Recently...

#1: I watched every episode of the BBC series Bleak House on Netflix. I know I should have been writing instead. But it was usually when I was putting the wee babe to sleep or while I tried to make some headway in cleaning my Craft Room Pit of Doom or when I should have been sleeping.

Dear Charles Dickens,

Bravo, my good fellow! That was one crazy amazing story full of fascinating characters, unexpected plot twists and as for how you intertwined the character's lives? I am in awe. And all that sorrow and depression! You really had it out for the justice system, eh? Pretty great way to get your point across.

Now I'd actually like to read the book. Sorry I watched the film version first.

Sincerely,
A lazy fan

#2: I read a stellar article on Writers Unboxed by author Julianna Baggot entitled The Trick is to Breathe. She shared this Houdini quote...

"There is no invention to it, there is no trick, there is no fake; you simply 

lie down in a coffin and breathe quietly."

Alright, now that is just an awesome quote. But she also goes on to show what this has to do with writing. And what a writer she is! Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Did I say it enough times? No? Okay...I think she's absolutely brilliant. I loved her book, The Anybodies (which she published under the pen name N.O. Bode) and her latest book, Pure, sounds amazing, too.

#3: I've been thinking and reading a lot about magic. Ethereal planes, etheric magic, different planes of existence, ritual magic, the principle of contagion magic....yep. Weird and wonderful thoughts. And all in an effort to make my magic system realistic. And not because I think I'm a witch (although I can be pretty witchy sometimes....)

#4: I made these Texas Roadhouse copycat rolls. In the recipe she suggests you spray two long spoons with cooking spray because the dough is really sticky.  This is what I tried to do. And then I noticed the strong smell of lemons in the air and saw that my son had left the spray can of furniture polish on the kitchen island.

And look! I'm not the only one! This lady almost
killed her family making pancakes! 

Out of the corner of my eye  I thought it was the cooking spray (hey! I was in a hurry...and they look really similar!) and once I realized what I'd done and since I didn't want to possibly poison my family, I had to throw it all out. What a waste of carbs! However, I whipped up another batch. They didn't have as much time to rise. So, they were just okay. I'll have to give the recipe another shot. I will also make sure there are no cleaning products nearby when I do.

#5: I heard about this book Unwind by Neal Shusterman. My oldest son came home from school and told me about it. He'd wanted to check it out from his teacher's library, but another kid beat him to it. So, I looked it up and....ack! I have got to get my hands on a copy. The premise is chilling. Anyone read it?

Could We Find a Way to Make Doing Laundry Fun?

I stumbled across this video yesterday...

...and it got me thinking. Are there other things we could make fun by incorporating music? Like taking out the trash? Maybe a garbage can that sings a song when you open it? Like a music box? What song would a musical trash can play? Maybe this one?

Sorry. I couldn't resist. But hmmmmm, maybe not. Who wants to stand outside whiffing trash fumes just to catch a tune. Even if it's sung by Oscar the Grouch. 

How 'bout we spice up cleaning out the fridge. Because the green fungus growing in the back is not a reward in and of itself. Or, I know, cleaning toilets? Scrubbing floors? Every tile plays a note?

Well, it just goes to show that not every idea can be translated to other areas.  But it's a shame. I really would've liked musical dish rags. They could play a song while you scrub and you'd control how fast or slow the music goes by how fast you work.....

Any takers? Go on! Take my brilliant idea and make your millions. ;)

What chore would you make more fun if you could?

This Week

#1: I wiped  my baby's snotty nose. A lot. And told others to wipe their snotty noses. A lot.

#2: I wrote. But not nearly as much as I'd have liked.

#3: I procrastinated writing. Why? Because I was being lazy. And the scenes were kind of hard. And I wanted to write the next scene which was more fun. But I wouldn't let myself because I need to make the other scenes fun.

And you know what? This wasn't fun.

#4: I pitched 6 craft ideas to Family Fun. I started a new project I hope to pitch next week. And I got two new ideas to make to pitch. (Do you think they might start blocking my emails?)

#5: I fell in love with this band.

I can't get this song out of my head. 

#6: I planned a date for my handsome cowboy and I. We went to The Market Grill (one of our favorite spots) and played Blink. Ryan won every hand. Snap. I kept trying so hard to win. I put my cards down super fast! And he'd place his cards down calmly and slowly. And he'd still WIN!

Where's the justice?

There WILL BE a rematch.

