Monday Was...

Long. Sucky. Exhausting. Frustrating. Back pain.

Yeah. It was that kind of day.

The good things...
Good dinner, Mr. B and his super adorable haircut - playing legos with him and making him a snack that he loved. Getting words on the page. I'm so close to being done, but the story doesn't seem to want to end. I'm already past my projected word count, which isn't that big of a deal unless I can't edit it down.

I still have a whole bunch of laundry in baskets waiting to be folded. Seriously, if I have to make a choice between folding laundry and playing legos with the grandson, there's no contest at all.

And tomorrow we head back up to the attic to see what we can get done.

I'm not making any decisions on this week yet. I'll let you know on Friday.

That's all for now. I need to see if I can get the tweak in my back to ease. I guess I'm too old to sit on the floor and play. Ha!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up

Well, here we are at Sunday again. Damn.

It's been a pretty decent weekend. Didn't get as much done as we wanted, but still making progress. The attic is coming along. We still have a crap ton to do. Like walls and floors. Ugh, but the insulation has been added. Laundry has been done (shh. It's not folded yet) That Man fixed the cupboard in the kitchen that keeps falling apart and the screen door. I made awesome lasagna for dinner last night. The grass has been mowed, though the weeding didn't get done. K3 came over for a bit and now That Man and I are alone. We did the grocery shopping (ugh) and got tomorrow's dinner in a marinade.

So yeah, busy weekend. I'm beat.

Now it's writing time. Maybe I'll get the laundry folded after. Maybe not. All I can think about is crawling into bed, so we'll see...

That is all.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday...

All the good that is good!! (never mind my raging headache!)

1. It's Friday and the end of a very long work week. We said goodbye to an awesome co-worker, had some good food, dealt with a glitchy system, and did our best to get the work done on time.

2. Hanging out at The Thing That Man and I went to on Wednesday. It was good food and good conversation. I'm glad I went.

3. That sneezing thing going away. Yay! Though I am still achy and tired.

4. Talking to my sister this week. We don't talk often enough and while it was a super quick and necessary conversation, it was still good. I still need to fill her in on a few things, but it is what it is and we'll get there. Plans to see her next weekend!

5. No cooking or dishes tonight. We ordered pizza which was awesome and a much needed break!

6. Though it doesn't sound like fun, the plans for tomorrow to work in the attic all day. We will make great progress!

7. It's raining and I love that!

8. Getting words on the page! I've done pretty well this week. Not awesome, but not horrible either.

9. My dog being all snuggled up next to me. She's a tired puppy.

10. Bed and sleeping in tomorrow. Since I'll be going to bed very soon, the sleeping in time will be silly, but still! Sleeping until I can't sleep anymore is awesome! Ha!

That is all...

Behave!

Thursday Ugh...

I've been sneezing all day.

Couldn't take it anymore and took some allergy meds a lady from my work had and it made me super sleepy. I'm still super sleepy. My shoulders, neck, and head hurt. My nose is getting stuffy.

Nooo! I know there's a summer cold going around. I don't want or need it. I'm gong to ignore it and hope it goes away!

No attic work has been done since Tuesday. That Man and I had a thing last night and there was no way I was going up there with the way I feel tonight. K4 was cool with that since she's not feeling so great either.

Tomorrow is Friday! Yay!

I'm going to try to get a few words on the page tonight, but not sure how many. I'm making good progress on the next story in the free anthology. So there's that.

That is all...

Behave!

Tuesday...

More attic work...

It's not so hot today, so we worked a little longer. Yes, we have an air conditioner to put in up there, but getting the crap out of the way has to come first. It's not that bad, but there's a system of stacking that's blocking the path.

Tonight's work was clearing out one of the storage spaces so we can put some of K1's things in there. Yeah. I'm storing my grown kids crap, but it is what it is. We have most of it moved in and took as much trash as we thought the trash men will take out to the curb.

