Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook may recall a post back in August, when John surprised me with the best tenth anniversary gift a girl could dream of: a four day writers retreat in Iceland with Barbara Kingsolver headlining. After months of anticipation and logistical preparation, I finally went last week, and it was even better than I'd imagined.
I could probably write an entire series of posts about how amazing Barbara Kingsolver was, how every time she opened her mouth something funny, kind, or brilliant tumbled out, and how none of it was rehearsed - it's just who she is. One of the things that appealed to me about this retreat was that it wasn't a typical conference setting, where people are more focused on networking and attracting an agent's attention than learning. And I loved the idea of spending time outside the workshops with the authors, who were invited to all the same meals and excursions as the participants. But I never imagined I'd get to spend nearly two hours talking to Barbara between workshops, or eat breakfast at the same table as her almost every day, or stand next to her at the top of a waterfall. I was so surprised by her accessibility and generosity, and her complete lack of of pretense. Is there anything better than finding out that one of your very favorite authors is also one of the nicest people you've ever met?
At any rate, I could gush about Barbara Kingsolver forever, but I won't. Here, in no particular order, are some of the pieces of wisdom I gleaned from the authors during the Iceland Writers Retreat. Erica and Eliza, the founders of the retreat, have really created something special. If you have the opportunity to go, I can't recommend it enough.
1) "Bad memoirs come out of youth; Good novels come out of middle age."
Adam Gopnik is hilarious. I didn't take his workshops but I got to speak to him a little and heard him read on our first night. His essay on learning to drive had me laughing out loud. One of the things Adam said he loved about the retreat was that it wasn't filled with a bunch of young people who want to write memoirs and have zero life experience. The retreat was geared more toward people in their thirties, forties, fifties, and beyond, many who have never completed a book. It's such a good reminder that the majority of writers don't "make it" in their twenties.
2) "Find the internal contradiction."
One of my favorite workshops was "Character Development" by Allison Pick. Allison told us that internal contradiction is what makes characters interesting. Considering my agent had just mentioned that my main character's arc was feeling a little flat, this was the perfect advice. No one wants to read about a character who doesn't have anything to learn, or who doesn't grow or change throughout the course of the novel. Point taken.
3) "Revision is where art happens."
I think this may be one of the writing lessons it's taken me longest to learn. When I first started writing, I had no idea how much revision it took to get a book from first draft to published novel. I got my second edit letter the first night of the retreat, and I can assure you that I'm becoming very familiar with revision. If I'd known when I started out that even bestselling authors like Barbara Kingsolver spend months revising their work, I don't think I would have given up on some of my earlier projects so easily.
4) "Make a promise to the reader in the first chapter."
When I told Barbara that my agent wants me to rewrite my first chapter, the first thing she did was ask me why. I told her he thought it gave too much away, which she agreed was a problem. Then she gave me this little gem of advice. She mentioned in her workshop that the best books are the ones where you say, "I knew that was going to happen!" even though you didn't really know for sure. I plan on looking back at some of her first chapters and trying to determine the promise.
5) "Always do the scariest thing."
The last morning of the retreat, the authors participated in a round-table discussion and answered questions from the audience. Several of the authors explained that they know they're on to something when an idea terrifies them. Ruth Reichl was referring to writing when she told us to "always do the scariest thing," but over the past few years I've come to find it applies to all aspects of life. It certainly served me well last week. These types of "camp" situations terrify me, and it would be very easy to hide behind my social anxiety, but I would have missed out on so much if I had, including a long conversation with my writing hero.
I learned a lot more during the retreat, but these were some of the things that stuck with me. And now it's time for me to take some of that brilliant advice and go back into my revision cave. Wish me luck!
the life and times of a would-be author
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Monday, April 13, 2015
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Things I Love Thursdays: Outlander
Some time during my teenage years, my mom tried to give me a copy of Outlander. She'd loved it and thought I might enjoy it too, which was a reasonable assumption given my love of reading and fantasy. But for whatever reason (Too much history? Not enough magic?), I never made it past the first fifty pages or so. It wasn't until the winter before last, when I was pregnant with Will and living in Montana with Jack and my mom, that I decided to give it another shot. I was immediately sucked into it and couldn't put it down. What can I say, I like history now, and the lack of magic is more than made up for by the presence of this fellow:
Jamie Fraser is completely swoon-worthy in the book, but really, my love for Outlander wasn't complete until I finally got my hands on the DVDs a few weeks ago. I watched the first four episodes at a nice, respectable one-a-night pace, until I couldn't take the suspense anymore and binge-watched the last four in a day and a half. The casting for the show is perfect, and having watched the "extras," which include a segment about the making of the costumes, I'm really impressed with how much trouble they took to make everything historically accurate.
On the one hand, I'm glad I waited until now to watch the show, since I have a much shorter wait for Season 2. But now I have to figure out how I'm going to get my hands on a copy in Peru. There's no way I can wait another year to continue the journey! In the meantime, I plan on reading the sequel to Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, post haste.
Jamie Fraser is completely swoon-worthy in the book, but really, my love for Outlander wasn't complete until I finally got my hands on the DVDs a few weeks ago. I watched the first four episodes at a nice, respectable one-a-night pace, until I couldn't take the suspense anymore and binge-watched the last four in a day and a half. The casting for the show is perfect, and having watched the "extras," which include a segment about the making of the costumes, I'm really impressed with how much trouble they took to make everything historically accurate.
