Monday Stuff

The illness train has decided to make a temporary layover at our home. We're 3 for 6 at the moment, which is the biggest sickness level we've had here in recent months. The train could definitely pull out anytime now. Thank you.
I miss Supernatural!
We still almost 3 weeks to wait for a new episode. I'm dying. Sure, I can watch seasons 1 and 2 on dvd, but it's not the same as new SamandDean. I don't often get the opportunity to put the dvd's in and just watch - not like Thursday nights when my family knows to not try to talk to me, make noise, or attempt to "just see what else is on". !!Don't touch it!! Yeah, maybe I'm a bit of a freak about it, but honestly there's a lot of inspiration for me there - besides hotness and sexyashell tattoos. I won't go into it anymore, because unless you're a fan it's hard to explain.
Short story progress is being made. I'm really enjoying writing this, though there's not as much blood as I originally thought there'd be. We're still early in the story, so that might change. So far we've got a creepy death, a missing demon, and a whole lot of awareness between the hero and heroine. And a brother! A brother who hopefully will have his own story.
Our annual writing retreat is coming up fast. I have a lot to clear out before then, and a lot to do as well since I'm the retreat chairperson this year. I plan to start a new story at the retreat, but I have two major projects to check off before then. The nice thing is the story's already mostly plotted and once I get through these loose ends I'll be able to set my brain to work on it while doing my retreat chair duties. I hope.
That's all...
Behave!

More Pants and Random Crap

Nat's got her post up here. The fourth tale isn't up yet, but we're expecting it soon. I did get my copy of the group picture. I have to scan it before I can post it and I'm not really sure that's an option. The scanner didn't cooperate last time I attempted it, so we'll see. The pictures I tried to post today weren't even working right. Maybe it's just me. Probably.
Yesterday was the monthly chapter meeting of my writer's group. Always a blast. We went to our usual place to harass our usual waiter, which is also always fun. And sad at the same time since he's leaving and probably won't be back.
Oh, and thanks to my excellent brother-in-law my house is now wireless and I'm once again able to get on the Internet on my laptop - supposedly even from upstairs. I'm dying to try that out, but haven't had time as of yet. And he's taken care of most of the problems on my desktop, making the Internet much faster and a much more pleasant experience. Gotta love it. And I do. Immensely. We've been having a blast hanging out. Last night B's family gathered here for chili verde, game playing, and birthday frivolity for B's sister and her milestone birthday. I'm not exactly sure what today will hold besides our usual Sunday obligations.
My short story is going well. I had to begin again when I realized I was over 1/3 of the way through and the hero and heroine hadn't even met yet, which is so not good in a short story. I don't lament the already written and now discarded pages because thanks to that I have a really good handle on the story. I'm not nearly as far as I previously was, but I'm hoping to remedy that today. And I still don't have a title, but I'm working on it.
So, there's your Sunday update.
Behave!

Brotherhood of the Tearaway Pants - Part 3

So...these friends and I went to see the Chippendale's last night for Megan's birthday. Okay, so the link is to this guy with his arms around me - because he was my favorite. Superman. Yes. Dirty cowboy. Yes. We had a blast, but that's not to say the entire experience was stellar.

Megan's fantastic sister got us free passes. It was the first time I've ever been on any kind of "list", plus I got carded - twice, which for obvious reasons doesn't happen so much anymore. But can I just say...PANTS OFF!!

What happened to the tearaway pants?

There are none. There's only torn off shirts that are then thrown into the audience to be snapped up by over stimulated women.

Anyway.

We get there and are immediately crammed in a small waiting space with about a hundred other women. Finally they open the doors, where we proceeded to wait for almost 2 full freaking hours (with who knows how many hundreds of women) before they actually started the show. Why? Heck if I know, but here's what I think...alcoholic beverage consumption and money making. (This comes from a non-alcoholic consuming observer) The guys had stuff to sell - t-shirts, dvd's and raffle tickets. (Ladies, mmmkay) Okay. So the show finally starts and of course, everywhere I try to stand there's an Amazon woman in front of me and I can't see. Scratch that. It wouldn't have mattered where I stood. It was impossible to see because the stage was too low. Apparently there was some floor dancing being done, but none of us could see what was going on.

The dancing was good. The "tributes" and the singing not so much. They also did this "hot seat" thing where you could pay to go on stand and get your own private dance. Which was fine - except they probably spent nearly half the show collecting money from intoxicated women. The guys were cute - some more than others. (Ahem. Picture.) Two of them didn't really dance at all, but seemed to be in charge of stage preparation and picking up the clothing the others took off. The show ended way later than we figured it would. Then you could pay to get your picture taken with all of them (thank you, Nat) - which we did (I don't have my copy yet) and after that, the guys were available to sign stuff. It was late by then, (which is why I look like total crap in the above picture) but we hung around like troopers. Misty and Nat got their tattoo's signed. Megan and I got our asses grabbed during a picture with another one of the guys - okay. wait. Megan got hers poked and I just got groped a little in a non-threatening way.

I have more pictures - which you'll have to wait for. After we left, and could hear again, we stood in the parking lot being drizzled upon by mother nature and talked. I can't say the experience is one I'd ever want to repeat, but it was a lot of fun.

Behave!

*Sniffle*

I have been gifted with B's cold. Lucky, lucky me. And of course, this comes on when I don't have the time to be sick, and when I have a whole bunch of fun stuff going on, and a whole bunch of writing to do. Though I can't say I know anyone who really has the time, or enjoys, being sick. Still, it's my cold and my blog and I'll whine if I want to.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with friends for a much-needed gathering. The frivolity will then move to the evening, where more fun grown up type stuff is planned. B's brother, B, is coming in tomorrow too, and the weekend will be full of family gatherings and the like. Actually, the next two weekends since he just emailed us and said his trip was extended. It's a business trip for him - he'll be traveling pretty much everyday and coming here to crash on our couch. Before you feel sorry for him, his four children are relatively close in age to ours, so he's used to this type of chaos. Plus, he's an easy house guest (and he loves to cook) so I'm not all that concerned or stressed about the visit. Except I am trying to make my house look at least halfway decent for his arrival and the cold is seriously messing with my mojo.
I need chicken soup.
And the tissues I forgot to buy at the grocery store.
On of these days I'm actually going to have an in depth post of insightful thoughts and information. Seriously.
Behave!

Tuesday Tidbits

Just a random bunch of nothing. I don't think I've really done one of these posts in a while.
*The doc is unsure of what exactly K4's rash is. We're treating it as one thing though the scrapings she took didn't point to that and hoping for the best. There is a slight improvement in size today, but not in redness so I kept her home.
*The weather is really weird. It was damp and rainy yesterday. Now it's dismal looking outside, but nearly 60* with a pretty strong breeze going.
*I have a headache.
*I didn't sleep well, probably thanks to garlic stuffed olives eaten way too close to bedtime. I don't recall any particular odd dreams, but I was awake a lot and very restless.
*We finally found the dog brushes that were hidden by the dog. She is unhappy. She both loves and hates to be brushed out. We've placed the brush out of her reach in the hopes she doesn't attempt to hide it again.
*Oh and it's April 1st. April Fools Day. I had totally forgotten until B called me to tell me about the radio joke he fell for. I'm going to have to pay close attention today. I know things will be attempted.
*And, Geeze! It's April already. Yeah. I said it when it was March, but holy crap time is moving fast this year. I'm not sure I like it!
That is all.
Behave!

