Friday, January 30, 2009

A Writer's Take on Sublimina Media

Have you ever listened to subliminal messages? I've been an interested follower for a few years. I first began listening to cassettes on my walkman when I was walking about five miles a day. I had several of them. The music was great to walk with and I did feel more energized and motivated. Eventually, I stopped using them when I fell off the exercise kick.

Once I purchased a self-hypnosis weight loss CD at the fair after watching an entertaining program where members of the audience went on stage and were hypnotized to do some funny stuff. I always fell asleep listening to it, and gave it up after a few weeks, though I could feel a difference in my thinking about dieting. Ugh, hate that word.

Last weekend I purchased Paul McKenna's book "I Can Make You Thin" and included was a self-hypnosis CD. I've been using it faithfully since last Saturday. It is working. I like it because I still can eat what I want, I just eat less. The subliminal messages must be working because I really eat about half what I used to. I guess I'll learn how effective after another week when I weigh myself.

But, here's the best CD I have ever purchased. I'm not sure if you'd call it subliminal messages, but it definitely works for me. It's called "Creative Mind System" by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. There are two CDs in the set. These CDs were developed around the CREATIVE MIND PATTERN which is present in great artists, inventors, business visionaries, breakthrough thinksrs, advanced meditators, and other highly creative people. The music is soft and soothing and I have started using it when I write and also while I am at work. When I'm writing it helps to put me in that "dream state" which writers crave to live and create the world their characters live in. And at work, it keeps me calm and focused on my projects. I purchased mine through Writer's Digest, but you can learn more by clicking here.

Thanks for stopping by and have a relaxing and productive weekend!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

To Shovel or Not to Shovel....

In my city, there is a law that every homeowner must shovel their walks clear of snow and ice on a daily basis. One of the reasons our city schools are closed tomorrow is that there is so much snow and ice and the sidewalks are not clear so it is too dangerous for children to walk to school. Hmmm. Most of the kids I know are bussed...and usually across town. (But that's another gripe for another day).

Tonight on our local news, a discussion ensured about the liability of the homeowner for not keeping their sidewalks cleared. The newscaster said that a homeowner wouldn't be liable if someone were to be injured because of snow or ice covering their sidewalk...but they could be liable if they did shovel and did a poor job. Now what's with that?

So, the question is whether to shovel or not to shovel. Geesh. Can't anything be easy?

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Economic Stimulus Plan--One Writer's Opinion

I'm really tired of looking at one more so-called economic stimulus plan. Come on, people. Remember, if it seems too good to be true...then it is too good to be true. Our government is already deeply in debt, just as the rest of most Americans are. Debt has become our downfall. I'm not a Republican, and I'm not a Democrat. I'm an American, who believes in working for what I want. I don't want anyone to hand it to me. But...if I have a loaf of bread and my neighbor is hungry...I will give half a loaf to my neighbor.

In my opinion it is time to get back to basics. Back to where we "cared" about our friends, our neighbors, our communities. When did we become so greedy? One of the ten commandments says we shouldn't covet our neighbor's house, wife, servant, ox, donkey or anything else that belongs to our neighbor. But then the devil dangled a credit card in our faces, and we learned that we didn't have to have funds to purchase what we wanted. We could have something bigger and better than our neighbors. Easy! We could charge it. Our country backed the idea and more and more Americans fell into the trap. The more we had, the more we craved. And the debt kept piling higher and higher. Eventually, it had to catch up with us...and now it has.

Why should we expect government to "bail us out?" If they do, that means the government goes even deeper into debt. So, are we expecting government to hand us our lives back on a silver platter while our country plunges deeper and deeper into the mire? How much more before it collapses?

Economic stimulus package - who pays for this ultimately? Aren't we just adding one more charge on our already overextended credit?

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Honey, Are You Awake? Honey? HONEY!

So, I bought the Paul McKenna book, "I Can Make You Thin." I read it and I've been trying to apply the principles. Inside the back cover was a self-guided hypnosis CD. For these to be effective, you need to have total quiet with no distractions. So I bought myself a portable CD player for a mere pittance...no frills...runs on batteries...and has earbuds. I showed it to hubby and told him this way I could listen when I go to bed just before I go to sleep. I explained that it would be best because I needed no distractions while I listened. Stage set?

10PM In bedroom looking for outfit to wear to work. Hubby comes in.

ME: "Are you coming to bed now?" Thinking...this is unusual. He usually watches tv until midnight.

HE: "Yes."

ME: "Oh. I was going to turn on the news, but I won't do that."

HE: "Are you going to watch it on this TV? Cause I wanted to watch it, too."

ME: "Yes." I hang outfit on closet door and turn on television. Hubby is nowhere to be found. I go to brush teeth and hear the television playing downstairs. Weird because it's loud and the one in my bedroom and the one downstairs, tuned to the same station, are playing in several seconds delay stereo. He must be watching the news on the HD channel, which I do not have in the bedroom. I go to bed and watch the weather, then turn off the tv. I can still hear his, but I figure I'll tune it out with the self-hypnosis CD.

I settle down, insert earbuds which don't seem to want to stay put. How does one use these things anyway? Finally, relaxed, I turn off the light and turn on the CD. I've listened to about two minutes and in my mind I'm counting backwards from 300.

HE: "Honey? Are you asleep?"

ME: Thinking...he'll go away. Just keep quiet.

HE: Louder..."Honey? Hey, are you ASLEEP?"

ME: Surely, he'll leave now.

HE: Closer and louder. "HONEY?"

ME: Popping up out of bed and yanking earbuds from ears, "What? What's wrong?"

HE: "Oh, I thought you had fallen asleep with your glasses on. I'm sorry."

ME: Turn on light, turn off cd. Watch while he goes back to kitchen, turns off light, turns off hall light and then comes into the bedroom and crawls into bed.

HE: "I won't bother you anymore." He pulls up covers.

ME: Kiss, kiss. "Goodnight." Off with the light, in with the resistant ear buds. On with the cd.

HE: Cough, cough. Moan, moan.

ME: Silently counting down from 300.

HE: Coungh, cough, sit up in bed. Moan again. Get up. Turn on hall light. Go to kitchen. Open and close refrigerator door.

ME: Out with the earbuds, off with the cd. No way can I relax. Wait, wait, wait.

HE: Not coming to bed.

ME: Once again, in with the earbuds, on with the cd. Count down from 300. Listen to the cd, wiggle, wiggle, toss turn.

I finally made it through the cd, but I doubt if it did any good at all. And then, I opened my office door this morning, and poor Wilbur came running out. Yeah, I locked the cat into my office all night long. Poor baby.

Now, I'm trying to get ready for work while hubby...he's sleeping soundly. Maybe I'll just go in and turn on the light and say..."HONEY?"

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, January 26, 2009

SAD? Maybe...

I've heard people talk about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), but I've never experienced it...maybe.

The depression that hit me on Friday came so fast and so swift that I had no idea what happened. It continued through Friday night, into and through Saturday and even into Sunday. I kept going through the motions of life, doing what I knew was expected of me, but miserable inside...and I didn't know why.

The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that I was possessed. Someone else had taken over my body completely. I didn't like the person at all! And then it dawned on me. The devil was working on me. Where he came from and how he managed to grab such control of my life is beyond me. In fact, if someone were to tell me that the devil could do this, I would have been skeptical. Trust me, it's real. When things are going great, the devil will try and destroy. He took away my desire to write, my desire to love, my desire to exist.

Oh, I prayed and asked God why this was happening to me. I asked for His help. I wondered why I wasn't receiving any answers. I realize this started several weeks ago, a slow take-over that culminated on Friday. It wasn't a sudden thing. It had been subtle and slow and devastating. Then I spoke with my daughter, who has also suffered from depression, and I knew she would understand. See, she is one of those stones I spoke about last week. And she told me something I needed to hear. She reminded me that the devil doesn't hear our thoughts, only God. So I needed to say the words out loud. Cast the devil from my body. Tell him there was no room for him. And I did. And I prayed.

Today, tears are gone. I know I can face life and my optimistic self has returned. Oh, the devil is still here. He's still trying to chip away at me. But he's losing ground. And I will continue to take a stand against him, for I know with God all things are possible.

Just plain depression? NO. SAD? Maybe. "Sneaky Attack by Devil"

Friday, January 23, 2009

Morally Right...or Wrong?

I'm in a ready to cry mood today. Skip that as I dot my eyes with a tissue. I was in a decent mood this morning, got stopped by several school buses (which is a major point of frustation for me--but another story for another time). Finally, I moved along and while driving on a road that always brings a peace and sense of calm, I started thinking about...cats. Out of the blue, I remembered holding my beloved Sarah, while they "put her to sleep." Every vivid second replayed and I got so incredibly sad. I started thinking about whether we should be doing this. I mean, how does God look upon us for ending life? It is morally wrong in the majority's eyes to stop a human life, regardless of the circumstances. What about animals? Legal, yes. Morally right? I don't know. I just know that it broke my heart and the memory will reside with me forever...to come popping back at inopportune moments...like driving.

So, here I am, sitting here in my office feeling frustrated and upset over things that I cannot control. I'm not a fit person to be around today. Must be a hormone thing.

Just had to share a second post today. Hopefully, it will lighten my mood.

Thanks for bearing with me.

Spreading Joy in Traffic

For the past few days, I've been searching for my muse. This morning I'm sitting at my desk and wondering where she's gone to hide. As I look around my desk, I've decided she is in a corner pouting because...there's just no room for her. **sigh** Guess I'll have to clean up this mess over the weekend.

Yesterday, I did my good deed by stopping to allow three cars out of an apartment parking lot. Traffic in the morning on this two lane road is horrendous. They acknowledged me with a wave or a smile, which made it all worthwhile. I guess the guy behind me must have been filled with joy as well because he kept honking his horn. It is my goal to spread joy to all. I probably should have turned and acknowledged his happiness, but I decided to just sit a few extra seconds and let him be blessed by the moment.

Today the temperature is supposed to get warmer...48...a heat wave considering the sub zero temps we've been having. But that means even more glacial melt. Ugh!

Thanks for stopping by!

Currently reading: BLUEGRASS COUNTRY, by Allie Pleiter (Publisher Steeple Hill, Love Inspired Inspirational) Feb '09

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Ohio Romance Authors Contest

Several of my fellow authors from Central Ohio Fiction Writers have a group blog on My Space. Several times a year, we offer a great contest with lots of free books. So what better time than Valentine's Day! Here's the info.

The Ohio Romance Authors are gearing up for a sweetheart of a contest... Visitors who post a note to this blog will be eligible for our big Valentine's Day Contest. A random drawing will be held February 13th with the winner being announced on the blog February 14th, Valentine's Day.

What's the prize? A heart melting romance package...

Here's a list of the goodies in our prize package. ....

Lori Foster -- Print copies of MY MAN MICHAEL, CAUGHT and DOUBLE THE PLEASURE
Becky Barker -- Print copy of HANCHART LAND and a Valentine surprise.
Jules Bennett -- Ebooks: LOVE IN BLOOM by Jules Bennett and NAKED VENGEANCE by Sophia Rae
Alison Paige -- Print copy of CANDY CARESSES
Donna MacMeans -- Print copy of THE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT
Tabitha Gibson -- Ebook copy of GUARDING MADISON
Marcia James -- Ebook AT HER COMMAND on a mini CD with a stuffed dog
Jayne Rylon -- ebook of NICE AND NAUGHTY
Carol Ann Erhardt -- ebook copy of FOXFIRE
Elysa Hendricks -- print copy of STAR CRASH with a mouse pad
Janie Mason -- ebook copy of MODEL BEHAVIOR
Erin McCarthy -- Print copy of FLAT OUT SEXY

You can click on the title of today's blog and it will link you to our page. Just click on the Valentine's Contest on the right hand side that lists blog entries. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in our contest! Good luck.

Thanks for stopping by!

