This will be a short one - more fact than funny - but I felt the need to write:
Some of the seeds I sowed back at the beginning of January (when I was feeling upbeat and motivated) are starting to come to fruition.
1. Joy FM has posted the logo contest entries on PHOTO Scramble. Some of them are simply fantastic! As much as I'd love to claim the $500 prize, I hope that the best logo wins. So many contests that are determined by votes come down to who has the most (or most dedicated) friends. Not gonna lie ... I didn't vote for mine. Today, my favorite is the yellow and purple one with the sun.
2. My first copy of Clubhouse Jr. came in the mail today. I plan to read the articles so I can tailor my submissions to their style and content guidelines. I also borrowed some Christian biographies - and autobiographies - from my mom so I'll have someone to write about. Thanks again, Mom! BTW - Nate needs a haircut. Can we come over?
3. I filled out forms today (uggghh!) so Thriving Family can pay me for my next four book reviews. Not gonna say how much here, but I was very pleased. Let's just say it will pay for our next water bill - which was twice as much as usual, thanks to our ever-running toilet.
4. I finally got to read Zombie in Love to grades 3 through 5 in honor of Valentine's Day. Love it!
5. I put an ad on Kijiji for the Newfie pups. Unless we are really lucky (ie. Sam's little swimmers miraculously didn't get anywhere), they'll be born in mid-April. At least I know how I'll be spending my birthday! We've had a lot of positive responses and hope to find great homes for the pups - and have enough money left over to spay/neuter our two fluffy friends.
Sigh...
6. I cleaned my house last weekend, so this weekend will be mostly laundry, art, and writing! And sorting the huge mountain of clothes in my bedroom. It is the age-old question of the Western woman: How can I have so many clothes and still have nothing to wear?
I have also been making recipe-card sized pen sketches while Nathan watches TV in the evenings. Some of them are turning out alright, so if you'd like one, send me an email at natelisa.robinson@gmail.com with the pic you want me to try drawing. I'll send you a digital copy - and the hard copy if you live in the area.
7. And ... drum roll please ... I got an email from a published author. A best-selling published author. You may remember that 6 weeks ago, I contacted Neil Pasricha, the author of the best-selling book 1000 Awesome Things, with a short composition titled "The Double Snow Day." He said my submission was great, and he had fixed the submission form on his website. Would I submit again? Needless to say, this made me very happy. If he likes it enough, my story could get published on his blog or in his next book.
This weekend, I hope to work on a few more sketches and write the movie review of Ip Man, which I will then submit to Plugged In. I am working off-and-on on my picture book - more thinking than writing at the moment. I should also buy Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, which is due on February 28th. At the very least, I should make sure Chapters carries it.
If not, there's nothing like reading a many-hundreds-page-long book on your smartphone screen!
Although I did read Little Men and all 154(?) of Willie Shakespeare's sonnets that way.
Hey, they were free.
Have a good weekend, everybody!
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Friday, 15 February 2013
Sunday, 3 February 2013
Day 31: Bad Days
I knew yesterday would be a bad day when I stretched and accidentally knocked a picture off my wall and onto my head. It fell off my head and onto my coffee cup, spilling coffee all over my pink carpet.
As if I needed more brown stains.
But I was wrong about yesterday being a bad day. Yesterday was okay. I attended Uprising (a women's conference at Crosspoint Church). I attended a beautiful, sad-but-happy funeral for a friend's mom. And I meant to go to bed early, but instead I took a nap and stayed up late drawing pictures of people's faces off old Just for Laughs videos on YouTube and listening to Jeremy Wade catch electric eels in an almost-dried-up-pool in the middle of a cow pasture.
I will never step in a puddle again.
No. Yesterday was not a bad day. But today? Today was everything yesterday promised to be, and more. And it's not even noon yet.
Less than an hour after getting up, I had searched the internet to find out if going into heat can make a dog not only lose her mind but also control over her bowels. The answer is: occasionally, yes (although switching dog foods suddenly because the pet store was out of our regular feed may also have something to do with it).
Don't ask.
Let's just say we're almost out of Nature's Miracle.
I had also sobbed alternately into the (clean) laundry bin and Nathan's arms about bills and losing everything except pounds on the scale and never having a clean house or folded clothes.
And I missed church. Hello guilt, come on in. Make yourself at home.