Monday Madness

One more Easter photo. See those flowers? I practically risked my life rescuing them from a pile of debris hanging out over the creek. Okay, so maybe it really wasn't "practically". I leaned over, snagged them, and then retreated through the thorn bushes to safer ground. My sister was oh-so-thrilled when I handed them to her and promptly put them in water. Yes. They're fake. She was also thrilled with the insects that began pouring out of the petals as soon as the bouquet warmed to room temperature. Something tells me she tossed them out as soon as everyone left.
So, today's the last day of March. Weird. I cringe at what will go on tomorrow. If you couldn't guess, April Fool's is a pretty big deal around here - at least for the K's. The few years I've tried to pull off big capers, they've come back to bite me in the butt. For example: One year I'd planned to tell B I was pregnant. We were weeks away from heading to the appointment that would make such jokes null and void. Oh, and you guessed it. Two weeks later, to our complete surprise, the stick turned blue and my harmless suggestion turned into real life. I think you can understand why I'm cautious. Think I'll stick to the usual stuff.
K4 is home today and we'll be visiting the doctor as soon as I can make her an appointment. What started off looking like dry skin is now a nasty, itchy and painful rash. On her face. And it's now the size of a half-dollar. Since Friday, the thing has grown and worsened. I know what it's not because I've tried all possible home remedies for various things. Now we'll see what it is.
I think that's all for now. We're looking at a busy week. B's brother will be in for business and is staying with us, and the calendar is already full of various other activities - some fun, others just regular life. Oh and I should probably at least dust before our house guest arrives. Ya think?
Behave!

Dirty And Gross

Yep. You're seeing what you think you're seeing.

A pair of underwear we found in the woods. Full of mud. Or something. I think they used to be white. In all, they appeared in pretty good shape, so I definitely have to wonder all kinds of things. Why were they in the woods? Did my brother-in-law actually pick up something that really looked like that when they were taken off? Eww. Sorry. That was gross. As you can see, the dog is even offended. Or maybe not, since it doesn't look like she's paying any attention.

So, today's finally Friday. Thank goodness. We have a pretty full weekend, but that may change depending on sickness levels around here. So far there is one definitely under the weather and another that appears to be heading down the same slippery slope. I'm still knocking on wood since we never got the nasty flu everyone else had.

The short story I plotted out yesterday is bigger than short. I have more plot than I need for 15k words and there's no way to cut it down. I don't want to cut it down. I have all these ideas rolling around in my head for different scenes and a clear picture of the hero and heroine. So I think that'll be my next single title project, which excites me more than I can say, though I probably won't get to start it until the writing retreat in May. I have a whole list of stuff to take care of before opening the blank page to begin. I do have a different idea for the shortie, and plotting for that will commence shortly with some research before brainstorming.

Then, it's the daily activities of living - the usual Friday obligations.

And maybe a nap...

Behave!

Going Places

More cool pictures from the hike.
Since the water was still so high and we don't often travel this section of woods, we felt like we were in a new place. The high water had created an island where we found all kinds of interesting debris. One I'll show you tomorrow. I happen to think it's amusing. You'll have to decide for yourself.
On the writing front, I'm working on edits for my paranormal story and plotting out a shorter paranormal. I started with a blank notebook and plotting sheet, which was kind of daunting especially since I had absolutely no idea - not even a kernel of one. Now I've got three notebook pages, and a quickly filling up plotting sheet. I'm excited about it, though I'm not quite ready to begin the actual writing. I have to let the holes fill in while I continue editing Out of the Shadows. So, even though I still feel like someone stole my front bicycle tire, I'm moving on and working through it. That's the only thing that can be done.
Behave!

Riding The Bike

My brother-in-law testing out his new wheels during our hike through the woods on Sunday.

I told him the picture would be going up on the blog, which is why he's posing so pleasantly. I don't know. I'm not the one who has to live with him. Ha! I'm just kidding. The bike is a genuine Spiderman cartoon series one. I doubt you can see that. See the beard? He and K1 have a bet going about who can grow their beard longer. Neither are supposed to shave until this coming Christmas.Should be interesting.

But...seriously.

Sometimes I feel like that.

No. Not like a bearded man on a little, rusty bicycle in the middle of the woods.

But like someone stole my front tire. I pedal and pedal and never seem to get anywhere. I know I'm not alone in this. A lot of my writing friends are suffering from the same feelings. We talk about it and that helps and we keep plugging along while doing our best to pretend the tire, and the obligatory card clothes pinned to the spokes, are still there. It's something you just have to deal with, and work through.

The ceremony for K3 becoming a boy scout was really cool. They did a Chinese new year theme, complete with chinese food, decorations, chop sticks, and chinese finger toys. Yeah. The only thing about those fingers is that we were nearly late for school this morning because K3 and K4 were goofing around and got stuck while I was waiting for them to get into the car.

That's all.

Behave!

Bridges

We think there was a bridge here at one time. Through the water (when it's low) there's evidence - some heavy timbers in a diagonal line to the other side. There's an old tree on the other side, and that's where we think the bridge exited. Though we're not sure of any of it.

Tonight we cross a different kind of bridge. K3 crosses from cub scouts to boy scouts. It's a huge deal, with a cool ceremony that actually includes a bridge to symbolize going from cub scouts to boy scouts. B and I have to cross with him, to show our support for his future endeavors, plus there's an additional ceremony where he gives me a pin. We'll have dinner served by the boy scouts, and listen to a few speeches before the ceremonies begin. Now I've been through this before with K1, but I'm not stupid enough to believe I won't get all teary-eyed at this new step my youngest son is taking. Plus, he's not such a little guy anymore. Heck, it won't be long until he's begging me to let him drive places like his sister.

Time marches on. I guess. Bridges are crossed and new paths are chosen.

Man. I'm a sap.

Behave!

Shopping?

We definitely need one of these where we camp. Just not this one. These were taken in an area with a lot of flood damage - debris galore. And, lucky you, I've got several more shots of odd debris to show you.

I'm not exactly sure what that other thing is. Some kind of concrete mixer maybe. Don't know for sure. To the left is a pile of glass bottles someone collected. It was nice to hike yesterday since the underbrush isn't grown up yet. Besides a few thorn bushes, you could easily navigate through what is otherwise a very densely treed area. Further down the path we found evidence of how high the flood water was. Standing about ten feet from the creek bank, the water would have been at least seven foot deep. That amazes me. On a regular summer day, you can wade through pretty much any area of the creek. There are a few carp holes, where the water is over your head and the hugest (amazingly huge) fish live, but there aren't many areas like that in the stretch of the creek we haunt.

