A New Writing Website, I'm A Winner, and Other Stuff:

Photo Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I've been struggling for the past two weeks with what I wanted to write here. I'm resistant to the thought of going back to a "This is what I did today" format, so I'm trying to find interesting things to share on my blog. My friend, Patti, told me to write about my passion. Right now, that's writing--but not just my own, and I'll talk about that in a minute. Right now, I just want to say that things have changed a lot for me. I don't have as much free time as I did a year ago, but in many ways, that's a very good thing. It's forcing me to grow as a writer, to learn how to better manage my time, to learn discipline, to make time for what matters (even when it seems frivolous) rather than just doing whatever strikes my fancy in the moment. While that may be well and good for some people, it's very undisciplined, and one cannot be successful letting the winds take them every which way.

In an effort to earn some extra money while having fun with something I enjoy, I've become a part of a new Web site for writers. It's called Your Story Starters, and we're trying to gear it toward writers suffering from what many refer to as "writer's block," as well as teachers looking for material for their students. We offer prompts--story starters--that will get people thinking and, of course, writing. We've seen many sites on the Internet, many books, offering prompts. Most of them are very basic, or they're just plain weird or funny or--definitely not what we're offering. We try to give some tips and questions to get the writer or student thinking, to get them excited about the piece. We're not getting these prompts from other sources. We're putting a lot of time and effort into them because we want to offer the best product out there. We want to go above and beyond what everyone else is doing. We want to put out a product we can take pride in, something that people will recommend to others.

As a result of this, I'm learning a bit about social networking. I've had a Twitter account for a long time, as well as a Facebook account and a Google+ account, but I haven't used them as much as I could have. Mainly, they just seemed very overwhelming for someone who didn't really have anything to say most of the time. Now that I have something to talk about, I find I'm actually looking for things to Tweet or update about. And I'm finding I really love our hashtags (#yss and #yourstorystarters), even if we've only just begun using them. We're not making any money with this yet, but it's only a matter of time, right? The most important thing right now is that we're having fun, but we're also treating this as a real business, because that's what it is. It's work, and hard work at that, even if it is fun work. I'm glad to be a part of this, and I plan to do my part in making it the success I believe it can be.

In other news, Nanowrimo is coming up. I have no idea what I'll write. I haven't worked out any storylines. But I think I'd like to write some kind of fantasy. I have a D&D-style story I was working on, but I want to change it to fit my own fantasy world. The character names will all remain the same, but I'll have to tweak certain details. Should be interesting. I think for this year's Nanowrimo, I'll concentrate on the character's backstories. I should have plenty of information to come up with a novella length document.

I also have another story in the works. I'm working on the outline. It's slowgoing, and it's not for publication. It's for the roleplay. It's an interesting concept, and there's a lot to consider in this story. I want it to be complex, but interesting. Most of all, I need the characters to be real. Shouldn't be a problem. The hardest part is plotting, which is always the case, and I've got lots to go on in that regard. I'm still really loving my character, Dakota, too!

And now for the personal stuff. Eric and Chelsey have moved back up to Joplin. I won't go into detail, but Eric's already got a job, and he's also working on their new house with Chelsey's dad. It's a ton of work. Chelsey's been really busy, too. And Josiah's started pre-school. From what I've heard, he really loves it.

Jeff's still working at the greenhouse, and I still can't help wondering when they'll "go out of business" again or something, but I'm trying to stay positive and learn contentment where I am. Most of the time, it's relatively easy, but there are times when it's not. Just need to keep from letting those times bog me down. Easier said than done. 'Nuf said?

My mom's here. She's been here for more than two months. It's been a good visit. I feel kind of guilty spending so much time back in the studio working on this or that, but we get time to socialize in the evenings, too. And I imagine she loves the peace and quiet as much as I do.

We're hoping to go up to Joplin before my mom goes back. When the kids moved back up there, we went with them. Jeff drove the truck, and I kept him company. This was when Isaac came through, but it wasn't really that bad. It was kind of nice, actually. And as always, it was great to see Jeff's dad and step-mom. We want to go up there again within the next six weeks. We need to sit down and discuss when would be a good time. We'll also need to head to the airport at some point, when my mom has to fly back home.

Oh! One other thing on the subject of writing--sort of. I actually won a book! I follow The Plot Whisperer, Martha Alderson, on Twitter and Facebook. I also subscribe to her email, since I tend to miss a lot of tweets and status updates. In one of the most recent e-mails, I saw that she was doing a mini tour on the Internet, and I could possibly win her new book, The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-By-Step Exercises To Help You Create Compelling Stories. All I had to do was comment on an entry to be eligible. I didn't expect to win anything, but I wanted to comment and let my support for The Plot Whisperer be known. I figured I'd buy the workbook after a little while, so winning wasn't really all that important to me. But I won! I actually won! :D So far, I really love it. It asks a lot of really great questions about the plot, the characters, etc. I plan to use this for my Nanowrimo book of backstories, too. It should help make my characters and their world ever more complex and realistic, as well as the main story, when I get around to creating it.

