Neiman-Marcus Cookies

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

2 cups butter

4 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups sugar

5 cups oatmeal blended into a fine powder

12 oz chocolate chips

2 cups brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)

2 oz white baking chocolate

10 oz Andes Crème de Menthe baking chips

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder an soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar, nuts, white chocolate and Andes Crème de Menthe baking chips. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes 112 cookies.

You can take the girl out of the fresh air

but you can't take the fresh air out of the girl!

I've been on restriction, which is a tough thing for me. I suck at inactivity. I've practically had to be tied down!
Exercise is a habit I developed when I was very young - my father was once a competitive race-walker. My sisters and I have spent a lifetime running to keep up with him! He taught me the value of the great outdoors - he doesn't believe in gyms. Although I disagree, I think a gym can be valuable, especially if you live in a part of the country where the winters are severe, but gyms have never worked for me. I grow bored easily when I'm indoors.
In all honesty, exercise is a lifestyle and the appreciation of the great outdoors, while it can be acquired later in life, is best instilled at a very early age. As my grandma said - "Use it or lose it." Medically speaking, the statement is true.
Not only does exercise keep you in better physical shape, exercise releases endorphins, which make you feel better mentally. There's a reason for the term, 'runner's high'.
So...I can't wait to get back out there. I've got one more week on restriction and I'm chomping on the bit.
I'm offering rare advice - get moving. Get your kids moving. Exercise is a habit that lasts a lifetime.

Terminate the tantrums.

Once you begin paying attention to your mind, it is astonishing how easily and quickly it becomes distracted from whatever you are focussed on- unless, of course, you are thoroughly enjoying what you are doing.

You could say it is a bit like an uncontrollable child! 



pic by jsa 2011



Not only it that hard to appreciate.  After all, who wants to admit they are not in control of their own thoughts 24/7?

And yet for those treading the meditation pathway for the first time it is a true and disconcerting discovery.

So here a three more tips for readying yourself for a productive and enjoyable meditation.

a) Experiment. While the stereotype image if someone meditating is all very well, some beginners find the thought of linking with the spiritual or ritual aspects of meditations a tad intimidating.  So overcome this, it is worth experimenting.  Don’t try to emulate the Buda position, or that technical yoga stance, instead relax and find a quiet space – at a push, try the loo or bathroom and lock the door. 

Take a soft cushion in there with you and be comfortable :-)

Don’t fancy all this eye-shutting mumbo-jumbo?  Then don’t! If sitting is not your thing then try lying down.  A friend of mine always dances while meditating.  It’s what suits her best, so she follows her heart and goes with the dance.

A word of warning here, do NOT try meditating while driving.  It has been tried!

b) Connect with your body. If you find it hard to select something to meditate on, use what’s to hand.  And the nearest thing always to hand is your own body. Touch your toes and focus on them.  Open your mind to whatever come through – a bit like writers connecting with their characters – and go with it.  From your toes, to your feet, rather like the song, connect with the ankle bone… you catch the drift.  Over a period of time you will be amazed at how in tune with your body you will become.  While you’re focused on the physical parts of your body you can touch, take time to include your internal organs.

c) Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. This one is more tricky, as not everyone has the space to select a special area to give over to meditation, but within this concept, it helps to find a place you can call your own for however long you want to meditate without interruptions.

To Declaw or Not....

Of the controversies that exist surrounding the animal world, declawing is probably one of the biggest. Some rescues refuse to adopt out to a family that intends to declaw a cat. Others feel if the cat gets a good home its worth it.
First of all what exactly is declawing?
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language has two definitions:
1. To remove the claws from
2. and this one I found vastly entertaining:
To strip of power, potency or strength; make harmless or less threatening
Why do I find this entertaining?
Back when I was--I was going to say young and stupid--but lets change that to much younger and less educated. I had my cat declawed. It wasn't the choice I preferred but I rented and Bruce was a tiger among cats. He actually clawed chunks out of the wall. So I really felt like I had no other choice. But declawing Bruce didn't slow him down one bit. Where the stupid comes in, he was an indoor-outdoor cat. A declawed cat outdoors, you gasp, and rightly so. Now why I find the 'strip of power' definition entertaining. He may not have had claws or, ahem, balls, but he acted as if he had both. If any dogs wondered into the yard, he would jump on their backs and ride them out.
Another little side story. A big dog wandered into our yard and I was afraid for Bruce so I scooped him up and put him inside then when I tried to open the door to get in myself the dog jumped on my back. I was positioned in such a way the door was opened a crack but I couldn't get it open the rest of the way. I really don't think the dog would have hurt me, but I was scared and both animals sensed it. Bruce shot out of the house and ran the dog off.
Another time, my daughter wondered out into a cornfield when she was quite young and wouldn't answer when my husband called for her. The only way he found her was because Bruce stayed right beside her and whenever my husband called, the cat would meow and eventually that's how she was found. Bruce may have been stripped of claws but never power.
But back to declawing.
Declawing is a surgical procedure where the last joint in the front 'toes' are removed. Laser declawing is also available. Laser declawing causes less bleeding and automatically seals the nerves and vessels. Is it better? I honestly don't know. I've only seen one cat that had laser surgery, and that was several years ago, and there were complications.
Is declawing something I would do today? No. My personal reasons are because its not safe if a cat gets out of the house. I've found that using the cardboard scratching pads works like a charm for our cats. I also keep cat clippers on hand and trim down their claws.
Would I adopt a cat out to a family that was going to declaw? If I thought that cat would end up in a loving forever home, yes. Millions of wonderful felines end up in gas chambers each year because there aren't enough homes to go around, because all pets owners aren't as responsible as you are when it comes to spaying and neutering your pet.
I've given you my thoughts on declawing. What are yours?
And by the way, in spite of our lapse in judgment in letting him out, Bruce lived to the ripe old age of seventeen.
~*~
Shameless self promotion.
Makita must use her second life to return to earth and take care of her pal, Bennie the Boxer. But finding Bennie is only the beginning. After they're reunited, Makita and Bennie stumble upon a dog fighting ring. Now the fearless feline must use her considerable cunning to breakout the hapless creatures that have been stolen to use as bait for the fighting dogs.
Makita is available as a download at Smashwords for 1.99

