It's list night!
1. Friday! Duh! It's been a brutal work week!Seriously. And I think it's about to get ever more brutal. Just saying...
2. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yay!
3. K4 being home! She's sick - as in snotty, headache, and achey. And is currently laying on the couch kind of moaning. Though she's happy to have had pizza for dinner and ice cream in the freezer. No. She's not spoiled at all.
4. Shopping date with my girl tomorrow. Hopefully she's feeling up to it. I think she will be. I mean... shopping? Yeah. She's going to want to do that.
5. Ordering food for dinner. Yay!
6. Writing this weekend.
7. Work friends delivering mini-fridges for the college dorm and hooking them up with tires and laughing on the patio. That was fun!
8. Upcoming work trip. It's going to be a long week. I'm gone from Tuesday afternoon until Friday afternoon. I'm excited about getting to do my job on the road and introduce my reps to my departments. But I get to hang with my super cool reps and meet the people I've only ever talked to on the phone. Awesome. That Man will be in charge of the house and the animals. I know he's looking forward to it. I can't tell you the last time he's had the house to himself. I mean, really. It's probably been years...
9. Hopefully getting some house stuff done this weekend. Hopefully.
10. The not so fun thing is that we're taking dinner to That Man's work daughter this weekend. Her husband tragically died this week. It's super sad and horrible. They have a young daughter, too.
That is all I have for now...
Behave!
Friday, September 21, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Almost the End of the Week...
Woah! Thursday!
I made it through about half of my "to do" list tonight. And there is so much more to do. I've been dealing with some major work stress, a headache that would not and still has not quite, crazy evenings, and a major lack of sleep.
I have not written a word this week. That's terrible. But it will be rectified this weekend.
We did take the animals to the vet tonight. That was tons of fun. Luckily, we were able to borrow a cat carrier, after we realized (at 10pm) last night, that we weren't prepared. Ha!
Little Max is 5# now! Last month, he was only 2#! He got two shots, his nails trimmed, and his appointment to have "his little boys" removed.
Elsa is 85#. She got two shots too, but no nails trimmed. She hates that so much and the vet would have probably gotten bit. She said her nails were fine though.
Both animals are in great shape. The vet was super pleased.
Okay. I have more stuff to do.... Until tomorrow!
Behave!
I made it through about half of my "to do" list tonight. And there is so much more to do. I've been dealing with some major work stress, a headache that would not and still has not quite, crazy evenings, and a major lack of sleep.
I have not written a word this week. That's terrible. But it will be rectified this weekend.
We did take the animals to the vet tonight. That was tons of fun. Luckily, we were able to borrow a cat carrier, after we realized (at 10pm) last night, that we weren't prepared. Ha!
Little Max is 5# now! Last month, he was only 2#! He got two shots, his nails trimmed, and his appointment to have "his little boys" removed.
Elsa is 85#. She got two shots too, but no nails trimmed. She hates that so much and the vet would have probably gotten bit. She said her nails were fine though.
Both animals are in great shape. The vet was super pleased.
Okay. I have more stuff to do.... Until tomorrow!
Behave!
Sunday, September 16, 2018
The Weekend is Almost Over...
I am old.
We spent yesterday going up and down the attic stairs and climbing up and down ladders. Painting. Cleaning.
I hurt.
But...
Since the kid was supposed to stay on campus this weekend, we figured it would be the perfect time to get her bedroom done. We hauled all of the house guests remaining items up to the attic, cleaned the room, painted the room, and then moved K4's stuff over.
Then we had an event to go to, so we showered and did that.
Came home and moved my desk into K4's old room... I now have AN OFFICE! Holy crap! I've been waiting for this for so very long.
Look at it! I mean! My very own office space!
I am beyond elated.
It's a work in progress. I have many things I've been saving for just this time. I'm finding them all and slowly getting things organized. I will post a picture of the ridiculous amount of sombreros I hung up later. (These are the sombreros we brought home from my uncles last summer - the ones we didn't have a choice but to accept. Ha!)
That picture on the wall is from paint night with my girl. I also have another paint night picture hung, and some original prints from the bestie.
K4's room turned out awesome, too. I didn't take any pictures of that, but she has a nearly identical picture hanging on her wall. (Hers is way better than mine)
So anyway. She came home this weekend since the dorm room switch won't happen until this coming week and she was bored on campus since everyone else went home, too. She hung out with her brother and cousin last night, so that at least gave her a little time to finish. She thought we were mad at her for coming home. Once she saw what we did, she understood why we seemed annoyed when she called to tell us she was. ha!
Today is laundry and writing stuff. I spent several hours upstairs organizing, so things don't look exactly like they did in the picture. I still have stuff to put in there and am weighing my furniture options for storage. I need to find more stuff for the walls, too. Like I said, it's a work in progress. And I love it.
That's all for now.
Behave!
Friday, September 14, 2018
Feel Good Friday!
Friday is here! Yay!
Let's hit the in-no-particular-order list!
1. Dinner with the kid this week! She's staying on campus this weekend to move into her new digs with her friends. Still on campus, but it will be a much better situation than she's currently in. She and her current roommate are on different planes of existence and that's okay. K4 likes her, but they're not compatible as roomies. Their schedules are vastly different and so are their tastes in pretty much everything.
2. That Man removing the annoying boxes left in the living room. Yay! I have my whole living room back! There will be more rearranging of stuff this weekend and potentially I will have my office very soon.
3. Lunch with the big boss today. We had this program a few years ago and it was awesome, but some things changed and it wasn't feasible anymore. I hadn't planned on attending because I'd already been to one, but my direct boss said I should go and my work load was light enough that I could justify it. It was nice to get out of the office and hang with a few coworkers and just talk to the big boss. We sat in an outside venue and had awesome food and conversation. He wants to know what you're thinking about the company and what's going on and he listens to what you say. He always has had an open door policy, but it's nicer when it's outside of the office walls.
4. Signing up for a book festival in December! So excited! It may be lame to some, but I have three events lined up for the rest of this year. And I just got a big old box of books today! Yay!
5. Friday! It was a reasonably light day at the day job, though I did a lot of running around, organizing, and stuff you can't measure with our system. That's okay though. My stats are just fine.
6. Easy dinner after a quick trip to the grocery store. Why is it that you run out of all of the expensive stuff at the same time? Dog food. Laundry soap. Cat food. Ugh!
7. Sleeping in tomorrow. Even if it's for a little. That Man and I have stuff to do.
8. Getting a decent amount of writing in this week. And more to do this weekend.
That is all for now!
Behave!
Let's hit the in-no-particular-order list!
1. Dinner with the kid this week! She's staying on campus this weekend to move into her new digs with her friends. Still on campus, but it will be a much better situation than she's currently in. She and her current roommate are on different planes of existence and that's okay. K4 likes her, but they're not compatible as roomies. Their schedules are vastly different and so are their tastes in pretty much everything.
2. That Man removing the annoying boxes left in the living room. Yay! I have my whole living room back! There will be more rearranging of stuff this weekend and potentially I will have my office very soon.
3. Lunch with the big boss today. We had this program a few years ago and it was awesome, but some things changed and it wasn't feasible anymore. I hadn't planned on attending because I'd already been to one, but my direct boss said I should go and my work load was light enough that I could justify it. It was nice to get out of the office and hang with a few coworkers and just talk to the big boss. We sat in an outside venue and had awesome food and conversation. He wants to know what you're thinking about the company and what's going on and he listens to what you say. He always has had an open door policy, but it's nicer when it's outside of the office walls.
4. Signing up for a book festival in December! So excited! It may be lame to some, but I have three events lined up for the rest of this year. And I just got a big old box of books today! Yay!
5. Friday! It was a reasonably light day at the day job, though I did a lot of running around, organizing, and stuff you can't measure with our system. That's okay though. My stats are just fine.
6. Easy dinner after a quick trip to the grocery store. Why is it that you run out of all of the expensive stuff at the same time? Dog food. Laundry soap. Cat food. Ugh!
