Lunacy: Finding Sanity in Life's Little Things

NaNoWriMo :: Scene Soundtrack Contest (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Tonight's scene is at a completely different locale. We've gotten Maggie out of small town, USA and she's returning to college in the big city. Her roommate convinces her to go out to a club. I'll admit, it's been years since my years of hanging at at "Motor" in Detroit.

I need updated songs for inspiration. I'm been hanging out a lot in the emo world as far as my recent musical tastes, so I'm at a loss for a good, bass pounding club song to inspire the writing of this scene.

Any suggestions? You can still enter the Part 1 of this week's contest here.

Rules are the same. Submit a band or song that could inspire a Pandora radio station. You can leave a comment on the blog, send me a tweet at @samill1 or send me a message on the NaNo forums (I'm Colorado Columnist). I'll compile the entries. All entries must be in by midnight on Saturday. I'll announce this week's winner on Monday, and send you a compilation CD inspired by the song that you suggested next week.

NaNoWriMo :: Day 5 Characterization

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Day 5 Wordcount: 1,802 (total word count is at 11,479 - I broke 10K - woo, hoo)

Day 5 Morale: Excited - plowed through two different scenes in an hour and finally got Maggie out of the small town hospital!

Day 5 Song of the Day: Shooting Up in Vain from the "Go" Soundtrack

I introduced the antagonist tonight. Once this chunk 'o words goes through a major first revision, I'm guessing that the antagonist will enter stage left a lot earlier. But for now, he's arrived. I still don't have my finger on this guy. My other characters - Maggie, her friends, the ex-boyfriend, her sister, even the upcoming love interest (can't wait for him to enter the picture - he's so interesting!!) - I feel like I already know. But this antagonist, I'm not so sure about yet. I think it's because when I lay awake during October planning this book, Mr. Antagonist was Mr. Minor Character. The story was more of a Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Himself type-thing. And then I realized - that was boring me.

The next day, while creating some timelines, I realized that Mr. Minor Character was the perfect antagonist. He was in the right place at the right time, and he has strong motive for foiling Maggie's plans. No, he's not a superhero villain (don't know why the word "foiling" just came out of my fingers - must be all this NaNoWriMo stream-of-consciousness), but he's the perfect antagonist.

However, there are still some cloudy areas in his backstory. I think I'll spend a little time this weekend in Mr. Antagonist's world to find out what makes him tick. Tune in to the next post for Part 2 of the soundtrack contest.

NaNoWriMo :: The Muse is a Frazzled Hausfrau

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Day 4 Wordcount: 1,877 which brings my total to 9,677

Day 4 Song of the Day: I spent a lot of the afternoon listening to the Pandora stations created via yesterday's soundtrack contest. Many thanks to punkgrrlshim, Phoenix_Maat and Aikanaro (via blogger); shannonwritesright and procrastella (via NaNo forums); and @kazoochica and @niassa (via Twitter) for the great suggestions.

The funny thing, is that after all that listening, I didn't listen to any music while I was writing last night. And that was a bad idea. Lesson #864 learned from NaNoWriMo, I'm a much better fiction writer when my headphones are in and the iPod is cranked up. I can lose myself in a scene much more easily when I'm not hearing the neighbors drive by, the dog barking at a fox outside or Alex kicking the rail on his bed in the next room.

Please be assured that I'll be actively listening to all of your suggestions from now on, because writing without music seems to leave my creative well a bit parched.

Which brings me to the point of today's post. The creative well and how it works with fiction.

By profession, I'm a non-fiction writer. I write reviews of the performing and visual arts, I write scientific articles, I write brochure and website copy. And you know what, I'm a very creative and sensuous non-fiction writer. No, not "sensual" - there's not too much hot and bothered about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Doberman Pinschers. Sensuous: taking delight in beauty; of, relating to, or derived from the senses. I've always been that way.

I experience the world very deeply with my five senses. I see subtlety in colors that others can't quite detect. I notice the textures that others don't take the time to experience. My brother can tell you a great story about how I rubbed Sara Lee pound cake on my cheeks when I was young because I loved that cool, smooth top that it has. And don't even get me started on the crisp edge of a freshly washed pillow case or the gag reflex induced by things that dollop. And most importantly, as a writer, I've always been able to concoct a great phrase to capture the quirkiness or subtleties of these sensuous experiences that bring our world, and consequently, our writing alive.

But, my muse is a bit frazzled and can't seem to get out of her bathrobe with NaNoWriMo and the unsurety of fiction writing facing her. There are times that I feel like I'm trying to dig a hole in the sand. I'm chipping away at layer after layer (plot, character, dialogue, imagery, tone, etc.) Every time I make some headway, the sand slides right back down the sides.