Spring Greens

Image from.arthursclipart.org

Probably the earliest and easiest crops to grow are the 'greens,' plants grown for their leaves for inclusion in salads or to be lightly braised, and they like the cool weather of spring. With the increasing price of lettuce, growing your own salad provides more value than just freshness, and better taste. Greens are the cold hardiest, quickest growing crops a gardener can plant, so they can be planted as soon as the snow leaves the ground, or you can start them indoors even earlier. Since only the leaves are harvested, they quickly grow back providing a second, third, or even more, harvests. They're like little random thoughts that pop out of the soil like ideas sometimes pop into your mind. People can have strong reactions to these leaf crops, and they're as full of connotations, metaphors and similes as vitamins.

The main leaf crops are arugula, lettuce, dandelion, endive, spinach, kale, mustard leaves, and radicchio, and each has a specific taste from bland, to bitter, from delicate to peppery. Even among the lettuces there is a wide variety of types: head forming like iceburg, butterhead, and romaine, and loose-leaf varieties. This link will take you to a taste description of each type of green. http://www.foodsubs.com/Greensld.html Greens like arugula and dandelion, which have strong tastes, are usually picked when the leaves are very young to help tame the taste.

Seed companies have become very smart in marketing leaf crops. Rather than buy one packet of one variety of leaf crop, you can now buy packets that mix them so you can grow them all together in one patch. However, even the selection of salad mixes has become an ever expanding group of seductive names like All-Star Gourmet, Encore, Mild Musclun Mix, and Wildfire, allowing you to truly enjoy a mixed to your taste salad bowl. When you pour some of the seed out into your hand, you will see the mix is usually very pretty, too, with black, white, red, and brown seeds in round, oval and thistle shapes.

Even the greenest gardener can grow lettuce. If you don't want a vegetable garden, then grow these tender leaves in large outdoor pots filled with potting soil. The plants are very decorative until you harvest a meal's worth of leaves, but even the de-leafed plants quickly come back. Two or three 14" containers would supply your family with plenty of dinner salads. Wash the greens, roll them in a dish towel and refrigerate them so they will become crisp. Enjoy your salad days!

Week 4: Book & Body Boot Camp: Matters of the Heart!

Keep Reading! We have a GIVEAWAY today!

We hear a lot about getting heart healthy in the news these days. The dangers of too much sodium, the risk factors of too much cholesterol and the lack of exercise among our youth due to video games and other technological distractions.

So, as parents we have to be concerned about the health of our children but we cannot forget to take care of ourselves as well.

Today, at the mid-point of our 8 week book & body boot camp, we'll be focusing on our cardio system--the heart of the matter. And for our book portion of camp, we'll be focusing on the love story of our book.

To celebrate reaching the 4 week mark of our journey and to help you kick start your heart health, I'm giving away a copy of an exercise DVD that I found hilarious! It is crazy fun yet a very effective method of getting the heart rate up. Anyone like to dance cabaret style?

Leave a comment on today's post and be eligible to win a copy of this DVD! Winner announced next Friday!



Hope you'll join me!


WEEK FOUR


The Body

Getting your heart healthy means exercise daily. Even if you cannot do a full workout, try to walk the stairs instead of taking that convenient elevator. Try a walk around the neighborhood or even around the mall (if you insist)! There are hundreds of ways to get your heart pumping every day even if you cannot make it to an aerobics class or do a full routine. Just get moving!

Keeping your heart healthy also means eating right. Not that we all can't splurge from time to time on a burger and fries--but remember that everything in moderation can make all the difference. Recent studies show that 1 in 5 adults have cholesterol levels that are out of control and over 30 million prescriptions a year are written in an effort to control it.

I just read an article that stated that a woman dies from heart disease every MINUTE in the United States but only 13% of woman consider it a risk. Wow!

Don't forget to love your heart and it will love you back!


The Book

Recently, I received a rejection for a manuscript that I'd submitted and the editor told me that I don't introduce the romance into my book early enough. It really made me stop to consider the story.

After much thought and debate over this particular story, I decided that it wasn't really a romance story after all. And by re-categorizing it as Urban Fantasy, I was able to have (strong romantic elements) elsewhere in the book that were not exactly the main focus of the book. This was why I'd waited so long in the book to introduce the romance elements.

