Trick or Treat...

Happy Halloween!
I love Halloween! I totally love trick or treat night so much more that the kids don't need me to walk the streets with them. I know they're a little old for candy grabbing, but I don't have a problem with teenage trick or treaters. I love when the older kids come by. Their costumes are mostly awesome and they're very respectful. I dig that. 
We had a houseful this year. All four K's, spouses, grandson, my niece, her boyfriend and cousins (who are like my nieces, too), and my folks. We didn't do dinner this year - no time and too busy, but we did have some snacks. The teenagers even brought snacks, which was super cool.
There weren't a lot of trick or treaters this year though. Our numbers have been steadily declining. I'm not sure why. We don't have many good neighbors left, which might be part of it. This year, we were the only porch light on in our little block. But there isn't much candy left, thanks to the K's.
Here's my trick or treat (true or false)(like Tall Tale Tuesday used to be):
1. K4 changed her costume at the very last minute, then was frantic that we didn't have everything she needed.
2. My niece's boyfriend wore a sign that said "Nudist on Strike". 
3. K3 dressed like a mermaid. 
4. K2 & J were both Spiderman.
5. Some kid threw an egg at my truck.
6. K3 ate so much candy that he puked.
7. Baby B was a smurf. 
8. My folks dressed up like pirates.
That's enough for now. Guess if you want. There are no prizes, but it might be fun. (Though I don't think anyone reads this blog anymore?)
Behave!

Dear...

Dear Day Job -

Seriously? Enough already!! I'm not keeping up and I'm tired. Slow down a little and let me catch up so I can become competent with the new stuff.

K?

Dear Children Still Living At Home -

Seriously? Enough already! I'm not your maid! Do your chores and clean up after yourselves! The next time I come home from the Day Job and find sixty-five million granola bar wrappers and forty-five million empty water bottles in the living room, I'm going to have a stroke. 

Just sayin'!

Oh, and for crying out loud! Do your stinking homework!!!

Dear Roofers - 

Thanks for cleaning up after yourselves! I know you're not done yet, but it was cool to come home and find very little evidence of your work day. And! My porch roof isn't going to leak and look crappy! Yay! 

I am afraid of the final bill though...

Dear Children Not Living At Home - 

I miss you! I love talking to you on the phone and over texts! I love that you still need me from time to time and I love that you don't need me for everything! You are growing from fantastic kids into fantastic and competent adults! 

I do miss you though!

Dear Holidays - 

Looking forward to you! Don't come too fast, okay? Give me some time to prepare after this year's total money suck (see Roofer letter above, also refer to the wedding, visitors, car trouble, and kid trips from earlier posts. Also refer to the funds that still need to go out department for more information). Thanksgiving should be pretty usual, though I have no idea where the festivities will commence. Christmas will be a little different since two K's are married and it'll be Baby B's first. I'm not planning anything at this point, but I'm looking forward to everything!

Dear Supernatural - 

Thanks for coming back and being awesome!

I'm an episode behind, but I am loving you!

Dear Cat - 

Stop shedding. 

Please!

That is all!

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Saturday Edition

I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short these days!! Ha!

Here's the Feel Good list:


1. K3 turning 17 tomorrow! Oy! I am old, but my boy is such a great kid! I am so proud of him! (and I love teasing him with his presents! They are wrapped and in full view, though he hasn't figured them out yet! Ha!)

2. Getting stuff done today! That Man took care of the furnace. I took care of the shopping and other house stuff (my pantry organizing skills are stellar!). We didn't get it all done, but we made great progress.

3. Shopping with K4! She cracks me up and has the best things to say! I wouldn't trade these days for anything, no matter how horrific they are at times!!

4. Talking to K1 and J. It's very nice to have an adult and meaningful conversation with my kids. These two are very intelligent and wise and have offered a lot of insight into the current family drama.

5. Hanging with K5. She's a hoot! We went for frozen yogurt and then to the toy store for ideas for Christmas. She kept zeroing in on rolled luggage, which cracked me up, but I let her take the cases with her for as long as she wanted to. (Guess what she's getting for Christmas!) And yes, she did get a treat at the toy store! We had such a good time with her!

6. Sleeping in this morning! And waking up to the bathroom being toasty warm and coffee prepared by That Man, and breakfast. And finding out he'd rescued K2 from car trouble.It was a very good morning.

