Family Time!

Last night my family had a wonderful time together. Hubby has been asking all season to go to some Christmassy performance. I resisted, having already attended three "winter" concerts. Finally I agreed to the Christmas Carol by Portland Stage company.

Before the performance, we drove into Portland for an early dinner. I used Google Maps and found a restaurant we’d never been to. (Portland is a serious foodie town. It is said that there are more restaurants per capita in Portland than any other US city.) We ended up at Hot Suppa! and I have to say that we had an amazing time.

The menu was eclectic: I had a falaffel salad, hubby had an amazing gumbo, largish boy got a three side platter with the most delicious baked beans, mac & cheese and corn bread muffins, and smallish boy got baked fried chicken and a waffle. The portions were large, the food was great, our waitress attentive and kind. I’m afraid you’ll think us pigs but I have to mention that we took the holiday plunge and ordered dessert. The boys shared a slice of buttermilk chocolate cream pie and hubby and I shared a chocolate bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Incredible!

Onto the show.

Yes, it was the Christmas Carol and yes, it has been done a million times but… 1) I hadn’t seen the performance since largish boy (now 11) was in my belly and 2) the script was very creative. The director took the Dickens’ novel and kept much of the book, including scene setting and narration. The ensemble created a Greek Chorus of sorts and the lead actors even narrated some of their action. It was very interesting and engaging. The actors played many characters throughout the play and the changes of costume and role were deft. The music came from a single accomplished pianist/percussionist whose performance transformed the mood of each scene. At the end, this was the last performance for this cast, they presented a young woman who was headed to college and had been in the production for eight years running, an award that will be available to young actors in the future. It was very moving indeed.

We topped of the night with a trip to the new Trader Joe’s in Portland. Hubby is planning a paella for Christmas dinner, we had to stock up on ginger cats, and 3 Buck Chuck, and the boys picked out cannoli’s for dessert.

Here’s wishing everyone a very sweet and peaceful holiday season.

PS: In the days to come…more about my insanely busy semester and how I fared.

Happy T-day to Everyone!

Illustration by Anna J. Boll

I had a great visit to the Big Apple this past weekend. It was a long needed break from the pressures and responsibilities I’ve given myself this fall: two part time jobs, full time school, and overtime parenting. (By the way, this is why I haven’t been blogging.)

I hung out with friends in Union Square, walked Central Park on a beautiful fall day, and attended the Jewish Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference. (Thank you Jewish Book Council and Barbara Krasner for keeping this one-day conference alive. See Barbara’s take on the conference at her blog.)

I got woken up at 2 in the morning by the garbage workers and found a corner grocery open at 3am to find Ibuprofen and a tall carton of OJ. (Nowhere but NYC). I read Jandy Nelson’s, The Sky is Everywhere and marveled at how naturally the poems and prose worked together. I wrote down favorite lines, swelled with Jandy’s portrayal of the sadness of death and glowed in the loveliness of life. Then for a stark contrast, I entered Suzanne Collin’s stark dystopia of the Hunger Games.

By Sunday night, I was ready to head home from my mini-vacation. I hailed a cab driven by a Nigerian man who came to the US on a philanthropist’s scholarship. He got a degree in Computer Information Systems, works for the State of NY and also drives a cab on the weekends to fund a scholarship that he founded. His $10,000 dollars has brought seven students to the US to learn and prosper. Amazing!

So today I am thankful: thankful for my family, healthy and wise, thankful for my safety and freedom, my love of learning and life. I send my wishes of peace and homecoming for those service men and women who are away from their families- and to their families, whose missing and longing I know so well.

Peace.

Five on Sunday

1. Today was the most beautiful day. It must have been close to 80 degrees. We went to a lovely church service with fabulous music: bell ringers, choirs, a brass quartet and organ. The sermon was thoughtful and thought provoking. Chris made a lovely dinner and we ate on the screen porch. Between al fresco dining and the first Red Sox game…Spring is officially here.

2. Does anyone know how to get your puppy to actually go to the door or tell you when they need to out? We thought we had the potty training down but there seems to be some regression.

3. More deadlines coming up quickly. To do this week:

VCFA forum assignment
VCFA revisions
Complete VCFA paper
New sketches for Roar! dummy and work on Jacob Jones revisions for agent packet.

