Happy New Year!!

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve!!

Be safe. Don't drink and drive!

I hope you make 2020 your b*tch and all of the good things happen for you!

Behave!

It's Almost Over...

The Holidays, I mean...

We just have New Year's to get through... Oy... I have no idea what we're doing about that yet... We have several invitations, but we may just end up on Main Street in our little town for a few minutes. Don't know yet.

We had a pretty darned nice Christmas! Christmas Eve was good! Good soup. Good company. Great niece holding! Grandsons! Siblings! Friends! (lots of !!!!!) We did our first White Elephant gift exchange and I think it went pretty well! We'll definitely do it again next year.

Folks went home. We cleaned up. Re-set for Christmas Day!

I was the last one up in the morning, which is surprising! Usually I am the one that is making coffee, turning on the lights, and taking the dog out. That Man had coffee ready and K4 was already through her cup by the time I came down! She was happy with her presents. We broke up the chaos a few times like we always do, but this year, we waited on breakfast until K3 and A got here.

Got breakfast done. Mimosas. Presents. Made the stuffed shells for the birthday dinner. Travelled to see K1 and J and the boys. Split up from there. K3 and A went to see A's gma. We stopped at That Man's second job for keys. I stayed in the car and I shouldn't have. The boss wife came out to see me, but she just had neck surgery. I felt bad for being a slump and staying in the car. They gave me a glass of wine and we journeyed home.

A quick nap. And shells. And Birthday stuff. K3 and A came back for the naps and stuff.

It was a good day. We were in bed way late, but it was okay.

Off Thursday and Friday! Beautiful! A little sleeping in on Thursday. We went to the mega hardware store for supplies to get K4 back into the attic. A little change in walls, etc, and she's got her little apartment up there. She's ecstatic and we just have a little more work to do before we can move her stuff up there.

Of course, she has no bathroom or kitchen, but the space will still be amazing! The renovations we did last summer ( summer before last?) are still amazing. The floors are beautiful.

Today, I actually changed out of my jammies and took a shower! Ha! (I did put real pants on to go to the mega hardware store!) I went to the grocery store and caught up on the fiasco that is my national writing chapter at the moment. I am not sure if I am cancelling my membership at this point or not... It's all a bunch of bullcrap...

And that's all I have... Tomorrow is Sunday... Our last day off. We work all day Monday and a partial day Tuesday. Off Wednesday and then back to work on Thursday. Though I will say it's exciting to start the year off with all of my vacation time in place! Whoot!

That is all... I'm off to edit now...

Behave!

Christmas Eve...

Very Merry to you and yours!!

That is all...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The 5 Days Until Christmas Version

Crazy Countdown!

Here's the list:

1. Work week done! Whoot! Only a day and a half to work before a very long weekend!

2. Leaving early today to have a nice dinner with That Man! We worked through lunch so we could leave an hour early. It's our 33rd Anniversary today! We went to a steakhouse we had a gift card for. The service was pretty awful, but the food was good. We're still stuffed and we ate dinner like 3 hours ago! Ha! I can't believe it's been 33 years. And we still like each other - a lot! Ha!

3. Stopping to get a few last minute things. We're not "quite" finished, but my confidence is high. Gift-wise, we're just waiting for the delivery guy. We have a massive grocery store run to take care of in the morning.

4. Getting two of the grands for our annual shopping trip tomorrow. We started this tradition with K5, and now it's grown to include Mr. B. I'm sure it will grow further as we go. We'll pick them up and head to the store so they can shop for each other and their parents. Then, back here for wrapping, crafts, dinner, and their gift exchange. We're doing a sleepover this year, which is usually interesting, and then we'll have "Christmas Breakfast" Sunday morning. We're looking forward to it, even though we have a million things to do before time to pick them up.

5. Dinner out with the writing gang this week. That was fun. It was a small crowd, which just means more personal and deeper conversations.

6. A Christmas Celebration with friends the next night. That was really good, too. Lots of food, laughter, and silliness. It crazy snowed though and they live on a hill on top of another hill in the middle of nowhere.

7. Getting most of the wrapping done last night. We ran out of paper, so I'm glad we made the effort to get done early. Got some paper tonight, so we'll get the last few things done here in a bit. Then I need to clean the office so we can wrap with the kids tomorrow.

8. My lists! I don't think I could survive without them! I have a very hug shopping list, and a list of things to do that shrinks and grows at the same time.

9. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. Just a little, but it will be good.

10. The kitties still leaving the tree alone. Except for the tree skirt. It has turned into a superhero cape, and slidey toy, and the object of fights. I put it back and they just take it away again. To be clear, we're not putting any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve - just in case. For one, the dog will open them. She absolutely loves to open presents, so there's that. We've come home to wrapping paper and open stuff a few times over the years, and I'm not going there again. I also don't trust that the kittens won't do the same, plus they are all over the boxes in my office. Twice last night I had to do repair work on wrapping because they walked over or attacked something. Ha!

And that's all I have to say...

The wrapping, writing, and my lists are calling to me!

Behave!

Seven Days...

It's the final countdown.... (cue Sponge Bob... lol)

We're almost there. Did the inventory and are pretty good except for a few final things. We couldn't go crazy this year, we've got some big expenses coming up - like a major tree trimming and the cost is so outrageous I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it. But it must be done. Whatever. It's not about the presents at all, and it would do me good to remember that!

Here's our tree!

It's not as fat or tall as I normally go for, but it's beautiful and it smells amazing!

So far, the kittens have left it pretty much alone. The tree skirt is all bunched around the back, but that's normal. We had that when it was just Spenser. *Knock on wood* Not one cat has gotten into the tree at this point. We shall see though. It's early...

This time next week, I should be making K4's birthday cake and working on her stuff shells for dinner. We're having an Italian feast this year for her 20th birthday! And the ultimate goal is not work a lot on Christmas! I will do as much as possible before so I don't have much to do on the day.

The really nice thing is That Man and I are off the days after Christmas. Which is awesome! Sleeping in! Whoot! We'll need it after this week and next!

But first we need to get through this work week...It's an easy week for the most part.

That is all.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Here's the list:

1. Seeing our grandbabies on Sunday! They are so stinking cute and they loved the ball pit/fortress we got them. We're not sure mom and dad loved it, but... Ha! Grandparent prerogative! We had dinner and cupcakes for Baby A's birthday, lots of good conversation, and lots of sticky kisses, hugs, demands on where pappy and nanna have to sit, and instructions for head bands.

2. Getting the Christmas shopping almost done. Though... we did think we got Mr. B something super cool and when it came... it was super small and stupid, so... yeah, not there yet. I would say we're about 90% done.

3. Today's work Christmas Party. It was good. We ate well (the food was amazing), and talked to people. We got to leave when it was over (about 2.5 hours before the end of the normal work day), which was cool.

4. Talking to my kid for over an hour tonight! He is so funny and awesome! We talked about future plans, current plans, and the fog outside right now. It was a fantastic conversation.

5. Our tree is up, but not decorated. It's currently drying while it drops. Next, we will tie it to the wall to prevent the kitty babies from destroying it. Tomorrow is decorating. I hope! We will see what it looks like in the morning. Ha!

6. My cover for Into the Fire being in the top ten in the cover contest! Less than 24 hours left in the voting until the next round! It's been fun!

7. Shopping on our way home tonight. We hit the mega store for the stuff we ordered for pick up and got some other stuff, too. That pick up thing is the way to go though! In and out in less than five minutes! Whooo! Then the grocery store with the rest of the crazy people.

8. Sleeping in tomorrow! Whoo!

9. Writing well this week! It's going pretty good! I'm editing what I have so far and I'm almost done! We just came off of our 50/50 challenge, which is pretty much writing every day, even if it's crap. So I'm cleaning up the crappy bits so I can proceed.

10. Weekend plans! Not sure exactly what they are yet. The plans have changed at least five times since this morning, but whatever we do, it will be good!

That is all!

Behave!

Christmas Party Saturday...

I know it's late! We've been home for a little while, but have to wait for the furnace to catch up, so we're watching a Christmas movie and chilling. Well, actually, That Man is snoozing on the couch... I would be too, but I started sneezing like a maniac a few minutes ago and now my sinuses feel like they're going to blow apart.

Anyway...

It was Christmas all day here (even though my Fall decorations are still on the porch).

Up early to decorate the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I made for the party. Homemade whipped cream and fresh raspberries. The cake actually made it to the party in one piece, though I dinged it on the door on my way inside. I ended up making strawberry sauce for it since I failed on buying raspberry jam, but it was fine.

I had to be there early for a board meeting. It was my last board meeting since I am not on the board in 2020. It was productive and good.

Then the party - lots of good food and conversations. I requested and received good kitten advice, talked podcasts, cheesecake, book covers, and random stuff. It was really good to connect with my chapter mates!

Got home and took a tiny rest. That Man got home and we wrapped our white elephant gifts and hit the road to the next party. It was a good time. Lots of good food, laughter, and conversation. We connected with one of the office ladies and her husband and talked about a ton of stuff. It was a good time. The white elephant was a blast. I came home with a bottle of champagne and That Man came home with two awesome candles. Our gifts were a hit, too.

Tomorrow is the usual chores, but then we are going to K2's for dinner. I have to make mac and cheese.

And that is all...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Thank you Friday!

