Ormsby Corn

Ormsby Corn Recipe

Ingredients:
¾-1 cup Unpopped white popcorn
1-2 Tbs Canola Oil

2 sticks of butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda

Tools:
2 Medium cooking pots
Big stick spoon
Candy Thermometer
Big baking pan (disposable turkey roaster works great)
Foil or large baking sheets
Airtight storage containers

Pop corn on medium heat in medium pot covering kernels with oil (with a medium-sized pan - it takes two batches), pour into baking pan and remove uncooked kernels.
Place in oven at 250 degrees to keep warm.

At medium low heat, melt butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt in additional pot, stirring until melted. Once melted, cook additional five minutes until it turns a caramel color brown, or until it reaches 248 degrees on the candy thermometer, stirring occasionally.
When it has reached this point, turn off heat and stir in baking soda, until it foams, then pour over warmed popcorn, coating thoroughly.

Place pan in oven and stir every 15 minutes three times for a total of 45 minutes.
Pour completed popcorn onto baking sheets or foil and break apart immediately as it cools.
Store delicious corn in airtight container - if you have any left to store after sampling.

Yum!

I want to be Fat

If I tell myself that I want to be fat, I won’t feel bad about being the person with the most filled plate at the teacher’s luncheon today. If I tell myself that I want to be fat, I won’t feel guilty about eating not two, not four, but six miniature candy bars and a cookie after piling on the most food at the luncheon. I will also not worry about eating at least half a pie crust of leftover pieces after making miniature pumpkin pies, and having one, in kindergarten today. The snack time cupcake for a child’s birthday will not deter me from dinner. It won’t bother me to have a sandwich, a bag of chips, an apple, a piece of candy bar, skittles and whoppers for dinner. The above is in addition to sausage and toast at 6:30 am.
The truth is, I don’t want to be fat, but I’m sick of the remorse that I feel after having a chow down day, especially when I have a passion for doing it again tomorrow, at the school Thanksgiving meal and the Kindergarten Thanksgiving feast. I love to eat.

Teaching: A Dream Job?

As a fairly consistent substitute teacher, I've seen the daily rigors of a teacher in elementary and middle school. Recently, however, I took on the job of a kindergarten teacher for two weeks straight. When I substitute, all the lessons are laid out and the sub can show up at 7:30, review the plans, teach the plans, take an hour for conference time and leave at 3:30. It seems that the teacher's job must be just as simple. It's not.
For one thing, With the responsibility of 12-26 children (in elementary school), the teacher is accountable for those children's future learning. With this responsibility comes excellent lesson plans, good teaching style and a compassionate disposition. This is not including the intelligence to impart what is important to future generations, organization and a passion for the information passed on.
Besides lesson plans, teachers are in charge of developing relationships with the kids and dealing with the student's parents, caretakers and other interested parties. Plus, the teacher must work with other instructors, the principal, counselors and the school district personnel.
Before school, a teacher must prepare for the day, and steel him or herself for any unruly children or unhappy parents. Plans must be in order, and specific duties should be in order for the day to run smoothly. This means that after school, preparation must take place in building the curriculum. Ideas must be researched, plans produced, copies made and supplies obtained. Other after school duties include grading papers and entering grades, setting up the classroom, and meetings with other teachers. Teachers work long hours when you include organizing and attending extracurricular activities that occasionally take place on evenings and weekends. Overtime is not unusual for a teacher.
I admire any person who wants to be a teacher full time, and thank all of those who dedicate themselves to our future citizens. I especially admire the teachers at Spicewood Elementary in Spicewood, Texas.

Social Media Marketing - Part III

Getting started on social media marketing is the stumbling block that is in the way of many entrepreneurs who want to put their information on the internet for review and commentary. A good way to do this would be to set aside a couple of hours to dedicate yourself to establishing your presence. You most probably have a few of the tools in place, such as an email account, a Facebook account, and/or a website.

Once you have a blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and other accounts set up, block time on your calendar to monitor and update on a weekly basis at the minimum. An hour a day is most desireable, but if you can't do this, make sure your readers are aware that they could wait a few days for answers to any questions posted.

Making social media a priority will enhance your business and will help you learn more in the process. And don't make it difficult or drudgery. Enjoy yourself!

