Melissa loves chicken pot pie. It really is a wonderful comfort food, particularly in chilly weather and can be very easy to make. So here is my recipe.
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Set out a sheet of frozen puff pastry to soften. I use the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets, you can find it in the freezer section near the frozen pie crusts.
Ingredients:
2 large carrots
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbs. oil
3 Tbs. butter
½ a medium onion
½ cup sliced mushrooms
3 Tbs. flour
½ cup cream
3 cups diced chicken
salt & pepper to taste
Slice the carrots into thin slices and boil in the chicken broth for about 10 minutes. Set aside. In an oven-proof skillet, melt butter and oil. When butter foams, add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms, cook for a minute then sprinkle with flour. When the flour is well-blended, add the cream. After the mixture thickens, add the chicken broth with the carrots removed. Once the broth is blended and the mixture is thick, add the chicken and carrots. Salt and pepper and mix well. Roll out the pastry until it will cover the pan and pinch into place. Make air holes in the top and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the crust is golden and puffy.
I originally got this recipe to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. But during the rest of the year I use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and strip it. It makes pretty close to 3 cups. I don’t add mushrooms because I don’t like them in pot pie. I also don’t use cream; it isn’t something I usually keep on hand. Instead, I use evaporated non-fat milk; an item I always keep in my pantry. Canned broth is fine too.
I use a 10” cast iron skillet, but it is okay to prepare the filling in a skillet then transfer it to an ovenproof dish and cover it with the crust.
I’ve gotten this meal down to taking less than an hour to prepare. I think if you did everything up to the baking the night before, you could just throw it in the oven the next evening and have dinner ready in about half an hour.
I got this recipe out of the newspaper but have long since lost it, so hopefully I haven’t botched it with my memory.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
The Well is Dry
I’m struggling for inspiration. It is a unique situation for me, I’m one of those writers who usually has a million different ideas in their head at any given time, bursting with stories and characters. But for some reason, it’s all disappeared.
I have no idea why the well has dried. My creativity seems to have gone on vacation. Characters stop by in my head but they don’t stay, their appearances are brief, giving me little glimpses of their story before fading away like the morning mist.
The odd think is how little I miss it. Writing has been my passion for the last few years. It has supplanted many other things, making my other hobbies molder in the closet while my time and attention has been devoted to my writing.
Kacey talked about her difficult writing, pointing to the length of time she has been writing and how her goal of being published is taking so long to realize. I don’t think that’s my problem. I wish in some ways it were. I have two fulls out there, the lingering hope of getting an agent still gleaming dully in the background. It isn’t writer’s block; I don’t feel frustrated by my lack of creative juice. I do not sit for hours looking at a blank screen, flogging my brain into producing.
My fear is that my creativity was linked to my depression. I started writing when my second daughter was a baby. It was a very stressful time in my life and I was going through some post-partum depression at the time. Life continued its roller coaster and I kept writing, finding solace in the written word. Now, having been on medication for a couple of months, I wonder if the odd chemistry in my brain was what created my stories and my characters. I wonder if the medication I am on has changed me so that part of mind has shut down or at least slowed down.
If I am truly a writer, the creativity will return. The characters and stories will come back, maybe altered, maybe not. Surprisingly I am not too worried about it. My subconscious probably knows something I don’t. I am planning a short story for Halloween and have no concerns about writing it.
I will say, however, if I never write again, it is worth it not to feel the level of depression I was at before.
I have no idea why the well has dried. My creativity seems to have gone on vacation. Characters stop by in my head but they don’t stay, their appearances are brief, giving me little glimpses of their story before fading away like the morning mist.
The odd think is how little I miss it. Writing has been my passion for the last few years. It has supplanted many other things, making my other hobbies molder in the closet while my time and attention has been devoted to my writing.
Kacey talked about her difficult writing, pointing to the length of time she has been writing and how her goal of being published is taking so long to realize. I don’t think that’s my problem. I wish in some ways it were. I have two fulls out there, the lingering hope of getting an agent still gleaming dully in the background. It isn’t writer’s block; I don’t feel frustrated by my lack of creative juice. I do not sit for hours looking at a blank screen, flogging my brain into producing.
My fear is that my creativity was linked to my depression. I started writing when my second daughter was a baby. It was a very stressful time in my life and I was going through some post-partum depression at the time. Life continued its roller coaster and I kept writing, finding solace in the written word. Now, having been on medication for a couple of months, I wonder if the odd chemistry in my brain was what created my stories and my characters. I wonder if the medication I am on has changed me so that part of mind has shut down or at least slowed down.
If I am truly a writer, the creativity will return. The characters and stories will come back, maybe altered, maybe not. Surprisingly I am not too worried about it. My subconscious probably knows something I don’t. I am planning a short story for Halloween and have no concerns about writing it.
I will say, however, if I never write again, it is worth it not to feel the level of depression I was at before.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Quandaries
A couple of quandaries have come regarding my children, neither one issues I thought I would have to be dealing with so soon.
First, my daughter Katie. She’s in the first grade. Yesterday as we were getting ready for school, I asked her if she wanted to buy or take lunch. She said she’d buy and mumbled something about her friend Ally. When I asked her to elaborate, she refused to say anything but after pressing the thumbscrews to her, she finally talked. Apparently her friend Ally finishes lunch first and makes Katie stop eating and go play. I told Katie she is to finish her lunch whether her friend is done or not. This little girl was in Katie’s class last year and I’m not real keen on her. I was hoping the friendship would fade since they were in different classes. I talked to her teacher about the situation and her teacher is adamant that Katie not hang around with this girl. She is playing with older kids and they have already gotten in trouble with the principal. So we are going to work together to steer her towards other children. I’m not sure why Katie is so enamored with this kid. I do not find her very pleasant. Last year, when they cleaned out this child’s cubby, they found a bunch of Katie’s stuff in it. Katie is so naïve, she couldn’t understand how it got there. The next step her teacher is going to try is to tell her who she needs to sit with at lunch. Katie is only five so in some ways she is easily bossed around. She loves her teacher so I’m hoping she will follow her teacher’s directives.
I really didn’t think I was going to have to deal with “bad kids” until jr. high. But my concern is Katie will pick up the behaviors of these other girls. She’s a handful as it is. Any ideas on what I should do?
