I Have Always Dreamed of an Indoor Pool, But.........

Hi!

First off, thanks for reading these ramblings, once again. I would love it if you became a follower!


Well it got a little exciting around here this week!

Monday and Tuesday were fine, just your average, run of the mill, typical July days. Then came Tuesday night!  As far as we can tell, the downpour left about 5 inches of rain in about 21/2 to 3 hours. It also left about 4 inches of water in our basement!

So, naturally it isn't covered by insurance because it's classified as "seepage." Our new neighbour had his downspout pointed directly at the wall where the water and his landscape soil came through, but is still not insurable. We've been told we would have to sue our neighbour for compensation. Not only are we not really the "take you to court" kind of people, but it would probably cost 3 times more in legal fees than we would actually be awarded. No point.

So anyway, after discovering the water Wednesday morning, I called the hubby at work, he came home and the fun began. Gotta love cutting rolling and hoisting wet carpet out of the basement window! Let me tell you, wet couches are not the lightest thing on the planet either!

There is definitely something to be said about being married these 24 years. We work extremely well together and we have handled much harder situations in the past. Although this will be a costly pain in the butt, we both realized very quickly that, in the grand scheme of things, this is just losing some stuff. You can always replace stuff. We have had much more valuable losses. This is fixable, it just takes elbow grease, determination, and money. Two of which we have an abundance, the latter can always be earned.

So, for the next few weeks of evenings and weekends, we will be dismantling the basement, walls and all. No point in taking chances developing mould. While we have the big dumpster here we are also going to do the demolition of the upstairs bathroom for the previously mentioned reno we are planning there.


On another subject, I did manage to get a wee jump on the wedding we are doing in Elbow, on Sept. 10. Because of the basement, I didn't, however, get to lay my hands on a guitar much.
Also, this week, I received an email, from the Events Coordinator for the Saskatoon Farmer's Market. Apparently, every Wednesday of the summer, they do a story time for kids down there. This year, they have been inviting local authors to join in the fun. They also have a bouncy house, colouring, and crafts. So, I'll be doing a reading/signing down there on Aug. 17th. from about 10:30 til noon. Come by and say hi!


So, other than dealing with a soggy basement, this week:

Hit up Fabricland for Lexi's Ringmaster material and her rain boot fabric.
Write at least one more kids' song
Try to find a Justin Beiber look-a-like. (Long story will explain later)
Find out the nuts and bolts and get prep work done for the show for Milden's Centennial
Have lunch with Dana (YAY!)
Oh, and probably should go to work!lol

Until next week!


May your Summer go by slowly, so you can savour every day.
May your days at the lake be long and lazy, and be filled with nothing but play.

May the smiles of your sundrenched, sticky, wet, children, lighten the loads of laundry they produce.
May you find amazing solutions to bug bites, sunburns, and sand getting places it really has no use.

May your toddlers not eat anything that really harms them, because the odd bug and some foliage is pretty much a given.
May your teenagers meet new friends and have the greatest of times, but always, without fail, use the common sense they've been given.

May you, after the hot dogs and s'mores, destickifying, and tucking in, have time to sit and look up at the night sky.
May you feel, in that moment, you are exactly where you should be on this earth, and sigh, satisfied.


www.margyreidbooks.net

Is Brilliant Drivel Possible?

Well, hi!

Well, it's 2:00am and I can't seem to sleep. I'm not sure if it's a "being 45" thing, or just that I have a lot of things jumping around in my head right now. Either way, you lucky people are going to be witness to what will either be a brilliant, insightful, life changing collection of words, or complete drivel. You decide. (I'm pretty sure on which side of the fence I'll be coming down).


First, the guitar is still kickin' my butt. Not giving up, though. Maybe I just need to find an alternative way of playing it. I don't know..heck, I might just try the "August Rush" approach. If you don't get the reference, you should watch the movie, it's really good.


Next, I didn't get in at the Sundog trade show. At least, not first string. I'm on a waiting list, so if there is a cancellation, I have a shot! By the tone of the letter, it seems I have a pretty good chance next year. I was right at the deadline for applications for this year, next year I'll know to start the process in March. the price you pay for being Green!


