He's a Mean One

I was working all weekend on my quilt for Christmas. It's a Dr. Seuss quilt "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". I'm hoping to have it done in time for the holidays. I know, that doesn't leave me much time. "Sew" I'd better get going ;D

I should spend more time on it but somehow the holidays snuck up on me...again.

Another Turkey

Okay this one isn't so great. But I made it in an hour. I didn't have much time to work on him. But he was a practice "bake" for the coming attraction. I had some inlaws heading away for the holiday and invited them over for "Thanksgiving" dinner. Actually we had homemade pizza and then a turkey for dessert. He was a yellow cake, simply covered in frosting and fondant.

Here's how I made him:

I took a cone shaped cake pan, cut the side flat and then frosted him. I'm planning to put some more time into making him better and embellishing the feathers for Thanksgiving but he was fun. I also had to use what I had on hand but I plan to have some orange and red fondant for the next go-around. I used bamboo shish kabob sticks covered in fondant to make the feathers.

Homemade Scarf with Homemade Buttons

I knitted this scarf and my husband took a seashell we'd found at the beach and turned it into a button for me. He drilled the center and inserted a metal "finding" to close one end. Here it is.

See how easy it is to use things you find laying around.

Shepherd's Pie

This is a super simple way to use up left over meat and mashed potatoes.

I had a left over Swiss Steak (which is a cheap piece of beef.) But having grown up poor, I couldn't let it go to waste. This is what I did. I chopped up the steak and thickened the left over sauce (which was tomato paste and tomato sauce) with flour. Then I made a pastry dough and laid the dough out in my well-oiled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, which was my great grandmother's (seriously) we value food and good quality cooking utensils in my family. Then I filled the first layer with mashed potatoes, the next level was Tillamook Cheddar Cheese (Tillamook is the best in the world-in my opinion), then I put in a layer of sauce and meat (which I had cubed into bite-size pieces) then I added a scoop of sour cream and another layer of cheese. I pushed broccoli crowns down into the mix. Then I put the dough on the top and sprinkled it with seasoned bread crumbs. then I put the lid on and baked the pie for about 45 minutes, on 375 degrees. My oven cooks fast so it may take longer in a different oven. Then for the last ten to fifteen minutes, I poured a couple of tablespoons of melted butter over the top and broiled the pie - with the lid off to brown the top. I like my food a little crispy/crunchy but you could cook it until it suits you and your taste.

INGREDIENTS FOR SHEPHERD'S PIE:

1 Cup of left over meat (in a sauce-whatever sauce you like, mine was tomato paste and tomato sauce, thickened with about 1/2 cup of flour)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 cups of broccoli
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 cups of mashed potatos

PASTRY DOUGH

1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cube of butter
1/2 cup water
1 large egg

Blend all the ingredients together until it forms into a ball then roll it out on a cutting board and shape to fit your Dutch Oven, baking pan, or dish.

I like the Dutch Oven because you can cover it and it forms into a pie naturally.

If you try it, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think.

Happy Baking!

What a TURKEY

I love to bake. It's been something I've enjoyed since I was a little girl (that's one reason I run all the frigging time). I used to come up with some of the weirdest concoctions you ever saw, like black cookies - they were supposed to be purple - I loved the color even then - but somehow they came out black and they weren't even burnt. Luckily, I had hungry brothers hanging around the house and they ate even my major failures. And that was one Baking Fail! Todd said, "Who cares what it looks like? It tastes good." He might have been being kind or too hungry to know the truth.

So, when my kids were little I used them as my guinea pigs - just ask 'em they'll tell you. I tortured them with food that wasn't fairly fit for human consumption, like my no bake-crepes...yeah, go figure. Or my tortilla roll-ups. Not a pretty sight. When I said I was testing a new recipe they looked kind of like this little guy: SCARED!

But I think he came out cute.

Here's how I made him. First I baked the cupcakes.

What You'll Need:

Cupcakes
Candy Corn
Red gum drops
Frosting - brown would be best
fondant - brown
little eyes (you can buy them or make them out of fondant)

Then all you do is roll the fondant head into a ball plop in the eyes, cut up the candy corn for the beak and the gum drop for the snood (yet that's the red flap that hangs over the beak - the snood).