For now, my brain is focused on plot and what happens next. This is new to me, because in non-fiction, it is what it is. The dog is born, the dog has a faulty heart valve, the scientists find a causative gene, the end! But, there's no roadmap in fiction. It's up to me to decide what happens next, and I'm having an incredibly fun adventure discovering these things.

However, the things that are happening aren't pretty or moving or subtly grating so as to make your skin crawl - they're just happening. For example, last night the ceiling was "yellow and cracked" in Maggie's hospital room. How cliche is that? Some great stuff happened in that hospital room, and some pivotal conversations took place. But they took place in a "yellow, cracked room" with a "creaky bed" that smelled like "Comet and old ladies perfume." Pretty sad, huh? Description for me, right now, is nothing more than a cliche adjective dump. Imagery, and the quiet nudges that make our world so much more intriguing, escape me when I'm writing this first draft.

This has been a hard pill to swallow - but also a huge lesson learned. You sometimes have to sacrifice quality to let the story tell itself. Then you can go back and wrap it in the transparent, papery layers that let out the savoriness one peel at a time.

NaNoWriMo :: Scene Soundtrack Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

I'm stuck...not with the book. But with the music that I listen to while I write. This is isn't entirely true, we own so much music, it's a little ridiculous actually. I'm not stuck, just uninspired by the music that I have at my fingertips.

So, we're starting a new daily contest at Lunacy. Find me a song to inspire a Pandora radio station. I will give you a run down of the scene that I'm writing, you reply in the comments with any song ideas you might have that fit. The lyrics don't have to fit, but if they do, that's great too. Don't spend a ton of time analyzing the challenge. Sometimes the best musical inspiration is just a feeling that you have.

Kevin and I play this game quite a bit. He often wakes up with certain songs stuck in his head or will start whistling a tune for an unknown reason. It usually takes a few minutes to figure out what inspired the synapses of his incredibly deep brain to shoot that song into his conscious mind. But, it's always fun to figure out why.

So, back to our task. Day 4: Writing a scene in a small town hospital, characters include a drunk, jilted teenage boy; a shifty shrink and a protagonist who think she might be going crazy.

Send your thoughts my way in the comments section. You can also send me a tweet is it's easier. You can find me here http://www.twitter.com/samill1 I'll let you know if your song inspires a great new station. Gotta love Pandora!

P.S. I'll choose a winner every Saturday during NaNoWriMo. The person whose song inspired the best Pandora station for me will get a "mix-tape" CD sent to them - created and paid for by me! A great way to discover some new music. An even better way to get back to our glory days of the "mix tape." If you're too young to know about "mix tapes" they were the classic courting method or break-up healing technique used back in my high school dating days.

NaNoWriMo :: Day 3 (Another a-ha moment!)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:48:00 +0000

Day 2 Wordcount: 4,190 (That puts my total at 7,800)

Day 2 Theme Song: Appreciation and the Bomb by The Spill Canvas

Nothing fancy about the song lyrics tonight. In fact, when I googled the lyrics, they seemed like a veiled attempt at a cliche song about suicide. Tonight's scene definitely had nothing to do with that. The tune just happened to pop up on the Genius playlist that my iPhone created at the exact moment that I was writing the face-to-face break up between Maggie (MC) and Marcus (already her ex-boyfriend, but he wouldn't take no for an answer over the phone. He forces her to do it in person while they are at the festival.) The song had the perfect sad strains of guitar that fit with the scene.

Morale is good today. I had a huge jump in word count because I rewrote the Prologue (hate to call it a "prologue" because I know those are fairly taboo in publishing right now. But that's pretty much what it is.), and I got the opening scene betwee Maggie and her grandmother nailed down.

The final scene of tonight was tough. I'd been looking forward to writing it. It's the climax to Chapter 1 and tied together a lot of the elements that have been put into play over the last 5,500 words. It was really hard to write, though. Even though I've been running it over and over in my head for a week, I couldn't seem to get just the right words and intensity for what I needed. I mentally highlighted this section as one that will need to be COMPLETELY reworked in the next draft.

But, once again, I made some big discoveries. In the midst of my excitement, I had also been terrified to write the final scene because I couldn't figure out exactly how to make it work so that it would tie in to some discoveries that Maggie will make in subsequent chapters. But, once again, it just came to me while I was writing. I breathed a sigh of relief, shook my head in amazement at this muse of mine who likes to hide until the very last minute that I need her and dove back into writing so as not to lose the creative flow.

