Karma Corn Craze: Forecast- Rainy with a chance of rain! Love to ope...

Karma Corn Craze: Forecast- Rainy with a chance of rain! Love to ope...: Forecast- Rainy with a chance of rain! Love to open the windows and have the smell of rain to start the day. The start of October is just ar...

Forecast- Rainy with a chance of rain! Love to open the windows and have the smell of rain to start the day. The start of October is just around the corner and next weekend we are predicting to bei n the sixties! Living in Iowa is full four seasons and sometimes surprises in each season. As next week it will be back in the eighties. I am hoping for some Fall golf yet and my annual Christmas trip with mom that we take each year. I surprise her with a trip, and we take it in fall. Here are a few fun pictures from the past trips!

Karma Corn Craze: The new weekly feature... Crystal Ball Predictions...

Karma Corn Craze: The new weekly feature... Crystal Ball Predictions...: The new weekly feature... Crystal Ball Predictions...  Most people know that I use to read palms and have had my fair share of phychic a...

The new weekly feature... Crystal Ball Predictions...

 Most people know that I use to read palms and have had my fair share of phychic ability. My paternal grandmother told me that I had the gifts through dreams. I now have 20 some notebooks full of dreams, and some have led to some predictions that have come true. Last night, I had some predictions for this year. They are from weather to Football so here goes....

1. Atlanta Falcons will win in this Sunday's game.- (wrong they did not as I kept seeing Atlanta 10- which ironically when I watched the game is the number they were stuck on. Little rusty on predicting- hope to fine tune the third eye!)
2. Hurricane beginning with an H will be a problem for Texas.
3. Detroit will be the hot spot for record snowfall.
4. Colorado will also have more snow than they know what to do with.

It is seventy five degrees out so enjoy the weather and hope our snow is way in the future.

Karma Corn Craze: Karma Corn is free today.....This year has be...

Karma Corn Craze:  Karma Corn is free today.....



This year has be...:  Karma Corn is free today..... This year has been amazing. How much fun to begin a book series and be able to realize my dream. I ...

 Karma Corn is free today.....

This year has been amazing. How much fun to begin a book series and be able to realize my dream. I want to thank all people that have started to read the series and the ones that are up to date and waiting for the next book. Most people in the Midwest are being blessed with Indian Summer weather. Tomorrow I will get to enjoy some of that weather and occasionally see how well the free promotion for Karma Corn is going. I picture sunshine and feeding my fish. Watching mums peek through the Japanese lanterns and smell the honeysuckle.

 In the afternoon, I will wander inside long enough to see what countries are presently buying Karam Corn. It's nice to know that a warm September day can bring simple pleasures.

Karma Corn Craze: Once Upon A Cupcake free on kindle for Saturday. T...

Karma Corn Craze: Once Upon A Cupcake free on kindle for Saturday. T...: Once Upon A Cupcake free on kindle for Saturday. The second book is like a middle child. I seem to try to squeeze time for it with the first...

Once Upon A Cupcake free on kindle for Saturday. The second book is like a middle child. I seem to try to squeeze time for it with the first novel being close to the heart and the third I so thoroughly enjoyed the character. My middle book was one that I wrote for the busy mother, teenager or person that wanted a good story but may not have a lot of time to devote to a book. The book is set In New York City and is a warm and heart felt read. I loved the exploration of a character who glimpses a stranger for a mere second and the ability to experience where that sighting may go. For those of you that are looking for a fun book to read over the weekend. This book is for you!

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Cupcake-Karma-ebook/dp/B00AW1BV1Y

Karma Corn Craze: Sorry Powerball players hoping for another record ...

Karma Corn Craze: Sorry Powerball players hoping for another record ...: Sorry Powerball players hoping for another record jackpot. The Powerball was hit tonight and not by yours truly. This is an easy Crysta...

Sorry Powerball players hoping for another record jackpot.

The Powerball was hit tonight and not by yours truly. This is an easy Crystal Ball prediction because you can check the South Dakota Lottery Internet page which updates by midnight if the Jack pot is hit. My new prediction for Iowa tomorrow is.... yes it will be hot and rain is coming by late Thursday night, but it will be very spotty. Cooler temperatures to come to end the workweek  and this one you did not need a crystal ball... just the weather channel. I am thankful for the fact that my husband did amazing in day surgery. I have a wonderful family. My children, I am happy for the lives that they are creating. Not a lot of predictions at this point because this is just a fun experiment of what is to come. A whole new direction for the blog and I hope it is interactive. It is now Thursday and I am  just going to smile,  go to lunch and be happy that I have what I have.

Karma Corn Craze: Crystal Ball predictions....I am hoping that I c...

Karma Corn Craze: Crystal Ball predictions....

I am hoping that I c...: Crystal Ball predictions.... I am hoping that I can predict a Kansas City Chiefs win tomorrow night by three points. I predict that the ...

