Art Show

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. ~Pablo Picasso

Tonight is DD's art show for her art classes. She did an amazing job on her pieces this year -- I'm SO proud of her. She took her time and it really shows! I'll take pictures of whatever they display and post for tomorrow.

She really loves doing art and crafty things. It's funny -- growing up, I liked art okay, but I really loved performing art. I was in band, drama and choir. I keep trying to get DD interested in them, but she has NO desire at all.

I was also really into sports. I played volleyball and basketball, and in junior high, I ran track for a couple years. So, again I try to get her involved. Nope. She likes to swim (but doesn't want to compete), she enjoyed gymnastics, but it wasn't a passion.

I guess we really can't make them into clones of ourselves, can we?

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On the writing front, I've been working through trying to outline my story that I'm working on. I'm not a plotter, but I find that I really feel the need to KNOW where this one is going... partly because I'm planning it as part of a series, and partly because there is a "big mystery" that I have to work through.

So, not a lot of actual writing going on, but enough thinking that my head aches from it! LOL...

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You Are a Mouse

You are a quiet and observant creature. You may not have much to say, but you always know what's going on. You are good at getting things done without attracting attention. You are sneaky, but only in a good way. You are well organized. You develop a system for everything you do. You notice and analyze everything. You can be a bit fearful, but it's only because you are aware of every detail of your surroundings.

What Rodent Are You?

That's pretty much right on, except for the "quiet" part... LOLOL....

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A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him? - OBI-WAN KENOBI, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Yesterday flew by. DH went fishing, so DD asked if we could have a "girls" day. And she wanted to watch the first Star Wars ... you know, the FIRST one, the one made in 1977 (which I will never be able to refer to as "A New Hope". It will always be "Star Wars" to me). She's been dying to watch it, and I finally decided she could. I was about her age when I saw it (I was 10 1/2), so I'm passing it on. Of course, she won't have to wait three years to see "The Empire Strikes Back". Hmmm.... maybe I should make her wait.

:::evil laughter here:::

In any case, I only have it on VHS, but discovered the player didn't want to work right, so checked the library for the DVD -- it was checked out. Went to everywhere nearby to see if I could find it to buy ... no luck. DD was despondent.

So, I went to the mall and found it at Best Buy.

All-in-all we spent two hours trying to find that sucker. But it was worth it -- she loved the movie (of course) and I was reaquainted with how truly awesome it is, watching it through the eyes of someone who was seeing it for the first time.

Then we went out into the windy day and finished hand-tilling the garden. It is ready to plant! I *might* throw in some beans, peas and swiss chard seeds today, along with some herb seeds. We'll see...

In any case, it's gorgeous here today: warm, sunny and NO WIND. So it'll be as much an outdoor day as I can manage.

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You Were a Snake

You have a primal energy that drives you to explore the mysteries of life. A nearly immortal soul, you'll live a very long life.

What Animal Were You In a Past Life?

Okay.. I'm good with that. And I don't even hate snakes :-)

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Sunshine!

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. —Helen Keller

Tuesday was an absolutely gorgeous day here -- sunny, warm (for us!) and no wind. Lovely. I wanted to play hooky in the worst way, but I'm still absurdly behind. Even so, we did take a nice walk, though not as long as I would have liked because Dakota broke her retractable leash.

We have two leashes for her -- one for when we expect her to heel and behave like an obedient dog (a short one), and one for our long, meandering walks (a 26' retractable one). I know the "Dog Whisperer" says that dogs should walk beside/behind you on your walks, that they shouldn't wander and sniff, etc. That the walk should be "intentional", but we've just found that all of us enjoy the walk better when Dakota can sniff and wander. It's not that I can't make her walk properly... I can. It's that, in this instance, I choose not to.

So Tuesday, we walked around the back "loop" of our cul-de-sac to let her potty in the woods. We like to empty her out before we walk in neighborhoods (people who let their dogs poop on the sidewalk or in other folks yards drive me nuts). She's learned that sometimes we go back in the house after that walk (especially if it's cold) and sometimes we don't, so she slows WAY down at the edge of our driveway and listens for me to say either "going in" or "okay!". If I say "OKAY!" she tears, full speed ahead, across the driveway and down the road until she hits the end of her leash, the one time she yanks hard.

Tuesday she did this, yanked and the leash snapped at the end inside the handle (THANK HEAVENS ... I'm so relieved it didn't snap in the middle or up at her end, and then retract madly and hit me at 20 mph). She kept running until we yelled at her and our "long" walk was over. Poor puppy.

We've since bought a new one and now are just waiting for another nice day.

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I wrote yesterday. Bored myself to tears despite the fact that the story is funny and interesting in my head. It didn't come out that way on paper. Clearly the story needs work. But, I DID take my hour and wrote. YAY.

