The Regal and Mysterious Bookcase

This is a post dedicated to my bookcases. 

Whenever I visit someone's house I sneak over to their bookcases and peruse. I find that my bookcases make our apartment; they are what put people at ease and give it a cosy feeling. I feel slightly guilty that I haven't read all the books I have, and that I keep buying more than I have room for. However, my husband quickly drowns out any complaining on the subject with; "You can NEVER have too many books!" And I believe him because of course he's right. I do try to get rid of a book if I've read it and hated it, or read it and liked it and would never read it again.

An Ode to Bookcases

There is something about a bookcase that makes me curious,
Something about an empty one that makes me furious.
There is something about a bookcase that demands attention,
Something about a bookcase deserves mention.

I swear that my poems are some times clever!

If any of you have bookcases I would love to see pictures of them (filled with books of course >_> ). Link me to them if you want me to admire them too!

My bookcases:

 

The two on the right were a birthday present to myself this past October. 

Starting from the left: historical fiction and middle-grade fiction, science fiction, and mystery. 

 This is my favourite shelf: fiction <3

 Even my daughter has a book shelf. You can totally tell she's into reading too.

 The top shelf is titled: old-looking books. The last two are the Bible shelves with some classics.

The academic shelf. My husband's English books from university, poetry, plays and at the bottom, info books.

More posts about reading 'n stuff:

The Pros of Being a Writer

Writer's Market Books

Book Themed Wedding Cake

Curiosity Killed the Cat - Poem

 

Curiosity Killed the Cat

By Grace Pringle

Curiosity, they say, killed the cat, but I would beg to disagree,

I have seen the birth of curiosity and it is life to me.

As I walk and as I talk, I see it wishing it were free,

In the “I wonder…”  and the “what?” and the “could it be’s?”

The mystery, the intrigue, I must know!

What’s in this cave? Where does this stream flow?

What’s he doing? Where did he go?

Oh, not knowing vexes me so!

How it whispers how it taunts, always demanding what it wants.

When ignored, when resisted, it lingers and it haunts

The sensible thoughts, the best talks, and jaunts.

Perhaps I should be weary of curiosity’s pitfalls,

The effects might be meddlesome and disastrous after all.

But oh! Seeing and not knowing is hard on the eyes.

And now I know why cats have nine lives.

Summer Recap and Writing News

So I've been away for awhile, can you blame me? I've been burping, rocking, changing and cuddling an adorable baby. Cuddling is a lot of work you know! And sooo worth it <3

I mean, look at that little face! It doesn't get cuter than this. She looooves that blanket. She'd bathe in it if I let her.

Summer recap: 

Esther had solids for the first time:

(She loved it)

Stuart and I had our second anniversary. Woot!

 We went camping (yay!) for the first time as a family of three:

I learned that though a whole lime (cut in half) in a glass looks like jelly fish and makes a great photo, it also makes a REALLY strong drink.Seriously, if you can chug that one down you can hold your drink!

(My pet limy jelly fish)

 Esther went swimming for the first time, and loved it.

And we went to the park almost every day:

 *Sigh* Summer, why must you be ending? Won't you stay awhile longer.... perhaps forever?

 

What did you (my reader) do this past summer? Any special moments? Or just plain, every day, happy ones?

 

In Writing news: 

I'm on my final assignment for the course I'm taking at the Institute for Children's Literature. I'm planning out a book idea I came up with awhile ago, it's called Between the Shadows. Here's a short pitch for it:

How is it possible for a blind boy to see? And what does he want with books? Especially dusty old ones that are hidden away in the city archives? Why does he sleep during the day? And what's with those glowing eyes?

Solnea Weaver wants to know the answers to these questions but Row Blindsight isn't giving them. But she isn't about to let him get away with his secrets...

I'm really excited to be starting another project. Though Silver Blood still calls to me; "Publish me! Send me out for the world to reaaaad!" And I still plan to do that, though I can't help feeling it needs more editing. (Says the girl that has edited it to pieces). I remember reading something an author said and it's always stuck with me (I am paraphrasing here);

"You are never going to be happy with your finished manuscript. Eventually you just have to accept that it's done and stop worrying about it."

But I can't help worrying about it... I guess a large part of it is that I know I can write so much better than I did when I wrote Silver Blood and I worry that I can't get it up to standard.

On the encouraging side, all the people who have read it have enjoyed it. Someone even told me they liked it so much that they want to read it again. I try to remember that when I feel discouraged.

5 Tips on List-Making and Scheduling

I have something to confess, I'm a scheduling, organizing, list-making freak.
Sometimes I spend more time making a schedule than I do actually following it. I regularly sort and re-sort my cupboards (hey, I live in an apartment and want to make the most of the space I have!) Every night I make a list of the things I have to do the next day. Sometimes, after I turn the lights out, I remember something I need to do and I am SURE if I don't put it on that list I'll forget. So I get out of bed and write it down, just in case.

Half the time I only get 7 out of 10 things done on that list and follow the schedule 3 out of 5 days. "Well then, what's the point of those lists and schedules?" You ask.

