Late Week Check In...

We survived the cold snap! Our patio looked interesting with sheets, tipped over trash cans, and a small heater, but the plants survived and look no worse for wear. I'm eager to get new plants now that we're (hopefully) done with the cold. 

Prophecy is coming soon! I have my cover and I love it! I hope to have it uploaded by this time next week at the latest! I'll share a sneak peek at the cover within the next few days! I'm pretty sure I know which one is going up next but it's going to be a few weeks until I get that far. 

The day job has been crazy town! Hopefully things settle down soon. But then again, I usually don't know what to do with myself when things are calm, so there's that. Ha! 

And that's about it...

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up

Oh Sunday... Why do you have to show up so fast and make me so sad?

We still have hours left of today so I'm trying not to be too sad. And it's been a pretty good weekend so far. 

I got through the rest of Prophecy this morning. Just waiting for a little help from my friends to get it the rest of the way ready. I am grateful for their help and hate to take them away from their own work. 

Yesterday was the replenishment of supplies, organizing, and soccer. B's team won their second game and have now moved up in their bracket. It was an epic game and B scored six goals! 

We ran pretty much all day and by the time dinner was done, I was dealing with a massive headache that wouldn't respond to meds. So I went to bed about 2+ hours early and slept until six this morning. So I guess I'd call that sleeping in. 

Not looking forward to this cold front coming through. I already brought my baby plants in and will have to figure out how to protect the plants that are already loving being outside. Maybe the forecast will change? I don't know. 

And that's all I have for now...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

We made it!

This week has had its ups and downs. 

Here's the list: 

1. Today being an absolutely gorgeous day! It's the perfect temperature and the sun is glorious. While I appreciate the last two days of sun, it was too hot too soon. We don't have our air conditioning in yet (because why? It's going to get cooler and I prefer natural air when it's not stifling outside) and sleeping was not good. But we'll have a few days without dying from heat exhaustion coming up. 

2. Sleeping in tomorrow. Yeah, I say that every week. 

3. Working on Prophecy and making progress. 

4. Dinners out. We took J out for her birthday (that was last month...but time...) and we had a blast. 

5. Retirement luncheons at the day job that I didn't have to prep and plan for. 

6. My plants coming up. I planted from seed and I'm sure they're going to be weeds because none of the shoots look the same. I impulse bought what were supposed to be really cool plants and I know I was scammed. Hopefully something pretty at least comes up. We'll see. 

7. K3 coming over to hang out on my birthday. K4 made an awesome dinner and deep cleaned the kitchen. We chilled, watched our favorite cooking show, and talked a lot. 

8. Lighter weekend plans. Though there's still a ton of stuff on our list to take care of. 

That is all...

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up!

I am so not ready for tomorrow to be Monday! There's so much more I want to do before I have to sit behind my desk!

Anyway... Let's hit the list:

1. Fabulous weekend with the older grands. Picked up K5, went to dinner, then home to watch the astronauts splash down and then a movie. B arrived early Saturday and the two of them proceeded to crack us up and create chaos until not too long ago. 

2. The plants are outside and my office is clean. 

3. We planted some flowers, the grass was cut (by K5), laundry done...well, laundry done twice since some stupid cat decided to pee in B's bag. Gross. But we caught it before the smell had a chance to become permanent. 

4. B's soccer game yesterday. An hour away. On windy roads. They won. B is so freaking fast it always stuns me. 

A funny aside...I bought this gallon-sized insulated jug. It's awesome and keeps ice cold for days. I filled it, and we took it along. And then I discovered that the water tasted really bad--like fake grapes or something? I asked the kids if they'd put one of their drink packets in it but neither did. Then I realized I'd been so distracted in filling it up that I didn't even rinse it out first. I dumped it (pissed about the ice waste) and found a rag. Yeah. I'd stuffed it inside to make sure it was dry and didn't take it out. So yeah...

5. The grands being appreciative for receiving payment for their services and being more than willing to help with whatever we asked. They got plenty of time for goofing off too...which they did...with great skill. Ha! 

6. Not a lot of sleeping in this weekend. A little each day, but considering we were in bed late both nights... But at least it was good sleeping weather. 

7. Having a tiny birthday celebration with the grands. K5 made shortcake and cut up strawberries. I got some presents (chicken pj pants! Awesome!) and it was good. 

