What I Think About Those Who Steal

     To the person who took my son's wallet in California, I hope there is a special place in hell for thieves. I place you only one step above child molesters and abusers. To take something that someone else has worked for through no blood, sweat and tears of your own is on a lowly level all its own.
     Through the years I and we, meaning myself personally and my family have been the victims of theft of different kinds, bikes, cars broken into, a stroller taken from our car, some idiot went so far as to steal my son-in-laws scriptures out of his car. Can you imagine?! They were from him mission and had been thoroughly marked, he was very disappointed and upset.
     It isn't even the value of the items that have been taken as it is the sense of violation that you feel when someone steals from you. Although, I have to add that my hubby and I were actually insulted by the fact that when we had a small family, four kids, someone broke into our house and took nothing, not even our 13inch black and white TV. All they did was smash my daughters piece of bread onto the coffee table. What?! our stuff isn't good enough for a thief?  The nerve.
     My son doesn't even care about the $25.00 in his wallet, it is the hassle of replacing all the stuff, drivers license, ATM cards, credit cards, gym membership cards and all the other junk you carry and don't think about. Couldn't they have just taken the money and left the wallet? That would have been the nice thing to do and it would have given the thief a touch of redeeming value, but no. What a hassle, he had flown to Cali, and had no ID to get back home so he had to go the the DMV for a temporary license and then had to answer a ton of questions by the TSA to get back home, not to mention the complete physical, I mean pat down he had to endure.
     Like I said, I hope there is a special place just for thieves and I hope it's hot and uncomfortable there.

Why I Love Morning Time

     At the risk of sounding like a bad mom, I have to say that the absolute best moment of my day is when the kids leave for school. It's like the three pointer that swishes into the basket at the buzzer, or getting something for free that you weren't expecting, or maybe even winning the lottery, though I have never won the lottery, I'm pretty sure it would be a great experience.
     I love the sound of silence that echoes through the house. I'm never truly alone in my house, ever, but I like to pretend I am. I like to think that I'm all alone and I can do whatever I want.
     People have told me through the years, enjoy them while they're young, they grow up so fast and it's true they do grow up really fast, however we replaced the grown up ones with new babies so I have been trying to find solitude for over thirty years. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Now that my baby is in second grade and there are no new babies that I am responsible for I can take a deep breath and just think.
     Of course when the grandkids come over it's party time. I love being able to hug, kiss and smell them and then send them home with their parents, It's the best of all possible worlds.

The Things I've learned About Writing

     Since last April, when I posted the first chapter of Into the Darkness, I have learned so much about writing and about myself. I thought I would share a few observations. I only intended to put the first chapter on to see if anyone even liked it. I had so many people ask me for more I thought I would just put on the next one or two chapters, after all it was a work in progress not a finished book. I soon felt pressured not to let the readers among you down so I kept going. It was like working under a deadline, which is very contrary to my nature. I like to procrastinate until I'm in the mood to do what ever. That's probably why it took seven years to finish my first book.
     I also learned how hard it is to write and put out a chapter for everyone to see when all you have is a basic plot idea. Writing is complicated, especially doing it this way because you have to make sure that all your foreshadowing in done properly and is in the right places. So far the foreshadowing is turning out okay, which I attribute to good luck rather than talent. I got lucky that my plot followed along.
     I also learned that many people have short attention spans and if they can't read it all in one or two sittings they lose interest. That's okay. I also learned how many of you are readers and that makes my heart glad.

