Damn real life… always getting in the way

I haven’t been blogging much as of late. Sitting at the computer for long periods of time is uncomfortable–hurt shoulder, rotator cuff (this time it’s the left shoulder, and now because I’ve been over-compensating my right shoulder is hurting again). But the good news is: I see the specialist today at 1:30. YAY! Finally to finally finding out what the hell is wrong with my shoulders. Arthritis? Overuse/overworked? Combination of the two? Age? Torn rotator cuff? All of the above? Who the hell knows, but I will find out in a few hours.

I’ve also been busy trying to keep up with preparing for Camp NaNoWriMo in July, as well art journaling, and not for nothing, July is going to be a busy month for me. Not only is Camp going on in July, but #onebookjuly2015 is going on (this where you only use one book for your planning, journaling, what-have-you; and one pen for one month). My birthday is also this month, and we’re going on vacation this month, as well as replacing the flooring in our kitchen and dining room. Yay for goals and accomplishments–hope we accomplish all of it.

I’ve been vlogging a bit so if you check out the videos I’ve included there’s much more info. It’s a bit easier to talk to a camera some days than it is to type out posts, but I’ve really been missing my blog. And with Camp NaNo starting tomorrow I HAVE to blog. It’s just necessary.

Plus I’m really excited about the novel I’ll be revising for Camp. I started it in a previous NaNo, and took a long hiatus from it and when I picked it up and read it I realized it wasn’t bad at all. It’s actually quite good (not being egotistical here, it takes a great deal for me to say something I’ve written is good–I’m my own worst critic/enemy.

So that’s what’s been going on. You’ll be seeing a lot more of me now. 😀

 

Things are blooming around here

Our roses are blooming. I’m so excited.

Our roses are blooming.

But it’s not just our roses that are blooming–my writing is also blooming. 😀 YAY! Go me! I’m finally writing again.

It feels really good to be writing again. As I write this I’m waiting for my video on YT to upload– note to self: Do not save in the format I did this time ever again, from now on I will use the save as YT recommendation…

So here is the video.. This post would have been posted yesterday but the damn video took 6 hours to upload.

 

Coffee Chat

Good Morning! Grab yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat.

How are you? How was your week?

It’s been a hectic week, a weird one, and yet as chaotic as it has been I’ve actually gotten quite a bit accomplished. I figured out where I want to go with my main character–the character arc, and I did quite a bit of research about the practices of solitary witches, not to mention the information I’ve found about Wicca and other types of witchcraft. Basing my book off of real life paranormal incidents I’ve seen or experienced during my lifetime, but exaggerating them because it is FICTION is writing what I know combined with learning more/research, and I think that’s what makes this book so interesting and exciting to me.

I watched the trailer for “The Last Witch Hunter,” the new Vin Diesel movie that is coming out in October, and it looks really good. I’m a big fan of anything that includes paranormal and action combined. I looked to see if it was based on of a book, but from what I could find it’s not. On the subject of books, I finished watching the Longmire series on Netflix and am truly disappointed that they left it the way they did–I will be purchasing the books and finding out what happened. I hate a cliffhanger like that–ending a television series without closure should be illegal–they did it with Alphas too.

I need to find a laptop lap desk thing. I had one, but my son lost it. So now I need to get another one. I looked at a few on Amazon, but I think I’ll go to Staples, Walmart, and BestBuy so I can see them in person since my laptop is one of the bigger ones.

It’s time for another cup of coffee, or perhaps a refresher. And it’s time for me to start working on my art journal entry for today, plus I need to finish washing the dishes, and a few other things around the house. I’m a bit behind on housework because I couldn’t do very much this past week because of the tendonitis. My left shoulder is still hurting but it’s not as bad as it was, which is a good thing.

I’m off to write, then journal, then maybe write some more. I’m headed out on the road with Mr. Rockstar this afternoon. We’ll be back Monday evening. Hopefully, I’ll get some really good pictures, video, writing, and journaling done while we’re on the road. well, 2 or 3 out of 4 wouldn’t be bad anyway.

 

Tendonitis, Arthritis, NaNoWriMo-itis…

I finished Camp NaNoWriMo with 35K+ so I won, but I sure as hell didn’t finish my book. AND, I haven’t written anything more than a paragraph and a few notes since Camp NaNoWriMo ended.

What HAVE I been doing for the past two weeks?

