Notes from Innisfree

As I Lay Dying

2012-02-01T09:15:00.002-05:00

Catchy title, huh? I'm sure it was just as catchy when William Faulkner published the book by the same name back in 1930.

Okay, so I'm not exactly dying. At least not any more than the average (sick) person. It's just that, as I was thinking about what to post for Writerly Wednesday, I decided I'd give you a writing prompt. Your challenge is to write the opening paragraph of a novel or short story, beginning with the simple word "As".

The lone male in my critique group penned a brilliant short story starting with the phrase "As it happened..." You may use that, "As I lay dying", or any other sentence, as long as it commences with "As".

I'll edit this post, adding my effort, once I'm up to the task. In the meantime, if you undertake this challenge, let me know in the comments. And if you post your piece to your own blog, leave the link in the comments here so we can all enjoy.

ROW80 Check-In

2012-02-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

I forgot to check in on Sunday, which is the same day I really came down with this cold, and I haven't been able to write anything except the daily blog posts in my reduced mental condition. So, that's it. I'm not sure there's any point in checking in while this cold endures, so you'll hear from me again when it's passed.

Sick and Tired

2012-01-31T09:28:00.000-05:00

Friday I felt a tickle at the back of my throat, Saturday it was still there, and by Sunday I knew I had a cold. I haven't exercised since Friday, have had little more than soup since Sunday, and am still not seeing any improvement on the scale. Actually, that's not true - I was down Sunday and Monday, but am back up today, which is really irritating under the circumstances.

A friend swears by this regimen for getting rid of a cold: 3 elderberry, 3 garlic, 3 echinacea 3x a day. I have to admit, I haven't tried that this time, so maybe today I'll start. This, by the way, is not medical advice, so please always check with your doctor before following anyone else's prescription.

On Sunday, a lady at church told me she'd had a sore throat for a couple of days earlier in the week. She gargled several times a day and used Vicks VapoRub, and the sore throat vanished. I did use Vicks a couple of nights ago, but I guess I should do it again. And gargle.

At this point, I'm willing to try pretty much anything. So, folks - help me out here. What's your sure-fire remedy for getting rid of a cold and/or sore throat? I am so ready to be over this.

Relatively Speaking

2012-01-30T18:10:00.000-05:00

I had hoped to produce some of this week's blog posts over the weekend, but I worked much of the day on Saturday, which is also when I started to feel like I might be coming down with something. It usually starts with a sore throat... Sure enough, Sunday I had a cold, but thought I'd be able to nap in the afternoon and make a good effort to fight it off. Unfortunately, right after returning home from church, my husband walked into a metal bracket on the garage wall and got a nice gash on his eyebrow. We ended up spending 5 hours in the Emergency Room of our local hospital for a gluing job that took ten minutes. On the plus side, I finished reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and got almost halfway through Suzanne Collins' Catching Fire.

Today my cold is even worse. I spent much of the day in bed, struggling to sleep, and finally succeeding. Right now I have a pot of Turkey Soup on the stove. As soon as I get that in me, it's back to bed again.

A little hard to think about happiness today, so I'll just post the following photo that I saw on the Touch of Heaven on Earth Facebook page, which reminds me that as badly as I may feel today there are others who have it much worse:

Positively Friday

2012-01-27T08:25:00.002-05:00

I've been looking at post-secondary education with my daughter, Ae, who'll be applying to universities and colleges this fall. Where a person chooses to attend is an important decision, one that will shape and guide the rest of his or her life. In other words, a very big deal.

Right now Ae is considering Christian institutions only. Her goal is to do "something with music" in the area of ministry - maybe a worship leader, maybe a performer, "definitely not a teacher," she says. I've been advised (by someone who shall remain nameless) that she should have a back-up plan, that the field she wants to get into is difficult - she may not get to work in the geographical location of her choice or earn the kind of salary that would make life easier.

But I remember having a dream too. I thought of becoming a singer, and opted instead for the safer, more practical path. I'm not saying it was the wrong path for me (I didn't have the competitive nature that would likely be needed to 'succeed' as a performer), but sometimes I wonder how my life might have been different had I gone the artistic route, and I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue writing now.

So I will encourage Ae to follow her passion, for I believe it's a calling. And if one is called, then one must go. Call me foolish, but geography and income must not be factors in the decision, for God will lead and He'll provide. Having a back-up plan suggests, to me, that you don't trust God to deliver. And the fact remains that, if this is not truly God's calling on Ae's life, she can always pursue something else later. Let her give it all she's got, now, while she's young.

I believe there's joy and freedom in this truth:

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Confucius

A Prayer for Writers

2012-01-26T16:47:00.002-05:00

A writer (on a listserv to which I belong) shared that yesterday was the feast day for St. Francis de Sales, apparently the patron saint of writers and journalists. That got me thinking about prayers, specifically prayers for writers. As I searched through prayer books and on Google, I came across the following. Since it's way better than anything I could come up with on short notice (maybe even long notice), here is today's post, courtesy of Karen Speerstra. I hope you enjoy it.

The Writer’s Prayer

You know my passion. I’m a word-weaver, a thought-shaper. I craft words that become vibrations and set loose powerful ideas.

Help me to choose words wisely and aim them with care. May they find their mark. And remind me, because I’m prone to forgetfulness, that I’m only borrowing these words for a little while. They’re really yours—for "in the beginning, was The Word."

I need your help to become the very best crafter I can be, because thought shifting is a big responsibility. It’s hard, and downright scary. What if someone who reads my words thinks they’re stupid or silly or simple? Trite or contrite. Listless or clichéd. Too dense. Or just plain boring! Or, worse, what if someone uses my powerful words to destroy or cause pain? May my words cushion life, never debase, harm, or kill.

Help me find the discipline to meet deadlines, the resilience to face rejection, and the endurance to start all over again.

Give me the patience and insight to hone and rewrite until all the words dance and sparkle. And all sound true. Then grant me the courage to share them; for without a reader, a listener or a viewer, they form hollow shapes that hold no song.

As paper and pixels carry my words around the world, I pray some editor will find them timely and worthy and send me a check. It won’t always be a big check, but payment of any kind—including bartering—shows that someone values my crafting. Then I will write more words, and more words after that. Some will take poetic form; others will become stories, essays, songs, articles, memoirs, scripts, marketing pieces. Some quieter words will find their way into my journals, emails, letters, blogs, and I vow to treat them all with the same reverence.

And, finally, I ask that someone, somewhere, will read my words and smile and say, “This is really good! I want to keep this and read it again. I wonder what else this person has written.”

Then I’ll know I’m truly a writer. My words have made a difference in someone’s life, for however long—a few seconds or as long as it takes to change the course of the stars.

Thank you. Stay close to my keyboard, Great Word-Smith.

Amen. May it be so.

Meet Robin Hathaway

2012-01-25T08:25:00.034-05:00

I'm so excited to introduce mystery author, Robin Hathaway. She kindly agreed to be interviewed on my blog, and to discuss the subject of writing.

Robin grew up in Philadelpia and married a cardiologist who bears a remarkable resemblance to her sleuth, Dr. Fenimore. They moved to the country where she started a graphic arts business, Barnhouse Press, so named because of a printing press in the barn and another in the house. They also owned nine cats, three ducks, and a dog. Soon they added two daughters, Julie and Anne. In 1997 Robin’s first novel, THE DOCTOR DIGS A GRAVE, was published by St. Martins Press, and in 1998 won an Agatha Award. Since then she has written five Dr. Fenimore and three Jo Banks novels. She is now working on a spy novel set during WWII.

Please welcome Robin.

Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Susan.

My pleasure, Robin! Thank you for being here! If you don't mind my mentioning it, you seem to have come to writing later in life. What prompted you to write your first book?

On my 50th birthday my husband said to me,“You’ve always wanted to write a novel. Don’t you think it’s about time you started?” I began the next day.

Well, your loyal readers are very thankful to your husband then! What drew you to writing mysteries as opposed to some other genre?

I’ve loved reading mysteries since I was ten and read Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. I also had a mystery writer in my family, Helen McCloy. She wrote psychological mysteries during the ‘30s and ‘40s and was one of the founders of The Mystery Writers of America.

That is so cool, Robin! I'm going to have to look her up. Obviously, the genre is in the blood. What is the hardest part of writing mysteries?

The plot. I’ve always had trouble plotting.

Do you use any plotting tools (like a story board, for example)? Do you work from an outline, or do you just go with the flow?

My editor always required me to write a one-page synopsis before I began a novel. This was a pain, but I was grateful for it, because it forced me to come up with a plot. I didn’t always stick with my original idea, in fact--rarely. But it helped me to get going.

So your books are more character-driven then? How do you develop them?

Developing characters is the easy part. First I have to come up with a name. Then I think about his/ her background, family, friends, education, finances, occupation, life experiences, etc. Finally I try out my character in different scenes. What would he or she do if threatened, flirted with, made fun of, insulted, etc. How would they react? By now I have a pretty good idea what my character is like and I can start writing about him/her. They always change as I write, however, and--I hope--grow.

Do you have a regular writing routine? If so, what is it?

Routine? I’ve never heard the word. I write when I can find the time. And I wish it were more often. I write the first draft by hand on yellow legal pads. Then I switch to the computer.

Oh, good. I'm not alone then. In wishing I wrote more often, I mean. It's funny about the yellow legal pad thing, though. I was just reading the other day that a lot of writers still use them. I only write longhand if there's no computer around. Speaking of other writers, which writers inspire you?

That is a really great question. There were so many. Most of them are dead. Louisa May Alcott was the first. Like millions of others I wanted to be like Jo March. Agatha Christie was next, then Dorothy L. Sayers, Robert Louis Stevenson, Dick Francis, Raymond Chandler, and on and on they go…

And what's the most helpful piece of writing advice you've ever received?

There were two pieces of advice that helped me immensely. “Cut to the action,” and “Pick up the pace.” The first advice was directed at the beginning of my first novel. It had three pages of exposition that were totally unnecessary. The second advice referred to the middle of the same novel where things began to bog down, drag, nothing much was happening. It was after I took this advice that I won the prize. I have these two maxims tacked over my desk.

What is the biggest challenge to publication?

The biggest challenge to publication is getting someone to read your manuscript--an agent and/or an editor. It took me ten years of rejection slips before I finally won a contest sponsored by St. Martin’s Press, and they published my first novel,THE DOCTOR DIGS A GRAVE. I'm now working on my ninth.

Yikes - ten years! Writing for publication takes a lot of persistence and determination. What do you like most about the process of writing itself?

I love getting into another world, losing myself in it, becoming part of it. My husband says he can always tell if I’ve been writing when he calls, because my voice sounds far away. I have been far away and it takes some time to return.

I'm like that when I'm reading! On that subject, I'm looking forward to your next book. What are you working on?

I’m working on a spy novel, TRACE, set during WWII at Cape May. New Jersey. It has taken me longer than any other book because I got so caught up in the research. But that's all over now. I’m revising and polishing, and hope to give it to my agent in a month or two.

Yay! I can't wait to read it! And I trust you have many more stories you want to tell. Keep them coming!

For more about Robin and her books, please visit her website, http://www.robinhathaway.com/.

ROW80 check-in

2012-01-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

I wasn't very good about tracking my writing these last few days, but I did write. I also sat down with the Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Guide and identified 32 markets and 6 contests I can further investigate. Since my plan is to submit at least one piece every two weeks this year (and so far I've submitted nothing), this is something to get me going.

I started working on the take-home pieces for my church, but didn't get as far as I'd hoped. I also wrote two more blog posts.

Last night I pulled out the goal-setting tool I mentioned in a previous check-in, and started working through the initial exercises. I should finish the preliminary process this week and will plan to start using it next week. I'll tell you all about it once I've used it for a couple of weeks, because by then I'll have a better idea of how well it's going to work for me.

Hope everyone's having a productive writing day. Not so much for me - had exercise class this morning, am meeting a friend for lunch, then it's off to work. By the time I get home I won't be able to do much more than eat supper and connect with my family.

A Time to Eat

2012-01-24T09:00:00.004-05:00

As I was reflecting on this week's Bible verse this morning, I had a sudden 'aha!' moment. Under the umbrella statement, 'there is a time for every activity under heaven' (Ecclesiastes 3:1), falls 'a time to eat and a time to refrain from eating' (my addition).

How often do we eat when we're not even hungry? - We eat when we're bored. We eat when we're stressed. We even eat when we're happy. Sometimes when our tummies growl, we feed them, mistaking thirst, or that moment when our bodies switch over to burning fat, for hunger. It's not. Just as we need discipline to accomplish the other goals we want to achieve, we need to discipline our stomachs to understand that there's a time to eat, and a time to avoid eating.

In The Beck Diet for Life, author Judith Beck talks about having set times for meals and snacks and using cognitive techniques to discipline yourself to eat only at those times. 'It's not time to eat,' you tell yourself. 'I'll eat in a little while.' As you stick to the schedule, most often you'll find that the feeling of hunger passes and you are able to make it all the way without passing out.

A way to 'refrain from eating' is to do a fast (take a break from eating). While fasting may not be suitable for everyone (check with your doctor first), it can be beneficial for some people to do on occasion. It gives your body a break, and teaches you that you don't actually need to eat every day. Whether you fast for religious reasons (to focus and meditate on God; to pray for a specific person, situation, or country) social reasons (to identify with the homeless or those who are experiencing famine), or health ones (part of a detoxification program), you still need to take in your liquids - just make sure they are clear fluids like water or tea, and don't cheat by making yourself smoothies and milkshakes!

If you're trying to lose weight, try a couple of things this week: identify the times you eat that you know aren't helping your cause (emotional eating or bedtime eating, for example); determine a schedule for eating meals and snacks and do your best to stick to it; and, if medically okay, try fasting. If you're not ready for a full fast, try a 'Daniel' fast (certain foods are restricted and certain foods are allowed. Check out the list here) or fast just two meals instead of all day (fast either breakfast and lunch or lunch and supper).

I think I'll do a Daniel fast on Thursday.

Secrets of Adulthood

2012-01-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

After penning her Twelve Commandments, Gretchen Rubin, whose book (The Happiness Project) we've been discussing, came up with her Secrets of Adulthood. These were the lessons she'd "learned with some difficulty" as she'd grown up (p. 11) and included profound points like

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good
What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while

and more practical knowledge like

Turning the computer on and off a few times often fixes a glitch
Bring a sweater

How do these "secrets" contribute to our happiness? Well, they tell us what we ought to do in a situation - how we ought to behave. When we do what we know we ought to do, we feel better about ourselves because our behaviour is consistent with who we want to be (people whose actions match our values) and what we want to be (reliable, responsible, good, etc.).

I've only just started thinking about what secrets I know - actually, I'll call them truisms. Here are a couple from me, for free:

You can't rewrite the past, but you can write the next chapter, starting on a fresh page
If you want something, ask - nicely

What has your life taught you?

ROW80 Check-In, plus 'Don't Miss Wednesday'

2012-01-22T19:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I didn't do well at even 500 words a day. I did sit down with The Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Guide and I've so far identified 13 markets I can submit my children's mss to. I also selected the Bible verses on which to base my pieces for the church's take-home paper for parents, and wrote up two of this week's blog posts.

