A Time for Everything

I'm chatty, apparently...

2012-01-26T08:01:00.003-06:00

...and I feel the need to blog though I have nothing exceptionally important to say. :) So here goes...

There was no writing yesterday, after all. None at all. But that's okay. I'm a little disappointed, but that's the way it goes.

I did walk this morning, though only two blocks. I was wearing my rain boots and I figured the weight of the boots would offset the distance. The rain had tapered off when I left but started coming down again as I rounded the last corner towards home. I considered going that extra block, but I checked the clock and decided against it. Good thing, I suppose.

But I think the rain will be finished and gone today. We're supposed to warm up to the 60s tomorrow and over the weekend. I need to get in gear and plant my bulbs I got for Christmas...

A change in plans...

2012-01-25T05:12:00.003-06:00

There will be no walking today. Why?? Because it's pouring--thundering, lightning, the whole shebang. I'm sort of glad. I added lunges to my repertoire yesterday and the tops of my thighs are griping. Now, had it been sprinkling or not raining at all, I would have gone and endured the workout. But pneumonia and/or a lightning strike is not my idea of a good time.

So what am I doing up at this time of the morning? Well, usually walking or washing dishes but I think I'm going to write.

I was thrown a curve ball on my WIP, which means yet another re-write which I am not happy about. I really was trying to get that story told to the end. And submitted. And earn my PRO status with RWA. (Not for myself, as I could personally care less. But as a long time member of RWA and the current president of my chapter, I really out to have at least one finished manuscript.)

I hope that work today will be slow enough to be able to spend some time writing. There are never guarantees, as evidenced by yesterday, when several hundred defense attorneys and I could no longer access our county's electronic case file system. I won't bore with the whys and hows, but while the county scrambled to solve the problem, I took probably 15 to 20 calls from attorneys and paralegals and assistants over the course of about three hours wanting to know WHY they couldn't get in. And even after that problem was resolved, they kept calling me for various sundry other things. Gack.

And now, I'm going to write. Something.

Who Knew...

2012-01-24T07:54:00.003-06:00

...that my secret exercises were beneficial for more than just getting my blood pumping?

The speaker at my writing group meeting, Sally Felt, told us that performing any kind of cross-body motion helped open up the connection between right brain and left brain, which then helped with the writing.

Last week I was able to spend a lot of time with my WIP, and do you know, I actually felt really, really productive.

Also, yawning. Apparently there are a lot of blood vessels in the jaw area and when you yawn, you force blood through them and to your brain. An oxygenated brain means an active and productive brain. Did you know Anton Apollo Ono yawns before each race for precisely that reason? I didn't before Saturday, but I thought it was interesting.

It doesn't look like I'll be able to work much on my writing during business hours this week, but I went great guns last night with a new writing buddy. Not new in that I just met her. I've known her for many years, but our styles seem to have similarized and she's got a book due, so having at least one person to do writing sprints with helps make a solitary endeavor a little less so and a lot more fun.

On that note, it is time to start my day job...

A backup plan...

2012-01-23T07:58:00.004-06:00

I thought I was in real trouble this weekend, when my thumb drive went missing.

It has important stuff on it. Not only my current WIPs, fan fiction and original fiction, but my password list, my QuickBooks backups, and my electronic check register. And a few other random things.

I retraced my steps, dug through the sofas and the trash, looked under beds, nightstands, sofas. Dug through the dirty laundry. Dug through my purse three times. (Now, my purse isn't that big, so the second and third looks really were futile.) I looked in the cabinets and in the fridge. All to no avail.

Well, I wanted to write yesterday and I knew a friend was going to be doing writing sprints and I work really well with the sprints. BUT I had nothing at home to work on, what with my thumb drive missing and everything else residing at the office on the server.

So I started something new. I've had an idea that pops into my head every now and again, so I grabbed a hold of it and got busy. By the end of the day (5:30ish), I had written 2296 new words on an idea I pulled out of my ear and had clean laundry and swept floors and a clean bathroom to boot.

Well, I found the thumb drive this morning. As I was creeping around in the dark of my bedroom, gathering my stuff while hubby slept, I picked up my cell phone and slipped it into my pocket. Lo and behold, that triggered a remembrance. Yesterday, when I got up, I put on my bathrobe--which I was no longer wearing when I was in search of the thumb drive--and which has pockets! So I dug in the pockets of my bathrobe, finding a cough drop in one and--YES-- the thumb drive in the other. Whew.

So today, I move the password file someplace else, 'cause losing that would be terribly bad. And I decide whether to use a web-based file hosting service. Then my stories are always available as long as I have Internet access. I do have a Google Docs account, but it's been acting up on my laptop, though that's probably because I haven't update my browser in so long. Or perhaps I just e-mail whatever I'm working on to myself on a daily basis. I don't know, but I need a different method. It sucked not having my stuff and it sucked worrying that I'd lost certain things forever.

Gleefully plugging away...

2012-01-20T08:19:00.002-06:00

Okay, so my title is a bit misleading...

I've been diligently plugging away at my current WIP for over a week now. It's the longest stretch I've done in quite some time and I'm fearful of losing my momentum by turning my attention to other things, even work.

Doing these revisions is a little like pulling teeth and yet exhilarating at the same time. Yeah, it can be tough to find the right words, set the right tone, or delete 10s or 100s of previously crafted words, but once it's done, it feels great.

But I've run into some questions. I'm worried that my scenes aren't doing what they're supposed to. But that's partly what CPs are for. We're getting together tomorrow. I'm going to ask for a bit brainstorming. In the meantime, I'm going to stay in the story. I'm going to keep doing the minor edits: missing words, misspelled words, transferring text from the old working document to the new one. Keep the story in my mind, let it percolate in the recesses when I'm busy doing other things like that pesky day job.

My current favorite show, Glee returned to the airwaves after it's semester break. And they started off the new semester with a bang! The first half of the episode had me in stitches and the second half in tears.

The primary male lead was perfectly cast, in my opinion. And episode after episode, I fall a little bit more in love with him myself. :) The primary female has a voice to die for and she pulls off every song she sings beautifully.

And tomorrow my first general meeting as head honcho of my writers group. Oh, boy!

2012-01-19T08:49:00.003-06:00

I spent a lot of yesterday adjusting the time line for my current WIP, and last evening I doggedly revised the necessary portions to accommodate the shift from late fall/early winter of 1941 to spring of 1942. And it's done. Well, to the extent of the part of the WIP I had in the working document. Now I have go back to the old working doc and start transferring sections from old to current and revise and revise some more. I've also decided to add in the hero's POV, so there will some new stuff to write as well. When I say I decided to add the hero's POV, it was more like the story demanded some time from his perspective.

While I enjoy writing, parts of it are not very intuitive for me and I struggle through those parts with more than a few growing pains. (Which might account for condition I spoke of yesterday.)

And to end my post, a book recommendation: When One Night Isn't Enough, a Harlequin Medical romance, by my online acquaintance Wendy S. Marcus. I finished the book in two evenings. I didn't want to put it down the first night, but forced myself. I need my sleep.

Anyway, the story: Nurse Ali Forshay has swapped dating disasters for nights out with the girls. But after spending more time than is strictly necessary discussing the man she loves to hate--the notoriously delicious Dr. Jared Padget--Ali's horrifying realization is that she's one hundred percent crazy in lust with him! Her conclusion: spend a feverish night together. After all, it would just be a onetime thing and it would cure her obsession...wouldn't it?

Why can't I keep my focus...?

2012-01-18T06:44:00.002-06:00

I feel like a yo-yo or to be a little more unkind a kid with ADHD.

I get into writing, I get into critiquing, I get into writing, I get into critiquing...

I can't seem to focus or decide if I want to write books or edit them.

It's both really, but can I achieve both. Sure with a bit of effort. Maybe it's just laziness. I don't want to expand that much effort. Or do I?

I think part of the question (and think Tim McGraw here) is : How bad do you want it??

My job and a key personal issue preclude me from being more aggressive about pursuing these two goals. Is that a good enough reason to just drift along right now?? I don't know.

I am taking a few steps, one technically, and that is to take some online classes this year about things I am not so good at. Namely plotting. I spent a few hours several Sundays ago surfing the 'Net for options. I found five or six that looked interesting.

I receive GrammarBook.com's weekly newsletter. It's not a weakness, but it's good to be reminded of things and I do occasionally learn something new.

I also signed up for dictionary.com's Word of the Day. Learning new words can never hurt a writer. :)

I've been humoring the idea of trying to become an unpaid intern at one of a plethora of e-publishing houses. But do I have the skills? I don't have a degree. How do I offer myself and for how long? What do they get for hiring me, for imparting their wisdom? I'm still mulling how to go about that. Do I approach the "big name" e-publishers or try for a "mid-list" publisher to get my feet wet?

Ah, well...now it's time to get the trumpeteer to jazz band practice and then it's off to the office to write for at least an hour. Actually I have to revise. I found a pretty big flaw... *sigh*

Making Progress

2012-01-16T11:26:00.003-06:00

I made good progress this week on my original WIP and I'm very happy and excited about that. So happy and excited with my forward momentum, that I don't want to work. I want to write. :)

Luckily, I can do both. Work a little, write a little, work a little, write a little.

Here's the blurb I used in the contest I entered:

When her hunky Special Forces boyfriend proposes, Claire Sumter (metaphorically) runs for the hills. As much as she loves him, she just doesn’t think they can find happily ever after when he's gone more often than he's around.

But she never meant to run so far that she ended up transported in time to the weeks leading up to Pearl Harbor where she finds herself inhabiting the body of a young woman facing an equally difficult dilemma.

Can Claire learn to overcome her fears and embrace a once-in-a-lifetime chance at love and passion?

What do you think? Does it make you want to red the book?

I'm sick... Apple sucks... And very GOOD NEWS

2012-01-12T07:52:00.004-06:00

It doesn't happen often, thank goodness, and so far (knock wood) it's not too terribly bad. Hubby and DD have both had it and are still on the tail end of it, and Sonshine hasn't seemed affected.

The Canadian cold front hit overnight and we have wind-chills in the teens right now, but that should all blow over by the weekend. :)

I'm trying to get back on the writing track, but it's difficult when you're fighting the sickies and all you want to do is sleep. But sleep wins every time. I've learned that healthy me is better.

I've gotten caught up on a lot of work--reconciling business bank accounts, paying a few bills, creating invoices, etc...that feels good. (And if I get sick enough to have to take time off, I won't feel antsy about it.)

Okay, so my eyes have been opened--Apple sucks. I love the concept of iTunes and iPods and iPads. (I don't have an iPhone, don't want one, either.) But Apple has crossed the line for me and I will never love them again. What happened, you ask??

It could have been so much worse, so on the surface, it's nothing more than a hassle. BUT for many people it's been a disaster and Apple is to blame.

After trying to update several apps on my iPad several times, I was told (by the iPad) it needed its operating system upgraded. I'm not savvy and put it off for a few weeks and asked hubby about it. So, yesterday, I brought my iPad to the office and the updating commenced.

Long story short: I lost everything on my iPad: apps, books, movies, TV shows. The process did not work like it should have, and the backup was corrupted.

Okay, so my movies and TV shows are no big deal--the master copies are on both my desktop & external hard drive, still safe in my iTunes library. My books can be re-downloaded from Kindle/amazon.com. My apps can also be re-downloaded--the ones I use anyway.

It's a BIG hassle, and a pain in the arse, but ultimately easily fixable. I don't use my iPad for much except checking e-mail and watching TV shows and movies and reading, so I have no crucial data stored on it. For those who did...gone, *poof*.

However, I can also no longer join networks and access the Internet. Something in the upgrade screwed up something in my device. If downgrading back to the previous operating system doesn't resolve the issue, I will have to schlep to an Apple store to have them solve a problem that shouldn't have even been in issue in the first place. Are they going to pay me for my time and gas??

And the GOOD NEWS???

My sweet and wonderful critique partner sold her first book!!!

(I'm not saying her name 'cause I'm not sure what pseudonym she's using.)

But, needless to say, I am thrilled for her and we'll definitely be celebrating next time I see her.

It's a brand new week!

2012-01-09T08:36:00.002-06:00

And I'm glad. Friday and Saturday were crazy, but Sunday was relaxing. And today will be busy as I need to get caught up on a few things I put off last week.

Working the Cotton Bowl at Cowboys Stadium was wild. I wasn't expecting it to be that busy, but Arkansas and K-State fans alike are crazy. We had a steady stream of customers the whole time and the game, for whatever reason, took a long time. We sold 250 footlongs and somewhere in the vicinity of 600 sodas! I'm not sure how many beers we sold, but it was a lot, too. I was hoping to be home by 10/10:30--that's what time I was finally able to leave and I didn't make it home until midnight.

Saturday's board/transition meeting went relatively well. There were a few tense moments between a couple of ladies, but overall, we accomplished the things we really needed to.

Sunday was spent recuperating and doing minimal chores in preparation for the work week. I even got some editing in.

Today I look to Thursday and possible band booster board and regular meetings. Ugh. The regular meetings are a waste of time. Nothing I say in the meetings can't just be published in the newsletter I publish each month. But, of course, we have to hold the meetings. I'm thinking they need to be no more than every other month...

One of my goals for this year was to take a writing class every quarter. I spent some time yesterday researching online classes. I found five or six happening over the course of the next five months and will decide if I'm actually going to take them when the time for each draws near. But they are picked out.

The week has begun and, now, so must I!

TTFN

Running out of steam...

2012-01-05T09:03:00.002-06:00

Well, I had all those things to do and had every intention of getting my house clean in preparation for my meeting on Saturday, but it looks like minimal tasks will be completed: taking down the tree, sweeping (but not mopping) the living room, sweeping & mopping the kitchen and dog room (maybe on the dog room), cleaning the bathroom. DD is supposed to mow today.

I've been walking around my block. The mornings have hovered just under 40* at that time of day, but the icy sting feels great on my face. I've been pretty busy at work the last few days, so by the time I get home, I'm bushed, though I continue to prep for the actual meeting.

Ah, well. Love me, deal with my house in whatever shape it's in. :)

I probably won't be back until next week, so have a good weekend!

Hitting the ground running...

2012-01-03T09:10:00.002-06:00

First of all, happy new year. It's finally here. Last year was a vast improvement over the one before and I hope the trend continues. Hubby and I have already looked at our finances, both business and personal and made adjustments. We've also made a plan for getting out of debt. Let's hope 2012 is conducive to furthering that plan without too much struggle.

As I've already mentioned in the last week or two, diet and exercise are on the agenda. I'm getting older, no getting around that. I need to start taking care of myself. That's not a resolution, just a fact of life and a real necessity. I'm out of shape and have little stamina and even less strength.

I had to work Friday and Saturday night at our fireworks store. DD and I drove home at 12:30 Sunday morning. I had to. There was no way I could handle sleeping on a deflating air mattress a second night unless absolutely necessary. Thanks goodness it wasn't. Sleeping arrangements and apparatus will be addressed between now and July.

Sunday I did a few chores and relaxed. DD was gone and I had the house to myself ALL day. What a lovely treat. I was hoping to have the house to myself most of Monday as well, but that didn't work out. The men arrived home in the early afternoon, so there was a bit of chaos while we unloaded and put away. Then Sonshine was off to a friend's house for a while. The rest of us hung out and watched Bones all afternoon.

Today, we are back to work and back to some semblance of normal. Except . . . I have a couple of pressing events over the course of the next few weeks and one (a stressful one) just got added. Yeah, sure I could have said no, but I felt like I needed to do it if I could.

So . . . new event and first up: opening the concession stand Friday afternoon alone. The band director has to teach until 3:30PM--report time at the stadium is 2PM. She asked if I could go and open it. This includes inventory, something I'm notoriously bad at--except I think a lot of it has to do with her stressing me out. I may have to start cooking. That's okay, I think. I can get the grills going, throw on a few burgers and hotdogs. Maybe even get the cheese steak started.

I agreed with the request that I be able to leave early because . . . event #2 . . . I have about 10 people showing up at my house early Saturday morning for a writers group board transition meeting.

