UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
*~*~*

I bought this little brainstorming tool years ago at some writers’ conference. “Story Cubes” is a brainstorming game. You roll the dice and whatever pictures appear, face-up, are the ones you use to riff off a story.

To make this fun, I’ll offer a prize—a $5 Amazon gift card—good for purchasing one or two stories…

Have fun with this! Don’t overthink! Here’s the roll… (Ignore the gray hair! 🙂 )

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom2003!
*~*~*

I haven’t done a recap in a while, and I think I need to reinstitute the habit! It keeps me honest about what I’ve accomplished, and if you’re paying attention, it gives you something to nag me about!

February

Work-related:

1. I began the month working on my next Montana Bounty Hunter story, Mica, but halted work abruptly due to an injury I’ll talk about below.
2. I did complete editing all the Silver Soldiers stories, and my sister and I worked on a cover for Silver Soldiers! Plus, it’s up for pre-order!
3. I completed only 2 editing projects for other authors in January. Again, the injury severely impacted my ability to place my hands on my keyboard.

Health-related:

1. On February 10th, I fell down the basement stairs and broke a bone in my right hand. I spent the rest of the month wearing a splint (thank goodness the doctor gave me the option of a splint rather than a hard cast!). After that, I had limited use of my hand. I could edit, but writing wasn’t an option. I was just too slow.
2. After the fall, I also experienced more issues with my blood pressure. It’s been spiking horribly. To the point, I have to keep Clonidine in my medicine cabinet when it does get above a certain level. I was also given a higher dose of my hypertension medicine. Since then, I’ve gone back on Weight Watchers and cut salt dramatically. So far, I’ve lost 5 pounds, and I’m beginning to see my BP come down. Not enough, but it isn’t scaring me now!
3. As for physical activity, I’m not doing enough. I’m feeling tired all the time. Which I know has to do with my weight, meds, a little depression due to my hand injury. I’m trying not to nap during the day, and that need has waned.

Happiness-related: 

1. I haven’t been to local art guild or humanities council meetings. So, no mingling with real people. I use the excuse that I can’t do my hair right, or I’m grumpy because of my splint, or that work takes me longer to accomplish each day because I’m in splint. All excuses.
2. I did decide to participate in the #the100dayproject art online art challenge despite my injury. Art has been the only highlight of the month. Here are a few of my February pieces…

 

 

March

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete Mica! It will release March 28th come hell or high water!
2. To complete a short story for the Silver Soldiers anthology. And to prod my sister into finishing hers!
3. To complete 3 editing projects in March!

For health related, I plan:

1. To keep counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet (I hate that word) and hopefully shed at least another 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
3. To get the pool cleaned up so that the minute the water is warm enough, I’ll be swimming (hopefully by mid-April).
4. To begin walking and counting my steps.
5. I’ll re-dedicate myself to doing more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster. And cleaning is exercise, right?

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue producing some small piece of art every day as part of #the100dayproject.
2. Try to complete one of the many already paid-for online art classes I’ve lined up to do.
3. To blog about art (on my Emerald Casket site) just to keep myself honest!
4. To work toward re-opening my Etsy store!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
*~*~*

I know some of y’all are still dealing with freezing temperatures and snow on the ground, but we’re getting 70-degree weather this week, so our family’s thoughts are turning to Spring Cleaning!

I thought it might be fun to list the things that pop into my mind which constitute Spring Cleaning here on our little farm. We have to get the pool cleaned up, pressure wash the mold and “green stuff” off the outside of buildings, finish preparing the chicken coop for the chicks we’ve been raising—so far, all 18 are thriving! Plus, all the yard and housework that has to be done.

Maybe I left something off the list. Maybe you have other chores you incorporate into your springtime routine. For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me if any of the things I listed fit your routine or if you have items you need to add to the list! Enjoy the puzzle!

It’s Monday. I have an appointment with the doctor regarding my hand. I’m hoping he’ll say I don’t have to wear the splint anymore. I still get twinges when I turn my hand a certain way or hold something heavy (a full coffee cup!). Maybe he’ll tell me I can take it off when I type. That would be enough to make me very, very happy.