The second isn’t really as serious, but I think I need to do something. My son brought home a book yesterday called Solar Eclipse by John Farris. This book was in his classroom, one of his teacher’s books. It’s a suspense novel for adults. The subject matter is pretty violent but what most concerned me was the language. The swearing is bad and uses language one would read in an Ellora’s Cave book. Now, he has heard this language from his mother, screamed through the house, so he doesn’t seem to notice it. He is half way through the book, so it might be too late to take it away from him (it is a suspense novel, it would kind of suck to take it away before he found out the end). But I think I should bring it to his teacher’s attention. I’m not upset and I have no interest in making a stink about it. But some other parent may. BTW, my son is in 4th grade, the class is a 4th-5th-6th combo class.
Again, any ideas of what I should do would be appreciated.
Odds & Ends…..
Katie and my husband were sore for a few days after the accident but it seems to have dissipated. The car isn’t so lucky. The estimate to repair it is over $6500 but they think they will have it back to us before the end of the month. We’re guessing that really means the end of November, right when the rains start.
Hubby bought me a new washer and dryer. Mine are fine, but this is a stackable unit that went upstairs so I’m not carting laundry up and down the staircase. I’m hoping the bratlings will learn to do their own wash within the next year.
First, my daughter Katie. She’s in the first grade. Yesterday as we were getting ready for school, I asked her if she wanted to buy or take lunch. She said she’d buy and mumbled something about her friend Ally. When I asked her to elaborate, she refused to say anything but after pressing the thumbscrews to her, she finally talked. Apparently her friend Ally finishes lunch first and makes Katie stop eating and go play. I told Katie she is to finish her lunch whether her friend is done or not. This little girl was in Katie’s class last year and I’m not real keen on her. I was hoping the friendship would fade since they were in different classes. I talked to her teacher about the situation and her teacher is adamant that Katie not hang around with this girl. She is playing with older kids and they have already gotten in trouble with the principal. So we are going to work together to steer her towards other children. I’m not sure why Katie is so enamored with this kid. I do not find her very pleasant. Last year, when they cleaned out this child’s cubby, they found a bunch of Katie’s stuff in it. Katie is so naïve, she couldn’t understand how it got there. The next step her teacher is going to try is to tell her who she needs to sit with at lunch. Katie is only five so in some ways she is easily bossed around. She loves her teacher so I’m hoping she will follow her teacher’s directives.
I really didn’t think I was going to have to deal with “bad kids” until jr. high. But my concern is Katie will pick up the behaviors of these other girls. She’s a handful as it is. Any ideas on what I should do?
The second isn’t really as serious, but I think I need to do something. My son brought home a book yesterday called Solar Eclipse by John Farris. This book was in his classroom, one of his teacher’s books. It’s a suspense novel for adults. The subject matter is pretty violent but what most concerned me was the language. The swearing is bad and uses language one would read in an Ellora’s Cave book. Now, he has heard this language from his mother, screamed through the house, so he doesn’t seem to notice it. He is half way through the book, so it might be too late to take it away from him (it is a suspense novel, it would kind of suck to take it away before he found out the end). But I think I should bring it to his teacher’s attention. I’m not upset and I have no interest in making a stink about it. But some other parent may. BTW, my son is in 4th grade, the class is a 4th-5th-6th combo class.
Again, any ideas of what I should do would be appreciated.
Odds & Ends…..
Katie and my husband were sore for a few days after the accident but it seems to have dissipated. The car isn’t so lucky. The estimate to repair it is over $6500 but they think they will have it back to us before the end of the month. We’re guessing that really means the end of November, right when the rains start.
Hubby bought me a new washer and dryer. Mine are fine, but this is a stackable unit that went upstairs so I’m not carting laundry up and down the staircase. I’m hoping the bratlings will learn to do their own wash within the next year.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Back to the Ol' Drawing Board
Sigh....After 142 pages I have found a fatal flaw in my WIP. I don't feel the passion between my characters. There isn't enough at stake to give the characters anything to do. They like each other too much. So, I'm going to start over with an entirely new story and new characters. But being a smart cookie, I'm sticking to the same time era and setting, so none of my research will go to waste. Boy, I sure hate when that happens.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Snack
There comes a time when the soccer moms are seperated from the SOCCER MOMS. I am talking about Snack. On the schedule your name is placed beside a date and that is the date you bring snack. This entails a fruit during half-time and a snack at the end of the game.
Like a peacock spreading its glorious tail in briliant fall sunlight, I show off my plummage with little brown lunch bags filled with a bounty of treats to please the players. I look through the grocery aisle and select the most tempting delights for my snacks, searching for that unique tidbit that will one-up me amongst the soccer moms. I am good, I will admit. Today was my turn for my son's game. Target had their Little Debbie snacks on sale so the boys got frosted brownies in their bags along with a fruit snack, cheetos and gatorade. I have no qualm saying I am out to impress for my son's team.
For my daughter's team, I was first, knowing it was my sacred duty to show by example how to do a proper snack. Since Katie is in U-6, there are mostly newbie soccer moms. Hopefully they have learned from my turn, just as I as a young Grasshopper soccer mom learned from the Wise Soccer Moms before me.
Like a peacock spreading its glorious tail in briliant fall sunlight, I show off my plummage with little brown lunch bags filled with a bounty of treats to please the players. I look through the grocery aisle and select the most tempting delights for my snacks, searching for that unique tidbit that will one-up me amongst the soccer moms. I am good, I will admit. Today was my turn for my son's game. Target had their Little Debbie snacks on sale so the boys got frosted brownies in their bags along with a fruit snack, cheetos and gatorade. I have no qualm saying I am out to impress for my son's team.
For my daughter's team, I was first, knowing it was my sacred duty to show by example how to do a proper snack. Since Katie is in U-6, there are mostly newbie soccer moms. Hopefully they have learned from my turn, just as I as a young Grasshopper soccer mom learned from the Wise Soccer Moms before me.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Screw Tops
My new favorite thing is wine with screw tops. No, these aren’t Thunderbird or Boone’s Farm but honest-to-goodness California wines that are aged and everything. The process for bottling wine has advanced and corking really isn’t necessary anymore. Many wineries have abandoned cork anyway because of the price and are using synthetic variations. But I like the screw tops. They are easy to open and easy to store if I don’t happen to finish the bottle.
