Holy Over a Month! Yikes!

Gosh! Sorry about that! That was a crazy long time!

So what happened in the month + since I posted last? 

Well...

I came back home to work for two weeks due to a Covid outbreak at the day job. Everyone is still super paranoid. All of us keep our office doors shut and rarely just "chat" anymore. It's relaxing a little bit now though.

We went to the beach. It was an amazing time. Every day was the "best" day, though we did have one that outshone the rest. Our niece is now engaged. That was pretty awesome. We had beach fires, watched the full moon rise over the ocean and a thunderstorm. The rain never reached us, but the lightning over the water was cool as heck. We had amazing food, amazing sleep, amazing beach days, and lots and lots of laughs and great conversation. No fish were caught, well, no fish that you could keep. That's sad, but no one was catching fish at all. 

That Man and I booked a beach trip in April, which I think is going to be a thing going forward. Wooo!

I got my edits for my April release. Oh and here's a ridiculous story for you... I knew I needed a new charging cable for my laptop thanks to one particular cat's penchant for chewing on electronics. Of course, the day my edits came, I started up the laptop only to discover that I no longer could charge. Ordered a new cable, which came on Thursday. Great! Started edits. Stupidly left the cord tucked into a dining room chair Friday night, and lo and behold when I went to start edits on Saturday, my cord was chewed again and did not work at all. Crap! I ordered two new cords, which came today and I will be ever vigilant with making sure the cord is no where that the ahole chewer can get to it. 

Other than that we have a lot of stuff coming up! Dinner at my brother's for Thanksgiving, holiday stuff, my oldest niece's wedding in January which should be an awesome blast. We're looking forward to that. I've already started to get my holiday spirit, which is odd, considering. And we've made the decision to downsize Christmas gift giving this year. Not that we ever went crazy and into debt. My porch is decorated for Thanksgiving already. Those pilgrims are out there greeting people and they are still solidly together. 

That's all I have for now... Hopefully it won't be a month until my next post!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

I know it's a little earlier in the day than my normal end of weekend post, but hey, whatever! Ha!

I've been by myself for the last few hours. That Man went to help a friend who lost his driveway in the massive rains. Yeah, like it washed away. He does have a creek that runs under it, but still. The kid was off with friends for the weekend. It was just me, and I got a lot done. I finally finished a critique for a friend and I found my story again. I cut about 150 pages, but I am back on track. That feels good (even if I feel sick about the pages cut). More than I can even tell you. 

I also finished the laundry. Whoopie! ha! 

Other than that, I made the stupid decision to clean out our little shed. It's on our back porch and it's supposed to be for the stuff you use frequently, but don't want out. Ha! It's been a catchall for everything for a very long time. In fact, I haven't even opened it for a few years. Yeah. I know. So, anyway. I decided it was far past time. We have probably a million feet of extension cord. And far more screws and bolts than anyone could ever use. Ha! I also found two camp chairs. Nice, except they were in there so long they are dry rotted. 

I stepped on a fishing thing and punctured my foot. I ran my arm along a rusty saw and gashed my arm. (Yes, I will be getting a tetanus shot) The whole process was pretty much a disaster with stuff falling over and falling on me. But it is done now and I am super happy with the results. Now the charcoal, cooler, and porch blower can be stored away again. 

And our nephew came for dinner. That was nice. We rarely get a chance to hang with him.

My foot does hurt though. I'll be soaking it in a bit and keeping an eye on it. The fish thing wasn't rusty though, so there's that. 

And that's all! 

Behave!

Another Mid Week

 It is mid-week again!

Nothing is new here. We've been doing Jeep work, yard work. Blah, blah, blah.

Work is work. The writing is going. 

It's Fall now! Whoot! That's the best thing that's happened this week! Ha!

We went to our great niece's fourth birthday party last weekend. We didn't know anyone besides That Man's family. It was still nice. Our great niece is the cutest thing and so is her newborn baby brother. We had good conversations with the family. Our niece was stressed, but we had a good time with her and our nephew-in-law. We left right after presents were opened. We were like the old people there though, so Ha! Also, a deer tried to kill us after we left. 

That is all I have!

Behave!

Mid-Week Check In

Here we are at Wednesday. Already. 

So far, this week has been crazy! The day job is busy and there's a lot of random, crazy stuff going on there. 

I figured out what I need to do with my story, so that was a HUGE relief. I've been struggling with it for a little while now. I was supposed to brainstorm with K3 the weekend before last, but he had plans he'd forgotten about so it never happened. I have been trying to figure it out on my own, and today, with the help of my writing pals, I got it mapped out. Yay!

The Jeep is done. It did take a few bucks, but it needed to be done. Now all of that bull crap is finished. Except I need new bump stops, which is no big deal except for off roading, so that will need to be taken care of before we start going to Jeep events. Now That Man is working on K4's Jeep. Her heater core went out and he made things work over the summer, but now that heat is going to be needed, well... It's been a huge pain in his butt, but he's almost done. 

In the meantime, I made some spicy ketchup and actually canned it! I am pretty proud of myself for the whole thing. I had never canned before and I kind of winged the whole thing, from the sauce making to the actual canning process. It turned out pretty darned good and my jars actually sealed! 

That's all I have!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday & Weekend Wrap Up

Yeah, it's a two-fer around the old blog today.

Sorry! It's been a busy week!

So here's the list:

1. Getting to see my family last weekend! It was so good to hang out and catch up! We haven't seen them since Easter, which was way too long. We had a great time sitting around the fire!

2. My great niece is the cutest child! My niece (and future nephew-in-law) is/are doing a fantastic job raising her! I'm proud as only an aunt can be! My niece was my mini me for a long time. People used to think she was my child and I loved that. We always went back and forth with the kids being at one house or another and it was awesome. 

3. Having K5 last weekend. She's so funny! We had a blast with her! She got to see my brother and sister-in-law for the first time in a very long time and that was great. Hopefully we can keep that connection going. 

4. That Man's car passing inspection even though it cost us a pretty penny.

5. The camper passing inspection. No where near as much cash outlay, but since we had it in for a fuel line problem last week, it was still more. Fingers crossed that the Jeep passes with no issues. I hate that we have three vehicles all due at the same time! 

6. The body work getting done on the Jeep. That Man hates it, but he does a fantastic job. I, personally, despise the smell of body filler. It makes me sick, but the job needs done. He's almost finished. As we speak, he's out there sanding. It won't pass inspection unless it's done. So...

