I was inspired by my recent accomplishment. I'm still running on a bit of a high. I should be vacuuming the apartment. These four pictures have one thing in common, guess what it is in the comments. You can click on the pictures to see the products, or click on the shop names to see the shops. I'll post the answer tomorrow. Happy playing!
If you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
30.11.09
29.11.09
I finished!
I got to 50,000 words tonight on my very first novel. I think ever since I was about eight years old I've wanted to write a book, and this is the first time I've been so close. Now I get to spend the next few weeks looking back through it and deleting, adding, and editing. Don't know where I'll go from there. I will definitely give it some time off so I can have a fresh mind next time I look at it, but we'll just have to wait and see what my next steps are. I want to scream from some place very high (quote of Luigi from the Cars movie).
27.11.09
Come Autumn by Nannette Monson Kern
I have a special surprise this Friday. An interview with the author of Come Autumn, Nanette Monson Kern. I was the editor for this book. You can purchase it at amazon.com, borders.com, or pdbookstore.com. Onto the interview...
Day 88 - a good book and a cup of tea
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born in Southern California, and lived there until I was seventeen. I then attended Brigham Young University as a music major, completing two and half years before the sound of wedding bells lured me away. Ten children later, when I was fifty years old, I tremulously enrolled at the University of Utah, where I?much to my amazement?became the guru to my younger cohorts. I there completed a BS degree in psychology, and happily graduated summa cum laude.
What was your inspiration for this book?
For years I riffled through the convolutions of my mind, searching for an idea that might awaken my literary muse. Nothing! Then, in the preface to a book that I just happened to pick up, the author stated that her ideas came from asking herself, “What if?”
I began thinking about a cousin of mine, who was an amazing musician, and who I thought was the smartest person in the world. I remembered, when I was very small, climbing up on the piano bench next to him and listening in awe as he improvised on the keyboard. So, I thought to myself, “‘What if’ this cousin and I had fallen in love? What might have happened?” Thus was born “Come Autumn,“ the saga of Margie and Richard, devoted cousins who couldn’t resist falling in love, but were destined for lives of heartache as their paths necessarily diverged.
What's your favorite part?
Wow! That’s a tough one! I think, possibly, the night of the New Year’s Eve Dance. That conjures up all kinds of happy memories of my teenage years. Also, Margie, at that point, is finally old enough to comprehend the depth of Richard’s feelings for her.
Anything else you would like to add?
It seems that everyone wants to know how much of “Come Autumn” is autobiographical. Actually, the only thing that isn’t is the love story, itself. The family dynamic is very similar to that of my childhood. I simply took all of the events from my cousin’s life and created a story around them. Margie’s dad really is my dad, and the miraculous incidents I relate about him are genuine.
So there you have it. Let me know if you liked it. And check out the book; I loved editing it.
Day 88 - a good book and a cup of tea
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I was born in Southern California, and lived there until I was seventeen. I then attended Brigham Young University as a music major, completing two and half years before the sound of wedding bells lured me away. Ten children later, when I was fifty years old, I tremulously enrolled at the University of Utah, where I?much to my amazement?became the guru to my younger cohorts. I there completed a BS degree in psychology, and happily graduated summa cum laude.
What was your inspiration for this book?
For years I riffled through the convolutions of my mind, searching for an idea that might awaken my literary muse. Nothing! Then, in the preface to a book that I just happened to pick up, the author stated that her ideas came from asking herself, “What if?”
I began thinking about a cousin of mine, who was an amazing musician, and who I thought was the smartest person in the world. I remembered, when I was very small, climbing up on the piano bench next to him and listening in awe as he improvised on the keyboard. So, I thought to myself, “‘What if’ this cousin and I had fallen in love? What might have happened?” Thus was born “Come Autumn,“ the saga of Margie and Richard, devoted cousins who couldn’t resist falling in love, but were destined for lives of heartache as their paths necessarily diverged.
What's your favorite part?
Wow! That’s a tough one! I think, possibly, the night of the New Year’s Eve Dance. That conjures up all kinds of happy memories of my teenage years. Also, Margie, at that point, is finally old enough to comprehend the depth of Richard’s feelings for her.
Anything else you would like to add?
It seems that everyone wants to know how much of “Come Autumn” is autobiographical. Actually, the only thing that isn’t is the love story, itself. The family dynamic is very similar to that of my childhood. I simply took all of the events from my cousin’s life and created a story around them. Margie’s dad really is my dad, and the miraculous incidents I relate about him are genuine.
