My weekend was full of sports. Saturday was basketball for the kiddo and then Sunday we had soccer practice (in the FREEZING COLD DRIZZLING RAIN). Got home and fried my own chicken wings and even made my own sauce for The Big Game. Man cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. We stuffed ourselves silly. It was awesome.

And…I kinda sorta committed to writing a novella for one of my publishes. They emailed and asked if I would be submitting something. It was sort of a nudge. So I said okay and now I have three months to finish something already in progress. Pretty sure I can if I can (a) focus and (b) write.

Not much else going on and this is a really boring post and besides, I should be writing. So that’s what I’m going to do. See y’all tomorrow.

Why today is great:

1. I e-filed my taxes last night. It was accepted by the IRS today. Which means I will have a refund very soon. Of course, the second I hit “send” I have the instant Tax Worry.
2. It’s Friday.

Since the kiddo was out of school on Tuesday, we had a ton of make-up work and homework. I didn’t think we’d ever finish. But we finally got it all done. They’re already doing multiplication–which astounds me–so I’m going to get some multiplication flash cards to help him. He tries to do “tricks” to come up with the answer and it just doesn’t work like that. And I’m math retarded so it will be a good refresher for me.

Now that the taxes and the contest (for now) are out of the way, I’m going to try to focus on what’s important – the writing. I’ve had some great feedback of my new urban fantasy (which needs major research still) but I’m going to keep going with it and see where it ends up. I have some idea of how I want it to end, but no idea of how to get there.

And it’s Superbowl weekend! We are planning on watching the game. I’m going for the Saints (so’s the kiddo). Man is going for the Colts. I think we’re going to fry up our own wings, too. YUM. I love football food on Sundays. It rocks.

Y’all have a great weekend!

I think that’s how I truly feel about the Lost premiere. I was underwhelmed. Oh, sure, it had its good points. And it raised more questions – of course. But overall, Meh.

Things are a little hectic. Man took his truck into the shop so I’m the taxi for him and the kiddo. Which is really fine. We’re lucky in that we only work about 5 mins from each other and his work is on the way to/from my work. And the dealership is just up the street from the house.

I’m nearly done with my taxes. I have a few tweaks to make on it before I decide to submit it. Then I’m hitting efile and calling it done. With my tax refund this year, I’m going to try to get my sorry bathrooms fixed. They’re really in sad shape and if I ever want to sell the house, I think they need some attention. New shower/tub installations, a coat of paint, new sinks new light fixtures, new mirror, some storage. Yes, I hear the dollar signs ringing. But I will do what I can with what I have.

Got about 800 words written on the story. The evenings go SO fast and the kiddo had a ton of homework last night because he was out Tuesday for the doctor. It was painful. Math, science, spelling. We didn’t finish. Luckily he only has to turn it all in by Friday so we’ll be finishing it up tonight.

And that’s about all I have to report. I’m relieved it’s nearly Friday.

Happy Ground Hog Day! Phil saw his shadow, so six more weeks of winter. Boo.

So the kiddo had fever yesterday afternoon after school – about 100. I’m still scratching my head. He acted fine last night but I decided better safe than sorry and we’re headed to the doctor this morning. Just to get things checked out. He could have a minor ear infection. Clearly there’s something going on – at least to my mind. I just can’t imagine he’s running fever for three days for no apparent reason.

Got all 90 contest entries out last night! WOOHOO! It’ a load off my mind for sure. Now I’m into Phase 2 of contest entries – judges who’ve judged entreis before and I have to do some rearranging. That’s probably the worst part – juggling.

I’m just glad that big chunk is done because tonight is the premiere of LOST and I will be parked in front of the TV to see what happened to them after last year’s finale. I can’t wait! I hope it’s not a stupid ending…

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll!

Well the kiddo isn’t running fever today, unlike all weekend. So I’m a bit baffled as to why he had it in the first place. Guess he was fighting off something and it’s gone now. Weird.

Worked on the contest this weekend for way too many hours but the entries are nearly ready to go out. I’m just short a few judges and hope I can find some in the next few days. I plan to start sending them out tonight in the categories that are complete. No sense in wasting time.

