an idea board, inspired by the same friend who just got engaged. i took the cue from some boards she made for herself… butter & lemon yellows, light-as-air, whimsical, cheery, bright, and of course a touch of fun.

i’m not sure why, but yesterday i had a sudden desire to get my holiday shopping started and wrapped up asap. this has been a tough year, economically wise, so i think it is appropriate to scale back a little on presents. but the thing is, i love giving out presents. truly, madly, deeply love it. i enjoy spending hours thinking of just the right gift for each individual on my list. i like it to be personal and special, i want the person who receives it to actually use it and appreciate if not downright love it.

this year i’m thinking of doing things a little differently. but what it is, remains to be seen. now here is a little  something to get you inspired for the upcoming holidays, one of my favorite times of the year and when the clock seems to move with a fleeting foot.

 

i hope you all had a happy halloween! sorry i was away, i had a special visitor and decided to take a long weekend. any notable mischief i missed?

our party theme this year was mad men. everyone got gussied up mad men style and everyone looked smashing (even the two who came as swine flu and beat up rugby player).

we served cheese balls and utz potato chips, not to mention a plethora of vodka cocktails. how very mad men of us.

we even managed to do the twist, faithful drinks still in hand.

and now that november has started, my nanowrimo has also begun. it’s been my best start yet word count wise, however, i find i’m already skipping down writer’s block. let’s hope i find my way out soon.

november also signals the start of the holidays for me. i have a lot to look forward to and be thankful for. posting may be light this month with novel writing, but as i continue to be inspired, everyday will continue to be spelled out. one word at a time. cheers, my friends!

this morning i felt inspired to put together a collection of all things related to love, relationships, and beauty as inspired by the recent engagement of a dear, dear friend. etsy is a vast trove, but  i have my special list of favorite sellers. so it was to them i turned to in order to find these treasures of love.

1. raining hearts print by jennipenni 2. trees band set by ashton 3. ceri necklace by neawear 4. arzberg lined vase by coucoumadame 5. heart print by littlehendesigns 6. golden wings headband by schlomitofir 7. fuschia print by sweeteventide 8. thinking of you card by upup 9. secret garden terrarium by doodlebirdie

you know that song, here comes the sun… la la la la? well, in my head right now is… here comes the rain, la la la la.

after 2 years of going back and forth i finally got my first pair of hunter rain boots. all i have to say is: what took me so long?

rain is here to stay now that we’ve moved properly into the autumn and winter months in seattle. it’s dark by 6pm and everyone’s social life has dwindled. my sister clamors for “cozy food” – soups, stews, hot buttered bread, and baked pasta dishes. the puppies enjoy nothing more than to be buried beneath thick blankets, curled up like little cinnamon rolls.

last year in an effort not to spend the money on rain boots, i thought i made do with a pair of low heeled leather jcrew boots i had purchased on sale awhile back and lived in the recesses of my closet (impulse buy). but those boots failed miserably when it came to protecting my feet from getting wet. as a result, i didnt even bother to wear socks whenever demian and i went for an in-the-rain jaunt. my feet always got soaked, i could feel the water seeping in and it was gross. plus i had to meticulously clean them carefully after each outing whereas i can just hose off my hunters.

this year i look forward to the swamp that dahl field will become when the rains arrive. demian, like a true scottish dog from the highlands, loves to romp in the rain. whiskey on the other hand is much more lady-like and dislikes getting wet, but she loves the park, so she’s going. if only they made little doggy rain boots as well. my feet with stay comfortable, dry, and with the fleece hunter socks i’m also ordering,  i’ll also be warm. rain boots and rain coat together, this gear has me looking forward to any and all in-the-rain jaunts from now on.

i’m sure other rain boots out there would work just fine. but after my 2 year long search… if you want quality, comfort, style, and a proper boot shaft (my requirements, respectively)… i am convinced nothing will beat the hunters. for how much use i will get out of them living in seattle, they will be well worth it. so let the rain and wet come!

