Celebrate The Small Things

It's time to celebrate the small things!!!

What exactly are we celebrating?

Anything. . .everything! Every week, things happen which put a smile on our faces. Although some are hard to forget, others are more passing moments. But it's these small things in life which can make all the difference.

Thanks to Lexa Cain and her co-host, L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge, we can sit back for a second and remember these happy moments.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .

1) Getting tons of things done! Not only is it high-gear for farm season, but I'm trying to get the house repaired and ready for future sale. Yep, you heard it right! Farm life is great but not when my husband is having fun on the highways and my oldest helpers (aka kids) are moving out and away on their own in the next couple of months. Let's just say mega-muscles for fence post pounding, tree cutting, bull chasing and such are simply missing. So it's time for a new adventure in life. After I get the house ready. So, this is what we did the last days on the farm and in the house:

- hay cut and baled!
- 2 brush-hogged!
- 4 bar stools re-upholstered
- kitchen cabinets sanded, repainted and replaced
- 2 windows fixed
- fence line rebuilt (thanks to huge downed tree)

After this weekend, it will be time for round two! *manly grrrr*

2) Ice cream! We discovered a cute, newly opened ice cream parlor in a nearby small town. The owners put a ton of love into it, and the prices are even affordable. Oh, and the ice cream tastes great!

3) Everything is moving along on the publishing end. Blurb done, tagline done, cover done, basic edits done. Sound like I can lean back and relax? No way! I have a feeling the fun is just beginning.

4) A new push lawn mower! Or new for me. I buy used (penny-pinching person that I am). I do most of the mowing with a riding lawn mower, but there are these spots I just can't really hit. Now, those areas will be snazzy and clean!

5) Cooler temperatures! The last couple of days have nestled in at the low 80's / upper 70's...such a huge change from the constant 90's we've had since the beginning of May. Considering replacing the central air conditioner is still on my 'must be done' house repair list, the lovely breezes are a welcome change.


And what about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Hit the pool? Hear a catchy tune? Run across a favorite type of candy at the store?

What are you celebrating???

IWSG - Words and Wine

It's the first Wednesday of the month and time for another meeting of IWSG (The Insecure Writer's Support Group). This is the brainchild of the awesome Alex J. Cavanaugh and, in his words, has the following purpose:

"To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!"

To find out more or join in, head on over here!

I, along with  Beverly Stowe McClure,Tyrean Martinson, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, are co-hosting this month. 

This month's question is (and answering is not obligatory). . .

What's harder for you to come up with, book titles or character names?

Every time I expected a child...

Huh, worded like that, it sounds like I had tons of kids! 

Restart!

A few months before each one of our four children were born, my husband and I headed out to a Gaststätte, that's the German term for a quaint, more rustic type of restaurant, ordered something delicious (obviously), and drank a wine while jotting down all sorts of girls and boys names which we might want to bind to our future child for the rest of its life. In Germany, there are actually laws surrounding the names parents are allowed to give their children, so that does narrow down the list a bit. 

We weren't allowed to name our kids lovely things like Sunshine, Blue, Precious or anything else not fitting to a usual and acceptable name (either in English or German). 

I found it unfair, not that I'm the kind of person who would really name their kid Rainbow or anything. Still. . .

Luckily, character names don't fall under such regulations. Even in Germany.

In any case, after two wines, we always had narrowed down the list to two names—one for a boy, one for a girl (we always loved surprises).

And that was it. 

When naming my characters, I'd need at least a dozen glasses of wine. Some names fall from the sky right away. Others. . .  not so much. Let's just say that those name search sites and I have become very good friends. And yes, I would name a character Ice or Sunflower or Boat...hmmm...I better jot those down for future books.

Now, let's look at titles. These are an entirely different story. They drop into my lap like they were always intended to appear there. Often times, I even know the title before I have a real plot. 

And how many glasses of wine does it take to work out a plot. . .

Let's just say I've been blessed with a husband who enjoys making wine. Lots of it.

What about you? Are you a character name guru? Or are you a title genius?

Or do both leave you scratching your head???

I've been informed that not all comments are being posted or showing up below. If this is happening to you and you'd really like to say something, I can only suggested using a different browser (and hope it works). I've been fighting this problem for several months now, thought it was solved, but obviously, it's back to the drawing board!

Celebrate the Small Things!

Oh my! Talk about weeks flying by. This last one left me dizzy. . .or maybe it's the allergies.

Anyway, it's time to celebrate the small things!

So, what are we celebrating?

Anything. . .everything! Every week, things happen which put a smile on our faces. Although some are hard to forget, others are more passing moments. But it's these small things in life which can make all the difference.

Thanks to Lexa Cain and her co-host, L.G. Keltner from Writing Off the Edge, we can sit back for a second and remember these happy moments.

This week, I'm celebrating. . .

1) My aunt! One of my aunts passed away last week after suffering from an ever weakening heart and health. She was a wonderful woman, always pulling everyone together, and instantly there for anyone who needed her. Whenever I think of her, I can only smile. . .that's how wonderfully warm she was. She will be missed, and it was a joy to have known her.

2) A quick vacation! This last week was like a whirlwind. My oldest and I attended the funeral from Saturday to Sunday late afternoon (very quick car trip), and on Monday afternoon, my youngest two and I took off for a 3-day, spontaneous vacation. We discovered some very fun, interesting and amazing state parks around Farmington, MO.

Elephant Rock - This looks like some giant decided to drop boulders like marbles onto a gigantic, stone table top. It was simply amazing and odd at the same time. My little climber loved it. 

These two came from Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. This was simply awesome. See those rocks? Well, there are tons of them in a river bed. The water flows between them in small areas of calm, sometimes rapids, mini-waterfalls and extremely deep ponds. It's like a natural waterpark and has been rated as a 'must-visit-as-soon-as-possible-again' by my kids. And me. This is definitely the place to go for fans of rock climbing, water, adventure and with a bit of dare-devil throw in.

3) Bigger chicken coop (and a very, hard-working son)! While repairing some rotting places on our coop, I mentioned to my oldest son (in passing) that I have always hoped to make the run (that's the fenced in area outside of the solid coop) bigger. The next morning, after heading to town, I returned to find him digging in new support poles and hammering away. Last night, we purchased the extra needed chicken-wire to finish it off, but it will be done by the end of today. Even if my chickens won't thank my son (oh, and they better not thank me with more eggs! I'm swimming in those as it is), I can't thank him enough.


What about you? What put a smile on your face this last week? Dive into a delicious slice of cheese cake? See a beautiful bird? Discover a pen in the back corner of your desk drawer?

What are you celebrating?