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12/14/2019

"Love is a gift." When I pulled my left arm through the sleeve of my flannel shirt this AM, I was surprised to find a thread in the shape of a heart stuck on my hand. Seeing that heart reminded me that in a season where many spend themselves into debt buying overpriced items to show someone they care, that truly, the best gift of all to give someone...is simply the gift of love.

11/24/2019

** I decided to share something I have been doing – not for ‘likes’ or ‘accolades’ – but because I hope it might inspire you to do the same thing in your area – not just during the Holiday Season (although that is the time when people feel the loneliest/most discouraged/very depressed). This type of project can be done all year long. There is always someone in need of a positive word. Hugs XX ~ Norm Ugh! The Holiday Season is upon us once more. For most it is a time of celebration. For

11/13/2019

Found some old footage of the infamous 'Mooo-y Kitchen' my Sis & I created in Fort Lauderdale. Pardon the dorky chick on camera talking about it. Loved that kitchen & the many memories shared with friends and family through the years. Oh, and in case you're wondering...Yes, I still have Norma the Cow. lol

11/06/2019

BOOK SUMMARY: Each year, approximately 4,400 children commit suicide due to bullying. Bullied: Dying to Fit In is every bullied person's story and needs to be heard. Will you listen? The book captures the raw emotional side of bullying. Though everyone's bully story is different, the pain felt is the same. The broken-heart tells the tale. "Raw. Real. Emotional." Bullied: Dying to Fit In takes the bullied, the non-bullied and even the bully on an emotional roller-coaster of tears, insight and

10/19/2019

It is true what they say. Love is indeed blind. One fateful day, I found myself like an innocent lamb with the wool pulled over my eyes, having met someone who was about to change my life in the worst of ways. Only I did not realize it at the time. Then again, most times, we don't until the damage has already been done. Several years ago, my heart got clobbered. Bad. What I thought was going to be good for me, turned out to be the worst thing to have ever entered my life. I know we have all

10/14/2019

If you find yourself asking these questions after a break-up; “Why do I keep going through the same crap every relationship?”  “Why can’t I meet the right person?” “Why does my time keep getting wasted on the wrong person?” “How could I think they were the one?”  If you find yourself always putting BJ Thomas on the record player and boo-hooing to your family and friends about, ‘Another somebody done somebody wrong song’ after yet, one more break-up, now might be a good time for a revelation.

10/01/2019

Growing-up - my Dad taught me to always be aware of my surroundings. Today, I noticed an elderly man driving and then suddenly pulling over and sitting in his car, then pulling back onto the road and then stopping in the middle of the road (twice) and then sitting there before driving, again - before finally driving into a vacant parking lot. I decided to pull in behind him. I wasn't sure if he was having a medical emergency (diabetic issue), was intoxicated or was just disoriented

09/25/2019

WORLD ADVICE: Ladies:  Keep yourself together.  Build your character and have confidence in who You are.  A man’s heart is drawn to class, not your "assets."  Men: Treat the ladies like you would expect someone to treat your daughter – with respect. Remember…every woman you treat disrespectfully is someone’s daughter. BIBLICAL ADVICE: Ladies:   If you want a man to love and respect you. If you want a man to consider you for wife-material, to view you as his Queen - then strive to be like a

09/18/2019

Someone hurts you and you are left feeling like you have been dropped in the middle of the ocean clinging to a Styrofoam cup, fighting to stay afloat. The Styrofoam cup you are so desperately hanging onto represents; anger, bitterness, betrayal, unforgiveness, hurt, disappointment, sadness, depression, etc… basically a host of negative feelings. Yes, you have the right to feel those things. It is perfectly normal and a part of the healing process. But here is where most folks get stuck. They

09/02/2019

Ask yourself this question, “Why am I always trying to fit my foot into a shoe that I know doesn’t fit right?” The foot being you. The shoe being a relationship. You spend so much of your time trying to squeeze your size seven foot into a size five shoe just because “it’s cute”. Or maybe your size six-foot falls into a size nine shoe because “I just know this is the perfect shoe for me, despite ignoring the need to add artificial material to make it fit”. Or maybe you park your size eight foot

06/19/2019

BOOK SUMMARY: You may know my name, but not my life story. To be honest, it’s rather cliché for a girl of seventeen and three-quarters. But it’s far from boring. Self-loathing. Depression. Loneliness. Liar-liar pants on fire. Secretive. Rebellious. Blah-blah-blah-blah. You get the idea. I feel absolutely nothing until a razor blade touches my skin. I’m known to do other crazy things to myself out of pure spite. Yeah, I hate myself that much. I’ll take hits of MDMA and dance until dawn

06/11/2019

A Little Taste of History: The Granny Smith Apple was propagated in Australia, 1868, by Maria Ann Smith. The Granny Smith Apple is thought to be a hybrid of the European Wild Apple with the domestic M. domestica apple. It preserves easier in storage compared to other types of apples. The skin of the apple turns from it’s dark green color, to yellow when overripe. The Granny Smith Apple is considered to be one of the most popular apples to use in baking due to its tart, yet semi-sweet flavor.