Event #3: Band Booster board and regular meetings on the 12th. Which means I have to mail out reminders late this week or Monday next at the latest and get prepped next week. Grrr...

Event #4: Our first chapter meeting of the year on the 21st, with me presiding as president. Oh joy.

I think life will normalize sometime after that. I hate being this busy. Thank goodness I have a lot of time available at my job to work on all these things.

I have a picture of the finished, but only just, Redneck Gingerbread House to share soon.

So, how's your 2012 shaping up?

Side Effects

2011-12-28T14:55:00.002-06:00

I've just realized the side effects of my exercise--after only a day or two--duh!

An increased appetite! My goodness, it seems as if I have been hungry for several days and now I realize why. A good thing--the exercise is obviously working; and a bad thing--I have to make sure I eat things that won't counter the exercise too much. More proteins, I think, and more roughage.

The point of exercise...

2011-12-27T07:13:00.004-06:00

...well, for me anyway, is to keep the aches and pains away.

I'm very sedentary. I sit at a desk pretty much all day and when I go home at night, after I cook dinner, then I'm lounging on the sofa until bedtime. Needless to say, after a while, my muscles start to complain. So I've been walking again. First thing in the morning once I get to the office.

Today, I added distance. My body'd grown accustomed to the previous route. I was no longer breathing heavy nor were my leg muscles feeling the effort. Time to ramp it up. It felt good. I also take time to stretch throughout the day. Every time I use the restroom, actually. Once I've completed my business, I take a few minutes to stretch my back muscles.

I've heard/read that a person my age should be active for an hour a day. Not only does it help you physically, but mentally as well. It seems like a tough thing to accomplish, but I'm working up to it. :)

And here are a few more Christmas pictures...

Bear in mind, we now do Christmas at our fireworks store and no one looks that great first thing Christmas morning. :)

Here we are checking out what Santa stuffed in our stockings.

Post-Christmas Recap

2011-12-26T07:53:00.004-06:00

Well, Christmas was Christmas in my hubby's family--my sister-in-law and brother-in-law-to-be were two hours late. Ah well...

Some pictures...

What other kind of tree topper would a fireworks seller have??

That's a #4 cone fountain, btw. :)

Our pile of gifts.

And our grumpy old dog, who for some reason wanted to sleep under the tree...

Movie Time

2011-12-23T07:05:00.002-06:00

All right, I've watched a few more movies since the other day...

Elizabeth--the story of Queen Elizabeth I, aka Good Queen Bess. Also attempts to explain how and why she became the Virgin Queen. I prefer to watch movies I've already seen when wrapping because then I don't have to pay so close attention. I'm sure I missed a lot of interesting bits since I was wrapping (not looking at the TV and making noise), but I probably won't sit through it again.

Hope Floats--after she's humiliated on national TV (when her best friend announces she's been having an affair with Birdee's husband for a year and half), Birdee goes home to rural Texas to lick her wounds. Once there, she's forced to deal with her past, including her young daughter who's angry about the whole mommy/daddy thing, her abandoned nephew, her eccentric mother (who makes oddities with real animal furs, skins, and pelts), her father who's in a home with "Old Timers", and a man who's loved her since they were teens. Love, love, love this movie.

Jane Eyre--last night DD and I watch the 1996 version of this with William Hurt as Mr. Rochester and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jane. (No wrapping last night, so I could actually watch this.) Eh, it was okay. The acting was fine, but it was a slow film...and I really don't see how the two fell in love, but so they did and lived happily ever after.

Well, off to get my morning walk in...

And I leave you with:

The Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-22T07:31:00.002-06:00

One of my all-time favorite Christmas shows. I couldn't watch the whole thing this year, though I wanted to. (My copy mysteriously disappeared about two years ago.)

But thanks to You Tube:

Almost done...

2011-12-21T08:17:00.003-06:00

I have approximately $23 left to spend on DD and then I am finished with my shopping. A mere four days left, but then I can concentrate on all the other little things like baking and bathing dogs and prepping for the (short) trip.

I'm happy with the gifts I bought this year, and I think everyone else will be pleased as well. We found A LOT of good deals this year, so Sonshine especially will receive a bit more than he might have. DD should be happy with her haul as well.

The tree is up, with lights as it is pre-lit, but no ornaments. Only a few leftover candy canes. But that's okay. The tree is UP and there is a place for all the presents. Last year, we didn't even get that far. Next year, we'll do decorations. Hopefully new ones.

And I leave you with this:

Movie Roundup...

2011-12-20T08:13:00.003-06:00

I watch a lot of movies in a short span of time this time of year. When I wrap Christmas and birthday gifts, I set up my card table in front of the TV and enjoy my favorites over and over again. :)

So over the past three days I've watched:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~ my tied-for-first favorite of the whole series. It's got romance in it, which I'm a sucker for, so there you go. But it can't be watched without watching the previous five and the following two. :)

Becoming Jane ~ the story of Jane Austen starring James McAvoy--the only reason I agreed to watch it. About halfway through I asked DD if it was going to end sadly. She declined to tell me how it ended. And I was right. Gah! Give me happily ever after every time, thanks.

(Becoming Jane led to...)

Penelope, another film starring the lovely James McAvoy with a much better ending. Penelope is a live-action fairy tale type of movie. Just a cute little story. And a very sweet, sigh-worthy kiss towards the end.

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days ~ two pretty people working at cross purposes for their own ends end up falling in love. The scene in the bathroom gets me every time.

Save the Last Dance 2 ~ a made for HBO b-grade movie starring the hot and hunky Columbus Short. Overall a cute movie and the lead-in to the love scene very breath-catching.

Don Juan DeMarco ~ Johnny Depp in one of his more charming roles as a young man who takes on the persona of Don Juan DeMarco to deal with the suckiness of his life. Marlon Brando plays the psychiatrist with 10 days to retirement who talks Don Juan down from the roof of a hotel. Over the course of the next 10 days, as he listens to Don Juan's story, Dr. Mickler (Brando) undergoes his own transformation. A bit cheesy in parts of the beginning, but the rest of it makes up for that.

(and last, but not least, and probably not really last...)

Dirty Dancing ~ in his breakthrough role, Patrick Swayze plays not-really-a-bad-boy Johnny Castle, a dance instructor at a family resort in the Catskills. He and idealistic young Frances "Baby" Houseman develop a relationship that leads to his being fired. It's a sweet coming-of-age story, actually more about Baby than Johnny, and a perpetual favorite.

There will be more movie watching over the next few days, so stay tuned. :)

The Final Countdown...

2011-12-19T07:32:00.003-06:00

Exactly one week until it's officially over and done. Christmas, that is.

I have a few things left to buy, namely for DD who was with me on Saturday when I banged out most of my shopping. I couldn't very well buy for her with her, now could I?

Sonshine celebrated his 16th birthday on Sunday. His birthday was Saturday, but he was busy busting his a** with his dad and then in the truck on the road home. We had presents and his favorite dinner and cake on Sunday when they got home. He was pleased I think with his haul.

Today, the men are back on the road, heading to the wilds of central Texas, as fireworks season is once again upon us. The burn bans were lifted and we're hoping people are extra excited since they couldn't shoot last season (4th of July).

Wednesday afternoon is a bit of a time out for me as I have a couple of girlfriends coming over to the house to visit.

After that it'll just be last minute preparations for the big day.

And don't forget to stop and remember the reason for the season...

Whew...

2011-12-16T08:36:00.002-06:00

The band concert is over, concessions have been sold. In reality, had I requested reimbursement for everything I bought, the band would be in the hole. So I won't.

My kid, aside from marching band, is part of the jazz band. And last night he did a bit of improv--I was so proud and excited to see him do that. Had I known the director was going to give some of the members a chance to show off, I'd have had my camera at the ready. But I saw it, which I think is really all that counts. ;) I just wish I could show him off a bit.

All that's left for me to do is the remainder of my Christmas shopping. Which is only maybe 2% done. We were just now able to fund it. But luckily I know most of what I'm buying so it's just a matter of going where I need to and getting it done--with a little help from my elf, of course, also known as my darling daughter.

My men are on a road trip to Illinois to pickup the storage unit full of stuff my husband bought off of eBay. (I know what you're thinking.)

After all the craziness of the last few days, my house was a wreck. Unfortunately, my dog needed to go out this morning at 4:30. And then I couldn't go back to sleep. So I started cleaning house. Nothing major, just sweeping my bedroom and the hallway and tidying the living room. I feel more relaxed about everything else now that the living room looks better. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done, but little by little, it'll be clean by the time the men return. Luckily, they won't be home long enough to mess it up again. :)

Happy shopping!

Checking in...

2011-12-14T08:38:00.004-06:00

The kids worked a bit more on the Redneck Gingerbread House. Windows were installed, lights were strung, and the dog took care of business...

And I got started on decorating ornaments for the little goodie boxes for Sonshine's band mates.

And so it begins...

2011-12-12T08:03:00.002-06:00

...my super-dee-duper busy lead in to Christmas. I didn't think it was going to be this busy, but when I finally started assessing all the things I have to do...well, I won't bore you with my list of things to do between now and the 24th, but suffice it to say, I'm going to be plum tuckered out.

And it's not starting off well because I worked Cowboys Stadium last night and I wasn't home until 12:40 or in bed until 1AM. So today I'm sleepy and achy. :( I did walk this morning, though I was achy, but that was precisely the reason I went. Work through the aches, as it were.

I think next time I go in for my annual, I'm going to ask the doctor about a referral to get my arthritis officially diagnosed. Good gravy, for price I'm paying for my health care and the fact that I'm not getting any younger, I ought to start taking advantage of having it.

And since I do have so many things on my plate, I need to go make a list and get started, sooo...

Happy Monday, Y'All.

TGIF

2011-12-09T07:53:00.002-06:00

Yes, I've said it before, but I'm certainly glad it's Friday. November and December are slow months for me and so my days at work can get tedious. Yesterday, I watched four straight episodes of Private Practice online via Netflix without a single phone call or interruption of ANY sort.

I could have been writing. I SHOULD have been writing, but was wholly unmotivated. I reached a milestone in my story and I guess my muse thought that meant she could go on vacation. BUT I did pay the entry fee for my chapter's writing contest, so I do have to come up with a new, real title. It had a working title but it was so unimaginative, I couldn't stand it any longer. And I need a short (300 words or less) blurb as well. Sort of like the back cover blurb. I worked on that the other day and have gotten feedback from my CPs, so now there's tweaking to do.

Tomorrow is the holiday party for my writing chapter. Election results will be announced, awards will be handed out, cool door prize drawing will be up for grabs. General fun to be had all the way around. :) Tonight I have to bake pumpkin cupcakes and put together my gifts for my CPs.

Update on the gingerbread house: all we did last night was put the dog house in place and set the regular house in place on its marshmallow supports. I did take pics, but they're not worth uploading right now.

On a side note, I signed up for/participated in a fic exchange. My offering was finally posted to the exchange community yesterday and received nine lovely comments. I was full of squee all day!

So happy Friday and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Construction Progresses

2011-12-07T11:06:00.003-06:00

Though we've been taking it slow, Sonshine is very excited about this project this year. He's never helped us with it, but he's having fun.

In the first two pics, Sonshine adheres the graham cracker siding to the "frame". In pics three & four, DD creates the accompanying dog house.

Groundbreaking

2011-12-06T08:08:00.010-06:00

As mentioned yesterday, the construction of the Redneck Gingerbread house has begun. In previous years, we've used a cookie sheet covered in foil, but have found as time has passed that it's just not quite enough real estate. So this year, we graduated to a larger plot of land.

Here's Sonshine cutting our section of plywood. Also, if we transport it to the fireworks store, the plywood will provide a more stable, solid base.

~*~*~

The plywood was covered in aluminum foil and the snow(plain white frosting) was added.

~*~*~

The driveway has been laid (chocolate frosting) as well as a few stepping stones (red Fruit Loops). Sonshine adds the grass poking through the snow.

On the left you can see some large marshmallows. There are five in all and they will provide the base for the house.

This is were we left it last night so that the snow could set.

*******

I also have pictures of my Christmas lights...

Around the garage door:

And in the inside of my living room window. It's a bit harder to see.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2011-12-03T19:28:00.004-06:00

The kids helped me put up outside lights around the garage door. YAY! I put up some lights in the living room window. They have little snowflake ends and are quite cheery. I also bought window clings at Target--snowflakes for the front storm door and Nativity clings for the back door window. There is garland in the living room, kitchen, and bath.

The Redneck Gingerbread House will begin construction this evening. :) And I think the tree will go up next weekend. I'm feeling decidedly Christmassy. I have to buy gifts for my critique group this week--an ornament for our mini-exchange and some pots and soil so I can give iris bulbs. And I have to bake pumpkin cupcakes on Friday for my writers meeting on Saturday. It's going to be a somewhat hectic week.

On a side note, it has rained off and on since Friday, I think in equal measures. Which A) makes it seem more like Christmas to me, and B) is very good because we desperately need the rain. The level of our lakes and rivers is down so far I can tell even from a distance. My immediate area is only in the second level drought category: moderate, the rest of Texas is either "drought: extreme" or drought: exceptional". Yikes.

Happy Monday, y'all!

Misty, moisty morning...

2011-12-02T09:19:00.002-06:00

...when cloudy was the weather.

Yep, it's drizzly here in North Texas, though a bit warmer with the cloud cover. And we desperately need the rain.

On a side note, the burn bans in McLennan county, where our fireworks store is, and neighboring Hill County, have been lifted. That means we get to sell this season. Thank goodness. We hope that because there were no fireworks sales on the 4th of July, people might be inclined to go overboard this New Years. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

TGIF--it's been a good week at work. I was productive both work wise and writing wise, but I am glad it is the weekend. I have tentative plans to connect with a critique partner or two via Chatzy at various times over the weekend to continue my writing streak. I gotta get this story finished. It's a matter of principle. :)

Have a good weekend y'all.

To blog or not to blog...

2011-11-30T08:31:00.005-06:00

I want to post today, though at first I didn't have a topic in mind or a bee in my bonnet. Now I do. (:

Social media for writer/aspiring writer. Does using social media help aspiring writers generate sales once they've sold the book?

It's an interesting debate and I think the answer is yes and no. The problem is that most aspiring writers have a following of other writers and personal friends when they begin the journey. And that's okay. And eventually, I think, friends of friends and friends of other writers might find you and join the bandwagon. But that takes time.

Some people find social media fun to use. But it's time consuming, and so does an author spend his/her time working the media or do they spend the time writing the best damn book they can?

I guess that's for each individual to answer, but I'd think one would err on the side of writing the book. You can't have fans or sales if you have no product.

I know people who start blogging or tweeting or what-have-you and go great guns for a while and then their activity dwindles and you never see them online. That's frustrating for the followers.

Personally, I have an author website that has seen no updates in quite some time, but while this blog consists of my personal musings on a wide variety of topics, I post fairly regularly.

And the real kicker is that I have 8 followers. I don't know who half of them are, but it's kinda cool. :)

Have a good day.

Terminology

2011-11-29T08:06:00.004-06:00

I hate the term "African American." Not only because it's politically correct, but because 99 times out of 100 it's an inaccurate label.

This past weekend, I worked with a teacher from my son's school who graciously came to help us out and work the register at Cowboys Stadium. He's black.

So I asked him what term he preferred: African American, black, or something else. I don't often come into contact with black adults I feel comfortable enough to ask this of. I ask the kids, and most of them prefer to just be called black. Okay.

So Mr. G who's in his sixties has been around a while--been through all the hubbub surrounding black Americans. He told me when he was a little boy about having to drink from a water fountain outside, about having to ride in the back of buses.

His preferred appellation: Negro.

He told me there are three major umbrella races in the world: Caucasian (Americans and Europeans), Mongoloid (the Asian peoples), and Negros (Africans). Also he says Europeans are/were much more accepting/less racist than us Americans.

Not that this is an exhaustive survey (yet) but I thought it interesting.