More to come tomorrow. I'm excited to start the next section. I'll be getting them out of the festival and on to the next locale.

NaNoWriMo :: Day 2 (Why Do I Think This is Crap?)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Day 2 Wordcount: 1,829 (That puts my total at 3,610)

Day 2 Theme Song: September Skyline by Single File
"Let's drive tonight and race the autumn skyline. And should I fall tonight, we'll know just what it takes to feel alive..."

The book opens with MC and her friends driving through the cornfields of her podunk farm town. It's October, and they're heading to the town's Pumpkin Festival. And the pivotal scene that I wrote tonight involves a fall - both literal and figurative. Go figure. I'm definitely reading way too much into this because I don't actually listen to any of the lyrics while I'm writing, but something must be seeping in because the comparative literature major in me is finding all sorts of meaningful, albeit slightly contrived, connections with these songs.

Day 2 Morale: Comme ci, comme ca... I'm having no trouble whipping off the words. Took me just over an hour to get those 1,800 down on the page, but I feel scattered. There is a ton of backstory with these characters that needs to be explained, but I feel like I'm having a verbal diarrhea dump - trying to get it all out RIGHT NOW. I don't think I've mastered the skill of weaving in bits and pieces of the backstory.

HOWEVER, and this is a big however, (Thus the capital letters!)

I made some HUGE discoveries today. Once again I had a plan for where the characters needed to end up in today's work. Plan was terribly thwarted and I didn't reach the destination, because things just started jumping out of my brain. In the midst of this steaming pile of verbosity, I created some new connections and some major plot points.

When I say major, I mean that at one point, my eyes actually teared up and I got shivers realizing that the words I had just written were going to be yet another connection that is vital to this story of lost souls. Once again, that's what will keep me coming back. I'm already anticipating a whole bunch dribble is going to get cut in the first edit, but I'm also convinced that I need to work my way through my own wordiness to find these discoveries that are trapped in my subconscious.

Crazy how this writing thing works! Now I understand why it's so addictive. It's like guilty playtime. I've never had a hobby that makes me feel guilty for having this much fun. And now I do.

NaNoWriMo :: Desktop Background #2 (Steampunk Style)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:10:00 +0000

Feeling a little bit steampunk-y today. I decided to create another desktop calendar for all those 50K writers out there.

Once again, it is set to 1280x800 to accommodate my laptop dimensions. It has just enough room to the left of the calendar that I can still have three rows of icons that don't block the calendar.

Feel free to download for your use if you like it. Click on the image below to open it larger in a new window. Then right click on the image and select "Save as Background".

If you're wanting something a little more girly and pink, you can check out my first desktop calendar here.

NaNoWriMo :: Day 1 Complete

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:06:00 +0000

Day 1 of NaNoWriMo is complete. I finished up at 1,781 words, and I could have written more had three little boys under the age of four not been needing my undivided attention.

Things I discovered while writing on Day 1:

I wrote 1,781 in about an hour. My weekly newspaper columns usually take a couple of hours, and a scientific article clocking in at 1,800 words can take anywhere from five hours to a couple of days as far as first draft goes. I've discovered that I am usually not a drafter. I write it once, make major edits as I go and make minor (grammar and punctuation) edits once I'm finished. And obviously, it works for me because that's how I earn my living. This whole idea of drafting for fiction is a foreign concept to me. BUT...
I like what happens when I throw caution to the wind, set a timer and just write. Things pop out of my head that I didn't know were in there. I'm usually a very calculated writer, agonizing over each sentence before it goes down on the page.
Proper noun-type things (street names, character names) are a lot less stressful when you just put down the first thing that comes to mind and go back to fix it later. This is how the Clomp Stompers came to life today. They are the greasy, washed-up (actually never got off the ground) punk band who appeared in the parade that takes place in Scene 2, Chapter 1 of Five Souls today. I love the lead singer, and he just made his way onto the page immediately after the band name spit itself out of my subconscious. I'm sure the Clomp Stompers will get cut in the early rounds of edits for one reason or another, but for now it's fun to have these guys around. The Elvis pumpkin above is another one of those fun discoveries that create themselves. The words were on the page before I even knew if anyone had ever created an Elvis pumpkin. Guess what, they have? I googled for "Elvis Pumpkin" after I finished writing and found this beauty.
I usually have a song of the day whenever I'm writing fiction. Although I put together a playlist for the first three chapters (you can take a look at it here), one song typically aligns itself with the scene. Today's song was "Chuck" by Sum 41. Not sure what it was, but the angsty guitar, and the line "Some say we're better off without/Knowing what life is all about..." resonated with the emotional space that Maggie (my MC) is in right now. I wrote a scene on the front lawn of City Hall, when everything is going to crap with her group of high school friends. She's moved on and they're still living the same patterns that they always have. It just fit.
I love writing teenage dialogue. I never knew that I was good at getting into the heads of snarky teenage girls. I'm not sure what this says about me, because I was the farthest thing from snarky as a teenager. Maybe it's my inner mean girl that been trapped all these years trying to get out. Maybe it's like writing that inner dialogue that I spent many years thinking but would never have said out loud because I was a nice girl. Regardless, it's fun to be a "Mean Girl" - at least on paper.
In spite of all of these positives, I'm still fighting myself on this book. I love my ideas. I love the direction that I've planned for the story, but everything that I put down just feels trite and cliche to me. I know it's my Inner Editor (IE) who is just pissed off because I usually let her run the show. But everytime I questioned myself today, I just cranked up the music, looked at the timer and kept typing. A few little nuggets of good sprinkled themselves throughout the horrid. It's those little gems that will keep me going. It's like what keeps people golfing - not the game itself, but the few good shots that make you want to keep coming back for more. So I've heard anyway!

