Every now and then, I feel the need to get crafty. This last weekend, I made a Rubik's Cube cake in honor of the Rubik's Cube's 30th Birthday! Here's the picture. Click over to HERE to learn how you can make one yourself!

"And, I'm so-in-so and I'm STANDING in front of. . ."

"AND here we are . . . "

"Ever been to Philly and . . ."

Acting classes are a hoot and a half. Everyone has a different take on the same material and it is fun to see what each person brings to a script.

I attended last Saturday's TV hosting auditions workshop taught by NYC casting director Barbara Barna down at Heery Casting in Philadelphia. It was offered through a partnership with TVi Actors Studio out of LA and NY. It was great.

We were all there trying to answer that age ole question - Can I really do this? I like, I love it, I want some more of it - you know the song.

Only one thing, we learned that six people are the TYPES the networks and producers are looking for RIGHT NOW (Could be different in next month):

Mike Rowe - Funny, snarky, loveable, knows when to joke and when to hold back. WILL DO ANYTHING - as evidenced by his show Dirty Jobs

Gordon Ramsay - the famous chef, known for his delicious recipes and excellence in the kitchen AND good personality. The man is an EXPERT.

Jon Stewart - Energetic, hilarious, intelligent, totally comedic and very talented at hitting the mark.

Simon Cowell - rhymes with Scowl for a good reason (Think American Idol, people, if you can possibly live in this world and not have heard of this man) and definitely someone who has to have the guts to speak his mind.

{Can we get some ladies in here, please?}

Kelly Ripa - Fun loving, willing to try most anything, can talk to anyone, and INCREDIBLY SKINNY and beautiful. She knows how to keep up appearances and still be natural - not so easy.

Rachael Ray - Down to earth, fun loving, easy with people and willing to try new things. We ALL love Rachel Ray - because what's not to love. The woman is amazing and again, knows how to look good on the Red Carpet and in the kitchen - every man's dream come true.

Okay, so you are seeing a trend here - for the most part, fun loving, willing to laugh with others and at oneself, willing to do a variety of things, intelligent and witty and JUST PLAIN SUPERHUMAN. (Oh, and via my own observations - not one endorsed in class - if you are a man, you can look like hell with the right personality but as a woman, hmmm  . . . )

Dang.

I'm not superhuman but I do love people. I'm also a bit of a ham - not sure what kind of ham - hot dog, pork chop, rear rump. I can be shy, sure. But, I LOVE meeting and being around highly creative people WHICH means learning to be one myself to hang with the big dogs (especially tough if I'm only cut out for the hot dog role) and I DON'T know if I have what it takes but there is only ONE way to find out.

So, back to class. We were told all sorts of wonderful things (and I won't give away the whole class b/c you really do have to go experience it yourself -- I paid - so can you) and then we were given lines to read - a real script used in a show where one stood in front of a place and introduced it. Simple lines that you can put your own personality into.

Sounds easy, right. BWAHAHAHA. You sit reading the script. Everyone takes a break and you practice in front of a blank wall just like any "cold read." You sit watching others - bend their knees too much, read the paper too much, make hilariously over exaggerated faces - all the while, saying to yourself - I'm going to learn here - I'm not going to do those things.

And then it's your turn. And, you choke in front of a whole room full of people staring at you - studying what you are doing wrong - hoping they will get it right next. I added all sorts of things to my script in my head and what comes out? Just the copy - the plain copy. It was okay, I guess but I could have said more. But, you only get two reads. And for most TV on any given day, let's say you get a job on TV - you want to get it right in the first take. That's not always realistic (various things going on around you) but with experience, you should come pretty close.

The good ones in the crowd were definitely the ones with experience. One girl really knew how to "fill the space" around her.

If you have ever taken a class like this, you know that the written stuff coming from the teacher is good but you could probably read it in a book or on the Internet somewhere. The golden moments are the networking opportunities in the line to the bathroom and in the lobby before and after class, AND giving your headshot to a REAL casting director and having that same casting director give you and everyone else REAL feedback from his or her experiences working with a multitude of individuals -some of whom are highly successful. They know what it takes and they are watching you from the moment you come in the door. They have clients to please and sure, you could be the next one.

You also could very likely never be the next one if you come in sloutching, thinking - "oh, this is just another class" or I don't need to take this seriously. If you are serious about TV or film, take classes from the professionals.

Care about your appearance (and yes - I am pointing FIVE fingers back at me on this and I AM on way to the gym right now), know what is out there, watch the movies or TV shows of actors you could see yourself playing, be informed, and be curious!

