Movie Review Monday - The King's Speech

We watched a couple of movies this week. The King's Speech was one of them. My husband loved the movie but, for me, it was a little slow. There were moments I enjoyed but overall it wasn't my type of sit-down and spend an evening doing (or watching) something, when I could have been doing something else.

However, my husband loved it. Thought he could watch it again. I wouldn't.

I did think the acting was done well though, which explains why it was nominated for a Golden Globe award.


Colin Firth won Best Actor for
his performance. So, maybe I'm a bad judge of Movies. Let me know your opinion. If you've watched it, let me know what you think.

Vinegar - More than Good Eats

Mom used to use all sorts of things to clean house that didn't cost much--if any--money. One of her all-purpose cleaners was vinegar. She used it with newspaper to wash the windows--or maybe I should say, we kids, used it to wash the windows. It was probably because she ran out of paper towels one day but she said newspaper cleaned better than cloth or paper towels. I trusted her and I still do. Plus, I love food and even watch shows about cooking, like Chopped, Extreme Cake Challenges, and Good Eats--so why not use something you love that's just sitting around the house to help with the work?

Vinegar mixed with water is a wonderful, non-toxic cleaner. You won't have to worry about it hurting your hands or your animals getting into the solution.

How 'bout you? Do you have any helpful hints for spring cleaning???

Talent Comes in All Shapes and Sizes

7 year-old sings The National Anthem:

You’re watching 7 year old sings National Anthem. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Awe...Mazing

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Ruritanian is a setting, a mythical place, a mythical, romantic kingdom conceived as the setting for a fairy tale, costume drama, comic operetta, or the like. Check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a Writer's Game

Guess what the word means.

The word is: Ruritanian

Come back at 3:00 to see if you were right.

Tip for Tuesday - word usage

Lose v. Loose

The word lose is pronounced looze, whereas loose is pronounced loose

~ If you let your dog run loose, you could lose him.

Chose v. Choose

The word choose is prounounced chooze, whereas chose is pronounced choze.

~ They told me I had to choose a major, so I chose English.

Skirting the Issue

I'm getting ready for a vacation and wanted to have a skirt to wear over my swimsuit when I head down to the pool but I didn't want to spend a lot of money. So, I went to one of my favorite places: Joann Fabrics. I picked out an inexpensive fabric that I got on sale for 50%. Then I added a little elastic around the waist and Wah-Lah! a $7.00 swimsuit cover-up.

Here are the ingredients:

1) Scissors
2) a Piece of fabric
3) thread
4) elastic

Then I sewed a little hem at the waist and my husband helped me thread the elastic into the hem, using a safety pin.
It's easy to sew a simple little coverup without a pattern or much experience. You might want to try it too.

Boxing

Boxing is an art...or maybe I should say making boxes is an art.

See, I love books and boxes....decorative boxes. And anyone who knows me, knows I love to craft. So this book of decorative boxes was the perfect gift from my friend Caren.

It comes with the pretty punch-out papers and instructions on how to make the boxes.
What could be easier?It's kind of like origami for beginners. I love it.

Plus, I feel like I'm giving two gifts in one when I wrap a present in my homemade box.

How 'bout you? Do you make things to give your gifts in?

April Fool's Day!

Hope you have a happy one filled with good humor and a lot of laughter.

And it's not only Americans who will be celebrating today. April Fools' Day is celebrated all around the world on the 1st of April. Some people call it All Fools' Day.

This is the one day of the year when people are supposed to allow practical jokes and general foolishness.

It used to be celebrated on New Year's Day and in some countries like New Zealand, South Africa and the UK the jokes can only last until noon. If you play a prank after that, you will be called an "April Fool".

Here in America, we play pranks all day long - even into the evening.

But no matter how you celebrate April Fool's Day - I hope yours is filled with good humor.

Knitting in the Round

Knitting in the round looks a lot more complicated than it is. I was telling my husband, while we were driving my son back to UofO (which is when I knit-on car rides, plane rides, etc.) that I was going to knit six more rounds.