#7: I read to my kids. A lot. I'm reading Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat to Weston and Emmett at bedtime. I started reading The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales to Sam and Zoe. Also (still!) reading Ella Enchanted to the family. We're hoping to finish it this weekend. I have a fun Ella Enchanted dinner planned! Oooooh, it's going to be so good.

#8: I'm reading School of Fear (to myself) and I'm really liking it. I'm wondering if what I think is going to happen will actually happen. It's a very interesting and fun read.

#9: I cleaned off the counters in my kitchen. But they've disappeared again.

#10: I thought about writing a story for the Highlights Fiction Contest. But I probably won't.  I don't have enough brain space left to think of a good one. I don't even have enough brain space left to remember to put clothes in the dryer.

If you can't be a dork with your friend...

  

....then what's the point?

My cute friend, Sundi and I went out to lunch at The Little Brick House last week. Cedar people, have you been there? It is so good. Seriously. So. Good.

I had their Super Club Sandwich (ok. that's not it...Extreme Club?....something like that). It was yummy (extremely.) Avacado, bacon, cheese, turkey, tomatoes....on foccacia bread....yeah, so good.

Well, if it was just the food. That would still be awesome. But there's more! Crafts! Yes. Antiques! Yes. Lovely eye candy! Yes. Being a dork with your friend? Yes!

We ordered our food and wandered through the rooms of beautiful odds and ends, while chasing around after our four little monkeys. We chatted and ate and tried to keep kids in our booth. Then we wandered some more. I even found a Christmas gift for Zoe. It was something I could have made but it was cheaper to buy it! Not to mention a lot easier...

And then it was time for pictures. Oh, yes. Pictures.

Sundi said, "We could take one over by this wall." Alrighty, let's try it.....

I think this is what we call a Ruddy Complexion.
It is not attractive. Maybe we shouldn't try
the vintage setting.

Um. Okay. We had some trouble getting a good shot. So, why not take some bad pictures on purpose?

Yep. Bad shots are easier to take.

And then, of course, we got the giggles.

But we managed to get a few good ones. I'm going to make you wait for them though. (Or, fine, you can just scroll down.)

And speaking of *good ones. I am so grateful for this awesome friend.

I'm not always very good at keeping friends. And it's not that I hog all the barbies and then they won't come over and play anymore.

No, I just get busy in my world. Busy with kids and writing and all the day to day stuff. I'm not very good at remembering to hang out with girlfriends or to call them up and say, "What's up?" and I tend to only see friends when I "have" to....because of school things or callings in church or parties, etc.

Sundi and I started hanging out .....hmmmm....almost 6 years ago, I think? She taught Sam's nursery class. Sam didn't want to be in there by himself at first so I stayed with him.  

I remember noticing Sundi's little girl, Addie, that first day. She had on a very cute dress**. And then I learned Sundi made it. Oh yay! A kindred crafty spirit! 

Pretty soon we were chatting more and swapping crafty ideas and patterns***. Our wee ones started playing together. And I thought I'd invite her to Witch's Night out.

When I lived in Fillmore I had a group of girlfriends that would don outlandish witch costumes and trek up to Gardner Village every October for a big party. But that year only one friend, sweet Heidi was going. And I thought I'd see if Sundi wanted to come along with us. And she did! We had loads of fun shopping and eating and walking around in witch costumes. 

And, Sundi, wasn't that the year that guy stalked us in D.I. and then told us he was an undercover cop trying to catch shoplifters? Yeah, I think he was just trying to pick up Sundi. Good times. 

(Wait. I think that was the next year? Now I can't remember.)

Anyways, that was just the start (of a beautiful friendship....cue the orchestra). Our kids have grown up a bit, playing together and being friends, Sundi moved into a new house and, sadly, out of our neighborhood, her and Mike added a fun and oh so cute boy to their family and my handsome cowboy and I figured out how to make girls. And through it all, we've managed to stay in touch.

She's definitely one of those friends I can go weeks without out seeing (but would rather not!) and we can get together and chat like no time has passed (except we have to fill each other in on all the crafty pursuits we've made).  I love her and her family and hope she's a friend I "keep" for....forever! 

So, here's to...awesome friends, crafty friends and friends you can be dorks with...

*Sappy Train straight ahead. You've been warned. 


**This was my first introduction to Simplicity 5695. That was a great day. 


***Sundi let me borrow Simplicity 5695. It was love at first stitch. Of course, I had to buy my own copy. 

Good Times

Sam lost three teeth in three days...

