B is for Boy

About a Boy

Born in March
Reader of Fantasy
You make me so proud
Creative and bright
Extra big hugs

Thankful for my Husband

I am thankful for my husband. He understands my quirks. He has expanded my video game comfort zone by introducing me to games like Rock Band and Gears of War. Often he will buy me flowers or treats just because he loves me, and not only for special occasions. He supports my writing, is a helpful critiquer and also good to talk through story ideas with. For my birthday, not only did he buy me awesome boots, he got me Sims 3 Pets, and these lovely glass figurines of a hummingbird and a butterfly. Love you, Jeff! Thanks for all you do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for family. I’m from a big family (nine kids) and it’s amazing how close we still are. As glad as I am for technology to make keeping in touch easier, it’s still great to get together for holidays like these. Got to see all but two of my siblings today. Love you all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hugs

I am thankful for hugs. One of my major love languages is physical touch. So hugs are the best thing in the world.

I am so grateful to have both a mom and dad who give plenty of hugs, both as I was growing up and now that I’m an adult.

I’m cherishing the fact that my son still gives me a hug and “love you” before going into school each morning. I know I won’t get that much longer.

Week of Gratitude

To celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m doing a week of gratitude on my blog. Now through Sunday my posts will focus on things I am thankful for. Feel free to join me!

I am thankful for Sparks.

Our kitty, Sparks, provides much entertainment. From his funky sleeping positions, to his snoring, to ambushes from beneath the edge of the couch or a blanket. Sparks got our attention at the shelter by swatting through the bars of his cage, hitting my husband when he walked by. He loves people, loves to play with my son, and is currently warming my lap. We didn’t name him, but his name is quite appropriate, as he rolls on the floor lots for attention, and rubs against everything, thus creating plenty of static electricity.

We love you, Sparks!

Date Highlights

The date with my husband yesterday was perfect! We caught all our busses on schedule. The weather was absolutely lovely. There was construction going on at the mall, so most shops had sales. Most purchases were for me. I felt so spoiled! Shopping highlights: Pink and white sneakers (needed), pink hoodie (wanted), and diamond heart necklace (bonus!). I felt so girly!

Lunch was Olive Garden. We’re used to light lunches (PBJ, chips), so went with appetizers only. The caprese flatbread and lasagna fritta were delicious! We shared both. And we were able to enjoy our entire basket of yummy breadsticks. We left satisfied without that stuffed feeling you usually get when eating out.

And we got home with an hour and a half before having to pick up B from school. Plenty of time for some “one-on-one”. It really was the perfect day.

Birthday and Contests!

Today is my son’s birthday. He is now six years old! We’re not having a party, but I am setting up some fun for him. I let him pick out his cake flavor (fudge marble) and frosting (chocolate). This morning a breakfast of orange juice, toast, and eggs got a thumbs-up. I have six presents to wrap today, which I will then hide around the house. I made some clue cards to print out for his present scavenger hunt. I’ll have to take pictures.

On the note of celebration, Elana is having a Fantabulous Followers Giveaway. Seven amazing books are on the prize list. Contest ends Sunday. Go check it out!

There’s also a contest going on at The Babbling Flow of a Fledgling Scribbler: 12 prizes combined into five packages. Something for everyone!

And one more just went up: Submission/Critique Contest with agent Suzie Townsend of FinePrintLit! over at Shooting Stars.

Peace and Gratitude

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.A. I have so many things to be thankful for. Today is my birthday. My son didn’t have school, and slept badly last night, but is currently taking a rare nap. I already opened the presents my mom brought up (what better way to entertain a 5 year old than open presents??). I had a lovely outing with my mom on Monday. I was thankful to have the one-on-one time. My husband won’t be home for another hour. He will be cooking dinner for me tonight. My father-in-law is doing well post-surgery. It is a good day. I think I will have a piece of cake then do some writing.

Happy holidays everyone!

Rayna

This is our beautiful Rayna. We have one other picture of her, a black and white photo that came with her file when we adopted her.

The photo here was taken when we took her to the vet on Saturday. We asked if they had a camera, and had them email us the photo. This is a crop, the full image is a family photo. My husband is holding her up for this. I know it’s not her best picture, but it’s all we have.

