A fairy walk you say? Why yes, yes, yes indeed. Shall I prove it?

Another great benefit of not photographing full time anymore is that my creative juices (some sweet and some downright cheesy) like to flow and I get to indulge in some fun scenes that I might now otherwise have done. Like these awesome lanterns at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum. They were at the visitor’s center, in trees and hanging from the top of the ‘fish pond’ area. Sometimes, though, dancing under lanterns just can’t be captured in one frame. It has to tell a story. Probably why I like writing so much. One photograph might be worth a 1000 words, or it might be worth a novella. All in one shot.

It’s fun just to get creative. To play with my pen tablet and to colors as if I were a 5 year old. And it’s even better when not staying in the lines makes myself smile. That’s why I love this part of my creative life so much.

Now, we’ll spend a little time getting to know Vickie before we take off to read her book and learn about her great-great grandparents.

Do you prefer the people in your life to be simple or complex?
I like the people in my life to be complex, otherwise I would get bored. But, when they become difficult because they’re complex, I wish they were more simple. So long as they’re not simple-minded ….

If that doesn’t get you interested in this brand new author, check her out at all these other places:

If you were to be eaten by cannibal, how would you like to be prepared?
I would want to be bar-b-qued over an open spit, smothered in Jack Daniels bar-b-Que sauce, served with a side of corn on the cob and fire roasted potatoes. Oh, and provide the diners with toothpicks.

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I would be a screenwriter and score my own movies! Watch out Steven Spielberg and John Williams!!!!

Are you cheap or thrifty?
I am thrifty and proud of it! I hunt for bargains on the more expensive things, like clothes and shoes especially, but won’t drive across town to save 3 cents on a can of beans that happens to be on sale. And because I’m thrifty, I save enough each year to take a nice vacation where I spend my money on whatever I darn well want!

What Would You Do Right Now If You Had A Million Bucks?
I’d be take a round-the-world cruise on the most luxurious yacht ever built, and I wouldn’t come home until I’d visited every continent – including Antarctica!

Now, before we get to the last question, let’s look at AUTHOR’s book …

Richard and Leah Kenyon, along with family and friends, immigrate to Zion in 1849 leaving their beloved homeland of Wales. With great sacrifice and faith they prepare for their journey, but are unsuspecting of the exacting toll asked of the Atlantic Ocean and the mighty Mississippi.

Favorite one-line review about the book

Vickie has managed to craft a magnificent tale of love, faith and the promise of things to come in America’s Zion.

Favorite 6 sentences from the book

“Richard slid his arm around Leah’s shoulders. “ ’Tis hard, I know,” he said as if he could read her mind.
His touch gave her a sense of reassurance. She could feel his strength lending itself to her, lifting and carrying her beyond doubt. Richard kissed her temple and held her as the ropes were loosed from the moorings. She turned to him, her eyes burning into his. “Let me look at you, Richard. Let me look to you and our future. I cannot bear to watch us leave . . .”
“

Buy it now …

But before you go, one last question …

What scares you the most?
I am scared of dying in a fire. I just hate the thought of being trapped in a burning building with no way out. I hear most victims succumb to smoke inhalation before they are burned, but either way, it doesn’t sound like a good way to go.

Congratulations, Vickie! Good luck with Journey of Promise!

Have more questions for this author? Ask in the comments!

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What was your most embarrassing moment?
I would have to say my most embarrassing moment was when I was out on a date with a guy, and two times I called him another guys name (who I liked more). Then I tried to cover it up with a super lame excuse. I married that other guy. Insult to injury.

If that doesn’t get you interested in this brand new author, check her out at all these other places:

Do you prefer the people in your life to be simple or complex?
I’m going to go for both. You can understand simple people, not much drama, and you know where they stand. They are usually organized and easy to follow. All positive qualities if you ask me, but…sometimes I need a little excitement and complexity. Someone who can light a fire in me or get my brain tumbling. What a boring world it would be if we had nothing to figure out and no one to entertain us with their unusual, dramatic, or interesting lives.

Do spelling and grammer mistakes annoy you?
As long as I can read it without stopping every few seconds I’m good, but I can’t stand when people use texting acronyms when they are not actually texting…makes me crazy. I like to read real words even if they are misspelled. AIMB…Does anyone even know what that means?