When I mentioned my admiration for these wines to my oenophile friends, they looked askance at the very idea. They are cork snobs. Not that I can blame them, think of a screw top and images of Ripple come to mind. But the world changes and that which we poo-poo’d before becomes something we like. What bothers me is that these wine drinkers aren’t going to give these vintages a chance because of their belief that only one way of bottling a wine is acceptable.
I fine we tend to be that way about reading. Romance readers quite often categorize themselves as “historical readers” or “category readers” or “paranormal readers” and rarely leave their chosen genre. By limiting ourselves to only one genre, we are missing out on a great deal of wonderful fiction. Even staying in the romance genre and never straying tends to make us stale. I’ve been trying to broaden my reading horizons and try authors and sub-genres I never had much interest in. It’s a difficult thing. No one wants to waste time and money on a book they are unfamiliar with, but the gems are out there. Sometimes we need to take a chance. Yeah, you may run into the literary equivalent of cooking wine, but it will be worth it if you find a Dom Perignon.
When I mentioned my admiration for these wines to my oenophile friends, they looked askance at the very idea. They are cork snobs. Not that I can blame them, think of a screw top and images of Ripple come to mind. But the world changes and that which we poo-poo’d before becomes something we like. What bothers me is that these wine drinkers aren’t going to give these vintages a chance because of their belief that only one way of bottling a wine is acceptable.
I fine we tend to be that way about reading. Romance readers quite often categorize themselves as “historical readers” or “category readers” or “paranormal readers” and rarely leave their chosen genre. By limiting ourselves to only one genre, we are missing out on a great deal of wonderful fiction. Even staying in the romance genre and never straying tends to make us stale. I’ve been trying to broaden my reading horizons and try authors and sub-genres I never had much interest in. It’s a difficult thing. No one wants to waste time and money on a book they are unfamiliar with, but the gems are out there. Sometimes we need to take a chance. Yeah, you may run into the literary equivalent of cooking wine, but it will be worth it if you find a Dom Perignon.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Sunday Night Television
The only night I watch television is Sunday night. Tori has been talking about the new season and I have to admit I am lost. But not on Sunday night.
First, there is Rome on HBO. I love this show. I’ve always had an interest in ancient Rome, add some salacious soap opera-ish details and I’m hooked.
Next is Desperate Housewives. When this show came on last year, I turned it on because there was nothing else on. Boy, I was devoted after the first episode. A total guilty pleasure.
Finally, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don’t know too many people who enjoy this show. Larry David is so obnoxious. And I love it because he is.
What do these shows have in common? They are primarily character driven. Their success counts on the characters and the conflicts they find themselves in. The fate of the Roman Empire rests on the machinations of its characters. Wisteria Lane’s world revolves around the conflicts the women place themselves in, twisting their lives and those around them by how they interact. Larry David acts out on his impulses without caring what anyone thinks of him, making the audience cringe and laugh at the same time.
I love conflict as entertainment. I’m not much interested in crime drama, story-driven shows don’t hold my attention as much. And I think the same goes for my reading choices. I tend to be interested in stories with solid character conflicts, which is probably why I like reading romance. The crux of a romance is the two characters, their conflicts and how they resolve them. Oddly enough, it is the weakness in my writing. I can come up with great plots and subplots, but they tend to overshadow my characters.
So with that in mind, my latest WIP is more focused on the characters and the plot is Spartan as is the subplot, enough to move the characters along and to put them in situations which will bring them together and split them apart. It is a slower pace for me. I’m more apt to write big, violent scenes full of action. Now I am trying to shift that energy into my characters, using emotional conflict in the place of heavy action. It is much tougher to write and I think it is why I am dragging my feet. Whereas action and violence is easy, emotion and character takes some effort and I’ve been lazy.
I’m hoping the new season of my favorite shows inspire me to get my folks in uncomfortable situations. Does television influence your writing in any way? Do you see a similarity in your writing to the things you watch on television?
First, there is Rome on HBO. I love this show. I’ve always had an interest in ancient Rome, add some salacious soap opera-ish details and I’m hooked.
Next is Desperate Housewives. When this show came on last year, I turned it on because there was nothing else on. Boy, I was devoted after the first episode. A total guilty pleasure.
Finally, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I don’t know too many people who enjoy this show. Larry David is so obnoxious. And I love it because he is.
What do these shows have in common? They are primarily character driven. Their success counts on the characters and the conflicts they find themselves in. The fate of the Roman Empire rests on the machinations of its characters. Wisteria Lane’s world revolves around the conflicts the women place themselves in, twisting their lives and those around them by how they interact. Larry David acts out on his impulses without caring what anyone thinks of him, making the audience cringe and laugh at the same time.
I love conflict as entertainment. I’m not much interested in crime drama, story-driven shows don’t hold my attention as much. And I think the same goes for my reading choices. I tend to be interested in stories with solid character conflicts, which is probably why I like reading romance. The crux of a romance is the two characters, their conflicts and how they resolve them. Oddly enough, it is the weakness in my writing. I can come up with great plots and subplots, but they tend to overshadow my characters.
So with that in mind, my latest WIP is more focused on the characters and the plot is Spartan as is the subplot, enough to move the characters along and to put them in situations which will bring them together and split them apart. It is a slower pace for me. I’m more apt to write big, violent scenes full of action. Now I am trying to shift that energy into my characters, using emotional conflict in the place of heavy action. It is much tougher to write and I think it is why I am dragging my feet. Whereas action and violence is easy, emotion and character takes some effort and I’ve been lazy.
I’m hoping the new season of my favorite shows inspire me to get my folks in uncomfortable situations. Does television influence your writing in any way? Do you see a similarity in your writing to the things you watch on television?
Sunday, September 25, 2005
"The Kids aren't hurt, everyone's fine..."
...but you need to come and pick us up."
This was the phone call I received from my husband last night from his cell phone. I knew immediately that:
A) They were in a car accident and there were no injuries and
B) My blue 2004 Mustang convertible GT with only 2500 miles on it was not fine.
