Where is your happy place?

The other day my grand daughter asked me where my favorite place is in the whole wide world. I told her - with my family and my bed, (it's so comfy). Since then I've thought about her question and one of my favorite places is my deck. Yes, the deck on the back of my house. It is where my family and friends meet to barbecue, eat yummy food & to visit and laugh about the past and silly things we've done. It is where we celebrate birthdays and where my grand kids play and where I watch them play. It's where I can sit and enjoy the beautiful mornings or look at the stars at night and think about what is beyond. It's where I read or write or just rest. It's a solace for me.

I was sitting on my deck and a cool breeze was rustling the aspen trees and giving me that lonely feeling ~ the one that tells me that the season is changing and fall is upon us. I look out at our garden and see a mass of tomatoes that are turning red and will be soon made into salsa. I look at the cucumber, squash and bean patch that has provided clean, healthy food for not only us, but our family and friends too. Beyond the garden our apple trees are loaded, waiting to be nipped with frost so the apples they can be eaten, bottled and dried. The black raspberry vines are finally bare as I've picked from them daily, freezing them until I have enough to make jam.

I love fall. Not only because of it's brilliant beauty and abundance, but because of the feeling. There's a ambiance in the air as the year matures.

I can't help but think about my life and how blessed I am. When I watch the news and know about the craziness going on all around me, I'm so grateful to live in my precious little corner of the world. I'm grateful that my happy place is so simple and with the people I love.

Where is your happy place?

Hugs

Carol:)

Life ... every day a gift

The name of this blog has been "Dare to Dream" but I've decided to rename it, "Life ... every day a gift." That doesn't mean that I'm finished with the Dare to Dream phrase, it just means that I'm at a different level now where life is still about dreaming, but it's also about doing, finishing and enjoying every day.

It sounds like I've had a close call with death or something. I haven't. But, I have had to make decisions the past few years that have altered my way of living ... and thinking.

"Life comes at you fast" takes on a whole new meaning at this point in life. Each birthday brings with it the thought, "What the heck? When did this happen? How can I be this old??" It was only yesterday that I was 18. I look back though and my life has been a whirl wind. I think I even knew it at the time, but I was so busy living each crazy busy day that somehow they slipped by me.

 As a kid, I grew up in a world where a kid was allowed to be a kid. Life was simple. Me and my brothers and sisters played outside and had to make our own fun. We had a TV but we didn't spend much time watching it. It had 3 channels and the TV Guide was our link to the world. Christmas advertising was looking at the Sears Christmas Wish Book.We had a lot of stores and people shopped in them. We very seldom went "up north" to shop in big stores. We grew a huge garden and had to water it through furrows with irrigation water from a ditch. Our garden was our main food source. We never bought processed food. It seems like we always worked. We sold night crawlers for .25 a dozen for spending money and I remember helping my brother, Ronny with his paper route. I cleaned old Mrs. Henry's house on Saturday mornings for .50. As teenagers it seems like we had a lot of free time as every minute wasn't scheduled. We would "drag main" looking for our friends or someone to hang out with. We went to each others houses and honked for them to come out, not text. Neighbors took time to sit on the porch at the end of the day and visit. Time seemed to pass slow then.

Then after getting married and having kids, that's when the whirl wind began and that's what brought me to this point - wondering where all the years went. I don't mind where I'm at age wise, but I sure don't like where I'm headed.

Sooooo ... that's the reason I'm changing my blog name. It's about living each day to it's fullest, enjoying life and sharing my insight and hopefully fun stuff with others.

Feel free to go back and check other posts I've written.

Hugs

Carol:)

WHAT DO YA DO WITH THESE PLUMS??

WHAT ARE THESE THINGS???

Italian plums are awesome! Cut them up and put them on your dehydrator and they make a yummy treat! It takes a while to dry them, but it's worth it.

 Here is my favorite fall plum recipe:)

PRUNE PLUM BUCKLE

BATTER:
1/3 melted margarine or butter                  1 1/3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar                                              1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg                                                           1/2 cup milk
1 3/4 cup flour
Mix all ingredients together and pour batter in a greased, floured 9x13 pan.

Puree about a quart of Italian prune plums in a blender and carefully spread over batter.

TOPPING:
3/4 cup flour                             1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup oats                               3/4 cup soft butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar

Mix until crumbly and sprinkle on top of pureed plums.

Bake @ 375 45 minutes and broil for a few minutes if you want it crisper.
Serve warm or cold with cream or ice cream.

This dessert is so pretty and YUMMMMMMY!! Kinda tangy tart:):)

 

MORE APPLES RECIPES:)

I LOVE to cook! And I am an avid recipe collector. I like tried and true recipes that don't use a lot of weird ingredients. AND...most of my recipes are definitely NOT for those watching their figure.