Speaking of this week's blog posts, you won't want to miss Wednesday. I'll be interviewing a guest author on the subject of writing. I'm not going to tell you who it is - let's just say this award-winning author has nine published books and is working on a tenth. Intrigued? Good! Check back Wednesday for the reveal!

Now back to ROWing...

Re: classification

2012-01-22T08:48:00.003-05:00

"Excuse me, where do you keep the multicultural section?"

"Do you mean books in other languages?" I asked the teen who was inquiring. We only keep books in French and Chinese now.

"No. Books by multicultural authors. Books that are set in places other than Canada or the U.S."

Oh. "You're looking for novels then?"

"Yes. But according to the project, they can't be set in North America."

"Well, we don't file our novels that way. They're shelved according to author." I conducted a reference interview and found him an appropriate selection of books.

Later I reflected. Imagine if libraries did organize books that way, shelving novels by setting or by where the author is from. Would that mean where the author was born? Where the author spent the majority of his/her growing-up years? Where s/he lives now?

That would certainly be a complicated way of doing things.

Sex Identification

2012-01-21T08:41:00.007-05:00

"You're a female. You'll know." Such was the greeting of a customer who approached me at the reference desk.

Okay?

"I bought these sweatpants." He indicated the ones he had on. "They're supposed to be a large, but I think they're an extra-large, and I'm just wondering if they'll shrink when I wash them."

I suppose I should have tried to look up the answer, but I winged it. "It probably depends on whether or not you follow the washing instructions. If they say to wash in warm water and you wash them in cold, they'll probably shrink a bit."

"Well, I want them to shrink."

I nodded, unsure of myself.

"Thanks for your help."

I hope I gave him the right information. I'm a female, so I do the laundry at home, right? I'm a female, so I should know. Really????

Positively Friday

2012-01-20T08:44:00.001-05:00

My husband was reading over my shoulder as I typed Wednesday's post. "You're really putting yourself out there," he said, meaning I was setting very high goals for myself. That reminded me of what the muskrat said:

"'You've got to be able to make those daring leaps or you're nowhere,' said Muskrat." ~ The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban, 1967

Yes, I've made some pretty big declarations in my blog posts this year. But I need accountability if I'm going to achieve them, and how better to get that than by telling you my plans and posting my outcomes? I'm going to be highly motivated to save face by doing what I say I'm going to do, since I don't want to look foolish. I'm also extremely motivated to be honest with you, since 'honesty is the best policy' and without honesty there really is no accountability.

I am making 'daring leaps' in order to get somewhere. How'm I doing? And how 'bout you? Does this quote inspire you?

A Time for Everything

2012-01-19T08:30:00.001-05:00

I've memorized last week's Bible verse (Proverbs 4:25) and added the following words (in caps) to my post-its: spiritual health, physical health, mental health, relational health, environmental health, and calling. These are all areas that I want to 'fix my eyes on' this year - not that there's anything wrong with my mental health, just to clarify! It's just that all of these areas are interconnected I think.

The verses I'm concentrating on this week are Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 6, which say

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven... A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away (NLT)

Like last week's verse, this one encourages focus. There is a time and season for everything. Key to my goal of decluttering is the point that there is a "time to keep and a time to throw away." I need to decide which things to hang onto - those that have meaning, value (usefulness) and beauty, and which things to disperse - those that take up space but give nothing back. You're going to get tired of hearing me say, "In The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin says..." but in that book, she says, "If you can't find something, clean up." You have no idea how often I've found that to be true. My goal now is to clean things up and have a place for everything, so I don't spend so much of my life looking for things that are missing. As I said in Monday's post, "time is precious - don't waste it." And as this week's verse states, there is "a time to search and a time to quit searching."

ROW80 Check-In

2012-01-18T14:13:00.000-05:00

Can it be Wednesday already?! Where did the time go?

I happy to report that I did get some writing done in the last few days; not as much as I'd hoped to, of course, but better than none, right?

Monday - 289 words, plus five blog posts (not including ROW80 check-ins). I wasn't intending to count blog posts, but it is writing, and since I'm doing so shabbily I have to at least mention it!
Tuesday - zip
Wednesday - 231 words, and counting (if I get more today, I'll edit this)

Well under my 'test mile' of 750 words per day, but like I said, better than no words. I think, though, I'd better drop my daily goal to 500 words, which hopefully will be more achievable. The good news is that I've got a picture book draft done (the one I refer to in my previous post) and am sending it off to my critique group today.

I've also found a new goal-setting tool that should help. I'll tell you more about it once I have the chance to go through the exercises and implement the plan. Look for it on one of my upcoming Writerly Wednesday posts.

Harder ROWing ahead!

Having a Plan

2012-01-18T08:20:00.003-05:00

Looking over my rather ambitious goals in the area of writing, I know I am going to have to have a concrete plan in order to succeed. By now I should have at least started compiling a list of places to submit, drafted an outline of a picture book story, and written approximately 9600 more words than I have managed to commit to paper. I don't include all my blogging in my word counts, just the one-offs. That seems fair for my ROW80 check-ins.

So. A plan is in order. It's great to have goals, but to accomplish them you need objectives (what Gretchen Rubin would call 'resolutions'). Here are mine for the next week:

I've borrowed The Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Guide from the library. On Sunday afternoon I will sit down with it and identify 12-24 markets that might be suitable for my work.
Draft an outline for the picture book idea I had today. I'll do that tomorrow before I forget about it.
Write one piece for the next installment of my church's take-home paper for parents.
Continue working on my short story (750 words a day until it's done).

Last year one of the tools I used to track my writing progress (and to find out about writing contests, etc.) was The Working Writer's Daily Planner. Small Beer Press wasn't going to publish it this year, but did release it this month through lulu.com, both in print and e-book versions. I've just purchased the e-book edition, so hopefully I'll find it as useful as I did in print form.

What are your writing plans for the next week? How do you stay on task and eliminate distractions? What's your best resource for finding out about writing markets and contests?

Making Strides

2012-01-17T08:15:00.008-05:00

Last week I walked a total of 30.5 miles (aka 49 km), thus the pun in the title of this post :) And I lost two pounds over that period. I think a secret of making exercise work is to mix things up a bit so the routine doesn't get stale. I did six different walking programs offered by Leslie Sansone and Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Thankfully, my health has been good so far this year, and I haven't fallen victim to any cold or flu bugs, so I've been able to work out every day. Taking vitamin C and other immune-boosting supplements has been helpful. I didn't remember to take them every day, but I was better than I had been. It helped to keep a daily record for accountability.

I had said I would track my food intake every day and to taper off to 3-4 times weekly. I failed to tabulate it daily, but did manage to log 3-4 times a week for the last two weeks. In continuing to read The Beck Diet for Life , I discovered that people who track their consumption tend to lose twice as much weight as those who don't. Fascinating! Sign me up!!

On Spark People, I signed up for a 5% 8-week challenge with the 17 Day Diet team, and am well on my way to accomplishing that goal. I am continuing to check in with my Facebook group on a regular basis, so am getting lots of support.

If you resolved to get fit and healthy this year, how are you doing with your goals and resolutions? I hope you haven't broken them, but are making strides as I am. We can do this together!

Commandments for Happy Living

2012-01-16T09:22:00.004-05:00

The Old Testament identifies Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and Jesus reduces those to two in the New Testament (Matthew 22:37-39), but in The Happiness Project, which we've been discussing here, author Gretchen Rubin identifies twelve commandments that she "predicted, would help [her] as [she] was struggling to keep [her] resolutions."

Merriam-Webster's online dictionary describes a commandment as

the act or power of commanding
something that is commanded; especially: one of the biblical Ten Commandments

Defined for English-language learners it is

an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave

In terms of Gretchen's use, I think the latter (minus the phrase "given by God") is most helpful - a commandment is a rule that guides our behaviour. A couple of examples of Gretchen's commandments are: 'Act the way I want to feel' and 'Do what ought to be done.' Another way of putting the first is 'If I want to be happy, I have to act happy' (in conjunction with this she spends some time discussing the adage 'fake it until you make it'). 'Do what ought to be done' can be expressed as 'Do the right thing' or 'Do what you know you should do.' Both of these commandments can help us succeed at being happy. Act happy and the feelings will follow (maybe not right away, but eventually). Do what should be done in a situation and you have the gratification of knowing you did what was right, even if it was hard.

At the Happiness Project Toolbox you can find the complete list of commandments Gretchen lives by. Use this, as I am, to construct your own list of rules for happy living. And feel free to share one or two of them here. Here are a couple of mine:

time is precious - make it count
respect myself and others

ROW80 Check-In

2012-01-15T22:10:00.006-05:00

As much as I am tempted to make something up, there's no point in striving for ROW80 success if I'm going to do so. After all, accountability is the point (at least in my books). And even though I could lie, it wouldn't be a very good testimony and would do nothing to spur me forward. If I lie once, I can lie more than once, right? And how would that spur me forward? All this to admit that I did no writing from Thursday-Sunday this week (none that counts here anyway), though with very good reasons that I won't go into here.

This week, my ROW80 goals are:

write at least one of the pieces for the church 'Family Faith Book' (I have three to do all together)
use Snowflake Pro to draft an outline for the short story I started last week
aim for 750 creative writing words a day (my Test Mile)

I'll do better; I just know it.

Positively Friday

2012-01-13T08:20:00.005-05:00

I borrowed a little book from the library recently. It's called What the Dormouse Said: Lessons for Grown-ups from Children's Books, collected by Amy Gash, and over the course of the year, some of the quotes I'll be sharing will come from this compilation. Here's the first:

What you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do. ~from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, 1961

Ain't that the truth?! Sometimes when we say that we can't do this, that, or the other, it's not so much that we can't but that we won't. Hear the distinction?

This ties in very nicely with yesterday's post, I believe. I can grow spiritually, I can develop a regular writing routine, I can find time to exercise and do it, I can get rid of stuff. The question is, will I?

The answer is, yes, I will! This year I choose to do the things I can do! And I'll look back on this helpful little quote every once in a while to cheer myself on.

I am cheering you on, too! What will you do this year that is something you can do?

Proverbs 4:25

2012-01-12T08:20:00.003-05:00

"Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you" is the first verse I am memorizing this year (it's short and easy and I figure success will encourage continued future effort on my part). While the passage goes on to talk about marking out a straight, safe path and not falling into the ways of evil, I am focusing just on this one verse and making a more general application of it to my life.

I'd already started rehearsing the verse daily when my daughter told me she thought my mother and I might have ADD. This was based on her opinion that we tend to get easily distracted during a conversation. At the time Ae observed this, I was driving through our city's downtown area, interested in noting stores I'd never paid attention to before or that had newly opened, while she attempted to pursue a deep theological discussion. Timing is everything, dear girl!

While I'm pretty sure I don't have ADD - I can focus quite nicely when necessary, thank you very much - I admit that I can get distracted from the task at hand. I can be drawn away from writing by dishes in the sink, I can be pulled from house cleaning by surfing the net, and - oops, it's time to go to work - no exercise again! With the opportunity of a new year and a clean slate, I decided to set my mind on the things that I must do if I am going to be successful in 2012. Things like growing spiritually, establishing a disciplined writing routine, getting regular exercise, and decluttering.

I am fixing my eyes like one who moves toward a pinprick of light through a dark tunnel. I am looking straight ahead, pursuing what I am called to do.

Is there a verse that is guiding you this year? If you are willing to share, what are you and God working on together?

ROW80 Check-in

2012-01-11T13:06:00.001-05:00

For those of you who were rightfully disappointed by my first two check-ins, I offer you this more substantial report:

Monday - 756 words
Tuesday - 868 words
Wednesday - 768 words
Total: 2392 words

While these weren't added to my WIP as I'd hoped they would be, they form the beginnings of another story I wanted to write this year, a short Christmas romance. I'm kind of excited about it because some of my readers had wanted to hear more about Ray and Mary Jo, the main characters in my first published short story, A Ray for Mary Jo ('No Law Against Love' - Highland Press, 2006. I think it's out of print now, but you can still get my story online as an e-book - just google A Ray for Mary Jo and my name and it should come up in several places). This sequel picks up six months after that story's conclusion, and I can tell you it's going to be pretty exciting stuff! Of course what I've written so far is drivel without edits, but the creative juices are stirring, and that's a start!

Reading List

2012-01-11T08:15:00.016-05:00

I forgot to mention that one of my goals for 2012 is to read one book a month on the subject of writing. I decided to keep it real and eliminate the summer months, so plan (and hope!) to read ten writing books this year. Lucky for me, when I checked my goodreads account, I had ten such books on my to-read list. Here they are, in no particular order:

Bird by Bird: some instructions on writing and life by Anne Lamott
Inspired Creative Writing: Pokes and Prods for Scribblers of all Stripes by Alexander Gordon Smith
No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty
On Writing Well: the Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction by William Knowlton Zinsser
Plot and Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot that Grips Readers from Start to Finish by James Scott Bell
Save the Cat!: the Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
The Secret Miracle: the Novelist's Handbook edited by Daniel Alarcon
So You Want to Write a Children's Book: an insider's handbook for children's writers and illustrators who want to get published by Peter Carver
War of Art: Break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles by Steven Pressfield
Zen in the Art of Writing: releasing the Creative Genius within you by Ray Bradbury

I know it seems like I'm kind of all over the map in terms of my writing interests, but that's how I roll! :) And while I may have bitten off more than I can chew, as the saying goes, "If you aim for nothing, you're bound to hit it every time." Even if I only read 5 or 6 books, that's better than none.

If you're a writer, what's the best book on writing you've ever read, and/or what books do you plan to read on writing this year?

Resolved to Be Healthy and Fit

2012-01-10T08:35:00.005-05:00

A well-known saying is, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This applies to so many areas of life it can be mind-boggling if you think about it. It certainly applies to health and fitness. My overarching goals here are to boost my immune system so I don't get sick; build my bone density; increase muscle and reduce fat; have more energy; and lose 15 pounds by the end of June so I look and feel better. I listed some of my resolutions(with observable and measurable outcomes) last week, but now that I've had a chance to think about it more, I'll add the following :

Blog a minimum of 5x per week (on Spark People)
Take 2 calcium supplements daily
Take vitamin D daily
Take vitamin C daily
Take Cold-FX as soon as I start feeling run down
Take flu preventative weekly
Weigh in daily
No more than two cups of coffee a day
Drink teas that are high in anti-oxidants
Read affirmation cards daily (based on The Beck Diet for Life)

I have listed all of these on the site I mentioned yesterday for easy tracking.

So, how did I do in my first week? Well, I didn't track my food intake at all, and some of my resolutions I didn't hit on until this Monday, so let's just say I did well on my daily blogging, weigh-in, and cardio activity. In fact, I walked 26.59 miles (42.79 km) and also did quite a bit with weights! How's that for resolve?!

Thinking About Happiness

2012-01-09T08:30:00.019-05:00

Most of us want to be happy, but how much time do we actually spend thinking about it in ways that are productive? Enter Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, who has thankfully done much of the research and thinking for us. Formerly a lawyer and now a full-time writer, Gretchen was riding the bus one day when it occurred to her that dedicating a year to improving her happiness would be beneficial. “I wasn’t as happy as I could be," she says, "and my life wasn’t going to change unless I made it change.” Sounds like a "Splendid Truth" to me!