Though I have to say... my weeks are far less dependant on Friday! It's been a struggle to accept the no stress. In fact, it's been such a struggle that I have been making that stress for myself. It wasn't until last night when I talked to a friend that I realized that... Today was different with that knowledge and I had a good talk with a coworker. It's really good and while I miss my old peeps, I am still confident that my decision was the best.

And my brain is healing... It is... I have ideas and thoughts and critical thinking!

So on to the Feel Good...

1. Figuring out the Christmas stuff with That Man... We have a weak plan at this point, but at least we're getting somewhere.

2. Dinner out tonight. Well... kind of. I wasn't too hungry, so I ordered an appetizer for dinner, but it was brought out right away when it was supposed to have been brought out with That Man's food. Whatever. It was fine. We still had some quiet time and conversation.

3. Weekend plans. That Man has to work a half day. I have a morning Christmas Party. Then we have his part-time job Christmas party - which is always fun. We bought a hysterical gift for it. They do an amazing White Elephant thing and I can't wait to see what happens!

4. Sunday is up in the air, but laundry will be done. And hopefully some decorations will be put out.

5. Writing has been done this week!

6. Good conversations with K4. Her "girls" are recovering and now shedding, which is a good thing. I do have a container of worms in my fridge, which is whatever... I don't necessarily like it, but I don't care either. They are so freaking cute!

And that's all I have...

Behave!

Tuckered Out Tuesday...

I literally just sat down about 10 minutes ago... Well, I mean I sat down a lot today - I work in an office, and have to sit to travel back and forth to work, and...Ha!, but 10 minutes ago was when I finally was able to think about actually sitting on my couch and putting my feet up.

Did a lot of running around at the office today though. Annual calendar shipment and distribution and by the time I was done, I was sweating! Up and down the stairs at least six times, into and around the warehouse several times - and our warehouse is ginormous. Anyway - for my first big order, I only messed up one calendar and I hope he's going to be okay with what I accidentally ordered for him. If not, well, that's okay.

We left work and picked up K5. Took her to dinner and had a blast! She gave us her Christmas list, we drew pictures, practiced cursive, and goofed off. Had mini mozzarella sticks as an appetizer (those were amazing), a good dinner, and ice cream for dessert. I'm sure they were ready to kick us out of the restaurant for being loud,  obnoxious, and staying so long. We tipped well though. Drove around and looked at Christmas lights while we waited for her mom to get home and then hit the road for home.

Then... The regular Tuesday night chores... Trash and recycling out. Cat litter boxes. Ugh... Ran around and got that done. Helped K4 with some stuff since she fell down the steps and hurt her tailbone pretty bad. She picked up her geckos from the person who had them and got them settled in. They are so cute - Ruby and Sugar - Sugar is tiny and is missing her tail. Ruby is a little bigger. They are set up in their heated cage.

Grabbed the packages off of the front porch. Half of the grandkids are taken care of for Christmas and both December grandbaby birthdays - though one of the gifts is a heck of a lot smaller than we expected, but it should be fine. Three more grandbabies to go!

And now we're now...

I am four votes away from second place in this cover contest!! https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/6284/

A little over three days to vote left and then the first 100 covers go to the next round. It's exciting and I am so freaking touched by how many people have shared and voted! It's been amazing!

And if you're so inclined, I sincerely appreciate your vote!

And that is all. I am decompressed enough to actually write something now...

Behave!

Feel Good Thanksgiving & Feel Good Friday...On Sunday...

We had a really great day on Thanksgiving!

It was awesome to hang out with my siblings, my nieces (and family), my great niece (who is beyond adorable!) and the extended family members! We had awesome food, great conversation, and a pretty much no-stress day. We even had a fire outside, which is my ultimate for awesomeness.

We got home and finished the laundry. In bed early.

Work Friday, which was kind of lame. There was no one there. The day went kind of fast, but mostly slow. We missed a trail ride with my brother, which would have been awesome. The old Jeep doesn't get out much right now. That's fine, because it's supposed to be a "recreational" vehicle, but it would have been nice to do some "recreation". We got home to a houseful of people working on K1's second car. Didn't expect that. Made "leftover meat pie" for dinner. It was a hit. Got some grandsons time.

To bed early. Up early Saturday. Hit the grocery store, and then had the grandsons all day so K1 and J could go car shopping. Their current car has left them sit several times over the last two weeks and it's not safe for the babies. They did find a car, but can't pick it up until Monday.

We had a great day with the grandbabies. Big Mr. B is so funny. We did crafts (he came up with an amazing idea for a Christmas craft for his house), made cookies, and talked about the book we are writing together. Little Mr. B is hysterical. He is so busy and snuggly! We made them dinner because we knew how stressed out they were coming back from the day of car shopping, financial wrangling, and the whole nine yards. We made Butter Chicken and it was amazing. Little Mr. B learned how to play the piano and was hysterical! He would play and we would clap and he would clap on himself and just laugh! Thankfully we got video!

Then some writing! Making good progress!

Today. Slept in. Got up and headed up to "work daughters" house to help with her water. That didn't go well, but it did get kind of worked out. Came home and took a nap. That Man had started our crock pot dinner when he got up, so that was perfect. We woke up from our nap and had dinner. It turned out really good.

Did some laundry. The kitten pissed on our shirts... Grrr.. The vet will be called tomorrow. Something is wrong with him. I don't want to have to re-home him, but I cannot abide by things getting peed on. He's a very nervous kitty, so maybe there is something we can do to help him.

I also found out that my cover for Into the Fire is in a cover of the month contest.

https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month

So cool! I am excited! The cover artist did such an amazing job!

Twenty-four days until Christmas. We'll be okay. We're figuring the whole thing out currently. Three of the grandkids are done. Three more to go. But we have two birthday grandkids in there.

That is all...

Behave!

Thanksgiving Eve...

It's my second child's birthday and it's the actual day she was born!

I remember this day vividly. There are a lot of memories...From the day itself to the day after and the day we came home from the hospital. It seems like a lifetime ago.

The kids have a messenger thing going on which is awesome and there are many gifs and comments being shared. I love that.

Anyway.

We got off work around 2 today. Stopped at the store for heavy cream since there was none at the store last night. We stopped at a different, less busy, store, which proved to be a good thing the whole way around. Came home and chilled. Made dinner. Then, K4 and I made some pies.

K4 has a different obligation that we do tomorrow, but she's supposed to bring a pie. And so am I. So we made them together. It's fun to cook with her.  She's learning the secrets to homemade pie crust. And she's a master with the mixer. We had a blast, though she ditched me once the dishes were finished and put away so it's now my responsibility to make sure the pies are done - though she was just down here a few minutes ago to check on things.

Tomorrow - the actual Thanksgiving - we will travel to my sister's house and I will see my siblings. I am looking forward to it.

First, I will sleep in. Then I will make potatoes, shower, and then enjoy the day with my siblings!

I hope your day is special!

Behave!

Thanksgiving Two...Done...

We had a really good day!

Lots and lots of food. The turkey turned out well. The mashed potatoes were a little runny, but still pretty good. I made way too much gravy. Which is fine. Also discovered that adding cream cheese to the pumpkin pie is the best ever. And homemade whipped cream. It was a fun day and I am still exhausted.

Back to work today. The day went quick. On Monday's I have to cover the front desk, which is fine, but I also have a lot of regular stuff to do. I'm still training, but I am doing more and more by myself. Woo!

This week consists of prep for the final Thanksgiving. I am making mashed potatoes. I just hope they don't come out runny this time. I am also making pies. And homemade whipped cream. I'm planning on making the pies the night before so I can sleep in a little on Thursday.

The writing is going well. I'm making good progress, even though my numbers were a little low over the weekend.

That's it for now. It's an early bedtime for us tonight.

Behave!

Thanksgiving Shopping and...

So That Man and I went shopping for our Thanksgiving Two. Oy!

The store was insane! Our bill was equally insane! I "think" we have everything we need now. Though we do have to stop for charcoal, drinks, the prescription pick up, and whatever else we forgot we need.

Yes, charcoal. We're grilling the ham - still figuring out how to make that work! We think we found out glaze recipe!

We will stop for the rest tomorrow night. Then, Saturday we will clean. It's not terrible around here, but it's not awesome either.

I have a book signing on Saturday. It's the annex for the book store that I often sign at. I just realized I have pretty much zero inventory. I have enough, but in my mind, ack!

So I will make pies before my signing, and then get the turkey ready after. It will be a crazy day!

oh and the and....

K2 is expecting her fourth child in May... Due date a day after my momma's birthday. We will find out the gender shortly after the new year.

This will be my seventh grandchiild. I am too young for that... LOL.

That's all...

Behave!

Tuesday...

It's only Tuesday, but it's been a pretty decent week so far.

I'm digging into the new day job. Making things my own and making my own decisions. It's going over pretty good so far. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making massive changes or being obnoxious in any way - just putting my own spin on stuff. I still have a lot to learn and a lot of connections to figure out, but I know certain things are my responsibility and I already know how I want to manage those.

Today we took our boss out to lunch for bosses day. (Yes, late) I got to tag along even though I wasn't there when the original plans were made. It was a good lunch, even though I still feel awkward and not quite in the "fray" yet. I mean, it was my seventh day. But we had good conversation and a lot of laughter.

