Week End Wrap Up...

It's Sunday. Again.

And twelve days until Christmas. 

We had to go out yesterday. Needed some supplies and wanted to grab a few things for Christmas and birthday. We did not have to go to the big box store, which is amazing and good. 

It was a madhouse. But I believe, except for waiting for a few deliveries, that we are done with the shopping. Everything is wrapped, too. I mean, everything that's here. Of course, we'll have to hit the grocery store probably once or twice before the big day. 

We got our tree up yesterday. It's far smaller than I wanted, but it's still gorgeous. We decorated last night - just the three of us, had some nog, and listened to our traditional Charlie Brown Christmas. It was very nice. 

Today was putting more lights on the front porch. It looks cute and I'm happy with how it turned out. I wrapped presents and Bob got the snow blower ready for the potential snowfall coming. I am excited for possible snow! 

We made our Blue Apron dinner. A friend of mine gave us two gift meals. It was good, too many peppers, but we're still preferring Hello Fresh. We have one more Blue Apron to make. And then we'll get our next Hello Fresh box on Wednesday. We're digging it though. We do get to pick our meals and they are easy to make. Everything is included except salt, pepper, butter, and oil. 

The writing is going well. Really well. I am digging my story and writing like a mad woman. 

And that is it...

Behave!

Tuesday... What?

It's Tuesday. I know. Really? 

17 days until Christmas...

How weird is that? I don't have any Christmas Spirit and I don't expect I will find any, but I am doing everything I can to get some spirit. I want spirit. I really do. It's just not that easy this year.

Things are going. 

I just finished writing all of the words for today. The story is going quite well. Though it's not what I was writing last week. I had an inspiration and went back to a Christmas story I had started last year. And, I know we're watching a lot of holiday movies these days, but I'm digging the new version of this story. 

And who knows? Maybe I'll finish it and submit it and see what happens... For now, it's a good thing for me to do.

The Christmas shopping is also going. We're about 95.9999% done. Unfortunately, we'll actually have to go to the big ugly store to finish. I think. But we'll put that off as long as possible, or at least until we know for sure that we have no choice.

Plans are to get our tree this weekend. We'll go to the Boy Scout stand like we always do. It's close and quick and they have nice trees that aren't that expensive. I'll start pulling up the decorations over the next few days. We need to move a couch to my office, too... Ugh. It's a sleeper sofa, so it's not going to be easy.

It's cold. I'm waiting for snow. There doesn't seem to be any on the horizon. 

That is all!

Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up...

This weekend went really fast... 

Friday night was basically relaxing, watching Harry Potter... We were in bed super early. 

Saturday... 

Got to see the siblings. That was really, really nice. We took care of business, talked, laughed, and ate some pizza. It was so very good to see everyone! 

I know I said I was probably going to cancel the big Christmas Eve shindig (and I still am), but finding out that family wasn't going to come anyways, before I made the decision kind of hit me hard. 

I mean, it is absolutely fine. And after a bit of processing, I am okay, despite the fact that I'll miss them and the fun we have. 

I tell my kids all of the time... you do what you want and you should! Do different things because you can! Life is about experiences and change. I never want them to do something because they feel obligated and I feel that way for everyone (even though it's hard on me emotionally sometimes lol). Yes, tradition has a place. But tradition can change to what fits and suits everyone's needs. I'm down with that. 

I also know that I have the best siblings anyone could ever have, and there's that. And hopefully our gathering on Saturday is the start of a new tradition for us. 

We had to cut our visit short though. Instead of hanging out well into the evening like we wanted, That Man and I had to go take care of helping with something that's hopefully the last time ever. We didn't think it was going to happen at all, but when we got the text, we had to change the plans because we were already committed to the thing. Folks were gone by like 6pm. We left shortly after, did our thing, and were back home by like 9. 

We were exhausted but we did squeeze in a viewing of the new Mulan. I totally loved it. 

Today has been pretty much chilling all day. I took care of getting some of the paperwork from yesterday ready to mail. We hung our solar lights on the porch, started laundry, made our last Hello Fresh bundle, and basically just relaxed.