Not a good way to start the week...

2011-11-28T09:06:00.002-06:00

My 3.5 day weekend was very relaxing. (I say 3.5 because I worked Cowboys Stadium on Saturday afternoon/evening.)

One of my critique partners and I met every morning at 8am via a chat room and did writing sprints and worked on our current WIPs. On Friday, we even did some cleaning sprints. :) I came away from the weekend with way more accomplished on my WIP than I'd planned or expected. So I'm excited and thankful for that.

If you want an easy online chat, Chatzy is awesome. You don't have to download anything and you don't have to create an account if you don't want to. And your chat room stays active as long as you use it at least once within every 14-day cycle. (So keep that link handy.)

Thanksgiving was a relaxing quiet affair. The food was delish--if I do say so myself.

So this morning it's back to the real world and I'm dropping kids off at school at ten after seven, stopping by the grocery store for lunch for the week, and taking my walk around the business park this morning. Now, unfortunately, I am my husband's alarm clock. But that requires him to keep his phone next to him when he sleeps and to ensure that the ringer is turned on. So I call him daily at 7:30. Only today he didn't answer. So I tried calling the home phone, hoping the incessant ringing would stir him enough to wake up and then call me to say he was awake. No dice.

And because I had no idea what was on his schedule this morning and he'd slept in until 10 or 11 or noon over the weekend, I didn't want to leave it to chance. Which meant I had to drive home to wake him. Luckily it's only six miles.

Then as I climb into the car, Sonshine texts me to say he's left his school ID at home and he can't go to class without. Lucky for him, I was going home anyway.

Just as I pull into the drive, my phone rings. There's hubby calling me to say he's up. Grrr... But I still had to get the school ID and all my other keys (po boxes and filing cabinet). I zip back by the school to give Sonshine his ID and finally get back to the office.

Whew...but now I'm behind on all my morning tasks which makes me cranky.

Ah, well...now I'm here, caught up and moving on to the next task.

Have a good week. :)

Thansgiving

2011-11-23T07:53:00.003-06:00

Well, it's that time of year again: Thanksgiving. When we're all supposed feel thankful for something. Of course, I do.

I'm thankful for my family: my husband, daughters, and Sonshine. My mom, step mother, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, in laws.

I'm thankful that my oldest daughter is on her way to recovery. She's been evaluated and approved for a halfway house. It's still about three months before she's back in town though.

I'm thankful for better financial circumstances than last year.

I'm thankful for my friends, real life and online.

I'm thankful for my health and that of my family.

I'm thankful for my dogs, Honey and Sam.

TGIF

2011-11-18T07:51:00.004-06:00

Yep, thank goodness it's Friday. I'm dragging this morning. I was up till midnight thirty on Wednesday night and midnight last night. I'd love nothing more than to crawl back in my cozy silky fluffy bed and drift off for another hour or two. Unfortunately, I'm at work.

But it's Friday, so tomorrow I can sleep in. And next week is Thanksgiving break for Sonshine so I don't have to do the school run each morning.

It looks to be a beautiful weekend, so I'm going to spend some time on the yard and see if I can't cross a few more items of my lists!

Thanksgiving will be spent at home this year so I'll be cooking. I'm thinking ham (yum), mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, rolls, corn, and pumpkin cake.

Happy Fall and Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend!

Where has the time gone...?

2011-11-14T08:08:00.003-06:00

School started just yesterday and now it's almost Thanksgiving.

WHUT??

Where did my fall go?

Okay, so in Texas, fall comes later in the official season--trees are turning colors now and are so lovely to look at. The temps are fluctuating between on the chilly/cold side and on the perfect side.

It'll be Thanksgiving in a week and a half.

How did the second half of each year become so crazy?

Oh, right--a teenager in high school and involved in a group. In our case, marching band. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm glad my son has a group to be a part of. It's not one big happy family, nor is it a large group of nerds--there are clicks and groups in the band as in the school in general, and many of the kids are popular. But they come together with a common bond--love of music (some more than others)--and they can do it extremely well when they've got their acts together.

Fireworks season is in five weeks and, much as I hate to acknowledge it, Christmas is six weeks away. The new year in seven.

Over all, the year has been much approved over last, so I have no real complaints.

On a side note, DD and I worked on the back yard on Saturday. Most of the yard was mowed and the clippings bagged. We still have a bit to do, but it's amazing how much difference it made. I know my lawn--if I even have any left--is infested with weeds, but when it's cut and green, it still looks mighty nice.

All right, so it's Monday--and I have some stuff to do!

Hope you had a great weekend, and here's to a good week.

Frustrated and Ready to Quit..

2011-11-10T14:32:00.003-06:00

I won't, but I so want to.

As Band Booster president that is.

Last month we couldn't have either the board meeting or the regular meeting. The board meeting because we didn't have a quorum, the regular meeting because no parents sowed up. Oh, wait--one did, but she was 10 minutes late and we were just about to walk out the door. I haven't seen the treasurer in months and we don't have a budget.

I'm not hopeful about tonight's meetings. Really, what's the point? It's the same thing each month: we need people to become TABC certified and help us by working at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

The band director has canceled a couple of fundraiser attempts--an arts/crafts fair for Christmas and a garage sale in the spring. I was going to recommend we kill the arts & craft fair anyway because we didn't really have enough time to plan it, but I think the garage sale would have been a big hit in our neighborhood. On the other hand, one less thing I have to worry about.

On the other hand, I have to revise and update the bylaws which is not a problem at all and write some policy and procedures. Not a big deal either.

So I'm going to get some feedback from the band director about what's next on the agenda and what she needs a hand with. We'll go from there.

I'm much rather be at home tonight, cozy, watching TV or reading, than at these meetings.

*sigh*

Fall Back and Other Random Things

2011-11-07T08:02:00.005-06:00

We gained and hour of time yesterday and shifted our daylight hours backwards. It was a bit odd leaving the house this morning in the daylight. I felt as if I was running late. :)

My writers retreat was a lot of fun. About ten members of our chapter booked rooms at a local bed & breakfast to get together as writers and to do writerly things. Our president remained holed up in her room for pretty much the entire weekend and cranked out about 10K. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't unsociable. She joined us for breakfast both days, emerged periodically to get a beverage and to say hello, but she went there to write and that's what she did.

My critique partners and I shared adjoining rooms. We weren't quite as productive as Madam Prez, but we all got something accomplished and left the retreat happy with whatever progress we made.

I've been stalled out on a story, unable to make progress on it for quite some time. Occasionally I open it up and read through it and *want* to work on it, could never really do more than piddle with it. Something obviously wasn't working but I just couldn't figure it out. I'd also had a comment from a chapter mate last year which I didn't really want to acknowledge, but after asking my CPs for help, I changed a few details which actually addressed that comment and made the story better. So I'm excited that I can finally move forward with it.

I finished my Glee rewatch this weekend. And then, yesterday, I picked back up with Grey's Anatomy.

And now it's Monday morning again and work is calling.

It's Friday...

2011-11-04T07:54:00.003-05:00

...and I'm leaving early.

One of my CPs will be picking me up at home at 1PM and we'll be off to the wilds of Irving!

I have officially started Christmas shopping. Actually, I started in October while at the U.I.L. competition--I bought Sonshine a t-shirt that says "trumpet" across the front. And last night I found a puzzle by one of my favorite artists, Charles Wysocki. Not that I'm a big "art" fiend, but I love Americana and that's his subject. I have three separate series of collector plates all featuring his work, not to mention calendars. Anyway--I bought the puzzle and told DD to stash it for a Christmas gift for me. :)

I also found a new purse. And I bought it. I'm so not really a purse ho, but I can rarely find a purse I like. I settled for the last one because I needed one so badly. So this time, I didn't hem and haw. I just bought it.

Anywho--have a great weekend.

Dispirited...

2011-11-02T07:37:00.004-05:00

I'm feeling glum today and stressed out. Last night I watched another movie and some more Glee. There'll be no more comments on Glee as it's a re-watch and I've said what I need to say. If you try it and like, we can talk!

First movie attempt: Batman Forever starring Val Kilmer, Nicole Kidman, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey. After about twenty minutes I had to stop. This version, a sequel to Batman Returns, was too cheesey, too comic book like, too many stupid cliche jokes and caricaturish and no. I'm not overly fond of Jim Carey either. I much prefer the remakes, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale as a more likeable, flawed, *human* superhero. (And I find him much more attractive to boot.)

Second movie: The Family Stone. Ah, Dermot Mulroney whom I love and first discovered way back in the mid-eighties in a series of ABC Afterschool Specials. Anyway, it's Christmas and Dermot's character Everett brings his stuffy, uptight girlfriend home to meet the family. Hilarity and calamity ensue. While I enjoyed the film, I didn't quite get it the first time around as there were a few key issues left too ambiguous, but now it's just a fun dramedy and I laughed throughout. And I want a house like the one the Stone family grew up/lives in:

Anyway, maybe more tomorrow, however we're on the downhill slide to my retreat weekend so I'll be busy prepping for that...

This and That--

2011-11-01T07:52:00.008-05:00

This weekend is the annual writers retreat that my writing chapter sets up just for chapter members. My critique partners and I will all be attending and sharing two adjoining rooms between the five of us.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

I've attended every band event since school started, waited on humid buses with rowdy/antsy kids during rain delays, gotten wounded in the line of prop duty, served countless dinners and snacks, but I will be missing this Friday's football game. DD will be serving dinner and handing out snacks in my stead while I hang out with my writer buddies.

Food, friends, fun and writing!

I'm swinging back towards writer mode, though what I'll be writing remains to be seen. Probably nothing new. I have a dozen things in various stages of completion so I think I'm going to concentrate on finishing a few things. (What a concept, huh?)

I've also been in watching mode.

Last Friday, I re-watched The Notebook for the first time in many years, maybe for only the second time ever. The first time I watched it, I blubbered big time. This time, yep, I cried again, though the blubbering at the end wasn't quite as intense since I did know how it ended this time 'round. But why did this film evoke such strong emotions in me? Partly because of the chemistry between the younger leads. I had read previously and then again on Friday that Ryan Gosling (whom I think is really a spectacular actor) and Rachel McAdams had quite an adversarial relationship. There's a fine line between love and hate (I'm not saying they hated each other--they dated for three years) and that passionate emotion spilled onto the screen. Partly I think because the writers took the time to build the relationship. There are twelve steps to intimacy and romance writers are encouraged to include as many steps as possible in their books to create a believable relationship between the hero and heroine. No, you don't have to follow the steps in order, that's another blog post for people who are interested. Anyway, I don't know if the screenwriters followed them in order or included all of them, but they built a believable relationship--

This wasn't supposed to be a dissertation on The Notebook, just a little review. Many people think it overly sappy or whatever, but I like it. And I think it requires a bit more study and breakdown to see just why it works for me.

On Friday, after the movie I was still bored and needed something else to do. So I moved on to Glee. Glee is the FOX comedy about a high school glee club whose members all struggle for acceptance and popularity in their school. The kids are a mish-mash of religions and ethnicities; half girls, half boys; one kid in a wheel chair; and every sexual orientation.

They've sung songs from R&B to show tunes to pop to classic rock and from every decade since the 20s (Louis Armstrong's "When You're Smiling"). The story lines are very over the top, but it's funny, though I don't recommend it for youngish children. I wouldn't even recommend it for high schoolers, to be honest.

So anyway, I blew through season one over the weekend and have started season two.

Last night, we watched Miracle--the-based-on-a-true-story story of Herb Brooks who led the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team to victory over the highly favored Russian team overcoming tremendous odds to do so. Highly recommended!

Then, at the request of my son, we watched Facing the Giants, the second inspirational movie written, created, filmed, acted and produced by Sherwood Baptist Church in a subdivision of Albany, Georgia. The film doesn't match blockbuster quality and it's a bit slow at the beginning but it's a feel-good movie full of positive messages about God and faith.

As for writing mode, I've finished an exchange fic I signed up for and am ready to send it off--as soon as I come up with a title. Yesterday, I read through the first chapter of another fic that I am thinking of posting as a WIP hoping I'll be motivated/pressured to finish it. I'm still on the fence about that. I might wait until I have a few more chapters under my belt. I also did a read-through of one of my short original works-in-progress. That one needs some work and it's been teasing me, so I think that's what I'll be tinkering with for a little while.

And that's all folks. :)

BAND OF THE WEEK

2011-10-28T07:45:00.003-05:00

We had a football game last night and it rained again. It was also supposed to be Middle School Night for us. This when our feeder school bands come to the game to play with us. Unfortunately, they were late and so in turn we were late. Plus it was raining and it was *COLD*. And for some reason they changed venues on us again. (WHY???) Had we stayed with our original stadium, we would not have been (as) late.

By the time we got to the stadium, it was decided that the middle schoolers would get their snacks and then go back to their schools. As far as we were concerned, the show would go on. Sort of. Only the drum line would get to play. Luckily we were the away team, so we weren't responsible for playing the Star Spangled Banner.

The other team's band played the SSB and then left. Their cheerleaders left. Their drill team left. They had three--and I mean THREE--people on their side of the stadium.

When our band marched into the stands, our team was losing, 6 to 0. The drill team was in place and the cheerleaders moved on to the track and off we went. Our drum line played cadences and kept us all going. Yes, it was cold, yes, it was wet. But the rain sort of stopped for a while, so it really wasn't too bad. At least I didn't think so and I am not fond of the cold by any stretch of the imagination.

When our team finally made a touchdown, the band SANG the fight song!! Cool, huh? :) I wish I'd had my camera to get a picture of that.

We left at half time, winning 9 to 6. I was told the game was called at that point as it was too cold for the players on the sidelines.

So I nominate the Highlander Band as the band of the week for the FWISD.

Go Hills!

Accomplished!

2011-10-26T08:09:00.003-05:00

Whew, I'm tuckered out. But I feel so accomplished. :)

Yesterday, DD and I spent the afternoon doing yard work.

First we made two trips to the dump; first trip was to haul all the trash from the office/warehouse that I'd bagged; second trip was a bit more we couldn't get the first trip from the office and then the small pallets, the broken awning frame, some scrap wood and the cardboard box that the new shed came in from the back yard.

After that, we ate lunch and caught our breath. Then we were off to home to tackle the front and side yards.

I worked on the holly and got it trimmed back somewhat. I did, however, come to the conclusion that it'll be much easier to A) clear out all the dead leaves underneath it, and B) shape it and keep it shaped nicely, if I get a chain saw and cut the individual bushes back to their main trunks and start from scratch. Some of the off-shoots were too thick for the hedge trimmer to cut, so it looks a bit misshapen. On the other hand, it looks 100% better and the holly no longer tries to poke you when you walk up the ramp. :)

DD did all the edging of the curbs and driveway and all the mowing. I bagged all the hedge trimmings and monkey grass and magnolia leaves--we have nine bags of leaves, trimmings, and grass! And that was just the front and side yards.

We still have a few tasks to do in the front, but it looks soooooo much better. I have my lists and have crossed off some tasks and added a couple more.

Today will be recuperation day. Neither DD or I are used to so much physical exertion in a single afternoon.

Can't wait to continue...!

Moving slow, but still trucking...

2011-10-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty tuckered out. It was a long, busy weekend.

Friday night we (the band) had a football game, of course. It was homecoming. We were visitors (HUH??) and we lost.

Saturday we attended U.I.L. We didn't advance to area, though a lot of bands didn't. I am of mixed feelings about this. Yeah, it would have been way cool and a lot of people in the know at the competition couldn't believe it, but on the other hand, we're all tired and ready for marching season to be over. While it was a very long day, one good thing was that, in the end, we didn't use the prop. It was too windy and there weren't enough helpers to wrangle the prop as well as the pit percussion onto the field. The band director was disappointed, but I was relieved.

Saturday night we had three extra boys spend the night at our house, so...one of the boys, bless his heart, said to my son, "You have a cool house and really cool parents." Awww...

