Three People That Dutch is Going to Look Like if He Keeps Losing His Hair
1. Yul Brynner
2. Patrick Stewart
3. Mr. Clean
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A List for Tuesday
Three People That Dutch is Going to Look Like if He Keeps Losing His Hair
1. Yul Brynner
2. Patrick Stewart
3. Mr. Clean
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Ode to Julie
This blog is in honor of my super-awesome friend Julie. Julie and I met a few years ago in our American Sign Language class. We hit it off and have been pals ever since. Then one random day she up and moved to New York City, abandoning me for the Big Apple! But it was okay because then we moved to Pennsylvania and we were close again.I am thankful for Julie because she is very smart and funny and we have the same taste in books and movies and TV shows. Not to mention she introduced me to the website Hulu where I could watch all the shows that I don't get on my TV (which is every show except Pushing Daisies).
Anyway, I was feeling all grateful for Julie and the fact that she's come to visit me twice and I just wanted to share it with everyone. I love you Just Julie!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Favorite Picture Friday
A year ago yesterday my baby girl Coco died of unknown causes. This Favorite Picture Friday is in honor of her. Isn't she the cutest?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Baby Updates
Dutch is starting to talk a lot more now. It makes me laugh! When Chris comes home from school it's literally like Dutch is filling him in on the day. They have their own little secret language; Chris will make these weird noises and Dutch will "talk" back with the same noises.
He also discovered his reflection today and was fascinated by it.
Dutch and I exercise together now. I got on the Fit Pregnancy website and found some Mommy and Baby exercises and we do them every day. Dutch thinks they're so funny! He especially loves it when I do push-ups over him, he loves me getting closer and farther away.
I have started up with a new website called Moms Like Me (www.momslikeme.com). I'm on the Pittsburgh part of the site and it's been really great to get to know some other Pennsylvania moms. It's a nice place to make some other mom friends and I would suggest that everyone look up their local chapter of Moms Like Me.
When I was looking through Dutch's clothes it reminded me how many wonderful things we were given. Thank you all again for the cute clothes that you gave him--he is a well-dressed bubba!
He's still going bald, and it's actually increasing now. He is losing chunks of hair every time I comb his hair and whenever he's in his little head-holder thing in his carseat. I wonder if he'll stay bald for a while or get hair right back once it all falls out.
I think that's all for now! We might have a video to post tomorrow! You'll have to look and see!
He also discovered his reflection today and was fascinated by it.
Dutch and I exercise together now. I got on the Fit Pregnancy website and found some Mommy and Baby exercises and we do them every day. Dutch thinks they're so funny! He especially loves it when I do push-ups over him, he loves me getting closer and farther away.
I have started up with a new website called Moms Like Me (www.momslikeme.com). I'm on the Pittsburgh part of the site and it's been really great to get to know some other Pennsylvania moms. It's a nice place to make some other mom friends and I would suggest that everyone look up their local chapter of Moms Like Me.
When I was looking through Dutch's clothes it reminded me how many wonderful things we were given. Thank you all again for the cute clothes that you gave him--he is a well-dressed bubba!
He's still going bald, and it's actually increasing now. He is losing chunks of hair every time I comb his hair and whenever he's in his little head-holder thing in his carseat. I wonder if he'll stay bald for a while or get hair right back once it all falls out.
I think that's all for now! We might have a video to post tomorrow! You'll have to look and see!
Book Review
This is a little unprecedented, but I am going to review two books at once, since they are on similar topics.
Books: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King; Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
Self-Editing was recommended to me by some people in my Writing Popular Fiction program and Techniques was recommended by my fabulous mentor Anne Harris! Both books have been beneficial to my writing, but I definitely got WAY more out of Techniques. And for being written by editors I found it ironic that Self-Editing had quite a few mistakes in the text.