7. Sleeping in tomorrow. Even if it's for a little. That Man and I have stuff to do.
8. Getting a decent amount of writing in this week. And more to do this weekend.
That is all for now!
Behave!
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Dinner With the Kid
K4 had to come to down for a doctor's appointment today. Instead of her driving the whole way back to the house, we met her at this little pizza place we enjoy. That Man and K4 arrived way before I even got off work. They ordered the food, and the second I sat down, the waitress brought me my soda. Nice.
We had a nice discussion about school, stuff going on there, the weather, and 9/11. She doesn't remember 9/11. At all. She wasn't quite two when it happened, so she has absolutely no perspective. She knows it was horrible and knows it was a vicious senseless attack, but she's never known a world without the events of 9/11. It's interesting to hear her perspective on it. I think in my life before this day, the worse things I remember is Elvis dying and Three Mile Island.
She doesn't remember there being no planes in the sky. At all. Or the run on the grocery store with people stocking up on canned goods and non-perishable foods. She doesn't remember the Antrhax scare. She doesn't remember the shocked silence of walking into a public place and seeing the fear on everyone's faces. Or the way people came together to help and support each other. She doesn't remember all of the neighbors gathering in the backyard to discuss what happened and talk about what we would do if our Naval base was hit next. I remember though. I won't ever forget.
I heard something today about making this date about doing something nice for another person - no matter how big or small. I like that idea.
And now we're watching as our favorite place in the whole world faces down what could hit landfall as a category five hurricane. Florence needs to stop and go back out to sea. We don't have plans to go down this year - the stars didn't align like we needed them to, which, considering what kind of damage potential they have down there, is probably for the best. But still... That Man and I just talked about doing hurricane relief, but we're not in a position to pull that off this year.
That is all. It's time to write. I need to finish up this story so I can critique an important project for a friend and then get busy on my next book.
Behave!
We had a nice discussion about school, stuff going on there, the weather, and 9/11. She doesn't remember 9/11. At all. She wasn't quite two when it happened, so she has absolutely no perspective. She knows it was horrible and knows it was a vicious senseless attack, but she's never known a world without the events of 9/11. It's interesting to hear her perspective on it. I think in my life before this day, the worse things I remember is Elvis dying and Three Mile Island.
She doesn't remember there being no planes in the sky. At all. Or the run on the grocery store with people stocking up on canned goods and non-perishable foods. She doesn't remember the Antrhax scare. She doesn't remember the shocked silence of walking into a public place and seeing the fear on everyone's faces. Or the way people came together to help and support each other. She doesn't remember all of the neighbors gathering in the backyard to discuss what happened and talk about what we would do if our Naval base was hit next. I remember though. I won't ever forget.
I heard something today about making this date about doing something nice for another person - no matter how big or small. I like that idea.
And now we're watching as our favorite place in the whole world faces down what could hit landfall as a category five hurricane. Florence needs to stop and go back out to sea. We don't have plans to go down this year - the stars didn't align like we needed them to, which, considering what kind of damage potential they have down there, is probably for the best. But still... That Man and I just talked about doing hurricane relief, but we're not in a position to pull that off this year.
That is all. It's time to write. I need to finish up this story so I can critique an important project for a friend and then get busy on my next book.
Behave!
Sunday, September 09, 2018
Weekend Wrap Up
Weekends go way too fast.
The next thing you know, it will be Monday morning and there will be tears. Ha!
Yesterday was so nice. I slept in. Rearranged some cupboards. Cleaned the house. Mostly. Made a huge pot of chili and some cornbread. Got to see my grandson for a little bit. We had a fire in the backyard and just hung out. Nice.
It started raining. Hard. And it hasn't stopped yet. I'm okay with that. A rainy day can be perfect. I'm still in my jammies. I threw a turkey breast in the oven. The house is in decent shape. I have candles lit. K4 is here doing laundry and putting her new welding helmet together. Her and That Man have been working on car switching.
A nap is in my future. Following by writing. Once K4 is done, I will finish up my laundry. I'm not sure what this week will hold. More craziness at the day job is a given. Writing is also a given.
That's all I have.
Behave!
The next thing you know, it will be Monday morning and there will be tears. Ha!
Yesterday was so nice. I slept in. Rearranged some cupboards. Cleaned the house. Mostly. Made a huge pot of chili and some cornbread. Got to see my grandson for a little bit. We had a fire in the backyard and just hung out. Nice.
It started raining. Hard. And it hasn't stopped yet. I'm okay with that. A rainy day can be perfect. I'm still in my jammies. I threw a turkey breast in the oven. The house is in decent shape. I have candles lit. K4 is here doing laundry and putting her new welding helmet together. Her and That Man have been working on car switching.
A nap is in my future. Following by writing. Once K4 is done, I will finish up my laundry. I'm not sure what this week will hold. More craziness at the day job is a given. Writing is also a given.
That's all I have.
Behave!
Friday, September 07, 2018
Feel Good Friday
Hello, Friday! You are amazing! Well, you are now since I'm out of the day job for a few days. Earlier you kind of sucked as I trudged through yet another day at the office.
What was good about this week?
1. Having Monday off. That's a no-brainer.
2. Writing every night this week except one. Whoot!
3. Air conditioning.
4. Cooler temps now. Thank goodness.
5. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yes!
6. Not having weekend plans except organizing and writing.
7. Dinner out with That Man. We went for burgers and fries and they were amazing.
8. Running around with That Man. We had to gather some stuff for K4.
9. Having the ability to lock down K4's debit card. Especially good since she lost her wallet tonight and is freaking out. Ugh!
And I'm out of here.
Behave!
What was good about this week?
1. Having Monday off. That's a no-brainer.
2. Writing every night this week except one. Whoot!
3. Air conditioning.
4. Cooler temps now. Thank goodness.
5. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yes!
6. Not having weekend plans except organizing and writing.
7. Dinner out with That Man. We went for burgers and fries and they were amazing.
8. Running around with That Man. We had to gather some stuff for K4.
9. Having the ability to lock down K4's debit card. Especially good since she lost her wallet tonight and is freaking out. Ugh!
And I'm out of here.
Behave!
Thursday, September 06, 2018
Well...It's Thursday...
It's not so hot right now, which is awesome. And it's not supposed to be hot again at all this weekend. Yay!
It did, however, rain like hell shortly before I left work. Luckily, a guy from my work helped me put the top up on the Jeep about fifteen minutes before the storm hit. (He's my Jeep help guy. He can get my top up in seconds, which is awesome. It helps that he used to own a Jeep like mine) I didn't have my doors or sides, but putting up the top helped some. I still had to wipe everything down and my butt was soaked, but it didn't actively rain on my way home.
Wrote a bunch last night. Plan to do the same tonight. Just about there.
That Man and I were just watching a show that gave me some spectacular ideas for a book. Oh! I'm excited.
Tomorrow is Friday. Thank goodness! These short weeks always seem to be the longest.
This weekend should be a relaxing one. I hope. Sleeping in is a given for both days! That Man has to work on Saturday, which means, I will be writing and cleaning and organizing. The kid will be coming home at some point to do laundry. Don't know when yet.
That's all I have. It's writing time.
Behave!
It did, however, rain like hell shortly before I left work. Luckily, a guy from my work helped me put the top up on the Jeep about fifteen minutes before the storm hit. (He's my Jeep help guy. He can get my top up in seconds, which is awesome. It helps that he used to own a Jeep like mine) I didn't have my doors or sides, but putting up the top helped some. I still had to wipe everything down and my butt was soaked, but it didn't actively rain on my way home.
Wrote a bunch last night. Plan to do the same tonight. Just about there.
That Man and I were just watching a show that gave me some spectacular ideas for a book. Oh! I'm excited.
Tomorrow is Friday. Thank goodness! These short weeks always seem to be the longest.
This weekend should be a relaxing one. I hope. Sleeping in is a given for both days! That Man has to work on Saturday, which means, I will be writing and cleaning and organizing. The kid will be coming home at some point to do laundry. Don't know when yet.