Happy writing, everyone!

NaNoWriMo Countdown in Single Digits

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:08:00 +0000

The countdown to NaNoWriMo has entered single digits. In 5 days, 13 hours, 6 minutes and 53 seconds, the starting gun will go off for NaNoWriMo 2009 (and I will officially turn 35). I'm guessing that when it starts, I'll be peacefully sleeping in my bed dreaming of my next 35 years of life. After surviving 34 years and three Halloween trick-or-treat outings with my kiddos, I'll be worn out and crashing from a sugar buzz.

However, I fully intend to leap out of bed on the morning of my birthday, November 1, and sit down at my computer without passing "GO." My NNWM plan is in place:

1. I will write 1,700 words a day. I've outlined the book and have determined that it should be 90,000-100,000 words when completed. I'll need a lot more than just November to finish it, but I don't want to set my daily word counts too high and end up quitting before I've started.

2. I've prepped several writing playlists that fit with scenes from the first three chapters of my book. Here's a sample:

Staplegunned (Remix) by The Spill Canvas = 3:11
Dismantle.Repair (Acoustic) by Anberlin = 4:34
Cross the Line by Ruth = 3:40
Tiffany Blews by Fall Out Boy = 3:45
Idlewild Blue (Don’t Chu Worry ‘Bout Me) by Outkast = 3:24
That Day by Poe = 2:41
T.V. Family by The Rocket Summer = 4:13
Swandive by Ani DiFranco = 6:30
My Junk from the "Spring Awakening" Broadway recording = 2:28
September Skyline by Single File = 3:15
As Lovers Go (Ron Fair Remix) by Dashboard Confessional = 3:29
Shooting Up in Vain (T-Ray Remix) by Eagle Eye Cherry = 4:51
Some Say by Sum 41 = 3:26
Typical by Tickle Me Pink = 3:15

Do you have any guesses about the book from looking at the playlist above?

This playlist is just over 53 minutes long. My goal is to start with three 15-minute power writing sessions (write your brains out without stopping until the timer goes off). This gets all of the gut-feelings and impressions about a scene's conversations, description, etc., out before I have time to listen to my internal editor and nix anything. I'll have a little bit of music left between sessions so that I don't get distracted and waste time searching for interesting tunes on the iPhone (and then check e-mail and twitter and facebook -- you know the drill).

Not to worry, I'm not fooling myself into thinking that I can whip out 1,700 in 45 minutes. Although, at 38 words a minute, it's certainly possible. But I've set aside two hours a night (after my kiddos go to bed) to get the work done. I'm not a morning person - always try getting up at 5:30 a.m. to write my articles, but the warm covers and snooze button are too welcoming. And I need at least an hour to decompress before trying to sleep. Otherwise, I have characters and plot ideas running through my head and I spend at least an hour tossing and turning and keeping my husband awake!

3. I have 48 scene cards written. All of my major plot points, pinch points and mid point are figured out. Still not sure how this sucker is going to end, but there has to be something left to chance, right? To be honest, I know the very end of this book and how it segueways into the beginning of the next book. I just haven't figured out how I'm going to wrap up several of the plot points that are specific to this book.

4. This week I'll be spending some time experimenting with the Snowflake Method. I've never used this before, but it looks interesting and as though it might spur some new ideas for me during the brainstorming.

