You know what I would love to be doing right now?

Printing up my full to mail out.

I can't though, 'cause, um, I used up all my printer ink printing it up for my daughter.  And...I'd go buy some more except we seriously only have $50.  That's it!  I'm so delirious from lack of sleep that I think this is like ROTF funny. 

Can I call myself a starving artist yet?  Okay, I can't.  I'm actually not starving because I'm munching on a hot dog and some Doritos as I type this.  And I know very well that hot dogs and Doritos aren't on my post-book diet, but I mean, I'm working on a new book, so I don't have to diet anymore!  YAY!

What a relief.  I'm going to have to start a new diet plan with this one though.  Usually I live off peanut butter and jelly when I'm writing.  Not good.



Dear IRS,

Where the heck is my tax rebate already???  Work computer depositer people at the IRS--work!  Your country needs you!

We have a dove's nest outside our front porch in one of my hanging pots I left up through the winter.  My husband, through much sweet talking daily, is allowed to pet the mama.  When it rained the other night he turned the pot to the inside of the porch to keep her dry.  We've been waiting on those two eggs to hatch.  *G*

On our back porch there is a robin's nest.  Today my son went out there to put a shovel up.  He stayed out there.  I was in my rocking chair reading, not far from the back door that was left open.  My oldest daughter went out  after several unexplained noises erupted.  I asked repeatedly what he was doing, but got no response.  Then a crash sounded, several thumps and  a barrage of bird screeching. 

When I got to the door, my oldest daughter stood on the steps in shock and my four-year-old was pointing at two baby birds on the porch floor.

"He touched them!" she said.  "The mama won't come back now.  I learned it in Science."

"Not true," I told her and went to get my garden gloves.

"But that's what my Science book said!"

"Not so."  I put both babies back in the nest, marveling at their wide mouths gaping, then stuck the nest back in the door jam where it was to begin with.  Of course, I had to use the chair my son had used to climb up in and poke at the nest.   The little snot.  I'm assuming he was trying to tilt the nest so he could see in since Daddy wasn't at home to lift him.

We left the blinds open on the door and sure enough the mama returned this evening.  My daughter was stressed the whole time, though I assured her if the mama bird didn't come back I knew how to take care of the babies.  I mean, considering how much research I had to do on starlings for ITLOF, I'm thinking I could handle it. 

"I am soo glad you wrote that book," she said.

LOL!

I'm off to opening night at the ball field!  I'll catch up with everyone's posts when I get home.  And...I bought my son a new shirt today.

I know. Big deal.  BUT.  It had a sticker on it that I had to remove.  The sticker said: This shirt glows in the dark.

I've been studying on how to write humor.  I started thinking about what if?

What if my toenails glowed in the dark?

What if my teeth did?

What if my awesome characters in my new WIP sneezed and their spit glowed in the dark?  So cool!  It would be pretty, if nothing else.  *G*

I know this is all silly, but I'm supposed to be letting my creative side get as stupid as can be with this humor course.  

Off to cheer my youngest daughter on in the 80 degree weather.  *G*

I finally started a Myspace page and now I feel all alone.  If anybody has a page then please add me!

My page.

First off, some help please...

My brother, jdpruett , has a painting displayed on his LJ he'd like identified if you want to stop by and help him out.  BTW, feel free to add him to your friends list if you'd like. 

Our ball fields have been under some construction, awning over the bleachers, a new stand for the scorekeepers, etc.  All the rain has delayed this, which has then given us an extra week before the season starts.  Whew!  A short breather.  I've been so busy I don't know if I'm coming or going most of the time.  I've been squeezing in bits of research for my current WIP in my spare moments--few and far between, I promise.

I sat down today to try and write a bit but realized I'm afraid to.   I think (or hope) this has  to do  with the fact I came down with one of those nasty colds that have been floating around.  My head's so full of gunk I think it might roll off my shoulders at any moment.  I really, really hope this writing fear will pass.  My fingers are crossed, that's for sure.

I hope everyone is doing well and happy writing! 

