another book teaser

so i went to my very first nanowrimo write-in today. i was nervous, didn't know what to expect, so i almost didn't. dan got home from work early, so i packed my binder of edits up and headed out.

what had i been so afraid of? it was great talking to other people who were writing like crazy fiends, just like i am. people who just...get it. they realize the passion for writing, they own their passion, just like i do. i felt immediately accepted and it really inspired me to keep on keepin' on.

Secrets of Truth
by Rebecca Young

Who says you can't go back?

After her father decides that life in Boston isn't all it's cracked up to be, Gabriella Hunter finds herself back in the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire, where she spent the ninth year of her life. Now at seventeen, she just can't seem to be able to let the friends from her past back in, not even her best friend, Cooper Linton.

Gabriella can't figure out why everyone hates Cooper and his friends, and she can't understand why Jackson Palmer is so weird around her. How much can things change in eight years?

A lot.

Chapter 5 Excerpt:

“What are you talking about, Cooper?” I was suddenly uneasy. We were out in the middle of nowhere, my cell phone was in the Jeep and the way that Cooper was acting was making me very nervous. There are a lot of things about Cooper that not many people know…things that I can’t tell you, Jackson’s voice whispered in the back of my mind.

3 AM Musings

It's three in the morning.

I don't have a sick baby, I haven't been partying like a rock star, I'm not studying for a test.

So you ask, "Why, Beckie? Why are you awake at such an ungodly hour?"

I'm getting myself ready for working nights. While it's just my practicum (*scoffs*-JUST my practicum), I am thinking that this is going to help me prepare for the inevitable night shift that I will have as a new graduate after taking the NCLEX next month.

Next month? How the hell did that happen?

Yeah, nursing school (at least the associate's degree part of it) is over. I finished my last ATI test Friday, had my last final the Friday before that. Now it's onto practicum on the Labor and Delivery floor.

The hospital that I'm going to is 45 minutes away. And it's night shift. But I'm so freaking happy that I'm getting to work L & D that I don't care what the shift is! I don't care that I have to work until 0715 on my birthday, I get to help bring babies into the world! I am really hoping for a good experience, and for a chance to see that this is what I really do want to do with my life.

I'm pretty sure that it is. I went into nursing school knowing I wanted to deliver babies. I'm leaving nursing school knowing that I want to deliver babies. Granted, I've picked up some other loves too - like pediatrics, oncology and that infatuation with how much a patient craps (seriously, it's an amazing assessment).

I've made friends, I've lost friends, I've moved on, I've found myself. I've accomplished something that's pretty damn hard, with a husband and two kids depending on me.

What's upcoming in the future? I don't know. I'm hoping that I will be able to get a job here, but thanks to the 8 different nursing schools in the area, I don't know if that will happen. Thanks to compact states, I can practice in 21 other states with my South Carolina license... New Hampshire being one of those states. I'd love to get my bachelor's degree ASAP, so I'm enrolling for two classes for the spring, just English and Spanish. There's an Assessment class I'd like to take over the summer, and depending on where I end up, I'd like to start my BSN work in the fall.

My ultimate dream is to get my Master's at the University of Michigan (go blue), maybe even my doctorate- Dr. Young, anyone? I know it's a long way off, but my goal is by 35. My goal is to be out of college by the time Lindsey goes into college.

Funny how time flies, right?

Secrets of Truth - Chapter 4

gooooooood morning!

i'm off from school today, snuggling up with my sick husband. the kids are off at school and i'm curled up in my pajamas watching "That's 70's Show" on netflix.

i have lofty goals of cleaning out my kid's bedroom, mopping the kitchen floor and scrubbing toilets, but for now, i'm going to sip my coffee, wrap myself in a snuggie and bring y'all the next excerpt of my book...

THAT I FINISHED SATURDAY NIGHT!

first round of edits begin today.

Secrets of Truth
by Rebecca Young

Who says you can't go back?