Hubby took the kids last night in the convertible for a ride around the lake near our house. It's a pleasant ride they go on when the weather is nice at night. Before they could get there, they were plowed into on the side by another car. Talk about a fiasco. Their accident was the result of another accident that had happened just a few minutes before. Some do-gooder decided to direct traffic by standing in my dh's lane and forced him into the other lane. The other car didn't see dh's car and nailed him good.
By the time I got there the police wouldn't let me through because the other accident had a fatality. The officer explained in a fairly antagonistic tone, that since my family wasn't hurt, they weren't a priority. I was very tempted to grab him by the throat and explain to him about MY priorities. He finally realized he was being a jerk and directed me to a spot. Another officer came over and politely told me he would find my family for me.
Anyway, my family is fine, a little shaken up but no injuries. The other car hit where my two-year-old was sitting but she was strapped into her uber-carseat and she didn't feel a thing. My car is not totaled but is definitely out of commission for a long time. It can't be driven and had to be towed. The other accident was a guy on a bicycle who decided to cross the four lane boulevard (which happens to be a part of Route 66) at 9 p.m. Not a wise choice for him, unfortunately.
It really does make you realize how fragile we are and how quickly a life can change and I just thank God my family is fine.
This was the phone call I received from my husband last night from his cell phone. I knew immediately that:
A) They were in a car accident and there were no injuries and
B) My blue 2004 Mustang convertible GT with only 2500 miles on it was not fine.
Hubby took the kids last night in the convertible for a ride around the lake near our house. It's a pleasant ride they go on when the weather is nice at night. Before they could get there, they were plowed into on the side by another car. Talk about a fiasco. Their accident was the result of another accident that had happened just a few minutes before. Some do-gooder decided to direct traffic by standing in my dh's lane and forced him into the other lane. The other car didn't see dh's car and nailed him good.
By the time I got there the police wouldn't let me through because the other accident had a fatality. The officer explained in a fairly antagonistic tone, that since my family wasn't hurt, they weren't a priority. I was very tempted to grab him by the throat and explain to him about MY priorities. He finally realized he was being a jerk and directed me to a spot. Another officer came over and politely told me he would find my family for me.
Anyway, my family is fine, a little shaken up but no injuries. The other car hit where my two-year-old was sitting but she was strapped into her uber-carseat and she didn't feel a thing. My car is not totaled but is definitely out of commission for a long time. It can't be driven and had to be towed. The other accident was a guy on a bicycle who decided to cross the four lane boulevard (which happens to be a part of Route 66) at 9 p.m. Not a wise choice for him, unfortunately.
It really does make you realize how fragile we are and how quickly a life can change and I just thank God my family is fine.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
But Who's Going to Read It?
Kelly talked about lacking confidence in writing today. I suffer from it, but in a different way. I'm a good writer, I feel no lack of confidence in my writing abilities, but what I worry about is whether anyone else wants to read what I've written.
The book that I've got out in submissions right now is pretty universal in appeal. It's a vampire-save the world type of story, easy to understand and the kind of story I know others enjoy. But my historical I'm not so sure.
The writing is good, but the concept is different. I know the idea is to write something new and unique, but I don't think historicals fall in the same category. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded, but I haven't read a historical lately that veered too far off a traditional plot line. My fear is my target audience isn't going to like my story.
I'm sure this is a feeling many writers feel. Is anyone but me going to enjoy this story? Am I totally in left field with this plot? Are these characters ones readers can fall for?
I guess it goes back to writing the book of your heart and hope others appreciate your vision. It is a fine line we walk as writers, trying to gauge the market and yet not compromise the soul of the story we wish to tell. I wish had an answer. I'm almost halfway through my novel and I feel committed to it. I guess I will finish it, throw it to the wolves and see what happens.
The book that I've got out in submissions right now is pretty universal in appeal. It's a vampire-save the world type of story, easy to understand and the kind of story I know others enjoy. But my historical I'm not so sure.
The writing is good, but the concept is different. I know the idea is to write something new and unique, but I don't think historicals fall in the same category. Perhaps I'm a bit jaded, but I haven't read a historical lately that veered too far off a traditional plot line. My fear is my target audience isn't going to like my story.
I'm sure this is a feeling many writers feel. Is anyone but me going to enjoy this story? Am I totally in left field with this plot? Are these characters ones readers can fall for?
I guess it goes back to writing the book of your heart and hope others appreciate your vision. It is a fine line we walk as writers, trying to gauge the market and yet not compromise the soul of the story we wish to tell. I wish had an answer. I'm almost halfway through my novel and I feel committed to it. I guess I will finish it, throw it to the wolves and see what happens.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Distractions
Some people get Spring Fever, I get Autumn Fever. My attention wanders from the usual routine of my life and looks for other outlets, most of which are timewasters. I have no interest in writing at all. I think there are two things going on. One, this is my favorite time of year. I really enjoy fall and its accoutrements. I love the food, the holidays, the leaves changing color and the clothes. Second, after being down in the dumps for so long, I feel like I have a new lease on life and am making up for lost time. I dunno. I do know I haven't written for a week and even sitting her working on my blog is difficult. I swear, it has taken me an hour just to write this!
Anyway, I think the answer is to exercise some self-discipline and assign myself some time to write. But probably not today....
Congrats, Melissa
Melissa finaled in the Romance Junkies contest. Way to go, girlfriend.
Anyway, I think the answer is to exercise some self-discipline and assign myself some time to write. But probably not today....
Congrats, Melissa
Melissa finaled in the Romance Junkies contest. Way to go, girlfriend.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
It's A Good Thing
Yesterday was the premier of Martha Stewart's new t.v. show. I have to admit, I am a shameless Martha-holic. I love her magazines, her shows, etc. etc. It isn't Martha herself that captivates me although I do admire her survival skills. It is what she represents.
Martha's world is one of domestic perfection. She takes the ordinary and makes it special. Give the woman a trashbag, paperclip and a length of grosgrain ribbon and she'll make you a formal tablecloth. She sells graceful elegance, assuring me I can be a domestic goddess if I read her magazines and follow her lead. I buy it hook, line and sinker.
