I have a new project underway.  It is called Food for Thought.  It will be a bookstore/deli located in the nearby town of Kellogg, ID.  I hope to open it shortly after the New Year.  I will sell both new and used books along with the deli.

To that end, I have been working furiously on my business plan.  I am taking a class next week through the SBDC.  I am looking forward to it.  It has been a while since I have been in any type of classroom.

Despite how busy I am, I have been writing regularly now.  I am plugging away at my book "From the Darkness to Light".  It will be on borderline personality disorder.  I am over half way through now.

Ok, here I go again.  I am REALLY trying to get to writing more regularly on my book and my blog.  This morning I spent over 1 1/2 hrs working on my book.  I haven't done that in a while.

I am going to attempt to blog at least once a week on Wednesdays.  We will see how I go.

The big news is that I am going to open a bookstore and deli.  If I can get the financing I am hoping for, then I will open it next July.  If not, then it will take me a few years.  But, God willing, I will do it. 

I found the perfect location in this little valley I live in.  It is 4000 sq ft on the bottom floor, with office space of 300 ft in the top floor.

It happens to everyone at some time or another.  Get bogged down with all the things to read and learn.

I have been on information overload lately.  I have bought my own domain now.  I have figured out what to do for a business using my writing.  Now I have been studying and studying information on how is the best way to go about starting the business and have success.

Consequently, I have read dozens of articles and web sites on how-to.  My brain is FRIED big time.

How does a person start something without suffering information overload?  It reminds me of how Bible prophesy talks how knowledge shall increase.  I was reading something the other day.  I was struck how much knowledge there is available in today's world.

SHortly after the New Year, we got a call about my boyfriend's daughter dying.  He was told that if he wanted to see her alive, he needed to get there asap.  Well, we dropped everything and headed out.  We were gone for 3 weeks.  We drove to KS from ID, then to TX.  His daughter lives in KS.  My daughter and mother live in TX.  I told him (since I paid for the trip) that since KS wasn't that far from TX, then we would drop down to see my family after we checked on his daughter.

So I met his kids and family, and he met mine.  It was nice in a way.  Stressful in a lot of ways.  Many days of 10 hr days of driving.  Too many days.

Well, it is the eve of the eve of New Years 2007.  How was Christmas for everyone.  I have been one busy person.  I did finally get my kids gifts finished and in the mail in plenty of time.  I got the rests of the gifts wrapped on Christmas Eve. <G>

On Christmas Eve, I went with my youngest son and my boyfriend to his sister's house.  It was nice.  Since the summer time, they have accepted me in their brother's life.  He is a bit older than me.  I don't think of our ages most of the time.  Lately, though, it has been drilled into my head as his health has been failing.  I don't know if I have another year with him.  I just enjoy each day that God blesses me with.

Life has been very busy lately.  Been busy with homeschooling my son.  Of course, Thanksgiving has just passed.  We are now in the Christmas season.  Are you ready?  I'm not, by any means.  I am more in the mood for Christmas this year than I have been in the past few years.  We are already listening to Christmas music.  I am looking forward to getting a Christmas tree asap. 

I still have a long way to go before finishing Christmas presents.  I am making them for my kids this year.  I normally get them one big gift.  For my youngest son who is still at home, I normally start shopping for little things about June.  But I only get/make him one big thing for the main gift.  I don't worry about whether he gets gifts or not.  His older siblings usually spoil him rotten, especially, his sister.  She always buys him lots of things.  Joshua is very good about Christmas or any gift giving time.  He normally only wants a couple of things.  When the older kids were younger, they always wanted lots of things.  They didn't get them, of course.  I don't believe in buying lots of gifts at Christmas.  I like buying more at birthdays than Christmas.

I went to my first writers conference two weeks ago.  It was a small conference of only 100 people.  Despite its small size, it packed a whollop.  I learned a lot.  I also found out that I have learned a lot myself from reading books/magazines on the craft of writing. Like all of us, I still have a long way to go.

What was really amazing was to find so many professional writers who write fulltime for their careers.  They weren't just a few minutes here, a few minutes there writers, but one of sit down at the computer and type all day type of writer.  It was very encouraging, to say the least.

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  I make the long drive to Whitefish, MT to attend my first writers conference.  I am soooo excited.  I have wanted to attend a writers conference for many years.  I can't believe that I am actually going to attend one.  I know that by this time Sunday I will be on information overload.

I am all packed.  Everything is ready and in the car.  I just have a couple of more things to do tonight and then it will be bedtime.  I know that I will have trouble getting to sleep tonight.  My mind is going to be tripping along.  Oh well, that is life.

I am embarking on a new phase of my writing career.  I am a week away from my first writer's conference.  I am soooo excited.  I have wanted to attend a writer's conference for years.  They have always been out of my reach financially.  Then I heard of the Flathead River Writers Conference.  The price was very moderate.  I had some extra money for a change.  So, bingo, I signed up asap. 

Today I spent printing up stories and ideas to take with me.  I am not going to this conference to talk to an editor or anything like that.  I am going strickly for the first time experience.  Next year, I will go prepared for more.

Well, here it is Oct 2, 2006.  It has been a while since I registered here but I am finally able to start to blog.

I know that everyone feels the time crunch.  I know I certainly do.  If I think of all the things I need to do, then I feel overwhelmed and I don't get anything done.

My biggest problem with my writing is finding time.  I know that some say that if it is important then I will make time.  Well, how to you make time when you are homeschooling a special needs child as a single parent?  We just started the school year.  As usual my son begins each day complaining about school.  I work hard to make school interesting.  Not good enough.  He hates to read, write, and do math.  lol.  If it includes any of those three, welll, he doesn't want to do it.