Perfect Day

Almost. Of course it would be better if Mr. Chelle were here enjoying a cup of coffee with me as I watch the snow fall. It's not often we get snow in Oklahoma. When we do, I try to take some quiet time and relax. I didn't have much time to myself this morning though. The 16 yo is home from school due to the weather so no early morning rush, but everyone decided to call to check on us this morning. I love my family and friends, don't get me wrong, but the calls started at 6 am. No big deal...except they woke up the little man. And when he realized it was snowing... I had to hog tie him from putting on his snow gear. The ground is frozen solid from the ice storm yesterday. After a major meltdown, he figured out I wasn't letting him outside until the snow covered some of the ice. I warned him I wasn't driving the 20 minutes to the ER if he fell and busted his head. I'd just sew it up myself with a needle and thread. That did it. The boy gags at the word blood. LOL. My luck though, it'd be me falling and busting my butt bone. I'm having a hard enough time getting my poor bones moving to take the dogs out. So I bribed the kid with no homeschool work today since brother is out of school.

My plotting bootcamp is winding down and although I haven't kept up with the assignments, I saved all of the files and plan to work on them today. I printd out more of my outline on index cards. I need to finish the character details and then move on to the actual conflict outline. One of the things that has distracted me is so many pitches going on right now. I participated in Donna Alward's mentor pitch, and now Harlequin/Silhouette have a few coming up soon. Which makes it very tempting to put away the historical WIP to work on my contemporary romances.

I'm off to say hi to a couple of my blog buddies...and unplug so I can make an attempt at an assignment or two. Have a happy and productive day!!

Jinx

Well...I opened my mouth and jinxed myself. I was so ready to give away some of our dogs. We had four of them. When we moved, Mr. Chelle promised to build a large pen to keep them contained when they go out to do their thing. He built the pen, but it doesn't contain the dogs. *sigh* And now he's back at work so it won't get repaired for another two weeks. The Boston Terrier sisters got out. Bella and Gracie took off and a couple of hours later, Gracie showed up and was completely freaked out. I seriously thought she'd need the Dog Whisperer. Bella still hasn't come home and we're afraid she's fallen victim to a pack of strays that are terrorizing this section of the county. Instead of therapy my brother offered to take Gracie hoping she wouldn't be able to get out of their fence. I insisted she remain a house dog, and so far she hasn't played Houdini and escaped. As frustrated as I was with the pups...my heart is broken that they're gone. At least I can still see Gracie.

How has everyone's writing/life been? I've been trying to stay in touch, but I started my new meds and it has kinda wiped me out this week. We'll give it until I go back on Feb 26th. I did submit a two paragraph pitch to Donna Alward's pitch. She's a fabulous HQ Romance author and has offered her mentorship to an unpubbed author for another year. Last year I was fortunate enough to have made it into the final 5. This year...top 11. Not too bad out of 80 something entries. She said the pitch was good...the storyline just didn't excite her. Guess I need to work on making it a little more conflict filled before I sub to Silhouette.

Hope yous guys are well and warm!!

Happy Friday!!

Awwww! Got the teen man/child to school, and the little man fed. I'm a bad mom...bribed him with a large mug of hot chocolate, and put his homeschool lessons on hold until after lunch. Maybe I can get my character outlines finished today. First thing though, I need to finish a beta read before my crit partner thinks I've abandoned her.

I'm so glad today is Friday and I have nothing to do this weekend that requires going out in this ridiculous weather. Our high today is supposed to be 19. *sigh* The low....3 degress. I'm so ready to give away a couple of dogs. The Chihuahua won't go to the bathroom outside when it's this cold and just stands by the door shivering. So he's using his carrier and my laundry room smells awful. Which means he smells awful. Ugh. The two Boston Terrier sisters keep getting out of the fence and running off. We've been hearing a pack of coyotes or wild dogs recently, and I'm afraid the girls will disappear. The rescue lab? She loves me. She goes out, does her business and comes into the warm house to lay around quietly. Good dog. Anyone want a couple of adorable lap dogs? I'll even pay to ship them.