He looked at me like I was crazy. "What's a round?"

"When you knit completely around the circle," I told him.

"So why don't you say 'I'm going to knit around the circle?'"

"I don't know, because you just don't."

Now, life is too short to argue about knitting - especially when you're supposed to be knitting to relax. But, even though knitting is easy, you still have to concentrate...a little. Just look to see.

I took a knitting class and told the teacher that I kept losing my place whenever I was talking or watching t.v.

She told me (and I paid for this) don't talk or watch t.v. when you're knitting.

Anyone else get any great advice from a teacher?

Answer to Word for Wednesday

The word ramekin means a small dish in which food can be baked and served. If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - Game for Writers

Guess what the word means then come back around 3:00 to see if you were right or wrong.

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: Ramekin

Yarn Winding

Knitting takes time and winding yarn is some of it. I like the knitting part but not the work part. And, I wanted to make some fingerless gloves so I went to get some new yarn. While I was at The Yarn Garden, I watched the sale's lady wind the yarn on this handy-dandy little machine.

Mouthwatering Monday

Lemon Meringue Yummiliciousness

I’ve never been a meringue maniac – not like my husband - but this weekend was the end of spring break and my son, who was home from UofO, loves lemon too, so I decided to make a homemade pie. That's something I usually do in the summer but this pie was pretty perfect for the seasonal transformation from winter to spring!

If you want to try it out here’s the recipe:

Sweet Flaky Pastry Dough:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 sticks cold butter
¼ cup oil (not olive oil-it has too strong of a flavor)
1/3 cup water

Mix ingredients quickly to prevent butter from warming. Mix dry ingredients and then cut butter into mixture, add water until it is dough-like but not pasty. A pasty dough will turn out dense and thick instead of buttery and yummilicious!

Roll out thinly. Then place into a glass pie pan. Weigh the dough down with another pie pan or beans or rice while you bake it at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes – first cover with foil (in a tent-like formation) so the crust does not get too brown – as it will need to be baked again with the custard filling inside for another 25 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pie Filling:

5 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup water
½ cup milk
¾ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons butter

Separate eggs (using 5 egg whites first) beat until fluffy then add in the five
yolks, add sugar, cornstarch and whisk together then heat milk and water over low heat. Slowly add the liquid to the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Add lemon juice and zest, return mixture to saucepan and warm, stirring continuously. Heat until starts to thicken, add butter and fill pie pan.


Meringue:

5 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Beat egg whites then add in sugar and cream of tartar. Blend until it peaks (beating fast and continuously for about 10 minutes)

Drop dollops over the custard and bake for 25 minutes – you can add butter to the crust to brown it to your personal taste.

You can throw it under the broiler if you want to brown the tips of the meringue a little more but I loved the look of the tan top too. Hope you try it out and, if you do, let me know what you think.

COMMIT AN ACT OF GREEN TODAY

Earth Day is coming up...April 22nd.

So how can you celebrate?

1) Buy locally grown produce or start growing your own.

Live Like It's Earth Day Everyday

2) Cook from scratch. It's cheaper, tastes better and is healthier

3) Choose food in season.

4) Shop at a farmers market.

5) Eat less meat (maybe once a week).

6) Read: Righteous Pork Chop, Omnivore's Dilemma, Meat Matters, Food Rules, Diet for a Hot Planet

And

7) Go to Grand Central Bakery to buy your bread and pastries - if you don't bake your own.

End of an Era

Elizabeth Taylor represented more than movies and Hollywood. She stood for glamour and glitz. She was a true star. A legend. An icon. It's sad to see an era come to an end.

She is number 7 (just below Marilyn Monroe) on the American Film Institute's 50 greatest female screen legends of all time.

She began as a child actress playing in films like Black Beauty and growing into roles like Cleopatra and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? With 8 marriages, she
was never out of the limelight for long. But that shows what an optimist she was. She never gave up on love or marriage. What an amazing woman she was. We will miss ET.