On the one hand, I'm glad I waited until now to watch the show, since I have a much shorter wait for Season 2. But now I have to figure out how I'm going to get my hands on a copy in Peru. There's no way I can wait another year to continue the journey! In the meantime, I plan on reading the sequel to Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, post haste.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
To Fall in Love With Your Husband, Do This?
The other day, one of my writing friends shared a New York Times article called "To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This," about an experiment done twenty years ago that helped two couples fall in love, and later, the author of the article. Basically, two strangers were asked to spend 90 minutes answering a series of increasingly personal questions, and then stare into each other's eyes for 4 minutes. My friend thought the questions could help with character development, but as soon as I read the article, I started to wonder: could these questions help my marriage?
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with my marriage! But I think all couples, especially those with young children, can use an opportunity to reconnect every now and then. Many of the questions are irrelevant to people in a relationship (we've been together for fourteen years and have fortunately figured out a thing or two during that time). But some of the questions are very thought-provoking, the kinds of questions I hadn't ever really asked myself, let alone John. (I know you're curious, so I've included the questions at the end of this post.) I decided to conduct our own experiment, to see if we could learn something new about each other, and maybe even strengthen our connection during the process. It couldn't hurt to try, right?
Almost immediately, I felt like we'd accomplished something. We turned off the television and spent an hour talking instead of zoning out or checking Facebook. While some of John's answers were predictable, others took me completely by surprise. Some of the questions were easy to answer, while others required a lot of thought. John spoke in depth about some of his experiences in the Marine Corps, which to me often feels like another lifetime but is clearly still very much on John's mind. I can see how discussing things like your most treasured memory or whose death in your family would be the most disturbing would tell you rather quickly how you feel about a person, certainly more than talking about work or hobbies. Cutting to the chase on a first date may be uncomfortable, but it could definitely have its merits.
After we finished the questions and got ready for bed, John and I tried to spend 4 minutes gazing into each other's eyes. I think the idea was to do it silently, but we talked the entire time. Whoops. Either way, I definitely felt closer to John afterward. I won't say it led to any major revelations, but it was a good reminder of why I fell in love with John in the first place. And frankly, between kids, jobs, busted cars, bike accidents, and impending moves, who couldn't use a little reminder every now and then?
Set I
1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?
6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.
9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.
12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
Set II
13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
16. What do you value most in a friendship?
17. What is your most treasured memory?
18. What is your most terrible memory?
19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
20. What does friendship mean to you?
21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?
22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.
23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?
24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?
Set III
25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ..."
26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... “
27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.
28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.
29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.
30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?
31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.
32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?
34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?
36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.
To be clear, there is nothing wrong with my marriage! But I think all couples, especially those with young children, can use an opportunity to reconnect every now and then. Many of the questions are irrelevant to people in a relationship (we've been together for fourteen years and have fortunately figured out a thing or two during that time). But some of the questions are very thought-provoking, the kinds of questions I hadn't ever really asked myself, let alone John. (I know you're curious, so I've included the questions at the end of this post.) I decided to conduct our own experiment, to see if we could learn something new about each other, and maybe even strengthen our connection during the process. It couldn't hurt to try, right?
Almost immediately, I felt like we'd accomplished something. We turned off the television and spent an hour talking instead of zoning out or checking Facebook. While some of John's answers were predictable, others took me completely by surprise. Some of the questions were easy to answer, while others required a lot of thought. John spoke in depth about some of his experiences in the Marine Corps, which to me often feels like another lifetime but is clearly still very much on John's mind. I can see how discussing things like your most treasured memory or whose death in your family would be the most disturbing would tell you rather quickly how you feel about a person, certainly more than talking about work or hobbies. Cutting to the chase on a first date may be uncomfortable, but it could definitely have its merits.
After we finished the questions and got ready for bed, John and I tried to spend 4 minutes gazing into each other's eyes. I think the idea was to do it silently, but we talked the entire time. Whoops. Either way, I definitely felt closer to John afterward. I won't say it led to any major revelations, but it was a good reminder of why I fell in love with John in the first place. And frankly, between kids, jobs, busted cars, bike accidents, and impending moves, who couldn't use a little reminder every now and then?
Set I
1. Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?
2. Would you like to be famous? In what way?
3. Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse what you are going to say? Why?
4. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?
5. When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?
6. If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
7. Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?
8. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common.
9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
10. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?
11. Take four minutes and tell your partner your life story in as much detail as possible.
12. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?
Set II
13. If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?
14. Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?
15. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?
16. What do you value most in a friendship?
17. What is your most treasured memory?
18. What is your most terrible memory?
19. If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?
20. What does friendship mean to you?
21. What roles do love and affection play in your life?
22. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items.
23. How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your childhood was happier than most other people’s?
24. How do you feel about your relationship with your mother?
Set III
25. Make three true “we” statements each. For instance, “We are both in this room feeling ..."
26. Complete this sentence: “I wish I had someone with whom I could share ... “
27. If you were going to become a close friend with your partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know.
28. Tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just met.
29. Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in your life.
30. When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?
31. Tell your partner something that you like about them already.
32. What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?
33. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?
34. Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?