06/09/2019

We have all heard the quote, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Well, no truer words were ever spoken with regards to the story I am about to share. The story of a grasshopper I named, Hopper. Original, I know. I first met Hopper when he was but a wee nymph (young grasshopper) frolicking about in my friend’s garden. My friend, who I will call, Rose, is an amazing gardener. It’s no wonder Hopper took a liking to her garden. Who could blame him? Her garden has a wide variety of

06/01/2019

A loooong time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Everybody has a dream. Whether that dream happens when we are a kid or evolves later in life. My first dream, believe it or not, was not to be a writer, despite scribbling stories since the age of five. Something else had come along and grabbed my attention, dimming my desire to write. I wanted to be a detective. I was fascinated with the first detective I ever laid my eyes upon ‘Da-da-da-da Inspector Gadget’. Admit it, you just sang his theme

05/25/2019

Though this radio interview is about 6 years old...the information is still valid today. The book has since been renamed, Bullied: Dying to Fit In. You can read more about Bullied: Dying to Fit In (including awards, reviews, print, radio and television interviews HERE). Listen to the Radio Interview HERE

05/16/2019

Happy 50th Birthday in Heaven, Kevin! I still can’t believe it has been 27 years since you left the earth. I would give anything to have one more day to see your smile, to hear your laugh, to watch you play softball, to listen to you bang on your drums and of course to rib you endlessly about turning the big 5-0. November 21, 1992 will always be the worst day of my life. I remember it every year as if it happened yesterday. Interstate I-95 in Fort Lauderdale was backed up that morning. It

05/14/2019

Living Local with Lila at... Mojo Books & Records 2540 E Fowler Ave Tampa, Florida 33612 (813) 971-9717

05/10/2019

May 10, 2019 God answered prayer! The plaques that were suggested to The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Florida Department of Transportation  on August 2018 are being installed on top of the Jersey Barriers on The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. (See 'Project Save A Life' for more information). "FDOT plans on posting more than a dozen plaques with carefully written messages of hope on the top of the barriers on the side of the bridge. You won’t be able to see them from your car, so

05/06/2019

Bullying is more than punches and mean words. It. can be sadness, pain, anger, fear, shame, self-harm, etc. and sometimes, suicide. Being a victim of bullying is not a choice.  However, remaining one, is. Most times, a person becomes a victim of bullying through no fault of their own.  They are singled out and attacked for reasons known only to the bully. Once the initial attack happens, the victim faces two choices.   “Do I CHOOSE to continue being a victim and let the bully have power over

05/03/2019

So, I got this email today (see the quote below) and I'm truly surprised and humbled by the mention re: my bullying book. I had no idea! I love when God surprises me! ❤️ "I wanted to let you know that you are one of the featured authors in the Local Author Spotlight on our local author page this month for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative." www.amazon.com Bullied: Dying to Fit In  has been nominated for the Advocacy / Social Justice Award for the 2019 In the Margins

04/25/2019

I recently visited a medical facility for testing. While waiting for my turn in the infamous migraine-making-machine, I glanced around the room and noticed everyone was busy staring at their cellphones. But then, I noticed something else. Something sad, precious and beautiful all rolled into one. A man who looked to be in his mid-eighties was lying down, bundled up on a gurney. He was waiting to go back for a lung scan. His skin was rather pallor. His breathing challenging at times. His hands

04/13/2019

Lately whenever I venture out, I receive compliments from women about my hair. They love the natural curl. But they also love the body and thickness. My secret? Nothing special. Just good old Biotin (Vitamin B7). I have included a link below to the specific product I use twice a day. It's like 'Miracle Grow' for your hair. Even my hairdresser is impressed by how fast my hair grows since I started using it. The best part? It's super-affordable, tastes yummy, and it makes your hair, eyebrows

04/10/2019

A Little Taste of History: Ghee is a form of clarified butter that is typically used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Ghee is also used in religious rituals and traditional medicine.  Ghee is a great deep frying fat to use because of its high “smoke point”. A smoke point indicates the temperature at which you can use a particular fat or oil before it becomes sooty and/or flammable. The smoke point for ghee is four-hundred and eighty-two degrees fahrenheit. Most vegetable oils have a smoke

04/08/2019

Things are NOT always what they seem!     Back in the 1980’s and through the early 1990’s, Route A1A, between Sunrise Boulevard and Las Olas Boulevard, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was packed with naïve and impressionable youth. Fort Lauderdale already had a stellar reputation for being destination ‘Spring Break’.  Each year, hordes of college and high school kids flocked to the city seeking fun times and fond memories.  The same carefree vibe resided in the Summertime. Days were spent lounging

04/01/2019

Listen Up! YouTube Video

03/08/2019

An interview I did with Rock Paper Spirit Daily re my book about bullying.  Read the entire interview . Amazon.com

03/04/2019

My last blog was rather deep - so I thought I would lighten things up a bit for this next posting. I am going to be talking about God. Not religion. God. I know this topic gets some people's knickers twisted…but bear with me. I am going to be sharing how lately He has been showing His love for me. I am hoping He will show you the same love, too. I don't know about you, but I go through periods in life where I feel like God has "left the building" - "gone radio silent" - "forgot about me",

02/28/2019

Elizabeth and I have partnered with the charity Baby2Baby out in Los Angeles, California. "Your Amazon purchase of our book, 'My Little Peanut Does the Nuttiest Things' and the ‘My Little Peanut Bib’ helps to support the children Baby2Baby serves living in poverty."  AMAZON.COM

02/16/2019

This is my story. I am a private person. I rarely post personal information about myself. But this is something I felt I needed to share because I believe it will help others – whether they fell prey to this same person or someone else. This is not about revenge or being vindictive. It is about forgiveness, healing and helping others.  Please do not ask me who I am talking about. I will never tell. Please understand, I prayed for a long time about whether to post this or not. This was not an

02/15/2019

I am so happy, and still surprised for the opportunity to have been nominated and very happy for Cara Drinan for winning. Happiness is waking up to an email about a book you wrote (with help from God) that reads: "Congratulations, Normandy! Your book, 'Bullied: Dying to Fit In' has been nominated for the Advocacy / Social Justice Award for the 2019 In the Margins Book Award/School Library Journal." My heart is so full right now! This means 'Bullied: Dying to Fit In' will be able to