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Title: | At the Starting Gate |
| Site URL: | http://atthestartinggate.blogspot.com/ |
| Feed URL: | http://feeds.feedburner.com/AtTheStartingGate  |
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| Description: | Sharing writing tips and insights I learned while writing & publishing my book including a few mind-boggling set-backs every now and then. Hopefully, someone new to writing & publishing can benefit from my trials & errors, and sharing.
© 2008 by Dell Girl |
| Tags: | WRITING, BOOK-WRITING, CREATIVE-WRITING, FICTION-WRITING, FREELANCE-WRITING, HOW-TO, ONLINE-WRITING, PERSUASIVE-WRITING, WRITING-SOFTWARE [ Add Tags | What are Tags? ]
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| Feed Last Updated: | Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:18:25 +0000 |
| Added on: | 04-Jun-2008 |
| Hits: | 30 |
| Rating: | N/A (0 votes) [ Rate this RSS/Atom Feed ] | Jordo Media is displaying this feed so that you can decide if you wish to subscribe to it or not. We are neither affiliated with the authors of this feed nor responsible for its content.
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- HOT, HOT, HOT! - Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:06:00 +0000
Well, this is what is's come to. That's me on the right side of the beach blanket. Next time I will definitely put on a jar of sunscreen, if there is a next time. It's hot as the dickens here in the blazing hot Texas sun. How is it in your part of the country? I hope your weather is treating you better than ours is.
- Do You Believe In Miracles? - Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:17:00 +0000
Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever been blessed with a miracle?
I do.
And, I have - - many times.
I've been reminded of a few things about miracles over the last year.
The first thing I was reminded of is this:
When you pray to God for a miracle, and you truly believe,
you need to prepare yourself for the unexpected.
Miracles don’t always look the way we want them to. I call it the "GOD-gives-me-a-present-with-a-green-bow-but-I-wanted-a-red-bow" syndrome.
Truth-be-told, miracles don’t appear the way we'd like, most of the time.
God has His own plans for us. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
- Life Happens - Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:52:00 +0000
It is no secret that I have been totally preoccupied for a good long while now. In fact, I’ve been distracted away from quite a few things. Sometimes I feel a twinge neglectful (of this blog) other times I feel as if I should just let it go completely. But, too much work has gone into it to do that.
Then realize that it’s okay. Life happens and it has to be “LIVED” when it does. Thank God it’s all happy stuff keeping me occupied and away from blogging more frequently.
Life and its daily rhythms carry on. Each day is filled, plenty of chaos, much to do, and lots and lots of love. I keep breathing – counting my blessings.
Thank you, friends, for stopping in to check on me, for not giving up on me because I’m not around much anymore. I love you guys. Thanks for hanging in there with me.
I wish you a…
Happy & Blessed Weekend!
- Wheew, what a month!!!!! - Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:33:00 +0000
 Here baby Jace is "rootin' around" for a weird position to get himself into, he won't be satisfied until he's twisted turned and looking like a little pretzel.
What a week - last week! No, what a month!!
June is over and I feel like I've been drug behind an 18-wheeler along 25 miles of bad country roads. Wheee-eeew!!! This has got to let up soon - - working on that. We took the baby to East Texas to visit the great-grandmothers June 6th, first time he's been on a day trip. We left that Sunday morning and came back Monday afternoon late. He has never been strapped in his carseat in the car for that long, 2 1/2 hours one way. Both great-grannies were soooo happy we finally were able to bring him to see them. He did really well... considering. We left with everybody happy grinning and satisfied we weren't lying to them that he was all-right and everything was going well. THEN!
