Friday, October 22, 2010

Tiara Day!

It's TIARA DAY again!!

Last time we sparkled against cancer. I am ALWAYS sparkling against cancer, but today's is more just about playing and having fun.

Also, kid-like. I am wearing my Mickey Mouse (Minnie Mouse?) ears with the tiara. I may or may not have bought this at Disneyland just for Tiara Day.



Okay, I did.

So to play, wear a tiara on your actual head, or slap one on your avatar for the day! Have fun and be silly!

Happy Tiara Day!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Virtuosity

Virtuous.

It's a stuffy, prim little word, isn't it? Like a proper old lady sitting in a brocade chair with her ankles crossed.

"Virtuous," she says, sipping her tea, nodding. "A lady must be virtuous."

THAT kind of virtuous I will never be, despite the efforts of proper old ladies everywhere. But over the past few years, I have learned the simple pleasure of bursts of virtuous.

I have bad habits, you see. I procrastinate, play solitaire, eat candy, sneak in reading or old TV when I know there are other things I should be doing, things that are important to me for my goals--or that make me feel accomplished. So when I actually do those things, I feel pleased. Proud of myself. Virtuous.

I feel virtuous when I:

not only get my writing goal in for the day, but surpass it.
actually do make lunches the night before.
exercise (hey, it's rare, but it does happen).
write a decent blog post.
cook an interesting, nutritious meal for my family (and they like it!).
clean the kitchen, completely, not in spots.
fold a load of laundry and get it put away in less than a day after starting it.
remember Child's increasingly complicated schedule and pack the right things
volunteer for something important to me.

You know that feeling, right? Kind of wow-I-am-a-successful-grown-up.

I guess it's an inner gold star.

What makes you feel virtuous?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Eeee! The Near Witch cover.

I am so happy to be part of Victoria Schwab's Cover Release Extravaganza!!

Check out THE NEAR WITCH.

"The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget."







Also NOTE: THE NEAR WITCH just became available for pre-order on Amazon, here:

http://www.amazon.com/Near-Witch-Victoria-Schwab/dp/1423137876/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286924197&sr=8-2

Friday, October 01, 2010

The winner of ANNIE'S ADVENTURES is...

TrishaleighKC!!

Congrats, Trisha! I hope you and/or your kiddos enjoy it. :)

I am not blogging more today because:

a) I have a horrible cough and I don't feel like doing much and

b) in spite of (a), it is Homecoming weekend and I have a zillion activities I have to do. So later, peeps!!