Field Notes and Mix-Tapes

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

2015-02-18T15:58:00.001-07:00

Last December at the library, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up b by Marie Kondo jumped off the shelf at me. For years, I've tried to get organized and have tried a lot of methods, some more successful than others. I like this one because it is simple. If something doesn't bring you joy, it doesn't belong in your house. Notice that statement doesn't include exceptions for if the object still has some wear in it, or if you might need it if someday, and not if it was a gift from someone you love. Practically, some things have to stay. Tax papers and insurance information don't exactly bring me joy, but they will if I need them. My torn and stained painting clothes need to stay for other projects. They will bring me joy when I don't ruin other clothes. Our dining table is in horrible shape, but a replacement isn't in the budget. I've gotten rid of an amazing and embarrassing amount of stuff already, and I'm only maybe a fourth of the way through my house.

Some things have been a lot easier to discard than I would have predicted. And some have stalled me.

Consider this broken camera. I loved the weight of it in my hands, I loved the crisp pictures it took. For about 10 years this camera was part of our lives, vacations, birthdays, school events, and more. It was the perfect size for tucking in a backpack or purse. And it caught boys in mid long jump poses, flickers of candles on birthday cakes, special moments at school events, splashes of ocean water, double rainbows in the mountains. It saw my kids grow up. It saw our family grow up. I have a fancier camera now; it's bigger, faster, and has an amazing zoom. Plus, my phone has an unbelievably nice camera. I hadn't even seen this old camera in a couple of years, or thought much about it. But there it was, tucked away in the hall closet. Several of the buttons are broken. It has water damage from a hail storm at a track meet. Repairing it would cost more than buying a new one. And I don't need another camera. And yet, I consider it.

I know I'm being silly and sentimental. I know all this is probably more about the fact that my kids are almost grown and gone than it is a broken camera. But I don't want to cast it aside. Does it bring me joy? Not exactly.

I'm also struggling with books. Marie Kondo says she has about 30 total. I have more than 30 children's books about Christmas. I have more than 30 journals by women writers, more than 30 books on fairy tales, on polymer clay, on drawing, on teaching reading, on parenting, on writing. Narnia books alone count for 7, and so does Harry Potter. I have 22 fiction and non-fiction books on my desk right now that I am reading and working through. Three more are on my bedside table, and about 12 are on my Kindle. Marie Kondo recommends putting all the books in a big pile, and then sorting. I can't imagine. It would take hours to gather all of our books. So I've started, shelf by shelf, and have gotten rid of about 3 grocery sacks full so far.

So far we've gotten rid of about 40 bags total, plus some game tables, a lamp, and some chairs. The areas I've cleared have stayed "tidy" and I find that amazing and inspiring. It makes me push on, wanting to see what it will feel like to live in a tidy and organized house, to not have clutter and possessions holding us back from the lives we want to live.

2015-01-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

We've had snow falling since last night. One of the things I've learned since moving to Colorado is that it is easier to shovel two inches of snow three times, than it is to shovel six inches of snow once. There's probably a life lesson there somewhere.

One of my essays is available to read at US Represented. It's about winter gardens and heirloom vegetables. I'm still amazed the whole thing works. It just doesn't seem possible. Here's what the greenhouse looked like this afternoon.

And here's some of the beautiful lettuces and herbs that are growing in one of the beds inside.

Free book on Writers Block

2012-08-31T19:18:00.002-06:00

Julie Duffy, over at Storyaday.org, is giving away free Kindle copies of her book, Breaking Writer's Block until September 2nd. Follow this link to find your free copy at Amazon. It's got sections on creativity exercises, goal-setting, accountability, inspiration, and more. And if you don't have a Kindle, you can always read it from your computer or iPad.

Hello blog

2012-08-19T20:57:00.000-06:00

Poor neglected blog. I checked my blog stats on a bored whim, and was surprised to see over 400 hits this month. It made me feel guilty that people are still checking for updates and I haven't been offering them anything new. So much happens and so much doesn't get written until it's hard to start back. My youngest boys ran track this year, and graduated middle school. We all had what was diagnosed as bronchitis and pneumonia but that I'm starting to think was actually whooping cough. It took months to recover, and more months to recover from all that didn't get done while we were sick. My oldest returned from his first year at college. Our garden was trashed during a hailstorm that also managed to flood our basement and tear up our roof and window screens. We spent a lovely week at one of my favorite places in the world, Hunting Island, SC. It's a beautiful island, but it is eroding so it's a bittersweet beauty. We spent a weekend in Atlanta celebrating my father's 80th birthday and saw so many dear old friends. We returned to scorching weather that got worse. The fires in Colorado this summer were perception changing, even though my house wasn't one of the ones threatened. The community came together in amazing and wonderful ways to help one another. We went to a dinner party last night and everyone was still trading fire stories. Everyone is still stressed. Safety is an illusion, and we don't take it quite as much for granted anymore. I taught a writing class for 4th and 5th graders this summer, and loved watching them discover their voices. An art co-op asked me to join, so now I have my clay pieces on display at a local shop.

