Sherry Ellis's Blog, page 99
October 30, 2012
Snowball Fight
The Frankenstorm has arrived here in Cincinnati. It dumped some snow on us - more than we had all year last year. (By the way, if any of you are in areas of flooding or serious weather damage, my thoughts and prayers are with you!)
I went outside this morning to unbury my car. My kids watched as I brushed away the snow. That gave them a brilliant idea. Before I knew it, they were hurling snowballs at me.
"Hey," I said. "Give me a break here!"
No break for me. They pelted me with those wet, hard balls. One even landed in my pocket.
"Okay," I said. "You asked for it." I made my own ammunition and fired. Pretty soon we were engaged in a major snowball battle. We finally had to call a truce so we could get to the bus stop.
When we got there, the battle resumed. This time my son decided to pelt some other parents. Well you know what happened next. The parents fought back. It was epic. By the time the bus arrived, parents and kids were covered with snow.
Nothing like a little hurricane when it's thirty degrees outside!
I went outside this morning to unbury my car. My kids watched as I brushed away the snow. That gave them a brilliant idea. Before I knew it, they were hurling snowballs at me.
"Hey," I said. "Give me a break here!"
No break for me. They pelted me with those wet, hard balls. One even landed in my pocket.
"Okay," I said. "You asked for it." I made my own ammunition and fired. Pretty soon we were engaged in a major snowball battle. We finally had to call a truce so we could get to the bus stop.
When we got there, the battle resumed. This time my son decided to pelt some other parents. Well you know what happened next. The parents fought back. It was epic. By the time the bus arrived, parents and kids were covered with snow.
Nothing like a little hurricane when it's thirty degrees outside!
October 29, 2012
The Best Day of My Life
"Mama," my eight-year-old son said last night as I tucked him into bed, "this was the best day of my life."
That made me all warm and fuzzy inside. "Really?" I said. "Why is that?"
"Well, Mama, you carved the giant pumpkin, and it's the best pumpkin ever."
Yes, well, that was quite a challenge because that thing weighed over 20 pounds,and the walls were an inch and a quarter thick (I measured!).
"Why else?" I asked.
"We played in the leaf pile,and roasted pumpkin seeds, and did the Michael Jackson Thriller dance around the house. And then you played blocks with me. And then we went booing. (Booing, in case you don't know, is when you go out at night, ring somebody's doorbell, leave a bucket of Halloween goodies, and run off as fast as you can, hoping not to get caught.)
I nodded. It was certainly a full day. I gave him a kiss on his head.
"Can we do it again tomorrow?"
I laughed. "Like Groundhog day?"
"Yeah. That would be awesome."
Well, then, I guess I won't be getting much work done. So if I drop off the blog-o-sphere, you'll know I'm doing the Groundhog day thing and reliving my boy's best day of his life.
That made me all warm and fuzzy inside. "Really?" I said. "Why is that?"
"Well, Mama, you carved the giant pumpkin, and it's the best pumpkin ever."
Yes, well, that was quite a challenge because that thing weighed over 20 pounds,and the walls were an inch and a quarter thick (I measured!).
"Why else?" I asked.
"We played in the leaf pile,and roasted pumpkin seeds, and did the Michael Jackson Thriller dance around the house. And then you played blocks with me. And then we went booing. (Booing, in case you don't know, is when you go out at night, ring somebody's doorbell, leave a bucket of Halloween goodies, and run off as fast as you can, hoping not to get caught.)
I nodded. It was certainly a full day. I gave him a kiss on his head.
"Can we do it again tomorrow?"
I laughed. "Like Groundhog day?"
"Yeah. That would be awesome."
Well, then, I guess I won't be getting much work done. So if I drop off the blog-o-sphere, you'll know I'm doing the Groundhog day thing and reliving my boy's best day of his life.
October 27, 2012
Dancing Queen
First of all, let me tell you about the pumpkin tooth fairy visit last night. If you recall, the pumpkin we carved in my son's second grade class, lost his tooth. We brought the tooth home to see if the pumpkin tooth fairy would come. She did. Do you know what she left? Jack-o-lantern bubbles for Bubba, and a bunch of teddy grahams for the class. Apparently she knew about the school rules for not bringing in candy that was manufactured in a place with nuts. What a good fairy!
