A while back, I did a v-log about the fabulocity of my writing binder.  Sadly, I’ve had to put that notebook aside for a few weeks, while I work to restore order to the chaos I call my kitchen. But I’ve been assembling a pretty notebook for my remodeling project, which is all kinds of fun. (Would anyone other than another writer understand how much I loved buying a new binder, index dividers, gel pens and paper?) And now, ta da, I’ve got colorful tabs for each of the contractors, products, and services I’m using, plus pictures of everything we’ve ordered. Wanna see a few samples?

My new cabinets will look like this (scroll down to the Praline finish).

I chose Antique Brown (Brazilian) granite for my countertops (chunks of deep chocolate brown with irridescent , silvery streaks and flecks of black). There’s no way to capture the look of stone exactly, but this picture comes close. To the naked eye, the separation lines aren’t as obvious; you have to tilt it into the light to see all the color variations. If you’re a rock hound and want to see an extreme close-up of the color variations, here you go. 

I’ve decided on a 4′ tumbled travertine backsplash, with an occasional granite insert. In real life, the tile’s not quite as pinkish as this picture.

My new tile floors wil tie all the kitchen colors and textures together. Hmmm, did you notice that I didn’t show you pictures of our new appliances? Could that be a clue to their relative importance in my kitchen?

For those of you who might be wondering what I’m up to on the writing front, here’s a representative sample of my progress for the past few weeks:

Not surprising, all things considered. This week, though, I should finally be able to sit down work on the chapter I started a few weeks back.  Oh, and I think I’ll sketch out a scene about prayer cloths…lately, I’ve been thinking about them a lot.

Hurray! It seems our new cabinets and appliances will be delivered the last week in August, at the short end of the 4-6 weeks we were initially quoted.  For several reasons, we feel really good about our decision to buy from Lowe’s. We received excellent service from expert staff; also, we admire the corporation’s principled decision to withdraw their advertising dollars from a hate-spewing, fact-challenged cable television show.

 

This morning, I’m registering for a night class! Along with a friend from my writing group, I’m going to take Novel Workshop: Revising Manuscripts for Publication. The topics listed in the course outline sounds really interesting. For example, have you ever heard of these plot structure devices: Bowling Alley/Picaresque, Hour Glass, and Drawing Room Disaster? Aside from learning more about the key elements of fiction-writing, I like the fact that we’ll critique sample pages every week.  Can you say accountability? 

Tonight, we’re going to the Orange County Fair. My husband likes to re-visit certain exhibits every year – the Ginsu Knife salesman’s a favorite, for unabashedly kitschy showmanship, and the corkscrew-tailed piglets are incredibly cute. And the food…oh, the food! While I’m scouring the fareway for healthier fare, he heads straight for the heart-attack stands. His typical menu: bratwurst and barbecued corn on the cob, an oversized cinnamon roll, and soft-swirl ice cream to cleanse the palate. At the end of the night, as always, he’ll roll out to the parking lot, ala Templeton in Charlotte’s Web.

Okay, gotta go…I’m headed to the slab yards to pick out granite for our countertops. Yabba-dabba-doo, and I hope you’ve got a fun day planned, too!
  

*Breaks the surface of the water and flips up her snorkeling mask* 

Now that the floodwaters are finally receding, I can — yay, finally! – come up for air. I doubt I’ll be able to go back and read all the LJ entries I’ve missed, so I hope you’ll help me catch up with all the news that’s happened in your corner of the world.

Dark cloud: It appears likely that my flooded kitchen’s going to be quasi-inoperable for at least 10-12 weeks. 
Silver lining: ‘Tis the season for outdoor barbecues and paper-plate picnics, right?
Rain on my parade: Because so much is happening on Noah’s Ark the home front, it’s doubtful I’ll be going to SCBWI-LA.

Rainbow on the horizon: In a few months’ time, I’ll have a beautiful new kitchen, and I’ll be much further along in my manuscript.

 

This morning, I went looking for inspirational articles about the publishing industry…y’know, to help me anchor myself in the writing world again. I stumbled on an indigestion-inducing provocative blog entry by UK publisher Andrew Franklin. Here’s a brief excerpt of The Real Reason Why Publishers Miss Good Books. 

“The real reason that publishers miss good books is no secret, and it is nothing to do with literary judgment, knowledge of first lines or acquaintance with the classics. It is the same reason that film companies miss great scripts and record labels fail to sign up the most interesting bands. It is the numbers game — the sheer volumes of paper (and now, worse still, the email attachments), that cross our desk every day. Every year 200,000 books are published. This is far too many, and really the first duty of every publisher should be to publish fewer, rather than more, new titles.”

La la la, I’m not listening! I’m wearing earplugs to help block out the demolition noises downstairs; I’m also creating a mental barrier against doubt-inducing articles like this. 

My kitchen flood experience reminds me of a tent revival meeting my father held when I was about six. My father’s sermon included a Bible passage about an archangel — a heavenly being who would someday come to earth to deliver good news. I thought my father said Ark Angel and, putting the pieces together, I figured this archangel was also responsible for saving everyone aboard Noah’s ark from the terrible flood. 

In a sense, you’re my Ark Angels — your kind comments have definitely bouyed my spirits. For the foreseeable future, we’re sharing our home with noisy demolition crews; considering our options for replacements and/or restoration; and dining out or eating off of paper plates. So far, we’re keeping our heads above water…your thoughts and prayers have definitely helped. Soon enough, a bright rainbow sky will replace the dark clouds overhead; when that happens, I’ll be back to share the good news!

Image credit: The Peaceable Table

On Friday the 13^th, I wrote a post about being lucky, and then I gave myself the afternoon off. I enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch with my girlfriends – tra la la, how lucky you get?

 

Fast-forward to late Friday afternoon, when I discovered a potential leak in my kitchen. Uh-oh. 

Long story short: I took this picture after most of the water-damaged material was carted away. 

You may already know that I write a quarterly column, ALL THAT GLITTERS, for SisterDivas Magazine. My newest entry, Haute Fun in the Summertime, is now available online. Here’s a short excerpt:

We SisterDivas love the lazy days of summer – no matter where we live or how hot it gets. Unfortunately, the season’s far too short. Before long, pool toys will surrender their shelf space to school supplies; before you know it, we’ll be wondering where July and August went. But before all that happens, let’s indulge ourselves, shall we?

 

Here you go: 70 red-hot ideas for summer ‘07 – in list form, ’cause who wants to cool their heels in front of a computer screen when the sunshine’s beckoning us to come outside and play! (Follow this link to the lists.)

Thanks again, my super-cool LJ friends, for sharing your favorite summertime pleasures. I’ve listed your names at the end of the article.

 

Until an Outlook reminder popped up on my screen, I hadn’t realized that today’s Friday the 13th (cue haunting organ music and off-screen shrieks). Seriously, I’ve never been the superstitious type — I believe we are the key catalysts of our own lives. I do realize unanticipated things can happen; but fortunately, we get to choose our response. 

Lucky me, I’m skipping out the door to meet some friends for lunch. Whatever you’ve got planned for today, I wish you the best of luck!

1) Ralph Waldo Emerson: Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.

2) Unknown Author: Good luck is often with the man who doesn’t include it in his plans.

3) Sam Goldwyn: The harder I work, the luckier I get. 

4) Jean Cocteau: We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like? 

5) Dr. Armand Hammer: When I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky. 

6) R. E. Shay: Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit. 

7) Og Mandino: Each misfortune you encounter will carry in it the seed of tomorrow’s good luck.

8) Henry Ward Beecher: I never knew an early-rising, hard-working, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck. 

9) Thomas Jefferson: I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more luck I have. 

10) Frank A. Clark: It’s hard to detect good luck – it looks so much like something you’ve earned. 

11) Swedish Proverb: Luck never gives; it only lends. 

12) Unknown Author: Many an opportunity is lost because a man is out looking for four-leaf clovers. 

13) Carl Zuckmeyer: One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline – and that’s the important half, for without discipline you wouldn’t know what to do with luck.