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Marie's Calendar
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March 2010 |
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|  Hello and welcome to my website! This site was created to be not only a source for information about my books, but a community where readers can interact with me and each other, sharing their lives, the joys of reading, and making new friends. As you look around, you'll find heaps of exciting features that anyone can access including my blog, resources and links for writers, excerpts from my books, downloadable discussion guides, my calendar, and, my personal favorite, "Marie's Latest Crush." Those who register as one of my "Reading Friends" will have access to special content including message boards, newsletters, the "Broken Hearts Mending" quilt pattern, prizes, and can (after review) post pictures to share their favorite pets, quilts, and more! Again, welcome. I hope you enjoy your visit and, if you have time, will send me an email. I always love hearing from my Reading Friends! Blessings,  
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March 6, 2010 Many, many years ago, I worked as a scheduler - a person whose entire function is to manage the calendar of another, very busy, person. I also owned my own event planning company staging everything from small conferences with 50 participants to enormous galas and fundraisers with thousands in attendance. Given that, you'd think that I'd have some gift for organization. And I do - as long as I am organizing not me. When it comes to organizing myself, I am utterly, utterly hopeless, as the events of this week have proven. On Wednesday evening, I was scheduled to do a call-in with a book group in Minnesota. This had all been arranged weeks in advance and was written on my calendar in ink. However, at about 4p.m. on Monday, I had a new idea for Cobbled Court novel #4. I excitedly sat down to work, happily tapping away until 10p.m. and, you guessed it, completely spaced my call in! I felt absolutely horrible about my mistake and called the hostess, who was extremely gracious (Midwesterners are always gracious, I have found). I still felt awful but we'll give another try next month. This time I'm going to tattoo the date on my arm or something. On Thursday, when reading the posts for our online quilt circle's Women's Heart Health quilt swap, I noted (with panic) that many of the group were sending in their completed blocks. "Good heavens! Are those due now? I thought I had until the end of the month!" A quick visit to the first post on the thread showed a due date of March 14. Yikes! I'm heading to Florida today, leaving the house and pets in the care of my son and daughter-in-law, and won't be back until the 12th. The only way to get the blocks done in time was to go into full production mode, which I did all day yesterday. By midnight, all 16 blocks were done, except one final seam that I decided to do this morning. (I was too bleary-eyed to attempt it then.) I posted word of my progress (and panic) in the forum, only to be told by our swap hostess that I was right the first time, the date had been pushed back. The blocks aren't due until the 31st! Well, I had a good laugh at that. This is just SO exactly like me. Maybe I need to find someone else who is good at organizing others but bad at organizing themselves and we can work out some sort of barter system. But, in the meantime, I must run. I have a plane to catch at 3. At least I think it's at 3. Maybe it's at 2....Oh, dear. Where DID I put those tickets? |
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February 19, 2010
I've finally come up for air long enough to put together an album of photos from my recent quilt retreat at the Strong House Inn. I just hated to leave. I had such a wonderful time and, as you'll see, made some great new friends. All this and quilting too! Life is good!
Good times in Vermont: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariebee1/sets/
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February 2, 2010 Happy Groundhog Day! Well, not so happy. I hear we're in for another six weeks of winter but, honestly, isn't that the way it is every year? Who ever heard of winter ending in February? Heck, in New England we're grateful if it ends before May! But I digress. I returned from my fabulous quilting retreat to Vermont (will post some pictures in a few days) just in time to do laundry and get on a plane to Texas where I am hard at work on my fourth Cobbled Court novel. (By the way, number three, A THREAD SO THIN, will be released on April 27th. Have you pre-ordered a copy? I think you should.) I'm really too busy to blog much right now, but my husband forwarded a hilarious and somewhat cautionary tale to me today that I thought I'd share with you. Enjoy! King Arthur and the Witch:
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.
The question?...What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur's closest friend!
Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur.
He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.
Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: What a woman really wants, she answered....is to be in charge of her own life.
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur's life would be spared.
And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding. The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half.
Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day....or night?
Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?
What would YOU do?
Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.
Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now....what is the moral to this story? If you don't let a woman have her own way....Things are going to get ugly. |
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January 25, 2010
I'm off on a "Finishing School" quilting retreat, a getaway in a lovely inn with a big sewing room, good food, good company, and a five delicious days to focus on finishing up a couple of those UFO's - UnFinished Objects - that are the bane of every quilter's existence.
Of course, I've brought far, far too many projects along. There were no less than three boxes of fabric in the back of the car when I pulled away. Optimistic as I am, it's crazy to think that I'll be able to tackle all of them. But, if I can just finish up the quilt I'm making for my eldest son and his bride before their May wedding, I'll be well pleased with my progress.
I did want to show you one project that - together with my precious daughter-in-love of six months - was completed in time to give as a Christmas gift to my 89 year old mother-in-law. It was so nice to work on it together. I simply love having another woman around the house!
The quilt is nothing fancy, but the pinks and greens in the carnation theme fabric are fresh and pretty and go perfectly with the decor in Grandma's apartment. Also, since she is a tiny little thing - a couple of inches under five feet with size five feet to match - this little quilt is a perfect size for Mom to use when she's watching t.v. in the evening.
Making a quilt, even a simple one, is always a joy. But when quilt making is a family affair, it's twice as much fun.
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January 8, 2010
As you may know, I have a little Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Oliver. My twitter buddies know him as the Errant Spaniel.
Oliver is a love, a clown, great at being exactly what he was bred to be - a faithful and constant companion. No one is ever as happy to see me as Oliver is and, when I go away on a trip, he gets a little sad. The mere sight of a suitcase makes his ears droop in a way that inspires me with instantaneous guilt.
I'm in Texas right now and have left Oliver in the care of my son and daughter-in-law. Just yesterday (with a little help from my daughter-in-law) he wrote me an especially pathetic e-mail that I thought I'd share. It is, of course, written in Spanglish (Spaniel English), a language which I have learned to speak fluently during the past six years while serving as the translator for Oliver's inner monologue. Enjoy.
"hi, mom.
it's me, owiver. you know, since i dont have opposaboo fumbs, i cant weawy type. and since my bwain is onwy as big as a small peanut, i can't weawy spell vewy good. but its no pwobwem because dis nice wady will do it fow me.
i weawy, weawy miss you. i mean, weawy. dees peopuh aw nice, but dey don't weawy feed me enough. you know, i weawy wike my foods and it's weawy impoatant dat i get enough because i am a spaniel and i don't know if you heawd but we aw vewy hungwy animals.
pwease come home soon. i mean, immediatewy. i will be waiting by the gawage.
wuv always,
owiver."
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