Then simply cut a circle of fondant to go over the top of the cupcake (glue it down with the brown frosting) and glue the head onto the cupcake using more brown frosting. Stab the candy corn into the butt - and WAH-LAH your miniature Thanksgiving Turkeys for that feasting day. (Tip: Glue the candy corn in by adding a dab of frosting to the point you stab into the butt).

Hope you all have a yumderful thanksgiving!

Homemade Candy for the Holidays

This is a simple fun way to make a handy little snack for the holidays.

Ingredients:

Candy Canes
Marshmallows
Chocolate
Sprinkles
Cinnamon

(You will need little baking cups and sticks) Use wax paper - for easy clean up.

Simply melt your chocolate, stab your little sticks into the marshmallows and dip them in the chocolate (you can also dip Candy Canes), then add your favorite sprinkles or edible glitter for an easy treat. Set the treats on wax paper to dry (refrigerate for quicker setting.)

Ready to serve.

This is a Super EZ treat that kids can make-they just need to be supervised with the hot chocolate.

PitchWars

I don't know about you but I love Cupcake Wars, Extreme Cake Challenge and even Halloween Wars. And, if you like those Wars and Challenges, you'll love Pitch Wars.

Just hop on over to Twitter and use hashtag #Pitchwars and join in Thursday.

This is for writers everywhere, a major opportunity is coming Thursday. It will include a chance to work with a mentor to help get your pitch perfect for agents.

I don't have all the details. Just check it out over on Twitter using hashtag: #PitchWars

And, Good LUCK to everyone who joins in and plays along. 

SCBWI-OR Holiday Sketch and Schmooze

November 17th, 10:30 a.m. -  1 p.m. - Vancouver

→Clark County Children's Writers and Illustrators

Friendship, support, information, inspiration…Whether you’ve never written or illustrated a story or have been published several times, you’ll find something to gain by attending the Clark County SCBWI Schmooze.
The aim of our schmooze is to be a forum for sharing and learning, a source of inspiration throughout the year. Come and bring a friend with you!
Our next schmooze is scheduled for Saturday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. at the Cascade Park Library – 600 NE 136^th Ave. Vancouver, WA. 98664. We will meet in the Community Room. 

If you'd like more info, check it out here. 

Happy Veterans Day

Today's the holiday where we honor the military personnel who have served our country. If you want to read more about the holiday, check it out here.

And to all the military personnel out there, I hope you have a relaxing day filled with family, friends and good food.

Running to Work and Running Nerdom

I love having a goal in mind. And I love running. But sometimes even the best of plans goes awry. I was running to work last week, in the dark. It was about 6:30 a.m. and (this was before daylight savings time kicked in) it was dark. Really dark. Of course I run with a reflective vest on--even though I'm running on the sidewalk. You know, safety first and all.

But there's a really dark portion of the run where I tend to speed up. It's surrounded by trees that block out the light from passing cars, street lights or pretty much anything. And I, being a lover of Stephen King and all that's dark and gruesome, still don't love running through dark secluded areas. Not so much.

Anyway, I was sprinting really fast--well, fast for me--when my foot hit a divot in the sidewalk that I couldn't and didn't see. My foot went to the left, while my body went to the right.

Not a pretty picture. A chubby old lady, running like a Bat Out of Hell, falling...

I went down, hard and fast. It was mere seconds but I had the time to think as I plummeted toward the cement, "If I was younger, I wouldn't be falling."

I've never had a sprain before. But, I guess it's like they say, there's a first time for everything.

Anyway, all this to say, if you're going to do something, you should have the proper gear. I should have had a headlight on like one of these or one of these.

Now, I know it sounds silly to wear a headlamp but do you want to be laid up for a few weeks? Not me. I'm feeling fairly miserable about this. I have to keep my ankle wrapped and try to stay off of it.

Impossible.