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Eleventy is a number made famous by J. R. R. Tolkien to celebrate Bilbo Baggins 110th birthday in the Lord of the the Rings.

But according to the Urban Dictionary it is a grouping of too many exclamation marks.

Eleventy

Word for Wednesday, it's a game writers/readers can play and win.

Guess what the word means. Put your answer in the comments section, then come back around 3:00 p.m. to see if you were write or wrong.

The WORD for this Wednesday is Eleventy.

I AM The Documentary

Spring Has Sprung

Queen Bee and Chickpea - Earth Friendly Friday

I'm always looking for ways to use recycled materials and recraft items into new and wonderful things. Call me a craftaholic. I love to knit, sew, and cook so anyway I can find materials for free or super cheap to use in these endeavors is all the better for me and my pocketbook and speaking of pocketbooks, here's one great place to shop for sustainable accessories for your wardrobe.

Queen Bee started out in a corner of the designer's bedroom back in 1996 and it has grown into a thriving business. So, if you like little birds and beautiful bags, check out Queen Bee Creations and Chickpea too :

Happy St. Paddy's Day - Shamrock Run

Me and the girls all ran the race and finished the 9.3 miles. This Shamrock Run was a hard run for me. I don't know why but I finished! And I'm glad I did it. Here we are dressed in our tutus and tiaras.

The photos don't show our tutus too well but that's to bad ;) because it was early when our photographer was snapping the photos - before he even had any coffee. But, I had fun sewing them. Here's a couple pics.

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Answer to what the word blandishment means:

It is speech, that tends to flatter, coax, or entice.

Thanks for playing :)

Word for Wednesday - Game for Writers

Guess what it means. Put your guess in comments and then come back around 3:00 to see if you were right.

WORD: Blandishment

Happiness

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

It is a state of mind we create for ourselves that begins with self-love and respect.

Never lose touch of your inner child, laugh often, and be quick to smile.

Work like you don't need money,

Love like you've never been hurt,

Sing like no one's listening,

And dance like no one's watching.

(Author Unknown--to me)

Book Review - me and jack by Danette Haworth

Book: me & jack
Author: Danette Haworth
Pages: 229
Age Range: 8-12

Background: me & jack was on my list of TBR “to be read” books because I loved Danette’s Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning story about spunky little Violet.

Review: me & jack is a middle grade fiction set during the Vietnam war. But the story is really a tale about a boy (Joshua) and his dog (Jack). This is a story about relationships, family, friends and having to make tough choices in hard times.

Joshua and Jack meet at the perfect time. Joshua’s mother has died and he’s living with his single father (Rich) who is working to support his only son as a war recruiter in the worst time: a time of war. No one likes the war and everyone wants to blame someone. Joshua’s dad is new to town and an easy choice.

Just about to enter seventh grade, in a new town, Joshua needs a friend in the worst way. Jack is a boy’s-best friend. Right from the start there’s a bond between the two that can’t be broken. Even at the dog pound they felt like old friends.

“The dog rested his eyes on me openly, as if he knew me, as if he trusted me. Staring back, I felt the same way.”

But trouble starts in the very beginning. No one likes Jack because they blame him for everything and anything that goes wrong in the small town. And, he doesn’t help things. He’s always getting loose and running into the woods, chasing things. He even hunts a rabbit and kills it. The bad thing is, he does it at the local ice cream shop where everyone sees and from then on they think he’s a killer.

Mixed into the matter is another boy (Ray the yo-yo slinger) and his cousin (Prater the spoiled brat). Joshua wants to be Ray’s friend but Prater keeps getting in the way. In the end, Ray has to make a hard choice.

Overall: There is plenty of drama in this “dog” story. And, it’s a great “boy’s book”, one with lots of adventure and even a little fighting. Plus there’s even a little suspense mixed into the mash. Of course girls will love it too. This is recommended, even if you don’t like war stories.

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June, 2011
Source of Book: Review copy from author

Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear

Does anyone remember him - besides me?



And what the heck was the chemical that made the hair grow...?

