Favorite Holiday Recipes

It's that time of year when we are all cleaning and cooking and baking and preparing our holiday meals for friends and family.

I host Hanukkah each year and every other year New Year's. This year is my year for New Year's too, so, I am not out of the woods yet. Since we are all pretty much in the same boat, I thought we could do a Holiday Recipe Game of Open Tag.

Here are my rules:

1. Please no tagging! Everyone is very busy now, so this is purely optional.
2. If you WANT to play, leave a comment here on my blog that you intend on joining in and then just post a recipe on your blog by December 31st.
3. Once you've posted your recipe and the rules for the readers of your blog, then send some linky love, but only to other bloggers who have already posted their favorite recipe. (remember, because it is such a busy time for everyone, no tagging, please. OK?)

Latkes (AKA Potato Pancakes)

Latkes are a traditional food to eat on Hanukkah. Why??? Because they are so darn oily (and yummy) and they remind us of the oil that burned for eight nights. But you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this tasty treat.

Ingredients:

• six medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1 medium or large onion
• 1/2 cup matzo meal (if you can't find matzo meal, you can substitute with flour, but it won't have that je ne sais quoi)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• vegetable oil
• cheese cloth
• brown paper bags, ripped open so they can lay flat

Directions:

• First, fill a large bowl with cold water.
• Peel the potatoes and place in bowl of water immediately after peeled. (Potatoes will turn a reddish brown when exposed to the air. Keeping them submerged in cold water, will keep them white.
• Grate each potato (there is debate about grating by hand or using a food processor. I say if your food processor has a grating setting, use it!)
• Oh, you'll need another bowl for the grated potatoes. No water this time.
• Grate or finely chop your onions. (Try this... chop while running the water in your tap, or burn a candle to reduce the tears that onion fumes can bring...)
• Next, cut your cheese cloth into large sections.
• Have another large bowl at your ready or re-use the one that once had the cold water in it...
• Put a handful of the grated potato into the center of one of your cheese cloth pieces. Make sure it is well wrapped and then squeeze all the water from the grated potato. Potatoes naturally contain a large amount of water. This water will get in the way of your mixture, making it too wet when it fries. Squeezing out the natural water with the cheese cloth is the secret to perfect latkes. If you do not have cheese cloth, you can just squeeze it out in your hands. But cheese cloth works best.
• Once you've squeezed out all the excess water, out the grated potatoes into a bowl, (you use a lot of bowls when making latkes. Sorry...)
• Add all the other ingredients and mix well. You can use a spoon, or your hands.
• You want the potato mixture to be able to stick together, like meatballs. So, if it is still too wet, you can add a dash more matzo meal or flour. But you don't want it to be too dry either. So, be careful.
• In a large, flat pan, heat up the vegetable oil. You want to fry, so you will need a lot of oil.
• Once the oil is hot, take about about a palmful of potato mixture and place it in the hot oil. Use a spatula to flatten it out.
• Once the latke is a deep brown on one side, flip it until it is the same deep brown on the other side.
• Latkes are greasy. One tried and true way to rid some of that unwanted oil, is to take the fried latkes and place them on brown paper. Paper towels work well too, but not as well.

Latkes are eaten with apple sauce or sour cream (think baked potato and sour cream...) This is a another long-lived debate... Is it better with apple sauce or sour cream? I prefer sour cream... but my kids prefer apple sauce. My DH is an equal opportunist, eating some with apple sauce, and some with sour cream. Both are delicious.

Latkes are best eaten right away! But if you have to make them ahead of time then keep them in a warm oven until ready to eat, but they often loose their crispiness when sitting in an oven. Also, if you want to make them well in advance... you can flash freeze them. Let them cool a bit and then lay them on cookie sheets lined with brown paper and cover with tin foil and then freeze them right away. When ready to use, broil them until hot and crispy. The heat will release all the oil, so no need to add more.

Enjoy!