8. Deciding what I'm putting out on the 'zon next and getting through two chapters of proofreading. Surprised me because I am so wore out. But yay! I figured since the next few months are on the insane side, I'll work through my previously published stuff and get it back out. Then work on the new stuff. It gives me time and purpose and I won't feel crappy because writing time sucks. 

And there you have it!

Behave!  

Feel Good Friday!

It has been an exceptionally long week! 

Let's just get to the list...

1. Life After coming out and being available in both ebook and print! I just ordered my author copies and I can't wait to hold it in my hands for the first time ever! 

2. Weekend plans with the older grands. K5 is trying to earn money for a mission trip and B owes us for helping him out with some stuff so besides soccer and frivolity, they'll be helping out around the house a bit. They're excited and so are we!

3. The plan to get the plants outside this weekend. We had to drag the few that were out back in with the frost warning. They're still inside and have been fuel for cat vomit. Gross. 

4. Dinner plans with K5 tonight. She chose our favorite place for dinner since the night will be chaotic and it'll be later until we can pick her up. 

5. The old gal hanging in there. She's still happy and occasionally tries to run like a puppy. She has good days and bad. So far still more good days though we're dealing with swelling and incontinence on occasion. She's confused in the evenings, which has been the norm the past few months. We seem to be managing her pain too. So we're just loving on her and making sure she's happy. 

6. The next two + months are absolute chaos. We do have some time carved out for just the two of us coming up and I'm really excited for that. I just need to figure out how to get everything done in between the other obligations but I'll get there. I had to bail on our June retreat because of the stuff already on the calendar and that makes me very sad. I'm not sure life is ever going to calm down. 

7. The weather finally warming up! I can't wait for windows open! 

That is all. 

Behave! 

It's Here!

Life After

Click the link "Life After" and it'll take you to the page! 

The print book should be ready very soon! 

Thank you! 

Behave! 

It's Coming!

Life After should be available in about 48 hours!!

All of the things have been done and it's down to the waiting for Amazon to do it's thing. 

Also, you'll be able to order a print copy too! 

I'm excited for that! Since it was a short, I didn't have the capability to get print copies at the time of original publication! 

I'm deciding which one I want to put up next...so stay tuned for that. 

Behave! 

Cover Reveal!

 Coming soon... or coming again soon! Ha! 

Life After was published as an ebook in 2024. This is a re-issue and will hopefully be available in print before too long. I'll let you know when it's up on Amazon.

Life After

When Mia realizes she's the only person left in the world, her first thought is that she's free. After years of abuse by her mother and an accident that makes her financially responsible for her comatose mother's care, Mia embraces her new life.Though the solitude was intended to torture Mia, it's the best thing that ever happened to her. She spends the time healing while trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Before long, she realizes she's not truly alone in her paradise. John claims to be her guardian but insists she needs to go back to her old life. How could that possibly be good?Together they strive to figure out why Mia's life was manipulated and who is responsible. Their journey uncovers deceit and evil—and their love for each other.

The new cover is similar to the old one and I love it. And I have to shout out hefty thanks to my writing compadres for helping me get this ready to go. From covers, to formatting, to support, and for critiquing it originally. 

If you bought this book when it was out originally, thank you. I'm not going to stop you if you want to get it again, but just know, it's almost exactly the same. I did some light editing and that's it. 

If you missed out the first time and want to get it now, thank you! 

And remember if you download it on Kindle Unlimited, I get nothing until you read it. 

Hopefully it will be out by the end of the week. 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

Today was an early leaving day from the day job. Nice!

Let's hit the list... 

1. Errand running with That Man.

2. Very light weekend plans. No muss, no fuss. We've stepped away from the traditional Easter celebration-type thing. Yeah, we got the grandkids little things, but that's about it. 

3. Our group chat with the older grandkids. They crack me up on the daily. 

4. My plants starting to "spring forth". 

5. New book covers. I'm going to be putting myself back out there with self publishing. The cover reveal will be soon. 

6. Limited writing time this week, but still progress. 

7. That Man making me dinner last night. 

8. Sleeping in tomorrow. 

9. Coffee.

That's all. Enjoy your weekend! 

