Will Write for Food

I'm Moving

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Not my house or anything...
But my blog is moving.

My New Address

I realized that I was doing all my editing the HARD way and the only way it will let me do it the easy way is if it lives on their server. So I'm okay with that. :-D

I am the Moon

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:31:00 +0000

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Where I'm From

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:31:00 +0000

I saw this at Vixen's Den and had to do it. You can see the template here, or you can visit the website of the original author of "Where I'm From", George Ella Lyon.

I am from a handmade saddle probably lost in a flood but I can’t bring myself to ask, from Pop Rocks and Cokes at the Little League park.

I am from the red brick house with a big porch and a reservoir full of fish we weren’t allowed to eat.

I am from the old fallen oak, the passion flowers that look more like they should be growing in Hawaii than on an old fence post in rural Arkansas.

I am from beach trips to Panama City and stubbornness, from Granny and Nonny and The Luebkes.

I am from the uncanny ability to pretend like absolutely nothing is wrong when almost everything is and the ability to deal with any crisis that comes with that.

From saying “Yes Mame” and standing up straight.

I am from filling in all the letters in the church bulletin and staring up at the ceiling of the most beautiful building in the whole town and being furiously angry when they decided to abandon it to build a new church.

I'm from DeWitt, Arkansas and Germany, Chicken Casserole and Pork Chops.

From the time my brothers broke my mother’s lamp, the pleading with me to sew up the silk shade that got torn, the sad attempt that was, and the fact that my mother pretended not to notice it for years.

I am from my granny’s hope chest and her trunks in the shed filled with banners from the South Pacific that my grampa sent her, pressed wedding cake on a wedding napkin, and the green suit she wore when she got married. From the appreciation that grew in me from the history of those items, and the desperate hope that they’re being well taken care of.

My Imaginary Friend Gets Her Own Blog!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +0000

http://lovesimmortal.blogspot.com/

I've been toying with this idea for a while now. I've got an imaginary friend who ties the characters in most of my novels/stories together, but her story is so divergent that it wouldn't make a good book on it's own. So she is getting her own blog, where she can tell her story.

Please go visit her and enjoy!

Silly Nicky

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Nicky: I like your eyes.
Me: Thank you. I like your eyes too.
Nicky: I Like your nose.
Me: Thank you. I like your nose too.
Nicky. I like your toothies.
Me: Thank you. I like your thoothies too.
Nicky: I like your compuuuuuter.
Me: Were you just softening me up?

LOL

8 Days Without Power!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Ugh! It was horrible!

Monday, January 26th, we settled in for a nasty ice storm. Now we knew it was going to be bad so we stocked up well, but I had no idea just how bad it was going to be... The roads started getting bad mid-afternoon Monday. It iced overnight and everything was covered in a glaze of ice Tuesday morning.

Not too bad right? Kinda pretty even.

Well it started to make the limbs of that cedar lay down so Bryon went outside to move it off the fence and while he was out one of the neighbors came up. They don't have a phone or a car. He seemed calm, but said to Bryon that his wife had fallen the night before and laid down for a nap and now she wouldn't wake up, would he please call 911. So he did and then went down to their house. She'd apparently been dead all night. There house was also as cold outside as it was inside so it's unclear exactly what happened, but they took her husband to the hospital because he was obviously in shock and probably a little hypothermic. Poor people.

So while Bryon was down there the power went out. That was around noon on Tuesday.

So the freezing rain kept falling all day. I went outside in the rain and looked to see what I could see. It wasn't as much what I could see that was horrifying as what I could hear. Every 30 seconds to a minute you could hear a huge limb snapping or a tree falling. While I was standing outside, I saw one of the HUGE trees in the far end of our lot in the woods shift and fall. I went in after that because it was too depressing.

And it kept on and kept on and kept on and then there was a dusting of snow on top of everything. Which didn't make anything worse at least, but didn't help either.

The picture is actually part of the cedar tree lying on my patio set... Fortunately the patio set wasn't damaged. I can't say the same for the tree. Things finally started melting Friday. Which caused even more limbs to fall.

That was my favorite cedar tree right after the ice melted off...

This is what it looks like now. Obviously it is going to have to come down. It lost all of its major branches.

So we kept waiting for the lights to come back on. And waiting...and waiting... My Daddy bought us a generator on Sunday. Thanks, Daddy! Our internet and cable were still out though. I went yesterday and explained to Cox that I wasn't a stupid idiot that, in fact, if you have a generator to power your tv and modem that your cable and internet should work. They sent someone and got it fixed yesterday at about noon. Right after that I saw the first electric company trucks and the power was back on by 5ish. 8 days after it went out...