I am feeling better now, after some coffee and plain eggs scrambled with water - we're out of milk and I couldn't find the pepper. I did add some low-fat cheddar and crushed red pepper spice.
There's also no longer a pool of water on the floor beside the refrigerator. No, the refrigerator hasn't stopped leaking. Dave (the cat) just licks it up as fast as it comes out.
I guess he prefers it to the drooly dog water.
Today is February 3, almost one month after I began this journey. I've posted twelve times (including this post) and my blog has almost seven hundred views, one follower, and fifteen comments (including mine). Thank you, readers, for your encouragement.
I've spent time almost every day honing my writing skills and beginning to practice art again. It's been a long, slow process, and I know it will get even longer and slower in the months to come.
But I won't give up. Not today, anyway.
Wherever you are in the world ... have a good day today. Unless a picture falls on your head. Then you might as well resign yourself to the inevitable.
LOL Update: While my portraits are beginning to bear some resemblance to the human species in general, there is still no actual correlation between the picture and the person they are supposed to represent. Witness this quick portrait of Nathan - it looks like a mix of Justin Bieber, Moses (from the Prince of Egypt movie), and a woman with a beard. I think Nathan put it best. "It looks like everything I don't want to be..."
As if I needed more brown stains.
But I was wrong about yesterday being a bad day. Yesterday was okay. I attended Uprising (a women's conference at Crosspoint Church). I attended a beautiful, sad-but-happy funeral for a friend's mom. And I meant to go to bed early, but instead I took a nap and stayed up late drawing pictures of people's faces off old Just for Laughs videos on YouTube and listening to Jeremy Wade catch electric eels in an almost-dried-up-pool in the middle of a cow pasture.
I will never step in a puddle again.
No. Yesterday was not a bad day. But today? Today was everything yesterday promised to be, and more. And it's not even noon yet.
Less than an hour after getting up, I had searched the internet to find out if going into heat can make a dog not only lose her mind but also control over her bowels. The answer is: occasionally, yes (although switching dog foods suddenly because the pet store was out of our regular feed may also have something to do with it).
Don't ask.
Let's just say we're almost out of Nature's Miracle.
I had also sobbed alternately into the (clean) laundry bin and Nathan's arms about bills and losing everything except pounds on the scale and never having a clean house or folded clothes.
And I missed church. Hello guilt, come on in. Make yourself at home.
I am feeling better now, after some coffee and plain eggs scrambled with water - we're out of milk and I couldn't find the pepper. I did add some low-fat cheddar and crushed red pepper spice.
There's also no longer a pool of water on the floor beside the refrigerator. No, the refrigerator hasn't stopped leaking. Dave (the cat) just licks it up as fast as it comes out.
I guess he prefers it to the drooly dog water.
Today is February 3, almost one month after I began this journey. I've posted twelve times (including this post) and my blog has almost seven hundred views, one follower, and fifteen comments (including mine). Thank you, readers, for your encouragement.
I've spent time almost every day honing my writing skills and beginning to practice art again. It's been a long, slow process, and I know it will get even longer and slower in the months to come.
But I won't give up. Not today, anyway.
Wherever you are in the world ... have a good day today. Unless a picture falls on your head. Then you might as well resign yourself to the inevitable.
LOL Update: While my portraits are beginning to bear some resemblance to the human species in general, there is still no actual correlation between the picture and the person they are supposed to represent. Witness this quick portrait of Nathan - it looks like a mix of Justin Bieber, Moses (from the Prince of Egypt movie), and a woman with a beard. I think Nathan put it best. "It looks like everything I don't want to be..."
 |
| Forgive the red Sharpie ... couldn't find anything else. |
Monday, 21 January 2013
Day 18: Cold
In the winter, I am a semi-responsible dog owner.
I love being outside during spring, summer, and fall.
Three seasons of the year, my big fluffy creatures get at least two walks per day - provided it's not raining.
Plus, some outdoor time chilling with me in the backyard.
Not in winter. In winter, I'm chilling all right. But I don't have to be outside to do that.
The dogs get one walk every day. They should count themselves lucky.
I hate being cold.
Today it's only -13, but the windchill makes it feel like -22.
I was up at 6:00 am, shivering in the snow in Nathan's pyjamas, shouting "JUST PEE ALREADY!" into the dark.
Oh, to have a fenced-in yard.
After work, I will don every article of clothing I own and take the dogs on a walk.
This activity is supposed to make us bond.
We're bonding all right.