I actually got another box emptied yesterday. By this rate...I'll have everything put up in it's place by 2013. Hubby was supposed to paint a couple of walls before he left, but didn't. I'm trying not to stare at the baby blue walls with gold glitter. Thankfully my chair faces the log walls and I can look out at the trees and landscape. I'm looking forward to Spring when the leaves will be full. The front porch will be beautiful. It spans all the way across the front of the house and has hooks for plenty of hanging baskets, draped with vibrant colored flowers. I took a ton of pictures during our recent "blizzard" and will try to post when I find all of my computer cords. In 2013?

Happy Friday!! Hope your week was productive!

Digging in...

So far so good. I actually got something accomplished last night and will upload my book theme, logline, and premise today to the bootcamp group. I really suck at the short stuff though. I'm so wordy and have been struggling with the heroes side of the premise. This story came to me after I'd done some searching through my ancestry documents and family records.

I meant to send out a plug for the lovely group running the bootcamp. They've got some great info and resources available for writers. Check it out...

Rose Colored Glasses ~ Writer's Resources

Okay...want to see how bad my attempt was at my first assignment? Here goes nothing.

Logline: A forbidden dreamwalker will risk her father’s reputation, and her own life, in order to save the man in her dreams, even if he refuses to let go of the past and trust her.

I'm off to work on my next assignment...character roles. Easy peasy.

Brrrrr...

I am soooo not liking this weather. But at least it's not distracting me today by enticing me out into the warm sunshine. Cold, cold, and reallllly cold. I think our lows this week are expected into the single digits. That's not typical Oklahoma at all. And my RA doesn't like the cold either. My poor fingers are protesting my attempts to make them work today. My sweet buddy sent me the voice recognition software. I'm thinking today would be a good day to set that up.

Okay. Got the teen monster off to school and just fed the little man monster. I say that because hubby has gone back to work and the boys are picking at each other constantly. Ugh. Last night I told them they would have to go outside and sit for 10 minutes every time I broke up a fight. So the teen slammed off to his room. Problem solved. At least I can use the weather to my advantage. ;)

Heading offline to get my first bootcamp assignment finished. I decided to go with the historical. I'm even cringing at the introduction. *sigh* Why am I feeling so shy all of a sudden? More like terror and anxiety. I absolutely suck at taglines. Guess what my first assignment is?

Happy New Year!!

Hope ya had a wonderful holiday season! Any resolutions? Me? Not so much. I'm definitely motivated with what looks like a clean slate. The start of new year always brings with it a determination. Motivation. To do more. Be better. In all aspects of my life.

So while my motivation and determination are at an all time high, I've joined a plotting bootcamp group. I've got several story ideas running around rampant in my poor little brain. And every time I sit down to write, I have a difficult time choosing. My Native American/western historical keeps yelling the loudest, but I keep putting it away because I guess I'm scared to try something out of my element. I absolutely love reading historicals...but am I capable of writing one?

I can do just about anything if I put my mind to it. That's what I tell my children anyways. LOL. So I must practice what I preach and stop procrastinating. The plotting bootcamp begins tomorrow. Hopefully I'll maintain my level of motivation and also be a better blogger. I love my online blogger buddies, you guys ALWAYS lend me the support and encouragement I need. I only hope to be more active online this coming year so that I may be the support and encouragement you guys need.

Here's to a bright and shiny new year!! May you have an abundance of good health, happiness, and prosperity! A couple of publishing contracts would be nice, too. =)

*sigh of relief*

Hubby has left the building. I'm sad to see him heading off to California for their next job, but the last couple of weeks have been hectic. No time for Christmas decorations. No time for shopping. No Christmas spirit. Must change that. I'll rest up a bit today and work with little man on his schoolwork. Maybe tonight I can get the man/child to help me move things around and get the tree up. Maybe I'll even light some candles and play a few Christmas CDs to get in the mood.

Anyone busy working? This time of year tends to play havoc with my writing time. Not that I've been able to get back in the game. I can't seem to get fully engaged. Not sure if it's me or the new meds. I'm going to try to keep taking them at least until I go back to the Rhuematologist on the 18th. It sounds like several of my writer friends are struggling for various reasons. A few of us joined NaNoWriMo this year and didn't complete the word count. Others blasted right through and kudos to you if you're one of them.