I am still dealing with the transition. It's like I don't remember the change a lot of the time. I still say "we" when I talk about my old job, and "you" when I talk about my new job. I don't hear questions relating to either job the way they were intended and need to say "wait, what?" a lot. Though every day it does get different. And better.

I am still doing pretty decent in my writing group's 50/50 challenge. I rarely miss a day and when I do, it's because I planned it that way. I have restarted my story and I am in a good place. And I am pretty much writing more than 50 words each day! Most times loads over that, sometimes only two words over that, but still... Good stuff.

It's freaking HOT in my house right now. The temperature came up about ten degrees, but the internal temps came up at least 20. Last night I was under a blanket. Tonight I am in a tshirt and shorts. Oy. It is what it is with a coal furnace though...

We had to take the new car back to the dealer to have the catalytic converter checked. We took it on Monday and picked it up today. They replaced the converter. It cost us nothing. They put it under the warranty, which is awesome. I mean, really, we had the car for less than a month when the light went off, but they couldn't get us in until after the warranty expired. We totally appreciate the fact that we didn't even have to fight them about it.

We are nine days away from the Christmas season going totally crazy. I am thinking about it, but I can't take action yet. I just can't. Though That Man and I did buy a Christmas present already. It was for Mr. B and we couldn't pass it up. Nine days though! Holy crap! Though we are only 35 days from Christmas! CRAZY!

That's all I have!

Behave!

Thanksgiving One... Done...

We left for That Sister's late yesterday.

First we took out air conditioners, winterized sheds, grocery shopped, cooked, took care of leaves, changed the sheets, cleaned the bathroom, cooked more, cleaned stuff, cleaned more stuff. By the time we left we were already exhausted.

Dropped the Floof off at my sisters since K4 wasn't sure of her plans. Our goal was to get to That Sisters before the deer started trying to kill us and wreck our car. We had about three run across the road on our journey... Oy. Like we need that. And, of course, on our way, another engine light came on in the very new car... Ugh! It has an appointment tomorrow to check stuff out.

We had the greatest time at That Sisters. Dinner was amazing - ham and cheese sliders, mac and cheese, chips, and then, in typical Smith fashion, we both basically made the same dessert without prior discussion. Their new pull out couch was super comfly. The dogs were hysterical. We slept pretty darned good. This morning was coffee and lots and lots of talking.

The brisket was amazing. Like seriously amazing. I can't even tell you how good it was. And smoked salmon spread. Oy! Crazy good. We had coleslaw and lots of meat. It was the best. 

Got home and threw laundry in. But haven't done much else except write a bit.

This was a good weekend.

Tomorrow is back to the new day job. I already know what I need to do and I am happy with that. The transition is a bit complicated for me. I haven't yet wrapped my head around not needing to know as much stuff as I did before. I wake up thinking about the old day job and what needs to be done and needs to be known. And then I remind myself that it's not my job or my problem anymore. It's a process I guess, considering how many years I had in there.

I am still 100% sure I made the right decision though, so that's something...

Behave!

First Week Done...

It was a good week! 

I did my first check run today. It was full on accounting joy. It was good. I am happy. All of the numbers matched. I checked them three times. I made nice with vendors who have been lost in space for the past month and a half. I cut expense checks which always make people happy. Everything came together and it was a beautiful thing. 

I also got a new heater for my office. And a new calculator. (Seriously, my calculator was a teeny tiny thing that would only work with tiny baby hands.) (and we won't talk about how ridiculous putting the paper feed in the new calculator was. lol) I'm waiting for my second monitor. I need that. 

We picked up our car at lunch. They said it was something with the catalytic converter which might need replaced. We are not okay with that. When the light came on, we'd had the car less than a month and hadn't even made a car payment yet. We see the Honda guys on Monday and we'll figure it out from there. 

That Man and I went out for dinner to our little place down the street. Again, it was amazing. The food is amazing and tonight we talked to the chef. He is a funny guy and was happy to hear our praise about his food. 

We got home and watched a super dumb movie, which I liked. It was stupid. But...

It's bedtime now... Tomorrow is a new day...

Behave!

Three Thanksgivings?

Yep. That's what we're doing!

Up first is Thanksgiving with That Man's sister. We'll spend the night and eat awesome food. It's a non-traditional meal with brisket, cole slaw, and I don't know what else... We're looking forward to it! It's just the four of us for this one. We have much to discuss and much to catch up on! We really dig the idea of "going away" for Thanksgiving, so this is awesome!

Thanksgiving Two is our Thanksgiving with our kids. They can't make it to our regular Thanksgiving. Which is fine and expected. We had discussed expectations and how we weren't going to hold them to our old traditions. Being with their friends is completely acceptable and really something I wasn't able to do at their age, but to be clear I have no regrets at all for my past Thanksgivings. At the time, being where we were was the only place I would have wanted to be. It's time for my kids to make new traditions. (and the hope is to eventually drag all of these friends into a huge Thanksgiving dinner at Nana's house. Ha! I know Mom did that, and it did work on some scale)

Thanksgiving Three is the traditional Thanksgiving. We're gathering at our sisters. It's pretty much the adult kids in my family, which (see above) is fine with all parties involved. I've already talked to my sister about the kids having alternate plans and she's understanding. It will be nice to be together as siblings. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm making mashed potatoes and pies.

Neither one of us are off the day after Thanksgiving. Which is a shock to me. I always thought That Man's company was off that day. Now that I work there, I have learned that he takes vacation that day every year. I don't have vacation yet. He's used all of his up. Dang. Whatever. Next year....

Anyways... I have a lot of lists to make... I have pies to make, and a pretty huge grocery list. I am looking forward to the whole thing!

And then... we will go into Christmas! Whoot!

Behave!

So Far, So Good...

It's Wednesday... Halfway through the week.

It's going pretty good. A lot of the old memories are coming back and I'm getting back into the system I helped set up way back in the day. It's nice to be with the people I've known for a really long time. They are all coming to see me and telling me how glad they are that I'm back.

The only frustrating thing is that everyone thinks I'm completely up and running, and I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I am learning though. And I am comfortable there. I've done my supply inventory and made my spreadsheet. But I am not able to do my actual job without help yet. And that freaking kills me.

I'm learning that I'm not chained to my desk at all times and that I'm not going to get "the eye" if I'm not hunkered down at all times. That's a hard one for me. I am not used to a relaxed office environment. I mean, I thought my old office was pretty relaxed, this is just different. I don't know how to explain that one...

Getting up earlier has been fine. Except tomorrow might not be. We have to drop the new car off at the dealership before work to check a light. And we have to be there super early. Thankfully, that's under warranty, but the light has since went off... I questioned whether or not we should even drop it off, but since it is under warranty, there's no reason not to.

We've packed our lunch every day so far. We have a lot of leftovers from my weekend cooking spree. That Man makes sure to bring me yogurt every day, which is good. I've been too scattered to remember to pack my own breakfast. And he makes me coffee every morning, and stops by my office to fill my coffee throughout the day. And he brought our extra container of my favorite creamer to the office with my name on it. That's awesome.

I did get a key for my office. It needs to be locked during off hours due to financial security and the "good" supplies. I have a pretty big office with awesome windows. It tends to get cold in there, but that's okay, I have a heater with a remote. I'm getting a second monitor, which will be amazing, and is much needed. I'm looking forward to making the space my own. Right now, I have some pictures That Man printed off for me and some pictures I brought from my old office. But, I have possibilities now.

I have been writing. Except for Monday. I planned Monday as a non-writing day. I knew I would need the down time. But tonight I wrote more words than I have combined in the last two weeks, which is good. If I could only figure out where to re-start this story, I would be gold.

That is all for now...

Behave!

And A New Chapter Begins...

Tomorrow is my first day...

It's still super surreal to me. I am thinking the change won't hit me until morning. Or maybe until I get there. Or maybe at lunch. I don't know. Or maybe, I'm just comfortable with my decision and know it's the right thing? I think that might be it...

Friday night I met my previous coworkers at our little place. We hung out, laughed, cried a little, and then that was it. I will miss them tremendously. Almost six years is a long time... and it's a lot to get used to.

That night, it was a group chat with the kiddos. All four of them. And it was hysterical. I was crying with laughter and crying because it was so awesome to have all four of them bantering back and forth. We were trying to remember when we came up with certain recipes and why we named them what we did. Now there are at least 50 versions of the same story...

Saturday, we settled up with the landscaper who wrecked our flower beds. He's a super nice guy and was super apologetic. And he gave us some info... There's still some craziness there, but we'll see what happens. And we'll talk about it when it's resolved. It's frustrating though. And has turned into an interesting story...

Anyway... Saturday we had breakfast with some friends. Went to the home store to get wood and stuff. Got home and worked on the camper. I made sweet and sour chicken for dinner (amazing), did some laundry, wrote... We were exhausted and in bed at a stupid early time.

Today, we took the camper for our very first visit to dump the tanks. We were more than a little nervous since we've never done it before. I mean, ever. Nor have we ever even watched more than videos on how to do it. So we did that... It was far, far easier than we thought, which was a relief. First though, we stopped at the mega mart for rv antifreeze. And clothes for the new dayjob. Mainly warm clothes since apparently my new office is always freezing... great. But whatever... Then we stopped for breakfast. Then the tank dump. Then back home to winterize the camper. We're about 3/4 done. Ran out of antifreeze.

