A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way

I absolutely love this time of year.

Here in Wisconsin, the leaves have mostly left the trees 

and every step you take you'll hear a crunch

as they're all beneath your feat.

It's a delightful time of year for baking (see picture above)

 since the added warmth

and the delicious smells are sure to 

entice the entire family to gather around

the table (or at least head to the kitchen). 

And sweaters...

It feel so good to grab a mug of coffee, tea, or cocoa and 

throw on a soft warm sweater.

I adore walking outdoors in the morning watching the 

steam from my coffee then visiting with my horses  

in their warm stable. 

I begin each day making a mental list

of things I am thankful for

Here's why I do that and why I think you should too:

-When you count your blessings you realize how bountiful they are and regardless of your bank balance you'll feel rich!

-While you're thinking about things to be thankful for, you can turn off the noise of the world for a little bit - it's an emotional and mental break from stress.

-As you think about things to be thankful for, you will relax your muscles and begin to smile and breathe more deeply which is good for mind and body.

-When you are thankful, you'll start looking for more things to be thankful for throughout the day and we all know that when you look for something you'll find it.

Nothing I'm saying here is new and if you prefer hearing it from someone older, wiser, and famous - check out what Shakespeare himself had to say about being thankful

"Oh Lord that lends me life, 

lend me a heart replete with thankfulness"

                                                ~William Shakespeare

As you know, thanksgiving is quickly approaching here in the United States. Yes, this year is going to look a little different than years past, but the fact remains we can still take time to be thankful, show thanks, and smile. 

What are some ways you can step up your thankfulness game? 

-offer to pay for someone's groceries

-send a thank you card to someone who has touched your life

-call someone you haven't spoken to in a while and thank them for their friendship

-thank someone on social media for brightening your day with their pictures and stories

-speak to the manager at a store and tell them you're thankful for a particular employee who went above and beyond to provide you with delightful customer service

-thank an author for writing such lovely stories (don't forget the best way to thank an author is by leaving a review)

Please leave a comment on this article and share your thoughts and ideas about spreading thanks today and always! Thank you for taking time to read this today and thank you for being you!

Hugs,
~Crystal

and now...a little more about me...

Shown from left to right:
Delphine riding Honey
Mr. Otto holding Eudora
Crystal riding Marv.
Thank you Forward Farm, LLC 

Crystal is the office manager, council secretary, financial secretary, and musician at her church, birth
mother, Auntie, babywearing mama, business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children, two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, horses Darlin' and  Miss Maggie May, a bunny named Penelope who is absolutely the most amazing companion, and over 250 Holsteins.

And now she runs a virtual classroom for her children who are distance learners! 

You can find Crystal milking cows, riding horses, and the occasional unicorn (not at the same time), taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books here, and at her own blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade and she has never (not once) been accused of being normal!

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1 comment attitude, attitude of gratitude, gratitude, thankful, thanks, thanksgiving

Being Thankful For What Counts

I don’t normally wear two fitness trackers but I was conducting an experiment.

See, my older fitness tracker had a broken strap and a syncing snafu, so I decided to buy a new one. And the new one was practically perfect in every way; the strap was fine and it synced beautifully. But had I somehow turned into a slug? Because with my older tracker, I was hitting my step count by early evening but suddenly, early evening would ease into late evening and I wouldn’t be even halfway to my goal. And after a couple of days of wearing the two trackers, it became obvious that my older tracker counted every single step—and then some—whereas the new tracker required consecutive steps at a certain level of exercise-worthiness to start counting.

So why am I talking about fitness trackers? Because I wanted, on this eve of the eve of Thanksgiving, to make a point about comparison. To wit: I was perfectly happy with my new tracker until my experiment. Once I compared the two trackers, I was disappointed and downright annoyed, and yet, the new tracker did what it was supposed to do—and more importantly, what I needed it to do.

I looked at that new tracker and shook my head, thinking of my favorite quote, the one by Theodore Roosevelt: Comparison is the thief of joy.

And I wonder, here at the end of November, how many of us are comparing ourselves to all those writers participating in NaNoWriMo and feeling disappointed and downright annoyed with ourselves because we haven’t reached that 50,000 word goal? When maybe, just looking at our own personal goals for this writing challenge, we’ve achieved exactly what we wanted, or more importantly, what we needed to get done.

