Transcribing memories

January 18, 20174 Comments

I saw this week’s Discover Challenge post about transcribingmemory about a day after I had discovered the site for myself. Being a huge fan of diaries, and having kept diaries of my own since I was eight, I knew this was a challenge I could have a lot of fun with. I may not be nearly as devoted to my diaries as I was before I had kids, but I do still write in them every now and then, and this challenge provided me with the kick in the pants I needed to sit down and read through some of my old, old, OLD writing once again.

I learned a few things from reading my old diaries, like…

Night of the Living Potato

January 17, 2017January 18, 2017Leave a comment

As I was scrolling through Facebook tonight, I happened upon the following picture:

That could be fun, I thought. I’ll give it a try.

It seems simple enough, right? Ah, but coming up with the perfect potato title…

A pop of color

January 16, 2017January 17, 20174 Comments

It’s a gray, gloomy day out there, so here’s a pop of color to brighten up your day:

Happy Monday!

Things I’ve found inspiring this weekend

January 15, 2017January 17, 2017Leave a comment

Ice storms.
My children.
Old episodes of Dancing With the Stars (I’m playing catch-up).
Climate change.
My current WIP.

What inspires you?

Starry night

January 13, 2017January 17, 2017Leave a comment

For the most part, I love where I live. You don’t get views like this in a city:

That said, it needs to warm the heck up!

Inspirational quotes from…you!

January 10, 2017January 10, 20174 Comments

You all are some pretty fantastic people. Did you know that?

Well, it’s true. You are. And I want to share your fabulosity. 🙂

My recent-ish (okay, it’s from September) post about writing (or rather, about my lack of recent(ish) writing) has elicited a bunch of crazy awesome comments full of inspiration and encouragement. And, as a result of my efforts to be more positive about pretty much everything in 2017 than I was in 2016, I’ve picked out some of the best bits of the comment section on that particular post and turned them into pretty, pretty pictures.

I’m going to unveil them one by one for the next few months. First up is a quote from Ernest Hemingway, courtesy of Talewriter:

There is just so much truth to this. I hope that, one day, I’ll be much closer to being a master than I am right now, but I suppose that’s really all any of us can say, regardless of whatever it is we’re trying to master. And despite what he said, I’ve got to think that Hemingway was about as much a master of the English language as anyone can hope to be.

So: Practice being masterful. That’s one of my goals for 2017. Because after all, practice makes perfect, right?

What are you going to try to master this year?

Stretch!

January 8, 20172 Comments

Everyone needs a good stretch sometimes. Maybe not this big a stretch, though…

It’s dribble time!

January 7, 2017January 7, 20172 Comments

Cricket started basketball camp today. I’ve been to countless soccer, t-ball, and football practices, and at least that many swimming lessons and soccer, t-ball, football, and basketball games with Miss Tadpole and Bubbles. Basketball camp is a new one, though.

Gotta love it when they ask at the last possible moment. Cricket brought me the sign-up form at 8:00 a.m. this morning; camp started at 9:00 a.m. It’s fifteen minutes from our house to the school, and I was still in bed.

Apparently he’s been getting tips from the older two – Bubbles had me help him with a homework assignment the other night and waited till 9:30 p.m. the night before it was due to get me what I needed to help.

Kids. 😀

Do your kids participate in any extracurriculars?

New

January 1, 2017January 6, 20177 Comments

no-matter-how-dark-the-night-the-sun-always-rises-and-hope-with-it It’s a new year! Hooray!

And also…what? It’s 2017? But…but I thought 1997 was just a few years ago…

1997-me would have had a lot of New Year’s Resolutions. 1997-me had a lot more free time. But still, new years are nothing if not perfect for making a change, and this year I’d like to make a change in my writing. That is, I’d like to do more of it.

This seems like the perfect place to start.

My poor blog has been rather neglected the last few months, and that needs to change. Once upon a time, I undertook a challenge to post a picture a day for a year. I had a lot of fun with it, even if there were a few times where I posted several days’ worth of pictures all at once. Life happens, you know?

This year, instead of posting a picture a day, I’m going to try to post something every day. Some days, a picture. Some days, a poem. Some days, maybe several days’ worth of things all at once. Because life happens, you know?

More writing isn’t the only change I’ll be making this year – I’m going back to school in the fall – but I hope it’s one that will yield positive results. 2016 was supposed to be a year full of awesome, and instead it was mostly a year full of suck. I’m tired of feeling defeated. It’s time to try feeling hope.

Are you with me?