Hope you guys are having a productive week. I'm off to check out a few blogs to see what's new. I'm determined to finish a beta read for a buddy today and submit 10 pages of my contemporary category to my RWA chapter contest.

Happy writing!

Season of Giving

Today feels like a Friday. Most likely because my oldest is out of school today, and my nephews are here to spend the night. Hubby will be getting off work early and will head home to help get the house ready for our Thanksgiving feast tomorrow.

This is my favorite time of year for many reasons. It always begins with the start of school to occupy the kiddos and college football. My Sooners are having a really bad, injury plagued year. I know we can't win them all, but this hasn't been a fun year to watch. The excitement continues on though with most of our family birthdays leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This year we will spend the first part of Thanksgiving day at my aunt's house with her family. Then we'll head home to have our own celebration with my brother and his kids. I have NEVER EVER wanted to torture myself with Black Friday and it wouldn't even be an option this year.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good thoughts. I'm feeling much better and getting around pretty well. The rash on my face is still visible but just looks as if my face is a little flushed. The Rheumatologist has diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia and is testing for an underlying illness. While he believes that I have arthritis, he's feeling optimistic that it's not Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have an appointment today at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for more tests for the Lupus.

Even if I wasn't dealing with illness, I have so much to be thankful for. My family is a huge source of comfort for me. My boys are well behaved and have become protective of me. My husband hates to leave me to go to work, and is willing to get up at 4am every morning and work his patootie off for us. They will be leaving next week to start the next tank in California, but we are so fortunate that he even has a job in this economy. My mother has had a few episodes with her health problems from battling cancer, but she is celebrating another year cancer free.

Yes, God has truly blessed us. We have a warm, safe home with a table full of good food. We were fortunate enough to buy food for three other families to make sure they are able to have the same meal we're having with leftovers to enjoy for another week. We will even prepare the meal for one of the families because she admitted to not knowing how to cook. Of course I'll have a plate ready for our homeless alley guy, Gary. He'll eat well this week for sure. Things are tough right now for so many families. I can only hope that we spread some of our good fortune as far as possible and it makes a difference somehow.

As for my writing? I'm trying to decide which story I'll submit to my chapter's contest for the members. I'm thinking it'll be my contemporary category romance, but lately I've been working a little on my historical. I have a couple of weeks to decide.

In the meantime...I hope you guys have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Silence...

Awwww...the house is so quiet. Except for the dog's collar jingling when she scratches at those pesky fleas. Man. We have four dogs and having a really hard time getting rid of the fleas this year. We've never had a problem like this. We usually bathe the 3 little dogs in our utility sink and the lab mix outside. But Mom decided to graciously offer to take Possum to the groomer since I'm having health problems. Well...she came home with fleas. Not my Mom. Possum. ;)

Hubby started back to work after having his five day break, and man-child is headed off to school. Little man is still zonked out, snoring quietly. Isn't it amazing how peaceful and sweet they look when they're asleep? LOL. Give him another hour and we'll be dealing with breakfast and getting his schoolwork started.

Until then...I'll work on a beta read for a friend. As soon as we finish little man's homework, hopefully I can work on my chapter. Is everyone enjoying the change in the weather? Are the leaves beautiful where you live?

Have a productive day and happy writing!

Happy NaNo!

I know, I know. I'm a little late. NaNoWriMo officially began on November 1. I signed up, but my WIP is my first manuscript that I wrote during NaNo in 2007 and needs a complete rewrite. I have a chapter and a half revised and will use suggestions I received back from judges in the FAB contest to tweak a few issues before I move on. I found out that I came within 3 points of being a finalist. I had thought seriously that it was time to put this ms away for good...methinks it just earned itself another chance. Anyone else participating? What are you working on?

You guys would be proud of me...I've been able to get up and around the last two days and got out of the house. Hubby took me to dinner last night and I was actually brave enough to go grocery shopping with Mom at Walmart. Thank you so much for your encouragement, love, and support. I'm still hurting but can at least get out of bed and my recliner by myself. I absolutely HATE feeling so independent. I gave in last Thursday and went to the hospital. They gave me something to help ease my symptoms until my appointment on the 20th with the specialist. I've been a good girl and increased my daily water intake and decreased the amount of crap I usually inhale. As soon as the pain in my hips and back ease up, I'll slowly start exercising to a yoga DVD I have. We've decided to sell the building so the hot tub is on hold until we move. I checked with a gym I used to go to and they have water aerobics I can try.

