dream stories

I am writing again, much like the majority of stories I write, it started with a dream.  I dream vividly, every night, full color and story line.  When I wake I am able to remember my dream (sometime's multiple dreams) and every once in a while, there is a dream that sticks with me.  Something that rattles in my head until I put it on paper.  So I started putting it on paper, I found that if I don't write it down, it starts to form its own story line, plot, character development and crowds out the things I should be doing.  So I am writing.

The first 29 pages came quickly, in 2 afternoons, but now I am done with the dream part of it and it is time to decide if the story is enough to pull me into writing more.  Names are the hardest part of the story for me to come up with.  I look through baby books, names on the internet and any other venue I can find interesting names.  I wrote a story that ended up being a full 300 pages and unfortunately for me the main characters name is Bella.  So with the current Twilight phenomenon, I will just have to wait or endure the countless comments about how I named the character the same name as Bella from Twilight.

I started this blog with New Beginnings, I didn't know if I would be brave enough to let others read my writings so I can't imagine that I will ever post any of my dream stories here but maybe one day, in a moment of unusual bravery, I will post a bit, perhaps 1 chapter and see what happens.

Waving to Eurasia

Здравствуйте! and Guten Tag.  I noticed that several of you who have stumbled across this little blog are from Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, Romania, Ukraine and countries surrounding.  I am a little surprised that you found me but I am thrilled to be connected to you in that way.  Perhaps you came across this on your way to another site, perhaps it was the words Tennessee or California that you had a connection to but no matter how you arrived, It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.   

Give parenting a try

  Pamela Anderson wrote that she hopes her boys (age 13 and 15) practice safe sex and try drinking and drugs in moderation.  I am sure there was more to her post than that however that is all the media is reporting.  I read a letter a mother wrote to her infant son, in the future if he comes out to her that she will love him and the partner he chooses.  Alicia Silverstone made headlines by pre-chewing her babies food and then spitting it into his mouth. Parenting is hard and I couldn't imagine doing it in the public eye.  So celebrity moms, reality show moms, internet sensation moms, I stand with you, make good decisions and raise your children well, ignoring what the world has to say about it.

    My children are growing up in a world that is very different than the one I knew as a child in small town Tennessee.  Big city California is a land of concrete. There was a time when my children wouldn't walk on grass barefooted because it felt weird to them.  So many things are different now.
-They can't run around and play because of the dangers of being run over by a bus or kidnapped by a pedophile.
-They don't explore their world because there are real dangers out there.
-Instead of teaching the rules of duck-duck goose and freeze tag, we are instilling in them what to do if a stranger tries to approach you.
-Neighbors and family friends do not discipline other people's children in fear of law suits.

  When my husband and I were newly married and without children we went to eat at a local restaurant in Tennessee.  A toddler escaped from his seat and took off running for the door.  Seeing him coming I put out my arm and caught him, scooping him up until his parents got there.  They thanked me repeatedly and took him back to their table.  My husband sat stunned as this happened.  He cautioned me to never touch anyone's child in California.  I didn't understand? I was protecting him from running out the door and into a busy parking lot.  It didn't matter, I realized that things were very different and I was going to need to learn a different way of socialization.

  I say give parenting a try before you make comments about how it is done and how it should be done.

 

On a quest for the perfect love triangle

As a writer, I am always looking for a good love triangle.  One that keeps all three parties on the edge of intimacy and never steps across the line and leaves one out.  I am fascinated with television love triangles, not necessarily good television shows but a well done love triangle.  Here are a few of my favorite from the past.  October Road, Everwood, The Mountain, Roswell, Dawson's Creek, 90210, One Tree Hill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Typically the first season of these love triangle shows is the best, before the plot lines get to convoluted.  I am always on the look out for something that has a good love triangle.  I am always trying to write a good love triangle.  The ultimate love triangle is not a sappy teen drama but a book.  The Host by Stefenie Meyer (yes that is the same Stefenie Meyer from Twilight fame) this is not the typical vampire romance but it does fall outside of the realm of normal.  It is by far my favorite book of all time.  I can re-read it over and over again, I hope they find a way to turn it into a movie, it would be fascinating.  If you have not had a chance to read it, I would highly recommend it.  (I have two copies so you can borrow one of mine) The love triangle is done well and I have never seen anything like it, It pulls you in and takes you all the way through until the end.  The conclusion is unexpected which always makes for a good love triangle drama.