Made stuffed shells for dinner, did some more laundry, cleaned our room, wrote, worked on the camper, cleaned up the yard,

It's bedtime soon. My day will start about an hour and a half earlier now. Technically an hour, but with morning times, it turns into that.

So that is all...

Behave!

Argh!

So...

I finally heard from the neighbor.I'm not going to say much more, because I don't know where this is going to go. And I don't know what's going to happen next.

All I have to say is that my kids are super pissed. (All of us are) This whole thing has cause a tremendous amount of trauma around here. The missing items are special to us. The ballet garden. The sea shells we lined the beds with.

Anyway...

I woke up at 4:30am. Thinking about things. It took until around 3pm to realize that I have no stress to go back to when I do go back to work . I mean, I'll have stress, but nothing like what I'm used to. That's a huge thing to comprehend. I'm not sure I've wrapped my head around it yet.

I did more things before 8am than I normally do. Wrote my words. Laundry. Updated the check book and the bill book. Figured out dinner. I did not stay in bed all day like I had planned and I'm kinda pissed about that. Instead I constantly checked to see if the neighbor had shown up... I did take two naps. That was nice. One was with my Fred on my lap and one was with Max on my lap.

Tomorrow I need to call the car dealership. We've had our car for less than a month and the check engine light is on. We have a warranty. We haven't even made a payment yet. That's not how I wanted to spend the day, but we'll see what happens.

I need to figure out our weekend plan though. Our weekend is at home. For the first time in like four months. We have a giant "to do" list and we're not going anywhere! Stuff will get fixed and managed. Yay!

That is all I have for now!

Behave!

So Many Feels...

1. It was an emotional day.

My coworkers made me cry. The CEO made me cry. The Outside Sales Supervisor made me cry. My boss made me cry. It was rough. But even though I was crying, I was so happy at how much they all support me and my dreams. They all had really nice things to say to me. Turning in my key card hit me like a ton of bricks. Talking to my sales reps one last time did too. Talking with the outside rep supervisor was also rough. He's a great guy and someone I consider to be a friend. Somehow, even though he intimidates everyone else, we became friends early on - we have common interests and values and have always had easy conversation. When he comes to the office, I always stop in and say hi and talk about stuff. That was rough. Talking to the big boss was also tear inducing.

Hugging the coworker who has known me the longest at the end of the day brought actual sobs. She trained me. She used to sit across the "cubes" from me and would try to get me to sing to her. We've been through a hell of a lot together. She's actually one of the only reasons I stuck it out as long as I did. I love her and while I know I will see her again, it's not going to be the same because we aren't united in a single cause anymore.

None if it seems real though. Part of me expects to wake up tomorrow and head into work like I have for the last five and a half years. Part of me expects to walk into the office and say "good morning, bitches", like I do every day. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow...

It's a process. I'm sure. I'm just glad I have the next four days off to process and relax.

So...

2. The contractor working on the house next door...

ARGH!! My flower beds are destroyed. Flowers and plants I have been growing for years are gone. Decorations are also missing. Seriously. I'm about to lose it! 

My lilac bush is gone.

They even mulched a tree that there is no way shape or form could be conceived as on that property. In fact, there is no way you couldn't figure out that the flower bed was that house's property! They had to go through our front gate to get to it.

I am so angry! It's not even funny! I left a note on the door for them to call me. I will be marching over there as soon as they arrive to give them the riot act. And calling the borough and anyone I can think of.

I need to let it go for tonight though. I can't do squat at the moment. I've had a long, long and hard day and this is the last thing I needed.

... So that's two, but it's enough... I'm a trainwreck!

I will update tomorrow...

Behave!

One Day More...

This week has been rough. Emotional on so many levels.

But the brain is working again. Critical thinking beyond the day job is coming back and it makes sense. So weird! lol

On one hand, my decision being the right one has been confirmed so many times. On the other hand, I am going to miss these people - my coworkers, my customers... And they aren't shy in letting me know that they're mad at me for leaving. Mad is not the correct word though. They are happy for me in pursuing my dreams, but upset with me for leaving. I get it. 100%.

Tomorrow is it though... I have done lunch with my sales reps Monday and Tuesday...said goodbye, made sure they're comfortable with the way things are now. I'm going to see them both again, but they are like my children and it's hard to know I'm not going to talk to them every day. Tomorrow I am with the people in my office all day. We're going to have some cake at some point. I have no idea if I will have an exit interview. This whole thing has been treated like it might not really happen, despite the transferring of duties and training.

Thursday I will spent my day doing whatever the heck I want. At this point, with the headache still an issue, I think I will be heading to the doctor. The one lady I work with has the exact same headache and she was found to have a massive sinus infection. We shall see. It is some better today, so maybe it is just tension.

I am keeping up with the 50/50 challenge, though I took off last night to chill on the couch and go to bed at 8pm.

Why is this time change as hard as the spring one?

That is all.

Behave!

Here We Go!

Last Three Days coming up at the soon-to-be-former day job...

I'm a mess of sinus and headache.

I had a book signing today. I actually forgot about it - not on purpose - and it's fine because I remembered in enough time to not feel like a jerk. It's a fun event. A growing one. And one I'll keep doing until it's no longer fun. I got to talk to a bunch of people, sold some books, and I got to spend time with one of the besties catching up.

As I drove home from the signing, I could feel the sinus crap creeping in. Maybe it was from the old building, or the weather. I felt like utter crap for the longest time, and then a felt a little bit better. I'm still in the little bit phase though.

Anyway...

I did my words. Had an idea for the next book and wrote that down. I think it's pretty solid. I like it and the direction it will go. That's like huge considering I haven't had a really great idea or direction in a super long time. It just solidified my decision to do what I'm doing.

Oh! And K4 Nick Cage'd me... I know how to turn the extension off, but it cracks me up to open a new tab and see the Nick Cage pictures popping up. Don't tell her though. She still thinks I'm super pissed at her. Which I am a little, because just don't touch my stuff. So don't tell her otherwise. Ha!

That is all...

I'm burning out! Time change last night and I feel dead...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday on Saturday...

Hello, Weekend! You're my favorite!

It was a long and rough week, but some good stuff happened.

1. Lunch with HR yesterday. We had a blast - laughed and talked about our families. The topic of me leaving wasn't really brought up. I think that's because the other senior person in my department joined us. I'm sure I will be having an "exit interview" before next Wednesday.

2. Dinner out with That Man and K4 last night. We went to the local place that just changed ownership. It was as good as the last time we went. We talked and made plans and had a really great time.

3. Writing meeting today. I had to run the elections. Super stoked to be done with board service for now. I do enjoy it, but it's time for new blood. I declined to run again for 2020. I'm excited about the new people coming in and their ideas.

4. Getting my words on the page. I'm not getting a lot currently, but that's okay. I'm doing it though, and that's all that matters.

5. Living through Trick or Treat night. The weather was nasty. We had small numbers, but everyone was having a blast. Around 7:30 the skies opened. It was like a monsoon. J and Mr. B were still out, so K1 had to drive to pick them up. S & J were down the street at a friends. By the time everyone got back, they were drenched to their underwear. I'm handing out towels, leggings, and shirts. My living room floor was soaked. They all had a blast though. It's a trick or treat night no one will forget.

6. Talking to K5. She's so funny! We had an epic conversation over favorite and gross candy.

I have had a freaking nasty headache all week. It comes and goes in intensity, but it's still there. Sinuses and tension is what I think. When I woke this morning, I realized that I'm tensing up constantly. I'm guessing it's due to the big changes going on.

Monday is going to be crazy. I have transitional meetings all day. Same with Wednesday. Tuesday is more one-on-one training with the new girl. I left Friday with only two things on my plate. Those should be taken care of by Monday, and if they're not, I will pass them along. Next Friday, I'm meeting the crew at the restaurant we always go to for a farewell gathering. That's going to be the hardest.

I am looking forward to having Thursday and Friday to myself. Friday K4 and I are going shopping, which should be fun. Thursday I am imagining that I will stay in bed as long as possible and acclimate myself to the changes.

So that's all... I'm in the middle of making baked potato soup and then will run some errands. I'm not sure what we'll get up to for the rest of the weekend yet!

Behave! 

Mid-Week...

This time next week I will be done with my current day job...

This week so far has been rough. I'm training my replacement. She's super, super new, and while I know she can do the job, I worry about the stuff she doesn't know. I don't have time to teach her this stuff. I'm hitting the absolute basics while trying to maintain the customer service. And I know I shouldn't care as much as I do, but I do... I also have to remember that when I took over my territory, I had only been there for two weeks. I managed and figured it out, and she will too. 

But I am disconnecting. Finishing up the big things and passing them on to the next person. Some of my bigger accounts are going to a different person. She's going to be great and do a fantastic job. I have already lost control over things and I can't fight that. It is what it is...

And again... I shouldn't care, but I do...This time next week, I absolutely will not care about the job - only my friends. Though they will still be my friends even if we don't work together anymore...

I have a week left. Tomorrow is more training. Friday is the same, but lunch is thrown in there, too. Next week is meetings, lunches, and cleaning out my desk. I am sure that when I leave next Wednesday I will be crying. I expect that. I also know that I need to do what I need to do...And that I'm making the absolute right decision. 