I did get registered for Nationals in July. Registration opened today and I’ve already done it, paid for it, and sent off my hotel reservation. I’m excited! It’s in Nashville this year and I’m looking forward to it.

And that’s about all I got today. Short and sweet.

I managed to get the website back. Most of the pages are built except for the home page, which I can do today. Good thing I still had all that information somewhere else.

The kiddo woke up yesterday with a 101 fever. I pumped the Motrin in him all day. This morning he woke up with 100. I’m a bit baffled as he has no other symptoms. Just fever. And once his fever goes down, he’s totally fine. So if he still has fever in the morning, I’ll be taking him to the doctor just to be safe.

Today is laundry day and it’s still cold. Where is the sun? I thought we were supposed to have some.

I totally hosed my website today so NOW I get to rebuild it. Go me.

I wrote 925 and had a major breakthrough! Okay, sort of.

You know how you’re writing along and suddenly the story takes a turn you hadn’t really expected? Yeah. That’s what happened. And it WORKS. And I like it. I still have no idea how I’m going to get to my planned end, but that’s okay. I like the mystery of not knowing.

I’m a busy girl and I won’t bore you with all the sordid details but suffice it to say – yeah, WOW. I’m busy. I have a lot of chapter business I’m in the middle of and it’s boring to those who have no interest, so I’ll just say I’m a master of juggling right now.

Someday things will calm down… *snort* As if.

So that’s about all I have to report! I’m off to work/school. Tonight is Pizza Night. Which means I don’t have to cook which makes me a happy girl.

Have a super Wednesday, ya’ll.

Boy, am I glad last week is over. It was hectic and jampacked with things. From Houston to an open house. I literally ran my legs off. There was no need for exercise since I got it all in in five days.

So Friday night, Satuday and Sunday I took some time off to recharge. Oh, I still had some things to do with the contest but for the most part, I was lazy. And it felt great.

Friday night after the open house, the kiddo and I stopped at McDonald’s and got dinner and I treated myself to a Starbucks. Then Man and I sat on the couch and watched our Legends of the Seeker show. I finally crashed around 11. I was exhausted after a long, hard day of major party prep.

On Saturday, we slept in a little. The kiddo had a basketball game, so we went to that and watched the boys play. Man went, too, and afterward we headed to On The Border for a late lunch. I loved stuffing myself with Mexican food. We all went to see Tooth Fairy after and as we walked into the theater, we were handed a survey for Universal Pictures. It was actually a pretty good movie with some laugh out loud moments. And the kid liked it too.

Went to Sears afterward and I patted the Kenmore Elite washers and dryers, which cracked up the salesman. He was actually not too pushy and gave me a little booklet comparing all the different models. So I read over that and drooled. I SO want a pair of those!

Then we headed over to WalMart for some munchies and the movie True Lies (we’d seen part of it on AMC a few days ago but it’s just not the same all cut up and with commercials). When we got home, the kid went to his room to play Wii and we watched our movie. I forgot how funny that movie was in parts but it also seemed a little dated. Made in 1994, showing Windows 3.1 and people smoking in hotel lobbies. Those were the days!

Anyway… Sunday was a total lazy day for me. I only left the house once and that was to put gas in the car. I did laundry and upgraded my Quicken and got organized for filing my 2009 taxes. And then I even wrote a little while we watched the Saints-Vikings game (great game, too!). And I pretty much did nothing much all day. It was glorious. I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, too.

And that’s about all I have to report at this time. Hopefully this week will be calmer. I’m off to work and school.

Finally, the week is nearing an end. Can I just say I’m so happy it’s Friday? I seriously think I could break down and cry at this point I’m so happy.

It’s been a helluva week.

Today my arthritic hands hurts so bad I’m having a hard time typing. I took some meds for it this morning but it’s still stiff. I can’t make a fist. Well, I CAN, but my forefinger refuses to make a fist. It sucks being old sometimes.

We’re having this family open house/charity event at the new office tonight. My boss, co-worker and I have worked our buns off all week on it. We’re doing a bear drive for one of the children’s hopsitals here in town (who also happens to be a client). One of the engineers, who helped organize the event, was bringing some wood pieces to help build a “bear corral” for the stuffed bears. He had to make a stop on the way to work this morning and one of the pieces turned up missing out of the back of his truck.