The lights are cute and turned out almost exactly what we hoped. I went to order another strand for the fence, but they are out of stock. Crap. Our Hello Fresh meal was really delicious. And laundry is still in the machine. Ha! 

That is all!

Behave! 

December Two...

Today was a super weird day.

Work was weird, with unusual situations and random emails. 

The animals are weird. The boys have been fighting like mad. Today was better, but Max has taken to holing up in my office and sleeping in the dog's bed. And the dog will not make him move. She just lays against the door with a devastated look on her face. 

Also, I ordered Elsa a few new toys for Christmas. I had moved them from the box to a bag with some other stuff to make room. She found them, twice, and has been relentless about finding them again. I stashed them in the closet and she knows... she keeps sniffing at the door. When K4 was in my office, the dog kept trying to convince her to open the closet door. Weird. 

Then, I had my window open because it had gotten super hot in the office. K4 had come in to chat and this old, grizzled guy was out on the sidewalk in front of the neighbors house walking by. As we watched him, he spit on the neighbors car and said "there's something for you to eat" and kept walking by. Random. Never saw the guy before in my life and the neighbor whose car he spit on hasn't done anything to anyone. They are a nice family. So weird.  

Got my first round edits for my new release. "Look" is now a bad word. For real. I had overused it so badly. Like over two-hundred times badly. Also, "pull". But they are cleaned up and I just need to do a final read through before sending it back. My editor had nice things to say about the book and that's awesome.

We also signed up for Hello Fresh. We got our first box today, but since I was making dinner for a friend who just had surgery and had extra for us, we will have our first meal tomorrow. My sister and a bunch of people from work are also doing it, and we thought we'd give it a shot. I think it will take some of the stress of "what's for dinner" away and give us some variety. We'll see... I'll let you know how it goes. 

That's all I have. 

Behave! 

November the Last

Can you believe that? The last day of the month? 

One more month left of this craptastic year! Which of course doesn't mean 2021 is going to start less craptastic. None of this is going to go away just because the clock strikes midnight on December 31st! There's no "fresh start" for this time of our lives. 

This is always a crazy month though, and this year is no different. Of course, there are no holiday parties to attend. There will be no "Ugly Sweater" party this year. At this point, I'm not even sure I will do the Christmas Eve Open House. There will be no 21st birthday party for K4, no anniversary dinner out for That Man and I, no New Year's Eve parties, but yet, things will be a different kind of crazy. 

I did decorate my front porch - well, it's about halfway done. I'm waiting for my lights to get here and I need some greenery. But the snowman has been repaired, Santa has been scrubbed up, and it looks pretty cute. I think. I also started shopping. I have four out of seven grandkids done, plus 2 grandkid birthdays, so that's a bonus. And K4's birthday and That Man are almost done. 90% of that happened today. 

We won't get our tree for few weeks. It'll just die with our heat. But I will get everything else done before that day. It's a bonus that I never put away my Christmas dishes from the hutch. Ha! 

Part of me doesn't know why I'm pushing forward with decorating and food plans. Christmas could very well turn out like Thanksgiving. But yet... It gives me something to focus on, so that can't be a bad thing. 

That's all I have...

Behave! 

Black Friday Rest

I hope you had a wonderful holiday yesterday, however it turned out. 

Our plans changed yet again, but we had a really good day. A ended up getting sick and had to get a Covid test. Her results weren't back yet (still aren't), so they couldn't come. So it was just That Man, me, and K4. 

We still went all out. K4 and I made pies Wednesday night, per our usual routine. Two pumpkin, an apple, and a vegan apple (just in case the results came back and were negative), and a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. K4 bought a pumpkin cheesecake from her work to add to the mix. 

We cooked all day and finally sat down to eat around 4-ish at our decorated table. We were stuffed, but the food turned out amazing. We had a blast all day together - talking and laughing, and yeah, crying a little. 

By the time we finished our pie eating, the kitchen was clean and we were ready to crash. We facetimed with K5, and with Mr. B. Talked to K3 and A, and texted with K1. Texted with my family and his. 