I've finished reading the book now, and look forward to discussing it with a couple of my neighbours on Friday as we launch our Book Club - woot! I personally thought it was a fantastic read, one that has motivated me to consider my own happiness and what steps I can take to increase it this year. As I read through the book I started thinking about the people and things that make me happy and identifying when I'm happiest, which are important first steps in setting a plan. I haven't completely formulated my goals and resolutions yet by any means, but what I have done is registered my intention to do a happiness project by signing up at http://www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com/, a site Gretchen created for people just like me (and you). Here you'll find the tools she used to successfully complete her project - a place where you can list your resolutions, personal commandments, secrets of adulthood, etc.

Since I am happiest when I am healthy and fit, I've decided to devote January to exercise and weight loss. Let's talk more about these tomorrow, Fit Tuesday!

By the way, do you agree with Gretchen's belief that there are action steps we can take to improve our happiness, or do you think that our happiness is dictated by our circumstances and/or the people in our lives?

ROW80 Check-In

2012-01-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, I did tell you that I mightn't get around to implementing my ROW80 plan until Monday this week, and apart from writing my blog posts it's true that I didn't do any writing of note. Tomorrow I will begin in earnest, and Wednesday will check in with my progress. Stay tuned for something worth reading!

Summing it Up

2012-01-07T08:15:00.001-05:00

So, just to recap, what can you expect from me in the coming year?

Happy Mondays,
Fit Tuesdays,
Writerly Wednesdays,
Heavenly Thursdays,
Positively Fridays,
one-off posts as life happens, and
reminders to look for me at Inscribe on the 30th of every month

As always your responses and feedback are welcome. I will try to do a better job of replying to individual comments this year, so if you leave a comment, do check back later for a reply!

Hope you have a great weekend, and see you Monday!

TGIPF [aka Thank Goodness It's Positively Friday(s)]

2012-01-06T08:14:00.002-05:00

Each Friday I plan to leave you with an inspirational or positive quote to think about over the weekend. Whether you've had a great week or a rough one, it's good to end the week on an uplifting note. If the quote has special meaning for me, I'll share that with you, but sometimes the quote may stand alone, with no immediate personal reflection.

Today's quote is

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.Dream. Discover" ~ Mark Twain

"Catch the trade winds in your sails": that's my prayer for you in 2012.

Shalom, Heavenly Thursdays

2012-01-05T08:13:00.002-05:00

Every Thursday I'll look at the spiritual side of life. At the moment I'm not sure what that will look like, but it might mean sharing something I've read in Scripture, heard in a sermon, or read in a book. Maybe I'll tell you something about my personal journey or struggles I'm having on the road to spiritual growth. I believe that the spiritual aspect of life is the most important one and informs all other areas. To develop and strengthen this component, I hope to:

memorize one new verse each week
read the Bible regularly (I'd like to say every day, but I'm not convinced I'll be that 'good')
pray regularly
read a daily devotional
read Living God's Word and apply what I learn
continue attending church regularly and participating actively in church life
pursue friendships with other women who share my faith

What strategies do you use to grow in your faith life?

ROW80 Check-In

2012-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:00

We're supposed to check in on Wednesdays and Sundays with our ROW80 progress, so here I am, keeping my commitment to the program. Mind you, the check in is all I've done so far this week, apart from my initial post about joining. I haven't written anything apart from my blogs, which I'm not counting in my "Test Mile" word count. Yesterday I took my mom home after her holiday visit with us. I stayed overnight, and just got back in time to go to work. Then my family needed me. All being well, I'll get started tomorrow. It's a little awkward with the kids off school. I do promise that, if I don't start before, I'll start on Monday when they go back.

Now to go visit a few other ROW80 blogs. Hopefully my new friends are doing better than I am!

Meet Writerly Wednesdays

2012-01-04T08:13:00.005-05:00

Wednesdays you'll find me talking about writing, offering a writing prompt, and/or updating you on my writing progress. In addition to blogging daily during the week, my writing goals for 2012 include:

participating in 12 x 12, the challenge issued by blogger Julie Hedlund to write 12 picture book drafts in 12 months
participating in PiBoIdMo in November
completing my adult novel
completing part 3 of a short story for adults
writing a new Christmas-themed short story for adult readers
making a list of publishers to submit to, and submitting something at least twice a month
participating in at least 3-4 writing contests
meeting with my writers' collective(s) once a month
leading my church's Creative Writing Team, and writing for its projects
attending one writers' conference focused on children's writing, and one focused on writing for adults
(possibly) signing up for a writing class at my local community college

If you're a writer, what are your writing goals for this year?

Hale, Fit Tuesdays

2012-01-03T08:12:00.005-05:00

Yes, the pun ("hale" for "hail", if you caught it) was intended! :)

Anyway, one of my goals for this year is to increase and improve my fitness level. On Tuesdays I'll share what I'm learning and report on how I'm doing.

Ways I plan to accomplish this goal:

30 minutes aerobic activity per day - this could mean walking, using my elliptical exerciser, taking an exercise class, or working out with Leslie Sansone, Denise Austin, or Jillian Michaels.
track food intake (every day at first, then maybe 3-4 times a week)
get encouragement from others who are on the same journey (Facebook group, Spark People, etc.)
read books like The Beck Diet for Life and The 17-Day Diet, and apply suggested techniques
read books by people who've been successful in this area, like Fat Chance by Julie Hadden, Unlimited by Jillian Michaels, and Believe It, Be It by Ali Vincent.

Anyone else have this same goal? What's your plan for success?

ROWing to the Finish Line(s)

2012-01-02T21:45:00.001-05:00

I started hearing about ROW80 last year. In case you're hearing about it for the first time, ROW80 is billed as "the writing challenge that knows you have a life." The idea, apparently, is to set writing goals for yourself (like 500 words a day), and to check in with other ROWers twice a week over a period of 80 days for the purpose of mutual encouragement and accountability.

I decided I'd join the first round in 2012 and signed up. So here are my two main goals for ROW80:

write a minimum of 750 words a day
finish the first draft of my novel by my birthday (mid-May). Even though this round of ROW80 wraps up March 22, if it's working well I can sign up for future rounds as well.

Here I go, ROWing my typing hands off!

Introducing...Happy Mondays

2012-01-02T08:12:00.002-05:00

I'm half-way through Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project, and it's definitely setting me on the path of change. One of the book's comments is that successful bloggers blog every day. I know there are bloggers who do this - sometimes posting even more than once a day! I admire them, and certainly want to be successful, so this year I'm going to give daily (weekday) posts a try.

I've noticed that some bloggers write on regular themes (a different theme for each day of the week) and I thought I'd do the same. It'll give structure and consistency to my blog and allow me to prepare more easily ahead of time. Over the course of this week, I'll introduce my themes so you can know what to expect.

On "Happy Mondays" I'll share what I'm learning from Gretchen's book and describe my own Happiness projects. I already have lots of ideas about things I want to do to increase my happiness level in 2012. To clarify, it's not that I'm unhappy, but one can always be more happy, right?

Don't worry, I'll continue writing one-off posts as life happens. But I do hope you'll enjoy the new format and predictability I also plan to offer.

See you tomorrow!

New Year's Traditions

2012-01-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, the only New Year's traditions we observed were to stay up until midnight New Year's Eve (most years, and especially if there was something happening at the church) and to have a special meal (only marginally scaled down from Christmas dinner) with family on New Year's Day. Over the last several years our family has done very little to mark the passage of one year to another, often going to bed before midnight on the Eve, but retaining the special dinner on January 1st. Last night we were supposed to go to a friend's, but after she called and said she wouldn't be able to pull it together, we had our New Year's Eve meal at home and stayed up watching Kung Fu Panda 2 and Mr. Popper's Penguins before having hot chocolate at 11:30 p.m. and watching the NYC year-end countdown online.

This year I decided to up the New Year's traditions by starting the year off with scrambled eggs, Red River cereal, and raisin toast, all of which can represent the idea of fertility (eggs = life, grains = a multiplicity like sand or stars, raisins/grapes = abundance). In 2012 I hope for a fertile imagination, productivity in many areas, and if not wealth to share, at least a lack of poverty (especially poverty of spirit). I expect we will relax for much of the day, then have our New Year's meal. I haven't any planned symbolism there, except for concluding with my mother's old-fashioned English pudding (filled with a plethora of fruits and spices --> prosperity) and fortune cookies (just for fun, as I don't put any credence in their contents).

If it stops raining, I'll throw open the windows a bit (out with the old and in with the new), and I plan to change the sheets on our beds (fresh start?). Though I don't believe these actions alter anything, we English majors are very big on symbolism! :)

A common New Year's tradition observed by many people (and promptly broken by most) is the making of resolutions. I have fallen prey to this myself in the past, but in recent years have moved toward the setting of goals instead, which I think is less likely a set up for failure. Check back every day this week to find out what some of my goals are for the coming year.

What are your New Year's traditions? Are you making any resolutions? Please share. You may inspire me and my readers!

Farewell, 2011

2011-12-31T08:14:00.003-05:00

Just a short post to end the year. I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas (or whatever holiday you may celebrate at this season). Although my Christmas was fairly small and quiet, it was enjoyable. Everyone was happy with the gifts they received, which is always a relief (just ask my colleague, whose sons had asked for "fun" "surprise" gifts and then were disgruntled with the results). And I was happy with mine, too - an e-reader (the Nook Simple Touch), a Cuisinart grill, and a Tea Master and loose teas from Teaopia.

2011 was a good year. I won't review it in detail, but acknowledge the highlight of getting our puppy, Jazz, in the summer. He brings delight and laughter to our lives.Tonight our family will bring the year to a relaxing close with dinner together, followed by Kung Fu Panda 2 and maybe some board games.

I don't know what 2012 holds - some think the end of the world - but I look forward to embracing it, and wish all my readers the very best in the months to come.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Today

2011-12-30T11:59:00.001-05:00

Today you'll find me at Inscribe where I'm talking about how God's been working on me over the last year, and how I expect He'll continue His good work in me in the months that lie ahead. I hope you'll stop by and share the things that God is doing in your life!

Remembering Grandma

2011-12-14T14:09:00.004-05:00

Today would mark my grandmother's 106th birthday if she were still alive. Alas, she died almost 10 years ago, just six weeks after her 96th birthday. A good age, to be sure, but we miss her.

Born Clara Priscilla, a member of the O'Brien family of Noel, Nova Scotia, Grandma was a great story-teller. Perhaps that's where I learned my love of story and why today I am a writer. Certainly, my grandparents were the first to take me to the library when I was only three years old.
Grandma had fond memories of her childhood, and particularly of the family's Newfoundland dog, Major. He saved her life twice - once from drowning, the second time from a snake. His death, when he had to be put down (shot after being gravely wounded in a fight with another dog) was a blow. The sudden passing of her beloved brother Bill (killed by the Montreal Flyer) when she was seven, was followed three years later by the death of her father, and the 'homegoing' of her mother only three years after that. The youngest in a family of eight surviving children, she and her older sister, Gertie, were left to fend for themselves.

With a genealogy linked to the Chisholms, the clan motto came to suit Grandma well. "I am fierce with the fierce!" She fought off the advances of a lecherous stepfather, worked her fingers to the bone as a factory employee, and broke off an engagement when it was clear the pair were spiritually incompatible. After marrying and becoming pregnant, her first child was stillborn. Three other children were born during the Great Depression. Through it all, my grandmother persevered, and gave the glory to God, not her own strength.

I could talk about my grandmother for hours, but will save more of her story for a later day. At the Christmas season we want to think of glorious hope and not the sadness of loss. But if over the holiday I get to enjoy a Demet's Turtle candy (Grandma's chocolate of choice), I have a plan to overcome the necessary pang. I'll raise it high and with an upward glance say, "Cheers!", then silently, "I love you, Grandma."

Campaigner Book Published!

2011-12-08T12:57:00.001-05:00

From August to October this year I was involved in Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign. Well, Katharina Gerlach, one of the campaigners, offered to compile a bunch of our flash fiction stories into a book to raise money for "Help Harry Help Others," a fundraising organization founded by Harry Moseley, an 11-year-old boy, who recently died of an inoperable brain tumor. Funds raised go to Cancer Research UK. Since my grandfather had meningioma, this cause is very dear to my heart.

The book is on sale for $2.99 through the following online vendors:

Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/Campaigner-Challenges-2011-ebook/dp/B0066UV28C

Amazon (UK): http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0066UV28C

Amazon (Germany): http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0066UV28C

Amazon (France): http://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0066UV28C

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/104468

Barnes & Nobel: [To be advised on receipt]

I hope you enjoy it!

How to Kill Someone

2011-12-02T09:00:00.002-05:00

Now that's a fine title for the days leading up to Christmas, isn't it? But of course my post isn't going to offer instructions for how to commit murder. No, 'How to Kill Someone in 300 pages or less" - that is, how to write mystery fiction for young readers - was the theme of the third PYI workshop I attended back in November.

According to the session's instructor, author Kevin Sylvester, character is the most important aspect in writing a successful mystery. Your character must be imbued with an attribute that enables him or her to solve cases, and you must know your character well before setting off into plot, since plots revolve around character attributes. When, for example, I think about one of my favourite mystery series, M.C. Beaton's Agatha Raisin, I realize that it's Agatha's bull-headed stubbornness and somewhat bumbling ways that make her a successful detective.

Kevin suggests that every 30 pages the plot should move forward a huge step with a big clue that moves the plot forward to the next big clue. This keeps the reader engaged and interested in the story. Don't make the plot too complicated, or you will lose your readers, and for the same reason, don't include gratuitous violence.

Your audience should be able to come up with a list of possible killers (or criminals), who have both motive and means to commit the crime. These suspects should be convincing suspects, and eliminated as late as possible in the story in order to keep the reader guessing. The reader should be able to follow along, making his or her own deductions and drawing a conclusion based on his or her attention to details. And you should never make the guilty party someone the reader hasn't already met, or who has only played a minor role in the book - that's just cheating.

I've loved reading cozy mysteries and want to try writing one sometime. Much of what Kevin said confirms my experience as a reader of mysteries, but I learned a couple of things that will be helpful to me in getting started. I like a man who is willing to admit that his own first mystery (Neil Flambe and the Marco Polo Murders) wasn't very good. I think I'll go and read it now.

Today

2011-11-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Today you will find me over at Inscribe, where I'm talking about planning tools for writers. Do stop by and chime in with your own tools and tricks of the trade!

Writing Challenge Response

2011-11-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I issued a challenge. Apparently it was too difficult, or my readers were too busy getting ready for American Thanksgiving, or starting to think about Christmas, since I didn't get any takers. So I'll just share what I came up with in my own response to the challenge. Here it is:

We were almost home when it happened. That night no other vehicles appeared on that stretch of black highway, no stars shone, no lamps lit our path. The car radio had long since ceased to receive any signal, and the baby slept in the back seat, his little mouth forming an O as he breathed in and out in the sweet slumber of innocence. My brother, Dave, commanded the vehicle, his head barely poking over the steering wheel to see through the windshield, his hands at ten and two o’clock, his knuckles white. An unlit cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth; he leaned forward in his seat, eyes bulging with the effort of staying awake. Or was it fear? He looked very like one of frogs I’d seen Dad squeeze in his bare hands before killing it for frog-leg soup. But Dad wouldn’t be killing anything no more.

used sentence starter -check
150 words exactly
Long sentences - check
two style devices - alliteration, simile - check
cliffhanger ending - check

Hearty Historical Fiction

2011-11-21T16:00:00.081-05:00

The second workshop I attended at the recent PYI conference had to do with writing Historical Fiction for young people. Caroline Pignat, author of Greener Grass, set during the Irish potato famine, was the session's inspiring and informative leader. Defining 'historical' merely as any "time period your readers haven't lived in," she posits that the purpose of Historical Fiction is to narrate events accurately so that, through the protagonist's perspective, your reader comes to feel part of history.

