happy pub day

No, not that kind of pub. “Publication Day.” And look what was delivered to my door. A surprise from my best friends in the business:

colors of springtime
colors of springtime

With friends like this, I don’t even need a bestseller. OMG, did I just say that? I must be high. Of course I need a bestseller, like the flowers need the rain. But still, this is a fun time for an author, because the book has been released into the wild, and it’s on its own. Godspeed, little book!
check out the crazy magenta daisies
check out the crazy magenta daisies

I think a little set of vases like this would make a perfect Mother’s Day gift. Which brings me to today’s drawing! You totally want this one, I swear. There’s a WWII backstory in the book I’m working on now, so I’ve been buying a lot of WWII DVD sets. This one was so good (and such a bargain, sorry, has to be said) that I grabbed two. So you get the WWII stuff AND a signed Just Breathe. Post a Mother’s Day gift suggestion in Comments, and you’re automatically entered. 
Congrats to the winner of the book and gourmet popcorn! Barbara–Pam’s mom–was selected by www.random.org. 

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  1. Well, of course the perfect gift for me would be one of your books and maybe a bouquet of white daisies. My Mother is not that much of a reader so she will have to settle for a hand fan that has victorian ladies on it that I brought back from Savannah for her. She has hats, gloves and fans on the walls of her bedroom.

  2. Well, of course the perfect gift for me would be one of your books and maybe a bouquet of white daisies. My Mother is not that much of a reader so she will have to settle for a hand fan that has victorian ladies on it that I brought back from Savannah for her. She has hats, gloves and fans on the walls of her bedroom.

  3. I already have a signed copy of Just Breathe – so does Mom – since I got it for her – but it was a late b-day, late Mother’s Day gift last year – I guess you could say.

    This year – a quiet day for Mom. (Why? – Well she has just been busy all spring and I think she needs a quiet day – and a pedicure.)

  4. I already have a signed copy of Just Breathe – so does Mom – since I got it for her – but it was a late b-day, late Mother’s Day gift last year – I guess you could say.
    This year – a quiet day for Mom. (Why? – Well she has just been busy all spring and I think she needs a quiet day – and a pedicure.)

  5. My mother passed away many years ago when I was young-er. So I celebrate my Mom’s tender, loving, generous heart the way she celebrated Mother’s Day…….. I send each of my four children a book because my Mom always sent my twin and me a book for Mother’s Day, saying she would not be a mother if it weren’t for us!

    Special idea from a special Mom!

    Guess whose book I am sending??? :o))

  6. My mother passed away many years ago when I was young-er. So I celebrate my Mom’s tender, loving, generous heart the way she celebrated Mother’s Day…….. I send each of my four children a book because my Mom always sent my twin and me a book for Mother’s Day, saying she would not be a mother if it weren’t for us!
    Special idea from a special Mom!
    Guess whose book I am sending??? :o))

    1. My Mom is turning 70 a few days before Mother’s Day…and she’s in better shape than I am!!! I’m giving her a t-shirt that reads, “too hot to be a grandma” with an embroidered woman sitting in an adirondak chair…much like the one featured in the Lakeside Chronicles….My Mom’s favorite books to date.

      OH…then we’re taking her to “tea” (not an easy feat in upstate NY). :)…and not in the t-shirt…she can wear that during her workouts! 🙂

    1. My Mom is turning 70 a few days before Mother’s Day…and she’s in better shape than I am!!! I’m giving her a t-shirt that reads, “too hot to be a grandma” with an embroidered woman sitting in an adirondak chair…much like the one featured in the Lakeside Chronicles….My Mom’s favorite books to date.
      OH…then we’re taking her to “tea” (not an easy feat in upstate NY). :)…and not in the t-shirt…she can wear that during her workouts! 🙂

  7. My Mom passed away in February so this year will be extra hard. What I want this year is for all of us to eat Sunday dinner at mam’s and spend the afternoon looking through old photos and sharing memories of her.

    mj.coward[at]gmail.com

  8. My Mom passed away in February so this year will be extra hard. What I want this year is for all of us to eat Sunday dinner at mam’s and spend the afternoon looking through old photos and sharing memories of her.
    mj.coward[at]gmail.com

  9. I know what my mom would like is ME. But, too far away, too expensive, and besides; she and my dad are now spending a week in Hawaii.