~L

Note: Photo Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eleven Days - Has It Really Been that Long?

The past eleven days have been good. The weather has been nice. No storms to cause us to run for the storm shelters, but it's been very hot and muggy.

My birthday came and went, and so did Josiah's. I took pictures at Josiah's party. Here are some...



Josiah got an aquadoodle! :D


He was rockin' in this truck (Jeep?)!


Jeff and I bought him an inchworm, a gift I wanted to
get him last year, but couldn't, because he was too
young. Chelsey took this picture and texted it to me.
Isn't he cute? :)


Can he blow out his candles? He sure tried! ;)


My mom started horsing around, and I snapped this! :P
(Actually, I put her up to it, and Jeff was my
partner in crime.) :)
Josiah loves Dora the Explorer, and my mom got him a couple of Dora books, one of which had a music player included. He loved it!

And for my birthday, I got a Kindle from Jeff and my mom. My mom also got me a new slow cooker and an espresso machine. Eric and Chelsey got me a red dish drainer to match my other red kitchen things (I've been wanting this for a long time, so I'm really happy with it!) and some lilac candle tarts...and something else that's coming in the mail.

Speaking of the mail, I'd ordered a cook book for Chelsey, and it arrived in the mail yesterday...just in time for me to wrap it and take it over to the party! :D

We also went to the Farmer's Market yesterday morning. I bought some huge green onions and another small bottle of Goatie Girls Bug Be Gone lotion. My mom bought some snow peas, which I'll add to one of this week's meals, and a small loaf of Parker Pond Farms' Pumpkin Bread. The three of us (Jeff, my mom, and I) shared the bread over some drinks at Sweet Bay while I downloaded more of my Kindle library. :)

And after Josiah's party, we went grocery shopping. We spent a bit too much, but the important thing is that we put some weight on Jeff without buying the cheap, unhealthy crap you find everywhere. I've been fixing most meals in the slow cookers, and they're mostly healthy. I admit to using some cream of chicken in some of them. Next time, I'll get the fat-free kind so it's better for my mom.

Anyway, since I've been using the slow cookers a lot more, we've been having a lot more fruit and vegetables.

Speaking of...I need to write up an article, complete with photos, of the fruit salad I make, as well as the ensalata caprese, for Milli over at Fear of Writing. I'll try to post a link here once it's up.

Jeff's doing a lot better. He's still got some recovery left to go, but he's progressing well and is back at work. I just hope he doesn't overtax himself. Today's temp is hovering at 100°, and I'd hate for him to get sick!

He's also mostly done readying the hallway and part of the front entrance for painting. He just has to remove some wallpaper scraps, touch up with the primer, and then we can paint it. We bought the paint yesterday. :)

I haven't been doing much writing lately, but I've been working on a knit cardigan for myself. It's my first sweater, so it's a learning experience. I've had to scrap it three times (at least), and I have to undo about three rows and redo them. I hope I don't have to keep doing this. It's becoming a nuisance! :/

I plan to get back to my writing tomorrow.

Have a good one!

Lois

Day 5 of Script Frenzy 2011:

A picture I found online and edited

Today has been another very productive day. I've written several short scenes establishing my main character's return home and how it seems like a different world than the one he left fifteen years ago. I've also added a little suspense, and started on the two subplots (which tie in nicely with the Character Emotional Development Plotline).

My page count now sits at 35, not counting the cover page, and at this rate, I'll be finished long before the end of the month. I still have a monologue to write for a Twitter friend, so maybe I can actually work that in, too. ;) (Speaking of which, I think I've finally got an inkling of the subject matter, so I can start jotting down ideas!)

If you want to view my profile on the Script Frenzy Web site, you can find it here.

I'm so glad I know my character well. It makes it so much easier to write the story. The hard part is trying to keep my descriptions / action "short, active, and essential." (This last part was taken from an excellent, albeit very short, article on action vs. dialogue, by Jeffrey Alan Schechter.)

I'd planned on comparing my outline to some articles I printed out about the major sequences in a movie yesterday, but I never found the time, so I'm going to do that now. Here are the links to the articles (because these are great for any story told using the three-act structure):

What's A Sequence?
Sequences and Acts
Sequences: Two Principles
The Eight Sequences

This Web site is invaluable to anyone writing a script, or any story, really.

