tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7019517548110643192024-03-13T06:14:59.433-07:00Betsy Brannon GreenBetsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-44795926709615719912014-06-23T08:07:00.000-07:002014-06-23T08:07:15.086-07:00Apologies, Explanations, and Trying to Make Up for Lost Time!!!First for the apologies!!! I am soooo, soooo sorry that I haven't been posting to my blog. I am very grateful for all you loyal readers who are waiting patiently and checking in with me occasionally to ask about Danger Ahead (which is just the working title and could be published as something else!!) I turned the re-write into Covenant at the first of February and heard back in April that they wanted some significant changes again. I was disappointed, of course, but when I went back through I had to agree with most of the complaints. So I finished the 2nd rewrite at the first of June and am now awaiting their decision. I feel good about this one - so I'm hoping that the October release date will stand. I will happily announce on this blog when I get an approval!!!<br />
<br />
Now on to explanations (some might call these excuses...) In November (back when I was blogging semi-regularly) I had two grandsons born - one in Idaho and one in Birmingham (and I managed to miss both births). I flew out to Idaho for Ranchel's birth and missed it by two days. Then while I was there John Thomas Green Jr. was born a few days early here. I flew home to see him and then we flew back to Idaho for Ranchel's blessing/Thanksgiving. It was a lot of flying around and a complete departure from regular routine. The Thanksgiving trip was particularly exhausting for Butch since we spent almost an entire day flying and then had to drive to Victor, Idaho (another 4 1/2 hours). Anyway, after a very busy month we finally got home on Dec. 2nd and sent Clay to the store while we were unpacking. On the way he was hit from behind by a driver with a suspended learner's permit who was driving someone else's car without permission and therefore their insurance didn't cover the accident. We ended up not only having a wrecked van (we only carry liability insurance on it) but we also had to pay the towing fee and the 'holding' fee that the tow company charged per day and a 'premium' fee - basically a kickback to the City of Bessemer - because the policeman called the tow company for us ($125). So that kind of began our spiral into bad luck/hard times. We taped the rear window up with garbage bags to keep the rain out (it's not worth the price of replacing the rear door) and still drive it - but obviously we can't take it far. So we bought a use Nissan Versa that I really like and life moved on.<br />
<br />
Then Christmas was fine - crazy busy but nice. Butch had a sore on the bottom of his foot that got infected and he had to the doctor for some antibiotics (that's foreshadowing a disaster yet to come). In January we had a sudden snowstorm. I know those of you from other parts of the country where it snows often can't understand why it is such a problem for us when it snows, but no one here has snow tires, no one has experience driving in the snow, we don't have plows, and maybe worst of all - the storms are often a surprise since a few degrees difference in temperature can make a rainstorm turn into a mini-blizzard. The weathermen had downplayed the possibilities of bad weather and so the school systems decided not to cancel school. When the snow started about 10:30 in the morning all the schools systems changed their minds and let out at the same time. The snow was wet and packed onto the roads quickly in the form of ice. The temperatures were dropping rapidly (down into the teens for the next 2 days) so the ice hardened instead of melting. Parents were coming from everywhere trying to get their children, people were trying to get home, buses were blocking roads or in ditches. It was almost instant gridlock. Thousands of children across the state of Alabama spent the night at school. Parents and others spent then night in their cars stuck in hopeless traffic. I made it home but had to abandon my car and walk the last mile or so. Emily got Clay and made it home. Butch was stranded in Atlanta for 3 days and 2 nights. The first night he spent in his UPS truck, the second night in a roach motel. We were out of school for almost a week. <br />
<br />
Andy was scheduled to come home from his mission in North Carolina on Weds, February 12th. We usually go to Nauvoo at the first of February to participate in the commemoration of the pioneer's exodus to Utah. But we delayed our trip so that Andy could go with us. We arranged for Andy to be released on Weds night and planned to pick up the rental van right afterwards. And we planned to leave for Nauvoo at 2:00 on Thursday morning. Everything was planned perfectly.<br />
<br />
But then we started getting reports of a possible snowstorm (another one!!) School was dismissed early on Monday and we were out Tuesday as well. The storm was past us but headed east - toward Raleigh where Andy was!!! I had to work with the Church Mission Travel Office and Delta airlines to reroute Andy around the weather. We got him on a Southwest flight into Baltimore and then to Birmingham. The mission president risked weather to get him to the airport and his plane was the last one that left the Raleigh airport that morning (seven other missionaries were stuck at the mission home until Friday/Saturday). We went out to lunch and took him shopping. Then we took him to the church in Hoover to meet with our Stake President and be released. On the way home it started snowing - again. There had been no prediction of snow at all. I hoped it was just some flurries but by the time we got home we couldn't make it up the driveway. So we couldn't go get the rental van and we couldn't leave for Nauvoo at 2:00 AM as planned. Then next morning the snow started to melt. We picked up the van and left late. Traffic was bad because there was still snow on the roads. We were very late getting to Nauvoo - where snow covered everything. It snowed the entire time we were there and we got into an ice storm on the way home (two inches of frozen ice on the windshield and hood of the car - windshield wiper broke - it was terrible).<br />
<br />
So we finally made it home, had Andy's welcome home talk and a family lunch afterwards. Andy was settling in and we were enjoying him. But the sore on Butch's foot was bothering him again. He finally went to a doc-in-the-box and they gave him antibiotics but said he needed to go to the his regular doctor first thing on Monday. We should have taken him to the emergency room, but... we didn't. By Monday his foot was swollen huge and discolored and he ended up in the hospital. They started him on IV antibiotics but the infection had gotten into some bones on the top of his foot. So he had to have surgery to remove the infected bone. The infection was also in his bloodstream so they started him on really strong antibiotics that made him so sick. He was in the hospital for 11 days and left with stitches on the top and bottom of his right foot. About a week later he started having an irregular heartbeat. By the time I got home from work he had called his doctor who had set up an appointment with a cardiologist on Friday (this was Weds). I listened to his heart and knew we couldn't wait that long. So we loaded him into the car and took him back to the hospital. He was only there for 3 days this time.<br />
<br />
At the end of March Andy and Clay drove out to Rexburg for Andy to start school in April (Clay flew home). Then in April a tornado went through our neighborhood (missing us by about a hundred yards). Power was out for over a week. And during this time - Butch had to go back to the hospital to have a procedure done to regulate his heart rate without medication (didn't work - still has to take the medication). I didn't expect to have to spend the night at the hospital but after the procedure (which never got done until 5:00 that night) he had to lay flat on his back for a certain number of hours so I had to stay with him. That meant that Emily and Clay were alone in our dark house in our tornado ravaged neighborhood (and most of the neighbors were staying elsewhere). It was a difficult night but they made it and we got Butch home - again. Finally in the middle of May - after over 10 weeks out of work - Butch was released by his doctor and went back to work.<br />
<br />
The day before he started back to work Emily was driving home from work on I-459 and was hit by a retread tire that peeled off of a dump truck. Her car was totaled but she wasn't hurt so we were thankful. But now down a car (again). The trucking company's insurance provided a rental car for a few days and paid her a good price for the car so she's now in a new car (and unfortunately also has a car payment). But things seem to be looking up around here.<br />
<br />
And through all the dark days, the worry about Butch's health and finances and car problems, I had a peace that everything would be okay - one way or the other. I am thankful for my faith in the Lord and my knowledge that He hears and answers my prayers. I'm thankful for family and friends who rallied around us. I'm really glad it's over (for now) but I'm left with a renewed gratitude for all I have.<br />
<br />
Now, back to writing!!! I'm working on a Haggerty-related book, similar to the Kennedy Killingsworth books that take place in another neighboring town - Booneville. I hope to have it turned in before school starts so that it might be released in the spring of 2015. I will keep you posted on that! And I'll try not to let 6 months pass before I blog again!!!Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-46325560680389748292013-11-04T07:58:00.000-08:002013-11-04T07:58:35.594-08:00And as we move on into November...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And the winner of the
October Book Giveaway is…..</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>*********Stephanie
Bladen********</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Congratulations, Stephanie, and thanks to everyone who
commented on my blog. Now on to my November Book Giveaway!!!! Keep those
comments coming!!!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Announcing a new
grandson –</b></span></div>
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Ranchel Robert Farrer joined our family early on Sunday
morning. Mom and baby are both doing fine. Welcome Ranchel!!!!!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recipe of the week - Kissin’
Cookies</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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1 ½ cups all purpose flour<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1
tsp baking soda</div>
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½ tsp salt<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>½
cup sugar</div>
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½ cup brown sugar<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>½
cup Crisco</div>
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½ cup butter (softened)<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>½
cup smooth peanutbutter</div>
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2 TBSP milk<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>1
egg</div>
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1 tsp vanilla<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Hershey
Kisses (unwrapped)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Cream butter, Crisco, and peanutbutter. Add sugars. Add
vanilla, salt, and egg. Dissolve soda in milk and add. Add flour and mix until
blended. Roll into small balls. Preheat oven to 350. Place cookie balls on
slightly greased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. As soon as you remove cookies
from oven press a Hershey Kiss into the middle of each cookie. Allow them to
cool before serving.</div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-54426206266505378932013-10-28T04:54:00.003-07:002013-10-28T05:49:17.696-07:00Costumes, Candy, and Terror - what could be better????<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Spooky Days Gone By…</span></b></div>
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So Halloween is this week and I've been kind of nostalgic. Some people get really into the holiday. I don’t have time, energy,
or money to go all out, but in spite of it's negative origin –
I really have always liked Halloween. It’s the first holiday in the holiday season –
so I’m sure that accounts for part of why I enjoyed it as a kid. Thanksgiving
was a lame holiday to me (I know I was a shallow child!). I didn’t love to eat turkey, the
Pilgrims and Indians were okay but all that talk of how thankful we were for
everything got old fast. Christmas was, obviously, the crowning glory of all
holidays – but then you got gifts from your family – people who loved you.
There was something magical about Halloween – a night when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everyone</i> was your friend. Each house was approachable – and profitable
– even if you didn’t know who lived there. And there’s just something about
dressing up that appeals to kids of all ages. So we would come home from
school, dress up, and bide our time anxiously until the sun set and it could be
technically considered ‘night’. Then my parents would turn us (along with a
hundred other kids) loose on the neighborhood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wearing a costume gave us anonymity and courage.
We knocked on doors, smiling adults answered, and they gave us candy. Now that’s
the stuff that dreams are made of! I have been trying to remember for a week
now a single costume that I wore as a child and I can’t. It seems like that
would have been important – but I guess it wasn’t. I do remember that feeling
of the world being my oyster as we began our walk around the neighborhood.
There were so many houses, so many happy people anxious to greet us, so much
candy to collect. We were fresh and energetic and dreaming of the pounds of
candy we would eventually take home. The first phase was so fun, running from
house to house – laughing and breathless. Then our bags started to get heavy
and we started to get tired. But we persevered! So much candy, so little time.
Finally we would find ourselves on the far end of the neighborhood. It was
seriously dark. It was cold. Our feet hurt. Our bags were really heavy. Our
costumes were awry. The houses between us and home no longer seemed like
opportunities – they were obstacles. We just wanted to be in our warm living
room where we could admire our spoils. So we started trudging home, not even
stopping at the houses that earlier had seemed so appealing. It took
forever, dragging our bags full of candy and sometimes carrying a younger
sibling who just couldn’t make it without help. But when home finally came into
sight – with lights shining brightly from the windows – we got a little second
wind and ran. We were welcomed back like conquering heroes. Costumes were
semi-discarded by the door and we each staked out a part of the living room to
dump out our bags. One year there was a minor tragedy – we realized, too late,
that my brother’s bag had developed a hole and most of his candy had fallen out
during the walk home. But that was easily solved. The rest of us divided out a
part of our candy and gave it to him. His tears dried up, his grief was gone. We separated the night's treasure into good candy, okay candy, and the candy nobody wanted. My
dad would always ask for candy from the reject piles – claiming he liked it. I
thought that was amazingly convenient since we didn’t want it and it was therefore easy to share (hard candy,
those orange and black chewy toffee things). Now I realize he chose from that
pile so we could keep the good stuff. We would trade and bargain and eat as
much as our mom would allow. Then finally it was time for baths and
tooth-brushing and bed. There was a little sadness that it was all over, but we
were so tired and we had a lot of candy and there was always next year. As I
drifted off to sleep I’d remember all those houses we left un-trickortreated
and vow that next year we would get to them all! Happy Halloween to Curt and
Julie and James and Amanda – my trickortreating buddies! Special memories with
some really special people!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Book Giveaway</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Thursday is the last day to comment
to win my book giveaway for this month! </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Recipe of the Week </span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
This recipe is one of my favorites.
