Celebrate the Small Things-February 13, 2015 and Express Yourself: Book Duos

I'm making double posts a regular thing lately.  Hopefully you don't mind!

For starters, it's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  I'm a co-host, as is the brilliant TheCyborgMom.

Sorry I'm posting so late.  We ended up spending most of the day in the emergency room. My husband contracted a rather spectacular stomach virus, and things got a bit nasty. Anyway, he's going to be fine.  So that part is worth celebrating at least.

My husband and I also celebrate Friday the 13th as a romantic holiday, simply because we met on Friday, May 13, 2005.  So happy Friday the 13th honey!  I hope you feel better soon!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  My kids enjoyed their Valentine's Day parties at school, and they came home with significant amounts of candy.  They're happy about that.

What would you like to celebrate?

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

The prompt for this week is:  List your favorite book pairs who have amazing chemistry.  They can be BFFs, love interests, kindreds, or even nemeses.

There are definitely some wonderful duos out there.  Here are but a few.

-Frodo and Sam from The Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien

     The level of loyalty exhibited here is impressive for any friendship.

-Tristan and Yvaine from Stardust by Neil Gaiman

     I love the snark present in this pairing.  They end up falling in love, but the sass never disappears.

-Lily Evans and Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

     We didn't get to see as much of this relationship as I would have liked, but the dynamic fascinates me.  There were definitely some intense feelings going on.

-Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

     These two take sass to the extreme, and I love it!  It helps that nothing stings as brilliantly as a Shakespearean insult.

What fictional duos do you enjoy?

Celebrate the Small Things: February 6, 2015 and Express Yourself: Thank You Notes

I'm bringing you another double posting.

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  I'm proud to be a co-host, along with the awesome TheCyborgMom.

This week I'm celebrating the return of warm weather.  After a snowy weekend and cold temperatures that followed, today was warm.  I'm posting late because I took advantage of the weather and ran some errands.  The kids and I also walked home from school.

Lyle spent most of the week sick, but he was healthy enough to go back to school today. Yay!

I won some cool dice from Christine Rains, and I got those in the mail yesterday.  I'll definitely have fun with those!

What would you like to celebrate?

Now I'd like to Express Myself.  This weekly meme is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is:  What's the most creative way you can come up with to send a thank you note?

When I say thank you, I like to do something personal.  I've been known to make cards out of children's markers that include funny, personalized poems.  I also like to bake for people.  Nothing says "you rock" like a homemade cake.

If I had ninja's at my disposal, I'd use them to deliver my thank you.  There are few things in this world more memorable than receiving your very own ninja-gram!

How do you like to say thank you?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: February 2015

Is it the first Wednesday of the month already?  That means it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group to convene once again.  A big thank you goes out to our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for making this group possible.  I'd also like to thank this month's co-hosts: Gwen Gardner, Dolorah, Sarah Foster, and M. Pax.

This month I'm exhausted, and it's impacted my writing.  I can't produce as much as I'd like, but I know I shouldn't let it get to me.  It's a symptom of early pregnancy, and it afflicted me with both my boys.  It'll pass.  I know that from experience.  Though it doesn't help that I've had to severely cut back on my caffeine intake.  That's the hardest thing to give up.  I mean, yeah, I'll miss beer, but coffee is the hardest thing to cut back on.

Within a month or so, I should be feeling much more productive, and I'll let that fact reassure me.  I'll also make do by producing a little something each day.  Even if it's only a mere 100 words, I'll take that as a victory.

Are you feeling insecure this month?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 30, 2015

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  I'm a proud co-host for this weekly blogging event, along with the always cool TheCyborgMom.

It's been a crazy week here.  I learned that calling the IRS in an attempt to have a simple question answered is the most aggravating thing this family has ever had to deal with, but the question was answered.  At least we came through that mini ordeal with the answer we needed.

The refund check from the post office did finally come in.  Yes!  I am so relieved that issue is finally resolved.  I can't begin to tell you what a relief that is.

I also have some rather big news.  I'd wondered whether I should share it now or wait for a bit, but I'm not good at keeping certain things to myself.  I just found out this week that I'm having a baby.  Sometime in late September, only a couple of weeks before my birthday, I'll be a mother of three.  My kids are happy, as is my husband, but of the three of them, my son Jude is the most excited about the news.  He went to school and told all his teachers and friends.  Apparently there was no keeping it a secret here, even if I had wanted to.  Jude would never have allowed it.

And finally, I'd like to celebrate laughter.  This short little video made me laugh, and I thought it might do the same for you.

What would you like to celebrate?