5. I spent some time last night playing around with the free download from Liquid Story Binder XE. I haven't decided whether it is right for me or not. I tend to get bogged down in "playing" with the features of programs like this, and I end up spending more time uploading photos or formatting mindmaps than actually writing. The program definitely isn't intuitive when you first open it, but I enjoyed this excellent tutorial posted at Not Enough Words.

* * * *
You might recall in a post from October 7, the list that I made for all work that I needed to finish before November 1. Keep in mind that for a full-time working person, this list isn't that long. But for a girl whose full-time job is supposed to be taking care of her kids, this work-at-home mom things has ballooned of late. Let's revisit that for a minute and take a look at the progress.

5 interviews for columns (4 of the 5 completed)
4 weekly columns (3 of the 4 completed)
2 web design completions (1 out for edits; 1 in the works today)
2 conference calls (Finished)
1 blog template redesign (Finished)
1 business card design process (on hold until December)
1 business papers design (letterhead, b-cards, etc.) (in the works today)
1 board meeting (Finished with one more scheduled for this Thursday)
1 newsletter design (Finished - files to the printer today!)
1 newsletter edit/design (Finished - files to the printer yesterday!)
1 scientific article with 4 interviews (Finished - submitted this morning)
1 PowerPoint template design (Finished - waiting for full script to be crafted, but formatting shouldn't take long)

The end of the tunnel is in sight, and NaNoWriMo is looming. What are you doing this week to prepare?

NaNoWriMo :: Desktop Background Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:43:00 +0000

Many of you know that I signed up for the National Novel Writing Month a few days ago. While reading the forums over at NaNoWriMo headquarters, I discovered a great idea to stay motivated and keep track of word count. Writers create desktop backgrounds for their computers. This way, every time they boot up the ole' word processor, they'll be reminded of the goal for the month. I say "word processor" because I'm discovering that most writers (most people, for that matter) have the same problems that I do. Having the internet enabled while writing leads to lots of "research" and very little writing. Case in point, my hour spent over at NaNoWriMo reading instead of getting the work finished that needs to be completed in order for me to take on this monstrous writing task. At least I know I'm not alone.

Here's a link to the desktop calendar that I designed. It is set to 1280x800 to accommodate my laptop dimensions. It has just enough room to the left of the calendar that I can still have three rows of icons that don't block the calendar.

Feel free to download for your use if you like it. Click on the image below to open it larger in a new window. Then right click on the image and select "Save as Background".

By the way, I'm not sure what's up with the pink. I've never been a pink kind of gal, but recently it seems that I've been tapping into my inner (and heavily-buried) girly-girl. New blog design - pink. Desktop calendar - pink. Next thing you know, I'll be buying pink to wear, and I've agreed to write a novel in a month. What is happening to the world?

NaNoWriMo Countdown Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:02:00 +0000

25 days to NaNoWriMo.

Work by the numbers between today and November 1:

5 interviews for columns
4 weekly columns
2 web design completions
2 conference calls
1 blog template redesign
1 business card design process
1 business papers design (letterhead, b-cards, etc.)
1 board meeting
1 newsletter design
1 newsletter edit/design
1 scientific article with 4 interviews
1 PowerPoint template design

Think that's it! Not even going to make a list of all of the personal things I need to accomplish - since that's supposed to be my full-time job. Stay-at-home mom has a whole new definition in the 21st century!

NaNoWriMo :: Taking the Plunge

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 02:01:00 +0000

I'm diving in with both feet. I've had several novel ideas (and ideas for novels) swarming around in my head for quite some time. It's always easy to find other things to do, though. Work, internet, mothering, television...not necessarily in that order.

I figure that I'm giving myself one month to put my nose to the grindstone and crank one of these suckers out. The sucker might, in fact, suck. It probably will. But at least it will be words on a page and a starting point for something better. Mostly, it will get these persistent stories out of my brain. I'm tired of lying awake at night because the characters are creeping around in my head.

Wish me luck and make sure you hold me to task. 50,000 words by November 30th. Signing up today gives me just over a month to finish up some freelance articles and get my outlines in order. November 1st is the start date. Please check up on me to make sure I don't wimp out.

Fiddlehead Mittens & Veggies:: Life is Good

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:34:00 +0000

Two things going on my world - in addition to the everyday standards: work, mothering, cleaning, etc. Mittens and veggies.

A few weeks ago, I blogged about these Fiddlehead mittens. I finished the first half of the first one today, and so far so good. It was a bit snug to be lined. After I finished, it was actually the perfect size for my hands if I wanted unlined mittens. But, I splurged and bought some amazing baby alpaca yarn for the lining. It is so soft, and they are going to be so warm. For someone who is always cold, I couldn't resist the urge to knit a lining. I think after blocking them, they will be just the right size to accommodate the lining.