But when you think of romance novels, in general, how soon do you think the romance (the heart of the matter) should be introduced?

I've heard that Harlequin editors like you to introduce your hero and heroine as early as the first chapter--the first page if at all possible!

What do you think?

As readers, do you like to get things rolling in the love department right at the get go? Or do you prefer a slower, more tension building romance?

What about as a writer...how soon do you allow your leading characters to get in the thick of it?

I, personally, prefer the slower build. In romance, we sort of know that there is going to be a meeting of the minds and typically a meeting of the bodies at some point. But it is the build-up. The delicious tension of the story that really keeps me interested.

I'd love to hear your thoughts today.

And don't forget to comment in order to win the cardio workout DVD, as mentioned above. In the meantime, don't forget to keep moving and be kind to your heart.

Until next time...I remain...

Heart happily yours,
Kerri Nelson

Recipe: Betty Crocker's Low-Fat Anagel Macaroons

Betty Crocker's Low-Fat Angel Macaroons

1 pkg Betty Crocker 1-step white angel food cake mix

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 pkg (7 ounces) flaked coconut (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon baking cocoa

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter

l tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking cocoa

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon water

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Cover cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Beat cake mix, water and almond extract in large bowl on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl occasionally. Fold in coconut. Drop half of the mixture by teaspoonfuls about 3 inches apart onto parchment paper.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Cool completely before removing from parchment paper.

Sir cocoa into remaining mixture. Bake and cool as directed above.

Prepare Glaze. Drizzle small amount of glaze over each cookie.

Glaze: Heat butter, cocoa and water in 1 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until margarine is melted. Stir in powdered sugar.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

***So quick and easy, you can bake these the same day you do one or two other types.

Birds? Dumb? Hardly.

Birds? Dumb? Hardly.

The wilderness parks Jake and I frequent are loaded with birds of all types, from raptors to hummingbirds. Our favorite park is home to two particular species of hawk – the Red Tailed Hawk and the Red Shouldered Hawk. Oh, and a family of blue jays that has made a career out of imitating the hawks’ screech.

Blue jays are members of the Corvid family – the same family contains crows, ravens, rooks, magpies, and woodpeckers. This is a highly intelligent subspecies of bird, possibly the most intelligent and it’s not uncommon for blue jays, along with other Corvids, to imitate other species.

This particular family of jays has nailed the hawk cry so well that birders and school children spend hours searching for a nonexistent hawk that seems so close you think you can touch it. It’s just a jay having fun at your expense! None of the other families of jays residing in the park make this call, so obviously the behavior is learned. I figured it out a couple years ago when I realized a jay was making this cry to warn his tribe about my dog. Or maybe scare off my dog. In any case, now I’m familiar with his territory and his family is familiar with me, so when we’re around they go about their birdie business, but I hear that cry loud and clear when any other stranger approaches. It serves a useful purpose – makes me take notice too.

Tips for easier meditation

Last week I talked about using something we can’t live without as a basis for your meditation.  This week, and for the next three weeks, I am talking about the distractions many people new to meditation come across.

Without conscious effort on our part, our concentration skitters all over the place. We are bombarded from all directions with ‘the new and the shiny’.  The pace of life seems to speed up every day, and our commitments take up more and more of our time, until, if we are not careful, we have no ‘me time’ for ourselves.

Meditation is more than sitting quietly in a room for a pre-set amount of time.  It is a tool for focusing our minds on one thing at and for a specific period.

‘Bo---ring’!

Well, no.  Not if you are prepared to commit a few moments each day to meditation.  The do this takes practice. And today I am going to offer five tips that will help you to meditate.

Learning to meditate is a bit like limbering up that writing-muscle.  Exercise it regularly, and preferably at the same time of day, and it will become easier the more you use it.

Many beginners fail to understand that meditation is an active process.  It is not an excuse to relax and nod off.

The art of focusing your attention to a single point is hard work, and you have purposefully engage your point of focus.

I cannot repeat often enough the importance of focusing on your breathing to learn to still your mind.  Why?  Because it is something you can physically use to measure your progress.  Remember breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is an ideal way to begin.

You may notice how often frustration creeps up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think “hey, what am I doing here” or “why can’t I just quiet my damn mind already”. When this happens, relax, don’t beat yourself up and refocus on your breathing and deliberately release the frustrations.

When you start an exercise routine, you begin with easy stretches. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching starts the process of “going inward” and brings added attention to the body.

