Ramblings-n-Writings » skittles

What You Can Expect

Kara_S — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:11:19 +0000

Ramblings-n-Writings has evolved so much since I started blogging in September 2007. As you can see from the “Archive” list in the left sidebar, sometimes I blog, sometimes I don’t. Originally, my plans were to write about editing, writing, and life on the farm. Over the years, I created my business blog, left the farm, and started writing about books and more books.

Now, as I’ve spent the last 3+ months contemplating what direction to go, I want to return to a more personal blog. One that is about our life in the rural hills of West Virginia. One that chats about the challenges and blessings of rearing twins. One that still mentions books because they are a part of my soul. One that showcases photos of flowers and critters and country life. One that just follows life as it happens and reflects on what has gone by.

I plan to return to my roots of writing about what I want, not what the blogging rules dictate I should write about. My niche’ has evolved into a personal diary for the world to see. You, as my reader, can expect honesty, frankness, and opinion about a vast array of topics.

I do desire to protect the privacy of my little family; therefore I will not share many individual details about them. DH is my husband, LG or Peanut is my firstborn daughter, DJ or Munchkin is her twin sister born 6 minutes later. And I’m still on the fence about sharing photos of my girls. If and when I do share them, the photos will be watermarked for protection and piracy. (For those who know me in real life, friend me on Facebook for up-to-date photos.)

So, with all that said, I’m hoping to blog once or twice a week. It’s hard to say exactly how much time mommy will have each week with twins in the house!

Entering the Home Stretch

Kara_S — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 12:56:38 +0000

I have a confession to make. I really thought I wrote about something here on Ramblings-n-Writings, but in looking back over the archives of recent months, I only made a subtle hint to a HUGE life-changing event. Some of you I’ve “known” for a couple of years now, and I want to apologize for not sharing the news much sooner!

So, what’s the big deal? Back in November, I wrote about being Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. While the main focus of that post was about overcoming divorce, there was a subtle little hint thrown in … “maybe the two little girls growing inside their momma right now?!”

Apparently, that’s all that I’ve mentioned about our baby girls! Since we’re approaching our due date, I decided to write an update pregnancy post, but then discovered I never even wrote about being pregnant! So, here’s everything in a nutshell …

I’m 32 weeks with twin girls! We knew at our 5 week ultrasound that it was possibly twins and confirmed it at 11 weeks. Yes, twins are genetic on both sides of the family – DH and I both have grandparents that were twins – but we never dreamed we’d be double blessed!

Size of babies: The girls are approaching 4 lbs with their weight. It’s been tons of fun watching their growth and changes at our ultrasounds!

Total weight gain: I’ve gained about 35 lbs so far – mostly in the belly but I can tell my limbs are chunkier.

My size: My waist is a whopping 43 inches now – I think it will be a while before I’m back to my pre-pregnancy 26-inch waist! My belly size measures the equivalent of a 41-week singleton pregnancy.

Things I miss: Recently I’ve started to miss being able to sleep on my back or stomach. It gets tiring always sleeping on my side. And I have the feeling I’m going to miss my mobility more and more as the weeks progress. It’s getting hard to do simple tasks like getting up off of the sofa or rolling over in bed.

Pregnancy highlights: I’ve had a relatively easy pregnancy – no sickness, no unusual symptoms, etc. If I had to make a list of pregnancy symptoms I’ve dealt with … fatigue, occasional brain fog, heartburn, and nausea (but only early on until I figured out how much I had to eat). I’ve passed all pregnancy tests with flying colors. Both girls appear to be very healthy as well. The “worst” thing I’ve had to deal with is keeping enough food in my body! Carrying around two growing little ones makes for one hungry momma! Seems like I’m constantly in the kitchen looking for food.

Recently we had our series of steroid shots to help give the girls’ lungs the extra boost they need in case they are born early. The average length of a twin pregnancy is 36 weeks, so we’re prepared just in case.

At our last ultrasound, Baby A, who will be the first to be born, was breech, so we’re praying that she turns sometime between now and delivery time. Without her turning, we may be looking at a c-section, something I intend to avoid if at all possible!

Well, that’s everything in a nutshell. Can I blame pregnancy brain for not remembering to share our news sooner?

We’d appreciate your prayers as we enter the final weeks before the girls arrive!

