Stripping away the rose colored glasses of denial concerning my reality. Getting in touch with truth. Reaching out to others in empathy concerning their reality and their walk to truth.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Butterfly bushes, and an affirmation for you ~
I love my Butterfly bushes! The two in my yard promise a lovely season of butterflies. This photo is from last year, but the purple color looks even better this year. What seems a very slight scent to me must seem heavenly to the butterflies. Though I'm still feeling weak from loss of energy, the picnic table I visit every morning allows me to view beauty up close.
Having begun a strict regimen of vitamins and supplements, I hope to be back to regular posting soon. I appreciate your patience, and comments!
Today, I'd like to share this week's affirmation. It comes from a deck of 52 cards in a set by Melody Beattie. Her collection is called, "The Language of Letting Go." Maybe you've heard of her?
"Today, I will cherish those relationships where there is harmony and honesty." ~ Melody Beattie
Monday, June 22, 2015
Snails for hire
I arise, feeling slightly refreshed from a night's rest.
Early morning finds me at my picnic table.
The last of the plants tell me where they wish to live.
__--__--__--__--__
My apologies for being absent from my blogs, and from commenting on your blogs. This week I'm better but not where I want to be, health wise. Keep your fingers crossed that this will be the week, I catch up on being me again!
Many are taking vacation, and some are taking blogging breaks. To those who leave before I get a chance to speak with you - I hope you have a safe and fun break, (smile).
Saturday, June 13, 2015
10 Reasons why I love Short Stories - blog tour with Chrys Fey!!!
Thank you, Dixie, for having me on your blog for a second
time during my Witch/Ghost Blog Tour. Last time, I had a recipe. This time I
have a list. :)
Both of my new short stories, Ghost of Death and Witch
of Death, are short stories. Before that, I published Hurricane Crimes,
another short story, and 30 Seconds which is a novella. To say I love short
stories is an understatement. I love, love, LOVE them! Here’s why:
10
Reasons why I love Short Stories:
1. They are fun to write.
2. Sometimes an idea isn’t right for a novel but perfect
for a novella or short story.
3. I like being able to read a complete story in an hour
or so.
4. When I need a quick reading fix, I prefer a short
story versus starting a new book.
5. They help me to reach my Goodreads reading goal
faster. ;)
6. I love to create prequels or sequels for my book and
shirt is a good way to go for those.
7. Because they are short, you can cut out all of the
unnecessary piddly stuff and keep only a few major plot points AKA the good
stuff!
8. If it’s a thriller, you can count on the action
starting on page one and to never let up.
9. If you want a romance hit, short stories are quick and
packed with passion.
10. They are faster to edit. Haha!
QUESTION: Do
you like short stories? Why or why not?
Blurb:
Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of
nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical
murder involves working with a witch.
Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil
witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she
becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more
people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.
BOOK LINKS:
Excerpt:
Liberty Sawyer glided swiftly through the horde of police
officers, reporters, and on- lookers. Black hair fell from a rigid part in the
middle of her scalp to her hips. Her eyes were a soul-stabbing blue and her
lips were blood-red. She towered over the other officers on the scene, and wore
all black, which set off 6 the pallor of her skin.
Showing her badge to the officer, she slipped under the
crime scene tape. A few paces away, she spotted Detective Corbin talking to his
new partner, a man she knew by name but hadn’t had the privilege of meeting
yet.
“I cannot believe you called her,” the new man was saying
when she came up behind them. “We don’t need a damn psychic!”
“Actually, I’m a witch.” She smiled when Reid jolted and
turned to face her. “I’m
Detective Liberty Sawyer.” She stuck out her hand.
“Detective Reid Sanders,” he grunted back and took her
hand.
The feel of his palm against hers sent tingles of lust
from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder blade, and she knew he felt it too
by the way he jerked his hand back. She winked at him playfully, hoping it
would unnerve him even more.
ALSO AVAILABLE:
Blurb:
Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up
in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night
she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life.
Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking
the lead detective on the case.
Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person
responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity
with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.
But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an
earth-bound spirit forever.
Book Links:
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30
Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll
serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.
When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of
being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve,
she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later
rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next
hurricane to come her way.
