Castle in the Clouds

Want to add a personal touch to your gifts? How about sending an extra-special card to a good friend who lives far away? Maybe it's just time to send out the Christmas cards. Whatever the occassion, Homemade by Victoria has just the card you need. If you don't see what you need, email the owner and she'll create to your specifications. In addition to handmade cards ($1.50 apiece in most cases), Homemade By Victoria also has some tempting extras for scrapbookers. Page toppers and tags round out the available stock of this new online business.

If you're in the mood for some writer humor, you may want to bounce on over to this post on Maureen Johnson's blog . Very cute.

First, let me say Blogger can be a real pain in the ass. Second, go read this post Tamara Siler Jones made on her blog today. It's about why some writers feel the need to tear down and destroy the confidence of their compatriots. I don't understand the need but I've been treated to glimpses of such ruthlessness. It's never pretty and I'm certain it's never really necessary. Some writers will try to say they're only trying to help, but often their help is wrapped in a surge of negative energy a paperclip could pick up on. Learning to avoid these personalities is key to survival. If you've ever been treated to the harsh end of a pitiless critique, chin up, my friend. You're not nearly as bad as that person made you think you were. Every word you write, every sentence you compose, teaches you something more of your craft. Above all, keep writing!

I have pictures of our new camper to share with you. I took them this weekend while we were camping and after we got home. Of course, our maiden voyage wasn't smooth sailing. We discovered a major water leak in the bathroom; once Ken tightened down the clamps under the sink that little problem was resolved. Still, I'm sure you can imagine the panic I felt when my sister-in-law pointed out a rivlet of water traversing its way from the bathroom toward the entertainment center at the far end of the camper. I'm not sure if you can get a good idea of just how much room there is inside this little darlin' but it's very spacious for a camper. I love the floor plan. There are bunk beds for the boys. A table and sofa that make into beds if necessary. The entertainment center holds two TVs--the one you can see in the picture and another in one of the cupboards overhead that opens into the "master bedroom". Our bedroom has wooden panels that slide out to allow

If you have nothing better to do, I have posted a couple of new pictures on Art Zone . My favorite is Kieren . I wanted to use her character in several settings but I screwed something up and failed to save her properly.

I feel as if I'm in hyperdrive. There's just so much that needs to be done. The everyday chores, the last minute tasks. They never end. As soon as I think I'm caught up, I realize there's a half dozen things I should be doing. I did take a few minutes this morning to upload some recent pictures to Flickr. If you care to look, you'll find pictures from our boat trip. It was lovely and fun and I'm so glad we went. I haven't had a more relaxing break this summer. I only hope we'll be invited back next year. I also updated the ipod. That's good, right? I thought so, too. I have not written anything. Nor have I revised a single sentence. Yes, I know this means I suck. I realize this. I claim no exuse in my defense other then...hello! busy! And you can't begrudge me an hour of television before bed; I can't sleep after I write because my silly brain refuses to shut down after being so stimulated.

Howdy! I've been MIA lately thanks to work and kids and the hubby. Another reason would be the new travel trailer we just purchased. Somebody stop me! I'm out of control! No more spending. I'm going to go bankrupt. LOL In all seriousness, this is something Ken and I have wanted to buy for several years now but couldn't afford to because of the insane cost of daycare. Now that the little man is starting kindergarten (~sniff) in a couple weeks we won't be paying full price for daycare anymore. I know. We should be putting the money we're going to be saving into the bank but like I said, we really want this for the family. Camping is big in Ken's family. (I'm working on making it big in mine.) I'll try to post pics in the next day or so.