To begin, let's break down what calcium is and why your body needs it.

Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca. It is the most plentiful metal and the fifth-most abundant element in the human body. As electrolytes, calcium ions play a vital role in organisms' and cells' physiological and biochemical processes. In short, calcium is good for your cells and bones and is crucial in maintaining the immune system. Calcium also makes up teeth and bones.

Calcium Deficiency

There are many groups at risk of calcium deficiency, in particular, the elderly. Bones become brittle in old age because your body takes what it needs from calcium out of your bones.

Checking with your general, homeopathic, or natural doctor is a smart move if you think you are deficient or just want to know where your calcium numbers are.

What Are Some Benefits of Calcium?

When your calcium numbers are in good shape, that helps your body ward off destructive diseases. It also keeps certain organs healthy. For instance, it helps:

Prevent osteoporosis and helps to treat the condition once symptoms manifest.

Prevents cancer

Useful in the treatment of high blood pressure

Prevents heart disease

useful in treating arthritis

Helps to keep skin healthy

Alleviates leg cramps

Encourages regular beating of the heart

Soothes insomnia

Helps the body to metabolize iron

Necessary for nerve-impulse transmission and muscular function.

-The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies

High Calcium Food Sources

If you are looking to increase your calcium through your food, the best sources are milk, beans, nuts, tofu, salmon, cheese, yogurt, dairy products, leafy green vegetables, tinned fish, and eggs.

How Much Should a Person Take?

1,000mg. Per day is recommended when you are taking calcium in a supplement form. However, more calcium is needed for women who are in their childbearing years, breastfeeding or have just gone through menopause.

How Much is Too much?

A person should not go over 2,000mg per day. If you do, it may cause hypercalcemia (calcium deposits in the kidneys). However, this is not likely unless you are also taking vitamin D, as excess calcium excretes itself through the body. 

There are multiple cases where people become deficient, so don't assume if you are elderly, you don't need to know what your calcium numbers look like. Besides calcium, it is important to know what all of your vitamin levels are, as deficiencies in any of them can cause significant problems and side effects inside and outside of your body.

In Summary

"Calcium is used in forming bones, also known as bone mineralization, and in the proper formation and maintenance of teeth. It is important in nerve impulse transmission, blood coagulation, and muscle contraction. Calcium functions in the body, solidity of the body, essential to fetal growth during pregnancy, found in cartilage, fluids and tissues and body alkalinity.

Signs of possible deficiency --- weakness, fatigue, hemorrhaging, rickets, catarrh, bone softening, cramps, digestive disorders, abscesses and excessive sweating.

Classical chiropractic conditions of the lumbar 5 areas known to receive nerve fibers from this spinal segment are lower legs, andles, feet, toes and arches. Some of the conditions that can follow a pressure on or interference with these nerves include poor circulation in the legs, swollen ankles, weak ankles and arches, cold feet, weakness in the legs, and leg cramps." -Minerals for the Genetic Code

Magnesium helps calcium to not form rock candy in your kidneys, causing kidney stones. After all a kidney stone is a calcium saturated kidney. So think of Magnesium as a twin to Calcium. When you take one you should be taking the other. Magnesium keeps calcium in solution form so there is no build-up.

The main goal is you and your health, so investigate pairing supplements,

Before we begin, may I just say these are DELICIOUS!!!!

I love the cherry season and all of the fresh recipes I get to create and try when it arrives.

If you don't have cherry trees, no problem, find out someone who does or buy them fresh from your local farmers market or store.

Everything you bake and or make like these cream cheese cherry scones ALWAYS taste better when you have fresh ingredients—your egg, cream, and, of course, your cherries.

What if I can't find cherries?

No cherries, no problem. Simply use frozen ones, or substitute the cherries with raspberries, blueberries, plums, or strawberries.

Since ingredients are so important let's begin...

