So…
I have gotten far too little sleep for the past several days, and have crossed the line. I am no longer sane and normal. Okay, so I wasn’t exactly sane and normal before…what can I say.
Anyway…
Are you ready for it?
Unique New York.
Say that five times as fast as you can…then let me know how you did in the comments section.
What do all of these have in common. Not a thing. Just more of the weird, sometimes annoying stuff that plagues my life.
Let’s tackle the dull paring knives first. I have three. I also have a favorite, and use it all the time. Since I peel potatoes quickly and efficiently, it’s usually my job. But when we have a pot luck supper, and a ten-pound bag of spuds is sitting there waiting to be disrobed, my daughter gets volunteered into helping.
Saturday she is half a potato into the job, and starts saying she would rather use a steak knife. Sigh. I trade knives…and it’s like what the heck! Has someone been trying to cut wood for the October bonfire with this? So I send her for the other one…which is just as bad. Naturally, being a world-class procrastinator, I’ve put off getting the food ready until the last minute, and so being the one who will get it done the fastest, I wind up peeling every potato in the bag – with the knife that actually works. I’m surprised I can even type today. (of course if I’d ever use one of the other knives, I’d have known in time to replace them)
Hair-knitting fairies? Bet you’ve never heard of those, have you? That’s because they reside under my pillow. And they wait patiently for the nights I forget to braid my hair. I woke up one morning last week with several strands knotted into a bow. Just a tiny one, but it was actually pretty cool. After I yanked it out, I showed it to my daughter, then put it on my desk. She looked at me like I was nuts and asked, “You’re keeping that?”
Well sure. Maybe not forever, but this is the first time the fairies have put me through hair brushing hell and I actually got something other than a headache out of it.
Lip-eating bugs? Apparently those live in my son’s room.
First I should mention that he’s seriously into anything zombie, so I blame that for the fact that I was short about two hours sleep for the potato peeling marathon and pot luck on Saturday.
After getting nowhere near enough sleep (a whopping three hours to be exact), CJ came running into my room…in full panic mode.
“Mom! Mom! There was a bug in my mouth, and I think it was eating my lip!” (three hours is really not enough sleep for sh stuff like this)
He then pulls his lip back over his nose. Okay, maybe not quite that far. My eyes just seriously don’t want to focus on anything when they haven’t been closed long enough, so it may have been an optical illusion.
Anyway, after lying awake for too long giggling about it, I did doze off for a couple more hours.
Rest assured that no bug snacked on CJ’s lip during the night, although he is still 100% convinced that one tried. I, on the other hand, am 99% sure that a moth (as in moths eat fabric, therefore moths must eat lips) landed on his lip and woke him up. I’d also bet that he was dreaming about zombies.
So… That’s how my weekend went. How was yours? 🙂
And finally…
Help!
A few weeks ago, WordPress started treating me like a visitor to my own blog. I have to choose an identity to respond to comments, then I get notifications that I posted those responses (like it’s afraid I’ll forget…), and it’s just really annoying. I didn’t change anything in the settings…but I’d like to know WHAT I can change back to make it stop. No, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to affect world peace, or the finding of cures for diseases…but it may keep my bottle of water from sailing through the monitor. So if anyone has any suggestions, thanks! I’ve looked and can’t find anything. 🙂
Since Tameri asked, here’s a picture of the bow the fairies left in my hair. It’s not as big as it looks (I used the zoom feature), but it was still big enough that my brush couldn’t do a thing with it.
Technically it has three loops. If there had been a fourth, I might have considered using it as a gift-wrapping accessory. 🙂
We’ve all been there. Someone promised us-they promised us- that they would be around to lend a hand with something. Be it a fundraiser, pulling an engine, helping to paint the house, or organize the attic. Maybe we asked, maybe they just offered but…when the big day arrives…the person is nowhere to be seen. Whether they called, or just didn’t show up, you were counting on them and they let you down. Sometimes the reason is a good one, perhaps they’re sick. Other times, they just forgot. Whatever the reason, it’s always disappointing.