But I'm trying. So, if you're concerned about the Runner Nerdom of running with a headlamp on, don't be. First off, if you're running in the dark, no one's going to know it's you. Second, you don't look that good when you run anyway. Believe me. No runner is going to be winning a beauty contest at 6:30 in the morning, when they're sprinting. And lastly, and most importantly: Be safe! Not sorry. Or you just might end up looking like me, scary! No, I'm talking about my feet! See the photo above.

Fun Science for Kids - Homemade Crystals

When I was a kid, I loved to experiment. I was always combining ingredients I found sitting around the house to make my next "invention". I would use sugar, epsom salts and even toothpaste - if it's all I had. I grew all sorts of molds and created all sorts of mayhem for my poor Mom. And it's not like she didn't have enough to do already with nine kids and her mother to take care of.

But as Halloween was approaching I thought, I'd like to make black crystals to use on a pumpkin for hair. This is how I did it.

What you Need to Do:

Before you begin: Write your hypothesis. What do you think will happen?

Then boil the 1/2 cup water and mix in the 1/4 cup epsom salts. Mix the epsom salt until dissolved. When the salt is completely dissolved (you can add food coloring--just a couple drops and stir it up), pour the mixture in to the cookie sheet, barely covering the bottom of the pan (or you can hang a string on a cup and pour the mixture over the string.) Then put your "experiment" in the window or a nice warm place where it won't be disturbed for a couple of days. Every day check on the growth of your crystals (observe) and record (document) your findings. 

What You Need

• 1/4 cup epsom salts (magnesium sufate)
• 1/2 cup water
• shallow cookie sheet, bowl or dish
• food coloring (optional)
• string (optional)

See my picture above for results. Note: It didn't work for hair on the pumpkin. I didn't make enough and it melts really quickly ;D

OryCon In Portland, Oregon

 

OryCon 34: Oregon's Premier Science Fiction Convention, “Apocalypse How?” was held in Portland at the Doubletree Hotel this past weekend, November 2-4. It offered all sorts of events and classes. It even had an evening masquerade ball. 

I went to the hotel to meet with my critique group. We wanted to meet there because one of our members was participating in the conference and a lot of us simply wanted to see the wonderful costumes that came and went with the participants. 

Here are a few photos of a couple costumes but there were so many more. I just didn't get my camera out in time and wasn't clicking fast enough to keep up with them as they hurried from one class or exhibit to another.

But there's always next year. . .

DO YOU WANT YOUR VOICE HEARD?

Then vote.

Word Count for Writers

Writers are always wondering How Long their books should be. Really it's probably a little flexible based on the writing but there is one definitive source for words of wisdom on word counts: and here it is.

If you want to be safe, you should stay in the "acceptable" range. I know it's easy to fall outside the norm but don't give agents and editors a good reason to toss your pages in the trash. Edit, edit, edit until you fit the mold they're looking for.

Now, Happy Writing!

SKINNY MINNIE - SERIOUSLY - MICKEY COME TO THE RESCUE

Who loves Mickey and Minnie? Everyone. But these mice are icons to little kids. And by little I'm talking about 4 and 5 year olds who want to go to Disneyland to have breakfast with the cartoon characters. So we are talking about VERY impressionable little ones here. And I'm saying this is just Crazy! I don't want to see a Skinny Minnie in Barney's window or anywhere, especially at Christmas. I'd like and really want to see a Fit Minnie - Not a Skinny Minnie - or anorexic image for our girls. I'd like to promote a healthy, happy, fit image for little girls. And, yes, I realize she's a mouse and a cartoon character but this is one that has been an icon for decades to our little ones. Let's keep her the way she is or make her FIT not cadaver thin.

Girls have too many unrealistic expectations put on them by the media as it is. Do we really want our little girls growing up with the idea that this is pretty, normal/natural or desired? I don't want girls thinking Thin is In - or that it should be. The message we promote to little girls should be Fit is It! Especially when we're expecting most Americans to be obese by 2030. Let's revolutionize the concept of beauty. We should strive for fitness not anorexia.

Israel did something right when they banned underweight models. Now if we could get everyone else to follow suit. 

