Retreat - Wrap up!

Home now and glad to be here! As glorious as retreat was, I missed my family.
So, to wrap up yesterday, the wedding crowd was mostly good. There were only a few incidents. Simon and I hung out with one of the guests until way late. She was a very nice woman and we had a great conversation. The bride invited us to their hang out after the wedding, too. So, I think it was a case of a few bad apples. Though one of our members had some crazy women pounding on her door at 4am. She told her she had the wrong room, and the woman said "who do you have in there with you" and didn't seem to understand she was in the wrong hall. But mostly, it was a quiet night. I will admit that I'm a little bummed that it wasn't more chaos, but I'm really glad it wasn't.
Retreat was fabulous.
I kicked butt in the word count department. Love my new story. Hung out with my friends. Ate way too much. And it was just what I needed. The road trip was awesome. Lunch on the way home was fun. We talked about our dreams to the universe.
Got home to lots of work being done in my house. Windows have been scraped and painted, though there are more to go. K4 has a fort going on in the living room due to late work being done in her room. That's where she slept this weekend. Except she's still in there. K3 is home from a long weekend of boy scout stuff. That Man is wiped from working so hard this weekend.
My laundry is in the dryer. I'm chilling on the couch, gearing up to write a little. We're still in the 50/50 challenge, so I have to do something, regardless of how tired I am.
And I don't want to go back to the real world tomorrow. I want the dream I talked about at lunch.
Behave!

Retreat - Day Three

Last night was interesting to say the least. I crashed around midnight, but the partying from the wedding group continued until the wee hours. To say I am a little nervous about how tonight is going to go would be an understatement. There is security in place, and our host, and the staff, but...
These people are different. They're not nice. Not pleasant at all. We're given dirty looks any time we run into them. Rude comments are made about us and they're rude to the staff here. And loud. Last night one of the women slapped another woman in the face because she "had it coming" as someone else said. The ice machine in our hall was empty all morning because even though only one room in our hall is occupied by them (grr), they'd used all of the ice from the machine where everyone else is staying. The outside area near our hall is a filthy pigsty of cigarette butts, spilled beer, and a toenail. There is beer on the building. There was a broken bottle on the sidewalk, a toilet papered car, and someone stepped on the flowers. The downstairs sitting area is covered in beer caps, beer cans, and pretzels. There's a soaking wet towel with what looks like a burn on it hanging on the railing on the way to our meeting room. And that was all last night.
What do you think tonight is going to be like? There are still 50-some guests to arrive yet. Luggage carts full of beer have been brought into rooms (not for the actual wedding, for private use).
Most of our group is going with the flow. I am trying to as well, but like I said yesterday, I am responsible for our group. I've already been down to the front desk and have been asked to come back after lunch to speak to the director.
We'll see...
I'm sure I'll be back with more later...
Behave!

Retreat - Day Two... Oh Boy...

Here we go with the wedding crowd already! Last year we dealt with an insane wedding on site. It was amusing to some of us, and not so much to others. We went into this year knowing there was already a wedding on the books for tomorrow night and knowing full well that you can never predict how a wedding with booze is going to go. (I'm very glad my daughter decided there would be no booze at her wedding. It makes my job a lot easier!)
This afternoon we heard a ruckus outside of our door. We look out to see people opening the door to the room directly across the hall from the room I share with Simon. They were talking loudly about how so-and-so had the room across the hall (right next to Simon and I). We were a little shocked, but decided to wait and see. They became loud, and a little obnoxious, and people (and copious amounts of booze) seemed to be coming out of the woodwork. Okay. Time to see what's going on. Simon and I head to the desk to talk to our coordinator.
Blah. Blah. Blah. We're given the option to change rooms if things got unbearable, promised there will be security on hand during the wedding, and more talking. After dinner, I went for a quick walk and then back to the dining room via the hall we always use. There's loud music, guys standing in doorways with beers, lots of swearing, and oy! I'm irritated and a little worried about how some of my retreaters are going to feel about the chaos.
Simon and I talk, deciding to ride the wave for now, and run into our "host" on our way back to our rooms. He takes one look at us and asks what's wrong. We pull him out of earshot and tell him. Let me just say that our host is awesome. He told us in no uncertain terms that if anyone messed with us, he would take care of it. We fully believe him. He's been down the hall several times since, though the wedding party is off getting liquored up somewhere else.
I don't really care what the other guests do, but I'm responsible for this retreat and the people here with me. Though I feel a lot better after our talk with our host, I'm still a little nervous. Also - I am taking no crap from other guests. This is my retreat and nothing will make it any less than completely awesome!
I am sure I will have more to report later...
Wait for it...
Behave!

Retreat - Day Two

Forgot to turn my regular work day alarm off. That sucked, but being at retreat is like being on vacation. Sleeping can wait. So I got up, made coffee in the conference room, showered, checked emails, paid the household bills, organized the notes I made last night, and checked in with the family. Had breakfast, of which I did not have to cook or clean up. 

Back to the room to get to work, though I will admit I did a fair amount of goofing off, but that is also what retreat is for. Managed a pretty high word count before lunch. Had lunch, again with the not cooking or cleaning up. And lunch was pretty awesome. Took care of a few retreat administrative duties, felt like a nap. Didn't work. Went to look for my roommate, who I had rudely not told I was going to nap and she ended up disappearing. Couldn't find her, but spent some time talking to another retreater and watching the beer truck for tomorrow night's wedding get unloaded. Find roommate. She's talking about taking a nap. Okay. We will both take naps (not in the same bed. For crying out loud, where is your mind?) Kind of nap until her husband calls. Nap is over. Take a quick walk. Sit down to write this blog. Get a return phone call from one of our members who had a family emergency and couldn't come. Talk to her for a few. Then, go to talk to our treasurer about the return of her funds. Sit down to finish this blog when another retreater comes in excited to have met her goal already. Now it's now. Ready to rock and roll...

My outside view:

The poor disabled bee:

That is all for now!

Behave!

Retreat! Day One!

We arrived safe and sound and in record time! The drive was fun, as always. When you're in a car with your bestest friends, it's always a blast.

Everyone that is supposed to be here now is here. Next up is dinner, then I get to the writing.

At this point, the retreat has already been hugely successful! (and we've only been here a few hours!) I will be starting a new book and I already have figured out the big bad and the end game!! That's huge! I was so very worried my brain was broken.

This is the view from my room!

More later!

Behave!

Pre-Retreat...

I am packed!
Snacks and beverages have been purchased (including adult ones)! The Retreat Swag has already been loaded.
I have a few more things to do - which won't be done until morning. Like packing up my computer, gathering my bathroom stuff, and making sure I have everything...
I know I won't sleep well, or much. Which is fine and normal and okay...
Dang... I am ready!!
Bring on Retreat!!!
I am so psyched!!!
More tomorrow on location!! And maybe pictures!!
(Yes, I think I have used my !!! allotment for today!)
Behave!!

RETREAT!!!!

Only two more sleeps!!
I am 95% or so packed!!
It's out tenth year and it's going to be awesome!!
I cannot wait! I cannot tell you how much this retreat is needed!
I'm going to start a new book. I don't know what yet, but I will!
RETREAT!!!
I will do my best to semi-live blog from Retreat!!
Until then... Aiyeeeee! Retreat!!

Feel Good Friday - The Rainy Saturday Edition

1. Waking up to green out of every window. I'm in The Wilds this morning. Well, not really, but in the same general location. In my sister's house. K4 and I spent the night last night due to shower planning. We made really good progress on the plans. And goofed off some.
2. Sleeping in. (Though... I didn't go to bed until 3am, so I really didn't sleep in.)
3. Making progress this morning - emails caught up on, checkbook balanced, several things checked off of my "to do" list, over a thousand words written so far.
4. Plans for this evening. We're having my folks over for dinner since we are so under the gun for the upcoming events that we have to chain ourselves to the house to get stuff done. Since it's raining today, this works out perfectly.
5. Retreat in 4 days!! I am so excited I can hardly stand myself!
6. Starting a new project at the retreat! I don't know what it's going to be yet.
7. A short week at the day job. I am off Thursday and Friday and have a half day on Tuesday to take K3 to his art's school audition.
8. Baby B.
9. RETREAT!!!!
10. Listening to the kids play Xbox. K3 is at home, but is involved in a game with K4, S, & J who are here. They are cracking me up.
Well, that's it. I need to gather myself together and go home (after I run a million errands).
Behave!

