Moving

In case you didn't catch this on facebook...

I have moved. You can now find my blog at www.quartermisses.com.

Please come join me there!

(PLEASE?!)

The Day in Which Everything Went Wrong

Yesterday... not so much with the good.

It started out with me having to drive 20 miles to drop E off with a friend while I went to have my right boob sonogrammed. That's right. My boob is trying to kill me. A couple months ago, a week or two before we went to my parents', it started feeling like milk was letting down... but I quit nursing almost 10 months ago. So, I did what any normal human being would, and went to the doctor. He felt around, said he didn't feel anything, but I should see someone in the women's clinic just in case. The doctor in the women's clinic did the same and said, "I don't see anything, but you should get it sonogrammed just in case." So, I haven't worried about it. Then, about halfway through the sonogram, I got the train stopping question: "is there a history of breast cancer in your family?"

Which was followed by "we can't really see a whole lot, other than your milk ducts are dilated, so we want you to get a breast MRI. Because that's the best way to see cancer,"

I calmly got dressed, walked out to my car, and then cried hysterically for about 30 minutes... I then may or may not have crashed my husband's work... thing... so I could cry all over him.

I'm really trying not to worry. The discomfort seems to only show up during "that time of month" (obviously, that has never been a problem before), and it comes and goes on both sides. Doesn't sound like cancer to anyone else, right? (right?!)

I then got home and found a rejection letter from the agent I felt was probably the best fit for me.

Thanks for rubbing the salt in that wound, agent who will remain unnamed.

Oh, but it gets better. (Albeit anti-climactic.... sorry).

I then put E down for her nap, S gets home, and I go to do something on my laptop (probably write about the above) and it goes dark.... And then, when rebooting was attempted, the blue screen of death. Lots and lots of blue screen of death.

I am not impressed.

I am also writing now from a new [cheap] laptop from Costco. As much as I like new stuff, getting a new computer is nothing but a pain in the ass. If it were up to me, they would all be awesome for 10 or more years, because having to move and reload all your shit is just... head/desk.

Ok. I am done whining.

Making Beanies, Making Stories, Listening to... Christmas Music?

I've been making a lot of hats. To sell. Remember?

I've been averaging about 2 a day. I would like to be able to do a little bit more, but I have to do other things like entertain my child and fix meals and clean. It's a travesty, I know. Fortunately, E thinks that cleaning is just about the most fun a kid can have, so at least the latter (lattest?) is entertaining. She gets a big kick out of stealing her baby wipes with which to clean various surfaces . Apparently, it takes half a pack to clean her Little Tykes car (sigh). And tonight I had a much-needed coffee group outing with the other ladies from S's battalion. I always look forward to those, and this one was especially fun because A) I didn't have to host it, B) the colonel's wife hosted and she always has the most fun foods--I swear, that woman is a pinterester's dream. She also had the entire house smelling like apple cider and it was decorated like a Martha Stewart orgasm. Loved it. C) We had some new faces--it's usually the same 6-8 of us that show up to those things, but this time we had like 13 ladies in attendance (and one 7-year-old and one 6-month old). And D) because it helps me feel like a real live human being.

So, yeah... Another reason why I am not cranking them out. Here are the two I did yesterday, though:

Ooh, looks like I missed a stitch--need to go back and fix that (oops). I really like how this one looks, but boy did it take a long time to make!

This one was commissioned by a friend for her nephew.

Please excuse the fact that I look the pictures with my cell phone and on the sink in the master bath. I was crocheting in bed and then felt the need to take pictures immediately upon finishing. Voila. Now you know what kind of crappy counters we have.

I'll post the ones I worked on today when I get around to it--I did some newsboy caps which are particularly adorable, especially on cute little toddler heads. Let me know if you would like to commission one--remember, anything I make from them is going directly into our adoption fund.