The writing has been decent this week, despite me giving myself a mental pass to get through my final days. The plotting and brainstorming that was done over the weekend have carried through and I am holding onto that. 

Tomorrow night is Trick or Treat here. It's supposed to be ugly weather, so we will see what actually happens. We have been stocking up and hiding the candy for a month or more now. 

That is all...

Behave!

Hallowreads - 3

It's all done.

I know it's early. I've been up for about a half an hour. I'm not sure what woke me, but I couldn't get back to sleep. Also, this house is an electric vampire. My phone died, even though it was on the charger - the same charger I used yesterday, the same plug, too. And suddenly, it doesn't work anymore. And it worked last night when I plugged in. Weird. It's been a consistent problem this weekend though.

Anyway.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. Talked to a lot of people. Sold a couple of books. Talked to some book reviewers. Talked to more people. Hung out with a writing chapter buddy for a little bit. It was a lot of peopling. By the time the signing was over, I was fried. But it was good.

Turns out, this was the last year for this event. The organizer moved several states away and doesn't have the capability to continue. It's sad, but it happens.

We got back to the house, ordered some food, and pretty much vegged the rest of the day. One of our housemates decided to head home late last night, so it was just Simon and I talking and laughing. Surprisingly, and especially surprising because I wore the same shoes yesterday, I did not wake up with a leg cramp. I was so sure it was going to happen. Before I went to bed I could feel the muscle already twisting. It's still a little sore, but 99.9% improved from yesterday.

I'm going to get my words in and then pack up. Today is K3's birthday. I will be making a spaghetti dinner as soon as I get home and the kids will be coming over to celebrate.

And then tomorrow is Monday - my last full week at the current day job. It's weird, but I'm settled with my decision. I know it's the right one, especially after this weekend. It all still feels pretty surreal though and I can't say I'm looking forward to tomorrow or the rest of the week. But it is what it is...

That is all...

Behave!

Hallowreads - 2

Yesterday was exhausting and good. 

There was a lot of talking, walking, strategizing, brainstorming, laughing, and connecting. It was a lot of peopling. And I did finally get some really good food. 

The restaurant was cool. It's in a super old building. The food was amazing. It was super loud and crowded. We hung out after dinner - waiting for a member of our group, and laughed and talked.  

And I wrote. 

And today there will be even more. 

That's okay though. It will be a good day. 

There are workshops this morning. Then lunch. Then the book signing. 

I'm not sure if I'm going to make the bonfire and haunted house tonight. I woke up around three am with a vicious leg cramp. It's still horrible. I have been limping around for over an hour. 

But that's okay. I will write. And talk. And hang out. I know I will be exhausted. 

And that's all I have for now. 

Behave! 

Hallowreads!

Here I am at a cute little AirBnB in Maryland.

Tomorrow starts the event and I cannot wait.

Three of us rented this little house - 3 bedrooms 1-1/2 bath, full kitchen, dining room, living room, and a cute little patio. Currently, all three of us are sitting around the dining room table getting our words done. (I'm already done for the night. My brain is a bit broken. I'll tell you about that in a few)

I managed to leave the day job far earlier than I originally expected. Ran to the store for some essentials and then hit the road. Only got into a little bit of traffic and made it here shortly after I received the code to unlock the front door. Simon arrived less than five minutes after me, and L was already here.

The weirdness was that the mother of the owner was here when we got here and spent far too long talking to us about really nothing. Don't get me wrong, she was super nice and super excited to meet authors, but it delayed us in getting our stuff unloaded and getting settled in. We finally were able to do that, and then sat around the table drinking tea and catching up.

Then we were off to dinner at the Mexican place in the little town where the event is held. Met up with other authors and had a blast. My food pretty much sucked, which is disappointing because I was so excited to go there again. Whatever though. It was still a great time. We got back to our little "home", changed into our jammies, and then talked and wrote. Well, we're still doing that.

Being in a house is much nicer than a hotel. We each have our own room and there's plenty of space to spread out downstairs. Sharing a bathroom is no big deal, and let's face it, we'd be doing the same in a hotel. Anyway.

The event starts tomorrow. We'll be there helping out and participating. Then tomorrow night is dinner and a bonfire. Dinner is at a most awesome place. Though I will choose wisely because I can't abide by two crappy dinners in a row. Saturday is the signing and more fun stuff. Then a haunted house. Then we'll come back, order pizza, and write and talk some more.

I am so happy to be here. This weekend is the kick off to new things - focus on my writing career, and focus on what I need to do.

And here's why... I've talked a lot about how my day job is brain draining and super stressful... A lot. I also love what I do - I love my customers, the industry, my sales reps, and the people I work with. What I don't love is that I feel like I have to give 500% of myself every day, which leaves nothing for anything else, especially writing. It's been that way for a really, really long time.

So... This job came up. That Man and I discussed. I didn't know what to do. I checked the requirements and didn't think I qualified for the position, but then was specifically asked to submit my resume. I interviewed. And then the job was offered.

And I accepted.

It's really a lateral move, but the stress will be about 490% less. That's what I'm going for. It was a really really hard decision to leave my current job, but in my heart and gut, I know it's the right decision. I was asked if there could be any negotiation at the current day job and I told them absolutely not. You could pay me more and then I would give 800% and have even less left of me. They accepted that well. Though I think I will be asked again before it's all said and done.

I'll talk more about this when it gets closer to my last day. I have a full week and then a few days. It's emotional, but so far pretty much everyone at the current day job has been so super supportive. Turns out, they'd love to see me succeed as a author and that's the main reason I'm making the change. Plus, I just need to have more to give at the end of the day - to my writing, to my family, to the things I previously enjoyed doing but don't have the energy for anymore.

And that is all for now!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up!

So having the boys was a complete success! Mom and Dad had an awesome time at the wedding and were very happy! They said it was like an anniversary getaway for them. We had an awesome time with the boys! Little B woke up at 3am. He was freezing cold and very wet. Somehow the little bugger got out of his very warm pjs... We got him settled again and he slept until 7am.

Not too bad at all. Both boys were great! Little B was happy and silly. He and Pappy laughed constantly and played their own version of peek-a-boo. Big B has commissioned me to write him a story. He's even given me a few weeks to complete it! Ha! He doesn't believe me when I tell him I cannot draw. He insists I'll figure it out somehow.

The boys were picked up and we pretty much crashed. It rained all day. A cold rain, too. We were cozy. Candles lit and warm blankets. I wrote. Napped. Made alfredo sauce for dinner - chicken, mushroom, broccoli alfredo. I've been doing store bought alfredo for years, with the addition of my own improvements. Who knew that my own improvements were exactly what you need to make your own alfredo sauce? I didn't, but I do now. Seriously! It's so much better!

Wrote some more. Did all of the laundry. Cleaned up the kitchen with That Man's help. Now we're chilling and it's almost bedtime.

Tomorrow is back to the day job. I am not excited. At all. And I am not looking forward to it. The stress hits around four for me... Ugh!

That's all I have for now!

Behave!

Feel Good Saturday

Here we are on Saturday!

I stayed home from the day job yesterday. I left work on Thursday feeling like death - fever, sinus pain and congestion - and it didn't get any better until last night. I literally slept in my bed most all day. Around four I managed to get my words done, and then laid on the couch the rest of the evening.

Felt better this morning. I did sleep in and take care of some estate stuff. Then I went shopping. We decided we needed a smaller, easier to haul around vacuum. I hit up a few stores, then ended up at the mega mart. Then the grocery store. Then home just in time to get the boys

We're watching the grandsons overnight tonight. K1 & J had a wedding today and ended up with a hotel room overnight. This is the first time they've left Little B overnight, so they were excited - especially after the week they've had. Little B had croup and ended up in the ER for breathing treatments. The last few times we were going to keep them both, something happened - which anyone with kids knows that's how it always goes, so I was glad for them to get away tonight.

The boys were dropped off around two. Big B is a riot. Little B is, too. That Man worked until almost five, so the boys and I hung out and played. We made little stromboli's for dinner, watched a movie, and laughed. Big B went to bed a lot earlier than I figured he would and he was out like a light within five minutes. Little B was a lot harder to get down, but he's finally out. I'm expecting him to be up during the night at least a few times, so it won't be long until I head up myself.

I did get my words in. The dishes are done. The living room is covered in toys. But it's good.

I am exhausted. I can remember how I did this with four. I guess still not feeling 100% has something to do with it, too.

That is all...

Behave!

Tuesday...

A long time ago I used to do "Tall Tale Tuesday" here on the blog. Sometimes I came up with some interesting and maybe even funny stuff. I don't know why I stopped doing it. I kind of miss it. Or maybe what I really is having the time to do it. I'd spend the week looking for funny pictures or interesting stories. These days I'm lucky to even know my name most of the week.

Anyway.

I meant to get back on here over the weekend, but that didn't happen.

We did the Jeep thing with my brother and then we went and bought a car. A used car, but still... It took forever, but we're pretty happy with it. My Jeep isn't supposed to be driven every day and our second car was due for inspection and needed more work than we were willing to put into it. We needed something reliable for the winter. So we bit the bullet and did it. Not happy about having a car payment, but like I said, we're happy with it.

When we got back, we went to the place we wanted to go for dinner last night. It was amazing. Good food.