Holy Project Time, Batman

As you know, we're gearing up for chaos, visitors, crazy wedding stuff, summer...
There are so many projects going on in my house at the moment.
1. Bridal Shower Flowers - At least the already painted ones have dried and are now stored. I have my dining room table back. For tonight. I have a bin of assembled, but not fluffed or painted, beside me and a fresh package of filters to begin again. I think I mentioned that these flowers might kill me.
2. Scout project - the scouts are working on their aviation merit badge. My kitchen is covered with airplane stuff. My living room is full of foam airplanes.
3. Retreat! - All of the swag, prizes, and related goodness are stacked in a corner of my living room. Luckily, everything is as put together as it needs to be for now. 8 days!
4. House projects - the pantry is halfway ripped apart, the linen closet, too. Let's not forget the summer clothes that are pulled out, and the winter clothes that have yet to be put away. And the other half-million things hanging over our heads.
5. Wedding stuff.
6. K4's art projects.
There's more, but it's more of the normal kind of thing.
And we have a month...
Oy!
Behave!

Date Night!

*This was supposed to post Saturday night. I don't know why it didn't. I swear I checked and it was there...
Or date day!
I woke to the smell of coffee, followed by breakfast in bed - complete with the coffee and flowers! That Man said it was the beginning of our date.
It was a good beginning.
We talked over several more cups of coffee, and made more flowers for the bridal shower (these flowers are going to kill me, I swear! But they're so pretty and easy to make - unless you have to make a million of them...Oy!) He had plans to do yard work while I went to my writing meeting.
I skipped lunch after the meeting. I wanted to go, but we're totally under the gun with upcoming events and upcoming visitors (we have a month until That Man's brother arrives and the bridal shower - shhh!!). Plus, it was date night!
There was a massive amount of yard work already done when I got home. I helped, but not too much since I had to make flowers, and at this moment in time, I have only one pair of jeans and didn't want to get them dirty before our date.
We dropped the only kid home off at a friends for the night and went to a local steakhouse to use our gift certificate. The service was phenomenal, the food was pretty good, too, and so were my margaritas. We laughed, talked, and had a real chance to just "be" together. After dinner we did some normal errand running - craft store for supplies, grocery store. Then home to sit around the fire with our adult beverages. Alone.
It was a very nice date!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday is back!!

Hello Feel Good Friday!!
It's been a long time! But I'm here now, so let's get this thing started!
1. It's Friday. Yes.
2. Dinner with my boys. The meal was good. The environment not so much, nor was the amount we spent, but we did have fun.
3. Shopping with the men. Bass Pro. Oy. But fun. (It's hard to be the only girl sometimes)
4. Writing meeting tomorrow. Much needed.
5. Yard work and housework that get us closer to being ready for our guests coming soon.
6. Making progress on the wip.
7. Things evening out around here a little. I hope. I think. I'm not sure... But I do hope.
8. Shower planning. We are making some really cool things!
9. Date night with That Man tomorrow night! I am so excited!
10. Sleeping in a little bit tomorrow.
But that's good, right?
Mostly positive, even though I did, purposefully, leave out the negative! Ha! (or not...) There has to be good, right?
Behave!

Tuesday Randomness...

The people in my house are weird!
There has been traffic snafus, random dancing, hair straightening and then curling, wedding letter writing, awkward conversations, hamster cage cleaning, dentist appointments, cereal for dinner (for me. I don't know what anyone else ate), chores done way after dark (with attitude), an email that keeps popping up in my inbox even though I've deleted it sixty-five million times, spam messages that make me want to hit "reply" (I won't, but still...), funeral & calendar conversations, dead laptop batteries, summer camp forms, emails from friends we haven't seen in way too long (and plans to get together. Yay!), more awkward conversations, body part conversations (is it strange that this has its own category?), discussions of upcoming events and how not ready we are...
And all of that was just tonight.
That is all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Sunday Edition!

Hello, Feel Good Friday... Even though it's Sunday and tomorrow is the beginning of what is already destined to be another long week...
Here's the list anyway...
1. Living through the work week.
2. Friday night alone! Yes... I was all by myself. All night. And it was fantastic!
3. Sleeping in like crazy. So beautiful!!
4. Lunch with K1, J, K4, and Baby B!
5. Retail therapy with my girl on Saturday! She got a very cute outfit and sunglasses. (I got nothing, but you know...)
6. Shower planning! It's going to be fantastic!! The kid knows the date, but nothing else!
7. Talking to my mom. She didn't have to say much. I just needed her to listen, and she did that. We had a really good time hanging out!
8. Hot tub. I need one!
9. Sister time. It would have been sweet if the missing sister would have been there, but she couldn't. We had a blast though!
10. Les Mis viewing. Even though I fell asleep!
11. My boys having a fantastic weekend at camp!
12. Being home and normal with my family! So needed!
13. Having all of the kids home for dinner tonight. We had a blast!
14. Baby B and his smiley face!!
There is still a huge amount of stress in this house. I can't explain, but maybe someday I will be able to. It seems that we are on an up and down journey here, and no one knows what to do or say...
That is all!!
Behave!

I'm Hungry...

Okay, so I have a little over 3 months to look smoking hot in my mother-of-the-bride dress. I don't have a ton of tonnage to drop, but enough for me. (don't judge me... because this is totally about me)
I am rocking the diet plan, but oy... today... after a solid week of counting calories and exercising (Okay, so no exercise tonight, but that's not my fault - too much going on, though I did park at the farthest spot in the parking lot.) I am starving!
I've been strong. Very strong. It's almost bed time and I know I'll make it without snacking, but let me tell you, I am looking forward to dinner tomorrow. (Oh, and let me just say, I am not an evening snacker. I haven't been since I was pregnant with K4 and eating after 6 made me sick. I just don't ever think of having a snack. Until tonight.) I don't know what I'm having for dinner tomorrow yet, but it will be a little bit of cheating and very yummy. But not too much cheating. Weekends are always my downfall and I must conquer them.
The scale has finally started to work with me and I am thrilled. (Not that thrilled yet, but hopeful) I need new jeans. In a serious way... and I refuse to buy them until I am feeling more settled with the numbers...
But I am hopeful. And serious. The calculations of what I want to lose and the time I have (which is not exactly the little over three month timeframe because there is stuff before that) stresses me out. I made it through the lunch frenzy at work so far. No cheesesteaks, deli sandwiches with sides and soup, fast food, or snack box purchases for me this week. My lunch is packed for tomorrow and fits with my plan.
I will not falter.
And you totally don't care about this! Ha!
Retreat in 20 days!! Whoot!
Behave!

Or Not...

Yeah, I'm being a little hard on myself. I have been putting effort into a lot of things, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day, or enough of me in the day. I miss Feel Good Friday!
We have a lot going on around here, and while I am doing my best with everything on my previous list, there are so many more things I need to add.
That Man's brother and family arrive in about 5 weeks. For two weeks. Guess where they're staying? Guess who's house looks awful - inside and out? Yeah. That's a big thing. We've been working on it, but between jobs, weather, unplanned snafu's... (like me accidentally locking the keys in K2's truck and her being out of town with the other set. Kind of hard to haul mulch without the truck. Oy!)
You know how I mentioned before about taking care of myself? I am trying, but I think I might have to drag my sorry butt to the doctor. My head hasn't stopped hurting. I'm exhausted all of the time. It's been almost a month since I got the cold that kicked my butt. I'm giving it a few more days before I make the call. Yeah, I know. (Also, it doesn't seem to matter how much I exercise, the scale is stuck. I'm thinking of breaking it into a thousand tiny pieces. And yes, I'm watching what I eat, too! Frustrating!)
The writing is going. Not as much as I want or need, but I'm working on it.
The shower plans are coming along. It's supposed to be a surprise, but we'll see if that actually happens. We have an intensive planning weekend coming up, so I'm hoping to make some serious progress. Other wedding projects are coming together as well.
I am also keeping up with my "to do" list. It keeps growing and I keep running to catch it! Ha!
The retreat is in about 20 days. I cannot wait. I need it so very very badly!
That's all I have for now.
It's time to hit the writing!
Behave!

Effort!

Things have been so nuts here lately!
To be able to feel normal again and because of personal need, here are the things I will be putting more effort into... (besides what I always put it into - kids, husband, day job. Those things will most likely increase as well...) Anyway...
1. Writing. I've been slacking. I know I've had some good reasons and that I've had no choice but to step away from the page. Too much lately. (though I have been writing. I am making really good progress on my goal for the month). But I need to make it a priority over some of the stupid stuff that's been going on.
2. Blogging. Obviously, I suck! I look back on my earlier blogs and I remember how much I love this blog! I want to feel like that again!
3. Exercise. Wedding in less than 4 months. Mother of the bride. Need to rock the dress. 'Nuff said.
4. Organizing this ridiculous house.
5. Shower planning. We're working on it, but there are many details to decide on and a pretty hefty guest list. (This is what happens when the bride and groom come from large families)
6. Other social media - I haven't tweeted in two weeks!
7. Email. Anyone that knows me, knows I usually never leave an email in my box unanswered for very long. That hasn't been the case lately.
8. Taking care of myself. Yes, that should go with #3 and does, but I've had the same stinking cold for 3 weeks now. I haven't been sleeping well, eating right, or taking my vitamins. Or doing other things for my good mental health.
9. Keeping up with my "to do" list! I don't know if you remember how much I normally rely on it!
10. Spending time with That Man. I put this separately from the above, because there's a difference between the above and this point. Don't even ask me when the last time we had time by ourselves... that must be taken care of.
We'll see how I do...
Behave!

