April 10th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Wow, this week is flying by, isn’t it?

Thankfully, while running around with RV yesterday, I was able to get some things done, which I needed to do, so I don’t have to run around like a chicken with its head chopped off tomorrow. RV needed to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Marshall’s to return some things; and while we were there, I was able to run into Costco to get the candy for Saturday. (I keep a candy dish on my book signing table.) She also needed to stop at Wal-Mart, so I was able to get some stuff for the kid’s Easter baskets.

Today we are going over to Kohl’s. She needs to pick up something for her son for his birthday, and while we’re there, she agreed to be my sounding board so I can get a top and pants double as my outfit for Saturday’s Authors Fair and for Easter. I wanted something light, bright, and springy, but I really have to watch my color selection or I’ll look ill. It’s weird. Take peach, which I love, for example. If there are too many pink undertones, I look like I’m blushing; but if there are too many yellow undertones, I look sallow. On rare occasions, I can find the ideal shade of peach that actually looks good on me.

I have much better luck with dark and cool colors, but they monopolize my wardrobe, and I wanted something different this time. I know if I went alone and tried to select something out of my comfort zone, I’d vacillate and end up purchasing more of what’s already in my closet. RV’s a bit of a fashionista, so if she says “yuck” or “looks good”, I’d go with her opinion.

The way we worked out our schedule today, we’ll have about an hour and a half at Kohl’s before she needs to get to PT. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that’s I’ll be able to find something so I don’t need to worry about it on Friday. Then, all I need to do tomorrow is a bank run to get change (I’m hoping to sell at least a few books on Saturday), get all my supplies packed up into my rolling suitcase, and then get my hair cut at 4:30. The outfit I get today may also determine if I need to purchase new shoes tomorrow as well, but I don’t want to think about that.

Okay, time to get lunches going, and then I have a little over an hour to work on FTQ. I hope y’all have a terrific day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

One red shoe…

There it was, just lying by the side of the road. I’m surprised I even noticed it. If it wasn’t for the traffic, I probably wouldn’t have, but my slow crawled approach had me staring at it for quite some time. From a distance, it was just a reflection on the shoulder which caught my eye. Originally I had thought it was the remains of a broken taillight, but as I drew closer, it began to take form. There, completely upright, perfectly lovely, looking like someone had just stepped out of it, was one ruby-red, high-heeled, slipper.

Since I had an inordinate amount of time to ponder while my car inched along, I began to wonder about that one red shoe. How did it get there? Where was its owner? Where had it been? Had the owner been abducted, and in her struggle, lost her shoe? Had she been hanging her feet out of the car window after a wild bachelorette party, and it had fallen off? Had her car broken down and she had to walk for help, then decided it was too hard to walk in heels? Oh, that wouldn’t work. She would have carried her shoes. But what if she couldn’t? What if her hands were full? If that were the case, she wouldn’t have just taken off one shoe, so where’s the other one?

Scenario after scenario played in my brain until, there it was, just lying by the side of the road, a wrapped box with a yellow ribbon. I wonder what could be inside?

Your Next Challenge is:

(S)He was just the gal/guy next door…

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.

April 9th Challenge

Hi, it’s Christina –

Good morning. Wow, what a gorgeous day it’s starting out to be, not too cold, bright beautiful sunshine, and no wind. I’ll take it!

Today started out with almost two thousand words completely unrelated to Faerie Tale Queen, my blog or NaNoWriMo. As you know, my daughter was out sick all last week with that norovirus that’s plaguing our schools right now. She was miserable for eight straight days. So obviously, now that she’s back at school, she has a lot of work to catch up on, and the poor kid is stressing.

She missed a week, so she should be allowed a week to make up the work. That’s the policy, but apparently the policy doesn’t mean squat when it’s the end of the marking period. She has projects due – project which were assigned while she was out. She has tests she needs to take – on material that was covered while she was out. She even had to write three papers on health and/or fitness to be able to make up for gym periods she missed. HOW FLIPPIN’ STUPID IS THAT??? Are you kidding me? Like she doesn’t have enough to do without the gym teachers assigning her busy work?

This poor kid has been up to midnight the past two nights trying to get all her work finished. She is so stressed out, I’m actually worried she’s going to make herself sick again. Hence my 2K words this morning. I shot off emails to all her teachers, begging to give Dani the appropriate amount of time to complete her assignments. Telling them it is better to give her an incomplete for the marking period then to force her to hand in an incomplete project, or to take a test on something she hasn’t learned yet because she’s being forced to teach it to herself.

In all fairness, I also sent an email to Dani’s math teacher, thanking her for working with Dani to get her caught up. This teacher went so far as to arrange for another math teacher, who did not have a class period nine, to come in to her classroom so Dani could get some one-on-one help in learning the material she had missed. In this day and age, I find that level of teaching, an anomaly. NOT that the teachers wouldn’t want to be able to help their students any way they can, but that the administration makes it so difficult for them to be able to go above and beyond the way Dani’s math teacher did. My hat’s off to you Ms. M, you found a way, and it’s is very much appreciated!

We’ll have to wait and see if my other emails this morning bought Dani any extra time. If they didn’t, I fear I will have to bring my case further up the food chain, and believe me, when it comes to my kids, I have zero issue going over someone’s head, and all the way to the top head if need be. I’ve done it before, and I will not hesitate to do it again.

Alrighty, I have an extra hour this morning to get some more writing done on FTQ, and I intend to use every second of that time. I hope y’all have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

The Easter Bunny can’t get motivated this year…

Another year, another basket. Who am I kidding? Another billion baskets. And for what? No one appreciates all the hard work I do. Now anyone can go and pick up their Easter candy at Wal-Mart, they don’t need me to bring it to them anymore. So why do I bother?

Why do I bother with putting up with the complaints that I hid an egg too well, and it started stinking up their house two weeks later because they couldn’t find it. Is it my fault they have the observation skills of a myopic sloth? Oh yeah, and I especially love the complaints saying all my candy is making their kids fat. Like it has nothing to do with the drive through dinners three times a week because parents are too lazy to make proper meals; or how about them wanting to be their kids friends and not wanting to upset them so they let them sit on the couch for hours on end playing video games instead of going outside and getting some exercise. Oh yeah, it’s all my fault your kid's a lard butt.

So again I ask, why do I bother? I should just hang up my basket and go soak these weary bones in some aqua waters off some tropical island. I doubt anyone would miss me anyway.

Your Next Challenge is:

One red shoe…

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.