One Cobble at a Time

Yesterday I was talking with raisinfish and rattled off a whole list of things that I want to accomplish during the next year. When I wound down she said “Wow, how are you going to keep track of all that?” I might have mentioned planners or organization or something, I don’t remember. The point is that last night I was totally confident in my ability to track a gazillion goals big and small. This evening I’m staring at the dolist in my planner and seeing how many things aren’t checked off and I’m beginning to wonder. Honestly, it shouldn’t be that hard. Mostly I’m trying to reinstate some good habits which have fallen by the wayside.

I don’t know what it is about the last day of vacation. Yesterday I was lamenting that vacation hadn’t been long enough. Today I am totally ready to send all of the kids back to school. I wonder if they have really been more squabblish today or if it is an observer effect inside me because I’m gearing up to send them all back. At least I got all the Christmas stuff put away.

I think I was inspired by my mom’s impressive example. She has been clearing out decades worth of accumulated junk in her house. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see the full effect at her house because I arrived with a van full of people and stuff which filled up all the empty spaces that she created. Anyway I came home filled with a desire to clear stuff out and get rid of it. When I’m in this mood I get so ruthless that I actually have to double check myself. I was packing away our big fluffy tree skirt and part of me claimed that it takes up too much space and I should just get rid of it. We hardly ever use it anyway. Umm, well yeah. It’s a Christmas decoration. It spends 11 months of the year in a box. I would be very sad next year if I got rid of it this year because I bought it myself and love it. All of our Christmas stuff fits inside 5 boxes and one huge tree duffle. That’s a whole lot less than most people have. To appease the get-rid-of-it desire, I did pitch a couple of broken tree ornaments.

Tomorrow we embark on another 5 months of school schedule. I think these five will be better than the last five were. At the very least these five months will present new and different challenges.

Today I substituted for Kiki’s primary teacher at church. I don’t get asked to substitute in my kid’s classes very often, so I shouldn’t complain. I just depend upon having two hours of away-from-the-kids time during church and I don’t get that if I’m teaching their classes. I grumbled and griped inside my head while I prepared the lesson and during sacrament meeting. The actual experience of teaching the class was really pleasant. There was a group of about 8 girls aged 11 and 12. Because I know my audience, I framed the whole lesson as a discussion. This allowed the girls to talk and express opinions throughout the whole class time. It was fun. As an added bonus I got the 12 year old girls to talk about the Young Women’s program and the fun things they get to do. Kiki is 11 and has been apprehensive about entering the Young Women’s program. It was good for her to hear these good things about it.

After individual classes all the children ages 8-11 were gathered together for Sharing Time which is a group lesson. (The 12-year-olds departed for Young Men/Women.) My responsibility during that time is merely to participate and squelch rowdy behavior. Since I was sitting with 2 11-year-old girls and Link who ditched his class, there wasn’t all that much squelching to do. I was able to have a little contemplative time after all.

I sat there and realized that today was Patches’ last week in Nursery. He is about to become a sunbeam. He loves nursery because it is two hours of toys with brief interruptions for snack, singing, and lesson time. Sunbeams phases out the toys and snacks. It is an important transition into Primary, but it tends to be a rough transition. I’ve talked with Patches about being a Sunbeam. I act all excited about how cool being a Sunbeam is, but I’m not sure that Patches is convinced. The good news is that during sharing times Gleek will be in the same place as Patches. Gleek is a wonderful big sister when she wants to be nice. I may be able to leverage that into better behavior for both kids. I’m so machiavellian.

With the coming of January, most of my kids will be getting new Primary teachers. I don’t know who they are yet. I do know that I’m sad that Link will be leaving behind the teachers he has had this year. They’ve been wonderful for him. I hope the teachers for 2007 are as good. For most of the past year Gleek had two 19-year-old girls as teachers. Gleek loved them, but they were sometimes less than reliable. They were recently replaced by a young married couple. I wonder who Gleek’s teachers will be this next year and whether they’ll be able to handle the exuberance/determination that is Gleek. Kiki gets to keep her teachers. But in 5 months she’ll be 12, so she still has a major transition to undergo.

Edit 1-21-07: Submissions for this project are now closed. An artist has been selected.

I wrote a story for my daughter. Howard and I both agree that it is a strong enough story that we’d like to see it made into a children’s book. I am seeking an artist who is interested in collaborating on the project. I know this may seem strange coming from someone who is married to an artist, but Howard and I have carefully considered everything and he just doesn’t have time to take on this project. It is much more important to all of us that he finish his next Schlock book.