Holy Crap!! I Suck!!

Wow! Has it really been that long since I blogged?
Unacceptable! And I'm sorry!! That is if anyone is still here?? *crickets* Okay, so maybe no one is here anymore. Dang!
I have reasons and excuses, but there really isn't any... There are, but you know... Let me give a brief (or not so) list of why...
1. The day job... it's been brutal. Busy, training new people, busy, and totally brain dead by the time my shift ends....
2. Wedding planning. Wow. Crazy stuff...
3. Kid stuff... There's been a lot of this, and to be honest, this is more of the reason I haven't been here than #1. Maybe I'll be able to blog about it all someday, but right now, I just can't.
4. Just crazy busy stuff! Egads! Really!!
5. Lack of sleep!!
But...
1. I have been writing!!
2. Day job should get better soon.
3. Kid stuff.. Some of it is a work in progress. Some of it scares the piss out of me... I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am...
4. Wedding planning... is only going to become more intense, but I love it.
5. Retreat is in a month! WHOOT!!!!!
That is all. I promise to try to be better about blogging.
Behave!!!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

Apparently, I continue to suck at blogging.
It hasn't been 2 weeks yet, so that's a plus.
Let's hit the list, shall we?
1. Living through the week. It's been brutal.
2. Retreat planning. I know I said it last time, but I cannot tell you how much I need retreat.
3. My kid talking to me - even though it's constant and right in the middle of me doing something.
4. Catching up on Supernatural.
5. Managing a little writing time this week.
6. Weekend plans.
7. Finally eating at the Greek restaurant we've been dying to try. It was so good.
8. Wedding plans.
9. Summer plans shaping up.
10. Spring!
I'm off.
Have a good weekend!
Behave!

Well, Shoot!

It's been a long time (2 weeks or so! Yikes!) Sorry about that! Not that anyone is actually here anymore!!
Let me sum up...
1. Crazy vehicle issues, including bringing my beloved 'burban home to die. She's old and she has a lot of miles on her. She's in hospice care now. Our mechanic says he doesn't believe she'll make it through another inspection. :( I don't want a car payment yet!!!
2. Retreat planning! I love it and I cannot wait!!
3. Wedding planning! Were getting there. I also cannot wait!!
4. Shower planning! Oy!
5. Grandchildren! They are both so danged cute!
6. The day job -  Oy! We're down two and it's chaos!!
7. Children - Some are doing good. Some are not. It's tough being a parent sometimes....
8. Sleep - or lack of it.
9. That Man and the stuff he does!
10. Managing the writing, most of the time, through the chaos! Balance doesn't always happen, but when it does, it's beautiful!
That is all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Ummm... Monday? Edition

Well that's just conflict of interests right there! Who writes a Feel Good Friday blog on Monday? Weird! But.. it's what I got at the moment....So let's go with it...
1. Living through last week. This week is already shaping up to be the same... Oy! But tomorrow is Tuesday and it has to be better. Right?
2. Writing meeting Saturday!! It was very good and I made some good goals. (We won't talk about the rejection that rocked my foundation!)
3. Cleaning house... though I really didn't get much done. It looked presentable, but didn't feel like it.
4. Flash mobs! Very cool and so proud of K3!
5. Make up parties for the wedding! We had a blast!
6. Dress pick up. :)
7. Knowing the bridesmaids had a blast at their dinner! I love that they're bonding!
8. Bridal shower planning with my sister! The internets are amazing....
9. Making my writing goals work and kicking butt and taking names! Whoot progress!!
10. Snow in the forecast!
That's it! It's bedtime. Sleep is rare here and I need some!
Behave!!

Wah! The Weekend is Over...

...Or, you know, almost... There are mere hours left!
The Scout dinner went really well. We sold a ton of tickets and were stepping in the kitchen - dishing up spaghetti and sauce, washing dishes, laughing like hyenas at stupid stuff. It was fun. A lot of fun, but, dang, I am still tired. We didn't get home until almost 11pm, didn't go to bed until almost 2am. (Why is there always laundry to do? And other stuff to catch up on? And there was the debriefing since That Man and I were in completely different positions all day and didn't get a chance to talk!)
The good thing is that I got to see my grandson all day! Of course, I was so busy I barely got to hold him, (I did get some good baby time in before we had to leave. He is so stinking cute... cooing at me!) but I loved that my mother-in-law got to hold him for the first time (they've been on mostly lock down due to the flu and the fact that Baby B was early), and that my niece and brother's family got to finally meet him. And that my mom, even though she kept saying she didn't help with the dinner much, took baby duty while we were crazy busy trying to clean up (huge help). Also, I loved showing him off to my friends!
I slept in this morning. Until after 10. Which was not enough even though it was 8 hours. Had to make dip, run to the store for gluten free crackers, pick up K4, get gas, and then rush to a Daytona 500 party at our friends. We got a dog fix, which was much needed and hung out with friends who are super cool and that we don't see enough of.
Now we're home and I need to write!
Behave!!

Feel Good Friday

...but I don't want to be a once a week blogger! Wah! I hope the craziness that is my life at the moment eases soon...Anyway... if there's still anyone here, let's get to the list...
1. Spaghetti dinner prep (dinner tomorrow) - it's insane and a lot of work, but so much fun, too! (this is why I haven't been around this week.) The community loves the Scouts yearly dinner and with a very low crew this year, we've been stepping to get it all done.
2. Some decent writing progress this week!
3. The Princess Bride on TV! Love this movie!
4. Wedding planning.
5. Seeing my grandson tomorrow.
6. Friday! Pizza for dinner. A little sleeping in tomorrow before crazy spaghetti dinner stuff starts.
7. Sunday plans with friends.
8. Exercising regularly this week. I was dying on Wednesday. I could barely walk, but now I am feeling fine and the scale is moving in the right direction. (I even exercised tonight, after my very long day) I must rock the mother-of-the bride dress!!
9. Penny garage sales at the day job. That was awesome and I brought home some very cool stuff!
10. Living through the week... There is a lot to be said about that...
Okay... I will try to be better about blogging, but make no promises at the moment...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The I Suck Edition

I meant to blog this past week! I did! But it just never happened... It was a crazy week, for sure! Anyway... Let's hit the highlights!
1. Grandkid day! Got to see K5 all day. She is so smart and silly. Got to see Baby B this evening. He's getting so big and was actually awake for quite a while!
2. Dinner with all of my kiddos. (that included cramming 5 of us into the clown car and driving up hills and on winding roads) (The 'burban is out of commission at the moment. Quite possibly out of commission forever...)
3. A good Saturday - sleeping in, bagels with my girls, picking up wedding dresses, movie time with the bff, chinese food for dinner, excellent conversations with K4, getting in two missed episodes of Supernatural (I'm still behind!), going out to see my b-i-l's band and a bunch of friends. (Also, getting told I'm sexy by a total stranger - even though it made me laugh. Seriously? Not.)
4. A bunch of really good dinners last week.
5. Writing time - though that hasn't happened yet this weekend.
That's all for now!
Behave!

Stay Off The Sidewalks...

*There's a brand new driver-in-training behind the wheel! Well, not yet, but he will be soon! Yay for K3 for passing his permit exam!
We didn't think we were going to get there today. That Man called me this morning when he realized he'd taken the keys to K2's truck. He offered to bring them to me, but I was sure there was a set on the key rack so I told him not to bother. Only there wasn't. And K2 is away this weekend. With her keys.
So... we're stuck.
K3 came downstairs excited and ready to go. He looked so disappointed and it would be another two weeks until we could get there again. But Grammy rescued us and graciously said she'd take us. Yay!
He's very excited, but said he wants to do some parking lot practice before hitting the road. Smart kid.
*The snow was a huge disappointment for us. I'm sad.
*Our plans for tonight had to be rearranged due to That Man's work schedule. I'm sad.
*Per #7 from Feel Good Friday - I'm working on it. Been thinking about what to do all day, and I might have made a decision. We shall see...
That is all for now...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday...