Or maybe we’re looking at our writing career as the year winds down and comparing ourselves to writer friends (or members of our critique group or basically every other writer we sort of know) who’ve achieved what we consider far greater success in 2019. When, if we just objectively look at what we personally wanted to achieve for 2019, we can feel pretty impressed with what we’ve accomplished in a year.

The thing is, success is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, especially in the world of creatives. So join me this Thanksgiving and let’s be thankful for who we are. Resist the temptation to make comparisons, and focus instead on what’s been achieved, on the accomplishments made. I know I feel better and I guarantee you’ll find more joy in your writing life, and for that matter, life in general.

(And P.S. I’m just wearing one fitness tracker these days, the newer one. It’s fine the way it is, and that’s what really counts, right?)

~Cathy C. Hall wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

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11 comments Cathy C. Hall, NaNoWriMo, thanksgiving, writer expectations, writing advice

Is Bigger Better?

Ultimately, my question is this: Is bigger better? In context, I'm really thinking about word count for a novel. This post comes at the perfect time as we just wrapped up NaNoWriMo yesterday. I'll be honest, I fell short...but don't worry, I'm going to keep writing even though it's no longer November. Who decides the perfect length of a novel anyway? It bigger better? Is there a place for short stories?

As you ponder some of those questions, I want to tell you about Tom the Turkey who inspired today's post. I committed to purchasing a farm fresh turkey from a friend. We made the verbal arrangement in the spring when neither of us knew how much Tom the turkey was going to weigh or how much the local butcher was going to charge to do all the stuff that needs to be done between farm and freezer (I'll spare you the details). 2 weeks before Thanksgiving she text me the news:

Turkeys are freezing right now...my main man Tom was 40lbs...we are doing $3/lb - should I drop him off Friday with your eggs?

Young Tom

I was super happy she hadn't called me. I think it took a few moments for me to catch my breath. I
hadn't intended on spending $120.00 on just the turkey for Thanksgiving and I couldn't even wrap my head around how big a 40lb turkey was going to be. All I was thinking was "where will I get the money?" mixed with "I think our 5 year old weighs about that much...I know for sure the 2 youngest girls weigh less than that" and a few cuss words.

I text back that I'd have the money ready and she could drop him off with the eggs. Then I headed down to the barn to freak the freak out with my husband.

When she dropped Tom off, I had to have hubby help maneuver him into the freezer. It was at that moment I realized the Tom the Turkey stress had only just begun. Here's a few things I learned:

1) You have to start thawing a 40lb turkey 10-11 days before Thanksgiving (hopefully you have a spare refrigerator because a 40lb turkey will take up most of your fridge)

2) Your average Nesco or traditional roasting pan will accommodate a 20lb turkey at best

3) A pan large enough for a 40lb turkey weighs nearly 20lbs

4) If you cook a 40lb turkey, it's recommended to cook it breast down to keep it moist, but this doesn't give the desired "picture perfect" turkey as the end result

Not a Knight in Shining Armor - Just a Turkey in Tinfoil!

4) If you wrap your 40lb turkey in tin foil it will take an entire roll

5) If you bake a 40lb turkey at 350F you'll want to start right cooking it 12-14 hours before you plan on service it

6) If you bake a 40lb turkey in a 20lb pan and add enough water to keep it moist, you'll need help getting everything into the oven, so don't preheat the oven

7) If you bake a 40lb turkey in a 20lb pan and add enough water to keep it moist and make gravy, you'll need help getting the pan out of the oven and that bugger is gonna be hot hot hot, so make sure your muscle bound friend or lover is available

8) If you bake a 40lb turkey in your oven, you'll have to think of alternative places to cook the rest of the holiday fixings, and if you opt for devices like Instant Pots, roasters, crock pots, etc... you may want to make sure you don't blow a fuse

Now - the lesson of Tom the Turkey has me thinking that bigger may not necessarily be better. But...as stories go, this is going to be a good one and my children will tell their children and Tom the Turkey will be infamous with our family, so maybe bigger is better? He was delicious by the way, and all the trouble was worth it! (Although - next year I'll be purchasing a 19lb Butterball turkey from the local grocery store)


Hopefully you've had a little chuckle for the day. Here comes the Q&A section of today's post:

-Would you rather read a longer book or a shorter one?