Free Daily Planner Pages

Kara_S — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:24:02 +0000

Ever since I started my first office job and was introduced to DayTimers, I’ve had a love for calendars and planners. I also have a strong dislike for how much a nice planner costs.

And, I confess, I’m the type of person who loves planners but usually ignores what they say, other than making note of impending deadlines. So… paying for planner pages I may or may not look at every day just doesn’t strike me as wise stewardship of my funds.

Last month, my awesome business accountability partner shared a link that she found to free planner pages for freelancers and bloggers.

What I like about Productive Flourishing’s planners …

Designed with the freelancer in mind
Printable – choose which ones you want and forget the others
Includes instructions on how to use them to maximize productivity
Can be placed in a notebook or folder or hung on a wall
Clean design
And best of all, free!

So, if you’re tired of “making do” with commercial planner pages, jump over to Productive Flourishing and check out the free planner pages for June.

Introducing A Woman Called Sage

Kara_S — Wed, 12 May 2010 15:12:55 +0000

ABOUT THE BOOK

They took away everything she loved…now, she’s out for revenge.

Sage Morrow had it all: life on a beautiful Colorado ranch, a husband who adored her, and a baby on the way. Until five ruthless gunmen rode up to their ranch and changed her life forever. Now Sage is a bounty hunter bent on retribution.

Accompanied only by her majestic hawk, she travels throughout the Rocky Mountains in search of injustice, determined to stamp it out wherever it’s found. The stakes are raised when two young boys are kidnapped and Sage is forced to work with Marshall Parker Timmons to rescue them. But Sage may ultimately get more than she bargained for.

In this exciting historical romance set in the late 1800s, murder, intrigue, kidnapping, and questions of faith will keep you in suspense until the final pages.

If you would like to read the first chapter of A Woman Called Sage, go HERE.

Watch the Video Book Trailer:

A special thank you to Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for sending me this book to review. Unfortunately, I haven’t read the book because I took it out of its mailing envelope, got distracted, put the book down, and now can’t find the book. Oops! As soon as I find the book, I will read it and let you know my thoughts!

Tackling Social Media

Kara_S — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:51:30 +0000

One of my projects for the month of April has been focused on social media and my business. Living in a rural area, and one of the poorest counties in the country, doesn’t exactly lead to high business volume. My desire is to spread the word more about who I am and what I have to offer. So, I’ve been looking for ways to expand my client base.

The wave of the future seems to be social media – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs. People are obsessed with knowing what others are doing and what their opinions are. What better way to connect with potential clients than to go where they are?

My first step was to find a way to make my business website dynamic. That means I needed something that changed periodically so people would keep coming back to the site. What did I do? Created a blog.

My second step was to start tweeting as my business. (Follow me @SkalaCreative.) I’ve been on Twitter for over a year now as an individual. I tweeted about my business and promoted my website with my personal account, but now I wanted something more focused. Having a business twitter helps build name recognition in the minds of potential clients.

My third step involved updating my profile on LinkedIn and making some more connections. I started using LinkedIn a long time ago (don’t ask for specifics because I don’t remember how long ago! ). Since the connections on LinkedIn are more professional in nature, I view it as a good spot to showcase my previous work experience.

My fourth step started today when I made a Facebook page for my business. I have a totally different group of friends on Facebook than I do on Twitter. Creating a Facebook page will help put that group of friends in contact with my business on a regular basis too. (If you want to join the Facebook page, the link is in the sidebar to the left. Hope to connect with you there!)

Throughout this entire process, I’ve read hundreds of articles about “how to” and “how not to.” I’m so grateful for friends who have walked the road ahead of me and aren’t afraid to share their knowledge with me.

My goal for May is to be consistent in blogging and updating (that goes for both my business and personal sites!).

Now I just need to figure out how to automate everything …

American Idol: Did I Choose Right?

Kara_S — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 20:23:22 +0000

How am I doing with my American Idol picks for Season 9?

Back in the beginning of March, I chose my top 3 females and top 4 guys from the top 24. At this point, I chose 5 of the top 7.

Wednesday night we said goodbye for the second time to a female pick – Katie Stevens. Like Ryan said when chatting with Katie, she really has come a long ways in the past weeks and has grown up a lot too. I have no doubt in my mind that we’ll hear from Katie in the future. She has a huge set of vocals! I thought her performance Tuesday night was one of the best of the night. (But I don’t think the judges thought so.)