High school starts tomorrow, and my oldest is leaving for a year long teaching position in China on Sunday. The garden bounced back in a lot of ways, and once again we have more tomatoes in the garden than we know what to do with.

All of these things to write about. I haven't quite processed any of them. And as I told my students this summer, writing helps us process. So thanks for visiting. I'll leave you with a few pictures of Hunting Island as a goodbye to summer.

inspiration for writers

2012-01-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

I've got two links for you today:

Stop waiting to be picked - advice and a push to just go for it already.

25 things writers should stop doing - this is more of a kick than a push, it's not gentle, the language is not the kind you want small children reading over your shoulder to sound out - but the advice is awesome and inspiring. Thanks to the Writing Nag for the link.

And I'm going to go get busy with my work now. Ahem.

Spinning Plates - a new way of getting things done

2011-12-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

This week between Christmas and New Year's is always a good one for reflection and plans. Last week I started a new experiment with my to-do list and goals. I've been reading about the brain - how it likes novelty, and games, and new challenges ever day. And I've been reading about Kaizen, the idea that tiny steps of improvement and change can add up to big things. So I started adding one little chore to each day. Just a small something that I wasn't already doing, but wanted to.

I do think it's like spinning plates, you start one and then build on it, keeping the others going as you add on new ones. I think this can work for any kind of goals - writing, art, health, housework, etc. The first day's task was to clear the floor of our bedroom. I hid all the presents in my room, and was tired of tripping over all the shipping boxes. The next day I made sure the floor was still clear, and added setting a pretty table. Nothing elaborate, just a fresh tablecloth and maybe a candle. Mainly it involves clearing away books and projects so we can have a nice clear table for meals. The next day I picked up some shoes from the floor, did the table, and added giving my children vitamins to the list. The brilliant thing is that a lot of the tasks take so little time once they are initially done. And I feel like I am making progress because things don't get undone while I'm doing something else.

I'm starting to add in once a week projects too. I'm on day 11, and so far this is fun, and I'm wondering how many plates I'm going to get spinning. I have plans to add editing, writing, submitting stories, exercise, art, and other things to the mix. Anybody want to play?

In The Morning

2011-12-19T14:32:00.001-07:00

I heard this song on the radio this morning, and I kept thinking of my own little guys (years ago when they were actually little). I love this ode to missing teeth, and childhood toys, and morning hair. "The gifts we keep" indeed.

The Power of Story

2011-12-09T18:45:00.001-07:00

I don't remember where I read or heard it, but the phrase "if you get the same message three times, pay attention" has been stuck in my head for years.

We saw the new Muppet movie over Thanksgiving break. The movie was delightful and silly, and had lots of 80's jokes that my children didn't understand. And I will admit to getting a little blinky eyed over the Rainbow Connection song. But beyond all that, it was about how stories, these silly muppet stories, had made a difference in people's lives, how Gonzo's daring antics made a young muppet feel that he too could do anything. And it made me think about stories, that we need heroes to inspire us, make us stretch a little deeper. Even if those heroes are blue and have funny purple noses.

Then we saw Hugo. I loved the book, and was worried if the film would do the book justice. It does. It has a different magic than all those lovely sketches in the book, but a magic all the same. Pay for 3-D, it's worth it. And getting to see parts of the Méliès films on the big screen was amazing. Beyond the story of a young boy and an old man, it was also about how those early films--when magicians used tricks of light to make dreams come to life, to get imaginations to soar---were important and life-changing and life enriching. Again, the power of story.

I've been reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Not quickly like I usually read, but slowly. I don't want it to end. I'm very attached to this world and these characters. And without giving any of the plot away, here is what one character says toward the end, "Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words. That is your role, your gift."

So, the power of story, the magic of story, times three. Write your stories, tell your stories. Stories are important in ways we might never know.

P.S. The picture above is from the original Muppet Movie. My husband and I still say, "Bear left." and "Right, frog." And see, that silly little joke has become part of our story.

Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-22T21:48:00.001-07:00

Anne McCaffrey passed away today. I never met her, but Pern and her dragons, and the crystal singers, and the ship who sang are all old friends. They were the much loved stories of my teen years. I can't even began to explain their influence - strong female characters, the music, and the dragons, and the owning up to your talents, and time travel, and the fire lizards, and the secrets hidden in old ballads.