First I'll talk about Self-Editing: This book was probably about 3/4 examples, which is fine except that most of them were not super beneficial. Towards the end I began skipping about every other example, because there were just so many of them! There were also a lot of exercises at the end that were redundant and (I thought) unhelpful. Some of the chapters seemed to cover the same topics too. I wouldn't recommend this book to any other writers to buy, but it would be good to read once--maybe checking it out from the library.
Good parts about Self-Editing: It's very easy to read. Because it's written by editors it gives a different perspective from most writing help books. It gives a lot of good advice about things to focus on before you send it to anyone else to look at. Just by reading it I was able to see certain things that I was doing wrong that I will now be able to notice and fix. Very good to read, but I won't be going back to it again and again like other writing books.
Now for Techniques: I cannot say enough about this book! I'll start with what I didn't like though (the list is shockingly short)--it was pretty expensive for a paperback, but worth every penny. Also I was pretty annoyed by what he said about heroines: "Her main function in a story is to serve as part of the hero's reward for being indomitable." This definitely shows the time period he was writing in, but it still rankled me that women are looked as "reward" for anyone.
Now for the good stuff: I took more notes in the margin than I ever have in any book before. A lot of you know about my Princess Adelaide fairy tale that I have been writing for years now and this book helped me FINALLY figure out my plot problem that had been preventing me from finishing the trilogy! There was so much good advice in here that I've already started re-reading it (using a different color high-lighter) to find what I had missed the first go round. I also really loved the fact that he didn't put in examples, but instead tells you how to use any book you want as an example! I don't even know what else to say without giving paragraph after paragraph of quote from the book. I will say that he helped me find my way to plot and that enabled me to become re-invigorated with the story that I'm writing for my Master's.
In short, if you are a writer or would like to be one you HAVE to read Dwight Swain's, Techniques of the Selling Writer!
Happy reading!
Books: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne & Dave King; Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain
Self-Editing was recommended to me by some people in my Writing Popular Fiction program and Techniques was recommended by my fabulous mentor Anne Harris! Both books have been beneficial to my writing, but I definitely got WAY more out of Techniques. And for being written by editors I found it ironic that Self-Editing had quite a few mistakes in the text.
First I'll talk about Self-Editing: This book was probably about 3/4 examples, which is fine except that most of them were not super beneficial. Towards the end I began skipping about every other example, because there were just so many of them! There were also a lot of exercises at the end that were redundant and (I thought) unhelpful. Some of the chapters seemed to cover the same topics too. I wouldn't recommend this book to any other writers to buy, but it would be good to read once--maybe checking it out from the library.
Good parts about Self-Editing: It's very easy to read. Because it's written by editors it gives a different perspective from most writing help books. It gives a lot of good advice about things to focus on before you send it to anyone else to look at. Just by reading it I was able to see certain things that I was doing wrong that I will now be able to notice and fix. Very good to read, but I won't be going back to it again and again like other writing books.
Now for Techniques: I cannot say enough about this book! I'll start with what I didn't like though (the list is shockingly short)--it was pretty expensive for a paperback, but worth every penny. Also I was pretty annoyed by what he said about heroines: "Her main function in a story is to serve as part of the hero's reward for being indomitable." This definitely shows the time period he was writing in, but it still rankled me that women are looked as "reward" for anyone.
Now for the good stuff: I took more notes in the margin than I ever have in any book before. A lot of you know about my Princess Adelaide fairy tale that I have been writing for years now and this book helped me FINALLY figure out my plot problem that had been preventing me from finishing the trilogy! There was so much good advice in here that I've already started re-reading it (using a different color high-lighter) to find what I had missed the first go round. I also really loved the fact that he didn't put in examples, but instead tells you how to use any book you want as an example! I don't even know what else to say without giving paragraph after paragraph of quote from the book. I will say that he helped me find my way to plot and that enabled me to become re-invigorated with the story that I'm writing for my Master's.
In short, if you are a writer or would like to be one you HAVE to read Dwight Swain's, Techniques of the Selling Writer!
