Hey! It's Friday again. Princess Diary Day.
Tip: It's fall. A beautiful season, but also the time when we begin heating our homes. That means dry skin. Don't wait until you're cracked and flaking. Use extra moisturizer now!
What's on the Bedside Table? Kinley MacGregor's KNIGHT OF DARKNESS. I just began reading it this morning and I am hooked!
Anything on Tap for the Weekend?
I'm doing a booksigning at the Park City Mall in Lancaster, PA. 1:00 to 3:00.
Then I'm hurrying home. My son is having a small party at his house, as a sort of housewarming.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Busy week!
I'm having an incredibly busy week, mostly getting ready for the Low Country Jumpstart Master Class that begins next Saturday.
I thought I'd pop in and say hello to all those who are attending.
I'm really looking forward to this and visiting with Jenny Crusie and Nina Bruhn, two of my favorite authors.
Anybody else going?
susan
I thought I'd pop in and say hello to all those who are attending.
I'm really looking forward to this and visiting with Jenny Crusie and Nina Bruhn, two of my favorite authors.
Anybody else going?
susan
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Goals
As I've mentioned, I'm giving an online workshop on the Motivated Writer loop this month. The topic is goals.
I chose this topic because I had a difficult year and bascially accomplished nothing. LOL.
So I really want to get back to things in 2008. Get more done.
But... I don't just want to get "anything" done. I want to get the right things done. Things I really want.
A few lessons back, we discussed what we really want. I was surprised to discover that I wanted the thrill of accomplishment again.
I've been pondering this. I'm not entirely sure what the thrill of accomplishment is for me. It may simply be a matter of pleasing my editors a little more often than I do.
LOL
All for now. But think about this for yourself. If someone asked, What constitutes the thrill of accomplishment for you...How would you answer?
I chose this topic because I had a difficult year and bascially accomplished nothing. LOL.
So I really want to get back to things in 2008. Get more done.
But... I don't just want to get "anything" done. I want to get the right things done. Things I really want.
A few lessons back, we discussed what we really want. I was surprised to discover that I wanted the thrill of accomplishment again.
I've been pondering this. I'm not entirely sure what the thrill of accomplishment is for me. It may simply be a matter of pleasing my editors a little more often than I do.
LOL
All for now. But think about this for yourself. If someone asked, What constitutes the thrill of accomplishment for you...How would you answer?
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Welcome to Cambria and Somerset County!
I just got back from a conference in New Jersey. But before we talk about that, I'd like to welcome my friends from Cambria and Somerset Counties in PA! Don't forget to hit the Contact Susan button at the top of the home page and send me an email to say hello!
The conference in New Jersey was great. As always. Conference coordinator, Rayna Vause, her assistant, Deb Mullins, and the conference staff did a wonderful job! The food was fabulous. The workshops were informative. The keynote speaker, Karen Robards and lunch speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon (whose name I'm unfortunately mispelling because I can't get it to google this morning) were both fabulous. Sherri brought us all to tears at one point.
The drive is always fun. Five hours of chit-chat with girlfriends Ann and Jacki. (Waving to Ann and Jacki ... :) )
But I came home needing to lose more than a few pounds. LOL. Dessert bars are wonderful until you come back to the real world and have to get on the scale. I'm guessing this week's Princess Diary on Friday will be about scaling back on food, so I can get the numbers on the scale to drop.
This weekend has also been a fun ride on Amazon.com's top 100 Harlequin Romance Line list. I got the whole way to #3 at one point, but this list changes several times an hour so my fame was fleeting and I was back up to #34 the last time I checked.
We're also close to halfway through the Goal Setting workshop on Motivated Writer. So, tomorrow, I'll be posting some of my thoughts on setting goals...especially the necessity to start thinking of your New Year's resolution goals right now...months before you actually need to put them on paper and work toward their achievement.
Anyway, that's it for today. Welcome, to my western Pennsylvania friends and neighbors. Welcome to the NJ confrence people who are here. And welcome to the Motivated Writer friends who are looking for a little extra discussion on goals. I'm back now. LOL. At least until the end of the month when I'm a speaker at the Low Country Jumpstart Master Class in Charleston, South Carolina...At the beach. For a week. It doesn't get any better than that!
susan
The conference in New Jersey was great. As always. Conference coordinator, Rayna Vause, her assistant, Deb Mullins, and the conference staff did a wonderful job! The food was fabulous. The workshops were informative. The keynote speaker, Karen Robards and lunch speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon (whose name I'm unfortunately mispelling because I can't get it to google this morning) were both fabulous. Sherri brought us all to tears at one point.