This kid is brave. His dad pulled out the first. But he pulled out the last two. That one in his hand he yanked out while in class. He had a pretty good racket going there with the tooth fairy. 

But because his money begs to be spent, Sam already blew it all on a air-action bubble clam thing for his fish tank. But he couldn't afford the pumps and extension hose. His dad bought them and hid them away until Sam can afford them. So, sadly, it's just a big pink and yellow clam in his fish tank. No bubbles. No air action. 

Molly isn't a big fan of shopping trips to Wal-mart...

Neither am I. Who wants to put me to sleep and push me around the store? 

Zoe felt the need to see how many cheesy tortilla pieces she could stuff in her mouth...

I was rather impressed. I should have counted how many she managed to shove in there. And she even chewed them all up and was able to swallow them. Yep. That's talent, people.

Random Bits & Pieces

#1: For those who wanted the t-shirt leggings tutorial....I'm still planning on doing it. I've been working on making some. I just need to finish them up and write about it.  Sorry!

#2: I received some exciting news last week (in case you didn't see me post about it on facebook)....I got an email from an editor at Family Fun. They want to buy one of my craft ideas and they're sending a contract! Awesome, right? I'm quite excited about that. And they pay really really good. So, if you're crafty you should look into submitting ideas to them. 

#3: I'm off to St. George today to shop and talk and laugh and eat lunch with my Mom who is the most amazing and best mom in the whole universe. I am Really Excited.

#4: I'm thinking of signing up for the Butch Cassidy 5k Fun Run near Zion National Park next month. I don't know. I want to. But I don't want to wake up super early to get over there in time to do it. I am Not a morning person.

#5: Saturday night, while watching a Dr. Who rerun and the beginning of a 70's show called The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, I ran 3 1/4 miles. Wow, right? I still can't believe I did that. And it felt so good! But it's on a treadmill. I need to try running outside and see how far I can go. That will be harder. blech.

 

I love Dr. Who. Love it. With the fire of a million flames. 

As for The Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Well, it wasn't AS enjoyable. But I did love that it was a very Serious show with Serious problems and the characters said things like, "It is just a stepping stone toward their goal of World Domination." ha! So great. 

#6: I'm thinking of doing some giveaways on my blog. Maybe some books? Or some crafty stuff? Hmmmm, I don't know. Stay tuned. 

#7: I want this skirt.... 

 

#8: My kids have been enjoying Robert Sabuda's site and his free printables to make your own pop-up cards. So cool, right? 

#9: We watched Rio the other night and loved it. Although I wish they hadn't put the chickadee and her beau in the scanty carnival outfit there at the end. BUT the show made me want to visit Rio someday. And I wonder if the Rio Tourist Industry helped fund the movie? If so, smart move.

#10: My cute friend, Sundi has been having loads of fun with spray paint. And she even posted a tutorial for spray painting shoes.  Ack! These shoes are the cutest things! (and check out that skirt and the t-shirt leggings, too!) That is one talented chickadee. 

#11: I just bought these patterns from ebay for My Friend dolls. Did anyone else play with those as a little girl? I loved mine! And still have them.  I'm thinking about giving one to Zoe for Christmas? Maybe her next birthday? And making loads of clothes. Now if I can just figure out where I misplaced all the extra time I'll need....

#12: I have a confession to make. I broke my Fabric Block. Yep. There was a rummage sale at the Presbyterian church. And I bought a whole slew of knit shirts for upcycling. *sigh* I'm so weak.

Have a Happy Monday! 

I'm off to shop 'til my wee girls drop!

I Love the Bathroom...

...at the Great Harvest bakery.

One doesn't usually find the writing on bathroom walls so inspiring, eh? 

I Hate Washing my Hair...plus who wants a $500 Target gift card?

This post brought to you by TRESemmé. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a confession.

I don't like washing my hair. And I only do it a few times a week. Yep. That's right. I'm usually walking around town with (no. don't say it)...... Dirty Hair! (eeek!)

Also, randomly, I signed up for a company called Social Spark. Basically, they pay you to blog about stuff.  Some stuff I think, "Um...no. I'm not going to blog about that. Because...er...that's weird."

But the other day something popped up that I was actually interested in.  Alright, let me slip on my commercial voice.  I'll be right back....

*Some obnoxious throat clearing*

Introducing TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

Ok. Wait. What? Seriously?


There's a DRY shampoo? I mean, really?

