Aug 26, 2012 |
It’s been a while since I’ve done my five mindless minutes of writing, so here I am.
Dot helped her best friend move into the Dorm at his college. They both start classes Monday. She has a four-year plan: get her AA at the community college, then transfer to the University for her BA and nursing degree. I’m so proud of her! And her friend’s studying to be a Marine Biologist. How incredibly brainy is that?! These “kids” amaze me.
We’re watching “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. I do so love this movie. I love how Paul Varjak falls in love with her near the beginning, and she’s so tormented she doesn’t see it until he leaves her. And that music! “Moon River…” Ugh. Melts me every time.
I finally have a plan for the front yard, and I’m so very excited. Because as soon as the cooler fall and winter weather come around, I’ll be able to get started. First, I’m going to “uproot” the sprinkler lines and cap off the drip-lines that I don’t need. Then I’m going to pull out the two rose bushes, the five lilacs, and the Orange Blossom Shrub in the corner. Of course, I’ll rake and weed and level as I go along.
In the spring, I hope to be able to plant Skyrocket shrubs along the South fence, a cluster of sunflowers in the corner near the driveway, and a patch of grass where the front window flower bed currently is. Perhaps I can trim down the two trees also, or I might have them removed completely and put in something entirely new. I like Liquid Ambers or Chinese Pistache. Or even Olive trees. Those are lovely, too. I definitely want something that will add color to the yard. Right now the ground is consistently sandy and the the growth is consistently dull green.
Wherever I don’t plant anything, i hope to lay down some rockscape. I haven’t decided on the color yet. Something light and grey; or something that grabs the eye like woodchips or rusted brick. Decisions, decisions!
I wore a Baseball cap today. I rarely wear hats. In general because I used to keep my hair short like a shaggy pixie cut, and hats served no purpose but to make the ends stick out uncontrollably. Now that my hair is past my ears, I can pull it back in a clip or ponytail and it still hangs low beneath the hat. So I still look feminine. So I know it’s funny… but I wore a baseball hat today and it made me feel pretty. So I wore it all day long, and in fact, still have it on.
Well, my five minutes are up but not the movie. So farewell until we meet again. Paul Varjak is calling my name.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
May 6, 2012 |
It’s not really Sunday for me. But it is for you. I’m writing this now because I’m still (will be still) on Retreat.
I’m watching FLASHPOINT episodes on my DVR. It’s so bittersweet. I can directly relate so much of my life before-and-after FLASHPOINT. Before, I wanted to write. I watched TV. I didn’t really talk to strangers online. After, I am a writer. I am committed to my writing. And I’ve made so many friends through FPTO. People I’ve never actually met, but who are nicer to me than some real people I know/knew.
I deleted some friends from my life last week: facebook, twitter, email, and in general. It was an awkward moment when I saw one in public and she asked why. It’s not that I am antisocial again. It’s that I carefully choose who I associate with.
I started actually writing material again. Short stories. So in a month, or hopefully even less, I can start submitting to magazines and contests and see where that takes me.
I’m looking forward to Women’s Retreat. Which, by the time you read this, is where I’ll be.
Next Wednesday, my blog’s “What’s the Word? Wednesday” theme will be all about Mom’s. I’m excited for that, and I really hope to get a great number of links to read Mom Stories from everyone.
Well, now I have to finish cleaning the house and packing for retreat and then I’m off to watch Dot in her high school play. She graduates in four weeks so it’s a whirlwind around here coordinating parties and Grad Nite and events and finals and dentists and visits and everything else… but it’s a good whirlwind.
I love my Daughter. She’s always amazing me. She’s so awesome. Sometimes I take a step back and see her as more of a person than just my daughter, and I’m taken by surprise. If she wasn’t my daughter, I’d want her to be. I really would.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Apr 9, 2012 |
I forgot to write any postings today. I was busy selling cookbooks online yesterday; and today we celebrated Easter.
My mom invited us over for a new Mac-n-Cheese recipe that included diced chicken and chilis. It was fantastic. And we watched as the year’s first yellow warblers became twitterpated with each other.
There are two new sprouts in my flower bed. The sprinkler/drip system seems to be leaking here and there under my dirt so I’m anticipating a bit of digging this week to tighten up the pipes and put stoppers on the drips. Apparently, before I bought the house, the yard was full of flora and grass and whatnot. So the water has nothing to feed and nowhere to go. And since I don’t want another soft-sand tumble like I had a few days ago, I definitely need to get that fixed.
I have jury duty in a week. I have always wanted to be selected for a jury, because I think it would be interesting. But now that I have things like job hunting, two Bible studies, a yard to take care of, and books to sell… I’m not so interested in sitting in a room listening to who done what and why. So I’m hoping I’ll get excused. Or the whole thing will be called off the night before. That would be even better.
I used my food dehydrator to make dried apples, but I dipped them in lemon juice first to prevent discoloring. Word to the wise: lemon juice makes dried apples taste… not like dried apples. Lesson learned!
I need to organize my closet this week. I have a new plastic shelf unit to put together and use. The problem is, I’m not really sure how I want it used. A bookshelf? Business supplies? Miscellaneous catch-all? I better figure it out soon, though, because the shelf is going in tomorrow!