I have good news! Lexi's eye surgery was a grand success! Amy (the puppet lady), was able to remove the googly eyes of the original puppet and replace them with the kinder, gentler, felt version. And.......the chances of Lexi being arrested for indecent exposure have gone down considerably! The sewing goddess has put together the "Super Lexi" t-shirt and her jammies! They look incredible! I'll share pictures as soon as I can.

I never got around to starting prep work on either the Milden Centennial gig or the September wedding, but I did manage to add a party to our Rainbow Entertainment agenda for the third weekend in September in Kindersley.

September looks like it's shaping up to be fairly hectic. Do some readings and music in a few schools up North, Wedding in Elbow, Birthday in Kindersley, Word on the street festival in Saskatoon, and the Unity Trade show! Hectic, and I wouldn't miss any of it for the World!!!

So I guess I better get busy, this week, with some prep work. No more slackin' off!

Also jumping around in my head tonight, are thoughts of the mini-renovation we will be doing of our bathroom this fall, trying to get the Lexi puppets ready for McNally, thoughts of pitching the puppet to one of the big toy companies if it seems like it might take off. As it sits, we are not exactly set up for mass producing her. (If I should be fortunate enough for kids to actually want to play with her!)If I do approach them, how do I even start to go about it? I'll have to do a ton of research on that one, so I don't come off as some kind of idiot! How do I picture the next story as a book? How many illustrations? Same style?Size? I need to have it ready for Hazel by Spring. My second daughter was regaling me with tales of how people keep trying to run over her as she rides that crazy motorcycle around on the freeway! Another daughter is feeling stressed about her summer lay off as a school bus driver, another is welding heavy farm equipment 5 days a week and has the burn marks to prove it! Wouldn't biochemistry have been much safer? My other daughter is having problems with her shoulder and nobody seems to be able to nail down a cause, or a solution, for that matter. With her injuries, there is usually something specific to blame it on. She has a tendency to run into things, trip over things, fall up stairs, out of buses...well, you get my drift. When she was 3, she used to ask me why she's the one that gets all the owies? Probably a good thing she turned down that modelling job. Her + high heels + elevated runway = more x-rays. Believe me, that would not be good. It's amazing she doesn't glow in the dark, as it is!

(Sigh)I guess it's no great mystery why I'm not sleeping, after all.

So, brilliant? Well, I don't know that I will ever be brilliant, and if I am, I highly doubt it will take place on an insomnia-driven night at 2am. Drivel? Well, I hope not. Well, not complete drivel, anyway. Thank you once again for reading my ramblings!

As I am very confident that I am not the only one who has a lot on their mind and maybe has trouble sleeping, now and then, I'll leave you, until next week, with this wish for all of us.



May your sleep be filled with only good dreams, ones that make you smile as you awaken.
May you not even have to get up to pee, and to wake up, need to be shaken.

May your slumber be as deep and restful as Sleeping Beauty's fabled doze.
May your Prince Charming wake you with the softest of kisses, and not his frozen toes.

May you sleep until you are done sleeping, no alarm clocks to jolt you from your dreamy bliss.
May you, in times of chasing real shut eye, be able to fall asleep remembering this wish.


Until Next Week!

www.margyreidbooks.net

Roots, Hoots and Salutes!

Hi All!

I apologize for not getting my ramblings up last night, as promised, but by the time we got home and had everything unloaded and cleaned up, it was pretty late. And I, my friends, was beat!


It was completely worth it!

Let's start off with my niece's graduation. It was so cool to watch her accomplish this milestone with such maturity and grace. Even better, was watching my little brother, as he watched her. He has 3 kids, and this is the first to leave the nest. It's very bitter sweet to see your babies graduate. On one hand you are so proud of them you just want to burst, on the other, your buffering days between them and the huge world out there, are coming to an end. They are, for all intents and purposes, grown up.

The graduation brought back all kinds of memories, those of our girls' graduations, and even those of my own. Which brings us to the next part of my ramblings. The Denzil Centennial!

To start things off, I did a reading/signing on Friday afternoon. It went pretty great! Some of the faces in the crowd were those of people I used to babysit in high school! Others were the faces of their kids, some were Aunts and Uncles, some were covered in face paint and cotton candy. The best part is, that when I was finished reading both books, they were all covered in smiles!

