To Make or Break...

Well, I hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!  On to the New Year! 

A List of New Year's Resolutions:

1. Keep the house clean(er) (I've been to so many houses lately and they all look fabulous.  Mine, on the other hand is... er... less than fabulous)
2. Save money for Christmas 2011
3. Keep the car cleaned out
4. Exercise more (Gee, who's list is this not on?! lol)
5. Be on time (We're always running late and it's usually my fault.  My husband was always on time before he met me. lol)
6. Finish Novel
7. Get novel published
8. GET ORGANIZED
9. Stay Organized!
10. Read my scriptures everyday
11. Stop hording stuff & have some yard sales
12. Pay bills on time (pay attention to what day it is.  Days seem to fly by and generally lose track of what day it is until I get my "friendly" email reminders.  I'd like to get ahead like I used to be.)

Well, that's my dozen New Year's Resolutions.  My actual "To Do" list is quite a bit longer, of course, but these are the things I really need to work on and keep up throughout the year.

So what are your New Year's Resolutions?

Merry Ho Ho

~~~~~&~~~~~

Happy Humbug!

Baby Formula & "Experts"

Warning:  Ranting, Raving and TMI ahead.  Proceed with caution. 
(Or not, it's not really that bad unless breast feeding makes you squeemish)

I'm quite irritated at the moment and feel like getting on my soap box, if you don't mind.  My baby is 4 months old and we think he may be lactose intollerant.  I am, so his chances are good, and we've been having a hard time finding a formula that works well with his tummy.  So, we tried the soy formulas and the lactose-free formulas such as Alimentum and Nutramigen and quite a few others, too numerous to mention, (ones for gassiness, fussiness, regular ol' stuff too, etc.,) but tipically within these two same brands.  Now, don't get me wrong, I really like these two brands.  The first is actually the one that our baby prefers, but that's in the regular fomulas such as the Sensitive formula.  (He's very gassy... gets that from momma LOL) but lately he's been having a bit of trouble.  So, we decided to try the lactose free ones.  (and let me tell you, this crap is too expensive to be "trying" different formulas only to find that after a few bottles, it's not the right one!)

So, anyway, he won't take them.  He makes these nasty faces and pushes his tongue against the roof of his mouth and then out, like he's trying to get the taste out.  He didn't do that with the other Sensitive one.  So, I tried the lactose free ones myself.  OMG I thought I'd puke!  These aren't just bad, they're absolutely nasty!  Disgusting!  Gross!  No wonder he didn't want it.  Geez!  Not that regular formula is the best thing in the world, but c'mon, does it have to taste rotten?!  Like spoiled milk or something that crawled out from the back of the fridge, forgotten for months.  Y  U  C  K  !

We tried adding a little rice cereal to help with the taste (we'd been adding rice cereal for a while because just formula wasn't filling him up anymore. (he's a big boy, but not fat at all.  He was over 9 pounds when he was born!) The rice cereal helped a bit, he gets about 2 ounces down now, but that's about it... when he's been drinking 6 ounces easily, that's too little. 

So, I decide to try to look up if I can add sugar or something to sweeten it up a bit.  And I get this result.  So, I pick a few and read and that's what's irritated me the most.  Other than the fact that I've almost gone broke and have about 20 different cans of formula in the pantry that he'll never eat, from trial and error.  Honestly, why can't they make trial sizes?!  other than the few you get from the hospital when the baby's first born, I mean.... but I digress....

I'm not picking on any site inparticular.  I'm mad at the so-called "experts" who answered on Amma's site.  They had the nerve to say that ALL formulas have some sort of sweetner in them already and that there's no reason to add anything.  They obviously have never tried the soy or lactose free versions of formula.  Nor do they probably even have children of their own.  I know the formula makers can't possibly have kids... otherwise they would give us mom's a break on the price or make those trial sizes I mentioned! 

Anyway, who are they trying to kid?!  Already sweet enough?!  If that's sweet, then bitter or bad would probably kill a horse!  Ugh! 

Oh, and one expert (can't remember if it was from that site or one of the others) actually said that babies don't really know the difference between tastes/flavors (I'm paraphrasing badly) so it doesn't matter.  Are you kidding me?  I've seen the look on my baby's face when I've tried different things with him (please don't bash me, it's only little drops of stuff and only one or two at a time) and I see him either make a yucky face as with the nasty formulas, or he smiles with the taste of a popcicle or some other flavorful and yummy food, and he gets all excited when he tastes something like that. 

So, did I ruin his ability to eat formula because he now knows good flavors?  No, because he'll still eat the regular formulas without issue, but his tummy doesn't like them.  It's the nasty soy and lactose free versions that I'm upset with.

And let's not forget to complain about the "experts" who insist on breast feeding.  I would have loved to have breast fed my little one... I was devastated when I couldn't.  But unfortunately, I didn't produce enough milk.  And I know there are people out there who think that ALL women produce plenty of milk and I'm just not trying hard enough... well, you're wrong.  I'm sorry to tell you that, but you are.  I even tried pumping... and after 45 minutes on both sides, I didn't get barely an ounce and then I'd have to wait a couple hours before any more would come out.  OK, that's a little TMI, but I'm really ticked off at those who think that it's impossible for me to not be able to breast feed.  I tried.  I tried until the doctor said that if he didn't get formula, then he'd have to be put in the hospital for losing too much weight.  So, devastation set in and so did depression, because I'd looked forward to that bonding method all my life, only to have it dashed and destroyed.  (On the up side, my husband was able to take the middle-of-the-night feedings and let me get some much needed sleep.  I was still recovering from the surgery, afterall.)

