Okay - so! Congrats to the two winners of the signed books:

Amy S
Jane

Please email me your snail mail address and I’ll get them in the mail for you. YAY!

Can I just say…Thank GOD for the school system? It’s like I have a different kid. He’s so…agreeable. He does what I ask. When I ask. I haven’t had to fight him to get him in the tub. It’s … nice. And weird!

Anyway. Here he is on his first day of second grade. He’s so dang cute I can’t stand it.

He told me at length about the Smiley Face System in which you get a happy face if you were good and a sad face if you weren’t following directions, finishing work, or listening. I told him most definitely we want to always have happy faces. He agreed! And then he told me he bumped his head on the playground. No lump but he said it was sore. Poor guy.

I’m just glad he’s back in school and soccer. I think it helps if he can interact with other kids. He needs that social time. And I need my sanity.

Tonight is soccer practice. YAY. <sarcasm>I get to stand out in the 95 degree heat for an hour.</sarcasm>

In other news… I’m writing! Yes, folks. I am. I started writing in longhand over the lunch hour and took it to the computer last night. Got about 1000 words in. And I have my handy plot board to keep me on track and in good company. I’m getting back into the story (and thinking of the sequel) so I’m really looking forward to getting it finished. I’ve been reading agent blogs religiously of late and BookEnds had a terrific post about futzing here. What really stood out for me was the final paragraph - it made so much sense - and I realized what a terrible thing I’ve done to myself: I’ve not planned ahead. And I’ve not looked forward. I sort of thought this writing thing would just happen for me. But what I failed to realize was - It will never just happen. It’s work. Hard work. And if I have any hope at all of succeeding like I want to succeed, I need to get off my ass and make it happen. I need to map out clear goals of where I want to go instead of shrugging and saying, I want to write books.

Well. That’s fine and dandy, Mik, but every Tom Dick and Harry wants to write a book.

So I did some hard thinking and I took a long look at myself and my life. And it was really hard to tell myself how lazy I’ve been. And how disappointing it is. I don’t want to let myself down again. All I can do it try and it may take me years to get to the level I want to achieve. And you know… that’s okay. I’m still young and most writers write until, well, they can’t anymore.

I’ve also volunteered to judge another contest. Seems they were running short. I should get some entries here soon. I figured as long as I keep myself enmeshed in the writing world, it will keep me motivated and inspired.

Okay. Enough of that deep thought stuff. I’m contemplating changing the name of the blog. Ye Olde Inkwell is starting to get tiresome for me. Plus I have a good idea of what I’d like to change the name to…I’m just thinking here. What do ya’ll think? Talk amongst yourselves whilst I get my kiddo to school.

P.S. I was so bad last night. I totally SPLURGED and spent $75 on Sex and the City paraphanalia. Okay, so like I NEEDED it but OMG I finally found a tote with a stiletto on it! It so rocks. I can’t wait to get it. YAY!

Seriously going now…

My friend turned me on to this new theme for the blog and well… it fits me! So I’m going to try this one out for a while. Then when I get bored, I can switch back to the coffee thing.

Dark Knight was excellent. I’m not a Christian Bale fan, though, so that almost ruined it for me. And the changing of his voice when he was Batman just didn’t work for me. Heath Ledger was scary as hell as Joker. He deserves the Oscar for sure. And I was shocked to learn Gary Oldman was Commissioner Gordan. That man is an amazing actor.

Man and I overloaded on popcorn. The gal put way too much butter on it so we had a nice sheen on the popcorn when we got it.

It was frigging HOT this weekend. I hate July and August. It totally sucks. I stayed inside a lot but I did mow the front yard Sunday morning after grocery shopping. Then I cleaned house. After all that, I headed to the mall for some school clothes shopping. Penney’s was having a sale. They also had their housewares stuff on sale and I got a $200 knife set for half price. I couldn’t pass them up. They totally ROCK too. It’s so nice to have a decent cutlery set finally!

By the end of the day, I was ready to collapse, plus I had a massive headahe.

I have a doctor’s appointment this morning for a check up. And otnight I’ve promised the kiddo I’d take him to buy school shoes…however, I think I might wait on that since he’s got brand new sneakers.

That’s it for me… Happy Monday!

Why does Monday always come so fast? It seems like you blink and it’s here.

This weekend was busy for me, seeing as how I didn’t have my kiddo with me. Saturday I had RWA. Good meeting, as always. Had lunch and then didn’t break from the group until nearly 2. I headed home… only to be stuck on 820 in bumper to bumper traffic. And being stuck in that kind of traffic in 102 degree heat, quite frankly, sucks. A normal 10 minute drive turned into 30.

That’ll learn me to ever get on 820 again. Ever. I will be taking the back roads from now on.

After I got home and out of the heat, I puttered around the house a little bit. I did end up going to Bed Bath & Beyond and made some purchases… which I ended up taking back on Sunday. I don’t know what I was thinking - the 4-tier shelf I bought had no home in my home, so back it went. When I returned it on Sunday, the store completely beat me down. There was this dumb woman in front of me who yakked on her bluetooth the entire time she was in line, didn’t bother to hang up when she got to the counter. And, incidentally, she was brining her coupon she “forgot” the day before to get her $10 back. It took FOR-EVER for her to get her discount and then this asshole butted in front of me in line.