There's your Monday oddness.

Behave!

It Begins Again...

Back from the busy weekend of fairy birthday parties, family stuff, and general running around.

And check that out! I have new pictures. We were at my sister's house, which is near those infamous cabin photos I wouldn't stop showing you. After eating way too much, I decided to join the guys down at our camping spot. It was do that, or go into a food coma.

Stupidly, I wore my good shoes, and good coat, but that didn't stop me from trekking through the woods. Of course, I can't call either item "good" anymore - not after getting my long black leather jacket tangled in some thorny bushes and wrecking my heels (yes, I had heels on) in the mud. We hiked way down the trail beside the creek and found lots of cool and interesting stuff you'll be witnessing over the next few days. Good stuff, too. Ha!

So, first you get this little boat. K2 found it and put it on this rail for the drain in the actual camping area. When I drove down I saw it and knew I had to take a picture of it for the blog. It does get better...or maybe that's weirder. (honestly, you should be used to that by now) No item jumped out at us for the group odd picture taking, so there was none of that this time. But, it was good to hang out with everyone even if we all wanted to die because of all the food we ate.

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Behave!

What Day Is It?

As you maybe can tell by the lateness of this post, it's been one of those days around here.
Not terrible, just busy with much to do and not enough hours.
The dog is sick. She's puking and having other digestive issues. Luckily (knock on wood) she's made it outside each time, but eww. I'm not sure what caused this, though she does have a pretty sensitive stomach so it could be anything she scarfed off the floor or maybe she stuck her gigantor head into the lidded trash can. She doesn't do that often, and we're pretty good about changing the bag especially if there's something she might find delectable in there. But, she's also a little bit sneaky, so she could have dumpster dove while we weren't looking. Or she ate something totally gross outside. I don't even want to think about that.
Anyway.
I realized yesterday was the first day of spring. Bring it on. The weather here is decidedly not spring-like, which is irritating to say the least. The only thing spring-like is the mud outside, which looks amazing on my freshly washed pooch. How'd we get back on the subject of my dog?
We'll be out and about this weekend, so don't know if I'll have a chance to get on here much. Tomorrow is birthday parties, and a possible much needed and anticipated date night with my hubby. Sunday is holiday stuff, so that'll be the day with the family. Next week is looking kind of grim with tons going on and not much down time. We'll see how that goes.
Enjoy the weekend and the holiday!
Behave!

A Dog's Day

More specifically, my dog.
She had an appointment with the groomer that just happened to be in the middle of the day. I had to take what I could get since I've been trying to get her in since November and every time we had an appointment, it snowed. The groomer had us on the cancellation list, and this was the first day and time that even halfway suited. So we braved the high, cold winds and went.
I went out to the truck to write while the dog got her beauty treatment. I actually managed to get quite a bit done and time went really fast. I went back in shortly before I figured she'd be done since the groomer has her appointment down to a science now. And then it happened...
The dog had diarrhea all over the grooming bench. Talk about gross.
I helped clean up, took her out, then the groomer resumed drying her. She was working on the final trim when the dog started dry heaving. We unhooked her from the stand and shooed her out the door, not expecting her to make it to the grass.
Turns out, she snowed us.
Instead of heading over to heave, she hustled off the porch, then kind of sashayed to the truck and sat by the back door. I called her to come back, and she just glared at me. At that point, we figured she was done and I came home with my still slightly wet pooch who now has a brand new trick to get out of being groomed.
Great.
I might be scared over the next few days. Enjoy the holiday!
And...
Behave!

Wet & Whiney Wednesday

*It's raining and my truck has a leak.

*The dog smells really bad. (until tomorrow when she goes to the groomer)

*This week is taking too long.

*I'm tired.

*Other various and random complaints that I won't bore you with.

The only positive is the link of wet hunks a friend sent to me. I haven't had much time to peruse the lengthy list, but I did check out Jared Padalecki (Sam) and Viggo. It's probably a good thing I had lots to do today. Otherwise, I would have been checking out the scenery. Oh stop. It's research for heroes.

That is all.

Behave!

My Little Leprechaun

Yes. That's what I live with.

Isn't he talented?

I am so proud.

There's no embarrassment here.

He could care less that there's now a goofy picture of him on my blog.

Then again, if you could see some of the pictures that were taken Saturday night, this would look normal. I can't show you them, because I don't have them. But think Hannah Montana wig and grown men. It was hysterical. Who knows, I might managed to get my hands on them. So that's all I'm saying for now.

Goofy pictures are a theme in our family. Usually when we're together we find something ridiculous or strange and we each pose with it - a blonde, curly wig, a cardboard "stupid" sign, my brother in laws brand new guitar, one of those composting toilets, the outhouse at the creek, strange hats...the list goes on and on. Which means I might gain some new blog fodder over Easter when the family's all together. It's one of those things we haven't done in a while, so it's probably time again. Better check my camera batteries.

We're due to try the whole roller skating thing tonight. Wonder how that will go? This week is a busy one. We're even going to try our skills at snow tubing. I'll probably be in traction by the weekend.

Behave!

Pre-Saint Patty's Day Fun

It's quite obvious the cat didn't believe wearing the little green hat was fun despite our hysterical laughter. It took less than 3 seconds for the picture to be taken, but he got that pissed off look on his face as soon as he saw the little green hat. Do you think he knew we planned to humiliate him, and then publish his humiliation on the web?

In all honesty, the hat was the straw the broke the camel's back for him. K1's girlfriend was here with one of her dogs. Kramer was not happy about the visitor, even though he's much bigger. So he was already sullen and crabby before the hat appeared.

We don't do much St. Patty's Day celebrating around here. The kids love dressing in green - which is probably more to avoid getting pinched than because they believe we're Irish or something. We're not. At all.

But, in honor of the day, I have one more little green hat picture. See the bearded face holding the cat? K1. Yep. And tomorrow I'll put his picture on here because he's over 18 and looks just so darned cool with the hat on. I have one of B wearing it too, but he's totally adverse to having his picture up on here. Well, mostly. When I told him I was going to post his little green hat picture, he gave me a dirty look, which probably means you won't ever get to see it. Maybe.

Anyway. The weekend was a blast. Lots of laughing, good food, more laughing, and some excellent music. And I'm so tired now.

Behave!!

More Customer Service Headaches

I'm not even going to go into it, except to say I've been on the phone for way too long trying to clear up this debacle. I'm still not satisfied, and I'm wondering if I ever will be.
What the heck happened to good customer service?
Granted, everyone I spoke to today was pleasant, and apologetic. But, quite frankly, apologizing for charging me for something when I was told it would be different doesn't help. I know customer service is a thankless job, and it's not exactly the easiest job. I appreciate that. A lot. Which is why I'm always pleasant until I'm given a reason not to be, and after that, I'm still polite though there might be an edge to that politeness.
Anyway.
I'm brushing that off in preparation for what's shaping up to be a fun, but busy, weekend.
Maybe I'll even have some new pictures come Monday. I know for sure I'll be tired.
That's all for now.
Behave!