Fresh Cream Cheese Cherry Scones

Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour1/3 c. coconut sugar or granulated sugar1 Tbsp. baking powder1/2 tsp. fine Himalayan pink salt or regular5 Tbsp. cold butter (I use our farm fresh butter, but store-bought works well also).4 Tbsp. cold cream cheese1/2 c. farm fresh heavy cream or heavy whipping cream from the store1 egg 1 tsp. almond extract (optional)1/2 tsp. vanilla (if you do not use the almond extract use 1 tsp. vanilla instead).1 1/3c. fresh cherries pitted and halved. If you are using Nanking cherries, you do not need to cut them in half.1/4 c. sliced almonds + 2 Tbsp. for topping (optional)

The glaze for topping the cherry scones

1 c. powdered sugar2 Tbsp. cream cheese, room temperature. If it is too solid it will clump when you mix it.2-3 Tbsp. fresh heavy cream1 tsp. almond extract or vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk or stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Next, cut with a fork or pastry cutter your cold butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes like gravel or you see pea type sizes.

Now, in a separate small bowl, mix with a fork or whisk, and combine the cream, egg, vanilla, and almond extract (optional).

Once that looks smooth, pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix until all the ingredients look like a moistened dough. I use a fork at first then finish mixing with my clean washed hands.

At this point, add in the cherries and almonds (optional) and mix until they are combined. Do not overwork the dough as it will make it tough.

Sprinkle flour on your parchment paper, form a ball with the dough, and then transfer it onto the lined, floured, baking sheet.

Next, press the dough (with floured hands to prevent sticking) into a disk or oblong shape that is about 1" thick.

Cut the disk into 8 slices or more if you prefer a smaller scone and separate slightly with a butter knife dipped in flour for even baking.

Bake for 22-24 minutes or until golden brown.

While the cherry scones are baking, mix the glaze by combining the cream, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and extract. Mix until smooth. Add a few additional splashes of cream or powdered sugar if necessary.

Once the cherry scones are finished, remove them from the oven and let them cool for 5-8 minutes.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm scones and top with the additional almond slices. Sometimes I do half with almonds, and half plain as some family members do not like nuts.

That's it!!! Your mouth WILL be watering by the time you get to this point. So eat, enjoy, and be sure to share ;).

Note:

Scones taste the best when they are fresh. If you do not plan on eating them the same day, wrap and freeze or wrap and put them in an airtight container for a couple of days.

Heather EarlesHeather is married to a retired Special Forces Officer, and they live on a farm with their four children. She is an established author, a stay-at-home mother, and an advocate for healthy living. She publishes a weekly blog and podcast (Herb ‘N Wisdom™) and writes for a local newspaper to aid and inspire others.

In this article we are going to talk about Mirror Neurons, what they are and how they work.

Wikipedia describes Mirror Neurons as this:

A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another.  Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. Such neurons have been directly observed in primate species.  Birds have been shown to have imitative resonance behaviors and neurological evidence suggests the presence of some form of mirroring system.  In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the primary somatosensory cortex, and the inferior parietal cortex.

The function of the mirror system in humans is a subject of much speculation. Some researchers in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive psychology consider that this system provides the physiological mechanism for the perception/action coupling (see the common coding theory). They argue that mirror neurons may be important for understanding the actions of other people, and for learning new skills by imitation. Some researchers speculate that mirror systems may simulate observed actions, and thus contribute to theory of mind skills, while others relate mirror neurons to language abilities. Neuroscientists such as Marco Iacoboni (UCLA) have argued that mirror neuron systems in the human brain help us understand the actions and intentions of other people. In a study published in March 2005, Iacoboni and his colleagues reported that mirror neurons could discern whether another person who was picking up a cup of tea planned to drink from it or clear it from the table. In addition, Iacoboni has argued that mirror neurons are the neural basis of the human capacity for emotions such as empathy.

So, that was the basis for what mirror neurons are, what they are capable of and what scientist think about them.  I know there are different opinions regarding mirror neurons, but that's a good thing.  It's good to ask question, discuss different ideas until we find out what is factual and what is merely a theory.