It was a really good day, despite missing people. 

I'm still tired though. I slept in this morning, but still feel like I could take a nap. Of course, I woke up at 3:30 and struggled to get back to sleep. K4 had to work today. That Man and I took the day off. Though we both still have to check messages and take care of emergencies. So far it's been quiet though. 

Oh! Look at the top upper left! That's my new book cover for the reprint that's coming out this spring! I am in love with it and so grateful my cover artist got my vision! 

And that is all...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday...

 Whooot! Friday! 

Here's my list:

1. I got my turkey. Umm... Since our Thanksgiving plans have changed (again)(and again)(and might change again) and I am feeding turkey to three to four turkey eaters (at this point). My turkey is almost 21#'s... HA!! But hey... It was a free turkey up to just about the poundage we got, so... we have a freezer and it will not go to waste. 

2. Yeah, Thanksgiving plans changed. Yet again. There is work. There is other family. There is work. (Yes, I meant to type that twice) We will adapt. I am trying hard to accept that things won't be the way I envisioned, and that's okay. It will be the three of us and K3 and A, and maybe some drop ins for dessert and frivolity, though that is not guaranteed. At this point, I am trying to just go with the flow... 

3. Oh and hey! It's Friday! 

4. That Man picked up awesome pizza on his way home tonight. No cooking. No cleaning up. Nice, nice break and I appreciate it so much. 

5. Writing the words. I am making pretty damned decent progress. And I am happy with that progress. 

6. Sleeping in tomorrow. We'll see how that works. I haven't been able to stay in bed for very long these days anyway...

7. Talking to two of my siblings tonight. That's good stuff. I wish to talk to the other one, but he forgets to respond to text messages and that's okay. The last one was pure silliness. 

8. I also talked to my cousin who lost her mother last weekend. I won't get into my feelings on this because I started a post last night about my aunt and it was so long I had to delete it. Suffice it to say that my aunt's death has hit me hard. She and my momma were the best of friends and I have so many good memories of my aunt and my aunt, and my momma together. Also, it doesn't help that my cousin calls her mom momma as well. I'm still not sure how we're related, but there's no mistake that we are absolutely family. 

That is all!

Behave!

Tuesday...

So... One more Tuesday before Thanksgiving. 

It kind of snowed a little today! Whoot! 

Things are changing in our state constantly with the Covid. It's frustrating, confusing, and infuriating. I won't get into it or else this will be a huge rant. 

I stopped at the grocery store during my lunch break today after going into the office to put away supplies, sort 2021 calendars, and help a coworker with a spreadsheet. Toilet paper is flying off the shelves again. I would say six out of ten people had tp in their carts. Most of the shoppers had this panicked look in their eyes. It was hard not to fall into "panic-buy mode" with the rest of them. I didn't though. I got what I needed and got the heck out of there. I still need to get my turkey and trimmings. 

Things are still in the works for Thanksgiving. There are too many unknowns, which is why I haven't purchased my turkey or the trappings yet. It's going to be small, I am sure. And that's okay. I will get to cook and use my Thanksgiving dishes and I will do that even if it's only the three of us after all. K4 and I have decided on some desserts we will be making and my list of things to do is ever growing. 

Then I will decorate for Christmas. I have started my shopping, though not by much. We have two grandkid birthdays before Christmas, too. And, of course, I have no idea what Christmas will look like. K4's 21st birthday plans are up in the air, but we will make the most out of it. And we have started watching Christmas movies, which, if you know my husband, is remarkable. He hates anything Christmas before Thanksgiving and we've watched probably six Christmas movies in the last week. That just goes with my point that if it makes you happy, do it. 

That Man and I both took off the Friday after Thanksgiving. We both worked last year and it was the lamest, most-boring day at the office. I would rather sleep in and spend my day relaxing and writing. 

Anyway. The new book is coming along nicely. I am happy with it so far. 

And that is all I have on this windy and freezing cold Tuesday!

Behave!

Sunday Again...

Sorry it's been a week... Last week was pretty boring. I started posting a few times, but found I had nothing to report. 