The day after we got back he started a new growth spurt. Really! That meant excessive fussing, spitting up more than usual, gassy and passing gas, colicky, eating less than he normally does, acid-reflux (yea, you heard/read correctly, acid-reflux. I never heard of such a thing in babies...till now) spitting up, hungry, not eating much, fretful, restless, and on and on. Needless to say nobody got any rest, not anybody. But, little trooper that he is, he's laughing, playing, cooing, talking to us, responding to our silliness with great-big belly laughs and squeals of delight - - in between all the awful growing pains. He's a tough little fellow. It's not quite over yet, but we're working it out. We found a couple of techniques and solutions that help so, we're glad for that. The worse part of THIS growth spurt seems to be behind us and most of the stuff mentioned above is less intense and more manageable. Now we have July to look forward to and see what new baby things it brings with it. And so goes another month in the life of Grandma DellGirl and baby Jace. Ahhhhhh, the joys of Grandmahood.
- My Little Preemie, my how he's growing - Tue, 22 Jun 2010 01:59:00 +0000
 Just about the time a woman thinks her work is done, she becomes a grandmother.
~~ Edward H. Dreschnack ~~
Edward said that well. Remember the post I published when baby  son moved into his own apartment? The one about how I stood in the middle of the floor crying my eyes out because my baby had left home? Remember how I snivelled on and on about what I would do with myself? Well, those days were rather short-lived. I don't have to wonder what I will do next anymore. My days are happily filled: (not every day, just some of them) 9:00 a.m. - Jace makes his entrance for the morning. We spend a good portion of the time cooing and conversing about different and odd subjects, laughing and playing and enjoying each other's company. 10:00 - He's about ready to eat - - again. Then I rock him and burp him. 10:15 - He's asleep. 10:20 - Down for his nap. 11:00 - He's stretching and grunting. I never imagined someone so small could stretch soooo...( I told him he gives me "charley-horses" just looking at him stretch like that.) 11:02 - He's up and out of bed, ready to start the cycle all over again.
And so goes... another day in the life of dellgirl, the brand new Grandma.
- Busy, Busy, Busy - Mon, 10 May 2010 22:27:00 +0000
I haven't had time for blogging since the new year started. Too much going on, so much to do. Most mornings I hurriedly finish my personal and household chores. Then I wait... Jace is done with his bath so he slips into his Pooh robe and slippers. Other mornings he's content to chill on his boppy a while before his bath.  Sometimes he watches patiently while I try to figure out my new webcam.  At the end of every day we snuggle to wind-down and relax a bit before bedtime. And so goes a day in the life of dellgirl and her first grandbaby. AGG -- Ain't God Good!
~ ~ ~
- Bought Wit - Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:55:00 +0000
As a kid growing up, I heard "Bought wit is better than told…" often. I had no idea what it meant. I only know that it was used whenever someone did something they had been warned against doing. I can still hear it to this day, "bought wit is better than told." It rings loud and clear whenever my gut says not to do something.
By the time I married and had my first two children I had become the frugal little housewife/mother. Not much excited me more than finding a great bargain. I preferred garage sales and thrift shops over shopping at the big department stores. Coupons were like dollars to me, the more I had the better I felt. I couponed like a champ. Deep inside my frugality there was an innocent ignorance though. Little did I know that "cheap" was not the best criteria for judging if you had a good bargain. So, time after time when that "cheap" package of toilet tissue or that store brand of dish washing liquid ran out before I could get it home and put away, I still did not "get-it". Even when 4 cups of detergent didn't make suds in the washer, I couldn't go down without a fight. I switched to another "cheap" brand. Same thing. No suds. Had to use almost half a box to wash one load of clothes. It took a while, along with quite a bit of visual research - in other words, watching how other people's things did or didn't last. The real kicker was a bit of sarcastic humorous teasing from my brother. He laughed, talked, and joked for days about my "cheaply" pitiful paper towels, said they fall apart so badly I might as well take some dollar bills out of my wallet and throw them in the trash. After all this, something began to sink in - "this bargain hunting and frugal couponing is NOT working." Not being stupid, I gradually began buying quality name brands. It hurt my pride as much as it hurt my wallet to buy the three dollar and something (almost four dollars) 4-roll pack of toilet tissue so I said nothing - not to anyone. I noticed the difference immediately but, still said nothing. Instead of the usual three to four days that the cheap brand lasted, the name brand was still around three weeks to a month later. WOW, big difference - and savings ( didn't have to keep going back every few days to buy more cheap stuff. Same thing happened with the dish washing liquid. I drug myself kicking and screaming into the store to pay a dollar and something for dish liquid as compared to my usual sixty-nine cents. But, wonder of wonders, the name brand lasted a good two to three weeks. Cheap stuff? Only lasted four days. And, so it went, on and on, right? Each time I bought quality over cheapness -- quality won. "My bought wit"? - I paid the price and learned my lesson - the hard way. So, there it is… "Bought wit is Better Than Told".