The only complaint I have about Katie is that whoever chose her wardrobe for the show didn’t do her justice. Her clothes were consistently unflattering and made her almost look frumpy. And if I had to guess, the clothes probably cost her some teenage boy votes.

So, since we said goodbye to Katie, that leaves me with only one female pick left – Siobhan Magnus. I’ve liked Siobhan from the beginning and especially after her Aretha song. I feel her frustration because the judges tell her not to scream (a.k.a. opening up and letting it rip on the high notes), yet when she doesn’t use her powerful vocals, they tell her she’s boring.

Rabbit trail warning: After paying attention to a lot of the judges’ criticisms this year, I think I’d like to sit in the audience for a show. There’s apparently a dramatic difference between the live versions and what we hear on tv. Many times a performance sounds horrible and the judges praise it or it sounds awesome and they trash it. But I digress…

So far, all of my top 4 guys are still in the competition. Last week got a little touchy when Big Mike had the least votes but was saved by the judges. Now that we’re a little further into the competition, here’s my thoughts on the guys…

Tim Urban – Wow, has he come a long way since the beginning. Something about him made him stand out in the top 24, because he made my cut. I think he got a little lost along the way, and getting some of the “vote for the worst” vote gave him the confidence he needed. Like Simon said recently, Tim went from a “zero to hero” in two weeks.

Big Mike – He can definitely sing, although he needs to add some variety to his songs. Like Siobhan, his songs are starting to all sound the same.

Lee DeWyze – I liked Lee in the beginning, still do, but he isn’t a favorite. He’s good but he’s too much like past American Idol guys.

Aaron Kelly – Aaron has a great voice, but lacks a little bit in the maturity area. If he wants to pursue a career in music, he’ll make it some day, but I don’t think now is his time. He hasn’t quite figured out who he is as an artist and I think some of that comes with maturity.

The two left in the top 7 that I didn’t choose are Casey James and Crystal Bowersox, both excellent in their own way.

I’ve been trying to decide on a top 3, but I’ve only managed to narrow it down to 4. For the girls, I’m confident that it will come down to Siobhan and Crystal being in the top 4. The guys are a little more dicey. I see Aaron leaving the show first followed by either Casey or Tim, possibly Lee, or for that matter, maybe even Big Mike. LOL

What’s your choice for the top 3?

Visit Me At Skala Creative

Kara_S — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:13:05 +0000

I finally accomplished something I set out to do about 10 months ago!

Some of you will remember my lamenting about my business website and some of the issues I had with it. One of my goals all along since I started the site about 2 years ago was to add a blog.

Through the blog, I wanted to share writing tips, editing hints, graphic design ideas, grammar lessons, and publishing-related stuff. (Isn’t “stuff” a fun word? It can encompass so much without having to be specific or particular. Of course, some might say it’s uncreative and it can be replaced with a better word, but oh well.)

Well, guess what? My new blog launched last week!!!

I’m going to be sharing on the topics I originally planned on – writing, editing, grammar, publishing, and graphic design. I might even throw in a few posts about rural small business, advertising, and who knows what else!

One of my favorite parts of the blog is the grammar section. I’m starting off by talking about the most feared piece of punctuation … the comma. So many people are afraid to use a comma, but once you know the rules, that little squiggly thing really isn’t too intimidating.

When you have a few minutes, stop by the Skala Creative blog and let me know you visited!

Oh, and I also added some new advertisements I designed to my portfolio. Click on ”Promotional.”

USO Songbird in Post-war Germany

Kara_S — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:07:46 +0000

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler’s Germany. The first night’s performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they’re housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty’s dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Frank’s photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds’ hearts may find the answers…in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

MY THOUGHTS:

Author Tricia Goyer is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical fiction authors. Her stories are down-to-earth to the point that you can easily see yourself as the character. Her characters don’t do strange things and feel like they could be the person living around the corner – that’s how true to life they are.

Songbird Under A German Moon transports the reader back to post-war 1945 Germany. I really enjoyed this setting partly because I’ve always been fascinated with European countries, but mostly because this book breaks the mold and takes place just after the war rather than during the war. I found myself empathsizing with Betty as she observed the hundreds of displaced Germans trying to make it through each day without roofs over their heads or a reliable meal. So often when we think of World War II, we immediately think of the Germans as the bad people, yet the common German citizen suffered so much. I like how author Tricia Goyer evoked that emotion, as well as different way of thinking, from me.

