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 |  My little nook of the corner. Includes health, daily news, and writing progress entries. |
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Welcome to my little area of the world I like to refer to as "The Nook." This journal will be replacing a great deal of my on-line journals, with the exception of my devotional book- which I will be building on in an attempt to create my own sell-able version. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** As a child, I dreamed of a perfect reading corner. The place in my mind was small but comfortable, with shelves of books on each wall. In one of the places I lived in growing up I was, at first, disgusted with a room my mother gave me to dwell in. I joked constantly and mercilessly about its small, cramped living space. However, the room soon came to be known, affectionately, as The Nook. Although I have not yet realized my small dream, I hope to see it come to fruition someday. In the mean time, this is where I will curl up in a good chair, all of my favorite books surrounding me, and write. Welcome, friend, to The Nook! Please check out my blog group, "Invalid Item"  by A Guest Visitor .** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. ~Samuel Johnson~ borrowed from www.quotationspage.com ~EL~'s Day Ok, so I have some catching up to do. I got so distracted with life and my other on-line experiences, that I haven't had time to blog recently. My (irl) girlfriend has probably stopped looking for my entry, and my blogger buddy (who knows I'm back) doesn't have any thing to look at yet. I'm contemplating quitting the groups for good. I know I got one of them moving again, but it doesn't leave me any time for life or for wdc- where I pay to be a member! Given the choice between books and life on-line, I'd choose books every time. To give you a brief update on how life is for me now, I got married August 26 (more on this later). Now I'm a stay-at-home Mom and loving it. The one part I don't like is not having money to spend- kind of a necessity for the hobbies I spend my time in. (Training my dog, and ml'ing for nanowrimo. Not to mention, I'm due for an update of my account again.) This year is my second year doing NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. For those of you who aren't aware of what this means, in the month of November writers challenge themselves to write 50k in 30 days. See www.nanowrimo.org for more details. Last year I didn't "win" (constituted as meeting the goal) due to personal life getting in my way. This year, life is working for me, and I just know I'll make it. Better yet, I have my friends, family, any one I can get sponsoring me to encourage me to get the job done! National Novel Writing Month is geared towards quantity. Deborah Owen   reminded me that any thing worth doing is worth doing well, including writing. (Thus making the above quote perfect for today.) I have come to realize that other portfolio's on writing.com attempt to show their best work. Mine, on the other hand, is full of half-done jobs. I am going to be editing my portfolio to create my best work.I first met Deborah Owen after someone told me that their was a writing academy I could go to to improve my writing. I have not been disapointed yet with "Invalid Item" and would reccomend it to any one wanting to improve their work. I have been so impressed with A-1, that I joined "Invalid Item" , and included a 90k donation.~EL~'s Health I did not attempt to do health today. I'm just now getting back to my journal. Things will be returned to normal tomorrow. ~EL's Writing~ Nothing done today in this venue either. Tomorrow, things should return to normal. |
Sorry I haven't written in my blog lately. I was on a good role, until I got my game going. Then I focused a great deal on that. I will be able to focus on writing.com again soon. Of course, the past 2 weeks I wasn't on because I was making wedding plans and enjoying my honey moon.  My computer's broken, and my son is only in school 4 hours a week, so I don't have much time on-line. I try to do as much as I can when I'm on, but I am only on so much. Hopefully I'll be able to get my computer fixed soon. Anyways, I have to go pick up my son. See every one later. So sorry I've been absent! |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day "The only time you don't fail is the last time you try anything - and it works." ~William Strong www.quotegarden.com/ ~EL~'s Day 8:32 AM Good morning loyal reader. I have not had that well a start to this day either. I just wanted to get onto the computer and find out what's going on with EDR- Equine Dreams Reunion. I suppose I ought to have patience for things to get started, but I can't help feeling how I do- excited! How did you feel on your first day of school? Were you nervous and excited all at the same time? That's how I feel right now about EDR. This, unfortunately, means that I did not have devotional this morning. I did not have exercise either. What's worse, I had a very un-healthy breakfast~ Slim Fast Chocolate drink. 1 1/2 chocolate no-bakes- 1/2 of which was given to Colt. And 1 chocolate chip muffin. I must get back on the bandwagon before my bad habits undo me. After work, I need to start getting house work done, and do the route. Today, at one point or another, I want to maul my poem- "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor . There has to be some way of fixing that poem that stays as close to the original as poem, retains it's humor, yet looks clean and professional. It's such a pain staking task to edit my work, I don't want to change it yet, to be a better writer, I must. How frustrating!http://amysplace.ca/equinedreamsreunited A veteran in it's time, Equine Dreams Re-union is built on friendship and lasting memories. It's mother site, Equine Dreams, has been down since 2003. EDR is built by the few survivors. Please, come on in. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. 