Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() UPDATED INTRO 30 JUNE 2025: Just a little about me. I've been married for 33 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. CURRENT BLOG PROJECT:
RULES: 1. Blog has to be more than 2 paragraphs, some people have tried putting a one-liner response. That won't cut it. 2.You need to respond at least once every week to other participant's blog posts. This is a 7 week activity= 7 blog responses within each of the weeks. It's fun getting to see what others noted that you might have missed or hadn't thought about. 3. You don't need to blog everyday, catch-ups are allowed if you want to go for the bigger prize award. But each entry must be a separate entry. So, if you do all 51, you'll have 51 entries. 4. Please tag me Lyn's a Witchy Woman ![]() ![]() 5. Posting in a book is preferred to keep the forum from being clogged. You can use any book you want. RECOGNIZATION: 10-24 Entries, MB plus 10K Awardicon 25-50 Entries, MB plus 25K Awardicon 51 Entries MB plus 50K Awardicon Merit Badges Collected from Virtual Blogging &Virtual Blogging Friends: ![]() BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
![]() Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive ![]() ![]() OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![]() Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman ![]() ![]() Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee ![]() ![]() I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare" ![]() ![]() |
I first heard about the Paleo diet in DEC 2014, and it sounded like it was something I could do. I like meat, fish, veggies and fruit, but eating Paleo isn't just about the food. It's a lifestyle change that makes a lot of sense to me. The whole concept behind Paleo is that our bodies were designed to eat food which were consumed by early humans (aka cavemen). They include fruits, veggies, meats, seafood, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats including coconut, avocado, and olive oil. The modern diet includes processed foods like grains, dairy, alcohol and starches. Our newfound diet is a result of our advances in agriculture. These foods should be avoided as our gut often finds them challenging to digest. And there lies the issues! While modern foods are digestible, they don't help us out much. Our intestines (aka gut) have to work that much harder to break down the food and digest them. When I'm good with my paleo menu, I notice a lot less bloating. I hate bloating, especially at this age. Keep in mind bloating is a sign of inflammation which is telling you that your gut is having a hard time digesting your food. Finding foods and variety can be a challenge on modern schedules. Trust me, I'm on the go from 330 am to bedtime which is 8 pm. A good rule of thumb is the 85/15 % rule. Try to shoot for 85% of your diet to be paleo, 15% non paleo. This is a good way to transition to the diet too. I try to keep the menu simple. B-Fast is usually Greek yogurt, bananas, or oatmeal. Lunch is meat and veggies, snacks: carrots, grapes and celery, and dinner is meat and veggies. I also drink water throughout the day. Paleo is a challenge for me because of my schedule, but I keep trying. There's so much to get into but not enough space. Question: Does anyone have any thoughts about eating Paleo they'd like to share? |
NOTE: Just sharing what's on my main blog with you all, a promo for my 99 cent story you can find on Amazon, Mr. Christmas Elf. NOTE: Today is a busy day for me. I'm working today. Won't get home until 3-3:15. I have to pick up my older son at his 1st HS Freshman volleyball camp, take my younger son, Joe, for OT at 4 and then Joe has a speech eval at 5. When I get home, it's time to feed the kids and finish up reviewing blogs for my Bard's Hall Contest. Tomorrow I'm off!! Yay!! Hope to post Bard's Hall's winners then and then pack for Webelos Resident Camp. I'm taking my son, Joe there and we won't be back in Saturday. I'm pooped allready. Enjoy this bit about Mr. Christmas Elf! ***** Enjoy a little Christmas in July with Mr. Christmas Elf! Only 99 cents. ![]() BLURB: Jules' Christmas list is looking pretty pathetic. She needs a new muffler for her car and a hundred dollars for her root canal. Her niece is asking for an iPad, but all Jules can afford is a Barbie doll. The peppermint on the top? Her boyfriend dumps her in a text message. Jules could use a little Christmas magic, so when Elvis pops up claiming that he was sent by Santa to fill her Christmas list, all she has to do is believe – in the magic the season has to offer. ENJOY THIS EXCERPT: Dad kissed me goodbye on my way out the door to catch the bus. Cold air chafed against my cheeks. Snow fell slowly in big fat flakes from puffy gray clouds. They took forever to melt against the glass. At least we were going to have a white Christmas. The bus slid up to the stop near the coffee shop. I hustled out the door and rushed toward the store, noticing a guy reading the letters to Santa in the window. There