- Detour Ahead! - Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:15:00 +0000
Many of life's detours are forced upon us by circumstances beyond our control --they are but cul-de-sacs along the way. They are not always something of our own choosing. Often these perplexing detours in life are not easy, but hanging in there when the going gets rough is the key. On any given day, life is full of "cross-roads", "side roads", and "back roads" -- that are either straight curvy, wide, narrow, smooth or bumpy. With that in mind we can't be so focused on one goal that all other opportunities in life pass us by. Life isn't always about taking the road less traveled. It is about making the most of and enjoying the road you ultimately find yourself traveling on. I've detoured around and through many cul-de-sacs in life. I've even parked in a few just to smell the blooming honeysuckle or to watch a flock of beautifully colored birds land chirp, chirp, chirp, and take off again into the wild blue yonder. I'm not where I thought I'd be now. I'm also not where loved ones might wish I were on this, my life's journey. I definitely am nowhere near where I believe God has destined me to be. I'm working on it, though. Many of life's detours are fun, but it may be time to take a side road back over to the trail to move toward a bit more inner peace. That road (to inner peace) may be long and very often it is convoluted and frustrating. Just for today, I choose to park in the cul-de-sac, and to be thankful for honeysuckle to smell, grateful I can smell them, glad to have a car to park, and most of all… I am prayerfully thankful for all the blessings God has bestowed upon me through all of life's detours.
What new and interesting things have you been doing lately?
- To Write or Not to Write - Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:29:00 +0000
Have you ever had to laugh when you wanted to cry instead? Or visa versa, burst into tears when you actually wanted to laugh?
Well, that’s where I am right now. I want to write. I want to write something, anything, just as long as I’m writing. Mostly my mind is blank. Then it's cluttered with hundreds of ramblings, bits and pieces scattered thoughts.
Nothing profound comes to mind, nothing exciting or interesting comes out. Not one single shareable thing shines through. Nothing makes its way to the blank page.
Well, that’s not the whole truth. Something does come to mind, but it sits there in the back of my head like a prisoner -- locked in a cell and can’t get out -- onto the page.
So, I’ll do the next best thing...sigh!
- Sunshine Blue Skies, Please Come This Way! - Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:50:00 +0000
I’m wishing for sunshiny weather some time this century; sunshine, freedom and a little pocket change. Wishing for sunshine is not going to get me very far, but buying a pretty new outfit might just brighten my mood a bit.
Well, so much for wishing for sunshine this week, the week is over already. Still...I wish for sunshine, clarity and direction. Today I am just pleased to be able to sit down and type something, anything – without having to think about what else I should be doing.
Have a happy Friday afternoon and wonderful Friday night everyone. May your weekend be happy and sunny.
We cannot control many things, such as the weather, the stock market, and, most importantly, other people. But, wouldn’t some warm sunny weather be great? I think I’m going to go outside and dance around in it – when it comes!
Who else is ready for some warm weather?
We are all fine here, just really really busy, a little water logged and wishing for sunshine.
- More Adventures of "Bit Mo' and the Man in the Moon" - Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:32:00 +0000
- A while back I told you about Mr. Papa Dellgirl and a project he contemplated finishing. Remember I explained how he verbalized his plans and how convoluted I found his process, how most of the time it seems "He don't bit-mo...know what he's doing...than a man in the moon?
