Final Progress Report of 2016

Yesterday was a sad day. My thoughts and prayers go out to Carrie Fisher's family and friends. 

With that, I'd like to take a moment just to remember all the people we have lost in 2016. It is a very high number. So here's to everyone who has lost a family member, friend, acquaintance, or pet (which for many would also be put under the family category). 

And I also want to spend a moment to think about all those who have passed this year who don't have anyone to mourn them. 

******************

This is my last post of 2016. Don't worry, I'll be back next year. 

It has been a rough year. Not as rough as 2015 and rough in completely different ways, but rough nonetheless. 

I started this year with a post about numbers the doctor would record about me, so I figured why not end the year with a similar list?

Age: 24

Height: 5’7”

Weight: 140.1 lbs (yes, that makes my BMI 22)

Siblings: 3

Pets (that are specifically mine): 1

Cities lived in: 3

States visited: 12

Blankets: 13

Jobs: 4

Books read last year: 126 (will probably be 127 by the time the year ends)

Lucky numbers: 3, 5 (and any multiple of those)

Favorite number: 15

Instruments playable: 1.5

Years in a band: 11

Year in marching band: 8

Best Friends: 2

Medical Issues: 4 (Allergies, Eczema, PCOS, and Strabismus-- this one isn't really a big deal anymore after two surgeries to help it)

Average amount of weekly words written: 2500

Not much has changed, but a few things have. I'm another year older and about 20 lbs lighter. I've read quite a bit (although a handful of those are actually children's picture books so I'm not totally sure if they count, but I totally let them).

My New Year's Resolution was to better myself. Overall, I am happier, healthier, and closer to moving on out on my own (not much closer, but closer). Next year, although I'll have the same goal of bettering myself, it's going to be slightly different. I'll get more into that in my next post (aka the first post of 2017).

Hopefully next year will continue my path for bettering myself.

Until Next Year,
Shelby

Progress Report #7

I cannot believe it is December.

Like whatsoever.

What happened to the entire year? It just vanished. Poof. Without a trace (or as the deepening wrinkles on my forehead attest to, with a noticeable trace.

It is that time again, time for a progress report on my journey to becoming a better Shelby, you know, what this entire blog is about.

Dancing With the Stars is over for this season, meaning it is very possible they will have an author on the show next season and all my dreams will be crushed, so I have to get back into writing a lot quickly. So that is what I'll be doing after this is posted.

Current Weight: 139.4 lbs (I've been fluctuating between 139 and 142 for awhile now, but I'm confident that's about to start moving down again)

Words of 2nd Draft: 61302 (The other day I got frustrated with it and rewrote two chapters after deleting three -- I know I said I wouldn't do that, but it was a moment of weakness and it was either do that or just chunk the whole thing in despair. I think I decided on the proper course of action).

Words in New Piece: 6626 (The amount I got to before I gave up on NaNoWriMo)

Amount of Literary Agents I've Looked at for my Picture Book Manuscript: 37 (This was prior to rereading that you should have three manuscripts ready to submit that show the breadth of your abilities.)

Current Temperature Outside: 54℉ (Aka too cold for me.)

So, as I said, it isn't a long post today. Just a quick progress report.

Until Next Time,
Shelby Hild

What to do When You Lose NaNoWriMo

Today, to celebrate the fact that it is December 1st and NaNoWriMo is officially over, I made my cat hate me.

Sort of. I took her to the vet and she got poked and prodded and all the usual things that we do to our pets to make sure they are healthy but they don't understand.

Don't worry, minus being a tad bit chunky and needing her teeth cleaned, Hathor is in perfect health. (Although, apparently her name is super difficult to get right because no one at the vet's office said her name correctly.)

After that, I went to go see a movie and was given a high five for being there alone. Like seriously, the person selling tickets was like "are you meeting someone or something?" and when I said no, he was like "right on" and gave me a high five (the time I went apparently was so slow that the customer service person inside is also the ticket seller so there was no weird aerobics for him to give me said high five). I guess it is a sign of me being comfortable enough in my single-ness and the fact that I have bizarre days off that no one else really does to be able to go see a movie alone. Anyway, it ended up being awesome because I was the only person in the theater watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Which was a fantastic movie.

Anywho, my post today is a simple one because I did not win at NaNoWriMo this year.

To the casual NaNoWriMo-er, it seems very straight forward with what winning means: You've successfully written 50K words in one month in at least somewhat of a story structure. When you've won then you have the putty, the sketch of a story to work with and mold down into a more polished piece. 

But when you don't hit that, does that mean you've lost? 

I don't like looking at it that way. As long as you've written something, you've won. At least in my eyes. 

Maybe you got halfway through and ran out of steam. Maybe something unforeseen happened and you couldn't write. Maybe you just weren't able to hit that goal every single day and as you watched the words needed per day number rise steadily it just became overwhelming. Maybe you didn't really care too much, so you wrote for one day and then completely forgot about it.

Whatever your reasoning, you didn't fail. You didn't lose. Do you have one more word than you did at the beginning of the month? 

That one word, that single word no matter how small and insignificant it might seem is very important. 

You did something. 

You began.

That is the first step in writing anything. 

And that is a success in my book.

Just because you didn't get it done this last month, doesn't mean you can't do it. 

Don't give up.

For all of you out there who didn't make the 50K words, this is my challenge to you (and me): Continue writing, continue aiming for that finish line of the end of your story. 

Don't give up.

So, this month my aim is to finish what I started this last month. 

Is there anyone out there willing to join me? 

Until Next Time, 

Shelby Hild

17 Ideas to Make Extra Money during the Holidays

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, I've come to the understanding people are looking for simple ways to add a little bit of an extra income to pay for those great gifts that are being planned.

Or you could be like me and have a lot of debt because you made the decision to go to an expensive college and now you're desperate to move out of your parents house before the next five years are up (No offense Mom and Dad, I love you both and am incredibly thankful for being allowed to focus on paying off loans rather than things like rent and food and all those pesky necessities, but I am a 24 year old woman. I don't want to live at home anymore).

Now, I did math (I know a shocker) and assuming I'm correct in my calculations, if I continue making what I'm making at work (where I work full time) and I put 100% of it towards my loans while not including any extra hours or bonuses, it will take me 4.4623 years to pay off my loans.

That's 100% of my income.

And as mentioned before, I am a 24 year old woman. Although my dad dos most of the grocery shopping there are a few things I refuse to ask him to buy for me.

Plus, every so often I do enjoy to at least pretend I have a life outside of work and writing. And if just pretending can be so expensive, I don't even want to know how expensive it would be if, you know, I actually had a life.

Then throw in the fact that the gift giving season IS rapidly approaching. And although I have a few gifts already, I still have plenty more to get.

So I have combined a list of different ideas that I have thrown around both in my brain and to differing people.

