November 25th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

Good Morning! Well, the 4:00 am thing didn’t exactly work out for me this morning. I drank entirely too much caffeinated sweet tea last night, to be able to fall asleep early enough, to be able to wake up at four. I think I hit the snooze button at least five times before I actually got out of bed.

We all went to my son’s house yesterday. He and his girlfriend Alex hosted the Dallas vs. Giants football party this time around. Let me tell you, sixteen people in that tiny Cape Cod is an experience. There were people everywhere. It was a noisy ruckus, with a lot of yelling and laughing, and for the folks watching the game, even a little bit of cursing… on both sides. It was a house divided almost equally of Giants fans and Cowboys fans and Food fans (several were there just for the food and family and could care less about football). It was nice not being grossly outnumbered for once, but I didn’t even watch the game. For some reason this season, when I watch, my Giants lose. Unfortunately yesterday, I poked my head in to sneak a peek at the end, and well, y’all know how that turned out…

While all that rowdiness was going on in the living room, Alex was running around making food, serving food, cleaning up food, making and serving more food. I kept asking if she wanted help and she kept saying, “No, it’s ok. I got it,” but you could tell she was getting tired. She and my son had been busting their butts for days preparing for the party. I finally managed to nudge her out of the way so I could at least wash some dishes for her.

I get it. I remember what it was like when I hosted my first parties when I was young. I wanted to do everything, but then, with age I came to realize some of my guests actually felt more welcome if they were allowed to help when they offered to help. Did it really matter if the carrots went in the wrong section of the cru de te dish or if the cheese was in squares instead of cracker sized rectangles? No, it didn’t, and when I realized that, parties went a lot smoother. Helping made my guests happy, and it helped me. When Alex gets a few more parties under her belt, I’m sure she’ll come to the same conclusion. In the meantime, I just keep offering to help, and do the dishes when she’s not looking.

I spent quite a bit of time chatting with my son’s friend Mike’s girlfriend Ashley last night. I had met her briefly in October, and she seemed nice, but we didn’t really have time to talk then. Well, we did last night, and she confirmed my first impressions. She is nice. I’m glad Mike has found a great girl, and I’m glad we get along with her. This is especially helpful since my son informed me last night that Mike and Ashley will be joining us for Thanksgiving.

Actually, I’m thrilled they’re coming. I’ll confess now, I was kinda depressed when I thought I was only hosting Thanksgiving for nine this year. Heck, I could have nine for dinner on a random Tuesday night. There’s nothing special about that, and Thanksgiving should be special. So, now with Mike and Ashley coming, arrangements made so my aunt and uncle are now coming (my uncle had shoulder surgery and wouldn’t have been able to drive), that brings us up to thirteen. All I’m waiting on now is to hear if our friends Barb and John are coming. If so, that puts us at fifteen, and for me, makes it feel more like a holiday. True it’s half the number I used to host for Thanksgiving, but I’ll take it.

So here’s the game plan I came up with for the next three days. I get up early, do my blog while my daughter gets ready for school, write like a fiend from the time my husband leaves for work and my daughter comes home from her half day at school, then me and my daughters tackle one room each day – family room today, living room tomorrow, kitchen Wednesday, which will leave only the bathroom to clean on Thursday. If I stick to this plan there is a slim chance I may hit the 50K. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

I hope you have a great day and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

 This year you are able to go home for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years. When you get there, things feel just a little off…

 

From the moment I boarded the plane this morning and during the entire drive from the airport, I could barely sit still, which I’m sure made me one of the guy I was sitting next to on the plane’s favorite person. I’m sorry, but I was so excited. It has been years since I have been in the position to be able to come home for Thanksgiving. Either money was too tight or things were just too crazy at work and I couldn’t get away; two years, I wasn’t even in the country during Thanksgiving.

I’ve seen the family over the years. I’d meet up with them during my travels or they would come and stay with me for a few days, but this was the first time in forever we would all be under one roof.

As I pulled up in front of my parents’ house, the first thing I notice is my dad painted. For my entire life, we have had a white house with blue shutters. Now we have a blue house with white shutters. My folks are getting wild and crazy in their golden years. Dad’s going to get a kick out of the fact I had to double check the address to make sure I had pulled up in front of the right house.

I gather my luggage, headed inside and stop in my tracks. Gone were the beige walls, gone was the shabby furniture, and what replaced it looked like it had been torn from the pages of Country Living. The transformation was astounding. Maybe this isn’t the right house.

“Honey your home!” Mom squealed and wrapped me in a fierce hug.

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

The Black Friday experience…

 

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.

