Thankful for Books Reading Challenge 2

So, Facebook is still blocking me from posting anything on my page. I seriously don't know what their issue is but it's incredibly frustrating.

Today I'm catching up on two prompts: best title and life changing.

I feel it's impossible to chose a best title - I have so many favorites! Terry Pratchett and Terry Goodkind are my two favorite authors so I'll start there. Pratchett's Soul Music, Small Gods and Thief of Time are among my favorites of his. The Tiffany Aching books are probably my favorite of his mini-series. Faith of the Fallen is still my favorite of Goodkind's Sword of Truth books though I'm also really enjoying his new work, starting with Nest. (Yes, I'm aware of all of the bad publicity with Goodkind.. I still enjoy his work.)

Life changing is a bit easier for me to think on - what first came to mind was Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo's blood type diet books, the Genotype Diet, Eat Right 4 Your Type and Live Right 4 Your Type. (Although honestly, I could have put Faith of the Fallen under this prompt also, but regardless....)

The blood type diet has been life changing for me because it gave me the tools to lose 25 pounds and keep it off. I'm also aware now of specific food triggers and which foods are actually good for me! I'm especially sensitive to the nightshade vegetables, which I never knew but at the same time the usual culprits like coffee and wheat are actually beneficial for me!  DNA testing has even confirmed this :) In a world where everyone says don't eat sugar, don't eat wheat, coffee can cause headaches.. I'm on the flip side. Dieting is so confusing, but Dr. D's work has explained so much for me and helped me to live better and feel better. I'm also more recently noticing improvement with my cognitive functions caused by epilepsy. That's amazing, after all these years!

I strongly recommend this diet and of course the books. I personally got started with the diet without reading the books first - just by studying the information on his web site. There's a wealth of free information there.

So just to be clear, I'm not trying to sell anyone anything - I'm just providing my personal opinions and information on what has worked for me and what I enjoy.

I guess that's it for today so if you'd like to, you can join us in the reading challenge here.

Thankful for books reading challenge

So when I signed up for this challenge, my husband was working but then we got sick, he lost his job and so I haven't had as much computer time. I posted the first few prompts just on my Facebook page. Monday I tried 3 times to do so again but for whatever reason, Facebook is eating my posts. So, for today at least I will post here. Hopefully Facebook fixes it's issues, I really don't know what the deal is. While working on this post, I noticed it's loading really slowly too. Get your act together, Facebook! Anyway... Here's the challenge.

Just to recap, here's my responses so far:

Day 1: "Today is the first day of the #TFBRC reading challenge. I’m jumping right in with my collection of Christmas/Winter books. I don’t have clear #Goals but I do want to read Chasing Christmas Past and Christmas from Hell. I’m currently reading Candlelight Courting which I will finish today. I’ve already met my reading goal and upped it a few times for this year so no worries there.

Join us for fun and prizes: http://bit.ly/TFBRC"

Day 2: "Washington Irving is probably best known for Sleepy Hollow, but today I’m reading his book Old Christmas which just happens to be free for Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Old-Christmas-Wash…/…/ref=mp_s_a_1_2…

I went through a phase of reading #classics when I was very young. My favorite was Great Expectations. #TFBRC
http://www.iamareader.com/…/thankful-for-books-reading-chal…"

November 5th is where Facebook didn't let me post so let me continue here. The prompt for this day was DNF (did not finish, ironically enough...) The way I read, I have about 40 books or so started at once and I go back and forth between them. It is very rare for me to not finish a book and I've only recently allowed myself to put books aside when I absolutely cannot finish them (one such book took place in Wisconsin - I live here, I decided I didn't need to read about the people here when I can experience in real life. Another book I set aside recently fell into my idea of witchcraft, so no thanks!)


6th - yesterday's prompt was heartbreaker. I had a migraine yesterday and didn't feel up to trying to get Facebook to post so I skipped this one.. and honestly, as an INTJ personality this one is a bit difficult for me to answer! It seems like the majority of the books I read are happily ever after which actually is a growing source of annoyance for me. Sometimes I want a realistic ending, not everything is roses in life. But that's just me. I did recently pick up James Patterson's "Sam's Letters to Jennifer" from my little free library. It takes place in Wisconsin, briefly mentions someone with my mom's name and involves a character with a brain tumor (which my mom went through last year.) Lots of little things like that in this book which made it very difficult for me to get through, emotionally - though I did really enjoy the book.

... and that brings us to today's prompt which is fall colors and now that I think on it.. I'm not sure how to answer this one, either! Haha. But you know what? I saw an ad today for Christmas trees already. It's November 7th not even close to Thanksgiving yet and already people are preparing for Christmas. It seems crazy, though I am the one reading Christmas books at the moment for a theme. So since I'm drawing a blank, I think today I'll share a deal with you.

Stacey Rourke's The Legends Saga Collection is currently on sale for 99 cents on Amazon. I've only read the first book, Crane, which was an interesting spin on the Headless Horseman tale.. so this will be a good read for next Autumn (yes, I'm planning ahead that far!)

Also on my to read pile next Autumn is the Serenity Woods Fall in Love box set. I got it for free in September but it's currently $5.99 or free with Kindle Unlimited.