And, before going to sleep, I have gotten back into the habit of writing before sleeping. Which is weird, because my writing hour used to be first thing in the morning. Now, that seems like some sort of personal brand of torture. No more for this night owl. I'm only doing about 1000 words a night, which isn't bad, but isn't great. But, because I am working on something that takes place in the dead of... snow... there is lots of Christmas music. I know, I know, it isn't even October yet, Halloween hasn't taken place much less Thanksgiving, but I roll on the Costco timeline. Which roughly translates to: the Christmas season begins at the end of July.  Thank you, Costco, for keeping the spirit ever alive. (And I say this with not a hint of sarcasm).

Anyway, when I originally came up with this story, it was sometime in the November/December plane of existence, because the radio stations were playing Christmas music (which I am a total sucker for). I had gone with S to work for something or other, and while he ran inside (this had to be winter of 2007 for anyone who's counting), I listened to the music and came up with a story to go along with it. I kept meaning to write it down, but never really did. And now that I am ready for it, I need the music to get me in the mood. And it's working like a charm, I might add. Go Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Air Force Band. You guys rock.

Crafting and Stuff...

I'm not much of a crafter... And by that I mean, I don't feel the need to craft on a regular basis. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to make something for E or myself, but that's really pretty rare and happens in spurts (usually in the fall... don't ask me why). But, since the hope to adopt is alive and well, I've started crafting in hopes of making a little extra money to go towards that. In the last three days, when I haven't been making macaroni and cheese or running errands of the grocery shopping variety, I have been crocheting.

Now, I'm not entirely sure how to go about selling these things. It's quite obvious that the Etsy market is pretty flooded with this kind of thing. And I really have no desire to pay an overhead fee on top of a paypal fee.... So, if you have any good selling suggestions please let me know. I am by no means ready to let loose and get selling today, but I thought I would share what I have so far, anyway.

Pixie hat with snowflake

Same hat, different view

I'm not sure that I like this clip...

0-3 month hat with snowflake (is that a loose string?)

Toddler hat with snowflake (E thinks it should be hers. She keeps hiding it in the pantry)

0-3 snowflake hat

Snowflake bow

 

As you can tell.... I have a snowflake theme.

(Also, totally need to do some shaping on the hats before taking real live buy-me pictures... especially of the snowflakes!)

Recollecting a Goiter

Me (while looking at www.weather.com): Ugh, it's going to be warm tomorrow.

S:Whosawhatsits?

Me: It's going to be warm. 73.

S: (Makes a weird what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you face)

Me: What? I like fall. I like the sixties.

S: It is good sweatshirt weather...

Me: See? I can be a bum all of the time and no one can blame me.

Except, perhaps, for Overly Sensitive Military Wives (OSMW). They hate sweatshirts and jeans. But, you know what, they can kiss my Ga Tech sweatshirt wearing behind.

Anyway... Know what else fall means? Warm clothes for the kiddo! Except, erm... I put her in her jeans (which fit perfectly right now... well, with the elastic inside band pulled as tight as possible) and one of my favorite long-sleeved shirts... And her belly button was hanging out.

Tragedy, guys. A massive tragedy.

It's such a cute shirt, too. It's from Gap, long sleeved, with a pink sparkly poodle on the front and a little tulle tutu edge at the hem. Adorable. And now, relegated to the pack-me-away pile. After doing some quick reconnaissance of the 3T clothes--

(Me: How do you spell reconnaissance? S: r-e-c... (etc). You know, you could use reconnoiter. That's a weird one. Me: What does that mean? Is it a goiter that you recall in your mind? S:I'm going to just... watch... football...now...)

--And 3T clothes? Not so many. We have one pair of jeans, but the jeans are still a little long (her torso always grows faster than her legs) a couple dresses and about 4 shirts. No sweaters. Since S had staff duty last night (aka 24 hours of mandatory babysitting) and came home to sleep this morning, I took the munchkin out to the mall to see if we could find her some clothes for the increasingly chilly weather (the highs have been in the mid sixties... W00t). We hit the jackpot at Baby Gap, and came home with this treasure trove of goodies:

 

(Pretend you see another long-sleeved shirt like the cat one, only with a dog on it... No picture on gap.com *sad face*)

 

 

I'm not entirely sure how we ended up leaving with only black and white clothing, but at least I won't have to worry about matching... I  got a great deal, though. Everything was on clearance and was eligible for an additional 25% off, and then I get a 10% off military discount (Tacoma Mall Gap FTW! The one at my parents' mall won't give a military discount on top of a discount... suckage). The most expensive thing I bought her was the dress, and it came out to $11.47. Everything else was around $5 a piece. I couldn't have spent that on used clothes at a consignment sale, ya'll.

