Feel Good Friday - A New Year is Coming

So let's back up to last week...

1. Christmas Eve was good even though we were missing some ill family members and some working friends. Dirty Santa was a riot and the soup turned out pretty good. 

2. Christmas Day was equal parts chaos and relaxing. If that makes sense. We weren't up super early either. Scotch eggs and breakfast sandwiches were first. K3 & A came for breakfast and then skedaddled to A's family. We headed over to K1's to take the boys their gifts and hung out there for a while. Back home for a nap. Then it was birthday time. Lasagna and garlic bread for dinner. Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing for birthday cake. K3 & A returned and our niece and nephew to be came to harass K4. The young adults played a game while That Man and I watched a movie. We were in bed pretty early!

3. Monday was a completely lazy day. We did nothing but what absolutely had to be done. I slept in, then dozed on the couch. We had leftovers for dinner. Nice.

4. Back to work on Tuesday. So many people are on vacation that the office has been quiet. But there's end of year stuff to attend to, so the week kind of went fast for me. 

5. Off at noon today. We swung by our friend's house on the way home and spent some time hanging out with them, which was nice. We hadn't seen them in a while. 

6. And tomorrow is New Year's Eve. And I could not care less about it. Our plans are to lounge on our couch in our jammies, eat some shrimp, and go to bed early. I don't want to do anything else. 

7. New Year's day will be the traditional Lord of the Rings marathon; pork and sauerkraut, black eyed peas, and more chaos. I know my boys are coming for dinner, which is fun. The kids rarely get to hang out together since they work different schedules. We're off on Monday again, which will probably be another lazy day, but we'll see. We have car stuff to do and the tree to take down, though I'm not in a huge hurry to do that. 

So, I doubt I'll be back on here before Monday. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Behave! 

Christmas Eve Eve & Feel Good Friday

Well here we are! Almost there!

And today is Friday! 

So let's just get to the list!

1. We were supposed to leave the day job at noon today. Due to the winds and potential for ice, the bosses kicked us out at eleven. That was cool. It was a super quiet day, though my system glitched and caused me a lot of hassle when I tried to write checks. But it's all good now. And we don't have to go back until Tuesday!

2. Getting home and getting stuff done. (And I took a nap!) Now all that's left is the bathroom, dusting, and vacuuming. And cooking. Lots of cooking. Which I love, so I'm good with that. (The cooking, not the cleaning.) (That Man and K4 will take care of the cleaning while I cook)

3. We did go out to dinner on our anniversary. We had a blast and then took care of some shopping. It was a really nice evening. 

4. We had no plans for dinner tonight and there was no way we were stopping at the grocery store. (we drove by. it was insane looking) We found some chicken patties and then made potatoes au gratin. It turned out pretty well, even though I accidentally shut the oven down halfway through the cooking time. 

5. Except for the cleaning and cooking, we're pretty much done. I'm sure I'll find a million things to do tomorrow that have nothing to do with what I've planned, but that's par for the course. 

6. Looking forward to hanging out with family and friends tomorrow! 

7. Despite the crazy week, I have managed to get some writing in. Yay me! 

8. Man, it's freaking cold out there! I'm sure if you live on the East Coast, you're well aware of that fact! But holy cow! My dog is so clueless though. She just wants to stay outside and play. She sulks when we tell her it's time to come in. Also, I almost froze my hand to the screen door after taking a bag of ice to the cooler on the back porch. 

9. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. Ha! Like that is even going to happen! 

10. It's not feel good, but I'm definitely missing my folks this year. I'm also missing other family members, but there isn't anything I can do about any of it. 

And that's about it! 

I doubt I'll get back on here until after! So I hope you have an amazing holiday!

Behave! 

Five Days...

Oof. I could have sworn I posted sometime in the last 11 days!

Obviously not!

Well, here we are at five days before the big day. We're mostly ready. 

The tree is up and so far the cats are just messing with it a little bit. Though when an ornament hits the floor, it's free game. Apparently. Yeah, we keep the fragile ones at the top. We did have to stuff some more lights in the tree. So... years ago we had a little gathering when we decorated the tree. Our lights didn't work, so we sent the young adults out for lights. They came back with bush lights. And ever since, that's what we've used, mainly because people keep giving them to us. Ha! So half of the bush lights went out. There's no easy way to remove it, so we just shoved string lights in so we didn't have to undecorate. It works and you can barely tell. 

The shopping is 99.9% done and wrapped. We went pretty small this year. There are too many expenses and upcoming expenses and let's face it, everything is more expensive right now. Not that we ever go huge on Christmas. 

And today is our anniversary. 36 years married and 40 years together. How crazy is that? I'm not going to get mushy, but I wouldn't change a thing. He still makes me laugh after all of this time and we still have tons to talk about. We're going to dinner tonight, and just goofing off.

We had the older grandkids this past weekend, which was an absolute blast. Little brother joined them for a few hours on Saturday and he was hysterical. We made cookies, did a present exchange between the three of them, and laughed a lot. Having the two oldest for the weekend was a lot of fun. They're at the age now where conversations are a little more real. K5 and I spent a long time talking about writing, which she loves. That was cool for me. There was hair fixing, sock races, stromboli making, and a lot (and I mean a lot) of scaring--hiding under the bed, popping around corners, and doing their best to get me (which they did. Once.). Oy! That Man and I absolutely loved the weekend, despite the fact that we were wore out! Ha! 

There are two and a half days to work the day job. Then it's cooking, cleaning, and prep. K4's birthday dinner has been decided and ingredients are mostly purchased. She wants stuffed shells, and we're having a heck of a time finding the shells, so we might have to slightly switch gears, but we'll see. 

And that is all for now...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

Ho Boy! What a week!

But it's Friday! And Friday is always a good day even if you end up in the dental chair for twice as long as you expect and bleed a lot... But more on that later... 

Here's the list:

1. Ladies Night at the greenhouse! What a freaking blast! Hanging with my friends. That was amazing. We don't see each other enough even though we talk every day. Selling books! I did pretty well, which was unexpected and awesome! I'm super happy about that! Talked to a lot of really great people, too. It was an awesome evening!

2. Lunch out with the work people. We went to our standby place, which is never disappointing! The food is amazing. We talked about all manner of things not work related, laughed, ate cheesecake, and had a really nice time. 

3. Leaving early today... (Here's where the blood comes in) My hygienist (first time with this one) saw some stuff on my x-ray's and went to town on my mouth. She scraped and sprayed. I was a little stunned because I was just there six months ago and there was no mention of this crap. (and that's when x-ray's were taken. Apparently it was there and nothing was addressed. I'm at odds with that and will need to discuss with my sister who works there) Anyway. It's all fine even though my mouth and face hurt now. But my teeth feel good. And she suggested a water flosser, which has been ordered and I will use religiously so I don't have to go through what I did today again. Ha! 

4. Pretty easy weekend plans. We're getting our tree (I hope), and hopefully seeing the grandboys! Tomorrow is sleeping in. (I hope) We already did the big box store run, but we forgot a bunch of stuff. 

5. Making good progress on my story. Whoot! 

That is all! 

Behave! 

19 Days to Go...

Yeah, I'm counting down. But not really... Ha! 

It's been a long week so far and it's only Tuesday! 

One more full day to work and then some easier stuff. Thursday is our lunch out with the boss, so I'll be out of the office for at least two hours or so. And we always have fun on these lunches. It's been a while. We used to go out as a department every few months, but we haven't since last Christmas. Not sure where we're going yet. It's not my turn to pick, but I know it'll be good. 

