Boldly Going No Where

I'm baking a birthday cake for my mom at the moment. Only ten minutes to go and I can take it out. I spent a good deal of yesterday browsing for the perfect gift for her and came up empty handed. We are so far apart in tastes, it's nearly impossible to come up with something she likes. Ask her what she wants and she'll tell you something goofy, like knee socks. Or she'll tell you what she doesn't want, like more jewelry - which is good to know, since I came very close to buying her a gold locket yesterday.

So, instead of an actual gift, I called her and offered to buy her a gift card, or take her shopping. She was totally against the gift card - she's afraid to use such bold technology - and I have no idea if she'll want to go shopping. She was undecided about that when I asked. So, the cake may be the big present. I'm not going to worry about it at this point.

I worked on my demon story a little this morning. Basically, I added a garbled lot of words. At least that's what it seems like for the moment. I've already rewritten this story three times and three different ways, so if it doesn't mesh this go around, it's going in a box and I'm calling it a day. I have other projects I'm itching to work on, but I've put this one off long enough. I have just a few months to get this thing in, and I feel like I'm going to need that amount of time to get it in proper shape.

That's about it for me today. There is an AwEsOmE interview with hot paranormal author Colleen Gleason over at the Midnight Moon Cafe. Don't miss it!

What's my motivation?

I woke up this morning with a serious case of "I don't want to". I looked at the laundry sitting in the hallway, the full dishwasher that needs to be emptied, and I just want to blow raspberries at the whole lot of it. Why can't I have Samantha Steven's (Bewitched) nose twinkling power? I want to be able to zap my house to cleanliness without having to lift a finger. That should come standard with birth, in my opinion. Can you imagine how much frustration that would save parents alone?

Anyway, I bypassed the laundry and the dishes, and went straight for the coffee and the laptop. It was a difficult decision to make, you see, but I have a feeling it's going to be one of those days...



Want to try a quiz that will make you feel REALLY, EXTREMELY old? Find out what took place in the year you were born!

In 1975 (the year you were born)

Gerald Ford is president of the US Evacuation of US civilians from Saigon as Communist forces complete takeover of South Vietnam FBI agents capture Patty Hearst, who is indicted and convicted of bank robbery Teamster Jimmy Hoffa disappears without a trace Marines rescue the crew of the American ship the Mayaguez near Vietnam First Lady Betty Ford says in an interview that she thinks her children have tried marijuana Natalie Imbruglia, Drew Barrymore, David Beckham, Enrique Iglesias, Angelina Jolie, and Tiger Woods are born Cincinnati Reds win the World Series Pittsburgh Steelers win Superbowl IX Philadelphia Flyers win the Stanley Cup Production begins on Star Wars Jaws and The Rocky Horror Picture Show are the top grossing films Soul Train premieres on television in the United States "The Way We Were" (performed by Barbara Streisand) wins the Grammy for best song Saturday Night Live and Wheel of Fortune premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

2nd Rounds are Done!

I just sent back my 2nd round of edits. Whew! I've been working on them all day, and I'm relieved to have them out of the way. I have a little time between now and the next round to start working on the Rune story I owe Cobblestone Press. That has to be finished and turned in by the end of August. Gotta get jumping on that, or I'll be in another last minute crunch.

Hubby and I got word over the holidays that the people selling the four acres are wanting more money than what we were prepared to offer, so we turned down the property.

As of today, once again we are on the hunt. As soon as hubby gets home in a few minutes, we are taking a ride to go look at a house on 5 acres. We were told the "house needs some work", and depending on what that means will greatly affect our decision. For the price on the place, if we have to do new plumbing or a arrange for a new roof we're gonna pass. The things people are trying to pass off for the price these days will suprise you. For example, there's a termite infested shack down the road from here for $65,000. *shakes head* To tell the truth, I can't imagine a bank that would even finance a place like that...

Today my good writing buddy Tempest Knight, author of Enduring Promise, is blogging about her book over at Dark Ice Goddess blog. Be sure to drop by and check that out!

That's it for me. I need to find where the gnomes hid my shoes (AGAIN!) before hubby gets here.

Happy Tuesday, folks!

Happy Memorial Day

What a weekend! It's hard to believe it's actually Monday. While hubby is watching the Doctor Who marathon on BBC, I thought I should pop in and check on my blog.

I'm on my second round of edits for Dominant Territory now. It got the new set in on Saturday evening. It won't be long now and I'll be able to send them back to my editor. *thumbs up* I'm still waiting about my cover, and I have to admit the suspense is killing me. LOL! I don't know how it is with some other authors, but for me, waiting on a new cover is a bit like waiting for Christmas morning. ^_^

We were going to go out to the lake today, but Mini was sick last night. He's still running fever, so we've made the most of it by lounging around today. I dabbled in a little of this and a little of that while the guys watched movies. I don't have the attention span to sit through movie after movie, but the guys seem to have no trouble with that. ^_^

That's all for me today. Tomorrow Tempest Knight, my broomstick sister from the Midnight Moon Cafe, will be talking about her sexy hot vampire romance Enduring Promise over at the Cobblestone Press Blog. Be sure to check that out!

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Lazy Saturday

Hubby and I took the kids to the mall today. I wanted to walk and browse, and with cell phones in hand, we parted ways through the starting gate. Oldest went his own way, Hubby took Mini to go rent one of those car shaped strollers, and I made my way through clothing store after clothing store.

I have come to realize I am very much out of fashion if I am to judge by what's on the rack. Who are these wonderwomen who can actually wear the gauzy no-bra tank tops with spaghetti straps? Or maybe it's just a designer fantasy, since the racks were stocked with those shirts, and I saw no one near or far actually wearing one of them. Sorry YSL - I gotta have boob support. Pretty top or not, gotsta have enough coverage for a bra.

