Kathleen Smith's Blog, page 10

Me Stressed Never! (sarcasm)

It’s Wednesday morning July 3rd and I’m sitting on my couch trying to figure out what to write about for Monday’s blog. Why am I doing this on a Wednesday? Because tomorrow is the 4th of July and I don’t plan to be on my laptop. I will be enjoying the 4th with my family and friends instead. And Friday I will most likely forget to write this blog. So today it is.

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Now the question is what do I write about. I could tell you about my curly hair and how I never know which day it’s going to be super curly and which day it won’t, but I won’t bore you with that. I could tell you what it’s like being a Nana, but I already wrote a blog about that. I could tell you about my books and my podcast, but I’ve already done that as well. So that leaves me with…Well that’s a good question.

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I thought I would share about how stressed I get. I imagine this is something lots of people can relate to. I can get super stressed about anything and everything. I stress about trips that I know I’m going to take. I’m good once I get to my destination, but before that I get stressed about all the what if’s that may or may not happen. I stress over my books and how to best promote them. I stress over getting sales or not getting sales. I stress about trying to figure out how to get more listeners for my podcast.

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I stress over my health. Yeah that’s really helpful, isn’t it? NOT! I stress about getting ovarian cancer. That might sound strange stressing over a particular cancer, but that is what my mom died of, so it’s always in the back of my mind. Yes, I do go for my annual exam every year and I know early detection can help. That stress over it is still there. I stress about making sure I’m a good wife and mother. I can even stress over what people might think of me!

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Sometimes I think that as a Christian I shouldn’t get stressed, but I am human like everyone else. Maybe the difference is when I get stressed I have somewhere or someone to turn to. I know when I’m stressing I do my best to read my Bible and pray every day. Believe it or not when I stay focused on God and His Word the stress level is either much lower or not there at all. It’s truly amazing what the Bible can do for the soul as well as the body. You can even find Bible verses on Pinterest to help relieve stress. Did you know that? So I’m not a perfect person not by a long shot. I have stress and fears that I need to overcome. Basically I am a work in progress and I’m thankful that God is beyond patient with me and the lack of trust I have sometimes.

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story 

Self Publishing My Audio Book – Part 2

Welcome to the continuation of how I self published my audio book! In the first part I shared about how much I wanted to get my books on audio, but don’t have that kind of money to hire a professional reader. I also shared about how I found out about self publishing audio books and the tools to use for it. In this second part I explain where I do the recording, how my husband helps and how long the process takes.

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Since I don’t have a sound recording room where I can record myself in quiet, I had to figure out the best place to do it. It turned out to be my bedroom. I would go to my bedroom, close the door and lock it. Next thing I do is plug my apple headphones with microphone into my iPhone. When I’m ready to start recording myself I hit the microphone picture and then I hit record and talk. Because I do not have a sound room we adjust the audio after it has been recorded.

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The first time I did this I literally read a chapter. I then had my husband listen to it. He listened and told me I needed to do it in a way so that it didn’t sound like I was reading my book but rather telling someone the story. It took a couple of times, but once I figured it out I was able to record myself with confidence. Sometimes it can take up to five takes before I have a chapter done without any errors that I can hear. At times I get very frustrated with myself because I can be almost done with a chapter and I know I made a big mistake. That means I have to start the chapter all over again. If you’re wondering if the phone ringing while I’m recording is an issue, the answer to that is I don’t know because my phone has yet to do that! What I can tell you is, I have received text messages and FaceBook message while recording, but that didn’t interfere. I can either ignore it and it goes away or I clear it away. After each chapter is complete I ask my husband to listen to them. He makes sure it sounds good and lets me know if I have to redo a chapter. So far I haven’t had to redo that many chapters.

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Once all of the chapters have been narrated I do the conclusion, where I let people know who I am, about my books, and blog. I also let them know about my other books and where they are available. After that I record the the title of my book the copyright and the fact that I’m the author and narrator. After ALL that is done I ask my husband to listen to it to make sure they are good, then they get uploaded to my Google drive for a backup.

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When the recordings are done and the backups are completed then it’s my husbands turn. That’s when he uses his laptop to put everything together from beginning to end. This is the time where he makes sure the volume is set to where it needs to be. Not too loud or soft. He uses a program called Levelator to fix this. He then uses a program called “sox” to add a second of empty sound at the beginning of each file and two seconds at the end. This can take him anywhere from one – two days. Sometimes longer depending on how busy he is with other things.

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Once that process is done he then uploads each chapter to ACX for their approval. It can take from a day to a week before we find out if the audio that I did is good and if the adjustments my husband made were right. So far we have only had one or two minor adjustments that my husband needed to make. Once the audio version is accepted by ACX then I have to wait 7 -14 days before they make my audios available for people to purchase and listen to. This waiting period is difficult for me. Only because I can’t wait for my books to be available on audio for people to listen to.