• Phone Apps
• AppTrailers: This is an app for the phone. It is the only of the apps that I have been able to work up enough points to be able to redeem anything, so I can say that you can indeed earn money through this. Basically, you just watch videos and ads and stuff and you can earn anywhere from 1-10 points per video. Starting at 500 points, you can redeem those points for $0.50 or you can let it build up and redeem larger chunks of cash. I would not recommend going too far over $0.75 before redeeming because the only times I have had any issues redeeming was when I tried redeeming $1.21 in one go. It says that it will be sent to your Paypal within a minute, but I normally have to wait 1-3 days. It won't make you rich, but when you're trying to pay things off, every cent counts.
• If you do get this app, please use me as your reference, we both will get points: snhild
• Slidejoy: This is another app for the phone. It puts an ad on my lock screen and each time I unlock my phone it gives me points. I have been earning about 100 points a day just by using my phone as I normally would. But I haven't been able to earn enough to cash out yet so I don't know how legitimate this app is. When I can, I'll update this post.
• Ibotta: This gives you cashback on things you buy consistently (like milk and eggs and bread). All you have to do is scan your receipt. Super easy if you do lots of shopping. I rarly buy my own groceries (thanks Dad!) so I've only earned $0.50 from it so far.
• Online Surveys: (Just as a note, I got most of these survey sites, if not all of them from here .
• Swagbucks.com: This is a website where you can do surveys and watch videos and search for things and all that wonderfulness to earn points. You can redeem those points for Gift Cards and Paypal money. I have yet to earn enough points to redeem because I rarely qualify for any of the surveys and the videos like to freeze on my computer. So, I'll get back to you on whether this is legit or not. I have heard good things from people, so fingers crossed!
• Cashcrate.com: This one is similar to Swagbucks, but it actually deals with cash. AND you can see how much you've earned. The downside is you can only cash out once you've reached $20. And these surveys also don't seem particularly interested in a 24 year old white girl who lives with her parents and has a full time job's opinion. Granted after two days, I have earned $7 so that is nice. Only $13 more to go before I can discover if it is actually real money or just some scam. 
• American Consumer Opinion: Apparently some people can make between $100-300 per month. I am not one of them because I've only been qualified for a single survey. 
• MintVine.com: This is one that I'm still working on figuring out. You earn points by doing various things on their website and doing surveys. And apparently referring people to it can get you a percentage of the amount of points they earn. Again, I'm rarely qualified for the surveys so it is taking me some time to figure it out.
• Real World/ Actual Work:
• Ask parents: No, don't ask them for money (although if they offer it, you don't have to say no), but offer to do something around the house. This may possibly only work for people who do indeed still live with their parents. My mom offered me extra money each month just by cleaning the house. (And after the first scary experience with one of my brothers' sinks, hopefully I'll be able to keep the disgustingness to a minimum. 
• Ask neighbors: Is one of your neighbors in need of a babysitter? A tutor? A pet sitter? Someone to mow the lawn? Paint the bedrooms? Anything? 
• Speaking of this, it there is anyone who needs a babysitter or pet sitter or tutor (probably for english related things or like elementary math) in my area, I am able! 
• Uber: You can drive for Uber! My big sister came up with this idea after she visited me at work on her way to Galveston for a cruise with her boyfriend. My dad shot it down right away if I wanted to keep my car and continue living under his roof.
• Sell extra stuff: If you find yourself surrounded by clutter, look through what you have. Is there anything of value that you don't use that isn't water damaged or falling apart? Sell it. If I had lots of extra stuff, I'd totally do this.
• Sell Plasma: Apparently when you donate plasma to some places they actually give you money for it? I've not done too much looking into this. But I plan to as soon as I get over this cold that I'm in the process of coming down with. Since you can donate every two or so weeks, then this might be a viable option. 
• Blog: To be able to make money through a blog, apparently you have to have ads. To get ads on a blog like mine, you have to use AdSense. To be approved to get AdSense, your blog has to consistently get a certain amount of views. If you've noticed, my blog now has ads. THANK YOU for hlping me get enough consistent views. I don't know how the ad thing works, but I think I read that people have to actually click on the ads? If that is it, then from now on I am clicking every ad I come across when I am on blogs. 
• Write short stories for Amazon Kindle: If I weren't already working on two novels, I would definitely take up this route. In fact, I plan to work on short stories as soon as the second draft of the Elemi is done and the first draft of the Dragon's Thief is done. From what I've read is it is best to place the short stories on Kindle Unlimited because you get paid if people get a certain percentage of the way through it. 
• Get a second (or third) job: This one I thought about, but I barely have time for writing and a life as it is, this wasn't really an option since I'd be tired all the time and then my work would suffer and I'd NEVER get out of my parent's house.
• Set up a GoFundMe page: Although I would never use this to get out of debt, it is an option. Personally, I feel like it should be used for people who desperately need it, such as my sister who has been going through a lot of medical issues the past few years. They may have figured out what is wrong with her (finally) so if you feel it in your heart, this is her GoFundMe page. 
• Become an online transcriber: This one I'm actually considering. Technically, I guess it could be considered a second job, but it would be able to go with my schedule. From what I've read is you need to be able to type well and type fast. Also, be able to follow directions and rules. All of those describe me, so... if it sounds like you too, here is a specific website to a freelance transcriber page and here is a blog post with different companies hiring. 

Hopefully some of these ideas are helpful. If you have other ideas on how to make some extra cash, please feel free to lave them in the comments!

Until next time,

Shelby Hild

Progress Report #6

Well, today's post should have marked the halfway point of the year. Due to my temporary hiatus, it has put it in this post which should have been in June here at the beginning of November.

But there's good news, I've got plenty of ideas for posts for the rest of the year.

The 50th Annual CMAs are tonight. So far I have correctly guessed each winner, let's hope that continues.

Anywho, belated Happy Halloween. I didn't do much, but I went to a haunted house with one of my good college friends. It was a lot of fun. So, that makes the number of haunted houses I've been to double. Since I went to my first one when I was in Austin a couple of weekends ago and then this one, my total haunted house attendance level is at two.

I've finally hit a major goal in the health improvement of my life. I am under 140 lbs. Not by a lot right now, I'm at 139.8 lbs, and it will probably jump back up a couple of times before it stays down, but I'm so excited. I've not weighted under 140 lbs since entering college.

Also, I've decided what I'm going to o for NaNoWriMo. I am going to work on both a new project and my second draft. So at the end of this month hopefully I'll have written 100k rather than just the 50k. Two days in and I'm currently right on track. Friday, I'm going to try and get ahead a bit because I know I'm going to come home from work some day and not want to write any.

So for my progress report, here it goes.

1) Weight: 139.8
2) Word Count for the 2nd Draft: 56480
3) Word Count for New Project: 3294
4) Number of ideas in my "Story Ideas" document: 39

Those are the only pertinent things I can think of at this moment.

Overall, I'd say life is going pretty well. Although I can't wait until I'm done paying off my student loans. Life just feels... stagnant. Which is really weird seeing as I've  done more the past month and a half than I have since graduation.