Okay... so by now I know how much I suck... I know I have the same excuse always... "How did we get to ... blah blah blah", "Sorry, it's been a long week ... blah blah blah", "I would have posted, but... blah" I know this, okay? It's still the truth!
Okay, so it's Friday and my right pinkie hurts so bad it's hard to type... yesterday morning when I woke up the pinkie was a bloody stump... I kid you not... But, through the thumping pain of my digit, I am still here... (no injury, just a very bad dry skin crack that doesn't seem to want to heal... maybe because I have to type...All day, every day...)
My list from this week has some not feel good stuff...but, please note, I am trying to put a positive spin on it....
Here we go...
1. Taxes... Well, they suck. We owe. A lot this year. Thanks to me not having enough taken out. We'll figure it out. Somehow. The good part - I know in advance and can plan, and have already taken corrective action.
2. Wedding planning - K2 has such a great group of girls as her bridesmaids. I only (kind of) personally know one of them besides K4 and S, but the bridal shower/bachelorette party plans are coming together and everyone is very exited about getting to know each other. This is where friendships are made and I love it.
3. The 'burban is parked until we can get it to the shop for inspection. It's leaking oil like you would not believe. I put 4 quarts in it when I left work on Wednesday, and it was out by the time I got home. Bad thing - I don't want a car payment yet, but oy! we might have to consider it. Good thing  - our mechanic is a very good friend of ours, so he'll give us the straight poop and let us know if it's worth fixing (and I hope he says that)! The other bad thing - it's our only 4X vehicle and it's a snowy weekend, which means other plans might have to be scrapped...
4. Potential plans that include seeing my adopted sister and my boys. I have not seen them for far too long! I hope - really hope - the weather cooperates!!
5. My kid in dealing with the loss of one of his classmates. We still don't really know what happened, but the band/chorus kids are so strong and so close. It was amazing and heartbreaking to watch them deal with this. I am sad. And so proud of them all.
6. Another chance at the permit test tomorrow. Weather permitting.
7. Writing time. Even though I have no idea what I'm doing at the moment!
8. Hopefully having time to sort out #7 this weekend!
9. Sleeping in tomorrow! Oh, yes, please!
10. The week being over... Next week will be interesting for sure.
That is all... I will try to be better about posting, but I make no promises!!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday... The Sunday Edition

Time goes so fast!!
It's late and I have to be at the day job tomorrow... Let's just get to the list...
1. Living through last week. It was brutal at times, but worked out in the end. I think.
2. Writing meeting on Saturday. Good meeting. Fun meeting. Great speaker.
3. A second viewing of Les Mis. Awesome!
4. Out with the fam for That Man's birthday! What a blast!
5. K5 today! She is such a joy!
6. Wedding dress shopping this afternoon. We had so much fun! The bride's dress and the maid of honor's dress have been purchased! And right, I mean perfectly, on budget! I am so excited for wedding planning!
7. Having most of the kids home tonight. (We were only missing K2's J). Good fun. Much fun. Baby B.
8. Baby B is getting so big! And he's so beautiful. We had a very long conversation about how weird his parents are. I think he understood... LOL
9. That man... Dinner was made. Dishes were done. Laundry also. He listened to our retelling of our bridal shop experience and didn't even cry when he saw pictures of his daughter in her dress.
10. Future plans - from dinner with friends, to bridal showers, to shopping for my dress, shopping for suits, wedding favor and decoration making, cross country visits, remodeling some of our house, potential new car purchases, and making an effort to hang out with the people we love as much as possible ... I'm looking forward to all of it, even though I know some of it will wear me to the bone (like the constant wedding stuff, remodeling, and purchases)...
It's going to be a great year! And, holy crap, it's February already!!
Behave!

Weird Wednesday...

1. Our weather here is weird. It was spring-like warm today. And rainy. Tomorrow's high will be first thing in the morning, with dropping temps throughout the day. The rain we get overnight is supposed to be torrential.
2. It's only Wednesday. All day, I thought it was Thursday. Now I have a disappoint.
3. We're under a "boil water advisory" here. That's pretty sucky. K4 was terrified to take a shower tonight, because she thought she'd get diseased. I have cases of water, jugs of water, and that was a stupid expense to have to undertake. No, they won't go to waste, but still... At least the store had a very ample supply and the manager was checking it often. I am constantly reminding my family not to drink the water. They forget.
4. My Amaryllis is in bloom. It is so pretty! We have four flowers and a bud so far, and another stalk popped out. It's a beautiful flower and I'm just impressed that we managed to keep it alive for over a year! (The kids got it for us for our anniversary in December last year)
5. I have to give a presentation at work next week. My title "Check yourself before you wreck yourself". Management has approved it. My alternate title is "Whoa, Nelly. Slow the heck down.". I think I should probably work on that, because tomorrow is Thursday (I almost wrote that today is Thursday) and I have to present it on Monday.  Plus I have to get my final draft approved before the meeting.
6. Detox update: 3 pounds down, bitches! Monday pretty much sucked. I ate things I wasn't supposed to (I was so hungry!) and I refused to weigh myself Tuesday. Tuesday I did well, though I fell off of the diet soda wagon in the evening, but not too hard. Today I did well, too. (we're just not going to discuss the diet soda thing anymore, okay? I am trying and I am doing so much better than before) The tea is growing on me, and I am so thirsty! I will continue because the wedding is in 6 months, not 8 months! Yikes! Must rock my mother of the bride dress!!
7. The writing is going pretty good. I have been kind of waylaid tonight. Some events from today have stalled my progress, but I've already met my goal for the month. I am still digging the new story. A whole lot.
8. My refrigerator is haunted. It still makes noises like it's got an icemaker. It doesn't. But we still hear ice dropping and water kicking on to refill. The water isn't even hooked up to it.
9. The cat is crazy. She is in psycho mode tonight. I need to check to see if she got into the catnip,,,
That is all...
Behave!!

Sunday Recap...

Today was cooking day. I don't know why... because I felt like it, because it's been so long since I've had the chance, because I wanted to...
I slept later than expected (like for ten hours straight), clipped coupons, and headed to the store. I only needed a few things, but ended up spending almost $60. (I saved $10 though)!
1. The homemade coffee creamer was excellent. I added the raspberry puree left over from yesterday's breakfast and it was so much better. (Plus, no chemicals and very little sugar)
2. The breakfast burritos are in the freezer. The kids are excited about them.
3. The avocado chicken salad is on hold due to not ripe avocados. Everything else is ready.
4. I made crockpot cashew chicken for dinner. The recipe needs tweaked, but it was kind of okay. (Everyone else loved it. I was disappointed.) Not sweet enough, not enough liquid, a little too salty (that could be me) though I followed the recipe. I added portabella mushrooms at the end. I should have added the broccoli, too, but there wasn't enough liquid. I'll try it again, but with modifications.
5. Tomorrow's dinner is ready to go. It'll be put in the crockpot in the morning.
Laundry is done. The house is in decent shape. I even put the Christmas dishes away and organized under the bathroom sink.
I'm not looking forward to the regular grind tomorrow brings, especially since I saw we're supposed to have a "wintry mix".
I'm going detox tomorrow - no diet soda, no booze, limited caffeine, nothing prepackaged or manufactured - a modified system tailored to my personal findings. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited about it because I hope to give my metabolism a boost and begin getting rid of the last of the tonnage I want to shed. Less than 8 months until the wedding, and I need to rock my mother-of-the-bride dress. Also, I need new clothes and refuse to buy them until I'm at my goal weight.
And now... I must make some serious writing progress. I have a few hundred words so far, but that's not enough...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday I Suck Edition!

Man! I do suck. No posts since Monday? I don't blame you if you're not stopping by anymore!
If you still are, my apologies! This week was one of those weeks. You know the kind I mean... the week you hope to never have again, but know you will. But a new week is upon us, so let's focus on the good stuff!
1. Making it to Friday.
2. A nice adult beverage when I finally got home.
3. Beautiful sparkly snow, even if I had to shovel.
4. The snow changed our plans, we had movie & pizza night instead.
5. Sleeping in this morning. And sleeping in tomorrow morning.
6. Baby B. He's growing so fast - still teeny tiny, but filling out and staying awake for longer stretches.
7. K5 time on the horizon.
8. Shopping day with my girl. Window shopping, candle smelling, haircut (for her), random stops for iced coffee and french fries, grocery shopping (not so fun, but we're trying some new recipes, so it was kind of exciting!), dinner out, frozen yogurt, more movies.
9. Talking plot ideas with her. I love that her brain works the same way mine does. I had an idea earlier and she right away gave me a great title. Once I get farther into this, I'll see what brainstorming is like with her.
10. Writing time! And no, I'm not abandoning my current project. I'm in need of a short break to refocus.  It happens, especially when there's a lot of outside stress going on.
Tomorrow consists of a first thing trip to the grocery store to obtain missing items before the cooking begins. We made homemade coffee creamer already. I can't wait to try it though I'm afraid it's going to be too sweet since I used coconut almond milk instead of regular milk. I might have to tweak it some, but we'll see. I'm going to try making breakfast burritos for the week. We'll see how that works out. Then, preparing myself for another week... Oy!
Okay. Going back to the work-in-progress.
Behave!

Oy! Monday!

