Bulletpoint Friday…

• Does it bother anyone else when you see an actor in a commercial that you recognize from another commercial or show? I know whenever I see someone playing a doctor in a commercial and I’ve seen them playing something else in another commercial, I can’t take the commercial or product seriously. Or when an actor plays someone who has supposedly benefited from a product and then I see them in another commercial, I feel lied to. Now, I know commercial actors need to make a living too, but I just feel duped. Just a thought.
• I love when I check out entirely too many books from the library knowing full well there’s no way I can finish them before they’re due. At least now I’m keeping track of when the books are due by entering the due date in my Blackberry calendar. This should mean fewer overdue fines. Should being the operative word.
• Really wish we all could just get a long.
• Took my daughter to a roller skating birthday party last weekend and had a blast. At first I wasn’t going to skate, but once I figured out we might end up at the hospital if I didn’t, I donned some skates. We had a blast. I haven’t been skating in years, but it was just like riding a bike – some things you don’t forget.
• I decided to attend the Picture Book Craft Intensive Webinar by MAry Kole through Writer’s Digest last week. She shared some great and helpful information. I love that I can access the webinar any time I need to. But I really love that I got to submit my manuscript to Mary for evaluation. I’ve had several people read my story, but I have yet to have a professional read it. I’m truly looking forward to hearing the things that she thinks are working in my story and any things I might need to work on. Only downside is that I have to wait until December 13th to get it back. That’s fine, though. I have another picture book and a YA novel that really need my attention.

On that note, here’s some music to take you into the weekend – After Light by Rustie (ft. AlunaGeorge). It’s got a great beat and I love running to it. Enjoy!

The Stacks…

on my night stand…

Writing

Oi! That stack of books is a bit much, right? This is mostly research for the YA work-in-progress I’ve had going for the past five six years. I’m not sure where to go with the story I’ve started and I’m not sure if I’ve got the voice right for a YA as opposed to middle grade book. That’s why I’m reading YA and middle grade books to check my voice and perspective.

I also have a picture book work-in-progress. It’s coming along, slowly but surely. I’m looking forward to this Picture Book Craft Intensive. Hoping it will help me and give me more of a sense of what I’m doing.

In other news,

* I got my driver’s license renewed (much better picture)
* I got a part-time job
* I loved FLOTUS’s speech at the democratic convention
* Have to get back to running; just trying to figure out how it will fit in my schedule now
* I’m cleaning up my sewing space in hopes that seeing the desktop will lead to more productivity

Listening to:

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Book Review: Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival…

In light of the seven year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I thought it appropriate to review the picture book Two Bobbies by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery.
Two Bobbies is a tale of two unlikely friends, a dog and a cat both without tails, who help each other survive Hurricane Katrina and the trauma of the storm surge and flooding of New Orleans after. Left behind by their owners who were told pets could not come, Bobbi and Bob Cat waited out the storm and the heat, hoping for rescue. However, it never came, and with no water or food left, they had to fend for themselves. Month after month, Bobbi and Bob Cat made their way through the devastated streets of New Orleans, searching for food and clean water to drink. Then one day in January, the pair happened to stray onto a construction site where a worker noticed them and gave them food. He noticed, however, that whenever he approached Bob Cat, Bobbi the dog growled and got very protective of her. No longer able to take care of the pair, the worker drove them to an animal shelter where they were welcomed with open arms. Despite their being taken care of, the two made an incredible fuss when separated. So much so that the workers at the shelter decided to keep them together in the same cage. And in doing so, they came to realize Bob Cat was blind and that Bobbi had become her eyes and ears! Bobbi had been protecting Bob Cat the whole time! After going on national television telling of Bobbi and Bob Cat’s plight, a woman named Melinda drove out to meet the two animals in hopes of adopting them. After staying the night with them, there was no question that Bobbi and Bob Cat loved Melinda and had found a home.

Conclusion:
I really enjoyed reading this book to my kids. I thought it was an excellent way to make the story of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation accessible to a younger audience. The story is so heartwarming and helps demonstrate the resilience of these animals and also gives hope that New Orleans will also be revived one day. The illustrations are incredibly realistic in their depiction of the storm, the floods and the aftermath. This true story is one that should definitely be shared.

Wonder about some of those old blogs you used to read…

I was checking out my old blog the other day and the blog links in the side column caught my attention. I remember when I first started reading blogs and blogging, I was in awe of so many people and their abilities. Either they were amazing at their craft or they wrote amazingly well (or both, really). I was saddened to see that half the blogs hadn’t been updated in a few years. But as I know all too well, other priorities come into play and life happens; I’m sure that’s the case for those blogs. I’m hoping that, as my blog drew me back, they’ll be drawn back, too.

Just a little aside – do you know at one point I had over 500 blogs I was following in my Google Reader? I had to seriously cut back. Not only was it hard to keep up with all those blogs, it was also hard to process all the info; I felt inundated with fabulous ideas and guilty for not being able to try them. Now I’m under 100, with only a handful that I check regularly. So refreshing.

Life…

The kids started back to school today and I’m home all day until the end of school. But! I might be starting a part time job soon, so the time I thought I would have to write might not happen. Hoping I can make both working part-time and writing priorities. Will see.