Now we're back at Sunday. 

That Man and I went to our favorite little cabin along the river. We left Thursday after work and got back a little after lunch today. 

It was a beautiful weekend. We talked, laughed, cooked, watched movies, slept, and enjoyed the river. We took the dog with us and she was an absolute mess. She was freaked out by the river, the train, chickens, and the stray cats around. She was better by today, of course. 

I wrote, slept in, showered in the most amazing shower (seriously, I need that shower). 

We got home, took a nap, ate some soup, made some cookies, I wrote. It's raining now. And super windy. 

And that's all I have.

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up!

 Okay, so the weekend didn't turn out nearly as relaxing as I'd hoped... But it was an absolutely gorgeous weekend! 

I did sleep in on Saturday and it was beautiful. That Man made breakfast. We watched some dumb tv and then got busy. 

The old fencing is now gone from the yard. The camper is winterized and cleared of all food and things that can potentially freeze. The Jeep is cleaned inside and out. The weeds are pulled from the front of the house. The porch has been cleaned and rearranged a bit. Leaves have been raked. The vacuum has been run inside the house. That Man's car has been taken to the mechanic. Shopping has been completed. Laundry is done. House is in decent shape. Yard is getting there. Christmas gifts are being discussed and a plan is being made. 

We pretty much wrecked ourselves on Saturday. Getting the fencing out of here and doing leaves, among other things, broke us into two sorry excuses for sore and exhausted humans. We did make some banging empanadas for dinner though. After that, it was couch time and movie watching. I wrote. Went to bed pretty early for a Saturday night. I know we're early to bed anyway, but this was crazy early. 

K3 stopped in for his packages, so we got to chat with him for a while. It's always good to see that kid! He laughed at us in our soreness! He offered to set up the new Fire Stick we bought because ours is overheating, but I didn't want to have to deal with setting up the apps and passwords and stuff... 

Didn't sleep in as much today, but still did. That Man made breakfast again, and then we set off for errands. Went to the home improvement store, but ended up leaving in frustration. It was packed and they rearranged, so we couldn't find anything on our list. Went to the mega box store for cat litter, and then, we had no choice but to go to the mega mart for RV antifreeze. Ugh. But I got the candles I have been wanting, so that's a plus. It was insanely busy, too, so getting in and out was priority. 

I did take a quick nap today, which was good. And I wrote a crapton of words, so that's awesome. The book is going well and I am happy. 

Also awesome is a writing retreat in my future! I'm so very excited. The house is gorgeous and secluded. I will be with my bestest writing friends and I will be nothing but a writer and friend while I'm there. I will have my own room and probably my own bathroom. I am so very much looking forward to it. I haven't been on a writing retreat in over five years. To say how much I need this would be an understatement. 

Tomorrow is Monday again. I'm at the point in the evening where I'm wishing for another weekend day. 

That is all...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

Oh Friday!

Here's the list:

1. No problems on my mammogram. Got the call this morning. 

2. Just That Man and I tonight. It's a good conversation evening. Relaxing. Movie watching. 

3. Ordering burgers for dinner. Neither of us were hungry until about an hour ago. We had awesome food delivered. 

4. Sleeping in tomorrow. And I will. It's much needed. I just might overshoot my normal "sleeping in" time! In fact, I mean to. 

5. Light weekend plans. Some yard work. Some house cleaning. Some store going, resting, and relaxation. 

6. Getting words on the page.  

7. Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Plans are coming together with That Sister. And then Christmas. I definitely agree with the mindset that since 2020 has been such a sucky year that we should go with what makes us happy. I'm not ready to decorate for Christmas yet, but it's on my mind. Thanksgiving and Christmas both make me happy, so here we go! 

That is all! 

Behave! 

Thursday Rambling...

Oy vey has it been a long week already and it's only Thursday! 

I voted. That's all I'm going to say about that. 

Had my annual mammogram today. Ouch, but whatever. It's done now. Get your tatas checked, folks. It's important. 