were five minutes 'til opening. I didn't want to disappoint Joe again by being late, so I broke into a trot – and slipped on a hunk of ice. The sidewalk was coming up fast, but I fell into the arms of the letter reader. He smiled one of the most adorable smiles I've ever seen and a cute little dimple popped out in his cheek. "You smell like peppermint," he said. I opened my mouth, stammered like an idiot, and shut up. Mr. Dimple held me close. I didn't want to move. He owned a very solid body, with unkempt, curly, sandy blond hair that covered his ears and ice blue eyes that pierced my soul. I melted like a snowman in June. "I'm Elvis." "Hi, Elvis." I managed to squeak. He chuckled and helped me to firm footing on the ground. "And you are?" "Julie Erwin, but everyone calls me Jules." "So, you're the one with the depressing Christmas list." "Hey, I can't believe you're insulting me and we just met." BUY LINKS: AMAZON: https://amzn.com/B01CLM0PIG BARNES AND NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mr-christmas-elf-stephanie-burkhart/1123503128?e... KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/mr-christmas-elf SMASHWORDS: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/620517 |
Wow! It's been a year since I poped in here. That's really a disgustingly long time isn't it? UPDATE: Can't wait for Big Brother this year. Or has it started and I missed it? Damn real life! I am still writing that story about the Lighthouse. I have no time in real life. I am getting closer to the ending though. Just need to find some time to do some typing and then I can do some writing. Sigh... Well, it's the 4th. ![]() I'm taking the boys to Hurricane Harbor to cool down. Last night we saw fireworks at Magic Mountain. It's nice to have the holiday off so I can hang out on WDC for a bit. I love this place and miss it when I can't visit as frequently as I would like. I need to get going on my Angel Army forum for August for the Angel Army birthday. I have idea but now I have to apply it and work on creating my forum. but FIRST I need to finish judging my blog contest for the Bard's Hall. Hopefully I can put a dent in that today. That said... enjoy these Fun Facts on the 4th of the July: The United States is turning 240 years old this year! That's amazing. Here are some really cool facts about our nation and the 4th of July: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, 2 of our founding fathers, died on the same day - 4th July 1826. 50 years after the Declaration of Independence. 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence were drafted, but only 27 are accounted for. Congress declared the 4th of July an official holiday - in 1870! The Star Spangled Banner was inspired by the War of 1812. A poem put to music, it became the USA's official national anthem in 1931. President Calvin Coolidge was born on the 4th of July - in 1872! Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. Really?? 87% of American flags are made in China. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper. It's all about the Fireworks! The 4th wouldn't be the 4th without fireworks. 97% of fireworks in the USA come from China. My favorite place to celebrate the 4th of July is on Catalina Island. I love watching the fireworks explode over the bay. I also like seeing the golf cart parade. There's always a lot of variety. The USC marching band opens up the parade and plays in the casino in the evening. There's plenty of time to BBQ, too! And the 4th wouldn't be the 4th without my Old Navy Flag Shirt. The 4th is a fun holiday to celebrate the birth of a nation, but let's not forget how unique it is. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Have a great 4th and thanks for stopping by! Question: What do you do to make the 4th special for you? PS Follow my author facebook page at:https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor/ |
So I let another couple of days go by without writing and I'll be honest It's a busy week. I don't even know where to start. News, Life, Work, I'm writing again, Big Brother.,,,! ![]() #1 News Fresh in my mind is the shooting in Louisiana. My thoughts and prayers go for those involved. News can be really depressing at times. Then there's the traffic stop in Texas where the lady is found hanging in her jail cell. That was a true tragedy all around. I work as a 911 dispatcher and let me tell you I heard it all. When I tell people I'm a 911 dispatcher they say, that must be a very stressful job. Can you tell me a story? I'll tell a story and they flinch and I've come to realize that most people really don't want to hear my 911 stories because they simply don't have the "stomach" too. It's all right. Not everyone can do my job. It is stressful and requires a high skill of multi tasking. Anyhoo...I've stopped telling stories. My point being...just about every aspect of police work is 'unpleasant.' Dealing with crime, civil disputes, and the mentally ill is challenging and it's a job we put faith and trust in to the police and even they