Sunday we (some of us) worked Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Needless to say, I didn't get much done in terms of my yard. I did get a mower and a weed whacker and I have my plan in place. Tomorrow I'm taking half a day and DD and I will be making a dump run and attacking the yard.

I'll keep you posted.

Slowing down, but not by choice...

2011-10-20T08:37:00.002-05:00

Well, the warehouse now requires someone with knowledge. Knowledge of all the stuff that needs going through--either what it is and whether its any good or whose it is and what we need to do with it.

There's also the "boneyard"--a pile of parts. Mostly computer cases and broken CD rom drives and the like. They're going to the dump if I have any say so. No need for the junk to be cluttering up my space.

Work is really S-L-O-W right now and I am so bored. :( Today I brought my cross-stitch. And my iPad with my new game on it.

I wish I could go home and be productive there. Or buy a new (to me) lawn mower and weed eater and get started on my yard. Or sleep. Yes, I could close my eyes right now and sleep for a couple more hours.

Progress!

2011-10-19T08:46:00.003-05:00

I did some cleaning! Not at home yet, at least not the things I mentioned yesterday. (But I did start the lists!)

Part of our office space includes warehouse space. We keep our boat and pop-up trailer in there, as well as our beloved Dodge Durango that no longer runs. :(

But in addition to those large items we have A LOT of crap. It's the catch-all place. If we don't know what to do with it, it goes out in the warehouse.

I'm tired of the mess and chaos there too. So I decided that every hour or so, I'd get up off my butt and work on something in the warehouse.

I filled one whole contractor bag (the super large/strong trash bags) with trash, another with foam--the stiff kind that comes in around computers and stuff. I have two stacks of cardboard--small boxes and large boxes. And a pile of miscellaneous trash like an old mop, used fluorescent light bulbs, and boxes of Sheetrock mud from when my father-in-law taped/bedded/mudded the wall. We'd had a large window looking into the warehouse--we took out the window and replaced it with wall.

Now, there's stuff set out all over the floor so that DH can see what we've got and make a determination as to what to do with it. Our boxes and boxes of archived paperwork are stacked neatly, though they need another go-through. Any and all tools are being collected and set in a big pile so they can be put back into the correct cases or cleaned or both. Boxes and spools of cable are all in one spot.

There's still a ways to go, but I'm feeling good about it. I'll keep going until I've run out of steam or it's done.

And I've started my lists for my yards: front, back, and sides. The overall project seems much more manageable now that it's been broken down into smaller, easier to accomplish tasks. Now I just need energy, time, and the right tools.

spring er...Fall Cleaning

2011-10-18T09:21:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling anxious to clean. One of the reasons I hate remodeling/home improvement projects so much is that the house is never really returned to the state it was in before the project started.

Case in point--we had a new roof installed at the end of June/beginning of July. There is still a pile of tree limbs in my yard from where the roofers trimmed the tree over one side of the house. There are still two small pallets leaning against the house, one from the shingles and one from the new shed. The large cardboard box that held the shed pieces is still lying next to the trash bins. The new shed DH wanted rather than the money is still empty. There was a ramp into the old shed and decorative rocks thrown behind it. The rocks and the concrete pieces are in a huge pile outside my back door.

Case in point--we had some work done inside the house at the beginning of August: flooring throughout the house and new door and window casings in many rooms. The large saw used to trim the casing is still in the (sorta) finished garage and there's sawdust everywhere. (We use the garage for storage, not cars.) All sorts of things that were moved into the garage while the house was in chaos are still in there. There are three boxes of flooring in my bedroom, stacked at the end of my bed. There are no vent covers over the two large rectangular opening in the hallway for airflow into the A/C unit--hubby wanted custom-made wood ones.

At first the weather here was unbearably hot, so the yard remained trashed. Then school started (marching band/football games) and it was still hot. Now it's October and while it's cooler, we are navel-deep in marching contests and those things will wear you out.

BUT I want my yard back and I want my house back and I want my garage back.

Where to start, where to start?

Maybe I need to make a list, breaking these projects down into small, easy-to-accomplish tasks.

U.I.L. Here Comes the Highlander Band

2011-10-17T08:37:00.004-05:00

Next Saturday, we'll be traveling to the U.I.L. competition. According to those in the know, we have a fantastic chance of advancing to area. Our program is better than two years ago (the last time the band was eligible to advance) and the performance is outstanding.

This past Saturday, we attended "pre-UIL". We got scored (all 1s and 2s) and received comments on what's good and what needs work. This week will be cleaning up all the minor issues. Not to mention homecoming is this week. So we'll be out late Friday for the football game/homecoming--but, thank goodness, report time to school is not until noon-ish, so everyone will be able to sleep in!

If we make area, marching season will extend one more week. We are all on the fence about this. We're all tired. The kids are obviously doing most of the hard work, but those of us supporting the band (DD and me and one dad who drives the equipment truck and those handful of prop helpers who have to load and unload the equipment truck) are feeling the strain as well.

Still and all, I think it would very neat if we make it. It'll look good on Sonshine's scholastic resume. And if we do make it, it would only be the second time in the history of the Highlander Band. Even better!

*fingers crossed*

I must be boring you...

2011-10-10T08:02:00.008-05:00

...with all the marching band stuff, but that's mostly what life is about this time of year for those with children in a high school band.

We participated in the USSBA competition this past Saturday, which turned into somewhat of a disaster.

So it's October in Texas...well it's obviously October everywhere...so what does that mean? Not much really. The weather patterns are wonky everywhere and after the summer we had, well...I don't even know what's normal anymore. All I know is that rain is welcome, any amount, anytime.

Except Tuesday evenings, Thursday or Friday nights (whichever day we happen to playing), or Saturdays during the month of October.

Also the wind. Good gravy.

The marching band prop this year is really just a backdrop. The competition music is called "Phoenix Rising." The prop is seven 8' panels velcroed to seven frames with the music "logo" (a phoenix) and the title painted across them. The panels are made out of 4' x 8' lightweight insulation panels duct-taped together to create 8' x 8' panels.

On Thursday it was windy, but the band director insisted we proceed. Luckily the wind was blowing mainly north/south, which is the way the field is situated. Once we got on the field, we were good to go. It was the getting the prop put together (because the panels are not on the frames for transportation) and onto the field that was tough. Once we were lined up on the field and hiding behind/on the rolling platforms, everything was fine.

The competition on Saturday was a whole 'nother ball game. It was even windier and we didn't have enough people to assign two people per section. So we lashed to carts together. A good idea in theory. And it would have worked beautifully had there been NO WIND.

There was wind however. Great continuous gusts of it. It was nearly impossible to assemble the prop (THANK GOODNESS we arrived first and performed second which just meant we had time and space and no audience whilst wrestling the prop.). It was tough. The prop took some licks, but we finally managed it. It was difficult to get the props on the field--part of that was my fault--but once we got situated, it got worse. We ended up having to take two of the panels off their frames and the rest of us were fighting to keep ours in place long enough for the band to complete their performance.

We managed it. Just.

We didn't know if we were going to the finals, but we already knew the props wouldn't be regardless, so packed onto the truck they went.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon of watching other bands, most of them much larger than we.

We took first place in our division and made it to the finals, though it wasn't much of a victory since our division consisted of two schools. But we took all the awards--music, color guard, etc. Whatever they gave out awards for, we earned them.

Finals were supposed to be a better test of our capabilities and talents--all the first place schools would be competing against each other. There were eight or nine schools that made it.

Fast forward to 6:30ishPM. The finals begin at 7 and, this time, we perform first. Weather had been brewing all day, but remained (safely) to the south and west of us.

At 6:45 I excused myself for a last trip to the restroom. No sooner do I return to the group when the wind changes and the temperature drops by a good 15/20 degrees. No kidding. Just like that. If it wasn't such bad timing, it would have been really cool. I'd never really experienced that type of change before.

Anywho, we were on the verge of darkness, and now the weather is heading our direction.

But the show must go on!

And on it went.

After we played and hauled butt back to our bus and equipment truck, which were parked at the very other end of the parking lot because we arrived first that morning, we loaded the instruments and dug out rain ponchos. And had a snack.

Except the weather was pretty much upon us and they moved the rest of the competition to the gym. Then one of the parking lot guys was telling us to get inside and fast. I had already started shooing the kids on the bus since the rain was starting to fall and the lightning was creeping closer.

The band director had gone back to the stadium to see what was going on or to get scores or something and had taken the two other official teachers with her--so now I'm in charge of 40-some-odd teens.

Now I've got to get everyone back off the buses and headed toward the gym. Oh, except wait--two of the kids had gone to use the restroom! So I had to wait until I saw them returning and redirect them toward the gym.

So we finally get into the gym and watch the remaining bands play. Several had dropped out--needing to get on the road because of the weather I imagine. Just a note--this competition is mostly basically a warm-up for UIL in two weeks. It gives freshmen a chance to perform at this stadium to get a feel for the size and the field and process. So if you drop out, there's no major impact. And of course with the weather, it's understandable.

Unfortunately, because the competition was interrupted by weather and only two or three bands performed outside and the rest (that stayed) played inside, it wasn't a fair contest. So.....

They broke it up and gave out two sets of awards. One for the bands who were able to play/march on the field and one for those who had to perform at a standstill in the gym.

So we were cheated out of an opportunity to compete against larger, better funded bands in other divisions because of weather. Yeah, we took first place again. But to me it is a disappointment in that we didn't get a true opportunity to shine and to prove ourselves.

But the kids were all kinds of AWESOME!! (most of them, anyway :)

I'll try to get some video.

I'm still here...

2011-10-07T07:49:00.002-05:00

I have two posts partially written, but then I got distracted and busy and haven't had a chance to finish those thoughts.

Anywho...

We had a football game last night and it was the first time to utilize the props for the half-time show. Grrr...the band director thinks we're super heroes--and I guess to a certain degree we are, always pulling off these prop feats. :)

It was windy last night and the the props are tall and light weight and wanted to roll all over the place and/or flop over. We really need two people per section--one to pull, one to push--not because the pieces are heavy (unlike last year) but because they roll away and sideways quite easily.

And I didn't get to see last night's half-time show because I was behind the prop holding it up. I'm a bit bummed because, according to the band director, they pulled it off--even after many things were re-written and re-choreographed. This morning they'll be tweaking last minute minor issues in preparation for Saturday's competition.

Skating...

2011-10-06T10:23:00.005-05:00

I've been skating, figuratively speaking.

I'm the band booster president. I'm not doing what I probably should be doing, though to be fair I don't really know what that is. The band director isn't that warm or fuzzy. She's not that forthcoming and she's incredibly busy. October holds not only football games, but marching competitions. We even have one of each on the 15th.

As the days and weeks and months have passed, I've learned the things I should have done. So far, I've been reactive, rather than proactive. And some things just can't get done after the fact. :(

There was no booster club last year and the director took on what she needed to. I don't know what the organization was like before that. The bylaws hadn't been looked at/updated/amended since 1984--and if they had, there was no evidence of it. There's no policy and procedure manual to say what should be done and when and by whom or what committees there should be. I'm sort of re-inventing the organization. Lucky me (and I say that *very* tongue in cheek.).

I have a pair of meetings this Thursday--a board and regular booster meeting. I hate these things because all I seem to do is beg people to give, whether it be bottle water, a case of soda, a box of snacks, or their time by taking the TABC training and working the concession stand. It's not my favorite thing to do and so far it hasn't really worked. I'm not really sure what it is I should be saying and doing otherwise. But I know as a parent I wouldn't to always be begged for help I may not be able to give.

Today and tomorrow will be spent preparing for both meetings. I got a lot done last week, thank goodness, so it'll mostly be finalizing agendas and jotting down notes.

Once we get through October and the last of our competitions, I can turn my attention to the bylaws, the policy & procedure manuals, and the next event: the Christmas concert. We talked about providing concessions as a minor fundraiser, so one of our discussions will be about that.

It's time to get a handle on this band booster thing--wish me luck.

More Adventures in Marching Band

2011-09-30T07:44:00.006-05:00

More lightning!

Last night as the band played during halftime, the stadium announcer announced that the incoming storm was less than eight miles (the magic number apparently) away and that everyone should take shelter in their cars until it passed and the game resumed.

The kids played until their program was finished despite the approaching storm--they only had a few minutes left--but the storm was moving quickly.

Once the program was finished we made the mad dash off the field. Most of the band headed back to the stands to grab their stuff, put their instruments in the cases, and hand them off to the Blue Crew who loads the equipment truck. Meanwhile, the pit percussion players and helpers (me and another mom lugging the drum major stand) went directly to the truck with the pit instruments and (obviously) the drum major stand, trying to get everything jammed into it before the storm reached us. It gets quite crazy and chaotic, but we eventually got all the kids on the buses.

Since I am "just" a parent, I usually can only have 20 kids on my bus, but in the mad scramble to take shelter, more than 20 kids ended up on my bus. Not a major deal, I didn't think, at least while we were just waiting out the storm.

Of course, my son had to get overheated and with it came an awful "I-think-my-head's-gonna-explode" pounding. DD and I had a small cooler of cold drinks so we put a bottle on his jugular and made him drink some Kool-Aid. Of course he wanted water, so I schlepped across the parking lot to the equipment truck to get him a bottle of water, (note to self--keep a spare bottle of water in my cooler) where the band director happened to be taking shelter in the back of the equipment truck and mildly chastised me in so many words for getting my kid some water--which I would have done for ANY KID who needed one--but not anyone else when they were all hot and thirsty. Too bad. But, a few minutes later, she and another parent rolled the cooler holding the bottled water to the buses and handed them out to everyone. (And then griped that there were too many kids on my bus. Really??? They're on the bus and safe. Isn't that the important point right now???)

The kids in the other bus, left with only one adult (a mom who'd never been around these kids before) decided to get a bit rambunctious. They were hanging out the windows interacting with the cheerleaders and drill team on the bus on the other side of them. When the bus driver told them to put up the windows, the kids didn't want to listen to him or to the mom. The bus driver went in search of someone on the cheerleader bus and it was only then that I realized there was a problem.

So once we got them fairly squared up, I stayed on that bus. I'm pretty strict with them because, quite frankly, crap like that isn't going to happen on my watch. It's just not. And they know I'll separate them or even tattle to the band director if they don't behave, and I don't care what they think about me for doing so.

Maybe I should have checked if there was an adult on that bus in the first place, but is that really my responsibility??? Yes, to a certain degree, I think, but ultimately isn't it the band director's job to make sure the kids are properly chaperoned/supervised. You really can't trust most high school kids to act like adults. You just can't.

Anyway...the game will have to be completed on Saturday evening, but whether the band will be in attendance is unknown at the moment. There's a Cowboy Stadium event Saturday morning which the band director is working (as is Sonshine, DD, and myself) and I'm not sure the band director is going to want to go, considering a) there's another Cowboys Stadium event Sunday that she's working, and b) we already did our half-time show...

So....
Yeah...
We love marching band season. :)

We were on the bus for about 30/45 minutes when the game was called. The storm, while mostly north of us, was too big and there was just too much lightning (but little rain) to be safe. So we went back to school, unloaded the kids and the instruments and had to keep them in the building until parents showed up. Fun, fun, fun...

On the news...

2011-09-25T11:31:00.002-05:00

Our local FOX news visited Sonshine's high school Friday morning...

Unfortunately, time ran out to interview the band director, but the band can be seen in the background.

What's especially nice is the acknowledgment of the football coach in regards to the cheerleaders, drill team, and band in sticking around during the previous week's game through three rain delays.

We didn't home until almost 2am.

Football Friday: Eastern Hills HS: MyFoxDFW.com

Road Trip!

2011-09-23T10:09:00.003-05:00

I went to Rockport, Texas with hubby this week. He had to meet with a lawyer on a forensic case and I tagged along. I was originally planning on visiting the USS Lexington again, but the BEACH was right there across the street from the hotel and I decided to relax on the beach instead. It didn't quite work out the way I'd hoped, but that's okay.

It was a gorgeous day!

Some pictures...