Next week is our Christmas lunch for the day job with everyone. Things are coming together and it should be a good time. Our department is in charge of getting everything together and so far so good. 

And then on Friday, That Man and I have dentist appointments. We'll leave a few hours early and likely not make it back. We've been making up time, so there's that. Not that having a dentist appointment is fun, but it's not terrible either. 

What else?

The porch is decorated and the fall stuff is put away. The Christmas coffee cups are in use, and the dish towels are washed and folded (I only did it tonight because I need a tablecloth for tomorrow). The porch looks pretty good, though it still needs some touches. Tree procurement is this weekend. We've started the shopping and the birthday shopping. But I have no idea of anything else at this point! Ha!

We're still watching ridiculous Christmas movies. I know they're stupid. I like them because they're brainless. 

Tomorrow evening I'm participating in a ladies night at the same place where we do the Valentine's signing. I did it last year, too, and it was a lot of fun. I don't expect to sell a lot (or any) books, (last year it wasn't the right kind of crowd) but I get to hang with my friends, so there's that! I can hope though... 

That's about it...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Trying to Be Here More Often Edition

I made it back! Yay me! 

So let's recap the good this week! 

1. Friday! Obviously! It was a long day job week. Very busy. 

2. Putting the day job Christmas tree up! It was a fun time. I had the help of a coworker, and I hooked the television that hasn't been used since we went home for the pandemic to the Internet and found some Christmas music. Every day since, I have put a fireplace background for the work day time and it's been a huge hit. I love it. 

3. That Man and I having a impromptu date night. We had to stop at the store and we ended up going out to eat just the two of us for the first time in forever. We went to our usual favorite place, but the service was terrible. As it's been the last three times we've been there, so unfortunately, I doubt we'll go back. 

4. Words on the page! I've done reasonably well this week, so I'm happy with that. 

5. Watching ridiculous Christmas movies. Most of them are so poorly acted and filmed, but some have a good story. It's just something we do. It gives us something to talk about, I guess. But it's fun. 

6. Sleeping in tomorrow. I need it. 

7. Being warm when it's so cold outside. 

8. Plans to get our tree and get the decorations done. No, I haven't gotten the fall decorations put away yet, nor have I made any progress on getting Christmas stuff out. But it's coming. 

That's about it... 

Behave!

Gone Too Long

Yeah, I know... what else is new? I seem to always be missing... I'm trying to keep up. I swear. 

So what's been going on? 

1. Our youngest son got married. It was a beautiful day and they did a fantastic job with their decorations and the ceremony. They sang to each other during the ceremony and it was amazing. I will admit that this momma cried several times. They both looked fantastic in their wedding clothes. The bride was absolutely gorgeous. 

2. The funeral was as nice as a funeral can be. It's a hell of a way to see people you haven't seen in a while. The work place is adjusting, but he'd pulled away from actively running things a while ago so the transition has been mostly easy. 

3. Thanksgiving was nice. We had a good time and good food. Both of us had to work on Friday so we were home at a decent time and in bed early. 

4. We've been running around so much. And we're freaking exhausted. This weekend we did not much of anything. Yeah, we did the usual stuff like laundry and cleaning up after ourselves, but nothing more. (not like the extreme leaf raking we did last weekend) We both took naps--many naps. And we made food. We only left the house to go to the grocery store once. I slept in both days and it was glorious. 

5. We'll start getting Christmas decorations out this coming week. I have no idea when we'll get our tree. Our weekends are all booked. And there was talk of an Ugly Sweater party, but I have no idea how we can fit that in, so I think it's going to be a no go this year, which is sad because it's been a hot minute since we've had one.  

That doesn't look like much of a list as far as not getting on here goes, but there's, of course, far more that I don't/can't share. Lots. 

I will say I'm looking forward to Christmas. I think. My brain is turning with ideas and things I need to do/take care of. It's not going to be a big and fancy day for sure, but it should be fun. 

That's about it...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Gone Too Long Edition

Sorry for the silence! It's been a little crazy! 

Let's get to the list, okay?

1. Friday! It's been a rough week. Not just this week, but the prior weeks as well. Work has been crazy with changing of job duties and learning new things for me and regular insanity for That Man. We also had the crud here. Tested negative for the big C more than once. The flu probably. It was pretty gross and rough around here. K4 missed almost an entire week of work. I missed time, too. But we're better now except for a lingering cough. 

2. A new book! Yeah, I know I haven't completely finished the one that's already finished and currently in rewrites, but I got this crazy idea and I couldn't do anything but write it. I'm about a quarter way through it and the words are coming really easy. I love it. I haven't had a moment of doubt about it since I got the idea and the words have been flowing. 

3. Trick or Treat night was kind of lame here. It was a rainy night. We didn't have a lot of trick or treaters--probably half of what we had last year. And only one puppy! Last year we had so many! In the past, our house has been used as a base for friends and family trick or treating or just visiting to hang out and hand out candy. This year was probably the first time in ages (excluding the past few Covid years) where we didn't have that. It's kind of sad and kind of not. It was really nice to sit on the porch with That Man and chill while we waited for the costumed ones. 

4. The weather has been really nice this week. It's been my perfect temperatures. I can wear a sweatshirt and have the windows down. Cold is coming though... But I am excited for snow. Like stupid excited! 

5. Our youngest son is getting married next weekend. It will be a super small thing--like immediate family and their best friends only. I'm sad that my siblings, nieces and nephews, and mutual friends can't come, but I get that weddings are expensive and that sometimes smaller is far better for the bride. We're helping as much as we can to ease the stress and take care of things.

6. Next weekend is going to be insane for us though. The owner of our company passed away. It was expected, but still rough. He was a great guy and will be missed terribly. The funeral is the Friday before the wedding. Work is closed for the day. We were invited to the luncheon afterwards, and of course, we're going. So we'll go directly from the funeral to the rehearsal, and hope that we have enough time to do everything we need to do and get there on time. I still don't have a shirt or shoes. That Man needs to try on his clothes and find shoes. K4 is in the same boat. It will all get done for sure and it will be awesome. 

7. We have a lot of birthdays this month! Well, starting last month with K3. Then my brother-in-law, our adopted sister, my brother, my niece, and my niece. We used to have a family birthday party for everyone, but that kind of fell by the wayside. It would be fun to bring that back. 

8. Okay... I will admit that I'm excited to decorate for Christmas. But I will wait until after Thanksgiving. There's no shame in making plans though, right? 

And that is all! I will try to post, but please forgive me if I don't! I promise I will be back!

Behave!

I'm Not Missing...

Just a little buried...

Instead of boring you with the details, I will leave you this picture of my dog...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Woo! Made it to Friday! 

This has been a crazy week and next week is even crazier! If you don't hear from me, you'll know that I got sucked into the miasma of life! Ha! 

So here's the list: 

1. Living through the Parade. We already talked about that! Ha!

2. Not cooking tonight. That Man has a plan for dinner and has said he doesn't need my help. Nice. 

3. Upcoming plans! Most are good things! But the next month is going to be nuts. 

4. Leaving the day job early today! 

5. After a week of not sleeping well, I am hoping for some good sleep over the weekend! Seriously. I woke up at 3:30 this morning and could not go back to sleep, so I got up and did laundry. 