Why I have decided to self-publish my books

     When I started writing my first book, the thought of publishing it was the last thing on my mind. I really just wanted to see if I could finish something that made sense. It took me seven long years and the book is about 440 pages, but I did it. By the way, it's not Into The Darkness. My first book is called In The Shadow Of The Mountains, and it's a western romance. Into The Darkness is considered paranormal romance. Any how, along the way I found out that a good friend of mine in my old ward in Califorinia was a writer and a published one at that. I found her book on the shelf at Walmart. Hello Bronwyn. She's the one who introduced me to Romance Writers of America. I have been going to meetings ever since and have learned so much.
     My,oh, my how things have changed over the years. It used to be you had to wait for "the call." That was when an editor, or an agent called and wanted something you had written. If you were lucky they published it, if not you spent forever revising and rewriting and they rejected it anyway. You can rewrite and revise forever and never write another original word. Even if they didn't make you do all that, it was sometimes two years before you saw your book on the shelf. It took forever to make any money off of your books and there was always the issue of "creative bookkeeping" Many writers felt they weren't treated with the respect they deserved. Publishers need writers just as much as writers need publisher.
     Here we are today when a writer can fore go all of that and put their work up for sale on the internet and start working on something new. The pay is straightforward, sell a book get your percentage the next month. No marketing, printing or agent fees are taken out. Writers are making more money doing their own thing than what they made with traditional publishers.The big six publishing companies in New York are now realizing that they may have made some serious mistakes in not treating the hand that feeds them a little better because all of the sudden a lot of talented writers are not submitting. Even previously published authors are self pubbing.
     Will there be bad books by untalented writers on the internet, of course, but there were bad books published traditionally also, and if a writer gets enough bad reviews people will eventually stop buying there books.
     My goal is not to get rich, I would just like my books to be enjoyed by family and friends. And if a few others stumble upon them and like them, that would be awesome. So I am all for putting my work out there and seeing what people think, good or bad.
     All of you that have read, commented, made suggestions and pointed out typos and rough patches in my story have been invaluable to me. Thanks for your help and encouragement. It means the world to me. Now to move forward, put my books out there and start a new one.  :)
   
    

I'm glad I'm Not A Teenager Anymore

     Growing up is hard. We were reminded of this this weekend when my daughter and two of her friends went for job interviews at Lagoon. They were interviewed by three eighteen year olds. What's up with that?
     The hardest part was that two of them got hired and one did not. My husband, who is a total softy had to listen to the girl sob all the way home. It was really hard for him.
     They asked the girls three or four questions and then either hired them or not. The girl who was not hired said the guy told her she wasn't friendly enough and she didn't really dress properly for the interview. What? These are fourteen year olds, applying to sell hot dogs, not work in a law office.
     The saddest part is this girl's parents are divorced and there's not a lot of money for extras. She really could have used that job to buy some things for herself without burdening her mom. 
     This wasn't even my daughter, but I feel like chewing someone out. The devastation to her self-esteem was visible and heartbreaking. It's the Libra in me that cries, this isn't fair and it should be, but life isn't fair. And life goes on. And I have to say, that I have learned more from the disappointments in my life than I have from the successes. 
     Hang in there kiddo, life isn't fair and soon you will see that just because you didn't get a job hocking hot dogs and selling soda, doesn't mean you're not able to do something better.
    

Into the Darkness, part two?

     I know you all are thinking I dropped off the face of the earth today. What, no blog?! I have been writing like a mad woman today trying to finish Nick and Mia's story. They are hounding me to "get r done."
     A few of you may have seen the comment on FB, that I am thinking of doing a sequel of "Into the Darkness."
If this is something you might be interested in would you let me know. I am thinking it would take place a few years later and be centered around a series of murders that Mia sees in her visions and tries to help Nick and Wayne solve. I haven't worked out all the details yet, but I am intrigued by the idea.
     What do you think?

I Wonder What You All Think About This?

      I found this fascinating and educational, so I thought I would share it. I am ashamed to say that I only had heard of two of these people.The original post had pictures of each of the Czars but I couldn't get them to post. I would love to know your thoughts on this good or bad.

IN GOD WE TRUST 

There are very few of us who know just what all of Obama's Czars do, as they quietly go about their "work" in the nation's capital. This listing of their names and job descriptions should be educational to all Americans, no matter what your political leaning. See who they are and realize what they want to do:


Richard Holbrooke -  Afghanistan Czar
Ultra liberal anti-gun former Governor Of New Mexico . Pro-Abortion and pro- drug legalization. Wants to dissolve the 2nd Amendment


Ed Montgomery - Auto recovery Czar
Radical anti-business black activist. Affirmative Action and Job Preference for blacks. University of Maryland Business School Dean ; teaches that US business has caused world poverty. ACORN board member. Communist DuBois Club member.


Jeffrey Crowley - AIDS Czar
Radical Homosexual. Gay Rights activist. Believes in Gay Marriage and a Special Status for homosexuals only, including complete free health care for gays.


Alan Bersin - Border Czar
The former failed superintendent of San Diego . Ultra-Liberal friend of Hillary Clinton. Served as Border Czar under Janet Reno - to keep borders open to illegals without interference from the Federal government.


David J. Hayes - California Water Czar
Senior Fellow of radical environmentalist group "Progress Policy". No training or experience in water management whatsoever.


