So my husband actually got on me the other day about blogging. No, he wasn't telling me to stop. He was telling me it had been too long in between posts. Apparently, he checks out my blog every couple of days. I found this pretty humorous. I mean, he lives with me, he knows what goes on.
Then he came in yesterday and said that one of the scout ladies (the one who painted the thunder bird sign and did a fantastic job of it) was looking at some pictures someone had tagged on FB of her son and somehow ended up at my blog. He clearly admitted he had no clue how FB worked so I explained how this random occurrence may have happened. Anywho, he said that she started reading this blog and her husband was reading the work on my author blog. So hello new people! I love you. Thank you for reading my ramblings. Of course, if you know Mike and Sean, you know it's all true.
And I know that you guys are still waiting on the wedding post. And I have another post about Sean & I in Ohio, but honestly, I'm swamped with work right now so this has to be just a quick funny post.
We like music. Not unusual I'm sure, except that we have very eclectic tastes and on road trips have to listen to some of every one's music. This makes for some entertaining CDs, let me tell you. Recently, music popped up in a couple of conversations~
On Lu's wedding day, as we were driving to the salon to get her hair done~
Me: So are you excited?
Lu: Yes, very.
Me: Are you super nervous?
Lu: I am. Marriage is a big commitment.
Me: It is. And you come from a long line of very long marriages. And marriage is hard work. But just remember, when times get hard, remember when you were sitting there by the water, he put his arm around you for the first time...
Lu: What?
Me: It works for Tay-tay.
Lu: Are you quoting me Taylor Swift lyrics as marriage advice?
Me: Yes. And also- Love is a battlefield.
And when Sean and I were driving back from Ohio, we were listening to Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight tonight". At the end of the song, I was singing the "whoa, oh, oh" part.~
Sean: Why are just singing the "whoa, oh, oh" part?
Me: Because I'm good at it. Listen, "whoa, oh, oh"
Sean: You know most people like to picture themselves as the lead singer and sing that part.
Me: Um, I know my limitations. I'm not lead singer material. I'm definitely more of a "whoa, oh, oh" singer. Or maybe a "La, la, la" girl.
Sean: Only you.
Me: I'm comfortable with the back up singer role, because I'm pretty sure that lead singer can't write a story to scare the stuffing out of anyone.
And when my sister, Sean and I were going car shopping~
Me: Sean, you are looking sick and sexified.
Sean: I've got that glitter on my eyes.
Hildi: And your stockings, ripped up the sides?
Me: And his hot pants, on and up.
Hildi: I got Jesus on my neck-a-lus.
Sean: We are who we are.
That's from Key-dollar sign-ha's song "We are who we are" in case you don't listen to Ke$ha. And yes, we're liable to comment with a line from a song at any point in time. No matter the gravity of the situation. Because we really are who we are.
So I hope someone gets a giggle out of this. I will try to post more frequently so my hubby knows what I'm doing. And because you all deserve it.
Happy Sunday,
♥Spot
Showing posts with label I love my readers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I love my readers. Show all posts
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
The one where I try to explain things to Mike...
So it's a rare occasion that Mike and I get to spend time together in the summer. His job is super busy and he usually leaves the house before I get up (don't get all judge-y, 8 am is not that late to sleep) and he returns after dark, showers and generally falls asleep long before me. So if I can sneak a little bit of couple time in there, I take advantage. Last week advantage took the form of dragging him to town for an appointment we had to keep. But we did lunch first.
We went to a local pizza parlor for their buffet lunch. It was packed and there was this guy with, I kid you not, a Mohawk mullet. For real. Mohawk in the front, mullet in the back. Two hairstyles that never looked good to begin with combined to make something frightful. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and be all "Dude. The 80's called...they want their hairstyles back." but he was a lot bigger than me so I didn't. If a mullet said, business in the front and party in the back, what did his haircut say? My mom cuts my hair?? Oh, and did I mention that she still wears that snakeskin mini skirt and listens to old Whitesnake tapes?
Aside from the awesome scenery, we discussed other things; the kids and if they were ever going to move out, his work, our upcoming appointment, his work, plans for the 4th, our trip to the ER the night before, his work and oh yeah, my work.
Me: I'm so busy, I feel like I'm never going to get everything done. And now this arm thing. How am I supposed to paint?
Mike: So when are you going to be rich and famous?
Me: I'm already famous. Duh.
Mike: Really...?
Me: Yeah. You have no idea. I got asked to do two guest blog posts this week.
Mike: What does that mean?
Me: It means I write something for someone else's blog.
Mike: Why? So your followers will go to their blogs?
Me: Well, kind of. But also their followers will get to know me. It's mutually beneficial and very nice of them. I'm flattered. Also, I got quoted.
Mike: Quoted?
Me: Yes, we had a discussion on Masters of Horror about this old horror movie The Changeling. And then the guy who started the discussion did a review of it on his blog and he quoted me. Because I'm an expert on horror movies and stuff.
Mike: Really? Like he said "Stacey Turner says..."
Me: No. He said, "My new friend Stacey Turner says..." (Read the review here)
Mike: Well that's kind of cool.
Me: Don't look so surprised. I got fans, yo!
Mike: *nearly chokes laughing at me*
Me: It's not like I have my own Wikipedia page like The Bloggess or anything. But someday..."
Mike: So about the rich part...
Me: I'm working on it baby. Don't worry. I got this...
As soon as I know what day I'm doing my guest posting, I'll be sure to share. And it would be very awesome if some of you would stop by those blogs and have a look-see. Some of you (those squeamish types) are totally excused. A friend of mine told me last week that she can't read my work. She tried to read "The Lamp" but had to stop. I scared someone. Those of you who've been here from the beginning know that my main goal was to scare at least one person. Looks like it's goal accomplished! Whew! That's a load off.
Also, I have a poem being considered for an upcoming poetry magazine issue. Its about as far from my usual writing as you can get. I'll let you know if it pans out.
Happy Friday y'all,
♥Spot
PS for those of you not squeamish...please check out today's Flash Friday post at The Author Spot.
We went to a local pizza parlor for their buffet lunch. It was packed and there was this guy with, I kid you not, a Mohawk mullet. For real. Mohawk in the front, mullet in the back. Two hairstyles that never looked good to begin with combined to make something frightful. I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and be all "Dude. The 80's called...they want their hairstyles back." but he was a lot bigger than me so I didn't. If a mullet said, business in the front and party in the back, what did his haircut say? My mom cuts my hair?? Oh, and did I mention that she still wears that snakeskin mini skirt and listens to old Whitesnake tapes?
Aside from the awesome scenery, we discussed other things; the kids and if they were ever going to move out, his work, our upcoming appointment, his work, plans for the 4th, our trip to the ER the night before, his work and oh yeah, my work.
Me: I'm so busy, I feel like I'm never going to get everything done. And now this arm thing. How am I supposed to paint?
Mike: So when are you going to be rich and famous?
Me: I'm already famous. Duh.
Mike: Really...?
Me: Yeah. You have no idea. I got asked to do two guest blog posts this week.
Mike: What does that mean?
Me: It means I write something for someone else's blog.
Mike: Why? So your followers will go to their blogs?
Me: Well, kind of. But also their followers will get to know me. It's mutually beneficial and very nice of them. I'm flattered. Also, I got quoted.
Mike: Quoted?
Me: Yes, we had a discussion on Masters of Horror about this old horror movie The Changeling. And then the guy who started the discussion did a review of it on his blog and he quoted me. Because I'm an expert on horror movies and stuff.
Mike: Really? Like he said "Stacey Turner says..."
Me: No. He said, "My new friend Stacey Turner says..." (Read the review here)
Mike: Well that's kind of cool.
Me: Don't look so surprised. I got fans, yo!
Mike: *nearly chokes laughing at me*
Me: It's not like I have my own Wikipedia page like The Bloggess or anything. But someday..."
Mike: So about the rich part...
Me: I'm working on it baby. Don't worry. I got this...
As soon as I know what day I'm doing my guest posting, I'll be sure to share. And it would be very awesome if some of you would stop by those blogs and have a look-see. Some of you (those squeamish types) are totally excused. A friend of mine told me last week that she can't read my work. She tried to read "The Lamp" but had to stop. I scared someone. Those of you who've been here from the beginning know that my main goal was to scare at least one person. Looks like it's goal accomplished! Whew! That's a load off.
Also, I have a poem being considered for an upcoming poetry magazine issue. Its about as far from my usual writing as you can get. I'll let you know if it pans out.
Happy Friday y'all,
♥Spot
PS for those of you not squeamish...please check out today's Flash Friday post at The Author Spot.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The one where I interview Claudia Lefeve, Author and Super Woman
Ok, so technically she's probably not the actual "Super Woman" but she advocates for victims rights and is even willing to put money towards the cause, so in my book she's a Super Woman. And you've just read it on the Internet, so it must be true, right? Well, now that we've got that settled, everyone should grab a beverage while we cozy up to Claudia and pick her brain.
First, please note that you can read my review of her novella, The Fury, over at See Spot Read. And now the interview:
1.) How long have you been writing?
Unlike a lot of authors out there, I didn't pen my first novel at five, but I've always loved telling stories.
2.) What made you choose the horror genre? Have you always been a horror fan?
Horror is one of the few genres that allows the reader to carry over that element of fear, beyond the last turn of the page. Personally, I think a person is more likely to check under the bed or behind the closet door after a good scary story, than to expect true love to come knocking on your door right after reading a romance novel. Call me cheap...I want my money's worth.
3.) What is your writing routine like? Do you have another job?
I don't really have a routine, but I try to write every night after work. With working full-time for the police and my part-time job as a college adjunct, it's simply a matter of time management. When not doing any of the above, I can almost always be found on the couch with my laptop - like right now.
4.) I've recently discovered that garden gnomes creep me out. What scares you? Do you have any silly phobias?
Dolls, puppets, and clowns will kill you in the middle of the night. It's true. When I was in high school, I refused to crash in my friend's room one night because she had a ventriloquist dummy in her closet. It's a good thing I don't have kids or they'd be stuck with only Tonka trucks!
5.) Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?
Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, and my beloved William Faulkner. Their writing reflects a desire to entertain and engage readers on their own terms, not to please. There's a difference.
6.) The Fury deals with rape and I see that you are donating profits from the sale for a whole month to Pandora's Project. How did that come about?
While I get to advocate for the rights of victims in my full-time job, I rarely get the opportunity to support causes like Pandora's Project on a more personal level. The Fury is entirely fictional, but it stemmed from a case I worked on when I wanted to set the whole courtroom ablaze after an unfavorable verdict. The story just grew from there.
*From April 15th to May 15th, all proceeds from the sale of Claudia's novella, The Fury, will be donated to Pandora's Project in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Please visit her website to purchase the book*
7.) Do you ever scare yourself when you're writing?
Can't say that I scare myself as I'm writing, but I definitely have my moments while researching.
8.) I've noticed that you've done short stories and a novella. Is there a novel in the works?
When I finally built up enough confidence in my writing, I sent out a few short stories that were sold to a couple of anthologies. Last fall I started working on a novel, Heir. I had it pretty much wrapped-up, until I decided to do a 180 and changed it from fantasy to sci-fi/paranormal. I'm currently in the re-write process and I'm hopeful for a mid-late summer release.
9.) Do you belong to a writing group? Who reads your first drafts?
I'm not part of a writing group, but I'm a current sponsor and participant in A Round of Words in Eighty Days. It's a writing challenge offered quarterly, designed for writers who, well, have a life! Even though ROW80 is an individual challenge, it's amazing how much support you receive from the other writers involved. I even found one of my best beta readers being involved in this challenge.
10.) What advice would you give to newbie writers?
Write everyday! Over the last couple years, I've finally begun to believe in myself and my writing. Most of that is due to making writing a daily habit.
Claudia Lefeve lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two pugs. For more information about the author, please visit her blog http://claudialefeve.blogspot.com or website at www.claudialefeve.com
Thanks for stopping by dear readers! We're back to my regularly scheduled nonsense tomorrow!
Happy Monday,
♥Spot
First, please note that you can read my review of her novella, The Fury, over at See Spot Read. And now the interview:
1.) How long have you been writing?
Unlike a lot of authors out there, I didn't pen my first novel at five, but I've always loved telling stories.
2.) What made you choose the horror genre? Have you always been a horror fan?
Horror is one of the few genres that allows the reader to carry over that element of fear, beyond the last turn of the page. Personally, I think a person is more likely to check under the bed or behind the closet door after a good scary story, than to expect true love to come knocking on your door right after reading a romance novel. Call me cheap...I want my money's worth.
3.) What is your writing routine like? Do you have another job?
I don't really have a routine, but I try to write every night after work. With working full-time for the police and my part-time job as a college adjunct, it's simply a matter of time management. When not doing any of the above, I can almost always be found on the couch with my laptop - like right now.
4.) I've recently discovered that garden gnomes creep me out. What scares you? Do you have any silly phobias?
Dolls, puppets, and clowns will kill you in the middle of the night. It's true. When I was in high school, I refused to crash in my friend's room one night because she had a ventriloquist dummy in her closet. It's a good thing I don't have kids or they'd be stuck with only Tonka trucks!