A-Z Challenge Sign-Ups and Express Yourself: Writerly Advice

I'd like to start this post by encouraging those of you who may be interested to sign up for the April A-Z Challenge.  You can do that HERE.

I LOVE this year's badge.  It's a perfect tribute.

Now let's move to the Express Yourself Weekly Meme, which is hosted by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

The question for this week is:  What are some writerly tips you've found helpful?

There's all kinds of advice out there for fledgling writers.  First, here's a short video from Neil Gaiman where he dispenses some advice for aspiring writers.  It's simple but true.

The next tip I'd like to share comes from Stephen King's excellent book On Writing.  

"Write what you like, then imbue it with life and make it unique by blending in your own personal knowledge of life, friendship, relationships, sex, and work.  Especially work.  People love to read about work.  God knows why, but they do." (pg. 161)

The last tip I'll share with you today comes from Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.

"In quickness is truth.  The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are.  In hesitation is thought.  In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon truth which is the only style worth deadfalling or tiger-trapping." (pg. 13)

Remember, you can always go back and polish.  Getting the initial heart of the story on paper, however, is more about feeling than analyzing every detail.  I'm still struggling to follow this piece of advice.  I tend to over think things and get trapped in the process, but I'm working on it!

What writerly tips would you like to share?

18 Thoughts Bloghop

To celebrate the release of 18 Thoughts, Jamie Ayres is hosting the 18 Thoughts Bloghop.

The rules according to Jamie:

Here’s what’s up, guys: Each person participating will post a thought (belief) that has defined their life, their way of thinking. Post up to 18 if you’re feeling adventurous, and be sure to post the badge below and link to this post as well! You can post any time between Jan. 21st and Jan. 28th. Then visit other participants to comment and connect with fellow bloggers/writers. I’ll pick 2-3 winners each day and keep this post updated as to who the winners were and what prizes are left (winners chosen through random.org).

I've decided to be adventurous and post 18 thoughts.  And believe me, it isn't as easy as it sounds to come up with that many.  Still, I enjoy a good challenge from time to time.

1.  Dream big, but also learn to find joy in what you already have.

2.  One can never have too many books to read or notebooks to fill with words.

3.  Stick to your principles when it matters, but also know that compromise does not  have to be synonymous with failure.

4.  We all screw up from time to time.  It's in how we deal with those mistakes that our true character is revealed.

5.  Never underestimate the power of laughter.

6.  Education is one of the most powerful tools you can have.  Embrace it.

7.  Be kind to others, even when it seems as though that kindness is not appreciated.

8.  When the stress gets to be too much, prioritize.  Accept that it's okay to let some things go.

9.  Always maintain a sense of wonder.

10.  Never be afraid to try something new.

11.  Don't be ashamed of your guilty pleasures.  We all have them.

12.  The most normal thing in life is the sense that you are in some sense abnormal.  That's okay.

13.  Embrace the beauty that is coffee.

14.  Embrace the beauty that is chocolate.

15.  Dreams can be filled with meaning, sure.  They can also be weird and nonsensical.  Try not to worry about them too much.

16.  Never take your family for granted.

17.  Your family may be stuck with you, but your friends are the ones who choose to have you in their lives.  Value that.

18.  Always be open to learning new things.

Okay.  That's all from me.  Do you have any thoughts about life that you'd like to share?

Celebrate the Small Things-January 23, 2015

It's Friday!  Let's join Lexa Cain with Celebrate the Small Things!  I am happy to be a co-host, along with the always amazing TheCyborgMom.

I apologize for posting so far into the day.  I'm a bit tired and sluggish today, so I'm trying to get some motivation going right now.  Knowing that tomorrow is Saturday helps, though, trust me.

I'm celebrating because, a little over 90 days ago, we sent out a money order for a few hundred dollars, and it never arrived at its destination.  Well, I'm not celebrating that fact, but just stick with me.  The missing money obviously wreaked some havoc, and it's been awful trying to get a refund.  We got the money order through the post office, and I've been having to spend a significant amount of time trying to figure out how to get my money back.  Have you ever tried to call the United States postal service?  Do you know how impossible it is to actually speak to a living, breathing human being? Finally though, more than three months after this mess started, I might be able to get a refund issued to me by next week.  Hopefully.  That's what an actual person said, anyway.  I'm hoping that proves to be true, because I will be relieved to finally have this mess resolved. 

Another celebration is that my husband and I filed our taxes this week.  We like to get it done as early as possible so we don't have to worry about it.  It wasn't an exciting process, but it's done for now.

What would you like to celebrate?