Celebrate the Small Things-August 29, 2014

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit!

I am proud to be a co-host for this weekly blogging celebration.  My fellow co-hosts are:

Diana Wilder
Katie @ TheCyborg Mom
CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

We had some bad luck in my family this week.  My son Jude lost his new glasses. There has been no sign of them anywhere for almost a week.  We're going to have to buy him a new pair after he only had the first for about a week and a half. Still, it could be worse.  He seems to have learned a lesson about taking care of things from this experience.  That's how we learn, after all.

Writing has been going pretty well.  I keep second guessing myself, yes, but I'm getting a lot of work done.

The kids have been having a great second week of school.  They're both bursting with excitement when I drop them off, and I'm encouraged to see that kind of enthusiasm.

Also, I have to celebrate the fact that it's a three day weekend for us.  Happy Labor Day to all my fellow American bloggers!  I'm hoping for good weather this weekend.

What would you like to celebrate?

Sunflowers For Tina

The blogging community has lost a great friend.  Tina Downey was one of the most optimistic and kind bloggers you could hope to meet.  Whether you knew her well or only know of her through her connection through someone else, you can help celebrate her life and what she did for the people around her.

From Alex J. Cavanaugh:

In memory of Tina Downey, the A to Z Team is hosting a sunflower tribute on September 8, 2014 – Remembering Tina Downey. 

Prior to that date, purchase or plant a sunflower in her honor. (If you have to resort to plastic, that’s cool.) Take a photo of your sunflower and post in in her memory on Monday, September 8. Tina loved her sunflowers, and we want to splash the blogging world with sunflowers that day and honor a truly amazing woman who was friend and family to so many. 

You can sign up now or add your link when you post your sunflower. 

Please help us spread the word! Add Tina's motto #LifeisGood as hashtag and share about this blogfest on all social media platforms. Let’s brighten the Internet with sunflowers the way Tina brightened the lives of so many. 

Go HERE to sign up!

Express Yourself: Cancelled/Retired TV Shows

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The prompt for this week is: Name ONE cancelled/retired TV show you'd love to see back on with new episodes.

Though there are a lot of shows that I could list, there is only one that declared itself loudly in my mind the moment I read this prompt.

Firefly was never given a fair chance.  The massive fan base it developed immediately following cancellation proves that the show deserved a longer run than it got.  I love the story, the characters, and there are so many unanswered questions that it could drive a person crazy.  One season was not enough, and although the movie Serenity is completely awesome and I'm glad it exists, I still want more.

Before I go, I'd like to take a moment to pay my respects to Tina Downey.  Tina, though you may be gone, you will be always be a part of our blogging community.  Thank you for brightening our lives with your optimistic nature.

Celebrate the Small Things-August 22, 2014

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit!

I am serving as a co-host to this fine blogging event, along with these other wonderful bloggers:

Diana Wilder
Katie @ TheCyborg Mom
CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

This week has been a busy one.  My boys are still getting settled in to a school routine.  So far they're both having a great time!

I've been making use of the three hours of the afternoon that I have completely free of children.  This definitely makes for a great time to write, and the ideas are flowing.  I feel like some of my story ideas are promising, and I hope I can do them justice.

What would you like to celebrate?

Express Yourself: Item From History

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

This week's question is: If you could go back in time and bring back one item, what era would you visit and what item would you bring back?

This is a tough one.  There are so many interesting eras to choose from.  Part of me would love to go back to when the dinosaurs roamed and snag a fresh bone or something, but that also sounds rather risky.

If I wanted to snag something really cool and become a part of history, maybe I would go back to 1216 to the reign of King John and grab the famous crown jewels that went missing that year.  Hey, maybe I eventually will and that's the reason they went missing in the first place!  What can I say?  It would be cool to actually become a part of history.

What era would you travel to, and what would you bring back?

Celebrate the Small Things-August 15, 2014

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit!

I am proud to be a co-host, and the other wonderful co-hosts are:

Diana Wilder
Katie @ TheCyborg Mom
CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

Anyway, it's been a busy week.  Seriously.  My boys both start school next week, and getting everything organized has been a headache.  We're almost there though.  They're excited to learn, and I'm excited about the hours of free time during the day that I can dedicate to writing!

Jude got glasses this week.  He's super excited about them too, while his little brother Lyle is super jealous.  Meanwhile, Jude's quickly learning that lenses get dirty quickly, and that when he takes them off for any reason, he needs to keep track of where he put them.  Just look at how cute he looks with them on!

Writing is going well as far as I can tell.  I hope I'm not just imagining that.  As scattered as my brain can be sometimes, it's impossible to tell for sure.

What would you like to celebrate?

Express Yourself: Steampunk

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is: What is ONE thing Steampunk-ish you find fascinating from books, TV, movies and/or the internet (i.e. fashion, mechanics, idea, etc.)?

