Discipline v. Freedom?

Today, it feels great to be sitting back in the office/studio, Lexie in her chair, music on, (Listening to Rick Tiger, fyi), and planning what to say here again. There is never a total loss of what to say, there are so many things to discuss. Today, I saw these two topics:

“A life without discipline is a life without joy.” Muriel B

“Today, I will remember that self-discipline is in my self-interest.”

By moving back into the office/studio, I am practicing discipline. From probably Thanksgiving until yesterday, I’d lounge with the Chromebook, writing the blog while watching Rachael Ray. I had a great old time. It was relaxing (which I needed), it gave me time to focus on making our Christmas season special for us (and gave me time to refocus on my sadness about the season, from the kids being gone to not getting to see our youngest grandkids very often), and to force myself to focus on what we have, not what we don’t have. The have’s so outnumber the have not’s when you analyze it, I feel a little foolish to dwell on what’s slipped through my fingers instead of what’s in my hand right now. My hands are overflowing!

In life as well as in my author/creator/quilter/crafter/artist world, I need the discipline to enter the room where the magic happens in order for it to “happen.” Magic happens when I’m fully engaged. I cannot be fully engaged when I’m listening to how to make Rachael Ray’s Eggplant Parmesan with part of my brain while trying to write with what little is left to use at that moment.

Discipline has been a word with both a good and a bad definition. As kids, we grew up equating discipline with a spanking. Some kids defined it as a beating at home. Yes, there were many homes like that. While I was raising my kids, I started out with what we all learned, a mild swat on the bottom. Sometimes you had to get their attention. Most of the time, mine would be quiet, and well-behaved. Discipline meant something different to my kids, and was usually grounding, never a beating!

Discipline now may mean loss of screen time (which may trigger a tantrum), losing a special snack, or taking a time out. Discipline is also what we need to keep ourselves on any path; whether it is the Keto Diet, watching a video class for your craft, reading your idols latest publication, it takes discipline to get to a task and perform as you need to.

You will never reach whatever goal you have; losing weight, finishing your novel, learning to paint, producing ribbon earning quilts, or whatever. It sometimes takes more energy to get off the couch and open the laptop than to actually sit in the chair and write 500 – 1000 words. Done and Done!

Discipline no longer is a burden we have to do but hate doing. Doing what needs to be done is the only thing that will get us where we need to go. It’s the only way we can measure our progress, which happens to be my “word of the year.” I get joyful when I see I’ve made progress. I get joyful when I end another post for blogging. I get joyful when I put dinner in the crockpot by 9 a.m. Dinner’s done and I have more time to write, read, and learn. Bonus!

Let’s all celebrate progress by remembering discipline is the best friend we can have; it’s the vehicle that is equipped to get us where we’re going. It doesn’t matter if you’re an alcoholic in recovery, a PTSD or other trauma survivor, a person losing weight for health reasons, or an author writing a book. You soon discover self-discipline is in your self-interest. The trick is not becoming obsessive or compulsive about it, which is a topic for another blog.

Have a beautiful Monday! It’s a clear but cold day here, and at Noon or so, the Babe and I are going to pick up our granddog from the kennel where she stayed while her family was at the Dance Team competition in Minnesota. They’ll be home late this afternoon after the kennel closes. Josie needs to greet her people when they arrive home! Let’s greet self-discipline like a 50 pound lab mix greets her people; you’ll get where you’re going for sure. See you tomorrow!

Let’s Be Joyful!

Saturday Shenanigans?

Still overcast at the Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. Maybe that, not procrastination, is the reason I’ve left our Christmas tree up. The header photo is from this morning; I told the Babe I just love how it looks by the fire, with the dogs all napping and us just chilling’. It’s a part of life you cannot buy. You create that space with your family/friends/significant other, and it just feels so good, so right, so untouchable. It takes practice and trust to relax, let your hair down, relax your shoulders, and just be in the moments you are sharing. So grateful for our life.

