Category Archives: Life: My Version

On the horizon

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There’s a long list of exciting things on the horizon. We’re buying the cottage for our country property and I’m waiting for the proof of Ruins of North Texas to arrive.

I have some cool stuff in the works to include giveaways (squeee!), cookies – yes, I said cookies – and more books to publish. And in the midst of all that, there’s regular life.

We painted the living room this weekend:

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It’s a very lovely green and brightens the space. We find ourselves commenting on our mutual love of the new green shade and now we have two other rooms to paint. But, as with everything we do, the painting went off without a hitch and without a fight, and we laughed the entire time.

Tonight was also Open House for the Minty Ninja. I had two realizations: 1) The ninja is much taller than most of her peers, and 2) I’m one of those young, hot mamas, relatively speaking. We live in a small town, but wow most of the parental units are older than I am. I’m used to being the median age for elementary kids’ parents, but in the new school, that doesn’t seem the case. Not that I’m complaining.

There’s the usual: friends coming and going, work drama and successes, family in town – we seem to be inundated with all of our soldiers lately, which is pretty great – and a music festival this weekend.

Life is great.

Extroverts vs. Introverts

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Things are cyclic – especially trends on the internet. Lately some of my friends have been talking about their introversion and how they see the world and live in it. Okay, cool, but is labeling yourself an introvert or an extrovert a good thing?

Me? I’m an extrovert. I know this. I love social interaction, I’m expressive when I talk – and I have to talk, talk, talk through things – I’m busy and bustling, and I love a social climate.

But I also spend hours alone. I’ll get in my bright yellow car (such an “extrovert” shade) and drive around by myself for miles with nowhere to go. I can spend huge chunks of time in front of my computer, working and hacking away at a novel/encyclopedia article/curriculum build. These are characteristic introvert qualities – except maybe the yellow car.

I really only have two reasons for minding the label:

1) it limits people by defining them too narrowly (see above)

2) it’s easy to use an introvert/extrovert label as an excuse for unhealthy behavior, i.e.: hiding out by yourself and not making friends if you’re an introvert or being brash and rude because you’re an extrovert and you “always say the first thing that pops into your head.”

Enjoy your time alone – both intros and extros – and enjoy your time in social situations. Love who you are and embrace your spirit and vitality, but please, please don’t put more significance on these labels than they deserve.

I think I can

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I’m trying a prompt from The One-Minute Writer today. Let’s see what I can pound out in 60 seconds (yes, I’m using a timer). Today’s prompt? Sixty seconds to tell about a time you had to repeat the “I think I can” mantra to yourself.

My first yoga class after I-don’t-know-how-many years.

It wasn’t the usual teacher – she was a substitute – and she was nice and knew what she was talking about, a really great teacher, but I caught myself looking at the clock and then thinking, “Dear Lord! It’s only been 20 minutes?!” I pushed myself through the rest of the hours and half class, and it was hard.

And I paid for it. I mean, it was great and all to be back in a yoga class, but I was so sore I wondered if this particular school was right for me.

Now I’m in class with the regular teacher who is AMAZING. I don’t have to force anything or remind myself that “I think I can” with her; I just do.

Words for Chocolate: A Valentine’s Tale

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So I posted a bit about this on my Book of Faces page, but I have to tell the full story here of my little one and her love of books – because you need to hear this story. And because it makes a Mama Writer’s heart proud.

I recently turned 31 (yay me!) and my sweet grandmother sneaked a Target gift card into my birthday card. She’s a sneaky sweet old lady. So anyway, Mike was out of town last night and, me being my irresponsible self, I hadn’t eaten any lunch and had no plans for dinner. And then I was struck with an idea!

I picked the Minty Ninja up from school and we went home for a bit so I could get some work done before going out for a very early dinner to one of her favorite places to eat:

After [early] dinner at Chili’s, I asked MN if she’d like to accompany me across the street to go shopping. Of course she’s always down for shopping, especially when we go to Target. “I love Target!”

Ha! No, that’s not me. I’m neither that svelte nor that posh when discount store shopping. Anyway, I went to go blow my b-day money on fun stuff. I got earrings and sparkle bracelets for our German Sparkle/Mardi Gras/Chinese New Year/Laser Party party this weekend.

I also found this:

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That’s right! It’s a pink (!!!) clutch with Brainy Babe glasses on it, reminiscent of my publishing logo:

Brainy Babe Micro Pub Logo copy

Yay! Total win. But I digress.

So while at Target, I decide to stop by the book section (surprise). I picked up Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger and I’ll have a review of it up soon on my GoodReads page, but while walking around, MN found a display for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

I think a chorus of angels sings in my daughter’s head the second she sees one of these books. I mean, seriously. She becomes entranced by the mere sight of them; stops dead in her tracks and practically starts salivating. So we started talking about them and she tells me all about the volumes she’s read – about 3 of the 7 – and then she tells me which ones she owns a copy of. Of course I already know this since I’m the one who bought them for her, but I’m not going to squelch book excitement for anything.

In the course of our discussion, we determine that she neither owns nor has read the third book in the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw.

The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 3)

If there’s one thing I can’t resist, it’s indulging my kiddo’s love of reading. And, well, they’re all of $10 (oh, I’m sorry, $9.99) each so I looked at her and asked, “Do you want this for an early Valentine’s Day gift instead of candy?” I was going to spend at least that – if not more – on chocolates I was just going to eat half of anyway.

“Oh yes!” She says and jumps on me to give me a hug. “I can have candy any time. I love these books!”

Then she started talking about making a shelf in the library dedicated to her copies of the Wimpy Kid books, and I told her that we certainly have room and she should do it. She carried the book through the store and lovingly laid it on the conveyor belt at checkout. Once it was in the bag – along with my b-day swag – she picked it up so we’d be sure to get it, and she even started reading it when we were in the car.

I don’t know what it is about these books that she loves so much, and I know she’s not the only kid who’s mad for them, but they’re like literary catnip for her. There will be plenty of times to come during which she’ll be forced to read Dickens and Melville and Willa Cather and the other snooze-worthy classics. Why not give her that angelic chorus now? Or, you know, trumpets: