Merry White Christmas!

It's snowing here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and in some sections of the Metroplex, it is actually sticking!  I'm as giddy as a schoolgirl--I love snow!  And there is nothing more fun than watching "White Christmas" on Christmas Eve with it snowing outside LOL!

Of course, I've rescheduled my Christmas plans with friends due to the weather; I may love snow but it puts a crimp in traveling, even with public transportation.  No youngsters are involved with our plans, so we can see "Sherlock Holmes" on Sunday after the weather clears.  I also can watch a "Star Wars" marathon on Spike TV if I tire of AMC and "White Christmas".  I have food in the house and am off work tonight and tomorrow.  What else could someone ask for at Christmas?  (Well, I could ask for a lot actually--like world peace and increased participation in green living and better treatment for the mentally ill among us and increased literacy in Appalachia and other depressed areas of our country and the world, and--well, I am sure you get the drift LOL).

The gist of it all I guess wraps around the fact that I can ask for nothing more for Christmas than I already have--good friends, a home, food, my health, a job--and the ability to make healthy decisions in my life today.  Some folks don't have those things.  I am truly Blessed.

So again, to all you reading this--Have a Merry Christmas and may you be surrounded this holiday season by all you hold dear...

Spread the Love!

Okay, NaNoWriMo is over and it is time to think of gifting to others...and no, I am not thinking of Christmas right this moment.  See, the troops far from home need Valentines to mail back home to their loved ones.  Since my red and white cardstocks are already out (because my Christmas cards aren't finished yet LOL), I am planning on getting together with friends Saturday and making Valentines for Operation Write Home.  (If my green cardstock is still out, I may throw in some St. Patrick's Day cards as well.)

In the hustle and bustle of this time of year, consider remembering those far from home because they are protecting our right to a safe and happy holiday season.

National Novel Writing Month--I Won!

I have been proud of several accomplishments in my life, but this one is major for me!  One of my dreams since childhood has been to write a novel, but challenges of life have somehow always taken center stage over writing.

As in any dream however, once a plan is put into action, things begin to happen.  This year, I dusted off a novel outline begun while living in New Orleans.  With some emotional distance from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I thought I could start writing again more seriously.  Then I found NaNoWriMo.  Voila, a kick in the seat of the pants! Simply get the words on paper and then edit later.  Write 50,000 words in 30 days.  Others have done it for years; why not me? 

I signed up and on November 1, 2009, I was ready to start.  All kinds of situations tried to get in the way, but at approximately 11:15 PM Central time on November 29, 2009 (a bit over 24 hours before deadline) I scrambled my novel-in-progress and downloaded it into the official word count validator.

Within moments, my badge of honor appeared on the official site.  I had validated 51,848 words! 

The novel is only about 1/3 finished and the storyline has grown to the point of needing a trilogy, but that is fine.  Now I have begun a new facet of my life and am loving every minute of this journey.  Thank you to everyone who has cheered me on each step of the way (you all know who you are) and thank you for letting me neglect you in favor of my writing. 

Abundant Blessings

Just a quick post as I am still 20K away from winning NaNoWriMo.  I just need to publicly express gratitude for friends who are supportive of my writing, family who allow me to be true to myself and my dreams, customers who support my Stampin'Up! business, co-workers who help make my telecommuting a success...the list of wonderful people in my life goes on and on.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

A quick update on a few things: 

First, NaNo is rocking along, especially now that I have a name for the mule (Jack, short for jackass--not original but it quite suits his personality).  The novel's title is now officially "Don't Trust the Rain" and the story outline has grown from one book to a trilogy (or more):  "Rain" is 1862, followed by "Thunder" in 1863 and "Lightning" in 1864...

Second, Stampin' Up! has a great beginning planned for 2010.  Some fantastic new products in the Occasions Mini Catalog and of course, the annual Sale-A-Bration event.  I hope to post links to the mini catalogs shortly after December 1 (obviously after NaNo).  Until then, various holiday specials are all featured on my website (the link above or to the right) and what's easier than shopping from home in your pajamas and having your order delivered to your door?

Third, a quick note about Operation Write Home.  Their next big push is for Valentines for the troops to send home, especially to their children.  Visit their site; the Valentine mailing deadline is January 5 and they could use all the support we can give.

Again, I am so very Blessed to have the life and friends I have; all of you are loved and cherished.  As we continue the holiday season, please take time to list the blessings in your own life--and may there be many!