Pignat suggested several starting points for stories, including artifacts, locales, and cemeteries. For stories that rely on history to build a plot, much research will be necessary. If you can conduct your research on site, you can gain many setting details and involve all the senses. Many resources are available without visiting a location, however, through primary sources such as diaries and letters, civil records, and ship lists, as well as newspaper articles from the time. Always double-check your sources, she advises, to avoid the possibility of getting it wrong, and to make sure they are credible. Note your sources (i.e. keep a bibliography), and jot character and plot ideas as you research.

There was more, of course. After all, the workshop was an hour and fifteen minutes long, and Pignat was thorough in her presentation. But I'll bore you if I recite each detail (reading this is not nearly as interesting as listening to Pignat share her knowledge and experiences), so I'll just relay a final point that I found practical: when you think you have a story idea, find out what has already been written on the subject, and determine what makes (or could make) your angle different. Publishers are not receptive to books that tell a story that's already been told, especially if it's already been told well. Your idea and approach must be unique.

So, am I ready to write a historical novel? Well, probably not quite, though the class hand-out was excellent, and I know more than I did a couple of weeks ago. I've got some ideas, though, and I'm going to mull them over for a while. From Pignat's recipe, I'm going to make me some hearty historical fiction stew. Maybe someday I'll even give you a taste of it.

A Question of Style, and a Challenge

2011-11-14T13:48:00.006-05:00

Just over a week ago I was at PYI (Packaging Your Imagination) in Toronto. The one-day conference is an annual event put on by CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Peformers). Over the next little while I'll be posting what I learned there. Today's focus is on style, and the topic was presented by award-winning author, Sarah Ellis.

Sarah had delivered a knock-out introductory speech, so I had very high hopes for the "master class" she was giving on the subject of style. It was the first year PYI had offered such a worskhop and Sarah admitted she wasn't sure what to expect (or perhaps, what was expected). By the way, I have the utmost respect and admiration for Ellis as a writer and speaker, so what follows is in no way intended as a personal criticism.

We'd been asked to bring our WIP (work in progress) with us, so I anticipated that the master class would be limited to about a dozen people, and we'd be sharing our work with one another with an eye to style issues. As soon as I saw the class would be held in the chapel, though, I knew we were dealing with a larger number of participants and I wasn't sure how it could be a hands-on affair. The answer is, it couldn't.

The idea of using our WIPs was jettisoned immediately - "it wasn't going to work." Instead, we would analyze the work of another writer, then free-write to a story prompt.

I was disappointed, as was the author friend with whom I attended the conference. This is what we "learned":

The Elements of Style by Strunk & White is the writers' "Bible"
the ear trumps everything - read work aloud
the child reader is absolutely attuned to style
use more Anglo-Saxon than Latin origin words (okay, so I hadn't heard this before, but really, am I going to investigate the etymology of every work I select? Does anyone?)
use a small gesture to assign character attribution instead of "he said" "she said" tagging (can't say I'd heard that before, and it might be helpful, but it's not BIG)
break rules

Except where noted, nothing we hadn't heard or read before, and therefore not worthy of being "master class" material. "Master class" implies you're already accomplished as a writer and seek to develop at a higher level. I think participation should have been restricted to a smaller number of people, and some criteria applied (e.g. have published work, submit a piece that demonstrates skill level, etc.). Hopefully this is the kind of feedback the good people at CANSCAIP received in the post-conference survey.

Now here's your writing challenge: Start with the statement, "We were almost home when it happened..." (this was our story prompt). In no more than 150 words, write a piece that contains long sentences, at least two style devices (identify them at the end of your submission), and a cliff-hanger conclusion. Post it on your blog, and leave a comment on my blog with a link to your post. I'll read through them and choose a winner November 30th. The successful entrant will be interviewed on my blog the week of December 6th. And, who knows? Maybe I'll come up with another prize as well :)

In Remembrance

2011-11-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

I can't add anything to this - thanks Terry Kelly, for saying what I hope most of us feel. On November 11, please take time to remember our courageous veterans. And may God bless our men and women in uniform.

I've Been Memed!

2011-11-07T08:00:00.004-05:00

E-gads, I've been memed - and by two different people in the space of a few days!! No idea what that means? Welcome to the club! And as I always go to my trusty online dictionary when I'm stumped for a definition, I discovered that 'meme' isn't even a verb - it's a noun! And it means: 'an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.' Of course, we all know that language today is evolving at an exponential rate, so apparently even the online dictionary (at least the one I use) hasn't caught on to the word's new usage as a verb.

Anyway, in this case, I think the fact that I've been memed means that I've been given a template to fill in, then pass along for others to do the same. Thanks to Elizabeth Anne and Maeve Frazier for tagging me in 'a very interesting and introspective meme'. Thanks for reading my blog, Elizabeth and Maeve, and for the opportunity to share my responses to some very thoughtful questions!

I’m supposed to answer the following, and then 'meme' three other people. If I meme you, you’re then obligated to answer the same questions and meme three other people. And so on and so on into infinity - if you can wrap your head around that, you're a better person than I am. I like 'into infinity' so much better than 'ad nauseum', though, don't you? LOL

So – the questions. Not of the simple ‘dash off a response and move on’ variety. These take some consideration.

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

Not really a 'moment', but a day - the day of my wedding. At the time, I was sure I'd never forget the details, but as time passed (and not that much time either!), the details faded. If I could, I'd relive the day exactly as it happened, and write everything down in a journal within a couple of days as a joint project with my hubby.

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

Not too long ago I could actually answer that question. Now I'm not so sure I'd change anything. Although I haven't always made the right decisions, the fact is I've learned from those experiences and that learning has made me who I am today. I've come to understand that we actually learn more from doing things wrong than by doing them right. That's not to say I want to continue making mistakes, I just don't want to make the same ones over and over again.

What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality?

This was the toughest question in the bunch, so I got a little help by googling 'which TV mom am I?' The answer? I am Lois from Malcolm in the Middle. The description? "From coming up with punishments to putting together interesting combinations of leftovers for dinner, there's never any doubt who's running the show at home: It's you. You're pragmatic and proficient, but keeping your kids in line, keeping them fed, and keeping within your budget probably leaves you feeling harried. Sometimes after shouting out orders or admonishments, you might feel more like a monster than a mother. But there's never any doubt that you love your kids and are a mama bear when it comes to protecting them: just ask anyone who's ever tried to criticize them. You've got an extra sense for sniffing out trouble and are a genius when it comes to coming up with tricks for nipping it in the bud." This may not be 100 percent accurate, but it's not far off :)

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would you choose?

Now that wouldn't be very nice, would it? I don't think I could push anyone off a cliff, whether I could get away with it or not, unless my own life, or the life of someone else, was in danger.

Name one habit you want to change in yourself.

That's easy. I want more self-discipline.

Why do you blog? (Answer in one sentence)

I blog as a way to articulate my thoughts and experiences, connect with others, make new friends, and build a platform for my writing.

And now the three people I'm sending this to are:

I hope you'll stop by and visit their blogs!

Calling All Picture Book Writers!

2011-11-03T11:00:00.001-04:00

If you're a writer, you've probably heard about NaNoWriMo, right? If not - where have you been?! - head here to find out more. But did you know about PiBoIdMo? I hadn't either until today (thanks Elizabeth!), just in time to register before the deadline, which is...um...today.

PiBoIdMo is the brain child of children's author, Tara Lazar, as the "picture book writer's answer to NaNoWriMo". It runs every November on her blog, and the purpose of the event is for writers to generate 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. To learn more and to register, visit Tara here right now.

I'll be tracking my ideas with a tally count on my blog's sidebar.

Anyone plan to join me? Come on - it'll be fun!

Today

2011-10-31T17:34:00.001-04:00

Since September I've been posting on the 31st of the month at InScribe Writers Online. My post for this month is called A Legacy of Faith. Stop by and say hello!

Writing Challenge Three

2011-10-21T10:55:00.004-04:00

The third writing challenge in the Platform Building Campaign invites participants to write a blog post in 300 words or less (excluding the title). The post should show (not tell) that it's morning, that a man or a woman (or both) is at the beach, that the main character is bored, that something stinks behind where he/she is sitting, and that something surprising happens. For an added challenge, the post can involve all five senses AND include the random words "synbatec," "wastopaneer," and "tacise." (NB. these words are completely made up and are not intended to have any meaning other than the one the author gives them).

So, here you go - I've done it in exactly 300 words. I'd be interested in knowing if you think I'm successful in showing, not telling, and if you think all five senses manage to get covered. If you like my piece, I invite you to vote for it at Rachael's site. Mine is #92.

Beware the Synbatec

Sally sighed as she traced her name in the sand. Why had she agreed to come? Her husband might be sitting only inches away, but he might as well have been on Mars.

She poked him. "Endrigo?"

"Ouch." He stopped texting to rub his arm where she'd jabbed him. "Qué? I have to get this message off."

"Yes, I know. New York is waiting. But what about me? What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. Why don't you go look for seashells? Or buy us a couple of pretzels?" He shielded his eyes from the sun. "I only need a couple more minutes here, okay? Then I'm all yours." He pulled her close and kissed her shoulder before turning back to his iPhone.

"Yeah, wastopaneer, baby," Sally muttered, as she rose to her feet and wrapped her towel around her waist. “Something stinks here anyway.” She looked around to try to identify the source of the smell. Maybe it was Endrigo - or more likely, their marriage.

Sally’s flip-flops kicked up sand as she trudged toward the pretzel cantina. High overhead gulls shrilled with anticipation.

“Two pretzels, por favor,” she told the brown-skinned man behind the counter. “One with mustard, one without.”

As he handed Sally her order in exchange for pesos, the vendor leaned forward. “Beware the synbatec,” he whispered.

“The synbatec?” she echoed.

The man nodded and turned.

Heading back toward Endrigo, Sally bit into her pretzel. The vendor’s warning rang in her ears. She’d have to ask her husband about it. He’d know what the synbatec was.

Deep in thought, she nearly tripped over Endrigo’s towel. Now where had he got to? She sniffed the air. Something really stank.

From behind a hand clapped over her mouth. She bit it long enough to gasp, “Tacise!”

Your Last Line

2011-10-18T10:44:00.002-04:00

I was reading my new friend Maeve's blog the other day, and decided to piggyback on her theme - to wit, epitaphs, and what I'd like mine to be.

We talk a lot about first lines in the writing world - that "hook" that captures the reader and draws him in. First lines are important. But so are the conclusions one draws when one puts the book down. What word or phrase captures the essence of the story, or serves as a reaction?

It's the same in life. We are drawn into the world at birth, and then live out a story. Sometimes stuff happens to us; sometimes we make things happen. When we come to the end of our tale, though, what do we want said of us? How do we want to have lived? And are we actually living that way?
Maeve chose "Construction Completed (Thanks for Your Patience)!" as her epitaph. I'm still mulling over what I'd like mine to be. "She loved and is loved"? "She walked the talk"? Hopefully both are true!

My favourite epitaph, though not a happy one, is found in a cemetery in Noel, Nova Scotia (see photo). It reads:

Here lies one gone to visit the regions of the dead.

Robert O'Brien
Died September 14th, 1833
Aged 38

Stop, poor sinner, stop and think
Before you farther go.
Will you sport upon the brink
of everlasting woe?

I think about Robert O'Brien and wonder how he lived. Did he "sport upon the brink" or was his life one of concern for the eternity of others? To me it sounds like the former and these lines were put here by his despairing parents. That I'll never actually know only adds to the sad mystery.

What about you? Have you thought about this at all? How would you like your epitaph to read?

Communication Breakdown (aka Stood Up)

2011-10-12T14:29:00.003-04:00

It's amazing that with today's connectedness - aka technological overload - communication can still break down. Not only am I thinking of the current international Blackberry snafu, though that's certainly on my mind (my husband owns one of those gizmos and is one of the people who's been affected), but of the more mundane breaks in communication .

Today I was stood up. Thankfully, not by my conscientious spouse, but by a friend I don't get to see very often. We both love words and writing - subjects that we even planned to talk about - so you'd quite naturally think, "Communication? No problem." Alas, a problem it was. I was looking forward to seeing her and I didn't get to.

Now perhaps she hit a snag - maybe she got ill from eating too much turkey over the weekend (it was Thanksgiving here in Canada). Maybe she ran into transportation issues. Maybe she got a call from her son's school and had to drop everything. I don't know. I hope to hear from her soon and find out what happened.

Still, I think we need a better communication system. Not just she and I, but probably everyone. Should we rely simply on e-mail? Or our Blackberry device or land line? Facebook or other social networking tools? Or should we be using a combination of these things?

One thing I know - I'll be putting her home and cell phone numbers into my cell phone address book, so that next time - assuming there is a next time (and no, this isn't a friendship-breaker) - I'll be able to call her right away to find out if something's come up or she's simply forgotten our date.

It was hard to leave my heart-broken little puppy dog who loves me so much. He is so mournful. I would have felt better about it if our coffee date had panned out...

Mind you, I think it's just the second time I've been stood up entirely - though I've had to wait on someone a while -so in the grand scheme of things, I guess I've done pretty well. And on the plus side, I'm getting to update my blog while I wait for my work shift to begin!

Do you have any 'stood up' stories? Or know a way to reduce the chances that you'll be left standing? Please share!

Today

2011-10-03T11:01:00.003-04:00

Today you can find me over at Jest Kept Secret where I am interviewed by Jess Byam, the blog's creator. Jess has a quasi-regular feature called Before they Were Published. I had a lot of fun doing the interview, and I hope you have as much fun reading it!

A Delicate Balance

2011-09-28T14:00:00.001-04:00

For the record, I knew the place was bad, but I didn't think it was that bad. Alas, it took two hard-working cleaners an hour and a half to clean just my three-piece basement bathroom and the family room. Admittedly, they were very thorough, working from top to bottom, picking up and cleaning every nicknack. The company they are employed by prides itself on going the extra mile and giving your home the tlc it deserves. But still - it's hard not to feel like a domestic failure.

As a little-published, (aspiring) author, I know it's important to write every day - preferably for three hours. Personally, I haven't yet committed that amount of time, which is in itself a problem. But it's also important to look after family and home, and to meet my obligations to employment outside the home.

This begs the question: how does one balance all of these responsibilities? And is it indeed possible to do so? What works for you? Have you found a solution? If so, I'm sure many of us would be grateful if you'd share how you maintain that delicate balance. If not, please feel free to commisserate in your comment...

Writing Challenge Two

2011-09-26T09:12:00.004-04:00

The second writing challenge in the Platform-Building campaign invites participants to write a blog post in 200 words or less (excluding the title). The post must include the word "imago" in the title, as well as these four words - miasma, lacuna, oscitate, and synchronicity. For added challenges, the post should make reference to a mirror and be exactly 200 words. This time my post meets all of the requirements and additional challenges! I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to vote here by 'liking' my piece - it's number 110 on the list.

