A Separate View

A Memorable Gift

Once again - 'again' being the 3rd time since Nov. 1 - I am sick! I mean full-fledged achy from head to toe and sore throat sick. I had so many things to do today, but instead I just laid in bed all day feeling awful and wallowing in my misery. Lol. What a baby I am, right? It's funny because I don't usually get sick. Trust me; that's a good thing.

Updates (because I haven't blogged in 14 long days). I did it - I finished NaNoWriMo with two days to spare and an extra 2,100 words. I'm really happy with how this novel went. I am not thrilled with the ending, so I definitely have much more work left to do. But instead of writing by chapters like I did in the past, I wrote in a sequence of scenes. This was a much more productive and fun writing process for me, and it makes it easier to move things around if I wanted to.

Speaking of writing successes like NaNo, I created a new In & Out where writers can go to share their writing achievements, such as contest wins, NaNo wins, or getting published. It's a fun place to see what other writers are doing and get inspired by them. Plus, I will be giving away a bunch of merit badges in the Grand Opening Round. You should check it out!

The Write to Brag Room  (13+) Had a writing success? Tell us about it for a chance to win a MB! ~GRAND OPENING~NOW! #1903191 by Noelle

Last night, my boyfriend and I took the kids to go get our Christmas tree. We had to wait until after we picked up my youngest daughter from church school, so it was getting dark by the time we got to the tree place. I was freezing (probably already on my way to getting sick), so I was a little less picky than usual. The tree is nice enough - a very full spruce that smells heavenly. It's just a little crooked. No big deal . . . right? I'm sure it will look great once we decorate it, which was supposed to be tonight, but I'm sick. Bah! I seriously have to get feeling better and get into the spirit of Christmas soon . . . Maybe talking about my childhood will help!

I loved being a kid. Those were some great years of my life. I can remember how excited I was on Christmas morning. My four sisters and I would all line up at the top of the stairs and wait for our parents to say the word. What a beautiful sight to see the tree all lit up and loaded up with presents as we all scampered down the stairs in our footie pajamas into the living room. I remember one year I wanted a race track so bad for Christmas. It wasn't a very girly thing to want, but I was thrilled when it was waiting for me under the tree that year. I remember so many toys, but honestly none of them were a 'favorite'. The one gift I got as a little girl that is most memorable to me was a small present from my younger sister, Nadine. She and I were the closest in age, shared a room, and are still close today. We were a big family, and we didn't have much money. So, it was unusual for my sisters and I to exchange gifts. But this one year, Nadine had gotten me a present. When she handed me the present, I made the mistake of guessing what it was before I opened it. She became very upset with me when I guess right, saying, "You peeked!" Of course I didn't peek. I mean, when a book is wrapped in Christmas paper, you can still tell it's a book! I don't think I ever convinced her that I actually had not peeked. I wish she had known how much I loved that book, because it was from her, and I just thought at the time how nice it was that she had thought of me and had gotten me a gift. We were so little then. I know I got lots of toys, but that Barbie book from my sweet sister Nadine is the only present I remember getting that year.

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