Feral Cats

 Most that know me, know that I have several cats, many of whom once lived on the streets. One cat, in particular, Snow, was an aggressive cat at first. He fought with other cats, attacked the dog, and was generally angry. I get it. He had humans once, ones he loved, and they tossed him out to live in the streets. He went from a warm home to a cold world. He had to fight to survive. He was angry. He was alone. Betrayed.

At first, he was afraid when we took him in. It took a lot to earn his trust, then he became calmer. We give him cat CBD oil for is joints, as he is an old cat, and he began playing. It took him a long time to purr, but now he will as he makes the blankets soft. He no longer goes after the dog, and has even been known to snuggle up beside her. He sleeps with the other cats, and follows us around. He is so full of love. He is content now.

My point is, that cat you find outside, the angry one, is angry for a reason. Maybe you could give them a reason to not be angry any more. The cat with the clipped ear has neutered (or spayed if a female). It does not make them any less adorable, it simply adds character. Odds are, they will love you more than a cat you buy from a breeder, because they know what hardship is, and when you give them a comfortable home and love, they will appreciate it that much more. 

Adopt don't shop.

And Because I'm Not Busy Enough Writing...

Because I'm not busy enough writing, and because my writing queue isn't long enough, I thought I would also share my knitting and crocheting queue. I will start with my works in progress:

Kye's Fire & Ice Socks

Mom's Shawl

Sock Monkey Scarves

Simple Shawl

Charity hats

Kayla's Toothless

Supernatural Square

February Mood Scarf

Temperature Scarf

And here's what's lined up for after I get some of those finished:
Champagne Cowl (Kayla)
Thick Tweed Socks
Twisted Kraken Hat
Cheerful Step Socks
Fast Floral Legwarmers
Grape Fingerless Gloves & Hat
Step Lively Beret
Blue Fingerless Gloves
Twisted Knitter Socks
Intermezzio Shawl
Water Shawl MKAL
Negan's Revenge Shawl
Slouchy Camas Hat
Druidess Beret
Through the Woods Hood
Red Stripe Socks
Celtic Triad Socks
Windowpane Socks
Unintentionally Shawl/Scarf
Baby -Tree of Life Blanket
Portacula Cardigan - Purple
Portacula Cardigan - Grey
Monty Python Square

I wonder how much I will get accomplished in 2018. Oh, and if you're on Ravelry, you can find me here: https://www.ravelry.com/people/Faerybug and follow my progress.

2018 is here

Another year has come and gone, and I feel as if I have been seriously slacking. Truthfully, though, it's been a rough year. I've been in a lot of pain, which makes concentrating difficult. I did, however, finish a novel in November, Samael's Wish (50,570 words), which is now in the rewrite phase.

I have also run my first three novels, Rise of the Dark Angel, Dark Wings Spread, and Fall of the Darkness through a new editing program and will be re-publishing them over the next month or so. I also intend to release a compilation of all three books, as well as the short Evil Man, in print, soon so keep an eye out for that.

Then there is Midnight Town (53,056 words), although the first draft was done two years ago, is still in the rewrite phase. I'm having a really hard time with this one for some reason but hope to get it out this year. {fingers crossed}

Witch Way Now (76,197 words), which was originally going to be a trilogy, is looking more like a long novel. I just can't see it making it into three books, unless they are short and that's just not fair to the readers. I think I will pick back up on that after I finish Midnight Town and Samael's wish, though. It requires a lot of research and that takes a lot of time, which is why Midnight Town was on hold for so long.

Finally, here's what I have started in my short story folder and their current word counts:
Painful Promises - 9,716
Losing Innocence - 9,254
Drawing Insanity - 7,581
Maggie Mae - 6,512
Bus #212 - 4,680
Lost Not Found - 1,824
Bittersweet - 775
Disastrous - 647

I'm aiming for between 12-15K words for those, as they are shorts in the Bandages on the Soul series. Once they are all done, I will create a print compilation as well as the Kindle versions.So, as you can see, I have gotten a lot of words down, it's just a matter of finishing the strenuous rewrites and edits, and I can eventually get them out to all of you. Until then, I ask for patience.