I suppose that's it for today. I may try again tomorrow to post to Facebook... if not, I might be back another day blogging and playing catch up when I can :P

You can join us for prizes and fun with the reading challenge by going here.

Nothing in life is guaranteed

It's funny timing that I started blogging again last week, and blogging about distractions. This past week has really shown me how quickly life can throw us for a curve. Last week I was starting to feel better, and in fact feel better than my usual - I noticed eating wheat germ seems to clear my usual brain fog so apparently I'm going to have to make it a new staple to my diet (all those people out there who claim wheat causes brain fog - yeah, I just have to be contrary.) My husband started a new job, which was going to put us financially in a better position. Things were looking up.

Enter last weekend. My husband got sick, then Monday I woke up definitely sick. It's been impossible to be motivated to do anything - especially with the obvious looming over our heads: my husband not only got sick, he was much too sick to work and so he lost the new job. We both feel he was there long enough to learn an important lesson : that particular job wasn't for him, obviously by how the situation was handled with his former employer but it's also pretty obvious he needs a break from factory work. He's been exposed to so many harmful chemicals over the past few years by working in factories, and it's gotten us no where. Unfortunately, most of the jobs where we live are factory jobs so that leaves us with few options. This is a troubling time for us, because in the short of it, we're looking at a drastic change to how we've been living so I'll have to be smarter about our purchases and menu planning. Looks like I won't be stocking up for winter as I normally do, which that alone makes me nervous since living in Wisconsin you just never know when the weather is going to turn on you (we got a freak snow storm today - our first snow of the year as far as I know.)

I'm thankful for more time to spend together - I'm not one to believe in a 50+ hour work week, not when you have a family at home missing you. Money can only buy so much, and it's not happiness.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in this new chapter in our lives, even if I am nervous and a bit scared. I don't like all of the uncertainty.

I'm hoping to still be able to blog - I'm thankful I'm feeling well enough to do so today, despite a weather related / sleep deprivation headache. Getting better, but it's taking much rest and time, like all things.

So, just your friendly, afternoon weekend reminder - don't take anything for granted because it can change in an instant.

... and then there were potato chips.

So the other day I was blogging about distractions keep us from living our lives or more specifically in my case, those which keep me from writing. Yesterday was one of those days. One of the things I really dislike about myself is my inability to adapt. I wake up with a plan for the day in my head, and if anything throws off that plan - at least on a wrong day - forget about it. Yesterday was my shopping day - I was tired from interrupted sleep and even though I knew I should only buy a few things at the grocery store, I took my shopping cart instead. I've noticed one of my bad spending habits is spending more money when I go shopping tired but also when I take my cart (good time to stock up, right?) I usually have all of my shopping done and put away by 3:30 or 4 at the latest so then exercise at 4:30. With this new schedule, no such luck. I didn't get home until after 4 so things weren't put away until 4:30. That little difference in my routine disoriented me enough to completely throw off my day. What stopped me from exercising yesterday? (well, exercising in addition to all those groceries I lugged in the house, and walking to and from the store.) Me, of course. I'm not entirely sure how to adapt to things better, but at least I'm self aware of these things now.

And then, as the title of this blog post reads... and then there were potato chips. I love potato chips. I don't typically over eat, but those are one food I could binge on and don't get me anywhere near chip dip. Yesterday my husband wanted potato chips for the weekend. I'm not supposed to eat potatoes on my diet. At all. I've learned numerous times they are not good for me. Did it stop me from eating those chips? Of course not.

So today begins, first thing in the morning I woke up two hours early and noticed immediately the furnace was not running correctly. Bonus to my exhausted, stressed out state - those potato chips I ate yesterday have entered my system and all day I've been at my wit's end... feeling as though on a cliff, just waiting for the panic attack to take hold. To make matter's worse, I didn't write yesterday aside from my daily journal so my creative energies were being stifled and dragging me into a depressed state. In short, today I'm a mess.

But I was reflecting on my journal question of the day - what motivates you? One of the things I have found with journalism, and using these 30 day journal e-books, is I come upon questions I have much difficulty answering without some serious reflection. Which is pretty much the point, right? What motivates you, for me was not an easy question to answer and one I still need to reflect on further. My initial thought was fear - but no, really it keeps me frozen in place, quite the opposite. I was thinking back on yesterday, thinking about how just that little bit of disruption to my routine allowed me to completely throw off my plans and how it just spiraled into further bad choices. (All of these things I've read about, of course... but I'm stubborn and have to live through something to truly understand it and put the pieces together in my mind.) I really, really don't like feeling as I have today, and most days I don't. But you know what? I realized I have control of how I respond to things TODAY - I can either just soak in my misery or move ahead and get past the troubles of this morning.

So, even though I'm exhausted and fuzzy headed, I opted to write this post. Because I NEED to write. To what end, who knows? I do know it helps me, and I know it helps seeing things from a different perspective.

So often I get caught up in my future plans or past worries, I forget to live NOW.  To just accept how things are now. Easier said than done at times, but I think I'm getting better at it (otherwise, I wouldn't be writing right now.)

