Monday, June 18, 2007

Health insurance and other things

With Chris being on second shift (the seed cleaner is now running pretty much 6 and 7am to midnight or 1am), we are now looking for health insurance again. I'm not sure if we are going to be able to find anything reasonable for me because of my weight.

In the meantime, we are going to get Freesia insured as soon as possible. I'm hoping that if she doesn't qualify for medicaid then she will qualify for peachcare.

As for myself and Chris, I'm perfectly fine putting the money we would have spent on a premium in the bank. At least then we actually can put our hands on it instead of hoping the charges will be covered.

Well, I thought I would be talking about other things, but I need to go.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Whew, I didn't think it could get worse

But have you ever been woken out of a sound sleep by a screaming baby at six in the morning. A screaming toddler, rather, who won't quiet down and won't shut up for everything. I finally gave her some children's tylenol after seeing her chewing on her fist and she laid herself down on the couch and quieted down.

Talk about being shocked out of sleep. Freesia hasn't done something like that in so long, I thought I was having a weird dream at first.

This mommy gig is starting to get rough.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Watching the news this morning

For once, I managed to catch the news this morning, and what I found out disgusted me. They are making a reality/game show called The Donor Show. Basically, they are making entertainment out of who gets donor organs. Very Bachmanesque for those of use who remember the novella Running Man.

It just floored me. What's next? Blood sport after 10 pm on the networks? I haven't been able to blog in awhile, but when I saw this, I knew I had to make time. There are things you just have to say no against.

Anyway, that's all for now. If anyone is wondering why I'm suddenly so busy--we are trying to potty train Freesia. It's not going well, and I try to watch her constantly.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Wow, it's been awhile!

And I've not got the time to really blog like I want to. Freesia is teething and potty training. She also has begun to get up incredibly early. With the days heating up, we take our walk in the mornings now. All of this combines to make a running turtle, let me tell you.

More later.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Novella news

So, with Aimee's help and some drastic cutting, my word count is about the same at the end of the first edit. And I did cut almost 51oo words. So you can see how much got put back in. Basically, I just condensed some of the subplots into the main plot.

Now with the first edit done, several strangers (mainly through critters.org) are critiquing my novel. So now, its a waiting game. Once the critiques come in, and I make sure they get their credits, I'm going to take a break before reading and using them. I have plans to ask Aimee to reread it after the second edit, which will be based on those critiques. I'm planning on some more streamlining if possible.

I've been keeping everything I've taken out in case it needs to go back in, but mostly as ideas for other stories. I took out complete subplots in some cases, and I didn't want to get rid of them all together.

Well, that's about it on the novel. I'm thinking about starting on another story, probably this afternoon.

Well, that's all in writing news.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

So phone calls have been made ...

... and the spawn's b-day celeb is underway. We will be cooking out and having cake and ice cream in about three weeks. Freesia doesn't seem to understand what's going on, but that's all right.

In the meantime, we need to put together a Easter/Eostara basket. We are certainly late for Eostara (Spring Equinox) but it seems strange to be celebrating it when everyone else around us will be celebrating Easter just a couple of weeks later. Especially, since the two holidays are so similar. Indeed, Easter's observance is determined by when Eostara is; it is the only Christain observance determined by the lunar and solar calendar.

However, we will be observing Beltane this year. Probably with a fire and another barbecue, except with just the farm residencts. How could we live on a farm and not observe the major fertility ritual of our religion?

Anyway, enough religious stuff. I'm waiting on a friend of mine to get back to me about her copy edit/critique of my novel. I have someone lined up from critters.org to take a look at it. But I'm hoping for at least one more person to look at it. If I don't get anymore volunteers from critters.org, I'll be posting on www.nanopubye.org to find someone who might be interested in critiquing my novella in exchange for me critiquing their novel/la.

In other news, if carefully watched, Freesia no longer eats crayons. Yeah me, cause that means I can color with her :D.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Stuff and the things are piling up

So I've been editing my novella as often as possible, but I may have to ask Chris to make some sort of allowance for me so I can finish before April. I've got a call for dedicated readers going out for critters.org and I'm hoping to get a few more people to read it all the way through.

My friend, SheWhoReads, has read half of it and is going to read the rest, and she has really helped. There's only so much editing you can do with the door closed. Aside from that, I'm also taking out several side plots that don't have anything to do with the main plot.

It's all starting to come together. Now I just need to inflict it on a couple of complete strangers.

In other news, I just finished King's Dark Tower series. May I just say:

All Hail the King

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Whale porn?

Wow, I haven't posted in awhile. I've been so busy trying to keep up with Freesia and housework that I haven't actually spent as much time online as I usually do. Nor have I spent as much time knitting as I've meant to.

Mostly I've been reading--I finally found the local library. Very nice little place, about the size of our trailer with all the walls knocked out. But the librarians are helpful enough when it comes to finding or getting books in.

As for the whale porn reference, we've been watching a documentary on the life of mammals. Very nice one. It shows these blue whales in a breeding frenzy. In the first part of the ritual, the female plays a little hard to get, and the whales around her reach out with their tentacle like penises and poke her in the vagina as she tries to get away while swimming on the surface. Then after she's had enough of this she dives and lets them gangbang her.

When I say tentacle like penis, I do mean that. They thrust out and sort of wave around out of the water until they find the vaginal opening. Their ejaculate is measured in quarts. And as I'm sitting there watching this with my husband, I can't help but say in a questioning voice, "Whale porn?"