Death of the Imago

Jill sat on the floor hugging her knees, her back pressed into the firm frame of the couch. Her life had changed forever in the last 48 hours and the miasma of her mother's impending funeral hung over her. Tomorrow she would get up in front of a crowd of strangers and offer a eulogy. She didn't know what she would say. She was still non-plussed by the lacuna her "father" had filled in - that he was actually her grandfather, and that her "sister" who'd suddenly passed away was her biological mother. The synchronicity of this information coming to light at the same time that Jill was completing her thesis on the subject of adoption and family secrets was remarkable.

And now there was this imago to look at, to hold up to a mirror. There was nothing else to say – the imago was shattered. How could her mother/grandmother have kept such a thing hidden, even on her deathbed? And how could her sister/mother have kept silent?

Now that Jill thought about it, there might have been times her mother verged on spilling the truth. She would open her mouth as if to speak, then oscitate with false exaggeration.

Poll Results

2011-09-20T19:00:00.013-04:00

The results are in, and apparently I'm back to the drawing board on the subject of taglines. A third of the respondents didn't like any of the choices offered, and the rest were closely split between the three options. I have to admit that I myself wasn't sold on any of them, and would have voted with those who selected "None of the above." "Stuff" was a little too vague or colloquial for my liking, "Sense and nonsense" implies that some of what I write is nonsense (I know there are some less serious posts, but hope they're not completely ridiculous), and "from the Deep Heart's Core" is just a mite too serious.
So...back to square one. I'm going to offer a few new choices and create a fresh poll. I do want to tie the tagline to the main title of my blog - Notes from Innisfree - so let me just remind you of the William Butler Yeats' poem that the title is based on:

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Now if you'd cast your vote on the new poll, I'd greatly appreciate it. If you have any additional comments on the selections, or any suggestions of your own, please leave them below!

On the Subject of Lists

2011-09-15T07:36:00.001-04:00

I have two e-lists posted on my computer. One reads like this:

Mon- bathrooms
Tues- bedrooms
Wed- lr/dr
Thurs- basement
Fri- kitchen
Sat- laundry

The other like this:

Mon- bootcamp
Tues- Leslie
Wed- Leslie
Thurs- weights
Fri- elliptical
Sat- elliptical
Sun- weights

I'm sure you can figure out the theme for each list.

I have another list, scribbled on a piece of paper somewhere. It reads something like this:

work on children's picture book story for children's writing conference
work on adult novel
submit picture book mss to publishers
submit to writing contests
work on Family Faith Book for church
work on blog posts
work on annual Christmas letter

Lists are great tools for organizing. As with anything else, though, the main problem with them is that it's the "doing" that counts. And until recently I've been less than stellar at implementation. I'm improving on the writing list. And lately I've been doing a little more walking (though nothing like the regimented schedule I propose). While I have a long way to go at succeeding on the domestic front, so far this week I am right on track.

So, this begs the question: do you like writing lists? Do they keep you on task? If not, how do you stay focused and disciplined at setting and reaching goals?

I'm a Versatile Blogger

2011-09-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Karen deBlieck over at Simply Scribblings, I've received a "Versatile Blogger" award! Woot!

The rules for accepting the award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it.

Here we go:

SEVEN things about myself:

Work part-time so I can get more writing done and have more time with my family.
Have a Masters Degree in Library Science
Have never been outside North America.
Have been married 18 years this month.
Have two terrific teens.
Have an Abyssinian guinea pig and a Boston Terrier pup.
Enjoy walking for exercise

Recently discovered blogs:

Writing Challenge One

2011-09-11T12:43:00.001-04:00

I told you I had more to learn about this whole Platform-Building Campaign thing. I missed the instructions and the deadline for the first writing challenge. Alas. I think my entry had the potential to be a prize-winner, too.

Our first challenge was to write a 200-word story starting with the words "The door swung open". For an added challenge we could end with the words "The door swung shut". Another added challenge was to write the story using exactly 200 words. Here's my piece, which meets two of the three challenges. I look forward to your comments!

The door swung open. I stuck my head in and looked around, rapping on the door so as not to startle anyone who might be home.

It seemed a typical bungalow – kitchen, living room and dining room near the front door, bedrooms toward the back of the house, I supposed. All I needed was a bathroom. I hadn’t expected to take such a long walk through the forest, and the coffee I’d downed an hour before was making my bladder unhappy. I hoped the home’s owners wouldn’t mind if I used their facilities. And I very much hoped that the home wasn’t the property of the three bears, or a witch who might want to fatten me up.

As I headed past the kitchen, I sung out a “hello”, just to be sure I was alone. No one answered. Locating the bathroom at the next doorway, I entered and locked the door behind me. I hauled down my pants and lowered myself onto the toilet. I had just started to do my “business” when I heard a clatter at the front of the house. Someone had come in.

I froze as footsteps drew closer and stopped outside the door.

"Hello?"

Contest Notification

2011-09-09T16:12:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not running a contest, but I just discovered my new writer friend, Cristina, is. If you'd like the chance to win a copy of Plot and Structure, go here and follow the instructions. Good luck!

I'm a Platform-Building Campaigner

2011-09-09T14:14:00.000-04:00

You may be reading that title and saying, "huh? What's that mean?" Until the end of August, that's what I'd have said, too. That was when I read my friend Faith's post about the "campaign" and thought I'd sign on.

According to the campaign's organizer, Rachael Harrie (you can find her blog here), campaigners are "people who genuinely want to meet others, pay it forward, and make connections with other bloggers. This therefore gives you a pool of bloggers (some starting out, some established) who you know are in the same position. You can make friends, find critique partners, get support in your writing etc etc – basically, it’s up to you. For those bloggers who are just starting out (and even those who’ve been blogging for a while), the Campaign gives you a head start in finding other like-minded bloggers to connect with."

We're a couple of weeks into the campaign now, and I'm sure there are still things I have to learn to maximize my experience, but so far I've had a few fellow campaigners drop by my blog to say hello and become "followers," and I've initiated and reciprocated contact as well. Hopefully this turns out to be a rewarding undertaking for all involved. I look forward to getting to know other writers and bloggers and to building my network of readers!

Hooray... But Seriously?

2011-08-20T18:58:00.001-04:00

I can think of lots of things to be thankful for.

Hurray for... family

                           ... sunny days

                           ... puppy dogs

                           ... a roof over one's head

                           ... a home-cooked meal

                           ... health

                           ... creativity

                           ... oh, a whole host of other things

The Bible tells us to give thanks in all things, but I do think one library customer took it a bit far when he appeared today in a black t-shirt that bore a yellow smiley-face under which I read, "Hooray for boobies."

Seriously? Where's a woman supposed to look after she's read that? Personally, I looked away and wondered what kind of person he hoped to attract. A brainiac? A sweet, church-going girl? A playboy bunny? Honestly, I doubt he was thinking at all. Or maybe there's a boobie-loving club of which he's the chief boob.

It's wince-worthy. What's next? I half expect to look up one day and read the woman's version of this tee: "Hooray for wienies." Gives me the willies it does. (And yes, pun intended).

Boredom Buster

2011-08-15T22:02:00.000-04:00

School is still three weeks away and the natives are getting restless. They've enjoyed six weeks of vacation already, and the usual suspects - waiting for friends to get home from camp, gaming, watching tv, and playing on the computer - are wearing thin.

Case in point: I was helping a teenaged library customer today. She was in the library looking for historical fiction to read because she was getting bored at home. I helped her locate a couple of titles set in the Tudor period of England. As we were walking to the shelves together, I gave her a sidelong glance.

"You know," I said slyly. "If you're really bored, I'm sure your mother would appreciate it if you made dinner. Speaking as a mother myself," I trailed off.

Surprisingly (to me anyway), my words seemed to strike a chord and she perked up.

"Do you have any books on simple cooking? Nothing too difficult?"

"Sure!" I said, thinking, "You betcha!!"

We found the historical fiction, then went to the library's cookery section, where I found her a book of recipes that took only four ingredients.

I hope some mom is happy, and proud of her daughter tonight.

Now kids - if you think outside the (idiot) box for a moment, you too can bust boredom while lightening your parents' load for a day. Imagine your satisfaction at their praise for a job well done. Go ahead - surprise 'em :)

All That Jazz

2011-07-20T18:30:00.033-04:00

I'm just back from the most memorable of holidays, bringing home much more than I bargained for. When we left, we anticipated a week of busyness followed by a week of relaxation. What we got was the reverse and a little bit extra (you'll catch the understatement of that shortly).

This year we decided to go and visit my friend near Albany, NY for the first part of our trip. We hadn't seen her in 12 years and it was about time. Our weeks off were approved at work and our campsites booked when we found out that H was finally going to defend her dissertation and wasn't sure she'd be able to spend much time with us. She had to attend meetings with her advisers, write revisions, etc. Darn. We spent week one hanging out in our campsite and exploring the area (Lake George, Saratoga Battlegrounds, Albany) without her, connecting only for 75 minutes at a coffee shop. The good news is that she successfully defended her thesis mid-July and is now "Dr. H." The other good news is that she should be coming to visit us later this year.

We spent week two in the Finger Lakes area, with Watkins Glen State Park as our base. The gorge at Watkins Glen is beautiful and well worth a visit. We also paid day trips to Corning (for the Museum of Glass and Rockwell Museum of Western Art), Elmira (Mark Twain points of interest - the study where he penned many of his works is at Elmira College, and he's buried in the local cemetery), and Ithaca (where we took advantage of our Ontario Science Centre membership by taking in the Museum of the Earth and Sciencenter free, and also visited Cornell University, Cornell Plantations, Robert Treman State Park, and Buttermilk Falls State Park. We also saw the famous Moosewood Restaurant, and would have eaten there, but were chased away by a rather barky dog whose owners were also dining on the patio). Which brings me to our "little bit extra."

During the course of our daytripping, we ended up on a road that, according to our original travel plans, we wouldn't have driven. Along this road we discovered a homeowner selling puppies of a breed to which I'm particularly partial. While D and I had previously discussed buying such a puppy sometime in the future, the future wasn't now, and when he asked if I wanted to stop and check it out, I said yes. (Hey, it seemed like a "God thing," right?) We'd already driven past the place, so D turned around and pulled into the driveway. No sooner were we out of the truck than four dogs rushed up to greet us, their unbridled enthusiasm evident in wet kisses on my face. "What have I gotten myself into?" said my inexperienced and bewildered husband.

To make a long story short, we took a puppy back to our campsite "on trial," had him vet-checked the next day, and completed the sale thereafter. And so, "Jazz" - for that's his name - has entered our lives and turned them upside down. Though I've had dogs before - grew up with them, in fact - this is the first time I've ever had to train a dog myself, and I'm quickly finding out it's a lot of work (not dissimilar to having a baby). Which has me wondering - with two teenagers, a husband, a house, a part-time job, and a writing career that has yet to really launch, am I out of my mind? I'm starting to wonder.

As adorable and lovable as Jazz is, I'm hoping that six months or a year from now, it's not me asking, "What have I done?"

In Praise of Thick Ankles

2011-06-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

I come from a line of women with thin ankles - my grandmother had nice legs, my mother has nice legs, and while I wouldn't say I have nice legs, I've always been particularly proud of my slender ankles. As they say, pride goeth before a fall!

No, so far I'm not the one who's fallen, but a couple of years ago my aunt, who's of the same lineage, stumbled on her holiday overseas, and wound up with a broken ankle. Thankfully, she was at the end of her tour, received excellent care abroad, and was able to get follow-up treatment at home.

Now my mom is having problems with her feet, knees, and hips, a situation she attributes to thinner bones. She has been taking medication and Calcium to improve her bone density, and is certainly too young to be ready for a cane or wheelchair, so her condition is very unsettling and upsetting.

Alas, I am very bad at taking my daily Calcium/vitamin D supplement. I take thyroid medication and am unable to take vitamins, minerals, etc. for four hours afterward. If I could take everything at the same time, it wouldn't be an issue; I'd do it. But because I have to take the other stuff later, it just doesn't happen often. Certainly not on a regular basis. I get so busy that I forget. One day, I will probably pay with my own suffering. And so I say to all the ladies out there who may have envied those of us with slender ankles and legs -

Envy and covet not. Be thankful your bones may not become so brittle as to cause you problems later in life.

I sing the praises of thick ankles!

Susan's A-Z Love List

2011-05-31T15:14:00.002-04:00

I think it was in the May issue of Chatelaine that I stumbled across the idea of creating an A-Z love list. Essentially, the idea is to create a list of things one loves, using the alphabet as a starting point. Here's my list; I'd love to read yours.

Ae (my daughter) and happy Adventures
The Bible and Boston Terriers
Chocolate (a favourite of most women), Chewy (our guinea pig), and Cleanliness (a challenge!)
D (my husband of almost 18 years)
E-mail, so I can keep in touch with (see next line)
Friends, both old and new (you know who you are!)
My maternal Grandparents and Grapefruit - red, sweet, and juicy
Hugs and good Health
Ice Cream (and trying new flavours)
John Cusack and James McAvoy for their amazing acting
K (my son)
Libraries and Lilies
My Mother, being a Mother, and happy Memories
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
Oatmeal cereal that sticks to my ribs
Photography, aka "taking pictures"
Quiet, when I can get it
Reunions
Summer vacation and Sleeping in
Travelling to new places and favourite places
Unity in the church
Vaccinations that are proven safe and prevent disease/illness
Writing and Word games
Xtra sleep when I need it
Our front Yardscape
Zzzz's on a Sunday afternoon

16 Things I Love About Ae

2011-05-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

My daughter, heretofore known as "A" (now "Ae"), turned 16 this month. To honour the milestone, here are 16 things I love about her:

Ae's gift of "mercy" makes her an incredibly compassionate friend and family member.
She is a faithful prayer warrior and a powerful example of faith to all.
Her musical gifts and talents enrich her life and minister to others as well.
She loves discussing the important stuff and communicates openly about the things that are going on in her life.
I can see my DNA in her (i.e. she is a good student and loves to read, write, and listen to music - not necessarily in that order! She also has a lovely singing voice).
I can see her dad's DNA in her (i.e. she is musical, likes to talk about spiritual things, and has a strong sense of right and wrong).
She loves Newfoundland and Ireland (even though she's never visited the latter).
She loves animals, especially dogs.
She loves her brother.
She is a little bit goofy, and has an amazing, contagious laugh.
(Almost all) teachers love her.
She is persistent, just a little bit stubborn, and therefore hopefully has what it takes to remain true to herself when challenged.
She is smart.
She is very pretty.
She is sweet 16 and NBK. She is waiting for someone special.
She wants to do work that she loves, and wants to make the world a better place. I have no doubt she will do that. She certainly lights up my world.

Happy Birthday, Ae! And many more!

Library Funny

2011-04-13T15:50:00.002-04:00

A customer comes to the desk and asks for help locating a book: it's Gone by Lisa McMann. I check the shelves where the book should be, and check the overflow carts at the back of the library. I bite my lip; I want to tell the customer the book is gone.

Coincidence?

2011-02-25T15:35:00.004-05:00

I was helping a library customer locate some phone numbers this week. Near the end of our interaction, a gentleman interrupted and entered into a very animated conversation with the man I was assisting. I continued my Internet search, and didn't pay much attention to the subject of their talk.

