Alphabe-Thursday "Q"

Good morning class! Please, please Quiet down!

I know you are in a Quandary about our letter this week! Perhaps you do not feel Qualified to tackle such a difficult letter...but please...do not Quake in your boots...you are going to be just fine with the letter "Q"!

Our wonderful student at Garden of Daisies suggested I change the reading order this week. Class, please thank her for her brilliant idea! She suggests that this week we divide the reading into Even and Odd!

If your first name starts with the letters A - L please start reading the even posts first starting with link number 2.

If your first name starts with the letters M - Z please start reading the odd posts first starting with link number 1.

But if you have time, please try and read all the links! They are always fun and fascinating.

I also want to let you know that each week I visit every blog. I noticed a blog today where my comment didn't show up. If it appears I haven't visited your blog by Friday night, please let me know, because it is important to me to make sure you know I've visited you!

And lastly, this is a giveaway week! Links to the letters N, O, P and Q will qualify you for this giveaway. It always takes me a bit to figure it out but I will try to have it Random Org'd sometime Friday night!


And, lastly, class. If you have any difficulties with your link please make sure to include the number of the link when you e-mail me. It is really difficult for me to find them otherwise. Vicki, this is going to be your easy-linking week! Hooray for you!

If you have any questions about Alphabe-Thursday or problems doing your link just post it in a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll do my best to help you.

The McLinkey will be live from 6:00 pm MST time Wednesday night through 8:00 am MST time Friday morning!

And remember.... link back to this post, you need to be registered as a follower of my blog (since there are prizes involved and it makes my life easier that way), PG posts only, and try to visit all the other students according to the letter of your first name! The links will stay live after the final post deadline has passed so you can even wait and visit over the weekend or whenever you have more time.

Class is dismissed. Quickly file your Q posts now, class!

Greed - Saturday Centus

Yes, I know it's Wednesday but don't be confused.

I started a new meme on Saturday centered around a prompt and limited to 100 words. We are all linking up our little stories and it is proving to be quite interesting.

Last Saturday I wrote the prompt but starting this week Mr. Jenny is going to do it because he said I can "cheat" too much when I write it myself.

Not sure how you can "cheat" with something that's total imagination...but .... ummm.... OK.

The bolded words are the prompt this week.


My untied shoelace changed my life. As I leaned down to re-tie it, I kicked away a few leaves. When I turned my head slightly to look where the leaves had been, I was astonished to see a rubber-banded wad of hundred dollar bills nestled in a little indention in the muddy ground.

I watched as the Dillard's sign grew smaller in the side window.

And I remembered that moment, remembered that stupid shoelace, remembered the mud I wiped from my hands onto my jeans after I had stuffed that wad of money into my pocket.

The clerk at Dillard's was pleased with the big sale she rang up for me.

Until she used her magic counterfeit pen on the hundred dollar bills.

Store security had transferred me to a Sherrif's deputy waiting with handcuffs.

"I can explain," I cried.

"Tell it to the judge," was his dispassionate reply.

Story Time Tuesday - Chapter 4

If you missed STORIES FROM HOME - Chapter Three, just click here.
STORIES FROM HOME - Chapter Four

Throughout the afternoon the sad little house had done its best to see through the tall weeds and the cool green summer leaves.

Mesmerized by the happy sounds of children talking and laughing, the sad little house barely saw the afternoon shadows grow longer.

It was only as the sounds became quieter that the sad little house noticed the sky was alight with the beginning sunset’s rosy-pink glow.

As the sky grew more beautiful the sounds disappeared completely and the sad little house grew lonely and started to despair.

Perhaps the sounds of children had never been real. Perhaps the noises had only been imagination and dreams trying to come true.

The sad little house already knew, though, that wishing something doesn’t always make it so.

But sometimes wishing is all there is…

And so…as the fireflies started their twinkling dance in the cooling evening air, the sad little house made one last, tiny wish for the day, “Oh, I hope the calico cat comes and lays on my porch again tonight!”

When the tall weeds at the edge of the woods parted, the sad little house was certain its wish was coming true.

But suddenly the sad little house realized it was not the cat coming to visit, but instead three children standing at the edge of the woods with their mouths forming perfect “ohs”!

The three little girls had stopped suddenly when they saw the little house.

In the last pink glow of the sunset, the girls did not notice the paint peeling into little drifts of grey.

Alight with the twinkle of fireflies, the little girls did not notice the tall weeds growing around the little house.

And in the cool evening air the little porched looked welcoming, and not the least bit weathered and worn.

And so…they cautiously left the woods and took several steps toward the little house.

To be continued on Tuesday, May 18.

(c) 2010 Jennifer R. Matlock
This publication is the exclusive property of Jennifer R. Matlock and is protected
under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Jennifer R. Matlock. All rights reserved.

Darn, who moved my sand (and giveaway winner)

It's happened. Someone took my sand.

They removed it.

All of it except for a few irritating grains ensconced firmly in my shoe and stuck behind my ears from my head being buried for so long.

