Kate Collins's Blog, page 248

The Holiday Good-byes

by Leann

Thanksgiving is over but we were lucky enough to have my daughter and son-in-law come down to South Carolina from NYC. As I wrote in an earlier blog , they are now vegan and I have multiple food allergies. Since we were eating at our friends' house (because we are in the ugly, small rent house), we had to prepare a number of dishes that would suit all of this. I called it the Vegan-Southern-Yankee Fusion dinner. Needless to say, we had A LOT of food. So much food, in fact, that we decided to count the different dishes. Final tally? 23! Cauliflower salad with pomegranate, risotto with butternut squash, fried turkey, natural turkey breast (for me), corn stuffing, bread stuffing ... I cannot give you the entire list but must mention the egg-free pumpkin pie and the vegan pumpkin pie (made with cashews and maple syrup). Both were de-lish--though cashews are not on my edible list, so I'm just going by word of mouth.

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That list doesn't include the tasting of the Crown Royal Maple Finish whiskey or the Samuel Adams Winter Variety pack. I don't drink, but the consensus was that the Crown Royal was wonderful. Unfortunately, the migraine I had the next day (from too much stress and probably the rye bread in the stuffing) was a real killer. I may have to go vegan myself because I have a chicken and egg allergy that may have crossed over to turkey. But I'd have to do it without all the nuts my daughter used in cooking. My tree nut allergy is not a good thing to have if you're vegan, I've learned.

It was a great time with "the kids," even though my Trivial Pursuit game is packed away somewhere. We watched a lot of football, saw Life of Pi and just talked a lot. Nice. But then came the good-bye. We won't see them for Christmas. In fact, I don't know when we'll see them again. It's hard being in a new place, stuck, for now, in an awful house and then getting a little loving visit that ended all too soon. Not to say I wasn't thrilled they came and will treasure the memory. But the tears came quickly with the good-bye hugs. I hope all of you had people you could hold close and be thankful for, if only for a few seconds. Now I am on to full baby watch. The new granddaughter will be arriving sometime in the next week! I will be on to hellos then. :-)

                                                          


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Creating A Fairy Garden

By Ellery Adams

Who says that cold temps mean the end of your gardening?

I've been working on the third Charmed Pie Shoppe mystery and was inspired to create a fairy garden. Luckily, there were enough plants left at our local store to add to this shallow box and I was so happy with the results that I thought I'd share them with you.

What you need to make a fairy garden of your own:

A wood, ceramic or plastic box.
Potting soil
Hardy begging plants like pansies, Irish moss, creeping Jenny, creeping speedwell, dwarf evergreens, sedum, and for an exotic looking tree, I used a single Pachysandra plant.
Metal dollhouse furniture
A bag of pebbles, shells, or marbles
Glitter (for fairy dust)

Arrange the plants first and then add your garden furniture and path. My daughter really wanted a birdbath so we added one, but you could make your own using a thimble or a tiny saucer. Add  more decorations like seashells, glitter, and you're ready to display your garden.








Even if you live in an apartment, you could have a terrarium fairy garden. And remember, if you do this project with a child, the fairies can come "visit" and leave goodies like a shiny penny or another trinket. In return, you can leave them berries or nuts or apple slices as a snack! I think they're absolutely magical, don't you?

Black Friday -- are you going shopping?

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm not going shopping.

No way!  Been there, done that. (Once.)  Never again.

[image error] When I was a vendor at an antiques arcade, I loved Black Friday.  Of course! I was hoping I'd make a killing.  (I never did, but business sure picked up from Black Friday through Christmas Eve.)  It was exciting to see all the people lined up with their unusual selections.  Our arcade an an eclectic mix of stuff, from vintage clothes to vintage ornaments, from furniture to knick-knacks--and just about everything in between.

Our store (which spanned some 55,000 feet of floor space) was decorated for the holidays, and we dressed in Dickens costumes (some better than others), and they had choirs, a strolling fiddler, and a band that alternated on the weekends.  It was a lot of fun for the customers and the vendors.

