'Tis the Season

I started submitting again this week.  I know, I know--I said I was going to submit a while ago, back when I posted my query (which is better now, by the way), but I sort of kind of hate querying and only submitted a few more. Which upped my total queried agents to about 25.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I am actually happy with my query (finally! those things are difficult!), so I started sending it out this week. A lot.

And I'm getting partial and full requests! Multiple ones! It is a strange and exciting thing (I sort of expected silence in December, but this is better.  Yay!)

I've been waiting on a couple of other agents for a while, which is one of the reasons I wasn't submitting to new ones.  But it feels good to get some more pages out there (Writer's House?!?), and there's the plain fact that I need to find the right reader for my book.  I don't like every book I pick up, even ones that come with enthusiastic recommendations, and it makes sense that agent's tastes will also vary.

Here is a fairly long video of Holdman Christmas lights from 2010. This year their lights are at a mall (which makes sense, given the amount of traffic they must attract), but here's some songs and snow at their house. 'Tis the season!

Conjunctivitis

Apparently, if you get more sleep, sometimes you wake up with your right eye glued shut by gunk. And then, when you get it open and wash your hands a gazillion times, you notice that your eyes are all Christmas-colored--red where they should be white and greener in the iris because of all the contrast. Hooray! you think as you go about your day. I have pink eye, and I look festive.

Hooray?

Now I am getting glasses for the first time in ten years! They don't look like this, although I could probably scare a few people if they did. Hmm...

Sleep

You know what is most important during the holidays? I love my family. There's books, and church, and lights, and cocoadecorationspresentsgamessparklyfun.

But you can't enjoy any of it without sleep.

So here is my resolution: even though I'm in the middle of grading the longest essay of the semester, and shopping for my friends and family, and editing my second book while querying my first book (which gets confusing), and trying to find time for various lights and holiday magic things, I will still go to bed. Before eleven. Sleep can be a writing and holiday goal, too!

I couldn't find a picture of Cindy Lou Who sleeping, but this is what she would look like if she, say, got up at three in the morning wanting breakfast like certain three-year-olds in our house (he fell asleep in Mommy's arms instead, thank goodness).

Skittles!

Sometimes I reward myself.  Usually I use books, but when we're poor (like now, 'cause of the new computer), I can use things like Skittles.  I just finished reading my second book and planning out revisions (I drew up checklists and everything).  So...today I got Skittles!

Here is a commercial celebrating my success.  I feel bad for this guy.  But it makes me laugh anyway. And, hey, some Skittles are red and green, so...uh...holidays? Huh. I guess today just hasn't been the most holiday-y day.

Must...ship...gifts...

Well, we're working through our Christmas shopping, but since lots of my friends and family live other places (yay Washington! and Oregon, and California, and New York...), I've got some cards and packages to get ready for shipping.  Next year I should be smarter and buy everything online! Anyway. Here is my favorite six or so seconds from one of the two Christmas movies I own.  I love the wrinkles! And those eyebrows, and the way his hair unfurls...

House lights

So we  haven't exactly put up our outdoor lights yet.  It is cold out there, and we have two boys who would try to climb the ladder, and...yeah, I'll just watch this video and pretend like our house-in-a-coul-de-sac is this awesome.

Christmas wreath treats

I have never shared a recipe, right? Well, besides this one, which doesn't really count.  But I have lots of Christmas recipes, and today we made Christmas Wreaths.  They are quite easy, and tasty, if you like Rice Krispy Treats.  You make them as follows:

32 big marshmallows
1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Green food coloring
6 cups Corn Flakes

Put the marshmallows and butter in a pot, and turn the stove onto medium heat.  Stir occasionally until they melt.

While the marshmallow/butter stuff is melting (mmm), put the cornflakes in a large bowl.  Set aside.

After everything in the pot is melted, add the vanilla and green food coloring.  Pour it over the cornflakes and stir them up until the cornflakes are all covered (and green!).  Pull out some waxed paper (or something equally non-sticky), put two-inch lumps (or so) of the cornflake mixture on the paper, and use buttery hands to shape those lumps into donut-wreath-shaped treats (basically, just poke a hole in the middle).  They firm up as they get cooler, and you can add some little red hot candies along the sides if you want them to look pretty.

Okay, after typing that up, it sounds more complicated than it is.  Really, the wreaths only take about fifteen minutes, maybe twenty, if you have a three-year-old and a baby to "help." And they are tasty! Trust me.

Don't you love how these wreaths both make Santa's beard look sickly and prevent him from talking/smoking/breathing through his mouth? Sort of creepy, except this is what the candies look like, usually. Huzzah for Santa-face plates!