Wednesday, March 14, 2012

(almost) Wordless Wednesday

12:31 AM 0 Comments
This isn't a new picture but it's one of my favorite ones right now. These three are my family and I don't know what I would do without them. I love them so much. I took this outside of Cracker Barrel on the day we took Justin back to the airport. This was the first time we took the boys along with us and watching their tears broke my heart just that much more. I am so glad though that we all love each other so much. We really are a family.





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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Comic Book Review: Ursa Minor

5:43 PM 0 Comments
Oh, Ursa Minor, how much you surprised me. Seriously, when I first heard of you, I didn't think you would begin to capture my attention or my imagination. I never thought I'd love you. I agreed to look at you because of Ian's talent. Imagine my surprise when you hit my inbox and I got lost in your colors and your lines and your story.

Your story of a world where werewolves kill the president and vampires step in to help humanity was one I sighed at. I, like so many others, am tired of the vampires. You, however, are not about vampires. You are about one girl who tries to save us all from them.

Your pages are filled with the amazing artwork of Ian Snyder, the lines inked in by Merbitt and amazing colors and textures that were added by Luis Guerrero. They are a team to be reckoned with and without them, this book wouldn't come close to being what it is.

This says nothing for your story. The story being told by Tom Hutchinson. The man knows how to tell a story. He knows how to pull me in with just the right words placed on a page. With barely an effort, he has drawn me in and I eagerly flip the pages to find out what words he will whisper my way next. When I reach the end, I whimper, wanting more, eager for the next time that his words will caress their way across my brain.

Sadly, I must wait for the time hasn't come for more to be revealed to me. While you must also wait, you can pre-order this book today. Use order code MAR120822 and reserve your copy of what is going to be one hell of a ride.
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I received a smashing pdf copy of this book from the publisher, Big Dog Ink. They didn't tell me what to write. In fact, Ian attempted to tell me not to write about him at all. He's such a silly goose. All comments, thoughts and sexy words belong to me because I wrote them. Yep, me. Little 'ol comic book reviewer and wanna be writer, me. mwaahahahahaha. PS Nobody paid me to write this review or this really weird disclaimer. I do wish they would though. That would be heroically awesome. Thank you. PPS Don't forget to have your pets spayed or neutered.  PPSS Also, don't forget to tip your waiter..unless they don't deserve it, then don't. I think that's it...until next time....


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Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 11

2:04 PM 1 Comments
I'm so sorry that this is late. In all of the drama that has started happening since my grandma's death, I just didn't get this posted yesterday. I do hope you can forgive me. These last few days have been really hard on me and I'm trying hard to make sure I do what needs to be done.

In the spirit of keep on keeping on, I bring you this week's challenge. This week, we're back in our bedrooms We're going to open up that top drawer and we're going to get rid of anything that we don't love or that doesn't fit. For me, this is my underclothes drawer and I can guarantee that some purging is going to get done. I swear I have bras in there that haven't fit since I started having kids! Here's a peek into what I mean:

Aren't slipper socks sexy?

I'm looking forward to being able to reach into that drawer and actually find what I want. Right now, it's dig around in the hopes it's in there. Not conducive to stress free living, I tell ya!

Speaking of stress (I'm the queen of transitions today!), I do have to say that having these yay locations in my home has really helped over the past few days. Granted, most of my house looks like a tornado hit it, but being able to walk into any room and see a space that's clean and tidy has helped calm down the chaos in my brain.  It even works in last week's challenge...the laundry shelf...

Everything in its place!
It's so nice to be able to walk into the laundry room and just throw in a load of laundry without digging around for where I put anything that I might need. Plus, my kids were super excited when I found this:


Yep, that's an entire container of batteries. This used to be our battery jar but somehow the lid got misplaced and I must have put the jar up on the shelf until I found the lid. Well, I haven't found the lid, but I did move this container out to the shelf that holds all of the Wii supplies and the kids now have an ample supply of batteries to run their remotes for a while. That's almost as good as finding cash, folks!

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Monday, March 12, 2012

What I Need

12:55 PM 1 Comments
 For the past 24 hours or so, I've had a need to write this post. Of course, this morning, I woke up with a rotten head cold and so my words don't flow as fluently as they might normally. I hope you can forgive me and muddle through the best you can.

Life is hard right now. I know that this, in itself, isn't news to anyone who knows me. What I have noticed though is a certain lack of love and support coming my way as I deal with this. I'm sure there are at least a couple of reasons for this.

