The Blind Baker

As the title implies, I have been baking quite a bit, here lately. It's like I can't get enough of it. I blogged about making the Challah bread, which you can read. It's title is simply, "Challah bread." But, I've been making more than Challah. This month, alone, I have made 1 batch of Challah, 3 batches of cinnamon rolls, 2 batches of bagels 1 whole wheat and one regular, 2 batches of brownies, and 1 loaf of banana bread. In this post, I'm going to share some of those funniest and/or most interestingest points of those baking adventures.

On Saturday, July 3, the day I made 2 batches of cinnamon rolls and 2 loaves of Challah, started out busy and ended busy. At 9 that morning I was in the kitchen washing dishes. After the kitchen was cleaned, I cooked some chicken for chicken salad I planned to eat for lunch that week. When it was done, I cut it up in small pieces and put it in a container in my fridge to wait. I had to get things from the grocery store before making the salad. Then, my dear husband cooked pancakes for us, and I washed dishes afterward. After draining the sink of sudsy water, I hurried to take a shower and get ready to go to Walmart.

Mom and Dad...Lord, bless them...drove me to Walmart and we were there 2 hours getting the stuff I needed. My wonderful husband stayed home with the girls, which made the trip go smoothly, if it did take a while. So, anyway, when I got back home around 6:15, my DH cooked spaghetti while I washed dishes and started making my dough.

I had 2 bowls, one for the Challah and one for the cinnamon rolls, and I think I got confused somewhere along the way, because my cinnamon roll dough took forever to come together. All the while I was trying to mix up dough, my 2-year-old was running a fever and wanted her mommy to hold her. I did while I ate my dinner. :) Finally, the children's Motrin kicked in and the fever went down.

I was managing pretty well with the Challah dough, when I plopped it on to my bread board and started kneading, and found a piece of egg shell in it. :D The recipe calls for an egg, and I guess I'm not so good at cracking them as I would like to be. But, all in all, both doughs came together, but not without a lot of sweat and cramping hands. At one point, when my DH came through the kitchen to get some ice cream, I asked for a bite. You should have seen me, standing there, dough all over the place, sweat rolling in rivers down my face, holding that cold sweetness of chocolate in my mouth.

When it was time for the dough to rise, I put it in separate bowls and covered them, and then ran bath water for my girls. I spanked them all soundly and put them to bed...haha gotcha! lol Nah, I bathed them and lie down with them until they were asleep. At that point, I got back up, braided my Challah and set it on the baking pan to wait for the oven to come up to temperature. While it baked, I rolled out the cinnamon rolls. While using a heavy hand to sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on the rolled out dough, I ran out and had to find more, but it all worked out. The DH went to bed about that time, and i was not only alone in the kitchen, but in the dark...quite literally. haha! He turned the lights out on me! Can you believe it?

Pulling baking pans in and out of the oven, punching the timer again and again, washing the dishes as I went, and checking email, I spent the rest of the night in the kitchen. I went to bed around 2 that Sunday morning, and got up around 6:30 or 7 and readied myself and the baby to go to med express where we found out she had sores in her mouth and throat. No strep, though, but doctor did give an antibiotic.

The day I made the regular bagels, my friend, Anita was here to visit, and even though the bagels fell apart, I was surprised that they turned out so good. That first time, I rolled the dough in to snakes, pinched the ends together and tried to roll them, but the second time I made the bagels, I made balls and punched my thumb through them. The second batch stayed together and looked prettier, too. The interesting thing is, I didn't know you have to boil bagels before baking. I was worried about doing this, because the instructions say to flip them in the boiling water after 30 seconds, but I just used a big spatula and instead of flipping, I kind of stirred them around a bit. i only put 1 bagel in at a time, too. Next batch of bagels, think I might make cinnamon raisin ones. Yum!

"Ok Shannon," you are probably saying, "get to the funny part." Well, here goes.