The stupid things this week:

1. I was gifted a cool 3-crock crock pot. I decided it needed to be put away to make room for whatever people were bringing for the parade. I took it downstairs, set it on the washing machine, and headed to the storage room to make sure there was space. The second I hit the door, the washer went on spin. And the crock pot crashed to the floor, breaking every single crock. I had used it once...

2. I typically keep a basket in the Jeep with things that might be needed - Wipes, masks, fixaflat, flashlight, bug spray to name a few. I had placed it in the back and I knew the gate didn't latch, but didn't think much of it since I wasn't done messing around with the Jeep yet. Only I got sidetracked and never got back to it. As we were driving to work, a truck behind us was flashing its lights. We couldn't figure it out. Until we heard the gate slam shut. Yep. Tossed my nifty basket right into the street. We couldn't find it, so someone must have snatched it up. 

3. I had to replace the battery in my Jeep earlier this summer. On Wednesday, That Man was trying to grease the joints underneath and asked me to move it. Again, I figured we weren't done so I left the key. And I left it on... Overnight. Luckily, everything is fine. But Geeze! 

I've had my fill of insanity this week! I sincerely hope there is some relaxation in my future!

Behave!

Parade Survived

We made it! After running around like crazy people, we were prepared and ready for guests. 

The weather was gorgeous. The chili turned out good. We had plenty of chili and hot dogs. (Not a heck of a lot of chili left though--which is good) We had amazing treats and sides brought by folks. 

The whole grass strip in front of our house was full of chairs and friends. And, no "Karen". Ha!

Everyone had a good time. The little ones in attendance were dancing and cheering. That was fun to watch. 

An old friend from the old day job showed up and surprised me. That was fun! We were missing a few, but I was still surprised by how many people came. 

It was a good mix of people. It was hard for me to remember that, as the hostess, I needed to mingle. Ha! It's been a long time since I've played hostess. 

The parade itself was good. The bands played as they got onto our street, which is always fun. There were dance schools, who also did their dances instead of just walking by like in years past. Also, back in the day, they forbid the parade participants from throwing candy. Well, that rule seems to have gone by the wayside. They threw out tons of candy and even had some left when they got to us. The little ones (and teenagers) were excited about that.

It was over by 9. We cleaned up and relaxed a bit. I was beat. I think I sat down maybe a total of ten minutes all night. The house held up and there wasn't a ton of clean up. 

And that's all until next year. 

Next up is Trick or Treat night. We usually have a bunch of people that come over since they don't have trick or treat in their neighborhood, and that's fun. It's fun either way. That Man and I enjoy sitting on the porch and handing out candy.

Behave! 

Monday...Again...

Man, last week went fast! And this week looks to be about the same. 

Our town's Halloween parade is this week. Now for me, I could not care less about it, but since it goes right in front of our house...

Last year we kept it low key. That Man and I still weren't feeling the best so we didn't make a fuss about it at all. We had a few drop ins to watch the festivities despite that. 

And I had a near altercation with a "Karen". 

She parked her chairs right smack dab in front of my porch. 

I politely asked her to move down to an area of curb that is not directly in front of my house. At that point, we knew we were getting company, so yeah, we were using the space. She came back at me and said "it's a public street. I know my rights."

To which I replied..."I pay taxes and maintain that area and I know my rights, too. I politely asked you to move so that I, the homeowner, can use the space I maintain."

She moved, but she bitched about it constantly and let her little kids run all through my flower bed. 

So... We decided since the parade will happen whether or not we care, we might as well go with the flow. 

We are making a huge batch of chili. We have extra chairs. 

I don't know how many people are coming, but it could be a lot. And the entire area in front of my house will be full of friends.

Take that "Karen". Yeah, I know it's a little petty, but she was so rude. In all of the years we've lived in our house, that is the first time a visitor to the parade has acted like that. I typically don't mind if someone parks their chairs along our road frontage as long as they aren't in front of my house, but right in front of someone's porch is rude and entitled. 

And that is all I have for today...

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up

Well, it's Monday again... 

Having another day involved in the weekend would be amazing! 

Anyway...

The book signing was pretty good. It rained, so they moved us inside. The crowd was small, probably due to the torrential Ian rain. There were a lot of kids. Sales were slow. I did meet an amazing author and I really enjoyed talking with her. I talked to a teacher from the nearby school and enjoyed talking with her as well. I got to see friends I haven't seen in a long time and my sister came with me as my helper. We went to dinner after and that was really nice. 

Rain all weekend. And cold. I mean, it's fine. Saturday it didn't matter, except for highway driving in a heavy downpour and taking a wrong turn. Ha! 

Breakfast and supply shopping with That Man on Sunday. This is the second week in a row we've decided to grab breakfast out before our provision run. And the second week in a row that we've both been disappointed in our food. And expensive! Holy cow! But we purchased supplies and things and were back home at a decent time. Changed back into my comfy pants and did a metric ton of laundry and vacuuming. 

Our daughter-in-law and her bestie were driving by and randomly stopped in, which was really nice. I had stuff for Mr. B and my son, so it worked out perfectly. We had a nice quick visit. 

Our nephew came over for dinner and we had a nice visit with him, too. 

I was exhausted by bedtime, but couldn't get out of my own head so I could sleep, so I ended up roaming the house for a bit and then was finally able to crash. And, of course, after early wake ups both weekend days, today was the day I could have stayed in bed for a lot longer. 

The next few weeks are a little on the crazy side, so expect a disappearance from me. I will try not to, but you know how that goes...

And that is all.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Yay Friday! 

What a long week! Seriously! 

Let's hit the list!

1. Tomorrow is the big book signing! I am ready! I have books, a tablecloth, and change. And my Square now takes "tap to pay". I checked it out and it works great! Fingers crossed that the rain doesn't keep folks away!

2. Pizza for dinner. Tonight was K4's turn to take care of the meal and pizza was her idea. It was very good and the fact that there are no dishes is epic. Our pizza shop just changed owners and I love the new people. She delivered and we stood on the porch and chatted for a few minutes. 

3. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. At least I hope. Lately, I've been getting up super early on the weekends, so I can only hope. 

4. In that vein--good sleeping weather. I love the cool. And it's supposed to start Ian raining here soon, so we'll see what that's like. 

5. Getting many words on the page this week! Woo! 

And that's all! 

Behave!

Scary Stuff...

We had a pretty big scare the other night...

Around midnight, K4 kicks our door open screaming "fire"! We run up to her room, and sure enough, an electrical cord had shorted out and started a fire. (Apparently extension cords can do that randomly. Scary!) There was nothing turned on that was plugged into the cord either. 

Luckily, she did all of the right things and stopped what could have been completely devastating. As it was, the wood floor had a hole burned almost through, and the smoke was toxic and thick. 

If she hadn't heard the sizzle and pop, or if she wasn't home, we would have had a much different outcome. 

It was completely freaky. We all tried to sleep in the living room after because there was no way any of us were even sleeping anyway and there was no way she could sleep in her room. We checked and double-checked and made sure every single smoke detector we own worked (they did), but every noise had us all on edge. 

Just below where the fire started is where we opened the top of our closet and made a very deep and wide book shelf. Had the fire burned through any farther, and that would have gone up like a dry Christmas tree. 

It was scary! Still is, but the burned area cleaned up okay and the smell is gone. She's back to sleeping in her room and we're checking all of the cords. 

I know time helps with stuff like this, but I hate it. 

Behave! 

