Our new family member

June 12, 2015

Clint and I have a new family member. Everything is happening now that we've got our house. 

We met him in May, but he's officially a McCrowe now. He moved in with us last Tuesday, June 2nd, and is already a big part of the family.

First meeting on May 2nd. Although this may be one of his brothers or sisters.

We were actually looking at a different dog, but the option to raise a little Rottweiler came at the perfect time. It was love at first sight. (With every one of them!) We decided we wanted to be parents to a puppy. Frankly, I think that's a good way to go. Training for possible babies.

May 23rd we picked him out.

Clint and I weren't sure of his exact name, but we knew which one would soon be coming home with us. (The one that rolled in poop, giving him the nickname 'Poopy') We fell in love, and had to wait very patiently for a week until we could bring him home.

June 2nd -His new home!

The last week and a half, we've spent getting to know him. He even went on a first road trip for my Dad's birthday party. He's a puppy, so there are a lot of things that we need to watch for. Potty training, playing that leads to biting, and cute little puppy cries. Clint's been home, so he's able to take care of the puppy during the day, which has been very useful. I'd have a pretty hard time leaving to go to work if I had to leave him alone. (Although, leaving him AND Clint is also really hard.)

He is officially Drogo. We chose a name from Game of Thrones because there are not very many books that Clint and I have both read, and that's basically it. Plus, he's definitely a Drogo. I'm adding a few more pictures of him, but that's my update for today. Our family is one little guy bigger (soon to be one big guy bigger). We're head over heels for him and each other.

On the bed already.

Helping 'Mom' work.

First bath.

We won't let him eat shoes, but these ones? I'd be okay with him eating them. (haha)

Playing.

We're in love. Now we need to get him super healthy, and super used to living in the house. We're still working on it. He had has first vet visit today (without me). 

We've definitely become THOSE parents. No apologies! Although - he's FOR SURE going to be a drama king. Our Little Diva Drogo. 

I keep promising a visit with him at work to my work pals, but he hasn't made it in yet. We want to get him healthy and happy first. (He's having some pooping problems while getting used to the new food). He hasn't been rolling in it like when we first met, so we're headed in the right direction! 

And that's that about the pup. I'm sure I'll have more updates later, but I have too many other things I need to update! 

Happy weekend all, I'm heading to Edmonton after work for a shopping trip with my mom and sister! Girl's weekend. I'll miss the pup and man like crazy, but I'm excited for time with two of my favourite people. 

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

House Warming

June 10, 2015

Warming of my House

As I've mentioned, Clint and I recently bought a house, and moved in April 15th. We just love it! We love the backyard, the freedom, the lack of people living below or above us, and we love having it together. Every day gets better, and I could not be happier or more content with my life right now.

I decided to have a House Warming at the end of May. I wasn't sure if I wanted one, but I decided to do it for a few reasons. 

• It would force me to unpack and have things ready. I have a tendency to leave boxes for way too long. This way, the office was unpacked and ready to show off.
• We wanted to celebrate our big step with friends and family. Most of them know what this move together means. It's PRACTICALLY marriage (but without the ring and dress.)
• We wanted to show off the house. It's a great house. 
• It was a great excuse to invite the great people in my life to hang out with us. It's one of my favourite things to have so many people I enjoy near me.

I've always loved celebrating birthdays, but houses or "Erin wrote a book" parties, are different. They're important, and they celebrate milestones. Yes - birthdays are milestones, but not in the same way.

I have owned a condo in the past (that's a whole different post), but this one was a big step towards my future with Clint. I cannot argue with celebrating that.

I did a lot of Pinterest planning on ways to make our House Warming fun. We did the backyard barbecue party, (with Sangria's), but I wanted a few more things to make it my own. Of course, finding things on Pinterest is the opposite of making it your own.

For the most part, trying to find things on Pinterest, just gives me an excuse to plan my imaginary wedding. 

We rented a 'giant' Jenga game. It wasn't as giant as I hoped it would be, but it was still a hit. (The picture is below.)