Oh, just one more tip... make mini versions of these and serve as an appetizer with a tiny dollop of apple sauce or sour cream. These are perfect when made and frozen ahead of time and then just broiled to heat up. Your guests will love the pop of flavor each little mini morsel will provide!

Teriyak Salmon

This is perfect for any holiday meal or a regular family meal. I am making it
for New Year's this year. Don't like salmon? That's OK. This marinade is terrific on any meat - steak, chicken, pork, shrimp... You name it. Just substitute with your favorite meat and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• a half a pound of salmon per adult, less for children (unless they're my children! They love salmon!)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 tsp brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp pepper (optional)

Directions:

• If possible, marinade over night. Make sure you coat the top and bottom of the salmon.
• Cover and put in the fridge over night, or at least for a few hours.
• In a preheated oven, bake at 350* until center of salmon is no longer translucent. Depending upon the thickness, that's usually about 30 - 40 minutes.
• I baste about every 15 minutes and then when I think it's done, I cut into the center with a butter knife to separate the meat to check that the color has become opaque.
• Another way to tell when salmon is done, is if it's flaky to a fork or knife. It should pull apart easily.

This meal is great with rice and fresh veggies. I also love to make a green salad with apples or pears and some kind of nuts... walnuts, almonds, pecans... those flavors compliment the teriyaki perfectly.

So, what about it? Have any great recipes you'd like to share? Anyone have excellent dessert recipes?

Have a happy holiday everyone! Stay warm. Stay dry. Love and be loved!

See you in 2009!

Is it THAT Time Again... (insert whining if you must...)

Oh, boy, here we go! It's New Year's Resolution Time...

Out with the old, in with the new, but first we must reflect back on our year's progress with our goals. I wasn't even sure if I remembered all of mine, so I had to look back here to remind myself of 2008's goals.

Let's see I said I would...

1. Make revisions to a particular picture book.
   
2. Polish pages 1 - 30 in my WIP (MG low fantasy novel)
   
3. FINISH my WIP (the one and the same MG low fantasy novel)
   
4. Save, save, save (for the SCBWI Bologna Children's Fair)
   

So, how did I fare...

I did make those revisions to that particular picture book, showed it to two editors and then pulled it underground, wanting to focus all my attention on my MG novel. This decision came after one editor in particular said, "When I saw your name, I thought this can't be the same Sheri Perl-Oshins (knowing I write novels) and that's when I stopped and asked myself, do I really want to be pulled in two directions, or focus on one? My answer was, focus on one. No matter what led to my decision, the goal was still reached. Check.

Yes, I did polish pages 1 - 30, but this seems like a silly goal to have had since I hadn't even finished writing the darn thing. Looking back, I know why I had that as a goal - an SCBWI conference. So, check to #2.

Finish my WIP. Well, there's still time and with NaNo I did pump out close to 40,000 new words all in one month - more than I've ever done. I've since cut a lot of the dribble and my word count is back down to 34,599, but still, it was a feat that I am proud of and although I have not reached this goal, I know I will. So, let's say half a check.

And what about saving up for Bologna? I can sum that up in one word; Recession. I had to give up that goal - but no hard feeling about it - reality is reality, even if it's not the reality you'd hoped for. So, no check there.

Even though 2008 seems to have come and gone in the blink of an eye, and looking back, I do feel a measure of success, it is time to look ahead to 2009. This year's goals will be easy to define. (Hey, I made a rhyme... must be a poet and I don't even know it!)

1. Finish my novel!
   
2. Polish my novel!
   
3. Maybe the later half of the year, if it's ready, begin looking for an agent.
   

And that's it! Three very good goals. How about you? Did you meet your 2008 goals? What goals will you set for 2009?

Daniel Radcliffe all Grown-Up and the Trickle after NaNo

Well, he might not get the same type of cheers as co-star Robert Pattinson - which is more akin to Beatles hysteria. However, Daniel Radcliffe (AKA Harry Potter) is still my favorite.

