OMG A YEAR!

Looking back at it now I can understand how I've negelected this blog for over a year....

I'm not happy about it, but I guess it's happened and there's only myself to blame. Sooo.. on to a quick update and my hopeful plan to get back to updating.

The Star Crossed series, a paranormal romance series I've been working on, was completed this last year. Witching Hour Madness and Knot in Destiny both released and took up a lot of my time.

Our old carport has been transformed into a new living room / dinning area. This opened up space for a study where I can disappear when I need an office. It also houses all my hubby and daughter's books along with my own collection.

The fluffies are still fluffy. Currently the extra fluffy one, Demon, is stalking a roofer by the sound of his footsteps on the roof. Yeah, not sure how she can tell the difference between him and the others but she's in the house looking up and just following the sound of this one guy. The other fluffies are just needing reassurance that the house isn't being torn down.

Oh yes! Least I forget, we now have four chickens giving up fresh eggs every day. My daughter worked hard to earn the money to buy them and once those little fluffs showed up last fall, she was in love. Of course, I've become the chicken care giver.

To learn more about the chicken raising you can visit my Vocal.Media articles on backyard chickens. ( link: https://vocal.media/petlife/backyard-chickens ) There are several follow up articles after the first one. If you're interested you can find those through my profile.

It's been a busy year and I hope everything will even out as the we move forward. So until next time:

Peace and Love

Meet Mittens

This past fall a small mama cat had a litter of kittens somewhere in the brush behind my husband's shed. My family didn't know about the kittens until two furry little beasts started to invade that same shed. The mama made visits back and forth through out the day and it really riled up Demon and Yepa in their fence. This cat would just prance down the driveway like nothing was wrong though.

The kittens were still small in October. They were little fluff balls of cuteness, but it was already getting cold at night. The hubby and I talked about it and even brought the kittens up to Lou. She was EXCITED to see these mystery kittens that were hiding out up there.

The thing was these were the kittens of a stray cat. Growing up I came face to face with a number of "stray" kittens. They were more like wild cats and I have a few scars to prove it. So, we made sure to give the kittens and their mama plenty of space. Still, we couldn't stand the idea of those little fluff balls being cold.

We set up a plastic tub with a blanket inside and cut a hole in the corner so they could get in and out. We also would set a little food out a few times a week. They were kittens, but they'd have to learn to hunt on their own. So, just a little food here and there. Not every day. The kittens hung out in the tub a few times over the course of a month or so.

Then they stopped appearing. That's normal. They moved on once they were old enough to do their own thing. We left the tub out because winter was starting to set in, but we didn't see any signs of them again. That is until this past weekend.

My grandmother-in-law had been complaining about this cat walking on her car, but I never saw anything. Then on Sunday my husband was changing her tire and there by her house was this young black cat. I call this age the teenage years for cats. Not a kitten, but not an adult either. We coaxed her closer and she was so loving. She followed us down the hill and just loved on us. We gave her a little food, let her explore the carport, and let her be.


She's still here and Lou has named her Mittens.

If Mittens is still her come Friday I'll be going to the animal shelter and getting a certificate to have her fixed. There are a lot of strays in the area. We don't need another litter of kittens. So getting her fixed is a must. We'll also get her a rabies vaccine. This way even if she does move on later she'll be a little more okay out there.

But for now, our furry family has a new member.... No, Queen Shadow does not like this intruder, but she's dealing.

Chasin High Noon

I've been busy working on setting up a book release! Things have been going a little crazy, but we're holding on. There will be a new post later this week... Until then I'll just leave this here...

Stay Warm this Winter with this New Paranormal Romance Novella

Chasing High Noon, the third book in the Star Crossed Series by paranormal romance author J.R. White, will be hitting the shelves on Jan 31, 2019. For those engaged readers who need a quick read, this novella is sure to be a hit. Continue the journey with Malcolm and Meredith as they work through the strained details of their relationship and deal with the internal back stabbing of the Blackburn family. The Lunar Shadow is only a day away and now there’s a stranger worming his way into our leading lady’s life.

Chasing High Noon

Overworked, Meredith Blackburn is on a deadline. Restoring the Dragon’s Eye, a family relic that connects them to their magical roots, has turned into a trial by fire. With her family breathing down her neck, the Lunar Shadow can’t come soon enough.