5.) Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?
Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, and my beloved William Faulkner. Their writing reflects a desire to entertain and engage readers on their own terms, not to please. There's a difference.
6.) The Fury deals with rape and I see that you are donating profits from the sale for a whole month to Pandora's Project. How did that come about?
While I get to advocate for the rights of victims in my full-time job, I rarely get the opportunity to support causes like Pandora's Project on a more personal level. The Fury is entirely fictional, but it stemmed from a case I worked on when I wanted to set the whole courtroom ablaze after an unfavorable verdict. The story just grew from there.
*From April 15th to May 15th, all proceeds from the sale of Claudia's novella, The Fury, will be donated to Pandora's Project in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Please visit her website to purchase the book*
7.) Do you ever scare yourself when you're writing?
Can't say that I scare myself as I'm writing, but I definitely have my moments while researching.
8.) I've noticed that you've done short stories and a novella. Is there a novel in the works?
When I finally built up enough confidence in my writing, I sent out a few short stories that were sold to a couple of anthologies. Last fall I started working on a novel, Heir. I had it pretty much wrapped-up, until I decided to do a 180 and changed it from fantasy to sci-fi/paranormal. I'm currently in the re-write process and I'm hopeful for a mid-late summer release.
9.) Do you belong to a writing group? Who reads your first drafts?
I'm not part of a writing group, but I'm a current sponsor and participant in A Round of Words in Eighty Days. It's a writing challenge offered quarterly, designed for writers who, well, have a life! Even though ROW80 is an individual challenge, it's amazing how much support you receive from the other writers involved. I even found one of my best beta readers being involved in this challenge.
10.) What advice would you give to newbie writers?
Write everyday! Over the last couple years, I've finally begun to believe in myself and my writing. Most of that is due to making writing a daily habit.
Claudia Lefeve lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two pugs. For more information about the author, please visit her blog http://claudialefeve.blogspot.com or website at www.claudialefeve.com
Thanks for stopping by dear readers! We're back to my regularly scheduled nonsense tomorrow!
Happy Monday,
♥Spot
Monday, May 2, 2011
The one where I do another author interview...
That's right...I'm like the Barbara Walters of the Indie Author world. Or I will be. Some day. Only without so much nasal voice. So hurry up, grab a seat and a beverage (BYO of course). Today's interview is with Anthony Izzo whom I met through the Indie Horror site. If you are a writer of horror, a reader of horror or offer services to authors you should definitely check this site out. Oh and they're going to put up my review there as well. Which is probably only exciting to me but I thought I'd let you know anyway. So without further ado...
Anthony Izzo writes, draws, and plays guitar with his wife and two sons at his home in the creepy snow covered hills of Western New York. When he is not horrifying his neighbors, he can usually be found in a local library, museum, or billiard room. And I found out his favorite color is blue...you know...because I'm all investigative like that...
You may also find Anthony online at www.anthonyizzo.com, or on facebook at Anthony Izzo.
I took the time to ask Anthony some questions about his writing life....
1.)How long have you been writing novels?
I've been writing novels for about fifteen years.
2.)What do you do for your day job?
For my day job, I work in the wild-and-crazy world of health insurance.
3.)Is this your fist published novel?
No Escape is not my first published novel. My first, Cruel Winter, was published by Kensington/Pinnacle books in 2005.
4.)What made you decide to go the Indie route?
I went Indie because the market for my print books seemed to dry up. I also love the creative freedom of being an independent author.
5.)In No Escape there is a huge military presence and the main character is ex-military. Do you have a military background yourself?
I don't have a military background, but military technology and military history have always been interests of mine.
6.)What scares you personally? Do you have any silly phobias?
I have a horrible fear of heights. Tall ladders are my sworn enemy.
7.)What is your writing routine?
I typically write 3-4 pages a day. Usually in a couple of writing sessions.
8.)Have you always been a fan of horror?
I've loved horror since I watched the first Halloween movie back in the early eighties.
9.)What other authors inspire you?
I'm inspired by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Cormac McCarthy, and most recently, Joe Konrath.
10.)What advice would you give to newbie writers out there?
Read a lot and write a lot. Above all, don't quit!
Thank you very much Anthony, it was a pleasure both reading your book and doing the interview. Don't miss my review of Anthony's book, No Escape over at See Spot Read! You can find No Escape for sale at Smashwords and other ebook retailers. His other works include: Cruel Winter, Evil Harvest, and The Dark Ones.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by. Those of you who are new...sit a spell, look around check out the archives. To all my regulars...I promise more nonsense from my family next post.
Happy Monday,
♥Spot
Anthony Izzo writes, draws, and plays guitar with his wife and two sons at his home in the creepy snow covered hills of Western New York. When he is not horrifying his neighbors, he can usually be found in a local library, museum, or billiard room. And I found out his favorite color is blue...you know...because I'm all investigative like that...
You may also find Anthony online at www.anthonyizzo.com, or on facebook at Anthony Izzo.
I took the time to ask Anthony some questions about his writing life....
1.)How long have you been writing novels?
I've been writing novels for about fifteen years.
2.)What do you do for your day job?
For my day job, I work in the wild-and-crazy world of health insurance.
3.)Is this your fist published novel?
No Escape is not my first published novel. My first, Cruel Winter, was published by Kensington/Pinnacle books in 2005.
4.)What made you decide to go the Indie route?
I went Indie because the market for my print books seemed to dry up. I also love the creative freedom of being an independent author.
5.)In No Escape there is a huge military presence and the main character is ex-military. Do you have a military background yourself?
I don't have a military background, but military technology and military history have always been interests of mine.
6.)What scares you personally? Do you have any silly phobias?
I have a horrible fear of heights. Tall ladders are my sworn enemy.
7.)What is your writing routine?
I typically write 3-4 pages a day. Usually in a couple of writing sessions.
8.)Have you always been a fan of horror?
I've loved horror since I watched the first Halloween movie back in the early eighties.
9.)What other authors inspire you?
I'm inspired by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Cormac McCarthy, and most recently, Joe Konrath.
10.)What advice would you give to newbie writers out there?
Read a lot and write a lot. Above all, don't quit!
Thank you very much Anthony, it was a pleasure both reading your book and doing the interview. Don't miss my review of Anthony's book, No Escape over at See Spot Read! You can find No Escape for sale at Smashwords and other ebook retailers. His other works include: Cruel Winter, Evil Harvest, and The Dark Ones.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by. Those of you who are new...sit a spell, look around check out the archives. To all my regulars...I promise more nonsense from my family next post.
Happy Monday,
♥Spot
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Then one where Lu finally picks a name...
Bless me readers, for I have sinned, it's been one month since my last blog post. Sorry. Forgiven? I'm just going to go with "yes" on that one since I can't really hear your answer. And I'm going to dive right in with the good stuff. And apparently Lu's love life is the "good stuff". How do I know? Because a friend of mine related this conversation the other day:
KK: So I read the blog. Please tell me the guy Lu was seeing wasn't M!
MM: It was.
KK: What was she thinking?!
MM: I don't know. But it's over. The end.
KK: Thank God!
MM: Do you ever wonder why we're so invested in Lu's love life??
Don't worry guys. I get it. It's like a soap opera. So the update on that is that Lu and the baby's father are on very friendly terms. They aren't what one would call officially reconciled but that's because Lu wants to take things slow and make sure that the previous issues are on their way to resolution. But he's very involved with the pregnancy now. He and his mom were both at the sonogram where we found out it's a boy! And things seem to be progressing between them in a positive direction. And frankly, it's nice to see her happy. They did work together to choose a name: Dylan James Flanagan. Personally, I was partial to Milo. Her belly is ginormous. But she makes pregnancy look adorable. And thankfully, she takes after me and has a very easy pregnancy. I hope her delivery is the same. All the screenings have come back with negative results so the baby seems extremely healthy and on track. Her platelets dipped but then went up on their own. And she finally gained some weight. Here's a picture:
Isn't she adorable??!
Sean is still working as a telemarketer and comes home daily with the funniest stories ever. He meets and works with some interesting characters that's for sure. Some of his stories are funny, though kind of sad in a way. Sad that people feel the need to self medicate with drugs and alcohol to the point that they do. Even to get through the work day. I was going to share one, but suddenly I'm not in the mood. He's looking forward to vacay. And to getting to quit his job. He's working for the boy scouts again this summer and camp callahan and then travelling.
Mike is, of course, submersed in work. Always a ton of projects to do and the usual getting camp ready for summer. In fact, he'll be missing our vacation. Don't worry about him too much though. He's not a big fan of the ocean. He calls it the big puddle.
Mike: have fun visiting the big noisy puddle.
Me: Noisy?
Mike: yeah, it's constantly making that noise.
Me: You mean the sound of the waves? The one people find soothing and they put on those machines to help people relax?
Mike: yeah. It's so annoying. Give me silence any day.
Me: You just get weirder every time I talk to you.
Don't worry. I will enjoy it. I love that sound. And I'm very excited to be visiting a state I haven't yet been to. Alabama. And drinking sweet tea and saying y'all without anyone laughing at me. I'll keep you posted.
The heart wrenching part though? We aren't taking CJ. I just can't do that without Mike. I'm already having a fibro flare up and not getting enough sleep would make it worse. Also, we considered that we aren't sure how he'll do on an eight hour car trip two days in a row. Or being out of his routine for 10 days in unfamiliar surroundings. I know in my heart that we've made the right decision but that doesn't make me any less sad. But I will be taking him to my sisters in the next month or so. We'll see how he does there and keep working to get him ready to go on a vacation with us. And Mike has promised to go somewhere with me in the fall when his work slows down some. Alaska anyone?
The fibro flare was really bumming me out. I've felt so well for such a long time that it sucks to be reminded you have a chronic illness that can put you on the bench from time to time. I was throwing myself a real pity party for a couple of days. The klutziness was really getting to me. I have thrown my phone across the kitchen (not on purpose, it just slid out of my hand), dropped a dish of cat food upside down on the floor, spilled a very full glass of red juice all over the carpet, dropped and broken a glass cookie jar and sliced my thumb open on a can lid requiring an ER visit and tetanus shot. Talented, huh? I've grounded myself from using glass glasses for the duration. But the pity party ends today. Because I happened to see a show that reminded me that there are far worse conditions to have. I may be typing awkwardly with my bandaged thumb, but at least the rest of my appendages are responding to my brain signals. I may be dropping things, but I'm still able to clean up after myself. I may be forgetting things and having trouble coming up with the right word now and then, but I can still speak and see and hear and walk. And I have people who love me and forgive me when I'm moody and sick. People who take care of me willingly when I need it. A job doing what I love. A roof over my head, plenty of food to eat and a grandson on the way. I am a blessed woman.
Thank you all for sticking with me like you do. And a big shout out to my kindle readers!! You have not gotten your money's worth this month and for that I apologize sincerely. I'll try to do better.
♥Spot
KK: So I read the blog. Please tell me the guy Lu was seeing wasn't M!
MM: It was.
KK: What was she thinking?!
MM: I don't know. But it's over. The end.
KK: Thank God!
MM: Do you ever wonder why we're so invested in Lu's love life??
Don't worry guys. I get it. It's like a soap opera. So the update on that is that Lu and the baby's father are on very friendly terms. They aren't what one would call officially reconciled but that's because Lu wants to take things slow and make sure that the previous issues are on their way to resolution. But he's very involved with the pregnancy now. He and his mom were both at the sonogram where we found out it's a boy! And things seem to be progressing between them in a positive direction. And frankly, it's nice to see her happy. They did work together to choose a name: Dylan James Flanagan. Personally, I was partial to Milo. Her belly is ginormous. But she makes pregnancy look adorable. And thankfully, she takes after me and has a very easy pregnancy. I hope her delivery is the same. All the screenings have come back with negative results so the baby seems extremely healthy and on track. Her platelets dipped but then went up on their own. And she finally gained some weight. Here's a picture:
Sean is still working as a telemarketer and comes home daily with the funniest stories ever. He meets and works with some interesting characters that's for sure. Some of his stories are funny, though kind of sad in a way. Sad that people feel the need to self medicate with drugs and alcohol to the point that they do. Even to get through the work day. I was going to share one, but suddenly I'm not in the mood. He's looking forward to vacay. And to getting to quit his job. He's working for the boy scouts again this summer and camp callahan and then travelling.
Mike is, of course, submersed in work. Always a ton of projects to do and the usual getting camp ready for summer. In fact, he'll be missing our vacation. Don't worry about him too much though. He's not a big fan of the ocean. He calls it the big puddle.
Mike: have fun visiting the big noisy puddle.
Me: Noisy?
Mike: yeah, it's constantly making that noise.
Me: You mean the sound of the waves? The one people find soothing and they put on those machines to help people relax?
Mike: yeah. It's so annoying. Give me silence any day.
Me: You just get weirder every time I talk to you.
Don't worry. I will enjoy it. I love that sound. And I'm very excited to be visiting a state I haven't yet been to. Alabama. And drinking sweet tea and saying y'all without anyone laughing at me. I'll keep you posted.
