Ahem. I, uh, Mattie Richardson, seem to be missing in action lately. I am sorry blogger friends, life just always seems to get in the way. I need to work on my other blog too, before I get too behind on answers. I will try to get that done today too.
Tommorrow I go to make balloon animals for kids at a party in Enderlin. It sounds fun, its the second job I've had doing it. On April 14 I will be talking to another school (this time in Minnesota) about Appaloosy. And I've been invited to be a special guest at the "Taste Of Norway" thing going on in Enderlin, I'm supposed to play my fiddle in between dances, make balloon hats and swords, and teach kids guitar chords as part of nordic challange. Boy, my planner is filling up fast.
That's what mainly has been going on, but there has been some fun things for me to do too. I am working again at a greenhouse about a mile away where I mainly enjoy the scent of beautiful green flowers and feel the glorious sun filtering through the greenhouse while outside there is still snow on the ground with a nasty 20 degree high. I would almost work there for free sometimes, but I do need money for some things.
I rolled my car on the way to fargo and now I am stuck with my huge black van again. Hey old pal, and hello teasing again. I really am going to try to get the car fixed though so we can have something with good gas milage.
Sold out of 100 copies of Dusty's Trail in less than four weeks, I need to order more but I dont have any money. The Ransom County Gazette wants to do an article on my second book but I want to make sure that I have books if I do that.
So that is what has been going on mostly. And I'll try to keep up more often. :)
Mattie
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Why do I always get so nervous
when I have to perform? arrgh, I'm antsy. And it's not even that big. Today at about 2:15 I will be going to the senior citizens center in Enderlin to play violin and make balloon animals for a birthday party. I don't even really know what to expect, but there are going to be elderly people there and about 18 kindergartners. Whew!
And I am SOO out of practice too. But I guess kindergartners can't tell the difference between bad violin playing and good playing, especially if they've never heard a violin player before anyway, so it should go okay.
I am going to do balloon stuff too. I'm going to keep it simple: Hat, dog or sword. Hopefully the balloons will stay together with those kids bashing them around but I guess all I can do is make them. :P I'll let you know how it goes.
Wish me luck,
♥Mattie
And I am SOO out of practice too. But I guess kindergartners can't tell the difference between bad violin playing and good playing, especially if they've never heard a violin player before anyway, so it should go okay.
I am going to do balloon stuff too. I'm going to keep it simple: Hat, dog or sword. Hopefully the balloons will stay together with those kids bashing them around but I guess all I can do is make them. :P I'll let you know how it goes.
Wish me luck,
♥Mattie
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Book Review--Mixed Bags (The Carter House Girls) by Melody Carlson
"Mixed Bags" is an appropriate title for this Christian teen novel, about a teen girl named DJ who lives with her grandmother, who was a previous 60's fashion icon, in a large Victorian home. DJ's grandmother decides to open it as a boarding house to take in girls who may become models.
This wasn't exactly my kind of story--I definitely cannot relate to fashion-crazy girls living together in one house, doing pretty much whatever they pleased for most of the time. I did relate, however, to the main character DJ's tomboyishness and desire to be her own person, but that wore off of her and she started to become a name-brand fashion model girl toward the end, with way-too-expensive clothing and bleached blond highlights to match.
It was well-written, but the plot seemed to be rather weak and DJ's decision to become a Christian appears to be somewhat random and out-of -the blue.
Just so you know, there are some topics touched that I don't think went overboard, but the book would have been okay without them .(drinking, smoking and some kissing a boy scenes)
All-in-all, it is a "fast food" kind of writing in the book. It's not a good reading diet but it will keep you wanting more. It is pretty short, too, and I read the whole thing in a couple of hours. If you are interested in fashion and girl fights, and see this book in the library, maybe you could get it. But I don't recommend that you pay $9.99 for it, no matter how much you appreciate fashion.
This wasn't exactly my kind of story--I definitely cannot relate to fashion-crazy girls living together in one house, doing pretty much whatever they pleased for most of the time. I did relate, however, to the main character DJ's tomboyishness and desire to be her own person, but that wore off of her and she started to become a name-brand fashion model girl toward the end, with way-too-expensive clothing and bleached blond highlights to match.
