Archive for October, 2008
Needle and ThREAD Plan of Action
The Needle and Thread: Stitching for Literacy 2009 Bookmark Challenge is just five months away. My goal for this year is to have at least 1,000 bookmarks stitched, turned in to shops, and donated to libraries and schools. To do this, we need to spread the word further and get more people on board. How [...]
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
What’s on my mp3 player? Catalyst, by Laurie Halse Anderson. I consider Laurie Halse Anderson to be a Queen of Problem Novels. Now, what is a Problem Novel, you ask? Good question. I doubt I have a good answer. They’re vaguely defined, I think, but I have my own idea of them. To me, a [...]
Weekend Site-Seeing
The madness begins two weeks from today. Thousands and thousands of people–kids, adults, authors, dentists, accountants, and bums–will embark on a journey to string 50,000 words together in thirty days as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). I’ll be one of them. Anyone can join the fun, and if you’ve ever had a dream, [...]
A Morning of Mourning
This morning when I looked out the kitchen window, I was startled to see a large dark shape in the moonlight. It’s been a while since we’ve had moose in the yard. Then I noticed that she was in the strawberry/raspberry patch. Eating. I opened the window and said gently but firmly, “Hey! Those are [...]
Halloween Countdown at The Armchair Chef
I have been remiss in pointing out the Halloween Countdown event over at The Armchair Chef. For several years now, Tink has been collecting and publishing recipes from members of the needlework community, designers and shop owners in quilting, embroidery, knitting, etc. It’s great fun, as each post includes not only a recipe but a [...]
We’re on Facebook
I’m pretty lost in the Facebook forest, but Mike Weber (and by “Mike Weber” I mean me) and Jen Funk Weber have profiles, and Funk & Weber Designs has a page connected to the Jen profile. Getting to the Funk & Weber page from the Jen page doesn’t seem to be as easy as I [...]
Riding the Writing Wave
Freelance work comes in waves. There are times when it feels as though my life is nothing but needlework. Right now, it seems my life is nothing but writing. That’s fine, of course, especially since most of what I’m writing is under contract, which means I’m actually getting paid to do it. Or, I will [...]
Impossible
What’s on my nightstand? Impossible, by Nancy Werlin. Impossible was inspired by the folk ballad, “Scarborough Fair,” which, if you listen to even the Simon and Garfunkel version is rather disturbing. Some guy insists a woman will be his “true love” if she does a number of impossible tasks: makes him a seamless shirt without [...]
Weekend Site-Seeing
C. Hope Clark’s Funds for Writers Web site is, as you would guess, something I refer to in the writing half of my life. Among other things, Hope compiles lists of contests, jobs, and grants for freelance writers. She does not focus on children’s writing in particular, but the range of her resources is so [...]
Cranberry Sauce
Well, I tried. The berries were beautiful as they swelled and burst, the berry juice was a brilliant color, as was the dishwater. I got to use my very own berry-squasher, a cone-shaped colander with a wooden pestle. In the past, we’ve used my mother-in-law’s during jam-a-thons. The process was grand. The product, not so [...]
, by Ellen Ruppel Shell
, by Elizabeth Strout.
