New School Year, New Habits

I've been trying to get myself and my son into greatly limiting the sugar in our diet and eating/drinking more healthy. We're doing pretty good and discovering new foods and recipes in the process! I'm enjoying cooking even more, and it's not boring having the same 10-15 meals twice a month:) Now, we are trying all kinds of new foods and dishes like Kale, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Salmon, and dishes like Cauliflower Pizza, Curry Coconut Chicken Meatballs, and Catalan Chicken with green romesco and spanish green beans. Now I'm taking a step even further and trying one of these weekly meal planner companies that you get to choose what recipes you want for the week and they send you the ingredients and the recipes to make it yourself! It's organic and about what I would spend each week for the grocery budget anyway. I'm getting my first shipment this Monday. We'll see how it goes:) . Quote of the day: "When you start measuring somebody, measure him right. Make sure you done take into account what hills and valleys he come through before you got to wherever he is." Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun. Scripture of the day: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."John 15:12

Future Generations

A lot of people believe in abortion, claiming it involves a woman's body so it should be her choice. Well that's not exactly true. It doesn't just involve a woman's body-it also involves a little baby. A fetus is still a baby, just not full grown. All you who are pro-choice, how about actually looking at what an abortion involves. Watch a film of what happens in an abortion. Have you ever seen a picture of a fetus? Get educated on what you're proposing. You have to be sick to think it is okay to murder little babies. You should be very grateful that your parents didn't believe in it or you might not have been born! That baby that you are aborting, or support aborting, if you give it life, could make a couple that can't have kids very happy. That baby could grow up to make a huge positive difference in the world. And here's a thought-if you don't want to have a baby, don't have sex! If you absolutely feel you have to succomb to your fleshly lust, then use birth control. Let's quit acting like killers and savages and start putting our future children first. God gives you blessings, don't murder the child he is giving you. Think what the world would be like without you if you had been aborted. Quote: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." Painter & Sculptor, Michaelangelo An extra quote for the day: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." "Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward." Psalm 127:3

Enough is enough!

Our country is in moral decay and crisis as it never has been before. It's time to take the blinders off and quit listening to the devil! Get a clue, people, those that are bent on listening to the crazy democratic party and all their inventive hoohah. Even the democrats can't agree on their platform and the main speakers, AOC and her 'squad' are a bunch of radical, racist terrorists! They've spoken out against white men as well as others, and are trying to crush America. Lately, the democrats are moving for population control as a means of curbing the 'bad things happening to society'. It's all crazy talk. President Trump has done more for our country in the last two years than anyone else in decades. He's not perfect, but then no one is. So come off your high horses all you anti-Trump people and start doing something positive to build up people and this country, instead of tearing people down and doing nothing to help this country. What have you done that makes you so perfect? No one is perfect, we all have our faults. Get your facts straight before you jump on the bandwagon and condemn someone who is trying to help our country. The media, who is backed by the democrats and people trying to destroy America, only tells what the democrats want them to say. Yes, Hillary, you included. Thank goodness for shows like Tucker Carlson, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle. At least we have somewhere to go to get the truth. One last thing, Democrats and democratic lovers, instead of politicizing tragedies like the shootings last weekend, why don't you pray and start encouraging people to get their faces out of their phones and start paying attention to the signs of people around them that show they need help. Maybe you can finally do some good and prevent some shootings. Start rebuilding America instead of condemning those that are doing just that. The quote tonight: "There are three kinds of people in the world-those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those that wonder what in the heck happened." Unknown author . So which kind are you?

The Heat Is On

As I recover from Breast Cancer surgery this week, I am trying to stay cool as we in the high desert face over 100 degree heat, as usual for this time of year. All I can say is thank the Lord it only comes 1-2 months out of the year! I'm trying to keep my attention on other things such as getting ready for the new school year, my writing, reading, and listening/learning the great and truthful information found on the Fox News station featuring Hannity, The Ingraham Angle, Tucker Carlson and others. Hopefully there is cooler weather coming soon in September! Quote of the day: "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you planted." Unknown