So there you have it. Let me know if you liked it. And check out the book; I loved editing it.
25.11.09
Lay it out there...
Here comes one of my very rare 'lay it all out there' blog posts. I don't like airing out the dirty laundry, and I suppose this isn't really any big secret or anything, but I usually also don't blog or talk about my feelings a lot.
But I have to say...
I'm exhausted.
- I have Deutschkurs (German course) every day from 8-12. Which is getting increasingly more overwhelming. I'm trying to switch schools for one that is a little bit closer. That's taking a lot of time that I don't have.
- I've been trying to finish this NaNoWriMo novel, and it's getting really hard. If I don't finish it, by the 30th, I will be so mad at myself. It may get to the point where I won't want to touch this book again because I'll blame the book. And I'll be in a slight depression for the next three months. I have to write just over 15,000 words by Monday, ugh.
- Albert is sick, so now I have to worry about him and worry about catching his cold. I really need to go to the store, especially so I can get some soup for dinner tonight.
- The laundry is really lacking. I have piles of clean clothes and piles of dirty clothes all over our bedroom. Those of you who have seen my apartment before know I usually do that anyways, but since we've been in Germany I have kept up on putting the clothes away, until now. It's frustrating to look at it.
- I'm really trying to keep up on making new things for the shop and researching the Deutsche Post system. I finally figured out how many stamps it takes to send to the U.S., but I still don't know how to buy those stamps and put the letters in a postbox instead of taking my letters to the post. And I have a new calendar that I will be listing today.
- The Porsche is registered, but its oil is really bad so we have to change it this weekend. Plus it needs gas now, and that's dang expensive here.
There's more to the list, but it makes me tired to think about it all. So I'll leave you with this little glimpse into my days right now.
On a happy note, I found the brand new Harry Potter DVD for only 9 Euros (that's like 13 Dollars)!!! Yay for movies.
But I have to say...
I'm exhausted.
- I have Deutschkurs (German course) every day from 8-12. Which is getting increasingly more overwhelming. I'm trying to switch schools for one that is a little bit closer. That's taking a lot of time that I don't have.
- I've been trying to finish this NaNoWriMo novel, and it's getting really hard. If I don't finish it, by the 30th, I will be so mad at myself. It may get to the point where I won't want to touch this book again because I'll blame the book. And I'll be in a slight depression for the next three months. I have to write just over 15,000 words by Monday, ugh.
- Albert is sick, so now I have to worry about him and worry about catching his cold. I really need to go to the store, especially so I can get some soup for dinner tonight.
- The laundry is really lacking. I have piles of clean clothes and piles of dirty clothes all over our bedroom. Those of you who have seen my apartment before know I usually do that anyways, but since we've been in Germany I have kept up on putting the clothes away, until now. It's frustrating to look at it.
- I'm really trying to keep up on making new things for the shop and researching the Deutsche Post system. I finally figured out how many stamps it takes to send to the U.S., but I still don't know how to buy those stamps and put the letters in a postbox instead of taking my letters to the post. And I have a new calendar that I will be listing today.
- The Porsche is registered, but its oil is really bad so we have to change it this weekend. Plus it needs gas now, and that's dang expensive here.
There's more to the list, but it makes me tired to think about it all. So I'll leave you with this little glimpse into my days right now.
On a happy note, I found the brand new Harry Potter DVD for only 9 Euros (that's like 13 Dollars)!!! Yay for movies.
24.11.09
The Answer
I'm posting a little late. I had a fun day going out to lunch and strolling through Stuttgart. The answer is
moon
and my inspiration was seeing the move 'New Moon' this past Sunday. They had a premier at the English movie theater in Vaihingen. We watched Twilight and then New Moon. Very fun.
I have a surprise coming later on this week. I can't wait to show it to you.
moon
and my inspiration was seeing the move 'New Moon' this past Sunday. They had a premier at the English movie theater in Vaihingen. We watched Twilight and then New Moon. Very fun.
I have a surprise coming later on this week. I can't wait to show it to you.
23.11.09
Word of the Week
Some of you may be able to guess my inspiration for this word. These four pictures have one thing in common, guess what it is in the comments. You can click on the pictures for the product, or click on the shop names to visit the shops.
If you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
If you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
21.11.09
What to do with these?
Day 87 - Rote Johannisbeeren
I was going through the market one day and saw these next to a box of raspberries. Something I hadn't seen before, so I bought them. They are called Rote Johannisbeeren...do you know what they are? They have an addictive sour taste.