That's all I have. It's writing time.
Behave!
Wednesday, September 05, 2018
Another 200 Degree Day...
Gah!
I'm so tired of sweating all of the time! Between the heat and the mosquitoes, I am just done... We watered the plants and my legs from the knees down are covered in welts. That's unusual for me. Typically I don't get bit. But dang! I did tonight! Evil little buggers. Supposedly, we have one more day of brutal temps this week, and then a cool down. I hope so.
K4 did come home yesterday. She had an orthodontist appointment and came to hang out afterwards. That was good. She hit the road after dinner. I think she's coming to do laundry at some point this weekend, but we'll see. Her schedule is filling up with stuff, which is awesome.
There's stuff coming up! I have a booksigning at the end of the month at my favorite local bookstore! Excited for that. I'm also traveling for work soon, which is always exciting and fun. Next month, I'm attending an author event in Maryland, which should be awesome. I've never done this one before, but friends have and I'm rooming with a super cool fellow writer.
That reminds me... I should probably order some books. Oy!
The writing is going. I love the way this story is coming together. It's kind of gritty and dark, but not overly so. It will have a happy ending, but that doesn't mean it will be a happy "in love" ending. We'll see... I'm digging it though.
What else? I can't think of anything at the moment. It's time to get to the writing.
Behave!
I'm so tired of sweating all of the time! Between the heat and the mosquitoes, I am just done... We watered the plants and my legs from the knees down are covered in welts. That's unusual for me. Typically I don't get bit. But dang! I did tonight! Evil little buggers. Supposedly, we have one more day of brutal temps this week, and then a cool down. I hope so.
K4 did come home yesterday. She had an orthodontist appointment and came to hang out afterwards. That was good. She hit the road after dinner. I think she's coming to do laundry at some point this weekend, but we'll see. Her schedule is filling up with stuff, which is awesome.
There's stuff coming up! I have a booksigning at the end of the month at my favorite local bookstore! Excited for that. I'm also traveling for work soon, which is always exciting and fun. Next month, I'm attending an author event in Maryland, which should be awesome. I've never done this one before, but friends have and I'm rooming with a super cool fellow writer.
That reminds me... I should probably order some books. Oy!
The writing is going. I love the way this story is coming together. It's kind of gritty and dark, but not overly so. It will have a happy ending, but that doesn't mean it will be a happy "in love" ending. We'll see... I'm digging it though.
What else? I can't think of anything at the moment. It's time to get to the writing.
Behave!
Monday, September 03, 2018
Labor Day Monday...
We are back from our weekend in The Wilds!
That Man took off early on Friday and we packed up our gear, hit the grocery store, came back and packed the food in the cooler and waited for K4 because she asked us to (for like ten minutes and thankfully she made it through the roads that flooded out about ten minutes prior to the flooding). As soon as she was packed up (we had zero room for her gear), we hit the road. I was ready after having the morning to get crap done. It was good.
We had a wonderful time. There was a ton of laughter and camp fires. Not much sleeping in, but that's okay. It rained Friday night, which was actually good. Especially once it started really raining and put me to sleep.
Woke up at normal-weekday time on Saturday. Decided I was going to my writing meeting even though I'd said I wasn't because of camp. I woke up feeling very strongly about going. I'm so glad I did. The meeting was productive, if not a bit sad, but that will be taken care in two months. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that.
Got back to camp to "cowboy breakfast" or "brunch". Delicious. Decompressed from the meeting and enjoyed conversation with family and friends. K1 came down with Mr. B. He hung out with us while K1 worked on his car. Mr. B is hysterical. He's digging kindergarten. He insists my name is "Becky" no matter what I, or anyone else, says. Ha! He begged to stay over and, of course, we said yes.
He ran around like a crazy person and was exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around. We tucked him in and I wrote while he settled in. He was asleep within five minutes, but I continued to write for about an hour. Nice and perfect!
Sunday morning, the kid has us up - okay, me - That Man is always up early - at an earlier time than I wanted to be. We made hot chocolate and bagels and hung out with the family. Mr. B has decided he doesn't like to eat things with holes in them. The bagel hole offended him (even though he'd already eaten the first half) and then, later, he refused to eat anymore of his Ra-ra's strawberries because strawberries have holes when the stems come out. I don't think he remembers that doughnuts have holes. He might change his mind once he learns that. Ha!
Anyways. Holiday Sundays are picnic days in The Wilds. Friends and family come for the day to eat food and hang out by the creek. It's a pot luck event. Sometimes we have six crock pots full of baked beans, or twelve platters of chicken - you just never know what you're going to get, but it always works out. This picnic was a bit different because my brother-in-law's parents - the ones who take care of pretty much everything for the event - were on their way to their vacation, which left my brother-in-law and sister in charge. We were their helpers, but unfortunately, the dish we picked to make for the picnic took freaking forever to get ready and it was super labor intensive. It was That Man, me, K1, and J in my sister's kitchen preparing the homemade taquitos. We barely made it in time and we didn't get to help as much as we wanted.
K4 did the general run to the store for supplies after coming home to check the kitties and then got back and made some banging stuffed jalapenos. Seriously. All of the food was good, but her poppers were amazing. That Man and I did very little to help. I gutted the jalapenos (and my hands burned for hours.) and That Man grated her cheese, but she did everything else. There was nothing left on the pan when the picnic was over.
And... as little as we had left of said taquitos, I know our flour tortilla version was far better than the corn tortilla version, so there's that. I will make them again, but the recipe will be tweaked a lot. The vegan version, in my opinion, was far better. (Yes, we always try to make a vegan version of whatever recipe we try for these events. It's just what we do. Our family is very vegan friendly because we have several vegans.)
The guys got into the creek to build the dam up. I really wish I would have taken my creek shoes so I could have helped, but after they found this sharp scythe-type thing, I was happier to take the kayak out and relax on the water. That was amazing and my arms, sides, and stomach ache, but in a good way.
We were in bed stupid early. Seriously stupid early. I was almost asleep when we heard people on the water. In the pitch black dark. Freaky. That is the first time that any of us have ever experienced people on the water after dark. It freaked me out. In a huge way. They were very clearly hammered and no threat, but this writer's mind went in directions that kept me up for hours. Not just that though. I had one of those nights were the old brain just would not shut the f**k up. I then spent the next five or so hours running ridiculous scenarios through my brain.
I got up to use the bathroom and the dog had basically kicked me out of bed. There was no way I could even being to think about squeezing in between her and That Man and the dog was so tired that she would not wake up enough to even move an inch. (She was in the creek all day - swimming in the current, chasing things, and generally wearing herself out). I went to sleep on the other end of the camper and it still took me hours to actually fall asleep.
I was still up at a normal time. Oy! We had some coffee and some creek watching and then broke camp. We made it home about the time I thought we would. I thought I would get a nap, but that didn't happen. Though the laundry is all done and the house is in good order. K4 was planning to go back to school after dinner. We'd planned to order subs from our local pizza shop and then remembered they were closed on Monday's. Went through a bunch of options and then decided to give "Grub Hub" a shot. We've used them at work with good results and I was excited to try it at home for future use for That Man and I...
What a freaking joke! We ordered our food at 4:32 and were told it would be delivered by 5:37. Our driver picked up the food at 5:37, but did not deliver it until 7:15 or so, and then it was just 1/3 of our order and it was stone cold. I was online with the service from the time I got the email that said our food would be delivered an hour from pick up. I was told our food would be here in 10 minutes. Twenty minutes went by and still no food. And then another ten minutes went by with no food. I contacted them again - at the two hour mark and was told it would be another 25 minutes until our food would be delivered. I got a $10 coupon, but we're not doing that again. They are supposed to be refunding me the full amount of my order. Seriously. The restaurant we ordered from is 11 minutes from our house and it took hours for them to deliver, and then it's not the full order and it's cold?
