Did you know I'm a bibliophile? Don't worry, that just means someone who loves to read books. I get really bored really fast if I'm not reading SOMETHING.
I had sort of heard about this phenomenon called "Twilight," but I didn't really know what it was all about. I've been off in my own little world for a while, what with my mom being sick and moving and buying a house and all of that. But I knew it was a book that a lot of teenagers are reading.
My friend was telling me that her 12 year old son wanted to read the book, but she wasn't sure she should let him since it was about vampires. I said, "Well, why don't you let ME read it first, and I'll tell you if it's appropriate for him or not."
OH MY WORD. Wow. By the time I had finished the first book, I was hooked. I devoured these books rather quickly. They are very easy to read, and I found myself stepping into the heroine's shoes. I found it believable. I don't know how, because it's vampires, and we all know vampires aren't real..... right?
I even bought the movie so I could watch it on my iPod. It's a wonderful thing to watch/listen to when I'm sewing. Or have insomnia. Or just to immerse myself in fantasy for a while.
The reason I'm telling you this is because this weekend, well, yesterday, actually, I spent most of the afternoon reading through Mrs. Meyer's website. On it, she has posted a partial draft of another book called Midnight Sun. Twilight is written from the heroine's point of view. Midnight Sun is written from the hero's point of view. Midnight Sun is not finished, and may never be finished.
Someone leaked a copy of it to the internet, which in a way, is stealing. Mrs. Meyer is understandably upset about this. I would be too. She posted it on her website so her fans wouldn't look for it elsewhere and give the person who leaked it that validation.
I am writing today, because I have something to say to Stephenie Meyer, and no way to contact her. I understand she googles her own name, so maybe my post will show up someday, somehow.
An Open Letter To Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Series.
Dear Mrs. Meyer,
I am writing to you today because you have written an awesome set of books. I am amazed at how well you allowed me to slip into your world, your dream. I want to thank you for allowing me to share that fantasy with you. I haven't been that carried away since I read Susan Kay's "Phantom."
I also want to thank you for reminding me that I can do anything regardless of age. It is inspiring to me that you are only 2 years older than me (if I've done my math correctly) and also have to work with children in your house. It has become very easy for me to be apathetic and lethargic in my day to day routine. You've inspired me to set goals for myself again.
I have read most of your website, including how you let your characters tell you about themselves. I find that utterly fascinating, because that's how I got my actors to develop their characters when I was directing in school.
I wanted to write to you and tell you not to give up on Midnight Sun. I understand the hurt and betrayal you must have felt. I understand your frustration at having your work posted on the internet before you were ready. But please don't give up on your story. As someone who loves character development, Midnight Sun is an utterly fantastic read. It might not be ready now. It might not be ready next year, but please, don't give up on it.
I want you to know that there will always be critics out there who don't like what you've written. Don't write for them. Write for you, and then, if you would be so kind, please share it with us, your fans.
Thank you again for the world that is Twilight.
Sincerely,
Melinda Hollis
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
My first UFO quilt
This is a story worth telling. You may or may not know that I lived with my parents for the 2001-2002 school year. I was finishing my college degree while Dale was in basic training and AIT for the Army.
While I was there, my momma introduced me to this wonderful new hobby she had started getting interested in. Quilting. She was part of a "message board," and she watched this show ALL the time called "Simply Quilts." Knowing that I was going to be moving halfway across the country, I joined the message board in order to keep in touch with her.
Oh, and then I asked her to teach me how to do this "quilting thing." She gave me a magazine of some fairly easy quilt patterns, and told me to pick one. The one I picked is a variation of a buzz saw pattern, but still fairly simple. I decided to do it. I was going to use all sorts of star fabrics, and I was going to make it larger than queen size but smaller than king size.
To understand the rest of this story, you have to understand the basics of what is considered a "block" in this pattern. You sew three "strips" together, which is a unit. Then sew four units together to get your block. Depending on the colors you use and the placement of the colors, you will get your "saw" or in my case, "star." In 2001, I sewed together 5 units, which made one block and one leftover unit.
