Thursday...

Eight more hours of the working thing until official weekending. We have a crazy schedule and much to do!

I'll miss my writing meeting on Saturday and I'll miss a wedding and some camping. I won't, however, miss my granddaughter's seventh birthday party. Or some much needed time with That Man...

More on that later...

For now. It's time to sleep.

Oh, and don't forget to check out my book that came out yesterday!

Behave!

It's Here!!

Into the Fire releases tomorrow!! Whoot!!

Amazon!

Go forth and enjoy!

Behave!

Into the Fire Cover Reveal

Here it is... Like I said, release date and links coming soon!

In Olivia Sanders' world, people like her don't survive very long. Special
abilities are a threat to the corrupt government and those loyal. Olivia and those with similar abilities struggle to keep their secrets as new laws threaten them daily. Though hiding isn't enough for Olivia. A healer and firestarter, she works with the resistance to ensure the safety of the people of her sector, toiling in an unforgiving world without freedom or hope with the goal that someday they will find both.

Poisoned by someone she should never have trusted, betrayed by her
godfather, the former governor, who is using disturbing methods to control
the population and grow his army, Olivia is forced to seek help from Luke Jamison, the leader of the resistance. They join forces with his brother, Matt, and Jillian Derrick, a hard-as-nails woman leading a band of "undesirables" to safety.

As conditions in the sector deteriorate and the death toll climbs ever
higher, Olivia and Luke, Jillian and Matt, cling to the miracle of found
love while facing the horror of a future without each other.

I hope you check it out! 

Thanks!

Behave!

Sunday Again...

I'm going to show you my new cover next. Pretty sure my release date is July 5th, but I'll let you know as soon as I know!

So... We never made it to see Wonder Woman. We headed out and went to a cool Mexican restaurant for lunch. As we're sitting there, we were remarking how it was such a beautiful day. Not too hot. No rain. Gorgeous blue skies with white puffy clouds. We kind of looked at each other and said, "why are we going to sit in a movie theater when we haven't seen such gorgeous weather for weeks", and that was that. We finished lunch, stopped at the grocery store, ran home to grab out stuff and the dog, and headed to camp.

It definitely was a gorgeous day, but the creek looked like chocolate milk and was super high and fast. No swimming for the dog. We had a great time. Campfire, chicken alfredo for dinner, lots of laughing, and good conversation. The only downside was that I didn't sleep well at all, but I did get to sleep in a bit, so that was good.

Today is very beautiful as well. We drank a bunch of coffee, ate bagels, and then loaded up for home. The dog was more than ready. Our friend's puppy takes a toll on her. He is huge and excitable, and wants to try out being a "boy" dog on her. She doesn't like that at all. They did play really well today, which is good, but Elsa was just done with everything and decided to get into the truck and wait for us. Ha!

After we got home, we cleaned up and headed out for jeans and groceries. Now I'm all alone with the dog and working on getting some things done. Laundry is going - last load in the washer. I'm making myself some eggrolls for dinner. Enjoying the quiet...

That Man continues to have a blast. He said yesterday was rough - lots of rowing, sun, and casting his fishing rod, but not a lot of fish. Poor guy. He'll be home later and I'm sure he'll be exhausted.

That's all...

Cover reveal coming next!!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Oh thank you Friday! I am so glad to see you!

So let's get to the good stuff...

1. Friday, duh! Friday is good. But every day should be good in its own way. You just gotta make it so.

2. That Man having a blast on his trip - catching lots of fish, getting soaked by rain, and eaten by bugs, but he's loving every minute of it.

3. K4 and I hanging out tonight. She got her new phone with her own monies and she's thrilled. We went to dinner and had awesome food and conversation.

4. I got my ARC for my new release! I'm working through it and hope to get it done asap, but after a while of reading the same lines over and over, the old eyes get buggy and every word looks the same, so I'm probably done for the night. I will let you know as soon as I get a firm release date! I will also do a cover reveal tomorrow (if I have time)!

5. We're going to see Wonder Woman tomorrow! I admit I haven't seen a lot of previews or anything, so I have no idea what to expect. I've heard it's good.