Friday, June 12, 2015
Baby steps. and a crafty idea for you ~
Exhaustion is a crazy thing. It can creep up on you fast, and threaten to not let you go. This is where I'm at today ~ experiencing physical and mental exhaustion. For this month, I will post on 'dcrelief - Remove the rose colored glasses,' at least once a week. I have two other blogs I've yet to make decisions on. My apologies for not responding sooner, or to recent comments. It seems I have chronic fatigue - great - more baby steps in my life!! But let's be thankful it's nothing worse, with a cute craft...
By the way, here's one of the reasons I'm exhausted ~ remember I'm supposed to be doing flower beds?!! This one was finished right before the A2Z challenge began.
Tomorrow ~ writer, Chrys Fey is here for her blog tour. Please stop by, and say hello to Chrys. She's sharing 'ten reasons why she loves short stories.'
Friday, June 5, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Like the sunshine ~ I'll return as soon as I can
The rain comes and goes for the last few days.
It's windy and cold outside, bringing the aches and pains.
What a hindrance ~
Life's pleasures stand still.
I don't want to do much of anything.
Pain is everywhere I am.
Walking, standing, sitting, breathing.
Waiting for the sun's return.
(I'll return as soon as I can.)
Monday, June 1, 2015
Come visit my music blog
Happy Monday!
It's 'Battle of the Bands' time at my music blog.
dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
You're invited to come listen to two versions of the same song, and vote for the one you like the best.
You do not have to be a member of this blog hop to vote.
I'll be spending most of the day visiting the other Battle of the Band participants. Please excuse my absence here, (smile).
This battle runs today through 12 noon on June 7th.
Enjoy your day!
It's 'Battle of the Bands' time at my music blog.
dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
You're invited to come listen to two versions of the same song, and vote for the one you like the best.
You do not have to be a member of this blog hop to vote.
I'll be spending most of the day visiting the other Battle of the Band participants. Please excuse my absence here, (smile).
This battle runs today through 12 noon on June 7th.
Enjoy your day!
Saturday, May 30, 2015
My Favorite Vacation Spot - Blog hop
This blog hop was the idea of Lexa Cain, who needs cheering up after a laptop crash. Truly a bummer, but the worse part is not remembering all of her passwords! Here's to you, Lexa!
My first memories of vacation were the family trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's wasn't that far from home, but when you're a kid, it seems days away. "Are we there yet?" My parents insisted on seeing the ocean before doing anything else. They'd park the car at the boardwalk, and we'd walk onto the beach.
Today I still do the same... park at the boardwalk and walk down to the beach. I could stand there forever, breathing in that wonderful salty air.
It's a popular spot for families, and they still use blue umbrellas!
We played lots of mini golf... but they have changed over the years. They are no longer ground level only.
We love playing in the foam at the water's edge. We love the sand castles that are here today - gone tomorrow. I agree, it's time to go and stake out a spot on the shore. Of course we love the late afternoon, watching the ships, and small boats come in to shore. Can you hear the roar of the ocean as you drift off to sleep?
Our six blog hop hosts:
Lexa Cain
Melanie Karsak
T.F. Walsh
Vanessa Morgan
Jolie Du Pre
Stuart R. West
Not to worry, Teddy. we'll go again soon. Until then, we'll travel in our hearts.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Celebrate the Small Things
Thank you to our blog hop director. and co-hosts:
Lexa Cain
LG Keltner @ Writing off the Edge
Katie @The Cyborg Mom
We are celebrating those small achievements we've had for our week! Sharing about health, wealth, writing, family, or school... you name it, and we'll celebrate with you! We do this by hopping to each other's blogs, offering congratulations. And for those times you need encouragement, this is the best blog hop group ever!! We are empathy, en masse!
What am I celebrating?
1 - Having great success making Cement Cloth Planters!!
Cement draping instructions:
Go to the hardware store and buy a bag of cement, its in powder form. Take it home scoop some out and add water until it is the thickness that you want. Just like onion ring batter.
Approximately a 1:4 water/cement ratio.
You may also want to put some drainage holes in the planter before it completely hardens to prevent cracking.
You may also want to apply a couple coats of cement sealer after the planter is dry. This is also nice due to the fact there is so many colored cement sealers now so your planter may be colored to want you would like.
2 - I'm seven pounds away from my goal!
3 - Finally getting back to reading; I took a long break after the A-Z challenge.
I hope everyone has a fun celebration day!
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Finding Teddy
The first time I saw you, I knew you were for me.
Six ring tosses, and one landed perfectly ~
I was only three.
Daddy said, "It's your turn to chose the toy you like."
