Good bye 2009

Well, the year is coming to an end... and all I can say is... THANK GOD! It's been a very hard struggle this year and I know that I am not going to miss it... much...

There are always the things I will remain grateful for. My children and my grand children, and getting in touch with some old friends was amazing. But other than that, I have to admit... it was a very trying... and humbling... but mostly... annoyingly frustrating... year.

I'm looking forward to a fresh new start... with many good things to come in the new year... A couple of new additions to the family... my youngest son will be a new daddy and my oldest son will be getting married!

I have very high hopes and a good outlook... Here's wishing you nothing but happiness and wonderful blessings!

Still Waiting....

Waiting............ sigh........

Foaming Sea Salt Bath

1 Cup Natrasorb
1 Cup Sea Salt (Small)
1 Tablespoon Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
1 ml Fragrance (I am using Pixie Dust)

Mix well in a large ziplock baggie

Put in small gussetted bags if you want to gift them. Be VERY CAREFUL if you are using this in a jetted tub!!! You have been WARNED! :)

Hurry up and Wait!

Waiting...

I really do NOT like waiting...

I have to admit that over the last 6 years... I have never had to be more patient... I was forced to learn patience...

My Job... was a HUGE contributing factor to that... Then... relationships... extremely patient... more patient than ever in my life...

Now... I am putting all those hard learned lessons to work... Waiting... for a reply to a simple e mail... waiting for a simple... yes... or no if it must be... but at least... one way of the other... I can continue forward... only to wait again...

I guess you could say... I am waiting... to wait... Sigh...

Five Things I'd take If I had to leave quick!

So I was thinking... if I had to pick up and leave... quickly.... what five things would I grab and run with?

What would you take?

1. KIDS/GRANDKIDS!!! (I'm counting them as one since there are more than five!)

2. Animals!

3. Laptop

4. Purse (Has my car keys, money, meds, credit cards, makeup...lol

5. Negotiable.. today it would be a COAT!!! BURRRRR

Oops, I did it again!

Oh WOW! Even though, I still haven't recieved a response from my first children's book query, and don't expect it for a while, I did it again... Am I getting brave or what?

I have to tell you it wasn't any easier this time, but I submitted another query for a second book, titled, "Jared's Lucky Penny" to a different agent. Let me tell you why I chose this agent.

Last night,I was editing one of my children's books (Jared's Lucky Penny) that I wrote 12 years ago, and I wondered... "are there guidelines for how many words there should be for a children's picture book?"

So, I did a search and came across a website, a blog, of another children's author. I opened it and began reading.

There was an interview with her agent, a children's book agent, and it said, "Find out about her unusual penny collection." WHAAAAT?

Ahhhh... well... I took it as a sign, that this is the agent I need to send this manuscript to. It was perfected... as well as I could perfect it... and finally sent it off just minutes ago... Sigh...

Keep your fingers crossed!

Vanilla Milk Bath Salts

I decided to take a nice long bath tonight since all of the kids are gone and I really can R E L A X! So, I whipped up some of my favorite Vanilla Milk Bath.
I decided to share the recipie with all of you, in hopes, that you will get a nice relaxing bath night some time soon. Remember, you can get your own ingredients at the Sage. Check the link on the right!

1 Cup Powdered Milk
1 Cup Dead Sea Salts (fine crystals)
1/4 Cup Sweet Almond Oil
1/2 ml Vanilla Banilla Flavor Oil (YEP! Still doesn't mean you can eat it...)

Measure out Milk and Sea salts and mix well
Add sweet almond oil and essential oil of your choice

Mix well. I used a bowl tonight, but it is easier to put all your ingredients in a large baggie. Sorry, but I used all mine after thanksgiving.

If you're not going to use it right away, bottle it or put it in a small bag or other container. I put some in a bottle just to show you, even though I am going to use most of it tonight!

Ingredients



Salt and Milk

Oil

Fragrance

Mix

Bottle

First Query

OMG... I did it.... I hit the send button on my first query letter for one of my childrens books... I cannot explain how full of knots my stomach is... It had to happen sometime... and I am very proud of myself for getting this "first" out of the way... nervous knots... well... I suppose they'll be here until I get a response... Say a little prayer... make a wish... send good thoughts...

Check out Lisa and Laura Write

Congratulations shout out to Lisa and Laura for getting their book published! Check out their page and buy the book! Follow the link under my favorite blogs!

A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown,spring 2011!

Yep

To those who have e mailed me... yep... I do other things besides write... but writing... ahh... yes.. I enjoy it... (Okay, I'm obsessed with it)

I do have 5 kids and almost 4 grandchildren... which is definitely time consuming.. along with a part time job...

And yes, I find it very theraputic to make my lotions and scrubs and bath products and room diffusers... Of COURSE you can try them... Christmas is coming, you know?

Me and my Cosmetics

Today I took some samples of my scrubs (See pic) and lotions to the gym... after talking with the owner, and letting her sample some, she was talking to me about perhaps making some with a label for her gym!! (Cross your fingers! Lots of red tape... ugh) I am so excited about this and so is she! She absolutely ADORED the scents as much as I do, and was suprised at the selections I had available. (Thanks to MMS!!)

It's made with Sugar, Sweet Almond Oil, Raspberry Fragrance and Seeds. All but the sugar is available from MMS, including these great jars!

This could be the start of something Goooood! Yippee! Thanks to MMS, The Sage, for supplying me with all my wonderful ingredients! I highly reccommend this company to all of you! They are great folks and willing to help with any questions you have! Check out the link under my favorite Blogs!

One lousy sentence?

Spent two and a half hours editing ONE... yes ONE, sentence!! Couldn't get the wording just... how... I... wanted... it...

WHO DOES THAT??? ( I do's ! )

Editing

Ugh.... Editing... gives me a headache! Can you spell... I B U P R O F E N ? ?

Epiphany

Well, I finally did it. I faced my fear and made myself a blog.

I have a question for anyone who reads this and likes to write.

After editing, and re-editing, and re-re editing, have you ever had an epiphany where you realized that "this is the missing puzzle piece to my novel?"

That is what happened to me tonight and why I am up at 3:50 am writing this. Earlier this evening, (well, actually yesterday evening, but since I haven't gone to sleep yet... it still feels like the same day) I feel that I have found the missing link, the "how could I have miss this" piece... that is going to put the entire story together on an entirely new level. The piece... that is going to cause me a lot more editing, but I believe, it will be SO worth the work.

I am curious if this has happened to anyone else in their quest to write their perfect novel... and if worked out like you thought it would...