Monday, March 23, 2009

Oh, and one more picture

My youngest son caught the garter so he decided to be the clown he is with it . . . yes, he wore it like this and danced around the room for everyone to see. *sigh* This one is just like his father!! =D

Jaykeb being silly

Write on?

And yes, I know the date on my camera is WAY off . . . the batteries died and I forgot to reset the date before the pictures were taken . . . I'll get around to it one of these days. =)

Found, one camera

I misplaced my camera after the wedding on Friday. I've been searching for it, and I finally found it a few minutes ago! I won't tell you where it was since I searched there several times and I'm embarrassed I didn't see it the many times I looked. *blush*

Anyway, here are some pictures of the tunics I made for the little boys in the wedding.

Tunics

You can't see them very well, but they have laces going down the front and everything. I also made a jacket for myself and another bride's maid since the dresses were sleeveless/strapless.

Here's a picture of the other bride's maid:

Caitlyn

Here's what the dresses looked like without the jacket (this is the bride's daughter, Mari and my SIL, Jessica):

Mari and Jessica

Here's a picture of my daughters (they were flower girls) and no, I did NOT make these dresses:

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And here's a picture of my crazy kids and hubby with the wedding cake:

let them eat cake

Oldest son was taking many of these pictures so he's not in any of them. =( And I took some so I'm not in any of them either. =) oh, I mean =(

They did have a professional photographer there so when Christi sends me some pictures that I'm in, I'll post them for you. =)

Here's a picture of the bride, Christi, and the groom, Aaron:

Christi and Aaron

So, this was the wedding . . . it was nice. I got the sewing done in time, I sang my song during the wedding, and it's all over. WHEW!

I hope they have many years of happiness. =)

 

Write on.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Fairy Tale

Cyn2write is having a contest in which you could win an autographed copy of FAIRY TALE and a cool necklace. Don't miss your chance to enter and join in the countdown to release day!

 

Write on!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Loki

Just a quick post before I get back to sewing (I'm almost done YAY). Yesterday we added a new member to our family. Here're a few pictures:

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He's a Harlequin Macaw (cross between a Blue and Gold Macaw and Green Wing Macaw). At eight months old, he is already learning to speak. He says "hello" and "hi" and we're looking forward to teaching him many more words and fun things.

And now I must get back to sewing. I'll take pictures of my sewing creations after I'm finished. =)

Write on . . . or Sew on (as the case may be).

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Hiatus

Dear readers,

I am not abandoning you, for I shall return. But for a while, I shall be busy. A friend's wedding is on the 20th and I have lots of sewing to get finished before then.

Therefore, I shall be away from blogging for a while. I may still pop in on your blogs to comment now and then, but after today, I will try to unplug myself from the laptop and plug into the the sewing machine.

Since today is my last full day of computer usage, I shall be using my remaining hours wisely. These marvelous hours will be spent pouring through my WIP and finishing up some major revisions (based on some feedback from first beta readers). If all goes well, these revisions will be complete today and I will be able to mail a hard copy to a very patient friend of mine (on Blogger . . . she knows who she is) for a critique.

So, this activity means I shall be away from this blog for a while . . . but I will be back sometime next week when the wedding is over. In the meantime, I wish you all good times, good company, good health, good writing, and good news!

 

Write on.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Wherefore art thou Dora?

If I were a cursing woman, I would do so now . . . as if the original weren't annoying enough, Dora the Explorer is getting a makeover. I thought my kids were out of the Dora phase and now they are trying to suck them back in by making her "grow" with my children who have moved on from Dora adoration.

Though her new look has yet to be revealed, they do have a silhouette of her.

Tween Dora

You can find an article about this travesty here: Dora article

I'm not sure I'm entirely happy about this . . . aren't our children exposed to enough subtle (and not so subtle) sexuality?

A rose by any other name is not as sweet!

Write on?

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

I can't stop praising this book! Not only did I recommend it to my teen, but I also recommended it to the librarian at my kids' elementary school!

It was my great privilege to receive an ARC of:

THE FARWALKER'S QUEST by Joni Sensel

Rating: A+ (and if I could add a few more plusses, I would =D)

Age level: 9+

When Ariel and her best friend Zeke find a magical artifact, their lives are changed forever. Soon they are on a dangerous journey to discover where the artifact originated. In the process they discover their true callings and forge an unlikely friendship.

Filled with adventure, surprises, and great characters, THE FARWALKER'S QUEST guides the reader one exciting step at a time into a fantastic trip through Ariel's world.

