Summability, another Writing Post

I read a person's blog recently, something about sum-up your work in one sentence. It was interesting and had wonderful reasoning. I’m not going to get into the why, but I figured I’d try it out. Given the fact that none of my work is completed, the following sentences are based as things currently are.

Dead Moons: She is a high level grim reaper, he is her stalker, they will try to kill each other, save another planet and maybe find their way back to love.

27: Derik has a mission to kill 27, what happens when he finds out the woman he shot is an angel?

Natalie: Two sisters and The Company that wants control of their powers battle it out while they try to find their place in the world.

Okay, well that’s the best I could do at the moment. I suppose if a sentence were compelling enough it would be effective. Why overwhelm a potential with too much information and maybe so much that they decide they don’t want to read it because they “see where it’s going”. Maybe I am viewing this the wrong way, I wish I could find the other person’s blog so I can put it here as a point of reference. So the following questions, if you wish to answer. Would you read the above stories based off the single sentence provided for each? Why (or why not)? What would be your single sentence?

Mystery Monday. Day 1.

So as a family we decided we were going to have a new meal every week. Which inspired "Mystery Monday", every Monday we'll have a new meal. Something we haven't had before, something different. This is the beginning and we are off to a fabulous start!

Cheeseburger Pie. It's as simple as it sounds, and delicious. It took me by surprise, as I was mixing some ingredients in a bowl my mind went "ew, what am I doing?" However, the end result is worth it, my toddler (almost three years old) even grabbed his plate and went to the kitchen for seconds! Here you go:

Cheeseburger Pie.

Ingredients:

1 can crescent rolls
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped dill pickle slices

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 Tablespoons milk

2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. In skillet brown meat thoroughly and then drain well. While the meat is cooking chop up the pickles and onion; press the unraveled crescent rolls into the bottom of an 8-9 inch pie pan. After the meat is done and drained, mix in the pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard. Helpful tip: Measure out the flour first and place it in a cup, this way you don't have to worry about cleaning out your measuring spoon before using it on something like flour. Do it before, then do the liquid measurements. Trust me, it's the best way!

Sprinkle the mix with flour, then add the pickle juice and milk. Mix it well and let it sit on the stove until it's thick and bubbles. If it doesn't don't fret, when the mix is quite thick, it'll be ready and you don't want it to stick to the pan much. Once you remove it, mix in 1 cup of the shredded cheese, pour it into the pan and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Once it's done and cooked, the edges should be lightly to golden brown, remove from the oven. Set it up on the counter or stove and sprinkle with cheese! As you wait for it to cool enough to be able to eat it, the cheese will melt. Dig in. This meal goes great with: Baked beans, Fries, Sweet Potatoe Fries, or any other simple side dish you'd have with cheeseburgers. Just don't overdo it with the sides, this meal is filling! Also, I would like to stay that this blend of tastes was magnificent. Caught me by surprise, the way the different aspects of the dish helped each other balance. I could go on, but you can see for yourself if you try it!

The result!

Game Day Food, Part 1a

There will be atleast 4 parts to this recipe collection. As you probably gathered from the title this collection is all about Sunday game days. You want the game experience to be the best it can, from your team winning (even if you and your significant others are rivals) to your recipes winning the losers back. I tease, I have no idea who'll win, but the point is you want it to be great and enjoyable. One of the great ways to help it be that way is to have food, no food means empty stomachs (or overly filled with booze stomachs...let's not get into where that leads), empty stomachs causes bad things, and bad things means a bad over all experience. Content stomachs mean happy people, happy people mean "Your team cheated that was b*llsh*t, pass me those damn cookies!" Again, I tease...or do I? Any way, these recipes aren't just for game time, any gathering time will do (sleep over parties, general parties/barbeques, holidays or even sitting down watching a movie).

Part 1. Pre-Game.

Philly Pepper Jelly Dip (Yvette Boudreaux)
Ingredients:
1- 8 oz Package Philly Cream Cheese (softened)
1- Small jar pepper jelly (mild or spicy-depends on you)
Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
Pecans (chopped)-(if you like nuts!)
1- Box Town House Crackers
Directions:
Spread your softened Philly evenly on a round platter. Completely cover the platter, leaving only approx. 1/2 in. round the edges open. Take the pepper jelly and stir around inside the jar to break the consistencey. Then spread on top of Philly. You can do both of these things using the bottom side of a spoon. Top the pepper jelly with the shredded sharp cheddar (or mild if you prefer). (Sometimes I use the 4 cheese blend, it's just whatever your preference). Sprinkle with chopped pecans (again if you like nuts). Use a cheese spredder, or butter knife to spread onto crackers and umm---enjoy!

Seasoned Crackers (Yvette Boudreaux)
Ingredients:
1- Bag of Oyster Crackers 8-10oz (10-12oz)
1- teaspoon Dill Weed
1- teaspoon Lemon Pepper
1- teaspoon Garlic Powder
1- Packet Ranch Original Dip mix
1/2- cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
First pour your oyster crackers into a large zip lock baggie. Get a small bowl and pou vegetable oil in. Add the dill weed, lemon pepper, garlic powder and ranch mix to oil. Mix really well. (Wisk) Once it is well blended, pour the mixture into the zip lock bag of crackers. Shake around until all the crackers are covered. Leave in bag and set in frig for 30 minutes. Ready for snacking!!