7. Not forgetting anything on our shopping trip. Or... maybe getting more than I'd planned, even though it kind of broke the budget. But whatever.

8. Our new workout room in the basement. Friends were moving and gave us this gym system. K3 and That Man spent last weekend making it awesome! That Man and I have been diligent about using the new equipment - admittedly, him more than me, but I'm getting there! It's still super cool though....

And that is all for now... Tomorrow I will sleep in again. Make birthday cake, birthday dinner, and hopefully clean up my house to make it appropriate for company. I will also do laundry, enjoy my kid's birthday and try very hard not to think about what awaits me at the day job on Monday morning!

Behave!!

Thursday... Really?

It's been a long week here...

Monday's contract signing was my highlight! (Still over the moon!!)

Since then....

1. K3 with a two and a half day migraine. Two days of school missed. Play practice missed. Poor kid.

2. Drama of the family kind. From internal to external to beyond... I don't think it ever ends...

3. The day job (still need a nickname for that). So busy and so much stuff...

4. It's so freaking cold! Why?

5. K3 turns 17 on Sunday! Really? I feel so very old!

6. Sister solidarity. If you ain't got that, you ain't got nothing! We take care of each other. That's what we do. Regardless.

7. That Man. I miss him. We need some serious "just us" time.

8. Tired!

That is all for now!

Tomorrow is Friday! Thank Goodness!!

Behave!!

There Is Good News!!

So... We leave Thursday morning for the writing conference. The road trip is a blast. We arrive, check in, have some lunch, then some dinner, blah blah blah...

We're in the middle of our 50/50 challenge, so my roomie and I open our room to our chapter mate (her roomie was in bed early) for writing time. We do our thing. Simon says she's going to bed.

As she's heading out the door, I check my email... and time stops for a few seconds while I read and hyperventilate!

I'll give you more details as I have them.

Behave!!

Going to Conference...

I'm getting ready to go to a writing conference! I'm so very excited, and also, kind of nervous. And anxious.
I'm nervous because I haven't been to a conference in years, but I'm so very excited! (And I have to write pitches - which I haven't done in forever!)
I'm anxious because I have absolutely freaking nothing to wear. And because I spent hours tonight looking for black pants. (I did find some, but nothing else I need.) I have no dressy clothes. I don't have to dress up for work, so... And I'm anxious because I've only packed a little bit. I have to figure out what shirt goes with which pants, but the pants are in the dryer and it's getting late. So, I'll be doing that tomorrow night (along with finishing my pitches). And I thought I had a bad stress dream last night! Ha!
I also need to make sure this house is organized for a very busy weekend. They can all handle it, so my input is really not necessary, except for a few things - and I'm not making food, shopping, or cleaning before I leave. They can all handle that, too.
Like I said, it's been a lot time since I've been to a conference. I'm so very excited to spend the weekend with other writers and to feel the connection to my career.
Two more days at the day job!
I need to check the dryer.
Behave!

Thursday Tidbits...

Come on, Friday!!
We really need you around this place! We have big plans for the weekend (big plans which will be totally screwed up by this constant rain!), but we're not giving up yet! But let's move on to the tidbits....

Writing:
It's going really well. I'm making progress and loving the new story. Loving the edits I'm currently doing, too, but that's not for the new story.

Home:
Today, K3 met his sister at the bus stop to have a discussion with K4's nemesis. This kid has bugged her since kindergarten, but lately, he's been really rude and offensive on the bus. K3 knows the kid. So they had a "conversation" today. I don't know everything that was said, except that K3 told him if he didn't stop, there would be consequences. The kid said he didn't mean to be offensive (ha ha). We'll see what happens next.
I love, love, love that K3 stood up for his sister like he did. I love that she went to him with the problem. (No one told me anything until after! Of course!) I'm proud of both of them and we left the situation that if there's further issues, That Man and I will be involved. Sometimes, it's really better if the kids handle things themselves. There is nothing more awesome than siblings as a united force.

Day Job:
(I need a nickname for the day job.)
Still harrowing. Crazy week.

Grandkids:
Baby B is pulling himself up now. I love that he gets a huge smile on his face when he sees me! He's so adorable!
K5 is so smart and funny! She starts dance classes in the fall and asks me constantly if I'm going to come and see her dance!

More Kid Stuff:
K1 is having major vehicle issues. Major - like the transmission is broken. It sucks.
K2 is loving being married! Those two are so stinking cute together! I was showing off wedding pictures tonight and I'm still amazed at how awesome the day was.