It is almost the end of Ramadan. This time is always so bittersweet. While I will enjoy being able to eat whenever I want again, I will miss this great time of reflection and dependence on God. It is always a challenge carrying the lessons learned in Ramadan into the rest of my year.

Crafting…

I’ve been sewing. I finished up that A Day in the Park Backpack Tote.

I also made a Valori Wells Cellphone Wallet. The cellphone wallet was a great concept, but I have to suggest that if you decide to sew this pattern, know the size of the phone that will be used in the wallet. When I put the snap button on for the cellphone pocket, it seemed small. I ended up having to add extra fabric at the bottom, and even then the phone fits, but the snap can’t be closed with the phone inside the pocket. That stinks.

Writing…

I somehow came across WriteOnCon yesterday and quickly realized they were having an online conference. The big draw for me was that I could get my query for my manuscript critiqued by Emma Walton Hamilton, author of many children’s books and daughter of Julie Andrews (Sound of Music). I amazingly was randomly picked to have my query read, but I was one of the last five or so and she probably won’t be able to get to them all. That being said, there are literary agents trolling the forum, which means that maybe one will read my query with interest. (They didn’t, but a lovely person in the forums critiqued it and gave me some great advice not only on my query, but on my manuscript.)

In any case, WriteOnCon has really opened my eyes to the resources that are out there to help writers better their craft. I also finally was able to become a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. There are a ton of resources there that I’m looking forward to accessing. The next step is trying to get my writing mojo back to finish the picture book I’m currently working on.

Summer vacations are like taking a ride on the psychedelic boat trip in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Well, at least that’s how this one has been. It started out really chill, laid back like. The kids had swim lessons, a weekly art class, a few play dates sprinkled here and there. And then, bam! A trip. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good trip, with family, friends, a wedding, the beach. But it also included my first plane trip in eleven years (I was scared for a minute), sleeping on a futon for a majority of the time, and just the general being away from home feeling that comes with being away for more than two days. We came home and all was good.

And then the excitement of another Ramadan kicked in, as well as the fatigue that comes with going without food for many hours. Then there’s been the family dentist visit (ouch! both in the mouth and in the pocketbook), the car repairs (this might as well be the year of the car repair) and back to school shopping. Oh, my.

Hoping this summer boat trip doesn’t include too much more excitement, unless it includes finishing a manuscript or signing a book deal. Ha! In the meantime, I’ve got projects and lists of projects I want to tackle.

There’s the story that’s been percolating in my brain for about two years now, that is finally ready to bubble over. Then there’s the A Day in the Park Back Pack Tote that I need to finish for a friends’ daughter’s birthday. And the nightgown for Fi and the tunic for me, and the wallet for M and …and…and…It goes like this…

For now, I leave you with a few pictures. Till next time!

Apron I made as part of a wedding gift

The ceiling of our hotel bathroom. So pretty!

It was so cold at the Santa Cruz beach, I was wearing a jacket.

On Writing…

With a little tax return money and the right platform, I finally printed off my old blog, Knit Me Somethin’ Good. I loved how it turned out. Flipping through and reading all those old blog posts made me miss chronicling my days.

But my days now include more things, like me trying my hand at writing. And by writing, I mean writing books. I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the last year learning more about writing, about the publishing business, etc. Admittedly, I was overwhelmed by all the blogs out there dealing with honing a writing craft, landing an agent, getting a book deal. It seemed nearly impossible. And I’ve not been the banner student when it comes to writing on a regular basis. I have spurts or I’ll mull over something in my head for a long while until I finally decide I should really write it down.

But here I am now, ready to tackle this idea that maybe I have a story, heck, stories to tell and write. And I am also once again ready to chronicle my days and doings on this here blog. I hope you’ll join me.

Welcome to our living room…

I am finally getting around to posting pictures of our living room space. It took me a bit to get decent pictures (nothing like my MIL coming into town to get a good cleaning in), and there are still some things we need to do to the entry area of the living room, but this will do for right now and we are pretty pleased with the space.

We want to put some artwork, a clock or maybe some floating shelves on the wall over the tv.

The couch is from Pottery Barn, the pillows and curtains are from Pier 1, the leaning book case in the corner is from Crate and Barrel, the side table is a hand-me-down stained brown, the coffee table is from T. A. Lorton super discounted, the rug is from Lowe’s or Home Depot, the desk the tv is sitting on was a great find at an antique store, and the chairs are hand-me-downs that we plan to reupholster in a more contemporary fabric.

We wanted to put a bench on the empty wall by the front door so we could sit and take off shoes, etc., and then also put a mirror on the wall instead of the circle wood art. Our problem is the vent that sticks out from the wall – we have to find something that won’t block the vent. The pillows in front of the vent are there because the cats love to sit right in front of the vents when it is cold. The table is from World Market, as well as the art work. The lamp is from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Our dining space is tight. It also serves as the spot I do extra school activities with the kids and as an office space. We bought this small dining room furniture off of Craigslist. The bookcases and cabinets are from Target.

I just love the design of this circle wall art. Once we get a mirror, I think this would look nice over the tv. This wall art is from World Market.

So, there’s our living room/dining space. It is a vast improvement over what we had before and is much more grown-up.