Mid-Week Check In

I was doing good posting for a couple of days there... Ha! Things got busy and I didn't even have time to write. I don't think I even turned on my computer. 

The first thing that happened besides the super crazy day job was That Man and I ended up with some dumb sinus crap. No. Not Covid. Confirmed not. But it sucked. We're still dealing with the last vestiges of it, but it is getting better. And now allergies have joined the party. In all of my life, I have never dealt with allergies, but apparently things change as you age, and here I am. The neighbor cut his grass the other day and it was not good with my sinuses. Whatever. It is what it is. But that's one of the main reasons for my disappearance. 

The weekend was mostly dealing with our moaning selves and a little bit of house/car stuff. I felt like I'd climbed a mountain after catching up with laundry, so there is that. And I took a day off from the day job and slept most of the day. So that's saying something. I haven't taken a sick day in almost two years. 

Anyway. It's been a year since I've been sick, so there's that. Last year though, I did have Covid and am still struggling to get my smell back. It's coming though. I'm getting more and more of it back and the nasty smell I used to get seems to be gone. That's amazing and I am very happy about it. (And no, I didn't go into the office with Covid. We were working from home and I managed to work and moan about being sick at the same time.)

Cool stuff is coming up. We have our town's annual Halloween Parade, which should be fun. Well. It's not, but we're going to make the most of it. And we have a birthday party. And a beach trip. (woohoo!)

Next weekend is the big library book signing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I know it'll be fine. My sister is tagging along to be my helper since they strongly recommend having someone to help/watch money/give bathroom breaks. That Man and That Sister are heading to see their brother so That Man can't help. The brother is coming to the east coast for his son's graduation and they are all meeting up. K4 is working. My sister was my helper at the winery, so she knows the routine, which is awesome. 

And that's about all I have. I have managed to get quite a few words on the page the past few days, so that's good. That should continue for at least the next little while. 

Behave! 

Weird Stuff...

Yeah, don't say anything about me being back so soon. Ha! 

Here are some weird things...

1. Smelling something that was like "almost" overbaked food in our bedroom. It was not from our house. We didn't use the oven and K4 didn't either. It only smelled in our bedroom. Our window was shut. That's not the first time we've had a strange smell in our room, but it was very powerful this time. Usually it's a dryer, or the smell of cigarette smoke, a few times it's been bacon. I just don't get it though. The house next door really doesn't have windows on our side. It's weird. 

2. Weird bugs. The Spotted Lantern Flies are bad enough. I mean, they are everywhere! It's hard to sit on the back porch in the evening without getting dive bombed and we can't park our car under the tree out back because it becomes covered in their pee. No. That's not an exaggeration. It rains out of the tree. The bushes are shiny with it. But now! Now I found out that we have a "monkey slug" in our area. No kidding. It turns into a Hag Moth. And it is the scariest looking creepy thing I've ever seen! Google it! 

3. Noises. The other morning That Man got up and said it sounded like there was a chicken in our neighbor's yard. Not the rooster that crows all day long every single day, but a clucking chicken. Also, the Blue Jays have started mimicking the hawk. Which freaks out the squirrels, but I kind of think they're doing it on purpose so they can gather all of the nuts? 

4. Cats. I think I've talked about how weird our cats are with water. Especially our oldest boy, Max. He's the one we found abandoned in the back yard. He had fleas really bad, therefore he received a lot of baths. I think that's why he loves water so much. Bath time made him feel better, plus he got cuddles afterwards. (Not that he likes cuddles now, but that's a different story) Every morning we turn the faucet on to a trickle. Instant cat magnet. They all hang out there, but it's mainly Max. A few months ago we had to get a new faucet and this one has the sprayer built into the main faucet. Just a few days ago, we started turning the sprayer part on for them instead of the regular one. Lordy. He loves it. He soaks himself and is the happiest boy. 

Okay. I think that's enough. I know there's a ton more weird stuff, but I'm not getting anything done this way. 

Behave! 

Man, I'm Lame...

Sorry for the silence! I think I say that every time I post! Ha! It's only been almost 3 weeks and I didn't intend for that much time to pass. 

Anyway!

Let's hit the list of what's been going on...In no particular order...

Camping... We had our last campout of the year and it was a blast. We had Mr. B for the weekend and he had a great time! He and his cousin bonded and he caught a really big fish. My brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew-in-law, and great niece came for the first time in a while. It was a lot of fun to have them back! The young adults chose a new camping spot in a new nearly cleared area and they had it looking cute and comfy with solar lights and tapestries. We got up Monday, grabbed a cup of coffee, and then it started raining. As we knew it would. We were home early and even had dropped Mr. B off.

Hanging with my siblings... We've been trying really hard to have "family dinner" with the four of us. It's been working out pretty well for the most part. It's supposed to be monthly, but with our schedules we're lucky if we hit quarterly most of the time. But we're trying, so that's fair. We traveled to my middle sister's house for the last one and we had a good time catching up, eating, burning stuff, and watching true crime dramas.

The other stuff...Just your run of the mill home maintenance, vehicle maintenance, and errands. 

Our weekends have been booked, but mostly with boring stuff you don't care about. And they continue to be booked with mostly the same kind of thing. We have a few friend birthday parties coming up, and a beach trip, and then a wedding on the fun side of things. 

The writing is going okay. Slow. But that's been the norm. The big book signing is coming up in a few weeks. It should be good. It's the first time for this one, but I know some of the planners and they know what they're doing, so...

And that's about it... I'll do my best not to make it three weeks again. Ha! 

Behave!    

Tuesday Nonsense!

Yeah, it's a great post title! Ha! It's fitting though because everything seems to be nonsense these days.

Well, mostly.

The book signing was pretty good. Got to see some of my writing friends that I haven't seen in way too long. Sold some books. Talked a lot. 

We had K5 Saturday, so after lunch, a tame trail ride (where she slept pretty much the whole time), and some ridiculous video watching, it was time for me to get ready for the signing. That Man and K5 dropped me off and went in search of dinner components. By the time they picked me up, dinner was almost done. K5 planned the menu and did most of the cooking. She made fettucine alfredo and garlic bread and it was really good. She was a hoot and we had a blast. 

Summer is winding down, which I'm happy about! I'm so sick of being hot and sweaty! I much prefer sweatshirts and fuzzy blankets. Though I can't say much for this week because the temperatures have sucked. But I have hope that things will change soon. 

...and that's about it! 

Behave! 

Tuesday Round Up...

Well, that's not as many days in between posts as normal, so that's something, right? 

So let's see...

The family reunion was really good. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We camped so the cooler weather was very welcome. We actually were cold when we woke up on Saturday! Nice. 

The family turn out was awesome. So was the food. It was lovely to hang out with everyone. And they want to do it again next year, so that's good. 

Other than that...

Not much. Doing the work thing and the yard work thing. And the writing thing. 

Our weekends are booked, which has been the norm lately. 

But! 

This Saturday is my book signing at the bookstore! If you don't know where and want to, hit me up. It's always a good time. I'm looking forward to it!

And that's all I have!

Behave!

Catching Up... Again... Again...

Man! It is hot! It's been hot and we have at least one more day of holy hotness to get through! It's brutal and I know we're all feeling it. 

Thankfully there is air conditioning in most of the places we go. Not like when I was a kid and slept on the second floor with just an open window. We didn't even have a fan. When it was this hot though, we usually slept in the living room, with the fan, but it was still hard to not sweat to death. I know I'm not the only one that grew up like that. Air conditioning was a luxury that most couldn't afford, so we did what we had to do. 