Ron Bloom - Car Czar
Auto Union worker. Anti- business & anti- nuclear. Has worked hard to force US auto makers out of business. Sits on the Board of Chrysler which is now Union-owned. How did this happen?


Dennis Ross - Central Region Czar
Believes US policy is the cause of war in the Middle East . Obama apologist to the world. Anti-gun and completely Pro-Abortion.


Lynn Rosenthal - Domestic Violence Czar
Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Vicious anti-male feminist. Supports male castration - imagine?


Gil Kerlikowske - Drug Czar
Devoted lobbyist for every restrictive gun law proposal, former Chief of Police in liberal Seattle WA . Believes no American should own a firearm. Supports legalization of all drugs.


Paul Volcker - Economic Czar
Former head of the Federal Reserve under Jimmy Carter when US economy nearly failed. Obama-appointed head of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board which engineered the Obama economic disaster to US economy. Member of anti-business "Progressive Policy" organization,


Carol Browner - Energy and Environment Czar
Political Radical. Former head of the EPA - known for anti-business activism. Strong anti-gun ownership.


Joshua DuBois - Faith-Based Czar
Political Black activist. Degree in Black Nationalism. Anti-gun ownership lobbyist.


Cameron Davis - Great Lakes Czar
Chicago radical anti-business environmentalist. Blames George Bush for "Poisoning the water that minorities have to drink." No experience or training in water management whatsoever. Former ACORN Board member (what does that tell us?)


Van Jones - Green Jobs Czar
(since resigned). Black activist with strong anti-white views. Member of American Communist Party and San Francisco Communist Party. Said George Bush caused the 9-11 attacks and wanted Bush investigated by the World Court for war crimes.


Daniel Fried - Guantanamo Closure Czar
Human Rights activist for Foreign Terrorists. Believes America has caused the Global War on Terrorism. Believes terrorists have rights above and beyond Americans.


Nancy-Ann DeParle - Health Czar
Former head of Medicare / Medicaid. Strong proponent of Healthcare Rationing (i.e. "Death Panels"). She is married to a reporter for The New York Times.


Vivek Kundra - Information Czar
Born in New Delhi , India . Controls all public information, including labels and news releases. Monitors all private Internet emails. (HELLO?)


Todd Stern - International Climate Czar
Anti-business former White House Chief of Staff. Strong supporter of the Kyoto Accord; pushing hard for Cap and Trade. Blames US business for Global warming. Anti- US business prosperity.


Dennis Blair - Intelligence Czar
Retired US Navy. Stopped US guided missile program he described as "provocative". Chair of ultra-Liberal "Council on Foreign Relations" which blames American organizations for regional wars.


George Mitchell - Mideast Peace Czar
Fmr. Sen from Maine Left wing radical. Has said Israel should be split up into "2 or 3 " smaller more manageable plots". (God forbid) A true Anti-nuclear anti-gun & pro homosexual "special rights" advocate


Kenneth Feinberg - Pay Czar
Chief of Staff to Ted Kennedy. Lawyer who got rich off the 9-11 victims payoffs (horribly true).


Cass Sunstein - Regulatory Czar
Liberal activist judge who believes free speech needs to be limited for the "common good"; essentially against the 1st Amendment. Has ruled against personal freedoms many times on private gun ownership and right to free speech cases. This guy has to be run out of Washington ! ! !


John Holdren - Science Czar
Fierce ideological environmentalist, Sierra Club anti-business activist. Claims US business has caused world poverty. No Science training.


Earl Devaney - Stimulus Accountability Czar
Spent career trying to take guns away from American citizens. Believes in Open Borders to Mexico . Author of statement blaming US gun stores for drug war in Mexico .


J. Scott Gration -  Sudan Czar
Native of Democratic Republic of Congo . Believes US does little to help Third World countries. Council of foreign relations, asking for higher US taxes to support United Nations


Herb Allison - TARP Czar
Fannie Mae CEO responsible for the US recession by using real estate mortgages to back up the US stock market. Caused millions of people to lose their life savings.


John Brennan - Terrorism Czar
Anti CIA activist. No training in diplomatic or gov. affairs. Believes Open Borders to Mexico and a dialog with terrorists and has suggested Obama disband US military.