One little thing

It is amazing how one little thing can change the course of your day.

Putting yourself out there, whether that is asking out that special person you have had your eye on or completing a task that you have been putting off, can boost your confidence.

I am not usually lacking in the put yourself out there, by my very nature I am an extrovert.  Ask those who know me and they will say I am a super extrovert.
If you need someone to get up and address a crowd then I am your woman
I like introducing myself to people
I love to be the center of attention
I always volunteer to read out loud
I usually take the lead in social situations

But today I was struggling with addressing a situation.  I finally put it out there and got an amazing result!  I was immediately flooded with endorphin's and felt like I had conquered Mt. Everest (no disrespect to those of you who have actually climbed Mt. Everest, or any other mountain for that matter.  I am in no way trying to compare the physical abilities and dedication it takes to accomplish that feat, I am just borrowing the metaphor)

As I mulled over my accomplishment in my mind, I was surprised at how good I felt, I didn't need anyone to tell me I had done well, I didn't necessarily need to tell anyone else about my accomplishment but the internal motivation to keep going that I received from it was enough to keep me going with a smile on my face.
  

Recipe's from the cookie jar #2

Recipe card:  Rice Crispy Treats Recipe information: This does not require baking, stovetop only Ingredients 1 stick butter  1 package mini-marshmellows   ¾ box of rice crispys                                                                        Directions 1.    melt butter on low  2.    melt marshmellows 3.       remove from heat 4.       add rice crispy's and stir until fully mixed, pour into 9X13 pan and cool TIP: The generic brand of rice crispy's are just as tasty as the name brands.

Recipe card template:  6 pound fudge Recipe information:  No baking required, microwave only Ingredients 4 lbs of confectioners sugar 1 cup cocoa    1 lb Velveeta cheese   1 lb butter    4 tsp vanilla         Directions 1.       combine confectioners sugar and cocoa until blended 2.       melt butter and Velveeta in microwave stirring frequently until mixed 3.       blend butter mix with sugar mix then add vanilla 4.       stir until completely blended then refrigerate overnight  TIP: You will probably have to blend with your hands, as it begins to set it gets dense.  The finished product will look glossy and no traces of Velveeta should be visible. Tip: Don't tell people there is Velveeta in it until after they have had a taste, telling them before ensures that they won't try it.

Paperback versus kindle

   The best advice I got about writing books is to never stop reading.  I love to read (as most of you do who frequent blogs).  The public library is an excellent place to fill your mind with everything that even remotely interests you.  I am a sucker for the love story (not the shirtless man gazing longingly at the damsel in distress whose heaving bosom is barely contained in her bodice) but the first love thrill of discovering that person who completely understands you.  I also appreciate books that challenge you, surprise you or push you past the status-quo that you have previously known.
   When I received a Kindle Fire as a gift I quickly finished the paperback I was reading and started downloading books onto my new gadget.  I discovered that as I would show it to people the first reaction was usually "oh I could never read on that thing, I need to feel the pages and hold the book)  After a few comments like that I felt like I needed to defend my poor Kindle "oh its great, it is back-lit so I can read at night without a light, I can download anything without having to brave the crowds at popular book stores and there are hundreds of books for free)  Then I began to analyze the "we don't like electronic gadgets, we only like REAL books" group.  Were they really so opposed to the format? Were they jealous that they didn't have one? Was there something about books that really did make the reading experience better?
   For me the book reading experience is completely about getting swept into a new world and engaging with characters who can take you to places you have never been.  Books are about possibility, wandering down a path could lead anywhere.  The conduit for getting into that world is trivial so the next time I am approached by the Kindle haters, I will nod politely and thank them for their insight.  Knowing that for that person, books are about the feel of paper in your hand rather than the journey.

Who invited the hearing girl to deaf night?

