I want the number of that bus...

Man, I'm getting my butt handed to me this holiday season...

Juggling family messes and holiday drama while chasing a newly mobile toddler is wearing me out. Add my husband changing hours AND departments at work as he gets ready to go back to school for his job...well, let's just say if I was a coffee drinker I'd be seriously considering an IV for the stuff.

Coffee makes me pretty sick though, so instead I'm cutting back on everything I can to allow me to be less zombie-like and more functional. I won't be posting again until the end of January, but once I am, I should be back to a regular schedule until summer. At that point things are going to get crazy again, So I'm not sure if I'll be able to maintain a regular blogging pace, or not. 

I will probably keep posting at my art blog on wenesdays as I'm working on clearing a serious backlog of artwork in my studio. Plus, I'm hoping to bring in a little cash to make things easier for my family while we navigate these next few years of crazy job stuff.

That's not me complaining, by the way. The opportunity and possibilities have me pretty well floored, but while I'm excited to see what's going to happen...I need my quickly vanishing free-time to help keep me level. Art and writing fill that need nicely, but it means I may not have many chances to blog here.

 No matter what happens, though, I'll definitely keep writing. For now, I'll see you all in a few weeks. Bye!




~Sun and Moon

Surprise, surprise

Life is forever dropping new things in my lap long before I'm ready for them. My book was one(I was twelve and in no way good enough....it was a train wreck), my son was another.

The latest curve ball was a long time coming according to my husband, but a unpleasant surprise to me.

I am currently jobless.

Yup, this past week I was let go from my job of over six years thanks to a lack of compassion stemming from the loss of my little boy. I still haven't decided if I'm going to try to find a new job, or take it as a spiny gift and move on. The sudden change has charged my husband and I see him becoming more in a way he never has as he shoulders the responsibility this new turn of events has left him with.

In the meantime I've been forging ahead with art, jewelry, and writing. My book is in no way ready yet, but only time and work will change that. So while we wait to find out if our efforts to get my husband a better job will bear fruit, I've been hard at work doing what I can. I may vanish from the blog for a while, but I will still be writing.

I've found a couple of new beta readers and a person willing to heavily critique the romance element between several characters(don't worry, no heavy duty love triangles here). In between cleaning, organizing, and artwork I'll be hammering out those pesky edit notes and figuring a way to map out the main plot along with the subplots without turning it all into a tangled mess. 

I've been peeking ahead to books two and three in this trilogy and I can't wait to work with the characters there, but I need to lay the ground work now, and I need to do it right. So if I'm a little quiet over the next couple months, know that I'm not abandoning my blog or my writing, but rather I'm working hard on finally moving my story into the place I want it to be. Until I get it there, the blog is going to have to wait. I may be out of a job, but I still have a lot of work to do.

Wish me luck. :)


~Sun and Moon 

Maybe I spoke too soon

Remember how I said I'd survived the holiday season and implied I would no longer be squished on a daily basis?

Yeah, well....I take that back.

You see, we have had incredibly crappy weather this week. As in snow and freezing temperatures. Lots of snow. And there's supposed to be even more on its way. Awesome, right?

This has had the happy and predictable effect of sending most of my area into a panic, and then driving those same folks to buy food as if the apocalypse is about to occure.

Seriously, it's that bad.

Indeed, on average its been taking me almost an hour to escape my register(I'm a cashier in retail) and go clock out for the day. If there is anything edible stocked on our shelves come monday, it won't be for lack of customers, that's for sure.

So instead of curling up with my husband and working on edits for chapter sixteen this week, I've been trying my level best to survive the chaos. Which means getting home, scarfing down some food, relaxing for about an hour, and then passing out as the day hits home like a baseball bat to the back of the head.

Oh well, at least I'm sleeping really well. 