Did you get to see his interview on Inside the Actor's Studio? Here's part one (above) and part four (below). You can catch parts 2 and 3 on You Tube..



Are you a real fan of Daniel's? Well, if so, you can catch him on Broadway in Equus, a controversial play, where the young Radcliffe appears nude for a long and dramatic scene. Not the Harry Potter we've come to know and love. But I suppose they all have to grow up... the actors and the fictional characters they portray.

So... Life After NaNoWriMo...

I have been sputtering to a slow start to continue my book since NaNo. I took the first week of December off. 1) I had a stomach virus and 2) I was seriously burnt out. I think I used up all the words in my head and I needed to grow new ones. So today, I wrote, maybe 50 new words... It's amazing how a week off creates such space and distance between you and your story. I needed to re-read the last few chapters, study my outline, and do some quick research to get back into it. It really IS like exercising!

But still, I love my idea and I am still going forward, hopefully now with a bit more of a serious flow than this painful trickle. There is something to be said about a fake deadline. Self imposed deadlines don't seem to have the same affect on me as NaNo did. But I've got to make mine work the same because I do really want to finish and begin revisions.

Anyone else having a slow time after NaNo?

Casting Call

Have you ever done this... pictured well known actors/actresses as the characters in your story? I've noticed the characters I've done this for, have more distinct voices and mannerisms and are more clearly defined.

So, after the harrowing writing month of November, I decided to take a creative break by casting my characters.

It wasn't as easy as I thought. I don't think my main character exists - or at least, I don't think she's been discovered yet. But if I could turn back the hands of time I would cast Jena Malone as my MC. Check out the rest of my cast of characters...





Tom Sturrbridge -- my MC's bff (and not to bad to look at either - again, I would have to rewind the hands of time by about 10 years.)


Kevin McKidd -- my MC's father -- He was on Journeyman last year, but the show was cancelled. Now, he is the new doctor on Grey's Anatomy. He just has my MC's father's mannerisms down to the T that it really helps me to think about him when I write this character.


Patricia Clarkson -- I'm not sure yet, but I just love her and would love her as either my MC's mom (but too much of an age difference between Patricia and Kevin) or maybe as one of my fantasy characters.

Cate Blanchett... Well who wouldn't love Cate Blanchett to be cast in their book? I'd love her as my antagonist. I think she plays great villains, but she's awesome in any roll.

I still don't have some key characters. But that's a search to continue another day...

So, how about you? Who would you cast as your leading lady and leading man? Who would be your antagonist? And how do you go about discovering them? Have any good links for head shots we can all use?

FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO

Drum roll please........

If I count all words in this draft at this point, the total count is......

40,829

However, about 7,000 of those words are from a few chapters from my last version that I need to rewrite, but have now run out of time. So, if I only count all the words written from Nov 1 - 30 and don't count those two or three chapters I haven't rewritten yet, than my final word count is......

33,016

But, I am not upset at all that I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words. I never thought I would meet that goal, although there was a moment when I did believe it was attainable. I have learned far too much to feel sad. I have learned I can...

...write through fatigue
...write through pain
...write through a cold
...write through sick children
...write through sleepless nights
...write after working with 3 year olds
...write while my family is home and doing loud activities
...write in the car with the radio on and the kids in the back seat watching a movie (My husband was driving... Oh and I cannot, however, write while my DH sings. Sorry, THAT is too much of a distraction for me!)

~But most of all, I have learned that I can finish this book and that I will finish this book.
~I have learned that 50,000 words is reachable and that my story will probably wind up being longer than 50,000 words.

I have learned a good set of earphones do a lot more than block out sound. They also work like blinders on a horse and help me to zero in my focus.

I have also learned not to share your story before it is finished and never, never, EVER revise until YOU ARE DONE! Repeat after me.... NEVER, EVER, EVER REVISE UNTIL YOU ARE DONE!