The worse place for me currently is my office at the day job. It's fine in the morning, but by noon, the temperature starts to become unbearable and it feels like a convection oven. I'm at the end of the air conditioning chain and there isn't a lot that can be done about it except to add another unit, which I said no to because then I will be freezing to death. I do have a fan which is positioned in a way to pull the cool air from the hall. It works a little. It is what it is. 

Anyway...

I got print copies of Prophecy! They are so pretty and I'm thrilled! They came far earlier than I'd been told to expect them. I didn't think I'd have them until my October signing, but I will have them for my signing in two weeks, which is awesome!

Oh yeah! I'll be at the book store on the 20th! It should be fun. And chaos! 

Other than that... 

Thursday night a huge tree branch fell in our backyard from the neighbor's lightning struck tree. It broke our fence and our porch swing and generally made a mess. By Friday evening, we had it taken care of. Which was good. The fence is still a mess, but it's going to stay that way for a bit. We don't have time and lumber prices are still too high. 

We helped my brother and sister-in-law get their camper fixed. Well, That Man helped. I hung out with my sister-in-law, niece, and great niece. And we had awesome food. It was a good day and hopefully they will get to camp with us again. 

This weekend is a family reunion for That Man's family. It should be good, but we have a lot to do to get ready for it. 

And that's about it. I mean, it's not because I know I missed tons of stuff, but it's probably mostly boring. Ha! 

Stay cool! Fall is coming soon! Yay!

Behave! 

Twenty Days!

Ha! I said not to get used to it!

It's been a little nuts here, if you hadn't already figured that out!

That Man went on his fishing trip and had a great time! I had a very quiet weekend at home and ended up having to restart my book, which is sucky, but it needed to be done. I got a lot of words in and slept in. 

I know I said it's nuts, but there really isn't a lot to report. 

We got a new battery for the Jeep and that seemed to fix our electrical draw, though my radio does not want to work now. It was working on and off, so I think it finally just died. We need to do the frame fixing next and as it turns out, it's worse than we thought. Big surprise there. 

Work is crazy, but that's also typical. 

It's hot, though I'm sure you know that. I hate it. 

And that's really all I have! 

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Hey! I'm back twice in a week! Ha! Don't get used to it though. 

Let's hit the list!

1. Friday! For a short week, it sure was a long one! Of course catching up after being off for a few days will definitely add to the load. But I was done with the backload by yesterday, so that's something.

2. Yesterday we met our daughter-in-law to help wrangle the grandboys. Little B had a doctor's appointment, so Mr. B hung with Pappy while I went in to help keep Little B occupied so his mom could actually talk to the doctor. It was good. He was hysterical and did really well. And Mom didn't have to worry about him trying to leave when she needed to do mom things. 

3. Friday is our evening with the grandboys. We head over after work and sit on them for a few hours while mom goes grocery shopping. It gives her a little break and we get shenanigans. Tonight was pizza night. Little B wanted nothing to do with pizza even though he requested it. The boys and I had a felt sword fight. I have no arms or legs now (and I probably have a few bruises even though the swords are felt). Ha! I walked through the kitchen and commented about how there must be a ghost in the house because two drawers were open. Mr. B decided to open every cupboard as a joke. It was pretty darned funny when his mom came home. 

4. A lack of weekend plans. It's the first weekend in ages that we don't have a million things going on. Which is good because our yard looks like the jungle. Of course, there's a pretty good chance of rain tomorrow. But we'll see. 

5. Getting back on the writing bus. I had taken a pretty long break due to chaos and constant obligations. We started our 50/50 challenge on Tuesday and I'm happy to say I have done well every day so far. I'm writing new and editing an older book, though I don't report that in my numbers because I'm not sure if I'm actually going to submit it yet or not. 

And I think that's most of it! 

Behave!

Man! I Suck!

I know! It's crazy! And it's been crazy! 

Our latest adventure was a gathering with the family, a surprise birthday party for my sister, and a brief visit from our uncle and aunt. And then camping with Mr. B. We had a blast! 

Well, mostly... Our pup is getting old, but still thinks she can run around like a lunatic. She overdid it and ended up being so sore and tired, she was leaking urine. In my bed. I got up to use the bathroom and when I got back into bed, I somehow centered myself on top of a huge puddle of pee. Gross! After a change of clothes, a bunch of towels, and a change in sleeping venue, I finally got to sleep. We got her some medication the next day (Thankfully she'd just been to the vet) and we started her on a joint supplement. She's been good since then, so that's something. We're also making sure to watch how much she's running around and that has helped too. 

We also took K5 out for her 12th birthday - first to lunch and then shopping. Shopping with her is like trying to herd cats. Ha! It's one thing when she knows what she wants. It's a totally different thing when she doesn't. Oy! But it was a lot of fun! We stopped for Italian Ice, and then the playground. We got her home shortly before her evening obligation. I cannot believe she's 12 already! She's so much fun to hang out with. 

We should be in Missouri right now visiting the aunt and uncle, but they wanted to stop here since they were already out and about, so that's fine. Though I do miss taking the trip with That Man. It's a long drive, but we always have a good time. And it worked out because That Man's back up would have been off at the same time and that's never a good thing for the day job. 

What's next?

A quiet weekend! Yay! Our yard looks like a jungle, so there's that. And we haven't started the Jeep work yet, so that needs to happen. 

That Man goes on his fishing trip soon. He's really looking forward to it. I'm not sure what I'll be up to during that time. Probably writing and sleeping. Ha! 

After that... I'm not sure. 

And that is all...

Behave! 

Catching Up...Again...

Sorry for the silence...

And here I am catching up... again!

We went to the Jeep thing. It was an absolute blast. We found our volunteer calling and will be signing up for that slot next year. We loved hanging out with everyone there and doing the job, so there's that! We worked Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. When we were done Friday, we were free for the rest of the weekend. 

So of course, we decided to hit a trail. 

And that was the last one... As we went through, we noticed a loud banging noise that continued every time we had a left dip of the front tire. Ugh! We got through the trail and immediately pulled over to check it out... 

Yep... frame broken. The only section not previously welded. We knew it was coming, but not this soon. We were fine for driving home, just not for anymore trail driving. Which meant we had to give up our state park ride (that we paid for), and forego any other trails. That sucked, but we still had a good time watching the Jeeps on the playground and talking to people. 

We also are dealing with a parasitic battery drain. We had to pull a fuse every time we stopped for more than a few minutes or it wouldn't start. Pain in the butt. Buy we'll figure it out!

But we've been at the festival for enough years now that people recognize us and seem genuinely happy to see us again, which is cool. We got roped into helping for stuff we weren't signed up to help with, which was fine, but still funny. And, of course, we don't mind. 

Oh and Wednesday before we left, I decided to run one last load of laundry. Ha! The washer completely shit the bed! It's been giving us issues for a while now - not spinning and making a lot of loud noises. It finally gave up the ghost and was just making this loud humming noise with a half-full drum of water. So we come home with a ton of muddy clothes to no washing machine. 

By Tuesday we had our new one after having to cancel one, reorder, and then re-direct the delivery driver. But it's all good. The clothing has not been spun this dry for months now and I am so happy! 

And that's all I have for now. Currently, we're prepping for our next adventure and then we have a few quiet weeks!

Behave!

Oof! Over a Week!