So, that's what ticks me off at 5am with a crying baby and a nasty taste in my mouth. 

~Oddyssey

A Day Late and a Dollar Short...

Always falling behind... ah well, at least I'm consistant at something!  Better late than never, they always say.  Who's this "They" everyone alway talks about anyway?  And who ever said They are so smart?  Sometimes I'd like to meet this They person and punch them right in the nose!  Who are they to tell me that I'm better off for this or that?  Maybe it's better to be late sometimes.  There's "Fashionably Late" showing up to parties and such.  And you never know when an obstacle gets in your way, it may be to keep you from an accident that you would be in if you'd have left on time. 

So who are They?  Do They actually exist?  Or are They just made up to make us feel better about falling short on something and we say it's "...[ok], They always say." 

"Well, They always say, hindsight is 20/20"  Well of course it is!  DUH!  In hindsight (after the fact) you see what happened and how you could have done better or different.  OY!

Ah, well... They say, this too shall pass......

~Oddyssey

This Weeks Prompts:

1.) A Christmas gift that was not well received.
2.) Describe yourself in five words. Choose one, and write a poem.
3.) It happened at daycare.
4.) Let's rewind to Summer and warm up! Share some favorite photos from a vacation you took.
5.) A fist fight.



Now I just need to choose one and write.  I'm so not into anything these last few days and I just don't want to do anything right now.  I was so gung-ho about writing my novel, writing in my blog everyday, etc.  Now, it seems the "fun" is fading and I just need some rest.

Hmmmm....
2.) Describe yourself in five words. Choose one, and write a poem.
Ok, sounds like I'm on track for this one....

1. Exhausted (I've been so tired the last few days)
2. Hungry (I haven't had lunch yet and it's almost 3pm)
3. Irritated (Tthe dogs are driving me crazy)
4. Worried (about our oldest son who's trying to figure out who he is)
5. Blessed (I'm very thankful for who and what I have in my life, despite the above list)

So, I know this list isn't exactly what Mama Kat had in mind when she said to describe myself... but these words are Me-at-the-Moment, so now I have to choose one and write a poem.

Blessed:
I never fear
for the Lord is here
waiting for me
to call to him

No... that's not right... I'm always worried and fearful about something.  But then I remind myself that the Lord will provide.

Exhausted:
Tired and worn
my body feels torn

Meh... that's dumb.

Hungry:
Turkey and stuffing
Sweet potato, mashed
Cranberrys, corn
Pumpkin pie last
Holiday waistline
Two sizes too big
Twice for the price
Thanksgiving and
Christmas too
Cookies galore
And gifts for me and you

Well, that's kind of cute....

Irritated:
Dogs go in
Dogs go out
Dogs go in
Dogs go out
in out in out
in out in out

Not really a poem, but the dogs keep going in and out the stupid dog door and the loud <*FLAP*> is getting on my nerves and threatens to wake the baby, so that's all I have to say about that.

Worried:
Young boy of sixteen
blond and naive
in love so it seems
with no idea of what it means
searching for life
and where he fits
I have the answers
when he asks for advice
but it falls on deaf ears
he hears what he wants
wrapped up in misery
of nightmares not dreams
he'll find his way
someday when he's gone
I hope I am there to see
the adult he can
one day become
old and shriveled
his dad and I will be
proud we hope
of his life to Thee

That would be a poem about how I worry about our oldest son.  Not too bad, I think I'll go with that one. 

So, that's my submission to This Weeks Prompts.  I hope you enjoyed a trip down my chaotic thought process.

~Oddyssey

T & E Cookies

T&E Cookies... Trial & Error!  What doesn't work out well for the first batch (and the second and the third...) will work for the next one.... maybe....

I had to make two dozen cookies for a church get-together last night.  Well, apparently it's been a LOOOONG time since I've baked cookies!  I used to bake all the time.  Cakes, pies, cookies, you name it... and I was good at it too!  But not now.  Oh, my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving came out great (all four of them!) but I make them every year, so I'm used to them. 

But cookies?!  Wow, I really don't remember them being that hard!  I wanted to make them from scratch... well, I ran out of time, so scratch that idea.  (pun intended) So, I got two packages of a Betty Crocker mix.  Couldn't be simpler, right?  Riiiight..... NOT!  So, each package is supposed to make 24 cookies.  Great!  I need two dozen, that's one package.  And I can whip up the extras for us.  Meh... not so much.  So, I roll out the dough (a major undertaking in and of itself, much more difficult than I remember as a kid) and try to make cookies with the cutout shapes that I have.  Again, issues... they stuck to the table and I couldn't pick them up in one piece.  And, yes, I floured the table before rolling out the dough.  Hmmm.....