Writing my first novel has been a real up hill battle, learning simultaneously about my novel as I am learning how to write one! Not an easy task at all. But I love what I do. I can't not (double negative, I know...) do what I do. And one day I will make money doing what I do. I believe in my story and I believe in my dedication.

I would recommend NaNo to everyone and anyone who will listen. My suggestions are...

1. write an outline before Nov 1. Write several. A long, detailed one and a short one. My long one was 31 pages full of detail - what characters were in that chapter, what props, what's foreshadowed, what was the mini conflict, mini resolution, and "disaster" that kept forever pulling my MC to that point of no return, or what I like to call the journey... My short outline was 2 pages long and basically was a few short words - no more than 3 - just sighting he crux of each chapter.
2. Do your research before November 1
3. Tell members of your writing group, you will not be sharing pages for the month of November

I want to thank all of you for following my journey and for cheering me on through this process. It was such a thrill to know you were all there behind me and I was behind all of my fellow NaNo writers as well.

My story will not reach The End at word 50,000. And although NaNoWriMo is over, many of us are not done. So, join me in setting a new goal - to reach 50,000 words or the end of your story by December 31st. Let's ring in the New Year with new MSs. So, whose with me?

Again, from the bottom of this writer's heart... thank you! December 31st, here we come!

NaNo Day 25

NaNoWriMo Day 25 Word Count

I know, I haven't posted in a while. It feels like forever, but even though I haven't been blogging, I have still been writing. It was a real difficult process breaking 30,000. I was really burned out. I needed to take two days off from writing, catch up on sleep and life outside my fantasy world, in order to be able to come back to my desk ready and able. It was the best thing I could have done.

Today, I wrote my first scene where the antagonist first appears to my MC. I was nervous to write it at first, wondering if I could get in touch with a mean side. It was soooooooo much fun writing this scene! I love writing about this person readers will love to hate. Oooo, she's so wicked and evil. And my poor MC - she didn't even really know what to do. I felt scared for her. I literally held my breath the whole time I was writing.

So, where does this lead me...

Goal: I don't have any real word count goal right now, because I know I will not reach 50,000 words by Nov 1, so I just told myself to fix the previous chapter, update my outline, re-familiarize myself with where I was going, and write the next chapter. And those goals were completed.

Actual: And with that said, putting the numbers out of my head, I wrote 2,389 in one day, AND on a day when I worked in the morning with the little-uns.

Total Word Count: 31, 502

Downside: None, really... except I am trying to research information I desperately need for my antagonist and just can't seem to find what I need on the Internet. Not a huge deal - I'll just have to make it up (imagine that) until I can find what I need to support my theory. (I like to write so that my ideas are actually supported - that makes my fantasy world seem all the more possible...

Highlight: Hitting 31,502! Writing about my antagonist and really enjoying it. Still loving my book and my idea. Still feeling positive even though I won't reach 50,000 by the 30th, I still know I am forever changed by NaNo and that I WILL finish, that I CAN finish. So, I've set a new goal...

My new goal is to finish my book (50,000 words or more...) by December 31st. I want to ring in the new year with my first novel complete! (Of course I use that term loosely. I know once I am finished, my work has only just begun... but still, it will feel so darn amazing to write that last page, tears rolling down my cheek, doing a happy gig, kind of good.

Anyone want to join me in cheering each other on to the finish line by the new goal of Dec 31st? Let me know in the comments section and we can try to set something up on our own...

NaNoWriMo take II in December.

Good luck everyone! And have a happy Thanksgiving!

A Break from NaNo - When Characters Speak to you in Dreams and Meyer's New Moon

This posting will be a break from all my NaNo posting...

First, I wanted to share a really strange dream I had.

So, today I became bleary-eyed from all my writing and I really needed a nap. Twenty minutes tops, I told myself. (They say a twenty minute nap is all your need. Any longer and you wake up groggy.) So, I climbed under my fluffy down comforter (it's winter cold here in NJ this week) and settled in for a twenty-minute nap. I looked at the clock through one-eye (the other was already asleep) 2:40. I told myself, OK, you'll wake up in twenty minutes.

