A Lofty Commitment

Earlier this summer I joined a writing group and figured I'd give it a few months and see if this was a fleeting hobby or a serious interest. I thought I'd have plenty of time to write over the summer and was crazy excited to get started. However after I wrote my first few scenes I had rolling around in my head I got stuck. No plot, no ideas, just these characters that I am still trying to figure out. Plus it's obvious I'm the weakest link in my group, which for me makes it hard to want to keep trying at something I am not feeling I'm that great at.

My friend Amber Lynae told me about Sarah's 50,000 in 50 day challenge.

So here we go. I need a kick in the pants. I'm signing up with Sarah's challenge and giving it a real good effort. 1000 words a day is pretty daunting considering I've only been able to pull that about twice since I started a few weeks ago. And depending on the flow, could take upwards of an hour or two to peck out.

Wish me luck! A lot.

0 / 50000 words. 0% done!

Halfway Point

We're six months into 2010 and I've been waiting for this milestone for a while so I could check in and see my progress on my 50 book challenge (as in 50 books in 52 weeks).

So far I'm at 36 books.

Anyone else doing a book challenge this year?

What is it and how are you doing?

Obviously, my goal is to finish off the year with 50 books, but I'm hoping to cushion that number a bit and I think I'm off to a good start. It's just a nice feeling to make a goal and succeed.

Mostly this year I've been reading Utah authors (it's amazing how many talented people live here!) but I've also splashed in some other great authors too. Take a look at my shelf below (it shows a handful). I'm on Goodreads as "Debbie Cranberryfries" and on Shelfari just as "Cranberry Fries".

Here's a list of books I've read.

*This is my second time doing this challenge, the first time around I read 107 books in 52 weeks.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Ted and stuff

I watched the first season of Better Off Ted this week. I dont know if it's because Portia de Rossi is in it or not but it kinda feels like Arrested Development to me. I checked online to see if it had similar people working on it but in the five minutes I spent I couldn't find anything. Anyone know?

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My creative friend Olivia (and her hubby) designed this fun Eclipse shirt. She's having a contest on her blog (open until this Sunday) if you're interested in WINNING one.

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Ok riddle me this. What's up with a fun, interesting idea in a book with a completely lame ending? Not cool folks.

Luckily FOUR books were handed to me this week to try out (two from Rachel, one from Olivia, and one from Heidi) so I better get cracking.

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'kay, listened to some good ol' 90's music this week. I think I like it. I mean I loved it then but I was just a teeny little kid. I haven't really gotten into the lastest 'top 40' since I graduated high school and can't really stand to leave my radio on those stations very long. Is this weird?

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I better dash, I'm pretty much planning on spending the entire day outside with the kiddos. They've been sprayed with sunscreen and I think have escaped into the back. Ciao

Wordless Wednesday: Whatcha Lookin' At?

(This photo was taken by me in Spring of 2010 in South Eastern Idaho.)

Tell Me: Gather until Full

I like to collect random things. I'm sure there are lots of you out there that do. There are the handful of things I've collected forever like my shot glasses or postcards, but then there is that other category of the things that I collect for a while until I get my fill.

This summer I've noticed all my flashlights have disappeared (I have three short culprits in this house who I'm pointing my finger at). I used to have three in my purse and at least one or two on my nightstand. You think thats silly? I'll tell ya what though I used those flashlights ALL the time. Like once when this cute little 10 year old in front of me at the movie theater with her friends lost her ring. Wala! I had my flashlight. I've been trying to gather more but it's been a slow process. I've now acquired two, but I think I need at least two more.

One other random thing is that this year I've been given three water bottles (one as a gift, one I won at my family reunion and one that came with a gym bag I won online). Add those to the one I've had for over 4 years (the one they give you in the hospital when you have a baby, I just love how big it is) and the one I saw at the store and just had to have and now, hopefully, I'll never go thirsty. I love having a variety though because then I can grab one that fits my mood (handle, top/drink feature, decoration, size).

Tell Me: Do you collect things for a time? What are some of your collections?

Cranergy for Me?

I saw these at the store and thought it'd be fun to try out. I didnt really read the labels in detail but I knew a few things before I bought these. a) they were energy drinks b) they were cranberry by oceanspray and c) they looked awesome.

I got them home, filled my glass full of ice and poured in this delicious looking drink.

After I took a sip, well it wasn't as great as I'd hoped. It had this weird taste. Slightly like cranberry only something stronger over it. My husband was standing in the kitchen and asked me why I was drinking this. 'Well duh, because it's cranberry!' says I. He said, "No, why are you drinking green tea?" Ohh. I'm normally not a fan of green tea so it didnt even dawn on me to consider it was in this drink. Yes that'd make a lot of sense now with the energy and all.

Well I'm not really a fan of green tea so I really had no desire to finish the drink/bottles. So here's my opinion. If you like green tea and cranberry, you'll probably love this drink. Since I only liked one of those very important variables (since they're both very potent flavors) I really disliked these drinks.

Anyone see this Cranergy? Try them? What'd you think?

*I was not asked to do this review. I was not compensated to try this product. I just thought it'd be fun to try something new and cranberry.

Operation Dirty Cotton

Operation Family Fitness week one complete! My husband and I wanted to do some running together this summer so we decided to start getting up early in the morning so we could. The kids come along and play very nicely together, but they started joining in the fun and running laps with us. I think their favorite part though is the sit ups and push ups. Seriously it's the cutest thing I've ever seen watching my little 2 year old trying to pump those suckers out.
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Wanna see my new bookmark? My hubby made it a while ago and I made it into a fun little bookmark for myself. Is it weird if it makes me feel sorta....risque (in a fun way) when I use it? Haha. Oh people. I've been reading some fun books lately. I'm doing a 50 book challenge this year and my half way point is coming up. I'm excited to check it out and see how I'm doing so far. I'm thinking I'm a bit ahead of schedule, and that just makes me feel giddy.
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Anyone else have cotton trees near their house? We have two about a 1/2 a block away but with the way our house is situated when the wind picks up it comes right down our street and hits the first four houses (ours included). If you dont have to live near them I dare say it looks kind of fun when you see them blowing around, looking like snow in the spring. However let me me tell you, it's rather obnoxious. I love going outside to play with my kids but when I do I end up scratching at my nose the whole time since those evil little pods come twittering down and go right up there.

Obviously this picture has nothing to do with anything but that I think my kid is cute and my husband is funny.

Have a good weekend everyone!