I know. I know. I was all set to bring Moaning Monday back, but instead...
I HAVE A RELEASE DATE!
So, we'll get back to Moaning Monday next week.
August 9th!
It should be up for preorder by Wednesday. (I have no idea on pricing at this point, but it's an ebook and it's shorter, so?)
Also, if you haven't gotten an e copy of Into the Fire, it will be free starting Saturday in anticipation of Life After's release.
And that is all...
Behave!
Man, has it been hot here! Holy crap! I hate it so much.
Here's the list:
1. The "Not a Bridal Shower" was good. I was intensely uncomfortable with the poison and I swear if one more person told me "what I should do" I was going to run away screaming. It was good to see people I haven't seen in a while, though I didn't get to spent much time with the people I wanted to (even though I have seen them in a while. lol). I took anti-itch stuff and went to bed before most people even left because I couldn't people anymore.
2. Getting the final edits done for Life After. I will have a release date very soon, and the good news is, Into the Fire is going to be free in anticipation of Life After's release.
3. I still totally dig Life After's story.
4. Editing being done all week. Sector Two. It's going well. I hope to be done with this story really soon. And then I can move onto editing the next one. lol
5. Our neighbor is probably selling her house. That's sad. She adopted a pre-teen and he's becoming ginormous, plus the end neighbors are total jerks to her, so I get it, but... it's super sad.
6. Yeah. I think I'm going to bring back Moaning Monday... I mean...
7. Trying to sleep in the morning didn't work, but I am hopeful for tomorrow.
8. Grandboy's coming for dinner tomorrow! Excited about that even though it means I have to vacuum. lol
That is all!
Behave!
Waiting on a release date, but here is the cover for Life After...(Isn't it pretty?)
Well Hello Friday! Thank you for arriving!
It's been a long week!
The poison on my legs and arms is still raging. I keep getting new spots, but some of the first ones are healing. It's irritating. I am so sick of being so itchy!
Anyway! Here's the list!
1. Friday! Yeah. It's been a long week, but I think I said that already. Ha!
2. A little bit of sleeping in tomorrow. I hope.
3. The "Not a bridal shower" for our niece this weekend. Should be fun and it'll be nice to see people we haven't seen for a while.
4. Getting editing done. I'm making pretty good progress!
5. Still waiting on the final cover for Life After, but it should be soon!
6. Driving my Jeep.
7. Air conditioning.
I used to do this thing called "Moaning Monday" here. I might have to bring that back just so I can complain about the heat, poison ivy, and all manner of irritants!
That is all!
Behave!
It's still hot here. I'm over it. So over it.
On Saturday, our daughter-in-law stopped in with the grandboys. The intent was a quick bathroom trip. Except they didn't leave for over three hours. Ha! The boys "washed" my car, soaked themselves in the hose, ate every snack we had, bugged Pappy, rearranged a bunch of stuff, and turned on the fire place in the living room. And while waiting for their clothes to dry, their mom helped me remake our bed with the sheets that had been in the dryer. During that time, Little B turned on the alarm clock I never use, and turned our air conditioner down. So we woke at midnight to a blaring alarm and wondering why it was so danged hot in our room. Ha!
To back up before that, we did hit the weeds first off. My legs are now covered in very itchy poison. I showered as soon as I got out of the patch, but the bumps came anyway. I think it's a mix of poison and spider bites because it doesn't all look the same, even though it itches the same. Ha! At one time in my life, I was immune to poison. Obviously that has changed.
I got to see the first draft of the cover for Life After. It is so gorgeous and I can't wait to share it with you when I can! I should get that and a release date soon!
Oh, so the shopping trip to the mega mega mall got changed to local stores. Turned out for the best considering the two hour drive and expensive tolls. We did well, with all but one bridesmaid finding her dress. My sister also found hers, and so did I even though I hadn't even planned on looking. We had a lot of fun though--complete obnoxiousness and laughter. Lunch was fun, too. We were home at a decent time and it was freaking hot outside.
This weekend is more wedding stuff. It's coming up fast!
That's all I have!
Behave!
Yay Friday! What a long week! Except it's freaking Hades hot outside!
