Archive | May 2017

Cancer journey; gifted blankets

Rhythm In Life

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A bed that should have been cold and lonely, turned out to be a warm place filled with love. The feeling of the soft yarn over my cold weary skin gave me a sense of assurance; that someone was praying for me by name, someone was thinking about me, someone loves me, and someone shared my pain.

It was that season when I was in and out of the hospital. On that 14 the floor; one that was dedicated to liver cancer. I had to get through it, I needed to stay strong.

One of the best gifts I ever received were a couple of blankets from friends;

Prayer blanket; this was orange with a brown strip and it was made by a group of women that prayed for every piece of yarn rolled in. They prayed for me by name; since every blanket is made on order even though…

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Time Flies…

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I was looking through a few older photographs and came across photos from the 90’s of Demolition Derby cars! Yeah ~ me, Mary Schmidt aka S. Jackson. Brought back a few memories of times gone by and so I will share part of my collection with you. Captions are on the bottom of each graphic. All logo and lettering done by yours truly ~ me. 🙂

08-1994-DerbyCarSchmidtBoysGene-5

I was a Cow Town dancer aka saloon girl. 08-1994LimeTwistDerby-9

08-1994-LimeTwistParadeGeneMike-7

OUCH!!!08-1994AfterDerbySchmidtBoysGene-11

08-1996-BeforeDerbyMikeCar118

OUCH Mike!!! 08-1996-MikeCarAfter

08-1996MikeCarRearLogoDerby-3

08-1996-MikeReadyToDerby1116

08-1996MikeDerbyCarAtArenaBeforeDerby

There they be ~ my selections for today. Main characters are Michael Schmidt aka A. Raymond, Mary Schmidt aka S. Jackson, Gene D. Donley as himself, and Rachel Schmidt as herself. 

News You can Use: Libraries and Bookstores Are Getting Into Indie Publishing

How To Ebook

Bookstores have always been a great resource for authors wanting to self-publish their work. But one of the trends that we’re starting to see at Ingram is one where bookstores are developing their own publishing programs. And not just bookstores, but public libraries as well. With the tools now available through a service like IngramSpark,…

libraries and bookstores getting into indie publishing by Robin Cutler for BookWorks.comBookstores have always been a great resource for authors wanting to self-publish their work. But one of the trends that we’re starting to see at Ingram is one where bookstores are developing their own publishing programs. And not just bookstores, but public libraries as well. With the tools now available through a service like IngramSpark, launching a publishing program has never been easier. Since libraries and bookstores have always been a community’s window into the publishing industry, it was just a matter of time before they took on the roles…

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In Celebration of Memorial Day

Story Empire

Happy Memorial Day, SEers! Today’s post will be brief, as you’re likely unwinding with family and friends, at least those of you in the States. For our friends elsewhere, I hope your day is equally enjoyable.

Although this holiday inspires thoughts of plump hot dogs and juicy hamburgers on the grill, let’s not forget it was originally envisioned as a time to reflect on those who gave their lives in the service of our country.

In memory of many, in honor of all.”
What a powerful message in so few words!

honor guard of man holding American flag

Originally called Decoration Day, the holiday was first observed on May 30, 1868 when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in Arlington National Cemetery. Our nation was struggling to heal after the Civil War, and by “decorating” the graves of the fallen with flowers, it was a way to honor those who had perished…

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This entry was posted on May 29, 2017. 1 Comment

Sometimes It’s About The Destination- Not The Journey

The Golden Wave

I’m sure you guys have heard the quote, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” I have always agreed with that, and in certain situations I still do, but let me offer a plot twist:

Maybe it’s all about the destination, not the journey.

A couple of nights ago, I went for a hike to see the sunset.  I had looked up the time of the sunset before we set out, but when we got there I quickly realized that maybe we wouldn’t make it to the top in time. At first I was a little disappointed, but thought to myself, “I can’t control the sun.  If we make it, great, if we don’t, we have lots of sunsets to catch.” So we trudged on.

As we hiked, literally clouds of black flies and mosquitos were pestering us.  With each hill I began, I looked up and wondered if we…

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8 Things to Keep in Mind about Your Introduce Yourself Interview

The PBS Blog

  1. There are 50 questions to choose from. MIX THEM UP and remember that they do not have to be in order. (..because I’m gonna like, mix them up anyway)
  1. When asked what skill you WOULD LIKE to master, be creative. For instance, I would love to learn to play the piano. Stuff like that. (I really would like to learn to play the piano)
  1. Do put some thought into your answers. Give us something interesting and write in complete, detailed sentences. Remember that you’re a storyteller so showcase your personality. I had the opportunity of being interviewed by Best Selling author Dan Alatorre recently. If you are unfamiliar with how text interviews are structured, you can check it outHERE for an example of the format.
  1. RESPOND TO COMMENTS. As a guest on this blog you are only going to get out of it what you…

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Erroneous Thoughts on Twitter

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Tweeters all too often think erroneously regarding deleted tweets. I’m speaking of the tweets that we ourselves tweet. More than one person has told me that any tweet you tweet for your brand, will continue to be re-tweeted even if you delete your tweet. Twitter has the following facts for you. If someone re-tweets you, and then eight hours later deletes that re-tweet, it doesn’t keep going around in the ether if you have deleted said tweet. It’s not nice doing this practice, either. 

DeletedTweets27May2017

This entry was posted on May 27, 2017. 9 Comments

Memorial Day ~ Never Forget

MemorialDay2017

How many of you have looked forward to this long three day, or four day to many of you, weekend? Long weekends are nice; a time to reconnect with family and friends. Many camp out at lakes, and there are BBQ meals aplenty. Beer and stronger spirits flow and good times are lived. This is all great and wonderful yet I’m writing to those individuals who don’t give thanks to those who have served/are currently serving in our armed forces. Don’t get me wrong as I’m all for family, friends and a great BBQ. 

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces. As such, we ~ as a unit, should give our thanks for those who served, and are serving, in keeping us free from harm. I’m not harping on people to go to cemetery flag services. I’m suggesting that for a moment this weekend, we give thanks and praise for those armed service individuals who have passed away. A simple ‘thank you for protecting us, and keeping us safe’ suffices.