Little Cars?

Today I saw an old man driving a car that was much too little for any person – let alone a grown man – to be driving. It was one of those European looking cars that appears to have been put through a car press. Strangely enough, the man seemed to fit into the car, though he didn’t appear to be squeezed in with any sort of comfort. When I say he was old, I simply mean that he sported a full head of white hair, had lines on his face that could easily hide a couple days worth of dust in the dessert, and he hunched over in his seat, if only slightly (however, I suppose that may have been due to the size of the vehicle.).
My first thought as I saw him drive down the road was, “That’s a funny little car.” This was followed closely by, “He doesn’t even fit,” and, “I wonder who the shmuck was who conned him into buying such a ridiculous mode of transportation.”
Now before you regale me with concerns, please keep in mind that I live in Wyoming. We are a meat and potato kind of people. Very few of us know what brochette is let alone have ever tried it. Also, keep in mind that I live in the windiest part of the world imaginable. (Ask anyone who’s ever been here.) If the wind isn’t blowing at least 20 mph, you probably haven’t woken up from whatever drug enhanced sleep you’re in. And usually it’s blowing much harder!
Beside’s that major concern (and yes, I am concerned because it looked like he would either blow over at any moment, or that someone would squish him like a bug.) And he did look like a little bug on the road. He has this little bitty car and everyone else is driving half ton diesels or big SUV’s. If he were to be in an accident in that little thing, there’s no way he could walk away undamaged.
While I’m sure they are more environmentally friendly, I wonder what kind of sales tactics the salesman must have used on the man. Not only that, did the man know any better and the salesman simply took advantage of him? Either way, I’m kind of grumpy about it. This is not the sort of car that older men around here drive. I don’t care where they are from. Most of them like something reliable, comfortable, and durable.
So the question is still haunting me, why does this man have this little car?
Maybe he’s really a white-haired 20 year old.

Goodies Control Traffic Lights

Why is it that whenever I seem to be running just a couple minutes late, I get all the lights red? You know those days when you try to squeeze just a couple more minutes out of an already action packed day? I’ve been having more and more of these lately.
The other day, after I dropped the girls off at school at 8:30 am, I went home and exercised. I took a shower, did my hair and make-up, made dinner, and barely had time to eat a bite before running out the door 2 minutes later than normal. Just TWO! I personally thought that was pretty good.
Then, of course on the drive into town, I happened to hit every single light just after it turned red. ANNOYING! If that wasn’t enough, everyone else in town seemed to be driving somewhere, too. Now I understand that I am the only person alive who has anywhere to be at 11 am, but come on!
On top of driving slow, everyone must have thought the roads were too slick or something. You’d think that living in a state that entertains winter for nine months out of the year would ensure that the people who lived here would know how to drive in less than prime conditions. Apparently not.
At any rate, besides the obnoxiously slow drivers on the not very slick roads, and the strangely absurd amount of people, as well as the poorly timed lights, I’d say the drive was quite pleasant. Of course, due to all these elements I clocked in LATE! And if you know me, that is NOT a cool thing. Ugh.
Days like that drive me batty. You’d think that traffic lights should be timed to your schedule and know when you are running behind so they can help you get to your destination on time. Wouldn’t that be nice? But then you’d be dealing with electronics that could gauge what people are thinking and feeling and you’d get the I Robot thing coming to life.
As it happened, the next day wasn’t a whole lot better. You’d think I’d learn my lesson. But no. It was laundry day, and I wanted to see just how many loads I could do BEFORE work.
It could be argued that I need to get up earlier and exercise so that I have more time in the mornings, but then you’d be cutting into my sleeping time. And I’m one of those people who really needs 8-9 hours of sleep (no matter how lazy my husband thinks it makes me.) I could also go to bed earlier, but when else would I have time to write, read, or visit with my husband, or make tasty treats to snack on and make me fat so that I continually battle against weight gain? See? Tasty treats make my posterior larger than life, my obesity results in the need to exercise, resulting in my getting stuck at red lights.
So, perhaps we can blame the slow traffic and red lights on my addiction to cooking.