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You Are Cooking

You are a very generous and caring person. You love to make other people happy, and you love to give. You are content when you are busy with projects. You enjoy working with your hands. You are both intuitive and creative. You are good at figuring out how to make things work, and you love to experiment. You may be only following recipes for now, but eventually you'll be creating your own amazing, original meals.

What Hobby Are You?

50/50....

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I'm Loved...

There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship. ~Author Unknown

Lookie what I got! And... from TWO PEOPLE. I feel so loved... really... for once I'm not being sarcastic.

Jennifer awarded it to me a couple of days ago, and Dru did so yesterday. And, guys, I love your blogs right back. Just saying...

Now for the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs

Okee dokee... I can do ALL that, even as busy as I am. The hard part is choosing only seven blogs I love and visit regularly (I'm not going to use folks I know already rec'd the award like Diane, Sarita and Dru)!

1. Melissa's Diary -- I read her daily. She posts about herself, her writing and frequently uses LOL Cats (I <3 them).

2. Writebrained -- Amy shares recipes, funny stuff, and anecdotes about life in general. She's made me laugh, cry and think. It doesn't get better than that. Plus we and our cats are twins. Ha.

3. Allie's Musings -- I've known Allie (virtually) for... a long time. I'm thinking six years or so! I keep up with her daily via her blog. It's easier than email, lol.

4. Ceri Hebert -- I "met" Ceri my first year doing NaNoWriMo, and we've become good virtual friends (despite living in the same state -- we haven't managed to get together... maybe someday!). She's a talented author and all around kewl chick.

5. Groovy -- Groovy is just an all around hoot. She's a Christian, homeschooling mom and aspiring author. I honestly don't recall how we "met", but I read her blog every time she updates her blog. Sometimes, I go back and read more than once, just because she cracks me up.

6. Maria Zannini -- an author I met through Samhain Publishing, and just thoroughly enjoy her blog. She has industry news, books stuff and personal stuff. Plus... she's a dog lover. What's not to like?

7. Writing Wrongs -- Charity is another virtual friend from a long time ago. We "met" in an online romance writing class at Writers Village University. She was a big help then, and is a terrifically talented author (Note to C: I still want to read "Cold Comfort" from beginning to end).

There are a TON more that I should mention, but the rules say seven... so there you go. I won't say anything about Brandy or Tori or ... *G*

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So... okay... I ended up stopping at 1000 words yesterday because I had so many other things I needed to do. But I have ideas, and I'm excited, so I have great hope that I'll get a bunch more words done this a.m.

I'm currently at a total of 8,928 words for the story.

So... for town names, I'm torn between these (feel free to vote!!):

Fate
New Hope
New Genesis (or even Genesis)
Unity

Thoughts?

Okay, off to write!

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Engergized... but I Need Help!

"Change your thoughts and you change the world." — Norman Vincent Peale

I think I've finally remembered my goals for this novel. I looked back into all my prework, not just the scene ideas, and stumbled on all my kooky characters I'd forgotten about! It absolutely energized me, and I've been writing all morning. I'm up almost 1000 words, and hope to double that before anyone wakes up.

But...

I've decided I need to create a fictional town name. I've been using "Fair Play", but that's a real town in California (I know, I used to live a mile away from it, in another little town called Mount Aukum) and I'm messing with the place so much, I don't want to annoy any of the 32 people who might know about it.

So... names.

It's a tiny town in the Sierra Nevada's, about 30 miles from Placerville. It's got the bare minimums: general store, post office, etc., plus a few extras like a hair salon and cafe.

I want the name to mean something, though I'm not sure what. Maybe something about being reborn, or starting over. Maybe believing in oneself or others?

Any thoughts?

Okay... back to writing.... wish me luck!

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Meet my NaNoWriMo novel

"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." -- Stephen King

Meet my NaNoWriMo novel -- currently just called "Sunny" (for the heroine).



Baby steps toward November first.

Collage? Check.

Now... what's next?

And, it's beginning to look like I'll be all alone in my craziness this year. *sniff* ((insert pity party here))

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Here is Me, trying to think positive as the weather grows colder and I refuse to run my heat.

Good things about fall and winter:

** No bugs.

** Dog poo is nice and solid for scooping.

** I don't have to bring in my bird feeders at night cuz the bears are asleep.

** No grass clippings on my floor.

....

Nope, doesn't make up for below zero temps and multiple feet of snow. But it's something.

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You Are 52% Interesting

You are a fairly interesting person. Many people find you to be intriguing. You have a dynamic, adventurous life... a life that others envy. You are genuinely interested in and open to the world. You love making new friends, and you're always up for an unusual experience. Like everyone else, you can get a bit boring from time to time. That's normal. But unlike everyone else, you can pull yourself out of a rut. You don't stay boring for long.

Are You Boring or Interesting?

I think what put me over the "boring" edge was that I start conversations with strangers. DD will ask, "Mommy, did you know that person?"

"Nope."

And I especially like to talk to the "invisible" people -- foodservers, cashiers, janitors, etc. It surprises them. :-)

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