Monthly Archives: February 2012

When Life Gives You Lemons…

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This is a phrase that has pulled at our psyche each time Murphy’s Law is in full swing intending to motivate us as victims. And it is because of this flaw in our nature that it has become one of the best known sayings around the world, with all its variations.
 

But have you ever wondered who invented the phrase?
 

Though it is Joan Collins of “Dynasty” fame that claims the use of the expression, more than likely it was the motivational writer and speaker Dale Carnegie who really said it first since he did live earlier than Ms. Collins.
 

Unfortunately it was never documented when Mr. Carnegie first uttered these words, but the original quote is said to be, “When fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade” and it has transformed more recently into a more modern adaptation that is now known by the millions. It is because this phrase fits so seamlessly with the rest of Dale Carnegie’s teachings and philosophies that makes him the most likely candidate as its author.
 

So when we make lemonade out of lemons, it reminds us that almost anything in this world is possible. That if we take an optimistic approach when looking at things, we can expect a more positive result.
 

Take a look at the lemon itself. Though it starts out as sour fruit, its main use can be turned into a positive flavoring agent in foods such as fish, salads and sauces. Actually in Italy you will find that its primary growth is for the consumption of a cold refreshing zesty liqueur called Limoncello. As you drive along the Amalfi coastline there are literally groves upon groves of lemon trees hugging the vast seaside hills that surround the many cliffside villages overlooking the gorgeous Mediterranean Sea.
 

And if we were to travel to an area in the southeastern part of France along the exquisite French Riviera known for its infamous beauty, there is a quaint little town called Menton that makes lemon floats.
 

Lemon floats you say? Is that like a root beer float? Uh, no.
 

It seems the area that encompasses the city of Menton grows so many lemons that they celebrate every year with a “Lemon Festival” featuring floats and displays decorated with lemons and other citrus fruits. It’s similar to the floats made for the Rose Parade only with lemons.
 

Take a look at these lemon-laced exhibits showcased at this year’s festival event.
 





 
So when life hands you a lemon…
 

That is, if something were to happen to you that you don’t like…use the next time to make something out of it that you do like. Such as…
 

Make Lemonade!
 
 

• L – Laughter – it’s the best medicine.
 

• E – Embrace others and surround yourself with those who want you to thrive.
 

• M – Move forward with fixed focus making a tangible difference everyday.
 

• O – Open your mind and your heart.
 

• N – Notice all the things in your life to be grateful for.
 

• A – Adjust your attitude and expectations.
 

• D – Decide to challenge your circumstances and do things for others.
 

• E – Evaluate your actions instead of blaming others avoiding “victim” mode.
 
 

Yes, make lemonade out of the lemons in your life!
 
 

So what do you think? How do you view the many lemons in your life? When life throws you a lemon, what inspires you to make lemonade? And what do you find floats your lemon float?
 
 
If you enjoyed this, I encourage you to run right now to the top of the page and hit the follow button to receive future posts!
 
 
Thank you for your many thoughts and fine comments everyone!
Karen

 
 
 

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ROW80: Alive and Kicking!

 
Is it Sunday already? Wow, where did the week go?
 

How was your week everyone? I have to say that my week went pretty well. Again, a rather peaceful week, although I did seem to pick up some kind of bug so it slowed me down a little, but all in all I have nothing to complain about. I know, can you believe it? Don’t answer that!
 

It feels great to finally be able to move forward and make some progress! 🙂
 
 

Okay, so are we ready? Here we go…
 
The dreaded check-in
 
Let’s take a look at how I did last week, shall we?…
 
 

Goals for Round 1:
 
 
1- Work on my current WIP.
 
This really could be combined with goal number two. But I am in the process of moving forward with both WIPs and also plotting a new story for my third novel.
 
 

2- Check in with Donna Newton at WWBC once a week.
 
Check. I did converse with Donna via email this week. Several times actually. Donna as we speak is now reading my number one WIP. She is all excited about reading it. Well Donna, let’s just see how excited you are after you’ve read it! LOL! Just kidding. I hate this part but I need to put myself out there.
 
 

3- Participate in my online class to help authors balance writing and business with Bob Mayer.
 
This will be the last week of our class. I had a lesson from the end of the previous week on “Command” which talked about taking command of our future as a writer and where the future of publishing is heading. He made some good suggestions for newbie writers and whether or not to self-pub or to publish traditionally and query for an agent. Then on Thursday Bob sent out our last lesson on “Complete” and how we now need to put what we’ve learned into action in order to succeed.
 