I find the whole thing fascinating and have used different ways and forms of tapping into this amazing tool we all have inside of us.

For instance, if you can think of being empathetic while communicating with another person or group of people.  That is, if we are truly trying to understand their thoughts and feelings and allow ourselves to be influenced by their point of view we are much more likely to trigger mirror neurons and get the same kind of response in return from them. 

Why?  Because they're going to be more empathetic to our response which means they will be more influenced by the way we're thinking.  The opposite is if I'm really trying to persuade someone to my point of view, they're more likely to put up a wall and defend their stand.  Or they might say it's pointless arguing with this person I'm just going to give in.

I have personally witnessed this while serving on jury duty.  A juror didn't agree with the argument of the juror in charge, but he was tired of being beaten down.  So, although he didn't agree with the perspective, he still gave in to stop arguing and end the trial. His decision had nothing to do with evidence or the trial itself and thus it was a hung jury.

It's much more powerful when we can mutually arrive at a destination.  And that happens as a result of empathetic thinking.  Understand I don't mean we should use this to influence people's core beliefs just so they agree with us.  In the case of the juror however, if the one in charge would have been more empathetic one or the other might have seen a different side or point of view.  That would have been beneficial not only to them but to the rest of us serving as jurors and the trial overall.  You see, because of shoving a point down someone's throat,

Hey Everyone!

Well, it has been an up and down week between weather, getting the garden cleaned out, and driving kids to practice/work.

But finally, today I got to stay home ALL day, and it was fantastic. Running around is more unusual for me as the farm needs attention, but sometimes life throws you curve balls that you have to roll with.

That being said, when you get out of a routine, you also appreciate the little things more, like waking up to a rooster crowing and enjoying him instead of wanting to shoot him, or your daughter saying pillow fight and then giggling as she waylays you.

Walking down the stairs, the house is freezing because the fire went out during the night. Normally this might bring a grumpy response, but once you light the fire and feel the soft fingertips of the flame reaching, your body awakes, and you don't mind the task so much.

When you run around, you are overloaded or pressured with time and people. It may not seem to affect you or your health at first, but the longer you do it, the more you miss the quiet or special little things.

Even if you love the hustle of the city, you still have a routine or things you love about simple pleasures.

Trust me, I believe in getting out, being refreshed, and taking a vacation. It is the mindless running around that I'm talking about and can affect people.

So what's my point? Well, people are always saying they need to get away or want to go somewhere. But I don't believe it's necessarily the getting away or mindless running that needs to happen. It is simply making the life where you are at where you want to be.

There will always be a bigger and better place in your mind or scenario. And there will always be the possibility that your child will turn out to be an Olympic star. But don't give up living and enjoying the simple pleasures because you always want to be somewhere else. Or feel you will ruin your child's life if they are not in every school event.

Harrison Ford said it best in, Six Days and Seven Nights, "It's an island, babe. If you don't bring it here, you won't find it here."

Contentment comes in finding out who you are, not in how many places you can go or how often you run around.

As I write about health, I'm reminded that contentment is probably the biggest key to every person's health. Because if you are content, you are not stressed. As we all know, stress kills, so every person should avoid it or the environment where you feel it.

Now sometimes you can't control the environment, like for me this week. So to keep the stress low, I needed to find joy in running instead of stressing myself out because things were piling up at home.

And by doing that, I learned to enjoy the tiny little things at the same time. Kind of a domino effect; once the dominos fall, you can see over the top and have a new perspective.

You may be thinking, "well, duh," but even when something seems like common sense, we still overlook it. So I'm challenging you for your health and contentment to stop running in circles and learn to be who you are where you are while appreciating life's small everyday pleasures.

Well, that's my health tip and thought of the week. Go, take a walk, make a meal for the family, stop at a coffee shop and people watch. Or, sit by the fire, work in your yard, talk to a friend, and remember it's the simple and little things that keep a smile on your face. And if you're put in an environment where you can't help it, smile and find a blessing anyway.