I also have a planning meeting with the other officers of the Auxiliary at 1 p.m. The Babe is off doing bookwork and another Honor Guard Funeral this morning. I am so proud of The Babe, he is working a lot, but he’s a person who can’t retire and relax. He is using his need to be productive in a positive way. Yes, sometimes it can be frustrating, but it’s very rewarding for both of us. As long as we’re able, we will volunteer as we are.

The agenda for today? The dogs were naughty, tearing open a trash bag full of some decorations. Floral picks I used on a tree, red plastic grapes, giant pinecones, all scattered through the family room. It’s a mess. Girls! I need to clean that up later. I also have some boxes to sort through so all of like items are together and labelled before they go on the shelves. It’s coming along nicely.

I need to return my Jury Panel Questionnaire. On one hand, I hope to be chosen. It’s fascinatinig to be on a jury. It changed my life in 1981. That story will be in my book, The Freeing of Katie Fitzgibbons, which is my WIP (work in progress). There are so many heartbreaking, wild, difficult, mind-numbing events over my own life, some of them are the basis for what Katie experiences and grows from. Each event she experiences is from life – not necessarily mine – and have happened to real people. Some of the people she learned the hardest life lessons from are a patchwork for some of the characters. Despite everything, she remains a loving person, a believer in God, and a person of strong faith. She always knew God was leading her the way she went.

Fun Top for January. Snowy, not Christmas-y!

I love this new shirt. It has a plethora of snowflakes on it, at the boarders of the sleeves and bottom. It’s part of my smaller sized collection I’ve bought since losing 40 pounds on KETO. Time to get back in the saddle, boys and girls. I’m going to be doing raw veggies, protein, salads, and the one Halo Top Sea Salt Caramel Keto Pop. They’re heavenly! They’re expensive, but worth it, I believe. If you know me at all, you know I have a love of all things ice cream. Since I was a kid, it always represented fun, delicious times. That is a story for another day.

As we both make progress with our day and intentions, let’s be safe out there. Let’s be careful out there. See you tomorrow.

Techie Tuesday

Today will pretty much be computer work nearly all day. I’ll have a break in between, to go pick up Addison from school, after getting my COVID booster. I feel better getting it, especially with the new variant. Enough of this stuff! Let’s get rid of it! It wouldn’t surprise me if we ended up locked down again. The upside to that is I have plenty of writing to do; and I can learn some more quilting techniques. There’s always more to learn, and more to do. I certainly won’t be bored!

Bored is a word we were not allowed to use growing up. I haven’t cared for the grandkids using it. It’s clear this generation has a very different idea of what fun is. Addison was convinced for a long time parks were all decked out with rides, like Disney World. They’ve been there a number of times. She has even danced there. It was a fun trip to see that. Downtown Disney is quite a busy place.

While Disney is touted as the “happiest place on earth,” I watched the crowd a lot and saw lots of kids who cried incessantly. My guess is they were over tired, over stimulated, as were their parents. They’re just not going to eat or sleep when they should. I hope they had fun, though.

To me, parks have always been green spaces. The parks near our home had activities for kids during the summer. We could either walk there or ride our bikes when we were old enough to do so. It was fun to see your school friends there. The days were long, we never vacationed like some people. My best friend Peggy went camping with her folks; I remember her dad built a camper. Seriously, I remember him putting shingles on the sides (our house had a similar outer wall covering it), and they were probably made of asbestos. All the good stuff was back then, you know? Before we knew it was so bad for us.

I had an errand this morning. Afterwards, I stopped at the LQS (Local Quilt Shop) called The Quilted Moose. It has so much beautiful fabric it’s almost overwhelming. All the ladies were talking and it had a nice atmosphere. Talk about doing what they love! They’re looking for help, it would have been a great job when I could still stand up and do stuff all day. My back and lots of other stuff is too damaged to do that now. But it’s a great opportunity for someone.

