singing along. Everyone else in the world sounds like crap when they sing along to the radio - I'm slightly worse than Julia Roberts singing Kiss. But this guy is the exception, giving a smooth, flavored feel to the song, with a really great backbeat. Again, play it loud. The kind of loud where you have to lean in a little to hear the person across from you. (free download)http://assets.mixpod.com/swf/mp3/mixpod.swfRolling In The Deep (Avicii Remix) from freshnewtracks.comThe house music version. High heels & short skirts, strobe lights & fog. This is the one you'd expect to hear in one of those clubs in Vegas where you have to wait in line for 2 hours to get in, the music is so loud you can't think straight, and a trip to the ladies' room involves serpentining your way through the sweaty, bouncing crowd. And you love every minute of it.Now go dance your ass off. Even if you've never been to Vegas; if the closest you'll get to high heels & short skirts is chore boots and your old Levi's, if the last time you were at a house party was 25 years and three kids ago, turn it up & get the living room floor dirty. Dance around the kitchen and sing into your spatula.I have to give credit to my son for finding each of these versions. He's music crazy and finds all the remixes before I've even heard the original. He's pretty awesome.http://www.adele.tv/www.freshnewtracks.comhttp://thissongissick.comDisclosure: This is not a paid endorsement, just stuff I think is cool.

What's in a Name? Part I

"What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet."So says Juliet. But do you think that sometimes people reflect the nature of their name? I guess that's why the task of bestowing a name upon another living thing is so difficult. It has to fit. A good example of this: Could you imagine naming your sweet newborn baby boy "Brock?" It seems a bit much for a tiny baby.But look at Brock Lesnar:

I mean, he just looks like a Brock, doesn't he? He completely grew into his name. I can't imagine him being called Joey or Bernard, can you? Would he have grown into a UFC Heavyweight champion if his name were Francis Dingle? Maybe. Maybe not.

I've talked before about the associations with my name,

Heidi

. As a little girl, in my little-girl way of thinking, I always considered Heidi to be a kid's name. I wondered what my name would be when I became older and finally got a grown up name. It must have been that Shirley Temple movie. Forever preserved in her cherubic, albeit black-and-white state, I couldn't imagine her "Heidi" as a grown-up wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase like the lady in the Enjoli commercials, who so exuberantly professed her ability to

Bring Home the Bacon

and

Fry it Up in a Pan

.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA4DR4vEgrs]Her name was probably Marcia or Shelley or something blonde and sexy like that.But however age limited I saw my name to be, probably my biggest impression of it came from one of my favorite books - the Little Golden Book version of Heidi:

This version of Heidi, though predictably blonde, was always skipping around barefoot in fields of wildflowers, frolicking with goats, wind blowing her hair.

And Happy.

I think that's the main reason I came to really like my name. Heidi is a happy name. Just as Brock is a strong name, Heidi is a happy name.

Bestowing a name upon someone or something is fun, interesting, and tough.

The hardest part about having my children (besides labor!) was deciding what to name them. Would I have a Brock or a Francis? What kind of person did I want them to be? Does a person's name help develop their character?

The challenge is to come up with something that is different without sounding odd; unique but not obscure.

Today I met a lady named Ione. I complemented her, and she thanked me with enthusiasm. She loved her name. I'd only ever heard it pronounced as eye-OH-nee, but she pronounced it eye-OWN. She said, "I don't loan, I don't borrow, I own." It sounded clever, and it was her way of owning (no pun intended) her name.But where do the names come from? If you're named after a rock star are you then expected to be musical? Or a literary figure - if your name is Sawyer, are you adventurous? What about Darcy? In Jane Austen's novel, he is brooding, dark and handsome. But other than Miss Austen's hero, have you heard of any guys named Darcy?Part II; What's in a name? Equine edition, next!

Midweek Mish Mash

Well, folks, I have a few different things I want to let you know about, so I'm giving you a Wednesday quickie! ;)

1. Books!

First, I have to do some friendly promotion. My friend and mentor, Deb Ledford, has just released her second novel in a series.

Deb was one of the first people to encourage me to write - not only that, but to take it seriously, and to treat my writing professionally. I am indebted to her for her guidance and enthusiasm regarding all aspects of my writing, as are the other members of the Scottsdale Writer's Group, of which she is the moderator.

I was honored to have been a part of Deb's editing team, and proud to see my mentor reach her goal of publication. And now, as a cherry on top of her sundae, not only is she published, but has been honored with an award nomination! For anyone out there who likes a good, tight mystery that keeps you up at night turning pages, please take a look at Staccato and Snare, by Deborah J. Ledford, available through Amazon, Kindle, and Second Wind Publishing.