So, I finally decided to just make "drop cookies" out of the dough and do as the directions say (gee, what a concept, eh?) and decide to use this peppermint grinder I found.  Looks yummy to put on sugar cookies.  Well, I got the grinder from the dollar store and let me tell you, you get what you pay for!  What a pain in the... ahem... anyway... I pull out the first, small trial batch and they're ok.  Need to stay in a minute or two longer and needs sugar, not just the peppermint stuff.  Ok, that batch is for us. 

Next I try adding sugar and use the crumbled pieces from the jar, rather than trying to grind them... they're better, but not the best.

Next is a little more sugar... oops... accidentally over-sprinkled on a handfull of the cookies on that batch... then went back to grinding peppermint.  Took forever, but was worth it, they came out ok... but the cookies didn't bake up and expand like they should have (or like I remember they should) so they ended up quite small... but I've got 50 cookies, so it's all good.




Pay no mind to the dirty counter, I hate tile counters, you can never get them clean.  Can't wait to redo them.



OMG such a mess!  The peppermint and sugar got everywhere!



~Oddyssey

Balance... or not...

ex·haust·ed   /igˈzôstid/   Adjective
1. Drained of one's physical or mental resources; very tired.
2. (of resources or reserves) Completely used up.

Honestly, I would love to know how so many other women do it.... they balance work, baby(s), household chores, church callings, husband, and sometimes more... and do it gracefully, without complaint and generally are able to get it all done.  I really could use some time management training!  But then again, I really don't think there are enough hours in the day anyway.  LOL

Any suggestions out there?  What little tips do you have that really make a big difference in your balancing act?

Le Poéme

Enchanted

Adrift a swirl of clouds

Torn by thorns

Reformed by the wind

The subtle whistle

Of the strong breeze

Whips around thistle and quill

Bending not breaking

Cattails and lilies

Pasture and paddock

The smell of spring

Skipping to autumn

Carries over the tips of trees

And sprinkles down

Fresh rain below

The green into brown

Small creatures fade fast

Beneath the snow

Crystal castles

Freeze the tongue

With frozen drops

Of liquid fun

Long awaited colors

Burst free of the tundra

Once again bright and fragrant

Touched by the warmth

Of a summer’s day kiss

The brief moment takes flight

On butterfly wings

Giving birth to a babe

After an exchange of rings

Eternally yours

And you are mine

Our love will endure

As our faith ‘til the end

This poem was inspired by the word Enchanted from
Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

This poem kind of just wrote itself.  I started out with one idea, but it took it's own form and I think it turned out pretty good, considering I haven't written any poetry for years!  I usually never rhyme in my poems and I started out that way in this one, but some lines just came out rhyming for some reason, then fell back to my non-rhyming style.  (forgive me for not knowing the proper terminology... that English class was a lifetime ago.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

~Oddyssey

Blah...

Well, Crap!

I've been trying to get to my blog all day and now I've just missed posting on the last day of the month.  Nuts!  The days go by so quickly and there aren't ever enough hours in the day to do what I want and need to do. 

So, time for bed so I can wake up and try to accomplish something tomorrow.  Have a good night, everyone!

~Oddyssey

Mindblowing Monday...

ZOMG!  Too much information... brain.... leaking...... can't........ go.......... on................

Ok, so maybe I can go on... but I feel overwhelmed and drained.  But the show must go on... and so does life... and well, so does my posting and writing and laundry and dishes and...... well, anyways, the NaBloPoMo site has provided me with:

Today's Writing Prompt

Monday, November 29, 2010
If you could have worked for anyone in history, in your field, who would you choose and why?

Well, do I have a field?  I've worked in a few different fields, tourism, banking, real estate title insurance, but at the moment, I'm a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM) and a currently unpublished writer, so what field do I choose?  Well, banking is ok, but a bit boring.  Real estate title insurance is interesting from a research point of view, but not for this question.  Hmmmm, any famous and interesting mom's from history?  There are plenty of writers in history who would be very interesting.  I also fancy myself a bit of an artist and photographer as well and I would say the writing, art and photography are my "dream jobs."  Let's see.... let me do some research....

Eleanor of Aquitaine is an interesting "historical mom" figure.  From a writer's point of view, to be the writer of her personal memoir, sort of a personal historian, would have been interesting, to follow her from country to country and see all of the behind-the-scenes of the different monarchies... that would have been... do I say the word "fun"?  Maybe. 

Walt Disney would probably be one of my top choices as an artist and a kid at heart.  I'm a huge Disney fan and would have loved to have been working for him back in the day.  To have learned animation from Walt Disney himself would have been such a privilege.

And then there are numerous writers to choose from.  Mark Twain and Homer are the first two who come to mind.  To be able to see their creative muse in action would be very inspirational to me.

So, anyway, That's who I think would be interesting to have worked for.  Thanks for stopping by to visit.

~Oddyssey

 

 

 

Stuffed full of Leftovers...

Well, Thanksgiving got quite hectic around our house this year.  I hope you all had a wonderful and safe holiday.  We're all amazingly stuffed and we just finished off the last of the leftovers this evening.  Dinner went well, everything turned out delicious!  The stuffing wasn't quite up to my mom's, but it was still good.  The pumkin pie turned out perfect (now that is one thing I got just like mom's!) so perfect, in fact, that I made two more this afternoon. 