After her father decides that life in Boston isn't all it's cracked up to be, Gabriella Hunter finds herself back in the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire, where she spent the ninth year of her life. Now at seventeen, she just can't seem to be able to let the friends from her past back in, not even her best friend, Cooper Linton.

Gabriella can't figure out why everyone hates Cooper and his friends, and she can't understand why Jackson Palmer is so weird around her. How much can things change in eight years?

A lot.

Chapter 4 Excerpt:

Sputtering out a mouthful of snow, I looked up at Cooper who was doubled over from laughing at me. “What part of touch football is so hard for you to understand?”

“Cheat to win, baby,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Filthy cheater.” I spat, wiping the snow off my face.

"You missed some snow, right here…” he said, wiping his glove over my cheek. I stared into his dark eyes, so beautiful against his skin reddened from the cold. His face leaned closer to mine and he pushed a lock of hair away from my cheek. “Gabs…” he whispered, and I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss.

Chapter Word Count: 7828

Book Word Count: 26991

Secrets of Truth - Chapter 3

Secrets of Truth
by Rebecca Young

Who says you can't go back?

After her father decides that life in Boston isn't all it's cracked up to be, Gabriella Hunter finds herself back in the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire, where she spent the ninth year of her life. Now at seventeen, she just can't seem to be able to let the friends from her past back in, not even her best friend, Cooper Linton.

Gabriella can't figure out why everyone hates Cooper and his friends, and she can't understand why Jackson Palmer is so weird around her. How much can things change in eight years?

A lot.

Chapter 3 excerpt:

I noticed that a few people were staring at us, but I couldn’t figure out why. Was it the whole “they never hang with people not in their group thing”? Cooper didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he obviously didn’t care because he just kept walking like everything was normal. I laughed at his ability to ignore everything around him and playfully bumped into him just as we got to my locker. I was shocked to almost ricochet off him and suddenly go sprawling before he caught me around the waist.
“Gosh, you are like a human force field. I can’t even bump into you without being taken out,” I joked as I rubbed my shoulder and took off my coat.

Chapter Word Count: 5454

Book Word Count: 19163

Secrets of Truth- Chapter 2

Secrets of Truth
by Rebecca Young

Who says you can't go back?

After her father decides that life in Boston isn't all it's cracked up to be, Gabriella Hunter finds herself back in the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire, where she spent the ninth year of her life. Now at seventeen, she just can't seem to be able to let the friends from her past back in, not even her best friend, Cooper Linton.

Gabriella can't figure out why everyone hates Cooper and his friends, and she can't understand why Jackson Palmer is so weird around her. How much can things change in eight years?

A lot.

Chapter 2 excerpt:

“Cooper Linton is your study partner? He talks to you?” the red haired boy at the end asked. I was pretty sure that his name was Jason.

“Um, yeah?” I said timidly. Well, we had talked about studying together. Briefly, and at some point in the future. Actually, it had been more like a thought that had occurred in passing. But why did they have to know? “Is there something wrong with him?”

“It’s just that, well, he doesn’t normally talk to anyone,” Vanessa said, dropping her voice so that I had to strain to hear her.

“Why not?” I asked, curious.

“He’s a loser, him and all those creepy friends of his. You don’t want to hang out with them…any of them. They just aren’t like us,” Ashley said, sounding snotty and superior.

Chapter Word Count: 7384
Book Word Count: 13709

I am WRITING again!

It's November, which means that I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month, affectionately known as NaNoWriMo.

Working on this:

Secrets of Truth
by Rebecca Young

Who says you can't go back?

After her father decides that life in Boston isn't all it's cracked up to be, Gabriella Hunter finds herself back in the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire, where she spent the ninth year of her life. Now at seventeen, she just can't seem to be able to let the friends from her past back in, not even her best friend, Cooper Linton.

Gabriella can't figure out why everyone hates Cooper and his friends, and she can't understand why Jackson Palmer is so weird around her. How much can things change in eight years?

