Just for Fun

Christmas Stocking Sweethearts! Cathy McDavid

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I’m so excited to be part of Christmas Stocking Sweethearts  – my first participation in a collection with my fellow Petticoats and Pistols fillies. Little known fact, I wrote western historicals early in my writing career before switching to contemporaries. I’m thrilled to be returning to one of my favorite romance genres. And the story also happens to be set in one of my favorite time periods:  the early 1900s.

A widow struggling to save her home

A cowboy sworn to protect his family

A Christmas neither will ever forget…

 

 

Merry Ann Bright may be pint-sized, but she’s chock-full of gumption. For the last three years, she’s fended off a wealthy and greedy neighbor bent on acquiring her land by hook or by crook — emphasis on the crook. The last thing she needs is more trouble. But when she unexpectedly encounters a family in dire straits, how can she turn her back on them?

Thèo Cartier is a man on a mission. Once he’s seen his sister-in-law and young nephew safely home, he’ll return to Texas and help his aging father run the ranch. The lovely widow Merry is a distraction he can ill afford. Especially when her roots are firmly planted a thousand miles from his own.

Can Christmastime, the shared love of favorite carols, and a special heirloom stocking show two people convinced they have no future together that anything is possible…if they just open their hearts?

Click here to purchase MERRY’S CHRISTMAS COWBOY

Click here to view the entire series on Amazon

 

Yes, we know. It’s that time of year when we sometimes feel less kind than we should.

Re-write the sentence in red to something less naughty and more nice.  For example:

NAUGHTY:  “Grandma’s eggnog is too thick and chunky.”

NICE: “Isn’t it wonderful Grandma is still with us to make her eggnog?”

THEIR DECORATIONS ARE SO GAUDY.

 

You might win this piano ornament from me – plus a backlist holiday book!

 

All entries will be eligible for our oh-so-beautiful Grand Prize, too!

Winners announced Sunday, December 15!

(USA Winners only, please.)

In the event the piano ornament becomes unavailable, we will happily make a substitute.

One of Cathy’s Most Favorite Things!

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Kind of a funny story. The other day I was wondering what to write about for my favorite things post as I was getting ready to walk my 14-year-old hairless terrier dog Nacho. Walks are something I do most days, barring inclement weather or an illness. I mean, really, there is nothing better for your physical and mental health. Walks relieve stress. Boost your mood. Lower your blood pressure. Elevate your feel good hormone dopamine and your endorphins. The exercise is good for your heart, your joint health, and your muscle tone. Sunshine innaturally infuses you with vitimin D. Socializing on your walk, either going with someone or chatting with people you meet, is one of the best ways to fight off dementia. For me, walks are a short mental vacation. They’re also great for working through a book plotting problem or listening to a writer’s workshop on my phone. Frankly, walks are just what the doctor ordered.

Which brings me back to putting on my shoes and getting ready to go out. I thought, why not write about walking Nacho? Not only is it something I do almost every day, it really is a favorite activity of mine. But I can’t just write about walking. That would be boring, right? Agreed. So, come join me in a typical walk with Nacho.  Oh, and yes, he’s wearing Haloween pajamas.

As you can see from this picture of Nacho, walks are one of his favorite things, too. All the physical and mental benefits that are good for people are also good for your canine friend.

One of our favorite places is the park by our house. There’s lots of green all year long and cool places to explore like this wash.

Sometimes we have to take a break. Both Nacho and I have arthritis and and get tired 🙂

 

 

Apron Fun and Giveaway Game

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Morning everyone,

I thought it might be fun today to combine a little bit of history on aprons with a game and a giveaway. Now, I know aprons have been featured before on Petticoats and Pistols, but I’m going to take a different approach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we think aprons, most of us picture Mom or Grandma in the kitchen wearing a traditional bib or half apron. Maybe an image of Dad grilling in the back yard or kids making crafts come to mind. People in restaurants and bakeries often wear aprons, everyone from the head chef to the servers to the dishwashers. It’s part of the uniform and often promotes the establishment’s brand.