That is all! It's late and I have crap to do!
Behave!

I Don't Know...

If you noticed, but my buy link for The Shape of Love is gone.
That's because my awesome publisher, Draumr, has closed its doors. It's sad. I know.
I have my rights back for "Sheltered" and as of right now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the short. I love that story. It was a lot of fun to write and it was a lot of fun to be in the anthology with my awesome cohorts.
It's weird to think about this book being over. I guess it's really not, depending on what I decide to do.
I'm still thinking. I'll let you know once I decide.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Sunday Edition

Gah! The weekend is nearly over. Again! Why does this keep happening?
What a crazy weekend! I'm exhausted!
Here's the list:
1. Shopping with That Man and K4 Friday night - which included a trip to the mega warehouse store for That Man's volunteer job, seeing a 5 car pile up and a overturned tractor trailer full of olives, a quick stop in to see the newlyweds, and having pizza very late.
2. Saturday was my writing group meeting, which is always very good and much needed. I skipped lunch because we were having friends over for dinner and we had a lot to do, but then...
3. Came home to an already clean house! Nice! But then...
4. Get a call from K1. He's stranded. The clutch went out in his truck on his way to a friend's to replace the clutch. The town he's broken down in has a huge car show going on. Traffic is nasty. There's absolutely no clutch in the truck, so it has to be started in gear and immediately starts moving. A harrowing trip up the mountain to stow the truck at my sister's since it was the closest and easiest place to go. Take K1 home, then hit the store.
5. Cooking and preparing for our dinner. We made very awesome bruschetta, marinated london broil, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, corn, grilled mushrooms, and apple pockets (and ice cream for on top). Everything turned out well, though we forgot steak sauce.
6. Company to help us eat the awesome dinner! We talked and laughed and played games. They left later than they'd planned, which was fine by us. We had a really good time!
7. Had to get up early this morning to pick up K1, J, and Baby B. We then went to pick up his mechanic friend who is helping him with his truck. 3.5 hours behind the wheel and I finally arrived back home, intent on taking a nap. Never happened.
8. Seeing my grandson. He is so cute and doing so many adorable things!
9. K3 returning home after having a fantastic time at Barbershop competition. They didn't place well, but he had such a blast! It was his first competition ever and he was so excited.
10. Writing time. Today was the first day of my writing group's 50/50 challenge. 50 words a day for 50 days. I stomped those 50 words (I managed a heck of a whole lot more than 50) into the ground!! Booyah!
Sadly, no sleeping in (or naps) for me this weekend, but next weekend should be different. And... tomorrow is Monday. Oy! I'm so done with Monday!
That is all.
Behave!

Post Wedding...

I realized I'd promised you more wedding pictures and never followed through! I can't believe it's been almost two months! Wow!
So... Here's a picture.
The white dress one of the dresses my mom made for the 3 flower girls. The green ribbons hanging beside them are the sashes. K2 made the flowers out of the remnants of her dress. Then, there are the bridesmaid dresses, ending with the maid of honor's (k4) on the end. The interesting thing is that all of the green dresses are the same size. No, they don't look like it, but trust me, they are.
The backdrop to this picture is the inside of an antique barn. It's a gorgeous building.

See?
The ceremony was in the park where this barn stands - along with dozens of other cool buildings, and a covered bridge. There are hundreds of pictures from the park. Hundreds!
In my opinion, the picture taking process is the absolute worst part of the day. It was for That Man and I since we had to wait for the maid of honor and her cousin before heading to the reception. Which meant... well, waiting in the car in our nice clothes, while dying of hunger, and almost melting. (We were smart enough to pack a cooler of drinks. We did pack snacks, but they were long gone by then.)
Anyway. There you go. I might post some more later. I try not to post pictures of people, so you probably won't see any of those, but you never know.
That is all.
Behave!

Moaning Monday...