Perhaps that is why I've felt it so dramatically recently. But all I do is work and do random things around my house. I've been informed that that is adulthood, but there's so much more out there to do. I don't accept that. But I really can't deny it until after I'm no longer so deep in the hole of debt.

I did the math. If I keep up giving most of my check to loans, then I'll be done paying them in 4.5 years. That isn't including any bonus checks or tax refunds. So I'll be almost 30. Ew. Hopefully I can manage something else.

Maybe if I get far enough ahead on my writings, I'll work on short stories again and perhaps sell some of those. Or a novella and put that on Amazon. But that's just so... Idk far from now?

Each time I really start playing with that idea, nerves just absolutely take over. I freeze. That alone makes me wonder if it is truly what I should work for. At least when I start letting things sit for a bit again.

I don't know.

Life is scary.

Speaking of adulthood, one of my favorite things I've written in recent times is:

It was one of those phrases that just jumped onto the paper. And it has stuck with me since then. Maybe it is my brain trying to tell me something, but if that's the case, I'm thoroughly concerned. 

Until Next Time,

Happy NaNo-ing,

Shelby Hild

Judge A Book By Its Cover

How many people out there have heard the phrase "Never judge a book by its cover" or some variation of it at some point in his or her life?

I vaguely remember the first time I heard it. It was way back when, you know, before my family moved to Texas so I was not even five years old yet. On my dinner plate was this strange looking circular food and I was not having it. Who names something an olive? Like wasn't that some form of oil and isn't oil for cars? Remember, I was little (and I was gullible and it wouldn't surprise me if my brothers told me olive oil was indeed for cars). One of the adults in the household then stated "don't judge a book by its cover, Shelby." And I'm pretty sure my response was "that's not a book and it doesn't have a cover." Still I ended up giving green and black olives a try.

Now here we are twenty or so years later and I absolutely adore olives. Granted, I basically will try anything these days when it comes to food, and am no longer quite as picky.

Where did this phrase come from? When did it pop up?

Although I'm not entirely sure where the phrase first came from, according to the handy device known as Google, I've learned it was used officially in 1944 (as the phrase "you can't judge a book by its binding"). Because of that, I'd be willing to bet it was originally used starting in the mid-1800s at the earliest.

Now, if you haven't heard the phrase and are unsure what it means, basically it means don't judge somebody or something based on appearance alone.

For example, say you are out and about with some friends not too long after turning 21 and go into a bar that has this super buff, super tall, super tatted, biker guy who could probably break someone's neck simply by glaring at the other person. My first instinct would be to be thoroughly intimidated. But the only empty space within access to the bartender is on either side of this terrifying man. And its your turn to buy drinks.

So you stand up taller, try to work up the courage to go up next to him, and wobble unsteadily over to the bar. There, you order a round of shots. As the bartender starts making them, the man sniffs in your direction.

"You smell nice," he says.
"Thanks," you respond and try to slide a little bit further away from him. If he can smell you, then you either are too close or have too much perfume on. The man sniffs again.
"Kinda like vanilla," he nods his head to himself, "yeah, vanilla and mexican food."
"Um... okay," you say trying to see where the bartender went to and how much longer her making the drink will take.
"Do you like cats?" Biker man says.
"Cats? As in cute little furry creatures that will someday take over the world?" you respond. Biker man's face lights up and he nods. Then he lifts up part of his shirt to reveal a tattoo of a cat on his hip.
"This was my little Mimsy," he said, "she was a darling. She died last month and now my world seems so empty."

That was how I ended up spending 40 minutes having a drunken conversation about the pros and cons of a cat dominated world, and that was the first person I ever talked into adopting a new cat. (Note: the first, but not the last). Ethan and Caesar were doing quite well last time I talked to him before graduation.

When it comes to people, I highly encourage you to not judge a person.

But when it comes to actual, legitimate books, then of course judge them. Book covers are so important in the marketing of a book, and some people tend to forget that other people will pick up books and set them down based solely on what the cover looks like.

Different people appreciate different kinds of covers. Research needs to be done in order to perfect the gift of proper covering. 

Personally, I like simple but intriguing covers. Easiest example would be the covers of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series.  It is such a simple design. An upside down crown dripping blood. Yet it made me pick it up repeatedly. If I had only read the summary and not seen the book, I likely would have never read it. 

Some readers (generally ones in the romance genre) appreciate people on the covers. 

So here are a few tips for covers, granted most of these tips fall under the writing in general:

• Know your genre. If you are writing a scifi novel that involves reptilian astronauts trying to communicate with humans on the moon for help fixing their ant-shaped space craft that can speak fluent french, I'd recommend not having the cover be a lush green field with a couple cuddling in the center with a large Scottish castle in the background. It might send mixed signals.
• Know your audience. Some audiences need bright and sparkly covers where the more glitter, the better. Others need large block, easily readable letters. 
• Proofread. If your cover has a typo on it then that is difficult and expensive to fix. So before you send it to the printer, be sure it has been carefully edited and proofread. You you use the correct version of they're (or should it be there or their?) and are commas used properly?
• Play around with it. Your first attempt isn't required to be your last attempt.
• If you can't get it to work, ask for help. There is nothing wrong with asking for help.

What kind of book covers do you prefer? Comment below!

Until next time,

Shelby Hild

Prepping for NaNoWriMo Dilemma

I did not realize until just a few moments ago that it has been a month since I added a blog post.

Whoops.

So much for me attempting to get more consistent about this again.

If it means anything, I've been busy.

A little bit less than a month ago, I got Lasik. I can see without the help of glasses or contacts for the first time in my entire life. It is weird.

Although I have been doing quite a bit of writing, it hasn't necessarily been on anything specific. Obviously, it hasn't been on this blog. I have toyed with my WIP a bit, jotted down some story idea. But for the most part, I've been tweaking picture book stories that I've been working on (Dragon's Quest Home, Sylvia Mae's Very Bad Day, The Littlest Bigfoot, and Andrew's Accidental Trip to the Moon).

This last weekend, I spent in Austin and attended the Formula 1 race and Taylor Swift concert. It was an abundance of fun. Any time I spend with Leigh is always a blast and I got to actually spend time with her husband (rather than just the short spurts of time I'd had before, and I have to say they are probably the most adorable couple I have ever seen). I met some new people, all of which seem super nice. Plus I get to say I attended the only concert Taylor Swift is going to perform in the year 2016 and I'm 100% okay with that!

This is my favorite picture the I have on my phone. 

The main issue with me being so busy not working on my Elemi story (aka my current WIP) is that November is right around the corner and now I have no idea what I'm going to do for NaNo. 

For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, basically it is when lots of people try to write 50k in one month, basically the length for a novel. If you are interested in learning more, here is the link to the official website.

My original goal was to have the second draft of the Elemi done and out to be read by the first round of Beta Readers by the end of this month so I could focus on something new during this month. I can't finish the second draft in 5-6 days. Even if I didn't have to work, there is just no way I could do it. 