7. Not cooking dinner tonight. We haven't eaten yet, but the subs are in the fridge. 

8. Work people who are awesome and make me laugh. Also, writing people who are awesome. 

9.  The cooler temperatures. I am in heaven to be able to wear my sweatshirt all day. We had to drop off a sweatshirt for K4 since she drove her Jeep with the top down today and was freezing. But that's the way it goes sometimes. Ha!

10. Weekend plans. They weren't what I thought they'd be, but they are good. We haven't been home the past few weekends and even though I need to wash sheets and vacuum this house within an inch of its life, I'm looking forward to the relaxation of being home!

That's all I have! 

Hopefully it won't be another week until I get back here, but you never know!

Behave!

Adventures!

I know it's been over a week! I'm sorry! 

Last week was a blur of overtime, car stuff, and random stuff. 

But we went on an adventure over the weekend! We had so much fun and can't wait to do it again. 

On Friday we left to meet up with a friend who has a boat. We got up super early Saturday morning and headed out 80 miles into the ocean. We caught fish, saw dolphin, whale spouts, and just chilled on the boat. I took a sweet nap and we had a great lunch. We were out for like thirteen hours with only a tiny bit of sunburn that didn't last. 

Got back to their house, cleaned the fishing rods, the fish, made dinner, showered, and hung out. 

It was a blast! We'll definitely be doing that again! Left early Sunday because we had houseguests. Our nephew was driving through from his previous assignment to his next assignment and needed a place to stay. Well, no one was home here, so K4 left him a key and they had the run of the house until K4 got home Sunday morning. We pulled in early afternoon, unloaded, and began making a feast for dinner since That Man's family was coming. 

It was fun, but we were so exhausted and sore from our Saturday adventure. I didn't really get to sit down until everyone left, which was close to ten pm. 

So yeah, we're still exhausted. And, of course, today was a super busy day at the day job. 

That's all I have!

Behave!

Week End Wrap Up...

So today's book signing was a bummer. Yeah, it was good for a lot of reasons, but the store was dead and the only books I sold were to my friends who were signing with me. Which was awesome, but...

I had our granddaughter with me, who was a riot and a blast. We had a good time looking for books and talking about stuff. She had fun meeting my writing friends and talking with them. She tried to help me use my store credit, but both of us fell short and I ended up with as much as I started with. (We get new store credit with every signing) Ha! She is so funny though. She tried to convince this older gentleman who said he doesn't read into buying a book anyway. He didn't, but she tried. Ha!

The Friday birthday gig was a lot of fun. The birthday girl didn't know I was coming and was surprised and happy to see me. We had a blast! The winery is super cool and they took awesome care of our rowdy group. 

Currently, I am still in the lead on the words written tracking spreadsheet, which is surprising. But we've all been super busy this weekend. So... 

Yesterday was a super good day. I got all of my house stuff done, wrote, dealt with an awesome natural gas guy who had to come and inspect our stuff. (He was funny and we laughed a lot) That Man got his car ready for inspection and we took care of a bunch of other house stuff. We picked up the kid, made dinner, and introduced her to Back to the Future, which she loved. 

It's been raining all day, which is good. And I am wearing a sweatshirt, which is also good.  

That's all I have!

Behave!

Lots of Stuff...

So this Sunday I have a book signing at my favorite independent book store! I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a year since my last signing! This is a big event around here. There are different authors all weekend, and even a slumber party Saturday night. I can't stay for that this year. I was there for a while last year, but didn't stay over. It was fun and I heard a good time was had by all. 

So...come and see me if you're so inclined!

My next singing is next year in New Jersey at a winery. That's all that is currently scheduled. At least for now. We'll see how the schedule stacks up and what happens. 

Other than that... it's Thursday. I completely lost track of what day it is thanks to our Hello Fresh box being late. Plus, we were supposed to pick up the camper last night, but changed our minds due to the weather. That would have sucked bringing it home in that mess. It was a simple fix, but they didn't have time to do the inspection, so we'll have to go back. Which is fine since it's not out until next month anyway. 

Anyway. Tomorrow is Friday. I have a surprise birthday gig to show up at. A former coworker. (No, she doesn't read this) It'll be good to see everyone. It's been since the beginning of summer. It's nice that we're all still friends. I think it has to do with the absolute hell we went through together for six years though. We kept each other sane and laughing and that counts for everything. 

The words are flowing again, which is very good. I went from being the lowest numbers on our tracking spreadsheet, to leading the way. Of course, I'll get knocked off probably tonight, but it's still a good feeling. 

That is all! 

Behave!

Tuesday!

You know I used to do Tall Tale Tuesday. That stopped being a thing because, I think, my whole life turned into a Tall Tale. lol

Anyway. 

Here we are at Tuesday. 

I have written more words this week (in just two days) than I have in a few weeks! That's awesome. I also finished a crit of an amazing scifi book for a friend. And my laundry is caught up. 

I also discovered that The Shadow Guide is available in paperback now! I wish I had known that when I ordered my books for the signing this weekend, but I might have a few copies available if you show up!

I'm looking forward to the signing. Chances are my granddaughter will be hanging with me. When she came camping with us, we were talking about it and she was super excited to be at a bookstore, with cats, and books. So far, it looks like it's a go, so that's a good thing. 

So... you should stop by. This coming Sunday from 11-1! 

Other than that. This week is super slow and super busy. If that makes sense. 

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up

Well, it's late Sunday night and work is tomorrow. Boo! 

It was a good, but busy, weekend.

K4 got her soft top put on the Jeep. It looks cool and she's happy with it. It needs a little more time in the sun to make it fit right, but it looks great!

We dropped the camper off for inspection. A little early, but there's a raw gas smell that needs addressed. (The lightbulbs are good) We couldn't find the cause, so hopefully our mechanic can. We have a trip coming up that we think we're going to take the camper to, so we need to make sure it's good. After that, That Man's car needs to go in, and then my Jeep. Holy expensive month, Batman. 

I will be at my favorite local bookstore next Sunday for a book signing. It's going to be awesome. My time frame for signing includes two of my besties, and my granddaughter is going to be there. I will have limited print copies of Prelude of Lies, and a sneak peak copy of The Shadow Guide (which is not for sale), but I'll let you look at it. Ha! 

Other than that... We did all of the things this weekend. The house got cleaned, the laundry is done, the grass is mowed, the gardens are weeded. I took a nap today, which was awesome. And I slept in both days. I also wrote and critiqued, which is also awesome. 

That is all for now! 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

We made it to Friday! Yay! It was a long week and it was even a short week for me! 