So after we finished up signing books, we headed back to the lake for a bite to eat and a bit of a wade in the water. It was gorgeous! Then, it was back to Denzil for the first of 2 nights of dancing!

The band the first night, was, well, disappointing. Two guys on guitars, a lot of canned backtracks (and not great quality ones), forgotten lyrics, and missed chords. All in all, it seemed like a band dipped heavily in rust, that didn't really bother to shake off the cob webs for our little country town.

Now, did we let this hamper our good time? Of course not! My hubby, some cousins, and I still had a complete blast!

Now, on to Saturday. Through the course of this gorgeous day, we were able to pick up a few missing or forgotten pieces of camping essentials (we are pretty much novices), to meet my newest little cousin, Elijah, who, by the way is adorable, and get ready for the next round of food and dancing!

We drove back to Denzil for an awesome supper that fed well over 500 people. Here is where I was able to meet up with a few familiar faces! I was a little disheartened to see only 2 of my graduating classmates during the weekend, but there were a lot from the classes a little older and a little younger, so a person was still able to get caught up with a few people.

The band for the dance on Saturday night was phenomenal! They had a huge arsenal of songs, which they played and sang with perfect three and four part harmonies.  The hubs and I had a hoot and spent very little time on our chairs that night!

Also, on Saturday night the little town of Denzil put on the best fireworks display I have ever seen! They hired a company that has been honored with all kinds of national and international awards, and, Wow! It was absolutely spectacular! We were standing with the band, watching, and the lead singer, commented on how it was the best he has seen, way better than Disney World! A huge salute to Denzil!

During the bands' breaks, we had a chance to chat with them about music, dance crowds, venues, etc. Through the conversations, we found out the lead singer has a CD out and a 5 year old son. Well, we did a little swap, and now his little guy, Noah, has a signed copy of " A Crazy Day," and we have an awesome CD to listen to!

The combination of my niece graduating, coming back to the town where I grew up, and capping it off with a reading/signing of my very own books, sure makes a person reflect on your roots.

It was good to go back and see where and who I come from. Roots are important, even if they aren't perfect. The hard soil and rocks our roots go through to thrive, is what makes them strong enough to withstand the harshest storms.

Now folks, as for the upcoming week.

Armed with some tips from Saturday night's band (The Hudec Brothers), I will take a fresh stab at the guitar.

 I also need to start the music prep for Milden's Centennial.

We are also doing that wedding is early September. I need to start the initial prep work on that.

I need to work on more childrens' songs.

I have to get in touch with the Sundog Craft Show people to find out if I made the cut.

Shaping up to be a busy enough week!

Until then.


May you see your roots for what they are, the beginnings of who you've become.
May you let the solid ones run deep, let the ones carrying poison die, for they can only hinder your run.

May you become a root in another's life, one they can hold on to, a deep runner, solid and true.
May you find being that root for others, makes you, your happiest you.

May you accept your roots, both good and bad, and turn them into gold.
May you accept that they are only the beginnings of who you are, the rest is for you to own.



www.margyreidbooks.net

Camping and Dancing!

Hi all!

Well, it's been a pretty good week, even if taking into full consideration, that I have not yet conquered the skill of playing the guitar. I know you must be getting tired of the mere mention of the dang thing, and I promise there will be no further mention of it today!

I do have to share with you, though, a very cute grandson story.

My daughter had taken Ethan to the doctor's office, as she suspected he had an eye infection. Being a walk-in clinic in the middle of the day it was predictably busy.  A couple came in  carrying a little one in a car seat, and of course Ethan started chatting to the baby. Now, this couple was dressed in traditional clothing of their culture, she in a beautiful, colourful sari, and he, in a turban. Ethan hadn't noticed anything until, in his fully engrossed conversation with the baby, he glanced up and saw the gentleman.

He then promptly turned to the baby with huge eyes and declared with great awe, "Dude, your grandpa's a Genie!"

Luckily everyone had a good sense of humour about the whole thing, and had a good laugh. Ethan, on the other hand, talked about how lucky that baby was, how he will get wishes, and how wouldn't it be cool if his grandpa was a genie, all the way home!

And people wonder why I like hanging around kids!