This of course is quite funny to the tribble that is my hubby. There are few other instances where they show animals mating, and at each one, it was "blank porn?"

Let's just say it was funny, and I don't think you really had to be there to get it. So there.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Weather and small children

It's been raining here about once a week, but for some reason, yesterday was the worse. I think it was because Chris hasn't been feeling well. Thankfully, Freesia hasn't caught what ever it was, and as always I only got the stomach portion of the show.

Freesia is going a little house crazy. I'll be glad to get to the library today so she can at least get out a bit. Also, I need to get out myself. There is just something about the farm that grates after awhile.

I'm thinking of putting up some flyers in Butler about maybe getting together a play group for Freesia. Also, I would love to get a knitting group started. I'm going to ask around at the library today to find out if they have any info on it.

Hopefully, this will be something that will get both Freesia and I out of the house.

P.S., there are new pictures up in our public gallery--check out the latest album for the ravioli smeared umpalumpa baby.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

100th post!

Well, I'm back, again. Still behind on editing my novel, but my shawl is coming along, and I've finished my dad's socks and a pair of mittens for Freesia. Pictures of the last two items along with new pictures of Freesia will be going up at the photo album soon.

We've also gotten the webcam and the microphone up and working. And I'm seriously thinking about podcasting and what a pain it would be on a dial up. Maybe once we get our credit cards paid we'll pick up a cable modem or something.

On the other hand, I've been thinking about this being my 100th post and thought that I might try one of those "100 things about me" memes.

100 things about me:


  1. I am a mother.
  2. I am a knitter.
  3. I root for the underdog, especially against defined authority figures. Everytime, whether I'm right or not.
  4. I am nonpartisan as far as my voting is concerned.
  5. I believe in the death penalty and abortion. According to my religion, both are the same.
  6. I am anxious to get pregnant again, especially since I'm over thirty.
  7. I feel selfish when I buy for myself, so I have to have an allowance so I can buy stuff for my hobbies.
  8. I don't wear make up.
  9. I don't wear clothing unless I have to. I like to call myself an indoor nudist. When I was thinner, I would go topless at festivals.
  10. I like breastfeeding my daughter. It isn't any sort of sexual thrill, it's the closeness. I feel like she's listening as I talk to her, which is a switch from how I feel when she's into everything in the house.
  11. I am a fundamentally lazy person about everything but knitting.
  12. I strive to be a Knitter, but I still haven't finished an actual fitted garment other than socks or mittens.
  13. I hate commericals.
  14. I love Stephen King novels.
  15. I dislike movie and television spoofs.
  16. I hate any movie that Adam Sandler has ever been in. I think he should have stuck to songwriting.
  17. I dislike the "movie actor" Martin Lawrence. He was much funnier when he had his own TV show and was doing stand up.
  18. My taste in movies is almost diametrically opposed to my father's. This is the reason I spend almost some of every visit hiding in their kitchen.
  19. I think Russel Crowe looks like my husband, and that is the explanation I gave Chris as to why I have a crush on him. (Russell Crowe and Chris actually do look a lot a like, at least until Chris started on his thirties paunch.)
  20. I like my husband's love handles.
  21. I like being fat myself. I don't have to wear fashionable clothes, only comfortable ones.
  22. I don't diet, but I do eat sensibly.
  23. I try not to put on more weight instead of concentrating on losing it.
  24. As much as I love my mother, I also acknowledge that putting me on a 1000 calorie diet when I was twelve, then again at thirteen, again at fourteen, then again when I was sixteen, may have stunted my height and messed up my metabolism.
  25. I will never starve my daughter.
  26. I will never let my daughter starve herself.
  27. I rarely knit for myself.
  28. I love to spin, but haven't had the time since we moved because of the baby and we are still unpacking.
  29. I hate the war in Iraq, but not the soldiers there.
  30. I dislike people on general principal. This doesn't include people I consider to be family.

I've been holding this post for two days trying to think up more things to put here, but can't. I just don't have 100 things of interest about me, I think.

So it goes up, unfinished. Gee, a lot like life, huh!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Delurks and stuff

So someone told me this was National De-Lurking Week. If you would like to comment and let me know you read this, please feel free.

I know I haven't written here lately. Chris is gone more often then not nowadays. I'm so far behind on housework because of Freesia and her tandrums that I've been concentrating just on the kitchen. I think she's having problems because every time the living room is cleaned it changes.

However, I have gotten my dad's socks done, just a couple of weeks late. I'll be getting in touch with him later today about whether he wants them mailed or just given next time we see him. I'm currently working on my shawl. I'll be posting a link to the pattern once it's done.

In other news, Aimee (aka SheWhoReads) has sent me an invitation to a game called LOST. Basically, you are given points for how many people you can convince to join, and if you are one of the top ten scorers you can win a prize. The basic premise as stated by the website is:

"LOST is a student project. The aim of LOST is to show how 7 million people
connect to one another, and break the record for the game with the most players
ever! LOST enables you to interact with people across the world, and see how you
are linked to them."
If you would like to help along my point total, just click here. After completing a profile, your position is marked on a map, and I can see where all my readers are :D.

Aside from playing around with this sort of thing, I haven't gotten much editing done on my NaNovel this month. I still have time, but I'm pushing it.