1) You don't know what to say. I'm dealing with the upcoming death of the woman who raised me and when there's death involved, people don't know what to say. I'm sorry doesn't seem enough and death is an area so many are afraid of. It's as though if we acknowledge it, it makes it more real. It's an uncomfortable topic and so instead of saying anything, we say nothing.

2) This isn't new news. On some level or another, I've been dealing with this since May when she first got sick. Perhaps people think that when you deal with something like this over months that you become numb to it and no longer need the support and love that you did originally.

Here's the things, folks..death is real. Death happens to all of us. Most of us have experienced the death of a loved one by the time they reach our ages. It doesn't matter if death takes 10 months or 10 minutes, it hits just the same way. Some people feel that if you have time to get used to the idea that it's easier. I'm here to tell you that they're wrong. You cannot prepare yourself for the pain that comes with losing someone. When it's something that takes longer, there's an entirely different grief of watching that vibrant person disappear before your eyes. It's heartbreaking and tragic and it's something that we will all go through at one point or another in our lives.

I know that some of you don't know how to handle what's happening to me and for you, I write this list entitled..What I Need:

1. Random text messages - Just out of the blue, drop me a line. Ask me how I am. Tell me you love me. Tell me you're thinking about me. It doesn't have to be a novel, just a quick note to remind me I'm not alone.

2............................................................................................................

Right now, there is no 2 because I started to write this on Thursday night and everything in my life changed on Friday morning. At about 7:48am, I got a phone call from my uncle saying that my grandmother was going downhill and they didn't think she'd make it more than another 5-6 hours. I was there in less than 2 and in less than 1 more, she was gone. She went peacefully (thank you, morphine) but she left a hole that will never be filled in my life.

So, tonight, I start a new What I Need list:

It's really quite simple. I need your everything. I need your cards, your letters, your texts, your calls, your flowers, your ham love and your attention. I need to be reminded that while it feels like I just lost my world, I'm not alone. I'm still loved. I'm still cared for.

There is so much going on right now. So much that I want to tell you but the timing just isn't right. Trust me when I say that things have gone way too close to how I predicted they would. It makes everything ten times harder. It's been 3 days and I still haven't been able to just sit and cry. I know others have. I know every time I think I might be able to just bleed off some of the emotion, I get a phone call and I have to fix something. It's exhausting.

Quite honestly, I'm running on fumes right now and the little recharges I get come from all of you. They come from people like Kate who setup a special livestream last night  and spent hours upon hours coloring pieces just so that I wouldn't be alone. People came in to watch and we laughed and joked and were weird and silly and it was wonderful. She didn't have to. She could have sat at her geekily fantastic workstation and worked without all of us and our commentary, but she did it for me. She let me feel special. The people who came in and laughed and joked with me made me feel special. I was one in a group not one standing alone.

They come from friends who tell you to come see them for the weekend because you shouldn't be alone. They come from Facebook messages that say I love you. They come from all of you.

I know that talking about death is hard. I know that it's one of those things that most of us sheer off to one side to avoid. It's ok. I understand that. I don't need to talk about death. I just need to talk sometimes. Sometimes when I'm busy holding up the world, I need folks to help hold me up. I can't be a super hero all the time. Sometimes, I am very human.

So, whether you're someone big or someone small, remember that your part in this is very important. Your part is to love me and to show me you love me. Your job is to remember that right now I have a need to be selfish and about me. In some areas, I'm the only one protecting me. Y'all are like the squire who straps his knight into his armor. You help prepare me for the battles I have to face.

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** Please don't send sandwich ham. 20 years after my grandfather's death and I still can't look at those rolled up pieces of meat and want to eat them. **

~.~.~. Some have asked about funeral services. There will be a private family graveside ceremony on March 13 and then a public memorial service to come later. ~.~.~.

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

Random Writings

1:22 AM 1 Comments
I want to sleep. I should sleep. I'm afraid to sleep. Like a knight of old, I stand ready. If I sleep, the thing we all fear will happen. I alone hold the power to keep death away. Somehow, I must fix this. I must stop death from coming and turn back time. I can do this. I must do this or the world as we know it will end. I will find a way. Nothing can stop me. No one will stand in my way. I will risk everything to save us. No price is too great when the future hangs swaying, mere inches from falling. This is my story and this is your story. I will find the happy ending or die trying.


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Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Press Release : Ursa Minor

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Image Provided By Big Dog Ink

In May 2012, comic book publisher Big Dog Ink will take a step into the future as well as into the dark as they release their monstrous new miniseries, URSA MINOR.

After a pack of werewolves assassinates the President during the televised inauguration, nature’s supernatural balance is shattered as the vampires come to the aide of mankind. Now one girl, with a power she can barely control, sets out to fix what has gone horribly wrong the only way she knows how. Kill them all.

