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

Crazy Times

I've been absent from here a lot more than usual lately. First I had a "Windows has encountered an error and must shut down" | "Windows is restarting" loop. I couldn't back up my files, because every time I'd restart the computer, it would go into this loop. Every three to five seconds it would do it, and no matter what I tried, nothing worked. I even had help from Eric and Patti, both of whom told me what to do through texts. Finally, I just formatted the hard drive and re-installed Windows. It seemed to do the trick.

Then, about two or three days later, my connection started dragging. Most pages wouldn't load at all. I tried shutting down the program I thought was causing it, but I still had the problem. Nope. It didn't work.

So, once again, I formatted the hard drive and re-installed Windows...after backing up what files I needed to. In fact, I just finished. I'm in the process of updating Kaspersky now...or soon will be, at any rate.

I had a good Mother's Day. It was quiet and boring. For once, I didn't let the computer problems frustrate me. LOL! Jeff and I bought Chelsey a slow cooker cook book. Before I wrapped it, I looked through it...and promptly told Jeff that I wanted one. He was open to that, and we went to the store last night and bought me one. :)

I talked to my mom last night before we went out. She's coming here on the 21st...Chelsey's birthday. Jeff won't be able to do any medium or heavy lifting, so that leaves me to load her wheelchair and super heavy luggage into the trunk...and to push her up the back ramp. Oh, joy! :P It will be good to have her here.

I just hope we can knock out the fleas by then! I got bit twice on the arm yesterday. We're planning to get generic Frontline. I'm not sure what else. I'd like to go down to Petco and see what they have that Walmart doesn't. It's at the point where I want to find another home for Nikita. She's a good dog. I just can't take the fleas anymore! O_O And as if the fleas aren't bad enough, my skin's been really dry and itchy. Anyone know of a really good lotion that's not greasy?

Oh, and about Jeff. He'll be having minor outpatient surgery on the 16th. He's not looking forward to it, of course, but it has to be done. I have to stay at the hospital, so I plan to take my laptop with me. Chelsey will drive us there, then pick us up when it's done. He'll have about a month of recovery. The first two weeks, he'll be able to do light lifting. The second two, he'll be able to do medium lifting. I sure hope they tell us what that means exactly. What constitutes "light" and "medium" lifting?

So, that's the crazy life I've been leading lately. What's up with all of you, my peeps?

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

10K Days...

I was supposed to participate in at least one of the 10K Days this month: this past Wednesday or Saturday. I couldn't participate in either because I agreed to babysit, so I tried for a 10K Day yesterday. As far as reaching 10K words, the day was a bust, but to me, it wasn't so much about 10K as it was about sitting down and writing. In that respect, it was a success. I managed to write and edit two writing articles, one on character journaling, and one on using outlining in screenwriting. I'll post links when I can. :)

I've completed the first handwarmer in my Handmade Exchange for , and I'm well into the second. They're looking really good, so far! :D

My mom's heading back home on Saturday, so we have some things to do before then...like wash her hair, do her laundry, buy her a lingerie bag for her hand knit items, and laminate her new address tags.

Our library is moving to their new building...finally! I can't wait until they open for business (if they aren't already--I need to check). :)

Before I go, here's a photo to brighten your day. We planted some snapdragons in Jiffy pellets a while back. Eventually, Jeff planted them in pots, and one of them is actually blooming! :D





And now I'm about ready to start work on a new Immortal Watchdogs short story. I still have some planning to do (a lot, really), but I can write out the prologue, at least. :) Today will be my "official" personal 10K Day. ;)

Have a good one!

Lois

Happy January 5th!

Happy 11th Day of Christmas!!! :D (The 12 Days of Christmas go from Christmas until January 6.)

It's been a long time since I've posted a "real" post, I know. I just haven't been up to much that's noteworthy. But here's the lowdown, anyway:

1. I've been practicing my knitting. I've learned how to cable, but it doesn't always come out as it should. I need to get a lot more practice in before I'll be "experienced," but I can do a simple cable without too much trouble. I'm currently working on a scarf that will have a little bit of (simple) cabling in it. It looks great, so far. :)

Knit Sample - Click to view larger

2. I've begun the first (quick) edit of my screenplay. I got rid of a scene, and I'm thinking of changing most of the flashbacks to just mentions. My hero's background and connection to the antagonist will be revealed, but only in a few short sentences. I need to scale back this screenplay by at least 30 pages, so there are things that will definitely have to go.

