Progress. Or Not So Much Progress

Once again, writing and reading are coming last. I am still trying to finish Mansfield Park. Since it was a library book, kinda falling apart, and sort of a full-attention read, I didn't bring it along to S.C. I wouldn't have gotten much reading in anyway. I only read about twenty-five pages of the new Eloisa James novel. I was busy watching performances by my niece, reading stories, getting a makeover (by my niece), and having a pretend sleepover. And even now I'm having trouble finishing. I have only about forty or fifty pages left, but whenever I get the chance to read, I'm so tired, my eyes are falling closed. This weekend though, definitely. I'm going to finish it.

Writing has actually been going a little bettter. I hardly have any time for it, but I'm trying to squeeze in a half hour here and there, and it's almost as if the pressure has fallen away. I don't expect to accomplish much, so when I get some good editing time in, I'm actually very satified. My goal is to keep this up for the weekend. I'm hoping to decorate the house for Christmas (and deal with a hundred other things), so maybe I'll just sneak in to the computer every few hours and try to make a little progress. It's all I can hope for right now, I think. I knew it would come down to this--December is just crazy.

I took my son to the orthopedist today and his diagnosis was confirmed. The bright spot was that they trimmed down (cut in half) one of their padded slings that gets held in place with Velcro, and he seems to be much happier with this arrangement. Particularly because it's black (one of his favorite colors--think Darth Vader), and it doesn't have silly animals on it. There's a Velcro strap wrapped around his body in place of the Ace bandage (which I prefer, not having to deal with those little metal clips--whatever they're called). So today he's in a better mood. So I'm in a better mood.

Now...before my boys come running in, I'm going back to write (revise) for a few minutes. Have a great weekend!

Bad News

I spent the morning at the doctor's office with the little one, discovering that his arm is broken. He fell out of a hammock over Thanksgiving week and his brother landed on top of him. He complained and cried for a little bit, but we assumed it was just bruised and tried to be careful of it. But finally, I decided to make an appointment.

My son was it tip-top spirits through it all--even through the discovery of the break--until it was time to don the Ace bandage, wrapped around his chest and arm and the teeny, tiny little sling. Then he bawled, and it was so pitiful. He had all these ideas in his head that he'd suddenly become some sort of outcast, and that people wouldn't like him, wouldn't talk to him, would make fun of him.

Of course it didn't help that when I walked him into class they all swarmed around him. But it was actually sweet. They were all clearly concerned about him (and of course curious). Hopefully it goes well. He's supposed to keep the arm at a ninety-degree angle across his chest, but before I dropped him off, he was constantly using the arm in a sling as sort of handhold, thereby pulling it down.

Ugh. I dread tonight...

Ahhh...Charleston...Good Times!

I mentioned last week that I was giving my sister the first 100 or so pages of my WIP and that she'd promised to read it. Knowing I'd be ceaseless in my nagging, she read it while I was there, and even gave me a glowing (if somewhat facetious) review:

"A rip-roaring, rollicking good read! Quite an admirable second effort by this author, who with a little tweaking, could have a first-class book on her hands."

-Name Withheld, author of Help! My Younger Sister Holds a Grudge: Ten Annoying Childhood Memories Revisited

(For the gullible among you, she's not really an author. This is just a poke at me for remembering, and occasionally bringing up at family gatherings, a few best-forgotten aspects of my childhood. All I can say is that I'll do my best.)

But otherwise, even taking the facetiousness into account, that's almost a sparkling review! I'm very pleased.

Other highlights of the visit were this a re-enactment of Gretel von Trapp's young life:


And the creatively draining task of piecing together a vignette of crafted creations:

Hibernating with Books

I'm back from Charleston and knee-deep in laundry! Just to keep you all in the loop, we went with a preseasoned, 7 lb, turkey-in-a-bag, and it was de-licious! Really. I think it was the moistest, juiciest turkey I've ever had. And we didn't have to deal with seasoning it, or any of those weird turkey parts. Yahoo! I think I definitely would have missed having Thanksgiving without the turkey. And I'm definitely not a tofurkey girl.


