Writerly Ramblings

Thoughts on Election Night

2008-11-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry I've been neglecting this blog. I've been working a lot of overtime at work and I'm so tired. Today's Beautiful Thing is about all I can handle lately. Anyway, Barbara Samuel asked for election stories on her blog and this is what I wrote:

Living in a red county and being surrounded by McCain/Palin and “Yes on 8″ signs in my neighborhood, my husband and I were thrilled to be invited to an election night party given by the county Democratic party. The party started at 8 PM and we were running a little late, so they actually called the election when we were in the car on our way there!

We just couldn’t believe it was called so early–just a few minutes after 8 PM. When the DJ made the announcement, we were speechless. We honestly didn’t think we’d win this time, fearful the election was going to be stolen from us again. I think I just said, “No. Is this for real?” and burst into tears. My husband cranked up the dial, muttering, “What? What!” It wasn’t until the DJ played a clip of Wolf Blitzer announcing, “Barack Obama is the president-elect” that it started sinking in. Then we saw the restaurant decorated in bunting and red, white & blue balloons and we heard the crowd cheering from the second story balcony and we broke into big dopey grins–and more tears for me. It was really real!

We found a space and, on our way through the parking garage, people spotted my Obama/Biden T shirt and honked and cheered and we cheered back. The restaurant was packed and happy people filled the second story courtyard. It was too crowded for everyone to get in, but they’d set up 2 huge screens and we watched Obama’s speech outside, under the stars. I don’t normally like crowds, but was a wonderful thing to watch Barack’s perfect speech with a crowd of people of all ages and races–we wouldn’t have gotten that at home in front of the TV.

It was a particularly beautiful experience for me to meet older African Americans, who had been through so much in their lives, and to share their joy. We cheered and screamed “Yes we can!” and “Yes we did!” in unison looking to each other, shiny-eyed and smiling, as he spoke. It was the best feeling to be in that crowd.

It didn’t even matter that we couldn’t get into the party, I’m so glad we went. I’ll never forget November 4, 2008.

Yes we DID!

Obma Vs. McCain Tax Calculator

2008-10-15T21:28:00.001-07:00

DO you know the differences in the tax rebates you'd get between Obama and McCain's plans? Well, now you do! Try it! As for us, under Obama, we'll get an additional $1,000 in tax cuts. Under McCain, we'll get $0. In fact, if we had 2 children, we'd save $120 under mcCain. How is this fair? The majority of our property taxes fund local schools, which I have nothing against (even though I'll never have children to use them), but I'll be damned if I'm giving up my tax cut so a rich guy can have it. Fair is fair! My husband and I work very hard, we deserve a little help too.

Please Watch

2008-10-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

I've been away for a while and I apologize. Truth be told, everything that's been happening with our economy was something many of us have seen coming for a long time. The Republicans (including McCain) deregulated us into this disaster. It's terribly depressing and makes many of us feel hopeless. That's where I've been, lost in a gloomy, hopeless place, but I'm clawing my way out.

Anyway, if you're even considering voting for McCain, please watch this vido clip. It's very short. And thank you.

Hope is on the way!

2008-08-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

To borrow a phrase from John Edwards 2004 run for President, Hope is on the way! Day 1 of the DNC was today and I rushed home from work to watch it. Someday I am going to the DNC. It looks so exciting. :) In honor of those who have the audacity to hope, here are some hope quotes for the day:

"Great hopes make great men." -- Thomas Fuller

"True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings." -- William Shakespeare

"A comforting acquaintance, hope, a contagious thing like spring, inebriating like lager." -- Sylvia Ashton-Warner

"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope." -- Martin Luther

May you all have a hopeful tomorrow.

Obama/Biden '08

2008-08-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled that Barack Obama chose Joe Biden as his running mate. I think they will compiment eachother very nicely. Great decision on Obama's part. Yeah!

Thursday Things VIII

2008-08-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

1) I'm waiting on pins and needles to find out who Obama has chosen as his running mate! (Yes. I am a political geek.)

2) I have been using the exact same hair color for the last 16 years. (Hey, if it ain't broke...)

3) I've always wanted to learn to oil paint. (Water colors are pretty, but you have to do them quickly & spontaneously, and I'm too much of a perfectionist for that.)

4) I like the idea of reincarnation. I think it's cool that I could have lived many different kinds of lives, trying each of them on for size. (I'm not sure if I believe in it, but anything's possible.)

Quizzy

2008-08-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Just for fun... I stole this from Barb. She and I got similar results. :) What did you get? Click and find out. :)

Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...

NBPS - The Idealist

Nature, Background, Big Picture, and Shape

You perceive the world with particular attention to nature. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on nature, you tend to find comfort in more subdued settings and find energy in solitude. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy

Thoughts on RWA National

2008-08-09T22:24:00.001-07:00

I've been exhausted all week! I don't travel much and the trip and preparation took a lot out of me. The two 11 hour bus rides and getting barely any sleep each night in between them didn't help much either!

I didn't do many workshops this time. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there were many fine offerings and great speakers, but since my immediate goal is completing one of my manuscripts and getting out of my rut, only a few of them pertained to me. I'm avoiding the business/publishing end of writing like the plague. I just don't need to think about such things right now. I did attend a few, plus the Ritas, a luncheon and a short bit of the literacy signing, and I did get my conference handouts on CD, so I'm glad I signed up for the conference and I feel I got my money's worth.

I did see friends. Lots and lots of friends. Some I've known for years, some I only met this year, but all wonderful women who I enjoyed spending time with.

I'm even getting better in crowds, so I didn't have a total introvert-meltdown like I did in Reno, which is great. I'm getting to know my limits better, and knew when it was time to go off by myself for a while on Friday afternoon before I got sick. Yay me! It helped, too, that I was surrounded by friends who I know better now, so less awkwardness for a shy girl.

All in all, National was a wonderful experience and I can't wait to go to the next one. Not sure if I can afford to do DC next year (though Michele insists we are going) but I guess it's time to start saving now if I hope to, just in case.

National Pix

2008-08-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

What was I thinking? A small purse seemed like a good idea when I was packing, but it meant that I often left my camera in our hotel room. I came home with 12 photos. Twelve! And only a handful of them are any good. Oh well. Everyone else was taking pictures, and I'm sure they will share. :) Here are my favorites. You can click on any of them for a larger view. :)

Here's an adorable photo of Katy, Michele, and Robin (the fantastic children's author, R.L. LaFevers) Thursday night. Seriously. Have you seen three more beautiful smiles, all in one place? My girls are radiant!

Here's a nice photo of our dinner group Friday night. Sorry Kathy. L to R: the fabulously talented author Christine Merrill (yes! She brought cheese curds!), PASIC finalist Corrina Lavitt (who brought booze), Kathy (behind Cory), Jill (who brought me a birthday present!), Pat (in back. A talented jewelry maker and writer), Michele (my CP), Tenaya (a new cherry friend) & me.

Jill & Michele who played tourist all week while we went to workshops. Check out the tattooed "sleeves" on Jill's shirt. She turned many heads at Fisherman's Wharf that day:

Saturday night: PASIC finalist, the wonderful author Katy Cooper in a fabulous dress, befitting one of her fantasy heroines:

More Rita night pix: Tenaya and Michele in black:

The back of Michele's gown had the prettiest details:

Katy & me at the "after party" in our room, which was party central this year:

I had an amazing time in San Francisco. I wish I could have stayed a couple more days, but I was happy to get home to my little family.

Back from National

2008-08-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back! I am so tired. We had a lot of fun. I was just surfing the net and unwinding (after I waded through 157 unread e-mails-- ugh!) and found a picture of Michele and me HERE. How cool is that? Thanks, Dee. It was so great to finally meet you in person. :) Once I upload my pictures, I'll be sure to post some too.

On Saturday night, Esri Rose asked if she could take a picture of my shoes for the Shoe Revue on her BLOG. (Note: The pics aren't posted yet.) I am quite fond of my black satin rose bedecked strappies, so I said, "Sure!" After she snapped the photo, she asked me what it would say about my heroine if she wore them. I'm shy and being clever on the spot with a new person wasn't possible, so I told her to let her readers decide. Later, of course, I had an answer for each of my three favorite heroines. Oh well.

I also found a nice picture of my friends Susan and Harry HERE. I ran Harry when I first arrived at the literacy signing, fresh off the bus after an 11 hours on the road. He didn't even tell me I looked like hell. :) Harry is the nicest guy and I am always glad to see him. Two days later, I happened upon his lovely wife Susan (and her gorgeous new shoes) at the Rita dessert reception. She gave me some very nice advice about turning 40 and writing and I'm so glad I ran into her. She is a fabulous writer, mentor, and all-around good person and I admire her very much.

I feel like writing!

Edited to add: I found this BLOG where Olivia (I don't know her but she seems lovely) posted photos of Grace Cathedral. I neglected to bring my camera when we went there Thursday morning and I'm grateful for Olivia's photos. Thank you, Olivia. :)

Off I go...

2008-07-29T23:39:00.000-07:00

...in about 8 hours anyway. Yikes! I better get to sleep. :) Michele and I are leaving on a 7:40 bus, but we have to get there an hour before. And I have to drive an hour to get to her. :) We'll take lots of pictures while we're there and I'll post them when I get back. Be good, or at least, be yourself. I promise to do the same.

San Francisco, here we come!

Getting Ready

2008-07-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for RWA National in San Francisco. Yup! Michele and I are traveling together for the second time, and are rooming with Chris and Cory for the second time as well. Chris, Cory, Betsy and I did the roomie thing at the Crusie Con last October too, so we really do have this four-ladies-in-a-room routine down pat. It's honestly not as crowded or hectic as it sounds. You just have to be good friends who are easygoing and flexible. Having a great sense of humor is a plus. While the Cory, Michele and I do have that, Chris has enough for all four of us. Chris also feeds us Wisconsin Cheese curds, kringles, and knows the importance of Diet Coke. We love Chris! Cory sometimes brings baked goods but always brings booze. We love Cory too! :)

I went clothes shopping this weekend and bought some new jeans and tops. I couldn't believe the bargains I got at Ross. I love Ross. Michele also hit Ross, Marshall's and Suzie's Deals and did just as good as I did. Seriously, why does anyone pay full price for anything? We got half price lunches, dinners and treats. Coupons, coupons, coupons. How much do I love thee?

