Lynn Cahoon's Blog, page 6

Sugar is the devil and other lies...

Okay, so maybe it's not a lie. I've been going back to my low carb/low sugar lifestyle for the last week. Today I declared a cheat day. It's my birthday. So I had a high (through the roof high) carb breakfast. Which made me sleepy. Then I had chocolate birthday cake which gave me a headache. Good news is I know these foods are triggers for me. But sometimes, it's worth the pain. Tomorrow, I'll be back on bread and water. Or more descriptive, meat and veggies. Do you follow a prescribed diet plan? How's it working?

Oktoberfest -

I love October. One - It's my birthday month. I think as you hit a certain age you should get to celebrate the entire month. :) Two - It's beautiful walking weather. Well, except for today when it's supposed to be 90 degrees. Three - It feels like the start of a new year. Probably because we were trained to start the new school year. I've got three books to finish between now and December 31st, so I've got plenty to keep me busy. Four - We can have campfires at the cabin with soft hoodies and fuzzy boots. What's your favorite season?

It's my stuff, leave it alone...

My husband is planning out our retirement. For some reason, he thinks we can live in a travel trailer. Now, I'm up for a good trip. Even an extended trip. But I think I'd miss my stuff. Like my five bookshelves crammed with my TBR pile. And my summer/winter/skinny/heavy second wardrobe. And what about all my nicknacks on my desk? And since we're talking about desks, what about my office? What about my new KitchenAid mixer? And my cookbooks? Sigh. I might have a problem. So have you downsized your life? Lynn

Finding a new normal

First, a word from our sponsor. (me)OMG you guys, A Deadly Brew hit USA Today's top 150 list on release week! This is a huge honor and I know I owe each and every one of you a thank you card. :) This weekend, we were talking with a friend about the changes in his life. He'd retired earlier this year and now, instead of going to work 40 hours a week, he needed to find a new normal. He was talking about going back to work part time to save for bigger travel opportunities. Of course, that got my husband and I talking about what our next chapter might look like. We have kind of different standards in living that are on the must have list. So we're both going to have to compromise to get to a place where we're both happy. The good news is I think we got close to a few tenets of what retirement might look like. I'm planning on retiring from the day job but keeping my career in writing going for many more years. He needs a hobby so I have time to write. :) What about you? Have you had a second chapter in your life that changed your daily world dramatically?

Hobbies or what I do when I'm not working or sleeping...

Which usually is nothing. But I'm going to change that. I'm planning on taking a little time this next week to get back into baking. It's hard to bake and stay on a low carb diet, so since I've fallen and don't want to get up for a few weeks, I'm digging into some recipes. I'm doing a Orange Cake sometime this week. Yes, I got the recipe off Facebook, so I'm hoping it's good. The other thing I have to do is make my own recipe for scones. I think I made them once before, but I wasn't impressed. Could have been operator error, but I'm trying again. My mixer is going to get a workout. What do you do as a hobby?Lynn

New Release - A Deadly Brew

A Deadly Brew came out yesterday. It's a Halloween novella in the Tourist Trap world. Priced right for a quick getaway, make sure you pick up your copy soon. As Halloween approaches South Cove, California, four couples get into the spirit of the holiday by conjuring up spirits. . .The house has sat empty for fifteen years, taking up prime real estate along the picturesque coastline. Built by one of the founders of South Cove, its last known owner, Maryanne Demerit, vanished without a trace. Now her home will be demolished for a condo development, but until then, it’s the perfect spot for a Halloween haunted house.Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More, her boyfriend, and three other couples are spending the weekend in the Demerit home. But what begins as an all-in-good-fun fright fest turns into a mystery begging to be solved as Jill is contacted by the ghost of Maryanne . . .

Slowing down even more....

I had surgery last week which put me out of commission for just about the entire week. As I'm a list making, get things done fool, this really has me antisy to get back to finishing things. Especially with writing a book and edits and marketing on my to do list. (A Deadly Brew releases next Tuesday. I hope you're looking forward to this peek into South Cove holiday life.) Since I'm not able to sit at my computer and work 8-12 hours a day, I've been thinking. And reading. And watching television. And napping. And slowing down. It's an odd feeling, not having to be anywhere at any time. I nap when I'm tired. I eat when I'm hungry or feeling peckish. And I read when I want to. I finished Slash Your Retirement Risk by Chris Cook yesterday and the clear, non-fiction style helped me focus again. Today, I have a cozy mystery on my pile that I've been wanting to read for a while. And of course, there's a recent Stephen King sitting and waiting for me. Not much to report, just checking in. I have found I adore watching series television, mostly because I can check in with well loved characters. I've stayed away from Bull, not knowing who Tony would be in the story, but I still see the sparkle in the actor and the character. What's on your plate this week?

Binge watching, anyone?

There's just something about sitting (vegging) in front of the television and watching shows off the DVR. Sometimes I even let them build up so I can have a few hours of entertainment. NCIS is my current favorite.This method of watching (and collecting) shows is so different than when I grew up and if you missed a show, you had to depend on someone else watching and telling you what you missed. My mom was that person for Dark Shadows. She'd turn on the television and then wait for me to get home (I rode the bus.) If it was on the show when I arrived, I'd plop down in front of the television and watch until commercial. Then I'd turn and ask what I'd missed. My mom was a pretty good story teller. I guess that's where I got my love of story. My love of Dark Shadows continues. My alter writing ego, Lynn Collins, claims to be a daughter of Barnabas. Not everyone gets the reference, but I feel an immediate kinship to those who do. What's your favorite binge worthy television show?

Breakfast - Essential or not?

I might have mentioned that I was on a diet/lifestyle change. Well, I fell off a few weeks back but the stuff I learned while I was changing my food choices, has stuck with me. One of the things that I was challenged on was Intermittent Fasting. From what I gleaned from my studies, this practice has you fasting from dinner through the morning. 13-18 hours of no food. Which I agree with to a point. Shutting the kitchen down after dinner is a tried and true method of controlling your food intake. 13 hours is for me, from 8pm to 9am. Which isn't hard at all. Except for those bit and pieces I grazed on while getting ready for work. Others take it to 18 hours which would set you up for eating lunch and dinner. I had a doctor once who told me to drink coffee for breakfast and lunch and eat a small dinner to lose weight. He also called me 'baby' during our first and only appointment so I discounted all of his advice, but maybe he wasn't wrong on holding off on breakfast. As soon I get past a few upcoming sticking points in my life, I'm returning to a low carb, low sugar, intermittent fasting life choice. First, I have to get the ice cream out of the house.So what about you? Are you a breakfast eater? Have you changed your eating habits over the years?

School supplies

I love this time of year. Displays of new pens, papers, notebooks, organizers...you name it, you can get it. I have colored pencils to draw my cozy little towns. I have notebooks in a multitude of colors where I plan my week, my month, and sometimes, just my shopping list. My day job always has a school supply collection drive this time of year. My team is putting together 10 backpacks. I bought a pink one with unicorns. I would have totally rocked that in elementary school. This year I bought me some fun colored gel pens. And a notebook that I swear is going to be my journal. Notes on a life well lived. Do you swoon over school supplies? Especially on sale?