Betcha thought I forgot...

Last week I showed you my disgusting recipe cupboard and lamented the fact that I have the supplies required to organize it, but never seem to make the time.

In case you've forgotten what the hellhole looked like, here's a refresher:

You may also recall that some of you accepted my challenge to pick a task you've been procrastinating and tackle it in the coming week.

Betcha thought I forgot.

Well, I didn't. True, I was distracted by my parents' visit and Pythagoras' triathlon and our impromptu trip to the Oregon Coast. But I uphold my commitments.

So here's what I did last night:

Getting organized at the dining room table.

Finishing up in the living room (much later, as you can tell by the lack of light, the dog's yawn, and the level of the wine remaining in the bottle)

The finished product. A well-organized recipe cupboard. Hooray!

And here's the funny thing: one of my excuses for procrastinating this task is that I've had too damn much to do. I'm finishing up the first draft of LET IT BREATHE (the third book in my contract) while also completing edits on MAKING WAVES and BELIEVE IT OR NOT (the first and second books, which are due on my editor’s desk August 1).

But taking those few hours to tackle and complete an unrelated project gave me a sense of accomplishment. As I finished tidying the cupboard this morning, I realized I was already itching to get started on the edits.

A far cry from the foot-dragging I’ve been doing lately.

So I guess the lesson here is that it’s not such a bad thing to take a little time away from writing to tackle some menial task that gives you a sense of accomplishment. As an added bonus, I uncovered some terrific recipes I’d forgotten about. Mustard Crusted Salmon, anyone?

Did the rest of you tackle an undesirable task this week? How did you fare? Tell us all about it in the comments!

On an unrelated note, I’d like to urge you all to check out a couple other sites today.

First up, Candyland (aka Candace Ganger) is doing an awesome fundraiser for the non-profit group Joy 2 the World, which generates micro-credit loans for the women of Ghana to encourage independence and empowerment.

It is a fabulous cause, and Candyland is giving away some truly incredible prizes for supporters. You could snag a 30-minute phone call with my amazing agent, Michelle Wolfson, some highly desirable books from authors like Sean Ferrell and Bill Cameron, or even a tag-team critique of your partial manuscript from yours truly and my critique partner, Cynthia Reese.

There are tons of other great prizes for writers and non-writers alike, so go now! NOW!

Secondly, Elizabeth Ryann (the lucky wench) got to attend RomCon recently, and brought back a huge stack of books she’s giving away on her blog. There are even a few in there from my own wonderful publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc. Want to win them? You’ll have to visit Elizabeth’s blog to get yourself entered.

Er, I didn’t mean it like that.

So that’s it for today – two great contests, one clean cupboard, and a whole lot of editing ahead of me today.

Life’s good.