BACK TO SCHOOL!

Hallelujah! School is back. Back to routine, normal bedtimes and homework! With one pre-teen and a teenager, mom and dad were in bed many nights before the kids. What a strange feeling!

Then when I came home from work at lunch time, they were sometimes just getting up!

Yes, I am glad they are back to the grind. Now maybe I can get myself back into a routine as well. And just maybe the house will stay clean for an hour or so at a time.

Happy September everyone :)

CROSSED THE FINISH LINE!

Yes, I'm using an Olympics analogy. I have crossed my finish line and finished my book! "Threads of a Tapestry" is done as of Aug.8/08! BTW, this date is supposed to be the luckiest ever according to Chinese philosophy. Hope it rubs off on my ms.

Now I have to let it settle for a bit and then tackle the editing process. I am going to give myself until the end of September to polish it up and then I'll have to decide whether to submit it to a publisher or get an agent first. Big decision!

The Olympics have been so inspiring, not just to athletes, but to anyone trying to achieve a goal. Their dedication and perserverance is awe inspiring. People like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt blow me away! And the Canadian diver (sorry, can't remember his French name). Great stories of persistance to gain your dreams.

I will continue to write with my goal in sight!

Golden Heart Update

It's all over for another year. The Golden Hearts have been given out and, sadly, I did not receive one. But as the Oscar hopefuls always say, "it was an honour just to be nominated".

Congratulations to Kit Wilkinson who won for the Inspirational Category, plus all the other winners! I really hope to be able to go next year and experience the excitement in person.

On a more positive note, I am SO CLOSE to finishing my latest work in progress (WIP), my fingers are itching. Just a few more last scenes to work out and "Threads of a Tapestry" will be complete!

Until then, happy blogging!

Sue

Everyone's in San Fran!

Well it's lonely here with all the Golden Heart finalists and lots of my fellow Toronto chapter writers out in San Francisco for the National Conference and awards!

I hope they are all having a fantastic time. Lots of workshops and speakers and camaraderie to share.

As a finalist, I will miss that once in a lifetime moment of my HUGE head on the jumbo-tron. That alone would be worth the price of admission! Luckily a fellow finalist said she'd take a picture of my 15 seconds of fame as a keepsake. Thanks, Keli!

I want to wish all the wonderful Pixies (aka GH finalists) the best of luck on Saturday night's award. Too bad we all couldn't win. In my mind, we all are winners!

With bated breath I will wait for Sunday morning (Aug. 3) to find out the results. Kinda like missing the Oscars and waiting to hear the winners the next day on the radio. Tune in Sunday for an update!

Cheers, Sue

I'm a Guest Blogger Today

Hey everyone,

Come and join me over at "Romance Writers on the Journey", Keli Gwyn's (fellow Golden Heart finalist) blogspot.

She even has a draw for one lucky person who leaves a message. I'll be popping by this afternoon to answer questions, etc.
The site is: www.keligwyn.wordpress.com. (Sorry, I'm not sure how to leave a link.) Hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Sue

What is the deal with bifocals?

Is anyone else finding it almost impossible to get used to bifocals?

Okay, I'm still in my forties, I'm not 93 or anything. But I have been fighting the need for bifocals for almost 4 years now.

When I first found reading difficult, and had to take my glasses off to read close up, my eye doctor said I needed bifocals, or a separate pair of glasses for reading. That sounded like a real pain, so I opted for the bifocals. I got the ones with a line in the middle (can't remember why now). The doctor told me to wear the new glasses all the time and don't go back to my old ones. Well, after about two weeks, insanity began to set in. I went out and got another pair of one vision glasses and relegated the bifocals to my purse. They stayed there, except for a few rare occasions for three and a half years. I could not get used to bobbing my head like a turkey to see properly.

Fast forward three years, and my eyes are REALLY bad now. I go for my checkup and both far away and up close prescriptions have changed. My new eye doctor (a woman, I might add) told me I should try the progressive bifocals - much better than the lined one. I tried a sample in the office - seemed pretty good. But to my dismay I was informed that the lenses alone cost between $400-500. Since my daughter also needed new glasses, and we couldn't afford both, mom decided to forego the new bifocals.

Finally, eight months later, a 50% sale on lenses enticed me to order the glasses. These were supposed to be the creme-de-la-creme lenses. $549 just for the lenses (but I got them for half price) and then the frames on top. So I ordered them. I now have had the new specs for a little over a week, and the same insanity is threatening!!

I only get these specific areas of clarity. Half the time, I'm looking through blurred lenses, googling my head to find the right spot on the glasses. When I find it, God forbid I should have to move again. Walking is a new challenge. To see the floor clearly, I have to angle my head straight down, then I crash into walls.

They should have courses for first time bifocalers! To teach us how to use these things. To anyone out there going through this, or better yet, anyone who has successfully mastered the art, please drop me a line and let me know your secret! I will be SO grateful to know I'm not alone.

Cheers,

Sue

Happy 100th Birthday!

Today, June 18, 2008, would have been my grandmother's 100th birthday. Her name was Agnes Farrell and she passed away 4 years ago, but today, we are celebrating anyway. Celebrating a wonderful long life and a wonderful lady.

Call me crazy, (and I think a few members of my family are doing just that), but I went to the party store and bought a bunch of helium balloons. The biggest one has a giant "100" on it. And tonight we are going to the cemetery to tie this bouquet onto the grave marker and sing Happy Birthday. Then when anyone passes by for the next little while, they'll notice the balloons and perhaps drop by for a visit!

My husband's grandfather, George Bush (no relation to the prez!), lived to celebrate his 100th birthday. That was quite a party.

Ours tonight may not be so grand, but the same good wishes and intentions will definitely be there.

So, happy birthday Grandma, (Nana to the great-grandkids). Hope you're having a terrific party in heaven!

Love, Sue