Well, he started. He worked diligently two whole days, then he couldn't hold it inside any longer. I just had to go with him to "WITNESS" his handi-work in person, to see for myself how much progress he'd made. Credit-where-credit-is-due, he had done more in two days than I thought possible. Everything looked beautiful!
He lead I followed, smiling widely so he could see my reactions, as he pointed out each new thing he'd completed. I commented on how nice it all looked and made a big fuss about what a great job he'd done. His smile of contentment grew with each passing nod of approval. Finally, I noticed that old familiar swagger when he knows he's done something to please me and make me smile. He turned to leave the room, I stayed behind to peek into a couple of things he had not included on his tour.
On top of a stack of boxes, I saw the following,
As plain as the nose on your face, it says: "Deep Fryer - UP!" ((Arrow pointing UP for emphasis)). Meaning?! This side UP! It hit me again, "He don't bit-mo ... pay attention to stuff ... than a man in the moon!
- January is... - Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:15:00 +0000
January is the perfect time for new beginnings, it's the month to start fresh. January is also the ideal time to reflect briefly on what worked and what didn’t work over the past year. It is a good time to do a first check of how things are currently going and where you would like them to go from here. January brings renewed optimism for change, for a better life, for a better you. And that’s a wonderful thing. It’s wonderful, because this fresh start gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. It allows us to reinvigorate ourselves, to shed the baggage of the previous year and do something new and different. After all the planning for Christmas and New Years it’s pretty common if, come January, you don’t know what to do with yourself. No doubt your bank account needs a break from all that Christmas spending, but that’s no reason to be bored in January. For starters, you can watch the Bowl Games. Even if football isn't your thing, this is a great excuse for a party. Another excellent activity for January is reading. And my personal favorite is writing. Sunny January with its brisk cold days is a time when serious gardeners may begin to prepare the garden for the year ahead. The list is endless. In conclusion, here are some interesting and informative facts about the month of January. Did you know January is: 1. Cervical Health Awareness Month 2. Unchain a Dog Month
3. Time to plan rose planting season 4. National Blood Donor Month
5. National Hot Tea Month
6. National Eye Care Month7. Get Organized Month8. National Mentoring Month (NMM) 9. Raise Awareness for the Prevention of Birth Defects Month
10. National Bath Safety MonthSurprisingly, I only knew 3 of these facts. How many did you know? Please share, we’d love to hear from you.
- Happy New Year - Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:15:00 +0000
 Let this coming year be better than all the others.
Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time.
Call up a forgotten friend.
Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories.
Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep.
Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger.
Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.
~ Ann Landers ~
I hope 2010 proves to be your best year ever! May you enjoy friends, family, and financial blessings beyond measure. Happy New Year! ~dellgirl~
- Alpha, Bravo, Charlie - Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:49:00 +0000
I'm on the phone, paying bills. NO! Trying ... to pay bills.
Phone conversation:
Recording: (sweetly) "Good morning. This is X-Y-Z company. What is it you would like to do today? You can say anything, like change my address or pay my bill. So. What would you like to do?
Me: "Pay my bill".
Recording: "All right, you want to pay your bill. Please say your account number."
Me: "AC one zero five five five one zero".
Recording: "All right, that was...HZ one zero nine five five one four. Is that correct?"
Me: "No".
Recording: "Okay, let's start again. Say your account number".
Me: "AC One zero five five five one zero".
Recording: "AZ One zero five five nine one zero". (He got it wrong four more times,) the fifth time . . .
Me: (Screaming at the phone ... losing all my composure. Talking loud, shouting as if to somebody three blocks away, ears burning, pulse racing, voice raising to a fever pitch) ...
"No!!! No!!! No, that's not what I said! No!! I said my number a hundred times already and... you - doggonit!!! I hate this stupid phone system!!!! This is stupid!Stupid, stupid, stupid!!! Darned x-y-z company, silly stupid automated system!!!!!"
Recording: (Calmly cooly unruffled ... sweet as you please)...
"All right, you said you want to speak to an agent. Okay, an agent will be with you shortly. Please hold for the next available agent".
