Good morning, friends!  So lovely to see you, again. Grab your tea, iced or hot, and let’s talk! Happy Hoppy Easter and Happy Passover to everyone!  Make yourself comfy.  🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I am getting ready to attend Sunday Easter service at my church.  On Friday night, we had a Good Friday service, where we also spoke of Passover.  And another pastor did part of the service in Korean!  It was amazing to experience it.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone today and wishing them a happy day.  How do you celebrate Easter or Passover?  Do you have any special traditions you’d like to share?

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: last Sunday was fellowship day.  After service we had lunch.  Someone made finger sandwiches, I made macaroni salad and spinach dip, and there was a lovely cake to celebrate Pastor Jan’s birthday!  A good time was had by all.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I spent Tuesday in the ER with Alyssa.  She had been doing so well until recently, but this is to be expected from time to time, because of the Sjogren’s.  The doctor put her on meds for three days and we see her doctor on Monday.  Please keep her in your thoughts.  She’s 29 and has been through so much already.  😦  And now she’s dealing with one of the dogs she’s been caring for being very ill.  Rosie, who’s a Puggle (cross between a Beagle and a Pug), has several health issues, including blindness.  She’s been fighting an ear infection for the past two weeks, and now she’s been hospitalized with a stomach ailment.  While the owner is present in the home, this is still taking a devastating toll on Lys.  So if you can find it in your heart to say a puppy prayer for Rosie, we’d all been very grateful.

Alyssa and Rosie

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it was a busy church week.  For Christians it is known as the Passion Week or Holy Week.  On Wednesday, our bible study leader did the Stations of the Cross.  In a quiet setting, where it’s you and Jesus, it is the most amazing feeling in the world.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: the beautiful flowers of spring bring me such delight.  These beauties are blooming in my mom’s garden.  I love the purple, and the raindrops add that little bit of something to the petals.  Honestly, after the storm we had Friday night, I’m surprised any flowers still remained.  It was a nasty one, wind, lightning, heavy rain.  Seems to be the thing in NJ these days.  Summer should be fun.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: on Thursday I tried planning Easter with my mom.  Well, what started out as possibly going out for brunch, wound up with me just saying I would cook.  I’m not up to it, and I said years ago I was over always having the holidays, but here I am again.  I’m such a sap. LOL  I’m so happy my son will be joining us.  I miss him terribly and can’t wait to see him!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I am really lost not being able to drive.  You don’t realize how much freedom it gives you until you don’t have it.  Another two weeks and then we’ll see what happens from there.  Of course, I’m on a treatment of steroids.  Does it give me muscles?  Nope.  It gives me insomnia.  Like I don’t have enough of that to begin with!  It doesn’t matter what time of day I take it.  I’m up to the wee hours.  If I was writing, I could excuse it, but most times I find myself uninterested and just bored. (I heard that gasp all the way over here).

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I apologize for the short version this week.  I was exhausted and went to bed early…. at the time I typed this I was praying I’d be able to fall asleep!  More on that next week. And on that happy note, I leave you with this…(make sure your sound is turned up! Sorry it’s so big, didn’t know how to resize LOL)

As for the week ahead:

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: it’ll be more of the same…nothing.  Someone give me something I can do that doesn’t involve moving.  Oh?  There isn’t anything?  Dang. Okay, I’ll try to figure something else out.

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: it’s time to be on my way.  Church is calling and it’s Easter!!  Oh, right, you already know that!  Have a blessed week ahead, my friends!  ❤

Good morning, friends!  So lovely to see you, again. Grab your tea, iced or hot, and let’s talk! It’s been a somewhat quiet week for me, as you will see why below.  Quiet is sometimes a very good thing.   🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: after putting it off as much as I could, I needed to contact my neurologist, for my nerve issues in my back.  So, now I’m on meds for the next month with the strict orders from her as follows: no lifting, no reaching, no unnecessary bending, no raking, no vacuuming (I like that one), but worst of all, no driving!!!  This puts such a burden on hubby and Lys, but they assured me it’s no big deal.  They’re both so amazing.  ❤