Mothers unite, tell Disney we don't want to send this message to our daughters. Skinny Minnie should not be Disney's new image and Barney's shouldn't encourage it either.

PiBoIdMo - NaNoWriMo Alternative

PiBoIdMo

Not everyone wants to write a novel. Some people want to illustrate books and others want to write picture books for kids. So this PiBoIdMo is an alternative to the National Novel Writing Month. This is Picture Book Idea Month. If you want to participate, simply click on this link and check it out.

If you think you can come up with one picture book idea every day during the month of November, then this challenge is for you.

It's not easy to be creative every day but no one ever said taking up a challenge, making a goal and working for it, or dreaming big were going to be easy. This challenge is like deciding to run a marathon, you're going to have to work toward he goal to get there. And you have to start somewhere. Why not have it be here and now? So get going.

Write now.  Jot, scribble, or scratch out those ideas you've had running around inside your the last few years. Who knows, once you get going you may end up with a book by the end of the month. And if not, you'll sure be closer to that goal than you would be if you never started.

November 1st means NaNoWriMo

I know, it's hard to believe. It's already November. Time flies... and as we turn the page (on the calendar) we start turning the pages in our soon-to-be books because it's National Novel Writing Month or more commonly referred to with that lovable, little, nickname NaNoWriMo!

Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Ever even thought about taking up the gauntlet, accepting the challenge, sitting down and Just Do(ing) It?

Well, like Mom always used to say, "There's no time like the present." And, "Don't Put Off 'till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today." So why not pick up the pencil, take out a page, and pen a little prose? You might find you love it. And, if not, what have you lost? A little time, yes. But the time will pass whether you're writing or not. And, who knows, you might become the next Stephen King, Shakespeare or Twain and end up on the list of best-selling fiction authors of all time. And even if none of that happens, you might make a few writerly friends you didn't have before. And the man who wins the game (of life) is the one who ends up with the most friends on his side. So, come on...remember what it was like to be a kid? Follow your dreams.

"Can you come outside and play?" It's time to come away to this writer's retreat smack dab in the middle of your crazy life at Camp NaNoWriMo.

Happy Halloween

Hoping you all have a frightfully fun Holiday Halloween!

This witch is actually a pretty lady: Lisa Martin making fun for neighborhood kids! Way-to-go Lisa

Punkin Fun

I love Halloween and decorating the front porch for the kids. I like to make lots of different kinds of punkins and I don't make them scary I try to make them pretty, funny, cute or just kind of weird

This one is kind of weird

This is how I did it.

I found a pumpkin with a fun "nose" then I took some ping-pong balls and colored "eyes" on them. I carved out a couple holes to stick the balls in and then I glued some black Spanish moss on for the hair--WAH-LAH Super Simple pumpkin face.

My son wanted to make a pumpkin of his puppy, Faeden.

 And my daughter did a penguin.

How 'bout you? What type of pumpkins do you like to make?

Baby Blanket Dilemma

I wanted to knit a blanket for a friend's baby. So I did.

But this is awfully pink for THOR. So I decided I'd make a better blanket for him.

This is how I did it.

I know even my fingernails match this green. That wasn't planned. Guess I'm greener than I ever thought.

This nail polish color is actually called Shrek...no wonder I LOVE it!

Now I'm just hoping Thor and his Mama like it :D fingers crossed.

Interview with Oregon Writer: Dawn Prochovnic, MA

First off:  THANKS for taking the time to answer these questions and Gosh it’s one giant step for you and a huge leap (of hope) for writers everywhere.

1)      The first question that comes to my mind for me is how many books have you had published and/or under contract? 

So far I’ve been fortunate enough to have 16 of my books published. My first books were published in 2009 and my most recent books came out in 2012.

This is a real inspiration for writers, to hear success stories, especially in this economy.

2)      What was your inspiration for your book(s)?