I can't wait for Wed morning. True, the alarm is going to be ringing at an ungodly hour, and the bus ride is going to be way too long, but when I get to spend 10 hours talking with my best friend, and I'm meeting up with a bunch more of my closest friends when I arrive, and we get to spend most of our time talking about writing, I can't think of a better way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Yay for friendship! Yay for writing! Yay for hubbies who tell you to go to San Francisco!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. I sure did. Not as good as next weekend will be, but not bad at all.

Thursday Things VII

2008-07-24T21:39:00.001-07:00

I've been away a while. Sorry. Turning 40 requires much reflection. At least it did for me. Of course, I update Today's Beautiful Thing every day, but I don't really know if a couple of sentences counts as actual "blogging." At least it helps me to remember that life really is beautiful, in small ways every single day. Actually, Today's News is BIG. It's part of where I've been. Check it out.

And now on to something easy--Thursday Things! And Away we go:

1) I hate celery. Even one itty bitty piece of it in my salad and the whole bowl tastes like it. Ruined! Which is especially awful for me because I love a crisp green salad.

2) I watch CNN like a fiend and I listen to political talk radio too. (I know, I know. What a geek!)

3) I still remember a few moves from a tap dance class I took when I was like 8. I quit because the teacher wanted each of us to dance by ourselves in front of the class. I don't think so! But I can shuffle-hop-toe all night with my niece, who is taking tap dance & ballet class right now. :)

4) I dug out my old manuscript, read all the rewrites and notes (warts and all) I'm in love with it all over again. This is my decade to finish it and get it published. My 40's are going to be great. Who knew? ;)

If you miss the faux pearls, you get the ducks

2008-07-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

I'm just sitting here letting my mind wander, reminiscing about the last decade of my life. I've been thinking a lot about my thirties in the last few months, but especially tonight--the eve of my fortieth birthday. (Damn, that's hard to type.) I found myself googling thirty, thirty-nine, the thirties, and thirty-something. I found a bunch of clips from the old TV series, Thirty-Something on You Tube and chose one at random. Funny how it wasn't a random choice at all. I'll always try to remember to appreciate the two minute increments of my life, and try not to fret over missing out on the pearls. I hope all of you will do the same. Enjoy!

Countdown

2008-07-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Oh! It worked! What fun. So bright and cheery. How could turning 40 possibly be depressing with a countdown clock that looks like that?

Edited to add: No. Your eyes are not deceiving you. I'm scooting the countdown clock up as I go along. I don't want it to run off the bottom of the page. :)

ETA II: Oh! One more day!

Thursday Things VI

2008-07-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

1) My lucky number is 4.

2) I'm afraid of doctors, but dentists are ok.

3) I've been robbed at gunpoint three times, within three months time.

4) My birthday is in less than a week.

Last week was hectic with the wedding cake and work has been very stressful, so that's all I've got.

Hope everyone has a happy Thursday!

Celebration

2008-07-06T01:33:00.000-07:00

Here's what the cake looked like after it was all set up. Kristin and Joe were very pleased with it, so I was too. Nighty night.

Edited to Add this morning: Here's a pic of Mom and me with the cake. (Not a good photo of Mom at all but at least I have one.) The wedding was at a Winery and the reception was in the "Barrel Room." The atmosphere was really unique and the cake table was made of a huge wine barrel with a round piece of glass on top. Pretty cool, huh?

My camera died last night, so I'll have to rely on family to send more pix.

Ribbon & Crystal-Tipped Pins

2008-07-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Kristin wanted black ribbon around the cake and simple polka dots. I wanted to do something to jazz it up. Her sister, Staci, had these long, crystal-tipped pins in the table decorations at her reception and I took some. (In retrospect, I wish I would have taken more.) One night, I stared at the pins wondering what I could do with them and it hit me. Pin the ribbon in front with these pretty pins. Kristin's cake top is crystal, after all.

I have two pins and the florist is going to get me some more. (Let's hope she does, cuz don't they look pretty?) The florist is going to add hot pink roses as well. Hopefully, I'll be there to help her because I wasn't wild about how she placed the rose petals on Staci's cake and I certainly don't want her pinning the ribbon on.

Note: Please ignore the ugly cardboard and messy bottom of the cake. The cake will be lifted off the cardboard, stacked on top of the next largest cake, and the bottom border will be added at the reception hall.

Wedding Cake Round 2

2008-07-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

9 layers baked: check. (Only used 8)
Cakes trimmed: check.
Strawberries sliced: check.
Fudge filling spread: check.
Layers stacked and filled: check.
Sides filled, evened and crumb-coated: check.
Pretty board made: check.
Icing mixed till it's smooth as silk: check.

I'm all ready to start frosting Kristin's wedding cake. Don't tell her I made it square. I want it to be a surprise. :)

Thursday Things V

2008-07-03T20:49:00.001-07:00

1) I'm an only child and was never lonely. In fact, the term "lonely only" makes absolutely no sense to me. You can't miss what you never had.

2) I am terrified of spiders and bees. I'd rather run into a snake or a bear in the woods than a swarm of bees or a tarantula.

3) I couldn't do low carb if my life depended on it. I'm so grateful that low carb is all hype and eating a balanced diet with all 4 food groups is healthier.

4) I'd rather have dessert than alcohol.

Fire & Ice Discussion in the Book Club

2008-06-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

Calling all Anne Stuart readers! This week's Cherry Forums Book Club is for you! Please join us July 1-7 for a discussion on Anne Stuart's Fire and Ice, the 5th book in her ICE romantic suspense series. If you haven't had a chance to read Fire and Ice yet, you may still ask Anne (AKA Krissie) a question, please visit the Ask an Author thread HERE and post one. She's a great participant and always answers our questions thoroughly. If you're not a member, it's quick and painless to sign up. I promise. Hope to see you there! :)

Thursday Things IV

2008-06-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

1) Red is my favorite color, (no surprise, right?) but my favorite color to wear is black.

2) I know nothing of fancy name brands, designers or high-end department stores. I'd much rather shop in a funky little boutique and spend my money on one-of-a-kind items or antiques that call to me.

3) I actually prefer the taste of diet soda to the regular variety, as well as Equal in my iced tea. Equal trumps Sweet & Low and Spenda hands down. (That being said, you may find #4 surprising.)

4) I have a huge sweet tooth and cake is my favorite thing. Gimme a huge slab of white, chocolate, carrot or any other kind of cake and I am a happy camper, but please don't put whipped cream frosting on it. I want sugary buttercream, fudge, cream cheese or any other kind of icing instead. Whipped cream icing makes my stomach sick.

5) If I had a week off, all to myself, I'd probably never leave the house--and that would suit me just fine. :)

RIP George Carlin

2008-06-22T23:19:00.000-07:00

For the second time in two weeks a famous person has died of a heart attack. I will miss George Carlin's attitude and insightful wit. Rest in peace, my friend.

Because Everybody's Doing it!

2008-06-19T22:42:00.000-07:00

Take the Fashion Test

Here's what I got:

Catwalk God(ess)
52% Flamboyance, 69% Originality, 66% Deliberateness, 64% Sexiness

[Flamboyant Original Deliberate Sexy]

You know fashion inside out but you're far from being its slave. To you fashion is what you decide to wear. You've got great, if unconventional, taste and plenty of courage to put your ideas into practice, which inspires admiration; but few have guts to copycat you. I suppose it doesn't worry you because to you originality counts. You are self-confident, perhaps even arrogant, and consider a day wasted when no one gives you an interested or shocked look. Great job.

The opposite style from yours is Librarian [Tasteful Conventional Random Prissy].

Thursday Things III

2008-06-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

1. I love coffee flavored things, but I can't drink coffee.

2. I'd rather cook, grocery shop, do dishes, and laundry than clean the house. Unfortunately, it shows.

3. I love overly sweet, "garlicky" and spicy foods, but I don't like salty, sour, creamy or bitter foods.

4. I believe in love at first sight, but I think it's rare. I just so happened to fall in love with my husband the moment I saw him.

5. My hair's been brown, black and red, but it's never been blond. And I doubt it ever will be.

To make you smile

2008-06-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

I have a new friend on my other blog, so I stopped by his blog to check it out. He posted this video clip of William Shatner and Joe Jackson and it really lifted my spirits this evening. I just thought I'd share it. Don't they sound great together? I'd totally go see them. Can't you just picture them at a smokey little club? What a great night out that would be. For now, we can enjoy the clip:

Good Things on June 14th

2008-06-14T21:31:00.001-07:00

Congratulations go out to four very special women, for two very different reasons.

Congratulations Jenny & Mollie on the birth of your first granddaughter and daughter, the precious little pixie, Calliope. Callie will, no doubt, grow to be a wonderful woman with your influence, love, and guidence. May every day forward be as joyous as today.

Congratulations to Sheri & Kristin on day of Kristin's graduation from college. Sheri, you raised a wonderful, caring, smart woman who chose a noble profession, nursing. She will, no doubt, touch many lives in the future with her loving care. I'm told she already has. I watched Kristin receive her BS online today and I cheered from my desk chair.

I hope all of you had a lovely day today!

RIP Tim Russert

2008-06-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

I just can't believe it! I was listening to Randi Rhodes on the radio--just now--and she announced that Tim Russert had a heart attack and died today. He was only 58. I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Russert speak at a women's conference a couple of years ago and he was warm and funny and real, just like he comes across on TV. My heart goes out to his family and colleagues. Sunday morning will never be the same without him on Meet The Press.

Vaya con Dios, Tim.

Thursday Things II

2008-06-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

1) I have three half-sisters. I met A & K only once during a two-day visit, the other one (S) I've met twice. My dad also adopted a little boy (R) about 5 years ago. I met R once on the same two-day visit when I met A & K for the first time. S had come to visit me for a long weekend a few years before. S is getting married this summer and I would love to go. S and I have the most in common.

2) My husband and I met when I was 16 and he was 18. We have been together ever since.

3) I took a speed-reading class in junior high and I can read very fast, but I tend to read slower when I'm really enjoying a book. I Like to make a good book last.

4) My three favorite places on earth are: Gorga, Spain & Florence, Italy & my house. I love my little house.