have breaking points. #2 Life Busy, Busy, Busy. And too boot, I have to work a double shift today because we are so short. Sigh... My day off was Weds and I spent the day busy. In the morning it was tidy up the kitchen, sweep, mop and fold laundry. Then it was a Costo run, grocery store run, JC penny run, bath and body run, bought new birkenstocks, and took the boys to see Ant Man. I picked up patrol shirts for my cub scout den and took Joe to swim lessons. I'm pooped. Writing. I'm writing again!! This is a short story for the Victory Tales Press Paranormal/Autumn Anthology. It's about a lighthouse in Maine with a ghost. lol!! It feels good to write again. I just wish I had more time for it. You can also check out my Invisible Story for the Dialogue 500 here on WDC I recently wrote. Big Brother The boys and I like watching Big Brother. I can say I have a favorite player but I like the Liz/Julia twin twist and I loved Gronk's party week. Gronk was a big partier. The WackStreet Boys was pretty funny too. Jason is a hoot. Who else enjoys watching Big Brother? |
Okay, I let a few days go by before I wrote again so I allow for something to happen. #1 - We got some interesting pictures of Pluto. As far as I'm concerned, Pluto is a planet. Period. Give the little guy some respect. Can't wait to see more awesome pics of the planet. #2 Scott Walker through his hat in the ring for President. Me? I try not to discuss politics because it's such hotbed of dissention. I'll tell you this: I'm a Reagan Democrat. I lean left, I lean right. I'm not an easy fit into Republican or Democrat. Let's leave it at that. I think the upcoming presidential race will be very interesting. #3 Chattanooga, TN. My heart goes out to the marines' families. #4 I saw a headline on Yahoo News were a 20 yr old was given 90K trust for college from her grandparents and she blew right through it. Now she owes 20K and has no idea no to pay it. When it was suggested she get a job, she scoffed at the idea. She finally broke down and asked her parents for a loan. They said no and they further said that unless she got a job they wouldn't co sign for a loan either. Finally, after 4 days, she reluctantly admitted she would have to find a job. Amazing!! I knew at the tender age of 14 that I would need to get a job and that I wasn't entitled to anything but what I earned. I've held jobs since I was 15. I'm 47 now. #5 My sensory son is doing good in swim lessons and enjoying himself. #6 I'm reading "Queen of the Tearling." AWESOME book!! It's the best book I've read in a while. ![]() The Pelican, cont... The kid laughed as the pelican gagged on some flaming hot Cheetos. I shook my head in disgust. The kid must have been about three or four. Glancing over, I spied his family sitting around the picnic table stuffing their faces with freshly grilled steaks and corn. The pelican trashed his head, squawked, and spit the mass of Cheetos on the ground. The kid stomped his feet, thrust his hand into the bag and threw a handful of fresh, hot Cheetos at the pelican. The bird stared at the boy and flapped his wings. The kid stomped his feet. Again. Then he pointed to the Cheetos. The Pelican took one step forward, bent over, then stood. He shook his head and squawked. Guess he didn't like them. Too hot? Or greasy? Or both? The kid pointed to the pelican, then to himself, then dipped his hand in the bag and shoved a handful of Cheetos into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out like golf balls. He chomped and chewed and a little bit of spittle dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. When he finished, the boy smiled and pointed at the Cheetos at the ground. "Eat!" I wrote something this week!! Check it out:
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I'm at work today and I might actually have time to catch up on a bunch of projects that have been sorely neglected, including my research for my Halloween/paranormal story. After work I'll be busy with the kiddos. We'll be doing some research at Home Depot, Dinner at Pielogy, Church, then grocery shopping. Yesterday I smogged my 2005 4Runner and it passed. Thank goodness. The car has 248,000+ miles on it. I love it. It's Toyota and I love buying Toyota. I keep up the maintenance and the 4Runner just keeps on ticking. I also recently bought a 2015 Toyota Corolla to drive back and forth to work. I bought it with 4 miles and now it has 4900 miles. I'm a Toyota Girl for sure. What "brand" of car would you/do you swear by? So I scanned the news for something news worthy but nothing really stood out. Djokovic won Wimbeldon. Good for him. I like playing tennis but haven't played in ages. Heck, I'm waiting til my 13 year old turns 14 so I can play racquetball at the gym with him. Here's some more on my writing prompt: The Pelican, cont... The kid laughed as the pelican gagged on some flaming hot Cheetos. I shook my head in disgust. The kid must have been about three or four. Glancing over, I spied his family sitting around the picnic table stuffing their faces with freshly grilled steaks and corn. The pelican trashed his head, squawked, and spit the mass of Cheetos on the ground. The kid stomped his feet, thrust his hand into the bag and threw a handful of fresh, hot Cheetos at the pelican. The bird stared at the boy and flapped his wings. The kid stomped his feet. Again. Then he pointed to the Cheetos. The Pelican took one step forward, bent over, then stood. He shook his head and squawked. Guess he didn't like them. Too hot? Or greasy? Or both? The kid pointed to the pelican, then to himself, then dipped his hand in the bag and shoved a handful of Cheetos into his mouth. ********** July is National Ice Cream month. So what's your favorite flavor? ![]() |
