Holiday Cheer - Twas the Night Before Christmas

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By Callie Hutton

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!. Slogging through the first round of edits for my Regency, The Elusive Wife, I came up with this little ditty to put some humor into the job.

‘Twas the night before Christmas,

And the author said ‘damn’

I need to get this book

Into my publisher’s hands 

Her children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While she got two aspirins for the pain in her head,

 

Mama in her kerchief and papa in his cap,

She hoped this last revision would be but a snap

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

She hopped from her laptop to see what the hell happened now!

 

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,

Gave a luster of midday to objects below,

When what to her wondering eyes should appear

But her hero dressed as Santa without any beard−or shirt

 His eyes, how they twinkled! His dimples how cool!

His cheeks were like roses, his chest made her drool

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

Fixing the scene where she’d made him a jerk,

And laying his finger under her chin,

He gave her a kiss as wicked as sin, 

He sprang to his horse, to his horse gave a whistle,

And left her alone with nothing but sizzle.

But she heard him exclaim, ere he rode out of sight

Get your ass back to work, it will be a long night!

 

I hope it gave you a chuckle. Here is the blurb from my Civil War novella, Daniel’s Desire: 

When Confederate soldier, Lt. Daniel McCoy makes his escape from a Union prison toward the end of the Civil War, his only thought is to get as far away from enemy territory as possible. But he doesn’t count on saving young widow Rosemarie Wilson’s life from an infected leg wound.  

Rosemarie has no use for Rebels soldiers, having lost everything, including her husband, the last time they came to her home. However, Daniel has not only saved her life, but is sticking around to help with the farm and her three children until she recovers. 

With Union soldiers searching for him, every day Daniel remains puts him in danger. Or is the beautiful widow who has captured his heart the greater risk? 

And a short snippet: 

Daniel groaned as he sat up, his muscles sore from a night on the barn floor. He rubbed his eyes and stretched to relieve his cramped muscles. After using a bucket of well water to take care of his morning ablutions, he hurried to the house and crept quietly down the hallway. The children were all asleep, Chandler and Jace snuggled up against each other. He pulled a blanket over Amelia and smoothed back the hair tickling her face.  

Mrs. Wilson’s “enter” greeted him after a light tap on her closed door. She lay on one side, watching him with wary eyes. 

“G’morning, how are you feeling today?” 

“Fine. You can leave now.” 

Daniel laughed softly and approached her bed. “I doubt you’re fine, and I don’t think I should leave just yet.” 

She shifted so she could look him in the eye. “I would think you’d be worried about the army finding you and dragging you back to prison.” 

“I am worried. But you need help.” At her raised eyebrows, he continued, “Mrs.Wilson, you have three young children to care for.” 

“I know that, Reb.” 

“Until you’re on your feet again, I’ll just have to lay low.” 

Her face screwed up in pain as she settled on her back, crossing her hands over her stomach. “Just don’t get comfortable.” 

“Tell you what. I won’t get comfortable, if you stop trying to run me off the place.”

Reviews & Buy links:

“I just returned from the Civil War days of "Daniel's Desire,"…& I wasn't ready to come back!” 5*review:  http://amzn.to/SaBkjL

 “Daniel's Desire is a page-turner filled with energy, excitement, and passion that transcends generations.”5* review: http://amzn.to/SaBkjL  

 

Indian Tacos

Here in Oklahoma, a very popular dish is Indian Tacos. Thanks to my friend, and fellow OK RWA member, Calisa Rhose, I can offer this recipe for a yummy delicious supper: 

Indian fry bread is two-to-one recipe. These proportions will make about eight to ten taco ‘shells.’

Two cup of self rising flour

One cup buttermilk 

In floured hands, pinch off two inch balls and flatten into a round disc. Heat deep fryer and place the discs in one at a time. Use a metal ladle to indent the center as it swells so it has a dent in the middle to hold the meat juice. Fry to a golden brown (or when dough is cooked through). Drain on a paper lined plate.

For the meat and beans: Fry hamburger and mix into pot with UNDRAINED one can of ranch style beans, one can of black beans and one can of pinto beans. Let cook until well heated. You want the juice to soak into the bread. 

Then just add regular taco sides and eat. 

At every community event, the line in front of the Indian Taco stand is always the longest. Hope you enjoy this wonderful treat. 

Callie has been making up stories since elementary school, and writing gave her a way to turn off the voices in her head.  She’s had a number of articles and interviews published over the years, and finally decided to put her writing skills to the test and write novels.

            Oklahoma is where she hangs her hat with her husband of thirty-six years, two young adult children, and three dogs.

You can catch her hanging out at Facebook, Twitter- @CallieHutton, and her home base, www.calliehutton.com. Stop by sometime and say hello.

Books by Callie Hutton:

Oklahoma Lovers series, #1, #2, #3

            A Run For Love (Tori & Jesse)

            A Wife By Christmas (Ellie & Max)

            A Prescription For Love (Michael & Heidi)

An Angel in the Mail

Tessa’s Treasures

Miss Merry’s Christmas

Daniel’s Desire

All of Callie Hutton’s books can be found at www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesandNoble.com.