Even with our air conditioner on high and a huge fan blowing, sleeping was miserable last night. And my office is super hot too. I've had my fan blowing since a little before seven am, but it's just hot!
Anyway. Let's get to the list...
1. Not cooking tonight. The thought of heating up the kitchen isn't setting well with either of us, so we're opting for whatever we find at the grocery store that doesn't require turning on the stove. The microwave is out, too, since we don't have one anymore. It turned into a fire breathing monster and had to go. As in, it started catching everything we put inside on fire. I like my open counter top too much to think about getting a new one right now, though eventually we will.
2. Even though we'll be doing yard work in the early morning hours, a day without any obligations tomorrow. I do plan on sleeping in a bit, but we want to hit the large weeds before it gets too hot. And then we can spend the rest of the day being bums.
3. The bridesmaids shopping trip to the mega-mega mall on Sunday. I'm equal parts excited and equal parts anxious. I got roped into driving, which I didn't want to do, but besides that, the place is huge. And there are many dresses that need to be procured.
4. Getting book stuff done. I've worked on Sector Two almost every night this week. I'm making decent progress and I think I know where it needs to go.
5. Hopefully having a cover and a release date for Life After within the next few days.
6. Getting caught up at the day job. It took me until this morning. But that's okay.
And that is all!
Stay cool and...
Behave!
Sorry for the silence! I've been off doing fun things with fun people!
We left on the 1st for our trip to the mid-West. That Man and I and my brother and sister-in-law. The trip there (the very long drive) was equal parts traffic/time frustrating and hysterical.
We arrived and immediately went into caretaker mode. Our uncle is still in rehab for his hip and our aunt definitely has her hands full. I feel like we barely got to spend any time with our uncle, even though we did. But his physical therapy comes first. He's making great progress and that's what matters. We had good dinners, good conversation, dancing in the kitchen, lots of working, lots of running around (though we didn't get to do much of the stuff we wanted to), cute dogs, and lots of ticks. The week went fast.
Oh yeah, the ticks. They were crazy. Luckily, they don't have a lot of Lyme there, so that wasn't a concern. But they were freaking everywhere. Gross. Also, That Man and I both got bit by a Brown Recluse spider. Also Gross. Well, not the same spider. Obviously. Ha! Mine happened while I was in bed. Who knows where he got his. Both of our bites are better. Though I was pretty worried about mine. I had a circle around it and everything.
It was a good trip--fun, but not too relaxing. Which is whatever. We did what needed to be done. Being there was important and I don't regret anything.
Came back to insanely high grass, no dead plants, a dog with a hot spot (her first one ever, but it's getting better) and to be shunned by her even though she was very well taken care of and had a good time, a super insane day job that has not calmed down yet, and still no word on Life After's cover or release date. But I am back to editing, so that's good.
And now we go back to our regularly scheduled insanity.
That is all.
Behave!
Whoa! Friday already! It's been a crazy week!
I don't think I'm going to do a list this week...
That Man went on his annual fishing trip last weekend. He definitely needed the break and had a great time. It was the first time I've been all alone for that long and it was weird, but good. I had three nights at home, and then I headed up to my sister's to keep an eye on their pup for the weekend while she and my niece went to a music festival. It rained pretty much the whole time.
I was going great guns on my edits. And then I wasn't. I got to the part I wrote during the beginning of the pandemic and was like...wtf? I ended up cutting almost half of the book. Some of what I cut can be added back in where it actually belongs, but for now, I am writing over. It was a big kick in the gut and while I did get many new words written, my weekend did not turn out as I'd hoped writing-wise. But it'll get there.
One of the funny things was sleeping. Okay, me and two dogs in a queen bed. Already tight considering my dog is pretty large. My sister's dog is medium-sized. They're both bed, covers, and pillow hogs. I ended up sleeping in my sister's bed due to my niece telling me I was a fool if I didn't experience the "purple" mattress. It was super comfy and my hip didn't hurt when I woke up, which it always does when I sleep in the guest room. So there's that. Anyway. They have an automatic light in their room. I knew there was a way to turn it off, but I couldn't figure it out. So, Friday night, every time one of the dogs moved, or I moved significantly, the ceiling light blared on. It was ridiculous. Thankfully she called me Saturday morning to tell me how to shut it off. Saturday night was better, but I still didn't sleep all that great (see above. Two dogs.)
It was still good. I ate ice cream for dinner one night and binged cooking shows on the TV when I wasn't pulling my hair out about the book or going crazy because the dogs would bark at every tiny noise.
K5 turned 13 yesterday. We picked her up to take her to dinner and give her presents on Wednesday and had a blast. She helped me pick out shorts, and got herself a dress with some of her birthday money. We went to dinner at her favorite pizza shop, hit the playground for a few minutes, and then stopped for Italian ice before taking her home. She cracks me up!
Lot's of stuff coming up, so forgive me if I'm absent. We were going through our calendar to try to find a weekend to do our fence replacement and we ended up just laughing, because there is literally something every single weekend. Oy!
No news on Life After's release yet. And no cover to share yet. Hopefully soon!
That is all...
Behave!
Well, Howdy!
Today is the first day of summer! Yeah...whatever. Ha!
Backing up the weekend...
The grandboys were a hoot on Friday. Little B told his mom that he was never leaving Nana and Pappy's house. Mr. B wanted to stay, too. We had to promise a weekend soon! It helped that we had absolutely no food in the house that they would eat. Ha!
We did get to see K3 and A on Saturday. We had a nice dinner and hung out for a bit. That Man and I were exhausted after a day spent working on his truck and taking care of house stuff. They left early and we went to bed.
Sunday we got up early and drive about an hour away to take a ride on the oldest ferry around. I had no idea what we were doing. That Man said we were going on a trail ride. He'd throw little hints out, but I was not picking up what he was throwing down. We he drove onto this rickety boat on the river, I thought we were going to die. It was awesomely cool though. We stopped for breakfast and then went home to work on the truck some more. It was a nice weekend!
The uncle is doing okay. He's at a rehab facility (or so I think?) to help him get his mobility back. We're hoping our upcoming visit motivates him to do what he needs to do. He told me he doesn't want to be the "flat tire" while we're there, so fingers crossed.
Still no info on a release date for "Life After". I will let you know as soon as I do!
And that is all...
Behave!
Friday again! Yay!
I meant to post earlier in the week, but this week has flown by!
Here's the list:
1. Surviving our town's annual street fair. We left work early to defend our parking because we've had so many issues in the past. We haven't actually gone to the street fair in probably ten years or so. It's too crowded - like shoulder to shoulder crowded - and that's definitely not for me. Anyway. We had one offender this year. They pulled in front of our camper and stayed for like eight hours. I left a passive-aggressive note, but I didn't call the police. The police had enough to do yesterday. How inconsiderate though! I mentioned something to the landlord that owns the building behind us and he brushed me off, I did say if the car was still there in the morning, that I would be calling the cops. It was gone. How freaking rude though. How dare you park in front of someone's private parking? It doesn't matter your reason. Or how about you pop your head up the yard and ask if it's okay? We would have said yes. I'm still irritated by the whole thing.
2. Since we were home early yesterday, I got a ton of editing on Sector Two done. The story has some rough spots, but nothing unfixable (yet). At this point, it makes sense and my time line is good, so there's that. After I get the whole way through I'll go back and smooth over those areas and hopefully be ready to send it out to my critique partners.
3. My uncle is okay after falling and breaking his hip. He's having surgery today. We're all worried about him, and our aunt. So waiting to see how he's doing after surgery. That Man and I, and my brother and sister-in-law are heading out to see them soon, which is a good thing.
4. Sleeping in a little tomorrow.
5. And then hopefully plans with K3 & A. A has a case of strep throat, so waiting to see how she's feeling before finalizing anything. We haven't seen K3 since Mother's Day, and we haven't seen A for quite a while. So looking forward to it.
6. A lower key weekend coming up. That Man doesn't want to do much for Father's Day, so we're just going with the flow.
7. Getting to see the grand boys tonight. We're keeping an eye on them for a little while J takes care of an errand she can't take them along for.
8. Checking out our new meal plan. We switched to a different one at the recommendation of our friends. Way cheaper and similar, so we'll see. I'm excited to see how this works out.
