I didn’t expect to inspire a dress-up character, but eleven years ago, one of my college student’s wife went to their daughter’s fifth-grade party with kids costumed as characters in history, one girl came as “Mrs. Topliff, writer of children’s books.” I think I’m honored but wish I had a photo of how she looked. Does she want to write books? What is she doing now? I wish her well. I began writing in third grade—it’s never too soon to start.
Stores display everything Christmas the moment Halloween ends and sometimes before. Christmas is only fifty-five days away. I’ve bought some gifts. This popular English song appeared in 1885.
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man’s hat
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, God bless you!
This week that melody played in my head, and I pictured my books in hats instead of pennies. Books are better companions and build good memories.
Here’s a gift for you, whether you’ve read my Wilderness Wife book or not. Many have asked for a sequel. I wrote a short one describing the McLoughlin’s Honeymoon Adventures. Click this free link to enjoy it now.
I loved retracing routes Marguerite and her family traveled as I visited friends in Ontario Canada in late May. I saw endless scenes of gorgeous scenery, clear lakes, and endless trees in open country. They made me expect to find Marguerite and family around any corner.
I’ve just traveled to Northeast Mississippi for winter again and found cotton fields white unto harvest plus the biggest combine I’ve ever seen!
As you know from my A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel book, my heart is very involved with that nation and people. That includes praying for the terrorists to realize that murder and mayhem will not legislate creation of the free nation they say they desire.
As always, thanks for reading my books and posting customer reviews on Amazon and other major sites. It helps tremendously.
Thanksgiving is coming. May yours be wonderful with loving family and friends in safe situations. Here’s a fun recipe you might enjoy.
Easy, delicious two-ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
To make two dozen cookies, you’ll need:
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- 1 (15.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
Combine the spice cake mix and pumpkin in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until well-mixed. Use a heaping Tbsp. to scoop the batter into rounded balls and place on the cookie sheet. They don’t spread much, so you can usually fit 10 on each baking sheet with an inch between them.
Bake 12-15 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking until they look puffed and dry and the cookies spring back when touched. Cool and transfer to a cooling rack.
If you like this blog, you might also enjoy these earlier ones:
- A Bouquet of Thanks for Thanksgiving, November 15, 2022
- When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano, October 18, 2022
- Update Plus Interesting Facts from Inspiring Heroine, Marguerite McLoughlin’s Early Life, February 1, 2022
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