Gail Wagner's Blog, page 6

Clipboards

I have three kids in school, so that means that I have three teachers to get gifts for.  My kids have amazing teachers but I have a not so amazing budget…so I decided to make them clipboards and bookmarks.  I know it’s not much but at least they know we care!

I thought they turned out pretty cute!  I even tried to coordinate with the PTO gifts we made.  Last week we spent an entire day making gifts for the entire school staff.  We made personalized sticky note holders and peppermint sugar scrub...though the guys got little movie baskets with redbox rentals and popcorn.  We just didn't figure they'd be into the sugar scrub!

Title Woes

So, I've been working on a new book.  It's an idea I've had since I first started Army of Sorrow.  I've kicked it around (and around and around...) for a while and I think I've finally worked out the major plot points.

I'm at a loss for a title however.  That seems to be my downfall.  It took me months of agonizing to come up with Army of Sorrow, Sea of Despair, and Isle of Darkness.  Donegal Sidhe was added with the help of my editor.  This one though....well, I just have no idea!  Right now I call it my "currently untitled project."  Catchy, huh?

Can't you just see yourself picking up that title?  Actually I might but I would be expecting some kind of quirky comedy or something.  I'll keep you posted and perhaps I'll be blessed to come up with more than one title and have to ask you your opinion! (doubtfult, but a girl can dream!)

A Step Into The Past

Well, our murder mystery evening was a blast!  I didn't really know what to expect and I was terrible.  It was fun regardless.  I think we should do it again now that we all know what we're doing.  :)

My character turned out to be the sweet one who knew absolutely nothing....and I mean NOTHING!  Everyone else had some kind of secret they weren't supposed to tell but not me!  That's okay.  Our characters had also just suffered the loss of our successful shopping mall (burned down by an arsonist!)

We had several murders throughout the evening including my husband who was bumped off by a paid killer!  Pretty shady!

I had tons of fun getting ready for the night with some good friends.  My outfit was mother approved.  My mom assured me I would have fit right into her high school.  I loved my outfit so much I think it may see repeated wear on a day to day basis!  I made the skirt on a whim and managed to redo a petticoat from Halloween to work for this.  The hat was my grandmother's and the rest were just what I had in my closet.  My hubby is wearing my dad's hat for the evening.  :)

I counted it up and out of everyone there, five other girls were wearing something of mine (or had been mine at one point)....guess I have a fifties flair.  :)

I highly suggest doing one of these!  My friend purchased it off the internet and everything is emailed to you with all the parts.  We had eleven couples there and a few didn't show up so this definitely accommodates a crowd!

50's Murder Mystery

My good friend Amanda (my partner in crime on Novel Nibblers) and I both have early January birthdays so some of our other friends decided to throw us a party!  (yes it's a week late but I was travelling on my bday so we had to wait!)

They decided on a 50's themed murder mystery.  We are all attending our class reunion for the class '57!  So tonight we will be gathering with a group of great friends and having a blast figuring out who the murderer is.  And the best part?

We all get to dress up!  Have I ever mentioned my teeny, tiny obsession with 50's fashion?  Yeah, just add it to the long list of other obsessions.  I made a pink and gray print skirt just for the occasion.  My mom even pulled out her old yearbooks so I could check out authentic hairstyles.

I will try to get a good picture and post it ASAP!

So has anyone ever done one of these things?

The Biscuit Gene Revisited

So I had a few people request the recipe that my 10yo used to make those giant, fluffy biscuits.  So without further ado, I give you:

Papa's No Fail (unless you're me) Biscuits

2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil
2/3 cup milk

  Pour all ingredients at once into the flour mixture.  stir with a fork until mixture cleans sides of bowl and round up into a ball.  Knead dough about ten times then roll out between wax paper (or not), 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.  Cut with biscuit cutter.  Bake on greased cookie sheet for about 12-15 minutes at 475 degrees.

I hope this helps!

The Big 3-0

Well...I'm officially no longer a twenty-something.  I don't feel any older but I can't say I enjoy saying I'm 30 when people ask.  I didn't do so hot on my 30 before 30 list.