If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I would be a florist. Lest you think I am boring, I love flowers almost as much as I love my children! They just make me happy and they make other people happy. And who doesn’t love something that brings with it such vast amounts of happiness! There are flowers for every emotion and every occasion. They brighten everything! I want to be apart of all that brightness.

Wouldn’t it be fun to chuck it all and go live on a sailboat?
I can’t think of anything better, except for maybe motion sickness and a constant paranoia that one of my children would be hurled out to sea. Unless of course you meant that I would also be leaving my children behind. I think I would miss them.

Now, before we get to the last question, let’s look at Michelle’s book …

Got Your Ever After? That is the question of a lifetime. When your Ever After began I’m sure it was a happy one, but, over time, something about family life becomes a little less perfect and likely a lot less glamorous. Call me crazy but I got married so I could be with my husband. See what I said…Crazy. If you are anything like me, and probably the rest of the world, this book is for you. It gives perspective on what we call marriage and family life. Let it be your guide to making your ever after truly, sublimely happy.

In Family Ever After: author Michelle Packard explores and advises on everything from time management to identifying what’s really important in any family, how to celebrate play to solving conflicts without making it worse, and managing expectations to developing a positive outlook on real patience.

Favorite one-line review about the book

Family Ever After is a must-read for every happily married Cinderella who wonders why she’s still holding the broom.” —Rachelle J. Christensen, award-winning author of Wrong Number and Caller ID

Favorite 6 sentences from the book

This is not the ever after I imagined years ago, as the satin folds of my white sparkling princess dress twirled around me and I was lost in my hus- band’s brown eyes. Nor is it what I imagined during our short honeymoon bliss. This is better because this is real. Find your vision of ever after and live it; you may be sur- prised to find the journey is the part you love the most.

Buy it now …

But before you go, one last question …

Are you cheap or thrifty?
Heavens No! I try to be but sometimes I get tired of using things that fall apart because I bought them at the Dollar store. I just have to go buy it again anyway and that takes more time. And if you want to talk about time, bargain hunting is not for me. I don’t have the patience to spend hours searching out that one amazing deal that I need five coupons to purchase. I’d rather have less quality things than tons of cheap somethings, and I’d rather put my time somewhere else.

Congratulations, Michelle! Good luck with Family Ever After!

Have more questions for this author? Ask in the comments!

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About the Book

Looking for a little kitchen table wisdom, with a side of humor?

Enjoy popular speaker and author Connie Sokol’s latest collection of humorous columns on surviving and thriving being a woman, wife, and mother. A former contributor for Deseret News, Utah Valley Magazine, and a current blogger for KSL’s “Motherhood Matters” blog, Mrs. Sokol shares her favorite life pearls in this hilarious yet helpful trilogy.

Life is Too Short Trilogy combines three individual books, updated and revised:
Life is Too Short for One Hair Color
Life is Too Short for Sensible Shoes
Life is Too Short for Linoleum

Get an upbeat and refreshing read through Mrs. Sokol’s humorous experiences that teach successful life tips. Learn simple solutions to marital problems. Laugh at relatable “mother moments.” Rediscover how to be and share your unique self. Delight in filling your well and finding joy again as a woman, wife, and mother!

My Thoughts

This is the second of Connie Sokol’s books that I’ve read. What I like about them, what draws me to them, is their simple method of just telling us like it is, in a way that doesn’t demean, doesn’t point fingers and doesn’t say ‘you’re bad for doing things your way’ even if ‘your way’ hasn’t been working. At first, I didn’t think Life’s too Short would apply to me … until I finished reading page two. Ha! You see, the whole book applies to me.

How? Why?

Because I’m a woman. I’m a mom. I’m … human.

This isn’t a self-help, in your face kind of book though. My revelations that ‘this is like me’ and ‘this applies to me’ came through self-exploration. In fact, I intend to re-read this book to really feel and think about the contents more.

What Connie does is infuse her life into the lessons learned to show people how, yes, even a mom of seven can have fun and sometimes overdoes it.

One thing I will note is that while I agreed with much of the book, I think I’ve already found happiness and found a way beyond some of these issues. For example, on the notes of having fun and delegating, our family’s dinner table experience is a barrel of laughter almost every single night. I’ve delegating dinner to my 15 year old son who, yes, gets paid to cook, but only a small stipend. That savings from my time though is priceless and he earns from it.

