The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

So, my day has been made! Today, I was lucky enough to receive The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award from Kelly Hashway, at http://www.kellyhashway/apps/blog/. Thank you so very much, Kelly!

Here's how the award goes:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave this award.

2. Share 4 guilty pleasures that you have.

3. Pass the award along to 6 other sweet blogs.

Guilty Pleasures:
1. I like having peanut butter on graham crackers after dinner. Mmmm, that is such the best.
2. I haunt Staples. I can always use MORE office stuff, right? Like pens, paper, notebooks, white-out... the list goes on and on.
3. I have a bad habit of buying books. In fact, I have so many books that I need more bookshelves. The one in my closet... well, let's just say I think God's Angels are supporting it, 'cause it should have broken a looong time ago!
4. Music is the same. I have an inundation of CD's, and now that I've got a music player that also plays vinyl, I'm afraid I'm also collecting records, too. Ed Ames is really good!

Six Sweet Blogs:
1. "Yaya" Erickson http://yayashome.blogspot.com/
2. Michele Bradford-Arkon http://shellysnovicewritings.blogspot.com/
3. Jessica Smith http://grasshopperstudentnurse.blogspot.com/
4. Kiersten White http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/
5. Cindy Reed http://onceuponatimelegacydevine.webs.com/apps/blog/
6. Maria DeLallo http://firefleetandcandlelight.blogspot.com/


Thanks again to Kelly Hashway for giving me my first blog award! Please, take a moment and stop by the wonderful blogs I've awarded.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

That's right, I said SAINT Valentine's Day.


Today is the feast of St. Valentine, or Valentinus, a priest and a martyr. Not much is known about when he was born. However, we do know that his martyrdom occurred on February 14th, 270 A.D, near a gate that was later renamed Porta Valentini in his memory. His burial place is at the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that a girl named Julia planted a pink-blossoming almond tree near his grave, and even today the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship.


During his life the ruler at that time, Emperor Claudius II, declared that unmarried men were potential soldiers and thereby outlawed marriage. St. Valentine opposed this presumptuous act, and continued to marry young couples. When Claudius' endeavour to convert Valentine to paganism ended with Valentine trying instead to convert Claudius to Christianity, the emperor had Valentine arrested and sentenced to death.


Even in prison, Valentine continued to assist the soon-to-be martyrs. His piety was so great that even the jailer respected him, and brought his own daughter Julia to be instructed by Valentine. Julia, a young girl blind from birth, was tutored in the history of Rome. At the same time, Valentine instructed her about God.


As Valentine's execution drew nearer, there was one day where Julia asked him whether or not God truly heard the prayers of those who called on Him. Valentine assured her that He did, whereupon Julia confided that she prayed every morning and night to God, that He might give her sight.

"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him," Valentinus said.

"Valentinus, I do believe! I do!" Julia assured him, and kneeling she grasped his hand.

As they knelt, a brilliant light filled the cell and Julia cried out in amazement, for all of a sudden she could see. Valentine cried out in praise of God, and they knelt in the cell together.


On the eve of his death he wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay firm in her faith and remain close to God. He signed it, "From your Valentine."


Ever since St. Valentine's time, on every February 14th messages of affection and devotion are exchanged everywhere around the world.


God bless!


A Catholic Life: St. Valentine's Day
Fish Eaters: Feast of St. Valentine

Music and Words

All right, I'm taking a poll.

Okay, not really.

But seriously now, how many writers NEED to listen to music while they write? Hmm? Hmm? Raise your hands. C'mon, get them up there.

Okay. How many listen to vocal music while writing? How many listen to soundtracks? How many listen to classical, opera, country? What's the music you need to listen to in order to get your thought processes going?

I love to listen to soundtracks. There's something about soundtracks that let me visualize scenes, settings, and dialogue of my story through the the crescendos and rifts of the soundtracks. I can't really do vocal music, since I end up singing with the music and concentrating on my vocal delivery rather than on what I'm writing. Neither can I do opera, since I end up trying to imitate the sopranos and giving myself a bad case of the giggles. I love country music, too, and the same problem happens, where I just sing and sing instead of write and write. So, soundtracks are my thing.

Now that I've posed my question, I'm going to turn on my Voyage of the Dawn Treader soundtrack and bury myself in my WIP, Whisper Mansion.

God bless!