Last Thursday we noticed Rayna wasn’t acting normal. She stopped eating, didn’t want to play, and slept more than usual. She would drink, but that was it. She wasn’t getting better on her own, so Saturday we took her to the vet. We had hoped to get her some antibiotics, and have her back to normal in a few days. But it was so much worse than we thought. In addition to her liver failing, either from not eating or another cause, she had fluid in her abdomen. They took a sample, and it was filled with pus. The vet said that was really unusual, something she’d see in dogs sometimes, but not cats, especially so young.

She wasn’t sure the cause, and said that Rayna was in very bad shape. If we took her home for the weekend, she wouldn’t last until Monday. The vet could recommend a specialist for more testing – Rayna would get hooked up to tubes and cut open and they would try to find the problem and see what they could do. But the vet said even if they did “fix” her, she probably wouldn’t recover from the surgery. We talked it over, and agreed with the vets (got a second opinion from the other vet at the clinic). Rather than spend a lot of money and discomfort, for such a low chance of recovery, we had her put down.

 

When we first went into the Human Society (on a Thursday), we were just going to look, then check some of the other shelters, and get a cat that weekend. My husband was liking a Siamese, I wanted a gray striped little kitten, and B liked the black ones. Then I saw this gorgeous little tortoiseshell short hair curled in the back of a cage. I pointed her out to my husband, and we both fell in love. We took her to the visiting room, and all three of us decided to take her home that same day. We had no desire to look elsewhere.

The name on her papers was Raynie. We didn’t like the sound of that, too much like a rainy day, so changed it slightly to Rayna. It means song or queen. Rayna was born on March 30, 2009. We adopted her on May 28. She died on November 14, not even eight months old.

She was such a perfect addition to our family, and we don’t regret any minute we spent with her. We had hoped that being an indoor only cat we would have her for another ten years. Rayna was so loving. She loved to sit on your lap, get petted. She was very tolerant, rarely got upset. She liked to play, and had a string toy she would play with for as long as you’d play with her.

Rayna had a pink blanket that she came with, and we buried it with her. Now we walk by her everyday, as she’s in our front flowerbed. I miss her so much. Usually the first thing I do when I get home from walking B to school is let the cat out of the laundry room. But I didn’t get to do that today. I don’t have her sitting patiently by my chair for me to give her permission to jump up. She’s not here to play with my pen. I will never hear her demanding meows when I open a can of tuna. The house feels so empty.

When my husband took her in for her six month shots, I didn’t go with him. I have allergies, and though I’d become used to Rayna, I don’t do too well in a vet’s office. But I’m so glad I decided to go with him on Saturday. I got to hold Rayna one last time, and say my goodbyes. And I got to be there for my husband. He took it the hardest. Rayna was truly his cat. And she knew it. His lap was her first choice in the morning, and he gave her the best rubbing.

B understands that she is gone. He watched us bury her. But he wasn’t as attached as we were, and it didn’t have the same impact. His only question when I explained she was gone was if we would get a new one. We will. Eventually.

I wish I had more pictures. With all the house expenses, we hadn’t wanted to spend the money right now on a new camera. We thought we had missed out on some good pictures of a tiny kitten, but thought we’d have plenty more picture opportunities. And now those chances are gone. We have our memories. So many good memories. Rayna really was the perfect fit for our family. And we’ll always miss her.

Tuesday Tally and family update

EotF Status

# of queries out: 7

# of fulls out: 0

additional querying on hold

 

T.C. Status

word count: 9,034

 

FwM Status

word count: 5,751

 

Color Poems

complete: 14

min needed for chapbook: 20

 

Previous goals:

• submit poems to Strange Horizons – sent one, working on revisions for a second

 

Goals for this week:

• brainstorm and outline to take advantage of kid free writing time next week
• put up display shelf so I can unpack dragons (one of very few remaining boxes)

 

I wrote down the list of books we need to buy to fill out all our series: 104. That number may go down after we take another hard look at our collections. We have some where it’s only book 2, or we have a couple but the series is really long, and may decide to donate the books rather than buy the rest.

 

B will be in a full day kindergarten class. No more excuses not to write. It might be time to buy a watch again, since I’ll be walking B to and from school. At least my husband can pick up him some days, since work gets off before school. We met B’s teacher yesterday. She seems nice. B came away very excited about school. (Not that he hasn’t been excited prior to the visit…) Over the weekend we made a paper chain to represent how many days until school starts. Each morning after breakfast he cuts off a loop and we count how many are left. I’ve also been showing him on the calendar, so he can practice the days of the week.