6. Camping! Obviously there was no camping tonight. The camping spot is full of mud and water and we have dogs... Not a good mix for anything, plus it's been raining on and off all day and raining currently. We'll see what tomorrow brings. I am hoping for it though. (by the way, I am not opposed to camping in the rain, but not going made sense tonight)

7. Air conditioning. It's the best and I love it.

8. Sleeping in tomorrow! Yes!

That's it. It's bed time.

Behave!

Oh... It's Only Thursday...

I know it's just hours until Friday, but... I still have to make it through the day job before the weekend begins...

So weekend plans...

Up in the air thanks to the weather. Supposed to go camping. We'll see how that works out. It's been pouring here for hours and tomorrow is supposed to be the same. Oy! It is what it is and we'll definitely make the most out of whatever happens, even if we stay home, which looks like the plan right now.

In other news...

My Jeep isn't going to pass inspection. The frame has cancer. Bad cancer. We knew this was a possibility. We will fix it. The only issue is figuring out what I'm going to drive during the time it takes to get it fixed. It will be totally worth it in the end.... But...Oy!

That Man is away on his annual fishing trip. He's having a blast and he's only been there for a few hours. My house is filled with testosterone as the men left in my house think they are in charge. They are freaking wrong about this. I am in charge. And I will do what I want, regardless of them. But it's good and hysterical. I don't even know what they are doing at the moment, but the television is loud and they are laughing, so that's a good thing.

And there's a game that seems pretty fun. We just need to figure it out before we can play. And K1 is dancing...

That is all for now... It's bedtime...

Behave!

Monday Madness...

I hate you, Monday.

Hate is a strong word, I know, but seriously? You force me out of bed after sleeping in for two days. You make me fight stupid traffic. And then... I get to the day job and... woah... Thanks for all of the work...

Though... I will say that I felt more in control of the day job situation today, even with my extra responsibilities. All things considered, even after making an ass out of myself after being given the wrong telephone numbers to return important phone calls, I felt like I prevailed, and as it turns out, I knew the wrong number guy and we had a good laugh over it. Go me!

We took food to K2 and J tonight and to see the grandkids. Baby I is so precious. I can't even. He's alert and pleasant and didn't cry the whole time we were there (except for diaper change). Baby C - now known as Toddler C - was very excited that we brought all of mommy's Barbie books for her. She and Pappy played dinosaurs and ate pretend cake. I like Monday for this.

Our own dinner didn't happen until super late. Which was okay. It was good.

I took care of my stuff for my new release. I think that's still happening next week, but I'm not 100% sure yet. I'll post it as soon as I know....

Back to the grind tomorrow. It's going to be a crazy week, so if you don't hear from me...

Behave!

Dad Day...

So... It's Dad Day... I love every single one of the dad's in my life, but I miss my own dad. A lot. A whole lot!

(I know I've been gone a week. The work week was brutal and I purposefully stayed off the computer to save my sanity...)

Highlights from the past week:

K4 started her job. She loves it and is doing great.

It's hot.

It's damn hot.

We have a new grandson. He's so adorable and he will henceforth be called Baby I. Momma and baby are doing awesome! Tomorrow we will take them dinner and there will be cuteness!

We had that damned street fair day again and it sucked.

We took Mr. B to see Cars 3 last night. Correction: my niece C took care off this. She's wanted to take him to see this movie since it was announced. She paid his way in and we had an awesome time hanging with the family! The movie was awesome and we all loved it! He had a blast! He loves his Auntie C, Uncle S, Grand Uncle and Aunt S. That's all he's talked about all day... And Cars 3... don't forget about that!!

Dad's day was, I hope, good for That Man. The kids got together for an awesome present for him and he was amazed. We had awesome food and laughter, though it's so hot we all felt like we were dying... (It's stupid hot)

We made a lot of food when we got home from visiting That Man's Mom. Food for K2 and J, food for us, and food for That Man to take with him on his amazing fishing trip coming up. We also did some laundry... which is currently languishing in the dryer... Oy!

But... Tomorrow is Monday again. Dang it.