The seagulls enjoying the shade before I shooed them away to setup camp:

The view toward the Gulf of Mexico:

And hubby relaxing on the beach:

To be fair cell/landline service had been down all morning all over Rockport, so this was the best cell service he'd gotten all day and was just checking in with the office before enjoying a couple of hours respite before getting back in the car for the seven hour drive home.

Adventures in Marching Band

2011-09-19T10:12:00.003-05:00

So last Friday was a football game (although no school--the game had been originally scheduled for the day before) and we were on the list to feed the whole crew. No problem.

On Friday it looks a little overcast and gloomy with rain in the forecast and the thought crossed my mind that the game might be cancelled and did we (not me, but DD actually) really need to spend the whole day cooking chicken patties and macaroni and cheese?

But yes--the day cleared up and we (DD) proceeded. We dutifully showed up and prepped for the meal while the kids were still marching. They ate and got dressed for the game.

By the time it was time to load the buses, the rain had arrived and the lightning was flashing. The band director told the kids they were probably going to spend a lot of time on the buses and to deal with it and act grown up about it.

By the time all was said and done, we had three delays, a total of probably three hours on the bus (we were five minutes from school, so the trip to and from took little time), and by the time we got home it was 1:50 am Saturday morning.

Our cheerleaders stayed, our drill team stayed, and the band stayed to keep our football team's spirits up. We won the game like 47 to 6 or something.

The other team's cheerleaders and band bailed after the second delay (which was the first after the game had actually gotten started). How sad. :(

Luckily I had a decent group of kids on my bus and not the major trouble makers. I had one trouble maker, but his friends were on the other bus, so he was a bit neutered.

Once the game finally got going with no further delays, the kids ended up having fun and getting into playing again. We had to play our half-time show from the stands, but play they did.

Fun times!

I suck as a writer...

2011-09-16T10:29:00.005-05:00

...this is rather tongue in cheek, but then again...

So let's see...I've been playing around at this game of being a writer, pursuing the ultimate goal of being a published author for eight years now.

I started off writing fan fiction, took original fiction under my wing and continued to write fan fiction, and now I fiddle with my original fiction and bang away at the keyboard churning out quite a lot of words worth of fan fiction. (Some of my writing chapter mates who don't even know what fan fiction is don't write that much. *hee*)

I know my abilities and my limits as a writer. I know what I do well and I know where I need to work harder. Not that I do, 'cause it is *hard* work and most days I just don't wanna.

I am in the middle of an online class (I mentioned this the other day.) about sexual tension and how to get it on the page. It's been quite interesting and I'm learning something.

So yesterday I read this lovely piece of fan fiction. From first word to last, I was enthralled, gripped, and moved by this story. When I was finished, I was emotionally wrenched, but ultimately satisfied.

The scary part is that most books I *pay money for* do not move me that much. My theory on that is when I buy a book, the author has a finite number of pages to make me love her characters--not even the whole book. She's got maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the book to really make the hero and heroine and their story grow on me. When I read fan fiction, I'm already invested in the characters. I've seen the show, or watched the movie, or read the book. The fan fiction author doesn't have to sell me the characters, though she does have to sell me the premise.

This story was a romance with a pairing that I hadn't been overly eager to embrace, but the premise was intriguing and so I began. I read all afternoon. All 57K words of it.

And when I was done, my thoughts were: "This was brilliant. Beautifully crafted and executed." and "I suck as a writer."

If a fan fiction author can write like this, then I'm doomed after eight years of being a student of the art/craft of romance writing. Of course, for all I know, in her real life, she could also be a proud member of RWA and have twelve best-sellers. (Though I don't think she'd still be writing fan fiction...)

The point is, I occasionally come across these pieces of fan fiction, as lovingly labored over as any best-seller, and I suddenly feel completely out of my league.

I suck as a writer...

(and, yes. I'd like some cheese with my whine, thanks)

Drama, drama, drama...

2011-09-14T07:49:00.003-05:00

My son, the drama king. I tease him, but really he's very dramatic for a teenage boy. Also, he's very good at it, so you get a two-fer and a flashback.

(1) One day last week Sonshine stayed at the after-school program to hang with his girl and do some homework. When I picked him, he announced that he'd been conscripted into the after-school program play. I was quite excited about this as the last time...

...(flashback) he was in a play was when he was in the fifth grade and also for the after-school program. That play was called, "Santa, You've Got Mail" and Sonshine played Mr. Walker, the postman/narrator. He was thread that tied all the singing and skits together. And he was awesome! That's not just proud mom talking-- a lot of other people said so, too. We encouraged him to take drama in middle school he was so dang good. (He opted for band instead.)

This play is called Team Edward vs. Team Jacob and has something to do with the Twilight series. He plays Robert Pattinson the actor who portrayed Edward Cullen in the Twilight series.

(2) Last night I got a phone call from the band director around 7:30--odd because Tuesday is late marching practice and she should be in the midst of that. Well she was, but this is how the call went:

Ms. Band Director: "You need to come get Sonshine." (she doesn't really call him that :)
Me: "What's wrong with Sonshine?" (I didn't call him that at the time)
Ms. Band Director: "He passed out."
Me. "I'll be there in five minutes."

When I get there, he's flat on his back on the sidewalk, the color guard coach next to him, holding bottles of frozen water to his neck. His hair and shirt are soaked as they had, of course, poured water on him to cool him down. He's somewhat coherent, so we sit for a few more minutes until he's with it enough to walk to the car.

So basically the doofus was marching with his long sleeved hoodie on in the over 100* heat. Granted the sun was not shining on them at that point, but still. They march on a concrete parking lot that still holds and releases the heat of the day. *duh* Anyway, when they were given a water break, he lay down and then passed out.

He's still feeling the after-effects this morning in the form of a headache and all over body ache...

Silly boy. :)

What's going on with me?

2011-09-13T08:30:00.005-05:00

Not much, really...

Our server crashed at the office so I have been without e-mail since Friday. It's been sort of odd to be without e-mail because I am in it and communicate via e-mail for just about all aspects of my life. It's more the lack of contacts and userids and passwords that's been the bigger hassle, as I keep all that information in Outlook. :( We may get it back, we may not. *fingers crossed*

I've started a re-read/discussion of the Harry Potter books with some online friends. Deadline for finishing book one is this coming Sunday. I finished reading it the other day and have begun re-reading it. Since I am the coordinator of said re-read, I'm responsible for coming up with the discussion questions (with a little help from Google).

Band Booster prezzing is going okay. Not great, as the band director is pretty busy and it's difficult to get things done--certain things she supposedly needs to handle. I'm not sure. I might just have to test the waters and explain my position and if she does indeed need to be involved, then how much can I do? If she doesn't, then I proceed. On a happy side note, the band director decided we weren't working the event at Cowboys Stadium this weekend. Instead she's running a car wash.

Writing Chapter is going okay as well. The elected president-elect resigned a month or so ago and it's been a challenge to find someone qualified to step into that position. I resisted at first, but eventually decided to accept the call. So this weekend my appointment as president-elect should be ratified. My biggest gripe is that no one wants to step up and volunteer. The chapter can't run magically by itself. And while I could probably pull off president, newsletter editor, and website director by myself--I shouldn't have to.

I've also been taking a online class on sexual tension and how to get it on the page. I aced the first homework assignment. Though I didn't do the second or third assignment (that's about the time my e-mail went bye-bye). It's been quite interesting with interviews from big name authors and examples from published books as well.

I have a bit of an epiphany . . . I've always lamented that my love (read: sex) scenes tend to run more to the porn end of the spectrum (more physical descriptions) than the true LOVE scene (the more emotion-packed scene) . . . and while reading comments from the class instructor on others' homework, it finally clicked - - and now it seems like a *DUH* moment -- But I struggle to write or should I say *show* (rather than tell) what those emotions are. But how do you show love or lust? What are the physiological responses? I guess there's a fine line between the truly physical and the physiological... I don't know... I'm confusing myself again.

All right, well, I'm done. That's what's going with me...

Mom and Sonshine's Little Adventure

2011-09-07T08:56:00.004-05:00

So I get a call from the kid yesterday, late morning.

"Um, Mom...I can't go back to class until I get this shot..."

Aw, crud. He'd brought home a paper at the end of last year and it disappeared and I forgot all about the shot. Until the phone call.

All right, so off I go to school to pick up Sonshine. After a quick detour to the house to get a book, we go to Care Now. Sign in. Go to Wendy's for a quick bite. Back to Care Now to finish waiting.

"Oh, excuse me, Sonshine's mom? We just ran out of the TDAP vaccination, but the Arlington location has it. I've called ahead and they know you're coming."

Lovely. Back in the car we get and drive for fifteen minutes, wait another thirty, get the shot, wait ten for any bad reactions, wait to pay and then finally drive Sonshine back to school. (What--he had band practice after school--he *had* to go back.)

I finally get back to the office and try to figure out where I left off and what I had left to do. Did I mention that I felt like I was coming down with something...

On the up side, it was a gorgeous day and I got to be out in it rather than stuck in my chilly office. :)

It's cool, it's cool, it's SOOOOO cool here!!!

2011-09-06T08:47:00.002-05:00

...cue Charlie Brown music...

*Snoopy dancing*

Yesterday when I got up and let the dogs out, it was 69*/70*. I opened all the windows in the house and they stayed open ALL day. I sat out on the back patio yesterday morning as well, enjoying the delicious cool temps with my hot tea and laptop.

Right now, 9am, it's ONLY 63*!!!! I'm wearing a sweater in my office!!!

We have not seen temperatures this cool in at least 90 days!!!

Yes, I'm excited. :)

I wish I were at home again, on my patio with hot tea and my laptop. Alas, the work week has started and I have more than enough on my plate.

Have a good week, y'all!

TGIF

2011-09-02T08:20:00.003-05:00

Oh, my, yes--I'm ready for the long weekend.

My body aches from the waist down. I was up and down the bleachers last night, handing out cups and handing out cups and handing out cups. Also picking up cups and trash, etc.

The band was awesome. According the band director, this is the earliest the kids have really known their competition music and their routine this early in quite a few years. Lots of other people had lots of good things to say, too. Even the district's head guy over all fine arts said they were great!

We had a couple of kids who were really *really* nervous, one having a mild panic attack before taking the field. Another young was just so down afterwards because he messed up. But he's a freshman and it was his first time on a football field in front of a major crowd.

But bad me--the one thing I forgot was my camera and my phone does not take videos. And even if it did, I have no idea haw to get them from phone to Internet...

From last week's performance for the parents, Sonshine "assuming the position of attention"--also being in JROTC, he tends to take it to the next level. (They are not required by the band director to salute, nor do other band/JROTC members salute, but my son . . . *rolls eyes*)

Also--one of three BAND MEMBER(s) OF THE WEEK!!!

It's the first game of the season, folks!

2011-09-01T08:15:00.004-05:00

And the Highlander Marching Band is ready to take the field!

I'm excited about the first game of the season. The kids looked awesome last Thursday when the performed a sample of their contest program for the parents. I can't wait to see them on the field tonight.

Videos to come!

What Would Nanny Do? (really LONG post)

2011-08-29T08:08:00.006-05:00

DD and I have been watching "Nanny 911"--a reality TV show where a British nanny visits the home of an American family (supposedly for a week) and tries to help the family with their biggest/most problematic parenting issues.

It's been quite interesting and I was pleased to note that a lot of the problems faced by the families with younger children were not things we struggled with when our children were small. Things like bedtime and chores and sleeping in one's own bed.

These days, only the two youngest are still at home. Sonshine is 15, soon to be 16 and DD is 21.

As we watched episode after episode after episode, I began to ask myself: if one of the two nannies spent a week in our house, what would she see and what would she say? So I've been thinking about that...

On a side note, one episode featured a family who moved a lot. Dad was a contractor and flipped houses. The family's own house was unfinished. One of the children felt very insecure--every time he made friends and got settled, the family moved and the kid had to change schools and start all over. That got me to thinking about Sonshine's room...physically it's finally finished--flooring, molding, etc. I feel bad having let his room go unfinished for so long, but that's water under the bridge. But now that that part's taken care of, I want his room *finished*. His bed is back together and all his furniture is back in place--minus one ugly white sewing table that had been a catch-all for junk and dust. I cleaned it out and moved the bookshelf in it's place. Even with the large bunk bed (all wood with the double-size bed on the bottom) his room is, well, roomy. :) He has a collection of hats, so my next goal is to get him some sort of something he can use to display them. What good's a collection, if you can't see and enjoy it? And after that the closet. He's got a lot of children's books shoved in the top of closet and other toys and things he never uses/plays with. He and I are going to spend some time next weekend going through that stuff. And then I'll be ready to call his room finished.

DD's room, on the other hand, is a disaster. She's an adult, so I think there's a fine line between what I can and can't do. But it is my house and she doesn't pay rent, so I do have some say so. I'll be thinking about my expectations this coming week and then they'll be made perfectly clear to her.

(And all the while as I type, I can hear Nanny Stella's lovely British accent.)

So what would Nanny Stella say about our household?

I think she'd say the kids don't help enough around the house, especially considering their ages. And she'd be right. DH tells me that all the time. :)

I also think she'd say...

It's ridiculous that Mom has to play alarm clock for the two men in the house. DH is 42, Sonshine is 16. They are both old enough to be responsible for getting themselves up in the morning. And she'd be right. Honestly I can't tackle that one right away, but rest assured it is on my list of home improvements.

She might also say eating dinner together as a family and not in front of the TV is important. I know she's right, but I don't know how easy it would be to pull this off. We don't even have a proper dining room table--though we do have a card table and chairs which I'm willing to set up. I'll have to think about that one.

And the biggest thing she'd probably say is that Mum has to assert her authority. Many times I let them get away with smart mouths or bad attitudes and not completing tasks I've asked them do. I've started working on that. :)

My biggest problem is consistency and follow-through. I know that these are probably the most important factors. And I'm awful about them in almost all aspects of my life, but *fingers crossed* that I stay firm.

Sleepy

2011-08-26T14:11:00.003-05:00

I could use a nap right about now. It's too warm and I just ate and I woke up at 4AM worrying about Sonshine's band shirt. I ended up getting up and running it through the washing machine. I went back to bed after starting the washer and dozed until 6:30am when I just had to get the show on the road.

If there wasn't a client in the office, I'd put my head back and close my eyes for a while. Instead, I'm slogging through my latest fan fic (slogging because I'm so sluggish, not because of the story--I *love* this story) hoping that my super-dee-dooper relaxed brain will create some really good stuff.

That's all, Jen out. :)

First Day of School

2011-08-22T10:48:00.002-05:00

Well, the first day of school is no longer the big deal it once was, for mom or for the kids, though Sonshine was eager to get back at it. Mostly because (I think) more time he can spend with his girlfriend.

He has a few adjustments to make to his schedule as they put him back into geometry but didn't put him back into JROTC.

Another week and DD begins the fall semester at the local community college. She attended both summer semesters, passing all three classes with flying colors. Let's see how well she does with a full course load. :)

What's Up??

2011-08-18T08:56:00.002-05:00

Not much. Just thought I'd check in.

Sonshine starts back to school on Monday. YAY. Though this summer has not seemed as long as past ones. I think because he was busy with school-related activities (mainly band camp) for most of the summer. I think I mentioned somewhere (maybe not here, but one of my other outlets) that they've tacked on an extra hour to the school day. I don't mind so much since I know where he is and what he's up to, but really are they just going to teach him more of nothing? He's going to have re-arrange his schedule and shuffle classes around--they failed to put him in JROTC. Surprisingly. He wants to stay in it (unusual for the most part at this school) and they didn't put him back in. DD on the other hand, did two years (for PE credit) and was outta there faster than our recent rains disappeared. :)

We slept in our own bedroom last night. Thank goodness. The ceiling fan in the writing room is terribly noisy and if I woke up any time after 4am there was NO going back to sleep. I still need to move the dresser and the armoir back in, but that's a task for tonight. I sorta hate to do it as the room looks so airy and roomy right now. But I think Sonshine would really like his room back.