Another Weekend Wrap Up on Monday...

That weekend went way too fast! 

We crossed a lot of stuff off the "to do" list. The fluids have been changed in the truck, the office closed cleaned out, laundry done, pantry, fridge, and freezer cleaned out, the spare room cleaned up...blah blah blah. And I even wrote!

It was cold Saturday! And we missed B's game, unfortunately, thanks to things beyond our control. We made a new recipe for dinner and it turned out well. Even my super ugly bread turned out well. (The ugly bread that spewed all over the newly cleaned oven.) Oh yeah, and the oven is fixed. The washing machine is acting up again though. 

Sunday was spent relaxing with friends on their deck in a super last minute invite. We haven't seen these friends since...eek, I don't know. I'm trying to think. I believe before the holidays? Or around the holidays? But they're the kind of friends where time doesn't matter. They used to be our neighbors and we're used to crossing a yard to get to them. And then they moved away like the bums they are. Ha! Anyway. It was lovely and so nice to catch up!

I'd already started dinner before we got the call. Chicken noodle soup. The only thing that needed to be done when we got home was to add the noodles. That was nice. Super simple clean up, only enough leftovers for our lunch today, and I found some good crackers in the pantry. 

We have a ton of stuff going on this week and I'm already tired. 

That is all!

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

Yes. I am still somewhat grumpy. But let's muddle through finding some good stuff for this last Friday of March. 

(And why is it colder now than it was when I woke up this morning?)

1. Vehicle repaired and returned. It cost more than I thought, but it is what it is. 

2. Sleeping in tomorrow. 

3. Light weekend plans. We've been running a lot lately and are continuously booked through June? July? So a little breather is a good thing. Especially since the maid didn't show up to run the vacuum this week. Ha!

4. Plans for an easy dinner. Though that means we have to stop at the store on the way home, but whatever. 

5. The plan to do some de-cluttering over the weekend. 

6. And writing. 

And that is all. 

Behave!

So Much S*ck!

It's Thursday...

This week has been brutal. And there's still one more day. I am frustrated and grumpy. 

Here's my list of things that are making me cranky...

1. Being stuck inside when it's a gorgeous day out. 

2. Having to have work done on our vehicle. And in that same token, not knowing if it's ready for pick up or how much it's going to cost yet. 

3. Social media. People suck and they are rude. (Yeah, I opened the page and I should not have.)

4. Stupid news. No, I do not care to read an article on if you should close your toilet lid before you flush, nor do I care about pop stars and their outfits. And so much more. It's all repetitive and stupid. I also don't need my choice of one-hundred-and-ninety-five articles about current reality show people drama. 

5. Gas and grocery prices. What the actual hell? The grocery store says they dropped their prices, but their new "lower everyday" prices are more than before. And now you're offering me a coupon on something that is now way more than it was last week without the coupon? 

6. People who don't get back to you but expect you to respond immediately. 

7. This stupid poison on my arm that itches more instead of less. 

Oh there's so much more...but that's enough. 

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up...on Monday

Yeah, I know...

Had an amazing time with Little B. He was a riot and played hard. He crawled up on my lap Saturday evening and promptly fell asleep after a day of having me time how fast he can run, blowing absolutely everything with the leaf blower, sidewalk chalk, flower seed planting, and running around. He's such a smart and funny kid. 

We managed to get two flower beds cleaned out and I managed to get poison ivy. Yeah, I didn't realize you could still get it if the stuff is brown and dead looking. We'll see if That Man gets it. He was in it far more than I was. 

That is all...

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday!

Let's just get to the list...

1. 65*! And potentially up to 72* on Sunday. I'll take it. 

2. Happy First Day of Spring!

3. Living through the week. This was a rough one!

4. Little B time this weekend. He's been begging for a "Nana/Pappy Weekend" since before Christmas. This was the first weekend we could work it out for all parties. He's so funny. Today is his mom's birthday and he wrote her a card and said "i'm going to miss you when I go to Nana and Pappy's but I also want to go to Nana and Pappy's." 

5. Something easy for dinner. I'm not sure what it'll be yet. Little B runs on chicken nuggets, french fries, and yogurt, so he's easy (and yeah, we get the chicken nuggets with veggies in them. He loves them.)