35. Of all the people in your family, whose death would you find most disturbing? Why?
36. Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Writing Wednesdays: The Very Inspiring Blogger Award
Yesterday I received the Very Inspiring Blogger Award from the lovely ladies of Sub It Club, an online support group for writers and illustrators who are sending their work out into the world (yes, it's so scary we need our own support group). I'm honored to be listed among some of the bloggers who inspire ME, particularly Dee Romito at I Write for Apples, who was so sweet and helpful when I got my offer of representation.
Here are the rules for the award:
*Display the award on your blog
*Link back to the person who nominated you
*State 7 things about yourself
*Nominate 15 bloggers, link to them, and notify them about their nominations
I'm not going to choose 15 bloggers because everyone is super busy, but I will nominate one: my talented, intelligent, inspiring sister Elizabeth, who blogs at Clash of Cultures about popular culture and lives in Paris. She is also the one who introduced me to Sub It Club so I'm extra grateful!
And now, seven things about myself (with a writing focus, since this is a writing award):
1) In my very first query letter for my very first book, I compared it to Harry Potter. I KNOW. (This is like one of the seven deadly sins of querying, so I totally deserved the "Not for us" scribbled at the top of the letter and mailed back to me. Ouch.)
2) I wrote my second novel about a Marine pilot who is killed in action and what happens to his family in the aftermath. I still think the idea has merit, but I was nowhere near skilled enough to write the story at the time. I never queried it.
3) The only writing class I've ever taken was focused on travel writing. I took it at the UCSD extension and my teacher encouraged me to pursue publication. His kind words were some of the first I filed away to bring out whenever I was feeling down about my writing.
4) WINTERSOUL, the novel that finally found an agent, is my eighth completed manuscript, but I've got another half-dozen incomplete novels floating around.
5) I wrote my first novel after I was fired from my crappy job at a newspaper and had nothing else to do. I also took up baking, knitting, and painting that year. Writing is the only hobby that stuck!
6) Some day, after we've done several posts in the Foreign Service, I want to write a book about parenting overseas. My working title is "Abroad with Boys."
7) Trust is a recurring theme in most of my novels. I'm pretty sure this says something about me, but I haven't delved too deeply yet...
Thanks again Sub It Club!
Here are the rules for the award:
*Display the award on your blog
*Link back to the person who nominated you
*State 7 things about yourself
*Nominate 15 bloggers, link to them, and notify them about their nominations
I'm not going to choose 15 bloggers because everyone is super busy, but I will nominate one: my talented, intelligent, inspiring sister Elizabeth, who blogs at Clash of Cultures about popular culture and lives in Paris. She is also the one who introduced me to Sub It Club so I'm extra grateful!
And now, seven things about myself (with a writing focus, since this is a writing award):
1) In my very first query letter for my very first book, I compared it to Harry Potter. I KNOW. (This is like one of the seven deadly sins of querying, so I totally deserved the "Not for us" scribbled at the top of the letter and mailed back to me. Ouch.)
2) I wrote my second novel about a Marine pilot who is killed in action and what happens to his family in the aftermath. I still think the idea has merit, but I was nowhere near skilled enough to write the story at the time. I never queried it.
3) The only writing class I've ever taken was focused on travel writing. I took it at the UCSD extension and my teacher encouraged me to pursue publication. His kind words were some of the first I filed away to bring out whenever I was feeling down about my writing.
4) WINTERSOUL, the novel that finally found an agent, is my eighth completed manuscript, but I've got another half-dozen incomplete novels floating around.
5) I wrote my first novel after I was fired from my crappy job at a newspaper and had nothing else to do. I also took up baking, knitting, and painting that year. Writing is the only hobby that stuck!
6) Some day, after we've done several posts in the Foreign Service, I want to write a book about parenting overseas. My working title is "Abroad with Boys."
7) Trust is a recurring theme in most of my novels. I'm pretty sure this says something about me, but I haven't delved too deeply yet...
Thanks again Sub It Club!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
You Are Here
Every year for the past forever, I've had a list of New Year's resolutions. It generally centered around self-improvement (be a better mom and wife, work out more, be more positive, etc.), but the main focus was always this: GET AN AGENT. Every time I failed to meet my goal, I repeated this mantra: "onward and upward." I developed a thing for arrows, because they symbolized forward momentum. I never let myself dwell too much on the here and now, because I believed something better was just around the corner.
So it's a little weird to be heading into 2015 with a nice big check mark next to my number one goal.
Of course, now I have a new goal: to sell my novel. But considering I haven't even started my revisions, it's a little premature to worry about that. And sure, I have something kind of big on the horizon (moving to Peru), but this year, I really, really want to focus on what I already have instead of worrying about what I don't. I would like to spend more time being grateful and less time trying to change things. I do not want to waste energy comparing myself to others. I want to keep this in mind:
I hope you guys will remind me of this every now and then (like when I go on submission to publishers in the next few months, or when I have to leave my very comfortable home and move with two kids to another continent). Thanks for being there for me this year and following along on this journey. I hope you all find yourselves exactly where you need to be in 2015. Happy New Year!
So it's a little weird to be heading into 2015 with a nice big check mark next to my number one goal.