I ended up leaving most stores empty handed... at least until I stopped by Rave. That's my fave store in the mall, and learned just today they are closing down at our mall. Sad, sad indeed, but on the same level, everything was half off. So I bought four shirts and a pair of khaki cargos. After that I went and bought a new pair of shoes at Shoe Depot. Plaid (teal and blue) beachy looking Rocket Dogs. I love 'em. I've been needing a new pair since the gnomes stole my last pair of sneaks. (It's been months now and I still haven't recovered those shoes!)

That's pretty much been the highlight of my day. Relaxing, shopping, hanging out with the hubby and kids. Tomorrow I'll be doing much of the same...oh, and posting over at the Cobblestone Press author's blog, so drop by if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello!

Happy weekend, everyone!

It's the big 0-2, Mini!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mini!
I know it's terribly cliche to say so, but it really does seem like I brought you home only yesterday.

On your very FIRST birthday, the big one, you were the smallest baby in the nursery. You were completely precious. All the nurses commented that you looked like a little man instead of a baby. I looked at your daddy and said, "He needs a red pointy hat. He looks like a little garden gnome."

All that dark hair, those big brown eyes! Today's top pic is your first "official" baby photo. It's the one the hospital put up on their baby announcement webpage. Boy, you've grown since then. But no matter how old you get, you'll always be my baby. ^_^

You can tell by my smile...

My kids are driving me absolutely slapnuts crazy this morning. Mini has taken to annoying the bejeezers out of ol' Chancey, and the mongrel codger has freaking palpitations every time Mini gets his evil giggle going on. However, you try to put the dog outside, and his toenails grip into the tile, dark clouds form, then he grabs the door as you try to shove him out past the frame... anything to keep from actually having to go OUT THERE where there is grass and sunlight and chirping birds. During all this Oldest proclaims to be helping, and knocks down a heavy wallhanging that I am surprised didn't break his back. CRIPES! Someone recue me before I list all three of them on eBay!

Thank the gods tomorrow is Friday. Otherwise, my mutant bitch factor might just go past the estrogen zone into overdrive. And there's still so much to do. Hubby made an offer on some land, so I'm waiting to hear from the realtor to see if our bid goes through. I am expecting a new cell phone today too. And I still have to pick up Mini's birthday cake, and find one of those Sit N' Spin thingies.

I could swear I saw a Sit N' Spin on the store shelves right before Mini was born, so where are they now? Did they get recalled, and I just don't know about it? Did some kid spin his brain into mush so they stopped making them? Everytime I ask a store worker about it, their eyes glaze over. I might as well go to the electronics department and ask the department manager if they sell phonographs. I'd get pretty much the same reaction.

If I can't find what I'm looking for, I guess I'll have to go with a Mr. Clip Clop instead, since it's too late to call on eBay to rescue me. I just really, really didn't want to have to put one of those clip clops together. Spring connects to the plastic horse body, spring attaches to frame... Bah! It's never as easy as the directions make it out to be. Don't believe me? Buy your kid a Cozy Coupe. (And yourself a corresponding box of Advil.)

I just started reading The Last Vampire, by Whitley Strieber. Apparently Miriam Blaylock (the vampiress from The Hunger) wants to have a baby, so she must seek out her own kind to find a suitable male. Not an easy task, since the males apparently don't like to Get. It. On. (How sad is that? You have eternity and you don't want to boink - ever. Oh yeah, sign me up for that party!) Apparently female vampires only have 4 chances in their lifetime to produce children. Miriam is on her last egg, so she knows she better get crackin' if she wants a baby. And so off she goes to find her own kind.

The one thing I've found really awkward right out the starting gate with this book - WARNING! SPOILER ALERT FOR THE FIRST BOOK - THE HUNGER! - Sarah, the doctor from The Hunger (Susan Sarrandon if you watched the movie) died by way a Keeper aka vampire would in the last book. She tried to commit suicide, only to find out at the hard way, she could destroy her body, but she couldn't die. She basically turned her body into a dead shell with her conscious being still locked inside. Terrifying discovery to make, and yet, at the very beginning of The Last Vampire, Miriam merely says she "managed to save Sarah".

Huh? She did? Well, come on Mr. Multi-bestseller...tell us how. Bring on some science! Bring on some magique - something. I'm fairly easy to please. But as far as I can tell, there is no explanation of this. Author tells me "I say so", therefore it shall be? Not good enough! My editor would lay the smackdown on me in a heartbeat if I tried that. Despite it all, I'll keep reading, and hopefully there will be more clarification about Sarah, because miraculous resurrections don't sit well with me. I do want to find out; however, if Miriam has that baby...


Now for my 4th ever Thursday 13...

Thirteen Realms Of Earthbound Hell


1.) The Department of Motor Vehicles - the hell of endless, redundant forms

2.) McDonalds - they make a list of your order, and still get it wrong

3.) Payless Shoe Source - they have all the latest colors and styles, just never in your size

4.) The Emergency Room at your local hospital. - the hell where no one knows anything - EVER.

5.) The "10 Items or Less" checkout line - the hell where no one in front of you actually has ten items or less.

6.) The Vet's Office - an expensive hell designed to accomodate pets.

7.) The Doctor's Office - the hell of endless waiting rooms.

8.) Interstate Rest Stops - a chain of state provided portals into hell. Also known for the sinks that don't work, and the toilets that won't flush.

9.) Chuck E Cheese - expensive hell where frightening, animatronic beasts molt before your eyes on stage.

10.) Tupperware Parties - a hell your friends drag you into.

11.) Victoria's Secret - the hell where nothing ever fits right.

12.) Toys R Us (on Saturday) - a hell of screeching and torture. Where evil batwinged minions sometimes take their children but for whatever reason won't buy them anything.