Himmies, My Fave

There is such a wondrous variety of cats to choose from. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Actually, too many when you factor in the unwanted and the throwaways, but that's another blog. Out of this wide, varied selection my all time favorite is the himmie. When it comes to looks and a gentle personality this breed wins hands down. Himmies are lovers not fighters.
Like people, every cat has its own unique personality. So even though, a gentle, people-pleasing personality is the norm with himmies, there are always exceptions to the rule in the animal world. But the odds are in your favor, if you own a himmie, you'll be your cats' slave for life.
The breed began in 1930 when Dr. Clyde Keeler and Virginia Cobb decided to breed a Siamese with a Persian.
(Pic on right: Himmie mix rescue kitten)
The name originates because of the similarity of their coat color to the rabbits and goats of the Himalayas.
Himmies have the blue eyes of the Siamese and the cobby body and long fur of the Persians. Their color points include: chocolate, lilac, tortie, red, and blue-cream. Many himmies have pushed in noses, not reflected in the attached pictures.
As mentioned earlier, their personalities are gentle. They also are a bit more outgoing than regular Persians because of their Siamese gene pool. They love their humans.
If you're thinking about getting a himmie, needs include: To be brushed regularly, preferably on a daily basis. Since I get a bit lazy at this, I often opt for a lion-cut for my long hairs.(see picture on right) Other owners opt for regular cuts (see pic above on left)
Use a soft damp cloth or cotton ball to gently wipe their eyes to remove build up that frequently occurs
As with any cat they like a clean litter box.
The average life expectancy of a himmie is fifteen years.
If you're in the market, there are wonderful himmies in shelters and rescues just waiting for you to take them home.

~*~
Shameless promotion:

Akasha is a pretty little calico cat who, along with two of her kittens, has drowned and passed on to Catarau. Now she must journey back to earth to save the kitten that was left behind.

Akasha is available at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/47397

The Leaf Magician

How lucky we are that alien magicians are not a rarity. Each and every leaf performs the same magic feat: they make sugar. Every animal on the planet survives at some level on the sugar plants create, but that's just an unimportant side result in the plant's perspective. The vast majority of food that all the plants produce is inedible, transformed into other plant parts. All animals together use less than three percent of the total yearly production.

Scientists are working hard so that someday humans may learn this function, but to completely do away with leafy plants would be impossible. They perform another magical feat. Leaves produce all the free oxygen lacing the atmosphere as a waste product of making sugar. To do this each leaf has small pore-like doors that absorb carbon dioxide and release excess water vapor, and unneeded oxygen into the air.

Within each leaf are many cell specialists, but all those containing green chlorophyll perform photosynthesis. This mysterious process uses sunshine to combine six molecules each of water and carbon dioxide to create a molecule of sugar and some loose oxygen molecules as a byproduct. For a miracle, it sounds so easy.

Most of the plant is composed of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, but other chemicals are needed, too. The roots deliver most of these chemicals, but leaves also absorb some materials from the air. These chemicals are combined in many different ways to provide the plant all the parts it needs for growth and reproduction. It is those chemical combinations that provide humans the vast variety of substances and tastes we call vegetables and fruit.

The next time you see a human magician trying to flimflam his audience into believing something that isn't remember there are a host of alien beings making true magic. This is one reason I love plants, love gardening, and love science fiction-fantasy.

Spring is starting here at last. Now that I've made a connection between science, plants, gardening, aliens, fantasy, and science fiction, perhaps I'd better move on to the actual topic of gardening.

Week 3: Book & Body Boot Camp: Supporting Characters!

She's got legs...she knows how to use them... --ZZ Top

Remember that one? Well, as mothers we all have to use our legs for walking (grocery shopping), bending (pick up that den one more time), squatting (lift with your legs not your back), climbing (does your house have stairs?) and so much more. Our legs really do get a work out every day--intentional or not.

But today we are going to work on our two pillars of support--our legs! That's the body part we are going to focus on for exercise today but what about our book. Does our book have legs, you may ask?

Of course it does...our book's support system is the cast of supporting characters. And analyzing their necessity or detriment to our story is a necessity in shaping up our manuscripts.


WEEK THREE


The Body

We need to take care of those legs because they are one of our best attributes as women (in my opinion) and with summer coming up they'll definitely be exposed in shorts, skirts, and swim suits. So, let's get to work on them now and we'll reap the benefits later!

Exercises:

Side Leg Lift (great for the inner thigh)

Get on your side on the floor and prop yourself up with your forearm. Keep your legs straight. Lift the top leg up and slowly move your foot in small circles clockwise for twenty seconds and then reverse your foot circles counter-clockwise for twenty more seconds. Repeat with the other leg.

Calf Toning

Stand at the bottom of the stairs and hold the hand rail with one hand (facing towards the stairs as if you are ready to climb them). Step up onto the first step with just your toes and balls of your feet on the stair (your heels remain off the step). Then slowly raise yourself up onto your toes and then back to the starting position. Repeat 10 to 15 times or until you "feel the burn" in your calf muscles!


**Warning/Caution** As with any exercise program be sure that you are careful to prevent injury and consult your physician before attempting if you've had a prior injury or surgery to this area of the body.


The Book


When crafting your story, think of your supporting cast as if they are in a movie. Think about how they add to or take away from the over-all story's success. Create a "role vitality" and "necessity" chart and verify that each character is needed and ultimately adds something to the finished product. If you find some extraneous characters, don't be afraid to cut them!


Last week, I made reference to the movie P.S. I Love You. I'm going to discuss each of the supporting characters from that movie today and show you how I create my supporting character charts for my books. P.S. If you haven't seen this movie yet--the following will be a major SPOILER!

The reason I chose this movie is because it has a fairly large cast of important supporting characters.

John (Gerry’s business partner and Sharon’s husband)

Role vitality: He’s kind of an extra character without too much depth but kind of a nice bonus male amongst the plethora of female roles.