Aneesh Chopra - Technology Czar
No Technology training. Worked for the Advisory Board Company, a health care think tank for hospitals. Anti-doctor activist. Supports Obama Healthcare Rationing (i.e. Death Panels) and salaried doctors working exclusively for the Government Healthcare plan.


Adolfo Carrion Jr. - Urban Affairs Czar
Puerto Rico-born Anti-American activist and leftist group member in Latin America . Millionaire "slum lord" of Bronx , NY . Owns many lavish homes and condos which he got from "sweetheart" deals with labor unions. Wants higher taxes on middle class to pay for minority housing and healthcare.


Ashton Carter - Weapons Czar
Leftist. Wants all private weapons in US destroyed. Supports UN ban on firearms ownership in America. Has no other "policy".


Gary Samore - WMD Policy Czar
Former US Communist. Wants US to destroy all WMD unilaterally as a show of good faith. Has no other "policy"

"We are fighting for nothing less than a new foundation for our country, and that work is not complete."  Barack Hussein Obama.
 

My One Year Blog Anniversary.

     Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of the beginning of my blog. I started it one Valentines day and my goal was to blog Monday through Friday for one year. I know I missed a day here and there, but considering the total chaos that is my life I think I have done a pretty good job. I missed a couple of days when we were on vacation and once when I was sick, but other than that I accomplished my goal.
     I want to thank all of you who have supported me with comments here and on Facebook, you don't know how much I appreciate you. I had to laugh the other day when I went back and found the beginning chapter of Into the Darkness and I stated that it was a short story I was working on. That short story is now close to 100,000 words long. I guess I just can't write short, at least not yet. I'm working on it. I also got a chuckle out of some of my older blogs. In some ways life has changed for us and in others it is exactly the same.
     So here I am on the eve of my blog anniversary and I am wondering, are you all sick of me yet? Or should I continue my witty observations of life? There really should be a sarcasm font on our computers, don't you think? I hope you all have a great day and thanks again.

Happy Friday!

     Happy Friday! What are your big plans for the weekend? We don't really have any except the usual stuff, basketball practice, basketball games for our boys and basketball on TV and basketball at the stake center for the men. This is because of my hubby's new calling. I will be a basketball widow this weekend. What a shame. Can you hear the sarcasm dripping off of those words.
    We are having a birthday party at our house on Saturday for my little granddaughter, Lyla. She turned five recently and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. I don't know how time goes by so fast. All these little grandbabies just keep getting older and older and they are dragging me right along with them. :( 
     My personal plans for the weekend are to write, write and write some more. All in all, a good time will be had by all. I hope your weekend is just as fun, restful, productive, happy, wonderful and great.

My New iPhone Is Here!

     I got my new iphone yesterday. I am excited and I feel like I am moving with the times. I can't wait to get a few cool ringtones and put all my music on it. I'm really excited that I can access Deals to Meals on it because I always seem to forget the prices that I was sure I would remember when I looked it all up at home. I do a lot of price matching. I have all kinds of apps I've heard of that I want to download, like organizing apps and goal setting apps. I can read blogs on it when ever I am stuck waiting somewhere. I can put a few books on there from my kindle. It will be great as soon as I can figure out how to work the thing. :)
    

Mourning for Valentine's Day Togetherness, Not So Much.

     I just realized that my hubby will once again be gone on another one of those special holidays that couples are supposed to be together on. Yes, Valentines Day he will be eight hundred miles away in California. That means no flowers, no candy, no going to dinner or a movie together, no doing any of those fun things that most folks do.     
     On the bright side when he goes to California I get to talk to him on the phone. It's the one and only time I am guaranteed to have his full attention, at least for a few minutes. When he is here, I have to compete with whatever sport is in season and my son Kyle, with whom he discusses every team, every game, every injury and all the other stuff that goes with having two sports fanatics in the house. I keep telling myself that some day Kyle will move out (he is almost 22) and I will be able to get the hubby's attention again, but I see danger ahead, because now my ten-year-old Ryan is getting in on the action. That means at least another twelve years before I can wiggle my way into his line of vision. Did I mention that I have a son even younger. If he follows down the same path I will be a senior citizen before I have him all to myself again.
     Thank goodness I have those precious moments on the phone with him. I call and say, "How is your day going."
     Followed by about five minutes of gripping about all that has gone wrong and then I say, "Are you going to be putting more money in the bank?"
    "I just put money in the bank yesterday."
    "I know, but it's gone and I need more."
    "You're my most expensive child," he sighs. "I'll see what I can do."
     I know it doesn't sound like much of a conversation, but it works for us. I figure as long as he keeps me supplies with money, I'll let him have his sports.
    