I looked it up, they are red currants. But now I don't know what to do with them. Do you bake a pie? What would you do with currants? Leave me some ideas please, because I'm at a loss, and I have a lot of them sitting in the fridge.
I was going through the market one day and saw these next to a box of raspberries. Something I hadn't seen before, so I bought them. They are called Rote Johannisbeeren...do you know what they are? They have an addictive sour taste.
I looked it up, they are red currants. But now I don't know what to do with them. Do you bake a pie? What would you do with currants? Leave me some ideas please, because I'm at a loss, and I have a lot of them sitting in the fridge.
19.11.09
The Landscape
A few photos from our drive to Kassel and other places. The gray sky can actually be beautiful sometimes.
Day 84 - The Lone Windmill
Day 85 - Tiny towns with tiny steeples
Day 86 - These windmills are huge, and they come up all of a sudden, like giants stalking the autobahn. It's beautiful, and it's intimidating.
Day 84 - The Lone Windmill
Day 85 - Tiny towns with tiny steeples
Day 86 - These windmills are huge, and they come up all of a sudden, like giants stalking the autobahn. It's beautiful, and it's intimidating.
18.11.09
Two VERY different Germans
Albert had a dream of owning a European Porsche, since we were moving here. Porsche is from Stuttgart, where we live, and they are beautiful. He thoroughly researched which Porsche to get and decided on a 924. When we got here he found a few of them, and one specifically that looked in good condition and was a good price.
He called the dealer, who refused to even try to speak English, and found out that he would be at the lot on Saturday until two. Kassel is four hours away, so we headed out early. It's an awful drive, not flat or straight in any way. It's pretty, but it takes forever. We got to the lot at one, but no one was there. A few Germans stopped by the lot to look at other cars and were confused why there was no one there. We called the dealer multiple times and finally got a hold of him. Again, he refused to even try to talk to us. With very primitive German we tried to tell him that we had cash and were at the Porsche, but he basically sat silent. Luckily, the Porsche itself was not in the best shape, so I'm glad we didn't buy it. But we did spend all day Saturday driving, it was not fun at all.
In contrast, we found another Porsche that looked beautiful and was a reasonable price. It was a private owner, not a dealer. Albert called him, again no English, but he was very willing to try. We set up a meeting to see the Porsche the next day. So, Albert took off the afternoon and we drove three hours to Koln. When we got there, the owner said his friend who spoke English was coming to talk to us. He invited us into his home to wait, and offered us a seat and even coffee if we wanted it. When his friend got there we hopped in our car and went to the garage the car was stored at. This car was beyond gorgeous. They showed us everything, told us what had been updated, and let us drive it. If the other Porsche was a two on a scale of one-ten, this one was a twelve. Original red paint, original rims, updated everything that needs to be, a stereo, leather seats, and a beautiful engine. Albert pulled out his wallet and asked where to sign.
To add to the fact that they were so nice, we weren't sure how we would be able to drive it home. If the polizei stopped us without plates, it might be bad. But they were prepared and had purchased earlier that day a twenty-four hour registry tag that we could drive home with. And gave us the current plates to use. They went through all the paperwork with us, and explained it in full. We could not have found better people.
I kept waiting for the catch. There wasn't one. And now, for the pictures. Here is our beautiful new (1987) 924S Porsche. Do you like it?
He called the dealer, who refused to even try to speak English, and found out that he would be at the lot on Saturday until two. Kassel is four hours away, so we headed out early. It's an awful drive, not flat or straight in any way. It's pretty, but it takes forever. We got to the lot at one, but no one was there. A few Germans stopped by the lot to look at other cars and were confused why there was no one there. We called the dealer multiple times and finally got a hold of him. Again, he refused to even try to talk to us. With very primitive German we tried to tell him that we had cash and were at the Porsche, but he basically sat silent. Luckily, the Porsche itself was not in the best shape, so I'm glad we didn't buy it. But we did spend all day Saturday driving, it was not fun at all.
In contrast, we found another Porsche that looked beautiful and was a reasonable price. It was a private owner, not a dealer. Albert called him, again no English, but he was very willing to try. We set up a meeting to see the Porsche the next day. So, Albert took off the afternoon and we drove three hours to Koln. When we got there, the owner said his friend who spoke English was coming to talk to us. He invited us into his home to wait, and offered us a seat and even coffee if we wanted it. When his friend got there we hopped in our car and went to the garage the car was stored at. This car was beyond gorgeous. They showed us everything, told us what had been updated, and let us drive it. If the other Porsche was a two on a scale of one-ten, this one was a twelve. Original red paint, original rims, updated everything that needs to be, a stereo, leather seats, and a beautiful engine. Albert pulled out his wallet and asked where to sign.