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: we went to a high school production of “Into the Woods”.  Alyssa’s friend Ken was the stage director.  They all did a marvelous job.  The voices on these young people are amazing and I hope they go far with them!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: but you already know, the voting for the Bloggers Bash Awards is LIVE!  I am so honored to be among the nominees.  The folks in the Best Blogging/Writing Blog are all so amazing!  If you haven’t voted, here’s the link! The Annual Bloggers Bash Awards 2019 Vote is LIVE! Pick your favorite bloggers/writers, photographers, foodies, lifestyle, and so on!  But I’ll warn you, it’s not going to be easy.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it’s hard to believe we’re almost halfway through April.  Today is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week for Christians. And next Sunday is Easter!!! What’s so great about this year is, Passover and Good Friday fall together, on the 19th.  How cool is that?!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it finally feels like spring in the Northeast.  The magnolias are blossoming pink and white, the hyacinths in their beautiful yellow, and the multi colors of tulips, are sprouting on front lawns everywhere!  Even my lilies are starting to come up.  I love my lilies.  They always make me smile.  What I don’t like is when the deer decide they make a tasty snack.  I have to guard them this year so it doesn’t happen again.

This is one of my lily plants. I took this last year.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: and I think I’ve mentioned this before, I’m a Pokemon Go nerd.  Yesterday was community day and they had a special event going on.  It was a gorgeous day, temps almost hit 80, so I got to walk around a bit and have some fun with Neil, Alyssa and briefly, Alyssa’s friend, Charlie.  After that I did some food shopping, and some cooking for Fellowship Day tomorrow, at church.  I’m on the committee!  I made macaroni salad and a spinach dip.  It’s always a lovely day and I’m really looking forward to it, and the wonderful people I get to worship with.  ❤

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I’m still counting the days until Alyssa is back home.  These two weeks are going to draaaaaaaaaaaaag.  It’s amazing how one person can make that much of a difference in your home.  I call her Sunshine because she truly lights up my day.  I know some day she’ll be out of the house, starting a family of her own, but until then…she’s mine!!  🙂

Think we’re related? Nah.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: about the menace known as Dennis.  Yes, my buddy, the chipmunk.  I’m sure you’ve seen how well fed he is, hiding away peanuts and seeds in abundance.  Well, this is the thanks I get from him…

Look closer….he’s sticking his tongue out at me!!!  I apologize for the poor quality of the photo, I took it through my glass door, otherwise Dennis would come in and I’m sure, make himself at home. I’m gonna miss this little rascal when we move.  😦

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I got to listen to my friend, Kooch, read one of my short stories from my book!  I’m so excited!  We’re a long way off from being able to offer it on CD, but I’m still so excited!!!

As for the week ahead:

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: I’m not sure what I’ll be doing considering I can’t do anything I need to be doing.  But, this too, shall pass, and I’ll be back to my old self soon.

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: it’s time to be on my way.  Church is calling and it’s Fellowship Day.  Oh, right, you already know that!  Have a blessed week ahead, my friends!  ❤

Good morning, friends!  So lovely to see you here. Grab your tea, iced or hot, and let’s talk! It’s been an interesting week.  Hope yours was, too!  🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: April Fool’s came and went, and was very uneventful.  I am actually grateful nothing happened!  I think my friends are getting a bit soft where that’s concerned, and that’s fine with me.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: mom had her first physical therapy session and seemed to do well.  She later reported she was sore, but that was to be expected.  Her Wednesday session was canceled because our PT was out with a bad cold.  Hope he’s feeling better for Monday.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I am honored to be a part of an anthology, along with 19 other authors, entitled: “Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events”. In it, I tell about my near-death experience and how it has impacted my life thus far.  Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to cancer research.  A HUGE thank you, to author Stevie Turner, for including me in such a great project!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: so far, #NaPoWriMo has been moving along nicely.  I always look forward to this month every year.  It gives me a chance to stretch my poetry skills by trying out different forms.  What do you think I should try next?