What a day! And I don't mean that in a good way!
It's cold! Horribly cold and the wind is blowing. I know it's January, but like I always say, if it's going to be cold, it should be snowing! It did snow a little earlier. Definitely not enough, but it was pretty coming down.
And the furnace was dead this morning. Neither That Man or I had time to restart it, so the kids (who had off today) had to deal with a frigid house. They did fine. Luckily we have the little fireplace that does a good job of warming the downstairs. It really wasn't too cold when I got home, which is good.
We won't talk about the bulk of my day... It should be sufficient to say that when it was over, I was glad.
I got some crappy news and that sucked!
Still... there were good things!
Baby B stopped by to see his Nanners. Well, technically, not to see me since he barely opened his eyes. He slept pretty much the whole time he was here, but he got lots of kisses. He is so cute and perfect!
Easy dinners. Still had to cook (and go to the store), but it could have been worse. (I'm ignoring the things I should have bought, but forgot, which means I'm also ignoring the fact that I'll have to go back tomorrow and then go other places in the frigid freezing cold.)
The kids cleaning up. The guys had a meeting here tonight and even though the guys they were meeting with don't care and probably wouldn't have noticed, I was still very glad not to come home to what I saw when I left this morning.
Weekend recap:
The kid didn't get his permit, because the testing place was closed due to the holiday. Oy! We were both very disappointed and I had to soothe his pain with a trip to the fancy grocery store for loose tea. (His new thing) That Man is taking a half day to get the permit done this week. If he doesn't it'll be March because K3 can't go on the weekends now because of the play.
The rest of the day was shopping, cooking, laundry, writing, bill paying, a quick trip to see Baby B. I filled my truck for $23.96 - saving $88.00! Not my best, but close! Love it!
Saturday night was good and fun and so needed!
Sunday with K5 was also good and fun and perfect! She said to me: "Nanners, I love you. You are my best friend." And my heart melted. God, I love that kid.
I did need another day to recover from my weekend, but that wasn't going to happen. Thank goodness this Monday is over... Though the week ahead doesn't look like a fun and shiny one at this point...
Whatever!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

Yes, I am a slacker!
It has been a crazy, crazy week! And now it's Friday! (Really it's Saturday, but since I'm not in bed yet...)
Let's see...
1. Baby B! So stinking cute and doing so fantastically! He's got the best parents!
2. This work week being over. Thank goodness!!
3. Heart to hearts with K2.
4. My Amazon order arriving! Who else could be so excited over iPod cable clips and headphones?
5. Good writing progress this week.
6. K5 on the horizon! (Wow! I'm a grandmother of 2! How weird is that? I. Am. Not. Old.)
7. My house being mostly clean and presentable.
8. Sleeping in tomorrow.
9. Nearly $3. a gallon off of gas! (or close to that - grocery store first, then gas)
10. Impromptu Friday night gatherings. Okay, so That Man and I were supposed to have some alone time tonight. Never happened. Instead we got Baby B, K1 and J, S and J, my sister and niece and my niece's boyfriend, my parents, J's friend, and all K's in the house at the same time (never happens anymore)... and it was so good! (I do still want/miss my alone time with That Man though!)
That is all...
Behave!!

Dear...

Dear Baby B,
You are so beautiful and perfect and tiny! I am so thankful I've been able to see you every day of your life so far! (I know tomorrow will be different, but we'll see you again soon!) You are such a blessing and we cannot wait to watch you grow. You are very loved.

Dear K2,
Wedding planning is upon us! I'm excited! Dress shopping is first, then all of the crafting! It's going to be a blast!

Dear Idiot Neighbors,
It's bad enough that you think it's funny to park right in front of my house when there's an open space in front of yours. (You are a jerk) (Though how did you like it when I thwarted you on Thursday? While you were trying to park in front of my house? Ha!) But when you decide to go somewhere at 6am on Saturday, and get into a screaming match with each other... in front of my house... Well, my opinion of you has dropped even lower and I'm not sure that's possible. Move already!

Dear Waterbed,
Did you have to blow a seam on an insanely busy day? Did you have to cost us so much cash to fix you, and why are you not warm enough to sleep on yet? (We averted disaster though, which is always a good thing. But, Oy!)

Dear Mother-in-law,
I am so happy you are now living in a place you can thrive! You have activities, transportation, people your age (and one of the bff's mothers right next door! How cool is that?), a very cute apartment, and lots of closets! You are happier than I have seen you in many years, and I am so excited for you! But I will miss you being our neighbor! You lived behind us for so long, it's already weird that you're not here! (And I still am jealous of your awesome little crockpot!)

Dear Saturday,
Enough already! We're done! Moving, unpacking, organizing, and making sure the m-i-l had everything important handy, teenagers in the car, unfortunate scheduling for learner's permit (dang. next week), phone calls to find a new waterbed mattress, draining the leaky one, trying to do laundry, buying stupid expensive waterbed stuff, grocery shopping, new mattress set up, cooking dinner for the new parents and the m-i-l, drained hot water heaters, empty gas tanks, dropping K3 at the theater for a movie with friends only to get a call that he said the wrong theater and we had to backtrack to pick him up to take him to the right one, emergency stops for the d-i-l, baby holding, baby crying, crazy cats (K1's -  that cat is psycho!) heavy fog, idiot drivers, the bed being too cold to sleep on, dirty dishes, laundry, hurting feet, hurting knees, waiting for the kid to come out of the movie theater, stink bugs, stupid zits, drained bank account... Oh seriously!?
Oh wait... Saturday is over! Yay! I'm sleeping in! And writing! And doing laundry! Yay me!! Why do I always need a weekend to recover from my weekend?
Behave!

Feel Good Friday

This week is easy!
1. Baby B! I got to hold him tonight! He is so fantastically adorable and perfect!
2. My daughter-in-law for being a champ and being such a good mommy! And my son for making everything so much easier for his wife!
3. K3 for actually wanting to hold Baby B. He has always had good baby skills, he just chooses not to exercise them!
4. This work week being over! A whole lot of time could pass before another week like this! I'd say it was a bad week, but Baby B changed all of that!
5. That man making a fantastic dinner tonight!
6. Chilling with the younger K's.
7. That man's mom moving to a place that will make her happy and keep her safe! It will be so weird and sad not to have her so close, but it's a good, and needed, move for her.
8. Some good writing time this week!
9. K5 time in the near future!
10. Having an adult beverage at the end of this long week!
Behave!

Baby News!

I'm a grandma again! (Or a Nanners!)
K1 and J were over last night and we were joking about K2's prediction that Baby B would be born today! They left early because J was exhausted. An hour after they left I got a call that they were going to the hospital. Eventually, they sent her home because things weren't progressing, but they ended up back this morning!
And Baby B is here! (K2 is gloating because she chose the right day!)
He is tiny and beautiful and very angry to be out in this cold weather! Mommy is doing great, too! Daddy is proud and psychotically tired!
I haven't gotten the chance to hold Baby B yet. His temperature was too low and he was swaddled with his mommy to try to bring his body temp up. Tomorrow! We stayed long enough to see him and make sure everyone was okay. Everyone needed to get some sleep, including us! But That Man and I are in love with this teeny tiny little guy!
And my adopted sister is being induced tomorrow!
Babies all around!
Behave!!

The End of the Holidays...

Or the beginning of the end...
The tree is down. The millions of needles are in the trash, on my porch, and stuck in places I'll find for the next ten months. Let's just say that dead thing should have come down at least a week ago, maybe even the day after Christmas. (But K5 loved that it was still Christmas here!)
The decorations have been wrapped and stored. Okay. Most of them. I still have dishes to pack away, kitchen crap to take care of, but I'll do that another day. The special "scary" Christmas box I use for my oldest every year has been successfully hidden so he doesn't find it to take it away. (It's from probably the 1970's and has the scariest looking little kids on it. I always find something to wrap in it for him!)
The cat is freaked out beyond belief. Her little buddy, the rat has been moved to a place that's not quite comfortable for her to watch. She came here after the tree was already up, so she is a little confused by all of the rearranging.
Oh... and it's still Monday... Hopefully by this weekend, we will have a new learner's permit in the house. Oy!
Now to write!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Sunday Edition

Whew! What a long weekend!
Let's get to the list already...
1. K5 time. All day! We had a blast and I'm exhausted!
2. The baby shower going very well! The kids got a lot of nice things and we had a blast hanging with friends.
3. My first writing meeting without being on the board. It's been about 9 or so years... It's kind of strange and also good. I know I'll end up running for another board position once my 2 year's are up, but for now, I'm going to enjoy sitting in the back of the room.
4. Running around with That Man.
5. Wedding plans starting to come together.
6. Two 16 year olds and a 13 year old making breakfast while singing Les Mis songs.
The not so good...
1. The battery died in my truck. We got it taken care of, but the whole process was a pain...
2. On the way back from picking up a battery (one that was dead, too), a deer ran into That Man's car. Full on - into the driver's side door. The car's a little jacked and he had to bend the door to get it to close. The mirror was shattered. Oy.
3. A second trip had to be made do get a working battery during the time I was trying to prep for the baby shower.
4. Now that we've had Christmas with K5, the very dead tree needs to come down. I don't know when we're going to have time to do that this week.
5. No writing time this weekend! Actually, I'm heading there now so at least that's something...
Behave!