We ended up going to the diner down the street so we could have a family dinner before K4 went back to school for however long it will be before we see her again. (seriously, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week or two weeks... no one knows... not even K4) Food was good. Service was good. It was a better option, though it would be better if my Grub Hub money was already refunded...
Now I am going to bed. Work is again tomorrow and I am so not looking forward to it. I have no idea what is going on this week yet...
That is all...
Behave!
That Man took off early on Friday and we packed up our gear, hit the grocery store, came back and packed the food in the cooler and waited for K4 because she asked us to (for like ten minutes and thankfully she made it through the roads that flooded out about ten minutes prior to the flooding). As soon as she was packed up (we had zero room for her gear), we hit the road. I was ready after having the morning to get crap done. It was good.
We had a wonderful time. There was a ton of laughter and camp fires. Not much sleeping in, but that's okay. It rained Friday night, which was actually good. Especially once it started really raining and put me to sleep.
Woke up at normal-weekday time on Saturday. Decided I was going to my writing meeting even though I'd said I wasn't because of camp. I woke up feeling very strongly about going. I'm so glad I did. The meeting was productive, if not a bit sad, but that will be taken care in two months. That's pretty much all I'm going to say about that.
Got back to camp to "cowboy breakfast" or "brunch". Delicious. Decompressed from the meeting and enjoyed conversation with family and friends. K1 came down with Mr. B. He hung out with us while K1 worked on his car. Mr. B is hysterical. He's digging kindergarten. He insists my name is "Becky" no matter what I, or anyone else, says. Ha! He begged to stay over and, of course, we said yes.
He ran around like a crazy person and was exhausted by the time bedtime rolled around. We tucked him in and I wrote while he settled in. He was asleep within five minutes, but I continued to write for about an hour. Nice and perfect!
Sunday morning, the kid has us up - okay, me - That Man is always up early - at an earlier time than I wanted to be. We made hot chocolate and bagels and hung out with the family. Mr. B has decided he doesn't like to eat things with holes in them. The bagel hole offended him (even though he'd already eaten the first half) and then, later, he refused to eat anymore of his Ra-ra's strawberries because strawberries have holes when the stems come out. I don't think he remembers that doughnuts have holes. He might change his mind once he learns that. Ha!
Anyways. Holiday Sundays are picnic days in The Wilds. Friends and family come for the day to eat food and hang out by the creek. It's a pot luck event. Sometimes we have six crock pots full of baked beans, or twelve platters of chicken - you just never know what you're going to get, but it always works out. This picnic was a bit different because my brother-in-law's parents - the ones who take care of pretty much everything for the event - were on their way to their vacation, which left my brother-in-law and sister in charge. We were their helpers, but unfortunately, the dish we picked to make for the picnic took freaking forever to get ready and it was super labor intensive. It was That Man, me, K1, and J in my sister's kitchen preparing the homemade taquitos. We barely made it in time and we didn't get to help as much as we wanted.
K4 did the general run to the store for supplies after coming home to check the kitties and then got back and made some banging stuffed jalapenos. Seriously. All of the food was good, but her poppers were amazing. That Man and I did very little to help. I gutted the jalapenos (and my hands burned for hours.) and That Man grated her cheese, but she did everything else. There was nothing left on the pan when the picnic was over.
And... as little as we had left of said taquitos, I know our flour tortilla version was far better than the corn tortilla version, so there's that. I will make them again, but the recipe will be tweaked a lot. The vegan version, in my opinion, was far better. (Yes, we always try to make a vegan version of whatever recipe we try for these events. It's just what we do. Our family is very vegan friendly because we have several vegans.)
The guys got into the creek to build the dam up. I really wish I would have taken my creek shoes so I could have helped, but after they found this sharp scythe-type thing, I was happier to take the kayak out and relax on the water. That was amazing and my arms, sides, and stomach ache, but in a good way.
We were in bed stupid early. Seriously stupid early. I was almost asleep when we heard people on the water. In the pitch black dark. Freaky. That is the first time that any of us have ever experienced people on the water after dark. It freaked me out. In a huge way. They were very clearly hammered and no threat, but this writer's mind went in directions that kept me up for hours. Not just that though. I had one of those nights were the old brain just would not shut the f**k up. I then spent the next five or so hours running ridiculous scenarios through my brain.
I got up to use the bathroom and the dog had basically kicked me out of bed. There was no way I could even being to think about squeezing in between her and That Man and the dog was so tired that she would not wake up enough to even move an inch. (She was in the creek all day - swimming in the current, chasing things, and generally wearing herself out). I went to sleep on the other end of the camper and it still took me hours to actually fall asleep.
I was still up at a normal time. Oy! We had some coffee and some creek watching and then broke camp. We made it home about the time I thought we would. I thought I would get a nap, but that didn't happen. Though the laundry is all done and the house is in good order. K4 was planning to go back to school after dinner. We'd planned to order subs from our local pizza shop and then remembered they were closed on Monday's. Went through a bunch of options and then decided to give "Grub Hub" a shot. We've used them at work with good results and I was excited to try it at home for future use for That Man and I...
What a freaking joke! We ordered our food at 4:32 and were told it would be delivered by 5:37. Our driver picked up the food at 5:37, but did not deliver it until 7:15 or so, and then it was just 1/3 of our order and it was stone cold. I was online with the service from the time I got the email that said our food would be delivered an hour from pick up. I was told our food would be here in 10 minutes. Twenty minutes went by and still no food. And then another ten minutes went by with no food. I contacted them again - at the two hour mark and was told it would be another 25 minutes until our food would be delivered. I got a $10 coupon, but we're not doing that again. They are supposed to be refunding me the full amount of my order. Seriously. The restaurant we ordered from is 11 minutes from our house and it took hours for them to deliver, and then it's not the full order and it's cold?
We ended up going to the diner down the street so we could have a family dinner before K4 went back to school for however long it will be before we see her again. (seriously, it could be tomorrow, it could be next week or two weeks... no one knows... not even K4) Food was good. Service was good. It was a better option, though it would be better if my Grub Hub money was already refunded...
Now I am going to bed. Work is again tomorrow and I am so not looking forward to it. I have no idea what is going on this week yet...
That is all...
Behave!
Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday the Last
Last day of August!
It's no longer 200 degrees outside. Yay! Except now it's raining and I have places to go and a Jeep with the top down. Yeah, I could put it up, but that's a pain. I'd rather wait until the rain stops.
I took a vacation day today. I needed a break from the daily grind of work. Yes, it's been that insane. It was either take today off or start a series of small fires on my desk. Ha! (I am just joking!) Besides my reps were all off today and all of my work was caught up, so it made sense. Plus. I needed it badly!
So far I have made important phone calls, scheduled appointments, paid bills, organized my desk, updated the calendar, taken care of estate stuff, laundry, and organized stuff for this weekend. And it's not quite 10:30! Ha!
I will tell you that trying to pay bills and do computer work with the kitten is next to impossible! I have a new series of scratches on my hands and have to constantly remove the little beast from my keyboard! He stole my mouse at one point and didn't want to give it back. He's lucky he's so stinking cute.
K4 is coming home this weekend for the holiday break. I think she's had a mostly good week, except for the puking. On Wednesday she texted me and said most of the dorm was puking now. Ugh. Hopefully she'll be able to take her own car back to school. That Man needs to do one more thing to it and then she should be good. I'm not sure when she'll come home again and neither is she, but that's okay. She's been doing her thing at school and that's awesome!
Being empty nesters is pretty awesome! It's quiet. There are no random dishes left behind on tables or the floor or wherever. The laundry load has decreased significantly, especially towels. I would like to say things stay where they're put, but that's not necessarily true with the kitten. He likes to take things and make them his own. We're still getting the hang of it though. It's only been two weeks, so we don't have our routine yet and we haven't had the opportunity to even think about socializing much.
Well... since it's raining and I had to change my plans, I'm going to get some writing in.
Have an awesome holiday weekend!
Behave!