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The first audio book I did is called – Miscarriages My Story – and I’m pleased to say it has sold 4 copies in the first month. That may not be a lot to some people, but to me it’s something. My second book which just became available for purchase is called Brooklyn Raised Livin’ Upstate. In this book I talk about what it was like growing up in Brooklyn, meeting & marrying my husband, figuring out the differences between Brooklyn and Upstate NY and lastly how I dealt with my mom’s death. I am currently working on another book. This book I will not give the title out yet, but I am just as happy with it. And look forward to being able to write and narrate more books in the future.

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read or listen about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story 

Self Publishing My Audio Book – Part 1

A couple of years ago I wanted to put my books on audio. Since people seem to prefer listening to books rather than reading them these days, I thought it would be great if people could listen to my books too. So I decided to do a little research. I asked around on Twitter to see how much it would cost to have a professional narrate my book. I also Googled it. When I found out it could cost anywhere from $300 – $1,000 or way more to pay a professional I knew my audio book wasn’t happening. This had me extremely sad. So I kept dreaming about it. I figured at the time that was all I could do. Since I don’t have that kind of money.

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A couple of months ago I was telling someone about my books. They asked me if any of them were on audio. I told them no, but I really wanted to get them on audio, but money was an issue. The next day I decided to search Google to see if any authors did their own narrating for books. I discovered that some did! So that got me thinking, who better to tell my story than me. After all the first book I wanted to put on audio was my book about my miscarriages. There is no one else who is going to be able to have that emotion when it comes to reading my books than me. My books are memoirs so in this case it also makes sense that it would sound right being read by me.

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I then needed to figure out how I would be able to sell my book in audio format. It turns out that indie authors can publish their books on audio using ACX. ACX is similar to Create Space, but for audio books. It publishes to Audible and iTunes. Now that I knew it was possible to record it myself, and I knew there was a place to sell it, I could get started.

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My next step was to figure out how I was going to get this done. This is where my husband came into the picture. I told him I wanted to put my books on audio and that I planned to do it all on my own. I gave him my phone and I asked him to find a good microphone app that I could use. A few minutes later he handed my phone back to me and showed me how to use it. The app I use is VoiceRecorder.

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My husband would have to do some post-processing to get the audio quality correct to be accepted by ACX, but we knew this could work. I’ll tell you more about my experience recording the book and what was needed for the next steps in next weeks blog.

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Currently the first of my books that I have on Audiobook is titled – Miscarriages My story – I share my experience with 3 miscarriages in the audio. I explain how many children we wanted and how many we had. I share how I needed to talk with my husband and rely on God. I talk about how we used our miscarriages to make our marriage stronger. I share what it was like for me being around other pregnant women while I was going through my grief and crying all the time.

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story 

The Joys of Graduating

June is the month of graduations and graduation parties. Doesn’t matter if it’s from High School or College, June is the month for them all.  Like so many families and friends this month I had the joy of attending one of these graduation ceremonies and parties. 

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Today was that day for me. My family and I went to a graduation ceremony which quite possibly was one of the shortest ceremonies I’ve ever been to. That’s okay by me. Afterwards we were able to share in the celebration at two parties. It was nice to spend some time with family and friends. Eating tasty food and having some yummy cake. Best of all though I got to hold my grandson and make him smile. 

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Funny thing about graduations, I didn’t always like going to them. Years ago when I would attend them all I wanted to do was cry. Not tears of joy for the graduates either. They were tears of sadness and embarrassment because at the time I wasn’t a High School graduate myself. I had left High School feeling like a failure because I couldn’t understand the school work and had nobody to help me. So I left and my part time cashier job became my full time job.

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It wasn’t until sometime after I got married that I decided to go back to school and get my diploma. With the support of my husband and many friends and family I found an online school where I could do the school work I needed to graduate. It took about a year, but I was determined to graduate and get my diploma before my youngest child started Kindergarten. I’m happy to say that I reach my goal one month before she started school. When I received my diploma I was SO happy and felt so good about myself. My family even gave me a party!

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I’ve come a long way since that day and I enjoy going to graduation ceremonies and parties now. To any adults out there who haven’t graduated from High School yet, take it from me, YOU can do it too!

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story 

Why I Try to Avoid Walmart

Ah, shopping how I love thee! Well sometimes, okay most times. There are with out a doubt some exceptions. For me going shopping at the mall for the most part is fun. I get to walk around the mall once or twice. I get to look at stuff and buy one or two things. Sometimes I even get some Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts. I do enjoy a good cold brew!