VI. Starting your Social Media Marketing

A. Your website – add a blogspace and monitor
B. Facebook – Business application – research what is out there and post timely info. You can also list events that relate to your business, sales made and short but interesting experiences.
C. LinkedIn – professional version of Facebook
D. Blogger website – Blogspot.com, Squidoo Lens, HubPages, many others. Just Google "blogging sites."
E. YouTube - People love watching video. If it is a dynamic posting that relates to your business it is possible to make a name for yourself overnight!
F . Monitoring your success – do your efforts have goals, ie: 2 orders/mo, 5 calls/mo, 10 posts/mo? Be humble at first, but constant updates and review will establish you on the web. People are reading about you and talking about you, but when you don’t participate they can’t either.
1. List (for yourself) channels that you’re using – CHANNELS are methods or media forms through which social media is made available to social media participants. Keep a handy list and check off your progress.
2. For each channel, what is the success value? The failure value?
3. What is the current value?
4. What did you have to do to justify it’s use? When will it be reviewed?

Social Media Marketing - Part II

Here is part II of Social Media Marketing. You may need assistance in setting up your profile and blog to ensure transparency and truthfulness, so share it with a colleague or work with an expert if you are new to this. Next, I'll address starting your own program and the basic elements of Social Media Marketing.

III. How do you implement/maintain Social Media - ½ - 1 hour a day as an ADJUNCT to overall marketing

A. Social Media Marketing – An Hour a Day, by Dave Evans
B. FastStart or take it slower with book
C. Tag you email messages! Applicable quotes, product promo, short profiles
D. Facebook Business, Blog
1. Set up Profile
2. Share dynamic testimonials, photos and videos

IV. How Social Media is Termed

A. Platforms – social networks (Facebook, myspace) along with White Label community and forum applications.
B. Content – ratings, reviews, photos, videos, podcasts and similar content created and shared on web
C. Interactions – Bits of info that “float” around through email, feeds and SMS (twitter/brightkite – text-based messaging) that tells participants what is going on across the Social Web.

V. Social Media Marketing Rules

A. No SPAM – email filled with questionable content
B. You must show Transparency
1. If you simply don’t have the time to implement on a daily, weekly, monthly basis – state that in your initial and subsequent messages. This makes people aware that you’re not delaying purposely.
2. Your reputation is on the line w/social media, so don’t “joke around” if it could get you into trouble.
C. ANSWERS in your communication – answer the questions posted on your site/blog
D. Content – valuable, truthful information

Don't Be Scared about Social Media Marketing

So many people want to know more about Social Media, but it can be a BIG topic. Taking baby steps, however, is the best way to "get your feet wet" in this new arena of marketing. I will offer some basic information about it. Below is a first posting of some tips about Social Media. Next posting will address How to Implement, Terms and Rules.

What is Social Media Marketing?

A. Online, internet marketing that is FREE!
B. Marketing that is more casual in nature – incorporates the personal aspect of you and your business
C. Two way communication – it is viral – passed from person to person - Users have some control.
D. Channels – blogs, photo sharing, video sharing, personal social networks, events and services, email, white label social networks, wikis, podcasting, microblogs, SMS (texting). In the big picture – what are your clients interested in using? You may not know, so try more than on channel.

II. Why do you need it?

· All demographics use the internet – from the online junkies to the occasional browsers, old and young, men and women, all races, all over the world.
· People use the internet for information and communication
· A real person is communicating
· Purchases are influenced by commentaries
· Users of the web are all purchasers
· Many are trying to get away from ads – they want help, social perspectives, fun!
· Ads are interruptive. Spam is interruptive. In social media, interruptions do not result in a sustainable conversation – which is what social media is. Engaged in by choice to share opinions/preferences/assistance.
· Marketing without ads – with social media, it is showing the benefits of product/service and not the product/service itself.
· With good commentary/sites – word will spread
· It is measurable

I am ...

... but a fallen leaf from a tree,
a chunk of gravel on the road,
a blade of cut grass,
or a grain of sand on a beach.
I am but a tiny piece of the great interlocking puzzle of life on this earth.
So why does it matter that I make that phone call, write that letter or do a task?
Because if I do not accomplish the things God has for me to do, there is a hole in the puzzle.
And although the puzzle changes by the second according to what other leaves, chunks, blades or grains do, it all fits together as a complete picture.

