Happy Boxing Day and Gift Review

Well I had a fantastic Christmas Day. I was thrilled with all my presents. I got everything I asked for and more. I don't ask for a lot, but they came through in spades this year. The Physicist and the Teen gave me a MINT floor cleaner which I have wanted ever since I saw my friend's MINT to it's cleaning tasks. I can't wait to use it today to see how it cleans. Then I got Sirius Radio for my car and I am super happy with that, too. I am getting it installed this week. I also got tons of Bath & Body Works lotions, shower gels, body butters and fragrance spray in my current favorite scent, White Citrus. They gave me cool gloves which allow you to text while wearing them! Santa brought me fun mints, hand cream, thisis and thatises. All fun.

I'm also really thrilled with the surprise the Physicist and the Teen concocted for me. I got a headshot session to set up in 2012. This makes me happy on all kinds of levels. I wanted to set one up for the new year just in case, maybe, one day, in the near future I actually need a decent back cover shot. And that they believe in my dream enough to give this gift means the world and more to me. I'm super super super happy and excited about this gift.

The best gift I received was time spent with my family. We chilled out, we went to see a fantastic movie, we cooked a lovely meal, we watched a fun television show series on DVD. Simple things. Simple pleasure. Simple life. But a life I cherish.

I hope your day was equally as bright and merry!

Counting in Life

We're counting all kinds of things in the Glover Household. 

Tonks is counting sleeps till she has her Cone of Shame removed and her stitches taken out. Total left for Tonks before she is liberated is 5 Sleeps. Darling Teen is counting sleeps till school lets out. Total sleeps till she is liberated is 6 Sleeps. I am counting sleeps till the Physicist returns from Germany. Total sleeps till she's hugging her hubby is 6 sleeps. We're all counting sleeps till Santa shows up. Total sleeps till we unwrap the day is 11. 

I'm counting calories and watching the scale numbers. I've lost 19 pounds and hope to lose 1 more pound before the Physicist returns from Germany. Darling Teen is counting calories as well. She's losing weight, too. 

There are a lot of things to do on my lists before Christmas arrives. Lots of counting and checking off the accomplishments. Personal tasks left to accomplish before Christmas are cleaning house, shopping for the holidays, wrapping presents, sending Christmas cards, making our family calendar, making a photo book for a family member, meeting with friends to exchange gifts and spend time together. On the work front I am counting contest entries, writing blogs, story boarding a current WIP, and making decisions about my future as a writer. 

There's a lot of counting. But the most important thing I've learned is that when I am down and out and feeling overwhelmed because the Physicist has been out of the country for 15 days and counting that I count on my friends to pull me up and out of the doldrums.

Who do you count on? 

Happy Holidays!

Tis' the season to be jolly... we are celebrating our holiday traditions this year as a family. Darling Daughter and Darling Husband have two weeks off. And, with the exception of my daily writing goal of a minimum of 200 words a day, so am I.

I'm looking forward to putting together goodie bags for my neighbors, Christmas dinner with my friends, seeing the Galaxy of Lights at the Botanical Gardens, and just plain hanging out.

With the exception of a few pre-scheduled blogs, Digging Out of Distraction will be on a holiday as well.

I wish you and your families a blessed vacation time. May you head into 2011 renewed, refreshed, and revitalized!

Upended Traditions and Why I love A CHRISTMAS STORY

One of my favorite Christmas movies is A CHRISTMAS STORY. I'm not sure how many of my followers have seen the movie, but it if you haven't seen it, I might spoil it with this blog. It is set in the fifties and is about this boy, Ralphie, who desperately wants a BB Gun for Christmas. Everyone tells him he'll shoot his eye out, even Santa. But he persists in his petitions to receive the BB Gun. Meanwhile, the movie is chock full of adventures, boy adventures, with bullies and snow and double dog dares. The parents are baffled, befuddled, but loving. The Dad (as played by Darren McGavin) is fabulous--especially when he receives his prize from a company: a lamp in the shape of a lady's leg. Very fun. The entire movie just makes you root for Ralphie and it is heartwarming. I think the reason it works is that this is not a picture perfect family with all its ducks in a row. Martha Stewart traditions don't prevail. In the end, even the best traditions get upended by the dogs. Their Christmas dinner is destroyed and stolen. What do they do? They go out for Chinese and they have a good time.