In the meantime, I'm also trying to clean up my apartment of the results of  post-holiday neglect(happens every year no matter what I try), so editing is going to be sluggish at best. On the other hand, my art is at a complete standstill, so at least edits are going somewhere instead of gathering dust.

Anyway, I better wrap this up. There's snow falling outside my window and a huge mug of tea waiting for me in the kitchen. After such a long work week, I'm determined to relax. It's time to enjoy good food and even better company while the world outside my window gets a fresh coat of white.

Care to join me?      


 
~Sun and Moon

Duck and cover

Holiday season has started to rear its ugly head at my place of employment and I find myself getting home totally exhausted almost every day. Or anti-social. Or--well, you get the idea.

I hate the mess that is the holiday season in retail. Bad moods abound and people practically kill each other in pursuit of things they never really needed in the first place.

Ugh.


Right now my husband, my art, and my writing are the factors keeping me sane as black friday and christmas begin to loom on the horizon(okay, so maybe that's a little melodramatic, but darn it, I really don't like the holidays...seriously). 

Anyway....I'm still making progress on my edit notes. I've had to do a few more drastic changes(at least they felt pretty drastic...ouch), and I'm once again wondering if I just messed up my story. I started chapter twelve this week and find while downtime is needed in chapters to balance out the story, I'm itching to get on to one of my favorite parts....two chapters on.

I really need to learn some patience...but at least this chapters notes aren't as vague as they were in earlier chapters. Thank goodness. I still can't believe I was that obtuse. How embarrassing.

And on that note, I better get back to work.


~Sun and Moon

Um, did I say that?

Ok, so for once we didn't end up at the farm on a sunday. Figures. I had a nifty post all written up and everything. Instead we goofed off and had fun....and now I'm using my new phone to post this blog. I didn't know it could do that.... o_O

Anyway, I've been picking away at the mess that is chapter 29, writting out edit notes and reworking some scenes entirely. The good news is I'm on the last half of the chapter at this point. The not-so-good-news is I'm definetly going to have to rewrite most of it.

Ugh.

This is supposed to be my last round of edits before starting book two, so I'm trying to thurough, but darnit if I don't just keep getting stuck instead. 

Well, at least theres more good news. By this coming sunday I should have internet back up and running. Which will be awesome. My new phone is nifty, but not that nifty.

And on that note, I'm off to tackle chapter 29 and its horrible messiness(sp?). I'll ctach you guys this coming sunday. 

Later,


 ~Sun and Moon

Somebody get me a mop...

Life is such a mess right now....but in a good way. 

Sort of.

Since my last post the moving thing has fallen apart(rather messily too) and my husband has bounced from an okay job, to a horrible one, to an even worse job, and finally into one he loves. It doesn't pay a whole lot, but seeing him come home smiling instead of fuming is worth the smaller paycheck. 

I'm back to working again. It was horrible and extremely rough going back to the place I'd spent so much time pregnant with my little boy. The memories, the questions and the pitying looks were like salted glass shards being rubbed into the wounds on my heart. Over time the glass became rough sandpaper, and now its just the deep ache of an old wound. I still break down and cry at random moments, but those moments are becoming fewer and every day I find myself with more reasons to smile.

My book is in its last stage of edits for the time being(I hope), and starting book two is starting to get a little closer to reality. I've been working on editing notes like a crazy person(no surprise there....aren't we all a little nuts for doing this?). So many "essential" bits of dialog and story have hit the floor and one chapter has an entirely new opening page(painful but true...ugh). 

I'm working on edit notes for chapter 28 this week along with two art commissions. The fat packet of already written notes at my elbow is very satisfying, but not enough to call it quits and take a break. I'm itching to write new material and the only way to satisfy that need to is to get cracking on these edits.


I've been able to get some fairly reliable access to the internet on sundays, so barring more messy life stuff, I should be back to regular updates over the next few weeks. In the meantime, I have a fresh page in my notebook and a chapter to edit. I'll be back next sunday(I hope).