Of course, now I have a new goal: to sell my novel. But considering I haven't even started my revisions, it's a little premature to worry about that. And sure, I have something kind of big on the horizon (moving to Peru), but this year, I really, really want to focus on what I already have instead of worrying about what I don't. I would like to spend more time being grateful and less time trying to change things. I do not want to waste energy comparing myself to others. I want to keep this in mind:
I hope you guys will remind me of this every now and then (like when I go on submission to publishers in the next few months, or when I have to leave my very comfortable home and move with two kids to another continent). Thanks for being there for me this year and following along on this journey. I hope you all find yourselves exactly where you need to be in 2015. Happy New Year!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Pitch Wars Blog Hop: Why I Wrote My Pitch Wars Novel
Some of my fellow Pitch Wars mentees are participating in a blog hop about why we wrote our Pitch Wars novels. Here's my story!
As some of you may remember, I got the idea for Needle's Eye, which is now called WINTERSOUL, before we moved to Russia in 2012. I was freaking out about the move, a lot, and I decided that maybe I'd be a little less freaked out if I learned some cool things about Russian culture. Naturally I started looking into Russian folklore and fairytales, and when I came across the story of Kaschey the Deathless, I was fascinated. I'd never heard it before, but I thought Kaschey would make an excellent villain.
The protagonist, Akira, popped into my head out of nowhere. I'm still not sure why I decided she should be half Japanese-American and half Russian, or why she'd be into kenjutsu. Some characters just write themselves I guess. But I put the novel aside for quite a while after we moved to Russia, when I realized I didn't really know it well enough to do the setting justice. I didn't finish Wintersoul until March (Baby Will's impending arrival made for an excellent deadline), and I've been revising on and off since then. I guess the bottom line is, I wrote this novel to make the mental transition to living on the edge of Siberia a little easier. And it actually worked.
My dream now is to write a novel inspired by every country we live in. So I'm super excited to research Peruvian folklore and culture when we get there and come up with a really cool twist. I have learned my lesson, however: I won't be starting the next book until I've lived in Peru for a little while. At least incorporating Spanish into a novel will be a lot easier than Russian!
Head to some of my fellow Pitch Wars mentees' blogs to find out why they wrote their Pitch Wars novels:
As some of you may remember, I got the idea for Needle's Eye, which is now called WINTERSOUL, before we moved to Russia in 2012. I was freaking out about the move, a lot, and I decided that maybe I'd be a little less freaked out if I learned some cool things about Russian culture. Naturally I started looking into Russian folklore and fairytales, and when I came across the story of Kaschey the Deathless, I was fascinated. I'd never heard it before, but I thought Kaschey would make an excellent villain.
The protagonist, Akira, popped into my head out of nowhere. I'm still not sure why I decided she should be half Japanese-American and half Russian, or why she'd be into kenjutsu. Some characters just write themselves I guess. But I put the novel aside for quite a while after we moved to Russia, when I realized I didn't really know it well enough to do the setting justice. I didn't finish Wintersoul until March (Baby Will's impending arrival made for an excellent deadline), and I've been revising on and off since then. I guess the bottom line is, I wrote this novel to make the mental transition to living on the edge of Siberia a little easier. And it actually worked.
My dream now is to write a novel inspired by every country we live in. So I'm super excited to research Peruvian folklore and culture when we get there and come up with a really cool twist. I have learned my lesson, however: I won't be starting the next book until I've lived in Peru for a little while. At least incorporating Spanish into a novel will be a lot easier than Russian!
Head to some of my fellow Pitch Wars mentees' blogs to find out why they wrote their Pitch Wars novels:
Tracie
Martin: WILD IS THE WIND
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Chasing Paper
I have long wondered about removable wallpaper. For people who move a lot, a la me, it seems like a great solution to boring walls. But does it work? Does it cost a fortune? And can it possibly be cute?
I've seen some okay-looking stuff in the past, but I stumbled across Chasing Paper the other day and my interest is definitely piqued. One panel costs $30, which isn't cheap, but I figure you could do a focal or partial wall in a kid's room and make a big impact. It's got to be less work than painting and re-painting! And these are by far the cutest patterns I've seen yet.
There are adorable bikes, some really fun botanicals, and a few geometric prints I could totally see in my sister's apartment. What do you think? Would you give removable wallpaper a shot?
I've seen some okay-looking stuff in the past, but I stumbled across Chasing Paper the other day and my interest is definitely piqued. One panel costs $30, which isn't cheap, but I figure you could do a focal or partial wall in a kid's room and make a big impact. It's got to be less work than painting and re-painting! And these are by far the cutest patterns I've seen yet.
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| This paper would be sooo cute in Jack's wilderness-themed room. |
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| And the stars would go with Will's celestial bedding. Love! |
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| And of course the bookshelves are for me. |
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| And finally, I am obsessed with the antlers. |
There are adorable bikes, some really fun botanicals, and a few geometric prints I could totally see in my sister's apartment. What do you think? Would you give removable wallpaper a shot?
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Llamas!
I haven't done one of my "compilation of cute things I want" posts in a while, so I thought it was about time I share my latest obsession. Just as pre-Russia I was all about the onion domes, these days I'm getting in the mood for Peru with items featuring my favorite fluffy South American quadrupeds (okay, okay, alpacas and chinchillas are up there, too).
For some reason, Modcloth has a plethora of llama items, but these two in particular caught my eye:
Who doesn't need a llama scarf, I ask you? Or a llama pendant, like this one from UnforgettableJules?