Interestingly, aprons have been around for at least the last seven hundred years, if not longer. Their primary function was to keep clothes clean as an apron is much easier to wash than an entire outfit. This can in handy during the pre automatic washer and dryer days. Over the centuries, aprons progressed, becoming a useful tool that included pockets and fasteners to making a fashion statement — those with money had aprons constructed of luxury material while those without used flour sacks or even a hand towel tied at the waist. And just in case you were wondering, the word apron came from the French medieval word “naperon”, which was a small tablecloth placed over a larger one to protect it from spills.

 

You probably know aprons aren’t used solely by people in the kitchen or those working in the food preparation/serving industry, though that’s likely our first thought. My late mother, who painted and made pottery, used to wear an artist’s apron (sometimes called a smock). I can still see her sitting at an easel, paint brushes sticking out of her apron pockets. Many of the blacksmiths we’ve used wore a farrier’s apron when they came to shoe our horses. And who hasn’t been to the grocery store and seen the butcher behind the counter wearing an apron or sometimes a white jacket?

Well, here’s where the fun and giveaway come in. Who else wears an apron and why? I can think of a bunch more, but I want you to submit your answers in the comments. And it’s fine if there are duplicate answers. There are no hard and fast rules to this game. The winner will get this awesome and adorable cowboy apron – to be used however you want – two backlist print books and some author goodies.

Come on, play along. I’ll randomly draw a winner from everyone who comments and announce the winner tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll break out my writer’s apron and get back to writing.

Okay, that last part was a joke. I don’t have a writer’s apron. But it’s kind of a cool idea. Maybe I could…….

 

Good Morning, everyone. There are so many comments, and I love all of them, that I’m not going to respond individually. Know that I’m reading all of them and writing down names. Thanks for playing along, and let’s keep the fun going!

Gardening, Canning, and Country Pursuits

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Dirt soil, gardening tools, text, "Gardening, Canning, and Country Pursuits. Petticoats & Pistols"

It’s that time of year–time to watch things grow! Winters linger where I live. I wait until the end of May or early June to plant flowers, and I’ve been planting herbs in pots on our deck for several years, too.

 

Pink and white petunias in planter outside
Our petunias and one little basil plant popping up in the pot next to it!

 

We used to have a garden. I’m lazy about keeping up with it after the first month, so we decided to let it go. Since we’re blessed with numerous local farmstands and U-pick farms nearby, I don’t miss my garden much. When I do, I browse online sites like Fine Gardening and soak in the pretty flowers of A Wyoming Garden to get my fix!

Next week I plan on spending a few hours in the strawberry patch a few miles away. My goal? Bring home a flat of bright red berries. I make lower-sugar freezer jam each year with pectin specifically made for low or no-sugar recipes. You can find the Sure-Jell brand at Walmart or other grocery stores. I also make blueberry jam. It’s delicious!

Last year I bought a few dozen ears of corn. Blanching them didn’t take long. Quart-sized freezer bags stack nicely in our chest freezer. I wished I’d frozen more. This year I will.

Canning or freezing produce doesn’t require a huge time commitment if I focus on one thing at a time. And it certainly makes my family happy in November when we’re still enjoying peak flavor from the food I’ve preserved.

Other country pursuits I enjoy (even though I’m in the suburbs!) during the summer:

  • Filling a glass pitcher with water and letting tea bags steep in it all day on my deck for sun tea
  • The farmers market! Local honey has so much flavor.
  • Sitting out back, watching the birds fly from tree to tree and the clouds drift through the sky
  • Baking summer treats, like peach cobbler or blueberry breakfast cake (recipe is linked)
  • Walking around ponds at rural parks
  • Reading a book on our back deck

I could go on and on. Each season brings its own joys!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on gardening, canning, and other country pursuits. What do you enjoy about the summer?

 

Introducing Our Fillies Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before!

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Howdy, everyone! Cathy McDavid here with an exciting announcement.

Lately, there have been a few changes in the corral here at Petticoats & Pistols. To celebrate our newest members and reacquaint you with familiar faces, we’ve put together a short video featuring all of the fillies. Take a peek at some of their awesome books and learn a little bit about them. Just click on the link below, and you’ll be taken to the video.