Survive and then thrive

Summer school is almost over and then the staff and I will be going to our old, temporary site to pack up and then move to the new permanent site (which the other teachers and I have only seen from the outside!) and start getting ready for the new school year to begin! I have been going back and forth with the idea of moving closer to work and into a better neighborhood while I await a future job transfer sometime this coming year, but all I've been going through this past year with my body (a mild stroke, brain surgery, critical car accident and a mild heart attack-now breast cancer), has given me thought to why should I deal with all that stress? I am just going to stay put. The neighborhood isn't that bad, the house I'm renting isn't the best but I can work with it, I think I'll just stay here, fix up what I can on the inside and in the backyard, and save my money for when I move, hopefully next summer. It will be a couple of hours away and closer to my daughter, her family, and my mom. It will be a better move and I'll be in better shape. For now, I'll try to take it easy and try to stress less. In a few months, I turn 60 and I want to live another 40 years or so, God willing. Until then, my quote: "Remember when pies were set out on the windowsill to cool, not to thaw?" Unknown

Busy Lives

It has just been so busy with getting ready and starting summer school, meeting and setting up my surgery schedule for the cancer tumor, and looking for a new home. I've been seeing some really nice places so hopefully I will be able to choose one, get approved, and start making final plans for a move-in date next month. I'm trying to pack up the house now before the end of the month when I have my surgery. I'm excited and looking forward to a new place in a better area. It will be closer to work so that's always nice. Wow, what a crazy 4th of July holiday! We had the earthquake on the 4th and then a bigger one the next day! This was the first in about 10 years though so that's not bad. Only the city where the epicenter was suffered some damage with the 2nd quake. A lot of people think that we have these big quakes all the time but we don't; this was the first in 10 years that we felt and the 2nd since the mid-90's. I can live with that. I don't understand the people that live in the tornado zones where they go through these disasters multiple times every year! Oh well, to each his own. Every state has it's own bad weather or negative circumstances they go through, whether it's hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, high humidity, etc. We learn to live with them. God bless us all and protect us.

Megadosing vitamins

As promised in my last post, I'm going to talk a little about megadosing with vitamins, particularly with vitamin C. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I'm determined to beat it-on my terms. I'm not going to use that old destructive go-to chemotherapy or radiation. I found out about megadosing with nutrients and how a positive plant-based diet (as much as possible) and vitamins (especially vitamin C) can make a person healthy and help stave off diseases and health problems. I began the other day megadosing my vitamin C, 15,000 mg a day after dinner; it's recommended to take 2,000 mg at a time every 6 minutes or so, rinse my mouth with water, and eat a little something like a piece of bread or a cracker to help keep the acid from settling in my teeth. I'll move to 30,000 next week when my bag of ascorbic acid arrives and I can mix some powder in juice instead of taking the pills. I go to see my oncologist for the first time next week so we'll see what she says about nutrient therapy. Either way, this is what I'm doing and we'll check on the mammogram at the end of July and see how it works. My quote: "The dream can work with team work." Unknown

Vacation time!

I haven't been around for a couple of weeks because I was out of town visiting family on my short summer break as a teacher. Back this week getting ready to start teaching summer school next week! I've also been dealing with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer. I'm not worried because I know my God is greater than anything Satan can throw at me. I did some research that I will go more into in the next post. I had a great time spending about several days with my daughter and her family and then on to spend a few days with my mom. Looking forward to moving later this summer just a little closer, hoping in the next year or so to move a lot closer when I'm ready to buy a house. For my quote of the day: "There are three kinds of people in the world. The first are those that make things happen; those that watch things happen; and those that wonder what the heck happened!" Unknown author

Hospitality

I came across a quote today that got me thinking about how true it is. I normally do the quote of the day at the end of my post but I'm going to do it first today because then you can relate to what I'm saying. "Some people make you feel right at home, others make you wish you were." The author is unknown but it reminded me of the importance of hospitality. When you have friends or family over to visit, it is important to make sure they feel welcome. A clean house, fresh cold (or hot!) drinks, snacks. These go a long way to making people feel comfortable and like you really wanted them to be there. You put in time to prepare for their visit. This is how you would want to feel so go the extra mile and bring the art of hospitality back.

Thank A Vet!

Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of D-Day, and for those that aren't aware of what it really is, it is an awareness of the Battle of Normandy, when the Allied Forces of Britain, America, Canada, and France attacked the German forces on the coast of Normandy, France. They gained victory and it became a turning point for World War II in Europe. So, say thanks to a vet for all they've done and continue to do for our freedom and the freedom of others! Today's quote: "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clear mind?" Educator/Author, Laurence S. Peter

Summer is here!