I also wanted some sort of proof or guest book, without actually having my own guest book. It seems kind of corny to have a guest book at an outdoor party for JUST a house warming. I thought of a great idea (if I do say so myself) without the help of Pinterest. (Hear that? No Pinterest).

I bought some sidewalk chalk so people could sign my cement patio, and then took pictures of the artwork when I was finished. I plan to frame it all, or put it in an album. It was a lot of fun, and I've been using the chalk like crazy! I'm still having fun with it.

A collection of the Art.

We thought this would be cute, and added an imaginary ring. It's not real... Just funny for now. (Until it IS REAL!)

 

These guys left without signing, so I got some signatures later. 





As we all know, I'm a kid at heart, so I loved this idea. And of course, was very happy that I thought of it without the help of Pinterest.

I had a great time. I 'flitted' from group to group, trying to make sure I spoke to everybody. Clint barbecued, and I think it went pretty well until it got cold out, and anybody who was still there had to warm up inside. Luckily, our furniture had been delivered two days before, so we were prepared. It was also a great time to bring out Cards Against Humanity. 

I get extra loud and hyper when surrounded by friends and family. I just overflow with happiness. It was a nice time for me, and I enjoyed having people over to our new place. 

Here's the not so Giant Jenga. I actually didn't get a chance to play it, but everybody seemed to enjoy it. I'm hoping somebody will make me my own set someday! (PLEASE!) 

I made Sangria for the first time. It wasn't bad, but I think I can do better. I just need practice. 

While, I don't think we'll have parties often, I did enjoy the celebration of our new house. It is a big important moment for both Clint and I, and we can't wait to have more get together's with the people we love.

Also, one of the next posts will be about the newest member of the family. He thinks our house is his now. He's probably right. It'll be posted next week.

A funny picture for you. We opened a bottle of champagne once we came back inside the house. This was my first time ever opening a bottle of champagne. Mostly because I'm scared of the cork. Luckily, I didn't hit anybody (or myself), but there were some great shots from all angles. 

Lastly and most important: 

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

Manuscript Evaluation

June 4, 2015

The Envelope: 
On Monday (June 1st), I came home to a package. It's one of the many things that has happened lately, that I plan to write about. I'm choosing this one first because it is directly related to my writing, and it's going to help me get back to writing, and get back to trying to publish my novel. I also spoke about it on Facebook, with the promise that I would be blogging about it soon. So here I go.

I opened the front door, and the envelope fell out from between the doors. I recognised the hand writing on it as my own, so knew what it was. 

More than a month ago (possibly two), I sent away my manuscript to the Saskatchewan Writer's Guild to have somebody evaluate it for me. It was suggested in my first 'no thanks' letter to have it evaluated. 

An anonymous author reads my novel, and then sends back an evaluation. They don't check for grammar or anything like that, they simply, write comments and suggestions.

I'll be perfectly honest about how I was feeling before opening it: I was scared. The person reading it, may not have liked it. I set it on my desk, and walked away until I thought my skin was thick enough for any sort of negative response.

I actually didn't wait long before going back into the office and opening it up. Let's be honest, I have no patience, and I had already been waiting for months to receive this. 

I also want to move on from the writing standstill I feel I'm at.

My Evaluation: 
The response was nice. It was encouraging, it made me feel like maybe with a little more work (or a lot), I WILL get my novel published. He or She (no idea who responded), gave suggestions on how to add more to the novel, and had some comments about structure. 

I'm sharing the first page of the letter. There were three pages of comments, but the others focus more on specifics. Plus, this one was the 'feel good' page. I liked it! 

I don't know if I've ever given the plot of my novel on here. I spoke about characters and settings, but never the plot. Mostly because I haven't gotten the description correct in my head or on paper yet. The evaluation describes it well, so now you'll see what I wrote about (and possibly why I find it hard to describe.)

If you click on the picture, you should be able to read it.