I made some this weekend and it was delicious – nice and warm and filling and
easy to heat up a bowl at a time on a busy weekend. So if you’re looking for an
easy dinner this Halloween (and you’re tired of chili already!!!) here’s a
suggestion:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<u>Potato Soup</u></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
8 medium to large Idaho potatoes
(peeled and cubed)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
2 cans chicken broth</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1 can Cream of Onion soup</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1 can Cream of Celery soup</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
8 oz. sour cream</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1 pint half and half</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
8 oz. Pepper Jack cheese (grated)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
In a large pot, cook potatoes in
chicken broth on medium heat until just barely tender (about 15 minutes). Reduce
heat and add cheese (stir regularly to keep it from sticking to the bottom of
the pot). Add other ingredients and stir well. Continue to cook for just a few
minutes until warmed through. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve it a
bowl at a time!</div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-13598759943409633692013-10-21T08:07:00.003-07:002013-10-21T20:10:19.357-07:00Where did October go????<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Week in Review – More or Less - </span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The man at the end of our street
puts out so many Christmas decorations it’s spectacular (or a spectacle –
opinions vary). I drove past his house last week and saw him getting it all set
up (he won’t turn the lights on until after Halloween at least – but it takes
him this long to get it all set up – seriously). It seems like just a couple of
months ago he was taking it down! Seeing him with all that stuff gave me a
moment of panic. This year will be over before we know it!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br />
SO I had an interesting week. On Monday I broke a tooth so on Tuesday I had to
go to the dentist. I expected bad news – root canal, crown, dentures . . . but
he was able to fill in it instead so I was grateful. On Tuesday night Clay had
youth baptisms at the temple and Jamie and Paris wanted to go to the 8:00
session. So I picked Clay up after football practice and ran him by the house
to shower and change then we drove to the temple in Gardendale (about 30
minutes away). He was late but not too bad. Then Jamie and Paris brought the
boys to me and we rode back home. It was a lot of driving around but we got
everything done! And I got some time with two handsome gentlemen. I taught
seminary on Wednesday night and Thursday morning which always gives me such an
appreciation for our wonderful seminary teacher and these great kids (about 24
in our ward this year) who get up very early every morning and drive to the
church to have some spiritual time before school! Then on Friday night we went
to the Alabama Birmingham Mission Home where Butch was set apart as a counselor
in the Mission Presidency. We are so excited and mildly terrified (me) about
this new opportunity. I know that if I am going to talk the talk I’ll have to
walk the walk so I’ll apologize in advance to any of my friends from other
faiths who may not have any interest in learning more about my religion –
because you’re probably going to!!!! After Butch and the other counselor were
set apart we went out to dinner with Pres. and Sister Hanks (fabulous people).
On Saturday Clay had a service project at the temple planting flowers while us girls
attended a baby shower for Brittany that was so nice. Then Abbie and Andie and
Avery and Banx and Thad came over to the house and made Halloween cookies
(Brittany was of great assistance here). Then the kids watched a movie and ate
popcorn while the adults watched ballgames. It was fun and crazy. The boys
spent the night but the girls had to go back to Mississippi because they had
their primary program yesterday. Anyway, on Sunday the missionaries were coming
over to eat dinner right after church. I had been warned that the new sister
had to have gluten free foods (no flour/wheat). So I planned my menu carefully.
I found a recipe for chicken covered with breadcrumbs that could be adapted by
putting only Italian seasoning on hers. It also had Parmesan cheese and sounded
good. I made rice and green beans. I did make rolls but I was sure she was used
to just passing on those. Then for dessert I made four-layer delight but did
one in a separate little bowl with no crust. I thought that I was so prepared.
Then I burned the rolls. They were almost done – almost perfect – but I decided
to turn on the broiler for just a minute to get them a little more golden
brown. I got them charcoal black – just on top. We ate them but they had that
kind of campfire taste. Then I overflowed the rice. I have made rice a million
times but for some reason I forgot to turn it down once it got to a boil and
had rice water all over my stove. Worse, I had to estimate how much water to
replace in the pan so the rice would cook properly (I guessed a LOT and that
worked out okay). Then I splattered Crystal Lite on myself while I was mixing
it up (the powder just jumped out of the pitcher when I added the water – it’s
never happened to me before). But finally I had them all settled around the
table. Then I found out that the new sister is not only on a gluten free diet -
she's dairy-free TOO!!! That means no eggs, no butter, no milk, no crust-less four
layer delight. She had to scrape the cheese off her chicken breast. She could
eat the rice and green beans. I gave her a sugar-free Jello cup for dessert. She
kept apologizing for being so much trouble and assuring me that she would just
eat what she could and it would be fine but I wanted to cry. I felt like I fed
her a lousy meal. You can be sure I’ll be better prepared next time!!!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“So You Think You Want to Write a
Book???” Tip for the week </span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
The Importance of Editing – It’s
hard not to take it personal when someone changes or corrects your work. I
remember when Covenant first accepted Hearts in Hiding I thought that the
editing process meant that they were just going to add commas. I was wrong. An
editor will (hopefully) catch all the grammatical mistakes but may also request
changes in wording, content, even character names. An example is when I wrote
Murder by the Book I had a couple of lines (referring to Kennedy’s ex-husband)
that said basically, “At that point my marriage was over. I might have been
able to get past Cade’s infidelity but knowing my sisters had seen him naked,
well, that was just too much.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Covenant
didn’t want me to use the word ‘naked’. That seemed a little strict to me but
it was pointed out to me that it only takes one parent – who buys my book for
their twelve year old daughter – and then objects to Deseret Book or Seagull
about the word and the bookstores might decide not to stock my book. And maybe
not to buy my next one. So, it was changed to something like “knowing that my sisters
had seen my husband with another woman”. I didn’t like it as well, but I
accepted that my editor knew best. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
And editing doesn’t begin after you
turn your book over to a publisher. You will be the first editor of your book.
Self-editing is the most pleasant part of writing to me. Once I have the basic
story in the computer and I can just go back and fix things – that’s fun. But
when you’re sure that you have it the way you want it – now it’s time to share
it with someone else (or several other people). It’s hard to share your work
with others – especially your first book – but you need fresh eyes for a fresh
perspective. You know your characters, you know why they do what they do, why
they say what they say – so you might not realize that your words are not
conveying all this to the reader. A volunteer editor can help you correct this.
Choose someone you trust but I don’t necessarily recommend your spouse at this point.
You want a volunteer editor that can give you an honest opinion without
damaging your relationship. If you don’t think you can take criticism well from
your family or friends – hire someone. There are many editors who charge a
minimal fee to read a manuscript and while it still might not be fun to read
their criticism – it might be easier. I have my daughters critique my
manuscripts. They give me enough encouragement to keep me from hitting the
delete button but are honest too. Of course you want to hear your book is
perfect – but you know it’s not, so be glad for constructive criticism wherever
you get it. And remember that just because some things need to be changed doesn’t
mean the book/concept is bad. I have a student who showed me a rough draft of a
paper he had written. His teacher had corrected mistakes and there were a lot of
them. He was discouraged by this and pointed to the top of the paper where the
teacher had written “Good Job!” He said, "Why did she say it’s a good job if it’s
all wrong?” I knew exactly how he felt and tried to explain that she liked the
paper, she just wanted a few improvements. I’m not sure he bought it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s true. A written work can be good AND
wrong! Content vs grammatical correctness. Both are important. I had this
conversation with my high school English teacher who consistently gave me low
grades for mechanics and high grades for content. The two were averaged for a
very unimpressive composite grade and I was frustrated because to me the content was more
important than the grammar. But she insisted that the bad mechanics reduced the
quality of my work and so the mediocre grade was just. I didn’t agree with her
then, but I do now. You can’t send a manuscript to a publisher that is a mess.
The harder it is to read – the less likely it is that anyone will read it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Feeding
the Missionaries Fiasco Recipes –</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt;">Italian Cheese Chicken for Missionaries (made
one without breadcrumbs)</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 large chicken breasts – cut in half lengthwise</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup Italian Breadcrumbs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp garlic salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 slices of Swiss cheese – cut in half</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 TBSPs olive oil</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 eggs – beaten well</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pre-heat your oven to 350*. Put eggs in a bowl. In another
bowl combine these ingredients and mix well:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup Parmesan cheese</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 cup breadcrumbs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp garlic salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/2 tsp pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup chicken broth</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup baking sherry (mix with broth)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Put olive oil in a large nonstick
flying pan on medium heat. Dip each breast in egg and then the breadcrumb
mixture until well coated. Then put them in the frying pan. Brown on both sides
then place in a 13" x 9" baking dish. Add 1/2 slice of Swiss
cheese to the top of each chicken breast, and pour broth/cooking sherry mixture
around the chicken. (If you prefer not to use cooking sherry use a cup of
broth) Cover tightly with foil and bake for an hour. Serve with rice. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Note – I had three breasts left
over and people coming over for dinner so I cut up the chicken, made another
batch of rice and mixed it together with a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. I put
it in a casserole dish and topped it with some of the breadcrumbs and more
Parmesan cheese and I liked it better than the original recipe!!!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Four-Layer Delight</b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ cups flour<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1 large Cool Whip</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 stick butter<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>1
large Chocolate Instant Pudding</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 oz. cream cheese<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>½
cup powdered sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 cups milk<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1 Hershey bar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Preheat oven to 300. Melt butter in
the microwave and pour it into a large casserole dish. Add flour and mix. Press
to the bottom of the pan to form a crust (you may have to add a little more
flour to get a dry, crust-like texture). Bake for 10 minutes and cool. Mix
softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and 1 cup of Cool Whip. Spread over
crust. Mix pudding according to package directions. Pour over cream cheese
layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to get a firm set. Then top with remaining
Cool Whip. Grate Hershey bar on top and serve.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Don't forget to COMMENT on any October blog post for a chance to win the Thanksgiving book giveaway!!!! </b></span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-44502834461031000582013-10-14T12:43:00.001-07:002013-10-14T12:43:37.524-07:00It will be Halloween before we know it!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
First apologize for last week. I
didn’t remember that I forgot to blog until Thursday and by then I figured it
was too late!!!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">So You Think You Want to Write a Book???</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Creating compelling, realistic main characters </b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
A fatal flaw is a weakness or
negative personality trait that leads the character to behave in a certain way –
and thereby play into the author’s plot. “Fatal” may not necessary mean deadly.
It refers more to fate. It is a trait that the character is helpless to control
(and may not even be aware of). It might be something terrible – like jealousy
that leads to murder. Or it might be something small like curiosity or a
tendency to be late. You will probably give all your characters a flaw or two –
since perfection is unnatural and boring. And not all main characters have a
fatal flaw – but it helps to add interest if either your hero or villain has
one. It makes the story seem personal to them. The flaw may be overcome during
the course of the book. Or maybe the main character just discovers the flaw.
Maybe they learn to cope or work around the flaw. It is very amateurish to
describe a character in detail and then use NONE of those traits in the
storyline. Try not to tell too many things about your characters at once. Even
introducing too many characters at once is confusing to the reader. Giving
detailed descriptions of each one might run the reader away completely.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">October Book Giveaway</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Remember to comment on any October
post for a chance to win this month’s book giveaway (which includes a couple of
Thanksgiving items)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What are the chances?</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
One of my craziest life experiences
happened when I was 19 years old (and I should have realized that it was just
the first of many such things to come!!) My future husband had just left on his
mission and I was working at the Wheeler Basin Regional Library. A friend,
Teresa, also worked at the Library and I picked her up. It had been raining
hard for days so there was water everywhere. At a stop sign near Teresa’s house
the car behind me had wet brakes and therefore – ran straight into the back of
my car. This was long before cell phones so we had to walk up to a nearby house
and ask them to call the police to report the accident. Then I decided to walk
the block or so to Teresa’s house to let her know I’d be delayed. I got out my
umbrella and walked along the street. After giving Teresa the bad news, I
headed back to my car. To save time, I decided to cut across a lawn even though
it was covered with spots of standing water. My shoes were ruined anyway and I
wanted to get back before the police arrived. So I started across the lawn and
completely forgot about the drainage ditches that ran along the side of the
road. So when I stepped into what I thought was just a wide puddle, I actually
stepped into a drainage ditch. So there I was standing up to my chest in water –
still holding my umbrella. And if that wasn’t crazy enough – the woman who
lived in the house opened her door and hollered, “Honey, that’s a ditch!” Wow.
Helpful information. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Butterfinger
Cheesecake</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 packages cream cheese<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>¼ cup sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 eggs<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1 tsp vanilla</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup mini chocolate chips<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3 TBSPs whipping cream</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup brown sugar<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>4 Butterfinger bars,
crushed</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup smooth peanutbutter<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>2
ready-made chocolate cookie crusts</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 450. Beat cream cheese, peanutbutter, and
sugars, add eggs and vanilla. Stir in crushed Butterfingers. Divide mixture
between the two crusts and bake for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven,
reduce oven temperature to 250 and continue baking for an additional 25
minutes. Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Topping – melt mini chocolate chips, stir in whipping cream.
Spread over cooled pies.</div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-86235285859864173812013-10-01T19:50:00.004-07:002013-10-04T04:09:41.563-07:00And the winner of the September Give-Away is.....<span style="font-size: large;">Michelle Whaley!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Please send your mailing address to betsyb8@yahoo.com and I will get your Halloween gift box - that includes a free book - in the mail!!!!</span>Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-28351114947723207732013-09-30T15:38:00.005-07:002013-09-30T15:39:03.827-07:00Welcome Fall!!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<b>So you think you want to write a book – Creating a Villain </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
This is actually harder than it sounds. Unless you are writing about a
sociopath (contrary to what you see on TV – there really isn’t one living on
every block in America) your ‘bad guy’ has to have a reasonable explanation for
doing something unreasonable (murder or another felony). Normal people just don’t
kill (or rob or burn buildings down). So if you are going to have your villain
do one of those things (or something similar) you’ve got to create a scenario
that is believable. All fiction readers agree to suspend reality to a certain
extent – but you’d be surprised how little suspension they will actually give
you. So make it realistic. Also, I hate it when I get to the end of a book and
the villain is some barely mentioned character that no one would ever suspect.