Later, guys :)





~Sun and Moon

We interrupt your regularly scheduled program...

Because of the lack of funds, today is the last day we have internet. So no blogs posts for a while. Or at least, not until my husband either gets the job we're trying for, or someone takes pity on us and pays the bills for us. Hopefully it'll be the former rather then the latter. Internet will be a lot more fun when I can quit my job and start writing again. I feel so darned guilty posting such a lack of progress. Even logging on to check stuff makes me cringe. Of course, that may have to do with the big New Beginnings file sitting smack dab on the middle of my desktop screen.....maybe >_>


Anyway, I'll try to get to the library every now and again, but as work is trying to kill me(or just making sure I sleep reeaally well every night...take your pick), that is a slim to nothing possibility. In the meantime, I'll be praying that job turns up for my husband. Any prayers or kind thoughts you can spare for us are very welcome and most definitely appreciated. I hope to be back soon with loads of good news.



~Sun and Moon                                

Dreck sucks

So I spent about two hours on edits for chapter 29, trying to set that new scene....and then got stuck.

I'm happy to say this doesn't happen too horribly. Usually it's because I wrote in something that doesn't fit the characters in the scene. This means I need to go back over the darned thing and pull some of that two hours worth of work and start over.

Ugh.

I'll do that later though. Right now it's time to take a short break and do something else. Anything else. Maybe once it's had a chance to stew in the back of my head i'll know how to fix it. That's how it usually goes. I get frustrated and stalk off to do something I'd been putting off so I could finish edits...and then end up rushing back to the computer when the solution hits in the middle of doing dishes, or reading that book I got from the library. Thankfully our keyboard doesn't mind getting splattered with soapy water.

And on that note, I think I'll take a nap. As soon as I find my notebook and spare pen. After all, ideas tend to strike when you least expect it. :)


~Sun and Moon 

Yeah, about that

This is a bit of a rant. You've been warned....>_>



(Enter rant)------------------

Dear Blogger,

I would really appreciate it if you'd get a few things in gear. The first thing that comes to mind is the reply system for comments. Would it kill you to set things up so one knows when a reply is made to a comment thread you're involved in? Preferably WITHOUT having to sign away your email account in payment? Not to mention that it would be nice if my scheduled blog posts actually posted when scheduled instead of five hours later.

Yeah, get on that if you please.

Also, it wouldn't hurt if you could quit trying to get me to try your dandy new "Blogger Interface". The old one suits me fine. Especially since the new one is about as clear as mud. After spending my day dealing with modern day retail woes and hammering out both art and edits for my book...simple is best. Because spending five minutes just trying to find the darned button for one thing or another is not my idea of a good way to wind down for the day. No joke. 

Of course, I understand that these features may already be available and I'm just missing the boat. In which case, a little direction would not go amiss.

Think about it.

---------------------(end rant)



It's been a long week. My husband lost his job last tuesday and I've been doing what I can to pick up hours to make up for the loss of income while he looks for a job. The toll on us both is making itself known and I have never been less inspired or motivated to write. I'm trying, I really am, but you guys are going to have to be patient with me. 

Between one thing and another, I'm still picking away at edits as I try to adjust to crazy hours and handle the stress of hearing yet another company tell my husband "don't call us...we'll call you if we're interested" when he tries to call and check up on his application.

To be honest, it's not as bleak as it seems, but we've never been in this situation before and it's hitting us a little hard. 

Well, on that note I have to get going. I sold my self into slave labor for an easel this past wednesday. It's time to go pay up for the day.


~Sun and Moon   

Not today, folks

It's been a killer week what with my husband losing his job and all(its a long story), so I hope you guys don't mind if I bow out of writting a blog post today. I do, however, have a picture for you guys.

I finished this back when I first decided to tackle all my unfinished projects. Can anyone tell me who the white bull represents? Bonus points if you can say who the peacock feather symbolizes. ;) 




~Sun and Moon

I'll take a rain check please

This week has been nuts.Well and truly crazy. Not much of it is good, and what is good is getting buried under the mess.