So now my dilemma is do I continue working on it during November and just not participate in NaNo this year? Or do I set it aside, work on something new and hope I don't completely forget about the Elemi? 

Or do I try to do both? Work on the Elemi AND something new?

And if I do end up working on something new, should I go with something I've got the outline for already done or do I make a new one? Which outline of the ones I've got should I choose? 

Or should I continue to toy with the picture books and see if I can make anything decent out of those?

There are just way too many options at this exact moment. And I can't just flip a coin or do eeny-meanie-miny-moe to decide. 

Okay, so maybe dilemma isn't exactly the proper word, but still. 

Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year? 

Until next time,

Hopefully there is much less time between this post and the next one,

Shelby Hild

Pick-up Lines

You may have opened this hoping to find some pick-up lines, and although this post doesn't have to do with actual pick-up lines that are used to get people's attention or be used as icebreakers, here is a link to some rather amusing ones.


When deciding on what book to read, there are three important elements that I use to judge whether I want to read it or not.

• Cover
• Back Summary/ Blurbs
• First Line

Today, I plan to talk about first lines because these are probably one of the more underrated elements of a book. 

I consider them very similar to pick-up lines. When I'm out and about, if someone approaches my with a pick-up line that is creative and piques my interest, I will likely continue talking to him. But if it is crude and obviously not thought out, I will probably back away slowly before running away. 

Although my reaction to bad first lines is not quite as strong and obnoxious, it will cause me to put a book down and not even finish the paragraph. It's rare for me to find a book that has that bad of a first line, but they do happen.

What should a first line of a book do?

It should capture the reader. 

Sounds simple, right? Then why do so many people struggle with first lines as though they are battling a mob of rabid anacondas in the middle of a rushing river? (Note to self: research to see if snakes can get rabies.) 

It is a struggle because there are so many different ways to capture a reader (legally, not like with a bear trap in the woods). 

The first line can depend on so many things, such as intended audience, point of view for the novel/story, length of novel/story, genre, the phase of the moon on the day of publication, and the type of birds that fly passed your window. I may have completely made up those last two, but sometimes what helps form a first line is dependent on random things. 

So I am going to make a list of first lines of books currently in my office along with a note of whether I have read the book or not. 

1. "The hatchling tasted his first air." -- I've read the first half of this book, but was pulled away due to school work in college.
2. Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time thinking about death." -- Finished this book in less than 24 hours.
3. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Private Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." -- I have read this book multiple times and in fact own a collector's edition leather bound version of it. It is beautiful.
4. "It wasn't supposed to be this hot and humid on Cape Cod." -- I picked this book up twelve times before finally reading it.
5. "The light was almost gone now." -- I read this one for a class and plan to reread it at some point for my own pleasure.
6. "In 1902 Father built a house at the crest of the Broadview Avenue hill in New Rochelle, New York." -- I was supposed to read this one for class. I don't believe I finished it. 
7. "That man was still following her." -- I read this one over a week.
8. "The storm had broken." -- I've owned this book for three and a half years now, opened it countless times and not made it passed the first page.
9. "Sometimes it seems like all I ever do is lie." -- I read this entire series in under two weeks.
10. "The flat afternoon sky spread over the black and gray mountains like a stage backdrop, the color of a dog's pale crazy eye." -- I read the first page of this over eight times before actually moving on. I might not have finished the book if it weren't a school reading book.
11. "The children of the embassy all saw the boat land." -- This is a great book and I read it all pretty quickly. 
12. "Sitting beside the road, watching the wagon mount the hill toward her, Lena thinks, 'I have come from Alabama: a fur piece.'" -- I read this for a class and enjoyed it. 
13. "Wind howled through the night, carrying a scent that would change the world." -- I enjoyed this a lot more when I was younger, but upon attempting more recent rereads, I just can't get into it.
14. "A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the tree, but the young girl seated beneath it did not seem to notice." -- This line used to captivate me much more (back in like intermediate school), but it is a book I reread almost yearly.
15. "Lessa woke, cold." -- Short and sweet, another book I consistently reread.

Making this list, I noticed a few things about my own tastes. I am more likely to put down a book that starts with stating the location of the book. 

Do you recognize any of the first lines listed? If you do put what it is in the comments! Whoever gets the most right will win.. absolutely nothing but it could impress me ;)

Do you have a favorite first line of a novel? Or even a favorite pick-up line?

A Year Ago

I am super sorry it has taken me a month to update this blog. I have multiple posts in the wings getting ready to be posted, so thankfully I shouldn't have anymore long waits in between them.

I've just been busy.

Very Busy.

Between work where I have been working extra hours (yay paycheck, nay life) and multiple other things, this blog just slipped away from me.

This last weekend I spent in Nashville, Tennessee for my best friend's wedding and it was absolutely gorgeous and she looked practically ethereal. I have known this woman since kindergarten and I was blessed to have been there when she and her husband met.

My dad has a new job as soon as the background check and drug tests come back saying he doesn't do drugs, nor has he been a criminal.

This post, other than a quick catch up, is something I've been hesitant about writing.

In two days it will be the anniversary of my grandmother's death. The anniversary of everything around me shattering into trillions of little pieces while I just stood there too in shock to even try to catch a few of the pieces.

I miss her. Everyday. To go from catching up with her every single afternoon or morning depending on when I had to work, sitting in her room and helping her do puzzles, or commenting on the awkward TV scene I walked in on her watching, and then her just being gone...

Sometimes it still hits me like a wrecking ball straight in my stomach and I can't breath, I can't think. My pulse races and my head empties of everything but her smile.

I miss her. But life does move on. And I've grown so much in this past year, it's strange to look back on who I used to be. This growth has been thanks to her. As much as I wish for her to still be here by my side telling me I can do this, being my support system, being the foundation of my life, I know what she would want from me. She would have wanted me to grow and to continue learning. That's what I've been doing and that's what I plan to continue doing.

Anyway,

I've been working on something all year, off and on, and figured I might as well post it. Poetry isn't my strong point so... yeah...

I See You
By Shelby Hild

I see you in the sky today
one moment there
then like a cloud,
you've blown away.
Your voice, it whispers in
the wind through
the oak trees
dancing green leaves.
The birds sing the song
you sang to me
and I just can't help
but hum along.
I see you in the
stars tonight
your eyes glisten in
the sparkling light
and your laughter
rings throughout the dark
while crickets chirp
their nightly prayers
and send you home again.


Until Next Time,
Shelby Hild

Progress Report #5

Hello Everyone!

First off, I would like to apologize for the brief hiatus that I recently went on. Life happened.

Then the plan was to come back at the beginning of this month, but certain things occurred that I had to work through before I could truly even consider writing about it.