Stay Away from the Flu

I may just be naive about keeping away from the flu bug, but a shot or a snort of flu meds are not the way to prevent the flu. The main message, instead of "get a flu shot" should be to just build your immune system so that you don't get the flu. Other methods to prevent it are keeping the bug at bay. Below are a few practical suggestions that have kept me healthy for years without ever contracting flu.
1. The basics: eat healthy (min 5 fruits and veggies daily + protein), exercise and get enough rest.
2. Drink plenty of water - at least 64 oz. daily
3. Wash your hands consistently throughout the day - especially after grocery shopping, being around kids (at school???!!!), after handshaking and after pumping gas.
4. Replace washcloths and hand towels in bathroom and kitchen daily.
5. Wash pillowcases 1-3x per week.
6. Drink decaf green tea nightly.
7. During "the season" take a multivitamin or at least vitamins C, E and D.
8. Use common sense and when you're feeling run down and get in an afternoon nap, go on that brisk 20 minute walk, wash your hands and towels and take that extra supplement.
This is very simplistic, but has kept me in flu avoidance for years. Take care of yourself and don't get sick!

County Road

I think I've come upon a title for my book - County Road. Because the setting is going to be a small Texas town, I think it's only appropriate to give the address of where in Texas it is located. For myself, before I lived on CR 414 I never knew what the CR represented if I ever saw an address as such.
I thought I heard the words as I listened to a rap/hiphop song on the radio with my daughter on the way to school at 5:40 am today, but then realized that I had misinterpreted. The words, and tune, if you can call it that, would not leave my brain and I considered it a message to name my book. While I have a basic story idea in my head at this time, I have not yet figured out how to work in all the characters and do not yet have an ending.
My writing lately has been consuming me - although it is not going to be nearly as interesting as County Road. Travel on the internet, most recently to Miami (looks like fun), Modesto (slow town), Minneapolis (can't wait to go again), and Mobile, Alabama. I've been reviewing parks and posting the info for apartmenthomeliving.com. I suppose it could be worse and I would be writing about WICKER again (30 articles for $30 this summer - pathetic). One weekend, possibly this one, I will try to get the snowflake framework of the road story together, describe characters and figure out the action and endings.
It's back to the writing board for me now.

House Sitting

To Realtors of Empty Home Listings and Builder Spec Homes:

It's the season of sitting. For houses that is.

Once Labor Day and the start of public school sessions have started, and prior to the holiday season, houses for sale typically sit on the market because people are too busy to shop for a new home. There are the occasional lookers, however, and so the house for sale must be kept air conditioned or heated, the lawn mowed, and the house dusted and appealing.

So instead of managing these details yourself, how about having a reliable, referenced house sitter pay the electricity bill, mow the lawn, and keep the home warm and inviting? It will pay off to have a resident, as a lived in home is much more attractive than a cold, empty space. With the capacity to move in and out quickly, this should be an excellent solution to those homeowners who are getting eaten alive by monthly second home bills.

Please comment or email me if you're interested in finding a trustworthy tenant in the Spicewood or Marble Falls area.

Back On

How pathetic that my last blog was in February, and an advertisement nonetheless!

The difficulty is finding "unpaid" writing time. When I googled my name recently, because of the many articles that I've written for ApartmentHomeLiving.com, I had hundreds of hits. That is paid work. Writing brochures, emails and editing a website for my mom the Realtor, Judy Wickham, is paid. And my latest job of writing for Sally Ride Science - activities for the some of the books, is exciting and rewarding in more ways than just the publishing of my name.

I have wonderful ideas of what would be a great topic when I take a morning walk in the crisp, delightful air, when I observe happy children at play, and when I consume a delicious meal, but those written thoughts will have to come later. I hope to write at least once a month this summer!

Austin Real Estate

Blessings and Good Fortune are the best ways to describe the current real estate situation in Austin, Texas. Yes, real estate has taken a back seat in buyers and sellers minds in the current economy, but of many MSAs in the country, Austin has not felt it so badly. If you are a homeowner looking to move, it may be especially tough to get back what you put into your home plus a bit on top, but at least your market value hasn't dropped over 30% as it has in some other metropolitan areas.
And when you want the best advice on either buying or selling in this Austin Real Estate market, look to the website to follow, www.judywickham.com, for the most professional sellers agent or buyers agent. Judy not only helped us find a home when we moved to Austin, but assisted us sell it six years later, at a much increased value. Her professionalism in contacting us, updating us about the market, staging expertise and carrying through with the closing gave her five stars out of five in customer service.
If you're thinking of selling or buying a home in the Austin area, you deserve to treat yourself to Judy Wickham at 512-589-4150.