I have confidence that my novel will someday be published. I personally, think it's a great idea, and a great novel. HOWEVER, every bit of encouragement helps me out. Sometimes, I don't push myself as hard as I should to keep going, and getting this evaluation came at the right time. 

I plan to go through the manuscript page by page so I can decide where the story needs to be changed, what I can add, and what I can remove. After I'm done with the hard copy, I'll make the changes on the computer. 

After that, I will send it to another publisher. 

This standstill came at a good time because I've been busy with other things (as you'll see in the next few posts), but it will be good to get back to writing. 

I won't quit. I won't give up.

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

Poof: May is gone

June 2, 2015

When I was younger, I wrote in a journal. As I grew older, I still wrote in it, but not as much. I still write now, about once every month (if that). Looking back in more recent journals, they always seem to have one thing in common. I comment on the fact that I have not written. I apologise (to myself), and promise I will be better at writing in my journal. 

It is beginning to feel like that trend is following me to my blog. 

I'm not going to let that happen. 

It's been a bit of a crazy month. I have many things to blame. Stress, house making, house selling, work, waiting... but most of all, it's been REALLY nice out. I've been outside as much as I can. 

I have about five different updates, but I don't want to overwhelm one post, so I've already named and saved them, and have them ready to write. I'll be writing/posting one at a time, but I have quite a bit to cover. (This is what happens to slackers/procrastinators). 

How am I going to stop the non writing? Easy. I'm going to write. I might not post every day (in fact, I don't want to post everyday), but I will be writing blog posts every day to post when I'm ready. I can't even guarantee myself that I'll finish one post per day. That's not the point. The point is to write, so I don't have to continue to feel bad about not doing it, and I don't have to have a full paragraph with excuses for not writing. I'd also like to quit promising that I'll do better, and just do better.

We need to talk about May. I'll start posting (and writing) the other ones after today. I'll start with the easiest. Things that have happened in May of 2015. I only wrote three posts this month, and frankly, only one of them was positive, so there is quite a lot to cover. I will be saving some for the other posts though.

Let's get to some gratitude. This involves pictures, and I know I sometimes cheat with photos instead of words, but I love taking photos, and I love sharing my photos. So I will. 

This past month has been all about getting moved in, unpacked, and comfortable in our new home. We had a few other things going on, but those will come soon. It's been a roller coaster of a month, and I'm excited to move on to June. I officially request that time slows the eff down. 

The sun is too bright on my laptop, so I choose the sun.

New cabinet for the kitchen! 

Favourite thing in the world. Reading by the river at lunch.

One day of rain.

My new and beautiful flowers.

We LOVE LOVE LOVE the BBQ. Bacon wrapped hotdogs? Oh yeah.

Dogsitting Mr Noodle.

 

Got hit (again) with a crappy cold. That's not a good thing, just another 'reason' for not writing enough.

Enjoying our backyard.

Top of the Hops

More plants!

We were sad about not being close to a patio for dinners out, until we realised OUR new patio is the best one in the world. 

Starbucks gave me a Gold Card. With my name on it!!!

Grateful for treats like this.

I think one way to help my writing and procrastinating problem is to only allow myself ONLY an hour of Netflix a night. It's easy to get sucked in. We don't have cable, or TV programs other than Netflix - on purpose. I'm happy about that because Netflix is time consuming enough. So I will stop binge watching shows. (As soon as I've finished Grace and Frankie. -I'm LOVING that show!)

Until next time... Hopefully soon. 
Also, TONS of gardening pics in this post: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/05/the-bottom.html


As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

MY ANNIVERSARY POST

May 13, 2015

This is my anniversary post, but not a blog anniversary. A LOVE anniversary. 

Three years ago on this day I met Clint. (Except, three years ago, it was a Sunday, and it was Mother's Day).

Three years ago, I met my best friend and my future.

Three years ago my 'love luck' turned around, and I found the person I wanted to be with.

This wasn't our first date. It was just the first time we met. As I've already admitted, we met on an online dating site. Clint was just looking for 'friends' and dating, and I didn't really know what I wanted. I wanted to have fun - and not worry about drama or anything serious.

