Diabetic Challenge Number...

Tomorrow is Halloween, which has never been a problem before in my seventeen years of motherhood...until now. My youngest is a type one diabetic, and this will be our first Halloween since that diagnosis. She made it through Valentine's Day as well as numerous birthdays over the past year. Tomorrow should be a piece of cake, right?

Luckily, we've learned a lot the past few months and I've always rationed out the candy anyway. I'm going to have to be a little stricter than before but that will just make the candy last longer. Of course, I'm not certain that's a good thing. 

Aside from that, another issue is my own candy-eating habit. I was diagnosed with diabetes this year too. That means I can't stuff my face with everyone's chocolates when their backs are turned. Damn it! Oh well, so long as I get some candy corn all will be right in my world.

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Why I'm Walking

Before January 11th of this year, I didn't know diddly squat about Juvenile (Type1) Diabetes. My mom has type 2 diabetes and I always suspected I would eventually be diagnosed with it as well (I was a few months ago), but Type 1 wasn't something I ever gave any thought to. I knew Nick Jonas has it, as well as a slew of other celebrities and a few sports figures. Imagine my surprise when my then seven year old was diagnosed as well.
My daughter Alice Jane has Juvenile Diabetes, and her diagnosis was a real eye-opener. Most moms will do anything to take away their children's aches and pains, but what do you do when you simply can't? The entire family has gotten much better at our eating habits. We ALL know how to read nutrition labels now. And, everyone does their part to ensure Alice takes her medicine every single day.
So, what else can we do? Not much really. There are still an amazing number of unknowns associated with this disease. And that brings me to the point of this blog. This weekend my family will be walking in the JDRF walk to raise funds for Type 1 diabetes research. 
I know right now the economy sucks and extra money doesn't exactly exist. But, can you go one day this week without Starbucks? Can you not buy that e-book until next payday? (Even if it's mine?) All I'm asking for is one single dollar. Our team goal is only $500. I have almost that many Facebook friends and nearly double that followers on Twitter. So, the way I figured it is if everyone pitches in $1, meeting our goal should be no problem. What do you say? I really hope a cure is closer and this step helps.

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-TX/Chapter-HoustonGulfCoast4644?px=1770228&pg=personal&fr_id=1484

Writing Update

Now that I'm home and have more time on my hands I expect to get a lot more writing done. Okay, it's been three weeks since I quit working and that hasn't exactly happened yet. However, now that I've rearranged my bedroom, cleaned out the linen closets, had a garage sale to get rid of the excess junk, and wrangled the laundry under control...well, I'm still not promising anything.

So what have I done as "Missy Jane" lately? I finished the second round of edits for Day Shift and I'm really excited about this book! It won't be out until November but that's okay. That will give me time to order new bookmarks and other promo items to celebrate the release.

Today I also finished a revision of my previously published short story, Love in Disguise. It was originally released by Sapphire Blue last November. I've subbed it elsewhere and will hopefully hear back on it soon.

Next, I have quite a few WIPs in the works. I've started Sean's story, from Two Week Trial, but that muse has taken a hiatus lately. From the two MS I just finished toying with I have other characters yelling at me too. A sequal to Day Shift is already floating around but not yet begun and a support character from Love in Disguise gets his own story too. I just have to lengthen it. If you liked my shape-shifters as much as I do (okay, really I LOVE them!) don't worry. Emily's and Lance's story is on hold for the moment, but Kotori's is still running through my head. His lady's name is Sanura and she is awesome!

That's it for now (isn't it enough?) but if you have any questions, comments, advice or complaints, feel free to shout 'em out below. :-)

Baking with My Daughter

My oldest daughter is a high school culinary student who aspires to one day own her own restaurant in either New York or Paris (yeah, she dreams BIG). I do everything I can to encourage her mania by buying up whatever gadgets catch her fancy at William-Sonoma and taking her to events like the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show when they come to Houston. I also encourage her by cooking alongside her, trying out different recipes and ingredients. HEB is our very favorite grocery store because of their cooking station where we can sample new things to buy.
When it comes to baking, one of my favorite dishes to make (and eat!) is quiche. I LOVE pies. Basically any type of pie, with very few exceptions, makes me happy. So, what better way to start the day than with a breakfast pie? If you're unfamiliar with quiche, that's basically what it is, an egg based breakfast pie.

First, start with fresh ingredients. I LOVE vegetables, so I usually load my quiche with all of my favorites like mushrooms and bell pepper. It also makes a pretty pie if you use multi-colored veggies.

Second, have your pie crust ready. I normally use frozen deep-dish crusts. This time I made my daughter use her mad skills to make one from scratch, and it was YUMMY!

Third, load up your veggies and sprinkle with cheese. I use either shredded or crumbles cheese, depending on what I've got on-hand. Cutting chunks also works but if they're too big you'll have cheese pockets in your slices. (that's okay if you really like cheese)

You can get creative with your veggie placement too, just be sure to add cheese all throughout the pie.

Fourth, add your eggs in. I usually scramble up about ten eggs to start and go from there. Depending on how much you've put in the shell, you may need more or less eggs. Of course, you can use egg whites or whatever egg substitute you might need.

Then bake! For my oven, I've found about 45 minutes at 450 degrees works best.

Like most baked goods, you'll know it's done when a toothpick poked through the center comes out clean. However, be wary of poking it through a cheese chunk, that might leave a residue.

And that's it in a nutshell. Enjoy!