Malcolm Blackwood is sure Meredith is still there somewhere, but with a new attendant and family pressure, she’s just too wrapped up to notice that things are wrong. Warned about forbidden magic and desperate to support his lover, he’s tiptoeing through a mine field.

Will the Blackburns be satisfied? Or will Meredith be cast out?

Coming to Amazon Jan 31, 2019 in both Print and Digital

Visit jrwhite-author.com to learn more!

Now out for Pre-Order @  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MJTCMHF

Perk Points Apps: PerkTV

(Written in early November 2018. Just posting. Updates about Perk Points coming soon!)


So being a work from home mom means I spend the odd time here and there looking for some ways to earn money passively. Passive income is money earned without a lot of effort. It is never going to payout enough to pay the bills, but it can help with the little things.

The newest thing I've found is Perk Points. This is a family of apps used to earn points that can be cashed out for gift cards or even through PayPal. I've only been using a few of the apps for a week and out of that only a few days, so this review isn't too in depth yet.

So far, the largest and easiest pay out seems to be the PerkTV app. You can let videos play on your phone while you .. do whatever you want. I let it play while doing housework. It will just roll out videos a minute of two in length that payout 1 to 3 perk points each and you can just let it play for hours. So the points really add up.

I earned somewhere between 20 and 50 Perk Points when I was folding laundry this morning. While that doesn't seem like a lot, considering 1000 points roughly equals $1, it adds up over time.

If you're household is anything like mine you've got an old phone laying around somewhere. I grabbed up one of these older phones and linked it to the wifi so these apps aren't even taking up space on the phone I use!

If you're interested in checking out the Perk Apps consider using my referral link: HERE

Welcome 2019

It's 2019 and I'm not going to lie about this. 20 years ago I was old enough to party like it was 1999. Man, that makes person feel old. Still it's been a great ride and I hope it keeps rolling great. My daughter went back to school today and I've finally been able to turn on my computer to get some productive work done. So, let's start looking at what's up.

Over the Winter break Lou decided she wanted to learn how to sew. This was an awesome moment for me. She watched me hand sew her quilt. Yeah, you read that right. I hand stitched a full sized quilt. Not something I care to repeat, but there's some pride in it.

The sewing went alright. Lou picked out a handful of felt pieces she had tucked away in her room somewhere and said she wanted to make a quilt for some of her stuffed animals. I gave her a need and thread and she got to work. Sitting next to me she has sew four of the six pieces together and it's not looking half bad. Then I found something.

Little felt monsters. These lil guys are so cute and adorable I couldn't resit. While Lou worked on her quilt I set about making a couple of these things. She got interested and decided that she wanted to try her hand at it too. The results are in and they're smile inducing.

The first picture here is the monster Lou worked on. The arms were forgotten in the blur of learning. So this guy needs lots of hugs and love. The next pic is of monsters I worked on while she did her thing. These were so fun to make and I may end up making a few more.

     

New Years is always an event at our house. The fluffy family has to come inside and stay inside as the locals like to shot off fireworks. We all stay up to count down the new year. Shader, bless her, has a fear of loud noises, so come 2019 she was safe in the bedroom, but Demon and Yepa had fun with confetti. That stuff went everywhere! Lou loves playing with it too and there is still shiny pieces drifting around the carpet.

My applesauce cake came out a bit odd. It split into almost even slices once I flipped it out of the pan. Still, it may not look the best, but it tasted great. Though, Lou has threatened to send the picture into NailedIt. Apparently she wants to get me on the Netflix show.

2019 holds a lot in store. I've got two planned book releases. The Star Crossed Series is starting to wrap up this year and I'm looking forward to a few book signings at the local book store. Lou is turning 10 and I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

Later, there will be a few posts on those monsters and I'll share my recipe for the applesauce cake.

Have a great 2019!!

Flash Book Sale for Shader

End of the Year Book Sale

I was planning an End of the Year book sale, but instead I'm doing a Flash Sale! My coffee buddy of 13 years, Shader, has some unexpected vet bills and every book sold will be going towards her health and recovery costs. 

This sale will be going until all my current stock is sold.

I will be posting each book and description in the comments.

Dates:  Now!