I wanted to make brownies for my friend who was staying, but I didn't have a lot of energy to keep me going. So, knowing it doesn't take long to whip up a batch, I started in. I must not have been paying enough attention. I ran to the cabinet and grabbed a bag that felt like chocolate chips. i cut it open and poured half of the contents in to the brownie batter. When something hard hit the counter, I was like, what? I grabbed up the item, and like a dummy, put it in my mouth. Oh, my y'all, I had poured dried beans in to that batter, and I could not get them all out by spooning in to a cup. I had to throw it out and start again.

Now, I had some very very very ripe bananas on my counter and needed to get rid of them, so why not make banana bread? Well, while I waited on my dad to bring me some vanilla for the brownies, which never happened, BTW, I mixed up the banana bread for the first time. The instructions say to mix bananas, cinnamon and milk in one bowl, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in to another, and butter, sugar and eggs in a 3rd bowl. Well, when I was about to assemble all the ingredience in to one bowl, I realized i had forgot the eggs, my beaters were clean and my mixer was put away, so I just cracked them, put them in and gave them a vigorous stir. I also made a mistake when adding the salt, baking powder and baking soda, by putting them in the wrong bowl. Instead of the flour bowl, I put them in the banana bowl. haha! So, I gave up on the vanilla and made the brownies, which turned out yummy. I put the banana bread batter in the oven and an hour and 15 minutes later, cracked on top it came out. I tasted it the next morning, and...wow! It was moist and so very good. Usually, I don't eat banana bread, because it's too dried out or burnt, but that was perfect. Also, I tend to under cook things, so there's no way it tastes burned. The only thing i want charred at the very edge, is maybe a real, good steak, or some grilled chicken.

So, let's see, does that cover it? I think so. I want to make zuchini bread, but I don't have any zuchini and don't know of anyone who grows it. I'm too poor right now to buy some at the store, but now that I can get fresh fruits and vegetables through WIC, I'll get some next time I can. One good thing about my girls, if I don't tell them what's in it, they usually eat my creations. Then, when they grow up, they will try to say they don't like something like zuchini bread, and I'll say, "Oh yes you do." :)

Until next time, keep smiling, keep praying, and come to my book signing at Taylor Books in Charleston on July 26 from 1 PM to 3 PM. It's for my children's book, "Gold! A Tall Tale."

This Might Make You Mad, But...

Be forewarned, this post contains doctrine that is contraversial.

"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the
word; instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Timothy 4:1-4 KJV

You all have seen them, email forwards with sweet and inspiring stories with
a challenge at the end to forward it if you believe in Jesus. I read them,
sometimes, but hardly ever pass them along, mostly because I don't see the
need. Passing along Bible verses or true stories, maybe, but most of the
time, these forwards aren't even true or scriptural. For instance, read
this story below. It showed up a few days ago in my in box, and I have
decided to show you in the Bible, why this email, while sweet is not
biblical. First, read it. Then, read my comments afterward.

[She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating
room. She
said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see
him?'
The surgeon said, "I'm sorry.. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make
it."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more?
Where
were you, God, when my son needed you?"
The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the
nurses
will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to her son.
She ran her
fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. "Would you like a lock of
his
hair?" the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's
hair,
put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.
The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University
for Study.
He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said,
"Mom, I
won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy
spend one
more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. Always
thinking
of someone else.. Always wanting to help others if he could."
Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after
spending most
of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the
seat
beside her in the car.
The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house.
She carried
Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her
son's room.
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his
room exactly
where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his
pillow,
cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a
folded
letter. The letter said
"Dear Mom,
I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you,
or stop
loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say
'I Love You'
. I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see
each
other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be
so lonely,
that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if
you
decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us
boys
do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know.
Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and
Grandpa
met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a
long time
to see everything... The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And,
you know
what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I
knew it
was Him. Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit
on God's
knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him
that
I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I
already
knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper
and His
own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the
angel
who is going to drop this letter off to you. God said for me to give you the
answer
to one of the questions you asked Him "where was He when I needed him?" 'God
said
He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He
was
right there, as He always is with all His children.
Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To
everyone
else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give
God His
pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life.
Tonight I
get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be
great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all
gone.. I'm
glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to
see me
hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me.
The
Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?
Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me..."]

