Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm a typical American in the sense that I'm a combination of a lot of different people from different countries. My grandmother's father was an Irish citizen. So, I always feel a little Irish, especially in March.

A few years ago, G and I went to San Francisco and Napa Valley during Spring Break. We happened to go on a wine tour on St. Patrick's Day. We met the nicest couple from Ireland. They laughed about how Americans make a much bigger deal about St. Patrick's Day than Ireland does.

Well, aren't we lucky? Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Barbie is looking great at fifty, don't you think?

Long after my friends had "outgrown" her, I adored her. My friend Katie had an older sister. Together they had created quite a collection of Barbies, clothes, and accessories. When Katie decided she was too big to play with Barbies, I was overjoyed when she passed them along to me. It meant even MORE clothes and glamor!

Check out the history and fun facts about Barbie here.

Unpacking

It's official. We are truly moved in. We're still unpacking, but Max is sleeping in his crib rather than a pack and play--and as of yesterday, we finally have Internet service! Sure, we still have boxes rather than a dining table in the dining room, but they're diminishing.

Our house is not baby proof.

Until about an hour ago, I thought we had plenty of time. That's when I looked up to discover that Max was no longer on his playmat. He was about two feet from it, lying on his back and still pushing with his feet.

There's gonna be a whole lotta babyproofing goin' on.

JOURNAL: Baby proofing our house is supposed to keep our little guy from getting hurt. If you could "baby proof" something so as to protect it from being hurt. What would it be and why?

Santa's request

Santa and I have been friends for years. He dropped me an email the other day to share his concern about something and asked me to blog about it.

And when Santa asks you to do something, you do it. He's kind of like Oprah that way. So here goes...

No one, especially Santa, likes children to be disappointed on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, some children were very upset when their tiny little request was not fulfilled. (He told me that more than one tear was shed on a day that should be joyful.) I hate that this happened, and I'd like to clarify.

After reading my novel Glamour, a number of children requested their very own fairies. Since fairies are little people, Santa could not grant this wish. One can not own another, after all.

By the way, Santa's elves were miffed at this misunderstanding. They are distant relatives of the Naturals and Fayes and wanted you all to know that they work for Santa by their own free will. It's a great job, of course, but he doesn't own them. In fact, many elves go on vacation in January. Since the North Pole is so cold, you may see these elves on vacation if you live in a more tropical climate. Keep your eye out. If you see them, know that they're rather like the Secret Service or CIA. They may not be able to acknowledge that they're Santa's elves, so it's probably best not to ask.

Anyway, back to Santa's request: One of the points of my novel is that Glamour comes from within. True power—and magic—is what is held in your heart. It's what makes each person special. Like the tails of the Naturals, it's the identifier that marks us as unique.

Even though fairies can be very cool to know and hang around with, you don't want to get on their bad sides. If you requested one and it didn't appear in your stocking, be thankful. As you may recall from the novel, they don't like being held captive...and they get even.

Journal: Cleaning

Moving into a new house requires a lot of cleaning--especially if you renovate the floors, counters, and walls. Since we arrived at our new home Saturday night, we've been scrubbing, polishing, and disinfecting. It's a lot of work! However, it's worth it. Everything is starting to look more like home, probably because I'm getting to know all the nooks and crannies. My new home and I are getting very personal. We're getting to know each other.

Journal: Write about a location that has a personality. For example, a building, a mall, a classroom. Describe it. Use mood to establish a sense of place.

Journal: Painting

We bought a house. Even though it's fairly new, we wanted to change a few things: counter tops, floors, walls, tiles. Yep. Lots of dust and lots of renovation.

Everything was supposed to be finished by Christmas.

Yeah, right.

So, I was less than enthusiastic when my husband said, "The carpet isn't going in until Monday. Let's paint our bedroom."

The wood floors were in. The granite was in. Dust was everywhere. Max was thrown off from sleeping in a new place, so I had spent most nights dozing in a recliner with a baby who screamed every hour or so.

And he wanted to paint?

Long story short, we didn't kill each other. Sure, I'm still touching up the molding. If my brother and mom hadn't helped, Garrett and I might never have finished.

However, I am pleased with the colors. The room reminds me of antique Wedgwood Jasper China. I've loved that play of strong color on bright white molding ever since I went to the Monticello and Mount Vernon when I was twelve years old. So, I'm happy. Plus, I get to redecorate everything.

Journal: Think of a beautiful place or thing. Let it inspire you. How would you use it as a guide to redecorate your room?

Merry Christmas!

I hope your holidays are filled with magic!