Who's Twin Do You Know?

Do you ever have those days where you see someone and you know their twin. Okay, maybe not literally. Let me tell you what I’m talking about.
The other day, there was a gal at work who had a beef about something, and she came back ranting and raving. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but I looked at her and was seriously terrified. Not because of what she was saying or doing, but because I have seen that behavior so many times before in someone else! Someone I know VERY well.
I’ve worked with this gal for quite a while and never thought she reminded me of anyone before. She’s a very easy going, lighthearted woman. (That’s not to say that I don’t know anyone else who is lighthearted and easy going. I’m just letting you know that I wouldn’t have guessed this behavior out of her.)
Her behavior wasn’t violent or even rude. It was mostly even workplace appropriate. It just reminded me so much of someone else that now I have a hard time looking at her and not seeing this other person. Maybe it was her hand motions, or the way her voice escalated and became short of breath, or the way her cheeks became splotchy. But that day, I was seriously traumatized.
So naturally, my head begins to spin with thoughts and conclusions as to why this is. And while my husband is the psychology major and has his master’s in counseling, I know only what I’ve observed from watching him, listening to him, and watching and analyzing other people.
So here is the unscientific, non-theory based, explanation of Rachel Rager.
Why was I so traumatized by this woman I work with simply because she reminded me of someone I know?
I think it may have been because I was tired so I relaxed my guard and she was able to penetrate my senses, triggering something in my brain that brought up old memories. And obviously those memories aren’t good. I think this probably happens more than we realize. Some of us may call it deja vu; although, that is sometimes considered something else entirely. And sometimes I think we get those feelings like something is familiar, or a positive or negative feeling regarding something and we simply can’t name it. But then there are those rare instances where we can.
Now I wonder which is worse….

Updates

I haven't been very good about blogging lately. Even my Wednesday Romances have been sporadic at best. I appreciate all of you who diligently seek me out anyway, despite my slacking ways.

It has been a rough second half of the year for me. My husband and I moved my family back to Wyoming, which we have really enjoyed! We are living with my in-laws while we are building our house and will probably be here until May (since things didn't go so smoothly, and we haven't started yet.) It's stressful at times, but not horrid, and we are making it work.

I also started working full time, which minimized my writing. Since then I got a part time position as a personal banker at a local bank. I have absolutely LOVED it!! I get to take my kids to school and pick them up and be home with them all evening! It's been great! I have been struggling to find time to fit in all my writing, but I'm slowly making it work.

This last month I have started submitting Sweet Ivy again. It has gone through some massive rewrites and I'm hoping things will go well for it this time around!

I am currently working on a couple fantasy stories, along with thinking about writing a sequel to Sweet Ivy and finishing the sequel to The Tiger, Unleashed. I've also been thinking about rewriting A Cold Heart and submitting it to publishers, but I'm still thinking about what to do there.

Amid everything, I have been doing lots of reading. I find that reading something I enjoy really helps my writing and helps my imagination run wild. Sometimes if I am stuck in my writing, I read a good book, and I can usually get back up and writing. So, now since I've had a lengthy reading vacation, perhaps I can make everything work out in my stories too! At least I can hope!

I hope everyone everyone is gearing up for the Christmas holiday! This is my favorite time of year!! I can't promise any new books between now and then, although I may have my new Wednesday Romance available for sale soon. I'll keep you posted on that. Before I can publish it, I really need to come up with a title! If you've been reading along, I'm open for suggestions.

Happy reading!

Ooops!

Okay, I don't know what happened! I thought I had a Wednesday Romance scheduled this week, but I can't find it anywhere!!! I'd do one now, but it obviously isn't Wednesday, so I'll wait until next week. I'm gratful to you all for being faithful Wednesday Romance readers!! I am hoping to keep them going through the summer, but we'll see how things go. I will certainly finish A Cold Heart!