The heart wrenching part though? We aren't taking CJ. I just can't do that without Mike. I'm already having a fibro flare up and not getting enough sleep would make it worse. Also, we considered that we aren't sure how he'll do on an eight hour car trip two days in a row. Or being out of his routine for 10 days in unfamiliar surroundings. I know in my heart that we've made the right decision but that doesn't make me any less sad. But I will be taking him to my sisters in the next month or so. We'll see how he does there and keep working to get him ready to go on a vacation with us. And Mike has promised to go somewhere with me in the fall when his work slows down some. Alaska anyone?
The fibro flare was really bumming me out. I've felt so well for such a long time that it sucks to be reminded you have a chronic illness that can put you on the bench from time to time. I was throwing myself a real pity party for a couple of days. The klutziness was really getting to me. I have thrown my phone across the kitchen (not on purpose, it just slid out of my hand), dropped a dish of cat food upside down on the floor, spilled a very full glass of red juice all over the carpet, dropped and broken a glass cookie jar and sliced my thumb open on a can lid requiring an ER visit and tetanus shot. Talented, huh? I've grounded myself from using glass glasses for the duration. But the pity party ends today. Because I happened to see a show that reminded me that there are far worse conditions to have. I may be typing awkwardly with my bandaged thumb, but at least the rest of my appendages are responding to my brain signals. I may be dropping things, but I'm still able to clean up after myself. I may be forgetting things and having trouble coming up with the right word now and then, but I can still speak and see and hear and walk. And I have people who love me and forgive me when I'm moody and sick. People who take care of me willingly when I need it. A job doing what I love. A roof over my head, plenty of food to eat and a grandson on the way. I am a blessed woman.
Thank you all for sticking with me like you do. And a big shout out to my kindle readers!! You have not gotten your money's worth this month and for that I apologize sincerely. I'll try to do better.
♥Spot
Friday, January 28, 2011
The one where I finally get my life back...
I absolutely cannot believe that I have not blogged in almost two months. That seems crazy to me when it's one of my all time favorite activities. Not to mention, the way I connect with so many people near and far. Oddly though, I have noticed that several people took blogcations and went AWOL. Thank you to those of you who still commented or sent emails or kept up with me on Facebook. I'm still alive. And improved. Not new. Just improved. So I guess I'll just catch everyone up as best I can and go from there. This may take a while so grab a beverage, put your feet up and dive in.
I had some health issues while I was gone. Namely, pneumonia that played "musical lungs" and hung on from December 15th (my birthday) until about January 18th. Not being able to breathe pretty much sucks. And coughing so hard you actually crack a rib is not high on the list of fun stuff either. I would never have made it through Christmas (remember it was my year to host my mom's family) if I had not been oddly organized this year (I say odd because I'm never this organized at Christmas). I had bought most of my gifts early (yay for online shopping!) and had actually planned my days out so I could get things done. Also, Mike helped more this year with Christmas than he's ever, in our entire life together, helped. In fact, I may consider having pneumonia ever year. Or at least faking it. Cough. Cough. "I'm sick". And the kids pitched in too. And I finally gave myself permission to not sweat the small stuff. And to consider many things "small stuff". So Christmas came off with out a hitch. The cleanup was another matter. I didn't get the trees down until January 19th. I also had my gallbladder surgery. Finally. We'd had to keep rescheduling it due to the pneumonia. It wasn't bad as far as surgeries go and I've recovered rather quickly for me. So I'm finally feeling more or less normal. Better than normal except for a continuing cough. Surely it will be gone by March?
Mike is doing well. He's actually off to National Camp School for a week to head up and teach the Ranger portion. He was suggested by someone he'd met, they conferred with his bosses, talked to him and off he went. He was so nervous. Public speaking is not his favorite. But we went over his lesson plans and everything the other night and he's going to rock this gig. The new rangers are lucky to have him because he'll be a great teacher. But he hasn't been gone for a whole week in like 5 years. I'm going to really miss him. And I sure as hell hope we don't get snowed in. I have no idea how to drive the tractor and plow snow. Also, for those of you who are thinking "Ha! Her husband's gone for a week, lets rob the place", first, there's not much to take. Second, we have guns and Sean will shoot you. I much prefer sharp stabby things so I'll shank you with my vegetable knife. But worst of all...we have a pregnant Lu who will probably gouge out your eyes with her bare hands. Seriously. Those hormones are wild.
Sean is good. Still rocking the telemarketer world and keeping us all in stitches with tales of his daily worklife. He almost makes me want to get a job there. Sean and Lizzie did drop the "not dating" part and dated over Christmas break. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Now they really are not dating. So girls, he's up for grabs again. And he's racking up a tidy little nest egg. Although, I must admit he's pretty generous with his money. He's currently making his summer travel plans and seeing how he can fit some work in there too.
Lu is good. Her pregnancy is going well and she has the cutest little baby belly. She's really starting to show this last week and you can tell it's baby not pudge. She hasn't had any problems other than tiredness and some nausea at all. Her blood work is looking good and holding out high. We heard the baby's heartbeat at the last appointment and it was strong and 166. This leads me to believe it's a girl. The name picking is not going so well. She wants something uncommon, but not ridiculous. Maybe I should have a "name Lu's baby" contest. The baby's father is very much out of the picture. He can't seem to put aside his own feelings and realize that there's a baby involved, it's not really about him anymore. I think it's hurt Lu's feelings somewhat on behalf of the baby, but mostly she's relieved. There is someone else in the picture. He is ready to take care of both Lu and the baby. But they are taking it slow to see where it goes. With her hormonal mood swings, dating her is challenging. I won't say anything further because some of the baby's daddy's friends read my blog and it doesn't need to get back to him unless they get serious. You know who you are...and so do I. So don't go telling tales. She's still working at her retail job and planning to take online classes in the fall after the baby is born.
Well, bet you finished that drink, huh? If you made it through all this, then you are pretty well caught up. I can't wait to read some of your blogs and find out what's going on with the rest of you! And I do have some wickedly funny conversations saved up. It's good to be back. I've missed you all.
♥Spot
I had some health issues while I was gone. Namely, pneumonia that played "musical lungs" and hung on from December 15th (my birthday) until about January 18th. Not being able to breathe pretty much sucks. And coughing so hard you actually crack a rib is not high on the list of fun stuff either. I would never have made it through Christmas (remember it was my year to host my mom's family) if I had not been oddly organized this year (I say odd because I'm never this organized at Christmas). I had bought most of my gifts early (yay for online shopping!) and had actually planned my days out so I could get things done. Also, Mike helped more this year with Christmas than he's ever, in our entire life together, helped. In fact, I may consider having pneumonia ever year. Or at least faking it. Cough. Cough. "I'm sick". And the kids pitched in too. And I finally gave myself permission to not sweat the small stuff. And to consider many things "small stuff". So Christmas came off with out a hitch. The cleanup was another matter. I didn't get the trees down until January 19th. I also had my gallbladder surgery. Finally. We'd had to keep rescheduling it due to the pneumonia. It wasn't bad as far as surgeries go and I've recovered rather quickly for me. So I'm finally feeling more or less normal. Better than normal except for a continuing cough. Surely it will be gone by March?
Mike is doing well. He's actually off to National Camp School for a week to head up and teach the Ranger portion. He was suggested by someone he'd met, they conferred with his bosses, talked to him and off he went. He was so nervous. Public speaking is not his favorite. But we went over his lesson plans and everything the other night and he's going to rock this gig. The new rangers are lucky to have him because he'll be a great teacher. But he hasn't been gone for a whole week in like 5 years. I'm going to really miss him. And I sure as hell hope we don't get snowed in. I have no idea how to drive the tractor and plow snow. Also, for those of you who are thinking "Ha! Her husband's gone for a week, lets rob the place", first, there's not much to take. Second, we have guns and Sean will shoot you. I much prefer sharp stabby things so I'll shank you with my vegetable knife. But worst of all...we have a pregnant Lu who will probably gouge out your eyes with her bare hands. Seriously. Those hormones are wild.
Sean is good. Still rocking the telemarketer world and keeping us all in stitches with tales of his daily worklife. He almost makes me want to get a job there. Sean and Lizzie did drop the "not dating" part and dated over Christmas break. Unfortunately, it was short lived. Now they really are not dating. So girls, he's up for grabs again. And he's racking up a tidy little nest egg. Although, I must admit he's pretty generous with his money. He's currently making his summer travel plans and seeing how he can fit some work in there too.
Lu is good. Her pregnancy is going well and she has the cutest little baby belly. She's really starting to show this last week and you can tell it's baby not pudge. She hasn't had any problems other than tiredness and some nausea at all. Her blood work is looking good and holding out high. We heard the baby's heartbeat at the last appointment and it was strong and 166. This leads me to believe it's a girl. The name picking is not going so well. She wants something uncommon, but not ridiculous. Maybe I should have a "name Lu's baby" contest. The baby's father is very much out of the picture. He can't seem to put aside his own feelings and realize that there's a baby involved, it's not really about him anymore. I think it's hurt Lu's feelings somewhat on behalf of the baby, but mostly she's relieved. There is someone else in the picture. He is ready to take care of both Lu and the baby. But they are taking it slow to see where it goes. With her hormonal mood swings, dating her is challenging. I won't say anything further because some of the baby's daddy's friends read my blog and it doesn't need to get back to him unless they get serious. You know who you are...and so do I. So don't go telling tales. She's still working at her retail job and planning to take online classes in the fall after the baby is born.
Well, bet you finished that drink, huh? If you made it through all this, then you are pretty well caught up. I can't wait to read some of your blogs and find out what's going on with the rest of you! And I do have some wickedly funny conversations saved up. It's good to be back. I've missed you all.
♥Spot
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The one where my week pretty much blows...
So I'm pretty sure the Universe is laughing at me. Because the theme song of my week seems to be a frustrated "AAaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhh". Things are not going according to plan. Who am I kidding? Things are screwed up this week. Sunday was the last good day. Bobby graduated, we all went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and Mike, Sean & I watched a movie and I went to bed early. Monday, Sean and I went to town to check out enrolling him in the local community college. I'm still waiting on them to call and tell me what all hoops we have to jump through to get him enrolled due to the homeschooling and the fact that he finished up a year early. Tuesday I had a whopper migraine. I don't get them very often anymore but this one was a doozy. I stayed medicated all day, much to Sean's amusement. About 5 o'clock, I'm lying on the couch in the family room watching a movie on Lifetime Movie Network (no wisecracks, it was a scary movie) and Sean come in and asks~
Sean: what's for dinner?
Me: I don't know. I texted your sister to see if she'd pick something up, but I haven't heard back.
Sean: well hopefully you'll catch her before she gets home.
Me: No it might be better if she comes home first.
Sean: and then has to drive all the way back? Really?
Me: I have no idea what I just said.
Sean: well you said she should come back here first, but maybe you meant she should stop there first?
Me: I don't think so. I think I meant for her to come here first, but I don't know why?
Sean: you're so stoned. You should probably just stop trying to talk.
We did indeed get food and I went to bed early, after not talking much. Also on Tuesday, I emailed a client and told him that I thought our work together was at an end, because I wasn't happy with what I was doing for him. I expected him to be angry. Nope, he agreed and came back with an offer for a bigger project. It was surreal. I could use the money, but it really detracts from the fiction writing time. My husband is urging me to go for the fiction, considering it's what I really really want to do. But it's hard to pass on an interesting project and the money it would bring in. (OH MY HELL!! Did I really just say something that sounded all grown up and responsible??!)
Wednesday, I was headache free. I talked to Kathryn on the phone, finished emails, read some blogs and then the kids convinced me to play hooky and go to the lake with them. It was gorgeous. I didn't feel like swimming, just laying lazily on the dock. (It had a lot to do with the fact that due to the heavy rains, the lake is kind of muddy and gross and reminded me of Shrek's pond). We discussed how scary jumping into the lake is the first time every summer when no one has been it for awhile. There are some ginormous grass carp in that lake, every bit of 6 feet in length. There are multitudes of other fish and snakes and other critters. Lu said she really was a little scared when she'd gone swimming with Luke the day before. (On a side note, it probably doesn't help that when we first moved out here I told them the story of Stephen Kings story "The Raft". And I told it while sitting on the dock out in the lake. I then jumped in and left them there for a few minutes. Mom of the Year award, right??!)
But they jumped in and swam out to the dock anyway. Lu asked if she was drowning would I get in and save her. I told her no. But of course, I would. Then they jumped off the dock a couple of times. Then Lu was laying on the dock, Sean was swimming, and I was laying on the dock by the beach. Suddenly Sean says~
Sean- Oh holy crap! I just realized that this is a setting for a horror movie. Lu on one dock, you on the other and me swimming in between. The next thing that happens is I get eaten by something! *he climbs swiftly up the ladder to join Lu*
Lu~ Yeah, and mom would run to the truck and leave me.
Me~ duh. I'm not getting eaten, and you still have the long swim to shore.
