Personal Time

I have a thing for this time “issue” don’t I? Anyway I was really considering the notion that many people want time for themselves but rarely get it. We feel guilty thinking of ourselves when we feel that so many others want or “need” our attention. There is nothing wrong with wanting to share time with others, but there is something (in my opinion) wrong with never feeling like our own needs are met.

I’m not saying go out for hours and spend time frolicking out in the forest communing with the creatures in nature… unless you want to. But we can take a sliver of time (or more) each day to take a deep breath, relax and just be. Most of us take some sort of lunch break or other break no matter what our professions happen to be (including being a stay at home parent) and during these breaks, we could take some time just for ourselves, if we wanted.

Who says that taking time for ourselves has to take hours and cause us to feel guilty about leaving our families or loved ones without our attention (heaven forbid)? But, we could take fifteen minutes here or an hour there, each day to relax our minds and spend some special time just alone with our thoughts and no one else. And it doesn’t have to cost anything either. It can be window shopping at a new store, or taking a walk down a trail, taking a drive down a street you’ve always wondered about, but never went to. It could even be something as simple as going to the local park and observing the people around you. It’s the quality of the time that matters not the length of it or the amount of money you did or didn’t spend. It doesn’t even have to be done every day, but it sure would feel nice if we could all pull it off.

I think things like this contribute to the overall wellbeing of people in general and specifically to their creativity. When we are able to clear our minds and just let things be and enjoy ourselves it seems that a weight is lifted from our minds, so we can have clarity about what we’ve been trying to accomplish. Spending quality time with myself often helps with my writing and makes me feel like the creative individual I desire to be. Give a shot. What do you have to lose?

The Plot Bunnies are Against Me!

I’m sure I’ve brought this up a time or twenty, but sometimes I just need to vent a little. My characters do what they want, with no regard to how I feel or how I want MY story to go. My ideas come and go constantly. One moment I think I have the best idea ever and then the next I think I need my head examined for ever having it. On top of all that, before I can finish anything I get more and more and more and more (ok you get the picture) ideas for new stories.

The plot bunnies are evil. They pop up out of nowhere, sprinkling my brain with little dustings of story ideas that I can’t forget, but I have to force myself not to work on them. Then I get all antsy, because I want to work on them (because I won’t allow it if I ever want to finish something). I have documents and workbooks full of story ideas not to mention the tons of stories I have yet to complete. Please just hit me over the head with a mallet and end my misery. *sigh*

My Boyfriend's Back by Chrissy Olinger

My Boyfriend's Back

A Short, Sweet Romance

by Chrissy Olinger

Paranormal/Fantasy Romance only .99

15,826 words

Available on Kindle
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"Fear not! I bring you tidings of... DAMMIT!"

With those few words, Jack Lynch's world was turned upside-down. Once the nerd everyone loved
to torment, he has returned to his home town for his twentieth reunion. Now a multimillionaire, Jack has everything but the one thing that matters: his
true love. Twenty years ago he let her slip away. Now he's back, and determined to win her heart.

But screeching tires on an icy road change everything. If being temporarily dead weren't bad
enough, Norman— an angel in training— returns Jack's spirit to the wrong body— the class bully, John Lydon.

With the rockin' hot bod of his former nemesis, the help of a nerdy angel, and his own wits,
Jack has to get Rori to see him, love him, and bring about a miracle... without revealing this true identity. The clock is ticking, and he only has three days.

Jack's got the brains; his new body has the brawn; and Norman's got his back. What could possibly
go wrong?

*This book contains some mild language, no strong sexual content, and an excessive amount of silliness.

Chicken and Rice Recipe

Here is a recipe I love because it's so easy. The crock pot is one of the best cooking inventions ever, in my opinion. I can make a wonderful meal with as little hassle as possible for the most part. Check it out and tell me what you think.

CROCK - POT CHICKEN AND RICE

4 lg. chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ c. diced celery
1 c. minute rice
Mix in crock pot the 3 cans of soup and rice. Place the chicken on top of the mixture, then add diced celery. Cook for 3 hours on high or 4 hours on low. Makes 4 servings

Quality Time

Time is a big issue for most people, as it is considered our most precious commodity. We want to be careful how and with whom we spend our time. And really no one can be blamed for being picky about it. The balance between needs and wants is very sensitive and we all want to make sure we are getting the most out of our time.

One of the biggest areas people feel they don’t get enough time is with family members, and more specifically with their significant others. We want to spend time with the one who makes our heart beat faster, the one who sends flutters down our spines, the one who supports us daily whether it’s emotional or monetary or physically. But for some reason the overwhelming majority of the couples I know seem to be lacking in the area of quality time. They want more time to have nice dinner dates, go to the park and walk hand in hand, take in a movie or go on vacations. Between work and home there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day, or are there?

My husband and I have been together almost ten years and there was a time in our lives when we felt the same way. Where was our quality time? But when we took the time to look at a little closer we realized that we had to make the time and then take the time. We go on small dates to Starbucks or McDonalds. When we go to the Y for our workouts we enjoy a free cup of coffee and some conversation before we hit the weights. We take a short trip to the mall and do a little window shopping. Before I leave for work in the morning he makes me a very quick breakfast and we eat together. Sure some of these things require me to wake up a few minutes earlier or go to sleep a few minutes later but I am willing to do what it takes to share quality time with the man I love.

The time is there but we had to decide to take the time and just learn to be appreciative of what we had. Quality time does not have to be an expensive date or candle lit dinner (though there is nothing wrong with those things). Sometimes all it takes is the willingness to sit down and just be together and enjoy each other’s presence. Well, that’s how it works for us and we are happily going on to ten years of loving companionship. Just a thought…

Sweet as Sin by Inez Kelley

SWEET AS SIN by Inez Kelley

She was made for sin. Sin was something he knew intimately.

John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he’s driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won’t lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she’s as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?

Carina Press or Amazon or All Romance ebooks

"The story is hyper intense, hyper complex, its what romance, new romance is supposed to be. Its NEW its fresh, it expands, its so beyond new, its freaking shiny. In the package wonderful. I loved it, I loved it I loved it. " -Romance Book Forums