In September 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers. They were comprised of Puritans, religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith, and individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land in the New World. The ocean crossing lasted sixty-six days and...
Thanksgiving fast approaches, and for most of us that means cooking a turkey. When I was a girl, I loved Thanksgiving second only to Christmas. There were many reasons, but mainly because it was a whole day of being in the kitchen cooking with my mom. The turkey was the...
Missing my wonderful mother, Marge Shelly, on this day to honor moms. She passed away in 2009, but I was blessed with one of the best moms EVER! In large part because of my mom’s example, being a mother myself was a yearning desire. Thankfully I was blessed with...
Happy Easter everyone! I do hope your weekend celebrations are wonderfully fun and relaxing. As much as I would love to send all of my wonderful readers chocolate bunnies and marshmallow eggs, I am forced to make do with a different type of delicious treat: An excerpt from The Passions...
“Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely.” Hawkeye Pierce, in M.A.S.H. “Love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; does not seek its own, is not provoked, does...
As I covered in my two previous posts on this subject, Valentine’s Day as a holiday to celebrate romantic love and lovers was well established by the mid-1400s. If you missed those posts, either scroll down or click the links– Will the Real Saint Valentine Speak Up? Valentine Day Origins...
This blog turns the attention toward literature rather than real life. Novels are chock full of romantic couples, even if romance isn’t the main point of the story. I created a fun match-up for you all, based on some of my favorite literary lovers. I steered clear of Jane Austen,...
Two days ago I shared a brief history of the man/men who unwittingly lent their name to this holiday now associated with romance. Not sure how they would feel when one considered they had to be martyred first! You can read that post here: Will the Real Valentine Speak Up?...
Trying to identify the “real” Saint Valentine isn’t as easy as you might think. There are several claims to the title of Saint Valentine, and so many legends swirling about that even the Roman Catholic Church could not decide, so ended up removing his feast day from their official calendar...
What a fabulous month of gifting this has been! I was busy traveling all over the blog-o-sphere for interviews, special Christmassy-related posts, and Jane Austen’s birthday… and at every turn prizes were in the offering! I want to extend a heart-felt thanks to everyone who joined me abroad, and here...
My sincerest prayer is that everyone have a joyous Christmas replete with family, fine food, presents, Santa filled stockings, and all the rest! As a special treat from me, here is an excerpt from In the Arms of Mr. Darcy. Celebrating their second Christmas as a married couple, new parents...
As my BIG December giveaway continues on to the end of the month more readers have been sharing their favorite Christmas traditions on the Rafflecopter form. It isn’t fair that I am the only one to see them! Some of the comments left by my awesome visitors I posted a few...
The celebrating with Jane Austen continues! Yesterday was her birthday, and the Soiree hosted by Maria Grazia at My Jane Austen Book Club is ongoing. Scroll down to the post below this one for my contribution. *Excerpts!! *Giveaway!! Today and tomorrow I am thrilled to be spotlighted at Krista’s “Christmas...