A lot.

Chapter 1 excerpt:

I wanted to know what had happened to my first crush…what had happened that turned him from a sweet boy who would smile at me from under his bangs to this angry man who was more complex than a thousand-piece puzzle.

I shook my head, wondering what his deal was, and then wondered why I cared. I got the things from my locker and then walked to the Jeep alone, trying not to pay attention to everyone standing around talking about me. I didn‘t understand why they didn‘t just ask? With a shiver and a sigh, I climbed in, dropped my backpack on the passenger seat, and started the car. I raised my cold hands to the vents, hoping the heat would start pumping soon. Once the car and my hands had warmed up, I pulled out of my parking spot, passing Jackson as he walked through the lot to wherever his car was. I glanced out my rearview mirror just before I pulled out of the parking lot, and saw him stop and look back at my car. I wondered if he knew it was me. Then, somehow, I figured he did.

Chapter word count: 6118

Potty Training, Day 15

For the most part, potty training has been a successful endeavor. Jake is now wearing underpants during the day (except nap time) and he's using his words to tell us that he has to go.


He reminds me of a patient that I had in my first clinical of nursing school. She had the awful sensation of always needing to pee (if that happens to me-shoot me) and would scream at the top of her lungs "I HAVE TO PEE! I HAVE TO PEE!" She didn't seem to realize that she had been catheterized and in fact, did not have to pee.

Anywho, he was moved up into the 3rd level of the 2 year old class at his daycare, and he seems to be doing well there. We like the teacher a lot, and Jake seems to be very happy.

Lindsey came home, and after two days of bliss where the two kids were so stoked to see each other that there was absolutely no fighting going on, shit hit the fan. They're still happy to be together, but they've been fighting and fighting and fighting...Jake doesn't want Linds to play with the trains, Linds doesn't want Jake to touch her books or her Nintendo, they can't agree on a television show...but I'm so stinkin' happy to have both my kids with me that any hair that has been torn out has been worth it.

I passed my first RN level class. Nursing 222: the class of the devil. High-risk OB and high-risk psych together. I agree that many high-risk OB patients are also psych patients for the duration of their gestation, but why in the hell would they put those two classes together?Bottom line, the class was hard as hell and I was lucky to make it out alive. Now I move on to Nursing 224, which focuses on cardiac and GI issues. I'll be learning how to place an IV, anyone wanna volunteer to help me practice??

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Potty Training, Day 3.

Potty training Friday was okay. We had two "accidents"...and I say "accident" because I am almost positive that my evil child just wanted to change into a different pair of Thomas the Train unders. Then my in-laws came and took him for a couple of hours and since they were going out, I put him in Pull-Ups to make it easier on them. Probably a mistake.

Day Two was so-so. He really seemed to be getting it, you know? I put Cheerios in the toilet and told him to get them. We went through only two pairs of unders, but we did run around naked for a while. When Dan came home, he was able to help out a little.

Today is Day 3. And today sucks so far. We've had too many accidents to count, and I'm pretty sure he's clenching his butt cheeks together in an attempt to not poop.

As far as Mommy goes: I haven't showered in three days, I haven't shaved, put contacts in or changed my clothes. I am resembling a hairy-pitted, stinky hippie feminist. My house hasn't been cleaned since Thursday, trash is piled up and dishes are overflowing from the sink because every single time I try to clean I hear "Mommy, I have to pee". Just during this blog post, I've been told "I HAVE TO GO POTTY!" three times.

I'm pulling my freaking hair out. I'm exhausted, I have to finish a care plan and start doing notes but I can't even get into them because Jacob's tiny bladder will suddenly give him the urge to produce urine. No lie. As soon as I sit down.

I need a drink.

Potty Training, Day 1.

It's the moment that I have been waiting for since I changed my son's first meconium stained diaper. It's potty training day.