Ok, so here's the Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Holy
Bible.

John 3:12-13
"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to
heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in
heaven."

According to the words of Jesus, Himself, ain't nobody in heaven, but Him,
God and heavenly beings like angels and such. When Jesus went to raise
Lazarus from the dead in John 11, He told His disciples "Lazarus sleepeth."
When the disciples said it was good that Lazarus was sleeping, Jesus made
sure to say that Lazarus was dead. Then, when they got to where the dead
lay, Jesus called out for him to come forth. Lazarus came out wrapped in
his graveclothes. In First Corinthians chapter 15 long about verse 51, it
says, "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be
changed," so see, it says "sleep", not roaming the hills of glory on our way
back down here to be raised up again. Ok, that's all the Scripture I'm
giving you, showing that little boy did not go to heaven. Whether we sleep
in Jesus waiting for His return or go to heaven waiting, is a doctrinal
point folks have been fighting over for centuries. I'm not trying to start
a fight, so let's move on. Since this is not the gospel according to
Shannon, here's another verse.

Matthew 27:46 KJV
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

So, was God with Jesus when Jesus was dying on the cross? Most definitely,
because He is God's son, He had the strength to endure, but if God cannot
look on sin.

Here's another thing, if God can only stand so much of His children's
suffering before sending an angel to carry them home, then why did he not
send an angel for Job? Yes, I believe God cares. Yes, I believe God hates
suffering. But, as difficult as it is for us humans to comprehend, God is
more interested in the eternal, rather than the temporal.

I know this post is long, but I have one more point to make, so stick with
me.

I know hurting and troubled people are only looking for comfort and a sense
of peace wherever they can find it, but folks, it's time we stop letting the
world dictate what we believe. Just because a certain doctrine is popular,
does not mean we have to follow along. Read the Bible for yourself. In the
words of the apostle Paul, "Study to show thyself aproved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
That is found in 2 Timothy, chapter 2 verse 15. Further more, if you want
to show the world you are a born again believer in Christ, get out there and
prove it. Email is fine. Playing on the internet is fine. Computers are
fine. But, what about your neighbor? Is he hurting? Is she hungry? Do
the kids down the street need shoes or a new jacket for school? Does your
church need a Sunday School teacher? Does your mom or dad smile when you
come around?

In this day and age, computers, email, blogging, text messaging are the
norms, but they can be so impersonal that I think we lose something
important, when folks start to think we can only witness while using google.
So, send your inspirational emails. Keep blogging with something good to
say. Keep updating those healthy websites that promote family, cooking at
home, going to church and living right. But, quit believing everything
sweet that ends up in your in box. Stop believing everything you hear on
TV. Get out your Bible, open it, and read. I think you'll be amazed at
what your Father has to say.

Making Challah Bread

As it turned out, yesterday, I did not make bread sticks. I made Challah
bread, instead, and I had a friend on FaceBook tell me this morning that it
looks very nice. So, I thought I would not only share the pic, but the story
about it with you.

Around 3PM yesterday, I pulled up my recipe and began. Instead of giving you
the actual recipe first, like I did yesterday, I'll just give it to you as I
tell it. Ok?

So, anyway, in to a large bowl, I poured

2 cups of very warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast

I let it set for a few minutes, while I gathered up the rest of what I
needed. About 6 to 10 minutes later, I added to this mixture

1 tsp salt
1/2 cup regular white sugar

Then, I stirred it.

Next, I added, 1 cup at a time

3 cups of unbleeched all purpose flour

Some say you need Pilsbury or Hudson Cream, or King Arthur, but I'm poor so
I just have Kroger unbleeched flour that costs about $1.99 for a 5 pound
bag.

Anyway, I mixed well after each addition of flour. Then, when all 3 cups
were mixed in, I added

1 egg that I did not bother to beat
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

and mixed well.