After clearing out my parent's house, I have no desire to save things. Gone are two boxes of VHS tapes. We don't want them. We have no use for them. And I know from experience that no one will buy them. (Don't even think yard sale - that's something I highly doubt I will ever do again. Horrible)

We're getting ever closer to being ready to start finishing the walls and then doing the floors. I hope it goes quickly. I need it to be done so we can move on to the next project and eventually find some kind of order in this house. Ack.

K4 wants a waterbed, so we're on the lookout for that. Don't judge. That Man and I have always had a waterbed - he had one before we got married. I've never even thought about getting a different kind of bed. I like it. And yes, I managed four pregnancies getting in and out of it with no issues. I have rarely slept on a mattress that feels as good as mine - except one time at the beach, and then the bed at my uncles house. That's not very many in thirty years of marriage, so there's that.

Anyway. The laundry is done, the dishes, and the writing, among a bunch of other stuff. It's time to go to bed...

Behave!

Monday. Oh. Monday.

So... Monday...

The first thing is that I really, really wish I was going to the national conference in Florida tomorrow! It's been a super, super long time since I went and though you wouldn't think I would be feeling this way, I do. Next year it's in Colorado and while I would absolutely love to go there, I know that's not happening. BUT the year after, it's in New York, so that's definitely on my list of things that must be done!

Monday blows. It was a really rough work day. So rough I didn't think I would still have a job at the end. It wasn't that bad, but I felt that bad. I made a pretty huge mistake and it sucks. I love my boss for having my back and helping to guide me through the rough waters. I "think" it'll turn out okay in the end.

Attic renovations.... Oy! It's hot up there. We worked for quite a while clearing out the storage spaces to make room for additional storage. We have saved a bunch of newspapers with iconic headlines. We'll be keeping those, even if the kid doesn't think she'll care about them in twenty years. My guess is that they will all care when that time comes. We have every local paper from September 11th, which is cool to me even now. There's a lot, a lot, more to do, but the vision is starting to come together.

That Man found and fixed a major leak under the kitchen sink. We have had dishes all over the kitchen for almost two days. Of course, the leak was found after we made a whole lot of mess. He fixed it yesterday once he got all of the stuff he needed and the fix had to dry for hours (and even more hours since it's humid... so... yeah), but it was such a mess we ended up going out to dinner with Mr. B since we were watching him. When I got home tonight, That Man had started a run through the dishwasher (couldn't use that either) and I just finished up washing the rest of the dishes - from the mess and the ones that got yucky from the leak.

That's all for now. I have writing to do!!!

Behave!

End of Saturday...

It was a good day, despite the change of plans for tonight.

The morning was glorious, but you already knew that. My uncle also sent me jealousy inducing pictures of him on the west coast. On a house boat, no less.

K4 and I headed out to get her eyes checked. We were supposed to do some window shopping, but after the wait at the vision place (even though we had an appointment and had our insurance stuff done before we went) and the twenty minute meltdown of a little girl screaming outside of the store "I don't know why you won't let me buy it" "I won't eat it all again" "I need it" "Let me buy it", with huge tears and A LOT of screaming, we cut our losses and headed to the grocery store.

We made a super quick trip because we were both done with people and shopping. Got back home, put groceries away, did some more laundry, and That Man made it home. Stromboli for dinner and a little mindless TV.

I am/have written. We watched Gran Torino, which reminds me of my dad. We're watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which is one of my favorite movies. I love it. My sister is totally the aunt in this. Ha!

Am missing the beach a lot. I so wish we were going in less than 70 days, but alas, it's not happening this year. Unless one of us wins the lottery... Hey, I can dream, can't I?

That is all. It's more words and bedtime soon. God. I am turning into an old lady! Ha!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday On Saturday

A little late, but since I was in bed by 9pm last night...

All of the Feel Goods in one place...

1. Sleeping in this morning. Even though I didn't "really" since I went to bed so early. It was still nice to wake up relaxed and well-rested.

2. Living through the work week. It was a brutal one. One of the worst parts was that the air conditioning malfunctioned and it was like we were working in the jungle until Friday. Bleh.