7/26 5:10 PM How embarrassing. The day is almost over and I have nothing to show for it. My journal was abandoned yesterday morning after I got excited about the game that's been put up, and no chores have been done today. I'm updating my points for yesterday~ not that I have much~ before I get on house work. I wrote the advertisement. It has only been edited slightly. This is actually a banner, but since I couldn't get it to work, I just posted the link. Chow! ~EL~'s Health Sleep. Not enough. 0 points. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Slim Fast Chocolate drink, 1 1/2 chocolate no-bakes, 1 chocolate chip muffin. Lunch~ Missed. Supper~ 4 small bean burritos. 0 points. Healthy Choice. Started bad this morning. 0 points. Exercise. None. 0 points. Water. 64 ounces. 1 point. Positive Attitude. Sense of accomplishment with game, but did nothing towards my health. 0 points. Spiritual Renewal. No. 0 points. Family. No.  0 points.Sunshine/Fresh Air. Not enough. 0 points. Journal. No. 0 points. Total~ 1 point ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) Worked on "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor some. 2 points.Read. (2 pts) No. 0 points. Journal. (1 point) No. 0 points. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) Considered entering a contest that A-1 is hosting. 1 point. Reviews. (2 pts each) None written up. 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) No. 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) No. 0 points. Total~ 2 points |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day Confucious say: "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." https://www.brainyquote.com/ ~EL~'s Day I completely missed my journal yesterday, so now I have to catch up again. At least this time it's only from two days and not a whole weekend. Yesterday something very exciting happened for me, and I'd like to share it with you. However, the explanation leads to a story. A couple of years ago, in 2003, estranged from the horse world as ever, I wanted to get close to other people who enjoyed horses. Well, I found a group, and even better. I found something to do with all my horse loving enthusiasm. I found the world of sims. Equine Dreams was the first game I ever played. I enjoyed talking to others who enjoyed horses, some were even involved with real horses, showing horses with fake mula, and learning more about them all the time. In 2004, the game was handed over from one president to the succeeding president. The first, Jayne, was going away to college and would be unable to keep up with a whole group. The plan was that Jack, her successor, would redesign the whole game out lay of ED. However, this has not yet happened. Yes, that's right, our members have not been playing for three very long years. That's a long time to wait for a sim to get back up and running! Meanwhile, in February of this year, I decided that if Jack wasn't going to get the site done, I was going to go else where. And that's just what I did~ dragging my stables and horses along with me. About a month ago, after having given up on ever seeing ED back up again, I decided I was too "homesick" to let this continue much further. So I gathered all the e-mails I could find on the forums, which are still running, and send out an alert to all the members. I wanted to kick things into motion again! Within one month of working together, we got the site back in working order. We have forums and a site, they have been completely put up since last night. Which made for a very late night for me- I was so excited to see our group finally back up and running that I did not go to bed until 11:00 p.m. Currently, of 50 e-mails sent, there's a group of 9. 4 of us are admin. We are in need of members, but we're still alive. You know that time when you're playing with a yo-you and you've almost lost your bounce? You're close to having to start over, but then you bring it back up? That's how I imagine ED to be right now. Jumping back from a very rough toss. And I helped get it back in motion! There's a sense of accomplishment there too. Other than that, yesterday was a pretty normal day- go to work, take care of the paper route, go home and relax some more. (I'm a work study in a computer lab at school. Not very stressful.) Ben and I were going to donate plasma yesterday, but we didn't get out in time. I was just finishing the route at 3:30. Ben was home when I returned- probably couldn't find a phone again. As I walked in the door yesterday, I recited the name of our phone number- counting out each digit on my fingers. A few minutes later I told him that he should have said, "Good! You know our phone number." He said he was too tired to think and missed it. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. 7 hours. 1 point. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Missed. Lunch~ 2 pickle sand wiches. Supper~ 4 pickle sand wiches, small nachos. 0 points. Healthy Choice. Large amounts of bad food. 0 points. Exercise. None. 0 points. Water. 64+ ounces. 1 point. Positive Attitude. Didn't do so well yesterday, slacker. 0 points. Spiritual Renewal. No devotions. 0 points. Family. A little, not enough. 0 points. Sunshine/Fresh Air. Not much. 0 points. Journal. Not done. 0 points. Total~ 1 point  ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) Worked on "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor . Still didn't get the score I wanted. Will have to tear it apart still. Worked on paper for a few minutes for Volte. 2 points.Read. (2 pts) Worked on reviews for "Gifting For Reviews" by Jeremy  . 2 points.Journal. (1 point) Not done. 0 points. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) 0 points. Reviews. (2 pts each) 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) 0 points. Total~ 4 points |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day "Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in." ~Leonardo da Vinci~ www.quotationspage.com ~EL~'s Day 11:53 I've just caught up on my unfinished journal entries for the weekend and now it's time to write a bit about this morning. I just found this awesome place! It's a school right here on writing.com that teaches you how to write effectively. "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor I haven't done a lot, right even my enrollment is in the works, but I'm looking forward to learning something tangible. Too bad I didn't feel like this in grade school!  