I’m still mulling over my dream/idea/plan to create Grandma Kathy videos. It’s worth a try. The worst that could happen? Maybe an author’s lawyer sends me a “cease and desist” order? No, I’d seek permission first. It will be an interesting process. You’ll come along, to learn with me, won’t you? Thanks.

I need to make a smoothie for breakfast/lunch in a minute, KETO approved, I think. A mixed berry Ensure, blended with a handful of frozen berries. It’s good, full of protein, and on the menu for me. There’s more Keto foods in my future again, as I work to keep off the 45 pounds I’ve lost so far. Not sure how much further I should go. I can tell you the best feeling is giving away what used to be snug. And my friend is delighted as she’s lost a bunch of weight and gets some still like-new clothes to take with her to Hawaii tomorrow. Have fun, Lora!

As you move through your day, be mindful of creating your own beautiful world around you. It has nothing to do with your bank account or possessions. It has to do with how you look at your world. Some of the poorest people in the world are happy in their hearts. Find the positive. It’s in there somewhere. You notice the shift when you start to see the good part when bad things happen. Gratitude is essential to a happy life. Enjoy today. See you tomorrow!

Super Sunday

Yesterday, I went to an art exhibit to see the works of Liz Boutin. She is a new friend and artist I’ve just met, and she has her works at the VFW Post 2503 for Veterans Day Week. It was nice to see her nature paintings. She does some beautiful work. I purchased a Dragonfly painting. It’s in three parts, and she cautioned me it’s a real job to get all three parts equal when hanging. The Babe will have fun with that! A photo of the painting is in my header photo today. I love the colors. Since we have a Wetlands behind us, we have a bunch of Dragonflies in the yard. I love them! So beautiful. Thanks, Liz!

Today will be spent gearing up again for writing. It takes more than having an outline and a half of an idea of where I want the characters to go. It takes having the house clean – dusted, vacuumed, decluttered, and how it should be all the time. It takes having some meals planned so we don’t have to eat out. I’ve fallen deepy in love with carbs and ice cream again, so I need to get back on the Keto bandwagon. I will not backslide after losing 45 pounds. I’ve given away my big girl jeans.

It also takes plotting the play time with Goldie. She requires a lot of activity. Last winter, I got smarter and threw her toy down the basement stairs. She would run up and down, get her energy out, and stop when I tell her, “It’s time for a drink.” She laps up her water and goes to take a nap. Perfect! It’s that time of year again. If it’s 30 degrees outside and windy, forget about it!

I’m glad to be able to get back to writing. That first week, it was easy, then life got in the way. It’s ok though. Having 30 days is somewhat forgiving in case you have situations that need attention crop up. And the more you want to get done, the more interruptions you get. Murphy’s Law, you know?

The sunny morning yesterday gave way to clouds which stuck around today. The house is clean, and I’m done working for today. The culinary challenge of the day is figuring out which containers in the freezer contain meatloaf, and is it still edible? We have too many things leftover and frozen to buy new stuff. I’d like to clean out the freezer before adding more to the tundra. It’s interesting how I usually think I’ll be able to do so much every day. The days I get stuff done, it’s not unusual to crash in the afternoon, like I did today. I need to remind myself I did a lot of work, got the house amazingly clean, and moved furniture and decorative items and put out some new ones.

Cozying up with some new decorations.

I’m going to plot some points tomorrow morning for the story, book, and check how they will fit with what I have so far. It’s going to be a session in planning and time management, since I’m meeting our artist friend Liz Boutin, at the Post tomorrow. She will dismantle the exhibit she showed last week about PTSD. I’m a little sad it’s all over, but the holidays will soon be upon us, and people will be busier than ever. I hope the days are good and the nights short.

Thanks for being here today. I we’ll see each other tomorrow, and it will be another great November day. See you then.

Thankful Thursday

I made a killer Pumpkin Smoothie the other day. I used the Pioneer Woman recipe, and subbed Stevia for Sugar. I also used 2% Milk, and 3/4 cup of Heavy Cream. It was the best. The Babe didn’t want any, and I get to have three more of them. I guess that can be a Keto Recipe, right?