The kids are going to the dump today, taking as much of the old molding and trash as they can fit into the truck. Luckily its a big full-sized sucker and can haul a bunch.

I think I'm going to miss this month's writing meeting. My house still needs a lot of tidying and I have two band related events--one Friday night and a Cowboy game on Sunday afternoon/evening. I think I'll stay home and rest on Saturday. Or get something accomplished around the house. And rest. Take it easy.

The writing is going, albeit slowly. But that's okay.

I'm going to admit it right here, right now, publicly that I'm no longer writing for publication--well, official publication. I do love to write, but it's really fan fiction that tickles my fancy. So I'm going with it. I'll write and post as the muse allows. But I also love the editing aspect so I'm going to hone those skills on my critique partners. Maybe someday I can make some money doing that.

So Rick Perry, my state governor, has joined the run for the White House in 2012. I don't know much about him, though I've gotten the impression that he's a more liberal Republican and that some of his acts have not benefited issues that I hold dear. But his recent words about easing the burden on small businesses got my attention. I guess I need to see what those smarter than me have to say about him.

It Rained!!

2011-08-15T09:13:00.003-05:00

For about 4.5/5 hours Saturday morning.

I think it started somewhere around 4am, though that's a guess, and it rained until 8:30/9am. It didn't rain as hard as I would have liked for all that time, but beggars can't be choosers, I know.

Saturday remained "cool" only reaching the mid-80s temperature wise. Sunday was a little warmer, though I don't think we broke 100*. But today we're back to triple digits.

The house is 98% done. Now it's time to put it all back together. My FIL starts a new job today and will return next weekend to finish up minor things.

Tonight, I'll go over my new bedroom floor with a couple of coats of Mop n' Glo before moving my furniture back in there. I'll dust my ceiling fan and all the shelves and decorations. Then each piece of furniture will also be wiped down before it gets to return home.

Unfortunately, our bed money had to be spent to buy additional boxes of flooring, so no new bed anytime soon. :( I will have to buy new sheets though.

Once we're back in our room, we'll work on getting Sonshine's room put back together. His room & furniture will undergo similar cleaning in the process. Despite his penchant for falling asleep on the couch, he is looking forward to getting his own bed back.

I did get to enjoy my writing room yesterday though my bed's still in it and I didn't actually write. I cross-stitched and listened to music. It was nice and cool and quiet. :)

Pictures tomorrow.

The end is in sight...I hope. But not.

2011-08-11T08:39:00.003-05:00

RE: home improvement

DD's room will be finished today. The new molding is up and painted. FIL will be touching up the walls around the molding where it's all raggedy from pulling down the old molding. She'll begin moving back in tonight.

With DD out of Sonshine's room, we have two choices--move our bed into Sonshine's room and leave him on the sofa for another week or allow him back into his room and move into the home office. If we do the latter, we'll have to move all of MIL/FIL's equipment and supplies into the kitchen. Which is not a big deal.

They are also working on the hallway. New molding has gone up in there as well and walls are being painted.

Then our bedroom. New flooring and new molding.

THEN back to normal and cleaning up. My floors have not been mopped in probably three weeks. My backyard is a disaster area. My front yard needs some serious TLC.

BUT it's TOO DANG HOT!!!!

Tomorrow we tie the record of 42 days in a row of over 100* temps, Saturday we break it and there's no end in sight...not for ten days at least. We have a 30% chance of rain Saturday, but I doubt we'll see it.

*sigh*

A Mother's Heart

2011-08-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

My baby's going through something. With his girlfriend. I don't know what. They're fighting or having a disagreement. He won't say. But he's not his usual happy, smiling self.

I hate it when he's unhappy in the sad way.

I offer to listen and give hugs and tell him I love him. I guess that's all we can do.

Luckily, these spells are short lived. I can only hope this one is too.

During...

2011-08-05T09:30:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the room in progress...

Once it's empty of remodeling supplies and equipment--it's been the storage spot/staging are for my in-laws tools and stuff--I'll take a few pictures of it. The again once I get it complete with furniture and decorations.

Keep cool.

Before Pictures

2011-08-04T09:48:00.004-05:00

Seeing as how the writing room is almost done, I'm going to post a handful of before pictures....

Tomorrow, maybe some during pictures. :)

Keep cool!

Record Breaker/End Times

2011-08-03T09:30:00.006-05:00

According to the 10-day forecast for our area, it looks as if we're going to break the 42-day in a row over 100* record made back in 1980.

We've (that's a relative term encompassing all of Texas at the moment) have been suffering drought-like conditions for several years now and lakes, rivers and reservoirs are getting lower and lower.

The reservoir at San Angelo State Park is so low that all the life within it has died and the resulting decay and bacteria has caused the water to turn blood red in color. A preacher in Indiana has hypothesized the beginning of the End Times. Read this article and this one for more details. Of course most people are going to dismiss the notion, but I really don't think it's so far fetched. Just because there's a scientific reason to explain it, doesn't mean it's not related.

I personally DO believe the world is now on the path to Armegeddon. Do I think it's going to happen any time soon? Depending on your definition of soon, as in the next two or five or ten years, I think ten years is possible. If you're not of a mind to believe in God and in the Bible then, of course, all this is a bunch of hooey.

The Bible can be quite the dry read, but Joel Rosenberg has penned a series of five books (all fiction, this link goes to the first book on amazon.com) chronicling an End Times scenario and steeped in thorough research of End Times prophecy. Even if you don't buy into God, the Bible, and End Times prophecy, the books are all immensely good reads if you enjoy political thrillers.

A bit of a turn from my original intended topic, but we'll get back to our regularly scheduled posts on remodeling and other shallow stuff. :)

Keep cool/stay hydrated.

Sonshine's Room

2011-08-02T10:17:00.004-05:00

Looks fabulous!

Flooring and baseboard molding is installed. Door casings installed. Window casing installed.

All that's left is the quarter round for the "crown molding" and trim all the way around the room where two paint colors meet.

Today we have the day off, at least from the workers. We'll be painting/installing the quarter round tonight. I think. I'll also be touching up the walls where furniture has rubbed or rough-and-tumble boy has scraped the color off.

My hallway is that same floor, though they've stopped just on the other side of Sonshine's door. They'll continue down the hall once his room is done.

To echo a friend, Change is good...isn't it?

2011-08-01T09:31:00.003-05:00

I'm going to be negative Nellie, for a moment, and say, emphatically, NO! Not all change is good. I'm not fond of change, even the good sort, but the bad...well, let's not even talk about it right now.

On the other hand, there are changes going on in my house. And while the transition leaves me cranky and out of sorts, the end result will be good. (Well, except for the reduction of funds as a result. :)

Last post, I mentioned flooring. My writing room is, for all intents and purposes, finished. It just needs furniture and decoration. Only it is now being used as a staging area/storage while my in-laws work on the rest of the house. But that's okay...

About 3/5 of the hallway has flooring now also, as does Sonshine's bedroom and closet. Today, all the molding in his room will go up and the painting of the molding will commence. After that, I'll be touching up his walls and then we'll go through all his stuff and refill his room. Oh, boy...

So the changes are wreaking havoc with my mood, though being at work today helps (not the work part, just the no chaos part).

In other news, yesterday (07.31.11) was the 30th straight day of over 100* temps here in North Texas. The record is 42 days back in 1980. It's entirely possible we'll break it, but, good gravy, I sure hope not. I had a gander at the trees in my back yard and I think I'll have to start watering them as well. My maple is looking a bit scraggly. So, yeah, as soon as the yard bags are moved, I'll start watering back there too.

As always, keep cool and stay hydrated.

sigh

2011-07-28T09:00:00.003-05:00

Nothing new to report, really. It's still hot.

Life goes on in a never-ending cycle.

We'll be getting some work done around our house starting next week. My father-in-law is suddenly unemployed, though I don't know the real story. But they need money. We have some and we need some work done, so...

I'll be getting flooring in my writing room. And FIL will be painting/installing the floor molding as well. After that I'll just have to order the desk and do a bit of decorating and I'm ready to ~~rum~~ I mean write!

Sonshine's room will probably also be getting flooring as well as molding done. He has no molding at all, at the moment. I'd taken it all down to paint his room eons ago. Then life happened and we never have gotten around to finishing it.

There are few other projects, but I won't bore you with those right now.

It's nice and quiet here in the office. No one here but me, so I'm going to sign off and write while the writing's good.

Keep cool. :/

Monday, Monday...an update of my boring life

2011-07-25T08:32:00.004-05:00

Another Monday, another work week, another blistering day here in North Texas. When will it (the heat) all end? Is this the new normal? If it is, we all better get adjusted and start dealing with life as it is, not wishing it would return to the way it was. That never works out well for anyone.

I've taken to watering my front lawn on Sunday evenings. The main part of the grass gets about two hours, the trees get watered all night. Grass can be more easily replaced than 50+ year old trees, so the trees get soaked once a week now. The back yard is completely brown and crunchy. I can mow the lawn by raking, the strands of grass/weeds are that dried out and brittle. I have to rake again--one of the trees in the back yard is losing its leaves. And I haven't even finished raking from last year. Gah!

Dealing with the band director is going to take patience. Good thing I have a lot of that. It'll also take a forgetful/forgiving spirit. I'm more of the first, less of the second. But I have discovered she's a lot of bravado. If you challenge her, she backs down. An interesting concept for me since I'm fairly non-confrontational. But I have a feeling there may be a few of those this year. Not necessarily in a bad way, but I'm the band booster prez, she's the band director, and while she has a lot more knowledge about this endeavor, I have some power. And she can't do it without me. I'm glad I had last year to get to know her some without the pressure of this relationship. I know how to deal with her. Speaking of band boosters, I do have some things I need to get done!

We held a car wash this past Saturday and brought in $268 from between 15 and 20 cars. We are doing it again next Saturday. Oh boy. Despite having an awning, I ended up helping the kids and cracking the whip and getting a sunburn. I think next week, I'll wear a t-shirt!

Writing room still on stand-by, booster stuff taking precedence at the moment.

Writing in general is happening, though I've been bad about revising my young adult now that I have all my critiques back. Plus I need work on chapter two. I have two weeks to get those done for the next critique cycle.

I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II for the third time yesterday afternoon. In 2D rather than 3D this time. I caught a few things I missed before, so that was nice.

The house in general is a mess. I'm thinking of taking a partial vacation--only work half days for two weeks and spend that time at home, writing, revising, and cleaning my house. Though I might wait until school is back in session so I have the house to myself. :)

I haven't given up on walking though it's been a few days. I figured the car wash, a meeting at Cowboys stadium, and going to the movies was enough exercise for the weekend. But tonight, I'll be back out on the route. I finally realized the other day, most of my aches and pains were gone. So the walking has served/is serving its main purpose. Now I just have to get back to watching what I'm eating and stop ingesting the bad stuff. I'm fixin' to have a banana for my morning snack, so that's a start.

My oldest daughter is in a facility down near Houston and doing pretty well. Her letters have all been upbeat and she insists she ready to make this chance work. I think she's sincere, and I hope she beats the odds, but the real world numbers say only a small percentage of heroin addicts stay clean permanently. I don't know of there's a correlation to the length of time you were an addict before getting clean, but she has addictive tendencies in her personality, so that won't help. But fingers crossed. And if you pray, please lift her up. (Thanks.)

All right, it's that time. Catch you all later!

And keep cool. :)

Ouch...

2011-07-21T08:25:00.002-05:00

Just whining today because my mouth hurts. I have an abscess on the roof of my mouth, next my bridge. And it hurts. I've been popping a lot of ibuprofen lately and if I stay on top of it, then I can mask the pain, but right now it's throbbing--though probably cuz I was messing with it, not for lack of drugs. I have hot tea to help, but it's just a little too hot, atm. If it doesn't get better by tomorrow I may have to break down and go to the dentist. Grr...

Tonight is the first band booster board meeting, starring me--the band booster prez. I'll be spending part of today making sure I'm ready for it. Though I started that process last week, a last minute check is never a bad thing.

Sonshine came to work today to play WOW all day, so I have company. He's a pretty cool kid--most of the time, when he's not being a typical teen-age boy. But even then... :)

Okay, tea's cool enough to drink (for me) and working its magic already. (Ahhh....)

The room is at a stand still, partially because so many other things are going on and partly because I've been so dang exhausted. I don't know why, though. I crash at 9:30/10PM and sleep until 6:30AM. That's a lot of sleep for me. I even took a cat nap yesterday afternoon.

I walked last night. I forced myself out the door to walk around at least one block, but ended up doing all three, though at a slower pace. Tonight, I'm not sure if I'll be up for walking after my meeting. We shall see.

Okay, well, enough rambling and babbling. I'm going to do a little bit of work, number crunching and what-not, and then maybe some writing.

Stay cool!

Where to begin...

2011-07-19T09:26:00.004-05:00

I'm band booster prez. First board meeting Thursday evening. Oh boy, oh joy. Speaking in front of people used to scare the shspit out of me. Thanks to two years as writing group chapter prez, I can do it with few qualms. Well, as long as the group isn't too large. And I know what I'm talking about. If I had to speak to, say, a Cowboys Stadium full of people, I might faint from nerves. But I digress...

Fulfilling my duties in this position is going to stretch me further as a person. I'm not really looking forward to it, cuz growth and change can be scary. But I knew the job was dangerous when I took it, but take it I did. For my kid. For the other band kids I'd grown to love last year. For the band director. And yes for myself. I'm a volunteer. I like to be part of a group. Sometimes, yes, I even like to be in charge. Even though I'm more of an introvert than an extrovert.

Now, I didn't seek out the job. The band director asked me if I'd do it. Last summer the co-prez died and his wife did not rise to the occasion and the band director ran the band on her own last year. It was a lot of work and pressure for her especially as she's also the primary care-giver for her 85-year-old mother who is somewhat incapacitated. I readily agreed to take it on.

And now my heartstrings are being tugged. Almost half these band kids can't afford or won't be able to pay their band fees. Now the band director doesn't turn them away, she waives the fees she can and the band booster picks up the rest. But that means we have to raise just that much more money to cover those costs. And now it seems our major source of income--the NFL--may not pull through for us. As long as the lock out goes on, there are no NFL games for us to work at Cowboys Stadium. Yes, there are other events scattered here and there at the stadium like concerts and soccer, but we never make nearly as much money. We average $1500 an NFL game times three or four time a month...

So I'm in "beg" mode. I've modified a letter provided by the band director and will be soliciting sponsorships for twenty-five kids. And that's just for marching season. Other things, including band trip scholarships, will come later.

So shameless plug, if you can spare $5 or $10 (more is of course welcome), please consider making a donation to the EHHS Highlander Band. Visit their website: www.ehhsmusic.org and the Paypal button is at the top. If you'd rather pay by check, make checks payable to EHHS Band Boosters and mail to EHHS Band Boosters, 5701 Shelton Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76112. And pass the word if you know of others who'd interested and willing in supporting the arts, but especially supporting the kids here on the east side in Fort Worth. (Thanks!)

And that wasn't even the point of this post! Oh well.

If you have ideas for how to raise money please let me know. Though, FYI, direct selling doesn't work well around here. We're having two car washes the next two Saturday mornings and the band director is thinking of doing a "movie in the parking lot". I have some ideas on how to expand that...

And now it's time to get some other stuff done!

Keep cool!

(Update on new roof and writing room soon.)

PERFECT

2011-07-18T08:09:00.002-05:00

I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II twice this weekend. I loved it just as much the second time as the first. I caught a few more minor things during the second watch that I didn't realize were interesting or important on the first watch because I was so excited and mind-boggled the first time 'round. And, yes, I'll be seeing it again with a friend as she hasn't seen it yet. I may break my record of seeing the same movie in a theater more than once. It's currently at three for Star Trek 2009.

The movie stuck with the book pretty darn close. It's been a few months since I read it, but as far as I can tell and from what I've heard, they didn't change much. Of course they had to leave some stuff and out and gloss over a few things due to time constraints, but that was to be expected.

Loved, loved, loved it!!

