Fall Break

Today's the first day of Fall Break.

It seems to come earlier every year, doesn't it?

Yesterday was the end of the first quarter of school. Though my kidlet isn't getting any grades, I did have a parent-teacher conference with all her teachers.

Of course, she is a joy to have in class! She's attentive, works hard, respectful, and hungry for 'A's. None of the teachers had anything negative to say.

YAY! That's my girl!

We don't have any plans to do much of anything this weekend, except finish the backsplash in my kitchen. Half of it is grouted, and we need to figure out how to clean the grout from the quartz pieces.
Oh, we did all the stuff you are supposed to do when you grout, but there still is a bit of dulling in the pieces. I did look online and found that you can use 50% vinegar to help remove the it.

We'll try it tonight. And sometime next week, I'll blog and post pictures of the process.

Today we have some clothes shopping to do after I take my mom to the beauty shop, and tonight we'll be putting on our chicken hats and doing the chicken dance at Oktoberfest.

Beer, bratwurst, pretzels and hot sugared nuts. What more could I ask for?

Maybe I'll get my writing act together and work on DRAGON while the family plays video games in the other room.

Later, Peeps!

Weighty Wednesday -- Change

Yesterday I talked about change--writing change--and today I'm talking about change on my weight loss blog of the week.

Change can be scary.

Look at Facebook. Many times they change it up because they can, it doesn't mean they should.  People are content to get into their daily rhythms and routines, and when something is changed, it throws them out of sync.

In general, people fear change.

How many times have you gone into a store only to discover they flip-flopped everything?

This just happened to me last week when I entered ULTA to purchase some hair products. I asked the clerk why they did that, and she had no answer.

Change just to shake things up is crazy.

That is a stupid reason to change. It upsets the comfort we have from our routines. It takes longer to our chores, our jobs, our shopping . . . until we get used to the change and then it becomes a habit.

Making the decision to lose weight is scary, too.

Many of us fear failure. Because with change comes the chance that we might not be successful.

Every day you open your eyes, you can make the decision to change your eating habits. Every time you open your mouth to put food in it, you are making a decision.

Change is hard.

But you have to weigh the pros and cons.

Is your weight becoming detrimental to your health?

Is your weight ruling what you can and can't do in your life?

Is your weight physically uncomfortable? Do you find it hard to tie your shoes because your gut gets in the way . . . and you aren't pregnant?

YOU have to make the decision to change, not your spouse, not your doctor, not your kids.

YOU have to decide when you have that knee surgery, get put on diabetes medicine, or get an increase in your high blood pressure meds that enough is enough.

YOU have to realize you will have to take control of your food, instead of letting food control you.

Yes, you will have to think about food A LOT when you first decide to make a change in your eating habits.

But look at it this way, What has NOT thinking about food done for you?

Yes, change is hard, but it's worth it.

Later, Peeps!

Change of Heart

After almost a year of not writing anything other than blogs and a couple of picture books, I think I'm ready to start writing middle grade stories again.

A couple of things brought about my change of heart.

1) I don't usually look at the reviews my books get on Amazon. For one thing, I usually don't get reviews, so I don't chase them. I don't write reviews of books that I read, so I don't really expect to receive any. Plus, if a story is 'meh', you don't write a review, do you? People only write them if they have a strong opinion about it.

Personally, when I look at reviews (on any item, not just books) I tend to look at the 1-3 stars because they seem the most honest to me. As it's recently been exposed on various news programs, many 5 star ratings have been fabricated, some of the lower stars have been too, if someone has an agenda to trash everything in a certain genre. But that's beside the point. When I look at ratings, I'll lean toward reading the 3 star ones.

A few times a year, I might look at my books on Amazon to see if there is a different number after the book rating stars. Well, I have a couple of new reviews. This is the review that shook me out of my ennui.

