Coulrophobia

Coulrophobia 

[kool-ruh-foh-bee-uh] 

An abnormal fear of clowns.

 

I'm not sure how old I was when I realized this condition. I do know it wasn't as a small child. I don't believe this fear started until I was a teenager. I never knew this fear had an actual name, Coulrophobia. Who knew?

I have two strange fears, clowns and carousels. Hmm, and closely related to the clown are mimes. We might as well throw them in there too. Yep, mimes give me the heebie jeebies as well.

 

I, like many others watched Bozo the Clown as a child. However, I was never really fond of him like most kids. There was just something about him that made me uneasy. I never found him funny, witty, or charming. Just strange.

 

But it wasn't until that clown Pennywise  came along, I knew it was over. That guy came along that just really sealed the deal. The clown from Stephen King's IT.  He was just the worst. He took creepiness to a whole nother level!

I had nightmares about him. With me it did not matter if the clown was a happy clown, danced around to happy music, made animal balloons, just seeing that painted face just made me want to exit stage right, as quickly as possible!

 

 Mimes are the same. I think they're very talented, but, um, that painted face just weirds me out.

 

To all the clowns and mimes in the world, please don't take it personal LOL I'm sure you bring joy to millions of others ;)

 

Carousels, are just plain creepy to me, so much so I wrote a scene about them in my book that will be released next year. One of my best friends collects carousels just like thousands of others. There are even groups that go around specifically to tour carousels. They find the hand carved animals and intricate decor fascinating and beautiful. No thank you, I'll pass.

I don't like the music, the lights, or the animals. I wonder why such innocent items can cause fear in some people? Why is that what some find amusing and entertaining, others find gruesome and horrifying.

Hmm, I think I've just come up with another storyline. Well, back to writing...

Sweet dreams kiddos and I hope Pennywise does not come to visit you tonight! :)

Beth

 

It's a New Year, Baby!! Hello 2015!!

Happy New Year!

Hellooooo 2015!



Goodbye 2014!

I bid you a very fond farewell!

2014

You were one tough cookie to get through!

It was not all bad...

Life happens. A few up and down, got a couple of bruises along the way.

But I made it through!

I lost some acquaintances but gain some new ones.

I lost some weight and gained some weight. LOL

I learned some valuable lessons.

GOT MY WRITING MOJO BACK!!

I finished my 4th book and

got a shiny new book deal with Tantrum Books! Woot! Woot!

I won my first book award, EPIC book award!

I finished writing my 5th book

stay tuned for news on that!

I've got an outline for my 6th book.

I started one super-secret-special project!

Yeah, I've been busy, busy, busyyyyy! :)

I'm SO excited about 2015, I could turn a flip!

I'm just down right giddy about it!

I'm expecting GREAT things!

I'm not only dreaming BIGGER but

putting it into action.

Time to stretch my faith!

and

BELIEVE BIG!

Try it!

You only get one life...

Your time is NOW!

Don't look back and have to say should've, would've, could've...

Imagine. Dream. Believe.

Blessings to you!

~Beth~

HunnyBunny Boutique! Come and get 'em!

Introducing the HunnyBunny Boutique! A boutique manufacturer and retailer specializing in all-natural bath and beauty products designed for families

My beautiful sister-in-law Leigh Byers, has started her very own line of natural products. There is a great selection of naturals soaps, body butters, lip balms, etc.

If you're like me and trying to move towards a healthier lifestyle and cut out some of the chemicals we're putting on and in our body. Check out her site!

https://squareup.com/market/hunnybunnyboutique


Here are some of the products!

Simply divine!!!! These will keep that winter dry skin nice & hydrated!

Cleans without irritating your skin

Keeps your lips nice and soft!

Meet the owners of the HunnyBunny Boutique! You won't find cuter CEO's :)

 

And you will receive a personal 'Thank you' note with your order!

Contact Information:

To purchase:  https://squareup.com/market/hunnybunnyboutique

Find them on the web...

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovehunnybunnyboutique

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hunnybunny_dc
 

Fruits & Veggies = Writer's Block

Well, I'm once again back on the healthy eating streak, or at least trying :) It seems to change weekly!

My newest cravings are for Sugar Snap Peas! If you've not tried these things you are missing out! I call them my new alternative potato chip #crunchcrunchcrunch

These are lightweight, crisp, sweet, refreshing, oh and crunchy!

A perfect snack!

You know you wanna try them now, right?

Since I work nights, I "try" to eat something healthy when I get home versus the whole, it's technically my evening, so its okay to have cookies! Yep, cookies for breakfast... Bad! very bad!

Lately, my new food of choice is a nice egg white omlete with assorted peppers, topped with Salsa. #Delicious!

Well, the other day, I get home and start getting the stuff together for my omelet. I open the freezer to grab the frozen pepper blend bag, and BAM!!

My sweet detector radar goes off! Why?  This....