5) I'd sooner give up meat than cheese. I love cheese in all its forms--except that fake cheeze Danish kind, American cheese and Velveeta Cheese. Well, ALMOST all its forms, anyway. :)

Thursday Things I

2008-06-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday Thirteens were just too much for me, so I stole the Thursday Things idea from Jennifer. From what I've been able to gather from her blog, Thursday Things is a short list of things you may not know about me. I invite you all to play along. Sounds harmless, right?

1) I have never been to Hawaii. And I have no desire to. (No offense if you live there, but I get enough palm trees here and I haven't visited CA beaches in years.)

2) In my adult life I have only moved two times.

3) I can't take naps longer than 15 minutes or I wake up groggy, sick to my stomach, and pretty much no good to anyone for the rest of the day.

4) I have known since I was 4 years old that I'd never have children.

5) I had a mohawk in high school.

Life Catches Up to You

2008-05-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so scarce. I seem to be saying that a lot lately. Life catches up to you sometimes and you just have to ride it out. With my 40th birthday looming on the (not so distant) horizon, I've gone through various thoughts and feelings since my 39th. As I've written in my profile, this year has been about making positive changes. Some I've made, some I haven't (yet!) and some I'm struggling to keep up with.

The big four-oh... Wow. Funny how you never quite imagine how hard something is going to hit you until you finally (nearly) get there. My 30th hit me really hard too (really hard) but a lot of good came out of my 30's, and I expect nothing less of my 40's!

I like the person I am, I like my life, and I intend to make my 40's about making positive changes for the future. The hubby and I plan on remodeling the house (we've decided to stay here, rather than move) and make it work for us and our lifestyle. I've decided to complete my BA degree, complete my novels, and pursue anything else that interests me. Since reaching this age, we've made the final decision that our feet are firmly planted in the "no kids" camp, so we are going to do all the things we've always wanted to do. We're living our lives for ourselves and each other and we feel really positive about it.

So, as forty approaches, I am trying to put it all in the proper perspective. Bear with me, it'll probably take me up until that big day to get there, but I will.

Scary Stuff, People!

2008-05-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Please watch this very short You Tube video:

Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, you really need to think twice about who you're voting for!

To Kill a Mockingbird

2008-05-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

We're having a discussion May 1-7, 2008 on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in the book club I moderate and it's off to a slow start! I know there's a lot of people out there who have been touched by this wonderful novel and I invite you all to stop by and join the discussion HERE.

I promise we won't bite. We are a very nice bunch! :)

Staci & Brandon Cut the cake

2008-04-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

Told ya Staci wanted it decorated very simply. But it made her happy, so I'm happy too. Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs!

We're getting somewhere now!

2008-04-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

Yup. All iced. There's not much left to do. (The design is v simple.) The most interesting thing left is structural. She wants all thee cakes stacked instead of separated by pillars and plates which is easier. I have to put wooden dowel rods in the larger two cakes to help support the weight of the smaller two. :) Who knew cake decorators were a little bit like architects? Kewl.

2008-04-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

Three very tall cakes leveled, filled, trimmed and ready for icing. My fabulous red Kitchaid mixer made this job a (wait for it!) piece of cake. (Oh, stop groaning!)

Off to ice the cakes...

What I've been working on

2008-04-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry, it's not my novel--though that will come soon!--it's my cousin's wedding cake. For the last couple of weeks, I've been obsessed with buying ingredients, supplies, and baking cake layers. Oh, and what I'm going to wear too, of course!

The bride, Staci, was a flower girl in my wedding! Now, we do tend to get married v young in my family, but it still makes me feel a teeny weeny bit old. Her sister, Kristin, two years her senior (and another of my flower girls) is getting married in July as well. So, we'll do wedding cake, take II then.

Anyway, here's all 7 layers of the cake as they looked this morning (above). The layer that was batter in the pan is now ready to come out of the oven. I'll work on leveling and filling the other sizes while that one cools--hopefully v quickly since it's too big to fit in my fridge which would help speed up the cooling process!

For those of you wondering why there are 7 cake layers, it's because I couldn't get a thicker cake pan for the bottom layer. Both the 8" & 12" cakes were baked in 3" depth pans, but my 16" pan is only 2".

And the photo below is how they looked all trimmed and with two of them stacked. Cake's gonna be tall!

Me & Elise

2008-04-13T22:07:00.000-07:00

The cutest child in all the world. I'm not biased. No sirree!

Meme

2008-04-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is the laziest way to get back into posting, but oh well. I found this meme on Barb Ferrer's Blog and I decided to consider myself tagged. Do the same if you wish.

You’re feeling: Tired

To your left: Stack of RWR & Bark mags, a photo of my protagonist, assorted gifts I'm wondering where to return or re-gift, post its, sun glasses, conference notes, notes on the WIP...

On your mind: I really need to get back to writing. I'm really sad that I'm not writing daily. I need to pay the bills tonight. I'm in the mood for ice cream and I wish we had a flavor other than my husband's favorite rocky road, which I think is boring.

Last meal included: Spaghetti with meat sauce (made with ground turkey), a crisp green salad with Wishbone Salad Spritzers and a piece of "garlic bread" (toast with a couple of sprays of I can't Believe It's Not Butter, garlic powder and Italian herbs) Yeah, I'm on a diet. It was quite good.

You sometimes find it hard to: Clean the house. I have no interest in it. And when it's gets too dirty, I don't know where to start and it stresses me out.

The weather: Dark, about 65 degrees.

Something you have a collection of: Cherry items, writing books, Native American Wedding Vases...

A smell that cheers you up: Choc Chip cookies baking, cinnamon, bread baking... baking smells in general...

A smell that can ruin your mood: Something burning, the smell of old grease, greasy food cooking in the morning nauseates me.

How long since you last shaved: 24 hours ago

The current state of your hair: it's down, the top held back by sunglasses

The largest item on your desk/workspace (not computer): All in one Printer/Fax/Scanner/Copier

Your skill with chopsticks: Non-existent

Which sections you head for first in a bookstore: Romance, Fantasy, New Releases, Bargain Books

Something you’re craving: Chocolate cake with cream cheese icing, nachos

Your general thoughts on the presidential race: I wish the super delegates would nominate Gore/Edwards. I think everyone is sick of Obama and Clinton.

How many times have you been hospitalized this year: None.

Favorite place to go for a quiet moment: My home. It's my refuge.

You’ve always secretly thought you’d be a good: Teacher- High school or Junior College.

Something that freaks you out a little: the thought of dying without finishing my novels.

Something you’ve eaten too much of lately: Easter candy that's still lingering around the office.

You have never: learned to drive a stick shift.

You never want to: stop being true to myself.

Tag! You're it if you want to be...

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't been posting as regularly as I usually do. A few things have been going on (unexpected company, preparing for a couple of family weddings, work stress & life in general) and I've been a slacker.

Also, these last few weeks have been trying diet-wise. A couple of weeks ago, the needle on the scale went up for the first time since last July. Ouch. After a couple of weeks of zero pounds lost, I've been fluctuating back and forth 2 or 3 pounds. I know I couldn't possibly keep losing and gaining 2-3 pounds and a lot of it is water, but it's depressing just the same. My total pounds lost had gotten up to 36 pounds (19 to go!) and now I'm going back between 34 and 36 for the last couple of days. I think I'm just going to enjoy our Easter dinner and goodies today, and wait till my usual day (next Sunday) to weigh myself. I've been good for such a long time. I'm going to cut myself a little slack.

How are all of you? Please tell me; I'd like to know.

I'm posting a picture of the silly little Easter cake I made for the in-law's dinner. I hope you all have a lovely evening.

Happy Leap Year Day!

2008-02-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Leap Year Day, everyone! I have no idea why the thought of Leap Year Day tickles me so, but it seriously does. I think it would be way cool to have a Leap Year Day birthday. Anyone out there celebrating one?

I was born on a leap year, the hubby and I met on a leap year, and we were married on a leap year! I remember because we had our engagement party on Friday, October 4, 1991. Our wedding was on Sunday, October 4, 1992. This year is our 16th anniversary. 16 is a significant number for us since we dated 8 years before we were married. This year we'll officially be married twice as long as we dated, and just as many years as I lived my life before I met my hubby.

So, leap years are cool. Leap years are lucky. Happy Leap Year Day and Happy Leap Year to you all.

(Cute pic courtesy of this site.)

More Scarcity

2008-02-24T22:55:00.000-08:00

Still scarce, but I think I'm starting to feel better. Sunday is weigh day and guess what? I lost 3 more pounds! Finally! The last few weeks have been very slow.

I've lost 35 pounds total since last July now. Last night, a couple of people asked me if I was done losing weight now, which made me feel really good. I've got 20 to go to reach my goal. Yippee!

Today's 400th Beautiful Thing

2008-02-20T21:19:00.000-08:00

Today's Beautiful Thing, my other Blog, is celebrating it's 400th post today! I hope you'll stop by and visit me over there on those days you need a little pick-me-up. :)

Scarce

2008-02-19T21:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry still so scarce (Say that five times fast!) but I still have the blahs. Weekend was busy. Hubby had oral surgery and Ace hurt his paw. So, I basically played nurse and got no writing done. Sigh.

The good news is that I haven't gained any weight back since I started dieting in July. I've had a few weeks where I lost a half a pound or nothing, but haven't gained. It's slowed down considerably, but I've still lost 32 pounds. Unless I start being more vigilant about every calorie I eat and start exercising every day again, I won't make my goal of 23 more pounds (exactly a pound a week at this point) by my birthday in July, but I'm cool with it. I'll aim for 15 by then, and 23 by the end of the year and I'll be very happy with that. I could have gained 32 pounds since July very, very easily. So, I'll take a 32 pound loss. Oh, yeah!

RIP Tom Lantos

2008-02-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

I was suprised and saddened to learn this morning that CA Representative Tom Lantos,the first and only Holocaust survivor to be elected to congress, passed away on Monday. I've watched Mr. Lantos on CSPAN for many hours over the years and I admire his work on behalf of our country, as well as for people suffering around the world.