Summer Lethargy

2011-07-13T07:44:00.003-05:00

It's too hot right now to be excited about much of anything. The heat drains one's energy pretty quickly if you have to be out in it. Luckily I only have to be out in it a few times a day for very short stretches.

But while I took a break from walking Monday because my legs ached so bad, I did get back to it last night. I'm walking three full blocks at a brisk rate in about 20/23 minutes. My calves still burn from the inclines so I'm not ready to add another block quite yet, though I'd like to be doing at least thirty minutes.

My back yard is dry, dry, dry. It hurts to look at it. When the weeds are dead, you know there's a drought. I may actually have to start watering, at least the front and the sides which are still mostly green. I started watering my trees out front (a pine, a magnolia, and a mimosa) as they were just starting to look droopy. It may just be my imagination, but they look more perky to me.

The old shed was torn down and hauled off yesterday. Now we need to replace the rotted floor and wait for the new one to be built.

My lawn mower is at the shop. It's been there for like three weeks now. The guy called the day after I dropped it off to ask if it was still under warranty, which I'm pretty sure it wasn't, because he didn't want to proceed until he knew how he was getting paid. I told him I'd look for the receipt just in case and call him back. I called the following day and told him I couldn't find the receipt (and got a lecture about saving my receipts) and that I'd pay for the repairs. So when I called yesterday and it still wasn't done and he told me it was because he didn't want to do work when he wasn't going to get paid, I was a bit peeved. I've been without a mower for almost a month. Needless to say, my yards need to be mowed. I reminded him a bit impatiently that I'd already told him I would pay for it. "Oh, I'm sorry, my fault." GRRRRRR.

I downloaded a bunch of free books to my Kindle last night so reviews may be coming soon. I'm currently reading "After the Fire" by Kathryn Shay. So far, so good. It's kept me reading, not wanting to put it down. Though I do, cuz sleep is sacred. But I was up early reading some more. There's some language, but it's cops and firemen, so I think it's realistic. No sex so far, and I'm not sure of the heat rating, so we'll see how that pans out. We're following a fire fighting family--three siblings are smoke eaters, two are not. The story revolves around the three who are. There's a lot of tension in the family because of it. The dad was also a fireman and died in the line of duty, so the two siblings who aren't fire fighters can't understand or relate to the others. I'm guessing by the end of the book, there'll be some resolution there. After a big fire where a lot of fire fighters died, the three siblings reassess their lives and try to make right what they've allowed to go pear-shaped. So when I'm done today or tomorrow, I'll let you know how it turned out.

Big day on Saturday for writing meetings--board meeting, general meeting, critique group. Oh, boy. But I'm looking forward to it. Mostly. Not the board meeting though. There was a little kerfaffle this past week. I know one of the parties will be at the board meeting, not sure about the other. So we'll see. The general meeting will be boring. It's not a topic I'm too interested in right now, seeing as how I'm not planning a traditional route to publishing. The critique meeting will be...interesting. Our group hasn't quite defined how things are going to work. I'm trying to get a consensus, but I'm not sure if that's going to work. If we can't hash it out this weekend, as co-founder, I'll make the decision.

Well, marching band boy has to be at school soon and I have to get him there, so I'm signing off!

Stay cool, stay hydrated!

Monday, Monday...

2011-07-11T08:26:00.001-05:00

Here we are again. Monday morning. It's still hot here on the great (by that I mean large, not awesome) state of Texas.

I accomplished A LOT this weekend and I'm very happy about that. In addition, we spent quite a bit of time together as a family. We weren't all doing the same thing, but we were in the same room interacting, which was nice. Some days I think we're not that dysfunctional. :)

My to-do list contained about 20 or so items, all of which were accomplished except two (both mine). I was too pooped on Sunday to do them.

And and and...I've been walking. My feet, calves, and thighs will corroborate my story. Three blocks and about twenty minutes worth. Once I'm acclimated to this, then I'll add a block and so on and so on. Of course it'll be easier once the weather cools off too.

The writing is going well and I'm making progress on two tales: my original short story and a JAG fic. My short story tipped the scale at 7300+ words this morning. Only 200 to go to reach my goal. I think eventually it will exceed that as I've finally come to the place where I can see that I need to add some stuff.

And I know the last chapter (that I haven't gotten to yet) will definitely need revisions based on changes in the first two or three chapters. So I'm excited about that too. The JAG fic is undergoing some major revisions as well and I'm excited to experience my writing M.O. once again. Nothing I can really explain, at least in writing, but this is like the fourth story where I've done this similar thing and so it's nice to know I have a method that works for me.

The spare room was on my to-do list and one of the tasks I failed to complete this weekend. My next task is scrubbing the floor in preparation for the floor treatment. I bought steel wool yesterday at the grocery store, so I have what I need. I think tonight, I'll be getting started on that.

And last but not least, the final Harry Potter film comes out Friday! We have our tickets bought and will be seeing the 4PM show on Friday. This'll be my first and last Harry Potter movie in a theater. That makes me kind of sad.

Well, the boss has arrived, so I guess it's time to get my work day started. (ha ha)

Yesterday...

2011-07-08T10:49:00.003-05:00

...was so boring I thought I was going to cry. It was slow in the office, everyone was gone and it was just me. Plus, the weather has been practically unbearable and our office A/C is barely keeping up. I mean when I'm hot in the office, you know it's hot outside. GUH.

So I forced myself, really, to work on continuing revisions of my short story. I have another week or so to work on this before I will be submitting it for critique to my critique group. I was so sure I was going to reach the 7500 word mark, but now, not so much. Maybe, I'll hit it, maybe not. But it'll be close. I'll have to wait to see what my CPs say and then perhaps I'll be able to flesh it out even further. *fingers crossed*

I also have a fan fic I've been wanting to finish. It's been languishing on my hard drive for about five/six years now and I really really DO want to finish it. I think today is going to be a repeat of yesterday, so that will be my WIP of choice.

I have a few real work related tasks to take care of before I can open up my story, so I'm off!

Stay cool--

New Roof...

2011-07-07T08:31:00.002-05:00

So much for normal...

We're getting a new roof, new gutters, and a new metal shed. All with no money out of pocket. The workers started yesterday and the first workers arrived as I was leaving at 6:55 this morning. So for the next few days the roof and yard will be crawling with strangers and the house will be filled with banging. Oh joy. But, hey, for a new roof, which obviously adds to the resale value of the house and a lower electric bill, I can live with banging for a few hours for the next few days.

The old round vents are going by the wayside and new vents that extend the length of the roof are going in. According to our roofing guy, our electric bill should decrease $2 for every foot of this stuff we have. On top of that, we have a solar powered attic fan, valued at $500. That will pull air in or suck it out, I don't know which, but will definitely help in lowering the temperatures in our attic space.

New gutters and downspouts will be a godsend. I think we'll need to add gutter guards, though so all those leaves and pine needles don't fill them up and clog the downspouts. Half the gutters are/were hanging by the skin of their teeth.

The new shed--meh--I could have lived without it since we have a huge wooden shed in the other corner of the yard, but hubby wanted it so we're getting it. Of course, now, we have to build a foundation/floor for it as the old one was pretty rotted out. A little money out of pocket, but not much.

So that's what's going on around here. At least for a few days...but I really dislike all the upheaval and have almost had enough already.

Calgon, take me away...

Whew...

2011-07-06T07:43:00.003-05:00

We have survived another 4th of July season. It didn't go as expected, but where's the fun in that?

Life should now return to normal.

I'm still recovering from the weekend (two *very* late nights and a LOT of activity) and I'm still pooped. Though I am trying to stay active...I walked last night for about 25 minutes. And I'm going to do my darnedest to keep it up. I need that exercise for many many reasons.

The writing room is on hold for a few days until I catch up with sleep and writing and get acclimated to a new normal: band camp for marching band boy begins today. It's only once a week for him for the next month (and then two full weeks worth right before school starts), but that means it's time to put on my band booster president's hat and get that tumbleweed rolling. Yee haw!

I've received three critiques on the first chapter of my YA novel--and ~~all~~ most of the comments were valid (though whether I make changes is another matter entirely). It's funny though that none of those three critique partners commented on the same thing--not one single overlap. Granted, this chapter have been gone over and gone over so all these comments were rather trivial, but that just goes to show how subjective critiquing is. :)

And I know I promised pics and vids of fireworks, but I'm having trouble getting them off my camera--well, it's more that the camera is dead and won't charge up so that I can get them off. Grr... I'll have to see if DD has the magic touch and can get it to work.

And I'm glad you made it to the show Regina, it was good see you and your family. This is the first time in, oh, six years that anyone from NT has shown up.

Well...time for work. Have a good day!

My Writing Room . . .

2011-07-02T10:01:00.004-05:00

. . . is coming along. I have completed the third coat to the door molding and I'm satisfied with the result. Once it's dry, I'll DAP it. I also finished the shelf brackets and worked on the peg rack. I finally realized I'll need to buy an unpainted wood shelf for those racks and paint it myself rather than buying a pre-made shelf. It would have two different finishes and I think would look funny once "installed".

I have been toying with the idea of pin-striping the bottom half of the wall. As I may have mentioned, the bottom half of the wall is not sheet rock--it's real wood paneling. Not large sheets, but rough, textured planks maybe six to seven inches wide each. So there are seams where one panel buts up against the next and so on. So that little trough would be the ideal place to add a lovely line of white. I've been nervous about it for two reasons . . . a) because hubby isn't always into really creative decorating and b) because, if I do try it and looks crappy or hubby really can't stand it, how do I fix it?

Well, I decided to try it. In the corner behind the door. DAP is paintable, so if it looks ugly or I completely muck it up, I can paint over it with little impact. I only have one seam done so far and have come to a realization--I like it! But because the panels were left in a natural state, not planed down to a smooth surface, but left with the knots and texture of a real tree, the seams are uneven, not only from one seam to the next, but also within each individual seam. The section of seam at the top might be wider or narrow than the section at the bottom due to the vagaries of the panel. Hmmm... I'll have to do a few more and perfect my technique and see how it looks/goes.

And I've had an epiphany about my room. I've been lamenting the darkness of the room due to the paint color I chose to paint the paneling. I was hoping for a bright sunny room. However, I've come to realize that it's not the paint color that's making the room look so dark, though it is a contributing factor. It's the fact that I have two large trees about twenty feet from the house right outside this room--both in full leaf at the moment--which means the sun can never shine directly in the room. And right now, with 100 degree temperatures, that's actually a good thing. Come winter, when my trees have shed their leaves and it's chilly here in North Texas, I'll have the sunlight not only to brighten the room, but to warm it! I feel so much better now. Silly me. :)

Next step, the floor, but only once the paint dries.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!

2011-07-01T07:39:00.002-05:00

I really wish I didn't have to work today...I had the day off yesterday and now I'm looking at a holiday weekend. But the first of the month brings necessary tasks at work and I will attempt to get some of them done.

Yesterday, I met with two of my critique partners. They came to my house to get something accomplished, which they both claim to have done. Now me...it's my house and I work differently at home. I didn't get as much accomplished as I might have had my CPs not been around. But that's not to say I didn't get anything done. I got a little done.

Similar to my friend Regina, I work on a timed basis. Usually in 45 minute cycles. :) I write while (say) the washing machine runs. Then I get up switch out loads, use the restroom, refill my beverage if needed and get back to work. Or I sweep and dust or do dishes or clean the bathroom, etc. I could *so* be a stay-at-home mom/wife/housekeeper/writer if only I a) I didn't have to work and b) could come up with decent plots to keep me in story ideas.

Unfortunately I do have to work and I struggle with plotting.

I'm in the middle of revising a short story, working to get it long enough to be classified as a novelette, at least 7500 words. That won't be a problem. I'm at 6300 words and (only) through the second chapter out of five. I think I'll surpass my goal quite easily.

I'm alternating that with revising my young adult novel, of which the first chapter has been made available to my CPs. Unfortunately I'm not sure when I'll get any critiques back.

I'm incredibly lucky in that I am usually a fast worker (in my writing endeavors). My day job allows me a lot of free time to write or revise or critique. Unfortunately the members of my critique group are not similarly blessed and I usually have to wait for them to write something for me to read or to critique something for me. Someday I may be able to find someone who can keep up with me. :)

Anyway...I made no progress on my writing room yesterday. The day before however, though I really didn't feel like doing anything, I did accomplish most of what I planned to do. The door molding received its second coat and looks much less streaky. I think a third coat will take care of the rest. The seams around the wall have been DAPped and all looks quite tidy and lovely. I didn't make it to The Home Depot for outlets but seeing as how I don't do electricity they wouldn't be switched out till after the holiday anyway, and I did get part of a third coat on my brackets and peg rack. Oh, and Sonshine installed the door knob so I can keep the dogs out.

Next up will be the floor. I'll have to scrub it good and clean, down on my hands a knees. Scrape up all the paint I've dribbled and then I think the first coat will be a clear coat.

So now let me get on with my day.

See you Tuesday with some fireworks video.

Still working...

2011-06-29T07:54:00.003-05:00

...on my room. I didn't do TOO much last night, but I did something. Which is better than letting it come to a standstill again.

I painted the door molding, one coat. It's still a bit streaky so I'll have to take care with the second and possibly third coats.

I touched up the wall right underneath the chair rail molding where I inadvertently kept brushing against it with my white paint brush while I was painting the molding. I'll check it tonight and see if I've completely covered all those white spots.

Tidied up the paint job on the molding around the white wall. See the wall isn't an original wall. We built it to create an office many years ago before we moved into official office space and gave that room to our older daughter. And we used paneling rather than sheet rock which would have needed taping and bedding. So that means there's a strip of molding all the way around the wall to hide the seams. (It was cheaper and easier at the time and money was much tighter.)

I didn't give a third coat to my accoutrements--the peg rack and the shelf brackets. Just didn't feel like it.

Tonight--more DAP around those aforementioned seams,a second coat on the door molding and possibly a third coat on the shelf brackets. I may also stop at The Home Depot to buy pretty white outlets, outlet covers and a solid plate cover for a spot where there used to be a switch.

After all of that...it should be time to work on the floor. That's the part I'm excited about.

I have some lovely flower pictures from a calendar that I'm going to frame and hang. I'm going to get some pretty white shelves and a pretty white desk and chair. I'll need some cushions for my two wicker chairs. And I have a lovely green bookcase that will be moved in there once the floor is done.

Progress... (update)

2011-06-27T21:18:00.005-05:00

As planned, the molding in my spare room received its second coat as did the wall and the door.

WOOT!

I also DAPped along the top of the chair-rail molding and around the window. Ooohh...it looks so nice. :)

Next up on the agenda: install the door knob and paint the molding around the door and DAP it as well.

I also found a desk and a chair today--though I have to order it online.

And I'm going to buy another faux wicker chair so I have a pair.

Getting active...

2011-06-27T10:55:00.002-05:00

My son, not me.

For his efforts of unpacking/stocking the fireworks we can't sell this year and for which he will not get his usual payment as if we were open and able to sell, we bought Sonshine a skateboard.

He was up and out of the house at 6:45 this morning to skateboard with his buddies. YAY!

As for me, I finally got the last wall in my spare bedroom, which we have decided to turn into a computer room/study, painted. One coat, but it looks so much better. My plan is to add the second coat tonight, as well as work on a second coat to all the trim. I also started painting the wooden four-peg rack I bought and the wooden shelf brackets.

Once the wall and molding are done, it'll be time to work on the floor. I've decided just to paint a rug. I'm going to leave about nine inches of the current flooring showing around the edges and paint the middle like a square rug. It'll be white with a colored stripe about 4-5 inches in. Or I was thinking of splattering the colored paint for an abstract pattern, but I'm not real sure about that yet.

I'm excited because I'm almost at the end of this project--the urgency has hit again now that Sonshine's home. See when his friends spend the night they are all over the living room, and when I get up early on Saturday & Sunday mornings, I have no place to sit and drink tea and read or write. Plus hubby wants home office space. He may get it, but it's going to be on my terms and look a bit girly. :)

Make It or Break It

2011-06-23T09:26:00.003-05:00

A combination review/rant of ABC Family's teen drama Make It or Break It...