I had a physical earlier today and had great results. It feels good to be in a different place a year later than I was last year. We can have huge impact on our health when we need to just by changing our habits. I’m grateful to have success and hope to continue.

Didn’t get time to write before now, and it’s 8 p.m. What a day! We had some unexpected things happen today that require some other things be ironed out tomorrow, and I’ll talk about it in a few more days. Just know the Babe and I are grateful to God for continuing to be good to us. It’ll make sense later. I didn’t get any time to work on my outline/plans for writing next week. Hope to make time tomorrow.

Be Grateful!

I’ll see you tomorrow! Be safe out there.

Good Monday Morning!

Here we are, holding our clean calendars for the month of October. Have you ever considered what possibilities lie in a nearly blank slate? Well, in theory, that is. None of us has a blank, virgin-like month ahead with no mental notes as to what we need to do, do we? Mine isn’t like September was, but it was a good month.

This month, I have a bunch of de-cluttering tasks I’d like to do in the next two days. My mental checklist has now become real. I wrote it down on a note-pad I have notes in for a lot of projects; Moving Veterans Forward Nebraska, Passwords Notes, TO DO Lists, and reviews of albums I’ve written. This one, however, will make the month go much easier. Clutter will be busted (burst?) and I won’t get distracted by my messiness.

I’m proud of the fact I’ve lost 5 more pounds on KETO (actually Dirty, Messy Keto); I now have a large wardrobe of jeans that fit again, and many that are too big. I love that best. I’ve had a battle with myself for my whole life. Now, ego has nothing to do with trying to lose. It has to do with what’s good for my body and (dis)abilities. Fibromyalgia, scoliosis, severe arthritis, severe chronic pain, and asthma are no fun. All that with 35 more pounds is miserable. The cooler air kicked up the asthma and arthritis. I need to dig into my passions (writing, quilting, sewing, learning to paint) to take my mind off all that. At this point, whatever else I can lose will be a bonus. Maybe 25 is a good number.

If you are just starting, don’t give yourself 60 pounds to lose all at once. You’ll get too discouraged and probably quit. It’s all human nature. If we were to give a child 18 years of learning all at once, they would not succeed; it is too much to wrap your head around, no matter how bright they are. If we gave a new music student a classical pianist’s hardest music, they would lose interest, get discouraged, and not want to go on. Set a lower goal – 5 or 10 pounds – and give yourself a lot of wiggle room, say a month. If you lose 15, you’ll be enthused and want to do more. The new tasks you have incorporated into your day will become habits you are dedicated to completing for your day to go well.

Baby steps. You eat an elephant one bite at a time. It’s all about perspective. Looking back, some of the jeans I can wear again were purchased the last time I lost a chunk of weight. It was the early 2000s. Are boot cut jeans back in style yet? Skinny Jeans are still ok, right? I’ll wear whatever I want. As long as they fit, they’re fine in my book. I’ve really come to love leggings and have many pairs. They fit like they should now, and are still serviceable. We’ll visit that again after the next 25 pounds are gone. And since I can sew, I have the fabric already for newer clothes. It’ll work out! If I could use all the fabric I’ve gathered over the years, the Babe would have a heart attack! It still could happen. If you’ve ever known a quilter or seamstress, you’d understand.

This blog # is in the mid 700s. I’m so proud of that, too. You know, for a woman who grew up in the 60s, that’s kind of hard to say out loud. It goes against all we learned as kids; women were supposed to be “meek,” submitting to men in every way, and never calling attention to themselves. Knowing your place was important during that era. But, late bloomer that I am, here we are. It feels good to finally admit you own yourself.