Nice Things has the CUTEST llama stuff, like these bags:
Plus this llama dress. I'd wear this whole outfit:
Even J. Crew loves llamas (and really, whats not to love?):
For some reason, Modcloth has a plethora of llama items, but these two in particular caught my eye:
Who doesn't need a llama scarf, I ask you? Or a llama pendant, like this one from UnforgettableJules?
Nice Things has the CUTEST llama stuff, like these bags:
Plus this llama dress. I'd wear this whole outfit:
Even J. Crew loves llamas (and really, whats not to love?):
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Call the Midwife
When you have a baby and your husband is out of the country, you find yourself with a lot of long, lonely evenings. We have about five cable stations, so I've been scouring Netflix for something to watch. I'd seen "Call the Midwife" come up as a suggestion, but to be honest, the picture and description sounded kind of boring.
From Netflix: "This period drama set in impoverished East London in the 1950s follows a newly qualified midwife and her colleagues at a nursing convent."
But then my sister said I should give it a shot, so I did. And guess what? It's great! The first two seasons are available on Netflix, and I'm sad to say I'm quickly running out of episodes. The nurses are adorable (Chummy, a large, relatively unattractive nurse with a heart of gold is my personal favorite), the nuns are nothing like you'd expect, and there are adorable babies galore! Personally, I'm wondering where I can get a giant pram and if it's still legal to leave your baby hanging out in one all day...
(Please note: Anyone in an emotionally compromised state - particularly pregnant women - will probably sob at least once in every episode.)
From Netflix: "This period drama set in impoverished East London in the 1950s follows a newly qualified midwife and her colleagues at a nursing convent."
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| Nurses on bikes. Woo. Hoo. |
But then my sister said I should give it a shot, so I did. And guess what? It's great! The first two seasons are available on Netflix, and I'm sad to say I'm quickly running out of episodes. The nurses are adorable (Chummy, a large, relatively unattractive nurse with a heart of gold is my personal favorite), the nuns are nothing like you'd expect, and there are adorable babies galore! Personally, I'm wondering where I can get a giant pram and if it's still legal to leave your baby hanging out in one all day...
(Please note: Anyone in an emotionally compromised state - particularly pregnant women - will probably sob at least once in every episode.)
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Home Is Wherever I'm With You
Last week the lovely folks over at dogvacay.com asked me to write a post about what I consider my "home away from home." For some people I guess this is pretty easy: a cafe you like to write in, a family vacation home, a favorite corner of the local library. But if you're someone who moves frequently, like I am, it's hard to find a special place where you really feel at home. (Although I will say there is one place I can go to wherever I am that provides a certain comfort and familiarity: Starbucks. I know, shameful. But you can't beat it for consistency the world over! A chai latte is the same in London, Barcelona, Geneva, Istanbul, and Moscow. Alas, there is no Starbucks in Yekaterinburg.)
The truth is, there is no one place I consider home anymore. Foreign Service housing (in my limited experience with it) is fairly impersonal - in Yekaterinburg we all had the same furniture, so I could go to another diplomat's house and sit on the exact same yellow-orange nubbly sofa that waited back in my living room (which is a lot worse than seeing the same IKEA bookshelf in your friend's apartment, I assure you). And for the past six months, I've been a traveling nomad, a squatter in my parents' house, and, most recently, holed up in corporate housing.
But despite all that, I don't feel homeless in the slightest. I think it's a wonderful thing to be able to make yourself at home anywhere. And for me, as long as the people I love are nearby, I'm home. Even during the looooong Russian winter, when "home" (aka America) seemed a million miles away and I was sure I'd never see the sun again, I wasn't really homesick. Compared to deployment, when our house felt empty and cold without John there to warm it with his presence, Russia was a cake-walk. One I don't care to repeat, mind you, but still.
So there you have it. My family and friends are my home away from home. Which is a lot better than Starbucks, don't you think?
The truth is, there is no one place I consider home anymore. Foreign Service housing (in my limited experience with it) is fairly impersonal - in Yekaterinburg we all had the same furniture, so I could go to another diplomat's house and sit on the exact same yellow-orange nubbly sofa that waited back in my living room (which is a lot worse than seeing the same IKEA bookshelf in your friend's apartment, I assure you). And for the past six months, I've been a traveling nomad, a squatter in my parents' house, and, most recently, holed up in corporate housing.
But despite all that, I don't feel homeless in the slightest. I think it's a wonderful thing to be able to make yourself at home anywhere. And for me, as long as the people I love are nearby, I'm home. Even during the looooong Russian winter, when "home" (aka America) seemed a million miles away and I was sure I'd never see the sun again, I wasn't really homesick. Compared to deployment, when our house felt empty and cold without John there to warm it with his presence, Russia was a cake-walk. One I don't care to repeat, mind you, but still.
So there you have it. My family and friends are my home away from home. Which is a lot better than Starbucks, don't you think?
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| That. Right there. My home. |
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Minted
Okay, so I'm probably the last person on earth to know about Minted, but can I just say: adorable! So many cute prints for kids, and really great prices even with a frame! I love that so many of them are customizable too. I've got my eye on several, but I've decided I need to wait until I actually have a house before I acquire anything else. There are too many I love to share them all, but here are some of my favorites.
