My Creatively Random Life

Celebrate the Small Things is hosted by  Lexa Cain  along with wonderful co- hosts  Writing Off The Edge  and  The Cyborg Mom . This week I am celebrating having a chance to catch up on my pen pal letters.  Yay! What are you celebrating this week?

This blog hop is the brainchild of Dani and Jax over at  Cover Girls  and it's quickly become one of my favourites.  It's fast, in list format and I can participate as much or as little as I want. Which is cool, because sometimes life gets busy. This week's topic is: Five Favourite Authors.  Another tough one to cut down to only five, but I managed. 1) Melanie Rawn 2) Stephan King 3) Terry Goodkind 4) Neil Gaiman 5) Terry Prachett The topics for the upcoming weeks are: Jan. 30: Five Favorite Authors Feb. 6: Five Novels You Wish You Wrote Feb. 13: Five Romantic Movies You Love Feb. 20: Five Book Characters You’re Crushing On Feb. 27: Five Top TV Shows Mar. 6: Five Book Characters You Relate To Mar. 13: Five Books You Recommend Mar. 20: Five Best Writing Songs Mar. 27: Five Movie Character Crushes Don't forget to go by  Cover Girls  Fast Five Friday post and link up if you decide to participate.

I seem to have become a bit addicted to blog hops lately, it's because I love having the pressure of having a topic to write about taken off if me for the moment.  Life has sucked any and all of the creative ideas I once had out of my brain and I am stuck staring at my computer screen blankly most days.  That's where finding interesting blog hops to join and find fresh things to write about (give me a kick in the pants to write) comes in. What's Up Wednesday is a blog hop created by  Jamie Morrow  and  Erin Funk  to help writers connect.  I need a little encouragement in the area of writing these days so I felt motivated to join in and find some new friends.  The headings for the WUW posts are: WHAT I'M READING WHAT I'M WRITING (+ WRITING GOAL) WHAT WORKS FOR ME WHAT ELSE IS NEW WHAT I'M READING Right now I am reading a wonderful mish-mash of things for various reading challenges and reviews.  I have on the go War and Peace by Leo Tolst

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted  Bouquet Of Books  and  Entertaining Interests .  This week's topic is: What are some writerly tips you've found helpful? The most helpful writing advice to me is to write every day.  Just write.  Write anything.  A journal entry, a blog, your WIP, a short story, a poem. Whatever floats your boat. When I was my high school creative writing class our teacher would make us spend the first twenty minutes of the class writing in journals.  We could write whatever we wanted.  I still have those journals.  I used them for story outlining, character drafting, name idea listing, poetry, short stories and occasional random thoughts. The other tip that I have found works wonders is just keep writing, don't look back.  You can edit later.  I wish I had learned that one a long time ago.  My writing is getting much stronger now.  (or at least moving forward) What writing tips have you found helpful?  This is a blog hop please join in b

So, it's now official.  I have signed up for the A to Z Challenge for 2015. Last year was the first year I signed up that I didn't finish and the guilt has been eating me alive.  So I have been prepping for this year since November.  I am well prepared. I am number 116 on the  sign up  list this year.  Yay!  Look for my theme announcement coming up in March and other exciting news.  If you want to join in on all the A to Z Challenge fun check out the A to Z Challenge  Blog .

This blog hop is the brainchild of Dani and Jax over at  Cover Girls  and it's quickly become one of my favourites.  It's fast, in list format and I can participate as much or as little as I want. Which is cool, because sometimes life gets busy. This week's topic is: Five TV Character Crushes.  Now you may guess that narrowing this down to five was a bit difficult for me.  The first four were easy enough but that number five spot was difficult to lock down.  1) Spike (sigh)  2) The Doctor (I don't really play favourites, show up at my door with the TARDIS and I'm yours....just don't tell my fiance) 3) Captain Jack Harkness (because really, who doesn't have a crush on him?) 4) Ianto Jones (perfect man, looks that good and makes coffee) 5) Constantine The topics for the upcoming weeks are: Jan. 23: Five TV Character Crushes Jan. 30: Five Favorite Authors Feb. 6: Five Novels You Wish You Wrote Feb. 13: Five Romant