Set some goals, get your ACT together. Use Social Media to get your foot in the door and network, network, network.

I enjoyed the class because I have done some vlogging (video-blogging) lately and by just getting out there and doing it - I see plenty I need to work on (like hand movements and not laughing at people's jokes when I am holding the FLIP camera near MY mouth as I film) but the key is just DOING it and then watching and self-editing. Get feedback. Learn from your mistakes.

Most of all - have fun but you gotta be honest with yourself if you want to learn and grow!

The strange woman stood with her back to me, across the room, with long blonde hair cascading down her back in an enviable pre-baby-tugging fashion. My friend spoke to her with rapt attention and I cocked my head to get a better look, wondering who she was.

I assumed the woman, built solid enough to be fully woman but somewhat short --  so maybe not --(and me with my daily refusal to wear my glasses that would improve my distance vision significantly) was either pre-children or a new mom. Most of my friends sported shorter hair-dos and studs after only a couple years running after kids, getting their earrings pulled out and almost swallowed before the all-knowing eye connects with the child's hand and sweeps away the dangerous item once thought of as chic and beautiful. The world becomes a whole new array of scary things when a mom has to wade through it balancing the curiousity of a child - encouraging and discouraging - teaching limits, encouraging some risks and cautioning others.

I like to greet new guests on Sunday morning, so I figured I would make my way over eventually to say Hi, through the reception area of the school that doubled as our coffee hour before church, held in the school gym. We are still a fledgling church, created out of another church plant that came from a large church downtown Philly. Some churches like to grow big and others encourage smaller congregations to get the convenience of worshiping near home and to build a family-like atmosphere. The disadvantage, of course, is less pooled resources to buy one's own building or build. You also find yourself tapping the same women over and over to run events, to recruit for the committees that give us that coveted feeling of community and to bring a dish to the most recent potluck.

We Presbyterians seem to have a love-hate relationship with committees. None of us want to leave home on any given night to meet but without the meetings, how do we grow, encourage each other or get anything done that builds & supports our small body of believers? E-mail has brought us a long way but it only goes so far.

So, a new woman in the crowd, eh? Always a potential for recruiting. Someone to attend our small but powerful bible studies, someone to bake a meal, someone to set tableware or help clean up. Better be friendly. No, {slapping myself mentally} just be friendly for friendly's sake.

Ooops. Better wear my glasses. A second glance and I realized my mistake. This new woman was in fact a stranger to me - as a woman -- but I knew her as a child. I knew her as a toddler standing in the kitchen surrounded by crumbs after pulling the remains of a pie tin off the counter. I knew her as a child who tore her knee at the campground and howled as we poured peroxide over it instead of water, worried as we were that the natural spring well might carry more contaminates and create a greater issue than the sting of the cleansing solution on a deep "campground knee" wound (a nick-name for the frequent injury known to children running and falling, unused to the uneven, hilly ancient barely paved sidewalks).

I knew her as the girl carrying HUGE stacks of books from the library that she had learned to reserve and order on her own through the online portal. I knew her when she was fitted for her first glasses - a light plastic purple frame that was quickly lost, followed by a purple metal Candies frame with hearts cut into the corners, followed by a couple more pairs as they were lost, scratched, sat on.

She turned, confirming my suspicion. Yes, this was a woman I would recruit to help at the church dinners. Yes, this was a woman whom, out of no sense of self-importance, I would teach many things, mentor and guide carefully through a crazy world filled with new dangers, joys, risks.

The woman? My eldest daughter, almost 13, with bigger shoes and definitely bigger boobs than me at that age. She's growing up so fast. I'm not sure I AM ready to call her a woman yet but she's getting there. She's ready to be treated like one, think like one, stand like one, dress like one. She even likes cable knit sweaters better than the trendy teen t-shirts my younger daughter, only a year behind, enjoys. She's definitely my spawn, one who cherishes preppy - a good look on a solidly thick young body rather than the thin, drappy material of pop culture.

My sweet Lindsey is a good kid and I know she'll make an amazing woman. I'm just not ready to attach that title to her yet. How about pre-woman? Pre-teen? This summer, she will be a teenager -officially. Let's hope she doesn't start liking boys yet. I am definitely not ready for that. 

Do you have a blog? Ever thought of starting one? I did- about two years ago and I can tell you that picking a title can be one of the hardest things - especially when you are trying to summarize your life in 3 words or less.

