May 11th Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! So, how will you be spending your day? Are you going visiting, or are kids coming to visit you?

I think I may have a combination of both today. I do know we are going over to my sister in law’s for dinner. We do it every Mother’s Day. My mom comes over there as well, and we throw steaks on the grill. We give both my mother and my mother in law, flowering hanging baskets for their back porches. Yes, it’s predictable, but it’s a nice, laid back, pretty much stress free holiday, which is nice.

The reason I said I “may have a combination of both” was, I’m not sure if PJ is coming over to our house today or just to his aunt’s tonight. You may recall, last year my Mother’s day gift was the frame work for a garden which never got quite finished. This year, we will be finishing it. At nine, I’ll be calling over to the Co-Op to have them drop a load of dirt near the garden.

While my husband, and possibly my son, fill the five troughs with dirt, Dani and I will be off plant and seed hunting. We’ll probably have to get the finishing items for the garden as well while we’re out – the screen for the roof, the fencing for the surround, and the netting for the vine plants to climb. (We made the center trough wider than the other four so we can center hang a climbing net for the peas, beans, and possibly cucumbers.)

I also want to pick up the wood for the boys to make me a potato bin, or spud box as some folks call it. It’s a really cool concept. Basically, it’s a two foot square box, which stands three feet high. Three sides are stationary, but the front has removable panels. There is not top or bottom, it goes right on the ground, and the plants come out the top.

You put a layer of dirt down first, then your potatoes, then you cover them with a layer of dirt. In a week or so, when the potatoes start sprouting, you cover the shoots with dirt. You keep doing this until you reach the last removable panel of your container – it will take several weeks. Then, you remove the bottom panel so you can harvest that layer’s potatoes. It’s pretty cool. Supposedly, you can yield around a hundred pounds of potatoes from this small box.

I am also going to pick up some cinder blocks so I can make a cinder block strawberry patch. I thought this was such a great idea. If you have ever planted strawberries before you know they can take over the world. By planting them in the holes in the cinder blocks, it helps keep them contained. Now the trick will be keeping the birds away from them. I had planned on lining either the front or the side of the garden with the cinder blocks, but I may just put a block between each of the troughs so the strawberries will be protected too.

My goodness, can you tell I’m excited about finishing my garden? I certainly had not planned on rambling on and on about it. I had planned on telling you about yesterday’s trip.

We did pretty good, Lys and I left around twenty after six. Dani sent me a text at five thirty, crying off from the trip. I had anticipated as much. Between the class trip and the sweet sixteen, I knew she was going to be exhausted.

Price Auditorium

Lock Haven University is only a handful of miles, and half a dozen turns, off of Route 80, so it was an easy trip; long, but easy. We arrived on campus at quarter to ten, managed to find a parking spot, and made our way to Price Auditorium with time to spare – mostly because Route 80 apparently is the US equivalent to the Autobahn. There was this one strip, where the speed limit is fifty-five. We were cruising, in traffic, at sixty-five in the slow lane (we were on our way home, so I wasn’t in a hurry). Cars were zipping by in the fast lane, at a safely estimated, seventy-five. One of the cars speeding past was a state trooper, no lights, no sirens, just tootling along with the rest of the pack.

Blurry :(

I digress. We were in Price Auditorium because only folks with tickets for the graduation we allowed in the stadium where the graduation was actually taking place. No big deal as far as I’m concerned. We got to watch from comfortable seats, in a climate controlled, weather threat free, environment. They broadcasted the commencement onto a screen, so we probably had a better view of the proceedings than the ticket holders in the stadium.

There were some technical issues at first. Initially the sound wasn’t the greatest, and at one point the screen did go black, but they got all the glitches out quickly, so we were able to see everything. The only thing I was bummed about was the photo I snapped of Lisa getting her diploma came out blurry. Lys got a great photo, but because she took it on SnapChat, I couldn’t get a copy.

Lisa & Lysa

We met up with Lisa and her family when everything was over. We took a few pictures, gave Lisa a card and some graduation cupcakes Lys had made for her, then we left for home. Lisa still had to finish packing up her apartment, so she still had a lot to do, and we didn’t want to get in her way. Yes, it was eight total hours of driving, and we only got to spend half an hour with her, but it was worth it. Now that she’s home, and finished with school, we’ll get to see her more often.

