I have somehow managed to get completely snowed under with work this week so my post today will be extremely short. First, Max and I got a call last weekend to be extras in the movie we auditioned for. Filming will be on Sunday and it looks like we get to be in the candy store scene! Yea! Max (almost 9) is SO excited! Second, I wanted to show you how much "Monster" (our pumpkin) has grown in the past 7 days. …
When we first moved to Maine, I read A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich...twice. That book helped me learn about the intricacies of nature's seasonal dances in Maine, which are far different from those in Texas. One of my favorite passages from Henrich's book is from August 14th: "The fields are daily coming more alive with crickets and grasshoppers, a sure sign that fall is near." Max cocked his head suddenly and whispered, "Sssshhhh." Following his lead, I did the same and we both smiled at each other and said, "CRICKETS!" at the same time. It wasn't just one cricket. A cacophony was emerging... …
I'd like to preface this post by telling you that, no, we didn't vote for Obama. Most of you probably already know I was raised in the south by die-hard Republicans. However, you don't have to be a Democrat to eat within pea-flinging distance of the current President of the United States. Our daughter works at a fine dining restaurant on the coast of Maine where's she has a summer externship. Last week, the owner of the restaurant made a comment about making sure they had up-to-date photo IDs for the employees because Obama was coming to town. Our daughter thought there might be a chance he'd come to that restaurant because it's a really nice one. We'd had reservations to go to Bar Harbor for a short vacation for a few weeks and, admittedly, we weren't too happy when we learned last week that Obama and his entourage were coming, which would result in closings, detours, and more... …
We learned a few months ago that there are no residency restrictions for convicted child molesters in our city. We, of course, subsequently launched a fight, trying to get the city council to enact an ordinance... …
We had a FANTASTIC 4th of July celebration on Sunday! Our good friends Mark and Corey came to visit with their niece, Lauryn. …
On Sunday, Max and I, along with Frank's friend, Caleb, went to a movie audition. Pretty cool, huh? It's for an indie film but they have quite a few speaking parts, along with the need for lots of extras. Filming is only during the summer and it won't be a full-time thing so we thought...why not? I've auditioned for a TV reporter gig (got that years and years ago) and a high school musical (I got a non-speaking "Lady in Waiting" part and I got to sing...but not a solo) but I've never auditioned for a movie before. It was so much FUN! …
It seems like just yesterday that Mason, our youngest (and last!), was born after we fought for the right to have a Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Then, the doctor told us 12 days later, after several days of rapid breathing, that Mason might have a congenital heart defect, and may "expire" at any moment. We got a miracle that day! …
We've been having two bedrooms repainted and refloored over the past six weeks. We had planned to have the old, ratty, who-knows-how-old-it-is carpet removed and replaced with Pergo(R) (that fake laminate flooring that resembles wood). However, we got a big surprise when they pulled up the carpet in both rooms and found old, rolled-up linoleum that wasn't glued down. And, under the linoleum, they found a layer of old newspapers in excellent condition. …
I woke up on Tuesday morning and started doing my morning chores - laundry, breakfast, you know the routine. I was still rubbing sleep from my eyes when I heard a very loud "RAT-A-TAT-TAT-BANG-TAT-BANG-TAT!!!" in the kitchen. I ran in there and found Mittens trying to scale our wooden blinds. There was a bird between the blinds and the window. Mittens moved faster than me and had that cute bird in his jaws before I could grab him. But, grab him I did and I managed to pry his jaws open and free the poor thing. …
Ali didn't get to come home until Tuesday morning because she's been so busy working at her new job. They were very busy over the holiday weekend. She's been slicing and dicing and plating salads and desserts and she has the battle scars to prove it. She showed me all the nicks in her palms and she has a really nasty slice from a lobster. Yes, she wears gloves when she works but they're for sanitary reasons...not for safety. …
Just two weeks ago, I was fretting because we were going to have a freeze just as my new pumpkin seedlings were emerging from the soil. I'd broken the cardinal rule of gardening here, which says you're not supposed to plant anything until Memorial Day because of the risk of a late frost. I'd taken the risk because I wanted to get our seedlings planted before we left on our (now canceled) trip to Wisconsin. Today, we had the boys sweating up a storm, pulling the window unit air conditioners out of the attic and putting them in the house. It's supposed to be in the 90s tomorrow, which is unusual for this time of year in Bangor. …