Now, what kind of sorry world do we live in where someone STEALS wood out of the back of a truck? Wood that’s for a charity event? For kids? It’s sickening, really, and I feel so bad for the guy. He was very upset. Can’t say I blame him. But we’ll figure it out. There are always problems before the big event, right?

Today, the boss and I are off to pick up the rest of the food and drinks, finish setting up the room (we did massive decorating yesterday), and then the event starts at 5. I plan to collapse as soon as I get home. LOL

What else is going on in my life… let’s see… The deadline for the contest is tomorrow and I’m fielding all sorts of questions about entering. So I worked on the contest for about two hours last night as well as cooked dinner and helped with homework.

I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m cranky. I think I’ll get more coffee.

TGIF, y’all.

Yeah, um, I’m busy. So not much of an entry today only that – I’m busy! haha I don’t see things slowing down anytime soon, either. The deadline for the contest is Saturday and then I have to finish rounding up judges, assign entries, and get them all out by Feb 1.

And those RITA entries are still sitting on my kitchen table waiting for me to start reading. RIGHT. Like I have time right now. Feeling a little stressed right now. Think I’ll go get more coffee.

At least it’s Thursday…

Monday was, um, interesting.

We got to the airport in PLENTY of time but the line to get checked in (we were already checked in, just had to check bags) was enormous. I was sweating it. We finally get up there about 20 minutes later and find out that our flight had been cancelled! AH!!

So the gal says they could get us on the 10 am and they were holding it for about 15 minutes and well, it was 9:55 at this point. Um. Oookay. We literally RAN to security. It took agonizing minutes to get through (fastest I’ve ever run through, though) and then RAN to the frigging gate.

It wasn’t a full flight but it was one of those where there weren’t three seats together. We get all the way to the back of the plane and decide that we’d just split up and this nice man moved over a row for us to all sit together. So that was a plus.

Short light and it was good. Landed. Guess what? No luggage. AH!!! It wasn’t on our flight but it was guaranteed to be on the next one. Which landed TWO hours later.

URGH.

So, the girl who came to pick us up was sweet and took us to lunch while we waited for Plane #2 to show up with our luggage.

We get back to the airport (TOTAL madhouse, by the way) and recovered one bag but not the other two. So we were about to give Southwest a piece of our mind when the other two showed up. Whew.

Got to the hotel FINALLY at 2:30.

(My sister and I decided it was the Do-Over Trip because we had to keep Doing-Over just about everything! LOL)

And four women getting dressed for a wedding at the same time was very entertaining. But we made it and it was off to the wedding at 4:30. And it was lovely! We had a smashing good time at the reception too. We ate BBQ and danced our legs off. And I eve managed to injure myself dancing. I thought at first my toe was broken but it seems to me that it’s just a very bad bruise with some swelling (and boy is it UGLY). I’m keeping my toes taped until it heals completely.

We managed to drag ourselves back to the hotel at around 12:30 am. Very late. And way past my bedtime. We all finally settled down for bed somewhere around 1 am. And then I promptly woke up at 3:30 am and STAYED AWAKE. It was a torturous day. I don’t know how I survived or even HOW I’m still sitting upright.

We begged for a ride to the airport and my other sister and her sweet husband got up at oh-damn-thirty and took us. And, really, it WAS oh-damn-thirty. He stopped and bought us all coffee. I don’t think any of us would have made it if he hadn’t. Check in and security was actually decent. We made it through with nary a hitch. The flight back was good and our bags were some of the first ones off which was smashing. Made it to the car, drove back to Mom’s house and dropped off my sister and niece and then I high-tailed it to Fort Worth to meet Man for lunch and the head into the office. I got there about 12:30 and hit the ground running. Well, limping. Seeing as how I have  bum toe.

I have lots and lots of great pictures. I’ll try to get some posted up. Someday. Soon. When I have time. Between midnight and 6 am. HA. 

This week is the family open house. It’s on Friday and we have a TON of work to do. Food to buy, decorations to do, and various and sundry other things.

OH! And my RITA entries were waiting for me at the door when I got home. I have only a few weeks to read like 8 books. I have NO idea how I’m going to do that, especially with the contest going on. I think I want to stab myself in the eye.