I wanted you, Teddy, and smiled in sheer delight ~
You were just right.
The beach is where we met, and it was really neat.
To watch the ocean's foam play near our feet ~
Life was complete.
This coming Saturday, Lexa Cain has a blog hop called, "My Favorite Vacation Spot." If you would like to join this two day blog hop, visit Lexa .
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Pizza with author, Chrys Fey!
Thank you, Dixie, for letting me take over your blog for the
day. I have a treat for your readers...a recipe.
In Ghost of Death, my newest short story, pizza is very
significant to the story. I won’t reveal why or in what way, but because it is
important, it had me thinking about the pizza I make to eat. One of my
favorites is one that I make at night for a late snack. Below is the recipe for
a quick and easy pizza, plus the excerpt for Ghost of Death and the blurb for my other short story, Witch of Death.
Flour
Tortilla Pizza
Need:
Flour Tortillas
Marinara sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese (cheddar is also good)
Pepperoni (if you want it)
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Put a flour tortilla on a cookie sheet.
3. Spread marinara sauce of your choosing on the flour
tortilla. I have used pizza and pasta sauce. Both are good.
4. Add pepperoni if you want it.
5. Sprinkle on shredded mozzarella cheese. Sometimes I
didn’t have mozzarella so I used cheddar. You can even mix them.
6. Pop into oven. Keep a close eye on it because it
doesn’t take long for it to get done. 5 – 10 minutes depending on how crispy
you want it to get.
7. Use a knife to cut it, let cool a moment, and then
enjoy!
Title: Ghost of Death
Author: Chrys Fey
Genre: Supernatural/Suspense
Format: eBook Only
Page Count: 41 (short story)
Page Count: 41 (short story)
Release Date: April 22nd, 2015
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Blurb:
Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up
in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night
she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life.
Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can...by stalking
the lead detective on the case.
Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person
responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity
with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.
But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an
earth-bound spirit forever.
Book Links:
Excerpt:
With the sound of her mom’s grief
wafting up to her, Jolie came to terms with her present state. I’m dead and now my mom knows it. She eyed
the door in front of her. She hadn’t yet walked through a door, but if her hand
could pass through metal then she knew she could move
through wood.
If I have to be a ghost then I’ll be a
damn good one. All across the afterlife I’ll be known as the Ghost of Death!
And I’m going to start by walking through this damn door!
She would’ve taken a
deep breath to brace herself if she could have, so she mentally pumped herself
up instead. You can do it! Easy-peasy.
Nothing to it. And she took a step forward. Solid matter slipped around and
through her form. On the other side, a familiar site confronted her: a black
and white bed, the bright green shag carpet in the middle of the room, and a
white desk.
Stepping up to her desk, Jolie eyed
her ancient desktop computer, the one she used before her dad gifted her with a
laptop when she announced she was accepted to the local university. Wanting to
send out the first ever tweet from the afterlife, she pushed the button to
bring the device to life, but her finger poker straight through it. Resigning
to her Twitter-less fate, she moved toward the full-length mirror hanging on
the wall. She saw nothing. Not even a shimmer in the air hinted at her
presence.
Being
a ghost sucks!
Also Available:
Blurb:
Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of
nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical
murder involves working with a witch.
Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil
witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she
becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more
people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.
Book
Links:
Amazon US / Amazon UK / The
Wild Rose Press / NOOK
/ KOBO
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30
Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll
serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.
When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of
being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve,
she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later
rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next
hurricane to come her way.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Cards for your travel, or better yet stay at home
Ah, the happy destination, and you must find the perfect card to send to loved ones. You know, the old proverbial, "wish you were here."
Traveling by car? Tell them about all the great things you see along the way.
Maybe you're traveling by plane! With today's technology it's so easy to stay in touch.
Is it possible you're not actually traveling this holiday? Take the time to do something special for yourself.
Whatever you do - be safe and have fun!
Traveling by car? Tell them about all the great things you see along the way.
Maybe you're traveling by plane! With today's technology it's so easy to stay in touch.
Is it possible you're not actually traveling this holiday? Take the time to do something special for yourself.
Whatever you do - be safe and have fun!
Friday, May 22, 2015
Celebrating a lazy day ~
It's Friday - time to Celebrate the small things.
Our bloghop director:
Lexa Cain
Our co-hosts:
LG Keltner @ Writing off the Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom
I love this blog hop!