This is where we first saw each other.

Clint wasn't originally interested in meeting me because apparently he could tell from my profile that I would become a girlfriend. He didn't think he wanted one. (Which makes sense because he wasn't originally from Saskatchewan). 

However, he met me, and decided to ask me out on a date (couldn't live without me -haha). We went out the Friday after we met. I guess that should, technically, be our anniversary, I choose the day we met. 

I wouldn't say we met each other and knew we belonged together, we didn't think we were soul mates upon meeting, and it wasn't love at first sight. It was like at first sight and probably a bit of lust (I hate that word) at first sight. We wanted to get to know each other, and we did. I don't remember when we had the 'exclusive' talk. I think Clint went on a couple of already planned dates with other girls in the first week, and that's fine. Within a few weeks, we were only dating one another, and we didn't need to have a discussion about it. 

It took us a while to make the big moves. We dated for four months, and then he moved back to Ontario for four months - to make me go crazy. After he came back, we shared the "I love you's" and started planning a future. Although, the fact that we stayed together while he was gone, pretty much means we knew we had something together.

A year after we first met, we took a trip to Mexico together.

For anybody who has read my blog, you know about Clint, about how we met, and you probably know how grateful I am for him. So I'm not going to talk about our entire three years together. They've been good, fun, and wonderful, and full of love, encouragement, and respect.

Here are some things about our us:


We aren't perfect. We both know and accept it. 

Sometimes we bicker (usually when company is over so we all feel uncomfortable (haha)). 

We don't always agree on things. (I usually pull out google to win though).

We aren't always full of romance. In fact we are perfectly happy, just watching something on Netflix.

We're both basically introverts. We don't mind going out, but also like the fact that we don't always have to be social.


But we love each other fiercely.

While we aren't the perfect couple, our love for each other is perfect. 

We know what we have, and we aren't going to do anything to lose it. 

He's a bit of a geek, and I'm a bit of a nerd, and we meet up in the middle. We are weird, and embrace the weird. 

Being Gardeners

We both know how lucky we are to have found one another. Even though, it's not what we were looking for when we met, things have worked out perfectly for us (in my most humble opinion). We know we will be building our future together now, and the house was one first step of many together. 

I'm lucky enough to have had three years with him, I hope for many many more. 

He's not my longest relationship, but it's my favourite.

Nobody makes me laugh like he does, comforts me like he does, makes me feel safe like he does, or encourages me like he does. I can honestly say I've always thought soul mates were a bit of a ridiculous Joey and Dawson thing. Maybe it still is something silly, but I'm okay with that. He's the person I've been waiting for. I found him (with the help of the Internet).

That's it. I fall more in love with this guy every day. I love the crazy moments, the quiet moments, and the in between moments.

Happy Anniversary to us! 

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

The bottom

May 8 and 9th.

I wrote this in two parts. My mood changed drastically between the two.

May 8th:

The Bottom Dropping Out



Things are going really well for me lately. I found the best possible man for me (I would go so far as to say my soul mate), and we are happy. I have a job that pays me, and I work with great people. I have awesome friends (that doesn't change), and my family is healthy and happy.

Even though my novel isn't really getting anywhere YET, I am highly optimistic about it being published.

Unfortunately, even though I speak often about gratitude, and I am SO VERY grateful for the way my life is turning out, the evil pessimist on me jumps out at the worst times. Instead of being excited for the future and loving my present, I have a knot in my stomach because I feel like things can't go this well.

It's terrible right? I can't just appreciate what I have because I'm worried something bad is going to happen to take away my happiness. This could be my past unhappiness coming back to haunt me, or it's just my negativity popping out at an inconvenient time. Negativity is ALWAYS inconvenient.

I usually live with the 'What happens happens" mentality, but at the same time, I prepare myself for the worst. I'm worried my life can't continue going as well as it is.


May 9

I didn't finish writing yesterday, I was going to finish later.