So, apparently there are even options here! FOUR different kinds...

*Strengthening Dry Shampoo: The formula, with B12 vitamins and keratin, helps strengthen hair and leaves it full of healthy body.

* Volumizing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with mineral clay and citrus, removes oil while injecting hair with salon-gorgeous volume.

*Smoothing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with Vitamin H & Silk Proteins, refreshes your straight style by removing excess oil, impurities and odor to ensure your smooth look lasts.

*Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo: The formula, with Witch Hazel, Citrus, and Aloe Vera, refreshes your hair by removing excess oil, impurities and odor while moisturizing hair

Alright, I think I'll take the Volumizing Dry Shampoo. Stat. Or mabye the Moisturizing stuff. No one wants stinky hair, eh?


I seriously love this idea of washing my hair less but using a dry shampoo to keep my hair looking good. And it's made to absorb oil (ack! greasy hair? ick, right?) and get rid of smelly hair? I need this for the day after cook-outs. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hot dog roast, but I don't want to keep smelling it! And these shampoos are even all citrusy. I love citrus smells. Mmmmm.  Yes. Fruity citrus is much preferrable to wood smoke.

Okie dokie, so if like me, you think this stuff sounds like pure Genius in a Bottle, here are some tips on how to use it...

- Shake vigorously before use and in between spray bursts for best results.
 - Lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots

- Spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head
- Don’t spray it like hair spray (all over and continuously)
- Leave in for 1-2 minutes.
- Use fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly
- If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.

Alright, one last thing and then I'll let you run out and buy yourself some dry shampoo....

If you want to see this stuff in action (and who doesn't?) you can watch super cute and funny celeb Julia Allison's tutorial on how to use TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo properly... 

Oh, and were you wondering about that $500 gift card I mentioned? Well, it's a good thing you stuck around for this honkin' long post! Julia Allison is also giving away a $500 gift card to Target to a lucky viewer...so check out that video and enter to win! (And then take me with you and buy me stuff....like some of this dry shampoo! :) 

The Land of Random: The Skunk Ape

My dad sent me an interesting newspaper article. 

About the Skunk Ape. 

Yep, you heard me right.  Apparently there is a legendary creature in the southern Florida swamps called the Skunk Ape which is a reddish yeti-like creature with a bit of an odor problem (this is what happens when you bed down in sulphur-rich alligator den...yep, I studied up.  I'm nothing if not thorough).

And apparently there is even a Skunk Ape Research Headquarters (otherwise known as a Tourist Trap).  Wow, right?  And to think I lived there for years and never got the chance to catch a sighting of this fabulous animal.  What a waste!

I'm sure you are now completely fascinated with this little known creature, as am I. And because I love my readers so very much, I would like to share with you this video I found of The Skunk Ape (a.k.a A Man in a Gorilla Costume)....

Please, excuse me.  I will now be very busy.  No, I'm not going on a Skunk Ape hunt.

I'll be giggling.

The Friday Five: Chocolate Broccoli...bad idea?

#1: I bought a new cardigan yesterday for $4.38. Huzzah!

Not the most flattering shot.  And, oy! I need to clean that mirror!

#2: My kids love these things...

They're called Energy Balls.  Although we've started simply calling them Peanut Butter Balls.

Basically they are a cup of peanut butter, 1/2-1 cup of powdered dry milk (you mix in enough to make it a dough-like consistency) and 1/4-1/2 cup honey.  Mix up, roll into balls and refridgerate until they get firm.  You can roll them in cocout, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, etc. (before you refridgerate them) Or just leave them plain. And you can add dry fruit to them, too.  Yum!

#3:  I came up with a new craft idea this week.  Yay! I need to get it written up and sent off.  I really really like it.  A lot. If I run into you, I'll probably make you look at one of them.  Consider yourself warned.

#4: I have been staying up very late to work on Sam's Super Secret Birthday Project. Ack! I was trying to keep it simple. And it is...Not. At. All. Simple.  I don't think I'm going to get it done in time.  blech. I should have started sooner.

#5: I have to get my bum moving and get excercising again.  I just don't know when to fit it in! But I've got to find the time. I wish I had my own raquetball court out back.  I love raquetball.  I especially love playing with my husband and trying to beat him! I haven't done it very much.  When we were first learning how to play I managed to whoop him, but now he usually wins.  bah.   And I should probably stop eating so many peanut butter balls....*sigh* why can't carrots taste like peanut butter?  And broccoli like chocolate?

