Painting a bedroom, or Dear God, I think I’m going to die

September 9, 20122 Comments

I’ve spent all weekend prepping and painting Tomcat’s bedroom. We’ve lived here three years now and we’ve painted Tadpole’s room and Cricket and Thumper’s room (they share), but we hadn’t done Tomcat’s. We haven’t painted our room yet, either, but it’s gonna wait a while longer yet. Anyway, his room is gonna rock when it’s done. Meanwhile, I forgot how much painting sucked. We ran out of paint, so while we’re waiting for the first coat to dry, Seymour took Tomcat and Tadpole to town to buy supplies and I put Cricket and Thumper down for naps. Time to relax!

P.S. Stay tuned – Friday’s photo post will feature the before and after pictures. 🙂

Colors You Shouldn’t Paint Bedroom (huffingtonpost.com)
Paint Outside the Box: 10 Unconventional Ways to Paint Your Rooms (apartmenttherapy.com)

It’s another Photo Friday!

September 7, 2012August 22, 20146 Comments

Here we are, at the end of another week, and I must say I’m glad of it. I’m not looking forward to spending the weekend painting, but that’s another story. Anyway, on to the photo of the day!

Photo by Kay Kauffman

Today’s photo features Tomcat, my oldest son. Clearly this is not a recent photo, as my darling baby boy will be nine on Wednesday. Nine! How the heck did that happen? Oh, right. I blinked. I remember now. He was just over two and a half when I snapped this picture, slightly older than Cricket is now. He looks so little! And now he’s so big! I can’t believe I have a third grader on my hands!

Quick! Get me a brick! Get me some rope! Get me a drink!

Daddy

September 6, 2012September 6, 20126 Comments

Night after night he sat there, hunched over his desk with a paperback in hand. He angled his desk lamp over the page so that the incandescent bulb glowed mere inches away from his head. I can’t count the number of hours I saw him sit like that, devouring page after chapter after book. He read all kinds of books: westerns and poetry and biographies and anything else he could get his hands on.

But Louis L’Amour was his favorite. If he didn’t read every book that man wrote, he sure came close. He would read the books and when he was done, round them up and donate them to the library. Other times, depending on the author, he would give them to me. Our home was always stuffed to the gills with books and I am proud to say that such is still the case – I have far more books than places to put them (which only means that I need more shelf space).

Daddy instilled in me a love of books that I hope to instill in my own children, that I am trying to instill in my own children. I love to see Cricket’s face light up when he sees a new book; I love to discuss the Goosebumps series with Tomcat and tell him which ones I enjoyed when I was younger and hear which ones he likes. I love watching Seymour install beautiful custom bookshelves in every nook and cranny our old house has to offer and believe me, there are plenty.

But of the many wonderful memories related to books that spill forth from my childhood, the one that will stick with me the longest is the one of my father in his squeaky desk chair, his jacket sleeves shoved up his forearms and his hair mussed up because he hadn’t combed it yet that day, hunched over his desk devouring another book with a beer and a cigarette nearby.

‘Goosebumps’ Forever (thedailybeast.com)
20 Years of Thrills and Chills (pinkendpapers.wordpress.com)

Even more literary thoughts

September 5, 2012September 5, 2012Leave a comment

A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day. —Emily Dickinson

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. —Maya Angelou

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. —Steve Martin

A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit. –Richard Bach

A room without books is like a body without a soul. –Marcus Tullius Cicero

More Insightful Quotes… (mindfulmod.com)

Feminism and abortion

September 4, 20124 Comments

I like to read WordPress’s Freshly Pressed articles. I don’t always read them, but every now and then, one will catch my eye. The one that caught my eye today was called Frankie v. Debra, Roe v. Wade: Can you still be a feminist if you’re anti-abortion?

I read the article, but not all 200 comments. The article began by comparing two of Patricia Heaton‘s sitcom roles and then discussed some of the actress’s personal opinions, including her membership in a group called Feminists for Life, a group that apparently is very pro-life.

I really wanted to comment on the article…

Gearing up to get an agent!

September 3, 2012September 2, 201227 Comments

So! I’ve been a bit absent (as well as a bit absent-minded) lately, but here’s hoping that September will be an all-around better month, both for my blogging habits and my sanity. My stress levels have dropped considerably since getting my revised version of The Lokana Chronicles sent off to its requester, and I’ve even had some time to read a few books. Talk about relaxing! It was really nice to read books not intended for children ages 5 and under for a change, though I must admit that the ending to one of them is still pestering me. If it continues to do so, I may have to write up a separate post. I may do so regardless. 😉

Anyway, you may or may not have noticed the Gearing Up to Get an Agent Blogfest button that appeared in my sidebar a few days ago. Someone on Facebook was kind enough to point me in the direction of Ms. Deana Barnhart’s lovely blog and this blogfest in particular and once I’d had a look to see what it was all about, how could I say no? Even if it’s a longshot at getting an agent, I’m sure to meet lots of lovely new people and have some fun doing so.

So! The rules! Of course, all good things must come with rules. (Wow, can you tell the books I’ve been reading were set in the nineteenth century or what?) The rules are simple. Answer the following questions, include a brief bio, visit other blogs over the course of the week. Simple enough, right? Right. And now, the questions… behind the cut!