-Do you like any particular series of shorter books? Which ones and why?

-How did you do with this years NaNoWriMo? Did you hit your 50,000 words?

-Do you have a favorite book that is really quite long but still well done? Spill it - which book and why?

-What's a fun Thanksgiving story in your family? Do you have your own "Tom the Turkey" tale?


Thanks for being here today - ya'all are great! Winter is setting in the corner of my little cornfield (and the corn is in the silo) and I'm thankful for so much - including the opportunity to write and promote books with WOW!

xoxoxo
~Crystal

Crystal is a secretary, council secretary, and musician at her church, birth mother, babywearing cloth diapering mama (aka crunchy mama), business owner, active journaler, writer and blogger, Blog Tour Manager with WOW! Women on Writing, Publicist with Dream of Things Publishing, Press Corp teammate for the DairyGirl Network, Unicorn Mom Ambassador, as well as a dairy farmer. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their five youngest children (Carmen 11, Andre 10, Breccan 5, Delphine 3, and baby Eudora who somehow turned 1 a few weeks ago), two dogs, four little piggies, a handful of cats and kittens, and over 230 Holsteins.

You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff here, and at her personal blog - Crystal is dedicated to turning life's lemons into lemonade!

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3 comments 40lb turkey, big book, cooking a big turkey, crystal otto, family humor, funny story, leaving a legacy, making memories, NaNoWriMo, short story, thanksgiving, tom the turkey

Counting Your Blessings In a Word Cloud

So here it is, the day before Thanksgiving, and I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that many of you might be overwhelmed…the cooking, the cleaning, the stressing. You need a moment or two, just a little time to gather yourself so you can actually, you know, enjoy the spirit of Thanksgiving. That’s where a word cloud comes in.

And for this exercise to work well, it’d be nice if you had a gratitude journal.

My gratitude journal is more of a gratitude list. I’m a big fan of lists. Lists are easy. Lists are quick. And so before I go to sleep every night, I list five things/people/intangibles for which I’m grateful. There’s something about counting my blessings that helps me dwell on the positives rather than the negatives of the day.

But if you don’t have a gratitude journal, you can just make a regular, old school list. Make it a long list, though; free write for maybe ten minutes, typing every little thing that pops into your head, and don’t worry if you write the same word over and over again. In fact, make it a point to add that bountiful blessing as often as you need it.

Now it’s time to go to a word cloud generator. These are cool applications that will take a whole bunch of words and make them into a graphic. It’s a great tool that allows you to “see” your writing which can be helpful in many ways. For example, you can plug in a manuscript and find out if your protagonist’s name shows up often…or if instead, the word “bologna” dominates your story. (If bologna is your protagonist, then you’re fine. But if your protagonist really likes bologna and you’re writing about a sandwich meat to the point of obsession, then you might want to make some changes in your manuscript.)

There are lots of word generators, like WordItOut, Tagul, TagCrowd and probably the best-known, Wordle (Note: if Chrome is your browser, you’re not going to be able to use Wordle). They’re free and very accessible. Seriously, if you can copy and paste, you can figure out how to create a word cloud. I went with WordItOut to make this graphic from my journal’s list of November blessings. The whole process—taking a break, listing your blessings, creating a word cloud, printing it out—will take maybe a half hour.

Just thirty minutes for you to see how truly blessed you are! You can even put your word graphic in a simple frame from a dollar store and make it the centerpiece for the holiday table, wherever that may find you.

So relax, y'all! I have a feeling that those lovely words might be the best dish you serve this Thanksgiving.

~Cathy C. Hall

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6 comments Cathy C. Hall, gratitude, journal, TagCrowd, Tagul, thanksgiving, word generators, WordItOut, Wordle

A Writer's Thanksgiving

‘Twas the morning of Thanksgiving, and under the door,
Wafted the aroma of the turkey I’d bought from the store.
The table was half-set, and I heard the parade,
While I typed like a fiend towards NaNo word counts I’d made.

When out of the kitchen I heard such a clatter,
I sprung from my desk to see what was the matter.