I'm going to put this up here and not on the list because I realized I never posted about it. Last week our kitty girl went to kitty heaven. She was around 20, maybe older, maybe a bit younger. We got her when she was nine or ten. Her previous owners weren't sure how old she was. She came to us a few months after we lost our kitty boy and our dog. It was a debate on whether or not we were ready for another pet, but we finally agreed. She came to us on a cold day in December and hid under our bed for most of the day. By evening, she was laying on top of the bed and allowed us to pet her. Her decline happened quickly and by last Tuesday, we knew it was time. She'd taken up residence on the couch and didn't move, not even when we ran the vacuum. When we came home Tuesday night, we knew it was time. She was a great kitty and we loved her very much. Despite the fact that we still have three cats, her presence is definitely missed. I look for her all of the time and I miss her little "murf" noise. She never meowed, just murfed. 

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

So let's get to the list...

1. Cursed Fate came out (again). I know I posted about it a while ago, but I completely boned on release day. I managed other social media, but not here. It was a crazy day/week around here and I was running around like a lunatic. But Wooo! Print copies will be available in six months, so that's cool. 

2. Fresh tomatoes from our garden on BLT's for dinner. So good. We've had exactly six tomatoes so far, but there are tons of green ones on. I'm excited. We also have hot peppers and banana peppers coming in. And basil, oregano, and rosemary. Looks like there's some spaghetti sauce making in my future. 

3. The heat wave being over! My gosh it was hot! I ran outside at work and burned my hand on the mechanism to open the front door. We drove home through some crazy storms, but it was worth it for the temperature to drop twenty degrees. 

4. The possibility of our nephew coming to hang out for a few days. He'll be between orders for the military and heading from south to north for his next gig. We haven't seen him in person since he was like eleven. He's a smart kid and fun to talk to. It'll be fun to have him and his girlfriend in house for a little while.

5. This weekend without a lot of plans. I mean, we do have plans, but they are more the clean the house, work on the camper for inspection (change light bulbs), weed whack, write, and do the grocery shopping. Easy plans, though the cleaning the house part sucks. I do hope to sleep in a little, too. 

6. Speaking of writing. I'm managing. It's slow and some nights its a struggle, but I'm in a challenge with my writing pals, and I have to keep adding numbers. The story is going well though, which is something. 

That's all I have for now.

Behave!

Eight Days...

And it's been a crazy eight days! 

This past weekend was the grands camping weekend. Things were snafu'ed and didn't quite work out like we'd planned, but in the end it worked out okay? 

The aunt and uncle arrived this weekend. Their trip took them way longer than they thought it would. I was texting to request updates and it would take at least a day to get an unsatisfactory response (meaning, it told me nothing about their eta or plans). They didn't arrive until days after they said they would. Despite knowing they march to their own drum and do what they want, it was frustrating. 

We were supposed to have a family thing up at camp but that fell through. The Uncle was supposed to update folks and he didn't. I was supposed to update and I tried, but that didn't work either thanks to my stupid phone and attempts that fell through. Nothing went the way it was supposed to. But the people who said they'd be there didn't check in either, so there's that. I can't run the world... I have enough on my plate and ultimately, I am not and cannot be in charge of everything. I'm not sure, but I may have been blamed for not updating, which my uncle said was bullsh*t because it was his job at that point. I still feel bad though. I did try. 

I mean, our uncle is seventy-seven. Our mom wasn't quite seventy-five when she died. He's our only close living relative on our mom's side. (He's mom's younger brother). He's an amazing guy with a lot of awesomely cool stories to tell. He just can't get up and go like he used to. He cracks us up and teaches us things. I cannot imagine not having him in my life. I will always go out of my way to see him and make sure he's okay. 

We got exactly one grandkid this weekend and she didn't get there until Sunday. We thought we would get her Saturday despite originally making plans to get her Friday. We waited all day Saturday for the word and it never came. Until very early Sunday morning. It was beyond anyone's control and that's okay. 

We moved schedules to keep her overnight Sunday, which meant I took off work today and That Man went in for a half day and then came back to help me break camp. K5's weekend was super rough until she got to us, so our goal was to spoil her as much as we could and give her mom a break. I think at least that part of the weekend worked.

There were bee stings. That Man, S, and both dogs got stung by a nest of ground bees. That Man got stung six times, S got three, and our dog got one (right under her tail near her sensitive spot), my sisters dog got way more than anyone else (uncountable since he's the one who found the nest) and that poor baby was a freaking mess. He had to have Benadryl and lots of love. So far, everyone is okey dokey. S had some residual effects, but I think she's okay now. 

It was a good weekend, for the most part, but I am freaking exhausted. Mentally and physically. So much both. 

Behave! 

First of August...

Cursed Fate releases on Wednesday! If you're fast enough you can get Into the Fire free again at some point this week. I don't know exactly what the date is. There was a screw up with the schedule. 

Well, here we are... Beginning of August. 

This summer has gone by really fast. Or is that just me? 

I am looking forward to fall coming though! I'm tired of the heat and ready for sweatshirt weather. I'll miss my flip flops, but I'll wear them until my feet get too cold. 

Our weekend consisted of getting the kid's vehicle ready for inspection. Again. The framework has been done and That Man and K4 worked on the other stuff all weekend. We dropped it off this morning, so now it's finger crossing time. She's ready to have her vehicle back and we're ready to have ours back. 

We have some fun stuff coming up. Looking forward to those things. I have a lot of lists though.

That's all I have.

Behave! 

Almost the End of July...

How crazy is that? End of July!

So the book I featured on the blog over the weekend is celebrating its release day today. Check it out if you're so inclined. It's a great book, especially if you like cozy mystery. 

What's been up around here? 

Not much. Not really. 

Yard work. I got poison sumac from weed whacking. We're going on two weeks now and it's still super itchy. I typically don't get poison ivy, but sumac and oak, yeah, I get that. I have a big spot on my leg and some smaller spots on my forearm. It itches like crazy and I hate it. 

We have plans to take the oldest grands camping soon. Looking forward to that. We've been talking about it for ages. The grands are super stoked and excited. We will have waffles and camp donuts. 

A friend of That Man's from high school stopped by tonight. He's one of those guys that it doesn't matter how long it's been since you've seen him, everything is all good. Our oldest two grew up with his kids. We did scouts together and many school dances and functions. It was good to see him and we laughed our butts off even though he still refuses to sell us his old station wagon. Ha!

I'm getting my butt back to writing again. It's been way, way too long. I'm happy with my progress so far this week. 

And that is all! 

Behave! 

Guest Blogger - Gabby Allen - Much Ado About Nauticaling

I am please to have Gabby Allen on the blog today!

Hello Victoria Smith Blog readers! So excited to be here with you today!

