The Kiddle "Kollection" is Gradually Growing

My sister and I loved playing with dolls when we were kids. I especially loved Kiddles, but I don't have any of them anymore - and wish I still did.

And, of course, I never had the entire collection, which was pretty vast. I even remember the first Kiddles my sister and I received: Honeysuckle, both of them Kologne Kiddles. 

I'd also owned Violet and Lilly of the Valley. My sister had Sweet Pea and Apple Blossom. This last sadly disappeared. Every now and then, we'd get it in our heads to tear apart things and look for her. But we never found her.

I'd received Lemons Stiddle from the main collection for my eighth birthday. And the following year, I received the King and Queen of Hearts from the storybook Kiddles collection.

From the Sweet Treats collection, I'd owned Frosty Mint and Grape.

But as of Old Calendar Christmas and the internet, which makes buying vintage dolls so much easier, I now have two of the Kologne Kiddles. Both were presents from Rebekah.

The newest one is Sweet Pea, which, ironically, was a nickname Rebekah had acquired when she was a little girl.

Rebekah surprised me with Rosebud about a year ago. I had never owned Rosebud but always wanted her.

Not to sound greedy, but I'd still love to own a Crissy doll and a Velvet doll.

Also Rock Flowers.

And Dawn dolls.

And some of the other dolls I had when growing up.

That's not even getting into the paper dolls...

Fun Discovery: The Voice Actors Behind Your Favorite Holiday Shows

During our family's Christmas 2020 Film Festival (made possible by social distance due to COVID), we watched some of the animated Christmas specials from my childhood: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and  Charlie Brown Christmas.

Thanks to the internet, we interspersed our watching with looking up trivia on the people behind the voices (links at the bottom of his blog).

One man had quite the prolific career: Paul Frees. If Wikipedia is correct, he also had five wives and died by suicide.

Still, the amount of projects to which he contributed is astounding, to say the least.

https://www.otrcat.com/p/paul-frees

https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/actors/paul-frees

And now, check out the faces behind the voices of your childhood favorites:

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Rudolph-the-Red-Nosed-Reindeer/

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Santa-Claus-is-Comin-to-Town/

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Frosty-the-Snowman/

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Little-Drummer-Boy/

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas/

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Jan 3 through Jan. 8

Good morning!

I never realize how much email I receive until I take one day off - does that happen to you, too? But I'm all caught up and ready to begin the work day.

My family and I had a wonderful celebration yesterday (Old Calendar Christmas and Rebekah's birthday), even though lots of it was virtual (hilarious video footage, though). So now we'll start gradually edging away from the holidays.

I'm still wrapping up some miscellaneous projects I didn't quite finish from my Christmas vacation list, so that will be my focus this weekend.

I also have one manuscript I'm copyediting for a client, so getting that done and back for her is a top priority.

Still, I'm playing around very slightly with the second book in the new BryonySeries (Call of the Siren), so I'm sure I'll visit that, too this weekend.

Both Ruthless and The Phoenix are in editing, so I'm hoping to check in my with editor on those projects, too.

Two more things: Thank you to everyone who supported The Book Market in Crest Hill through the BryonySeries Holiday Book Sale. I'll update the results next week.

And be sure to check out this website Rebekah created: dmbaranunland.com.

Have a wonderful Friday!

WRITERS

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to join WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

If you'd like to officially join WriteOn Joliet, we have two tiers of dues. We also have a marketing arm that's getting longer every year, well, except this year. Check us out at writeonjoliet.com.

If you need support in your writing, I highly recommend this Twitter group: #5amwritersclub. I  joined it last year. Writers support each other on Twitter and meet every three weeks at 5 a.m. (4 a.m. CST - needless to say, I am often late!) on Zoom.

If you need editing or help with self-publishing, check out dmbaranunland.com.

ARTISTS

If you need an artist for a project, I offer these recommendations.

