October 5 2017

My New Helper is a Keeper

The image and title above may have already clued you in to what I am going to tell you about today. A few weeks ago, I was listening to one of Ann Kroeker’s Podcasts. She mentioned something I hadn’t yet heard of, Google Keep. Since I had no idea what it was, I asked Google, “Ok Google, What is Google Keep?” I got the following answer from Google:

Google Keep is a note-taking service developed by Google. Launched on March 20, 2013, Google Keep is available on the web, and has mobile apps for the Android and iOS mobile operating systems.”

Thank you, Google. I went to YouTube and typed in Google Keep and watched a couple of tutorials and was immediately blown away by how powerful a tool this could be. I had to have it! Now! How had I not known about this? Thank you, Ann Kroeker, writing coach for sharing this tidbit! My life is forever changed because I listened to your podcast!

You can listen to it here in about ten minutes start to finish. If you’d rather read than listen, you can find the blog post here: Ep 112: My Best Writing Tools to Get More Done (at Home and on the Go)

I was very excited about all the possibilities, so I went to the Google Play Store and downloaded the Android version right away. I played with it some on my phone and couldn’t wait to get home and see the desktop version of it. It is very easy to use. The only problem I had was accidentally archiving a post when I didn’t mean to, but even that is easily undone.

In the few weeks since I began using the app on my Android phone and the online version on both my desktop and my Surface Pro 2, I have found it to be the one app I would not give up on my phone. Yes, it is that awesome! Did I mention it is FREE?

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September 29 2017

Depend (Five Minute Friday)

When I first read the word for the prompt this week, I wasn’t sure where to go with it. I have the words “You Can Depend On Me” running through my head, sung to the tune of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”. Either way, it made me think of God. Yes, I can depend on Him, but what else do I consider dependable?

I began thinking about the things I can depend on. Death, taxes, God, me writing another NaNoWriMo novel in November. It is a short list. So I dug a little deeper, hunger, thirst, dirty laundry, the need to do basic household chores, the changing of the seasons, the need for more sleep, inflation, that things will eventually wear out and need to be replaced, and that no matter how hard you try you will NEVER be able to make everyone happy.

What can YOU depend on?

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Depend
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

September 28 2017

Trash to Treasure #2

I had a small problem with my closet door. There were two hooks that used to belong to some kind of a shoe hanger organizer of some sort years ago and that’s long since gone but they’ve hung over the closet door for years. I used them to hang my nightgown and robe up on every day.

Last Saturday, when I was in one of those small hardware stores, you know the kind that has everything you could ever want and only the people who work there know how to find it that it was time to do something to fix the problem. I decided when I passed a set of pegboard hooks on a display that had Little Red Rubber ends on them, that I should think about looking for those little rubber tips to put on my closet hooks to protect my clothing. So, being a female who isn’t afraid to ask for help and having better things to do than browsing a quaint little hardware store for hours, I asked for help locating them. It took a couple of people to find them, but then the guy said oh they were in the bulk hardware aisle, and he showed me where they were. He kindly left me to make my own choice as there were several different colors and sizes to choose from. I suspect the guy had experience in dealing with indecisive females, but I didn’t mind taking it grim there. I picked the two sizes that seemed the most likely to fit what I remembered the size the size of the flat square hooks to be. The black was smaller and the white was the larger. I want sure which would actually fit, so like a female I bought both.

It took me a from Saturday afternoon to Monday night to actually remember to bring them upstairs with me, but I finally did. I took my nightgown off the hook and since the black was the smallest, I tried it first. The black fits fine. I figured I’d go ahead and put the white on top because I had them anyway and it would just be extra padding. (See before and after photos below.)

So now they’re fixed and hopefully, my clothing will last a little longer without getting those annoying little dimples, snags or holes in them right near the tags.

The grand total cost for the project was $0.79 including tax the little black ones were $0.17 each and the little white ones were $0.20 each I got two of each with tax total out the door was only $0.79! It works great, wad all done in just a couple of minutes. Another easy do-it-yourself project I’ve been meaning to get taken care of for 17 years.

So, if there’s something around your house that you’re not happy with, don’t be afraid to find your own answer and see how little or how much it might cost to fix it. You’ll be surprised how much you can do yourself with a little common sense, and if there is anything you can’t figure out search YouTube. What have you been putting off for way too long? Let me know in the comments below, mauve we can figure it out together.

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September 27 2017

Accept (Five Minute Friday)

This prompt was a hard one. But you probably figured that out because it is so late. I have had to learn to accept the things in my life that I cannot change. I may not like them, but I accept them. One of the things I accept is that I will never be thin. It just isn’t in the genes. I’m not giving up trying to lose some of the weight I always seem to carry around, but I accept that I will never be a slim, trim 120 pounds. I doubt I’d look healthy if I ever got to that weight. I know I have some unhealthy habits, but who doesn’t? I am proud that there are some, like drinking alcohol and smoking that I have never had to deal with.

I seem to be fairly good at tackling good habits one at a time. But then when I tackle the next thing the one I thought I had mastered seems to slide. I don’t have to accept that. I can try to build healthy habits slowly and only add new ones once I can maintain the old ones. It is a long slow process, but I know if I accept what I cannot change and get to work on what I can instead, I will get there slowly. Is there something that you need to be willing to accept for you to move forward in your life?

This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up!
The prompt this week is: Accept
The assignment: Write for five minutes on the word of the week. This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.

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September 21 2017

Writing Ritual Tag

Author Kim Chance had this tag on her YouTube channel.

When do you write? (time of day, day of week)
Mostly on Thursday nights during my writing group.

How do you seclude yourself from the outside world?
I don’t think I seclude myself. If anything, I hang out with other writers more than I ever used to hang out before finding my writer friends.

How do you review what you wrote the previous day?
I don’t.

What song is your go-to when you’re feeling uninspired?
I don’t have one.

What do you always do (i.e. listen to music, read, watch YouTube, etc.) when you find yourself struggling with writer’s block?
Search the web for something to inspire me.

What tools do you use when you’re writing?
My computer, of course, and my writing notebook.

What’s the one thing you can’t live without during a writing session?
My computer.

How do you fuel yourself during your writing session?
Unsweet iced tea, or ice water.

How do you know when you’re done writing?
When my blog post is written or I am falling asleep on my computer.

If you are a writer and you are reading this, consider yourself tagged.

Watch Kim Chance’s video: https://t.co/b0734bqUvh (Published on Aug 11, 2017)

Category: Writing | Comments Off on Writing Ritual Tag