 

And yet, I feel guilty. I love shopping for my kiddo, and obviously she needed the clothes, but it would have been so much better for our adoption fund if she just held off on the growth spurt a little bit. Seriously, child isn't even 2 yet, and she still measures in the 97th percentile (in height) for 2-year-olds (she's in the 50th for weight).  I'm glad I was able to get a good deal, and I seriously wish I didn't feel like I had to watch my pennies...

 

I didn't buy anything for myself, though. So, I guess this means I have to wear jeans and sweatshirts all fall... Darn...

 



Apparently, I have a long Novel...

It seems that I have a very long novel. I'm not entirely sure why it's considered long, since I have always operated under the assumption that 100,000 words was about average. So why, pray tell, is 115,000 outside the realm of publishability?

I don't get it, ya'll.

So, I have been reading back through the book and making a few slight changes. I've gotten all the way through, made a few alterations, and tried to keep my word count par with the original count given to agents/publishers. And then, just for good measure, I looked into submitting with another press or two, only to find out, their absolute maxes are 100,000 words.

I really don't think I can cut The Blood Child down by 15,000 words. And I certainly don't want to without some in-depth conversation about why it would be a smart marketing decision to do so. In reality, I am struggling to not add 15,000 words. There is so much more I could write--a few more battle scenes, for example--but I'm holding back, since that appears to be undesirable for the gods of the publishing world.

Sigh. Why must this be so difficult? I mean, Twilight got published. Why shouldn't The Blood Child?

So, I guess I'll give it a go again late this week. Seek out some new names to bother with my incessant querying. Really. This would be a lot less annoying for everyone if they would just decide they want to take it and give me a hefty advance

So, while I do that, it's forward with The Storyteller. I'm trying to jump in, but it's always those first few chapters that give me the most trouble. I can see what is happening clear as day, but that makes it so much more difficult to write--I can't just let it fall out of me, I actually have to get deep and thoughtful like a real human being... If only the pictures in my mind could write it for me, right?

Elevenses and High Tea

Last night, shortly before launching the snowflake puzzle pieces, I went to a talk hosted by Kennesaw State University's Fitness for Living program. Dr. Dan Bernadot of Georgia State University (and a whole host of other organizations, to include several US Olympic teams) was the guest speaker and discussed daily energy balance and its role in obesity and weight management (and building lean muscle mass).

It was very informative, and I definitely encourage you to look him and his research up. He was the first person to explain that "eat six small meals a day" idea people are always throwing out with some real scientific evidence... And since I'm usually all about the science, I have been converted. Essentially, what I took away from his talk is that, throughout the day, your body should never have more than 400 calories of excess energy and should never dip below -400 calories. Too much: it's stored as fat. Too little: your body stores what you have given it as fat. Tough balance to keep... Well, good news is: there's an app for that. (No, really. There is.)

I am definitely one of those individuals who falls into that 2-3 meals a day category. I try not to snack because I don't want to end up eating too much, and I do like my biggest meal of the day to be at dinner. Dr. Bernadot argues that the body will automatically regulate itself to only eat the same calories it needs to function. Sounds like a plan.

The hard part is going to be eating smaller meals and adding in some snacks. I have decided the best way to do this is:

Elevenses and High Tea.

That's right. Who doesn't need an excuse to eat a scone and some tea in the morning? And then some cucumber sandwiches and a teacake in the afternoon?

Um... No one. That's who.

So, once I make it home it's tome for some changes. What I have been doing was working for awhile(despite the hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's), but now that it isn't, let's try something new!

(Ok... Fine. I'll probably have some fruit and some homemade bread, not a bunch of cakes and cookies... but one can dream, right?)

Also... don't forget about snowflakes and puzzle pieces!