Where to start?

Well tuesday afternoon I get a text from my husband that Ty, one of the family horses at the farm, had gone down. Ty was in bad shape and my husband was leaving work to help his mom keep Ty on his feet and moving till the vet could get there.

This one doesn't have a happy ending.

Late tuesday night, we found out that Ty had to be put down. He was twenty-nine years old, and he lived a good life with people who loved him. It was time. The autopsy later revealed that if he'd made it through that night, he would've been in a lot of pain very soon. I won't share the details here, but there is no doubt he was already running out of time. We never would have known and at least he didn't have to suffer long, but it still makes it bittersweet.

My husband called the next day off. The loss of a horse he'd known all his life hit him pretty hard. By thursday morning, things were looking up, and then it all hit the fan again. This time it was a phone call, not a text, and he wasn't the only one to leave his shift unfinished.

His dad had wrecked on his bike was in the hospital.

We rushed home just long enough to change clothes and switch cars. Food was grabbed on the way and we ate in the car, something we almost never do. It was an hour drive to the hospital he was at, and when we got there my husbands sister gave us the details.

His dad was hurt bad, but he would be ok. A lot of broken bones and some bad lacerations, but they didn't think he'd need surgery. After staying for about four hours, we head home exhausted and collapsed.

Yeah....it's been a rough week.

I haven't gotten far in edits or artwork lately, not with all the constant craziness, but hopefully that'll change and this next week will be calm and reletively quiet.

I can hope, right?

Prayers for our family is appreciated. I may do a wordless wednesday, but I'm not sure. Right now all I want to do is sleep.


~Sun and Moon

 

Meh

No post today, guys. I was up till around 2am last night helping some folks to shear their new llama(I will try to find pictures...my phone kinda sucks for that kind of thing and I forgot my camera at home), and then went to a family cook out at noon today. There was also a trip to the thrift store, which was fun. However, I am wiped out. All I want to do is play some Sims 3, cuddle with my husband, work on some art, and do some book edits before I crash for the night.

And on that note, I'll catch you later. There may be a wordless wednesday post this week, but I make no promises as the art I'm working on right now is fighting me. 

Maybe I'll post llama photos instead. Hm....>_>


~Sun and Moon         .

Ways a ruin a good day

Misplace your phone the day before, not worried because you can just have your husband call it later.

Wake up the next morning to realize you really don't have a clue where it could possibly be and ask husband to call it.

Husband gets your voicemail. 

Start looking for dead phone in a house that really ought to be cleaned. After searching all the usual places, including the art mess you left in the living room last night after working on art that was to be finished TODAY, you come up empty.

Proceed to use some choice words and check the car.

Nothing.

Eat lunch and try to remember when you had you phone yesterday. The good news is both you and your husband remember you having it at home after work. Bad news is you still have no idea where you left it.

The book sale you wanted to go to today is half over at this point. You can't even go visit the friend you were planning to see today, because the address to his new place is on your missing phone. 

Throw a book at a wall and stalk down the hall. Slam the door behind you and have a small break down because you STILL can't find your damned phone.

Realize you haven't written your blog post for the day and since there's no way you'll be able to finish chapter twenty-eight while you're feeling the need to strangle something, there's really no point in waiting.

Stare at empty screen for all of two minutes and start typing.

Post.


And that, my friends, is how good days go bad. Pardon me while I go clean my apartment and resist the urge to cause serious bodily harm. Regular, more cheerful posts will resume next sunday.


~Sun and Moon   

Do you smell something burning?

This week has been hell and I have the scorch marks on my backside to prove it.

