Category Archives: Holidays

Christmas in July: Fun and Festive Tips for Pet-Lovers!

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Get ready to spread holiday cheer in the summertime with Christmas in July! And what better way to celebrate than with your furry friends by your side?

Christmas in July

Here is a tip sheet to make this festive occasion truly unforgettable for you and your beloved pets:

  1. Yule Log for All: Create a cozy ambiance for our pets by playing a Yule log video on your TV or tablet. The cracking sounds and flickering flames will provide a soothing and festive atmosphere while you cuddle up together.
  2. Pet Gift Exchange: Include your pets in the gift-giving festivities by organizing a pet gift exchange. Invite friends or family with pets to join in the fun. Wrap up toys or treats and let the furry ones have a blast unwrapping their surprises.
  3. Movie Marathon: Snuggle up with your furry companion and enjoy a movie marathon of pet-themed holiday films. One good suggestion is The Santa Paws series.
  4. Donate and Volunteer: This is the perfect month to give back to pets in need. Consider donating supplies, toys, or treats to local animal shelters or volunteering your time to help care for the animals.
  5. Cool Down with Frozen Treats: Treat your pets to refreshing frozen treats. Create ice cum=be trays filled with chicken or beef broth or freeze fruit slices for a healthy and hydrating snack.
  6. Pet Christmas Parade: Organize a neighborhood Christmas pet parade. Encourage your neighbors to dress up their pets and walk together. Award prizes for the best dressed pets and most creative costumes.
New release!

Embrace the joy and love that pets bring to our lives and make this festive occasion one to remember with my newest release, Christmas Tails of the Heart. This sweet romance boxed set includes three books that combines heartwarming stories of our adorable pets.

Christmas Tails of the Heart

Now on sale at a special introductory price. Grab your copy today before the price goes up.

Available in ebook, paperback, large print paperback, and hardcover.

Free on Kindle Unlimited.

Audiobooks for each book sold separately.

 

Cultivating Crunchy Cukes in Cages

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Raised bed gardening offers numerous benefits for green thumbs and novice gardeners alike. Growing ‘off’ the ground and in tall containers, though, works best for this little old lady (the white container in the background). No bending, squatting, or kneeling for me!
The advantages of planting in large wooden boxes or plastic fish totes (yup!) range from enhanced soil drainage and temperature control to easier access for planting and harvesting. When it comes to cucumbers, utilizing a trellis system can dramatically improve your yield, quality, and the overall health of your plants.


My husband had seen ads for fancy containers with ‘hooped’ trellises and decided to build his own. He used leftover lumber, metal siding, and a piece of fence panel. He sketched it out, calculated some measurements based on what he had on hand, then put the hardware and tools to the wood and metal. He’s very clever that way. We already had plenty of Four-in-One soil mix (sand, loam, compost, and manure mixed and aged) on hand, so with our tractor and its bucket to fill his new creation, the vining container was soon complete. All that was needed were young plants. I bought one and started the rest of my crop from seeds.
Make sure you choose the right plants for trellising. I planted Tendersweet, Armenian, Pioneer cucumbers, and a few Yellow Mini Watermelons. That’s kind of cheating according to the experts (you’re not supposed to plant melons and cukes next to each other), but since I already had the seedlings started, they went in, too. I planted a few bush varieties of cucumbers in the middle of my oversized tunnel of trellis (bent-over field fence). We put in some drip irrigation emitters, shaved wood bedding to retain moisture, and waited for the growth spurt.
We had a sunny east-west exposure for it. We have long days at this time of year in Oregon, so everything took off. Because I overplanted, I am constantly trimming oversized cucumber leaves that are blocking air circulation. I do the same thing for all my plants in containers. That’s a secret no one seems to share. Mold and crud love warm, moist environments. You’ll be surprised at how plants love being thinned out.
Watering is crucial when growing cucumbers. They require a consistent, plentiful supply of water – at least one inch per week. I use drip watering to cut down on usage and mulch to keep it in. This also keeps the foliage dry and prevents mildew.
As your cucumber plants start growing, guide them onto the trellis. The tendrils will naturally grab onto the trellis, but you may need to gently train them in the right direction.
Finally, don’t forget about the power of companion planting. Marigolds, nasturtiums, or radishes planted around your cucumber bed can deter harmful pests.
Container with trellis gardening is an excellent way to maximize the yield of your cucumber plants and promote healthier growth. It’s not only a practical method for urban gardeners or those with limited space but also an enjoyable activity for anyone interested in getting the most out of their gardening endeavors. Enjoy the process and look forward to a bountiful harvest of crisp, delicious cucumbers!