I’m Gabby Allan and Victoria has been nice enough to let me hang with you for just a little while. I’m super excited to introduce my new series to you! It’s a rom Cozy—rom com and cozy mystery snuggled up on a beach drinking a Mai Tai! If you’re into that kind of thing, I think you’ll love this book and my characters Whitney Dagner and her cat Whiskers!

Thanks for giving me a look and have a great day!

Whitney Dagner is your tour guide to a Pacific paradise that’s to die for—only to find it’s a place people are also willing to kill for—in Gabby Allan’s Much Ado About Nauticaling, first in the Whit and Whiskers Mystery series. 
After far too many years in the Los Angeles corporate world, Whitney Dagner has come home to Santa Catalina Island off the California coast to help her brother Nick run Nautically Yours, the family tourism business. Between gift shop shifts selling all manner of T-shirts and tchotchkes and keeping her feline Whiskers in fine fettle, she pilots the Sea Bounder, a glass bottom boat showing tourists the underwater sights of aquatic plants, marine life—and a murder victim? 
The self-proclaimed “Master of the Island,” Jules Tisdale was a wealthy man with business interests throughout Catalina who was about to be honored as Person of the Year before someone strangled him with his own tie and tossed his body into the water. That someone appears to be Nick, who had a raw deal from Jules and no alibi the night of his murder. To clear her brother’s name, Whit will have to investigate Jules’ shady associates and not exactly grief-stricken family members—with the unwelcome help of Felix Ramirez, police diver and Whit’s ex-boyfriend who’s looking to rekindle their relationship.

https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496731067/much-ado-about-nauticaling/

If you’d like a door hanger and/or a signed book plate for your book, drop me a line at gabbyallanwrites@gmail.com

You can find me lots of places but here are a few to start!

 

Newsletter sign up  http://eepurl.com/bjDYYX

Website www.gabbyallan.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/GabbyAllanAuthor

Facebook Group Merry Sleuths https://bit.ly/2UWZida

Amazon Author Page https://amzn.to/3inb08R

Instagram @gabbyallanspeaks

Goodreads https://bit.ly/3ioqHg3

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabby-allan

Thanks for having me!

(From Victoria - I have read this book and it's a blast! I highly recommend it!)

Behave!

  

It's Been A While...

It's been almost 3 weeks since I posted! Sorry about that! 

We went from That Man being away on his fishing trip to loading up the car and taking a half cross country trek. Many hours driving through horrible rain and butthead drivers to see my aunt and uncle. We hadn't seen them for over two years so when the timing came up, we went for it. 

We had a blast hanging out with them. Basically, we just visited and laughed. My aunt has been taking care of my uncle post surgery - it was last year, but he's still recovering and adjusting medications - so we pampered her a little and took care of some house stuff she hasn't had a chance to get to, made dinner and lunch, and took care of the dogs. Killed some poisonous spiders, and fought ticks. The uncle is looking good though. Still a little wobbly at times, but his mind is sharp again, and he looks well. All good stuff. 

Down the street from their house is a little market - you can get ice, beer, booze, smokes, and a wide range of probably expired food stuffs. Ha! Inside that building is a bar/restaurant. I've been to their house three or four times now and never knew that! We went there to listen to a blue grass band one night and had a blast. There weren't very many people, but the band, the appetizers, and the small crowd were awesome. The guy bought an old Victorian house and incorporated it into the space. The second floor is a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room and they are all period appropriate. It was cool, but you can't get closer than looking at it from the first floor. We essentially listened to the band from the back porch of the house. That was a highlight for sure. 

Got to see a cousin I haven't seen in forever. We had that awkward silence at first - you know the one where you're not sure you have anything in common even though you're related and you remember hanging out as kids. And then you realize you all fell from the same tree. It was fun and we talked for a long time. It was good. 

We braved more rain on the way home. Coming home is definitely harder than going out. We're still recovering. I think we're just getting too old to stay up that long and sleep in the car. Ha!

Back to work on Monday. Exhausted and trying to get into our new routine. This is the first we've both been in the office all week since I went back. We've had to alter our Hello Fresh deliveries and our old routine. But we'll figure it out. K4 has a different schedule now, too, so that adds an additional adjustment. We'll get there. 

I haven't written much lately, but that will come back, too. I have a lot of research and ideas to put into the book, which is a good thing. Being where we were gave me a lot of terrain and locations to add, so that is also very good. 

Now we're scheduled for home things for the next few weeks. Weeds need pulled. Sheds need cleaned out. Cars need prepped for inspection. Blah. Blah. Blah. It is what it is. 

That is all! 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday on Saturday!

It was a very long week!

The good things:

1. Signing my contract and the amazing and wonderful things my editor says about my work!

2. Cursed Fate being up for presale! Official release date is August 4th!

3. That Man getting some much needed away time on his annual fishing trip with the guys. They go to one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and have a blast. He'll be home later. I have missed him a lot.

4. Getting Jeep "ducked". Basically a rubber duckie given by another Jeep owner. It's fun. K4 and I had gone to the garage to pick up her Jeep and we were in tandem on the way home. A red Jeep was in front of us. When we got to the light, there was much hooting and hollering as the ladies in the red Jeep got out and ducked both K4 and me. It was fun. (K4 got ducked earlier this week, too, with a giant stuffed yellow duck) 

5. As much as I'd rather be working from home, being back in the office has been fine. It's nice to see coworkers and be able to talk to them instead of waiting on an email or a call back. 

6. Sleeping in this morning. Very nice and much needed. 

7. Writing time this morning!

8. The quiet of my house currently. The cats are watching the water dish. I don't know why. I just cleaned and filled it, but I guess they think it's going to do something? The dog is chewing on her star treat toy on the couch. It's nice.

9. Fun stuff coming up! 

That's all I have! 

Behave!

Back Home & Father's Day

I got home around 11-ish. Didn't get much writing done this morning, but that's typical for me on the last day of retreat. 

After unloading, I hit the grocery store. That Man wanted fried chicken for dinner. I went to the store and grabbed some of theirs, which is really good. Stuck it in the fridge until time for dinner. (Put it in the oven. Made mashed potatoes, gravy, and cole slaw) Did laundry. K3 and A came over for a while and we had a good time talking and hanging out with them. 

That Man talked to K5. She was on her way home from Harry Potter World and filled him in on all of her adventures, including holding a crocodile and riding in a pontoon boat. She's a hoot! 

My huge surprise when I got home was a contract for the book I sent Friday night. Awesome! I love this book so much and I'm so happy my editor was happy to receive it. I also got my galleys for Cursed Fate! Coming Soon! Yay! 

So it is Father's Day. I appreciate my husband so much. He's an awesome father even though our kids are grown. His interactions with our spawn always make me laugh. And they call him for advice and stuff all of the time. I love that. 