This week, I'll be getting ready to attend, and do a reading at the Denzil Centennial Celebrations! It's going to be a lot of fun.
First, we will attend our niece's graduation in Unity on Thursday. Then, on Friday, July 1st, (Canada Day) I'll be doing a reading/signing at the Hall in Denzil at 4 that afternoon. The rest of the weekend will consist of a lot of visiting, food and two, count 'em, two nights of dancing!

So, I'll need a float, and to figure out how many books I'll need to take. I'll need to plan menus and grocery shop as we are camping while we are there.

I'm looking forward to the weekend, and am really hoping to run in to some old friends!

Also, this week, I will be working more on the stringed thing that is the bane of my existence these days. That, along with prepping for the weekend, working on more songs, going to work and packing, it should be a fairly full week!

Next week, my ramblings will be a little late, as I'll have to wait until we get home to write them.
So, until next Sunday Evening,


May the chance to touch base with old friends present itself wrapped in a bar-b-que and a smile.
May you find lots of easy conversation, and time just to sit in it for a while.

May the occasion that brings old friends forward, bring new ones to you as well.
May you be surrounded by good, trustworthy people, to whom, all your secrets you can tell.

May you celebrate this Canada Day with family, fireworks, good food, and a cold one.
May it be followed by so many more good times to come, that you lose track of the fun.


Until then, You can find books:

McNally Robinson @ Saskatoon and Winnipeg
Crandleberry's @ North Battleford
Prairie Rose @ Kindersley
Our Drug Store @ Unity
www.margyreidbooks.net

Happy Daddy Day!

Hello!


First off, I want to wish my Honey the happiest of Father's Days! You know, to this day, every time I see him with his girls, it gives me a deeper appreciation for the term, "Daddy."


I think there is a reason that there are terms like "Father knows best", and "Daddy's little girl." just as there's a difference, in my mind anyway, between being a "Mother" and being a "Mommy", the same holds true for Daddies.

A Father takes on the responsibility of being a parent very seriously, as he should. Helping to protect his family and make sure they have a roof over their head, food in their stomachs, and clothes on their back.

A Daddy, does all that, and...... chases the boogie men from under the bed with his special "monster spray," he sits and watches "The Little Mermaid" for the 26th time without complaint. He welcomes the screaming, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" from his kids at the end of a long and tiring day, without them having a clue just how tired and achy he might be.
As the children get older, the boogie men change, "The Little Mermaid" becomes "A Walk to Remember", the "Daddy! Daddy!" becomes talks about boys and how they should treat you. It becomes picking them up at various events in the wee wee hours of various nights, pulling friends from snow banks, comforting a crying teenager with a broad shoulder, all without them having a clue just how tired and achy he might be.

And best of all, he wouldn't have it any other way.


Yes, there is a significant difference between Daddies and Fathers, so hug the Daddy in your life with a little extra squeeze today, and maybe a little thank you wouldn't hurt.


I know, ramblings, right?


Well although this week did not provide any brilliant breakthroughs in the guitar playing department, I did get my first childrens' song written! Hey, it's a step in the right direction! I'm still struggling with the guitar, oh, who am I kidding, I definitely still suck!

I'm not giving up, by any means, I am, however, getting extremely frustrated. I'll keep plugging away and hope for the best!

I mentioned last week, a festival thingy I received an email about. Well I checked it out and am going to participate. It's called "The Word On The Street Festival." It's on Sunday, Sept. 25th in front of the big Downtown library in Saskatoon. It involves, publishers, book stores, distributors, and independents like me. They are hosted by a handful of cities across the country and this is Saskatoon's first whack at it. I think it could be really great. I'll keep you posted.

Also, this week, I dropped my original Lexi puppet off with Amy aka "the puppet lady" hopefully for an eye transplant. The original eyes were pretty googly, if you recall, and kind of freaked kids out a bit. I'm hoping the operation is a wild success!

I didn't get to fabricland this week, though, so the search for some of the fabric for Lexi's clothes continues.

Now for the next week,

Fabricland! Of course, more guitar, then, more song writing, work on some new stories, go to work and while I'm at it, an end to the postal strike and peace in the middle east.  Okay, so maybe I am feeling a little overwhelmed and intimidated by the whole guitar thing. I'm a writer, I'm allowed to be over dramatic!