FROM WHOM THE BELL TROLLS:   

3 STARS 
No Ending October 1, 2013

By jen1154

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

 

This was a good book but the ending was not complete and what does the words 'The End' mean? Is it the end of this book or 'The End' cause if this was The End nothing was resolved. This book was published in 2012 and we are now in Oct of 2013 and I am not sure if another book is coming out or not. This could be a great series if I only knew when the next book comes out. Otherwise, don't bother to buy the book cause it really just ends but doesn't tie up anything - you are left hanging wondering what happens next.

 

Actually, there is an ending, but there is also lots of unresolved issues. Let's just say the heroine doesn't die, but it doesn't mean others aren't in jeopardy.  

 

2) My daughter actually read my books. She's my target audience, so it hurt deeply that she didn't want to read them. But about a year ago, I gave up on my daughter actually reading my books. I finally figured out that these books just didn't interest her. So I gave up on the thought of any sort of feedback.

 

And then, when she was supposed to be studying for four major exams, she comes to my desk and says, "A Twinkie, Mom? Really?" It took me a second to realize that she had started reading the first chapter of FOR WHOM THE BELL TROLLS. I smiled and told her to get back to studying.

 

That night when kissing her goodnight, she told me that she needed to find out what happens next. . . and if the guy from the dungeon was her love interest.

 

Uh . . . I couldn't even remember the character's name, so I gave her a vague, "I don't know, honey, what do you think happens?"

 

"You have got to write the next story, Mom! I have to know what happens."

 

At this point, I'm torn. The child was supposed to be studying for FOUR big tests, and yet, I was excited that she was excited about my story.

 

*weighing the consequences with my hands*

 

Scold her for not studying. Or happy that she was reading and not vegetating in front of the TV.

 

3) Writing is hard. Oh, you hear that all the time. And it is hard, but what no one tells you is how emotionally tough it is, at least it is for me. About a month ago, I finally figured out why.

 

Here's the dealio: I'm a very analytical thinker. I worked in a laboratory for over twenty-three years. I had to think logically about situations, machine issues, and other things while working with patient samples. As an employee, you get evaluated on your work ethic, which translated into a numerical number equaling a raise. You also found out the areas where you needed to work a little harder and the areas in which you excelled. This evaluation is given to you by your boss. You knew in black and white if you were doing well or not.

 

I was very successful in this environment.

 

When you are a writer, NO ONE evaluates you. NO ONE praises your efforts. NO ONE gives you any positive reinforcement. I'm talking in the industry here, not your critique partners. Not your best friend. Not your mentor.

 

The negativity gets to you after awhile.

 

It's like being a stay-at-home mom. No one praises you for your clean house, your ability to juggle numerous tasks in a day, or your ability to fold a square fitted sheet.

 

No, all they do is complain about dinner not being on the table on time, or the t-shirt that gets stuck in the red load of laundry, or toys strewn all over the house because you couldn't train the dog to put her toys in the basket.

 

No wonder some women go bonkers with volunteerism, or OCD about their house, or start drinking . . .

 

Anyone can learn to write. It really isn't that hard. You just need a decent grasp of the language, a plot and the ability to string words together to make a story interesting. Different skills are involved to write different types of stories.

 

For example: writing a 100-word flash fiction story takes a certain talent to condense and use words to the best of their ability, while a 100,000-word novel involves using other skills as a writer, or to write a newspaper article, or a non-fiction piece of work, or a picture book.

 

BUT the emotionally draining part of the process are the rejections, whether from agents, editors, or even people who got a 'freebie' book and didn't bother to give it a rating.

 

The lack of input to 'fix' a story is mentally draining . . . for those of us with the analytical mindset.

 

You can't 'fix' things that are wrong because it isn't that the story is wrong, but that it isn't 'right' for the current industry.

 

Does that make sense?

 

I think those who are comfortable with their creative side first don't suffer the same doubts as those of us whose creativity comes second.

 

I don't know. I'll have to ask my friend, Jody. She's always been creative. She's always stood by her work. She's always been smart enough not to sell herself or her product short.

 

Well, long story short. I've started writing again. .. or thinking about writing. Sometimes the actual process is tough even when you have the beginning of a story written and a synopsis ready to go.

 

I do.

 

But sitting down and cranking out the words is simply a work ethic that I've lost touch with.

 

I've been meaning to finish GNOME WITHOUT A HOME and then I'll edit what I have on DRAGON. Hopefully, I'll actually sit and write in the near future.

 

But for now, I have to take a walk, and then run errands ALL DAY.

 

Yep, that stay-at-home mom part is busy today.

 

Later, Peeps!

 

 

 

Lagniappe!

I had good intentions of posting the final installment of my WDW Magic Kingdom rides, but that didn't happen.

Why?

Because I was having to do two major computer scans to remove some Trojan virus that managed to be riding the coat tails of one of the Disney maps I had found on Google Images.

I think it's gone, but it didn't seem to be one that was harmful to others. As it seemed to simply hijack my Google browser. *fingers crossed*

When I do finally get the ride blog written, the maps that I will be using as reference will be the one's I scanned off my own computer--hopefully sometime this week.

I guess today I'll post a little Lagniappe!  I forgot which version I'm currently working on!

I don't know about y'all, but early this year as I set my goals, I promised myself that I would read 50 books. I've managed to read 50--well, I'm reading number 50 right now--but I can't say that all of them were books as some were short stories or novellas . . . and one of them I never finished. I did note on my non-finished book that it was "boring". And life is too short to read boring books. 

And the last book to round out my list is:  House of Hades by Rick Riordan.

Wow! That man can write! And it's so much fun to see how he manages to make mythology come alive!

It doesn't help that my kitchen is torn up.

Hubs and I have debated about looking for a house around the kidlet's school to alleviate some of the driving issues. We've come to the conclusion that 1) we can't afford one, 2) the ones that we can afford would need some serious renovation.

So we decided to update our house. Little stuff, not a total remodel. And if we change our minds, our house isn't 'dated'.

To that end, hubs has ripped out the tile backsplash and is putting in glass tiles. I'll blog about it when the work is completed. He's still cutting tons of tiles to finish the corner and side. Yesterday, he put up half sheets to finish the walls and then worked on the outlet cuts.

It's really coming together nicely!

This weekend was also the kidlet's first Short Course swim meet of the season. Well, she did do a duel meet a couple of weeks ago, but that was more to get her head into the game.

Though she isn't 13 yet, she needs to work to get the times set for 13-14 year olds since the time Oklahoma Age Groups comes around (March), she'll need those times to qualify. Actually, she did quite well by shaving time off of everything she was entered in, BUT it wasn't enough to qualify for any OAG event.

But, as I said, she has until March to make those newer, and harder, times.

We'll see, since she will be moving up to the Gold team, she may just want to survive the longer hours of practice!

I'll be making candy again. I did finish five boxes of Sea Salt Caramels for the winners of the Brenda Novak auction last May . . . until hubs decided to rip my kitchen apart. So candy making will be put on hold until he's finished with this endeavor.

Though he should be finished sometime this week. As I mentioned, he has a corner and one side to finish cutting. Then one of us will have to seal the quartz pieces before he grouts the wall and then caulks the edges before I can put everything back on the counter.

This week will be a short school week as it's Fall Break. I'll attend Parent-Teacher conferences while the kidlet is doing a service project with her classmates on Wednesday. And she'll be home for a four day weekend. I hope to finally finish GNOME WITHOUT A HOME today. I know this picture book has taken me FOREVER to finish! I've been thinking about it a lot, but finding the time to sit and put the words to paper are tough.

Goal for today: GNOME WITHOUT A HOME

I also need to keep working on DRAGON DAYS OF SUMMER, as the kidlet actually read FOR WHOM THE BELL TROLLS and wants to see what happens next!

If I focus the next two months, I should finish DRAGON by the end of the year. It'll need tweaking, but it will be finished!

I guess that's all I have for now. I need to put my walking clothes on and wait for the sun to rise. Once I finish my walk, I'll finish my story!

Later, Peeps!

Downloading the Camera

Last week sometime I downloaded the good camera, as opposed to the cell phone camera or the kidlet's Nikon "Snap-n-Go" Camera.