Of the things that happened that caused me to stop, I guess my dad losing his job was on of the bigger deals. It isn't a new story; it isn't anything that we've never heard of before. But it was one of those things that you just don't expect to happen to you. And I guess it didn't happen to me, it happened to my dad, but since he is still financially supporting 90% of what I do (which I'm super thankful for) it added a bit of stress.

He spent June focusing on his health. Now he has a part-time gig at Lowe's mixing paint. It isn't much, but it is something and we are managing.

Then at the end of last month there was a shift leader position open at my store which I applied for, along with one of the other people who has been at the store about the same amount of time i have (I think I joined the staff a week or two after him).

He got it. Don't get me wrong he is doing fantastic and 100% deserved the promotion. But I guess it hurt more than I was letting on because I know it is something I'd be good at. Oh, well.

The good thing is, when I didn't get the promotion, something in my brain just.... clicked.

I knew how I wanted to change my first draft.

I wrote out an outline.

Now, the second draft is moving along nicely, but I'll get more into that in a moment.

We are a couple weeks into this Season's Bachelor in Paradise and I've no idea really whether I'm enjoying it or hating it. What I do know is that "After Paradise" sucks this year for many reasons.

1.) No Chris Harrison.
2.) Too much is going on.
3.) I feel like the lady host (I forget her name) is very good at interrupting.
4.) No Chris Harrison.
5.) They bring on people, but the people really say nothing (which makes sense because they are all still on the show so they can't say anything.)
6.) DID I MENTION THERE IS NO CHRIS HARRISON?????

Dancing with the Stars starts next month, so I'm excited for that!

Now, on to the actual Progress Report!

As I mentioned earlier, I started working on the second draft of my novel.

-Its current word Count is: 52287
I technically have a children's picture book written too, and it is on like its 12th revision. So if there is anyone who wants to be a Beta Reader for it (or is willing to read it to a child, either leave a comment or hit me up-- but it is currently picture-less so be warned of that).

Weight has been moving along slowly, but consistently.

-This morning my weight was: 143.8 lbs
I am so pumped to hit under 140, you have no idea. Hopefully it happens before I go to Nashville for my best friend's wedding, but if it doesn't that's okay.

I'm in the process of thinking the universe is sending me messages because

-Amount of Job Offers without applying for anything in the past month: 4
This has me more stressed than I would like to admit. Like all of them would pay better than where I am currently at for normal salary and three of them would have more consistent schedules. But health insurance for the ones that I have seriously looked at is more expensive. They involve a lot of sitting and computer work, which would then hinder me wanting to sit down and write. I've decided if I'm offered one more then it is the universe attempting to tell me that maybe I should look away from my current position.

I am going to end this post with something I have been putting off for awhile. I'm going to add pictures of me which feels really weird, but for those who are actually following my journey in hopes to see change, it would be helpful I guess.

This was June 2014, prior to me getting diagnosed with PCOS. My weight was approximately 190. And of course it is Hathor being adorable.

This is March 2016 with my little sister. I weighed about 150 at this time.

The latest picture was taken just a week or so ago on August 7th with my mother as we were waiting to see Wicked. My weight was 144.9 lbs.

As I went through the pictures, I realized two things.
1.) I apparently don't take many selfies.
2.) Looking at the pictures side-by-side, there is some obvious change. It helps motivate myself a little bit more.

Until next time (which is much closer of a point in time than last time),

Shelby Hild

Temporary Hiatus

I am so sorry about this but there are things occurring currently in my life right now so I'm going to have to go a week or two more (hopefully not much after that) without doing a real post.

Thank you for your patience.

Five Favorite Songs

Today I had plans, great plans. Grand plans. Working out, writing, doing research for a specific blog post I have been wanting to do,  plenty of delightfulness.

Today, I got called into work.

That means although I do get a little bit extra money this week, I got one less day off. That meant nothing i wanted to do got done. But that's okay.

Instead of spending a bunch of time deciding what to write that won't take too long, so I can indeed get some creative writing done, I have decided to post my top 5 (current) favorite songs. Some of these have been pretty consistently my favorites, others are newly discovered.

1.) The first one is a more recently discovered one (at least for me).  It is Brighter by Against the Current.

It is nice to listen to before I try doing some intense writing sessions. The chorus is incredibly motivating. In fact, I'm currently listening to this. 

2.) The second one I discovered purely by accident. It came along with my "Fight Song" Pandora Station. It is Stand By You by Rachel Platten. 

 (the music video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwB9EMpW8eY -- for some reason it wouldn't let me connect them).

Every time I hear this song, I think of my lovely little sister, Lezli. I hope she knows that I'm always here for her even though I'm not in the same city.

3.) The next song is by Christina Perri. I jump back and forth between her song Human, The Words, and Be My Forever. SO here are all three. 

 

 Again I couldn't seem to get the official music video (that's right here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9tc9R_Y3FY with Captain Killian Hook for my OUAT peeps.)

4.) Basically anything by Karliene. Like seriously. This woman is amazing (although I'm not sure if I'm just a fan because her and I seem to have common show/ movie tastes). I currently am pretty obsessed with her Game of Thrones songs, which is why Sansa's Hymn makes this list. 

5.) This one was probably the most difficult for me to decide on (including the one that I turned into 3 so... yeah). I was debating between this one (Kasey Musgraves -- Follow Your Arrow) 

and this one (Fire and Ice -- Within Temptation) 

and this one (Lost in Paradise -- Evanescence)  

For anyone who is curious, I'm pretty obsessed with Amy Lee from Evanescence as well. All of the "Which celebrity do you look like most?" things I have ever done have all ended with her and I don't complain at all.

Well this was fun. What are your top five favorite songs (or more)? How about favorite music videos?

Until Next Time,

Shelby Hild.

P.S. This has been a really odd birthday week,

P.P.S. Next week may be off for posts because my days off are flipping around again. So sorry. 

Progress Report #4

Oh my goodness, guys.

It's May.

Seriously.

I am five months into this process.

The good news is I have a complete first draft which I am still letting sit because my brain won't let me leave it alone. It is difficult, but I'm trying really hard. Time and time again, my brain is like, "hey, Shelby, you know this sucks so you need to rework it and here are 503427809471398 ideas for how to change it."

So on to the progress report:

WIP: 1st draft complete (because I already said that).

Weight: 150 lbs. (Note: I actually forgot to weigh first thing this morning so this was after I ate breakfast and worked out and everything.)

Yes, I know, my weight has shot up again. I went a bit overboard in the celebrating finishing the draft and then I lost the desire to work out and then when I tried to start up again, I did something wrong that hurt my knee.

My knee is better and I am back on my healthy eating kick AND working out. I've discovered Fitness Blender on Youtube which has been helpful so I no longer have an excuse not to do anything when the weather is rough.

This morning I did two different workouts which took about an hour.

In fact, today has been rather productive. Which is good seeing as being productive is my goal for this month.

How am I going to do this? By each morning getting up and deciding to be productive. No more sleeping in late (although I've not done that a lot recently). Keeping my room clean. Doing laundry and actually hanging clothes up and folding them, you know the stuff I hate to do.