*this post was driven purely by excitement, i was not contacted by secret hunter marketing agents alas

it gets better. make way for the laughter and the smiles. just a smidge of guilt as an aftertaste. we all know that life goes on and on and on again.

foot smacks on the pavement. counting the steps taken to get to the goal- a wilting island in the middle of a concrete road. then back, back home to collapse, to rest, maybe to even cry a little. to run with death on my mind and matthew in my heart. each breath, each stride in an attempt to rid myself of darkness and brooding. the cool autumn evening wanes rather than stretches. eyes closed and full speed ahead, scattering memories in my wake.

it gets better. you will see.

this post was written yesterday, but i didn’t have the heart to publish it. today it’s resigned acceptance. i know all the questions and thoughts in my head are silly and useless. but i thought them nevertheless. and so here we are.

writing is therapy.  and so i’ve approached writing during various times in my life when i felt in need.

today, right now, is such a time. after lunch, i return from a jaunt to my favorite bookstore to an email. you’ve been sent a private message via facebook. while simultaneously being on the phone with my sister about the pear tart she’s picked up for our mother’s birthday today, it takes me two reads before i can register… matthew committed suicide on monday. matthew committed suicide on monday.

matthew committed suicide on monday?

matthew committed suicide on monday.

i went back and read the last chat we had – in august, he was looking for a job and wanted to know if my firm was hiring. i went to facebook to see the last message status update before it happened – he was starting a temp job and excited to be working again. i  also saw some messages expressing sorrow and grief and love from his friends and his boyfriend – those broke my heart.

what the hell? why? what was he thinking? how did we all not know? could anything have prevented it? it is what it is and there’s no turning back… but i just feel at a loss. how typical a feeling of friends and family members who are coming to terms with a suicide, right? being smacked upside your head with the shock and wondering why and what could we have done and how?  i cannot imagine him getting to the dark and awful place that made him do what he did. i wish i had seen him more recently – gone on another one of our “power lunch dates,” was it my turn to buy or yours? i don’t even remember now. i wish we had spoken more the last time we talked – about things other than jobs. i wish i had commented on his message status last week – good luck, matthew. but it’s all too late now. and for that i feel sorry.

i hate this feeling of regret. i mourn the loss of my friend. our friendship began in vienna, the city of dreams and brought us back to seattle,  the city that houses so many who love you.

matthew, i will miss hearing your laugh. you will forever remain the king of saying the most brilliantly random things that made me laugh.

for all you writers out there or those who have dreams about becoming a writer (that’ll be me), this is for you.

NANOWRIMO. lookee there to your right, on my sidebar you’ll see an orange-ish badge that i’ve put up under p is for participation points. lo, i will give you massive amounts of participation points not to mention gold stars galore, praise, encouragement, support, what have you if you decide to take on this challenge.

so what is this challenge?

great question. the challenge is to take the month of november and construct yourself a novel. a piece of fiction. in 50,000 words at least, but do feel free to go over. in fact, i always have. if you’re wondering where your calculator is, stop. it’s about 1,666.67 words a day if you write everyday of those 30 days in november.

this sounds impossible! i am a busy person.

it isn’t though and aren’t we all? what’s stopping you is the mentality that this is an impossible challenge. it cannot be because so many people have won the challenge, including myself. twice. this will be my third year participating and i am excited! there will be tough days, no doubt about it, but once you cross that 50,000 words mark… that feeling is out of this world. you become rather proud of yourself and you forget all those bad days. hello? you just wrote a novel! you’ve always wanted to, what was stopping you before? now you can pound one out every year if you wish.

my writing sucks.

quantity, not quality is one of the rules of this challenge. the important thing is to write. just write. turn off that inner editor, ignore all the plot impossibilities, and anything that doesn’t make any sense. no one has to read what you write. this is a challenge for you and you alone. you’ll be amazed with what your creative mind has the capability to come up with! (and your writing does not suck).