There are apparently still going to be people on Ozarks Electric without power for some time. Some people have been told several weeks!!!

The mountains don't look the same anymore. They are going to take years to heal from all the damage the trees took. Our campus has a big lawn with one of every tree in Arkansas planted on it. Lots of them are more than 100 years old. I haven't been able to bring myself to drive by and look at it yet. I hear it's bad though.

So that's how I spent my week...How about you?

Hey check it out!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 21:59:00 +0000

My WIP Counter moved!

Why I wanna be like Sherrilyn Kenyon When I grow up...You know besides the fact that she's a NYT Best Seller!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:26:00 +0000

Okay, I edited Click Yes to Submit and submitted it to Nocturne Bites and am currently trying to edit Blood and Violets again. This book is like a freakin' bane to me! I edit and edit and edit it, and I still don't quite love it... I know it needs more but I'm not sure what. Blah!

I think I need other points of view. Right now I've only got the Hero and Heroine, and then one little place where I've got another character's point of view because there was no other way to do it. The problem with that is that it's not the way I really like to write. I used to give tons of different perspectives. Well tons may be an exaggeration. The thing is I've got like hundreds of books in my head, and they all play off each other. Characters from one book pop up in another, and less important characters get their own books later on. So I like being able to see into their cute little brains. I think someone told me once that they didn't like POV shift, and it tainted my writing. Well I'm tossing that out now. I don't care if no one likes POV shift but me, I'm still gonna do it. I like it. I love it even.

Sherrilyn Kenyon does it like a mad woman, and it's all so exquisitely done. Not that I'm Sherrilyn Kenyon mind you. The woman is a master. But I can dream of one day being almost as cool as her. hehe

So maybe that's what I'll do. I'll go through and give it some more depth with more perspectives...

In the meantime would anyone like to volunteer to Beta read a few things for me? *big kitten eyes* I need to get some outside critique before I start trying to get some stuff published again.

Maury Povich is a Sick Freak

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Ok...so I admit that a pickle phobia is pretty ummmmm weird....but who am I to judge, I'm afraid of the dark and being trapped in something underwater.

But what kind of a freakin' sadistic nutjob sends someone to a pickle factory when they're afraid of pickles and has them dragged in... Or brings out a plate of them and sticks it in their face. Or tells them just to stop shaking!

Phobia's are often unexplainable and downright strange, but taunting someone with it is just cruel!

New Plan

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Going to work on cutting down Click Yes to Submit to 10-15k to submit to Silhouette Nocturne Bites. It's 19k now so it's gonna take some substantial cutting.

Wish me luck!

What to do? What to do? hmm...

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:33:00 +0000

Should I work on rewriting Blood and Violets?

Research which agents I wanna submit to?

Try to convince people to Beta read some of my stuff?

Work on something "new"?

Or perhaps babble on my blog and not get any of it done... hmmmm...

Decisions Decisions!

Kicking Butt and Taking Names

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 03:24:00 +0000

Okay...I'm not taking any names. hehe But I am kicking butt at the Couch to 5k!

Did Week 5 Day 2 today. That's 8 minutes running 3 minutes walking (was supposed to be five but apparently I'm a lamer and can't read :-D) and 8 minutes walking. It was hard. I'm not saying that. I got a terrible stitch in my side, but I didn't stop! No, I didn't! Go me! I rock! Yay! hehehe I really didn't think I could do it, but I manged. I've got my first 20 minute no walking run on Friday. I dunno if I can do it, but I'm gonna try my best.

Robot Babies!!! Eek!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Wow! This is soooooooooo creeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppy

This has been the STRANGEST Evening!!!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:40:00 +0000

But like strange in a good way…

First I started to walk outside to go to the car and pick up some Gyros for dinner. The back door was standing WIDE open and the dogs were NOT in the room! I guess I had not pulled it completely shut when I took them out to the bathroom. So I squeaked and walked to the door and they were just standing there staring at me like they had just entered the Twilight Zone! They as you have probably guessed are NOT outside dogs.

So I put them in the house again and locked the door and got in the car. I rolled the windows down cause it’s 70 degrees today! 70!!! In Christmas Break!!! It’s nuts! But delightfully pleasant! Then EVERY song that came on the radio was one of my favorites! It was an absolutely lovely trip to town!