It's no longer 200 degrees outside. Yay! Except now it's raining and I have places to go and a Jeep with the top down. Yeah, I could put it up, but that's a pain. I'd rather wait until the rain stops.
I took a vacation day today. I needed a break from the daily grind of work. Yes, it's been that insane. It was either take today off or start a series of small fires on my desk. Ha! (I am just joking!) Besides my reps were all off today and all of my work was caught up, so it made sense. Plus. I needed it badly!
So far I have made important phone calls, scheduled appointments, paid bills, organized my desk, updated the calendar, taken care of estate stuff, laundry, and organized stuff for this weekend. And it's not quite 10:30! Ha!
I will tell you that trying to pay bills and do computer work with the kitten is next to impossible! I have a new series of scratches on my hands and have to constantly remove the little beast from my keyboard! He stole my mouse at one point and didn't want to give it back. He's lucky he's so stinking cute.
K4 is coming home this weekend for the holiday break. I think she's had a mostly good week, except for the puking. On Wednesday she texted me and said most of the dorm was puking now. Ugh. Hopefully she'll be able to take her own car back to school. That Man needs to do one more thing to it and then she should be good. I'm not sure when she'll come home again and neither is she, but that's okay. She's been doing her thing at school and that's awesome!
Being empty nesters is pretty awesome! It's quiet. There are no random dishes left behind on tables or the floor or wherever. The laundry load has decreased significantly, especially towels. I would like to say things stay where they're put, but that's not necessarily true with the kitten. He likes to take things and make them his own. We're still getting the hang of it though. It's only been two weeks, so we don't have our routine yet and we haven't had the opportunity to even think about socializing much.
Well... since it's raining and I had to change my plans, I'm going to get some writing in.
Have an awesome holiday weekend!
Behave!
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Two Hundred Degree Tuesday
Seriously! That's what it feels like!
Sweat. Sweat. Sweat. Sticking to things. More sweat. They have no ice at the store. Ha! (not kidding though) More of the same is in the forecast for tomorrow. UGH! After that, it should get better. I hope!
Driving the Jeep with the top down was pretty awesome, especially after dark. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck in traffic in the blazing hot sun!
Sleeping last night pretty much sucked - even with AC. I ended up grabbing the industrial fan and plugging it in around midnight. After that, it actually got cold enough to use a blanket. Nice. Except That Man took it and I kind of froze for a little. Ha! The industrial fan is still plugged in and currently running with the ac. I'm heading there in a few because there is no way I can write downstairs. I feel like my face is burning off.
Another brutal work day. But whatever. It is what it is.
After work, I met up with my writing buddies for dinner. It was an awesome time full of laughter, smiles, information sharing, and story telling. I'm so glad I went. Also, I have a book signing coming up now! Yay! It was worth the drive and little bit of traffic. For sure.
Halfway through the work week tomorrow! Yay! Looking forward to the weekend!
Time to move my stuff and write in my cool room!
Behave!
Sweat. Sweat. Sweat. Sticking to things. More sweat. They have no ice at the store. Ha! (not kidding though) More of the same is in the forecast for tomorrow. UGH! After that, it should get better. I hope!
Driving the Jeep with the top down was pretty awesome, especially after dark. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck in traffic in the blazing hot sun!
Sleeping last night pretty much sucked - even with AC. I ended up grabbing the industrial fan and plugging it in around midnight. After that, it actually got cold enough to use a blanket. Nice. Except That Man took it and I kind of froze for a little. Ha! The industrial fan is still plugged in and currently running with the ac. I'm heading there in a few because there is no way I can write downstairs. I feel like my face is burning off.
Another brutal work day. But whatever. It is what it is.
After work, I met up with my writing buddies for dinner. It was an awesome time full of laughter, smiles, information sharing, and story telling. I'm so glad I went. Also, I have a book signing coming up now! Yay! It was worth the drive and little bit of traffic. For sure.
Halfway through the work week tomorrow! Yay! Looking forward to the weekend!
Time to move my stuff and write in my cool room!
Behave!
Monday, August 27, 2018
The Last Monday of August...
How weird is that?
We're pumping into Fall! Yay! It's not so much about pumpkin spice everything, though I do love me some pumpkin spice (especially coffee creamer)! It's more about cooler temperatures, fall leaves, sweatshirts, crockpot cooking, and just nicer days. Oh and Halloween and Thanksgiving.
It's freaking hot here! Like you go outside and immediately have sweat dripping into your eyes. Gross!
We're back to being empty nesters. For now. K4 went back to school last night - got stuck in traffic for an accident for almost an hour - and then got some kind of stomach bug. She missed classes today and was so upset about it. But what do you do when you're up all night puking and still puking when it's time to get ready for your day?
She'll be home this weekend for the holiday and then she doesn't know when she'll be home again. They have lots of campus stuff going on in the next few months and she's excited about it.
So, I have a title for the contracted book! Redemption: Sector One. I'm so excited. It's a dystopian world-thing with a tough as nails heroine and an amazing hero. I'll give you more info when we get closer to release day!
I'm also writing the anthology story! Getting there. Digging the new story. A lot! I'm about a quarter of the way through! And I hope to be done with it by Friday! (It's a short story)
So our weekend plans were helping That Sister put in this super cool bay window in her dining room. That Man's work donated the window to her. Amazing. (like seriously) And we all got together to get it put in for her. I was a supervisor. And cook. And clean up crew. The window is absolutely gorgeous and she cried. (I cried too) We had a lot (a lot) of laughs, great food, great conversation. And B ended up coming home with us overnight so his folks could have some time together. That was absolutely fine. K1 works all of the time and J rarely, if ever, gets a break. We were happy to do that. When we got back home, B and I giggled over silly things for a while before he fell asleep, which was awesome. We haven't done that for a really long time. It's super cool to be "just" a grandparent again!
K3 came over on Sunday and we hung out and laughed and talked. It was great. And then it was too soon to be Monday again.
Today was brutal at the day job. Four call offs. And an insane work load. That Man had dinner started when I got home after buying nine-million dollars worth of pet food since we forgot to buy it last night. Oy!
Okay. That's all I have. It's too hot to stay up any longer.
Behave!
We're pumping into Fall! Yay! It's not so much about pumpkin spice everything, though I do love me some pumpkin spice (especially coffee creamer)! It's more about cooler temperatures, fall leaves, sweatshirts, crockpot cooking, and just nicer days. Oh and Halloween and Thanksgiving.
It's freaking hot here! Like you go outside and immediately have sweat dripping into your eyes. Gross!
We're back to being empty nesters. For now. K4 went back to school last night - got stuck in traffic for an accident for almost an hour - and then got some kind of stomach bug. She missed classes today and was so upset about it. But what do you do when you're up all night puking and still puking when it's time to get ready for your day?
She'll be home this weekend for the holiday and then she doesn't know when she'll be home again. They have lots of campus stuff going on in the next few months and she's excited about it.
So, I have a title for the contracted book! Redemption: Sector One. I'm so excited. It's a dystopian world-thing with a tough as nails heroine and an amazing hero. I'll give you more info when we get closer to release day!
I'm also writing the anthology story! Getting there. Digging the new story. A lot! I'm about a quarter of the way through! And I hope to be done with it by Friday! (It's a short story)
So our weekend plans were helping That Sister put in this super cool bay window in her dining room. That Man's work donated the window to her. Amazing. (like seriously) And we all got together to get it put in for her. I was a supervisor. And cook. And clean up crew. The window is absolutely gorgeous and she cried. (I cried too) We had a lot (a lot) of laughs, great food, great conversation. And B ended up coming home with us overnight so his folks could have some time together. That was absolutely fine. K1 works all of the time and J rarely, if ever, gets a break. We were happy to do that. When we got back home, B and I giggled over silly things for a while before he fell asleep, which was awesome. We haven't done that for a really long time. It's super cool to be "just" a grandparent again!
K3 came over on Sunday and we hung out and laughed and talked. It was great. And then it was too soon to be Monday again.