So as you can see I’ve now completed this goal and this will leave more time for me to work on my WIPs.
 
 

4- Blog at least once a week.
 
Yep, posted on Wednesday. I have to say that once a week is working for me. I think that it makes it easier for those who follow my blog to visit and comment. And I can’t thank you enough for all the support and wonderful comments that you leave on my site. You guys have been awesome! So awesome that I want to thank:
 

@wayneborean – “The Wana1011 Daily” and @vsandbrook – “The Internet Ready Fiction Standard” for placing an article in their e-magazines about my post this week!
 
 

5- Visit and support 5 bloggers per day.
 
I am happy to say that I have read actually more than 5 bloggers per day. As you know I made it a goal to visit everyone in the WANA1011 class and I accomplished that goal last week. I must say there are some really talented writers out there, so I want to encourage all of you to try to go visit them. And yes I am still trying to finish reading those amazing posts from the “Beauty of a Woman” Blogfest. I’m almost through. You girls are unbelievably honest and beautiful. 🙂
 
 

6- Tweet at least once per day.
 
Yep, I was able to meet this goal and I’ve been busy all week tweeting to support others. And I would like to take this time to thank these awesome people for all their support and Twitter love!
 

@Angela_Peart @JennettePowell @DianeCapri @DianaMurdock @_FabioBueno_ @SerenaDracis @AMckennaJohnson @Judythe2 @NatalieHarford @LenaCorazon @DebraKristi @BryanThomasS @PrudenceMacleod @GeneLempp @DebraEve @LindaAdamsVA @MyndiShafer @lisaHallWilson @jenjensen2 @colin_falconer @barrycrowther @ElaineSmothers @MarcyKennedy @LynetteBurrows
 

Thank you for your Tweets and Re-Tweets! I’m sending you all a big Hug!!!!
 
 

7- Exercise during the week.
 
I did exercise this week. I’m trying to get my husband out there on walks with me. It would seem that I am a social exerciser! I’m sure nobody’s shocked about this one. And so not to discourage him, our walks have been on the short side as his back is still bothering him. I know, not good. But I have to say he’s a good sport. 🙂
 

So now I’m looking forward to a fresh new start to this week.
 
 

Oh, before you go, be sure to check out these blog posts from this week that caught my eye:
 
 
I’m stealing this one from my friend Natalie Hartford because some of you have mentioned that you’ve been floundering as to what to write about on your blogs—myself included. Take a look at Anne R. Allen’s post on “What You Should Blog About”. In it she gives some very helpful suggestions on what to write that will help you build your author platform.
 

I found this post helpful, “25 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic”. Robert Lee Brewer gives some excellent advice on how it wasn’t until he got serious about his blogging efforts that he finally saw more traffic to his site.
 

Emma Burcart wrote a post this week on, “Looks are important, too!” Emma asks the question, “Do you prefer good looking characters, or average looking characters in the books you read?” What do you think? If looks are important to you in your writing, go take a peek!
 

Then last but not least, go take a few minutes and read Louise Behiel’s latest blog, “What Does It Take To Change?” Hmm, good question Louise. How many of us are really satisfied with our lives? Louise is starting a series of blogs addressing not only this, but other issues that will help us to make the needed changes that we all struggle to make.
 
 
Okay I did it. I got through another week and I’m not alone. There are others that are right beside me to help me along the way. So that I don’t irritate my wonderful supportive subscribers, feel free to delete my ROW80 posts if they start to irritate you. They probably won’t be all that interesting, unless…

Unless I can temp you all to join us over at the party at ROW80! Feel free to jump in anytime. See you there! 🙂
 
 

So what do you think? How did I do? I know I can still count on your support, right? Or you have my permission to come and give me a swift kick in the butt! LOL!
 
 
Thanks guys! I knew I could count on you!
Karen.

 
 
 

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Fire Fall—A Marvel of Nature!


 

Isn’t that an amazing picture? What is it? At first glance it looks to be a flow of molten lava, something that you’d expect to see coming from volcanic activity. Perhaps you would expect to see something like this on the big Island of Hawaii, in Indonesia or the Philippine Islands. Why there are a plethora of volcanoes all over the world for that matter.
 

Yet this actually is not a river flowing of magma emission. This is a rare phenomenon that happens for only a two week period during the year. This magnificent marvel of cosmic alignment happens in a small window of time, a flashing moment at sunset if, and only if weather permits it.
 
 

Where is it you ask?
 