Welcome, Cera duBois!

Join me in welcoming friend and amazing writer, Cera duBois!
Cera, thanks for stopping by. My blog is yours...
***

Thank you, Vicki for letting come on your blog today.

Recently while answering interview questions for the release of my debut contemporary western romance, I came across one that had me revisiting one of the hardest scenes I’d ever written.

I think the question was probably asking which scene was the hardest to write because of writer’s block or for technical reasons. But I chose the scene from my latest release, A Hunter’s Blade, as one of the toughest to write for emotional reasons.

The scene is one of the turning points in the story and it involves the heroine’s cabin being set on fire and the hero having to save her life. Brigit is a 365 year old Lykan (she was born a werewolf) and  the hero is a yearling vampire. Both of them have one thing in common—fire is one of the very few things that will kill them.

What made this scene so hard for me wasn’t writing the technical ins and outs of the fire or the action of the hero trying to find a way into the inferno before it totally engulfed the cabin. This scene had me in tears and had me seriously trying to come up with an alternative scene because I wrote it literally days after my younger brother’s funeral.

In September 2011, my 36 year old brother sustained fatal burns from a fire that had destroyed his home. We hadn’t been close for years, but I loved him and by writing this scene it had me reliving what he may have experienced. Needless to say, it was tough and hopefully I never write another scene that as emotionally drained me as that one did.

Have you ever written or read a scene that emotionally exhausted you?

~*~*~

Blurb:

Brigit Wolfe, a born werewolf, hasn’t killed a human in over a hundred years, although now, she wonders if the animal attacking people in Silver Creek, Colorado, isn’t her. But she might have bigger problems when her cowboy neighbor, Austin Calhoun, ambles into her bar. Austin hasn’t been a vampire for long, but he is determined to prove to himself that he’s worthy of his hunter’s dagger. Brigit’s rare beauty and blade-sharp tongue enchants him. She ignites a passion he thought was dead, but is she the killer his master sent him to destroy? During Austin’s investigation regarding Brigit’s involvement in the deaths, an old crime surfaces connected to her human best friend. These two immortal enemies have to join forces to solve the mystery before someone else dies. But can they survive the heat of their own desire?

Excerpt:

She stopped in front of him and growled, “Let’s get something established about werewolves. There are two kinds. The lesser wolves who are made. And the Lykan who are born. I’m not one of the degenerates. I was born a Lykan in 1647. The first child of Valeriu and Elena. I’m an alpha and you are nothing more than a fledgling just hatched.”

He broke free of her power by drawing on his own. When he moved toward her, Austin held his hands to his side, ready to grab the hunter’s dagger sheathed inside his jacket. His fangs had long ago descended ready for a fight. “I don’t really give a flying fuck whether you were made, born, or hatched.”

When the energy of Brigit’s power touched him again, he pulled the silver blade. “I want to know if you’re the one preying on these people.”

Her eyes widened and she backed up a step as he approached. “I told you I didn’t attack those humans. I haven’t killed a mortal in over a hundred years. How many innocents have you snacked on tonight? How many of them did you want to kill?”

“I don’t hurt my prey,” he said through clenched teeth. He’d never let her know battling the beast within every feeding was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “If you didn’t kill those people then you have nothing to worry about. Best way to figure out who did is by working together.” He put the sliver blade away, and his fangs retracted.

“What do you have planned?”

Austin didn’t miss the slight quiver in her voice. “We begin with you telling me everything you remember from those nights you became the big, bad wolf.”

Buy Links:

Amazon | The Wild Rose Press | Barnes and Noble

~*~*~

Bio:

Cera duBois has a strong belief in never giving up on your dreams…

Although Cera was unable to read due to dyslexia and a learning disability until she was in the fourth grade, she always had a story to tell. She wrote her first novel in eleventh grade when she had to keep a journal for her academic English class. Since her life was far from exciting growing up as a farm girl in West Central Pennsylvania, she decided to rely on her imagination to give her something to write about. Over the course of the school year, she wrote a tangled romance set in the Deep South during the Civil War.  Becoming an author was her ultimate dream. Despite holding a BS in secondary social studies education from Penn State University, she currently works full-time as a medical secretary. A mother of a teenage son and pre-teen daughter, she lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband of nearly 20 years. If she isn’t sitting in a quiet corner with her laptop, warm days will find her in the English garden surrounding her house. Cera loves to read and is interested in history, romance, science fiction and the paranormal. She also writes contemporary Westerns under her real name of Sara Walter Ellwood.

Website Links:

Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter

***

Thanks, Cera! I can't wait to read A Hunter's Blade! 

Behave!

The First Day...

Look at that! Two posts in one day!
I have several friends who believe you should do everything you love and want to do often in the new year on New Years Day. It's taken me a while, but I've slowly shifted my thinking and actions to do the same. I think it's pretty cool and what a fun day!
Here's my day:
1. Sleeping in. (maybe a necessity due to not going to bed until 3:30 am, but it was still nice!)
2. Retreat planning and emails! Gotta love retreat!
3. Eating breakfast with my family.
4. Writing!
5. Talking to friends!
6. Sharing the house stuff with the family, so not one person is doing everything!
7. The movies with my family and friends. Loved Les Miserables so freaking much!! I'm thrilled the K's loved it as much as I do, and That Man, too.
8. Napped.
9. Visited friends. We dropped off their baby gift, got a tour of their new house addition, got a very good puppy fix, a bottle of wine, and some laughs!
10. Ate good food.
11. Laughed. A lot.
12. Talked to That Man about a lot of things.
13. Scratched my kitty girl and listened to her purr.
14. Didn't sweat the small stuff - there wasn't a lot of it today, but I tried to keep most of the negativity at bay.
So in all... a very good day. I could use one more day to relax and recharge, but it's back to the grind for all of us tomorrow...
The crazy busy weekend is coming... Oy!
Behave!

Everything is Shiny and New!

Hello 2013!!
It's nearly 2am in the very early hours of the brand new year. Our New Year's Eve was spent playing Xbox games with the kids and 'rents. We chopped fruit, laughed, played arcade games, raced, ate, drank a little, laughed, ate some more... Things were quiet here and that's how we wanted it. Yeah, we missed our friends and family, but this was how New Year's Eve worked out for us this year... It happens... (and we're still recovering from "the cold")
So... here's my Thankful list for 2012:
1. My family - I couldn't ask for better people to share blood and last names with! And there are none better than the people who are in no way related, but are family no matter what!
2. My friends - There is no way I could have survived 2012 without them. (1 & 2 are kind of a merged thing)
3. That Man... Always. After 26 years of marriage and 4 years of dating (holy crap... that's 30 years!!), all I have to say is.. He's a Saint!
4. K5... because she's the best.
5. My son meeting the love of his life and saying "I do".
6. My daughter planning her wedding with the love of her life.
7. My son (the younger one) finding his calling and reaching for it with both hands and feet!
8. My daughter (the younger one) coming into her own and being so much like me that it scares me! lol!
9. The ideas in my head, because it means my dream is not dead.
10. New babies - my grandson due before the end of January, my "adopted" sisters daughter due this week,  our very good/best friends new grandchild due in the summer... New babies are hope and love and awesomeness!
Happy New Year!
Behave!!

2012 in Review...

January - Late 2011 in review, my take on resolutions, new Supernatural, the flu, first meeting as president of my writing group (and not passing out), jackhammers until 2am due to a broken gas line in the street out front, beach trips with the besties, Supernatural, snow!, "Dear" letters, reposts, Tall Tale Tuesdays...
February - videos from friends with good points, That Man's birthday, My sister's birthday, new projects, Supernatural, iPhone!, more sickness, taxes, Valentine's visits to K5, crappy weeks, scout events, rejections, breast cancer rears its ugly head in my family.
March - kids in car accidents, nights out with That Man, retreat planning, bad days, X-box parties, friends, sleep, dinner with friends, the weather getting better, Netflix, gnomes...
April - kids being grounded, dinner with friends, K5, Easter, waiting to hear on the breast cancer, finding out about The Hobbit movie, Supernatural, mini class reunions, retreat planning, revisions, hurting eyes, lost eyeglasses, still in love with the iPhone, psycho weather, K2's wrist surgery, French exchange students, hives, weekends alone!
May - More revisions, girls night with my sisters, promotions at the day job, Mimosas, Retreat!, kid performances, prepping for summer, missing summer vacation...
June - Shaving my head because breast cancer sucks, mammograms, zombie writing, alone time with That Man, Snippets, bald pictures, good weekends, the flu, tagged for the work in progress, kids being at camp, Summer Survival Journal, street fairs, mini-vacations, K5 turning 2!, storms, camping, birthday party for K5!
July - Camping, kayaking, Magic Mike, Summer Survival Journal, baby bluebirds, sick kitty, camp prep, wedding planning, summer camp, Hello-Goodbye dinners, planning for the beach, more summer camp, Good Night, Sweet Kitty (I still miss my kitty boy).
August - K5 and pink ice cream, baseball games, birthday parties, Eagle ceremonies, ice, revisions, silly posts, the news of new babies, wedding dates, wedding planning, the dead iPhone!, a wonderful time at the beach, getting my iPhone back, more wedding planning, sick puppies, saying goodbye to our dog :(, missing Abbie, school starting, new books, bugs.
September - baseball games, wedding planning, Dr. Who, paycheck snafu's that could have potentially screwed up the wedding, flower making, painting, planning, (this will be the theme for 2013 - just hopefully not the paycheck snafu), a beautiful wedding! - so proud of my son, wedding pictures, Farm Aid!, K5.
October - writing, organizing, K5, the Detox diet, Supernatural, post-wedding survival, lizards in the basement (I still have not seen it), kids moving out, Ren Faire!, K2 going to Rome!, dead hot water heaters, pumpkin carving with K5, a 16 year old!, K5, Frankenstorm, excited for my new grandson, birthday parties, Frankenstorm let down.
November - winning with the water heater company and getting the replacement part for free (yes, we went a long time without hot water, but we managed, and now we know we can survive the zombie apocalypse), k5, vehicle issues, last minute school projects, performing kids, baby showers, K5, November wreckage, school plays, funny kids, moving the kids, Thanksgiving with the family, Christmas trees with the scouts, Sometimes, my sister's Etsy shop, kids getting major roles in the school spring musical, looking forward to Christmas, K2 turning 21!
December - Holiday parties, a new kitty, Christmas trees, taking K5 shopping and her hysterical choices, dog fixes, stepping down as president (because I have no choice - my term limit is up) after a pretty decent year, tree decorating with the kiddos, frozen yogurt for dinner, plans for tacos for Christmas dinner, Spenser (our new kitty) getting used to us, Christmas plays with work - food and good performances, the great bedroom renovation of 2013 getting started, being tagged, Girls night with my sisters, birthday planning, crazy schedules!, The Hobbit, K4 turning 13!, Our anniversary, frustrating major gift deliveries, rat baths, good feelings, sickness, snow... (1 day left, but I don't think anything significant is going to happen...)
That was my year - or at least part of it - as I read through this, I realize I didn't post half of the stuff that happened. That sucks, and I'll try to do better in 2013. I missed a lot of Dr. Who and a lot of Supernatural, a lot of good stuff, and some of the bad, too. I also missed a lot of writing things...and some frustration...
That is all..
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Snow Edition

It's snowing! Or it was...Seems to be done now. That man and that boy are out plowing snow for pay. I miss them being here for the snow day, but it'll be a nice bonus to the family income. Anyway...
Let's get to the list, shall we?
1. Snow! Yay!
2. Sleeping for 11.5 hours. Never mind that the sleep was brought on by a fever and massive cold.
3. Christmas being so good!
4. K3 and K4 digging their Christmas presents!
5. Wedding chaos.
6. Baby Shower chaos.
7. Lord of the Rings marathon with K4. The Hobbit has renewed my love of all things LoTR. I was supposed to go see it again tonight with the birthday girl and the BFF, Misty, but this nasty cold, the lack of a snow-worthy vehicle, and the weather has forced me to stay home. Bummer.
8. Les Miserables on Tuesday!
9. Low key plans for New Year's Eve. Good plans, but quiet ones.
10. Looking forward to the new year... Year in review coming tomorrow!
Behave!

Post Christmas...

Christmas was wonderful. And yes, that feeling I posted about stayed until late evening when I realized it was time to go back to reality!
It's Thursday already. Yay for short weeks!
Today was my 2 year anniversary at the day job. Unbelievable that I've been there that long. I got a delivery of beautiful pink flowers and was thanked for my service. And it was a crazy busy day.
The snow didn't last long, but it was cool while it did. Now the wind is howling as we watch another storm roll in for the weekend. Yay! Hello, winter!
I also seem to have received K4's illness. Joy. At first I thought it was the flowers, not that I'm allergic, but smelling them constantly all day... well, I'd hoped that was why my muscles were aching, my head and throat hurt, and my sinuses filled up. Apparently not. While the flowers are now in my house (being eyed up by the cat), my symptoms have gotten worse. I feel like I've been up for four days straight - every muscle aches, my head feels detached, I'm sneezing and my nose is running.
Still...I'm doing laundry, the dishes have been washed and put away, lunches packed... and I'm done... I'm catching up on email and thinking about how to get through the day tomorrow.
This time next week, I'll be deep in baby shower / housewarming / wedding shower mode, finishing up my term as president with transferring some official documents, and it'll be 2013. Then, the official wedding planning begins. We'll be having Christmas with K5 somewhere around there, and then the new grandson arrives. Also, my adopted sister's baby girl is due any time now and I need to deliver the baby gift.
Oy! I'm going to bed...
Behave!

The Night Before...

The younger K's are in bed. (K4 on the verge of another cold. She reeks of Vick's. K3 is busy downloading music thanks to his gift card.) K1 and J are safely at their home after hanging out with us at the 'rents, hoping baby B doesn't decide to make an early appearance. (She's been having some strong contractions. He's not due for a month!) K2 and J are here, sipping adult beverages, and watching a movie with us. They're spending the night. This is their last Christmas as an unmarried couple.
Laundry is in the washer, though it'll probably stay there all day tomorrow. I have frosting, guacamole, and taco prep to do tomorrow. And a birthday present to wrap. Santa has already dropped his load because we'll be in bed soon.
It snowed! It's so beautiful outside.
My only Christmas wish is for the way I'm feeling right now to continue through tomorrow. I am happy, excited, content, peaceful, and feel loved.
I hope all of your Christmas wishes come through.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Pre-Christmas Sunday Edition

I suck as much this week as I did last week! What craziness! Friday was the earliest we managed to get home and it was almost 9pm... I only cooked dinner one night, I think. Between Scout stuff, Christmas stuff, work stuff... Yeah, well, you get the picture. It's a pretty good chance your week was similar.
Here's the good stuff...
1. Surviving.
2. After fighting, frustration, and finally having to drive to the delivery company for pick up, the kid's big gift is in house. I've been with this company for a long time, and I won't ever order from them again. (Not the delivery company, the place where I ordered the gift) (and no, I can't talk yet, it's too risky and it's a huge surprise!)
3. Celebrating 26 years of marriage with my best friend.
4. All of the presents are wrapped, the house is almost clean, laundry is almost done... I'd hoped to be done by yesterday, but it was an unreasonable goal.
5. Cooking tomorrow! We are having tacos for Christmas dinner for K4's birthday. I need to make her cupcakes - red velvet with cream cheese frosting, guacamole, cookies, and food for Christmas Eve at the 'rents.
6. Getting to see The Hobbit with the K's tonight. Great movie. I am still in love with the world. I don't think that will ever change.
7. Looking forward to tomorrow and Tuesday.
8. Snow in the forecast! Yay!
That's enough for now. We won't talk about the bad - my truck not starting, the complete obliteration of my bank account, the constant changing of plans for tomorrow and Tuesday with one of the K's, no writing done, the leak in my washing machine, the frustration of #2, having to give a rat a bath, the fact that it's nearly midnight and our bed is full of clean laundry that needs to be put away. Oy!
I hope to be back tomorrow, so I'll save my Christmas wishes for then!
Behave!

Wow! I Suck!

I will blame my lack of posts on the insanity of my current schedule!
Feel Good Friday was spent hanging out with my sisters! We had a blast! I slept in a supposedly haunted room (nothing happened), watched hookers, pimps, and some odd dude dressed in red that we named "Freakademous" and was the official "lightweight" of the evening.
There has been chorus concerts, room cleaning and switching, sick kids, new sinks, car repairs....
Christmas is kicking my ass!
I have not finished shopping yet. Okay, I've taken care of one thing each for the younger K's, one small thing for all of the kids, and one thing for That Man. And I have to take care of the shopping for work (don't know how that happened), help That Man with the Scout shopping and party prep... And we have dentist appointments, clean up Scout nights, Christmas parties, and our anniversary is Friday...
At the same time, I am in the middle of planning a party (wedding/housewarming/baby shower) for K1 and J, planning K4's 13th birthday, K2's 21st birthday get together...
Having fun though. I haven't baked a single cookie...
Even though the end of the world will happen soon... Then it's wedding planning and new babies...
Wow!
Behave!

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by Misty Simon to do this... so here goes...

