frazzled & frumpy

The night called to me.  It drew me out of bed, away from the warmth of my blankets and the body next to me.  Sleep was illusive, so instead of watching the minutes tick by, I got up. With cat-like stealth, I stole downstairs, laptop in hand.  I sat on the couch in the glow of the Christmas tree lights.  My dog joined me, confused by this nocturnal partnership.  He lay at my feet and snored while my fingers tapped the keys. My house is rarely quiet.  There are voices, live and broadcast, at all hours of the day.  Little boys jump down stairs and run through small rooms, shooting and sparring through imaginary wars. Teenagers talk and yell and laugh.  The noise--it rises before the sun and rarely dies before darkness envelopes us. I love it. I do. But, the silence of the night was heavenly.  Creeks and moans of my old house settling were my only companions.  No music floated around, save the songs dancing in my head. I put my hands to their familiar task, my mind unfuddled by

You know how you had that friend, the one you wondered why they liked you because they were way too cool to be hanging out with you?  Yeah, I have one of those. Her name is Marianne and she writes this awesome blog called We Band of Mothers .  I'm not sure how we came to be friends, but I thank my lucky stars that we did. Marianne has a book coming out.  It's called, Epic Mom , and though I haven't read it yet, I know it will  be, well, epic. Marianne is having a contest on her book's facebook page.  It's super easy to enter, and if you win, you get a copy of the book. Awesome! All you have to do is ' like' her facebook page-  http://www.facebook.com/#!/epicmombook  .  For every 100 likes, she'll give away a book to one 'liker'.  Once she gets to 1000 likes, she'll pick the winners. Easy peasy.  You know you want to. And, you have a much better chance at this than winning the Lotto. So, go ahead. Like her page. And, while you

tur-key         slang - a person or thing of little appeal; dud; loser In honor of Thanksgiving, and our 'almost' national bird, today I am handing out my First  Annual 'frazzled & frumpy' Turkey Awards.   (I'm sure you all can't wait to find out what's bugging me today.)  #4- The Mechanical Graveyard. That would be my house. If it runs on some kind of power, then it comes here to die. Just when the Handy Man got my car working, the dryer quit. My living room is now a makeshift clothesline.   If I ever wanted to be a pioneer this has squashed that desire. I should put up little headstones in my yard for each of the appliances/techno-gadgets/cars that have perished here. It'd be great for Halloween. #3 - The Calorie Police. I do not need anyone telling me what, or how much, to eat on Thanksgiving. Okay, maybe my entire day's consumption will equal 4500 calories.  It isn't like I eat that way everyday. So, quit telling me tha

I have much in my life to be thankful for. Health, happiness, freedom.  My Savior, Jesus Christ, and the many tender mercies He grants me. And, most of all,  I'm grateful for this-- Hope you had a wonderful day!

I apologize profusely to the NaBloPoMo powers that be.  I signed up with every intention of posting every day.  Like a kid at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I imagined that I could have some of everything.  But, as my mother would say, 'My eyes were bigger than my stomach.' But, I am writing. Furiously. I'm still a bit stunned that I've written 13 chapters in less than two weeks.  I'm behind, but determined to catch up.  It's amazing that at the end of the month I'll have a book . I'm trying hard to ignore my inner editor and leave the rough edges for later. I think about going back to make changes and fight that urge.  I just keep going on, letting the story develop. I'm working on a blurb and when I like it, I'll post it here. Sorry for the lameness. P.S. From BlogHer (they're so not lame)- Would you please take a few minutes (no more than 5) to take our survey about watching video online?  Your thoughts are so valuable to us and

(You can find this and other free printables at the  Spiritually Speaking blog.)

So, apparently, there are some people who are feeling down today.  Not sure what the big deal is, or why there's such an epidemic of the blues.  I mean, the campaign is over. Over. No more ads or debates.  I for one am feeling pretty good.  Maybe all the people I voted for didn't get elected. So? I got to vote. And I didn't have to risk my life to do it. That's pretty cool. I do know a few of the people who are bummed today. Like the lady who didn't get to be on city council.  Oh, and maybe this guy. (abcnews.go.com) Now, if you were him, then you'd have a reason to be grouchy. ($752 million. Holy crap! I'd be in a foul mood, too.)  If you find yourself feeling kinda grumpy, or if you're Mitt, then, I have some friendly advice. 1- Exercise.  It gets your endorphins going.  I don't know what those are. Sounds kinda like dolphins.  But, hey, dolphins are happy.  So, it's got to be good. 2-Sing. Sing a song. Sing out loud. Sing out str

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."  -Nelson Mandela

Oops! I missed a day of NaBloPoMo- don't tell,ok? Today, I had a car for the first time in a week (which meant I had to drive the Handy Man to work at 4:50am -blech!) So, I've been running errands all day and am just now sitting down with my laptop. *sigh* Now, I'm answering the questions asked by Sleepy Joe when she gave me this sweet award. I will try to keep the rules, as much as possible. One of the perks of getting older is that you don't feel the need to always 'color in the lines'. 1-Answer the questions posed by the person who nominated you. 2-Nominate some others for this award. I'm nominating some of my readers who've been with me the longest. Sarah at The Best Stuff Annie at My Crazy Wonderful Life  Kim at Kimber and Krew  And a new reader, Shannon at Love, Peace and Hodson . 3- Post 10 questions for you nominees to answer. First, here are my answers. 1- Who is your favourite band or singer or song?     I'm a huge

Last week, we had a snow storm. My kids wondered aloud about snow in October. Utah is like that, I explained. The day after, my two youngest got creative. The Handy Man (who was outside while they built their ramp) said that he considered stopping them. It wasn't exactly safe. But, he applauded their ingenuity, and let them be boys for a while.  Luckily, no one got hurt. And, the next day, the sun melted it away. 

Between NaBloPoMo (posting every day), and NaNoWriMo (writing a novel in a month),  and looking for a job- some of my posts may be short and sweet. Or just short.  And, since it's November, I may use the whole 'thanksgiving' thing as my cop out. My apologies. Today, I'm thankful for two hours to myself while the kids were at school. I was going to write the whole time. Instead, I sewed for most of it. I made helped my friend make a 'binder purse' I'd seen on Pintrest. We made it yesterday. (Thanks, Michelle!) I realized the straps were too long, so today I fixed them.  I did write, though I still have about 600 words to finish for today. Speaking of Pintrest-- do you? Pintrest? Oh, it's like quicksand. Sucks you right in till you can't, or don't want to, get out. I'll be doing a Pintrest post soon. I love it in a very unhealthy way. My family (siblings and parents) is doing a Biggest Loser competition. We're focusing more on hea

Crimson leaves pirouette and plie, Tenaciously hanging on to their knotted barre. The troupe sways in rhythm,  A late autumn dance, Moving to the music of the wind. (This was my Small Stone, written today for Mindful Writing Day .)