13.) Jury Duty - a disruptive, unsuspected hell. Tends to leap at you like a wandering black hole - unseen until it sucks you in, then there's no escaping it.

And there you have it. Cora McRanty Pants has left the building. May you all have a great day! ^_^

That. Is. Scary.

Now I know for sure why some kids won't eat their vegetables. Look at that thing!! It looks like it's at some resort, or maybe a theme park. *shivers* Fruit rabbit of my nightmares...

Anyway, the white house is a no-go. Hubby and I viewed it, and definitely not for the asking price. I do believe that's why it's for sale by owner, instead of an agency. An appraiser/bank isn't going to value it for their asking price, hubby and I have been that route before. So, I wish them the best, but the house is not for us. Already though, we have continued the search, and hubby is calling an agency today about a few acres for sale toward town. Maybe that will turn up some promising news.

I finished reading Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard last night. (Just for the record, I bought it yesterday morning!) In the book Dante Raintree is the Dranir king - which is a paranormal type of king, with oogly boogly powers and all that - as well as the owner of a casino called Inferno. His power is control of over fire, and he keeps candles all over the place so he can tell if his power is getting out of check. Well, one of the gamblers in the casino seems to have a lucky winning streak night after night, and although they can't detect how she is cheating, he has his security manager bring the woman up to his office.

Lorna Clay is "good with numbers", or so she says. She is in fact a precognitive clairvoyant. The minute she steps into Dante's office, every candle in the room flares to life. Dante is immediately taken with Lorna, but it seems he is determined to catch her on the cheating. While Lorna vehemently denies any wrong doing, a fire breaks out in the casino. Dante heards people (including Lorna) downstairs, then he goes to tackle the blaze, but to his own shock, he is unable to put out the flames. The Ansara - rivals to the clan Raintree - have only just begun their quest to kill the Raintree Dranir. And Lorna is caught in the middle...

I really, really liked this book. I don't usually read Linda Howard, *ducks tomatoes* but I've been trying to get my hands on the Silhouette Nocturne books as they arrive in my area. Although it has a cliffhanger type of ending - the book is actually the first in a trilogy - I wasn't disappointed at all. Everything in the main telling of the story found closure, the ending just happens to give the reader that little push into the next book, who I believe is written by Beverly Barton. (The other book in the trilogy is written by Linda Winstead Jones.) So if you're look for something paranormal but a little different, Raintree: Inferno is a good place to start.

That's all for me today. I need to get some kind of writing done, even if it's not usable. Gotta stay in that habit. Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! ^_^

Tuesday Afternoon is Neverending...

There's a pink ribbon tied around our neighbor's tree. I noticed it sometime yesterday morning, and so now I know the new baby has arrived. That makes baby girl number three for them. Congratulations! :) There has been a joke going on since Mini arrived that hubby and I would have all the boys on our side of the street, and they would have all the girls on their side. It looks like that could be exactly how it ends up, too. Hehe! ^_^

As soon as Oldest crawls out of bed, we're going to go order Mini's birthday cake. The big 0-2 happens this Friday. I'm hoping they'll have something for Thomas the Tank Engine, but 9 times out of 10, our local bakery is out of the cake decorations. *sigh* In that case, I'm thinking we'll have to go with hotwheels. Something with cars, trucks... tractors... heck, something like that on it because Mini likes (anything with) wheels.

I'd hoped to make a Toys R Us run before the big day, but I've put it off and now I'm not sure if I'll go at all. Hubby and I wanted to get Mini one of the those Sit'n Spin merry go round things, or a Mr. Clip Clop horse. Something he can ride, but that stays in place. (It's far easier on our toes. :p) I have no idea if they even make the Sit'n Spin things anymore. *old age* Maybe they went the way of the ride-on Inch Worm. Anyone remember those?

Anyway, I plan to set aside the laptop and do a bit of reading today. Something to refresh my brain. I sat down to write late last night, and drew a total blank. I couldn't think of one intersting thing to jot down, and I'm not ready yet to tackle the demons again. Time to break out the old romances and chain read them until the old writing itch starts up again. Maybe a trip to the library would work...

Anyway, that's my Tuesday and I'm sticking to it. Nothing more to report, so I need to rumble around and find something to do. I hope you all have a great day!

Another week starts

The weekend was spent in edits, which I didn't mind one bit. I needed a relaxing change from trying to write as fast and furiously as possible.

Hubby and I also took a break from the usual on Sunday to go check out a house. I really like it. Not the location so much, although it is in the same school district as we are in now. The best part about it is the yard is HUGE. Perfect for kids. There is a fence with three gates running around the entire back portion of the property, plus a barn for storage and a pool. I imagine the pool would have to be dismanted or relined, but it's there. Also, the house itself has huge bedrooms, and the arrangement of them would be perfect for the boys. As for me, call me a domestic, but I *heart* the big kitchen and laundry room. I was looking at the laundry room and it occurred to me just how much JUNK I could store in there! Muahahaha....

Hubby called the owner, but so far we haven't heard anything back. We're wondering if the place will be in our price range because there has to be at least 3 or 4 acres attached to the place. *sigh* If it's overpriced, it's out. From looking it, I know right away I would want to strip all the floors, have them painted, and a layer of epoxy over the top for shine. That alone would cost us several hundred dollars, but it would have to be done because the floors apparently had carpet over them at one time, and the owners stripped it out.

Then there is this window in the den facing the back yard. It's huge, like floor to ceiling huge. And it's just a window. *_* Doesn't make a lot of design sense to me, and I fail to see the point of having it there. Definitely needs a sliding glass door installed or something. Just a few fixes to the place, but those things add up. We'd have to have side money for that, so the house must be in budget or we'll have to keep looking.