Many of you know our recent trip to Wisconsin was canceled because Richard broke his leg and needed surgery. We were traveling there to attend the wedding of our good friends, Scott and Kelly. They got engaged last October, at the top of Cadillac Mountain, while visiting us here in Maine. On that day, I was able to take a picture of them just moments after Scott proposed. A few weeks ago, I printed a copy of that picture and, using it as a guide, painted a large picture on canvas with acrylics for their wedding present. Max (age 8) is the most visually artistic in the family and he helped me with the rocks. I posted pictures of what we did HERE. I think you'll agree...the rocks are the best part! ;) This week's Maxism: "When I grow up, I'm going to be a brain surge." Hugs to all! Angela …
Richard is feeling a bit better but he's terribly bored. If I could just get him out to the van and take him for a spin, I know that would cheer him up but he has no desire to do anything that might jar one of his ankle screws loose before the bones are finished healing. Can't say I blame him. On Sunday, we decided to celebrate Father's Day instead of Mother's Day. Richard needed pampering far more than I and all the kids thought it was a great idea. We were supposed to spend the summer building on our land so Zach and I went to Borders, looking specifically for a book on Yurts and we found one! If any of you have any experience with yurts (building, living in, staying in, or just knowledge of), please contact me. Richard would LOVE to exchange a couple of emails with you. We're really leaning toward a yurt instead of a cabin. For those of you who don't know, a yurt is cylindrical, tent-like dwelling...but people use different types of materials for construction (not just cloth). No, we're not going to build a teepee. If we were, it would already be done! You can see pictures of yurts HERE. Many companies sell yurt kits. We'd like to try to build one ourselves but since Richard will be relegated to the sidelines during his four-month recovery, telling us what to do with construction, maybe a kit is the way to go. Some yurts look like ultra-chic, round, modern homes but we want something far more modest. Then again, if we build our own, we could save thousands of dollars...or maybe not. I'm going to buy Richard a bullhorn so he won't feel so powerless while sitting with his foot propped up, watching us work. I'll see if I can find one with a push-button horn in it so he use that if somebody hammers a nail crooked or something. Heh... This week's Maxism: "Next time we go camping, can we build a bombfire?" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html …
My oh my, how life's plans can change! …
Our daughter, Ali, is on the President's list at her college, and just completing her first semester. She's in the culinary arts program and must obtain an externship working in a restaurant kitchen for the summer. Needless to say, she's been pretty busy sending out cover letters and resumes for about three weeks now. …
We left Liberty Harbor RV Park on a sunny, beautiful afternoon, intent on arriving in Connecticut before dark. When we'd arrived at Liberty Harbor, we'd simply gotten off the freeway, gone under the overpass, turned left, and driven a mile or two. When we departed, the GPS led us a completely different way, seemingly into a nearby neighborhood. Before we turned right, onto a residential street, Richard noticed there were two fire trucks blocking traffic. If we'd turned, we'd have been stuck there for hours. We kept going straight and ended up in a grocery store parking lot. That was easy enough to get out of and we waited a moment for the GPS to give us an alternative route. We ended up in that neighbor again, albeit on a different street, a very narrow passage with endless cars lining both sides. I remember passing the freeway at one point, going right under it, and wondering why the GPS was sending us a different way. It was a Saturday and there were lots of people outside enjoying the weather. There were also lots of junk cars, tattoo parlors, liquor stores, and other unsavory things that made us start to feel a bit nervous. At one point, men got out of two cars right in front of us, blocking traffic. They each went to houses on different sides of the street. We had no choice but to stop and wait. I heard a woman yell outside, "Leon, move your (BLEEP!) car!" Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "When I jump up and down, I can hear lemonade in my stomach!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. DON'T FORGET! THE SPRING 2010 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS THIS SATURDAY! Each contest is limited to 500 entrants so don't delay if you want to participate. 1st Place: $300 2nd Place: $250 3rd Place: $200 Entry fee is $5. You can see the complete list of 85 prizes and sign up here: https://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.html …