I always have excuses for my actions. They are my staple of life! So, in retrospect, had the rain not been falling for days on end and my Expedition stuck in a mud puddle in the middle of the front yard, I would never have been driving that humongous truck of his. Like so many other things in my life lately, it's all the rain's fault.

Also, I believe it should be against the law to either A) make trucks that are that large, or B) make the drive through at the bank that narrow.

When the side mirror smashed into the stone pillar, it made a very strange whomping sound. It was quite loud too! Immediately my attention swerved to the right side of the truck and I helplessly watched the mirror pop back in place.

Like the good wife that I am, I said, "Oops." And then I pulled on up to the window, a tad bit embarrassed since everyone in the other lanes were staring at me.

By the time I got my check deposited and pulled out into the road again, I'd begun to worry that I might have done some damage to his side mirror. All the way to the store this fear grew and I swear the other drivers saw that horrible damage I had done and that is why they stared so when I passed them on the road. They knew, you see. They knew.

Looking back, I think I might have been shaky when I turned the engine off at the store. I opened my door and headed to the passenger side. I swear that truck looked so much bigger and longer than usual and it really took forever to get to the other side.

All that was there to show my mistake was a small mark on the outside of the mirror. Relief. Gah, of course it gushed through me.

Backing up a bit, I have to admit that when I ran his old truck into the front gate, he laughed at me. But he had already dented the tailgate by then. I'm really not sure what he would say about his new truck, but thankfully, I don't have to tell him now.

All right, I realize that posting this in public on my blog that he's been known to read when in a very bad state of boredom is not the smartest thing. And also, taking into account that my brother will surely at least threaten to tell, I love living on the edge and always have. So, let's see how long I can keep this public secret from my dear, sweet, husband. He-he.

1.  I spent yesterday morning at the doctor.  Daughter one now officially has asthma.  Yeah, so I said months ago.  200 dollars on doctor and meds.  She had to have double because the school won't let her carry her inhalers with her.  They have to be left at the nurses station.  I try not to gripe about the school but sorry, I think this rule stinks for a kid my daughter's age.  And the first time she comes home telling me someone wouldn't let her take her inhaler, I'm going to be ticked. This has happened to another girl at the school.  The on duty teacher wouldn't let her go saying she didn't need it.  Because asthma treatments are ninety percent about preventive measures, this is crappy.

2.  We spent the rest of the day shopping.  I came home exhausted.  I normally spend my day writing about people running around, not actually doing it. 

3.  I then took my second daughter to ball practice.

4.  Today I don't really remember, but I know it involved more softball, stores, and some time or another we dyed eggs, my nephew may or may not have broken his arm and I spent some time at the emergency room.  I think my brother and his wife are still up there.

5.  I am not in the mood to even think about writing right now.  Too tired.

I've been buried in laundry and I might just make my way clear by Friday.  *G*  My oldest daughter asked me yesterday when I was going to start on my fantasy and I said, "I think I'm going to take a vacation, clean up the house, paint the living room, get the garden going."

"Well, don't forget how, okay?"

"Write?"

"Yeah.  I know you're tired, but you have to keep going."

*G*

In other news:

It was great to be at the ball fields for the past couple of evenings, though I got bombarded by moms wanting Joe to pick their girls.  This is endearing, but a strange feeling too.  Plus, I don't have a say in who he picks and even if he wants one of the girls one of the other coaches might pick her first.  My oldest DD smacked every ball they sent her way!  There was a guy catching in center field for the hitters and Joe told him my daughter was going to smoke him.  He said no way.  lol.  She did!  Poor guy was dumbfounded.

Yes, I'm proud of her.  Can you tell?

And then my youngest daughter started this year and Daddy hasn't been working with her much so she was scared stiff.  She hit two out of three pitches!  I was so proud.   She wants to start pitching so I'm going to begin working with her this year.  Since she's only seven, that gives us two whole years to work on nothing by accuracy. 

Ahh... Spring!

You know I just realized yesterday that Easter is next weekend!  Man, I've been lost in another world lately.

I'm feeling better today.  My husband got rid of my depression for me.  No.  Sheesh.  Is that all you think about?  Okay, so yeah that too, but before that he made me watch the stupidest movie I have ever seen.  It worked. 