Necessity: He probably could have been left out and it wouldn’t really have affected the story that much. But I like the character because he is really the only “non-romantic” male role in the story. Sometimes it is important to have a character like this just to keep things on an even keel.

Denise (Holly’s best “single gal” friend)

Role vitality: She’s definitely the comedic relief amidst all the painful/sad drama going on. She has a certain harsh bluntness about her but remains funny and witty even at Gerry’s wake.

Necessity: I believe she is an extremely important role. Not only for the humor that she adds to the piece but because she is proof to Holly that true love still exists out there. She has waited a long time to find hers and encourages Holly not to lose hope in finding it again.

Sharon (Holly’s best “married gal” friend and co-worker)

Role vitality: She’s the best friend that is always quietly there for her. She’s there for the hand holding and the fun. An all around great friend and support figure to Holly.

Necessity: She’s the quiet in the storm. She’s married and knows what a loss such a Holly’s might feel like but she’s also very much a solid backbone for Holly when she begins to feel sorry for herself.

Ciara (Holly’s sister)

Role vitality: She doesn’t seem to play a big part in the film but is only there as an extra family member support and perhaps to add a bit of slapstick wacky humor to the mix.

Necessity: Not much, in my opinion. I would have left her completely out of this story. There are not even any one on one supportive sister conversations in the movie. I think this is a character that could have been cut and not missed in the least.

Patricia (Holly’s mother)

Role vitality: She’s the sharp, brash reality of the movie. Wants Holly to snap out of her dream world and get back to the land of the living. But in the end, it is revealed that she’s really been hurting just as much as her daughter.

Necessity: She’s a crucial role in the movie. She has been abandoned and left alone just like Holly. She’s experienced similar loneliness and pain and dreads the same type of life for her daughter. She’s incredibly protective of Holly to the point of almost alienating her. But without her firm grasp on reality, Holly’s character could have easily sunk into an unrecoverable depression. Even though she plays the sort of “bad guy” of the movie—she’s extremely necessary.

Daniel (Holly’s friend and possible new hero?)

Role vitality: He’s really the story’s mislead. We think and maybe want to believe that it will be as easy as this to find the perfect “guy next door” replacement for Gerry. But Daniel turns out to be just a good friend and sounding board with very inappropriate timing and humor.

Necessity: I think he’s another comedic relief but from the guy’s perspective. He’s sweet and caring and even though he almost always says the wrong thing—we look forward to seeing him again. We are sort of rooting for him and Holly to hook up but in the end know that she doesn’t feel for him the way he feels for her. A great mislead on the next “hero” of the story!

William/Billy (Gerry’s old friend and band mate & Holly’s next love interest?)

Role vitality: He’s a big part of her healing process in that he’s the first man she sleeps with after Gerry’s death. But he also knew Gerry throughout his childhood and holds a tight link to Gerry and their past. Some might see him as just a replacement for Gerry due to their similarities (tall, dark, handsome, Irish, and a musician, etc…). And we don’t really get to see if they will end up together but we believe that they might and therein sets up the “happy for now” ending to the movie.

Necessity: Absolutely crucial. We need to know that there is hope for Holly’s future. We need to feel that she’ll be happy and that Gerry would be happy with her choice for a future mate. Plus the fact that he’s sweet and caring and sexy as all get out!

In my new release from Evernight Publishing entitled Double Take (click here to read more), my favorite supporting character is my heroine's FBI agent partner Chi. He's addicted to food and his constant food cravings add humor to the storyline and he manages to work a meal or snack into the investigation whenever possible.

Now, I'd love to hear about one of your favorite supporting characters! Share with us one of your supporting characters in a current Work In Progress and tell us what critical contribution they make to your overall storyline.


Until next week...I remain...

Leg-a-licously Yours,

Kerri Nelson

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

Bathroom Cleaning Tips

by

American Housewife Sherry Morris

The first thing you need to realize is there are no magic cleaning products. Nothing you shake or spray or foam on is going to automatically remove your built up grime. Face it. You’ve neglected one of the most important rooms in your home, because it’s so hard to clean and it’s a dirty job. Don’t go out and buy the latest hyped cleaning product. Instead, dig around in your cabinets throughout the house and see what you come up with. Open the window or turn on the exhaust fan before you begin cleaning. Never mix amonia and bleach together. The fumes are deadly!

Mirrors

You will need some sort of ammonia to clean your mirrors. I use Windex or the store brand or whatever glass cleaner is cheapest when I shop. I keep it under the sinks, along with a roll of paper towels, which are perforated at the half-sheet. In my normal cleaning mode, I spray the mirror where it has splash marks and wipe it clean. I only spray and wipe the entire mirror once a month on the designated day in my deep cleaning cycle. Two reasons: Why clean what isn’t dirty? and I’m short. I need a step stool to clean the top of the mirror.

Sinks

Take a paper towel or a few plies of toilet paper and wipe all the hair out of the sink and off the vanity. Throw it away.