 

B has been peeing his pants lately. Waiting until the very last second to run to the bathroom (and not always making it). Hopefully he’ll be back into good potty habits by Monday.

 

Nikki had twins on August 18. Both boys are doing well, but Nikki is not. She needs all the prayers and blessings you can send her way.

Busy Weekend

I’ve got a lot to do this morning, to get chores and preparations out of the way. After lunch, we’re dropping B off at my in-laws. He’s staying through Sunday. (Woot!) Husband and I will then go see an afternoon showing of Cirque Du Soleil: Saltimbanco.  So excited!

 

After the show, we’ll be eating out, using a gift card to Olive Garden that was given to my husband by a friend.

 

Then tomorrow, extended date time! My husband’s five year anniversary for working at his job came up this week, and they gave him a gift certificate to Mimi’s, and a gift certificate to the movies. So we’ll be going out to dinner again, and seeing a movie.

 

So, I need to give B a bath, get laundry done, plan meals for shopping Saturday, get B’s weekend bag together, and hopefully fit in some writing.

 

What are your weekend plans?

Tuesday Tally, on a subdued note

Last Thursday, my grandma finally passed away. I'm glad she was with us for the holidays. Now she is with her daughter. The funeral was yesterday. The services were beautiful. I loved hearing new stories about her. Two of my sisters and I (accompanied on the piano by a third), sang "Into the West."

 

Into the West, with Lyrics

 

B was good, stayed dry all day despite being in a diaper. He used the toilet at the appropriate breaks rather than interrupting anything. I'm so very proud of him.

 

EotF Status

one chapter still out on submission

will work more on query letter and synopsis, start sending some out next month.

 

T.C. Status

word count: 4,455

 

MiB Status

word count: 857

 

Nothing new written on either story, but outlined the next five chapters for TC, and solidified the antagonist and some other world details for MiB. Alternate title for "Magic is Believing" - "Fly With Me," after a poem of mine. Still have a long time to choose, though. Don't even have the first chapter done yet. Ooh, how would "Fly with me" work as a salutation for Alexa? Too weird?

 

Goals progress moved to sidebar. ---->

GoodReads widget with the books I read this year also added.

Holiday Update

Christmas was wonderful. We had a nice quiet evening at home Christmas Eve, watched "The Flight Before Christmas" together. In the morning, we made sure to get showered and dressed before having pancakes and bacon. Then we tackled the presents.

 

B loves his new Webkinz Hippo from Santa. We named it JoJo. He also got a slumber pack for sleeping in his tent or at grandma's. It has a sleeping bag, pillow, and flashlight. From his parents, he got a Vtech Kidizoom Camera. After two days and 100 pictures later, the cheap batteries we bought are already dead. So, the camera is hiding until it gets some more quality batteries. Some of his other presents this year were board games. He LOVES games: card games (UNO), video games, board games. Christmas day we played all four new board games, most twice. He got Monopoly Jr., Cooties, Playhouse Disney Memory Match, and later Sesame Street Chutes and Ladders.

 

For probably the first Christmas, I did not get a new book. However, I did get a notebook and journal, and then my mom lent me books, and we got some good deals at the library sale. So I have books to read. Not a problem. Got a nice robe, some movies, and other stuff.

 

We went to visit family late Christmas morning, but the predicted storm came early. We intercepted it, saw how bad the roads were, and turned around. Did our visiting in the afternoon instead, after it cleared up.

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and has a Happy New Year! Love you all!

Birthday Tuesday Tally!

EotF Status

prepped to start draft 6 come Dec

 

T.C. Status

word count: 2,893

 

Poems Written

22/30

 

Goals for November

• Poem a Week - definitely met this 
• submit a batch of poetry weekly - on track 
• mail off Blazing Princess again - delayed again. will have to move to next month 

 

Happy Birthday to me! My mom is coming up to take me to lunch and then Gardner Village. (Followed by a not-so-happy, squeezed in at the last minute, just got a notification yesterday that B needs more immunization shots or can't go to preschool next Mon, visit to the clinic.) Then my husband will be fixing me dinner tonight. Most likely pork chops. Mmm.