I'm also pretty obsessed with their birth announcements. They have some of the best designs I've seen, and the prices are reasonable.
Have any of you purchased from Mint before? Any thoughts? I see myself wasting a lot of time on this site...
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| These are the girly colors, but dammit, I'm sick of posting boy stuff! |
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| The obligatory fox. They have a lot of good fox ones! |
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| I love the retro vibe of this one, and that you can choose your initial. |
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| Perfect for the baby's room, and I like that it's not TOO babyish. |
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| I LURVE the tree ring idea. I'm going to try to do this as embroidery though. |
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| They also do signs. Since I'm considering an outdoor/camping theme for Jack, I may have to get this. |
I'm also pretty obsessed with their birth announcements. They have some of the best designs I've seen, and the prices are reasonable.
Have any of you purchased from Mint before? Any thoughts? I see myself wasting a lot of time on this site...
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Writing Wednesdays: The End of an Era
I am sad to say a truly wonderful era is coming to an end, and I'm not ready. Yesterday, Laini Taylor's third book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy came out. I'm sure Dreams of Gods and Monsters will be just as phenomenal as the first two, and that's why I haven't bought it yet. I don't want this series to end. They are my favorite books of the last few years and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves YA, urban fantasy, and damn good writing.
Congratulations to Laini for finishing such an epic trilogy! I can't wait to read it. Or maybe I can, just a little longer...
Congratulations to Laini for finishing such an epic trilogy! I can't wait to read it. Or maybe I can, just a little longer...
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Moon and Stars for Baby
The truth is, folks, that what I'd REALLY love today is a nap, but between my 4-year-old playing LEGO on top of me and the baby giving me terrible rib pain, sleep is not really part of my repertoire at the mo. So I figure I might as well share my latest obsession: celestial everything.
I don't know where this came from. I guess it started with the Lullaby crib bedding from Land of Nod. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the baby's quilt, which helped inspire the mobile I made a couple of months ago.
Most of you know I'm not into really "boyish" stuff, but I do love gray, so I ordered a much cheaper version of the crib seen above which I'm hoping will go well with the quilt and the few other decorations I've managed to collect. Dwell Studio also has a line of "galaxy" themed bedding that I love (and it's also in gray!). How cute is this nursery?
I am obsessed with that rug (and that chair). This pillow is adorable but too expensive for me right now, so I'm going to make a similar version out of felt.
I also love the idea of a print that features the E. E. Cummings quote, "You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars," or something similar, like this adorable print from UhOhPasghettio on Etsy:
Or, something that says, "I love you to the moon and back," a la this decal from Land of Nod:
And the big ticket item I'm hoping for once the baby is born (hint, hint hubby) is this necklace from Catbird NYC. I'd like a silver moon with a "J" for Jack and a gold star with the baby's initial. It's pricey, but I haven't found anything similar anywhere else, and it's the kind of thing I'd wear every day.
Of course I don't want to go overboard on any one thing in the nursery, so it's not all stars all the time. I've got a few fox items, like this Maileg fox I found in a store in Miami for half-price:
And the fox rattle I made:
And other than the fabrics I talked about last week, which I plan on framing in white IKEA frames, that's about it. I've found some nursery rockers I love but they keep selling out, and until we're in our house, I can't get much else. But I promise to post photos when it's all finished!
For now, I should probably focus on other things, like actually having the baby...
I don't know where this came from. I guess it started with the Lullaby crib bedding from Land of Nod. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the baby's quilt, which helped inspire the mobile I made a couple of months ago.
Most of you know I'm not into really "boyish" stuff, but I do love gray, so I ordered a much cheaper version of the crib seen above which I'm hoping will go well with the quilt and the few other decorations I've managed to collect. Dwell Studio also has a line of "galaxy" themed bedding that I love (and it's also in gray!). How cute is this nursery?
I am obsessed with that rug (and that chair). This pillow is adorable but too expensive for me right now, so I'm going to make a similar version out of felt.
I also love the idea of a print that features the E. E. Cummings quote, "You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars," or something similar, like this adorable print from UhOhPasghettio on Etsy:
Or, something that says, "I love you to the moon and back," a la this decal from Land of Nod:
And the big ticket item I'm hoping for once the baby is born (hint, hint hubby) is this necklace from Catbird NYC. I'd like a silver moon with a "J" for Jack and a gold star with the baby's initial. It's pricey, but I haven't found anything similar anywhere else, and it's the kind of thing I'd wear every day.
Of course I don't want to go overboard on any one thing in the nursery, so it's not all stars all the time. I've got a few fox items, like this Maileg fox I found in a store in Miami for half-price:
And the fox rattle I made:
And other than the fabrics I talked about last week, which I plan on framing in white IKEA frames, that's about it. I've found some nursery rockers I love but they keep selling out, and until we're in our house, I can't get much else. But I promise to post photos when it's all finished!
For now, I should probably focus on other things, like actually having the baby...
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Spoonflower
The other day I came across some super-cute fabric for a baby or kid's room (thanks Lauren!) only to find I couldn't come close to affording it. We're talking several hundred dollars for a duvet. The fabric was adorable, but seriously? I'm not spending more on my infant's bedding than my own. Curious to see what it would require to create my own fabric, I came across Spoonflower, which is a website where you can not only design your own fabric, wallpaper, wrapping paper, or wall decal, but also choose from hundreds of cute designs from people who actually know what they're doing.