My APPLE PIE FILLING is in my last post so you can use it, or canned filling for a couple of these recipes. I promised more apple recipes so here they are:)

APPLE CARAMEL CAKE

2 cups flour                                   3/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cup sugar                              3 eggs
1 tsp. salt                                       1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda                          2 apples, peel, core & chunk
1 tsp. cinnamon                             1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Mix oil, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Add dry ingredients & mix well. Fold in apples & pecans.
Spread in 9x13 greased & floured pan. Bake @ 350 for 50 -55 minutes. If center not done, reduce heat to 300 and bake 10 more minutes.
(You can also bake in a 10 " tube pan and bake 1 hr. 15 minutes at 350. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes before removing to a serving plate then drizzle caramel glaze over cake.)

CARAMEL GLAZE

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk

Combine ingredients in small pan, stirring to dissolve. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 - 3 minutes depending on how thick you want your sauce. Spoon over warm cake. Serve with whipped cream.
 Sooooo yummy!!!!


((This is one of my favorite Dutch Oven desserts!)
BROWN BEARS IN THE ORCHARD

Pour 2 quarts of my apple pie filling (Recipe in my last post)
(or 2 25 oz jars applesauce) into a 12" dutch oven. (Line oven with foil for easy clean-up)

Mix 2 - 14 oz. boxes of Gingerbread cake & cookie mix with 2 cups water. Pour over apples. DO NOT STIR.
Bake 45 minutes @ 350 in the oven or using 10 briquettes top and bottom of dutch oven

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream


APPLESAUCE COOKIES

1 cup thick applesauce                               1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (no oil)                        2 cups flour
2 eggs                                                         1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon                                       1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
1 tsp. baking soda                                       1 pkg. milk chocolate chips

Put applesauce & soda in a bowl and mix. Set aside. In another bowl, cream shortening & sugar until mixed well then add eggs & beat until light and fluffy. Stir in applesauce mixture and sifted dry ingredients. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.  Bake @ 375 9-12 minutes on top rack.


OLD FASHIONED APPLE CRISP

4 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 3 apples)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice (optional)
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine

Place apples in a greased 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats and spices; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples. Bake @ 375 for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.


I have made some fun cookbooks for my family, but have never published one. That is on my bucket list though.

 I will post Italian plum recipes next:)

Please post any questions if you have any. Enjoy!!

Talk soon:)xo

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE APPLES!!

HAPPY FALL!! This is truly the best time of year -- the foliage is vibrantly beautiful and the harvest is bountiful. What a blessed season!

We have been taking orders for the most amazing apples, grown at the base of the Monroe mountain and I promised to share some of my favorite recipes with those who are ordering. I decided to share with everyone! (If you live near Manti, Utah and want to order and pick up, let me know asap:)

This apple pie filling is the BEST!! We use it for dutch oven cobblers, apple pie and I open a bottle or two to serve with pork roast dinner. YUM!! Enjoy:):)

                          APPLE PIE FILLING

 SYRUP: 

 4 1/2 cups sugar                                3 Tbsp. lemon juice

 1/4 tsp. nutmeg                                  2 tsp. cinnamon

 1 cup cornstarch                                3 drops yellow food coloring

 1 tsp salt 

 Whisk together sugar, cornstarch & spices in a nice size pan. Stir in 10 cups 

 water & cook, stirring until thick and bubbly. Add lemon & coloring.

 Pack peeled, sliced apples into clean, sterilized jars leaving 1" head space.

 Carefully fill with syrup. (Use a spatula to distribute syrup.) Clean top of bottle

 well before putting lid on or they won't seal.

 Water bath 15 minutes pints - 20 minutes quarts.

This recipe makes 7 quarts so adjust as needed. If you don't want to bottle the filling, reduce the recipe and just make a couple pies.

 *Best when used within 1 year*

  For Pie:)

  Prepare 8-9" crust. Put your yummy pie filling in and adjust top. Cut slits and

  Bake @ 400 for 50 mins.

More recipes to come...

Talk soon:)xo

                           

Life is fragile....

We go about our everyday lives thinking that each day will be the same as the last. We go through the motions and rarely take time out to realize our blessings and tell those who mean the most to us that we love them.

Then in an instant, something happens; an accident, death, illness...and everything changes. The things that you thought were so important becomes insignificant. You turn to your loved ones and God.

Ironic...because they're the only things that mattered to begin with.

Love your family and friends and tell them...
Love God and trust in Him....

Life is fragile...

WHY DARKSTAR WASN'T PROFESSIONALLY EDITED

Hmmm...where to begin??

Guess I'll begin at the end and pedal backwards....

