Holiday Cheer...or Not

This begins the season of holiday parties, and you know all the good things they include.  I'll steer away from the dangerous topics of casseroles and desserts and chocolate—although really, those are some of my favorite subjects for discussion at any time of the year!

Instead, let's talk about gifts. 

Not the kind you love to give.  The kind you love to give away.  You know, in those grab bags and games you play where everyone receives a gift from an anonymous giver.

One year I participated in a "Silly Santa" grab bag and received a pair of fuzzy animal slippers.  Envision this:  they were purple, with red eyes and long black claws, and—I'm not kidding—from front to back, they were two feet long.

Let's just say I found them...

Umm...

Spectacular! 

The slippers received a lot of attention at that particular Christmas party.  And you'd better believe they went right into the very next grab bag I could find.  (grin)  The winner absolutely loved them and wore them the rest of the night. 

Obviously, one person's "umm...spectacular" is another person's favorite gift.

To be fair, these games—and gifts—aren't all bad.  I'll admit I've been lucky, too.  At another party, I received a pair of holiday earrings that I still wear during the Christmas season every year.

Got any grab-bag stories, either for the best or worst gift ever?

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who will celebrate it later this week!

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille

August 2012

Holiday Spirits

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, these days the Christmas decorations don’t wait until December. But I wish they would. For me, the magic of the season sparkles more if it isn’t stretched over such a long period.

Well, at last, it’s December, when the lights shine a little more brightly. To those of you living in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, happy midsummer! To those in northern climes, I hope you get just enough snow for a pretty holiday.

Here in Southern California, I’m still harvesting a few tomatoes and peppers. And still digging up weeds. Isn’t there always a tradeoff?

Last year, I had a December Harlequin to toot about. This year, after October’s release of The Surgeon’s Surprise Twins, I’ll have to wait until February. That’s when the seventh book in my Safe Harbor Medical series, The Detective’s Accidental Baby, will be available.

In the meantime, I’m pleased that readers are enjoying the reissue (for Kindle and Nook) of my earlier romance, A Warm December. There’s a hero who dresses as Santa, a heroine named Merrie who’s a veterinarian, and even an orphan. It’s set in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.

I wish you all a happy season!

Happy New Year!

Here I am, wishing you all a happy new year, and the first month of that year is already more than half over. Hard to believe, isn’t it? I hope you had wonderful holidays and that your 2011 has gotten off to a great start.

This is the time of year I, along with most of the population, like to make resolutions.

You know what the number-one goal is, don’t you? Of course, you do. Say it with me:

“LOSE WEIGHT!”

I’d recently attended a workshop where the speaker announced how many people actually follow through on the resolutions they set for a new year. The answer:

Two percent.

That’s right.

Two.

And I’m proud to say I can’t be counted among them.

Last year, I went for the weight-loss goal, among others. In 2010, I lost almost two pounds. :-) That’s not so wonderful, is it? But it’s much better than going in the opposite direction!

Fortunately, I made more progress with my writing goals.

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog on goal setting (http://bit.ly/f4F8k4). It must have been even more of a challenge than I'd planned, as many readers stopped by the blog that day but only a couple of them left comments. Either everyone was recovering from Christmas and getting ready for New Year’s Eve or else the idea I’d presented was more than people wanted to take on.

Or maybe the problem was that the post involved homework. :-)

Whether or not those people who read the blog entry have found time to do the homework, I hope they’ve taken a look at their goals. I have, and it’s been worth it. Among my aims for this year, I’ve vowed to lose weight—of course!—and to do a heck of a lot of writing.

As of yesterday, I’m down 1.3 pounds. That’s well on the way to beating last year’s goals already. But I’m taking the weight loss a week at a time.

As for the writing, I’m working on that every day.

How about you? Have you set any goals for yourself this year? If so, how are you doing with them?

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Happy holidays!

Christmas is right around the corner and New Year’s just down the road. Hard to believe the year is almost over, isn’t it?

I hope 2011 brings you all the good fortune you can handle—and then some.

I’d like to take this post to say thanks to my fellow Harlequin American Romance authors here at the blog and to all the readers who have stopped by to chat and swap stories.

I'd also like to say how thankful I am for my own good fortune. With FAMILY MATTERS out just this past October, 2010 has been a wonderful year for me. The book garnered some great reviews and an award nomination. Even better, it has reached new readers who have written to me to say hello.

With A RANCHER’S PRIDE due out in May 2011, I’m looking forward to fabulous times ahead, too.

Hope to "see" you again soon. Meanwhile...