Lisa & Me

Okay, this blog has gone on long enough, and I still have the challenge to do, so I am going to end it here. Facebook folks, there are a bunch of photos, so if you want to see them, you’ll have to visit my blog.

I hope you have a wonderful day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

Write a FIRST person experience from the viewpoint of a dollar bill.

Ooo, I wonder what I’ll be traded for today. Not that it really matters, I’m just glad to be out of Tommy’s pocket. Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get the wrinkles out, but I really shouldn’t complain. Tommy’s pocket was a step up from that parking lot puddle Mr. Simms dropped me in.

I really don’t know much about Mr. Simms, since I was only with him for a few minutes. He had stopped at the convenience store, that was my latest home, to pick up some orange juice and some cold medicine. He looked so tired and so frazzled. I heard him tell the store clerk that his wife and both of their small children were all home sick in bed, so I guess I can forgive him for not noticing that he dropped me.

Before I came to live at the convenience store, Sally found me folded up in one of her Easter

eggs. I will never forget how excited she was when she found me. She was such a sweet girl, and do you know what she did? She brought me, and a few of my brothers to the convenience store, and she didn’t buy candy or gum, like I thought she would. Nope, Sally traded me for one of the wrapped pink roses they have on the counter. She wanted to have something pretty to give to her mommy.

Before the Easter Bunny put me into Sally’s egg, I have pretty much traveled the country. I have lived in toll booths, vending machines, and too many wallets to count. I have survived a Minnesota winter and a Texas summer. I’ve been traded for hurricanes in New Orleans, deep dish in Chicago, and lobster rolls in Maine.

Your Next Challenge is:

This probably should have been yesterday’s challenge, but since I didn’t have time for a challenge yesterday, you’re getting it today. Write about either your mom, being a mom, or what it means to be a mom.

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.

January 3rd Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Snowstorm Hercules dumped a little over 6” of snow on us last night, so it really wasn’t as fearsome as the name. However, the storm also brought bitter cold (it’s colder than a witch’s who-ha) and a wicked wind, so it is rather miserable out there at the moment. They canceled school last night already, and even my husband’s company has a delayed opening, which is pretty much unheard of.

The marketing event, which ends Sunday, has brought me up to the 800 mark on Facebook, which is grand; but the best part is I have now become friends with a number of different authors, many of who are from overseas. It is an eclectic group and I am thoroughly enjoying chatting with them.

Yesterday’s Costco run ended with us unloading our bounty at the church. We had finished getting everything put away and, because Lys is leaving early Sunday morning so we’ll be missing church, we went over to the pastor’s office so she could say goodbye. We were just about to go into the building when we heard a cry. We turn around to watch my mother hit the ground. Her shoe had gotten caught between where the parking lot meets the walkway. THANK GOD she was ok, but I’ll tell you, I think it scared about three years off of my life. She’s bruised and a bit sore, but nothing’s broken. Having a young mom has its benefits. If she took this same tumble when she was in her seventies as opposed to being in her sixties, the results would have been much different.

So how are you doing on your New Year’s resolutions? I’ll admit I was too tired last night to clean the kitchen before I went to bed, and I didn’t start a load of laundry yet this morning, but, in my defense, the clothes I wanted to wash are in my bedroom and I didn’t want to wake my husband. I’ll get everything back on track after he leaves for the day, so I should be good from there.

Time to get this party rolling. I hope you have a sensational day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

Since it is the first day of the new year, I thought a good challenge would be – A new beginning…

A new day has dawned and a new year is upon us; a clean slate, a new beginning. The time for reflection has passed, and the time to look toward our future has come. What has the departed year taught you? What changes will you make in this new year? What mountain will you climb? Which golden ring will you grasp?

The possibilities are only limited by you own imagination. Take a chance. Reach for the moon, and who knows, you may just grasp some stars. Vow to live today as if it were your last, and squeeze every ounce of joy out of each second. Smile at strangers as well as friends. Say “I love you” often and really mean it. Spread good will and charity. Forgive even if you can’t forget. Try something new; perfect something old. Share your talent and your passion. Live. For a new day has dawned and a new year is upon us; a clean slate, a new beginning. Make it count.

Your Next Challenge is:

Write a story containing the following three words: Prunes, Grandmother, Missing

You have 10 minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.