Well...little man did better with his new glasses than we thought he would. The frames lasted a whole month before he found a way to break them. LOL. I talked with the doc office today and they may be under warranty. *sigh* It didn't come as a surprise but it's amazing how well behaved he has become with the loss of television and video games. So much so that we've decided this is a great time to set a higher limit. I take full credit for allowing him to pretty much have no limits. As long as he got his homeschool work finished, he was allowed to watch or play unlimited. Bad Mommy. He hasn't argued or given me a hard time the last two days so it has given me the incentive to set higher limits. We had fun today and started preparing our materials for planned Thanksgiving crafts. Hopefully we'll get dinner and shower over early tonight and keep the newly scheduled bedtime. If I can be strong and committed...I should have plenty of writing time tonight. Yay me.

Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!!

Adversity

Well...hopefully all of you made it through Monday without a scratch. My day turned out to be pretty ok. Little man had Taekwondo practice and as much as I hated to drag myself out of my pj's, he needed the exercise and kiddo interaction. Hubby finally sold our extra 5th wheel hitch which means I'll get the charm necklace that I've been drooling over for my birthday. Yay me!! I'll have to take pictures and post on Thursday. And I actually cooked dinner last night. The boys were kind enough to let me know I'd slacked off lately and they were due for a homecooked meal. I made ranch style fried chicken, cheddar-garlic mashed potatoes with fresh parsley, and a salad. I'm sure I could've been more creative with the veggies but that's another story.

Several of you mentioned struggling with your chosen path. That was the reason for my post. I think we're all faced at some point, or on a regular basis, with doubts or roadblocks. While my first instinct and reaction is to pray, I eventually have to make a decision to move on. The reason I'm so nostaligic recently is because I've been faced with some difficult choices and my path is changing because of possible roadblocks.

I've openly shared with you guys my passion to bulldoze forward with our family dream to own a restaurant. We've started and stopped in the past for various reasons but I really thought this was the time to move forward. I've put alot of time and energy lately into the business planning and building a solid foundation so we wouldn't be faced with problems later down the line. The website for my bath & body shop is ready for product pictures and descriptions. I've been so busy that I've had to put my publishing dreams on hold.

Until now. I think the decision has been made for me. I finally have a name for my health issues. Recently my body has been telling me to slow down and I prayed that I could find the strength to keep pushing and would slow down once we could hire people to step in and help. Wrong. My lab tests came back positive and the diagnosis is Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have an appointment with a specialist to begin my treatment plan to stop the progression, but my doctor believes I also have Lupus with possible lung and kidney involvement. Which really sucks because I'll have to start taking pills on a daily basis.

My doc says that RA and Lupus affects everyone differently but because of my symptoms and apparent progression, I need to forget the restaurant plans. He believes that once they begin the treatment I'll have some pain relief, but the stress and physical demands of owning a restaurant will be too much. They'll send me to occupational/physical therapy to help with the pain in my joints and muscles. My son's Taekwondo instructor says he'll add Yoga and Tai-Chi to his classes and that will help with my fatigue. And we'll have an excuse to get a hot tub. Darn it. ;)

Chosen path? What about roadblocks? Methinks my writing has sabotaged the restaurant. It looks as if my writing will take center stage again. I'll deal with rejections and editing just like I have in the past. If it doesn't work...find a way to fix it or move on. God answers prayers in mysterious ways. ;)

Chosen Path

Good Monday morning! I hope ya'll had a spectactular weekend...or at least didn't hurt yourselves?! ;) I began my Monday morning with a sick teen man/child and a dog who couldn't wait to be let out. *sigh* Lovely. I want to be grouchy, but I just read a post from one of my blog friends and feel uplifted for some odd reason.

Have you ever wondered how some people manage to work through adversity? Whether you're working full-time outside of the home and go home exhausted only to start your second job as mom in charge, or you're a stay-at-home mom trying to find time to write between children wanting, fighting or whining. I'm a stay-at-home mom and I don't know how I ever worked two jobs as a single parent. You just do it. You could have 10 children or none at all. You may have a simple cold or life altering disease. Maybe it is/was a rejection on a manuscript you absolutely feel is a best-seller. We all have our conflicts, internal and external roadblocks.