This week has somehow sapped my mojo. I haven't really gotten much written, including blog posts and comments. I find I'm filled with self doubt every time I sit down to write. I look over things and think "crap. this sucks. a middle schooler could have written this." And it just makes the task seem that much more daunting. I was having a moment of doubt yesterday and asked my husband~
Me: What if I CANT finish the novel??
Hubby: Then I'll beat you.
He said it with a serious look on his face. I convulsed in giggles. No indulgent "of course you can, honey" from him. You have to know him to realize how out of character what he said was, but seriously I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. It was exactly what I needed.
Today he called while driving to another city to pick up some stuff for camp.
Hubby: How are you feeling today?
Me: Like crap. I have a tummy ache and I think I might hurl.
Hubby: That's no good.
Me: No. I think I got it from Luke. He's been complaining of a tummy ache for a couple of days. He's like freakin typhoid Mary. I swear every time he comes down with something I end up getting it too even though I rarely come within 3 feet of the boy.
Hubby: Maybe you're just not used to his cooties.
Me: or maybe he gives them to Lu and she doesn't get sick but passes them on to me, like "haha. this will screw with mom"
Hubby: yes, I'm quite sure that's exactly what she thinks.
Me: I know right?! It's a plot. How's your day?
Hubby: Stressful. It's going to be a miracle if I pull off everything I need to pull off this weekend.
Me: I have faith. You can do it.
Hubby: well that's one of us I guess.
Me: besides, if you don't, I'll beat you.
Hubby: Wow, it sounds even funnier when you say it! *Laughing*
Me: Whatever. Don't even play like you're not scared. I'm fierce.
Hubby: You're so cute when you're fired up.
Me: I'm cute all the time!
So from now on, I'm going to focus on fiction writing. I have a publisher who is waiting to look at the novel as soon as it is done. I set a tentative date for the end of August, because I work best with deadlines. Tina from
The Clean White Page and I both sent story submissions to a magazine this week. And we're both working on storys for a contest next month. I have loved Coyote Con. I'm sorry to see it end this weekend. But I have plans to attend
CONtext the end of August in Ohio. Some of the really fabulous people I met through Coyote Con will be there, and the writing workshops look awesome.
I also want to focus on the blog, because I love this blog. I love the friends I've made and their support. I also love having this record for the kids. And writing the funny day to day stuff is different than writing things to scare you. So hopefully the blogging will return to a more regular schedule. Oh, and I sure hope Heather notices how I took her advice and put my awards on a separate page!! =]
Also, I've enjoyed reading all of Suzicate's poems. She is a fabulously talented poet, and if you haven't read them, you should. It has made me miss writing poetry as well. I used to write a lot of it. So I think I may be either adding a page or a blog for poetry. Just for fun.
And...(my gosh Spot, aren't you done YET??) I put up a new movie review at What Spot Saw.
Happy Thursday y'all,
♥Spot
Sean: what's for dinner?
Me: I don't know. I texted your sister to see if she'd pick something up, but I haven't heard back.
Sean: well hopefully you'll catch her before she gets home.
Me: No it might be better if she comes home first.
Sean: and then has to drive all the way back? Really?
Me: I have no idea what I just said.
Sean: well you said she should come back here first, but maybe you meant she should stop there first?
Me: I don't think so. I think I meant for her to come here first, but I don't know why?
Sean: you're so stoned. You should probably just stop trying to talk.
We did indeed get food and I went to bed early, after not talking much. Also on Tuesday, I emailed a client and told him that I thought our work together was at an end, because I wasn't happy with what I was doing for him. I expected him to be angry. Nope, he agreed and came back with an offer for a bigger project. It was surreal. I could use the money, but it really detracts from the fiction writing time. My husband is urging me to go for the fiction, considering it's what I really really want to do. But it's hard to pass on an interesting project and the money it would bring in. (OH MY HELL!! Did I really just say something that sounded all grown up and responsible??!)
Wednesday, I was headache free. I talked to Kathryn on the phone, finished emails, read some blogs and then the kids convinced me to play hooky and go to the lake with them. It was gorgeous. I didn't feel like swimming, just laying lazily on the dock. (It had a lot to do with the fact that due to the heavy rains, the lake is kind of muddy and gross and reminded me of Shrek's pond). We discussed how scary jumping into the lake is the first time every summer when no one has been it for awhile. There are some ginormous grass carp in that lake, every bit of 6 feet in length. There are multitudes of other fish and snakes and other critters. Lu said she really was a little scared when she'd gone swimming with Luke the day before. (On a side note, it probably doesn't help that when we first moved out here I told them the story of Stephen Kings story "The Raft". And I told it while sitting on the dock out in the lake. I then jumped in and left them there for a few minutes. Mom of the Year award, right??!)
But they jumped in and swam out to the dock anyway. Lu asked if she was drowning would I get in and save her. I told her no. But of course, I would. Then they jumped off the dock a couple of times. Then Lu was laying on the dock, Sean was swimming, and I was laying on the dock by the beach. Suddenly Sean says~
Sean- Oh holy crap! I just realized that this is a setting for a horror movie. Lu on one dock, you on the other and me swimming in between. The next thing that happens is I get eaten by something! *he climbs swiftly up the ladder to join Lu*
Lu~ Yeah, and mom would run to the truck and leave me.
Me~ duh. I'm not getting eaten, and you still have the long swim to shore.
This week has somehow sapped my mojo. I haven't really gotten much written, including blog posts and comments. I find I'm filled with self doubt every time I sit down to write. I look over things and think "crap. this sucks. a middle schooler could have written this." And it just makes the task seem that much more daunting. I was having a moment of doubt yesterday and asked my husband~
Me: What if I CANT finish the novel??
Hubby: Then I'll beat you.
He said it with a serious look on his face. I convulsed in giggles. No indulgent "of course you can, honey" from him. You have to know him to realize how out of character what he said was, but seriously I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. It was exactly what I needed.
Today he called while driving to another city to pick up some stuff for camp.
Hubby: How are you feeling today?
Me: Like crap. I have a tummy ache and I think I might hurl.
Hubby: That's no good.
Me: No. I think I got it from Luke. He's been complaining of a tummy ache for a couple of days. He's like freakin typhoid Mary. I swear every time he comes down with something I end up getting it too even though I rarely come within 3 feet of the boy.
Hubby: Maybe you're just not used to his cooties.
Me: or maybe he gives them to Lu and she doesn't get sick but passes them on to me, like "haha. this will screw with mom"
Hubby: yes, I'm quite sure that's exactly what she thinks.
Me: I know right?! It's a plot. How's your day?
Hubby: Stressful. It's going to be a miracle if I pull off everything I need to pull off this weekend.
Me: I have faith. You can do it.
Hubby: well that's one of us I guess.
Me: besides, if you don't, I'll beat you.
Hubby: Wow, it sounds even funnier when you say it! *Laughing*
Me: Whatever. Don't even play like you're not scared. I'm fierce.
Hubby: You're so cute when you're fired up.
Me: I'm cute all the time!
So from now on, I'm going to focus on fiction writing. I have a publisher who is waiting to look at the novel as soon as it is done. I set a tentative date for the end of August, because I work best with deadlines. Tina from
The Clean White Page and I both sent story submissions to a magazine this week. And we're both working on storys for a contest next month. I have loved Coyote Con. I'm sorry to see it end this weekend. But I have plans to attend
CONtext the end of August in Ohio. Some of the really fabulous people I met through Coyote Con will be there, and the writing workshops look awesome.
I also want to focus on the blog, because I love this blog. I love the friends I've made and their support. I also love having this record for the kids. And writing the funny day to day stuff is different than writing things to scare you. So hopefully the blogging will return to a more regular schedule. Oh, and I sure hope Heather notices how I took her advice and put my awards on a separate page!! =]
Also, I've enjoyed reading all of Suzicate's poems. She is a fabulously talented poet, and if you haven't read them, you should. It has made me miss writing poetry as well. I used to write a lot of it. So I think I may be either adding a page or a blog for poetry. Just for fun.
And...(my gosh Spot, aren't you done YET??) I put up a new movie review at What Spot Saw.
Happy Thursday y'all,
♥Spot
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The one where I get to do a *GIVEAWAY*
It's spring. You know what that means? Sneezing and itchy eyes. Check. Grass to mow. Check. Rain. Check. That time of year that I look around and realize how much work my house needs. Check. Check. And double check!! (And yes, I do realize my blog could you some spritzing up too. Stop noticing already! There's only so much time in a day...) So as I look around, I realize I have some painting to do, some carpet shampooing to do, and I desperately need new furniture. And of course by "some" I really mean "a shit ton". Seriously, like the whole house. Then I started looking at the rooms individually and realized that the 80's is probably going to call me soon all "Hey! We want our lighting fixtures back!!". Dude. My lighting fixtures are 26 years old. And you can tell. Check out this beauty...
Yeah, it looks like boobs. And yes, it is dusty and dirty, I said I needed to clean! And it's also not centered in the kitchen. Why? The house was built in the 80's, let's not ask questions. Anywho...I have been dreaming online of all the gorgeous lighting ideas with which I could replace it. I'm partial to the chandelier look myself. Like this guy (only for the living room, not the kitchen!)
Any one else ready to do some decorating?? Well here's where I come in! The kind folks at CSNstores have asked me to do a giveaway on my blog!! I want you to know I had the choice of getting myself something pretty and than reviewing it or doing a giveaway and I chose YOU. I know, I'm just a giver. What can I say? So please visit http://www.csnstores.com/ and look around. Find something you like! They have over 200 websites to choose from such as allbarstools.com, www.cookware.com, and www.accentfurnituredirect.com. Go crazy! Okay, not too crazy. The giveaway is a promo code that gives you $60 dollars to spend in any of their stores. You can pick out anything you want and use the promo code to get $60 off!! And yes, there are things under $60, which means you can get something for free!! Woot woot!
Now, I know we've all seen giveaways where they asked you to jump through hoops- link to the giveaway blog in your blog, twitter it, facebook it, follow the blog, follow the blogger's twitter, follow them on networked blogs, friend them on facebook, ect. ect. ect. And it was suggested to me that I do this. But, um. NO! That's not me. I want people to follow me because they like my blog. Because I make them laugh. Not because they might win something. So if you would like to do those things...feel free. But it will not get you an extra entry into my giveaway. Sorry. The only way to enter is to visit one or more of the sites and come back and tell me something you might spend the $60 on. You are free to change your mind if you win. That comment will get you one entry. Then read my blogs for the next few days and leave a comment. Again, comments on subsequent blogs will get you another entry. I will be writing the names down on a piece of paper and putting them in a basket. Then, next Wednesday, I will pull out the name of the winner and post it!! After that you have 48 hours to get me your email address and I will send you the code. Simple as pie.
So let's recap: One comment on this or any upcoming blog until next Tuesday will earn you one entry into the drawing. The winner will be sent a promo code in their email to use at any of CSNstores 200 sites. The promo code will give you $60 dollars to spend, but cannot be used on shipping. (This site has a lot of "free shipping" items though!) All entries will be put in a basket and a name will randomly be drawn next Wednesday. I will post the winner on Wednesday, May 5th! You then have 48 hours to shoot me your email addy and I will send you the promo code!! No fuss, no hoops, all win!!
*I want to remind you that I did not receive any compensation for doing the giveaway, only the winner is getting anything. And it's all because I love my readers!*
I wish you could all win (and me too) but best of luck to everyone!
♥Spot
Yeah, it looks like boobs. And yes, it is dusty and dirty, I said I needed to clean! And it's also not centered in the kitchen. Why? The house was built in the 80's, let's not ask questions. Anywho...I have been dreaming online of all the gorgeous lighting ideas with which I could replace it. I'm partial to the chandelier look myself. Like this guy (only for the living room, not the kitchen!)
Any one else ready to do some decorating?? Well here's where I come in! The kind folks at CSNstores have asked me to do a giveaway on my blog!! I want you to know I had the choice of getting myself something pretty and than reviewing it or doing a giveaway and I chose YOU. I know, I'm just a giver. What can I say? So please visit http://www.csnstores.com/ and look around. Find something you like! They have over 200 websites to choose from such as allbarstools.com, www.cookware.com, and www.accentfurnituredirect.com. Go crazy! Okay, not too crazy. The giveaway is a promo code that gives you $60 dollars to spend in any of their stores. You can pick out anything you want and use the promo code to get $60 off!! And yes, there are things under $60, which means you can get something for free!! Woot woot!
Now, I know we've all seen giveaways where they asked you to jump through hoops- link to the giveaway blog in your blog, twitter it, facebook it, follow the blog, follow the blogger's twitter, follow them on networked blogs, friend them on facebook, ect. ect. ect. And it was suggested to me that I do this. But, um. NO! That's not me. I want people to follow me because they like my blog. Because I make them laugh. Not because they might win something. So if you would like to do those things...feel free. But it will not get you an extra entry into my giveaway. Sorry. The only way to enter is to visit one or more of the sites and come back and tell me something you might spend the $60 on. You are free to change your mind if you win. That comment will get you one entry. Then read my blogs for the next few days and leave a comment. Again, comments on subsequent blogs will get you another entry. I will be writing the names down on a piece of paper and putting them in a basket. Then, next Wednesday, I will pull out the name of the winner and post it!! After that you have 48 hours to get me your email address and I will send you the code. Simple as pie.