Just an update, my mother-in-law was in town last weekend which was loads of fun, and the day after she left my mom came to town! (That was yesterday!) Tomorrow, all three of my girls are getting their tonsils and adnoids out! That will either be one of the smartest decisions I've made this year, or it won't be! I guess we'll see. Then I have a surgery on the 21st. Then, we will be moving back to Wyoming in July. So life is bound to get pretty crazy for me. But I'll try to at least keep Wednesday Romances going. They are so much fun!

As far as updates on books are going...

You may know that I am working on From Fields to Castles to put into an ebook form (for now). It is the first book I ever wrote. And if you've read By Love or By Sea, you'll recognize some of the characters. From Fields to Castles is the story of Lillian and Lawrence!! Lots of fun! I was hoping to have it available the first part of June, but I have hit some snags, and the editing has been heafty!

I also have had some interest in my newest book, Sweet Ivy! That's always nice. Unfortunately, I was told that the ending isn't believable and needs a major rewrite. The problem is, I wasn't told what isn't believeable at the end. I don't know if it's a certain character or the situation or what.

So, I am asking my readers for help, advice, and imput.

If you would like to help me out, email me at rachelrager(dot)romance(at)gmail(dot)com and I will email you the story along with some general questions. You don't have to be an editor or good at English, I just need to know what your reaction is to everything. Especially the end. So if you want to and have time, let me know. I'm hoping to get some feedback within the next two weeks. I would ask that you don't share this story with anyone.

So that's what's going on in my life. Sorry for the lack of story this week but make sure to check back again next week!!!

Happy kissing!

Let There Be...Light!

WARNING!

This post contains many

ODD and STRANGE

tid bits about me that

no one really cares about!!

I love and need light in my life!! Not just table lamps, but windows too!! I don't know what it is, but I need to be able to see what's going on! (The only time darkness is okay is during a movie and my eyes are trained on the light screen, or when I'm sleeping.)
I remember when my parents built their house, years ago, I wanted lots of windows in my bedroom. I got a nice big one and a window on my door that led to my balcony (VERY COOL - I know). Anyway, since my room was on the east side of the house, it only got early morning sunlight. That was great in the morning but not so great in the afternoon. (I'd say it kept my room cooler, but my room was upstairs, and with central air, that's not so much of an argument.) I often found myself wandering through my sister's room just to get my light fix. (Our rooms adjoined through the closet and bathroom.) (No, dearest sister, I did not spend time in your room when you were gone. I just passed through.)
Anyway, this obsession of mine has carried me through the years. My previous house, my desk and computer were set up downstairs in the basement where it had one TINY window. And a basement window at that, not an egress window! I had tree lights downstairs and table lamps, but I still felt like I was in a dungeon. (Of course when they listed our house to be sold, they said the house had a bomb shelter!! I used it as a storage room. It was long and skinny, made out of cinder blocks, under the front porch!) Naturally I kept my laptop on my kitchen table, which over looked the backyard through a window that was as five feet square!
Now, my office gets great light in the afternoon!! (However there's a strange glare on my computer in the evenings and I still use a tree light and table lamp in the mornings.) I spend much of my time in my office because most of the other windows in my house (except for the bedrooms) are on the east side of the house. (Great view, and nice for heating purposes, but not if you're a light freak!)
Okay, so now that I have a great window in my office, I need to decorate! The walls are a grayish white that show everything and are blah! I love color as well as light! And I NEED color!
I've been through many phases of colors I think I enjoy. When I was young, I had white walls with a stripe, flower wallpaper and mauve carpet. Later, when my parents built, the walls were white and the carpet was navy blue. (I LOVED that carpet but it showed EVERYTHING!)Now, I tend to like earth tones, but I think the most soothing color to me is sage green. As a general rule, that is not my favorite color, but on a wall, it has a strange way of soothing me.
So what did we learn today?
For Rachel, it's all about the color AND the light!! If I don't have light and color, I can't relax. If I can't relax, I can't write. If I can't write, I don't publish books and you don't like me! :) Okay, well, at least you are less likely to stalk me! So.... Off to look at decorating ideas!