Bad Customer Service and Stress

Yeah. It's been one those days around here.
Good on the whole, but with a few annoyances thrown in to frustrate me.
Like, for example, I got the bill for my brand spanking new phone/Internet/cable service with additional charges that aren't supposed to be on there. My plan was for free certain promotional additions for a year. When I called, certain there'd been some kind of mistake, I was told I'd misunderstood the offer. Yeah. Not. After explaining myself further, I was then told the customer service rep who sold me the plan misunderstood the offer. This is, of course, after I'd been kept on hold for over ten minutes and not just on regular hold, on the one that reverts back to the person you're talking to if you make a noise or talk to someone else in the room. That made it pretty much impossible to say the bad words springing to my lips as I fumed over the way she treated me. Anyway. To make a long and boring story short, my last question was if I was under some contract with them that would prevent me from switching service. When she said no, I hung up.
Then.
Then I called my previous company to start the process of switching back. The first person I talked to, though pleasant, couldn't help me. I was transferred to another pleasant person. Then their system hitched requiring a reboot and I was told I'd be called back within ten minutes. Um...yeah...that was five hours ago, and still nothing. So...I'm not sure where this leaves me. Except I know for sure I'm not staying with my current company. So far, the whole experience has been a nightmare. The cable doesn't work right, the Internet is slow, and the installation process, though easy, was incomplete and then even more difficult thanks to even ruder customer service reps.
Then we had open house at the younger K's school. Which was really fine. It was fun to watch their faces as they showed me around in their element. In all my years of going to these (and it's been a lot) I don't ever remember there being so many people there. That wasn't too bad. Until we went to the book fair end of the school. The crowd was so insane it was nearly impossible to even move, let alone take the time to actually look at anything. We spend more time waiting to check out than we did choosing books. And no, I'm not really complaining about it, except that it stressed me (and the K's) out.
And there you have it. An actual rant from me. What do you know?
Behave!

Unpractical Practical Jokes

Or...Enough Already!!
There's been a rash of practical jokes around here lately.
Like when someone stuffed a tennis ball in B's work boot. The dog dragged his boot away and chewed on it, because after all, the ball belongs to her. Last week, K2's cell phone went missing. No one has admitted to that one yet. Probably because they fear her reaction. She was not a happy camper.
Missing items, booby traps, you name it - all of it's been going on around here.
This morning, I was the unfortunate victim. I had a busy day planned. Lots of running around, which included stair climbing and walking. And wouldn't you know...one of my sneakers went missing.
I searched everywhere. Everywhere - including the freezer, the cabinets, the back porch, the garbage can - everywhere. Finally, very ticked off, I pulled out my boots. Now, I love my boots, but they aren't exactly good to me when I'm on my feet all day. Today proved no different. I'm aching.
So, I call home when I was on my way back.
And K1 was appalled that I hadn't found it before I left this morning! Ha! Why on earth would I look on the coat rack, under a rarely worn coat, for a sneaker?
You can bet I will now.
That is all.
Behave!

Time?

Time keeps getting away from me.
Don't ask me why, or how...
Oh, I know. Let's blame the time change. It's certainly upset the balance in my house - okay, not with everyone, but a few of us aren't adjusting well to losing an hour of sleep. Some of those few are cranky, whiny, and argumentative - but I'm not pointing fingers or naming names.
The muddy season has started. After all that rain we had last week, and milder temps, my backyard looks like a big, mud-colored sponge. And it tracks into the house on paws and sneakers. But I'm glad to see spring, even though I still could do with one huge, enormous, accumulating snow that shuts everything down. The gnomes are begging for a reconditioning and upgrading of their home. We've decided to plant some veges and herbs this year, though we haven't quite figured out where we're doing that since we planted grass in our garden spot. Between the dog and flying basketballs, I'm not sure where they'd be safe from breakage and steppage. But we did already start some pepper seeds in the house, so we'll see what happens.
Okay - that's all my stressed and tired brain has for you at this moment.
Behave!

Whoops!

Don't ask me what happened to the past two days!
I'm not really sure - time just got away from me.
I have some pictures I want to post, but as of right now my scanner isn't cooperating. I'll give you a hint though. They fall into "Things to do with the camera on the table at wedding receptions" category. Ha!
Anyway.
Nothing's happening at the moment besides the usual insanity. Our schedules almost on the light side for the weekend. I hate to even say that because usually all heck breaks loose when I dare to make such a statement. That's not to say there's not a bunch of stuff that needs done since it's the stuff that stays on hold when we are running around like crazy people. So, it'll still be busy around here.
And I find that's really all I have to say at the moment. Sorry it's not all that interesting...
Behave!!

Snow What?

Yeah, I know it's already 53* outside and we're all looking forward to spring, but I came across this picture again and thought I should post it just because. K2 and her cousins made these New Year's Eve.

I happen to think they're scary. Especially the big one with the straight line mouth. The little one is kind of cute, but those big sticks kind of freak me out. Ha! We laughed when we saw them. They'd placed them in such a way that when you left my sister's driveway, they kind of snuck up on you and took you by surprise.

Then...they were hacked to death by someone with an even bigger stick. Very sad.

Like I said before, I could deal with some big snow around here. It has to be big, and then spring. If it's not going to snow again, it should be spring. Period. Yeah. I know I say that every year. But as of my count, you've only heard it one winter-into-spring before, so I'm entitled to be repetitive. Ha!

Obviously there's not much going on this week.

Behave!

I Know You Know

What this is.

When I said I didn't have any pictures of manure from our trip to the farm, I remembered this owl stuff. Not quite poop, but really, isn't it close enough? B found this when they hiked up the big hill. Apparently, there was a lot more, but since this particular pile was perched so nicely on a rock, he decided to bring it back to show those of us who didn't go.

The kids wanted to pick through it to see exactly what critter the owl had for dinner. Yes. I have strange children, but I love their curiosity. It didn't stay in the house for long, though I'm pretty sure my sister's dog ate it sometime after B put the rock outside.

Hey, what do you expect from a rainy Tuesday?

That's all I have!

Behave!

Unstable?

There you go.

Puts a whole new spin on the quaint little cabin in the woods, doesn't it? Now you can definitely see why it's too dangerous to go inside. I want to though. B might not be happy that he's in the picture, though to the right you'll see my brother as well. But since B's the one who insisted I put this picture up, that's just how it is.

That's all I have for Monday!

Behave!!

Booksigning Photo!

Just got this from my mom.

This is from the book signing at One Good Woman! See that...I'm actually signing a book and there's someone standing there waiting for it! Very cool. Beside me, though you can't see her, is Vicky Burkholder. Misty Simon and Alayne Adams are at the other table. We had a blast, and as you can see the store has a lot of very cool things. We're supposed to be back in October. I'll post the details when they become available.

I have another picture of the cabin to post. B thinks I should show you just how unstable the building is, and there's one that shows just that. Then, there's a few more before my photo library well runs dry. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll find more weird stuff to take pictures of before too long.

