Genius or Not?

I came home from work Thursday night all psyched. I have the next six days off. Hubby had to work Friday but then he has the next five days off with me. So I made a long list of all the household chores I thought we should try to get done since we don’t have any other plans. There were three things on his list, two things on our joint list and like twelve things on my list. I know – how fair is that.

As he was leaving for work Friday morning, he said, “don’t do anything today, just take a day off.” He could have added, “I will help you with your list this weekend,” but he did not say that.

I got as much done as I could on Friday, but I think it was only four things, because then I had to take my mom to a funeral before the hubby got home from work. When I got home from the funeral three hours later – I could not get my mom to leave, she really needs to get out more – hubby had done one task which earned him the right to cross two things off his list. The poop.

We needed to pick up the pile of wood someone had cut for us a few weeks ago and the hubby needed to shore up the side of the dog’s pen so he didn’t keep crawling out from under it. So the hubby piled the wood in the dog’s pen. Genius or not? I can’t decide. But when we were gone to the wedding today, the dog didn’t escape. That’s all I’m saying. You help me decide.

I. READING

A. Weekly goal

1. Read my assigned blog posts as a ROW80 sponsor.  I think I did this.

2. Read ten hours a week in one of the books I am reading.  I finished “Sell Your Book Like Wildfire” finally. I also started the memoir by a friend of a friend. Her story is ok, but it needs A LOT of work. I don’t know if I am going to be able to get through it or not.

B. Goals for the Round                           

1. Have finished reading five books.  I have finished three, “The Boy at the Museum”, “Years of Stone” and “Sell Your Book Like Wildfire”.   

II. WRITING

A. Weekly goal

1. Finish writing those last three chapters in my novel, “Tale of an American Woman”. I took my laptop to my mother-in-law’s today, so I wrote in the car on the way there, a much more difficult task than I thought it would be, by the way. But I did manage to pound out one more section.   

2. Edit “The Early Life of Jesus in 40 Days”, the second book in the Bible Stories in 40 Days series. Haven’t started yet. My publisher asked a while back when – and if – I would be sending him another manuscript. I suppose I should let him know where I am at.

3. Write two blog posts here and three posts to my other blog, The Dino Chronicles. I did, and right now I have one post written already for next week.   

B. Goals for the Round.  

1. Have finished the first round of edits for “The Early Life of Jesus in 40 Days”. No.

2. Start editing my novel.   No.

III. REACHING

A.      Weekly goal.

1. Promote either one of my books on one other site or in person.  Umm, yes I think I actually did something this week, but now I can’t remember what – so I suppose it doesn’t count, does it?    

2. Comment on my assigned blogs for ROW80. I think I did.    

3. Research markets for an hour. No.

4. Walk several streets of town, taking pictures and blogging about it.  Yes, I did, and along the way down those streets I ran into three different people I had to stop to talk with. It’s surprising that I ever get anything done. . .

B. Goals for the Round

1. Have submitted three pieces somewhere. Still at one submission, but have received two rejections so far. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Well, rejection is never a good thing, but at least both rejections were very kind to me, and a lot of times I never hear anything back, so it is still nice to hear SOMETHING.

2. Have sent a copy of “The Early Life of Jesus in 40 Days” to my clergy-friends for their input. No.  

3. Have finished walking every street in my town.  No.

IV. PERSONAL

A.      Get in Shape

1.       Continue exercising four times a week and running three times a week. I only exercised three times and ran twice.

2.       Keep off that five pounds I worked so hard to lose.

B. Nonprofit – Tumaini Volunteers

1. Host another picnic or other friend-raiser. We were shooting for August 17, but are kind of rethinking the whole thing.  

2. Attend a craft show to sell our Kenyan crafts. My sister is still working on signing us up for the Flea Market on Labor Day weekend.

C. Sewing -- Finish one project this Round. I cut out the fabric for this cute dress I want to make for next weekend’s writers conference.  

D. Church -- Our college kids will be leaving for school before you know it, get them all mentors. One of my moms is an overachiever. Last night she not only sent me the addresses for both of her college girls, she asked to be a mentor to a girl who is going to be a freshman this year. We only have about seven college kids in our congregation, so I am on my way.