It's Almost Christmas

I have been alive on this earth for 58 years and in that time, I always believed that I would get in the swing of the holiday season long before December. But here it is, December 16, 2013 and I have nothing prepared for the holidays. It's almost Christmas and I have yet to mail one Christmas card, go shopping for one gift or decorations. I have no Christmas decorations or a tree. How did this happen again, I ask myself?

It was not one event but several events and multiple reasons that my holiday spirits are a bit dampened. Every time a Christmas television show comes on, I remind myself that it is not about decorations, pies, food, cookies, stockings, trees, gifts or shopping that makes this holiday season so special. Instead, Christmas is about the spirit of love and charity. One doesn't need money to express those intangible gifts. So I guess my situation is perfect for putting me in the right spirit of the season.

My husband Cephas and I lost our car after it broke down and was impounded by the police. Most of our belongings are in a storage one hundred miles away. We spent two weeks on a mountain at an intentional community ranch with other folks sharing stories by the wood stove. Now we are in a city fifty miles from that ranch sleeping  in a small travel trailer in the backyard of another community where the main house, the food and the chores are shared by everyone. These two communities are linked in many ways and network together. Cephas and I are actually very blessed to be brought down in humility to the very basics in life.

Thank you God for showing us the true meaning of Christmas.

The Midnight Writer

Our humble Home and Garden.

Dear Diary, I Bare my Heart to You

Dear Diary.....what goes beyond this salutation is often a mystery to the writer until the ink starts to flow upon the pages. Keeping a diary is an extremely personal introspection. When you start writing about such intimate experiences there is a natural cause and effect that can't be avoided. For me, today is one of those occasions where the unfolding thoughts take me to an undetermined place.

Today is my Mother Suzanne Colpetzer's birthday and I miss her as much today as the day that she left this earth in November 2002. Has it really been over eight years since you traveled to the spirit world and left your family on earth missing your love and your presence? I wish I could turn back the clock today even for an hour so I could spend that entire hour immersed in time spent with you Mom. We could talk, laugh, share and love like we used to do. Now I know that you are out there some where watching over me and all your family. That is the kind of woman you always were, kind, loving, compassionate, caring and concerned about your family. Why should a separation from the physical world change your identity when that is who you are in the spirit.

Here's a hug Mom, a big hug and a kiss or two or twenty. I know you can feel me as much as I can feel you. I love you Mom. I'm shouting it to the pages of "Dear Diary" and to the world because I'm going to share my feelings about you to the world on facebook. You would've liked facebook Mom.

I know how excited you were to learn how to use a computer in your last few years and then you got a Dell computer. You even sent me an email to tell how exciting that was to you. Remember how we used to play email chase and hide and seek online? It was so much fun. You and I created all these identities in different emails using clues in other emails about where we might be lurking next. The riddles were the best part. It was like playing Sherlock Holmes together and I know those stories and movies were some of our favorites to watch together. Such good memories Mom that I'm smiling from my eyes to my spirit that is reaching into those heavens to touch your immortal soul, for an instant in time and for all eternity.

I love you Mom. I'll see you in the blink of an eye. God bless and keep us both till that moment. God speed.

Your daughter,
Sherry

Secrets shared and Secrets hidden

Have you ever been faced with the decision about what to write in your diary and what to keep locked inside your heart? I mean, a diary is like a secret place that people use to write their inner most thoughts, feelings, poems, love stories, pain, and life events. Just exactly where does secret end and public begin regarding a woman's diary? That is the question I asked myself. Tradition shows that diaries are read by no one but kept under lock and key usually hidden away from spying eyes. Modern tradition shows a trend toward writing journals which are more public forums for exploring life and sharing life. Well, modern diaries have become more public than any journal dared to be. Think about the internet and its vast uses. Social sites like myspace and facebook and vox provide forums where journals and diaries are kept. These are public places even with the best security in sharing choices. Then there is the latest custom of blogging, like this blog. I found a public forum to write my secret diary to share with the world. If I didn't want to share it then I should probably write it in one of the locked little books and keep it hidden away like our grandmothers did in their time. So the only question left to answer is "what do I write in a public diary?"

Summer Time is a good time for a Home Facelift

Summer time is the season for lots of outdoor events. Barbecues and picnics signal that it's time to bring out the patio furniture, the shade umbrellas and the grill. It's a perfect time to consider redecorating with some new Dining Room Furniture  since the family will be spending most of its time outside. Summer lasts three months officially so that should give you plenty of time to finish the project. Just think, your dining room will look beautiful all winter long. Show it off for the holidays!


My idea of a redecorated dining room includes the walls, draperies, floors, decorative accents and wall hangings. Just remember what part is the center of the whole room. The table will host family and guests for meals and conversation so give this lots of attention when choosing furniture. In fact, I'm starting my room design with a Round Dining Table and building the room around it. Every other piece of furniture will have to match the table by shape, wood color, height and chair covers.


There is one more part of the dining room that should be very well matched with the room design. I'm choosing the fanciest China Cabinets that I can find in the best catalogs and I won't spare expense to decorate my dream dining room. All my favorite dinnerware and special cups and glasses and serving plates will be showcased for everyone to see. It's got to look good!

Have fun designing your new dining room this summer. I'd love it if you'd send me some photos of your room.


The Midnight Writer

I Would Love to Design a Home Office

Working from home takes a special kind of discipline. To help me stay focused I like to create a certain kind of atmosphere. Redecorating with a real office type look and the comfort of home excites me. Shopping for Office Furniture can be a daunting task if you look in the ordinary stores that sell replicated manufactured furniture. I'm looking for a little more style and class in my Home Office Furniture so I need to find a unique retailer.

The ambience I want to create in my work space would lend a creative mood because I'm a writer. Every piece of furniture, equipment and decoration should resonate this preferred creative style. I'll spend many of my waking hours in this room writing stories and novels as well as keeping up with my personal life and communications. So I'll need to get top notch computer and electronic equipment to match the furnishings. Even the Office Supplies will need to co-ordinate well with the desk, chair and lounging sofa. Maybe I should do look alike stationery and draperies. My idea is to create my writing logo and incorporate that into the office designs. I'd need to order the special accessories to match my office furniture but that would be the perfect finishing touch to my dream home office.

The Midnight Writer

I fell in love with Ice Cream as a Child