I had been wondering about this one character for the past few days. She always sounds British to me, but her being British really makes no sense at all. So, as soon as I fell asleep, she came to me and said, "But I am British and this is why..." and proceeded to tell me exactly how this came to be and it made PERFECT sense! Then, in my dream, a buzzer sounded, literally making my eyes pop open. I looked at the clock and it said 3:00. So, not only did she tell me how it was that she is from Great Britain, but woke me up on time too. Strange, right...

Now for the second book of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer - NEW MOON. I finished reading this book maybe a week or two ago, but NaNo has kept me so busy, I haven't had a moment to write about it. I am already pretty well into the third book ECLIPSE, so I am not so sure how much I'll remember about NEW MOON, but I promised I would share my thoughts.

So, who was it, Beth, who had said the series is a modern day fairytale and not a hero's journey??? And I said she was brilliant and so right. Well, book two is no exception to that paradigm. I will be honest even though I usually aggravate a lot of you Twilight fanatics. I thought it was boring. Really ho-hum boring. *SPOILER ALERT* highlight to read... It was all about Jacob and Bella's silly obsession with hearing Edward's voice in her head when she did life-threatening stunts, which for the way this character has been set up, crossing a padded room could be life threatening to Bella.

I kept waiting for something to happen and for Edward to come back. For some how that voice in her head to actually be his voice, even though it was established early in the first book that he could not read her mind. I missed Edward! I liked Jacob and I felt badly for Bella, but I just didn't get into it the same way. Also, it occurred to me, there was no real final battle scene at all. Again - not a hero's journey, but it was over and I was like, what? What'd I miss? I mean, yeah Edward comes back and they see the Vulturi, but there wasn't a battle scene. Just "will you let us go?" ... "Ah.. OK, but we'll be back." I felt let down.

So, why did I run out and buy the third book before even finishing the second one??? I DON'T KNOW!!! I am smitten. I am totally in love with the world, maybe not the paradigm, maybe not some of the plot, but I am completely caught up in a world where vampires could co-exist peacefully with humans and werewolves could be their mortal enemy. I couldn't wait to read the third book even though I was ho-hum about book two.

So, in short, not much of a thrilling, captivating review, but my honest impression, as I will always give. Don't hate me. I still love the series, I don't know why. And I have great respect for Stephenie Meyer. But I must be truthful about the way I feel. Read a cliff note of book two and just go right on to book three. Kind of like in Harry Potter's book five was painful for me and a lot of my friends. It seems to be the one where a lot of people lose interest. But you HAVE to read it in order to get to books 6 and 7. However, book five, although a tedious read, was necessary. You did learn A LOT and someone tragic dies... But book two of Twilight didn't even have that going for it in my opinion. I think she could have shortened book two to 50 pages and combined it with book three. I don't think it was enough to stand alone. Again, just my personal opinion...



OH and Robert Pattinson - Edward Cullen - in the movie, was just at the King of Prussia Mall signing autographs to Beatle-type mania fans. Girls fainting and screaming... Hot Topics has been having him tour their stores in key locations to sign autographs and talk to the crowd, who apparently couldn't even hear him over all the crying and screaming. Ay-yi-yi, his life will never be the same!

NaNo Day 19

NaNoWriMo Day 19 Word Count

Goal: 2500 words

Actual: 2696 words

Total Word Count: 26,690

Downside: So far not liking my chapter 15 at all. might delete it tomorrow

Highlight: LOVE my chapters 13 and 14. AND... I'm over the mid-way hump and now on the other side of the novel mountain!!!

NaNo Day 18

NaNoWriMo Day 18 Word Count

Goal: 2500 words

Actual: 3588 words!!!!