Aside from all this, I'm making notes for my next project. I have a new scene planned for demons, and another story I'm toying around with. A string of loose ideas really. Maybe something useable will come out of all of it...

That's it for me. I need coffee and to make a few calls. I hope you all have a pleasant Monday!

Hurray for Friday!

Okay, I'll admit when I got up this morning, I thought it was Saturday. Hubby didn't have to work, so I guess, I simply assumed... He took Mini and Oldest on the rounds about town first thing - paying the bills and dropping Oldest off at the library. (Poor Oldest, he walked away disappointed - library access was down.)

While they were gone, I did a bit of research for my next writing project. I won't be actually delving into the story until I finish my edits for Dominant Territory, but I've been trying to gather as much info for the story line as possible. I'd like to have it planned out enough so that when I do finally sit down to work on it, I'll be able to free write my way through it. *but I'm not going to hold my breath*

On to other things...
Hubby and I bought a copy of Pan's Labyrinth. Oh, man... if you haven't seen this movie, and you like fairytale, fantasy type things RUN to the movie store. It is subtitled, and there are a few brutal scenes in there, but oh my, the effects alone make it worth watching. That's my weekend top pick. Not a book, but there you have it...

Now to make it through the weekend. I am trying to convince hubby we need lawn chairs. Might be kind of fun to sit out in the yard with the ol' laptop and brainstorm. (Must remember to keep out of the sun so I won't end up with "laptop" tan lies on me legs. Ha!)

Have a merry weekend, eveyone!

Thursday 13...among other things...

The fashion gods hath layeth the smackdown on me yet again.

See the necklace? I bought that off ebay - I won't post the ridiculous price I paid for it, but I will acknowledge the fact I knew I was paying too much at the time, and I knew that I was paying in part for that pink price tag attached with the designer name on it rather than the piece of jewelry itself. What can I say? Before bidding, I didn't have a winged heart necklace with an actual red heart. My girly eye for detail squealed with glee when I saw it listed.

I received the necklace yesterday. I opened the box and the sun came out, birds cavorted merrily, clouds parted and angels rejoiced in the heavens... I put the necklace on and I was one smashingly cool 30 something babe, ya know. Gyspy Rose and all that...

All was well in the CZ fashion world - until I went to get ready for bed. Mini was getting pretty tired by that time, and tired = clingy and grippy. Well, I picked him up as I was brushing my teeth and lo and behold, millions of supremely fast, busy little toddler fingers tentacled toward my necklace...and snapped the red beaded strand. ARRRRGGGGG!! *hissing, writhing, wailing, rabid gnashing of teeth and foaming at the mouth- or maybe that was the toothpaste...*

Anyway, on closer inspection, the red strand popped so high up, it's very easily repairable. So, I shall be breaking out the jewelers pliers (which I own for Cabbage Patch rerooting, not for jewelry) and will put the red strand back together again. I hope.

All this has inevitably brought me to today's...


Thirteen fashion faux pas as worn par moi... (most of them intentionally inflicted upon myself, sad as that may seem)



1.) Layered slouch socks. In all my jr. high school pics I have incredibly thick ankles thanks to the three pairs of layered, slouch socks. Oh, but it's hip to be square... decade involved: 1980s

2.) Tree ring pantyhose... (with cut off shorts, baby doll top and spongy black platform wedges.) Channeling my inner Courtney Love, I guess. :p decade involved: early 1990s

3.) Stirrup pants. decade involved: 1980s

4.) Dayglo sweat shirts with zippers. I don't care what Vivienne Westwood says. These look good on no one. decade involved: 1980s

5.) Suspender shirts. Oh my.... and I thought these were just the coolest. A T shirt with suspenders attached to it! Tres chic! The shirts always rode high in either the back or front, and the suspender straps never stayed on the shoulders. decade involved: 1980s

6.) Granny boots with lace trimmed leggings. I blame Madonna. decade involved: 1980s

7.) BIG blonde hair. I still want to be Debbie Harry... just without the bleach and aqua net. decade involved: late 70s - mid 80s

8.) A green and orange plaid coat with white fur trim collar and cuffs. OMG. Mom! You let me leave the house like that?! My only defense is that I was in kindergarten. (Started my bad fashion early, see?) The pic I have while wearing this, I have a spiderman T shirt on beneath it. Ha! decade involved: late 1970s

9.) Flashdance sweatshirts! Oh yeah, I rocked the Flashdance look. 'Nuff said there. decade involved: 1980s

10.) Flannel shirts with... oh, everything. Channeling my inner lumberjack - aka, grunge.
decade involved: 1990s

11.) Long flowing gyspy skirts with lotsa long necklaces. My hippie phaze. decade involved: 1990s

12.) Black, black, and more black. With black eyeliner, a bazillion black bracelets, black nail polish, and teased black hair. Silver jewelry only. Pre-Hot Topic era, so this wasn't an easily pulled off look. I didn't realize until this phaze of my life, that there is more than one shade of black. Not all black clothes match. And black clothes fade like you wouldn't believe! decade involved: 1980s-1990s

13.) Rainbow Brite luuuv goddess rave girl look - aka, the makeup factory/hair color explosion phaze. Baby doll dresses, multi color hair, lots of wacky tights, and rainbow shirts, and baggy pants. The "what the hell was I thinking?" phaze. Thankfully, not many pics of this era survive. decade involved: 1990s

Somewhere in the world, a Goodwill weeps at my generous years of contribution... Happy Thursday 13 everyone!

Dominant Territory - Coming in June!

Great News! I heard from Cobblestone Press yesterday afternoon and they've accepted my latest Werekind novella, Dominant Territory, for release in June! Woohoo!

