A French Armadillo & A Surprising "Follower" discovery...

After a long evening of Christmas shopping - no I am not finished yet! I came home to find my husband and dog on the couch watching television.

But then, beside the Christmas tree was a small package.

It appeared to be a simple mailer.

I picked it up and saw the return address: Mallis.

Yes! My heart began to pound with excitement as I tore into the yellow container.

There! Right there in my hands! It is him, it is le charme, Magnadillo stupéfiant!! (He's French)

I immediately begin to scold him for detouring on his journey. At first I am strong, speaking harshly, but then he begins to talk with the most adorable French accent. He uses words like amour, magnifique, doux, desole!

The next thing I know I am sitting on the couch he is in my lap and we are reading Wings by Aprilynne Pike (this book is what took him so long. He claims he stopped only for a minute to read a few chapters, but then he was swept away into the Faerie realm and could not put it down. - You should hear him when he says Faerie *sigh*)

My husband is not pleased with this new visitor on the first day of his Birthday Week. Seems I am catering to an armadillo while he is stuck getting his own water. (Well Le Magnadillo was tired...)

Anyway there is no one like Frankie (http://tiny.cc/MTbvi)!

Seriously, this armadillo is perfect! Isn't he adorable! Oh and here is the book he rode in on...

Not only does he fit in with the other kitchen residents (who am I kidding, he charmed my bride away from my bride & groom magnet and has the parrot on the Margaritaville scene mixing drinks...My husband even overheard the bride say something to the parrot about "he has the most magnetic personality!" *sigh - from the sweetness & the lameness of the joke* So a huge virtual hug to Frankie!!!

On a completely different topic... umm I happen to have another blog (Snippets of a Subconscious Mind http://tiny.cc/rDFHW ) I created it a long time ago before blogging was really a past time of mine. It was supposed to be a 'locked' blog. ONLY viewable to the creator. Um not so much. How surprised was I to see a Follower listed on that site. Yep. This past Monday 'Okie' discovered the old entries. Thankfully he/she enjoyed reading them. Normally I would have freaked out. Again, sharing my work is not common AT ALL for me. Those pages are exceptionally raw due to they were typed literally after a continuous dream plagued me and I needed to just get the thoughts out!

But as I sat and thought about a comment response to 'Okie' I realized I might want to use the site again. Those snippets were fun. I recently enjoyed writing a quick short story (it was not perfect, but it was quick, raw, & a great mind exercise while working on my novel's manuscript)

So I plan to put some things over on Snippets soon. It can be where I type when I need a break from writing my WIP but still feel the need to creatively write something other than just a blog entry.

I will be sure to link an entry in this site everytime I update in case you want to read it. So thank you Okie, for reminding me of something I had set aside.

Also, thank you Followers - you remind me to just step out here and share my thoughts, my dreams, my stories. You make it worth sharing. :o)

2009 Birthday Week - The Husband

For my readers who don't know, my husband's birthday is in December. Now this year he plans to curl up into a fetal position, suck his thumb, and randomly scream words like "Why God?!! Why?!! We had a deal!! Let the others grow old! Not me!!"

Yes he has decided that on the 8th he will merely turn 29 and 365 days old. Yep and when he reaches 40 he will actually be turning 30. Yes Yes lunacy is one of the reasons I married him, keeps my days interesting.

Anyway... If you were not a follower last year or the year before you may not be familiar with a tradition of ours: Birthday Week. We feel that since our mothers carried us for 9 months enjoying the fun wonders of pregnancy (you can tell I don't have kids) we should get more than one day to celebrate. So we created Birthday Week. Yep 7 days of fun. Now in a relationship this can be tricky. You see the rules are as follows:

1. Birthday-ee can decide what day the week begins so long as somewhere in the seven days his/her actual birthday occurs.

2. During the 7 days, the Birthday-ee does not have to partake in any household chores. NONE.

3. During the 7 days, the Birthday-ee may choose any meal they would like to have. ANY Meal. The Non-Birthday-ee must then make, pick up or go with the Birthday-ee in order to insure they get what they want.