4. Reading: The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick fabulous prose. Lyrical and riveting.

5. Weekly training totals 3/29-4/4:
Running- 7.25 miles
Swimming-1000 yards
Biking- 47.35 miles

Weeks until the Tri for the Casco Bay Y- 7
If you’d like to donate to my "Mighty Mama’s" triathlon team please donate online!

Busy Writer/Mom/Triathlete Links on Life

Oh goodness. It has been over a month, a month? since I’ve posted and I’m so sorry. That means I’ve done NO book review Wednesdays for a month. Ack. (And I thought those would keep me blogging.) March has been a month of deadlines and to excuse my absence I quickly fill you in on some of the deadlines that I’ve been meeting and working towards. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably see a lot of this already so my apologies.

March 1: Final illustrations for the book Fufu and Fresh Strawberries You can see some of those illustrations here.
Forum assignment for my Picture Book Certification Semester at Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA)

March 15: Final egg paintings for the Great Goose Egg Auction. You can see the eggs here.

March 17: My 2nd packet was due for VCFA

March 22: Forum assignment for my Picture Book Certification Semester at VCFA

March 23: I did my first multisport event. An indoor triathlon at the Naval Air Station Brunswick. The event was a 1000 meter row on an ergometer, a 5 mile bike on a stationary lifefitness cycle, and a 1.5 mile treadmill run. You can see pictures of me and Mike (the gentleman paired with me) in the event and read more about it in the captions here. I used this indoor triathlon to train for an event that I am doing in May, The Tri for the Casco Bay Y. If you’d like to donate a small bit to the scholarship funds and to my team the MIghty Mamas, please take a look at our fund raising page where you can donate online. I’ll be swimming and cycling and my friend Rachel will tag off to do the 5K run.

This past week I’ve been revising and polishing the first 10 pages of my novel, working on the synopsis and query letter for the deadlines associated with the New England SCBWI spring conference critiques and quick queries. While the Friday and Saturday registration is full, there are still spots for Sunday so check it out.

I also just got back from the post office, where I was sending a picture book to for the April 1st scholarship deadline at VCFA and a trip to the library where I was stocking up with a new load of 25 picture books for VCFA Packet 3!

All of this with my husband out of state for the first three weeks of March and two kids who need me.

So you see, I’ve been an extremely busy Writer/Mom/Triathlete but we’ll see if April, with its extended sunshine hours, allows me to find more time to blog. Happy Passover to all who celebrate. Look for my Wednesday review of the book: The Matzoh That Papa Brought Home.

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A list

Sometimes there is the pressure to have something to say when one starts to write a blog entry. I always start thinking I’ve got nothing. Lists help, so here we go…
1. Kids went back to school today. I got almost all my sketches for Fufu printed out on good Arches paper. Two are already painted. Must keep on, keeping on.
2. Lucy puppy is growing fast. With the kids and hubby gone she was visibly confused and decided to sleep for most of the day. I took her out skiing, went for a walk, and practiced frisbee fetch. She gives it back to me if I keep a few bits of hot dog handy. I’m so happy that she is part of our family.

Is she beautiful or what?
3. My VCFA residency starts on Sunday! This is pack week. That means that this is also laundry week. And go to Target for last minute "I needs", I need twin size flannel sheets, a new set of long johns, an electric water kettle, and a back support chair insert if I can find one. After the New Year’s storm I’m expecting deep snow. I got these slope sliders as a gift to bring with me to the residency.

I’m also trying to catch up with my reading, both pre-lecture and pre-workshop readings. I should have done this during the last two weeks but used the reading time to treat myself to grown-up books The Help and Eat Cake.
4. Cross your fingers for me as I have a job interview on Wednesday as the Media Liaison of a private school. I think I’m a great match for the job, we’ll see how the meeting goes.
5. My kiddo got a Sansa mp3 player which I was assured would take files from itunes. (not purchased but the ones that were originally my cd’s) Turns out that all my music was imported in nonmp3 format so I have to convert them all. Ick. Now I know there is a box to check in preferences to fix this problem for future imports.