Soap is soap, as the FlyLady says. Use up what you have. Comet, Softscrub, Fantastik, Mr. Clean, Pine Sol, old shampoo or bubble bath you don’t like. Almost anything will do the job. Apply a small amount and scour with a damp sponge/scrubber. Lather it all up, then rinse with warm water. Stuck on black goo around the drain ? Use an old tooth brush. Spray the chrome fixtures with your ammonia product and wipe clean. Take your hand towel off the rack and dry everything. Replace with a fresh towel and toss the old one in the laundry hamper.

Toilets 

If you’ve really let the bowl get disgusting, pour in approximately two cups of bleach. Let it do it’s thing for half an hour. If you have generic bleach, you might need to use more. It’s sometimes diluted with water.

Spray the seat with disinfectant. I like Lysol, but again, soap is soap, so use what you have, like Windex or Fantastik. Wipe with a paper towel. Then do the inside of the lid. Close the lid, do the outside of the entire toilet. Open the lid and raise the seat. You’ll probably need to use extra disinfectant here and to scrub more.

If you can’t get all of the stains out, don’t fret. You did your best. The problem is likely you have a porous wooden seat that absorbs the urine, feces and mold. If you can budget for it, replace your toilet seat with plastic ones. Much easier to keep clean.

Swish a toilet brush around in the bowl, making sure to get under the rim. The water holes get clogged with sediment in the water supply and if you keep the holes open, you’ll have more flushing power. If the bleach did not take care of your problem, you’ll have to try something like a rust or lime removal product or pumice stone. If you’ve done all you can and it’s not clean enough, consider purchasing a new toilet. At the low end of the spectrum, you can get a new one for around $100. If you have any males in your family, they might appreciate an elongated commode. (’nuff said.)

Once your toilet is appropriately cleaned, don’t use bleach on a weekly basis. Just pour a little soap of some sort in and swish. Sometimes cleaning the toilet with old shampoo makes the room smell lovely.

Do not use the bleach tablets in the tank. Over the years, they will corrode the bolts inside and the tank will leak. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Shower and Bathtub

Use whatever cleaning product you have on hand. If it’s really bad, the only thing that will get it clean is elbow grease. Soap scum and hard water deposits are my Kryptonite. If I let the kids’ tub get bad, I know that scrubbing half an hour still won’t have it clean enough. So I defer to my hunky darling husband. He can get it whistle clean in a wink. Don’t have a hunky darling husband? If it’s really bad, hire a cleaning service. One time. Then keep it clean!

Secrets to Avoiding a Dirty Tub or Shower:

Don’t use soap. Soap, which contains talc, causes soap scum. Zest, Ivory and Dove are talc free. I switched over to them from Irish Spring and it was so liberating.

Dry the shower and tub surround from walls to floor after each use. Use the same towel you dried yourself off with. It only takes one minute, you get a modest workout, your shower is ALWAYS clean, you will never have a dirty little secret hiding behind the curtain again, and you have an accomplishment to be proud of. If you get nothing else done that day, smile, and know you cleaned your shower.

Remove your glass shower doors. Hang a tension rod and use an inexpensive shower curtain liner. I get mine from the dollar store. You can have a lovely shower curtain on the outside showing, but when the liner starts looking bad, throw it out and replace it with a new one. Much easier than laundering an expensive shower curtain.

Bathroom Floor

If you have carpet, consider taking it out. A hard surface floor is much healthier in a damp environment.

Every day, after you dry yourself off and then use the towel to dry the shower, drop the towel on the floor and move it around the room with your feet. You’ll workout your leg muscles and keep the floor dry and clean.

Miscellaneous Bathroom Cleaning

Once a month, declutter under the sink and in the cabinets. Make sure you don’t have junk leaning against the pipes, this could cause them to come loose!

Don’t forget to use the paper towel you cleaned the mirror with to wipe the dust off the towel rack, door knob, flush handle and toilet paper holder.

Clean the shower head once a month. Use a lime or rust remover product if necessary. This will keep the holes open and your shower pressure will be at it’s prime.

Going to Seed.

Planting Time

In some parts of Northern California, we can get to work in the garden pretty early. I wouldn't be planting tomatoes and chilies right now, but cold weather vegetables should do pretty well, despite the continued rain.

Yesterday I made the leap from tomatoes to potatoes. Why? Sounds like fun! I'm not sure the soil here is exactly right for potatoes, but our local garden store does sell seed potatoes and I made sure to listen to a lecture from the gardener about how to plant and care for the dirty little buggers. She told me they'd do well. In any case, I planted an entire bed so some are bound to survive.

I conditioned my beds, used a shovel (broke my trowel) to dig a trench, and planted away. Somehow I had managed to count out exactly the correct number of seed potatoes for an 8 x 12 foot bed. So I need to remember to cover the shoots as they appear out of the soil and no harvesting until the flowers wilt and the plants begin to die back. Okay...got it.

Why not tomatoes? Here in California, where our soil smells like mildew - which is kind of disgusting - tomatoes grow so crazy that one plant uses up a huge bed. I've tried staking every which way over the years, but the plants still manage to spread like something from The Little Shop of Horrors. Despite my husband's objections, no tomatoes this year - I can buy all I want from the farmer's market.

Aside from the potatoes, I have a bed of root vegetables and one bed of leafy greens and beans. When the greens start to bolt in the heat, I'll pull them and plant chilies and egg plants.