Then, mixing after each cup, I added 3 more cups of flour. Then, I abandoned
my spoon and started mixing by hand. I ended up having to add another cup,
which makes a total of 7 cups of flour.

After mixing well, I put it on my board and kneaded for a good while. Then,
I placed it in a bowl greased with the extra virgin olive oil and turned to
coat all sides of the dough. Then, I wet a towel in hot water, rung it out
and placed it over the bowl to let the dough rise.

After an hour or so, when the dough was doubled, I dumped it bak on to my
board and separated it in to 4 balls, 2 larger than the other 2. Whatever
dough I wasn't using at the moment, I put back in the bowl under the wet
towel, cause I'm slow and didn't want the dough to dry out.

So, I took one of the larger balls of dough and separated it in to 3
sections. I rolled each section in to a long snake about 16 inches. It took
some doing, cause I'd never done that before. I will caution you to make
sure you have plenty of dough, because it will break if you are trying to
use too little.

I had my 4-year-old to hold the 3 together at one end while I started
braiding. This was the bottom of one loaf, and so I did it again with the
other larger ball of dough.

When the 2 bottoms of the loaves were placed on a parchment paper lined
baking sheet, I took one of the smaller lumps and pulled it apartin to 3
sections, braiding it the same way I did the bigger one. When it was
braided, I put it on top of one of the ones in the pan and made the top of
the second loaf. When both top braids were on the others, I tucked in the
ends, hoping it would not turn out ugly, as most of my bread does. It might
taste good but doesn't always look its best.

So, I covered the dough with a dry towel and let it rise while the oven was
warming to 375 degrees. The recipe called to bake it for 35 minutes, but
mine was done at 25, instead. And, as you can tell from the picture, it
worked.

When it comes to the taste, well, you could taste the yeast like you can in
my french bread, but this Challah bread is not something I would want to eat
soup with. It's sweet, note the 1/2 cup sugar, but it is so soft and chewy.
I would eat it as sandwich bread. I'm also thinking that next time I make
cinnamon rolls, I'll use this dough instead of the classic white bread
recipe I had been making them from. It might make a good pizza dough, as
well, but I'm not so sure I'd want my pizza that sweet. Pizza, IMHO is
supposed to be savory, not sweet. Anyway, it's very tasty with peanut butter
or just plain butter on it. It's good fresh or the next day, but pretty
crumbly the day after.

Was it good with spaghetti? Well, it came out of the oven just as we were
sitting down to eat the spaghetti, so we didn't eat them together, but it
was a wonderful after dinner treat. Notice, I didn't call it dessert, for it
wasn't sweet enough for that. I'll definitely be making it again. Wonder if
I could get good directions on how to make a round braided loaf. :)

So, I neglected to mention the spaghetti and meatballs from yesterday's
post, and that is because they did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I
don't know if hamburger does not like the slow cooker, or the sauce didn't
agree with my taste buds, or what, but I didn't like it. Neither did my
husband, but the girls ate some without complaint. At present, I have the
rest of it in a container in my fridge awaiting a new home with my
grandmother, who hopefully will like it better than we did. :)

And, just as a side note, and so you won't think I'm a total couch potato, I
did get my floor swept today. :D

A Day of Cooking

I have decided to try a new recipe in the slow cooker today. The thing is, I like to doctor things up a bit. Here is the original recipe.

Slow cooker meatballs
Ingredience:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 (28 ounce) jar spaghetti saucee
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.25 ounce) can tomato puree
Directions:
1. In a bowl, mix the ground beef, bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, onion, and
egg. Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs.
2. In a slow cooker, mix the spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes, and tomato
puree. Place the meatballs into the sauce mixture. Cook on Low for 6 to 8
hours.

Now, here's how I'm doing it.