And it just reminded me how incredibly grateful I am for my life. I love my little boys! I have a wonderful family! I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for, who I absolutely love! I adore my husband, even when he is a paiiiin in the booty! I love my job! I love my house! I love my pets! I love NW Arkansas where I live! Life is good!

So thanks very much to the powers that be. I sincerely appreciate all of the gifts you’ve given me!

*Big universe wide smoochies*

Happy New Year!!!!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:39:00 +0000

My Goals for 2009

Finish Rewriting Blood and Violets
Get a descent start writing something else.
Get things submitted!
Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day
Take better care of myself - Taking care of your kiddos is vitally important OF COURSE, but you gotta take care of yourself too. Cause if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! I'm finally seeing the wisdom of this.
Run (Well slow jog) 10K.
Do 100 pushups.
Do something physical almost everyday.

A conversation between my son and I...

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:28:00 +0000

The scene opens with me taking the bottle he stole from his brother and tossing it out of his reach.

Nicky: You're so stupid!!!!!!!!
Me: Whaaaaaaaat did you just say?????
Nicky: You're sooo nice, Mommy!!!!!!
Me: That had better be what you just said!

Ah the joys of the angry threes! I don't care what anyone says 3 is much worse than 2! Everything is sooooooooooooooo serious! He had a screaming/crying fit because I wouldn't give him "the paints"!

There were no paints....

A Request

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:53:00 +0000

Will all of you who haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet please take a moment to do some deep breathing and calm the heck down! Now don't get me wrong I know even if you haven't finished your shopping yet, you might not be one of these people, but if you are let me explain something to you... Your family is going to love you no matter what you give them for Christmas. If they don't then it probably doesn't matter what you give them they are not going to be happy with it so don't stress over it.

I understand that if your kiddo wants something desperately you want to get it for them. I'm the same way! So I get that, but cutting off 10 people on the way to the mall to buy it is only going to save you about 10 seconds and the likelihood that that is going to make the difference between your getting that special Elmo doll or not is not very high. So please don't drive like you are Mario Andretti, because you don't have his car or his skills and you might just kill me and my kids while we're just trying to go ride the ponies!

And for heaven's sake don't be mean to the people at the store because they don't have what you want! It's not their fault! It might have sold out within ten minutes of coming in the door.

So PLEASE people! Just calm down, have some cocoa, take a valium if you have to, but stop stressing so much!

Week 2 Complete: Couch to 5K

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:38:00 +0000

Finished the 2nd Week of the Couch to 5K yesterday and started over on my 100 Pushup Challenge today. I've revised the 100 Pushups somewhat. I'm going to do Wall Pushups instead of Knee Pushups first. I think I'm just too heavy to do knee pushups just yet. My wrists couldn't quite take it.

So I'm going to start with wall, move to knees, and then on to real pushups.

I'm also going to do each day of the program twice before moving on. That should give my muscles a chance to build up to the next level better I think.

Week 2 Day 2: Couch to 5K Complete!

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:05:00 +0000

If I lose 100 Pounds will someone please buy me this? Isn't it GORGEOUS?

My Daddy is giving me his treadmill, because he does all his walking outdoors now. THANK YOU, DADDY!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! I promise I'll put it to good use. :-D Woohoo I'll save the money I was going to use to buy a treadmill for a double jogging stroller to use with the boys come spring. :-D

I joined Spark Pages so now I'm more accountable for everything. It's pretty darn nifty. I'm a member of a team called the Slow Fat Runners! That's me! I don't think you could even call what I'm currently doing "running." It's more like really slow jogging. hehehe

Oh well I'm off to stretch and then make my husband and kiddos Curry for dinner. mmmmm

Week 2 Day 1: Couch to 5K

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:50:00 +0000

This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it'd be going up to 90 seconds. We'll see how well I do with the three minutes next week! I can't wait to get our new treadmill. The big question that weighs on my mind is should we wait until the New Year's sales at Walmart come out. It seems to me like they have sales on exercise equipment, but I can't remember for sure.

I also can't wait for my new shoes to get here. I'm sure that is going to improve my comfort a great deal. As long as they fit well. *crosses fingers*

I finished the first week of the 100 Pushup Challenge too. Starting week 2 tomorrow!

Couch to 5K: Week 1 Day 2

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:42:00 +0000

Started my Saturday with a nice run/walk session.

Ouchies I'm so sore! Everything is sore!