About the book:
The moment Libby steps into the Moonlight Run with her girlfriends, she realizes they have made a serious mistake. One look at the clientele and she knows this is no place to have a ladies night out. The backwoods bar is isolated for a very good reason—they cater to local werewolves on the eve of the change.

Drake never thought himself the type to consider a human for a mate. Then Libby shows up and crosses over into Werekind territory. One look at her and his heart is lost. He'll stop at nothing to claim her for his own...

I'll post more once I have a release date. The cool thing is, Dominant Territory ties in with all my previous Werekind books, including the freebies: Heart on Fire, and Under A Midnight Moon. So, if you liked those, you're in for a treat. ^_^

Today I must start cleaning out the doll room *cough* office. I went in there to find a book yesterday and nearly got avalanched by CPKs... which can be either good or bad, depending on how you look at it. Heh heh. First, though, I must go and buy milk for the bottomless pit, aka Mini. Boy he can knock back a gallon!

Now for today's pics... doesn't that guy above have some absolutely fantastic drool-a-licious abs? I saw the pic of him and couldn't stop staring, therefore, I am making him my hump day hottie for this week. And that's saying something, because I don't usually post a hump day hottie. Look. Look at the abs. *you know you want to*

Happy Wednesday everyone! ^_^

Bad location, Sagging Middle

It seems our house has become the local Mecca for Yu-gi-oh! tournaments. I'm not exactly sure what provoked this, but kids have been showing up right and left to duel with Oldest for the past two weeks or so.

Yesterday, after Oldest got home from school I took him shopping (he wanted cards) and bought the ark for Mini (yay!). Mini fell asleep in the car seat on the way back home, so once we turned into the driveway I told Oldest to unload the Jeep - most of the stuff was his anyway. I unbuckled Mini, and took him in to bed.

Just as I was coming out of the bedroom this beat up old brown truck pulls up into our yard. I'm telling you - this thing looked like it probably wasn't street legal. It had to be a farm truck. I'm thinking, Who the heck is this? This teenager - probably a junior or senior in highschool - which is quite a bit older than Oldest, got out, and slung his back pack over his shoulder.

I looked over at my son, who I felt very close to throttling at that moment and told him, You two had better keep it quiet. Visions of Oldest and this guy getting loud over cards came to my mind. I pictured Mini waking up within seconds of the front door opening. Lucky for me, that didn't happen. They were quiet as field mice - no chewing sounds included. They dueled for HOURS. Sheesh. If only Oldest would put that much effort into his homework...

Speaking of homework... School! Oldest made a 95% on his Phys. Science final. Wonderful news! I turned to Oldest, congratulated him, hugged him after he told me. Then I said to him: Now I know for sure you've been goofing off in that class up to this moment. Busted! :P

Nothing else to report today. I finished my Lora Leigh smutfest yesterday - Tempting the Beast. (An Ellora's Cave Trade PB). It's a very sexy series book following Ms. Leigh's lab created Breed (shapeshifter cats). I typically dig wolves over cats, I guess because in the real world most cats leave the female after mating. Deadbeats. I like these Breed because they aren't anything like that. They're big, hunky, a little on the poor tortured soul side, and they kick ass. Did I mention they're also sexy? Anyway, I guess I'm going to have to find Lora Leigh's other books now, because I liked this one. I hear she even has a few Breed paperbacks with St. Martin out now. I'll have to hit BN.com and do a search...

That's it for me today. Nothing eventful, I know. A bit of a rambling post, so if you've managed to read this far, give yourself a gold star. ^_^

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

That's it for me today.

Unfortunate Victims of Photography

Mother's Day was spent in a frenzy, but the guys did their part to bestoweth much luv. *weepy* Yesterday Hubby brought in a dozen blush roses, and after church, Oldest brought me a red carnation. I put all the flowers in a vase and stuck it on the dining room table. Everyone who walked in the house yesterday would see them and say, "Ooh, flowers!" And lean over for a sniff. It was kind of funny after a while. I wish I had a camera zeroed in on the table all day. I'd have something to send in to AFV.

This is the last week of school for Oldest. He's also taking finals this week. He thought it was last week, but instead it's going on now. He'll get out every day at 11am, so it's kind of like a precursor to summer. Once he gets home today, I'm loading him and Mini into the Jeep and we're going shopping.

Mini's birthday is coming up on the 25th, and a few days ago when I went to W/M they had this enormous toy ark with all the animals and Noah, etc. on sale for $7.50. I'm hoping they still have it. It would be a perfect b-day gift. He digs animals, boats, etc. Lots of pieces come with it, so he can have something to toss around too. :p Ah, kids...

For today's pictures, I know they seem pretty random, but when I came across them both(although, particularly the COLON TUNNEL - Cripes, what genius came up with that hideous thing?! And for kids no less...) I couldn't help thinking these folks are all unfortunate victims of photography.

Oh, sure, we've all been victims of the camera at some point or another. But these folks... oh, boy. People - even complete strangers such as moi - are going to be showing these puppies off for years to come. For that reason, these anonymous folks get my "Holy Cow, it's Monday" salute!

Now, doesn't looking at these pictures make you glad to be you? *devil horns* Hehehe! Happy Monday, everyone! ^_^

The Werewolves Have Left The Building...

I did it. I met my deadline. I just sent off Dominant Territory to my publisher.

It's 32,000 words of romantic werewolf smut that I wrote in just a few short weeks. I feel like I've been hit headon by a freight train, but the work is done, and now it's time to sit back and see what happens. *thumbs up*

I'm going to take a mini vacation from writing for the next week, hubby has been ready to chuck me and my laptop out into the yard for the past few days. LOL! I honestly need a break, and I know he does too. Then it's back to the grindstone. I have a sexy anthology entry to complete, as well as my demon story. (Oh, no! I'm talking about that again. Hehe!)