The silence was unintentional! Sorry about that!

Got home from retreat and immediately went into camp preparation mode! The camper needed cleaned and packed. The shopping needed to be done. I had grocery lists from both grandkids! 

The older two grands joined us this weekend for the Memorial Day camp out! We picked up Mr. B on Thursday. He spent the night and got to play with his neighbor friend for a while. Drove the camper into work on Friday with Mr. B and the dog. Worked less than half a day and then went to camp. During a tornado warning that just happened to hit while we were on the bridge over the river... in the RV... with the grandkid and the dog... Ha! Obviously we were fine, but I can't say that I wasn't nervous. 

It rained like heck, leaving our meadow a complete pile of mud. We waited to get our camper into its spot, and then miscalculated... And that left us buried in the mud with both sets of back tires. Oy! We were level though, so we left that as a Monday problem. Lots and lots of mud. Mr. B wore my mud boots for most of the rest of the day. The creek came up quick and looked like chocolate milk. 

But that was the last rain we had! Mr. B slept in his own tent for the first time ever and he did great! Picked up K5 on Saturday morning and then set up the "castle tent" for the two of them. They did great in their "home". I didn't fuss about the mess at all (and it was an ever loving mess if I've ever seen one. Ha!) It was also the first time K5 spent the night in a tent. I felt like I had a brain bleed on several occasions. ha! 

Sunday was the potluck picnic and it was awesome! My family came and it was great to hang out with them! Our bestest old neighbor friends came too with two of their grown adult children and their double set of twins grandkids. And one of the besties kids came with her child. Work friends came. It was so good! We had a blast talking to and catching up with everyone. My brother and sister-in-law and niece and her now old husband (ha!) and great-niece stayed for our little private fire and it was fun! My great niece is the absolute cutest! But man... we were exhausted. 

We all slept in on Monday. Some more than others, but it was good. I hadn't slept much Saturday night, so I needed that. So did the kids since they played in the creek all day when they weren't eating or getting injured. Ha! They had a blast!

Tuesday was my first baby boy's birthday. Umm... we're not going to talk about how old he is... ha! 

So now... this morning... I woke up without a voice. I mean I can talk, but I sound like I'm growling and it's hard for people to understand me. It got better during the day and now it's worse. The only thing I can think of besides the pollen and driving the Jeep for the last two days in the heavy pollen, is that I talked a lot this weekend and I literally screamed at my neighbor Monday night to stop setting off fireworks every two seconds. (it was bad. I mean... who sets off bottle rockets... into traffic...every five seconds at almost 10pm?) And when I say into traffic, that's what I mean. There is a traffic light less than 200 feet from his front porch. There is no green space. He was literally setting off the fireworks into the street. Which we're used to, because he's lived there for over 20 years and does it all of the time, but I just lost my shit and screamed at him to stop it because it was driving me insane. (I don't know if there will be retribution and I don't care. I am not scared of him and he thinks I should be. He has tried to intimidate me before and hell no...Ha!)

So that's my story of the past week... We have Jeep stuff coming up soon. But first we must tune up my Jeep and I need to fix the seat covers. I have a plan for that. 

Also we have a funeral this weekend. I didn't post about the first one, but That Man's aunt passed away about three weeks ago. We went to the funeral with That Sister. That Cousin was glad we'd come and we also caught up with the other cousin while there. Now... That Cousin's husband died. What kind of suck is that where you bury your mother and your husband within the same month? That's the worst! 

And that's all I have!

Behave!

Retreat: End of Day Three

What a blast! 

I topped out at 12,001 words for the weekend! And I am fried! 

It has been amazing! We've all done more than we expected and had amazing conversation and laughter! My book is going super good and I'm excited about it!

Earlier we walked to the ice cream shop for french fries and milk shakes, which meant I didn't eat dinner until 7:30, and some of us haven't eaten dinner yet. It was good though. A cool building and a super retro theme. And they have burgers and stuff, so I can see myself doing that for dinner next time. Ha! 

I probably won't write again until I get home at this point. I'll go to bed soon and then pack up in the morning to head for home. We don't have to be out of here until noon, but I have some stuff to do tomorrow when I get home so will be out of here well before that. 

And that is all.

I will probably fall off the face of the earth for a few days, so expect that! Ha!

Behave!

Retreat: Day Three

I totally missed yesterday! 

I was busy - either writing or talking. Ha!

I did take a nap, which was lovely. And I was in bed pretty early, too. Just tired. But I had already made that one of my goals...to nap and sleep in. 

Today is very quiet. We're all working. It's getting super hot outside, and it's already humid. 

Okay. Sorry. Got distracted. Had lunch and in the making of lunch, I decided to use my arm as a block for the quickly closing oven door. Ouch. And, of course, the burn is exactly where my arm rests on my laptop. 

Then, I got hit with a terrible sinus headache. Had a nap and am feeling better.

I'm sucking at getting words on the page so far. I mean, I have, but not as many as I wanted. But I'm heading to it now, so maybe it'll be good/better at the end. Ha!

Behave!

Retreat: Day One

It's been a really long time since I've been on a writing retreat! And! Here I am! We rented this same little house last June...so that's how long it's been - pretty dang close to a year! 

I arrived about five minutes before check in time, quickly followed by one of the others. We both unloaded and got our stuff put away. The other two arrived shortly thereafter, and we proceeded to talk and laugh before trying to be serious and get some words on the page. 

Had dinner - tonight is the only night we do dinner together, which is always nachos that we each bring ingredients for. Other than that, we are all on our own for every other meal. Which is fine since we all eat different things and at different times. 

I drew the twin room this time. And it's absolutely fine. It's a comfy room and I have my choice of beds! lol! The air conditioner is already on. And it won't be very long before I head up there, because I am beat!

Though I am trying to get some words on the page now, but we can't stop talking! And we're all exhausted, so you can imagine...

Time to get busy! 

Behave!

Long Time No Blog...

Sorry about that! 

Time and life... you know? 

So what's been happening? 

Not a heck of a lot... 

I had a book signing in New Jersey. It was fun, but loud. Didn't sell a lot, but the sales I did make meant a lot. If that makes sense. 

Everything has pretty much been the same around here. Work. Work. Yard work. You know...

I am, however, heading to retreat this week! Woooo! It's been way, way too long. I am looking forward to 2 1/2 days of writing and being with the writing friends. It's going to be good. 

Then we have camp, the Jeep festival... and then it's gets muddy because That Man got summoned for jury duty, which could potentially wreck our July plans. He is going to call and request a deferment based on plans that were already laid out and arranged and paid for, but we'll see what happens.

That's all I have! 

Behave!

It's Release Day!

Prophecy is here! 

Prophecy

I hope you will check it out! Right now it's only available on Kindle, but it'll be in print around October!

(Sorry for the long silence! It's been crazy around here!)

Behave! 

It's Time!

As a pre-bonus before Prophecy releases next week, The Shadow Guide will be FREE from tomorrow until Friday!

 

This is a re-release. It originally came out in 2014 as "For the Love of Isaac". It's been (obviously) re-titled, re-covered, edited, and edited again. But it's yours for free for the next 3 days! Since it's my birthday week, I'm calling it my birthday gift to you! :)

When evil comes for Alaina, bringing with it a destiny she can’t deny, can love stand against the forces of darkness? When Alaina inherits her grandmother’s house, she gets far more than just the eccentric woman’s massive knickknack collection. Desperate for help with the increased paranormal activity around her, she calls the one person she thinks can provide it—despite the memory of the night he rejected her. Patrick doesn’t want to get involved with Alaina and her demonic inheritance. He’s lost enough to the demons already, and so has she. If he refuses, she could be murdered just like her grandmother. Just like his wife and child. And he can’t live with that either. Together they must find a way to restore the balance of good and evil, while coming to terms with emotions neither of them thinks they want.

