It's Tuesday...

So, I haven't been on here in a while and I really have no excuses. I just forget that I have it and that my plan was to write as often as possible.

Still haven't done much at all with my book which is really disappointing to me. I really do hope to get it published this year. In order to do that, though, I have to finish writing it.  I don't know what I'm so afraid of... it's a good book and should be easy to pull together and finish up. Yet, when I think about working on it my mind races 100 miles an hour the other direction. It's so frustrating.

My Pampered Chef has gotten off to a fantastic start.  My first show was over $500 and I have 5 more booked.  I had a really good time and wasn't too nervous and didn't stumble over my words at my first show so hopefully that means this is a good direction to take while trying to finish my book.

I was talking with a friend of mine the other day who has her own business and she invited me to come work with her in April at a tourney selling her specialty kettle corn.  I readily accepted - it sounds like a blast!! And... they're going to pay me to help out.  Can't beat that - a day full of laughter, people having fun, good treats and MONEY!!! lol

I have also recently reinforced my qualifications as a techie nerd!!  I have an iPhone that I absolutely love. There are tons of apps - some cool, some not.  I found one the other day called CardStar.  You enter in your store cards like Marsh Fresh Idea, Kroger Plus, Staples Rewards, CVS ExtraCare, etc... and then at the store, they're supposed to be able to scan it and never have to dig for the cards again or have a hundred little keychain cards flopping around.  Sounds cool, huh? Imagine my disappointment when it didn't work at Marsh. Or at Staples. Bummer.  Well, last night I went to pick up my happy pills from CVS and guess what? IT WORKED!!! The cashier was almost as excited as I was! lol  I know... dumb, but it made my day.

Hopefully I will be able to buckle down and write this week while Brianna is out of town with my mom and I have several quiet hours each morning. I need to balance time between writing and Pampered Chef so that I can make the best of both work out for me and my family.

God bless!!

Part of the Plan...

Well, today is Friday and the hubster stayed home from work with me today and we went on a date.  On our way out, however, we noticed a large box in front of our front door.  He asked me about it and I got out of the car, went up to the box, discovered what it was, rang the doorbell for Brianna to unlock the door, put the box inside and then we proceeded with our date. 

He took me to see the movie "The Book of Eli" and it was FABULOUS!!! I thoroughly enjoyed the movie beginning to end.  Then we went to RedWing Shoes and picked out his new work boots, Meijer to get groceries and then home.  We made the girls carry in the groceries while we came inside and talked to the extra kids that are here. :D I know... we're mean. lol

So, back to the box and the reason for the title of this post... The other night I signed up to be a Pampered Chef Consultant.  It's a part of the plan to keep me out of corporate America.  My unemployment is going to be running out soon and jobs are scarce and the jobs I'm qualified for won't call me because I haven't finished my degree, others won't call me because I'm overqualified and still others only want to pay like $7 or $8 per hour.  Ummm.... NO!!  So... back into trying to do some home parties.  Praying that this will contribute to our finances while I'm trying to finish my book.  I have not worked at it all this week, but I have thought about it and have some ideas to add to it.  Hoping to get busy on it Sunday and all next week.  It helps when the house is completely quiet but, unfortunately it's almost never quiet here. lol

So, if you or someone you know is interested in having a Pampered Chef show, I would love to be your consultant.  I've been earning/purchasing/using the products for years and have seen enough to know how to make it fun and interactive and informative. :D

Till tomorrow...

God Bless!!

29 Things About Me...

Well, I really don't have anything to write about tonight... I slept most of the day and made biscuits and gravy for dinner.  Now I'm getting ready to cuddle with the hubster on the couch but thought I'd post this survey I copied from my friend Joy.  Have fun reading!!! :D

1. When was the last time you shaved your legs?

2 days ago
2. What were you doing this morning at 8?
Sleeping

3. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Playing on FaceBook
4. What are you wearing right now?
jeans and a shirt

5. Are you mad at anyone right now?
nope, not worth my time

6. The last two people to say they loved you?
Brian and Ciara

7. Kissed someone in the last 24 hrs?
Lots of times

8. Are you happy with your living arrangements?
wish my house was cleaner, but, YES I'm perfectly happy with the people living in my house.

