Sunday, January 30, 2011

Ready. Set. GO! (Warning...this post includes lots of photos.)

 It's finally done!  My studio is ready...and now I can hit the ground running.  I signed up for the February Picture Book Marathon.

This is what you see as you walk in the door of my studio.  I did the painting back in the late 80's or early 90's.  It's called Sugar and Spice.  The top shelf of the bookshelf holds my favorite picture books and my autographed books.  This is my "read" and resource book shelf.  The photo screen hides Ginger's you know what.  (LOL, she's the only one who has free access to my studio.)
 This is the current view from my desk.  I have a assigned tasks to each bulletin board. The first is for notes, thoughts, words I like, etc.  The second one is for the picture book I am currently working on... (You can't but my SNI of course involves cake and something new for me...fairies.) The third one is for my mg, Not A Holiday.  I have an art desk too.  (I used my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby for that!)  The blank spot above the desk is for a new piece of art...It's for sure going to be a big ole cake painting.  :)
 I have a little bulletin board for special cards and notes to keep me going.... (I've got some special Christmas cards I need to put up there from some of my bloggy friends.) Pura Vida means (loosely) It's all good. 
 This is a special painting!  My Dad and Bonus Mum gave it to me a few years ago.  It's a real painting of a place in England that my Nanny and Grandad took me too.  Dad and Miss Anne know how special Nanny and Grandad are and what a wonderful time I had on this trip with them, so it makes this a really special painting.  (I'm seriously sentimental!)
 A close up.... (LOL)
 Katherine made the fishy mask when she was in Elementary school....I've always loved it.  She made the smarties box in Junior High.  I think it's wicked cool.  The little ox cart is  from Costa Rica...which is like the most gorgeous place on Earth.  I have two of my favorite picture books on the top....One is by Tammi Sauer and one is by my adopted (lol) brother Steve Swinburne.  OH, if you haven't checked out Steve on YouTube, you've got too...He is an absolute RIOT!
 Okay, so maybe I'm a little OCD...(I have a few things left to label.)  I'm loving Post it's new labels!
 This side of my closet has the books I haven't read or haven't read in a long time.  I started keeping a log on the books I've read after I got back from the Highlights Summer Workshop in July of 2008.  (Waves to the WAD.)
 This is a seriously special chair and blanket!  We bought this chair to go in our first house.  I rocked Katherine in this chair when she was a baby.  It is sooo comfortable.  It fits me just right.

The blanket is my writing blanket.  One of my cps (critique partners), Rhonda Roberts made it for me.  We met at the Highlights Summer Workshop.  Rhonda won the Highlights Writing Contest in 2008!!!!  (What's crazy is she knows DL! And my Mum and Bonus Dad lived in the same town for like 20 years!)
 I call this painting Home Sweet Home...I painted it when we lived in Saint Charles, Missouri.  (Waves Susan) I used almost every color of every room in our house there.  Katherine  made the cool little car in shop and Lenny sent me the cupcake (with a cupcake necklace in it) for Christmas.

 I absolutely love composition note books...But these are the coolest ones yet!  They are tiny composition note books.  I keep a lot of them on hand.  I've only seen them at Walgreen's.  Aren't they cute?
 I like little bits.  (I told you I'm sentimental.)  Do you see that airplane?  Eileen Spinelli gave it to me.  I have a story to go with each little bit...
 When I was working on my studio I discovered a baby photo of Stripes.  It made my cry and be happy all at the same time.  I still miss him a lot.   I'm a bit obsessed with squirrels...So I HAD to buy this one! The book mark is something I leave out.  It's a memorial of my friend Natalie Lacey who tragically died.  She was something special. 

 Thanks, Lenny!  Isn't this sweet?  I don't think I could have dreamed up a more wonderful cp!
I have to tell you this has got to be the coolest garbage can in the world!  Guess what it was...a popcorn tin.  I kept looking at trash cans and I couldn't find one that said children's writer....Then I walked past the popcorn display at Kmart....and I saw this.  It is perfect and it was only $6.  That was a whole lot cheaper than the real trash cans and it was full of popcorn.