Today was brutal at the day job. Four call offs. And an insane work load. That Man had dinner started when I got home after buying nine-million dollars worth of pet food since we forgot to buy it last night. Oy!
Okay. That's all I have. It's too hot to stay up any longer.
Behave!
Friday, August 24, 2018
Feel Good Friday
Yay Friday!!
It was a hell week at the day job! Seriously! We were insane by the end of the day today. We were super silly and raucous! It was great and awesome!
Here's the list:
1. K4 is home! She came home for the weekend and to do laundry. She and her dad are having an epic conversation about tools and shop and classes. It's amazing. I love it. She's enjoying school and getting through the stuff that's not so great.
2. Not cooking dinner. Ordered and picked up. Yay!
3. Ordering the last of the tools. Oy! Open a vein and bleed me dry. Seriously.
4. Writing! Yay!
5. Weekend plans.
(I'm going fast because my battery is going to die and my charger is far away)
6. Weekend! I'm not going to get to sleep in tomorrow, but that's okay.
That's it for now. (see above)
Behave!
It was a hell week at the day job! Seriously! We were insane by the end of the day today. We were super silly and raucous! It was great and awesome!
Here's the list:
1. K4 is home! She came home for the weekend and to do laundry. She and her dad are having an epic conversation about tools and shop and classes. It's amazing. I love it. She's enjoying school and getting through the stuff that's not so great.
2. Not cooking dinner. Ordered and picked up. Yay!
3. Ordering the last of the tools. Oy! Open a vein and bleed me dry. Seriously.
4. Writing! Yay!
5. Weekend plans.
(I'm going fast because my battery is going to die and my charger is far away)
6. Weekend! I'm not going to get to sleep in tomorrow, but that's okay.
That's it for now. (see above)
Behave!
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Tonight I Wrote...
You may not think that's a big deal, but it really is...
I've had the WORST dry spell lately. I've totally sucked at putting words on the page and making sense out of my ideas.
All of that changed.
I re-started my third sentence anthology story. (the one we're writing for charity). For the fifth time. And this time, I am pretty sure I have a story that I love. I wrote a lot of words for the seriously long time it's been since I actually focused on writing and I feel awesome!
THIS is what I am meant to do. I am meant to write stories. And that's what I will do.
Today is Thursday. One more day until the weekend.
Our weekend includes K4 coming home to do laundry, spoil her kitten and dog and relax, us helping That Sister with a new window for her house (it's an epic HUGE, beautiful window, but there will be partial wall removal and lots of construction, so we don't know how long it will take). It'll be fun though. Tomorrow night is K4's choice of dinner. She hasn't decided yet.
Other things:
Talking to both of my boys this week. K3 is coming over Sunday and is doing theatre work again . K1 has turned into a NY driver because of work. Both are awesome and it was great to have extended conversations with them.
That's all for now.
I should be back with Feel Good Friday tomorrow!
Behave!
I've had the WORST dry spell lately. I've totally sucked at putting words on the page and making sense out of my ideas.
All of that changed.
I re-started my third sentence anthology story. (the one we're writing for charity). For the fifth time. And this time, I am pretty sure I have a story that I love. I wrote a lot of words for the seriously long time it's been since I actually focused on writing and I feel awesome!
THIS is what I am meant to do. I am meant to write stories. And that's what I will do.
Today is Thursday. One more day until the weekend.
Our weekend includes K4 coming home to do laundry, spoil her kitten and dog and relax, us helping That Sister with a new window for her house (it's an epic HUGE, beautiful window, but there will be partial wall removal and lots of construction, so we don't know how long it will take). It'll be fun though. Tomorrow night is K4's choice of dinner. She hasn't decided yet.
Other things:
Talking to both of my boys this week. K3 is coming over Sunday and is doing theatre work again . K1 has turned into a NY driver because of work. Both are awesome and it was great to have extended conversations with them.
That's all for now.
I should be back with Feel Good Friday tomorrow!
Behave!
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Mid-Week Insanity...
I "think" the new book title is found. I will tell you as soon as my editor approves.
It's been a crap week at the day job. The other night, we stood outside in the rain hoping to wash the "hate" off. LOL. It's been insanity. No lie.
The kid is managing at college. Dealing with some home sickness and crappiness, but on the whole doing well. Classes started and she's loving it. Roommate situation - not so much, but there is hope that it will get better soon.
She made an emergency trip home last night for discussion and opinions. Which was good and fine and I think we sent her back to school with a good perspective. She drove back through an insane rain storm and did awesome. She'll be home this weekend for laundry and home-cooked food. And to hang with her kitten and dog.
This dog has been having the worst time with K4 away. She is into everything during the day. She has her "baby" and her ball and still is getting into things we didn't think she would get into. Today was better. She just cried when I came home. Poor Floofy.
Next up is my anthology story for charity. I've been toying with ideas - okay, let's be honest... I've started this story four different times in at least three different points-of-view and what I was thinking isn't working. I need a new idea, which I "think" I have, but aren't sure yet. Still working on it, but hope to really start on it tomorrow night. Whoot!
That is all for now...
Behave!
It's been a crap week at the day job. The other night, we stood outside in the rain hoping to wash the "hate" off. LOL. It's been insanity. No lie.
The kid is managing at college. Dealing with some home sickness and crappiness, but on the whole doing well. Classes started and she's loving it. Roommate situation - not so much, but there is hope that it will get better soon.
She made an emergency trip home last night for discussion and opinions. Which was good and fine and I think we sent her back to school with a good perspective. She drove back through an insane rain storm and did awesome. She'll be home this weekend for laundry and home-cooked food. And to hang with her kitten and dog.
This dog has been having the worst time with K4 away. She is into everything during the day. She has her "baby" and her ball and still is getting into things we didn't think she would get into. Today was better. She just cried when I came home. Poor Floofy.
Next up is my anthology story for charity. I've been toying with ideas - okay, let's be honest... I've started this story four different times in at least three different points-of-view and what I was thinking isn't working. I need a new idea, which I "think" I have, but aren't sure yet. Still working on it, but hope to really start on it tomorrow night. Whoot!
That is all for now...
Behave!
Sunday, August 19, 2018
First Weekend Empty
We dropped the kid off at college on Thursday.
That was very bittersweet. Of course, we're going to miss her (we already do), but we're so excited for this next chapter in her life. She's already doing awesome. Taking care of stuff, making friends, getting organized.
Friday night we went over to K1 & J's for the baby gender reveal. They got pizza and we hung out and laughed and talked. They are having another boy. K2 is having another girl. It's all awesome the whole way around!
Yesterday That Man and I hung out all day. We felt like we were on vacation, or at the cabin or something. Just the two of us doing whatever we wanted - which happened to include weed pulling and housework, but whatever. We hit the grocery store, auto parts store (K4's car started acting up on Monday before she left. She and That Man had to switch cars until he can figure out what's wrong with hers), and had an awesome dinner of grilled steaks and veggies.
Today we've been pretty much home all day. Ran out to the grocery store because we forgot we were supposed to make dinner for a friend who just had surgery. That Man worked on K4's car. I'm working on laundry. We made the dinner and put tomorrow's dinner in the crock pot bowl to be started in the morning. It's been raining all afternoon, which gleefully prevents more weed pulling. I don't think my back can take anymore!
So... the news I commented on in my last post is that I just signed another book contract! The book has to be re-titled, but I am so excited!! I absolutely love this book and am so happy it's getting out into the world. And I'm so happy to get back into writing and my "real" career!
That is all for now. I'm off to work on a new title for my new book!
Behave!
That was very bittersweet. Of course, we're going to miss her (we already do), but we're so excited for this next chapter in her life. She's already doing awesome. Taking care of stuff, making friends, getting organized.
Friday night we went over to K1 & J's for the baby gender reveal. They got pizza and we hung out and laughed and talked. They are having another boy. K2 is having another girl. It's all awesome the whole way around!