Oh, and here are two great questionnaires to help you with your storytelling:

Character Questionnaire
Story Questionnaire

Okay, back to work. :)

Lois

Wow! Could It Be A Real Post?

Good morning! It's been a while since I've posted a "real" post, I know, but I'm here now. :)

This weekend was a little different. Friday morning, I asked Jeff what we were doing. I knew what needed to be done over the weekend. I just wanted to know what we were doing that day. We never decided before I posted my dailies, so I just puttered around a bit...on and off the computer...until about dinner time. Jeff then suggested we go out to get something to eat, so we went to Taco Bell.

After that, we went to Hobby Lobby. I got some yarn and knitting needles there with my 40% off coupon.

Then we headed down to the shopping center. Our first stop there was Shoe Carnival. We both bought hikers, and I have to say, mine are so much more comfortable than the shoes I bought last time I was there! :D

Next, we went to Books-A-Million to see if they had a Kindle on display. They didn't, so we headed over to Target so I could pick something up. They had Kindles on display, but they didn't work. :(

Our next stop was PetCo, where we bought some fish food, cookies for Nikita, and two more African Dwarf Frogs:



One of the older frogs seemed really interested in thenewcomers while they were being acclimated. Hestayed there,watching, for several minutes.


One of the newcomers

We got home late, and went to bed a lot later than usual, as acclimating the frogs to the aquarium took a long time.

Yesterday morning, we slept in. I never had time to post my dailies until last night, as we were out pretty much all day. We went to Hobby Lobby with another 40% off coupon, which I used for more knitting needles. I also got some more yarn and a yard of cloth to send to a friend who's going to make me a cover for my "tea cart":



My "tea cart" is really just a TV cart being used for all mytea and supplies. I like having it handy! :)


The material goes perfectly with my moss green walls, andthe pinks in it match the pink in some of mydecorative boxes! :D

I did a little rearranging in my studio last week, and I moved my new coffeemaker and all my tea stuff in to where I used to have my laptop table. I moved the laptop table back in front of the windows, where it used to be a long time ago.

Speaking of, I need to fix myself a cup before the coffeemaker shuts off...

Anyway, after that, we went to Staples to see if they had a Kindle on display. They had two, but one only showed a demonstration on the screen. That was the newer, bigger, more expensive one. That's not the one I want. I want the other one they had on display, the smaller one with free 3G. You could leaf through books that were on it and you could really play with it. Yay! :D I really, really want one more than ever now. ;)

We looked around at the furniture there. I saw a computer cart, some book cases (Jeff liked the three-shelf bookcase, but I like the lower profile of the two shelf, especially since it's wide, not narrow) and some other desks I really liked. Hopefully, I can get that cart sometime. It would be awesome. :)

After we left Staples, we headed over to Walmart to do our grocery shopping. We saw Eric and Chelsey and Chelsey's friend leaving, and since I had my Knitbook binder with me, I gave it to Chelsey (I'd told her I would give it to her the next time I saw her). We talked to them for a couple of minutes, then they left and we went inside to do our shopping.

It's been a pretty good weekend. We spent more than usual, but considering the things we bought, we did very well. Also, Jeff just paid the mortgage and put a large chunk toward his credit card bill (we had to fall back on it when he was unemployed), so our bank account balance has gone down a lot, but we'll build it up again.

And speaking of that, I'm finally getting serious about studying my driver's manual so Jeff can teach me to drive. Once I have my license, I plan to start looking for a job. The plan is to earn the money to fix up this house so either, A) we'll like it enough to live in it indefinitely, or B) we'll be able to sell this house and get something better closer to town.

You know, we looked at a house near the new library, but we turned it down because it needed a ton of work. I'm kicking myself over that now, because we could have fixed it up and it would be a much better house than this one...and I'd be right across the street from the library! It cost something like 58,000, I think. It might have been 68,000. I can't remember. Either way, for what we spent on this house, we could have bought that one, got a home improvement loan, and fixed it up. We'd be in town, and I'd be so close to the library!

Oh, well, no use whining about it. I'm done. ;)

I did a little writing this past week, but I did more research than anything. I finished a short story I'd been working on...a Will Scarlet short story. :)

Tomorrow, I'll be babysitting, so if I get any writing done, it will likely be after that. Today, I'll be designing and printing pages for my Day Timer. I need to work out a schedule. I've got several things I want to start doing:

• Write something every day
• Research for my writing
• Editing every day
• Sit down every day and do some real, honest-to-goodness reading!
• Start turning some of my art cards into other things, such as mugs, t-shirts, keychains, etc.
• Create some new art cards and other artwork
• Knit and/or crochet

So, I've got a lot of stuff I want to start doing on a daily basis (at least on my week days, which right now are Sunday through Thursday). I also want to get some of my writing ready for submission, as well as some of my artwork.