There's a nice obituary here.

Fear and Dragons and Writing

2011-11-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

I realized something, the past couple of weeks, about myself and writing fears. For a long time, I've made clay dragons, and phoenixes, and ornaments, and weird flying creatures for gifts, and my kids, and my own amusement. Last week I opened up an Etsy store, and have already sold three things. But it was scary to take that leap, and it remains scary. All this time when I've queried, or entered contests, or sent off things to a beta reader, I thought my fears maybe signaled that the writing wasn't good. But I had all the same fears and reactions for posting pictures of my clay creatures on Etsy, and naming a price for them. And part of it is hoping people will like them, but they are weird creatures and I know not everyone will like them. Not everyone likes every writer either. A lot of my anxiety was simply over learning the process, taking pictures, learning what to charge for shipping, figuring out how to mail them safely, how to set up the banking, how to describe them and post it all online.

I still am learning - about clay, about selling creatures, about writing, even about motherhood - and I've been at that job for eighteen years! I want to encourage you though, to just try whatever it is you want to try - writing, or dancing, or creating jewelry, or running a mile, or canning, or playing an instrument, or making a pie. The unknown is always scary, but it gets easier as you go along.

My Etsy store is called Give Them Wings. I picked that name from the old saying "give your children roots and wings". Most of my creations literally have wings, but the phrase appealed to me for a different reason. Wings to me are a symbol of taking off, of trying, of imagination, of wonder, of soaring above those things that drag us down. I want to encourage everyone to give flight to their dreams.

Free Writer's Digest books for the Kindle and computer at Amazon

2011-11-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Amazon has six Writer's Digest books for free today for the Kindle. And if you don't have a Kindle, you can still view them on your computer, and Apple makes an app for the Kindle too.

The links are below:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Self-Publishing-Everything-ebook/dp\
/B003YL4AIK/?tag=dailycheaprea-20

http://www.amazon.com/How-Be-Writer-Building-ebook/dp/B005KWMDP8/?tag=da\
ilycheaprea-20

http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Write-Fiction-Readers-ebook/dp/B0033ZAVV2/?\
tag=dailycheaprea-20

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Handbook-Novel-Writing-ebook/dp/B003YL4AG\
M/?tag=dailycheaprea-20

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Structure-Architect-ebook/dp/B00506WX8Q/?tag\
=dailycheaprea-20

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-the-Words-Right-ebook/dp/B00506WXH2/?tag=d\
ailycheaprea-20

NaNoWrimo humor

2011-11-05T09:05:00.000-06:00

Here's some false hints on Twitter for success at writing those 50,000 words. I love the wood carving one!

NaNoWrimo song

2011-11-03T08:07:00.000-06:00

Here's a very cute and creative video about Nano. I love how she X's out the entire month of November.

Day 2 NaNoWriMo

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

In fiction, we're supposed to throw challenges at our characters, bad things, scary things, frustrations. We aren't supposed to let them have what they want easily.

Today has not gone well for writing. I feel a little like someone is flinging challenges my way. We had a two hour delay due to the snow. Our stove gave out a few days ago. After months of being temperamental (no pun intended), the oven burner started shooting out welding sparks and flames. We decided to go with a gas oven, which is something I've wanted since we moved to this house almost fourteen years ago. It's expensive to get a gas line put in though, and a lot of trouble. The poor workman has been out in the snow and in my kitchen drilling for hours now. We also had a man come replace a window on the car, and are waiting for a firewood delivery. Not the best sink-into-your-story conditions.

One of my favorite authors, Barbara O'Neal, is doing NaNo. And she is posting her story online! I'm a little jealous at how not like a draft her story is reading, but she's published fifty something books, so I guess she knows what she is doing! The story is lovely and engaging, and it's posted at her site if you want to read along.

And here's a quote from Jack London for inspiration:

Don't loaf and invite inspiration: light out after it with a club, and if you don't get it you will nonetheless get something that looks remarkably like it.

November and NaNo and creative challenges

2011-11-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

So it's November again. I've taken the NaNo* plunge. If you have signed up too and want to be my buddy, I'm listed as laurig. I got my words in today, but didn't get housework, exercise, or job hunting in, so it's not a total win. I didn't even manage to participate in either of the two NaNo startup parties going on today. Still it feels good to write, and to be able to tell that internal editor to shut up.

*NaNo is National Novel Writing Month - the idea being to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. They have all sorts of cool support - pep talks, writing buddies, places you can trade plots, or adopt a character or character quirk. More information can be found at their site.