I have not yet done my "morning routine." If I'm not careful, it will very soon turn into my evening routine. I have to be to bed by 8 tonight. This week my fiance, who has been and will be living with his parents until we're married, is moving his things into the house. It's promising to be one hectic week. I have to make sure to get something done in a real hurry. The house isn't in too bad a shape, but I want it tip-top before things start happening for two reasons. First, I want to make a good impression on his family, who already hates me; secondly, the room needs to be cleared for things to be moved in. His mother is going to be away this week, which is why the sudden rush to get things into the house. So today's task list includes getting some much needed reading and writing in, and getting chores done. That's all I need to keep me occupied today. We'll see how much actually gets done. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Lunch~ Supper~ Healthy Choice. Exercise. Water. Positive Attitude. Spiritual Renewal. Family. Sunshine/Fresh Air. Journal. Total~ ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) Read. (2 pts) Journal. (1 point) Weekly Update. (1 point) ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) Reviews. (2 pts each) Letters. (2 pts each) Submission. (5 pts) Total~ |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day “My recipe for dealing with anger and frustration: set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes, cry, rant, and rave, and at the sound of the bell, simmer down and go about business as usual” ~Phyllis Diller~ thinkexist.com ~EL~'s Day OOOOOOOooooooohhhhhhhhhh! This morning was great, but this afternoon has turned out to be a nightmare. Within the past week I have received a letter to update my account information with the state. (Because I'm so poor that I have to take assistance from the state. Not pretty!) It instructed me to get a hold of someone by August 1st, and no later than August 31st. Because we will no longer be on assistance after we wed within the month, we were trying to figure out whether or not we needed to update information. Well, this afternoon I went to Wesco to get something to eat. It was denied~ twice! So I asked if I could use his phone and he kindly handed me the receiver and dialed my numbers. "We're sorry, but the number you have dialed is invalid. Please try again." Is this the right card? I thought. I have had several cards because I tend to lose things quite easily. No, the old ones have all been done away with. "I don't understand," I muttered as I gave the attendant the phone back and left the store. I was horrified! I needed to get out of there, to get to the school to make some phone calls. I called the office first. My case workers just changed and I haven't met them yet, I don't remember the person's name. So I called Ben and asked for the phone number~ it just took me right back to the main number! After verifying with Ben that I had the right number, I have surmised that their phone system must be out of order. I even tried one of the options that didn't include punching in a name~ it just brought me back to the main number. I will have to try again tomorrow. The thing about this is, I don't care that I had to leave my food at the station. The thing is, when food runs out in our home, which it will soon, what are we going to do? I must get a hold of this case worker, and they must turn the card back on. I only have one more month that I can use it. If you're a Christian, please pray for my family and I that we can get food for the next month and pay our bills. Thank you. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. 8 hours. 1 point. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Strawberry Mini Shredded Wheats with milk. Supper~ 3 veggie burgers, no bread, with ketchup, mustard, and cheese. 0 points. Healthy Choice. For trying with little left in the house. 1 point. Exercise. None. 0 points. Water. Not enough. 0 points. Positive Attitude. Laziness throughout the day. 0 points. Spiritual Renewal. Missed. 0 points. Family. Spent some time with my son and fiance. 1 point. Sunshine/Fresh Air. Ran outside for a few minutes with Colt. 1 point. Journal. Not done. 0 points. Total~ 4 points ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) Worked on a newspaper for Volte Sim. http://volte-sim.com/. 6 points. Read. (2 pts) Some, forum reading for the paper. 2 points. Journal. (1 point) Not done. 0 points. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) 0 points. Reviews. (2 pts each) 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) 0 points. Total~ 8 points |
| ~EL~'s Quote of the Week "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~Annie Dillard~ ~EL~'s Review Shining Moment(s)~  Spending time with my sister Meeting ShellySunshine Writing "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor and "Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor Spending time outdoors with Colt and BenHealth Grand Total~ 61 New Health Goals~  Eat 3-4 fruits and vegetables dailyDrink 100 ounces of water dailyTake Sunny for a walk no less than once a dayBed by 8 pmLess time watching tv and on the internet, more time outside with my family, dog, and/or reading and writing workWriting Grand Total~ 31 New Writing Goals~  Finish reading Emma's Secret by Barbara Taylor BradfordWrite and complete newsletter for http://volte-sim.comwrite/work on one other piece daily~EL~'s Highlights of the Week Image of the Week~ ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** My first review sig, created by raeni. Thanks so much! Author of the Week~ This week, I have two authors of the week. They both have their own merits. Sunday I met her, and we have been bouncing off of our blogs ever since; making comments and responding. I have not spent as much time as I would have liked with her work, but she is an execeptional authoress. From a world of hurt, Shelly has gotten right to my heart.