And this is how traditions become different for every family. For we all want to have the comfort of the same and the tried and true traditions as we approach the holiday season. But the truth is, traditions get upended all the time because of health problems, family problems, money problems, and the list goes on. Last year we traveled to Texas just before Christmas because my father-in-law was ill, and we wanted to see him one more time. I remember another year when my daughter was in pre-school and her teacher said her mom was so sick that year that they didn't shop at all for Christmas. They clipped money to the tree, made a big pot of chili and hung out in their PJs. Then they went out the day after Christmas and spent their money at all the sales. A new tradition was born out of a serious necessity. This year I know a friend, my neighbor, who has ill parents on both sides of the family. They've got three young children. They won't be home for Christmas because they're traveling 14 hours to two different sets of parents to support them during this holiday season. Together we brainstormed how to create a solution and a "new" tradition for this year. One that would be fun for the kids and would take the pressure off the parents as they cope with their ailing ones.

See, that is why A Christmas Story works. Because it shows that it is in how we respond to the winds of change that we recreate new bonds and forge new traditions. So this year, as we head into the holiday season, my wish for all of my readers is that they kick back, lift off as many of the "shoulds" from their shoulders, and create new traditions in the face of any setback.

Happy Holidays and for Your Reading Pleasure click the links below to learn about other folks and how they cope with the holidays!

Okay, Listen Here

Petits Fours and Hot Tamales

Facing 50 with Humor

A Christmas Story

Bits and Pieces

Goodness Me It Is Goodie Making Time!

December is here! It's time to make some goodies. And I've got some retro blogs with some of my favorite receipes for the holidays in them. First up? Oreo Truffles thanks to my Heart of Dixie friends at The Writing Playground.

Next? My fabulous friend Lori's mini eggnog loaf cakes. Here is the recipe:

Lori's Eggnog Mini Loaves

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup eggnog

1/2 cup melted butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp rum extract (I couldn't find any so I used imitation and it was fine)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, eggnog, butter and extracts. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened. Pour into three greased 5 3/4 by 3 inch by 2 inch loaf pans (I used eight smaller cute pans with neat Christmas imprints at the bottom--and they turned out great!--planning cupcakes next). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing and putting on wire racks.

Yield's 3 loaves, or 8 mini mini loaves.

I'd love some more fun and easy recipes. What do you make every year that gives your family happy hearts?

Countdown to Christmas

We're counting the days till Christmas morning. We'll be busy running around buying presents, planning events, watching Darling Teenager perform in her voice recital, baking and making our annual Christmas goodies (yes, stay tuned for the recipes!), putting together an Angel Tree package for an adopted senior (last year I had an elderly man who wanted a stuffed animal--loved that!), sending Christmas cards, making calendars and photo albums for our friends & family.........

Christmas is the MOST BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR.

And I love it. I love the candles glowing, the light of the tree illuminating our family room, the good food, the friends and the celebrations. I love learning about the other cultures and their traditions during this time.

What is your favorite holiday memory? What special cultural things do you do that make your holiday special?

Christmas Fun While I'm in Texas

I'm pretty busy dealing with family stuff, but even though I am in Texas, I want to say "hi" to all my friends in blog land.

First up, a funny beer band:

Bowen Beer Band does a Christmas Carol

I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas

And a good one, Carol of the Bells, Mannheim Steamroller.

Enjoy!

One More Sleep!

I have to admit I am a sucker for Christmas morning. And this year is no exception. We are incredibly blessed during a very difficult time in our world. We have our health, a beautiful new home, and a healthy child. My husband and I still enjoy rattling around the cage together after 23 years of marriage. Life is good.

I am also following my heart and pursuing my dreams because I have the support of my family.

And I've learned that I have the ability to write in any circumstance. If I have an hour a day or so, give or take, I can keep plowing forward. That is a good thing to know should I return to the workforce after my daughter goes to college.

I've given myself time to pursue the goal and a deadline for publishing. If I am not published by the time I am 50, I will reevaluate and look to getting a part time job as well as continue my writing. I thought at first I would give it up completely, but I have no desire to do that and now I know I can do both--heck I am raising my child and writing. Why can't I work and write for nothing till I am published.