Happy reading!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A List for Tuesday
Five Things More Important To Me Than Money (Even Though We're Broke)
(in no particular order)
1. My husband Chris
2. My son Dutch
3. My dog Bo
4. My writing notebook
5. My cozy blanket
(in no particular order)
1. My husband Chris
2. My son Dutch
3. My dog Bo
4. My writing notebook
5. My cozy blanket
Monday, September 22, 2008
Baby Sizes Suck
Every time I do laundry I put away anything that Dutch has grown out of and replace it with something from his drawer that he's about to fit into. While doing this today I realized how much baby sizes suck. There are some Newborn things that he still hasn't fit into, while he's almost grown out of some 3-6 month onesies. Even different clothes in the same brand seem to follow no discernible sizing chart. It's stupid and frustrating and it must stop!
I'm pretty sure it's a conspiracy to drive otherwise sane mothers crazy.
I'm pretty sure it's a conspiracy to drive otherwise sane mothers crazy.
Bald Baby
Dutch is going bald! Every time Chris kisses him on the head he gets a mouthful of hair. I read somewhere that blondes and redheads often lose their hair by three months and then it will slowly grow back in. I guess we'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, check out my poor bald baby:
Before
After
Before
AfterFriday, September 19, 2008
Favorite Picture Friday
This was taken in London at a museum there.
If you can't read it, the sucker says "Pollution stinks."
If you can't read it, the sucker says "Pollution stinks."
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wicked-ly Expensive
On October 3rd Chris and I will celebrate five tumultuous years of marriage. That might sound like a strange way to describe it, but it seems the most fitting. Anyway, our friend Michelle said that she would be happy to watch Dutchie for us so that we could go out for our anniversary. I thought that was really sweet of her and I decided to look into getting tickets for the musical Wicked which is in Pittsburgh right now.
I don't know if I'm naive or if I've just been able to find good deals in the past, but the tickets are ridiculously expensive! We can't even afford ONE ticket, let alone two! So I'm going to have to come up with something else for us to do to celebrate.
In other news, Dutch is growing so much! He has this wonderful little play-gym that we bought for him at IKEA. He lays on it and looks up at the toys and it's so fun to watch him try to control his little arms to grab them. I've tried to get video, but Dutch always lays perfectly still until I put away the video camera away. I guess he doesn't want anyone else to see him playing until he can grab them and hold on!
I don't know if I'm naive or if I've just been able to find good deals in the past, but the tickets are ridiculously expensive! We can't even afford ONE ticket, let alone two! So I'm going to have to come up with something else for us to do to celebrate.
In other news, Dutch is growing so much! He has this wonderful little play-gym that we bought for him at IKEA. He lays on it and looks up at the toys and it's so fun to watch him try to control his little arms to grab them. I've tried to get video, but Dutch always lays perfectly still until I put away the video camera away. I guess he doesn't want anyone else to see him playing until he can grab them and hold on!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Bailey Nose
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A List For Tuesday
Five Things I Love About Fall
1. The leaves changing colors.
2. The smell of fires in fireplaces.
3. Earlier sunrises.
4. Back-to-school shopping.
5. Sweater weather.
1. The leaves changing colors.
2. The smell of fires in fireplaces.
3. Earlier sunrises.
4. Back-to-school shopping.
5. Sweater weather.
Frankenstein Baby
This picture is for Hayden, Aunt Heidi, and Grandma Kellie who all love love love Halloween!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Snazzy New Feature
Just wanted to direct your attention to the handy dandy new counter that I added. It's a snazzy shade of orange and I think it's kind of a nice addition.
That is all.
That is all.
Book Review
Book: The Magic Circle by Donna Jo Napoli
Although I finished this book over a month ago I waited until now to review it because I had think about it. I really enjoyed this book, but I had to figure out why. It's barely over 100 pages long, but it tells such a rich and distinct story-line. In fact, you could make the argument that it tells TWO distinct story-lines.
