2015 Mother's Day Gift Idea's!

Chocolate Covered Strawberries – This is a simple one you can have your children contribute to. 

It is quick, easy, and fairly mess free.

Needed, strawberries and hardening chocolate, I always use Dolci-Frutta. Fairly reasonably priced and always yummy. Clean the strawberries and dry. Put down some wax or parchment paper to lay out your strawberries to dry after dipping.  Dip your berries in as much or as little chocolate as you want. Let them harden and you are finished. Put them in a Tupperware container or run to your local craft store and find a wooden or paper box you can decorate.

This is the basics, if you want to be an overachiever, you can create a strawberry bouquet using wooden skewers and a vase.  I would love to see your final products, so send them to me!!

Mom's Spa Day – A little more expensive but if you shop smart you can pull this off without wrecking your budget.  The idea is to create a 'spa day' experience for your Mom at home. Now there is the quick and easy version of this and then there is the over achiever version.

Quick and Easy –

A soft cozy large body towel

Scented bubble bath

A smutty romance

Two candles (unscented)

Small box of chocolates

Gift Bag

Load everything into the gift bag

Throw in your mother's day card and some tissue paper.

Finished!

Mother's Day Overachievers –

A soft cozy large body towel

Loofa

Favorite scented bubble bath, body wash, and body lotion

A smutty romance

Small box of chocolates

Green Apple (this is totally optional, all I know is when I have gone the real spa a Green apple tastes decadent after a long soak.)

Two scented candles that compliment the favorite fragrances

An inflatable tub pillow

Purchase a decorative hat box from the local craft store or a nice study basket

(I prefer the hatbox because after opened Mom can put the lid on and use for future bath fun or something else.)

Purchase a roll of clear cellophane

Pretty colored ribbon to match your towel

Load everything into the hatbox. Use your talents to make it pretty and all display like.

Wrap the whole thing in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

Viola!

Then you can go super easy with the whole gift card inside a card. Is it a cop out? Probably, but it is the ONLY way to ensure your Mom gets exactly what she wants / needs. You cannot lose with any of these on Mother's Day:

Bath and Body Works

Starbucks

Kindle (yes, you can purchase a gift card for your Mom's Kindle!)

A local spa or masseur

Manicure / Pedicure

Any Maid Service (Merry Maid, Molly Maid and the Maids all have gift certificate options and are all over the country)

Last but certainly not least, a good old fashioned love letter is always an excellent call on Mother's Day!. If you are not a person who writes, here are some cheats for you.

Love Letters.com – whole list of love letters for Mom's. Read some and take what fits you best for

your Mother's Day note.

Hallmark.com -  Read the cards for inspiration. Why not just buy the card? It means more if it is handwritten. With everything printed and digitized in today's world a handwritten note is appreciated and treasured, especially on Mother's Day.

Quotes About Mothers – Again you can peruse for inspiration or jot a few down on some nice stationary.

Brainy Quote

Curated Quotes

However you decide to celebrate your Mom always be sure it comes from the heart! After all she is your Mom!

Question Box : Creating Characters

When creating a main character, is it better to start with a good girl/guy with a drop of "bad", or a bad girl/guy with a drop of "good"?

I have been pondering this question for three days now. First, that is way too much energy for my little brain to expend. Second, I have been so stuck I actually asked my husband for his opinion.

Seriously?

I am going to tackle this to the best of my ability. If the answer is convoluted I apologize :0)

I am guessing my struggle with this question comes from none of my characters being all good or all bad. Each individual has the potential for both extremes. Therein come the fun in playing with them. Pushing their limits and watching what happens. Personally, it is more fun to push a good character over the edge than making an evil character good.

My logic-- simple human nature leans toward good. No one is pure good, or angelic, there is always a sliver of bad in the foreground, that keeps them human.

Pure evil, all bad is much more accepted. Think about it, if someone is too good we automatically assume a screw is loose. No one is without darkness.

However, there are characters that are truly embraced because they are the essence of evil. Is this because in the bad we want to find the good or the other way around?

Some of the most romantic tales are those portraying true love conquering pure evil. A strength of emotion between two people blurring all lines and erasing all fear and doubt.

Now, so I can say I honestly answered the question. Is it better to start with one or the other? I say neither is preferred. It is all gray to me.  

Question Box : What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?

Remaining sane as a writer-- Wow, I am considered sane? Ummm…okay let me think about this. First you must have a sense of humor in regards to yourself and others. You cannot take yourself too seriously or you will crack before you even start to get any momentum.  Writing is as much about heartache and pain as it is about fulfillment and joy. You need to roll with the punches to get from one to the other, or you will burn out quickly.

You must have confidence in yourself and what you are doing.  If you do not have confidence in what you are writing, why would expect anyone else? Now there is a difference between confidence and arrogance. It is imperative that you know the difference. Confidence is pride in your work. You have done your best and want to share it with others because it is your heart and your love. Arrogance is sharing something because you believe it to be the best, and you are of the opinion that people will want to read it simply because it is superior in some regard.

Resilience is an absolute necessity. An artist’s life, whether you are a musician, writer, or painter, is a life filled with self doubt and rejection. It is the reality of a choice each of us makes.  Due to this you must be able to bounce back, rebound from disappointment, and start again. Not because you can, but because you must.

Another important attribute is the ability to be flexible, in your work, your choices and in your life in general. Life is not a straight line from beginning to end, and neither is writing. Things, ideas, and routes change, and you need to be able to change with them. This is imperative.  Being rigid has its rewards. However, rigid walls quickly turn into a box, closing off your muse and muting a plethora of possibilities. Flexibility is an asset, and should be used as such. The more flexible you are, the broader your horizons.

The Boy Scout motto is always be prepared. The muse will strike when least expected, and if you are not prepared brilliance can pass you by. Don’t think you can remember it all because you can’t.  So plan, prepare, and always be ready to hit the ground running.