Let's start with -- WHY START A BLOG?

About two years ago, I quit working full-time to pursue the fiction writing I still have swirling around in my head. Reading books about publishing, I kept reading and hearing: "You have to be able to sell your own books," "You need your own platform," and "Start a blog." Thus, the name of my personal blog "Genesis Moments - A Writer's Journey." I was reading a devotional that came to me by email that referred to "genesis moments" as fresh clean starts and I thought it applied beautifully to writing fiction - people, scenes, plots created out of my own imagination. Blog titles are tricky things but this one was just quirky enough and different and I liked it so I kept it.

Deciding a blogger's focus, brand, voice takes time and some change his or her title after spending a year or two figuring it all out. A blogger may even start different blogs for different purposes of his or her life (i.e. reviews, writings, one place to combine everything). I started DIYFrugal.com separately from my personal blog. There, I post my articles from a local paper where I write a weekly column. There I can house frugal tips and resources and links to sites just about saving money. I call it more of a "business" blog.

There are many sites answering questions on how and when and where to start a blog so I won't go into all those details here but let's get back to the start - how do you pick a blog title? Here are a couple of questions to consider:

1) Who are you representing? Are you creating a brand for yourself with your own name (or nickname) or are you creating a team blog that multiple people will contribute to?

2) What are you representing? Is your goal to be a diarist of your own life or are you trying to achieve a specific purpose (i.e. educating others on technology, sales, sales & deals, etc.)

3) How are you going to connect to other online media? If you already own one blog, you may consider creating a similar name with a different extension, to maintain your brand. I also started "GenMom Reviews" in which GenMom is short for Genesis Moments (not "Mom of Gen" as one person suggested.) I also use GenMom and DIYFrugal as my twitter names since they are short and sweet and go with my "brands."

4) Ever heard the suggestion: "Call your kids names you are willing to scream over and over out the back door to get their attention"? With your blog, can you see your title on a blog button, on a blog banner, said aloud to a famous celebrity during a phone conference when bloggers are asking questions (been there, done that)?

This are just a couple suggestions. If you currently have a blog, how did you pick your title?

Here are some other great posts on this topic:

Seth Godin's How to Title Stuff
E-How's How to Choose A Personal Blog Title
Dipping Into the Blogpond's Top 5 Steps for Choosing a Blog Theme

Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is literally around the corner and there are many ways to show your love without breaking the bank.

For my family, this sweet holiday slips into our lives just after Christmas gifts are paid off and savings begin for summer vacations or renovations. One year, when our children were little, the best thing happened. We were snowed in on Valentine’s Day. Dinner out was not an option.

Though my girls were young, they helped me pull out a red tablecloth, set the fine dishes, light the candles and make spaghetti and meatballs. They dressed in their Sunday best and we waited for Daddy to make his way home. He entered with the finishing touch: a large bouquet of roses for me and two small glass heart-shaped vases with single roses in them for our two daughters. The girls cherished our evening together so much that now they pull out the fine dishes and set the table. Those little red vases appear for their annual visit to our dining room table and we share this holiday of love as a family.

A couple of frugal ideas for your Valentine’s Day may include:
1.       Begin your own traditions. Though Valentine’s Day items have been on sale since before Christmas this year, check out the sale tables for red items that can be used for a variety of holidays. Have fun setting a fancy table and eating in.
2.       Keep it simple. Special touches don’t have to be elaborate. A simple red ribbon tied around the napkins or a couple flowers in a center vase add to the atmosphere without a large expense. For fun, sprinkle a few heart candies around a center candle and have everyone read the words on the heart closest.
3.       Let the kids pick their favorite dinner and help cook.
4.       Write a note to your loved one and tuck it under his or her plate (or pillow). OR, take time during the day to send a tweet or Facebook message -- if that works for you.
 5.       For those who live farther away, take the time to write a personal card. In this digital age, a personal written note is a cherished rarity. But, if you must, send an e-mail or make a quick call to let someone special know you are thinking about him or her.
6.       Find coupons for area restaurants if you really must get out rather than stay in. Look for holiday specials.
7.       Invite a friend to dinner if dining with family is out of the question. Give a little love this Valentine’s and remember that showing love can come from the richness of the heart rather than the wallet. With a little thought and creativity, you don’t have to look cheap to do–it-yourself with love.

Check out the new look over at www.DIYFrugal.com for more money saving resources.  (There is also my Valentines post from last year over there-- somewhat similar but with a few other ideas too!)