But when you look in the mirror, are you really any different?
How many times have you promised your Romeo or Juliet that you would do something? Change a light bulb? Hem a pair of slacks? Fix the leaky faucet? Bake a favorite treat?
For some reason, it’s become acceptable to put our partner’s needs off…because, of course, it’s just stuff around the house. Nowhere near as important as helping out a buddy, or taking on extra work to impress the boss. Besides, this person we love will understand. You’ll get around to it someday. When it’s convenient.
But sometimes someday never rolls around. Eventually you put it off so many times, they don’t mention it anymore. Instead, they do it themselves, or hire it done. They’ve stopped asking, knowing you’ll never do what you say you will.
Because frankly, you are a liar…and your word is worthless.
“Now wait just a minute there!” Kristy, you might be saying. Nope. If the shoe fits… And if you haven’t been keeping your promises, you’re wearing it really well.
You say you love your partner? Put your money where your mouth is. In other words, score some major points on the romance scale…and do what you say you’re going to do.
Yeah, fixing a slow drain, or making that nasty green bean casserole is romantic. The fact that you’re doing something you don’t enjoy, just for your partner, means a lot to them. Not to mention that following through on something you promised to do goes a long way toward building trust. And it’s hard to feel romantic about someone who can’t be trusted.
I don’t believe the songwriter is saying to not say the words, just that love needs to be shown, too.
It’s really easy to say you love someone. Proving it is another thing altogether. While the words are always nice to hear, if you don’t back them up with actions…the words are just empty and meaningless.
So change that. Make your word mean something. Make a list of all the things you’ve been neglecting, things you promised to do…and do them.
~~~~~
See you next week for a new tip.
~~~~~
I’m currently offering a free copy of ‘The Romance Manifesto’ to anyone who is following my blog. If you’re not yet doing so, go ahead and enter your email address near the upper right-hand corner of this page, then shoot me a quick email at kristykjames@gmail.com. I’ll send you the link for a PDF or mobi (Kindle) file. If you’re already following the blog, and would like a copy, let me know, and I’ll get you the links. Thanks for stopping by!
~~~~~
If you think that any of the suggested tips are a good fit for you, and you decide to give them a try, I’d love to know if you got the results you hoped for. Although I can’t guarantee you’ll get any results, most people respond well to sweetness, consideration and attention. Just remember, you will need to exercise some patience, and be consistent. Anything worth having usually requires effort.
Well, obviously I’ve not figured out how to use the scheduling feature so that it actually works. So here this is, a day late… (August 15, 2012 @ 1:15 was yesterday, correct?)
I’d like to say thank you to Karen Pokras Toz for tagging me last week in The Next Big Thing.
And the rules are:
***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress)
***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.
It’s that simple.
What is the working title of your book?
I seem to have a bit of a jinx as far as titles go. So far the one I’ve chosen hasn’t been used before, so I’m just going to keep it to myself-and hope for the best. That goes for the working title, too. Sorry. 🙂
Where did the idea come from for the book?
From every little girl’s dream to have a fairytale romance. Seriously, most little girls…and even some women…want to meet the Knight in Shining Armor, don’t they?
What genre does your book fall under?