Productivity will be pushed at work as well, especially with summer holidays coming up so quickly. Not holidays for me, but for people who have summer vacation. It's going to get busy and I need to be able to stay focused. We have a lot of stuff to shelve as it is and when teachers start selling their books to us it is only going to get worse. But busy is fun. It makes the days go quicker.

Do you have any tips on how you keep productive? Feel free to comment below!

Until next time,
Shelby Hild

April's Monthly Musings

Today is not about anything huge.

I've got no list on how to improve your life, or how I'm trying to improve mine.

Really, this blog post is one that deals with different thoughts recently.

First off:

-Game of Thrones: OH MY GOSH. That's really all I can say without, you know, spoiling that ending. Oh my gosh. WHAT?

-Dancing With The Stars: I appreciated Doug being on it and I loved his drive, but he was the worst dancer of the group. As much as I adore Jodie, it won't surprise me if she leaves pretty soon, solely in terms of dancing and improvement levels. Granted I totally voted for her, Paige, and Ginger. I can do nothing that any of them are doing (at least currently). Seriously, I now own two of the Dancing with the stars exercise DVDs and couldn't even figure out what was being don being the first dance.

-Survivor: Eh, Scott needed to go. Him and Jason thoroughly annoy me.

-The Voice: I don't consistently watch this but it is currently on TV and I'm unsure what's going on....

-Books: I finally read the Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. It was good. The descriptions were delightful and the world building was fantastic. I've not read any of the books that it is consistently compared to (except for Hunger Games and the first Divergent book), so I wasn't hindered in that way. The twist at the end was pretty guessable, her clues were pretty heavily scattered throughout the book. At times I wish there was more character growth, but it isn't the last book so I am looking forward to seeing how she (and Cal) do grow. I wanted more to happen with Maven because his feeling for Mare (you know they are there) can create great tension later on, but how it was left makes it seem less plausible.

I've also reread Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon and it was just as good the second time through as it was the first.

-Exercising: Recently I have completely failed at exercising, but not any more. I'm getting back in the habit (not that I ever was in the habit of it....) and I'm requiring myself to workout prior to going to work. Which means getting up earlier than I so desire. In my head I'm realizing perhaps I need a personal trainer that I can pay up front and then force myself to go to because I hate wasting money. Anyone know an affordable Personal Trainer near Houston?

-Eating: My diet has kinda fallen off the wayside as well. I mean it was mostly in celebration of completing my first draft, but I can't use that excuse anymore. I was going to wait until May 1st to really revive both eating and exercising, but then realized I always push things back. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm reviving my diet right now.

Overall, things are going well. I've been working at work. Although nothing is quite as peppy as it was because one of my supportive coworkers had something (what I've got no idea) occur. If she sees this (you know who you are), I hope she realizes how worried everyone is and how much we all miss her. She's in my thoughts and I hope everything is getting better.

Despite that, I've hit some sort of block. It hit me really hard a few days ago and I'm terrified. It's as though my first draft doesn't truly matter and it just sucks and I'm never going to be able to get published, never going to improve, and all of the work I've put into my writing (not just my first draft but also the work it took for me to get my BA in Writing and everything I have ever written) is just for nothing. With that it makes me nervous that I will never surpass where I am now.

Don't get me wrong, my life is fine. I've got a roof over my head, and a job that keeps my loans paid. In fact I've not even got to pay rent or food or anything like that unless I feel like it. The thing is, I want to pay rent and I want to be a responsible adult. Currently I feel as though I'm stuck in an in between. Not an adult, but not a teenager, or child either. It's frustrating and I'm feeling so incredibly....stuck. Stationary.

I need to get this WIP on the move, but I know I probably should let it rest some more because I can't help but totally obsess over it when I'm not working on it. I will start writing my second first draft pretty soon, you know, the one that will be a trilogy that I actually have an outline for. I'm hoping it'll be easier to write with one than without one. Being unable to concentrate was one of the reasons that this is another non-list blog, soon I'll be back to those. Maybe. No promises.

But there will be another blog post.

Also, I think Tuesdays are replacing Monday for my day of posting, unless my boss changes what day I have off again.

Until Next Time,
Shelby Hild

What to Do??

Today is going quite drastically different than I anticipated it to go. I knew the weather was going to be rough, but I didn't actually think work was going to be cancelled. But it happened.

So my "to-do" plan changed rapidly.

As soon as I struggled home through the pouring rain and rumbling thunder, I took a nap. Sort of. Ricky, the dog, woke me up this morning about three or four, and then wouldn't let me fall back to sleep, the silly dog. So I laid down after I got home and dried off, and just chilled. I wasn't able to fall asleep or anything, but still.

So then I went about with what I was planning on doing, only many, many hours before the original intention.

Which is why this blog is being posted so early today!

Today's post is about what to do when you've finished your first draft because, guess what everyone! I have officially finished the first draft of my WIP! It is a weird feeling. It had gotten to the point where all my free time when I was reading, working, or sleeping, I was writing. The first draft ended up being 213 pages, 105142 words, and I can't believe I was able to finish it!

For those out there attempting and struggling as I did to write the first draft of a novel, don't give up. It is possible. But when it is done, remember, just because the first draft is done, doesn't mean your work is done. Honestly it has just begun.

The first step is writing a first draft.

So what do you do when it is done?

• Celebrate! The first thing to do when you've finished your first draft is to celebrate. This is a big accomplishment! Even if you feel like what you've just finished is the biggest pile of poop you've ever seen, that's okay. 
• I celebrated by giving myself the okay to buy a new outfit and a new toy for Hathor. Right now, I've been searching for a nice new outfit, but it is harder than I anticipated!
• Ignore the Draft. Once the first draft is done, everything I have read is to leave it alone for a bit. Completely ignore it. Keep ignoring it until you can go for a bit of time without cringing about what all needs to be changed. That can be anywhere from a day to a year.
• So far, this is the step I am on and it is incredibly difficult. I've been trying to focus on other things, like rereading Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon, but it isn't working too well. My brain forced me to try and write an outline to the first draft, but I failed and it ended up upsetting me a lot more than I wish. There is an outline there in the draft, but there are so many inconsistencies that it is ridiculous. So, I started working on the outline to another story that has been making its way around my brain for awhile. 
• Read it through, but don't edit it. Take notes on what you need to change, on how things can be improved. 
• Read it again, this time with a different format, be it printed out or on kindle or whatever. 
• Rewrite, edit, make improvements.
• Repeat the last three steps a couple of times.
• Let a Beta Reader (or ten) read the draft. 
• Make sure to use readers who are going to give honest critiques. If they aren't going to be honest, how can you improve? 
• But don't take what they say to heart. They want to help your work become better. Hopefully they aren't just tearing your work apart just to tear your work apart. They might make you feel as though you are the worst writer in the world, so bad in fact that you shouldn't even claim the title of writer. Don't let it discourage you. 
• Taking the critiques into consideration, do a few more drafts. 
• Repeat the last two steps until you feel prepared to face the cruel, cruel world of literary agents and their rejection letters.
• Create an incredible Query Letter. 
• Get a few (or a lot) of rejection letters. 
• From what I have been able to gather, if an agent responds to your query with tips, follow them. Most people just receive stock rejection letters. A personalized note is a good sign. 
• Get an Agent.
• Since I've not gotten to this point, I'll have to get back to you on what to do after you get the agent. 