Pennsic War XLVI

 Pennsic 2017 had it's ups and downs. I've been questioning whether or not I've wanted to return for the past couple years, and I still am. I spent several days in pain, first I damaged my knee on day 1, and the tote with my knee brace was forgotten home, luckily a camp mate had a brace I could use. After I was back on my feet from that, I aggravated an old back injury and was in severe pain for a couple days from that. Even after it was relatively better, I couldn't bend or lift the rest of war without pain, which made me reliant on others. Those of you that know me, know the stress of this for me.

On top of all that, it was a very emotionally draining event. The inability to do things for myself on top of some issues I was having with a couple of people there left me emotionally drained and ready to go home. This seems to be a trend the last few years, and it makes me question whether or not it is really worth the stress of prep and set-up, and the exhaustion of tear-down and the after-mass of cleaning once I get home.

On the bright side, our neighbors in Die Fledermaus were wonderful as always. They were there when I needed a smile, and one member in particular had a very infectious laugh that got me through some of my down times. At the end of Pennsic I received so much love from everyone over there, it reminded me why I go.

Another bright side is I got some editing done on Midnight Town as well as some reading of Infinite. I also started knitting a new basic shawl with light lacework. It is a super easy pattern which made working on it while sitting in my camp rocking chair relaxing. The yarn color is Gilda: Queen of the Sea and I picked it up at The Black Purl just for this purpose. It seems knitting shawls at Pennsic has become a tradition for me, and this particular yarn was perfect.

I made it up to the merchants four times (a record for me), and I bought a great Comfrey salve from a merchant called Pine Knoll Herb Shop that worked miracles on my bug bites. I also picked up the most amazing Peppermint Soap from them. From Brush Creek Wool Works, I picked up some amazing chocolate raspberry tea and some fun yarn for socks. I also made one big purchase. After being in the SCA since 1993,  I finally got myself a real cloak. I'm talking heavy, water resistant and warm. I've been putting it off for a very long time (obviously) but there was a merchant that had one on sale for a price I couldn't pass up. So, after 24 years, I am the proud owner of a real cloak.

Now here I am, resting after washing five loads of garb/clothing, one load of my fleece blankets and two sleeping bags, oh and the feast gear (eating utensils). Now to finish one more sleeping bag and 2-3 loads of the bedding from the a-frame and I will be done, which is good because I lost steam a long time ago.

What Would YOU Like?

In Edits

Greetings friends, as an author it is very difficult to figure out what to say on a blog during a dry spell, and well I am having quite a dry spell. It's not that I have not written anything, it's more of I can't seem to finish anything. I will get an idea and run with it for several days, and all of a sudden... Nothing. I even have a full-length, stand-alone novel complete, but I can't seem to get through the editing of it.

But it is now 2017 and I have decided to get things done, somehow.

In the meantime, what would you like to see from me during my dry spells? I tried a weekly blog of my favorite links for the week, but there seemed to be no interest so I let that one drop. I could post pictures of my critters? I have 4 cats, a dog, 4 mice and multiple fish tanks. Although you could see that by following my Instagram. I could post what's going on in my life, but as a self-proclaimed hermit, that might be boring. See why I am having a hard time figuring out how to entertain you? hehe

So, what would you like to see from me?

What's interesting this week?

Another slower week for interesting sites, guess I've not been spending enough time on the Internet or something. hehe

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Well, here is a shop I came across on Etsy that has the cutest little faerie wings jewelry, Under the Ivy.

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Thanksgiving is coming up and I'm sure thoughts are starting to turn toward what to put on the menu. I'm thinking bacon wrapped cheddar and apple appetizers and possibly this stuffing. Caramelized Onion & Apple Stuffing just looks tasty!

