Welcome to my little corner of the web! For those of you who are new to my site/blog, I write romantic suspense, contemporary, and historical westerns. My latest release is PreView, a romantic suspense with a psychic flair.
I took the tree down already, and swept the virtual pine needles away. Now I can focus on 2012!
I hope you all had a wonderful and way to ring in 2012. Me? I went to bed at 8:00pm because I had to work at 5:00 am New Year’s Day. I’m not sure if I’m more bothered by the fact that I missed out on a party, or the fact that it didn’t bother me to miss a party. Getting old is hell, folks.
Now for my New Year’s memory:
I come from a big Irish family. Both of my parents came from big Irish families as well, so that makes my big family even bigger. I loved it.
Every New Year’s Eve, my parents would pile all seven of us kids into our big wood-paneled station wagon, and head up to my uncle’s house in a little Wyoming town where everyone knows everyone else. I think we doubled the town’s population by the time all the aunts, uncles, and cousins filed in.
Uncle Joe’s house would be filled with the scent of candy thanks to huge pots on the stove full of  homemade saltwater taffy. Then we’d all sit around the table (tables, there were dozens of us there) and each pull our own taffy. Now, most taffy gets pulled by machine. This is because you have to pull it when it’s hot. Blistering hot. And it takes a long time and considerable finger strength to pull the taffy into manageable consistency. Needless to say, we youngsters weren’t the best pullers, but we were by far the best eaters.
But it’s fun. And delicious. And it keeps a gaggle of kids busy for hours. (The recipe for homemade taffy is right here, if you’re so inclined.)
Then we’d wait up til midnight and ring in the new year on my uncle’s huge porch, with noisemakers and pots and spoons.
The more I think about it, the more I wonder why that little town kept allowing us back every year.
Then Uncle Joe would wake us all up at six in the morning with the following song blaring at top volume:
Seriously, I love my family.
Okay, that’s it for me. I hope you enjoy my little romp through memory lane! If you click on the “continue reading” link below, you’ll see the list of blogs for you to visit. Comment here with your email address to be entered into the grand prize drawing. I’ll choose one commenter to win their choice of my digital backlist.
Thank you for the great contest.
I hope you have a happy and prosperous new year.
orelukjp0 at gmail dot com
my new year memory is barbeque with family and see the firework in night sky 😉
eli_y83@yahoo.com
Most of my New Year's have been spent with my family. Lots of times we don't do anything but it's great to be with them.
sstrode at scrtc dot com
Usualy spend some time with my family. Would love to travel one year and ring in the New Year on a beach.
linze_e at hotmail.com
I don't have a memorable time to talk about, because for the most part every NYE I have spent with family, not that that isn't memorable, really good times, I've never done anything wacky or crazy during the NYE celebrations 🙂
Watching the little ones stay up to ring in the New Year has always been my favorite.
lmjtgm(at)gmail.com
Yuummmmm, homemade taffy. We eats lots of goodies and watch movies. When I was a kid, the PBS channel would show the early musicals or the funny Cary Grant movies which we would enjoy (once a year).
acm05atjuno.com
I think that kind of sounds like fun! My New Years Eves are pretty quiet, just stay home and celebrate with family
Thanks for the giveaway
ringpop2010 at gmail dot com
Thanks for sharing your memory and for the giveaway. Mine is when I was in the Navy and we had a huge party before we shipped out to Iraq
teressaoliver at gmail dot com
Thanks for the great contest 🙂 Happy new year!
mihoxli at gmail dot com
Uncle Joe would never have survived my family, LOL!!! Bless the man for having the courage to do that. I come from a big family too, 6 kids, 5 girls and 1 boy 😉 Our holidays were a party of our own. richnkathy718 (at) msn (dot) com
Kathryn, we had six girls and one boy. I’m SURE they kept trying for another boy.
What fun. Now we have all these built in best friends as adults, right?
I love being able to kiss my husband when the ball drops.. As long as we are still together kissing when that ball goes down I know I am going to have yet another great year!!
Happy New Year
Dprissypunk(at)gmail(dot)com
Any new year spent with family or friends is the best. ones without resolutions are just cake.
Jennifer
wocaworld @ gmail.com
Thanks for the chance to win
brandon_savannah@yahoo.com
Thanks for the chance to win.
All the best in 2012.
skpetal at hotmail dot com
I usually have great time at new year's eve, and I remember of my best one: it was when I stayed up with my first boyfriend who kissed my for the very first time at midnight 🙂 It's a nice memory 🙂
Happy new year!
mikki-mano@hotmail.com
Happy New Year! Thanks for the giveaway!
Meg
What a wonderful memory, Alanna. Lots of great memory days with my family this time of year.
caity_mack at yahoo dot com
i used to baby sit all the kid when i was younger than as i turn 18 i served te drinks and kept the keys
deis the blonde2msn.com
I always love spending holidays (no matter which ones) with the family. This year it was my sister and 2 of her kids, watching a zombie marathon on TV. Goofy & fun.
June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
Well my birthdays New Years eve so I could tell tons of stories from that! LOL But one of my most memorable would probably have to be last year just for how funny it was. My friend was 9months pregnant. Due any time and she decided that she wanted to play 'Just Dance' on my wii. So she seriously got into it. It was insane watching her dance with her big belly. I have it on video. Probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. 🙂 Thanks!
-Amber
goodblinknpark@yahoo.com
It sounds like you had a great family experience growing up =)
I have never been one to stay awake to bring in the New Year – but when I was 21 years old, my best friend drug me out with her husband and friends to a pub to a New Year's Eve party that was really quite fun, so I'd have to choose that one, since it was my only experience *chuckle*
Thank you for participating in this hop and for the giveaway chance! I love finding new to me authors =)
Happy New Year!