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The next two recipes will be sweet ones compared to these, and that's why I split them up like this. When I'm able I'll add pictures, or if you make any of these or have ideas/recipes of your own you'd like to share people message me or comment! Go *insert your team here*! :D

Less is…less? (Writing)

I’m working on my newest WIP, 27, trying to find “the balance”. There are many different things that need to be balanced in writing, but what plagues me most is descriptive writing. In Dead Moons I was quite descriptive but some say that it can actually hurt being too descriptive. It’s hard to know if I am too descriptive. In 27, I’ve been trying to be overly descriptive but I’ve found that I don’t care for it as much. Less description leads to, well, less on many elements. One, I’m thinking that it’s not enough to place a reader in the situation and story. Two, I am starting to hate it, even I can’t place myself in the story. One thing I realized is that my son Isaac is a big help! I sit here with him in my lap and read the story to him, this gives me a clarity for the story that I don’t get from merely reading it in silence. As I do this I realize the points that don’t abode well for the story and what needs more description or change. I still need to find a balance with my new useful tool, surely I could read it aloud to myself, but that just sucks! Plain in simple, sucks.
Maybe I shouldn’t be too concerned with some of these aspects when I’ve barely begun this book, but finding this balance as fast as possible I think is crucial. If I can find the balance then the rest will be a breeze and I won’t waste time concentrating on such things, it will also make editing later better…

“A Mother’s Tear.”

“A Mother’s Tear.”
By Calixus Koffey


By Calixus Koffey


A mother’s joy turns to fear,
Her brave young man wipes her tear.

“Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine”
She tries to smile at his usual line.
His pack he shoulders and he joins the crowd,
off to war, to make her proud.
“I love you baby and please be safe”
He waves and smiles at her call from his place.
The plane is full and her heart stutters,
“Cause I won’t be there to help.” She quietly mutters.
She watches as the big jet slowly rises
wondering what will be his surprises.
Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Our brave young men and women go to do what they can.

A few encouraging words from me and you,
are all these people expect as their due.
As a mother that has sent two men to war,
I have to silently wonder what it was all for.
We have lost so many brave souls over there
And yet with all the horrors, the rest of the world does not care.
America is strong and can handle the fight,
We will just watch the struggle on the news tonight.
I hope that our children will understand that it is for their own future
That my child and yours have been shot at, ridiculed and tortured.
The next time you see a young man or young woman dressed in their fatigues
Give them a smile and a thanks if you please.
They have given a piece of their soul
Trying to make our world once more whole.

9 Years Later.

I don’t think I’ll discuss the details of this day, nine years ago much, perhaps another time. I do, however, have two poems to share though and a music play list I put together. The music videos are on the right hand side, containing videos for and of military members and their family, from past wars through today’s war. There are 41 videos on the list, including a few at the end that are Cadences from the military. Feel free to listen and go through them as you read my blog or do anything you want.

9/11/01. I was sitting in English class that morning, in a town outside Buffalo, when they turned on the classroom television. It was horrifying, devastating, the day had barely started before it was stopped. No longer were we working on school materials, all eyes were on the television and all was quiet. I was in tenth grade at the time, and it changed everything for me. Sure I might have looked into joining the military anyway but events from then on made it certain. At the time my husband, Jacob, was still in military training, and it drastically altered his military career in ways he could never have foreseen.

I decided that it would be best to put up my poem and then a separate blog for my friends poem.

Here it goes:
Blood and tears I would spill

As graveyards, comrades fill.
What they did was not for naught.
They paid for the lessons, we
Should be taught.
When battles are fought,

And wars are won.
I find myself distraught,
If I had not been broken.
I would have stood by their side,
Protected their back.
They might not have died,
I would have brought them
Home from Iraq.
I have to remind myself:
To sit in pity is shameful,
To honor their memory is
Respectful.

The New Car

So the search has been on, since our Ford Tauras was going to hell. I feel safe in saying this now, and didn't want to offend the car before. If you're nice to your car, it'll be nice to you. However, cars are like some old people, you can be as nice as you want to them but sometimes they'll turn into cranky rude jerks without a warning!
So, we've been on the hunt and now it's over. A new black beauty, better then any car I've ever had is sitting outside drying from the earlier rain. I can't wait any longer, here it is:
Car Gallery
I can hear the ooohs and aahs, admit it, it's beautiful! It's mine, back off. Hahahaha!

Heart-shaped Cake!

The Heart Shaped Cake.

Ingredients
1 Box of Cake Mix, I used Butter Cake
1 Container of Frosting or Make Your Own
-I made my own…
Butter frosting
1 Cup Butter
1 Box Jello Mix (I used Cherry)
2-3 Cups Confectioner Sugar
2-3 Tablespoons Milk

You need two pans, one square 9x9 pan and one 9 inch circle pan. Preheat and prepare batter according to the directions on the box. Then pour it into the pans. Let them cool completely and then transfer. The longest parts of this is almost 15 inches, so what you put the cake on will have to be able to hold it. Place the square centered in front of you so it’s setting like a diamond. Cut the circle cake in half, place one half, the straight side on one of the top edges of the square cake. Do the same with the other half of the circle.

Isaac decided to rush into tasting it.

 If my written directions suck very bad, it’s obvious in the image. If you don’t split the cake batter evenly like I had, you can level the higher cake with a long straight blade. I suggest that when the cake is set that you “dirty ice” it, spread a thin layer of icing across the cake and set in the fridge to harden for about 20 minutes. Then spread on your nice smooth, clean frosting. I don’t honestly suggest anyone use my frosting yet, I’m still experimenting with it.
 
I personally think that it would have been better if I actually had frosting, and if I made it into a layered cake. It's awesome even still!