His memorial service was on TV tonight, and I watched it from start to finish, amazed at the people who spoke on his behalf: congressmen, world leaders, even Bono! But I was most impressed by his wife, children and grandchildren. Their eloquent words were delivered with poise and dignity. His granddaughter, Charity, sang the most incredible song in his honor. It gave me goosebumps. His wife Annette, also a Holocaust survivor, spoke of their 70 year love affair and there wasn't a dry eye in the house--or in mine.

It makes me sad to realize that Tom Lantos no longer walks this earth, but there are a few ways we can pay tribute to him every day. Remember to stand up for people who have no voice. Remember to love your family. Remember to lend a hand to those in need. Remember that sometimes we have to fight, fight, and keep on fighting for what's right and just. Finally, remember to enjoy life to the fullest--Tom sure did.

Rest in Peace Tom Lantos

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's Valentines Day and I wish all of you beautiful day. We don't have any plans this year, and I'm fine with that. I bought my honey a card and some candy and he'll bring me home something after work and we'll figure out what to do about dinner. We probably won't fight the Valentines Day restaurant crowd this year, but I'm sure we'll pick up something. We're having dinner with some good friends on Saturday. They moved far, far away and are back in town, so we're happy about that. I made goodie bags for everyone in my department at work and bought mom a little gift. We always exchange them. :)

NOW sent me this quiz today and I was surprised that I only got 5 out of 10 questions right. You should take the quiz too.

Happy Valentines Day once again. How are you celebrating?

The Blahs

2008-02-12T22:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been so quiet as of late. I'm afraid I have a case of the "blahs." Nothing bad has happened to me. I'm not sick--though everyone around me is. I'm not overly sad. I'm not depressed. I just feel blah. I'm also a little antsy, but I'm not sure why. Hopefully, I'll get over it soon.

Until then, I'll spend my evenings watching CNN's primary coverage. I can't seem to work up interest toward anything else lately. Sigh.

Super Fat Tuesday

2008-02-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

Today is a very important day. Not only is it Marde Gras (AKA Fat Tuesday), but it's election day for 24 states including my own state of California. If It's your pimary day too, don't forget to vote. Remember, your vote is your voice.

My voice is filled with hope this year and that hope rests on Obama, who seems to have picked up the hope message John Edwards began with "hope is on the way" in 2003. May he be successful in his quest for the nomination. Our country and its people sure could use a little hope right now.

Cake Tips Part I: Tools

2008-02-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Making a basic birthday cake is actually very easy. With these simple tips, you'll be on your way to making better cakes in your own kitchen. You don't need special ingredients, but there are a few tools to make the job easier.

* Large bread knife: for splitting and leveling

Some people use string or dental floss or professional cake levelers, but I love my giant bread knife. You'll find what works best for you.

* 11" spatula: for icing the tops of large cakes

* 8" spatulas: for icing the sides, the tops of smaller cakes & spreading filling

* Large icing bag with Kwik Icer tip: for icing the sides

~*~If you have a few dollars to spend~*~

* Medium icing bags with couplers & various tips

Otherwise, buy a few star (21 & 32), rose (104), round (4 & 5) & leaf (352 & 87) tips to get started, and learn how to make paper bags out of parchment paper. Some people actually prefer paper bags, anyway.

* Flower nail for making roses.

Do not bother purchasing a flower lifter to lift the rose off the nail.. Any small pair of scissors will do.

~*~If you are going to be doing a lot of decorating~*~

* Turntable

Thurntables make frosting cakes so much easier, but good ones can be costly. I bought mine from the bakery where I used to work when they were getting rid of it. it's ancient and ugly, but it spins like nobody's business, and that's all that counts.

Remember, you don't need a turntable to decorate cakes. If you can't afford one, don't worry about it.

* Various Wilton gel or paste colors

If you are on a budget, just purchase the colors you need for your project. Each time you make a cake, you'll add to your collection and soon you'll have a rainbow of colors. I suggest you purchase the gel or paste colors rather than the liquid. Gels and pastes are concentrated and will last for ever. Liquids will thin your icing as well. No one wants to attempt to make red icing roses with icing colored with red liquid dye--which is next to impossible anyway!

On cakes

2008-02-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

In my previous life, I was a cake decorator. I decorated ice cream cakes for three years and bakery cakes for ten. I now make cakes only for special occasions. It takes much more time to do cakes at home, you see, and I don't have a whole lotta time on my hands.

I am going to be making cakes for my cousin Staci's wedding in April, and her sister Kristin's wedding in July. Yes, my poor cousin Sheri has two daughers getting married in one year! Kristin's wedding is the month after she gets her BA in nursing. Staci was supposed to wait two years and do the same (her BA will be in science) but matters of the heart and young love are seldom logical. And Sheri really couldn't argue. Nearly all of the woman in my family marry young. So, I will be making two wedding cakes this year, as different as the brides themselves. Staci likes things simple. Kristin's wedding will be far more detailed, like my own.

Today, however, I have a simple job. A basic birthday cake for my husband's family birthday dinner. Since people often ask me what my cake secrets are, I thought I'd take pictures while I put this one together. Hopefully my tips might help you too. When I'm rushed for time, I don't use anything special other than my equipment (turn table, decorating bags, big bread knife, tall cake pans). Except for my nephew (& Godson) Jeffrey who loves carrot cake, cake mixes are the norm around here for the most part. (Carrot cake mixes are garbage.)

Anyway, I'm off to make Abner's little bithday cake. I will check back later with photos and tips. Happy Saturday everyone.

Great Article

2008-01-31T22:31:00.000-08:00

I found this great article on Web MD. It's the Dietitian's Top 10 Diet tips. Note the word "Dietitian." This is the person you want diet advice from. She has a BA degree (or more) in her field. Unlike a "nutritionist" which could mean anything. These are great tips because they are common sense.

Happy Healthy Lifestyle, everyone. :)

Edwards' Thank you Speech

2008-01-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

John Edwards came full circle in New Orleans today. As you may recall, he announced his candidacy there. I can't help but feel we are really losing our chance to do something great by losing him as a candidate. It's not that I don't like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, it's just that John Edwards did everything right, touched on all the issues that are the most important. Losing the hope of him as president, is a far greater loss than I realized this morning.

My heart is incredibly heavy tonight.

Edwards is dropping out

2008-01-30T07:05:00.000-08:00

Sad news this morning. John Edwards is dropping out of the presidential race. I'm really upset about this. The USA needed a man who cared so deeply about the poor and the middle class. A man who was willing to do whatever it takes to help them. A man who grew up poor, and hadn't lost track of where he came from. Sigh.

It's a difficult thing, but it's time to back Barack Obama. He's a great man with great plans and I've always said I liked him and would gladly vote for him if he was our party nominee, I just liked Edwards better.

Life goes on, I guess. It has to. The Republicans hate the Clintons too much for me to back Hillary. Sorry. Go Barack Obama! Turning in my absentee ballot today with a big ol' check by Obama's name and a NO on all the propositions.

Healthy Lifestyle Update Babble

2008-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've done a Healthy Lifestyle Update. As you may or may not know, Sunday is my weekly weigh day. I don't believe in weighing yourself more than once a week because the body fluctuates and it can be very stressful seeing the needle on the scale go up and down.

My goal is 1 pound a week because it's a healthy goal. The whole idea behind losing weight is to be healthy. Losing weight and looking better is a fantastic side benefit, sure, but developing healthy habits to take with me into my 40's is the ultimate goal.

So today is the last day of week 27 and I've lost 31 pounds. I couldn't be happier with my results. Sure, if I went on a crash diet I could have lost it faster, but this way I don't feel deprived. I don't know about you, but when I feel deprived, I find something really bad (a pint of Ben and Jerry's regular ice cream--not the frozen yogurt which isn't bad--or a bag of soft batch cookies, or wedge of cake from the bakery counter, or a giant Cadbury Milk Choc Toffee bar) and eat the whole thing. Not good. We eat at restaurants and fast food places on a regular basis, by the way, but I make healthy choices.

Tonight we ate at Red Lobster. I ordered grilled shrimp, a garden salad with low fat dressing, steamed broccoli (I love broccoli-no sacrifice) and yes, I did have a cheese biscuit. There are 9 grams of fat and 160 calories in a cheese biscuit, but I was careful the rest of the day. The other items I ordered only had 8 grams of fat and 300 calories total! And it was delicious. It's important to eat delicious things so you don't feel deprived. Remember this is a healthy lifestyle, not a diet. Depriving yourself is not what it's all about. It's better to make small changes every day. Small changes daily equal big results weekly.

I think I'm going to start posting healthy lifestyle tips on a regular basis. I grew up with a dietitian mom. I'm surprised that a lot of things I think are common knowledge, many people don't know. For example: carbs are NOT BAD FOR YOU. I live for carbs. If I had to go on Adkins I'd have gained 31 pounds by now. Too much protein makes me feel full, sick to my stomach and weighted down. If you are like me, you don't pig out because you're hungry, you pig out because you're not satisfied or feel deprived. Protein foods do not satisfy me. Of course I eat protein, but I eat it as part of a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates, lean protein and some fat. A healthy lifestyle follows the food pyramid because your body needs all the food groups to run smoothly.

Blog for Choice Day 2008

2008-01-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Today is the 35th Anniversary of Roe V. Wade and the second annual Blog for Choice day. I feel quite fortunate that I've never had to make that choice, but I am grateful that, unlike my mother's generation, choice has always been an option for me. I'm worried, too, that many young women today have become complacent and don't realize how close we are to having the freedom of Choice taken from us. It only takes one more Supreme Court Justice stepping down while Bush is in office or a Republican winning the 2008 presidential election, to get the conservative majority needed to overturn Roe V. Wade.

I also wish to state that I don't know anyone who's pro-choice who thinks abortion is a wonderful thing. The pro-lifers paint us like people who think everyone should just run out and have an abortion, like we take delight in it. If no one ever had to have an abortion ever again that would suit me just fine. And maybe someday we can get there--or, at least, much closer to there--but for now we have issues to tackle. I was going to write up a more formal essay, but I decided not to. I'm passionate about this issue, and making it more perfect and sterile, takes the heart and soul out of it. So, here are my off the cuff thoughts about Choice tonight.