NEWSLETTERS

Sign up for the Will County Go Guide and Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story and Book Review Newsletter at https://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/

Sign up for The Munsonville Times by emailing us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. The newsletter still isn't official yet, so we don't have an actual link on the website - but we are working on it! 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Daily updates: I do post the briefs on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries.

And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

BRYONYSERIES BOOKS

For books and more information about the series, visit bryonyseries.com.

BRYONYSERIES EVENTS

A full month of virtual events can be found at bryonyseries.com/calendar-of-events-1.

QUESTIONS

Email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

FEATURES

Illinois State Police participate in Operation Santa: Volunteers distributed gifts to 36 area families

Centenarian receives PfizerVaccine, doing well

Bolingbrook resident transitions out of duties during Naval command ceremony: VAW-124 held ceremony on Dec. 3

Donate blood – attend the Super Bowl?: Red Cross and NFL team up to encourage blood donation with special drawing

Snowflakes, flight attendants and moving away from typical PA announcements: Teachers at D.202 in Plainfield find creative ways to connect with students during remote 

Trinity Services fulfills holiday wish lists of 400 people with disabilities throughout Illinois: One donor was just 11 – and donated from his own money

‘They’re literally heroes for what they’re doing’: Plainfield restaurant delivers holiday meals directly to the homes of nurses on the COVID

Hockey organization donated toys to Joliet medical center: Arctic Jr. Fury Hockey Organization collected 50 toys for St. Joe’s emergency department

People with developmental disabilities in Joliet, New Lenox, receive holiday surprise from Santa

Troy 30-C recognizes its custodians for keeping schools clean and safe

Pets of the Week: Jan. 4: Will County rescues have dogs and cats for adoption

Get ‘wild’ this weekend with programs from the Will County forest preserve: Will County Inside/Outside Guide highlights local events and more 

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage."

Christmas 2020 Film Festival: Did We Watch all the Movies?

Since my extended family couldn't get together over the holidays, I decided to sit down and watch a long list of movies I have either never seen or have not seen in many, many years.

Rebekah and Timothy joined me for all of them. Daniel joined us for most of them.

You can find the list on this post: http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2020/12/christmas-2020-film-festival.html

Now, did we get through all of them? Well, not quite.

But really only because we forgot one (White Christmas, which I've never seen), we ran out of time for a second A Christmas Carol (Reginald Owen), and we added three more films. 

One of those additional films was The House Without A Christmas Tree, which (thanks to the internet) I learned was based on a true story.

We actually own the DVD, worth buying because we couldn't find a decent copy to stream. And worth watching because, even though it was a low budget film, the results were outstanding and the film and concept holds up well to time.

We also added "Hi-Tops," a rare 1985 Christian musical about three angels sent on a special mission to a high school on earth to study peer pressure.

Before you laugh, this movie was a hit among teens when we ran The Higher Ark youth group for our church, and I don't know why. The kids came from some tough homes, but the high amount of enjoyment (and buzz) for this film really surprised us.

Yes, it's deliberately cheesy, but if you can accept that, you can actually enjoy a movie concept that was groundbreaking for its time (MTV was only a couple years old when it was made).

The musical launched Christian artist Crystal Lewis, but some of the other actors are genuinely talented (I'm looking at you Jeff Carter, i.e. Norman J. Pitts - and "Louie" was pretty good, too).

The full move is actually on YouTube.

Finally, the last movie we added to our list is worth a post of its own. You probably haven't heard of it, much less seen it, and it will be hard to get your hands on it, too.

It was on my wish list for "film day" when I home-schooled, but it was so obscure that even when it became available on DVD, the copies cost hundreds of dollars.

The book is short, only 98 pages, but these, too, cost a couple hundred dollars (if you can find one).

I'd only seen it twice on TV, the last time being more than forty years ago. I was surprised at how much dialogue I'd known by heart.

Stay tuned.

Random Bursts of Goodness

Today is my first day back to work, and I'm happy to be back.