I would guess that romance would best describe it. Romance with a bit of mystery thrown in.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Robert Downey Jr. would make a great Cameron. I’ll have to think about who might play Laura. Some of the other characters could be a little tough to cast. I use photographs of celebrities, or from magazines, to help me visualize my characters, but some are too old now, and some aren’t actors. For Sam, I used a photo of a teenage Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Nolan is based on a snapshot of Keith Urban that I just love. Mark Harmon would make a fantastic Finley. Jeremy Irons…well, I can’t tell you which character I’d like him to play. It’s a secret. I’m not sure for the rest.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
I have a hard time coming up with a blurb for the back cover…one sentence??? Hmm. How about this… Can love find a way when secrets and danger abound.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
After a great deal of research, I made the decision to self-publish all of my books, including this one. If an agent or publisher decides I’ve written something that they would like to be involved with, I might consider representation. But I won’t go courting it.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
In total? I’d say not much more than a month. How long will the editing take? Probably a few more.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’ve never read a book with this exact plot. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t books that are similar, I just haven’t read any of them.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Like I mentioned above, it’s my grownup version of a fairytale. But the main reason I was inspired to do this story is because I suffered a mild TBI in an auto accident about four years ago. For a awhile I was afraid I might have lost the ability to write. Fortunately the problems were mostly related to pain-induced fatigue, and as that resolves itself, the writing comes easier again.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
A Michigan native, I chose to set this story in one of my favorite places -where our lower peninsula meets the upper part of our state. The story takes place mostly on Bois Blanc Island. It’s located maybe twelve miles from the Mackinaw Bridge, and less than five miles from a huge tourist attraction. Perhaps some of the readers remember that Mackinaw Island was the setting for the 1980 movie, Somewhere In Time, starring the late, great Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.
I’m tagging: Debra Kristi, Breeana Puttroff, JakiCheli, Louise Behiel, and Tameri Etherton.
So, ladies, if you could have your posts ready for Week 8 of The Next Big Thing, that would be great. If not, don’t sweat it. It will be fun to read them whenever you get them ready.
Yup, this post is all her fault. If she hadn’t reminded us that we all missed National Underwear Day on August fifth, I wouldn’t have gotten curious about other weird unique holidays.
That’s how I found Hoodie-Hoo Day (February 20th). Holiday Insights, the website where I first heard about this little gem states:
‘On this winter day, people go out at noon, wave their hands over their heads and chant “Hoodie-Hoo”. It is a day to chase away winter and bring in spring.’
Did the woman with the microphone at the beginning say ‘ha-ha’ after she said Hoodie-Hoo?
Now it’s just my opinion here, but I’m fairly sure that running outside, waving your hands over your head, and chanting, “Hoodie-Hoo, Hoodie-Hoo” will be effective. Although I don’t believe it will bring in spring. Actually I believe it will bring in something else…and in preparation for that, I have a request.
Mark your calendars. Yup. Put a big red circle around February 20, 2013. Set your computer reminder program to notify so you don’t forget. Then let’s all go stand on a curb in the most well traveled area of the cities in which we live. At noon, on the dot (might help to synchronize our watches for this), we’ll all start waving our hands in the air and shouting, “Hoodie-Hoo!”
To help us prepare for this life-changing event, I want everyone to listen to the song in the next video. Learn it. Memorize every word. Cause this is what we’ll all be singing at 12:01.
While it can be amusing to see women jump on a chair if they see a mouse (I am one of those women), cowards aren’t just people who are afraid of the dirty little rodents, snakes, or spiders. Sometimes people have good reasons for being afraid. Near drownings can keep people away from bodies of water forever. House fires can ensure that some people live candle-free lives. Yeah we all have some fears. Usually they don’t have any real impact on us, or those we care about.
However…some fears are relationship killers.
How many of us have been in relationships where our Romeo or Juliet always keeps a part of themselves back? We know they’re not really committed, and we blame ourselves. Obviously we failed to do something right, so we try to figure out where we went wrong…and fix it. After all, if we were a better partner, everything would be perfect, right? Wrong!
Sometimes it’s not about us.
Read the lyrics as you listen to the song. It’s a perfect example of how one emotionally damaged person can hurt and damage the person they profess to care about.
If you’re the one who is holding back in your relationship, if your Romeo or Juliet means anything to you, figure out how you got to this place…and deal with it. Counsel with someone. Pour your heart out in a journal. Confide in a good friend (or even your partner). Whatever you need to do to feel free to be completely there, get it done. If you want to be whole, if you want to be happy, and if it’s important to you, it will be worth it.