I also appreciate all of the dads in my life - my brother, brother's-in-laws, uncles, friends, nephews, nephews-in-laws. 

I miss my dad. It's been six Father's Day since he was here. Almost seven years since he's been gone. I miss him. A lot. He would get a kick out of his great grandkids and what his grandkids are up to these days. He was always so proud of them. That Man's dad has been gone around ten years? And he would also have loved to see what his grandkid and great grandkids are up to. 

This week is crazy! Next week is too! 

Behave!

Retreat! Winding Down!

 There are mere hours left! 

I haven't gotten anything done this morning yet. I was awakened by the smell of burning toast a few hours before I'd planned to get up. Ha! I stayed in bed a little while longer, but gave up and made my way to the common area. 

From there, I have proceeded to goof off. Though I did strip my bed, made sure my towels were where they are supposed to be, packed some stuff, ate a bagel, drank some coffee, blah blah blah.

Now I'm finally sitting down to get some work done before I head for home. It's been a super productive time for all of us. And nice to get to hang and talk. 

I am looking forward to getting home though. Considering we weren't home last weekend, I'm looking forward to just sitting on my porch. 

And that is all...

Behave!

Retreat! Last Night!

It's the last night of retreat! 

It's been an amazing time! It's been too long since I've been with these creative brains and awesome people. We have laughed, talked, brainstormed, argued a little (about dumb stuff), and supported each other. 

I made a pretty damned good dinner. Chicken stir fry with egg rolls. Of course, I made enough to feed all of us despite the fact that I was the only one eating it. Yes, I offered it around, but it appears I'm the only one with my tastes. Ha! I will take it home as leftovers for lunch this week. That's what we do here though. We all take care of our own meals. If you want to cook, you cook. If you want to make a frozen dinner, then do it. If you just want to snack, then go for it. The only meal we do together is the first night and that's nachos. We all bring an ingredient, but we all make our own. It works. 

There was napping today, which was beautiful. And rain. Also beautiful as we sat at the table on the porch listening to it. It's very quiet here. There was also brainstorming and a major good start on my new story. I'll get back to it in a few. 

Tomorrow is Father's Day. That Man is currently enjoying being home all by himself, which is something that rarely happens for him. I'll head home mid-morning and then will take care of dinner. 

I don't think I'll get to do another retreat until after the first of the year, but we'll see. There's a lot going on the rest of the year and a lot of expenses, so I won't know until we get closer. 

That is all. 

Behave! 

Retreat! Saturday!

It's the last full day of retreat!

This has been a pretty productive time. I finished my edits and sent them off. I figured out what I am doing with the next story and will start writing that in a few. 

Sleep has been good. The shower is decent. The weather has been good. Currently it's threatening rain, but that's okay. We've got an awesome screened in porch to sit on. Though it's supposed to get hot today. We'll see. I do predict a nap in my future. 

That's all I have for now...

Behave!

Retreat! Official Day One!

Good Morning!

I arrived early yesterday afternoon. Our hosts alerted us that the house was ready earlier than our expected arrival, so I buzzed out of the day job and was the first to arrive. Which is funny because I was sure I was going to be the last one here. 

It's the cutest little house near the lake and in the woods. The screened in porch is amazing with a huge table, cool seating, and two double doors to get into the house. The kitchen is tiny, but workable. The dining room seats the four of us and there's a fireplace in the living room. I chose the blue room for sleeping. It was comfy and the air conditioner kicks. 

I slept in, which I needed. Now we're in the living room with the fireplace going. Yeah, it's a little chilly out there at the moment. The talking has been non stop, despite the fact that we all have goals to meet. But we haven't seen each other since the last retreat, so that's to be expected.

I'd better get on it! More later...

Behave!

Off to Retreat!

So I went back to the office this week... The official return day is Monday, but since I'm off starting tomorrow after lunch and since I am covering for accounts receivable, I felt like I needed to get back this week. 

That's a mixed bag of feelings right there. I mean, it's nice to have the space and the organization, and to have that schedule. But it's also so very different. I've been home since last March, so I've gotten used to being able to do laundry, do little cleaning things, start dinner as soon as my work day is done and pet my puppy anytime I want. But I will adjust. I think I'm already adjusting okay. 

Tomorrow I head out to retreat with my writing pals! I haven't seen them since January, except for seeing one of them once or twice. We do talk everyday, so there's that. I need this retreat so very much! I am deep in edits for a book that I need to send to my editor asap, and I need to get my Sector Two groove on. And I need the time! The time to be an author and nothing else! 

Last weekend we went to a Jeep festival. We had an absolute blast! Trail rides, volunteering, hanging with Jeep people. It was so much fun. I took a women's only course and learned a whole lot about off roading and gained a lot of confidence. I did rocks, tires, mud, and huge hills. More than once! I also did trails other than that, and it was so much fun. Volunteering was fun. We met a lot of great people and even though we had no idea how to play poker, it was a blast. We also had a blast just hanging out with each other. We ate out, hung out at our hotel, and generally just had a really super nice time. It was nice to be away and be together. 

So I should be posting during retreat! And hopefully I will adjust to being back in the office and regain a new schedule for writing and posting so it's not so very long in between blogs! 

Behave! 

Whoa! That Was a Long Time!

Dang! Sorry about that! 

I can't even say I've been crazy busy. I think it's more of an apathy. But yeah, I was busy a bit, too. 

We went to The Wilds for the holiday weekend. It was miserable and rained almost the whole time. Though we were cozy in our camper and had our awning and a pop up rain cover that at least kept us from getting soaked. It was cold, too. Mr. B came to camp with us on Saturday. He had a blast even though he couldn't swim in the creek. He did a lot of fishing with Pappy and played games with his aunts and uncles. K3 brought a game that was a riot. We all played and had a great time. It was a good weekend, despite the rain. 

Other than that... things continue to run status quo around here. We have some stuff coming up that I'm really looking forward to. June is going to be an absolute blur, but that's okay. We need it. 

My new release didn't do so great out of the gate, but I continue to be hopeful. The free book ended up doing well and continues to, so I guess that's something. I'm in the middle of editing something I think will fit right in with the series. Once I get that off to my editor, I'll go back to writing the second book for the Sector series. I have some better ideas now, so at least there's that. 

And that's all I have!

Behave!

Release Day!

It's release day for The Shadow Guide! 

I didn't think this day would ever come! Yes, this book is a re-release. It was formerly called For the Love of Isaac. But when my rights reverted back to me, I talked to my publisher and they were more than happy to take a look at it. 

A new cover, updating, and another three rounds of edits and here it is again. Shiny and new!

You can also get Into the Fire for free through today! 