In the year 2000 I started SmallTalk Learning, a company that specializes in teaching sign language workshops to parents and caregivers of hearing infants and toddlers. Sign language builds early literacy skills and helps preverbal babies communicate before they can talk. I discovered early on that the most effective way to help people learn and remember particular signs is to teach them catchy songs they can sing and sign with while they interact with their babies.  I wrote all kinds of ditties for this purpose, modeled after familiar children’s songs and rhymes like “Old MacDonald Has a Farm” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”    

After awhile I discovered that preschoolers and elementary school children are also interested in and can benefit from sign language. I developed an interest in expanding my reach beyond that which I could manage in my own classes.  I wanted to share the joyful experience of signing with children and their grown-ups across the miles, and I decided the best way to do that would be to publish a handful of my classroom songs in the form of picture books. 

In the summer of 2004, I attended my first of many writing conferences, and I formed a critique group so that I could refine my writing skills, transform my classroom songs into stories, and learn about the business of publishing. After many rounds of critique, countless revisions, and heaps of submissions and rejections, I signed my first publishing contract in March of 2008.  In addition to the books I have published, I now have several other books in the works that are not at all related to signing—some that are making their rounds through publisher’s slush piles and others that are still being fine-tuned.

3)      Was it a difficult task finding an agent/publisher?

I do not have an agent yet—that’s one of the many things on my to-do list! 

It was definitely hard work and time consuming to find the right publisher for my books. I researched diligently and submitted regularly. Happily, several editors took an interest in my work.  Not-so-happily, I heard again and again that my concept was not quite right for the trade publishers I was targeting.  Over time, the editorial correspondence I received shifted from form letters to personalized notes with suggestions for revision and/or ideas for other publishers that might be a better fit for my work.  The message was coming through: Several of my stories were publishable; I just needed to find the right publisher.

In the end, I found my publisher through serendipity and networking.  In October 2007, I attended a presentation by David Michael Slater, who participated in an event called Book Blast at a local middle school. After listening to David’s talk and looking at his books, I was convinced that his publisher was a good fit for my work. I chatted with David (after buying a couple of his books, of course) and I told him about the books I was trying to get published (yes, I had my elevator pitch perfected at this point).  David was kind enough to put me in touch with his editor at Abdo Publishing Group.  And the rest is history, as they say.   

4)      Is it difficult working all alone on your projects? How do you have social interactions in the solitary world of writing?

I think it’s more accurate to say that it’s hard for me to find solitary time for writing!  I have two school-aged kids who keep me busy carpooling, volunteering and cheering from the sidelines. I also run a small business that involves teaching and consulting, and I visit schools and libraries as often as I can. I like to talk nearly as much as I like to write. Socializing is not one of my challenges!

 

5)      What one author/book inspired you as a child?

I was a Dr. Seuss kid.  It’s not possible for me to name just one of his books that captured my heart as a child.  I loved “Hop on Pop” and “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.” I also loved “The Foot Book,” “The Eye Book” and “Yertle the Turtle.” There were other, lesser-known authors, such as Al Perkins and Mike McLintock, who wrote other favorites of mine from the same Random House Beginning Book Series, such as: “The Ear Book,” “The Digging-est Dog,” “Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb,” and “A Fly Went By,” all of which are still on my bookshelf. The rhythm I feel in my bones when I work on a rhyming picture book exists because of these authors. These were the books that were read aloud to me over and over again as a young child, and these were the first books I was able to read independently. The author I loved most dearly as I developed into a fully independent reader was Judy Blume. You might say Dr. Seuss and his contemporaries taught me how to read, and they shaped my love for rhythm and rhyme, and Judy Blume was the reason I became a bookworm.      

  

6)      I’m curious about the process you use when writing. Could you share a little bit of how you go about actually doing the hard work of writing, ie how do you structure your days, weeks, months – writing projects?

I do not have a regular time or place that I write, but I always have one of my works-in-progress noodling around in my head. I think about it when I drive. I think about it when I fade off to sleep. I think about it as I’m waking up. It’s always there. I find that my best creative ideas arrive, and my biggest story problems work themselves out, when I’m on a walk, or a long drive, or in the shower. As a result, I have a gazillion scraps of paper with scribbled notes taped into my writing journals and stuffed into writing files. For the harder work of revision, I need longer, more solitary blocks of time.