Learn to let go of whatever it was that hurt you, because that’s quite likely what happened. Whether it was something from your childhood, or a boyfriend or girlfriend who broke your heart in eleventh grade, let it go already. Don’t allow something from your past to ruin your future.
If you’re the one who is with a partner who always holds back, maybe you need to draw a line in the sand. If you want to be with me, you need to step up, take some responsibility here. And then you need to be prepared to make a decision if they’re not willing to do whatever it takes. Are the problems significant enough that you’re miserable all the time? Or is the relationship good enough in other areas that you can get past it and enjoy what you have?
All the romantic gestures in the world don’t mean much if we don’t feel emotionally close to the person making those gestures. Keeping part of yourself off limits to your love robs both of you of the joy you should be experiencing. So if this sounds like you…stop it!
***Photo Credit: KimberMontague
~~~~~
See you next week for a new tip.
~~~~~
I’m currently offering a free copy of ‘The Romance Manifesto’ to anyone who is following my blog. If you’re not yet doing so, go ahead and enter your email address near the upper right-hand corner of this page, then shoot me a quick email at kristykjames@gmail.com. I’ll send you the link for a PDF or mobi (Kindle) file. If you’re already following the blog, and would like a copy, let me know, and I’ll get you the links. Thanks for stopping by!
~~~~~
If you think that any of the suggested tips are a good fit for you, and you decide to give them a try, I’d love to know if you got the results you hoped for. Although I can’t guarantee you’ll get any results, most people respond well to sweetness, consideration and attention. Just remember, you will need to exercise some patience, and be consistent. Anything worth having usually requires effort.
As the parent of any specially challenged child knows, your life can be a roller coaster of emotions…and I’ve experienced them all. From fear, to anger, to heartbreak. But mostly I’ve just enjoyed it.
CJ can be the single most frustrating person in my life. Everything is black or white…there are never any shades of gray. There is no thinking outside the box, no other solution than the most logical one, and if you try to change up his routine, baby, you had better be prepared to hear some flak.
So yeah, it can be rough sometimes. But you know what? For as aggravating as he can be, I swear no one has made me laugh as much in my life.
I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I will never forget the day he got mad and accused my daughter and I of finding some way of multiplying garbage…because we throw away more trash than anyone else in the world (yes, it’s his job to take the bags out to the to our little dumpster). I didn’t think I’d ever stop giggling over that one.
Last night our power went out for a couple of hours. It’s been a while since that’s happened, and a couple of times it’s taken the power company days to get it restored. I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case this time, since there weren’t any storms in the area. Hopefully it was just an isolated case, and us country dwellers would be high on the repair list.
When you lose power in the country, your well pump doesn’t work…which means no flushing. Things can get unpleasant fairly quickly, meaning you have to find someone in town who will let you fill five-gallon buckets with water from their house.
Anyway, it was a very humid 85 degrees, so my daughter and I made a fast trip to town…to find that the closest all-night grocery store was also without power. So off to Walmart we go…for flashlights, battery-operated fans…and lots of batteries.
We also wanted something cold to drink, so we stopped at McD’s for large sodas with plenty of ice. Apparently everyone else without power had the same idea, because the drive-thru line was huge…at eleven o’clock at night. I didn’t mind, though. I was too busy enjoying the air conditioning in my van.
So we finally get home, fill seven flashlights and two fans with batteries, and I kick back to relax and read…and lo and behold, the the lights come back to life.
Yes!!!!!!!
CJ comes peeling out to my office all excited -about five minutes later (he was playing with his GameBoy, and didn’t notice immediately). “Mom! Mom! The power is back on! Look! Your air conditioner is on!”
I’m not sure how, but I managed to thank him for telling me…with a straight face. Yup. I didn’t even snicker until he went back to his room.
