Let's Talk About Our Pets!

 Happy February 2021! How is 2021 going for you so far? Hopefully better than 2020. It has been a long, tough school year. The job is emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting all on its own without a pandemic. I created a few crafts for Christmas but other than that I haven't been in the mood to draw, paint, write etc. Anyone else in the same boat?

Enough about all that. Let's talk about our furbabies. If you are like me, my animals are my family. I adore all animals. Going to aquariums, zoo's, and seeing wildlife in nature are some of my favorite things. This week one of my cats has been sick and I thought I was going to lose her. She is doing much better but is not out of the woods yet. Her and her brother are getting older though and I know they can't live forever but it is still heartbreaking to me to even think about it.  

In my book, Imagination Destination and Bullies? No Worries!,  my two cats are the star characters. I even snuck in a couple of their real pictures into Imagination Destination. Can you spot them? 

Over the summer I wrote a new adventure for Kali and Tux but I only have the illustrations in thumbnail form at this point. In this adventure, it's summer and that means family vacation time!  I would love to go on a vacation right about now. Sometimes though they don't always go as planned and you have to adapt and go with it. In this book, Kali and Tux enjoy their family trip even though the weather doesn't want to cooperate. 

Hopefully things calm down and get back to the old normal here really soon.  Only five more months till summer and my author brain can be switched back on and I can get back to finishing this story. 

If you want to check out Kali's and Tux's stories, you can find the links at my website here, Author Rebecca Lyndsey. 

Halloween 2020 Style

Image found on bing.com. 

As we all know, 2020 has altered so much of our normalcy this year and with holidays coming up, it has me thinking on ways those could be impacted too. 

If you are a follower of my blog, you already know I love Halloween!! I've always done some creative green screen videos with my students but this is a tradition 2020 has changed for me. But I am already brainstorming new ideas so I can still incorporate it in this October.

Since the traditional Trick or Treat could possibly be impacted I wanted to come up with some ways to still make the holiday fun 

1. Have a Hide and Go Treat 

in your house or yard. Have the kiddos dress up, maybe invite a friend or two over, and search for the hidden candy with a flashlight. To make it even more spooky, decorate the yard with grave stones (cardboard makes good ones), fake spider webs, jack-o-lanterns, and maybe some spooky ghosts (white trash bags stuffed with newspaper or balloons and a marker to create a ghostly face.) Toilet paper rolls with eyes cut out and a glow stick in the middle creates glowing eyes for trees and bushes. 

2. Have a Witches Fire Party 

Light a fire, drink apple cider and make smores. Kids could dress up in costumes or dress in pj's. Add warm, fluffy blankets for the perfect cozy outdoor activity.  If you're up for it, tell spooky stories and decorate your backyard for an added touch. Too cold to be outside or no backyard? Be creative! Turn your living room into the outdoors. There are loads of campfire videos on Youtube you could play on a tv, or other device. Turn out the lights and pretend you are sitting outside on a beautiful or spooky👻, fall night and enjoy. 

3. Have a movie night!

There are so many fantastic Halloween movies out there from funny to spooky. Hocus Pocus, Casper, Goosebumps, Hotel Transylvania, and Men in Black are some of my favorites. You could even hold it outside if you have a projector. A white sheet would work well as a screen and you could combine this with some of the ideas above to create a one-of-a-kind experience!

I hope I have inspired you to make the best of the situation and maybe even created some new traditions for you. Use my ideas? I would love to see pictures. Feel free to leave me a comment on my fb page. Happy Fall! 

Most JAWesome Time of the Year!

It's the most Jawesome time of the year for shark lovers like me! Shark Week begins this Sunday!  Woohoo!!  I have been fascinated with all kinds of marine life for as long as I can remember. Which is why Into the Ocean is so special to me. 

So to celebrate along with Discovery Channels Shark Week, GW decided we needed to do something special. 

 

Amazon Book Link

I have spoken about a FINtastic organization called Sharks4Kids in the past and they are worth mentioning again. They offer so many educational materials for free. Games, coloring pages, crafts, activities and more to help inspire a new generation of shark advocates. I have even been lucky enough to create a few coloring/activity sheets and Sharky crafts for this wonderful group. Check them out and more here. 

August will be gone before we know it, let's all try and enjoy it! 

Carmela Dutra – “Book Lovers Day: A Day for Bookworms”

Sandra Bennett – Characters in a Book are like Friends

Julie Schooler – 3 Paradoxical Takeaways from Brené Brown’s Books

Rosie Russell -Five Fun Facts and Quiz about Book Lovers Day

Cat Michaels – Lift Your Bibliophile Heart During Covid with a Rap, Really Awful Poem to Celebrate Book Lover’s Day

Auden Johnson – Best Horror Tropes in Books and Movies (Infographic)

Julie Gorges – 8 Life Lessons Learned From the Coronavirus

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Where is a Timey Wimey Machine When You Need It!?

 

How can it be JULY already? I know there are some who may not agree with me, especially during this crazy year, but I really can't believe how fast summer is going by! I am not ready for it to be over so quick. I need to learn how to time travel, freeze time or at least slow it down. I have so much I want to do but haven't gotten a lot accomplished.....eeek!  

So what have I been up to?  

I have been working on a few special order painting requests. I loved this one so much I wanted to keep it for myself but it is currently with its new owner. 💙

 

 I am also working on three books.....yes three!  One is a novel I have been working on for years now. Don't know if I will ever publish it but it is a story a friend of mine and I first developed together. Even though it's been years, I only have it half written. I am determined to finish it, even if it's just to give my characters an ending. The second story is a personal one. It started as a way for me to release all the anger I was feeling about a situation that was going on. It's actually turning out to be a really funny story. Again, who knows if I will actually publish it. Time will tell.  On to my third book.... this will be my fifth children's book.  It is unofficially titled "Riverstone Camping". In this adventure, two of my current characters, Kali and Tux, are going on a summer camping trip with their parents. With sun and hot temperatures comes rain and storms. What will they do to pass the time while stuck in their tent?  Stay tuned to find out!  

One thing I have realized about working on three books at the same time is, it is HARD switching my brain from writing for an adult novel to writing for a kids book! I catch myself being too descriptive and too wordy when writing my children's story. If I'm not careful, my 1500 word count book will be 5000 words!😁

My characters are calling so I'm off to help tell their story!  Have a wonderful and safe July. If any of you happen to find a Timey Wimey machine or a magic wand, please let me borrow. I promise to give it back. What have you been doing to stay busy? Let me know in the comments section. 

Be sure to check out my June blog for book recommendations, yummy treat ideas and more to help beat boredom during this crazy 2020. 

I often post pictures of my artwork on my FB Author Page and Pinterest page, be sure to stop by. 😄