Isn't that what we torture our characters with? It's our job to create substantial conflict to sustain it through to the end. Have you had a professional, a reader or crit partner question the character's motive or strength of conflict? What may be enough to some, may not be worthy to another.

You may not even be a writer, but I think most of us have a chosen path. It may change tomorrow for whatever reason, choices come with consequences. Good or bad. I think it's all about how we roll with the punches. Good or bad. Is it fate or a higher power that changes the path for us or helps us keep our feet planted firmly along the journey? Have faith and confidence in your choices. Have faith in your path and it'll shine through to those chosen to be a part of that path.

Self-Publishing

One of my crit partners posted an interesting link the other day and I thought I'd run it past you guys. I've never known anyone who went the self-publishing route, that I know of anyways, and I hadn't really looked in to it. It is definitely a dream of mine to be published, but not if I have to fork out the money to do it.

Author J.A. (Joe) Konrath has an interesting blog that I check out often. When I followed the link my crit partner posted, I wasn't surprised to see where it took me. I found this particular post interesting because I hadn't heard about self-publishing directly through Kindle or any of the digital readers. It's something I'd like to check into further to see if there are any hidden snags we should be aware of. One thing I wonder about is if there is a contract involved that would tie up my rights in case I get an offer through a print publisher. The only cost involved seems to be for the cover art. You'd have to be serious about marketing yourself and getting your name out there, but I believe it could be something worth considering.

See what ya think...

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

AHA!!

I came across a post on one of my favorite blogs that I have to share. I've talked before about layering character emotions but I had an "aha" moment after reading this post...

Method to the madness - How Acting Can Make You a Better Writer

I've mentioned before that I'm a huge Bob Mayer fan and love to visit the Warriorwriter's Blog to see what industry tips I can pick up that might help me on my writing journey to pubbed land. Warriorwarrior's Blog is a publishing industry blog presenting the main principles from NY TIMES Best-Selling Author Bob Mayer's, "Who Dares Wins: Special Operations Tactics for Success." The contributing author of the blog is professional editor Kristen Lamb.

As I read the blog post, I began to think about the western historical I've been working on. I've been stuck on the plot and the internal conflict for my hero. So I came at it from a different angle. I usually interview my characters but this time I tried to look at it strictly from his POV. But it still seemed lacking something for me. I think I'll go ahead and interview him and then try the role play. I'll put myself in the hero POV in a scene instead of working from the dialogue reactions.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend! My Sooners are playing Texas. BOOMER SOONERS!!

Grrrr.

It's one of those days. I just want to growl at everyone. Hubby has been home alot due to the fact that their current job is located in town and he hasn't had to travel. The weather has been rainy and wet the last couple of days and too dangerous for the guys to work. I love him being home, but he's worse than the kids sometimes and I can't focus on my to-do list. I finally finished critting a beta read for a crit partner and I'm trying to get through the chapters I'm judging for a contest. I've had two doctors appointments in a week and driving in to the city has severely limited my writing time. Grrrr.

The teen man/child is on Fall Break and I let a friend spend the night. They wanted to go over to the girlfriend's house to hang out. No problem. Of course...boys will be boys and they woke us up around 1 am. Hubby wasn't happy because he had to be up for work at 5 am. So being a grouchy butt today, I decided to check out the man/child's grades online. Not good. His grades have dropped. I'm sure he'll be surprised and have issues with being on restriction for the rest of the break. Which means he will be under my feet, and just as grouchy. Grrrr.

Our local writers conference is coming up in November. I found a couple of workshops and registered, but overall was disappointed with the selections this year. At least I can get together with some of my OKRWA sisters and spend quality adult time away from the house. Maybe some of their pubbed creative dust will rub off and I can refill my well. ;)

How do you motivate yourself when chaos reigns around you? Maybe...if I growl loud enough the family will back off and let me spill my guts on paper. Maybe...if I unload some of this emotion...it won't be a grrrr day.

I am woman. Hear me grrrrrrrrrrr.