Thanks for stopping in and sharing in my fun today.  I really am so excited about having my own space.  I know it will inspire me to be more productive.... (not a poser)

If you didn't read my post last Thursday about Katherine I got an email from the editor over the weekend and she said they are currently giving away free copies of all their issues of Berry Blue Haiku.  So hop over and check them out! 


Are you signing up for the picture book marathon????  I hope to see some of you there. 

Have an awesome week!

Happy Writing!!!!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Guess What Arrived In My Inbox????


My daughter...the poet!

I'm having a proud Mom moment! We downloaded a copy of Berry Blue Haiku with Katherine's first published poetry in it. And guess what... you can get a copy of Berry Blue Haiku for free if you haven't registered at currclick.com yet!  If you have registered it will only cost $1.75 to download.  Berry Blue Haiku is full of wonderful haiku poems including two written by my Katherine!  December's issue also has how to make a Haiku holiday gift bag,  lessons on writing Haiku poems, adorable Berry Blue Haiku Bookmarks, a Haikreature Feature (a Haiku and a factual featured animal), a hidden picture, and loads of lovely illustrations.

Berry Blue Haiku has a resourceful blog and the nicest executive editor.  (Hi, Gisele!)  Berry Blue Haiku is a paying market for adults, but you don't have to be an adult to submit.  Katherine even won a book from the people at Cobalt Crow Productions!  There are adult submission guidelines, student guidelines, and illustrator guidelines.  Don't be shy...submit to Berry Blue Haiku!  (Talk about a fun on the tongue title...)

And now I'll leave you with a couple of Katherine's poems...
(I had her permission to post these two.)

A monster
Lurks in the darkness
of Loch Ness

~*~

In the woods
Concealed in foliage
Lies Bigfoot

*~*~*
Happy writing everyone! 

I hope you'll stretch yourself
and try something new...
perhaps you'll even write a Haiku...

Monday, January 17, 2011

My Heart is Full...

When you're a teacher, you touch lots of kiddos' lives.  Sometimes  their lives touch your life more than you expect them too.  Almost nine years ago I had one of those kiddos....He was a handful!  He was smart!  He needed something!  At first I wasn't sure what he needed. (LOL, I told him to write...)  I wasn't sure if I had what he needed....But then I realized, he needed me....We battled for a semester or so...but then...we clicked....He graduated in May...He thinks he might want to be a counselor.  (I love that facebook allows me to stay in touch with my kiddos!) My heart is full.  I'm soooo proud of him!

(((((HUGS D!))))))

Have you had a moment when you were proud of a kiddo that wasn't your own?  Please share...

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Birthday Wishes...

Happy Birthday, Marilyn!  Marilyn has a kitty blog (fuzzy hug) and a writing teacher blog (oh yeah)...My friend Brian (Ginger waves her paw to Brian the cat), asked me to share in Marilyn's birthday celebration and of course I said yes.  (I'm hoping there will be CAKE!)
Have a wonderful day, Marilyn...

Let's talk about birthday wishes, while your thinking about Marilyn and her birthday cake....

For the past twenty years or so I've pretty much tried to ignore my birthday.  No  birthday cakes (Yeah, can you believe it?).  My dear hubby usually takes me out for dinner, but for several years in a row he was always in Chicago at a convention the week of my birthday...

But this year was different....

We had sooooo much fun celebrating a certain someone's birthday and planning his birthday surprises that I wasn't all doom and gloom when December rolled around.  That certain someone found out that my birthday was coming up and started asking me about it.  I couldn't be a grump, so with his help I started feeling a bit excited about having a birthday.  I even told my hubby and Katherine I wanted  a cake... (You can see my birthday cake here if you want to.) 

