A new ending and a new beginning

Of course, there's the end of the year, fast approaching, and the upcoming new year, full of promise and hope.  The end of the old kitchen as it morphs into the new one.  And the end of my manuscript, which had two endings until last night.  I finally figured out how to morph the two endings into one suitable, and I hope compelling, closure. 

I'm still typing up the hard copy version. (Yes, I wrote the last 30 pages longhand, and that nostalgic and weird exercise jogged my creative pathways in just the right way.)  I've decided that I work best on the novel manuscript revisions at the end of the day, when I'm dog tired and my hands are useless for anything but resting on the keyboard of my laptop.  I suppose my sudden onset of muscular mutiny has two causes: painting/texturizing the kitchen, and playing Wii, the Christmas gift for the whole family.  Every time I lift my arms today, I cringe a little. 

I now have the greatest respect for home remodel skilled laborers.

And now for pics:

We started somewhere around here...this was taken right after I peeled off the classy adhesive stained glass plastic.

Post painting the first coat in Behr's "Patina."  I thought it would be more sage-y, but it's growing on me.

 Notice the ceiling: we ran out of material, so we'll have to finish it later tonight.  The ceiling will have the same texture as the walls.

notice the floors are stripped to the cement....

the newly constructed soffit (and removed old one)

The east wall.  Imagine a grand steel vent hood hanging from that duct.  

I'm still trying to figure out how to install a ducted vent range hood.  More research is needed.

Happy holidays!  Please, please send me some open shelving pics you find on the internet.  Cool storage and organization ideas are welcome.  (I'm think a blend of French countryside meets gourmet cook meets World Market and Pier One.  Without the Pier One price tag.)  Link them here or through my Facebook. Thanks!

New Pics

So tired, I can't even write something interesting.  So here are the new pics:

Knocked down the soffit, finally, and discovered there was no ceiling above it.  Ugh.  So back to Lowes to buy sheetrock for a new ceiling.

 Getting that sucker down was hard work.  Lots of hammering and a sudden deluge of 30-year-old fiberglass insulation on top of my head and down the front of my shirt.  After a quick shower and a trip to Lowe's,  did this:

It's drying overnight.  Will need a second coat.  Have decided to texturize the entire ceiling rather than deal with ceiling panels and stud-finding.  Talking like Tarzan is a sign of exhaustion. 

Tomorrow, I paint the walls before my love comes home from Paris.

I'm wiped out tonight.  Sleep well, and may sugar plums dance in your heads tonight.

Remodel: fin de Week One

That's French for "I made a mess and cleaned it up by the end of week one."  Sort of.
I've been promising photos and updates on my kitchen odyssey, so here we are.

I'm going to spice this post up with a list of "things I've discovered" from this project (and perhaps life in general.)


To the right here, you can see that we took off the cabinets.  See the brown dripping things in the photo?  Discovery #1: The backs of the cabinets were actually painted sheet rock.  I had no idea.  I hope the new ones I ordered don't have this fancy tromp d'oeil. I want real cabinet backs.

I decided to pull the appliances to the center of the kitchen so they can have cozy conversations while staying out of my way.  It's not every day that appliances can have tête à têtes.  I hope they enjoy this special occasion.

 <-- The left cabinets came down yesterday evening.  We had an interesting time with that oven vent, which was non-functioning.  Discovery #2: we had a ventless hood.  It was rather disgusting, full of grease, and probably a fire hazard.  I'm glad the previous owners kept the vent and just stuffed it with insulation because it will make installing the new hood immensely easier.  When we buy the new hood, that is...

Call me weird, but I kept sweeping the floor, even though it will be ripped up imminently.  I even mopped it this morning.  The dust was killing me.


The next two pics are what I accomplished today, exactly one week after the remodel began.  I got rid of the refrigerator cabinet and the oven cabinet (the last one!).  I texturized the walls and began to imagine the color splashed on it: Patina.

 The jury is still out on the soffits.  My remodel calendar says that I was supposed to texturize on Wednesday and take down the soffits today.  But I'll see tomorrow if I have the energy and will power to tackle that chore.  I need cheerleaders.

Discovery #3: Like old people, old letters seek warm climates to spend their years in retirement.  When Trevor and I pulled out the stove cabinet, we found two letters.  One, dated September 3, 1989, was a packet of three offering envelopes for weekly tithing.  They were all empty, and I'm kind of glad they were, or I'd have a real ethical quandary on my hands.  It would be too tempting to keep money at this stage of remodeling--even somebody's wayward tithes.

 Discovery #4: Stamps cost a quarter in 1990.  I'd forgotten that they were ever this low, and I was probably griping about how high stamps were that Christmas.  Do you like the little USPS stamp that kindly asks the postal worker to "please mail early for Christmas"?  Makes me smile.

