Changes Are A Good Thing

I wrote more on my book series last night. Like I said, it will probably never get published but who cares?

This is my project and my adventure and I'm really loving the characters so far. Fun and mysterious. Classy and determined.

Journeys are subtle changes. These books are taking "change" and making that something real and unique for me. I'm feeling more alive and willing to embrace new ideas than ever before.

I've come a long way, baby. I'll definitely keep drinking from that cup, for sure.

Reflections In The Rear View

I'll bet you thought I was going to write something longer than one sentence, huh?

I did. I wrote three.

(I took this from Mike's corvette as we were going to get something to eat at Sonic)

Darkness Calms The Chaos

Normally, when you think of darkness completely enveloping you, your natural instinct is to be afraid.

Very afraid.

For someone with migraines and ADHD, the darkness is a welcome relief.

It's an overcast, yet oddly bright day here. We've just gotten back from taking my husband to a job interview. I sat outside the building and waited in the car for him and, while I was there, wrote some more notes about Book One of my series. I don't know where all these characters come from but I get a boatload of inspiration just by watching strange-ass people. That's always a welcome respite from trying to think up unique characters all by myself. :)

The brightness took its toll on my eyes and I walked in the house feeling completely and utterly drained. My head is about to pop yet my mind is going 100MPH thinking about my characters. My brain tells me to give it up and stop encouraging a No-Win situation. Go to the Lazy-Gurl chair and relax, it says.

So what am I doing at a computer, you ask?

Easy. My eyes have to stop but I can't stop the raging noggin junk. So I'll have to think out-of-the-box and find a solution.

(LATER)

I now have a sleep mask on and am in total and complete darkness as I'm typing. The spots are beginning to fade and I'm not being at all distracted by the cats, the computer screen with all the countless browser tabs I have going across the top, my husband's tank game which is really cool to watch or the TV which is playing a very interesting movie, Malcolm X.

Of course, there's nothing I can do about the multitude of sounds coming at me but, as I smell the cinnamon rolls baking, I get a sense of well-being amongst the chaos.

I think about my characters and their reactions to smell, sight and sounds. I think about their interactions with everyday life - cooking, cleaning, even having a cup of coffee or tea - and it brings my characters to greater substance.

It brings them to a breathing, living life.

The chaos is turning into something positive.

I read somewhere that if you pass a tree when your angry, does the tree bark change because of your anger? Does it become more joyful if you pass it by in a elated frame of heart? What chaos do you carry past the tree that REALLY changes it?

On the surface, nothing. The bark stays the same. The leaves don't turn brown and wither and die because you curse at it or pass by with the foul stench of worry or stress.

If you think about it a different way, the tree actually benefits from your anger. You produce more carbon dioxide - the stuff of life for any green thing. The more you produce for the tree, the greener and stronger it becomes.

Alternatively, if you die of stress and worry, the only benefit you've left in this world is a greener, healthier tree and not much else.

So, what do you do to control the chaos? Do you go anywhere? Do you let the chaos control you or do you turn it around and produce something constructive?

Share your thoughts!

I Heard From A Friend Today

I'll call her "R".

She is a wonderful person and I worked with her for well over 14 years at Sprint in Atlanta. I miss her smile and warmth and her upbeat attitude.

She reminds me so much of all my sisters rolled up into one person. Her ready laughter, her focus on the task at hand, her humongous heart.

It made me sad to hear that she almost lost her husband a few months ago to high blood pressure but happy to know that he's doing much better now. Always a good thing to never look a second chance at making a life change in the mouth and doing something good for yourself like getting the medication your body craves at a time you really need it.

I looked over at Mike who is happily playing a tank game on his computer (which, oddly enough, sits right next to mine). He's healthy as a horse, as they say, and I'm so glad for that.

I thought about how many hours he has sat in front of a computer playing one game or another and, for a while there, it really annoyed me because he wasn't paying attention to me.

I'm an attention-hog, don't cha know.

As I looked at him, I thought about all the laughter and play-acting we've done with all the games that we've played over the years. We have Nerf-machine guns for our "battles" in the house, we sometimes converse in World of Warcraft speak, and a lot of times, we're laughing at some stupid storyline or a stupid quest that we were required to do to get a stupid prize - like a flying mount or mechanical squirrel.

Life would be dull and lifeless without him in it. I'm sure "R" feels the same way about her man, too. It makes all the difference in the world when you find someone you hardly ever argue with, laugh at just about everything and wake up feeling good about the person you've become because of the person you're with.