And then on April 27th... Prophecy releases!

Twelve years after a devastating flu that eliminated much of the world’s population, the human race is trying to survive while living a much simpler life. Gabriella is a midwife and a demon hunter. She helps bring new life into the world, while doing her best to prevent evil from growing. Only there seems to be much more evil lately, and far less new life. Something big is happening and she may be the only one who can stop it.

Jack is an angel in a human vessel sent to protect and assist Gabby in solving the puzzle of good and evil she faces. It should be a simple assignment, but he doesn’t count on the emotions he now must deal with, or the attraction he feels. He faces exile if he oversteps his moral boundaries, but when he realizes his love for Gabby, he wonders if falling from grace because of her is so bad.

I hope you enjoy!

Behave! 

Coming Up!

In three days you'll be able to get The Shadow Guide for Free! (For two days!)

This is a reprint. It was "For the Love of Isaac" back in the day, but it's been re-covered and edited about sixty-five more times. And it's free! For two days! You can't beat that. 

Prophecy comes out on April 24th! So while you're downloading your free book, you can download my newest book! 

Consider it a birthday present from me to you! :) 

I hope you get it and I hope you enjoy!

Behave! 

Another Monday...

Holy freaking Cow!! It's stupid and ridiculous outside! What the hell is up with the freezing cold and winds? I hate it so much. So much!

I guess it's supposed to get warmer later this week, but rain, and that sucks, too. We need to do a little work on my Jeep and the weather is not helping. The check engine light is on and the codes show it's probably a stupid sensor. So we're ordering that and will get it in asap-probably in the rain. What a pain. 

Nothing else going on here. It was a quiet weekend. That Man and his sister went to a birthday party for his aunt. i could have gone, but I opted out so they could spend some much-needed time together. I went shopping with K4 instead - we had a blast. We both needed dumb things like socks and underwear and candles. Ha!

Anyway. That's all I have... Yeah, things are quiet right now... 

Behave!

Monday...

I think it's the first day of Spring? Where I live, the weather is like a menopausal woman (ha). You never know what you're going to get. It's warm and sunny, and then ten minutes later a huge storm rolls in to cool everything down. Or just make everything even muddier. Flowers are coming up. Well, some. Some are like...heck no, Ima just sleep a little longer because y'all are crazy and it might snow tomorrow.

What is going on around here? Not much to tell you the truth.

We had an awesome day with the grandboys yesterday. It was their mom's birthday so we took them lunch and hung out with them so their parents could go out for the first time in a very long time. We watched weird videos (really weird and repeatedly), played video games with Mr. B, played cars with Little B, laughed a lot, and really enjoyed our time with them. They are both a hoot! Little B cracks me up, but he's three and that's what they do. And it's fun to see Mr. B's interests and how he does things.

Other than that... well... I don't have much. The day job is the day job. It's fine and good. We're still cross-training, but I think we'll pretty much do that forever.

In this house we're looking forward to being able to work in the yard again. We're working on our project list and believe me, it's extensive. Yay. Ha!

That's all I have for now!

Behave! 

 

Pre Order! Whoot!

It's here! Available for e-book preorder on the Amazon! Official release date is April 27th! Go and order it! It will automatically be downloaded to your device on release day! :)

Print books will come out around October... Which is perfect since I will be at the Hershey Library event in October! 

I love this book! There might be a second one in the series! We shall see...

That is all!

Behave! 

 

 

Long Time No See...

Sorry for the silence! I know it's been like three weeks...

I did live through doing two jobs, and I'm glad to say that I didn't screw anything up too bad. There was one thing... $2. That neither me or our controller could figure out how to fix. After the two of us spending like an hour on it, we decided that it wasn't cost effective for us to continue and we left it to be fixed when she came back. Ha! (She had a few questions, but she got it taken care of. Ha!)

Oh and I had to go to the bank for work a few times. I plugged it into my gps, knowing the directions were wrong. The first time it took me on the highway, when I thought I just had to turn left at the end of the street. I followed and ended up a ridiculous amount of mileage away. And then on my way back, I decided to ignore the gps and go back roads. I made it, but the gps kept telling me the wrong thing - right up until I got to our building. Dumb! The next time, I still plugged in the address, but went the way I was pretty sure of. Everything is good... But I get to a light and the gps is telling me to turn right and my destination is like five miles away. I pull up to the light, look to my left, and the bank is right freaking there! Ha! 

We went to a bunch of basketball games for K5 over the past few weeks! Her team made it to the championships! The game that determined if they would be in the championship game was so stressful (actually, they are all stressful). The opposite team was super aggressive and rude and had like 20 fouls. But K5's team won by one point! They unfortunately lost the final game, but they played so well, there was no disappointment. I thought I'd hate middle school basketball (we never did it in this house, so I had no point of reference), but I actually loved it, despite being super stressed out! Ha! 

Other than that... there's a lot of family drama going on. No, I can't get into it here, but it's painful and ridiculous. (Text me and I'll fill you in. You know who you are.) It's been a long week and it's hard to sleep. That happens when you continually get stabbed like a serial killer is after you... That Man and I are maintaining. That's all we can do. 

I finished my ARC's for my next book. It comes out at the end of April! I'm so excited. I love this book so much! And even though it's not quite the six months, I should have print copies for my Hershey Library signing in October! That makes me very happy! 

I am trying to write. I did finish the 50/50 with a pretty decent word count. I'm about halfway through with the book (for the like third time... ugh), but it's going okay. I got a few hundred words tonight, which is the first I've been able to all week. So that's something. I guess. 

That's all I have!

Behave!

Feed Good Friday... on Saturday

And late Saturday, too! ha!

Let's just go to the list...

1. Living through the week! By Friday, I had made several mistakes... I missed a duplicate check, which caused me and my boss much time of searching, researching, and confusion. I finally figured out what happened, and am in the process of correcting it. And then... the one report I had to do is partially correct, but partially wrong. My boss can't figure out where I went wrong and honestly, I have no clue. I followed the instructions, but they are confusing as F. We'll address it again on Monday and hopefully between the two of us, figure it out. He laughed at my instruction list though. ha! (I will say I have the best boss I've ever had! He's super understanding and chill. If you make a mistake, you fix it and learn from it. But when he calls back and says "can you come and look over my shoulder" you know you did something wrong. Ha!)

2. Going out last night! We haven't seen our old "friend group" together in almost two years. Last night, friends were gigging at a local place. We went on a whim, and omg, we had a blast. None of us had been out, so we were all a bit anxious and worried, but that didn't last long. When I say we were all giddy about being together and seeing each other, I mean it. There were so many hugs and conversations. No one wanted to leave. We had so much fun. 

3. Sleeping in this morning. It was lovely. 

4. Not much going on today. We ran to the farm store. The grocery store. Took the kid to pick up her Jeep (she had to catch a ride home last night after having one too many. Good girl. And it was funny that our one friend didn't realize that she's 22 now and worried about how she was going to get into a 21 and over place). The snow squall was amazing and too short. I took a nap. 