Oldest has only a few more days of school left, and he informed me this morning (on top of Happy Mother's Day!) that his toes no longer hurt him. Woo-hoooooo!!!

Now I feel like I can be my snazzy old self, just like I wanna be. A very good friend sent me a Lora Leigh book, and I've been itching to read all the naughty parts. So, there you have it, my agenda for this coming week. Smut emersion. May you all follow in my footsteps. ^_^

Happy weekend to you all, and Happy Mother's Day!

Sharpening the Pencil of Luuuuv

It's break time! I've come out of the writing cave, even though I'm just steps away from putting the final touches on my wip. I have everything in place and once I write a quickie post here, I'll go and print up the final pages and give them a read through for errors. It's been a long day, (add to that a sleepless night), but it's worth it when finally the finish line is in sight.

I've missed a few blogging days while trying to make tomorrow's deadline. Oldest has gotten his bandages off, and is getting around great. And Dad's birthday turned out fantastic! Mini colored a card for him (with toddler scribbles on it), which I do believe was probably his favorite gift overall. He even called me a little later after the party to tell me what a great job Mini did - and that the card is on the fridge.

Tomorrow is Mother's Day - Hubby picked out the card for my mother. I'm thinking we should get her a gift card instead of just buying her something. My mom is like me that she has really far out there taste in things (at least from my own perspective). It's something to consider...

That's it for me. I better get back to the writing cave. I hope you all have a wonderful, sunny weekend!





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Happy Birthday, Dad! (And the Thursday 13)

Guess who gets to eat cake and ice cream today? Ooh, I know, I know! *raises hand* Dad has no idea we're throwing him a party today. It should be fun! We bought him an OC Chopper's cake with all the trimmings. It looks soooo yummy...

No photo of it, though. (The pic to the left is NOT the cake.) I must go and pick up dad's cake today, and finish wrapping the gifts.

In celebration of dad's birthday, today's 13 will feature...



Thirteen of the WACKIEST AND WORST Birthday Presents I've Ever Received (Not to be ungrateful, but sometimes you just open a gift box and think "what the heck?")

1.) A christmas sweater with blinking Rudolph nose. - My birthday is in August.

2.) A Bissel vacuum cleaner, complete with a bazillion torture attachments, from my mom. - The gift that keeps on sucking. (A birthday/late housewarming gift. Dual duty!)

3.) One gorgeously wrapped blue box from an aunt. Upon closer inspection of the tag, I noticed it read, "Happy Graduation, Elizabeth!" *_* Contained a pretty ceramic jewelry box that plays music - a gift I still have.

4.) A large tupperware container of magentic blocks - to give to Oldest. (???)

5.)Two used t-shirts. (Actually two separate gifts. I actually don't mind used clothes, but some circumstaces bear remembering.) One shirt - a Jimmy'z shirt with spiders. I'd admired it on my friend the week before. (Incidentally, she'd swiped it *cough, cough* gotten it used from a cousin of hers. She then boxed it and gave it to me on my birthday. The other T, an aqua blue Guess t-shirt with English Bulldog pups on it. Friend B who gave me the Guess T wore the shirt to a party the week before (I SAW THE PICTURES!) and she told me the shirt was new. I thought that was pretty strange. For the record, I wore the heck out of both shirts.

6.) A gag gift bag with thong underwear, Ky, a bottle of Bean-o, Nair, and red lipstick...along with some more crazy stuff in there. Okay, ladies... so what're you trying to say? :p

7.) Chocolate covered ants.

8.) The scariest babyface crocheted wall hanging you have EVER SEEN.

9.) A half burned candle with a christmas bow stuck on it.

10.) A box of stuffed animals my friend was going to take to the Goodwill, but never did. Box came to me wrapped and everything. Ha ha, very funny. I took it to the goodwill for her. ^_^

11.) The miraculous, amazing, wonderful INVISIBLE pet! Actually a "real" toy. A slightly-larger-than palm sized metal cage with attached water bottle and hamster wheel. Apply batteries and voila! You have an invisible pet!

12.) A copy of Cool Careers for Dummies. Why, thank you very much! ^_^

13.) A tiny vial of glitter-filled pink water on a chain. Front label reads: (large letters) Elixir of Immortality. (And in small microscopic letters.) Do NOT drink! Back label reads: Caution! Contains small parts. Not meant for human consumption. **I love this thing!

There you have it. My 3rd ever Thursday 13! May you have a wonderful day! ^_^

Wacky Wednesday

Well, Oldests toes look like they've been through a meat grinder, but he said he was well enough this morning to try going back to school. We had to take off the bandages to change them out, and they put this wax stuff on his toes so the bandages wouldn't stick... Mm-kay, they only put enough wax on one toe. So here we are looking at these Frankenstein feet wondering if soaking them will hurt so we can get the pads off. *nightmare*

Today was his call, though. He wanted to go back because it's so hard to catch up once you miss. He can't wear regular shoes - he's in flipflops with socks. Fashionable, no? Anyway, I worry someone might stomp on his toes, or something. I imagine I'll be listening for the phone all day.

If only I can get things settled today, I'll finish up my wip. I'm right at the bloody ending of the darn thing, but can't seem to stay in one place long enough to do what I need to do. Very frustrating. Again - maybe today. It probably won't make the June lineup, but what can I do?

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday. I've ordered a cake and bought a few gifts, but there are a few other things I still have to do and prepare. I'm going to hold that off until late this evening, maybe by then I'll have things ready to format properly and send off. We'll see how it goes.



Seems I've been tagged by Yolanda. ^_^

Here goes...

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

8 random facts/habits about me ...

