Talya Tate Boerner's Blog, page 66

It is you.

I cannot believe how quickly seventeen years has passed. Scary-fast, but what an adventure so far. Happy anniversary to us!

Happy Saturday, y’all!

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Natalie Prass, It is You

The post It is you. appeared first on grace grits and gardening.

Paper Source: Upcycle Last Year’s Calendar

I’m loving thesecrafty items I made from my 2015 Paper Source calendar. Think about it. Since 2015 is a wrap, there’s no need to keep an old calendar, right? Well… in some cases, the calendar is much too pretty to toss. What’s a clutter-adversepaper enthusiastto do?

Upcycle the artinto notecards and bookmarks and file folders, that’s what. Your calendar will live on for a while longer. (#ThisIsNOTAnAd)

I’m far from being a crafting wizard. This particular Paper Source calendar includes templ...

Letter Writing: 52 handwritten letters

Lewis Carroll said, “Man isan animal who writes letters.” Last year I vowed to write 52 handwritten letters. Seemed like a fabulousidea at the time. A few people have asked me how I did with my letter writing. My answer depends upon whether you are a half-full or half-empty sort of person.

I wrote 30. Technically, I fell short of my goal. But in realityI wrote 28more letters than I probably would have written had I not focused on this goal.

I think that’s good.

The most funpart of my52 handwr...

One Little Word: 2016

Yay! I’m back. My blog has been down for three days due to host server problems beyond my control (nasty hackers!), but I’m back. While you may have appreciated the break from my constant ramblings,it was a long three days for me. Having all myblog work in limbo wasa helpless feeling. On the other hand, I did tackle my to-do list including a few things I’d been ignoring for a while. I even went completely old school and did a bit ofwriting using a regular pencil. Well, my pencils aren’tthat...

Writing and Blogging

My Grace Grits and Gardening blog is down. It's been down since Sunday because my web host was "attacked". I don't understand hackers. To be honest, I feel a bit lost. I had posts planned for yesterday and today. With only a few days until book launch, this worries me and the timing couldn't be worse. Of course, writers have managed to sell books for hundreds of years without blogs. Right? Really, what it comes down to is the writing. The writing must stand alone, blog or no blog. That's the most important thing. And the ability to post here on Goodreads makes me happy too!

Virtual Book Launch Party!

SAVE THE DATEbecause you’re invited to my virtual book launch party! (This post is sponsored by a variety of cool artisans identified below—opinions are my own.)

WHAT? A book launch party held over the internet means there’s no reason not to “attend”. You don’t have to get dressed or fix your hair or wear shoes or leave your couch. You can attend while eating supper or watching Netflix. WHEN? January 28, 2016, 7 – 8:30 p.m. Central Time. WHY?Because this is my book release date! Publishing...

How to Upcycle your Christmas Cards

Christmas 2015 is a wrap. I put all my decorations away yesterday, and now my house looks bare. I seriously can’t remember what I had on my dining room tablebefore Christmas. After hauling all the containers back into the garage, I’m left with a stack of pretty Christmas cards from friends and family. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to toss out Christmas cards. I mean, some have glitter on them. And cute animals.

So today I have a fun, simple craft project for you (good for kids, t...

Comfort Books

Do you have a stack of comfort books? Books you return to time and again, especially in the winter months when your body only wants to crawl beneath a cozy quilt and read, read, read? Or it that just me?

I call these my macaroni and cheese books, rich and satisfying to the soul, and as comfortable as an old pair of jeans. I can easily slip into the pages and lose hours. Much like comfort foods, comfort books satisfy some deep craving. The good news? Books are fat free (unless you snack on chips while reading). In fact, you’ll burn calories while reading. I know because my Fitbit tells me.

The best news? You’ll feed your brain and expand your world.

Yes, I have stacks and stacks of new books to read, so I may not re-read all my comfort books each winter. But even reading a few paragraphs or chapters allows me to tap into a special place. Especially during the cold, cold night.

Here are a few of my favorite comfort books… I believe if I studied the list long enough I could come up with an overall theme incorporating nature and history and the search for something great and real. Or maybe I just like books with covers in shades of red and blue?

To Kill a Mockingbird. What can I say? I love Scout and Atticus. Always will. Her voice and curiosity, his morality. This book is impactful.
To Dance with the White Dog . This story is gentle and bittersweet. It affected me like no other.
Bird by Bird . I find anything by Anne Lamott to be comforting, and this is my favorite of her books.
The Secret Garden . I remember exactly where I was when I read this one. The Secret Garden was the first book I truly got lost inside.
Little Women. I wanted to be Jo.
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler . If I couldn’t be Jo, I wanted to run away and live in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art like Claudia Kincaid.
The Choiring of the Trees . Incredible tale written by one of Arkansas’s best storytellers, Don Harington. Why isn’t this a movie?
Cold Mountain. Beautifully written story set in the Civil War focusing on things we all desire—love, comfort and hope for the future.

Tell me about your comfort books. I bet you have a few, too.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Tis the season for reading comfort books. @RoomtoRead @getreading @deepsouthmag @SouthernAuthors #readloveshare Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Musical Pairing:

In the Cold, Cold Night, The White Stripes

 

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because every author needs a special book signing pen!

Look what I got for Christmas! Santa (John) was good to me.

Before Christmas, I looked for an interesting pen at the New York Public Library gift shop. I wanted a special pen, one specifically to be used at book signings. I didn’t buy anything (although the shop was very cool). And can I just say, the New York Public Library is GORGEOUS. Built in 1911, it’s a research library only. Books can be checked out the branch library just across the street. And by street, I mean 5th Avenue.

I would love to go back and spend several days at this library. There’s much to see and do.

But for now, a few pics…

I got off on a library tangent, so back to my pen. It was designed by Michael Graves for ACME Studio. This little jewel is so perfect for me. Let me count the ways.

One. The color is my favorite. I love all shades of teal, turquoise, blue and green.

Two. My pen design has a name. Leaf. How perfect is that?

Three. It feels good in my hand. Know what I mean?

Four. It comes with a virtue—a new printing trick. I believe this refers to the way the leaf design is printed on the pen, but still, a pen with a virtue!

Five. Leaf is stunning. Every author should have a special pen. Am I right?

What would Gracie Lee do?

She would practice her handwriting.

So.

When you receive your copy of The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee (soon!), this is the pen I will have used to sign it.

Leaf will also be traveling with me to book signings 

Dear January,

Dear January,

After the explosion of holiday glitter and year-end festivities, you provide a place of calm and quiet. We humans love to mark everything in stretches of time, and for those of us fortunate enough to see another new year, January provides a fresh start.  A new year. A chance to do things better during the next trip around the sun. I hope to build on the positive and leave behind the negative.

Painted in silver and white and shades of winter, January, I welcome the honesty you bring, your landscape real and raw. You provide restful time to reload and recharge for the busyness of spring.

I’ll build a fire in the fireplace and keep it burning. I’ll eat black-eyed peas and collards and cabbage, all those New Year foods that promise luck and health and wealth, lore passed down from generations.

December has faded into a chilly January morning. 2015 was a good year for me, a blur of writing. Thank you, January, for a new year of possible.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Dear January, Thank you for a new year of possible. #Hello2016 Powered By the Tweet This PluginTweet This

Musical Pairing:

January Hymn, The Decemberists

The post Dear January, appeared first on grace grits and gardening.