This is the camera that we usually forget to take with us because it's big, bulky, and it makes it hard to ride rides camera.

And I discovered some interesting pictures on it.

My kidlet's 12th Birthday--ready to eat out at Flemings Steakhouse.

Thanksgiving

Kidlet reading to her second cousin, Olivia

In my traditional location, making gravy

My nephew Matthieu who made the desserts under my watchful eye.



Christmas





 Just down the stairs

I had bought these fuzzy penguin jammies for the kidlet, unbeknownst to me, she also bought a set for me!

 

 

The kidlet in her favorite location!

 

 

And now we fast forward eight months . . . to CANADA

 

 Canada's highway from Calgary into Banff National Park

 

 Lake Louise.

Lake Louise, chilly mornings warm afternoons

 

Moraine Lake

The crowd level in Banff National Park was HUGE. Gorgeous weather plus a three-day Canadian weekend, plus the last weekend before school started equaled monstrous crowds. The previous day they had Moraine Lake road blocked off and people were parking on both sides of the little two-lane road that led from Canada's highway up to Chateau Lake Louise. 

 This picture doesn't do justice to the crowds. A very nice man took our picture.

 Because everyone should have a picture of a yellow mushroom

and moss growing on a tree stump.

 

A pretty little creek

 

 

Johnston Canyon

 I think this was the lower falls, though we hiked to the upper falls, their were a few inconsiderate people taking photo after photo after photo of the falls . . . while a HUGE line (20+ people) built up on the narrow catwalk

Walking down from the Upper Falls in Johnston Canyon

 

Banff

We stayed here. Not my picture, but the sun was better than the one I took. The angle of the sun washed everything out. 

 Waldhaus Restaurant and Pub. We ate our first poutine at this pub. Yummy! Poutine is French fries, cheese curds with gravy. We also had bratwurst on ours.

 Climbing Tunnel Mountain. This mountain is right in the middle of the town of Banff. It's a relatively quick climb with some amazing views.

Tunnel mountain view of Banff Springs Hotel

 

 See? I actually got the hubs to climb up to the top with me!

 

View of the golf course and I think this is Spray River.

 

Hoodoos--A side trip

 

 These next few pictures are from the marsh trail near the Cave and Basin National Park.

We took only a couple of pictures because every time you stopped mosquitos attacked . . . marsh, yanno.

 The 'basin' in the Cave and Basin Park. People used to come up here for the medicinal heated water.

 Let's just say that it's very aromatic, reminding you of what Hell would smell like, very sulfuric.

While hubs was at his meetings, I hiked a few places alone. I did hike the Spray River Trail, but it was very flat, very boring, and very secluded. I didn't have a bear bell or bear spray, so I cut my hike short when I started to feel a little too isolated. That day I only hiked six miles.

The day I hiked Sulfur Mountain, I managed 10 miles. My Weight Watchers ActivLink didn't award me very many points because I wasn't walking fast enough . . . stupid thing can't calculate VERTICAL miles. Yeah, I was walking slow because I was walking up 2300 feet!

 

Sulfur Mountain

 Info and warning about elk and bears

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proof that I actually WALKED up the mountain as opposed to riding the gondola

 Gondola coming up the mountain. Light tannish building is the gondola station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Pretty changing colors the higher I climbed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting gnarled tree roots, and deer chewed tree trunk. 

 

 

A typical cut-back in the trail. It doesn't show how loose and uneven the trail really is. Easy to climb, but I slipped about four times on the way down.  

 At the top. Bow River Valley

 Proof that I was there. To the left of Bow River is Tunnel Mountain with the Banff Springs Hotel near the base. That was the starting point of my walk up Sulfur Mountain. Tunnel Mountain seemed like a tough climb, but this vantage point makes it seem like a pimple of a hill!

Wildest animal in the wilderness . . . a chipmunk.

Gorgeous waterfall. I took a picture of a really nice couple at this point.

 

 

And that's about it for today!

 

Later, Peeps!  



Weighty Wednesday -- Frustrations

Though I was really a slacker with my tracking last week, I managed to lose 0.6 lbs--and that was with yoga pants on and not shorts.