[image error] But tackle the shopping end of it?  No, thank you. I'm not big on crowds, so I wasn't one to go out on Thanksgiving night to wait in the cold.  And I didn't get up at the crack of dawn to make a 5 a.m. sale (although I must admit, I was up at 5 a.m.  Hey, I'm an early bird!)

So, did you go shopping last night or today, and if so ... what did you buy?
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P.S.  Books make great holiday gifts.  And you know what?  We've got a bunch of them.  Check out our backlist page -- it's a work in progress (which means we're always adding new titles and filling out the links).

Happy Thanksgiving

Whether you celebrate as a citizen of the U.S. or not -- whether you're traveling or staying home -- whether you're cooking or going out -- whether you're part a huge family and friend group or a very small one, we here at Cozy Chicks wish you the very happiest Thanksgiving.

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We all know that there are many worries that keep us up at nights, but we also realize there is much to be thankful for. This is our chance to take a moment and remember all that's good.

Here at Cozy Chicks, we are grateful for each other, but we're mostly grateful to have gotten to know all of you.

Have a wonderful day. Enjoy!

The Day Before Thanksgiving

by Hannah Reed/Deb Baker

…is busier for me than turkey day, because I do as much as possible ahead of time, and every year I get a little smarter. That way, when the guests arrive, I can join the conversation instead of being chained to the kitchen.

New for this year – I’m making the mashed potatoes today then tomorrow I’ll keep them warm in a slow cooker turned on low. I hope it works out well, because I really don’t like making potatoes the day of.

The family’s secret stuffing gets assembled today, too, since I’m not an in-the-bird stuffing chef, so all I have to do is put it in the oven an hour before the meal.

I’ve had discussions with friends about making the turkey today and slicing it all up, but I love the smell of it as it slowly browns in the oven on Thanksgiving Day. And I'd miss the carving performance by the men in the family.

A roasting turkey in the oven and Macy’s Parade on TV. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Any other shortcuts I should know about??

Thanksgiving---Old & New

by Maggie Sefton



This week, Tuesday, I'm flying back to Northern Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter Melissa and my dear friends from childhood, Diane & Nancy, and their families and some of their friends.  A different gathering than usual.  But this year, my family is scattered all over for the holiday.  My oldest daughter Christine and family will be in Pennsylvania with friends, daughter Serena will be staying in Texas, and daughter Maria is out of the country.  So daughter Melissa will travel from Manhattan to join me and our "extended" family Diane & Nancy and families to celebrate this favorite holiday with our favorite foods.

There will be turkey with all the trimmings, I'm sure.  Plus, new dishes.  Diane & husband Les will handle the turkey and stuffing, and we---the guests---will handle everything else.  :).  It sounds like fun.  I LOVE trying new holiday foods, so I'm guaranteed a good time.  Plus, Diane has asked Melissa and me to make all the pies.  Yay!  I love pies.  They're my favorite dessert.  Honest.

What pies will I start with?  My favorite Southern Pecan pie----which I "gave" to character Pete in my Kelly Flynn Mysteries  as Pete's Pecan Pie.  It's super rich and super deadly.  But. . .Thanksgiving is not the time to think about calories.  It's a time for Feasting with Family and Friends!

Where are you spending the holiday?  Inviting more family & friends?  Or taking some time for yourself?

Old house, new house, or in limbo?

by Kate Collins

Definitely in limbo. My old house is now half empty, filled only with the rooms of furniture that will not fit in my new, more compact house. My new house has my familiar stuff in it -- family room, bedroom, kitchen and laundry stuff -- but it feels like someone else's house with my belongings stuffed into it. I sleep in my familiar bed but the walls have moved in a whole lot closer and the new house smell is awfully strong. Oh, and that train that I used to hear in the distance in the old house? It's very close now and the whistle in the night is driving me crazy.

I like my new house, but it doesn't feel like home. I can't find anything in the cabinets. I can't find anything in my clothes closet. I can't find anything in my office. I'm frustrated and want to go home!

But where is home?

I'm thinking my car is looking quite appealing.

Do you have any suggestions for how to feel more comfortable in a new place?