Both (and my other books) can be found on Amazon. Just search the title and my name! 

I'm excited to share these books with you! I hope you like them!

Behave!

Don't Forget!

 You can get Into the Fire for free until May 12th! 

And The Shadow Guide releases on May 12th (tomorrow)!

I hope you get both and that you love them!

Behave! 

 

Into the Fire – Victoria Smith – Free Digitally - May 8^th-12^th

In Olivia Sanders’ world, people like her don’t survive very long. Special abilities are a threat to the corrupt government. 

Olivia and those with similar abilities struggle to keep their secrets as new laws threaten them daily. Though hiding isn’t enough for Olivia. A healer and firestarter, she works with the resistance to ensure the safety of the people of her sector, toiling in an unforgiving world without freedom or hope with the goal that someday they will find
both.

Poisoned by someone she should never have trusted and betrayed by her godfather, the former governor, who is using disturbing methods to control the population and grow his army, Olivia is forced to seek help from Luke Jamison, the leader of the resistance. They join forces with his brother, Matt, and Jillian Derrick, a hard-as-nails woman leading a band of "undesirables" to safety.

As conditions in the sector deteriorate and the death toll climbs ever higher, Olivia and Luke, along with Jillian and Matt, cling to the miracle of found love while facing the horror of a future without each other.

https://www.amazon.com/Into-Fire-Victoria-Smith/dp/1682916332

RELEASE DAY!! May 12^th! The Shadow Guide; Challenging the Fates; Book One – Victoria Smith (This book was previously released as For the Love of Isaac)

When evil comes for Alaina, bringing with it a destiny she can’t deny, can love stand against the forces of darkness?

When Alaina inherits her grandmother’s house, she gets far more than just the eccentric woman’s massive knickknack collection. Desperate for help with the increased paranormal activity around her, she calls the one person she thinks can provide it—despite the memory of the night he rejected her.

Patrick doesn’t want to get involved with Alaina and her demonic inheritance. He’s lost enough to the demons already, and so has she. If he refuses, she could be murdered just like her grandmother. Just like his wife and child. And he can’t live with that either.

Together they must find a way to restore the balance of good and evil, while coming to terms with emotions neither of them thinks they want.

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Guide-Challenging-Fates-ebook/dp/B08TX52QQM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Shadow+Guide+Victoria+Smith&qid=1620084664&s=books&sr=1-1

Thank you!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday on Saturday...

The first week of May is done. 

Time is so weird still... It's so hard to believe it's even May. Let alone that an entire week is gone. 

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. Still a very hard day for me. I miss my momma so much. It's been 6 years for Mom and 7 years for Dad. Sucks. 

So here's the list:

1. Seeing my grandboys. We got to play a little and talk and hang out. It was a quick visit, but my heart was full. Especially when little B came in and saw me. His face lit up and he ran to me. 

2. Living through the work week. It was a rough one. 

3. My flowerbeds growing and looking pretty decent.

4. Rain. I know that's unpopular. We had a crapton of it, too. Though, I am wishing for warmth and sunny skies today. 

5. The Shadow Guide releasing on the 12th! Watch for it! Into the Fire is going to be a free digital download starting TODAY!!! (Find it on Amazon!) That will last for a week. Hopefully if you decide to get it and you read it and like it, you'll think about leaving me a review on Amazon. That would be awesome and I would so appreciate it!

6. No idea what's going on tomorrow. I have made no plans. But at the same time, I haven't been asked what I want for dinner. So maybe everyone forgot or something. Whatever. 

7. Plans to hopefully see the old work crew soon. 

8. Camping coming up! I'm so looking forward to it! 

That's all! 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday - The Last Day of April

Holy Crap! April is done!

Such a quick and long month! 

This week:

1. Another "Celebration of Life" event for us today. The mother of a dear friend of ours. Well, most of the family are dear friends. She was 96 and she was a trooper. She fought her cancer until the very last day. The service was beautiful and so was the fellowship. 

2. We have gotten rid of the dirty ugly stumps left from ripping our the front shrubs. What a pain. And since we couldn't grind the stumps out, we put huge flower pots out there. They are screwed to the stumps and filled with rocks so they don't blow away and can't be stolen. The front of the house is looking pretty damned decent. We still have stuff to do, but it's coming along. 

3. Into the Fire is going to be free in two weeks. For about a week. And then The Shadow Guide releases. I did my first foray into real marketing so we will see how it turns out. I have some write ups to do for blogs, but you'll probably see that here, too. 

4. Seeing That Sister this weekend. It's been freaking forever! 

5. Camping is in less than a month! Whoo Hoo!

6. This wind is freaking insane! It's kind of scary, too! It's supposed to be done by 2am, but we'll see. 

That's all I have! 

Happy May! 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

And here we are at Friday...

I know I haven't done a Feel Good in a while...

But here we go! 

1. Hello Fresh. It is so nice not to have to think about what to make for dinner three nights a week. Honesty, I think we would spend way more at the grocery store if we had to make the three meals on our own. But, at the same time, I would get it delivered every night if it felt cost effective. So there you go...

2. We had to go to a "celebration of life" for a former coworker today. Yeah, a freaking funeral. It sucked. He had leukemia and he died within a year of his diagnosis. He was a good guy and it was terribly sad to hear his mother say that it shouldn't be like this and hear the stories from his brothers, cousins, and friends.

3. The sunburns are peeling. My feet itch like crazy and my forehead is like four different colors. It's a small problem for sure. Ha!

4. I am writing every day. Yeah, most of those words don't make any sense, but there are still on the page. 

5. Camping coming up soon. I can't wait. I am so ready. 

That's all I have for now. It's a decent list for the week. I think?

Behave! 

Almost Through April...

Yeah, it's been two weeks. 

What can I say? There's just not a lot going on...

Though, That Man and I went to the beach. Just the two of us. 

This was the trip we had planned last year, but was cancelled because everyone was on lock down. There was a bit of a struggle to get the reservation carried over, but it was totally worth it. 

Our place was a tiny little 'cabana'. One room and bathroom. The kitchen was a decent size. There was a couch and this bed that came to my chest. I had to climb up using the ladder. It was comfy though. We had a loft deck where we could go up and watch the ocean, and a lower deck for if the wind was too much. Also, we could park our car right under the house, which was really nice, too. 

We were literally steps from the beach. It would take me about three minutes round trip to go back to our place to use the restroom while we were on the beach. We fished, talked, and walked the shoreline. We planned ahead for dinner and I put it in the oven on one of my bathroom trips so it would be ready when we were done for the day. 