I’ve been art journaling, organizing things around the house, DIY projects like planting a rosebed, painted our bench and planted a wisteria plant and azalea’s, along with painting the shutters and the front door. I cut the yard with a push lawn mower, and I cleaned the house and did laundry. All in a little over a week–injuring my shoulder–TENDONITIS–because I went and over did it. The official diagnosis was “overworked” my shoulder, last year it was the right one, this year it’s the left one. Damn getting old(er).

The BEFORE picture

The bench and wisteria before I painted it

Working on the rose bed

Up close of my blue bell roses

The after of the rose bed

Painted shutters and door

My blue bells blooming

SO I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve been doing. with you since right now I can’t do very much, wearing a sling isn’t comfortable but I am wearing it sometimes, and I’m on medication so I’m basically homebound for the most part. Yesterday, I did manage to spend the day with my daughter. We got pedicures, I got my manicure freshened up, and she went with to the grocery store and helped me, plus helped me unload all the groceries and cooked us dinner. She’s a sweetheart. Did I tell you her college graduation ceremony was last Friday? YEP. I’m such a proud Momma!

From Left to right: My son Doug, my daughter Maria, me, and Mr. Rockstar.

So here are the latest art journal entries…

And here is the latest video:

 

Not much writing this weekend…

So I didn’t get much writing done this weekend at all. Friday night or Saturday. A little bit of outlining and a couple of chapters on Saturday, but most of my writing was done during the day on Friday.

Friday:

And here is my Saturday:

And here is the Flip-Thru of my journal:

I am trying to catch up in my journal for the weekend, and working on videos, and writing, and blogging, and there’s just not enough time or enough of me to do everything. Some days I feel like I need 27 hours in a day instead of 24.

 

Finding Balance

Since I’ve been writing more, vlogging, and art journaling, I haven’t been writing as many posts on this blog. It seems that if I’m writing then I don’t post as much on my blog, if I am writing posts every day or at least frequently then I’m usually not writing (my novel-WIP) that much. I haven’t found my happy medium with all of it yet, but I’m working on it.

Yesterday I got my Mother’s Day present early: an Acer laptop (it was on sale half off) and a new Canon wireless printer, scanner, copier. I set up the printer, cleaned off my desk, and set up the laptop–I even downloaded Scrivener onto the laptop. The only thing I haven’t downloaded onto it yet is MS Office (that’s on today’s to-do list). I posted a vlog about it, but I didn’t post a picture to IG, FB, or anything else, just the video.

As I type this, I’m on hold with the insurance company–trying to find out why I’ve received several bills in the mail from my surgery–And it seems that they needed to make sure I don’t have any other insurance. Nope… Got that done and off my “to-do” list. Now, on to the next thing…

Writing is such a solitary endeavor most of the time, but between YT, FB, WP, and a a few writer friends (online) I don’t feel so alone. I read many of the blog posts that are in my feed on WP, but there I sit at my computer avoiding writing one of my own–“I don’t have time,” or I don’t know what to say, or I feel as if I don’t have any words left after writing so much for my novel. Staring at the blank pale blue screen of WP trying to come up with an idea for a blog post just seems too daunting some days. Other days something else comes up and I just never get around to it, BUT part of my goal for this year was to make things happen in all areas of my life, from completing DIY projects around the house to finishing my novel and beginning the editing process to writing at least one blog post a week, to planting flowers in the yard, to having surgery, to organizing the house, to getting rid of things I don’t use–don’t wear–that are broken, etc. I’ve done some of those things, and others I’m working on, but there are some I haven’t done and I know I can do better.

Accountability. Taking responsibility. Owning it. By writing this blog post I’ve done just that. Now it’s time to get rocking and rolling with my blog.

GOAL for BLOG: Post at least once per week. Keep track of posts so I don’t forget or push to the bottom of the “to-do” list.

Make it fun, and write about more than just “writing,” though there are days when the writing is really fun.

Till next time,

Have a good one 😀

 

A Day in the Life of a Writer/Harsh Reality Challenge

A fellow blogger posted a challenge–Harsh Reality Challenge, and I decided to take him up on it.

As a writer, blogger, vlogger, journaler, domestic goddess, and coffee addict I am aware of how glamourous many people believe a writer’s life should be, but isn’t.–it’s actually cluttered, chaotic, monotonous in some ways, and yet I love it.

I spend most of my time in here (my writing/creative room):

My desk

When I’m not in there I’m in here doing things like laundry, dishes, or cooking–most of which is done during my writing breaks.

