Showing posts with label candles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label candles. Show all posts

Monday, December 10, 2012

Christmas with Catherine & Dawson, Part 3. Come join us! #contest #give@way!



Welcome back for the FINAL Christmas with Catherine and Dawson Giveaway!

In Castaway Hearts, Christmas continues to play big role in bringing Catherine and Dawson together. Her heartache over the tragic death of Dawson's brother at sea submerges Catherine in grief and nearly costs her life. I'll share with you now, the scene after she awakens and the gift that Dawson gives her, which is quite intimate and personal.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Catherine glanced down at the blue paper around the box that sat across her legs. It wasn’t heavy and she felt very shy all of a sudden about a gift from him. She had never received a gift from any man.

This was a momentous occasion and she held her breath.

Slipping the ribbon away, she lifted the lid to discover soft pink fabric, decorated with magnificent floral embroidery across the front. Catherine lifted the clothing out so it revealed itself as a new nightgown. She felt heat rush her cheeks.

“Oh, Dawson.” She exhaled in a whisper. “This is too much. You shouldn’t have. What would people think if I told them you got me a nightgown?”

“You don’t have to tell them, you know.” Dawson scooted the tray of food and her other gift to the other side of the bed so he could sit down across from her. Catherine looked up at him and saw the glimmer in his eyes, the sparkle of humor and sincerity.

“I figured you might like a nightgown that was new and fresh.” Dawson admitted in a low voice.

Catherine tried to swallow the lump in her throat, uncertain what to say. She glanced down at the gown she wore. Now she was certain it was not hers.

The idea that she wore a dead woman’s nightgown bothered her, but not as much as gown that lay before her. No matter how practical, this was not the gift of a friend.

A man would give this to his wife in the privacy of their bedroom, without the inquisitive eyes of others. She wondered if he had done the same with Lucinda. Though she sat in the middle of his bed, dressed in naught but a flimsy nightgown anyway, Catherine was not his wife.

“You can’t expect me to accept this. It’s much too personal.” Catherine held the soft fabric in her hands. Silky, smooth, and near transparent, it was much more intimate than a simple nightgown and she wanted to wear it. Her heart thumped in her ears loud as a drum as she shook her head. “This is a gift you give a spouse.”

The last sentence slipped out in a hushed breath before Catherine could stop her erratic thoughts. They trailed off, in wicked daydream of what it would be like to wear the luxurious garment, to have Dawson lay her down on this bed and make love to her.

How remarkable his mouth would feel if it touched her all over, even in her most private of places. She felt the flash of heat across her skin when she looked away from him, embarrassed by her own wayward thoughts.

His hand came into her line of sight and caressed hers. “And what if I wanted that?”

Catherine shot him a look, finding tenderness filled the deep cobalt of his eyes.

“What?”

“What if I wanted you for my wife, Catherine?” Dawson put his hand into his pocket. He withdrew a small object, shiny and golden.

A ring.
 ~*~*~*~*~*~
This the final of 3 Christmas with Catherine and Dawson Giveaways. Each contest begins on Monday and end on Sunday between now and the holidays. I will contact the winner for address information, especially in regard to the gift card choices in this giveaway and I will ship the prize as soon as I'm able once the contest has ended.

Dawson's concern over Catherine having a gown of her own, inspired this giveaway to gift the winner with some "intimate apparel" of their own this holiday season. I hope you'll enjoy it and thanks for joining us!
Pictured above are the items included in this giveaway- 1 SIGNED print copy of Castaway Hearts, a bookmark and each of my 4 business cards (for you to keep or give away to others you think might be interested) and a pair of Blue Shell Tea Candle Holders (included are 6 Vanilla Caramel scented tea candles). I don't have a picture of it, but also included in this is your choice of a $25 Gift Card from either Frederick's of Hollywood or Victoria's Secret.

Please follow the instructions below on the Rafflecopter widget for your chances to win! There are several ways to play. We've enjoyed having you join us!

Monday, December 3, 2012

The Party Continues- Christmas with Catherine & Dawson, Part 2. Come join us!

Good morning and welcome back to Christmas with Catherine and Dawson. I'm glad you've joined us! The winner of Part 1 has already been randomly selected and notified, as well as announced on the Rafflecopter widget on that giveaway post.