We fixed our hallway light tonight. The fixture finally came. It's been ages since the light worked. We've swapped out plans for a while now. First we were going to put a small ceiling fan up there, which I still want, but it wasn't gong to work. I love the new light though. It's nice to have the light on the stairs again. Though I still want the tiny fan light! 

Writing - I've managed every night but Monday. The counts aren't fantastic, but at least I'm getting something. I filled out my art sheet for the re-release that will come out in the spring. That was exciting and a little painful. 

Weekend plans - no idea yet. Oh wait... we have to go to the mega box store for cat litter since they didn't have it the other night. Other than that... we'll see...

That's all...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

Yay! Friday! 

What a long week! 

Here's the list:

1. Ordering dinner from our favorite Mexican place. It was so good and just what we needed. K4 is at a friends tonight, so it's just That Man and I. The funny thing is, she texted me and said they ordered from the same place we did. 

2. Warmth. That Man got our furnace up and going tonight. It's been pretty cold in here, but not seriously uncomfortable. I have an electric fireplace I use in my office and that's really all I need during the day. But it's supposed to get pretty danged cold overnight. 

3. Writing confab with the writing buddies tonight. We chatted and did timed writing sprints. It was a perfect way to catch up with my friends and get some words on the page. 

4. Light weekend plans. We have some house stuff to do. And K3 is stopping by on Sunday. But other than that, it should be a relaxing one. I hope! 

5. Which means, sleeping in tomorrow. I slept in today. I mean, not really, but I stayed in bed longer than I normally do on a work day. It was so warm in bed and I was so comfy. It was dark and rainy. I don't regret a second of it. 

6. Going into the office was fine. I put away supplies, did inventory, and talked to some coworkers. That Man and I had lunch. It was a nice diversion from the same old, same old. 

That's all I have. It's almost 8pm and I think the mailperson just came. Don't ask. It's been that way for a while now... Weird. 

Behave! 

Trick or Treat...

Tonight was Trick or Treat in our town. 

The borough left it up to each homeowner/resident on participation. 

We decided to turn on our porch light. 

It was a great decision. 

It's cold. It's rainy, though the rain held off for most of the time. I ended up wrapped in a blanket on the front porch and I'm still cold. 

But the kids were so cute! We ended up with a much, much smaller crowd than usual, but it was still fun. Everyone was respectful. Some wore masks, some didn't. It didn't matter. Kids don't know. We were giving doubles and we still have 2/3's of the candy we started with. 

Parents thanked us for keeping it normal for the kids, which was our intent. 

I have to say I totally miss years past though. Having a crowd using our house as home base. Making food for the crowd. Having a bunch of people on the porch handing out candy and interacting with the trick or treaters.  

This year would have been a lot more fun with the crowd on our new front porch, but whatever. Next year will be totally epic. I decree it! 

Other than that... I've spoken to all of my siblings over the past twenty-four hours and we had great conversations. I miss them. We will be making plans to get together soon. 

And I did manage to write tonight. 

Tomorrow is Friday. That's a good thing. I have a busy morning, but I need to go to the office after that. Which is good and fine. 

That is all. 

Behave! 

Almost Three Weeks!

Sorry for the silence! 

Not much has been going on around here. 

Pretty much same old, same old. 

Still working from home. Cold. Rain. Waiting on the part for That Man's car. Writing. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be our Trick or Treat night. We debated about participating and then decided we must. We have a plan, but then there's a chance it will be cancelled because of 150% chance of rain. Our boys have already opted out due to the rain. We're still prepared, so we'll sit on our porch and see what happens. 

My kid had a birthday! We're not talking about how old he is. He's my baby boy, so you get that, right? 

We're all on a fast track to the holidays now! What the heck? This is our off year from my siblings and our on year with That Man's siblings for Thanksgiving. Plans are beginning to form. And then there's going to be Christmas, and K4's 21st birthday. Holy crap! My lists are started though and I feel good about that despite having a zero prediction of holiday spirit. 

That is all. 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

Well, here we are at Friday again. 

It was a long and busy week around here. We are relaxing tonight. 