The drive is always fun. Five hours of chit-chat with girlfriends Ann and Jacki. (Waving to Ann and Jacki ... :) )
But I came home needing to lose more than a few pounds. LOL. Dessert bars are wonderful until you come back to the real world and have to get on the scale. I'm guessing this week's Princess Diary on Friday will be about scaling back on food, so I can get the numbers on the scale to drop.
This weekend has also been a fun ride on Amazon.com's top 100 Harlequin Romance Line list. I got the whole way to #3 at one point, but this list changes several times an hour so my fame was fleeting and I was back up to #34 the last time I checked.
We're also close to halfway through the Goal Setting workshop on Motivated Writer. So, tomorrow, I'll be posting some of my thoughts on setting goals...especially the necessity to start thinking of your New Year's resolution goals right now...months before you actually need to put them on paper and work toward their achievement.
Anyway, that's it for today. Welcome, to my western Pennsylvania friends and neighbors. Welcome to the NJ confrence people who are here. And welcome to the Motivated Writer friends who are looking for a little extra discussion on goals. I'm back now. LOL. At least until the end of the month when I'm a speaker at the Low Country Jumpstart Master Class in Charleston, South Carolina...At the beach. For a week. It doesn't get any better than that!
susan
Friday, September 21, 2007
Princess Diary Friday September 21
Is it really Friday again? And am I really incapable of remembering to blog about goals?
I should be capable. I love goals. LOL. But it's been an unusually busy month.
Princess Tip of the Week: Suck in your tummy.
Years ago, when I was much younger, my sister Helen and I were once getting dressed and I was whining about being fat. (Fat being a relative term when you're a teenager...LOL) Anyway, she said, "The easiest way to look thinner is to suck in your stomach." And I said, "Well, duh."
She said, "No. I don't mean when you're going out. I mean a couple of times a day. Train the muscles to be where they are supposed to be."
So standing in line at the grocery store, at the copy machine at work...even in church...I remember her advice and I pull in my stomach, envisioning the muscles "returning to their appropriate place" as if I'm instructing them where to stand. LOL.
If you do this several times a day, it will become a habit and before you know it, you really will have a flatter tummy. (Or you'll grow so accustomed to holding it in place that everybody will think you do.)
Something Special for the Weekend?
We'll be having cake for my nephew Jack's birthday...I'll be sucking in my tummy later. And I'm finishing a really wonderful book. Marilyn Pappano's Silhouette Romantic Suspense ONE STORMY NIGHT. I began reading it and had to set it down because of work I had to do and I can't wait to read the ending!
What's on the nightstand?
This week my cat spent a lot of time on my nightstand watching me sleep. LOL. I'm driving my son to work at five-thirty every morning so I'm in bed early. But I've discovered I don't need to be awake to amuse her. She sits on the nightstand, her fuzzy black head tilted to the right, gazing at me adoringly.
Or maybe she just likes the sound of snoring?
I should be capable. I love goals. LOL. But it's been an unusually busy month.
Princess Tip of the Week: Suck in your tummy.
Years ago, when I was much younger, my sister Helen and I were once getting dressed and I was whining about being fat. (Fat being a relative term when you're a teenager...LOL) Anyway, she said, "The easiest way to look thinner is to suck in your stomach." And I said, "Well, duh."
She said, "No. I don't mean when you're going out. I mean a couple of times a day. Train the muscles to be where they are supposed to be."
So standing in line at the grocery store, at the copy machine at work...even in church...I remember her advice and I pull in my stomach, envisioning the muscles "returning to their appropriate place" as if I'm instructing them where to stand. LOL.
If you do this several times a day, it will become a habit and before you know it, you really will have a flatter tummy. (Or you'll grow so accustomed to holding it in place that everybody will think you do.)
Something Special for the Weekend?
We'll be having cake for my nephew Jack's birthday...I'll be sucking in my tummy later. And I'm finishing a really wonderful book. Marilyn Pappano's Silhouette Romantic Suspense ONE STORMY NIGHT. I began reading it and had to set it down because of work I had to do and I can't wait to read the ending!
What's on the nightstand?