In case that isn't your thing, consider the Picture Book Idea Month, or NaBloPoMo - National Blog Posting Month. The previous link has some really fun prompt ideas for blogging everyday this month.

For artists there is NaNoDrawMo, and Art Every Day Month,

And October..

2011-10-27T13:05:00.000-06:00

October is almost over. So what have I been doing instead of blogging?

Looking for a job. My tutoring center is out of money until January.

I went for a hot air balloon ride. This is actually a picture of our reflection in a pond.

I tried hard to process and save or give away the garden abundance, and lost the battle. BTW, roasted cherry tomatoes are incredible!

I have a new mac, inherited from my college student, and I'm learning some new photo stuff.

I've also been playing a lot on Pinterest. I've found great ideas for the house and garden, fun Dr. Who things, and recipes to try. It is super fun, and inspires me to see all these pretty things and great ideas.

I pulled out some old photos of the kids in Halloween costumes and printed them out, decorated for fall, painted a kitchen, and restored an old ugly cheap looking white ceiling fan. If you want to see what I've been pinning, go here.

Perfectionist or Chicken?

2011-09-02T20:55:00.000-06:00

My new dentist lets her patients watch movies while she works. It's nice, it takes my mind off the fact that someone is drilling sharp objects into my teeth. I picked Letters to Juliet to watch. Living in the house of testosterone, I don't get to see the girly movies often. The main character is a fact checker, but wants to be a writer. After another character reads what she has written, he asks why she hasn't shown anyone her work. She says she's a perfectionist, that she never considers her work finished. He says perfectionist is another word for chicken. Hmmm....

Waving goodbye to August, college, a winning story, and some fun links

2011-08-31T11:43:00.001-06:00

An August garden is a busy garden. We've picked unbelievable amounts of cherry tomatoes and are overflowing with zucchini, squash, and green beans too. The tomatoes alone take over an hour a day to pick and slice for dehydrating or roasting. We've been begging people to come pick. I understand why schools didn't use to start so early, people needed the kids home to help with the harvesting.

We launched a child into the world this month, or at least into the world of college. It's hard, while our jobs as parents aren't over, the job descriptions are definitely changing. And I find myself wishing we'd done more, and wondering what I forgot to tell him, teach him, warn him about.

I won 3rd place in the Wow! Women on Writing flash fiction contest. You can read all the winning entries here.

Have you heard about the Inspirational Letters Project? Take a look at some of the great advice and encouragement, and yeah - inspiration to not give up whatever dreams and goals you may have.

My college student is studying Chinese. We were excited to learn our local library has subscribed to Mango Languages. It seems like a great way to learn or practice languages, and it's free through our library. Yea for libraries! The college boy also found Memrise, a fun game-feeling way to study vocabulary words and languages. It even has a section for SAT vocabulary.

And if you haven't seen Steve Jobs commencement speech, you should. It's about connecting the dots, and following your heart, and how to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

rejection inspiration

2011-08-09T15:29:00.000-06:00

The Help is a bestseller, it's a movie, and it was rejected sixty times. Here's a short article with the story. I love the message of perseverance.

Zucchini and Cucumber Abundance - too hot to cook recipes

2011-08-01T17:46:00.000-06:00

Like a lot of gardeners, we are have an abundance of zucchini and cucumbers. Plus, it's in the 90's here, which may not sound bad, but we don't have air-conditioning. And we live in a brick house that gets a lot of sun. So I don't want to turn on the stove and make it even hotter.

Here are some of our favorite quick don't-heat-up-the-house recipes this summer.

Sauteed Zucchini and Chickpeas - this is a simple recipe, and is surprisingly good. If you have a food processor to shred the zucchini, it's almost an instant dinner. And it uses four zucchini! Something about sauteing it in that little bit of butter makes it lovely, not squashy tasting.

Grilled vegetable flatbreads - this is something we came up with. It's just grilled veggies with a little olive oil, a little oregano, flatbread, and a slice of provolone or pepper jack. Again, this is better than the sum of it's parts. We use the indoor grill and an iron skillet on the stove since there are five of us and it takes a lot of veggies. I use sweet onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash in ours. It does take a little time to do all the slicing, but it's a quick dinner, particularly if you don't need to make enough for three teenage boys.

Refrigerator pickles- my first attempt at putting something in a canning jar. The picture is below. Aren't they pretty? The little round seeds are mustard seeds - who knew? It's not really canning, because you don't process them. They only last 2 1/2 weeks or so, but they are really tasty, and easy! And cool, and crunchy. And it used up a lot of cucumbers!