Fuzzy Wuzzy
Was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy
Wasn't fuzzy, was he?

Was he bare?

Earth-Friendly Friday - GO GREEN - the Irish way

St. Patrick's Day: it's the ECO-Warrior’s Favorite Holiday what with the “Wearing Of The Green" this celebration can take on more significance than ever today.

And, what better way to celebrate ECO-progess than with a holiday that screams green?

Here are a few ways to help you celebrate in an earth-friendly way:

Serve green mashed potatoes for dinner – it’s fun and makes the day unusual. Just add a few drops of green food coloring to your mashed potatoes and stir it up ;)

Buy organic green beer. Beer manufacturers :are producing a broad assortment of brews with ingredients that meet organic guidelines and standards.

Wear the Green (organics) proudly. It’s easier than ever before to find quality organic clothing.

Go vegetarian with your Irish cooking, cutting back on meat consumption for a day. It’s an earth-friendly option. The average cattle ranch can produce as much sewage runoff as a small city. Check out a meat-free version Of Irish Vegetable Stew.

Plant something green this weekend, like Irish Bells.

Do some good for Ireland: Find an Irish charity and lend them a hand.

Who is St. Patrick and What are we Celebrating?

St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. The interesting thing about that is he wasn't even Irish. He was actually captured by the Irish and taken as a slave from his home in Britain. He worked and lived in Ireland for about 6 years before he escaped and went back to his family.

After entering the church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained Bishop and worked in Ireland. He became the Patron St. of Ireland in the 7th Century and we celebrate the date of his death on March 17, with St. Paddy's Day!

In Ireland the day is celebrated as a holy day. Here in America, it has become a celebration of Ireland and all that is Irish.

However you celebrate the day and whatever you are celebrating - I hope you have a Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Answer to Word for Wednesday

The word Flappable means easily upset or confused - especially under stress.

If you want to read more, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - Game for Writers

Guess the meaning of the word. Put it in comments and then come back around 3:00 to see if you were "write" or wrong.

Word: Flappable

What does it mean?

SPEED DATING - LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME

(FIRST-PAGE LOVE)

Lisa Schroeder will be a guest speaker at this First Page - critique
session - April 30, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. to noon

Bring your first page and have multiple readers give you immediate
feedback.

"Do you Love it?" or want to "Leave It?"

It will be quick and "hopefully" not to painful. Like speed dating ;)

Refreshments served - afterward (feel free to bring a guest)
This event is free!
APRIL 30, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. at: Village Gateway Condo - 859 NE 90th ,
Portland (in the clubhouse)


Any questions, email me at kasch5 at comcast (dot) net

Magazine Market Monday

National Geographic Kids

Seventy percent freelance written.

Queries accepted by mail

National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036

Email: kids@nationalgeographic.com
Website; www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids

Needs: General Interest, science, technology, pets.

Length: 100-1,000 words

Word Counts for Novels

I culled this info from Agent sites and hope it helps all you other wannabe writers out there:


MG or Middle grade fiction = 25k-40k
YA or Young Adult = 45k-80k;
PR or Paranormal Romance = 85k-100k
Romance = 85k-100k
Cozy mysteries = 65k-90k
Horror = 80k-100k
Sci-Fi = 90k-110k

Went to Willamette Writer's meeting

On Tuesday, March 1st, I went to the Old Church to listen to screenwriter Randall Jahnson talk about why he moved away from L.A. to Portland.

He says P.O. is the perfect place to reinvent yourself as a screenwriter. And he should know. The author of "Slaughter Alley," "The Doors" and "The Mask of Zorro" talked about his early days and aging in tinseltown.

He talked a lot about Portland, which he didn't need to sell me on, heck, I live here and love it too. But he also spoke about the new "digital culture" and making friends with Code Monkeys.

At first, I thought it wasn't so nice to be referring to people as "monkeys" but then I talked to my son, who writes code. He explained to me that it's not an offensive term at all. Programmers call themselves "code monkeys". I had no idea.