Well, that’s my five minutes of rambling nothingness. I hope y’all had a great Easter, a great weekend; and have a great week upcoming!
And Franky, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 13, 2012 |
Five minutes of typing whatever. Why? Because today I woke up sick. sick.
Stuffy nose. Very sore throat. Headache. Body aches.
In other words, I’m utterly miserable. *Insert sad face sympathy here*
It could be the “bug” that’s going around, or it could be allergies, or it could be both. All I know is I’ve done zero writing today… but my Castleville kingdom has been extremely productive.
So Dot and I have spent the day catching up on weeks’ worth of DVR’d television shows: NCIS, Once Upon a Time, Grey’s Anatomy. At one point I told her to take the remote so I wouldn’t have to. She asked, “Are you going to take a nap?” I profusely shook my head adamantly. The next thing I know it was over 90 minutes later. So, yeah… I took a nap.
I’ve had a Pinterest account for about a month now, but just the last few days I really started paying attention to it. I didn’t get what it was all about; look at pictures and click “like”. What’s the big deal? Until… I started to collect pins. Until I created Boards like “My favorite TV shows”, “My Dream Home”, and “If I Could, I Would…” Until I started realizing how many wonderfully creative ideas my friends have, and now someone else thinks they’re my ideas.
I haven’t read for three days and I’m going crazy. First it was all the great warm weather that allowed me to do yard work and birdwatch, and now it’s because my brain doesn’t want to. I only have 45 pages left to finish a book I borrowed from my mom. She’s a speed reader. She can read two or three books a week if she sets her mind to it. I can’t. Even if the only thing I’m doing is reading, it still takes me too long to read. But I have my reading list for 2012 which allows for one book a week, three books a month. That gives me one week to either catch up or read something unplanned. Since I’ve read 6 of the 7 Narnia stories already, I have room on the reading schedule to read two extras before the end of the month. I’ve decided to finish the Narnia series and this one from my mom.
The next set I’m going to read will be Anne Rice’s Song of the Seraphim series. The plot is connected to the Mission Inn in Riverside, one of my favorite places ever. When I win the lottery, I’m going to stay there often. And write best sellers. And have a suite named after me. There’s only two in the series, which means I have room on the schedule for two more in March.
Dot and I spring-cleaned the Narnia room yesterday. We threw out old stuff, donated stuff we no longer want, and cleaned everything we’re keeping. It didn’t take that long, because I keep that room really clean. It’s my favorite room in the house but I don’t spend much time in it. I should. Maybe I will. Starting tomorrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, who’s doing what for Valentine’s day? I was going to take Dot and my mom to see An Affair to Remember at the local theater. But that’s prob’ly not going to work out so instead we’re planning to just get a nice pizza dinner and watch it at home.
I don’t do much for Valentine’s day. I always forget to decorate for it. Because I’ve just undecorated the Christmas stuff. So I forget that a few weeks later it’s time to get into storage bins again. And I don’t have much to decorate with. Except I think I might at least put out a few candle holders that I like. I should do that soon, yeah? Like, maybe, today? Now? Hmmm….
I wish all my fellow bloggers knew how much they mean to me. Just reading other blogs really inspire me. There’s Andrea, Jenn, Ann, another Andrea, Megan, Dani, Brittany, Chelsea… I always feel really bad when I don’t have time to comment on every single post. Because I know the effort I put into each and every post, so I know they do the same. And they deserve to be appreciated.
And now my time’s up.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jan 14, 2012 |
The idea behind a stream of consciousness posting is to write (or type) for a set amount of time (typically five minutes), and not pay much attention to it. No corrections allowed. No changes. Just keep typing out your thoughts and see what happens.
I’m doing this now because it’s after 10 pm on Friday and I have no other idea of what to do for my blog post! I liked it better when I had several days scheduled ahead of time.
This weekend we’re starting a few spring cleaning projects. First up is reorganizing my daughter’s closet. Yes, she’s a teenager and fully capable of doing it herself. But with everything else she handles, why not make this one a family project? I’ll be taking her and my mom out to lunch as a break halfway through the day.
I haven’t kept up with my Bible reading which I was hoping to get caught up on this weekend. It’s looking more like that will happen on Monday.
I have two cats snuggled against me right now. They’re keeping me warm and cozy. =)
I recently started recording “Biography” again. I used to watch it all the time. Today I watched an episode about Erik Estrada and it made me mad because some of it was wrong, and he left out details about his extended family. I know this because I live in Southern California and actually went to high school with one of his relatives. And how I know this kid wasn’t just saying he was a relative, is because aside from the same last name, they were practically identical, other than a few years age difference. (Okay, more than a few, but still!). You can’t even believe a biography! Grrrr.
I want to make a hole in my wall. I do! I want to make a pass-through opening in the large wall of my living room. Except that’s where my daughter’s room is, so I guess I won’t be cutting any walls until she moves out. I’d rather keep her here, so I’m good with no hole in the wall.
I can’t wait to meet with Megan next week so I can see her newest book purchase. She says it will inspire our story series. I’m completely excited!
I may do this SOCS thing every Saturday. It makes for an easy post.
Okay, time’s up. Confession: I corrected all my typos. It’s complete habit to do so. There weren’t that many, anyway… or so I say….
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