6. The part for our again-broken oven due to arrive tomorrow. This is the second part in less than a year. Oy. 

7. The skid plate for my Jeep being done. Now we just need to find one of the parts we need. We're working on it. 

That's all I have for now...

Behave!

Mother Nature is Whacked...

What in the world is going on with this weather? 

Cold. 

Rain. 

Wind. 

Oh it's 63 degrees!

Wind.

Rain. 

SNOW?

Yikes. 

Behave! 

Weekend Wrap Up

Mother Nature still isn't cooperating. She's hateful and mean. I know it's only mid-March and things are always fickle at this time, but I also know I'm not the only one devastated by the fact it was so nice for a few days and now it's gloomy and cold again. 

Anyway. 

It's been a mostly productive weekend. 

We had a nice dinner and conversation with friends last night. 

The snowmen/winter stuff has been removed from my front porch. The Easter egg order has been submitted for K5. Some plants have been cleaned up. Shopping, car part ordering, laundry, sheet washing, blah blah blah, have been done. 

I also took a nap. 

And wrote. 

Though I did not sleep in. I tried. But weird dreams and an old dog who didn't want to stay in bed prevented that. (hence the nap)

Breakfast for dinner tonight. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's been craving pancakes! 

We do have some plants popping up outside. That's a happy sight. 

And that is all... Tomorrow we're back to the grind. Joy. 

Behave! 

Feel Good Friday

I guess? 

Let's see if we can cobble together a list...

1. The weekend. Honestly, I've been away the past two weekends, so a weekend mostly at home sounds lovely. We do have plans but nothing too dramatic. 

2. With #1 comes sleeping in. Or at least I hope so. 

3. My dryer is fixed. 

4. The few nice days we had. But now...yuck. Mother Nature is off her meds...

That's all I have at the moment...

Behave! 

Too Much Chaos...

I wish this week would end already... I know tomorrow is Friday so we're close, but I just want to pull the covers over my head and hide in my warm bed.

Writing has sucked this week. It's been one thing after another but mostly my own fault for being tired, sad, and tired. 

Everything just feels so chaotic. Everything. Everywhere. All the time. 

Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with some kind of Feel Good post...

Behave! 

Beautiful Monday!

Oh my goodness! It's gorgeous outside! The sun is back and it's warm! 

I do hate the time change though. I mean...

That Man and I had a lovely weekend away. We had lunch before checking in, hit the grocery store, and immediately changed into our comfy pants upon arrival. And we stayed like that all weekend. It was gloomy and a little chilly, but we had a fire and the creek was amazing to watch. 

We kept our phones on silent and away from us and just enjoyed. I didn't take my computer or anything. We had a wonderful dinner Saturday night and watched a ton of movies. Some we'd seen before and others we hadn't. 

Like I said, it was a good weekend. 

Then back to the grind. My dryer is down again. The belt broke. That Man wrote it down somewhere but I think I might have tossed the paper at some point, so now he has to take it apart to get the number. Our clothes are drying on a rack in the dining room. Yay. Ha! 

Our old gal isn't doing so hot. I don't think it's time yet, but think it won't be too long. She still has her spark, but it's dimming. I hope she tells us when she's done. The thought of her suffering is too much to bear, but so is the thought of her not being around anymore. Our hearts are going to break into a million pieces. She's the best dog ever. 

Behave! 

Mid-Week Slump

Man, it's gross outside! I'm yearning for some sun! 

Temps are supposed to go up this weekend though! I'm so looking forward to it. 

Coming off retreat is often difficult to navigate. You go from doing nothing but taking care of your own personal needs and writing, to being slammed back into reality. Usually it takes a few days to find your balance again. 

I think I'm doing okay though this time. I always take Monday's off from writing. It's just my thing. Last night, I managed words and came to the conclusion that I'm starting this story in the wrong place. Or maybe I'm just thinking too hard about it. Not sure yet but I'm still on a good track. 

That Man and I are going away just the two of us this weekend. Just a quick little weekend getaway, which is so needed and very much looked forward to. We were going to do this for our anniversary but the timing never worked out. I'm not sure how we got it to work out for this weekend, but we did and it even worked out for the housemates taking care of the home front without issue, so yay us. 

And that's all I have...

Stay dry and...

Behave!