Of course, sometimes I have to babysit, so I have to be able to drop everything for that. But it should only be one day a week, and not even every week. Occasionally, it will be more than once a week, but it shouldn't be a problem. As long as I can work on at least one or two things on those days, I'll be fine. And the weekends I'll save for hanging with my hubby. :)

And on that note, I'd better get busy with those Day Planner pages. ;)

But first, here are a few more pictures:



Jeff looking through our new seed packets.In this picture, he's checking out the Lupines.


To brighten your day, Snapdragons andTexas Blue Bonnets! :D


Snapdragon buds close up with opened flowersin the background

I hope you're all happy and healthy! Have a good one,

Lois

The Library Is Open! The Library Is Open!

The kids and I went to the grand opening of the Van Buren library yesterday. Wow! I can't believe how awesome it is! :D

Here's an article: New Library Opens Doors In Van Buren

And some pictures: Van Buren Public Library Grand Opening

A Video! And if you look really close, you can spot Eric walking beside one of the bookshelves. He's wearing a baseball hat, a black t-shirt, and light shorts: Van Buren Celebrates Grand Opening of new Public Library

And to wrap it up, they have several events going on this week: Van Buren Public Library Plans Weeklong Grand-Opening Celebration

Now, Eric being the ham he is, walked in front of the camera on purpose hoping they'd show him on TV. Well, he got his wish, but he doesn't know it yet. Chelsey's going to surprise him by showing it to him after he gets home from work. Hopefully, it will make him feel better. He's sick with a bad cold or flu.

I've got a few things to do today, and I'm late in getting off here, so I'd better run.

Have a good one!

Lois

Road Trip!

Okay, the road trip is over, and has been for about two-and-a-half hours. ;) The drive to the airport was good...and dark for the first hour and a half to two hours. Once the sun came up, I began to feel a little more awake. Or maybe it was the McDonald's coffee that did the trick.

Anyway, I waited with my mom for about an hour and ten minutes, until someone came to help her board the plane.

I met up with Jeff downstairs, and we stopped off at the Starbuck's kiosk so I could get another coffee. I've had my fill of caffeine today, that's for sure! Now I'm drinking decaf. :)

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at Bonanza Steakhouse. I think we used to eat at this chain when my sister and I were little. Or maybe it was Ponderosa Steakhouse or some other steakhouse. I'm not exactly sure, but I think I should ask my dad when I talk to him again. Anyway, Jeff and I both got a combo with a steak and grilled shrimp, plus the food bar. I was good. I fixed myself a nice big salad and had only a little bit of potatoes. I ate half of my steak, ate three of the shrimps, then had dessert (and even that was limited). The salad filled me up! I didn't have room for much else. I have to say, though, that the food and the service were very good. I'm hoping to go back sometime.

But first, I want to try the Carrabbas in Rogers. On one of our first dates, Jeff and I went to the one in Baltimore, and the food and service were excellent! :D

Our very first date was Friendly's, but the closest ones are in...gasp!...Ohio!?!?

Anyway, our trip to the airport and back were good. As we got close to home, we were stopped on a nearby road and asked to detour, as there was a trailer being moved, and it was blocking the street just over the hill. No problem. We just went the back way.

When we got home, Jeff let Puppis (Nikita, Nikki, Nixie) out of the kennel, and she made like a mad dog and ran all around the house like the hyper pup she is! :P

And now we're just enjoying some nice quiet time at home...with some windows opened, believe it or not! It's 75° here right now!!!  *happy dance*  I'm not quite ready for warmer weather, but for today, it's nice. I'll take it! :)

Have a good one!

Lois

It's My Birthday! :D

So far, today doesn't feel much like a birthday. Yesterday felt more like it. Jeff and I went out shopping...twice. The first time, we went to Sears to pick up a blade for his lawn mower. Then we went to Lowe's to pick up some parts for the kitchen sink and a wind turbine for the attic. Then we went to one of my favorite stores, Hobby Lobby, where I bought a decorative box, some charcoal colored wool blend yarn and two steel needles to use with my crochet projects. I bought those with the money Jeff's dad sent me. Then Jeff threw in some money, as well, and I bought a solid wood art supply box. It has a lift out tray with compartments for organizing supplies, as well as a tilt out palette holder. I also got a drawing set with three soft cover sketch pads, a hard bound sketch book, some graphite pencils, some charcoal pencils and sticks, a kneaded rubber eraser, a white plastic eraser and two pencil sharpeners (one is for the charcoal). To wind up that shopping trip, I also bought a super fine tip pen (.005 size) and a book on drawing and painting fairies, and an ink set with twelve different colors of India ink and a dropper (which he used my 40% off coupon for). I look forward to experimenting with them soon! :)

We had to go back out a second time to do our grocery shopping. We ran out of room to put things in the car! :P I also got a birthday check from my dad, and that's going into my checking account. The only thing I have planned for that money is the Prince: It's Showtime DVD, but there's a book on drawing fairies that I really want. If I can find it cheap enough, I may get that, too.