Me: (Chewing paper, spitting fire, ears burning, cussing like a dirty-mouth sailor...finally breathing deeply... trying to get a grip on myself). Rating the system?! It S-U-C-K-S! Period!
That sent me in search of Police Call Letters/Police Letters Alphabet. I hope this will end some of the frustrations of being mis-understood as I read numbers and letters over the phone.
I found the following:
A=Alpha B=Bravo C=Charlie D=Delta E=Echo F=Foxtrot G=Golf H=Hotel I=India J=Juliet K=Kilo L=Lima M=Mike N=November O=Oscar P=Papa Q=Quebec R=Romeo S=Sierra T=Tango U=Uniform V=Victor W=Whisky X=X-Ray Y=Yankee Z=Zulu Now I can happily say, "Alpha-Charlie-one-zero-five-five-five-one-zero" and have a better chance of being understood than before.
Lawdy, lawdy, lawdy, talking about frustration!
- Happy Thanksgiving - Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:48:00 +0000
May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
- 10 Tips for Stress-Free Christmas Shopping - Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:26:00 +0000
There are only twelve more days until December 1st and, most of our thoughts have turned to Christmas already. We have to buy presents for the children, our friends and family. Some of us might also have thoughts of the presents we will receive.
Now is the perfect time to get many things on your “to-do-list” completed. That way, you and your family can spend the last few days before Christmas enjoying family time. Now won’t that be fun!
For starters, the internet is an ideal place for gift shopping if you hate shopping in crowds. You can sit in the comfort of home and look for and find some truly unique gifts. Many have been released especially for this festive season and are reasonably priced. Some offer free shipping as an incentive to shop with them.
For those who plan to shop at brick & mortar stores, here are 10 Tips that will help make your Christmas shopping less stressful.
- Stick to your pre-planned budget. Many of us don't want to spend too little, but at the same time, we certainly don't want to spend too much on Christmas gifts.
- Shop during sales whenever possible, avoid huge overcrowded sales.
- Have each member of the family buy for a different person, rather than everyone buying for everyone.
- Do not try and make everything perfectly equal, just try to get things that are perfect for each person. One person's gift will naturally cost more than another, do not stress over this.
- Get batteries for items that need them and save your self that Christmas day stress.
- Wrap up some 'emergency presents' to have on hand when someone unexpectedly shows up with a gift for you. It can be as simple as a box of chocolates, personal care gift baskets, music or movie cds/dvds, etc. Attach a gift tag that reads: “To someone very special”.
- Dollar stores and discount stores are great places to find all kinds of toys, books and clothes that won't break your budget. Kids don’t mind, they just want to open presents.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- Take some time to pamper yourself. All the things that have not been finished yet or things you should be doing instead can wait.
- Choose to be happy as you prepare and shop for this Holiday Season!
I hope you find something helpful here. 
Happy Holidays!
- Flowers for you... - Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:41:00 +0000
Hi there, friend! It's good to see you.
How are you? What have you been doing? How's the family?
Come on in, have a seat, and make yourself comfortable.
Coffee's ready, how do you like yours?
Have a donut while you're at it, they're only fattening if you eat them alone.
Let me know what's on your mind, leave a comment. Please? You can visit this page anytime -- as many times as you want --like sometimes when I go and get myself lost and can't find my way back to blogland.
Holler at me, I'll follow your voice and find my way back where I belong.
- How to Make a Text Box Directions - Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:47:00 +0000
 by Sojourn
I wanted to give you the directions for making a text box myself but, last week was another unbelievably busy week. There was a funeral on Saturday for hubby's aunt, company for the entire weekend, a Bible class project for Monday & Tuesday, Bible class today (Wednesday), and all the regular stuff I normally have to do. Wheeeew, what a week!
So, without further adieu, I'm sending you to visit the site where I found the borders. The directions are easy to understand and apply. Scroll down to Solid Borders-HTML examples, choose the one you want, then copy and paste the code into your compose new message box. Replace the words "Your Stuff Here" with whatever you want to go inside the text box.
