Yeah, I've been hearing about Nanowrimo for a few years compliments of the internet.  Several years ago I even signed up, but didn't get far as Rainee took over, and I don't think I even wrote a single word, although I did get an outline.

I've signed up.  I have an outline.  It should be worth more then 50,000 words.  I want to do this.  I want it bad.   Its a childs novel.  Fantasy.  I'm basing it loosely off a story we're writing on the boards, but with all of my own characters.  Including a couple new ones.

My great-grandmother, my grandmother, my mother have all talked about writing the great-american novel.  Or the great Canadian novel as the case may be.  But so far none of us have managed it.

I don't know how great its gonna be, but it will be an intresting challenge.  And I think I'm gonna try.

Other then that just being that goofy car-pooling mom that goes

wooooooooooooooosh here

and

wooooooooooooooosh there.

No baton tomorrow, but Rob is gonna go with me and take the kiddos Trick or Treating in town.  The merchants in downtown PA all open their stores for trick & treating in the afternoon for about 3 hours.  Its crowded, but its also incredibly safe, and somehow a lot of fun.   After that we will have Awana, so all in all a busy day.

Phew it was a fast paced busy weekend, rudely interupted by Jeremiah getting the stomache flu.  He had it violently for about 12 hours.  That kid gets more tummy bugs. 

My dad still came saying he'd had it Tuesday, and didn't care.  HE brought Jeremiah mint gum to chew, and a seven-up to drink.  The seven up came up the first time, but stayed down the second-time.  So we'll give grandpa partial credit for curing him.  And you know I would have never thought of gum to chew, but it was a superb option as it got rid of the nasty taste, and settled his tummy some.  (it was peppermint gum).

The visit went well, although I admit to hearing certain stories for the fifth or sixth time.  LOL  I think that's kinda normal though.

My house currently looks like a tornado struck it, but I did get school done, so you can't have everything.

I have picture of the corn maze, but their in the van, and I'm lazy.  Maybe I'll load them later.

The corn maze was a lot of fun, but my brother was very late, so we didn't get to visit with him much.  He always plans too many places to visit when he's here.

And other then that we're just hanging around.

Life is definitely not moving slowly these days.  The kids were invited to a birthday party this afternoon.  So Rob and I took Jeremiah out for ice cream.  He milked that for every inch it was worth.  I took some beautiful cloud pictures on my way to Awana last night, and finally have time to upload a few.  The first one is taken through the dash of the window.  Its a bit blurry, but I liked the rain drops on the window somehow. 

Just beautiful fluffy bright clouds. 

And do you see the dragon?  The kids and I did.  Which then of course reminded me of when I was a senior in college, and was quite convinced I could see an old man that looked like Santa Claus in a rock cliff at our senior retreat.  And yes I was sober--it was a very very strict Christian college.  My friends mocked, and mocked me.  But I have pictures, and I still say their was a old man with a long beard in those rocks.  And I say that cloud kinda looks like  a dragon.  *eg*

Anyhow tomorrow my brother is coming to town, so I will run Zeria to my mom's to play with his daughters.  I also have to grocery shop, so its not "just" about her.  So she's getting lots of entertainment this week.

I will hit Costco, and Walmart, and so on, and then drag my butt back home.  Then Saturday we will probably go BACK into town to meet my brother.  I'd really really like a weekend at home.  Sitting on my duff.

Thank you to everybody who emailed me.    After much fussing, some Instant Messaging with Granny Dee we determined that I could not get email from hotmail and aol.

I then tried the online tech with centurytel who checked some stuff out and told me to call the 1-800 number, and what to ask them.  I did.  I asked them to remove aol and hotmail from the blacklist.  They did, and wala I can get email.  Of course I never blacklisted them, and I'm not sure why centurytel did, but alls well that ends well. 

My email may be going wacky.

Or it may be my writing partners email.

I sent and recieved a message from me.

She can send re: email messages, but apparently not the other one.

Can a couple people attempt to email me at rsignor@centurytel.net and leave a message here saying you did, so I can see if there's something I need to report.

TIA

Edit;

So my sisters email came through.  Sunny's came through.  But Granny Dee's did not.  I think the moral here is if you have or had the last name of M----you can't send me emails??  Argh!!!

Could a couple more people PLEASE try for me, cause I'm trying to figure out what the heck is going on!

Good morning

I'm spending this morning babying cramps, and doing school.  Its a lovely combination.  Rainee appears to be pms'ing as well nearly as we can tell.  LOL  Of course she's five, so not really.  But man she's wheepy this morning.  She had a major melt-down cause she had to hold her brothers hand while they prayed.  Not exactly something new. 

My email box is either eating something, or my writing partners is.  Or the weekend, or something.  But in the meantime, I'm still looking for said email.  I have to admit that its driving me a bit bonkers.

And what do I write?  Someone asked on the comments.  Since Rainee was teensy I've been writing on a cooperative role-playing fantasy boards.  It used to be a full time addiction when I had a nursling in hand and a good excuse to sit for hours.   But I'm growing out of it, as there is not enough time in my day, and the stresses of the last months have not given me time.  As a result I'm only writing in ONE of someone else's stories, and hoping to finish up two of mine.  Everything else is either finished, or I'm not going to contine on in.  There just isn't enough time, and I'm irritating too many people by my so-called lack of commitment.  Its not about lack-of-commitment, its about priorities.  And unfortunately this priority isn't working.  I also have a crazy-wild-insane lady I write with, and I will continue to write with her, but that is on the side, and we have an understanding that we both have young kids and sometimes life takes prescedence. 

