Monday, December 22, 2014

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  It's here in just a few days.  I'm going to spend the day with my kids.  It should be fun.  It is a fun time of year.  My kids had an early Christmas with their grandparents yesterday.  So today Jake has been eating mashed potato and ham leftovers.  And he breaked for eating some cookies with the chocolate kisses.  He ate them all and was going to go for the raspberry ones that aren't gluten free.

Devil.  I enjoyed a morning visiting with a friend I hadn't seen in a while.  It was fun to sit and talk with her over a cup of coffee.

I've been excited this month to see an increase in my book sales.  I've sold six books this month which is the most I've ever sold in a month.  It's not a ton of money of course but still it's exciting to see my books selling a little bit.  I've sold several of my poetry books, a cookbook and was excited to see the first sale of The Glorious Money Tree Trilogy.

By which I should get back to writing more to the second book.  I had pumped the second book up to 140 pages roughly over the summer and stopped.  Over the last few months I've been pumping out the poetry books to publish.  Seems like I can publish them quicker.

I only go to about 70 pages a poem a page with a photograph and then when it's ready, I publish.  I've got about 7 poetry books published now.  Thirteen books total published with Kindle Direct Publishing.

It's the one thing I have control over.  I can publish as much as I want.  I can't control it if I can't find a new job.  There's just not much out there.  I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do in six years when my alimony stops and if I don't have a job by then.  I at that point can qualify for disability benefits and am thinking I may move to Maine to live with my Dad and help him as he gets older.

I'm a worrier.  The worst thing that could happen is I become homeless, but my family say that's not an option.  I feel comforted that I could stay with my Dad and help out.  I've been weeding out things I don't need which feels great.

I hated to part with some of my kids baby toys and their children's books but it was time to let go of that stuff.  A neighbor took it and it's going to kids who don't have much.  I kept a few of their favorite toys like a wooden rattle and a musical clock and a pair of baby booties.

I took pictures of the baby booties with some silk flowers and a stuffed animal bear in a shadow box.  It's going to go into my poetry book along with one of the poems.  I've been taking lots of photographs to go with the poems.

I also parted with some of my barbies I had collected.  I've kept my favorites in case I ever draw them.  I have a few reproductions of the fifties barbies, a Tammy doll (after Sandra Dee), Princess Leia, Rose from Titanic, and of course one of Bella Swan.  I will never part with the Bella Swan doll.

And I love my Ellowyne Wilde doll I have left.  Even if I was ever to become homeless I would carry those two dolls with me and BunBun.  I don't think I will have to worry about that though.

I wrote a few poems about that.  One night a week ago I couldn't sleep and was thinking of my options in six years.  I had forgotten to take my medicine and couldn't sleep.  Some of it is supposed to help me sleep.  So I was up and got writing.  I got writing one as I was looking at my picture of Christina.  The one that Andrew Wyeth painted of her out in the field looking at the home.

And I got myself some lemon zinger tea.  So at 2am or 3am I was writing some poems.

I wrote a few yesterday, but also made myself knit.  I hadn't knitted in a while.  I've been writing the poems.  I've had some days when I've written about 35 or more poems and then I get a day where I don't write much.

I hand write them first in a notebook and then type them out.  I got putting some flowers on my handwriting for some pictures.  I've been treating myself to roses this month and last month.  Now they are all dried.  They make awesome covers for the poetry books.

I was taking some pictures of the flowers in the grocery store but got reprimanded for taking pictures so can't do that anymore.  Darn it, I'm forced to buy them.  The girl wanted me to delete them but I didn't.  Told a lie and said I would delete them.  I'm sure she knew I wouldn't.

My feeling was hey, I'm buying something in the grocery store but they didn't want me taking pictures.  Oh well.

I treated myself to go see Mockingjay and The Hobbit this weekend.  Both were good movies.  I still think I liked Lord of the Rings better and I didn't like this Hunger Games as much as the first two.  I will go see the last one next year.

I know I will be seeing the new Star Wars movie next Christmas!  And I've been hearing rumors there is to be Midnight Sun next year, the new Twilight movie.

That will remain to be seen.  I've heard they've been filming it.  It's supposed to be more about Jacob and Renesmee.  Although, there still is no Midnight Sun book from Stephanie Meyer.  Last I knew she had been writing it a few years ago and her first draft leaked out and she stopped writing it.  I'm still waiting to see what new book she comes out with.

I recently paid to read some Twilight stories from other writers.  They must give Stephanie some of the proceeds from those sales.  Seeing as they are based on her books.  One of the books is a parody and the other is Nessie's story.  I've been reading it and it's okay.

I purchased the Twilight books on my Kindle for PC as I want to read them again.  And last night I treated myself to watching the first Twilight movie again.  Tonight's movie?  New Moon!!!!!

Yesterday, I found myself knitting up a few doll clothes.  I made a skirt for one doll and a shawl or two for another one.  Seeing as I don't have many kid toys left, at least I will have some barbies, dolls and doll clothing.  Someday I will have grandchildren.  It's just in the far off distance for now.

I should dig up my baby books of the kids with their footprints in it.  They could go in some photos for the poems.  Maybe that would call for some more store bought roses.

I think I am done weeding out my apt for a while.  Someone got a lovely wooden bench and a nice comforter.  Seeing as the baby toys were out of it, I decided to lug it outside my apt and I knew it would be gone when I got back from the kids house.

Someone's going to love my vanity someday.  It will go to my kids first and if they don't want it, someone in my building will take it.  It's a gorgeous antique and I know I won't be bringing furniture with me to my Dad's.  Just my clothing and the things I use.  He would probably get a kick out of my mannequins.  Ha ha.  I will make sure I bring the things I photograph.  I've written some poems about the mannequins.

Well, I will part for now.  I've got some poems to type up into the next poetry book.  I think I left it at 27 pages so it's got a little way to go before I can get it ready to publish.  Maybe within a week I can have this one ready to publish.  Of course I haven't even put my photos in yet.  That takes a little time to figure out where to put them.

I should photograph all my drawings sometime soon too so I can start adding them to some of the poetry books.

Another thing I should be thinking of is finishing my other books, the second book to the trilogy and some of the other novels I started.  I should just make myself.  I hate it though when I get a little bit of writer's block.  I start to think I've got nothing to write about.

Jennifer Jo Fay

Copyrighted December 22, 2014