Shower Power

Yesterday I helped host a baby shower for my sister. This is her first child and I don't think I know a more capable couple. I'm so happy for them and am so happy to have been a part of their special day.... Ok. enough of the niceties. Let's get on to the details of this shower, shall we?

First of all, we couldn't have a guest BOOK... we had to do things a little differently. I like keepsakes that you can showcase. Books are great if you want to read one but honestly, how often are you going to pull your baby book off of the shelf and read through it? Ok. So maybe you're the Mom who sits for hours and reminisces over these happy days. I don't have time for that. I'd rather have this fancy shcmancy tree hanging on the wall to look at as I'm making my 100th trip to the laundry room for the week. We could've had people write their names next to their fingerprint but the powers that be said it would look sloppy. Umm. It's fingerprints.... meaning they're not exactly neat.

I don't know where my ideas come from. Pinterest? Maybe. I see things there and say "Hmm. I think I can do better." No offense but I'm going to take an idea and run away with it and change my mind a million times. While planning this shower I couldn't give an honest answer regarding the theme because in all actuality, I had no idea where I was going with it. I knew there had to be a tree though. SO, I took paper bags from my many trips to the grocery store and constructed this tree in my dining room. Over a three or so week period I stared at it and thought about how to make it whimsy. I think it turned out well.

 

 

I had to hang something for the eye to follow across this big blank wall so I made these onsies out of scrapbook paper. Some were blank, some had bible verses and quotes and others were adorned with old buttons, ribbons and cute appliques. I personally love the color combo. My sister isn't big on the whole PINK thing so I wanted to put more green in. I chose different shades of green and pink for the leaves because it is early fall after all.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few more pictures to give you an idea of how I decorated the rest of the space. Enjoy! :)

 

Public Service Announcement

      This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by....

Err. Me?

   You have no idea how long I've been working on this post! My daughter has been relentless this morning. I came home, made a well balanced breakfast; eggs and toast with homemade jelly, restarted the washer (forgot about that load of socks last night! Sons of Anarchy was on!), swept the floor, took out the trash and all the while the toddler is attached to my leg screaming "Sit with me Mommy!" She needed some extra attention. So I sat with her while she played with her legos. After four minutes of me not being allowed to touch the legos I decided I had other things to do. Off to the dishes I went. She followed. This went on for several hours until I conquered every chore on my list. I allow myself a reward when it's done. I work on the blog or the facebook page I admin.....Shameless plug....If you have a facebook page/account come over and say hi at Reading Addicts.....or Jenny Phillips (author) page! Tell em' I sent ya! LIKE them! I like them!  Jenny Phillips page is a great place to show your support for an author and to hear about any upcoming books she has coming out! Reading Addicts is a good place to swap book suggestions and hear reviews.

    Speaking of reviews! That's actually why I'm here! It has been brought to my attention that most people/readers don't leave reviews after reading a book. I realize that we live in a world where it is far more common to air your bad opinion of an establishment or product than it is to say "Wow! That was great!" or "I love the folks down at the shop and save because they always greet me with a smile, even though they have four teeth between them." I want to take this opportunity to tell you how important it is for a writer to hear they've done something good!
   
    The more I write and speak with other writers the more I understand what it is all about. You pour your heart and soul into a piece of work, you release it and wait for the reviews. You want one person to give their approval. Or maybe you're the writer who could care less, either way, someone wants to know if the book was worth a look. Other readers want to know if they should be reading this book, right? If readers cease to leave a review all there will be is the sound of crickets. And even though crickets are nice to listen to while you're sitting on your deck with a cup of coffee or a beer at night, they are not a welcome noise for authors who need to know if their work is speaking to you or if they have room for improvement. Not all authors are picked up by big time publishers. That means they don't have a team of experts to give them high fives. We rely solely on our fellow writers and fans to encourage us! And maybe I'm confused about what a publishing company is suppose to do. I know there are Publishing Companies out there that are confused about what they are suppose to do..... a totally different topic which I will refrain from speaking about.  
   
    I recommended a book to a friend recently. She emailed me to say that she LOVED the book and passed it on to four more friends who all loved it too. I said "Awesome! Did you leave a review on amazon or goodreads?" and the crickets began to sing. "I don't know how to leave a review. I'm not a writer" she said. Well, Stripper (that's what we call her) you just left a review when you emailed me! Congrats! You now know how to leave a review!
   
    So, here's the thing. When I leave a review I like to share a few things. Did the book pull me in? Did it hold me there or did it roller coaster up and down? (because sometimes you're reading a book and the story drags on and then BAM! It picks up and you can't put the book down!) Readers want to know these things. Did the author make me fall in love with the characters? The author wants to know if they have built a relatable/likable/loathable character. I want to know that I was successful in making you hate a character! I try to bring to the authors attention that there are errors without being rude. I've read reviews where the reader says "Whoever edited this book should be shot" and to me, that is just rude. Please don't do that. Chances are the author is the same person that proof read, edited etc. and by making rude comments you're stomping on their dream..... Meanie Pants!