Crystal Ball predictions....

I am hoping that I can predict a Kansas City Chiefs win tomorrow night by three points. I predict that the pick three tonight will be 237, as promised, by my son. I predict many people will buy power ball tickets today... Boy this predicting stuff is kind of fun. It may be a weekly event of mine the crystal ball predictions. I'll try to brush up on my very weak predicting and maybe wow you on the blog ... who knows? Of course, there is the unknown. My son and I just experienced that with a happy ending. He has been on a job search all summer and as a mother, my thoughts go right along with every interview. In May, he had thought he had a sure job due to a contact I had made for him. When he was visiting his girlfriend they went to a psychic who told him he would start work in Octuber and make a lot more than he presently was planning to make. The psychic was right as he will be starting in October and 15,000 over what he was soppose to make in May when the job fell through. Life and prediction have funny little twist, and yet it looks like the road you are soppose to take you often do.

Karma Corn Craze: Talking Ophelia Jones over eggs.... We just had ...

Karma Corn Craze: Talking Ophelia Jones over eggs....

 We just had ...: Talking Ophelia Jones over eggs....   We just had an impromptu brunch with Aaron my mom and me. We were discussing one of my favorite top...

Talking Ophelia Jones over eggs....

 We just had an impromptu brunch with Aaron my mom and me. We were discussing one of my favorite topics, which is my latest book. My mother had just read the book and gave me feedback on what she liked about the character and the book. In opening up the conversation it also brought  in to play that I am currently developing characters for the new book. The next book it will be the fourth in the series of Karma Corn and will be a much larger book as it will span ten years. This book will also be a mystery which will be a first for me. I am also hoping to do a little traveling to the places that are in the book before I actually begin writing. The part of writing a series is that the characters that I once thought were just part of a single story have now begun to become  part of a large canvas waiting for new pictures. I smile that Ophelia joined us for breakfast at least in my head. Well, some in my actions I accidentally squirted Aaron in the face with Windex. I spilled milk on the table and myself and burnt my finger. Does Ophelia Jones live with me each day? I most certainly believe she is now a part of my soul.

Jeff Brown- Half Dome

Today's blog is simple. Congrats to my brother on reaching another of his goals. He climbed half dome in Yosemite National Park. He has been climbing for several years and this is a passion that close to skiing he revels in. Last year he was in Canada and was dropped from a helicopter to ski. He has ran marathons and competed in tough mudders. I enjoy watching his adventures and the biggest joy I have is each time I see a picture with his amazing smile. As a older sister I will always worry but everytime he does someting on his bucket list I will be forever proud of him!

I am ready for the cooler weather of fall. We in Iowa are praying for some rain. There are days we look at the blaring sun and wish for overcast days. It has been over a month without a drop. The ground is cracked and hard, and plants are surviving but lack full beauty. My waterfall has flocks of birds each day as it is the only source of water for many. I yearn to open my windows and feel cool breezes as I watch the sky open up with a gentle rain. The leaves turning orange and yellow with bright reds through out. My summer has been a fun and memorable one, but it is football, chili and cooler weather this blogger is craving. I can try to do an Indian rain dance with my lovely boot that I am now wearing. The boot is to protect two-foot  injuries, so I am not sure how wonderful the dance will be. With an Indian dance I might do, we might get October Snow! Ha I said it snow am I really yearning for cooler temperatures!!!

Are you ready for some football?

Aaron at Arrowhead!!!!

 Tomorrow is opening Sunday. Yes, there was a Thursday night game but this is Sunday with all the games and highlights and free NFL ticket. No running to the computer to look up on the ESPN game day and what my team is doing.  The blessed Sunday Noon kickoff  and a full day of football with my son to watch the games with. A long-standing tradition that we have not been able to enjoy as much lately. Life, work or him being away at college prevented the noon kickoff.  Not tomorrow I will be sitting with my son watching our Kansas City Chiefs play and enjoying a vegetarian pizza. Gone are the chicken wings and beef nachos. We pick a different menu but cannot wait to have the day to kick off an amazing football season. I cannot wait to have this time with my son. As a mother, I have been blessed with children whom I truly enjoying getting to know as an adult. Enjoy first football to all that indulge in watching the games.

Tissue journal

Last night, I wrote  about an amazing touching story between a soldier and a grandmother and tonight the tissues are out. I wonder in the food industry if we do touch people, or we are just there as a conversational piece. Tonight, a woman who has been a lively fixture with her partner changed my thoughts about the picture that I imagine. They have been a wonderful couple, her by his side as they told me over a five-year period about all of his frustrations in finding out what is wrong with him. She held his head during a seizure, and I ran to help... I sat with him while she unsteadily brought the car around. I held her hand when they said his heart did not work right. Next, we had his Parkinson's diagnosis and her mouth cancer. Through it all, they were smiles and a couple that  I admired. Tonight she came in by herself, and I feared the worst as she came to me solemnly. I worried that the seizures had taken him. Instead, she told me the story that after her operation, he had left her after eight years. I sat, and we talked of her hopelessness and her fear that he had given up and left because he thought he might not live long. I hoped that I told her the right things but tonight my eyes were not dry as I realize that things are never how we perceive them. I hid my silly, little medical boot under the table because I realized that me wearing a boot for an injury for four weeks pales in comparison to a broken heart. I wish I could help mend this heart, and I realize that when life comes charging in we only wish that we have the words to mend.