"The horror genre has always been a part of my life starting when I was young and probably nowhere near old enough to be watching some of this stuff,” says writer Tom Hutchison. "And Ursa Minor takes facets from horror movies I grew up with like the Hammer features as well as classic American movies and mixes it with everything else I was exposed to and ultimately loved as a kid; monsters, comic books and even the pinup model.”

"I’ve always known I had a horror story to tell,” Tom Hutchison adds. “Ursa Minor has been percolating and developing for a couple of years now and I believe I’ve found a fun way to play with these amazing concepts and have added my own small twists to the lore of vampires and their brides as well as werewolves and other forms of lycanthropy.”

Luck was with us as the scripts came together. Artist Ian Snyder had just recently come off of a previous project and was ready for something new. "It's got a little bit of everything: strong women, strong men, fantasy creatures, violence, humor, peculiar imagery," Snyder said. "There’s something in it for everyone." Ian has grown by leaps and bounds since his early days and there is no one we would rather have drawing this book.

Big Dog Ink Publisher, Tom Hutchison, added, "Ursa Minor is a labor of love and every word I write takes this story in new directions and leaves my head spinning with all of possibilities as we continue to explore our now twisted and warped Future Earth. It’s become a bit more epic as it has developed and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

URSA MINOR #1 is written by Tom Hutchison (PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, CRITTER, LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST) with interior and cover art by Ian Snyder (GRIMM FAIRY TALES, BIG DOG INK COVERS), alternate painted covers by Natali Sanders (GRIMM FAIRY TALES, BIG DOG INK COVERS), colors by Luis Gonzalez, letters by HDE, and design by Rob Duenas (GAMEFAN MAGAZINE) Order Code MAR120822

Ursa Minor #1 will release in May, 2012 with a special release party at the Phoenix Comic Con where attendees and fans will have the opportunity to get a very limited edition Eric Basaldua cover and have it signed by many of the creative team including writer/creator Tom Hutchison, artist Ian Snyder and cover artist Ebas! A full 22 pages priced at $3.50, and will be available for pre-order in the March 2012 Diamond PREVIEWS catalog. The comic book will be in full color in standard comic book format. It is rated PG-13 for mature themes and violence. This will initially release as a 6 issue miniseries but we are very excited about this book and have plans for much, much more!


(Please note that if Tom or Ian does not make sure I get one of the EBAS covers, I will pout, sulk and just be generally miserable. None of us want that.)

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Monday, March 5, 2012

Tackle It Tuesday : Clean Life Challenge Week 10

3:21 PM 0 Comments
Ahhh! Double digits week! How can we possibly be this far into the year already? This means that, in theory, we have tackled 9 different areas in our homes. I don't know about you, but seeing those yay areas still make me smile just a little bit when I walk into a room and see them. They still motivate me to work on the next area because I know that by the end of this year, I'm going to have the spaces and rooms that I want to have. I'm creating a better and healthier space for both me and the boys.

I don't have after pictures for last week's challenge because it was simply getting rid of old/expired medications and it turns out that I didn't really have much to get rid of. However, I do have a before picture for this week!

My laundry supplies shelf..wow! How did a pillow end up there?

This week, we're headed back into our laundry areas. I want you to take a look at the area where you store your laundry supplies. I honestly thought this wasn't going to be an area I needed to tackle. After all, I'm pretty good about throwing out empty bottles of laundry soap and things like that...Surprise! Look at that cluttered mess. I don't remember the last time I actually wiped down the shelf. I know what I'll be doing this week! Time to see just what else has moved in without me realizing or remembering that it's there. Time to clear it off, clean it out and wipe it down.

How many of you will be joining me?

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Friday, March 2, 2012

Insecurity

12:37 AM 2 Comments
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It's been a while since I've had a night where I felt so downright lost and inconsequential. Quite often, I can pinpoint the reason why but tonight it was just suddenly there.

I popped into the incredibly talented Kate Finnegan's livestream to watch her color for an upcoming cover for Big Dog Ink's Oz. Usually when I pop into these things I just sit and watch in amazement as she works. Of course, if you know me, you also know that I'm an active participant in the chat portion. Heck, I've been doing chat rooms for so many years that it's near impossible for me to sit quiet in one.

Everything was fine. Kate was working away and suddenly it hit me. I was sitting in a chat room full of mega talented comic book folk. Artists, colorists and writers were all right there in that room and through no one's fault, suddenly I felt like a nobody. I was surrounded by amazing talent and there I was. I didn't belong with them. I watched as back and forth they went, supporting one another, telling each other how great they all were and more and more I thought, why am I in here? I don't belong here. I don't have any kind of skill that I could offer them.