This week my cat spent a lot of time on my nightstand watching me sleep. LOL. I'm driving my son to work at five-thirty every morning so I'm in bed early. But I've discovered I don't need to be awake to amuse her. She sits on the nightstand, her fuzzy black head tilted to the right, gazing at me adoringly.
Or maybe she just likes the sound of snoring?
Friday, September 14, 2007
Princess Diary!
It's Friday again!
Unfortunately, between working on my next book and learning that I can't pre-blog because I get all kinds of weird symbols in the text...I'm a bit behind.
Princess Tip of the Week:
This week in addition to talking about a specific tip, I thought I'd talk about anchoring yourself so that you remember to do things.
A few years ago, I bought the Facercize tapes and program. I never really got "into" the whole deal, but I did like the exercise for keeping your chin firm. It simply consisted of sucking in your lips, tipping back your head and opening and closing your mouth a hundred times so the potential turkey waddle beneath your chin got enough exercise that it never appeared.
This really worked for me. No turkey waddle here...except, it wasn't exactly easy to remember to do it.
So I searched through my schedule, looking for a few mintues of time I could "schedule" this little (short and simple) exercise in...and still I forgot it.
Until I decided to anchor it. Anchoring is something I learned from Tony Robbins (The 30-days to Personal Power guy.) Tony claims that if you want to remember to do something anchor it to something else. So for the next few weeks, every time I got into the shower I did one hundred of my chin exercises.
Now, every time I step into the shower the first thing I do is a hundred chin exercises. And guess what? I have a nice, firm neck and hope to keep it into my old age.
We remember to put on lotion after our showers. Always brush our teeth before bed. Because we've made these things habits. And we've anchored things together to create rituals so that we do the things we need to do.
Why not add a few arm curls, chin exercises, stretches into your routine?
Something special for the weekend?
Yes! My niece had a baby this week. I'm hoping to drive to Maryland to visit her and Henry Dexter. Cute name. I can't wait to meet the baby it matches.
What's on the night stand?
Believe it or not...LOL...I have a book called When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer by Jerry Sittser.
No. There's no serious unanswered prayer nagging me. But sometimes I like a book about something a little deeper than catching a serial killer or somebody saving the world. LOL
I'm a firm believer that we're only a real princess outside, if we're a princess inside. And this book by Sittser is one of my favorites for reminding me of what's really important in life.
That's it for this princess this week. I hope to get back to blogging about goals on Monday!
We shall see. Life sort of got away from me this week.
Peace
susan
Unfortunately, between working on my next book and learning that I can't pre-blog because I get all kinds of weird symbols in the text...I'm a bit behind.
Princess Tip of the Week:
This week in addition to talking about a specific tip, I thought I'd talk about anchoring yourself so that you remember to do things.
A few years ago, I bought the Facercize tapes and program. I never really got "into" the whole deal, but I did like the exercise for keeping your chin firm. It simply consisted of sucking in your lips, tipping back your head and opening and closing your mouth a hundred times so the potential turkey waddle beneath your chin got enough exercise that it never appeared.
This really worked for me. No turkey waddle here...except, it wasn't exactly easy to remember to do it.
So I searched through my schedule, looking for a few mintues of time I could "schedule" this little (short and simple) exercise in...and still I forgot it.
Until I decided to anchor it. Anchoring is something I learned from Tony Robbins (The 30-days to Personal Power guy.) Tony claims that if you want to remember to do something anchor it to something else. So for the next few weeks, every time I got into the shower I did one hundred of my chin exercises.
Now, every time I step into the shower the first thing I do is a hundred chin exercises. And guess what? I have a nice, firm neck and hope to keep it into my old age.
We remember to put on lotion after our showers. Always brush our teeth before bed. Because we've made these things habits. And we've anchored things together to create rituals so that we do the things we need to do.
Why not add a few arm curls, chin exercises, stretches into your routine?
Something special for the weekend?
Yes! My niece had a baby this week. I'm hoping to drive to Maryland to visit her and Henry Dexter. Cute name. I can't wait to meet the baby it matches.
What's on the night stand?
Believe it or not...LOL...I have a book called When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer by Jerry Sittser.
No. There's no serious unanswered prayer nagging me. But sometimes I like a book about something a little deeper than catching a serial killer or somebody saving the world. LOL
I'm a firm believer that we're only a real princess outside, if we're a princess inside. And this book by Sittser is one of my favorites for reminding me of what's really important in life.
That's it for this princess this week. I hope to get back to blogging about goals on Monday!
We shall see. Life sort of got away from me this week.