More than a hundred people "said" Happy Birthday to me on facebook, or my blog or Lenny's blog or via email and it really really mattered to me.  It changed how I look at my birthday and the value of my words on other people's birthdays.   When I get that birthday reminder from facebook I keep it all week, check it daily and make sure I say "Happy Birthday" to my fb friends....Cause my one little wish might matter...If I know you well enough to be your fb friend, I should be willing to take a few moments to say something to you at least once a year, right?   I don't friend everyone...I friend people I know or have communications with...so if we blog know each other (which means we exchange comments and emails) and you have your birthday listed on your fb page...expect to hear from me at least once this year...(LOL, like I'm only gonna bug you once!)

I hope Marilyn has an awesome birthday and that everyone checks the fb stats to see who they need to wish a Happy Birthday to.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

ARE YOU LOST?

(Taken in the canopy of a rain forest  in Costa Rica.)

LOST

Friendship lost
to an open fire.

Friendship lost
to a bad desire.

Friendship lost
because of age.

Friendship lost
a result of rage.

A heart so sad
it can't be true.

A pain so deep
caused by you.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The poem is by me...on a sad day...quite some time back...I just felt like sharing something I wrote.

I have a confession...(hangs head in shame)...I've been a poser...I haven't written anything new in a while.  :(  But tomorrow is a new day.  I will do better.  I know I have stories in me.  I know I want to share them with kiddos...

What about you?  How's your writing life going?

Friday, January 7, 2011

FYI...DANGEROUS "PEOPLE" FOOD FOR YOUR PETS!!!



Mom took me to see Dr. John.  Dr. John told Mom I couldn't have some people food.  Who would have thought that some people food was bad for me?  I like everything...If you drop it on the floor I'll eat it, but Dr. John says that's not always a good idea.

Ginger doesn't eat food off the floor.  She only eats cat food and kitty treats.  She's kind of a prima donna.  Check out her fancy fluffy bed!  See what I mean?

She even likes to eat on the table! 
Anyway, Dr. John said pets should NOT eat...
  • chocolate
  • coffee or any caffeine
  • alcohol
  • macadamia nuts
  • grapes or raisins
  • raw yeast dough
  • raw/undercooked  meat, eggs and bones
  • xylitol-a sweetner in many products
  • onions
  • garlic
  • chives
  • milk
  • salt
Mom asked Dr. John where he got his information from and he said, "Ahem...I'm a vet."  Then he chuckled and gave her a sheet of paper with the information on it.You can find out more information about things that can be dangerous for your pets at www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-expert-poison-control/people-foods.html.

I really like the smell of Mom when she eats chocolate, but she won't share...so I chew my keys.

Or if I'm good I get to play with my raccoon teddy bear that Lenny sent me for Christmas.  But I only get to play with him when someone is watching.  My humans are kind of over-protective.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you missed Amy's or Tess's post earlier this week about this creepy website you need to hop over and read their posts.  The website is called http://www.spokeo.com/ but you might as well call it TMI dot com!!!!! VERY CREEPY!!! Just sayin!!!  Check it out and remove yourself and make sure you are not on it more than once...My husband and I were on it twice at two different addresses...

Have a safe weekend!  HUGS to all...

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

I LOVE ME SOME CANDYLAND!

(Candace is beautiful, inside and out!)

The very best thing about blogging is the relationships we build.  I think because words are so important to bloggers we have a special sense that allows us to see when one of our bloggy friends needs a hug. 

My post today along with Jen's, Jessica's, Lenny's and Matthew's is to tell you how special we think Candace Ganger is.  Candace has a great heart.  If there is a cause, she is quick to support it.  If you need a virtual hug...she'll be there for you.  If you haven't been to Candyland, you need to make the trip over.  Candace is very real.  I rarely miss a Feel Me Up Friday post!  They always make me laugh and occasionally leave me blushing.... This post isn't about getting followers, it's about a wonderful friend who could use a virtual hug...

Candace...You are a strong woman, you are a beautiful woman...you will get through this...

I'm so glad that we are friends.

(((HUG)))