Loki's Birthday

Guess who turned 1-year-old today? LOKI!!!

Can you believe he used to be this small?

And then briefly turned into an ewok?

And now he's so big I can barely hold him?

 Happy b-day, my mischievous pup.

TBT Writer - A Sparkling Dog Named Millie

It's Throw Back Thursday (TBT)! If you're a writer, I invite you to share something you wrote way back when and/or a pic of yourself. Whether you wrote a bad story, silly story, or something really promising when you were eight or thirty eight, share it. It's all part of the journey to becoming a better writer. It's also a really awesome feeling when you can look back and see how far you've come. Don't forget to use #tbtwriter when you post. If you're a reader looking for some laughs, you've come to the right place. So without further ado...

Growing up, my house was like something out of Dr. Doolittle. There were a zillion different animals running around, and yes, we had birthday parties for all of them.

Here's Elmer the iguana celebrating his birthday with a delectable fruit salad.

I especially loved our little duckies.

My brother and I feeding the ducks in our pajamas.

So when I got my first dog, Millie, I was beyond thrilled.

Meet Millie.

Millie was a part of every family event from the very beginning.

Have you ever seen a more enthusiastic dog watching someone open an Xmas present?

I guess it was inevitable that I wrote a story about her when I was in elementary school:

Millie

 

When I first got my dog I was very happy and I got to name her Millie. I took her to a park and saw her long ears fly and her beautiful skin sparkle.

Millie come back. Millie is my new dog. She is a Shaffordshire Bull Terrier. She has golden orange fur mixed with white. I like taking her for walks at the park. She's really fast. I love to watch her golden ears fly back when she runs. She is a very strong dog, fun, and lovable. I enjoy taking here wherever I go.

I've loved MANY animals since Millie, but since she was my first dog, she'll always have a special place in my heart.

Bertha the cat. I think I have more hair here than head. :P

My grandparents dog, Matty.

Gomer the pug in his Christmas sweater.

My brother, Bo, and I.

My puppy, Loki, and me.

I hope you enjoyed my writing throwback. I can't wait to post again next month.


Don't forget to check out my other #TBTWriter stories and pics:

• Good Ideas, Sometimes!
• A Nine-Year-Old's First Horror Story
• Confessions of a Sugarholic

The Lucky Cricket Is Real...Well, Sort Of

I don't know about you, but I love discovering little secrets behind a book like that Ernie Prang and Stan Shunpike, the driver and conductor of the Knight Bus in Harry Potter, were named after J. K. Rowling's grandfathers. It's so much fun discovering these little secrets, so I thought I'd share some secrets of my own about Strange Luck. Enjoy!

 

1.   The fortune-telling cricket is real! Well, sort of. Growing up, my parents always had a little cricket statue in our living room. When I got older, I asked where it had come from and my mom told me it was given to her by my great grandma who said it would bring their home good luck. I always thought that was neat, so when it came time for me to live in a house of my own, my mom gave me the cricket. Since then, it's traveled across the country with me and it currently resides in my living room.

2.   Although Sea Salt, CA is a fictitious town, it is based on a combination of my favorite ‘real’ towns in California - Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Pescadero, and La Honda.

3.   Daisy’s relationship with Roger started out in a similar way to how one of my high school relationships started.

4.   Roger’s dog, Millie, is based on my first dog ever with the same name.

5.   I love to antique! A lot of the antiques in the shop were inspired by real things I’ve seen or read about over the years.

6.   The idea of “collecting memories” in a fantasy world came to me as I passed by a cemetery on my way to work one day.

7.   My grandmother, Mary, died before she got to read this book, so I wanted to find a way to remember her. Her favorite flower was a daisy and one of my favorite memories was planting daisies with her. There was never any other name I entertained for the protagonist.

8.   I wrote the first two chapters of Strange Luck and then abandoned it or forgot about it for some reason. About a year later I was cleaning files on my computer and found the story and decided to finish it.

9.   I literally chose from over 100 cover designs for this book. I couldn't be happier with the result :)

10.  The Nameless world was inspired by Fantastica from The Neverending Story (book and movie) and The Labyrinth (movie).

Bonus: This book was fueled by cappuccino's and chocolate...and I enjoyed every tasty minute of it. 

Now you share! What are some secrets from your favorite books?

TBT Writer - Good Ideas, Sometimes

It's #TBTWriter! Time to share some funny pics and things I wrote back in the day. If you’ve got a writing throwback, post it with this hashtag so we can all read your story.

When I was ten, we were given a class assignment to write our own short stories, draw the illustrations, and even include a dedication inside a bound book. The completed book would then be given to our parents during parent/teacher night and our parents would write us a letter telling us what they thought. Creative writing was my absolute favorite subject in school, but I had completely forgotten I made this book until my mom recently sent it to me. Now, I'm sharing it with you!