Yesterday That Man and I hung out all day. We felt like we were on vacation, or at the cabin or something. Just the two of us doing whatever we wanted - which happened to include weed pulling and housework, but whatever. We hit the grocery store, auto parts store (K4's car started acting up on Monday before she left. She and That Man had to switch cars until he can figure out what's wrong with hers), and had an awesome dinner of grilled steaks and veggies.
Today we've been pretty much home all day. Ran out to the grocery store because we forgot we were supposed to make dinner for a friend who just had surgery. That Man worked on K4's car. I'm working on laundry. We made the dinner and put tomorrow's dinner in the crock pot bowl to be started in the morning. It's been raining all afternoon, which gleefully prevents more weed pulling. I don't think my back can take anymore!
So... the news I commented on in my last post is that I just signed another book contract! The book has to be re-titled, but I am so excited!! I absolutely love this book and am so happy it's getting out into the world. And I'm so happy to get back into writing and my "real" career!
That is all for now. I'm off to work on a new title for my new book!
Behave!
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
College Prep... OY!
In 48 hours, the kid will be delivered to college.
In the meantime, this house is like chaos incarnate!
My dining room table is filled with all sorts of things - boots, tools, a tool box, more tools - more tools than you can imagine. Seriously... Bathroom items, book bags, socks, socks, (yes, different socks) underwear, binders, notebooks, ramen, mac and cheese, granola bars... you get the picture.
I've had to open a vein to purchase all of the items. Like I said previously, we've only known she was going for about a month, so we didn't have a lot of time. But we pulled it off. (I think and hope) She still has some stuff to get, but she has her list and her cash, so I'm good there.
We did a camping trip this past weekend because she wanted to and even though we had all of this stuff to do, we let her make the plans and had a great, relaxing time... just us. On Sunday, we came home to find her room filled with fleas. We knew the kitten had them. We were battling them - bathing him, vacuuming like crazy people, but she must have had a hatch or something in her room. A ton of vacuuming and bedding washing later (don't believe all of the bedding has been washed yet. I'm not freaking super woman here. Ha! It's getting there though), and...ta da... we suddenly found ourselves farther ahead of the game than we thought we'd be. Her room is clean and the laundry sorted. We were sweaty, cranky, and exhausted, but finally went to bed feeling good about our progress! The kitten has been vet treated for the fleas, and all of the other animals are too, so we should be good there.
Our little boy is over two pounds now. He's still a demon, but he's hysterical and he can be super loving and affectionate. He cracks us up daily.
And her room will be my office very soon. (No, we're not kicking her out. She's moving rooms) Yay for having an office!! I've been waiting for this for a super long time.
I have big news that relates to the needing of an office, which I will share as soon as I can.
Other than that...That Man and I are suddenly facing being Empty Nesters and I can't say we're sad about that. Yes, we will miss K4. A lot. But this will be the first time in about thirty years that we'll be on our own... Weird. But awesome! It will definitely take us some time to adjust, but I think we're up for the challenge.
Oh. And as soon as this week is over, the writing is on! I have books to write! Whoot!
That is all!
Behave!
In the meantime, this house is like chaos incarnate!
My dining room table is filled with all sorts of things - boots, tools, a tool box, more tools - more tools than you can imagine. Seriously... Bathroom items, book bags, socks, socks, (yes, different socks) underwear, binders, notebooks, ramen, mac and cheese, granola bars... you get the picture.
I've had to open a vein to purchase all of the items. Like I said previously, we've only known she was going for about a month, so we didn't have a lot of time. But we pulled it off. (I think and hope) She still has some stuff to get, but she has her list and her cash, so I'm good there.
We did a camping trip this past weekend because she wanted to and even though we had all of this stuff to do, we let her make the plans and had a great, relaxing time... just us. On Sunday, we came home to find her room filled with fleas. We knew the kitten had them. We were battling them - bathing him, vacuuming like crazy people, but she must have had a hatch or something in her room. A ton of vacuuming and bedding washing later (don't believe all of the bedding has been washed yet. I'm not freaking super woman here. Ha! It's getting there though), and...ta da... we suddenly found ourselves farther ahead of the game than we thought we'd be. Her room is clean and the laundry sorted. We were sweaty, cranky, and exhausted, but finally went to bed feeling good about our progress! The kitten has been vet treated for the fleas, and all of the other animals are too, so we should be good there.
Our little boy is over two pounds now. He's still a demon, but he's hysterical and he can be super loving and affectionate. He cracks us up daily.
And her room will be my office very soon. (No, we're not kicking her out. She's moving rooms) Yay for having an office!! I've been waiting for this for a super long time.
I have big news that relates to the needing of an office, which I will share as soon as I can.
Other than that...That Man and I are suddenly facing being Empty Nesters and I can't say we're sad about that. Yes, we will miss K4. A lot. But this will be the first time in about thirty years that we'll be on our own... Weird. But awesome! It will definitely take us some time to adjust, but I think we're up for the challenge.
Oh. And as soon as this week is over, the writing is on! I have books to write! Whoot!
That is all!
Behave!
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
What Else Has Been Going On?
Oh geeze! More than I will probably remember... Here's a list.
1. College prep. Oy! She's only been accepted for about a month - which cuts our time and cash short for getting her all of the things she needs. We're still working on tools. We had a very generous gift from one of my co-workers, which helped. And my uncle sent home some tools, which also helped. But we have many more to get. Books - Oy! The bill stacks up. And how. We still have dorm stuff to get. And supplies. And guess what? She leaves next Thursday. To say I'm stressing a little is an understatement.
2. Our dog got sprayed by a skunk last week. It still stinks in here. She's blocked from the upstairs and our beds. She doesn't understand why no one wants to be near her. Poor baby. And yes, we've tried all of the stuff. The skunk sprayed her in her eyes and nose, so that's a tough one. From what I understand, it'll be a few more weeks.
3. My oldest niece is expecting! Woo Hoo! We are all so excited. My brother is beside himself. He's going to be PopPop, which is freaking awesome! My sister-in-law said she got the best birthday present ever! And she did! By the end of February, we will have three new babies in the family, which is just what this family needs.
4. Oh yeah... Did I tell you that? I'm going to be a grandma again. Twice. In December. Within five days of each other. K2 knows what she's having but hasn't told yet and J will find out soon. Whoot!
5. K1 and family have moved on to their own place. I don't think I ever officially stated that they were living here. But they were. Since January. K1 and B lived here the entire year before. (they worked things out. Things are good.) Anyway. They first moved in as "temporary" and then bad thing after bad thing kept happening and it turned into seven plus months. It's quiet now. Just That Man, K4, and I... Things are different. I'm excited to be a grandparent again and not a "co-parent". And it's about to get even quieter and different-er when K4 goes to school. That Man and I have not been by ourselves for twenty-nine plus years. It's already different to cook for just three as opposed to six. That's going to take me a very long time to get used to.
6. Our kitten is officially weaned and using the litter box like a champ. He is still the devil incarnate, but he has his sweet moments. Granted, those are few and far between and the scratches on my legs and hands will attest to that. But he's always happy to see us when we get home from work or get up in the morning.
7. Writing again. Well, no. I haven't officially written anything in a few weeks, but my brain is turning. I decided to stop working on the story I have been struggling with because it's just not working. It took me a long time to come to that realization. I'm working on the Third Sentence anthology story, too, and I know I will be starting over on that one, too. That's just not working out. But my head is in the right place now, so I'm excited.
And... My brain is done. I'm sure there's more that I can't remember on a Tuesday night after two crazy days at the day job and a lot of insanity at the homestead.
Behave!
1. College prep. Oy! She's only been accepted for about a month - which cuts our time and cash short for getting her all of the things she needs. We're still working on tools. We had a very generous gift from one of my co-workers, which helped. And my uncle sent home some tools, which also helped. But we have many more to get. Books - Oy! The bill stacks up. And how. We still have dorm stuff to get. And supplies. And guess what? She leaves next Thursday. To say I'm stressing a little is an understatement.