I feel cheated and resentful that I’ve spent so much time reading a book that I
had no chance of figuring out. So if you want me to read your book (and not get
mad at you) your villain has to be introduced to the reader in such a way that
when they later realize he (she) is the bad guy they aren’t surprised. But the
villain can’t be obvious or there is no suspense in your novel. There are
several ways to cloak the villain. One is to make them seem suspicious at the
beginning and then explain away the suspicion so that the reader forgets about
them (or at least about their suspicions). Then when the ‘reveal’ takes place
the reader has one of those V-8 hit-themselves-in-the-head moments, thinking ‘Of
Course!’. You can also make your villain seem so sweet that no one suspects
them or so awful that they look too obvious. You can have multiple villains so
that there is no one guilty party. Or you can really have the ‘murder’
explained away at the end so there is no villain. If you use one of these ‘tricks’
you’d better have a really good plot or readers are not going to like it. Or
you can let the reader know from the beginning who the villain is and it’s up
to the characters in your book to prove it. Another tricky way to introduce a
villain is to lead the reader to believe that one person is the villain and one
is the victim and in the end reverse the roles. I cannot recommend the book I
am about to site because it has objectionable content, but “Gone Girl” by
Gillian Flynn is an example of this last technique.<br />
<br />
<span class="ilad"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Recipe of the Week –</b></span><br />
Chicken Enchiladas <br />
<br />
10 soft taco shel<span class="textexposedshow">ls</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 cups cooked, shredded chicken</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese ( I like the
Kraft Tex Mex)</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3 Tbsp. butter</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3 Tbsp. flour</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 cups chicken broth</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 cup sour cream </span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan</span>.
<span class="textexposedshow">Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas
and place in pan.</span> <span class="textexposedshow">In a sauce pan, melt
butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat
over medium heat until thick.</span> <span class="textexposedshow">Remove from
heat and stir in sour cream and chilies.</span> <span class="textexposedshow">Pour
over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.</span> <span class="textexposedshow">Bake 25 min.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span class="ilad"><b>September Book
Give-Away –</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span class="ilad"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We will draw the winner in the morning to
give people a chance to post a comment through tonight. Then tomorrow will
start the drawing for the October Thanksgiving Gift Box – which also includes a
book!!! So keep commenting! And remember that there is a delay between when you
post and when it shows up on my blog – so don’t worry if you don’t see it
immediately. If it still doesn’t appear after a day email me at <a href="mailto:betsyb8@yahoo.com">betsyb8@yahoo.com</a> and I’ll enter your name
in the drawing. </span></span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-29352250097935588082013-09-23T19:15:00.002-07:002013-09-23T19:19:38.142-07:00Planning ahead for Christmas, Kids' Quotes, Book Give-a-way, Recipe<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<br />
<b>Things to do in
November to get ready for Christmas</b></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Deep Clean your house – </b>It’s
not fun to decorate a dirty house. So start now – especially with big
projects like cleaning the carpets. Take it one room per week and by the
first of December your house will be clean and ready for decorations.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Get haircuts for all the kids, yourself and your spouse</b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Schedule, Schedule,
Schedule - </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get big calendar and
write down EVERYTHING that is already scheduled for you – school parties,
family parties, church parties, parades, pageants, band concerts, etc. so
you won’t commit to something else on a date that’s already spoken for. Be
sure to include family traditions (and reserve time for them). Review your
calendar at least weekly during the holidays so you can adjust for last minute
things that always come up.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Stock up – </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Buy extra staples like flour, sugar,
butter, etc. that you'll need for holiday baking </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Whenever you cook – double
the recipe - </b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Then freeze half for busy December
days </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b>Kick off the Holiday season
in style –<span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">On the last day of November have everyone dress in pajamas and watch
a favorite Christmas movie while sipping hot chocolate. </span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">September Book
Give-A-Way – </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This month I am giving away a Halloween Gift box. The winner
will receive one of my books – autographed – that can be used as a Christmas
gift if you already own it! It will also have some Halloween goodies to help
you get your house ready for the FIRST upcoming holiday. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All you have to do for a chance to win is comment on my blog
at least once during the month of September. NOTE: When you comment on the blog
there will be a delay before it posts (it has to be approved to avoid SPAM
posts). If you check back and your comment still isn’t posted just send an
email to me at <a href="mailto:betsyb8@yahoo.com">betsyb8@yahoo.com</a> and I
will enter you in the contest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good luck!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kids say – and do – the
darndest things… Quotable Quotes from my Grandkids</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Abbie called me to get information about my parents for a
genealogy project. Once she had asked for their birthdates and places she asked
for death dates. I gave her my mother’s information but reminded her that my
father is still alive. Our conversation continued and when we were hanging up
she said, “Gram, I’m sorry that I thought your dad was dead.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently several grandkids spent the night. The next morning
during breakfast Andie had Cocoa Krispies and her milk turned chocolate. When
she proudly showed the others Abbie said, “Well chocolate milk isn’t very
healthy.” Andie said, “Yes it is. It still has protein and Vitamin D.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was in Idaho this summer Harrison asked why my teeth
were green. We all laughed and then I didn’t think anything else about it. A
few weeks later Banx invited me to go swimming with him. Then he added, “But
you need to brush your teeth first.” Needless to say I purchased some
tooth-whitening strips immediately!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One day Scarlett took some money out of her mom’s purse. Grace
told her she had to put it back because, “That’s my money.” To which Scarlett
replied, “But remember we’re supposed to share.” Awkward. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Banx told Butch that they were going to ride on his Papa’s
boat and Butch thought he said tomorrow (which would have been Sunday). Banx said,
“No silly! We can’t ride the boat on Sunday. We have to go to church!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And last but not least – Emily took Harrison, Atticus and
Scarlett to the media room at her apartment complex to watch Lion King. Atticus
got scared and Scarlett told him “It’s okay, I’m right here.” To which he
replied, “I love you, Scarlett!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What would I do without them???</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Recipe of the Week</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">Corn Casserole – </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">1 box of cornbread mix</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">1 pkg of cream cheese (8 oz.
softened)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">1 stick of butter (melted)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">1 can of cream corn</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">1 can of whole kernel corn-15 oz
size (don't pour off the liquid)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">Mix all together with a spoon,
pour into a 9 x 13" pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in a
preheated oven on 350 for about 45 minutes or until golden brown.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">I haven’t tried this but it
sounds so good to me!!!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow">
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Next installment of
Writing Tips next week!!!!</b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-44166197371847384672013-09-16T14:50:00.000-07:002013-09-16T14:58:26.106-07:00Week of September 16h - I'm a grandmother AGAIN!!!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Sadie Olivia Acker was born last Monday,
September 9<sup>th</sup> at approx. 8:15 in the evening. She was 7 lbs 13 oz
and absolutely beautiful. Her mom, Grace, did a great job with the delivery.
Her dad, Aaron, is very proud and her sister, Scarlett, likes her a lot. I held
the baby as much as possible – partly to let Grace rest and partly because I
was leaving soon and wanted to get in as much time with Sadie as I could.
Apparently Scarlett thought I might have the wrong idea because finally she
told me, “This is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">our</i> baby.” Yes she
is. I left early on Saturday morning and rode the shuttle from Rexburg to the
Salt Lake airport (a 5 hour ordeal). Then I flew from Salt Lake to Oakland, CA
and on to Houston where I changed planes for my final flight to Birmingham. So
I arrived at home around 9:00 on Saturday night – 17 hours after leaving
Grace’s house in Rexburg!!!! I’m starting to wonder if flying is that much
better than driving…<br />
<br />
Anyway, I found all well at home – for which I am thankful. I miss the Idaho
folks, especially tiny Sadie who will be very changed when I see her again in 2
months. And I worry about Grace who – in addition to recuperating from
childbirth and caring for 2 babies – started back to school today. But I’m very
thankful that I had the opportunity to go and be there when Sadie joined our
family.<br />
<br />
<b>So You Think You Want to Write a Book . . . (Part Six)</b><br />
Characterization Continued – Setting and Plot are very important parts of a
story (book) but it is my opinion that the best setting and/or plot in the
world are wasted if the characters are not compelling. If I don’t care about
the people – then why should I care what happens to them? So if you’ve written
your biographies of your major characters – you should know them pretty well.
The next challenge is to make sure that as you lead them through the intricacies
of your plot that they stay true to the character you’ve assigned them. For
instance, when I wrote Hearts in Hiding and created Miss Eugenia she had a definite 'voice'. An editor
going through the manuscript added a dialogue tag saying that Miss Eugenia ‘giggled’.
I knew my character and I knew that while she might laugh or snicker or smirk –
she would not <i>giggle</i>. So that had to be changed. I love character details – especially repetitive
details – that help the reader get to know them. Maybe your character
sighs in exasperation often like Hunter Ezell does in Proceed with Caution (and
the sequel Danger Ahead that is almost finished finally!!) Or maybe your
character keeps a hankie tucked in the neckline of her floral print dress like
Miss Polly (and uses it to dab perspiration). But if you choose a quirk or
habit – stay true to it. The character doesn’t have to sigh continuously, but
often enough to make it memorable. If you make your character scared of the dark
– don’t send her outside in the middle of the night. That would be against her character.
If your character is messy – don’t have her cleaning her house constantly.
These things are very important – but can be checked and double-checked during
your self-editing phase so don’t stress over them too much now. Pick a quirk or
habit for a couple of your characters now – but later if you need your character
who is scared of the dark to go outside in the middle of the night – just change
that quirk (or remove it entirely).<br />
<br />
Now, a little about plot. You have the basic idea for your story – so get it
written down. I like to go with an expanded outline. That means I put down the
major events in the order they will occur (or when I think they will occur). I
don’t put any dialogue, very little description – this is just what is going to
happen. The first draft of this outline is difficult for me. I have to
control myself from rushing ahead or from over-developing a small part of the
outline. This is bad for several reasons. One is that you may later decide to
take this part of the story out and then you’ve wasted time. Worse, if you
dedicate a lot of time to writing a description or dialogue for under-developed
characters in a vague scene – you’re going to get frustrated. So just push
ahead, writing the major plot points. Once you get to the end, go back to the
beginning and start filling in a few details. I like to think of it as a clay
statue with chicken wire for the base. First you have to bend the chicken wire
into the basic shape you want (this is your outline). Then you put the first
layer of clay onto the wire (this is the first layer of details). You have to
have this clay on the wire to hold future layers of clay in place. So it is
very important – but not the finished product. So don’t get frustrated with the
lack of polish your manuscript suffers from at this stage. It’s just part of
the process. Get the clay on that wire and then you have something to work
with!!!<br />
<br />
<b>September Book Give-a-way –</b><br />
Remember to comment on any blog post this month to be entered into the
drawing for a free Halloween gift box (that includes a free book!!!)<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe of the Week - Butterfinger Pie</b><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
8 count package of mini Butterfinger
bars</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
1 tub of Cool Whip</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
8 oz cream cheese (softened)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Graham cracker crust (premade)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Crush up the Butterfinger bars. Mix
together cool whip & cream cheese. Stir in the most of the crushed
butterfingers (reserving about ¼ cup for garnish). Pour mixture into graham
cracker crust. Top with the other 2 crushed up butterfingers. Refrigerate for
an hour before serving.</div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-21587915643799820822013-09-09T12:12:00.000-07:002013-09-09T12:12:05.065-07:00In Idaho for birth of granchild #10!!!!I'll be back to blogging next week - with pictures of Miss Sadie!!!Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-79530107097185899752013-09-02T09:04:00.001-07:002013-09-02T09:22:11.549-07:00Preparing for Christmas (Yes, I know it’s only September!!!)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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The holidays (especially Christmas) should be times of joy
and peace and love and appreciation for the Savior. But often times those good
feelings are overwhelmed by gift-buying anxiety and activity-scheduling stress
and over-taxed finances and impossible demands on our time/energy/patience. SO
I thought I would give a few tips I have learned over the years that might help
you to have a more “Happy” Holiday season!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
1. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Start buying gifts or putting aside
money NOW. (Those of you who buy your gifts throughout the year – you’re way
ahead of me – skip to suggestion 2) I saw an idea the other day about buying a
gift card each week when you buy groceries. These can be used later to purchase
gifts or can actually be given as gifts (my preference – takes out a step in
the gift-giving process). Sometimes you can find sales, but even if you pay
full price for what you buy you’re spreading out the expense (and the shopping)
over four months instead of trying to do it all at once. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
2. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you still do Christmas cards, go
through your list now (if your list is not on a computer – transfer it now –
this will take longer this year but will save you hours in the long run). Make
additions and deletions. And if you don’t know how to print labels, learn –
both return address labels and ones addressed to the people on your list.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
3. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Look through the winter clothes and pull
out all the Christmas items. Determine what fits (all family members) and what
doesn’t. This will reduce shopping for Christmas outfits later. I recommend
that you discard the things that don’t fit (unless they will fit someone else
in the future). But if you throw things away remember to hold out a few
old-timers in case you get invited to an Ugly Sweater party!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
4. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Go ahead and have a family picture
taken. That’s especially important if you have kids going off to college in the
fall. The picture on your card doesn’t have to be in front of a Christmas tree.