I mentioned before that my dd and I went to the flea market with two of the kids last Saturday. Thought I’d share a couple of our found “treasures.” This first one is a ceramic cup from Germany dating back to the 90s. No real value here, but we collect this sort of thing and use them. I have a very nice set of pottery dishes I bought when I was stationed there, so it’s a nostalgic treasure for us both.

Then there’s this mustachioed man.

My daughter collects vintage Pyrex and has joined all kinds of online Pyrex groups. Some of the avid collectors decorate their display cabinets with vintage ceramic figurines. She found this man-with-a-moustache cup, and when she Googled it, she discovered it’s highly collectable. It’s called something like the “gay moustache man.” A cookie jar of this pattern sold for over $300, so she thinks the 2 bucks she paid was well-spent, and doesn’t he look cute in the cabinet?

My best find was an antique book with yellowed pages and illustrations. Something about a boy who goes on a journey to become a knight. The pages are falling out of it and are very brittle, so I won’t feel the least bit guilty about tearing them out for collaging. I also found a Japanese divided bowl with a pretty, ornate cover. I figure I will use it on my beading table to store something. Just because it’s a workspace doesn’t mean it can’t be pretty. (Not that it is now. It’s a junky mess!)

Anyways, it’s Monday. Time to get my butt in gear. I have tons to accomplish! Do you have a lot on your plate to accomplish, too?

Open Contests

1. Sunday Tarot (Contest) — Win a hand-painted bookmark!
2. Gabbi Black: Romances Around the World! (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
3. Sliding-Puzzle Challenge: Woman Fleeing Dragon (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Why is she leaving…? — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Cover Reveal for Silver Soldiers! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

The seventh A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology is coming soon! This time the theme is mature warriors—those ex-military silver fox soldiers! The stories are short and very, very sexy!

In the coming weeks, the authors who contributed stories will be stopping in at the Delilah’s Collections website to chat about their stories and what inspired them. There will be contests! In fact, there’s one running on that website now. Go check it out! There’s a $10 GC to win!  Delilah’s Collections

Also, be sure to pre-order your copy now! This thick, juicy collection of 14 short stories will cost you only $0.99! Pre-order your copy of Silver Soldiers now!

UPDATE: The winner is…Sara DoMoe!
*~*~*

It’s Saturday! I’m taking a break from work today to head to the flea market with the girls (my daughter and two granddaughters). We love our “treasure hunts.”

While I’m flitting about, I have a puzzle for you!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me why she is leaving. Have fun!

Also, take a peek at yesterday’s art challenge! I know, I know, I shouldn’t share these every day, but I’m having so much fun!

Good morning! I got a later start than usual because I spilled a full tumbler of water on my desktop. My cursing scared the cats. My desktop is a little crowded, so I was quickly moving items to the floor before I ran for a towel. Then because the desktop was clean, I got out the Old English and gave the desk its annual “oiling.” I had to toss a couple of notepads, and I’m drying some photos with paperweights to flatten them back out. I don’t need that kind of excitement. Isn’t it sad that soaking my desk constitutes excitement in my life?

Anyways, work is coming along. I didn’t get to write any new pages yesterday, but I made great progress on an editing job. I also played with paint, which was my day’s shining highlight. I’m sharing one of the results below. Sorry, I know you’re readers and would rather hear about books, but this is my blog and my life. So there! 🙂

Open Contests

1. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes — Hannah Elias (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! Happy World Pangolin Day! — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Sunday Tarot (Contest) — Win a hand-painted bookmark!
4. Gabbi Black: Romances Around the World! (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
5. Little Update, Minimal Whining, and Giveaway Reminder! — This offer ends soon! Everyone, pick up your free copy right now!
6. Sliding-Puzzle Challenge: Woman Fleeing Dragon (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift certificate!

I promise not to share my art every day, but I’m at the start of the 100-day challenge, and I’m excited!

#100DayProject — Day 2

Broken hand…splint in the way…what could I do? I decided to get out the Gelli plates and used my daughter’s wilting flowers to smash into paint and see what I could get. I love this. The picture doesn’t do it justice. There’s so much detail in the chrysanthemums’ petals. Plus, there’s glare from the overhead light, so you can’t really see the depth of color (magenta, Indian yellow, cadmium orange). For most of my monoprints, I only plan to cut them up for collaging, but I’m tempted to cut a larger section of this to glue to a piece of thick art paper and frame it. But it will need a title. Any suggestions?