Mainly because it is what I want. I buy into the vision of perfection Martha is selling. My head understands that like the cover model on Vogue, it is an unattainable ideal. Have you noticed on Martha's shows they are shot through a soft lens? It hides the imperfections of both the hostess and everything else on the set. Not necessarily a bad thing, I'd love to look through life with a soft lens.
But my heart craves the lifestyle Martha has created in the glossy pages of her magazine. Funny, I think my chances of publication are higher than ever achieving the nirvana that is Marthaness.
I do what I can. Martha's tips have helped in my home, believe it or not. While I'm not going to go out there and create a spice garden or harvest rare heirloom tomatoes, I did tear out the page with tips on getting rid of stains and followed her suggestions for stocking a pantry.
As we know, even Martha's life is not perfect. She seems to be accepting of that and has used it to her advantage. Perhaps that is the true essence of Marthaness, to take what you have and use it to your advantage to make a better life.
Martha's world is one of domestic perfection. She takes the ordinary and makes it special. Give the woman a trashbag, paperclip and a length of grosgrain ribbon and she'll make you a formal tablecloth. She sells graceful elegance, assuring me I can be a domestic goddess if I read her magazines and follow her lead. I buy it hook, line and sinker.
Mainly because it is what I want. I buy into the vision of perfection Martha is selling. My head understands that like the cover model on Vogue, it is an unattainable ideal. Have you noticed on Martha's shows they are shot through a soft lens? It hides the imperfections of both the hostess and everything else on the set. Not necessarily a bad thing, I'd love to look through life with a soft lens.
But my heart craves the lifestyle Martha has created in the glossy pages of her magazine. Funny, I think my chances of publication are higher than ever achieving the nirvana that is Marthaness.
I do what I can. Martha's tips have helped in my home, believe it or not. While I'm not going to go out there and create a spice garden or harvest rare heirloom tomatoes, I did tear out the page with tips on getting rid of stains and followed her suggestions for stocking a pantry.
As we know, even Martha's life is not perfect. She seems to be accepting of that and has used it to her advantage. Perhaps that is the true essence of Marthaness, to take what you have and use it to your advantage to make a better life.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Ninja Butter
I should have known when the carseat broke yesterday morning what kind of day it was going to be.
Allison’s carseat broke when I put her back in the car after taking the kids to class. I was so ticked. I already dislike the carseat, this kicked it up to fatal loathing.
But not being a superstitious kind of gal, I didn’t take it as any kind of omen.
I had the brilliant idea of cooking a turkey. Yep, a Butterball turkey. The grocery store had them on sale, so I thought it might be a nice change of pace. So I put it into the oven and decided to print out my full. Set the printer to print, did my other tasks, came back and added more paper, then went back to working on dinner. I came back to check on my ms only to find it covering my floor like snow. I had neglected to remove the first 200 pages off the printer and it couldn’t hold all 401, so it gave up and drop kicked my ms like a soccer ball. I got to spend another 45 minutes putting the damned thing back into order.
Still, saw no evil eye or bad luck.
Turkey’s cooking fine. Gotta have mashed potatoes to go with the turkey. So I made mashed potatoes. I put the potatoes in the Kitchen Aid and fired it up. I decided it needed a little butter, so I took a stick out of the freezer and plopped it into my mixer which was running at the speed of light. HOLY CRAP!!! That stick of butter, instead of melting into creamy buttery goodness, flew out of the mixer with the force of a comet and slammed into my head. I swear, I had a big red splotch on my head where it hit. It brought a bunch of potatoes with it. I’m still cleaning up mashed potatoes. I guess it could have been worse. Could you imagine if I had been injured enough to go to the doctor? Yes sir, I was assaulted by butter.
Allison’s carseat broke when I put her back in the car after taking the kids to class. I was so ticked. I already dislike the carseat, this kicked it up to fatal loathing.
But not being a superstitious kind of gal, I didn’t take it as any kind of omen.
I had the brilliant idea of cooking a turkey. Yep, a Butterball turkey. The grocery store had them on sale, so I thought it might be a nice change of pace. So I put it into the oven and decided to print out my full. Set the printer to print, did my other tasks, came back and added more paper, then went back to working on dinner. I came back to check on my ms only to find it covering my floor like snow. I had neglected to remove the first 200 pages off the printer and it couldn’t hold all 401, so it gave up and drop kicked my ms like a soccer ball. I got to spend another 45 minutes putting the damned thing back into order.
Still, saw no evil eye or bad luck.
Turkey’s cooking fine. Gotta have mashed potatoes to go with the turkey. So I made mashed potatoes. I put the potatoes in the Kitchen Aid and fired it up. I decided it needed a little butter, so I took a stick out of the freezer and plopped it into my mixer which was running at the speed of light. HOLY CRAP!!! That stick of butter, instead of melting into creamy buttery goodness, flew out of the mixer with the force of a comet and slammed into my head. I swear, I had a big red splotch on my head where it hit. It brought a bunch of potatoes with it. I’m still cleaning up mashed potatoes. I guess it could have been worse. Could you imagine if I had been injured enough to go to the doctor? Yes sir, I was assaulted by butter.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
And They're Off!!
Sent the little darlings off to school today. They were pretty excited. My daughter ended up in the same classroom this year as she did last year. Her teacher from kindergarten was given a k-1 class and she handpicked Katie to be in it. I was very happy. Her teacher is so wonderful. The teacher doesn't get her kindergarteners until the afternoon so she can spend a lot more time with her first graders in the morning (she only has 9). Katie didn't say good-bye, she ran off as soon as she got out of the car. Daniel was a bit more apprehensive. But his teacher is a new teacher. One of the moms stopped me in the hall and said she was a wonderful teacher and we are lucky to have her. That made me feel better. He has a bunch of friends in the class too so he won't feel so alone. It's very odd being home with just the toddler. Thank goodness for television. It has kept her occupied while I cleaned my kitchen floor.
A Woman of Strong Resolve...
Remember how I said I was not going to submit anymore? Yeah, that lasted a couple of hours. Querying by email is so easy and therefore so tempting. So I sent out 3 queries and got a request for a full already.
A Woman of Strong Resolve...
Remember how I said I was not going to submit anymore? Yeah, that lasted a couple of hours. Querying by email is so easy and therefore so tempting. So I sent out 3 queries and got a request for a full already.