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So, I'm sure not many of you know this but the red panda is one of my favorite critters because they are just so darned cute! YouTube has a video that just melts my heart and I want to share it with you.

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Well, that's it for this week. It's been a very stressful and enlightening one. Hope yours was better.

~Pixie

This Week...

Another week's gone by. Some editing was done but in a bit of a rut. I just can't seem to concentrate. On the bright side, I'm making Crock Pot Apple Butter for the family and the house smells absolutely wonderful.

I used half the sugar called for, adding it after the apples cooked down so as to sweeten it to taste and it came out perfect!

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Not a very heavy link worthy week, and I am a couple days late posting, but here's a really pretty new yarn by one of my favorite online yarn dealers: Kit 1 - November 2016 Insider's Yarn Club - AWE $37.00

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Well, that's it really. Hope you had a great week and see you next Friday (as long as I'm not late again.)

What Caught My Attention This Week

So this has been a very slow week for good finds, perhaps you have something of interest to share? Here is what I did find...

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Spooky Halloween Village // Cardboard Craft
This is an absolutely adorable idea for those with smaller ones, and what a great way to use up all those old boxes you might have in your basement or attic. (Am I the only one that does that?)

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Tuff Puff Woodsmoke Sampler: Included is 2 skeins each of Bark, Ivy, Black, and Silver. Yarn info: Tuff Puff: Super Bulky, 100% Wool, 44 yards, 100g ball.

I came across this in an email yesterday and it looks absolutely divine, perhaps some day I will pick some up and knit something soft and warm with it! If I do, I will be sure to share it with all of you.

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Finally, we have my absolutely favorite Jamberry Nail Wraps ever.What's This!? theme after one of my all-time favorite movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Normally I'm not a fan of super glitzy, but these are just so cute!

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Oh, so I made the Hawaiian Sticky Chicken with Pineapple from last weeks post and realized as I was making it I was missing the tomato paste. Still made it up but it was lacking a little flavor so might retry it at some point when I have some paste. Otherwise, it was good. :) Working on my Writers Wristies knitting project, halfway done with the pair using the correct needle, will share next week when they are done.

Now off to make Rice Krispie pumpkins. :)

Have a great day and happy browsing.

XXX
Pixie Brearley - Author

This week's web goodies...

So, I was a bit smarter this week and decided to start this post early, so I can add things to it as I come across them instead of trying to remember what I saw. hehe

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Taozi Night Light Mushroom Lamp Energy Saving Color Changing LED Sensor Night Lamp Light Green Plants on the Wall

This is just so cool! Wouldn't this be nice for that dark hallway or even in the kitchen for going for a midnight snack? I just love it. I wish they had night lights like that when I was a kid, it would have been perfect for my room.

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This one is just an image, but it tells it all. What a great idea, it would have been perfect for the scarves I was working on with multiple colors. Must remember this trick,especially since I've seen these baskets at the Dollar Tree. :D Best part is they can stack, so you can place your WiP (work in progress) in the basket and set another project on top to organize and save space. I definitely like this idea.

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So who likes chicken and pineapple? I came across this recipe and boy does it look yummy, planning to give it a go tomorrow. Hawaiian Sticky Chicken with Pineapple. I will be sure to let you guys know how it came out in next weeks post. :)

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Last but definitely not least,  the Cozy Season Crochet Shawl Pattern designed by Kristina Smiley offered for free until October 27th. This is an absolutely beautiful shawl, and if you have not tried any of Chandi's yarn yet, I highly recommend it! I'm currently working with some and it is absolutely divine.

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Well, there you go, my favorites of the week. What do you think? Have you found a favorite this week? Feel free to share it!

My Favorite Goodies on the Web this Week

So, I know I've been really quiet, the problem with trying to write, edit, design, and have a family BUT I feel as if I have been neglecting my followers. So, I will be starting a weekly post where I share some of my favorite things I've come across this week on the web. Not sure how many to do, this is an experiment, so why don't you guys let me know if this was too short, too long, or just right okay? Thanks!