We need comprehensive sex education for all children and teens--taught in an age appropriate manner, of course. It's all well and good to teach abstinence. I think everyone agrees that abstinence is best, but statistics show that these programs don't work. Teens say one thing and do another. That's what being a teen is all about, right? Testing boundaries? Thinking you know it all? Yeah. And when teens decide to have sex, if they haven't been taught about condoms, birth control, sexually transmitted infections (STI's) and pregnancy, they're left in the dark. Since Bush took office and funding has switched to Abstinence Only Education, teen pregnancies and STI's are on the rise. 'Nuff said. Teach kids what they need to know to be safe.

Adoption is a great option as well. But the thing about adoption is that I don't know anyone who's pro-life whose actually adopted a child. I often ask why people don't consider adoption, and I'm usually told it's because, "I can have my own babies." That's all well and good, but if a pro-lifer won't adopt children, who will? Your average pro-lifer votes Republican and the Republican party regularly cuts funding on all the programs that poor children and single mothers need like WIC, Head Start, foodstamps, welfare, etc. If you won't take in one of these children you are trying to save, and you won't fund the programs to help the children who you are "saving," then are you really saving this child at all?

I used to work with a woman from Romania and she told me why she'd never go back to live there. In Romania, someone from the government came into the office where she worked once a month and gave all the women a pregnancy test. If your test came out positive, they made note of it. Next month they came back and tested everyone again. If you weren't pregnant the next month, you better be able to pass a physical examination by a doctor proving you miscarried or you'd be arrested! Abortion was illegal in Romania when she lived there. (I haven't investigated the legalities today.) I cannot imagine living somewhere like that, somewhere women are forced to give birth to a child against their will. I can't even begin to fathom what that must be like. She said that to be a woman in Romania was like being a second class citizen, with no right to her own body. She, like me, was pro-choice.

If abortion is made illegal in America, would the government resort to something like this? I wouldn't put it past some of the passionate pro-lifers I've met. Most of them care more about the unborn child than the woman whose life is going to be turned upside down. Her own life with her own unique set of circumstances, not theirs. It matters not to most of them if the woman's life is at risk, if she was raped or molested by a family member, or if the child is severely deformed. Well, it matters to me. It matters a great deal to me that a woman not risk her life for a child whose not even here yet when she may have other children depending on her, that someone who was raped not be forced to re-live her experience by being forced to give birth, that a deformed child not live a short, painful, unnecessary life because some people think sparing him the pain is murder.

I also wonder who the pro-lifers think are going to adopt these children they "save" if they overturn Roe, when more and more people are able to "have their own babies" with techniques like in vitro fertilization. I wonder why they don't think the extra embryos that are destroyed after the in vitro process is over (and the couple has produced their desired amount of children) are not human lives too. One would think that if you did consider them to be human lives, you'd want their lives to have meant something by allowing them be used for stem cell research, but that's another topic for another day.

Happy Anniversary Roe V. Wade. Remember, complacency kills. Fight the good fight, every day in every way.

Peace.

Please check out the others who Blogged for Choice today.

I blogged for choice last year as well- HERE.

In honor of Dr. MLK Jr.

2008-01-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Today, John Edwards received a letter from Martin Luther King III, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I'm so pleased with the letter, I'm posting it in its entirety. Here's the link as well.

*********************
Dear Senator Edwards:

It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.

I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.

You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.

I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.

From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.

I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.

So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.

Sincerely,

Martin L. King, III
********************

I'm sure John Edwards felt as proud to have received this letter, as I am for him. I'm so glad he's staying in the race. I truly believe he's the right man for the job, even though the media tries to pretend he doesn't exist.

Oh, Happy Day!

2008-01-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

In honor of her upcoming birthday, Michele and I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory today. Not that we need an occasion to meet for lunch, mind you, but that's what we celebrated today. Doesn't she look fantastic? I had my favorite Crusted Chicken Romano and she had the Cobb Salad. For dessert, we had Dutch Caramel Apple Streusel and Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecakes (full menu here ) because we were at the CHEESECAKE Factory, and not partaking in some cream-cheesy goodness would have been very, very wrong. Don't you agree?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!

Now It's Time to Choose!

2008-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Now that you know you're registered to vote, it's time to choose a candidate. Here's a great little quiz (courtesy of glassbooth.org) to see who you match up with.

Thanks to Michele for the link.

I'm voting for Edwards anyway, but here's what I got:

89- Kucinich
84- Gravel
80- Edwards
80- Richardson*
78- Obama
76- Dodd*
74- Clinton
73- Biden*
----------------
46- Giuliani
43- Paul
41- McCain
36- Thompson
34- Romney
31- Huckabee
29- Tancredo*
26- Hunter

*withdrawn from the election

How about you?

Every vote counts!

2008-01-15T21:06:00.000-08:00

Are you registered to vote? Are you sure?

The 2008 presidential primaries are in full swing and time is running out to register in most states. You can check your voter registration instantly here. (via Votepoke)

If you're not registered, Votepoke helps you get registered, regardless of your party affiliation or political leanings. In a viable democracy, every voice matters, every vote counts. Do it now: It's that important.

Next, nudge your friends. Also, please consider adding a similar message to your emails and/or your blog.

Thanks to Melodye for the idea. I took this directly from her fab blog.

Goals for 2008

2008-01-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking a lot about goals for 2008, and it's sort of stressing me out. LOL! I think I'll keep it really easy this year. So, here goes...

1) Continue on with the healthy lifestyle I began in July of 2007. This includes a balanced, low fat diet with lots of fruits and veggies and walking every night. This will eventually include getting my butt back in the gym, but I won't stress over it. I renewed our memberships this month, so we'll get there eventually.

2) Write 15 minutes a day during ther month of January, and up it to 30 minutes per day going forward. An hour a day would be ideal. Work up to that most nights if humanly possible.

3) Lose 25 more pounds.

4) Throw a blow-out 40th/60th birthday party for my mother and I this summer. (Pick a date and plan it!)

5) Replace all the interior doors in our house, including the closet doors in the three bedrooms. This also includes new doorframes and doorknobs (levers, actually).

6) Have the contractor come to the house and give us an estimate on the room addition we've been wanting. Discuss all the options and set goals to achieve the one that's the best for our financial situation.

7) Paint the bedroom and replace the window treatments.

8) Spend more time with my family and friends. Take our nephews to the movies, attend our niece's dance ricitals, have a tea party with G and play games with A. Take Mom and the MIL and FIL to lunch, a trip to LA, etc. Just enjoy each other's company.

9) Attend RWA National in San Francisco. (I've already started saving.)

10) Complete a manuscript. Any manuscript, whether it be the Healer story, the Witch story, or Adam & Cricket's story.

11) Volunteer a bit of my time to get the Democratic candidate elected.

Goal Setting Vs. Resolutions

2008-01-07T23:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Pat has a brand new blog. In her first post, she tells us why she sets New Year's Goals rather than making Resolutions:
**************

"Here we are 5 days into the New Year already, and I haven't made any resolutions, nor do I intend to. What I am doing is setting goals. What's the difference? In a way it's just semantics, but playing the semantics game works for me. Ignoring the dictionary definitions, for me a resolution is just a determination to do something, with no plan of action. And we all know what happens to most resolutions. You break them once, and soon they're forgotten. A goal, on the other hand, is all about a plan, about thinking about the baby steps that lead to actually attaining the goal."

Read the rest of her post HERE.

**************

I like Pat's take on this. Resolutions are hard to keep and can be defeating when you fail. I think I'm going to follow Pat's lead and set goals this year too. Last year I did New Year's Indulgences: HERE I didn't follow through with any of them (I did lose the weight, but I began dieting AFTER the wedding), but I still like the idea of indulgences, so I'll come up with a few of those as well.

Do any of you out there in Blogger Land want to join me in setting goals, making resolutions or coming up with some indulgences for 2008? I'm giving myself this week to get them together since my life's still winding down from being holiday-hectic.

Goal #1- post them this weekend. :)

A different kind of rally

2008-01-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

The family of teenager Nataline Sarkisyan of Southern CA (who died while waiting for a liver transplant) stood beside John Edwards at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire today urging voters to elect Edwards. Edwards has repeatedly talked about the Sarkisyan family's fight with Cigna Healthcare to get the insurance company to cover the transplant. Cigna initially denied coverage for the procedure, but after protests and pleas from nurses and doctors the company reversed its decision. The 17-year-old Sarkisyan died before she could get the transplant. Here is a short clip.

Join with me and many other average people like me and vote for the person who will stand up for us.

Go me!

2008-01-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Healthy Lifestyle Update: I'm so jazzed to report that I made it through the last 2 weeks and was still able to lose 2 pounds. With all the baked goods and chocolate that's been floating around the home and the office, and with my week off to boot, it's been a real challenge. I'm really proud of myself. 28 pounds in 24 weeks.

Knitting: I just finished knitting my first skein of yarn (I think that's what it's called) this morning. It's a simple scarf (half of one, actually) with pretty variegated yarn in shades of green and brown. Once I learn how to join the second skein of yarn to the first, I'll be off and running on completing the second half of the scarf. It's taking forever since I'm using #7 needles, but the stitches are tight and even and the scarf should be quite warm as well as pretty.

Writing Update: No writing to speak of in 2008 so far. That's going to change. Today I have a critique to write and then I'm going to read over all the critiques I received on my scene all the way back on the first week of December. Between my mother's eye problems, my father in law's car accident, Christmas, New Year, and vacation, I've yet to give writing the time it deserves. I will, though. I promise.

Mixer Love!

2008-01-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

My fairy godmother gave me a generous gift card for Amazon.com for Christmas. I had no idea what to buy myself, but then I found this:

I've wanted one of these Kitchen Aid mixers for the last 15 or 20 years, but they're so expensive and I could never justify spending the money. But Amazon had it on sale! And I had a gift card! And they had free shipping--a $22 savings! My mixer is 15 years old, so I could justify the part I put in to buy it quite easily. With the free Super Saver Shipping, it was supposed to arrive on the 28th, but surprise! It came yesterday!

Now I'm in mixer love. It's easy to see why, is it not? My husband likes it too. He thinks it looks nice in the kitchen, he says, but he's probably just thinking that now it'll be so much easier for me to make treats. Hee. (Please don't mind my messy kitchen. Red cabinets coming soon.)

And here's Ace with the mixer:

I'm so very pleased tonight.