Saturday, September 03, 2005
I'm sorry, ms, I'm with WIP now
Got another rejection today. Not a bad one, just a form rejection (a little annoying since it was on a full. Four hundred pages and that’s all the agent can say?). Anyway, didn’t really bother me too much. At this point, I am so tired of looking and thinking about this book, my feelings were rather ambivalent. I have one more submission out there and when it gets rejected, I think I will retire the darn thing.
What are we told over and over about the time spent during submissions? Write, write, write. And that is what I have been doing. I’ve written one complete ms, nearly finished another and started a new one. While that is productive, the side affect is that my enthusiasm is for the WIP I’m currently working on, a “love the one you’re with” kind of deal. As time goes by, I find it harder and harder to focus on the other ms. I’ve been submitting it for well over a year now and like a favorite song that has been played to death, I’m tired of it. Miss Snark says a writer should give an ms a 100 rejections before giving up.
Ughhh….. I’m at maybe thirty. To get to one hundred, well, I don’t want to contemplate it.
So I’m keeping my focus on my WIP. Which brings me to a whole new dilemma. This poor story has a couple of strikes against it. One, it’s a historical, and we all know the phrases agents love to throw out about those, and two, it takes place in the mid-18th century, not a particularly vogue time period in romance these days. Jo Beverly did it a few years ago with the Malloren books, but she already was well established before she published those.
But this is the era I enjoy writing about and I like my book. Mentally, I’ve prepared myself for the flood of rejections, but the writing is good and hopefully someone will give it a shot.
Melissa made some great points in her post yesterday. She talked about taking a chance on something new and different, that perhaps this is what the historical market needs. I hope so. I remember when I first started reading romances the historicals were all over the place with regards to place and era. The tide has to turn soon, doesn’t it?
What are we told over and over about the time spent during submissions? Write, write, write. And that is what I have been doing. I’ve written one complete ms, nearly finished another and started a new one. While that is productive, the side affect is that my enthusiasm is for the WIP I’m currently working on, a “love the one you’re with” kind of deal. As time goes by, I find it harder and harder to focus on the other ms. I’ve been submitting it for well over a year now and like a favorite song that has been played to death, I’m tired of it. Miss Snark says a writer should give an ms a 100 rejections before giving up.
Ughhh….. I’m at maybe thirty. To get to one hundred, well, I don’t want to contemplate it.
So I’m keeping my focus on my WIP. Which brings me to a whole new dilemma. This poor story has a couple of strikes against it. One, it’s a historical, and we all know the phrases agents love to throw out about those, and two, it takes place in the mid-18th century, not a particularly vogue time period in romance these days. Jo Beverly did it a few years ago with the Malloren books, but she already was well established before she published those.
But this is the era I enjoy writing about and I like my book. Mentally, I’ve prepared myself for the flood of rejections, but the writing is good and hopefully someone will give it a shot.
Melissa made some great points in her post yesterday. She talked about taking a chance on something new and different, that perhaps this is what the historical market needs. I hope so. I remember when I first started reading romances the historicals were all over the place with regards to place and era. The tide has to turn soon, doesn’t it?
Thursday, September 01, 2005
How Little I Have to Whine About
It’s another sunny day in California. Life is going on pretty much as it has all summer. I complain about the kids, the husband, the house and then I read Larissa's blog and nearly fell apart. How trite and inane my problems seem today. How totally fortunate I am to be where I am with my biggest problem being my lack of a/c today.
I’ve been in the situation where I had to evacuate and leave my home behind, wondering if I would come back to find it standing or a pile of ashes. I’ve had to decide which items could be left behind and which couldn’t. I remember sitting in my SIL’s living room realizing what treasured items I’d left behind. My eyes were glued to the television as I saw neighborhood after neighborhood go up in flames in my town and hoping mine wasn’t one of them. Fortunately, because of the courage of one of my neighbors, our neighborhood lost a tree and that was about it.
But this scenario is so much worse. I can’t even fathom the level of despair these people hit by Katrina must feel. I am at a loss as how to comprehend it. But human beings are amazingly adaptable and generous. People across the country are banding together to bring aid to the survivors. I think everyone in this country feels the loss to a certain degree. Perhaps through this tragedy the country can find a common ground and focus on the innocent lives so affected by the hurricane rather than the animosity that has plagued the nation as of late.
Anyway, to help Larissa, please head over to WriteMinded for information. Also, the American Red Cross has a simple donation form. The opportunities to help are limitless. Even the smallest donation can help.
I’ve been in the situation where I had to evacuate and leave my home behind, wondering if I would come back to find it standing or a pile of ashes. I’ve had to decide which items could be left behind and which couldn’t. I remember sitting in my SIL’s living room realizing what treasured items I’d left behind. My eyes were glued to the television as I saw neighborhood after neighborhood go up in flames in my town and hoping mine wasn’t one of them. Fortunately, because of the courage of one of my neighbors, our neighborhood lost a tree and that was about it.
But this scenario is so much worse. I can’t even fathom the level of despair these people hit by Katrina must feel. I am at a loss as how to comprehend it. But human beings are amazingly adaptable and generous. People across the country are banding together to bring aid to the survivors. I think everyone in this country feels the loss to a certain degree. Perhaps through this tragedy the country can find a common ground and focus on the innocent lives so affected by the hurricane rather than the animosity that has plagued the nation as of late.
Anyway, to help Larissa, please head over to WriteMinded for information. Also, the American Red Cross has a simple donation form. The opportunities to help are limitless. Even the smallest donation can help.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
One Week!!!
Only seven more days and I get to kick the Orcs out the door. Oh, I can’t wait. However, the school is in a bit of an upheaval. We lost 5 teachers at the end of the year to various things: one went on to be a principal; a couple went back to school and so on. Supposedly they have interviewed and had prepared to offer the jobs to new teachers. But there is a glitch.
In my school district, you are allowed to choose which school you want your child to go to. Each elementary school has its own philosophy and way of doing things. My kids’ school is the earthy-crunchy granola-eating school. Many of the students are the children of the professors at the private colleges next door. Very eclectic school. The classes are multi-age. My son was in the same class from first through third grade. Anyway, we are unique in the district and suddenly we are very popular. The school is bursting at the seams and can take no more kids. This is not so in the rest of the district. Many of the other schools have had a severe drop in enrollment. The result is that those teachers will be moved to our school. I don’t really have a problem with that; however some of these teachers are coming from schools that have a completely opposite philosophy than ours. A couple of schools are slaves to standardized testing and I worry these teachers will bring these ideas with them.