The first, Staccato, is a thriller set in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and follows a piano prodigy as he pieces together the clues to find his girlfriend's killer, and the deputy who is trying to solve the case.

“Deborah J Ledford's thriller tears through mountains and music with a steady rhythm in perfect time with the maestro Alexander's music room metronome ... as readers turn STACCATO's pages, quickly, crisply, sharply throughout Ledford's Toccata-like virtuoso performance.”

    ~ Malcolm R. Campbell, 5 star review: “Knight of Words” Book Reviews

The second book, Snare, follows the same deputy, Stephen Hawk, as he helps a Native American pop star find the person who is trying to kill her. Snare has been nominated for the Hillerman Sky award:

"Performed against the backdrop of the picturesque Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, and New Mexico's mysterious Taos Pueblo Indian reservation, SNARE is a thriller fans of Tony Hillerman will appreciate."

"White-knuckle suspense at an electrifying pulse." ~ Suspense Magazine

"Deborah Ledford's expertly crafted SNARE is a gripping story of the price of fame and the haunting and deadly power of long buried secrets. It’s also a valentine to the landscape and people of New Mexico’s Taos Pueblo. A terrific read."

        ~ Dianne Emley, L.A. Times bestselling author of Love Kills

They are both great reads and I highly recommend Staccato and Snare for you and the readers in your life.

In today's tumultuous publishing environment, getting a book sold is more difficult than ever. Please support up-and-coming authors. I have provided a link to published friends on my left sidebar.

Disclosure - I receive nothing for promoting Deb's books, other than good karma.

2. Update!

Second I wanted to give you an update on Chroi's icky dermatitis condition. It had gotten to the point to where it was bothering her so bad that she was kicking her foot on the ground, and hurt herself. I think she bruised her hoof. Yes, that can happen. None of the idiot home remedies that I tried worked, and the itchiness and scabs just got worse. So the vet came out, and his recommendation, which I had feared, was to clip her feathers.

I know. Ugh.So here's what a Gypsy Horse looks like with shaved legs:

who wears short shorts?

Awww.

Luckily we just had to clip the feathers on her hind legs because she didn't have any issue on the front legs. In addition to clipping, I have to wash her legs with a prescription-grade anti-fungal shampoo, and gave her antibiotics twice a day for five days. If any of you ever have to give your horse medication, here's a good method:

• dissolve the tablets in a couple tablespoons of water,
• mix with a couple handfuls of sweet feed (oats and grains mixed with molasses)

to make it extra yummy, follow Mary Poppins' advice, and (see below)

• add a generous spoonful of brown sugar.

For Chroi, this worked so much better than trying to force the medicine down her throat - she actually loved it!

So she's feeling much better, her infection is clearing up and even though she's lost some feather, it will grow back. And she still looks pretty.

3. Baby Watch!

Which brings us to our next subject: BABY!!

 Chroi is due to foal in two weeks! She's getting super fat, uh, I mean, great with child. As we get closer to the delivery day, her body shows signs that she will be ready:

• Udder filling up with milk (already happening)
• "waxing" of the teats, which just means some of the milk is starting to flow.
• softening of the pelvis, right above the tail
• slight decrease in appetite, which is a big one, especially for a pig like Chroi. When she's not hungry, I know something's going on!

I will keep you posted. Last time we had babies, they were both born during a rain storm, so we will also be keeping an eye on the weather.Now, I just have to think of a name... any suggestions?

***

Chroicoragh is a perfect example of how "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." I loved Mary Poppins as a kid. We had the soundtrack on vinyl, and used to sing along to it all the time. I miss the days when Disney just wanted to put out great films. And I mean how can you top Julie Andrews? She's the best. Enjoy![youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djQdI1t9_Ag]

Stats

Have any of you seen The Social Network? I highly recommend it. Not only because I am just a teeny tiny bit of a computer nerd, but as I'm sure you've heard by now, it's just a really really good movie.I'll let you form your own opinions, but the one thing that stood out to me as I watched the film was a scene where one of the characters said to Mark Zuckerberg, "you got 22,000 hits in two hours? Wow."And all the computer-nerd-blogger in me could think was: Wow.

A "hit," or pageview, is recorded anytime someone downloads your page. For instance, since you are reading this post, you have generated one hiton this page.When I first started blogging, there wasn't an easy way to see how much traffic your site was getting. But then Bloggerreleased a new feature called Stats. It's totally awesome. Here is what I see when I go to my stats page:

I can see how many visits I've had in a week (or day,month, etc.)

which posts are getting the most hits:

where my traffic is coming from (how people are finding me, i.e., did you find me through Google, my website, facebook, or another blog?)