Oh and sunburn! I sunscreened. Like a freak as usual. But my face got burnt. So did my knees and feet. That Man got a little red on his head. He used the same sunscreen I did and looked nowhere like the lobster I turned into. 

Anyway. It was an amazing getaway. Now we're back in the real world. Same old. Same old. We do have stuff upcoming. We'll see if they happen. Two things have already been cancelled. 

That is all! 

Behave! 

First Week of April...

April just jumped right in here...

We had Easter. We got to see some of the family. Not many. And yes, we were safe. And we had a blast. Way, way too much food though. I think I'm still full! Ha! 

I got to see my great niece for the first time in over a year. She is so freaking cute. She ran around picking up sticks and stepping over dogs. No fear and the dogs didn't even flinch. 

We did manage to see most of the grandkids Easter weekend. We missed only one because he was taking a nap. 

I did get my new cover. I will post it very soon. It's lovely and I'm excited about it. I already did my first round edits on the book.  

Looks like I'll be going back to the office within the next month or so. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. I've been home for over a year. It's going to be an absolute huge adjustment on so many levels. 

But the writing is going well. I am a bit lost in the story right now, but am working hard to get it back. 

That's all...

Behave! 

Mid Week

So it's Wednesday...

No more calls from Molly at Amazon, which is good. Though a friend of mine started getting them the day after me. She wasn't dumb like me though. She didn't hit "one" to dispute the charges. I just can't not though. I feel the need to rebel. 

This week has been pretty quiet. The weekend was also quiet. We needed that quiet weekend. We worked on the camper, did the shopping, dropped off the car for inspection & to have the emergency brake checked. I took naps. We made good food. And we cleaned the house. 

I have been writing a lot. I also got a draft of my new cover for the book coming out later this year. I am waiting for the final and hope it is awesome. I will share it as soon as I'm able. 

That's about it. We'll see what this weekend brings...

Behave!

Scam Callers...

Lordy! 

The past twenty-four hours have been horrible with scam callers on my personal phone! 

It's always the same call - Amazon saying that there's a charge of seven-hundred and something made in Dayton, Ohio and they need to know if I made the purchase. 

Like sixty-five thousand times. 

Okay. So I exaggerate, but it was a lot of calls. I put my phone on do not disturb last night and still got like three calls. It started again today right before lunch. 

I told them last night to remove my number and stop calling me. 

Ha! Obviously that didn't work. 

Today, I was told that the rep would need to access my computer or cell phone to remove the fraudulent charge. I said I don't think that's how it works and he assured me it was. I told him to stop calling me and that their calls were harassing. I also told him he should be ashamed of himself for trying to scam people. 

Seven minutes later, they called again. And then again in another seven minutes. 

I informed them that I was going to the police because of their calls and they'd better remove me from the list. This was after the guy wanted to know what kind of phone I had and tried to make me say that I had made the purchase, and condescendingly asked me if I'd shared my log in information with anyone. Again, I told them to remove my number and stop calling me and I might have said a few bad words. 

The last time they called, which blessedly has been a few hours ago, I asked the rep if he could see the number that was called. He confirmed he could. I told him to make sure he removed it from their system and to stop calling me. Except there was a lot of profanity involved and yelling. 

I've had it! There's no way to block the numbers because they are different every single time. You can hear people in the background saying the same thing the rep was saying to me to other people. 

I don't understand it. I am still angry about it. I mean, if it's really stopped. It could start up again at the same time it did last night. Then what do I do? It's not like I have enough information to actually file a harassment complaint. Though I do have a plan if it starts up again. 

Frustrating! 

But it is Friday, which is a good thing. 

That is all...

Behave! 

Well Then...

So it hasn't quite been a week. But close enough. 

K3 and A moved into their new place over the weekend. They hadn't seen it until they picked up their keys. Apparently the previous tenants trashed it and the rental company needed the extra time to get things spiffy. It's a cute little place. Two bedrooms, big bathroom, decent sized kitchen, with an eat in dining room. And with their own parking spaces. And not in the most terrible, worst part of the city possible. 

It's the same distance for us, but a much easier place to get to, if that makes sense. It does to us. 

We took a few loads over Friday night, and then Saturday morning we got the rest of their stuff with some help from friends. It didn't take long at all. In fact, we were home before lunch, and we didn't start until nearly ten am. 

K5 came then. We had a sleepover and a blast. She's so stinking funny. She did my hair, stole my socks, and talked our ears off. She helped make dinner and loved what we made. I wasn't sure she would, so I don't know if it was her active hand in preparing it or the fact that it was really very good. She loved the new spare room and the bed being so high off of the ground. (And the fact that K3's cat was still here and in the room) Mr. B came early Sunday morning. The kids were very happy to see each other. It's been since Christmas. We made pancakes, sausage, and had whipped cream. They were hysterical and had a blast together. 

Then we went to K2's for Baby C's (not a baby anymore-she's 6!) birthday. Having most of the kids together was awesome. (We were missing Baby B) They had a blast. They played with K2's baby bunnies, played in the yard, got dirty, and came up with many different things to do. And we got to see all of our grandkids and all of our kids on the same day, which was particularly awesome. We dropped K5 off at baton class and then headed to take Mr. B home. Then got a phone call from K5's mom that she was stuck in Maryland and could we pick up K5 from baton? Of course. We didn't stay as long at K1's to see Baby B as we wanted because we had to hurry back to be on time, but we still got hugs and crazy stories from him. He adores his pappy and talked his ear off. 

By the time we made dinner and K5 was picked up, we were exhausted. Who am I kidding? We were exhausted Friday night and it never went away. Ha! It still hasn't! 

Now it's Tuesday. Monday was rough. Real rough. Today was a bit better exhaustion wise, but still rough. I had to rescue K4 because she left her lights on and her battery died. I went in my comfy pants and tattered sweatshirt. Ha! 

I made a pretty kick ass dinner, That Man did dishes, I wrote a decent amount of words, and now I am ready for bed. Our weekend coming up is blessedly light as far as obligations. Thankfully. It seems like all we've done lately is run around like crazy people. Though I have a feeling we'll break ourselves doing things that need to be done around here. Ha!

That is all...

Behave! 

Here We Are...

We're at about a year since all of this shit got real...

This time yesterday a year ago, things were still going normal. I had breakfast with a friend, a writing meeting, and gathered with family. Then... just like that, life stopped being normal. 

But... it is what it is. We just do what we can do and make the best of it. 

We are making our summer plans without thought of restrictions though, so I guess that's something. I feel like I want to go and do everything we wanted to do last year and everything we talked about this year, but my vacation time tells me to shut up. Ha! 

Anyway. 

Not much is different from here. 