And then it sat. And sat and sat and sat and sat. I still collected star fabrics for it. I still pulled it out and thought about it. I moved it from Arkansas to an apartment in Georgia to base housing in Georgia to Louisiana to a basement in Missouri, and then an apartment. And then I knew.... It was time to finish. While we were in our apartment, I pulled it back out, and I finished putting the top together.
I had to make some decisions though. I obviously didn't want to complete a queen size quilt, so I didn't. I obviously didn't want to spend more time cutting fabrics that I probably wasn't going to use, so I didn't. I obviously didn't want to put together any more blocks than I needed to, so ... I didn't. The lesson in this is to be happy with what you have done instead of trying to do more.
The result is that now, in my new house, after 7 different locations, I am now finished with the very first quilt I ever started. My first UFO (unfinished object for my non quilting friends).
First picture: I wanted to show some of the quilting off. Fairly simple and straightfoward. Lines and stars.
Picture with the flash off. I can't decide which shows the quilting better.
Remember I said that I was collecting star fabrics? I pieced them together, and used that as the back! :D
And remember how I said I had leftover pieces to make into blocks? I pieced those together and used them as the binding! :D This picture also shows the strips, units, and one whole block. Interestingly, a block doesn't have a "star" in it. It's only when you put two blocks together that you get a "star."
And TA-DA! The finished product! A nice, lap size quilt, perfect for snuggling under. And it's DONE!
While I was there, my momma introduced me to this wonderful new hobby she had started getting interested in. Quilting. She was part of a "message board," and she watched this show ALL the time called "Simply Quilts." Knowing that I was going to be moving halfway across the country, I joined the message board in order to keep in touch with her.
Oh, and then I asked her to teach me how to do this "quilting thing." She gave me a magazine of some fairly easy quilt patterns, and told me to pick one. The one I picked is a variation of a buzz saw pattern, but still fairly simple. I decided to do it. I was going to use all sorts of star fabrics, and I was going to make it larger than queen size but smaller than king size.
To understand the rest of this story, you have to understand the basics of what is considered a "block" in this pattern. You sew three "strips" together, which is a unit. Then sew four units together to get your block. Depending on the colors you use and the placement of the colors, you will get your "saw" or in my case, "star." In 2001, I sewed together 5 units, which made one block and one leftover unit.
And then it sat. And sat and sat and sat and sat. I still collected star fabrics for it. I still pulled it out and thought about it. I moved it from Arkansas to an apartment in Georgia to base housing in Georgia to Louisiana to a basement in Missouri, and then an apartment. And then I knew.... It was time to finish. While we were in our apartment, I pulled it back out, and I finished putting the top together.
I had to make some decisions though. I obviously didn't want to complete a queen size quilt, so I didn't. I obviously didn't want to spend more time cutting fabrics that I probably wasn't going to use, so I didn't. I obviously didn't want to put together any more blocks than I needed to, so ... I didn't. The lesson in this is to be happy with what you have done instead of trying to do more.
The result is that now, in my new house, after 7 different locations, I am now finished with the very first quilt I ever started. My first UFO (unfinished object for my non quilting friends).
First picture: I wanted to show some of the quilting off. Fairly simple and straightfoward. Lines and stars.
Picture with the flash off. I can't decide which shows the quilting better.
Remember I said that I was collecting star fabrics? I pieced them together, and used that as the back! :D
And remember how I said I had leftover pieces to make into blocks? I pieced those together and used them as the binding! :D This picture also shows the strips, units, and one whole block. Interestingly, a block doesn't have a "star" in it. It's only when you put two blocks together that you get a "star."
And TA-DA! The finished product! A nice, lap size quilt, perfect for snuggling under. And it's DONE!
Momma would be so proud of me for finishing!
Hugs, Melinda
Flowers
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I've been waiting for my flowers to bloom. Here's some pictures of the first ones. There's even more of them now, but I thought I would share these with you. Enjoy my vision of spring!
Hugs,
Melinda
Hugs,
Melinda
Birthday
Sweet Pea's birthday was March 17th. She's my "green" baby. The day started out reasonably well. She wanted a Barbie doll birthday cake. The plan was for me to make it while she was in school. Nonnie (grandma) was coming in that night, and the next day was the start of Spring Break.