I spent the better part of my morning perusing the site and came across dozens of designs I loved, but ended up ordering just a few swatches (it's $5 for an 8"x8" piece, which is all I need for my purposes). A couple of my favorites that I ordered:
The colors in both of these fabrics are right up my alley. I consider them gender neutral (I suppose some people might not like the pink, but to each their own I say!) and plan on framing the swatches as wall art.
And this llama print reminds me of Peru (where we're heading next) and is also the exact colors I used in the baby's mobile and of the blanket I ordered him:
Not sure what I'll do with it yet - maybe make a little llama-shaped pillow? I have some felt leftover from the mobile that I could use on the back, so we'll see...
If you're looking for ideas, I highly recommend the site. There are so many talented designers on there! And I love the idea of designing my own wall decals. Such a great idea for people who move frequently (a la me). Enjoy!
I spent the better part of my morning perusing the site and came across dozens of designs I loved, but ended up ordering just a few swatches (it's $5 for an 8"x8" piece, which is all I need for my purposes). A couple of my favorites that I ordered:
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| Animals on bikes! Love! |
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| Boy with kites! Also love! |
The colors in both of these fabrics are right up my alley. I consider them gender neutral (I suppose some people might not like the pink, but to each their own I say!) and plan on framing the swatches as wall art.
And this llama print reminds me of Peru (where we're heading next) and is also the exact colors I used in the baby's mobile and of the blanket I ordered him:
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| It's called llama-rama! How cute is that? |
Not sure what I'll do with it yet - maybe make a little llama-shaped pillow? I have some felt leftover from the mobile that I could use on the back, so we'll see...
If you're looking for ideas, I highly recommend the site. There are so many talented designers on there! And I love the idea of designing my own wall decals. Such a great idea for people who move frequently (a la me). Enjoy!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Ferm Living
Sorry I've been so absent of late. The days are just getting away from me here in my last few weeks in Montana. Between trying to finish a novel in whatever spare time I can scrounge up and being sick (AGAIN!), and of course taking care of the little nugget, blogging has sort of taken a back seat. But I'm still here, I swear!
In fact, part of the blame for my blogging absence can be placed squarely on Ferm Living. This website has the cutest baby stuff EVER, and since most of it is out of my price range or unavailable in the U.S., I've been doing my best to make homemade versions of some of my favorite things. Of course I can't come anywhere near the quality of their products, but this mobile helped inspire the one I made for Baby Boy #2 (due in just 9 weeks - eeek!).
I've also been obsessed with this fox pillow for ages, and maybe I'll splurge and buy it once I actually have a nursery to put this stuff in.
Ferm Living also has a ton of really great stuff for grown-up rooms too, and remarkably you can buy some of there pillows and housewares on Amazon. Worth checking out, if you ask me (and if you don't have eight million other things you should be doing instead).
In fact, part of the blame for my blogging absence can be placed squarely on Ferm Living. This website has the cutest baby stuff EVER, and since most of it is out of my price range or unavailable in the U.S., I've been doing my best to make homemade versions of some of my favorite things. Of course I can't come anywhere near the quality of their products, but this mobile helped inspire the one I made for Baby Boy #2 (due in just 9 weeks - eeek!).
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| I'm obsessed with the color scheme... |
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| So I adopted it! |
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| This bunting will go along the top when I assemble the thing. |
I've also been obsessed with this fox pillow for ages, and maybe I'll splurge and buy it once I actually have a nursery to put this stuff in.
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Thursday, February 6, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Author Tana French
These days, most of my reading consists of young adult and the occasional Stephen King or Neil Gaiman. If it weren't for my mom, I most likely wouldn't have read In the Woods, the debut novel by author Tana French, which earned the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, and Barry awards for best first novel. In the Woods was followed by The Likeness, Faithful Place, and Broken Harbor, all part of a mystery series revolving around a group of detectives on the Dublin murder squad. Each novel is told from the point of view of a different detective who factors into the previous novel in some way.
I'm reading Broken Harbor right now, and it's one of those books that keep you up at night (which is bad only because I'm sleeping terribly these days anyway). My favorite in the series was The Likeness, probably because it had a female protagonist and had a slight paranormal feel to it (even though it's not paranormal at all).
You don't need to be a fan of detective novels to read these books. You just need to like books that are incredibly well written, involve realistic, multi-layered characters, and keep you guessing all the way to the end. And I'm pretty sure that's everyone.
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| The appropriately creepy cover of In The Woods. |
I'm reading Broken Harbor right now, and it's one of those books that keep you up at night (which is bad only because I'm sleeping terribly these days anyway). My favorite in the series was The Likeness, probably because it had a female protagonist and had a slight paranormal feel to it (even though it's not paranormal at all).
You don't need to be a fan of detective novels to read these books. You just need to like books that are incredibly well written, involve realistic, multi-layered characters, and keep you guessing all the way to the end. And I'm pretty sure that's everyone.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Secret Garden Coloring Book
This is gonna be a quick post, but I wanted to share a little Christmas gift I got from my sister that has been a lot of fun for the past few weeks. It's a grown-up coloring book called "Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book," and combined with the gel pens I ordered for myself (yes, I'm 13), it's a great way to keep my hands busy while Jack is playing or watching a movie.