4. During the 7 days, gifts will be given each day. These gifts can range from the unexpected simplicity of doing something for the Birthday-ee that normally would not be done or it can be extravagant.

5. During the 7 days, the Birthday-ee has full control of the television channel selection.

6. During the 7 days, the Birthday-ee can do whatever they want. i.e. sit around, nap, eat, shop, whatever. (the only stipulation here of course is any activity that could damage the marriage - course if you damage the marriage you lose birthday week anyway, sooooo.....yeah)

7. During the 7 days, the Non-Birthday-ee cannot complain about having to do any of the chores, activities without help.

So that is what we do. You must remember that when it is your birthday all of this applies to you, so the last rule is very important. Because if you do complain or make the birthday week difficult the previous Birthday-ee has the right to reciprocate. *yikes*

December is a crazy month for Birthday week, but it also makes it fun. I get to make cookies for Christmas tins & for Marcus. I cook because I love too and he chooses his favorite things which always make me smile. They are typically recipes that my mother taught me and the fact that they are some of his favorites is a compliment to heritage not just product quality.

With the big 30 this year, I am trying to pull out all the stops for each day. We have had an interesting year so I will have to get creative on a few things, but overall starting on Friday 12-4-09 we begin this year's Birthday Week.

So all of this was explained, not just because I like to share with all of you, but because I need a little help. #4 talks of the daily gifts. I need some new creative gift ideas. Like, in the past I have done the love coupons (ladies give these an expiration date or fine print - trust me on this), bought some DVDs and I have done things like wash/clean his car, etc. I need some new ideas or inspiration; plus it is always fun to hear about the kind things we do for those we love! Okay, so let me know of some things your loved ones have done for you or maybe something you plan to do this holiday season.

Awards!! Awards!! I feel so loved...

NanoWriMo has kept me so in the dark lately, but I was pleasantly surprised as I read comments on my blog!

I don't even know how to thank you all enough! I did a happydance around the living room when I discovered a few blog awards the other day!

I mean really surprised & thankful!

The first is....

The Best Blog Award!!!

Sara ( http://babblingflow.blogspot.com/ )you are just the sweetest!

I love your blog and am honored that you felt I deserved this award. I love to see your Tweets & your Blog Updates! I cannot wait to see how the purchase of the 30 Day novel guidebook goes!

And now it's MY turn to pass it on!

The rules for The Best Blog Award are:
To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
Pass the award to other bloggers that you recently discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award

Tracy @ Lemons & Lemonade: http://tiny.cc/QHv2V
Shannon @ Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe: http://tiny.cc/5FNVz
Frankie @ Frankie Writes: http://tiny.cc/Oo5X1
Kate @ The NeverEnding Shelf: http://tiny.cc/sSnU3
Steph @ StephTheBookworm http://tiny.cc/lAT3J

The second one is:

the HONEST SCRAP award

This one cracks me up! I received it on the same day from two different people!

Thank you Frankie (Frankie Writes) & Steph (StephTheBookworm)! You both have such funny & entertaining blogs! I love to visit & am honored that you both visit the Kingdom!

Rules of the Honest Scrap Award: list ten honest thing about myself then pass it along to ten more bloggers

1.When I was in the third grade I wrote my first short story. After that I was hooked, everything me & my friends did became a story.

2. I love to entertain. No really, I love being the hostess "I'm always the hostess." :o)

3. I tend to relate just about everything in my life that occurs to a Friends episode (see #2) and it really does help with understanding things sometimes!

4. My new addiction is HULU.COM. I love watching old shows (*grinswhilethinkingofMAGNUMP.I.* sighs....)

5. One of the best gifts in the world is a hug from my nieces or nephews. They are all so adorable!

6. I had to take my driver's test 4 times. Yes 4. The woman was mean!

7. Cotton candy is the best flavor, sugary treat, yumminess that was ever discovered by my tastebuds.

8. I can still remember the deep scent of red clover all around me at my parents' house as a child and the cool cushion the clover provided on sunny days.

9. I made mudpies as a child and was always upset that we never served them for dessert.

10. The bottoms of my feet are like steel after 28 years of barefoot fun.

Okay My TEN recipients!