I picked up my son from day camp yesterday. He was the dirtiest I'd ever seen in my life. Kinda like Pig Pen. It was good to see him and in a way I'm sad there's no more camp. I think he enjoyed it very much. Now what? I work this weekend and have to get caught up on a lot of stuff that I've neglected such as reading and writing. I need to research a story for Halloween I'm working on and I need to write a book review. Thinking about everything I need to do is depressing, quite honestly. While at day camp, my lips got chapped so I started using chapstick. Stupid me. I forgot I'm allergic to chapstick. Now I have botox lips. My hero is Grumpy Cat. She's so grumpy, she's cute. Well, my little prompt about a boy feeding a pelican is progressing nicely. What do you think happens next? The Pelican, cont... The kid laughed as the pelican gagged on some flaming hot Cheetos. I shook my head in disgust. The kid must have been about three or four. Glancing over, I spied his family sitting around the picnic table stuffing their faces with freshly grilled steaks and corn. The pelican trashed his head, squawked, and spit the mass of Cheetos on the ground. The kid stomped his feet, thrust his hand into the bag and threw a handful of fresh, hot Cheetos at the pelican. The bird stared at the boy and flapped his wings. Today's Headlines: Serena Wins Wimbledon It's 7-11 Day. Happy 88th Birthday 7-11 Enjoy some Christmas in July with my book trailer for: The Faberge Secret: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nf5ujOoDRXs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
It's been a busy, wild week for me. I signed up my son for cub scout day camp. He's a Webelos 1 and quite honestly, I didn't feel comfortable him going to day camp without me due to his expressive language disorder and sensory processing disorder so I signed up to be a volunteer. I'm a den leader for his den so I'm comfortable being around him and kids. The day camp was held at Verdugo Oaks Boy scout camp just north of Castaic off the Templin Hwy exit (on the 5 Fwy). It was about a 15 minute drive north of us. We had to be there at 8 with an ice chest to hold the lunches. The boys arrive by 830. Then we have opening ceremonies and starting at 0905 our 50 min rotations begin. There are a lot of rotations and a lot of activities!! Field Sports Cub Grubb Archery BB Guns Slingshots Pool Flight School Woodworking Arts & Crafts Scout Skills had a presentation on the MARS rover. Heck, I'm pooped!! The day ended at 0430 pm each day and I was exhausted. I know my son was. We had to get to bed early each night. He accomplished a bunch of things that were very challenging to him like making paper airplanes, hammering a nail, painting, marbles, slight shots, archery and bb guns. It just warmed my heart to see him do things despite his fine motor issues. Oh he had a couple of meltdowns I had to talk him down from, and a couple of the boys in the den thought he was autistic, but it was nothing I couldn't manage. Because of his meltdowns and his sensory processing issues, it's easy to think he's autistic, but he's not. He will make eye contact with you, hug you, and when his engine is just right, he'll do everything a mainstream boy can. I've seen 2 doctors at two separate times in Joe's life and both say no autisim. That's good enough for me. I'll deal with the rest of his issues. He sees a speech therapist, an occupational therapist and I'm going to call the school sometime this summer to set up a 504 plan on him. If you'd like to see a couple of silly videos and photos from the week visit my facebook page and go down past the 1st 3 posts. Overall, it's been a rewarding week. https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.burkhart.9 The Pelican The kid laughed as the pelican gagged on some flaming hot Cheetos. I shook my head in disgust. The kid must have been about three or four. Glancing over I spied his family sitting around the picnic table stuffing their faces with freshly grilled steaks and corn. To be continued.... From the Headlines: Omar Sheriff died. With California in a wicked bad drought, Tom Selleck stole water from a city fire hydrant. South Carolina took down the Confederate Flag. |