   Not everybody has time to write a review but if you're on goodreads they make it so easy to rate the book with stars! You don't have to explain why you gave it five stars but if you'd like to share you can! I love that some folks will give a book three stars and then go on to tell you why they rated it lower.

    Ok. So that is my Public Service announcement and you have no idea how many times I typed "public" and forgot the "l"......If that's any indication of how my day is going. I'm going to go read another book to the toddler and pour orange juice and protein down her throat just in case there is another cold brewing in there! Wish me luck!

  

Random Acts of Kindness

I worked at a Florist for a while as a floral designer. I loved that job!! Flowers make people happy... for the most part. When I arrived at work one of the first things I would do is wrap individual roses for the delivery drivers to hand out to random strangers on their route that day. I loved the idea of it and often wondered what it was like to walk up to a total stranger and hand them a rose. Did the person weep with joy or question it as if it was rigged to explode?

Sometimes I wondered if the drivers even handed them out at all. Maybe they took them home to their wife and skipped on the random act. But then one day on my lunch break I decided to run to the bank and cash my check. I realized as I walked into the bank that I had forgotten to take off my apron. A woman approached me and said "I love your flower shop. I was having the worst day. My husband was in the hospital, not doing well at all and I have a bad knee. I was making my third trip of the day to see him and I was emotionally and physically drained. One of your drivers gave me a rose as I was getting on the elevator. It made my day."

I didn't even give her the flower but I wrapped it and it made me feel good to be a part of something like that. To know that I took part in turning someones day around. There was a time when I was usually the reason someones day went to hell. Not something I'm proud of but now I am on a mission to be a better person.

Anyway, like a lot of people, I'm on facebook. Recently I received an invite to take part in a birthday celebration. A friend of a friend was having a birthday and wanted people to join her in a day of Random Acts of Kindness. I didn't hesitate! I joined!

Well, her birthday rolled around and I set off about my business, taking the kids to school, picking them up, laundry, gas station. I didn't have any money to spare. Every penny I had went in the gas tank. See, my idea of a Random Act is paying for someones fountain drink or buying a kid a fifteen cent sucker. That wasn't an option for me though. I was broke. I had to think about it, what should I do?

I decided that holding my tongue and not telling people off was an act of kindness but quickly corrected myself when I heard that little angel on my shoulder whisper, "You idiot! That's common courtesy! Not a random act" and yes, she talks to me that way.

I was in a bad mood, tired, sick and ready to climb in bed but still hadn't completed my random act of kindness. I felt like Mrs. Scrooge. I'm a bad person. I asked myself what would help turn my day around.

A COMPLIMENT!!

So, I searched the house for loose change and drove to the gas station to buy a 2 liter of pop... or soda for the kids. They'd appreciate that! I waited in line and when it was my turn to pay for my purchase I looked at the haggard woman standing behind the counter. She was wearing a pair of peacock feather earrings. I said "I like your earrings. They bring out the pretty blue in your eyes." She looked at me, arched both eyebrows and said "You a lesbian or something?" I stood, stunned... speechless and the line of people behind me erupted in laughter. They laughed long and hard. One man actually had tears in his eyes.

I don't see it as defeat, her calling me out on my compliment wasn't a failed random act of kindness. Some people just don't know how to take a compliment. I may not have made her feel good but I think it's safe to say I made the folks in line behind me feel good. Even if it was at my own expense. So, here's a challenge. Today, I want you to pay someone a compliment. It doesn't even have to be a stranger. Do it and see what happens. Pay it forward.

 

Comfort Food

   Everybody has that go-to meal that puts them in a happy place. I have a meal that reminds me of childhood, of my Mom and my Granny. I insist that my Mom make it every time I visit. This last time, I asked her to make a double batch because I planned on eating it for days and at every meal.

Porcupine meatballs.

It's not made out of porcupine but if you want to pretend it's some exotic food then go for it. You can tell your friends that you wrestled a porcupine and with ungloved hand, plucked the quills and made a native American head dress out of them....donated it to the needy. Or you can just tell them it's hamburger and rice! Be boring. I don't care!

This is an easy meal to make. I serve mine with mashed potatoes and home made bread. And by home made I mean the frozen stuff that you literally place in a greased pan, covered with plastic wrap and let thaw and rise all day. Super easy and makes the house smell so good! My Mom always made home made bread from scratch but I'm not that good and making bread is a lot like math to me, I don't get it.

