Sandra Cox's Blog, page 14

Ketch-up Day

 

 How was your weekend and the beginning of your week?

We finally went to visit the grands. With the HH's back issues it had been a year since we'd been there.  We got to see the granddaughter play volleyball.( She shot the winning ball over the net.) Watch Thor with the grandson. Play with the youngest grandson AND the cat and dog:) And enjoy our son and DIL AND lunch with a dear friend. Oh, Oh, nearly forgot, while we were at the restaurant, we started chatting with the woman behind us in line. Turns out she was the aunt of Chicago Bull's Coby White. 

Did you see the Harvest Moon? Got a couple of shots, that don't do it justice..

 

AND 

We finally got the support posts and wires up for the blackberry bush and grapevine. They were relieved:)

  

Has anyone gotten any  Food Lion mums? They're huge and VERY reasonably priced.

AND

This is a tree at my son and his families' house. Notice anything odd about it?

It has at least two little trees of different varieties growing in it. There's a third as well, but I'm not sure if it's a plant or tree.

AND

Frank's book pick of the week is by David Baldacci.

AND

From Colorado.

Thanks, Julie.

AND

From Illinois

Thanks, Jan.

AND

From Illinois

Thanks, Jan.

That's it for today. Have a grand one, bloggers.

Weekend Wishes

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

What's your synonym, definition or sentence for:

Example: The chum in the water attracted the sharks.

 

AND

Did you know, Mountain Dew was created to use as a mixer with moonshine?

For more Information: History of Moonshine | Ozark Moonshine & Music Festival (ozarkmoonshinefest.org)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ketch-Up Day

 

How are you? Whatcha been doing? I've been working on setting up a business account on Pinterest. Good gracious. Pinterest is fine, but I'm pretty techno challenged. Does anyone else out there have a Pinterest account? Any words of wisdom you'd care to impart?

Not much else going on here. What about at your house?

AND

The garden is getting pretty sparse, but it's kept me hopping with staining the fence--I think I may have it finished next year:) mowing, adding pavers to the walkway and weeding

 

 

 Note: The leaves are just starting to fall.

AND

Just for fun

Frank has his eye on you....

And from Illinois

Thanks, Randy

AND last but definitely not least.

 

Have a grand week.

Your Weekend Read: THE WICKED WITCH ANTHOLOGY

 

TheWicked Witch Anthology

Ananthology of five short stories for children of all ages

 

You'll follow theongoing saga between the Good Fairy and her nemesis, the Wicked Witch, and getintroduced to other fairies, including the Treasure Fairy.
Perfect for bedtime reading.

 

 

Buylink

www.amazon.com/Wicked-Witch-Anthology-Judy-Keith-ebook/dp/B07JB7LV96/

Author pages https://www.amazon.com/Judy/e/B013HBQTLM/

and www.amazon.com/stores/Judy-and-Keith/author/B0B4TBSWRY

 

Targetaudience is children ages 5-12.

KindleUnlimited is free

Alsoavailable in paperback.

 

This anthology of five short stories with hand-drawnillustrations is primarily aimed at children aged 5 to 12 years. Each story iscomplete and makes great bedtime reading or to use as a chapter-book.

All the illustrations were created by a family member.

Enter multiple worlds of fantasy...where witches and fairieslive. A collection of stories whichinterweave morals, the paranormal, fantasy and reality—a fascinating blend for children of all ages.

Blurb

The Wicked Witch isup to mischief...again!
This collection of five short stories explores Fairyland.

 

The Wicked Witch has been spotted flying high above the forest.The animals scamper into hiding. A colddamp winter is fast approaching, and the Wicked Witch needs a warm cloak. Couldsquirrels’ tails be the answer? Not if the Good Fairy has anything to do with it.

 

You'll follow theongoing saga between the Good Fairy and her nemesis, the Wicked Witch, and getintroduced to other fairies, including the Treasure Fairy.

 

The Wicked Witch is not the best cook. Her favoriteconcoction is ‘rat and cockroach stew with turnips and horseradish.’ The greatthing about this stew is you can keep it bubbling for days—just top thecauldron off with rain water…and with these ingredients, you have to!

Keith and Judy both love fish and chips, especially served innewspaper.

For dinner, Beef Wellington with peas and mashed potatoes,followed by something stodgy for Keith like a Bakewell tart with custard, and atrifle for Judy.

 About the authors

 

Judy and Keith have been married for fifty years.

They’re now semiretired and living in the South Bay, LosAngeles. Both were born and raised in the same town in England during the earlyfifties. It boasts a haunted Norman castle, a Saxon burh, a church with adouble-spiral staircase, and inspires many of their stories. They relocated toLos Angeles in the late eighties.