What? Ice-cream! TWO 2 TWO CONTAINERS!?!?!?

The hubby brought home my weakness, my sweet indulgence, my Kryptonite! And so the inner war begins. I try to fight it and tell myself, "Oh, but the omelet is so tasty."

I fight it. I resist the urge to eat the ice-cream, but the evil side tells me, technically it IS your evening, so ice-cream is fine, and you've been doing so well, treat yourself, go ahead. This time, I won, I told the other side to shut up! I had the omelet. LOL!

The battle will continue. When I'm on a serious writing sprint, I have crazy-insane-high-sugar cravings! I've mentioned before I've tried keeping a bowl of fruit or veggies nearby when writing, so I would eat that instead, but it didn't work!

For some strange reason fruit and veggies gives me writer's block! As crazy as it sounds, it does. I can't write, the words don't flow. But give me a bag of Reese's cups, chips, Twizzlers, or a wad of bubblegum, and the words pour out!

Paging: Iyanla Vanzant, Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Dr. Spock, and Dr. Seuss! Help!

The Melting Pot...a fondue restaurant (A review)

My husband and I tried out a restaurant I've kept hearing about. It's called The Melting Pot (a fondue restaurant).

What the heck is fondue? 

Fondue is a Swiss, Italian, and French dish of melted cheese served in a communal pot over a portable stove, and eaten by dipping long-stemmed forks with bread into the cheese. Wikipedia

Hmm sounds interesting, right? maybe? a little?

Welllllll, lemme tell you! I LOVED IT!!!  But, it's probably not for everybody. Not everyone wants to go out and basically cook their own food. Not everyone would want to eat their meal in bits and pieces. Some people may just think it's just too weird.

Let me just tell you about our experience...

First we were seated in a section called "Lovers Lane" (I think that's what they call it LOL) It's a section off by itself with booths for two people. Each booth faces an aisle and a wall. the sides of the booth are higher, so you can't see your neighbors sitting in the next booth. The lights are dim. A really nice low jazz was playing in the background. I found out if you call ahead and you have a really super duper romantic evening, and they will spread rose petals around the booth, a bottle of champagne or wine, and bouquet of roses (Cha-Ching $$$$ LOL)

Okay, back to our experience!

When we were being seated we were asked if we were celebrating anything special, and we said that our wedding anniversary was the other day. A short while later she came back out with an anniversary card signed by all the staff (very sweet).

She explained how the whole fondu thingy worked. We chose the 4-course meal. (Tip: check out the weekly specials, you can get better deals) In the middle of your table there is a smooth top stove type thing, and a pot is placed on and the waiter starts adding things into it.

The first course is Cheese (melted in fondue pot) They have a few different kinds. We had,

The Melting Pot Cheddar Cheese Fondue
Aged, medium-sharp cheddar and Emmenthaler Swiss cheeses, lager beer, garlic and seasonings.

They serve it with a platter of breads, fruits, and veggies. That cheese was sooooo good and melty (hmm is that a word?) You really could just stop right there and be good. We had to stop ourselves cause we were getting full from that.

The second course was Salad. Again, they have different kinds, but I chose:

California Salad
Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette.

These salads needed nothing, they were perfect and delicious!

The third course, the Entree. Again, lot of variety, but we went basic: chicken, shrimp, teriyaki marinated sirloin, and some type of pork. They bring it out raw on a platter, along with a bowl of veggies. You also select what type of liquid or oil to use to cook the food in. We picked....

 

Coq Au Vin
Burgundy wine infused with fresh herbs, spices and mushrooms.

 

My first thought was that this was going to taste like boiled meat, but it didn't. It was very tender and so flavorful! Plus, they bring a bunch of different sauces to be paired with each meat.

Finally....OMG! Dessert! HEAVEN!

 

There were several different type of chocolate combinations to try. We went with basic Original. which was basically a big melted Reese's Cup, but OHHHH MY!!! They brought out a selection of goodies to dip. (pineapples, bananas, strawberries, coated marshmallows, pound cake, rice crispy treat)

WHO KNEW EVERYTHING WAS BETTER DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE!!!!!!

Let me add a little note here. I'm sure like every restaurant the experience will not be the same. It may taste differently, you may not get a really wonderful waiter like we had. Or, you may find that it's just not your cup of tea.

We enjoyed it! I recommend it for a girl's night out, family night, or a romantic date with your honey :) They're all over the place!

Blessings!

Beth

MIA

Dear Blog,

I sincerely apologize for ignoring you for the past several weeks (couple of months Ack!).

**brushes cobwebs from site, opens windows, spritz with Windex, and wipes down**

I promise not to neglect you again. Or, at least I will try. Okay? K.

**gives big box of chocolate & flowers**

Hugs & Kisses

Beth

New Book Deal! POLARIS

It's Official!

Put on the dancing shoes!

Turn up the music!

Coming February 2016!!