Family Collage

Family Collage
Lots of Love in this Bunch!
*The compositions herein are not to be copied, reproduced, printed, published, posted, displayed, incorporated, stored in or scanned into a retrieval system or database, transmitted, broadcast, bartered or sold, in whole or in part without the prior express written permissions of the sole author Tory Minus. Unauthorized duplication is strictly prohibited and is an infringement of National and International Copyright Laws.
Showing posts with label Washington County Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Washington County Library. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Weight of Our Words!


Tonight, as I sat on our soft and comfortable sofa watching Yo Gabba Gabba with my rowdy bunch, all I could think of were two important things. The first: I tried to escape from DJ Lance's obnoxious laughter by calculating when Catie needed her evening dose of antibiotic and pain medication (Yes! Strep throat has crept into our safe haven once again.), and two: Ultimately, I tried to convince myself that Gram's salt-water pool did a terrific job of cleaning the youngest three kiddos and this justified me skipping the half-hour screaming match of who has more bath bubbles than the other.

So, just when I was beginning to feel somewhat relaxed and proud of myself for all I had accomplished in one day (seeing my children cuddled next to one another on the sofa nearly made a few tears escape my eyes), Trae called and said he needed to spend the night in Gainsville due to a late customer ordering fifty-four bails of hay for delivery ASAP tomorrow morning.

Perfect. A-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y perfect!

But instead of shrivelling up into a tight ball and rolling myself out the front door of our home, I thought back a few hours to the moment I bumped into Mr. Jan, one of the greatest supporters of my writing endeavor, at the Washington County Public Library.


Mr. Jan, I'm sure if you're reading this post, you're a bit confused as to why I'm namedropping you into this rabbit chase. Well, the reason is simply because it wouldn't be fair to exclude your contribution to my happy ending.

The point I'm trying to make is that while most of us never realize the impact or "weight" of our words until something spectacular, or in other cases, something disastrous occurs, there are some, however, that do notice, and they are better people for it.

Lucky for me, when I approached the lady from behind the information desk at the library, Mr. Jan and his wife rounded the corner of the media center and gave a cheerful, "Hello," that followed by, "We sure hope your book gets published soon so we can read it!"

Mr. Jan, it was almost as if you knew what to say with your kind words and thoughtful questions about the status of my querying to perk my spirits. Not only did you inspire the idea for this post, you also reaffirmed that folks are truly reading my words and even some look forward to hearing more about my journey to publication.

So thanks to you, Mr. Jan, I found reason to tear myself away from Yo Gabba Gabba and take note to my children cuddled so sweetly with one another on the sofa! Thanks to you, I found reason to sit in front of this computer and free myself from the stress and turmoil that wanted so badly to tear my sanity into shreds.

Now, I feel confident that my head will hit the pillow softly and all the chaos in my life will disappear. So THANKS. THANKS. THANKS. Mr. Jan, for being such an amazing person!

In closing, I'd like to know if your mood has been altered lately by the words of others? If so, please feel free to share in the comment section below.

Good night, everyone! Tory

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Pre-School Story Time...and Much, Much More!


Hi, everyone!

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is what I've wanted to scream for the past several hours, but given that I've been down this road before, I've managed to choke back the tears in order to entertain YOU.

Okay, now let's begin.

Am I alone, or has anyone else suffered through this lovely day with grumpy children in tow? If not, please use your imagination or better yet, think back to one of those movies (Mommy Dearest, maybe?) where the mother runs around the house chasing her child with a wooden spoon (Don't even go there DHR, I didn't do this...I said for YOU - the reader - to imagine this, so it's your interpretation, not an actual account of my actions for the day). And to think, Mother's Day was just few days ago. Wow! Time flies, doesn't it?

In hopes you'll find amusement from this post (WARNING! You may want to empty your bladder before reading any further), I'm going to hash back a few hours to the moment when all of the excitement began.

7:45 A.M. Sweet, running-late husband dropped off kiddo #1 at school, leaving me home alone with our younger three.

8:10 A.M. - Me, opening children's bedroom doors: Good morning! I've got a surprise for you guys today.

Kiddo's #2,3,& 4 - Ugh! We don't want to go anywhere today. We want to stay home and play.

Me: (Thinking to myself - 20% chance of rain...too long to be couped up inside) Oh, this will be fun, I promise. It's Tuesday, you know, story time at the library.

Kiddos #2,3,&4 - Yeah! Can we spend the night?

Me: (Still shocked they went for it!) Um, NO! Now get up! We've got a lot to do to make it there on time.

***This is when everything went sour!
Kiddo #4 didn't want to brush her teeth (She actually refused to brush them, breaking our toilet paper holder in the process.) This was one of those moments when bribery worked! Not only did she pick out the movie for our ride to the library, she also got a big piece of bubble gum.

Meanwhile, Kiddo #2 & 3 (The Twins) fought over Nintendo games and argued who was going to sit next to kiddo #4 in her carseat. Eventually, Kiddo #2 gave up her Mario Brothers game in order to ride next to kiddo #4. Kiddo #3 smiled! He's one smart fellow.

10:05 A.M. - Darn it...five minutes late for Pre-School Story time! Thankfully, the library director (super cool, Jess Ross) met us at the door with a refreshing smile across her face and a hug for each of my kids. For the next thirty minutes, Kiddo #2,3, & 4 sat with Jess and made the prettiest Spring flowers.

11:15 A.M. - Kiddo #2,3, & 4 bashed each other over the heads with their pretty Spring flowers as I drove back home to Millry. Oh well, there goes hanging them in our kitchen window seal.

12:15 P.M. - Sweet, hardworking husband calls from work...he's spending the night in Gainsville! OMG!

12:30 P.M. - Quick, thrown together lunch(hot pockets, applesauce, goldfish crackers, and fruit roll-ups). Me: Envisioning the quietness of nap time and finishing chapter 2 of WIP (work in progress).

1:15 P.M. - Kiddo #2,3, & 4 are down for their afternoon nap.

Me: Thank God for toddler exhaustion.

In closing, those of you who know me best, know my kids are my world...so no phone calls to DHR, okay! Sometimes, my posts are meant for entertainment only, nothing more.

Have a great day, everyone! Tory

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Pre-School Story time!

Hey, guys!

I have a couple minutes before I crash for the day, so let me jump on in and say how much I enjoyed taking my kids to the Washington County Public Library for Pre-School Story time today! Mrs. Anita, the children's reading coordinator, did a fabulous job of keeping my youngsters' attention, and maybe next time I'll remember my camera so I can snap a few pics to share with everyone.

Also, I had the opportunity to speak with the library director, Mrs. Jessica Ross (or Jess as most of us locals know the professional, yet down-to-earth young woman). For some reason, I believe Jess sensed my desire for adult conversation, because seconds later I found myself sitting comfortably inside her quaint, glassed-in office, discussing everything from YA books to classic movies (my two favorite things!). Not only did she provide information about upcoming writers' events in our area, but also support and encouragement for what I'm hoping to accomplish with my novel.

Well, I think this highlights my eventfulness for the day (minus the 23 field-trip hats I painted, or the few trips I made to my mom's house in search of milk, spaghetti noodles, and an outfit for church on Sunday)...by all means, she's the best Mom a girl could ask for!

Nite, everyone! Tory