Total Word Count: 23,994

Downside: None!!!! :)

Highlight: I did do a lot of brand new writing, but I was also able to rewrite two chapters from my previous draft, thus my lofty daily number. But I have to say it again... I am just so happy with what I have learned about myself during this process. A lot of the obstacles I used to place on myself, have been tossed to the curb. Good Ridden! I feel empowered and freed by those things that once stopped me dead in my tracks. So, whether I reach the 50,000 words or not, I feel great about all the insight and commitment to my story I have gained.

NaNo Day 17

NaNoWriMo Day 17 Word Count

Goal: 3,000

Actual: 2,384

Total Word Count: 20,406

Downside: Realizing there is no possible way now to get to 50,000 words by Nov 30. Between Thanksgiving and the day after (we will be traveling, so I will be gone for two full days) at my present pace, I will have like, 9,000 words to write on the 30th. I am disappointed, but trying to stay positive. There is still a voice in my head saying, maybe you'll still reach 50,000. But I remember back to day one, my goal was never to actually reach 50,000 words.

Highlight: I like my story! I am rediscovering parts of it that are so much better this time around. I think I am a much stronger writer then when I first started writing my novel a year ago. No. I KNOW I'm a better writer. And even though NaNo is not about content and quality, I still think this draft is already WAY better then 1.5 draft. I have learned that I can write when I'm tired. I can write when I'm sick. I can write after I've been to the dentist and I'm in pain. I can write with my kids home! That's a BIG one, something I was never able to do before. I have learned that headphones, really good headphones that truly block out noise, are indispensable! Invaluable. A must have when you have kids, a dog, the phone... etc. So, if I don't reach the 50,000 words by Nov 30th, I know now that I WILL reach them. I know now I will finish my book, even if that is not until December 30th.

I'm Sick! And NaNo days 15 and 16 (17 to come later...)

Oh no, you guys! I'm sick! All I want to do is curl up in bed and go to sleep... Being sick (and cleaning a very messy house that desperately needed it) has seriously hampered my word count.

My current word count for this weekend was 18,022. I managed to write a bit over 3,000 for the two days, cleaned the entire first floor of my house (all but my office), organize two closets, switched daughter #2's closet over from summer to winter, and helped her clean and organize her room. I collected eight garbage bags of clothes and toys for good will and for garbage, finished my freelance writing, and mailed out my invoice. And all while being dog-sick! So, I am amazed, that with sickness and all, I got any words down on paper, let alone 3,000. I'm upset though because I was striving to write 3000 words on Saturday and Sunday. Not combined. So once again, I am behind!

What once felt possible - reaching 50,000 - now feels like it's slipping away, just right there, beyond my reach. I don't mean to be a downer - it's my cold talking - But I've done the math. I see the word counts for each day from this point forward and I have serious doubts. I guess (I prematurely celebrated last week!)

Reaching 50,000 words was never my original goal - it was to write daily (if possible), discover more about my writing process, and get passed this hump in my writing I never seem to get over. I did reach most of those goals and I feel like I am a much stronger and committed writer then I was before I started NaNo.

This is not to sound like I have given up. I certainly have not! I will finish this book. I will finish this book. I will finish this book! I just might not finish this book by November 30th... :)

Enough complaining - I started writing this morning right after the bus pulled away and then I had to succumb and took a nap. Now, I have complained to all of you while drinking a cup of strong coffee - so... onward! To writing! See you all later when I report in today's word count!

NaNoWriMo Day Twelve

And so an elm fell in love with a maple

and were locked in an

everlasting embrace.

NaNoWriMo Day Twelve Word Count

Goal: 1945 daily words

Actual: 2043 daily words; 15002 total words; 30% done!

Downside: I caught a bad case of the "let's read all my previous pages" bug today and completely lost track of time re-reading and revising! I was stuck, I tell you, stuck! I couldn't help myself. I felt like I couldn't remember all that I had previously written and so I couldn't write forward without first reading back. It's a bad habit, -- the way, I'm used to writing... First, revise yesterday's pages and then writing forward. I'm what I like to call a two-stepper. Only, I didn't just read yesterdays pages...