I'm terribly behind on the novel... I haven't written anything in days because of all the chaos.  I'm a bit upset that I won't have the 50,000 words done by the end of the month, but I'm happy that I've gotten so much done... more than I've ever had done on a story before... so I'm still excited about finishing it.  I'm also looking forward to next year and plan to try again for NaNoWriMo 2011!  I'm also interested in the Script Frenzy coming in April.

So, in the meantime, I'm working on my 1000 other hobbies that I have.  LOL  Along with the baby, Cub Scouts, the house, laundry, etc.  But I'm always up for a new challenge... I've got December through March to fill up with something until the Script Frenzy.  If you know of anything, let me know. 

Thanks for stopping by.

~Oddyssey

Happy Thanksgiving To All!!!!

Note:  This is not my work, I found it here.

Writer's Workshop: Thanksgiving

From Mama Kat's Writing Prompts...

Describe a memorable Thanksgiving

Well, I don’t have a particular Thanksgiving that is memorable.  It’s more of an activity that always took place every year after the holiday.  Thanksgiving was never really a fun time because, although it would start out nice.  My dad would end up saying something stupid and rude about mom’s cooking (which was unfounded since she was a fantastic cook!)  And I would end up sitting alone at the table with all the food in front of me.  I always felt bad for my mom, because she put so much time, effort and love into the meal, only to have dad say something about what was “wrong” with it rather than all the delicious stuff that was made for us. 

I love the holiday of:  “The Day After Thanksgiving”  That is what has always been most memorable to me.  You see, my father and I never really got along when I was younger.  I had always wished we had, but we didn’t for reasons I’d rather not post (but you get the idea.)  But on “The Day After Thanksgiving” he and I would bring out the turkey (what was left) and he and I would sit on opposite sides and eat left-over turkey right off the bone, right there in the kitchen and we would talk.  Just talk… about anything and everything.  We didn’t argue or scream at each other.  We didn’t say or do anything nasty.  We just talked and enjoyed those few special moments that we could share each year.  My mother and I were very close, she was my best friend, in fact and although there were special times with her, I always searched for a few special ones with my father as well as they were few and far between. 

I cherish all of my memories of my parents, both good and bad, because they are both gone now and they are the only ones I have, I will never be able to make more memories with them on this earth. 

So, my idea of a “Memorable Thanksgiving” is a little different than some. 

~Oddyssey

Wednesday Woe...

Well, I've certainly messed up my "posting everyday" goal.  The last couple days have been nuts.  At times when I find myself totally overwhelmed, I'm reminded of the poem about the days of the week, but can only remember "Wednesday's child is full of woe" because that's the day of the week I was born on.  So I looked it up and found it here.

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child born on the Sabbath Day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

I was glad to see a better meaning for Wednesday's child.

Wednesday - the fourth day of the week, Woden (Odin), chief god of Norse mythology, who was often called the All Father. "Wednesday's child is full of woe." Odin's responsibilities were such that he was never attributed with any cheerful disposition.

"Woe" as used in the English language today is an expression of grief, regret, distress, etc. (Every dictionary, take your pick, uses those words to describe the word "woe".) In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was more an expression of deep concern, and heavy responsibilities, and it has been suggested that "woebegone" might be more accurate; but "woebegone" wouldn't rhyme, instead we get "Wednesday's child is full of woe"

The whole research into this poem that the person does is amazing and very interesting. 

Anywhooo... I have a project that I'm going to work on today that I think you might like.  I just need to get the stuff and then I'll post (with pics) my project.  Hopefully it will be successful. 

I also have some more "Story Starters" to put into the Idea Depository, so be sure to check them out as well.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

~Oddyssey

Systematizing Saturday...

Systematize?  What the...?  Well, I've been catching up today... working on all the emails and projects and stuff that has accumulated over the past... well, quite a long time... and I've come across some really cute ideas.  I'd like to share them with you.  I will be posting later, to share my attempts.

With Christmas coming up, I was looking for crafts to suggest for my Cub Scouts to work on and I found these at DisneyFamily.com under the Video section.  I love the Winter Wonderland Ornament.  My Mom used to make these when I was little.  She had different clear plastic containers that were in the shape of a gelcap, but about the size of these cups shown in this video.  She used the same little figurines, though.  I'll have to post a picture when I dig out the Christmas decorations this year.

Later.....................

Well, I'd started this blog for Saturday in the morning, believe it or not, and ended up getting majorly distracted with numerous tasks... laundry, kitchen, etc.  I just now, at 5:55am on Sunday, realized that I never finished my Saturday post! 

Ironically, I'm watching one of my recorded Nate Berkus Shows about organizing.  There are five different "Clutter Personalities" and it looks like I fall under THREE of the personalities.

1. Easily Distracted (I'd say this is my most dominate "Clutterer" trait)
2. Sentimental Saver (Definitely ME)
3. Bagain Shopper (nah... I get tempted, but this isn't an issue for me except for groceries BOGO deals)
4. Procrastinator (Oh yeah!  I'd much rather be doing... something, anything, else!)
5. Perfectionist (Not with my organizing LOL)

So, I'm not sure what you do with three different Clutter Personalities, but it looks like they have a good game plan for getting organized, or, in my case, at least getting started.