Well, I had plenty of weekend adventure! Our AC went out and the AC man came by and recharged the Freon. Thank goodness. It gets stinking hot in So Cal. Nights early morning are bearable, but anything after 11 am to about 10 pm - hot and uncomfortable. After making sure the AC man was taken care I did some errands, got a new battery for my watch and got my son a watch to use at boy scout camp. On a side note, I like Swatch watches. I suppose I'm holdover from the 90's, but I love the colorful bands and watch faces. They're expressive. I suppose being an expressive person, Swatch watches are a perfect fit for me. My son is 13. I got him a 20.00 Cashio with a simple face and a classic black band. He says he likes it, but we'll see if he wears it. I think it's more his speed than the G-Shock my husband gave him. After my boys attended a pool party, we went home, had a bite to eat and helped to decorate the pack's float for the 4th's parade. Another side note: I HATE cooking in the heat. I'll go broke on take out, but the heat has sucked the life out of me. I don't have an ounce of energy to cook. The 4th was too busy. My younger son, Joe, and I were in the cub scout pack 40 float for the Newhall parade. I think the heat got him because while he was on the float he told me he lost his 4th of July spirit and I had to constantly remind him to wipe the frown off his face and wave and say "Happy 4th." Mind you my son is special needs. He has expressive language disorder and I've learned his mind doesn't work the same way as his peers. He's socially awkward and has no social skills. He has a sensory processing disorder. We've seen 2 doctors who both say no autism. He's mainstream but he's prone to meltdowns and tantrum, and while his behavior can be managed, he's not mature enough to recognize and manage on his own. I try a combo of tough love/honesty/positive reinforcement, but he's always trying to get over and I've caught him in 'little' lies. The "big" one - do you have your underwear on? Yes, he tell me. I do an undie check and BAM! No undies. I ask him, why did you lie? He says: "I didn't want you to get mad at me because I had no undies on." Sigh........ After that I watched the Germany/England FIFA game. I decided I wanted to root for England because those girls were scrappy little soccer players, even though I thought Germany was the better team. There's something a little wrong rooting for England on the 4th of July. But, hey, 239 years have gone by and I'm over it. LOL!! England won. Good for them. We went to the beach after that but it was a bit of a bust. The beach was cold, windy, and overcast and I didn't anticipate that so I didn't bring sweat jackets. The beach cold and windy in So Cal? Get out. True. My boys were fussy. After we managed to light the BBQ bag, we cooked hot dogs and packed up. We watched the fireworks at Ventura College and it was the best show we've seen in years. The Rotary club did a great job with it. I'd go back, but I'd definitely better prepare for it. By the time we got home it was 1045 pm. I had to get up at 4 am to go to work. When I get home, I have to prepare for Cub Scout day camp next week. Sigh...I have no time to write. It's driving me crazy!! here's something that I think would make a great prompt. I saw a 3 year old feeding the pelicans flaming hot Cheetos. Write a 500 word story that begins with: The pelican gobbled the flaming hot Cheetos. If I have time I'll add some more to it tomorrow. ![]() We'll see how exhausted I am after day camp. How was your 4th? |
It's been busy. Yesterday I worked. I work in a dispatcher center and I was the relief yesterday. I like being relief. You get to move around. I took a 1.40 mile walk on my lunch break. All is good. I got home, got chicken for dinner from the local store and packed snacks for our cub scout hike. I made dinner, organized, packed, and put the dishes away. I dropped my dry cleaning off and was at the nature center at 6 pm for our 3 mile webelos walkabout. The boys were great. We had 5 boys, 8/9 years old do a 3 mile hike. Some boys scouts joined us from Andrew's patrol. it wasn't too hot or cool and we even saw a rattlesnake off the path. The boys picked up liter on the trail as part of a service project. I was very proud of them but we weren't able to take a snack break because the park closed at sunset. We barely made it back. Anyway, that was my day. No time for nothing else. I've got a ton of laundry calling my name when I get home and I've got to stop by the store for 4th of July decorations and picnic stuff for our 4th. The 4th will be busy. We're in the 4th of July parade with cub scout pack 40. That should get over around 10/10:30. Then we're off to Ventura so the boys can swim in the ocean. We'll do hot dogs and picnic then we'll go to the fireworks show at Ventura College. Busy day. Should be fun but busy. Sigh... I'm getting busy now... Watching Battlestar Galatica the new one from the 2000's with my son. I'll ramble off thoughts on that later. Anyone see it? Like it? Favorite character? Frown and the whole world frowns with you. Grumpy Cat. PS I love Grumpy Cat. |