I was excited, because I was going to use my momma's "wonder mold" cake pan for the very first time. The short version is... I broke the cake. I could sit here and explain exactly what went wrong, but the main problem is I didn't have enough patience. This first picture is the result.
Why would I show pictures that looked so bad? Just keeping it real, so that those of you who don't know me IRL know that I'm human and I make mistakes, so you won't be blown out of the water when I show you THIS picture!
The finished product came out so much better than the first attempt. It almost looked professional! LOL
Sweet Pea requested clover pancakes for her birthday dinner. Of course, being St. Patrick's Day and all, they had to be green. I've made green milk before, but this day, we had lime flavored Kool-Aid instead.
The birthday girl with her birthday cake. She was decked out in green.
And Little Bit really wanted it to be her birthday, and her birthday cake. (She had on her green too.)
Nonnie made it safe and sound much to the relief of Little Bit. She loves her Nonnie.
Nonnie being who she is, she brought presents. This skirt was one of the first ones opened.
Cake was one of the very last things we did that night. This was after the wish was made.
One other thing that is important to note: I've been waiting patiently for my flowers to bloom. I planted a bed full of daffodils last fall. This was the very first one to bloom. Guess when that happened? March 17th of course. :D This is the "birthday flower," now.
I was excited, because I was going to use my momma's "wonder mold" cake pan for the very first time. The short version is... I broke the cake. I could sit here and explain exactly what went wrong, but the main problem is I didn't have enough patience. This first picture is the result.
Why would I show pictures that looked so bad? Just keeping it real, so that those of you who don't know me IRL know that I'm human and I make mistakes, so you won't be blown out of the water when I show you THIS picture!
The finished product came out so much better than the first attempt. It almost looked professional! LOL
Sweet Pea requested clover pancakes for her birthday dinner. Of course, being St. Patrick's Day and all, they had to be green. I've made green milk before, but this day, we had lime flavored Kool-Aid instead.
The birthday girl with her birthday cake. She was decked out in green.
And Little Bit really wanted it to be her birthday, and her birthday cake. (She had on her green too.)
Nonnie made it safe and sound much to the relief of Little Bit. She loves her Nonnie.
Nonnie being who she is, she brought presents. This skirt was one of the first ones opened.
Cake was one of the very last things we did that night. This was after the wish was made.
One other thing that is important to note: I've been waiting patiently for my flowers to bloom. I planted a bed full of daffodils last fall. This was the very first one to bloom. Guess when that happened? March 17th of course. :D This is the "birthday flower," now.
And that was our St. Patrick's Day. The day after was "THE" shopping spree to end all shopping sprees. We had saved some money back from our tax refund. The deal with Sweet Pea was that she could use that money for a party or she could go on a shopping spree. She picked shopping. LOL
Hugs,
Melinda
Catching up
I'm going to try to post some pictures to get myself all caught up on my blog. I love my blog, it's "My" blog, my space, my journal in a way. But like my sister in law Marie, I've kind of gotten caught up in the world of Facebook. Which distracts me from my blog.
I'm sorry Blog. I love you. I do. But facebook is so much.... FUN! :D
Next post will be loaded with pictures.
Hugs,
Melinda
I'm sorry Blog. I love you. I do. But facebook is so much.... FUN! :D
Next post will be loaded with pictures.
Hugs,
Melinda
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ice Cream Flavors!
This is shaping up to look like a really fun and yummy challenge. I'm so excited to see what everyone comes up with.
However, there are a few people I can't find contact information for. I'm going to post your flavors here so that maybe you will come back and find it. The links will take you to the page where your flavor is pictured.
Nancy W., you got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
Sandie Mackintosh, you have Lime Daiquiri Ice.
Becky, how about World Class Chocolate? Make sure you look at yours, because it's not just brown. ;)
Anonymous, if you will tell me your name, I will tell you Pistachio Almond.
And Honeybee, my youngest picked Red, White, and True Chocolate for you. I can't find the picture online, so how about Very Berry Strawberry, instead?
I can't wait to see everyone's creations! Remember to come back here on June 8th to either leave a link to your picture/post, or to e-mail me with a picture. I'll try to have a winner by the evening of June 9th.