Click to view “Meet the P&P Fillies” Video

We hope you enjoy the video and will even share this post to help us spread the word. We really appreciate all our friends here at Petticoats and Pistols and love starting our days with you.

Two of My Favorite Things and One of My Favorite People

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Since childhood, one of my favorite places in the world, though I haven’t traveled that much, is my grandparents’ farm. I found a sense of peace, a connection to the Earth, and the warmth of belonging there I haven’t found anywhere else. I believe in large part these feelings bloomed in me because of my grandmother, Pearl Henrietta Blaess Walter. (Side note for a chuckle—growing up, my paternal grandmother told me she’d wanted me named after my grandmothers. Her suggestion had been both their first names, Goldie Pearl. Yikes, huh?)

My Grandma Walter holding me with my Uncle Wayne sitting beside us.

Now back from the side trip to the main highway.

Many of my other favorite things come from my Grandma Walter. She taught me to crochet and sew. Working with her in her garden taught me to appreciate that activity and value the calming it can bring to the soul. My love of and value of the past and old items, came from her. Many of the things I cook or bake are her recipes. Two of my favorites she made were cream puffs and angel food cake. (I think I’ve shared I requested her angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream as my birthday cake.) I regret never asked for her angel food cake recipe. Or rather that I didn’t do as I did with the recipe I’m sharing today. Because she carried the recipes in her head, one day when she made cream puffs, I grabbed pen and paper. I’m smiling as I write this remembering when I asked how much flour she put in. She said she guessed about a cup. She couldn’t be sure because she used an old coffee cup to scoop out the flour. Yes, she was an I-toss-in-about-this-much-and-cook-it-until-it’s-done kind of cook.

 

A year or two ago I was back in Iowa to bury my parents’ ashes. I had the opportunity to visit the family farm, now a B&B owned by a cousin. Though the land looks different today because nature has reclaimed it, the minute we turned into the driveway, the memories flooded back making me smile.

Cream Puffs

1/2 C butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 C water

1 C sifted flour

4 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place water, butter, and sauce in sturdy pot. Bring mixture to a full bowl. Dump in flour all at once. Stir until mixture sticks together and pulls away from the pot. Transfer to a bowl. Cool 5 minutes. Then add eggs one at a time, stirring after each until fully incorporated. Drop a tablespoon amount, heaping in the middle on a greased baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Without opening oven, reduce heat 35o degrees and bake 10 minutes more.

Filling:

1 C milk

1 egg yolk

4 TBS sugar

2 TBS milk

1 TBS cornstarch

Mix egg yolk,, sugar, cornstarch, and the 2 TBS milk until smooth. Warm 1 C milk in heavy saucepan, but do not boil. Pour egg mixture into milk. Stir until thickened. When cooled, combine with whipped cream and fill cream puffs.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for one of my favorite treats, that I learned to make at with one of my favorite people, in one of my favorite places.

Where is your favorite place? Leave me a comment to tell me all about it.

 

A Christmas Game

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I was reminded by an alarm on my phone that today was my day to post and … with all the bookish and Christmas things going on, (I literally just got home an hour ago from one of my son’s two Christmas concerts) I am plum out of blog ideas.

 

So, what does one do when one is out of ideas? Let’s play a game instead.

So, I’ll ask four questions and you can leave answers in the comments. I’ll choose one winner and send a signed book their way. Winner announced tomorrow evening.

  1. How far have you gone to do a Christmas event?
    1. For me, 9 hours of driving
  2. Have you ever participated in a Christmas event or custom others might think was strange?
    1. I haven’t personally, unless you count exchanging white elephant gifts with my husband’s family (I had never heard of white elephant before then)
  3. Do you prefer single color lights or multicolored Christmas lights?
    1. Depends on my mood. Praise God I have a tree I can change as my mood does.
  4. Have you ever been caroling?
    1. I have! I love it, especially the hot chocolate afterwards (I live in Minnesota, hot chocolate is a staple).

I hope you enjoy this little game. I’ll choose a random winner from those who comment.

Coffee Shops and Making Friends

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When my bestie moved to Lexington, Kentucky a few years ago after living in the Chicago area for nearly 20 years we talked about how hard it is to make new friends now that our children are grown. (Yet another reason why I hate moving. I have nightmares about being the ‘new kid.’) When our boys were young it was easier. Our friends were parents of our children’s teammates, other band/choir/dance/insert your child’s activity.