I'm struck by a lyric from one of my favorite bands, My Ruin, which has randomly popped into my head: The past is just the past.

Normally I feel as though I'm living my life one step forward, ten steps back.. today, right now.. it's the opposite. A few steps back, but ten steps forward.

Keep moving forward, everyone <3

Distractions

Yesterday I was reflecting on some things, and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you. Months ago, I had viewed this video from author Keary Taylor about reasons why your book hasn't been completed (hands up here.)

The first thing she mentions is distractions - and that is the whole subject I had on my mind yesterday. So often I get frustrated because even as a homemaker, it just seems as though I don't have the time or energy to sit down and write. Why? Distractions. Here are the things which personally challenge me the most:

• not sleeping enough, because who can concentrate well on 6 hours of sleep?
  
• chronic pain - unfortunately since this is my daily life, it's an ongoing issue to force myself to do things even though I have a migraine or I'm just not feeling my best so yes, it does often interfere.
• errands - I'm the kind of person who likes to get things done and over with so that's how I handle my time, but unfortunately it also often leaves me so exhausted. At the same time, if I know I haven't cleaned the dishes or done the laundry, that's going to sit at the back of my mind until I get them out of the way. Our current apartment is one of those places where no matter how much you clean it, there's always so much more to do. So that's a huge distraction for me, especially when my OCD kicks in.
• the dreaded word for an INTJ: emotions. Yes, I have them, and yes sometimes they do get in the way. Having been in a toxic relationship for about 8 years, those things don't just go away and sometimes they creep up on me. Type A personality, right here! I've been trying to walk more for my health recently, and one of the things I've dealt with is dangerous drivers. In two weeks, I was almost hit twice. Both times really rattled my nerves, and was a huge distraction.
• interrupted routine. My husband started a new job this week, so we've been getting settled into a new schedule, new sleep and eating hours, etc. All of that stuff really throws me off. Although, admittedly this time it's only a slight adjustment so I seem to be swinging into it a bit easier than usual.
• entertainment. This is a big one for me. Between video games and the mountain of books I have in my to read pile (I can't just read one thousand books at once? who knew?), it's just sometimes easier to do those things than to get work done. Especially when my pain is at a high point (you're supposed to rest with a migraine, right? time to read a book! yeah, not necessarily...) Also on this subject: Facebook. I've learned the hard way, if I keep that tab open, I get a terrible obsession to check it waaaayyy more often than necessary. Again, often it is just used to stir up more drama, which creates an even bigger distraction in the long run. In short: step away from the technology (as I'm typing on a computer, ha.)
• wanting to write, but not having the ideas.  I think this is one of the reasons I felt compelled to write this blog post. So often, I'm just stumped. But, with this... aha! This post came easy. There is a saying which I find to be so true: Writers write. That's it. So even when I'm not working on one of my books - which currently feel as though they will never get finished - I do journal every day and I'm hoping blogging again will help me get back into the swing of things. 

One of my current challenges is the last point. So often, my brain seems to get stuck into left brain mode so I find it difficult to switch gears. Music is one of my biggest inspirations (especially when I'm moving around.) I keep playlists on my Youtube account, organized by music which I associate with my different characters. Sometimes listening to those songs help kick the writer's block, other times... not so much. I tend to do everything backwards, and I realized recently I've been trying to write without brainstorming first. So my current writing goal is to brain storm daily (which I did yesterday, and hey look at me... now I'm writing! Success!)

One of the tricks I want to try for now is to listen to a song, and write down what emotions it evokes or any imagery it brings forth. It's how I've gotten some of my best ideas, so I just need to ignore all of the above distractions and do it more ;)

Some of these distractions of course can be true for other aspects of life, certainly. Not just writing. Do you have a trick for ignoring those distractions? Any tips for getting rid of writer's block? Let me know!

(Also, be sure to check out Keary's books if you're a romance or paranormal reader; she has several free stories on Amazon.)

As always, thanks for reading.

I completely forgot... I wanted to drop in a few things here at the end. Here's what I'm currently listening to.

 I also wanted to share the Good Omens trailer with you guys in case you haven't seen it... because, Terry Pratchett! (though I have to wonder what he would have thought of this finally being made.)

I'm back... with a reading challenge

So... I was going through some stuff last year about this time and opted to take down my blog for awhile. I am trying to get back to writing - any form of writing - and so when I saw this reading challenge come up among my e-mails, I thought it would be a good excuse to get back to blogging. At least to try it on for awhile, and see how it fits with me these days. I don't know how much I'll participate, but I want to give it a go.

My silly butt was thinking it started already, but hey it's for November so you still have plenty of time to sign up which you can do here.

I've been hoarding a ridiculous amount of e-books while also visiting my little free library. My current goal is to just finish getting through the 40 some books I have started reading because apparently that is how I read books now (I used to be the person who could only read one book at a time, not sure when that changed.) I'm getting there, as I pick up new books to start reading, haha. If you're interested, you can check to see what I'm reading on my Goodreads page.

So, I don't know if I'll blog again until the challenge starts.. I guess I'll see you in November if not :P