  A challenge was thrown out by my friends to do something outside the norm.  After thinking about it, I chose to attend a deaf event.  Why would I choose that?  Because for the past year I have been dabbling into learning American Sign Language.  I picked up letters, numbers, colors and the first hundred basic signs pretty quickly.  I communicate with a deaf person about once a week but other than that, I don't get a lot of practice.  The more I thought about this challenge, the more nervous I got.  I realized something about my self, I was only comfortable with deaf people on my territory, where hearing people were the majority.  The source of my fears was being the only hearing person in the deaf world.  It took a little while to hammer out the fear because I have been to a deaf event before so why was this causing me to panic?  I went to the deaf expo last summer and was surrounded by thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people.  I didn't have any nerves there, so why would this be any different.  Then it hit me, at the expo I could choose to engage with people or not.  I kept my head down, avoided eye contact or looked at the materials at the booths rather than talk with the vendors.  I could control the contact.  I would choose to communicate only when I wanted to.  This would be different, the whole concept is to meet the deaf community in their setting.  What if they ignored me? What if I couldn't understand?  What if they rolled their eyes and signed "Who invited the hearing girl?"
   Well I went, nervous and practicing in my head what I would sign if approached.  After the initial butterflies in my tummy settled, it was an amazing experience.  A man chatted with me for about an hour and except for new words the he had to finger spell to help me understand, I hung in there with the conversation.  At the end of the night I went back to my car feeling like I had stepped over the edge of my comfort zone and stepped into a new comfort zone.  I would  recommend this type of experience to everyone, if learning a new language is something on your bucket list, I would highly recommend ASL.  The language is beautiful, the deaf community is welcoming of the hearing and patient with those of us still learning.  However the experience of being outside your comfort zone is the real lesson.  Pushing beyond the day to day normalcy and stretching into something new, this will leave you and the "whatever you choose" with a bigger view, a better view of each other and a new understanding of something that had previously remained a mystery.

How Sesame Street shaped my life

Do you remember Sesame Street?  The original, before Elmo became the center of the universe.  The good old days of Bert and Ernie, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Kermit, Oscar the Grouch, The Count and Snuffleopagus.

So many life lessons to be learned;

• there is the much talked about friendship and living arrangements of Bert and Ernie.
• the reporting skills of Kermit who would report live from the wall where humpty dumpty had fallen off the wall 
• how to get along with grumpy people from Oscar the Grouch 
• the hoarding issues of Oscar in his trash can home
• cookies are always the perfect food group and do not need to be eaten properly, the messier the better
• the gentle giant Big Bird who taught us how to take people and life at face value
• if you are ever in danger of forgetting how to count to 10 then The Count can remind you
• imaginary friends are perfectly wonderful companions (thank you Snuffie)

Two of the muppet friends from Sesame Street stick out in my mind.

     Cookie Monster which is has influenced so many avenue's of my life.  My love of baking cookies, eating cookies, sharing cookies- wait I don't think I learned to share the cookies from Cookie Monster, I must have learned that lesson from Mr. Rogers.  

    Big Bird, that lovable, childlike, 7 foot tall, yellow feathered bird.  Being 6 feet tall, I have been sensitive of the plights of the giant my whole life.  I have been tall since birth, always in the back of the rows in school pictures. Always hearing "don't worry honey, the boys will catch up" (to all you tall girls out there, don't believe the lies, it was college before the boys caught up.)  Constantly outgrowing clothing and wearing hi-water jeans and un-intentioned 3/4 sleeves.  Perfecting the art of the slump, standing with my hip pushed out to one side to appear shorter.  The lessons I learned from Big Bird go far beyond standing up tall even when you are the tallest in the room, they include being a good neighbor, always seeing the bright side of a situation and most importantly,  how a best friend (even an imaginary one) can help carry you through every situation that life hands out.  

Recipes from the cookie jar

Recipe card:  Club Wow Bars Recipe information: This is a bar that does not require baking, stovetop only Ingredients ½ cup butter  1/3  cup milk   ¾ cup brown sugar                                                                        ½ cup sugar    1 cup graham cracker crumbs   1 cup chocolate chips   2/3 cup peanut butter 2 sleeves club crackers ½ cup toffee bits    Directions 1.  line bottom of 9X13 pan with club crackers 1.       mix first 5 ingredients on stovetop and boil for 5 minutes   2.       cover crackers with mixture then spread another layers of crackers 3.       melt chocolate chips and peanut butter then spread mixture on top layer of crackers 4.       sprinkle with toffee bits and immediately refrigerate TIP: Bars will soften the longer they are left out of the refrigerator.