So how can we make friends when we don’t have those child center friendship pools to draw on? Work and church come to mind. But so many of us work from home now. Or, what if you are a manager, and socializing with those you supervise is awkward? What if you’re retired? What if you can’t find a church you’re comfortable with?

The other day another friend shared Mel Robbins’ video “The ‘Coffee Shop Friendship Theory’ Will Change Your Life” with me. Here’s my quick summary, but if you’d rather watch the short video, click here. Robbins claims coffee shops are a great place to make friends, but there are four types which have people with different interests who frequent them. The first being chains, she says aren’t a good place to find friends. (Ironic note—I met Val met because I write in Starbucks Monday through Friday mornings. ?) The next type, “first responders” shops are frequented by town natives and community volunteers. Third is the “local coffee” shop where moms go before work or after dropping kids off at school. The last is the “high end” type which is fancy schmancy. After determining which type suits you, Robbins suggests going to a coffee shop for an hour multiple times during the week and once on the weekends. I recommend going around the same time each day for a while as people tend to come into the shop around the same time. If you don’t connect with someone then try a different time of day.

However, in this video she doesn’t say how to form the connection but having been blessed to find friends from writing in coffee shops over the years here’s what I suggest. Smile and say hello. Get the door for someone whose hands are full. Chat while you’re waiting in line. Compliment someone. Be kind. But from the way y’all are around the corral every month, I’m sure you know that. That’s just the way you are and you always brighten my day.

For me, interacting with people in little ways and even if it doesn’t form a lasting friendship, improves my mood, makes the world a better place, and reminds me what’s important in life—the connections, even small fleeting one, we make. My hope is that we all discover as the Beatles say, “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

 

GIVEAWAY:  To be entered in my random drawing for a $10 Starbucks gift card, tell me how you met your best friend.

 

My Summer Playlist

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As Kenny Chesney says in his song “Summertime,” “Perfect song on the radio. Sing along ’cause it’s one we know. It’s a smile, it’s a kiss. It’s a sip of wine, it’s summertime. Sweet summertime.” Though this year with all the over one-hundred-degree weather and the high humidity, I’m not so sure about the sweet.

Despite the heat, summer brings to mind certain activities. Boating on the lake (as a teenager I water skied on the Mississippi River), road trips, vacations, lazy beach days, picnics, hanging out with friends, and family reunions. And of course, summer needs a playlist. Here are some songs that are on my eclectic summer playlist.

  • “Margaritaville” Jimmy Buffett
  • “Waves’ Luke Bryant
  • “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
  • “Knee Deep” Zac Brown Band and featuring Jimmy Buffett
  • “Firework” Katy Perry
  • “Pink Sunglasses” Miranda Lambert
  • “Buy Me a Boat” Chris Janson
  • “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems” Kenny Chesney
  • “Cruel Summer” Bananarama
  • “Cruel Summer” Taylor Swift
  • “Water Brad” Paisley
  • “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” Luke Bryan
  • “Good Directions” Billy Currington
  • “Summer Breeze” Seals and Croft
  • “Toes” Zac Brown Band
  • “One Margarita” Luke Bryan
  • “Beers and Sunshine” Darius Rucker
  • “Vacation” The Go-Gos
  • “Watermelon Crawl” Tracy Byrd
  • “Under the Boardwalk” Otis Redding
  • “Wipe Out” The Surfaris
  • “California Gurls” Katy Perry

A few trends became apparent when I started my list. The first was that Jimmy Buffett features predominantly in summer songs. (I’d only noted five songs and he was part of three!) I hear you gasping. Yes, I know. I had that same reaction. Shocking that Jimmy Buffett and summer are linked. ? The other trend I spotted was various beverages being mentioned. Imagine, margaritas, beer, wine, and summer. Another huge shock.

I hope the rest of your summer is safe and filled with days that become warm memories, and I’ll leave with you a summer tip. Take some advice from the Zac Brown Band’s song “Knee Deep.”

