Photo Friday: True Love

Talena Winters

February 12, 2016

Love, Family, Music, Photo Friday

Jason and Talena. Photo taken June 2008.

“If they asked me, I could write a book
About the way you act and whisper and look
I could write the preface on how we met
So the world would never forget

And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot
Then the world discovers as my book ends
How to make two lovers of friends.”

— "I Could Write a Book" by Rodgers & Hart

I love you forever, Jason. Sometimes I still can't believe I was lucky enough to get to spend this life with you. Thank you. For everything.

Winters' Day In

Sit down and have a cuppa...

Buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/talenawinters .

Writer. Knitting pattern designer. Foodie. Tea addict. Book geek. Mom of boys. Aspiring mermaid. My Secret Wish: Be your most fabulous you.

Get more encouraging and knitterly posts by following me on Instagram @TalenaWinters.

I've been on a journey of making some big changes in my business for the last week or two. I think I know what I want to do now, which is exciting. I've been frustrated because of the long hours I've been working with so little monetary return, and have been looking for ways to make a sustainable living. I was happy to find out recently that it is possible to make a living doing things that I'm already doing and am good at, I just needed to shift my focus a little. . On a completely unrelated note, I'm looking forward to making room for more editing clients in the future. 🙃 . Last night, I put up my first post on a new blog that will be all about writing tips for #indieauthors. It includes my free download for improving your story with 5 Point Plot Structure. If you want to check that out, you can find it at www.talenawinters.com/writing-tips. The Indie Publishing Process: Part 1 . Also, this almond milk latte and banana bread that I had at Java Domain a few days ago was amazing. . Happy Monday, friend! What's new in your life recently? . #lattelover #coffee #writinghelp #writingtips #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting #amediting

Repost from @jessicarenwickauthor. She always styles her book reads so prettily. Oh, she's also pretty good at writing them. And she has an adorable dog. You should follow her. 😍😘😉 . Get this book for free at www.talenawinters.com/contact Have you read it? Did you like it? 😊 . Happy Wednesday! . #bookstagram #booklovers #writersofig #thewaterboy #riseofthegrigori #youngadultbooks #sciencefantasy #fantasybooks

I'm working on a new cowl design that uses up ball ends from the stash. I'm loving the shifting colours from all the leftover sock yarn I've collected for the last fifteen years. I'm thinking of designing several garments using this idea. Here's what I've got for ideas so far: Hat Vest Boxy cardigan . What other things would you like to see to use up your old stash and ball ends quickly and easily? . #stashpotion #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects

Signs of spring: muddy paws and noses, seeds in the coat, and everyone looks like an electrified muppet that needs a good brush. . Oh, and the cat's I-will-find-you-and-kill-you-while-you-sleep face? I found out after taking this photo that the child in charge of feeding him that day hadn't done it yet. Quickly rectified. But don't mess with the kitty's food! . #tigger #sunshinegirl #hirothehusky #dogsofig #catstagram #goldenretriever #husky #farmcritters

Homemade almond milk lattes: fueling lactose-intolerant writers since someone discovered you could milk an almond. . Happy Wednesday! . #writerscommunity #writerslife #writersofig #amwriting #coffee #latte #ilovecoffee #sometimes

I know it's spring, but that still means chilly mornings. DS#2 said his mid-winter gloves were too warm, and he wanted some spring ones. In pumpkin orange. Because in Canada, spring is the new fall, and every season is glove season. . I'm kinda tempted to keep them, actually... JK. But I like the orange more than I thought I would. . Pattern @ www.talenawinters.com/just-plain-gloves Yarn: @knit_picks Swish Worsted. . #justplaingloves #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects

I sent out my knitting newsletter yesterday, in which I talked about how I got into designing knitwear. While looking for photos for the email, I came across this gem of my third son, Jabin, modelling one of my first pairs of mittens. (I made my purl stitches twisted back then, which you can see here.) . Besides choking up at how much my kids have changed and grown, looking through all those old photos helped me realize how much I have changed and grown, both as a designer and as a person. (And a photographer. So sad that the mittens aren't even in focus here!) . Think about how far you've come in the last five or ten years. If you can get this far, imagine what you can do in the next five or ten! . Happy Friday! . #knitstagram #amknitting #knittersofig #knittersofinstagram #knitweardesign #mysecretwishbytalena #mswbtprojects #inspiration #throwback

When I decided to create the book The Waterboy, I already knew a lot about Zale's story—primarily, that he runs away from home and ends up living with the gypsies. What I didn't know much about was the gypsies. Over the last month, I have read a LOT about the Romani, especially in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. But I've also learned a lot about them in general and the challenges that still face them today. This book was an amazing resource, giving a sympathetic overview of this people's history. I highly recommend it. . I'm not saying I got everything right in my story. But I got a lot more right. The Roma have endured enough discrimination in fantasy and popular media. I hope my story shows another side. . More about the story at www.talenawinters.com/waterboy . #thewaterboy #riseofthegrigori #romani #roma #writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori

Big news today: The Waterboy has been published! And it's free! . How can you get your copy? I'm so glad you asked! . The Waterboy is available exclusively to newsletter subscribers, so all you have to do to get a copy is be on my list for at least long enough to download your free gifts. Now, I'd love it if you stuck around longer, but I will be totally unoffended if you sign up, download the book, and then remove yourself as though you were never there... (But if you stay, we'll talk about books and other fun stuff about once a month.) . So, if you want one, and you didn't already get an email from me about it this morning (hey! If you're on the list, go check your inbox!), then scoot over here and sign up: www.talenawinters.com/contact (or through link in profile). . The Waterboy is an adventure fantasy young adult novella about Zale, a boy who calls lightning from the skies with disastrous results. Now he is on the run to protect his family … from himself. . It's also a standalone prequel to my upcoming book The Undine's Tear. So if you want to see if it's the kind of series that will appeal to you, this is the perfect test! Short enough to be read in a single sitting! . Happy reading, friend! . #thewaterboy #youngadult #adventurefantasy #sciencefantasy #writers #writerslife #author #writersofig #theundinestear #bookstagram #amwriting #amreading #fantasybooks #historicalfantasy #shifter #youngadultbooks #mermaids #sphinxes #dragons #angels #grigori Cover Art by @fionajaydemedia

$Confession time: I have a long list of things I dream of accomplishing, but the things that fall to the bottom of the list fastest involve housework and crafty projects that will produce no income and require my most most precious commodity: time. Fortunately, I have kids to help me keep up on the housework (because chores) and a family that understands where my time must go. Also, I've let go of the idea that just because I CAN do something (for instance, make my kids a super-awesome pair of lined mittens that will be good to -40) doesn't mean I have to. These mittens that sat in my craft area [aka "dining room"] all winter to "remind" me that my kid needed new ones that fit? Well… those $8 Walmart gloves filled in just fine, and took a fraction of the time to buy. . And those jewel cases that I put here last fall when cleaning out the clutter in my office to decide what I should do with later? Honestly, I'm still stumped what to do with these. Suggestions? Do they make good coasters? I mean, once in a while, it's handy to have one around, but how often does that happen? . Okay, yeah, I probably should just throw them out. . The point is, when you work from home, that doesn't mean your home is in perfect shape or that you now have time to play video games or scrapbook or have tea whenever you want. In fact, if you want to work from home successfully, you have to be even more disciplined in some ways than someone who goes to an office every day. Which sometimes means you walk by the same project 8,427 times before it gets dealt with. . And that's okay. Because by saying "not right now" to that project," you are saying, "Yes, this is important" to something else. And I have no regrets about the things to which I've given my time instead, like spending time with my family or pursuing my writing career. . Happy Monday, friends. May you be able to ignore unnecessary projects without regret. #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #writerslife$

Confession time: I have a long list of things I dream of accomplishing, but the things that fall to the bottom of the list fastest involve housework and crafty projects that will produce no income and require my most most precious commodity: time. Fortunately, I have kids to help me keep up on the housework (because chores) and a family that understands where my time must go. Also, I've let go of the idea that just because I CAN do something (for instance, make my kids a super-awesome pair of lined mittens that will be good to -40) doesn't mean I have to. These mittens that sat in my craft area [aka "dining room"] all winter to "remind" me that my kid needed new ones that fit? Well… those $8 Walmart gloves filled in just fine, and took a fraction of the time to buy. . And those jewel cases that I put here last fall when cleaning out the clutter in my office to decide what I should do with later? Honestly, I'm still stumped what to do with these. Suggestions? Do they make good coasters? I mean, once in a while, it's handy to have one around, but how often does that happen? . Okay, yeah, I probably should just throw them out. . The point is, when you work from home, that doesn't mean your home is in perfect shape or that you now have time to play video games or scrapbook or have tea whenever you want. In fact, if you want to work from home successfully, you have to be even more disciplined in some ways than someone who goes to an office every day. Which sometimes means you walk by the same project 8,427 times before it gets dealt with. . And that's okay. Because by saying "not right now" to that project," you are saying, "Yes, this is important" to something else. And I have no regrets about the things to which I've given my time instead, like spending time with my family or pursuing my writing career. . Happy Monday, friends. May you be able to ignore unnecessary projects without regret. #inspiration #motivation #seekbeauty #spreadsunshine #seizetheday #writerslife