Is it too hot to garden? Set your alarm and get out early in the day. When the heat gets to be too much, come back in, take a cool shower, and grab an Unforgettable Romance about Christmas. Check this one out: Unforgettable Christmas Miracles has ELEVEN romances, just ripe for you. #Free to read with #KindleUnlimited.

Love a Beach Read? Romance, adventure, and fun by Rachelle Ayala #RachelleAyala @mimisgang1 #mgtab

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Summer is prime beach reading season, and women’s beach reads are a genre all their own. The perfect beach read for women combines several key elements that make it compelling, entertaining, and ideal for reading on vacation.

A beach read should be light and fun. Women often choose easy page-turners with a generous dose of humor when lounging by the ocean or poolside. Plots are fast-paced and focus more on fun, witty banter between characters rather than complex world-building. Compelling characters and addictive drama are a must, but the overall tone should be feel-good rather than heavy.

The setting plays a huge role in immersing readers in summer vibes. Beach reads usually transport us to sunny, tropical locales like a Hawaiian resort, Caribbean island, small coastal town, or European vacation hot spot. The glittering blue ocean, flowy sundresses, icy cocktails, and warm sand between toes create the ultimate escapist backdrop for temporary getaways between the pages.

Travel and adventure are common themes, as beach reads allow us to live vicariously through characters while we relax and recharge. Following a heroine as she checks items off her wanderlust bucket list or reinvents herself in an exotic new environment provides exciting yet comfortable literary journeys from the security of our beach chair.

Of course, romance is a must for any successful women’s beach read. Flirty banter, meet-cutes over piña coladas, and passionate affairs under the moonlight satisfy readers’ summer cravings for fantasy and fun. Scandalous love triangles, fake engagement plots, and romances between seemingly mismatched characters provide playful and irresistible romantic tension.

The best beach reads for women combine all these elements into page-turning books you can’t put down until you find out what happens. The stories whisk you away to an imaginary getaway full of summer fun without having to leave your lounge chair. With the sound of crashing waves in the background, these entertaining tales make for blissful beach reading any woman will enjoy.

These are all the reasons why I love reading and writing beach reads. I get to travel to fun and exotic locations, create adventurous situations and of course, add in a hunky hero, matchmaking locals and animal friends, and we get an irresistible romance to spice up the soothing sounds of the surf.

My latest beach read, Where Love Blossoms, provides the perfect escape if you’re looking to relax with a side of sweet romance. Maya Chance finds herself instantly attracted to the dashing and somewhat mysterious Luke Hastings. The fictional island of Ile d’Amour is the perfect setting with its tropical scenery, quirky locals with an eye for matchmaking, tall tales of its pirate heritage, and natural beauty. Add a pet monkey who’s endearing but mischievous, a wise innkeeper, an observant bartender, and a taxi driver full of stories and tales, and you get a heartwarming romance with plenty of humor and fun.

Where Love Blossoms by Rachelle Ayala (99c or KindleUnlimited)

An Unforgettable Vacation in Egypt.

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If you are looking for a different and memorable vacation, at an incredibly low price, I suggest you carefully read this blog. My kids have just returned from a one-week vacation in Egypt.

Riding a camel wasn’t easy, but we made it

Using the highly recommended Memphis Tours, they organized the whole trip from the US by email and paid 25% of the whole amount when they made their reservations. The rest was paid when they arrived in Cairo. The price included hotels in Cairo and Luxor with breakfast and lunch, car transportation, flight to Luxor, and visits to all the monuments. Before traveling they got their visas and recommended vaccines. My daughter and son, and their families flew to London and boarded the same British Airways flight to Cairo.

Lunch at the 9 Pyramids Restaurant. We came by camel!