Technology and Turmoil

I should be working.  I want to be working.  Instead, I am posting on my blog, cooking soup, semi-watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and when this post is finished, I'll go back to my NaNo novel.

Why?  Why am I not answering customer calls?  Because my work PC is sick and I'm far down on the triage line today.  We had major software issues on the job last week that affect the entire company and that are still being ironed out.  In the grand scheme of things, that of course means a single sick PC has to wait.  I feel a bit like I am sitting in the emergency room with a sprained ankle while all around me are victims of gunshots, stabbings, and beatings.

They hope to be able to remotely work on the issue later this afternoon.  Then, depending on the results, I may have to travel into the job.  Although it is only across the county from me, public transportation schedules mean it takes three crosstown busses and right at four hours one way.  Not a pleasant prospect.

The very thing that allows me the freedom to work from home is the very thing that has my emotions bent out of shape.  My brain feels as fried as I am afraid the hard drive is.  One lesson from it though--I am backing up all my files on my home PCs (especially my NaNo novel) to ensure no data loss if something like this should ever happen to either personal machine.  Here's to technology LOL!

KERA mentions NaNoWriMo

I love KERA but never knew they had a blog--go figure LOL!  Here's a cool local write up on National Novel Writer's Month from someone who is participating with those of us insane enough to attempt this feat!

The word count widgets aren't available yet so you won't see one on my sidebar (maybe this weekend), but I have written 5687 through the first four days of the month--only 44,313 to go LOL!

(Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho, and back to writing I go...)

PS:  check out the rest of the KERA Art & Seek Blog...it's totally cool!

NaNoWriMo 2009

50,000 words to go! National Novel Writing Month has begun!  The goal is 50,000 words from November 1st to 30th (approximately 1,667 words/day) which equates to around 170-175 pages of text.  My novel research has been coming along, my characters have taken on a life of their own, and now the story begins.  The working title?  TGAN, aka "The Great American Novel", what else?  I am nothing if not a wishful thinker LOL!

I had planned to have some blog posts set up in draft mode to publish throughout this month so that this space would not go dormant. That did not happen. When the word count widgets are available from the NaNo site, I'll add that here and I may stop in from time to time, but if I don't post a lot, it is because my writing time here has been taken up by writing time there.

I've bought the extra coffee beans; the gourmet trail mix (actually got my favorite flavor--Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Espresso--on sale at Target!); the soup mixes (I can start it on a work break and let it cook without a lot of time consuming preparation); the extra printer ink/paper (and yes, the paper is from sustainable forests and has a 30% post-consumer recycled content.  Check out Georgia-Pacific for more details; I get mine at WalMart for $3.97/ream and it is wonderful paper for everyday printing.  It even stands up to duplexing in my HP without bleed-thru).  Oops, back to my "supply list"...I also got an 8GB thumb drive and earphones for my laptop.  I put my PaperBack Swap account on vacation and have a friend coming over today to help me clean up/reorganize my studio for maximum creativity.  I'd really be set if I had Star Wars soundtracks to write by but they'll have to wait a bit (like until next payday).

Now for the words and inspiration...

Toilet Tissue Test

Okay, the test is over--or at least it is complete enough to give my results.  On my September 27, 2009 post, I talked about the three brands of toilet paper I purchased from recycled fibers (why cut down virgin forest for something that our ancestors did not have and most of the world still does not use?).  As stated before on any of my posts regarding product reviews--these are totally uncompensated personal opinions only.  If I find something I like, I'll tell about it.  If I find something I don't care for, hey, I'll tell you that as well (why should someone else repeat my buying mistake?)

Okay, I have not (yet) gone so green that I use rags--I have read of bloggers who do--but in all honesty, a rag might be softer than the Office Depot tissue LOL!  Actually, it is no worse than tissue used in commercial establishments (and better than some of the tissue I have been exposed to when using public facilities).  No softness; however it does not shred or pill easily and the rolls are sized nicely to last a while.  The rolls are individually wrapped (which does mean I can find odd storage places for them--a whole case takes a lot of room).

I had already talked about the Marcal tissue and roll size issues.  I purchased the 2-ply, double roll 4-pack in a case lot.  The paper itself is okay but I am spoiled more than I thought and changing the roll every other day is not only not fun, but I cannot help but think that the empty cardboard rolls seem to stack up fast LOL!  Sure they are recyclable but still, fewer is better, right?

