Summertime Bliss

June 1st marks the first day of meteorological summer....so it is officially summer in my book. Whew! Didn't think I was going to make it this year. This school year had numerous ups and downs with some unexpected big changes. Not sure what the coming school year will hold for me. 

How do you find your summertime bliss?  I have some ideas I want to do to do to make the most of my warm breezy summer break. Join me on my summertime wishlist, then be sure to visit the #Gr8tblogs at the end of this post for more inspiration and smiles. 

1. READ

Summer is when I tend to read the most and this summer, I already have a list started.

Sapphire Waves by Kristy McCaffrey 

A second-chance romance in the gorgeous blue waters of the Bahamas.

Softly Creeping by Terri Reid

Creatures, Hauntings, Legends, Myths, Phenomenon.
All things that make us think, make us wonder, and sometimes makes our hair stand on end.
Visit the realm of the unknown, where mysterious creatures lurk in the shadows. A place where myths and legends abound. Take in the stories and ponder their meaning. Read about unexplained phenomenon, and wonder.

A Small Town Second Chance by Melinda Curtis

A heartwarming, small town romance about the courage to let go and risk loving again. 

Time for Justice by Susan C Muller

Attorney Tom Meyers and his investigator, Fiona Drake, are good at digging up the truth.

Now they’re entangled in two long forgotten cases that will test them at every turn and make them wonder if some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried.

Black Hollow Hideaway by J.R Erickson

A stand-alone paranormal mystery inspired by a chilling true story.

2.  BE CREATIVE 

I currently stocked up on canvases and can't wait to get my easel, paints and brushes out. I already have a landscape painting in mind! 🌄

Right now, though, I am working on a WV themed t-shirt design for a local contest. Wish me luck! 

I also hope to work on some new resin art. Since you have to use a well-ventilated space with temps in the upper 60's-70's range, summer is the only time I get to work with this medium.  I've made some beautiful resin river coasters in the past, I think this year, I am going to give jewelry making a try. 

Do you like to create? Paint? Crafts?  I encourage you to check out Bob Ross tutorials if you are interested in learning landscape art. I've learned a lot from him. 

Have kiddos at home? Here is a quick, fun, color mixing experiment my young students always enjoy. 

You will need: 3 little plastic cups filled about halfway with water, food coloring, 3 spoons, and gloves if you don't want to risk getting food coloring on your hands.

Do this with each color individually:

Start with the 3 primary colors, red, yellow, blue.

Place a couple drops of food coloring in the cup and stir to watch the color form.

Once you have all three colors formed, have your little one predict what will happen if you mix the colors?

Add drops of food coloring to form the secondary colors:

Red with yellow to form orange,

blue with red to form purple, and

yellow with blue to form green.

If you give it a try, I would love to hear how it went and feel free to post pictures. If this inspires them to want to color, here is one my illustrations from World of Color that they can color all their own.  

My book World of Color , available at Amazon, talks about the importance of color and how they are formed if you would like to expand this activity. 

Another fun activity, Grow a Rainbow, can be found here: 

Easy Grow a Rainbow on Paper Towel Experiment | Mombrite

There are a few different ways to do this activity. Check it out on Pinterest. 

3. VACATION

I have dreams of going on a luxury vacation with warm sandy beaches, turquoise waters and coconut drinks but that's all it will be.... a dream. Haha!

My computer keeps telling me it's ready to retire, as does my Kindle and my refrigerator! Yikes!! So, I'll have to stick with a staycation this year. 

Image found here.

Over the years, summer is when I have been able to turn off my teacher brain and turn on my author brain, however with my computer on the fritz, which is also my drawing tablet, this year I'm afraid I won't be getting much of that done.  I'm looking at replacements but not sure what to go with this time around. I love my Surface Pro but the price is a little too high for me right now. i can't have an ipad.  At my school, all of our students have them and guess who gets to deal with all the tech issues? You guessed it, me!  So, I loathe them! Hahaha!! No offense to those who love    them. Wish there was a store I could try different models out but nothing like that around here. My online research continues. 

Thanks for stopping by! How are you currently jumping into summer? Any big plans? Please share in the comments section. 

Julie Gorges

Rosie Russell

Sandra Bennett

Finding Magic

Welcome to March! How's your weather been in your neck of the woods?  Are you wanting spring to arrive early or are you like me, wanting some winter weather to hit first? Haha! I know that sounds crazy but here in WV, we have been in a snow drought this winter. We've gotten a few little snows here and there but nothing like we are used to. I've been seeing all the storms hitting out west and I'm jealous. I am a snow lover. I know the headaches a huge storm can cause, and I bet anyone reading this from those states is yelling at my post right now. Sorry! If you have been slammed with those huge storms over and over, I keep telling Mother Nature she can send a foot our way in March and give you guys a break. 

One of my favorite things about March is Dr. Seuss' birthday. Every week during this time, we have Spirit Week to celebrate. It's fun to see all the kids dressed up as their favorite Dr. Seuss characters. I love sharing books with my students and Dr. Seuss has some fun ones. Do you have a favorite?  Mine is "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut". My favorite thing about his books are the messages they have in them. Sure, they are silly books with lots of crazy things that don't make a whole lot of sense but through all that you will find the message in them. In "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut", my favorite line is

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you will go."  