So, I learned a few things.

Randall said, "I was drawn to Portland's creativity and quirkiness."

Aren't we all?

The city is rife with the arts. And, one perfect example is Willamette Writers. They host these wonderful writers and have them share their words of wisdom with all us wannabe writers for $5 to $10 per month. So, the price is 'write' and the bargain is even better. So, if you're in Portland on the first Tuesday of the month, you might want to check out what's going on at the Old Church.

All Willamette Writer guest speaker meetings are held at the Old Church, SW 11th and Clay (1422 SW 11th). Doors open at 6:30 pm; the speaker or panel starts at 7 pm. Meetings are free to members of Willamette Writers and students; guests of WW members are $5. Non-members pay $10 to attend meetings. Refreshments are served.

Answer to Word for Wedneday

The word was Diatribe.

Did you guess what it means?

Well a diatribe is a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism. If you want to read more about it, check it out on dictionary.com

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Guess what the word means - put your guess in the "comments" then come back around 3:00 to see if you were write or wrong ;)

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: Diatribe

ECOwomen.net Give Away

Check it out here. It's the ECOwomens' birthday and they are celebrating by giving away gifts - how's that for inovative?

Tuesday Twitter Tip

Writers are readers - so log on to Twitter and follow all your favorite agents, writers, publishers and editors. You might just get the scoop on some info you can't find anywhere else.

Plus, remember to follow me too :)

Magazine Market Monday

Boy’s Life

The Magazine for the Boy Scouts of America age of readers: 6-18. This magazine is looking for how-to photo features, general interest, hobby and craft ideas.

Word Length: 500-1500. Pays $400-$1,500

Query by mail with SASE: Boys’ Life PO Box 152079, Irving, TX 75015

Web: www.boyslife.org

(Hope this helps some of you writers out there :)

ECO AWESOME-Earth Friendly Friday

We all have to wash our hair so why not love the planet and our hair at the same time? It's easy and organic! Going green doesn't mean giving up style. You can get gorgeous with a shampoo that has 71% organic content, no parabans, no artificial colors, no synthetic fragrances, and no sodium laureth sulfates. Plus, the tube is 50% post consumer recycled material. So check out Bed Head's Eco Awesome Shampoo and Conditioner.

Sometimes all it takes is looking a little to find healthy, earth-friendly options.

And here's one review of these particular products from a college kid who tried it for me and then let me know what she thought of it:

About the shampoo:

I really love the scent!!! The mint kind of wakes me up in the morning. It's kinda like aroma therapy in your shower :D and I love that it's mostly organic!

The only downside is that after I'm done rising, my hair doesn't feel as slick right out of the shower as I'm used to, but I think it's because I'm going really lightly on the conditioner.

(Thanks Mackenzie)

Dieting is a Lot Like Writing

Okay, so I think everything is a lot like writing. Maybe because I write and I diet – I can see the correlations.

But, we all just want to be loved. . .for who we are, how we look and what we write—right?

Well, maybe not all of us, but I sure do. I hate rejection. Who doesn’t? But I can’t let a little ego-deflation limit what I do. I just have to work harder…on my story and my fitness level.

I don’t want my body to be out of shape and I don’t want my story to be flabby either. That’s the reason I’m taking a lot of time to write and work out. So it’s hard when someone rejects me…for how I look or how my story sounds.

Maybe the problem is I’m too boring. Not enough conflict or adventure in my life…I mean manuscript. And maybe I’m still out of shape, too many pages and too many pounds. That’s why I’m trying to take off the excess. Reading through my story one more time and hitting the delete button on extraneous words (“like”, “really”, and “said”), believe me there are lots of those tricky little buggers in my babies. And that’s why I’m working toward that half-marathon like there’s no tomorrow and writing every night. I’m hoping to increase my cardio and self-critiquing abilities.

I’m sure I’ll still come across some rejection in my life…I mean writing. But, at least if I’m doing everything I can do to be in the best shape possible, maybe my stories will be loved and me too.