1. Get a house and decorate it the way I want it2. Have family live nearby3. Get a third book finished (first draft)4. Do a book signing5. Do one thing that scares me to death (did a radio interview...thought I'd have a heart attack)6. Sew something for myself (Halloween costumes count right?)7. Get a second book published8. Have a garden (and not kill it)9. Learn something new (I learned just how neurotic I can be...)  :)10. Make a cake entirely from scratch11. Quit soda12. Throw a party 13. Finish a quilt14. Go to a Writers’ Conference15. Kick the eating out habit16. Have an entirely handmade Christmas17. Paint a picture18. Go to the Grand Canyon19. Go camping20. Get back into the FlyLady habit21. Visit the cliff dwellings22. Learn to get my migraines under control23. Organize a filing system24. Decorate for each holiday (including themed meal for the day)25. Learn how to blog and do it (clearly still working on this...but I don't think I'm too bad. Right?)26. Try one new recipe a month, including marshmallows (so I didn't get to the marshmallows..yet)27. Go on a picnic each month while it’s warm28. Find a hat I love and actually wear it29. Learn to budget30. Learn to reupholster

I'll keep working on it.  On a more positive note: Christmas went well.  We visited family in MO and got to hit Silver Dollar City while we were there.  LOVE that place!  It even warmed up enough on the second day that the hydraulic brakes thawed and we were able to ride the roller coasters! (not exactly something you want to do without brakes!)  We managed to do squeeze in a tour of Marvel cave and both A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life.  Both of which were amazing!

If you don't know what Silver Dollar City is, it's a 1800's themed amusement park.  There are blacksmiths and glassblowers all mingled in with roller coasters and stands selling funnel cakes.  Sounds cheesy I know, but I always enjoy it.

What did you do for the Holidays?

Rearranging

Anyone else have to rearrange furniture all the time?  I'm not talking just moving the couch to a different wall, I mean switching entire rooms around....yeah I thought it might just be me.  I should probably seek professional help.  I get bored very easily and since I can't get a different house (or even paint right now since we're in a rental) I have to do something to shake things up.

Thankfully I have a very understanding husband who puts up with my frequent need to change everything.  We're in the process of moving our bedroom back upstairs and have been taking it slowly this time.  We bought a new bed and aren't planning on moving our old one up so we have to wait till it comes before we can actually get everything up.

I've posted a couple of things about my inability to leave things alone.  I can't just follow a pattern, I have to embellish it or change the sleeve or the skirt.  I can't buy a piece of furniture (especially when it's a used one) and not paint it.  I know, I have issues.

We have a couple of dressers we bought back when our oldest was a baby.  They have metal drawer rollers and were cheap...exactly what we needed then.  They've served us well all these years but were definitely showing their age...and not in a dignified sort of way!

See they're made of pressed board with wood grain paper over it.  Not exactly high quality.  I hate fake wood so I painted them (of course).  I don't have a before pic but lets just say this poor dresser was a sad, sad sight.  It was a pale blue with gold handles...oh except for one drawer that was a strange beige color.  Don't ask, I don't know how that happened.  Anyway, after a coat of Bulls Eye Primer (seriously, this stuff is amazing!  You can paint ANYTHING with it), three coats of some blue oops paint I picked up somewhere, and some spray paint, this is what I ended up with:


Is is just me or do you see the little troll face on the handles too?  I never noticed that when they were gold.  This dresser (and the lighter blue one next to it) are in the bathroom so it's a little weird having those faces watch you...

The Day After the End of the World!

According to the Mayans, we have one more day till the end of the world!  I don't hold stock in that but still...if we make it to Saturday, I would love to see you at my book signing!  What a great way to spend the day after the end of the world!  :)

It is at ABC Books in Springfield, MO from 1-3pm.  I'm excited and hope I see lots of old friends.  I'm originally from Clever, MO (teeny, tiny town outside of Springfield) and we lived in Springfield while my honey went to grad school so we have lots of friends and some family there too!  Hope to see you there!

Clipboard

I have three kids in school, so that means that I have three teachers to get gifts for.  My kids have amazing teachers but I have a not so amazing budget…so I decided to make them clipboards and bookmarks.  I know it’s not much but at least they know we care!

I thought they turned out pretty cute!  I even tried to coordinate with the PTO gifts we made.  Last week we spent an entire day making gifts for the entire school staff.  We made personalized sticky note holders and peppermint sugar scrub...though the guys got little movie baskets with redbox rentals and popcorn.  We just didn't figure they'd be into the sugar scrub!

Will You Be My Friend Carpet

So, I got on my blog to check my stats this evening.  I got a ton of views (for my little site that is!) so thank you!!  But here is the funniest part: there is a section that tells me what search keywords my site was found with...

"Will you be my friend carpet" was apparently used this week to locate my blog...hmm...not sure what to say to that.  Is it a question?  As in "will you be my friend, carpet?".  Or perhaps someone was looking for a "will you be my friend" carpet.

Either way I have to say, given the choice, I'm more a bamboo flooring kind of girl!  :)