grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Do you vision board?

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Apparently we should each have a Vision Board. No, this is not the same as Pinterest, although possibly a bit related…
I had never heard of vision boarding until Bob Barnett explained it to me a few weeks ago. A visual representation of your dreams, goals, heart’s desires, you literally glue pictures, words, drawings, photos, anything and everything to a poster board. A reminder of where you want to be in the next year, five years, ten years, so on…

A bit old school, no?

The idea behind this is simple. If your board is created of images that fill you with passion, you will attract these things. Your dreams will become reality. That’s a bit deep, but I do believe envisioning something is the first step to realization.
My ninth grade Home Economics class made vision boards. We were soooo ahead of our time. I remember cutting pictures from Teen Magazine, gluing on faces of girls with hair ironed stick straight, Jontue perfume ads, adjectives I hoped would someday describe me, pictures of the type house I wanted to live in…
I bet my ninth grade vision board is still home in my bedroom closet deep inside the Batcave.
I don’t yet have a title for the book I am writing, but I have a header that prints on each page. Wishful thinking? Vision boarding?

Last year at the Baylor Bookstore, I snapped a picture of the shelf containing books written by Baylor graduates. I suppose it’s the closest thing I’ve done to vision boarding. I look at the picture often and think someday I shall have a book on that shelf…

Baylor press
Publications by Baylor Graduates:)
talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:
Dream On, Aerosmith

Lucky Seven Challenge

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Gary Henderson tagged me in the Lucky Seven Challenge. The rules of the challenge are…

Go to page 7 or 77 of your latest work. Read down to the seventh line and then post online the next seven lines or sentences. Then head off and tag seven more writers.


So here are seven sentences beginning with the seventh line of page seventy-seven of the book I am writing:))

My time alone was limited. I shampooed, rinsed, stepped from the shower, and wrapped myself in a towel leaving my tangled hair dripping down my back. Slathering on my favorite body lotion, I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent, allowing myself this small indulgence. The air trapped inside the bathroom smelled of lavender, sauna steamy and relaxing. I opened the bathroom door just a crack— an escape hatch for the heat. Although I knew Gene wouldn’t tackle the stairs alone, I half expected him to be sitting on the bed waiting and watching, not remembering what I was doing in the bathroom. As the mirror above the sink cleared, I glimpsed my tired reflection. Could I noticeably age in one week?

If you don’t want to play, or if you’ve already been tagged and don’t want to play again, feel free to ignore. If you haven’t been tagged and do want to play, feel free to comment, point to your blog, and join in. I am tagging Pat Laster, Tracie Adams, April Kennedy, LindaLee Tritton, Jen Nipps.

talya

photo courtesy of Morguefile.com

Asked to leave…

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I spent yesterday afternoon at my neighborhood library. I’m enrolled in a children’s picture book writing course that comes with homework. Time consuming homework involving children’s library books… 

I was deep in thought, midway through the assignment with half a dozen story books spread across the table, along with my MacBook, paper and pens when Librarian Lady (LL) approached me…
LL: Do you have any kids?
Me: Yes. (Does she know my brilliant kids?)
LL: Where are they?
Me: One’s in college, one works for the Texas Legislature. (beaming proudly)
LL: You can’t be here. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.
Me: Wait, what?
LL: You can’t be in the children’s section of the library without kids.
Me:  Really? Why? (There was not one single solitary person in the children’s area which comprised one-third of the library.)
LL: You can take your time leaving.
WOW.

What would Dr. Seuss think?

Would he, could he like this rule?
I think not, 
this was not cool.

Is this normal library policy nowadays? Did she think I was some type of perv, loitering in the kiddie area? I was not talking or texting or eating or drinking or laughing or coughing or sneezing or snoring. Obviously, I was working on a children’s project…

I gathered up all my belonging and the picture books, wondering if Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile was even allowed to move from the children’s area…

Could I, should I move the book?
Would a buzzer buzz?
Will she think me a crook?  
As I slinked over to a more appropriate spot in the old people zone, I felt that same terrible feeling I experience when I accidentally wander into the petite section of Ann Taylor. At least Ann Taylor salespeople humor me until I stumble back the department more fitting for me.
I’ve never been asked to leave a library before. Even a department.
talya
Where Do The Children Play? – Cat Stevens

I like nonsense. It wakes up the brain cells. -Dr. Seuss

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!