Tomato Basil Toast

I usually get in a rut for lunch and make the same things for me and my kids - PBJ's, salad, mac & cheese, hot dogs, etc. But I've been trying to make my lunches a little more healthy. I made this for lunch the other day and loved it!! So, I thought I'd share it with you! Please forgive me, because I just kind of add and subtract things as I like! :) Feel free to do the same!

Ingredients:

Slices of bread, or a sliced baguette, or something bread related

Olive oil

Spinach leaves

Sliced tomato

Mozzarella

Basil (fresh or dried)

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Brush olive oil over bread and broil until lightly golden. Add layer of spinach leaves and tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with mozzarella and dried basil. Broil until lightly brown. (If using fresh basil, wait to put it on until AFTER you broil it with the cheese.)

I'm looking forward to trying this with some other flavors as well. Peppers, feta cheese, onion, etc. The possibilities are endless and I'm getting hungry again! :)

Chicken Soup with Rice, Mint, and Lemon

It's been cold here, so what better way to celebrate cold weather than with good soup?! I love this recipe. I hope you'll enjoy it!


Now before you disregard this post completely, let me say that this turned out to be one of my favorite soups. I was pleasantly surprised by it's flavor. I'm not a mint person and neither is my husband. And anyone who knows him, knows he DOES NOT like fruit with his meats. But this was VERY good and amazingly filling. I will make it again.



Prep time - 20 min.
Cook time - 50 min.

Ingredients:
2 quarts canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 whole chicken breast
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
4 - 2 x 1/2 inch strips of lemon zest
3 sprigs fresh mint
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crumpled)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 black peppercorns, crushed
1 cup cooked long-grain rice
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Optional garnishes (but highly recommended for color and a gourmet touch):

lemon slices
mint sprigs

Directions:
1. In a 4-quart saucepan over high heat, bring stock, chicken breast, onion, zest, mint, parsley, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender (about 30 to 35 minutes.)

2. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken breast to a cutting board to cool. Strain soup into a large bowl, discarding all solids.

3. Return soup to the pan, set over high heat, and boil, uncovered, until the soup has reduced slightly - about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, shred the chicken. Add to soup along with rice, lemon juice, salt, and chopped mint. Heat about 2 minutes more, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with lemon slices and mint if desired. (The lemon and mint garnish add color and are a nice touch.)

Makes 4 servings.


1 Serving: Calories 237; Total Fat 4 g; Saturated Fat 1 g; Protein 21 g; Sodium 641 mg; Cholesterol 60 mg

Love and Forgivness

The month of February. During this month we think of love and happiness. Today as I stood in front of my mirror, I was thinking of these things and thought, if there was no forgiveness, there would be little love and happiness. For it is through forgiveness that we find pure love and happiness.
Now, I don’t want to get preachy on you, because if you want to be preached to, there are other places you can go. But I did want to share with you an experience I had with forgiveness.
Almost twelve years ago, I had a close friend who betrayed me. I don’t want to go into specifics. Most people would think it was really no big deal, and maybe it wouldn’t be to them. But to me, she may as well have filleted my soul. Shortly after my experience with this friend, I left home and figured I’d probably never see her again.
I was wrong, as I generally am in situations like this. There were two instances that I was thrown into mingling with this friend. She was polite, but not friendly. (This was my impression, remember. It is entirely possible that she felt as uncomfortable as I did. But then again, she may never have even realized how badly she hurt me.)
Nearly five years after my painful encounter with her, I saw her again at a party with some friends. She had just move into the area, and I knew I’d be seeing her regularly. I tried to engage her in conversation, but it felt forced and strained. I remember driving home with my husband and wishing I could be close friends with her again. I tried to think of something I could invite her to do with me so we could get reacquainted, but there was this painful nagging in my heart that she would turn on me like she’d done before.
Over the course of the next couple weeks, I thought the situation out at great length while weeding my garden. I finally decided to write a story with a girl who had been betrayed by her best friend and then reconciled with her. (Believe it or not, this is one of the origins for A Season for Love, although I’m not sure that part stayed in the story.) I found that writing it was very therapeutic and gave me time to examine my feelings and give me some closure.
About a month later, I needed to find someone to help me with a project. I was asked who I wanted, and I knew I wanted this old friend of mine to help me. I knew she would be the best (and of course, she was.) As we worked together, our friendship was renewed. I was able to forgive and forget that one incident that had defined the past five years and learn to love the girl she had grown to be. We never have spoken about the incident, and it leads me to believe that perhaps it was hard on her too. But by working together, we were able to put it behind us and become close friends again.
I hope that during this month of celebrated love and laughter that you will examine your own heart and try to heal the parts of it that are damaged. Believe me, it’s worth it!

