Life With Jules, and other stuff

The Cat and the Canary Once there was a cat Who loved to purr and meow And also shared a song With a yellow canary And though they weren’t playful They were truly friends. And though they were friends This bird and this cat All they wanted was to be playful And so the cat would meow Loudly to the caged canary And the two would sing their song. And while it was a beautiful song That the two shared as friends The little yellow canary And the pretty little cat, While the cat continued to meow, Found a way one day to be playful. And now they could be playful And sing their lovely song While the cat continued to meow Alongside his pretty friend The friend of the cat Was really a canary. And though the canary Enjoyed being playful With his new friend, the cat They continued to sing their song And continued to be friends While the cat continued to meow. And while the cat continued to meow To his pal the yellow

Well, I was working on the Charger over the weekend and noticed that I am off-count somewhere. It sucks! I have recounted every stitch and have come to the conclusion that the pattern itself may be off. So, how do I fix it? Until I figure it out, the Charger is stalled at the halfway point! UGH!!! I guess I will pick up a different pattern and start something new until I have time to figure out what is going on!

All I want is …. All I want is to be free Free from the pain I feel All I want is to love again To allow my heart to be open All I want is a home A home to call my own All I want is you Forever by my side. April 17, 2009 ~ “All I Want Is ______” Poem Heaven and Earth There is a magic in the air As I gaze up at the sky And watch the twinkling of light Pour out of the night As the light shines down through The atmosphere to me I imagine the color That the twinkling star could be The layers of gas surrounding the earth Can’t capture the true beauty Of the stars high above And their true light shining down. April 18, 2009 ~ Interaction Poem Burial There is a fire Buried in the pit Of my stomach Each time I hear your name. There is rage Deep in my soul Whenever I see A picture of you. There is an emotion I just cannot described Watching the dirt At the burial of you.

Day 14 Today, we were challenged to write a Love or Anti-Love poem. I tried to combine the two: Love Sucks Love sucks Like a sour lemon The initial taste is sweet But it soon turns bitter. Love bites Like a horny mosquito Looking for sweet nectar Instead drawing blood. Love breathes Like wind through the trees Softly at first Then harsh like a storm. Love lives In my heart and my soul For my family and friends For the departed souls. Day 15 For this poem, we were challenged to take a famous poem and rewrite it as our own. Much acknowledgement goes to Mr. William Shakespeare for his beautiful sonnets and especially for the one which inspire my rewrite: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day? - Sonnet XVIII Shall I Compare Thee to a Winter’s Night? Shall I compare thee to a winter’s night? You aren’t more lovely than new fallen snow: Cold temperatures do chill the morning air of December, And winter’s lease is much, much too

I will try to keep up with my cross-stitching over the next several months, but I am now in my fourth semester of graduate school. At the moment, I am focused on my classes, but will hopefully have time in another month to at least finish the Charger. Then I will be taking a break until August. In the meantime, check out some of the links I have posted and my other posts!

Recently, I found out that I was selected as the winner on Dream, Create, and Share . I received my gift today and am looking forward to using it. The journal was created by the blog owner, Tammy, and the stamps and ink are from Stampin' Up. Thank you so much Tammy!

Hobbies There are so many to choose from I can’t pick just one! It started with photography Taking pictures that I love My travels and family My friends and pets. Then came the writing That I grew fond of The poems, the stories The secrets they hold. I started to scrapbook A few years ago A way to organize Those pictures I took. Now it is cross-stitch There’s so much to do The patterns, the fabrics The floss, and the rest. Hobbies, more hobbies There are so many to choose!

So we decided to join the Navy So we decided to join the Navy Our parents could not have been more proud We thought we knew what we were getting into Boy, we could not have been more wrong! We went to the local recruiter To decide the job we would do We wanted to be a jet pilot But we couldn’t get it approved. So we decided to join the Navy As generations have done so before We were learning the basics in boot camp While getting in shape as well! We went to our first duty station A ship so grey and so large We trained to be a mechanic To keep that big boat afloat. So we decided to join the Navy To wear our dress blues, rewarding We held our heads up high; So proud.

...I decided to give it a try this year. I thought about posting them on this blog as well, then thought "Nah!". Well, I decided to do it anyway. This initial post will be rather long so I can get you up-to-date. From here on, I will post every single day. Here are the first 11 poems for the Challenge: ****************************** Kid Baby Child Infant Tot Bother Dupe Jest Mock Even a baby goat! April 1, 2009 ~ Origin Po em *********************************** From the Outside Looking In Looking through the glass An abundance appears Hot and cold, sour and sweet An array of trays and aromas abound. Looking through the glass A vision appears Swirling ball gowns and tails They dance with glee and blissful sounds. Looking through the glass Tears begin to fall As she stands in the cold From the outside looking in. Apr il , 2009 ~ Outsider Poem *********************************** The Problem

Ok, so I want to get published. I feel my writing is adequate enough, but will it sell? My primary question is where do I begin? Does anyone out there have any suggestions on where to start, publishing houses that may be looking for new writers, etc? How did you get your start?

I am about halfway done with the '68 Charger and I have to admit that it is coming along nicely. The only issue I am having is with the Kreinik Metallic floss. I have never really enjoyed working with metallics, but it is something I will have to deal with, I guess. Fortunately, there is not a lot of metallic floss used within the pattern. Here are a couple of pictures of what is completed so far (actually, I have a bit more done than in the pics, but these are the most recent): When all is said and done, there will be a tree shading above the car. There is also a license plate on the front of the car, so I may personalize it with my uncle's name.