There are many areas I joke and say I lived my life backwards. Graduated, had kids young, went to college, graduated at 44, raised 3 kids alone, bought a house (a house of my own!), and proceeded to get married at 46 (I told the Babe to tell his friends his fiance just graduated from college. Lots of laughs!), and we’ve had a beautiful life together. I’m grateful down to my bones. We’ve survived so much, including each other (some days); Breast Cancer, Ischemic Heart Disease (thank you, Agent Orange), moving, ex’s, loss, gains, and life in general. Nothing’s been better than all of it. It’s called real life. No dysfunction left, it’s the real deal. And I’ll say until my dying day, it’s all been worth it. Every tear, every disagreement, every disclosure to my best friend, every fear shared and conquered.

Folks, have a beautiful day. It’s going to be in the 70s all week, and we’re going to enjoy every moment we can outside. It’s time for those nasty little black bugs you can barely see, but they bite hard. (No-See-Ums, biting midges, their bites are worse than mosquito bites and can last up to two weeks). They drive us inside. Maybe I need to got the deck and patio with something. Google, here I come! Thanks for sharing time today, see you tomorrow!

Feelings are really Habits?

What do you think about this meme? I suppose it is true, and I’m going to change some starting tomorrow.

It’s the first of September, and I’m going to commit to doing Keto with the passion I first had. The determination that helped me lose 30 pounds and keep it off, even though I’ve cheated quite a bit since the first of this year. I think I need to give it one last time, then try my hardest to break through this plateau.

So what am I going to do? I’m going to vow to spend the whole month of September doing these things:

Having no sugar.

Having no alcohol.

Having no bread.

Riding my recumbent bike 22 minutes per day.

Doing 71 squats a day to total 2,220.

Do 22 Wall Push Ups a day.

22 minutes a day, 2200 squats a day, 22 wall push ups a day will remind me of the 22 veterans a day who commit suicide due to PTSD. Organizations I volunteer with are very cognizent of this. I vow to be also, so I can help them and the Veterans.

The past summer has been so good with the fundraising efforts of VFW Post 2503 for the help of Veterans with PTSD. I want to help. I want to help other organizations help. We will persevere. It’s what is needed to change those statistics from 22 until none.

This is brief and to the point tonight because it’s been a long day. Spent it with Mom at her house, and I’m glad to have done it. It’s funny, she doesn’t have wi-fi, so I couldn’t do anything blog/computer/or VFW Post related. You miss it when it’s not available.

Have a good evening tonight, and a pleasant day tomorrow. I’ll be spending the day with Mom again tomorrow, so know we’ll talk a little in between. All is well, have a great day, and remember; you are making the world a better place with however you help and volunteer. See you tomorrow!

Thoughtful Thursday

Good morning, from the Home Office of Jewell Publishing, LLC. It’s the home of Authors Kathy Raabe and Grandma Kathy. Isn’t this fun? Lexie, Chief of Security, is listening to music by Rick Tiger this morning. He tells some pretty wonderful stories with his lyrics and music. Real people’s stuff. It’s pretty quiet, just the sound of the music in the background and the keys making keyboard sounds. Once in a while, I hear Lexie snore, and I think of how wonderful this life really is.  

The Babe went off to accomplish some things at the VFW Post, and I have the time and freedom to write what’s in my heart today, that is until Goldie wakes up to play catch again. Spring is really greening up nicely. Even though it does every year, it’s still amazing to see it happen. We have the best seat in the house from either the patio or the deck. Ground level or second story treehouse view.

As the squirrels run their routes from branch to branch, tree to tree, the Blue Jays caw and frolic. They hang out all year. With the leaves coming in, they’re harder to see but easier to hear. I think the sound echoes as if in a canyon. The squirrels are pretty well hidden by the end of May. We feed the Finches, and a lively group dines frequently. Goldie loves to lie in the grass in the shade. It must be cool for her. What hair she doesn’t shed in the house covers her the rest of the time. And I’m sure it’s warm.

I’m thinking about what to plant this year. I do annuals in pots outside. I have some succulents to plant in pots and take in when summer is over. Hoping I get all that done before my back tells me to stop. There will be other days, too. Some to sit quietly and look for Baltimore Orioles after watering the pots every morning. Some to write as I’m doing now. It’s funny how certain habits span the years, isn’t it? I usually do those things in the mornings. Afternoons are for reading or hand sewing, embroidery, or something like that. Maybe a nap.

