i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.

diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.

cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/index.php/site/home_from_tour/

Waking up in our own bed in our own house with all our stuff around us, and Sasquatch barking downstairs was a good way to wake up. Apparently I’d been sleeping soundly because Sas had gotten to the howl part of his morning wake-up call. Our part beagle Jimmy, who passed away at 17, taught Sas to howl when he was just a puppy. But Jimmy’s beagle heritage had given him more nose so he could really howl, Sas, not so much. He starts off howling and its as if his lack of nose just cuts it off in the middle. Its a sad and incredibly cute sound.

I left Jon asnooze in bed, but I woke and there was no more sleeping for me. Trinity is still asleep, too. So me, and a now fed Sasquatch are the only ones stirring. The house is amazingly quiet after the noise and press of tour it is very soothing.

Several of you on-line asked for the recipe for the homemade sugar plums that Trinity and Grandpa made. We’ll get that up on the blog under the food category later in the week. Jon has fixed it so there’s a feed on the front of my official website that has a food blog and a music blog. I thought he’d be taking that from twitter posts, but it actually is separate blog entries that make me have to post to it. Which means I’m not posting as regularly as I could. An added step always puzzles me. I’ll work on that this coming week. But for today just glad to be home, sipping our tea, and getting a few quiet moments at home.

 

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're tall on adventurous spirit, but short on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about bargain hotels and hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

http://blog.laurellkhamilton.org/index.php/site/portland_event/

The event in Portland on Friday you get a signed book which I’ve done ahead of time and you get to hear me talk, answering your questions in person, until at least 9, so from 7 to 9 you guys have me all to yourselves. The ticket for the event is 26 dollars. For that you get a signed copy of Divine Misdemeanors and you get me for two hours. Some of you have complained at having to pay anything, but others at other events have complained that I only get to talk and do Q & A for about fifteen to thirty minutes when you all have more things you want to ask, well this is your chance for that extra time.

Why charge at all? Powells has me in an audtitorium with seating like a big lecture hall so that you all can see me, rather than just a big voice, me, that you can’t see. I’m fairly short, so a regular sized crowd and those in back are going to catch only glimpses of me as I pace back and forth talking. So the Bagdad is a place where everyone has a good view and a good seat, and Powells has to cover the expense of it. That is my understanding. So good seats, good view, and at least 2 hours of back and forth between you guys and me. I guess I could bat my big, brown eyes at you and say, “You don’t think I’m worth it?” But honestly folks, each of you will have to decide that on your own. I don’t know your budget, and I don’t know how much you want your questions answered in person. Only you can make that call. For those who decide its worth it, then we’ll see you there. For those who cannot, <shrug>, I have no idea when I will be doing another event where I’m going to be talking and answering questions for this length of time.