A story from the heartland...
I went to work tonight and was quite surprised to receive a call from Belgium. On the other end of the phone was a stranger named Chad. He had one request in that he wanted to have a catfish dinner delivered to his grandmother. We do not normally deliver one meal but something in his voice impressed me, and I knew we should oblige. The catfish was prepared, and a member of the kitchen was soon sent to meet his 92-year-old  Grandmother. She met the delivery with a big smile and much surprise. I answered the phone a half-hour later and was lucky enough to talk to Chad again. He said that even though it was the middle of the night in Belgium, he wanted to know how the delivery had gone. I told him I had included  a little note from him, and she was quite happy could tell he was smiling at the other end as he described how his grandmother had a tough year with falls and that he wished he could see her more. I thanked him that we could be part of a wonderful story. Tonight when I came home CNN blared as my husband had left the television on. I saw comments made on Syria and realized that the war  is for cable tv  but does not touch me often. I pictured Chad tonight as he said he had got on his knees to thank the kindness of strangers. I also imagine his grandmother alone as she ate the catfish thinking of her grandson. How she must worry about him and want to see him again. I picture a soldier far from home, and how much he worries about how much of a shut in his Grandmother has become. I am glad that I answered the phone and could be part of the story as these stories help remind me that I sat in peace in the heartland because of the Chad's in the world.  It was jus a food delivery, but it is one that will stay with me for a long time!

Erica Hofman is having a birthday tomorrow.

 It is the first time I see her name other than the one that was registered at birth. She has been married for two weeks and now has a new life and role in some respects. I would like to honor the child whom I watched become an adult. I loved her fashion sense as a small child. I would have never told her at the time. We were still completely disagreeing when it came to fashion. However, she was always determined to look the way she wanted to. We lived in Dallas Texas when she was little and even at that time she ruled the neighborhood. She has always been a special and commanding force. I cannot wait for our next chapters in life and how we will take on more trips and life together. I am especially looking forward to going back to Napa with her and spending a few days. So happy birthday to my awesome, amazing daughter and I cannot wait for the rest of our lives together!

The only thing that I like about showing my now swollen foot is that my toenail looks really good! My right foot.... I fell over a loose brick in my landscaping  while watering my plants. I want to blame the fact that we have not had rain in 28 days. I would not of been outside watering if the good Lord had just turned nature's faucet on.I would love to say that  the real fault  is the seller of the home ten years ago for not doing the brick in a way that was sure to last. Down deep I have to look at my summer. I write a book about a person that is very clumsy and well maybe it's karma but this has been my summer to become Miss Ophelia Jones. Poison Ivy in my eyes and ears. Injuring my heel to the point that I am to get fitted for a boot on Wednesday on this foot. A severe muscle strain from moving a hedge. Shoes that exploded in Nashville. A side of my mouth that has hurt for over two weeks. A infected finger from a manicure when I never have had a problem with a manicure. My left knee still knumb from a fall at work. I think the universe is trying to tell me something and maybe it is time to listen. The only good thing is that I have been too busy with the other injuries I have hardly noticed the Parkinson's. I think my next book will only be about winning the lottery. That is a safer bet becouse it can take care of medical bills. Smiles to everyone as I just wait for the next accident to appear. Laughing at myself makes it so much easier!

If a writer touches the heart of a stranger, it is in hope that they may one day really know compassion. I often wonder when I am writing my blog who I am writing to. What airless space will my thoughts land upon. Tonight, I was lucky enough to have a wonderful conversation with a mother who is also a grandmother of a special-needs child. She is tireless in her pursuit to bring whatever is needed to her grandson. I see her empathy and I also connect with the world that we cannot grasp. How do we really thank the caregivers of the children who need the extra love and daily compassion? My sister's... I watch and marvel at the fact that they

 both have such full careers and also juggle the special needs of a child. 

My friend has a daughter who is also juggling and always searching or looking for new answers to a cure.

 I realized as I walked my friend out to her car after a wonderful night of conversation that I am so humbled by our amazing care givers in the world. I want to thank the women whom I know that bring the light into a child with special needs. What would we ever do without you? The three that I am talking about keep strong smiles on their faces and bring light to other's around them. So today on Labor day let's all say a small prayer for the caretakers of the children that need a special person looking after them. God bless them all!