The dog was wolfing down pie, a toaster was beeping—
And all of a sudden, a kid’s book idea came creeping.
I’d file it away, and as I pulled out the burnt toast,
I thought Happy Thanksgiving! Now I've got a blog post.


For some of us, if not most of us, writing has to come in between. Between the day job that pays a regular income, and the too-short weekends to catch up on everything else. Or between fussy babies finally napping—and kindergartners just home from school. And on days like Thanksgiving, between a turkey roasting in the oven, and the guests arriving way too early.

It’s quite a challenge to fit writing time in while the craziness of life swirls all around you. But you know what? I’m grateful for the experiences and the people who swirl in that lively soup. That’s where I get inspiration, ideas, and the impetus to “write it out.”

There was the Thanksgiving I served a raw turkey to my mother-in-law and parents—and learned how to write about asking for help. On another Thanksgiving, I had a baby howling with an earache and a toddler complaining of a bellyache and a husband sitting alone at a beautifully set table with a bowl of black olives and a turkey. It was all so absurd, I laughed out loud—and wrote about the foibles of trying to have the perfect family holiday.

Yep, I’m thankful for Thanksgiving. It’s served up a fair share of writing along with the cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. But honestly, every day is brimming with writing possibilities, and I’m thankful for that cornucopia that tumbles around me.

Oh! And I’m thankful for you, the readers who take the time to stop by and say hello. I so appreciate you squeezing me in, between washing the dishes and hubby asking for leftovers. But now you really should be off. Writing—and pumpkin pie—wait for no (wo)man!


~Cathy C. Hall

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8 comments Cathy C. Hall, Inspiration, thanksgiving, writer's thanksgiving, writing time

Re-adjusting Thoughts on Gratitude

A few nights ago I watched a program about quantum theory; afterwards, it occurred to me that with all the possibilities available in every given moment it is amazing that anything ever goes “right”—that is, according to plan—which started me thinking about gratitude. Actually, it was in-gratitude I was contemplating.

How many of us go about our days oblivious to the many miracles happening around us but are quick to notice, and curse, the tiny mishaps? Traffic problems, a flat tire, rude clerks, power outages—they all get a “Scotch blessing”. Do you do this? I know I do! I realized that I expect everything to go “right” and when something falls short I label it “bad” as in “a bad day” or “it went wrong.” The reality is…that’s just the natural order of things. Can we learn to give the same amount of attention to the good things that happen?

I don’t know about you but I am not so adept at staying in the present moment to give praise for every green light. Until I reach that point I’ve come up with a game to remind me to be grateful. Throughout my day, each time I catch myself thinking of what has gone wrong I will stop and replace that thought with all the things that have gone right. I imagine this new habit will help relieve some of my self-induced stress. Who knows…over time it may re-awaken the childlike wonder of everyday miracles.

post and picture by Robyn Chausse

What makes you stop and give thanks? Share your everyday miracles here.

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5 comments gratitude, Robyn Chausse, thanksgiving

A Writer's Thanksgiving List

Thanksgiving brings thoughts of family, friends and all of the wonderful things in our lives. As writers, we make a list (and share one thing) of things that we're thankful for. We write about turkeys, the first Thanksgiving, our crazy families, etc.

But, I've never given thought to what I'm thankful for in regards to writing. So here's my list of what I'm thankful for. Feel free to add to the list and let's see how long our thanksgiving list can get.

I'm thankful for recognizing my ability to string words together so they make sense.
I'm thankful for seeing my potential as a writer.
I'm thankful for the courage to pursue my writing even when I doubted myself.
I'm thankful for my trusty pen and paper to put my thoughts in.
I'm thankful for my computer without which I wouldn't have found my online writing pals.
I'm thankful for the friendships I've made because of my writing.
I'm thankful for the creativity that I've been able to share with others through writing.
I'm thankful for the authors, bloggers, and magazine writers who've inspired and encouraged me to keep going.
I'm thankful for the communities I've found because of writing.

Next!

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4 comments A Writer's Thanksgiving List, bloggers, courage, Creativity, friends and fans, pen and paper, potential, thanksgiving, Writers

A Day of Thanksgiving

Today is not only a day for eating turkey, enjoying time with family and friends, and giving thanks for those in your personal lives, it's also a time to be thankful for your writing life.