Still Mulling

2008-01-02T23:54:00.001-08:00

I've been kinda busy, but I haven't forgotten about my new profile blurb and new year's resolutions. I'm mulling everything over for a bit. (The Iowa caucus is tomorrow, so we'll be glued to the TV tomorrow night.) I'll try to post them over the weekend.

On Profile Blurbs & Resolutions

2007-12-30T21:19:00.001-08:00

I guess it's time to rethink my profile blurb:

2007 is a brand new year, ripe with possibilities. It's my year to get healthy, organized and nourish my creative side once more. I will give myself time and permission to write on a regular basis. I can't call myself a writer if I'm not writing. And so I will. Look out world; here I come!

I wrote that last January, filled with hope for the new year. I shouldn't feel bad about 2007 since I accomplished some of what I'd hoped to. On the "It's my year to get healthy" front, I've lost over 26 pounds. As for the "nourish my creative side" part, I attended a wonderful private writing conference (which ended up being pretty expensive) because I decided I was worth it, as well as joined a new critique group.

Finally, the "I can't call myself a writer if I'm not writing" section... That part's more complicated. I succeeded in finally getting it through my head that I have permission to write every day, but the actual writing is the tough part. I had to put my healer story on the back burner because the plot was going nowhere. I started a witch story, but I can't seem to get my voice right. I have been writing, but not as regularly as I should. December was so busy, I didn't write a single word! That can't happen again next year. I won't allow it.

All in all, I'm pleased with the strides I've made in 2007, I just need to kick it up a notch. I need to renew my goal to write every day, even if it's only for a half hour. I'd like to write for two hours, but most days I don't have that kind of time. Once I have a half hour down, I'll up it to a full hour. I should be able to manage that.

I'm off to mull over my new profile blurb and my New Year's Resolutions. Have you been thinking about yours?

Wrapping and Baking

2007-12-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the stores being open till midnight yesterday, I finished my shopping and was able to spend the whole day wrapping and baking. I found the cutest glass cookie jars last night which I've filled with cookies for my special neighbors. (Yup! The baking is done!) Aren't they adorable?

I have my family's presents (which we are exchanging tomorrow) all wrapped, plus a few for my husband's family (which we'll be exchanging Christmas night) so I'm in pretty good shape. Now I'm off to deal with the laundry and wash my hair. It's always exciting around here, let me tell ya.

I hope all of you are doing as well as I am. :)

Ohhh!

2007-12-21T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today a vendor brought a homemade dark chocolate cake with thick, gooey, and very, very sweet coconut icing that made me eternally grateful I've been passing up 95% of the goodies around the office. I took a small slice (considered larger) and called it breakfast.

I don't understand people who use the expression "too sweet." To me there is no such thing. After I ate that piece of cake, I was happy, satisfied and energized for hours. Nothing lifts my mood like sugar.

Christmas Craziness

2007-12-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm so quiet. Christmas is kicking my butt. After much shopping every night this week, I've managed to narrow my list down to 11 people--one of whom is my mom who gets multiple gifts--plus my neighbors (and some family) who usually get baked goods, and did I happen to mention nothing is wrapped? I'm looking at 20 such gifts right now, sitting on my desk, taunting me with their nakedness.

If I play my cards right (and no, there will be no Christmas cards this year, but possibly New Year cards) I may get everything done on time. No slacking for me this weekend!

Healthy Lifestyle Update: Last week's half pound brings the total to 26 pounds lost. Temptations have been great this week, but not as great as I thought they'd be. Sometimes it just takes putting yourself in the right frame of mind. I'm there 95% of the time. The other 5%, I splurge, or walk away and pine. :)

Happy frantic holiday shopping to you all.

temptation pt II

2007-12-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

Thursday: Later in the day someone put a macadamia nut and fudge pie in the break room. You can bet I was jazzed I didn't eat a donut when I cut myself a bite-sized piece. Oh, was it ever delicious!

Friday: We had our company holiday party and I figured my diet was shot. Surprisingly, the buffet was small (but nice) and not as dangerous as buffets can be. I filled half my plate with salad and had about 1/3 of a cup of pasta and ate a couple of ounces of chicken breast. The dessert table had mini (1" size) items. I had just 2, German choc cake and a fruit tart. Diet accomplished!

I also won a prize, which should be titled "temptation pt III", a $50 gift card to the Cheesecake Factory and a $25 gift card to the movies. It's partially my fault I won this particular prize. There were 30 prizes and we received 3 tickets to put in a little box next to the prizes we wanted. Being Healthy Lifestyle Girl, I could have put all three of them into the women's bike box, but I didn't. :)

Life is full of temptation at this time of year. The closer we get to Christmas, the greater the temptation. So far, so good. I lost 1/2 pound last week and am fitting into stuff I haven't been able to wear in a couple of years, like the red pantsuit I wore to the party yesterday. I liked the way I looked in it, so I'm not going to let myself go too crazy this season.

temptation!

2007-12-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

My uncle used to say, "I can resist anything but temptation." He was a lover of corny jokes. Anyway, two different people brought donuts today. I'm not really a donut fan (fried things bother me, especially in the morning), but I really want one today. A cake one, white cake with white icing and sprinkles. I just don't want to eat 15 grams of fat at breakfast since I've been trying to keep it between 20-25 grams for the whole day and my lean cuisine is a higher fat one today, 9 grams.

Sigh.

But I really want a donut.

Really, really do.

December Already?

2007-12-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

I simply cannot believe it's December, let alone December 12 already! I have 45 people on my list (a couple of those people I buy multiple gifts) and I've only crossed off 7 of them. I usually send 90 to 100 cards and I've yet to write one. I always bake 8 to 10 recipes of cookies, candies and breads for at least 10 different families and I've yet to take out my recipe card file. And I don't even want to think about the 8 gifts I usually send to our various off-site locations at work. Last year I baked each of them a nice-sized tin of fudge. This year they'll be lucky to get a storebought tin of butter cookies!

I am in serious trouble this year!

It's going to kill me monetarily, but I'm going to have to resort to the gift card solution for most of my list. Finding bargains all year round is so much cheaper, but I just didn't seem to see any this year. As for the cards? I may just snap a family photo, have photo cards made and send them without including handwritten letters--a first. I feel guilty that I'm even considering not baking this year, but what's a girl to do? If I make all one thing, it'll be faster. Perhaps some nice cranberry-orange bread loaves wrapped up with foil and a bow will have to do. It'll be a refreshing change from my usual assorted holiday platters. And store-bought tins of cookies it'll have to be for work, cuz there's no time to make all that fudge. ::sigh::

How are you doing this year? Ahead? Behind? Do you have any holiday tricks for getting everything done? I'm all ears.

New Ace Pics

2007-12-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Ace has been a member of our family for nearly a week now and his transformation is incredible! Gone is the hyper little Frenchie who thought everything was his, and in his place, a calmer, loving, more well-mannered boy. We are so happy to have him.

Here he is just hanging out:

Ace and Lulu flashing Bully grins:

And finally, a little photo we like to call "Dogs are not allowed on the furniture in our house":

Waiting on Critiques

2007-12-02T21:54:00.001-08:00

Friday, it was my turn to post a scene in an online writing workshop. The writer is not allowed to make any comments regarding the critiques for the first week. (Basically, week one is for critiques, and week two is for chatting about the critiques.) So far, two members out of a possible 24 have written crits. I expect to get at least a dozen or more. (We have two scenes per month, but only have to critique one of them, though most of us try to do them all.)

I'm really open to, and interested in, anything people have to say. While the scene I posted is something I've worked hard on, it just doesn't feel right to me. I don't mind writing a really awful first draft, but the first chapter needs to feel right in order to go on and write that first draft all the way through to the end. The first chapter will change once I rewrite the manuscript, of course, but getting that feel of the protagonist's voice (and mine for each particular work) is essential.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the various critiques and opinions and hoping to take a little bit from each one so I can improve my chapter and, in turn, the focus of my entire manuscript.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Healthy Lifestyle Update

2007-12-02T13:10:00.000-08:00

Today the scale says I've lost 25 pounds. Yay! I'm halfway to my goal. Just thought I'd share.

Cherry Forums Book Club

2007-11-30T16:50:00.000-08:00

Please join us in the Book Club December 1 (Tomorrow! Can you believe it?) through December 10th for Laura Fitzgerald's Veil of Roses discussion. It's a great book!

Check out her website!

Her Publisher, Bantam Dell

Buy it on Amazon - A great holiday gift!

or on Barnes and Noble

Ace Pics

2007-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

I don't know whose cuter, Abner or Ace!

Twenty-six pounds of fun!

Lulu and Ace play all night long!

Lulu is very happy with her new playmate.

He's Staying

2007-11-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

He's here! He's ours! He's fantastic!

Lulu is having the time of her life playing with him.

Pics soon!

Eeeeee! 2

2007-11-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

She just called. In traffic she's probably an hour and a half away. I can calm down now. Poor thing must be tired. She was at a sick friend's house, helping her clean out her kennels. Her friend must run a rescue too. The sad thing is she lives an hour and a half (without traffic) from me. But this lady lives a good 45 minutes (without traffic) PAST me! A long day for her.

I have a nice loaf of cranberry-orange bread to offer her, but she'll probably be hungrier than that. I like her so much from her e-mails, I want to order her a pizza. Weird, I know, but the way I was raised, I like to feed people I care about and I don't have the ingredients to cook anything right now. She cares about animals. She deserves to be cared for too. Hopefully her friend fed her.

Update tonight. Please cross your fingers that Lulu and Ace like each other.

Eeeeee!

2007-11-29T17:28:00.000-08:00

It's 5:28. She said she'd be here at 5! Nervous! Eeee!

Anticipation

2007-11-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Doggie Update:
The owner of the rescue is coming to our house Thursday night for the house check. If she likes our house, yard, and us, and if Lulu and Ace get along, he's ours! All ours. And, unlike all the other rescues we've been dealing with over the last year and three months, we don't have to drive to hell and back to get him. She's bringing him on Thursday! Cross your fingers that everything works out the way it's supposed to. We would love for Lulu to have a cute little friend and, after years of having two huge dogs, a medium dog and a little dog sounds just perfect to us.