A Reunion In Heaven

     By now everyone who knows about the Susan Powell case knows it didn't have a good ending in any way shape or form. As if it wasn't tragic enough that a young mother in the prime of her life was taken away, now the deaths of her two little boys has left all of us asking why and what more could we have done?
     We try to have faith in the justice system to make sure that those who are victimized and those who can't defend themselves have someone to stick up for and protect them, but even with the best of intentions, terrible crimes occur. I believe the those in charge of this case did the best they could within the letter of the law.
     I believe, and this is my personal opinion, that Josh Powell was a narcissistic personality with sociopathic tendencies. Which basically means that he couldn't care less about anyone else's needs as long as his were being met. Susan's friends have said that she wasn't happy and was talking about divorce. If she had left she would have undoubtedly taken her sons with her. Leaving Josh alone. She disappeared and has never been found. Josh's in laws were given custody of his sons after his own father, who he was living with, was found to be in possession of child pornography. The tension between Josh and his in laws was intense. I believe that the straw that broke the camels back was the fact that the boys were getting older and since Josh had lost custody he knew the boys would sooner or later reveal what they remembered of the night Susan went missing. His house of lies was about to come tumbling down. His last act on earth was the most selfish of all. Josh made sure that if he couldn't have his boys, no one else could either and he took their lives.
     The only sliver of peace to be found in this whole event is that those of us who have faith, believe that those beautiful little boys are now in the loving arms of their mother and Josh Powell can no longer hide behind his lies.
     Rest in peace Susan, Charlie and Braden. Our thoughts are with you and our prayers are with the loved ones that are left behind.

Our Broccoli, Cheese and Potato Soup

     My daughter Kristin has a recipe for broccoli, cheese and potato soup that is really good, so of course we had to change it up and make it better (more fattening.) I thought I would share it with you because it is so easy and so delicious.
     1 package of frozen broccoli
     10 cans of cream of potato soup (adjust to your size of family)
     1 slice ham (the ham steak in the meat department) We cut the ham into small pieces and browned in in a pan, but you don't have to. You can add it without browning it.
     Milk
     Heavy whipping cream
     Cheese
     We added the ham and heavy whipping cream. :)
   
      In a large soup pot put in the broccoli and barely cover with water. Heat until boiling. Don't drain
     Add cans of soup. Add milk, I didn't put an amount for the milk because we like our soup thick and creamy. I add about two cups. You can add more if you like thinner soup.
     I add about a cup of heavy whipping cream.
     When it is hot add a cup or two of shredded cheddar cheese.
     You can skip the heavy cream and use milk, but the cream gives the soup a creamy texture that you won't get without it. How many times can you use the word cream in one sentence. :)
     Serve when hot.
     I usually have hot buttered french bread with it. It is also great in bread bowls. This is tasty on a cold winter night. And it is fast if you are busy with kids and activities.

  

Let's Stop The Hate And Focus On The Issues

     I saw a movie a long time ago where two men were talking about union vs non-union workers and the fighting between them that was going on. One man said to the other, "As long as they are fighting with each other they won't notice what we are doing." Then he smiled a really evil smile.
     I can't help but think of this when I see people on TV, or read in the newspaper, yesterday I even saw a pin on Pinterest, that was so hostile to Republicans it surprised me. I know it goes both ways. The democrats hate the republicans and the republicans hate the democrats, but why? I can have a different opinion without hating some one. That's why we vote, majority rules, remember learning that in elementary school. After voting in class on rather we should have an ice cream party or a pizza party we didn't hate our classmates if we lost.
     This brings me to my point. Are our elected officials trying to flame the fires so we aren't paying attention to what they are really up to? I can't figure out why all of us aren't kicking all of them out of office in droves, dems and repubs. What have they done for us lately but mess up what once was the most powerful and most respected nation in the world. They are spending money we don't have and forcing all kinds of legislation down our throats that we don't want. What is up with that? Why isn't anyone saying anything? Are we too busy to pay attention or are out elected officials using the smoke and mirror trick to keep us from knowing what they are really doing? I had to ask because I am concerned that we are headed down a long and dangerous path that we may not be able to get back from. And our children are going to pay the price.