“Gonna put the world away for a minute
Pretend I don’t live in it
Sunshine gonna wash my blues away

“Mind on a permanent vacation
The ocean is my only medication
Wishing my condition ain’t ever gonna go away

“Cause now I’m knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there’s a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise”

To be entered in my random giveaway for an ebook of Aiming for His Heart, my book in the Pink Pistol Sisterhood series, leave a comment telling me about your favorite summer song.

 

A Writer in Her Natural Habitat

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What does a writer in her natural habitat look like? Well, I’m sure that each of us fillies has a different office space than the others. Some can work in busy coffee shops, others of us need ear plugs just to get a scene in. Some of us pace back and forth while we dictate our books, some write more than one book at a time. One of us (at least) even writes one book on computer while she writes another book on another device, switching back and forth. Some have to draft on paper, some feel that’s a waste, and go right to the computer.

Authors are strange creatures, even at our best moments.

Some of us plot out our stories, some of us write into the darkness. Some of us struggle for a few hundred words a day, others consider a few thousand words ‘not enough’. The great majority of us aren’t satisfied with our ‘normal’ and wish we were like someone else.

It goes without saying that we spend a lot of time in our own heads. That can be good and bad. We’ll remember scents and feelings from long ago experiences, but forget what day it is. We’ll remember the exact flavor of a slice of pie we ate fifteen years ago, but can’t remember what we ate yesterday.

You can tell when we’re struggling with a story (or are between stories) because our desks are clean. The great majority of us our introverted, but we love extroverts. We also love author get-togethers.

Here is a little glimpse at my natural habitat, though I am not in this photo.

I love my desk, but I wish I had more storage. I have an entire bookcase of research books that I would love to have closer to me, but at least I have a corner that’s mine. I know not everyone is that fortunate.

It’s nice and clean in this picture, but don’t let that fool you. It’s not that way right now. It’s covered in research materials, bills, water cups, pens (I somehow have a million), notebooks, and my planner which is always on the corner of my desk and FULL.

Even though we have a lot of things in common, I really think the only thing that every author does, is write.

Believe it or not, I’ve even met a few authors who don’t enjoy reading all that much. You’d think that would be universal, but it’s not.

Some of us love marketing our books, but most of us didn’t become authors for that part. In fact, many of us would much rather do the work of writing, editing, compiling, and loading the book onto retailers…and then pray people find it so we don’t have to market.

I’ve met a lot of authors who secretly (and maybe not so secretly) feel this way:

Forgive the language, but that is how many of us feel. Sometimes, even talking about what we write feels like sales, so we don’t do it. Talking to friends can feel awkward. Do they really want to know about writing, or am I an oddity (Don’t answer that)?

Here’s what a typical day looks like for me. I’d bet you’ll be surprised at how…boring…my life is.

I get up, make my coffee and read my daily Bible reading. This is the only quiet time I will get all day. It’s summer, so I have all three children home (one of mine has flown the nest already). Once they are all up, the house will be loud even after I go to bed.

Once I finish my coffee, I move back to my bedroom. My office is currently in a corner of my bedroom. I’d like my own space, but that’s still a someday dream. I have a part-time job where I manage ads for people. I do that 3-4 hours every day, Mon-Fri. When I finish that, I need to mentally switch gears. I’ll often take a quarter-mile walk to clear my mind.

After that, I hit Facebook, this blog, and my ads to see how things are doing. I’ll respond to emails, or write my newsletter if its Friday. Admin tasks can take as little as twenty minutes, but sometimes as long as a couple hours. I’ve been trying to get more admin tasks done than I did before. I used to write for literally six hours a day.

After I finish that, I’m ready for my creative work. I will turn on Youtube and listen to water sounds so that I don’t hear what’s going on in my house around me. Crashing, cats, and video games don’t help me get in the zone to write a book based in 1890.

Often, I will log on to Discord with other authors and sprint to make the most of my time. If you’ve been keeping track, I may not actually get to writing until late afternoon, so I have to make the most of the hours that I have. When I’m editing, I’ll use this time for edits instead of writing.

And that’s how we write books. What is one thing you’d like to know about the life of an author? And maybe some of my fellow fillies would love to answer any questions, too.