Celebrate the Small Things has been taken over by a brand new host, Lexa Cain  along with wonderful co- hosts  Writing Off The Edge  and  The Cyborg Mom . I haven't posted for a few weeks because I have been going through some health issues and to be honest I haven't been able to see the bright side of much of anything but I am back on the chipper side of things again and ready to find my silver lining. This week I am celebrating that I didn't go crazy earlier this week when both of my kids had the stomach flu and I was stuck at home with them. I am also celebrating that my son is now double digits, no longer a little boy but no quite a teenager yet either.  (that's a little bitter sweet) What are you celebrating this week?

When mice turn 100 years old (in mouse-years, of course) they get to visit the Queen of England.  When Charlie journeys across they countryside for his grandmother's visit he discovers that even little creatures can have big adventures.  Charlie's adventure with his grandparent's was super fun to join him on, it was well written and engaging. Cat and I loved the illustrations, we have not had a lot of luck with e-books for Cat lately so this one was a refreshing delight.  Among our favourites were Percy and the Queen, so fantastic. Cat is a huge fan of tea parties of all kinds so immediately following this book we had to have our own tea party with the Queen.  (even though we are nowhere near 100 yet)  I am a big fan of any book that makes the kids want to stay in any part of that world after it is read.  (that's after all how I was inspired) This book can be found on Amazon  here .   I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted  Bouquet Of Books  and  Entertaining Interests .  This week's topic is: What's your favourite movie you saw in 2014? This was a pretty easy one for me, there was only one that sprang to mind when I thought about 2014 movies.  I saw a lot of them, but Guardians of the Galaxy stood heads and shoulders above the rest.  It was fantastic. From the soundtrack to the way it tore your heart out this movie had something for everybody.  Even my sister, who is not into anything loves this movie.  (well mostly Groot, but still)  Which brings me of course to my favourite thing about this movie, all the awesome actors who are in it. Glenn Close, Peter Serafinowicz, Vin Diesel, other people who are equally as awesome.  But it wasn't about that, it wasn't like you look at the screen and said oh hey that's the guy from...until maybe the third or fourth time you saw it because they all being so awesome.   Anyhow, this is a blog ho

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted  Bouquet Of Books  and  Entertaining Interests .  This week's topic is: what's a musical or play you've viewed? We have gone to see a few musicals and plays over the last few years, from small community productions to bigger shows and truly I love them all.  There is nothing more exciting to me than getting dressed up and going to the theater and I am enjoying the fact that I can now start teaching that love to my kids. My favourite thing that we have gone to see in recent years was a community production of Sweeney Todd.  The cast was brilliant and I was both amused and delighted which is always fantastic. This is a blog hop, check out the other blog below:

A two-book series by the bestselling author of  Almost  and Unmaking Hunter Kennedy. How I Fall by Anne Eliot *WHAT IF YOU HAD AN IMPOSSIBLE CRUSH?* Impossible because she’s Ellen Foster. The beautiful, smart, and possibly fragile photography-girl. You’re Cam Campbell. The guy who plays football 24/7 with no life. But what if during junior year, you decide to finally try for her phone number—until this glitter-crazed new girl ruins your plan. Worse, the girl is Irish, awkward, and insists you and Ellen should become best friends—with her! Only, you don’t want to be friends with a human tornado, and you think Ellen might need to stay a crush. This is because after one interaction you’ve discovered Ellen Foster really is fragile. Your problems and secrets are too big for anyone to understand. *WHAT IF YOU COULDN’T RESIST?* But what if the three of you wind up assigned to a group photography project, where rumors are already circling about the new girl being ridiculous? You

