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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

December 2019 in This Awful Awesome Life

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It’s December, our last issue of the year. We’ve survived Thanksgiving and, for some of us, the first snow storms of the season.  We hope you enjoyed our November issue of This Awful Awesome Life. I want to thank our talented writing team, our guest contributors and the many talented people who have agreed to be featured in our magazine in 2019. Most importantly, I want to thank our readers. Without you there would be no reason to do our magazine. Thank you for your support and feedback throughout the year on FACEBOOK, Twitter and LinkedIn.

I have a new email for This Awful Awesome Life, its fran.thisawfulawesomelife@gmail.com.

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This month we have a Q&A with Seyda Dener the owner/founder and creative force behind Red Fish Toys, a New York based company that sells unique and educational wooden puzzles for young children.

We have our list of small businesses with products or services you should consider for holiday gifts this season. To be clear, we have received no compensation from these businesses and This Awful Awesome Life will receive nothing if you buy their products.

Don’t forget to protect your pets this holiday season. We have a few tips for pet safety in our article about gifts.

In keeping with our emphasis on supporting authors and promoting literacy, I reviewed three very different books this month. Back by popular demand, this month’s quiz features picture puzzles. Can you decipher the hidden holiday messages in each block of photos?

Tired of turkey and ham? Linda Cahill has delicious recipes from Pampered Chef including beef, pork and vegetarian options for your Christmas dinner, tasty appetizers and an outstanding brunch menu to help you put your own spin on holiday meals.

Orlando Bartro examines the evolution of the telephone and the constancy of our desire to communicate with our loved ones during the holidays.

Welcome to “The Twelve Months of Pie!” It’s a little something we’ll be doing next year and we need your help.

Samantha Sayers is still missing. She disappeared on August 1, 2018 after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam was raised in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

The holidays are an especially difficult time for families with missing loved ones. Please consider displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam and posting a photo of it on the Facebook page, Ribbons Across the World for Sam Sayers. Please include your city and country. If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family. Because we are an online publication, we are able to update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page. Thank you!

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Happy Reading,

 Fran

Next Month in This Awful Awesome Life - February 2020

Gifts to Give this Holiday Season by Fran Joyce