Love you, and as always, remember to stay healthy and free!

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God,

Dancing to me is such a part of everything I think about, do and who I am.  I dance in the kitchen, at home with the kids, the car, airport, and even while I write my manuscripts;  which character will end up on the dance floor, moving to the music?:)

Dancing brings out emotions that could never be expressed or explained with words.  You feel, therefore you dance.  To me it's that simple.

I can escape in a Bourrée or pretend I'm on top of a mountain in a field of flowers, leaping and chaînéing.  Dancing to me is like opening the first pages of a new book.  The anticipation and excitement of finding out who the characters are and what will unfold are the same as when a person first starts moving to the music.

Our bodies feel every beat, every movement, either alone or while dancing with a partner.  Every sensation is alive and burning through our veins.

I don't think there is a feeling more beautiful than when our minds and bodies come together creating movement in the form of a dance.  We release, we let go, we become free and no one holds us back as it's impossible to cage a soul on fire.

So many people are afraid of what they look like on a dance floor or beyond.  But there is no wrong way to feel unless the outcome is driven by fear.  So, put your fears aside and step into the beauty of a moment to share love, joy even suffering. Opportunities pass swiftly when you overthink or take for granted time.

Dance can heal the soul faster than the majority of things on earth because you can release your grief, not only through tears but through every part of yourself.  Our bodies and minds are connected through the spirit, so stop trying to separate what is intended to be together.  You can no more separate soul mates with distant, a wave from the ocean than you can a body from its form of dance.

Some say, "I can't dance."  I wholeheartedly disagree.  You are human and therefore created to move.  The way we were designed with joints, tendons, and muscles allows for movement of every kind.  Perhaps you don't because you don't know-how.  You think you need to be shown.  Perhaps your "Don't" or "Can't" is only fear because you think you need to have so many steps down first.  The steps to dance don't determine whether you can dance, your soul dances without a lesson.  You just need to let it out and not be afraid.

We have all looked or done silly things in our lives, but instead of hiding in a corner blushing you just have to laugh and enjoy the learning process.  Watching people enjoy the art of dancing or life brings so much pleasure.  You see the radiant light come to life in their eyes and almost feel as if you are right there with them on the floor.  And friends, that's what it means to dance!

I have been thinking a lot about this topic not only because it's a part of who I am but because of what's happening in our country. My advice, if you are struggling or need a reset is attend a children's ballet or recital.

Students study all year, putting their heart and soul into a performance to bring their talent, and joy to those who come and watch.  This is the chance for them to express to an audience what they feel and let go of stress, showing family and friends it's okay to be nervous and afraid but to dance anyway.

What they will show you in performance is the expression. An expression of a soul on fire ready to live.  

Perhaps you will finally understand what it means to dance.

"If you want to dance, dance like nobody's watching and become free.  Mind, body, soul, free."

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family.

The windows are open, and a cool fall breeze is blowing the curtains back and forth.

The chickens are clucking, and the cow is starting to bellar as it is close to milking time.

On our farm we have several fruit trees, apples being one of them. It's kind of funny because every time I mow with my daughter she points to the trees and depending on the season we eat cherries, crandall currents, apricots, plums, or apples.

What a treat and blessing it is to pick fresh fruit right off the trees and bushes. Although you should wait to pick apples until after the first frost as they become sweeter, ours don't last that long with little fingers. For this reason, it may seem a little early, but I want to give you a quick tutorial on how to dehydrate apples.

How to Dehydrate Apples

Food and Items needed:

ApplesDehydratorLarge bowlLemon juice (optional).Small paring knife.

Directions:

Step one is to pick apples from your tree, purchase at a farmers market, or buy them from the store.  Then wash your apples to make sure they are clean from spray, dirt, etc.  My children eat the peelings, so I want to make sure they are clean.