"Invalid Item" by A Guest Visitor was an exceptional read. The story was about a musician who, growing up, lost both his parents and must learn to cope before allowing himself and his wife to have a child. I look forward to reading more from tosca . |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~1 Corinthians 4-8a, NIV ~EL~'s Day Restful day with my family today. For a while we went outside; all of us, the kid, the dog, and we parents. Ben and I talked a lot about the wedding today. Within the past month, my work study position has been compromised. I will not be working at the computer lab much longer. I did not even think I could make it through July. Well, next week is the last week of July and I'm still working at the lab. Because of this Ben and I will have the money necessary for the skating rink, our reception site. This is good, really good! The part of the afternoon, although mostly spent relaxing in the grass, made me feel energized afterwards. I think I'm going to do some reading and writing outdoors after work every day. I want to find a good place where I can relax, maybe go by the lake 10 minutes down the road every day. Ben and I have a week left to get things ready in time for the wedding. We have about a month left, but I plan on using that to relax and enjoy. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. 8 hours. 1 point. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Strawberry Min-Shredded Wheats with milk. Lunch~ 3 tacos, 1 hay stack- taco shells and chips, beans, lettuce, onions, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa. Supper~ 2 veggie burgers with bread, tomato, onions, mustard, ketchup, relish. 2 points. Healthy Choice. Ate to much. 0 points. Exercise. Crunch Cardio Salsa. 1 point. Water. Not enough. 0 points. Positive Attitude. Encouraged to spend more time outdoors. 1 point. Spiritual Renewal. Evening devotion. 1 point. Family. Lots of time with the family outside today, plus relaxing together. 1 point. Sunshine/Fresh Air. Lots of time outside today. 1 point. Journal. Done. 1 point. Total~ 9 points ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) None. 0 points. Read. (2 pts) No. 0 points. Journal. (1 point) Not done. 0 points. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) None. 0 points. Reviews. (2 pts each) None. 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) None. 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) None. 0 points. Total~ 0 points |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day "A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost." ~Marion C. Garretty www.quotegarden.com ~EL~'s Day 2:01 PM My sister is going home today. This morning we have been relaxing, singing songs, and are now watching "Big Trouble In Little China." Just hope to get the house ready by sun set and go for a swim with my sister before taking her home. I haven't done any of my morning routine and will have to make sure I get something done by the beginning of Sabbath. 7/23/07~10:00 AM A very busy, yet laid back weekend. I have slacked off and not finished my entries, so I am editing them all right now. Friday night, I was surprised to meet my parents at the door after picking up my son. The meeting did not go very well. We got into an argument that I would rather not make public. We are all ok, however, and things are proceeding as normal. After dropping Baby off at Dad's, I drove to the nearby lake to wait for her there. Since she was to bike home, and I had something to get out of the trunk at Dad's house~ to which I would not be returning. Didn't accomplish much Friday, although I did manage to fit my usual morning routine into the evening. Will have to get better at that. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. 8 hours. 1 point. Nutrition. Don't remember, didn't record. 0 points. Healthy Choice. Don't know. 0 points. Exercise. Crunch Cardio Salsa. 1 point. Water. Some, not enough. 0 points. Positive Attitude. Too laid back. 0 points. Spiritual Renewal. Evening devotional. 1 point. Family. Plenty. 1 point. Sunshine/Fresh Air. Went swimming, got fresh air there. 1 point. Journal. Not done. 0 points. Total~ 5 points ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) None. 0 points. Read. (2 pts) None. Need to get rid of the tv! 0 points. Journal. (1 point) No. 0 points. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) None. 0 points. Reviews. (2 pts each) None. 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) None. 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) None. 0 points. Total~ 0 points |