Hopefully this has been at least somewhat helpful to someone. I'm going to continue to let my work rest, since I am nowhere near the point of letting my mind drift away from it. 

Until Next Time,

Shelby Hild

Top 5 Travel Destinations

This last week has been remarkably good. More so than I was anticipating. Not that I was expecting this week to be a bad week or anything.

Just a quick list of what occurred: 

• Dancing with the Stars --Mischa Barton went home. I, for one, am happy about it. It bothered me that she blamed Artem for her not being able to dance or do well when she acted as though she didn't want to be there. Why sign up for a show that you don't want to do? Granted I don't know a lot about her, so there could be more in there. If I cared more about her, I would do some research, but I don't, so I won't. 
• It was Pay Week, so I'm no longer broke. For the next like week.
• Outlander Season 2 Premiered -- I love this series, based on the books by Diana Gabaldon (which are also fantastic). Currently I am rereading the book that this season is based on (Dragonfly in Amber) and I enjoy it just as much. This is a book series I'd highly recommend for reader who like basically any genre because this book has it all. 
• My section at work started Full scanning yesterday, which always puts me in a good mood. Seriously. There is nothing better than spending the whole day just scanning every book in Kids, Parenting, and Religion. It gives the perfect time to reorganize things and anything that grants you time to reorganize in Kids is something to be thrilled about. 
• Hathor. That's really all I have to put there, she's the delight of my life. (Granted she is currently hiding under my bed because it is thundering and storms scare her poor baby.)
• My WIP is SO CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED. AHHHHHH 

That isn't all of what occurred, but it is close. And just add the fact that Game of Thrones Season 6 starts so soon, I can't wait, this week is bound to be just as good. If not better. 

Today's post is all about a specific section of my bucket list: Travel. 

Now, I know when asked where I want to go, I always say everywhere. That's true. I do want to go everywhere. But that is kind of unrealistic at this point in my life. Especially since I don't want to do all the tourist-y stuff.

I do want to do the tourist stuff, but I also want to experience places as the inhabitants do. 

There is also the fact that I've not been many places even in the US. Everywhere I have been, I can thank band. Go Frogs.

Anyhoo, here we go. 

1. Scotland -- Who wouldn't want to go to Scotland? Let me rephrase that. Of the fans of Outlander, who wouldn't want to go to Scotland? Pictures show such beauty there. And I'd love to look more into the Mythology and Folklore of the land actually in the land. And I have some Scottish Heritage.

2. Germany -- Speaking of places that my ancestors came from, I can't forget Germany. I've known many people who have been here and rave about it.

3. Mexico -- I live in Texas. I've lived here most of my life. and I've never been to Mexico. When I think of history, there is a lot there. This is a place I'd love to explore all of the tourist-y things without feeling too bad about being a tourist. 

4. India -- When I try to think of a place that's culture is drastically different than my own I think of India. Despite having a history minor, I don't know a lot about India and I would love to change that by going there. 

5. Ethiopia -- Although I want to travel all through Africa, for some reason. Maybe it is because when in school for some reason it was the only one I could continually locate when learning the Countries of Africa, or maybe it is because it is fun to say. Egypt is a close second on Countries I want to visit in Africa, so there is that too. 

Again, I want to go to all places, not just these five. And some day, when I'm done paying off student loans (yuck) I will eventually go traveling.

What are your top travel destinations, both places you've been and places you want to go? Feel free to comment!

Until Next Time,

Shelby Hild

Progress Report #3

Here I sit, watching Dancing with the Stars with my mother, and looking forward to the day I am on there as the first author on it known as an author. This week is the Most Memorable year and I keep having to pause writing to be sure I don't miss anything. (Oh my gosh, Doug's story and Waltz to the Rainbow Connection was heart breaking).

Anyway, today is my third progress report on this journey to a better me.

I am going to preface my numbers here with the fact my scale is doing weird things (either that or I manage to lose and then regain over twenty pounds in a week).

So, here we go.

According to my possibly malfunctioning scale, I currently weigh 147.3 lbs which is 2 pounds lighter than last month. That makes total weight lost in 1/4th of a year 12.7 pounds. It isn't as much as I'd like to see, but again it is still progress.

Where writing is concerned, my progress is moving consistently and I currently have 90,220 words written. I am in the process of writing the third act of my story and it is moving rapidly toward the climax and thus the conclusion. It is 100% absolutely and completely terrifying. I can't even express how anxious it is making me as I near the end of the first draft. The only thing that is keeping me moving forward is the knowledge that this draft is supposed to suck. Like it is so bad I'm pretty sure I can fertilize the entire garden in my backyard for twenty years. Maybe even fertilize the Keukenhof in South Holland.


I know this is a short post, but seriously. It is Dancing with the Stars time. 
At least I can say I haven't completely given up on my New Year's Resolution yet! Are you still working towards one? Or do you have something new that you're working towards? Feel Free to comment below,
Until next time,



Shelby Hild

Apple Cider Vinegar: Pros and Cons

Warning: This post shall start out possibly with TMI. You have been warned.

All my life, well, at least since I was in intermediate school, when it was my time of the month, I would be miserable. Thankfully, I didn't get too bad of cramps. But my mood would be super irritable and it would be super heavy.

And it would last forever. Like the average is, what, 3-7 days? Mine sometimes would last a week and a half.

But I could always count on when it would arrive. Every month. Never changing up even the slightest. If I couldn't count on anything else, I could count on that.

Then early March two years ago, there was nothing.

For someone who has always had super predictable periods, when I didn't have one it freaked me out. My first reaction was "what if I'm pregnant?" Then I laughed because if I were, it would be the next baby Jesus.

So I did some research and read that sometimes stress causes that to happen. And it was my last semester of college and life overall was pretty stressful, so I figured I'd found the culprit.

Then it happened again (or didn't happen again) the next month. And in May it was super late, but at least it wasn't a skip. I was graduating, so I figured when I got home and life returned to a constant state of little to no stress then everything would fall back into place.

Only, it didn't.

Over the next three months, I had my period for two days. As nice as it was to not have to deal with it, the whole situation was beginning to freak me out. So I went to the doctor.

Mid-July I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Although I didn't (and don't) have any of the characteristic cysts, I did have a major hormone imbalance. It was discovered early enough that hopefully I'll be able to avoid any of the bigger issues that are often problems with it.