If you want to add a touch of the holidays you can have one of the kids hold a
big candy cane or a sign that says Merry Christmas. Or if you really need a
Christmas tree in the picture – go ahead and set it up. Then you’re about three
months ahead of schedule!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New Book Give-Away
for the month of September –</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This month I am giving away a Halloween Gift box (yes, I
know Halloween isn’t until October!!!) The winner will receive one of my books –
autographed – that can be used as a Christmas gift if you already own it! It
will also have some Halloween goodies to help you get your house ready for the
FIRST upcoming holiday. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All you have to do for a chance to win is comment on my blog
at least once during the month of September. NOTE: I have heard from several
people that they were unable to comment. I don’t know what the trouble is (and
I’m honestly not equipped to figure it out) but if you try to comment and can’t
– just send an email to me at <a href="mailto:betsyb8@yahoo.com">betsyb8@yahoo.com</a>
and I will enter you in the contest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Good luck!!!!<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="color: #6f3c1b;"></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b>Recipe of the Week -</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fresh Peach Dessert</span></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">Powdered sugar (2/3 cup crust) and
(¼ cup whip cream)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">1 cup butter, softened</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">2 pkg. graham crackers; crushed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">10 medium fresh peaches; peeled
& sliced (2 pkgs frozen can be substituted)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">1 can sweetened condensed milk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">1/4 cup lemon juice</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">1 pt. whipping cream</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">½ tsp vanilla</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-style-span">Mix cracker crumbs, powdered
sugar, & butter. Save a small amount to sprinkle on top, press the rest
into the bottom of a glass 9 x 13 pan. Whip the cream until almost set. Then
add ½ tsp vanilla and ¼ cup powdered sugar and set aside. Mix the sweetened
condensed milk with lemon juice. Place the peaches on the crust and pour the
milk/lemon mixture on top. Spread the whipped cream on top of that and sprinkle
with remaining crust. Refrigerate. (Does not store very well so only make what
can be eaten within 24 hours – half the recipe if necessary)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Sorry there is no writing installment this week – I’ll
pick up with Installment 6 next week)</span>Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-32034508941101516452013-09-01T19:13:00.000-07:002013-09-01T19:13:27.226-07:00WINNER of my Book Give-Away for August...Lauren Brightman!!!!! Please contact me at betsyb8@yahoo.com so I can get your mailing information. Congratulations and the new September contest starts with my blog post tomorrow!!!!Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-64300934701682663252013-08-26T19:09:00.001-07:002013-08-26T19:14:23.089-07:00As August draws to a close...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dieting – (In other
words, taking all the joy out of life)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I never had a weight problem until after my fourth child,
Grace, was born. That was also when I quit work to be a fulltime, stay-at-home
mother. I blame my slip into chubbiness on several factors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">The
desire to make up for lost time – During all those years when I worked I
dreamed of being Super Mom. I pictured myself making bread and cookies and
keeping my laundry caught up and my house spotless. I wanted to be the
mother my children deserved but had never had while I was working at a
bank for 40+ hours a week. So when I quit work after having Grace – I
baked and cooked and unfortunately – I ate!!!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Being
around food constantly – When I was at work if I wanted something to eat I
had to go get it (and have the money to pay for it). And I was so busy I
didn’t have the time to think about food. But when I was home all day even
though I was still very busy – I was constantly feeding the kids, or
cleaning the kitchen, or making a meal, or going to the grocery store. It
seemed like there was food everywhere. And I could eat a LOT just one
little bite at a time. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Stretch
pants – When I worked I had to dress professionally and since I couldn’t
afford to buy a new wardrobe after each of my first three babies I lost
weight immediately. There was really no choice. But when I stayed at home
all day there was no dress code. So I became partial to a couple pairs of
stretch pants and kept the weight. If I gained a pound or five – the
stretch pants still fit.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">No
time or opportunity to exercise – I realize now that I could have made
time if I’d really wanted to exercise. Maybe early in the morning or late
at night. But with an infant and 3 (barely) older children, at the time it
seemed impossible.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">I’m a
good cook – my food not only tastes good, it’s fun to make. I love cooking
for my family, trying new recipes, making old recipes. I get a lot of
pleasure out of making (and eating) food. It’s a reason to gather, a way
to celebrate EVERYTHING. It’s so hard to think of another way to mark
accomplishments – even simple things like making it through the week. It
seems so RIGHT to celebrate Friday night with a good dinner and some ice
cream! </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Lack
of portion control – I could probably eat most anything I want if I would
control how much of it I eat.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, for about the hundredth time I’m on a diet – hoping to
successfully lose AND successfully keep it off. I’m doing low-carb. It’s not
fun but it’s pretty easy. A doctor (a THIN doctor) once told me that any diet
will work – you just have to stick to it. I know that’s true. It’s just hard.
But I’m setting a goal of dieting until Thanksgiving. If I can make it that
long I’ll take a break and enjoy the holiday. Then I plan to get back on the
diet until Christmas. My hope is that by the first of the year I’ll have lost
most of what I want to and can diet during the week and relax a little on
weekends. My mother gave me some advice on weight control a long time ago
(which I obviously ignored). She attributed this to Marlo Thomas but I can’t
guarantee that’s true. She said you pick your optimum weight and get to it.
Then every morning you weigh yourself. If you are at or below your optimum
weight – you can eat what you want that day (within reason of course). If you
are over it – you diet that day. That sounds beautiful to me now (overweight).
To handle each extra pound as it is added instead of waiting until it is a
long, arduous process. I hope that one day soon I am there – on the scales –
just a pound or two (either way) from my optimum weight. After all – it’s just
food. I don’t HAVE to eat it. Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels (I’ve
got a million of these, but I’ll leave it at that). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So you want to write
a book (5<sup>th</sup> Installment)</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week I wanted to explore the ‘creation’ process that
goes along with a book idea. About a month ago when Prince William and his wife
Kate had their new baby George, I saw a lot about it on Yahoo! (my major new
source – sorry to say). I read an article about the royal family and Prince
Harry – and some of his famous misconduct – was mentioned. I was painting (the
walls in my hallway – not a portrait) and so I had time for this to mull around
in my mind. And I thought of an idea (which I will never use and hence I am
sharing it here to help others come up with a real book idea). I thought what
if you had a royal family that had been ripped by scandal over the past few
years. A new generation is coming up and the palace wants to limit future
embarrassment. But they know that all young men do things that are not
‘charming’ let’s say. In order to give the heir to the throne some privacy, and
room for mistakes, a semi-evil Public Relations person recruits the younger
brother of this heir to be the distraction. He is to get in trouble and stay in
the tabloids. Meanwhile the palace will purposely leak ‘nice’ pictures of the
older son. So the world thinks the younger son is a spoiled, undisciplined,
playboy but really it’s just an image projected to benefit his brother. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like things that are a little twisted, unexpected, so this
appealed to me. The female lead character could be a reporter – maybe one sent
to interview the younger prince. Some disaster befalls them – an earthquake or
fire or terrorism – and they are trapped in a small space with no food or water
and only a limited supply of oxygen. It seems like their lives are over so he
shares his story with her. She is appalled. Gradually their situation improves
– maybe they find some water or something shifts to give them a fresh air
supply. A working relationship develops – as they try to survive – then a
friendship and finally affection. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They are rescued and he swears her to secrecy. She promises
that she won’t repeat a word he has told her to another living soul. The prince
asks her on a date and she accepts. They set up an elaborate plan to make it
happen, but they are able to eat dinner together. It looks like their budding
relationship has potential outside of a death trap. But after a few dates the
evil PR guy shows up and says this can’t happen – he can’t risk his terrible
reputation by dating a nice girl. They’ll have to break up. She is appalled. He
is resigned. It’s his job. He protects his brother, draws scrutiny away from
him. Always has. She says “So we can’t see each other anymore.” He’s regretful
but firm. No. It’s over. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She is hurt, mad, angry. She decides that while she won’t
break her word to him, it’s possible to expose this terrible situation without
repeating what he told her. So she starts interviewing the women he has dated
in the past. Finds out that most of them received money, didn’t spend much time
with the prince. All of them claimed to have slept with him but she was pretty
sure they were lying. She builds her case, begins a series of articles, response
from PR guy is swift and severe. She refuses to stop the series. Prince is sent
to convince her. I don’t know what happens from here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So. That is my basic idea. There is not an absolute pattern
that can’t be varied from, but in this case the first thing I would want to do
is determine my setting. I could use England and the actual royal family there.
But this would be problematic for several reasons. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>I
would have to make sure my facts were absolutely correct.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>I
might have a problem getting anyone to publish this book since it might get
them sued.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Any
feelings people have for the royal family (negative or positive) could make
them unlikely to read (and buy) my book.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best course would probably be to make up a country. I
would have to decide if it’s in Europe or elsewhere. Who is the reigning king?
What scandals have happened over the past few years? What are the cities that
the younger brother visits and the logistics of getting from place to place. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next I would develop my main characters. I read a book once
(by Dean Koontz I think) that recommended you should write a biographical
sketch of each character before you start writing. You should include where
they were born, size and description of their family, where did they go to
school, what kind of grades did they make, everything. You may never use all of
that information but the better YOU know your own characters – the better
you’ll be able to describe them and give them their own ‘voice’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So we’ll pick up here next week for those of you who want to
continue this journey with me! I hope it’s been helpful to someone at least!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Book Giveaway –</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t forget that I am drawing for a free copy of Marlene
Bateman’s amazing new book “A Motive for Murder” on Saturday. So if you would
like to be eligible to win just make a comment of any kind on this blog (or one
of the earlier ones from this month).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWbOqI3GsxFHrKEYUg38YxdQs-PPkbGutIsHGEar2q-gmSQvMULS70hsK5d-P8kePFrhm1sDgO0RX24pDDalTh9XwWDcdd3z80JwHOL1_OIax046S2hkzJt4SKxxOfRb3AeHErJ6dBcU/s1600/A+Motive+for+Murder_High+resolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWbOqI3GsxFHrKEYUg38YxdQs-PPkbGutIsHGEar2q-gmSQvMULS70hsK5d-P8kePFrhm1sDgO0RX24pDDalTh9XwWDcdd3z80JwHOL1_OIax046S2hkzJt4SKxxOfRb3AeHErJ6dBcU/s320/A+Motive+for+Murder_High+resolution.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What are the chances
–</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I almost always cut my hair a few times in between trips to
the hair salon. I do not advocate this behavior. It means that I frequently
have crooked bangs or gaps in my hair (not to mention that it gives my
unfortunate hair stylist a more difficult task when I finally do go have her
cut it). But my hair will be fine (just okay really but you know what I mean)
and then all of the sudden it’s not fine anymore. It’s in my eyes or on my neck
or bushy or something and I just cannot stand it anymore. I have to cut it.
Best case scenario – I can find some regular scissors for the task. I have cut
my hair with children’s safety scissors and on one really desperate occasion –
toenail clippers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, all that was just a lead-up to my story for the day.
It was one of those times when my bangs were in my eyes. I found some scissors
and cut them, but managed to get a few tiny pieces of hair in my eyes (hazard
of cutting your own hair). This had happened before and usually I could get it
out immediately and at worst, an hour or so later. But this time nothing I did
could rid my right eye of a piece of hair. I couldn’t see it, but I could feel
it, scraping my eye every time I blinked. It was annoying but I thought it
would eventually work its way out. It didn’t. Two days later my eye was so
irritated people were asking me if I had pink eye. I work at a school and even
the appearance of a highly contagious eye condition is just not acceptable. So
I called the eye doctor and made an appointment. I didn’t have time to go and I
was upset with myself and the whole situation. I could have paid for a haircut
TWICE for the cost of a trip to the eye doctor. But there was really no choice,
so I went. The doctor said a tiny piece of hair managed to get stuck right into
a tear duct. He said never in his lengthy career had he seen that happen. Lucky
me. He pulled it out, the relief was immediate, and I went home. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’d think I would have learned my lesson. But I’m still
cutting my hair regularly. In fact, I may go look for a pair of scissors right
now…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Recipe of the Week</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Fresh Creamed Corn</u><br />
4 ears fresh ears corn<br />
4 tbsp. butter<br />
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 tsp. sugar</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1/4 tsp. salt </span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3/4 cup heavy cream</span><br />
<br />
Boil four quarts of water in a large pot. Add corn and cook for 5 mins. Drain
and set aside. <span class="textexposedshow">Melt butter over low heat. Add flour
and stir. Slice cooked corn off the cob, using the back of your knife to force
off any remaining kernels of corn and the “milk” (juices) from the cob. Add the
sugar and salt. Turn heat up to medium. Stir and cook 1 minute. Add the cream
and cook an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt, if
needed. This is fabulous!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: Jokerman;">Have
a GREAT week</span>!!!</span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-66334877245459275312013-08-19T12:35:00.002-07:002013-08-19T12:35:18.741-07:00So you think you want to write a book . . . Part 4<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Okay, you have a place to write and a time set aside for
writing. You have practiced your craft and now you are ready to start your
book. First you need to choose an idea. If you have had just one idea for
awhile then this step will be easy for you. If you have lots of ideas it will
be harder because you have to choose only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one</i>
for your first book. Don’t stress over this too much. If you have lots of ideas
– that’s a good thing (you can use the ones you don’t pick now later). If you choose
an idea and then can’t seem to develop it – there’s nothing wrong with putting
it aside and starting on another one. Unless you do that with one idea after
another and never finish a book! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember that in the creation of every book/story there might
be times when you reach a blank spot (a place where you don’t know exactly what
is going to happen). I like to type into this spot “I don’t know what is going
to happen here” and then go on. You can always come back and fill it in later.
And after you’ve written another chapter or so you’ll probably figure out what
needs to go there. So don’t waste time staring at the blank page, struggling to
come up with a scene that is alluding you. Just move on and come back to it.
Also, while you’re writing Chapter One you might think of a scene that isn’t
going to happen until the end of the book. But the details are so clear to you –
the dialogue and the setting. So don’t wait to write it until you reach the end
of the book. Go ahead and write it while it’s fresh on your mind (even though
by the time you get to that scene other elements of the book may force it to
change). Then you can slip it into place later. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Often while I’m writing one book I’ll get an idea for
another one. ALWAYS write down your idea and any details that come with it. I
promise you that you will not be able to remember it all when you finish the
current book (at least I never can). Don’t get distracted and start actually working
on another book. Just jot down the basic idea and then get back to work.