I can also see what part of the world my readers are from, and what operating system they use:

How cool is that? What's up, Pakistan! Hello, China! Cheers, UK! Bon Jour, France! Slovenia? Who would've thought?? Malaysia? Come on! And of course my buddies up north, eh?The thing I love about stats is that it tells me that all is not lost. I am not alone. My parents are not the only ones reading my blog (hi guys!) And it propels me to do more. It's kind of like crack. I see some hits, and I want to see more. So I keep writing.So thanks to everyone out there in the world who wanders onto my blog. I hope you like it. I hope you find it worthwhile to come back. And I hope you tell your friends about it.I may not be a computer engineer on a college campus getting 22,000 hits in two hours, but I am totally psyched to see this when I open my stats page:

Yay!! We hit the 1,000 mark!

Thank you.

It's 2:00 in the morning...

Why am I up?Well, in the process of writing my next post (about blogging), I realized I was using an awful lot of blog terminology that some of my readers (Yay! I have more than one!) may not be familiar with. I know that when I started writing my blog, and figuring it all out, I would come across terms like blogroll and follow. I didn't know a post from a comment, and I sure didn't know what RSS meant. Well, to tell you the truth, that one's still a little foggy to me, but onward. So I Googled and read my ...For Dummies books, and slowly got familiar with all of this blogology. But I thought I'd make it easier on you, so I made a Glossary page! Wait, you have to say it in the Oprah voice like she's giving away free Lancome or something...ready? 

GLOSS-A-RY!!

OK, much better. Sorry, but it's late and I'm a little punchy. For a multitude of reasons (Horse, Kids, School, Work, American Idol) two o'clock is the time of day when I have nothing else going on and can actually concentrate on writing.

So do me a favor, check out my Glossary of Blog Terms page, and let me know what you think. Hopefully it will bring clarity to those of you new to this medium. Feel free to shout out a term you've been hearing but don't know, and I will do my best to find it for you. It will be added to as need arises. I also plan on adding a Glossary of Horse Terms page in the future.

Now, due to the severity and frequency of my typos, and the frustration of constantly having to correct them, I feel the need to retire to my bedchamber. 

So farewell and goodnight! 

I Like His Thinking

Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

(click to view larger)

Dream big, I always say.

My Most Favorite Book of All Time

I hate those questionnaires that ask: "What's your favorite book/movie?"As if.As if I could decide on only ONE. It's like Sophie's Choice. I cannot choose! I cannot choose!But this year at Christmas it finally hit me. I've had this book since I was five:

I still write my name in the front of my books, but back then I was a bit more enthusiastic about dotting my "i"s.My mom used to buy these Whitman Tell-A-Tale books for a quarter at the grocery store, probably just to shut me up so she could get done with her shopping. Moms all over the world are familiar with this tactic, but how many great things like this can you find anymore for (published price) 29 cents?

Scotch tape. I'm sure all book preservationists use it.

Can you see the little mouse curled up under the tree? Definitely not stirring.

I have taken this book out every year on Christmas Eve to read to my kids, and this year was no exception. My oldest son, 17, and my youngest, 13, still sat all the way through, and my husband listened along, too.

The illustrations were done by an artist named Florence Sarah Winship. I have a few more books featuring her artwork, and after a precursory internet search, I can't find any information on her, other than she was born in Indiana and lived in Illinois. But what great detail! I really though that sugarplums must look like This. At least they should, anyway. I looked up real sugarplums online, and they're not nearly as pretty. Not to mention there are images labeled "sugar plum" that have absolutely nothing to do with either sugar or plums....

Aww...the snowman is sleeping. And check out the twisted mustache on Papa.

And her Santa is such a, well, jolly old elf.

I love the Nordic-looking boots with braided trim, and the little bell at the end of his stocking cap.

See the oranges? In Victorian times an orange would have been a special treat, since they would have come a long distance, and shipping freight then wasn't quite as streamlined as it is today. For an excellent example of this, Kirsten Dunst has a great film moment of orange appreciation in Little Women.

Solving the age-old question of "How does he get back up the chimney?"

The old finger-aside-of-the-nose trick.

("It wasn't a pick, it was a scratch!")

Anyone who gets that reference gets a cookie.

It's just such a happy, lovely Christmas tradition.

I hope this book never gets lost or destroyed, and that someday my boys can read it to their children.

Someday.

Far, far in the future.

If you have a favorite holiday book or tradition, I'd love to hear it, in the comments section.

I hope your holiday was happy, and filled with food, family, laughs and love.

Merry Christmas.