Very Superstitious......

Very superstitious..... writing's on the wall. 🎵

Do I have you singing yet?  If I've lost ya, just go to Youtube and search for Superstitious. 😉

Let's talk superstitions! Do you believe in them?  Don't really believe they cause actual happenings but still do them anyway?  I always knock on wood when I think I've jinxed myself by something I've said but it's not really something I worry about if I don't. This year, February has an extra day, February 29th. Marking this year as a Leap Year, which offers many traditions and superstitions for this special day/year that only occurs once every four years. 

Image found on Bing.com I do not own the rights. 

Have you ever watched the movie, Leap Year?  It's one of my favorites. In the story, the lead actress is going to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on this day, which is an Irish tradition. I searched to confirm if it was true or just movie lore. It is said that even though now and days a woman proposing is not an uncommon thing but that hasn't always been the case. Long ago, there were stricter rules on this and women could only propose on February 29th. 

What is your take on this? Is it okay for a woman to propose or are you more traditional?  What about just once, every four years? 

Ready for a superstition?  According to my research, in Greece, it is considered bad luck to marry not only on that day but during that year.  In Scotland, it is said a baby born on this day will live a life of suffering. 

On a happier note, in a town called Anthony, located on the Texas/New Mexico border, they celebrate by having a four day festival. During which they hold a huge birthday party for all the leap year babies! 

So I ask again, do you believe in superstitions? Any good ones you would care to share? Hit the comment section below or find this post on my FB page and comment there. 

While on my research road trip, I came across this old saying, author unknown..

                                    Thirty days hath September,
                                     April, June and November;
                                     All the rest have thirty one, 
                                      Excepting February alone

                              Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
                                 Till leap year gives it twenty-nine. 

So why does this occur? A calendar year is 365 days but it actually takes the earth 365 + 1/4 days to complete its yearly rotation. So every four years, we have an extra day to balance everything out.  

Image found on bing.com. 

So what are you going to do with your extra day? Does it affect you in any way? I don't really have any plans for this day other than maybe catching up on some much needed sleep after this crazy work week.  I am ready for a vacation. Maybe I can use my extra day and plan a spa day!! 💓

It's fun to read and hear about how other countries celebrate this day. Be sure to check out the awesome #Gr8tBlogs links below for more Leap Year inspired blogs. 

Cat Michaels-Five Easy Things You Can Do With Your Extra 24 Hours on Leap Day

Rosie Russell-We're Leaping and Hopping for Leap Year 2020

Julie Gorges- How Baby Boomers Can Make Leap Year Count


Jim Milson "Happy Leap Year Day! What Will You Do With Your Extra Time?"

Carmela Dutra  -How to Take a Leap on Leap Day
                                                       
Sandra Bennett-  What Will You Do With an Extra Day

Auden Johnson  How Will You Spend Your Extra Day? 

Chris Gorges A Rare Gift- Extra Time 
                                                        
Julie Schooler  


References:  https://www.liveabout.com/leap-year-traditions-and-superstition-2300637

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/leap-year-traditions

Time to Create!

Hi Y'all!  2019 is gone and 2020 is officially here. What? How can that be? 1990 was just ten years ago! Hahaha!  2019 was a rough one for my friends and family. We had to say goodbye to too many wonderful people. So here's to hoping 2020 is a better, happier year for all!

I am not one for making New Year Resolutions but I do try to set some accomplishments that I would like to do that year. These are usually related to my writing.  This year is no different.  I want to get a new children's book written in 2020. I have oodles of ideas and started one back over the summer. Writing is the easy part though. It's getting all the illustrations and formatting complete that is the time consuming part.  Over the years I have gotten better at the whole process thanks to experience and help from others. It's great to have supportive friends in this career.  That is my first tip to anyone who is considering taking the self-publishing route.  Find a group in your field that you can talk to and bounce ideas off of.  There are so many wonderful free groups on FB, you just have to join and see which one fits you best.  There are also paid sites that can be very beneficial, especially if you live in a area where you can attend meetings and conferences. I liked being a part of SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators). Since I haven't been able to focus much on my writing the last couple of years, I didn't renew my subscription.  However, this organization is a wonderful source for any writer/illustrator.  https://www.scbwi.org/

Write, write, write! Create, create, create! That is my next tip. It doesn't matter if what you write or create turns into anything significant. If it is something you really love doing, it can be a great stress reliever. It seems to be a part of you and setting aside some time to do is good for your soul. At least, that's how I feel. Who knows, you may surprise yourself. 