That's a message I love sharing with my students. Another one of my favorites is... 

Image found on bing.com. I do not own the rights to it. 

I literally could fill this blog post with fifty inspirational book quote images, but I won't. Haha!  If you're interested, check out a Dr. Seuss book, look up read-aloud's on Youtube or do your own Dr. Seuss quotes image search. Even if you are not a fan of the author and illustrator, Theodor Seuss Geisel, remember some of his advice, 

"You can find magic wherever you look, sit back and relax, all you need is book."  

So, go ahead and look around, you never know when your next favorite book may be found.

Find a comfy chair, a warm fuzzy blanket and something warm to drink and pick up a book. Maybe choose one by a favorite authors of yours or try someone new. I have recently discovered books by author J.R Erickson. If you enjoy paranormal mysteries, give her a try, I have been reading a lot this year, it's been my way to unwind from a very stressful school year full of ups. downs and construction going on in my workplace. Definitely not a fun time. J.R Erickson has captivated my attention so much, I'm on my fifth book of hers. I've also discovered a new romance author, Dr. Rebecca Sharp.  Her book had good and bad. Not sure if I will read another by her. After I finish my current read, I am going to take a break from reading and work on some artwork instead. What about you, have you come across any new authors you love? Any book you recommend?

Children's books also make great reads....hehehe. You can discover my books on my website, https://www.authorrebeccalyndsey.weebly.com and be sure to check out the other fantastic #gr8tblog authors, for your next read. 

Sandra Bennett

Rosie Russell

Julie Gorges

Carmela Dutra

Auden Johnson

New Chapters. New Chances

 As we ring in the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, many people take the time to reflect on the previous year. Their ups, downs and in-betweens.  I do this to a point, but I try to only concentrate on the good and not so much on the bad. As I was beginning to write this blog, I noticed I only wrote two blog posts last year. It wasn't only because I didn't have much time to spend on it, but because I didn't want to make the time. Over the years, I have backed off of social media more and more. Work keeps me super busy and stressed. When I come home, I have responsibilities there as well. It's hard to juggle it all but to try to add in all the social media stuff was the easiest to back off on, so that's what I did. It wasn't something I thought out, it just happened that way.  I hope to one day be able to concentrate on more books and more of a social media presence, just not sure when that will actually be. When I retire?  Eeek, I hope not, that's too long down the road. Hopefully in the near future, work will become less stressful, and my creativity will take over more and more. Thank you to all of you who have supported me over the years, and I hope you continue on this journey with me even as it slows down a bit. 

We never know what a new year will bring. It's twelve new chapters with 365 new chances, as the quote says.  Here's to the new year bringing in wonderful new adventures, lots of good luck and fun and happiness to us all. 

Picture found on bing.com image search. I do not own the rights to the image.

I will try to write more than two blog posts this year.  Before I go, I want to leave you with one last piece of wisdom I plan on implementing this year and maybe you will as well. 

Thanks for reading! Now check out all these wonderful blog posts from some amazing authors. 

Sandra Bennett

Rosie Russell

Julie Gorges

Carmela Dutra

A New Chapter

 Where did summer go?  Seriously, it felt like it was June yesterday and now we are into August! How has your summer been so far?  Mine had its ups and downs.  I relaxed, rested up, read some fantastic books, visited some interesting places in my state, WV, with my hubby and painted my heart out. Sadly though, our furbaby, Sylvester, crossed the rainbow bridge in July. I had a hard time losing him. Him and his sister were a huge part of our life and after we lost her last year, losing him too was completely heartbreaking.  Those two will always be with me and they will live forever as my two loveable characters in my books, Imagination Destination and Bullies? No Worries!. 

Rebecca Lyndsey Website

I wrote a new book involving these two last summer and worked on a few illustrations for it but this summer, my heart just wasn't into working on it. I wasn't sure if I even would finish it, but I think I will try and finish it. Keep their memory alive.  It involves my two favorite characters, Kali and Tux, as they go on a summer camping adventure.  

Change is hard, that is for sure. Since losing Sylvester, my hubby convinced me to adopt two cuties from our local shelter. I'm sure these two will be included in some future projects.  Meet Pebbles and Lulu. 

It was tough for me having two new kitties in my home. It made me miss my others so much more at first but after a little while, they helped heal my heart. 

I do not own the rights to this image, it was found on Bing.com, author unknown. 

This saying is something I believe in, even though it can be hard to turn that page. Change is always happening, sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes it takes the bad to make the good happen.  I love parts of my job but the stress of it is getting more and more and I'm too a point, the stress isn't worth it anymore.  I hope to one day have a job that makes me happier and allows me more time to work on art and books. Hopefully that chapter is coming up soon in my life.  If you are experiencing some highs and lows as well, don't be afraid to turn the page. 

              I do not own the rights to this image, it was found on Bing.com, author unknown. 

Enjoy the rest of summer!