 

Each year countless nature photographers converge upon Yosemite National Park to capture the evanescent spectacle of Horsetail Fall, its longest free-falling waterfall with a drop of 1,500 feet along the granite face of El Capitan. They pass the time hoping for clear skies so they may duplicate this manifestation that was first recorded in color back in 1973 by photographer Galen Rowell.
 

Michael Frye who wrote the book, “The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite” said that “Horsetail is so uniquely situated that I don’t know of any other waterfall on earth that gets that kind of light.”
 

For many years before this occurrence was captured, photographers only had to point and shoot to obtain another famous Yosemite firefall which was man-made—a cascade of embers that was pushed from a bonfire on summer nights off Glacier Point.
 

But all this has become a lesson in Physics, Geometry and Astronomy as photographers study the angle measured from north eastward along the horizon where the vertical circle intersects, otherwise known as azimuth, a horizontal angle of bearing.
 
 

A horizontal angle of what? Let’s keep this simple, shall we?
 
 

The azimuth degrees and minutes of the earth’s orbit are relative to the sun that defines the best time of day to encounter it. So they wait patiently looking for the lowest angle of light that will shower Horsetail Fall with a kaleidoscopic sunset while the sun’s rays reflect off the granite directly behind the water which may vary in levels of intensity over the course of the same two weeks of the year, every year.
 

You can imagine all the calculation and timing it takes along with the cooperation with nature to be successful because Horsetail Fall empties into a small area on the eastern summit of El Capitan and only flows during winter and springtime in years with adequate rain and snow, which has been scarce this year, although the experts say it doesn’t have to take a lot of water to light up the fall.
 

But most importantly, the southwestern sky must be clear and February is the peak time of year when storm clouds often obscure the setting sun. So when the environment cooperates and conditions come together, the scrawny Horsetail Fall is the shining star of the park.
 

The Fall lights up like fire around dusk and last for just about two minutes. And with the recent storms and snow, this means the persnickety fall is flowing again and park officials are hopeful that it will last at least through February 24th, which generally is the last day of the year to catch a glimpse of it.
 

“If you hit it at just the right time, it turns this amazing color of gold or red-orange,” said Frye, a photo instructor with the Ansel Adams Gallery in the park.
 

Though the popularity is reminiscent of an actual fiery fall that entertained guests in the park from 1930 to 1968, there’s no comparison to the natural activities and occurrences in Yosemite that are far more amazing and more valuable— everything from a sunset to wildlife to rainbows at Vernal Fall.
 

Yes the majestic Horsetail Fall is a fire fall—a true marvel of nature!
 
 

So what do you think? Have you ever had the opportunity to visit Yosemite National Park? Have you ever seen the likes of such a phenomenon? What volcanoes or waterfalls have you had a chance to visit? What are the things that you enjoy about nature? And how do they inspire you?
 
 

If you enjoyed this I encourage you to run up to the top of the page and hit the follow button for future posts!
 
 

Thank you for your many thoughts and fine comments everyone!

Karen
 
 
 

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ROW80: Alive and Kicking!

Well what do you know? We’ve got ourselves a new title and a brand new girl!
 
 
Yep, I was sick of the whining, weren’t you? Uh, don’t answer that!
 

Seriously, last week I think I finally felt more balanced. I would like to say that it was because there was less commotion and that would be true. It certainly didn’t hurt to have all that peace and quiet. But I tend to think it’s because it takes some time to find our stride. To find out what works and doesn’t work within our schedule. I’m still fine tuning it just a little as you will see down below. But all and all I would have to say that it feels like a turning point for me and that makes me feel so relieved.
 

Okay, are we ready? Here we go…
 

The dreaded check-in
 

Let’s take a look at how I did last week, shall we?…
  

Goals for Round 1:
 
1- Work on my current WIP.
I changed this because I seem to not be getting much of anything done. Maybe this is a mental thing, so now if I get anything done I might feel better about myself for doing so. And then we can step it up from there. 🙂
 
 

2- Check in with Donna Newton at WWBC once a week.
 
Check. I did converse with Donna via email this week. I wanted to let Donna know that I hadn’t fallen off the face of the earth; that with all that has been going on with Hubby and the family, well Life happened and not to worry, I’m getting my focus back!
 
 

3- Participate in my online class to help authors balance writing and business with Bob Mayer.
 