Answer to Word for Wedneday

Answer to what the word riparian means: of, pertaining to, or situated or dwelling on the bank of a river or other body of water: riparian villas.

If you want to double check, look here. And, thanks for playing :)

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: riparian

Guess what it means. Put your guess in the "comments" section then come back around 3:00 to see if you were write ;)

Getting Ready

I love decorating
but sometimes the decorations sit around a little too long - like these Valentine's Day flowers.

I needed to replace the worn out, wilted, bouquet
but I didn't want to spend much money so I picked up some silk flowers at a local craft shop on clearance for .25 per stem.Then I put them into the floral foam I want to add some green carnations and a couple more white ones and then it will be ready to herald in the Lucky Season!

How 'bout you - are you getting ready for the Shamrock Day?

Happy President's Day or Presidents' Day

Whether you want to think of it as President's Day or Presidents' Day, I hope you all have the day off to rest, relax and recuperate. I know I'm going to be trying to recover from my weekend warrior workout.

The holiday was originated in 1880 to celebrate the first President's Birthday and was the first Federal holiday to honor an American Citizen. So, we're all celebrating Washington's Birthday or at least that's how it started out. Originally it was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22. But it was changed to Presidents' Day or President's Day. The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951, but it took a while to work out the kinks. Still it's a day off to spend with family and friends. So, I'm ready to toast P-Day whether it's in honor of Washington or all the men who have served as President over the years.

WHAT NOT TO WEAR - TRAINING (w)HEELS

Most women love shoesand purses, and makeup.

Not me.

I was the quintessential Tom-Boy growing up. With four big brothers, I was more into skateboarding than shoes and punching than purses. And, I HATED wearing dresses.

I remember sneaking pants to school like some people sneak alcohol (in a brown paper bag) then slipping into the bathroom to change so Mom wouldn’t find out.

Yeah, I was sneaky and sly when it came to clothing but not because I wanted to show any skin.

God forbid.

I wanted to cover up and hide that moon-white epidermis. So, I’ve never had any worries of being accused of being a fashionista. It could never happen.

For one thing, I’m more familiar with flats than fashion and minivans than makeup. So, it shouldn’t be any surprise that when I wore (what I thought were) my “cute” kitten heels to work and told my friend Cristy, “Look I’m dressed up—and even wearing heels.” She laughed a little and said those aren’t high heels. They're more like training (w)heels.

So, now I’ll be known as the old lady who wears training heels around the office but maybe that’s better than flats, don’t ask me. I’m no authority. In fact, I’m a little surprised I’ve never been turned into WHAT NOT TO WEAR. The fashion police could have a field day in my closet. And, I could definitely be in the running for a Mom Gone Wrong segment.

And, like I said, “I definitely have no fear of ever being labeled a fashionista.” I’m just hoping I don’t hit a bump in the rode, when I’m walking, and fall over on my training (w)heels.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

Here's a question for all you math-minded folks out there.Question:

At what point does fahrenheit equal celsius?

Take a guess....



Now scroll down for the answer





Further



And further



Answer: -40 degrees.

You have to know the formula to figure out how to convert celsius to fahrenheit. Most of us haven't done algebra for a while but it's: Fahrenheit = Celsius X 9/5 + 32.

Or t(F) = t(C)x 9/5 +32

t-9t/5 = 32
-4t/5 = 32
t= -40 (so that's the temperature where t(F) = t(C)x 9/5 + 32

EZ Smeazy

Answer to Word for Wedneday

I hope you flexed that most important muscle -- yeah, your brain and played along. And, if you're Scottish, maybe you already know what it means because it comes from the Gaelic term car "to twist" and fuffle which means "to disarrange".

Kurfuffle means chaos, commotion, disorder

and it can be spelled a couple different ways: carfuffle , carfuffle or kurfuffle

Want to read more, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Come on out and play...show us what you're made of word-wise ;)

Put your guess in the "comments" section then come back at 3:00 to see
if you were "write" or wrong :)

WORD: kurfuffle

What does it mean?