After the first man left, the second man beamed at me. "Wasn't that an amazing coincidence?" he asked.

I looked puzzled. "I'm sorry. I wasn't listening," I confessed.

"Well," he explained, "what are the odds that he should be asking you for the phone number of the [censored] club just as I was passing by? I know the president of the club!"

I smiled and nodded, and agreed that the odds were indeed not very high. I didn't have the heart to tell him the truth: my client hadn't asked about the [blank] club at all!

Coincidence? I don't think so!

******

Our library encourages the information desk staff to rove the floor and assist customers who may not be finding what they're looking for. On one of my rounds the other day, I found a woman looking for a book on the bottom shelf of the health collection. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"Well, I'm just looking for this book," she said, and she passed me a slip of paper on which she'd written the title, one I was very familiar with.

"Oh," I said. "Someone called about five minutes ago, and I pulled this book for them. You're not going to find it today!"

"Wow," she replied. "What are the chances that I'd be looking for this book right now, and you should come along and be able to tell me that? What a coincidence!"

Coincidence? The book was on a pretty darned specific topic that not many people ask for. I think it was more than serendipitous that I happened along!

Say Wha?

2011-02-21T14:23:00.001-05:00

Lately my son has developed the habit of dropping the "t" from the word "what." So I'll ask him to do something or say something to him, and he'll reply, "Wha?" As someone who cares about the English language, it really irks me. It sounds just horrible and grates on my ears, to say nothing of my nerves.

To deter him from this practice, I've told him that he must speak proper English at home so he can remember how it sounds and how to use it when this will be crucial to his future prospects. No matter what he can get away with in elementary school, I expect that if he pursues a PhD in Marine Biology as he hopes to do, it will be important for him to be able to communicate with his highly educated peers, professors, and mentors. Somehow I don't think that it'll go over well if a professor asks him a question and he retorts with a "Wha?"

Or what about when he starts dating? Surely he'll want a partner who can sound somewhat articulate? Surely he doesn't want to pop the question and hear his beloved say, "Wha?"

Let's face it, we all judge people to some extent or another on the basis of how well-spoken they are. All else being equal, a well-spoken individual is likely to get further in life than someone who's grasp of language is crude and rudimentary. That might not be fair, but that's the way it is.

In any event, the vulgarisation of the English language is very upsetting. It makes me want to cringe and cry, "Waaaaaaaahhhhh!"

Leading Horses to Water

2011-02-15T14:20:00.001-05:00

You're no doubt familiar with the expression, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Well, I'm feeling more and more like this phrase applies equally to how parents feel about raising wise children. You can provide every opportunity for your child to succeed, share the benefits of your experience and knowledge, and tell them what to do, but the grasping of it all is up to their own will.

A and K have the benefit of music lessons, but just try to get either one of them to practice at home. K did practice a fair bit in preparation for a high school audition, and long-term A wants to have a career in music, so there's some motivation, but it doesn't seem enough to play out (sorry for the pun) in daily choices. A would argue that she has 50 minutes of music every day in school, plus two days of after-school involvement, but really. Singing along with the radio or a CD doesn't count. If she really wanted it, it seems to me she'd be practicing technique at home for at least 30 minutes a day without complaining. K likes music (and like A has a natural bent for it), which makes his less-than-stellar home-front efforts frustrating (at least for me).

I have two university degrees and did very well in school. I work part-time, in part so I can be available for my kids if they need help with their academic pursuits. Most often, they don't take advantage of this. A is a fairly diligent student, but with more of a push could achieve the honour roll level she says she wants; K is working harder than he used to, but still fritters away his time on fruitless pursuits (as A does, too, for that matter). I think he just doesn't care enough yet.

Sometimes I just feel like taking these two "horses" and dunking their heads in the life-giving pool of water!

Good News: January Edition

2011-01-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

There was plenty of bad news in the first month of 2011, but there were some bright spots, too. In this blog post, I highlight a few of the happy news items:

Bad beginning, happy ending: kidnapped at 19 days from a Harlem hospital, Carlina White was reunited with her birth parents after a 23 year separation. She just knew she didn't belong with the family who raised her. You can read the full story here.

You can't keep a good man down: Captain Ivan Castro lost his eyesight in a mortar attack in Iraq. That would be enough to discourage anyone, and you might imagine the loss of sight would curtail his activities. Not so. Castro is one of three blind active duty officers in the army. He recently completed a 26.2 mile marathon at Disneyland in five hours and 20 minutes, ahead of 7,000 other participants. His story is told here.

It's my wedding, and I'll flash if I want to: It seems like flash mobs pop up everywhere these days. Alas, I've yet to see one first-hand. And while the mall wouldn't be my wedding location of choice, it was the selection of Jon and Caroline Kleiman, who celebrated their nuptials flash mob style. Mazel-tov, folks!

Paying it forward: Newmarket entrepreneur, Max Eden, is living proof that a former down-and-outer can make good. Given up for adoption at birth, Eden became a rebellious teenager and spent time living on the streets before someone gave him a hand up. Now he helps troubled teens himself. Read all about it.

I was going to include the story of golden-voiced Ted Williams, the homeless man who was given a second chance in broadcasting. But he seems to have fallen from the pedestal again, unable to cope with success without drinking, so I forgo for the present and hope to report this as a good news story at a later date.

Three Beautiful Things: late-January edition

2011-01-29T18:36:00.001-05:00

1. I go to our local market after 10 a.m., doubtful that I will easily find an underground parking spot. I drive below anyway. Eight spots in I find a vacancy. No one is behind me; I am able to back in. Thank you, Lord!

2. My son, K, has his high school auditions, a day-long affair. I have brought my book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, to read while I wait. It's a fascinating story and I have no trouble reading 200 pages.

3. K says his auditions went swimmingly (my word, not his). The music teacher told him that he did "very well" - his solo piece was The Pink Panther on tenor sax (a challenging number) - and she hopes "he will be [at the school] next year." I hope so, too!

Farewell, Open Window Bakery

2011-01-21T15:29:00.001-05:00

I haven't lived in Toronto for over eight years, but our frequent trips back almost always included a visit to the Open Window Bakery on Bathurst Street. Imagine my dismay when I read this headline in an issue of this week's Toronto Star: Open Window Bakery Closes After 54 Years. Closed? What?! When? Why? How? I mean, the bakery was older than I am - it can't just expire like that!

And what about the 150 employees who are thrown out of work? We didn't know all of them, but what about Zoula, Diana, and the others - "the little Jewish lady," shorter even than my mother and who always asked after her if we weren't together. What about the always-friendly Asian server? Where will they go? What will they do?

That the business - nondescript on the outside - "resisted mechanization and prided itself on producing European-style hand-baked goods" showed in the quality of their breads, cookies, and pastries. Salmon sandwiches just weren't the same on any other kind of bread - only their rye bread with caraway seeds will do for my picky teenaged son. What will I give him now? The only other foods he will eat for lunch are pizza and zoodles.

The Star article says that "as consumers started watching their pennies, they weren’t choosing [Open Window Bakery] products," but on a typical visit I spent $25-30 on bagels (theirs were the best), kaiser buns (whole wheat, please - nice and firm, not doughy and squishy like some other bakeries make them), onion and cheese buns, Chala (egg bread to you uninitiated), light rye with seeds, dark rye, pumpernickel, and French bread (aka "Old Granny's bread" to my children, since they always associated it with my grandmother). I guess I was a dedicated consumer; memories light the corners of my mind.

Sometimes I'd add a sweet to my purchase - doughnuts, strawberry tarts, and cupcakes were among the favourites at our house. If my children were with me, the servers always produced a free cookie for each of them, even after they entered the teen years and my son reached giant heights. What other bakery does that?

We will miss you, Open Window Bakery. We will miss you, Zoula, Diana, and friends. If another company buys you out, we promise to return. I hope the quality will be the same, but I fear that it will not. Mechanization of process removes the love with which you baked. That love was evident in your goods and the comfort they brought so many over the years.

We miss you already and thank you for your service.

Three Beautiful Things: Mid-January Edition

2011-01-13T10:48:00.002-05:00

1. In the middle of a long shift at work, lunch out with my husband. Much-needed time together. I leave with my soul replenished and my belly full, well aware that where there is devastation and loss in other parts of the world, I am most truly blessed.

2. After a long day at work, walking in the twilight through the snow. The white crystals crunch under my boot. Where the snow has greyed, it squishes beneath my foot. The light casts what I can only describe as a "winter glow" over the Christmas-card scene.

3. At home in the evening, beating chocolate chip cookie dough. Dropping it in rounded teaspoonfuls onto a metal sheet. As they bake, their scent fills the kitchen. I pop one, still warm, into my mouth. Heaven is melted chocolate on my tongue.

Room for Improvement

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

As I reviewed my "Resolved" post from January 2010, I realized that while I had succeeded in some areas, I still have room for improvement. No doubt I always will, since there's no perfection attained this side of Heaven.

Like my friend, Diane, over at Free Words, "I prefer to choose modest goals that can be broken down into small steps rather than making huge and probably unattainable resolutions." I won't bother to enumerate said goals here - they're the same as last year's.

So, what about you? Do you set resolutions? Keep them? Do you make a list of goals instead?

Well, whatever you do, have a very Happy and Healthy 2011 - inasmuch as it is up to you. And may you know the love of God in a very personal way this year.

See you on the web!

'Tis the Season (to Celebrate Jesus' Birth)

2010-12-25T08:00:00.025-05:00

I debated what to write on this holy day. In the end I decided to keep it simple.

Happy Birthday, Jesus! Today, I choose to follow You.

Watch it here.

Lyrics here - as appropriate as any Christmas carol:

Chorus:

Today I choose to follow You
Today I choose to give my 'yes' to You
Today I choose to hear Your voice and live
Today I choose to follow You

Verse:

As for me and my house
We will serve You
As for me and my house
We will spend our lives on You

(Repeat chorus and Verse)

Chorus

Bridge:

Wonderful counseler , Everlasting Father
Eternal King, Lord of hosts
Willingly we follow

Chorus

'Tis the Season (of Heightened Expectations)

2010-12-21T17:43:00.004-05:00

Most of the presents are under the tree. My 13-year old son is like the proverbial "kid in a candy store," enthralled by the increasing number of gifts in their pretty paper, albeit not expertly wrapped. He picks them up, checks for his name, wonders at their contents. "They're not all clothes, are they?" he asks. There's little he likes less than clothing when it comes to Christmas gifts. I admit that some of them are, but certainly not the bulk. "They all feel like clothes," he says. I smile with satisfaction; my trick wrapping has succeeded!

Although the true reason for Christmas lies in the first six letters of the word, I'd venture to say that the majority of Christ-followers in western society manage to get distracted by the secular aspects of the season - baking, shopping, wrapping, decorating, Christmas-card writing, entertaining, etc. There's nothing wrong with those things in and of themselves, but with them come a sense of heightened expectations. Not the sense of expectancy or wonder at the birth of a very special, earth-changing baby, but the kind that worries - will the gifts that have been bought or made be well-received? Will there be happiness and joy with the unveiling of surprises, or will there be disappointment?

My children have been warned: no matter what you get, remember to say 'thank you.' Someone made the effort and took the time to think about what to give you. If you don't like it, just remember they didn't have to get you anything...

Once the gifts are opened, for many the holiday blues begin. They didn't get what they really wanted, or it's in the wrong colour or size. Back to the store it goes, or into a cupboard to be regifted later in the year.

Think about this: the divine took on human form more than 2000 years ago. The King of Creation, Lord of Lords, Eternal God could have come with pomp and ceremony, born in a palace. His people thought their Saviour would rescue them from their circumstances. Instead, Jesus was born in a barn, to a lowly Jewish girl, and crucified on a cross at the age of 33 years. A disappointment to those who thought he'd save them as a conquering warrior? You bet. A disappointment to those He came to save through His death and resurrection? No way.

Why not lower your expectations for this Christmas? After all, no earthly gift can compare with the greatest gift ever given. Enjoy Him.

'Tis the Season (for Christmas stories)

2010-12-15T11:09:00.001-05:00

At this time of year I like reading stories set during the Yuletide. Apart from the obvious one, which all good believers should reread, and I assume most of the western secular world is at least familiar with (Matthew 1-2 and Luke 2 in the Good Book), below is a selection of Christmas titles you might enjoy. Those marked with an asterisk have been reviewed at http://www.reviewsfrominnisfree.blogspot.com/.

On a Cold Winter's Night: a Christian Christmas Romance anthology by Leanne Burroughs et. al (Highland Press, 2009)

*Busy Body: an Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton

*A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton

The Plum Pudding Murder and The Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke et. al

Christmas in Harmony by Phillip Gulley

*What Child is This? a Christmas Story by Caroline B. Cooney

*The Angel of Bastogne by Gilbert Morris

*On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts

Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop, various authors, ed. by Otto Penzler

*The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: a Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket

*The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket

No Place Like Home by Fern Michaels

If there was one Christmas-themed book Santa could bring you this year, or you could recommend to someone else, what would it be?

'Tis the Season (to Pack on the Pounds)

2010-12-08T19:00:00.052-05:00

I've attended a few Christmas events this month, and while my tastebuds are frolicking with holiday joy, my physique is feeling the pinch of shrinking clothes as my waistline expands. So much for all that walking I've been doing!

I don't believe in denying oneself the hedonistic pleasure of once-a-year seasonal treats, though I do believe "all things in moderation." Thus, following an afternoon in which I indulged in a small plate of various Christmas cookies, I limited myself to half a slice of caramel cheesecake at an evening affair. And last night there were no seconds of chicken cordon bleu casserole, lasagna, tabbouleh, or Greek salad, and only four or five small scoops of hot broccoli cheddar dip, thus allowing room for a small helping of delicious zuccotto for dessert.

This fall I have already put on a few extra pounds, and it may be there are two or three more to come before the year is over. Ah well, I'm resigned. When the temperatures are below zero - as they are now - one can always use a little extra padding. I'm going to extend grace to myself and won't weigh in again until January 10th, at which point I'll begin the process of losing what's been gained. It'll be a new year with a clean slate.

In the meantime, bon appetit!

'Tis the Season (to Beware the Wily Salesperson)

2010-11-23T23:00:00.002-05:00

Just a month before Christmas and all through the mall, there's nobody smiling, no, no one at all. Wait a minute. Rewind that tape. There are people smiling, and they're the smart, savvy, successful salesfolk. In the interest of sparing your wallet, I'm going to share some techniques I learned after being sweet-talked by one of the best.

1. Steer clear of skin care vendors who try to nab you as you pass by their conveniently situated stations in the centre of the mall. Avoiding them altogether is my best tip. Once they have you in their clutches, you're in for the hard sell.

2. Be prepared for them to make a point of connection. They may ask you your name, then tell you it's their favourite - besides which, people with your name are their best customers. This is a ruse to make you feel all chummy, like you're their special pal. You'd buy from your special pal, wouldn't you? Turn the tables. Ask for their name. Make sure to tell them it's your favourite name of all time. Lay it on thick - they'll get it.

3. Be prepared for more flattery. They're sure you're older than you look. You have great skin. Tell them you know; you're already using great products.