9. The day job being busy. That's a double-edged sword. The days go fast and I love being busy, but I find myself a bit behind lately. I'm also doing things I've never done before, but I'm figuring it out, so there's that.
10. Maybe I'll get a nap tomorrow?
Oh and one more thing! My short is due to come out in July. That's all I know right now! I'm waiting on the cover and will share as soon as I receive it!
That's all!
Behave!
Ah! Friday!
What a freaking long and crazy week!
Let's get to the list!
1. Sequestering was amazing! We did what we wanted and actually got a lot of things taken care of. That Man worked on his truck and I wrote, and we did a bunch of other things that needed to be done. It was a good weekend!
2. The day job is crazy! One of our coworkers left and her duties have been spread out among many of us, with me getting the most of it. Which is absolutely fine and good, but also a little nuts! I love it, and I am still getting used to everything!
3. I am writing again! Whooo! I finished my "old lady" story. And started edits on Sector Two.
4. Today I received my second round edits for my short. Yay! I have the edits done, but I have to do a read through before I send them back. I'm hoping to get a release date soon.
5. My kid and her boy came home this weekend. They went to his house on Memorial Day and we haven't seen them since. We've talked on the phone a bunch, and of course, texted a bunch, so it's good to see my kid! We/They have a lot going on this weekend, and they have a ton of laundry to do. But it's nice to have them here.
6. Friends coming this weekend! We haven't seen them since the beach, so we're looking forward to spending some time with them!
7. Sleeping in tomorrow.
8. We finally got black out curtains for our bedroom. Oh! How nice! It's like a cool, peaceful, and dark cave! Sleeping has been amazing!
9. The tiny bit of rain we had earlier. It was a nice gentle rain and my grass and plants appreciated it.
That's about it!
Behave!
First thing... Happy Birthday to my oldest!
It's hard to believe you are as old as you are! I very distinctly remember the day you were born. I am so proud of the man you have grown into!
Camping was a blast! We had amazing weather and a lot of laughs. Mr. B slept in his tent all weekend and had so much fun fishing, swimming, and playing with the other kids. We had a pretty full meadow, which was awesome. K1 and J came for the picnic and Little B had so much fun with his cousin. They were super cute, even when they busted into a fellow campers tent and started ravaging toys. Friends came to visit, which was also great. It was a good weekend.
We dropped the camper off for inspection on our way home and retrieved it last night. So good there. When we picked it up, we dropped our car off for inspection, so hopefully that's ready tonight or tomorrow. Then that's all done.
This weekend That Man and I are sequestering ourselves at home. We've been on the run so much that we need a weekend just the two of us. So much. Yeah, we'll be working around the house, but that's one of the other reasons we're staying home. There are many things that need taken care of. I'm looking forward to it. Sleeping in a little, planting flowers, working on his truck, and hanging new curtains in our room... Oh and grilling. Nice!
Other than that... the writing has been super slow. The goal is to change that asap. My brain is working, but my time hasn't been. The calendar is filling up, so I need to make a concentrated effort to put my writing at the top of the list.
And Geeze! Tomorrow starts June!
And that's all I have for now!
Behave!
Here we are at Tuesday again... Time goes by so fast. Well, except sometimes. Ha!
My edits and art sheet have been finished and returned to my editor. Now I just wait for the next round and the cover art. Excited for both. I don't have a release date yet. This one will only be available as an ebook since it's way shorter than my other books.
So the weekend with the grandboys was a blast. Little B barely slept Friday night, but Saturday night he conked out early and slept until five am, which is amazing. Of course, he was exhausted. We spent the day playing outside. Took him to where we camp to run off some energy and he did so good. But That Man and I are still tired. Ha!
Camp is coming up quickly. We're trying to get ready, but it's a crazy week. The camper is almost ready, but then we need to drop it off for tires, so we're trying to get it packed up with everything but the cold food before we take it since we'll pick it up and drop it at camp when it's done. (The shop is only a few miles from where we camp) I've been rearranging cupboards in there and so far I'm okay with the results, but not completely. There's so much wasted space. I'm still thinking about how to maximize.