Today, I baked my birthday cake. I haven't done this in at least two years, but I've been wanting to make another Chocolate Chip Kahlua Cake, so I had to get the ingredients to make it. :) I sprinkled the top with powdered sugar, cardamom and Saigon cinnamon. I can't wait to try it! :D

I plan on doing some writing today. I'm using the Air1 Verse of the Day as a prompt to get me started on an idea I've had since I last worked on my Immortal Watchdogs timeline. I just need to figure out which character or characters I want to use.

Otherwise, I plan on relaxing with some crochet. I'm making coasters for Josiah's party. I'm also planning to make a scarf to go on the toilet tank in our bathroom. It will be a charcoal gray to match the towels and rugs we bought for our anniversary. I'll also try to do some reorganizing in our bedroom to make room for my two bookcases.

I'm hoping to paint a table this week. We have this black table with a drawer in it. I want to paint it off-white in a satin finish, then use some Victorian scrap to decoupage it. I don't know if I'll get to do that this week, but I'd really like to, since Josiah's party is next week. I'd like to have at least one nice thing in the living room besides the prints I have on the wall. ;) I don't know if Jeff will be okay with buying the paint and varnish this week or not, since we've done a lot of shopping already, but I have to ask. If not, I know I'll get to do it eventually, so I won't be too disappointed. :)

Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately. I haven't been on here because I spent Friday crocheting and yesterday shopping. I'm back now, though, and I'll try to make more of an effort to post here on the weekends to come.

Have an awesome day!

Lois

Mother's Day, the Weather, Shopping, etc.

Yesterday was good. I got Mother's Day texts and e-mails, plus a cute handmade card from Eric and Chelsey. My mom also gave Jeff and me a small anniversary gift. And my mom just got some roses from my sister! :D I'll likely take some pictures so she'll have something to remember them by. :)

Jeff got out of work early, so he mowed the lawn, then we went shopping. After that, Eric and Chelsey went out to eat for Mother's Day.

We had storms last night. I don't know how bad they were. They didn't seem severe where we are, but we had thunder and lightning. We have a chance for more today.

I ordered Chance Pe Dance and Singh Is Kinng from Nehaflix and they've already shipped. I can't wait to get them! :D

I'm hoping to work on some writing after lunch (my screenplay and my storm story, if possible). I'm praying this headache will be gone by then.

Well, that's all for now.

Have a great day!

Lois

Seven Years Together, and We've Gained A New Towel Set

Yesterday was a very good day! I didn't do any writing. None at all. And I felt good anyway, since it was our anniversary. I decided to spend the day catching up online (though I never caught up with Twitter...and I may discontinue that, since it seems I can't keep up with it. I'm still in the "considering it" stage).

Jeff and I went to Olive Garden last night. First, as per my suggestion, we got the Portobello Fritta (scroll down to read the description), plus I got sweet tea and he got soda. For the main course, I got the Seafood Brodetto (scroll down to read the description), and Jeff got the Tour of Italy. Then I got some Zeppoli for dessert (which I'm about to finish off), and we both got Caffè la Toscana Coffee. It was a great time! :D

After we left Olive Garden, we went to Walmart so Jeff could get me a card and we could shop for something for our anniversary gift. We decided on towels, and got these (not as a set). We got three bath towels and two hand towels. We also got a contour rug, a rectangular rug, and a toilet seat cover to go with them (again, not as a set).

All in all, it was a good evening, and we both had a nice time. :)

Today, I'm going to write the next scene in my screenplay, which will involve flashbacks of my main character's past. This will have several parts, and I need to get them all down before the end of the day. If I have time after that, I want to make some edits to my storm story, since I didn't do them yesterday), then add some more to it.

By the way, can anyone tell me if report covers are good or bad for a resume? Especially a one-page resume. Jeff said they're usually frowned upon. What do you all think? Eric wants one for his resume, but I'm not sure it's a good idea.

Have a great day!

Lois

Writing Today

Yesterday was a great day. I finally drew something! :D Granted, it was just the first version of what I hope will eventually be a larger, better drawing. Still, it felt good to be drawing again.

I think today I'll work on the screenplay some, since I don't have to go in for jury duty. But first, I've got some feedback to write (no, it's not for Fear of Writing).