How Did I Know?

by Leann

There are times in a writer's career when imagination helps out a tad more than it ordinarily does. When I was writing the Yellow Rose mysteries, I had a landscape--the city of Houston--to guide me and literally and figuratively ground me. I knew my starting point. But the Cats in Trouble series was a new challenge. I created a town--and I found it rather difficult.

When it came to creating the Ed's Swap Shop, however, I had no problem. I imagined this old small house off the main street, each room cluttered with treasures and junk. Creating Ed's setting made it easier to create Ed. I do love that old guy. When I first started writing the cat series, I still lived in Houston. I had only been to South Carolina once or twice and never to the area where my imaginary town sat.

Imagine my surprise when I finally found a new person to cut and color my hair in my new South Carolina town and the salon was--you guessed it--in an old house off the main street. I asked questions and learned the place was bought at auction on the steps of city hall for back taxes. It was a mess, infested with termites and needed a lot of love and elbow grease to bring it back to life. But Colors by Design did a fantastic job.

Though Ed's shop is cluttered, I imagine the same wood floors, the same old fireplaces and the same warmth exists in his place of business as in this wonderful salon. Who knew I would learn that my imagination had led me in the right direction? That a similar place existed? And that of all the places to get my hair cut, this would be the place I chose? Amazing. Have you ever had anything similar happen?

What’s The Motto With You?

By Heather
Keep Calm and Carry On; Let go, Let God; Live and let Live.
These little sayings are just a few examples of things we tell ourselves to get through the day, the week, the month. I like a good motto--I’m all for a cutesy saying.
I have two sayings I use quite a bit. One is, To Each Their Own. Pretty self-explanatory.
The other is more focused on my personality:


That about sums it up, especially during these ridiculously busy days.
Do you have a personal motto?


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The Car I Do Not Drive

by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett

[image error] A month ago I bought a brand new car.  I'd been saving up for it for seven years.  My dad taught me that the minute you buy a new car, you should start saving for the next one.  Good advice.  I've only ever had two car loans.  One I paid off in three months; the other I paid off in less than a year.

I am not a soccer mom.  In fact, I'm not a mom at all, but I bought my third minivan.  I love them.  Lots of cargo space for junking, comfort, and good visibility.  Mr. L took possession of the old minivan, so my beloved Baby Blue (its color) is sill in the family, and is still the car of choice to drive--for both of us.

[image error] Less than a week after buying the new car (so far nameless), we traveled to White Plains NY for the Novelists Inc writers conference.  Did we take the new, more comfortable minivan?  No! It might get scratched in the hotel parking garage, or dirty from road spray.  (It rained--and was really foggy.)  We took Baby Blue instead. 

During the weekend, Superstorm Sandy reared her ugly head.  Friends from Rochester were also attending the conference and were scheduled to leave on the Monday--just when Sandy was due to strike.  (Yes, their flights were canceled.)  So I invited them drive home with us.  Unfortunately, Baby Blue doesn't have the best backseat configuration.  Some design engineer must have thought that only small children would ever be sitting back there.  My one pal gets carsick, so we traded seats and I sat in back, while my other friend, with the bad knee, needed as much legroom as possible.  And there sure wasn't much.  Of course, there was PLENTY of legroom in the new van, which was snuggled in our garage back  home.

[image error] We made it back before the storm hit.  None of us lost our power, either.  We were home safe and sound, thanks to Baby Blue.

Meanwhile, I have only driven the new car 5-6 times, and 3 of those times was to the grocery store.  I've put about 100 miles on the car in a month.  At this rate, I won't have to buy gas until New Year's. 

What's the problem?  I don't feel comfortable in the new car.  I'm not sure I like it, although it's got everything I thought I wanted in a car.  (Especially the stow-and-go-seats.)  I suppose I'll eventually get used to it, but I miss my old car.  And since she's right there in the garage (although not in her old spot), she's still ready, willing and able to take me wherever I want to go.  (Albeit on Mr. L's gas.)

Has that ever happened to you?  What can I do to get used to this big change in my life?[image error]