I'm actually really excited. This is the first year in a decade of gardening that tomatoes will not eat up all the other veggies!

Use the tools to hand

I’ve said it before, and will probably say it again, but in this day and age it is hard for most people to keep their minds focussed on one subject for more than a few moments.

It is also a fact, that to live, we need to breath.

If we combine these two facts we can, with practice, enhance the quality of our lives. 

In times of stress we can deliberately focus on our breathing, slow the heart rate and give our body and its natural choice of flight or fight a chance to kick in.  Most of the time, it simply allows us the chance to start thinking straight when something startles us, or we find ourselves out of our comfort zone.

At first, when you try this, the mind will flit from one thought to another, and you might even feel that the meditation is making your mind busier; but in reality you are just becoming more aware of how busy your mind actually is. And more shockingly you will discover how hard it is to bring your mind back to the point of focus. 

Your breathing!

You will find that you are probably deluding yourself if you assume you are in control of your thoughts.  Now how scary is that?  I mean, if someone invaded your home and started telling you what to do, you’d be outraged.  But, quietly, sneakily, your mind is enjoying a level of freedom that is setting hidden, subliminal limits and controls on your lifestyle and beliefs.

It will be tempting to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but resist, stay firm, and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath.

Every time your mind wanders from your breathing and is following our thoughts, immediately refocus on the breath. Repeat this as often as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.

If practiced regularly in this way, your distracting thoughts will subside and you will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation.

Much of the stress and tension normally experienced comes from our mind, and many of the problems, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by stress.

By giving yourself permission to enjoy this breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, you will not reduce stress but find an inner strength building

within you to face, calmly, situation that previously would have stressed you out.

By taking something your already own, your breath, and honing it into a sharp tool of calmness and tranquility, not only will your mind will feel lucid and spacious but you will feel refreshed.

Maine Coon or Norwegian Forest Cat You Decide

We had Faux Paw for years before it dawned on me she was a Maine Coon or at least a Maine Coon mix. How did I come to that conclusion?
Maine Coone's have a ruff. Check.
They have extremely long whiskers. Check.
Large bone structure. Check.
Good personality. Check.
Ear Tufts on top of head. No.
Large feet with tufts of fur. Check.
Long fluffy tail. Check.
The coat is smooth and water repellent on the outside and soft closer to the skin. Only thing I'm sure of is that its long.
Variety of colors. Check.
Intelligent. Check.

Maine Coon's are one of the oldest breeds in North America and are native to Maine. Their popularity has spread from the United States to the rest of the world. Many were polydactyl until the breeders bred it out. This breed is prone to feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, spinal muscular atrophy and hip dysplatia.

So I had finally figured out that Faux was a Maine Coon when I started reading about Norwegian cats. Uh oh. Now I'm confused.

Weegies are medium to large cats, seven to 20 pounds. Check.
Have a ruff. Check.
Puffy tails. Check
They have a water-resistant double coat. Hmmm.
Variety of colors. Check.
Tufts of fur in their ears and between their toes. Check.
Straight profile from nose to forehead.UmHm.
Tolerant toward children and other pets. Faux loves our dog.
Intelligent. Check.
Loves the out of doors. Faux loves it outside. The only time she wants in is in cold weather. Does NOT adapt to cold weather.

The scogkatts, as they are referred to in Norway, accompanied the vikings on their travels. These cats have adapted to very cold weather. They are prone to polycystic kidney disease.

So what do you think? Is Faux a Maine Coon mix or a Weggie mix?

~*~

Shardai is available at Smashwords. Give coupon # VZ62R and get it for $2.24

The Root of the Matter

Some novels have characters who cannot survive sunlight, or prefer to live in caves to hunt the Earth's treasure or to explore the her dark recesses. Of all the great fantasy, adventure or suspense characters, none are as successful in these environs as roots.

When plants first took to earth from their sea habitat, roots were mere anchors. Certainly serving as a support remained an important task. Roots kept early plants in place despite the action of wind or the waves of water. Moss, one of these primitive plants, still survives. Its roots don't absorb moisture, so the parts above ground must fulfill that task.

Through a few million years of design and development, some plants grew root tips. These cells outgrew the tough root covering most of the long tendrils, always growing a fraction of inch ahead of that impervious covering. They understood support in a different meaning from anchor. The tips absorbed and distributed the moisture needed for the plant. Nearly all plants today use this unique growth pattern, but ancient roots still weren't satisfied.

Even more generations later, some roots developed another innovation: root hairs. With this advance roots became miners. Now cells tunnel and excavate through soil using the hydraulic process of osmosis to move the treasures they find to the demanding horde of manufacturing cells living above ground. The root cells seek out water, oxygen, and the chemicals of life in the sustained warmth and dark of the underground. They either find moisture or die. When a root strand fails, new roots emerge from other roots, from underground stems, and in certain cases even leaves. They travel off to explore in new directions.

Growing roots release carbon dioxide into the soil. This carbon dioxide mixes with available moisture to produce an acid that dissolves soil molecules, even rock, freeing useful elements need to produce food. Root tips also release hydrogen, which exchanges place with nitrogen, potassium and calcium in soil molecules, allowing the desired minerals easy entry into the root's vascular system. However, the denizens of the dark realm cannot make food like the upper echelon, sun-worshiping cells found in green leaves and stems.