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

Some of you may know how much I love to cook. Every year I do a Valentine's Party for my girls and we decorate cookies. I always make them and hope to someday find a recipe that holds its shape well and looks good. So I did some experimenting and color coated them so I knew which recipe was which.

I love my old sugar cookie recipe, but they don't hold their shape well. I did a bunch of research, and built my own recipe. I made several batches (obviously). With some trial and error, I finally created one with the taste I love that still hold their shape. Just adding flour makes them dry and shortening isn't the same as butter. Too much heat melts the sugar too fast and flattens the cookie, so a high sugar recipe wouldn't work with high temps. (The above picture: The white is my regular recipe with extra flour. The pink is less granulated sugar, temp 400. They look great but I didn't like the flavor as well. The purple was more sugar, soda, cream of tartar and 400 temp. The blue is the recipe below with powdered sugar.)

I traded out the baking powder for some baking soda and cream of tartar. And a friend of mine told me that granulated sugar melts at a different temperature than powdered sugar. She told me it's the granulated sugar that flattens out the cookies, so I traded that straight across. So, see what you think.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

3 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Chill for 1 hour. Roll 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut out shapes. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min. Cool completely. Frost and decorate!

If you want a variation, you could substitute 1 tsp. almond flavoring for the vanilla. Or add keep vanilla and add 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1 tsp. cinnamon. (Great variation for the holidays.

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tblsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla

1 Tblsp. butter

Directions:

Mix until smooth and not too runny.

Pemberly Ranch

There was a contest on The Bookaholics and I won!!! I just got the book prize today!

Pemberly Ranch by Jack Caldwell.

I'm SO excited to read it!! So, if you're interested in it, or would like to read it along with me, here is a little synopsis.

Back Cover:
When the smoke has cleared from the battlefields and the civil war has finally ended, fervent Union supporter Beth Bennet reluctantly moves with her family from their home in Meryton, Ohio, to the windswept plains of Rosings, Texas. Handsome, haughty Will Darcy, a Confederate officer back from the war, owns half the land around Rosings, and his even haughtier cousin, Cate Burroughs, owns the other half.

In a town as small as Rosings, Beth and Will inevitably cross paths. But as Will becomes enchanted with the fiery Yankee, Beth won't allow herself to warm to the man who represents the one thing she hates most: the army that killed her only brother.

But when carpetbagger George Whitehead arrives in Rosings, all that Beth thought to be true is turned on its head, and the only man who can save her home is the one she swore she'd never trust...

"It's Pride and Prejudice meets Gone with the Wind-with that kind of romance and excitement."
-Sharon Lathan, bestselling author of In the Arms of Mr. Darcy

Granita al Limone (Italian lemon Ice)

My daughter's class did a banquet of foods around the world. So, we found this and made it! It's from Italy! Lots of fun and real easy! She did all of it. Although, she didn't want lemon, so we made apricot. I'll put my recipe at the end.

Ingredients:
•Water -- 3 cups
•Sugar -- 1 1/2 cups
•Fresh lemon juice -- 1 cup

Directions:

1.Bring 1 cup of the water and the sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue boiling for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let to cool.
2.Stir in the remaining water and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a glass baking dish and set in the freezer for on or tow hours until it starts to get slushy.
3.Stir well with a fork, breaking up any large chunks of ice or ice crystals. Repeat this process every 20 minutes or so until the granita is frozen solid.
4.Place scoops in small glasses or dessert bowls and serve.