Okay. Now for the story. As you may or may not know, my daughter is a big dancer. She dances on competition dance teams. It is now the season for intensive rehearsals. Today was a little ridiculous. She started at 9:00 in the morning, and danced until 3:00 in the afternoon. She had only one half-hour break for lunch.
She came home utterly exhausted. "Mom, my feet hurt!"
"Yeah, I bet they do!" I said. "Now you need to get ready for the father-daughter dance tonight."
She scowled at me. "More dancing?"
"Yeah, girlfriend. Tonight is your big date with daddy!"
She sighed and put on her cute clown Halloween costume. Then she joined her mad scientist daddy. The two marched off to the Halloween ball for three more hours of dancing.
Do you think she'll survive?
Okay. Now for the story. As you may or may not know, my daughter is a big dancer. She dances on competition dance teams. It is now the season for intensive rehearsals. Today was a little ridiculous. She started at 9:00 in the morning, and danced until 3:00 in the afternoon. She had only one half-hour break for lunch.
She came home utterly exhausted. "Mom, my feet hurt!"
"Yeah, I bet they do!" I said. "Now you need to get ready for the father-daughter dance tonight."
She scowled at me. "More dancing?"
"Yeah, girlfriend. Tonight is your big date with daddy!"
She sighed and put on her cute clown Halloween costume. Then she joined her mad scientist daddy. The two marched off to the Halloween ball for three more hours of dancing.
Do you think she'll survive?
October 26, 2012
The Pumpkin Tooth Fairy
I just came back from hanging with the second graders at my son's school. It was a blast! We did pumpkin math. What's that, you ask? Well, let me tell you about it.
We took pumpkins, weighed them. measured them, gutted them, counted their seeds, and turned them into jack-o-lanterns. And guess who did the cutting and gutting? That's right. Me! I had a bunch of squealing kids hanging on me as I immersed myself in pumpkin goo.
"Mrs. Ellis," one little girl said. "Can you tie my shoe?"
I pulled my hand out of the pumpkin. It was dripping with seeds and goo. "Sure, if you don't mind a little pumpkin goo on your shoe."
She didn't mind. And she gave me a great big pumpkin goo hug when I was done (which reminds me - I got a lot of pumpkin goo hugs, so I need to change my shirt!).
Anyway, I decided to get a little creative when I carved one of the pumpkins. I gave that thing a loose tooth. The kids loved it!
"Is he going to lose his tooth?" one kid asked.
"Maybe," I said.
A rather rowdy girl decided to take matters into her hands. She came up to the jack-o-lantern and yanked the tooth right out of its mouth. "There," she said. "Now the pumpkin tooth fairy has to come."
All right then. So, ladies and gentleman, I now have a pumpkin tooth sitting in a ziploc bag, waiting to be picked up by the pumpkin tooth fairy tonight. Any guesses on what that fairy might leave? (I'm thinking chocolate!)
We took pumpkins, weighed them. measured them, gutted them, counted their seeds, and turned them into jack-o-lanterns. And guess who did the cutting and gutting? That's right. Me! I had a bunch of squealing kids hanging on me as I immersed myself in pumpkin goo.
"Mrs. Ellis," one little girl said. "Can you tie my shoe?"
I pulled my hand out of the pumpkin. It was dripping with seeds and goo. "Sure, if you don't mind a little pumpkin goo on your shoe."
She didn't mind. And she gave me a great big pumpkin goo hug when I was done (which reminds me - I got a lot of pumpkin goo hugs, so I need to change my shirt!).
Anyway, I decided to get a little creative when I carved one of the pumpkins. I gave that thing a loose tooth. The kids loved it!
"Is he going to lose his tooth?" one kid asked.
"Maybe," I said.
A rather rowdy girl decided to take matters into her hands. She came up to the jack-o-lantern and yanked the tooth right out of its mouth. "There," she said. "Now the pumpkin tooth fairy has to come."
All right then. So, ladies and gentleman, I now have a pumpkin tooth sitting in a ziploc bag, waiting to be picked up by the pumpkin tooth fairy tonight. Any guesses on what that fairy might leave? (I'm thinking chocolate!)
October 25, 2012
Bubba's Girlfriend
It's official. My eight-year-old son has a girlfriend. You may remember her from a couple of months ago - the nice little girl with whom he sat on the carpet during carpet time.