I'll be posting pictures later on, but wanted to post about the wonderful surprises waiting for me at my post office boxes. First off, Enthusiasm came, and I am thrilled! I've read the first page (just for a little taste), and already I am loving it. Then I received an Advanced Reader Copy (a little late) of The Luxe , a tale of 1899 Manhattan by Ana Godbersen. And finally, two books from my RWA chapter pal (she sends me ARCS, and I review them for her online):
her third historical One Night With You--and if you haven't tried Sophie Jordan, I highly recommend her--and the first of her new paranormal series, Marked by Moonlight, written sans-psuedonym as Sharie Kohler.

I'll be visiting you all starting tomorrow. Right now I'm off to read the rest of Mansfield Park so I can get started on my stack of new goodies!

MIA

I made it through that last Thanksgiving meal, my kindergartener in paperbag vest (there you go, Stephanie!) and Indian headband. He ate fruit, crackers, and cheese. One mother decided to go all out and bring stuffing and cooked spinach (probably because her daughter is a vegetarian). She was the only one who ate that drippy, dark green mess--and only one other brave child tried the stuffing. My son didn't even try the miniscule sliver of pumpkin pie. And now, Thankgiving is but a day away, and we can't decide what the main course should be.

My sister doesn't much want to do a turkey, her husband wants to deep fry a turkey, I say we don't have to do meat at all if nobody wants it...but we're getting down to the wire here. We have to make a decision soon. That is, unless we want to go with my brother-in-law's other suggestion and go out to eat. I can't even really imagine that--I've never eaten Thanksgiving dinner any place other than in a family member's home. It will definitely be weird if we end up doing that.

My sister is currently reading the first portion of my WIP, and she's being very closed mouthed. I can't tell what she's thinking. She edited my first book, so this time around I told her not to nit-pick, just to give me overall impressions. We shall see... I'm not sure when though, because she also told me not to bug her about it or reading it will become a chore. She's a bit of tough cookie.

So far I've spent this week creating a vignette for my sister's new website...she's up on Etsy here, but her website is still a work-in-progress, and listening to my four-year-old niece. We watched the Sound of Music, and she pretended she was Gretel (the youngest von Trapp), and with her father, acted out the 'So Long, Fair Well' song, including being carried off to bed. She told me during the movie, 'This is like a preview of my life.' She's a riot.

I'll post again with the results of our Thanksgiving feast--Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Giving thanks...the week is almost over

Today was the 2nd in a series of three Thanksgiving feasts I have scheduled for this week. Yesterday I visited my son's school, and sat with my little one as he ate the packed lunch I sent from home (from 10:34-11:04), and then my older son as he ate the school's Thanksgiving dinner of chicken nuggets and pumpkin pie (from 11:34-12:04)...turkey was available.

Today, I worked and watched as the two year olds were presented with their plates and a medley of unfamiliar foods brought in by their friends. Some ate only the ham, some only the Goldfish crackers, and some loved the jelly sandwiches--we couldn't do peanut butter because one little boy is allergic. One kid actually asked what the little orange sticks were--evidently she's never seen carrots before. Everyone, however, loved the sugar cookies one mom brought in, frosted in green with a bright red and white peppermint decoration. They all had rosy pink fingers, mouths and noses after that--little Rudolphs a month and a half before Christmas! And then half of them (likely hopped up on the frosting) didn't want to nap, so it was like a big slumber party of two year olds. A couple were even talking about their painted toenails! Ugh! I'm exhausted today and fighting a headache.

Tomorrow is meal number three. My kindergartener's class is making pilgrim and Indian hats to wear to their Thanksgiving feast. My son is in charge of the ranch dressing to be used for carrot dipping. Hard to believe that first Thanksgiving could have been without the ranch. My son has already informed me he won't be eating the turkey. I think he's looking forward to the popcorn and pumpkin pie.