And holy cow, it's March. I know I said that when February started, but seriously, time is flying by. March, which means spring is just around the corner. I can't wait. Look for a revamping of the gnome garden, and hopefully the addition of a few more of the little guys. I've got plans people.

In the meantime, stay warm, and...

Behave!!

Creek View

The view looking down from the same position of the previous picture.

I don't know about you, but I'd love to see that out my bedroom window every morning. That's why we park the camper next to the bank when we camp. Waking up to see the steam rising from the creek and watching fish travel to fish work is very cool, and very relaxing.

Wouldn't it be cool to build a deck that is partially situated on the hillside? I may be the only one who thinks that, but I figure if the wooden house has stood the test of time a properly engineered deck would withstand the elements. What do I know though?

It's finally Friday and it's still really, really, and stupidly cold here. While I wouldn't reject a major snowstorm, I'm ready for spring. We're supposed to get snow showers this afternoon, but honestly, I haven't checked the forecast to know exactly what's going on. It does figure that I have to make a grocery run, as is my usual Friday chore. Tomorrow is my RWA chapter meeting. I'm really looking forward to it. But, of course, as is my absolute luck, K3's district pinewood derby race is also tomorrow. Bugger.

That's all for now. And this concludes your brief foray into things I find interesting. For today. While I was looking through these pictures I came across a few more that will be coming up over the next few days.

Behave!

Will It Ever End?

I bet you're asking yourself that right about now...

This is the last one...okay, maybe.

Taken from a small ledge on the drop off looking up. Very cool place to stand, unless you're afraid of heights, then I don't recommend it.

What I love about this is the huge windows that face the creek below. Do you really think a nasty old guy would care if he could see the beauty of the water below? I prefer to think this was originally built as a starter home until the young couple could build their dream home on the surrounding property. Tragedy happened and the wife died, leaving him alone in the place that was to be the start of a beautiful future together.

Of course, that's just my thinking. I'll have to try to find out what really happened.

Come to think of it, I do have one more picture that shows the creek below. Since no one's yelling about my choice of posts yet, I'll see what I can do about putting it up tomorrow.

Oh, and I have a short list of irritations today: It's cold. My computer is really stinking slow. It's really bitterly cold here.

That's all.

Behave!

Don't Forget!

Come and talk to me, Misty Simon, and Vicky Burkholder TONIGHT!
www.draumrpublishing.com
6 - 8 pm EST

We'll be there talking about The Shape of Love, and whatever else you want to talk about. (within reason) Come on over and say Hi!
Behave!

All Right...Just One More

I forgot about this one.

Picture quality is awful, but this Christmas angel totally intrigued me. She was whole. Perfect, and so tarnished her former angelic face took on a slight evil edge. We planned to take her back to my sisters house and take some decent pictures, but somehow, and none of us have any idea how it happened, one of her wings broke off. I kid you not, she looked totally different after that. Scary different. So, she went back home. And this very poor photograph is all that's left for you to see. Those black fingernails belong to my niece. She was not thrilled I made her hold it so I could take a picture.

And, of course, I had to bring up that maybe the angel was cursed. Maybe she was the reason the cabin looked the way it did. Maybe she was some token of evil that caused the little house to slip toward the ravine, and maybe she destroyed the lives of those who'd lived there. You can imagine the enthusiasm in which my rambling was met with. Yeah. Still. You have to wonder. Or...maybe that's just me.

I did find another picture from this particular weekend. I mentioned my sadness at not having any manure photographs from our Sunday adventure, and then I found the picture which I'll show you tomorrow. It's going to be great. Ha!

That's all for right now!

Behave!!

One More...

Okay. This will be the last of the cabin photos for now. I'm sure you're not all finding it as interesting as I do, but I had to show you the clothes still hanging in the loft. It actually looks like there's some female clothes hanging there.

I have three different ideas on this. One: a woman actually lived here. Two: they were the wife's clothes and he couldn't bear to get rid of them. Three: dude was a cross-dresser. Whatever - to each his own. I prefer option two because it's sad and romantic.

I have one picture from our trek into the wild yesterday. No cows, or cute baby goats, or fuzzy baby chicks - just a window shot of an old covered bridge on the way. I realize how lame it is that I didn't take any more pictures than that. I, obviously, had the camera with me. I even made sure it had fresh batteries, and cleared all the obnoxious teenager pictures. Then again, you'd have to endure post after post of farm animals, dogs, mud, and maybe even some manure shots. Could be that it's a good thing I never got the camera out.

That's all for now.

Don't forget...Chat tomorrow night. See the sidebar.

Behave!!

Don't Forget...

The Tuesday night chat in the Draumr chat room!
See the info to the left, and don't be daunted by having to register first.
I promise it'll be painless and worth it!!
8-10 pm EST - or as long as you want to stay and chat!
Be there!
And...
Behave!!

Cliff

And here's the cliff the cabin sits on. This is to the left, but you get the idea. Below is the creek. I'm not sure I have one that shows the drop, but I'll look.

I have a few more cabin pictures, after that...who knows.

We spent the day at our old neighbors from when we lived in the sticks. We haven't really seen these people in fourteen years except for a handful of times. Recently, we reconnected with them and decided to head up there to spend some time.

The kids had a blast running around the farm - baby goats, little, fuzzy baby chickens, cows, horses and bigger goats. The only thing they said they didn't like was the smell in the barn. It was wonderful to be welcomed like no time had passed. There were no awkward silences, or continuous checking of the time to see if we'd been there long enough to leave. In fact, we left an hour after we'd planned to, and even then, we could have stayed longer. We'll definitely be going back and spending more time.

That was my day. My shoes are muddy. I have mud on the back of my pants from the goats and there's a vague odor of cow on my coat, but what a good day.

I hope your weekend was good. Even if you don't smell like cow.

Behave!

Cabin: Inside

Wouldn't you just love to sift through all of that stuff to see what treasures are buried there?

Okay, so maybe that's just me.

Of course, I can't. It's not exactly safe to go inside, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to. The thing you have to remember is that this is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It's not like people can see it from any well traveled road. This mess is mainly from the shifting foundation and animal wreckage.

I'll have to hike back up there in the summer and take another round of photos.

Tomorrow, I'll show you the cliff. If I get time. If not, then it'll be Monday.

That's all for now!!

Behave!

A Cabin Story, Part 2

The front of the cabin. I know it's kind of hard to see. I couldn't seem to brighten it. Under that window on the bottom there's a wooden work bench. Bits of paper, wood, and clothing litter the top. The front door is to the left of the window. The window at the top is a loft where the clothing hangs and the sleeping area. There's a ladder to get there, which I'll show you tomorrow. I had a dream about this cabin last night, though now I can only remember vague images.

The kids are off school today thanks to winter weather. There's a lot of noise in my house and a fair amount of clowing around. The weather totally blew my plans for today and that makes me sad. But I did get to sleep in, and have already taken care of much on my 'to do' list.

Supernatural was awesome last night. Hendrickson's turn around was very well done. His death was sad, but I had a feeling that was going to happen. The creepy little girl with the white eyes at the end, however, was absolutely nothing I expected. Oh, and Sam and Dean's tattoo's...yeah...pretty darn nice. And I know I say it every week, but I loved the whole thing.