If you have the opportunity to take any of Bob’s classes, this is the class to take. It will help give you the mind set on how to become a successful writer. Last week’s lesson dealt with “Communication” and how not communicating effectively beyond the manuscript will keep it from ever being seen. Then Bob asked us, “Do you outline? Or do you just write and then rewrite?” and “What are you better at: plotting or character?” Hmm, interesting questions. I turned in my lesson from the previous week on Monday as I had planned and then turned in this lesson on Wednesday. So I was all caught up until I found another lesson in my email this morning. Oh well, I better get busy! 🙂
 
 

4- Blog at least once a week.
 
Yep, posted on Wednesday. I have to say that once a week is working for me. It has given me an opportunity to catch my breathe and spend time on more important things, like making out a schedule so I will have the time to work on my WIP. I think that it makes it easier for those who follow my blog to visit and comment. And I can’t thank you enough for all the support and wonderful comments that you leave on my site.
 

Oh, and I also made some changes on my website. Did you notice? Please let me know what you think?
 
 

5- Visit and support 5 bloggers per day.
 
I am happy to say that I have read actually more than 5 blogs per day. I know it seems crazy, but I had made it a goal to visit everyone who was in our WANA1011 class. And I did it!!!! Well, I stopped by and visited everyone that was on the list from our WANA1011 Facebook page at least. Why did I do this? Well, I just wanted to let them know that I enjoyed being in the class with them and that they have my support. So now I want to finish reading those amazing posts from the “Beauty of a Woman” Blogfest. I’m about halfway through. You girls are making me cry. 🙂
 
 

6- Tweet at least once per day.
 
Yep, I was able to meet this goal except for yesterday. Yesterday I took the day off from the Twitterverse. I think they lived without me, don’t you? And thank you all for your Tweets and Re-Tweets! I’m sending you all a big Hug!!!!
 
 

7- Do some form of Exercise each week.
 
Aha! I’m changing my tactic on this one also. I’m walking instead, and then maybe I’ll work into the elliptical even though I can hear it calling out my name. LOL!
 
 

So now I’m looking forward to a fresh new start to this week.
 
 

I thought before you go that I would share a few posts from the week that caught my eye:
 
If you are in the writing or revision process, Pat O’Dea wrote an interesting post called, “Re-imagine, Reconstruct, Revise.” In it she refers to Lynette Burrows and Jenny Hansen who themselves wrote a fantastic post on this subject. Thanks Pat for sharing these posts.
 

Now if you want to take a quick trip over to the Emerald Isle, then pop over to Lisa Hall Wilson’s post about her Irish roots and her dreamy trip to Ireland. What happened Lisa?
 

Then if you want a good laugh about the hopes and dreams of being a writer, click over to this post by Teresa M. Owen, “Dream vs. Reality”
 
 

Whew! Okay I did it.
 
 

I got through another week and I’m not alone. There are others that are right beside me to help me along the way. So that I don’t irritate my wonderful supportive subscribers, feel free to delete my ROW80 posts if they start to irritate you. They probably won’t be all that interesting, unless…
 

Unless I can temp you all to join us over at the party at ROW80! Feel free to jump in anytime. See you there! 🙂
 
 

So what do you think? I changed some of my goals. How did I do? I know I can still count on your support, right? Or you have my permission to come and give me a swift kick in the butt! LOL!
 
 

Thanks guys! I knew I could count on you!
Karen.

 
 
 

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O’ Money Ain’t For Nothing!

 I think it is safe to say that most of us have been hit by this recession in one way or another. For those of us who have been fortunate enough to have our jobs in tact, our money isn’t going any further and with inflation we might be trying to cut back on some of our expenses. Maybe we hold off on certain unnecessary purchases. It might mean we may not go out to eat as often and take fewer vacations. We may be cutting out more coupons in the newspaper or watching for Groupon specials. We might even stretch out the number of times we get our hair cut, go to the movies, or take the kids to the toy store.
 

But for the unfortunate ones that have been hit the most, this might mean the loss of a job, living on one income instead of two or possibly with no income at all. They might be eating more rice and beans than hamburger or chicken. Perhaps they’ve been forced to play “Go Fish” when it comes to paying their bills. They are unable to afford new clothes for the children, let alone buy new toys. And like so many today, they may be upside-down with their mortgage, which in the state of California is hovering over 44%. They may have had to move in with a close family member or friend when the bank decided to foreclose on their house.
 

Whether it is a relative, neighbor or friend, at this point we all know someone that has been affected by this extended economic downturn. And as it rolls over from one year to the next, it can be inspiring to watch the fortitude and resourcefulness for which through the ages has strengthened our fellow man around the globe.
 