To add to the fact that they were so nice, we weren't sure how we would be able to drive it home. If the polizei stopped us without plates, it might be bad. But they were prepared and had purchased earlier that day a twenty-four hour registry tag that we could drive home with. And gave us the current plates to use. They went through all the paperwork with us, and explained it in full. We could not have found better people.
I kept waiting for the catch. There wasn't one. And now, for the pictures. Here is our beautiful new (1987) 924S Porsche. Do you like it?
17.11.09
The answer
Coffee, coffee, coffee
In Germany they have Fruhstucken (breakfast), Mittagsessen (lunch), Abendessen (dinner), and Kaffeetrinken. Kaffeetrinken is at 3 in the afternoon. It's like the British tea time. And it's a tradition in Germany to stop and have a kaffee break with kuchen (cake).
I will soon post about our latest adventure in Germany. I have to get some pictures first. Tune in for that later this week.
In Germany they have Fruhstucken (breakfast), Mittagsessen (lunch), Abendessen (dinner), and Kaffeetrinken. Kaffeetrinken is at 3 in the afternoon. It's like the British tea time. And it's a tradition in Germany to stop and have a kaffee break with kuchen (cake).
I will soon post about our latest adventure in Germany. I have to get some pictures first. Tune in for that later this week.
16.11.09
Word of the Week
I'm extra excited about Word of the Week this week. Because I thought of the word last night, and then I found out a little tid-bit about Germany that applies to it! I will tell you that tomorrow along with the answer. But for now, these four pictures have one thing in common. Guess what that is in the comments. You can click on the pictures to go to the stores, or click on the shop names to go to the shops. Spass haben (have fun)!
VersatilElements.etsy.com
VersatilElements.etsy.comIf you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
12.11.09
11.11.09
Re-Opening Sale!
Today turned into a little bit of a hectic mess. I went to register for German classes, expecting to start on November 30th. But the teacher asked me what I knew and asked if I wanted to start tomorrow since I'm at the level of the current class. I've only missed the first chapter, and I already know everything in it. So, I spent the afternoon hunting for the book. I didn't find it at the first two stores, ugh. So Albert and I went to Konigstrasse to the big buchhaus and found it. Now I have to spend tonight going through the first chapter.
I have decided to re-open my shop. Since I don't quite have the shipping figured out over here, I will just be offering downloads for now. But I've got some fun stuff just waiting to pop out of your printer. Here's a little peek...
Check out my store this Saturday for the Re-Opening Sale, where I will be offering 10% off and a coupon for 20% off on your next purchase!
Ironically, after being bored for my first few weeks here, I have again loaded my schedule beyond anything relaxing. I will have German classes from 8 in the morning to noon everyday. I'm still working on my novel for NaNoWriMo. I'm still working for a publisher. And I'm planning on opening shop this weekend. How do I manage to do that? The dinners might lack a little something these coming weeks, and Albert will just have to forgive me.
I have decided to re-open my shop. Since I don't quite have the shipping figured out over here, I will just be offering downloads for now. But I've got some fun stuff just waiting to pop out of your printer. Here's a little peek...
Check out my store this Saturday for the Re-Opening Sale, where I will be offering 10% off and a coupon for 20% off on your next purchase!
Ironically, after being bored for my first few weeks here, I have again loaded my schedule beyond anything relaxing. I will have German classes from 8 in the morning to noon everyday. I'm still working on my novel for NaNoWriMo. I'm still working for a publisher. And I'm planning on opening shop this weekend. How do I manage to do that? The dinners might lack a little something these coming weeks, and Albert will just have to forgive me.
10.11.09
The Answer
Well guys, good job!
money
was the answer, although currency fits well.
And I was going to have this long blog post about the fact that it is not any fun to get money moved from a U.S. bank to a European bank...but then more problems arose with the money! So I need to call my husband and get this figured out. One little glitch, he's in a building on the base that blocks cell phone calls. Hopefully I can grab him while he's at lunch. Paypal, atm's, and wire transfers are all failing us at the moment. It's great. So here I go, off to fix the money issues. Einen schonen tag!
money
was the answer, although currency fits well.
And I was going to have this long blog post about the fact that it is not any fun to get money moved from a U.S. bank to a European bank...but then more problems arose with the money! So I need to call my husband and get this figured out. One little glitch, he's in a building on the base that blocks cell phone calls. Hopefully I can grab him while he's at lunch. Paypal, atm's, and wire transfers are all failing us at the moment. It's great. So here I go, off to fix the money issues. Einen schonen tag!