| ~EL~'s Quote for the Day "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want." ~Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes www.quotegarden.com ~EL~'s Day 1:10 PM Lazy day this morning. I went to bed late last night, after having spent some time with my sister. The night ended with me crying for our mother who has passed away, leaving nothing but an empty shell in it's place. We would often come home to find my mother doing chores. Often she would take us to PTA meetings and school functions. When I was in pain, it was mother who I called for. Unfortunately, all that changed one day when my parents announced they were getting a divorce. My siblings and I were to go with Mom, Dad was unable to care for us. It became my responsibility to keep track of the kids and clean the house~ two things that I did the best out of my brother and I, but even I was not consistent. My mother often made the excuse that she could not trust my brother to do the work, I was the only one she could depend on, she'd say. When I was old enough, I was not allowed to find a job and even got in trouble when I went out to apply, leaving my sisters in my brother's care. As far as my mother is concerned, she attended college, took part in theater, hung out with friends, and was hardly ever home. When she was home, she was always working on her blasted homework. When I tried to tell her how I felt about being left as last priority, she would just complain that she was doing the best she could for us kids. When my mother divorced my father, she divorced us too. My mother has just gotten worse, and has a bad influence of a boy friend. I have had reports that they keep my brothers things and read private e-mail of his son (19 years of age)~ something about getting a bank account with out permission. The skeleton that is called my mother no longer loves us. Thinking about it last night, I realized that 2 women made up my mother. My grandmother loved and cared for us when we were at her house, and I hoped that one day I would see my mother again. I have been struggling with this pain for 13 years now, stubbornly holding onto false hope. Last night, as this hit me, I wept as I realized that my mother had passed away. Grandma passed away February of last year, my own mother has been passing away since she left my Dad, seemingly. As Baby told me of every thing that had been happening lately, I realized that my mother had also passed on and left another woman in her body. I don't know if I'll ever see her again.  A few people have been left that I can really talk to. I still have my father and his wife, I call mom from time to time; Jenny; Baby; Ben; SueBear and Vivian  . No one and nothing will ever take the place meant for my mother. An empty whole in your heart hurts; although she has not physically passed on, it feels like mother is gone. This morning, not a lot has happened. We have had breakfast but, because of my rough night, I got up late this morning~ around 8 or 9 AM. I have not had devotional, but I have every intention of getting active today. I want to get some chores done, take the dogs and my family for a walk, go to the beach; just get active. I'll tell you what goes down later this evening. Thank you for your listening ear. 12:30 AM I have accomplished a lot today. This afternoon I was able to get dishes done and clean up the living room. I also cleaned out the car. After a good nap, I spent some time with my family and had supper with them before having worship and getting Zachary to bed. Then I got some of my health tasks done for the day. ~EL~'s Health Sleep. 8 hours. 1 point. Nutrition. Breakfast~ Slim Fast Strawberries & Creme Shake, 1 banana. Lunch~ Spaghetti. Supper~ 6 tacos: medium taco shells, beans, cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa. No sweets, fruits and vegetables included. 2 points. Healthy Choice. Should have had fewer tacos today. 0 points. Exercise. Crunch Cardio Salsa. 1 point. Water. 64 ounces. 1 point. Positive Attitude. Felt relaxed today, but was determined to get my healthy habits in before bed. 1 point. Spiritual Renewal. Devotional this evening. 1 point. Family. Spent plenty of time with family today. 1 point. Sunshine/Fresh Air. 0 points. Journal. Done. 1 point. Total~ 9 points ~EL's Writing~ ~Daily Writing Exercises~ Write. (2 pts/hr) 0 points. Read. (2 pts) 0 points. Journal. (1 point) Done. 1 point. ~Writing Bonuses~ Research. (1 pt) 0 points. Reviews. (2 pts each) 0 points. Letters. (2 pts each) 0 points. Submission. (5 pts) 0 points. Total~ 1 point ~EL~ Happy NaNo ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
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