One Month Til Christmas! What?!

Hi!



Did you ever wish you could just fall asleep anywhere?  This photo is proof that it is possible. Ok, it's possible if you are 9 months old and are taken for a walk in the fresh air, gliding on newly-fallen snow and the only sounds are the rhythmic crunch of your Mother's steps and the ssssshhhhhh of your sled.

I guess this is what they were talking about when they coined the phrase "sleeping like a baby."



So folks, the past week has been pretty awesome.

First, we were able to meet up with my sis-in-law from Oklahoma for a short but sweet visit.

Then, Wednesday, we had a trade show here at home and today, another in Kindersley. Thanks
to those who were kind enough to purchase books from me, my crazy stories are finding their way into a whole bunch of stockings during this holiday season. 

I had one grandma, today, who said she didn't think she could wait until Christmas to give "A Crazy Day" to her little grandson. She said she was going to hop in her car, drive to his house, and read it to him tonight!  I can't even put into words what kind of a thrill that gives me!

In the upcoming week, I think I better get crackin' on the Christmas baking. Some, peanut butter/cream cheese/chocolate chip cookies, some fudge, some orange/banana/cranberry muffins, and some other gooey, rich, creamy, sweet things that drip chocolate. it wouldn't be Christmas without them!


It's also time to start decorating the house for the holidays! Time to unleash the snowmen! Ok, for those of you who may not be aware, I have a bit of a collection of snowmen. There are some big ones, small ones, plush ones, and fragile ones. There are those that get hung on the wall, those who reside in wreaths, some that live in snow globes, and some that sit on tables. I could go on, but I can't hear myself think over the sound of my kids laughing at me through cyberspace.


Also this week, I need to prep for the beach themed bachelorette party we are doing Saturday night. It's going to be a blast! Who has more fun than a bunch of women on an ultimate girls' night?!


Well, that about wraps up another week!

Just a quick reminder to those wanting to order books online in time for Christmas! Please order soon to ensure they get to you in time! Thanks! www.margyreidbooks.com


Until next time, I'll leave you with this wish.........................................



May Santa find your name on his "nice" list and not in the company of the "naughty"
May your every kindness be brought to his attention, and not so much when you were haughty.

May every holiday party you attend be a ton of fun, not a dull one in the bunch.
May none of them have myterious hors d'oeuvres, only yummy things to munch.

May your travels between festivies be safe, with nothing hindering the ride.
May you foresee any and all obstacles, and successfully set them to the side.


Until next week!

www.margyreidbooks.com

Trade Show, Sing, Laundry.... Repeat

Hi!


As I was poking around in my picture files, deciding what to toss at my ramblings this week, I came across these shots. I caught these on the way home from our karaoke show in Luseland last week. I almost didn't use them, but then thought of those of you out there who live where frost like this probably doesn't happen.  So, for those who live without the thrill of shovelling snow, or the adrenaline of getting stuck in a snow bank when it's -40C, here is a little taste of the prettiest side of winter.



Well, the past seven days have gone by pretty quickly.

Saturday night, we had the show in Luseland. It was a full house with a good number of people willing to get up and sing, a lot of fun being had by all, with only one injury. That being the little flat screen tv we use for shows, injured, but still functional. Not the end of the world.


Monday.... We took a trip to Saskatoon. McNally's needed more books, (an email that still thrills me!), and our youngest daughter and her wee Jake came back with us.  They are going to be staying with us for a bit. (ahhh endless grandbaby snuggles)


The rest of the week was spent getting caught up on laundry and prepping for the trade show today in Rosetown and the karaoke show we have tonight.


The trade show today was great. The fact that people will actually be receiving something I wrote as a gift, well, it kind of overwhelms me. It's just another "I can't believe this is real" moment.

During the show, I had a chance to visit briefly with a neighbour. Through our conversation I teasingly asked her if she would be attending the karaoke show we are doing tonight. I say teasingly, because we don't tend to get a lot of great grandmothers at our shows. Of course, she graciously declined my invitation, but her reason went far beyond what I had anticipated.

When I asked her if she was going to come out and sing us a tune, the reply was one that I had heard a million times, " I don't sing." It's the reason she doesn't sing, that broke my heart. You see, when she was 8 or10 years old, she was in her church choir, where she was told she had a terrible voice and was asked to leave. You could see the hurt in her eyes like it happened yesterday.