Doggie Update

2007-11-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

I bet you were all missing my doggie updates, weren't ya? :) We found this little guy at a rescue this weekend. The rescue owner liked our application, so she is going to send someone to check our house next. We've passed house checks before, so I doubt we'll fail this one. After that, we'll have to see if Lulu and Ace (that's his name. Cute huh?) get along. If they do, hopefully they'll choose us. They have many interested families since it is rare to see a Frenchie at a rescue. He's only a year old and he's at the rescue because his owner passed away, not from abuse or anything like that this time.

Wish us luck!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. I just finished my baking--I was in charge of dessert--and we'll be off to my sister-in-law's in about an hour. (Pictured: Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, Cheesecake with cherry topping (Low fat!) and pumpkin pie, natch.)

I am thankful for my family, both my little family at home (Abner & Lulu), my Mom, and all my aunts, cousins and in-laws. Also to my Dad and all his relatives on the east coast, who I have just started to get to know in the last couple of years. I'm also grateful for my friends, both local and Internet friends. Some of my writing friends I have met on the net, I have been lucky enough to hug in person once or twice (or more!) and I can say, without a doubt, that the best thing to ever come out of the invention of the Internet, was friendships that never would have been formed any other way.

Blessings to all my friends on this holiday.

Success

2007-11-17T08:50:00.001-08:00

I've been working on the first scene of my new manuscript for a couple of weeks. For me, the first scene is crucial for wrapping my head around where the first draft is going. I'm sure it will totally change when I rewrite, but, for now, it needs to be what it needs to be. I'm not always certain what it actually needs to be at first, but once it feels right, I can go on and write first draft garbage to my heart's content.

Anyway, I had been working on two different (yet similar) versions of it--one at work on my lunch break and one at home, at night, before bed. It's interesting to compare the two versions, written in different environments and at different times of day.

A couple of nights ago, I printed both of them out and made corrections. Then, I sat down and weaved the two of them together. I went back and forth, hilighting and numbering each scene chunk and I think it all flows together nicely. This weekend, my job will be to type the whole thing up and finish the scene. It might need a paragraph or two--or even a page or two--but I won't know until I have it in front of me.

So far, I think it's 7 pages. Won't know til it's all smooshed together. I have to post it for my critique group on Nov 30th, so I am trying to really get this thing right. I don't want to waste people's time by posting something that isn't as polished as I can get it. Normally, I wouldn't bother to polish it after this, I'd just go on and write the next scene--which I'll still do once this is ready for the crit group. Promise!

Diet Update

2007-11-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

I am still living my new Healthy Lifestyle! Look how happy that sounded with the exclamation point. :) Seriously, it's not so bad. I'm not starving and it's not killing me and I'm still losing weight. So, go me! Here's my weekly totals:

Week 1- Calories-1,260, Fat grams-25.6, Pounds lost- 5
Week 2- Calories-1,120, Fat grams-20.6, Pounds lost- 3
Week 3- Calories-1,130, Fat grams-22.5, Pounds lost- 2
Week 4- Calories-1,139, Fat grams-26.8, Pounds lost- 1
Week 5- Calories-1,147, Fat grams-21.6, Pounds lost- 1/2
Week 6- Calories-1,181, Fat grams-24, Pounds lost- 1/2
Week 7- Calories-1,146, Fat grams-29.9, Pounds lost- 0
Week 8- Calories- 1,182, Fat grams-24.9, Pounds lost- 1
Week 9- Calories- 996, Fat grams-17.1, Pounds lost- 2
Week 10- Calories- 1,056, Fat grams-23.1, Pounds lost- 1
Week 11- Calories- 1,390, Fat grams-31, Pounds lost- 2
Week 12- Calories- 1,007, Fat grams-20.2, Pounds lost- 0
Week 13- Calories- **CRUSIE CON- Diet/weigh-in Vacation**
Week 14- Calories- 1,091, Fat grams-29.7, Pounds lost- 2
Week 15- Calories- 1,339, Fat grams-32.9, Pounds lost- 0
Week 16- Calories- 1,120, Fat grams-22.5, Pounds lost- 1
Week 17- Calories- 1,049, Fat grams-24, Pounds lost- 1
Week 17- Calories- 1,199, Fat grams-24.5, Pounds lost- 1
--------------------------------------------------------
Total Pounds Lost: 23

One thing I noticed about week 16, which wasn't all bad--I just didn't bother to calculate my calories at the 4 day conference, and didn't want to average the 3 days I did calculate as a "weekly average"--was that it's very hard to get back into eating smaller portions and lower fat once you've spent 4 days eating whatever you want. Lemme tell you, I enjoyed those 4 days to the fullest. Two days I had regular ice cream--as opposed to NF/Lf/light, frozen yogurt & sherbet. All four days there was chocolate, cookies, cake! And did I mention the alcohol? That's something I never, ever indulge in. My meals were still quite healthy (chicken breast, salads, veggies) because I actually like that kind of stuff, but dessert is my downfall and, by God I indulged in sweets of all kinds.

But I also noticed that you can only eat like that for so many days. My body and mind are actually much happier when I'm eating right. It's not like I don't know this, but it's easy to forget when you are a foodie and you are not in the mood to watch your calories. Lately, people are telling me how nice my skin is, which is great, especially since I'm trying to get in shape for my big 4-0. I have about nine months to go. If nine months is enough time to create a new little person, I don't see why it isn't enough time to create a new big (yet smaller) person. :)

That's me at the Crusie Con (with most of the usual suspects) front row, all the way to the right.

ETA: Week 17 averages and a new total. Weigh day is Sunday, the last day of my dieting week.

ETA #2: Week 18- lost one more pound. New total 23. Not too bad for Thanksgiving week, huh? Will have weekly averages tomorrow.

Silliness

2007-11-11T18:58:00.001-08:00

Look like the innocent flower, but be the witchcraft under't.

Which work of Shakespeare was the original quote from?

This just in

2007-11-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Writing is hard.

That's all.

A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. ~ Thomas Mann

(I stole this quote from Charity's new Blog. Check it out.)

Rough Draft Exercise

2007-11-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

Rough Drafts are basically garbage. Stuff you have to get out so you can write something good later. Here is an example. It's actually an exercize I was working on to get into Acacia's (my protagonist's) head. It's often helpful to write journal entires from various characters' POVs (points of view). This is hers at a very low point in her life, just after the first turning point. In a nutshell, her family has been murdered.

----------------------

Numb.

I can’t describe the way I feel any better than that. I’ve lost nearly everything and everyone I hold dear. Can someone please tell me how I can ever recover from this?

I’m not sure if I want to recover anyway. What will it mean if I do? I’ve lost my mother, the only parent I’ve ever known. I’ve lost my Coven Sisters, the only family I’ve ever had. I have no Coven, no family, no purpose in life. There’s nothing left for me now.

Wait a minute--I take it all back--I’m not numb. I’m angry! Why my mother? Why my Coven Sisters? Why are four good and decent women dead? What could any of them have ever done to deserve such a grizzly death? And why didn’t I meet the same fate?

I just don’t know what to think. Perhaps I’m here because I have a purpose? And what would that purpose be? I was a member of a Coven--a family--and now it’s gone.

So here I sit on the morning of the Summer Solstice wondering why I’m supposed to give a damn. Why should I prepare my alter and tools for tonight? Why should I thank the Lord and Lady for my many “blessings”? Why should I anoint my body with oils, put on my robe and climb the hill to the clearing where we cast our sacred circle?

Earth is my element and I like it that way. I never asked to be a solitary witch, damn it, never wanted to work alone. And why should I have to? Says who? The bastards who killed my family had no right to take my magic from me. From us. How dare they?

Damn it. Damn them. I can’t let them take it. I do have control over this.

Tonight, for better or for worse, everything changes. I’ll be north, south, east, and west. I’ll be winter, summer, spring, and autumn. I’ll be Earth, Fire, Air, and Water...and I’ll be Spirit too.

I’ll do it for my Coven Sisters and I’ll do them proud.
-------------

There you have it. Not fabulous reading, but not meant to be. It's a tool that works pretty well. Try it if you need to get deeper into a character's POV and see if it helps you too. It just might. :)

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T22:36:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Halloween. Lulu waited at the door tonight and helped us pass out candy. The flamingo accessories she wore were gifts from the Crusie Con. SHe was very popular tonight--as she should be!

Lulu, Abner & I hope all of you had a fun and safe Halloween! ^-^

iPod Music Meme

2007-10-22T16:19:00.000-07:00

Snagged from Barb Ferrer.

Please note: There are only 75 songs on my iPod, mostly stuff purchased from iTunes because I didn't own it or I only owned it on album or casette. I've only added a handful of songs from CDs I own. That's my next project. Then my little red iPod will be chock full.

Da Rulz:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.).
2. Put it on shuffle and press play.
3. For every question, type the song that's playing. When you go to a new question, go to the next song.
4. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

Opening Credits: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)- The Proclaimers

Waking Up: Ask - The Smiths

Falling in Love: LDN - Lily Allen (No. I didn't make that up!)

Fight Song: Let Me Go - Heaven 17

Breaking Up: Save it For Later - The English Beat

Prom: Lullaby - The Dixie Chicks

Life is Good: Pokarekare Ana (Come Back to Me) - Hayley Westenra

Mental Breakdown: I Got a Name - Jim Croce

Driving: Damn I Wish I was Your Lover - Sophie B. Hawkins

Flashback: Not Ready to Make Nice- Dixie Chicks

Getting Back Together: Don't Change - INXS (Finally, one that works!)

Wedding: Messy - Woodbelly (So sad)

Night Before the War: Smile - Lily Allen

Final Battle: Strength (Live version) - The Alarm

Moment of Triumph: The Passenger - Siouxsie & the Banshees

Death Scene: This is the Day - The The (the lyrics! ha!)

Funeral Song: Rescue Me (Too late! + Live version- ha!) - The Alarm

End credits: Wild Flower - The Cult

I'm going to have to do this again after I add more songs. This was not as cool as I hoped it would be. ;)

Whew!