I'm looking forward to the level of writing that I've whittling myself down-to.  Its enough to keep my creative juices flowing, but not enough to get people totally ticked at me because I'm holding things up.  So the email I'm waiting for is a answer as to wether my other partner will continue to write with me or not.  I gave her an out, and asked her to choose.  I've written with her for a long time, but she still has time to be addicted, and she needs to be allowed to write with someone else if that's her choice.

Its been an intresting thing writing.  I've liked it, but I've also wanted to kill at least one other writer on multiple occasions.  I've never taken it as seriously as any of the other writers.  Its always been about fun for me, something I believe hasn't always been understood.  But then that's what life is about rubbing elbows with people who don't always get-each other.  

Several of my fellow writers are fellow xangan's.  Tis how I learned about the writing boards.  And if anybody is intrested in cooperative writing give a holler and I will put the link up.  It is a lot of fun, just don't overcommit.  But that's also like all of life.  ROFL

I got to meet my niece last night.  This is Addy.  She was born sometime last month, and yeah I don't remember the date so shoot me.   Anyhow my brother was coming up to see if he could find Rissa.  He was a run-away himself so he knows a bunch of the spots, and was very very worried about Rissa.  Of course she was found just as he got in town, but its all good.   My other sister Tina the one whose recently preggers changed her mind one more time after the last blog, and we all ended up going to my moms.  Her house isn't big, and it was even smaller with us all there.  But you know regardless of many of the choices my brother Isaiah has made we ended up really enjoying him and his girlfriend.   I've been watching him mature over the pregnancy, and birth.  I so hope its going to last.  Addy needs him to!

Anyhow when we first got in the house Jeremiah was very nervous about that wee-thing.  And slowly, ever so slowly over the course of several hours he finally got brave enough to get up on the futon and touch her.  Tracey was so sweet with the two of them. 

She just encouraged it.  Look at Jer's face in that picture.  That baby is just scarey man. 

But he kept getting closer, and closer, and then finaly just before he was done he asked to "hold" her.  Note my brothers hand supporting that!  ROFL  And the talk on the way home from bean-butt was all about Addie. 

So here's 8/9's of the motley crew.  My brother Gabe has moved to Seattle, and wasn't there last night. 

All of the sisters.

And all of the brothers.  Okay so brothers just don't like to pose for pictures.  *sniggers*

All of the brothers and a extra or two.  Can't see Sam?  See the checked shirt under Isaiah?  *snigger*

The overwhelming feeling of the evening was laughter and content.  There was  a HUGE under current of all of the other crap, but for the most part it went well.  I had to do some serious dealing with my attitude towards my Tina-sister.  Not over the pregnancy, over her selfishness, and other things towards her younger siblings (my kids).

But I guess that's the stuff of siblings LOL.   And now we return back to the regularly scheduled program. 

My extended family two of my sisters in particular need prayer in a bad way. 

We're having a lovely storm today.  Wind, rain, just nasty.  Its okay.  I have nowhere to go today, and nothing pressing that needs to be done.  So let it rain and storm, and blow I'm safe in my house.

My kids are contentedly scrapbooking.  I let them use my cut-out stamp thingys.  Kaylin has been very creative this morning.  Samuel is enjoying his video game, and Jamari his baton.  jamari loves that baton.  LOL

I got a very nice long letter yesterday from a fellow writer.  It helped me cement a decision I'd made over a week ago.  I have stopped one story, and possibly two.  I really hope not the second one, but I'm giving the option to people.  So far the vote is 3 for 1 against.  Its all good.  My writing has taken the back-burner for so long, I needed to give everybody the choice.   I have a great vision for this story, but the time, alas the time is always fleeting.  And life has been a pretty big bwitch lately.

Jamari is very huggy today.  Do you remember when he didn't want to touch me?  He's not that kid anymore.  He just comes up and leans on me.  Its so amazing the difference time could make.  Actually we've made another huge break through with him all because of baton.  He does so well at it and has the coaches approval.  Its always good to have somebody else excited for you besides family.  It has made him a happier child at home as a result.  Happier is always better.  LOL

Rob's scrubs still haven't come darn it.  I ordered them with so much extra time, I'm a bit exasperated about it, but there's nothing I can do but grouse.

I was up late last night getting my pictures chosen for my shutterfly calendar, so that's my project for today to upload them, and get it made.   This is my typical grandparent pressie.  And they all look forward to it.  Of course this year I will have to order a extra one as two grandparents aren't living in the same house any more.  Its the litttle things that poke you in the gut you know?

It's Rob's birthday today.  Its a crappy day to celebrate as its my longest day a week on town.  I'm making him a very nice lunch, but other then that not much special.  I hope to do something more special on the weekend.  His main birthday pressie isn't here yet, but he knows it is coming.  As a extra I ordered him several colorful scrubs.  And darn it only one of them is here.  He really liked it though--its Star Wars.  What little boy  I mean man doesn't like Star Wars?  *snicker*

Its beautiful outside today, but their's a wind warning in effect for tomorrow.  So just typical fall stuff. 

Other then that not much to say as I'm fighting off a caffeine induced headache.  Lack of that is.