3. I've got a folder full of photos I need to edit. I hope to have them all edited by this weekend so I can post them.

4. Our Christmas and New Year's celebrations were good. We went to the kids' apartment both times and had fun, then had quiet evenings at home afterward. (And I have to say that Eric makes a mean mocha. It was so good I couldn't stop at a small cup. I had to have two-and-a-half mugs full. As a result, I couldn't get to sleep until after midnight on New Year's! :P)

5. I finally undecorated the Christmas tree yesterday. Jeff took it down last night and cleaned up the pine needles. Now I can babysit Josiah in there where it's more child proofed. :)

6. Jeff ordered a new washing machine...the Samsung I've been wanting! :D It's supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but the store hasn't called us about it. Jeff may end up calling them after work if they don't call me by then. We did some laundry on Monday night with the hope that it would be our last night at the laundromat.

7. We bought several new fish and frogs from PetCo. We bought a neon tetra, a black neon tetra, a Chinese algae eater, two fancy guppies (both with blue on them) and two dwarf African frogs. So far, the neon and the guppies have died. :( The rest seem to be doing well, but we've frozen the three that died and we'll return them within thirty days. We're just waiting to see how the rest will do. I'm sure the frogs will survive. They seem really hardy. I'm more concerned with the black neon and the Chinese algae eater. The nice thing about having the algae eater is that he's really making headway on the algae in the aquarium. We had a ton, and he's cleaning it up nicely. :) I sure hope he survives!

8. I've ordered a subscription to Script Magazine and am eagerly awaiting my first issue. I also ordered a single issue of Knit Scene. I can't wait for that one, either. It looks like it has some great patterns in it. The one that caught my eye was a cardigan...a really nice green cardigan with deep pockets! :)

9. My mom's still here and doing well. She's heading back at the end of January. I don't think she's looking forward to going back to the land of snow (we don't have any here, but there's a bit of it back east), but I'm sure she'll be happy to be home. :)

10. I gave my desktop PC to Eric and Chelsey. They can do whatever they want with it. I don't want desktop PCs anymore. I'd rather stick with laptops. I'm hoping we'll get another laptop at some point. We'll see. I saw that Virgin Mobile has unlimited wireless, and it is unlimited--unless you watch lots of movies and TV online, which I don't--and I'm hoping we'll get that soon. We shall see...

11. The kids gave us a ham that Eric got as a bonus from work. They don't like ham. Well, I fixed it last night, and we gave the bone to Nikita. We left some meat on it, and she loved it! She hasn't actually finished it, but when she has it, she won't let anyone near it! :P She has a beef knuckle bone that we bought at Walmart, but she likes the ham bone much better.

12. We're going shopping tonight. We've got to pick up my mom's meds, plus a few other things. It's a very small list, thankfully, so we won't be going overboard. Good thing, too, since our bank account balance is lower than it's ever been! :/

13. I've got three or four seedlings I need to plant, too. One is a Wandering Jew. I'm not sure what the others are. I guess we'll find out! :P I "mowed" my grass yesterday, too--my grass in a planter. It was getting tall, so I had to trim it down. :)

And that's pretty much everything that's going on here. I haven't been posting because I haven't really had much to say, but hopefully, this weekend I'll post those pictures I mentioned.

I hope 2011 is kind to you all and that it's your best year ever!

Lois

Life After Nanowrimo

Now that the first draft of my novel's done, I plan to take some time to relax and do other things. I'll jot down notes on the changes I want to make to my novel, planning out the rewrite, but I won't be pushing myself toward a lofty goal. This will give me time to finish a knitting project I'm working on, and it will give me time to keep up on here.

Eric took me to the movies Sunday. We saw part one of the new Harry Potter movie. I can't wait to see part two! It was a lot of fun, and it was good to see him again. :)

There's not really a lot going on here. My mom will be coming on Saturday, so Jeff and I will have to pick her up at the airport. I'll miss the T.G.I.O. (Thank God It's Over) party with the Yetis, but my mom's worth missing it. :)

Lois

Another Day of Writing

I'm going to try to write another 5K words today, then tomorrow, I'll be back to sorting through things. I want my total for yesterday and today to be at or beyond 10K.

I'll be working on Redemption, my Arjun Dhaval story. It's the story I worked on yesterday.

I let my mom read the excerpts I posted, and she liked them. :)

It's sunny, hot, and muggy here. The weather will be about the same as yesterday (it got up to 106° with a heat index of 115°). I'm hoping Jeff will get home ultra early.

Well, I'd better hurry up on here. Again, I doubt I'll have time to check my F-List, so if you want me to see a post of yours, please comment here, and I'll see it later this afternoon or tomorrow.

Have an awesome day! :D

Lois

Quite A Night Last Night

We had storms tear through here. I don't know if we had tornadoes in our area or not, but there was a ton of rain, lots of lightning and thunder, some small hail. We had some more storms this morning, and a chance of them throughout the day. I don't know when I'll get to take my shower...hopefully after I'm done updating online.