Because writing is work. Sometimes its also fun – but its always work. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next week I’m going to take an idea (one that I know I will
never use and that is probably not even all that good) and show you how I would
develop it and turn it into a book. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Double Chocolate Coke Cake<br />
<br />
1 cup Coke<span class="textexposedshow"> (caffeine free is fine – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</b> diet)</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1/2 cup oil </span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 stick butter</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3 Tablespoon cocoa</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 cups sugar</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 cups flour</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1/2 teaspoon salt</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">2 eggs</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1/2 cup buttermilk</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 teaspoon baking soda</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 teaspoon vanilla</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Frosting:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 stick butter</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3 Tablespoon cocoa</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">6 Tablespoon of whipping cream</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">In a saucepan, mix Coke, oil, butter and cocoa and
bring to a boil. In another bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the
boiling Cola mixture over the flour mixture and beat well. Add buttermilk, eggs,
soda and vanilla and beat well. Pour mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9
inch baking pan and bake at 350 degrees or 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pan from
oven and cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Frosting: In a saucepan, combine the butter, cocoa,
and milk. Heat until the butter melts. Beat in the remaining ingredients and
spread on the cake. Serve warm or cold (great with vanilla ice cream).</span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-79541455064624286902013-08-12T09:36:00.001-07:002013-08-12T09:41:40.287-07:00So Summer is over . . . again<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t believe it is the middle of August already. It seems
like just a week ago it was the first of June, my summer was starting, and I
had a whole list of projects that I was going to complete. I was going to paint
the house inside and out, clean and reorganize every room, I was going to write
three books. It all seemed so possible. The days of summer stretched out before
me endlessly. August was so far away – it almost didn’t exist! But now here I
am with the nonexistent August staring me in the face. And I have accomplished
little of what I planned to do. It’s the same every year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first week or so I am very productive. Then, as time
goes on, I start to sleep a little later, relax a little more, and the projects
I’ve planned (or even started) get put up, postponed, or completely forgotten. It
frustrates me that I can’t seem to keep up that frantic pace of the first week all
summer. So I decided to make a list of what I did this summer and concentrate
on that instead of what I didn’t do (much longer list)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I read 15 books (including the ones I listened to on CD
during my various trips). I love to read and rarely get a chance, so this was a
particular treat. They gave me food for thought and I feel like a better, wiser
person for having read them. And in the process I might have even sharpened my
own writing abilities. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I watched some television – I won’t claim to have gained
anything from this except just that relaxing occasionally is a good thing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a lot of walks – One of my goals was to lose weight
and I have! I’ve lost the same 10 pounds 3 times and gained it back 3 times so
my walking was a part of that questionably successful effort although I can’t
consider the weight loss walking a total waste. If I hadn’t been walking (and
losing) I would have gained 30 pounds this summer instead of breaking even!!!!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been able to spend quality time with all my grandchildren.
I’ve walked on beaches with them, watched them float down rivers, filled
plastic swimming pools for them, comforted them when they were frightened by
storms, been beaten by them in board games, made cookies with them, seen the
smiles on their faces, felt their little hands in mine, laughed at all the
crazy stuff they say, and shed tears when I had to say goodbye.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I visited my aged grandparents, looked in to their tired but
still beautiful eyes, cooked for them, talked about the past and the future, laughed
at the crazy things they say, and shed tears when I had to say goodbye since I
never know when a goodbye might be our final farewell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And after all my mini-adventures I came home to a happy
reunion with my husband who had missed me and my son who has missed all the
things I do for him. So maybe my summer was productive after all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It makes me think about life and how it’s much the same. We
start out full of energy. During childhood we run and play from dawn until
dusk. As teenagers we have complete confidence in ourselves and are sure we can
conquer the world. Life stretches out endlessly before us. Then as young adults
we work on education, get married, have children, and build careers. Every
moment is claimed and accounted for. Sometimes our goals change or are lost in
the frantic activity of every day. And then we get older. Our children are grown,
our careers determined and perhaps even over. Then we reassess our purpose. We
take things slower and accomplish less. We appreciate more, we read books, we look
at scenery, we feel old and wrinkled, we look at an old, wrinkled spouse and
marvel that he is more handsome now than when we first met.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope that when our lives are over and we look back at the
time we spent on earth, the regret for the things we meant to accomplish (and
didn’t) will fade quickly as we remember all the wonderful moments we were
privileged to experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">So you think you want to write a book . . . Part Three</span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'm going to keep this week's installment short since I posted about my summer! But the next step, in my opinion, is to practice. Keeping a journal is the best way to hone your writing abilities. When you write about your life and the people in it and the things that happen you accomplish two things. You create a priceless record for your progeny and you learn to express yourself without having to create characters or settings or plot (all that has been done for you by life). I also recommend short stories. They are less intimidating than a whole book and easier to work with just because of size. So if you have an idea - develop it into a short story first. It can always be expanded into a full-length book at some point in the future. But starting small has many advantages. So that's my tip for this week!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grandma Ruth's Quiche</span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span></b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">8 pieces thick-sliced bacon (cooked and crumbled)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 pie shells (8-inch, prick sides and bottom, cook for 8
minutes at 350)</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">5 eggs</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">4 green onions (chopped – I don’t use the greens just the tops)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 pint half and half</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 cup Swiss cheese (shredded)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp salt</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/4 pepper</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 tbsps butter (melted)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">(Preheat oven to 375 degrees)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sprinkle bacon, cheeses, and green onions in the bottom of
the partially-baked pie shells. </span> <span style="font-size: small;">In a
blender mix Half and Half, eggs, salt and pepper, and butter just until blended. Place
pie shells on a cookie sheet. Pour mixture into pie shells. Bake for 25-30
minutes until golden brown. Allow to rest for 15 minutes and then serve warm. (You
can add other ingredients like spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers!) </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
This quiche goes great with the Cheese Grits from last week!!!</span></div>
</span><b><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></b> </span></span>Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-10987692641970945132013-08-05T09:31:00.001-07:002013-08-05T16:35:04.318-07:00So you think you want to write a book . . . Part Two<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
First steps –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most people think that the first step in writing a book
(hopefully a good book) is to have a great idea or to develop compelling
characters. While these are both important – in my opinion the actual first
step is to find the time and the place to write. It sounds simple – I know. But
so many good ideas have never been developed because the people trying to write
them down never found the time or the place to get the work done. So if you’re
in the beginning stage, jot down those ideas for now and start laying the
groundwork. That way the ideas will still be waiting for you when you’re really
ready to write!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Find some time to
write</b> – We are so busy. Everyone seems stretched to the limit – even my
grandkids and my grandparents!!!!! So people often ask me, “How do you find the
time to write?” And the answer is simple. I don’t find time – I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">make</i> time. We all have the same 24 hours
in each day. Some people give up hobbies, some give up exercise, most give up
sleep. Honestly, if you commit to write a book every aspect of your life will
probably suffer. Your house won’t be as clean, your family won’t get as much
attention, your laundry might pile up, you may be on a first name basis with
your local Little Caesars employees. The sacrifices can’t be avoided, so the goal
has to be worth it to you and the other people in your life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In order to write a book you will need to dedicate (in my
opinion) a minimum of ten hours a week. Ideally you will write every day (at
least every weekday) for about two hours at a time. I hear stories all the time
about people jotting on the back of grocery lists, their children’s report
cards, envelopes they got in the mail – even on their hands. And while this
works for a quick idea that you don’t want to forget. But serious writing takes
concentration. It takes awhile to get your thoughts organized – to get into the
scene you’re writing, into the head of your characters, to remember where you
are on the plot development. That’s why I suggest bigger blocks of writing time
rather than fifteen minutes here or there (although you take what you can get
and if you have to write in fifteen minutes swatches of time then that’s what
you’ll have to do!!!)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also recommend that you not get too caught up in page
counts as you start writing. I hear people say “My goal is to write fifty pages
tomorrow”. If you have to come up with a ‘page number goal’ keep it reasonable.
Some scenes are much harder to write than others. Some days you may not
complete one page. Some days you might not write a single sentence in your
book. You might spend your writing time researching or advertising (necessary
evil) or reading a book in the genre you’ve chosen. Ideally you will set aside
a certain amount of time (I recommend 2 hours minimum) per day for writing. And
all of those activities are essential to the writing process. So don’t get
discouraged if the pages aren’t piling up as fast as you’d hoped.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And back to your two hours of writing per day – ideally it
would be at the same time each day (like from 10-12 every morning). Writing
requires discipline (self-discipline – the hardest kind!!!) and it’s easier for me
to make sure I get my two hours in if they are scheduled (preferably early in
the day).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Find a place to write</b>
– I’ve always dreamed of having a little cabin in the woods – far off the
beaten path – where I could go to write. I picture the rooms bathed in
sunlight, no noise except for birds chirping, no interruptions except for the
occasional butterfly landing on the window sill. A nice new laptop, a couple of
comfortable chairs (one in front of the window, one in front of a cheerful
fireplace), food in the refrigerator – who couldn’t write under those blissful
circumstances? The reality is that few writers have that kind of space – at
least not at first. But I strongly recommend that before you embark on a
book-writing attempt you should try to find an office space of some kind. Once
you get a couple of manuscripts going (and sometimes in various stages of
completion), correspondence, website, books you sell yourself – you need space
to keep it all organized (or at least try). There may be an office available in
your house. If not, maybe you can convert a part of the basement or the garage
or a closet. Maybe your guest room can do double duty if you add a desk and a
comfortable chair. I had eight children in a four bedroom house when I started
writing. I couldn’t find an empty corner – let alone any office space. And there
was hardly a moment of the day when I didn’t need to be available to my family.
As a result my writing time was never as organized or productive as it could have
been. My computer was set up in the living room. I couldn’t sit in the desk
chair for long so I pushed one of the living room chairs over to the desk. And
then I wrote when I could with the cacophony of life as my inspiration ‘music’.