After lunch on Friday, we took a cab to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Max had been waiting for this homeschooling field trip for weeks! We looked at the medieval outfits first...chain mail, suits of armor, things like that. Max had recently studied medieval times and was really enjoying seeing real armor and other protective clothing that people wore back then. He also thought the real swords and other weapons, laden with gems and intricate etchings, were pretty cool. He was having a great time! Mason, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind. He likes museums but he wanted to see some trains...and he kept asking about trains, over and over again. I figured out a way to placate him. I told him, "They have lots of paintings here, Mason. Let's hunt for a train painting!" That seemed to work. Now, admittedly, I figured we would NOT find a train painting there, but hunting for one would keep Mason busy until we got to the gift shop, at which time he would most certainly forget all about trains. But, we didn't plan on stopping by the gift shop until the end of our visit. As we were leaving the medieval display, and moving to another, Mason was once again saying, "Where's the train painting? I wanna find the train painting." I gently reminded him, "Keep looking, honey." At that moment, a nosy man with a kid in tow leaned down to Mason, sticking his nose into OUR business, and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, young man, but there are no paintings of trains in this museum." You should have seen Mason's face. It was like the man told him there was no such thing as fairies. Mason went from frown to public meltdown. I wanted to have a meltdown, too. I mean, the guy had a kid. He must have known I was trying to divert Mason's attention for a few hours. I wanted to throttle that man!!! Read more HERE. I have another Masonism for you this week. Mason (age 3) announced this week, "I need to make a train cake tomorrow." He then paused, looking upward and drumming his fingers on his lips, and added, "And then I need to put it in the fridge." Hugs to all! Angela …
Liberty Harbor RV Park isn't anything like a campground. It's a line of large parking spaces - an RV parking lot, all in a row. You can see the Statue of Liberty from select places there and you can hear the "clang, clang" of the sailboat rigging - but that's about it as far as aesthetic appeal is concerned. Oh, and the subway/train passes by frequently, too, though I did manage to tune that out at bedtime. The parking area is just cement and gravel so we didn't even bother putting Mason's gates outside. The boys played inside that night. However, if you want to park your RV and take a trek into the city, this the place to do it. We drove to the Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City, NJ for dinner. It has been featured on the Food Network on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives but we didn't know that at the time... Read more HERE. I have a Masonism for you this week. When we were in the ferry, heading for New York City, Max and Mason were staring in awe at the towering buildings on the horizon. Suddenly, Mason yelled, "I think I see the Pirate State Building!" Hugs to all! Angela …
We saw many interesting North Carolina sights on the road on Thursday. From a billboard for "Truck Crash Attorneys", to numerous junkyards and taxidermy businesses, to a home that was painted to look like a gingerbread house, we were thoroughly entertained! And the rain kept on comin' down, all the way from North Carolina to my sister's house in Virginia... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: At my sister's house, her large dog kept sniffing Max. Max was giggling, and finally said, "He keeps sniffing me!" I laughed, and replied, "He likes crotches." Max smiled again, and said, "Oh, okay." He then thought for a moment and added, "What's a crotch?" Hugs to all! Angela …
Wednesday was the day Max was dreading. He started to get teary-eyed whenever he thought about leaving Andi. We woke up early and got all packed up. I'm pretty sure I will never get all the sand out of this RV! It is EVERYWHERE! Andi and her dad spent about an hour with us before it was time to pull out. Max said a tearful goodbye and we took pictures. We pulled away and Max and Andi were waving to each other. Max was very, very sad for the rest of the day and that evening. He called Andi after we got to our next destination. That cheered him up a bit, but not much. It rained most of the day, which fit Max's mood. Our next stop was a hotel in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We parked the RV, checked in, and went to our room. It had quite a 70s feel to it with all the light greens and geometric patterns. I'm pretty sure Carol Brady herself decorated it! We dumped our bags, and found a fantastic North Carolina barbeque place for lunch. If you've never had North Carolina barbeque, you have sadly neglected your taste buds and your soul... Read more HERE. This week I have a Masonism for you. In the RV one afternoon, Mason (age 3) was sitting quietly (for once) and looking around. After a few minutes, he said, "We sure have nice doorknobs!" Hugs to all! Angela …
It was kind of depressing on Wednesday. Zach was gone, nobody else was coming to visit us at the beach, and we only had one week left at that beautiful spot right on the Atlantic ocean. Oh, sure, we wanted to get home soon and see our loved ones but we were going to miss the place that had made the worst month of winter the absolute best month of winter! In Maine, we wake up to the sound of traffic. In South Carolina, we were waking up to the sound of crashing waves... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "You know, Dora isn't really an explorer." Hugs to all! Angela …
On Monday, I got a bit of work done. Zach decided he wanted to spend his last full day here shopping. Max had been excited about Zach coming because, unlike Ali, "Zach likes to do fun stuff, not shopping!" So, Max was pretty surprised to learn we were going shopping, not go-kart riding or laser-tagging... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "Mom, what does it feel like to get electrocuted?" Hugs to all! Angela …