These basement trollers often send so many raw materials upstairs, that food manufacture far exceeds the community's needs. The top story executives, rather than waste their production, send food back to the roots. There, a long time ago, the clever root cells developed another strategy--storage units for surplus food in the form of bulbs, rhizomes and tubers. These inventive cells still do more. Like in some apocalyptic novel, when climate changes make living upstairs tough, these inventive prospectors hunker down to wait the right time to send new shafts into the light of day.

Similar to many other underclass citizens, the mass of tangled roots below ground far exceeds the total of leaves and stems privileged to exist in the light. They often seek depths greatly exceeding the plant's height. Roots form the plant's structural foundation, they seek out the raw materials of life, can change the soil around themselves, and they store supplies for future needs. What greater heroic effort could any story character make?

Much of my knowledge about gardening comes from books. To learn more about how plants work, I recommend finding a copy of The How and Why of Better Gardening by Laurence Manning, an inspirational source for understanding plants.

Week 2: Book & Body Boot Camp: Those sagging middles!

Have you got any of these cutie pies at home? They are those little people who live in the house and drool down the front of your shirt. Yep, first they reside in your belly-sized condo and then they take over your house. From the extra loads of dishes (thanks to all those bottles) to the endless crumb deposits (I'm buying a robot vacuum cleaner--I swear) to the bundles and bundles of laundry loads (need I say more?)--these little dudes change your life forever.

They also change your body! If you've had one recently or even if your little one is not so little anymore--you still know what I mean. And while we may never get our hour glass figure back or even get those hip bones to shove back into their upright and locked position--we can get our saggy middles back into shape. Yes, really.

So, this week we will cover both how to shape up your belly (your middle) and your book's middle too!


WEEK TWO


The Body

Oh, no! Is she going to make us do those dreadful crunches again?

No. Because crunches (or as we did in the "olden" days sit-ups) only target 1 area of the abdominal muscles when there are really 3 main areas that need work. The most important of which (if you're a mom) are the transversus abdominis muscles.

Ohh...but that just sounds terrible!

Don't worry, these are the same muscles you used to deliver those babies and now we have to get them back into shape. And for you historical writers, this is also what is known as the "corset muscle"!

Now, please note that we are only working one area of the abdomen today and that you really should work all 3 main areas to achieve that six-pack belly that we all write about on our buff heroes. But this lower abdominal area is one most often forgotten.

Exercises:


The Plank

Start on the floor on hands and knees and then down with your elbows touching the floor directly beneath your shoulders. Extend your legs back as far as you can, and keep the toes on the floor.

Slowly raise your hips up and hold yourself in this 'plank position' with your back completely flat. Then lower the hips slowly down to the mat. Repeat 15-20 repetitions.


The Lying Scissors

Lie on your back on the floor with your palms on the mat under your lower back and your legs outstretched.

Exhale as you alternately raise your legs up in the air with a slight bend in them. Inhale as you lower your legs back down to the floor.

Repeat for 8-10 repetitions.


These may seem simple and they are but to see results it takes time. With abdominal muscles, slow and steady wins the race. A little bit each day is your best bet.


**Warning/Caution** As with any exercise program be sure that you are careful to prevent injury and consult your physician before attempting if you've had a prior injury or surgery to this area of the body.


The Book


Now, that was the easy part. What about fixing up the middle of this book I'm working on? Ever get those "middle of the book slumps"?

You start off with a bang. You have your exciting ending all ready to go. But it is that middle that bogs down your story and makes your manuscript a candidate for the bargain bin instead of the best seller display.

My recommendation is that you take another critical look at your book and re-evaluate each scene in those middle chapters for the right amount of internal and external conflict.

What is external conflict?

An event that the character must face during the course of the novel that becomes an obstacle. These will be battles "outside" the character.


What is internal conflict?

These are dilemmas that the character must face inside himself or herself. These are the source of a character's true emotional reactions.


I've pulled all of the following examples from the movie P.S. I Love You. All of this happens in just the first 15 minutes of the movie. Imagine how many are present throughout the entire movie.

External conflicts:

• Small apartment
• Financial Trouble
• Holly's job unhappiness/changing jobs frequently
• Gerry's new business venture/taking out a risky business loan
• Parental conflict/Holly's mom
• The baby battle (when to start a family)

Internal conflicts:

• Gerry wants to “live in the moment”
• Holly is a practical planner to the point of being obsessive
• Her fear of abandonment causes her to pick a fight
• She's reliving the loss of her father
• He's trying to prove he's not her father
• The baby battle (when to start a family)
  

So, if you feel your book needs a boost midway through the journey. Ask yourself this question...

Do you maintain the conflict throughout your novel?

If your characters don't have both internal and external issues as the driving forces between them and every action they take (or consider taking) in every scene then your story will fizzle out about mid-book. And even if it picks the momentum back up and ends beautifully--you may have lost some readers along the way. Just something to consider.

Thanks for joining me for Week #2 of the Book & Body Boot Camp!

Until next week, I remain...

Middle-marvelously yours,
Kerri Nelson