"Yeah, Mama," he said. "She's my girlfriend."
"You mean a friend that's a girl, right?"
"No. Girlfriend."
My father, who had been visiting, put in his two cents. "When I was in the second grade, I had a girlfriend, too."
I made a face at him.
He continued. "I remember one day I walked her home from school. There was a little hill. At the bottom, I gave her a kiss."
"Dad!" I said, hardly believing that he would share such a story. "Don't give him any ideas!"
I looked at Bubba. He had a mischievous twinkle in his big blue eyes. And he was grinning from ear to ear.
Great. Now I have to worry about my boy sneaking off with a second grade girl, trying to kiss her. What next?
"Yeah, Mama," he said. "She's my girlfriend."
"You mean a friend that's a girl, right?"
"No. Girlfriend."
My father, who had been visiting, put in his two cents. "When I was in the second grade, I had a girlfriend, too."
I made a face at him.
He continued. "I remember one day I walked her home from school. There was a little hill. At the bottom, I gave her a kiss."
"Dad!" I said, hardly believing that he would share such a story. "Don't give him any ideas!"
I looked at Bubba. He had a mischievous twinkle in his big blue eyes. And he was grinning from ear to ear.
Great. Now I have to worry about my boy sneaking off with a second grade girl, trying to kiss her. What next?
October 23, 2012
Week 18: The Next Big Thing
Guess what? We're playing a game of tag, and I'm it! I've been tagged by the lovely Virginia Wright.
I'm supposed to answer 10 questions about my current WIP (that's Work In Progress for you non-writers out there.) Then I'm supposed to tag more talented and creative individuals. I've kind of fallen short on that last part. I asked a bunch of you if you wanted to do it, but you're all pretty busy. I get it. So I only have one person to tag. If you're interested in doing this to promote your WIP or new release, let me know, and I'll give you the details.
Here we go. The Ten Questions
1. What is the working title of your book? Bubba and Squirt's Big Hole to China. It may get shortened to Big Hole to China, though. We'll see what the agent/publisher thinks.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I have always been interested in different countries around the world. I like traveling and learning about people, languages, and cultures. I thought it would be fun to create a series for kids, where they can learn about these things. Bubba and Squirt's Big Hole to China is the first book of the series.
3. What genre does your book fall under? Children's Chapter Book - Fiction
4. Which actors would you chooses to play your characters in a movie rendition? That's a tough one. I could see this being an animated series. If I had to pick actors though, I'd pick Abigail Breslin from "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" to play Squirt, and Dakota Goyo who played Max Kenton in "Real Steal" to play Bubba. Hey, anybody who can play a "Max" should be a good "Bubba!"
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book? Six-year-old Bubba and ten-year-old Squirt travel through a vortex that leads to Xi-an, China, where they meet the ghost of the first emperor of China and solve the mystery of his missing burial pendant.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Represented by an agency. In fact, I just sent the revised manuscript to an agent who liked the concept a couple of days ago. I really hope he likes it, and decides to represent me! Keep your fingers crossed!
7. How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript? Four months, but I've been working on it almost three years. I must've rewritten it at least one hundred times! It takes a really long time to get it just right!
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Magic Tree House and Flat Stanley
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? Well, as I stated before, I am very interested in other cultures. I decided to do China first, because it seemed like a logical choice. People talk about digging a hole to China. Why not make that the destination of the first book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? There will be a recipe from each of the countries that Bubba and Squirt will visit. When I travel, I like to try the local foods. I thought this "taste" of the country, would help them feel like they actually visited it.
Hope you all enjoyed reading about my WIP. Thanks, Virginia, for giving me the opportunity to tell everyone about it! Now here's the person I tagged:
Melissa Kline
She will post her ten questions next Wednesday. Be sure to stop by and visit!
I'm supposed to answer 10 questions about my current WIP (that's Work In Progress for you non-writers out there.) Then I'm supposed to tag more talented and creative individuals. I've kind of fallen short on that last part. I asked a bunch of you if you wanted to do it, but you're all pretty busy. I get it. So I only have one person to tag. If you're interested in doing this to promote your WIP or new release, let me know, and I'll give you the details.