It reminds me of the days when I had small children and was a stay at home Mom. By 10 a.m. each day, the house was spotless, cleaned, dusted, vacuumed. I’d take the kids for a walk. I wore out a couple strollers. Not the umbrella kind, the old-fashioned heavier ones with the sunshade top. I never wanted those babies to get a sunburn. It was still in the era of baby oil suntans and no one knew about skin cancer. I had one great tan in my life; I wasn’t pasty Irish-white; I actually was a shade of tan. I worked at it. The summer before Frankie turned two, 1973. His dad was home from the Army and early afternoon, I let Frankie play in the baby pool I filled every morning. When he was ready for a nap, I dumped the pool out and put him to bed. He’d sleep a couple hours. I laid in the sun under his bedroom windows, so I’d hear him if he woke up. I was the only one home during the day, and it was safe.

Hot pants and halter tops were a big deal then, and I had both. I’d lost 40 pounds while his dad was in Germany. I kept it off for a while. Until I actually ate normal food again. Yo-Yo’s were common, and not healthy. I believe most of humanity does that; you know? We are so fortunate to have the food supply we have; no one should go hungry. No one should have an unhealthy diet. But being human, here we are. We think we “deserve” a treat. We do. Just not every day. It just takes a slide from healthy eating to start an avalanche of weight gain.

Back in October, after eating well and too much at home during the quarantine, we both gained weight. By October, I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t like whoever I was feeling like and asked our Internal Med Doc if Keto was safe for folks of our age and the Babe’s Ischemic Heart Disease. He said, “YES!”

Of course, men always lose weight faster than women do. The Babe did well, then has stalled now. I’ve lost 30 pounds and kind of stalled, too. I’m going to get back on track and we will see what the summer brings us. I’d love to lose another 30, but will be happy with 20. If the Babe loses more, he may be a candidate to reduce the type of meds he takes. Wouldn’t that be a bonus? I love when that happens!

Think on your wonderful memories today. Own up to your areas that need improvement. We all need to do that. Be Kind. Be Thoughtful. Be Patient. We’re almost to the end of our COVID measures. A little longer. We will make it! Thank you for reading. We will see each other tomorrow. Have a beautiful outdoors day!

Relaxing Sunday

I’m calling a no-work day at Raabe Ranch today. I mean, after we have our daily talk. No de-cluttering, no writing, maybe some placing text into the book pages, but nothing harder than that. It will be rainy and snowy tomorrow, so we’ll be staying in the house for sure. Today is a day for trying out our modern Adirondack chairs on the patio this afternoon. Photos later, they’re just as cool as the rocking chairs we got for the deck. Since the day we broke those in, it hasn’t been warm enough to be out for more than a few minutes.

The lady posted at the top of the header today is not me. Not yet, at least. She represents more than just overdone makeup. I hope my friends and I keep each other from such over-kill with the rouge, though. Girls, I have your back, do you have mine? I don’t mind looking quirky, since I do like weird jewelry and bright colors. And pearls always make a girl feel good. Almost royal, you know? Do young girls still wear them?

Hoping to get a restart on our Keto eating. The Babe is getting back to his sugar cravings, and that’s not good. Sometimes I cave in with him. So I purchased some additive that is supposed help you get into Keto more quickly. I thought if I could give him a jump start to being back on the consciousness he’d pick up again.

I also printed off some articles on high protein breakfasts when you’re sick of eggs. Six of them sound great. A smoothie with lots of fruit, milk or cream, yogurt, and some protein powder. Not sure if we’ll like protein powder or not, but I may sub the Ensure Vanilla no sugar protein drinks for the milk or cream. Then the protein would be there. It isn’t just for old people. Anyone dieting or trying to intake less may fine it’s a good source of vitamins and minerals.