 

It's quite interesting that as soon as I gave myself permission to only do one poem a week instead of every day, I wrote one anyway. The only two days I've missed were Saturday and Sunday. I was so involved in creating and launching a new group on Writing.com that writing a new poem didn't even cross my mind. The new group is called Frosted Paths. It's for anyone submitting poetry, that we may support each other through the process and help buffer against the pains of rejection. I made the group because I need it, so figured someone else may benefit as well. I saw a need and filled it. There are so many groups for poetry writing or appreciation, but not the submitting part. Which, for me, is the hard on the psyche part.

 

I got comments on the Zalandar chapters, so on to draft six of EotF. Though with the holidays I'll just mark it up this week and get busy on it in Dec. Hopefully I'll be sending it out sometime early next year.

At long last, more of the 5k Qs

5,000 Questions... My answers so far...

 

501. If you could rename yourself what would your new name be? as a teenager - I wanted to be Daphne Starlight

 

502. What is your Glam Rock name (the name of your first pet plus your street name)? Sailor Plumtree

503. Have you ever created your own 'what ___ are you' quiz? nope
If you did make one what would it be about? Which Fey are you? (from EotF world: sylph, djinn, dryad, or undine)

504. What is your favorite song from the 70's? Love Story. My husband gave me a dove music box that plays the song.

505. What do you feel like complaining about? the good shows getting cut (current culprit, NBC with "My Own Worst Enemy". I'll be watching up to the last episode they show. Still edge-of-the-seat awesome.)

506. What do you feel like celebrating? life, family. How could I not with my birthday and Thanksgiving coming up.

507. Have you lost touch with anyone you should call? my college sister. but I've tried getting in touch with her to no avail :(

508. Deep in thought do you forgive everyone? forgive them, yes. excuse them, no.

509. Can a person speak out against their government and still support their country? yes. that's what democracy and freedom of speech is all about.

510. What do you have faith in? God, the good in people, my family

TT and Life Update

EotF Status

letting it sit before draft 6

 

T.C. Status

word count: 2,893

 

Poems Written

3/30

 

Goals for November

• Poem a Week - doing good so far. already have one finished, and two more in draft stages
• submit a batch of poetry weekly - sending some off today
• mail off Blazing Princess again - need access to a working printer

 

Good thing I started my poem early yesterday. Just before lunch, B was helping me with laundry, and did a not so helpful thing of prematurely slamming the dryer door. Ouchie to three squished fingertips, right hand. No writing or typing for me after that. Fingers no longer throbbing today, merely tender and bruised under the nail. Could be worse. As you can tell, I can type fine, I just avoid using my middle finger on the mouse scroll. Too much pressure.

 

This looks to be an extra busy month. Thursday is Parent Teacher Conference. This weekend my missileer brother is coming down for a week. Don't get to see him much, so I'll be going down a couple different days to visit with mom and him. The reason he's got leave is that my grandma isn't doing well. She had a stroke a while back and is slowly getting worse. Not expecting her to last much longer. Essentially, they told my parents to start planning the funeral. It's sad, but at least we have time to prepare. (Hopefully more time rather than less.)

 

The last week of the month we have my birthday and Thanksgiving. All goals still in place. We'll see how the month goes.

10 Questions, in which I muse about TV and remember the past

5,000 Questions... My answers so far...

 

461. Do you have street smarts? no

462. Do you have a lot of common sense? also no

463. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Praline Pecan

464. What's your favorite movie that involves dancing? I love dancing movies! Picking two for this one. "Strictly Ballroom", which I haven't seen in years; and "Take the Lead", which is so inspiring.

465. Would you ever want to become a guest on a talk show? If yes what would the show's theme be? No desire to.

466. Do you like the way you look naked? An unexpected question... Answer: Mostly.

467. Have you ever dissected an animal? Yes. Biology in junior high. Surprisingly, the worm was worse than the frog.

468. Who do you know who is brilliant? My older brothers. All brilliant. I've always looked up to them.

469. Who do you know who is dull? Not going to answer this one. Protecting the innocent and all that.

470. Do you ever think about time travel? Yes. Gets very complicated. Did you see the premiere of Heroes season 3? Wow.

This week's Highlights

There were some moments this week that really stood out (in a good way).