Find your next book on my Facebook Page

Book Prices

(Shipping costs - $3 + .50 per extra book after first)

• Just Beyond Daybreak - $5 ($5.99)
• Caught by Nightfall - $5 ($5.99)
• Lost Relic - $5 ($5.99)
• Witch Hunt - $10 ($12.99)
• Fox Hunt - $10 ($11.99)
• Fire Hunt - $10 ($12.99)

Payment: Paypal

·         Paypal.me/JRWhite84

·         Pay in Person at Pickup

Every order will ship within two days of purchase. A tracking number will be provided.

Local Pickup available in Oconee SC to avoid shipping costs! 

Current Stock

Vlogmas with V

My dear friend, who moved so far away a few years ago, has started her Vlogmas videos on YouTube and I'm loving it!

On Vlogmas Day 1 V showed off her Dollar Tree holiday haul and it didn't disappoint!

Shader Aging Issues

Like humans, dogs and cats age. The older they get the more we have to help. My oldest girl, Shader, is 13, she'll be 14 in Feb 2019. She's had a number of problems through her life that my husband and I had to help her through, but this is the most heartbreaking.

A week ago Shader was having trouble getting up. Her back legs were weak. She didn't seem to be hurting, but she was having major trouble on her own. With nearly week left on her antibiotics for a slight infection on her paw, I decided to wait until her check up to speak with her Vet about it. The checkup was for a growth that's shown up on her shoulder.

Yeah, an infection from a sore she just won't leave alone, a growth on her shoulder and then her back legs just didn't seem to be working like they should. I've cried a good bit in these last few weeks. Shader has been with me since she came home from the shelter at four months old. She's stood between me and trouble. She's been an awesome coffee buddy, cuddling on the couch.

At the vet's office she was scared, she always is, but I felt hopeful because as much as she want to get out of there she was in better control of her back legs. Determination is a strong motivator. The vet was careful with Shader and diagnosed either arthritis or spinal stenosis, both of which have the same treatment. He sent us home with a nerve pill to couple with her pain pills and wants a call back in a few weeks to know if they've been working.

That growth on her shoulder, hasn't grown too much and he's more concerned with getting Shader walking again. She isn't to be using steps or stairs and she can't run off on her own anymore. Someone will have to watch her close during outside time. Otherwise she's to rest.

My wonderful hubby found a pallet at work that is perfect for a ramp. It's setup in the carport to help Shader get outside. Now, I just have to keep my mind off the age and on the treatment. She starts the new pills tonight and I'm hopeful that they'll help.

Peace friends and take care.

Year End Splash (The Romance Reviews)

For all those moms that love to read! 

The Romance Reviews website is a great place to find new romance books, but this month they're doing their big Year End Splash. With a grand prize of a $50 gift card and tons of book prizes, this is a great time to check out some new books.

Hop on over and check out some of the awesomeness!

For a full list of prizes click HERE! 

 

Halloween Costume 2018

So in my last post I shared my daughters Halloween costume wish. Eva from Wakfu. The character looks like this:

 

That was kind of a tall order for me. While I've made her costumes before this one scared me a little, but I think I got it. This is what we ended up with:

I wasn't able to get a picture of her wearing it yet, but I did get to see it on her for like a minute and it doesn't look too bad. The gloves are still needed, but those should be easy to make really quick when she slows down long enough for me to measure.

So here's the step by step:

All the material was second hand or cheap t-shirts from the Dollar Tree. The tights are a pair of Lou's from a few years ago and two t-shirts, one black and one brown. Now on to the cutting!

I took the brown t-shirt and cut off the sleeves and cut down  the seams on either side. Then I cut off the top neck area and folded each into rectangles. I sewed these for the "boots" of the costume.

Hot glue worked great to hold the "boots" in place on the tights and for putting on the rope accents.

Next I moved on the the pouch. This stumped me for a second. Then I found the perfect thing. Those sleeves worked great! The hot glue gun holds them together and leaves a nice unfinished look. 

I don't have any pictures of working on the shirt for the costume, but it wasn't hard. I trimmed off the collar of the curt up brown shirt and played with it until it made a nice design on the front of the collar on the black shirt. I think it came out okay.

That's the costume for this year! Almost finished just in time for the Halloween party and some trick or treating!

Oh yeah! I have to introduce the newest member of the animal family. Lou won a goldfish at the Oktoberfest this weekend and it took some creative thought to find a tank for the lil gal. Her name is Eva and you can guess who she's named after!