Discovery #5:  I'm not superwoman.  Or, I'm only superwoman until 6 PM.  After that, I'm tired and start fantasizing about hiring workers to pull up the vinyl flooring.  We'll see how those fantasies play out tomorrow...  I also need to make friends fast with someone who knows how to wire recessed lighting in the soffit against the windowed wall.

That's it for tonight.
I'll sleep well tonight.  I hope you do, too.

On losing track of days

I've been terrible at keeping up with my writing.  But look at what I've accomplished so far in the kitchen.

I put on my handy apron and red crocs...

 ...and started with the door frame from the kitchen to the laundry room.  I'd hung the door a few months ago, with all the other interior doors with the help of my older son, and this one wasn't level on the floor.  The latch didn't catch.  So on Thursday, I took off the molding, straightened the frame (thanks, Sam, for helping me nail that sucker straight), and then bought some pretty new molding with plinth blocks.  I still have to fill in the small gaps and paint, but I'm waiting until all the baseboards and molding are up.

 Today was day one of the Big Cabinet Removal Project.  My older brother was going to come help, but he forgot that he had to work until 5AM, and he had skin surgery on his shoulder a few days ago, so he couldn't come.  Wimp!  (All right, I forgive him.  They are good excuses...)

So my son Trevor, who just came home from college, was so nice to agree to help me.  Wow, has college changed him.  He's suddenly very talented at this home improvement stuff. Usually I'm doing everything and begging him to hold this or do that, but today he and I worked like old pros together.  It was actually fun.  We turned off the water and electricity, dismantled the plumbing and moved the sink to the floor, comme ca:

By the way, if you've never done this, let me just tell you it stinks to high heaven when that plumbing pvc is removed.  Uck.  We had to open the windows.  Anyone want a stainless steel sink?  (Now that I'm looking at this picture, I'm wondering if I should be allowing the disposal to lean on its side.  I hope I haven't ruined it.  I need that little guy.)

Then we got to work with  the cabinets.  Removed the formica counter tops piece by piece (some were really small pieces, since we had to chop it up in places), which stirred up much dust (yes, that's dust in the sunbeam):

 You see all those wall cabinets and the rest of the base cabinets?  They're all gone!  Tomorrow, we remove the oven cabinet and the stove cabinet, and the last wall cabinets on the wall facing this photo.

I have to say that this is an incredible adventure.  Except for the wee accident during the door re-hang (I hit my skull with the hammer while trying to extract a high nail; frozen edamame helped immensely, and the gross scab I discovered 2 days later is healing nicely), there have been no unpleasant surprises.  I'm discovering the original 1970 formica beneath the paneling, and the original hideous vinyl that puts our existing ugly vinyl to shame.  I'm still a little afraid to knock down the soffit (that wall above the cabinets), but we'll see how that goes on Monday...

I'll post more pics after all the cabinets are down.  I've posted the double oven on Craigslist for $300, but no inquiries yet.  Is that too much to ask for an oven that works fine? 

A Song for the Holidays?

I've been getting some very nice emails from readers after the SMU Holiday Book recommendation here.  And I'm looking forward to January 22nd's book signing at Barnes & Noble on 15th Street near 75 and to the reading at UTD on the 27th.  If you're stumped on a gift for someone, consider this little book, no? 

I'll be happy to mail a signed bookmark to your favorite someone as an extra hoo-hah (ho ho ho?).  Just let me know!

In the meantime, here's what I've demo'd in the kitchen: cheap wood paneling, baseboards, and chair rail, gone. 

The door molding also now gone.  I couldn't stand that little uneven space above the door.  I'll level the door and re-affix the molding to the frame.

I have an estimate coming for replacement windows today.  We'll see if it fits my shoestring budget.

Lastly, I suppose I should put something in this blog about my revisions to my novel manuscript #2: I was a bad (and tired) girl yesterday.  I didn't even open the file.  But I will tonight, since this blog is now my public motivation.

Onward creative odyssey!

My New Project

This month, I'm focused on two things: remodeling my sad little kitchen on a shoestring budget, and re-reading/revising my novel manuscript that was completed last month.  It might be a little too soon to be revising the manuscript, so hot on the heels of first-draft completion, but home improvement chores have a way of clearing my head and allowing creativity to germinate. 

So, here's a link to some book reviews on Goodreads:
http://m.www.goodreads.com/book/show/7255179-song-of-the-orange-moons

(Please feel free to add your review on Goodreads, too.)

And here are some pics of my sad little kitchen (decked out for a chef, but falling apart at the seams):

Yes, there are no cabinet doors, and yes, that's roux (and other souls of sauces) splashed on the wall

 

The double oven will be on Craigslist soon.  Replacing with stainless steel. Anyone want a cheap oven? And yes, that's a piece of wood propping up the sinking counter top above the dishwasher.