If the weather is any clue, summer is here! At least in Southern California. Temperatures have been in the 90's and 100's all week. Hopefully, it's not a trend that is going to last all summer. My favorite summer temp is about 75. If it could stay at that temp, I would be very happy:) At least summer means more outdoor time in the evening because of longer daylight hours, and that means more family time outside (at least on cooler days!) and trips to the beach and the lake. Trips to the mountains are a must; and it will be cooler. What is your idea of a great summer vacation? Today's quote: "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." Author, Robert Collier

End of Year Trips

Graduations, parties, and the end-of-the-year trips, all coming together in June and making it a very busy month! Most high schools have had their graduations by now, and 8th grade graduations are coming up in the next couple of weeks. Schools are having their senior and 8th grade end-of-the-year trips (I chaperoned our 8th graders to Magic Mountain last Friday!)and then comes summer school for some and preparation for college for others. Of course, there are those that are going right into career tracks and may have already been working at the job of their choice. There are so many different choices for young people that we are only limited by our imagination. The whole world is in front of you-go explore and make a positive difference in it! My quote for today: "Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours!" Author, Richard Bach (Johnathon Livingston Seagull)

Summer Weather problems

My heart and prayers go out to all those families who are being affected by the tornados and flooding, as well as hot temps. Here in Southern California, the temps are beginning to rise again, it was in the high 80's today. I am so grateful for air conditioning! I am still trying new recipes from the Cruise Control Diet plan and using healthy foods and cooking from scratch as much as possible. Today's meal was homemade chili and cornbread. It turned out really good and I have more than enough for lunch tomorrow :) That's my plan is to make enough for dinner so that I also will have sone for lunch the next day. Well today's quote is: "Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes." Cleric and writer, Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Cooking healthy and lovin'it!

So my son and I have been trying to eat more healthy and have been starting to ease ourselves into the Cruise Control Diet which allows us to eat a lot of great cool foods along with some of the ones we like and don't really want to give up! I'm a chocoholic and don't want to give it up but for the first month, starting June 1st, I'm going to go organic chocolate, or at least only eat the dark chocolate that is at least 85% or more cocoa. I am able to have 3 squares of chocolate for dessert up to 3 times a week during the first month, then I'll be able to have some of the delicious desserts on the diet like chocolate mug cake, cookies, and some of the other great-sounding foods. We can eat things, which we've already tried, like cashew chicken, enchiladas, expresso-rubbed steak, and lemon chicken kale salad. They were great! The book has over 50 recipes to choose from and gives a guide as to when to eat and what foods will help boost your metabolism. I'm also participating in the suggested intermittent fasting for 12-16 hrs. a day. It works for my schedule so I fast from 9pm-10,11,12,or 1 and then I can eat certain foods to snack on during the fasting time and start having my meals after my fast. I am also an avid tea drinker and am able to drink as much herbal tea as I want anytime. I use organic honey or Stevia to sweeten my tea and then I'm good. We'll see in a month how this goes. I'll let everyone know weekly how it's looking! My quote for the day: "The most rewarding things you can do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done." Golfer, Arnold Palmer

Healthy Living

Everyone wants to live healthy for the most part. My children and I are doing what we can to do just that. My son and I have been trying to cut out sugar (replacing it with Stevia and Swerve) and eat more vegetables and a few fruits but not too much since most fruits do have a lot of natural sugar! I always thought fruit was good for you but not if you are trying to lose weight! My son, of course, doesn't need to lose weight. He just wants to build up his muscles and put on a little more weight. We exercise and give ourselves some 'Me' time to do things we like, as well as doing things together. Most of all, we give time in our lives to our Lord Jesus. To honor Him in as much of our lives as we can. I'm also starting the Cruise Control Diet next week, which includes not only exercising and eating better at the right times of the day, but includes 16 hours (mostly during the night) of intermittent fasting. We'll see how it goes. I think this could be the way to go!

Memorial Day: The Gateway To Summer

Summer is almost here and plans are being made! My children and I are planning the first trip of summer to Las Vegas. We haven't been in years and are going to check out Circus Circus (which we have never checked out)! I also heard that Lake Tahoe's Zephyr Cove now is offering Airstream Camping and has them onsite to rent this year!! Great idea and something to think about for those that like camping but want to break out of that motel habit and get back to nature. They have cute little campsites with a bbq, firepit, and free s'mores kit. Can't ask for more than that! Oh, and my latest book, "Mana, Pa, and Me" is now available on Kindle for free (only a short time, then for $0.99) so check it out and let me know how you like it. So my quote of the day is authored by actress, Lily Tomlin: "The best mind-altering drug is truth."