I'm lucky to have a job where I get to work with talented writers who inspire me daily. These writers include our current staff members: Margo L. Dill, Marcia Peterson, LuAnn Schindler, Joanne Stacey, Jill Earl, Jodi Webb, Anne Greenawalt, Carrie Hulce, Cher'ley Grogg, Chynna Laird, and Elizabeth King Humphrey. And the many, many previous staff members (including most recently Alison Diefenderfer and Senior Editor Annette Fix) who've passed through the WOW! halls. Working with these ladies is such a joy. They're all excellent writers and I love hearing what they're up to in their writing lives and watching them grow as writers.

I'm also thankful for our instructors who've chosen to teach with WOW! Your knowledge and ability to help others with enthusiasm and patience is extraordinary. We're lucky to have you, and those that take your classes are lucky too!

I'm thankful for the Premium-Green community of women writers. This group has to be one of the most encouraging group of writers out there. Thank you for sharing your successes, big or small, and engaging in conversations about the freelance writing life on the group boards. You bring out my entrepreneurial spirit and inspire my pep talks! I hope they inspire you too.

To the multitude of contestants, I owe you a big thank you for always being gracious and understanding--even if we're late with prizes. I love reading your stories and learning more about you through interviews here on The Muffin. You're all such a talented bunch of writers, so creative. I'm still in awe at how you can come up with a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end in such a short word count.

I'm thankful for the guest judges we have each season, who donate their time and judge stories simply for the love of the written word. Thank you for dedicating yourself to our contests and for encouraging writers everywhere.

I'm especially thankful for those of you who visit and read WOW! and share your comments, stories, successes, and your passion for writing. It's this community that keeps me motivated and striving for the best.

To the freelancers and interviewees who've worked with WOW!, I'm thankful for your well written articles and for the advice you've shared with our readers. Without you, there wouldn't be a publication.

And last, but certainly not least, to my webmaster and partner, Glenn Robnett. Thank you for your dedication to WOW!, your expert tech savvy, and for always making our publication look beautiful and shine online.

So as you enjoy a day of family and friends, remember to give thanks to those in your writing life too. (Before you fall into a turkey-induced tryptophan-coma!) Happy Thanksgiving!

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7 comments giving thanks, thanksgiving, WOW staff members, writing life

Unexpected Thanksgiving

I had an unexpected visit from a friend tonight (actually today, if you're in a different time zone). He came down from San Francisco to visit his relatives and stopped by our pad to say hello. It was after midnight and I was in the midst of cranking out WOW!'s holiday gift guide, and still am. With so much on my plate (and unfortunately, I'm talking work, not food!), it's hard to stop for a moment and just be. I have so many commitments and people to please online that sometimes I forget about myself.

At first, I was a little irritated by the unexpected visit. My mind was wrapped up in deadlines and I knew that any socializing would be a setback. But as I switched gears, I suddenly felt relieved, and recognized what was truly important. This was my hubby's best friend in the world, and a good friend of mine too. And I missed him. I can't remember how long it's been. We slipped into conversation like it was yesterday. He showed me the latest window displays he'd created for Saks Fifth Avenue in SF. We chatted about friends, family, love, work, and everything under the sun. And it was good. As he left, I asked him, "So, considering Thanksgiving, what do you have to be thankful for?" The first thing he said was, "Health..." Then he said, "Friends and family..." And we gave him a big hug goodbye.

After he left, I thought about what I was thankful for. So many things came to mind. The first two that he mentioned were also my first choices. My health. My friends and family. I'm also thankful for the many wonderful women I've met through WOW!--interns, columnists, readers, and those I've come to know through the site as personal friends. All of you are special in every way.

I'm also thankful for simple things: having a roof over my head, my relationship with my cat, my long straight hair that never has a bad hair-day (it can't do anything else but be straight!), and the beautiful days and nights here in Southern California.

I'm thankful for being able to write something and have it heard by others. Writing is definitely a gift for all that choose to use it. Many times, we focus on the negative things in our lives and what we need to improve, but today, I'd like to hear what you appreciate--writing or otherwise.

So, what are you thankful for?

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2 comments holiday writing, thanksgiving, writing thanks