I was highly agitated by the time I left that store. I may never patronize it again.

Anyway… went grocery shopping Saturday night, got home, unloaded grocersy, talked to my mom on the phone for at least an hour and a half. I guess we had a lot to say! While we talked, I managed to polish off a half a bottle of wine on an empty stomach. No wonder I was woozy by the time I hung up! I sputtered out some drivel in Word (i.e., yes, I wrote), emailed a few friends in my drunken stupor and then went to bed to pass out.

Sunday morning I awoke at 6:30 am… to the sound of the next door neighbor’s lawn mower. Yes, folks, you read that right. I was livid! SIX THIRTY AM!!! C’MON! At least wait until 7:30 when it’s somewhat a decent hour. I was ticked. Of course I get the neighbor wanting to get the yard mowed before it got hot (it was another scorcher today) but that’s just downright rude and inconsiderable. It’s Sunday for crying out loud!

My yard remains shamefully unmowed. Ask me if I care.

I finally managed to go back to sleep until nearly 9, though, at which point I stumbled out of bed for a cup of java.

I started laundry and rambled around the house a bit before heading to church. Got home, changed, ate lunch, and then ran errands (see above the BB&B story). Went to Lowe’s to pick up a few small things including a birthday present for my boy. He wants a flashlight, so I bought him his first maglite. Then I went to Walmart which was actually pleasant after the beating I took at BB&B. Got another birthday present for my boy.  It seems he wants to have his birthday at Chuck E Cheese which makes me throw up a little in my mouth at the thought…

After I got home from running around, I cleaned house and only collapsed at about 6 pm with my book. I read in peace and quiet until the kiddo came home and actually finished my book. Now I’m wondeirng what to read next.

I have another story percolating in my head. It’s another fantasy story and I am seriously starting to think my “calling” is YA fantasy fiction. I devour it every chance I get. I love reading fantasy. So maybe it’s time I choose this and just go with it. I’m still at the point of figuring out where I am and what I’m doing, but I feel like I’m getting closer to resolution. This whole last rejection thing has really turned me on my ear and made me do some deep thinking. It’s all good.

I had fully intended to have “me” time this weekend but ended up running all over creation and cleaning house instead. So much for that. However, I did something very important - I read, I cleaned, AND I vacuumed behind the bed and got up all the cat hair. Very important indeed!

I got some sleep last night! No interruptions. It was glorious.

I’m hot to have a new computer so I picked one out on Best Buy’s website last night. I picked out a really nice new system with a 19″ monitor. It’s a Dell. Oh, and a new laser printer that prints 17 ppm. I.am.so.tempted.

I think I’ll go by the store this weekend and see what kind of financing deals they have. Sometimes they have those no interest/no payments for 12 months things. If I can get that… well, I might be coming home with a new toy.

The one I have is really okay for what I use it for but it’s loud and I’m tired of sitting here with the hum. I can hear it all over the house. Plus, the CD drives are fairly old by today’s standards. I have a DVD drive, but it’s clunky and slow. I have a CD-RW but it’s clunky and slow. I want something newer and more up to date. Plus the USB ports on the front don’t work.

Can you see me talking myself into it? We’ll see I suppose.

No writing to report last night, sadly. I was just exhausted. After dinner, we had to go up to Office Depot for some stuff. It’s Teacher Appreciation week and every day we do something for the teacher. Today it’s bring much needed school supplies so we picked up some dry erase markers, staples, and glue sticks.

When we got home, the kiddo played Wii while I finished doing dishes and other stuff. Got him in the tub and then I was tired. But I sat at the computer for a while anyway and then finally climbed in bed.

It was funny - I was so tired, but when I laid down, I couldn’t sleep. It must have been about 30 minutes before I finally drifted off. And I just hate that.

Anyway, time to get the kiddo up for school and get going. I’m so happy it’s Friday! 

I couldn’t stand it another second! I cleaned off my desk and other surfaces that were totally cluttered in my office. It’s a nice start for 2008. I organized. I trashed stuff I didn’t need anymore. Now all I have to do is some filing and TADA - organized office!

We’ve had a busy last few days. Christmas was good! And my Sweetie Boy got everything he wanted - and then some! I bought him a Batman bathrobe and he loves it. He wanted to sleep in it last night. hehe

And as for me - I got the biggest bottle of perfume known to mankind for Christmas from my honey. That along with a very nice gift set from Bath & Body Works (Sweet Pea - the best stuff on the planet!) so’s I can smell good for my man. Think he’s trying to tell me he wants me to smell delightful for him?

My mommy came to visit, too, for a couple of days over the holiday. We had a nice time and mostly stayed home. I took my niece shoe shopping and she LOVED it. She bought three pairs of shoes and a hat and spent all her money. She was so cute in the store (she’s 11) running from pair to pair with the Inward Sucky Noise. I think she got the Shoe Gene from me. hehe

We also played Sorry! and Clue and the Wii. And I set up the Battleground game for the baby boy, too, and he played and played with that for several hours. I like when he entertains himself like that. I can get lots done that I need to (i.e., clean the office!).

And let’s see…I think I’ll be taking down all the Christmas stuff this weekend because now that Christmas is over, I’m ready for my house to be back to normal again.

Hard to believe 2008 is just around the corner. My how time has flown!