Sunday was a day of absolute rest. No computer. Stayed off the phone. Did some laundry.

Now we're in the week. I have been writing every day (except for Sunday). Managing some decent words and getting back into my story.

That's all I have for now...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Whoot!

It was a helluva week! Bad doesn't even begin to describe it. Day Job... Oy... There were good moments, but most of it was like fighting through quicksand. I am fighting for my new hire. She's struggling to get things, but I see her blossoming and learning and I will not allow them to let her go until she's been given a fair shake. I know she can do this and I know she will be excellent at it. I have spent most of the last two days, even with being swamped from vacation, training her, and I will continue to do so.

I have been writing. I will not say I've been writing good words, but they are still words.

That Man and I went out to dinner tonight. Not where we wanted to go, but a regular place for us. The food was good, but the air conditioning was cranked up super high and I was freezing. We wanted to go to a new place near us - well, the place isn't new, but the ownership is. We've heard great things about it and it's only two blocks from our house. As we pulled into the parking lot, we heard that the wait was super lengthy so we moved on. We'll get there soon.

Tomorrow we are hopefully doing a Jeep thing with my brother. But we also have an appointment to go car shopping. We're replacing our CRV. We're not in a hurry, but we kind of are too. We will be at the Jeep event either early or late.

And that is all for now... Hopefully I will be back at some point before Monday!

Behave!

That Was A Long Time!

Sorry for the silence!

It's been crazy!

We've had ourselves a little, but wonderful, trip. The break from the day job was wonderful.

It's colder now.

I'm tired!

Coming back to the day job was suckage. Nothing got done in my absence.

One of the kittens is peeing inappropriately. On my bed. Not cool.

I stepped in dog poop tonight. Gross.

Writing has been going okay.

We had our town Halloween Parade. It was fun.

I'm tired!

Everyone at the day job is sick. I am slathering myself in hand sanitizer and protective layers.

That is all. See "I am tired"...

Behave!

Sunday Wrap Up...

We are beat...

Up early. Coffee on the back porch, which was nice. Then we started doing stuff. Vacuumed, which was crazy. The animal hair in this house is insane. I just vacuumed yesterday. It's like the animals all just exploded their hair overnight. Organized some stuff.

Laundry. A quick trip to the store for more stuff we forgot.

K3 & A came for dinner. That was really nice. We talked. Ate pretty good food (grilled veggies and steak).

Many things were accomplished today. Which is why we are beat.

Got my writing chapter newsletter done and some other stuff for that. Next is the writing, which is going pretty darned good.

Tomorrow is Monday. Don't want to talk about it...

Behave!

The Saturday Post...

What a freaking long day!!

Woke up at the normal work day time, showered, and was ready to head out the door for breakfast with our great niece. She's so adorable and looks just like her momma, but it was early. She turned two and she let me wash her hands and put her shoes on her. We had pancakes, bacon, coffee, orange juice and yogurt. I got to catch up with That Man's side of the family. I haven't had a chance to talk to That Sister in a while and I miss her, so that was good. Also got to see her hubby and our nephew. It was a good morning.

We left there and headed back into town to get the camper registered in our names. That didn't take as long as I expected, but it did take a long while. Got the stuff we forgot to take out of the camper and needed.

Back home to take off the defective oil sending unit from the Jeep. That Man broke it fixing the leaky oil filter. He bought a new one and during the test drive, it crapped out. Took it back to the store and they told him they wouldn't replace it. We were fuming mad. We went back today and insisted they replace it. They did. But we had to drive to pick it up since they had no more in stock. Whatever. Then we went to get an oil change kit and... Not in stock. Had to drive back out to not far from where we had to pick up the part (different stores  - That Man wracks his points up at different places) Stopped quick at the grocery store to grab some of the things we forgot.

Ended up getting home about two hours later. K1, J, and my boys were here. K1 came to pick up a cooler for his weekend excursion and grab some stuff from the attic. Got to kiss my baby boy and hang out with my older baby boy. They are so stinking cute! Little B is giving kisses and playing hide and seek and is so freaking adorable! Mr. B is very into Pokemon now and was either quizzing me about Pokemon or showing me his new cards.

Then we had to run another errand. I swear we were away from home for about 10 hours today. We're exhausted.

Finally got back home and threw dinner in the oven. I had marinated some greek chicken yesterday. Apparently, I didn't rinse the dill that went into the marinade enough. It was delicious, but super gritty. And apparently, I have a super bad issue with grit in my food. While it was super tasty, when I hit grit, I was done. Like major gagging done. Never knew that about myself, but there it is... In other news, my tzatziki sauce turned out banging.

And that's about it.

Tomorrow is some running around. We realized the other night that we don't have any working smoke detectors. (After I made meatballs that spilled over in the oven and filled the house with awful, awful smoke. - Like so bad we all had to shower before bed). That Man bought a cheap one to get us through, but we need at least three more and a decent CO2 detector - especially since we just revamped the furnace piping.

K3 and A are coming for dinner. We have laundry to do. And a lot of other stuff.

Then... It's Monday again.

That's all I have...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Things are better.
Some... I still have about 50 things on my to do list. You know... cross off one and add three... that is how it's going...

That Man and I took a sick day today. It was a real sick day - either from some damned virus or our dinner last night. Don't know for sure, but we both felt like hell for most of the day. He actually started with it yesterday. He came home from work early thinking it was the cholesterol med the doc put him on, but that is apparently not the case. I am about 12 hours behind him, so... virus?

We did try to run some errands - grabbed his part-time job paycheck, went to the bank, and then the grocery store, but neither of us had a coherent thought in our head so we forgot half of the stuff we needed. He was better this evening. He did some physical things. I did not. I am feeling some better, but still shaky and not great.

In the Feel Good Friday mode:

1. Our Aunt and Uncle were here this week. It was amazing to see them, but it was a crazy week. We had one night at home. Not because of seeing them every night, but because it was just one of those weeks. We didn't see them nearly enough, but they will be back soon.

2. We met last night for dinner (which I am blaming on part of the reason I stayed home today - partial food poisoning? maybe?). We had a good time. It was good to laugh and hang out. I got to see my brother, sister-in-law, and niece. It was a good night.

3. Our sister is hopefully finally going to get some answers on why she's been so sick lately. I know it's still vague, but I can't go into any more detail or she will kill me.

4. Getting to see my great niece and niece on Wednesday. Baby A is so cute and looks just like her momma.

5. Getting stuff done. We've been working our butts off all week even though it's been crazy.

6. Writing. So I have gotten words on the page this week. Not enough, but more than I figured I would. I'm still at a deficit, but I hope to remedy that this weekend.

7. Bob's great niece's birthday party in the morning. She's two. They are having a breakfast birthday party. Pancakes. It's different, but we are good with it. Her gift is wrapped and we have the rest of our day planned.

8. Hopefully seeing K3 this weekend!

That's all I have for now!

Behave!

A Week?

Yikes!

Though. I haven't even turned my computer on since last Thursday, so there's that. It's been absolutely insane and chaotic.

I don't even know how to get into it all. I don't even think I should.

Everything is absolutely insane.

I have not written in a week.
My house is a wreck.
My "to do" list has like 55 things on it.
I am not getting anywhere.
The day job is nuts.
Crazy things are going on.

Better days have to be ahead, right?

Behave!

A Week?

I swear I have started like four posts! Each were interrupted and then I gave up!

So the weekend was crazy!

Saturday was writing meeting and then a bunch of craziness. Writing meeting was good and I left with the same recharged feeling I used to have after meetings. I really like that and I am so happy to get back to those kind of meetings. Though I did not get to come home and write! Boo!

Sunday I had to work. Nothing more to say about that. Had to run some errands and do some things after. Back home to a houseful. Dinner made. Cleaned up. Grandsons hugs and laughter. To bed way later than I'd hoped.

Since I worked Sunday, this week is screwed up. I am a day ahead of myself and that sucks. Yes. Tomorrow is Thursday and that's great, but I thought today was Thursday. I thought yesterday was Wednesday. We all have the same affliction. Oy. But we did order some amazing subs for lunch. Cheap and super good.

Tonight I had a board meeting with my writing chapter. It went well. We talked about pirates. Ha!

That is all!

Behave!

Mid-Week...

I got my Jeep back! Yay! It's a hefty bill, but all much needed work. Some had to do with my mud adventures at the Jeep festival (others were just age and rust)... Do I regret it? Not really! I only regret the amount of money it ended up costing. Would I do it again? Nope. Not will full knowledge of what it cost... Ha! (Can I change it? Nope! So there you have it)

It's been a bizarre week so far. I know it's been a short one, but I remain caught up at the day job and I'm even finding time to do quality assurance and train. All while maintaining my workload stats. We're supposed to work a full eight on Sunday - to get caught up - but all of us are caught up. So I don't know what will happen - if we'll work, if we'll work to help sister companies, or what... I'm all in because it's overtime, so whatever. 

Writing happened tonight! Whoot! It's been a few days, so it was much needed. I'm hoping now that some of the craziness has ended that I can get my butt back in gear and actually finish this book. Gah!

Other than that! That Man has to work this weekend. I have my writing meeting and I have to work.

I can't believe we're into September already! Granted, I am glad. I am so ready for fall and for the heat to be done! Though I could use a few more weeks of August, just to get the things done. One of those weeks would just be for sleep!