So, I've made my corn casserole for church and I'm now ready to finish up my Saturday blog post.  It's now the wee hours of the morning, the news isn't even on yet (I've got an hour before the early morning news comes on) and I'm tired, but think I'd end up sleeping in if I go to bed now.

Besides, I keep getting distracted and I've ordered a really cool tote on Rachel Roy. I'd never heard of her until she was on The Nate Berkus Show, but I love totes/purses/bags and since this is for such a good cause through UNICEF, I just had to buy one.  It's only $20. 

So, there's my Saturday.  Enjoy your Sunday!  It's time for me to get ready for church.

~Oddyssey

Frustrating Friday...

Well, I missed posting on Friday, BUT I made a new page... the IDEA DEPOSITORY page!  So, I hope that counts toward my NaBloPoMo goal. 

Now I need to do something creative for Saturday.  This blog is not becoming as creative as I had planned... so I need to get on the ball and start creating!

Thoughtful Thursday...

Here we go with Mama Kat's Writing Prompts... the one I've chosen is:

Why are you burned out?

Burned out.  Am I burned out?  Definitely.  Why?  Hmmm... Well, maybe it's not "burned out" per se, but bored.  Or a mixture of both?  I'm really not sure, but I know that I'm losing interest in what I've been doing lately.  I'm angry with myself for screwing up my education and being unable to finish due to fianacial reasons.  I feel as if I've screwed myself out of my dreams.  But then again, I've got other dreams that I can focus on... so why do I feelt this way?  Because I've failed.  Or, at least, I'm failing... and before I completely bomb on yet another dream, maybe I should just quit and change direction.  But I don't want to quit either. 

It's all my own fault.  I spread myself too thin with too many projects, I can't focus, I get distracted, I lose track of time and then run out of time, then stress over not having enough time to finish what I want/need to do.  Then I'm frustrated and do something else to take my mind off of the stress so that I can relax, but that just delays me even more, but at that point, I don't really care.  Then the guilt of temporarily giving up hits and I stress some more.  A vicious cycle ensues and then I feel overwhelmed and ta-da!  Instant Burn-Out.

So, why am I burned out?  ppphhhttttt... who wouldn't be after all that mental anguish that I put myself through?!  I'm really too hard on myself.  We are our own worst critics.  So, here I am, burned out, depressed, unsure of my talents, wishing I had worked harder, blah blah blah.

A burned out mess.

I actually feel a little better getting all of that out.  I kind of worked it all out as I was typing.  I know I'm burned out, but didn't really understand why.  Guess I had more on my mind than I thought.  (pun intended)

Thanks for reading.

~Oddyssey

Wacky Wednesday... or is it Weird Wednesday?

So, have you ever seen someone who looks just like someone you know?  I've had that happen quite a few times in the past few days and it's happened a couple times just today.  Very strange.  The really weird part is that our eyes always meet and they always look like they recognize me too, but I know it's not the person I thnk it is. 

Idea Depository

Here are some one liners for you to use for stories.  Sometimes it only takes a sentence or two to give a writer a brilliant idea for a story.  I'm going to try to give a handful of these lines for anyone to feel free to use.  I'd love to hear any comments about how they may have helped you and/or if you have any to submit for others to use.

One Liners:

You find yourself in a dream

While time drips by in this infernal place

The leech-healer bleeds his patients

while a child is born.

A woman screams , “Ça y est!  Ça y est!”

You are sitting in a restaurant in Barcelona

with three spies dressed as nuns.

One hears the sound of running water;

while a widow is poisoning the tea.

Enjoy!

Tricky Tuesday

So, I haven't gone to bed yet, so to me, it's still Tuesday.  So, here's my daily post and by my book, I didn't miss Tuesday.  :P

Titled "All Burned Out - Cats - Framed Art Canvas"
by Charles Wysocki

I found this adorable cat print in celebration of me being "Burned OUT!"
I was searching on GoodSearch (It's a Yahoo search engine... they donate a penny each time you use the search.) and found it that way.  GoodSearch is a good way of donating to your favorite charity when you're broke. 

Anyway, I'm burned out on writing... even though I really want to finish... I just can't seem to put anything down. 

I'm also working on a new badge for my blog.  So that will be changing soon. 

And is it me or do the days seem to be flying by?  I swear, I do a couple things around the house and the next thing you know, it's 2am and I'm exhausted and haven't written a thing and need to go to bed.  BAH!

So, g'night all.

~Oddyssey

Mindless Monday...

Elemental Invasion: Final Phase!

So, I decided to take a break today.  I just needed to relax and not worry about… stuff, ya know?  So I played World of Warcraft while the baby slept instead of working on my novel or anything else. 

I mean, I did things that were necessary, like taking care of the baby and playing with him, going over our 16 yr old’s homework, I paid a bill, etc. but all the things that have been overwhelming me lately, I just let go of. 

I took a day off… ish. 

So, I’m calling this “Mindless Monday” since I didn’t have to concentrate too hard on anything today.

~Oddyssey

30 days of....