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: on Friday, Mother Nature played her own April Fool’s joke.  We went from 60 degree weather, to sleet, rain and cold, and on Saturday, we were back to 70.  I think she’s experiencing menopause and needs to be on meds.  Either that, or she and Old Man Winter need to call it quits already!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I spent a lovely Saturday  with the hubby.  We don’t get to do too much of that, so any chance I get to steal him, I do.  He’s up at 4AM Monday – Friday and usually exhausted by the time he gets home. We went on a nice walk together, and ate our way through many a food joint.  Basically, we just spent some much needed downtime with each other.  And for that, I am always grateful.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: Lys is still at it with her dog activities.  She is pet sitting for a beautiful dog named Charlie, before she heads back to Layla and Rosie, until the end of this month.  Then she comes back home!!  I cannot wait.  I’m counting the days.   🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I think most of you know I also have a son.  He’s older than Lys and lives with his girlfriend.  I don’t see him too often, even though he lives a mere 5 minutes from us.  He’s a manager for Kohl’s and works long hours.  Even his friends have said they rarely see him.  I did get a chance to catch up with him on Friday when he called to tell me he’ll be attending WWE’s Wrestlemania today.  He wanted to know if we were getting the Pay-per-View so we could look for him! lol  Sorry, bud, not this year.  Speaking of WWE…

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: Friday night, we stood in the rain and cold for almost two hours to meet WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss!  She’s a tiny little thing.  She was signing the official WWE Cookbook.

Alexa Bliss ©2019 Alyssa Duclos – Used with Permission

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: our dear friend, John Kooch, is again, leading worship at church today.  He really knows how to make the church rock!  I am so looking forward to it.

As for the week ahead:

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: the week ahead will be a hectic one, and I may not be able to leave a comment on your blog.  But know that if my icon is in your likes, I have been there, read your post, and enjoyed doing so.  🙂

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: we will be looking for our next home this week, and hope we find one we like and is in our budget.  I never thought I would have to do this again, but I’m sure God has a reason for it.

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: it’s time to be on my way.  Church is calling.  Have a blessed week ahead, my friends!

Well, here we are again, can you believe the week went by so quickly?! Grab your tea, iced or hot, and let’s talk! Spring is in the air, and so are my allergies.  I apologize if I happen to sneeze in your direction.  🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it’s been another one of those weeks!  If something could go wrong, it did.  I’m convinced that Murphy and his law have been following me.  If you know how to lose him, please do tell!!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: my latest book, “Short & not always Sweet” is now available for Kindle and in Paperback!  Um, yeah, sorry, another shameful self promo, but I’ve had a long week and I’m allowed to toot my own horn every now and again.  If you so desire, you may find the book in The Kindle Store on Amazon or the Paperback can be found at Amazon.com.  Okay, I’m done now. (not really but you know how it is when your self-published.  You don’t?  Then keep reading!)

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I recently published a post for those looking to self-publish a book.  It’s for MS Word and applies to KDP Publishing.  If you’ve been thinking about putting a book together, you might want to give it a read.  🙂

KDP – Creating a book for Kindle or Print using MD Word

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: that I had a bit of a set back regarding my health.  Some of you know I suffer from Transverse Myelitis.  If you’re not familiar with it, it’s an inflammation of the spinal cord that affects the central nervous system.  I lifted a heavy object, something that is a no-no for me, since the disease affected my spinal cord in my neck, and am now experiencing numbness and shooting pains (think electrical charges) across the left side of my body.  I haven’t been able to type much, which is why I have not been commenting on blogs.  I have been tweeting you instead.  Think of it as my way of letting you know I was there.  🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: today ends the Ninny Rhino Challenge over at Diana Peach’s.  I didn’t write as much as I had hoped for but I did write and that counts for something in my book.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: tomorrow begins NaPoWrMo!  There’s still time to sign up.  Challenge yourself!! One poem a day for 30 days.  How hard can it be?  😉

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I had a lovely time with Mom on Friday.  I took her to get her hair done and then she wanted her favorite, McDonald’s.  We spent a couple of hours talking about some wonderful things.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: my backyard buddies are in full swing.  The chipmunks, squirrels, birds, ground hogs and deer, have all made their way back.  Spring is definitely in the air. These are just a couple of the shots I took from my backdoor.