Another favorite aspect of the book was the relationship between Betty and Frank. Both were able to separate themselves from the moment and think longterm – “how will things be once we return stateside?” I grew to have a lot of respect for Frank’s character as he tried to show Betty what was right spiritually. The book isn’t preachy, just written to reflect how two Christians might talk to each other about spiritual matters.

Needless to say, Songbird Under a German Moon is another historical fiction book that will take up permanent residence in my library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty books including From Dust and Ashes, My Life UnScripted, and the children’s book, 10 Minutes to Showtime. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like Today’s Christian Woman and Focus on the Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in the mountains of Montana. Find out more about her and her books at www.TriciaGoyer.com.

WHAT ERA? CONTEST:

Leave a comment on Tricia’s blog or send an email through her website CONNECT page and answer this question: What era in history do you wish you’d lived in and why? Earn extra entries by signing up for Tricia’s newsletter here, becoming a Fan on Facebook or Tweeting about the contest on Twitter (use hashtag #songbird)!

You’ll be entered to win one of three signed copies of Songbird Under a German Moon.

A special thank you to Amy Lanthrop and Stephanie Garvey of Litfuse Publicity Group for sending me this book for review. This post does not contain any of my affiliate links, and the “My Thoughts” section is my own words. The other sections are promotional copy provided to me by Litfuse.

Why I Left BlogHer Ads

Kara_S — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:43:41 +0000

Have you noticed a tiny change in the left sidebar? Earlier this week, my BlogHer ad vanished. Don’t worry, it wasn’t those pesky gremlins that keep messing up my site. It was an intentional move by me, and here’s why ….

I’ve had a great experience with BlogHer. Their ads are colorful, family friendly, and I really have no complaints. The main reason why I chose to remove BlogHer ads is because of their increasingly more stringent rules about the kinds of posts I could put on my blog.

I believe that this is my blog, my space in the online world, and not a place for advertisers to dictate what I can post, where I can post it, or how often I need to post. Ultimately I have the say in what can or can’t be done on my site.

Besides random ramblings about various topics, my main focus is on promoting excellent books. As many of you know, I receive these books free from the publisher in exchange for my writing a review or introducing my readers to the book. Unfortunately, the advertisers that have contracted with BlogHer feel like a blogger’s promotion of a book interferes with their product advertising.

Personally, I see no harm in a post that includes an author bio, product details, and a video about the book. But in order for those posts to continue on this blog, I would need to create a separate review page or write a review for every single book I read.

So, with all that being expressed, I decided to discontinue my BlogHer ads.

(Short side note: when I started with BlogHer ads a couple of years ago, they did not have the stringent requirements about reviews. Over time the requirements have morphed into what they are now. BlogHer ads is wonderful passive income generator, and I recommend it to other bloggers who do not have other advertising or write reviews.)

Books to Websites to Flowers

Kara_S — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:16:50 +0000

Just popping in to quickly say that I’m so excited about how things are falling in place this week! Something must be in the air … spring, maybe?

Starting today, I’m going to be posting 1 book review a day for the next 4 days. Make sure you come back on Thursday to find out about the most gripping story I’ve read in a long, long time. Seriously.
I’m making progress on redeveloping my business website. I’m doing a lot of work behind the scenes, and things are going a lot smoother than I imagined.
I’ve also revised some other areas of my business after reviewing rates and all the nitty gritty stuff.
And, perhaps the most exciting thing, I have my first flower blooming in my garden today! Yep, a gorgeous white crocus spread its petals along with some other tiny purple flower that I have no clue what to call. Of course, if you count the dandelion, I had a flower blooming two days ago. Is it really time for dandelions already?
If it is time for dandelions, that means the hummingbirds aren’t too far away. One has been spotted in mid- South Carolina, so start thinking about getting your feeders ready! I faithfully put my feeders out on April 15 every year.

Some of you might remember that I used to have a separate garden blog and then I joined up with Jendi’s Journal for last summer to continue Garden Vines. Unfortunately, halfway through last summer, the gremlins ate that site and it vanished in cyberspace. I haven’t decided if I should start over with another blog or just do a weekly garden post here. What do you, my readers, think?