That is all!

Behave!

Back From the Wilds...For a Day

It was a good weekend camping!

That Man got off early on Friday and took the new camper to camp. Took him about twenty minutes to set us up for the weekend. Poor guy! LOL. I had to work my regular shift, so I did the grocery shopping on my way up.

Saturday was nice. K4 ended up crashing on our couch. We figured out how to hook up our DVD player. Fridge running on LP was also awesome. K1 and J came down. Lots of grandson time and good conversation.

Sunday we awakened to the front of the camper failing. That Man did a temporary fix and has been brainstorming the permanent fix. I think he has it now. It was picnic day. Lots of hang out time. Time with family and friends. And my most adorable great niece.

Woke up Monday to a horrible storm. We were dry, except we both had to go to the bathroom and our bathroom in the camper is out of commission. Worked that out with us both getting wet. Then, K4 called. She was not feeling well at all. Ended up leaving camp to go to the doc with her. She's fine - nothing that a round of antibiotics won't cure. But poor kid. She was in a lot of pain.

That Man got home shortly after we did. Did some laundry. Took a nap. Made an awesome dinner. Talked to my sister. Started the newsletter for the writing group only to realize I didn't have enough information. We were in bed super early.

Up early to carpool to work today. The Jeep and his car were both in the shop. Both for inspection, but the Jeep needed some work (it's been there for almost two weeks now, but our mechanic was trouble-shooting an issue and we knew it was going to take a while). We went to the diner for dinner and then picked up his car. Hopefully the Jeep will be done tomorrow! Finished the newsletter and it's now bedtime.

Tired doesn't even begin to describe how I feel...

That is all!

Behave!

We Made It Back...

We actually got in Sunday... Mid-afternoon...

It was rough. We drove like 36 hours in a 65 hour time span.

The drive out was easy enough. We split it up into about 3 hour shifts, though I took an extra shift since That Man hit a wall. The rental car was okay, but the seats sucked. Definitely another "sitting on concrete" kind of thing.

We made it early Friday morning. Hugs and love and hanging out, then we took the rental car back. Stopped for breakfast/lunch, then back to the house. We were going to take a nap, but got caught up in checking out the camper and doing the legal stuff associated with our purchase. Went to dinner, and then pretty much crashed when we got back, though I did spend some "auntie" time with my aunt. Still in bed by 9pm though. Rough sleeping night due to the ultimate exhaustion - mostly That Man since he was still dealing with a horrible cough.

Got up Saturday, packed our stuff, did camper readying, and hit the road. Later than we'd hoped, but still okay. The drive home was pretty brutal. It was my turn to hit a wall and I hit it pretty quickly. I did drive for a while, but nowhere enough to make it fair. I could not wake up and focus. That Man had bonding time with the camper.

Anyway... It's a little rougher than we thought. The floor at the back is pretty much gone and the roof has several leaks. BUT all of that can be fixed. Overall, it's not bad at all. We have plans and a lot of the work will be done this weekend. Once the structural stuff is done, then we can tweak it to fit our needs. We've been doing stuff to it all week - the LP tank is full, the generator battery is new. We're slowly learning about it, but we're so excited!

We're camping this weekend, so we'll make a plan and start to get the stuff done. I wouldn't be surprised if the roof gets fixed this weekend, and possibly the floor - though I think that might take a bit longer. I'm just excited - this camper opens up a bunch of possibilities for us!

Behave!

Mid-Week Insanity

Only a half day at the day job tomorrow though! That Man will pick me up, we will pick up our rental car, come home to load up and hit the road. The house/pet sitter is already in place and everything is taken care of for that.

We're super excited. Not just for the camper purchase, but for the road trip together, and to see the midwest family - no matter how quick of a trip it is. We're mostly packed - just waiting on a load of laundry. The stuff has been organized. Other stuff has been taken care of.

We ran to the notary tonight to get the title taken care of for the 'burban so we can donate it to "Vehicles for Veterans". We're happy it's going to a charity like that, but we are both just devastated to have to get rid of it. It's been the best vehicle we have ever had and we have so many special memories with it. Ugh. The brain knows it's the right move, but the heart is not on board - especially after it was washed and looked so good.

Bookstore day was a ton of fun! My signing went really well. I met a lot of readers and other writers. After the signing, I found a corner to write in. Though some creep guy kept standing over my shoulder and I had to give it up. It was authors and readers after the store closed. We had pizza, a scavenger hunt, and so many other things to do. I ended up going home instead of staying over. There was no way my air mattress was going to fit anywhere inside the store, plus, I had been there for about twelve hours - standing on concrete. I was sore and had a killer headache. Next year, I will take a smaller air mattress. It really was fun though and I'm sad I missed the sleepover part!

The mammogram was good. Got the all okay results today.

That is all for now! Laundry is done and it's bedtime.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

For a four day work week, this was a long one!

Next week, I technically only work three days. Full day Monday. Leaving for mammogram/gyne visit Tuesday for a few hours. Full day Wednesday. Half day Thursday and then off Friday. It's going to be a long week though since I'm super looking forward to the end of the week.

We're travelling to Missouri to purchase a camper from my uncle. Yes. We are driving about 2200 miles in 3.5 days. It's fine and good. We were going to fly out, but the camper has sat for a few years and we felt more comfortable having tools and things with us. Plus, holy expensive flights! The drive will be That Man and I - there and back. We are excited to do a road trip just the two of us, and I highly doubt either of us will sleep while the other drives. We're excited to see That Uncle and That Aunt, and we're excited that we negotiated this camper deal with them. We've been talking about this with them for a while now, so this feels like a dream that it's actually happening!

After that we have camp! (With our new old camper! Whoot!)

Tomorrow is Bookstore Romance Day! I am signing at noon and then in for the night for a slumber party! I'm excited! We're "sleeping" over. Though I have a feeling not much sleeping will be done. It's an awesome opportunity and I'm so thankful to have been asked to participate! I only hope I get to sleep a little! I am too old to stay up all night anymore! ha!

The writing has been crap all week. I have spent every single night doing estate stuff and other stuff I can't mention. I didn't make a single blast for my writing chapter.

Oh! We need a list:

1. Sleeping in tomorrow.
2. Bookstore day!
3. Next week!
4. Camping!
5. Not having kids going back to school! First time in like 25-26 years? (we had college last year) Ha! We did school shopping with the grandkids, but it was 1/100th of the scale of what we used to have to do and it was beautiful!
6. The PA part of the estate being done soon. Waiting for one more thing and then... hopefully we're done!

That's all I have! I need to make my list for tomorrow and get some sleep!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up on Monday!

It was a crazy, crazy weekend!

Started out Friday night with K5 and Mr. B. We had a "campout" in the living room. Pizza for dinner, s'mores, strawberry shortcake, The Princess Bride. Air mattresses in the living room. I don't think any of us slept well. The kittens were being crazy. The dog couldn't settle. It wasn't cool enough down here and the downstairs fan died.

But... still... It was fun. It really was.

We did the school shopping thing. Which was fun, but equally as stressful thanks to other people. How many freaking screaming kids can fit into a Mega Mart? Not my screaming grandkids. They were awesome and so well-behaved. (I'm not saying they always are, but they definitely were on Saturday) Both of them were like "that's ridiculous"! We did have a blast. Went to a bbq place for lunch and the woman running the cash register totally hooked us up. It was super cheap and very good. Dropped the kids off and came home and crashed for a while.

Later, we went downtown to hear K4's man's gig at the local wine shop. He did really well. We stayed longer than we planned, but it was really a good time. Got home and did some laundry. In bed later than we'd hoped, but still at a decent time.

Sunday morning, we went to see my sister in the hospital. We will talk about this at another time. We don't really know anything yet and I just can't.

After that... we travelled to MD to see Chris Stapleton in concert. The concert was amazing!! I had some absolute culture shock though. I haven't been to a lot of concerts, but still... How on earth can people afford to get trashed at these concerts? A cheap beer was $11. A good beer was $14-17. We saw people carrying four to six beers. For themselves. I swear we were the only sober people out of at least a thousand people! And the garbage left behind!! Holy crap!

But... Chris Stapleton! Amazing! His voice and is guitar skills. His encore was fantastic!

Our hotel had a shuttle service, which we utilized on our way to the concert (even though we ended up in the cargo area of the van! Ha!). On the way back, however, we chose to walk the mile to the hotel. We beat the shuttle back to the hotel by at least 10 minutes and it was fine. It was an easy, quick walk. We were so tired though. Our section of the hotel did not have an elevator, so it was three flights of stairs each time.

This morning, we went to the main part of the hotel for coffee and took the elevator to travel one floor. That's how done with stairs we were. Ha! Sitting by the lake was really nice and relaxing though. It was good to be off work today.

We stopped at a diner on our way back, took a nap when we got home, then did laundry. I did estate stuff while That Man went to help a friend with some construction.

Tomorrow is back to the real world. I'm not ready and I don't want to... But I must. The next two weeks are super crazy here.

Behave!

Mid Week...

It's Wednesday... Which is awesome, but I have to say that I'm so very tired of wishing my week away. It's not supposed to be like this.