So if you can’t dedicate any space to your writing – don’t despair. It can
still be done – it will just be a little harder. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, if you think you want to write a book, work on your
writing time and space this week. And next week we’ll discuss coming up with
ideas and how to practice your writing craft.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Remember about the new feature of my blog – the Book
Giveaway!!!!</span></b></div>
<pre style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b></pre>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Beginning in August I will have a
monthly drawing for a free book! Everyone who comments on any blog post during
the month will be entered in the drawing. I will post the winner on the last
day of each month and request mailing information via email. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks to all who have participated so far!</span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This month’s free book will be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Motive
for Murder</i></b> by Maureen Bateman. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Meet Erica Coleman—a gifted and quirky private investigator
with an </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">OCD-like passion for
neatness and symmetry, a penchant for cooking, (ten terrific recipes are
included), and a weakness for chocolate. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Erica imagined that her trip to Florida would be a slice of
heaven—a chance to get away from it all and catch up with her best friend,
Wendy. But one day into her vacation, all hope of fun in the sun is dashed w</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">hen she stumbles, literally, over a dead man <span style="color: black;">on Wendy’s driveway. With police closing in on </span>her
friend <span style="color: black;">as their main suspect, Erica </span>must find
the real killer before <span style="color: black;">Wendy </span>ends up behind
bars.<span style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">With Erica’s skill, solving the mystery should be a piece
of cake but then a second homicide-attempt hits close to home. There’s no way
to sugarcoat it, a murderer is on the prowl, and no one is above suspicion. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As the plot thickens, it appears Erica may have bitten off
more than she can chew, but she forges on, sifting through mounting evidence
until she hones in on the killer who has a most surprising motive for murder. With</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> a dash of romance and some surprising
twists, this thrilling mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat until the
very last page. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have just learned that grits are now available in most
parts of the country. So for those of you who would like to try them I am going
to give you a great recipe. Honestly, I’m kind of a grits purist. I like them
with just butter and salt. But for some people served this way they seem a
little bland. So I’m going to share a recipe for Cheese Grits that was given to
me by my longtime friend, Nancy Densmore. Tip – When purchasing grits you want ‘Quick’
grits but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</b> instant. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cheese Grits</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
6 cups water<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1 tsp salt</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 ½ cups uncooked grits<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>½ cup butter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3 eggs
(beaten)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Divide cheese into 3 ¾ cups and ¼ cup portions. Combine
water and salt. Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in grits. Reduce
heat to low and cook until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add butter and
3 ¾ cups cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add a small portion of the grits to
the beaten eggs and stir (or whisk) quickly. Slowly add remaining grits and
stir well. Pour grits into a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1
hour. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and put back into warm oven until cheese
melts. Serve hot.</div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-23014398284722063122013-07-29T08:12:00.002-07:002013-08-05T09:12:29.651-07:00So you think you want to write a book...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On almost a daily basis I have someone tell me (either in
person or through email) that they would like to write a book. Some people tell
me in a straightforward, confident way. Others express this desire with
embarrassment. Then they usually ask me how I got published and to advise them
along the same path. So I have decided that for the next few weeks I am going
to use my blog to give both my experience and my advice to anyone who is
interested. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I believe that every single person who has ever been born on
earth has a story inside them. Some people have many stories. But not everyone
was blessed with the ability to control the written word.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Some people are blessed with the ability to see musical
notes and convert what they see to beautiful music. I can see the notes. I have
the desire to create the music. But I can’t turn notes into music. Some people
can see a beautiful scene and convert what they see onto canvas. I can see
beautiful things, but I can’t transfer what I see into art. I can’t even take a
good photograph (always crooked, usually someone’s head is cut off). I believe
it is the same with writing</span>. Please understand that I am not comparing myself to great writers - think of me more in the same category with photographers who can take pictures without cutting off their subjects' heads!!!!!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">People seem to feel that the stories within them will be
more real if they are in book form. I agree that everyone’s stories need to be
written down. Even if they will never be books your stories will be of value to
your posterity and the therapeutic benefits of writing help to soothe and
ground us. In the process of writing your story/stories you might find out that
you are a wordsmith. If, however, you determine that you are not a ‘writer’ any
more than I am a musician or an artist – your stories will still be written and
they will still have value.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now, having said that – I will proceed with my writing/publishing experience:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">I wrote my first 'chapter' book when I was in the 4<sup>th</sup> grade. My mother said it was </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">wonderful. My grandmother said it was super-wonderful and offered to buy me a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">typewriter. (I'm sure it wasn't nearly as good as they claimed, but their </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">encouragement was sufficient to keep me trying). During 5th and 6th grades I </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">became obsessed with a television show called “Here Come the Brides” about a </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">group of women who were imported from New England to the Pacific Northwest </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">where women were in short supply. So during recess I used to write 'scripts' for </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">this television show. My friends would sit around me on the steps of the school </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">and as I would finish a page they would pass it and then wait on the next page.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></span><span style="color: white;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">By high school I had graduated to spiral notebooks. I would write a chapter and </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">then pass it to my friends. They would read the chapter then return it to me for the </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">next installment. I was also a voracious reader. I would check out a book every </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">morning at the school library and check it back in the next day (even if it meant </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">staying up half the night to finish it). I read every spare moment – sitting in the gym </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">during PE, during classes, at stop lights. The only books that took me two days </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">were <i>Gone with the Wind</i> and <i>Dr. Zhivago</i>. </span></div>
</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As much as I loved reading and writing, I never considered it as a career. </span><span style="font-size: small;">My </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">mother died of multiple sclerosis when she was 43. I had four younger siblings </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and one Christmas I realized that I had more memories of our mother than they </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">did - since I was the oldest. So I used a memory as the basis for a short story </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">and sent it to them for as a gift. And that is how my adult writing ‘career’ began. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I didn't even know there was such a thing as LDS fiction, but when I went out to </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salt Lake for my grandmother's funeral and visited a bookstore I was properly </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">introduced. The thought occurred to me, as I was thumbing through books written </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">by women who would later become my friends, that I could probably write a book </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">like this. Later my aunt commented that </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">she thought my short stories about my </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">mother were very good and that it was possible </span><span style="font-size: small;">if I tried another type of </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">writing I might be able to get published. I appreciated her kind </span><span style="font-size: small;">comments, but </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">didn't seriously consider it until almost a year later. </span></span><span style="color: white;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">As our eight children were born they didn’t really add a lot
of expense. They didn’t eat much, we passed clothes down, we didn’t really go
anywhere – not on vacations or even out to eat. But then they grew and college
and missions loomed in the not so distant future. And I started to worry. My
husband assured me that the Lord would provide. I believed that too – but I
needed to know HOW! I thought about it and worried and finally decided the only
thing I could do to provide the extra income was to write. So I came up with a
plan and took it to the Lord. I promised to work hard, but knew that without
His help success would be impossible. Then I began.</span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
</i>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">For the next 8 months I worked on my first novel. I did it
largely in long hand, transferring it to the computer after I had it 'mapped
out' on paper. (I would never do that now - tremendous waste of time). I made
two serious mistakes with this first manuscript. I tried to write about a place
I had been only once for an overnight stay when I was seven (California) and I
tried to write about a lifestyle I'd never experienced (movie star). Once I was
finished I found the names and addresses of all the LDS publishers (about 6) and
sent copies of my manuscript out. My plan was to wait and see what happened
before I invested any more time in this venture (I had given every moment of
spare time and cut back sleep to 5 hours a night in order to finish the first manuscript).
But it was summer time and the kids were out of school and spare time was a
little more abundant so I decided to go ahead and try another one. I sent off
my second attempt a week before I started getting rejection letters on my first
manuscript – which was a huge blessing because I think if I’d gotten the
rejection letters first I might have been discouraged and quit.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<u><i>
</i></u></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">The second time around I placed my characters in a small
southern town (very similar to my father's hometown) and mixed in everyday
things (that I actually have experienced) with the murder and mayhem (that
fortunately I have not!). Covenant contacted me a couple of months later and
offered me a contract. Hearts in Hiding was published in May of 2001. I had to </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">re-write my first manuscript twice before it was finally published as my third book, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until Proven Guilty. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
<u><i>
</i></u></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I had very quick success and there is no doubt in my mind
that it was purely a miracle. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>
</u></i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next week I’ll give suggestions on how to find out if you are a wordsmith </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: small;">(and ideas to help you to practice your writing craft). </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt;">
<span style="color: white;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">New Blog Feature - Book giveaway </span></b></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.4pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Beginning in August I will have a
monthly drawing for a free book! Everyone who comments on any blog post during
the month will be entered in the drawing. I will post the winner on the last
day of each month and request mailing information via email. This month’s free
book will be A Motive for Muder by Maureen Bateman. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBvcPZoegH4nX1qDbOp0ohY7ooQPb5J47K2pYJgtzfbeJp4_hoqhgFlss8sednYmPBtzWfVNMieSNMXBRkbqStVKBHUS0etS_wBkEWVvTASSu0W2p1aghEfJ2uZDRgUCEUP5ZhZK4mww/s1600/A+Motive+for+Murder_High+resolution.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBvcPZoegH4nX1qDbOp0ohY7ooQPb5J47K2pYJgtzfbeJp4_hoqhgFlss8sednYmPBtzWfVNMieSNMXBRkbqStVKBHUS0etS_wBkEWVvTASSu0W2p1aghEfJ2uZDRgUCEUP5ZhZK4mww/s320/A+Motive+for+Murder_High+resolution.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Meet Erica Coleman—a gifted and quirky private investigator
with an </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">OCD-like passion for
neatness and symmetry, a penchant for cooking, (ten terrific recipes are
included), and a weakness for chocolate. </span></div>
<div class="NoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Erica imagined that her trip to Florida would be a slice of
heaven—a chance to get away from it all and catch up with her best friend,
Wendy. But one day into her vacation, all hope of fun in the sun is dashed w</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">hen she stumbles, literally, over a dead man on Wendy’s driveway. With police closing in on her
friend as their main suspect, Erica must find
the real killer before Wendy ends up behind
bars. With Erica’s skill, solving the mystery should be a piece
of cake but then a second homicide-attempt hits close to home. There’s no way
to sugarcoat it, a murderer is on the prowl, and no one is above suspicion. As the plot thickens, it appears Erica may have bitten off
more than she can chew, but she forges on, sifting through mounting evidence
until she hones in on the killer who has a most surprising motive for murder. With</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> a dash of romance and some surprising
twists, this thrilling mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat until the
very last page. </span></div>
<pre style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></pre>
<pre style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></pre>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Macaroni Salad -</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 lb box elbow macaroni <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>2 chicken breasts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">½ head of lettuce<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>1 cucumber</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1 can of medium pitted
olives<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Salt and Pepper</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Mayonnaise<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Dash of
garlic salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Boil chicken breasts. Remove
from water and allow to cool. Chop into small pieces. Cook elbow macaroni
according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool. Chop lettuce and
cucumber into small pieces. Drain olives and slice in half. Put all ingredients
in a large bowl and stir in mayonnaise (start with 1 cup and add more as
needed). Add salt, garlic salt, and pepper to taste.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What are the chances . . .</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When Cathy and Ricky got
married her brother Andy was about to turn six. He was running around at the
reception having a great time – eating all kinds of good foods without much
supervision. Just when it was time for me to help Cathy get out of her wedding
dress he came up and told me he didn’t feel so good. I told him to sit down and
quit running around on a full stomach. Then I went to help Cathy. A few minutes
later someone knocked on the door and gave us the bad news. Andy ignored my
advice and continued to run. He passed Ricky, who was headed to the men’s
restroom to change out of his tux, and Ricky noticed that Andy’s shoe was
untied. Trying to be a good brother-in-law he bent down to tie Andy’s shoe. And
Andy proceeded to throw up all down his back. All over that rented tux. On
Ricky’s wedding day. Wow. </span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-36099421716020674002013-07-21T19:43:00.000-07:002013-07-22T07:13:15.088-07:00If things were now as they were then – we’d be in Nauvoo <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0z3j7sUkcvHQzFbBiKVBGpcHd3S6qf-ESEQeql611VXQhXumqgk3OPG2V9GxV2a8yuAMGKphT0jRjiCnyqTscenZ7slGHrLwGOInsMAVwJZXoTJXHZRYx_QvqPFQMVTf97Q9OLQfL2FE/s1600/tommy+with+fam+nauvoo+costumes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0z3j7sUkcvHQzFbBiKVBGpcHd3S6qf-ESEQeql611VXQhXumqgk3OPG2V9GxV2a8yuAMGKphT0jRjiCnyqTscenZ7slGHrLwGOInsMAVwJZXoTJXHZRYx_QvqPFQMVTf97Q9OLQfL2FE/s320/tommy+with+fam+nauvoo+costumes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our family was privileged to be members of the City of
Joseph Cast for its last two years (2003 and 2004). Our oldest son, Jamie, was
also in the cast in 2002 as part of the Byron Hogan family. The pageant is now
just another part of Nauvoo history. But we have reminisced over the past few
days – wonderful, poignant, treasured memories. So my blog for this week is
about Nauvoo and how the Lord helped me prepare Jamie to go that first
year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But first a little backstory -</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My ancestors, Lindsay and Elizabeth Brady joined the Mormon
Church in Kentucky and moved to Far West, Missouri and later settled in Nauvoo,
Illinois. While there they purchased property, built a house, and buried three
children. As part of the Mormon Exodus, Lindsay and Elizabeth left Nauvoo
headed west in the spring of 1846. After crossing the Mississippi River by
ferry they sat down on the Iowa bank for a picnic dinner. They untied the oxen
to let them graze and didn’t realize their mistake until the oxen walked into
the water. The animals were headed home, back across the river.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a terrible tragedy for the Brady family. Without
the oxen they couldn’t continue their journey west. If Lindsay tried to swim
the river to retrieve the oxen and drowned, the family would have no means of
support. While they were discussing other options, the three teenage sons
stepped forward and volunteered to swim across the river and get the oxen.
Elizabeth was very much against this idea and begged her husband not to
consider it. But it was getting dark and the animals would soon be lost and
their trip west ended before it started. So Lindsay agreed to let the boys try.
Elizabeth sank to the ground, weeping as her sons waded into the water. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The boys swam across the river, got the oxen and brought
them back, so the story has a happy ending. But when I read this for the first
time, I wondered why Lindsay and especially Elizabeth had to be tested to such
extreme lengths. They had already given up their comfortable home, their
property, and they were leaving the graves of three children to follow the
saints west. Why did they have to risk their three living sons as well? I tried
to imagine myself in that same situation. Watching in terror as my sons walked
into the deep water, then seeing them return in triumph, protected by the hand
of the Lord.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It seemed like more than one person or family should have to
bear, but sometimes the Lord has to lead us to the very edge of our endurance.
Because it’s on this edge that we develop spiritual maturity and strength. Where we truly learn to know God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the summer of 2002 when Jamie was in his first City of
Joseph Pageant, he was at a critical time in his life. He needed faith
promoting, testimony building experiences. I was thrilled that he had the opportunity,
but in order to participate he had to have a costume and I don’t mean just any
old costume. He had to have authentic drop front pants and a frock coat with
tails and a work shirt and a vest and a white fake shirtfront (to cover up his
work shirt) and a top hat. I had to submit material samples to the pageant
costume director for approval. Then she sent me homemade patterns with
handwritten instructions like ‘cut out the pattern pieces’ and ‘sew the coat
together’. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pants were one of the hardest things I’ve ever made and
when I got them done, they were too small. I considered having a nervous
breakdown, but instead I bought more material and put 2 ½ inch inserts on each
side. The costume director was very particular and I knew there was a good
chance she wouldn’t even let him wear them, but it was the best I could do. The
vest didn’t have a lining and seemed flimsy, but the shirt was relatively easy.
Then on the Wednesday night before he was to leave on Thursday, while the rest
of my family slept, I started on the frock coat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were pattern pieces that weren’t mentioned in the
instructions and I didn’t know what to do with them. They didn’t even look like
they fit and I wondered if maybe two patterns had gotten mixed up. It was too
late to call the costume director so I sat there in my quiet living room and
thought that I was going to fail. If I didn’t get the coat made that night,
Jamie couldn’t go to Nauvoo. But I didn’t know how to make the coat. I cried
for a little while. Then I prayed. Then I sat and stared at the stupid coat
pieces. And then I got an idea. It didn’t make sense, but I did it anyway. And
miraculously – it worked and soon all the pieces were assembled into a frock
coat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exhausted but encouraged, I started on the fake white
shirtfront. I made a mistake early that left it looking like a Catholic priest’s
collar and I thought I was going to have to start over. Then I got an idea.