*

It all started because I was critiqued last night on the first four chapters of this WIP. Originally, I wasn't going to let anyone read it until it was finished and I'd had a chance to revise it. But these ladies have read my story since the very beginning and I wanted to hear if they thought, this new angle and new voice was putting my story on the right track. Their answer was 'yes,' happily.

*

I saw the piles of MSs on my desk this morning, and I tried to ignore them. I told myself to put them in my binder and read them December 1st. But they called me. They beckoned me. They taunted me with their remarks in the margins and squiggly editorial marks. And like not being able to turn away from an accident scene, I was pages deep suddenly in revisions!!!

*

Highlight: With that said.... I still managed to eek out 2043 words today, bringing my total word count up to 15,002 words!!!! *party horns sound* *confetti falls* I also felt very overwhelmed still that I was behind and kept saying, well, I should be at 20,000 words today. I should have written 6,000 words in order to catch up. And then I said, wait a minute... There are still 18 days left. 15,002 words subtracted from 50,000 words is 34,998 words divided over 18 days = 1944.3333 words a day, or just 1945. I really think that's possible! For the first time, I REALLY feel like I can do this! Like I can finish this novel. It might not be polished. It might have a lot of repetition and cliches, but I can write 50,000 words in 30 days! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

*

Time is yet to tell, but I am feeling very positive and very good. And this NaNoWriMo business is AWESOME!!!!

NaNo Day Ten and Going Strong!

First, to start the day, I decided to go for a drive and take some photos of the beautiful fall foliage before is quietly slipped away into winter. We already passed the peak of the season, so if I missed today, I would have to wait until next year. Above are some of the best shots of the morning.

Oh, Casey McCormick awarded me an "I Love Your Blog" Award. As soon as I can figure out how to post it on my blog I will. Thanks, Casey! I've never been awarded an award before! This is my first! I am over the moon about it!

After yesterday's conquer of my daughter's dresser (I posted a few more pictures at the end of the that posting, BTW) I was on top of the world today and wrote until I just couldn't any more. So, what's the word count... drum roll please...

NaNoWriMo Day Ten Word Count

Goal: daily goal, in order to completely catch up = 8,805 I knew this was somewhat impossible. So, I kept it in mind, but didn't feel hard pressed to reach that huge daily goal.

Total word count for ten days should be around 16,670 words. Again, I began the day at 7,865 words, so I again, didn't really strive to reach that lofty goal, but kept it in the back of my mind

Actual: daily word count actually reached today was 5,094! I was very happy with this number and very surprised. My heart actually hammered as I stepped back to tally up the day's words!

Total word count to date: 12,959 Chris Batty, from NaNo, sent an email to all of us today saying we should try to get to 15,000 words by tonight since this November has blessed us with 5 weekends instead of 4. Maybe I'll get there by tonight. Maybe not. Either way, I am ecstatic that I went from 7,865 to 12,959 in just one day! What a day!

Downside: Word burn out! I have to admit by the time it was time to stop (because the bus was pulling up to drop off daughter #1, I was relieved it was quitting time. I think I ran out of words. I'm surprised I can even write this entry. But this is not really a downside. It's just a fact... what I feel like after I pump out 5,000 words in one day, actually 3.5 - 4 hours of work.

Highlight: Well, duh! my word count! I am so thrilled! I feel great!

Now, tomorrow is my test. I work with the kiddies in the morning. It is brain numbing work. They're adorable, but by the time I leave there, my brain has clicked off. I am going to take Philip Pullman's advice (from NaNo) and write even on bad days. So, tomorrow I will put that to the test. Stay tuned to find out how I do...

Thanks again everyone for all your support. It means a lot to me that when I am trying to get through these daily goals to "hear" you all behind me cheering me on. You're the best bloggy friends a writer could wish for! XO

The Dresser Unveiled!