So let's recap: One comment on this or any upcoming blog until next Tuesday will earn you one entry into the drawing. The winner will be sent a promo code in their email to use at any of CSNstores 200 sites. The promo code will give you $60 dollars to spend, but cannot be used on shipping. (This site has a lot of "free shipping" items though!) All entries will be put in a basket and a name will randomly be drawn next Wednesday. I will post the winner on Wednesday, May 5th! You then have 48 hours to shoot me your email addy and I will send you the promo code!! No fuss, no hoops, all win!!
*I want to remind you that I did not receive any compensation for doing the giveaway, only the winner is getting anything. And it's all because I love my readers!*
I wish you could all win (and me too) but best of luck to everyone!
♥Spot
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The one where Sean doesn't have an eye tumor but I have crunchy knees...
Sorry to leave you hanging for a few days! I know everyone was waiting to see if Sean had an eye tumor. The answer is no. Sean does not have an eye tumor, brain tumor, or anything seriously wrong with him. And I got super busy, which seems to happen a lot lately. More about that on another blog. Now, back to our story...
As Sean and I were waiting Friday in the Nurse Practitioner's office we were bored. Obviously she's a pediatrician, so her exam rooms are full of toys, children's books and tips for new or young parents. Well, Sean wouldn't let me read him a story, so I started reading out loud the "Tips for Teeth" posted on the bulletin board. They seemed to be common sense. Brush your teeth. Floss. Get sealants. But number four was the best~
Me: "Don't put your child to bed with a bottle". Damn. Okay Sean, you're going to have to start leaving the Jack upstairs when you go to bed at night. I don't want you ruining your teeth.
Sean: Wow. You're the best parent ever.
Me: I know right? I should write a damn book!
After lunch, the expedition to Shopko, and the trip to the library, we headed back to the clinic to check in for Sean's eye appointment. We settled in the waiting room with our books. Fortunately, we didn't wait long. As we got up to follow the nurse, my knee gave a loud pop. Like a "make the people in the waiting room turn around and stare at you" pop. No big deal. Does it all the time. Not very painful, but I did notice it was grinding as I walked back to the exam room. The nurse did the usual, took the history, had him read the eye chart, looked at his eyes. Then she decided to put some drops in his eyes. Let me just explain that Sean is not a wuss. The kid has had two corneal scratches, which are supposed to be excruciatingly painful injuries, and he didn't even tell anyone for hours. I've picked gravel out of his skin and scalp from wipe outs. He's had pneumonia with 103 fever before and told me "he's fine". But he does have sensitive eyes. When he was a toddler, I had to make sure he had sunglasses on all the time. He'd get severe headaches after swimming from the light reflecting at the pool. He has very pale blue eyes and the eye doctor said that the pigment was very light and that's what made them so sensitive. I used to have to sit on him to get eye drops in his eyes. Then he got bigger than me and I gave up.
So this nurse is trying to get drops in his eyes and he's squirming. Finally, she gets them in but his eyes keep watering and watering. Then she tries to check pressure with a blue light she's shining directly in his eyes. Not going so well. So then she sticks some pen looking thing that clicks loudly in his eyes. At last, she manages to get what she needs and leaves the room. Sean is not a happy camper. So~
Me: Give me your hand.
Sean: *sticks out his hands* Why?
I place his hand on my knee, which is stretched out in front of me. Then I bend it.
Sean: *freaking the f*ck out* WTH?!! That's disgusting!!! Why would you do that?
(In Sean's defense...it is disgusting. You can feel my bones/cartilage grating when I do that)
Me: Because you aren't thinking about your eye anymore! It's called distraction. You're welcome.
Sean: OMG. I still can't believe you did that. Why didn't you warn me?
Me: Because then you wouldn't have given me your hand. Duh.
Sean: Now my knees feel weird. *he's rubbing them as he speaks*
Me: Hahaha. Mine too.
Sean: I may hate you.
Me: Whatever. You know it was a good distraction. See what a great mom I am??
The doctor comes in and sits and manages to look at Sean's eyes. He says he has cobblestones.
Me: What?
Doctor: They're bumps under his eyelid. They rub on the eye itself and can be quite painful. That's why both his eye itself and the lid were hurting.
Me: Gross. What's it from?
Doctor: It's an allergic reaction. I'm going to give you allergy eye drops and some steroid drops to help the inflammation. Use them until it feels better and then just keep on with the allergy drops. *he leaves*
Me: *giggling*
Sean: Why are you laughing?
Me: Because it's an architectural issue. Stop trying to build streets in your eyes.
Sean: *laughing* Yeah, when he said "cobblestones" I started thinking of old English streets.
Me: I know right? Weird. Guess you aren't going to be on Mystery Diagnosis after all. But hey, maybe HGTV would be interested. *I ducked the punch he aimed my way*
So then I got to go to the doctor. It wasn't really funny. She said my knee was "extra crunchy". She showed me the arthritis on my xray. Said she could do an MRI but she didn't think I'd torn any soft tissue. She told me I'd probably need a knee replacement in the future.
Me: Um. I'm not really big on surgeries. My last one was kind of a fiasco.
Her: Well, if it comes town to being in a wheelchair or having a knee replacement, I'm pretty sure you'll go with the surgery.
Me: Wow. Way to sugarcoat that for me.
She also told me that she'd happily give me a shot in the knee for the pain. Or a shot in the hip if it continued to hurt. And that I definitely needed to get the carpel tunnel surgery on my left wrist before I did permanent nerve damage. And sentenced me to physical therapy 3 freakin times a week. It was not a fun visit.
So I signed up for therapy, picked up meds and ran Sean home so he could get ready for his camp out. And I answered a few emails and then decided to meet friends for drinks and dinner. Grown up style. It was awesome. Sean's eye is pretty much all healed. The eye drops worked wonders and I don't even have to sit on him to get them in his eyes.
I've heard that several of you used our saying "that stripper is off her pole!". Sweet.
That's all for today kiddies. But you are definitely going to want to tune in tomorrow. Tomorrow...I get to offer you something. Something for putting up with me. Because I adore you all...
♥Spot
As Sean and I were waiting Friday in the Nurse Practitioner's office we were bored. Obviously she's a pediatrician, so her exam rooms are full of toys, children's books and tips for new or young parents. Well, Sean wouldn't let me read him a story, so I started reading out loud the "Tips for Teeth" posted on the bulletin board. They seemed to be common sense. Brush your teeth. Floss. Get sealants. But number four was the best~
Me: "Don't put your child to bed with a bottle". Damn. Okay Sean, you're going to have to start leaving the Jack upstairs when you go to bed at night. I don't want you ruining your teeth.
Sean: Wow. You're the best parent ever.
Me: I know right? I should write a damn book!
After lunch, the expedition to Shopko, and the trip to the library, we headed back to the clinic to check in for Sean's eye appointment. We settled in the waiting room with our books. Fortunately, we didn't wait long. As we got up to follow the nurse, my knee gave a loud pop. Like a "make the people in the waiting room turn around and stare at you" pop. No big deal. Does it all the time. Not very painful, but I did notice it was grinding as I walked back to the exam room. The nurse did the usual, took the history, had him read the eye chart, looked at his eyes. Then she decided to put some drops in his eyes. Let me just explain that Sean is not a wuss. The kid has had two corneal scratches, which are supposed to be excruciatingly painful injuries, and he didn't even tell anyone for hours. I've picked gravel out of his skin and scalp from wipe outs. He's had pneumonia with 103 fever before and told me "he's fine". But he does have sensitive eyes. When he was a toddler, I had to make sure he had sunglasses on all the time. He'd get severe headaches after swimming from the light reflecting at the pool. He has very pale blue eyes and the eye doctor said that the pigment was very light and that's what made them so sensitive. I used to have to sit on him to get eye drops in his eyes. Then he got bigger than me and I gave up.
So this nurse is trying to get drops in his eyes and he's squirming. Finally, she gets them in but his eyes keep watering and watering. Then she tries to check pressure with a blue light she's shining directly in his eyes. Not going so well. So then she sticks some pen looking thing that clicks loudly in his eyes. At last, she manages to get what she needs and leaves the room. Sean is not a happy camper. So~
Me: Give me your hand.
Sean: *sticks out his hands* Why?
I place his hand on my knee, which is stretched out in front of me. Then I bend it.
Sean: *freaking the f*ck out* WTH?!! That's disgusting!!! Why would you do that?
(In Sean's defense...it is disgusting. You can feel my bones/cartilage grating when I do that)
Me: Because you aren't thinking about your eye anymore! It's called distraction. You're welcome.
Sean: OMG. I still can't believe you did that. Why didn't you warn me?
Me: Because then you wouldn't have given me your hand. Duh.
Sean: Now my knees feel weird. *he's rubbing them as he speaks*
Me: Hahaha. Mine too.
Sean: I may hate you.
Me: Whatever. You know it was a good distraction. See what a great mom I am??
The doctor comes in and sits and manages to look at Sean's eyes. He says he has cobblestones.
Me: What?
Doctor: They're bumps under his eyelid. They rub on the eye itself and can be quite painful. That's why both his eye itself and the lid were hurting.
Me: Gross. What's it from?
Doctor: It's an allergic reaction. I'm going to give you allergy eye drops and some steroid drops to help the inflammation. Use them until it feels better and then just keep on with the allergy drops. *he leaves*
Me: *giggling*
Sean: Why are you laughing?
Me: Because it's an architectural issue. Stop trying to build streets in your eyes.
Sean: *laughing* Yeah, when he said "cobblestones" I started thinking of old English streets.
Me: I know right? Weird. Guess you aren't going to be on Mystery Diagnosis after all. But hey, maybe HGTV would be interested. *I ducked the punch he aimed my way*
So then I got to go to the doctor. It wasn't really funny. She said my knee was "extra crunchy". She showed me the arthritis on my xray. Said she could do an MRI but she didn't think I'd torn any soft tissue. She told me I'd probably need a knee replacement in the future.
Me: Um. I'm not really big on surgeries. My last one was kind of a fiasco.
Her: Well, if it comes town to being in a wheelchair or having a knee replacement, I'm pretty sure you'll go with the surgery.
Me: Wow. Way to sugarcoat that for me.
She also told me that she'd happily give me a shot in the knee for the pain. Or a shot in the hip if it continued to hurt. And that I definitely needed to get the carpel tunnel surgery on my left wrist before I did permanent nerve damage. And sentenced me to physical therapy 3 freakin times a week. It was not a fun visit.
So I signed up for therapy, picked up meds and ran Sean home so he could get ready for his camp out. And I answered a few emails and then decided to meet friends for drinks and dinner. Grown up style. It was awesome. Sean's eye is pretty much all healed. The eye drops worked wonders and I don't even have to sit on him to get them in his eyes.
I've heard that several of you used our saying "that stripper is off her pole!". Sweet.
That's all for today kiddies. But you are definitely going to want to tune in tomorrow. Tomorrow...I get to offer you something. Something for putting up with me. Because I adore you all...
♥Spot
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
I cannot tell a lie...
So I'm pretty much an idiot I've decided. Now, that may come as a big surprise to some of you, but not so much to others. "Why?" you ask. "What is this idiotic thing you've done Spot?". I've forgotten some things. This really isn't all that unusual of an occurrence for me. I forget things alot. Whether it's because of my age, my fibromyalgia, or my general spaciness I couldn't say. But it is the reason I make notes for myself and write a hundred sticky notes a day so I remember things. But the sad fact is that sometimes I still forget.
So this was going to be a post where I gathered up all the sweet stuff people have awarded me in the last couple of months and do the requirements and pass them out. But...I saved the award pictures, but wasn't smart enough to write down where they came from. Brilliant, huh? So I'm looking at the cute award pics going...??? So I will be doing some hunting and figuring that out and doing that post later this week. But I did receive one over the weekend and since I do remember from whence it came, I'll do it today!
I was quite lucky to have Jimmy over at Just My Opinion, decide that I am honest. Thank you very much Jimmy!! Now, those of you who have been reading this blog for some time, know that my biggest pet peeve is honesty and sincerity, or the lack thereof. I believe honesty is always the best policy. It doesn't have to be brutal, but it does have to be honest. And I pull no punches with this blog. I'm honest with you all, but most of all, I'm honest with myself. So without further ado...
The Rules Are:
1. Thank the person giving you the award.
2. Post a link to their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Post 7 tidbits you're readers don't know.
5. Hand it out to ten other bloggers.
6. Post links to their blogs.
7. Post a link letting those bloggers know.
Hmmm...7 tidbits you don't know about me yet? That's a toughie...
1. I've recently started doing freelance writing. I'm not going to get rich anytime soon, but apparently 40 is not too old to start a new career. Especially if it's the one you've always wanted. I have Kathryn to thank for that. She has been a mentor, passing on info, pushing me to get my work out there, and answering zillions of dumb questions about finance stuff, contracts and deadlines. She's an amazing woman who not only believes in "paying it forward", she always does it and encourages others to do the same.