Have fun everyone!
Hugs,
Melinda
However, there are a few people I can't find contact information for. I'm going to post your flavors here so that maybe you will come back and find it. The links will take you to the page where your flavor is pictured.
Nancy W., you got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
Sandie Mackintosh, you have Lime Daiquiri Ice.
Becky, how about World Class Chocolate? Make sure you look at yours, because it's not just brown. ;)
Anonymous, if you will tell me your name, I will tell you Pistachio Almond.
And Honeybee, my youngest picked Red, White, and True Chocolate for you. I can't find the picture online, so how about Very Berry Strawberry, instead?
I can't wait to see everyone's creations! Remember to come back here on June 8th to either leave a link to your picture/post, or to e-mail me with a picture. I'll try to have a winner by the evening of June 9th.
Have fun everyone!
Hugs,
Melinda
Monday, March 09, 2009
Ice Cream Social
**UPDATE** It is still NOT too late to enter. Just leave a comment and let me know you want to play. Also, be sure you leave some way to contact you so I can let you know your "flavor."
**Update #2** If you haven't heard from me about your ice cream flavor yet, then you should check this post. Chances are, I couldn't let you know because I couldn't find a way to contact you.
"I Scream, You Scream. We all Scream for Ice Cream."
As you may or may not know, I'm the vice president for my quilting guild. The board has decided to have a quilt challenge, and guess who is in charge of it? :D
So, here's an idea: I'm going to have the same challenge here, only it will be online. If you are interested in this challenge, please leave a comment, and I will have Sweet Pea draw a flavor for you. You can either post your quilt on your own blog, or email me at mghollis 38 at msn dot com, and I'll post it for you. Otherwise, the rules are as follows.
**Update #2** If you haven't heard from me about your ice cream flavor yet, then you should check this post. Chances are, I couldn't let you know because I couldn't find a way to contact you.
"I Scream, You Scream. We all Scream for Ice Cream."
As you may or may not know, I'm the vice president for my quilting guild. The board has decided to have a quilt challenge, and guess who is in charge of it? :D
So, here's an idea: I'm going to have the same challenge here, only it will be online. If you are interested in this challenge, please leave a comment, and I will have Sweet Pea draw a flavor for you. You can either post your quilt on your own blog, or email me at mghollis 38 at msn dot com, and I'll post it for you. Otherwise, the rules are as follows.
Executive Board Mid Year Challenge
Ice Cream Quilt Challenge Rules
We will draw for “flavors” starting on March 9th.
You may use the colors of your “flavor” plus an additional 2 colors of your choice. (This can include shades.)
The quilt may be any shape, but must be no more than 100” in circumference.
Only finished projects will be accepted.
Your ice cream quilt should include at least 2 “toppings” (i.e., embellishments.)
For the purpose of this contest, embellishments can be an altered fabric.
Please post your ice cream quilt by June 8th for judging. There will be a post on June 8th for you to leave a link to your photo.
Ice Cream Quilt Challenge Rules
We will draw for “flavors” starting on March 9th.
You may use the colors of your “flavor” plus an additional 2 colors of your choice. (This can include shades.)
The quilt may be any shape, but must be no more than 100” in circumference.
Only finished projects will be accepted.
Your ice cream quilt should include at least 2 “toppings” (i.e., embellishments.)
For the purpose of this contest, embellishments can be an altered fabric.
Please post your ice cream quilt by June 8th for judging. There will be a post on June 8th for you to leave a link to your photo.
Your quilt does not have to be ice-cream themed, but it will score brownie points with the judge if it is. (I like Ice Cream.) :P
Relax, enjoy, and don’t stress over this. It’s supposed to be fun! Remember, stressed spelled backwards is desserts. :D
Relax, enjoy, and don’t stress over this. It’s supposed to be fun! Remember, stressed spelled backwards is desserts. :D
Oh yeah. Since this is my online challenge and not the guild's, I'm going to offer a small prize for the first place winner, say something like a gift certificate to an online quilt store? :D Have fun, and I'll see you in June.
Hugs,
Melinda
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