Tracy @ Lemons & Lemonade: http://tiny.cc/QHv2V
Shannon @ Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe: http://tiny.cc/5FNVz
Frankie @ Frankie Writes: http://tiny.cc/Oo5X1
Kate @ The NeverEnding Shelf: http://tiny.cc/sSnU3
Steph @ StephTheBookworm http://tiny.cc/lAT3J

Nina @ Watson6inGa http://tiny.cc/TI1Kv

Jeni @ Sweet Home Alabama http://rolltideennisfamily.blogspot.com/

Shannon @ Book Dreaming http://tiny.cc/E3xCL

Lisa & Laura @ Lisa and Laura Write http://tiny.cc/6TYRm

Sara @SeeSaraWrite http://tiny.cc/zQAFm

The third award (I know! 3!! Thank you all! I feel so blessed!)

is the ...

Thank you Shannon of (Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe: http://tiny.cc/5FNVz)
I would like to pass this one on to the following blogs!

The Princess Bookie (http://www.princessbookie.com/) come on, she's Royalty!
Tynga of Tynga's Urban Fantasy Reviews (http://tyngasreviews.blogspot.com/) great site! By the way she is having a Follower contest that is awesome right now!

JuJu of Tales of Whimsy (http://www.talesofwhimsy.com/) Great site for honest reviews!

Mandy of edge of seventeen! (http://eoseventeen.blogspot.com/) Check out her recent review of The Maze Runner!

There are just so many sites that I love to visit!!

Thank you all for your creativity. Each stop is so unique!

Now that it is the final day of NaNo I should be coming back to the land of the living, at least in larger spurts! lol

Thankful...

So here we are on the eve of Turkey Day! (sorry no ToFurkey, Frankie :o( ). I have had the weirdest last week and well, lets just say I have so many things to be thankful for.

This year is different. I am not in the Big C celebrating with my siblings or parents. I am in Ttown at my home with one of my best friends, Tracy, & her family (Mike & Isabel) hosting Thanksgiving. To be honest this was unorthodox at first for my mind to process. I mean, I am the family girl, I NEVER miss a holiday with my parents & siblings. This year though we opted to stay home. Not that there are any issues with the fam, on the contrary, we are in great spirits with our immediate families. We decided that Thanksgiving really is about being thankful. Tracy is family. She always has been. The opportunity to celebrate a holiday with her was something I did not think twice about.

Though my immediate family won't be crowded around my table, I will feel them in every recipe that I complete. My mother's dressing sits waiting in the fridge for tomorrow beneath a beautiful sweet potato casserole. I was up until midnight last night making a Whipping Cream Poundcake that my mother is known for. We plan to watch football, the Macy's parade & veg out. All the traditions I experienced growing up are built into my psyche. They travel through my hands as I add each egg to the cake batter. I feel them as I think about that Southern Cornbread Dressing. Yes my family is two hours away, but again in many ways they are right here.

I am thankful for that.

For Tracy, Mike & Isabel who traveled from St. Louis to Bama away from all their family for a vacation & chose us as their destination.
For my mother & father who taught me that blessings are never the items we receive but the love passed from giver to recipient.
For brothers & sisters that gather around the table to share memories of our youth.
For Marcus & his amazing acceptance of who I am.
For Peanut Butter (my dog) for his unquestioning love for me no matter how grumpy I might be. For my other sister: Stacie. A friend who has been there through so much that I wonder sometimes if we have ever really been apart even though distance reminds me we have.
For gifts intangible: my writing, my art, my perception.
For blogging: I am thankful for all my followers, for all my readers... you all make me want to check my blog constantly! ;o)
For this moment. This time to be on earth and type an entry. No matter how trite - time is precious & moments are fleeting.
For reminding me that family is always with me no matter where I am and that family is more than blood.
For the friends I have made on here & Twitter. Truly amazing people who I now cannot imagine my life without. Thank you.
For a manuscript I am really enjoying!
So now that my list is long and lengthy I leave you with this thought:

As each day rises to be met, may you meet it with an open mind and heart.