New book!

As I promised yesterday, here is a snippet from the short story that I put on Kindle today and will be released in the next couple of days, I believe for a short time it will be free, then only $0.99! The book is called: Mana, Pa, and Me. " When I was five, Mana and Pa moved closer to the beach and into a park with lots of grandpas and grandmas. Mana said they didn't want to have so much to take care of anymore. We got to see them more often when we moved down. While Mom worked, Mana and Pa would pick me up after school and we would take walks on the beach sometimes. It was fun to skim rocks across the water at the inlet. I liked Mana and Pa's new house. Their park had two pools, a basketball court, and a clubhouse where Pa taught me how to shoot pool and play ping-pong. Some days we would go swimming and other days we would go shoot hoops. Pa and I would pick somewhere to stand and then aim and try to make a basket. He said I did pretty good for a little guy." So, I hope you all like the little teaser of what's to come. It is a short but sweet story that will captivate the hearts of many, young and old, so please get it, share it, and let me know how you like it. I will release one of my books every other month so keep watching! Thanks!

New Experiences

So here it is, time to release one of my children's books onto Kindle! It will be released Friday and is called "Mana, Pa and Me". It is a story based on my son's relationship with his grandparents and told from his viewpoint as he starts from toddler to teenager, up until his grandpa passes. It happened on his 14th birthday so this story is in memory of my dad. It's been five years and we still love and miss him terribly! The book will be free for a little while so I hope everyone checks it out and lets me know how they like it! I will post some parts of it tomorrow, before it is released, as well as parts from some of the other books I release in the future before their release dates. Hopefully, it does well. Time will tell. And now, for my quote of the day: "I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have, than have things I cannot appreciate." Writer/Philosopher E.L Hubbard

Busy Lives

Well, it's of course been longer than I expected since my last post. School is getting busier as we wrap up the end of the year, testing, meetings, and I was at the coast with middle-schoolers for Outdoor science Camp at Camp Keep: a wonderful environmental education camp for kids that our charter school, Learn 4 Life pays for and buses the kids there for a week. I just got back this past weekend, in time to enjoy Cinco de Mayo with some of my family and friends, and then start back to school. We only have 5 weeks of school left, prom is this week, graduation for high school is in 2 weeks, and then 8th grade graduation, and then school is out and we teachers take a one-week break before coming back to prepare for summer school! The publishing company I spoke about in my last post had a lot of bad reviews and wanted me to pay a lot of money for their services, which I found out through my investigative research, and also heard that they do not provide all the services they had told me I would get. Authors said they had a hard time getting the royalties they were promised, if they got any at all, and so I decided I wasn't going to take that chance. I'll continue working on my writing projects for Outskirts Press, Hallmark, and any others I may get. I heard something the other day that goes along with the quote I am going to add to today's post. A woman said go out into the world and be intentionally kind, not randomly. I thought about that and found this quote: "Allow me to be a blessing to you and allow yourself to be a blessing to others." The author is cancer survivor John Coonley. I couldn't have said it better myself:)

Recognizing Opportunities

God always is working on His plans for us and opens doors, shuts doors, but also tests us to see are we going to go our own way or recognize the doors He opens for us. I was contacted by a hybrid publishing house last week and have been talking with them. I'm flattered that they love my book published a few years ago and are interested in re-publishing my updated, revised version when I'm ready for that. They want to send it and me to the Miami International Book Festival in November for 8 days and give me an agent, among many other incentives. I'm taking a couple of more days to read over the material they are sending me before I make a decision, but I have to admit, it sounds good. This could be a door that the Lord is opening with the promise of great opportunities to come, or it could be a test to see if I'm going to just jump at what sounds like a great opportunity. I'm not going to make this decision lightly, definitely not without praying to God and asking for His help. Next week, I'll post the news about what was decided and upcoming events. "Doubt of whatever kind, can be ended by action alone." Philosopher and Author, Thomas Carlyle