I've been through mustard, seedy breastfeeding poops. I've been through the lime green poops my son gets every time he gets a tummy bug. I've been through the corn, the watery, the varying colors (hey. honey! come look at this purple crap that Jake just had!). I've been peed on more times than I can count, been grossed out by poo getting on my hand, and now it's time to say goodbye to diapers and the inevitable bag that a mom has to carry when her child is small.

I'm armed with 14 pairs of underpants (Lightening McQueen and Thomas the Train), Cheerios for aiming practice, random treats that include some chocolate chips and Easter candy corn (what? I forgot to get a different kind of treat), Resolve for accidents that I'm sure will happen, and sheets for the furniture that I would like to sit on after this weekend is over.

Pray for me.

Psyched to be a Psych Nursing Student

I'm taking a break from my fifteen bajilliion pages of care plans to update my blog. I know I should get better, but I just don't really have the TIME.

Between school, work and the kids, life is just hectic beyond belief. I'm trying to establish a routine, but I'm failing miserably. I don't know how I can make the most of my day. I need some kind of computer program or something that will give me a calendar. And I need to stop reading fanfiction so I can focus on actually doing responsible things.

I haven't been able to write very much lately. I want to, but I just don't have the energy after I've been in school, worked five hours, taken care of two kids and done two hours of homework. I don't know how I can fit it into my day.

Back to care plan. I'm hoping that I can come back on here later and update more.

YAY for a new design!

My very good friend Penny did a new background and banner for my blog and I love it!

In other news, school started again, so I'm too busy studying to blog.

june

three times of posting in one week is unheard of for me. just so you know.

our memorial day weekend was uneventful. dan had to work, so it was just me and the kiddos. i tried to do some cleaning, but while i was doing some organizing, jake went and dumped all the fish food on the floor and threw a matchbox car on the floor. this was after he broke a jar of green beans on the floor. so i gave up.

lindsey found her recorder. not that i had hid it from her but...well, let's just say that i hadn't gone out of my way to look for it. so she's been walking around the house alternately playing that or strumming on her guitar. i'm happy that she got the musical gene but dear god, i'd love it if she could actually play rather than just make sound.

last night some of my friends from school came over for a barbecue. dan and vanessa's boyfriend kenny braved the rain and went out to use the gas grill by the pool for burgers and dogs. i made my yummy pasta and potato salads and some corn on the cob. vanessa and kenny brought cake, bonnie, jessica and mark brought appetizers, then kristin and christie brought chips. it was great. we ate and played apples to apples until almost midnight. the potato salad was well received. it's so easy that it's pathetic and i always get compliments on it.

beck's potato salad

6-8 potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled (about 10 minutes-ish)
6 hard boiled eggs, chopped into pieces
1 cup-ish mayonnaise (i kind of eyeball it, enough to coat)
1/4 cup mustard (again, eyeballed just until it begins to turn yellow)
salt and pepper to taste

makes about 12 servings. and 1 serving equals about 209 kcals.

so dan is at work again today and tomorrow, then we have a weekend with him all to ourselves. can't wait!

two days in a row? that must be a record.

nothing has happened, it was a rainy day today, just one of those blah days where you don't want to do anything. kids played, i read a little bit, watched some tv, fooled around on the internet.

the reason i'm coming on here is to share my banana nut muffin recipe! YUM.

beckie's best banana nut muffins

Ingredients

1/4	cup butter, softened
1	cup white sugar
1	egg
3	ripe bananas, mashed
2	cups all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
1	cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
   
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and mashed bananas. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt just until combined. Mix in chopped walnuts.
   
   
3. Pour into muffin cups.
   
   
4. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. If top begins to brown too quickly, decrease heat slightly. Center should be soft and chewy, while the outside, crisp and crunchy. Makes about 18 muffins
   

they are AWESOME, downside is one of them is 180 calories, even worse when you slather them with butter. eh. sometimes the kcals are worth it.