4. Be prepared for them to joke with you. By now, they probably have a good sense of who you are; you've shared a fair bit of information and they know what subjects to target. Unless, of course, you've been wise enough to keep your mouth shut. Bantering builds further bonds and weakens your ability to resist their sales pitch, so don't get caught up in witty repartee.

5. Don't take the product in your hand when they ask you to hold it. This tactic is designed to make you "own" it. Unless you know you want to buy, decline the offer. There's no earthly reason why you should handle it. The last I heard, "No thanks" was still an answer.

6. Getting you to sample the product is another way salespeople get you to "own" it. Unless your hands are chapped and dry, unless you do have wrinkles you want to minimize, unless you're considering buying, don't try the product. Ask them if they use it themselves. Tell them you can see how well it's worked for them, or not. Maybe they need to use it a little more.

7. By this point, they're going to try to close the sale. Be prepared to walk away. If you do have the urge to buy something, walking away may prompt them to give you a good deal on the product. Many of these salespeople work on commission in addition to a salary, so if they've invested 10 to 15 minutes on you, they're not going to want to let you get away without buying something. If you don't want to make a purchase, a repeated "No thanks" may be in order. Or you may actually have to make a run for it (see tip number one to avoid getting yourself into this pickle).

I did buy something from the vendor who accosted me. Then he tried to sell me something else. At this point I felt like screaming and running. Instead I held firm. I'd assess the quality of their product on the basis of the one I'd purchased, no more. Yes, this despite the suggestion that I was breaking his heart.

Tip number 8? Do not, under any circumstances, hug the salesperson. Even if he requests it. This is just going beyond the call of duty as a customer. And ew, ew, ew! You have to draw the line somewhere!

My Amazing Powers

2010-11-17T13:50:00.001-05:00

A woman approached me at the reference desk yesterday, with this question: "Have you heard of a book called 'eating clean' or 'clean eating' - something like that?"

When I shook my head in the negative and started to check the catalog, she said, "Oh, don't bother with that. It's not there. I've spent the last hour trying every possible variation, believe me."

With a quick stroke of the keys, I conducted a web search. "Is this what you're looking for?" I asked. "The Eat-Clean Diet?"

Her jaw dropped.

I typed the title into our catalog. "We have it here."

"You're kidding me," she said, still in shock. "I just spent an hour... And the girl in the stacks tried, too."

"Well, you shouldn't have spent an hour on it," I smiled. "You should've come here sooner."

"Wow. I'm so impressed. You're amazing," she said, taking the Dewey-adorned directional slip I proffered.

I felt like standing up and saying, "Pats on the back are welcome. Go ahead. Or better yet, write a note to my manager." But of course I didn't.

Instead, I just sat back and enjoyed the customer's wonder at my amazing powers. And thought to myself, as my son would say, "Skillage."

What's Your Status on Remembrance Day?

2010-11-11T10:19:00.002-05:00

Today is November 11: Remembrance Day in Canada; Veterans Day in the United States. Perhaps it goes by other names in other parts of the world. Whatever you call it, this day reminds us that we are free, and that our freedom was bought at a price. I hope you will take a minute at 11 a.m. to give some thought to those who paid with their blood, with their youth, with their mental health. And remember those who let them go, too - their parents, wives, children, siblings. They understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves, that the cause of freedom is worthy of their lives, that holding noble ideals sometimes requires sacrifice, whether it's of time, money, or person. We all want peace, but sometimes ensuring peace means enduring conflict first.

Here are some Facebook statuses I read today:

A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to Canada for an amount up to, and including, their life. That is beyond honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact.
It's Remembrance Day. Please honour our veterans.
J is remembering and at 11 am will pause for a moment to think about the sacrifices others have made, a sacrifice I hope to never know but am thankful for. I look at my children and can't imagine them living in another place or time where the freedoms we have were non-existent. Thank you to those who have given their lives to make ours and so many others what they are today
‎"Freedom is never free." ~Author Unknown -- on November 11, remembering the sacrifices made then and now

And now I'm off to the cenotaph to pay my respects to veterans past and present.

Let us never forget who gave us the freedom we enjoy today.

Three Beautiful Things

2010-11-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

I recently learned about Clare Grant's blog, Three Beautiful Things, in the context of a sermon on loving God with all your soul. The idea was that gratitude protects our souls from the desire for more, and when we can identify the beautiful things in our lives and reflect on them, our souls will be healthy. Our pastor quoted Thornton Wilder

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures",

G.K. Chesterton

"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder",

and others.

Deep stuff when you consider it.

I've heard of gratitude journals, of course. Even tried keeping one for a while, but it was in the day before blogs and I didn't continue with it. Still, this latest reminder got me thinking about the things I am thankful for. I know I thought about this just a few weeks ago when it was Thanksgiving, but Grant's blog gave me an example of how to go more microscopic. In future I may alternate these kinds of entries with my good news posts. In the meantime, here's a list of three things I picked out, just from this morning:

1. Snuggling in bed with my husband

2. Relaxing over a cup of hot coffee with cream and sugar.

3. Reading the latest Jan Karon book, In the Company of Others.

Can you think of three beautiful things you've enjoyed today?

Mend Mark Contest

2010-10-25T14:22:00.005-04:00

Remember when I told you about the Mend Mark bracelet? If you've forgotten, go here. This week I'm holding an exciting contest for you to win your very own. Just leave a comment below*, and next Monday (November 1st, believe it or not), I will randomly draw one lucky winner. Keep the bracelet for yourself, give it to a friend, make it a stocking gift for your son or daughter - whatever you choose, this unique item will constantly remind the wearer of Christ's love for the world and be a conversation starter for those who need to hear of such love.

What are you waiting for? - Get commenting!

*Canadian and U.S. eligibility only. Sorry, I'm unable to manage international postage at this time. This contest is running concurrently at http://www.reviewsfrominnisfree.blogspot.com/ and since I only have one bracelet to part with, the names from both places will be entered into the one draw. One entry only per blog :)

Good News Monday

2010-10-25T10:36:00.001-04:00

These "good news" blog posts seem to be a flop. Why? Have people become so jaded or so accustomed to craning their necks at car wrecks and attracted to the horrifying stories of our day that good news has become boring and ho-hum? I certainly hope not! Regardless, I am going to continue informing you of some of the good news that is happening in our world, although I will do so less frequently. Without further ado, here are some of the latest uplifting news stories I have come across:

Mystery benefactor gives $10,000 to World Trade Centre memorial. Read about it here.
Woman walks after decades in wheelchair. Find the story here.
Man saved by God, and by dog who says grace. The complete story is here.
Father finds daughter on Facebook after 20 year separation. Get more here.

And of course, probably the biggest of the bright news stories is the mid-October rescue of the Chilean miners. That story you likely followed with keen interest, but a good summary can be found here.

Now go, and live your own inspirational story. Have an awesome week, filled with good news.

I'm My Own Grandpa

2010-10-18T10:05:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned before that I try to keep my grandfather's memory alive by frequently incorporating his sayings into my speech, but this weekend I also found myself acting in ways that he would act. Yesterday our family took a Sunday drive to see some fall colour. We wound up at a conservation area where lots of other people had obviously had the same idea. And that's where it all started.

A group of people carrying coolers and picnic supplies walked down the path toward us. Further along, a man who was obviously one of their party, hurried along carrying a crock pot. "What's for lunch?" I sang out. After he recovered from my unexpected and startling question - how many strangers even speak to one another these days? - he laughed and went on.

We hadn't come entirely prepared for our drive - had stopped for lunch along the way, but had no liquid to take on our hike and were soon feeling parched. I asked a returning walker if she had a water bottle to spare as we headed out. She didn't, but offered us an apple juice box, which I accepted with thanks. I'd given to a stranger on the street the day before, so I didn't feel too badly about seeking assistance in staving off our own dehydration.

Later, as we huffed and puffed toward a scenic lookout, I saw a woman approach. She looked pained and strained from the effort of her exertion, but was holding a coffee cup. "Oh, good," I quipped as she drew near, "There's a Timmies at the end." Her expression changed for the better immediately as she laughed in response.

This morning I had to drop my car off at the shop. I was either going to have to ask the mechanic for a drive home, which he's given me before, or hoof it back myself. It was a nippy morning, so I didn't really look forward to walking, especially through the industrial area. A woman and her husband were dropping their car off at the same time, so I asked if they'd mind my hitching a ride partway back with them. I could easily walk the rest of the way from the main intersection. No problem, they said. I never do that, but they looked like nice people, so I took the chance. We had an enjoyable conversation en route and they ended up driving me all the way home.

That's the kind of thing my grandfather would do all the time - engage people, speak to random strangers, make them laugh, ask for and offer help. And in doing it myself, I can see the benefits - not just for others, but for oneself. It's fun, it often doesn't cost any money, and everyone feels better in the end. In lieu of having my grandfather here, I'm glad to see that he hasn't entirely "left the building." In fact, the people you love are never gone as long as you remember them and live their best qualities. So I am happy to be, in some small way, my own grandpa.

Library Funny

2010-10-14T18:00:00.004-04:00

Customer: "Do you have The Hidden Diary of Marie-Antoinette?"

Tempting reply: "How should I know? It's hidden, isn't it?!"

Sigh. Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue.

Giving Thanks Monday

2010-10-11T17:28:00.002-04:00

I learned something interesting over the weekend, and was surprised I'd never heard of this before. Perhaps you haven't either, but if you're Canadian, you should know. It has to do with the origins of Canadian Thanksgiving. Our holiday began earlier than, and is different from, that of our American friends.

In 1578 English explorer, Martin Frobisher, held a formal ceremony in the province now known as Newfoundland to give thanks for surviving his long journey to North America. Apparently French settlers who arrived with explorer Samuel de Champlain also held feasts of thanks and willingly shared their food with their indigenous neighbours. Later settlers continued the Thanksgiving ceremonies. Much later still - in 1879 to be exact - November 6 was declared the official Thanksgiving holiday. After the First World War, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving were both celebrated on the Monday closest to November 11. In 1931 the holidays were parted once again with Thanksgiving Day finally being moved, in 1957, to the second Monday in October to give greater separation to the events and more accurately reflect Canada's earlier harvest season. At that time Parliament proclaimed that the day was to be "A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed..." A DT

In his Sunday sermon, the pastor told us that when his son was very young, his prayer of thanks included his socks. We have much to be thankful for in this country, and let us not forget the smallest things. Here's a short list of some of the things (admittedly most of them not small) I'm thankful for this year. How about you?

I'm thankful to live in a country where we are free to serve and worship God.
I'm thankful to have been raised in a Christian home and to have a parent who loves me.
I'm thankful for my husband and children.
I'm thankful that I know how to read and was able to get a good education.
I'm thankful that I have access to medical services when I need them.
I'm thankful that I have a home, even though it needs cleaning.
And, yes, I'm thankful for my socks!

Since it's Monday, I'll also share a good news item. A little California girl has much reason to be thankful today after an observant good Samaritan interrupted her abduction and saw her freed by her captor. You can read the entire story here.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

The Mark of Love

2010-10-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

I recently heard about the Mend Mark, and want to pass the word along to you, my readers. The Mend Mark, a mission, a movement, an entire revolution, tells a powerful story in two words. It is a bracelet meant to remind its wearers of Christ’s love and sacrifice, and its message is the passion of its creator, Hunter Harrison.

The Mend Mark is an innovative and distinctive bracelet designed to reflect the scars and nail holes of Jesus. When worn, the band resembles the deep holes of the nail driven into the wrists of Jesus during his crucifixion. By bringing the story of Jesus’ life and death to constant awareness by wearing a bracelet, Mend Mark is meant to powerfully remind wearers of the ultimate act of love Jesus made for all of humankind.

Harrison’s mission is to remind all to remember Christ’s love in both his life and death. But more than only a poignant recollection, the Mend Mark is meant to inspire and motivate wearers to live a life of service. Harrison strives to bring people together around the simplicity and power of love as lived by Jesus. But this is no example of passive love. The Mend Mark calls individuals in all walks of life to love with a profound sincerity and commitment great enough to change a neighborhood, a community, a world.

Harrison leads this call to love and sacrifice by example and joins hands with each Mend Mark bracelet purchaser to take the first step in global change. A portion of each bracelet sold goes to support Living Water International, an organization combating the clean water crisis victimizing over one billion people worldwide. Each $5,000 given will result in one well drilled, providing a community with clean water.

But wearers should be prepared to be seen. Unique in its design, the Mend Mark is sure to be noticed and gives wearers an opportunity to share the story of the profound love of Jesus for each and every person. “It was important to me that the design was simple and generic enough that the observer had to ask about it to know what it meant. But I also wanted it to appear distinctive enough that it sparked curiosity,” reveals creator Hunter Harrison. “I wanted it to require the wearer of the product to engage in conversation about the love of Christ (and hopefully show that love to others) instead of just letting the product talk for them.”

Launched in late 2009 after a year and a half of packaging, material, and design development by Harrison, the bracelet has been sold across the United States, Canada, and the UK and has been featured in retail stores as well. The Mend Mark bracelet movement has grown to further fame after being worn during performances by American Idol winner Lee Dewyze, Idol runner up Siobhan Magnus, Decifer Down, Israel Houghton & New Breed, Pillar, and Finding Favour, to name a few. Says Harrison, “I want it to be more than just another bracelet; I want it to represent a movement.” Based on the way things are going, a movement is exactly what it is becoming.

Order online for $9.99 at http://www.mendmark.com/

Things I Love About Married Life

2010-10-05T10:06:00.006-04:00

Apologies for the delay in this promised post; I've been sick for the last couple of weeks and am only now feeling well enough to write something passable. For those of you who've been anxiously waiting, read on. Unfortunately, I don't have the wit to be funny at present, so you may find the piece overly serious, yay even tedious.

I know there are those who by virtue of their experience or observations would argue that marriage is a failed institution created by man. For the record, my parents were divorced and there have been other separations and divorces in my extended family. It's not what a person looks forward to on her wedding day, that's for sure. But marriage was actually created by God (Genesis 2:18, 21-24), and when a person selects a partner wisely, understands what a marriage should like, and makes the required investment, the union can be a beautiful thing, both for the people involved and for those who are watching. While one person can make a difference, it clearly takes two to tango.

Anyway, down from my soapbox and on to the heart of the matter - things I love about married life are:

1. In my marriage, I am free to be completely and fully me. I know, and am known, in a way that embodies the adage, "Your friend is the [one] who knows all about you, and still likes you" (Elbert Hubbard).

2. Because we are not "unequally yoked" (2 Corinthians 6:14), we share a worldview and do not contend with one another over important issues. Do we sometimes disagree? For sure. But these are typically times when we "sweat the small stuff." Concerning the big-ticket items, the deal-breakers, we're on the same page.

3. We have each other's best interests at heart. We support and encourage each other's specific goals and special hobbies, even when it means we have to sacrifice something.

4. When one of us is sick, the other person is a willing nursemaid. My husband is actually better at this than I am, especially when it comes to the gross stuff.

5. When one of us is out of humour, the other one usually picks up the slack.

6. We work together to achieve common goals for the family. Each person's contributions are valued, even if they're not always equal.

7. You always have someone to hang out with.

8. You have someone who gets your jokes. We laugh a lot at our house.

9. You hopefully have someone to grow old with, a lifelong companion. Then you also share a lot of history and experiences that you've faced together. These things make for a rich relationship. It's fun to reflect on the past, enjoy the present, and anticipate the future together.

