Fall Leaves & chocolate thoughts

It's officially FALL here. In Mississippi, our leaves tend to take a little bit longer to change since we have such a warmer climate in the South. They are finally changing though. This means that, for our family anyway, it is hunting season and chocolate season.

Now, some people have issues with the hunting part, and that's fine. We don't do the vanity hunting but we put it all in our freezer. I normally don't buy hamburger meat until August or September.  But I digress... this is really about the chocolate.  I'm not talking regular chocolate. Oh no, I am talking about homemade hot chocolate mix.

Yeah, I said it. The addictive...calorie-infused.... awesomeness that we LOVE to have nightly. Or put in our coffee for extra wonderfulness.  Now, mine isn't a true "homemade" recipe. I normally do make most of my stuff from scratch but this just is GREAT. Seriously... I'm talking gain 5 lbs if you don't ration it awesomeness. lol~~~~~ So here's the recipe!

2 lb box   Nestle Quik
1 lb box   Confectioners Sugar
11 oz jar  CoffeeMate (PLAIN)
8 qt box   powdered milk

Mix all of this, sifting constantly. I can't tell you how important it is to get it completely sifted together. (you will need a BIG BOWL and a BIG container). 
That's it for directions. Super easy!  To use for hot chocolate, simply put 1/2 cup in your mug, fill with boiling water, stir and add marshmallows.   For coffee, simply add 1 teaspoon (or 2 or 3) to your coffee.

This makes Fall (and Winter) perfect for us. I have sat in my chair, laptop in my lap, just drinking this while I thought of different things to write. In fact, this is usually how you find me... but be warned!!! It is so good, it is addictive... and trust me, I wasn't joking about the calories! We're talking cappuccino calories peeps~ 

Enjoy!!!!

Works In Progress & RESEARCH

So many people have asked me how I think of things to write. Okay, so it's mostly family who ask this... since I have only self-published one novella, but still, it counts! lol~  My kids say that I am just super smart. My husband says I have a severely twisted mind. Personally, I like my kids' answer better!  But my answer?  Creativity and research.

Yeah, I know. The dreaded, horrible R-word. RESEARCH. The word that gives many of us writers horrible nightmares both night and day, making us break out into a sweat as we bravely sit down to write our latest masterpiece. You know the one... the one that is gonna put us on the MAP. Put our name out into the world where people will love us for our brilliance. Uh huh... I can feel the poo starting to rise and I am in open-toed shoes at the moment so I'm gonna stop now. 
Seriously, research is the best and (if we are being honest with ourselves) ONLY way to write well.  I would love to say that everything I have thought about was my own thought but it isn't. I research everything that I am working on. I make calls, I write emails, I WORK HARD at finding out the correct answer to something before I write it.  That way, I know that when I write something... I don't sound like an idiot. lol.... and it doesn't take much sometimes.  The point is, always research what you are writing. Especially the technical stuff. Otherwise, you are going to have a book that isn't your best and every reviewer, every reader, WILL call you on it.

Good luck and remember, research doesn't have to be a bad word. An aggravating one, yes, but not necessarily a bad one.