You see, I think much of what Connie has written, is actual common sense, but like so many of us, we’re forgotten what it’s like to just be ourselves because we’re mired in the day to day of being who the world wants us to be. We aren’t all perfect. We aren’t always the June Cleaver’s of the world and some of us don’t want to. If we recognize that, we can actually help ourselves, help ourselves. That is what I think Connie’s book does. It empowers through experiential accomplishment.

If that’s something you need, I highly recommend this short book.

Author Connie Sokol
Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, a national and local presenter, and a regular speaker at Education Week. She is a monthly contributor on KSL TV “Studio 5,” and regular blogger for KSL “Motherhood Matters.” She is a former TV and radio host for Bonneville Communications, and columnist for Deseret News and Utah Valley Magazine. Mrs. Sokol is the author of several books including the award-nominated romance Caribbean Crossroads, the 8-week Challenge program of Faithful, Fit & Fabulous, Life is Too Short for One Hair Color Series, as well as talk CDs and podcasts. Mrs. Sokol marinates in time spent with her family and eating decadent treats.

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About the front:
This is a little different Read or Not segment as this is a nonfiction book. I just had to use it, though, as an example of a fantabulous cover because this one caught my eye and held on. Why? Well, it’s Cinderella’s chariot right there, but the book’s about family. Or so it says. ‘Family Ever After’, right? So we have this pumpkin, aka chariot and I’m wondering just what could this be about? A play on the fairy tale? A new made up one? Wishful thinking? What exactly? There’s both an innocence and a strong foundation to the imagery, too. It’s not fluffy Disney, it’s there, but with the deeper colors and the lack of humans on the cover, it makes me think there’s more to it than just a book about a fairy tale.

Now let’s look at what the back says:

Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Perfect Happiness in an Imperfect Family

Women frustrated with their marriage and their family will find the help they need to achieve greater happiness and success in their family in the new book, Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Extraordinary Happiness with Your Ordinary Family by stay-at-home mom, blogger, and ordinary family leader Michelle H. Packard.

Family Ever After uses the fairytale concept that once you find your prince charming life is happily ever after. Michelle H. Packard knows this concept, while romantic, is not realistic, and she provides a practical, poignant, funny, and moving exploration of the simple ways you can help find greater happiness and satisfaction in your marriage and family. Packard says, “While the idea of happy ever after is distorted, you can, in fact, achieve a Family Ever After.”

Family Ever After brings time-tested and well-researched principles to family life to help you learn specific ways to improve your marriage and your family, whether that family is ordinary or extraordinary.
Using real-world examples of best practices and helping woman readjust their media-driven perception of what happily ever after means, Family Ever After gives readers a pragmatic, helpful, and entertaining exploration of:

How happiness in marriage and family life requires a more educated, real-world perspective
How proper prioritization and defining what’s important in marriage and family is key to success;
Why conflict is part of an ordinary family experience and how to peacefully resolve it;
How to cultivate a sense of humor;
How to develop a thoughtful and sincere habit of complimenting each member of your family;
How to improve family relationships with extended family members; and
Learning how to love a family member in the way they understand and accept that love
More than another how-to-have-a-perfect-family book, Family Ever After helps you gain the understanding and the practical skills of what makes ordinary families successful. Family Ever After is an essential and beautiful resource for all women who want to put more happiness in theirs and their family’s life.

Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?

Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Perfect Happiness in an Imperfect Family

See? NOT a fluffy fairytale – just as the colors suggest

Women frustrated with their marriage and their family will find the help they need to achieve greater happiness and success in their family in the new book, Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Extraordinary Happiness with Your Ordinary Family by stay-at-home mom, blogger, and ordinary family leader Michelle H. Packard.

Non-fiction! Even better. Aren’t we often swept away by fairytales? Now we get words on a completely different level.

Family Ever After uses the fairytale concept that once you find your prince charming life is happily ever after. Michelle H. Packard knows this concept, while romantic, is not realistic, and she provides a practical, poignant, funny, and moving exploration of the simple ways you can help find greater happiness and satisfaction in your marriage and family. Packard says, “While the idea of happy ever after is distorted, you can, in fact, achieve a Family Ever After.”

Look! Right there! There is fairy tale built in, but in a different way! I knew this cover had more than met the eye. Love it!