November seems to be a month of challenges.  I don't mean that I, personally, have had trials in my life this month... well, I have, but that's not what I'm bloging about just now.  What I mean is this month seems to have presented itself with many different challenges for me to decide upon taking on.  There's the National Novel Writing Month giving a challenge of writing 50,000 words between November 1st to midnight of the 30th, there is the National Blog Posting Month where you dedicate yourself to posting at least once a day every day for the month of November (of which I have already failed, but I'm still dedicated in finishing out the month without missing another day.)  At church today, we started a challenge, although it continues through part of February.  Now, as I was surfing the web (not my intention, but I got distracted... again!) I came across the 30 Day Giving Challenge to give of yourself in some form or manner every day for the month of November.

Now I'm in a quandry... I have quite a few challenges that I'm dedicated to (and are already falling quite short on, I might add) can I really take on another?  Can I not take on one so noble?  The month is already half over, do I join and try to finish out the rest of the month?  Plus I have Cub Scouts that I need to prepare for as well as all the other standard household stuff that needs taken care of. 

The site for the Giving Challenge has a quote on it:
"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something."  ~Author Unknown
And I think that is my answer.  There was a boy in church today, wandering the halls when he should have been in class.  I asked him where he was supposed to be and he said he'd slept in and had just arrived.  He was supposed to be in a sunday school class and we both knew that, but he had the excuse that there was only twelve minutes left, so why bother?  I had left my class and was in the hallway trying to feed my crying baby, but after feeding, I returned to my class and learned something in the last few minutes. 

So, with that said, should I start a challenge, a noble challenge that could (and more than likely will) benefit others, when it's half-way over?  The answer, is of course, YES!

So, with a very hesitant heart, I will now go and sign up and enjoy my month of giving.  Everything really does happen for a reason and God's plan is very intricate, but very simple and loving.

Torn...

So, I'm excited and disappointed at the same time.  I just wrote 894 words on my novel in less than an hour!  I'm so excited about that, I was on a roll!  BUT that only puts me at 5086 words total.  At this point, I should be at 23,334 words.  I'm so bummed.  I didn't even get a chance to write at all yesterday either, so that put me back as well.

Today's Stats

894 Words Written Today

5086 Cumulative Word Count Total

14 Current Day

16 Days Remaining  (so that means I'm almost 1/2 way to the end of the month!)

23334 Suggested Cumulative Word Count

364 Average Words per Day

At This Rate You Will Finish On Mar 18

18248 Words to Write Until 23334  (so I'd have to write 18,248 words today in order to catch up!)

44914 Total Words Remaining

Words per Day to Finish on Time 2808 (This is so daunting.  This keeps going up and up the more I fall behind.  I really need a big boost of creative energy to get this down.)

 

What I need is "Time" and I can't get that back.  So, I'm stuck with a goal of almost 3000 words per day in order to finish my novel's rough draft by the end of the month.  And with a two and a half old baby, I just really don't see that happening.  BAH!

Ah well... guess it's nose to the grindstone time!

meh.

~Oddyssey

Runs With Scissors...

I've always been a bit of a rebel... in my own, small, inconspicuous way.  I would usually do things to myself, my own health, just to spite everyone around me.  Dumb, huh?  The only one it ever hurt was me, no one else ever cared or knew about it in order to care.  I did things because I knew I shouldn't.  I used to drink, smoke, overeat, etc.  I don't drink or smoke anymore... I do occasionally overeat, but not to hurt myself, I do it because the food is good and I want to finish it all. 

Now I seem to rebel when I'm at the grocery store.  I should not be allowed to shop alone!!  My husband needs to figure that one out!  LOL  When he and I go together, he keeps me reined in.  Sometimes he'll let one or two items slip in, but there's a limit.  And it's a good limit because then we don't overspend and we get what we need.  However, when I'm alone at the store, I see cute things for the baby, or something I've been wanting, or something that we kind of need... we could really use it... and I've been meaning to get it, but we just haven't had the money.  Well... give me free reign and Look Out!  I just spent a hundred bucks at Wally World!  And don't even have that much to show for it.  Yes, I got things we need, but I got things we don't need too.  (And it's always $100 at Wally World, why?!  No matter what you get at Wally World, it's always $100!  I think it's a conspiracy! I also think you should just be able to hand them a $100 bill at the door on the way in and be allowed to grab everything you want, because no matter what you buy, it'll still cost you $100 bucks at the door on the way out!) Now I'm dreading my hubby waking up and seeing the stuff I bought.  I could hide some of it, but that just delays the inevitable, "When did we get this?" scenario.  Ah well...

Anyway... I'm trying to think up a funny rebel name like Runs With Scissors... so, maybe, Spends Too Much, or Runs With Credit Card, or Shops With A Fist?  Ha ha, I like that last one.  What do you think?  Can anyone come up with a good name for a Shopaholic?

~Oddyssey

P.S. I didn't write yesterday because the baby got too fussy in the middle of my blogging and I never got back to it, then my other son's girlfriend came over and then I had to cook dinner... blah blah blah...  Sorry about that.  My goal has been to post something every day.  Aargh!

Speaking of "Aargh" Have you seen the Google page for today?

Writer's Workshop: Depression

Writer’s Workshop

So, this week's prompt that I've chosen is:

5.) Sarah Silverman once gave an interview where she described her childhood depression as feeling homesick while at home. How would you describe it?