Insert Clever Post Title Here

I'm not quite sure what this post will be about.  It should be interesting.....or not.

I haven't been working on my novel as much as I'd like to. I'm avoiding it. Currently it feels like that one room in your house that you shove everything into and then ignore. (Instead of one room...we have a whole basement!) I'm in the mucky middle. I'm not totally sure what happens. I know what  my main character needs to learn, but I'm not totally sure how he'll learn it all, what trials he needs to go through or how he'll solve them in order to get stronger.  And in addition to that, his snappy sidekick or co-conspirator...I haven't completely decided what her personality is. So. Her dialogue is never the same. And sometimes she's just plain boring or seems to melt into the wallpaper and no longer exist in the scene.

I've been concentrating on writing craft articles more. Which is fine for now.  I think I just need a wee break from these fantasy characters. I might just let them have a vacation for a few days. Yep. I think they're tired of me ordering them around. When I sit down to the laptop they're probably thinking, "Here we go again. The clueless writer is hear to push us around again."

In other news, I think this skirt Rocks...



I found it in CreoleSha's shop on Etsy. I've been looking at it and wondering if I could recreate it. Hmmmm, I don't know. But I love her style.

I'm going on a Chess Club Field Trip with my second oldest son, Emmett, this afternoon to the chess center in St. George...



I'm really excited to ride the bus with him and be able to focus my attention on just him for the trip. I'm bringing a notebook so we can play one of our favorite games. What we do is one person makes a doodle. It can be whatever kind of line you want, but it can't connect. And then the other person has to make a drawing out of it. My kids love this!  And I must admit, I first played this game while sitting in church with my older brother, Jeremy. I was always so envious of what he could do with a doodle! Does anyone else play this game?

For the most part, I have no idea who is reading my blog (except for the awesome few who comment). And it surprises me when I'm talking to someone about something and they'll say, "Oh, yeah...I saw that on your blog."

Oh. Cool. I didn't know..... You mean there are more than two people that read this?

So. Ya know. If you feel like commenting and letting me know you dropped by, that would be kinda cool. But no pressure. Whatever.

One last thing. My house is a mess. You know that story about the shoemaker and the elves and how the little creatures would come make shoes for him in the night? Where do you think I could get some of those? Only bigger...and willing to, say...scrub down my house? Maybe wash the windows? Chuck stuff out of that basement?

Spring Cleaning Elves. Yep. That's what I need.

Welcome to the Land of Random. You never know what you'll see out the window...

#1: I love the song New Soul by Yael Naim. Twice when I went into the Great Harvest bakery it was blasting over the sound system and I just felt like grooving around the bread shelves to the happy and fun tune. I found out the name of the artist and now I can groove around the kitchen table to it.

#2: We have high-speed internet. Finally. Yes, we've been living with dial-up internet for a looooong time. We just might upgrade to indoor plumbing next week.

#3: I should be working on Jasper. But I'm blogging. Uck. Blogs are such a distraction. So is peanut butter.

#4: I just finished reading Matched by Ally Condie. Wow. Wow. Wow. Brilliant and fun and such a fascinating world.

#5: I made a really really cute hair thingy the other day with some wide vintage looking creamish lace. I LOVE it and I wore it on a necklace the other day. No one seemed to notice how cool it was. What's wrong with you people?!  :)

#6: We took our kids to McDonald's last night to celebrate how well they're all doing in school. We've had parent/teacher conferences this week. 

#7: We bought A LOT of books at the book fairs. A LOT. I love it. I feel rich.

#8: I need to name and design some unusual cities in my WIP.  Fun, right? And I need to create a whole magical government and culture. Easy peasy. I wish.

#9: I've been trying to sell some craft ideas to Family Fun Magazine. I already subbed a couple ideas and I'm working on another one involving toilet paper tubes. I just need to get the pics done and write up the instructions. Another novel-writing distraction? Kind of. But Family Fun pays well and it would be nice to see a little green coming in with my writing. Instead of me just plunking away on the laptop night after night. Everyone likes a bit of validation, right?

#10: We took the kids to see a womens gymnastics meet at the college the other night. Wow! Those girls were amazing! I was so impressed with their dedication to the sport. Made me think of writing. And how I need to be more dedicated. And also...I'm really glad writing doesn't involve something like a floor excercise where I have to do flips in front of judges.  But speaking of writing....I better get back to Jasper....