Halloween Costumes and Life

Sooo... Life got tricky, but that's okay. It happens and I'll keep rolling along. Today, this morning as my daughter was taking her time getting ready for school, I realized I have to get started on a Halloween costume.

My baby girl has been going down the path of cosplay more than scary costumes for the last few years. Last year she was Midnight from Fairy Tail and two years before that she was Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss. Don't worry, we've always been careful about which episodes she gets to watch.

Here's a look at how those costumes turned out... And yes, I had to make them. Buying these things is waaaaay too expensive.

 This is Lou as Tomoe. This character is a smart ass, grumpy fox demon. 

This is Lou as Midnight. This villian is from Fairy Tail and sleeps through most of the fighting, but when he wakes up he's a force to be reckoned with.

This year my girl wants to be Eva from Wakfu. This French cartoon has a great fantasy journey of the hero story line and my complete support for a forth season. Here's Eva:

 

I'm hoping a black t-shirt, some brown fabric and black tights can get me most of this costume made. I'm thinking clothes line rope for the belt/hip pouch thingy. The ears are covered! Thanks to Wish I found a pair of elf ears that fit perfect. 

 On a side note, I do believe my girl is getting to the point where she wants to give up trick or treating. I can understand. She's  nine years old and she doesn't get to keep all the candy because of her teeth. We do make use of the Switch Witch though. I'll cover her in another post later this month. 

No I think the reason she is getting finished has more to do with her costume choices. Most people don't recognize her costume. It happens, but she still has fun with it and just rolls her eyes are people when they get it wrong. This year's costume is a little more well known to kids so I'm hoping she'll enjoy it a little more.

Also, my daughter doesn't care about the gender of the characters she dresses up as. I don't care either. It's Halloween. Have fun, dress up and eat as much candy as you can.

Sick Days

Whether you're a stay at home or work outside the house parent sick days with your kids can throw the whole world into chaos. My daughter had her first sick day of the school year yesterday and while I really felt for her I was also going crazy.

Her throat was sore and her stomach was really upset. This isn't that unusual considering the changing of the season and her complete dislike of super the night before. Still, I couldn't send her to school. So it was a couch day. In this house if you stay out of work or school you spend the day on the couch or in bed. No running around or playing. That's a rule for both my daughter and my husband. Neither of them like it if they're just kind of feeling bad, and the argument will convince them to go on into school/work.

Fire Hunt print release next month

Yesterday morning Lou didn't argue. So, getting any amount of writing work done was tossed out the window. Focusing on plotting/editing/creation just isn't possible for me with a child a few feet away. I did manage to get a graphic created for an upcoming release. It wasn't much, but it'll work next month for marketing.

Back with Lou. She spent most of the day under the covers either watching cartoons, playing Minecraft or reading. The reading was required. She wasn't on the brink of illness and that meant she could at least read a chapter of the book her class is reading. The way this went down was awesome.

Me: Read the next chapter of your book.
Lou: What book?
Me: The book you're reading in English.
Lou: (small smile) I left it at school.
Me: You bought the eBook because you forgot it last week too.
Lou: (shocked remorse) Awww...

It was great. Lou spent her allowance on the eBook copy of Tales of a Forth Grade Nothing last week because she'd forgotten it at school. Her homework was to read a chapter. If she didn't she'd have to walk a few laps at recess. Instead of losing play time she offered to pay for the book herself.

I didn't get to sit down with her and read. Laundry was calling my name by this point and because Lou was stuck to the couch I picked up her normal chores with the animals. Basically watering, letting them in and out, and keeping them out of trouble.

Nothing is more entertaining than a cat gently walking across memory foam. Their paws sink because of the foam and they constantly feel like they are going to fall. For a cat this is extremely uncomfortable. Shadow, the fluffy grump, has found a way to lay on the bed without dealing with the memory foam. She just dumps over the laundry basket and lays on the laundry.

Anyway, the first sick day of the year cam to pass. Keeping Lou down and enforcing the reading was the key to set the tone for this school year. This morning she woke up complaining about having to do the catch up from missing a day. A swift reminder that she could have tried to go to school yesterday and she was a little less upset about extra work.

Pump it Up

Exercise is important for a healthy lifestyle. I brought it up in my last post, but I want to go into more depth. For stay at home moms/wives/husbands/workers exercise is a big thing. We get to move around, cleaning house, doing yard work and running all over town when we have to, but that doesn't always work out so well.