I have suffered from depression on and off my whole life, especially when I was a kid.  I clearly remember saying to myself, "I just want to go home!" and then I'd stop in mid-thought, thinking, why am I thinking this??  I AM at home.  I'm in my bedroom right now.  Why am I feeling this way?!

How can you want to go home when you are home?  That's such a strange thing to want.  But, when you're so unhappy, you just want to be away from wherever you are and be somewhere... better.

I think that feeling, that desire to "go home" while being at home continued on into my twenties when I was going through some really rough times.  I wasn't living a very good life and again found myself saying those words, "I just want to go home!"

Now, after many years of soul-searching, I've found that there is another "home" that I was probably subconsciously wanting to go to... Home with our Heavenly Father.  That is our true "home" and where we all need to be eventually. 

I know that may offend some people and may irritate others that I've put that into my blog and my answer for the writing exercise, but it's how I feel and what I've come to discover.  Maybe someone else out there is depressed and sitting in their house thinking that they "want to go home" too.  Maybe they'll read this and can realize why they're feeling that way.  Maybe not.  Either way, I feel comforted in the thought that there is a better home that I will someday go to.  One where my family and I will eventually be together and one where I will finally be back with my Heavenly Father once and for all. 

~Oddyssey

Zoe's beginning...

Well, over the past 24 hours, I've written 1117 words in my novel!  I consider that a personal triumph.  That's more than I've ever done before.  My total is now up to 2856 words.  I'm still way behind the actual goal, but I'm slowly catching up.

I seem to do my best writing in the wee hours of the morning... hmmmm.... guess I should take more naps during the day so that I can stay up in the middle of the night.  I feel like I've been on a roll and I'm quite excited about it, but I'm totally exhausted now and really need to lie down for a few hours.  Hopefully I can have a nice productive day tomorrow.... er... later today, actually.... *yawn*

Here's an exerpt for anyone who's interested...

Zoe rode the bus home thinking Why so long?  Why does the bus ride have to be so long?  An hour?!  I swear, I’m going to waste half my life on the stupid bus!  She leaned her head against the window, closed her eyes and focused on the vibrations of the bus in an attempt to drown out the noise of the other kids on the bus.  Soon the vibration became almost as if it were a part of her and the world around her disappeared as she dozed off into a dream.

She was hungry… doubled up with pain from the hunger… she could hear someone moaning… they were close… she could hear their breaths in between the moaning… they were so close…

Hope that wets your appetite.  Good night, everyone.

~Oddyssey

Distractions are a plenty!

OMG I've got so much to do and so much to write and not enough time to do all of it... and what happens?  I end up totally distracted and way off course with hours wasted!  I got on the computer with full intent to start on my novel, but wanted to "check in" with email, Facebook and my blog to see if there were any comments to moderate (there was one, so not a total waste) and end up completely distracted!  It's now almost 10:30am and I haven't even gotten to my email or Facebook!  Honestly, all I really want is a nap.  My hubby is napping on the couch beside me, the baby's dozing on and off in the swing and I'm running on three hours of sleep.

Not that I'm truly complaining... I enjoyed my morning and found some really awesome sites and ideas for future crafts and activities, but if I don't get myself more disciplined and control my surfing, I'll never finish my novel and won't ever get time for those cool ideas I found... or anything else!

So, here I am, chastising myself for being so distracted and yet, I'm posting on my blog, still not working on the novel... and as you can see from the stats I posted earlier in the wee hours of the morning, I don't have any time at all to waste!

So, off I go....

Stats...

Well, I got back into the writing for November, but my stats aren't too spiffy.

So, it's not looking good at the moment and I'm pooped and need to go to bed.  Hopefully tomorrow will turn out better for writing.

Meet Me on Monday...

MamaKat posted her Monday post with questions for us to answer.  My answers will be in purple...

Meet Me on Monday!!

Welcome to the 21st edition of 

"Meet Me On Monday!"

Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?"  I know them...but yet I don't know them!  I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!

Every Sunday I will post five get to know you questions that you can copy and paste into your own Monday post and we can all learn a little more about each and every one of us!!

"Its a great way to to meet new friends and for others to get to know me better....one Monday at a time!!!"....as quoted by the Chacogirl!! I will make this SIMPLE and FUN!!!

I will add a linky so we can follow who participates and get to know them better!!  Be sure to link the POST and not just your whole blog!

Questions:

1.  What is your favorite kind of pie?

Strawberry Rhubarb
2.  Have you ever ran out of gas in the car you were driving?

Nope, although I've come close.  My mother always filled up when the tank got to the half-way mark and I did that religiously for years.  I'm not exactly sure when I stopped doing that, but now, I remember to fill up when the light "dings" on. 
3.  How many languages do you speak?

One, but I'd started learning Spanish and ASL... I've forgotten more than I remember.  The old saying is true, "If you don't use it, you lose it!"
4.  Do you take daily vitamins?

When I remember.  *wink*
5.  What is your worst eating habit?

Eating junk when I'm upset... particularly Reese's or cake! 

Falling behind...

Well, I've fallen very behind in my writing.  It was a busy weekend and I didn't get to write like I wanted to, but I'm still determined to try to catch up... Like the saying goes... shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me, say a little prayer and I'll keep you posted. 

If I type 2136 words each day from today until November 30th, I'll stay on track.... well.... that's not... too.... bad.... hmmmmm I'd better get to writing!