This book has common fantasy elements of a magical artifact and a heroic quest, but Sensel writes in such a refreshing, original way that this book is far from cliché.

I loved THE FARWALKER'S QUEST! From the very first line, I found myself striding into Ariel's story and loving every step. I couldn't stop walking (and sometimes running) until I reached the last page, and even then I wanted to go on.

This is a book I will enjoy stepping into again.

I am especially intrigued with the concept of the Blind War and would love Sensel to guide us back to this time in a new adventure (hint, hint).

 

This book was released February 17, 2009. Walk far, walk long . . . or better yet, run to buy this book.

 

Write on!

Friday, March 06, 2009

The Great Procrastination Meme

 
Here are the rules. If you comment on this entry I will reply with 5 subjects/things/people/whatever that I associate with you. You then have to take those five, create a new post, elaborate on them and keep it going.

I got caught up in the moment and commented on whitehousemom's before I realized what I was doing. ;-)

Here are the five things she associates with me, and my elaborations on them.

1. Writing: I guess Paula associates me with writing because . . . well, I'm a writer. =)

The kids finished up their four week after school program yesterday. They participated in different "classes" (art, Dragonology, fun with science, etc.). Last night at the dinner table, D1 and I had the following conversation:

D1: Mom, I told my art teacher that you were really creative and did drawings and crafts and stuff and that you wrote books.

Me: You did, huh?

D1: Yep.

Me: What did she say?

D1: She thinks it's cool that you write books.

Me: Do you think it's cool that I write books?

D1: Duh! I wouldn't have told her if it wasn't.

So there you have it. Writing books is cool. =) But my biggest reward is seeing D1 and my other kids making their own books. D1 has become especially good at it. She's in the process of creating her own graphic novel . . . she's nine and while the stories/artwork may not be "professional" I think it's great that she's flexing her writing and artistic muscles. I expect great things to come from these early attempts. =)

2. Kids: Yeah. I have four of the little beasties and they always manage to make my life a bit more difficult. ;-) But no matter how much I may complain about them, I do love them very much. My life wouldn't be the same without them . . . heck, if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be a writer. Not only are they a great source of inspiration, but I want to be something more for them . . . not just mom (or supermom), but a mom who follows her dreams, sets goals, and strives to better herself. And why not? If I want them to succeed, I have to set an example. Right?

3. Hating pregnancy: I had horrible pregnancies. I was sick nearly the entire nine months. And I'm not talking the usual morning sickness . . . no, my friends, it was to the point of having to have IV fluids every other week because I couldn't keep enough down to prevent dehydration. And after the constant vomiting ended, the pre-term labor began. And if you've ever had to be on terbutaline, you understand. But I do have four wonderful monkeys from my five pregnancies so I suppose it was worth it. ;-)

4. Puppies: I breed, raise, and show Toy Fox Terriers. I own a couple of AKC champions and am looking forward to raising up a few more. =) These dogs bring lots of fun (and trying) times! My dog, Jewel, had puppies a month ago. Here's a couple of pictures of puppy preciousness:

sleeping puppies Jewel's puppies

5. Arizona: I live in this totally hot state. =) The area in which I live is about the perfect climate. It's warm in summer, but not as blistering hot as some places in AZ. Once in a while, our temps reach over 100, but not too often. And it's cold enough in winter to still get some snow. We usually only get one good snowfall a year, but that's enough for me. =) I like to look on the beauty of snow, but I don't like the cold it brings with it . . . could we have warm snow for a change? ;-)

And there you have it folks. The five things Paula associates with me and my elaborations on them. Now feel free to leave a comment and I'll associate five things with you . . . and then you can procrastinate with this Meme too!

Write on.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Personality Test

On Jennifer Jabaley's blog today, she linked to a personality test. It looked like fun so I gave it a try. My results:

INFJ (Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging)

Characteristics include:

Deep convictions, champion of the oppressed and downtrodden, not easily led, nonverbal sensitivity, empathetic, highly intuitive, etc.

Famous INFJ's:

Eleanor Roosevelt

Emily Bronte

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Chaucer

Jimmy Carter

Michael Landon

John Katz

Carrie fisher

And many more . . .

This is supposedly a "scarce" (according to D. Keirsey) personality type (little more than one percent of the population).

Careers for INFJ's:

Writing, counseling, public service, politics, etc.

 

My result is pretty accurate! Anyone else out there an INFJ? What's your personality? Take the personality test and share your results . . . I dare you . . . no, I double dog dare you. ;-)

 

Write on.