Cucumber Lime Mint Aqua Fresca - very refreshing, and cooling. The bonus was it even used a lot of the mint in our garden! And yes, I was tempted to add a little rum. Maybe next time.

Do you have any favorite summer garden recipes to share ?

Spotify

2011-07-31T14:18:00.001-06:00

I signed up for Spotify today, so much music, and an amazing variety. I may never get anything done ever again.

(In case you need an explanation, Spotify is a European music service now available in the US. It gives you instant access to millions of songs. I spent 10 minutes typing in obscure artists, but couldn't stump it. The service is free with ads, or you can pay extra for their premium service.)

a random selection of websites

2011-07-25T20:48:00.000-06:00

Here are some websites that have captured my interest lately:

World Book Night is a UK site, they hope to encourage reading and connect readers to one another. They are asking people to nominate their favorite books, and have fun lists from lots of authors. My to-read list just got a lot longer.

The Improvised Life is a whole mix of fun things -- inspiration for living, fun ideas, art projects, music links, and even a book shelf made of books!

Unconsumption is about using things in new ways. I love, love, love the desk made of books and magazines!

The illuminated mix tapes is a fun project, pick your mood and pick a mix.

Food in Jars is a blog that encourages canning, and has yummy sounding recipes like pear vanilla jam, apple butter, and chive blossom vinegar. I have actually never canned anything in my life, but it is one of my goals for the summer.

Crunchy Betty is a marvelous site with recipes for natural household cleaners and fun yummy sounding facials and body scrubs. Her window cleaner is fabulous - my windows and mirrors are sparkling, no nasty chemicals, and very inexpensive to make.

MindMaps has lovely illustrated mind maps for creativity, success, positive thinking, and much more.

Have fun exploring. What sites have you been captivated by lately?

Harry Potter and childhood

2011-07-19T14:55:00.000-06:00

I've been catching up on some blog reading today. A lot of people have odes to J.K. Rowling and Harry. We saw the movie on Sunday. I think it's one of the best movie adaptations, but they still had to leave so much out. I loved the nods to the other books and movies, and the challenges Harry, Ron, and Hermione faced along the way - pixies, trolls, giant spiders, Malfoy, and tricks from Fred and George.

Seeing the movie was a little sad, it's the end of era. My kids have grown up with Harry. My oldest turns 18 next week. His second grade teacher is the one who introduced us to the stories. I'd heard weird things about them, but respected her opinion. So I checked one out for myself, fell in love, and promptly handed the book to my then seven year old. We've had Harry Potter cakes, and bedspreads. Stuffed toy Hedwigs, and action figures too. All three of my children have dressed as Harry for Halloween. We went to the midnight release of the Deathly Hallows book. My little ones in their Harry Potter robes and Gryfindor scarves. We bought two copies and for a day or two, the five us traded the books back and forth between us.

I've been thinking a lot about transitions lately, the end of childhood, the beginning of adulthood. One of my main jobs is - if not ending exactly, certainly changing. On facebook today, there's a quote circulating that's attributed to Steven King, "Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend."

I'm glad my kids have grown up with these characters who found their inner strength, and developed their talents, and worked on friendships. I guess all of this is to say, thank you J.K.Rowling, for these books, and for being part of our lives these last eleven years.

Secrets of Sucess

2011-07-17T11:49:00.000-06:00

TED talks help through the day. I love knowing that creative smart people care about the world and are looking for solutions and great ideas, and are acting on so many of those ideas. Most of the time I don't get that message from the news. Here's a short talk (about 3 1/2 minutes) on what it takes to be successful. I love this definition/acronym of "crap".

Squirrels, monkeys, and finding the nerve and focus to write (or anything else)

2011-06-21T15:18:00.000-06:00

When I am distracted and overwhelmed, or can't sleep, I sometimes claim that the monkeys have overtaken my brain. Some people say they have a squirrel or a hamster going around in their head, but for me, it's monkeys. And I'm fairly convinced that my monkeys have ADHD, and live on Red Bull, M&M's, and Krispy Kremes. I can picture the monkeys pulling books off my mental shelves and making forts, swinging on the curtains, shredding to-do lists, emptying the closets and pantries, and making a swirling mess of everything.

Today, over at the Lipstick Chronicles blog, I read about how author Cornelia Read keeps the squirrels in her head at bay. For her the squirrels are those pesky doubts, you know the ones that say you are wasting your time trying anything. She's got great ideas for dealing with them, and I found myself laughing and nodding my head. I loved this line in particular - "I think we all have to play at least a little mental whack-a-mole in order to get down to work.."

Here's the link to the full Kill Your Squirrels post. I hope you find it encouraging too.