I love Steampunk for the general aesthetic of it, but more specifically, I go crazy over anything with visible moving parts.  I've always been fascinated with clockwork anyway, and as a kid I loved looking at the inside of pocket watches and clocks to see how the gears worked together to create such precise movement.  I'm not at all technologically savvy, mind you.  I just love watching the way things work.  I can't necessarily make them work when they're broken. Unfortunately.

Anyway, anything with gears immediately has my attention, and Steampunk is full of that.  I love clockwork creatures of any type.  When I see a clockwork creature, I want to do this.

Image from Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace"

My obsession with clockwork is also the reason why I got this pocket watch.

What aspect of Steampunk do you like most?

Celebrate the Small Things-August 8, 2014

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit!

I am proud to be a co-host, along with these other lovely bloggers:

Diana Wilder
Katie @ TheCyborg Mom
CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

I'm posting a tad late today.  I was somewhat under the weather yesterday. Nothing serious.  It was just enough to sap my motivation, and it's taken me a bit to get back on track.

I got my boys registered for school this week.  I still can't believe summer is almost over.  Where has the time gone?

Jude had an eye exam this week, and guess what.  My oldest boy is getting glasses.  He's excited about it.  They're supposed to come in next week.  I'll post a picture of him in them when they do.

We also got this super cute picture this week.  My boys are the ones wearing the baseball hats.  Lyle was excited to see his new cousin Sylas, but not nearly as excited as Jude was when he got to hold him for this picture!

What would you like to celebrate?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: August 2014

Is it the first Wednesday of the month already?  That means it's time for the monthly meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.  The IWSG was created by Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh as a way for writers to support one another during those inevitable times of insecurity and self-doubt.  The co-hosts for this month are Sarah Foster, Joylene Nowell Butler, Lily Eva, and Rhonda Albom.

Be sure to visit the IWSG website for additional support!

My insecurity this month has to do with deadlines.  There are a couple of stories I would like to submit, and I know exactly where I want to submit them.  One of them has a strict deadline attached. The presence of a deadline helps to motivate me, and without it looming before me, I know I might revise and agonize endlessly until I drive myself insane.  Then again, with a deadline forcing me to submit within a certain time frame, I know I'll be left struggling with a sense that the story isn't actually up to the standards I want to meet.  I have a feeling that I'm just being too hard on myself, but I still can't quite get past this insecurity.

What do you think about deadlines?  Do you like to set deadlines for yourself as a form of motivation?  Do you think having concrete deadlines help your writing, or do they hurt your creative process?

Express Yourself: Celebrity Crushes

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question this week is: Who were your celebrity crushes when you were a teen?

Okay.  This is an interesting one, and parts of my answer prove that I was never the average sort of teen.  I vividly remember the first celebrity crush I ever had. I was in 5th grade.  Back in those days, I was an avid viewer of the show Sliders, and I developed a major crush on Jerry O'Connell.  What can I say?  He was a good looking guy, and he played a scientific genius.  That's the perfect combination for me!  If it were possible, I would have followed him through that vortex!

Quinn and the Professor from Sliders

Later on, when I was around 15, I ended up crushing on Johnny Depp.  This one isn't so odd, because I knew a couple other girls who had a thing for him too. Sure, I knew he was a little older than my mom, but come on!  He's handsome and talented!  I couldn't help myself!

Johnny Depp in From Hell.

These next two are dramatically older than me, but I will not apologize for them. They are handsome older men, and their talent is undeniable.

I have always had a thing for Patrick Stewart.  Maybe it's because I grew up watching him command the Enterprise.  As Picard, he's intelligent, diplomatic, and tough when he needs to be.  And as an actor, I cannot fault him.  He also has a delightful sense of humor.

Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard

The last celebrity crush I had as a teen is Morgan Freeman.  It might have something to do with his voice.  That voice demands attention.  He has a commanding presence, and he can portray any character in a believable way. He is just good at what he does.

Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact

Do you think I'm strange now?  If you do, that's okay.  I take pride in it.  Would it surprise you to learn that, in spite of my list containing many men who are significantly older than me, I actually married a man who is 1 year and 9 months younger than me?  I wonder what that says about me as a person.  Hmmm . . . 

Which celebrities did you have a crush on when you were a teen?

Celebrate the Small Things-August 1, 2014

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with VikLit!

I am happy to be a co-host for this weekly blogging event.  The other wonderful co-hosts are:

Diana Wilder
Katie @ TheCyborg Mom
CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

This has been a pretty big week, because I have a new nephew!  His name is Sylas, and he was born on July 29th!  Isn't he cute?

My writing is going well.  I have a clear plan for what I want to accomplish over the next couple of months, and I'm excited about that.

School registration is next week, and I have to register both of my kids.  How in the world did that happen?  They both seem pretty excited for school, and I hope that enthusiasm remains.

What would you like to celebrate?