Got to do it. Time for bed...

Behave!!

Sunday...

So here we are at Sunday. The work week begins in a few hours and I'm sad....

We had a most excellent weekend. We made a huge dent in our yard work (my legs and butt can't deny that), we grilled great food (including awesome London Broil and the ridiculous chicken marinade idea K4 and I had, which was good, but not as good as it could have been), the laundry got done, and grocery shopping, my air conditioner got put in, and I finished and sent back my edits. (right on target)

I'm looking forward to sleeping in a cool room. Last night was brutal.

There are stupid aphids on my tomato plants. I have battled them all weekend. I think I am losing. I'm doing the mild detergent, removing them, and snipping off the most affected leaves. We'll see what happens... I still have unaffected blooms, for now, which is good.

I now have a high school senior. Looking forward to this year with my kid! She also starts her new job on Wednesday. Super cool.

The kittens are thriving. Momma is also doing well. She pops her head up and stares at us when she's hungry, which is a good thing. K4 held one of the babies last night and he was super comfortable with her and us. I haven't seen them much today, but That Man saw them early this morning - playing and nursing out in the open. I think we may have homes for all, including momma.

I've been outside doing edits all day. It was really nice to sit in a clean yard and work. K3 also worked outside all day. We ended up sharing a space in the shade when the sun got too brutal. The kids would holler at me when it looked like I was slacking off (which I did. A lot) and it was the encouragement I needed to get done.

Now it's folding laundry time and bed time...

That is all...

Behave!!

Thursday... Almost There...

Hi Thursday!

I love the promise of Friday coming in just a few hours.
I love the "let's go, weekend" mentality that arrived right around 5pm today.
I don't, however, love the fact that I still have one day to work... And get up early and stuff...
I love how That Man did some grocery shopping on his way home.
And also that he had dinner taken care of when I got home.
I love kicking back on the porch with the family...
Also, I love that our plans for the weekend include yard and house work and editing, but not much else... Nice.

Anyway...

As I'm on my way home tonight, I'm talking to K2 on the phone. (Our new little man is due anytime now!! Yay!) I get a text from That Man about having kittens in the yard. Of course, I'm confused. I tell K2 and she thinks I said "chickens". LOL Finally get home to see some super adorable kittens living in our yard... Strays. Momma is there, taking care of them. We didn't even know they were there, though we've seen the momma in the yard a few times and we've heard meowing, but not "kitten" meowing. There are definitely four kittens, maybe five... We have no idea what's going to happen. I have a contact with a local adoption center and I've contacted them to see what we can do... We already have three cats or I would seriously consider keeping a few... But if there's an orange one, I make no promises... Ha!

Editing is going well. I'm down to the major stuff. Some of the things are easy and some I've been thinking about since the edits came... My goal is to return them by Sunday and I think that's logical.

Other than that... I'm one day away from having my very last high school senior. My baby will graduate this time next year. After so many years with kids in school, this is super hard to wrap my head around. I've had kids in school for 23 years... Wrap your head around that one. I know I can't...

That's all.

Behave!

Tuesday...and Still With the Sickness

I swear it will never end!

I am doing a lot better. Still hacking up my lungs and dealing with the sore throat and headache. Also fatigue. Yeah, I've made it to the day job every day this week. I come home feeling like a dirty wet dishrag though.

K4 is still a wreck. She's doing her finals at school, but then comes home to sleep as much as she can. She's a mess.
I've heard this thing can take over two weeks to get rid of. Oy!

I'm doing edits for my end of month release! Working hard on them. Making good progress. Though. Not feeling like I'm doing enough each night, but still doing it.

My crock pot died. I am sad. We use our crock pot several times a week. Now I am shopping for the same crock pot, but I don't think I'll ever find it. I've had this one for a super long time - a gift from my mom and it's super cool because it has three different sized containers. The best thing would be to find the same one. Then I'll have double containers and two lids. I'm not giving up hope.

That is all for now.

Behave!

Sunday and Sickness...

It's been a rough weekend...