GREAT NEWS!!:) DarkStar has just been republished with a clean, professional edit! It is available on Amazon as an ebook for only $4.99 and at www.createspace.com/3538868 for the book.

 BUT...in celebration of finally having DarkStar finally professionally edited -- AND...to get you caught up on the story so you can be ready for Wizard, the 2nd book in the series, I will be selling the newly edited DarkStar on my website: www.mydarkstarworld.com for only $8.00! (plus shipping if that's ok:) I will even sign it and throw in an EverDream DarkStar necklace for free!

So, you're wondering ... Why wasn't DarkStar professionally edited in the first place??

Answer: Ignorance...and money.

Elaboration...

When I started writing DarkStar, I just sat down with a pen and paper and an idea in my head. I wrote and wrote and wrote. (I did stop to eat and sleep once in a while;)
 As my story began to take shape, I recruited, what I now know are, beta readers, people who read your story and offer advice, editing, etc. The friends who helped edit DarkStar are awesome and did a great job and did so to the best of their abilities. I was pleased with the outcome and was anxious to share my story. I just knew readers were waiting for the next awesome epic/paranormal/fantasy/romance novel! I carried my manuscript everywhere I went -- and wrote. I hiked to the Wind Caves, a site in my book...and wrote. I wrote in Thailand and finished my "Wind Caves" chapter on the beaches of Phuket. Pretty cool huh:)

During the writing process, it became evident that at some point I would hopefully be able to get, what was turning into a novel, published. I began researching how to do it and instantly became overwhelmed by the literary world. I learned the different ways to have a book published and searched for agents who were looking for my genre of book.  For months I sent queries to agents, having butterflies every time I dropped one in the mail, hoping this would be the agent who would be intrigued enough to request to see more. The process is grueling and disappointing...especially when you finally realize that you are one in three hundred million authors who are doing the same thing.

I did have some positive things happen and DarkStar was accepted by a couple publishing companies, but after reading their contract and realizing that in the end, I would do all the work and they would get most of the money, I didn't accept their offers.

At one point I was going to release DarkStar as an e-book, on a new website that was to help unpublished authors get their book noticed. The concept seemed good at first, but I soon realized it wasn't for me. I had checked out self publishing, but was determined to get my amazing story accepted by an agent --  so I queried more of them.

Even though I was new to the literary world, I soon realized that the industry was changing...and changing quickly. I found that agents were being much more picky about what they were accepting because of these changes and that if you wasn't an existing (successful) author, a celebrity or had a story with a totally new concept that caught their eye, chances of being accepted were very, very slim:(

That's the point I got serious about self publishing. Like most authors, I'm not an English major, but I write. I had gone over my manuscript a million times, had help editing to that point and felt quite certain DarkStar was ready. I was anxious to have a book in hand, so I did it...I published!

I hate to say that it was a mistake...but it was:( Not to publish DarkStar...just to publish at that point.
It didn't take long to realize that I should have had a professional edit. I was at a low point in my life, struggling with personal issues. I didn't have the money to have it edited and was ignorant to how important it was. BIG mistake!

For most, DarkStar was a great read even without a professional edit, but a few people couldn't get past the errors enough to enjoy the story, which is understandable. I apologize. I had the hope (as all authors do) that DarkStar would be a best seller, but in reality, I was just excited to share my story with friends and family.

 I guess I didn't expect it to actually happen -- for DarkStar to be where it is now. DarkStar is very popular and it has fans all over the world! It's fun tracking DS fans from so many different countries as well as the US! Even without a professional edit, readers have enjoyed and grasped my DarkStar world, the DarkStar EP that the talent Matt Lande produced and our DarkStar music video's, produced by the amazing Daniel Webster:):)

I finally got to a place where I could get a clean, professional edit done on DarkStar. I should have done it to begin with and I wish I could have. I hired Author/Editor Tristi Pinkston and she did an amazing job of polishing my words and making DarkStar a better story to read. The story is the same.. the errors just fixed by a pro:)

Moral of my story:  If you're going to put your heart and soul into something, unless you're an English scholar or a professional -- GET A PROFESSIONAL EDIT before you share it with the world! You never know how far it will go...so do it right the first time! Don't let ignorance and money cloud your dream. Know what you need to do and DO IT!

THANK YOU to all of my family, friends and DarkStar fans (wherever you are) for your continued love and support! Tristi is now PROFESSIONALLY ;) editing Wizard and it will soon be ready for publish. I'm excited for you to read it...I think you will like it:)

Remember to check out the novel, music, videos, market and more at www.mydarkstarworld.com
 I'm grateful that so many of you are part of my DarkStar world and hope more of you will want to be! :)

The epic continues....

Talk soon:)xo