You see, lately, I've feel feeling ...unfulfilled? Unimportant? I don't know. I know it's a flaw of my own to need to feel like I'm important..that I'm changing lives..that I'm making a difference to someone..It's why I volunteer to research locations for people's drawings. It's why I'm willing to write reviews for free. Yes, I love the books I get, but they're digital and when it comes to comics, I want the physical copies and I have paid for every single one that I've liked enough to review.

So, here I was...in a room filled with amazing people and all I could hear inside my head was, why are you here? You're a nobody. You're just a blogger. If you vanished tomorrow, not one of these people would notice. You'd just be gone. I watched as amazing things happened to someone in that room and while I was thrilled for them, a part of me thought...See, that will never happen to you. You won't be the girl who goes to a convention, no matter the type, and have a job offered to them. You know others who that has happened to. You know someone who that happened to less than a week ago. That won't be you. You have nothing to offer these people. You have no skills.

Sometimes my brain has a big mouth that runs on for ages. I even posted about it to Facebook..and while the responses I got were sweet, they didn't touch on the real issue. What are these supposed skills that I have that are so valuable? Yes, people talk to me about all sorts of things and sometimes I know the right thing to say. What does that get me other than a lot of people who only want me around when they're having problems? Don't get me wrong, I have real friends but a lot of these people only seek me out during hard times. They're not there for my hard times and when mine come, they still only want to talk about themselves. Sometimes, I just need to talk about me.

I don't know where this all came from. It made me sad at myself for feeling this way. Not even Justin could get through it tonight. He actually told me that he's not allowed to tell me how great I am because I don't believe it anymore when he says it. Maybe he's right. Maybe I've somehow decided that unless I hear it from others too, it's not true. It's something to think about.

Want to know the saddest little bit about this whole thing? I actually offered my "skills" to Tom for $1 a day tonight. I know it read as a joke and it was a joke...kind of. I guess I'm tired of sitting on the outside of the world and looking in. I want to be a part of things. I want to be taken seriously. I'm tired of hearing oh, you're just a blogger, whether it's from my own brain or someone's lips or fingertips. I just want someone to come up to me one day and say you know what? You're an amazing and awesome person and I want you to be a part of the team.

For those of you who actually read all of this, thank you. I know that there won't be many comments left because people just don't leave many comments these days, but I do appreciate the eyes that come and read. I started writing in the hopes this would turn into another amazingly insightful piece but I think mostly, I just needed to write for me. I needed to purge some of this out of my system. Someone said tonight that I don't have any physical skills..and it's left me wondering, if I don't have those, what skills do I have?

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"Big Dog Ink Official Artists Therapist..."

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Time For Me Thursday: Slime Time

6:48 PM 0 Comments
It's been a really long time since I posted a time for me post here. Really, it's been way too long and today, I want to share with you something pretty special that I did with the boys today. I confess, it was mostly with Roger because Ben, while watching, was more focused on telling us just how gross this whole thing was. What was it? We made slime! Yep, I taught my children how to make slime. It's much better than the stuff you get for fifty cents and you can make it any color you want. I was asked to share the recipe, but before I do that, I want to show you a couple of pictures...



Roger made green slime and I made mine purple. Next time, I want to experiment with some darker shades. I wasn't sure just how washed out the color would become and as you can see, it's pretty pastel. Now, for the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tsp Borax powder*
1 c water
4 oz white school glue
4 oz water (1/2 c)
Food coloring of your choice**

1. In a bowl, combine Borax with 1 cup of water and stir until the Borax is completely dissolved.
2. In a zip lock bag, combine the school glue, water and food coloring. The easiest way to do this is to empty a 4oz bottle of glue into the bag and then fill that bottle with water and pour it in.
3. Once the glue and water are thoroughly combined, pour in your Borax solution. The mixture will immediately start to look slimey and goopy.
4. Mix the two together. At some point, you will probably need to reach your hand in and start working it. For me, this is the best part! The more you work it, the more your slime will thicken up.
5. When you're done playing with it, store your bag of slime in the refrigerator. Borax is a natural bug repellent (great for use on carpet to get rid of fleas, by the way!) so you don't have to worry about bugs. If you live in a high mold count area though, it could grow mold. The biggest concern is it drying out, so when you're not playing with it, always keep it in a sealed container. Also food coloring can stain so be careful not to get it onto anything that it could mark.

* Borax is a laundry booster and be found in the laundry aisle. It's a powder and comes in a box.
** If you decide not to add food coloring to your slime, your slime will be white.


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