Word for Wednesday

Word: pedexterity

What does it mean? Break it down and you might get it.

Post your guess in comments and then come back around 3:00 to see if you were write or wrong ;)

Tea for Tuesday

Actually I thought I'd share Three Cups of Tea By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin sponsored by The Literary Arts and Powell's Books

"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger," a villager tells ... "The second time, you are an honored guest. The third time you become family and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die."

I went to hear Greg Mortenson speak at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Monday night and he is an inspiration. He's one man promoting peace with education, especially for girls, in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Using Pennies for Peace to fund his projects of building schools in war-torn Pakistan and Afghanistan, he is proving that one person can make a difference in the world--and it can be a dramatic one.

He says "I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to choose life over death."

How is this related to the upcoming holiday season? I would say when we think of "Peace on Earth" we can think of Greg's mission to promote peace through education. The pen truly is mightier than the sword.

Plus, this lecture reminded me of my favorite show of all time, "It's a Wonderful Life"

George Bailey--just like Greg Mortenson--proves that one life can make a tremendous difference in the world.

So Merry Christmas You Good Ole' Savings & Loan!

MONDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

When I was young we only had one t.v. I know, I know, deprived children that we were. And, more than that, Dad was the one who ran it. Not the kids. But every Friday night Mom would let us watch a movie - it was usually something similar to Animal Planet but back then it was called Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

And there was always a lion or a crocodile chasing Jim across the field, through the water, or where ever he was heading.

But the big treat of the night - aside from the movie - was popcorn. We all got to have a bowl of popcorn, sometimes even two. And we'd even get to have a glass of pop. My choice back then was Coca-Cola or what we now call Coke.

Those were the simple times.

Today there are so many choices it can seem overwhelming. HBO, Showtime, Disney Channel, and that doesn't even include the other 400 channels offered nightly.

Kids are bombarded with choices today. Some times I wish we could step back in time, to the simpler days. Especially at the holidays when we're all so busy getting ready for that one big day.

What simple memories do you have of growing up and the holidays?

Sunday Spotlight: Barefoot Books

For all my writer friends I thought I'd post a little bit about a book publisher where you can submit your work.

Barefoot Books is a small, independent publishing company. They specialize in children's books - for a wide range of ages.

They focus on themes that support independence of spirit, encourage openness to others and foster a lifelong love of learning.

Their website iss: www.barefootbooks.com, and you can submit to the Submissions editor at:

2067 Massachusettes Avenue,
Cambridge MA 02140.

Freelance Success Stories Contest

Sponsored by Writer's Market - just thought I'd pass on the info to all my writing friends:

FREELANCE SUCCESS STORIES CONTEST

There is still time to enter the 5th annual Freelance Success Stories contest. This free contest is looking for real stories of freelance success. These should be personal stories (first person) and true. First place will receive $750 and publication in the 2011 Writer's Market.

Submission rules: Stories should be 800-1,500 words. Submit as .doc (not .docx) or .txt attachment, or in the body of the e-mail message. Subject line should read Freelance Success Stories (or there's a chance it could be deleted without being read). E-mail submissions only to writersmarket@fwmedia.com.

Good luck!

Earth-Friendly Friday

Make Monkey Memories and Warm Woolies for Christmas rather than buying needless things and trivial trinkets.

I made my daughter a monkey blanket. This is a useful gift-I hope-that will last for years.

We went to the fabric store and she picked out two fabrics: one side is monkeys and the other is striped - so the blanket is fun colored, cheerful and reversible.

But you could make a blanket out of old jeans, favorite shirts and skirts or any fabric you have around the house. If you don't feel ready to take on a blanket - and to be honest, it's kind of a two-person project because it's so big and heavy, it helps to have another set of hands to help feed the material through the presser foot. But you could always start with pillowcases. That's one project we used to do for Christmas when the kids were young. I'd take them to the fabric store and let them pick out fun fabrics and then we'd sew pillowcases that they still use today.

Gifts can be fun and useful without being wasteful and frivolous.

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: They were radiator caps and homes for gauges.

They turned to decorative ornaments when the radiator caps went underneath the hood and temperature gauges moved to the dashboard.