Next, set up your apple peeler and place an apple on the tongs. Turn the apple peeler until you remove the core and peelings from the apple.

As you peel the apples, discard the core into a bowl and feed them to your chickens or pigs, put them in the compost, or throw them in the trash.  The peelings you can munch on or discard the same way.

The next step is to cut the ends of your apple ring with your knife and down one side. Or you can snap them off with your fingers. Depending on your apple peeler, some skin might be left on the apple coils. No worries, if you don't want to dehydrate that part, merely cut it off.

Place the now peeled and cut apple slices in a bowl, and as an option, you can sprinkle lemon juice over the top to keep them from turning brown. I don't do this part because the apples taste the same either way when dehydrated. 

Once you have enough apples, start placing them on the trays until the trays are full.

Once the trays are filled, place the lid on, plug in your dehydrator, and set the temperature to 130 degrees.

 Depending on the thickness of the apple slices it should take 4 to 5 hours until the batch is done, and your apples have a rubbery consistency. Then place the apple slices in bags and or jars and store until you are ready to munch and Enjoy!

The dehydrated apples don't last long in our house, and sometimes I wonder why I went through all that trouble! But they seem to taste better. You can also take them as snacks in the car and don't have as great of a mess to clean up. Or bring them out for movie night along with popcorn for a nice snack.

Either way, enjoy and remember to stay healthy and free!

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family. “I love helping people feel better about life.”

Learn more about the author

Top of the morning to you!

Well, it has been about three weeks since we’ve pulled the onions from the garden and laid them on our wagon to dry.

Now comes the fun part. However, dehydrating onions is not a job for the weak. Even after I give you a few tips to reduce the smell, in the end, it still stinks.

Some batches are better than others but if you make it out without crying, you are a stronger person than me. With that being said, if you have your tissue box, we are ready to begin.

Tips for reducing the potency while dehydrating onions:

Tip one is to use yellow onions over white.Tip two, don't cut a large number at one time.And tip three, prepare the onions in a garage or a place that is well ventilated.

List of items needed:

DehydratorSharp knifeChopping boardOnionsQuart jar or another storage containerFunnel

Now that you have all of your items and onions it's time to begin. 

First dig your onions out of the garden or buy some from the store.

Peel, slice, and chop onions one at a time using a slap chopper or knife.

Once you have the desired amount of chopped onions you would like to dehydrate, place them on the layers of your dehydrator until the trays are all filled or you run out of onions.

Set temperature to 135 degrees. You can lower the temperature if you'd like, but your onions will be done in about 4 hours at this temperature.

Place the dehydrator in a garage or porch to reduce the smell in the house.

When your timer goes off just check to see if the batch is finished. You will know when they feel rubbery but also dry. If they turn to dust you have obviously left them in for too long. Or if they have not finished leave them in for a little while longer. 

Once they have fished, set up your jar with a funnel or another container of your choice. I can fill a one-quart jar with a medium-sized dehydrator with 4 layers. 

Once your machine is turned off, remove the lid and take out the onions using your hands or another kitchen tool and fill your jar or jars. After the jar is filled and sealed, store your now dehydrated onions in a cupboard or a cool, dry place.

Now that you have finished dehydrating, you are ready for winter.  You can also use the onions as a gift to family or when you are short on time.

On a side note.  If you want to make onion powder, you would merely dehydrate longer until the onions are dried and crunchy.  Place them in a gallon bag at that point and use a rolling pin to roll over them until you have powder.

That’s it, friends. For more tips and recipes on natural and healthy living, stay tuned each week. Until then, stay free!

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local and state newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family. “I love helping people feel better about life.”

Learn more about the author

How to make Butter

The weather has been so incredible lately. It’s still warm but with a little breeze. I checked the garden yesterday, and the little sugar pumpkins are a beautiful orange, so I picked one.

Since I had my little daughter with me, we also picked some large zucchini and fed them to the milk cows, calves, and our little pony, Sylvia. It was just like a sweet story playing out.

