Monday, January 23, 2017

Sneak Peek

Sneak Peak of a Coloring Book coming soon
Or how I spent my rainy weekend.  John was out of town Saturday. He left at 5 a.m. and returned at 6:30 p.m. This gave me plenty of time to “play”. 

My next coloring book is coming along slowly but nicely.  I find my hand cramps quickly now and it’s quite shaky if I’m fatigued but, if I take breaks often I’m able to draw.  So I diffused, made myself a warm comfort drink and sat down to put on paper what I’ve been carrying around in my head. Of course it’s not exactly what’s in my head but I’m happy enough with what I was able to get on paper. I'm finding I need to be flexible. What used to work no longer does. Fibromyalgia = adapting, adjusting, coping. How did you spend the weekend?
    

I’m working of putting up some freebies for you to enjoy. Look for it soon.  If I forget (brain fog) please feel free to remind me. I'd love to hear from you.

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Friday, January 20, 2017

It's finally live on Amazon

Click the image on the right to buy the book
I didn’t think this would ever arrive.

Definitely doing a happy dance here. There’s a visual for you.  Me stiff and achy moving like a 90 year getting her groove on. lol   After almost a year of working on my Coloring Journal it is available on Amazon. http://amzn.to/2jeGh26  
I persisted through all the pain, stiffness, brain fog, depression and frustration of not being able to work sometimes for a couple of weeks at a time, and it’s finally is available. 

This was a dream of mine for years many, many years.  My 7th grade teacher dropped that dream into my lap one afternoon after school. Publishing a book.  I’ve carried it buried deep in my heart for years, telling no one -  not even my husband. I never really thought it would come to pass. It wasn’t easy, or even fun at times. But once the idea resurfaced I knew the time was right to pursue it. It became something I was going to finish no matter how long it took.  I wanted to give up many times but kept returning to the project.

Working though the process was a journey. I learned a lot about myself. I learned how much that dream meant to me. I thought many years ago it was going to be a history book. I lectured for years on California history in schools. I never thought I’d have a chronic illness which would throw a huge monkey wrench into my life. I found  I had unwavering determination. I have a spirit that wouldn't quit. I found grit I didn’t know existed. In short I have been learning to count it all joy.

What about you? Do you have a dream secretly hidden away?

You can purchase my Coloring Notebook/Journal here:  http://amzn.to/2jeGh26


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Tuesday, January 17, 2017

I’ll probably pay for this tomorrow!

Easy Mandala Journal almost done =)
I had a very long but productive day in the office today.  Brain fog today was what I call “High Fog”. I’m not socked in, but it’s definitely foggy out.

Brain Fog is a symptom of Fibromyalgia.  It’s when you can’t think.  Everything is foggy. You know there’s a thought up there but it’s lost in the “fog”.  I will start a thought and loose it. I will start a project – one I’ve done many times and not know how to complete it. When I’m really “socked in” I can’t track with a conversation.  And the really frustrating part is the “fog weather” changes throughout the day. I may start out “clear skies” only to move into “high fog” and then wham fogged in.  The worst is when it blindsides me and I’m out in public and wham-O-bam-O. FOGGED IN. No
warning, just can’t figure out what the heck someone is saying to me. I mean I know they are speaking to me, I mean I can see their lips moving, and hear them. But, for the life of me it’s like on the old Charlie Brown TV programs,  remember when an adult is speaking and all you hear is wa wah, wa wah, wa wah – total gibberish? If I’m at a store I can’t figure out the money end of paying. The giving – how large of a bill do I hand them? Then the receiving of the change. Putting the change in my wallet, receiving the receipt, remembering to pick my bags of merchandise, say thank you to the teller, and exit the store. There’s too much to process at one time causing my brain to just freeze. I cannot negotiate stores by myself at all any more. I am usually able to handle making all the decisions of purchases but adding checking out to my already overloaded brain is guaranteed to be a HOT mess.  And then there’s the noise! That’s another post for another day.

I have found on days like today if I take a lot of breaks I can manage to get something done. So it’s been up and down from the computer – frustrating – yes, but I still am able to feel like I accomplished something at the end of the day.  I used to take that feeling – accomplishment - for granted in the old days.  Not any more. I’ve learned to appreciate getting something done and feeling good about it as a “gift” I used to just assume I was “entitled” to it. I had the attitude it’s just the way I roll.  I was a huge multi tasker and I was so proud of that fact. Look at me, I can hold a crying baby while talking on the phone, while cooking dinner, while throwing a load in the washing machine, while darning the hubs socks, you get the point. Pride, pride, goes before the fall. Humm. Well those day ground to a screeching halt. Fibromyalgia has taught me in a major way to adjust my thinking and perspective. That’s a good thing. We should all view our days as a gift.

But, yes there’s always a but, I will probably pay for the long day in the office this evening and for the next couple of days.  I’m already getting stiff – a sure sign I’ve done too much. Oh yes it’s a double whammy day.
One, I worked my brain too hard.
Two, I worked for too long. 
Both are a sure fire way to make me miserable tonight and probably for several days. But, yes that’s a third and final but. I find I tend to “go for it” when the brain weather is high fog.  I have so many bad days that I just want to make a dent in my ever growing to do list.  But, I’m happy to have accomplished as much as I have today.


Again, I got off topic. (Seems I do that a lot lately, lol) I started out writing about how much I got done in the office today. My second book in the series  “Coloring Therapy Vol. 2” -  Easy Mandala’s is well on its way.  Pages are all together and formatted. I just need a final proof. Now the really daunting job is to work on the cover and back page. This intimidates me big time. But it will have to wait for another High Fog day. 