Here's the list: 

1. Ordering pizza for dinner. Awesome for no cooking and clean up. 

2. My Jeep is fixed and it didn't cost my first born and my soul.. Though we do have to replace the rest of the lines soon, but it will wait until after the rest of the frame is fixed, which is coming up soon. 

3. K4's room. We've been working all week. Her bed came early and so did her rug. She is all set up now. There are a few things left to do, but she is sleeping in her new comfy bed in her nearly-completed bedroom "suite". And let me tell you, that bed is super comfortable. 

4. The new story is going well. I am digging it still. I'm adding pages every day, and not just one or two. I like the direction it's going. 

5. No heavy plans for the weekend. We have air conditioners to take out. Storm windows to put in. Sleeping in. The furnace to prep, and a big ole pork roast to cook. That's about it.... I love it. 

That is all...

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up...

 Well, that weekend went super fast!

I got a lot of things done on my list, but not everything I'd hoped for. 

1. The room - That Man is working on shelving. We're kind of at a stand still until the new bed she ordered arrives. And the rug she ordered. We have to finish the shelving (which will be part of her new headboard), paint the edges of the floor, and then... wait some more. The bed is due to arrive this week. The rug next week. But it is coming along. I did get the painting done last week. It's a different schedule, but we discovered some areas on the floor that we're not going to be able to paint over - hence the rug. 

2. Writing - I am digging this new story. K3 stopped by yesterday and we brainstormed a little, which was awesome. I didn't get anything done Friday or Saturday, but I'm heading there soon. 

3. Mr. B - I picked him up Friday after work. He needed a break from little Mr. B. (Who is super, super cute and funny, but very, very active) We had spaghetti with K3 & A, and watched Toy Story 4. It was an awesome evening. I woke up at 4 to use the little girls room and without making any noise, stuck my head into the guest room to check on him since his mom said he's been having trouble sleeping. I found him wide awake. Ugh. I told him he had to try to go back to sleep, but he said he had been trying and it wasn't working. So... We went downstairs and put a movie on. I expected him to go back to sleep, but no dice. We had a blast on Saturday though. He helped Pappy with the Jeep's oil change and helped me clean the porch. We played, cooked, and talked. He got to see his Rah-rah and Dee-dee, too. He's an awesome kid! 

4. Speaking of the Jeep. I had to sit in a super long line of traffic on my way to pick up B. My brake light came on, but I didn't think anything of it. The lights go on and off at random times anyway. As That Man was changing the oil, he realized that the brake line was leaking. Oh, not just leaking - spraying fluid every time you step on the brakes. Apparently, the line let go. Awesome. Not. So, now that will go to the shop to get fixed. 

5. And then, it will be That Man's car. He went to leave for the office on Friday and his car wouldn't start and gave him a "death" light on the dash. He checked it out Saturday morning only to find that his radiator tank is filled with oil & sludge. That's not right. No. Really. It's not. Ha! We don't know what that means at this point. It could be fixable, but it could also be the death of his VW. I really can't deal with anymore car issues. We just had our new car in the shop for an issue with the back brakes and I feel like all we've done for the last few months is pay for one car issue after another. Ugh. 

6. I spent a lot of time today bringing in my plants. I have all but the huge asparagus fern indoors. My office is filled. The guest room has a hanging basket. The rosemary is in the dining room. There are two small hanging plants in the bathroom. But that asparagus fern is a quandary. It's probably four feet long and super wide. It literally takes up a quarter of the back porch. I have somewhat of an idea of where I'm putting it, but it's so heavy and unwieldy that I can't quite do it alone. That Man and I should get it in tonight though. 

That's all I have....

Behave!

 

September the Last

 Last day of the month! This year has gone fast, which, I guess, considering how crappy 2020 has been, is a good thing!

Now we head into October, which is one of my favorite months! Cooler temps, warmer foods, fuzzy socks, no outrageous electric bill... 

I started a new story! I'm very excited about it. It's about a woman who wakes up one morning as the only person on the planet. So far it's going well! I will finish this one and then hit edits on Sector Two. 