10. You don't have to date. Dating can be fun the first time around, but the idea of entering that scene after all these years is scary.

11. The kids have a good marriage model.

12. Married sex rocks!

Good News Monday

2010-09-19T16:39:00.009-04:00

I'm thankful that this past week yielded more good news than last week did. Let's get right to it:

1) Did you know that when old racehorses have outlived their usefulness, they are often auctioned off or sold to slaughterhouses? How sad after all they (strive to) do for their owners. Somehow reminds me of author Anna Sewell's only book, Black Beauty. Luckily, some horses are spared this fate and find new life in a program that offers prisoners a chance to turn their lives around as well. You can learn more about it here.

2) Sarah Shourd, the American who was imprisoned in Iran for about a year, is now free. This is partial good news, since the two men who were jailed with her remain behind bars. Still, her release is a step in the right direction. You may read the most recent details here.

3) Although wounded Canadian soldiers and veterans are expressing mixed reactions to the government announcement of better benefits, at least Veteran Affairs seems to be responding to concerns. Sources say that additional announcements are forthcoming, but for now the intent is to provide more money to wounded soldiers and to expand the program that funds renovations that make veterans' homes barrier-free. Read more here and here.

4) It's easy to get discouraged when you're unemployed, though Rocky Lui isn't letting that situation best him. Instead, as he seeks gainful employment , he's also helping others who feel down about their finances or lack of work. Find out how he's doing it here.

5) While the numbers aren't as high as we'd obviously like to see them, Statistics Canada reports that more people are surviving cancer these days. Since most of us will be touched by cancer -whether we develop it ourselves or have a loved one who does - this is good news indeed and a trend we hope will continue. You can read the article here.

6) An increase in cancer survival rates is good news that's hard to follow, but I'm particularly happy about this story: Michael Grimm is the winner of this season's America's Got Talent. I don't watch the show (I don't have cable), but I did see some performances on youtube. I encourage you to do the same. Michael is an incredibly gifted, humble, and sweet person and deserves this opportunity. Go here for news of his win, check out his website, and get your hands on his CD, You Can Leave Your Hat On.

In personal good news, D and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary Saturday. In tribute, I will try to write a blog entry later this week on the subject of marriage.

Hope you all have a week that's full of good news and none of the other kind.

Good News Monday

2010-09-13T08:00:00.002-04:00

In a week riddled with terrible news, it was tough to find any bright spots. I will say, without giving the story any more attention than it has already received, that I am relieved the Florida "pastor" did not go ahead with his planned burning of the Qur'an. I am not convinced that the whole idea was not merely a publicity stunt (a bad one, to be sure) in the first place.

Moving right along...

I expect this story will gladden your heart: an Australian mom who gave birth to twins at 27-weeks "brought her son back to life with a cuddle." Doctors had told Kate Ogg that the male twin was dead, and she was given him to hold for a final goodbye. Today her infant son is alive and well. Read the whole story here.

In personal good news, D and I signed an agreement with the kids that spells out our expectations. If they don't honour their end of the agreement, they lose the privilege of music lessons; it's a simple exchange. We are giving them some grace at the start of the agreement to develop new habits, and will revisit at the end of December to make any necessary adjustments. So far, it seems to be working not too badly.

In other good news, I have developed a daily schedule for myself that includes time to write. I have been sticking to the program and have written something every day, except Tuesday when D had the day off work. My writing time includes time to work on submissions, a writing warm-up exercise, and the hard work of purposeful writing. I am very pleased with the results so far, and trust they will continue. I've found that part of the secret is staying off e-mail and the Internet, and not answering the phone.

Hopefully there will be a lot more good news over the next seven days. Have a great week, everyone!

And Then There Was One...

2010-09-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

American Idol has lost three judges this year - Simon Cowell, who retired at the end of the season; Ellen DeGeneres, who decided not to fulfill the second year of her contract on the basis that the show wasn't a good fit for her; and most recently, Kara DioGuardi, who according to reports, quit before she could be fired. Randy Jackson is the only remaining original judge. He's probably just too nice a guy to abandon ship.

Speculation abounds regarding who will join Randy on the panel, with the most-touted names being Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Personally, I consider JLo too much of a diva to be willing to take on the role, and Tyler too repulsive to attract an audience when not appearing with Aerosmith. Certainly if Lopez and Tyler fill the empty seats, American Idol will lose at least one viewer.

So who would make a good judge for this glorified talent show? Other names that have been bandied about include Shania Twain and Harry Connick, Jr., both of whom would make terrific judges as far as I'm concerned. They both did an admirable job of mentoring last year's competitors, have significant experience and success in the music industry, are articulate and incisive, and - let's face it - easy on the eyes. They could easily replace Ellen and Kara, but there will likely never be another Simon - after all, who could replicate his caustic wit and have his extensive musical background?

Who are your faves for new judges on Idol, or do you even care?

Good News Monday

2010-09-06T07:30:00.001-04:00

I missed posting good news last week; sorry if you were looking for it. You can get your good news fix today, which, if you think about it is quite appropriate. Most of us don't have to work today (Labour Day) and that's terrific news indeed!

1. Thankfully, it's not every day that you see a youngster run into traffic. And when you hear that one did, you generally expect the worst. One lucky little two-year-old was recently lifted to safety after darting into a busy street during rush hour. After investigating the apparent lack of home supervision and discovering a filthy mess in his living quarters, authorities are now in the process of placing the boy (and his four siblings) with his father. Hopefully that means more good news for the lad. You can read the complete story here.

2. Imagine trying to get an education if you're homeless. One school in Oklahoma understands the challenges and is going the extra mile to meet the needs of these special students. Do they need clothes? Food? A nap? They can get it all at Positive Tomorrows. Read it here.

3. If you ever decide to go for a drive in the wilderness or desert, make sure you go prepared. That's a lesson a mother-daughter duo recently learned the hard way. The two women can thank the latest fad, geocaching, for sending rescuers their way. You can read about the happy conclusion here.

4. We often find it hard to say anything good about government, but we do have to give credit where credit is due. The federal government has been quite forthcoming with dollars for humanitarian aid lately and recently offered to match individual donations to Pakistan flood relief. You can read that story here.

5. If you're like me, you enjoy reading stories about people who are reunited with lost objects after a number of years. Maybe it gives us hope that we'll relocate some of the items that have been lost to us, like that tin my friend brought me back from her one and only trip to China fifteen years ago and I haven't seen since. When you hear that a 70-year-old former lifeguard is reunited with the bracelet he lost almost 50 years ago, you certainly think "Why not - why can't it happen to me?" Read Ed Konz's story here. And a similar story here.

6. Sometimes the tables are turned on the bad guys, and that's very good news. When two siblings witnessed a man break into their family's shed and start removing tools, they acted quickly to get help. Because of their level-headed actions, the thief was caught before he even left the driveway. You can read about the bust here.

7. Who says 13 is an unlucky number? Certainly not Aunt Candy, whose 13-year-old twin nephews recently prevented her from drowning. She credits not only their love, but their belief in putting others first, for their brave, no-hesitation, response. The entire glad tidings can be found here.

8. And now for good news on a personal front: while the kids' performance of domestic duties wasn't stellar a couple of weeks ago, they did learn something - part of which was how much we actually do. And they get silver stars for demonstrating a good effort. Unfortunately, that effort has slipped in the week past.

In other positive personal news, I think I managed to get all the supplies the kids need for school this year, and I'm certain I got them new, and much-needed athletic shoes. Anything else is a bonus.

Top Ten Highlights of Summer 2010 (Plus One)

2010-09-01T19:30:00.006-04:00

It's September 1st, and while summer is not officially at an end, it feels so, since this marks the last week of having the kids home from school. We are engaged in back-to-school shopping, and trying to draw as much fun as we can from the last fleeting moments of summer togetherness. As I look back over July and August, I can pinpoint a number of especially happy moments:

1. Returning to Newfoundland after an eight year absence, and enjoying the old haunts on the western side of Conception Bay. The kids often talked fondly of their first visit, so it was a treat to go back after too many years "away."

2. Receiving the royal tour of Winterton (on Newfoundland's Trinity Bay), courtesy of the town mayor.

3. Visiting Gros Morne for the first time (but not the last) and taking the Bonne Bay boat tour from Norris Point. The tour operators were a lively bunch, and entertained us with live "down home" music before we debarked.

4. Enjoying a pretty quiet week the first week back from our trip. A at overnight camp and K at daycamp. Good times had by all.

5. "Starting" the decluttering project and getting rid of scads of clothes the kids had outgrown, as well as books we no longer want or need. Hopefully just the beginning of a major clean-sweep to continue this fall.

6. Picking up A's excellent report card mid-August. K had received his (also pleasing) report card at the end of June.

7. Seeing my cousin's family and meeting her 4-month old son for the first time. He has Down Syndrome. Both of her boys are special blessings, and what a precious little babe is J. In my son's words, "take-home beautiful."

8. Hosting my daughter's best friend, who now lives on the east coast, and getting to spend some time with her mom.

9. Writers' group meetings in lovely settings.

10. Getting together with my arch-rival (in academics) for the first time in about nineteen years. We competed from kindergarten through grade eight. Once we entered high school, we didn't have so many classes together and the battle waned. He is now a professor of engineering at a Texas university.

11. Though it's not reflected in my book review blog, I did a lot of reading over the summer, just not while I was away. I read several Tamar Myers mysteries from the PennDutch series, as well as a Christian historical romance, and a Christian parenting book.

I'd love to hear your summer highlights. Are you looking forward to fall and sending the kids back to school?

Good News Monday

2010-08-23T08:56:00.009-04:00

I decided that Mondays would be a good day to feature uplifting news, since many of us struggle to find much to like about the first day of the work week. That also gives me all week to collect positive news stories and the weekend to write them up.

Here's hoping the following will perk up your peepers this morning:

1. Sure it's their job, but it's always gratifying to have off-duty professionals ready to go to work when bad situations become dangerous. That was the case last week when a van and a tractor-trailer collided on the 401. You can read about it here. I commend paramedics Rob Gillman, Jason Hess, Norm Gray, Glynn James, and Mike Wilson for starting their day a little early to help out.

2. It's often those who have had the most struggles in life who are the most generous. Aliyana Reshamwalla is a case in point. The little girl, who has spent much of her life at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, celebrated her fifth birthday Saturday with a clothing and food drive. The food collected goes to Ronald McDonald House, and the clothing is divided between Ronald McDonald House and victims of the Pakistan floods. You can read the complete story here, which also details the special way Aliyana celebrated last year's birthday.

3. We hear too many stories of little children sweltering to death after being forgotten in enclosed vehicles. What a relief then to read the story of a one-year-old spared this tragic outcome by the swift actions of one woman in a West Palm Beach parking lot last week. The mother, who has been arrested, apparently did "not know how she forgot the child." I don't know either. You can read the entire story here.

4. In personal good news, my children are taking over the domestic responsibilities this week. This includes dusting, vacuuming, laundry, evening meals, etc. They are going to show us - and learn themselves - what they are capable of. Go, kids, go!!

Good News x Two

2010-08-20T18:00:00.001-04:00

In light of all the bad news we read in the paper, I plan to make a concerted effort to point out good news whenever I find it. So here are two good news stories I stumbled across this week:

1. Who says teens can do nothing right? Not me. I have two of my own at home. Enjoy the story of these young people who rescued a woman who attempted suicide earlier this week. You can read all about it here.

2. I love dogs, especially those in the squish-faced family, but I still can't imagine giving one mouth-to-snout. Jeff Little of Sandy Paws Dog Wash is not so squeamish. Read his life-saving story here.

Have you read any feel good stories lately? Have an uplifting personal experience to share? Let me know, and let's start spreading the cheer.

The Rock Rocks On

2010-08-14T11:04:00.012-04:00

As you may have noticed, I've been enjoying a bit of a summer break from blogging. With nothing else to do this morning, though - apart from housework, which, let's face it, most of us would rather avoid - I decided to pen a post about my summer vacation.

It had been eight years since our family last visited "the Rock" - also known as Newfoundland, for those of you less familiar with the island's nickname. The rock is aptly named, for the most inhabited parts - those along the coast - are set on rocky ground. The centre of the island, through which passes the Trans Canada Highway (locally posted as the TCH - or "t-ch" as we came to call it), is largely treed, primarily with evergreens.

You may remember from a recent post that my grandfather was born in Newfoundland and moved to Ontario when he was seventeen. It was about 40 years later - before I was born, actually - that he made his first trip back to the rock, in a very emotional homecoming. After that we made the trip east at least every other year - sometimes annually. So it's been a bit of harsh reality that I've only been twice in the last 17 years. How wonderful to return again this summer.

I won't bore you with all the details - that would be a bit like watching someone's home slide show, wouldn't it? - but share just a few highlights:

it's always a treat to visit Bradley's Cove, my grandfather's birthplace, even though there's technically "nothing" there - it brings back memories of him and of many happy summers, and the scenery is lovely

seeing whales, albeit from a distance - both at Signal Hill in St. John's and between Bell Island and Portugal Cove

having my very own "Sharon" moment (Sharon is a travel writer friend, to whom special things happen wherever she goes). My husband and I needed to use a phone at our campground, but the office was closed and the defunct payphone ate our quarter. It just so happened that one of the locals was parked nearby and witnessed our dilemma. He and his wife drove us to their home where we used their phone, then the husband gave us a guided tour of the community. As he drove us back to our campsite, he divulged that he wasn't just a local, but the town mayor!
seeing Gros Morne for the first time and taking the Bonne Bay Boat Tour from Norris Point. Our guides were informative, great fun, and gave an excellent musical performance (as the group, Anchors Aweigh) to finish off the trip. We brought home lots of pictures and two CDs to capture the experience.

It was a long drive from here to there, but definitely worth it. We'll be back to see more of Gros Morne, for sure, and hopefully other favourite spots as well. Newfoundland rocks!

Embarrassment Contest? She Wins, No Sweat!

2010-06-30T18:30:00.001-04:00

The most embarrassing thing I remember happening to me occurred when I was about twelve years old. An early bloomer, I had a one piece swimsuit that tied at the neck. My cousin and I were at a local pool, and I was in the water, resting my arms on the ledge (checking out the cute boys, if you must know), when my cousin swam over, pointed at my chest, and asked, "What's that?" I looked down, and to my horror, discovered that the tie had come undone and one side of my chest was exposed. I hastily dealt with my wardrobe malfunction, but boy was my face red!

I was driving to work after completing an errand this afternoon, when I noticed an enormous woman waiting at the bus stop. Leaning forward, resting her arms on her bundle buggy, her light green slacks sported an enormous brown stain across the butt. My word! My previous post came true in form, not letter! I felt so embarrassed for her, especially as there were a number of people were nearby also waiting for public transit.

After parking my car, I was walking to the library when I happened to look down and discover that the button on my top was undone. Of course it was the one nearest my bra! I quickly did it up, hoping it wasn't in that condition when I was talking to the guy at the Christian bookstore five minutes earlier. I was embarrassed to think it might have been, but no big deal given what I'd just witnessed.

In the world of embarrassment contests, the lady in green and brown pants wins, no sweat - even if she doesn't know the stain is there!

Got your own embarrassment story to share? Bring it on!