Holiday Boll Family Style

On the eighth night of Chanukah we had some friends over for a potluck. Because it was both the last night of the holiday and Shabbat, there was much ceremony, singing, and lighting of candles. It was so nice to share the night with good friends and so nice to be reminded of just why we reloaded all those boxes and came traipsing back to Maine. I am Jewish and Hubby is not so as soon as the menorahs were put away for next year…

We headed to the tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree. Now with many interfaith families there are some compromises. Our compromise is I say yes to the tree but Hubby has to say no to the Christmas lights outside. He hems and haws and teases me about how he’d really love a huge blow up Santa in our yard but actually, I think it lets him off the hook. Nothing to put up. Nothing to take down. Anyway… we had to try out a new tree farm because our usual one was closed for a "growing year." We marched up and down the aisles and nothing caught my eye. Really, I didn’t like the way they were trimmed. Too skinny and rounded in at the bottom. (Here’s a piece of Anna trivia: One summer I trimmed Christmas trees at a farm in New York state as a summer job. I was the only female on the crew. Let me tell you, that is not an easy job.) So we ended up getting the tree in the picture at an already cut place in Freeport.
Now it looks like this.

Notice the piano and ottoman barricade. It took about 10 minutes to realize that I don’t have enough skill as a dog trainer to get our mouthy puppy, Lucy to "leave it." Hubby reminded me, Anna, we just brought a tree into our house and hung a bunch of toys on it. What do you expect?
Hope you all have a great week. Happy Holidays.

Five on Friday

1. I know it’s been a while since I just blogged for the pleasure of blogging. I miss it. I really do. Life has been quite hectic recently. I’m sure a few of you are going through the experience of having a spouse who works far away so that they can have a job. This is our situation. We have gotten use to the good-byes, the hello’s are getting a little easier too. Hubby has been a total trooper doing the "bag drag." He really has two jobs. One with a private defense contractor company and the other in the Navy Reserves. I was very proud to attend his Change of Command ceremony last weekend. It’s rare that we get to see our spouses in action (at work). It was lovely to see him in uniform, carrying himself with such grace and exuding leadership. His speeches were eloquent, funny, and well delivered. What a treat! Here we are with his Chief Petty Officer.

The week leading up to this was crazy. The brakes in the trucks failed while I was driving (we are all fine) and I had to do the mechanic thing. The next day, I locked my sweet puppy and my keys in the car. Huge thank you to the lady who used her AAA to save me and the Dad of I’s classmate who drove my son to basketball practice. The next day, to travel to the Change of Command, my Hubby rented us a car from Enterprise. I showed up at 12:10 not knowing that they closed at noon. Needless to say, there were tears. But all was well.

2. I’ve completed a full draft of my novel. I missed the JONOWRIMO check in, but happy to have reached this milestone. Of course, now I turn around and start to revise: put in, take out, look for emotional distance, inconsistencies, character arc, adult word choice. Someday. Someday.

3. I turn in Packet Five today. This is my last packet for the first semester of my Vermont College experience. It’s been– I don’t really know– arduous? time consuming? enlightening? I can certainly say that I am able to look at my work with a more critical eye than before this semester. I write and read all the time. I read more critically than I did before. My critical writing has improved markedly. In my creative work, there is no time for excuses. (Although here I am at 6:30 am blogging, without my last critical essay complete and the packet due today.) I’m really looking forward to being at the residency again. Seeing my cohort group and getting the workshop pages from others to critique. I’ll be doing the Picture Book certificate and I’m really looking forward to working with Sarah Ellis and Kathi Appelt. (Time to look for a back support cushion.)

4. My puppy is growing quickly and needs LOTS of love and attention. When Hubby came home Monday (after a week away), I grabbed my computer and books and said, "You are in charge here at home. I’m going to the library." Yesterday he asked me, did I notice that it’s really hard to get anything done with the puppy wanting to play all the time? Um….yes.

5. I’m afraid that I failed to post Book Review Wednesday this week. I’m sorry. It’s just been too crazy here. I have three authors out there waiting for their reviews and I promise I’ll do them over the next few weeks. The new year is coming quickly, if you have a 2010 release and would like to send me a review copy, leave a comment with your email (spell it out so the spambots don’t get you.)

Three on Thursday

1. Please welcome, Lucy!

Lucy is a nine week old yellow Labrador who became a part of our family on Sunday. Her birthday is September 13th. She loves to chew on woodwork, pounce on footballs and soccer balls, and snuggle in your lap for some serious loving. Lucy is learning to love the warmth of being a house dog but is still learning to only pee outside.

It only took a moment for us to fall in love with Lucy but of course it will take a lifetime of training and love to make Lucy a well-mannered member of our family. I’m pretty tuckered out from a week of night time bathroom breaks. It is like having a newborn again, but one that can run away pretty quickly.