3. That Man and K4 doing the shopping and cooking dinner last night. Nice!

4. Mr. B. He's such a funny and smart kid. I think he's going to grow up to be a litigator or something. He's always trying to make deals about everything. Ha!

5. Upcoming weekend plans to see two of my other grands. New baby!

6. Getting everything I needed/wanted to get done this morning finished. And having a quiet morning of just me and the dog. Now it's me and K4 and we're getting ready to head out on some errands.

7.  Writing time scheduled for later. We were supposed to have plans. Plans I was looking forward to, but since That Man is working in heat advisory temps, we'll be staying home. He won't be in any shape to go out. It stinks, but it's okay, too.

8. Talking to my UB. It's nice to just chat with him. He's all we have left on my mom's side of the family and over the years all of us kids have developed a really special bond with him. He calls us "his kids", which is awesome.

That's all for now.

Behave!

Thursday Nonsense

The nonsense of today... Or just stuff...

1. That Brother left. He's heading to a conference that he was not looking forward to. (I really wish I was heading to the National writing conference coming up next week. It's been too, too long since I went. Hopefully soon.)

2. I stopped at the store to buy food for the pets, but forgot paper products.

3. It's hot outside. Damn hot. Like heat advisory hot. I just stepped outside to throw something in the recycle can and almost died. No lie.

4. Oh! So. I went to bed after finishing my post last night... crawled in and got all snuggly with the air conditioners, the fans, and That Man. And then I felt/smelled it.Not only did the cat poop on our bed, there was also pee. So freaking disgusting. It was bad enough we had to change out the comforter, but nothing like changing sheets/mattress pads and sanitizing the mattress at 11:30pm. (We have a waterbed - something I am super grateful for since we don't have to worry about mattress smells/stains/blah) I'm still grossed out.

5. We had a bunch of whatever for dinner. There were so many leftovers in the fridge that we just pulled them all out and whatever you ate is what you ate. Everything left got pitched. Of course, this should have happened (and usually does) on Tuesday before the trash is taken out, but whatever.

6. Just a reminder - I have two new releases out. The free anthology short and Into the Fire. Both are available on Amazon. I hope you check them out.

That is all. I'm dead tired and have to get up early tomorrow...

Behave!

Mid-Week Insanity

Halfway through the week... Thank goodness!

Let's see...

That Brother is here. He's cooked us some awesome food and the siblings got a chance to hang out last night, which was great. Tonight we had another amazing dinner. That Man and I cleaned up. I did laundry, and the boys went to check on their mother who was having a moment of confusion.

Well, she has a lot of those these days. She's 80 and she's not in the best of health. We are frequently, very frequently, over there. And then we have the additional visits when she believes her TV remote is hooked up to her oxygen tank or her medication schedule or, dare I say, her bathroom needs. Yeah. There is that. Most of this occurs in the evening, which is par for the course. She hides candy and sweets - always has. I say, let her eat the damn candy - within reason. Which she does have. Reason, I mean. We don't have any idea what's going to happen. We're watching everything between That Man's Sister, me, and That Man. This is the first time That Brother has had to deal with this since he lives so far away and it's freaking him out, I think.

We often talk about what our next step is and how to know when we have to make a decision. I would love to bring her here, but we don't have the funds to make a safe place for her at this point. Neither does That Sister. We're working on it. And spending as much time with her as possible. It's not like any of us don't know how this ends...

So anyway. She's fine and has cycled out of the confusion for tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings and we'll continue to do what we do.

And... That Man just went to bed and called me up to say two cats were trapped in our room and he smelled cat poop. Sure enough. There was poop. On. Our. Freaking. Bed. So yeah... That's forty times of grossness and disgustingness. I. Can't. Even. It's all cleaned up, sanitized beyond sanitized, but still...

Other than that...
There's a picked clean corn cob in my bathroom trash. Who does that?
We are 99.9% out of paper products in this house. About the only thing left is six napkins and some toilet paper - no napkins or papertowels. No paper plates. No disinfectant wipes (not after the cat poop anyway). This all, obviously, happened today.
The authentic sombreros we brought back from Missouri are starting to show up in weird places. K4 has one hanging on her door. K1 will show up with one on claiming his name is "Horatio" or something like that.

