New Beginnings On Our Minds [RANT]

This poor blog falls into a bit of neglect every time the real world throws up roadblocks to getting my words out there. And festive roadblocks abound in the latter months of every year. I’d say costumes start all the wild distraction, but those who know me have heard how I put a costume together by rooting through my stash. That means costumes distract me all year round. If people aren’t appreciating me, I can always hide away and dress as someone else (and then write about it).

You have read about my obsession with pie, pie, pie, turkey, pie, pie, and more pie. And my last post obviously shared my love for Christmas assemblies and disappointment in other people’s unwillingness to think about other people as they celebrate how adorable their kids are. I hope I made it clear that all of the children and many of the adults were adorable.

Then I disappeared into a whirl of wrapping paper, updating a list and checking it twice, opening gifts from secret Santas, packing to be elves ourselves, and continuing to work through a myriad of other life complications that my casual reader need not worry about…

So now I write and give a brief update. I have returned from being a guest in a house where one of the hosts was recovering from major surgery. I assure you I suggested we stay elsewhere (like a hotel) and visit most of the day so the patient could recuperate without tiny clones cavorting around him for three days straight. I was vetoed. My children kept the patient company (or awake) at all hours, but he didn’t complain and thankfully seemed to be improving over the course of our stay. I hope his body made the resolution to keep getting healthier as this year progresses.

My resolutions are more of a list of foci that my brain generally bounces between. I just need to figure out how to keep that focus where it needs to be at varying times to make all my goals into reality. I won’t bore you with the entire list of twenty-five items to date.

However, you need to know that I shall continue updating this blog, hopefully weekly. I plan to keep this grumpy life log format here, since my fiction has moved to Substack. Follow me there for free or pay to subscribe for special and longer stories. I also need to expend more effort to get my crafts into the hands of appreciative buyers. I have a group on Facebook but that hasn’t been overly effective, so I need to find the best way to get people interested in paying me for my hard work.

Feel free to cheer me on in the best way you can and I wish you luck in keeping all your resolutions and meeting all your goals.

Paying Attention and Happy Campers [RANT]

Most of my inadvertently sugar-free pie may be currently waiting for me in my freezer. Even I couldn’t eat most of three pies before they went bad. A friend let me have some pie that he remembered to put sugar in on Sunday, so it was a pie win weekend. Add that to spending the Fourth with some adopt-a-siblings and the whole weekend proved fun. The cousins all played happily and the tiny humans who weren’t mine didn’t want to leave despite the fact that it was way past everybody’s bedtimes and potentially homicidal cats awaited them at home.

The smaller humans didn’t even give watching fireworks over the trees much of a go until around ten. Their arrival did inspire us to wander into our neighbor’s driveway which provided a much better view of the proceedings. Up until that point , we were in my driveway, spinning around in circles every time we heard a promising pop from any direction.

Saturday morning was less satisfying. I volunteer at my local FamilySearch Center so people can come in and look up their ancestors. We have many volunteers but not enough to man the center more often than every Saturday. As they are donating their time, volunteers tend not to be available around major holidays, so we don’t open our doors those weekends.

I was amazed that I woke up by the time I would normally head down for a shift. My tiny bosses woke up early as well, so we were watching “Thundercats” together when a friend called to ask if anyone was supposed to be at the center. Apparently, a volunteer missed that the Fifth of July was listed closed on the schedule that I send out periodically and made an appointment for someone to get help that day. Anyone else feel like people don’t pay attention to information they impart?

This week was the first week of camp for my darlings. Their camp lets them learn to appreciate how musical theater can help them to express themselves. The directors picked a Hawaiian theme this year, so we prepped by watching “Lilo and Stich.” Hopefully, they get to hula like Lilo.

Mom camp has involved trying to make dents in messes throughout the house and keep writing. I owe my substackers some stories, but no one has crossed over to being a paid subscriber and it feels like the only views are me, so I will ease into assigning myself deadlines.

If I can resist my other hobbies, my writing goals might go easier. With my little monkeys eating at camp, I found myself with a bevy of overripe bananas. Now I have almond banana blondies, banana pudding cheesecake, and banana foster cake to rehome to my belly, unsuspecting friends, and my freezer.

That’s A Wrap… [RANT]

Until next year when we do it all again. I considered just throwing the last of my gratitudes on Friday’s post but I didn’t want to dampen your gratitude for an actual bit of fiction to usher in the joy of this most glorious holiday of light, love, and laughter.

Day 23: Being able to help people access information about their ancestors. Did you know there is a FamilySearch Center near you?

Day 24: My toes. They may be mad at me today after I walked 3.15 hours, but I still love those extra long little buggers. 

Day 25: People who keep their commitments, particularly when those commitments need fulfilled before the next step can be accomplished.

Day 26: When my dear darling babies sleep in over holiday breaks because no matter how hard I try to keep them happy, the chaos starts after they wake up. I know I am supposed to be grateful for the chaos, but who is perfect enough for that? Seriously, if it is you, share your secrets!

Day 27: Pumpkin pie. Even before I eat it, I know I will be happy when it is in my tummy.

Day 28: Friends who let me invade their house and pet their kitties.

Day 29: Pie for breakfast. Hobbits live by the happiness of our taste buds and the fullness of our bellies. It keeps us jolly.

Day 30: Reminders of how deeply loved I am. (John 3:16, anyone?)

So how did my November goals end?

I got 300,000 steps. I attribute this to no one wanting to chase me down to interrupt me as I wandered up and down hills.

I was 15,000 words short on my writing goal, but I have the start of at least four fascinating pieces, one of which is a novel. So GOAL 1 of December: Work on the bones of an idea that I started in November and bring my idea to life.