2007-10-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

Cherry Red does Covington/Cincy is now over and I am home safe and sound. Sorry no posts while I was gone. Too busy with online friends in person for a change! Will post some deets and pics when I am more awake. The con was fantabulous! (Pic is me and my friend Kay at breakfast this morning)

Getting ready to go

2007-10-16T21:57:00.001-07:00

I'm packing! My plane leaves at 8:30 tomorrow morning! Ohio (technically Kentucky is where I'm flying into) here I come! :)

Fly-by

2007-10-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting because I've been so busy! Here are some really quick updates:

* Weight Loss as of last week's weighing: 18 pounds.
* Ohio writer's conference: in 3 days!
* Writing: nada. Hopefully I will be inspired after the conference.
* Work: I'm still a bit stressed, but hanging in there.
* Workouts: Walking every night, but not back in the gym yet. Will go back in Nov.

Off to have lunch with Michele today. I'm so excited. I haven't seen her in such a long time!

More later when I have a little more time.

Our 15th Anniversary Weekend

2007-10-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

We spent our 15th Anniversary weekend at our favorite Embassy Suites Hotel. It's a beautiful place (I'll post a couple of photos--I promise) and it was just what we needed. We also went to The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant. We'd never been, but we had a gift card from Christmas of 2005, so we thought we'd finally use it!

If you've never been to The Melting Pot, it is the perfect place for a romantic occasion. (When I made the reservation she asked me if we were celebrating anything and I told her it was our 15th anniversary.)

The booths are all really private, with tall walls that wrap around and dim lighting and candles. They put us in the very back and covered the table with rose petals and laid a very large, perfect red rose across it. They even had a card propped up against the pretty, crystal candleholder. It was so beautiful. I felt really special. My only regret is that I couldn’t fit my camera in my tiny dress purse.

The four courses took 2 1/2 hours and, since the only reservation we could get was 10 PM (make your reservations early!), we didn’t get out of there until after 12:30! At least my huge diet splurge spanned 2 days. ;)

We loved it. We both have no idea how anyone could eat that kind of thing regularly, but we loved it. If we ever go back, we already know that eating less cheese fondue (course 1) is key, but it was so damn good. We didn’t have room for course 4 (the chocolate course) but, since I got a coupon for free choc fondue when I signed up for their online club (do this before you go if you ever do) it was free and we were there so we ordered it anyway. It was really good.

Here’s what we ordered:

Course 1- Fontina and Butterkase cheeses w/artichoke hearts, garlic & spinach (They give you breads, tortilla chips, veggies and green apples for dipping)

Course 2- He: house salad (lettuce, eggs, tomatoes, cheese, balsamic vinegar dressing) She: CA salad (lettuce, spinach, blue cheese, walnuts, tomatoes, raspberry dressing) I added some of the green apples from the first course to my salad because that’s how I roll. I also saved some to dip in the chocolate because I don’t like to waste things. They take everything away fter each course unless you ask to keep it. All the dippers are bottomless, BTW. Except, I’m pretty sure, the ones with the choc course.

Course 3- The Signature Selection: A combo of chicken breast, salmon, shrimp, teriyaki marinated serloin, and fillet minon cooked in vegetable broth. There are 4 choices of cooking broths, 2 of which cost extra. (Yes, you do cook the meat yourself, but it’s easy. The small pieces take only 90 seconds for fish to 2 minutes for meat) They also give you mushrooms, potatoes, yellow squash and broccoli to cook.

Course 4- Plain* milk chocolate (they give you a little cheesecake slice, strawberry & banana slices, a couple of brownie cubes and a couple of marshmellows coated in oreo crumbs and a couple of marshmellows coated in some white crumbs as well as long thin slices of rice crispy treat for dipping.)

I thought the chocolate course was a little chinsy and I would have liked more dippers if I wasn’t as full as I was. The chocolate got too hot after a few minutes and the rice crispy treats actually disintegrated, but overall, everything was really good. (*Please note: it is very unlike me to choose plain anything (there were many choices), but we were full. When I looked at the menu again later I saw that we could have added Cointrau, Grand Marnier, Chambord–-be still my heart!-–or Tuaca to the chocolate if we wanted to, and I would have done so if I’d seen it earlier.)

And I mentioned the pretty table, right? Because it cannot be mentioned enough times. It was so pretty. My colors too, black and grey marble with the contrast of those red rose petals and all the candlelight. The booth fabric was black with a print of those 50’s-style stick stars in charcoal grey. (I told Abner I wanted a sofa made out of it.) I loved it. I would recommend THe Melting Pot to anyone who wants to do something special and different. I would def recommend it to girlfriends. It would be a fun girls night out. I’d totally skip the meat course and ask for more chocolate dippers.

All in all it was the perfect weekend. And it's still going on cuz we both took Monday off. :)

No-go

2007-09-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Sorry the Blog's really been a no-go the last couple of months. I was good there for a while, but life intrudes. How rude.

Cooper had to go home. He was just too active for Lulu. No worries for him, though. The rescue had 5 other families who wanted him. He really was a good boy and we were sad to see him go, but he was a little more than we bargained for. (Still had those crazy puppy habits, jumping and play-biting.) The good thing about Cooper being with us for a short while is he made us realize that Lulu's gained too much weight. She couldn't keep up with him and even started limping after too much play. We've taken her to the vet, bought her reduced fat dog food and a couple of meds: MSM and glucosamine. If we can get a good 8 to 10 pounds off of her, she'll be back to her old self.

Writing ain't happening. Life intrudes once more. October promises to be a crazy month, but I'm going to try to make time for writing again. Back to my 1/2 hour a day that I always fall back on when life is crazy. Surely, I can do 1/2 hour a day.

Lifestyle changes are going pretty well. I'm able to say no to many fattening things at parties, which is something I can only do when I am in control. I've lost at least 15 pounds (weigh day is Sunday), clothes are fitting a little better, and I'm starting to feel a little better. All in good time.

I hope all is well with my friends in Blogger Land. Have a great weekend.

This Weekend

2007-09-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today we visited a dog from Lulu's rescue. I like the philosophy of this rescue. They don't consider the adoption permanent until we're all sure it's a perfect match. Well, this adorable dog is perfect in every way, no question about it, but we have to make sure he and Lulu will get along. After the mess with Bubba and that other rescue, we're not taking any chances.

The rescue is calling him Cooper and so are we until we know if he'll be a permanent member of our family. He's taller and longer than Lulu (and needs to pack on a good 20 pounds) and appears to be pure American Bulldog. He also seems younger than they told us he was. He acts like a puppy. I wouldn't be surprised if he was only a year old.

Isn't he cute?

My name in lights

2007-09-16T15:06:00.001-07:00

This will cheer you up. It worked for me:

I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

More Mini Updates

2007-09-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so absent. Last week was a busy one! You know how that goes...

~~Diet~~ Healthy Lifestyle Updates:
In spite of attending 3 BBQ's last week (Oh! The tempting desserts especially! My weakness), I managed to keep off the 12 pounds I've lost so far. I expected to gain. This makes me insanely happy.

Weekly Averages:
Week 1- Calories-1,260, Fat grams-25.6, Pounds lost- 5
Week 2- Calories-1,120, Fat grams-20.6, Pounds lost- 3
Week 3- Calories-1,130, Fat grams-22.5, Pounds lost- 2
Week 4- Calories-1,139, Fat grams-26.8, Pounds lost- 1
Week 5- Calories-1,147, Fat grams-21.6, Pounds lost- 1/2
Week 6- Calories-1,181, Fat grams-24, Pounds lost- 1/2
Week 7- Calories-1,146, Fat grams-29.9, Pounds lost/gained- 0
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Weight loss to date: 12 Pounds

The weight loss has slowed considerably, and if I expect to make my goal of a pound a week, I'm going to have to up my workouts. I got burned out in the gym, so I'd been walking every night. The heat during the day has made it so that Lulu can't walk fast or far any more, however, so the walking isn't doing me much good--weight loss wise. Walking instead of sitting in front of the computer or TV at night is always a good thing of course.

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Writing:

The WIP is slow-going. I'm not a pre-plotter, but my goal for this book was to do just that. I figured that doing something different might give my creativity a kick in the pants. Well, I have some bare-bones ideas, but the thought of plotting bores me to tears. The last couple of weeks, I've been writing random scenes and scene chunks. While I enjoy writing them, I feel like I'm writing in circles. And I am. I'm falling back into my old routine of writing 80% stuff I have to toss out because the scenes never have antagonists or goals. *sigh*

Just as we have to be hard on our characters so they can grow, I must learn to be hard on myself. No one has ever really been hard on me in my life. My mother and grandmother raised me, nurtured me in a very loving, female kind of way. I think this is why there is always something very female about the things I write, and why all of my characters have (at least a small amount) of this very nurturing side. And, of course, why I have trouble torturing my characters. Even when I think I am, I'm really not.

Do any of you have tips on how to torture your characters? How do you know when you're torturing them enough?

Come one, come all!

2007-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Please join us in the Book Club this week. Our guest is the award-winning Christine Merrill, author of An Unladylike Offer. Chris is not only a fabulous writer, but a very nice person with a wonderful sense of humor. Visit her Blog and you'll see what I mean.

If you're a fan our humor, Regency novels, romance, historicals or just a great read, give An Unladylike Offer a try. While you're at it, go ahead and order her first book, An Inconvenient Duchess too. You're going to want to read it if you love An Unladylike Offer, and you will! You'll thank me later. And don't worry, I never say, "I told you so."

Quick Updates

2007-08-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

Rutherford~ It's 2 weeks to the day that we last saw him. I just can't help believing that someone in the neighborhood would have seen him get hit if that's what happened. He never went more than just a few houses down on one side and everyone knows him. I haven't lost hope. He's a very sweet and friendly cat. Perhaps someone is keeping him inside.

Lifestyle changes~ Going very well. Today is day... 38--I think--and I don't feel the least bit deprived. In fact, I really feel like I'm going to meet my goal, especially since I've given myself a whole year to do it. Much less pressure that way.

Writing~ Going well too. My new writing helper is my iPod. I wear it every day on my lunch break while I write (with my back to the door) to block out the noise of my coworkers and to let them know I am not available while I'm on my lunch break. I've written a few interesting scenes of the new witch WIP and I'm getting to know the characters a little at a time.

That's all for tonight. It's been a stressful work week. Tomorrow will be stressful and hectic as well, but at least there's a long weekend coming up. I took off Tuesday too, as did my hubby. As a special early anniversary gift to ourselves, we are having our teeth whitened. I can't wait!

Stay cool Blogger Pals!