I want to get a projector so I can transfer the drawing to a larger piece of paper. I had one a long time ago, but I don't know what ever happened to it. I want to make the Faerie with Flute larger...9"x11" or so.

Yesterday, Eric and Chelsey (with my permission) did some rearranging. They moved Josiah's crib into the studio. they moved a few other things around, too...always asking me if it was alright first. Jeff's TV and our satellite receiver are now in the living room, where I've been spending my time lately.

It's chilly here today, but there's lots of sun. Another beautiful day! :D

And on that note, I'd better hurry up on here so I can take a shower, then get to work.

Have a great day!

Lois

I'm Feeling Creative Today

I didn't get much writing done yesterday, but I wrote enough so I'm still beyond where I'm supposed to be at this point. I plan to write a lot more today.

I bought two digital versions of Stampington's Where Women Create, and spent a good part of last evening reading the Spring '09 issue. It's really inspirational, and I can't wait to read more! :D

Also, I really can't wait until they come out with their new magazine, Somerset Reader. I'm hoping to submit a short story and accompanying artwork at some point.

It's been really cloudy this morning, but right now, we have a lot of clear sky and sunshine. I wish it would stay this way for a while, but I can already see more clouds moving in. :( We have a chance of storms today, but I don't think it's a big chance.

Well, I'd better hurry up. I don't want to run late like I did yesterday.

Have a good day!

Lois

Spring Is In the Air!

Yesterday was good. I was able to add 13 new pages to my screenplay, and I still had time to fix a yummy dinner of curried chicken, couscous and veggies! :P

Today, I plan to work some more on my screenplay. I'm also thinking about other projects I'd like to do sometime in the near future. Not all of them are writing-related. Some are art-related.

I watched Josiah for a while last night, so Eric and Chelsey could have some time to relax. Then Jeff and I took him overnight again. He's been pretty well-behaved. :)

We have storms in our forecast for tonight through Saturday night. I plan to make use of them by either reading or planning some art projects, as well as working on my screenplay.

I saw my first Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher of the season this morning. They're so pretty! :D Also, the Barn Swallows and Northern Mockingbirds have been flying around a lot. I think the Barn Swallows have made a new nest outside the front door, but I haven't checked yet.

My Jacqueline Du Pre is blooming, and I have hopes of ordering Queen of Sweden and Spirit of Freedom roses from Heirloom roses soon. That's a tradition Jeff and I have held since we first got married. I hope to uphold it again this year. :)

Well, I'd better go. I've fallen behind and need to get busy writing.

Have an awesome day!

Lois

It's Showtime!

Awesome article about Vivek Oberoi slipping into a theater to see what the turnout was like for his Prince: It's Showtime film. I especially love the last part, where he talks about his "little angels" in Vrindavan (and the picture of him at the top is cute, too). :) Prince is already showing in theaters here, but those theaters are too far away from our location. I want to go to Kansas City to see it. It would be an awesome early birthday gift. Anyone want to suggest it to Jeff? ;)

I sure hope I don't have a long wait for it to come out on DVD. :(

 

Jeff was sick all day yesterday, but he didn't seem to have a fever. Weird. He's back to work today, though. As far as I know, no one else seems to be sick. He was sick for close to 24 hours.

I did a one-pass edit on my journal-style short story yesterday afternoon. I'm hoping to do another pass today. I've got to get my editing and revision book out of the studio so I can read up on what to look for before I jump on that.

I have one feedback to write this morning, then that's it until I resume training. I'll probably do that on Wednesday or Thursday, unless I don't have jury duty tomorrow.

I've ordered something for our anniversary. Eric and Chelsey know what it is. I'm sure Jeff has some idea, but I haven't told him what it is. It's a surprise. :)

I'd better go get to work on that feedback. Once that's done, I can work on my screenplay, then the short story.

Have an awesome day!

Lois

April 9 Is the Date!

Prince: It's Showtime releases in theaters today! I wish I could see it! It's playing up in Kansas City, but that's a five-hour drive. Yikes!

The past couple of days have been busy for me. Most of yesterday was spent on feedback. I've been spending a lot of time on feedback lately...more time than usual. I'm hoping it will become easier with time, but I won't know until I've been doing it for a while.

As you can see, I didn't have to go in for jury duty today. The next date for me to go in is next Tuesday, the 13th..about two-and-a-half weeks before my term is over.

I haven't worked on my screenplay in days, so am hoping to get to work on it today. I still have some work to do first, though.

Eric's looking for another job. An error entering in some information on the cash register got him fired. :( He's out looking for a new job, and Chelsey has typed up a resume for him. In fact, he's already heard back from someone. :)

Jeff and I watched Kaal the other night. It was great! At least I thought it was great. ;) Jeff's not really into ghost/ horror stories. To tell you the truth, I'm not really into horror, either, but this one was pretty good...and it had some great actors in it.