The one above is damp and drying on my DIY mitten blockers. I created a pattern on corrugated cardboard and covered it with strips of clear contact paper to waterproof it. Then I created a separate thumb insert. This way, I'll have the right size thumb blocker for mitten thumbs that come out the side or the kind that are inserted into the palm. Although, I must say that I prefer the kind that come out the side. I always feel like my thumb has more range of motion in that kind.

Second fun adventure in our house - Vegetables.

The boys and I went with a really fun group of moms and kiddos to Miller Farms in Platteville, Col. October is their Fall Havest Festival. The kids had a great time climbing hay bale pyramids and riding sand dune-buggies around the farm. We also spent about three hours out in the fields. We came home with quite a harvest. I've been cooking, canning, cleaning, steaming and eating all week. The stash included: red-skinned potatoes, white and red onions, sweet corn, pumpkins, green beans, tomatillos, peppers (pictured above in at least 5 different varieties), eggplants, leeks, cabbage and carrots. I'm racing the clock to eat or freeze all of it before it starts rotting. Thank goodness for our compost pile so that I don't feel quite as guilty if I don't make it through all of the produce.

7 Inches of Snow in September?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:22:00 +0000

I managed to save my poor petunias from extinction in yesterday's snowstorm. I'm not sure how happy they are about growing on my kitchen counter, but at least they're not blanketed in seven inches of snow! Yes, count 'em - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Thankfully it finally stopped snowing, but the skies of Evergreen are still cloudy and I've seen a few flurries trying to sneak down from the sky today.

First Snow!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:12:00 +0000

This is what it's doing at my house right now. Can you see the snow on the deck rail and beginning to pile up on my carefully covered picnic table? Can you see my very cold, very sad petunias begnning to sag in the upper left corner of the photo.

Yes, don't blink your eyes. This is actually snow - in September. Weatherbug is calling for 3 inches of accumulation today with possible snow showers again tomorrow.

My kids are ecstatic. The first thing Alex asked this morning is if it was going to snow today. And, it appears that he has gotten his wish. So much for our hike today. I just hope they're not too disappointed. They want to go sledding, and Alex is glued to the windows asking when that might happen. I'm not sure that slick grass with a dusting of powder is a very fun sledding surface!

Digital Scrapbooking :: My Kids Need Baby Books

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:24:00 +0000

I have a dirty little secret that I've locked away and I'm ashamed to talk about. Neither of my kids have a baby book. I pride myself on being a good mom, and (in my mind) along with the responsibility of raising kind, happy kids, comes the documentation of said raising. Well, I've fallen below the bar on that portion of my mom responsibilities. Don't get me wrong. I've taken tons of digital pictures and have kept various computer files stashed in various locations with funny phrases and momentous occurrences. BUT...none of this information exists in a cute, tidy little book over which parents and grandparents can ooh and aah.

I have to admit that part of my shame stems from the fact that my mom did not make me a baby book until I was 32 years old. My entire life I would go to friends houses and page through their cute baby books with graphics of yellow chicks and fluffy lambs, hospital bracelets flattened and yellowing under their chock-full-of acid tape (we were kids of the 70s - this was long before acid-free paper, etc.). I felt left out and neglected in a very tongue and cheek way. Although a tiny, tiny part of me in the very dark corners of my mind, felt truly neglected, like I wasn't important enough for my mom to whip out the scrapbooking supplies and make me a sugary sweet baby book. Even though my mom was seriously mom of the century and my brother and I turned out to be great human beings, I felt less of a great human being without the book to document my turning into this responsible, kind person. Tee hee. Pretty pathetic, huh? That's how my teenaged mind worked.

Now my brother, on the other hand, never cared that he didn't have pictures of himself drooling, surrounded by cartoon puppy dogs and froggies. And I'm guessing that my boys won't care either. But I still feel as though I might miss out on the Mom of the Year Award if I can't provide the visual documentation of all of my hard mothering work.

So, please help me win this giveaway from Today's Creative Blog.

I want to win the gift certificate from Ella. $20 that could go toward the future mental stability of my sons. Because as I've adequately proven through my own neuroses -- NO BABY BOOK, NO MENTAL STABILITY!!

College Professors Who Tweet (or Use Twitter)

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:25:00 +0000

My brother is a college professor at High Point University in Greensboro, NC. I've been researching social marketing in academics to give him some advice on keeping his students engaged. It's fun to realize that the ivory tower of academia is moving into the 21st century with Twitter, Facebook, etc. I love the juxtaposition of the stodgy and the slick.

