Tuesday Currents

I wasn’t going to write a Tuesday Currents today. My mood is absolutely acidic, like Pennywise-the-Clown-scorching acidic. I’ve got Moon Time, an unexpected day of 12 hours at Indy’s work (and four more pop-ups next month, which meant more scratch-outs in The Sacred Planner), Wood Sprite puking and an unexpected bill at a really bad time for it… So I’m going from bleh! to hiss! at random intervals. But then I figured, hey, it’s an easy check to mark, and that always makes me feel better.

Currently…

Rocking to… “Woman King,” Iron & Wine

Drinking… Two carbons, one oxygen

Reading… I read Fable books 5 and 6 yesterday, thinking that it jumped way too far ahead too quickly, only to realize that I skipped book 4. I’m reading Lucifer book 2, too.

Writing… Articles about holidays. Chat tests. Boo to You, Mrs. Robinson, which I plan to have done by mid-August. Sleigh Ride, a romantic adventure between elves Twinkle and Randy from my last holiday book, Letting Go.

Watching… Strange Magic. Yeah, it was bad. But it was kind of cute, too. Great animation and a great general concept with way too much singing and too little plot.

Planning… Some kind of routine for the fall…

Wearing… Black on dark gray, because Batman

Tweeting… American Horror Story tidbits

Making… Planner fixies, Wood Sprite’s journal, dog toys, clean rooms, an effort

Wanting… to kick this foul mood

Marriage is…

Writing about marriage, weddings and anniversaries today, I ran across this quote and thought it was too beautiful to not share:

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person”

– Mignon McLaughlin

Also, why are there no movies about middle-aged or elderly couples celebrating anniversaries? I like  good “meet-cute” as much as anyone, but how about, as McLaughlin says above, another, and another, and another meet-cute over time with the same person? Now that’s romantic.

Monday’s Music

Today I’m re-committing to less media in my life–less screen time, that is, not fewer books or less music! Between Facebook and my news reader, I am missing huge chunks of days just staring at a screen. Not cool and not alive! So here are the Bee Gees telling me to stay alive. They’re telling you, too (yeah, they totally predicted the Internet in this video and THAT is what it’s all about…)

After nearly two weeks of being home, being sick and being sad, this week we’ve got play dates, Wood Sprite’s dental impressions for her retainer and a big trip to Indianapolis! So there’s lots to do to prepare, finish work and pack. I’m off to do it!

Things I Love Thursday

Things I love this week include…

Dying markers. You think they’re worthless, but then you can use them for background colors. Then when they are completely dead, you can use them for puppets, batons, sailboats…

Holly Black and Kiersten White. These two ladies kept me sane during this month of insane 12-hour shifts!

The incredible garden Wood Sprite grew with her class! We harvested it today and everything was tasty and beautiful.

Refrigerators, computers, coffeemakers, phones, washing machines… man, am I lucky to have been born in this time period. Did you know that only 2/7 of the world owns a washing machine? Sometimes I feel incredibly down and nothing seems to help. Sometimes I think of things like this and just feel ashamed for not feeling grateful every. Single. Second.

Backup glasses! Wood Sprite broke a pair today.

Tuesday Currents

We are having a hectic week, but it’s better than last week! Indy is working 12-hour shifts again. Sprite and I are neck-deep in projects and keeping the animals cool. Cleo is attacking my toes (see right).

Currently…

Rocking to…

Drinking… black tea

Reading… I just finished two Kiersten White novels, Mind Games and Perfect Lies. I didn’t love them like I loved her Paranormalcy books, but they were page-turners. Next up: Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero.

Writing… How-to and answer articles; chat tests; journal entries. Pretty much the same as last week. I’m also working through Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star.

Watching… We watched Paddington as a family last night and it was adorable. At first it was a bit dumb (I watched it as a kid, but I didn’t love it) but there were some moments that made us laugh pretty hard. Over the weekend, we used our drive-in Groupon to see Minions (bleh) and Inside Out (love!).