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So here's the first one. Now who out there actually remembers Q*Bert? Bill and Ted? Well Pop! has come out with these lovelies:

Here's where you can find out more about them: Coming Soon: Q*Bert Pop!, Bill & Ted Pop!s, and MLP Mystery Minis! 

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My second favorite item on the web this week, the book Full Catastrophe Living (Revised Edition): Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by by Jon Kabat-Zinn 

Even though the book is not new, it was mentioned to me by my urologist on Monday after he told me I have a benign cyst on both my kidneys as well as a small stone against the one on my fight kidney.  I'm also on medication for blood pressure, which means most OTC drugs are out the window, so when I am in pain or sick I have to bear through it. He suggested I read this book and give it a try. So, I'm reading it and so far I am really into the concept. Will keep you updated.

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And for number three, Brown Sugar-Spiced Grapefruit. Saw someone eating this on the television and had to look it up, doesn't it sound amazing? Doesn't it look amazing? I can't wait to pick up some and give it a try!

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And finally, who doesn't like dragon scales on clothes? Well what about on a pair of fingerless gloves? This patter has definitely made my wishlist, and you can see why:

Dragonscale Gloves by Rachel Barlow on Ravelry are just so cool, and different, and right up my alley. Maybe someday I will make myself a pair, perhaps in a purple variegated.

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Well, there we go, my favorite things this week. Hope you found something that interests you and please, if you find something you think I might like, share it in the comments! I would love to see what you found.

Autumn

I have decided Autumn is my favorite of all the seasons. I used to love spring for all the color but lately it has been mutes, the weather has been really funky and so the flowers just have not had their usual oomph.

Autumn, however, is still full of color and it also brings several of my favorite seasonal goodies like pumpkin pie, birch beer, hoodies, warm apple cider. Not sweating to death or freezing, nice and comfy in my fleece pajama bottoms and a hoodie.

I enjoy Autumn by sitting with my tea and a good book, or knitting my latest shawl with a blanket over my lap. Watching my cats playing, as the cooler weather gives them so much more energy and they tend to run around the house like little furry madmen playing tag with each other.

What is your favorite season and why?

Nightmare and Lies: A Bandages on the Soul Short

I have finally released another short in the Bandages on the Soul series!

Nightmares and Lies 
ASIN: B01EK6DE7A
Available for Amazon Kindle for only $.99 US

When Kelly turned 21, she went on a drinking spree with a couple of her friends to celebrate. After a horrible accident, that left her dead for nearly two minutes, she acquired a strange gift. Although she sees it more as a curse. Victims of violent crimes visit her in her dreams begging for her help.

Busy, busy, busy

Well, after a fairly long funk, I am back to work. Here's what you have to look forward to over the next few months...

Completed writing stage:
Nightmares and Lies - A Bandages on the Soul Short Coming May 1st
Midnight Town (Stand-alone full-length novel) In Edits
Summer of Amery - A Bandages on the Soul Short In Edits
Witch Way Now - Book 1 in the Dorothy Thompson Trilogy In Edits 
 
Nearly complete (only 2 chapters to go):
Painful Promises - A Bandages on the Soul Short
Losing Innocence - A Bandages on the Soul Short

And about halfway complete:
Drawing Insanity - A Bandages on the Soul Short 
Untitled - A Bandages on the Soul Short 

As you can see, I've been busy. I will also need to start working on the second book in the Dorothy Thompson Trilogy. Guess I better get back to writing! 

Slowly but surely....

At the beginning of day three of getting back to writing. Still low in the goals, but they are going up. Wrote 1084 words on Monday and 1856 words yesterday. Would have had more yesterday but I was fighting with this one paragraph that was just not write and eventually I just got rid of it. A couple hundred words and at least an hour of writing down the drain.