What I did broke every rule of fine sewing, but it worked. When I went to bed in
the wee hours of Thursday morning his costume was completed. I don’t think I
could do it again. But that night, with the Lord's help, I
was able to make the pieces fit together. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I certainly wouldn’t compare my sewing experience to sending
sons into a river to face possible death. But I do think that in our own trials
and struggles today, sometimes we are pushed to the limit of our faith. And we
grow. So as bad as that night was – I’m thankful for it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If things were now as they were then, I hope I would have been courageous like Lindsay and Elizabeth.<br />
<br />
And while I wish that we were in Nauvoo right now, sitting in the auditorium at the old Academy, listening to orientation, singing the pageant songs, and visiting with friends we only saw once a year, I've accepted that sometimes good things - even very good things - come to an end. Now we
have to be content with our memories and be grateful that we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">were</i> there. Although I doubt that any of us will ever be able to think
of a place we’d rather be . . .</div>
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<![endif]--><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Recipe of the Week</b></span><br />
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<![endif]--><b>Easy Apple Turnovers</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tbsp butter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 medium apples, peeled and finely chopped</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ cup brown sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp cornstarch</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1/8 tsp cinnamon </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp lemon juice</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
½ tsp vanilla</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 pkg ready made pie shell (or make your own)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vanilla ice cream</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Topping</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
¼ cup sugar</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 tsp cinnamon </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 tbsp melted butter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat, add apples and cook
for 5 min. Mix in brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Cook and stir for 7-8
minutes until apples begin to caramelize. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice
and vanilla. Cool.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Preheat oven to 400. On a lightly floured surface roll out
pie crust to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out 5 inch circles. Re-roll until dough is
used. Put about 2 tbsps of filling in each circle. Moisten edges of pastry with
water, fold over and press closed with a fork. Transfer to lightly greased
baking pan. Prick each turnover with a fork. Bake for approx. 20 minutes until lightly brown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allow to cool slightly. Brush with melted
butter and sprinkle with combination of sugar and cinnamon. Serve warm or at room
temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">This recipe is so
good and easy enough for kids to do!</span></div>
<br />
<br />Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-45246111302245690252013-07-15T07:04:00.002-07:002013-07-15T07:04:46.956-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXasLupoNW3uSiTWPaSD8W83485cpyW82imO0md1xs6J643t4dJhKYBj7NkWfrFQRnNaoq3kpz2njxXwWFSYmkF3wkPS1s1Ls6cJxrgpCpUoaP0Dlr4O0Sx_0X2eOkyd3ihQpK5z9Al4/s1600/butch+and+betsy+sl+airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXasLupoNW3uSiTWPaSD8W83485cpyW82imO0md1xs6J643t4dJhKYBj7NkWfrFQRnNaoq3kpz2njxXwWFSYmkF3wkPS1s1Ls6cJxrgpCpUoaP0Dlr4O0Sx_0X2eOkyd3ihQpK5z9Al4/s1600/butch+and+betsy+sl+airport.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Girl Within</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">This week we had the rare
opportunity to attend a Brown family reunion (my mother-in-law was a Brown
before she became a Green). She is the only surviving sibling of eight and her
parents were some of the first members of the LDS Church in north Alabama. So
they planned a short program to discuss family history and made (in advance) a
video showing how the family had grown. We were all asked to contribute some
pictures and I sent this one of Butch and myself at the airport in the summer
of 1977 while we were waiting for him to board a plane to Korea for his
mission. His cousin, Rhonda, who was collecting the pictures, said she cried
when she saw it because that is exactly how she remembers us. I told her I
still felt like that girl – until I looked in the mirror. To which she replied,
“You are still that girl.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ve thought a lot about
those words during this past week. I love the idea that young Betsy,
idealistic, confident, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">thin</i> –
still exists. Many years have passed and many things have happened – good and
bad, wonderful and terrible, special and mundane – the fabric of my life. I
reflected on what I hoped my life would be and how reality compares to those
dreams I had at nineteen.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wanted more than anything
to marry Butch Green in the temple. (That happened in the Washington DC Temple
in August of 1979 just a couple of months after he returned from his mission.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I planned to work Butch
through veterinary school and then begin a family. (Butch never made it to vet
school. He found out he was allergic to almost all animals and I found out I
was expecting our first child – Cathy. We moved to Birmingham and he got a job
with UPS that has provided not only a good income but excellent benefits for
our family.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wanted to have ten
children and already had names for them – Faith, Hope, Charity, Jeremy, and
Joshua are the ones I can remember. (We had eight wonderful children and didn’t
use any of my names although Laura married a Joshua so maybe that counts!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wanted to graduate from
college. (Still a goal.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I drew out plans for my
dream house. (My home does not resemble the plans I drew, but it has provided
safety and refuge for me and my family for almost 25 years – if that’s not a
dream house I don’t know what is!!!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I wanted to write books.
Actually this was more of a dream than a goal. My high school friends (who read
my spiral-notebook novels) would tell me that one day I’d be an author, but I
never seriously thought it would happen. (20 books and counting!!!!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">If I look at every day of
the past 30-something years I see many, many things that I wish I had done
differently. But taken as a whole, I am very thankful for the years between the
day I watched Butch get on that plane for Korea and today. We have worked hard
and we have been blessed. And just as Rhonda said – deep down, underneath the
wrinkles and extra pounds, Young Betsy is still there – looking to the future
with idealistic, confident optimism. And just think, 30 years from now when I
look back on today – this pudgy middle-aged woman will <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be</i> a Young Betsy!!!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Works in Progress</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I’ve been working hard on my
re-write for Danger Ahead. It’s taking shape and I’m confident that I will have
it finished by the end of the month and that it will be better for the
revisions (even if that means it won’t be published when I wanted it to be).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Lemon Icebox Pie (perfect
for a hot summer day!!!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade (softened)</span><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk </span><br />
½ pkg cream cheese (4 ounces) softened</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1
cup heavy whipping cream</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1
TBSP sugar</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<span class="textexposedshow">1 graham cracker crust (ready-made)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="textexposedshow"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Lemon
slices (very thin) for garnish</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Combine lemonade, condensed milk, and cream cheese
with an electric mixer until fluffy. Pour into ready-made graham cracker crust.
Refrigerate until firm – overnight if possible. Just before serving whip the
heavy cream until stiff peaks form (but don’t over-whip or you’ll have a bowl
of butter!!!). Fold in 1 TBSP of sugar. Then spread whipped cream on top of the
pie and garnish with a few lemon slices. Serve immediately.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.0pt;">What are the chances?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I hate to post another
WalMart incident – but since I spend so much time there it’s only logical that
many of my experiences would happen there! Premature gray-ness runs in my
family. Both my father and my grandmother grayed early but they have beautiful
hair and I never planned to color mine (although it had been suggested several
times by my beautician). But when I went on a Kindergarten field trip with
Tommy (my fifth child – I still had 3 more Kindergarteners coming) and someone
asked if I was his grandmother – I changed my mind. I think I bought a package
of Miss Clairol on the way home. And I have been coloring my hair ever since
(nearly 20 years) without a single problem. Then I bought a package – just like
always – took it home and went through the procedures (that by now I could
probably do in my sleep). Once I got the dye on my hair I noticed that it was
kind of a maroon color – not the way it usually looked. Slightly panicked, I
studied the box. There was the same picture of a girl with lovely light brown
hair and the right name Medium Dark Blonde. So I looked at the bottle of dye
more closely. It was <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">not</b> my usual
color – still a light brown – but definitely a different name. Now I was REALLY
panicked. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I washed the dye out of my
hair immediately. It was a little darker than usual, but nothing terrible (thank
goodness!!!). Then I called the 1-800 number on the box, assuming that there
had been a mistake at the factory. The very nice customer service
representative asked if the box had opened easily or if I had to break a seal.
I thought back and didn’t remember a seal. She said that occasionally someone
will switch the dye from a cheaper brand so that they can save a couple of
dollars. I only had to deal with the hair color for a few weeks and the Clairol
people even sent me a coupon for a free box. But this leaves me with two questions.
What is wrong with people (switching dye to save a couple of dollars and nearly
giving people a heart attack)? And . . . What are the chances that I would be
the one to buy that particular package???? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Have a great
week!!!!</span></b></div>
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<![endif]--><br />Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-69089247246314421552013-07-07T13:15:00.000-07:002013-07-07T13:15:01.196-07:00The Week in Hindsight<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good News/Bad News</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, I have two items of good news and one item of bad
news. When faced with this option I usually ask for the bad news first but since I have an odd number of
‘new-es’ I think I’ll present it good, bad, good.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good News #1 – I am recommitting myself to making a weekly
blog post. Now keeping in mind that I’m out of work for the summer, I’m just
back from a trip to the beach, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i>
I’m in between books so my outlook is optimistic! In a few months the world
may cave in on me and I might give up again. But I have received many requests
and so I am going to try. In looking at my life – searching for a way to make
it work – I realized that I find time every week to email my missionary son. So
if I plan to combine that process with a blog update and I plan to include a few new features. I’ll give a little family update
(The Week in Hindsight), a little something funny (What are the chances????), a
progress report on books that are in the works (cleverly called In the
Works!!!), and a recipe each week. I hope that these features will make it
worth the while to come check out my blogspot weekly. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now for the bad news</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Covenant has decided to
delay the release of Danger Ahead (the sequel to Proceed with Caution). SO,
even though I have been promising for months that it will be coming out in October
– it will not.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I accept responsibility for the delay. I got the manuscript
to them late and they want some changes (which will almost certainly translate
into a better final product) and they don’t think there is time to make the
changes and then push it through the publishing process in the few months we
have left. So, all I can say is that I’m sorry and I’m working hard on the
re-write. Hopefully it will be out at the first of next year.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Good News Again</span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Covenant asked me to make sure that the release dates of my self-published books don't overlap the release dates of my Covenant books. Since I thought Danger Ahead was coming out in October and I am working on another book that I was hoping would come out next spring (sneak peek next week) I wasn’t sure when I could release the sequel
to Pivot Point. But since I will not have a Covenant book out in October, as soon as I
finish the re-write for Danger Ahead, I get back to work on that sequel. I plan
to have it ready for publication in September (or October at the latest)
filling the empty spot in my book release schedule. So while I can’t wrap up
one storyline – I CAN wrap up another. </span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And really – two pieces of good news and only
one piece of bad – I can't complain!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Works in Progress </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Danger Ahead (Sequel to Proceed with Caution) - This story
picks up where the first book ended - but that was part of the problem. The
evaluators and my editor all felt that I dropped the reader too quickly into
the action without any back story. They felt that it would be difficult for
people who read Proceed with Caution to remember all the details and impossible
for people who didn’t read the first book to know what was going on. We don’t want to discourage new
readers and we don’t want everyone to have to re-read PWC in order to
understand the sequel. But I also hate retelling the old book in the new one.
So we have compromised with the addition of a preface (or possibly a change to
the prologue) that will be a brief summary of past events so that by Chapter
One – everyone has all the information they need to understand and enjoy the book! There was also some concern about the split plot
(I just can’t seem to get away from too much going on at once). But by rearranging the events I can
pretty much finish one plot before I begin the other one. So that's what I'll be working on for the next few weeks. I will have this
re-write in to Covenant by the end of July for a release date early 2014 (I hope).</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Side Track (Working title for sequel to Pivot Point) –
Planned release date September or October 2013.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Recipe of the Week</span></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Layered Ranch Dip</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 cups (16 oz) sour cream</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 pkg ranch party dip mix (salad dressing mix is okay)</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 medium tomato chopped</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 can ripe olives, chopped</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">¼ cup red onion finely chopped</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2 cups Monterey jack cheese</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tortilla chips</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mix ranch dip packet with sour cream. Spread mixture in casserole
dish or on a small platter. Sprinkle on layers as follows - tomato, olives, red
onions, and cheese. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate until time to serve.
</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
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<i>This is a new twist to an old favorite of ours that has
refried beans as the base layer and taco seasoning mixed in with the sour
cream as the second layer. My husband is a diabetic so I particularly like this one because it is
relatively low carb – not the chips, but the dip!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are the chances...</span></b> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was in our local WalMart recently and while checking out
at the Express Lane my cashier was acting kind of strange. She was
muttering under her breath and with every new step in the purchase process she
would act like she wasn’t sure what to do. I thought she was new and so I
was waiting semi-patiently for her to finish my few items. All of the sudden
she turned around, heading away from the register, and passed straight out in
the floor. It was a pretty graceful fall, thankfully. I looked around but there
was no other cashier or WalMart employee anywhere nearby. So I went over to the
fallen cashier. She didn't appear to be hurt and was kind of moaning – not completely out. I was pretty sure
that she wasn’t having a seizure and very sure that she needed more help than I could provide. Still no one
else has noticed or come to help. Not a customer, not a manager, not a
custodian, nobody. So I had to leave the poor woman and go running up the line of registers calling for help. I got some strange looks, even from the WalMart
folks, until I finally got them to look and see the woman lying in the floor.