I didn't have parsley, fresh or dried, so left it out. I didn't have Italian bread crums, so in to the 1 1/4 cup of them, I added:

a generous amount of garlic powder

a generous amount of dried minced onion

a handful of fresh onion finely chopped

a pinch of dried oregano

a pinch of dried italian seasoning
salt and pepper

I mixed this in the bowl before adding the thawed hamburger and egg, which I did not beat. When it was mixed up as well as I could get it, I formed it in to meatballs. It made 16, but they were kind of big ones.

As for the sauce, I had a 26 ounce can of hunts 4 cheese, a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce and a can of crushed tomatoes, either 14 15 or 16 ounces, I'm not sure. I poured them all in to my slow cooker, which btw is different than a crock pot and I just learned this fact. So, anyway, I added to this tomato concoction the following:

a generous handful of garlic powder

a generous handful of dried minced onion

a handful of fresh onion chopped

3 fresh minced cloves of garlic

and will add salt and pepper to taste, later.

I put the meatballs in the sauce and swirled a spoon around to cover them with the sauce. Then, I put on the lid and washed up my dishes. :)

What am I going to eat with it? Why, spaghetti, of course. When the hubby gets home, I'll put a pot of water on to heat. I'll probably add to it a generous spoon of margerin, and 4 cups of whole grain spaghetti that I'll break before cooking. Breaking the spaghetti noodles up until they are about 4 to 6 inches long each, keeps my hubby from having to cut it up. (We aren't good noodle twirlers). Anyway, I'll cook the pasta for about 10 minutes and serve with the sauce. My 2 girls won't eat meat in their spaghetti, so I thought the meatballs would be perfect. My hubby and I can have as much as we like and the girls don't even have to eat around the meat. Hopefully, watching us eat meat and knowing we do not die from it will eventually teach them that meat is ok. :)

I'm considering making bread sticks to go with dinner, but haven't made up my mind yet. I'll use my pizza dough recipe, if I make them, but we'll see.

What I should do is sweep and mop my house...but this post is entitled "A Day of Cooking", so we'll talk about cleaning another day. :D

What I will tell you is how, as a blind person I mince garlic. I'm not exactly the safest person when it comes to knives, so I won't go in to great detail about how I chop and all. No, I'll let you read my friend's blog for that.

http://blindnessblog.blogspot.com

But, here are some tips of my own that I learned from my husband.

Take your head of garlic with the papery stuff still on it and holding it, bang it against your cutting board. You can role it in your hands as well to get the skin off. Those little things inside are called cloves, something I didn't know until a few months ago. ::D Anyway, I place a clove on my cutting boardand hold my knife, a wide bladed thing, in my right hand. I hold it so that the blade's sides are facing up and down. Then, centering it over the clove of garlic, I smash it down. Yes, I missed most of the time in the beginning, but practice makes perfect, and eventually, the clove is smashed in to submission and the papery skin comes right off. Then, I cut the smashed clove in to tiny pieces and put it in my sauce or whatever is cooking. Sometimes, I keep a paper towel beside me to place garlic skins on and to wipe my fingers on as I go. If I'm mincing a lot of garlic, I get aggravated and rinse my hands under the fosset.

So, because the 4-year-old is needing her mommy's attention, and because I need to put lotion on my hands, I'll end this cooking lesson for today. Y'all have a good monday!

A Day At The WV Writer's Conference

Five days after the day at the WV Writer's Conference, and I'm still amazed at how God worked things out. Out of all the good things that happened that day, I think the most intriguing is that my husband who is not a writer was never bored. :) In fact, he mentioned going back next year for the entire weekend. I could hardly believe it. I thought about writing another poem to tell you how it went, but my rhyming is a bit off today, so we'll just stick with what I got.

We left around 10 minutes to 7 Saturday morning in the midst of a thunder storm. We went through McDonalds drive through and got a breakfast barrito (not spelled correctly) and some sweet tea. As the hubby drove, we talked, and eventually, we drove out of the rain and in to sunshine that was welcome but which would not last. We took the corect exit, but the hubby, who is bad for missing signs, missed the sign pointing to Cedar Lakes conference center, so we ended up driving through the town of Ripley. I called a friend who got us on the right track.

