Catching up...with myself

     So much has been happening here, my dear friends, that I have been unable even to pop in and see who's visiting my humble blog-thingy. I humbly apologize, and fully realize I need to organize my time much better.
    
     First and foremost, every time I even attempt to write/type/read/knit/craft or anything else that involves the use of my hands, I am immediately assaulted by a tiny black fuzz ball known affectionately as Momo the Destroyer. (Her name is really Momo Moon Tae, but I think my version suits her so much better. Many apologies to my daughter.) My hands are a welter of scratch- and bite-marks. I will be most grateful when little kitteh is done teething.
    
     I have recently received word that my essay 'Choose Happiness' will be appearing in this month's issue of Wild Sister Magazine (!). This is a purchase-only read (except for the free issue they offered a couple months back); you can visit their website (and buy a subscription, if you are so inclined) at: http://wildsister.com/store/ . The October issue is due out at the end of the month; get yourself a copy and join the Wild Sisterhood!
    
     I have also been busily editing, proofing, printing, and sending manuscripts out to a handful of children's book publishers, all while keeping my fingers crossed. (Typing is tricky that way). I am gleefully happy to announce that this has paid off, though not in a way I had expected. Star Bright Books has requested to see the non-fiction manuscript I have been working on. While I hadn't intended for this book to be a children's book, it will be easy enough to reformat it for the younger set should Star Bright choose to accept it. Actually, it will be very easy to reformat--the book is still in-progress. (I keep rereading the email from publisher Deborah Shine to make sure this is real!!!)
    
     On top of all this I'm continuing my little guy's homeschool program (we've moved to learning about apples, pumpkins, and farms in general following last weekend's trip to Red Apple Farm in Phillipston, MA http://redapplefarm.com/ .) Plan on spending the day: apple picking, pumpkin picking, potato...digging? Tractor rides, BBQ (Sadly they were out of smoked turkey legs by the time we ordered lunch; I can highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich though!), animals to feed...you'll be busy! Links and printables will be posted soon (I hope).


     Finally, in trying to prepare for Samhain and Halloween (and my wedding anniversary, but that involves only looking up directions to Gloucester, MA and info about Cape Ann Brewing Company--I get the ocean, the huzzy gets a brewery tour; thus are happy marriages made!  http://capeannbrewing.com/ ) I'm trying to get my house in order (I don't know why this is such a hard thing for me to do; probably because I've got so many other things I'd rather be doing: writing, reading, cooking, anything else...) and I have an article due for SageWoman Magazine, and as usual I'm suffering the what-do-I-write-abouts. I'll think of something at the last minute, I'm sure. I am a strong believer in To Do Lists...well, to be honest, I can't get anything done without them. Scribbling one down on a child's discarded spiral notebook works, but Becky at Clean Mama (http://www.cleanmama.net/) not only has cheerful colored printable ones (they almost make housework fun), she also has free printable monthly and seasonal cleaning and organizing calendars. I think I love Becky. Her site goes hand-in-hand with my current read, Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts:
  I love being able to look up from my writing and see, not a disaster, but a neat living room or kitchen, depending on where I'm working. I don't get that much. My husband (who works 60+ hours a week) does more than his share, but there's always more to be done. I will figure it out!! And amid learning how to be a Literary Domestic, as writing homemakers were called in the nineteenth century, I'm gorging myself on cookbooks! We need to eat every day of the week, but for some reason, once the weather turns cooler, I have this urge to read cookbook after cookbook. My current reads are The New Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook by Ellen Brown and Guy Ambrosino:

 and The Family Dinner by Laurie David:
 (in looking up images on Amazon I find Laurie David and co-collaborators have another book, The Family Cooks. I see another title added to my library list.) Somewhere are the pages I've torn out of Self Magazine and Rachael Ray Magazine with the other cookbook titles I want to check out. When I manage to find this list (I think they're tacked on the bulletin board, buried beneath school stuff) I will share titles and images. For now, let these suffice, and I am going to wish you lovely people a fond farewell as I go to torture myself for half an hour on my elliptical machine. (Thirty minutes at a moderate pace shouldn't hurt so much, but I'm out of shape enough where my calves and lungs have names for me I didn't even know existed in any language of the world.) Have a wonderful day, all, and I'll be back again soon with books, reviews, and recipes! Thanks for stopping by <3