It was well-written, but the plot seemed to be rather weak and DJ's decision to become a Christian appears to be somewhat random and out-of -the blue.
Just so you know, there are some topics touched that I don't think went overboard, but the book would have been okay without them .(drinking, smoking and some kissing a boy scenes)
All-in-all, it is a "fast food" kind of writing in the book. It's not a good reading diet but it will keep you wanting more. It is pretty short, too, and I read the whole thing in a couple of hours. If you are interested in fashion and girl fights, and see this book in the library, maybe you could get it. But I don't recommend that you pay $9.99 for it, no matter how much you appreciate fashion.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Just another everyday adventure
In the life of Mattie J. Richardson, Author, performer, fine musician and part time grocery clerk. Haha. When your living life as a homeschooled teenager you have to find adventure in everyday things.
This last Friday I worked Freight at the grocery store in town. I've never done it before, but one of my friends who worked was sick and sort of asked me to fill in for him. Let me tell you this, first of all: freight is at 4 o'clock in the morning!
The truck comes at four so we are supposed to be there to open all the packages and put them on the shelves and in the freezers. So, I set my alarm for 3:30, got up and started the van to let it run for awhile, then got dressed and cleaned up and put a little makeup on.
Another thing to tell you: Freight is for Boys Only! At least that's what my boss thinks. He was pretty surprised when I showed up. He just asked me who I was working for and sent me over with Dillion to teach me what to do. We basically opened tons of boxes and stocked the shelves. There was only 3 other boys and me, there was supposed to be one other kid who didn't show up.
I was given aisle 4, cereal and soup aisle. I have a hard time sometimes working carryout because the top of the shelves are too high for me to reach; so of course there was a ton of stuff that had to be put up top. Hey, I wasn't going to show myself as a defenseless little girl though, so I grabbed the metal carryout cart and used it for a ladder. Not without nearly falling off and bashing my shin into it, though. I winced in pain very, very quietly. But boy, I was super glad that I was all by myself in aisle 4! It was kinda funny now that I think about it, but at least I didn't actually fall with a huge crash. That would have been really embarrassing!
We only had about three pallets of groceries so we got done by about 6:00, and it was still dark outside.
When I got home I cooked myself a hot pocket that I bought, read blogs for awhile, then crashed into bed around 7:30. My little brother woke me up at nine and then I did school and went to work at 2 for my "real" shift. I was super tired.
But, it's always fun to learn new things. And, I guess, I learned after all, it's always boring to work freight.
This last Friday I worked Freight at the grocery store in town. I've never done it before, but one of my friends who worked was sick and sort of asked me to fill in for him. Let me tell you this, first of all: freight is at 4 o'clock in the morning!
The truck comes at four so we are supposed to be there to open all the packages and put them on the shelves and in the freezers. So, I set my alarm for 3:30, got up and started the van to let it run for awhile, then got dressed and cleaned up and put a little makeup on.
Another thing to tell you: Freight is for Boys Only! At least that's what my boss thinks. He was pretty surprised when I showed up. He just asked me who I was working for and sent me over with Dillion to teach me what to do. We basically opened tons of boxes and stocked the shelves. There was only 3 other boys and me, there was supposed to be one other kid who didn't show up.
I was given aisle 4, cereal and soup aisle. I have a hard time sometimes working carryout because the top of the shelves are too high for me to reach; so of course there was a ton of stuff that had to be put up top. Hey, I wasn't going to show myself as a defenseless little girl though, so I grabbed the metal carryout cart and used it for a ladder. Not without nearly falling off and bashing my shin into it, though. I winced in pain very, very quietly. But boy, I was super glad that I was all by myself in aisle 4! It was kinda funny now that I think about it, but at least I didn't actually fall with a huge crash. That would have been really embarrassing!
We only had about three pallets of groceries so we got done by about 6:00, and it was still dark outside.
When I got home I cooked myself a hot pocket that I bought, read blogs for awhile, then crashed into bed around 7:30. My little brother woke me up at nine and then I did school and went to work at 2 for my "real" shift. I was super tired.
But, it's always fun to learn new things. And, I guess, I learned after all, it's always boring to work freight.
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