Best wishes for

a wonderful holiday season

and

a happy and healthy new year!

As always,

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

What I love most about the holidays is...

ETA: The winner is...

Virginia C

Congratulations, Virginia! Please email me via my website and send your mailing address!

***

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love everything about the holidays. I've also had a lot of wonderful things happen in the past month and have much to be thankful for, so it already feels a lot like Christmas. So I hope you'll help me celebrate by posting a comment here, because I have stuff to give away.

What exactly am I celebrating?

First there was the fabulous cover for The Wedding Bargain (January 2011).

Then I learned that my December 2007 American Romance, With This Ring, is being reissued next month, along with Michele Dunaway's Bachelor CEO, as a Mills & Boon Desire in Australia and New Zealand. Here's the cover.

This is my first foreign sale and I'm very excited!

And then RT Book Reviews gave The Wedding Bargain a fabulous 4-star review. Here's what they said:

"McKenzie's tale evolves with sincerity and sizzling passion as two wary individuals fall hard in this touching story."

Color me happy, happy, happy!

Okay, so enough about me.

What's in this for you?

Well, for starters I'm giving away a copy of Firefighter Daddy (July 2010).

The book will be personalized for the winner to keep, or simply autographed so it can be re-gifted. This is one of those times when I am totally cool with re-gifting.

The winner will also receive a festive, handmade polka dot garland. How fun is this?

I do have a thing for polka dots, but this was not made by me. It's from Love Monkey.

In addition to these two prizes, I reserve the right to throw in a few other goodies, at my discretion.

Now for the big question...what do you have to do for a chance to win?

Simply post a comment that finishes this sentence:

What I love most about the holidays is...

The name of one commenter will be drawn from my hat and posted here...at the end of THIS post...on Friday...the day after Thanksgiving. Check back then!

Happy reading! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy holidays!

Until next time,
Lee
LeeMcKenzie.com

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities and it’s especially fun at Christmas time when Union Square is decked out for the holidays. Macy’s puts up a huge Christmas tree in the square and this year they also sponsored an outdoor skating rink.

Here’s a photo taken from the fifth floor of Macy’s.


With such mild winter weather, what fun for San Franciscans and visitors to be able to skate outdoors.

What really caught my attention, though, were a couple of Macy’s store windows. This year they teamed up with the San Francisco SPCA to bring awareness to the number of shelter animals in need of homes, and to encourage people to sponsor an animal or become a volunteer.

During our stay we walked past the windows twice and there was always a small crowd gathered outside. Of course I couldn’t resist snapping a couple of photos.

The pet-friendly window displays were as adorable as the dogs and cats in them, and of course I hope that every single pet found a loving home, including this adorable little dog who is surely one of Santa’s helpers . . .


. . . and this fellow who looks as though he’d be right at home anywhere . . .


. . . and apparently the windows were so comfy that this little black and white kitten decided a catnap was in order . . .


I hope these furry friends were able to ring in the new year with a forever family.

Happy 2010 to everyone!

Until next time,
Lee

PS: Last month I ran a contest on my blog, The Writer Side of Life. I announced the winner—Ellen E— on January 1, but I haven’t heard from her! Ellen E, if you’re an American Romance reader, I hope you see this. You'll find my email address on my website. Please send me your address and I will put your treats in the mail.

The celebration started early this year!

Hi, everyone,

This is an extra-special blog post for me because I’ve got some good things to share with you all.

First, I’ve just received confirmation of the title for my third Harlequin American Romance. I’m thrilled about this because the title works in two ways--and either way you look at it, it’s perfect! FAMILY MATTERS is tentatively scheduled to hit bookstores in October of 2010.

Next, I recently sold my fourth Harlequin American Romance and, believe me, I’m still doing the happy dance over that! Though both the title and publication date are tentative, the good news is that DADDY’S HOME should be out--fingers crossed--sometime in 2011.

And last but not least, I’m happy that my blog date falls mid-month, as it gives me yet another reason for this early celebration: the chance to say happy holidays to you all!

May you enjoy a safe and fun-filled holiday season, and may you find the new year brings you good health, much happiness, and success in everything that matters to you.

All my best, always,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

A Quick, Easy and Delicious Holiday Appetizer

For me the holiday season is all about family, friends and food, so I thought I’d share my favorite party appetizer of all time.

Baked Brie

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
8-ounces Brie cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the Brie (the white rind is edible!) in a shallow baking dish and set aside.

Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and cover them with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain well. If you buy sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, then they’re good to go as is.
.
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan. Saute tomatoes for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, still stirring constantly. Stir in the basil, parsley and balsamic vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.

Cover the Brie with the tomato mixture and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is soft and warm, about 10 minutes.

Serve with plain crackers and a thinly sliced bagette. The warm cheese spreads easily and the topping is mouth-wateringly delicious. Seriously. You must try this. Your guests will love you for it!

Happy holidays!

Until next time,
Lee
The Writer Side of Life

Holidays and Blessings

'Twas a week before Christmas...

Already?!

Time really does fly, doesn't it? It wasn't that long ago that the air conditioning was barely keeping us cool, and now we're hurtling toward the big day in a flurry of last minute activities. It's also the perfect time to think about the blessings of the past year and throughout our lives.

My best friend of forty-five years has a box made and given to her by her great-niece. Inside, it contains small pieces of paper and a pen. It's called a Blessings Box, and each time she thinks of something she's blessed with, she writes it down on one of the papers, folds it, and leaves it in the box. When she's feeling down, she goes to the box and reads the blessings she's written, remembering that even through the tough times, there are those small things that make us smile.

Although I've started painting my own Blessings Box, it isn't finished. I've made a mental list of the things I'll write and add to it when it is. The blessing of my family will be the first. Without them, life wouldn't be as joyful. My friends will be second. Without their humor, strength, and giving hearts, each day would be a little emptier. I'm blessed to have a career I love and readers who give me the opportunity to share my stories with. I'm sure before this holiday season is over, I'll think of many more to add to the list.

Holidays can be crazy times, but there are always a few blessings in each day, if we take the time to look close enough. Have a wonderfully happy and blessed holiday season!!

Happy Holidays to You and Yours

The tree’s not up, all the presents have not yet been bought, and the holiday greeting-card list is nowhere near ready to be checked. I may not accomplish every item on my To-Do list--and this won’t be the first time!

I just don’t get it. December rolls around at exactly the same time every year, and somehow it still manages to sneak up on me.

One thing I'd never miss, though, is the chance to say thanks to all of you for stopping by the blog during this year, for reading my posts, and for sharing your thoughts with me.

I hope this holiday season is extra-special for you and that you have a wonderful, happy, and healthy year ahead!

As for me, I’m determined not to let January 1st sneak up on me, so I’m making my New Year’s resolutions now: to find balance in all areas of my life--and to keep an accurate, up-to-date calendar!

I’m giving you a jumpstart, too, because, of course, I’d really like to know...

What’s your New Year’s resolution?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

The Red, White, and Blue Game

First of all, I'd like to thank all our readers for their responses to my Father's Day blog (posted on June 17). I'm glad my memory of my dad helped trigger so many pictures from your past, too.

~~~

Here we are at another special day, the Fourth of July, a holiday that I'm sure is setting off many memories of its own--remembrances of cookouts with hotdogs and hamburgers; parades and fireworks; and flags flying high and snapping in the breeze, proudly flaunting their stars and stripes in red, white, and blue.

What comes to mind when you see those three colors?

You think for a minute about your choices; meanwhile, I'll tell you mine.


Red ~ fresh, juicy, ripe strawberries--especially since I'm being more careful about eating well and have discovered how much I love them.

White ~ diamonds! How could I leave them off the list--you know they're a girl's best friend! (grin)

Blue ~ a newborn baby's eyes, so innocent and clear.


Those are three favorite items that come to me when I think about red, white, and blue.

Now, how about you?


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Happy Holidays

Hello, and happy holidays to everyone. I just returned from our company's annual Christmas lunch. (My husband owns a company that sells school furniture, and I work there part time as the accounting manager.) We had a wonderful, warm time. As I looked around the table, I really felt as if we were one "family" despite our differences in so many ways. Two employees brought children, which we've never had as guests for lunch before, and that made the get-together even nicer.

Our family will be celebrating Christmas with our 20 month old granddaughter, who is just the age to unwrap presents and squeal about everything. Next Christmas, we'll have two granddaughters. I am so glad that I have children back in my life as they are constant sources of joy . . . and of course, writing inspiration. For example, I wrote the proposal for my June 2008 HAR when my granddaughter was the same age as the baby in the book, and I finished it just about the time my daughter announced that they would be having another baby. If you read the epilogue, you'll know what I mean!

In the meantime, again, let me wish you and your family the happiest of holidays. Even if you don't officially "celebrate," a long winters nap or a steaming cup of hot chocolate could be just the thing to lift your spirits. And, of course, curling up with a good book!