The greatest gift is knowing you have found your passion and are pursuing it without regard for the reward or the end of the game.

One more sleep till Christmas, but in this house, I feel I have already been given the greatest of all gifts... home, health, happiness!

Deadlines in a Surreal World

I want to do Book in a Week. But it starts January 5th and I am not sure I can give this 3rd book what it needs if I rush through it. I counted the pages left and I need to revise/work on 10 pages a day over 10 days if I want to finish it before the 5th. I don't see that happening. Not realistically in my world of being mom, wife, maid, and friend over the next 12 days. Christmas is off, the first is off, and surprises happen. Meanwhile, I am hosting 3 more events at my place. When am I supposed to focus on 10 pages a day?

I am seeing where I am at by this Friday. Then I will make a decision.

If someone were paying me, I would have no choice. But how do I justify time away from my other "jobs" if I am not getting paid for this one?

Christmas Week

I managed to get through a weekend where I had to organize and hold a work party for my DH and held a sleepover for the little miss. We also delivered goodie bags to 8 neighbors. Writing accomplished-zero. Monday morning, 3 sleeps till Christmas and I hope to accomplish some writing this week until the 25th. We'll see if I succeed. At this point, merely writing a half an hour a day might be more manageable, with less guilt, and it's equivalent to 100 words a day. Anything more is a crapshoot.

Goals for the week:

*write Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
*write a minimum of half an hour a day or more on each of those days
*continue reading about writing
*ponder the BIAW course and decide if I want to take it by Friday morning

Ten Days till Christmas--Countdown!

The closer the big day is to arriving, the less writing I manage to accomplish. I went shopping Friday, Saturday was a big recital day, and Sunday I prepared goodies for giveaways all afternoon. I haven't written one word for my MS since Thursday.

But I am not upset at myself this year, because I have done more in the month of December than I ever did before and I am making progress. I tell myself I will write, but if I get distracted, I tell myself that other "working" people are taking two weeks off of work starting Saturday. So I can, too. If I want. I am not under an editor's knife, having to get anything done. Any work I do is because I am under my own knife.

And my "knife" is a little dull right now. I usually take most of December off so I can enjoy the holidays. This year I haven't taken as much time off, but I've still had fun. Now, I have ten days to finish shopping, wrapping and making goodies. And it suddenly feels like writing is not as important as Christmas preparations.

However, I am still setting the following goal for my last week of writing without family around.

*write 1 hr a day till Friday

After that, it's a crap shoot. I may manage to get 1 hr in per day the 22, and 23 of December, but I doubt much will happen until after Christmas. Everyone deserves a holiday. Even unpaid writers!

I will be back in the saddle in the New Year. And I have a lot of goals for the new year. I also feel proud of all I have accomplished this year despite moving to a new state and starting my daughter in a new school system. I managed to finish a book, place third in a contest, and send off my MS to the Golden Heart. Not too shabby given all the changes. I have to ask myself, how much more will I accomplish in 2009 without the major distractions!?

And now, back to reality. I still have a household to run and a book to finish revising.

A New Month & New Goals

Well I made it through Thanksgiving, but not its distractions. With company and cooking galore, I didn't manage to get any writing done--not even the 100 words a day. However, I did "touch" my MS once a day and look at where I needed to go so that counts a little, right? I also managed to send in another contest entry on Saturday. After much battling with line counts and margins, losing, not caring and emailing the mess in just the same. What is the deal with the line counts? Margin? Who comes up with these numbers???

Now it is December 1, and I am facing a month of holiday planning, decorating, cooking, and many distractions. Already the husband has said I MUST get the Christmas cards out this week or no one will find us (we recently moved after 9 years in the same spot). And I am digging out of company messes. Bathrooms, laundry and general cleaning must occur. And what does that mean for my writing day? Well, I am definitely sticking to the "100 words" a day through the holidays until my daughter is home for Christmas break. But for me, that means writing a minimum of half an hour a day or more because I am in revision mode. Instead of writing, I am cutting and moving and rewriting, so my word count is very weird. I already cut quite a few words from my MS (and I HATE cutting words so I paste them into another document because I think I might use them somewhere else).

So, now it is back to reality, and housework, and the sincere desire to spend at least 1 hour writing today.