Red-bellied woodpecker – Dark-eyed Junco – Stubby the Chipmunk – Baby Squirrel

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: hubby’s finally on the mend and I’m hoping the nice weather yesterday did him some good.  Thanks for all your well wishes.  I know they helped!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: that yes, my bitmoji has changed!  My hair is shorter and I’m wearing my baseball uniform! GOOOOOOO YANKEES!  I’ve been a Yankees fan forever.  I have my dad to thank for that.  And there’s a story there, too, but I’ll save that for another chat.

As for the week ahead:

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: tomorrow is April Fools Day.  Be careful!  You never know who’s going to play a trick on you! I’m still working on one for the hubby…sshhhhh don’t tell!!

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: Mom starts physical therapy tomorrow so I will be running a bit for the next few weeks.  I’m tired already…

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: it’s time to get myself going.  It’s a bit dreary here and I’m hoping the day gets a little bit brighter. Have a blessed week ahead, my friends!

Well, here we are again, boy time flies when you’re having fun! Grab your tea, iced or hot, and let’s talk! Spring has finally arrived, and along with it, a supermoon!  My kind of an arrival, for sure.   🙂

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I think I am still stuffed from the corned beef dinner on St. Patrick’s Day.  It was very yummy, and I’m still trying to figure out why I only make it once a year.  You would think if it’s that good, we’d have it more often.  Maybe I look at it as a treat.  How about you?  Did you celebrate?  I know some of you already told me you don’t.  I say, start a new tradition!!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: my latest book, “Short & not always Sweet” is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com until March 27th.   Yes, I know, shameful self promotion.  I also want to thank all who have reblogged and tweeted and shared and who offer support.  Wait, that’s all of you!!  I am so blessed.  ❤

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I have an update on Mom.  We saw the orthopedist on Tuesday.  She has a compression fracture of T12, same place she had it last time.  Physical therapy was prescribed, and we return to the doc in four weeks.  Prayers are always welcome, for a speedy recovery.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: how frustrated I am with the WordPress reader.  No matter how many times I refresh it, there is a huge gap between posts.  Our blogger friend, Fandango, has been writing about this for awhile now.  Seems the happiness engineers aren’t too concerned about making us happy at all.  So, if you haven’t seen me on your blog lately, it’s because I can’t see you in the one place I should ALWAYS see you!  It feels a bit like Facebook these days.  But that’s another story.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: I can’t believe it’s one week until NaPoWrMo!  Have you signed up?  It’s always a lot of fun, and the site offers daily prompts if you’re stuck for an idea.  You can even use the badge on your posts!  I hope you’ll join me!

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: Alyssa and I spent a beautiful morning/afternoon with the ladies of Maranatha Church of the Nazarene. The brunch was “Lessons on Lent” and Pastor Jan has a way with words.  You can’t help but feel lighter and uplifted when she speaks. The cake was made by Carlo’s Bakery, aka the Cake Boss.  Isn’t it beautiful?  I cannot wait until the Christmas luncheon.  It’s always a fabulous time.

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it’s so nice to see many of you making the jump from Facebook to MeWe.  There are lovely groups you can join, and while it is still fairly new, they are making improvements every day.  Do come join us!  mewe.com/i/dorindaduclos

If we were sipping tea and talking I would tell you: it’s been a rough couple of days for the hubby.  This is a man who never gets sick, and since January has had acute bronchitis twice.  He can’t sleep, can’t breathe and there’s nothing I can do for him.  Talk about feeling helpless!  He’s under a doctor’s care so I’m hoping this one doesn’t linger like the last.  That one was 4 weeks!  😦

Yes, this is his bitmoji 🙂

As for this week coming up:

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: I’m hoping this week settles down a bit and I can get some serious writing in, but, those of you who know me well, know my family will always come first.

If we were sipping tea, basking in the sun and talking I would tell you: Time to get my day in gear.  I swear we’ve been taking in all the neighbors laundry! Have a blessed week ahead, my friends!