I'm sad we have to wait so long for a new episode. But I converted a friend into fandom. She called me after it was over last night to tell me how much she loved it. That's always a cool thing.

I'm off to contemplate the possibility of shoveling snow...

Enjoy the weekend!

And...

Behave!

A Cabin Story

I totally forgot I had this picture to share. There are several more I'll put up in the days to come, but isn't this the coolest thing?

This little cabin, and yes, someone did live there, is near my sisters house. Actually, it's located on some property B and I would love to someday own. The view of the creek is spectacular and I have visions of a pretty house on the ledge with a deck overlooking the creek.

Inside, you'll find the remnants of someone's life. Clothing hangs from the rafters, books cover the tilted and unstable floor, Christmas decorations spill out of mostly decomposed boxes, and dishes are strewn both inside and out. I'm not sure what happened to the person who used to live here, only that they haven't lived in the cabin for quite a while. See that tree? It's the only thing keeping it from tumbling down the embankment. How cool is that? It's impossible to go inside (though I won't tell you who did!). This is the view from the back. I'll show you the front, the cliff, and the creepiest Christmas ornament another day. Even the woods surrounding this old place seem to want to tell a story. I'm in awe every time we walk the land, and I always want to stay.

We hiked here when my cousin was in, then trekked through the woods, before ending up at the creek. I hiked back then, while most everyone else went up yet another cliff, but only because I wasn't dressed for hiking and had given my sister-in-law my gloves because she didn't have a coat.

Anyway.

More winter weather is supposedly on the way. Probably enough to totally screw up my fun plans for tomorrow, and force me to the grocery store today with the rest of the population of our town. Not fun.

Don't forget...New Supernatural tonight...unfortunately, also the last new Supernatural for several weeks. I won't miss it. You shouldn't either!!

Behave!

Already Wednesday

This has been a weird week so far.
Weird, but not necessarily bad. This morning I turned off my alarm because I thought it was Saturday. I've got the same kid who woke me with bodily fluids last week now dealing with upper respiratory symptoms. But even with it being an odd week, there's still not much to report. My truck had it's yearly physical and is now sporting some brand new shoes, which is good because it's snowing it's tail off here at the moment. Probably not enough to even delay school tomorrow, but we'll see.
What else? Well, not much. Writing, chaos, more writing, more chaos...you get the picture.
Speaking of pictures...I realize I haven't posted any on here for a little while. I did promise you one of our totem pole, but that might have to wait until we re-secure it. You kind of don't get the proper effect the way it looks now. I'll see what I can do in the photo department soon. When it's not snowing, there's not much pretty to take pictures of (unless you want to see the mud in my backyard), and if I do see something, I usually don't have my camera with me.
Does anyone else think time is moving rather fast so far this year? In a little over a week, we'll be in another brand new month, and spring will be just around the corner. Yikes!
Okay. Enough rambling for mid-week!
Behave!!

Monday...

Blah.
Yep. That's it exactly. The kids were supposed to be off school today, but since the day was alternately scheduled as a snow make up day, they're in session. Except I have one under the weather child at home. I don't think it's ever going to end. Seriously. K2 is also home for now, but she's on her way to high school. Her arts school wasn't in session today, so she got a bonus sleep in morning.
It's like 55* degrees outside, but supposed to be cooling off as the day progresses. Weird weather.
My spell check button hasn't been working on my blogger page. I don't know what's up with that.
I've been trying to take care of household administration duties today. Then, I realized the banks and post office are closed. So...I still have some phone calls to make relating to my switching phone services. We'll see how far I get with that. I'm not looking forward to it because I have this inkling it's not going to be as easy as it should be.
I need a website. Our new ISP has a place where you can build "personal pages" for free, but it's not exactly what I'm looking for though I did mess around trying to build a site for a while. I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I'd like to figure it out soon. I'm kind of clueless as to how the whole thing works, so I'm going to be trying to figure that out in the very near future.
Oh, the writing, you ask?
Going well. I'm in the last third of the first draft of Out of the Shadows. I should finish by late this week, early next, then it's revision time. I should put the counter do-hickey thing back up, but since I'm nearly done I probably won't.
That's enough rambling for my Monday.
Behave!!

What happened...

to this day?
I seriously don't know! The day flew by and now it's late. I'm tired, but the brain is still too keyed up to even think about going to bed, even though I know I should. I was on my way and the phone rang. On my way again, phone rang again. Then, I realized I hadn't blogged yet, and here I am.
Let's see...
The kids were off school today. I almost wrote 'this week' which is pretty much what it feels like since they only went 2 days. We had plans today, but what happened was fragmented, off time, and pretty much chaotic. But still good.
Okay. Supernatural.
Holy. Crap.
I think I have a new favorite episode. First off, I love Groundhog Day. The whole idea of repeating the same day over and over again intrigues me. (I'd love to write that premise, but I'm not sure how well that would translate into something that would actually make sense. At least right now.)
Sam waking up every morning to Asia, the look on his face, and his growing desperation in knowing he was going to have to watch his brother die...again...was done so very well. There was so much to love about the episode. I can't even tell you all of it. The hug on Wednesday, the bullet wound, Bobby, the deep, dark, rough Sam. The whole thing was wonderful.
And next week looks awesome as well. Then, we got nothing for a little while, which will pretty much kill me. Thank goodness for seasons 1 and 2 on DVD.
Anyway.
Our weekend is pretty solid, but at least there's some fun stuff in there. An actual "grown up" night out with the gang to hear my brother-in-law's band. I can't tell you how long it's been since we've had one of those, and we're both really looking forward to it.
Okay. That's it.
Behave!

Tagged! Again...

Natalie tagged me...


The rules:

Once you're tagged, you have to write a blog with ten (10) random things, facts, goals or habits about yourself. At the end, you choose ten (10) people to tag, listing their names and why you chose them. You also have to leave them a comment telling them "you're it," and instruct them to read your blog for instructions. The rules also state you can't tag a person who's already tagged you.

...okay, but I think I just did one very similar to this...

1. Being without Internet bugs the crap out of me! (it's first because I've had to restart my computer twice this morning, lost my connection once, and I'm still miffed that I can't get online with my laptop!)

2. (borrowing from Nat a little) The S, M, and V keys are completely worn off on my keyboard. Soon A, D, N, E, and C will follow. This drives my family nuts, but makes no difference to me. On the laptop the N is fading and there's a definite wearing of the space bar. It's a good thing I don't need to see the keys to type because replacing the laptop keyboard...well, how easy or logical is that?

3. See #1. If I keep losing my connection it's going to take me days to finish this! Argh!

4. I was a Girl Scout for a very long time, but have very few memories of it. Well, except for the girl who was really freaked out by germs and would cry if she thought you touched something she was going to touch. And making tie-dye, though I don't remember what I made.