Take for instance a certain Irishman in the city of Dublin. As we all know Ireland has had its share of financial woes throughout the years or perhaps even for centuries. They did have a slight glimpse of economic sunshine during the 1990’s until its intensity dimmed during the world monetary banking crisis that started in 2008.
 

What did this unemployed Irish artist do when push came to shove? Well, what would any unemployed creative person do?
 

Use his imagination!
 

Frank Buckley had originally wanted to create a gallery for his mixed-media artwork called “Expressions of Recession”, but he ended up building a house instead. What would you do if someone handed you $1.4 billion euro dollars? In Ireland, people build houses out of it.
 

What?
 

It seems that Ireland’s mint has lent their shredded money to Mr. Buckley. And for roughly 12 hours a day, every day since the beginning of December, he has been fast at work laying 50,000 decommissioned Irish Euro bricks into the construction of his house that contains a bedroom, bath, and living room. He plans to continue expanding the house that sits in the lobby of an empty office building to include a kitchen, shower, and patio.
 

If you’re wondering how it feels to live in a house made out of paper currency, this Irish artist said that it’s quite warm inside: “Whatever you say about the Euro, it’s a great insulator.” Mr. Buckley is one of countless amount people from all over the world that have been affected by this recession.
 

“It’s the reflection of the whole madness that has gripped us,” he said. “People were pouring billions into buildings that are now worth nothing.” So the reason why he built the house was because he “wanted to create something from nothing.”
 

It will take about two more months to complete the building of his new home, but Frank Buckley welcomes any visitor who wants to take a look at his billion-dollar masterpiece.
 


 
Yes optimism is alive and well and has always been in the hearts of the people of Ireland and the rest of the world. It just shows that with a little ingenuity and imagination what we can all recreate in our own hopes and dreams. You see, a little bit O’Money Ain’t For Nothing! 🙂
 
 

So what do you think? If you were to go through an economic crisis, would you have been that ingenious? As an artist, what would you do to make a statement about your predicament? Are there some fun ideas that you and your family or friends have found while helping to cut back on expenses that you would like to share?
 
 
 
Thank you everyone.
 
Now if I may I would like to change the subject.

 
 

I finally have the results from the drawing at Diane Capri’s launch day party for “Don’t Know Jack!” Thanks for your patience. It took some time, but I worked Diane over for extra prizes and I think all of you will be pleased!
 

First, we have five winners from the first day of the drawing!
 

These five winners will receive a FREE Kindle copy of “Don’t Know Jack”! But that’s not all. You will also receive a FREE Kindle copy of EITHER Lee Child’s “Killing Floor” OR Lee Child’s “Bad Luck and Trouble.” In order for you to receive your prize, you will need to leave your email address at Diane Capri’s website, http://dianecapri.com/contact/ . And don’t worry if you don’t have a Kindle because Diane can help you convert her books to a format of your choice.
 

See, I told you it would be good! You not only receive one book, but two FREE books!
 

Ready? Here are the winners:
 

1- Prudence MacLeod

2- Debra Kristi

3- Diana Murdock

4- M. G. Miller

5- Pat O’Dea
 

But that’s not all!
 

For those of you who commented on the first day of the launch, Diane has decided to award the rest of you with a FREE copy of Lee Child’s book “Killing Floor” OR “Bad Luck and Trouble.” This will be of your choosing, but you must purchase a copy of her book, “Don’t Know Jack” and the Lee Child book will be gifted to you through Amazon. (A proof of purchase will be required.)
 

Then for those that arrived fashionably late for the party, that is after her launch date of February 1st, Diane has also decided to award you with a FREE copy of Lee Child’s book “Killing Floor” OR “Bad Luck and Trouble”. This will also be of your choosing, but you must purchase two copies of “Don’t Know Jack” and the Lee Child book will be gifted to you through Amazon. (A proof of purchase will be required.)
 

The winner’s of the prize for naming a character in Diane Capri’s new book in the “Hunt for Reacher” series “Get Jack Back” are Fabio Bueno and Lynn Kelley! Diane will contact you both to finalize your choices.
 

Now wasn’t this exciting? I love it when everyone comes out a winner!!!!
 

Congratulations to all and thank you for making Diane Capri’s launch day of “Don’t Know Jack” a memorable one!
 
 

If you enjoyed this I encourage you to run up to the top of the page and hit the follow button for future posts!
 
Thank you for your many thoughts and fine comments everyone!
Karen

 
 
 

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