K3 & A have been here for a little over two weeks now. It's been absolutely good and fun. We make the single bathroom in our house for five adults work, and we make mealtimes work. I have no complaints. They are clean, respectful, and help out. 

They are moving into their new place this weekend. I'm excited for them. Especially after seeing the tiny kitchen they came from. Their new place will be like a palace for them. They both love to cook and have made fantastic meals in my tiny kitchen. Their old kitchen was 1/3 of the size of my tiny space. Their new kitchen is predicted to be four times the size of mine. So that's exciting.

Other than that... Same old. Same old. 

Behave! 

Eh...You Know...

So I saw this meme about why no one feels like talking right now and it pretty much sums it up... 

Basically (and paraphrasing) it said that no one wants to talk right now. Replies are brief and late. Group chats don't really happen anymore. It's because we're all spent and have nothing left to say. You can only say "I miss you" and "I can't wait to see you again" so many times. And let's face it, we're all doing the same thing we were doing about a year ago. It also said that we're not supposed to apologize, because we're all feeling and doing the same thing. 

I feel that so hard! 

I have started a blog post four times in the last few days, but then I become apathetic and feel like I have nothing to say. And I really don't. What I have to say is basically nonsense. 

Except...

We're going to a funeral tomorrow. I don't know what it's going to be like with social distancing and all. But we feel like we need to go and pay our respects. Ben was a very dear friend to us. We haven't seen him in a few years, but he was one of those guys who didn't care about that. He was always happy to see you and talk your ear off. He was one of the most non-judgmental and funny people I have ever known. 

We moved up to his neck of the woods many, many years ago. His son was That Man's best friend. We moved up there based on his son's urging and knowledge of cheap land for sale. We had a lot (a lot) of good times while we lived there. They took us in and treated us like family. 

We eventually moved back down the mountain. Martin (the son) was killed in a tragic tractor accident shortly after my mom died. It was rough. We still made the trip to visit as often as we could. But it's been a while since we've been there. 

We don't know what to expect. We just know we have to be there. 

So we both have a shorter work day tomorrow. That Man is working from home because it doesn't make sense for him to drive into the office for an hour and then drive home so we can leave on time. 

Saturday is helping K3 and A get their stuff out of their apartment and into their storage unit. They've been here with us since Sunday and going over every night and doing as much as they can to make Saturday easier and quicker. 

To clarify, I am just a truck driver. We are borrowing trucks from work and only employees can drive them. So I am just there to drive the truck. I am not lifting, cleaning, or doing anything but sitting behind the wheel. Ha! I am too old for that crap! 

Other than that... Same old. Same old. 

I am writing. I am working the day job. I have been loving the snow, but equally loving the sunshine and warmer temps. (I know. You just can't please me... Ha!) 

Also, I have been doing taxes. State and Local are filed. Just not paid. Federal is 99% done, but I need to double check it. And then pay them. Yeah, it sucks that we owe everyone this year. But that's normal. Ugh. I hate it, but I'm glad to be almost done and know what the damage is. Next up is helping K4 with hers. Which should be easy. 

And that is all...

Behave!

Tuesday...

The first storm predicted this week turned out to be a bust. What was supposed to be ice turned out to be only rain. Bummer. 

Now they're forecasting 5-8" of snow starting tomorrow night. We'll see. The weatherman contradict each other, so I don't think anyone really knows. We'll end up with nothing though... Again. Sigh. 

I know you all think I'm crazy for loving snow so much. But I do and I can't help it. I could happily live in Alaska. 

Our new showerhead is pretty decent. Well, after I figured out how to adjust it so it quit spraying the wall and not my body. Ha! 

I found a sweet dresser and bedside table at the thrift store for the spare room. It's retro and in really good shape, and it was cheap! So I picked it up and brought it home. All we have to do is get K4's cabinet out of the room, and then finish setting things up. 

The writing is going well. I did my art sheet for the re-release of Cursed Fate. I'm excited to see the cover! Next will be edits. I'm plowing ahead on the new book, though plow isn't the exact best word. I was going solid and then hit a wall, so I've had to take a step back and do some character work. But I am working. 

Just found out the winery book signing event has been cancelled for this year. I'm sad, but I get it. It's already on the calendar for 2022 though. Obviously the greenhouse Valentine's event was cancelled. That one really made me sad. That's one of the best events ever - from just getting to be in the greenhouse, to seeing my author friends, to talking with readers, to lunch with my pals afterwards - it was the best. I hope that comes back next year!

That's all I have for now. 

Behave!

Happy Valentine's Day & Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope your day was as you wanted it to be. Ours was pretty decent. I slept in. That Man made me breakfast. We went to the home improvement store for wood, a new shower head, and the stuff to fix the bathroom sink. And a new ceiling fan for the spare room. 

We spent our weekend cleaning out the spare room closet and dealing with the tonnage, installing the ceiling fan, getting the bed set up, and doing random fixes. We are tired, but things are coming together. 

We have winter weather in the forecast, but we'll see if it actually happens. 

That is all...

Behave! 

10 Days!

Holy crap! I didn't mean for ten days to pass between postings!

So we got about 8" of snow. I think. It was nice. I never made it to the office, but that's okay. 

Thursday was That Man's birthday. I surprised him with a long weekend trip to a little cabin along a creek about forty minutes from our house. We've never been there before and it was super nice. We left Thursday afternoon after our host let us know we were good to check in earlier than planned. 

It was the cutest, most cozy, little cabin! It had a loft that I never went up in thanks to a straight up ladder that threatened me when I considered it. Ha! Big comfy bed (on the main floor). Big awesome tub. Efficient kitchen and comfy sitting places. A fire pit that we didn't get to use this time. There was a huge deck that overlooked the creek, which was beautiful. 

I made him stir fry for his birthday dinner, complete with eggrolls, and cheesecake with a candle for his birthday. There was a sweet grill on the porch so we ran to the store on Friday for steaks. That was an amazing meal. 

We watched movies, napped, ate good food, read, I wrote, we walked the trails, talked, and soaked in the tub. It was a beautiful weekend. Especially since we woke up Sunday to snow. It was beautiful to watch the snow on the creek. We sat out on the deck with our coffee for a long time. Until it was time to clean up and head for home. It was a really awesome weekend!

Sunday K3 and A came over to pick up some boxes and have dinner. We had a nice time talking and making food. They will be staying here for about two weeks while they wait for their new apartment to be ready. It just makes financial sense for them not to have to pay a full months rent and a half months rent. 

Then back to the grind. I did make it to the office on Monday and got my office packed up and ready for the new office flooring. We have more snow in the forecast, though no one seems to know when or how much. 

I guess we'll see...

Behave!