Variations:

Let your imagination run free. There are so many options. Here are a few of the more common variations:

•Granita alla Arancia (Orange Granita): 1/4 cup water; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 cups of orange juice. Boil the water and sugar only long enough to dissolve the sugar. Stir in the orange lemon juice. Freeze as for lemon granita. Add a couple tablespoons of orange-flavored liqueur for a luxurious twist.
•Granita al Caffè (Coffee Granita): Use 4 cups of strong black coffee or espresso and 1 cup sugar. Boil 1 cup of the coffee with the sugar only long enough to dissolve the sugar, then stir in the remaining coffee. Freeze as for lemon granita. Top with whipped cream. Add a couple tablespoons of coffee-flavored liqueur for an extra special touch.
•Granita di Fragole (Strawberry Granita): 1 cup of water; 3/4 cup sugar; 1 pound strawberries, hulled and pureed; 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Boil the water and sugar as for the lemon granita. Stir in the strawberry puree and lemon juice. Freeze as for lemon granita.

Here's my apricot recipe. It's smooth like a sorbet but needs served immediately after you take it out of the freezer. If you want it more icy, I think you'd just have to add more water.

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

3 cups apricot nectar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 - 1 tsp. almond flavoring

Heat water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add apricot nectar, lemon juice, almond flavor, and freeze like above.

What Does Your Desk Look Like?

Everyone has their idea of the perfect office or perfect desk. Just so you know, this is not my idea of the 'perfect' desk, but it works for now! And it has a certain level of charm. It's old and has brass knobs that I LOVE!! However, I do like the idea of the round chair on All Modern. Perhaps that would spice up my work are a bit.
Anyway, my current desk is always a mess. (Obviously) Perhaps because it's so small! Even when I organize it or clean it off, it's messy again within a day. Part of my problem is that every time I sit down, I set my book next to me, and sometimes I'm using a dictionary or thesaurus. Sometimes I need my notes or research or whatever. There are other times that my family just piles things on my desk because they know I'll see it. Apparently, the creative mind can't be clean too! :)
So what do you have on your desk? Drop me a line and let me know! I LOVE office talk and office supplies!! What is your favorite office supply?

The New Year's Bath

It's New Year's Eve and people will visit friends, go to parties, and generally have a good time! So, as I was going about something to write, I debated between writing resolutions and...well...writing resolutions. What else do you write about this time of year?
Then I came across a picture and had an idea. I'd tell you a story.

I once went to a party at a club in the city on New Year's Eve. My friend, Julie, and I were bored and looking for a good time. Though, I don't recall the name of the club, I do remember the events. We had a couple sodas and danced the night away. We saw a few of our friends from work, but they were distracted so we moved on.
Late into the night, we met this guy. His nose was straight, and his eyes were kind. But his facial hair took all attention away from any other perfection he possessed. His beard was long and scraggly, and who knew what it might have housed. Bits of cracker and something green clung to the fuzzy mass.
He introduced himself as Mark, and we tried to slide away. Not only was his beard home to many midnight snacks, he moved remarkably fast and blocked our path. We turned, and he somehow positioned himself between us and our escape. I thought we were trapped. I looked behind us and other unsavory characters had converged around us, all smiling.
I looked up. The disco ball loomed over my head.
The people around us must be drunk. They continued to point upwards and laugh.
I wondered if we crawled through their legs if we could get away.
Then the countdown began. 10, 9, 8...
I dropped to the floor and a set of hands lifted me back up. I stared into the face of Mark and flinched backwards. He smelled as sour as he looked. A good bath would do him good.
7, 6, 5, 4...
Julie grabbed my hand and launched us into the crowd, but they pushed us back. We were stuck.
3, 2, 1...
Everyone screamed! I felt something ooze over my shoulder. There was too much of it to be slobber. I looked up and saw...

Happy New Year!!

(Please remember, I write fiction! However, this picture inspires all sorts of stories. Can you think of one?)