What got me thinking about some of the funny things he’s said and done is because of something that happened a few minutes ago.
He has a love/hate relationship with Jack (our 100 pound pit bull mix). CJ is a real laid back kind of guy (some might see it as lazy), while Jack is like Robin Williams on a gallon of 5-Hour Energy. Basically they’re kind of like oil and water, and when CJ does something nice for Jack, it’s a red-letter moment.
So he walked out here, grinning, and said his hand felt funny after scratching Jack’s ears…his way of telling me he’d put forth some effort to bond with him. Me being me, I said maybe his hand feels funny because Jack has cooties.
CJ quickly inspected his fingers.
Care to wager we’ll be seeing this girl in the Olympics in a few years?
Remember that game we used to play when we were kids? ‘Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.’ Except it wasn’t really a game. Nope. We always hoped that our wishes would come true. Right? Admit it. You did, too. Even the guys. Because there was just something so magical about that first star every night. Something that made it seem as though anything were possible.
Your Romeo or Juliet probably made some wishes, too.
Do you know what any of them were? What they wanted to be when they grew up? What they thought they’d be like as an adult? Is their life anything like they wished for as a child? I mean really… Do you know what they’re afraid of? What truly makes them happy (besides you)? Have you been getting the feeling that there’s something going on with them, but they don’t seem comfortable sharing it with you? Depending on how much interest you’ve shown, or not shown, they may well be holding something back.
We’re never too old to make wishes.
I would rather have used Wishing You Were Here, because I love it, but this is more in line with the subject this week…
Sometimes cartoons get it right, so make like a kid again.
Why not plan a quiet evening, out under the stars, if possible, and play a grown up version of the wishing game? If there are no stars, or if it’s too cold, use your imagination. Cut cut a star out of piece of printer paper, hang it somewhere private, turn the lights off and light a few candles. Find a comfortable place to lay down with your Romeo or Juliet, where you can gaze at the star…
And then you start the game. You make a wish.
And don’t take the easy way out and wish for something like ending world hunger. Everyone would like to do that, which makes it totally not personal. Dig deep. Something along the lines of, “I really wish I could see my grandpa for just five minutes. I’d love to tell him how much having him in my life challenged me to be a better person.”
Now turn to your love and say, “What do you wish for?” And don’t just stop at one. Spend all night sharing your wishes if you want. It’s a fantastic way to get to know one another in new ways. It doesn’t all have to be serious, because we all have silly, outrageous dreams, too.
I’m going to advise you to take some advice from an earlier post…really listen to the answers. File them away…and consider how you might help to make them come true.
For instance, if Romeo or Juliet is the one who said something about wishing for five minutes with their grandfather, buy some flowers and make a trip to the cemetery, if it’s within driving distance. Invite the love of your life to sit beside his grave and talk to him. If it’s not close enough to visit, use your imagination. Have a photograph of him blown up, do something to give this person you love an opportunity to say the words that need to be said.
Start showing him (or her) exactly how much they mean to you by making the little things that are important to them a priority.
~~~~~
See you next week for a new tip.
~~~~~
I’m currently offering a free copy of ‘The Romance Manifesto’ to anyone who is following my blog. If you’re not yet doing so, go ahead and enter your email address near the upper right-hand corner of this page, then shoot me a quick email at kristykjames@gmail.com. I’ll send you the link for a PDF or mobi (Kindle) file. If you’re already following the blog, and would like a copy, let me know, and I’ll get you the links. Thanks for stopping by!
~~~~~
If you think that any of the suggested tips are a good fit for you, and you decide to give them a try, I’d love to know if you got the results you hoped for. Although I can’t guarantee you’ll get any results, most people respond well to sweetness, consideration and attention. Just remember, you will need to exercise some patience, and be consistent. Anything worth having usually requires effort.