All well, can't dwell, it happens.

The snow is finally starting to melt, my poor plants look so sad though. Hoping that was the last of the evil white stuff so they will recuperate.

Well, I guess I have stalled enough, time to get back to writing.

Have a great day!

Writing Challenge or Writing Death Sentence?

So I have been doing really bad at keeping up with writing. Even now, when I should be writing, I am here on my blog instead.

A good friend of mine Dawn McCullough-White (Facebook and Amazon) suggested we have a writing competition to get back to writing as this winter has taken it's toll on more than just my muse. Each day we will post our word count.

Hmm, this may end really poorly for me as the day is already half over and I am only at 650 words. Oops?

Doesn't help that the cold front that just dumped some snow on us is wreaking havoc on my sinuses, or that the dog keeps trying to get to the birds in front of the house through the window, or perhaps it is the fact it snowed, on my flowers, in April. Or maybe I am just making excuses. Who knows. All I know is I really need to get back to writing.

Well, then... Here I go.

No, really... I am off.

Definitely this time...

Happy reading everyone.

Spring Not Spring

We had several days of really nice weather, I started writing again, it was beautiful.

Then yesterday this white stuff started coming down from the sky, but the thermometer read 35.8*F. What is this sorcery? My bulbs are all coming up, my crocuses are in full bloom and this happens?

So it continues to lightly snow all night and because the temperature dropped we had a very light accumulation as you can see in the picture.

This morning it was cold and rainy/sleety out, which was miserable for standing outside waiting for the bus with the pup (who by the way was loving the weather) to see the boy off to school. After becoming cold, wet rats, we came inside and she pouted on her doggy bed because wet dogs are not allowed on the couch.

I tried to write, but the miserable weather just kills my muse so instead I cleaned the kitchen. Now I am sitting down with a fresh mug of tea and a banana and hoping for warmer weather.

Difference between coffee and tea for me.

So, once upon a time I was a heavy coffee drinker. You all know the kind, don't bother me before my morning coffee or die. Then it started giving me heart burn and acid reflux. After that my cardiologist told me I should consider switching to something else. So I tried soda and wow did I put on weight. 

Granted I love my Wild Cherry Pepsi, Dr Pepper and Mr Pibb, but they obviously love me even more because they stuck around in the form of a beer belly. I guess you can say I have a soda belly now. hehe So now I limit myself to a couple sips with my morning medications.

So, with coffee and soda being out, tea was the logical alternative. It allows me the satisfaction of a warm mug in my hands, the act of slowly sipping at a warm drink and smelling whatever is in my mug. Yet, at first I was hesitant. I mean... It's tea and I am an avid coffee drinker (or was). Now I am a tea collector and lover. I have loose tea and tea bags and K-Cups in assorted different flavors, both regular and decaf, herbal to black. I now have different flavors for different activities as well, it has become a bit of an obsession for me.

Here's what I like about tea, when I drink a good black tea in the morning it wakes me up without the jittery feeling coffee gave me. I feel more coherent, less scattered, and it is relaxing. Even the caffeinated teas offer a sense of calming when I drink them. In the evening, or when stressed, I will have an herbal or decaf tea while knitting to wind down with. Unlike coffee, that was basically a necessity to function, tea has become a companion to my day.

Here are some of my favorites:

Organic Masala Chai Black Tea from Wegmans
This is one of the best Chai teas I have found. They sell it loose in these big metal canisters and you measure out how much you want. The taste is amazing and there are whole Caramom pods that you crack before brewing for added flavor. (I use a Teavana Perfectea Maker for my loose teas and absolutely love it.) When my daughter makes it, she does it the traditional way with cream and sugar, but I just add a teaspoon of Coffee Mate Natural Bliss Coffee Creamer, Sweet Cream Flavor to mine and it is perfect.

