Homemade Pancakes and Syrup

Okay, so this has nothing to do with my book. But ever since I've been on Pinterest, I am addicted and now I am wanting to share some of the things I do or may know, which may not be much. Ha. The first thing I am going to share is my pancakes and syrup. I even uploaded a picture. Aren't I so good? :)

     My youngest daughter, Emily, has some food allergies and we were trying to stay away from high fructose corn syrup. Even after realizing the corn syrup was not one of her triggers, this syrup is Emily's favorite.

     Both recipes come from two ladies of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Mansfield, MO where my father-in-law is the preacher. Thank you Kathy Barnett and Marge Short.


     The syrup may be made while the pancakes are cooking.

 PANCAKES

1 egg
1 cup milk (I use whole)
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

I usually make two batches for my family of 6. Also, sometimes I add a little more flour for thicker pancakes.  You know how it goes, it all depends on our mood.


HOMEMADE PANCAKE SYRUP

1 1/2  cups brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
dash of salt
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring (make sure to add after boiling above ingedients)

Mix all ingredients in small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Stir in maple flavoring. Serve warm.

note: I don't always use butter and I don't think I even add the salt. I then pour the syrup in a pretty mason jar and use a spoon to poor over the pancakes. Refrigerate unused syrup. Warm up when used next. Very yummy. I haven't used store bought since.

An update for the week

My daughter, Emily, is in a cleaning/rearranging mood. She has been busy in her room and proudly lets me know her every step as she slowly gets it the way she wants. Too bad she has to share it with her stinky twelve year old brother, who is not his usual loud mouth today. Logan has been on the couch sleeping. A cold has been trying to take over his body the past two days; today it won. A fever and cough wiped him out and the couch is currently his best friend. Poor little guy.

For me, I think my brain is tired. Too much learning new stuff at my new job in the Post Office. (Not a new job, but a different position at a new station in the same city within the P.O.) I went from a job that I was very capable and knowledgeable of, to a new job that I'm not sure if I can get down. My question to every package brought in to the store: Is that liquid, fragile, perishable, or potentially hazardous? May not sound to bad, but try to say it fast enough and remember to ask every time really is a challenge. Not to mention which rate and box and price and extra items like delivery confirmation or stamps a customer may like and what button to push, yes, my brain is dead after a days work. It may not sound hard. It may even sound easier than my other job, and in some ways it very much is, but it is still a brain procession and I am near brain dead as I write this. I called my friend from my other station and asked if I could come home. She said the door was always open. I'm thankful to have a friend that can laugh with me when I need it. We all need those friends.

Changed my book price again. Yes, I probably am doing that too much. It wasn't selling, so I decided to try the higher price and see if my son, Liam, was right. $4.99. We shall see. I have managed to get it up on B&N again and am working to get it to ibooks and google books.

That is all for an update I have at the moment. I am going to try and work on the book. I hope my brain will function. It is almost 8 p.m., I better eat first I suppose.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.

If Amanda Hocking Can Do It

I started a new week of training for my new bid job in the great postal service. One week of book work in forty hours. The first day is so far, not so bad. After fourteen years working five a.m. to eleven a.m., six days a week, this eight to five is a little different. I've been spoiled, being home when my kids walk through the door after school, or running errands and picking them up for after school meetings. But it is only for two weeks. My last week will be on the job window training. When I am done training, my job will be eight a.m. to two p.m., five days a week. Just in time to be home for the kids or to gather them from their after school meetings. All will be good again. I have to say though, I enjoyed "sleeping in" til six a.m. It felt nice.

My days of writing in a quiet house are over. I will have to write after the kids are home, maybe later in the evenings. It will be interesting to see how productive I can be. I have been a little frustrated with sales on my first novel, Chasing Dragons: Vengeance. I have gotten a few good reviews, but still it hasn't sold very well. I try and figure what is selling the other books out on the market, but they keep their secrets.

I have completed re-edits awhile back and believe everything looks good. My cover by Jerry Kissell, I believe, is rather awesome. Friends and complete strangers have told me they love my book, but still, I am left feeling confused at how to get it out there. To tell the truth, as much as my ideas flow and swirl around inside my head, writing is hard, but promoting and getting people to read it is a lot harder. Someday I will be able to help others who are in the same situation. For now, I am constantly looking for new paths to take. I will not give up. I have found I love writing. And, I guess, even if no one does read my stories or like them, I do and I will keep plugging away until every last character is out of my head and on the screen. Two books are swirling in my head at the moment. It is interesting how I am able to keep them separated from each other. Their magic is slowly spreading from my fingers onto the screen.

I lowered my book price from $2.99 to $.99. I am testing the waters to see if this will help. My son, Liam, thinks I should raise the price. He thinks maybe readers think lower prices equate to an inferior book. If this price fails, I will raise the price a little higher and see if he is right.

If you are an author, as well as I, maybe the articles I write of my experience will give you some insight or help in your adventure. There are no instant answers. Why one sells and another doesn't, I haven't a clue.
Maybe it is the genre or the type of characters, or maybe it is the description or lack of. What ever it is, without the expertise of a publicist, I am on my own, picking my way through the crowding ocean.

In the mean time, we must each have faith in our abilities and believe that if Amanda Hocking can do it, so can we. I wonder if she ever believed she could be an inspiration to others? I hope someday I can be.