After my daughter was born nearly 10 years ago it was hard to lose the baby weight, but I did it. Through really hard work. Now, at 34 it's hard to keep weight off at all. So, a daily exercise routine is important. The lower my body weight the less my knee hurts. It's pretty simple.

Anyway, on with my routine. Over summer my routine nearly vanishes. Trying to cut half an hour out of my daughters "fun summer" is hard, but I have high hopes as she gets older. Last week I started my routine again. This year it's changed a little, like it does every year. That first week gives me an idea of how much I need to catch up on and where I stand in stamina and strength.

So, last week went like this...

Monday - Low impact step aerobics. I tried a new video I found on YouTube, but quickly realized returning to my normal step routine would be best. The steps in the new video just didn't mesh well with what I can do. My normal routine can be changed up to last anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour.

Tuesday - Yoga. I've been doing yoga for years, long before my daughter was born. Still, I tried a new video again. This time I found a nice morning yoga for beginners that I love. I may have been doing yoga for years, but that doesn't mean I want to twist into a pretzel.

Wednesday - Okay, I was going to try a new belly work out on that morning, but that didn't work out. I ended up doing another round of my step aerobics. At this point I can only hold it for about 10 minutes without feeling it in my knee, but I know in a few weeks I'll be up to half an hour.

Thursday - The routine repeats start here. This was a yoga morning. I tried the new video again and still liked it.

Friday - Another step day. Not bad. I manged to make it through the work out and then go out and help my grandmother-in-law paint part of her house.

That may not seem like much, but for me it was a lot. I've learned to start slow if I want to stick with a workout routine. Trying to rush in and take on the hardest workout possible is one of the reasons so many people give up not long after they start. Build a routine and build yourself up to where you want to be. It'll work out much better.

This week I've continued to follow the routine I started last week. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I plan on trying that new belly workout. Over the next few weeks I'll increase the time until I'm working out for at least a half hour everyday. For me, that has always been a nice easy amount of time to cut out of the day.

That's all for today. Take care friends.

Back to School Goals

My daughter is back in school. Yay! It was a long summer but I made it through and now it’s back to the normally scheduled work week. For a work at home mom that means getting as much work finished as I can while my girl is in school. Before she started school I would work at night and while she napped. Naps stopped when she was three, so that left working at night mostly. My husband would help me out on the weekends so I could get work finished, but it was chaotic. 

Now though, it’s a different story. I work while she’s in school and the husband is working his own job. That means a bit of housework in the morning, a mad dash of work later in the morning and then a little bit more housework before I head out to wait in the pickup line at the school. 

This first week is always hard. Getting back into the routine is harder than most people think. With that in mind I always make back to school goals for myself. If you’re new to being a stay at home worker or mom or wife you might find it helpful.

The first week I get back into my basic day to day. I set a word goal daily. It’s not a big goal. Just a 1000 words or so. This keeps me open to get back into the day to day cleaning. With my daughter home I have to clean when I can and she helps out a lot more. This first week is all about catch up. A nice deep clean means that I can maintain easier through the school year. Every day is devoted to a room.

Week two I get back to my exercise. The long months of summer mean that I had to give up my workouts to spend time with my daughter. I don’t mind doing it, but I don’t have a very active job. If I don’t do some type of workout I just gain weight. Not only is that not the healthiest, it’s hard on my bad knee. I’ve found that if I can stay around the 140lb mark my knee doesn’t give me much trouble, but much more than the 150lb mark and I can feel the ache. I’ll talk more about this in a post next week.

So my goals for now are pretty simple.

• ·    Deep clean the house
•       Get exercising

Then there are my work related goals. Those aren’t as simple. I always spend a bit of time working on prioritizing the work. Which project needs to be finished first? Which projects can be put to the side to work on little by little? 

A basic layout of what I’ve figured out so far looks like this:

• ·    Finish two stories before Oct. 
•      Cover art project 
•       Research web design

That doesn’t seem like the clearest set of goals, but I understand what each one means and a loose goal can be a lot easier to reach and surpass than a tight step by step goal. Planning comes later. This is just the beginning.

Everyone is going to have different goals. It’s the spice of life. The great part about goals is reaching them. If your kids just started school try it yourself. 

If you’ve already been setting back to school goals share them with me. I’d love to see what other moms are up to. 

That’s all for now.