    When my 3 were little, MY ideal Mother’s Day was a day where Daddy took them AWAY and I got to enjoy some quiet time. Until dinner, when they came home and took great pride in destryoing the kitchen to make me a special dinner.

  10. I know what my mom would like is ME. But, too far away, too expensive, and besides; she and my dad are now spending a week in Hawaii.
    When my 3 were little, MY ideal Mother’s Day was a day where Daddy took them AWAY and I got to enjoy some quiet time. Until dinner, when they came home and took great pride in destryoing the kitchen to make me a special dinner.

  11. Someone beat me to the ME answer but that would be my mom’s choice since her birthday is the day before and my birthday the week after!! I’d like a signed book for MY birthday!:-)

  12. Someone beat me to the ME answer but that would be my mom’s choice since her birthday is the day before and my birthday the week after!! I’d like a signed book for MY birthday!:-)

  13. My mom is moving to Thailand and can only take what fits in her suitcase, so she doesn’t need more things. I will be giving a donation to Compassion International (one of her favorite charities) in her name for her Mother’s Day gift.

  14. My mom is moving to Thailand and can only take what fits in her suitcase, so she doesn’t need more things. I will be giving a donation to Compassion International (one of her favorite charities) in her name for her Mother’s Day gift.

  15. Since we aren’t moved YET, I would suggest taking my mom to the little tearoom in town for brunch. It is darling and the people are so nice – we haven’t been there for quite some time as they are only open for special occasions now – like Mother’s Day !

    Pam

    LOVE those little vases too !

  16. Since we aren’t moved YET, I would suggest taking my mom to the little tearoom in town for brunch. It is darling and the people are so nice – we haven’t been there for quite some time as they are only open for special occasions now – like Mother’s Day !
    Pam
    LOVE those little vases too !

  17. It almost feels like the WWII era, as we traverse through old black and white classic films via TCM… I get to be introduced to the actors of the past, and my parents get to reminise about the years of cinema that held such a beautiful talent! (with colourful splashes of costumes, matched with fancy footwork, jazzy song numbers, and a happy-go-lucky vibe that cannot help but be contagious!)(even the more somber of storylines tended to have an upturn spin on their endings, and if nothing more: its the actors, who implant themselves into your mind, leaving you with a kind remembrance of what you’ve seen) With both of my grandparents long since gone now, its often been difficult keeping pace with all the holidays since our family is now absent on Earth, but not absent in our hearts. The passage of life that everyone feels from one moment to the next, I am sure! However, through handmade art, I am starting to redefine what I can give my Mum, and through, the new pursuit of knitting, we’re both finding a way to make ‘handmade’ chic again! I’ve been giving it great consideration this year about what I would like to get my Mum… the gift of a book and a classic film would be just the ticket, as I know she would enjoy both, but as an alternative suggestion, as per requested, I would have to say: a knitted friendship shawl in a swirl of her favourite colours, in beautifully delicate baby llama fibers. Something she can curl close to her shoulders, think fondly back on family memories and holidays shared, but smile, towards the future, and feel blessed that we’ve been fortunate to share such a positive Mum-and-daughter relationship for nearly over three decades now! She truly is my best friend!

    (speaking of flowers in vases: she always knows when i need a bit of a pick-me-up, planting a small vase that befits a desk, with overflowing fresh flowers, seasonally suited to glint a bit of sunshine through the window, and give me a bit of a cheering each time i sit to pen a letter!)