2. Our dog got sprayed by a skunk last week. It still stinks in here. She's blocked from the upstairs and our beds. She doesn't understand why no one wants to be near her. Poor baby. And yes, we've tried all of the stuff. The skunk sprayed her in her eyes and nose, so that's a tough one. From what I understand, it'll be a few more weeks.
3. My oldest niece is expecting! Woo Hoo! We are all so excited. My brother is beside himself. He's going to be PopPop, which is freaking awesome! My sister-in-law said she got the best birthday present ever! And she did! By the end of February, we will have three new babies in the family, which is just what this family needs.
4. Oh yeah... Did I tell you that? I'm going to be a grandma again. Twice. In December. Within five days of each other. K2 knows what she's having but hasn't told yet and J will find out soon. Whoot!
5. K1 and family have moved on to their own place. I don't think I ever officially stated that they were living here. But they were. Since January. K1 and B lived here the entire year before. (they worked things out. Things are good.) Anyway. They first moved in as "temporary" and then bad thing after bad thing kept happening and it turned into seven plus months. It's quiet now. Just That Man, K4, and I... Things are different. I'm excited to be a grandparent again and not a "co-parent". And it's about to get even quieter and different-er when K4 goes to school. That Man and I have not been by ourselves for twenty-nine plus years. It's already different to cook for just three as opposed to six. That's going to take me a very long time to get used to.
6. Our kitten is officially weaned and using the litter box like a champ. He is still the devil incarnate, but he has his sweet moments. Granted, those are few and far between and the scratches on my legs and hands will attest to that. But he's always happy to see us when we get home from work or get up in the morning.
7. Writing again. Well, no. I haven't officially written anything in a few weeks, but my brain is turning. I decided to stop working on the story I have been struggling with because it's just not working. It took me a long time to come to that realization. I'm working on the Third Sentence anthology story, too, and I know I will be starting over on that one, too. That's just not working out. But my head is in the right place now, so I'm excited.
And... My brain is done. I'm sure there's more that I can't remember on a Tuesday night after two crazy days at the day job and a lot of insanity at the homestead.
Behave!
Saturday, August 04, 2018
August the What?
I promised more on our trip... Beyond the tragedy.
We left Friday night. Loaded up into the concrete jungle of our rented Tiguan. Car looks super nice. The seats are made of lead. Wait. Even lead would be softer. No way (that we thought) to put the back seats in recline. We seriously thought about driving this car off a bridge.
Wasn't so bad if you were driving or in the passenger seat. Really, wasn't so bad at all, especially after we learned to recline the back seats and found pillows to sit on, but that was not until the way home.
Anyway.
The frivolity started almost immediately. I had purchased some candy and the boys immediately took that candy into a direction that it shouldn't have been. We laughed so hard we were crying. We were excited to get on with our trip and were texting the others to find out where they were and when they were leaving.
It's a long drive. Like 16 hours, with a time shift. It took us about 18 hours, but we stopped for a real dinner - after stopping at a place we thought would be good, only to find their prices super, super ridiculous. We made an exit plan and only some of us actually kept to the plan. Ha!
Finally some decently priced food. Hit the road again and drove with a few driver switches.
Stopped for gas. Stopped to pee. Stopped when we got the call about our brother. I had been driving and I wasn't driving any more after that.
Arriving, beyond the news, was good. It was good to be back there. Awesome to see my aunt and uncle. We visited, sat in the hot tub, visited with the cousins, and generally relaxed.
The rest of the crew arrived early the next morning. They had a very eventful trip that included a flat tire and a long wait for road services. They were dead tired and once they got semi-set up, slept for several hours.
Family came to visit. Good food. Good conversation. Any my aunt gave me a coveted recipe that I can't wait to try!
Monday was finding out the funeral was Tuesday. My nephew called and asked us to come. We spent all morning searching for flights/return flights - finally finding what we needed at zero hour. Showered and got in the car for the hour long drive to the airport.
As old as I am, I had never flown before. Of course, I knew what to expect for 99% of it, but I'd never actually done it. Now, I've flown four times - all within a 24-hour period of time. It was okay. For three out of the four flights, I thought take off was pretty cool and landing sucked. For the last one, take off was horrifying and landing was good. Looking out the window was pretty much impossible on the first three flights. On the first one, the guy would block the window every time I looked. Jerk. He seemed to, gleefully, think it was a fun thing to do. On the last flight, I had a window seat. In the back of a smaller plane. It was dark, but still cool.
Anyway, we flew into an airport about an hour away from my house, rented a car and drove to my house. Slept for not even an hour and then headed out for the funeral. Once the reception was done, we drove the hour back, turned in our car, and went in search of food. Found an awesome little restaurant and had some amazing cream of crab soup. Then, we started our journey back to vacation.
Finally got back to our uncles after midnight. Sat and talked for a few and then off to bed since there was maybe an hour of sleep gotten.
The rest of vacation was good. Lots of food, laughs, and silliness. Then the long drive home.
I'm sure I'll have more stories to share in the future. For now, I'm trying to get stuff in order in my house and get writing done.
Behave!
We left Friday night. Loaded up into the concrete jungle of our rented Tiguan. Car looks super nice. The seats are made of lead. Wait. Even lead would be softer. No way (that we thought) to put the back seats in recline. We seriously thought about driving this car off a bridge.
Wasn't so bad if you were driving or in the passenger seat. Really, wasn't so bad at all, especially after we learned to recline the back seats and found pillows to sit on, but that was not until the way home.
Anyway.
The frivolity started almost immediately. I had purchased some candy and the boys immediately took that candy into a direction that it shouldn't have been. We laughed so hard we were crying. We were excited to get on with our trip and were texting the others to find out where they were and when they were leaving.
It's a long drive. Like 16 hours, with a time shift. It took us about 18 hours, but we stopped for a real dinner - after stopping at a place we thought would be good, only to find their prices super, super ridiculous. We made an exit plan and only some of us actually kept to the plan. Ha!
Finally some decently priced food. Hit the road again and drove with a few driver switches.
Stopped for gas. Stopped to pee. Stopped when we got the call about our brother. I had been driving and I wasn't driving any more after that.
Arriving, beyond the news, was good. It was good to be back there. Awesome to see my aunt and uncle. We visited, sat in the hot tub, visited with the cousins, and generally relaxed.
The rest of the crew arrived early the next morning. They had a very eventful trip that included a flat tire and a long wait for road services. They were dead tired and once they got semi-set up, slept for several hours.
Family came to visit. Good food. Good conversation. Any my aunt gave me a coveted recipe that I can't wait to try!
Monday was finding out the funeral was Tuesday. My nephew called and asked us to come. We spent all morning searching for flights/return flights - finally finding what we needed at zero hour. Showered and got in the car for the hour long drive to the airport.
As old as I am, I had never flown before. Of course, I knew what to expect for 99% of it, but I'd never actually done it. Now, I've flown four times - all within a 24-hour period of time. It was okay. For three out of the four flights, I thought take off was pretty cool and landing sucked. For the last one, take off was horrifying and landing was good. Looking out the window was pretty much impossible on the first three flights. On the first one, the guy would block the window every time I looked. Jerk. He seemed to, gleefully, think it was a fun thing to do. On the last flight, I had a window seat. In the back of a smaller plane. It was dark, but still cool.
Anyway, we flew into an airport about an hour away from my house, rented a car and drove to my house. Slept for not even an hour and then headed out for the funeral. Once the reception was done, we drove the hour back, turned in our car, and went in search of food. Found an awesome little restaurant and had some amazing cream of crab soup. Then, we started our journey back to vacation.
Finally got back to our uncles after midnight. Sat and talked for a few and then off to bed since there was maybe an hour of sleep gotten.
The rest of vacation was good. Lots of food, laughs, and silliness. Then the long drive home.
I'm sure I'll have more stories to share in the future. For now, I'm trying to get stuff in order in my house and get writing done.
Behave!
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