Tuesday, my husband stopped on his way home from work and bought me a gift. Just because. The bear is so soft! The flowers are a dozen roses: 6 red, 5 pink, and one lavender. My husband likes to pick out his own arrangements, and they are always lovely. :-)

 

Yesterday B and I went to the Eccle's Dinosaur Park with my mom and two of my siblings. It was a lot of fun. B liked dinosaur's before, but now he loves them! He is so cute. We heard a lot of "Dinosaur. Rawr." He was very worn out by the end of the day, and didn't even notice scratching up his knee until we got in the car (which since being pointed out, he is "crippled" when he thinks about it. silly boy). At the gift store we bought him a wooden stegosaurus play set, and we got a promotional DVD about the park that B has watched twice since coming home. My mom gave him some dinosaur books, clothes, and pjs before we left. B has spent a lot of time looking at those books today.

 

Here is B looking at the moving dinosaurs inside the museum. See the cute baby triceratops?

 

After getting home, we turned right around and left to eat out with my husband as an early Father's Day celebration. (B and I won't be going anywhere this weekend now that we're back into potty training.) It was a long day, but a good one. Hopefully we will all survive the potty training this next week.

 

An early Happy Father's Day to all dads out there.

Happy Birthday Husband! (plus TT)

Today is my husband's birthday. We'll be eating out tonight. Still don't know what he thinks of his gift as I'll be giving it to him later today. We had turtle pie over the weekend instead of cake. Mmm.

 

Quick Tuesday Tally before I tidy the house while my husband is still at work.

 

EotF Update

total words to date: 89,362

pages: 397

chapters revised: 0/27 (draft 5)

 

T.C. Status

word count: 1471

 

Previous Goals:

• Fantasy newsletter - didn't meet deadline 
• EotF website mailing  
• finish EotF draft 4 - hopefully only 2 more to go 

 

New Goals:

• update Wilcox Writers site. I've been neglecting it 
• along those lines, contact group members and see how they're doing
• outline new EotF chapters
• flesh out character profile for Zalandar (antagonist for EotF)

Answering more Q's

5,000 Questions... My answers so far...

 

101. What does happiness/joy feel like physically? energy, uncontrollable smiles, and toe wiggles

102. List five people you love starting with the one you love the absolute most.
A. My husband
B. My son
C&D. Mom and Dad
E. my siblings (I will not pick one above the rest. I may be closer to some, but that does not mean I love the others less.)

103. How many movies have you gone to see this month? haven't seen any this month, but saw "Jumper" last month

104. If you could have 3 wishes...but none of them could be for yourself, what would you wish for? relatives to be out of debt, friends to not be alone, and the homeless to be cared for

105. In what ways do you relax and de-stress when you are really tense? go for a walk, read a book, take a nap; not always in that order

106. How much money would it take to get you to drive to school naked in the springtime and get out of the car? no amount of money would overcome my inability to drive, therefore the naked part of the question is nil

107. Have you ever killed an animal? no. and I don't know if I could even if I was starving.

108. Have you ever lost someone close to you? I've had relatives die, but no one I was close to. I've lost close friends in other ways though.

109. What do you think of cloning? I'm fine with cloning body parts for replacement, but cloning an entire human or animal… My mind just can't wrap around how that would work. You can't clone a soul.

110. Do you read or watch TV more often? Toss up. I read lots, but I also have my regular shows. I think the scale tips different ways throughout the year. Throw video games in the mix, and the other two are no competition. Though I love my books.

111. With all this talk of terrorism going around are you willing to sacrifice rights and freedoms for increased safety? To a degree. I've been watching the tv show Jericho, and it's scary to see how quickly how "for your safety" can become a prison.

112. What is the punishment you would come up with for Osama Bin Laden if you caught him alive? bury him alive. actually, I don't know. that one just popped into my head.

113. Have you ever named an individual part of your body? no

114. Have you ever been on the radio or on TV? not that I know of

115. Have you ever won a lottery, or sweepstakes? I've won drawings, but nothing huge

116. Have you ever won a contest or competition? yes, I have won a few contests on Writing.com

117. Do you like to watch The Joy of Painting show with Bob Ross (check out this link if you don't know who he is. Also please note me if you notice the link is broken) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ross_(painter)? Yes. watching him is so calming, and I'm in awe at his talent.

118. Do you know what your grandparents and your great grand parents did for a living? uhh… I'm sure I've been told at one point, but I have an awful memory, and it's not something I've had to remember…

119. Is there anything really interesting in your family history? My grandfather was in World War II.

120. Is there anyone you trust completely? absolutely completely? no. I have too many insecurities. heck, I don't even trust myself completely.

121. Have you ever lost someone without having the chance to say goodbye? as in they died, no. as in never seeing or hearing from them again, despite trying to keep connected? yes.