As the minutes pass may you remember the feeling, the passion, the love around you.

As the night falls around your shoulders may you recount the days' events with a smile.

As yours eyes close and dreams weave into your mind may you welcome the sweet release of sleep that comes from a day in a life worth lived.

As the night becomes the day may you welcome the new dawn with an optimistic mind, eyes ready to see the good and a heart that welcomes the new as it discovers the best of the past.

The NeverEnding Shelf's Thank You Contest!!

check out an awesome contest over at The Neverending Shelf!

So many things to win!!! Woohoo (if you don't follow her blog - you definitely need to!)

http://www.theneverendingshelf.com/2009/11/thank-you-contest.html

Whew moments...

Whew.

One word.
One expression.
One sound made when spoken.

But a whole mess of meaning can come from that word.

I say it right now for many reasons. The past week has been one of the weirdest. I have a house full of company for the next week (it began Thursday). I also express it for the way my feet feel after cooking most of the day (with a trip to the grocery store as well).

Then it also explains the fact that sitting right now on my couch with my laptop on my knees I feel better. I say it while my chest rises and falls. The air slips between my lips and a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. My fingers are typing on the keyboard and it feels wonderful. I am sitting here with 5 other people in the room, I can hear the Nebraska/Kansas State game on the giant television, chatter is filling the room, a dog is playing with two little girls in my dining room but my mind, my heart is here on the screen.

That 'whew' wipes out everything around me and allows me a bit of needed solitude. Yes, solitude. Whether I am clicking away at a few blogs or looking up a word on dictionary.com or working on my manuscript or reading another writer's wonderful WIP - It always makes me grin how when my fingers are moving across the silver keys my breathing relaxes, my mind opens and I find myself learning so much.

It can't last forever though. Other things must be done, of course, due to the fact that sometimes I have to close the lid, sleep or eat, or shop or whatever, it makes me appreciate my "whew" moments even more.

So in a few clicks I will be uploading this post but you should know that my 'whew' will last a bit longer - I have a book to write so the next hour is all about my fingers as they listen to my characters and lead them to their destiny.

Before I go, I would love to know what is your best 'whew' activity? What is it that you like to do for those few moments of chaotic solitude? Do you read a magazine, text, blog, read a book? What do you do when the day has knocked you out but you still want to DO something? Even when there are people around, what do you do?

Balancing the Internets & Manuscript Progress...

It was brought to my attention by someone wonderful & uber famous *cough*Frankie*cough* that I have been away from the Internets (Il Primo prefers the s) lately. Actually I have beenghosting the internets. You know - where you are hopping on quickly viewing your favorite sites then slipping away barely noticed. Though it would be more effective if I would quit leaving comments on blogs... but then how would I show my love for USC lessons (http://tiny.cc/pWgBJ ) or friends who receive famous shoutouts (http://tiny.cc/n2WIh) or new releases & contests ( http://tiny.cc/HIntN ) or anything else that I love so much!!!!

The reason for my ghosting is actually simple. My day job has been crazy lately & I realized it is almost December! IT IS NOVEMBER 18TH!!!!!! Can you hear me as I shriek those words? My hairbrush is embedded in my hair, my eyes are bloodshot and I am sitting at a computer typing about the date! THE DATE! November is over halfway gone. It is 37 days till Christmas for crying out loud!

It hit me two days ago when someone doing NaNoRevismo posted about how quickly November is slipping by. They were right. I immersed myself into my manuscript and proudly resurfaced this morning with many words in and pleased with the progress. My biggest issue is holding off on major revisions - no, holding off on any revisions - until I am done. It is hard. Little things jump out at me, but I would rather free flow write & then work back through the roughest draft possible.It is better than getting bogged down revising seven chapters. It is dangerous for me to get stuck in revisions. I would have beautiful first chapters then an incomplete or crazy rough remaining chapters or the scariest possibility - lose all interest in the story as a whole.