Oh la la!

Here she is. My first book! Check out the intricate hand-drawn cover art. Fancy, I know!

I just about fell out of my chair laughing when I read this. If you can't read my handwriting it says, "I dedicate this book to my brother "Scott" who helps me get good ideas for writing sometimes!" Not all the time, only sometimes! Ha ha ha. And, apparently I felt pretty strongly about this claim given the exclamation mark. This is so funny I just might have to do the same dedication in my next book.

My stories were all about sweets and animals. Big surprise! I'm curious why I starred the picture/story of the ice cream cone. Perhaps because dessert is my favorite meal of the day :) If you haven't read my TBTWriter story about an ice cream sundae, get ready to laugh.

And no book is complete without an About the Author section. Check out more of those fancy shapes and oh la la, a hand-drawn book in the middle. Aside from my last name and where I live now, pretty much all of my interests have remained exactly the same, especially the "she loves writing, music, and art" component.

Then, I came across this letter from my mom after she read my "book."

"You may become an author someday." Wow! I had no idea that my family saw that kind of potential in me back then. Writing was just something that I always enjoyed, but I never imagined I would write books one day. 

And this is me and my bro...and we're obviously up to no good.

Don't forget to check out my other #TBTWriter stories and pics:

• Confessions of a Sugarholic
• A Nine-Year-Old's First Horror Story

What did you think of my first book, or the weird dedication? Do you have something from way back when you'd like to share with the world? Post your comments below.

The World's Weirdest Hearts for Valentine's Day

Do you know which animals don't have hearts? Or, which animals have multiple hearts? Being a nerd for all things sciency and weird, I rejoiced when I found this awesome article about the weirdest hearts in the world. Just in time for Valentine's Day. Hooray!

TBT Writer - Ooey Gooey Chocolatey Goodness

It's #TBTWriter! For the past two months, I've shared some stories I wrote back in the day. My favorite so far is my first horror story I wrote when I was nine. Don't know why I thought a bald man was the most terrifying thing in the world, but it certainly adds to the fun. Pics of crimped side ponytails, uneven bangs, and hot pink spandex do, too (gotta love the 90s). I have quite an embarrassing collection of pics that would make a nice addition to Awkward Family Photos, but I haven't gotten there yet. Someday.

Te he he he...

Anyway, since Valentine's Day is coming up I thought I'd combine the TBT concept with a delicious recipe from way back when - a recipe that I entered into my high school's dessert contest and won! If you're looking for something yummy and sweet to make for V-day, or just for yourself because you deserve it, check out the irresistible recipe below.

YUM!

Chocolate Revel Bars

1 cup margarine or butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In a mixing bowl, beat the 1 cup margarine/butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add about half the flour, the brown sugar, eggs, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and the baking soda. Beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the remaining flour. Stir in the oats.

In a medium saucepan combine chocolate pieces, sweetened condensed milk, and the 2 tablespoons margarine/butter. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Press two-thirds of the rolled oats mixture into the bottom of an un-greased 15x10x1 inch baking ban. Spread chocolate mixture over the oat mixture. Using your fingers, dot remaining oat mixture over chocolate.

Bake at 350 for approx. 20-25 mins or until the top is lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

I've made these chocolate revel bars a couple of times since the contest and they are consistently delicious. 

High school me with my first pug puppy. RIP Gomer :(

Have an old school recipe, story, or pic you want to share? Post below :) I respond to all comments.

Guaranteed to Brighten Your Day

I love animals, especially funny animals, so I present my favorite videos that have made me laugh so hard I cried. They are guaranteed to brighten your day! Enjoy :) Oh, and make sure that your speakers are on.

Extreme Cuteness

Yesterday, I took the plunge. I adopted a puppy! He's an 8 week old pug about the size of a guinea pig and he's so freakin adorable I can't stand it. No matter what he does, it's soooooooo incredibly cute. I'm a huge animal lover and can't get enough of all things cute, so today I thought I'd share some of my go-to sources to spread the cute.

But first, meet Loki - the new love of my life! He likes to sleep on my shoes and feet and is afraid of stairs. 

Now for more cuteness...I highly recommend checking out Cute Overload. I don't know how I found out about it years and years ago, but I have it bookmarked and visit it at least once a day. The pics and videos on this site will make your head explode! This site is guaranteed to cheer you up if you're having a bad day.  

I actually found out about my next source via Cute Overload. It's a blog called Cute Travels. It's run by a girl named Eimear who travels the world in search of cute things. We're talking cute places, cute recipes, cute animals, cute clothes, and more. It doesn't get better than that. :)