And on that note, I'd better hurry up and get busy with things I need to do, so I can get to my writing.

Have an awesome day...and weekend!

Lois

Jury Duty...and Then Some

Jury duty was over quickly today. First of all, we had to stand out in the hallway for about an hour and ten minutes before they called us into the courtroom. Once inside, the judge explained that the men on trial made a plea bargain.

They still had to do a roll call, so they'd know who showed up, then they let us go.

I went to Coffee & A Good Book and picked up a couple books, then went to Brandenburg Book Sellers and bought another book. Then I called Eric and Chelsey to pick me up. They asked if I wanted to go to Sam's Club with them, and I said sure. So we went there, then to Walmart, then came home.

I walked the dog twice before we left, then I walked her when we got home. I'm due to walk her again in about an hour and fifteen minutes or so.

And now I'm catching up online and watching Kalyug. Kunal Khemu should do more dramatic acting. He's soooo good at it!

Anyway, that's been my day, so far. Tonight, Jeff and I will either watch Kaal or The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Have a great afternoon and evening!

Lois

This Easter, I'm Writing!

Yesterday was a good day. It started off a little rough, as Niki was just really full of energy and I didn't have the patience for it. I walked her early, though, and she seemed to calm down somewhat.

As usual, we did our grocery shopping. Jeff let me get two cami tops. I'll wear them under short sleeved button front tops...with jeans. They're really cute! :) And we got a few extras, which brought our grocery bill up a bit higher than usual. Hopefully, it will level back out next week.

Eric and Chelsey tagged along with us, and we had lunch at Taco Bell. It was fun.

I walked Niki as soon as we got home. She'd been in her kennel for about four hours, and seemed to have done really well. :)

Jeff paid some bills and shredded some papers, then he took Niki out back while he did some outdoorsy stuff. After that, he heated up a pizza for us for dinner.

During all this, I started work on my screenplay. I wrote just over three pages, plus the title page. On the ScriptFrenzy Web site, they have it as five pages.

It's weird. In a roundabout way, I have to save the document, then save it as a .txt file with formatting, then copy and paste it into an OpenOffice.org document. Once I do that, I can save it as a PDF file to upload to the ScriptFrenzy Web site for validation. It's a little extra work, but I don't mind.

The hard part is writing my story in the screenplay format. I wrote about two pages of a screenplay for a friend of mine, just to get her started, but this screenplay is different. It's my own story, and I plan to enter it in the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition in May. Don't know if I'll win, of course, but one can hope and pray. ;)

Anyway, my plans for today, now that I've finished washing the dishes and making our breakfasts for the next two days, is to work on the screenplay some more. I also want to color my hair, and give Niki a bath (not necessarily in that order). Otherwise, it's a free day, which is good, for Easter Sunday. ;)

Well, I'd better get busy. I still have three days to catch up on for ScriptFrenzy, and I want to surpass where I'm supposed to be for today.

Have a happy Easter!

Lois

A Very Good April Fool's Day

I never got to start ScriptFrenzy yesterday, as I was pretty sure I wouldn't. I have a feedback to write this morning, then some studying and highlighting to do for my assignment. I'm not going to rush it, but I am hoping I'll have time to start my screenplay this afternoon, at least.

I also want to edit the short I just wrote. This story has potential to be a short film, so I may write a screenplay from it soon...but not until after ScriptFrenzy (unless I should happen to finish my screenplay before the end of April).

I've signed up for the free seven-week F2K Creative Writing Course. It starts April 7. I'm looking forward to it! :D

Yesterday was nice and warm, mostly sunny until later in the day, when clouds started moving in. Today, it's very cloudy, and we're already having rain. We have a chance of thunderstorms, too. Tomorrow and Sunday are supposed to be mostly sunny. YAY! :D

Our day out yesterday was good. I bought some tops and a few other things. We looked at the cages, but couldn't fit the extra large one in the trunk with the back seat up, so Jeff and I took Eric to work later, and we bought it then. I also bought her a pillow bed (earlier in the day) to go in it. She loves it! :D And we bought her a chew toy: a rubber bone that's "infused with chicken flavor." ;)

I used the Internet for a bit while we were at Panera. Eric and Chelsey ate and got some invitations ready to send out. After we finished there, we went across the street to Sweet Bay (through the drive-through window) and I got a Paradise Chicken Salad and a Pina Colada smoothie.