On the occasions when I venture forth into the outside world here is my immediate environment:

Dogwoods across the street from me… Lovely view.

On the way to town…

One of my favorite stops

A little more from where I live:

The construction that’s been going on for over a year now on one of the major roads that leads to “Walmart,” “Starbucks,” “Michaels,” “TJMaxx” and “Lowes”… I’ll be so glad when they’re finished.

The sky across from Starbucks. (South Carolina).. November 2014…

And what I do during the day Various pictures of me writing over the past 3 years:

Reading my work

Ah… Coffee and writing

Camp NaNo

I’ll get back to writing, first I need coffee

Writing over the road…

Burgess Taylor: Coffee and Writing: #NaNoWriMo

Writing

Writing over the road with Mr. Rockstar

Okay… I know I should be writing instead of looking over there…

A little more of what I do during the day:

My laundry…

My ever progressing plot board.

So now you’ve seen what my life is like on a typical day… Not very glamorous I know, but I love my life.

There are a few great things here: Like Swan Lake

More of the Lake

Flower and lake

View of the Lake

My daughter and grandson

Sculpter

Flower

Boat Tour

Mr. Rockstar at Swan Lake

So now you’ve had a taste of what it’s like around here…

Thought the pictures would be better than my rambling on about a day in my life in South Carolina

 

An Update

An update on how I’m doing.. Sorry it’s late. I’ll have another post coming right after this one.

 

A Week and a Half after Surgery

This coming Tuesday marks two weeks since I had major surgery, and my check up is Wednesday and I am really hoping that he tells me I’ll be able to drive. I am so ready to drive. My mother-in-law took me the grocery store today, and there I was strolling through sitting in the motorized cart while my 73-year-old MIL pushed her buggy. She was going anyway, so it wasn’t an inconvenience for her to take me but damn I felt like such an invalid as I scooted around in the store in that motorized cart. I was glad I used the motorized cart by the time I got home because I was in pain, but it was a good thing because I felt alive again…Really alive. I’ve felt a bit like the walking dead the last week or so.

I tried to wear jeans for the first time since my surgery but that only lasted about an hour this morning–it was a no go–they were uncomfortable to the point of being painful, but I’ve been wearing leggings the last day or two now and I’m happy to be out of pajamas. For the first time in over a week I wore makeup Friday and it felt good. I felt like I was up and ready to do things but all I managed to do was make a vlog (see above), write a little, art journal some, read a bit, and take quite a few naps. I’m really good at the napping part.

It is quite difficult to ignore all the things you know need to be done, like laundry, dishes, sweeping, mopping, dusting, etc and just rest or walk right past what ever it is and keep on going like you didn’t see it. No, I didn’t see the pile of dishes in the sink, or the coat of dust on my furniture, or the crumbs on the floor. No, I didn’t see the pile of clothes that need to be put away in my bedroom (I am seriously putting those away tomorrow as soon as my husband is busy with something and won’t fuss at me).

Thankfully, my cousin is coming to stay with me for a few days because Mr. Rockstar is leaving Sunday for OTR for a couple of days and I need a bit of help. She has OCD, we’re close, and I won’t mind so much if she cleans up the tough stuff and I can at least do some of the simple things like fold clothes and put them away. I won’t do the hardwork, but at least I’ll be doing something even if it is just putting my undies and pajamas away my dress myself.

I know better than to do the actual housework. A friend said she tore her internal stitches doing dishes after surgery, so I’m being careful. But damn, I can run water into my dirty coffee mug, or pick up my own dirty clothes and put them in the hamper…Mr. Rockstar is busy, he works long hours most days and he can’t be expected to come home and cook, clean, and pick up after me. Though he was doing it my first week home.For the past few days I’ve been picking up after myself though, just not doing any actual housework. I have been tempted to do the dishes and at least sweep though. And if truth be told, I am not sure of how much longer I can take this invalid feeling–I am a doer. Sure I like to take a nap or laze about on a rainy day with a good book or even curl up with a blanket and watch Netflix for a few hours, but not all the time.

I’ve got to get some sleep, my parents and my cousin, as well as my daughter and grandson are all coming over tomorrow. After everyone leaves I’ll get some much needed writing done.

 

Roanoke

On the road with Mr. Rockstar. We’re in Roanoke, VA right now. I am writing while we travel…we saw the most beautiful sunrise this morning and I managed to get part of it on video with my camera. Will put the video together later and post it.