I'm very much looking forward to the camping weekend. A little sleeping in. A lot of camp fire. A lot of chair sitting and hanging out with some of my favorite people. I am also looking forward to That Man and I going camping on our own somewhere. I've been looking at places, but so far haven't found a place that I want to go.
And that's about it!
Behave!
Hi Momma!
It's been eight years since you left us to go and be with Dad. Eight long years of missing you both and wondering what life would have been like had you both been able to stay a little longer. You would be turning 83 today. You were taken far too young.
I know Covid would have seen you making masks and running to the fabric store even though you wouldn't have needed to because of your already impressive stockpile of fabric and supplies. That makes me laugh to think about because I could fully imagine our conversation in my head. Dad would have been annoyed, but he probably wouldn't have said much to deter you from your mission. And he would have been happy to sit in his chair and not have to interact with the world during that time.
You've missed so much, Momma. I guess part of me knows that you've only missed things physically. That you're still here, watching and smiling at most of it. Your great grandbabies that never got to meet you. The weddings. The shenanigans. Triumphs.
And you're not smiling, but you've seen the bad stuff that's happened too... the deaths, disappointments, stress, rejections, and the severing of important family ties. I wish I could talk to you about all of that. I can't help but wonder what you would say and do about some of it if you were still here.
Not a day goes by when I don't reach for the phone to call you or text you something you would find funny or interesting. There have been so many times that I just needed to hear you tell me that everything was going to be okay. Knowing you weren't worried was enough to keep me from worrying. Now, though, I know that you really were worried, but didn't want me to be.
But we go on without you. Not that we have a choice. This year has been especially hard for some reason, though it's never easy. I find myself remembering your last few days with absolute clarity. The surprise birthday party we managed to throw you for the first time ever. The relaxing Mother's day. And then everything bad that came after.
I just miss you, Momma.
Happy Birthday in heaven!
Hey! It's only been a week! That's better, right?
Same old, same old around here. Mostly.
I got my edits for my new short story. Not sure when it comes out, but it will only be an ebook, which is fine with me. I'll be digging into them over the rest of the week and will hopefully get them done before total chaos erupts this weekend.
We'll have the grand boys this weekend. Sleepover at Nana and Pappy's! It should be a blast, but I'm a little nervous because Little B does not sleep well or much. We'll figure that out. K4 is borrowing our car for her camping trip to a festival, so we'll have to borrow K1's car to haul them around. I think it's going to work out okay though.
This past Sunday was Mother's Day. So bittersweet. Saturday was the anniversary of my momma's death. I know it's been eight years, but this year felt harder. There was a lot of nostalgia and memories. The day was good though. We had a fire in the backyard, good food, lots of laughter, and my boys and grand boys came over.
Next weekend is our first camp out of the year. So getting the camper the rest of the way ready has to happen soon. We'll figure it out. Still waiting on tires, so there's that. Mr. B will be along with us for camp. He's super excited and wants to sleep in a tent, so we'll figure that one out. It'll all depend on what the weather is supposed to be like.
And that is all...
Behave!
Yeah, I know I suck!
Hectic is the only word I have...
1. The Jersey signing was fun, but somewhat of a bust at the same time. But it's a fantastic experience. It rained all day, which is controversial regarding did it keep people home or encourage them to come out since it was not a day to do yard work? No idea on that one.
2. The day job has been absolutely insane. I came back from being off and had one day to try to reset before I had to cover for my counterpart for eight days. It was crazy busy for both jobs and I still don't feel like I am caught up with myself.
3. Which leads me to the writing going super slow right now. Well, okay, not super slow...halted. I'm working on a critique and then I have another one to do, but I haven't touched my own stuff in far too long. That will change very soon, but it's killing me.
4. The warmer weather is so nice. We've gotten the yard mostly cleaned up. Next is to get our fence fixed. We've been holding off because the tree in the neighbors yard is half dead and has already taken out a huge section of our fence. And you know exactly what will happen... We'll fix our fence and the damn thing will fall. This tree is the one that was hit by lightning two summers ago. It's ginormous, but half of it is dead. And of course, it's the half that faces our house. We've spoken to the landlord about it, but so far he's done nothing. So we'll see... We really can't put off the fence project any longer. It looks like absolute heck right now and I hate it.