I have a love/hate relationship with this show. There's no doubt it's compelling. I've blown through thirty-seven of forty episodes in less than a week. The main male lead, head coach Sasha Belov, played by Neil Jackson, is very lovely to look at. :)

(not the best picture...)

The show revolves around the lives and drama of a quartet of elite gymnasts, living and training in Boulder, Colorado.

The second season also poses as a public service announcement for eating disorders, having one of the girls become anorexic. After a quick Google search for something else, I discovered Candace Cameron Bure (of the 80s sitcom Full House) suffered with Bulemia as a young woman, so it was probably a story line close to her heart.

Anyway, every time I yell at the screen, usually something along the lines of, "Why can't something good happen to so-and-so just once??!!" I remember from my own learning curve in writing that readers or viewers don't want to watch nothing but fluff and rainbows.

But my rant comes from the fact that one of the girls, no matter how conniving and ugly she is, no matter what she does or says or who she hurts, she hasn't once really gotten her comeuppance in public. Everyone else plays nice with each other but they constantly have drama to deal with, whether of their own making or not. Oh sure, she has rare moments of contrition, but they are usually short-lived. And then not ten minutes later she's back to her old tricks. GAH! It's really making me mad. I understand where her motivation comes from, I do, but when is she going to learn the lesson she SO badly needs to learn?

There are a few other frustrating aspects of the show, and I realize some of them are on purpose.

I was going to call it enjoyable, but that has such an up/positive connotation and I do like the show and I do enjoy it, but the show itself is a drama. Is it GOOD? I don't know. Maybe my standards are too high. Do I recommend it? Um, not for young teens necessarily even though it's on the ABC Family channel.

Or maybe I'm just mad at it for not allowing Sasha to find happiness with Summer (Candace's character). They had a sweet little romance going on until recently. And I'm all about the happily-ever-afters after all. :)

Getting Serious

2011-06-21T20:56:00.003-05:00

Again. :)

My critique group is up to five members now. We enlisted two new recruits this weekend. One gal is e-published and not new to writing, the other is the newbie. Both are lovely and fun women.

Now that we've got these two new writers, there can be no more lackadaisical behavior by the rest of us. It's back to the grindstone, back to writing. Or at least back to editing/revising for me. I have a handful of stories that are almost done. My goal is to get these suckers complete. Some are short stories, some are full-length novels, though on the lighter end of the word count requirements. We'll see how it goes.

My college plans will have to wait until the spring semester of 2012. Not because I'm not flip flopping, but after really thinking about what I've got going on this fall--mostly band/band booster related stuff for Sonshine, there's just no good time for me to attend class and complete homework. Plus with being unable to sell fireworks, that means DD's fall tuition will be out of pocket. And she's more important than me at the moment.

The weather has eased slightly with temps only in the low to mid-nineties today and probably for the rest of the week.

Speaking of selling fireworks...the Venus VFD finally called hubby back. They are doing the pop & shoot as long as no order is issued in their county banning the sale/use of fireworks there. Also, they moved, so there'll be a new location. As a side note, it's possible, though unlikely we actually could sell fireworks. Apparently the original order issued by the McLennan County judge had to be ratified by the governor within 48 hours for it to remain in effect. Well, that didn't happen and the judge had to issue a new order. The wording on this one however might just have a loophole. It says no sales in unincorporated areas of the county. And while the store is indeed in an unincorporated town, the old fireworks stand is not. The city of Leroy is incorporated!! Unfortunately, there's no longer electricity or phone service there and it would take a lot of time and effort to get everything in place to be able to sell from the stand. And the money we might make would barely cover the expenses hubby has incurred already this season and that doesn't include the cost of the inventory we bought. I'd much rather cut our losses and do a show. I miss doing shows.

It's HOT

2011-06-20T09:56:00.002-05:00

There's not a whole lot to report. It's too hot to do anything 'round here, but let's see...

I have a clothesline now. Again. Finally. I love to smell my sheets with the scent of outdoors and fabric softener in them. Plus with as much as the A/C is running these days, less use of electricity is always a good thing.

Speaking of A/C and the heat, it's been over 100* for many days in a row. Ugh! Though I do drive home with windows down. After sitting in A/C all day I actually do get cold so I get to thaw out. Plus it's only a ten-minute commute.

Um, started watching a new TV show. It's nothing to write home about, but it's entertaining so with the men gone...

I--we--have added a new writer to our critique group. She's a newer member of my writing chapter and she's a lot of fun. So now we are four! And we also need to get back on track with bi-monthly critique sessions. Which means I need to write or edit one of my many WIPs. Ugh...but another chapter-mate made in interesting comment about self-publishing which piqued my interest and got me to thinking about my YA that's still languishing, almost complete, on my hard drive.

I've decided (again) to check into going back to school and getting a two-year English degree. Nothing major, but I've come to the conclusion over the past two years that I prefer editing to writing. And a basic degree would be beneficial. So I'm going to have DD take me to the counselors office at the community college and see what it's going to take.

No word on the fireworks show yet. Hubby has been trying to get in touch with the Venus VFD, but no one has called him back yet. I went to their website and sent an e-mail.

Thunderstorms are in our forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday and that should break our heat wave. After that our temps should drop down to the low-to-mid nineties. Whew! And down at the store yesterday, it was supposed to be 106*!!! Yikes.

Well, that's my ramble for the day. Back to work--I'm feeling productive, so I'm hoping to complete my to-do list for today.

KEEP COOL!!

WHY?

2011-06-17T10:05:00.004-05:00

Why are we here in Texas (among other places) experiencing a drought and the upper mid-west anywhere along the Missouri River has been flooded??

Farms, homes, business, wildlife destroyed...

Most of my family, who lives in an Omaha suburb, is fine. Although, my step-mother says that if the water wasn't being "controlled" (HA HA HA HA HA) they'd be wet too. They live only three miles due west of the river. (See the red X.) Luckily the area is somewhat hilly, so they are above normal river levels.

If we can build the Alaska Pipeline, surely we could have put some sort of system in place to pipe all this water to places the need it, like Arizona or Texas?? I mean we had to have known this was coming, right?

Are we just that stupid or complacent or lazy? We must be.

I am feeling decidedly helpless.

What can I do? What difference can I make? It all seems so very hopeless.

BUMMED

2011-06-16T13:20:00.003-05:00

We can't sell fireworks this season. The head honcho in McLennan County, where our store is located has just issued the order for the ban of sales and use of fireworks.

We understand--we really do, because it's been so dry here in Texas, especially south of us.

But couldn't he have done it yesterday or the day before--the supposed deadline for these announcements?? So that all those people that count on that deadline to place their order or pickup their product didn't proceed.

Ordering's not a big deal, because you can cancel it; but once you've take receipt of your inventory, you're (obviously) obligated to pay for it. We had a suspicion and cut our order way back so that we could pay it out of pocket, if we had to. Which we now have to do. Grr...

Looking on the bright side, I suggested we find somewhere to shoot our own show. Hubby hasn't shot a show in quite a few years, which he misses. And was the reason we started selling in the first place--to get wholesale prices. (The man was spending $4K to $6K a year.) (Yeah.)

Hubby's still taking his vacation though. He'll go to the store, stock the shelves, stripe the parking lot, etc. Just at a slower pace. I'll still get my vacation too. :)

Happy Birthday to ME!

2011-06-13T15:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday--I enjoyed a nice quiet day, including a nice good long chat with my momma, a meal I didn't have to cook, and a replay of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The men are still gone, but will be home no later than Wednesday. Of course, they'll be back out the door by Saturday at the latest. DD left for children's camp this morning, so it's just me and the four-legged girls until the men get home.

My one and only birthday gift so far is a 320GB portable hard drive. I've been wanting one for a while to hold all my music, movies, and TV shows. I have too much to keep on my laptop. I found a good one (Seagate) at Wally World for $49. A pretty good deal.

Actually, another lovely gift was my nomination for a Sweet Award by my sweet friend Regina, who chose to nominate me (among others) because "Jen FitzGerald who reminds me of the little treasures buried in each day." Isn't that a lovely thing to say. Thanks again, Regina. :)

As mentioned in a previous post, when the men leave, I clean and complete projects. And when I'm not doing that, I'm reading, writing, or watching fun things on TV/DVD/Netflix/or iTunes.

I'm about halfway through the cleaning, but haven't started completing the projects, though I have what I need to get started. Tonight, I'll be getting started--painting the trim in the former spare bedroom, now computer room. My other project is to work on Sonshine's room. At least to clean it and then buy & paint the molding. The men can put up the molding when they get home.

And I can do laundry without having to babysit the washer. The pipes were getting clogged with gunk, so I had to stop the machine several times during the drain cycles. But it finally reached critical mass and for just under $100, I have unchaperoned laundry once again.

Well...that's it for now. :)

Dragging...

2011-06-06T08:14:00.004-05:00

I worked Cowboys Stadium yesterday on behalf of the band. It was Gold Cup Soccer which meant lots and lots of Spanish speaking fans. Luckily one of my fellow cashiers spoke Spanish.

And those folks are crazy about their soccer. Not even Cowboys fans have rivaled the revelry.

At some point during half time of the first game or immediately after, there was a group right outside or stand chanting and beating on drums. Oi! You know for a few minutes it was fun, but after fifteen I was ready to scream. Plus, I couldn't hear my customers hardly at all. I had to practically read lips. And add to that the aforementioned language barrier...well... I was also in training for being "stand manager". Basically handling the setup/shutdown of the stand and taking care of the money. If I do it for ten games, Sonshine's band trip next spring is paid in full. An approximately $300 value at this point. Is it worth it? It only comes out to about $2.50 an hour, but I'd work that many games anyway, so...

The jury's still out. :|

I'm dragging because I didn't get home until after eleven and my poor body's aching as I was on my feet and on the go for ten straight hours. (Yep, it's a tough gig. Only ~~stupid~~ dedicated parents need apply.)

How was your weekend?

I Don't Even Know!

2011-06-01T10:39:00.002-05:00

I feel like I have the attention span of a flea. I flit from one thing to the next, never able to--despite my best intentions--to stick with anything.

I'm going to do this, I'm going to that. PAH!

I'm going to walk every day, I'm going to fill a yard bag every day, I'm going to do a load of laundry every day. Hmm... Not that I planned to accomplish all three things every day. Just one.

And have I? Well, after a band parent meeting, I did do a load of laundry last night, so that's good.

Writing has been relegated to the early mornings now. That's okay, though, it's usually the best time. Everyone else is asleep and the house is quiet. (Well, except for the dogs.)

I'm feeling a bit restless and bored of late.

Though, I'm not sweating it, the writing is mostly at a trickle. I've been reading and watching a bit of TV. Now with this band booster thing, I'll be busy--there's a lot to get a handle on and fix.

And when the men are out of my hair, there will be house projects to finish.

So--nothing exciting here except a place to record my random thoughts. :)

Well, back to work.

And so it begins...

2011-05-30T22:03:00.002-05:00

...the cleaning.

June is just around the corner. And of course so is July. Specifically, the 4th of July. Independence Day comes early at our house. Usually starting with D-Day.

I've got you scratching your head now, don't I?

Well, it's like this:

My men go to Oklahoma to play the annual paintball scenario called D-Day. It's usually the second weekend of June. They leave Friday, come home Sunday.

Then...the following weekend (usually) they leave for Elm Mott where the fireworks store is located, and where they will stay until the 5th or 6th of July.

Along with getting them packed up and ready to go, I clean house. A really thorough job of it so that I can enjoy the clean while the men are gone and not waste the time to clean once they've left. Of course, there'll be a bit of tidying up to do once they've cleared the driveway, but not much.

Not only have I been cleaning, I've been cleaning out. Drawers, closets, surfaces, etc. If I can't remember the last time I wore it or looked at it or read it, it goes (mostly). Trash or the donation pile. It's a good feeling to reclaim the space and to see the house look tidy.

On Saturday, I helped a friend paint a couple of walls in her apartment. She chose a lovely yellow-orange color called Golden Chime. It looked really awesome and looked good all day. I say that because she only has a west facing sliding glass door for light. So it looked good without direct sunlight as well as with it. It looked good with her burgundy leather furniture. And it didn't make her apartment look any smaller than it already is. After that, I helped her sort through several containers of stuff and by the time I left, it looked like a completely different place.

I was motivated to work on my own painting project and finally applied the second coat to the upper walls of my spare bedroom. I pulled off all the painters tape and it looks wonderful. I've decided to do everything else white. My color choices weren't the brightest so in order to not make the room look any darker, I'm going with white. Last wall, all the molding, and the floor. So now I have to buy white paint. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the gallon of green I have or the quart of turquiosey blue, but I'll figure something out.

Add laundry and floor mopping and I'm officially bushed. But hopefully I burned a lot of calories along the way. :)

It's Official...

2011-05-25T15:19:00.003-05:00

I am the Band Booster president for 2011-2012 school year.

I was voted in last night by a vote of the parents in attendance of the spring band concert. I don't know...it seemed very lackadaisical and I'm not even sure if it was binding. I mean, I was PTA president for two years and president of my writers group for two years and we never held a vote that way.

Are band booster clubs run like PTAs or other non-profit groups? I would think so. A quick Google search pulled up several minutes from various booster clubs and it appears as if they do. Good.

I'll be working closely with the band director to see what's needed, though we already have a handful more parents on the board this year than last. Now we need to round up the parents of the incoming freshmen. (Though that won't be my job.)

Ironically, I'll finally be getting to know the mom of one of sonshine's oldest friends. These two have known each other since kindergarten. I'm not saying they've been the best of buds since then, but they've been friends. I never really met this other boy's parents though I know who they are and I love this kid like he's my own. Anyway, so now I'll finally get to know his mom.

So I'm excited to take this on, to help the band director, and make next year a brilliant one for all the kids.

My kid is Awesome!!

2011-05-23T09:55:00.004-05:00

Band Banquet was this past Friday night.

The band director sent free banquet tickets for DD and me. I asked sonshine if he had a problem if I went.

His response?

"Of course not, Momma. You're the band mom and everyone would miss you if you didn't come."

Isn't that just so sweet from a 15-year-old boy??

And then he proceeded to earn the "Freshman Band Member of the Year" award.

I'm so glad I decided to go!

This year's drum major also told me that he's on course for being drum major as a junior or senior. Next year, he's first trumpet and section leader (mostly by default as the only other trumpet player is graduating, but hey).

Needless to say, I'm very proud of my boy.

Calorie Counting

2011-05-20T12:25:00.002-05:00

In a continuing effort to lose a few pounds, I have decided to calorie count. Which also means portion measuring.

After keying in certain facts (height, weight, age, level of exercise) into online tabulators, it has been determined that I need 1372 calories per day to lose one pound per week without adding exercise to the mix.

I started on Monday and have done pretty well so far. I went over by approximate 34 calories yesterday but was way under by about 300 the day before.

I have even been able to sneak a strawberry shake from Wendy's and a can of rootbeer in there, though not on the same day. I'm finally past the constant hungries and now just experience the occasional hungries. Like today. I'm trying to save up for dinner tonight as I'm attending the band banquet with my kid and I think he said we're having Mexican. I have 800 left for dinner at this point. Can I make it through the rest of the day--six and half hours--until dinner. Hot mint tea acts as somewhat of an appetite suppressant for me, so I'll probably be having a few cups of that between now and dinner. And I'll lose 12 calories a cup. But that's okay.

I do need to exercise though. I've extra-sedentary lately for some reason and my body has been griping at me.

I think after a couple of weeks and a real weight check on the scale, I may reduce my caloric intake by that 72 down to 1300 and see what happens.

As promised...

2011-05-17T14:47:00.006-05:00

My road trip to Austin to see my kid play with the band on the steps of the Capitol Building...

The video: you may recognized the tune if you're a fan of PBS.

And just a few pics...

Setting up:

The whole group after the fact:

Me and my kid on the south steps of the Texas State Capitol Building: