I Hit A Milestone!

When I started Roses to Rainbows, I had no idea where it would go or how long I would blog, and here I am 8 years and 1,000 posts later. So what have I done for the last 8 years? Well, I have come to the computer 1,000 times, wrote for my audience (real or imagined) and pushed that orange "Publish" button. 

I have shared pictures of my family (mainly our cats), my vacations, yummy food and gorgeous sunsets. I have, in my humble opinion, created interesting characters in my fictional stories, many of whom show up regularly in blogging challenges. I have waxed poetic ranging from light banter to the dark reaches of tortured souls. Fortunately, I do not fall into the latter category.

When I first started blogging, I began a quote of the week series, giving my interpretation of each quote. They are not exactly weekly now, but I still post quotes and put in my two cents worth.

Did I plan on writing fiction? Nope! It wasn't until I found a site called Magpie Tales, and wrote that first post. I went on to write a number of stories and poems based on a picture prompt posted by the hostess. Unfortunately that site hasn't been active for the last year and a half.

I wrote flash fiction for the G-Man's weekly "Friday 55" series off and on for several years. He had a great site where everyone was invited to write whatever they wanted in exactly 55 words. That was fun and definitely challenging. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago. Not too long ago I lost another blogging buddy, Nicky, from We Work For Cheese. She hosted several of the blogging challenges, and we all had a blast reading each others posts during the "30 minus 2 days of writing" in February.

What is next for Roses to Rainbows? I don't know, but I still like putting a post together and tweaking it until I feel like it's the best I have to offer. Obviously some are better than others, and out of the 1,000 published posts, I would say there more than a few that have not yet been discovered, so feel free to dig into the archives (located on my sidebar). The virtual doors are always open, the coffee is hot and the wine is chilled.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and blessed Christmas season!


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Crab Cakes...Who Knew?

Would you believe it? Out of all my years of blogging and all the stories I've told and words of wisdom I have imparted, my review of the simple crab cake would take the prize as the most popular post ever on Roses to Rainbows. Who would have thunk it?

Phillips Crab Cakes are tasty and a still good value for the money. I am glad you all have enjoyed this review. It was not compensated and written just because we like the product. 

Seven years after posting the initial review, this post has had 35 views this November alone. Is everyone looking for crab cakes for the Holidays? If you are, you can read about those wonderful crab cakes here: Crab Cake Review.

If you have tried them, please let me know what you think.

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Christmas Bells

I share with you some Christmas cheer today from the snowy South!

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet, born in Maine on February 27, 1807 (he and I share a birthday). This is a quote from Longfellow's poem, Christmas Bells, which was the inspiration for the Christmas carol, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day. You may click the link to read the entire poem.

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A Thankful Heart

Some thoughts for the season when emotions may be a little more intense. Take time to slow down and let go of the negative and embrace the positive. 

I wrote this as a Facebook post, and decided to expand it into a blog post. 

It seems that our holiday season is hurried and harried and oftentimes we find ourselves frustrated, short-tempered and on edge when we should be happy, relaxed and thankful. It is our culture of having and getting, giving and receiving the biggest and best of gifts, when it really should be about giving from the heart and being thankful for what we have. This goes back to what we learned earlier in the week from The Wisdom of the Doughnut.

Let us reflect on this a moment and then go forward with a different mindset and an open heart.

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The Wisdom of the Doughnut

Did you know that you can find wisdom in the oddest of places? Well you can, and this has been around for over 100 years. It was written back in 1904 as this poem which first appeared in a New York newspaper.

Twixt optimist and pessimist

The difference is droll;

The optimist the doughnut sees -

The pessimist the hole

In 1929 a restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia rewrote it in a more contemporary style with a target audience of coffee drinkers...who often ate doughnuts (also called sinkers).

As you ramble through Life, Brother,

Whatever be your goal.

Keep your eye upon the doughnut,

And not upon the hole

This though-provoking poem is often known as the optimist's creed. It is a wonderful life motto which even inspired two presidential candidates who worked it into their campaign speeches. It was also adopted by the Mayflower Doughnut shop chain and appeared on their doughnut boxes. It had a picture depicting two court jesters, one staring contentedly at a fat doughnut with a small hole, and the other looking dejectedly at a skinny doughnut with a large hole.

This was presented during the "time for children" segment at church one Sunday like this:

As you go through life make this your goal.

Keep your eye on the doughnut and not the hole.

It was explained that the doughnut represents the things we have (our blessings), and the hole is what we don't have. The verse instructs us to focus on what we have and not what we don't have or wish we had. 

During this holiday season and throughout the year, let's be thankful for the doughnut and not worry about the hole.

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