Life with Others

The intricacies of living with others.

There seems to be a delicate balance that I’m completely missing…or should I say, my housemate is missing?

This is my question of the week…

Hey! What a great idea?!

A question of the week. A weekly blogging instigation for Mondays. Okay…

I’m a bit at the end of my rope. Wishing I could move on but knowing I’m here for at least two more months. Tired of the looks I get when certain decisions are made. WOW. That sounds vague, doesn’t it? Let me go a little deeper… My DH and I are not able to go to church together EVERY Sunday. As old fashioned as this practice is, we like going to church together and we like exposing our kids to this tradition as well.

The trouble is that’s not always possible. Why is it that when we can’t do this, I get the “look” from our housemate? Why is it that she can raise her eyebrows and huff at the way I raise my kids?

WHY is it, when my kid loses his temper it’s okay to talk about it to other people like I’m not even there? *I don’t know…(raised eyebrow, shake of the head) He’s got some kind of anger issues.*

*SIGH* I know how unattractive it is to sigh. AND…I’ll have you know. This is the first time in almost 12 months I didn’t immediately lose my own cool. I was able to breath and remember that it didn’t matter what other people thought.

I am ME.
I have my own system of values.
I have my own needs.
*SMILE*
My children are nobody’s responsible but my own.
I have a DH who loves me.

I have my writing…
Um, I lost track of the purpose…
Oh, that’s right. The Question of the Week.


HOW DO YOU MANAGE A HOUSEHOLD WITH MORE THAN ONE ADULT?

Deb Logan's first Climbing Rose, Corn Maze, has been released!

Twelve-year-old Hannah Barnes is just like all the other girls in her small Georgia town, except for one little detail. Hannah’s best friend—make that her only friend—is a ghost. When the annual Sweet Pea Festival arrives, Hannah discovers the secret to freeing Lilah from her earthly bondage. Hannah has a decision to make. Will she help Lilah move on, or will she hold on to her best friend?Corn Maze is available here!

New word count...

Day One

2,864 words

A Week Off

I've got this WIP that I feel good about in one moment and crappy about in the next. Actually, I feel that about my writing in general...on and off.

I haven't been reading enough. I've been surfing through blogs - which I love to do, visiting boards - which is more often a distracting activity than not, entering contests - I do love free things, and chatting with other authors... I've made friends. I have a virtual community of people backing me,

BUT, I am going to start limiting my time online. I don't have a plan. This is my trial week and I'll be experiementing. Trying to figure out what works best for me. I'll be back in a week...

Hopefully, I'll have a completed manuscript by then. That is my goal...

Dawn Halliday's new release!!!

Devil's Pearl By Dawn Halliday

After a year of pursuit, Sir Devlin Vaughn has finally found the beautiful woman who made him the laughingstock of London society. Now he intends to keep her as his permanent sex slave, whether she comes willingly or not.
Julia Beaumont escaped Devlin in an attempt to become a legitimate lady. Her plan backfired, leaving her reputation in tatters. Now Devlin holds her in his thrall once again. Can she free herself, or will he enslave her for life?
Read an Excerpt
Buy Now From Ellora's Cave

Thursday Thirteen

So, I've been considering setting up a TT thing here. I want to be accountable. I've already been given a nudge. I have an entire website that I've ignored for the past several months. I honestly don't know how people do this. I'm trying to figure it out... what I'd really like to be doing is writing my story. *sigh*

BALANCE.

Apparently, being a rational human being requires balance.

I thought I'd give a list of sorts...not the thursday thirteen...1)because I don't want to steal someone else's good idea and 2)I probably couldn't think of thirteen things to say, either. LOL

Thirteen things to do when your kids are bored!
this is great because summer is ending and the kids (mine anyway) are desperately looking for something new. And I'm not very good at instigating projects.