Because of the hormone imbalances, PCOS can invariably cause insulin resistance and weight gain. Which can lead to Type 2 Diabetes. Now, I wasn't quite to the point that my doctor was worried about Diabetes, although there is a family history of it on both side, but my weight was in the process of seriously spiraling out of control. I was nearing 200 lbs.

So, my doctor prescribed me to start taking Metformin. That is normally a medication taken for Diabetes, but it has been increasingly common to be given to people with PCOS.

It did what it was supposed to but I HATE having to take medication, especially on a daily basis even when it doesn't have side effects. This one did. Not as badly as some people, like after the second month, it didn't upset my stomach (especially since I learned to eat things with high protein prior to taking it).

This medication made my mood constantly shift. Like it was bad. Anything could upset me enough to start crying. I get rejected for a job? Sob. I get a job? Sob. I get told I was doing something wrong? Sob. Hathor do something adorable? Sob. It was ridiculous.

I couldn't do it anymore. Crying over every little thing that happened was just too much for me. Some people do that naturally, but they've had that their whole lives so they are used to it. I wasn't.

So I began the search for alternate things. Within minutes practically, I ran across an article that dealt with Apple Cider Vinegar.

With all of the positive things I read about this stuff, I just HAD to test it out especially since it is praised as a sort of "miracle cure-all" natural thing.

Just for reference, I used Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother. It is easily found at Walmart and HEB with the vinegars. Some Krogers and Targets have it, but I've realized that is either hit or miss.

The Pros and Cons are ones that I personally noted. Although the first month I was still taking Metformin, most of the Pros didn't start until about halfway through month three.

Pros:
-Helped maintain insulin levels
-Helped with digestion
-No more Period problems
-Healthier glow according to some people
-Curbed my appetite, so I wasn't constantly hungry
-Boost in Energy

Cons:
-Taste. It tastes disgusting. I know there are "recipes" on how to make it taste better, but of all the ones I tried, none ever worked.
-Acidic. It is NOT good for teeth enamel. If you decide to give it a try, then be sure to brush your teeth around 20 minutes after. Note: don't brush them immediately, because that can do more damage than letting it sit.

According to research, there are quite a few other pros and cons, but I didn't noticeably experience them. Here are a few links to some of the articles I found informative.

DivaPCOS
Superhumancoach
TheAlternativeDaily
Yahoo! Answers (I know not necessarily the most reliable, but the first post has multiple outside links)

Despite the taste, I am going to start drinking it again to see if the Pros were truly occurring or if it was actually just remnants of the Metformin.

Have you ever tried Apple Cider Vinegar? Are there any other "miracle cures" that you've heard of and tried?

Until next time,
Shelby Hild

P.S. If you enjoy my blog, please subscribe!

5 Ways to Relax When Stressed

Happy International Poetry Day!

I am super sorry that I missed posting last week. In my defense, I wasn't much use for anything from Friday afternoon two weekends ago until about Wednesday of last week. If I wasn't at work, I was at home asleep (or lounging watching Criminal Minds) but mostly sleeping.

But this week is going to be much better. I've already written a couple thousand words. I did mean to wake up about two hours prior than I actually ended up waking up. The time change has messed up my natural clock, so I can't just turn my alarm off and assume I'll get up around 9 o'clock.

Already, I know this is going to be a good week. Last week was our big Spring Mailer Sales week at work and it was Spring Break. Just add that I wasn't feeling 100% and it was a very stressful week.

Thankfully, this week won't be near as bad.

Here is a list of things I like to do when I am overly stressed (because being stressed is not healthy and is probably the worst thing for productivity).

1.) I chase Hathor around and try to get pictures of her. It might not seem relaxing, but it is quite helpful. I mean seriously, look at that face.

2.) I take a bubble bath and read. Sometimes I even take a glass of wine with me. Okay, who am I kidding, most times I take a glass of wine with me. But the wine isn't necessarily what makes it relaxing. Bubble baths make it seem like I'm soaking all of my troubles away. Recently, I've been pretty fond of Bath and Body Works' Aromatherapy soaps, so I'm going to recommend the Stress Relief with Eucalyptus mint found here. 

3.) If it is still early enough in the day, sometimes I'll go for a walk. I can't wait for the areas nearby to make the trails that are in the works. They just have to finish the building first, but I'm patient. Most of the time. 

4.) Another thing I do is overdramatically collapse on my bed and refuse to move until after either I wake up from a nap or I feel better. 

5.) I work out in the backyard garden. It's so nice to be outside working with my hands in the dirt, pruning and watching as things grow. Just a few days ago I planted a strawberry plant and it makes me so happy.

And for a bonus:

6.) If a person is why I am stressed out, I will make the person in my Sims game and make life miserable for him or her. Overall I am not a violent person and I don't actually want anything negative to happen to the person but sometimes getting a person abducted by aliens and then pregnant with quadruplets while living in a one-room building that doesn't have a working toilet is just what I need to make me feel better.

So until next time,

I hope you have a very stress-free week,

Shelby Hild

Tips on Productivity and Time Management

Today is a delightfully rainy day. I know we are expecting more rain and more wind, but for now it is just an off and on again drizzle. It is relaxing. Hopefully it stays relaxing and doesn't venture into the stressful arena.

Anyway....

This week's post topic is one that I have found difficult, mainly because prioritizing is somewhat difficult for me.

I have tried to plan out each second of my day.

And failed to even stick with it an hour.

I have tried just winging it.

And failed, although I did distract myself by learning a great deal of random things on Wikipedia.

Then I tried post-it notes.

And lost them. All.

So my current method is giving myself a time limit to finish a specific amount of things. It isn't quite as strict as having every second of every day planned, nor as easily ignorable as not having anything planned.

It seems to be working so far.

So here are a few tips I've learned within my journey to discovering how to become more productive thanks to prioritizing and becoming more efficient at time management.

1. What works for one person may not work for another.
2. Using the snowball effect (like most people use for money and paying off loans) can work when you've got a lot of little things. Figure out which one is easiest and can take the least amount of time, then complete it. You'll get the encouragement of crossing something off your list (even if it is a mental list) and be able to move on to the next item.
3. Do you have anything that is time sensitive? Do those things first.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. It'll take longer to do if you are having to learn how to do it on your own and then you might run out of time.
5. Don't forget to relax some. If you don't relax, generally quality of what you're doing takes a hit.
6. Along the lines of that, don't forget to  breathe. Oxygen is good for you.
7. If you need to socialize and have a project you're working on that can be a group project, ask someone to come over and help out. I'd recommend not asking them over to, say, clean your house, but whatever floats your boat.
8. If it is something you aren't excited to do, figure out a way to make it a game.

Most of those seem very similar to each other, but it works. There are some things that would be hard to prioritize with, many that I don't currently have much experience with (like kids and a spouse and whatnot).

How do you make sure you get everything done? Are there specific ways that help you prioritize everything? If so, feel free to leave a comment!

Until next time,

Shelby