I have already finished the text for this picture book and I intend to make it available for sale through Lulu.com. I don’t expect it to make very much money, but I’m willing to offer the artist a share in any profits. The artist will retain rights to the images just as I will retain rights to the text. The artist would also be part of negotiations should both the text and pictures get picked up by a publisher. With Howard’s books in print we are rapidly acquiring publishing contacts, so having the book picked up by a publisher is very possible. In addition Howard will blog about the book from the front of his site, telling 25,000 people how fantastic the artist is and showcasing some of the illustrations from the book.

The project would require the artist to create 25-30 pictures, including cover art. Characters must be recognizable from picture to picture. Horses will feature prominently in the book, so the ability to draw them is a must. In picture books the text is only half the story, so I’ll be looking for an artist who can expand upon my words in visual form. I am open as to what style the illustrations should use. Some examples of illustrations styles that appeal to me are found in the following books: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Harry Potter books, Where’s My Teddy, I Lost My Bear, Ish, and Tuesday.

If you are an artist interested in this project here are the submission guidelines:

Read the text below and produce 1 or 2 pictures to illustrate the words. (or submit several samples of existing work to demonstrate your style.) Also submit an illustration of a horse. Size these images so that they are no larger than 400 x 400. Attach the pictures to an email and send it to sandratayler at livejournal.com with the subject line: Picture submission. I may email you for larger/higher resolution images, but do not send them to me unasked. The submitted pictures will be considered concept art. The artist would have access to the entire text of the book before drawing completed images. In the text of the message please introduce yourself and briefly tell why you’re a good choice for this project.

I will be accepting submissions until January 20. I will then make a selection and begin contractual negotiations for the completion of the project.

Book Text:
Amy was excited by the whole world. Each morning she sprang out of bed with a head full of thoughts and feet ready to put them into action.

On Monday she climed to the very top of the jungle gym and was jumping up and down to fly like a dragon. The school Yard Duty called to her to come down for heaven’s sake.

Once again I am forced to come to the conclusion that taking a vacation is good for me. It always seems like life is too crazy for me to drop everything and go somewhere, but every time that I do, I come back invigorated. I am full of plans and optimism and energy. Since I’ve come home I have sorted through our books and culled out a few more rejects. I have culled through my closet and made space for the new clothes I got. I have stared at the boys’ closet and spun plans for making cubbyholes on the shelves because it might be easier to keep organized, or maybe just acquire lots of clear plastic tubs with labels on them. I have decided that I will finally break down the empty boxes in the storage room and shove them into the recycle bin before next pick up day. I plan to arrange for a pick up of all the thrift store stuff I want to give away. I stared at the master bathroom and considered painting it this month, or maybe I’ll repaint my office, or the kids’ bathroom, but what really needs paint is the kitchen/livingroom. I repotted four little plants. I dug up some bulbs from my front yard to see if I can convince them to bloom inside for me. I gathered all of these green things together in one space to be my winter garden. I wandered in the yard and made plans that I’ll get out and do yardwork during those inevitable 50 degree days that always tease me in January and February. I spent hours browsing on amazon.com for flower seeds to plant around the grape plants that will be growing this next spring, having them all lined up on my list is like wandering through a blooming garden, sort of. Oh, and I need to finish construction on the grape arbor too. While I was browsing Amazon I went looking for little hair jewels that my friend showed to me, yup they’re there. I’ve planned two possible road trips. One that lasts two weeks and heads east, one that lasts one week and heads northwest. I also calculated cost on those trips. This inspired me to start reading grocery store sales flyers again. I need to stock up on cheap food. I planned breakfast, lunch, and dinner for today. I even pulled stuff out of the freezer so it can thaw.

My brain is abuzz and things are getting done. I wish more of my days could be like this. Which brings me back to the point that I need to schedule more vacations.

When we arrived home yesterday we found our house not quite as we left it. We expected the pile of mail on the counter since we’d left a key with our neighbor and asked her to bring in our mail. We did not expect to find several packages sitting with the mail and several more tucked into the fridge. Fans and friends were very kind to us and sent us extremely thoughtful Christmas gifts. I’m not going to try to list everything because I’ve decided that individual thank you notes are in order. I hope to get the notes mailed this week before I get distracted by other matters.

Once again I am awed and amazed at the generosity and kindness of people. None of the people who sent us packages had to send anything, but they did. Thank you!

The return from California was much more interesting than I had planned for. We delayed our departure for a day because we didn’t want to drive over Donner Pass in a snowstorm. This meant that we planned to leave at 11 am on Thursday rather than 11 am on Wednesday. But then on Wednesday evening Patches announced a dire need for a pot to throw up in. He didn’t actually throw up until more than an hour later when we had company visiting. Deyo and Mctavish were extremely kind. They were so convincing about not minding, that I finished their visit with Patches snuggled into my lap and occasionally depositing into the pot. It was so fun to visit with them, like having new friends and old all wrapped into one happy package.