Bad Blogger

Sorry I've been neglecting you guys lately. Things have been pretty hectic around here as usual. Hubby is home working on a local job for a couple of months, which means I can't get away with simple meals. Fortunately he helps with preparation and clean-up, but it still means more elaborate meal planning, shopping and cooking.

The restaurant plans are on hold until we can get our architectural plans back and approved by the city inspector. I've ordered an update for my website software so I can finish the shopping cart for my bath & body products. I've ordered new fragrances and will hopefully start making the soaps and lotions. I'm looking forward to putting on my scientist coat and experimenting. Mwahaha.

As for my passion?! I submitted the first chapter of my WIP to OKRWA's Finally A Bride contest. I'm thinking we might know something by the end of the month. This week...I'm working on finishing up a beta read for one of my crit partners and judging 6 entries for a contest.

AND....a HUGE shout out for my crit partner, Ami Weaver!!! Girlfriend won the Georgia RWA Maggie award for the Unpublished Contemporary Series Romance category!!! You rock, honey!! She'll definitely be busy polishing her ms because they've requested the full manuscript. Congrats!

Sourdough Starter Pancakes

Hey guys! Happy Monday. :) I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Hubby is due home this week so I am super swamped trying to get my to-do list whittled down. I thought I'd give ya a link to a recipe I found for So
urdough Pancakes. You can make these from the recipe I gave you for the sourdough starter. Have fun!

Sourdough Pancakes

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

1 c sourdough starter
2 Tb vegetable oil
1 egg
2 Tb sugar
3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Step 1
Pour one cup of sourdough starter, or sponge, into a clean mixing bowl.

Step 2
Stir in two tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil.

Step 3
Add one egg and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix well.

Step 4
Stir in ¾ cup of flour. If you want pancakes that are more “sour”, see the tip below.

Step 5
Dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a tablespoon of warm water.

Step 6
Right before you are ready to cook the pancakes, add the baking soda mixture to your sourdough pancake batter. Gently fold it in.

Step 7
Let your sourdough pancake batter sit for a few minutes, while it foams and rises in the bowl. This is a good time to prepare any bacon or sausage you are having with your pancakes.

Step 8
Heat your griddle or pan until it is fairly hot, grease it, and pour ¼ to ½ cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.

State Fair = Rain

It's that time of year. I've always loved the beginning of the school year because it means the start of college football!! Go Sooners!! I can sigh with relief when the kiddos are occupied more often with homework, activities, and renewed friendships. But it also signals the start of the Oklahoma State Fair. We used to take the boys when they were little but we're old and grouchy now. The boys stopped enjoying the looooooong lines. It stops being fun when they figure out the rides last 2 minutes and we have to stand in line for 20. And it rains. Every year. It has become a standing joke that you know when the fair is in town because we have rain. Every day. And this year is no different.

Normally I would LOVE the rain. I hate driving in it because of the way people drive, but I love the smell. The cool air it brings with it. I enjoy spending time out on the patio because everything seems refreshed and clean. But this year...hubby has to monkey around on the top of water towers. They can't climb and weld when it rains. No work - no pay. At this point the rain is causing delays in the crew completing a tank. They plan to be home by next Tuesday. Oh well. So life goes on. We often have to make adjustments in our lives for the unexpected.

Which makes me think of my writing. How many times have you had a story idea play out in your head...but when you began putting it on paper, it doesn't work for whatever reason. Maybe the conflict can't be sustained to the end. Maybe one of your characters doesn't have believable motivation. Do you roll with the punches and revise? Or make adjustments?

I haven't had the misfortune of having to scrap a story yet. I have had a crit partner who has. Sometimes it's easier to just move on. You can't submit an unwritten story. I do have two manuscripts that I've put away. I love the storyline, the characters, but for various reasons I'm at a standstill on them. But we push on. Do we need a good kick in the buttocks for inspiration? I often do.

I got one the other day. Awhile back I was clicking around the blogosphere within my writing buddies circle and was fortunate to find Jody Hedlund. She usually has such informative and interesting posts, and I was thrilled for her recently when she announced she'd signed with an agent. But wow. WOW. She can now add published author to her name!! Congrats to Jody for being offered a three book contract with Bethany House Publishers. Doing the Snoopy dance for ya girl!!

