Finders Bucket List - The Door to Hell - Turkmenistan

In my upcoming release, Finders, the Finders Ghost Hunting team have been all over the world investigating paranormal events. One of the places on their ghost bucket list is -- 

The Door to Hell - Turkmenistan

The Door to Hell was originally a gas field set alight by Soviet scientists that has been burning continuously for over 40 years. Inexplicably, spiders seem to love this place and swarm there by the thousands.

According to Turkmen geologist Anatoly Bushmakin, the site was identified by Soviet engineers in 1971. It was originally thought to be a substantial oil field site. The engineers set up a drilling rig and operations to assess the quantity of oil available at the site. Soon after the preliminary survey found a natural gas pocket, the ground beneath the drilling rig and camp collapsed into a wide crater and was buried.

Expecting dangerous releases of poisonous gases from the cavern into nearby towns, the engineers thought it best to burn the gas off. Estimated that the gas would burn out within a few weeks, the gas has instead continued to burn for more than four decades.

In April 2010, the president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, visited the site and ordered that the hole should be closed.  In 2013, he declared the part of the Karakum Desert with the crater a nature reserve.

Learn more here!

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Saturday Seven - March 2nd 2019

Happy Saturday, what have you been up to this week? This week has been a roller-coaster of a ride! Between my day job, kids, volunteering and just…life! Here is a rundown of highlights for the week. I hope you find them useful in your life! My goal as a person and a writer is to always Pay-It-Forward so please let me know how I can help you. YES YOU!
Enjoy your weekend & this post! Amazing things to come!
~Amy

·         What am I Reading? –  This week was so hectic I have to admit I did not get a whole lot of reading in. I did look at a few items of interest though.

Don't feed the monster!' The people who have stopped buying new clothes – When I was growing up Goodwill and garage sales were our shipping paradises. We had a limited budget, and new clothes are expensive. My Mom taught me all the skills needed to dig through the racks and piles to find the treasures. I have also learned over the year I do not need a closet full of clothes. A few simple pieces work great for me. This is a UK based article but a very interesting read. The theme of it is sustainability. Apparently – per the article - Each week we buy 38m items and 11m items go to landfill. Those are pretty staggering numbers. Screw recycling plastic! We need to be recycling clothes!

Secrets, Tips, and Tricks for a Successful Book Event – Part Deux! – A very informative article about the do’s and don’t when setting up an author signing or media event. Including the best times to call book stores and who to talk to! Really enjoyed all of the information and would recommend it to all authors (not just newbies)

·         What am I Listening to? –  Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das, this was the fist audiobook I’d ever listened to years ago and I find myself going back to it when I find myself needing to be centered and refocused. His teachings are gentle, straight forward and entertaining.

·         What Quote am I pondering? – “Every minute counts” – This is so true. Notice as it states every minute, not moment. They both count however, one is emotional and the other is purely productivity related. There are literally so many minutes in the day. Six to ten are spent sleeping. I found myself saying “there are not enough hours in the day” too often. I now disagree. There is plenty of time – approximately 840. How you spend those minutes is what matters.

·         What am I Researching? – Ghost Hunting is the name of the game with my current WIP and I have been invited to go on a ghost hunt! Two actually, on Mar 16th and 23rd. So excited but I admit I am a total newbie so I have been researching technics, gear and what to expect. Very interesting! 

·         Yummy Meal of the week – Deep Dish Taco Pizza! I love tacos and this is a great alternative with all the flavor. Pile it high like a pizza with all of your favorite taco toppings and whola! You have a family favorite. See the recipe here.

·         What did I Learn this week? –  It was another hard lesson for me this week. I learned everyone makes mistakes. It happens, we are human. The best thing to do is learn from them.

·         What am I Watching? – I am not a YouTuber, meaning I spend zero time on YouTube, save the occasional movie trailer. Unlike my three children who spend 10 hours a day watching this that or the other thing. I digress. A friend of mine introduced me to a set of YouTube videos that I LOVE. Completely entertainment of course but if you like cats and even if you don’t check it out!

Simon’s Cat

Have any thoughts on my week’s activity or want to make a recommendation? Drop me a line, or a tweet. One lucky commenter will win a free Romine book of their choice! Never want to miss a blog post or a Saturday Seven? Join my mailing list and I will be happy to send it straight to your inbox!

P.S. ~ I am on tour promoting my series Trust Me, (Serenity Lost, Veiled Deception and Jaded Promises)all month so make sure you stop by and say hello. Not only because you are AWESOME but because you could win a $50 Amazon. Check out my Twitter or Facebook for locations. Today we I will be at 

Yearwood La Novela
Tracie’s World of Books

See the full schedule of tour locations.

** Added bonus, all of the Trust Me Series Books are on sale at the Extasy site for $1.99!!

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Friday Food Love - Deep Dish Taco Pizza

Fast, easy and yummy -- kids will love to help with this fun family dinner! 

Pillsbury Grands! Homestyle biscuits serve as the pizza crust for our Deep Dish Taco Pizza made with ground beef, taco seasonings, cheddar cheese, olives, tomatoes, and lettuce

Ingredients

One can Pillsbury™ Grands!™ Homestyle refrigerated biscuits

One pound ground beef

One package taco seasoning mix

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomato or halved cherry tomatoes

Halved or sliced pitted ripe olives

Sour cream

Preparation 

 

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.  

In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, 5 to 7 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Add taco seasoning mix and water called for on seasoning mix package.  

Separate the dough into biscuits and press into the bottom and up the side of pie plate to make the crust. Spoon beef mixture into crust. 

 Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is very light golden brown. Top with cheese; bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese melts.  

 Serve topped with lettuce, tomato, olives and sour cream, or your favorite taco toppings.

View on bettycrocker.com

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Don't have a Kindle, no problem. I've got you covered! Read eBooks on your phone, tablet and computer no Kindle Needed!