Family Ever After brings time-tested and well-researched principles to family life to help you learn specific ways to improve your marriage and your family, whether that family is ordinary or extraordinary.
Using real-world examples of best practices and helping woman readjust their media-driven perception of what happily ever after means, Family Ever After gives readers a pragmatic, helpful, and entertaining exploration of:

How happiness in marriage and family life requires a more educated, real-world perspective
How proper prioritization and defining what’s important in marriage and family is key to success;
Why conflict is part of an ordinary family experience and how to peacefully resolve it;
How to cultivate a sense of humor;
How to develop a thoughtful and sincere habit of complimenting each member of your family;
How to improve family relationships with extended family members; and
Learning how to love a family member in the way they understand and accept that love

More than another how-to-have-a-perfect-family book, Family Ever After helps you gain the understanding and the practical skills of what makes ordinary families successful. Family Ever After is an essential and beautiful resource for all women who want to put more happiness in theirs and their family’s life.

I just love this concept and the cover rocks and put together, this is a …

Cover and Blurb win!

Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments! And don’t forget to check out the book, buy it now if you want or register below for the prizes!

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and because I totally forgot … S!

What better post than two photos of two budding items. One flowers, one human, both growing and enjoying their lives.

About the front:
This is a spooky cover. There are eyes in the water! What really draws me in is the color. The purple is wicked. I love how the whole thing is saturated in blues and purples like it’s nighttime out there. And the moon is there too. So we’ve got a city, something in the water and the moon. There has to be a connection. Has to. This definitely has the thriller/suspense feel which from the info about the book seems to fit.

Now let’s look at what the back says:

Werewolf. Bar bouncer. Dad. Standard traits for any self-respecting, reformed criminal, living under the radar in Demos City. For Leon Gray, normal is what he wants—for himself and his not-yet-changed teenage daughter.

Playing bodyguard to crusading reporter David Hastings would totally ruin Leon’s peace, especially since Hastings has hired killers on his trail, pros who know how he takes his espresso in the morning, and where Leon lives.

The payoff, though, would fill up Shauna’s empty college fund, and in a battle between opportunity and ordinary, money wins. He just has to keep Hastings alive long enough to cash the check.

If only he didn’t have to save his daughter, too.

As a budding wolf, she’s piqued the interest of a local pack Alpha—one Leon knows will steal Shauna right out from under him the first chance he gets.

Leon isn’t about to give up on his daughter or Hastings, and will fight for both longer than it took Demos City to see werewolves as equals to humans.

He can only hope it doesn’t take a thousand years.

Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?

Werewolf.

Ooh! Is that what’s in the water??? Look at those eyes.

Bar bouncer. Dad. Standard traits for any self-respecting, reformed criminal, living under the radar in Demos City.

Criminal? Oooh!

For Leon Gray, normal is what he wants—for himself and his not-yet-changed teenage daughter.

Oh so totally werewolf and I love that there’s a dad reference!

Playing bodyguard to crusading reporter David Hastings would totally ruin Leon’s peace, especially since Hastings has hired killers on his trail, pros who know how he takes his espresso in the morning, and where Leon lives.

The payoff, though, would fill up Shauna’s empty college fund, and in a battle between opportunity and ordinary, money wins. He just has to keep Hastings alive long enough to cash the check.

And more dad goodies! I’m liking Leon already. He’s got his priorities straight but it’s going to be dangerous. This is awesome.

If only he didn’t have to save his daughter, too.

Oh no! What’s she gonna do? Darn those teenagers!

As a budding wolf, she’s piqued the interest of a local pack Alpha—one Leon knows will steal Shauna right out from under him the first chance he gets.

Go get her, Leon!

Leon isn’t about to give up on his daughter or Hastings, and will fight for both longer than it took Demos City to see werewolves as equals to humans.

Yeah!

He can only hope it doesn’t take a thousand years.

Ooh, well that sounds ominous … much like the look of the cover.

Does it match?
Yes! I love it.

Will I read it?
Yes!

Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!

One other part of the Arboretum that I love is the goldfish pond. Though small, it’s awesome and the water flowing off the rock wall is just so pretty and every time I go there, I worry the kid I’m photographing is surely going to fall in.

But they never do.

Phew!

Don’t you agree??

Included here are my 15 year old (but 2 months away fro being 16) son, my 8 year old (but 1.5 months away from being 9) girls and my 3 year old (in 3 days) niece!

Fun, huh?

Whoops! I’m an idiot and totally forgot to do O on the O day and P on the P day. D’oh!

So here it is!

I have a HUGE thing for raspberry colored anything. So … I had to capture these flowers. My favorite color even if it is a little pink.