Back when I first got married I didn't write any lists or follow a schedule. I tried to remember the things I had to do. My memory sucks. I found myself remembering to do things past the deadline and sometimes I ran out of clothes because I didn't get the laundry done. I started to get frustrated, nothing was getting done!
"I think I know what the problem is," I told my husband (he had to listen to me complain about it) "I need a schedule!"
And now I get 7 out of 10 things done 3 out of 5 days a week!

Photo by EvelynGiggles Some Rights Reserved

 Here are some scheduling lessons I've learned:

1-Be realistic.The key to a list/schedule is knowing your limits and how much time it takes to do things. If you know you can only get three things done tomorrow, don't count on five. If you get three things done and, hey, you have more time! By all means, do five.

2-Give yourself wiggle room. If you know something is going to take you an hour count on an extra ten minutes. Scrubbing the shower might take longer than you realize.

3- Always do the most important things first. If you HAVE to pay that bill today, do that first, don't re-organize the pantry. You might get carried away and the bill won't be paid.

4- Don't get discouraged. Know that there is a possibility that the baby might get sick or you could have to take a phone call. If nothing on your list is done, just try again the next day.

5-Take breaks. If you don't put aside some time to relax you might burn yourself out before getting things done. Just make sure you make it a set time. If you decide to relax and surf the web, you might end up doing it an hour longer than you meant to.

You might ask where my authority on this subject come from, I have a mother who has managed to homeschool all nine of her children and has a business helping people organize their houses. She is the master of schedule making! I've learned a thing or two from her.

Esther's First Bath

Esther's umbilical cord fell off yesterday and today she is one week old! 

To celebrate we decided to give her her first bath today:

 She was very calm and accepting of the warm water and whole "bath thing" until Daddy started washing her...

She didn't like that part...

She forgot all about the whole thing after we wrapped her up in her ducky towel and put her in the sun. She liked that part!

 

 

She's Arrived!

Esther Jane Pringle was born February 7th 11:31 pm (half an hour before her due-date) 7lbs 12 oz

She's beautiful! (I'm totally not bias because my husband agrees with me!)

Her middle name is Jane for three reasons:
1. My husband's middle name is John and Jane is the female version of the name.
2. It means "God is gracious."
3. Jane Austen, Jane Eyre... need I say more? The writer/reader in me could not resist!

Poem - Artistic at Length

This is a poem I wrote about creativity (ie, drawing, writing). My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) wrote the first two lines and told me to make a poem out of it and this is what I got! I love being married to a fellow writer <3

Drawing by Grace R. Pringle

 

Artistic at Length

by Grace R. Pringle

Artistic at length,

My sketchpad to cover with graphite and lead,

The images spawning straight out of my head.

The eyes staring back from the page

Are more than lines, they’re windows to another age.

The tries and fails and erased do not deface,

They make me grow in lines of grace.

Inspired at last,

My pencil spouts meaning and life,

Creating images far from rife.

The ideas in my mind,

Become my thoughts and ink combined.

Drawing is more than a skill,

It’s letting the illustrations inside, spill.

I don’t have to think,

Into my world of illusions I sink.

On their own my fingers move

I’m not entirely sure what they will do,

But I will find out soon.

The little details,

They illustrate without fail.

I am gone, lost on a journey of wind and sails,

Floating on a sea of fine points,

Worlds that draw themselves do not disappoint.

And colours so bright you could taste,

Leave impressions that never disintegrate.

Creating pictures out of lines and mind,

The two becoming intertwined.

It seems though,

That no matter how far I go,

I will never capture the spirit and life,

But I can always try.

My ambitions are high.

Pencil strokes, I am drawing on the canvas of life,

Forming everything in sight.

Other poems by me:

A Pen Right Through 

One Heart 

Ode to the Crow 

Bag Box - How to Make One

My sister stayed over with me for a week after new years and helped me with my "nesting." (That's what she calls it.) Personally, I think I over-organize and change things around even when I'm not 8 months pregnant! I blame my mother for the urge but I also thank her for it since I very much enjoy finding the perfect place to store things or the perfect way to do it.

For quite awhile the "bag of bags" where I stored all my plastic bags was driving me crazy. It took up almost an entire shelf in my pantry and looked messy. While visiting my parents my Mother showed me some of her ideas for the house they are building and a "bag box" was something she wanted.

It inspired me to make one of my own. So, with my sisters help, I made one! It only took 15 minutes and here is how we did it:

We used: 

Wrapping paper (green, since that's the colour in my kitchen)

Cardboard box (I used a small one)

Packaging tape

Regular tape

A knife (we would have rather used an x-acto knife but we didn't have one on hand)

Scissors

A permanent marker

A container lid (a circle big enough to make a hole to fit your hand through)

First we traced the container lid on the side of the box with the permanent marker.

 Then we cut out the circle with the knife.

 Next, we wrapped the box like you would any gift. (Making a mark on the paper where the hole in the box was underneath the wrapping paper)

 We took the scissors and cut through where the hole was underneath, cutting it like a pie. Making sure to go right to the edge of the circle but no father.

 We took pieces of packaging tape and placed them over the cut tabs, re-cutting them again so that they were reenforced by the tape and didn't rip easily.

We bent in the tabs and taped them to the inside of the box using pieces of regular tape.

All that was left was to fold and place the plastic bags inside the box and, voila! My bag box! I love it and it takes up 1/3 of the space my "bag of bags" did.

Thanks to my sister for helping :)