5. Camping season starts soon! The camper is partially ready. Well, if you don't count the fact that it needs new tires. And state inspection. Those will be taken care of very soon though. It's been de-winterized. Now we just need to clean and load for the season. I am looking forward to camp fires and relaxation.
And that's all I have at the moment...
Behave!
Yes, I have been absent! Sorry about that!
Last week That Man and I took a trip to our favorite place on earth! We rented the same little cabana we had two years ago just steps from the beach.
It was lovely and a much needed break.
The weather was amazing! Top down on the Jeep kind of weather! We took the top down on the old girl when we arrived and didn't put it back up until we were ready to pack to come home. Of course, the little cabana has a parking area underneath, so even if it had rained, nothing would have gotten wet, so there's that. But it didn't rain.
Lot's of sunny beach days--mostly on the beach in front of our rental, but some days traveling to nearby beaches. One day we found what looked like a desserted tropical island. There were trees in the water, a huge sandbar, and absolutely no people. The tide was going out and the water was calm. We spent quite a bit of time there. Well, until the winds died down and the black flies decided we would make a good lunch.
Our friends were down at the same time we were. They stayed pretty close to where we were, so we gathered for some meals, Jeep trips, sunset watching, and fishing. He used to work with That Man, and I've known her since high school. We always have a good time with them and this was no exeception. It was nice to have our own space, but also have the option for hang out time if we felt like it, and it was the same for them. Everything was optional and understood.
Coming home was rough. Torrential rain and accidents everywhere. We ditched off the main road as soon as possible and took back roads home. Even though it took a few minutes longer, it was worth it to not have to deal with the insanity of the main highway.
Anyway. We're back at the grind.
This weekend is the big book signing in New Jersey. I'm on Saturday's schedule. It's a long drive, but a lot of fun, so there's that. So, hey, if you're in Jersey, stop in and see me.
And that is all!
Behave!
So I'm kinda peeved...
Someone reported a post on here from 2009 for being offensive. 2009. 14 years?
I have no idea what was even in the post because I can't see it now. All I know is that the title was about coffee. I cannot imagine that anything was offensive in the post. At all. I never post stuff to be offensive, rude, or anything.
I'm not going to fight about it. I mean... 14 years? What the what?
But it makes me sad and mad and it sours my love of this blog.
I don't have any intention of getting rid of the blog, but I'm definitely disgruntled. And I don't appreciate it.
Anyway...
Back to the grind today. It was a crazy and fun weekend.
This week is insane, but next week should be better. In fact, I know it will.
That is all.
Behave!
Look at that! It's actually Sunday!
Haha!
Okay... here's the list...
1. Getting stuff done. Closets have been cleaned out. Drawers have been cleaned out and organized. My office has been mostly organized. Also, plant stuff. Car stuff.
2. I'm tired.
3. Sleeping in both days. Not a lot, but still good.
4. Getting through a looong work week.
5. The holiday coming up. Looking forward to it. There's going to be good food, family and friends, and I'm going to say a lot of laughter!
And that's about it... I'm tired (did I say that?)
Behave!
Ha! I guess this is the thing now...
This weekend was super busy, so there's that.
We took off Friday to help K1 & J out. Got the grandboys to school, did the shopping, and then had a "reverse" sleepover with them. J had to have surgery and K1 needed to be with her. We had a blast with the kids, but sleeping was horrible. Little B woke up around 4am on Saturday. And it rained all day which prevented our plans of running around and doing stuff. But it was fine. We chilled, made their mommy cards, and cleaned up constantly. Ha! Made them soup so they didn't have to worry about dinner, and made sure the house looked good so J wasn't stressed out by a mess. It was exhausting, but it was good.
Finally got our snowmen off the front porch and replaced them with some spring flowers. And we got several other items checked off of our list.
Easter plans are underway, too.
It's hard to believe that it'll be April in a few days!
I, unfortunately, didn't get any writing done this weekend, which I expected but it still bums me out. I didn't even take my computer!
Other than that... it's the same old same old busy stuff.
And that is all...
Behave!