Donut Recipe

We have always lived close to family and never had any of our own Christmas Traditions. This year, we live far away and were spending Christmas at home, so I decided we should create some new traditions! On Christmas Eve, we made donuts!

Now, you need to know, I don't like donuts, as a general rule. They are greasy and don't taste great, so why add all those calories to your diet for no real reason? Then my friend made her family recipe and I have to say, I BEGGED for this recipe!

I made these for my family and they were fantastic! And they looked great too! I posted the pictures on Facebook and was asked to post the recipe. So here it is. I hope you enjoy them!

Note: As I had never made donuts before, I did some research. If you'd like, The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog has a great step-by-step guide of how-to-make donuts you may find helpful. I did. Her recipe is different, but it will give you a general idea of what to do and what to expect!

Also, my friend told me that you should glaze all the donuts, even if you plan to dip them in chocolate or something. The glaze will help lock in the moisture and help them stay fresh longer!

An Aside: I didn't have a biscuit cutter or donut cutter so I used a drinking glass and a medicine cup. :)

1 T yeast
1/4 C hot water
1 t salt
3/4 C luke warm water
1/4 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C soft shortening
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 C flour

Soften yeast in hot water and a little of the sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients including half of the flour and mix. Knead in the rest of the flour. (Dough should be soft but not overly sticky.) Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double. Punch down and let rise until double again. Roll out dough 1/3" thick and cut out donuts. Let rise for 40 minutes on a floured surface (in a draft free place.) Heat oil to 375 degrees. Gently place 4 to 5 donuts in oil at a time for about 40 seconds. Flip over and fry on other side. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Immediately immerse in glaze and cool. Makes 18

Glaze
1lb powdered sugar
1/2 C hot water
1/2 C butter

Heat over medium high heat and stir until melted and combined. If it's too runny and hot, cool slightly before dipping donuts. This recipe will allow you to dip 18 donuts.

Enjoy! They are DELICIOUS!

Merry Christmas

On the 23rd, my family and I went to Salt Lake City to see the beautiful lights on Temple Square. They are always so pretty and put me in such a good Christmasy mood! I love looking at the nativity and listening to the story. While we were there, my youngest (who's 3) pointed to Mary and said, "Mommy, who is that girl holding?" I told her, "Baby Jesus." And she said, "Awwww," with a joyful smile on her pixie face.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy your family and friends. But most of all, I hope you remember the true meaning of this day! May the Lord Bless you! Merry Christmas!

Finding Joy

At this time of year, we think of joy and of our Savior’s birth. We think of serving others and the joy that it brings. But times are hard sometimes. So how do we maintain that feeling of joy when things are stretched tight or we are struggling with other things in our lives? I’d like to share you my story of faith and joy and the blessings I’ve gained from looking for the good in the dark tunnel.

I will first take you back two years ago. My husband and I lived in a nice home in Wyoming with our three young girls. We had two bedrooms upstairs and two bedrooms down. All three girls were squished inside one of the rooms upstairs next to mine and my husband’s because they were too afraid to be by themselves downstairs. We decided that we needed to sell our house and look for something else; not bigger, but something with a different layout.

The market was slow and our house was on the market for five months before we received an offer. The day we got the offer, my husband was made aware of a job position in Idaho that was possibly opening up. It was in his field of study and something he was eager to look into. So, rather than buy a brand new home near many of our friends, we decided to move in with my parents until we knew if we would be moving out of state.

While we were there, we anxiously awaited word about the job in Idaho. One night, my husband woke up and rolled over. He said, “I think I need to go back to school and get my PhD.”

I inhaled slowly. “Okay. Where?”

“The worst place imaginable.”

“BYU.” It wasn’t a question. I already knew.

He nodded.

Eight years previous to that, we were driving through Provo, Utah on our way to get married in San Diego and my husband said, “We will NEVER live in Utah.”

So you see. I knew where we were headed!