Okay that’s it for me. I’m going to bed. I’ve had it. Good night, all.

Weekend went by way too fast. Junior played in his first basketball game ever and he did good. I like the organization he’s playing for.

By the time you read this, I will be on a plane to Houston. Well, actually, on my WAY to a plane to Houston. My niece is getting married tonight. I spaced out and forgot to buy the gift until this past weekend because my days got away from me. So, I went shopping and bought stuff off her registry list. And I’m sure they TSA agents will get a chuckle when they see the cake carrier inside my suitcase. I wish I could be there to see it.

Meh. They probably won’t care. I’m sure they’ve seen all sorts of strange things.

Anyway, so I’m off on a big adventure. I’m picking up Sister 2 and Niece 2 and we’re heading to the airport and then getting on a plane. I’ll be back on Tuesday, head straight to work and then head straight to basketball practice.

And the week doesn’t even slow down from there. We have the family open house at the new building on Friday and there’s lots of prep work that has to be done before then.

And Saturday we have another basketball game. And the whole cycle starts all over again! I guess that’s the way it goes.

Okay that’s it for me. Hectic day ahead!

Last night, after struggling with this one section for days, it finally hit me! I finally figured out some crucial backstory to my race of Fae. And, surprisingly, there are Elves, too.

I love Elves. I love that Tolkein came up with the beautiful, ethereal Elves for Lord of the Rings. There is something just so awesome about them. Mine are patterned much like his, thought they don’t live in Middle Earth. The live in the Otherworld with the Fae. And they don’t much care for the Faeries, either. I haven’t figured out why yet.

BUT, what I’m happy to report is that I think I have some solid worldbuilding now. And I wrote just shy of 1500 words. It felt super awesome to get some words in finally after all the struggle.

So I rewarded myself with a pair of shoes from DSW online. They’re having a clearance sale and I had $10 certificate I had to use before Sunday. So what the heck? So I shopped online and I found the CUTEST pair of black Jones New York for – get this – $30 with shipping! OH yeah, that rocks. It’s a total Deal Of The Century right there. (By the way, they were regularly $80).

There’s also a new Coach bag out that I’m hot to have (Madison Maggie if you’re so inclined to look it up – it’s HAWT). I should have never looked at their website the other. And this bag just spoke to me in a way no other has. Okay that sounds really odd but it’s totally true. I wish Coach would send out another Preferred Customer Event card (25% off – I always get one) so I could get the bag.

Oh well. It’s only a bag. Right? (as if)

I also have a Best Buy reward certificate to use so I think I’m going this weekend and getting myself an iPod/clock radio dock I can take to the office. I hate not having a radio. It’s very bothersome to me. I like to have background noise when I’m working. And the same old MP3s I have on my computer are, um, getting old. Yes, I’m spoiled.

Okay that’ sit for me. I’m in a meeting all day but TGIF. I’m happy it’s Friday!

I have an idea for an article I want to write for my chapter newsletter. It’s just finding the time to sit down and do that. I also have ideas for my WIP but it’s finding time to do THAT as well.

Last night, my evening was filled with doing chapter duties – finding an agent that can come to the luncheon, as well as a speaker. I put some queries out there and I’m waiting to hear back before I ask more folks. I’m quickly running out of time to get someone booked, though, and I’m trying not to panic. I also had work to do on the contest. Logging entry forms and emailing entrants and what-not. It’s busy. And the evenings go so dang fast.

I spent the afternoon at the dentist’s office. I’ve been going to them for something like 18 years so it’s always fun to chat them up. They’re awesome folks.

Tonight I’m frying chicken tenders and making mashed potatoes. All the kiddo has to do for school is study for his geography test and then I’m going to ignore my email inbox and write. Okay, yeah, so I know I keep saying that. But the only way I’ve been successful is when I shut down the main computer, boot up the mini, sit in bed with the iPod and write until my fingers ache. I’m going to try that tonight. I feel discombobulated a lot lately with the writing. Like I can’t find my rythm again. *sigh*

Okay that’s it for me! I can’t believe it’s Thursday already!

Oh – and – what’s new with you? Inquiring minds want to know!