That's enough for now. I have more laundry to do now... Damn...

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

It's been a quick weekend around here.

Friday night was a quick, non cooked dinner (too hot to cook), running around getting That Man ready for his Saturday gig. Hanging with K1, K4, and Mr. B. To bed early. Super early for a Friday.

Saturday - coffee - iced. Trying to convince Mr. B to help me pull weeds. Ha! Attic working. (K4 is moving to the attic, but there is mucho work to be done. It's going to be cool when it's done though. We have a definite plan. I will eventually get my office - maybe by this time next year... I hope. It was a way too hot day, so not a lot of weeds got pulled.

Saturday night - That Man was exhausted from his day. We made some burgers. I made potato salad. We chilled and did a whole lot of nothing in the evening. In bed super early again.

Sunday - hot coffee. Lots of house cleaning - scrubbing floors and the like - the weekly thing. I should have done it yesterday, but... Laundry. Grocery store. Seeing That Man's mom and sister. I was trying to pull more weeds, but the sun got too hot and I couldn't do it. We made awesome chicken, corn on the cob, and fried potatoes for dinner. Had a little confab on the attic and are now waiting for Mr. B's cake to be done.

That Man's Brother (That Brother) comes in from CA tomorrow. He'll have a quick trip here for a few days before he heads back home. Looking forward to seeing him. I know That Man is.

That is all for now... It's time to write!

Behave!

Oral Surgery Wednesday...

K4 had to have another oral surgery. Not as bad as the one she had last year, but still rough on her. One of the chains attached to her canines disconnected and they had to remove the fixture and replace it. I took off from the day job today to take her to surgery and then had no choice but to stay home with her (I'd planned to go in to work for a half day). For one, she was in rough shape, and then we had a heck of a time getting her prescription filled and she needed me with her. I ended up having to go back to the oral surgeon, pick up a written script, and then hand deliver it to the pharmacy.

It all worked out, though much later than she needed for her pain meds. It was nice to be home. I got my laundry done, made a dinner I don't often get to make because of prep time, took care of some household administration duties. I didn't, however, get to take a nap, and I so wanted one.

Tomorrow it's back to the grind. Oy. But at least it's Thursday.

Working on my story for the next free "sentence" story. Then it's on to a sequel of Into the Fire. Yay!

We're watching "Moana" and I just had a stray thought... I want to be the village crazy lady. (If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend it. Maybe that's because I'm living in four-year-old land right now though)

That's all for now!

Behave!

Where Have I Been?

So since last Thursday...

That Man and I went on an adventure, just the two of us. It was awesome!

The K's still living at home took care of each other, did their own shopping, laundry, trouble-shooting, and camping.

We road-tripped it to Missouri, which was a long drive. Despite the exhaustion, we had a lot of fun during the drive. (we'll not talk about getting pulled over in Ohio - no ticket, so all good, and no, it wasn't for speeding)

What's in Missouri, you ask?

My aunt and uncle - my uncle who happens to be my mom's only sibling. Cousins I hadn't met before and other family. I wish we could have seen more of them, but time wasn't working out for any of us. We did manage to see my other aunt and uncle (really cousins, ,but we call older cousins aunt and uncle), and had an awesome authentic Kansas City BBQ lunch before spending the afternoon visiting my old town (population: 220), and seeing old haunts. It was nice!

On the fourth, my aunt and uncle hosted a wedding. That Man and I helped out a lot. (It was a good thing we were there) and dealt with the rain during the wedding, in addition to a lot of stories I won't share here. It turned out very well, despite our obstacles.

We had a really nice time! It was good to sit and talk, laugh, and hear stories. Of course, it made me miss my folks, but it was good to share that with my uncle. We both needed it.

Then we made the long haul home and it was good to drive with That Man. We got home in the wee hours, slept for a while, and then tuned up the 'burban.

Back to work yesterday. Oy!

Behave!