That "choir director" probably never gave her horrible words a second thought. She was "just" a child, after all, she'd get over it.

The fact that all of these years later, eyes mist in the retelling of the tale, shows how cruel words become part of who you are.

Careless cruelty stole the songs of her childhood, and continues to hold them ransom to this day.


So, tonight, we'll be heading down to do our karaoke show, and celebrate everyone who wants to sing.


As for the upcoming week.....

Well, tomorrow, we are hoping to have a coffee and a visit with my hubby's sister. She lives in Oklahoma, so we don't get to see her very often.

Wednesday is another trade show, here in Milden. (I love it when they're nice and close!)

Thursday is off to Rosetown for the "running of the errands."

Saturday is a great trade show in Kindersley, Sk. at the Elks hall. We'll be there from 10-4, come and check it out!


That, my friends, about does it for another week So, for now, I'll leave you with this wish.





May any unkindness that threatens to leave your lips, never fall on the intended ear.
May you realize cruelty breeds not respect, only more cruelty and fear.

May you keep in mind the footprint words put upon that precious soul.
May you be careful of the way constant criticism takes a toll.

May you know it takes infinite praise to undo a fleeting moment of thoughtless temper.
May you give those young hearts around you a childhood they'll lovingly, fondly, remember.



www.margyreidbooks.com

To Our Veterans...Thank You Seems So Small

Hi there,


Friends, here in Canada, this weekend marks a time when we take a moment out of our busy, hectic, runaround lives to show some gratitude toward those who have, through incredible sacrifice, made those busy, hectic, runaround lives possible.


Many of us have Grandfathers, Fathers, Uncles, Aunts and Mothers who fought for the freedoms we are so incredibly accustomed to. Personally, I feel we owe it to them to make sure the generations that follow ours keep the tradition of gratitude alive. I think it's important for our young people to understand how different life would be if these brave people, many of them barely past their teens, hadn't fought as hard, sacrificed as much, or had substituted apathy for passion.

I have not gone to fight, nor has my husband or daughters, therefore I can't even pretend to know what it must be like to watch any one of them board a plane, knowing where they are going, what they will be facing, being heartsick with the feeling that they may not return.

I can't wrap my head around a scenario where one or more of my loved ones would be put so deliberately in harms way. Just as difficult, is the thought of leaving those I hold dearest behind. Leaving them to fight, leaving them to fight for them.


I can't imagine having someone you love missing the things that makes their lives, well, "theirs" for so long. Missing weddings, births, birthdays graduations, first steps, first teeth, first loose teeth, daughters' first dates, first bike rides, anniversaries. Life.

I can't think what it must be like to return, if you are lucky enough to do so, pieces of you shattered by what you've had to endure. Returning to a life where you are kind of expected to jump right back in where you left off, only the person who returned is not the one who left. How can you be?

So to those, past and present, who have fought and continue to do so, we thank you. It seems so small....thank you. That is why we need to continue this day of gratitude...because "thank you" is so small we need to multiply it through the generations so it becomes and remains loud enough and fierce enough to be felt by all those for which it's meant.

So on to ramblings much more frivolous in nature...............


Well, this week we have, and continue to get spanked by Mother Nature. Now, I'm not talking about the kind of beating that fell upon the east coast a couple of weeks ago, by any means. This is more along the lines of a finger slap by Mother Nature's nasty drunk uncle, Jack Frost.

Yep, it looks like any delusion that the early fallen snow would disappear and we would get another glimpse of a whisper of that soft autumn breeze,has been cruelly ripped away like treats from a Charles Dickens orphan.


So, we might as well settle in for a looooooonnnnngggg winter. Hey, it could be worse, I have a warm house, a soft bed, food in the pantry, good company,  and a vivid imagination......anything's possible.


The last few days........................................................

Wiped  down song books(don't look so puzzled, drunk people spill things....alot!)

Rehearsed acapella(didn't want to unload and reload all of the equipment)

Rearranged furniture in my living room.....(hubby always enjoys that sooooo much)

House cleaning and laundry (try not to get toooo jealous)



The next week........................


Karaoke gig in Luseland tomorrow night. (Come check it out if you're in the neighbourhood!)


Trip to the city on Monday (McNally needs more books! Yay!)

Get things prepped for Farmer's market trade show in Rosetown on Saturday, Nov. 17th (come say hi!|)


Get things ready for karaoke gig in Milden Saturday, Nov. 17th (not a typo)

Oh yeah, and maybe have to tunnel my way out of my house.