There's a common thread between the holidays and Catherine and Dawson and it's that spirit of belief, in believing that LOVE is the greatest thing of all. It's having faith to see things through and hope that all is not lost. It takes a while for Catherine and Dawson to believe in their love for each other and even then, obstacles being what they are, there are times when it does seem all hope is lost.

It's moments like those in life, that we should really grasp hold of and believe even harder in love and each other. Christmas shouldn't be the only time we believe in the goodness of others or show kindness and gratitude and appreciation. We must think with our heads, but I think we should BELIEVE and love with all our hearts.

Enjoy this time of year and believe in the greatness of others because you might just be the light in the darkness for someone else. Happy Holidays! Now for the best part!

This the 2nd of 3 Christmas with Catherine and Dawson Giveaways. Each contest begins on Monday and end on Sunday between now and the holidays. I will contact the winner for address information and I will ship the prize as soon as I'm able once the contest has ended. 
Pictured above, a Candle holder with candles to "light the way" and a Golden "Believe" tabletop decoration, and 1 SIGNED print copy of Castaway Hearts, bookmark and each of my 4 business cards (for you to keep or give away to others you think might be interested.) I am also including a few "secret Santa" type holiday items as well, but Shhhh.....those are secret, after all!

Please follow the instructions below on the Rafflecopter widget for your chances to win! There are several ways to play. We've enjoyed having you join us!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Memory Lane Monday- Birthdays

My birthday will arrive before I do another Memory Lane Monday, so I think today I'll reminisce a bit about the birthdays I had growing up. I never had birthday parties with friends- well, not the kind my parents planned, though in my teens I did things with friends, but when I was much younger I do remember my grandmother (my mom's mom) always made sure to get me a store bought cake from the grocery. The ones with the shortening frosting and rose buds and fancy piping and the little plastic "Happy Birthday" sign in cursive.

She always tried to make sure she got a "black & blue" cake. For some reason, I deemed chocolate worthy of that distinction, even with the mixed vanilla and chocolate creme sandwich cookies that were always in the cookie jar at my grandparents' house- you know the ones, the grocery store versions that were sort of like Oreos.
I honestly don't know where I got the idea, but it would seem that "Black & Blue" have been following me for the better part of my life and ironically, I realize now that the majority of my color scheme for this blog, my website, my Twitter profile, my tattoos, are in shades of black and blue as well. Perhaps that is significant in a way I cannot comprehend, but I digress...

What do I remember about birthdays, most vividly? Whether my parents bought me a cake or my mom baked one- almost always chocolate, if my birthday were on a school morning, my mom would get me up and make me blow out the candles and make a wish before I got on the bus. And I got to eat CAKE for breakfast. (*Flash* to Bill Cosby's "Dad is great, he let us have chocolate cake!)

I remember sharing my "birthday" with my sister, and vice versa—being it was just us two girls, she would get a small gift on my birthday and I would get one on hers in July.

At my grandparents, someone generally gave me birthday spankings, with "one to grow on." I remember the year my parents got me Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits Volume 2- I WORE that record out. It skips so bad, especially on the last song- Xanadu. I so wanted to be Olivia when I grew up. LOL I remember my grandparents on my dad's side getting me Sleeping Beauty on Disney VHS and we watched it together and I was SHOCKED beyond measure when Maleficent cursed.

When I was 14 or 15 my grandma on my dad's side presented me with a beautifully bound collection of classic novels, Alice in Wonderland, Little Men, Robinson Crusoe, to name a few, but I believe it was a 10-12 book collection (and perhaps I'll touch back on this set of books in a later blog). I believe that was also the same year she presented me with these two beautiful iridescent cat figures.


Also for my 15th birthday, my parents got me a book of poems called To My Daughter with Love on the Important Things in Life by Susan Polis Schutz. My parents wrote a little something inside the book to me and I intend to follow below them, with a note to my daughter and give her that same book on her 15th birthday.

That was also the same year that my father gave me an autographed copy of In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason as a late Christmas present when the construction company he works for built her house. (More on that in a later blog as well.)

I'm sure every birthday has some significance- something more than just aging another year. Each are special in their own way and each either teach us something new about ourselves as we grow, or they gift us with treasures of the heart.

What do you remember about birthdays you've had?
Are there any that stick out more than others, or that hold a special place in your heart?
Please share!