A smile never increases in price or decreases in value.

Last week in my Milestone Friday blog, I announced a drawing with a choice of prizes. My friend Ellie Ann Soderstrom’s name was picked from among the subscribers to my blog, and the prize she picked was for me to promote her blog. Although I’ve never done this before, I’m happy to do so.

Ellie listening to her keyboard for inspiration

Ellie Ann’s blog, “Navigating through the Week,” was among the first I subscribed to when I began blogging seriously, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. She has a sense of humor that can’t keep from showing through in her works, and I love it. They say laughter is the best medicine, which makes me wonder why I ever get sick, since I laugh at almost anything I come across.

One of Ellie Ann’s staples is her “Tall Tale Tuesday,” in which she weaves the names of people who comment into her next blog. She does this every other Tuesday, so look forward to another edition this coming Tuesday, January 9^th. If you comment on that one, you’ll appear in her next one two weeks later. Join us—it’s a lot of fun.

Her year-ending blog was entitled, “I’ll Love You No Matter What, Booger Breath.” Is that a catchy title, or what? She talked about unconditional love, which she specifically did not apply to the Dallas Cowgirls Cowboys. She did, however, give her kids permission to pour paint on her pillow or put lipstick on their shoes. (Note to Ellie: I’m not sure those were good examples to mention to your kids.)

Another recent blog talked about a cage fight she was having with R. B. Wood. I think they were tossing words rather than each other, but I’m not certain.

Her holiday gift guide came up with some wonderful gift ideas, such as:

A hazmat suit for the germ-a-phobes on your list, with the suggestion to include disinfectant wipes and Lysol.

A matching toothbrush set for animal lovers. (Ami Shojoi might have to buy several sets.)

Broken furniture for the fix-it guy.

A live chicken for friends that keep sending you Farmville requests. (My personal favorite.)

Another recent post talked about healthy eating and how it helped her family get over a long bout of sickness and stomach cramps. She and her husband took a night off for Taco Bell and both got sick. Hmmm . . .

She also did a series entitled “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up,” in which she gave information about various professions. This was to help college students having a tough time picking their majors. Some of the occupations spotlighted were: a spook, an archeologist, and a zookeeper.

Her post on why meth dealers make the best boyfriends included the facts that they have plenty of money to burn, they lead explosive lives, they have amazing imaginations, and they’re always changing. This last one was accompanied by before and after pictures showing the wonders of long-time meth use.

Okay, I’m not gonna do all the work for you. You’re gonna have to go over to Ellie Ann’s blog to see for yourself. While your over there, go ahead and subscribe. You’ll be glad you did.

David N. Walker is a Christian father and grandfather, a grounded pilot and a near-scratch golfer who had to give up the game because of shoulder problems. A graduate of Duke University, he spent 42 years as a health insurance agent. Most of that career was spent in Texas, but for a few years he traveled many other states. He started writing about 20 years ago, and has six unpublished novels to use as primers on how NOT to write fiction. Since his retirement from insurance a few years ago, he has devoted his time to helping Kristen Lamb start Warrior Writers’ Boot Camp and trying to learn to write a successful novel himself.