5. In high school and college I had perfect grades in grammar and english. By the time I started seriously writing, I couldn't remember most of the grammar rules (just ask my critique partners). It's taken quite a while, but I'm finally starting to remember them...well...all but that stinking apostrophe crap.

6. I wanted to be lots of different things when I "grew up". A graphic artist, a photographer, an archeologist, a nurse, a mom, a writer, an oceanographer, a marine biologist, and several others. Out of that list, I've managed 3.

7. Going from #6, besides being a mom, being a writer is the best job ever. It's also the hardest (besides being a mom).

8. I love to write creepy stuff. Really crazy villians and really odd scenarios. I'm not sure it's "dark", but out of my critique group, I probably write the darkest - or maybe that's "weirdest". I do like me some sarcasm and obnoxious behavior from my hero and heroine though. And there always has to be romance and a happy ending.

9. When I get into a good story, I will continue reading until it's done. I read pretty fast, too. I read the last Harry Potter in less than 36 hours. Yes, I skim, but I still absorb the words on the page and retain what I've read. My dad is the exact same way.

10. I get frustrated and irritated when my house is cluttered. I do like things neat and tidy, but with 6 people, the dog, and the cat living here, I've had to relax my standards or risk going insane and having no time to write. It's taken me a while, and it totally conflicts with my "supermom" syndrome, but now that the kids are older, I refuse to carry the burden of housekeeping alone. Guess what we're doing tomorrow on their day off school? I have to keep reminding myself of that, because today is a writing day for me and if I think too hard about the dust bunnies cohabitating under the kitchen table I'll be so annoyed I won't get anything done.

So there you have it. Too much information, as usual. But hey! I didn't mention bodily fluids in this post! Again, I'm not tagging anyone because most of the people I know have already been tagged.

Oh, and Happy V-D! (eh! Whatever!)

Behave!

Snow Day 2

My Day:
1. More bodily fluids.
2. Very needy, not feeling well children.
3. Chewbacca noises.
4. Too many video games.
5. Laundry washed & dried with a red crayon.
6. Cartoons about male cows with udders.
7. A very long computer line.
8. Lots and lots of noise - most of it happy, but how much wrestling can I endure?
9. Not much writing done.
10.A broken phone
Pleasant. Not.
Stir Crazy. Yes.
That is all.
Behave!

Snow Day!!

Yes, we're actually getting some of the white stuff.
They cancelled school before 6am this morning. There was a little snow on the ground, but not much. It didn't really start snowing until after 11am. By then, I'd cleaned up vomit, gone to the grocery store, cleaned up more vomit, and scratched my head at why they didn't at least let the kids go for a partial day. Doesn't matter. I would have had a kid home anyway. K2 is decidedly under the weather (obviously). That's what I woke to this morning. Then, it was the cat. But you probably didn't want to know about all the bodily fluids I cleaned up today.
Anyway.
I haven't checked the forecast, so I don't know what's in store for tomorrow. It's actually a quiet evening around here since all activities were cancelled. Okay, not that quiet. Everyone is wound up, or they were, now that we're heading into the bedtime hour, things have settled down significantly. Thankfully. I spent the day fighting my virus protection - uninstalling, reinstalling, blah, blah, blah. I think I finally have it fixed. The computer has been in constant use today and not much by me. Hence the lateness of this post.
Man, I miss my laptop connection.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Behave!

Author Chat!

February 26
8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST
Draumr Publishing Forums
First, you'll have to register here.
Then, you'll be able to talk to the authors of The Shape of Love.
How cool is that?
There will be giveaways, including ebooks - so take a few minutes and click over to talk to us!
Again, it'll be a first for me!
Don't worry - I'll remind you before then.

In other stuff...
We're supposed to actually get some winter weather. That's all I'm sayin'. Don't want to jinx it or anything.
The weekend was long, busy, but good. We had to take a relatively long drive yesterday to pick K2 up from a weekend thing she had. The weather was not so good - blowing snow and really high winds. We took B's moms car since my Suburban is in dire need of new tires (next week), and that little car was pushed all over the highway. And, of course, the exit we needed to get off of was drifted shut, leaving us to sit on the highway for quite a while. We were about a mile from the gas station we planned to stop at for a potty break - and guess who really, really had to go? I considered walking, but the wind pretty much talked me out of that one. I also considered hiking into the shrubs alongside the highway, but the bright daylight and evil wind were factors. We finally made it, and made it home with no huge issues (though traffic, blowing snow, and black ice all factored in).
It's brutally cold here, but the dog doesn't want to stay inside. She'd rather go out and bark at the wind, which is driving me pretty much nuts. Our poor totem pole fell down with the wind, too. I don't think I've ever posted a picture of that. I'll have to see if I have one.
That's all for now!
Behave!

Booksigning! Redux

I have to admit, I was a little nervous.
Not as much as I thought I would be, but considering how much else was going on around here last night and this morning, I think I didn't have time to be nervous. Plus, it snowed this morning, which never bodes well for events people have to travel for.
But...it went very well. We sold some books and had an absolute blast. The folks at One Good Woman are wonderful! They were so accomodating and friendly, and excited we were there. One Good Woman is an awesome store! I loved it, and can definitely see myself going back for cool stuff. The place was packed for a time, and when it wasn't there was still a steady stream of customers. The hours went by fast! My mom and her friend came out, which was wonderful. And my sister traveled quite a distance to come out, which meant more to me than I can say. So, my first signing was a completely positive experience.
On the homefront, K3 called me during the signing to tell me he took First Place in the entire race! Pretty cool especially since this is his last year as a cub scout. They had a 'family and friends' division this year, and K4 won that! Of course, there are no pictures because while B and I had discussed who was taking the camera, neither of us did.
Today was a really good day!
I hope your weekend is going well!
Behave!

Booksigning!!

This Saturday, February 9, 2008

One Good Woman

(gourment gifts - coffees and teas)

1845 Market Street

Camp Hill, PA

10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The fabulous Misty and Vicky B - yep, all three authors in The Shape of Love, will be there. Along with the equally fabulous Jacki King. Come out and visit us! It's my very first book signing, plus I'm missing K3's last Cub Scout Pinewood derby race to sign books! So, please come out and see us!

Today I got to hand Vicky B her very first print book. She's multi-published in electronic format, but this is the first time she's gotten to hold a paper book in her hands with her name on it! It was very exciting - almost as exciting as when Misty handed me my book! We signed pre-ordered books, laughed, talked, ate, brainstormed, and actually worked on our own writing while listening to K1 snore on the couch. (don't ask) And my mom stopped by, bringing us each a rose, and getting the first copy of the book signed by all three of us.

In the near future, there will be an author chat featuring the three of us at Draumr. I'll keep you posted with the details. It'll be my first one!

(I'm having a lot of firsts recently! I love it!)

Another new Supernatural is on tonight! I can't wait!!

That's all for now!

Don't forget...Booksigning...this weekend!!

Behave!

Tagged!

Pet and Karen tagged me. So here goes...

The rules of this meme are simple:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.

4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.