After this week, the big meal--the real deal next week should actually be relaxing. At least I hope so...

Back to Books!

I've noticed a marked decrease in my posts about books. I've also noted a marked decrease in my reading time, and my sleuthing skills hint that these two situations might possibly be related. I've now reached the point in Mansfield Park where I believe I stopped last time. This time I'm going for it. I'm definitely enjoying it, it's just difficult to squeeze in a few minutes of reading time here and there when the paragraphs span an entire page and the sentences are such that I lose track in the middle unless I approach them with studied concentration.

I already have big plans for my post-Mansfield Park reading. Next up on my list is Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman. First of all, I can't believe I missed this book the first time around--it was published in hardback in Feb. 2006, and I'm not sure how I came upon it this time around. The story of a couple of teens, avid Jane Austen fans, in love with the same boy, it promises to be exactly my cup of tea. Plus, it got a stellar endorsement from Stephenie Meyer and a starred review from Booklist.

I'd originally requested it from the library, and then waited, rather impatiently, for the previous patron to return it over a week late. By then I'd decided it'd probably end up being a keeper and so ordered from Amazon. I expected to get it last week, but they split my order and Enthusiasm, of course, shipped late. I still don't have it in my hot little hands, and let me tell you, the anticipation is BUILDING!

Reviews to follow...

Crazy Dreams

I have been a bad blogger. I've not been posting as much and not be visiting others' blogs as much, and consequently, I've not been getting my blogger emails--which I miss. Well, really, I miss all of it. I'm going to try to be better this week. My only plans are for three separate Thanksgiving luncheons (all school related--I don't get any turkey or pumpkin pie). I plan to write too.

So, foremost on my mind as the day draws to a close and bedtime approaches, is the fact that I've been having very disturbing dreams ever since last Wednesday. Last Wednesday, seeing as my house was in as immaculate a condition as it ever gets, I invited a few friends over for a lunch together. Admittedly, I still had to spend the morning tidying up seeing as my family can't keep a house neat for more than a few days at a time.

We had a really good time, and I thought that was that. I figured the next time I had people over would probably not be until sometime into the new year. (That's how infrequent I invite people over). Well that night, and every night since, I have awoken thinking people are in my house for some reason or another, whether because I'm hosting some event, giving a tour, or just having friends over.

So I wake up, in a panic that people are wandering around my house while I'm sleeping, scramble out of bed, quickly try to tidy things up, and then wander around trying to find them as they've (obviously) given me the slip. Last night I even checked the door locks, just to confirm I was dreaming.

THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!! Am I that freaked out about having people in my home that this is my subconscious' way of warning me off any further invitations??? I shudder to think what tonight's dream might be.

The Premiere

Ahhh...the Christmas season. Supposedly filled with festive, good-spirited cheer, I'm sorry to say that holiday shopping really brings out the beast in some people. Today I made my yearly trek to the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker Market, an shopping event held every year here in the Bayou City. It starts Thursday and ends Sunday, but my MIL INSISTS that we all get there when it opens on Thursday morning at ten. We, being my mom, my MIL, and me.

Traffic is a mess, parking is way out, lines are L-O-N-G, and these women are push-y! You would seriously not believe. It's like a cattle drive: ladies weighed down with purses and purchases, going with the flow or fighting up-river. Women in kitten heels and leather pants and feathered sweaters and anything else you can imagine, all crammed into a convention center type space (not the enormous George R. Brown Convention Center that hosts the annual quilt show, but still). Women wander around with no sense of direction, no concept of where their belongings begin and end, sipping bloody marys and sampling the rather stunning array of holiday food items laid out for a taste. In the background are rotating children's choirs and the raucous, boistrous cacophony of women's voices.