2. I've recently started submitting works of fiction again. Okay, this is the honesty award...I submitted one story to one magazine. I got a lovely rejection email (aren't computers great? You can now be rejected ten times faster!). It made my stomach hurt to submit it (seriously, as soon as I pressed "send", I almost vomited). I haven't submitted since. But I will.
3. I've recently come to the conclusion that I suck at writing movie reviews. Thus the failure of What Spot Saw. They are much harder to write than I thought they'd be. I'm going to delete the blog and just pass along movie info here. I really want to do another blog with some fiction on it.
4. I hate waiting. It makes me horribly insecure. Waiting for a potential employer to get back to me, waiting on a rejection/acceptance letter, waiting on a phone call. Really, I start second guessing, and doubting my abilities until I'm convinced that I'm a failure. I know right? So at odds with my personality.
5. I have 3 tattoos. A really awful one on my back right shoulder of a unicorn on a cliff at sunset. Note to self: NEVER let a man who learned how to tattoo in prison give you a tattoo at your kitchen table. Thankfully, I didn't get hepatitis, but I do have a 'not well done' permanent piece of artwork there. I have a beautiful set of three stars (one for each biological child) on my foot. And the word "mother" in Gaelic~ "mathair" on the inside of my right wrist. They were done at an actual tattoo shop by a wonderful artist. I want at least two more. Seriously, they're addicting.
6. I absolutely adore the ocean even though I live no where near it. I try to visit it at least once a year. I love to swim, but even when I can't, just being near the ocean makes me happy. My dream is to live somewhere on the coast eventually. I'm thinking Maine, because I also love mountains and snow.
7. When I'm really really stressed, I get optic migraines. That means I lose vision in one eye and sometimes it doesn't hurt, but other times it's accompanied by sharp shooting pains in the eye. They are relatively rare, happening only about two to three times a year. I've noticed that only two people stress me out enough to actually cause them...Lu and my mother. Go figure.
Whew! That's done. Can I just tell you how hard that was?? Having done these award things before, I feel like there's not much new to tell. Lu called while I was doing this and I told her I was having trouble and she replied "that's because you tell people everything all the time." She's probably right. I feel like readers who've always read this blog already know everything there is to tell. So I hope I didn't repeat myself or bore you! Now to pass on the fun...
1. Dreamfarm Girl~ her blogs are not only honest, they're inspirational. Her writing, much like her quilting, is spectacular. And the way she can liken life to quilt making is truly exceptional.
2. Unabridged Girl~ Mckenzie is nothing if not honest. She's also a brilliantly talented young writer. I never read her blog, that I'm not amazed by the insight she has for someone under 30. This is one writer that I can't wait to see published. (Note to Mckenzie...I'm totally expecting an autographed copy of your first book...)
3. The Dork Side~ this is a young girl who also tells it like it is. I feel like I've come to know her through reading her posts. I know about her ballroom dancing, her creative crafty side, and her writing inspirations. Plus, she's got an adorable blog design. Get to know her!
4. Buggin Word~ Elly is honest. She's also hilarious. If you think I'm funny, you haven't read Elly. But be warned...there are no taboos on Elly's blog so if you are offended don't come running back, pointing fingers. But if you aren't prudish and like to laugh so hard you nearly pee...go, read Elly.
5. Out Numbered Two to One~ she tells it like it is raising four kids from toddler to teen. Another blog I never fail to giggle at.
6. The Grasshopper Tales~ formerly known as Triplets Plus Two Mommy, is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant. She doesn't hold back and that's why I love her blog.
7. The Nerdy Nomad~ C is always honest in her blogs. Sometimes they are about her life, family or friends. Other times they are beautiful photos with vivid descriptions about her travels. Her blog is never boring!! I didn't even know I how beautiful some of those countries were until I visited them via her blog.
8. The Screenplay~ I'm giving this award to Mark, even though he hasn't been able to blog much lately. Because, he's never held back. He's always given us honest emotion. Many times I've read his posts and cried my eyes out. Both in sympathy for him and his family, but also because he reminds me how blessed I am.
9. Platitude Paradise~ Danica never pulls any punches. She gives it to you straight. I know she's been having a rough time lately and not getting to post much. But when she does, she's honest about what she's going through.
10. Murrmurrs~ I'm new to this lady's blog but from what I've seen, she's as honest as they come. And funny too. I've only been reading her blog a short time, but she's down to earth and makes me giggle.
That was soooo hard! There are many more blogs I could pass this too, but most of them already have it and I think that giving it to people who don't gets them some attention they deserve. I also didn't give it to people who don't play. It seems silly to pass it on if the other person won't do the same. I hope nobody got their feelings hurt, because if I read your blog and comment, than you should know that I think you're honest. Simple as that.
Happy Tuesday!
♥Spot
So this was going to be a post where I gathered up all the sweet stuff people have awarded me in the last couple of months and do the requirements and pass them out. But...I saved the award pictures, but wasn't smart enough to write down where they came from. Brilliant, huh? So I'm looking at the cute award pics going...??? So I will be doing some hunting and figuring that out and doing that post later this week. But I did receive one over the weekend and since I do remember from whence it came, I'll do it today!
I was quite lucky to have Jimmy over at Just My Opinion, decide that I am honest. Thank you very much Jimmy!! Now, those of you who have been reading this blog for some time, know that my biggest pet peeve is honesty and sincerity, or the lack thereof. I believe honesty is always the best policy. It doesn't have to be brutal, but it does have to be honest. And I pull no punches with this blog. I'm honest with you all, but most of all, I'm honest with myself. So without further ado...
The Rules Are:
1. Thank the person giving you the award.
2. Post a link to their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Post 7 tidbits you're readers don't know.
5. Hand it out to ten other bloggers.
6. Post links to their blogs.
7. Post a link letting those bloggers know.
Hmmm...7 tidbits you don't know about me yet? That's a toughie...
1. I've recently started doing freelance writing. I'm not going to get rich anytime soon, but apparently 40 is not too old to start a new career. Especially if it's the one you've always wanted. I have Kathryn to thank for that. She has been a mentor, passing on info, pushing me to get my work out there, and answering zillions of dumb questions about finance stuff, contracts and deadlines. She's an amazing woman who not only believes in "paying it forward", she always does it and encourages others to do the same.
2. I've recently started submitting works of fiction again. Okay, this is the honesty award...I submitted one story to one magazine. I got a lovely rejection email (aren't computers great? You can now be rejected ten times faster!). It made my stomach hurt to submit it (seriously, as soon as I pressed "send", I almost vomited). I haven't submitted since. But I will.
3. I've recently come to the conclusion that I suck at writing movie reviews. Thus the failure of What Spot Saw. They are much harder to write than I thought they'd be. I'm going to delete the blog and just pass along movie info here. I really want to do another blog with some fiction on it.
4. I hate waiting. It makes me horribly insecure. Waiting for a potential employer to get back to me, waiting on a rejection/acceptance letter, waiting on a phone call. Really, I start second guessing, and doubting my abilities until I'm convinced that I'm a failure. I know right? So at odds with my personality.
5. I have 3 tattoos. A really awful one on my back right shoulder of a unicorn on a cliff at sunset. Note to self: NEVER let a man who learned how to tattoo in prison give you a tattoo at your kitchen table. Thankfully, I didn't get hepatitis, but I do have a 'not well done' permanent piece of artwork there. I have a beautiful set of three stars (one for each biological child) on my foot. And the word "mother" in Gaelic~ "mathair" on the inside of my right wrist. They were done at an actual tattoo shop by a wonderful artist. I want at least two more. Seriously, they're addicting.
6. I absolutely adore the ocean even though I live no where near it. I try to visit it at least once a year. I love to swim, but even when I can't, just being near the ocean makes me happy. My dream is to live somewhere on the coast eventually. I'm thinking Maine, because I also love mountains and snow.
7. When I'm really really stressed, I get optic migraines. That means I lose vision in one eye and sometimes it doesn't hurt, but other times it's accompanied by sharp shooting pains in the eye. They are relatively rare, happening only about two to three times a year. I've noticed that only two people stress me out enough to actually cause them...Lu and my mother. Go figure.
Whew! That's done. Can I just tell you how hard that was?? Having done these award things before, I feel like there's not much new to tell. Lu called while I was doing this and I told her I was having trouble and she replied "that's because you tell people everything all the time." She's probably right. I feel like readers who've always read this blog already know everything there is to tell. So I hope I didn't repeat myself or bore you! Now to pass on the fun...
1. Dreamfarm Girl~ her blogs are not only honest, they're inspirational. Her writing, much like her quilting, is spectacular. And the way she can liken life to quilt making is truly exceptional.
2. Unabridged Girl~ Mckenzie is nothing if not honest. She's also a brilliantly talented young writer. I never read her blog, that I'm not amazed by the insight she has for someone under 30. This is one writer that I can't wait to see published. (Note to Mckenzie...I'm totally expecting an autographed copy of your first book...)
3. The Dork Side~ this is a young girl who also tells it like it is. I feel like I've come to know her through reading her posts. I know about her ballroom dancing, her creative crafty side, and her writing inspirations. Plus, she's got an adorable blog design. Get to know her!
4. Buggin Word~ Elly is honest. She's also hilarious. If you think I'm funny, you haven't read Elly. But be warned...there are no taboos on Elly's blog so if you are offended don't come running back, pointing fingers. But if you aren't prudish and like to laugh so hard you nearly pee...go, read Elly.
5. Out Numbered Two to One~ she tells it like it is raising four kids from toddler to teen. Another blog I never fail to giggle at.
6. The Grasshopper Tales~ formerly known as Triplets Plus Two Mommy, is sometimes funny, sometimes poignant. She doesn't hold back and that's why I love her blog.
7. The Nerdy Nomad~ C is always honest in her blogs. Sometimes they are about her life, family or friends. Other times they are beautiful photos with vivid descriptions about her travels. Her blog is never boring!! I didn't even know I how beautiful some of those countries were until I visited them via her blog.
8. The Screenplay~ I'm giving this award to Mark, even though he hasn't been able to blog much lately. Because, he's never held back. He's always given us honest emotion. Many times I've read his posts and cried my eyes out. Both in sympathy for him and his family, but also because he reminds me how blessed I am.
9. Platitude Paradise~ Danica never pulls any punches. She gives it to you straight. I know she's been having a rough time lately and not getting to post much. But when she does, she's honest about what she's going through.
10. Murrmurrs~ I'm new to this lady's blog but from what I've seen, she's as honest as they come. And funny too. I've only been reading her blog a short time, but she's down to earth and makes me giggle.
That was soooo hard! There are many more blogs I could pass this too, but most of them already have it and I think that giving it to people who don't gets them some attention they deserve. I also didn't give it to people who don't play. It seems silly to pass it on if the other person won't do the same. I hope nobody got their feelings hurt, because if I read your blog and comment, than you should know that I think you're honest. Simple as that.
Happy Tuesday!
♥Spot
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Oh yeah. I've hit the big time now...
So this blogging thing is really something else isn't it? I remember when I got 10 followers and I was all excited because that was double digits. Woot to the Hoo! And then the number just kept going. And now it's nearly 50. So I'm going to do a giveaway to celebrate. The 50th follower will recieve...NOT! I'm just kidding. You know I don't roll that way. I would never bribe people to follow me. Although I am thinking of doing a contest. But that's because there's something I want that I can't figure out how to do for myself. And if someone else does it, I want to give them something in return and because contests are just fun! But more on that mid-week.
Anyway, then I got excited when I started getting more than 5 comments a day. Because feedback rocks my universe. Now people were not only reading my ramblings they were discussing them. Oh happy joyful day! I felt validated. Something about my writing made people want to read it, think about it, and comment on it. Isn't that every writer's goal?
Then along came the Kindle dealio. Remember how I didn't think anything would come of that? I was ecstatic to learn that I was wrong. Oh, don't get excited, it's not like I'll make a living off my Kindle subscriptions, but I do have subscriptions. Which translated to "someone is actually paying money (okay so it's a pittance, but still) to read my incessant ramblings". Oh My Stars! (As Lu & Hildi would say). To me that was the big time.
But what happened yesterday, takes the cake. And really? I don't think anything short of publication will top it. Like ever. What was this amazing phenomenon?? I was QUOTED. For real. Quoted. And everyone knows that only really wise and famous people get quoted (well...um...okay so Paris Hilton sometimes gets quoted, but that's only to make fun of her and this was so not like that at all so stop throwing that in my face. Geez).
So, basically I know that I've reallly made the big time now because unabridged girl wrote this post. With my quote at the beginning and attributed to yours truly. And I didn't even have to bribe her. And she didn't ask for this plug but I'm giving it to her anyway because the girl is talented. With a capital "T". So thank you for making my day dear. Really, I'm pretty sure I gave a little scream. Because Sean came in and said~
Sean~ What the h*ll are you screaming for?
Me~ I. Got. Quoted.
Sean~ for real? Which totally weird thing that you said did someone choose to repeat?