I serve this with mashed potatoes and broccoli or you could always make extra rice to pour your gravy over.

So, this is what you'll need to make this exotic comfort food.

1 lb. of Hamburger
1/2 cup uncooked rice (not minute rice!!)
1 tbl spoon minced onion (I love it)
1 tsp salt (I add a pinch more)
1/4 tsp. pepper (I eyeball it)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup water

*Note: I don't add the full amount of rice to the meat mixture. Add a 1/4 of it with the soup and water.


Ok. Let the fun begin!

First, Mix the hamburger, rice, minced onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Now, begin shaping your meat mixture into meatballs. Mom makes them big enough or small enough, depending on how you look at it, to fit in the palm of her hand.

Brown the meatballs in your pan. I used my big Paula Dean Skillet.

While you're browning your.....meatballs, go ahead and mix the soup with the cup of water. I'll admit, I used Cream of onion tonight plus a can of cream of chicken because I doubled the recipe. Pour your soup mixture over the meatballs and bring to a boil. NO need to drain the fat! Unless you want to but I didn't. I dropped the heat and let things simmer for an hour. You're using long grain rice. That stuff takes some time to cook!

You could also cook this in the crock pot. I haven't tried it in the slow cooker but I'm sure it would be as equally tasty. I have teenage boys and a grown man to feed. So, like I said, I doubled the recipe. BUT!!!! instead of adding all of the rice to my meat mixture I left out a 1/4 cup and mixed it in with my rice. My Mom says it will help the meatballs stay together. And it worked out. The meatballs were solid and very very good. It was as if I was at my Moms house....only with a lot less books.

The Book of Hadley

A sneak peak from a work in progress:

  

   Occasionally, you’ll hear women talk about how they “lost themselves”. They got married, had babies, left their job to stay home and just let who they were as an individual fall away. It happens and most of the time we don’t even know that it’s happening. Usually, we’re so swamped with being an adult that we don’t realize that we’ve lost ourselves or that it’s even a bad thing until it’s too late. We stop pursuing our dreams, cut ties with friends or forget what we stand for. Sometimes we don’t even know ourselves at all. We let someone else mold us into the punching bag or door mat; we become something we’re not. Helpless.                                                                                                                                                                  

I couldn’t tell you the exact date that I lost myself but I can tell you the date I decided I wasn’t going to be a victim anymore, I was going to be someone my daughter would look up to,no matter how tall she got.
I will never forget the day, June 18^th.  That’s when it happened, when I came to a screeching halt at the cross roads. I had to make a decision. Would I lie down and take it or stand on my own two feet and fight back?                                                                                  
For some women, facing a decision like that, the answer is obvious. Something happens in their life and they have this epiphany.They realize that their life isn’t what they want it to be. They wake up and say "I'm going to change my ways". My epiphany came in the form of a broken nose, two black eyes, a lacerated spleen, a fractured wrist, bruised kidneys and four broken ribs…..among other things.   
 
__________________________________________________________________________________

Domestic violence is something I try to campaign against. Nobody wants their loved one to encounter an abusive partner. Writing this story put me in a bad place emotionally and I had to step away for a brief period. I have finished the story but part of me second guesses it. It needs serious polishing and I'm not sure I have done Hadley justice. So, it's back to the drawing board after I take some time off to focus every brain cell on getting a job. You know, something that actually generates income. Hopes and dreams don't put gas in the car. Unfortunate, isn't it. I'd be able to go to the moon and back.

Thank you to those who support my hopes and dreams and a special thanks to those who have lent an ear. You know who you are. :)

Small people

This is an important message from Mark Twain:

A Ten dollar gift card and a choice

    I truly have become a reading addict. I am addicted to reading. I can't get enough. Sometimes I fall so madly deeply in love with a book that I literally cannot put it down. I take it to the bathroom with me and read. Not while I'm on the toilet. That's where I meditate. I literally hide with the door locked. Sometimes I'll even lie and say I have explosive....well, you get the idea, just so I can get through one more chapter.

    Recently, I found myself driving, alone which rarely happens, to Target to get toilet paper. I NEVER go to Target alone and bonus, I had a ten dollar gift card. High Five. So, anyway, I thought "Ok Tasha, it's time to do something mature. You have to buy something you actually need." So, as I walked to the store from my Jeep, I decided I would buy a new shirt or if you're my Granny, a blouse... in case I got called for a job interview. I can't very well wear my husbands old T-shirts, the things I've been living in lately.

   So, there I was standing in Target, staring at the clothes section. They have cute and affordable shirts. I hesitated to enter the arena.