Just writing about it gives me the heebee-jeebees. It's really rather amazing that I make the trek back every year--it's so not me. But I do. And every year I find that special something that I would never have found anywhere else.

But I'm not crazy. If the line's too long, I pass it up. If the price isn't right, I keep on walking. But some of these ladies will stand in a thirty minute line for restaurant spaghetti sauce or Houston-famous tamales. Not me. I've been going to this event for fifteen years--I no longer have stars in my eyes. Now I just want to get in and get out. The pushy crowds have ruined for me. But still, I go.

And tonight, I suffer. Like an idiot, I wore boots, parked off-site, hoofed it in, through the market, and then back. Aaaiii, it hurts...

Romances for the Young Modern

I was in the library yesterday checking out Mansfield Park for the second time. I only got halfway through last time, and it was months ago, so I'm starting over. On my way out, I noticed the display in the entryway that gets rotated every couple of weeks or so. It was chock-full of fifties romances for the 'young modern'. Romances for those women inspired by Rosie the Riveter to work outside the home, delving into all manner of womanly professions.

My favorite title was Sue Takes Up Psychotherapy, but there were all sorts of respectable professions represented: teaching, copy-editing, catering, advertising. I actually giggled, pouring as I was over the titles and pictures on the covers of these old-fashioned romances. And as soon as I got to my car, I jotted down a few notes so as not to forget this curious little experience.

When I got home, I Googled 'young moderns' and actually hit on a woman who blogs about them, reviewing the ones in her own collection: Career Romances for Young Moderns. She has this to say about them:

'...because these were career romances, the books usually ended when the women gleefully give up their career for a man. The books paint a hilarious picture of a business world that's thankfully out-of-date. They're a little hard to come by today, but can be found in used bookstores and online.'

I'd actually like to get my hands on one of these, just to see.

I'm no Beck, but I aspire to be...someday

I'm always so inspired by Beck's foodie posts (she also hosts a Kitchen Party on the Canadian Urban Mom site). I want to try new recipes and be that mom who's always got a casserole in the oven and a yummy dessert to finish out the meal. I want to the Martha Stewart of League City, churning out adorable cupcakes and awe-inspiring decorations in a fraction of the time she and her staff must spend. And I'd probably try my hand at it if it weren't for a couple of little road blocks.

The biggest among them is the fact that I've decided to focus my spare time on my writing--to give it a shot and see where it leads. Maybe after a while the frustration will get to me, but not yet. So for now, my partner in crime is the computer, rather than the stove. Another impediment to my culinary exploration is my family. They're very picky. I've posted my husband's many and varied Fear-Factoresque food aversions, and the two boys are about on par with that. Then there's my own squeamishness over starting something--and paying for something--that's just going to end up in the trash. So you can see why we rotate the same fifteen or so meals through our monthly menus.

But!...last week I did try a new recipe. I made Ginger Pear Muffins from scratch!

And...wait for it...nobody in my house liked them.

So I took the whole bag of remaining muffins to my mom's house, and it seems my grandmother loves them! Success!

Next experimentation scheduled for two months hence.

Whirlwind

Thanks to everyone who offered me some advice on my little dilemma. I'm happy to say that my critique partner responded to my confused email with some very specific, helpful advice, so I think next week, I'll be ready to hit it again. Yay!

Until then, I'm busy. This week has been crazy! It's like I've crammed my entire social calendar for November into one single week. Kindergarten Pumpkin Fest party, trick-or-treating, working (I consider that social), teacher stuff (which I didn't find out about until recently--there are actual lesson plans, a bulletin board contest, etc...), the quilt show, which was today, my sons' school carnival, which is tomorrow and for which I'm setting up the fishing booth, company at my parents house and my dad's birthday tomorrow... Yikes! But after tomorrow, I'm relatively free.


So today, I'm just going to post a few of the fabulous quilts we saw today at the largest quilt festival in the world--and trust me, it's VERY large. We were there for six hours and still didn't see everything.