Seriously though, it has been one headache after another and I'm feeling more like a piece of burnt toast, then a human being. None of the issues I've face have to do with chapter twenty-eight, though. Mostly because I decided to go back and read from chapter one onward to help me find my feet. This means I get to reread all my favorite scenes and remember what I got right. It also means I'm realizing just how much work I need to put into those beginning chapters. Trust me when I say it's not pretty.

That will have to wait a while yet, however, as I don't plan to tackle those bits until I've managed to finish my current round of edits. Hopefully I'll be done with my reread and be putting twenty-eight to bed this wensday.

In the meantime, I managed to blow off some steam yesterday without damaging anything other then a hay bale or two. My husband and I grabbed our bows and headed to the farm to see just how bad we were. To be fair, my husband is a pretty good shot with his compound bow. I shoot a long bow, and let me tell you...I can hit what I'm aiming at about half the time. The other half is me chasing down the arrows that managed to miss the target. One of these days I'll get some lessons and shoot for real, but until then, it's a good way to burn off your frustrations.

It's also a way to get some serious exercise, because when we weren't drawing our bows or chasing down stray arrows, we were shooing the farm cats away from or hay bale target. Also, the goats kept getting in the way. After the millionth time of shooing them away, I told my husband that maybe we should get a foam hunting target for this kind of thing. He just smiled and pointed out the fact of how our place of employment hasn't had any in stock for a while. The hay bale would have to do for now. I just sighed and went back to chasing cats and goats.

So there you have it. A week of hell followed by a sunny day filled with bow, arrows, nosy cats, and hungry goats. It's been a while since I've posted late, but considering the circumstances, I'm just happy to be posting at all.

And on that note, I'm off to relax with my husband before I head to work.

Later, guys.



~Sun and Moon
  

Is this thing on?

First I'd like to thank Shell flower over at Tangent Shell for the Versatile Blogger and Kreativ Blogger awards she sent my way last week. It was a very pleasant surprise to say the least. Thanks again!

Also, to those of you who left me little "get well soon" comments, thanks. I'm feeling much better. Today I'll be putting my bucket to better use as I work to get my apartment looking a little less ragged.

In other news, I've been kind of a ghost when it comes to the internet as I continue to chip away at chapter twenty-eight. I've hit several new snags, but after fighting with them off and on over the past few days, it looks like I should have this chapter in the bag sooner rather then later. I would've tried to wrap it up last night, but I'd already spent about three hours worth of time hammering it out while I was at work. I don't know about anyone else, but my brain can only take so much abuse before it runs up the white flag. So instead of doing more work on chapter twenty-eight, I spent the evening with my husband and we watched the Dresden Files dvds I got from the library.

And on that note, I'm off to get started. My husband gets off fairly early today and I still need to clean. Plus I promised homemade pasta and fudgy brownies for dinner tonight. If I want to get it all done in time to wrap up chapter twenty-eight I better get a move on.



~Sun and Moon


P.S. Sorry this post is so short! I will try to write a longer one for next week when my brain is a little less scattered. :3

Pass the bucket, please

I hate being sick.

It's not the needing to sleep all the time, or the fuzzy head that bothers me, though. No, the part that has me looking to never be so sick again is the time it takes to recover from the worst of it. So when I got the stomach bug earlier this week I was not a happy camper. For two days I lived on the couch and couldn't handle much more then gatorade, sprite, crackers, and buttered bread. Water tasted nasty and I slept whenever I was remotely comfortable.

I still don't feel the greatest, but I'll live. At least I don't have to carry a bucket around with me any more.

Today is the first time all week I've been remotely interested in doing anything other then sleep. I have edits I started at work last night still waiting to put into chapter twenty-eight and there's artwork waiting for me in my studio. On top of that, I have a pile of buttery soft, golden buckskin and a pattern I sketched up for a bodice.

Hopefully I'll be able to touch on all those projects at some point today, but for now I'm off to work in those new edits.

Also, I need to find some real food. If I have to drink any more fierce grape gatorade I swear I'm going to turned purple.



~Sun and Moon