Planning… 4-H rides and logistics for fair pieces (thank you, M!), cuts for new cabinet tops (beautiful marble free from my parents’ neighbor!), cooling off techniques for the pets (this heat just hit us out of the blue and we should’ve been prepared sooner), homemade solutions for sprucing up the old hardwood floors, GISHWHES next month (!!!), our trip to Indianapolis, painting, organizing and when the heck I’m going to finish up my book.

Wearing… My favorite black t-shirt with the lace on it. It’s so thin and the cats keep clawing it and giving it new holes, but it’s the most comfortable and “me” thing I have.

Tweeting… about free college tuition! Yay!

Making… Creature drawings throughout my journal; homemade deodorant and weed killer; a clean house; hair braids; memories.

Wanting… good hash browns. Mmm. Haven’t had any in a long, long time. Where do you get your favorite hash-browns? Indy’s homemade brown sugar and garlic are my favorite, but I want something with a little less caramelizing.

Monday’s Music

It’s been one of those lovely, long weekends that also ends in a blink. My family and I went to the drive-in, a Star Wars party and bowling, among other adventures! Indy and I slept in together Sunday morning and it was just a breath of fresh, clear air. He’s working 12-hour shifts again this week, so we made the most of it!

Today I’ve got to take a deep breath and dive back into work, homeschool and house stuff full speed ahead, so I’m going with something energetic and upbeat. Honestly, if you can watch Mick Jagger jump around, wide-eyed and wide-mouthed, without jolting awake like you’ve downed two cups of coffee, you probably closed your eyes for a second there.

Tuesday Currents

Indy was unexpectedly called in to work 12-hour shifts this week. Again. And he’s doing the same next week. So, I spent the morning canceling our plans for this week via phone and email. Again. How about you?

Currently…

Rocking to… The cat purring next to me

Drinking… Sugar-free root beer

Reading… The Poison Eaters by Holly Black

Writing… How-to and answer articles; chat tests; journal entries

Watching… Indy and I watched The Whispers over the weekend. We’re ambivalent about it because it has interesting moments and a great premise (not to mention Lily Rabe!), but it’s just not paced well. And what is with all of these TV shows that start with a person cheating on someone and dealing with the aftermath this past year? It’s like one writer took that basic plot line and then threw in a bunch of random subplots and sold it to each network. Aliens! Murder! A slap! Come on.

Planning… Re-dos for this week, since everything was canceled. Again.

Wearing… Pajamas. Yep. It’s been THAT kind of day. I was even told to kill myself by some random misogynist troll on Youtube. Fun times!

Tweeting… A RT of Shakesville: “A person being fat doesn’t tell you anything about their character. Your believing otherwise certainly tells me something about yours, tho.”

Making… This month’s 30-day challenge was to get back to walking 3 miles a day, but my feet HURT. What I thought were splinters (and there were splinters!) is bruising beneath my skin on both feet from shoes that are too big. So now this month’s challenge is to create something every day, which hasn’t been difficult so far.

Wanting… My week back.

Monday’s Music

We had a wonderfully restorative weekend doing yardwork, playing as a family and enjoying time both inside and outside. Wood Sprite and I have two favorite songs right now, so I suppose I’ll share them!

We are in love with “Titanium,” by David Guetta:

And I’m just tickled that she seems to enjoy ELO as much as I do. She sang along while I played “Livin’ Thing” and knew it by heart–how did she do that?

Great feedback makes my day, and my editors have been sending me wonderful comments over the weekend. One piece I’m particularly proud of was an article about father-of-the-groom speeches. Writing it with all genders in mind, with the law actually, finally behind it, felt amazing, as did its approval. Thank you, once again, SCOTUS, activists, supporters of love from coast to coast. This means so much, to so many. I understand we still have so much farther to go (fair housing, jobs, bullying…) but this is so big and so very welcome.

This week Wood Sprite has a dentist appointment (wish her luck!), a play date with her best friends, her last Junior Master Gardener class and bowling with another best friend. Indy and I have lots of work as well as yard work to finish. There’s something about pulling weeds and getting sweaty that just makes you feel good. Or maybe it’s just me!

Hope your week is a good one, readers and writers!