Picture taken yesterday.  You won't believe how much cooking stuff we've packed into the shelves.

Cute little distressed white table/chairs from World Market that I'll also have to sell to make room for an island table. Any takers?

How about that classy light bulb? And the adhesive stained glass?  High class stuff there.

View from the dining room.  I already replaced all the interior doors in the house, which is why there's some artsy white wall joint leftovers to the right of the door. I'm thinking a light sage-y green for the kitchen.  The new floor will be beautiful.

Now that the pics are up, it's time to get back to the kitchen.  Today, I finish packing the pots and pans, and then I pull off all the chair molding and the cheap boarding below it. I hope I don't discover anything too scary. 

Emerging from the Coma

(Common Use from Flikr)

Yes, that's what it feels like. A food coma.  I finished the last half of my third novel in November during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I haven't been able to write anything for a week.  Not even a blog post.  On December 1, I felt like I had ingested a twenty-pound turkey, and I've been at the mercy of a tryptophan overdose ever since.  Until today.

The first draft of a novel always needs recovery time, much like we all do after gorging ourselves on Thanksgiving dinner.  (And besides, I had college papers to grade all week; I still take pride in reading my students' essays carefully.)  I haven't even looked once at that finished novel draft, and certainly didn't want to until just a few minutes ago.  I'm beginning to get curious about what I actually wrote during my occasionally delusional writing mania.  Moments of brilliance?  Pages of utter failure?  Tomorrow I will find out. Tomorrow, I will open that file and read.  But first, I'll have a glass of Malbec in hand.

It took a blog post from a great YA writer on the cusp of real fame, people--Amy Plum--to spur me on to blog writing again.  I've already pre-ordered her book, Die For Me (and you should, too).  She was one of only two personal "writing buddies" for NaNo, and kept me on my toes with the daily word count.  Once you've been writing a while, you get to that place (an illusion, really) where you think I don't need writing buddies!  I've taught fiction-writing classes!  I'm not a grad student anymore!

But, whoa Nelly, I've made a delightful discovery that merely maintaining an online network--small or large--of "writerly relationships" can truly influence one's creative muse.

December for Amy will be a month of immersing herself into her YA field.  December mornings for me will be revision time for the novel, and during the rest of the day...kitchen remodeling.  That's right.  I'm tearing up my kitchen and remodeling it myself.  My companion is the love of my life, but he ain't no home-fixer.  He is my everything-else.  I will post pictures of disasters and successes. I understand the chaos my life (and my family's lives) will be under during these next two months, but I can't help but feel the excitement of having cabinet doors that stay on the hinges and counter tops that are actually still attached to the walls!  I feel like superwoman in an orange apron.  Wish me luck!


Oh, and the jury is still out on Spellweger.  (See the previous posts, if you need the whole story again.)  We may know something in January.

Obsessive Compulsive "Refresh" Disorder

Today, I got a little taste of what OCD feels like.

I knew that on November 16th, news was supposed to be announced on the DMA's Arts & Letters Live site.  In particular, the 2011 Texas Bound calendar of events, a series that brings Texas-connected authors and actors together for an evening of audible storytelling. So as soon as I hopped out of bed this morning, I haunted the Arts & Letters Live website, which said this morning, bright and early, to come visit again on November 16th to see the line-up for the next season.  It WAS November 16th, people!  How long was I to wait?  Refresh. 6:18 AM, 6:19, 6:22… Refresh.  Refresh.  Nothing. I was giddy, you see.  Giddy because I got an email last week from someone with Texas Bound who announced that my little old story had been selected for next April's reading, and would be read by a wonderful actress.

Don't get your hopes up, she wrote, and it's a very big long shot, but we've asked [insert actress whose name rhymes with Zenée Spellweger; I’m trying not to jinx myself, here], who's expressed interest in reading for us.  Zenée Spellweger? I love Zenée Spellweger!  I did a little dance in my office and tried not to tell too many of my friends that these people were actually asking Zenée Spellweger to read my story.

Whether this amazing actress-who-shall-not-be-rightfully-named has time in her filming schedule or not—whether she accepts the offer to read or gracefully declines this year—I’m delighted to be part of the series this year.  I’ll be delighted with whomever the organizers eventually select to read the story.  Refresh.  Refresh, I kept clicking at 5:08, 5:10, 5:12, etc., with my second glass of Malbec.

I’ve been writing half-heartedly on my current manuscript this evening.  It was like pulling teeth. Refresh. Refresh.  Somehow I kept finding myself on that darn website, my manuscript buried beneath the Firefox browser.  It was exhausting, this OCD.

