Snake and Dragon Sprouts

Summers have always been about having adventures and trying new things, for me anyway. Recently, I've taken up sprouting. It's something I've been meaning to get around to for a long time because of the health benefits, but it was just another thing on my to-do list (you know that you know what I mean). I've tried several varieties now and have settled on a combination of green lentils and mung beans that taste great together. And FYI, sprouting is really easy.

I have to admit, though, the kids were squeamish about trying mystery greens until I pointed out how much the leaves coming out of the beans looked like snakes' tongue or dragon fire. They took it from there (with alarming enthusiasm) and started biting off heads. So, now you know why we grow snake and dragon sprouts at our house.

I've also been giving them bubble blowing lessons with bubblegum. :o)



And we start swim lessons tomorrow. What adventures are you having this summer?

My Favorite Counting Book

I love Maurice Sendak's rhyming counting book, ONE WAS JOHNNY. I can read it over and over again and still appreciate the humor. I always read the middle section in a crescendo that has me roaring the "I'll eat all of you!!!!" because it makes my kids giggle. Have any of you read it?

We bought ONE WAS JOHNNY as part of Sendak's NUTSHELL LIBRARY, and all four of the books are great. They're just so tiny. Gwenyth likes that they're tiny, but it makes reading them to more than one child at bedtime more challenging. And once they hear me start reading it, I have more than one child to read to, and they want me to read it more than once (this is why I only buy picture books that I like to read).

If you're not sure who Maurice Sendak is, he also wrote and illustrated WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, one of the most beloved picture books of all time.

Do you have a favorite counting or Maurice Sendak book? And do you think my reading choices are warping my children? At the moment, this is their favorite Muppet clip.


I wish you could hear them laughing. :o)

Happy, Smiley, Happy News

It's not often I get exciting news before five in the morning (takes a lot to get me excited - that time of day), but this morning I did. One of my very favorite blogging writers posted pictures of herself with her newly arrived ARCs, and then she said I could borrow one.

Saying I'm excited to read her book would be a gross understatement, and even though it's not April Fool's and she's too nice to tease me, I'm having a hard time believing this is real. So, I'm not going to tell you who the author is. I will give you a clue (besides the clues I've already given). How many of you know who Maureen Johnson is? Check out this blurb she gave the book I'm hoping is already in the mail and on its way to moi.

"Very sly. Very funny. Very romantic. You should date this book."
— Maureen Johnson

My second bit of happy news is closely related; I've just been asked to beta read my favorite critter's manuscript. YAY! Which leads me into my third bit.

Enna Isilee of Squeaky Books also made me happy today by giving me an award for my book recommendation posts. Not just any award either - it's a brand spankin' new award that she created. Thanks, Enna Girl! :o)

Rules:

1. Thank who gave you the award and link to them

2. State what is is you look for in a blog

3. Give the award to 7 people whose blogs pertain most to you (be sure to let them know they won!)

What I look most for in a blog is a writer whose personality, humor, and WRITING make me wish they were published. I blog because I LOVE reading certain blogs. The author I mentioned above tops my list, but because her book actually comes out this year, I'm not going to give her the award. I'm only giving the award to bloggers who don't have book contracts (or even agents), but I wish they did. I'd pre-order their books in a heartbeat.


Krista
Adam
Jackee
Jenny
Amy
Julie
and Niki

There are more, but I'm only supposed to give the award to seven. It was hard to narrow it down. The bloggers I'm awarding may not be the most prolific bloggers out there, but they CAN write and are persistent. Do you have any blogging friends you'd love to see published?

Okay, Krista guessed right away, so I'm linking to a picture of Steph with her books (because she's adorable).

Peter and the Sword of Mercy

I won PETER AND THE SWORD OF MERCY through a contest Adam Heine threw in April when Beneath Ceaseless Skies published his short story, PAWN'S GAMBIT. He let me pick out any book I wanted, and I'd been wanting to get my hands on this one; I loved the first three enough to buy them. He also surprised me by throwing in a pre-order of MOCKINGJAY (because he's cool like that). Thanks, Adam!

How I Deal With Rejection

You may remember the shiny poem I mentioned in a couple of blog posts over the last couple of months. If not, the posts are here and here. Anywho, 'twas rejected. Actually, this happens a lot more often than not, and I'm not going to post on it every time it does. I still like the poem though, so I sent it off to another magazine and sent a new one to the editor who rejected it. Yes, I feel better.

To make myself feel even better, I'm passing on blog awards today.

Thanks, Jackee! Now I have to tell you ten things that make me happy. Here it goes.

1. my kids, especially when they smile at me like I'm the coolest thing in their world

2. my Ben, especially when he does the dishes :o)

3. friends

4. great books

5. air conditioning

6. music (inspirational and comical)

7. gardening, but not in July and August

8. food

9. animals, especially cats and birds (yes, I know they don't mix well)

10. writing (including submissions and contracts, but not rejections)

I'm bequeathing (because sometimes you just feel like bequeathing, you know?) this one to the following happy people:

Al ('cause he has happy news)

Carrie Harris (because yesterday she gave me happy news, and the girl, she makes me laugh)

Shelley (because her books and blog posts make me happy)

Sarah (because I'm happy she's back)

And Stina (because she has a dancing turkey on her blog today)

Next up:

Thanks, Amy and Krista!

This one has been around for a while, and it used to have requirements that went with accepting it. Here's the post where I fulfilled the requirements. I'm passing it on to these "fabulous" bloggers:

Kristin

Medeia

Catherine

Olleymae

Faith

For me, sending off another submission or starting a new project takes the sting out of a rejection. How do you deal with rejection?