Peace
susan
Friday, September 7, 2007
Princess Diary! Friday Special!
The Princess Diary
Every Friday we're going to take a time out from our quest for perfection in our careers and problem solving and indulge. Take a little time for ourselves!
Deep down inside every woman lives a princess...no matter how old that woman is. So I've decided to dedicate one day a week to coaxing out our inner princess! One tip at a time!
My daughter works at a spa. My sister is a beautician. And there are hundreds of great books and websites out there to not only help us look like the princess we know we are, but also feel like a princess.
Tip: Shall we start with something easy? This tip is about as simple as it gets. Once a month, I grab a basin, fill it about half way with warm water and dump in a cup of peroxide and a cup of Epsom salts and create my own spa!
I soak my feet in that for twenty minutes, then buff them with a foot brush or stone, push back the softened cuticles on my toenails, remove old toe nail polish and repaint those nails.
Now, this sounds like a pedicure...LOL...and in some respects it is. But the combination of Epsom salts and peroxide also help get rid of dead skin on your heels and the bottoms of your feet. Even better, this dynamic duo kills under-the-toenail and between-the-toe germs, which wards off all kinds of problems that can sometimes stop you from buying the glass slippers or pretty sandals you found on sale.
And -- by the way -- now now is the time to buy your sandals, Princess! Most will be on sale. So pretty up your feet, go to your favorite shoe store and stock up for next year. Because even though most of us want to dress like our inner princess, we have the budget of a waif. Shop now for next year's killer sandals and get them for the price of a glass of ale!
Something special for the weekend? After working like a serf all week, every princess needs at least one indulgence. My husband is still on vacation, so this weekend we’re planning a trip to the drive-in. Not only is it a way to see two movies for the price of one, but it's a treat that goes away in the winter. If there's a drive-in near you, one that hasn’t closed for the summer...Indulge!
What's on the bedside table? Body lotion. I'm not the kind of person who wears cologne, but I'm always slathering on cream to ward off wrinkles and keep my skin soft and smooth. Lotions have come a long way in the past decade or so. I've even got a lotion that smells like a margarita! My point here is that the first thing I see when I sit on my bed is my lotion. It's like one final chance to make sure I stay soft! And make myself smell enticing to my Prince Charming.
susan
Every Friday we're going to take a time out from our quest for perfection in our careers and problem solving and indulge. Take a little time for ourselves!
Deep down inside every woman lives a princess...no matter how old that woman is. So I've decided to dedicate one day a week to coaxing out our inner princess! One tip at a time!
My daughter works at a spa. My sister is a beautician. And there are hundreds of great books and websites out there to not only help us look like the princess we know we are, but also feel like a princess.
Tip: Shall we start with something easy? This tip is about as simple as it gets. Once a month, I grab a basin, fill it about half way with warm water and dump in a cup of peroxide and a cup of Epsom salts and create my own spa!
I soak my feet in that for twenty minutes, then buff them with a foot brush or stone, push back the softened cuticles on my toenails, remove old toe nail polish and repaint those nails.
Now, this sounds like a pedicure...LOL...and in some respects it is. But the combination of Epsom salts and peroxide also help get rid of dead skin on your heels and the bottoms of your feet. Even better, this dynamic duo kills under-the-toenail and between-the-toe germs, which wards off all kinds of problems that can sometimes stop you from buying the glass slippers or pretty sandals you found on sale.
And -- by the way -- now now is the time to buy your sandals, Princess! Most will be on sale. So pretty up your feet, go to your favorite shoe store and stock up for next year. Because even though most of us want to dress like our inner princess, we have the budget of a waif. Shop now for next year's killer sandals and get them for the price of a glass of ale!
Something special for the weekend? After working like a serf all week, every princess needs at least one indulgence. My husband is still on vacation, so this weekend we’re planning a trip to the drive-in. Not only is it a way to see two movies for the price of one, but it's a treat that goes away in the winter. If there's a drive-in near you, one that hasn’t closed for the summer...Indulge!
What's on the bedside table? Body lotion. I'm not the kind of person who wears cologne, but I'm always slathering on cream to ward off wrinkles and keep my skin soft and smooth. Lotions have come a long way in the past decade or so. I've even got a lotion that smells like a margarita! My point here is that the first thing I see when I sit on my bed is my lotion. It's like one final chance to make sure I stay soft! And make myself smell enticing to my Prince Charming.
susan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
