Aug 27, 2012

Thank you to Gallery Direct

I was lucky enough to win a wonderful giveaway from 
They have a sweepstakes and every Friday afternoon they have a giveaway!  Isn't that exciting?
So go to link above like their page and enter, what have you got to lose?
Can you tell I am excited?
 I chose the following and when they are hung I will give you a tour of Hibiscus House.

Girl with Pearl Necklace by Jane Bellows



Flower by Vintage



Last but not least I had to choose this one for obvious reasons:


Two Hibiscus by Allyson Krowitz


A great big thank you to Gallery direct!

Do yourself a favor and check them out.

A few more days and Hibiscus House will be sending out a few simple giveaways too so please enter to win at the link below if you have not done so.



Have a great week


Dolly    


Aug 23, 2012

41 years of Little Miss South Carolina with Cyrus Frakes!



Cyrus Frakes: King of the Crown Comments on 41 years of Little Miss South Carolina!

Who better to give us the inside story behind beauty pageants....read more for interview...

Aug 21, 2012

Hibiscus House " Simple Giveaways"

This Friday our Spotlight of the Week will be
He tells us of his 41 years with the Little Miss South Carolina Pageant

Please enter for the following giveaways.  No I am not one of those blogs that hosts nothing but big huge giveaways, nor do I host giveaways all of the time. I do however like to share "Simple" things that I like and think will appeal to others.

Hibiscus House Giveaways


First Up

A signed copy of the book
Tell Tale Souls: The Mother Memoir
by 
Lynn Cook Henriksen
enter HERE

Photo: This week at Hibiscus House, we are awaiting the story from Annie Haven and it is sure to be a good read. She does have a giveaway so post comment that you would like to enter and have not done so on this page comment on this post.
If you are a gardener and in need of a wonderful natural fertilizer then 
Profile Picture
of
will be one of our Spotlight Stories Soon
In the meantime she is giving away 3 gift packs!
enter HERE

Next Up

A beautiful lavender hand crocheted necklace made by
Catie Cole of dolly's designs
to be given away
enter HERE


Finally last but not least

self-rising flour
King Arthur Flour Giveaway
The company has a new self-rising flour and have sent me one to try...I can tell you that I love it!
They are also sending the winner a bag ...I have perused their catalog and they have lots of interesting items for sale. I also have a new found admiration for the company itself.  Please if nothing else read and view the videos about this excellent employee owned company that has been around since 1790
enter HERE

I want to take this time to thank each and everyone of you for being a follower and I do enjoy all of your blogs. I am guilty of not commenting as I should to let you know..So thank you for your wonderful blog posts and I do read them when possible!


Dolly    

Aug 16, 2012

Spotlight of the Week Lynn Cook Henriksen

Dolly, what a distinct pleasure to be invited to your delightful Hibiscus House to give your readers a glimpse into writing the Mother Memoir. You asked me to provide personal information to get things rolling: Who am I and how and why did TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spirit come about?


I was born in Oregon, lived there until I was eight-years-old. Figure that's why  love the  rain. Then the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota was home until I was 20. I grew up surrounded by good, hard-working people whose hand-shakes were more trustworthy than a contract is today.  But I've learned I can do without so much snow. For the past 30 years, the San Francisco Bay area has been my paradise, and I see no reason to ever leave.
I have three passions, other than family: rhubarb pie, sourdough bread, and inspiring daughters and sons to write true tales about none other than the person who gave them life.   At the end of this article, I’m adding a link to my mother’s recipe for rhubarb pie that I recently posted on my Story Woman blog, because I know Dolly is always cooking up good things in the kitchen. I’ve also been known to bake a mean sourdough bread, when I have time, which isn’t often enough sometimes to even keep my sourdough starter alive! Very silly picture of me below with a just baked rhubarb pie, but you can see my glee as my fork is poised to dive straight in!


 Over a decade ago, after three years as caretaker of my mom and witnessing Alzheimer’s disease ravage her mind, I discovered a profound way to keep our mothers’ spirits alive. Mom was my muse. She’s also on the cover of my book, not because it’s a memoir about her, although two stories of her are included, but because I think the photo encompasses the spirit of Mother Memoir.  Ship slipping through the vastness of the sea.  Soaring birds, silhouetted by endless sky. Feminine spirit in contemplation.


Using the method I developed, to creatively write memoir, scores of daughters and sons have learned how to capture in brief memoirs the memories and feelings they never thought they could record.  They began to call me The Story Woman, and, at their urging, I wrote a guidebook, “TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spirit,” published March 2012. It includes 40 stories written by inspired TellTale Souls woven throughout the prompts and exercises.