Here's a link to a really interesting article about the hows and whys of Twitter in a college setting. I love the phrase "ambient awareness." It's not that I'm a cyberstalker or a voyeur of some sort by following people on Twitter or reading blogs without commenting. I just have a craving for "ambient awareness." Love it!

You can follow me on Twitter here if you're interested in developing an ambient awareness of a full-time mom and part-time personal assistant to toddlers.

Felted Totebag :: It's Finally Finished

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

I'm so happy to have finally finished this totebag (more the size of a purse, actually). I cast on in June during our vacation, and got lots of quality knitting time in the car. Then it hibernated in a drawer for many days because I was too lazy to sew in all of the ends left from the stripes. I made a pact with myself to finish up a few of my unfinished projects before I started the Fiddlehead Mittens. So I finally pulled it back out and started weaving in ends. Then a short 22 minutes of felting later, it was complete. Still waiting for it to be completely dry, but I love the way it turned out. I can't wait to use this on our long weekend to the wine country in a couple of weeks.

By the way, I did go ahead and cast on the Fiddleheads last night. I managed to find a great combination of colors in my stash - so proud of myself for not buying new yarn. The yarn that I'm using is slightly less fuzzy (it's a merino instead of an alpaca blend). So the mittens might not be quite as fuzzy, but they will be washable which I like!

Real Firefighters at our House

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:45:00 +0000

Anyone who knows our family knows my oldest son's obssession with firefighters. Since he was a little kid, he's been fascinated with all things firefighter. You might remember the firefighter birthday party complete with firetruck cake and firefighter games.

Yesterday, we went to the Big Chili Cookoff, the annual fundraising event for the local fire departments in our area. Alex, and his best friend Sadie, got to take part in a firefighter relay race.

They crawled through tunnels, lugged hoses and dragged "bodies" from a "burning building." Alex was in heaven.

They got to use a real pressure hose to put out a pretend fire in a wooden building. Alex has been talking about being a "real" firefighter ever since!

Fiddlehead Mittens

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:41:00 +0000

I stumbled upon this pattern tonight, and I have fallen in love with these mittens.

The pattern is called Fiddlehead and you can purchase it on Ravelry here. I'm still trying to figure out which wool I want to buy to make these. This picture, knitted by JaneII on Ravelry, was made from the Sunset Collection by Riihivilla. The company is based in Finland, and it appears that everyone on Ravelry who has the Sunset Collection of colors in their stash purchased it at the open-air market in Helsinki. No trips planned to Finland anytime soon - or maybe ever - and Riihivilla doesn't have this collection for sale online anymore. So I'm stuck trying to match this beautiful combination of colors with other wool. FYI - the beautiful "cool" color mittens in the first photo were made by purlewe on Ravelry.

I'm also going to have to knit these on the sly because I've had this hat on the needles for my husband FOREVER. This Lusekofte Cap pattern was my first attempt at Fair Isle knitting. I got a little sidetracked with a couple of pairs of socks and a felted tote bag, and the poor skiing hat got pushed to the back of the knitting drawer. This picture was knitted by knittinmama on Ravelry - mine isn't even close to completion!! Kevin still brings up the abandoned/hibernating ski cap now and then. I know that if I whip out a new wintery project like mittens, I'm going to be listening to a lot of snide remarks about cold ears on the ski slopes.

So I may have to suck it up and finish the Norwegian hat so that I can make the Fiddleheads in peace!

Free MP3 Every Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:36:00 +0000

This is such a cool website:

One Track Mind

What a great way to discover new bands and music for free. I'm sure I'll find a few good tunes to add to my skiing playlist. Can you tell I've been excited about the cold nights? (39 degrees at my house last night!) Skiing, here we come. I got a new ski helmet and jacket last weekend, and I can't wait to wear them on the slopes.

Create your own Blogger Favicon

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Just figured out how to create and upload my own favicon. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, it's the tiny "logo" that appears next to the address in your web browser window.

Here's my new one. Pretty simple, but it fits with the new web theme that I have going on.

Follow the steps below to create your own.

1) Open a new document in Photoshop, Illustrator (or whatever design program you use.) I created a document that was 130 pixels x 130 pixels at 72 dpi.

2) Create your favicon to fit within those dimensions.

3) Save it as a JPG

4) Go to http://www.iconj.com/

5) Create a free account at IconJ - this site will convert your JPG, GIF or PNG to the ICO format and host the graphic for free.

6) Upload your JPG - just as you would upload photos to Flickr or Photobucket and save.