On Monday and Tuesday, we worked frantically on business stuff and Max got ahead in his school work. We wanted to get caught up so we could take some time off when our oldest son, Zach, arrives this week. However, a large Nor…
I noticed during lunch that Richard looked a bit red. He'd been in the direct sunlight when he was working outside the RV. He's not supposed to be in the sun between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. because it can cause him to get vasculitis, which can then last for months, and necessitate Prednisone. Think of it as a sun allergy. We kinda forgot about the 10 to 3 rule because, in Bangor during the winter, we're not outside this time of year anyway. The boys wanted to fly their kites in the afternoon after lunch but... Read more HERE. This week's Maxism: "I like the sound of my kiss. It's like a squeaking sound!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html …
We've been going out almost every night, checking out the local restaurants and shops, and doing more shopping than we should. We ate at a fabulous pizza place on Saturday night (we had plenty of leftovers!) and we ran a few errands after dinner. I had to go to the craft store to buy some batting for a project I was planning to make for our little nephew. I also found two large Styrofoam planes for the boys to play with on the beach. What a disaster those turned into... …
We were supposed to head back to DC on Friday but it turned bitterly cold and our nephew woke up with a very runny nose. I decided to spend the day getting caught up on work while Richard drove our tow vehicle to the gas station for a fill-up. While there, he noticed that a problem we'd had repaired right before we left had not really been repaired. …
On Monday, we left the house on schedule at noon, heading for anywhere south that doesn't have SNOW! …
On Sunday, I checked the weather and it looked like we were only going to get sporadic snow showers for the next 10 days. I told Richard, "Good news! No snowstorms are expected before we leave on our trip!" On Monday morning, we woke up and it was snowing pretty hard. …
One of our adult children (I won't say which one) needed some very expensive auto repairs performed. We try not to step in and help if they want to take care of something themselves but we are always here to offer advice. In order to save money, they hired a co-worker, who I will call Dimwit Don. Dimwit said he ran a small auto repair shop out of his home garage on the side. After being paid in cash up front, Dimwit then kept the car for four months, after originally quoting "2-3 weeks" for the repairs to be done. During that time, the entire family was shuffling while sharing our two remaining vehicles. With so many drivers in the family now, you can imagine how much of a pain that became after just the first few days. After two months, it was ridiculous. After four months, and one excuse after another, Dimwit was fired from his regular job (for other reasons)...meaning our adult child no longer had daily contact with this individual. That was more than worrisome for us...especially since that's when Dimwit stopped returning phone calls... …
Well, all these blizzards have been a hoot and we appreciate the Christmassy feelings we got but...enough is enough already. …
We're having a second Christmas this week when our friends Doug and Raul come to visit. Combine that with Ali's birthday AND another snowstorm and you can imagine that the excitement level is still pretty high at the Hoy House! I must have been very good this year because Santa was very good to me! I got an antique log cabin dollhouse that I've had my eye on. It lights up on the inside and is decorated for Christmas. It's beautiful! My favorite gift, however, was a gorgeous tree (an artistic, metal one) my mother gave me that is decorated with pieces of her mother's jewelry. I am honored to receive it and the display is absolutely breathtaking! I cried when I opened it. :) Okay, I have to get back to the festivities! This week's Maxism: "Mom!!! Frank won't stop singing to me!!!" Hugs to all! Angela P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments - Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman's Day - $2,800; Redbook - $3,500; Ladies Home Journal - $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com - $2,000; Lifetime Magazine - $3,000; Life Extension Magazine - $6,480; Natural Remedies - $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster - $100,000; Berkeley Books - $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill - $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html …
If you celebrate Christmas and you have (or had) young children in the house, you know what our house is like today. The children can barely sit still in their excitement for Santa's visit tomorrow night! …
New submissions at BookLocker always slow down this time of year because everybody who wanted their book published by Christmas has already finished the publishing process. While the lull is nice, it feels really weird to get off work before dinnertime some nights now! Like last year, we've put up a $149 setup fee special just to keep me out of trouble. Heh... …