Sorry, the last two didn’t have photos. The middle one is a yummy sounding Mocha Shake. The last one is a high protein mixture of cottage cheese, blueberries, a little honey and cinnamon. I could eat that for lunch and not be hungry until dinner.

I think when the Babe is doing yard work weekly and walking the dogs again, he’ll lose the weight. He, like most of us, gets discouraged when he doesn’t see progress. All I can do is encourage him. I can tell you, I feel much better after losing about 32 pounds as of this morning. I’m wondering if our doctor will say anything when I go for a six month check-in. He never comments when I gain, he’s been very kind that way. I was bullied as a kid, by an adult, and am sensitive about it. The adult that bullied me never comments when I lose weight, either. She makes remarks in public about the appearance of others. It’s unnecessary to do that. She should know better by now. It’s simply who she is. And that’s too bad. This person used to say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” What the heck happened?

Have a beautiful afternoon. I hope it’s sunny and warm where you are. It just does something for the soul, doesn’t it? Blessings on all of you. Be Safe. See you tomorrow!

P.S. Then there’s this:

WOW! For Those Who Dare:

Full Recipe AvailableLoveBakesGoodCakes.com

Snowy Saturday!

Snowy again as I sit in the Home Office at Gretna, Nebraska. I’m glad for the snow falling. That’s an unpopular position here in Nebraska during February. My attitude is the lawn and flowers need it a lot, and it’ll be fine. If it were October and snowing like this, it would be a different story. Just roll with it!

It’s been an interesting morning so far. The Babe is working with a group of people on a remodel project at the VFW Post. The building is old, and it’s been about ten years since they have done any painting inside. It’s time. They are going to replace all the ceiling tile first. I think they had quite a crew assembled as volunteers. It’s so nice we have some younger folks getting involved in a big way. That is so encouraging. Many Veteran organizations are hurting. Many have sold their buildings. Ours is doing well. The Babe is doing a stellar job at keeping track of the money that comes in and goes out. People trust him, and that’s huge.

The pups are both with me and are funny. How can someone not love this?

I’m still mulling over how to establish a powerful brand for each of my book genres. For today, I’d rather just write and read. Oh, and someone left an immense pile of laundry. Why don’t the dogs bark at them when that happens? No, the only interaction is when Goldie steals socks from the dirty laundry or even the clean laundry. It’s not a dryer that makes our socks mateless. It’s Goldie! I can’t speak to your house, but that’s what happens with ours.

I still haven’t heard from my attorney yet regarding the Nebraska Secretary of State approval or rejection of the name for my publishing company. It’s frustrating, I can’t introduce it or get business cards, or establish a bank account without the name and paperwork for the tax id #. Is all of government that slow?

All I can do is to be patient and work on some hanging-on projects from my list. There are many! I should skip any that have to do with cleaning, don’t you think? LOL. There will be plenty of opportunity for tax prep, cleaning out one troublesome kitchen cabinet, and maybe even working on a quilt. If I’m lucky. Yes, there is always something to do.

I signed up for a video class on Tuesday called, “How to Sell Your Book Without Feeling Icky.” Boy, could I use that! It should also help with branding, I think. More on that later! It appears there are more followers on this blog every day. I’m trying to appeal to a wide range and adding the Keto lifestyle helps a lot.

Speaking of Keto, I just about have a new wardrobe! My old jeans fit me again. With room to spare. That hasn’t happened in about nine years. Before Gavin was born, I slipped on the ice (President’s Day) and fell, breaking my ankle in three places. A year earlier, I had two surgeries on the same foot and didn’t gain a pound. It was different this third time, with the break. I got pretty depressed sitting around again. I gained about ten or fifteen pounds. Then more. I stopped caring.

I am definitely avoiding ice and black ice, and do not want to Yo-Yo again. I’d rather stay south of where I am now than deal with losing again. Keto has helped tremendously. The Babe is even glad we are doing it. We both feel better, too. Let’s hear it for regular sized clothes! YAY!