So my ghostly visits were merely so I could focus on my 'right now work' but it hit me as I read an entry (the one about a certain friend and her famous shout out) that cutting myself off from the internets is more harmful. The release of just enjoying chatter with other writers, discussing 6 foot tall adverb killing armadillos, vegan cookies, and everything else we Tweet/Blog/Text about allows a fresh look when I turn back to my work. My mind is better rested & I seem to find my groove better after taking a break. I just have to remember it is a BREAK, not a reason to let my work slip away from me. So I just have to find the right balance.

I also realized that Il Primo gives me actual nightmares. He appeared in one last night. Talked about how if I don't get my manuscript complete their won't be need to think about any revisions... he scares me, but -

Il Primo will just have to get over it when I minimize my work, grab a snack and let my mouse click away for small increments throughout the day.

I mean unless he has a major issue and comes inside the house therefore wreaking havoc on my computer, husband and dog... he wouldn't would he?

He would.

Let's just keep this between you & me.

If he thinks I am on the internets, I can just tell him that Frankie & Shannon said something about his shell being too small & that he smells....

then he will just terrorize them...

yeah, that'll work... hee hee

The Kingdom's Sunday Scribbles...

Welcome to

The Kingdom's Sunday Scribbles!

I decided that since Sunday is a day I spend a great deal of time dedicated to my manuscript, I would start doing something called The Kingdom's Sunday Scribbles... Every week, I will post a quick blurb about how things are going & maybe some links to a few things I have found interesting. There are so many wonderful things out in the Blogosphere, Twitterverse, Cyberworld that it can be overwhelming! Granted there are a million things I miss just because not enough hours in the day to visit them all or to even learn they exist! So here goes...

1.) Bama won yesterday 31 -3 against Mississippi State ROLL TIDE ROLL!

2.) A wonderful virtual friend of mine, Frankie, whose blog has been quoted/linked by Publisher's Weekly! GO FRANKIE! To read her account and see how amazing she is click here: http://tiny.cc/uB1Gs Oh & be ever so jealous as you read her account of the awesome author event she attended!

3.) Have you met Ninjadillo yet? You haven't? Well be prepared for a possible attack if you are an adverb lover like me! Head over to Shannon's Blog for his video debut! http://tiny.cc/kbDpA

4.) CONTESTS!!! Woohoo at the books to win:
a.)Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stone! This book sounds awesome! Via the Reading Nook! enter to win here: http://tiny.cc/O8NSf
b.) ARC of FALLEN by Lauren Kate via Frankie's blog: http://tiny.cc/nQMIX

c.) Signed copy of Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler over at Laura's Review http://tiny.cc/dLWs8

d.) TONS of SWAG & BOOKS over at Michelle Zink's site: http://tiny.cc/zNIs4

e.) Palace Beautiful by Sarah DeFord Williams : http://tiny.cc/fcw63

5.) ALWAYS check RKCharron's blog - talk about keeping you up to date on book releases, contests, everything!! It is wonderful! Some great articles & tips too! (There is one she posted about Imagery & the Third Eye by Stephen King that is AWESOME) http://rkcharron.blogspot.com/

5.) A great article/reference on the need or not need of Literary Agents on Distraction 99 blog (Nova Ren Suma author of the awesome book Dani Noir) http://tiny.cc/F59mz Also just peruse her blog - she has some great honest entries about being a published author!

6.) A fun & good blog about all things Literary Management! Check out Dystel & Goderich's blog: http://dglm.blogspot.com/

Progress Report: My manuscript is going well, I cringe at when it comes time for revisions, but I am pleased with my direction so far. You should know that these characters are so much fun to hear! Granted many arguments in scenes have occurred, but overall I think they like where they are going.

I also want to thank so many other bloggers/followers out there that post comments on my blog. You all are so wonderful & supportive. I love hearing from all of you & cannot wait to meet everyone new that stops by!

Okay whew! The Kingdom is full of craziness & fun this week. The sites listed are just a hand full of the ones I visit. There are tons more, but these stood out the most as I thought about this week's entry. (By all means run through my blogroll on the left to find even more fun places to visit) So go on, click on some links, enter a few contests, read up on the publishing world, follow some Tweets & stop by the Kingdom anytime!