9. Last thing received in the mail?
sewer bill

10. Do you have any famous relatives?
don't think so

11. Have you ever had sex in a public place?
in my BC years (before Christ)

12. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
nope

13. How is your hair?
growing out - in that in between stage where I mostly hate it. lol

14. How many different drinks have you had today?
milk, water, pepsi

15. What have you eaten today?
cinnamon disc and biscuits and gravy (slept most of the day)

16. Are you any good at math?
not as good as I'd like to be

17. What did you do Friday night?
kept an eye on Brianna since she wrecked her car and got a mild concussion

18. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
no but I like to let sand run through my fingers

19. Are you taken for granted?
always

20. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
yes

21. Do you like the ocean?
it's my favorite place to be.

22. Did you stay friends with your ex's?
some of them

23. What are you excited about?
our trip to florida this summer!!!

24. What did you do two nights ago?
Tuesday... oh, yeah... took lots and lots of allergy medication to negate what the allergist did to me during testing. haha

25. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive?
no

26. Where do you keep your money?
what money? lol

27. Do you remember the most naughty night of your life?
yes I do.

28. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
with my hubster

29. What was the weather like on your birthday?
HOT!!!

Catching up

Thanks, Jen, for texting me and reminding me that I had a blog on here!!! lol We've had a hectic week and I really didn't spend much time on the computer at all. So... here goes some week in review. :D

First off we had some major drama... one of the girls from our youth group who is supposed to be really good friends with both my daughters told some petty and stupid lies to my youngest daughter and then denied it to everyone who knew the truth. She also told a couple of major lies and with those - Ciara is done with her. She refuses to talk to her at all and I really can't blame her because they were hurtful lies. I'm hopeful that she'll heal and learn to forgive her soon. Brian and I are supposed to be helping these kids not shutting them out because they can't play well with others. This drama went on most of the week. Ugh.

Wednesday night we had our weekly "date" with Rachel at Subway. We love going there and having dinner with her on her break. She's the manager on nights so it's the only way we get to see her except for weekends - when everyone else wants some of her time too. lol I have to say, besides my Sarah, she's my favorite kid from church. ;-)

Friday night we were supposed to have a bunch of kids over to play wii games but that fell through. My oldest daughter decided she would go visit some friends when the roads were still bad. Luckily, she left my youngest at the house they were visiting with Rachel and she and Jessie were alone in the car. The skidded on ice, spun around and ran smack into a solid steel mail post, breaking off the mailbox. I'm pretty sure her car is totalled unless my step dad can fix it. Craziness. I'm tired of drama and craziness. I want peace and quiet.

This weekend, we went to a birthday party for one of our youth leaders and hung out for a few hours then came home to watch Ciara and her friend Brooke W. play the wii. Ciara got a game called Just Dance with her Christmas money and they danced for hours. It was hilarious!! I didn't participate because I feeling the effects of no allergy medication since last Tuesday. And we proceeded to miss church on Sunday because I couldn't function. My eyes were puffy and I felt awful.

Then, this Tuesday I went to see an allergist for the first time in my life. At the time I was wishing I had waited even longer!! lol I ended up being pricked in the back 72 times with different allergens, some beginning to burn and itch immediately. Then another 22 shots in my arms, some blowing up almost instantly and driving me crazy cause I couldn't touch them. Turns out I'm allergic to most everything with fur, most grasses, most weeds, most trees, dust, dust mites and cockroach feces. I will be starting shots in 2 weeks which consists of 3 shots per week for a year and then every other week for a year and then every 3 weeks for a year and then monthly for one to two years. Within 5 years, I won't be allergic to anything. That will be absolutely wonderful!!

The answer to your question is.... no. I have not touched my book this week like I planned. Please pray that I'm feeling better tomorrow morning so I can stay up when I get Ciara off to school and actually spend some quality time updating and adding to my book. I need to get it done.