If there’s a particular issue you’d like advice about, but don’t want to mention it in the comments, please feel free to email me at: kristykjames@gmail.com
Stretching the budget to include date nights can be a challenge in this economy. Just something as simple as going to see a movie, when you include sodas and popcorn, can set you back $30.00 or more. A nice supper out? Yeah, I know. Ouch. And we haven’t even gotten into working around hectic schedules.
But sometimes you both need to do whatever it takes to enjoy a romantic evening together.
All couples need to get away for some alone time. Time to focus on one another, and shut out the rest of the world. The jobs, bills, responsibilities, and distractions like computers and cell phones. You especially need time for just the two of you if you have kids, because sometimes it’s hard to see yourselves as something other than parents.
Of course there’s that whole budget thing, isn’t there? Well don’t worry…there are plenty of free and inexpensive things you can do for date night (or morning, or afternoon).
A walk in the rain can be very romantic – not to mention a whole lot of fun! As long as it’s just raining and not storming. Best of all, it’s free.
Don’t be a statistic
You probably thought I was going to bring up divorce, didn’t you? No. I’m talking about the many couples who take one another for granted. Sure they still love one another, but they’re not in love. They’ve been together long enough that they don’t really see each other anymore.
If you don’t want that to happen to your relationship, here’s something you can try.
Date night doesn’t have to break the bank.
Grab a comfy quilt, pack a picnic basket (or duffel bag) with a couple of pretty plates, two wine glasses, napkins and real silverware. Arrange for a family member or friend to babysit if you have kids. Then steal your Romeo or Juliet away for a picnic for two. In a park, on a beach, maybe even your own backyard. The location doesn’t matter…as long as it’s fairly private.
Your menu can even be budget-friendly. Wouldn’t it be great to surprise the love of your life with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrot sticks, grapes, and graham cracker cookies (recipe below), served on your best china? You could fill a thermos with Kool-Aid or lemonade, and there you go. You’ve just arranged a romantic dinner date that costs about $5.00.
No, it’s not a 5-star restaurant…it’s better. Because you took the time to plan it, prepare the meal and, most importantly, share it with the one you love. That’s what they will remember. That’s what makes it romantic.
Okay, this isn’t really a ‘recipe,’ more like a guideline. Dump about a cup of powdered sugar in a bowl (carefully, or you’ll be wearing it). Add a heaping spoonful of creamy peanut butter. Now add milk a tablespoon at a time, stirring until it looks like frosting. If you don’t add the milk a little at a time, you’ll have soup, then you’ll have to add more sugar.
Cover bowl and put in picnic basket, along with a package of graham crackers. Make them together after you eat, or the crackers will get soggy.
If you have leftover frosting…use your imagination.
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See you next week for the next tip. If you’d like to be notified when it’s available, go ahead and enter your email address near the upper right-hand corner of this page. Thanks for stopping by!
~~~~~
If you think that any of the suggested tips are a good fit for you, and you decide to give them a try, I’d love to know if you got the results you hoped for. Although I can’t guarantee you’ll get any results, most people respond well to sweetness, consideration and attention. Just remember, you will need to exercise some patience, and be consistent. Anything worth having usually requires effort.
If there’s a particular issue you’d like advice about, but don’t want to mention it in the comments, please feel free to email me at: kristykjames@gmail.com
For months all I wanted was more time. So I figured that focusing my blog, and dropping my posts down to once a week would work.
It’s not working!
Yes, it’s giving me more time…but I’m not enjoying that time as much as I thought I would. And frankly, I miss writing about anything that strikes my fancy. I’m so used to posting three times a week that I’ve felt a little lost the past few weeks. It doesn’t feel right.
No, I’m not going to stop writing my Friday series…because I’m enjoying it too much. But at least one extra day a week, I’m going to post about whatever else I want.
So now I’m going to share a video my daughter found tonight. I’ve watched it probably a dozen times now…and it still makes me grin. I just LOVE how the audience goes wild!