As the visit wound down to a close Howard and I discussed travel options. Stomach flu usually has an incubation of 12-48 hours. The drive home takes about 12 hours. We figured the sooner we left, the greater likelihood that we could arrive home before anyone else started exhibiting symptoms. So Howard crashed into a nap and I finished packing the car. The kids all got to stay up and watch movies. Around 1am Howard staggered out and we loaded tired kids into the car and left. We had a bucket for Patches, lots of paper towels, and many garbage bags. I’ve mentioned before how Patches is the sweetest sick child I’ve ever seen. He was a real trooper carefully using his bucket as necessary and not missing once.

In short order all four kids were asleep. They continued to sleep for the next 7 hours. I caught some sleep too. Donner pass was clear, but there were some high winds which blew snow over the roads. It was rather eerie to be driving at 4 am on a windy road through a forest with the wind buffeting the van. Powdered snow curled across the road almost like mist and then seemed to reach out and grab the van as we drove past. We learned to watch those swirls and slow down because they indicated strong winds which would throw snow at the entire van. There were a few trucks on the road with us, but for the most part it was just us and the snow and wind and road. I found myself thinking of Caradharas and picturing snow elementals of the mountains objecting to our intrusion into their domain. True to the Caradharas image, the winds stopped pushing at us once we were headed away from the mountain rather than up to the top. The rest of the trip had occasional high winds, but none as poetically interesting as that pre-dawn passage over Donner.

At Lovelock we stopped for gas and I took over driving for three hours. Everyone else slept while I entertained myself by eating snacks and singing along to music. We stopped for breakfast at Elko. Howard and I fully expected the kids to insist on going in to the McDonald’s play place, but one and all they declared that they couldn’t go play there because Patches was sick and we might get other kids sick. Have I mentioned what wonderful, thoughtful children I have? They were kind and considerate of each other during both of our long drives. During the last leg of the trip Howard drove, the kids watched movies, and I took some naps.

In all, it was an excellent road trip with just enough adventure to it that we’ll have stories to tell. It bodes well for our hoped for long road trip next summer. For now we’re all tired and just glad to be back at home.

Today began with a puppet show.  At least it did for me.  For Howard it began with Dungeons and Dragons.  He ran a campaign for the older kids and I took the younger ones to a puppet show.  This particular show was really well done.  The pupeteer had all the kids laughing out loud and interacting with his puppets.  There were at least 40 children there and none of them wandered off because they got bored.  Gleek and Patches chattered about the puppets all the way home.  I was amused at the amusement of the kids.  I’m afraid that Jack and the Beanstalk just doesn’t hold much fascination for me anymore. 

After our return to my parent’s house, I dived head first into the attempt to gather all our belongings into a single location.  I wanted to inventory and figure out what was missing while we still have time to find it.  Tomorrow we’ll be back on the road to go home.  I’ve had a wonderful vacation, but it is time to go home now.  I am both glad and sad about that.  At least this vacation I can arrive back home having done all of the things that I intended to do. So that’s good.

Our stay in Livermore has been extended by a day courtesy of snowy weather over Donner Pass.  I am selfishly glad for the extension.  I’ve been having loads of fun relaxing and visiting.  Howard is having fun too, but he’s starting to feel hemmed in with all the people.   While there isn’t a single person here he doesn’t like, there are just so many of them that his inner introvert is huddling in a little ball and whimpering.  There are 7 children and 9 adults here, and only 9 rooms to be shared by them all.  Unless you count the hallway as a room.  Which I don’t.  I did count the bathrooms because it is possible to hide in one for awhile if you’re willing to risk the ire of all the people who wish to use the facilities.  Fortunately today we have a plan which will get Howard out of the house and to a quiet place where he can paint minis for several hours.  

Some people use the day after Christmas as a huge shopping day.  Around here, we’re all just sleeping or sitting in collapsed heaps.  At least the adults are, the kids have been playing with their new toys.  Mostly the play has been quiet, they seem to be tired too.  I made sure that Patches, Gleek, and Link all went to bed on time last night.  I’d idenified all three as overly cranky yesterday.  Kiki was sneakier.  She took a nintendo DS to bed with her and played with it under the covers.  She is very upsetable today.  Tonight I’m going to claim all the portable game systems and lock them up before bed.

I should probably begin organizing our things so they’re ready to pack back into the car.  But I’m feeling singularly unmotivated to do so.  Maybe I’ll curl up somewhere and play Sudoku instead.