I know I retired Moaning Monday a while ago, but sometimes... You just need one!
1. This headache. Seriously?
2. Monday evening meetings! They suck! Especially when they take twice as long as they're supposed to and when you potentially think you might have to take over a committee because the chairs just quit and it's important. (I made no commitment!)
3. Teenagers! Oy!
4. Weird and unsettling, but very ridiculous, phone calls! (While I was at work, no less...)
5. The van making a weird noise.
6. Having to order a new box for the TV. I love my ISP though. The new box will be here by Wednesday.
7. My cat is shedding like crazy.
8. I'm so stinking tired.
9. This pain in my neck and shoulder. (probably the cause of my headache!)
10. I want to be home to write full time again!
That is all. Monday is almost over. Thank goodness!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Weekend Edition

Yeah, I know it's late on Sunday....
It's been quite a weekend around here. Busy and fun!
Here's the list!
1. Writing time. I've had to fight for it, but I win!
2. Not cooking Friday night! Yay for delivery and stuffs...
3. Revisions done and sent!
4. Renn Faire on Saturday. Very, very cool day! We had a blast!
5. Chilling with the younger K's and a lot of comedy videos Saturday night!
6. Sleeping in times two!
8. Laundry and grocery shopping done!
9. Meeting up with a very dear friend (and her daughter) on Saturday and getting to meet our dear friend's new man. Very fantastic to see her and he was very awesome. We are so glad for her! (Yes, they work at the Renn Faire!)
10. Managing... Because sometimes that's all you can do...
And in a few hours the week begins again... Oy! I know I'm not ready, but what can I do? (Can I get a rewind?)
Behave!

I Know...

I totally cheated on Feel Good Friday...
There's been a lot going on around here. Most of it I'm not inclined to post about at this time, but suffice it to say there was a situation That Man and I had to help with. It was hard and weird (not because of who was involved, but other people who shall not be named) and we did the best we could, and I am so thankful it worked out.
After having unexpected guests for over two weeks, we're back to just the four of us. It's a little weird.
Tonight all of the kids were here for dinner. K1, J, and Baby B, K2 & J (weird that both of my older kids have spouses whose names begin with J?), K3, & K4 (obviously because they still live here). It was pretty impromptu and the first time we'd been able to get together with the newlyweds since the wedding in a relaxed setting. (As relaxed as it gets in this house) We had a nice dinner, laughed, talked, and hung out. It was good.
So anyway...
Our weekend after Friday included a baby shower / cookout where I only knew three people. Kind of awkward, but I managed well. That Man always manages because he's not as introverted as I am. (Cookout and baby shower were for the same people, but in two different locations). We came home to a clean house (I know, right?), and silly kids. That Man crashed early, so the kids and I watched the new Evil Dead movie.
It was okay. I did like it, but I had so many questions that weren't answered. I wanted to know why and how and what happened.
Went to bed too late and didn't sleep in as long as I'd wanted.
Sunday was a gathering for my dad's birthday. It was very good. My parent's patio and back yard is gorgeous. They worked hard on it all summer to get it ready for wedding company. After that, we dropped That Man off at home and I took the kids shopping for school clothes. (We're a little late, but they had what they needed to start.) Spent way too much money, but they got a lot of what they needed and are very happy. Finally got home to a very good dinner That Man made and writing time.
And that's where the weekend ended...
Today is Monday. None of us were ready for it. But now, Monday is nearly over.
That is all for now...
Behave!!

Feel Good Friday...

Hey, it's back... at least for this week...
Here's the list...
1. Friday... Thank Goodness...
2. My grandson is crawling now... Oh boy, but so cute!
3. Back to school nights are now over.
4. Planning the beach vacation for next year.
5. Writing time...I hope to have much this weekend! Okay, so I will have much this weekend.
Ummm... it's been a really long and stressful week, so that's all I have!
Behave!!!

Exhausted Wednesday...

I know there are only two days left until Friday...
But... I don't think I can do it.
I just want to stay home and write, but I can't.
Actually... seriously... I just want to rent a hotel room and stay there until I feel like myself again... until That man and I have had some time to be "us" again.... Until I feel like I have my plan in hand again...
But I don't think that's ever going to happen...
So I will do the best I can with what I have....
Behave!

Weekend Wrap Up

Busy weekend around here... I'm tired and can't even think about starting the work week again!
Friday night was rehearsal for K3, then a small bit of relaxing before having to hit the hay early. Saturday morning K3 had to be at rehearsal again, and I picked up K5. We went to breakfast, ran a few errands, then ended up at the park to wait for Pappy. Once he got there, we loaded up and went to the meadow for an impromptu picnic. K5 loved throwing rocks into the creek, cooking hot dogs over the fire, and running across the little bridge. She reeled in her first fish and even touched it! It was a blast. We picked up K3, dropped off K5, stopped at the store to get the kids dinner, then dropped them at home before going to dinner at our friend's. That was also a blast! No kids, just us big people - good food, nice fire, fun games, and a lot of laughter.
Slept in a little this morning. Grocery shopping. Laundry. I actually took a nap! Made an awesome, but very time consuming dinner (2 hours in the kitchen, but totally worth it). Today is K1 & J's first anniversary, so they were here for dinner. Got some Baby B time in! Actually he's here for the night. K1 & J are working 3rd shift, so we're keeping him overnight until they get on day shift. I don't know if I'm up for middle of the night crying, I might be crying, too! Ha!
Now to get some writing in before I crash!
Going to be a crazy week!
Behave!