okay, i am intrigued. i do have this idea for a story…

excellent, you’re on your merry way! and for those of you who don’t, no worries. my first year i went in with an idea, it didn’t pan out, i had to start anew and lost 3 days in the process. i almost called it quits, almost. and i am so glad i didn’t. and last year? i went in with a name for my main character and nothing else. i write by the seat of my pants and that’s what works for me. do whatever works for you. weekends and that nice long thanksgiving weekend for those of you who live in the states can be godsend days for when you really need to increase your word count. just don’t panic. and use your writing buddies for support! need a writing buddy? here i am! *waves* you can look me up by my username, indypin or just email me!

if you still have any reservations, think about it this way: what do you have to lose? sign up, encourage your kids, your friends, your family, any writer you know to sign up. you won’t regret it!

click to sign up!

from kate inglis whose new book, the dread crew: pirates of the backwoods, is due out very soon and woman behind one of the best written blogs i’ve ever read. please feel free to complete this meme as well, if you link your response or simply post it as a comment on the book’s blog, you’ll be entered to win a free signed copy of the book!

1)  You are facing an epic journey. You may choose one companion, one tool and one vehicle from any book or film to accompany you. Or just one of the three. It’s up to you. What do you choose?

My companion of choice would have to be Milo from the Phantom Tollbooth. I admire his cleverness and problem-solving abilities. I envision we would make grand friends as well. You always need a friend when on an epic journey! With us, we would bring the BFG’s magical dream trumpet and Falkor the Luck Dragon as a soft ride from The Neverending Story.

2)  You can escape to the insides of any book. Where do you go, and why?

The world of Little Women, where Marmee is present and will always make things well again.

3)  You can bring one literary character into your current life. Who do you choose, and why?

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! I have always wanted to meet with her for tea and conversation.

4)  __Otherland__ is my go-to book. I could read that book fifty-seven times in a row without a break for food or a pee and not be remotely bored. In fact I’ve already done that but it wasn’t fifty-seven times. It was sixty-four.

5)  Of all the literary or film characters that made an impression on you as a kid, who was the most enviable?

Anne of Green Gables. I wanted to be her, all the time, especially with the red hair. I also envied her beautiful PEI.

6)  Of all the literary or film characters that made an impression on you as a kid, who was the most frightening?

Nicodemus from Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, not because he was evil, but I just found him so intimidating.

7)  Every time I read __Anna Karenina__, I see something in it that I haven’t seen before.

8)  It is imperative that __The Chronicles of Prydain__be made into a movie. Now. I am already picketing Hollywood for this, but if they cast __Brad Pitt__as __Gwydion__, I will not be happy. I will, however, be appeased if they cast __Viggo Mortensen___.

9)  __The Giving Tree__ is a book that should never be made into a film.

10)  After all these years, the __IT__ scenes in the book __A Wrinkle in Time__ still manages to give me the queebs.

11)  After all these years, the __battle between the army of Mordor and Riders of Rohan at Helmsdeep__ scene in the movie __The Two Towers__ still manages to give me a thrill.

12)  If I could corner the author __Beverly Cleary__, here’s what I’d say to them one minute or less about their book, __The Ramona series__:  how in the world did you capture the rambunctious, delightful, hilarious Ramona character so well?

13)  The coolest non-fiction book I’ve ever read is __In Cold Blood__. Every time I flip through it, it makes me want to __shudder__.

Hickory, dickory, dock,

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

And down he run,

Hickory, dickory, dock.

i’ve been on the search for the perfect wall clock for awhile now. and while i haven’t made any decisions yet… i wanted to share a few finds from etsy that have charmed my pants off along the way…

this whimsical clock is from etsy seller andfurthermore. it’s definitely in contention for how pretty it is and the very affordable price tag of $28.50

it’s wall art really. something you could use to tell a story with. i like decor like this.

this next etsy seller, decoylab, makes clocks for the child and grownup in us.

it cannot get any cuter than this. gah!

i love the antique looking hands on this one. it’s a feminine clock, but not overly girly. always a bonus for me.

telling time in a pretty way and more art for the walls. i love it!