In fact, I spent part of yesterday catching up on email and getting organized, so I'm ready to roar (and write) this morning. 

Today, I'd like to share some good news that happened in my community during the holidays and some blogs I enjoyed.

And I'd also like to remind you about the BryonySeries Holiday Sale that ends on January 7.

Be sure to check out the photo at the bottom, too, as it's full of "random bursts of goodness."

Happy reading, happy Monday, and happy 2021!

Some good news around the community:

 The Irish American Society of County Will shares holiday donations with local food pantries

Joliet Junior College nursing students earned the program’s 2020 Citizenship Award 

Shorewood-Troy and Joliet Public Libraries to provide library cards to every student: Cards will give students 24-7 digital access 

Unusual December bird sightings reported in Will County: Forest preserve tracking unusual bird sightings

Central ES physical education teacher brings lesson to life with video

Joliet Fire Department brings Santa to ‘visit’ hospital patients: Gifts were also provided for children who are in the hospital during Christmas

Joliet students bring holiday cheer to residents of care centers, foster kids: JCA student organizations work together to make and send cards 

Santa visits Troy schools: Troy students and their families enjoy a drive-thru visit with Santa

And check out these blogs:

"Positively Sneaky Christmas" by Maureen Blevins

"Santa Claus Is Real… I Met Him In Person" by Kenneth Lee McGee

"Finding Joy" by Tom Hernandez 

"Snapshot of God" by R. Michael Markley

do you see what I see? By Holly Coop

BryonySeries Holiday Book Sale:

From now until January 7, you will receive a $1 credit to The Book Market for every $5 worth of books you order directly from me. I have approximately twenty titles of books for nearly every age, so perhaps you might find something that interests you (or will interest someone you know).

Timothy even generated some beautiful coupons that we will email to you. A draft is below. I am paying the credit forward to The Book Market, so money only flows toward the store, not away from it.

This year has been a tough year for many people and businesses, especially small businesses and their owners. By working together, we can bring some holiday cheer to this indie bookstore in Crest Hill.

For step-by-step instructions on how to participate, follow this link: bryonyseries.com/promotions.

The blue tea cup is a gift from Sue Midlock, and the tea cup in the foreground is a gift from Timothy. The potpourri is a gift from Rebekah, and BryonySeries artist Christopher Gleason created the BryonySeries music box to its right.

The tall purple box contains a BryonySeries purple rose from Jasmine, and the BryonySeries purple rose under the clear globe by the blue tea cup is a gift from Cindy.

The yellow scroll art was a project I did with Rebekah at Sue's house - with Sue making one for her book Elspeth.

The dresser was sitting beneath the attic stairs in Ron's Channahon home when we moved in and was holding junk. I found new homes for the junk and claimed the dresser. It's come close to falling apart many times, but Timothy always puts it back together.

When You're NOT in Hot Water (and really want to be there)

After a really engaging three hours last night at the 5amwritersclub Virtual Holiday Cocktail Party, we (my family) wound up with a hot water emergency - at midnight!

Clue number one: When you jump into the shower with the settings just right (because you have turned those knobs exactly the same way thousands of times) and the water pelts you like sleet.

So it's definitely a late rising today - although it was so dark outside, it certainly didn't feel like it.

Fortunately, I'm off work until 2021, so a slow, slightly groggy day isn't impeding anything except a fluid list of personal projects I'm hoping to cross off my to-do list before I cross into the new year.

If you haven't checked it out (yes, I'm back with it), I'm running a special holiday promotion on BryonySeries books to help give back to a local independent bookstore that has supported local authors for decades and partnered with WriteOn Joliet for the last few years.

For details, visit bryonyseries.com/promotions.

For the reason why I decided to offer it (which has little to do with capitalizing on the holidays), read this post.

And if you're not certain you wish to participate and want to browse excerpts from my fiction, go here.