I was starting to get pretty nervous about the annual Christmas card picture. While we had three short spurts of snow during the fall, things weren't looking too good for the arrival of a real storm in time to take pictures to go with the family holiday newsletter. Each year, during the first snowstorm, the children are all ordered to get to the house (most of them drive now) as soon as possible, and to trudge outside for a snowstorm Christmas card photo. It's a Hoy family tradition! They smile through chattering teeth, and try to keep their eyes open for the dozen or so shots I take...while snowflakes are landing on their lashes. Heh... It's great fun for me and the kids always pretend it's a pain-in-the-butt for them. In reality, they get as pumped about the first snowstorm as I do! On Friday, we heard there might be a bit of snow on Sunday so I texted all the kids... …
With a family this large, in addition to four cats, a dog, a lizard and some sea monkeys, our house is never really empty...but it sure is quiet after the crowd we had here on Thanksgiving! The day was perfect and the children were so sad when Grampa and Rita had to fly back to Texas. …
This week's issue is going out a day early because we figure most of you will be knee-deep in travel or family by this time tomorrow. Our big, fat turkey, which Ali bought on sale two weeks ago, had been thawing in the fridge for two days now. …
We have all completely recovered from H1N1 / Swine Flu - well, those of us who caught it, anyway. Richard, Ali and Frank never caught it but the rest of us did. It's a relief to not need to be paranoid about it anymore. "Go aheads, kids, touch all the doorknobs you want!" Ha ha ha. …
Max is all better and has resumed normal activities. Mason (who got sick about five days after Max) was sick for about five/six days total. His fever finally disappeared on Saturday morning, but came back with a vengeance that night... …
Mason had what we thought might be a case of the croup last week. He woke up a couple of mornings with a bad, croupy cough, after rattled breathing at night. Mason has never been immunized and his immune system is far superior to ours. He rarely ever gets sick, even when the rest of us are in bed, slingin' snot...or worse. When he does get sick, he might run a fever for a few hours or have a runny nose for a day or two but then it's all over. On Halloween night, Max said, "My brain feels funny." Honestly, I thought he'd just had too much candy. Later that night, he felt warm to me but I didn't give it much thought, either, because our heater has been running quite a bit now that it's cold out. Sunday morning, he woke up with a sore throat and a croupy cough. I naturally thought he caught Mason's croup and that he'd be just fine in a few hours, just like Mason. We packed for a trip to Kennebunkport with my mom (we had special plans there for her at an inn on the ocean), and hit the road. Good thing I always pack a thermometer in our overnight bag because Max was definitely running a fever by the time we arrived. …
Boy, oh boy, oh boy! In just three days, it'll be my favorite holiday of the year! My mom is arriving this weekend and I'm so excited because she's never experienced a real, storybook New England Halloween - blowing leaves, frigid wind, gobs of people and the entire neighborhood going waaaay overboard with the decorations. It is AWESOME!!! I've been very busy creating horror babies over the past few weeks. What's that, you ask? Well, here's a sampling. WARNING - THESE PHOTOS MAY OFFEND SOME FOLKS, INCLUDING YOUNG CHILDREN. (Heh...) …
Our friends, Scott and Kelly, flew in to visit us for the weekend. On Saturday, we drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain. The boys had to visit the bathroom so Scott said they'd meet us at the top. We helped the boys, and then walked the short distance to the summit. Scott and Kelly weren't there. I scanned the horizon and saw them way over on another walkway, overlooking Bar Harbor. Then, I saw Kelly jump into Scott's arms and kiss him. I said, "Oh, look! They're hugging and kissing!" Richard replied, "He just asked her to be his wife." …
Last Friday, four of my in-laws arrived. Now, before you send me a a sympathy card or suggest I buy a box of Calgon, you should know that we're having a great time! Well, I am anyway. …
This is the time of year when everybody wants to visit us...because of the miraculous Fall show we get in Maine, of course. This weekend, Richard's mom, step-dad, aunt and uncle will be arriving for a 5-day stay. The next week, his childhood friend, Scott, will be visiting with his girlfriend. And, on Halloween weekend, my mom is coming. We are so excited! …
A few weeks ago, my laptop got sat on (don't ask). A few days later, I noticed a small crack in the screen. The local, family-owned computer place (which we love, by the way) ordered a new screen for me. We planned for my laptop to get the new screen on Friday and, instead of moving files from one computer to another (which can take hours), we would take the day off and attend the Common Ground Fair. It's very stressful for me to be offline for a day. I have a hard enough time delegating...but getting cut off completely from the business? I feel so detached! …
If you've been receiving WritersWeekly for more than a year, you probably know that the children and I sow seeds each year in our small outdoor garden. Most of them never come up and the majority of the ones that do end up dying sometime during the Summer. Sometimes, we get lucky (or the garden fairies take pity on us) and a few things actually SURVIVE! …
