Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Weekly Randomness

I'm sitting here drinking my extremely hot lemon-honey water (it's really the only way to drink it to make that pain go away in my throat), boggling over Texan weather. It has to be the reason everyone I know feels crummy. One day it's mid-sixties, the next lower-thirties. What the hay? Saturday, the high is suppose to be 70 something, and Sunday? Twenties! I tell ya, if it's going to be that cold it better snow, daggumit! The last time I had a white Christmas here in Texas was around 1989 or something. I'll have to Google it now. All I remember is I got a bike and I could hardly try and ride it with all the ice and snow on the road. Or maybe I was dreaming, and it never DID really snow. (We get tons of ice and sleet, and being all of 9 at the time, I maybe thought it was snow).

I finally caught up with most of my blogging associates (as far as reading their latest entries, etc). Boy, it's a job in and of itself, but so worth it! Sadly, I probably know more people/friends online than I do in real life. Hm. Things to make you wonder.

I want to give a special thanks to Angie Ledbetter for inspiring a passionate answer out of me on why I write (see right column for my answer). I think it's the best and most purest answer I've ever come up with.

So, seeing as I've recently read a bunch of my friends' blogs, my brain is still fresh with some of their inspiration. Karen Duvall included in hers a list of things she had to get done, and I feel that maybe if I write them down I won't feel so absolutely overwhelmed by it all. The sad thing is, I don't think any of it has to do with the holidays. I just always have a list of things to do. Wah!

My wifely to do things:
  • do the dishes
  • finish three more loads of laundry (yuck, I hate laundry and to think I'm adding another human that wears clothes! ;) )
  • bake . . .

Ok, random entry on baking. I spent four hours baking cookies with my mother last night. She sent me home with all the ugly ones! What the heck! *I* was the one who made all the pretty santa bears and gingerbread men! So not fair! But, to further this unfairness, I set my tin can of cookies on the oven and when I went to cook the noodles for dinner tonight, I turned on the wrong burner. YUP! Husband: "What's that smell?"

Seconds later, we pry the nearly suctioned top off and squinch our noses at the awful smell of burned wax paper and metal. All my cookies were melted and the after taste was just like the smell. So, to further explain my "baking to do": MORE decorated cookie cut outs, and mini Zucchini Bread loaves for my friends and family (it's a shameless plug, but seriously people, great recipe and so versatile. I'm making some of the bread pumpkin and some banana as well).

Motherly Things to Do:
  • take kid to school
  • finish volume 1 of her annual video (it's long this year)
  • attend her Christmas party
  • be the official "tattoo artist"
  • when we get home, involve her in some more holiday type crafts/activities

I think we'll make a paper plate wreath, and I found this neat way to make yarn ornaments. You blow up a balloon, soak the yarn in liquid starch, and wrap it around the balloon and let it dry. Pop the balloon, and you have a perfectly hard, round, yarn-ornament to hang on the tree. Nifty, huh? I'll let you know how it turns out.

Writerly Things to Do:
  • continue my reading of Story by Robert McKee
  • begin reading The Atlantis Prophecy by Thomas Greanias
  • write 2 more articles for Suite 101 (Lesson Ideas/Activities for teaching Penguins, and "Preparing Your Only Child for a Sibling)
  • flesh out main character of new novel, whose first name I now know is Jessa
  • and I really want to start reading Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress . . . ever wish there could be some sort of chip invented to download a book in your head? I could read so many more books much faster that way!

Not to mention we have our annual Christmas party at our house Saturday night that I have to prepare my house for. I've taken a break from my picture book and plan on getting back into it after the New Year.

How's everyone else doing? Are you victimized by being an obsessive multi-tasker or am I all alone in this vital flaw?

9 comments:

  1. *waving hand in air* Obsessive multi-tasker here too. I think a lot of writers are that way.

    Loved your "why I write" answer. So succinct and real. I make lots of lists too. Feels good to check things off to make sure I'm making progress. :)

    Am I blind, or is there a Follow widget here?

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  2. Fun blog, Christa. I got everything done on my list yesterday except for the critiques. And before I can finish my holiday cards, I have to run to the store to buy some gift cards to put in them.

    Today will be spent cleaning my office, specifically my desk, so I can set up my new computer. Puppy proofing is going to be a pain!

    I hope you accomplish all your tasks today. 8^)

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  3. Angie- Um, oops. Never thought to add a follow button. I'll get on that!

    And thanks for asking the question to get that answer out of me! I think all your content in your blog post helped, too.

    Karen- Thanks! Puppy proofing Ooooh. Fun stuff! Kinsey, right? I think that's right. You still doing newspaper or is she potty trained fully? I remember when we got our maltese back when I was a kid, she never did get fully poop trained. Ick. Good luck with your to do lists too!

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  4. Yay, I'm a "follower" now! Also added you to my Rockin' Blog Roll. And thanks for the kind words.

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  5. Texas weather sounds crazy. Iowa is crazy, too, but in a colder, snowier, suckier way. We're supposed to get freezing rain and snow tonight.

    I like the name Jessa. Good choice.

    Have fun with all of the Christmassy things to do! You're one busy lady!

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  6. Hope you're feeling better.

    I find that I tend to get more done when I make To Do lists -- it helps to keep me focused.

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  7. What the heck! *I* was the one who made all the pretty santa bears and gingerbread men!

    Haha, that reminds me of when my mom ran an unofficial restaurant out of our home. Us kids always got the burned pancakes or the squashed rolls or the broken pastries to eat. Customers got the good-looking ones.

    I like the change you've made to the blog, by the way. Very nice and easy on the eyes!

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  8. Thanks Angie and Wendy!

    Jill- I like Jessa. Now for a last name! And all my other character names *eyeshift*

    Jen- They usually help me. Especially with pregnant brain. The trick is to remember to make the lists :P

    Marian- Gotta love mothers! And thank you! I need to stop fiddling with it and just leave it as it is now I think. I wanted it to look less like a generic blog and more like a me blog :-D

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