To make your own text box go to Sojourn's HTML Borders Backgrounds.
Good luck!
- How To Make a Text Box - Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:47:00 +0000
- This is a test. I'm trying to make a text box.
If this works, I will give credit where credit is due...after I figure out the dos and don'ts and all the details of how this thing comes out.
I'm headed to bed for now, will check this out in the morning, and if the box is here I'll finish up.
- Negative Insecure People - Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:52:00 +0000
- Last week I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for many years. We lost touch when we both married and moved. Excited happy and glad to have bumped into each other again, we took our re-union to the nearest restaurant to chat some more and catch up. Ten minutes into our meet-up, I realized why we hadn’t stayed in touch, why I hadn’t looked her up.
Every other sentence out of her mouth was a complaint or a negative comment. Her husband doesn’t treat her right, her kids don’t call and visit her as much as they should, her doctor doesn’t believe her when she says she’s sick, and on and on and on. Not one good thing spewed forth from her lips.
Twenty minutes later I glanced quickly at my watch, gasped for breath and, excused myself. I had to go. The whole encounter had me on the verge of a major depressive attack. It started me thinking about negative and insecure people.
I find that insecure and/or negative people are extremely needy and miserable people to be around. They are that way for a lot of reasons. Many insecure people may have been raised in a chaotic, unpredictable or volatile environment in which they were kept off balance, on guard or on edge. Some turn inward, becoming self-obsessed – “It’s all about me.” They typically have unrealistic expectations and sometimes unconsciously overcompensate for their poor self-image by thinking they're better than other people.
Negative/insecure people will often insult or bully others to make themselves feel better. They tend to be very defensive and cannot handle criticism. They usually find scapegoats for their problems, never realizing that they are causing the problems themselves. Also, they tend to point out the shortcomings of others, even if untrue, in order to cover up for their own perceived inadequacies.
In the end I concluded that “Not all insecure people are haters, but all haters are insecure people.”
What do you think happens to make them that way? Can anything be done for them? Do you know any negative or insecure people? How do you handle it/them?
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- Bit Mo' and the Man in the Moon - Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:41:00 +0000
- There was an old saying that started with, "He don't bit-mo"...
and, it ended with, "than a man in the moon!"
The saying had words between bit-mo and the man in the moon. Sometimes a few, sometimes more. But, the meaning was unmistakable. I didn't wonder about that old saying back then, never thought much about its origin, that is...until lately.
A few months ago mister papa dellgirl began to tell me his plans for completing a project that has been in the works for a long while. I listened patiently, nodded appropriately, grunted or sighed whichever response his confused ramblings elicited from my flabbergasted brain. He had it all planned out down to the last detail, every meandering syllable. Oh, LAWDY!
When he finished, I reiterated; just to be sure he knew that I heard and understood him. He nodded in agreement as I did my reiterating. Whereby upon concluding my reiteration I asked sweetly, "What are we going to do with X if we do it that way, Honey?"
You would have thought I hit him up side the head. His impatience with my inability to see his logic beamed through loud and clear.
"Dang, dellgirl. You sure do know how to make it hard for me, you didn't listen to a word I said."
Then it dawned on me. "He don't bit-mo know what he's doing than the man in the moon!
I've revisited "Bit mo' and the man in the moon" several more times since papa's and my conversation. I find that a good many people "don't bit-mo' know what they're doing or saying than a man in the moon!"
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© 2009 by Leona G. Shankle
- Dinner and a Movie - Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:08:00 +0000
Saturday September 19th: The shrill sound of the phone interrupts my concentration, on the adorable commercial about the talking pot-hole. Dang, I love that commercial! Baby son on the phone, I have to take this. I love hearing from that kid. He promised earlier in the week to pick me up and take me to his house.  " Hey, ma. How are you, what are you doing?" " Hey, yourself kiddo. I'm fine, not doing a thing. Just watching this cute little commercial. What's up?" " I'll pick up in an hour if you're ready." He said. I smile and respond, " I'm ready, see you in an hour."