At Cairo International Airport, they were met at the gate by a Memphis Tours Representative who took their passports and asked them to follow her. Bypassing the long lines, she took care of all the formalities, passport control, and customs, and led them out of the airport to their van in no time. The Rep introduced them to their driver, English-speaking guide, and bodyguard who would accompany them for the whole week. This completely reassured my daughter.

The van drove them to the Kempinski Hotel (German chain of hotels) in downtown Cairo, right on the Nile. That first night they had dinner on the terrace of the hotel and enjoyed the magnificent view of Cairo by night.

At the step pyramid of Saqqara with Emad, our tour guide, an M.S. in History and a well of information.

On Day One, they went to the Pyramids, rode camels to tour the area, visited the Sphynx, and reached the restaurant where they enjoyed a delicious lunch of grilled lamb and chicken kabab. In the afternoon they visited the step pyramid of Saqqara, and went inside one of the pyramids.

The famous Khan El Khalili Bazaar where we shop to our heart’s content.

On Day Two, they visited the Citadel, (an old fortress) and the old museum and saw the King Tut exhibit. (The new Big Museum is still not open yet). After lunch they spent time in the Khan El Khalili Bazaar and enjoyed the inexpensive shopping.

The Temple of Karnak

On Day Three, they flew to Luxor, visited the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, sailed in a felucca and enjoyed a sunset on the Nile.

Going down a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. We saw King Tut’s mummy!

On Day Four, they left the Sofitel hotel at 8 am, (the renovated old Windsor Palace where many celebrities stayed). Right after breakfast, they went to the Valley of the Kings where they visited 5 Tombs out of 63, then they drove to the Colossi of Memnon, and later to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Back at the hotel, they spent their afternoon in the pool, and after dinner attended a Sound and Light show at the temple.

In front of Queen Hatshepsut Temple. Her son had her head removed from all statues and paintings and replaced with his own head!!!

On Day Five, they flew back to Cairo, and on Day Six, they visited the Old Cairo churches that dated from the second century A.C. and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue or the Synagogue of the Levantines. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found.

Sound and Light at the Temple of Luxor

The six-day trip to Egypt cost them less than any cruise or local vacation. The dads were happy to have a driver, the moms enjoyed the inexpensive shopping, and the girls were delighted to have Internet in both hotels. They were able to post their pictures on Instagram from day one. They are already planning another fabulous trip for next year to discover more wonderful monuments in Egypt.    

The Gods of Dark Love

The book is based on the Legend of Isis and Osiris. This is a sensual dark romance, with explicit love scenes, but not erotic in frequency or type.)

According to the legend, the evil Egyptian god of storm, Seth, killed his brother Osiris, chopped him into fourteen pieces and flung them all over Egypt. Isis, goddess of family, reassembled thirteen of his body parts. Since she couldn’t find his supernatural male member, where his godly power was stored, she reattached a human one. Isis has always loved Osiris, the charming god of labor. While dreaming of marriage, family and a son, she helps him fight Seth. Together they struggle to survive iniquities and perils.

His trip to the Afterlife has changed Osiris. He regrets his past womanizing. Guided by oracles she utters when they make love, they search lands and seas for his missing organ so he can recover his godly attributes. Osiris has fallen in love with Isis but the sins of his past and their unexpected consequences threaten to separate them more painfully than Seth’s mayhem and curses.

SECRET KISSES

The story is set in Ohio, and includes a visit to Egypt and a cruise on the Nile River. For love and friendship, three best friends will defy families and society.

Katy Mahoney, Hoda Seif, and Sarah Kohn. Three girls from different backgrounds and religions pledged to maintain their friendship forever.

For five years, the three friends meet and exchange confidences and advice. Life is so confusing for a woman in love with a man from a different religion. Sarah is concerned about Omar’s narrow-mindedness and decides he has to change. Katy knows she’ll have a battle royal on her hands with her pious Catholic mother. And Hoda is in a worse shape. Her family’s religion forbids her to marry an infidel.

Will the three friends manage to convince their families to let them marry for love or will tradition tear the lovers apart?

This book is part of UNFORGETTABLE LOVE, Unforgettable Wonder