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You can purchase my Coloring Therapy 1 Notebook/Journal here: http://amzn.to/2kcwnxF






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Saturday, January 14, 2017

Painsomnia has hit- - - Again

Yup, that's been my life the last couple of weeks.
The last couple of weeks have been really bad for me. I went to watch my grandsons soccer game one evening and got chilled. I don't understand why this happened. I mean I was prepared for the cold.  It took me 20 minutes just to get dressed before the game. I had had on enough clothes I should have been able to withstand a blizzard. I wore pantyhose, a tank top,  Under Armour both tops and bottoms, jeans, a long sleeve t shirt and a short sleeve on top of that, wool socks, UGG knee high boots, a down jacket with fur lined hood, my thinsulate gloves, scarf, and wool hat. And, I had a down throw over my lap. Whew I could hardly walk. I looked like an Oompa Loompa and I live in California lol.

Anyways, as I was saying I got chilled.  Winter and the cold are really hard on me. So the pain cycle began, wh
ich started up the painsomnia, which started up the nerve pain, which started up the brain fog.  Like I said a bad couple of weeks.

Which means I'm up at night late so what to I do? I color and doodle.  I find if I'm not coping because the pain is too high I can't color. My fine motor skills abandon me and I can't stay in the lines. So then I doodle because there are no lines but the ones I'm drawing. lol Coloring and drawing relax me and help me cope.

Do you suffer from Painsomnia? What have you found that helps. I'd love to hear from you.  

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You can purchase my Coloring Therapy 1 Notebook/Journal here: http://amzn.to/2kcwnxF







We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees my advertising and linking to Amazom.com. The small percentage I may earn off your purchase costs you nothing extra.  

Friday, January 13, 2017

Behind The Scenes

Book 2 Easy Mandala's

I've been very busy today working on book 2 and 3 of my Coloring Therapy series.  Book one is a coloring journal/notebook (which should becoming available on Amazon.com this weekend). Book two and three are purely coloring books. The picture is a sample of book 2, Easy Mandala's. I'll share book 3 on a future post.

I have rediscovered coloring books! I used to love to color when I was in grammar school. In fact, I have a vivid memory of having a friend over to play. We were in my room laying on the floor coloring. She looked over at my page and commented, asking me "why I wasn't outlining my picture?" "What's outlining?" She explained how her Dad colors with her and he taught her to outline. She said that he explained how it makes your colored page nicer, more "professional". I wasn't exactly sure what "professional" had to do with it but when I looked at her page it definitely looked better than mine.

I was intrigued. I had colored a pretty darn good page. I mean I stayed in the lines, I used pleasing colors. (Side note: I was aware I only had the 24 pack of Crayola's and I was very aware that she possessed the coveted 64 pack with the built in sharpener.  She was always quick to mention that if we were at her house she could be using Raw Umber, Brilliant Rose or Thistle.) But when I was honest with myself, really and truly honest I had to admit her's did look better.  A LOT better.  And so I began to outline my coloring pictures.

Since then, I have discovered many wonderful, fun coloring tools and supplies.  Water pens, watercolor pencils, beautiful tins of colored pencils, gel pens, gelly roll, Coptic, markers, smooth paper, textured paper, erasable pens, brush pens, you get the idea. My world opened up for me. I was also addicted. I LOVE art supplies. I could spend days in the art supply isles - ask my hubby he'll tell you lol. But I digress. 

I must admit when I color I think of Nancy H., EVERY SINGLE TIME, and her off hand question "why don't you outline?" It expanded my world. I realized that even though it was as simple as coloring I could learn something if I would only be open to listening. I mean I thought I knew how to color. Scheeze I'd been coloring for years since I was maybe 2 or 3 yrs old. But the fact was her's did look better than mine. Professional even.

I have discovered through my chronic illness, that when I color I cope better. I relax, my world slows down. I still may be in pain, still may be house bound today, but my perspective changes a little for the better.  When my Grandchildren come over we color. And yes, I taught them to outline.

Do you like to color? Do you find it relaxes you? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you.

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You can purchase my Coloring Therapy 1 Notebook/Journal here: http://amzn.to/2kcwnxF












We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees my advertising and linking to Amazom.com. The small percentage I may earn off your purchase costs you nothing extra.  


















We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees my advertising and linking to Amazom.com. The small percentage I may earn off your purchase costs you nothing extra.  

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Announcing my new book series, "Coloring Therapy a Journal Notebook" Coming Soon!

Coloring Therapy Series, Journal Notebook

So Exciting! My new book series, Coloring Therapy 1, will be coming out soon on Amazon. 

I developed this series as I have been maneuvering my way through Chronic illness. 

This is the first book in the series and is a Journal/Notebook.  It measures 6 x 9 and is 160 pages. It features Coloring pages,lined pages for journaling/notes and black pages for doodling (with discrete drawing prompts), as an added bonus, there are inspirational quotes to inspire you and to reflect upon.  Use this journal/notebook to be creative and as a "jumping off place". Or you may find it useful for jotting down lists, personal reflection, a diary of relaxation therapy. 

I use mine to track my chronic illness - my diet, what I find is working for me, how I'm feeling, what I've done that's put me in a flare, the weather etc. I find I am more consistent in my journaling if it is in a fun journal. It's more enjoyable and not so much like "homework" when I can color a page after I journal. A reward to myself for journaling.  Let's be honest here, if I am having a "bad, horrible day" I probably won't want to spend the energy necessary to journal. But wait, I get to color at the end? hmn, let's reconsider, ok I'll journal. It is designed "Nurture You". 

I hope this spurs your creativity. Click on the cover in the bar on the right to buy the book on Amazon. Or You can purchase my Coloring Therapy 1 Notebook/Journal here: http://amzn.to/2kcwnxF

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We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees my advertising and linking to Amazom.com. The small percentage I may earn off your purchase costs you nothing extra.