When we got there, we parked and went in to the dining hall, only to be told we needed to go to the visitors center to register. So, we hopped back in to the car and drove around and around until, finally, we made it to the approrpriate building. Signing in, buying our meals and finding the ladies' room didn't take too long, and soon we were looking for the assembly hall.

One thing I did not expect was the amount of people there, but that place was crowded. I registered and was given a name tag. Then, I paid for my 2 pitch sessions, one with Peter Lynch of SourceBooks, and one with Kelly Mortimer of MortimerLiterary Agency. Then, we found a seat near the front of the room.

A few minutes later, 2 agents and 2 editors sat before the crowd who sat in rows of chairs and talked about pitching, publishing, writing, and anything else that was brought up. They were very informative, and the crowd got to ask a lot of questions. I really can't remember everything they said, but I felt, when it was all over, that I had gotten to know each one of them in some way.

When that session was over, we sat in on a workshop given by Christine Witthohn of BookSense. She talked about how to do a pitch session and gave folks an opportunity to practice their pitches on her. I was too scared to try it, but I think I learned enough by watching the others succeed or fail. It was very informative, and after listening, realized I needed to tone my own pitch down.
We had lunch, after that, a cheese pizza, a bowl of potato soup, a bag of potato chips and some lemonaid. When we were finished eating, we found another restroom, then got in the car to head to the building where the pitch sessions were to be held. I spent the next thirty minutes reading over what I planned to say. I even practiced on my husband. My stomach was in knots, and I was ready to hurry and get it over with. :)

Finally, at 1:00PM we went inside and waited. I was the third person to pitch to Kelly Mortimer, and I believe it went well. After giving her my pitch, I said, "Well, I don't know what else to say."

She asked a few pointed questions, getting more of the story out of me than I would have told her. Then, she said, "Well, first, I love the color of your eyes. I wish mine were that color."

I thanked her, then she said, "Send me a partial."

I didn't have the nerve or the time to ask what in the world a partial was. :) But, told her I would. She gave me her email address, thanked me and stood to give me a hug. She seems to be a real friendly person. If you want to check out her blog, you can find it at
www.welcometomyworlds.com

I was Peter Lynch's seventh person, and I felt a little more confident that time, because I knew the things Kelly had wanted to know. Turns out, he doesn't accept my genre, but he gave me his card and said to send him a query letter, anyway. He said his wife works for a publisher who does specialize in my genre and he'd forward the info to her.

So, after that, I walked out in to the sprinkling rain, and was able to breathe again. I think it took a minute for it to sink in that Kelly wanted to read part of my story, but finally, I calmed down and called a friend to give the good news.

There was a song writing workshop at 2:30, and the hubby and I sat in on that. It was pretty neet, because we got to listen as Pops Walker played his guitar and sang. There was a lady with him, but honestly, I don't remember her name. She sang real pretty, though.

At 4 that after noon, there was what they called an Appalachian Inquisition, where a panel of folks, mostly college professors and professional writers from WV answered some interesting questions. One of the questions was "Do you think there is an appalachian voice? If so, is it changing, evolving, dying or staying the same?" Most of them answered that it was evolving. The audience was allowed to ask a couple of questions, then it was over and time to get ready for the banquet at 6:30.

The banquet was really nice. Set at each place, as we went in, were plates of fruit and cheese, a salad and a dessert. They had unsweet tea and ice water to drink. Most folks ate their fruit and cheese, then the salads and the dessert before the servers could bring out the main course. :) I didn't, though. I waited until after I ate the main course before eating my strawberry cheese cake. They had either baked steak or chicken. We chose steak. There were sides of new potatoes and mixed vegies, brocooli, coliflower, and carrots. We stayed long enough to listen to the keynode speech, but I had not entered any contests, so didn't stay to hear who won.