I’m not a big fan of the standardized tests. My son loves them. And, to brag a bit, he had a perfect score in math and an advanced score in language arts. But I don’t think these tests are gauging all the other great things my son has learned from his teacher. He’s learned so much more than the fundamentals and he has had the luxury of having a teacher who has encouraged her students to explore and incorporate their interests in the classroom.
A Big Thank You….
…for all of your hugs and kind thoughts. I’m feeling much better. I’m sure Tom Cruise won’t be my friend anymore, but I have to say the anti-depressants have made a world of difference. Supposedly the good affects really kick in after two weeks but after a week I can feel a difference.
In my school district, you are allowed to choose which school you want your child to go to. Each elementary school has its own philosophy and way of doing things. My kids’ school is the earthy-crunchy granola-eating school. Many of the students are the children of the professors at the private colleges next door. Very eclectic school. The classes are multi-age. My son was in the same class from first through third grade. Anyway, we are unique in the district and suddenly we are very popular. The school is bursting at the seams and can take no more kids. This is not so in the rest of the district. Many of the other schools have had a severe drop in enrollment. The result is that those teachers will be moved to our school. I don’t really have a problem with that; however some of these teachers are coming from schools that have a completely opposite philosophy than ours. A couple of schools are slaves to standardized testing and I worry these teachers will bring these ideas with them.
I’m not a big fan of the standardized tests. My son loves them. And, to brag a bit, he had a perfect score in math and an advanced score in language arts. But I don’t think these tests are gauging all the other great things my son has learned from his teacher. He’s learned so much more than the fundamentals and he has had the luxury of having a teacher who has encouraged her students to explore and incorporate their interests in the classroom.
A Big Thank You….
…for all of your hugs and kind thoughts. I’m feeling much better. I’m sure Tom Cruise won’t be my friend anymore, but I have to say the anti-depressants have made a world of difference. Supposedly the good affects really kick in after two weeks but after a week I can feel a difference.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Writing as a Career
I have to admit, I’m a slug. I do not like work. I’ve never actually had a job I enjoyed. My current job (stay at home mom) leaves plenty to be desired. So when talk comes up about treating my writing as a career, my eye starts to twitch.
Suzanne talked about treating writing like a career on her RTB column. She made some great points. But I hate thinking about my writing as work. I’ve tried scheduling time to write, but I feel the yoke of oppression when I do so. Yeah, I should take it more seriously, but I do not have the ability or inclination to make it my number one priority.
Anyone with small children can tell you that they have a way of making the world revolve around them. They have a sense for when my mind and time are occupied with something else and so they strike. Today my toddler found her milk on the counter, climbed up and tried to fill her own cups with it. I had milk spilled all over the counter plus 4 cups half filled with liquid. This is typical of her behavior. My older ones know when I’m writing because that is when they feel it necessary to get into knockdown drag out fights.
I’m not using these as excuses for not writing, they are just things that take priority over my time. I still manage to get my pages in. I have scheduled my day so that I have certain chores I do on certain days. Today it was the day I clean and mop the family room. It’s done and now I have the freedom to write as much as I want barring my children’s interruptions.
Anyway, for me to think about my writing as a career at this time is a practice in frustration. My family is not going to understand the importance of what I’m doing until I actually sell. Hubby definitely has the attitude that if it doesn’t make me a dime, it must be a hobby. Not a particularly sympathetic way of looking at things, but I think it is a fairly common view from non-writers. He is not going to be real excited to come from a day of work and fix dinner so I can write unless there is a contract involved. And that’s okay; it is just another hurdle to work around.
But it can be done. I think the obstacles in my path make me a more efficient writer. It forces me to focus on each and every word on the page. I do very little in the way of revisions because I don’t have the luxury of going back and making change after change. When I write, it had better be damn close to what I want because my opportunity to make drastic changes could fly out the door at anytime.
A side note…
I’m going to leave the blogger comments on until I can figure out what in the heck is wrong with my haloscan. It’s a bit awkward but feel free to use whichever works for you.
Suzanne talked about treating writing like a career on her RTB column. She made some great points. But I hate thinking about my writing as work. I’ve tried scheduling time to write, but I feel the yoke of oppression when I do so. Yeah, I should take it more seriously, but I do not have the ability or inclination to make it my number one priority.
Anyone with small children can tell you that they have a way of making the world revolve around them. They have a sense for when my mind and time are occupied with something else and so they strike. Today my toddler found her milk on the counter, climbed up and tried to fill her own cups with it. I had milk spilled all over the counter plus 4 cups half filled with liquid. This is typical of her behavior. My older ones know when I’m writing because that is when they feel it necessary to get into knockdown drag out fights.
I’m not using these as excuses for not writing, they are just things that take priority over my time. I still manage to get my pages in. I have scheduled my day so that I have certain chores I do on certain days. Today it was the day I clean and mop the family room. It’s done and now I have the freedom to write as much as I want barring my children’s interruptions.
Anyway, for me to think about my writing as a career at this time is a practice in frustration. My family is not going to understand the importance of what I’m doing until I actually sell. Hubby definitely has the attitude that if it doesn’t make me a dime, it must be a hobby. Not a particularly sympathetic way of looking at things, but I think it is a fairly common view from non-writers. He is not going to be real excited to come from a day of work and fix dinner so I can write unless there is a contract involved. And that’s okay; it is just another hurdle to work around.
But it can be done. I think the obstacles in my path make me a more efficient writer. It forces me to focus on each and every word on the page. I do very little in the way of revisions because I don’t have the luxury of going back and making change after change. When I write, it had better be damn close to what I want because my opportunity to make drastic changes could fly out the door at anytime.
A side note…
I’m going to leave the blogger comments on until I can figure out what in the heck is wrong with my haloscan. It’s a bit awkward but feel free to use whichever works for you.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Yahoo Groups
I remember a day when I dreaded opening my email inbox because of the tons of email I received. No, I’m not that popular and I have some pretty nifty spam blockers. But the bulk of it came from addresses containing “@yahoogroups.com.” Funny thing is, when I started blogging, my interest in Yahoo Groups dropped.