Not too many people can say that, can they?

~~~~ Lynita

Dealing With Worry - The Sordid Truth

It was an interesting week. I have been offered a job and am filling out the paperwork now.

I don't have mixed feelings about the offer - it's a good one and I'm blessed to have the opportunity presented to me. Then why do I feel like my heart is missing?

I'll tell you why.

It's because while I have an offer for a full-time, permanent position with a good company, my husband will be out of work in less than a month. This hurts my heart.

Do I feel guilty? Yes. Yes, I do.

Do I want to choose joy instead of this feeling of trepidation like the other shoe is about to drop? Of course, I want to choose joy.

But how? How do I open my heart up to this and accept the goodness God has brought to us? I finally have benefits and can see a doctor. I have a matching 401(k) plan again. I have worked for a year as a contractor with with good people who have supported our search in ways you can't even imagine. Such good people!!!

God has given us brains and opportunities if we just look a bit closer and think about how we can get ahead again.

I honestly believe that so now I just need to learn to let the worry teach me to look for opportunities that work for our benefit.

Super Tasty Enchiladas - Recipe

 

I came in last night and decided to start on my enchiladas for today's meal plan.

The process is easy - but a bit time-consuming because that's the way I roll.



Super Tasty Enchiladas

Yield: about 12

ENCHILADA INNARDS:

1 medium onion
2 lbs of ground meat (I use an 80/20 mix)
1 package of spicy taco seasoning
1 package of Fajita seasoning
1/4 cup water

SAUCE:
2 cans of fire-roasted tomato enchilada sauce (it's savory & barely warm)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa or taco sauce

corn tortillas

TOPPING:
shredded Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup depending on how cheesy you want the top)



Step 1. Gather all your ingredients (listed below in the recipe) and put them on the counter.

Step 2. Heat your oven to 350.

Step 3. Chop your onion. Cook the onion for about 5 min then add the ground beef,.

Step 4. Drop in the 2 packets of seasoning, top with the water and cook well.

Step 5. While the beef mixture is cooking (remember to stir to keep the beef from sticking together while it cooks), prepare your sauce by combining 1 cup of sour cream to 2 cans of enchilada sauce (fire-roasted is best) and 1 cup of taco sauce (or salsa if you don't have the taco sauce). Mix well. (the sauce can be as spicy as you like.)

Step 6. After the beef cooks, remove the beef mixture from the burner and burn your corn tortillas. (I turn my stove eye up on high (or just below high) and quickly rotate the tortilla on the hot burner. This puts burn/scorch marks on them and make the tortilla soft and pliable in addition to adding flavor.)

SLOPPY PROCESS INSTRUCTIONS

Step 7. Cover the bottom of a lasagne pan or baking dish with a thin layer of sauce.

Step 8. Fill the tortillas and give a quick roll. Attempt to place the tortillas seam-side down in the dish and hopefully not spill any of the beef innards out of it. After you fill your pan up with those rolled-up puppies, then..........

Step 9. Spoon the sauce over the enchiladas. Make sure to wiggle the enchiladas around just a little to get the sauce in between them.

Step 10. Spread the cheese on top and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts really good on the top.

Remove from oven and ENJOY!

Leave a comment and let me know how you like them :)

Favorite Movies: The Color Purple

There are some nights after I get off work that I can't sleep. I work until 11:00pm so normally, I don't go to bed until 2 or 3 in the morning, get a few hours sleep and go back into work at 3pm. A couple of nights ago, I went to bed around 2am and turned on the TV. The Color Purple was playing and I immediately hit the "record" button, knowing I would fall asleep and not get to watch the whole movie.

The story is one I'm sure you're all familiar with - inseparable love, unwavering dedication and persistence over the long-haul of life has mysterious fate has chosen you for.

Each time I watch this movie, I'm reminded of many things from my past - most good and some very bad - but through it all, there's been one constant in my life that helped me out of some dark spots.

My family.

My sister, J, is a constant source of inspiration. She raised me and my brother while mom was working 2 jobs most times to keep us going. She's headstrong, passionate, dedicated and completely unwavering for her family. She is most definitely the wind beneath my wings and has brought me through a lot in my life. J is my guardian angel and I thank the Maker that she is in my life.

My family takes care of me everyday because not a day goes by that I don't think about the many events I've missed out on in their lives and how their words and actions inspire me to be a better person. I'm 48 now and have to say that my own family keeps my spirits up and they make me proud every day to be where I am in life.

Our circle is a tight one and I'm thankful to the Lord above that I have a family that surrounds me with song, joyful laughter and daily challenges to rise above. Hope you can say the same about your own. :)

Have a wonderful day!