    And then I walked to the books....just to browse!! I was only going to browse! I swear but then I found this book. The cover wasn't very interesting to be honest with you but it spoke to me. Or maybe it was the sign that said "If you loved 50 Shades of Grey, You'll love this ---->"
I don't know. I read the title without picking the book up..."Switch" by Megan Hart. I don't read the back of books. I'll normally read the first page. If it catches my interest I'll read the entire thing. This book though.....I picked it up and opened to page nine and read these two sentences before anything else:

" I love the way a blank sheet of paper looks when it's waiting to be written on. Anything can happen in those moments before you put pen to paper."

   You see, this book really did speak to me because those words, that's how I feel about writing. Anything can happen and it's all up to me. I did the irresponsible thing and took that book to the cashier and said "Ring me up before I change my mind." I used my gift card and then counted change until I had the book paid for. Then, I walked out without buying toilet paper. Oops.

   But isn't that what an addict does? Push everything to the side to get one more fix? I devoured that book in one day like a junky with a quarter size rock of crack. I couldn't put it down and at the end I was like "Wo! That was intense."

    If you like the raunchiness of 50 Shades of Grey, you know, the SEX and you're not afraid of the "f" bomb or other various dirty words then this book could be just what you've been looking for. And that's all I have to say about that because I have MOM things to do.

 

This awesomeness

   I promised myself I wouldn't post anymore sappy posts for a while. So, in keeping with that promise, please enjoy this piece of art that I can't seem to photograph without making it blurry or dark or small or well... you get the idea!! This guy, Daniel Stormont, is a far better artist than I am a photographer.
 
 
   This has become one of my most prized possessions. As a matter of fact, I have printed a sign that hangs on my door like the ones you see with pictures of pets, a notice to firefighters letting them know how many pets are inside so they know to rescue them. Well, I don't have any pets. So, I would like the firemen to rescue this painting. Don't judge me.
 
   I would also like to explain why this is so special to me.  I got this as a gift from my sister...you've read about her. She's actually my cousin but we grew up together etc. It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't my anniversary and I didn't win it in a bet. She saw it and thought of me. Maybe it's because from a distance this woman in this painting is just another pretty damsel in a dress but then you get closer and realize that she is truly flawed, like me. Sure from a distance I'm probably not bad to look at but then you get up close and realize that I have wrinkles around my eyes from laughing too much and my eyebrows are in need of landscaping (I've never plucked and have no interest in that torture). I always have a zit between my eyes or on my chin. Or like today, both.

   I hung this in my bedroom on the wall directly in front of where I sit and write. When I get stuck on something I stare at it.... the painting. I use to stare at the wall. It encourages me to push on and never forget what I'm aiming for in a story, something offbeat and write about characters who are well.....flawed, like me. 


Artist Daniel Stormont...What shall we name her?

A summer review

Is it seriously time for the kids to go back to school? The summer was too hot and not nearly long enough! My oldest son is a senior this year (pulls out several tissue from box) and I'm not ready for his graduation. I remember his first day of school like it was yesterday! Time does fly by!

At the beginning of the summer, I promised myself I would read and write everyday while the kids were out for summer break. Did I stay true to that promise?

Of course I didn't! I have children who think me holding a book or notebook is a sign that I'm bored and need something to do. So I was unable to meet my writing goals but did surpass my reading goal! Go me! I keep track of that on Goodreads, don't ask me how many books I read. I stopped counting at six.

Sometimes we set unrealistic goals for ourselves and it sucks when we look back and see that we didn't meet any of them. But!!!! As long as we try and never give up, we're doing something right. Even if you're spinning your tires, at least you're pushing on the gas (being productive, trying, etc.).... Sure sounds like a good one to me!

So, I took a trip to my Moms in Arkansas this summer. It was a spur of the moment trip because my Mom had to have surgery. I wanted to be there to take care of her. So I piled the kids and the laptop in the Jeep and hit the road. I normally don't drive the entire twelve hours that it takes to get there but this time my husband stayed behind to reclaim some of his sanity. I managed to make it to my Moms and back without any incident or speeding tickets. The time in the car was actually enjoyable. We burned two CD's with our road trip music and sang until we just couldn't sing anymore. Actually, now that I think about it, the boys did have their earbuds in their ears quite a bit. And here I thought they put up with my singing very well.

I wanted to stop everywhere and take pictures of the things we saw but we got held up in traffic several times and the trip was already long enough. So, I had to settle for a picture of this cow! Isn't she cute!?

So, what's in store for me now? Well, once again I am promising to READ or Write each day. Preferably, WRITE since I am behind on that goal. I'm also putting together a baby shower for my sister, making some super cute things for that and I'll share them sometime in October. I am also job hunting, fingers crossed on that one. Mama needs a new bra and all that stuff.

I tried out several pinterest recipes over the summer and hope to share them with you. I like to test them out and then let you know how it turned out or what I did differently! So, what's new with you?