Who is she, your mother, deep down inside? How will she be remembered? Why does it matter?  These are questions only you can answer, but to show you how to begin to find the answers, I’m inviting you to join me on one of the most valuable rides you’ll ever take. You’ll find yourself traveling over emotional terrain to access the deepest spiritual truths of your first, in many ways most intimate, relationship. The journey begins with one question:
“If you could tell just one small story that would capture your mother’s character and keep her spirit alive, what would it be?”
You, and only you, have the power and the voice (you do, you really do) to write about the truths you’ll find when you tap memory and write a bio-vignette about your mother using my innovative TellTale Souls method for creatively writing memoir.
The place to starting writing anything at all, be that nonfiction or fiction, is with your mother (or a mother figure) because she gave you life.  And best way to ensure your mother’s spirit, as you see it, is remembered is through story.
You can do it, and this really is the place to start. I didn’t set out to write a book, much less two, and I’m not saying it was easy by any stretch of the imagination.  But my writing paid off. Not only did it inspire many touching Mother Memoirs, but my guide book, set in Five Acts, or step to success, won “Best Books of Spring” in the how-to category by San Francisco Book Festival 2012.
I write, blog, and lead writing workshops and story salons because I’m filled with a burning desire to guide people to that tender spot deep inside to locate striking memories and then to show them how to move even the hint of fragrance, the turn of a phrase, the hum of a tune, the flash of an eye, the back of a hand, or a fragment of family ritual, temporarily eclipsed in memory, into a successful and unforgettable short, true tale. Mother Memoir has the power to move people and change awareness.
You won’t be tracing your mother’s history when writing a Mother Memoir. With the TellTale Souls method you’ll chose an anecdote, a ritual, perhaps several significant memories grouped together that in the telling will leave the reader with a lasting impression of her inner-most spirit and character. Your story is a gift in the present and for future generations.
I wanted to demystify the writing process for would-be writers as well as for professional writers who appreciate this new slant on creatively writing memoir that captures character and spirit in an innovative way.
You’ll find your way to composing this valuable written record by way of specific triggers and unexpected impressions that will emerge and evolve as you embrace new ways to discover your mother’s individuality and write to tell about it.
A bio-vignette, of just two to five pages is within reach, and I know you’ll learn to trust that you do have what it takes to write this one true story capturing your mother’s character and spirit, as only you can. No one else can write the story you will write. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to write your Mother Memoir? For daughters whose mothers are still living—each of you ask your mother to write a bio-vignette about her mother, grandmother, or another woman holding a significant place in her life so you’ll always have that story, too.
Pam’s Mother Memoir, Traveling to the Ocean, is in the guidebook:

Dana’s Mother Memoir, Pot O’Gold, is another of the 40 stories interwoven in the guidebook:


The photo below is yours truly signing books at the launch of “TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spirit.”


River Jordan, a true southern treasure and  best-selling author, had this to say, “Rarely does a book carve out a unique place for itself within the hallowed halls of writerly advice and wisdom, yet Ms. Henriksen has fearlessly stepped into uncharted, original waters with TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir. Not only is this a book for me to recommend to the many people interested in writing their own story, but one to keep on my desk as a reference tool to inspire my writing moments. TellTale Souls brings to mind both Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg and Walking on Water by Madeleine L'Engle. It is destined to be one of the classics required to complete the journey for writing the truth and writing it well. I’ve discovered a new favorite that incorporates all the aspects of writing I trust and believe in—spirituality, memory, passion, and the power of story!”

Link to The Story Woman Blog: http://telltalesouls.com/blog/
Link to TellTale Souls Website: http://telltalesouls.com/
Link to Purchase Award-Winning TellTale Souls guidebook: http://www.amazon.com/TellTale-Souls-Writing-Mother-Memoir/dp/0985055944

Thank you so very much Lynn for sharing so much of yourself with us.  It is such an honor to have you in our Spotlight of the Week.
I can't wait to read this book and hope to stay in contact with you.
Friends isn't this wonderful?  To have a guide, for writing our memoirs to enjoy and for future generations.
If you don't own the book please check it out. 
We at Hibiscus House have a copy that Lynn has signed.  We will be giving it away.  Go Here to enter, and good luck.
Let's start writing!
Dolly

Writing the Mother memoir Signed Book Giveaway


Lynn Cook Henriksen
Profile Picture
Lynn says, "If you could tell just one small story capturing the character and spirit of a loved one to always be remembered, what would it be?


The Story Woman, discovered a profound way to keep our mothers' spirits alive after witnessing Alzheimer's disease ravage her mother's mind.

Published 3-31-12 with hot reviews! TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir: How to Tap Memory and Write Your Story Capturing Character & Spirit.


 Tell Tale Souls

 

TellTaleSouls.com

The Story Woman~ Lynn's Blog



Francisco Book Fest Picks ...
San Francisco Book Festival 2012 competition honored Lynn Cook Henriksen’s new “TellTale Souls Writing the Mother Memoir” guidebook on creatively ...



Writing Memoir Tips
"Lynn Cook Henriksen's Give the Gift of Story: TellTale Souls' Essential Guide to Tap Memory & write a memoir.



I am so pleased to have as this Friday's Spotlight of the Week
Lynn Cook Henriksen
She has graciously signed a copy of this book for
Hibiscus House to give away.
Please Make a comment on this post if you would like to be entered to win.
Good Luck to Everyone!

It seems that it is impossible to not know or have a family member that has  Alzheimers.  
It is a devastating disease to the individual that has it as well as those loved ones around them.
  Isn't it wonderful that Lynn has given us a guide to show us how to tap the memory 
and write a memoir that others can read and relate to about your loved one.
Dolly 


 

Aug 14, 2012

There's a Snake in the Hen House



Tonight while feeding and checking for any other eggs I found a surprise. 

Aug 3, 2012

Purple Martin Gourds, Tractors etc...

Purple Martin gourds and house

I love these, don't you?  My uncle and grandmother always had them and now my brother.  They make quite the home for these handy useful mosquito eating birds.  That itself is a great reason to hang some of these.  Join me today as we take a look.


HOUSE AND GARDENS