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Then there’s the shopping I have to do at places like Walmart or Target. You know when you need to get shampoo or conditioner. Or you need to get toilet tissue and tooth paste. The list really can go on and on. This is the shopping I don’t enjoy. It’s not even that I don’t enjoy it as much as it is the fact that I don’t like going into Walmart. I don’t know what it is with that place, but every time I go in there I feel like I spend way to much money on very little items. When I get out of that store I feel rather gross, like I need to take a shower. This should not happen and yet it does.

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It gets to the point where I would rather go to Target or my local supermarket or even check out Amazon and spend one or two dollars more just so I don’t have to go into Walmart. I would even rather go to a small family run store and buy something there then to spend my money at Walmart. I’m not trying to be mean either. Even my husband gets that gross feeling after being in Walmart. Those other stores like Target don’t make us feel like that. Sometimes it may cost a little more, but at least I feel better about myself.

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You know what I really try to do? If at all possible I buy as much as I can of what I need at Aldi’s and then what ever else is left on my list I get at Walmart or Target or even Hannaford. But at the end of the day if I can avoid Walmart, I will.

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story 

Always Remember Always Be Thankful

Last Monday was Memorial Day and like so many other American’s I was spending the day with family and friends. We gathered together at our house. We had a BBQ and we even went in the pool. Yep, there was also a local parade. We didn’t go to it this year. Not really sure why, but we didn’t.

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Like so many other American’s we remembered our military veteran’s that have given their lives for our Country. I remembered my uncle who has now passed, but served his Country many years ago. And this year I got the chance to spend the day with my nephew who is in the military and who is also currently home. It was nice to see him and talk with him.

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Memorial Day was a beautiful day to remember our soldiers who have given their lives for our Country and what they have done for our Country. As the day went by I started thinking more about our veteran’s. I started thinking to myself that yeah it’s nice that we set a side one day a year to thank them and honor them. But why do we do this on only one day out of the year? Why don’t we, why don’t I remember them every day of the year? After all they are serving our Country. They do give up a lot for people like me who they don’t know. Their families give up a lot for other families they don’t know. And some of our soldiers give the ultimate sacrifice — their lives.

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So I’m think that instead of remembering our military once a year, why not remember them ever day? Why not think about them every day? Why not pray for them every day? And whenever we see one of our soldiers or veterans whether it be at a restaurant, walking in the mall or where ever, why don’t we stop for one minute and say “Thank You” to them? They don’t expect it, but I bet they would appreciate it.

Kathleen Smith is an indie Author, blogger and she has her own podcast Kathleen’s Korner. You can read about her life in Brooklyn and Upstate NY . You can also either read or listen to her personal story of how she and her husband kept their marriage together through 3 miscarriages in Miscarriages My Story

My Life on a Bracelet

I have this bracelet that I like to wear on special occasions, like on Mother’s Day. I have a habit of calling this my Pandora bracelet. However my husband keeps reminding me it isn’t a Pandora bracelet. It’s like that, but he says it’s really a charm bracelet. I love it either way!

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Last weekend I was given a new charm for this bracelet for a Mother’s Day present from my husband. This new charm is heart shaped and has the name Nana on it. It may be a very small gift, but being a first time Nana it means so much to me. My husband was kind enough to add it to the rest of my charms. I told him exactly where I wanted it. As I look at my bracelet I realized it tells the story of my life.

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My new Nana charm was put right between my family charm and the charms for each one of my kids. And on the opposite side of my kids birthstone charms is another heart shaped charm that says Mom. Next to that one is a charm with no real explanation to it. I think that one was giving to me by my daughter for a birthday or Christmas present. I can’t remember.

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On the other end of my charm bracelet is a mixture of charms having to do with my life. I have charms with the British flag, the shape of Italy in its flags colors and a charm with the Claddah on it. All of these charms represent where my family comes from. My dads family is completely Italian and my moms family is mostly Irish with a bit of Italian and English put in the mix. All that makes me Irish, Italian and a wee bit of English. Between these charms I have one of a castle because of how much I love walking through and around castle ruins. The other is the Eiffel Tower. That is because I went there once with my family.

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Last but certainly not least. Smack in the middle of this bracelet is a charm of a book. This charm represents me being an indie author. I’m rather proud of that charm and the books I wrote that it represents. So that is my life on a bracelet! Okay not my entire life, but it’s the part that is the most important to me. It’s the part that is precious to me.

Kathleen Smith is an indie author and blogger. She also has her own podcast called Kathleen’s Korner. You can read more about Kathleen and her life in Brooklyn Raised Livn’ Upstate.

Albany Tulip Fest

What A Day! So late this morning as my husband and I were driving to the Albany Tulip Festival I was telling him how I had no ideas for Monday’s blog. It was stressing me. I usually like having my blogs written no later then Friday nights if at all possible. It isn’t always easy. This weekend it wasn’t easy. He suggested I write about the new baby birds that hatched the other day and a couple of other things, but I didn’t think anyone would be interested in any of that.