Currently reading: Bluegrass Courtship by Allie Pleiter - A Love Inspired Inspirational Romance published by Steeple Hill.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

A Day of History in the Making...

I am a conservative, but I was very moved by the inauguration today. It is time to put aside our political differences and put our support behind our new President. I will pray for him and our country. Times are changing, and I hope we can withstand the changes with honor and dignity.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I am reading: Bluegrass Courtship by Allie Pleiter (Love Inspired published by Steeple Hill Feb '09)

Finshed Today: Daddy for Keeps by Pamela Tracy (Love Inspired, Steeple Hill Jan '09) Loved it!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

You Have to Kiss a Lot of Frogs

Our local RWA writing chapter had a meeting this past Saturday. When we have good news or bad news, we get to share, get applause or condolences, and then we get to "dive" into the incentives basket. This goody basket is to help us get over the bad feelings after receiving a rejection, or to celebrate a success in our writing. I was able to share my good news about JOSHUA'S HOPE being nominated to receive a CAPA award from The Romance Studio in the inspirational division. I dove into the basket and chose a cute coaster with a little frog and the words "you have to kiss a lot of frogs." I love it. It makes me smile.

In our lifetime, some of us will kiss a lot of frogs. This can be applied to many different situations...so I'll leave the interpretation up to you!

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm reading right now: "Daddy for Keeps" by Pamela Tracy (Love Inspired, Steeple Hill, Jan. '09)

Monday, January 19, 2009

Are You a Stone in Someone's Life?

When you hear of someone being considered a "stone", do you think about it in terms of that person weighing another down? I wonder where that connotation came from?

Remember Moses? Remember how he led God's people out of Egypt and into the desert to wander for forty years? At the end of those forty years, Moses revealed that he would not be crossing the Jordan river with the people. Instead Moses died in the land of Moab just as God had revealed to him. Joshua had been declared their leader.

When Joshua led the people to the Jordan River, another miracle occurred. God revealed that He would make Joshua a great leader and that He would show the people that He was with Joshua, just as He had been with Moses. He instructed Joshua to have the priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant take a few steps into the Jordan River and stop. So Joshua did as He was commanded. He told them the Ark of the Covenant would lead them across the Jordan. But he also told them to choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. Why? Please read on.

So the people followed Joshua's instruction. The priests' stepped into the river and the water above that point backed up a great distance. The water below flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. *Note: the people had to maintain a sacred distance of about 1/2 mile from the Ark.

After everyone had crossed, God told Joshua to have a chosen twelve men return to the place where the priests had stood and each to bring one stone to the place where they would camp for the night. These stones were used to construct a memorial.

These stones commemmorated God's faithfulness to his people. Today, as I look at all the people in my life, my family, my friends, my church family, I am reminded that each is a stone in my life. And I pray that I am a stone to others.

Thanks for stopping by.
So why did Joshua instruct them to choose twelve men? They weren't the ones to carry the ark of the covenant--that was reserved for the priests who were to cross before them. The answer can be found in Joshua 4:2-3 "The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the lOrd of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall."

I'd like to think I'm a stone in someone else's life.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Snow, Snow, Snow

People in Ohio know two things: The weatherman is never right, and if you like the weather today, just wait until tomorrow.

We had a prediction of two to four inches of snow. That usually means an inch or less accumulation. So, I didn't wear boots to work. Well, the weatherman was wrong. We actually had five inches of snow by the time I left work, and another inch in the last couple of hours. Supposedly the worst is over...as far as snow.

Actually, it is beautiful. I love to look at the scenery when everything is covered with white snow. But, the worst is coming. The temps are dropping and heading down close to zero and with the winds predicted...the wind chill will be well below zero, around negative fifteen.

But, we'll have to see which way the weatherman errs. I'm hoping they are predicting much lower than we'll actually have.

Okay, off to check cancellations.

Stay warm, and thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Making Decisions

In December, I started my inspirational blog, but I've found that it is too much to keep up that, plus this blog, plus three other group blogs. Usually, I find it hard to admit when I can't do something...but this is my year to learn to say no--especially when I'm saying no to myself!