Me~ "It's a world full of Cheerios- be a Fruit Loop." *And I did air quotes because now that it's an official quote I'm pretty sure you have to. Or the quote police come after you. And then I showed him the blog.*
Sean~ you're right. That's pretty awesome. People might be walking around saying "And Spot said..." It's awesome and very scary all at the same time.
Me~ but mostly awesome.
Sean~ yeah. Oh, by the way, I'm totally stealing that qoute. But I'm going to say it while doing the Captain Morgan pose. You know, just for effect. *and here he demonstrates by placing his foot on the couch and his hand on his thigh and repeating the quote*
Me~ You're totally right. That does give it more emphasis.
Sean~ and Mom? You don't have to worry. You're not a Fruit Loop. You're not even a box of Fruit Loops. You are like the whole damn pallet of boxes.
I'm pretty sure that was a huge compliment. I took it that way anyway. Later I told hubby about being quoted. He always seems slightly shocked that my blog is doing well. I'm pretty sure it's because he doesn't get me. But then, his sense of humor is totally whacked. Lu was excited.
So there you have it. Why I'm now on the very peak of being famous. And to think you knew me when I was just some crazy chick with a blog. Oh wait. I'll always be the crazy chick with the blog. Just famouser.
♥Spot
Anyway, then I got excited when I started getting more than 5 comments a day. Because feedback rocks my universe. Now people were not only reading my ramblings they were discussing them. Oh happy joyful day! I felt validated. Something about my writing made people want to read it, think about it, and comment on it. Isn't that every writer's goal?
Then along came the Kindle dealio. Remember how I didn't think anything would come of that? I was ecstatic to learn that I was wrong. Oh, don't get excited, it's not like I'll make a living off my Kindle subscriptions, but I do have subscriptions. Which translated to "someone is actually paying money (okay so it's a pittance, but still) to read my incessant ramblings". Oh My Stars! (As Lu & Hildi would say). To me that was the big time.
But what happened yesterday, takes the cake. And really? I don't think anything short of publication will top it. Like ever. What was this amazing phenomenon?? I was QUOTED. For real. Quoted. And everyone knows that only really wise and famous people get quoted (well...um...okay so Paris Hilton sometimes gets quoted, but that's only to make fun of her and this was so not like that at all so stop throwing that in my face. Geez).
So, basically I know that I've reallly made the big time now because unabridged girl wrote this post. With my quote at the beginning and attributed to yours truly. And I didn't even have to bribe her. And she didn't ask for this plug but I'm giving it to her anyway because the girl is talented. With a capital "T". So thank you for making my day dear. Really, I'm pretty sure I gave a little scream. Because Sean came in and said~
Sean~ What the h*ll are you screaming for?
Me~ I. Got. Quoted.
Sean~ for real? Which totally weird thing that you said did someone choose to repeat?
Me~ "It's a world full of Cheerios- be a Fruit Loop." *And I did air quotes because now that it's an official quote I'm pretty sure you have to. Or the quote police come after you. And then I showed him the blog.*
Sean~ you're right. That's pretty awesome. People might be walking around saying "And Spot said..." It's awesome and very scary all at the same time.
Me~ but mostly awesome.
Sean~ yeah. Oh, by the way, I'm totally stealing that qoute. But I'm going to say it while doing the Captain Morgan pose. You know, just for effect. *and here he demonstrates by placing his foot on the couch and his hand on his thigh and repeating the quote*
Me~ You're totally right. That does give it more emphasis.
Sean~ and Mom? You don't have to worry. You're not a Fruit Loop. You're not even a box of Fruit Loops. You are like the whole damn pallet of boxes.
I'm pretty sure that was a huge compliment. I took it that way anyway. Later I told hubby about being quoted. He always seems slightly shocked that my blog is doing well. I'm pretty sure it's because he doesn't get me. But then, his sense of humor is totally whacked. Lu was excited.
So there you have it. Why I'm now on the very peak of being famous. And to think you knew me when I was just some crazy chick with a blog. Oh wait. I'll always be the crazy chick with the blog. Just famouser.
♥Spot
Monday, January 25, 2010
Did I say Lazy?? Whatev...
So I know that everyone is doing awards and blog bling on their 100th post, but you know me...I gotta roll different. So I'm doing some today on my 99th post. Because, well, because I can! But since I just did an award post earlier this month...I'll play the game but I'm not handing them out because I just did that. I will however point you in the direction of some talented people you should probably check out. But first a convo with Lulu from yesterday...
So I had planned to have a lazy weekend, but as everyone knows the best way to make the universe laugh is to make a plan. Lulu ended up sick on Saturday. She threw up all morning and slept all afternoon, with some mom cuddles in the middle. Luckily, she seemed fine the next day. And then, well, laundry was piled up, there was cooking to do and the boys wanted their taxes done. So I gave up and did housework. Lulu ended up taking my car to town yesterday as her's had a flat tire. She met some friends for lunch, saw a movie, hung out with another friend and then went to work to do inventory. Somewhere between leaving her friend's dorm and getting to work, she called me. I was carrying a load of laundry to the back of the house and the phone rang right as I passed by.
Me: Hello?
Lu: Why does it say "brake" on your dash?
Me: What?
Lu: Why is there a light that says "brake" on in the rpm thingy?
Me: Do you have the emergency brake on?
Lu: I don't know. Is it that pedal thing?
Me: Yes.
Lu: Oh. I may have hit it when I got in. How do I get it off? I tried pushing on it but it just keeps going down to the floor.
Me: Yes, you're just putting it on more.
Lu: Well how do I get it off??!
Me: There's a little thingy with a "P" on it on the left hand side by the steering wheel.
Lu: You mean...no. Oh. Right here. No. Um...here it is! But I pushed it and nothing happened.
Me: Because you're supposed to pull it!
Lu: oh! There we go! Thanks
I hung up shaking my head and explained to hubby. He said "I really worry about that girl. I'm not sure there's any hope for her." Does anyone remember that cartoon Dexter's Laboratory?? This is why we called her and Sean~ Dexter and Dee Dee.
So on to business...
First, I got tagged by Suzicate at The Water Witches Daughter. The rules are I have to tell you seven things about myself that you don't know. That's a toughie. I feel like you all have a pretty firm grasp on who I am. But here goes...
1. I hate Physics. Seriously. It was the only class in high school I actually studied for. And I still couldn't grasp it. I had to study with the class brain (who happened to be a good friend of mine and a brilliant girl) just to pull a C on the final exam. I worked so hard that the teacher (who was not known for her friendliness) put a smiley face on my exam. Seriously, for a C!
2. I can touch my nose with my tongue. Which is kind of gross but totally amazes small children.
3. I talk to strangers (whoa, what a surprise, huh?!). I always have. My parents hated this trait when I was small, but eventually gave up trying to make me quit. It sometimes frustrates my children as well. (Do you even know that person, Mom?? Well, I do now!) This is why I loved working at the bookstore. They paid me to talk to strangers about books, which I do for free anyway. Awesome, huh?
4. I love the snow and I want to move to Alaska someday. Or maybe somewhere else with mountains and lots of snow during the winter.
5. I'm really good at math. I can do complex problems in my head before my hubby can work them out on the calculator. I'm not especially fond of math, it's just a random ability. My dad has it. Sean has it. I can still beat Sean in speed, but probably not for much longer.
6. I love the color purple and I'm kind of a goth at heart. It fits doesn't it? I mean with all the scary stuff I like? Black is a staple of my wardrobe and I often have blue or purple fingernails. I try not to be too outrageous, since I have to attend functions for hubby's work. But since my birthday, I've decided life is too short not to be who we are and I'm getting ready to do some drastic things to my appearance.
7. Apparently (according to others), I have an amazing smile. I'm told it makes everyone think that I'm smiling just for them. My hubby says that my smile says "hi! Want to be best friends?" and that when I'm in conversation with people I also have the ability to make them think that they are the most fascinating person I've ever met, even when it's someone I can't stand or find seriously boring. I think it's the actress in me because sometimes I'm making a grocery list in my head, making mental notes for the next day's blog, or plotting their slow and painful death. It's pretty awesome that this doesn't come across to them.
There you go. Seven things you may or may not want to know! That's it for the tag game. I also need to send a big thank you to Heather at Welch Happenings and Angelia at Living, Loving, Laughing for bestowing on me this award:
Thank you to both of you! And now for some well deserved recognition:
If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Margarete at Beyond Breathing. Her blog is a beautiful tribute to her daughter Jena, whose life was cut tragically short by Cystic Fibrosis. Her blog is always inspirational, although you may want to have a few tissues handy. And I recently noticed I am on her blogroll, which makes me incredibly proud.
Also check out Tina at The Clean White Page. She is a majorly talented writer. I cannot wait until the day I get to order her first book off Amazon! And I have no doubt that I will one day be doing so! In Sean's words~ "She may be even better than you Mom." And I wholeheartedly agree.
I read many, many other blogs on a daily basis and they all have something to recommend them. But I don't usually follow the super popular ones unless they immediately catch my interest.
I did fix the comment thing on What Spot Saw, so if you feel like it, please peruse and comment. I'm going to get up a book review blog soon and possibly one with my fiction on it. Do not, under any circumstances, feel obligated to read or comment on them out of friendship. Life is too short to waste reading something you have no interest in! That said, you know I'm a huge comment and attention whore...Lol.
♥Spot
So I had planned to have a lazy weekend, but as everyone knows the best way to make the universe laugh is to make a plan. Lulu ended up sick on Saturday. She threw up all morning and slept all afternoon, with some mom cuddles in the middle. Luckily, she seemed fine the next day. And then, well, laundry was piled up, there was cooking to do and the boys wanted their taxes done. So I gave up and did housework. Lulu ended up taking my car to town yesterday as her's had a flat tire. She met some friends for lunch, saw a movie, hung out with another friend and then went to work to do inventory. Somewhere between leaving her friend's dorm and getting to work, she called me. I was carrying a load of laundry to the back of the house and the phone rang right as I passed by.
Me: Hello?
Lu: Why does it say "brake" on your dash?
Me: What?
Lu: Why is there a light that says "brake" on in the rpm thingy?
Me: Do you have the emergency brake on?
Lu: I don't know. Is it that pedal thing?
Me: Yes.
Lu: Oh. I may have hit it when I got in. How do I get it off? I tried pushing on it but it just keeps going down to the floor.
Me: Yes, you're just putting it on more.
Lu: Well how do I get it off??!
Me: There's a little thingy with a "P" on it on the left hand side by the steering wheel.
Lu: You mean...no. Oh. Right here. No. Um...here it is! But I pushed it and nothing happened.
Me: Because you're supposed to pull it!
Lu: oh! There we go! Thanks
I hung up shaking my head and explained to hubby. He said "I really worry about that girl. I'm not sure there's any hope for her." Does anyone remember that cartoon Dexter's Laboratory?? This is why we called her and Sean~ Dexter and Dee Dee.
So on to business...
First, I got tagged by Suzicate at The Water Witches Daughter. The rules are I have to tell you seven things about myself that you don't know. That's a toughie. I feel like you all have a pretty firm grasp on who I am. But here goes...
1. I hate Physics. Seriously. It was the only class in high school I actually studied for. And I still couldn't grasp it. I had to study with the class brain (who happened to be a good friend of mine and a brilliant girl) just to pull a C on the final exam. I worked so hard that the teacher (who was not known for her friendliness) put a smiley face on my exam. Seriously, for a C!
2. I can touch my nose with my tongue. Which is kind of gross but totally amazes small children.
3. I talk to strangers (whoa, what a surprise, huh?!). I always have. My parents hated this trait when I was small, but eventually gave up trying to make me quit. It sometimes frustrates my children as well. (Do you even know that person, Mom?? Well, I do now!) This is why I loved working at the bookstore. They paid me to talk to strangers about books, which I do for free anyway. Awesome, huh?
4. I love the snow and I want to move to Alaska someday. Or maybe somewhere else with mountains and lots of snow during the winter.
5. I'm really good at math. I can do complex problems in my head before my hubby can work them out on the calculator. I'm not especially fond of math, it's just a random ability. My dad has it. Sean has it. I can still beat Sean in speed, but probably not for much longer.
6. I love the color purple and I'm kind of a goth at heart. It fits doesn't it? I mean with all the scary stuff I like? Black is a staple of my wardrobe and I often have blue or purple fingernails. I try not to be too outrageous, since I have to attend functions for hubby's work. But since my birthday, I've decided life is too short not to be who we are and I'm getting ready to do some drastic things to my appearance.
7. Apparently (according to others), I have an amazing smile. I'm told it makes everyone think that I'm smiling just for them. My hubby says that my smile says "hi! Want to be best friends?" and that when I'm in conversation with people I also have the ability to make them think that they are the most fascinating person I've ever met, even when it's someone I can't stand or find seriously boring. I think it's the actress in me because sometimes I'm making a grocery list in my head, making mental notes for the next day's blog, or plotting their slow and painful death. It's pretty awesome that this doesn't come across to them.