My first painting in 2020. 

Formatting makes me want to bang my head against the wall. Haha! It's really not that bad but it is time consuming and can be frustrating, so be patient.  My number three tip is to really read up on the platform you want to publish in first.  For example, if you plan on publishing in ebook and hardback on Amazon, then read the how to guides first to understand how you need Word setup, or what image size you need for your illustrations.  Knowing this ahead of time will save you a lot of time, because everything will already be ready to upload and you won't have to go back and change everything. 

That's all the wisdom I have to share right not but I want to leave you with one of my favorite quotes. 

December Dreamin'

Merry Christmas! This is a season when memories are made, family is brought together and traditions are made. Please join me and my as I share “Holiday Traditions that Ring in My Season.”

Check out my personal reveals, then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of the post for more shared recollections. We hope you'll be inspired to dive into special December Dreams of your own!

And finally, my favorite holiday tradition is driving around looking at Christmas lights!! These pictures were taken on a mini vacation we took to Pigeon Forge, TN.

authorrebeccalyndsey.weebly.com 

Traditions can be passed down from generations or created totally new as a new chapter in your life begins. I have shared some of my holiday traditions, in the comments area, feel free to share some of yours. Also be sure to check out the other wonderful #Gr8Blogs links below. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! #Gr8blogs Cat Michaels:

My Ups, Downs and In Betweens on the 2019 Writing Road

Julie Gorges Baby Boomer Writer's Ups, Downs & In-Betweens in 2019

Rosie Russell My Ups, Downs and In Betweens on the 2019 Writing Road

Julie Schooler
James Milson

Sandra Bennett

Happy HallowSCREAM!

Happy Halloween!!  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. We don't decorate much at my home but at school is a different story. We go pretty big for our big community event.  Each year, I start October by having my students collaborate and come up with some ideas we could use to make some cool Halloween videos. They always come up with great stuff! Time is limited though, so not every idea can make it into a video but I do my best to include everyone who wants to be a part of it. This is also a time I discuss with my students on what copyright means. My videos are only for school purposes and are not uploaded to any site or platform on the internet or copied for parents or students. 

So what do we do? Every class does something different. I collaborate with the PE teacher who works with the students on a particular song, dance, story etc and in my room, the students get to wear costumes and use props to help bring their choice to life the best we can. With my older grades, they are also the ones videoing. 

So the tech side of it. I use the app DoInk on my classroom ipad and a green screen I bought off of Amazon (Together I  only spent around $40 for app and screen) Don't want to buy a screen? No problem. A cheap green party tablecloth from the dollar store works great too!  I use them for the "Magic" part of our videos.  Shhhh! Don't tell.  Also, maybe you just want to use puppets and tell a story. Paint an old cardboard box green and use paper puppets. Just make sure the object being used to move the characters is green and you're good to go!

Here are some pictures of just a few of videos this year.  I love the outcome but man am I glad they are done. LOL 

Green masks were used to help create these spooky effects!

A green tablecloth was used here to help our fourth skeleton dance around. These Spooky Skeletons did a great job with their video. 

These guys showed off some great dance moves! 

The "Invisibility cloak" was a big hit!

By far, this was one of my favorites! How cool that we got to dance with one of the official Men in Black!

These are just a few of the amazing videos we were able to create this year. Maybe it's inspired you to create some of your own. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas, here we come!