1. My taste in everything from food to clothes swings to wild extremes. I like either pretty girly things, or very dark stuff. Imagine Hello Kitty with a dash of Marilyn Manson. Judging by my childhood photos, this started waaaaay early in my life.

2. In the early 90s I came very close to relocating to Brazil to study rainforest ecology. I passed up the offer because Oldest was still quite small. It is my one regret that I never followed it through.

3. My favorite color is leafy green.

4. I have a thing for sporty yellow vehicles - and I have no idea why.

5. I *heart* traveling, but don't get to do it very often.

6. I make it a habit to look at every day as a new beginning.

7. I collect useless trinket things and stuff like 80s toys: Cabbage Patch Kids, Poochie items, and Care Bears stuff to name a few.

8. I consider 9 my lucky number.


I don't know 8 people who haven't done this meme, so I'm just going to post some names. So, return taggage is optional: Isabelle, Annie, Bebe, Tempest, Faith, Daisy, ME, and Michelle.

That's it for me. I've got to get to work. I hope you all have a wacky Wednesday. ^_^

Postin' A Quickie

Oldest is out of surgery. Two big toe nails removed, and man o' man were they infected! Screwed up though how they removed them. With forceps! *faint* If you don't know what those are, or how they're used, you'll have to look it up. Sorry, but I cringe just thinking about it. *_*

Both feet are bandaged, and I imagine once the nerve blog wears off, the kid is going to be in PAIN. It will also be a challenge keeping Mini away from him until he's not so sore. Arg! Kids seem to have a built in radar for stepping/hitting/bumping things in severe pain.

And that has been my day. I still have a ton of things to do, and it's already 4:30-ish... Hope you all have a happy (and non-painful!) Monday!

Goin' down down baby

Ack! I missed a blogging day. I hate that, but couldn't be helped. We've had people in and out of the house all weekend and tomorrow is Oldest's surgery - we're having to get things ready for that.

I stayed up until midnight last night working on my wip. I have one more chapter to work through, then it will pretty much be ready to go. I'd like to print everything up and give it a read through before I send it though.

So it's almost ready to go. Hopefully by tonight. I promised it on Sunday, but it may be closer to midnight - or even very early Monday morning before I can get it out. I worried over that for a little while today, but with a squalling toddler at my heels and a teenager in pain, I just threw up my hands and decided there are times it just can't be helped. Despite it all, I'm quite happy with the story itself. It's tres hot... and it's over TWICE the length I intended it to be. *booty dance*

I know I'm late on my blog rounds, but please bear with me. Things will be semi normal again after Monday. Once everything is situated, I plan to hit everyone on my blog list and pay a visit. It sounds goofy, but I feel like I'm missing out when I can't make the rounds everyday. LOL!

Off I go, back to the writing cave. Happy Sunday, everyone!

Still Treading Water

WARNING: Rant alert! Read at your own discretion...

Yesterday, I planned a ton of work on my wip. I had the chapters separated, marked out and ready for the changes to be made. I poured a cup of coffee, sat down at the comp... and right as I open my manuscript a truck pulls up in the drive. It was my mom. I thought something must be up, because she usually on drops by on Wednesdays, so I opened the door - and that's when I saw she had her laundry with her. *sigh*

I don't know why she picked that particular day for laundry; it was a very spur of the moment thing. She comes in and says, "I won't disturb your writing, I just want to use your washer and dryer. I'll sit in the den with Mini while it's going. You won't hear a peep from us."

Of course I won't deny her use of the laundry room, but I do know better by now. When my mom is over, writing is out. She agreed to sit with Mini once so I could reach a deadline, and every little thing he did, "Oh, honey! Did you see that?!" No, mom, I'm supposed to be writing, remember? So... rather than frustrating myself with a futile attempt, I closed the laptop, and entertained my mother from 9am til noon. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice visit. I love my mom, and we are very close, but oy, by the end of that time, Mini was screaming for a nap - he wouldn't take one while she was there - and I was frothing at the mouth. When hubby dragged in for lunch, I had just put Mini down for his nap. I just looked at him and said, "Prepare for a LONG evening of babysitting, dear."

Why, oh why, can't the family accept that final manuscript days are off limits? I know my mom doesn't recognize my writing for anything, but why can't those last few days be no-visitation, no-two hour long phone call days for me. Is that really asking so much? I am available all the other 362 days of the year and no one stops by. Why only when I have a project running down to the wire? I need those last few days to get things pull together and wrapped up. Very disappointing to say the least. :(

Last night, I managed to get a chapter completed, two chapters separated, rearranged, and remarked. I also managed to rewrite a section toward the back. I still have to make the changes on the computer... and after that there are still three more chapters left to go. *faint*

I have a LOT of work to do between now and Sunday.

At around 11pm last night, I took apart chapter four and completely red marked it for editing. I'll have that one finished in a pinch because it's ready to go. But I really, really wanted a bit more time to put an extra effort on chapter 2. Ah, well. We'll see how this goes.

At least it's Friday!!

Thursday Thirteen...and stuff

Late last night, I finished polishing Chapter one of the wip - I've been moving throughout the manuscript chapter by chapter to ensure I actually read through the material instead of skimming it. When I finally put away the laptop, and the house was sooo quite. Everything was calm. I'm thinking, Woot! Mini doesn't realize he's sleeping in his Diego bed. I'm going to sneak off to the big bed now and be able to sleep flat on my back for once!

Usually Mini will wake up in the middle of the night and crawl into bed with me and hubby. This is very crowded in a queen sized bed, and not recommended if you actually intend to sleep. Per example: Mini likes to sprawl out and kick his legs up on me and his daddy. Nothing wakes you up quite like a kick to the boob at 3 A.M. - trust me on that.