But here's the thing: I had a great day. One of those day, where you look at your life in one moment and think, "Am I really this lucky?"

It was as simple as backyard time with Clint. Phone calls to my mom. Emails to my sister. Texts to my friends. Even if the bottom does drop out, I've got my support system, and I'm going to be okay.

I don't have a lot to say today. The fear is always going to be there. I fear loss, I fear things not happening the way I hope, and I fear losing what I have. However, I won't let that fear stop me from enjoying every single day and every single moment. Things are good. Things will continue to be good, and I'll continue to appreciate it.

Some pictures of my day and of my yard.

My inside plants.

Partner in Crime and I. Yes... we do outdoor work in matching hats.

 These are already growing in our yard from the previous owners.

Planting stuff! 

Handsome co helper.

C took some pics. I like them! Me working hard. (At times)

 We planted a lot. We had a great day. And I can't wait to see what will come of our garden! We have a lot of veggies that will hopefully grow for us! We had a wonderful day, and will continue having wonderful days.

Happy weekend all

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/

Another NO!

May 6, 2015

It looks like it's another month of not having time to post. I hope to post once a week in May. Right now, that's all I can promise myself.

Life has been busy lately, and I feel like I'm counting down the days until the next pay day, which is a horrible way to live. June will be a better month. Possibly, at age 34, it's time to really think about the whole budgeting thing.

However, that is not what this post is about. I'm not having money problems (just to clarify), It's just a month with extra stress, and I feel like I could be doing better.

Here's what I want to talk about today:

A Much Needed Writing Update

Today I am going to write an update on my writing because that's one of the main reasons I have this blog. 

Recently, something very important happened.

I got ANOTHER no. It is my second no. This one came from the original publisher I sent to. It took them a while to get back to me, but I'm glad they did. (Even after ALL the impatience on my end). 

It was a no. I was rejected. 

How did I react?

No tears, no panic, no thoughts that I'd never get published. I responded to thank them for getting back to me, and then forwarded it to my friend in Toronto because she takes things like that as encouragement. She will make sure I know it's encouraging, and gets me closer to a yes.

This time, I believed her. Even before I forwarded it to her, I was okay. It might be because I thought the non response was a no, so I'd already come to terms with it. All in all though, the rejection was positive.

Rejection is not failure. It's only failure if I give up.

Short and sweet, and to the point.

Once again, I'm sharing the letter (more than the first) because it isn't something that bothers me. My writing blog will maybe some day have a published book to talk about, but for now, there's this.

I chose the publishers I did because they are based out of my province. However, it is true that they can only publish so many writers a year because they are smaller publishers (I'm in a smaller province). It's important for me to remember that. I can imagine, choosing a first time writer, who hasn't quite got her novel polished perfectly, is not something that happens. 

What to do now?

I wrote a really good novel. I know that. These rejections aren't taking that away from me. Yes, it will need edits, and it will need changes, but I still love the story, and the way I told it.

I'm just waiting on comments and the evaluation of my novel. I'm getting it evaluated through a Writer's Guild. It should be coming back any time. I'm excited to rework it, and start picking new publishers. 

I think I am learning a lesson in patience. Just like budgeting, patience is an important lesson to learn at any age (but especially in my 30s). This isn't going to be a quick process. I have to be okay with that. 

In the meantime, I'll keep on writing, keep on reading, and keep on living my life with expectations that I WILL get published some day.

Here's to a rejection with no tears. If I get a third rejection, I can't guarantee I will have the same reaction. I may cry the next time. 

That's my writing update. Not a lot has happened yet, but I have to work to make it happen. 

Until next week. (Hopefully).

As always,

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Letter Ideas: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2015/03/challenge-completed.html

Also, check out my ongoing book blog:  Proud Bookworm at: http://bookserinread.blogspot.ca/ 

Blogs I used to write on but not being updated:

http://lifeisgoodandhereisproof.blogspot.ca/

and

http://erinlm.blogspot.ca/