So here's what I'm doing. Next year on September 20th I turn 30 and I'm bound and determined to be in good shape by then. I don't necessarily have to be skinny. That'd be nice of course, but I want to be able to run at least 10K and do 100 pushups. So I started the Couch to 5K and I'll work myself up to 10K from there. As far as pushups go I'm doing the 100 Pushup Challenge. I know that name needs work! Not near as cool as Couch to 5K.

I think running is going to be good with the munchkins, because I can get a double jogging stroller for them and Bryon is doing it with me. He's going to a Krav Maga training thing in April and he has to be in really excellent shape for that. He is in ten times better shape than me already, but dang it I'm going to be able to beat him in a race before this is over!

I'm changing my whole mind set from...I can't run. I just can't do it... To... I'm a runner! I can run! I can do it! Goofy I know, but it seems to be helping thus far! :-D

Disgusted...

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:56:00 +0000

Okay, so I just started the Couch to 5K training program, because I need to lose ALOT of weight and I really have always secretly wanted to be able to run. I used to have these dreams where I would run and run and never get tired. They were awesome dreams and very unlike the reality of me in gym class when I was in Junior High and High School. And why don't they do something like Couch to 5K with people instead of just telling them they have to run a mile in 10 minutes and throwing them on the field?! I'll bet actually teaching them to run rather than killing their spirit would be a much better method!

Anyway...I digress...

I'm disgusted because I did a search about starting Couch to 5K and Obesity hoping to find some success stories on their forum and what I found was NOT helpful! I found people ranting about how disgusting fat people are scarfing down their junk food and blah blah blah... Well excuse me for being a-freakin'-live!!! People like this just make me sick! They think that they understand everyone else and if people would just stop drinking "full-sugar pepsi's" (this one guy went on and on about this) and start excercising that they would magically transform or something. They do not understand the cycle of depression and failure that can crop up being overweight. So until you have walked a mile in my shoes then don't you dare judge me. (And no comments about how the fat girl can't walk a mile because of course I can and do!)

Look, I understand our country is in crisis. That obesity is a dangerous disease. I'm not saying we shouldn't do anything about it. But pointing fingers and making fun and insinuating that all fat people are just stupid is NOT going to help the situation! Now I'm not a wise sage or anything. I don't know how to fix the problem. I'm still working on fixing me so that I don't pass on my problems to my children, but the hate and disrespect needs to stop! It's the nasty hateful people that disgust me!

I'm Outing Myself Now...

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Someday I'm going to think I'm really, really cool. Maybe I'll be a best selling writer with a hot bod that makes everyone jealous... (hey I can dream!)...and then THIS picture is going to come out. And all of that is going to come crashing down on my head.

So I'm outing myself now!

I was a nerd! A Big Ol LAME Nerd!

Yes, that is indeed a New Kids on the Block poster, and a vest built into my t-shirt! AND! I do believe that was even a perm!

Laugh heartily! I did when I saw it!

Dear Disney...

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

I just purchased your Wall-E DVD. I haven't even watched it yet. But for the love of all that is good and holy people!!! I know the movie is about what happens if we don't take care of our planet and so the "Earth (and Space) Friendly" packaging might have seemed like a good idea, and I'm all for Earth friendly packaging when appropriate...but a DVD case is not disposable!!! You put it on your shelf and it looks pretty and you don't get rid of it. I had to slaughter my cardboard case to put it in a plastic case that I had left over from something else so that the DVD didn't get all scratched up from the cardboard sleeve you put it in...

I hope this was just something for Wall-E and you haven't done away with decent packaging completely, because I put in a preorder last week for the Peter Pan and Tinkerbell set coming out next month and I'm going to be VERY disappointed if it comes in this junk packaging as well. I know the economy is awful, but those packages cost pennies to make. So come on! Please don't make a habit of this! Save your earth friendly packaging for all the endless Disney toys that you sell. Now there is where they are sensible. Almost no one keeps the package their Disney Princess doll came in so make that easily recyclable!

Thursday Thirteen #53

me@lesleyspeller.com (MsSnarkyPants) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:36:00 +0000

13 Things I Watch While my 4 Month Old Has me Awake for His Nightly Two to Three Hour Fuss Fest

Gotta Love DVR!

The News
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
The Biggest Loser
30 Minute Meals
South Park
The Weather Channel…What? I like the weather channel!
Movies like…A Girl Interrupted
Elizabeth: the Golden Aged
Knocked Up
27 Dresses
Alvin and the Chipmunks
And the Occasional Infomercial *gags* They suck me in almost as badly as HSN! Mmmmm….Diamonique! Just call me Simi!