Six unimportant things about me are:
1. I talk to inanimate objects. (No, they don't answer, and no, I don't expect them to. I'm just noisy, I guess.)
2. I don't like those big woodpeckers. At all.
3. I can't sing. Well, I can, but you definitely don't want me to.
4. I've broken my arm twice, and have had more stitches than I can remember. (surprised? I didn't think so.)
5. I'm a control freak. (Bet that takes you by surprise, too! Ha!)
6. I don't ever fold underwear. Not one single pair. It's a total waste of time. My family knows this, and those that don't do their own laundry either deal with it, or fold their own. (was that too much information?)

Okay, I'm supposed to tag 6 people, but I'm not going to do that. If you feel like doing it, go ahead, then let me know you did it!
Behave!
(p.s. Did I tell you that The Shape of Love is here?) :)

It's Here!!!!!

Look at that!!!!

Aren't they pretty?!!

In my hot little hands, baby!!!

I love it!

AVAILABLE NOW!!!!

Yep, you read that right.
The Shape of Love is now available!
In fact, the author copies are on their way...and I'm having a hard time concentrating on anything else! In a few short hours, I will be holding my very first published work in my hands! WHOOT!!!
The Shape of Love is available at Draumr Publishing and Amazon.com. Unless you know me, then I'll have your copy soon!
The cover's too the left.
What the book is about...just in case you forgot!!
Who's To Say What Shape Is Normal...Join three voluptous women as they open their hearts and minds to possibilities beyond the normal...and straight into the paranormal.
Who's Your Alpha? by Vicky Burkholder
Sunny Clark always thought she was the only shape shifter in the town where she grew up. But when she returns for her high school reunion, she is shocked to find that nearly the whole town can turn into one thing or another. Including her teen crush, David Maxwell.
After a challenge for position in the pack, where Sunny defeats the town's Alpha female, the real question becomes does David only want the new Alpha female, or has he always wanted Sunny just as she is?
Out of the Storm by Misty Simon
Sarah James' quiet, almost solitary life changes when she rescues a wet, bedraggled cat out of a raging storm. But he always seems to disappear without explanation, only to return at the oddest times. Is he really lost, or does he have a secret life outside her apartment walls?
Trenton Cutlass has been forced to roam ever since he was cursed into the form of a fat, tabby cat after dusk. No one has ever taken him in...until Sarah. Suddenly, breaking the curse is more important than ever, or he'll have to abandon the lovely Sarah forever.
Sheltered by Victoria Smith
Drugged and lost after escaping a deranged kidnapper, Dane Masters is stuck as his hereditary alternate form. While wandering the streets on four wobbly paws, he's taken in by vet tech Izzy Burnett. Once he has regained his strength, and his memories, Dane realizes he has found his predestined mate. But will he have time to convince Izzy before the kidnapper turns killer?
Well, what are you waiting for?
Behave!!

Oh Boy...

I'm a little worried.
I've got one home today...flu-like symptoms, though it's too early to tell if she really has the flu or if something else is going on. Except she was with children who'd been/were sick. Which is not a big deal considering everyone at her school is coming down with the same thing. We'll see. All I know is that when I called her for school this morning, the response I got zoomed past my B.S. meter without a second thought. Well, that and the fever she's running. She's one that frequently attempts to yank my chain, though this will only be the second day of school she's missed this school year. My B.S. meter is fairly well-honed thanks to K1.
And now we see if this spreads to everyone, or stays localized. (hence the worry)
Our night ended a little later than I would have liked, and now I'm dealing with the after-effects and K2. She's late - woke up late and ohsovery cranky. And, thanks to that, I've had to request favors of time, traffic frustration, and gas to get her to her arts school. None of which would be a problem if K4 wasn't feeling so yucky. And K3's clock is set wrong. He woke me an hour before my alarm was due to go off to tell me we were probably late. Then, he continued to come and harass me about the time every few minutes. Not in a rude way, just in a worried we were late way. Then, he realized his clock was wrong. My day hasn't started off very well.
Anyway.
Today is B's birthday. No, I'm not going to tell you how old he is. We're not doing much this evening. Our usual Monday obligations will pretty much prevent that (if he doesn't get stuck at work). He's not a big fan of his birthday. Never has been, and I've been with him for at least three-fourths of his total birthdays. It's always been the same. I say "happy birthday", and he says "whatever". Though this morning he didn't. I think he felt sorry for me because of all the crap I'd already dealt with.
That's all for now.
Wasn't it enough?
Behave!

Superbowl Sunday

I gotta admit, I'm not too into the Superbowl game (no throwing tomatoes). We are going to a party later, but more to see friends we haven't seen in ages than to root for any particular team. Though, since I don't follow football I'll be rooting for Natalie's team for her. And no, I'm not saying people shouldn't care about the Superbowl - just that I'm usually pretty flat about it.
Anyway.
Yesterday was my monthly RWA chapter meeting. Always a blast. I got to give this year's Chapter Service Award since I won it last year. Had to make a speech, which I pretty much screwed up and shortened by over half due to my nervousness. I'm glad I got to do it though. The person who won totally deserved the award. She and I were brand new together. We sat together at our very first meeting - a little shell shocked, but determined, so the fact that I got to recognize her was pretty special to me. Then, a few of us went to lunch. What a riot. We had so much fun, and I'm not even going to tell you why. (is that mean?)
The Shape of Love will be available pretty darn soon. Trust me, you'll know when.
That's all for Sunday!
Behave!

February Friday

Okay. I'm just going to go there for a brief minute...
Holy cow, it's February already!
What happened to January?
It went fast, and wasn't a terrible, awful month. Of course, it wasn't a fantastical month either. But whatever.
The new Internet installation went well, but wasn't without some irritations. I now cannot get onto the Internet with my laptop - at least not yet. Apparently, I need some kind of network hub, or other thingy that I can't remember the name of. (which I had no idea about, despite asking the guy 3 times and being assured nothing would change) (Imagine my irritation - you already know how I feel about not having Internet. Not that I didn't, but I couldn't do what I wanted to do.) And, the virus protection that came free with the service is only good for one machine - which means I'll have to come up with something else. Anyway. There were a few other snafu's, but nothing major and all is well now. Can't say I think it's any faster, but that's probably due to the ancient computer than the actual service.
Okay. Supernatural.
Oh. Oh. Oh.
The boys are back, and oh my goodness Sammy is starting to grow up. Lots of door kicking and toughness...oh my. I love the toughness, and yet, I still love the emo Sammy. And Dean...oh Dean. The teeth falling out of the woman's mouth grossed me out, but not as much as the maggots got to K2. She had to leave the room. Well, for that and because she said I was making too much noise. Next week is another new episode with another of my favorite characters, Bobby. I can't wait.
We've got freezing rain here. School was delayed this morning, but luckily, my plans for the day weren't significantly altered. It's really cold, and drainage is poor pretty much everywhere - which meant we had to try (note I said try) to jump a very large puddle in front of the school. Actually, several large puddles.
Now I have to go. Emergency call from K2 to save her from walking home the frozen downpour.
Enjoy the weekend, and...
Behave!