So, the last is certainly NOT the least.  Overall, I love the Seventh Generation toilet tissue.  The roll size is good, the paper doesn't pill or shred as easily as some of the really soft "premium" tissue on the market, and the cost is quite acceptable.  Unfortunately, it was the paper I used first from this buying trip.  I need to use up the remainder of the Office Depot and Marcal stock.  Once that is done, however, my standard home toilet tissue will be Seventh Generation (at least until I choose to do as the ancestors did......)

Timely Tidbits and To-Do's

It's raining cats and dogs...I asked for this day off several months ago in the hopes that it would be not only a mental health day, but also a day to run the errands necessary to prepare for the upcoming NaNoWriMo month of November (badges and links to appear on my sidebar soon, as well as a complete post).

So, with the rain, and not having gotten my flu shot yet, I am choosing to stay home and do the indoor putzing around to get ready--let's see what's on the list:

1)  I need to sign a new lease, so I've let the office know I'll come up there if it ever slows up to a sprinkle (thank heavens the rent will not increase through December 2010).

2)  Labeling files and notebooks and sorting papers--recycling (AKA dumping) what I can and paying the "mini bills" that I sometimes procrastinate on--the magazine renewals for instance.  I also need to close out an auto-ship on classical music and reset my auto-ship coffee order (BTW, Boca Java is super stuff!).

3)  Making sure all of my writing aids and research materials are sorted in a fashion that allows me to "pre-plan" as much of the 50,000 word plot as I can...

4)  Realizing the my Stampin' Up! inks are not the ones closest at hand, I have decided to move some things around...I'm not willing to Freecycle (or even E-bay) all the crafting supplies I accumulated prior to selling SU! and will use them for Operation Write Home or other organizations as I make cards for donation, but if I want to build my SU! business, I need to post my crafted items here and they need to be SU! exclusive, so...those items that are not SU! will be moved to the less-accessible places in my studio...

5)  Playtime for a bit (after all, this IS supposed to be a vacation day LOL); I made an autumn card last night and may make a few bookmarks today if time permits...I am also vegging out with the laptop in front of Clean House while writing this post.

6)  My dining room doesn't work for me..I don't have company and I never have enough room for books and research; I also hate my table and chairs LOL!  I took pictures and will Freecycle the glass and metal set and have found a desk that can also serve (with the help of a tablecloth) as a dining table if I ever should need one..it'll be ordered from Target as soon as I can afford it or when I get my next perfect attendance award at work (whichever comes first).

7)  Finally, my blog header is driving me crazy!  I love the picture (it is my back porch view and it is gorgeous), but I cannot find a font color that is readable over the photo.  I'll be looking through all my clip art and image software programs and will find something that matches my vision...since the back porch photo will be leaving, here it is again  (I do love this view even if it is rain-soaked today LOL)...

2009 Reading Challenges Update

Sure haven't had as much time to read this year as I thought I would. My recent devouring of "An Echo In The Bone" by Diana Gabaldon should receive a post of its very own (out of a 5-star rating, it gets a 9 LOL!) but in the interest of time, I'll confine this post to its titled topic--an update of where I am with my challenges with less than three months left in the year.

For the 100-book challenge, I have read 89. I've spent many reading hours this year with young adult series (I have felt the need for light, amusing reading with a moral tone). Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series has become a new favorite series and I loved "The Chronicles of Narnia" earlier this year--how had I missed those as a child?

Daisy Dalrymple amused me five times so far this year with her spunky way of solving a cozy mystery.  One of her volumes solved the "book with summer/winter in the title" part of my "On The Porch Swing" Reading Challenge.

Many of my other 2009 reads thus far have been non-fiction:  various writing guides, New Orleans history and geography books, and extensive Civil War research.  All the writers I admire do the research necessary to have their settings and characters make sense.  If I ever want to be published, I need to follow that example.

I have writing guides from two of my favorite authors (Terry Brooks and Janet Evanovich) and a memoir from Rita Mae Brown (another of my favorites).  I'm wanting to count these as my other three memoirs for the "In Their Shoes" Challenge--I know the writing guides may be stretching the point a bit, but they do include biographical info along with explaining how they craft their books.  Sounds autobiographical to me LOL!

So, I guess it is time to stop posting and start reading maybe???