Then they came running. It was determined that the cashier’s blood sugar
bottomed out and she didn’t feel it coming on until it was too late. They
offered to call an ambulance but she declined. Once they had her up and drinking
orange juice, the manager completed my transaction and I left. When I got home and told my kids they didn’t
believe me at first. Then my daughter said, “You know that kind of stuff only
happens to you, right Mom?”</span></span></span></div>
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Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-87568073469351654542012-01-23T11:02:00.000-08:002013-07-07T06:03:30.686-07:00Time keeps FLYING!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr-qyMMuY7LPPSoZhVUeRz1jIgDmE9JcZqTNc_syrP4flCawVkddLYs9kqHCBK7TbCfxPoiRrIo8QZC6xzV-LL5BArFKIEpr_3KCtJoxPD6-9nzagQZxtS9Z57g4D_-ilp997VjQK2J4/s1600/sweet+grandkids+eating+apples+2011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700906480623896834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxr-qyMMuY7LPPSoZhVUeRz1jIgDmE9JcZqTNc_syrP4flCawVkddLYs9kqHCBK7TbCfxPoiRrIo8QZC6xzV-LL5BArFKIEpr_3KCtJoxPD6-9nzagQZxtS9Z57g4D_-ilp997VjQK2J4/s320/sweet+grandkids+eating+apples+2011.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzU6d1mtgtII4Ef6vedTmj7QkZoLdBNmhV6Fw5Z09NEh1HN-9whvppOiSSB7W5LAp5Z0E4z9PZAz-ZOgZS40vP5zoDmlHhlrJkFkEELsj6IVzPbV8BBNqGXOjBjIKmI9JAjw6cJGxHhg/s1600/grandkids+2+2011+cropped.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700906273279047266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzU6d1mtgtII4Ef6vedTmj7QkZoLdBNmhV6Fw5Z09NEh1HN-9whvppOiSSB7W5LAp5Z0E4z9PZAz-ZOgZS40vP5zoDmlHhlrJkFkEELsj6IVzPbV8BBNqGXOjBjIKmI9JAjw6cJGxHhg/s320/grandkids+2+2011+cropped.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 219px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I don't know what happened to 2011 - it seemed to just disappear. And 2012 is off to a quick start too! We welcomed in the new year at Smith Lake. We rented a nice house with plenty of room so all of us could be together for a few days. The grandchildren loved playing with each other. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Banx</span> was hugging Harrison and his mother told him to let go. He said, "But I LOVE him!" Harrison was running around the island in the kitchen and his mother told him to stop. He said, "But I'm really SUPER fast!" Andie brought her tricycle and was very nice to share it with her cousins. As she would take off down the driveway with either <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Banx</span> or Harrison riding on the back she'd say, "I'm going to college like Emily!" I told Abbie that I was so happy to have everyone together but hated that we weren't in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Nauvoo</span> (where we've gathered for the past two years). She said, "Let's pretend like we're there!" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Atticus</span> and Scarlett and Thad don't say much but they give lots of sweet kisses. I enjoyed every minute of their company.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><img alt="<span class=" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" src="http://www.betsybrannongreen.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/fireworksshopping12-11.jpg.w560h289.jpg" /></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My children and their spouses had a good time together too. They flew kites and watched ballgames and played charades and set off fireworks and made gingerbread houses and ATE. My father came and visited with us for awhile on Sunday and brought lots of University of Alabama <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">memorabilia</span>. It was wonderful - but like Harrison - it went by SUPER fast. Laura and Harrison and Emily and I went down to see my grandmother at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Extendicare</span> one day while they were here. Then they went home and Tommy went back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">BYU</span> and school started here. I'm sorry it's over but so thankful we had the chance to be together for a little while. I am related to some really great folks!!!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-87796510188955905782011-12-11T04:55:00.000-08:002011-12-11T04:56:16.364-08:00Haggerty Christmas Story - 2011As a gift to all my readers I've posted a new Christmas story on my website. If you'd like to read it please go to www.betsybrannongreen.net. Thanks and please have a Merry Christmas!!!!Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-48292034030333895162011-12-11T04:42:00.000-08:002013-07-07T06:04:41.529-07:00Human Nature versus Miracles<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I like to get a good deal as well as the next person.Coupons and discounts and bargains are fun. But I think we have to be careful because sometimes a 'deal' for us comes at a price for someone else. I'll use two personal experiences as examples. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A couple of years ago - right at Christmas time - Grace and Aaron were living in an apartment and they had to pay their rent with a money order. Aaron went to Walmart and paid cash for a money order. He was in a hurry to get to the rent office before they closed so he didn't take the time to write the name of the apartment complex on the money order while still in Walmart. And he put the receipt in the envelope with the money order. It was cold and raining, so he rushed out to his car and drove home. He stopped at the office to pay the rent and when he got out of the car he had the envelope in his pants pocket. But somewhere between his car and the office, it fell out. By the time he got into the office - realized he didn't have the envelope and went back out to look for it - the envelope and the money order were gone. He said another guy was getting out of his car at the same time and he figures the guy saw him drop the envelope and picked it up. Then instead of giving it to Aaron - he kept it. And since the receipt was in the envelope - there was no way to cancel it. Of course we were all sick about it. They had to pay a late fee since they didn't get the rent there on time. Aaron's mother loaned him the money to pay the rent and then they paid her back with Grace's Christmas bonus. Grace said for weeks after that when driving through the apartment complex she would look at each door and wonder if the person who stole the money lived there. Even though it was a bad experience, it's in the past. It was just money and we have all moved on. But I wonder sometimes what the guy who took their money did with it. And I wonder how different things would have been if he would have given the money order back to Aaron. If he could have been a part of a Christmas miracle instead of a little Christmas tragedy.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Another story. Emily is leaving Rexburg after the Fall term and she won't be going back until the Spring term. Almost two years ago she bought a 1988 Honda Accord with a lot of miles on it. The car is nothing to look at and it's a stick shift - but overall it has been a good dependable car for her. Since Andy has a newer, somewhat nicer car that she will inherit while he's on his mission, she decided to sell her car. She's been living on about $50 a week since September so the prospect of having a lot of money all at once was wonderful. She has been dreaming of all the things she would do with the money - rent a storage room to store her stuff until Spring, buy a few new clothes including a heavy coat, and buy lots of Christmas presents. She was asking $650 - which was below the blue book value - and hoping for a quick sale. Yesterday a man came to see it. He test drove it and then proceeded to tell her what an awful car it was. Finally he said he would not pay one penny more than $500 for it. She needed the money and so she took the $500. Maybe the car wasn't worth any more than that or maybe the man couldn't afford more than that. If he couldn't afford more, I wish he had said that so she could have gone away from the experience feeling like she helped someone. If the car wasn't worth more, I wish he had just said that - in a nice way. But I'm afraid that he saw an opportunity to take advantage and probably drove away proud of himself for getting such a good deal. Emily still has enough money to accomplish most of the things on her dream list, but it could have been such a different experience for her if the 'buyer' had used a different approach. Emily could have concentrated on the miracle of having $500 instead of feeling like she'd been cheated. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Praying that miracles will overcome human nature in your life this Christmas season!!!! </span></span></span></div>
Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-78371695267517863762011-11-24T13:38:00.000-08:002013-07-07T06:11:33.902-07:00NO PROMISES!!!!<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;">My new goal is to post every week. But I know myself (and my life) well enough not to promise! </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;">The year is almost gone and I have no idea where it went! Since it's been a year since I posted - I'm going to run through the highlights. In February we were able to have the whole family together for a few days in Nauvoo, Illinois. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #336633; font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="color: #666633; font-family: Arial;"><img align="bottom" alt="greenfamnauvoohappy2011.jpg" hspace="0" src="http://www.betsybrannongreen.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/.pond/greenfamnauvoohappy2011.jpg.w300h201.jpg" vspace="0" width="300" /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We were able to participate in the commemorative walk to the River representing our pioneer ancestors and it was fun to be together - although it almost got cancelled before it even started because of weather. Most people would be nervous about trying gather 20 people from Idaho, Utah, Alabama and Mississippi in Nauvoo in February because of possible weather problems. But I am an optimist (and we had done it for the past 2 years without any problems). So we invested a small fortune in plane tickets and rented the Hyrum Smith Farmhouse and rented vans and bought groceries and then - the worst blizzard in a long time (maybe FOREVER) hit. It was predicted to really hit the St. Louis area - which was where we were flying our college kids in, thinking we could save them a lot of travel time by picking them up on our way through. So we changed their plane tickets to Birmingham which meant they missed an extra day of school, had to fly all the way here from Salt Lake, and then drive all the way to Nauvoo. Laura and Josh were leaving from Idaho and they were behind the storm. Our hope was that they could stay that way and follow it into Nauvoo. So after some soul searching and discussion and tears and praying - we decided to delay one day (not really a choice since the interstates were closed) and then head out and hope we made it. My prayer was that the St. Louis area might be spared so that we could travel through. I knew that 20 people and their vacation plans were not the most important consideration for the Lord. People died in the blizzard. But it was very important to us and for our family. Vacation days had been taken, school excuses given, money spent - if we didn't go now, we couldn't go. As we were packing to leave we saw a weather report from St. Louis. The reporter was standing in about a foot of snow, the night was clear and calm behind her. And she said that while St. Louis had been predicted to bear the major brunt of the storm, it had been amazingly spared and most major roads were open. I'm sure many people prayed during that storm, but when she said those words I knew the Lord had heard and answered my prayer. My husband looked at me and said, "You got your miracle." So we all headed out and all had our share of scares and adventures - but finally we all made it to Nauvoo. Because of the snow we had to make some alterations to our schedule. The kids got to walk out on the frozen river and they got to go sledding (Alabama-style with tubes). The snow and the cold and even the adversity we faced just getting there made the walk to the river, thinking of our ancestors and all the other pioneers who made the original trip, extra special.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In March we were able to rent a house on Smith Lake during spring break and all our 'local' children and grandchildren were able to spend at least part of the week with us there. With every spare minute I had to be working on the re-write of Proceed with Caution - a semi-sequel to the Duty Series. I should have enjoyed the vacation more and written the book less because when I submitted it - the readers weren't thrilled with it (for the second time) and I was told they were going to shelve it and for me to start working on something else. I had an idea for the 3rd Kennedy Murder book - but it is very hard for me to shift gears like that. And my confidence was shaken - I'll admit. I wondered if I had finally reached the end of what had been a wonderful and wild book-writing ride. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In May Andy graduated from McAdory High School and had been accepted to BYU-Idaho, so he was working 2 jobs and preparing for that. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">As soon as school ended for the summer Cathy and her family moved to Mississippi. I had been promising my grandmother for weeks that I would come to Headland and bring Grace and Scarlett with me. So in the middle of June we went down and visited for a few days. Then on June 28th Thad was born. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Two weeks later I was at Jamie and Paris's house babysitting when I got the call from my father saying that my grandmother - who was 91 years old at the time - had been taken to the hospital for emergency gall bladder surgery. She spent the next two months in either the hospital or an extended-care facility. There were times when I thought she was not going to survive the ordeal and there were times when I thought she might never see her home again. But she fought a difficult battle and is now home and doing almost everything she was able to do before the surgery. She turned 92 in September and is unquestionably one of the greatest blessings in my life. The only good thing about her ordeal is that it gave me a lot of opportunities to be in her company and I treasure every moment.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><img align="bottom" alt="nana.jpg" hspace="0" src="http://www.betsybrannongreen.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/nana.jpg" vspace="0" width="240" /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm sure that I am forgetting some important things that have happened. My job changed at school - I am now the Library Aide and loving that. </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In October Andy submitted his mission papers and got a call to the North Carolina Raleigh Mission. We are all so excited for him and the people he will meet and serve! He reports to the MTC on February 15th.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">And somewhere in the middle of my duties and opportunities as wife, mother, and granddaughter - I have been trying to write a book. It seemed that the harder I worked the farther I got from being finished. I just couldn't settle on some of the major aspects of the plot. But finally - at long last - I completed the manuscript I am calling Murder by Association. I submitted it to my editor at Covenant this past Tuesday (and I will give more updates on how it is received by the 'test readers' and whether or not it will be coming out in the spring/summer!) Then I had a root-canal on Weds...and I'm fixing Thanksgiving dinner today (in between website posts...) Tomorrow I'll be babysitting for my children who plan to be out all night tonight getting Black Friday deals... But on Sat I plan to start working on Proceed with Caution again and hopefully can get it reworked so that it can come out next fall. We'll see.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thanks to all of you who read my books and care about me and my life! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-701951754811064319.post-46464485152337790792010-09-14T02:49:00.000-07:002010-09-14T03:07:02.951-07:00What goes around, comes around - sometimesWe had an interesting experience as a family a couple of weeks ago. We been dog-less (by choice) for several months. We've always had a dog and never really had time to properly train or entertain them. Besides, we've had female dogs that attracted unwanted male attention and when we had an unplanned pregnancy this past spring, we decided to find a new home for her.<br /><br />We have all adjusted to our dog-less state. But then one Sunday afternoon when we came home from church there was an elderly Jack Russell terrier sitting on the front porch. At first we tried to chase her away but she wouldn't leave. She greeted each car that came up the driveway and was friendly without being pushy. She was obviously well-cared for even though she wasn't wearing a collar. So we gave her some water. And then some dog food (which she wouldn't eat) and finally some people food (which she did eat). We thought she'd be gone in the morning - but she wasn't. We moved her to the backyard and bought canned dog food (which she liked). By Weds we had named her Lucy and Butch was planning to take her to the vet to have her checked out. And that's when we saw the signs. An elderly Jack Russell terrier, lost on Sunday, and a phone number to call. The kids begged me not to call and I'll be honest, I really was tempted. But I knew I had to call and so I did. The owners were thrilled and gave me their address.<br /><br />When we drove up to the house - just a few blocks away, I had to smile. Several years ago, the day after Tommy got his driver's licence, he was driving Grace's car and - just a few blocks from our house, took a turn too wide at a stop sign and hit a young man driving an old truck. When I got the call I was just sick. But fortunately the damage to both cars was minor. Grace's car just a little scratch. And the truck - which had many dents already - just had a new one above the rear tire. I knew this was an opportunity for the truck's owner to make some cash - since fixing the damage would be pointless, but Tommy had hit him and our insurance would pay. But amazingly the boy and his parents were very nice and understanding and un-greedy. They said they would hammer out the dent so it wouldn't rub the tire and not to worry about it. We were grateful. And then we had a chance to do something nice for them.<br /><br />It made it a little easier to give Lucy back - but we all do miss her. And we're glad she was a part of our family for a little while.Betsy Brannon Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03710813718822797577noreply@blogger.com2