Well, folks, my Honey and I are off to meet our kids for a Daddy Day lunch followed by smuggling them all back to our hotel for some killer water sliding!

So Until Next Week,


May your "Father" become a "Daddy", if he isn't one already.
May your Daddy be like your PMS pants, forgiving, comforting, and  steady.

May you find the words to tell your Daddy truthfully how you feel.
May you have the honor of spending the day with him, and share a family meal.

May those of us out there who can only wish our Dad's a happy day with a whisper from our soul.
May we do so with a light heart, fond memories, maybe a tongue in our cheek, with grief taking a lesser toll.



Thanks for putting up with my Ramblings for another week!


www.margyreidbooks.net

Appliances, Guitars & Surprises

Well, Hi!


It's been a pretty interesting week in the Reid household.


First off, and I am perfectly aware of how dorky this sounds, I am sooo happy to tell you that I am the proud owner of a brand new, yep, you read it right, I said BRAND NEW washer and dryer!!!!!!!!


Like I said, I know it's very sad that that news gets me that excited. But in order to appreciate my enthusiasm, you first have to understand how badly I've been needing said appliances. You see, my 20 something year old washer was a little schizophrenic, had the shakes, and I'm pretty sure was suffering from some sort of prostate disorder. The dryer, on the other hand, simply liked to dance across my laundry room floor on a regular basis. I had to shove an old dustpan under one corner to keep it from doing the Watusi out the door!

Now, I can go to my laundry room, put clothes in my washer, and they come out clean! And wouldn't you know it, stuff comes out of the dryer, dry! And I don't have to rely on my spanky new GPS to track where it's waltzed off to!


Okay, now for the guitar portion of this week's blog. Well, apparently I still suck at it, but with the help of my friend, Darren, I've purchased a new "how to" book on learning the basics. He seems to think that I have tons of time to learn what I need to for the Fall. He is a music teacher by trade, so he should have good judgement about these things. But, on the other hand, he has never witnessed the miscommunication that can take place between my right and left hands!

Before you ask, yes, he is a music teacher, but he is also a friend, and I'd like to keep it that way. I have a sneaking suspicion that taking lessons from him could end badly. Besides, I really don't want to go on record as his most frustrating student.

He thinks I can do it on my own. I think I have a shot. We'll just take it from there. I've posted a picture of my youngest daughter playing, to see if it will inspire me and my hands into some state of nimble, coordinated bliss. Here's hopin'.


Now, my surprise, this week, came in the form of a phone call. It was from Eileen, a 77 year old sweet lady from Southwestern Saskatchewan. She had seen my picture in the paper last year, regarding "Lexi" and again, lately, with "A Crazy Day." She said she wanted to call me last year, but couldn't work up the nerve. But, this time, when she had seen that I had come out with another book, she worked it up and called.

She had some great questions, and said she has been thinking about writing a book for years. I answered her questions about the background work that goes into writing and publishing your own book. I could only share what I've learned in my experiences thus far, letting her know that I'm learning more all the time, and have a long way to go. She was very kind and generous with her congratulations, and the fact that she might be even entertaining the  thought of pursuing her writing dream at this stage in her life, is freakin' awesome! It's never too late to chase your dreams. Heck, maybe later in life, they slow down enough so they are easier to catch!

All in all, a very pleasant way to wind down an evening.

Never in a million years did I ever think I would be receiving phone calls like that, and from total strangers, no less! Yep, another pinch myself moment.


Now for the upcoming week:

I think you have probably surmised that my day off on Wednesday will include, you guessed it.....guitar, guitar, guitar!
 I also need to head into Fabricland sometime this week to find fabric for the last of the Lexi puppet outfits.
 This week, too, I'm going to be looking into a kind of trade show/festival thingy I received an email about today. It looks interesting, could be something worth doing. I'll keep you posted.

Until next week;


May your passion become your livelihood so your happiness can bring you money.
May you have a laugh so long you can't even remember what was funny.

May you feel every day, a bit of the thrill that came from so many firsts, firsts that cannot be denied.
May you feel the butterflies of first bike rides, first kisses, first dances,  the first time down the "big kid" slide.