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When we finally got to the tulip festival we started walking around it. I had no idea there were going to be as many vendors there as there were. We walked over to the tulips and looked at the pretty colors. Eventually like so many other people we started taking pictures. Some people used their phones like we did. Others had some really nice looking camera’s . As I was taking my pictures I realized I could write my blog about the tulip festival. So her I am, sitting on my couch, telling you a wee bit about them.

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These flowers were definitely pretty to look at and the fact that today was a beautiful day without any rain was helpful. There were pink, red, black and even white tulips. And then there were some tulips that were pink and white. There weren’t a whole lot of tulips to look at, but what was there was pretty.

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Of course while we were there my husband and I started talking about what I should name this blog. He had suggested I name it “The Birds and Bees”. I told him that made absolutely no sense, as I was going to write about tulips. There is also the fact that every time I use one of his suggestions for a blog, nobody likes and or wants to read it. Sorry hon! I love the man, but it is true.

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Anyway over all the tulip festival was nice. We didn’t spend to much time there, but it was nice. After that we had lunch and Five Guys and did some other stuff.

Kathleen Smith is an author, blogger and she has her own podcast called Kathleen’s Korner. You can read more about Kathleen and her family in Brooklyn Raised Livin’ Upstate which is available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. Her book is available on Kindle and Paperback. 

A Day With My Daughter

Having daughters is a wonderful thing! Having sons is equally as wonderful, however I have learned over the years that my son does not like to go shopping at the mall or anywhere for that matter. My daughters on the other hand love to go shopping with me at the Mall or where ever. So today I had the pleasure of taking my youngest daughter to a nearby mall.

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We walked around the entire mall. We looked at different stores. We bought some mentos at Five Below. Once we got to Burlington Coat Factory, which was our main reason for going, we bought her a dress and me a skirt. Since my daughter outgrew most of her dresses she needed a new one. She tried on four dresses and only one fit perfectly. It’s kinda funny how the dress we thought would look great, looked awful and the one we didn’t think would look good was the best. I on the other hand didn’t necessarily need a new skirt, but I liked how this one looked on me so I went for it. The skirt reminded me a little of India which is why I wanted it so much.

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After we were successful in getting some clothes we ate some lunch and did some more shopping. Well there really wasn’t as much shopping as there was looking at clothes in different stores and walking, lots of walking. We did get two free truffles at Lindt and then I bought two truffles, one for each of us. They were good!

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When we were all done walking around the mall, or should I say when we were tired of avoiding going home just yet, we decided to give in and leave. BUT, before we left my daughter got a small piece of a chocolate almond bar and we both got some Starbucks. Overall it was a great day out with my daughter filled with love and laughter.

Kathleen Smith is an author, blogger and she has her own podcast called Kathleen’s Korner. You can read more about Kathleen and her family in Brooklyn Raised Livin’ Upstate which is available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. Her book is available on Kindle and Paperback.

Another Easter Without You

Hey Mom! It’s been a while since I last wrote to you, like five years so I thought now was as good a time as any. Last Sunday was my fifth Easter with out you. I missed you, but this year was very different than last year. In fact it was very different from all my Easters since you died.

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I remember my first Easter, five years ago with out you. It was my first major holiday with out you and only three months after your death. That was the worst Easter I ever had. I did my best to put on my brave face, but after a while dad and I ended up crying on each others shoulders, telling each other how much we loved and missed you. Easter, well any holiday isn’t the same with out you.

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Last Easter was a little better for me with missing you. I did miss you no questions asked. But last year we had lots of people over and we celebrated a birthday too. That some how helped last years Easter to go better. I still missed you and I still had some of that empty feeling in my heart, but I got through it.

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This year mom, was completely different! Yes, I missed you, but the pain wasn’t there. Not that I don’t miss you because I do. The pain wasn’t there because this Easter I got to spend time with my grandson. Yep, I’m a Nana too mom. It’s such an amazing feeling being a Nana! I hope I can be as good as a Nana to my grandson as you were to your grandkids (my kids). I did miss you, but getting to hold my grandson that made me so happy mom. I wish you could see him. You would LOVE him.  There were about 26 people in total at our house for Easter this year and 2 of Andrew’s co-workers came as well.

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Mom, I will always love you and I will always miss you. And I will always wish you could still be here on the Holidays. But I’m also enjoying being a Nana too. My grandson as put a new light in my heart for the holidays. He’s given me something to look forward to. And I just wanted to say – Thank you for being my mom. I love you always and I miss you always.

Love Always, Kathleen

Kathleen Smith is an indie author and blogger. She also has her own podcast called Kathleen’s Korner. You can read about her mom, the things they liked to do together and more in Brooklyn Raised Livin’ Upstate