--and I have no idea how that happened. It was probably a fluke.

I never bothered to weigh myself at home trying on one set of clothes and then the other, I just went with the yoga pants because it's been a little chilly here in the morning.

Six more pounds to go to get back to my goal weight.

Yeah, it's just as frustrating as it was to lose-plateau-lose-plateau-gain the second time around as much as it was the first time.

It doesn't help that the candy making process has been severely frustrating this week.

I thought I'd knock out 5 1-pound boxes of sea salt caramels and then all I'd have to do to fill the 15 varieties of truffles for the next 5 1-pound boxes.

Well, nothing goes astray like a well-laid plan.

I did manage to get the milk chocolate parts of three boxes finished, but then things didn't go my way.

Sea Salt Caramels (what they should look like!)

--the chocolate was slightly too warm causing the fork to stick to the caramel

-- AND the entire caramel to collapse when it dried.

--I made the sizes for the caramels too small

--I made the sizes for the caramels too large

--I made two fresh batches of caramel, but they managed to be too soft, which means they started melting under the heat of the lights.

Frustrations of standing and working the candy for three hours only to end up with about three pounds of Sea Salt Caramels that I can't use because they won't fit in the candy forms in the boxes.

*sigh*

Back to square one.

Make a batch of caramel AND when it's firm, I'm putting it in the freezer for a day or two BEFORE I go through the process of dipping the chocolates.

Repeat this process three times.

I know I'll be using these caramels, so making extra won't be a killer.

It's simply frustrating.

Just like losing weight. Sometimes you have to wipe the mental slate clean and start back at square one. This can happen anytime on your journey. The key is to heave a great sigh, forgive yourself, and start the next day with a brand new well-laid plan.

Later, Peeps!

Writers See Things a Little Differently

Though I write about a bunch of different things on this blog, I still think of myself as a writer, not just a spewer of random information (even if it seems to be the case most of the time).

I don't write about the topic of writing because there are far too many other bloggers (NYT times authors, agents, editors) out there who do a better job at it than I would.

But, every now and then, I'll write a little blog about writers.

This is one of them.

The sneaky thing about writers is that they look just like anyone and everyone--yes, you could find them on People of WalMart, because we have to get groceries, too. Remember, sitting at one's computer will cause butticus expandicus unless one actively tries to fix the wide butt problem. Many times, writers will have a crazed look in their eyes as they forget to brush their hair and wander into WalMart in their jammies as they look for toilet paper because they are frantically writing on deadline.

The movie Romancing the Stone did a totally fun job of portraying a romance writer. This is still one of my favorite movies. . . In fact, I haven't seen it in awhile, I need to watch it while I dip about 100 more pieces of caramel today.

So being a writer is basically being undercover. We blend into the masses. We watch everything and anything. We are ghosts who most people wouldn't recognize even if we struck up a conversations with you. We aren't movie stars trying to stay out of the view of the paparazzi. Shoot, they don't care about writers--we already look frumpy, they wouldn't sell photos of a frumpy writer looking even frumpier than usual!

Writers are the people who eaves drop on conversations or who make up stories for people they watch walking in the mall.

Writers tend to see life a little differently than the average person.

And since I write fantasy, I look at everything a little differently. On my evening walks behind the school where my daughter has swim practice, I snapped these pictures. The light was just right the first time I walked past these trees, but when I took the pictures the light had changed just enough for them to lose some of their magic.

 

This tree has a couple of different 'faces' in it. 

The gnarled roots looked like a gnome could find a home in them.

 

As I mentioned by the time I walked the track (10 minutes) and came back to take this picture, the true magic was gone. The first glance out of the corner of my eye in this second photo, it actually looked like a gnome was blending into the knees of the tree roots.

 

This tree was the inspiration for GNOME WITHOUT A HOME picture book.

 

See?

 

Didn't you wonder where writers get their ideas?

 

The real answer is everywhere. All it takes is a curious mind and a 'What if?' question.

 

Later, Peeps!