And have a wonderful Monday! :)

Photo by Timothy Baran

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Sing-Along

Christmas 2020 Film Festival

For some people, a cherished part of Christmas/holiday season is watching and rewatching the old holiday favorites.

For me, these TV specials and movies were part of my childhood - and there's still a few classics I've yet to see. But none of them were part of my adulthood.

How can that be, you may wonder.

Well, when I was a stay-at-home mom when my oldest children were young and before the advent of home VHS, you could only catch them on TV. And my children's father wouldn't give up his shows for children's Christmas specials. 

But by the time we had home VHS, I had three children under five. So I could pop in a VHS for them to watch while I caught up on housework.

As they grew, God blessed us with three more children. By the time number four arrived, I was already a homeschooling mom. Now anyone who's had a house filled with children and has home-schooled knows there's always one child (not always the same child) who doesn't get his or or her work done, with reasons ranging from overall slothfulness to not grasping the concepts.

So I would spend extra time to make sure the work was grasped and completed. And then I caught up on housework while the kids watched holiday specials. Next year, I would tell myself.

Then I became a single mom and worked two jobs (and for a short time, three jobs). Then I became a married mom who worked two jobs, as did my husband Rob. Then we became a home-schooling family again. You can do the math: two parents plus four jobs taking care of six kids equals little free time.

Those were glorious years, by the way. And they passed very quickly. Watching holiday films was not on my top any number of list things to do.

We were talking about this the other day. Somehow, my kids have memories of me watching with them, most likely because I popped in and out of the room on the way to another room and sat for a few minutes.

But to sit down and watch an entire Christmas show or movie? Nope!

This year I have the time and no family get-togethers, which sounds dismal, right? 

Quick rabbit trail.

Remember back in the 1970s (well, maybe not, if you're a young person reading this blog), when people proclaimed that women could have it all? Well, I believe anyone can "have it all," although the right time for "all" is often not in the same time frame.

Scripture says "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." And that is true with our lives.

I've had big traditional Christmases, new calendar Christmases, old calendar Christmases, Christmases full of cooking, and baking, and gift buy, and gift wrapping, and running around town to visit family and friends.

I've had two-parents Christmases and single parent Christmases, and house filled with people Christmases. I've had Christmases where work usurped our traditions. And last Christmas morning, I walked a hot chocolate and my little Christmas tree to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet where a friend from high school with lung cancer was spending Christmas. This year, that same friend is spending Christmas in heaven.

This year, we'll be "zooming" part of our Christmas. 

Also this year, I'm catching up on Christmas movies.

Here's my roster:

Wednesday night: It's a Wonderful Night.

Thursday night: Alastair Sims' A Christmas Carol (my favorite version).

Friday throughout the day: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and (if I can find it) Charlie Brown Christmas. (all favorites from my childhood).

Saturday: Reginald Owens' "Scrooge."

Sunday night: Not sure. I do have a virtual Christmas party with the 5 a.m. writers group that sounds waaaay more put together than anything I did for WriteOn Joliet. Time for me to get my act together.

The rest of the time between then and January 2: I have seen none of these (although I've seen part of the second and clips of the third).

White Christmas

Christmas in Connecticut

Miracle on 34th Street

And everything I didn't watch on the original list before I ran out of time (see above).

By the way, I'm running a special promotion on BryonySeries books in order to help out The Book Market in Crest Hill. 

I've already sent the first batches of coupons (THANK YOU to all who supported this special sale). Find details here: bryonyseries.com/promotions.

You thought I'd forgotten to spam you today, didn't you?

Photo by Timothy Baran

The Resulting Flyer

 After yesterday's long post, I have just a couple words to say.

Support the Book Market. 

Buy BryonySeries books now. 

For directions, visit bryonyseries.com/promotions.

BTW, what do you think of the resulting flyer?

And feel free to share!

If you want an electronic, copy, email me at bryonyseries@gmail.com, and I will send you one.

Raise the woof! First Christmas song for dogs