We took my mom down to the E.R. because of a fall she took a few days ago. She noticed some bruising on her foot, and my sister asked that we take her to get looked at. The doctor said she might have a sprain, and said that she should stay off her foot as much as possible. Otherwise, she's fine. Thank God for that!

And as we were getting her in the door last night, the outer door was busted. Actually, it was already busted, but now it's busted more than ever. Jeff took it off it's remaining hinges and Eric put it under the porch.

Jeff and I plan to go to Best Buy tonight, since we weren't able to go last night. I've discovered that the device keeps turning off the USB ports...and it does it at will. I uncheck the box where it says to allow the computer to turn it off to save power, but every time I restart the computer, I have to uncheck it again. I also still have to keep choosing the correct connection profile. This is extremely frustrating, and if they can't figure it out, I'll try to get a different model or another service altogether.

I plan to work on my Immortal Watchdogs: Kalaghata storyline, the Immortal Watchdogs timeline, and, if I'm feeling extraordinarily inspired, my storm story and my screenplay. At some point, I'll resume work on my faerie drawing, too...but not today. ;)

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

On the Road Again - I Just Can't Wait To Get On the Road Again

Yesterday was a very good day. I did some cleaning and cooking in the morning, and Chelsey did some cleaning. Eric did some stuff, too...like cleaning my mom's fan. I think I mentioned all this yesterday, though. ;)

I've made a Bollywood movie fan out of Chelsey, much to Eric's chagrin. ;) We watched Chance Pe Dance, starring Shahid Kapoor (see my userpic above), last night. This is one of those movies I just have to have. I want both the DVD and the CD soundtrack. I also plan on getting Naksha, Kurbaan, Shootout At Lokhandwala, and Singh Is Kinng, at some point. There are others, too, but I'm taking them one or two at a time.

We'll be leaving around 12:30-1:00 today to pick up my mom at the airport. Her room is mostly ready. We still have the gate up to keep the dog and cat from murdering each other, but it shouldn't be a problem now that I'm spending my days in the living room.

Our Huntington Rose bush has lots of flowers on it. The Lady Jane Grey had one, and I cut it off this morning to put in a small glass. It smells like tea! :D And the Arizona rose has a rose on it, but it's already faded to a mottled pink. :( I'm waiting for the Jacqueline Du Pre to get some more blooms. I don't think it even has buds right now.

And I'm hoping to order a Queen of Sweden rose sometime in the next few days. I got my jury duty check in the mail yesterday, and I plan to use some of that for it.

Anyway, I may or may not get some writing done today. If I do, it will be while we're on the road. We were supposed to have storms today, but they've moved the prediction to tomorrow. Today is supposed to be mostly sunny! :D Of course, that will make it hard to see the computer screen for writing, but if I can do it, I'm going to try.

Have an awesome day!

Lois

Happy Sunday!

We did our grocery shopping yesterday. In spite of shopping for four people (Eric and Chelsey still had some money left, and they used a lot of it on Josiah), we spent less than we did last week. Not bad. :)

We looked at the Straight Talk phones at Walmart. I want the $99 phone with the $45 unlimited plan. Jeff "dared" me to cancel our AT&T land line account. ;) I'm planning to do it, but first, I want to research the plan a little more.

Oh! And I've finally printed out my Mom's itinerary! :) She'll be here in less than a month, so we've got to start getting the house ready for her arrival...especially her room. It looks like a tornado went through it. ;)

Today will be a writing day for me. As soon as I catch up online, I'll start work on my screenplay again. I'm planning to edit my most recent short, too...the one I wrote from a prompt.

Jeff's sick today. :( He thinks it's food poisoning. Problem is, he didn't eat anything the rest of us didn't, so I don't know if that's actually what's wrong. He may just have the 24-hour bug. Just in case, I'm taking extra C to (hopefully) keep myself from getting it.

It's nice and sunny here today. Our high is supposed to be 78°, and it's already 64°. Nice! :)

Have a great Sunday! :D

Lois

 

 

Road Trip!

Today, we're taking my mom to the airport. I'm taking my laptop with me, but I don't know how much I'll be online. I may try to connect from the airport, since we plan on being there an hour and a half before her flight.

I got a ton of writing done yesterday, and I'm pleased with it. 4,176 words! Four character journal entries (two long, two short) and a welcome letter for my first student (no word count on that). Not bad, considering I got a late start. :)

Anyway, I'd better go. I have six more posts to make elsewhere, and I need to fix my mom a lunch.

It's almost time for me to break out the road trip CD! ;)

Have a great day! :D

Lois

Busy Day...I Hope I Can Find Time To Write!

I wrote three character journal entries yesterday. It turned out to be more than 3,000 words, so I'm happy. I'll be writing more today, but first I've got some Fear of Writing related work to do.