This is the second book that I've read of Donna Jo Napoli's; the other was Zel, her re-telling of Rapunzel and I really loved that book too. The Magic Circle is a re-telling of Hansel & Gretel and, like Zel, is told from the witch's perspective. We all know how Hansel & Gretel ends, and this book is no exception, but it is such a surprising release that you have to read it to experience it.
The book, obviously, centers around goodness and witchcraft and choosing God above all. It's about resisting tempation, but it's not moralizing in a heavy-handed way, it's just matter-of-fact. I think that Napoli is able to do this because it is written from a first-person point-of-view and the character is so simplistic in her view of right and wrong, that it never comes off as condescending.
What I learned about writing: You can make a "bad" character good and vice-versa. If you are talented enough you can tell an in-depth tale in 100 pages. I'm actually going to go back and read this again and again to figure out how she was able to tell such a vivid story in such a small book. Her lyrical use of prose is something else I would love to be able to emulate. It will also be a good "handbook" to learn about unique use of voice; an excellent use of first-person POV; and making a seemingly unlikable protaganist the heroine of the story. This book really amazed me in so many ways and I can't wait to read it again--and get everyone else to read it!
Happy reading!
Although I finished this book over a month ago I waited until now to review it because I had think about it. I really enjoyed this book, but I had to figure out why. It's barely over 100 pages long, but it tells such a rich and distinct story-line. In fact, you could make the argument that it tells TWO distinct story-lines.
This is the second book that I've read of Donna Jo Napoli's; the other was Zel, her re-telling of Rapunzel and I really loved that book too. The Magic Circle is a re-telling of Hansel & Gretel and, like Zel, is told from the witch's perspective. We all know how Hansel & Gretel ends, and this book is no exception, but it is such a surprising release that you have to read it to experience it.
The book, obviously, centers around goodness and witchcraft and choosing God above all. It's about resisting tempation, but it's not moralizing in a heavy-handed way, it's just matter-of-fact. I think that Napoli is able to do this because it is written from a first-person point-of-view and the character is so simplistic in her view of right and wrong, that it never comes off as condescending.
What I learned about writing: You can make a "bad" character good and vice-versa. If you are talented enough you can tell an in-depth tale in 100 pages. I'm actually going to go back and read this again and again to figure out how she was able to tell such a vivid story in such a small book. Her lyrical use of prose is something else I would love to be able to emulate. It will also be a good "handbook" to learn about unique use of voice; an excellent use of first-person POV; and making a seemingly unlikable protaganist the heroine of the story. This book really amazed me in so many ways and I can't wait to read it again--and get everyone else to read it!
Happy reading!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
My Baby is Cuter Than Yours
Here are some pictures that we took of Dutch "relaxing" on his boppy. The last one is my favorite, I think you'll see why!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Technologically Cured
For a few days there we were Technologically Crippled. Our internet card broke on Wednesday. Chris and I were surprised at how much time we actually spent online.
Anyway, I'm back now and I will post some more pictures of the baby tomorrow.
Anyway, I'm back now and I will post some more pictures of the baby tomorrow.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Baby Blessing Pictures Part 2
Here they are at last! They are self-explanatory enough that I won't add anything else.
A List for Tuesday
Five Things I Learned Yesterday
1. Babies want to be held the most when their Mama is folding laundry... or doing dishes... or trying to write a book.
2. Even though a baby wants to be held, sometimes they are better off getting a nap.
3. Dutch finds it equal parts scary and funny when Bo runs into his car-seat while he's in it.
4. Bo doesn't understand spanking. He thinks I'm just patting him and wags his tail for more.
5. A baby can sleep 4 nights in a row and then decide to get up 5 times on the 5th night.
1. Babies want to be held the most when their Mama is folding laundry... or doing dishes... or trying to write a book.
2. Even though a baby wants to be held, sometimes they are better off getting a nap.
3. Dutch finds it equal parts scary and funny when Bo runs into his car-seat while he's in it.
4. Bo doesn't understand spanking. He thinks I'm just patting him and wags his tail for more.
5. A baby can sleep 4 nights in a row and then decide to get up 5 times on the 5th night.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Baby Blessing Picture
For some reason this is the only picture that Blogger will let me load. I've tried for the last couple of days, but no dice. I'll try to post the other blessing day pictures as soon as I can. Enjoy this one though.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Favorite Picture Friday
Here are some pictures of one of the cutest kids ever, my nephew Noah.
Noah giving me loves at Hogle Zoo.
Looking like a drunk Dick Cheney.
Baby Noah all weared out.
Looking handsome before church.
With his cousin Bella and his very beautiful Aunt Heather.
Noah giving me loves at Hogle Zoo.
Looking like a drunk Dick Cheney.
Baby Noah all weared out.
Looking handsome before church.
With his cousin Bella and his very beautiful Aunt Heather.Thursday, September 4, 2008
Mean People Suck
Okay, so I don't know if I'm just extra sensitive lately, or if people are getting meaner. In the last few days I've had to deal with a lot of people over the phone or at stores and an astounding amount have been really rude to me! I'm not sure what's going on, but the other day I came home and was just about to cry because everyone that I had come in contact with had treated me like garbage. I just don't understand how people can be that way. I'm sorry you've lost the passion for your job--don't take it out on me!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Fat Guy in a Little Coat
We went to the doctor today for Dutch's 2 month check-up. We got a little fatty on our hands! He weighed a whopping 10 lbs 12 oz, meaning that in the last month he's gained 3 lbs 4 oz! He grew from 21 3/4 inches to 23 inches and his head grew from 35 whatever (centimeters?) to 38.
Dr. Shaver said that he's growing great and that everything looks good. He got two shots and one oral vaccine today and he's understandably upset about this. I think he's mad at us, but he'll get over it. Dr. Shaver was as amazed as everybody else at how much Dutch eats--I breastfeed him about every two hours and in between each feeding he eats 2 to 3 ounces of formula!
Anyway, our little pup is growing big and he'll go to the doctor again in two months. Hopefully he'll keep growing big and strong!
Dr. Shaver said that he's growing great and that everything looks good. He got two shots and one oral vaccine today and he's understandably upset about this. I think he's mad at us, but he'll get over it. Dr. Shaver was as amazed as everybody else at how much Dutch eats--I breastfeed him about every two hours and in between each feeding he eats 2 to 3 ounces of formula!
Anyway, our little pup is growing big and he'll go to the doctor again in two months. Hopefully he'll keep growing big and strong!
A List for Tuesday
Five Things That Annoy Me About Myself
(in no particular order)
1. I procrastinate
2. When things I like become too popular I find that I don't like them as much
3. I over-think and over-analyze everything
4. Although I have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else I feel like I don't get as much done as other people
5. I hate how long it takes me to get ready for the day! Honestly, you think I could cut down my bathroom mirror time, but nope!
(in no particular order)
1. I procrastinate
2. When things I like become too popular I find that I don't like them as much
3. I over-think and over-analyze everything
4. Although I have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else I feel like I don't get as much done as other people
5. I hate how long it takes me to get ready for the day! Honestly, you think I could cut down my bathroom mirror time, but nope!
Monday, September 1, 2008
My Cutie Baby
Here are some pictures of Dutch from the last week or so. These are only the ones we took with the digital camera--the film from our regular camera is being developed, so those will come later. Enjoy!
Dutchie sleeping on GaGa.
Getting a kiss from PopPop.
Dutchie totally rocking his plaid shoes.
Wearing his "Little Firecracker" onesie.
Dutchie on PopPop's lap.
Dutchie sleeping on GaGa.
Getting a kiss from PopPop.
Dutchie totally rocking his plaid shoes.
Wearing his "Little Firecracker" onesie.
Dutchie on PopPop's lap.
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