Instead of catching up on e-mails and writing a funny post and working in my garden I have been sitting here for several hours writing a scathing letter to the editor.

Scathing.

Me.

To the editor.

Me.

On a political matter.

Me.

At first I thought a spaceship might have stolen me...as in "who are you and what have you done to me?"

And then I realized that...gulp...maybe the only that has happened to me is that I am becoming a grown-up. And fed up. And tired of not being heard.

And I realized that you can't be heard if you don't actually say anything.

So I did.

And I think I feel better.

And maybe I'd rather have my sand back.

Or maybe I'd rather start thinking a little bit more about Abraham Lincoln's great quote, "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
And in other, less radical news, I have a winner for the WW's Celebrations cookbook!

Mr. Random Org was happy this morning to tell me that this was the winner!

Min: 1
Max: 93
Result: 6

Comment 6 was this one!
Cynthia K. said... Hi! Would love to be entered for the Celebrations Cookbook giveaway. I'm already a follower....Have a lovely Mother's Day...

Congratulations Cynthia, please e-mail your address to: jennymatlock at cox dot net and I'll get your book right out to you!

Thanks everyone for participating.

Now I am finally, finally heading out to my garden!

I did a post cop-out...

And I'm mad at myself.

And now I'm going through my morning annoyed at me because I wasn't true to what I wanted to say.

So I'm gonna say it now.

You know what?

Mothers Day is hard, YessireeBob. We have all these ideas of what makes a perfect Mothers Day!

Oh, it is going to be magical. Our children are all going to gather around us and put aside all the bickering and somehow they are going to keep the house clean and buy us a wonderful present and serve us a perfect breakfast in bed...

...because isn't that really what everyone elses family is doing?

I mean, are our expectations even vaguely in the realm of possible?

I remember when my kids were small and they would bring me home those tender sweet gifts and make me burnt toast in bed and then the rest of the day seemed like it was my husband-of-the-time fussing and yelling at them to "be nice, it's Mother's Day!" and at the end of the day I was stressed out, my house was pretty much trashed and I was exhausted.

And then when my kids were older they would kinda/sorta sullenly remember the day for five minutes and then much of the rest of the day would be spent with them sniping at one another about "being nice to Mom, it's Mothers Day" and at the end of the day I was stressed out, my house was pretty much trashed and I was exhausted.

But, oh, I believed it could be perfect. All my friends said their Mothers Days were. Their children turned into angels and little musical notes and sweet little bluebirds filled the air around them like a Disney movie.

And then as I got older still I would listen to friends say that every year their children gather in harmony and joy and bring lovely gifts...

...and seriously, maybe it's just me...

...because my Mother's Day was never, ever really what everyone else told me theirs was.

So I decided a few years ago to re-invent the way I thought of Mother's Day. I decided that I would think of it more as Mother's Year. And I would try and save up all the sweet things my kids did when I wasn't expecting it...or little things they said that warmed my heart...or when they called to say "I was thinking about such and such the other day and I think I was wrong!"

And then when Mother's Day actually rolls around and I don't hear angels voices and dancing musical bluebirds I don't feel cheated!

I don't feel like the only girl in the office whose husband forget to send flowers on Valentines Day!

I feel like I love being a Mom and I don't always need one day to make me feel it.

I'm expecting it to be truly a Mother's Day.

Which is what it is every day when we are blessed to have a family.

With all the turmoil and drama and arguments and messes.

And I truly do hope you are one of those Moms that gets the singing bluebirds.

But if you aren't...

...I didn't want you feel like you were alone!

I went to garage sales and to Costco on Friday with our oldest daughter for Mother's Day and I loved it. It was fun and we laughed.

My son called this morning and sang a lovely baritone version of Happy Mothers Day using the melody from Happy Birthday.

My youngest daughter will remember sometime around 5 o'clock that it is Mothers Day and will call, all apologetic and sweet.

And that is enough.

It will be a good Mother's Day.

And I won't have to clean up bluebird poop from my floor.

Sigh...

A thought for Sunday...

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ~Marcel Proust I hope all of you have strong and supportive people in your life that make you happy...whether it is your Mother, Grandmother, Daughter, Aunt or Friend.

Happy Sunday.

Saturday Centus - Week 1

Welcome to the first week of Saturday Centus.

This is a themed writing meme.

Each Saturday you will be giving a new "prompt" for the week.

You have the entire week to link your work to the meme.

Each linked essay must be 100 words or less, not including the "prompt" words. No pictures should be used. No profanity.

Please display link button or just a hyper-link back to Saturday Centus.

Please link your SC URL to the Linky and not your main blog.

Please e-mail me directly with ???'s or ask your question in a comment and I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.


Week 1 Prompt:

My untied shoelace changed my life. As I leaned down to re-tie it, I kicked away a few leaves. When I turned my head slightly to look where the leaves had been, I was astonished to see a rubber-banded wad of hundred dollar bills nestled in a little indention in the muddy ground.