And, by this point, we all know why... That brain draining day job. I'm frustrated. Well... beyond frustrated. I need to talk to the boss tomorrow. I'm exhausted - mentally and physically. Or physically because of the mentally. I'm not sure which. I know things are going to get better, but until we have these new people trained up nothing has changed. The pressure is intense.

But only two more days to work and then a full weekend ahead. We're getting K5 and Mr. B this weekend and taking them school shopping. Then, off to our concert on Sunday. No work on Monday!

I did get the August calendar completed and it's super crazy. Things are insane until the very last week of the month. I have two writing classes, an overnight book event, blast week with my writing group, a mammogram, a crazy random trip... and well... a lot of stuff. September looks a tiny less crazy, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

Writing has been slim this week. We had company Monday night. I had a massive headache last night, and tonight I had a million and a half things to do. I should get a few words done before bed though.

And that is all!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up!

Monday comes too soon! I need one more day! I know... I say that every week, but it's true...

Let's backtrack...

Saturday's writing meeting was good. Good business meeting. Good program. Good lunch. There was a lot of laughter and discussion. Definitely what I needed to recharge.

Got home to a houseful. K1 & J were here. K1 needed to work on his car and clean his crap out of the 'burban. They did some laundry, too. Friends came to help with car stuff. Got epic grandsons time. Baby B is so stinking cute. He's crawling and he's fast. He's such a chunky monkey! Mr. B was very busy and spent a lot of time reorganizing the toys we have here. Ha! I made spaghetti and meatballs because I know it's one of Mr. B's favorites and we had K1's bestie here for dinner, too.

So, the 'burban is going the way of the white wind very soon. We wanted to restore it, but we don't have the time, money, or space to do so. It won't be long until we get told about it from our borough because that kind of thing is happening all over the place around here. We've had many, many conversations about what to do, but have come to the conclusion that we have to let her go. I am super sad and wish there was another way, but logically, we don't need a vehicle that big anymore. We don't have time to fix her up the way she deserves, and the amount of mold inside those doors is dangerous. It's really, really bad. So...

Today was cleaning. I did a crapton of work - including washing the entirety of our bedding thanks to our old lady cat pooping and pissing on our bed last night! ARGH!! She got trapped in there and I guess it was long enough that she felt she had no choice, but...WHY on the bed? I mean... seriously! And, if you didn't know, we still have a waterbed. It's not just sheets and blankets, it's padding and a lot of it... but thankfully, a mattress that can be disinfected easily. It's a day long process. I managed to replace everything temporarily enough that we could sleep semi-decently last night, but today I had to wash... and K1 & J needed to finish their laundry, too.

It worked out. We had an amazing diner. Baby B continued to crack us up. Mr. B and I played "treehouse" and watered plants. The bed is nearly made and That Man's work shirts are done. There's a load of towels to do thanks to be stupidly overflowing the coffee pot yesterday. Dumb. But on the whole, we're in a good place to start the week.

I'm so tired though... Maybe tired thinking about the upcoming week, or tired from two days of constant peopling. I don't know.

What I do know is that this coming week is my only week in the next three weeks that I work a full five. We're going to a concert next weekend and will be coming home on Monday, so we're off. The next week I have my mammogram, and then we're heading out to parts unknown...Then it's labor day. By then it's September! Woah!

That's all I have... I am off to do the writing now!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

The kitty babies are doing well post surgery. Fred recovered far more quickly than Regi, but then again, Regi had super major surgery and Fred just got a snip. Regi was still a little slow this morning, but I let them out of confinement anyway. She snuggled in my arms before attacking the couch, but I still worried as I left her with "the boys" and the dog.

They are fine. Needy, but that's to be expected. Nothing bad happened, but K4 kept an eye on them as soon as she woke up. They are eating well and playing, albeit slower than normal. Elsa was super worried about them and was protective and annoying with them.

I have met my writing goals this week, which is awesome! Progress!

So, the kid got her braces off today! OMG! She looks amazing! What a great smile! I left work early to go with her! So awesome! The actual removal was quick, but then they had to grind off the adhesive, which took a while and they gave her dark sunglasses for that part. She will have to wear retainers for a bit, but... holy smile! My kid... And her smile! Beautiful! What a long road, but so worth it! (Still retainers, but...)

Tomorrow is my writing group meeting! So looking forward to it! I missed last month and that hurt. So many things going on. I am on the board right now, but I don't think I will be next year. I can't keep up and I can't do the things I need to do. I'm pretty solid in my decision. It kills me though. There are many reasons that I can't continue though. We will see...

And I think that is all I have right now...

Behave!

Last Day of July...

That was a quick month! Seriously!

Tomorrow beings August and a month of absolute insanity for us. We don't have a free weekend at all. Some fun stuff. Some work stuff. Some necessary house stuff - which is not really scheduled into the crazy month, but stuff we have to find time for nonetheless.

Today is Wednesday... This week has been long already. Work... well... it's back into crazy mode. The new people started on and so far so good. I am hopeful. If I live through it long enough for their help to be effective. Today was massively crazy.

But... after work, we picked up Mr. B and took him to dinner. We went to the diner close to our house - it's been That Man and I's staple place to grab food over the last few months. The food is good, service is good, and it's reasonably priced. Mr. B impressed us with his word/math skills and we talked about a lot of things. After that, we stopped at the grocery store for a few things we needed (and Hot Wheels, because that's what we do), before hitting up the ice cream store. Or "Dumpster Lake" as Mr. B calls it. Last time we went there we pulled in and B asked what we were doing (not seeing the huge sign) and I told him we were going swimming in Dumpster Lake because the rain water had pooled in the parking lot around the dumpster and it looked like a huge lake. That name apparently stuck with him.

We had a great time with him. He was happy, too. Dropped him off and got Baby B snuggles and laughs. That boy is a chunk and is mobile now. He's so funny.

Tonight is the last night the kittens are he and she. Tomorrow morning, I will drop them off to get fixed. 9pm was the latest they could have food. They don't like that. Well, none of them do. Instead of secluding the kittens, we moved the food for all of the animals. Even the dog food, because the kittens will eat the dog food. So now, they are running around like crazy, following us when we get up and crying at our feet. It's a good thing we're going to bed soon.

I get to sleep in a little bit tomorrow. Just a tiny bit since I'm doing the drop off. They have to be there a half hour after my usual overtime start. That's okay by me. K4 will pick them up and bring them home.

And then Friday, I get to leave early to go to the Orthodontist with K4. Keep your fingers crossed, but hopefully, it's brace removal day!! So excited! It's been a super long road with her mouth!

I did write tonight. And I wrote last night. I am doing my best to get the words in!

That is all for now!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday on Saturday

Happy Weekend!

It was a long, long week! I worked overtime and I might work overtime this weekend. Next week will be the same. We have two new people starting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, because the one will hopefully take a lot of pressure off of me.

Let's hit the list:

1. Sleeping in a bit this morning. Not a lot, but then we were in bed super early last night... Still, it was wonderful to lay in bed and relax.

2. Getting the grocery shopping done. It's a dumb chore, but must be done. I'm really thinking about signing up for either the grocery pick up program, or the delivery program.

3. That Man doing the dinner shopping and cooking the dinner last night. I am on for tonight since he's working, but I'm not quite sure what I'm making yet. I have a few options...

4. Driving with the top down most of the week! Beautiful days! It's a huge stress reliever after a hectic day.

5. Dinner date with That Man on Thursday. We went to the new Indian place down the street. It was pretty good - a little more expensive than it needed to be, but we were both pretty pleased with our meals. Will we go back? Probably... but not for a little while. We have a few other places we want to check out, too.

6. Not a lot of writing progress this week. Except for in my head. Which I guess is better than nothing. I do plan to remedy that here in a bit. I will write before I log into work!

7. I am stunned at how quickly July flew by! August is going to be insane. I think we have something every single weekend and lots of mid-week things, too.

That's about it. I am off to be productive!

Behave!

Wednesday!

Halfway through the work week... Oy!

The National Conference for my writing affiliation started! I so wish I was there! It's in New York this year, which is easily accessible, but I had to make a financial and vacation day choice. I know I chose wisely, but that doesn't help the wish I have that I could have gone.

I mean... It's New York.

It's a conference with my peers. There are classes. Meet-ups, and so many different things to do. I went to New York a few years ago and had a blast. So many of my chapter mates are going - we would have had an absolute blast together.

I will live vicariously through social media and plan for a time where I can go. Though, I really need to get my sh*t together so I feel worthy of going.

Which I am working hard on. I wrote again tonight. I am heading in slow. I wrote more last night than I did Sunday and I wrote more tonight than last night, by like 1/3, so that's something. The story is coming back into my head and it's easier to put the words on the page.

I can't be angry at myself for not writing recently. It is what it is and I did what I have to do, but I'm making a comeback now.

If I continue to live through the work days. And that's always iffy... Ha!

That's all...

Behave!

Taco Tuesday

I guess so? We did have fish tacos for dinner, so...

Long week already. Day job continues to be what it is... I'm super overwhelmed and can't keep up and I hate it. Hopefully the person they hired to take the stress off of me works out, but it'll be a while until they're trained up. We'll see... It's hard not to just walk out some days though.

I have been writing! Whoot! I got words in both Sunday and today. Not a lot, but more than I'm required to for our 50/50 challenge, so it's worthy!

That's all I have. Just wanted to check in and my computer battery is dying!

Behave!