Anyway, I received this email this morning.   That it appeared in my head is not a concern at this time. *G*

Dear Shea,

What does your desk look like when you've spent two weeks cramming to finish a book?

Sincerely,

Inquiring Minds Inc.


Dear Inquiring Minds,

So very good of you to ask.  I am flattered by your interest in my disordered life.  Here is a picture, because we all know a picture is worth a thousand words and I must save my descriptive gifts for my novels.  Did I hear someone snort?  Really, who snorted?  How rude!  I know I heard it.

Yours truly, forever,

Meredith Wood 

Oops.  I meant,

Shea







And speaking of messes...   The carpet layers will be here soon and this is what my husband's office area looks like.



Now, in my husband's mind this is clean.  Everything is stacked nicely and even his work boots are lined up.   The problem being this is the living room where the new carpet is going .  AND  if he thinks he's going to store his boots right beside his recliner after today, he's in for a lot of very long, lonely nights!

Yes, I have no room to talk, really.  But my mess is in a room that isn't going to get new carpet.  So, I feel validated in my griping.

It can make you fat. This in turn really takes a toll on your confidence. I gained ten pounds with book one and seven pounds with book two. What is that??? 17 pounds of extra weight! Book three is keeping me steady, though I did lose five or six during the planning of the book. But like all good things, the weight loss came to an end. And then I gained it back.

So, I am committed to losing 15 pounds. This started last Monday and lasted until I had breakfast. *G* What followed was cheesecake, homemade chocolate chip cookies, brownies, seconds on the potatoes, bread, and I forgot vegetables existed.

Last night, after consuming two bowls of homemade ravioli, I decided I really should try a bit harder. So today I did. And I had that tiny little Kashi Go Lean instant hot cereal for breakfast, two pieces of whole wheat light toast, and my little cup of that whatever yogurt to help my digestive system. Oh yum! Truly! Yeah... I even took my vitamin. For lunch I had a salad. *sigh* It was tough.

Then my husband went shopping and brought home sugar cookies with icing, two packages of chocolate chip cookies and some other kind of yummy looking cookie. Worry not! I went to work out.

I absolutely forgot what working out does for my will power! After thirty minutes of cussing and whining about how much I hate sweat and that my legs were burning, I finished. I then got myself a really nice back massage and returned to the kitchen. I glanced at the cookies and thought, "If I eat even one of those I'm undoing all this torture I just put myself through."

I didn't eat the cookie. I don't even want the cookie. Yes, it looks like I'm back to my workout schedule.

I have a war to win here.

Oh and look how far I got in my writing today! "Call me crazy, but I didn't think that would go over well."

Oh wait... That's where I left off yesterday.

It's not any better.  I've ran out of over the counter meds to entertain and soothe me and have moved on to the real drugs.  Yeah, I'm like, really drugged now.

Chapter One has been rewritten and edited to my happiness.  I'm sure someone would say I shouldn't start my book the way I am.  I've had too much codeine to care.  'Sides, I like it.

I read Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith today.  I liked it.  I can't recall at this point in time what happened in the book, but I remember I liked it.

I like the word like tonight.  I see I've used it a lot so far.  Not going to go up and count though.

Next week or the week after I have my first "school" talk.  (Forget at the moment the exact date) I'm sure I'll be nervous when I realize I have to actually answer their questions.  Like-- what do you wear when you write?   Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? etc and etc.  Should be fun.  Who would have thought people would actually want to know what I do during a day?  Actually, that's kinda scary.

If I fall off the face of Live Journal in the coming weeks it's because I'm finishing up ITLOF.  I tend to sink into some kind of other world on the last 3/4 of books and become very self-centered until I'm finished.  If this happens, then this is why.

I didn't think I was going to do this, because I'd be required to sit down and think if I did. Surprise, I am doing it. The top ten ways you know I wrote that book.

1.Death. At some time or another, someone is going to die and someone is going to have to deal with this.

2.Love. In every book, there is some form of love that must be explored or realized.

3.Young female MC. I can write men, but I'm afraid of boys. I'd rather not step inside their heads.

4.It will not have the word particularly in it anywhere.