We've got a big car repair bill today. It's on the Concorde. We've got another one coming up later, too. I guess I won't be saving for a mini laptop, after all. We'll likely need most of my earnings to build up our savings again.

I need to check in with the airline and print out my mom's e-ticket later today. She's going back tomorrow.

I also need to call the courthouse after five o'clock to see if I have to go in on Monday.

I downloaded the soundtrack to the Hindi movie, 99, yesterday. I love it! :D The music is very modern, but with an Indian sound to it. It keeps my feet moving and my spirits lifted, even though I can't understand most of the words. :)

Well, I've got to run. I've got a lot to do before I get started on my character journals.

Have an awesome day!

Lois

Great! Now It's MY Turn To Get Sick!

I was able to post two of my feedbacks for yesterday. One of my students has to redo their assignment. I had to do some reading on it, too, because I'm not even sure I understand it.

I started today off working on Xander's novel. I wrote about 2,121 words. My official word count is 67,592. :) I'm hoping to write some more in a little bit.

We actually have flurries in our forecast and I think I may have felt a couple of them this morning when I went out to put some DVDs in the mailbox. ;) We're mostly just supposed to have a little drizzle with a high of about 45°. We're supposed to have a lot of cloud cover over the next several days. :(

I'm relatively sure I'm coming down with the cold everyone else has gotten. I won't be going to Sweet Bay tonight. I don't want to get everyone sick. :/

I babysat Josiah for a little while last night. He's a real wiggle worm! :)

Well, I'd better hurry and finish up on here. I've got to make breakfast for my mom, then do some more writing! :D

Have a great day!

Lois

My Own Personal 10K Day!

I'm starting a bit late for my personal 10K Day today, but I'm about to get started. I had an e-mail to write to my Nanowrimo mentees, and that took a bit of time. But now I'm ready to work on Xander's backstory. I came up with several ideas last night, and I'm looking forward to writing them up.

I won't be on here until later this afternoon or evening. I'm hoping to get 10K, of course, and I'm really going to push myself today.

My mom's here and is settled in. She had a good flight and got to see Eric, Chelsey and Josiah last night. Poor little guy's still sick, but he seemed like he was in good spirits. I think Eric and Chelsey are still sick, too. Eric's voice was really bad, but it sounded like it was getting better last night.

Jeff thinks he may be coming down with it now. He and I have been taking Airbourne and Cold Eeze and taking vitamins, so hopefully that'll keep the cold/ flu at bay. I need to see if my mom can take those.

Well, I'd better get to it. I want to get to 80K as soon as possible. I want to revise it when I'm done. I want to publish this thing! :D

Have a great day!

Lois

Brainstorming & Road Trip!

We'll be heading out soon to pick up my mom at the airport. I'm taking my laptop, but most of my work will be in a notebook. I'll be brainstorming. I won't have my device either, so I may not connect. We'll see...

I've thought up an alternate ending to the story...one in which Xander proves to himself that he is stronger and more courageous than he thinks. I look forward to fleshing it out. :)

We're going to the bank and to Salvation Army and the car wash before we head for L.R., so it'll be a long trip, but fun. I have CD's and I'm not afraid to use them. ;)

At least until we pick up my mom! :P I don't think she'd like Forever, Disciple, Decyfer Down, Family Force 5 or Demon Hunter...or most of the stuff I like. I'm taking my media player with me, too. ;)

Anyway, I'm not sure if I mentioned this here, but I'm making tomorrow a 10K Day, so I'll still post in the morning, but I won't do anything else online until I'm done for the day. I'm going to start as early as I can. I'd like to get Xander's backstory, at least a good chunk of it, completed tomorrow, if possible.

Well, I guess I'd better hurry up and finish here so I can get ready to leave.

Have an awesome weekend! :D

Lois

Visitors & Noveling

My mom will be here in two days, so I've got to get her room ready. The main thing I need to do is clean the linens. They've been packed away for several months, and I want them to be fresh for her. We also need to move a small table back into our bedroom so that corner of the living room will be free for her table and puzzle organizer.

I need to figure out where we'll put the Christmas tree this year, too. I know where I want it to be, but there's a big heavy entertainment center there. I've been wanting to move that into the dining room, but we haven't done it yet. I'm thinking of clearing it off today so Jeff and Eric or Jeff and I can move it.

Otherwise, I'll be doing what I've been doing...working on my Nano Novel! I probably won't spend as much time on it today as I'd like, because of clearing off the entertainment center and moving the small table, etc., but any writing is good writing at this point. :)

And on that note, I guess I'd better hurry up on here so I can get started with other things.

Have a great day!

Lois

Birthday eCard:

Today's my mom's 70th birthday! :D

And just in case my sister sees this and wants to print it out for her:

We hope you have a great day, Mom! :)

Love you,

Jeff, Lois, Eric, Chelsey, Josiah and Chloe