Category Archives: Mary Laudien

Sep20

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #6

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #6

The Y KNOT Gets a NEW Name!      yknewbottompaint

Husband and Prairie Girl just didn‘t like the name of their new (old) boat. The Y KNOT was just a little too common, even though they could justify it as a cheeky response to their impulsive sailboat purchase, in the first place. They’d had several brainstorming sessions over the winter months, trying to find the “just right” name, but to no avail.

Finally, their scheduled two week cruise mid-summer arrived, and the Y Knot had been provisioned, complete with a new shower bag to use while in anchorages. The crossing from West Van to the Gulf Islands was smooth and everything seemed perfect. (Seemed is the key word here.) They had … Read the rest

Sep12

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #5

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #5

THE FIRST OVER-NIGHTER at ANCHOR

                   … How did he get Prairie Girl back onboard again?

Well, let’s just say, husband didn’t get Prairie Girl back onboard for that entire fall and winter- and not just because she was still traumatized from moving marinas! No it was too late in the season and husband had a TO DO LIST 3 pages long to deal with before setting sail. He was anxious to have the boat updates done before next summer when they’d be ready to go cruising – of course they would be!

yknewbottompaint

So the kinds of projects that husband took on brought the reality of boat ownership home quickly to Prairie Girl. Mooring fees were one thing, but … Read the rest

Sep11

FUN HAPPENS! CHANGES URL

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FUN HAPPENS! CHANGES URL

ATTENTION ALL FUN HAPPENS! FOLLOWERS 

I am in process of moving my blog to a new site: https://www.marylaudien.com

I value your visits to my  WordPress Blog and the comments you leave.  I am hopeful that you will subscribe to my new site of

FUN HAPPENS!:

HUMOROUS KIDLIT & TENDER, SASSY POSTS

You can expect to find two types of posts:

  • TENDER TUESDAYS 

  • FUN KIDLIT FRIDAYS

I’m looking forward to meeting up with you on my new site.  Please copy the URL now, so that we can continue to share fun stories with one another. (https://www.marylaudien.com)- easy to remember if you know my name…

mary_helming

 

… Read the rest
Aug23

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #4

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES #4

YOU MEAN WE HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT ON THE WATER!

Sailboat ownership was new territory for Prairie Girl. She was so busy getting the new school year launched, that she barely had time to perseverate on the fact that they now owned their very own Catalina. Warm, fuzzy feelings descended upon her whenever she’d mention to her colleagues and parents at her school that they were now proud sailboat owners! (Oh yeah, she was still locked into her rosy vision of the beautiful people sailing in white, flowing nautical clothing, sipping champagne in the evening under the stars.) Obviously not grounded in reality! DUH! Instead of seeing a Catalina 27 that had had better days, she was transporting herself … Read the rest

Aug10

TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES # 2

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TENDER TUESDAYS – PRAIRIE GIRL SERIES # 2

I know, I know… it’s back to Wacky Wednesdays.  So hard to keep on a schedule while traveling and working on one’s book!

YOU WANT PRAIRIE GIRL TO DO WHAT?

-A SAILING GET-AWAY? ARE YOU CRAZY?

My boyfriend (now husband) had enthusiastically sailed in his earlier years, and when he suggested that we should charter a boat for a weekend and give it a try, I somewhat reluctantly agreed. After all, I was PRAIRIE GIRL, what did I know about sailing the Pacific Northwest? Absolutely nothing! He, on the other hand, had apparently moved to Vancouver Island for a stint in his early 30’s and immediately notified the Royal Victoria Yacht Club that he was … Read the rest

May11

TENDER TUESDAYS

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TENDER TUESDAYS

CRUISE SHIP BRIDGE

-The GOOD, The BAD & The UGLY!

Part 1

Last fall, my husband and I embarked on a trip of a lifetime. Our cruise ship left Vancouver, British Columbia and travelled through the South Pacific Ocean and Islands, ending up in Sydney, Australia. But that was only the first leg of the trip. We then circumnavigated the entire continent of Australia visiting Bali, Indonesia and Komodo Island, as well. The entire cruise lasted 58 days! And I know what you’re thinking… What could this couple possibly do on a small ship (1200 passengers) with all those sea days between ports? Well, let me tell you, we were never bored; in fact, husband Ryan often complained of being … Read the rest

Apr13

AUTHOR VOICE

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AUTHOR VOICE

(Catalogue Article Submission to Red Tuque Books)

 WRITING with VOICE

by Mary Laudien

During my career as an educator/principal, I was innovative in structuring and implementing Writers’ Workshop in West Vancouver schools. The success that the students experienced by taking risks and realizing their potential as writers was brought home years later, when one of my earlier Grade One classes held a Grade 12 graduation party with their parents, and invited my former teaching partner and I to attend. The families wanted to acknowledge that they recognized how their confident children/learners had been so successfully launched in their school careers and were all anticipating exciting post secondary plans for their future. Writers’ Workshop was a powerful tool to bring … Read the rest

Jul22

Summertime is Book Time- Amazon Says So!

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Summertime is Book Time- Amazon Says So!

I know you’ve checked out some SUMMER READS on Amazon and noticed their banner at the bottom of each book ad, “Summertime is Book Time”. Summer is a perfect time to chill and have a stock of books/ebooks on hand to read. That’s why I’m making FRENCHIE X2- Follow the Blog (the ebook) available to you FREE over a 5 day period.

You’ve already read BOOK #1 of the Frenchie Series – FRENCHIE’S BEST FRIEND- Follow the Blog, so don’t hesitate to read BOOK #2 and share the link to anyone who loves pets, belly laughs, relates to teenage angst, and the family drama of divorced and extended families.

From July 22nd-26th, go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007BG2ETG or in Canada, … Read the rest

Jul8

SUMMERTIME IS BOOK TIME

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SUMMERTIME IS BOOK TIME

If you’ve been perusing the titles of books on Amazon, you will see the tag, “SUMMERTIME IS BOOK TIME” at the bottom of each of the titles’ ads. Like most people,we carve out more leisure time to read in the shade, poolside, or at a beach during the summer months. It’s also when you sign up your kids/grandkids into a Summer Reading Program at the library. As an author, its the perfect time to promote my Middle Grade Frenchie Series! These novels inspire tweens (ages 9-12) to read for entertainment. Readers relate to Ethan’s antics and scheming to own a bulldog, and realize that they too can write blogs about their passions.

I have a summer gift … Read the rest