I know I just wrote about not wanting to skip days writing, but today was a really good day and a long time coming. Three months ago, I promised my daughter I would refinish her dresser. She had just inherited furniture from my baby sister and it made her old dark stained, early American dresser stick out like a sore thumb against her new furniture in white with pink accents.

The furniture also had a black undertone and a bit of crackling. At first, I looked at the new stuff and said, "I can do that no problem..."

Well, there were a few snafus along the way...

First, I had to sand the dress down to it's naked wood. I got pretty close (picture two)

Then I had to paint the whole thing black. (I see a dresser and I want it painted black... no colors anymore, I want them to turn black... my tribute to the Rolling Stones, thank you) I could swear I took pictures of that step, but they seem to be missing from my camera.

Next, I painted on a coating of crackle glaze.

Then the snafus ensued....

The crackly was old. Really old. I probably should have bought a new bottle, but I'm a Capricorn, and well we're um... practical... so I used what I had. When I painted the white paint on top... Ay, yi, yi! What a headache! Anytime my paintbrush touch a previously white painted spot, it would take all the white off with it.

So the whole dresser would look the same, I had to endure the frustrating task of painting everything even though the crackle was so frustrating to work with. I've crackled before and this has never happened!

Then, once everything dried, I sanded everything all over again. Not all the way down to the wood, but enough just to smooth out all the horrible spots of very bumpy white. Then I applied a very thin coat of crackle in key locations (instead of the whole piece) and let it dry for... a few weeks.

Then I applied another thin layer of white and let it dry for... well... a few more weeks.

Then finally, yesterday, I figured out if I water the white paint down, it might be easier to work with. DUH, it was!! I painted everything with the very watered down white and it came out great! Three months later, but great nonetheless.

Last, today I applied some accent areas in a light pink and put on the new knobs and viola! A brand-new dresser and honestly, when it was placed in her bedroom, you cannot tell that the dresser didn't come with the set!

So after all that, it finally paid off and looks really fantastic and I am very, very proud of myself. It took forever, and my poor daughter had to live with her clothes in baskets and on racks for three months, but she hardly ever complained and was a real trooper. Today, she said it was worth the wait.

Having all her furniture back together like one happy furniture family, inspired us to organize her room. We went through all her clothes, made piles for good will, piles to put away for the summer and changed over all her clothes to winter clothes. Then, we organized her closet, vacuumed behind furniture we couldn't get to in a while, put on fresh, new sheets, and she said she felt like she just moved in.

So, even though I didn't write, it didn't matter. I really needed to make good on this promise and it felt sooooooooooooooooooooooo good to finally see this arduous project come to an end. *SIGH*

Tomorrow, I'm home all day with no plans accept to write, write, write. I am feeling, light, free, and ready! I hope to add some serious bulk to my word count then. But for now, I feel terrific!

The dresser in cognito with the rest of its furnitre family

NaNoWriMo Day Eight

NaNoWriMo Word Count

Goal:
regular daily goal = 1667 words
Total word count goal for eight days = 13,336

Actual:
today's word count = 1,793 words (for today and yesterday.)
Total word count = 7,865

I'm still off by 5,471 words

What I learned: write something every day, even if it's crap. Writing every day keeps you connected to your story, characters, the flow you are moving in, your pacing, your voice, etc. Taking off a day or so in-between, no matter the reason (good or bad, avoidable or unavoidable) does make it so much harder to get back in to the story again.

Downside: I am so far behind! But I know I will catch up. I do have later chunks of my story written, but needs to be revised, so when I get to that part, my word count should jump back up. Also, although I am striving to show and not tell as much as my earlier draft, I am noticing I have a lot of back story. Too much back story. In one chapter, I have six paragraphs of back story. That can create a slow and boring reading experiences, so I must be careful of this!

Highlight: I'm writing again! Nothing else matters, as long as I just keep writing. Eventually, all these other things will be worked out in subsequent drafts. So... just keep writing, will hopefully be my new mantra I can stick with...