I snuck off into the bedroom - ah, air conditioner and a fan running. Hubby is actually on his side of the bed. No need to shove him over. Now the art of climbing into the bed without waking up the entire house... See, hubby wanted to save money when he bought our bed *giggle* and even though I told him you pay for what you get with mattresses, once he makes up his mind about something, there's no stopping him. So, here we are, months later, cheap mattress and box springs that squeal like a rutting wildebeast in the final throes of death when you climb on the bed. Boy, is it loud, too! I manage to climb in, get covered up. I glance over at the toddler bed... Mini stirs, but only a few toes. Whee! I'm in. I snuggle in and close my eyes.

Two seconds later, hubby stirs, the wildebeast mattress screams in mad pain as he gets up to go for a glass of water. I'm gritting my teeth the whole time. Yep. Here he comes back. Climbs into bed...more mattress screaching. I look over at the Diego bed, and Mini is laying there all sprawled out, but his eyes are WIDE OPEN. *sigh*

One of these nights, I will not have to spend the night sleeping on one side. :P

Anyway, today I hope to get two chapters completed... if I can. I couldn't manage it yesterday, so it may only be wishful thinking. Only four chapters to go though. Not too shabby...



Thirteen symbols that reoccur in my dreams...

1.) being chased by someone – usually in the dark, and I usually wake right before the catch me/tackle me

2.) spiders – big and small, sometimes only spider, sometimes there are thousands of tiny ones . They can be on webs, spinning, or without a web. One of my most common dream symbols.

3.) Frogs – I've had at least four memorable frog dreams. The one I remember best, my first frog dream, I dreamed it while riding in a car on the way to visit my Gran in TX. I was in kindergarten at the time.

4.) piles of laundry - sometimes the piles are small, sometimes they are like rolling mountains of clothes *sigh*

5.) shopping in a grocery store or a drug store ala Rite Aide – nine times out of ten, I'm either shopping for make up, or looking for something I know the store used to sell, but for whatever reason, I get there and walk the store for hours but can't find what I'm looking for

6.) giving birth to animals: kittens (which I dreamed of while pregnant with Mini), puppies, and once even a dragon

7.) a white farm house with a big front porch – looks fairly standard outside. Inside it's painted red, and is freak me out kind of scary

8.) I often dream of water – usually I'm either floating or walking underwater, but I don't need to breathe

9.) My grandmother – I've had at least 6 dreams of her since her death some 14 years ago. Every time I dream of her, she appears youthful. Smiling and happy.

10.) My grandparents' house. I lived there in the early 80s. They moved from that place shortly before they died, but I still dream of the original house. Many good memories of that place. I miss it a lot.

11.) Pets – present and past

12.) I dream of waking up in the backseat of a moving car – and when I sit up to see where I am or what's going on, no one is in the driver's seat.

13.) I've dreamed several times of receiving an inheritance. It's usually a house – large, and white with amenities that scream of the 1970s, *lol* Every time I dream this, though, there is someone angry I'm receiving it.

That's it for me... I'm off to work. Happy Thursday, everyone!

**Today's pic is from http://go.funpic.hu

Put Your Back Into It

If you actually remember the song that goes with today's post title, you win 10 bonus points! :P I am also pleased to announce that the mountain of laundry in my hallway has shrunk by half. *much rejoicing* Oldest is out of school today because some teacher meeting type thing is going on, so I will enlist the poor chap's help to get the rest of it finished and put away. Then we can start all over again! Yay.

Everyone in the countryside either visited or called me yesterday. After about the third call, I put the wip aside and made up my mind I'd work on it when hubby came home in the evening. My aunt in Texas called, mom dropped by, dad called... I was on the phone or entertaining most of the day. That is very unusual here. Most days it's just Mini and me. Speaking of Mini, when I took him to play with the toys in his room yesterday, he pulled out this electronic horse-thing on wheels. It has four buttons on it, each with a different shape and color. He surprised me when told me what each of those shapes were without any help from me. He also knew most of the colors. Yellow threw him for a loop, I think, but he knew all the others. Amazing! It's gotta have something to do with all those coloring sessions in the den - which has also taught him to recognize his name on paper. All those episodes of Dora and Sesame Street probably hasn't hurt either... or maybe he just gains the knowledge while visited by extraterrestrials in the middle of the night. Either way, I am one proud mama!

I plan to work on Chapters 4 and 5 of my wip today. Yep. Whittling my way down the pile now. *thumbs up* So, if any of my editors are reading, I'm getting there!

A Heads Up!
This Thursday, there is going to be a smash up interview with author Kelley Armstrong over at the Midnight Moon Cafe. She's going to be giving away a copy of her new book, No Humans Involved. So be sure to check that out. Interesting stuff!

'Nuff said. And here I thought today's post would be super short. Boy, can I blab! Hehe! ^_^ Okay, okay... I need to get to work. (On the wip AND the remaining laundry.)
Happy Wednesday, everyone!

First Day of May

It's May Day! Where has the time gone, huh? I'm glad the year is pushing it's way toward summer, but this is always such a busy month for me; I'm never quite prepared for it. I have three family birthdays, the end of school, and Mothers Day to contend with all in a span of a few weeks. Gotta get out my running shoes in advance this year!

Not to change the subject but...
Where the heck did all this freaking laundry come from? It's taking over. Whites, uniforms, towels, jeans... Uh, I swear, all was well in the world, then I ducked into the writing cave for a full-on wip assault yesterday, and when I emerged victorious, Chapters 6 and 7 annihilated... there was laundry. Mountains of laundry. Spilling into the hallway. Dampening my victory. #$#%!

So I guess it's pretty clear what I have to do today. I've already folded one basket and put it away. Now just a bazillion more to go... Anyone want to come fold socks with me? :P

Happy Tuesday, everyone!