Bridesmaid Trilogy, Lost Art of Second Chances, Parenting, Writing

And the living is easy…

Happy Summer! Fox is out of school for the summer. Hard to believe he’s not a kindergartener anymore. I borrowed this meme about summer from my friend Mary’s blog, Passionate Perseverance. She started the blog to document her life with her severely disabled daughter, also named Courtney. Her story is amazing (have Kleenex ready if you read it!) and she’s always an inspiration to me.

Here are my Answer Me This answers for Summertime…

5585143074_e699c5696c_o

#1 – Any big plans for the summer?
4659168459_fdb84ba193_o

Mostly, I’m going to be spending summer with my favorite guy, Fox. He is going to camp on and off all summer. In between, we’re going to do crafts, go to the pool, and participate in the local library’s summer reading challenge. To that end, if anyone has any suggestions for keeping an almost 7 year old amused, let me know in the comments. I need all the help I can get.

I’m also in the final stages of two books, Forever a Bridesmaid, and The Lost Art of Second Chances while starting to draft Once a Bridesmaid. I need a time turner.

8391366461_9a19b5fae4_o

And we’re planning to go to the Outer Banks in July and Myrtle Beach in August. Should be a fun, full summer.

#2 – What is the strangest thing you believed as a child?

I went to 13 years of Catholic school. I totally bought into the Jesus and the saints are watching your every move deal.
#3 – What is you favorite amusement park ride?
Any roller coaster. Anytime, baby! My favorite coaster ever is the Alpengeist in Busch Gardens in Williamsburg.

Alpengeist2

#4 – What’s on you summer reading list?

My TBR pile is teetering off the nightstand. Here are just a few choices:  I’m really looking forward to Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, which is due out in September. I want to read Lauren Willig’s That Summer and The Other Daughter. I’ve heard great things about The Rocks by Peter Nichols.

I’ll also be doing summer reading with Fox. I think Henry Huggins by Beverly Clearly will be our first one.

#5 – Have you ever fallen asleep in public?

No, not since I was three and fell asleep in my stroller at Disney World.

5920273790_810a99f122_o
#6 – What is your favorite smell?
All the lavender. LOVE that one. But I’m a lotions and potions kinda girl so I love lots of different ones. My all time favorite lotion is satsuma from the Body Shop. So bright and clean and happy. And I also love their new green tea line.

classic-satsuma-gift_l fuji-green-tea-body-butter_l

That’s it for this week. Tag, you’re it! Your turn to answer the questions….

3608116008_41d18d2bc9_o

Happy Summertime! 🙂

Bridesmaid Trilogy, Crafts, Writing

Coloring Books

FullSizeRender_1

So, have you heard about the new trend of coloring books for adults? For the past several weeks, Johanna Basford’s coloring books, Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, have topped the Amazon bestseller charts. Full of fanciful illustrations, with plenty of room to color, these books are touted as everything from play for adults to creativity boosts to relaxation and meditation aides.

 

FullSizeRender

And I say, yes to all of the above 🙂 I’ve been coloring with Fox for about three years. I started out with free mandalas and downloads from Don’t Eat the Paste. (Several of the ones in the photos are from that site). I saw Basford’s books a few months ago and ordered them quickly thereafter. They are wonderful, detailed and rich, with lots of hidden things to find.

IMG_5529

As a recovering type A (my RL friends and family need to stop laughing at that!), I have tried to meditate multiple times. My monkey mind just doesn’t want to cooperate. However, with coloring, I can fall into a meditative sort of trance. I think it’s because the repetitive motion keeps my hands busy and the inner critic quiet.

IMG_5530

I keep a notebook beside me and write down any ideas that pop up. That’s how I’m brainstorming my current WIP, Forever a Bridesmaid. Grab yourself a box of crayons or some colored pencils and give it a try yourself.

IMG_5531