One year ago today....

It's our anniversary... We've been married for one year today!  Happy Anniversary, Honey, I love you!

How I Write...

Well, I made it to 866 words last night... er.... this morning.... before I crashed and went to bed at about 4am.  Thankfully the baby stayed asleep and I didn't wake him when I came to bed.  Almost.  But luck was with me... this time.

But I was on a roll with writing and was excited about it for the first time in I don't know how long!  I couldn't stop just because of needing sleep.  Besides, with a two month old, I'm getting used to not getting much sleep.  LOL

So, I've decided to go with my old way of writing.  If you read all the books on 'how to write a book', you get the advise to have a plan, to have an outline, to be organized.  Well, that's not me!  I used to write a lot and would write some really good short stories in school.  But how did I do that so many years ago?  Well, I finally remembered and since the "expert's" advise wasn't working, I figured I'd go back to MY way of doing things.

I let the story write itself.

Let me explain.  I start with a character.  I have a rough idea of his/her background in my head, but it's subject to change a bit as the story develops.  Then I picture that character in my head... what is he/she doing?  Where did my mind first randomly picture the character?  Usually when you think of someone, you pcture them and their surroundings, correct?  Well, I do the same with the character.  Then I start writing and I just let my imagination go.  I basically just "watch" the character and write down what happens.  As the story develops some, then I begin to "see" where the story is going and then write toward that goal.  Sometimes it doesn't work out that way and takes a turn I'm not expecting.  Then I have a decision to make;  fix the dynamics/physics/etc. of what isn't meshing well, or go with it.  I've found that it's easier to just go with it and let it play out in my mind than to try to fix it.  Usually if I try to "fix" it, then the writing usually feels strained and doesn't flow as well.  When I go with it, then it flows better and the plot finds it's own path.  I hope that makes sense.  And if anyone is struggling with writer's block, I hope maybe that can help.

50,000?!?! Are you kidding me?!

Well, I took the leap... huge leap... head first.... and I signed up for National Novel Writing Month for the month of November, those who sign up are dedicating themselves to writing 50,000 words (or more) by midnight of November 30th, 2010.  I didn't come across this site and the challenge until late last night, which puts me behind.  Waaayyy behind.  How far behind?  Well lets do the math.... 50,000 ÷ 30 days = 1666.66.... but 50,000 ÷ 25 days = 2000.... And if you include today, which was my first day on the task and is already O.V.E.R... that's 25 days to write, so I need to write 2000 words a day.  UGH!  And so far I'm at 384, not including this blog entry, since it's not part of my novel, I'm not adding it into the total.  Not the best of starts... which means that in order to catch up, I would need to write 3616 words on Saturday!!!!!!

I suppose I should be writing more on the novel, but I wanted to post on my blog while I was thinking about the horrendous step I've taken.  LOL

Ah well... here goes nothing.......

Writing Exercise....

I came across a blog with a workshop for writers.  I've had some real writer's block lately, so I've decided to participate.

Mama Kat gave us a list of "prompts" to choose from and I chose the following:

3.) If you had made a career out of whatever you were passionate about when you were ten…what would you be doing?

I would have become an architect.  I loved drawing my “dream home” in many different ways… including the landscaping.  My mother was actually surprised that I didn’t go into that line of work because I’d been drawing those dream houses for years!  I believe that with that career, I would have gone on to work on the DIY channel with one of the renovation shows like Bath Crashers, Desperate Landscapes, or Yard Crashers.  I’ve always loved working with my hands, I’ve enjoyed working with wood, with tools and I’ve always thought it would be cool to build my own home.  I’ve done some construction and electrical work, so I’m fairly confident with those jobs.  I’ve also done a little plumbing as well, although I’d need some help on most of that end. 

I see myself working on one of the shows, I probably would have worked on Trading Spaces when it was on, moving onto one of the landscaping shows in order to learn more on that end of renovating.  I’ve always been a person who needs to learn all aspects of a job, all positions, in order to do my particular job better.  I usually end up being an employee who can fill just about any position in the workplace. 

After a while, if I would have pursued that original path, I would eventually work on getting a contractor’s license and end up having my own DIY show. 

Of course, you should always have a back-up in case the first career doesn’t pan out for one reason or another, so just in case my Architect/Renovation/Construction/Landscaping/TV host career didn’t pan out, I’d planned on becoming an astronaut.  Of course, my mother, the worry-wart that she was, said, “Absolutely NOT!” to that dream.  She was always afraid of me getting hurt… (and the possibility of me sawing my fingers off wasn’t worrisome?  Dad had me using a Skill saw at the age of four, fer cryin’ out loud!)

Oh, and then there’s wanting to become a writer, artist and photographer… I can’t forget those choices!  I’ve always been one to have too many interests and hobbies.  Honestly, I don’t have time for all the interests that I have.  I’ve added some as I’ve gotten older and taken a few off the list.  (Astronaut unfortunately had to come off, can’t stomach the heights anymore!  LOL)  But I still have the child-like wonder at learning new and wondrous things as I go through this journey we call Life.

I hope you enjoyed my little essay about myself.  As I said, I haven't been able to write for a while, so this was just an exercise to get me back on track.  Feel free to give constructive criticism.