7) Click on "My Account" in IconJ

8) Under "Account Profile" click on "My Favicon Code"

9) Copy the code in the "My Dynamic Favicon Code:" box

10) Login to your blogger account

11) Click "Layout"; on the Layout tab, click "Edit HTML"

12) You will want to place the code that you copied from IconJ directly above the closing of your blogger header. You can quickly locate this by pressing Ctrl-F and typing "/head" into the search box (without the quotation marks). This will highlight the closing header code in your blog's html.

13) Paste the IconJ code into the html box directly above this line.

14) Save your Template

15) Open your blog in a new window, and your new Favicon should appear.

Good luck!

Blogger Designs by Me

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 23:42:00 +0000

In designing a new blog for my brother, I was inspired to update my own template. The sock puppets were fun, but I wanted a more refined look. Sort of the mood that I've been recently. So here it is. Let me know what you think.

Here's a look at my brother's new template, too. Click here for a look at the real thing.:

I've been working on quite a few design projects recently: blog templates, logo designs and web design. I'll post some samples soon.

DIY Wall-Sized Dry Erase Board

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 01:12:00 +0000

A couple of months ago, I was shopping at one of my favorite craft stores. On the wall behind the register was this:A magnetic, dry erase calendar!! WALL SIZED!!

As a freelance writer and marketing consultant, I am constantly juggling deadlines. Combine that with my personal assistant status to two toddlers, and my brain can't keep track of all the dates and times. It is an understatement to say that I was coveting the Pottery Barn calendar that you see above. After doing a little research, I discovered that this thing would cost me $160 (if I could find it on sale) and it was made of two pieces of metal that I needed to butt up against one another. (You can see the seam running right through the middle of Thursday.)
I knew there must be a better and cheaper way.

Here's the result of a little creative brainstorming and elbow grease:
Behold, my own "Pottery Barn" Knock-off.

Supplies:

2 white panel-board panels from Home Depot (these are 3/8" thick and finished with a smooth white surface) = 2 @ $12.98 = $25.96
1 roll of blue electrical tape from Home Depot (to make the calendar grid) = $3.97
2 sheets of green foam (9"x12") from Walmart (to make the backing for the calendar numbers) = 2 @ $0.97 = $1.94
1 package of Heavy Duty velcro strips = $2.29
2 hours of work = Priceless
TOTAL COST: $34.16

My husband hung the panel boards for me on an empty wall in my office. The panels are 4'x8'. He trimmed mine to 6' tall. I pieced two together but you can't tell because I planned the grid so that the electrical tape would cover the seam. The total size is about 5.5'x6'.

I measured out my monthly grid, and designed my calendar number templates in Illustrator. I made a 5x7 square grid. (5 weeks, 7 days) Each square is 10" wide by 12" high.

Here's a close-up of the numbers. Click here to download a 2-page PDF of all the calendar numbers. I printed the numbers on full sheet labels and cut them out. Then adhered them to circles that I had cut out of the foam sheets. Finally I attached small squares of velcro to each circle. This way, I can change out the numbers every month.

I'm a little bit anal when it comes to aesthetics, so I didn't want blank sqaures of ugly black velcro hanging out at the beginning and end of each month. So, I made some blank circles with only the design on them to cover up the extra squares left when the 1st of the month starts on a different day.

I originally started out with the idea of melamine panels. I had heard that the Melamine surface mimics that of a dry erase board. But the woman at Home Depot directed me to the panel boards because they are a lot thinner, and consequently, there is a lot less weight to hang on the wall. The white panel boards are also 1/3 the cost of the Melamine. She even found some dry erase markers at Home Depot and let my sons color all over the panel before I bought it. The ensured that we would be able to wipe off the marker each month.
Now that I have it up, I'm in love. The marker comes right off with a clean rag. Red, blue and green markers work the best. The black marker leaves some shadowing and residue, but even that comes off with a little bit of rubbing alcohol. The white board doesn't have the magentic attributes that the Pottery Barn calendar had, but that's what post it notes were invented for. My office is lined with bulletin boards for tacking things up, so anything that needs sticking to the calendar board, I'll write on a Post-It.
The best part is that I ended up with a space about 18" high by 70" wide at the bottom of the panels. This is the perfect area for my sons to color. They have their own coloring board, and I don't have scribbles all over my calendar.

How cool is this?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:59:00 +0000

How cool is this photo treatment? I just found a link to this fun site here on a new blog that I discovered here. I swear that this Jessica Jones person is inside my head. Everything that she posts on her blog is something that I love. I've been sitting at my dining room table for an hour oohing and aahing over the craft ideas, fabric swatches and fun graphic design stuff posted on her site. Check it out.