Our day out was fun, and it was good to take a day off from all the stuff I've been doing. And Eric didn't even pull one prank, joke, or anything! :D

I had a headache early in the day. I forgot to take something for it, and thought it would get worse, but it actually went away on its own. Maybe I should have more days like yesterday! :P

Jeff mowed some of the lawn yesterday afternoon (after we got back from buying Niki's new kennel). While he did that, I watched some of Naksha again. :) I'm hoping to watch a new Hindi movie tonight (new to us, anyway): either Zinda or Kaal.

Well, this post has been all over the place. I'd better wrap it up so I can finish online. I need to get to work on other things.

Have a great day!

Lois

Free To Work On My Own Writing!

Good morning! :D

I've written a feedback this morning. Yep, only one. I'm expecting another one to come in later today, but I'll be writing that one tomorrow. This is my fifth one for the week, so I can take it easy.

So...this means that I can work on my training assignment, then my own writing. YAY! I'm hoping to participate in some writing sprints with Patti and Maria, but we'll see. It'll depend on whether or not they're online and available.

There are a couple other things I need to start/ resume working on, too. I'll do a little at a time when I can. :)

I also read a short e-book yesterday. It's a prequel to the novel, Black Diamond, by Ja'nese Dixon (one of my Nano Mentees from this past November). Black Diamond is coming out in June. I can't wait to read it! :D

Jeff and I went shopping for a few things last night. Chloe needed some canned food, plus we needed milk and ant bait. We also got a chain and a 15-foot line for Niki. I'm hoping we won't need to use the chain, but we'll see how things go. She's figured out how to get out of her kennel. She pushes her nose against the spot where the zippers meet until she can push them apart, then she squeezes through. She's too clever for her own good. *sigh*

We had a lot of wasps around our house yesterday. Today's supposed to be even warmer. Yesterday's high was 83°. It was only supposed to get up around 79°. Today will probably be 87°, which is perfect wasp and spider weather. :(

Anyway, I've got work to do...thankfully, some of it is my own...so I'd better run.

Have an excellent day!

Lois

Let the Mania Begin...

Today is the start to my very busy two weeks. I plan to write two feedbacks this morning. I'll also be working on a big assignment for my FoW CP training.

I'm also doing my laundry. And I walked Niki right after Jeff left for work.

It's a good thing it's nice and sunny...and warmer. It's supposed to get up around 66° today, but the rest of the week is supposed to get progressively warmer. I'm loving it! :D

Jeff and I watched Singh Is Kinng again last night. That movie is so funny! And I can't imagine anyone doing as great a job at portraying Happy Singh than Akshay Kumar. He was hilarious! :P

I've just sent back the latest Netflix DVDs. In a day or two, we'll be getting the next Brisco County, Jr. and La Femme Nikita. We're also getting Dum, a Hindi movie starring Vivek Oberoi as a young, honorable cop going head-to-head with an older, bad cop.

Okay, I've used up enough of my valuable time finding and posting links. I'd better hurry up and get started on that feedback. ;)

Have a great morning...and an awesome week! :D

Lois

Not Your Average Weekend

Several assignments have come in, so I've got a lot of work to do...not to mention the studying I need to do for the Course Presenter training. It's nice to be busy. Hopefully, soon, I'll be busy with my own work, too. ;)

We had storms yesterday. I don't know how bad they were. We were in Walmart at the time. I didn't see any downed trees or anything, so I don't think they were too bad. After we got home, the winds really picked up and more clouds moved in. If we had more storms last night, I slept through them. Today's supposed to be partly sunny with a high of 58°. Right now it's cloudy and 48°.

The next date for jury duty was tomorrow, March 29, but they've changed it to Tuesday. That gives me another day to work on feedback and studying.

I ordered a couple things from my cousin-in-law. She's an Avon representative. :)

We didn't flea bomb the house yesterday. Jeff didn't think it was necessary, since Niki has Frontline Plus on her. No one's been bitten by any fleas yet, so he's hoping the Frontline is killing them all off.

I was hoping to get her a cage or carrier yesterday...something a lot sturdier than the pop-up kennel we have now, but we didn't. :( I sure hope she doesn't destroy this one before we can get something better.

Chloe jumped the gate yesterday and Niki chased her all around the dining room. Chloe ran into the kennel and Jeff got ahold of Niki so I could get Chloe and put her back on the other side of the gate. She made a beeline for my studio. I don't think she'll be jumping that gate again for a long time. ;) We'll need to get them used to each other before my mom comes back. Otherwise, we'll have to keep Chloe in one room all the time. I don't like that idea. :/

I watched Rocky again yesterday. I'm hoping to buy it at some point. Zayed Khan was great in a sometimes comedic, sometimes very, very dramatic role. :)

Anyway, I'd better get to work. I've got a lot of it, and I don't want to keep my students waiting. ;)

Have a great day!

Lois