The Color of Darkness

We measure light and brightness and the colors that the rays create, but has there ever been a measure, or color frequency of darkness? By darkness, I'm referring to the absence of light, as opposed to a reference to the "dark side" of our nature, for that requires an entirely separate blog.
This topic has been bearing down upon my mind since I observed the true sense of darkness in the sky about a month or so ago. It was an extremely foggy night, after a day of consistent fog. I stepped out my back door to take out the trash, and as I neared the can, and carried out my usual awe of the beautiful Texas hill country sky, was almost stopped in my tracks when I looked east to where the city lights of Austin usually light up the sky. The sky was blacker than I'd ever seen it. The interesting thing about it was that there were other areas of brightness, much nearer and to the north and south, but Austin was DARK. It was incredible to see the sky that looked as if a dark cloak was placed where my usual landmark lies.
How could it be so dark? I wondered. I had never seen it to that degree, and was trying to figure out how it could be so dark, with the reflection of the city lights onto the low-lying clouds. I've not quite reached my conclusion yet, even though we had the same circumstanced the next night. I've been so perplexed that I've been observing the color of darkness since then.
How dark is my house? How dark is a moonless night? An early morning ride to school?
Since that night, I check every night to make sure I wasn't imagining things that dark night, and am usually reassured by the glow of the city.

Scaredy Walk

She breathed in deeply, extending her belly to inhale all the air she could into her diaphram. Her arms swung ahead and behind her to get the most out of her exercise. Ann was feeling good. The peace of the countryside, the bright blue sky and the briskness of the air made it a perfect day to take a walk.
She whisked along the road, eyes roaming around, when a curled mesquite branch reached out and grabbed her hair. At least that's what it felt like, an arm extending into the street, claws outstretched and pointing directly at her eye. An angel, or possibly just a bit of a breeze, cast it out of the way as it approached, and narrowly missed hitting her face.
This interrrupted Ann's exercise concentration, and made her more aware of the side of the road where she walked, both from the trees above and to the side, and the road below. The road was smooth enough, a paved road with a bit of gravel to the side, buffalo grass beyond that, then the mesquite trees against a fence.
With the bit of scare behind her, she fell back into a routine again. Not that she should be scared, why, she had walked this space for at least a year now, and with vigor. She had heard about the mountain lion or other large cat that supposedly lived in the park. The nearby park, and neighborhood for that matter, had plenty of acreage, hiding spaces and water to support an entire litter of wild cats. Coyotes were heard frequently, and foxes, raccoons, armadillos, rattlesnakes and deer in abundance were seen on a regular basis.
Thinking about her former walking partner and dog, Buddy, who had protected her and given her unconditional love, Ann felt a pang of grief for him. He had disappeared about a month before, after suffering several seizures in a row. One night, when he had followed her outside to throw away the paper towels from cleaning up the drooling and pee mess, he would not return inside, so she went to bed. Next morning, he wasn't around. Not worried, she went about her Saturday with no concerns about his late return. There was never any return, however. He was her protector, putting the space between her and potential predators.
The rustle in the grass beside her started her somewhat. She turned to look to her left, saw nothing, and continued on. Probably just a deer or a couple of them.
To be continued ...

A New Year

A new year means lots of different things to different people. To many of us, it means time to make resolutions for changes and improvements to ourselves in the new year. To some, it is just time to let go of the bad that happened last year and start anew, without looking back. And unfortunately, to a few people, it means facing new challenges, and more hardship.
For me, the first description fits best. Every year, I make resolutions and plan to become a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. Also, I set measurable objectives and goals to meet. My 2008 goals were not composed of many measurable goals but included to publish something and to find part time work, of which I met both. I did not keep time sheets for my daily activities as I would have liked, nor did I find or "get" the "big picture." That one went on my list for 2009, but I'm not sure that I'll ever get it, except that I should live my life for God, and whatever He happens to bring my way.
My objectives to listen better, eat healthy and exercise, to pray regularly and to praise my family were met to a certain extent, but I had to place the same goals on my list this year. These must be a constant reminder to me to be my "check" to make sure I continue to pursue them. And I do want to be the "best," but as a human being, with the potential to sin, it's just not possible.
I wish each and every reader the best year ever, and may your measurable goals be met, and may you continue to strive for those that can only be assessed by your heart.