May you find a job that feels less like work, and more like a good way to spend a day.
May you flourish in whatever you choose to do, in every conceivable way.



Books Available:

McNally Robinson in Saskatoon and Winnipeg
Our Drug Store in Unity
Prairie Rose in Kindersley
Crandleberry's in North Battleford
www.margyreidbooks.net

The Battlefords, If I Can Make it There.........

Hi!


Well, it was fast-paced, noisy, a little time crunchy at times, and a complete blast!


Yep, my most awesome "roadie" as she was most lovingly dubbed, and I covered 6 elementary schools on Friday.

The first stop was at 9:15, where I read both books to about 60 kids. Next one was at 10, another 60 or so kids. Next, I think was at 11, another group of about 70 or so. Then it was time for a lunch break.
After lunch we headed over to another school, another group of 65ish or so kids that contained 6 different sets of twins! Kindergarten to grad 3, six sets, Crazy! Anyway no time to doddle! Next reading was at 2:45 I believe, with another 60-65 kids. Then last but not least, I did two readings of each book at the final school for about 75-80 kids. It's a pretty big school, so they had split up the groups.

So fun! Read Lexi and Crazy Day to almost 400 kids in one day!

Now, don't get me wrong, by the end of the last reading of the last book, my tongue was starting to feel like it belonged to somebody else, and I was starting to run out of gas a little. But, I just kept reminding myself that, yes, this might be the 6th time I'm reading this today, but it's their first time hearing it. I want this to be just as fun for the 400th kid as the first.

As always, after each reading, I opened the floor for questions. I love the way kids think! Yes I got the usual, "How long did it take to write this book?", "How many books have you written?", "Where do you get the ideas for stories?". But I also heard a few new ones like "Do you know Robert Munsch?", "Do you make big bucks doing this?", "How does it feel to be a famous author?". So funny!

Oh yes, and of course the inevitable " How old are you?" "How many kids do you have?", and "What are their names?"

As each group left the room, I was given high fives, asked for autographs, hugged, thanked, and told over and over again how much they liked the books. Pretty incredible stuff! Another pinch myself to see if it's real, kind of moment.

Still have to shake my head occasionally, and let it all sink in. Sometimes I just can't fathom that this is my life!

It was an incredible experience, and I would be remiss if I didn't thank Dana and Lori profusely! Lori, for co-ordinating and setting up readings, and Dana for being an incredible host and the most fantabulous roadie ever! Last, but not least I also need to thank Garmin, for creating an idiot proof GPS system that brought my sorry butt to Dana's door, safe, sound and in the dark, without further assistance, Thursday night. On the drive, I was hoping I wouldn't have to call Dana to get her to meet me at the edge of town, again, and let me follow her. I kept thinking, if I can just make it there.... if I can just make it there..... And it brought me right to her doorstep. Easy as that!

So Friday evening after a long day of readings, it was very nice to kick back with a couple of old friends, partake in a couple of cocktails, some bbq steaks, and make each other laugh until it hurts.
I am a very lucky person.


On Saturday, after a wonderful brunch at Lori (the sewing goddess) and Jeff's house, it was time to go shopping for material and patterns for the Lexi puppets!  Yay, one step closer! Still need to find the material for her ringmaster outfit. Who knew that blue with red dots and yellow and purple striped fabric would be so hard to find! Lol

I can't wait!


Just so you know I did sit down with a guitar this week and try to play. Apparently, I really suck at this, so I'm going to have to be very diligent about working at it, or the musical portion of my trips up north this fall will be extremely short! lol

I'll figure it out, right?

For this upcoming week,

Guitar, guitar, and more guitar!!!!!!!!!! Everything else? As of yet, unplanned.

Until next week!



May your life take you places you never knew you'd go.
May you be open to the whatever happens, try to say yes, not no.

May you conquer something scary, be it speaking, singing or dance.
May you give every opportunity, even frightening ones, a fair chance.

May you find what truly makes your heart sing, and hang on fiercely with both hands.
May you know in your heart you deserve to live every happiness and not just watch it from the stands.


Where to find books:

Crandleberry's : North Battleford
Our Drug Store:  Unity
Prairie Rose: Kindersley
McNally Robinson: Saskatoon and Winnipeg
www.margyreidbooks.net