So, that about does it for this time around. Until next time I'll leave you with this wish............


In Remembrance......................


May I find the courage to sign my name to fight, to protect, to serve my nation, shaking hand...done.
May I get through without them finding out my real age, for they say seventeen is too young.

May I find the strength to stay awake, to watch friends die, to stay alive, to fight.
May I get through this hell of explosion, mud and blood, forever dark, never light.

May I find the strength to face my family, broken though I am, both in my body and my soul.
May I get through adjusting to my paralyzed circumstance, for recovery is taking it's toll.

May I find the strength to carry on, find a new way to live, a different way to be.
May I get through to the other side of this darkness in my soul, to the light, to be free.




www.margyreidbooks.com  Please send Holiday orders in as soon as you can, it takes 3 weeks to get a shipment of books, and my shelves are getting a bit naked. I'll need to know in time, if I need to order more.


Thanks so much for, once again,taking the time to read these ramblings.

A Cop, A Jester, And A Penguin Walk Into A Bar........

Well, hi!



Before I begin rambling on about the shenanigans of the past few and next few days, I'd like to take a minute to express to all of those who were touched by hurricane Sandy, that, though I can't possibly truly understand what you are going through, my thoughts are with you.

It just doesn't seem to matter how technologically advanced, how smart, how creative, how much ahead of the game we think we are, Mother Nature can still raise her mighty hand, and spank mankind harder than a child swearing in Church in the fifties.


The incredible fortitude and strength it will take to rebuild, not just the buildings and roads, but the spirits of those whose lives were turned upside down, seems so monumental, so overwhelming, so nearly impossible. Nearly.

It was wonderful to hear stories, as soon as the next day, of neighbours helping neighbours. They were sharing power, food, and clothing. To hear the stories of heroism, regular people putting themselves in harms way to save others, went a long way in rebuilding a person's faith in the fate of mankind.

In this world where countries, heck, entire continents seem to be in the mindset of looking out for number one at any cost, it's good to see that when it comes down to doing what's right, person to person, peoples' first instinct is still to help one another.


So, after witnessing one of the biggest tantrums Mother Nature has thrown in the last couple of centuries, the rest of the week seemed pretty mild, in comparison.

The Halloween gig went really well. As you can see from the photo, there were some great costumes. The crew from the Wizard of Oz were there, as were a zombie bride and her equally ghoulish bridesmaids. A human lufa, a genie, a gypsy, a couple of pirates and a few rather inappropriate members of the clergy also made an appearance.  All in all, a great time.


However, Wednesday, actual Halloween, was a bit of a let down. The weather was pretty cold, so we had very few kids come to the door. So, needless to say, the kids that did come received pretty generous handfuls of candy. Hey, they were thrilled, even if their parents might not have been, as I'm sure I wasn't the only one using that strategy to get rid of my treats.


Today, we went to Macrorie for their trade show.  I sold some books, met some new people, and came home with some home made sour cherry syrup and some locally grown and smoked trout. That is the absolute best thing about small town trade shows, there are soooooo many home made goodies that you can't get anywhere else! Like a farmer's market on steroids!


So, for the upcoming week.......................................


Keep wading through the ocean of red tape involved with starting our RV adventure, oh yeah, still plugging away at that one.


Rehearse for karaoke show we are doing in Luseland,Sk. on Sat. Nov.10th at the Royal George Hotel from 9- close. Come and check it out!

Start putting some time into my next book. I'd like to have it ready for illustrations by March/2013.

Oh yeah, and poke a little fun at all those having to change their clocks this weekend. Yep, here in good ol' Saskatchewan we don't change the time, we change time zones. We will be on central time for the winter and switch back to mountain standard in the spring.


Well, that about does it for this week, until next time, I'll leave you with this wish.............


For those who faced the storm..............



May those swept away by tumultuous waters, have peace where their souls rest, safe and warm.
May the ones left behind find a way through the grief, horror, and pain, embraced by loving arms.

May those who stand within broken walls, holding crushed memories, so cold, so lost, so.....lost,
May you find kindness and strength in your neighbours, a safe haven, a shield against the frost.

May you, in the days and months ahead, begin to feel some sense of normalcy, having typical days.
May your days become sweeter and nights get easier, in every possible way.



www.margyreidbooks.com