Anyway, we talked about it and prayed about it and it felt right. So, my husband went to Utah and looked for a house and made an offer. (I’d seen it online and okayed it.) Then, we packed up our things and moved. During the next month, my husband was still working in Wyoming and would commute the six and a half hours every week. I was alone with my kids in a strange town and no husband. It was a very challenging time.

After a month, my husband quit working in Wyoming and came to stay in Utah, but he had no job. He looked and looked. It is difficult to find work in a college community. Even with a Master’s degree. He finally applied as an assistant dean at UVU in Orem (strangely unrelated to his Counseling degree.) He interviewed but they wanted someone else.

By this point, I’d been in Utah for two and a half months and funds are running low. I began looking for work too, but with no more luck than my husband. He finally found work as an auto mechanic in American Fork (about 15 min. north of Provo). That’s how he put himself through school, so this was no big deal. But he had no credibility here, so he had to start from scratch. But at least he had a job.
About two weeks after he started working as a mechanic, the University called to see if he was still interested in the assistant dean position. The Dean didn’t like any of the applicants the committee gave her and wanted to interview my husband personally. We were thrilled!

A long story short, he got the Assistant Dean position at UVU.

That was a difficult year for our family. We felt right about the move, but it was pure faith that held us together. Faith that things would work out. Faith that we wouldn’t starve or go bankrupt. And with some elbow grease, and a lot of prayers, things worked out.

Things aren’t a ton easier now, just because he has a job. He doesn’t make enough money and the cost of living in Utah is higher than Wyoming. We are looking into me going to work too just to make ends meet, something we hoped I’d never have to do. Now, I can either curse God or my husband for bringing me here, or I can look to the things I love and enjoy to bring me happiness.

I am grateful that I was able to make new friends here! I’m grateful the wind doesn’t blow, that it’s warmer here, and that we have better fruit here. I’m grateful that my children go to a good school and that they are happy and we are a family. I am also thankful that I am able to write, if only sporadically. It brings me peace and happiness.

Being here in Utah and struggling through things has forced me to look on the bright side of life. And there is always a brighter side.

I hope that as you go through this holiday season, you will look on the bright side of your situation. Things could always be worse. Last month my brother was in a car accident and totaled their car. They don’t have much money for a new one because they are in school. But at least they are alive and well. So think of the things you are grateful for and share them with someone you love. It will brighten your day and theirs!

“May your days be merry and bright…”

Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving - Joke

I first want you to know that this has nothing to do with how I view people - and blonds in particular, since this is a blond-kind-of joke. But this did make me laugh! So, Happy Thanksgiving!!!


One year at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store. When my sister left, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, and re-stuffed the turkey. She then placed the bird(s) back in the oven. When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, She reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs!

Yep..................SHE'S BLONDE!

Just so you know

As you can tell, I've given my blog a face lift! I hope it makes things easier to read, see, find, etc. :)
Just so you know, the tabs at the top are book info. only! If you are reading the weekly Wednesday Romances, you will still find them in the body of the blog or on old posts. The tabs do not contain the entire WR story, just an exerpt. (*shrug* Advertising, you know.)

Also, you may notice that you cannot access all of the old WR stories, just the first few chapters. That, too, is on purpose. If you'd like to read more, you'll have to follow the links on the tab pages at the top. Now, if you've missed WR in the past, you can go to smashwords and download the entire thing as an ebook!

So lots of changes! All good!

Also, if you want to jump ahead, A Season for Love is available in its entirety as an ebook. Just follow the link on either the picture on the side or the tab on the top! Wednesday Romances, the ebook and The Feather Kiss are also available in ebook!

Happy Kisses!

Camping

I am camping in the mountains this week with a bunch of girls. I don't know how many people camp anymore, but I love to be out in nature. Please don't mistake that. I did not say I love sleeping on the hard ground or going for a week without a shower. :) But I do enjoy seeing nature. There's a peaceful calm in the mountains that I love. It is easier to look at life in a simple way and appreciate what I have, when I'm away from the chaos of my day to day life. I don't know if it's seeing nature, or being away from people or what, but I always come away from camping feeling inspired. It makes me want to be a better person.