On the room work - we didn't get as far as I'd hoped. Like I said, I knew I was aiming high. Ha! Progress is being made though. The walls are done. We just have some painting (painting I thought was done previously, but wasn't), and the floors. Then some trim. The hope is that she can start moving her stuff over there by mid-week next week. (The floors have to cure a bit) It's going to be great for her and she's excited. 

Last night I had the chance to meet up with friends via Zoom. These are my oldest writing friends. The five of us used to talk every day and meet at least once a month. It's been years. We all had to get jobs and crap. Some of them moved to a different state. It was a blast though. We laughed like crazy people. It was like old times. What we all figured would be a half hour conversation, turned into to over two hours and it was awesome! 

That is all!

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday...on Saturday

 I know it's not even 9pm, but I am ready for bed! 

Our day has been pretty busy. Since the fence is done and it was raining this morning, we tackled the other half of K4's room. It's been needing done for a while. She's running out of space and has a grand plan for the room. 

First thing was jenga-style stacking the contents of the space into the storage closet. A lot of it belongs to K1 & J, but they don't have room for it right now. (Neither do we, but whatever...) Then it was wall repair and a trip to the home improvement store for supplies. 

We started the walls when we got back. Got about 1/3 done before we decided to call it a day. What a pain! We're dealing with a sloped roof and many angles, so it's extra cutting and finagling. And frustration. We'll be back up there tomorrow and hopefully, maybe, hopefully, get the first coat of paint on the floor before quitting time. We shall see though. I am far more optimistic than realistic! Ha! 

We cleaned up our wall mess, showered, and ordered delivery from one of the restaurants we stopped at a lot before the pandemic happened. I miss fresh fries. And fresh onion rings. It was still really good and we didn't have to cook, so there's that! 

I am digging the grocery delivery thing. I know way back in the day I constantly talked about how awesome it would be if the groceries were delivered. It is as awesome as I had always hoped! I just scheduled a delivery for tomorrow, which means I don't have to go to the store instead of working on the room. Having the bags dropped at the door is way better than all of that work you have to do at the actual grocery store! 

Also, just this week I received a contract for the second book that was with my old publisher. WooHoo! That one took quite a bit more editing than the first one. But I still love that story. Now I need to figure out what I'm doing next. I am caught up on critiques and just have to change the hero's name in the first book I contracted (it's the same as Sector One. Ha!). I'm having trouble deciding what to work on next. Sector Two needs to sit a bit before I tackle edits. 

That is all! I'm going to bed now! 

Behave! 

Deep Into September!

Well, here we are on the first day of Autumn. Sorry for the radio silence. I don't really have an excuse, except for the break from social media. 

I do appreciate the cooler temps. In fact, the last few days have been amazing! It's been pretty danged chilly in the mornings. I'm wearing socks now. Well, not right at this moment though my feet are pretty cold, but I start the day with them. Ha!

We did get our front fence done over the weekend. It's pretty much the exact fence we had before, but new. It looks good, despite the slight wave in it and the variations in stain color. That's not a bad thing. The tree is trimmed out front and the huge weeds and the brace to keep it from falling down are gone. Also, the junk on the yard side of the fence is now gone, which is awesome. 

Our curb appeal is looking pretty good these days, which was our goal. And in the back, the old wooden swing set is partially down, but much of it repurposed into the fence. The yard looks bigger. And better. 

That's a strange thing. That swing set that our kids played on for years (and I mean years) is gone. Tons of neighbor kids, nieces, nephews, and friends played on that swing. Grandkids. It was a ton of nostalgia. Then, K3 stopped by and barely noticed. K4 came home from work and barely noticed. Same with K1 when he stopped over to grab some stuff. Though all of them said the yard looked bigger. I guess the nostalgia was just That Man and I. 

I have been editing and critiquing. I finished the book that didn't seem like it would ever end and then took a break. But I have critiqued a ton of stuff for friends, and edited my own stuff. (Not the book I just finished. Ha! That needs to sit for a while longer.) I have one more critique to do and then I will write a short story. I think. I'm not super sure what I'm doing next. 

Same old, same old around here though. 

Behave!