Our bloghop director:
Lexa Cain
Our co-hosts:
LG Keltner @ Writing off the Edge
Katie @ TheCyborgMom
I love this blog hop!
We are celebrating those small achievements we've had for our week! Sharing about health, wealth, writing, family, or school... you name it, and we'll celebrate with you! We do this by hopping to each other's blogs, offering congratulations. And for those times you need encouragement, this is the best blog hop group ever!! We are empathy, en masse!
Consider joining us by adding you name at Lexa Cain's blog site.
What am I celebrating?
A very lazy day with beauty! The sun is out but the temperature is cooler than previous days. Such a blue, blue sky! I love watching flowering plants cast their seeds in the breeze. My gazebo is a haven for song birds. It doesn't get any better than this.
I hope everyone has a fun celebration day!
~ Hop forth and celebrate on our linky tool:
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Vacation Scams
Summer is close by and the vacation ads are swarming like bees. Be sure and do your research on that supposed, lovely, 'two for one' cruise.
Speaking of cruise, I'm off to the backyard where more mulch has arrived. Looks like my summer vacation destination remains at home. Oh well, we all know, there's no place like... a free mulch pile. Right?
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Finale ~ Bird Plaque
What a sad moment... seeing my painted bird plaque on the concrete patio in a thousand pieces. I sat down at the picnic table, feeling a little choked up, while trying to maintain my composure. After all, the child didn't mean to break it.
I put the second clear coat on the bird plaque this morning. There was such a nice breeze outside. I left it to dry. Stepping into the house for a glass of juice only took a few seconds. At my door I was greeted by an neighbor, saying hello. Her grandson was in her yard a few feet away, but he stepped onto my large block wall, picking up the painted bird plaque.
I think what came out of my mouth was, "Uh - wet paint, honey."
The neighbor, Grandmother began to yell, "Put that down now!" And he did.
I suspect it was still so wet, it slipped then flipped, out of his hands. It landed four feet down onto the ground - the concrete patio.
Now to handle the aftermath. I know from prior research that the plaque is between 20-30 years old. I haven't found anything comparable to it. My client doesn't seem to be upset. She thinks she may have something else she'd rather have done - like a painting on canvas.
Life goes on... and the birds are finally free to fly away.
Friday, May 15, 2015
Celebrate the Small Things
Today is World Lupus Day. Show your support by wearing purple.
I love this blog hop!
We are celebrating those small achievements we've had for our week! Sharing about health, wealth, writing, family, or school... you name it, and we'll celebrate with you! We do this by hopping to each other's blogs, offering congratulations. And for those times you need encouragement, this is the best blog hop group ever!! We are empathy, en masse!
Consider joining us by adding you name at Lexa Cain's blog site.
Let's begin by thanking ~ our director:
Thanking our lovely co-hosts:
What am I celebrating?
1- Having just enough mulch to get flowerbed #3 done. It's big!!
2- Purple Iris that came up in three smaller beds.
3- Posting for my musical blog hop. I have too many projects on my plate!
Click on my music link to come over and listen and vote!
I hope everyone has a fun celebration day!
~ Hop forth and celebrate!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Painting the plaque
In my previous post I showed you photos of birds that I am painting. See HERE.
I'm not painting on canvas this time. The birds are arranged on a plaque, molded in resin. Here's an example of a resin plaque with a simple design.
I hope you can better visualize what I'm doing. Thank you for being so patient, and interested!!!
The #3 flowerbed is out there waiting patiently too. (Halfway home, smile.)
Monday, May 11, 2015
An outside job ~ on the inside
You might be wondering, where is dcrelief? No Saturday post? No Sunday post? What is she up to now?
In my spare time I'm an artist. [Spare time, what's that, right?] I paint in acrylics, mostly canvas, but I do make exceptions.
Currently I have a client who brought me a plaque with carved birds. She wants them painted to look like the ones pictured above.
So I'm outside of my 'blogworld', but still inside of my studio, painting away! I'll do my best to visit everyone by this evening. Now for a cuppa coffee...
In my spare time I'm an artist. [Spare time, what's that, right?] I paint in acrylics, mostly canvas, but I do make exceptions.
Currently I have a client who brought me a plaque with carved birds. She wants them painted to look like the ones pictured above.
So I'm outside of my 'blogworld', but still inside of my studio, painting away! I'll do my best to visit everyone by this evening. Now for a cuppa coffee...
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