September 8th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina – 

 

It is another glorious day in Central New Jersey. Although I do not like the cold weather and the changing weather does send my back into spasms, I do love crisp nights and warm sunny days. Usually it means you’ve tired yourself out all day because you can get work done outside because there is no oppressive heat and then you sleep like a rock burrowed under the covers.

 

Unfortunately last night I wasn’t so lucky. This being only the second full day of this type of weather, my back was so cramped up, every time I went to move it was a breath stealing endeavor. I didn’t get a heck of a lot of sleep last night. Hopefully I will have better luck tonight.

 

Today is the first day of Sunday school at our church, and much to my daughter’s chagrin, she needs to get her butt out of bed to be there. She will be part of the Confirmation class and one of its requirements is Sunday school attendance. She grumbles and complains, but after she gets there and gets involved with the kids, she’s fine. I just wish we didn’t have to go through the song and dance beforehand.

 

When we get home from church, I am going to thaw out something to have for a good old fashioned Sunday dinner. I am going to straighten the house and make sure everything is finished before 7:30 so we can watch the Giants v. Cowboys game uninterrupted. What do you think the chances are of spotting my son at the game? LOL, yeah, I know, almost less than zero. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to try…

 

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

 

 

Your Last Challenge was:

 

Go ahead, close your eyes, make a wish and blow. I know you want to. I promise not to tell anyone.

 

Blowing dandelion wishes or popping the heads off when they are still yellow, holding buttercups up under your chin to see if they reflect alerting everyone you like butter, catching fireflies and keeping them in a mason jar; all precious moments from our childhood. Memories of a much simpler time; a time when our biggest worry was if we’d be allowed to stay up an extra half hour or if our grandmother would like the necklace we made her out of dandelion stems. A time we would all love to revisit.

 

But who says we can’t? What is stopping you from taking a moment to catch a firefly and let him go? From reaching down, grabbing a fat, yellow dandelion and thumb-popping the head to see how far it will fly? So next time you see a dandelion ball, pick it, bring it up to your mouth, close your eyes, make a wish and blow…

 

Your Next Challenge is:

 

Describe the very first time you saw a movie on the big screen.

 

  

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.

September 6th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

 

It’s 4:00 am and my son and his girlfriend should be here in the next half hour, so I don’t know if I will get my entire blog done by then, but I’m going to give it a try.

For my son’s birthday, his girlfriend got him tickets to the opening day game of the Giant’s vs. the Cowboys at the AT&T stadium…in Arlington, Texas. I am driving them to Philly so they can catch their flight to Dallas. It is a REALLY great gift, one I had hoped to be able to get my husband someday, but haven’t been able to afford yet, so it’s still on my “to do” list.

 

I took my daughter and two of her friends around the high school yesterday so they could try and map out their class schedule, but I fear my daughter is even more confused now then she was before. Technically the school was closed yesterday, which meant certain doors were locked, so we needed to find different routes than when her sister and another friend showed her around. I think we will be headed back there later today to try it again.

 

I also stopped by our local library yesterday to speak to the director about starting a weekly writing/critique group similar to the one I attend in Princeton, but he wasn’t in, so I didn’t get that accomplished either. All in all, not a very productive day. I hate wasting time, but I guess sometimes it is unavoidable.

 

Today when I return from the airport, I will be making an old German dish my husband’s Nana used to make when she was alive. I only make this once a year because 1 – it’s when the plums are in season, and 2 – it is very labor intensive. Basically it is an Italian plumb dumpling. You make a potato dough, roll the plum in sugar and place it in the dough, boil it in chicken broth, then fry it up in bread crumbs. It is served hot with powdered sugar on top, but it is still considered a meal and not a dessert. I know that sounds a little unappealing to many of you, but trust me, they are quite good.

 

OK, right to the challenge or I’ll have no chance at getting it done before they arrive.

 

Your Last Challenge was:

Write a story containing the following three words: Licorice, Crystal & Cake.

 

Mom’s coming over for her birthday dinner and I wanted to make her a special cake this year instead of a store bought one. I decided to bring out an old favorite which had been a big hit in the past. It’s a square cake, so when it’s frosted in white, it looks like a box. I then take licorice and fashion a bow around the box and then add nonpareils and when it’s finished, it looks like a Birthday present all served up on a crystal platter. The presentation is lovely, but since everyone has seen it before, it won’t be such a big surprise…until they cut into that is…

 

 

 

Short and sweet today, but I’m under a time constraint. Oh, by the way, true story. The photos are the actual cake I made my mom a few years ago. Hope you have a great day and happy writing!

  

Your Next Challenge is:

 

What did you say?

  

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.