Tonight, right before I decided to crawl into bed, feeling a wee feverish and achy, I decided to Refresh the Arts & Letters Live website once more, and LOOK: the line-up is finally up!  And there’s still a mystery spot (TBA) on the actress who will read my story.  The jury is still out.  And I am tuckered out.  So please, everyone… before you tuck in, will you say a little prayer for Zenée Spellweger?

Book Review!

Check out Rundpinne's latest book review.
No, I don't know her!  And yes, it's a good one!  Thank you, Jennifer Rundpinne, for rating Song with four cups of coffee:

and for recommending my book as a nice book club book!  (Three exclamation marks means pure joy.)

Now, off to write the next 2000 words.  This month has been the word-count-from-hell medicine I needed to get the last part of this manuscript done.  Rewrites will be heavenly.

Dictum

I've got to get this novel put to bed, under the covers, in the hole, finished.  I've got to stop browsing my friends' pics on Facebook, refrain from checking Statcounter, my Yahoo mail/gmail/Office mail, and I suppose, blogging about the writing I should be doing.  So I'm disappearing for a while.  To write.

I'll pop in on the 16th to announce the good news about Arts & Letters Live, but I'll let them announce it first. 

For now, goodbye.  I'm sneaking off to my fiction-cove.

Dallas Book Launch Party, Part II (a.k.a "boy is my hair blonde!")

Part II of the book launch was at Trinity Hall, a wonderful restaurant /pub across the street from B&N.  Our cake was waiting there, along with some appetizers and free drinks galore.

Some photos of friends and family, in black and white to minimize the red-eye that plagued all my photos...

lovely girlfriends

...with Stephanie

... the two most beautiful Martas in Dallas (and beyond)

...with my son, the artist, Trevor

The most nerve-wracking part of the big day: having the books delivered by FedEx two hours before the reading.
The second most nerve-wracking: so afraid I'd spell people's names wrong as I signed that I even asked people I knew well how to spell their names (like Stephanie and Lauren.  Is there any other way to spell those names?)

Once we moved over to Trinity Hall, though, my nerves melted, and I just enjoyed the good company.  Thanks, everyone, for coming to the reading and/or to the party.  I was so grateful to feel your supportive presence there. (There are still some books at B&N if you want to stop by to get one.  Otherwise, your online orders should be delivered by about November 22nd.)

Now, it's off to pack and mail some other pre-orders from Chicago and get back to writing the current novel.  I'm determined to get it done this month.

Oh, yes: the title.  As soon as I saw these pics, I ran to my salon and cried, "Less blonde! Less blonde!"  We're working on "caramel" to prevent blindness at future readings...

Dallas Book Launch Party, Part I

I'm a little late on news about the Dallas Book Launch reading and signing party, but it's National Novel Writing Month.  What do you expect?  I'm cranking out pages, and behind on my quota because of the Chicago trip, so this first part will include photos, as proof that it actually happened.
Highlights of the night: seeing old friends (Derek!  from high school, no less) and colleagues (so grateful for their attendance) and girlfriends and family all in one place showing the love.
At the Barnes & Noble:
(Thanks, DiDi, for managing this event)

There I am.  I forgot to save the poster. 

reading

The babies

SMU folks--you rock my book

the most comfortable seat in the house

No one wanted to sit in the front row.  A crowd of people were standing behind the last row.

Where do I sign?  I had to ask another author (CW Smith) where to sign the book.

the beautiful cake from Society Bakery was unsurpassed...

but their editing skills...not so much. (should be "Moons")

More pics soon!...

I heart Chicago

I got back from Chicago last night, and didn't have time to post pics before the book launch party tonight.  So, tonight I'll post some pics of my stay with my generous friend, Andrea, and the two events in Chicago.

First, Andrea hosted a Salon reading at her house.  She had about 12 guests, and we had so much fun reading and drinking and eating that we forgot to take pictures.  So here are the "afterward pics." 

You'll have to imagine the cool people in this great sitting room (they were cool):

and drinking great wine. (I know, I should have remembered to takes the pics with people actually in them.)






The second day was the Hopleaf reading in town.  So we stopped at the Hancock...

and I click this view from our seat (sorry it's blurry, but imagine the view):

...and this one.  From the bathroom, of all places:

I've never had such a magnificent view from a privy. The whole wall was plate glass.

Later, here's me at the Hopleaf with some friends:

with Bill Shunn

 

 

 

 

 

Paul D'Jock (thanks for the Malbec!)

 and an old high school friend transplanted to Chicago...















...and writer Maggie Kast--such a great supporter!

The audience at Hopleaf was attentive (even with beer on the table) and laughed at the funny parts (thank goodness).  I heart Chicago!