After a while, however, the sun was going down, which meant it was getting chilly, and Chai was on my mind. So, we walked back to the house with our little pumpkin and washed it up.

I had to convince my daughter I was not baking it down to make pumpkin pie yet, but instead, we were going to make some delicious chai hot chocolate.

I, like a lot of people, although we love coming up with our own brew or creation, we also appreciate a good recipe when we find one. This Chai hot chocolate is a simple version, and when I don’t have a lot of time, I like to use it and modify it a touch.

Since I am a huge advocate for healthy living, I always add a dash of turmeric and pepper, which will aid in your health yet bring out the flavor in your drink. So here it is…

Chai Hot Chocolate

This recipe is for 2 serving and created by Christina Lane and modified by Heather Earles

PREP TIME 5 minutesCOOK TIME 5 minutesTOTAL TIME 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chai concentrate1/2 cup whole milk of your choice2 tablespoons organic cocoa powderwhipped cream, for servingcinnamon sticks, for serving¼ tsp turmeric with a dash of cayenne or black pepper (optional)

Instructions

In a small pan, combine the chai concentrate and your milk of choice over medium heat. Heat until steaming, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, heat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes until steaming).Add one tablespoon of cocoa powder to the bottom of two mugs along with the turmeric and pepper. Slowly whisk half of the hot chai mixture into the cocoa powder into each cup.Top with whipped cream, an extra dusting of cinnamon, and serve.

Chai hot chocolate is a simple drink, yet very warming, and a perfect way to end your day alone with a book or with the family.Enjoy your day, friends, and remember to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for a local and state newspaper, has written several books to include  A Busy Morning On The Farm and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family. “I love helping people feel better about life.”

Learn more about the author

Hey book lovers, I’m back again. You’ve made it through the first round and to give you a little refresher, this is what we discussed in Part 1 of how to Prepare your Book/Files/Manuscript:

Traditional publishingSelf-PublishingIndie PublishingAnd a mixture of Indie and Self-Publishing

We also went through how to:

Prepare your book/files/manuscriptWhat to do after you've finished your manuscript like,Making a checklist,Writing a query letter,Researching, companies and literary agents,And the last, turning in your project.

Now you are at the point where you've turned in your manuscript to several agents. Please note we are talking about traditional publishing at this point. I will cover self-publishing, Indie, and a mixture later.

Turning in your book/manuscript/files to one or ten literary agents doesn't cut it. Unless you have an inside connection, you need to turn your manuscript into at least a hundred literary agents or more if you hope to hear something back.

I'm not trying to discourage you. But this is the reality since so many people are writing and wanting to be published.

Hearing Back from A Literary Agent

If or when you hear from an agent, it will likely be a request to see your entire manuscript. Remember, they often do not read your book/files/manuscripts, only your query letter, unless it is the first three chapters. 

But now they are interested, so they will request your entire book. Once the agent has read through it, they will either love it or leave it. If they love it, you may start to talk about signing on with them, or they will ask general questions to see if you are willing to change the title name, etc. 

In short, they want to know if you are willing to work with them, at which point you can either decline or accept their offer.

What to Do When You Get a Call

Would you please not act like a moron when you get a call? At least not on the phone. Stay professional and giggle or pop a bottle of champagne AFTER you hang up. There is NOTHING wrong with being excited. For heaven's sake, you have been through the wringer and spent hours upon hours of your time seeing this project through. No, go ahead and celebrate once your meeting or phone call is over with the agent.

What Comes Next? Do I accept the offer or not?

When you have an offer to sign with a literary agent, take a day and consider if this is the person that you want to work with. No one can make this decision for you.

However, it is worth noting that not everyone will even get one response, and by not everyone, I mean, according to Mark Malatesta, "your odds of getting a literary agent are 1 in 6,000.