Sometimes I sit down to write as soon as I get the kids off to school, other times I write in my parked car or at a waiting area when I’m in between carpool duties. Occasionally I write after everyone is tucked into bed. True confessions: I don’t write every day (unless you count email!).  I aim to write every week, and I set weekly creative writing goals for myself. At the beginning of each week I send an email to the co-founder of my critique group to share my goals, and report on my past week’s progress. Lately I’ve been running ragged with family responsibilities, so I have to be more diligent about setting aside time to write. Once I sit down and get into the groove, I lose track of time and everything else on my to-do list gets put off for another day.

7)      When did you have that ah-ha moment when you knew you wanted to be a writer?

When I was in middle school I authored a poetry book that I gave to my mom on Mother’s Day.  That is my earliest recollection of considering myself a writer. In the years that followed, high school essays, college term papers, and corporate white papers gradually replaced my creative writing time.  Fast-forward 20 years later to the summer of 2004, when I attended my first creative writing conference. I participated in a writing exercise facilitated by one of the faculty members, Ann Whitford Paul. She asked participants to write down the name of a past school teacher and asked us to complete the following sentence: “Mr/s. always __________________ .” I wrote down Mr. XXX always has bad breath.” I wrote several pages without stopping, and that was when I remembered how much I enjoyed creative writing, and that this interest went well beyond the signing stories that first inspired my interest in getting published.

 8)      Do you have a big picture plan?

I had a big-picture plan for getting my Story Time with Signs and Rhymes books published. That said, the more I learned about the publishing industry, the more I realized that my original plan was not consistent with how the industry works (or at least how it worked at the time). My professional experience included being a VP for a major financial institution and I’d run my own training and consulting business for several years, so I was accustomed to setting goals and action plans and following through.

To reach my publishing goals, I anticipated that I would need to find an illustrator whose style and strengths aligned with my project, identify a publisher I’d like to work with, build a publishing schedule and marketing plan, and then get busy with each book’s rollout. Ha!

Over time I learned that the traditional publishing industry simply does not work that way. Had I been interested in starting my own publishing company (which at one time, I considered), I could have facilitated the process I envisioned. Instead, I shifted gears and focused my attention on improving my manuscripts and researching suitable publishers, so that when I eventually found my “publisher match” I had a strong inventory of work that was ready to go. 

Going forward, I have less of a formalized “big picture plan,” and more of a project-by-project plan for each of my current works- in-progress.         

9)      What goals have you set – i.e. selling a manuscript a year, making a certain amount of money off of an already-published book, or what?

I set personal and professional goals each year, and as I mentioned before, I set creative writing goals (action plans, really), on a weekly basis. Last year, for example, one of my goals was to start a blog (dawnprochovnic.com) that reflects my professional interests in early literacy, sign language, and writing for young children. In the coming year, I plan to experiment more with technology to expand my outreach (i.e. web-based videos, podcasts, skype visits, interactive e-books). I also plan to conduct an agent search in the coming year. I have several manuscripts that are ready to market, but I’ve been so focused on writing new stories and marketing the books that have already been published that my manuscript submission schedule has suffered.  Newsflash: It’s harder to get work published if you don’t take the time to submit it!   

10)  What advice would you give other aspiring writers who have yet to get published?

This seems like such a trite and oft repeated response, but really the best advice I can offer others is to write. Write your stories. Write them well. Revise them. Seek objective feedback, and consider it openly. Revise again and again and again, and then let your work sit. Use this sitting time to read. Read everything in your genre that you can get your hands on. Read outside your genre. Read current books and re-read old favorites. And then, re-read the manuscripts you have sitting in the file drawer. When you can look at a work-in-progress with fresh eyes and no longer see glaring changes begging to be made, begin the work of finding the right publishing home for this piece.  Rinse. Repeat.

Laurelhurst in the Fall - an ode

An ode in pictures. Isn't this pretty...and it will only get better over the next couple of weeks. The leaves will turn bright yellow and red...

I'll go back...and then I'll share again: Laurelhurst.