Bad Blogger

Yes, I suck!
I love this blog, and I hate not posting!
Not going to make excuses, because I always found time to blog before, so let's just move forward, okay? I will do my best to do better and maybe even try to be interesting. Maybe. No guarantees on that! Ha!
Okay... So what's been going on around here?

1. Total vehicle annihilation. Lost the tranny in That Man's Clown car a few weeks ago. Today, the drive shaft took a crap in our stupid mini-van. Which leaves my truck - my dying 'burban with over 200K miles, an electrical issue, and a tire that will need to be replaced soon. The Clown car is going to the Great Salvage Yard in the sky, but other than that, I have no idea what's going to happen, or how much anything will cost.

2. Crazy kids - Nothing has really changed in that department. It is very much chaos in this house, more lately. I really thought it would relax some once the wedding was over, but that hasn't been the case. We seem to be stuck in some kind of perpetual weird loop.

3. Writing - I am doing that! Have had to do some retraining with the new school schedule, but so far so good. Signed up for a conference in October and am very excited!

4. Other stuffs - This weather is so weird. It was so stinking hot today. I can't stand it! Time is moving by way too fast! Laundry never seems to get done. I suck at Twitter these days. I need to get some clothes for this conference. The day job is still very intense. My cat is shedding like crazy. My daughter could not move her very fat rat into their new apartment, so we are still "babysitting" the spoiled stinky beast. We will have a new driver in the house soon. (too bad there's no car for him to drive! Oy!)

Okay, I'm done blabbing for tonight. Sorry for the uninteresting content. Ha!
Behave!

Summer Survival: Year Five: Entry Three

Whoa! The warm season has passed so quickly! 
The educational camps begin in just a few days. The youngest female will begin as the top of her particular educational system. The youngest male will begin a brand new adventure with his specialized art's school, but he can still participate in his home school's programs. Very very cool and we didn't know that until yesterday!
The Man who shares this camp with me and I are stunned at the changes of this season. We have successfully managed a ceremony to pass one of the natives off, leaving us with two. How odd. And how cool, too!
Adjusting to the oldest native female having a different camp and a different schedule is weird. We go with the flow because no matter how many years it's been since our own ceremony, we remember... it's sad and it's not... and it's weird!
Now we look to the cooler season. Whoo!
Many good things are on the horizon. Many good things.
I will discuss when I can.
Behave!

Post Wedding...

I still can't believe my girl is now a wife!
They said their vows next to this archway under the shade of ancient trees and a historic home. It was gorgeous and perfect.
Except for a very few minor hiccups, the day was amazing. And yes, I cried. As That Man escorted our beautiful daughter down the aisle, I looked back at the groom. He had his hands over his mouth and tears in his eyes when he saw his bride and I lost it. So did many people.
K4 stood up for her sister as maid of honor and did a great job! K5 was absolutely adorable as a flower girl.
The reception was so much fun - from the entrance music and the best man busting a move, to K2 and her dad dancing to a mash up, J and his mom tearing up the dance floor, K3 singing for his sister, and the shoe game! The food was wonderful, the dance floor was full, the conversations fantastic. We had a blast!
After clean up, we came home to celebrate with folks that we'd wanted to invite (but couldn't due to space) and other wedding guests. That was fun, too! We ended up staying up way late, but it was worth it to hang out with my niece and her man.
None of us could move yesterday and stayed in a mostly vegetative state all day. K4 is still moaning every time she has to get up. That Man had to go back to work today. I go tomorrow. I'm still exhausted!
More on this wedding later. I need to get back to writing!
Behave!

August Already?

How did that happen?
10 days to the wedding. Still not ready. Don't know when I'm going to feel ready. Maybe never.
It's kind of stressful around here - to say the least.
If I disappear for the next 10 days, you'll know why...
Behave!