We found the restroom for the last time, then left. On our way home, we stopped at Daniel Boone park in charleston, WV for my husband to perform a wedding for a colleague from his work. It took all of ten minutes, from arriving, to the "I do" part. :D We were home by 9:40 and in bed not long after that.

Early Sunday morning, I turned on the laptop and emailed Kelly Mortimer the prologue and first 3 chapters of my book. Monday afternoon, she replied saying that what I had sent was great and thanked me. So, I know she has it. Now I wait.

It would have been nice to stay for some of the entertainment, but, honestly, I was tired by then, and since that day, I've been sleeping like I haven't slept in a very long time. I guess I was more stressed out by the conference than I thought. It was wonderful to have Mom keep my girls all weekend, and we're talking about doing it again next year for the whole thing.

So, now you know what it was like. Please keep praying that Kelly Mortimer likes the book. Also, I need to get that query letter ready for Peter Lynch. Other than that, there isn't much else to do. The next biggest thing on my agenda is home school, and sending out the intent form, so remember us in prayer for that, as well.

Getting a bit hungry and have more email to check, and I think this post is long enough, so I'll go for now. Y'all take care and comment if you like. I love hearing from those who read the blog.

Twas The Day Before The Writer's Conference

Twas the day before the writer's conference,
And all through my house,
TV's are blearing, girls are playing,
And I'm wondering, should I wear this blouse?

The laundry is caught up,
Well, mostly I guess,
But i have all day to finish,
And another night to res'.

Still working on my manuscript,
Trying to make it my best,
My stomach's getting a bit queezy.
Feel like I'm 'bout to take a test.

Will the agent like my log line?
Will the editor be enthralled?
I've worked so hard on this book of mine,
My heart will break if it's destined to fall.

My daughters are staying the weekend with my mom.
The husband is driving me to Cedar Lakes.
Our funds are meager, it's a fact,
And if I think too much, I'll just get the shakes.

But as I sit here writing this silly poem,
I hear a voice whisper in my ear.
It's telling me to calm down.
It's assuring me, God's still here.

Back in February of 2009,
God gave me a story to write.
And if the Father gives you something to do,
He has plans to make it come out right.

He gave me the story,
All of it, in fact,
And he gave me the log line,
And the info for the back.

He will give me the words,
To say during the pitch.
If I trust him, He'll be there,
And it'll go off without a hitch.

Just so y'all know,
That's faith talking here.
I'm stepping out and believing,
I won't fall on my rear.

So on Saturday June, 12,
No matter what time of day,
Please mention me to God,
Please, for me, remember to pray.

And the log line that I have settled on, goes something like this:
Fearing he is just like his alcoholic father, a recent widower forsakes God,
and an innocent mistake forces him to face his past and his demons.

Some Folks Are Never Satisfied

Y'all know what? Complaining, or venting on the internet can be a blessing
and a curse. This morning, I'm going to let it be a blessing and mention no
names. However, if you know me, you'll know who I'm writing about without
asking.

Ok, so there is someone I know who is getting puny in her old age, but
doesn't want to admit it. She was to have company on Saturday, and she felt
that she needed to fix a big meal for her guests. I thought I would offer to
help, so I said, "I'll make that peanut butter pie for you, if you want.
Just bring me the stuff, except for the butter, sugar, vanilla and peanut
butter, and I'll mix it up for you."

She brings me the cream cheese, pie crust and whipped cream, and I made the
pie. I took special care using my mixer, to insure that it was as mixed up
and fluffy as I could get it. I also took care to ladle the pie filling in
to the crust, so that I would not over fill it. I smoothed the top with one
of those flat, rubber spatula things, put the top on and set it in the
fridge. My husband, bless him, even said it was the nicest looking pie I had
ever made. I told the lady who I made it for to keep it in the fridge over
night to give it time to set. So, what does she do? That evening, she cuts a
piece and tells me yesterday, "I ate a piece of that last night, and it was
a bit runny, but good."