5.Humor. No matter how dark the subject material my sense of humor slips through.

6.The book will have a journey of self-discovery.

7.Some form of jealousy. This is my own weakness and I suppose I feel if I help my characters deal with it enough times that, I'll be better at dealing with my own.

8.God. Whether He's subtle or in your face, He makes it in there somehow.

9.Take charge kind of guys.

10.Girls who humor take charge kind of guys.

I guess I'm just in a sharing mood these days.  *g*

Twilight has been read.  Loved it.  She made me jealous.  The other two in the series have been ordered.

Finally (though this is my mom's fault for taking so long to email it) here's the pic of the chipmunks with my own little chipmunk  at his first movie. 

I realize posting on the weather is probably not the most exciting thing to post about, but we've  been dealing with temperatures below freezing for over three days.  Yesterday, I reached my breaking point.  I had the most depressing day and no matter what good news I got, still felt blah.  Cabin fever. 

Today though!  We are at 41 degrees and climbing!  By Sunday we'll be back to 60 degrees!

As my husband says, "Don't like the weather round here?  Wait an hour, it'll change."

Here's  some pics of the fire we had the night before last.  Shame, I really liked them pies at Perkins.   I believe a lot of Holiday Inn was burned too.  I don't think anybody was hurt.

      

The other day while on our way to Memphis we passed several cotton fields covered in white.  No, it wasn't snow.  No, it wasn't cotton.  They were full from one end to the next with snow geese.  I promise to get a picture of this soon and post it so all of my Northern friends can see our winter hotels we have going here every year.  *G*  What was even more amazing, and I'll get one of those pics too, was the sky was full of our feathered friends also.

I'll have to use the new digital as it has a better zoom on it.  You simply can't get close enough without a flurry of, well, I think you all can imagine what would happen.  Anyway, it's truly an amazing sight and saying the fields are covered really doesn't do it justice.  It's one of those you have to see with your own eyes.

My little boy had his first trip to the movies tonight. *G* As soon as my mom emails me the pic, I'll post it.  The movie was good, but my favorite parts are at the beginning.  My son hung in there for the whole movie and only got fidgety halfway through for a little bit.  My, I think those are some of the driest sentences I've written in a long while.  And here I was planning to write on my WIP some tonight.  Hmm... Perhaps I shouldn't.

Forward to the rant:

I have a RSS feed on a couple of my LJ friends.  It doesn't pick up those friends only posts and that's not good on some days.  I just realized I need to start clicking on their journals every day--just to check.  Done with my rant.  Wasn't a big one, but I'm obviously tired.

I got everything done I said I was gonna do.  My daughter loves the housekeeper too.  First she asked me why I made her like that and I asked if she liked her.  She said she was so funny!

There's your answer, sweetie!

Ah, nothing like feeling the relief of accomplishing your goals.  Onto the makeup and some stepping out clothes (blue jeans, thank ya).  My kids and I have a date at Chacho Hell and then onward to see the Chipmunks!

I didn't write.  I didn't think about my book.  I wasn't even a writer.  *G*  Instead, I took a forced but very muchly needed break.

I watched movies, did laundry, went shopping, and pretended I was a normal human being.  It was fun and strange all at the same time.  Five people asked me how my book was coming along and instead of my normal response, which is, which one? I said,  I dunno.  This received the same nods as my just fine does. *G* 

And I don't know if I'm going to write or think about my book tomorrow either. 

After spending the last few weeks struggling to start my new WIP, I really want to write today.  I have to take my daughter to the doctor though.

I want to up my word meter but Zokutou is not working right again.


The other night, I got fed up with my slow butt computer and deleted several programs.  This sped me up, but I lost all my smilies at Verla's.  I used my laptop this morning and noticed we have the cutest little Santas now!  That just stinks. (not the santas, that I can't use them or see them on this computer)  If anybody knows how I might get them back on this computer, please share! 

I guess that's all I have to say right now.

Update:  I got my smilies back.  I guess I didn't mess up my computer. lol

Been married that long today.  Mom's keeping the three results of the marriage all night for us and we are going to find something to do.  I believe he has plans to take me out to eat and then well, I'm lost after that.  He won't say...