Here we go. The Ten Questions
1. What is the working title of your book? Bubba and Squirt's Big Hole to China. It may get shortened to Big Hole to China, though. We'll see what the agent/publisher thinks.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I have always been interested in different countries around the world. I like traveling and learning about people, languages, and cultures. I thought it would be fun to create a series for kids, where they can learn about these things. Bubba and Squirt's Big Hole to China is the first book of the series.
3. What genre does your book fall under? Children's Chapter Book - Fiction
4. Which actors would you chooses to play your characters in a movie rendition? That's a tough one. I could see this being an animated series. If I had to pick actors though, I'd pick Abigail Breslin from "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" to play Squirt, and Dakota Goyo who played Max Kenton in "Real Steal" to play Bubba. Hey, anybody who can play a "Max" should be a good "Bubba!"
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book? Six-year-old Bubba and ten-year-old Squirt travel through a vortex that leads to Xi-an, China, where they meet the ghost of the first emperor of China and solve the mystery of his missing burial pendant.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Represented by an agency. In fact, I just sent the revised manuscript to an agent who liked the concept a couple of days ago. I really hope he likes it, and decides to represent me! Keep your fingers crossed!
7. How long did it take to write the first draft of your manuscript? Four months, but I've been working on it almost three years. I must've rewritten it at least one hundred times! It takes a really long time to get it just right!
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Magic Tree House and Flat Stanley
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? Well, as I stated before, I am very interested in other cultures. I decided to do China first, because it seemed like a logical choice. People talk about digging a hole to China. Why not make that the destination of the first book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? There will be a recipe from each of the countries that Bubba and Squirt will visit. When I travel, I like to try the local foods. I thought this "taste" of the country, would help them feel like they actually visited it.
Hope you all enjoyed reading about my WIP. Thanks, Virginia, for giving me the opportunity to tell everyone about it! Now here's the person I tagged:
Melissa Kline
She will post her ten questions next Wednesday. Be sure to stop by and visit!
Bubba's Cookie
I decided to get a little creative in the baking department the other day. I had made these cute little monster creatures out of sugar cookies. I took two cookies, and made a little sandwich with frosting. One side had a little extra, so that the two cookies together looked like a mouth. Then I added M&M eyeballs and an orange tongue. I was rather pleased with my creations, and thought my kids would like seeing them in their lunch.
When my son, Bubba came home, I opened up his lunch box. Everything had been eaten Except the cookie.
"Bubba," I said. "Why didn't you eat the cookie?"
"Mama, it was too cute to eat. I didn't want to bite off his eyeballs."
"So you're not going to eat this thing?"
"No."
"Then what are you going to do with it?"
He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room.
So much for my brilliant idea. Anybody want a cookie?
When my son, Bubba came home, I opened up his lunch box. Everything had been eaten Except the cookie.
"Bubba," I said. "Why didn't you eat the cookie?"
"Mama, it was too cute to eat. I didn't want to bite off his eyeballs."
"So you're not going to eat this thing?"
"No."
"Then what are you going to do with it?"
He shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room.
So much for my brilliant idea. Anybody want a cookie?
October 22, 2012
Schultz Strikes Again
Time for another Schultz story. Our rather large German Shepherd is a little bit crazy. I'm sure you already knew that, though. Sometimes he has what we lovingly call, "berserks." These are incidents when he completely loses control, and runs around the house in circles as fast as he can go. Usually these little attacks are harmless. The worst thing that happens, is that the area rugs slide out of place, and claw marks track up our carpet.
The one he had today, though, was another story. I was upstairs working on my manuscript, when I heard the familiar sound of the dog galloping through the house. My husband was cheering him on, "Ole!"
Around and around he went. Then all of a sudden...CRASH!
Uh oh.
I heard the sound of glass breaking, and it sounded like something very large had fallen over.
I went downstairs to investigate.
On the floor, was a broken vase. The flowers that were inside lay scattered on the ground. The table the flowers were on, was knocked over. And Schultz and my husband? They were standing in the corner looking as guilty as could be.
"All right, boys," I said. "What just happened here?"
"Um, Schultz had a little trouble making the turn," said my husband.
Uh huh.
I went into the kitchen and found a dustpan and broom. I handed them to my husband. "You get to clean up!"