Having not seen the pie for myself, I hated that it was runny, but figured
it would be all right. So after dinner, which I'll tell you about in a
minute, I asked for a piece of the pie. And, y'all know what? It wasn't
runny at all! It was smooth and creamy and it had set correctly! And, yes, I
am proud of myself!

But, while cutting a piece, one of the guests says, "Oh, that looks good!
Are there 2 layers to it?"

"Know," the hostess says, "it's just where Shannon didn't get it mixed up
very well, I reckon."

Now, that would not have been so bad, if she had not been complaining all
after noon. Her husband had been trying to help her cook, but she complained
about the type of butter he put in the green beans, how much flour and
cornmeal he used to make the corn bread, and how large the chunks of
potatoes were. "I'll never get them mashed up," she said about the potatoes.

Thinking I might be of some assistance, I opened my stupid mouth and said,
"When they are done boiling, let me know. I'll mash them for you."

I mean, I do cook for my family...sometimes.

So, when the potatoes were done, I proceeded to take the mixer to them.
Someone adds butter and milk, and I keep a-mixin'. After a few minutes, I
stop and stick a finger in there, and low and behold, they are lumpy as all
get out. Then, the hostess says, "Honey, you got it coming out the side."

Well, excuse me, but I'm used to mashing potatoes in something bigger than a
small sauce pan, so that I don't make such a mess.

Anyway, I turn the mixer on high and go round and round the edges, and the
hostess says, "Honey, that looks fine."

"No it doesn't," I tell her. "It's still lumpy."

"I don't see any lumps," she says.

Then, she asks the guest to see if there are any lumps, and the guest agrees
with me. So, I continue to beat the taters, adding salt as I go.

Finally, they were done to suit me, and we sat down to eat. Everything was
good, and then came the peanut butter pie thing. So, even though she wasn't
able to beat the potatoes, or mix up the pie, I didn't do as good as I
should have.

Well, le'me tell y'all something, if you can't see well enough to get the
lumps out of your taters, shut up and let someone else do it. If you don't
know how to make a peanut butter pie, shut ye pie hole and let someone who
does know how, do it. If you don't like the way it looks, be polite, say
thank you, and when you are alone, learn to do it yourself. I was only
trying to be nice and offer to help. I mean, I take care of Terry and my
girls and we make it just fine. There's nothing wrong with my 2 hands that I
can't offer to help someone who needs it, but if that's the thanks I get...

Well, now I guess I've spilled the beans on how a blind woman cooks. Yep, I
use my fingers a lot. Don't worry, if I ever cook for you, I'll be sure to
wash my hands, but y'all, my fingers are my eyes, sometimes. How else would
I know if the taters were lumpy or not, if I didn't feel them? How would I
know if the peanut butter pie is mixed up or not if I didn't touch it? And,
here's what might scare you...how would I know if the water is boiling if I
don't hold my hand over the pot and feel the steam? Yes, I do all these
things. Sometimes, when cooking with a crock pot or slow cooker, I even put
my fingers down in there. When I pour hot coffee, I put my finger down in
the edge of the cup and when the coffee burns it, I know the cup is full.
lol When I fry hamburger, in a big pot rather than a tiny skillet, I get
some on the spoon and feel it to see if it is done. Course, you can tell by
the way it feels when you stir it, if it's done or not. As for draning
pasta, well, you put ye colander in ye sink, hold your pot at the side,
check with your...fingers! Right! To see if you have it lined up and pour.
Sometimes, I get pasta down in the sink, but mostly, this works. As for
baking things, timing is the key. Oh yeah, and I've also touched things like
my bread and cinnamon rolls when they are just out of the oven to see if
they are done. You got to be more careful here, as the pan is mighty hot,
but if you are careful and use a very light touch, you won't get burned.

Ok, so I didn't intend for this to be a cooking lesson for the blind, but,
hey, maybe some folks need it. ;P And, just FYI, the best way to eat a blind
woman's cooking, is with your eyes closed. :D

Fshew! I feel better! Thanks for letting me vent! :)