Author Archives: Author Julie Seedorf

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About Author Julie Seedorf

As human beings, we are always a work in progress. From birth to death we live, hurt, laugh, cry, feel, and with all of those emotions we grow as people, as family members, and as friends. I'm a dreamer and feel blessed to have the opportunity in my writing to pass those dreams on to others. I believe you are never too old to dream and to turn those dreams into a creative endeavor.” I live in rural Minnesota and am a wife, mother, and grandmother. Throughout my life I have had many careers or should I say opportunities at jobs where I have learned different skills such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities person, office manager, and finally a computer repair person eventually owning her own computer sales and repair business. Add my volunteer activities such as Sunday School Teacher and SADD advisor and more and it's been a full life. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series. I currentlyntly have written nine cozy mysteries, three children’s books, participated in three group anthologies or mysteries, and write three blogs about various subjects.

Christmas In June? Really?

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I thought I was seeing things. I am older you know. My eyes are probably not as good as they used to be. As I gazed down the aisle of Hobby Lobby yesterday I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

It was around 90 degrees outside. The cool air hit my face as my friend and I walked into the door of Hobby Lobby. One of the first things I saw in the aisles ahead of me were all different shapes of cute metal and ceramic pumpkins. It didn’t hit me at first that they were preparing for Halloween. You have to remember that the calendar on my cell phone said June 26!

Ok, I thought, It is a little early  but…… and then I turned into an aisle. Lo and behold, it was Christmas!!!!!! Again, I had to blink my eyes. When they stopped blinking the scenery hadn’t changed.

I looked at the store clerk and said “Really?” He shook his head in agreement and said “I know. Nothing I can do.” And he kept shaking his head as if he agreed with me.

To be fair they did have fourth of July trappings out too, but not in  as many aisles, but Christmas? I know I have seen the Christmas in July displays but what I saw was Christmas and Halloween. What happened to Thanksgiving?

Why can’t we enjoy today without rushing the seasons? Are stores so desperate that they need to push Christmas on us now? Or are we the ones that are so desperate for that Christmas feeling in our lives that we want to rush the season, which makes stores rush the seasons, which perhaps makes life more bearable because of the peace and joy feeling we are searching for in our lives that we connect with the Christmas Season.

I, for one, am not ready to let the summer go yet. As I write this it is June 27 and I want to enjoy each day. If we look for it, we can find the same feelings today that we get in the Christmas Season. Look for those feelings inside of yourself and find what feeds your soul to keep that Christmas Spirit and the feelings of peace and joy with you all year-long.

I Write When I Write But Then I Don’t!

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natashaI don’t know why keeping up with this blog is so hard. I have other blogs such as justalittlefluff.com and thankfuljoy.com. I do pretty well with justalittlefluff.com. I usually post my columns and any writing news on that blog. Thankfuljoy.com is my thankfulness blog and even though I am thankful every day for what God has given me, I have a hard time posting.

This blog is this n that. I think my problem is that I have a hard time believing anyone would be interested in what I post. So read this if you want, or don’t because I write and then I don’t. It is the don’t I am working on.

According to the dictionary Don’t is doing what should not be done. Wow, maybe I that means I should not write this blog of nonsense. How many don’ts do we have in our lives?

We are always telling our children “Don’t do that.” Don’t go there.” “Don’t talk back to me.” Don’ts are kind of like “You can’t.”

I dislike “You can’t.” The minute someone tells me I can’t I absolutely try to figure out someway to make that an “I can.”

Words like can’t and don’t seem to spur me on to do and can. Is that the way it is  with you?

The more we ban our children from something, the more they want to do it.

My cats cannot go in my laundry room and my basement. I have a screen door to keep them out. Of course, where do they want to go the most? The basement and laundry room. My office has a door to keep the cats out because they bother things. Where is their favorite place to try and break in to? My office. On the days they can get into my office, because I leave the door open when I am not in there, it is not a big deal. They investigate and leave. They are just like children. Ban a room, they want to be there. Ban a book and my kids always wanted to read it.

In fact, when my kids were growing up, I found the best way to talk my one son out of buying something I didn’t think he should have, was to tell him it was his decision. I knew he wouldn’t buy it. If I had told him he didn’t need it and couldn’t have it, he always wanted it.

So you see, I want to write and then I don’t. So maybe someone should tell me don’t and then I do when it comes to this blog.

Am I not making sense? Is this strange? Of course it is. This is a blog of my meandering thoughts, sometimes making sense and sometimes not. If you like it, keep reading, if you don’t and notice I said don’t, then don’t.

 

 

Too Much To Do, Not Enough Energy

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What to do. What not to do. It is the week before Thanksgiving. Business is booming. The grandkids visited and the house is a mess. I need to finish my columns and my speech for a future speaking engagement. The cat is coughing up hairballs and the sun is shining. I want to play hooky but the innate sense of responsibility that is built in inside of my body is taking over.

What is it about us that makes us have a hard time being over responsible? What is it about us that makes it hard to balance our lives?

I feel I have a responsibility to my customers to get things back to them in a timely manner even if it means no lunches and 14 hour days. Why does it matter that my house will be a little messy when Thanksgiving arises? Five minutes after everyone is here it is a mess again. No one except me, really cares. I have a responsibility to create this perfect Thanksgiving meal. The grandkids expect Turkey and so do I but they would eat whatever. Their main joy is getting together with uncles and aunts and cousins. It is I who put the expectation on them.

It is me, all me. I create my own stress because of this picture perfect holiday that I have in my mind. The picture perfect is fictional just like most of my book writing. It only exists in the movies, on television and from Father Knows Best.

Our lives our messy, just like my house. People get sick, people get mad, people get stressed. Inthe midst of it all we miss the smile of a little child, the purr of a cat and the rousing noise of a shared football game all because we are insistant on keeping that perfect picture in our mind. We fail miserably at letting go of that perfect picture of a joyous holiday and replacing it with the joy of living the real life of the holiday with all its messes.

If I had the solution I would give it to you. I don’t. Perhaps we need to wipe  up the hairballs, laugh at the spilled gravy and be glad we are here to experience it. Perfect is kind of boring anyway.