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| Look at all the GLITTER!!! |
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| A work in progress. |
I'm saving some of my favorite pictures (generally anything involving owls) until I can do a really great job and possibly frame them. But for now, it's just nice to have something relaxing and mindless to do when I get the time. And if I end up on bed rest again this time around, I know exactly what I'll be doing on the couch!
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: Simple Knit Hat for Baby
One of the things I really wish I'd taken the time to learn properly is how to knit. I can basically knit in a straight line, which comes in handy for making scarves and pretty much nothing else. When I was pregnant with Jack, I half-assed a hat that was pretty cute but incredibly basic, because all you do is knit in a straight line and then fold the thing in half, stitching it up the sides and adding little tassels if you're so inclined (which I was. Duh.).
For this kid, I thought it might be nice to make something slightly more polished and professional. Then I started looking into patterns and the truth emerged: when it comes to knitting, I'm just damn lazy. I wanted the simplest hat I could find that didn't look like crap. And since I only had a single pair of straight needles here in Montana, and a single ball of yarn, this pattern was right up my alley:
Baby's Flat Hat
All you have to do is knit in a straight line, sew up one side, cinch in the top, and finish the look with a pom-pom. It took me a day to make it and I think it came out pretty cute. I also ordered this pom-pom maker from Amazon. Now there's nothing stopping me from adding pom-poms to every baby item that comes down the pike! I bet this kid is gonna LOVE it!
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| I was clearly more excited about the hat than Jack was. |
For this kid, I thought it might be nice to make something slightly more polished and professional. Then I started looking into patterns and the truth emerged: when it comes to knitting, I'm just damn lazy. I wanted the simplest hat I could find that didn't look like crap. And since I only had a single pair of straight needles here in Montana, and a single ball of yarn, this pattern was right up my alley:
Baby's Flat Hat
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| My version. |
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| As worn by creepy riding owl. |
All you have to do is knit in a straight line, sew up one side, cinch in the top, and finish the look with a pom-pom. It took me a day to make it and I think it came out pretty cute. I also ordered this pom-pom maker from Amazon. Now there's nothing stopping me from adding pom-poms to every baby item that comes down the pike! I bet this kid is gonna LOVE it!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Things I Love Thursdays: The Warm Fuzzies Jar
Here's another parenting thing I recently discovered that I just love. I came across it on Pinterest, and while - let's face it - I'll never be one of those Pinterest Moms who cuts their kid's food into elaborate shapes or crochets owl hats, this was something even I could manage.
We've tried sticker charts in our house, and they work occasionally, or for a short period of time, but my kid's just not that interested in stickers. Besides, how many sticker charts do we need? One for potty training, one for staying in bed, one for listening, etc. The great thing about this idea is that it's a general "good deed" reward system. Plus it's super duper cute.
What you need:
1 jar
1 package of multi-colored pom poms (aka "warm fuzzies")
That's pretty much it. Your child can decorate their jar with stickers or googly eyes or paint or whatever. We haven't gotten a chance to decorate ours yet (I think that will be a fun project for tomorrow), but here's a little image I spruced up with the Rhonna Designs app (another Thing I Love, by the way).
So far Jack has earned himself three puff balls for general good deeds including pooping on the potty completely by himself (I was actually banned from the bathroom, which was somewhat unsettling), setting the table for dinner tonight, and listening on the first try instead of the eighteenth like usual. Bigger deeds earn bigger fuzzies, so a kid can fill up their jar faster if they really work at it. To be honest, I think the jar I chose may be a little big, so we might draw a line on the side and make that the goal. With a four-year-old, the prize can't be TOO far away, or they lose momentum and interest.
Anyway, I'll let you know how the warm fuzzies jar works out for us, but for now, I'm excited to have one less sticker chart to maintain. The great thing about these puff balls is that they can be re-used once the jar is filled (or used for future projects). And that right there gives me the warm fuzzies! Huzzah!
We've tried sticker charts in our house, and they work occasionally, or for a short period of time, but my kid's just not that interested in stickers. Besides, how many sticker charts do we need? One for potty training, one for staying in bed, one for listening, etc. The great thing about this idea is that it's a general "good deed" reward system. Plus it's super duper cute.
What you need:
1 jar
1 package of multi-colored pom poms (aka "warm fuzzies")
That's pretty much it. Your child can decorate their jar with stickers or googly eyes or paint or whatever. We haven't gotten a chance to decorate ours yet (I think that will be a fun project for tomorrow), but here's a little image I spruced up with the Rhonna Designs app (another Thing I Love, by the way).
So far Jack has earned himself three puff balls for general good deeds including pooping on the potty completely by himself (I was actually banned from the bathroom, which was somewhat unsettling), setting the table for dinner tonight, and listening on the first try instead of the eighteenth like usual. Bigger deeds earn bigger fuzzies, so a kid can fill up their jar faster if they really work at it. To be honest, I think the jar I chose may be a little big, so we might draw a line on the side and make that the goal. With a four-year-old, the prize can't be TOO far away, or they lose momentum and interest.
Anyway, I'll let you know how the warm fuzzies jar works out for us, but for now, I'm excited to have one less sticker chart to maintain. The great thing about these puff balls is that they can be re-used once the jar is filled (or used for future projects). And that right there gives me the warm fuzzies! Huzzah!
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