Summer Drinks

 

I’m not a hot-weather person, though I do enjoy summer. I love lakes and oceans; I love tourist towns; and I love sitting outside with a book and a fun drink in the evening on my back patio or with friends.

I enjoy a crisp white wine in the summer, but I also love my “fun” drinks. Rum Runners are my favorite, but I like to make my own concoctions as well.

I first had a Rum Runner on vacation in Lake George, NY, at a fun place (no longer open) called King Neptune’s.

Have you had one? They’re AMAZING. My husband makes them at home. If you’d like the recipe, click HERE.

I usually put my “fun” drinks together, consisting of white rum, coconut rum, banana liquor (if I have it), some juice (I love Pineapple Orange Guava), and a squirt of grenadine. Or, if I only have one type of rum, I'll put that over ice with some juice (and grenadine).

Sometimes I’ll have a simple drink using gin and some sweet and sour mix (Hannaford sells it!) and top it off with club soda (all over ice, of course).

I also love to make margaritas (not frozen) but that’s a tricky one!!

What are some of your favorite summer drinks?

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Working From Home Confession #3: Naptime

Sometimes, I take a nap.

Yep. It's true. I own my own business, Get It Write Publishing Company, and I work from home. Therefore, I have the freedom to take naps.

Working from home for most people doesn’t mean freedom. You have to check in. You may have Zoom meetings. Your company is keeping track of every keystroke and every log-on.

However, owning your own business and working from home IS freedom. Not complete, mind you, but enough to make it nice.

For example, sometimes after I eat lunch, I take a short nap or just lay down for a bit. That’s justified by a physical condition I have, and it stinks being so tired so often, but I'm happy that I’m able to take that rest.

If you are your own boss or can make up your own hours while working from home, don’t feel guilty about taking the occasional nap or rest time (even if you don’t have a physical condition!). I think all companies should allow their employees a nap or rest period after lunch!

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Book Publishing: My Two Cents

 

I’m not perfect. No ONE is. Seriously. You’re not. I’m not.

That said, let’s talk about publishing books. There are many independent publishers now (self-publishers), and I don’t have a problem with that. My books were independently published before I started my own publishing company, Get It Write Publishing. (**We don’t take royalties, by the way.)

I’m also an editor. I’ve made mistakes in my own books but went back to fix them and republish. I’ve made a few mistakes, even with editing—it happens!

BUT!!

We have to accept constructive criticism.

Here’s an example: Long story short, a woman (a former friend) published her third book and asked me to read it and let me know what I thought. Sure! I’d love to help a friend—excuse me, a “friend.”

I downloaded the book and read three pages. Then I stopped.

It was not edited. At all. There were so many errors in punctuation and grammar... but not only that, sentences didn’t flow. Sadly, I couldn’t read further.

I pulled the book up on Amazon again and read the blurb. Not edited either. Oof. Well, from author to author, friend to friend, and editor to author, I decided to be honest with her.

Perhaps I was too straightforward. I told her honestly that I couldn’t get past the first few pages—it wasn’t edited, etc.

She didn’t take that well at all. She not only insisted that it was edited (by a professional?), but also that “it was a shame” that I felt that way... blah, blah, and so on.

Such a shame.

I’ve been a professional editor for over seven years. Am I perfect? Noooooooooooooooo. I make mistakes too. But if someone calls me on it, I FIX IT.

In the business world (or life in general), you cannot be proud. We need to have teachable spirits. We need to be able to take constructive criticism and help from others. Otherwise, what happens?

We PUBLISH CRAP.

Such a shame.

Again, my two cents. Put away the pride and fix your mistakes. I’ve done it with my own books. If you want to be successful, hire a professional editor, have it proofread (maybe even twice), and do the best you can. Even if it ends up being published with a mistake or two, everyone did their best.

If you think the “top dogs” in publishing are perfect, think again. I’ve seen errors in Stephen King’s books. Heck, I’ve seen errors in several books I've read lately that even have “NY Times Best Seller” stamped on the cover.

If you want to publish a book, make sure it’s done right!

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TGIF

 

I haven’t done a blog in a few days (or more??) because I’ve been busy.

And…

It’s SUMMER!!

I know, I know. No excuse. But I really have been busy.

I did start a YouTube channel, As Real As It Gets, which coincides with my blog (this one!) and my Instagram account. Check it out…subscribe…and like (if you like the videos). I appreciate your support!!

Happy Friday!! Time for a drink, because…

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

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Working From Home Confession #2: Talking to Myself...and Pets

We all talk to ourselves once in a while. Admit it. You do. I do. Everyone does. 

But when you work from home, you may talk to yourself more often than someone who doesn’t work from home. I do!

I argue with the laptop. I yell at computer programs. I remind myself (out loud) of things I need to do.

It doesn’t stop there. I talk to my dogs and cats.

After venting about something:

“Ugh, you know what I mean?” (to the dogs)

“I’ll go back to it soon. Let’s play now!” (to the cats)

“Just a few more pages, and we’ll take a walk.” (dogs)

And so on.

I also get excited when the mail is delivered each day. It helps that I have a very nice mailman who shares my love for dogs, and we often have a little chat when he drops off the mail. When you work from home, you get excited about those things!!

I’m not crazy. I just work from home!

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What Does That Mean?

Do you ever wonder where certain idioms come from? We use these on occasion, don’t we? I do. But I never wondered where they came from…until recently. There are several, but a few come to my mind...

“For Pete’s Sake”

Who is Pete, and why is it for his sake?

According to an article in the Reader's Digest, “The phrase essentially uses Pete as a mild substitute for God or Christ in this expression of annoyance or frustration.”

Basically, you can say “For Mike’s sake” or “For the love of Jim!” but it just doesn’t have the same effect, does it? Poor Pete.

“Heavens to Betsy”

Ahh, Betsy. We used to call one of the cows on my grandpa’s farm Betsy. Our large, green car (aka “the boat”) was also “Betsy” (“Come on, Betsy,” when trying to make it up a steep hill in the old clunker).

But why Betsy, and why “Heavens to” Betsy?

According to Reader's Digest, “The origins of this expression are unclear. It may have originated sometime between the years 1850 and 1914.

Heavens to Betsy is another variation of the phrase for Heaven’s sake, which began as a euphemism for what some considered the blasphemous for God’s sake and for Christ’s sake.”

“Let the Cat Out of the Bag”

I mean, I have four cats, and I like to joke when they come out of a paper bag after playing in it (weirdos) by saying, “Who let the cat out of the bag?” and then laughing.

But where did that originate from? Surely not someone playing with their cats and paper bags. The saying means something…right?

According to Reader's Digest, “The answer may lie in medieval markets, where people used to sell piglets tied in bags for farmers to carry home. A shady dealer might swap the piglet in the sack with a less expensive animal, such as a cat. So when you let the cat out of the bag, you were exposing the con to everyone.” Of course, Reader’s Digest says, “Who would even put a cat in a bag?” Um…I don’t, but my cats love going in bags, so THERE!

For more fun idiom meanings, visit the Reader’s Digest page on idioms. It’s amusing at best.

What are some of your favorite phrases? 

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