Forty-five minutes later he rings the doorbell and I grab my purse and head for the door. The short trip to his house is shorter than usual as we chat, joke,and laugh the whole way. At his house, he opens the door to let me in while he gathers his packages from the car. I busy myself by looking around while he puts away his things. We finish at the same time and settle down to visit for a bit and talk some more.
" Ma, have you ever had shrimp tacos before?" he asked, springing to his feet. " Ummm, don't think I have, why?" I questioned. He's halfway to the kitchen before I finish answering, I follow wondering what he's up to. He removes foods from the fridge, places it on the counter and begins to prepare our dinner. While the shrimp boils, he chops and shreds lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. We talk a mile-a-minute as he works and in no time everything is ready. We take our food to eat and watch Twilight Zone movies. Naturally, we miss most of the movie - talking. Wow, the shrimp tacos are really delicious, very tasty! They are also rather filling, just one has me as-full-as-a-tick. Now that we're full we get quiet to watch a little of the movie. Too much stillness and quietness has us both nodding and dozing so I suggest that he can take me home whenever he's ready. That way he can get back home himself and get some much-needed rest. What a suprisingly wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon - making memories. Life doesn't get much better than this. RETURN TO TOP
- An Unplanned Absence - Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:38:00 +0000
Last week didn’t go quite the way I’d planned. It wasn’t the kick back and relax, blog hopping comment leaving week I had envisioned. It’s been a see-saw of nerve-tingling chaos and sleep provoking quiet around here. It has also been a gorgeously beautiful week; sunny, with mild temperatures mostly - - a very nice week indeed.
I’ve been on an unplanned break from blogging writing and everything else computer related. It’s good to be back but, the question is, what do I do after this unplanned absence? Update blogs and sites, visit friends’ blogs and chat with them? Write something profound? What? I have no idea. Let’s hope I am not 50 miles behind like I was last time an unplanned break waylaid me. But then, what can I expect? Okay, I’m behind. I’ll either catch up or I won’t. I have no desire to “ THINK” right now so I might need to continue this break for several more days - - to get my mind back into it. Since I've been offline most of the week, I am starting to feel like I might never get the urge to blog again. What a nice way to close out the week. I’m really looking forward to a more mellow and peaceful weekend ahead. Okay, enough moaning and groaning! I have a lot of visiting and catching up to do. Keep the porch light on, I'm coming.
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- Free Money - Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:27:00 +0000
I just redeemed Swagbucks for $5.00 cash...
just to remind you, they start you off with 3 swagbucks free for signing up.
And, I'm laughing all the way to the bank at how easy it is.
I simply search the internet at the SwagBucks.com home page. I find it easier to just go to the Swagbucks.com homepage and search from there. You also have the option to download a toolbar on your computer.
Try it, it is real; they pay you to search.
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- Up At the Crack-of-Dawn! - Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:45:00 +0000
That's 7:00am dellgirl-Texas time; crack-of-dawn somewhere. I grab my trusty old broom and dustpan and, get busy sweeping out trash and debris. Be sure to get behind that chair and under the desk really "good". Make the room sparkle and shine brightly for this glorious new sunshiny day.
A smooth flowing fine-point writing pen is my broom and a pretty new fabric-covered journal is my dustpan. The pen records the jumbled clutter that infests the corners of my sleep-filled mind. The journal, my dustpan, holds the brain-garbage I want to dump. Ummmm...maybe the journal is a trash can instead of a dustpan. Okay, okay! So, what is the purpose of these early morning journaling exercises? The purpose is to help me learn some things about myself. What exactly is it I am supposed to learn about myself by journaling at ridiculously early hours of the morning, when I could be sleeping? Well, I will learn what I like and what I don't like.  I started this so, I will continue with it. It certainly can't hurt, except to cause me to lose some sleep. What about you, do you journal? What do you think of the concept? Does it clear your mind of clutter? Does it help uncover anything you did not know on a conscious level? Does it open you up for greater creativity?
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