That does NOT mean 1 out of every 6,000 authors who try to get an agent will make it, and the other 5,999 will fail. It means the best book agents can get as many as 1,500 queries per month, and they sometimes only offer to represent approximately 6 new clients per year. Some writer representatives take on more. But, for this example, let's use that math. If a literary agent only offers to represent 6 new writers per year, that's one every two months. Or the odds of getting a literary agent in that scenario are 1 in 3,000.

But let's assume, in this example, the chances of getting a literary agent are less. Because we're talking about one of the most powerful or famous literary agents here. In other words, 3 of the 6 authors that the most successful literary agents offer to represent each year are already published with traditional publishers. Those authors might even already have a bestseller or two—or they might have a very strong author platform.

That's why your chances of getting a literary agent are 1 in 6,000."

Those numbers do not favor the author, so consider the literary agent who has chosen you, but do not get too picky as that could be your only offer.

Take a day, decide, celebrate, or keep looking. 

I've Accepted. Now What?

Now it's time to let the literary agent find yo...

Hello, gardeners, and Herb 'N Wisdom™fans. Well, it's another gorgeous day on the farm.

It's also that time of the year where the garden is producing all kinds of golden delicious splendor.

Speaking of golden, today we are learning how to make and freeze sweet corn. As with canning and freezing most produce, it's not difficult it just takes a little time. Although freezing sweet corn goes pretty quickly the batch size will determine how long it takes.

Here is a list of items you will need to make and freeze sweet corn:

Corn:)SugarSaltButterWaterTwo bowls or one bowl and a cake panKnife of choiceGarbage can or animals who like scrapsQuart Freezer bagsLadleFunnel (optional)PotLarge Spoon

Now that you have what you need the first step is to shuck the corn.

After you have shucked all of the corn and have taken the silks off, put the ears of corn in your sink and wash them off.

Once they are washed and all remaining silks removed, bring them to your work area to begin cutting the corn off the cob.  Use your large bowl or cake pan for this and your knife of choice.  Start cutting from the top and work your way down.

While cutting, place the empty cobs in another bowl to take out to the animals or throw them away in the garbage can.

Once all of the corn is off the cob, it is now time to start measuring the loose corn then dump it into your large pot on the stove.

Recipe for a single batch of sweet corn:

8 cups of corn2 cups water2 Tbls sugar1 tsp salt1/4 pound or 1 stick of butter

Measure your corn first to determine if you will have a single, double or triple batch.  Once that is determined you can now measure the other ingredients accordingly.

After all of the items are measured and in your large pot, stir often with your large spoon. Heat the mixture on medium-high heat until you bring the corn mixture to a boil.  Boil it for 5 minutes then remove it from the heat.

Your next step is to cool the corn.  This can be done a couple different ways.

Fill a large bowl with ice and set the pot in it. Stir frequently to release steam, allowing it to cool faster.Scoop corn into cake pans and place it in the fridge to cool.

After your sweet corn has cooled, it is time to scoop the mixture into your freezer bags.  I would suggest using a funnel for this part to keep the stickiness of the corn away from where it seals on the bag.  Fill each bag 3/4 full or less with a ladle or large spoon, seal the bag, and lay it flat on a cookie sheet.

You can mark your bags with the proper date before or after your corn is in them.

Please put all of your corn in your freezer when bagged and on the cookie sheet or sheets.  After the corn is frozen you can take them off the cookie sheet.  Notice how nicely they stack in the freezer because you froze evenly and flat.

Last but not least.  Pull corn out of the freezer and use as desired:).

You are now an expert on how to make and freeze sweet corn!

For another great tutorial visit How to make Sauerkraut

Cheers!

Heather EarlesIs the owner of H&E Literary Works LLC, writes for her local newspaper, has written several books to include a children’s book and an upcoming thriller/drama series called “Prisoner Within.” She is a Print Specialist for Pufferprint, writes a blog on healthy living to aid and inspire. She has a podcast called Herb ‘N Wisdom™, enjoys country living, God, and her family. “I love helping people feel better about life.”

Learn more about the author