Then I went back upstairs and continued my work.
The one he had today, though, was another story. I was upstairs working on my manuscript, when I heard the familiar sound of the dog galloping through the house. My husband was cheering him on, "Ole!"
Around and around he went. Then all of a sudden...CRASH!
Uh oh.
I heard the sound of glass breaking, and it sounded like something very large had fallen over.
I went downstairs to investigate.
On the floor, was a broken vase. The flowers that were inside lay scattered on the ground. The table the flowers were on, was knocked over. And Schultz and my husband? They were standing in the corner looking as guilty as could be.
"All right, boys," I said. "What just happened here?"
"Um, Schultz had a little trouble making the turn," said my husband.
Uh huh.
I went into the kitchen and found a dustpan and broom. I handed them to my husband. "You get to clean up!"
Then I went back upstairs and continued my work.
October 21, 2012
Ghosts in the Cave
Today I took the kids to the Cincinnati Museum Center. If you're ever in the Cincinnati area, it's definitely a place to check out!
Anyway, in the natural history part of the museum, there is a cave complex. It's supposed to look like the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. My kids love this section, because it's dark, and the pathways are narrow and winding. There are also lots of cracks and crevices and secret places to hide.
My kids must've been in the Halloween spirit, because they decided it would be cool to make ghost noises as we wandered through that place. (I'm sure the other visitors were wondering what the heck was going on when they heard their mysterious sounds echoing through the caverns.)
They ran ahead, darting in and out of the shadows. Then I lost them. "Hey, where are you guys?" I called.
No answer.
I walked on farther. I passed one of those cracks and crevices. And guess what happened? Out jumped my kids! "Boo!" they shouted.
I nearly had a heart attack. "What are you trying to do? Turn me into a ghost?"
They gave me an evil laugh and continued with their scary ghost sounds.
Kids!
Anyway, in the natural history part of the museum, there is a cave complex. It's supposed to look like the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky. My kids love this section, because it's dark, and the pathways are narrow and winding. There are also lots of cracks and crevices and secret places to hide.
My kids must've been in the Halloween spirit, because they decided it would be cool to make ghost noises as we wandered through that place. (I'm sure the other visitors were wondering what the heck was going on when they heard their mysterious sounds echoing through the caverns.)
They ran ahead, darting in and out of the shadows. Then I lost them. "Hey, where are you guys?" I called.
No answer.
I walked on farther. I passed one of those cracks and crevices. And guess what happened? Out jumped my kids! "Boo!" they shouted.
I nearly had a heart attack. "What are you trying to do? Turn me into a ghost?"
They gave me an evil laugh and continued with their scary ghost sounds.
Kids!
October 20, 2012
Where's My Soup?
I seem to have a bit of a cold. It's not horrible, but I'm definitely not in tip top shape. I decided to make myself some chicken noodle soup, because chicken noodle soup always seems to help. When it was done, I scooped it into a bowl. I put it on the table, and was about to start eating it, when I heard a voice.
"Mama, I need you!" It was my son.
I put down the spoon and went upstairs to see what he needed. Apparently he was having some trouble with his homework. I sat down and helped him.
When I was done, I went back to my bowl of soup. Except the bowl was empty. "Who ate my soup?" I asked.
I looked at my daughter. "I didn't," she said.
I looked at Schultz, our German Shepherd. He cocked his head and looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about.
Then I looked at my husband who was parked on the couch in front of the TV. "Did you eat my soup?"
He ignored me. I'm thinking he's the one who ate my soup. What do you think?
(I had to settle for a bowl of instant oatmeal which I almost blew up in the microwave - but that's another story.)
"Mama, I need you!" It was my son.
I put down the spoon and went upstairs to see what he needed. Apparently he was having some trouble with his homework. I sat down and helped him.
When I was done, I went back to my bowl of soup. Except the bowl was empty. "Who ate my soup?" I asked.
I looked at my daughter. "I didn't," she said.
I looked at Schultz, our German Shepherd. He cocked his head and looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about.
Then I looked at my husband who was parked on the couch in front of the TV. "Did you eat my soup?"
He ignored me. I'm thinking he's the one who ate my soup. What do you think?
(I had to settle for a bowl of instant oatmeal which I almost blew up in the microwave - but that's another story.)