Brown slush bonds to my grey dress pants.
Drool and dog hair bond to my coat.
Need I say more?
However, we three create quite a spectacle traipsing down the sidewalk together. I've noticed there are two ways people respond when approached by two large black canines:
Person #1:
Person #1: OMG! Are those your dogs?
Me: Yes. (I wouldn't be walking them in -20 degree weather if they weren't.)
Person #1: They are SOOOO beautiful!
Me: (Shivering slightly) Thank you.
Person #1: Can I pet them?
Me: (Hopping from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm.) Yes.
Person #1: What are their names?
Me: (Teeth chattering) The boy is Sam and the girl is Kia.
Person #1: Tia?
Me: (Toes losing all feeling) No. Kia like the car.
Person #1: Oohhhhh. Did you name her after a car because she's so big?
Me: No. (And if I did, why would I choose Kia? Why not Ford or Dodge or Chevy?)
The conversation continues until I politely extricate myself and hobble home to thaw my remaining limbs.
Or Sam tries to hug them.
If you meet me on the street, never hold out your arms and say "hugs" unless you want a 120 pound Newfie to launch himself enthusiastically into your arms.
Nathan found that out the hard way.
Person #2: Crosses to the other side of the street.
Seriously though, I love it when people love my dogs.
It validates a deep part of my soul.
I just love it more when it's warm outside.
In other news, other than doing my Wintergirls review, I'd like to spend some time brushing up on the art side of things.
I'll post pictures if anything turns out brilliantly.
If it's all garbage, I'll come back and erase the last two sentences and we can all pretend it never happened.
You didn't see anything...
Until then, happy doodling!
PS - If you're feeling brave and want me to try a VERY quick sketch of you, your family, or your worst enemy, feel free to send me a photo via email - natelisa.robinson@gmail.com. No promises though! Sometimes I forget.
I love being outside during spring, summer, and fall.
Three seasons of the year, my big fluffy creatures get at least two walks per day - provided it's not raining.
Plus, some outdoor time chilling with me in the backyard.
Not in winter. In winter, I'm chilling all right. But I don't have to be outside to do that.
The dogs get one walk every day. They should count themselves lucky.
I hate being cold.
Today it's only -13, but the windchill makes it feel like -22.
I was up at 6:00 am, shivering in the snow in Nathan's pyjamas, shouting "JUST PEE ALREADY!" into the dark.
Oh, to have a fenced-in yard.
After work, I will don every article of clothing I own and take the dogs on a walk.
This activity is supposed to make us bond.
We're bonding all right.
Brown slush bonds to my grey dress pants.
Drool and dog hair bond to my coat.
Need I say more?
However, we three create quite a spectacle traipsing down the sidewalk together. I've noticed there are two ways people respond when approached by two large black canines:
Person #1:
Person #1: OMG! Are those your dogs?
Me: Yes. (I wouldn't be walking them in -20 degree weather if they weren't.)
Person #1: They are SOOOO beautiful!
Me: (Shivering slightly) Thank you.
Person #1: Can I pet them?
Me: (Hopping from one foot to the other, trying to keep warm.) Yes.
Person #1: What are their names?
Me: (Teeth chattering) The boy is Sam and the girl is Kia.
Person #1: Tia?
Me: (Toes losing all feeling) No. Kia like the car.
Person #1: Oohhhhh. Did you name her after a car because she's so big?
Me: No. (And if I did, why would I choose Kia? Why not Ford or Dodge or Chevy?)
The conversation continues until I politely extricate myself and hobble home to thaw my remaining limbs.
Or Sam tries to hug them.
If you meet me on the street, never hold out your arms and say "hugs" unless you want a 120 pound Newfie to launch himself enthusiastically into your arms.
Nathan found that out the hard way.
Person #2: Crosses to the other side of the street.
Seriously though, I love it when people love my dogs.
It validates a deep part of my soul.
I just love it more when it's warm outside.
In other news, other than doing my Wintergirls review, I'd like to spend some time brushing up on the art side of things.
I'll post pictures if anything turns out brilliantly.
If it's all garbage, I'll come back and erase the last two sentences and we can all pretend it never happened.
You didn't see anything...
Until then, happy doodling!
PS - If you're feeling brave and want me to try a VERY quick sketch of you, your family, or your worst enemy, feel free to send me a photo via email - natelisa.robinson@gmail.com. No promises though! Sometimes I forget.
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