I was up to 40 groups there for awhile. Half of them I was “no-mail” but still I was getting a pretty hardy chunk of messages in my inbox. But I found when I started blogging, I paid less attention to the posts. I wonder why that is?
I’ve dropped only a few of my groups, but most of them are on “no mail” or “digest.” Have any of you noticed a change in your online habits since you started to blog? I think maybe it because of how personal blogs are, how reflective of the actual person a blog can be. A Yahoo message is just an email whereas a blog shows off a bit of the blogger’s personality. Since I change my wallpaper so often on my blog, what does that say about me?
On another note….
I debated whether to say anything publicly about this but I’m thinking maybe I should. I have recently started treatment for depression. I’ve noticed for some time now that my life was being affected and it has intensified over the course of the summer. I really don’t want to talk about it here because, well, hell, it’s depressing. So I started another blog, Come From the Shadows to discuss the problem. I figure if I’m suffering from the problem, there are probably tons of other people out there suffering as well. And if discussing it openly helps another person, then I have done the right thing.
I was up to 40 groups there for awhile. Half of them I was “no-mail” but still I was getting a pretty hardy chunk of messages in my inbox. But I found when I started blogging, I paid less attention to the posts. I wonder why that is?
I’ve dropped only a few of my groups, but most of them are on “no mail” or “digest.” Have any of you noticed a change in your online habits since you started to blog? I think maybe it because of how personal blogs are, how reflective of the actual person a blog can be. A Yahoo message is just an email whereas a blog shows off a bit of the blogger’s personality. Since I change my wallpaper so often on my blog, what does that say about me?
On another note….
I debated whether to say anything publicly about this but I’m thinking maybe I should. I have recently started treatment for depression. I’ve noticed for some time now that my life was being affected and it has intensified over the course of the summer. I really don’t want to talk about it here because, well, hell, it’s depressing. So I started another blog, Come From the Shadows to discuss the problem. I figure if I’m suffering from the problem, there are probably tons of other people out there suffering as well. And if discussing it openly helps another person, then I have done the right thing.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
TWO WEEKS!!!!!
Two weeks from today I will be taking my kids to school. I absolutely cannot wait. This summer has been a real trial for me for reasons I'd rather not get into here, but suffice it to say the kids really increased the difficulties I've had. I think they will be glad to go to school as well. Their minds are going at such a dizzying rate along with their bodies, they are antsy and bored most of the time. Their favorite activity seems to be plaguing their mother. There are days I feel like a rabid pit bull trapped in cage and these kids are poking me with a stick. Heaven help them if I get out. When I do explode, expanding their vocabulary exponentially in the process, they look at me as if I am an exhibit at the LaBrea Tarpits.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
All Your Saturdays Over
All Your Saturdays Over
It’s August so it must be soccer season. I have two kids in the sport and for the first time, dh and I are not volunteering. My dh coached my son two years in a row and assisted the year before. The first year he was a field instructor. Last year I coached my daughter’s team and did the team parent duties because I couldn’t get a volunteer from the parents. I had such a miserable experience last year dealing with politics of AYSO I swore this year I wouldn’t do anything. Hubby has said the same thing. Our Saturdays were completely swallowed last year because we spent so much time on the soccer fields. There was field set up or take down, the actual games and then hubby would have to referee another game. Luckily my folks live nearby so they could baby-sit my youngest while I was coaching. But it was a burden.
So this year we decided we would retire from the volunteer duties. We went to my daughter’s practice yesterday and the coach was trying to get volunteers. The woman sitting next to me said, “you coached last year, you should do something.”
And I said, “why don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know anything about the game. I don’t think I could help much.”
I just looked at her.
“I guess this would be a good level to start, huh?” she replied. Later she went up to the coach and volunteered for something.
I’m guessing dh will go ahead and volunteer to field instruct. The coach managed to get a father to assist, so I think I might be off the hook. I did tell the coach if she was in a lurch, I’d help out but not in an official capacity. And this is my plea to you who have kids in sports: even if you don’t have the time to be a volunteer, try to help out somehow. If you are at a practice and see the coach trying to coach your child but has to watch their toddler at the same time, offer to take the kid to the playground. Maybe offer to type up a roster or create a snack schedule. None of these things take a lot of time but they are invaluable to helping a coach. These folks aren’t being paid and in many instances have been told that if there isn’t a coach, the kids won’t play (this is happening in my nephews AYSO region right now).
It’s August so it must be soccer season. I have two kids in the sport and for the first time, dh and I are not volunteering. My dh coached my son two years in a row and assisted the year before. The first year he was a field instructor. Last year I coached my daughter’s team and did the team parent duties because I couldn’t get a volunteer from the parents. I had such a miserable experience last year dealing with politics of AYSO I swore this year I wouldn’t do anything. Hubby has said the same thing. Our Saturdays were completely swallowed last year because we spent so much time on the soccer fields. There was field set up or take down, the actual games and then hubby would have to referee another game. Luckily my folks live nearby so they could baby-sit my youngest while I was coaching. But it was a burden.
So this year we decided we would retire from the volunteer duties. We went to my daughter’s practice yesterday and the coach was trying to get volunteers. The woman sitting next to me said, “you coached last year, you should do something.”
And I said, “why don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know anything about the game. I don’t think I could help much.”
I just looked at her.
“I guess this would be a good level to start, huh?” she replied. Later she went up to the coach and volunteered for something.
I’m guessing dh will go ahead and volunteer to field instruct. The coach managed to get a father to assist, so I think I might be off the hook. I did tell the coach if she was in a lurch, I’d help out but not in an official capacity. And this is my plea to you who have kids in sports: even if you don’t have the time to be a volunteer, try to help out somehow. If you are at a practice and see the coach trying to coach your child but has to watch their toddler at the same time, offer to take the kid to the playground. Maybe offer to type up a roster or create a snack schedule. None of these things take a lot of time but they are invaluable to helping a coach. These folks aren’t being paid and in many instances have been told that if there isn’t a coach, the kids won’t play (this is happening in my nephews AYSO region right now).
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