1. What is the working title of your book? Tattered
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I am totally fascinated by what would happen if the world as we know it comes crashing down - whether it's zombies, a nuclear holocaust, or some other world-changing event. 
3. What genre is your book? Urban Fantasy with Romance
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Jensen Ackles, Jeremy Renner... For Ada - Not quite sure yet. 
5. What is the one sentence synopsis for your book? Ummm... It's about surviving in world gone haywire while trying to figure out what went wrong... See? That's not a one sentence synopsis. It's crap!
6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agent? I'll let you know...
7. How long did it take you  to write the first draft of the manuscript? I'm not that far into it.
8. With what other books would you compare this story to in your genre? I don't know yet, but I will say I hope this book stands on its own and can't be compared to anyone else's.
9. What inspired you to write this book? Lots of things - zombie shows & movies, a constant litany of "what if", a certain television show with a post nuclear storyline... and more.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? Zombie-like hordes, love (not with or between zombies), justice being served, and some awesome post destruction... 

Here's where I'm supposed to tag three people, but everyone's already done it... so...

Behave!

The Crush...

I am feeling it...
My house is a wreck, my week is stacked with all kinds of obligations, and up until a few minutes ago, I'd only taken care of a few presents for Christmas...
There is a lot to be done... Maybe not all of it has to be done, but I want it done. I'd decided earlier today that there was 5 things that had to be worked on tonight.
1. Work on K3's new temporary room. It's a wreck thanks to it's previous occupant and it's completely overwhelming. The previous occupant doesn't have time to pack up the crap, so I'm doing it because I want it done - and when I say "pack up the crap" I mean it. It's all going in the box - dirty laundry, stuff that's probably trash... everything... I have a little bit of an attitude about it, because I shouldn't have to do it. I want K3 into his temporary room before Christmas.
2. Take care of gathering the things I need to pass to my new president and deal with some chapter issues that had to be taken care of.
3. Make food for tomorrow's pot luck day.
4. Begin cleaning the dining room. The hutch drawers were overflowing with stuff we no longer needed.
5. Write.
I am happy to report that each of those things got done (well, not done, but began - which is what I wanted). Plus, dinner was started for tomorrow, the Christmas lists from the younger two have been organized, I talked to my sister about plans for Friday night's girls night. Then, I found a spectacular deal on something That Man and I have been discussing for the younger K's for Christmas and I ordered them. Whoo!
Even though I got a lot done, I'm still feeling the pressure...
One day at a time, I guess...
Behave!

Christmas Partying...

Tonight we had my day job Christmas gathering.
We met for an awesome buffet dinner in a private room with much good conversation. Then, we moved over to see a play. There's a local theater in our area - I've been there once, but not for a play. The grounds are gorgeous and the history of the estate is very intriguing. That Man got a tour of some of the cool aspects of the dinner house. We tried their world famous sticky buns, and stuffed ourselves to the gills with shrimp, salad, chicken, grilled veges, prime rib, and ice cream.
The play was fantastic. Set in the 1940's during World War II - it was full of singing, dancing, and romance. I (of course) loved it and I think everyone else did, too.
We were supposed to go for drinks afterwards, but that fell through. It's okay, because my heels were killing me like you would not believe. I'm trying to remember the last time I wore heels and I can't... My feet still hurt. The closest I get is my clogs and they're not that high. I'm glad I didn't wear the shoes loaned to me by one of my co-workers... I got a nosebleed when I put them on. Yes, they are that high. Given the rain and the fact that they're open-toed and I'd neglected to by nylons, I decided not to wear them. Thank goodness. I love me some girlie high heels though...
Anyway. It was a good night. I could use another weekend day...
That is all...
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

I know it's Saturday. I tried to blog last night but kept getting an error message that there was malware attached to my site. Apologies if you stopped by and got the same message. I'm not sure how it was resolved, except that maybe the site it was telling me was affected and linked to mine got fixed. It was weird, for sure.
Anyway. Here's the list:
1. Having all of my kiddos home last night for tree decorating. We listened to "A Charlie Brown Christmas", drank eggnog, made cookies, and laughed our butts off. Spenser, our new kitty, even came down to see what all of the ruckus was about. It was special because this is the last year all of the kids will be home like this. Next year K1 and J will be decorating with my new grandson and K2 and J will be decorating their own tree. I know there will be new memories to make, but I want to hold onto this year with both hands.
2. Christmas shopping with K5. She's a hoot.
3. Starting Christmas shopping. Yay!
4. Hanging out with K4 and eating frozen yogurt for dinner.
5. My day job Christmas party tomorrow. It's going to be fun!
6. Finding my good black pants. They're a little snug, but I think it'll be okay. You have no idea how long I had to look for them. I have no idea what shirt I'm going to wear and my borrowed shoes are very very high...
7. That man and his wacky sense of humor.
8. The new kitty coming around and getting used to our family. She's even started playing.
9. Shopping plans with the kids and That Man.
10. Christmas is a little over 2 weeks away. I'm feeling the pressure, but it's a good thing. As melancholy as I am about the older two not being here Christmas morning this year, I'm looking forward to a new routine with the younger two. And K4's birthday! We're having tacos for Christmas dinner this year.
That is all!
Behave!

Answers!

Yeah, I know no one guessed... but here are the answers anyway. Just in case you can't sleep because you're wondering which are true and which are false... Ha!

1. I was accosted tonight by a nearly 200 pound sweetheart of a dog. Yes. We helped out a friend (see #3) and their Malamute and smaller dog gave that man and I our puppy fix! 
2. Made dinner out of duck, cod, and peanuts. Ummm... No. Gross!
3. Eased the mind of a 36 week pregnant woman so she wouldn't worry about their house burning down. Again. See #1. Yes. They've already had one house fire. They don't need another, especially with baby girl on the way!
4. Refereed a pillow fight between a four year old and two grown men. Yes. 
5. Nearly tripped over a rat in a ball. Yes. Rat cage cleaning night. 
6. Bought cat food for the first time in months. True, but then you knew that. 
7. Wrote. Also true! Yay me!
8. Cleaned out my truck. Not me, but it did get cleaned out. Only it's full of Boy Scout stuff now...
9. Killed a bug in my bare feet. No. I had shoes on. But I did kill a bug!
10. Tried to schedule a day for my family to all be together. True! Do you know how hard that is? Between work schedules, rehearsals, tree sale stuff, blah blah blah... I think we have it worked out though. That man and I had wanted to have a tree decorating shindig as in years past, but it's not going to happen this year. There is no time. I'm sad! I love our tree decorating parties! Hopefully we'll be able to do something to gather the friends soon...
Today has been chaos... Will explain later...
Behave!

Tall Tale Tuesday...

It's been a long time since I've done one of these...
Some of the below statements are true and some are false...
Tell me which...
1. I was accosted tonight by a nearly 200 pound sweetheart of a dog.
2. Made dinner out of duck, cod, and peanuts.
3. Eased the mind of a 36 week pregnant woman so she wouldn't worry about their house burning down. Again.
4. Refereed a pillow fight between a four year old and two grown men.
5. Nearly tripped over a rat in a ball.
6. Bought cat food for the first time in months.
7. Wrote.
8. Cleaned out my truck.
9. Killed a bug in my bare feet.
10. Tried to schedule a day for my family to all be together.
So what did I really do?
Behave!

Another Day...

I could use one to recover from the weekend! Please?
Our kitty finally came out late last night and hung out pretty much all day. She's still not ready to snuggle and is skittish, but she's coming around. I think she'll be up all night though, since she's been sleeping for a very long time now.
Here she is:

My day consisted of writing, getting the Christmas dishes into the hutch, cleaning, and then a shopping trip with my granddaughter. She's a riot. We took her shopping so she could get a present to give her mom. She wanted everything and picked the most random things for her gift - 2 bottles of glitter nail polish, a jingle bell charm bracelet, fuzzy socks with a white cuff (like Santa - which is what she said when she picked them out), and these:

Yes. They're men's shorts and they say "booty hunter" on them. We repeatedly tried to redirect her and convince her mommy would really love the Sponge Bob pants, or the Elmo Santa hat pants, or even the Grinch pants, but she was desperate for these. She finally had enough of us trying to change her mind and grabbed the pants and threw them into the cart. Any time one of us reached for them, she made that face - you know... the one that predicts a meltdown. We finally decided it was her present to give, so whatever. It was only a pair of pants. She picked her wrapping paper - Santa - and kept putting tape into the cart, conned us into a candy cane full of M&M's, and then convinced Pappy that she needed ice cream.
We got ice cream, came home, then wrapped everything with her. A lot of tape was used. A lot of tape. I loved watching her face when she saw the Christmas lights on the way home. She sang us Guns 'n Roses (Paradise City) - so stinking cute. And then very nearly fell asleep. As soon as we got to her house, she showed her mom the present and then commenced to open it, eventually letting mommy help. Too funny and this will be a new tradition for us.
I'm exhausted and need to write more...
Behave!