‘Tis the season to be jolly and joyous!

December 8, 2012December 8, 20126 Comments

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I really need to keep reminding myself of that. Maybe one of these days, it’ll sink in.

It took me all afternoon, but I got my Christmas cards addressed and sent off to all our friends and family. Well, I put them in our mailbox and put the flag up, anyway. I watched The Muppet Christmas Carol with the boys tonight before they went to bed. I’ve been listening to Christmas music all week, and we decorated our office yesterday afternoon.

And yet? Yeah, my Christmas spirit is still MIA. If anyone finds it, will you please send it home? I kinda need it. Thank you.

Thankful

November 23, 2012November 27, 2012Leave a comment

English: “The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Things I am thankful for:

My husband;
My kids;
My family;
My friends;
My health;
My home;
My job;
My many and varied blessings;
My freedom;
And you!

I have so many things in my life to be thankful for…

One of those days

November 11, 2012November 27, 20126 Comments

Yep, today has been one of those days. It all started on Monday. Cricket and Thumper started a new daycare on Monday and as I was talking with their new babysitter for a minute before I left, one of the other kids came running up and wrapped herself around the woman’s legs. The poor girl’s eyes were goopy and crusty and generally icky-looking. Of course, that’s if you looked closely, which I didn’t until the babysitter, we’ll call her Melanie, mentioned it. “Oh, don’t worry about Kimmy’s eyes,” she said. “She’s had this eye infection since she was born and no one knows what it is, but her parents are gonna take her back to the doctor and get it checked out. It’s not contagious; we’ve never had a problem with other kids getting sick.”

Okay, I thought, unconvinced. Cricket has his mother’s immune system. What in the world does that mean, you ask? It means that I catch everything and since we have four kids, all of whom are in school and/or daycare, it means we are exposed to a metric crap-ton of germs in this house. If the kids come down with something, it’s only a matter of time before I catch whatever it is they have.

Pink eye, I hate you.

Twenty-two

October 22, 2012October 28, 20125 Comments

Photo by Kay Kauffman

When I was twenty-two, my marriage was falling apart. My life was a shambles. But even as my marriage was ending, my brother-in-law’s was just beginning. As my twenty-second Christmas approached, he and his fiancée asked that I take their engagement pictures, which I was happy to do. I love photography and at that point in my life, I hoped to be able to earn a little extra money from doing something that I loved. It didn’t work out, but maybe that’s all for the best.

Seriously, you can’t promenade alone

October 17, 2012October 28, 20127 Comments

For my seventeen post, I’ve got another prom story to tell. This one is about my junior prom, which was by far the most memorable prom of them all.

Despite this being a more enlightened age, I am somewhat stuck in the past when it comes to who should ask out whom. Probably this is because I fear rejection and failure and also because I’m a big chicken. As a result, I waited until the last possible moment to ask someone to prom. Of course, everyone already had dates by then, so the three people I thought to ask were taken. Out of desperation, I asked Mr. Junior. You may or may not remember him from such other prom-related posts as “You can’t promenade alone, can you?”

But first, some back story.

You can’t promenade alone, can you?

October 15, 2012October 28, 20125 Comments

And now I’m back on schedule! Woot!

I was fifteen and a freshman the first time I went to prom. I can hear it now: “How the…What the…Huh? Aren’t those for upperclassmen?”

My freshman year, I befriended an upperclassman who asked me to go to prom with him. I, of course, was flattered beyond belief and quickly said yes. Since he waited till the last minute to ask me, I scored a great dress for a nominal price. A couple of older girls took me dress shopping since I didn’t have a car and even offered to do my make-up for me. Dressed to the nines, I was all set to enjoy my night, despite the fact that we were being chauffeured by his parents because my date couldn’t drive.

Friends and fun – what could be better?
Photo by Kay Kauffman

Here comes Miss Freshman, escorted by Mr. Junior…

Fourteen

October 15, 2012October 28, 2012Leave a comment

Yesterday I took a day off from most social media, with the exception of a Facebook post (I heart The Princess Bride!) and a couple of Twitter updates. Partly I was trying to get caught up on what I’d missed Friday and Saturday, but mostly I was spending a lovely rainy day with family. I had a productive day, even if it wasn’t exactly productive in all the ways I had hoped it would be.

But! That was yesterday, not when I was fourteen. That’s the age we’re up to, as I recall. Fourteen, what a year. I was still living with my aunt the first part of that year, but that fall I started high school. Once again I’d gone from the top of the heap to the bottom of the totem pole. But with an awesome circle of friends, I was sure it would be a fantastic four years.

Mommy’s big little boy
Photo by Kay Kauffman

Suddenly I’m reminded of those old Iowa State commercials, the ones that asked what you wanted to do with your four years. Or maybe they asked how you wanted to spend them. That might have been it. Tomcat and I saw one once when he was four and he looked up at me and said, “Mommy, I want my four years to last forever so I can stay your little boy.”

But, as usual, I digress.

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!