If I don't get my book done and published almost immediately, I will have to find a full-time job to help keep our family afloat financially. That depresses me immensely because I love being home but not being broke. Please join me in praying for guidance and the words and actions necessary for the best possible outcome and for God's Will to be fulfilled in me.

Ok, Jenn... there's your update!! lol You may have to remind me daily if you remember. haha

God bless!

And so it begins...

Ok, I have officially begun mapping out my character descriptions, history and location descriptions for my book. I have so much more to do, but I can feel it all coming together. The ideas are flowing like crazy and I don't always have a computer or pen and paper around to get them down so then I have to sort of meditate to get it all back. It's a beautiful thing. As for the decluttering... we got a bunch of stuff out of the house this weekend but there is still so much to do. Ugh. 20 years of accumulation is just crazy!! Found a new app for my iPhone today that makes me giggle... it's a "Days Until" app that you can change the backgrounds and fonts to each event you enter. I've been entering birthdays, anniversaries and a few holidays into it. I know... it doesn't take much to entertain me. So, now I'm off to accomplish at least a few things on my to do list for today. I'm not really motivated but it needs to get done so here I go!! God Bless! :D

Struggling with writer's block...

So far today has not gone as planned. Brian stayed home with a pinched nerve in his neck. I fell asleep after Ciara went to school and didn't wake up till 11:44 am. No coffee, no peace and quiet. I did, however, take a look at the book I've started. I have 4,675 words and need about 40,000 to make it a book. YIKES!!! That's a lot of detail and "dressing up" to add. A little overwhelming, yes, but not impossible. I'm praying that God will guide my fingers to add the proper words when I sit down to do nothing but work on a book that shows how a woman can go from being so mad at Him that she no longer wants him in her life to realizing that without Him she never would have survived the tragedy. It's a heartwrenching yet beautiful story that I'm looking forward to sharing with the world. Thanks for the support of my husband and friend Jenn. Without you two pushing me I'm not sure I would have made it this far. Without God I wouldn't have a story to tell. God Bless.

And so it begins...

Well, it looks like this has turned into an every other day kind of blog, but really it hasn't. Tomorrow, Monday, things go back to normal... Ciara returns to school and Brian returns to work. Since Caleb isn't coming tomorrow, my plan is to work on my book. LAFFN has officially begun and I truly intend to commit to finishing my book. I have the basics, I just need to add content to complete the novel. A pot of coffee, the computer and total silence.... ahhhhh...... just what I truly need!! Plus, I have received a few prophetic words regarding this book and this year. I have to do it... God is in it. He's sending me gentle reminders through friends, web pages and messages received in church. So I'm heading to bed at a reasonable hour tonight and plan to get up early and accomplish as much as possible. Please pray that I keep God as my focal point and not the worldly riches that are possible by becoming a published author. I also found a website yesterday where I could possibly publish some of my short stories and get paid by selling them as e-books. The possibilities are endless for this year to be a successful year for me and my family through the Grace of God. God Bless!!

Whew!! What a Day!

For a day that is normally a lazy day for my family, I have been working like crazy!! All of the Christmas decorations are now packed away and stored, for the first time ever, in the closet under the stairs that is SUPPOSED to be used for storage and not a bunch of junk just thrown in there!! Now I'm getting ready to put dinner on the stove, vacuum and dust and put all of my picture frames back out on the shelves and tables. Monday will be the official start date to the rest of my novel I'm writing. Ciara back in school and Brian back at work will make a HUGE difference in my concentration abilities!! lol Once dinner is ready, the hubster and I will start our daily devotional book and pray then enjoy our quiet dinner together. Kids are at my sister's home for the night. After dinner is another Criminal Minds marathon all snuggled up on the couch. I feel really good about my progress today - a lot accomplished and it's still early enough to enjoy my husband and our private time with the Lord. What a great way to bring in this new year!! May God bless you all with peace, love and happiness throughout this year.