A Work in Progress

It's funny how things go in circles.  I remember, over three years ago, telling myself I needed to do something else... something else, mind you, other than being a full-time mom, full-time wife, freelance writer, and vintage clothing seller. No -- I needed to do something else so I could feel like I was really doing something. Really working. I remember pulling on my boots one day and tying them while in tears thinking, "I have too much time on my hands." I need to do something productive. Looking back, I know now that these thoughts were insanity. I think I was just out of my mind for a few months and really needed someone to slap me and say, "Lady, you are doing more than enough. You are enough just as you are." But, I needed to be really working . Why would I say this? And why would I even think to ask myself this? Wasn't I already working? Wasn't that enough? So, I added a part-time job to my schedule.  Then a year later, added another one. There

Today is Thanksgiving Eve and it so happens that my workload is just a touch light and I have a moment to write something.  I write pretty regularly, whether it's for work or my writing, but this blog gets ignored. Rightly so. It's been on the back burner for a while as I juggle three or four jobs. But as I said earlier, the workload is lessoning, and come the new year, it will be even a little bit lighter. Which is good news, really. It means back to more writing time for myself, which is what I want.  Sometimes we have to walk away from what we think we love, to find out that it is indeed our passion and true love. Writing for myself is that perfect true love (with wearing, finding, and selling vintage clothing a very close second.) I was lucky enough to be published by Chicken Soup for the Soul , a fourth time now, last month. It feels like a dream every time they publish something of mine. It took me a good ten years to get them to say "yes" to me so now that th

Today marks the latest book release for Chicken Soup for the Soul. This book, Be You: 101 Stories of Affirmation, Determination and Female Empowerment is chock-full of beautiful stories written about women by women. I'm lucky enough to be in this book as well! This is my second tantalizing publication with Chicken Soup and I can't tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity. In my opinion, the title of the book and my story work well together. The story I submitted, and the one they took, was about how I started my vintage-selling business. It went through my reasons for starting my shop, why I wanted it, and the difficulties I knew I'd face once I began. As the sage advice goes, "Write what you know." I know how to go about selling vintage clothing online, and I'd like to think I know how to write about it. If it meant a story turned out that merited a chance at publication, then so be it. Well, that's exactly what I did and I suppose exactly why they

Blood, Bones & Butter I just recently read this fantastic book by Gabrielle Hamilton called Blood, Bones & Butter . If you want to indoctrinate yourself into the world of cooking, how to be a gourmet chef, and perhaps get a glimpse of life in the world of restaurant kitchens, this book is it.  Gabrielle is a chef whom I'd originally seen on the PBS show, Mind of a Chef. That show, by the way, is phenomenal. Hosted by the late Anthony Bourdain, the episodes are short and sweet and stuffed full of new foods, cooking techniques, and recipes from all over the world. Gabrielle's down-to-earth way of cooking, speaking, and her style in general, are what drew me to her. She also happens to be a literature graduate student, so from the moment I heard her speak, it felt like I'd known her for years. But, I suppose it feels that way to all who listen to her. She's that familiar and comfortable. She's someone you'd want to have coffee with. Are you famil

Gahhhhh! That's me yelling at my Kindle because I'm re-reading an overused word in a New York Times best-selling book by a best-selling author. Gahhhhh! That's me yelling again  because said writer should know better ... even if the rules don't apply to him because he's uber famous and can do what he wants. But, I -- the reader -- noticed! I saw the repeated words. And I'm annoyed. Readers read to get away; to dive into the book and enjoy; to escape-- not to question the author's choice of words. Okay, let me open up here. The book is John Grisham's latest thriller, The Rooster Bar.   Per usual, it's a great read, is super easy to get into, and has awesome, three-dimensional characters (even though you could swap characters from book to book and it would work seamlessly). But, the word he over used is: evidently. This word can be perfect  to use. Say, once every other chapter, if  needed. But it's one of those adverbs that shoul