  18. It almost feels like the WWII era, as we traverse through old black and white classic films via TCM… I get to be introduced to the actors of the past, and my parents get to reminise about the years of cinema that held such a beautiful talent! (with colourful splashes of costumes, matched with fancy footwork, jazzy song numbers, and a happy-go-lucky vibe that cannot help but be contagious!)(even the more somber of storylines tended to have an upturn spin on their endings, and if nothing more: its the actors, who implant themselves into your mind, leaving you with a kind remembrance of what you’ve seen) With both of my grandparents long since gone now, its often been difficult keeping pace with all the holidays since our family is now absent on Earth, but not absent in our hearts. The passage of life that everyone feels from one moment to the next, I am sure! However, through handmade art, I am starting to redefine what I can give my Mum, and through, the new pursuit of knitting, we’re both finding a way to make ‘handmade’ chic again! I’ve been giving it great consideration this year about what I would like to get my Mum… the gift of a book and a classic film would be just the ticket, as I know she would enjoy both, but as an alternative suggestion, as per requested, I would have to say: a knitted friendship shawl in a swirl of her favourite colours, in beautifully delicate baby llama fibers. Something she can curl close to her shoulders, think fondly back on family memories and holidays shared, but smile, towards the future, and feel blessed that we’ve been fortunate to share such a positive Mum-and-daughter relationship for nearly over three decades now! She truly is my best friend!
    (speaking of flowers in vases: she always knows when i need a bit of a pick-me-up, planting a small vase that befits a desk, with overflowing fresh flowers, seasonally suited to glint a bit of sunshine through the window, and give me a bit of a cheering each time i sit to pen a letter!)

  19. Unhappily, my mother is no longer around, so Mother’s Day is a sad occasion for me. Her favorite of all the MD I gave her was the tape I made of an hour’s worth of piano solos (including her favorite songs).

    It was also the cheapest gift I ever gave her but, certainly, not the easiest. I had to play and tape while my kids were napping.

  20. Unhappily, my mother is no longer around, so Mother’s Day is a sad occasion for me. Her favorite of all the MD I gave her was the tape I made of an hour’s worth of piano solos (including her favorite songs).
    It was also the cheapest gift I ever gave her but, certainly, not the easiest. I had to play and tape while my kids were napping.

  21. I am giving my mother a basket that I created with my own hands. It has arts and crafts florals and birds and butterflys. With this basket accompanying it will be a set of 6 flowers, garden gloves, a little shovel with a rake, and a Hyacinth plant. How lovely will her garden grow?

  22. I am giving my mother a basket that I created with my own hands. It has arts and crafts florals and birds and butterflys. With this basket accompanying it will be a set of 6 flowers, garden gloves, a little shovel with a rake, and a Hyacinth plant. How lovely will her garden grow?

  23. A plaster-of-paris lady bug with googly stick-on eyes & pipe cleaner antennae…hand painted red and black by my little second grade hands! I still remember sneaking into her bedroom on Mother’s Day and putting it on her bedside table so she would see it when she woke up! She kept it on the window-sill for years!

  24. A plaster-of-paris lady bug with googly stick-on eyes & pipe cleaner antennae…hand painted red and black by my little second grade hands! I still remember sneaking into her bedroom on Mother’s Day and putting it on her bedside table so she would see it when she woke up! She kept it on the window-sill for years!

  25. I’ve found my mom the perfect card — plays a song by Martina McBride. You can add your own recordable message to it as well. She recently helped me emotionally though our house fire, so I have a lot to thank her for. I don’t know what gift I will give her.

    But a few years ago this is the gift she absolutely loved: A memory jar. A decorated glass jar of some sort filled with little slips of paper in different colors to remind her of past memories. For example, “remember when we …”

  26. I’ve found my mom the perfect card — plays a song by Martina McBride. You can add your own recordable message to it as well. She recently helped me emotionally though our house fire, so I have a lot to thank her for. I don’t know what gift I will give her.
    But a few years ago this is the gift she absolutely loved: A memory jar. A decorated glass jar of some sort filled with little slips of paper in different colors to remind her of past memories. For example, “remember when we …”

  27. I usually give my mom a scented candle just because it seems like the thing to do and then I call her and make her laugh. Oh, and I also get her something from the Heifer project because it’s a nice thing to do for the world and it also lets me make a rude comment that would get a well-placed eyeroll.

  28. I usually give my mom a scented candle just because it seems like the thing to do and then I call her and make her laugh. Oh, and I also get her something from the Heifer project because it’s a nice thing to do for the world and it also lets me make a rude comment that would get a well-placed eyeroll.

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