April Fools

Today is one of my favorite holiday's.  April Fools, a day devoted to harmless tricks, it is way better than Halloween with all the scary costumes.  So today I got up and decided to enjoy the day on my terms.  I made a batch of rice crispy treats and added 1/2 cup of salt to the batch.  Since I am known for the treats that I bake, no one even questioned me, they just dove right in.  The looks were polite at first, then people started seeking each other out to see if they were the only ones who thought it was bad.  Finally I couldn't hold it in and shouted APRIL FOOLS, people knew they had been had and tossed the rest of the treat and any lingering bits from their mouth.  Since we were at church, they headed to find the donuts and clear their palate.  I noticed people being cautious when biting into the donuts, not wanting another April Fools prank.  This warmed my devious April Fools day heart!

P.S.  For all of you that don't plan your April Fools day pranks in advance, tomorrow is too late.  You missed it, so plan better next year and be careful of sweet church ladies carrying platefuls of rice crispy treats.

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.