I forgot I had a blog.

see what happens when nursing school takes over your life? you forget that you have a blog and then come on to find 33 new followers. so HI new followers! i'm glad that you found me.

we moved into an apartment a couple of weeks ago. i love it. it's nice to have all my stuff around me again. my dad and sisters came this past weekend and i thoroughly enjoyed having them here. we explored greenville, went to a drive baseball game, hung by the pool and went out for hibatchi, along many other things. it was great.

i picked up a new book to read at the pool and i'm in love with it. the series is called The Hunger Games and it's by Suzanne Collins. i really enjoyed reading about a strong and self-reliant heroine rather than a girl who is so dependent on a man to make her happy like bella in the twilight series. i also read percy jackson and the olympians while i was finishing classes, and what a great series. i love to read, so any suggestions for books would be greatly appreciated. i'm enjoying this break from school because i get to read and write for a little while.

as far as writing. i've done some stuff, but i haven't worked on my book at all. i keep meaning to, but alas, it just doesn't come. i'm about 2/3 of the way through it though. i'm sure i can finish it by the end of the year if i devote the time to it.

***

so i tried out a new recipe the other day for breakfast at dinner (aka "b at d" at our house), and it was so tasty that i'm going to share it, partly to share, but mostly so i can remember what i did the next time i make it.

beckie's breakfast skillet

• 6 slices bacon (i used turkey bacon and it was still tasty)
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 6 cups cubed cooked potatoes
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs
  
• salt and pepper
  

in a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. remove the bacon to drain. pour off all but 3 tablespoons of dripping.

heat the drippings remaining in the pan until sizzling. add the bell pepper, onion and potatoes; cook, stirring gently, until the potato cubes are browned.

make 6 holes in potato mixture and drop 1 egg into each hole, then cover. let cook until eggs are firm (it took about 6 minutes i think). sprinkle the shredded cheese and bacon over it and cook until melted. season with salt and pepper. serve immediately. makes 6 servings.

***

my husband brought this to work the day after and he said that it heated up really well, even though i'd had my doubts. it was a win with my kids too. i just made sure to serve it with ketchup because my disgusting family members like ketchup on their eggs and potatoes *vomit*.

i'm going to *try* to blog at least once a week, but i'm not holding my breath.

March of Dimes

On May 10, 2008, the scariest thing possible happened to me. Only 16 weeks into my pregnancy, I went into labor. I was immediately put on bedrest and had surgery to stitch my cervix closed. Then, on June 24, I went into labor again...at 23 weeks pregnant.

I was at a loss. I had a 4 year daughter at home, and we were all alone. Fortunately, the March of Dimes stepped up, and they gave me information about what to do to stop premature labor, options that we had, and resources for people in our position.

When I left the hospital, I was sent home with a terbutaline pump and a contraction monitor that had to be on me several times a day. I remained in bed for 6 months of my pregnancy, trying to keep my son safe. I was able to stop the medications, and I didn't have to use the monitor once I reached the "safe" point of 37 weeks, and my son Jacob was born at 37 weeks...at a whopping 10 pounds!

Thanks to help from the March of Dimes, dependent on donations for research, my son was born healthy. But millions of children born every year aren't so lucky. 1 in 8 children born in the United States are premature, and one in every two babies in the NICU won't go home. Those statistics are still too high.

I'm raising money and devoting my time to help support this amazing cause, and I'm asking for help from my friends here in the fandom. All the money raised supports MOD research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and help babies begin their lives healthy. It also goes to families who need help, whose babies are in the NICU.