2. Because of travel issues, my parents are arriving this evening with my hubby (who has been away this first week of puppy parenting). They will stay through the Thanksgiving weekend. Did I mention that all my energy this week has gone to this puppy and my human children. The house is a complete wreck. School paperwork and projects cover my kitchen counters, flies have made their way into the boy’s bathroom and died– littering the floor, My kid’s rooms are trashed. The office, where my sister-in-law is suppose to sleep next Wednesday is covered in books for my MFA. The laundry is done and has been wrinkling in the baskets that I’ve been dumping on my bed to fold and then shoving back into the basket at night when I finally hit the hay at after a day of puppy care. In addition to the messy house, my oil just ran out. Not entirely unexpected mind you. I tried to get oil last week but they didn’t take my check which has our Maryland address still. I found someone who will deliver this morning.

3. AND… I’m supposed to be prepping for my trip to NYC for the Jewish Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference this weekend. I have to pack and get color copies made of illustrations. It would be nice if I could update my portfolio a bit too. I should stick new mailing labels on my postcards too.

So you see, it is quite busy here. Hectic might be a better word. Frustrating? No, exhausting.

Six On Saturday

1. We are hanging the Maine Illustrators’ Collective Classics Reimagined show on Monday, November 2nd. If you’d like to come and/or attend the opening, here is the information:

2. If you won’t be able to make it and would like to see my piece here it is:

From Aesop’s, The Fox and The Crow.

3. If you are wondering why I’m up early it’s because I have so much work to do on my VCFA packet. I always seem to get to this point. I read for too long then I’m crunched for writing time. (I know, Mona. Six am isn’t early but I’ve been up and working since four.) I needed an extension last time and I’m set on not asking for another one. Feeling a little anxious.
4. I just bought a wide format Epson printer with the money I’m earning from my illustration work for hire. Very exciting but it is an investment.
5. Even though I just dealt with a disappointing rejection on the job scene, I’m applying for yet another one. I guess that is just how it goes, but I start to wonder– between writing rejections and job rejections, how much can I take before I want to curl up and hide from the world? Perhaps it is a little like child birth though. Nature allows us to forget the pain so that we will do it all again. At least at the end of child birth you have the beautiful child. I’m ready to see the fruits of my labor on the job market. And in the children’s book industry for that matter.
6. Lucy the yellow lab puppy is coming home to our house on November 15th. She’ll be 9 weeks old and is as cute as cute can be. I’ll post pics when I get some. I only have them on my phone and don’t have a plan that allows me email them to myself. (ACK!)

A blue-sky day, a sunshiney day, a fine day for a drive…

Many women start careers in their 20’s and then choose to take a break and raise small children in their 30’s. When the kiddos are older many of those women choose to return to the workplace. Get this… it’s not that easy. Have you ever noticed how most applications have sections that say, please explain any gaps in employment. It is so negative. And, if you are like me, and trying to change fields (not even whole careers, just from one field to another within the same industry) it is even harder. Add to that a crappy economy and 10% unemployment… just let me say that it is difficult to keep your spirits up. I wasn’t feeling so great when my last application ended with no interview. This news definitely started the week on a downer. Well I’m here to tell you that I’m on the brighter side of things today.

No. No day job. No contract. No agent. HOWEVER… I spent a lovely day with my husband on a road trip to the wonderful town of Belfast. We went to deliver my painting for the Maine Farmland Trust show and auction. (More about that in the next paragraph.) While driving, we feasted on fall foliage shining in sea and stream. We talked, we listened to The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock…

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… I absolutely love the Wisconsin accent that the audiobook actress uses

and we loved, loved, loved Belfast. I guess Belfast is one of those towns that is easy to skip. We’ve lived in Maine 15 years and manage to drive right by it on Route 1. As we go over the bridge we always look down and say, "We really should stop and look around that cute town." I’m so glad we did. In addition to the Maine Farmland Trust gallery there are 20 other amazing art galleries. We were lucky to get a recommendation to eat at Chase’s Daily. Definitely get off Route One to go to Chase’s.

If you are in Belfast between now and November 16th, stop at the Maine Farmland Trust gallery and look at the art. If you are a member, you get to attend the Tenth Anniversary Celebration Show and Auction. Don’t miss it. Membership is reasonable. The student rate is only $20 and the Family membership is only $50. The trust protects farmland by matching farmers with lease and buy opportunities that keep America farming.