GOAL 2 of December: Work on the shorter pieces that popped into my head. They seem like good pieces to have reviewed by my writer’s group because…

GOAL 3 of December: Make time to meet up with other writers because clearly some of them are doing something right.

GOAL 4 of December: Get my Christmas cards out sooner rather than later.

GOAL 5 of December: Be better at being a light to the world.

GOAL 6 of December: Get my kitchen in order, which requires it to be finished first.

Every month is a busy month when one is known as Mom. My kids’ school even wants me to make sure my kids to wear specific items of clothing for each of the fifteen days of school this month. Thanks, administrators, we didn’t have enough to do.

Welcome to New Year Dreams [RANTINGS]

I have a few hours left to resolve my goals for 2016. I find myself reflecting on a talk I have heard numerous times that reminds us that when you put the most important goals first, everything else falls into place. With that in mind, I think I shall keep my goals simple. That should also keep my daughter from missing me too much while I type out a years worth of potential frustrations or successes.

So my hobbit-sized goals for 2016 include but are probably not limited to:

1. Be the best mother I can be.
2. Remind my husband every day how lucky I am to have him.
3. Read and watch more inspirational stories and talks.
4. Make the world I live in a better place.
5. Sort through the recipes that keep inspiring me and find the very best ones. (Anyone want to volunteer to help me eat my creations?)
6. Spend less time on frivolous things and people.
7. Follow little promptings even when they seem illogical or take me out of my comfort zone.

Given my lack of success with previous resolutions, I won't distress us with a longer list. What are your major goals for next year? Will they help the little goals fall into place?

Now get out there and ring in the new year. I will be doing so in the warm swaddle of my freshly laundered sheets unless my sweet little boss wakes me for some momma daughter time. May your plans be equally wonderful.

The Christmas Season [RANTINGS]

Clearly, National Novel Writing Month was a bust for me this year. I'd feel more guilty if I were not the only one keeping tabs on where that tale was going. Still, I feel the need to open up my brain and share for the holiday season, particularly since I realized I have some old posts that I started writing and forgot to finish. This December, consider what I hope will be a plethora of posts my Christmas present to you.

The title of this first post promised to address thoughts on the Christmas season. I feel equipped to speak since my giving began already. While other people were pushing each other through department store doors and scrambling for alleged bargains at major shopping centers, I presented my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law with gifts that needed to be given at the beginning of the holiday season, advent calendars made with my own hobbit hands. They were both pleased and grandma even leaned in conspiratorially to encourage me to keep thinking up gifts to make for her. While I always have a small part of my mind searching for great gift ideas that say I love you, I hope to to focus on some of the more important aspects of Christmas this year.

My to seasonal do list includes:

1. Reading the scriptures in search of my own perfect advent scriptures for future holiday celebrations. I borrowed some from another website this year since I was pressed for time when I remembered that I had begun work on this project at the end of last December. (I always get inspired during the holiday and never find time until it is over to put forth the effort required to make more Christmas magic.)
2. Make a mix of Christmas cookies and candy for those special people on my list who always inspire me to be a little sweeter. I fear I will not have the time or energy to make all of my favorite candies from chocolate covered cherries to maple creams, but we will see. If you just realized you are on the coveted candy list, cross your fingers and pray for me.
3. Get enough sleep to fend off the invasion of sicknesses that circulate at this time of year and be pleasant to those around me.
4. Be grateful for my everyday blessings and the gifts I receive, even the ones that confuse me such as the year I was given a bottle of wine.
5. Commit to a few ideas for future Christmases that will make wonderful memories for my daughter and bring our family closer together.
6. Stop worrying so much about lists and enjoy time with those I love.

I wonder what goals my astute readers would like to share with me...

(P.S. In case you didn't notice, I have moved the identifying tags to the end of the title of each post. I hope this helps clean up the look of this journal.)

(RANTINGS) My Pledge As a Writer

 I thought this would be an appropriate 100th post.

I pledge to...

...seek stories that need told.

Sometimes, my muse visits me in my dreams. She whispers in my ear as I watch the news. She even sneaks into my brain when I am focused on something important that a friend is saying and plants a seed. It is my vow that I shall listen to these notions and seek out more.

...tell those stories.

Through this journal and other writing ventures, I will bring more of these ideas to the page, whether it be this one or actual paper. It does no good if I tell stories that no one hears, so all must be revealed at some point.

...listen to my readers.

If you have a comment on a piece you read, make it. I love feedback. Of course, the goal is to become so popular that someday I can't individually address each of you, but right now, you have the privilege of my prompt responses.

...respond to comments and suggestions (incorporating the ones that will improve my writing).

See above.

...entertain you.

From time to time, I may post something that isn't exactly to your taste, but my interests are so varied that I hope you'll always give me a second chance. Come on back. Let me amuse you.

...support my fellow writers.

I have been offering such support by encouraging other writers that I know. I also buy and/ or request a lot of books for all the gift-giving holidays. I realize I should probably post some links to some of my fellow writers, so that will be another goal for my summer of self-realization.

...keep dreaming.

If I don't keep dreaming big, I will stop writing. Then what will I have to show for my years of devotion to the verbal arts?

...keep writing.

Every word that I put to paper or page brings me close to perfecting my art. I shall keep writing whether people admit they find amusement in my words or not.

...keep hoping.

With enough time, maybe my hopes that people will recognize and reward my efforts can be realized.

...keep sharing.

That's the real point behind this blog. I intend to keep sharing bits of my self-proclaimed genius with those patient enough to bear with my rocky patches and keep reading and offering support.

...keep posting.

So keep checking back. My efforts shall continue to appear on this blog for scrutiny and adulation.