Book Signing on Saturday
I’ve gotten away from posting these, but I shouldn’t have. If you’re in the area, be sure to swing by Half Price Books Humble on Saturdays to check out local authors.
Freelance Writing
I wish this blog was a post about me receiving one of those… see Daphne, above, a royal portable from 1930. Green, no less.
It’s not.
But it is pretty exciting.
I’m pursuing supplementing my income with freelance writing jobs. So far, I have been hired on by Money-Fax.com and I’m enjoying it quite a bit. Money-Fax has me writing about Kid & Family Budgeting, which is pretty perfect because I’m a homeschool mom chronically on an author budget. (That’s code for mommy who lives off nothing.)
Here are links to my published articles, so far:
The Economics of Cloth Diapers
How to Entertain Your Child for Free This Summer
How Much Does it Really Cost to Homeschool
The more traffic my articles get, the more people will want to have me write them – naturally. So, please, if you have someone in your life any of these articles would interest, share them.
There are more to come. Keep checking Money-Fax.com for budget friendly pets and ways to celebrate Easter. Browse through their site for other helpful articles as well. They are an education service geared toward helping the public learn to improve the state of their finances.
April Events 2014!
The month of April is full of Earth Day celebrations. More specifically, S. Smith, author of a dystopian young adult series that I can’t seem to rave enough about, has planned a trip to Texas from Oregon! I’m so excited!
She will also be at the Montrose HPB (hpb.com/011) on Saturday, April 19th, 6pm-9pm.
Then she’ll be making rounds in San Antonio, Austin, and finally Dallas! Check out her website for more details on events in those cities: http://authorssmith.com/book-news-and-events/
Also, although I am based out of Houston, this is a Dallas event that I support with all my heart and would love to attend if I were able:
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
This is an annual event at most Half Price Books stores. If you missed it this year, keep your eyes peeled for signage in your favorite store next year.
Oh The Places You’ll Go!
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
There was also had a bowl of colored Gold Fish at the table with a pretty nifty sign of the book cover. Each kid got a party bag with an HPB cup inside so they could scoop goldfish from the bowl.
My kiddo with The Cat in the Hat (Kevin Pickle)
I think we were just as excited as the kids to take a picture with a real, live Cat in the Hat.
I got the idea for Truffula Tree Cupcakes on Pinterest. It’s chocolate cupcake mix, icing dyed green with food coloring, I added dark green sprinkles for fun, and cotton candy on a kebob stick. Do the cotton candy last minute, I tried to do it too soon and the humidity of Houston caused the cotton candy to crystallize and shrink. We had to buy a second batch of cotton candy and redo it right before the party.
A Weekend With Super Heroes
Half Price Books Humble just celebrated May the Fourth Be With You in serious style. There was a costume contest, a raffle, Comicpalooza tickets to give away, free comic books, and free art work by some amazing artists.
Bright and early in the morning, sporting a Spiderman t-shirt and super awesome white frilly skirt, my daughter showed up bright eyed and bushy tailed to get her own free artwork. Here she is chatting with artist Merrick Shaka Khan.
Shortly after this photo our costume contest winner also showed up bright and early. Meet Doctor Who:
In the early afternoon we had free ice cream from Amy’s Ice Creams and lots of coupons to share…
Then, Aoristos – Creationeer arrived to offer his artistic talents to our customers for a few hours. It was amazing to watch him put peoples’ faces into their favorite characters.
Finally, we were able to wrap up the day by announcing our Comicpalooza ticket raffle winner!
Stay posted to join in all the fun at Half Price Books in Humble. Next Event… a Celebration of Nurse Appreciation, May 11th. Starts at 1:00 pm.
When We’re Not Reading – Fall Begins
Thursdays at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston is free. I love taking the kiddo to see the ever-changing exhibits there, and this time we spent a lot of time watching the six-minute long digitally animated Tree changing through the seasons and blowing in the imaginary wind. The exhibit is called “Mike Kelley” and was made by artist Jennifer Steinkamp. It is absolutely lovely, and I highly recommend taking time out of your busy schedule to go sit and experience its luminous, fake leaves.
Another fantastic and *free* thing to do in Houston when the weather is nice is to visit Sam Houston Park/ Heritage Square. The real life trees you can see are simple amazing, fun to romp and climb, and just a wonderful place to have an outdoor picnic. You can also go visit the Heritage Society Museum for no charge, the entrance is in the courtyard. We didn’t stay long, however, because kiddo nearly killed a display and cost the city some priceless treasures. We’ll try that museum when she’s a bit older.
I grew up visiting Sam Houston Park during the Christmas season, when the Heritage Society houses are lit and apple cider, coffee, and hot cocoa is served in the courtyard. Choirs sing in gazebos, courtyards, along the paths, and on balconies (I participated every year until I graduated), and it’s just a pleasant way to spent a cold evening. So I can’t wait to take kiddo to experience a park she already enjoys in its most festive capacity.
The same day we had our freebie adventures downtown, I finished up my day at Half Price Books in Humble at the first ever Poetry Night. There were only three of us present, but we had a wonderful time eating chocolate chip cookies and discussing the work of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. It sounds melancholy and macabre, but I assure you it was quite pleasant. I spent Friday afternoon talking the program up to teachers at Humble High School, so hopefully we’ll have a bit of a crowd next time. Keep in mind, it’s the first Thursday of the month all semester, and its a great (and totally free) way to spend an evening.
Now its Saturday and we’ve got Corn Chowder cooking in the crock pot, in anticipation of a cold front, and home-made whip cream (flavored with Amarula) cooling in the fridge waiting for an Almond Cake with a Peach-Berry topping. Kiddo is playing dress up in the library as I type this post. I love my life.
Poetry Nights at Half Price Books
It all begins tomorrow night! I plan to binge on some William Carlos Williams and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