You may or may not know this but I love my e-readers with a great passion.  They are not books and they will never be books but they hold a very large space in my heart because they are quite portable and they can hold so much information in such a small space. My children, especially Cat, do not feel the same way.  She loves the feeling of a book in her hands to poke at and turn the pages.  To flip back and forwards.  It has to be a pretty interesting story or have great art or something to catch her attention and hold it all the way through in an e-book and this one didn't make the cut. That being said, it is a well done, simple book for beginning readers.  It was right at her level and she only needed help with one or two words of what she went through. I loved the activities and the word list because I am big on reinforcing what they have learned in what we just read and it's easier when the book lays it out for me.  ;) I received a copy of the e-book mentione

Fast Five Friday is hosted by Dani and Jax over at  Cover Girls .  This week's topic is: Five Adored 2014 Book Covers. This was another tough one for me, I am usually not a judge a book by it's cover kind of girl but there were more than a few books I read in 2014 whose covers I feel in love with.  (this is quickly becoming a thing this year too) 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) The topics for the upcoming weeks are: Jan. 16: Five Most Anticipated 2015 Novels Jan. 23: Five TV Character Crushes Jan. 30: Five Favorite Authors Feb. 6: Five Novels You Wish You Wrote Feb. 13: Five Romantic Movies You Love Feb. 20: Five Book Characters You’re Crushing On Feb. 27: Five Top TV Shows Mar. 6: Five Book Characters You Relate To Mar. 13: Five Books You Recommend Mar. 20: Five Best Writing Songs Mar. 27: Five Movie Character Crushes Don't forget to go by  Cover Girls  Fast Five Friday post and link up if you decide to participate.

Earlier this week one of my favourite bloggers released a book and I am more than delighted to take the opportunity to tell you to go check it out.  I am in love with the artwork, it just looks like a super fun read. Mia moves from the shadows to the spotlight when her matchmaking plans go awry in this contemporary M!X novel from the author of 30 Days of No Gossip. Mia is used to feeling overlooked: her perfect older sister gets all the attention at home, and the popular clique at school are basically experts at ignoring her. So when it’s time for the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, Mia is prepared to feel even worse. Because even though anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out. Except a twist of fate puts Mia in charge of selling the roses this year—and that means things are going to change. With a little creativity, Mia makes sure the kids who usually l

The recent cold snap has me longing for warmer times. This picture is from our trip to Jamaica a few years ago, right now I would love to be back there soaking up the sun instead of here anticipating more snow.

The Express Yourself Weekly Meme is hosted  Bouquet Of Books  and  Entertaining Interests .  This week's topic is: do you have a New Year's Resolution, if so, would you like to share? Usually at the beginning of the year I do a whole post about this stuff but I haven't had the time yet because the kids got sick one after the other.  (yikes!)  So everything has been topsy-turvy.  I do have more of a system of small changes/goals going this year then resolutions though. I am keeping it very small as I have been having some health issues and I am worried that trying to make drastic changes will just leave me frustrated. So my "resolutions" are: -drink more water -log ALL the books I read -declutter a little every day -keep on top of my letter writing -try new things I think 2015 is going to be a fantastic year.  What are your resolutions for this year? This is a blog hop, you can join in below:

I have to say, I love a good blog hop, especially a regular one.  It gives me motivation to write regular which was something my blog was lacking for a while, it gives me a topic to write about which is something I occasionally also lack and it reminds me to go and visit the bloggers that I love regularly.  You know, before I have to slog through a month of posts that I do want to read because I wants to know what they have been up to but I don't want to read all at once.  Dani and Jax over at Cover Girls have started a new blog hop for 2015 that is right up my alley, it's quick, in list format and I can participate as much or as little as I want. Which is cool, because sometimes life gets busy.  This week's topic is: Five Favourite Novels Read in 2014, not an easy list for me to make but I managed to whittle it down to five. 1) Heart of the Ocean - Heather B Moore 2) Chronicles of Steele: Raven - Pauline Creeden 3) Who R U Really? - Margo Kelly 4) Alias Gra