5. I did write a whole bunch today. Well, not today. Just these last few hours. My writing pals are on retreat. I couldn't go this time because of having to buy a new stove and not wanting to sleep on a couch. (long story) But together they got me to an awesome word count and there was an epiphany and laughter. Much needed for me. Yeah, I would much rather be with them, but it is what it is. May is coming! 

6. Plans tomorrow. We're hoping we can squeeze in K5's last basketball game in addition to an already full day. We haven't been able to make a single one this season and that sucks! We're working on it, but we'll see. I am hopeful. 

7. I should only have about two more weeks to do the two jobs. I can do that!

8. It's freaking cold outside! And that wind! Oy! But we're in late February, so spring should be coming sooner than later. (I don't listen to rodents and I don't care what he said)

9. Texting with Mr. B. He's a hoot. And he has the funniest things to say! He sent me pictures of him and little B with a moustache. I sent him the picture of me with a photoshopped beard. He laughed a lot. And he always sends me memes he think will disturb me. He's really good at that. Ha! 

10. Making an excellent dinner. We had a Hello Fresh to use, but added some chicken and garlic and it was so good. Still digging the Hello Fresh after over a year, so there's that. Sometimes I'm frustrated with the lack of stuff that looks good or the constant potatoes, but usually we find something good. There are very few meals we've said we wouldn't get again. Plus, it's expanded our own horizons as far as spices, cook times, and stuff that goes together. 

And that is all...

Behave! 

Week End Wrap Up...on Tuesday?

Yeah, I know it's Tuesday... 

I got nothing to say about that, except... Happy Tuesday! :)

The book signing was a ton of fun! Our table was so busy that my table mate and I barely got to speak two words to each other! I sold quite a few books, which was spectacular. I got to talk to a bunch of super cool people. I had my awesome chicken salad sandwich for lunch. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and I took a little nap. Seriously, the day was so awesome. 

Sunday was "family dinner" for February birthdays. We gathered here with pulled pork, baked beans, mac salad, cole slaw, and a first try peanut butter pie. (it turned out amazing) We talked and laughed and had a really good time. 

Yesterday was back to the day job. Oy. But it's going okay. I'm just busier than normal. Like a lot busier. (ha! twice as busy since I'm doing two jobs) But I haven't totally screwed up anything yet, which is a bonus. The errant dollar had gone away yesterday, but it's back again. ha! That's good for a laugh. Everything else was spot on, so that's something. 

Last night we made dinner for the lady I'm covering for. It was supposed to be stuffed shells, but the store was out of shells. So we got manicotti and cut them in half to make them easier to fill. Even though the pasta was thicker than I like it, they turned out well. (We made enough for dinner for us tonight, too). 

So now I'm back to writing and surviving. I'm tired. I already have words on the page for tonight, but I might get a few more before I head to bed. 

And that is all...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Yay, Friday! 

Here's the list:

1. It was a short week, but a rough one. Thursday was the start of me taking care of two departments. I felt like I was drowning. Still do. I am still behind from my days off, and things were being thrown at me that I had no idea what to do about, despite training. But I muddled through and by the end of today, I felt pretty confident. (And still confused)

2. Nothing too weird happened this work week, except I think the sales counter guy is messing with me. Yesterday when I counted the counter cash box, I came up with a buck extra. Despite the fact that there were no cash sales. Today, I had that same buck over, (and I had double-checked my box to make sure I was on point and again, there were no cash sales), but I was less a buck in quarters. The sales counter guy said... well, that's curious. Uh huh. My guess is that Monday it's the dimes that are off. We'll see. I'm not letting on that I know he's behind it. He's known for this with other people and I think he doesn't know that I know that and I think he forgets that I worked here before. Ha! 

3. Tomorrow is the awesome greenhouse signing I look forward to every year! I am mostly ready. I figured out my Square reader and have all of my stuff loaded in. I have my change. And I am hopeful for sales! But the bottom line is that I'm looking forward to seeing my friends and the experience. 

4. Ordering pizza for dinner! We had plans to cook, but after we got home and did some yard work and prep work for tomorrow, we decided we were too tired to cook. K4 came home with a massive migraine. That Man and I were both exhausted. So. It worked out. 

5. Plans with the family this weekend. Yay! 

That's all I have for now!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up!

I know it's Monday, but technically it's my Sunday!

That Man and I took a long weekend at our favorite cabin along the creek. It's the perfect space for the two of us. It's quiet and has everything we need. We left Thursday (took a half day) and came back this morning. It was also That Man's birthday in there. We had awesome food, tons of sleep, and just general relaxation. It was much needed! 

After all of the rain we had, the ice broke up on the creek. It was crazy watching it flow down and crash together. The creek looked like chocolate milk and the water was rising. We'd been told that we might have to move our car if the creek flooded, but we didn't have to. 

Came home this morning and took care of a bunch of house stuff. Finally took Santa off of the front porch and cleaned up some plants. Took a nap. Now the dread of going back to work tomorrow has started. I only have two days until I have to do two jobs for 3-6 weeks. I also have almost 100 emails in my box to take care of. And some training left to do. So... 

And that's all I have!

Behave!

So Many Wrap Ups....

I know I've been absent! Sorry about that! Things have been a little nuts around here! 

The wedding was amazing! My niece was stunningly gorgeous and so was her sister (her sister. my niece.), and the bridesmaid, (Their dresses had pockets and they were beautiful)! The ceremony was short and sweet, and the reception was a ton of fun. We danced and laughed and probably embarrassed the bride a bit. Not that we intended to. At all. The food was good, the staff at the venue were amazing, and we had a great time (and they were tipped very well). We got to catch up with old friends and people I grew up with. There was phone stealing and a ton of selfies taken. Ha! Dancing and singing, and a DJ that didn't seem to know how to read the crowd, but I think we brought him around. Almost. Ha! It was a struggle. My great niece was a riot and did not sit down the entire time! 

Sunday was dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's. Spaghetti Dinners are our thing because everyone has a sauce and it's an easy and cheap meal to feed a crowd. (just don't let our uncle at the sauce. He talks about hot dogs going in...ewww) My brother's sauce is amazing and so were his meatballs. We had a great time hanging out. (I will never order spaghetti at a restaurant because I know at least four or six people who make a better sauce than any place and I'm related to all of them!)

Monday we went back to work. We were freaking tired. We headed to my sister and brother-in-law's for Taco Night afterwards and to stayed to do the airport trip in the morning. Our aunt and uncle were staying there before having to be at the airport at o'dark-thirty. It would have been tons easier if they would have stayed here, but there's no way our uncle can navigate our stairs. So we adapted. Got up at the buttcrack of dawn and got them to the airport on time and actually got to work on time. 

Taco Night was a lot of fun. There was a lot of talking and laughing. My bro and sister-in-law (and great niece) left early and I don't blame them. They had a ton of stuff over the past week and they needed the rest and a break from constant people! The rest of us stayed up way to late talking and with my aunt trying to tell me that she can teach me how to crochet. Ha! Like that will ever happen. We came home last night and just crashed. K3, K4, S, and J came for Taco Night, too. It was a lot of chaos and a ton of fun. 

The aunt and uncle made it home okay and now we plan for our next visit! We can't go too long between visits. 

We've got fun stuff coming up, too. And I have my favorite booksigning at the greenhouse! And I got my new cover! Coming in April!

It's gorgeous and I love it!

And that is all! 

Behave!