Writing/Networking Trip

I just got back from a networking and writing conference in British Colombia, Canada a couple of days ago and had such a great time! The countryside was so beautiful. My sisters and I put together our own Hallmark movie locations tour last year and went up in May, meeting some various crew, cast, and producers for some of our favorite Hallmark Channel Shows, including the wonderful Lori Loughlin, Holly Robinson Peete, and Rick Fox. They were all very wonderful and invited us onto their set to watch some filming. This year, we planned our 2nd Hallmark Tour, visiting the set of 'When Calls The Heart',and a new Hallmark movie coming out this summer, meeting more producers, directors, and cast/crew, including the main cast from the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries series: Candace Cameron Bure, Marilu Henner, Niale Matter, Peter Benson, Miranda Frigon, and the wonderful director Martin Wood and producer Trevor McWhinney. They chatted with us, took pictures, and let us watch filming. It was great! Last week, we finished up the tour with a writing conference in Vancouver that was really great. I got more writing done, was inspired with the idea for an intriguing new mystery, and networked with publishers and authors from all over the world. Looking forward to a year of new opportunities! And now, for the quote I promised I would include with my posts: "I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot. . .and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed." Michael Jordan. And Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Thank you God.

Changing Your Life

Some people hate change and do all they can to avoid it; others love it and are continually inviting it into their life. I embrace change in all facets of my life. Life is always changing and can't be avoided. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not so good, but it always happens and you can choose to embrace it, or you can choose to whine and spend time trying to make it go away and return to what it was, but it never will go back. Change is like time, it only goes forward and never back. But as today's quote says: "You're one connection away from being able to change your life." Author, Larry Bennet. This can be in a positive way or a negative way. We may not be able to order God to bring us the opportunities and changes we want, but we can order the perspective we view those changes with and adapt our lives to them in a positive way. Matthew 12:35 says: "For the good person brings good things out of the good stored up in him, but the evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."Let's decide to bring out the good things.

Changes and Choices

I am going to start this and my future posts with a quote that is relevant to the post, then end with a verse. "You may have habits and daily patterns that are so much a part of your daily life that you may not recognize them as choices." Unknown Author Life can be usually so busy that we tend to go through it on autopilot some times, I know I do. But we need to realize that these are choices we make each day, what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Some things are things we take care of that must be done, like getting ready for work or school, other things are running errands or helping someone in need. When things need to be done, we can still choose how we want to do it and in what order or when we want to do it. Other things we can do are choices in a different way-we can choose whether we want to do it or not, and if we want to do it, we can choose how much we want to commit to doing. Breaking the pattern of when and how we do things can actually build more brain connections! So start building, but remember, it's always better to think before making a choice, and make it a good one. "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Matthew 7:13-14

Experiences That Humble

Well, it has been a life-changing couple of years! I am just going through a final recovery period after having TWO close-to-death experiences this past year! I suffered a stroke last spring and had to undergo brain surgery. It was successful but took me a couple of months to recover due to infection and allergic reactions to the two medications I was given. As I completed the therapy and was nearing total recovery, I was t-boned by a speeding car and it was back to the hospital last summer! I had fractured almost everything on my left side and required two surgeries. I now have metal rods in my left leg and screws in my hip and ankle. I have been going through eight months of rehabilitation therapy so far, and will now continue on my own until I can complete my total recovery and hopefully be moving and walking normally before all these events. While I was in the hospital beginning rehab from the car accident, my mom was undergoing lung cancer surgery in another city. It was very difficult for me to not be able to be with her and helping support her because I was in the beginning stages of my own recovery three hours away. My mom has recovered well and is still cancer-free to this day, but this past year has truly been a time and season of humbling and stretching my faith in God. Many prayers were lifted and I have become even closer to Him. I know there was a reason for it all, even if I don't understand why. My give Him all the credit for saving my life and healing me. It was a year of big changes and events. I changed schools and companies. I'm now with Learn 4 Life and love them! The service and care they show toward the families they serve, the staff they employ, and the communities they support, is just beyond imaginable. Through both of my health issues, Learn 4 Life was there for me. They supported me and kept my job open for me to return to as soon as I was able. My son and I also moved across town after my stroke, so we dealt with settling into a new place as I began my recovery three days out of the hospital and into a new house. I wouldn't have been able to do it without God in my life and the support of my friends and family. It has been a long and difficult road but I'm looking forward to what He has for my life this coming year. He is moving in our lives and I sense big changes coming, but in a positive sense this time! But that is a story for another time!