"There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious
as laughter and good humour."
~~Charles Dickens
Hi all,

Happy New Year!  I feel like I just sent one of these having only finished the Christmas story two days ago.  Oh well!  Welcome to the first newsletter of 2017!

I hope you've all enjoyed the start of 2017 and that this can give you a few laughs... maybe at my expense.  :-)

God bless,
Jenni
My JABB New Year's Resolutions for 2017

1.  I'm going to start using TLC or the like as my background noise whilst cleaning and not CNN.  While this doesn't sound like it's connected to JABB, I really think it is.  Too much news has made me rather sullen and uncreative.  Say Yes to the Dress and the like just make me laugh, roll my eyes, and think about fancy dresses... and, thus, Dyeland.  Yay!  If whatever is on TLC is super annoying, I'll dig out my old JABB-inspired mixed CDs and listen to those... and probably sing very poorly to them and wonder what's up with Blue October and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

2.  When I get really discouraged and in a creative slump, I will put on one of my princessy Halloween costumes and wear it until I feel Dyeland-y again.  It's not like the dogs are going to tell on me!

3.  Whilst writing "Chrysalis," I let a lot slide.  I mean a lot...  We're not even going to talk about some of the things I found in my fridge when I finally cleaned it a couple weeks ago.  So every day I'll do at least one thing to get my house back in order.  Ironically, I think it was all the stuff piling up and weighing on me that made the writing process with "Chrysalis" so slow.  (For the record, this doesn't mean my house was unsanitary or anything... well, maybe the fridge was.  I'm a little OCD and so something like books not being in the correct section of my shelves or a shirt not being hung in proper ROYGBIV order will really grate at me after a while.)

4.  By next month at the very latest, I will find a way to resume my weekly TBAA viewing.  I really, really miss it.  And, again, it can't help but inspire creativity here on JABB.

5.  I'll jot down notes related to JABB story or newsletter ideas as they come to me... not just mention them in an assortment of emails that I can then never find. 

6.  Along those lines, every time I have an "I wonder if Andrew..." or "What if JenniAnn..." hypothetical question pop into my head, I'll keep track of those, too. 

7.  I'll show Leo some TBAA and try to get him to understand how glorious Andrew is and why he really, really needs to let Mommy work on her computer sometimes, without an interruption every five minutes, so she can rave about him with her fellow JABBers.  (Thank God for nap times... and just to recap, Leo is one of my dogs... not a toddler.  Although sometimes I wonder...)

8.  I'll try really, really hard to get back to starting these newsletters before the day they're due.  I hate that I feel so rushed with something I otherwise love doing.

9.  I *will* get the last of the Hallmark Channel snaps off the Photo Gallery.  Because just look at it!

10.  Knowing that I feel more creative when I surround myself with the products of creativity, I'll give myself permission to read books or watch movies without feeling like I should be doing something more productive.  Sometimes we all need a break from "productive."

11.  I won't repeatedly apologize for the newsletters being short or rushed or whatever.  It's been fourteen years since TBAA left the air and we're still here.  That alone is an accomplishment.  It's okay if these aren't as lengthy as they used to be and if I don't have as much time as when I was sixteen.  It's called adulting.  :-)

12.  This one could be the hardest to stick to but...  I'll try really, really hard to not over-analyze things I consider putting in stories.  So many of the ideas that I hemmed and hawed about (basically anything and everything related to Andrew's and JenniAnn's relationship, Yehuda, including Joshua more, Maryam and Yosef sharing a bed, and so on) have ended up being plot points I got favorable feedback on.  Thinking is good.  Thinking to the point that you psych yourself out and get writer's block is not.
Where Are They Now?: The One That Got Away Edition

New feature!!!  So every so often I'll take a TBAA episode and list off items Andrew (or another character) had during the episode and state where they are now in the Dyeland universe.  Since January 6th was the anniversary of the first airing of Andrew's/John Dye's debut episode, we'll start with "The One That Got Away."  If you have an idea for an episode you'd like to see get this treatment, please let me know.

Andrew's earring: Upon convincing Tess to return it to him after the Dyeland girls pestered him about its whereabouts, Andrew drew names to see which lucky lady would get to own the precious piece of memorabilia.  To everyone's shock and initial disappointment, Tess' name was drawn.  Now she keeps it taped to her bathroom mirror in her Dyeland home as a reminder to let her Angel Boy be exactly who he is... and to not scold him for being emotional.  Not only is it not nice to do but it would also invite the wrath of JenniAnn.

The tasseled loafers: After surviving numerous murder attempts at the hands of JenniAnn, those ugly shoes now reside in the back of Andrew's closet.  Sometimes he gets them out and wears them just to see how long it takes her to notice. 

The white "priest shirt": Andrew gave it to Fr. Mike.  JenniAnn didn't mourn it.

The lovely tan coat: Sadly, Andrew could no longer fit in it what with the carpentry work broadening his shoulders and making his arms bulkier.  It was donated to True Light where it was given to Tim Pelten, sometime co-star at St. Genesius'.  Tim allows the Dyeland ladies to have visitation rights with the coat.

The white scarf: The scarf held up well and Andrew continued to wear it for many, many years.  However, he lost it this past November when Belle found it, tied it around her head, and proceeded to pretend she was marrying Mr. Bobo.  It was all so cute that Andrew happily ceded the scarf to his little elf.

And that's where they are now!


This newsletter is dedicated to John Dye for continuing to inspire another year of JABB!

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(Photo Credits: The photograph used on this page is from Touched by an Angel and owned by CBS Productions, Caroline Productions, and Moon Water Productions.  It is not being used to seek profit.)