1) bake...cookies or banana bread or biscuits.
2) go to coloringpages online and make a new book.
3) visit the library...I love libraries...not my library but libraries in general
4) find a new park. Where I live there's a park on every corner...okay, not really, but there are alot!!!
5) Watch the Parent Trap *sigh* with Hayley Mills...I love that movie. The part at camp when they discover the coincidence? Love that. And then watch the new one and try not to imagine the main character in jail on drug charges...
6) write a story. My daughter loves to write...and sing...and color...
7) go to the zoo
8) drop kids at GP's for the day...
9) increase quiet time in the afternoon...
10) earlier bedtime...it's really time to start getting them ready for school anyhow, yes?

Are you seeing a pattern, here?
11) find the nearest VBS (vacation bible school)
12) watch another movie...this time Star Wars...for the boys, you know.
13) school shopping!!!!!!

POV Frustrations

I spent the last 5 days at the beach. I had a wonderful, quiet time with my family...my parents, grandmother, sister and brother-in-law, nephews, and my own kids.

I did some reading which I'm embarrassed to say, happens less and less often. I finally finished that Christina Dodd and started a Linda Howard...in the car, I listened to a Julie Garwood. And this is where my story really starts.

In 1999 Julie Garwood's book, Ransom was published. I really liked listening to this story! She's not one of my regular reads but I'll pick one up here or there.

[a quick aside...Am I the only one who thinks of 1999 being not that long ago? I suppose we're coming onto 10 years soon but 1999 is NOT a previous generation [in books], is it?]

My reason for questioning this is Garwood's lack of proper POV usage. She was all over the place in this novel. Bouncing around like a big red ball in seventh grade gym class during a dodgeball game.

My problem has nothing to do with her use of POV! It has to do with the fact that I still enjoyed the story! I had no problem feeling the characters. I had no problems with confusion or wondering what was going on or who was doing what, saying what... Honestly, if I hadn't decided to start writing stories, I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

I've been spending months...months, I tell you!...limiting my writing. Limiting my use of ing verbs, -ly descriptions, that, was(okay, I understand the was and has been and really boring verbs...) and I'm tired of it!

I want to hone my craft but what I've done is hog-tied my creativity. It's why my stuff is flat crap. So, I'm turning a new leaf. This may not be a free for all but it will be all...

All of my skill...
All of my creativity...
All of my instinct...
and all the lessons I've learned and will learn from this day forward.

Under construction

Every once in a while I end up at a site that is taped off and 'under contruction.' It can be annoying when that site I'm looking for is crucial to the next part of my manuscript. I've been on the American embassy of Germany website and eyewitness history... RAF was another with pages under contruction. It brings up a question.

Has technology made us impatient? Let me tell you a little about myself...

I'm an enthusiastic library patron. I love stories! The internet has made access to those books so easy. I just get on the internet log in to the catalog and hold any book I want. No more extended periods of time browsing through narrow corridors of book-lined shelves, no index card catalog to shuffle through(thank God...those little drawers, though, are great for nails, screws, washers, nuts and bolts so don't pass up the opportunity to grab a set if you find one), no need to talk to the librarian... The problem is that I'm at a point where I don't like waiting for that copy to arrive at my branch and then the drive over...with four kids...not to mention the return trip.

When I lived in Jefferson county I started downloading books. OMG! What a wonderful discovery! I didn't have to go out. The book expired after a certain amount of time...longer than the three weeks i was allowed for prints... It was wonderful! I'm in virginia now and the library stinks. I can't find anything I want. I can't figure if there is even a download option. There are no toys for the kids...no blocks, puzzles, or word games... This isn't church, people! If you're going to have a children's section, it should have things for the toddlers to do. *Pfft*

Well, I miss my little library in Dillonvale, Ohio.

Anyway...back to the technology.

It has made me impatient! But, I'm at the beach and i've got four kids looking to get down to the water. They need bathing suits, sunscreen, and towels... So my blog looks unoriginal and boring. I'll fix it when I get home!