What wonderful inspiration to those of us on the journey with her. And a good kick in the hiney to get busy. I've got two WIP's as we speak. My first manuscript was a series contemporary targeting Harlequin Superromance. I received a rejection on a partial with some really great editorial suggestions on how to strengthen the heroine's internal conflict. I had placed third in a contest and was recently encouraged to send the revised first chapter to another contest for feedback. The assistant editor suggested I resubmit...we'll see if I can fix it. The other WIP is a historical, and a huge challenge for me. I'm having "issues" as to how to begin the story. But that's another blog post. ;) The trouble is finding time to work on them.

I thought I would post my recipe for the Sourdough Starter. Erin...I forgot that I have your old email addy and it kicked it back to me. So here ya go...

Sourdough Starter

1 ½ ounces fresh compressed yeast
3 cups warm water
1 ounce granulated sugar
1 pound 8 ounces unbleached flour (I use bread flour)

In a plastic container with a large opening so your starter can expand with each feeding, dissolve yeast in the water and add sugar. Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon, until you have a smooth paste. Make sure the container is pretty large. I use a gallon size freezer bag and put it inside of a plastic bowl to keep it from falling over. After I add ingredients I can pull the bag out and squeeze the bag to mix the contents.

Cover loosely to allow gases to escape (I leave a corner of the plastic bag open) and place in a warm spot in your kitchen for 2 to 3 days. The mixture should bubble and give off a sour odor. Stir down the starter once a day during this time and make sure to stir in any crust that’s formed. After this point, store the starter in the fridge.

The starter needs to be fed every 10 days, otherwise it will die. Add half as much flour and water as the original recipe if you aren’t using the starter regularly. Use less if you’re actually using your started regularly. Stir in the flour and water and keep refrigerated.

And he's gone...

The hubster is officially out of the building. The first item on my to-do list was to try out several new recipes for bread. I put together a sour dough starter for future loaves, and have dough rising for a loaf of foccacia. I've also pulled out the ingredients for chocolate gooey butter cookies. The turtle brownies for hubby's birthday didn't last long. I think for dinner tonight we'll have beef and rice. I usually make 1/2 pound burgers and cook until medium. In the same pan, I add butter and sautee finely chopped sweet onions, garlic, and italian seasonings. Add flour until the butter/oil makes a paste and add heavy cream until it becomes a gravy. I make a cilantro rice and lay the beef patties on the rice and cover with the gravy.

I guess I'll have to quit playing on the computer so I can clean the carpets in the kitchen. Hopefully it won't wipe me out because I need to get little man's schoolwork done and try to make some headway with the restaurant business plan. It doesn't look like I'll have the time to work on my chapter until tonight. Maybe since hubster is gone...I can get little man in bed early. Keep your fingers crossed. ;)

Back to Chaos

If I've learned one thing from traveling with hubby to his jobsites, it's that I was on VACATION. I hate the driving and living out of a suitcase, but I have to actually work at home.

I am glad to be home though and sleeping in my big bed. The weekend was spent getting things back to our normal, chaotic schedule. And...little man had a running virus. We had to run back and forth with him to the bathroom all weekend. *sigh* Sorry if that was TMI. LOL...He's getting really cranky with me today because I'm forcing liquids down him. No other symptoms...just an upset stomach. My hands are raw from the constant washing. I do not want his running virus. ;)

I found the architectural drawings my mom originally had drawn up for the building that we're wanting to use for the restaurant. And it doesn't look good. My mom and aunt had some incredible ideas for what they wanted to do...but we won't need a back lobby because I can't handle patio seating right now. And they wanted to add a drop ceiling. Not only is it expensive and complicated...but I LOVE the high, old tin ceilings. I think we can live with the kitchen set up. It's larger than what we need or planned on having. But at least we won't need to expand when we blow up the town and become a huge overnight success. :)

I haven't had a chance to work out my actual logline yet for my historical. Hubby leaves out again in the morning to go back to work. His boss is thinking that they'll be back in Oklahoma by next week. Hopefully I can get little man busy working on schoolwork tomorrow and spend a little time on my logline. I need to also finish my chapter for my series contemporary romance. Ready...set...work!