Judy and Keith write sweet romance, young adult, middle grade,and children's stories. Each story emphasizes a moral and must pass the acidtest, would they be happy if their own grandchildren read it? Judy alsocomposes keyboard music.

They have two sonsand two grandsons.

 

Youcan contact and follow the authors on Facebookat www.facebook.com/JudyandKeith/ or on Twitter now X @JudyandKeith

 

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

 What's your word, synonym, definition or sentence for:

 

Example: I was chuffed with my book review.

 

AND 

Did you know, the letter A does not appear in any numbers up to a thousand?

For more information: No Number from 1 to 999 Contains This Letter | Reader's Digest (rd.com)

Ketch-Up Day

 

 How are you? How goes your week? We went to Mooresville and putzed around. Oh my gosh. There's so much Halloween decos out.  I love it. It's fun. Halloween is certainly giving Christmas a run for its money. Money being the operative word. Heh. The HH surprised me with this mug for me.

I'm still weeding and staining the fence. I will be finished....Someday. Maybe.

I was reading an old favorite, a Barbara Michaels' paperback, and I frequently had to stop and and tape pages back together. Out of curiosity, I checked the copyright date to give me a clue as to when I bought it. That paperback was over fifty years old!

AND

The Eternal Garden  and critters in it:)

 

I find these guys fascinating.

 

I'm fascinated by this hibiscus. After the bloom falls off, what is left looks a flower, doesn't it?

 

AND

From California.

Thanks, Denise;) xo

 

Your Weekend Read: SIZE ALWAYS MATTERS, by Sally Cronin

 

SizeAlways Matters information 

 

Aboutthe book

At age 41 in 1994 and weighing 330 lbs, Sally Cronin hadtwo choices when she was told that she was unlikely to live to 45. Carry oneating or get her act together. She chose to study nutrition and change the wayshe approached the food she ate and her other lifestyle choices.

Her first book, Size Matters, told the story of her weightloss of 154 lbs and shared the programme she designed to both lose the weightand regain her health. Now, thirty years on from the start of that journey,having worked as a nutritional therapist with hundreds of clients as well asacting as a health consultant on radio for several years and on her blog, sheshares an updated version of the programme.

Weight loss is not just about calories in and calories out.It is about identifying the physical, emotional and mental attachments we haveto food and developing a deeper respect for the fuel we require to be healthy.As well as exploring the many elements involved in healthy weight loss, shealso shares the nutritional balance we need to achieve to prevent many of thelifestyle issues that accompany obesity. This includes some easy to preparerecipes which provide nutrient dense dishes for the whole family.

In 2022, 2.5 billion adults aged 18 years and older wereoverweight, including over 890 million adults who were living with obesity. 37million children under the age of 5 were overweight. Over 390 million childrenand adolescents aged 5–19 years were overweight, including 160 million who wereliving with obesity.

If you need to lose 10 lbs or 100 lbs you can adapt thisprogramme to lose the weight healthily and to enjoy a better quality of life.Don’t be included in the statistics and start losing weight today.

 

 

SallyBio

Sally Cronin is the author of eighteenbooks including her memoir Size Matters: Especially when you weigh 330lb firstpublished in 2001 which followed her weight loss of 150lbs and the programmeshe designed to achieve a healthy weight and regain her health. A programme sheshared with her clients over her 26 year career as a nutritional therapist andon her blog. This has been followed by another seventeen books both fiction andnon-fiction including multi-genre collections of short stories and poetry.

Her latest book Size Always Matters is anextended and updated version of her original book Size Matters and now includesthe nutritional element to weight loss and some recipes with ingredients thatprovide the nutrients necessary for healthy weight loss and continued goodhealth.

As an author she understands how importantit is to have support in marketing books and offers a number of FREEpromotional opportunities in the Café and Bookstore on her blog and across hersocial media.

After leading a nomadic existence exploringthe world, she now lives with her husband on the coast of Southern Irelandenjoying the seasonal fluctuations in the temperature of the rain.

 

SallyLinks

Amazon US -https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sally-Cronin/author/B003B7O0T6

Amazon UK -https://www.amazon.co.uk/%7E/e/B003B7O0T6

Goodreads -https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7979187.Sally_Cronin

Blog :https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sgc58

Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallycronin1/

 

1. I love breakfast and believe it is the most important of the day. We usually have a light supper around 6.30pm and I go for my first walk of the day at 8.00 a.m so it is usually 9 a.m. before I have breakfast. I am ready for it by then and I usually have porridge with a banana, some full fat milk and a teaspoon of honey and a green tea. That keeps me going until lunchtime.