You can find my page at http://www.marchforbabies.org/beckiey8. Please help me thank the March of Dimes for their part in seeing my son into this world by raising money for much needed research and support that will benefit other hopeful, growing families.
~Beckie @Beckiey8

Out like a lamb.

i'm embarrassed to admit that i've only blogged once this month. and that sucks. this whole new year's resolution thing is failing epically. i can only say that i'll try harder, but i'll fail. i can't help it. it's inevitable.

let's see. i'm on spring break from school this week and i'm enjoying it. we took a little mini vacation and stayed with friends up in charlotte (read: we drank way too much, sang american idol on the wii and passed out) and we made some really yummy easter rice krispy treats:

easter egg rice krispy treats (microwave)


3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 bag of jumbo marshmallows
6 cups of rice krispies (or the store brand works great)



melt the butter and marshmallows together in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir, then heat for 1 more minute in the microwave. add the 6 cups of cereal and mix well. scoop 1/3 cup of mixture at a time onto a piece of wax paper and shape into an egg with buttered hands.

let cool for a little bit, then dip half of the egg into melted chocolate and put sprinkles on top. put them in the fridge so the chocolate to cool, then enjoy. YUM

we're just hanging around for the rest of the week. i have a to-do list a mile long, but i've been crossing things off left and right. my mother in law made dinner tonight, perhaps living with the inlaws is quite nice in some aspects :)

Pork recipe and Fall precautions

I hurt myself yesterday. Basically what happened was that while carrying the baby in one hand and the computer in the other, I slipped in the mud, fell in a hole and twisted my ankle. I started to go down but I didn't want to hurt the baby so I did one of those weird try-to-save-yourself moves. And I hurt.

My ankle swelled up like a baseball, but I didn't hear any cracking or anything. I can't put weight on it and it is black and blue and not pretty. So I decided I would elevate, ice, compress...it still hurts like a bitch today. So after class i'll be heading to the doctor to make sure there isn't a fracture there.

Anywho...Tonight I will be making:

Super Yummy Pork Chops!

2 cups italian dressing

1/4 c soy sauce

minced garlic to your liking (i like a lot)

1/2 onion

1/4 teaspoon pepper

boneless pork chops

Mis dressing, soy sauce, pepper and garlic in a bowl. Brown chops in olive oil for a couple of minutes, then place in a glass dish with sliced onions. Pour sauce over top and bake at 375 for about a half an hour.

We'll be having this with some rice pilaf and yellow squash. Yummmm.

February update

So today is the last day of February. Wow, times goes by quickly! It has been a really hard month. We've decided to move in with my in-laws to both save money and get some help with childcare. it's great in one way because there is always someone around to watch the kids. i don't have to worry about childcare and i know that my kids are being taken care of.

having said that, we have absolutely no privacy and i miss being able to walk from the bathroom to my bedroom nekkid. but i'll get over that.

Classes are killing me and i wonder what I was thinking when I decided to go into nursing school Care plans suck and I study ALL THE TIME. No time for anything else.

I've transferred to another Publix up here in Greenville. Dan's started a new job in a town called Cowpens, whose only claim to fame is that there was a significant Civil War battle there. Whatev. He's got his hands back on machines, that's all he cares about.

I'm homeschooling Lindsey again, and while it cuts into my day and study time, it's worth it so that she doesn't have to switch schools again.

That is all. :)

Recipe

Check out what I'm making for dinner tomorrow!

Awesome Crock-Pot Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
  
• 1 package onion soup mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
  
• 5 1/2 pounds pot roast
• carrots, celery, red potatoes and sweet onion

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, mix together the cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix, Worcestershire, wine, broth and water. Put pot roast in crock pot and coat with soup mixture. Add in vegetables.
   
2. Cook on low setting for 8 to 9 hours.
3. Serve with some crusty bread...YUM.
   

We're moving.

So Dan got a new job...again. So we're moving...again. This is the second time in six months. The job situation here in South Carolina is not pretty, so we're doing what we can to stay gainfully employed.

After many discussions we've decided to take Dan's parent's offer to stay with them while we get back on our feet. We've decided that this will help with childcare while I'm in classes, help us get rid of our debt and get us back on track. We're not putting a cap on how long we'll be there, we're simply going to see how we do.

We hate to do it, but we're not the first, nor are we the last people to move in with our parents. Life will go on and we will adjust, just like we always do.