9.11.09
Word of the Week
Happy Monday everyone. I am completely excited about my finds this week. Not what I had imagined when I first came up with the word. So, take a look at the four pictures below, they have one thing in common. Guess what that is in the comments. I will post the answer tomorrow. You can click on the pictures to go to the products, or on the shop names to go to the shops. Have fun.
jellabee.etsy.com
jellabee.etsy.comIf you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
7.11.09
NaNoWriMo
November is National Novel Writing Month and I'm participating in the fun. Basically, it's a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. After the first week, I'm at 11,767 words. I think it's the most I've ever written. And, amazingly, I like every word so far.
If you want to stay updated on my status just click on the picture to the right ---->
If you are a NaNoWriMo participant, friend me! I'd love to check out other novels and watch as you reach your goals.
Wish me luck. I have the whole month open to devote to this, and I'm using it well. Hopefully by this time next year I can tell you when my book will be on the shelves.
5.11.09
And then came Moriah
And here is the fourth baby, sweet Moriah. Born with the craziest set of hair and the longest legs I've seen. The music is by Jim Brickman.
4.11.09
The Gurley Family
Jud and Bri Gurley and their adorable little ones. This was just before the fourth was born. And my first attempt at portraits of active kids. Geez were they hard to keep up with. They were so great considering it was really cold outside and we kept telling them to take their coats off. One tip, once you get them in position take a million shots because they love to make faces.
3.11.09
The Answer
Well, I stumped all of you. But I absolutely love your answers! I've been waiting for another week where I confuse everyone. It's much more simple than you all thought.
word
I love each of your answers, and each of them fits. Until next week...
word
I love each of your answers, and each of them fits. Until next week...
2.11.09
Word of the Week
Welcome to Word of the Week! These four photos have one word in common, guess in the comments. You can click on the pictures to go to the products, or click on the shop names to go directly to the shops. Have fun! I'll post the answer tomorrow.
ClayLifeStudios.etsy.com
ClayLifeStudios.etsy.com
If you have an etsy shop and would like to turn this into a give-away for one of your items, let me know! I will feature you in Word of the Week and display an ad for you on the side of my blog for two weeks.
1.11.09
München
Day 83 - München es schon! (Munich is beautiful!)
It's kinda fun to say, "Oh yea, we just took an afternoon and drove down to Munich." We went to the Deutsches Museum, a very hands-on science museum. There is a lot there, we'll have to go again. And then we walked around in Munich and found the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz. We didn't see it chime however since it was 18:00 and it dances at 11:00.
Which brings in the other part of this post...24 hour time, celsius, metric measurements, and Euros! We are definitely getting better at figuring things out. But we went out on a limb and bought a bottle at the market last night that luckily was mustard like we thought. Don't know what I would have done if it wasn't. We also had to convert kmh to mph on the autobahn last night to figure out if we had passed my husband's 'legal' speed record. I probably shouldn't own to that online. We hit 200 kmh which should be 125 mph, but our GPS said it was only 114 mph. That takes the cake!
We are both attempting to not convert any of the numbers. Growing up with Fahrenheit and 12 hour time has made for some interesting conversations, but we don't want to spend our time converting we just want to know it the way they do it. So here's to a few mistakes of looking at the thermometer and dressing too warmly.
It's kinda fun to say, "Oh yea, we just took an afternoon and drove down to Munich." We went to the Deutsches Museum, a very hands-on science museum. There is a lot there, we'll have to go again. And then we walked around in Munich and found the Glockenspiel at Marienplatz. We didn't see it chime however since it was 18:00 and it dances at 11:00.
Which brings in the other part of this post...24 hour time, celsius, metric measurements, and Euros! We are definitely getting better at figuring things out. But we went out on a limb and bought a bottle at the market last night that luckily was mustard like we thought. Don't know what I would have done if it wasn't. We also had to convert kmh to mph on the autobahn last night to figure out if we had passed my husband's 'legal' speed record. I probably shouldn't own to that online. We hit 200 kmh which should be 125 mph, but our GPS said it was only 114 mph. That takes the cake!
We are both attempting to not convert any of the numbers. Growing up with Fahrenheit and 12 hour time has made for some interesting conversations, but we don't want to spend our time converting we just want to know it the way they do it. So here's to a few mistakes of looking at the thermometer and dressing too warmly.
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