Recipe card template:  No Bake Cookies Recipe information:  Waxed paper is  necessary for this recipe Ingredients 2 cups of sugar ½ cup cocoa    ½ cup butter   ½ cup milk    1 tsp vanilla   ½ cup peanut butter   3 ½ cups oats    Directions 1.       mix sugar and cocoa in stovetop pan 2.       add butter and milk then heat to rolling boil 3.       remove from heat and add vanilla then peanut butter- stir until smooth 4.       add oats then immediately drop rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper to dry TIP: mix should look glossy and will dry rather quickly.

These are two recipes that I get asked about whenever I bring them.  I have friends coming over to the house tomorrow and I am trying to decide which to make.  Upon looking at the two recipes and consulting the very knowledgeable cookie monster I think I will go with No Bake Cookies.  

Some days you just need to pretend

                                                     Some days you just need to pretend.




 

Sunday from the eyes of a preacher's wife

I am currently the pastor's wife of two churches.  Nothing about me screams pastor's wife, you wouldn't pass me on the street and whisper (she looks like a Bible thumping, christian)  even those in the church don't immediately hone in on me and think (yep she must be the preachers wife). 

 I break most the stereotypes;

 I don't sing in the choir, 

I don't wear dresses,

 I am not demure or reserved,

 I do not wear an overabundance of mascara (nod to Tammy Faye), 

My hair is not neatly in a bun at the nape of my neck,

Why then are there so many assumptions made about that title.  "Pastors wife"  My husband has a job just like millions of other Americans who are living the dream.  I heard it said that preachers live in glass houses- what does that mean?  Now that I am a pastors wife I completely understand.   It is like you are in public office however unlike the president/governor/mayor, you don't have a term of office then get to go back to some semblance of normalcy.  Pastors are in it for life.  I have had some of the most baffling things said to me/about me/behind my back.  Things that you wouldn't say to a stranger, people believe that they can say to a pastors wife.  Criticizing my husband, the way I am raising my children, my wardrobe (come on, I wore Apple Bottom jeans to church one time) the fact that I work outside the home and don't stay home to raise my children.  I have developed thick skin in my time as a pastors wife and have perfected the slight smile and caring gaze as people come up and speak their mind.  

One of the secret pleasures in my life is when my husband and I are in a new social situation where people don't know us, after small talk the eventual "so what do you do for a living?" comes up.  Just before my husband says "I am a pastor at a local church" I turn and look at the person whom we have just met.  The reaction is always priceless, as soon as the words leave his mouth and register in the person's mind a look of panic comes over them.  Shoot, what did I say to them?  Did I curse? Oh my gosh how can I get away quickly before they try and convert me?  What happens next varies a bit, it usually is some version of Oh wow, that is interesting, oh I think I see my wife/ father/ neighbor/ child/ second cousin/ co-worker/ lawyer/ lady that works at the pet shop/ the bathroom attendant, and they mumble it was nice to meet you and retreat as quickly as they came.  

When I am by myself I get a different version of this.

 You don't look like a preachers wife?  ( refer back to the beginning of this blog) 

Oh we would invite you to go dancing with us but you are a preachers wife so you probably wouldn't have a good time.  (is there a manual out there that I missed? )

Are you allowed to see that movie, you are a preachers wife. (again where is the manual on this stuff?)

This is one aspect of my life, but one that others place huge amounts of importance on.  Why this one title is more important than the thousands of others that I have will always remain a mystery.  

New Beginnings

   How many new beginnings to you get to experience in this lifetime?  For me, today becomes a new beginning.  I have been writing stories both short and long since high school however I have never shared my writings with anyone.  To open yourself up to a world where others can peel back the layers and examine, criticize and comment on things that are born within your mind is a new challenge.  I will see if this is a new beginning I am brave enough to continue with or if I will retreat into the safety of being anonymous.