2. Fruit in season is our afternoon snack and because we are used to a warmer climate we are drawn to grapes, peaches and apricots, although when pears are ripe they are lovely too. It is wonderful now that so many fruits from the continent in particular are available all year round and we ring the changes as they appear in the supermarket.

3. We gave up alcohol in lockdown. We used to drink quite a bit of wine when we lived in Spain but after coming back here we got out of the habit and then we realised we didn't particularly like the after effects. It certainly took us longer to recover. We noticed that during lockdown people were stocking up not just on toilet paper but wine and spirits too. We realised it might be very easy whilst isolated to drink more than was good for us so we gave up completely. We never picked it up again but it did set me on a discovery of the non-alcoholic spirits, beers and wine available and when we entertain or visit family and friends a bottle of zero alcohol Gordon's Gin with tonic and a slice of lemon is great as are some of the red wines now available including the Shiraz grape varieties. There are also some excellent zero beers as well. At least at gatherings now we are not standing around drinking glasses of water looking like we don't belong at a party!!

 

My thanks to Sandra for inviting me over to showcase my new book, I really appreciate the support.

 

 

IWSG Wednesday AND Did You Know

 

The firstWednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by NinjaCaptain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discussstruggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG 

The awesome co-hosts for the September 4 posting of theIWSG are Beth Camp, Jean Davis, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experienceor story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let itinspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional

 

September 4 question - Since it's back to school time, let's talkEnglish class. What's a writing rule you learned in school that messed you upas a writer?

This is a good question, but since school is so far in the rearview mirror for me  that not even a spec is visible, I'm clueless. What was less than a writer-friendly rule for you?

 

AND

Did you know, D. H. Lawrence would climb mulberry trees without a stitch on for inspiration?

 

For more information:

Five Fascinating Facts about D. H. Lawrence – Interesting Literature

AND

August/September Reviewsin no particular order

*Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factorthem into my review.

 

FAIRIES,MYTHS AND MAGIC: A Summer Celebration by Colleen Chesebro

Isa collection of poetry and short stories deliciously written. The author’swriting as delicate as the fairies she describes.

Afew lines that emphasize the author’s talent:

‘Pinkfairy slippers tremble in the foggy morning breeze,’

Spiderweblace dances in the sun, as leafy tree reflections sparkle and shimmer in thewaters of the slough.’

‘fingersof green energy ripple and surge with power’

Boththe stories and the poetry carry you to the realms of otherworldlypossibilities.

Recommendedfor all that love fantasy, poetry and magic.

Available at Amazon

 

 

SIZEALWAYS MATTERS by Sally Cronin

Thiswas a fascinating read. It’s a wonderful mesh of autobiography and self-helpnonfiction. I’m more of a genre reader, but I loved this book.  It’s geared for folks who are trying to loseweight but it’s about so much more than weight loss alone and beneficial toanyone that wants to live a healthy lifestyle. It touches on calorie intake,exercise, what foods are good for you and which ones aren’t. If you are tryingto lose a large amount of weight, how to do it and keep your muscle mass,avoiding the ‘extra-skin overhang’. It breaks down what foods provide what vitaminsand minerals. Touches on the Candida fungus. And includes recipes. 

Irecommend it to anyone on a weight loss journey and or interested in improvingor maintaining their health as they age.  

Kudosto the author.

Available at Amazon

 

BLACKSTONEby Trafton Crandall

ElizaGrant, who has a special hidden gift, has never quite fit in. But she had noidea how easy being an outcast at school actually was until she’s recruitedinto a secret government military school called Blackstone. Now instead ofdealing with being laughed at she’s just trying to stay alive.

ThisYA Sci-Fi Fantasy is packed with action from beginning to end. The author doesa great job of world building and character development. I can’t wait for booktwo. Recommended for lovers of YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy or readers that just love agreat tale. 

Available at Amazon

 

Ketch-up Day

 

If you celebrate, did you have a good Labor Day? It was quiet here. 

It finally stopped raining. Dried out and immediately went into the high 90s. I had to start watering again then you guessed it, it started raining again. I give up trying to figure out Mother Nature. 

The HH made popcorn and we watched Episodes of Season Two RING OF POWER.  Anyone else watching it?

I'm saddened and weary of the war, and the unbelievable cruelty humans managed to inflict on one another. 

On to less depressing topics.

Critter Pic and The Eternal Garden
I finally have little peppers;) Can you see it?



Yay. I have Irises blooming again. (Only the white ones. It's been a hard summer.)AND

From California.Thank you, Jacqui.
 
 From CaliforniaThank you, Denise. That's all folks. Have a grand one.