Here's what I've taken on this year:

President of my local RWA chapter
Secretary of my local ACFW chapter
Blogging on three group blogs
Writing four newsletters, including four free reads
Promoting on yahoo reader loops
Writing four writing articles
Attending RWA Conference
Attending COFW Workshop
Attending COFW Conference
Attending two Alpha Bible Studies per month
Participating in 11 Powerdraft writing weeks
Writing 3 pages per day on manuscript
Exercise 30 minutes daily

In addition to working 8 hours per day, cooking, cleaning, and squeezing in some reading time.

Yep, I'm going to be very busy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, January 12, 2009

No Way to Start the New Year

Stomach flu is yucky! I developed a bad case on Wednesday evening which kept me home from work and in bed for two days. Then we had an ice storm on Saturday which kept me inside and resting...maybe a good thing. Sunday I made it out for church, then had to catch up on some cleaning and laundry. Today it is back to work.

This flu hit me so fast and so hard. Only good thing is I got a lot of rest and watched a ton of movies on Hallmark.

Hope you all started this year a bit better than me. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Who Hid the Macaroni?

I make a daily menu and from that I do create my grocery shopping list. But, sometimes I do forget an item or two. Tonight, we were going to have a side dish of macaroni and cheese...from a box.

Hubby called today and asked what was for dinner. I told him to check the menu. He got all excited when he saw macaroni and cheese. He loves my homemade version. But, tonight I was on a tight schedule, thus the "fake stuff" was on the menu.

When I arrived home, hubby said you're making homemade mac and cheese, right? My negative response had him moaning because he said he had his taste buds set on the good stuff. Toooo bad.

I began making preparations and reached to remove the macaroni and cheese box from the shelf to find...there wasn't any! I was certain I had purchased at least one box on my latest shopping expedition. **sigh** Well, hubby got his wish. I created the dish from scratch.

I just wonder if I'll find that box sitting in a hidden alcove one day. It wouldn't surprise me if hubby has hidden it from me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Sucked Into a Black Hole and Lost Forever

That's what happened to my latest additions to my novel. I have a flash drive that I work off of at work when I have nothing to do and need to fill in some blank time. So, the first instance happened just before Christmas. I was working away on making major revisions to a novel and at the end of the day I hit save...and received a message that the system could not access the flash drive! I kept trying to no avail. Then I tried to save as and the same thing happened. When I pulled up the contents of the flash drive...the file did not exist! So, I lost all those wonderful revisions.

On the 26th I began a new novel. I worked off my hard drive instead of the flash and when I finished I would copy it to my flash so I could work on my home computer. On Saturday, being involved in a week of PowerDraft with my local chapter where we enter goals and work hard to achieve them, I began working on my new novel. I made some revisions to the first six pages and typed another three and decided to call it a night. Hit save...yep. I'd been working off the flash drive and "voila!" the entire file had been sucked into a black hole, never to return. **sigh**

Yesterday I was able to retrieve the original six pages and added another ten. I saved the file to a brand new flash drive, but now I'm afraid to work directly off it.

Anyone else ever had that problem with a flash drive?

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Monday, January 05, 2009

Happy New Year

It's a brand new year. Time for setting goals and resolutions that may or may not be met in 2009. I failed miserably in meeting my established goals for last year. This year I'm going to be more realistic. I will remember that "life" can get in the way of writing, and that's okay. While I love to write, family will always come first for me.

My goals for this coming year are:
1. Exercise 30 minutes a day (when possible)
2. Write daily
3. Read the Bible daily

So, how about you? Are you setting any new year resolutions?

This will be an exciting year for me. I'm planning to retire in January 2010. Next year my goals may be much different! I have committed myself to a lot this year. I'm President of my RWA writer's group, Secretary of my ACFW writer's group, committed to meeting with a bible study group twice a month, put out a newsletter once per quarter, blog on four shared blogs besides my own, and also keep up with my established goals. In addition we are moving my mother into our home in May of this year.

Busy times ahead, but I'm looking forward to the challenges.

Thanks for stopping by!