I did make my meeting, though I never had to do any "wrangling". Our Prez did an amazing job getting the conversation started and keeping it going. And It's all good. I did not make lunch with the gang. I came home and napped after a super rough night of sleep.

When That Man got home from taking his mom to her class reunion, we had to run out the door for K5's recital. First stop for flowers for her and a birthday gift for my great niece. We made it to K5's recital just in time. She did an absolutely amazing job! So proud of our girl!

Then we went to my sister's for hanging out. We had a great time. It was awesome for all of us to be together. Great niece was super cute and excited and her upcoming shopping spree. She's so adorable. We couldn't stay long because I still felt like hell and That Man had an early day today. We had to stop at the store for medicine for K4 since she was still feeling like hell... Got home, gave meds, K4 pukes everywhere. I get it. That medicine makes me puke, too. She's a wreck. Completely understandable. But it does work and she sleeps for a while. And then we have a horrible night of her and I both up - coughing, in pain... The throat hurting is awful...

We made it through today. I did a lot of housework. Spaced out with a lot of rest. So, I didn't get the vacuuming done, but the laundry is done, and the kitchen is clean. The trash is all out. That Man and I did the grocery shopping and then ordered horrible chinese food for dinner. We will never do that again.

Now it's bedtime...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday?

I still feel like utter hell...

K4 and I were home today. We did the doctor. We were told it's allergies... Ha!

Take some Claritin or Zyrtec regularly. You're not actually dying. You're fine. Ha! They gave the kid some stuff to gargle for her very super sore throat. It doesn't work, despite the pharmacist warning me about how she could burn herself, or bite her tongue because of the numbing effect. Also, HA!

She's a mess. She's still running a fever. I am, too. I never knew you could do the fever thing with allergies? We did a lot of sleeping today. And watched a lot of The Office. And talked about eating stuff, but never actually did that. I'm not sure when either of us have actually eaten real food. Maybe Wednesday? I picked up the prescription and bought a lot of popsicles. That was the best thing I did all day. Though neither of us have eaten a popsicle yet.

We will see if the doctor gets called over the weekend. K4 is an absolute mess. Her throat, if possible, is even sorer after her negative strep test. (She said the tech "stabbed her in the throat", but that's not why she hurts)

I hated missing work. A lot, but since I didn't have the cognitive awareness to even think about tying my shoes or doing more than letting the dog out to do her business, it was for the best. I slept. A lot. It was good, but I'm still exhausted. My boss was super cool about me calling out today. She knows I would never call off unless I am dying...

My writing meeting is tomorrow. I am to be the "pitch wrangler". I hope I can fulfill my obligation! My voice is super bad. I sound like a chain-smoking grandma, complete with the cough. Oy! I am planning on making it and then to K5's performance in the evening. I know it won't be a late night, because I just can't. I seriously hope I feel better tomorrow. Seriously.

I'd better!

Behave!!

June the First

K1's bday was good. Kebabs on the grill. Ice cream cupcakes for dessert. (Mr. B's request)

K4 went to New York with school and even though she was still feeling crappy, she had a good day.

I also still felt crappy.

Today brought more feeling crappy for both K4 and I. We both have the same symptoms - fever, aches, sore throat. I'm not sure how I'm still up and I'm not sure how I'm going to get all of the stuff I need to get done finished.

We had to go to a funeral for the mother of one of my oldest friends tonight. Well, the viewing. It was a lot harder than I expected. I've been to several funerals since my dad and mom's. This one was rough. Maybe since it was her mom  and I graduated high school with my friend. Maybe since I just remembered everything from my mom's. I'm not sure, but it sucked.

Blah.

I sent my critiques and got all of them back. I need to submit this before the meeting on Saturday. I've gotten through one critique. Two more to go. Tomorrow night is booked. Ack!

I also got edits for Into the Fire, which releases in 27 days...

And, our weekend is booked. But the most important thing is that I feel like utter and unholy hell. My brain is not working right. My fingers don't type right (I've been trying to write this for a really long time), my throat is on fire, and my head feels like it's going to explode at any given moment.

I need to feel better and I need to slow time a little bit...

Behave!