Sunday, November 17, 2013

Best Ever Toffee Recipe

English Toffee
Ingredients





1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons water
Vanilla
Chopped nuts (if desired)
Chocolate Chips

Melt butter with sugar and water

Melt butter with sugar and water. Turn the heat on high and don't turn it down. Stir constantly.

Cook for 10 - 15 minutes
Cook 10 - 15 minutes until the candy is caramelized.

Caramelized Candy
The candy will be caramelized when it turns a light brown and you see little puffs of smoke coming from the bubbles. Add add the vanilla before you pour the candy out to cool.

Pour Candy onto nuts
Pour candy out to cool. Use a marble slab if you have one. Otherwise set a cookie sheet onto a bread board to protect your counter from the heat and pour toffee onto the cookie sheet.

Sprinkle with chocolate
Sprinkle on the chocolate chips and let them melt.

Spread the melted chocolate
Spread the chocolate out and let the candy cool until the chocolate is set.

Break the toffee into pieces
Break the cooled toffee into pieces and enjoy!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Gratitude

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. Cicero

I am grateful for those of you who read my posts and follow this blog. I'm giving away my Becoming Free, A Woman's Guide to Inner Strength as a thank you. Leave a comment to enter the drawing. I'm grateful you dropped by.

Some thoughts on gratitude

Enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. I love the fall colors

Spend a day giving thanks for the beauties around you.
1.                  Sit on the patio and enjoy the last of the warm sunshine.
2.                  Notice the birds in your area and appreciate their beauty.

Be grateful for your friends.
1.                  I don't know about you, but my friends keep me going.
2.                  Send emails to your friends, thanking them for their love.
3.                  Compliment each of your friends during the day.  
    


Thank family members for all they do for you.
1.                  Have a Secret Pal week in your family.
2.                  Make 'I love you' cards.
3.                  Hug everyone at least twice a day.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy

Have a great day! Christy


Friday, November 8, 2013

Failure, The Key to Success


I love to write, but marketing my books after they are published is not my favorite past time. The other day I sent out a press release. I expected some response from it, but got nothing. I felt a little depressed and then more depressed. What else could I do?
I have a wonderful, plucky author friend, Drienie Hattingh, originally from South Africa, who has had good success  marketing books. I was complaining to her that I was a failure, and she told me I had to be more proactive--do more than just send out an electronic press release. "Go to the newspaper or the radio station in person and take them a book."
I did it, and found success.
What did my sweet friend teach me?
1.         I needed to be more proactive. I could do more than just sit and wait. In short, I needed a giant dose of persistence.
2.         If things didn't go just like I wanted them to, I had to find another way. People that are successful are resilient enough to try something else.
3.         If one thing doesn't work, try something else. I went to a workshop where I heard the phrase, 'No only means next.'

Here are a few famous people who failed before they found success.

Walt Disney by Nasa
Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper job because the editor told him he didn't have an imagination or good ideas. Disney went on to start several more businesses that failed and ended in bankruptcy.

Abraham Lincoln by Edward Mendel
Abraham Lincoln lost his job, failed in business, was defeated for Congress and the Senate among other trials. He was finally elected President in 1860. What would our country have been without his persistence and resilience?

J.K. Rowling by Daniel Ogren
J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter, began the first book as a poor divorcee with a child to raise. She only had an old manual typewriter to write the first book on. After she finished the book, twelve publishers refused the manuscript. The editor at Bloomsbury who finally accepted the novel told her to get a day job because there was no money in books for kids.

 “You might never fail on the scale I did,” Rowling said. “But it is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default."

So now I feel embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of my complaints because of my own lack of effort. My success will be measured by how many times I can keep going despite hearing 'no.'

Use your failures as stepping stones to success.

Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. Dale Carnegie


Monday, November 4, 2013

The Emerald Ring Book Review and Giveaway



Sara Bogus's life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald ring that once belonged to Cleopatra. With the help of her BFF, Heidi,  she discovers an unsettling connection between the recent burglaries in her neighborhood and her new piece of jewelry.
The fun of discovering the ring's unique abilities turns to fear when Sara finds out a dangerous cult bent on restoring Rome to power is after the ring. Forced to choose between keeping the ring and saving her friends, Sara learns the price of bravery in this electrifying read!
A great action-packed read the will thrill children everywhere, this book has an intriguing twist that all readers will enjoy.
Purchase this book as a great Christmas gift for children in your life.

Follow this blog and leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of the book.
About the author
Dorine White is a children's author and a book reviewer. I grew up back East in Maryland and attended BYU in Utah. I have a BA in Humanities with an interest in Art History and French. Currently I live in the beautiful, yet rainy Northwest with my husband and 6 children.



My first book in The Cleopatra's Legacy series, The Emerald Ring, was published by Cedar Fort Books on May 14, 2013. It is a middle grade fantasy novel that involves Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra, and a magic emerald ring.

You can find me online at www.dorinewhite.com or check out my book blog at www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com.