Gena Robertson
robertsongena@hotmail.com
Thanks for the giveaway and have a Happy New Year!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
Thanks for sharing and the giveaway!
charmed_sphere_mage69@hotmail.com
Thanks for the memory and the giveaway.
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
thank you so much for being part of this giveaway!!! Happy New Year!
yankeedragon4 at gmail dotcom
This new years was my favorite. My family stayed home and watched movies. We had tons of fun! We ate snacks and toasted the new year. It was great! Thank you for sharing! Happy new year!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
I generally like to play cards with my family & eat good food. Thanks for the giveaway!
geschumann at live dot com
My mom would make shirley temples and snacks for new years eve celebration- loved it!
mconnolley(at)yahoo(dot)com
So mine starts off a little odd. I was working as a waitress and I ended up working a double shift from open to close without more than a two minute break periodically. I was pretty mad about that because I'd scheduled time off to be with my then boyfriend. Anyway so I worked all day and while the tips were great the people not so much, especially after about 9. So anyway we closed early that night and I got how around 11pm. I took a shower and climbed into bed and just as I was falling asleep my phone rings. I'm cussing up a storm and questioning the parentage of the person on the other end and it turns out it's the boyfriend. He waits for my little rant to end and then before I can start up again blurts out "Will you marry me." I'm so tired my brain doesn't seem to understand him and I go "what?" so he politely repeats himself and then tells me to get my ass outside. I dropped my phone and ran out the front door to him standing there with two dozen of my favorite flowers on one knee 🙂 Best New Year's EVER! We'll have been married three years this may. I don't know if we kissed in time to ring in the new year but it was still pretty epic.
a_breen87@yahoo(dot)com
Shooting champagne out of my nose the first time I accidentally tasted it when I was 10! Thanks for being part of the blog hop! Happy New Year!
OceanAkers@aol.com
Too many memories, but none that stand out above the rest. A lot of partying in my younger pre children years. Now we spend every NYE with the family.
mnjcarter@charter.net
Thanks for the great memory. My favorite NYE memory is the one I spend with my now husband. We went out with my best friend and her (then) husband. It was horrible. They fought the whole night but at one point during all that craziness he leaned over and told me that he loved me.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
areeths at new dot rr dot com
What a terrfic story! Sounds like fun. My Dad's family was like that, big and fun, but we didn't live near them so New Year's was boring.
doxisrcool at aol dot com
Thanks for the giveaway
Happy new Year
elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net
YUM…Thanks for sharing your memory of a big Irish family and saltwater taffy.
Cheers,
catherinelee100[at]gmail[dot]com
@capefearlibn
Happy New Year!! Thanks for the great giveaway!
suz2@cox.net
Thank you so much for taking part in this fun Blog Hop! Great giveaway and Happy New Year Too you!
Latisha D
tishajean@ charter.net
My favorite New Year's memory is when I was around 7 year's old and my best friend and I stayed up through the New Year all the way up until around 4am. We were the happiest 7 year old's ever! Our parents were too wasted to even notice! lol
Ishanie.Sanchez@gmail.com
http://thealteregotracy.blogspot.com
What a great and FUN memory…I LOVE taffy! For NYE we usually spend the evening inside with family and friends, lots of good eats…playing cards (poker) and listening to music until the ball's about to drop. Then the wine is poured, toasts made, kisses shared…and then the party usually continues for a little while longer. Those that drank a little too much, or came without a designated driver snuggle in for the night…that's just how we play. Better safe than sorry. 🙂 Happy 2012!
barbbattaglia@yahoo.com
Favorite memory was 2 years ago watching grandchildren run around outside in pyjamas and snowboots with sparklers in their hands to celebrate the new year.
Thanks for sharing. Mine are usually spent at home, but my daughter and I went out this year.
ainfinger@comcastDOTnet
My favorite new years was when I had a fun and crazy party with friends last year, the champagne was literally flowing everywhere since one of my friends tried to make a champagne fountain but it turned into a river instead!
lilazncutie1215[at]yahoo[dot]com
Family! Best new year company evah!!
brbalways(at)yahoo(dot)com
It’s not really a “memory,” but it’s a tradition that I still follow from back in my home country of Brazil. For New Years, the color of your clothing represents what you want for the new year. For example, many Brazilians wear white for peace and inner calm, but you see a few wearing red for passion or pink for love, some wear green in hopes of earning more that year as well. Every year i’m excited to see what colors people decide to wear on New Years, and I love getting together at the end of the year to see if their wishes came true. n.dematos@gmail.com
whata cool memory i stay at home and veg and watch horror flickes we reallyd ontd o much for the holiday
tyf or the chance
mortalsinn(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
What a great story!! Thanks for the recipe!! And I love that song! Brings back memories of playing it for four years in our marching band way back when!! 😉
Happy New Year to you and yours!
thewildtwo @ sbcglobal (dot) net
Thanks for the contest
My best NYE – We had a party for our friends and family. We could see the high school fireworks from our backyard. We all had a great time being together. Almost all the food was gone and the drinks…well there weren't any left..lol Those who needed to spend the night found a piece of floor and blankets and we had breakfast the next morning…some not so much LOL
Great Blog Hop. Hope you will blog at KP sometime.
Mary Keith
mary@keithpublications.come http://www.keithpublications.com
Great blog and happy new Year with blessings for 2012.
Great Hop. Still making my way around.
Pamela Jo
pmjg(at)E-jama(dot)net
thank you for the chance at such a great giveaway.
my favorite memory is the year my husband asked me to marry him.
tammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
My favorite new year's eve memory is from my childhood, when my parents took my sister and me to the capital just to see the firework. I was so happy – I hadn't traveled that much before and we all liked it.
Thanks for the giveaway and happy new year!
creature-in-night@hotmail.com