There you go. Seven things you may or may not want to know! That's it for the tag game. I also need to send a big thank you to Heather at Welch Happenings and Angelia at Living, Loving, Laughing for bestowing on me this award:
Thank you to both of you! And now for some well deserved recognition:
If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Margarete at Beyond Breathing. Her blog is a beautiful tribute to her daughter Jena, whose life was cut tragically short by Cystic Fibrosis. Her blog is always inspirational, although you may want to have a few tissues handy. And I recently noticed I am on her blogroll, which makes me incredibly proud.
Also check out Tina at The Clean White Page. She is a majorly talented writer. I cannot wait until the day I get to order her first book off Amazon! And I have no doubt that I will one day be doing so! In Sean's words~ "She may be even better than you Mom." And I wholeheartedly agree.
I read many, many other blogs on a daily basis and they all have something to recommend them. But I don't usually follow the super popular ones unless they immediately catch my interest.
I did fix the comment thing on What Spot Saw, so if you feel like it, please peruse and comment. I'm going to get up a book review blog soon and possibly one with my fiction on it. Do not, under any circumstances, feel obligated to read or comment on them out of friendship. Life is too short to waste reading something you have no interest in! That said, you know I'm a huge comment and attention whore...Lol.
♥Spot
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
And I'm off again...
So I'm going to Hildi's again. I know right?! I was just there last month for my birthday. Well yesterday was Hildi's birthday! And actually Lu & I used to go every year on this weekend. See the guys have a big boy scout camp out on Martin Luther King weekend. It's aptly named "Polar Bear". Because it's always so freakin cold. The troops build their own shelters and camp in them. Yes, it does seem freaktarded to me too, but who knows what goes through men's minds? All I know is that almost every year, following this camp out, Sean gets sick. Asthma + being out in the cold all weekend = pneumonia. Luckily, the last two years he hasn't gotten it. Knock on wood.
So we are heading out today to stop in Springfield overnight and see the folks. Then we'll drive to Ohio tomorrow. On Sunday we'll head to Indy to stay the night with J & her clan. Then home on Monday. I will try to blog while I'm gone since we'll have Lu's laptop. And since I'm trying to get Hildi back to blogging. (Btw...I posted on Gert & Hildi, you might slide over and check it out...) And next week I'm thinking of starting two additional blogs. Why?? Because I'm a glutton for punishment that's why. So coming attractions include "See Spot Read" where I do book reviews because I read pretty much constantly. And "What Spot Saw" where I will do movie reviews. Because if I'm not writing or reading, I'm watching a movie.
But today I will leave you with this little bit of humor...
We have a black lab named Maggie. She was given to us by Hubby's gpa about the time we moved out here. His family has always raised hunting labs and Maggie was the last in a line of really well trained duck dogs. His gpa was getting older and didn't get out with her much and since they lived in town, she was confined to a kennel in the backyard with not much activity. So Maggie came to live with us. Unfortunately I am severely allergic to dogs. Like I even break out when they lick me. And they cause very severe asthma attacks. But since Maggie was used to being outside, that's where she stayed. We also keep her in a kennel, because I don't want her to get eaten by coyotes. The kennel however is twice as large and Sean goes out with her everyday. He walks her all over camp and they are generally gone for an hour and a half (which explains why Sean has not an ounce of fat on him even though he eats like a 300 lb man). She's 12 now, but just as fit and active as before. No sign of the hip dysplasia which can affect Labs. She won't go out on the lake when it's frozen and she doesn't swim as far, but other than that, she's still her chipper self. Well, with the temps as cold as they've been lately (in the negatives), at the end of their walk, Sean will open the back door and request a jug of hot water to thaw out Maggie's water barrel. This gives me a chance to give Mags a treat and her to go nose to nose with Lu's cat Sparkplug. They have an odd friendship.
So the other day, I'm sitting here posting and I hear the back door open. Sean hollers in~
Sean: Can I get a jug of water?
Me: (wait for it...) Of course you can! (Sean always says that when I ask for something and makes me say "but will you get it for me?" or "May I have". Why? Um...because he's a jerk??)
Now picture me laughing maniacally and dancing around my kitchen.
Me: (in a sing song voice) I got you! I got you! How does it feel??!
Sean takes off his trapper hat (you know, the kind with fur lining and ear flaps) and throws it at me. It hits me in the butt.
Me: Ha! I'll wear that hat. (I put on hat and dance my way to water jug)
Sean: Fine. I don't need it. It's freaking warm out here today. I think I'm sweating.
Me: Really?! What's the temp?
Sean: Like 22 degrees.
Me: Um yeah. That's a veritable heat wave!
We both start laughing.
Isn't it sad that 22 degrees feels warm?? What a winter! I'm lovin it!
♥Spot
So we are heading out today to stop in Springfield overnight and see the folks. Then we'll drive to Ohio tomorrow. On Sunday we'll head to Indy to stay the night with J & her clan. Then home on Monday. I will try to blog while I'm gone since we'll have Lu's laptop. And since I'm trying to get Hildi back to blogging. (Btw...I posted on Gert & Hildi, you might slide over and check it out...) And next week I'm thinking of starting two additional blogs. Why?? Because I'm a glutton for punishment that's why. So coming attractions include "See Spot Read" where I do book reviews because I read pretty much constantly. And "What Spot Saw" where I will do movie reviews. Because if I'm not writing or reading, I'm watching a movie.
But today I will leave you with this little bit of humor...
We have a black lab named Maggie. She was given to us by Hubby's gpa about the time we moved out here. His family has always raised hunting labs and Maggie was the last in a line of really well trained duck dogs. His gpa was getting older and didn't get out with her much and since they lived in town, she was confined to a kennel in the backyard with not much activity. So Maggie came to live with us. Unfortunately I am severely allergic to dogs. Like I even break out when they lick me. And they cause very severe asthma attacks. But since Maggie was used to being outside, that's where she stayed. We also keep her in a kennel, because I don't want her to get eaten by coyotes. The kennel however is twice as large and Sean goes out with her everyday. He walks her all over camp and they are generally gone for an hour and a half (which explains why Sean has not an ounce of fat on him even though he eats like a 300 lb man). She's 12 now, but just as fit and active as before. No sign of the hip dysplasia which can affect Labs. She won't go out on the lake when it's frozen and she doesn't swim as far, but other than that, she's still her chipper self. Well, with the temps as cold as they've been lately (in the negatives), at the end of their walk, Sean will open the back door and request a jug of hot water to thaw out Maggie's water barrel. This gives me a chance to give Mags a treat and her to go nose to nose with Lu's cat Sparkplug. They have an odd friendship.
So the other day, I'm sitting here posting and I hear the back door open. Sean hollers in~
Sean: Can I get a jug of water?
Me: (wait for it...) Of course you can! (Sean always says that when I ask for something and makes me say "but will you get it for me?" or "May I have". Why? Um...because he's a jerk??)
Now picture me laughing maniacally and dancing around my kitchen.
Me: (in a sing song voice) I got you! I got you! How does it feel??!
Sean takes off his trapper hat (you know, the kind with fur lining and ear flaps) and throws it at me. It hits me in the butt.
Me: Ha! I'll wear that hat. (I put on hat and dance my way to water jug)
Sean: Fine. I don't need it. It's freaking warm out here today. I think I'm sweating.
Me: Really?! What's the temp?
Sean: Like 22 degrees.
Me: Um yeah. That's a veritable heat wave!
We both start laughing.
Isn't it sad that 22 degrees feels warm?? What a winter! I'm lovin it!
♥Spot
Thursday, December 3, 2009
If it's Thursday, I must be spreading the word...
Aha! You guys thought I'd forget again, didn't you? Forget the very theme I made up. Which has happened, what, twice now? But no! I remembered. Go me!
First, I have to address some things from yesterday's blog. I'm still not really a paid writer. The amazon deposit wasn't from Kindle subscription sales. (Oh how I wish!) I, like Kathryn, have seen 0 pennies from that. The $11.51 was from referrals. I have amazon ads on my page and when someone clicks them and goes to amazon.com and actually makes a purchase, I get a 4-6% commission. And that $11.51? Yeah, that was like the accumulation of a years worth of having those ads so don't expect big money there. But this time of year, I'm not going to turn down any amount of money, no matter how measly! I guess in a way, stay with me folks, this is a stretch, you could say it was from writing. If people didn't read my blogs they wouldn't be on my pages and wouldn't click through to amazon.com, right? Believe you me, I can justify almost anything! Lol.
Second, to those of you concerned by Sean telling me I b*tch alot...I would say, at best, my parenting style is unorthodox. And some of it was situational. We were all having a joking conversation so it was okay. Had it been a serious conversation or had he been in trouble for something and he came back with that, it would have been treated way differently. I'm my children's friend as well as their mom. I know...parenting experts are all "you can't be both" blah blah blah. Since I'm pretty proud of my children and they're pretty damn good kids, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. We're friends until the situation warrants "momming". And then, they know the difference, trust me. I'm not saying it's for everyone. In fact, I don't even know anyone who parents like we do, but it has worked well for us. And it is the polar opposite of how my folks parented. I think I said the b word once to my mom when I was 16 and she backhanded me. They were the parents, we were the kids, and the lines were clearly drawn. In another post, I'll relate how I reacted to that and how it shaped the way I parent. But right or wrong, everyone does what works for them. You know?
Okay...on to the goodness of sharing...
1. After a trip to the library in which I realized the library here sucks...something good actually happened. I picked up a book by an author I'd never heard of...The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff. It was really really good. It was a ghost story, and while it didn't scare the sh*t out of me, it did make me pretty uneasy. The writing was good and it was very atmospheric and descriptive. No gore whatsoever. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars for sure. And then, quincky-dinkily, I found a link to the author's blog on Tina's blog. How odd is that?? Check out the book, check out the blog, check out Tina's awesome writing ability. You won't be sorry!
2. Funniest blog post of the week goes to Carolyn at Carolyn...Online. Read it, and prepare to be cool just by association. Seriously, this post sounds so much like something I would do.
3. Shout out to everyone who reads this blog, commenter or lurker, although of course, I like comments best. You guys have no idea how much you do to keep me inspired. So thank you!! And thanks to all of you who emailed, or facebooked me when I was absent over the weekend (you know who you are!). It's an amazing feeling to be that loved!
I will be beginning the "Disco Chronicles" tomorrow, much to the subject's consternation. Hehehe. That only makes it more fun for me. Hey, don't judge. After you read about his birth, you'll realize how he totally owes me. Forever.
Happy Thursday,
♥Spot
First, I have to address some things from yesterday's blog. I'm still not really a paid writer. The amazon deposit wasn't from Kindle subscription sales. (Oh how I wish!) I, like Kathryn, have seen 0 pennies from that. The $11.51 was from referrals. I have amazon ads on my page and when someone clicks them and goes to amazon.com and actually makes a purchase, I get a 4-6% commission. And that $11.51? Yeah, that was like the accumulation of a years worth of having those ads so don't expect big money there. But this time of year, I'm not going to turn down any amount of money, no matter how measly! I guess in a way, stay with me folks, this is a stretch, you could say it was from writing. If people didn't read my blogs they wouldn't be on my pages and wouldn't click through to amazon.com, right? Believe you me, I can justify almost anything! Lol.
Second, to those of you concerned by Sean telling me I b*tch alot...I would say, at best, my parenting style is unorthodox. And some of it was situational. We were all having a joking conversation so it was okay. Had it been a serious conversation or had he been in trouble for something and he came back with that, it would have been treated way differently. I'm my children's friend as well as their mom. I know...parenting experts are all "you can't be both" blah blah blah. Since I'm pretty proud of my children and they're pretty damn good kids, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. We're friends until the situation warrants "momming". And then, they know the difference, trust me. I'm not saying it's for everyone. In fact, I don't even know anyone who parents like we do, but it has worked well for us. And it is the polar opposite of how my folks parented. I think I said the b word once to my mom when I was 16 and she backhanded me. They were the parents, we were the kids, and the lines were clearly drawn. In another post, I'll relate how I reacted to that and how it shaped the way I parent. But right or wrong, everyone does what works for them. You know?
Okay...on to the goodness of sharing...
1. After a trip to the library in which I realized the library here sucks...something good actually happened. I picked up a book by an author I'd never heard of...The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff. It was really really good. It was a ghost story, and while it didn't scare the sh*t out of me, it did make me pretty uneasy. The writing was good and it was very atmospheric and descriptive. No gore whatsoever. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars for sure. And then, quincky-dinkily, I found a link to the author's blog on Tina's blog. How odd is that?? Check out the book, check out the blog, check out Tina's awesome writing ability. You won't be sorry!
2. Funniest blog post of the week goes to Carolyn at Carolyn...Online. Read it, and prepare to be cool just by association. Seriously, this post sounds so much like something I would do.
3. Shout out to everyone who reads this blog, commenter or lurker, although of course, I like comments best. You guys have no idea how much you do to keep me inspired. So thank you!! And thanks to all of you who emailed, or facebooked me when I was absent over the weekend (you know who you are!). It's an amazing feeling to be that loved!
I will be beginning the "Disco Chronicles" tomorrow, much to the subject's consternation. Hehehe. That only makes it more fun for me. Hey, don't judge. After you read about his birth, you'll realize how he totally owes me. Forever.
Happy Thursday,
♥Spot
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