 Davidson's Tea Bulk, Decaf Earl Grey at Amazon
I absolutely love this black tea for the evenings. It has a nice flavor and the Bergamot gives it an absolutely wonderful aroma. One thing I have noticed, since I started drinking this tea in the evenings I have been having an easier time with falling asleep. Could be a coincidence... Or not.

Awake English Breakfast Black Tea  by Tazo
This one is in tea bags and K-Cups and I have found it in most grocery stores. A great tea for waking up in the morning. Nice smooth, soft flavor that goes great with a splash of lemon or lime juice. It has an extra boost of caffeine in it, thus it's name.

Turmeric Ginger Caffeine-Free Herbal Blend by Rishi
If you are looking for an herbal tea with a bit of spice to it then look no further. I picked this one up because I have been taking turmeric for joint pain and thought it would be a great addition, I was right. The flavor was not as overpowering as I thought it would be and it actually has a calming effect when you drink it.

Do you have a favorite tea? Share it here, I would love to know what it is and why you like it. :)

One of my hobbies...

Yarn and Pattern for Knit-Along

So for those that don't know, I like to knit. It took me nearly twenty years to learn, as I am a leftie and finding someone to teach me was nearly impossible as every time I attempted to knit right handed I messed up. Finally I went to the Lion Brand website and learned by mirroring the video tutorials.

I thought I would share a link to my other blog, or more specifically the section following my progress in a knit-along I joined on Craftsy. I am having a great time with it and have learned so much already.

If you decide to join the knit-along, and start a blog about it as well, let me know and I will post a link to your blog in my knit-along thread and I would love to see your progress as well!

NaNoWriMo 2015

So, it is day 4 of NaNoWriMo and so far so good. I know as a mom with three kids, weekends are out, and I was recently informed my kids have 4 days off this month, so no writing then as well. This means getting in as many words on the days I can write as I can. Right now I am at 8,169 which is not too bad seeing as if I was able to write daily I should be at about 6,667 by the end of today.

What am I working on, you might be wondering... Well, do you remember me mentioning a Salem witch story a while back? Well, here it is on its way to fruition thanks to NaNoWriMo. If you are also going for the goal, why not buddy up with me, and good luck!

Returned from Pennsic

So I am sure for many of my readers, your first question is "what is Pennsic?"

According to the Wiki:

The Pennsic War is an annual American medieval camping event held by the Society for Creative Anachronism—a "war" between two large regional SCA groups: the Kingdom of the East and the Middle Kingdom.

According to the Pennsic War Website:

Pennsic is an annual event, in the guise of a "War", between the Kingdoms of the East and the Middle of the Society for Creative Anachronism Pennsic is also the largest Society event, with attendance in recent years exceeding 10,000. The scheduled activities include large melee battles, tournaments, archery, stage performances, dancing, and hundreds of classes on medieval topics. The marketplace has over 200 merchants selling a variety of wares.

To me Pennsic is two weeks of camping with some very awesome people. It is catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, new experiences and wonderful times.... Usually. This Pennsic I almost died. No, I am not joking or exaggerating. One of the groups across from us thought it would be okay to use Backyard Fogger with everyone in camp. This is after they were told not to because there were children and people with severe allergies to it within range. I am one of the severely allergic and went into anaphylactic shock. I got to ride in an ambulance and my blood pressure rose so high they were afraid I was going to have a stroke. I was given wonderful care by the on site EMS crew and with lots of IV Benadryl they were able to get the anaphylaxis under control and slowly bring my blood pressure down. On a side note, if you are looking at someone's EKG readings, turn your back if you are going to make the "oh this is not good" face. So, after recovering I had several more instances where my BP started to hit the higher side, and eventually I ended up going home a day early with my mom. 

Now I am back in the air conditioning with my kitties and although my BP has not returned to "normal" levels at least I am comfortable. My two girls are with me and they are keeping an eye on me until the rest of the family returns.

Moral of this story, if someone asks you not to use chemicals around them... Don't.