A Time For Everything

 

Image courtesy of Pinterest.

It's that time again, dear readers, when I review the progress of my stated goals for the year. So without further ado, let's jump right in.

#1) For the first time in however many years, I can say that I am on track with sending postcards to my Grandma in Denmark!

#2) I haven't yet opened the Finders Keepers file, but I will starting in April. My annual writers retreat is in June this year and that's the project I'll be working on. And in preparation for the retreat, I'll be reading through what I've written so far, maybe making notes as to tweaks to make and scenes to add, etc.

As a side note, I'm "on track" with this--I hadn't planned on looking at this book until the second quarter to begin with.

#3) I'm not on track with exercising 3x per week... But I'm getting there. I was diagnosed with bursitis and prescribed PT as a result. Most of my "homework" on that front is basically yoga, so in order to keep my hips feeling fine and in actual good working order, I guess I'll be doing yoga for the rest of my life. I'll work my chair gym routine back into the mix and that will all come to fruition this quarter. 

Image courtesy of IMGBIN.

#4) I'm most definitely on track for reading 52 books this year, including those six non-fiction titles. According to Goodreads, I'm four books ahead of schedule in general and, as I mentioned at the beginning of March, I've read two, working on the third of my non-fiction books.

#5) I'm not on track for keeping up my writers group duties. I am mostly on track, I just haven't found the best schedule for staying current with it. Still working on that aspect of it.

#6) I added a non-hockey pattern right at the beginning of the year and haven't spent a whole lot of time working in this sphere of interest. I was for a while and then I had some higher priority things come up, but I am on track. I have the next three months to complete and list the next pattern or set of patterns...

#7) I'm definitely on track for self care. This encompasses a wide range of actions from watching TV to working on cross stitch patterns to doing my PT to hockey games to doing nothing. But I'm prioritizing it over many other things.

#8) I have not completed a home improvement project as of yet. I was hoping to do up the middle bedroom properly as the guest bedroom, and bought an actual headboard/bed frame for that purpose. But that project might have to be scrapped, but A) we'll see and B) I'm not technically off track with this either.

#9) I'm definitely off track with regards to reading / watching / listening to writers education. At least as far as my original intention went. I wanted to do something weekly, but as I mentioned, self care has been a priority which sometimes also means sleeping in rather than reading / watching /listening to something. I've done some--but not as much as I'd wanted by this point. The second quarter would be a good time to get this back into rotation.

#10) I am WAY OFF TRACK on the cooking / eating healthy / adhering to a food plan route. That is a priority in the second quarter as part of self care. But DH recently found an exercise plan of attack that will help with both this and #3...

#11) My housekeeping efforts are way off track as of right now. I did good for a while and then...I didn't. I've started penciling things back into my lovely little housekeeping planner.

#12) My blogging is most definitely on track...

#13) I have submitted one article to my writers group newsletter and am working on a second. So on track.

#14) I haven't gotten to the Personality Strengths books yet...

#15) Daily Bible reading / listening is on track. :0)

#16) Goodreads is up-to-date in terms of reading challenge data. This blog cross-posts there. I just need to pencil in the "ask-me-a-question" monthly or something.

Considering last year, I'm feeling fine about my progress. I'm feeling much better in general, both mentally and physically, but I'm still cutting myself some slack.

Hope you're all well. Have a great weekend.

 

The carb-fast started yesterday, so there's not much to report on that front just yet.

I did finally reach the weight window I wanted to be in, so I now have to add calories, i.e. additional snacks and/or meals, to the day. Which I have done. Might have to add more. I also cut back my time on the elliptical so as not to burn as many calories. Although, they're all in fat burn mode, which is actually the goal at this point--to burn the flab I have for energy, so that might not be the best course of action. But we'll see how it goes and fine tune later.

* * * * *

I should, with any luck, finish my WIP this week. Just as far as having the full story told and "on paper." It'll still need a good editing before I send it out to others, but the storytelling will be done. Then I can move on to the other project.

Speaking of the other project, after chatting with a friend and fellow writer, I'm going to have to issue a deadline for myself if I want to reach my goal of having this thing ready for publication in October. The sense of urgency may be helpful.

October because that's when my annual conference is held and, barring the complete closing of the hotel and/or the city, it is going on as planned. I will be there.

* * * * *

In some random hockey news, there's a new housing development being built in Las Vegas and the streets are all going to be named after the roster of the hockey team's inaugural year. I love the name I street I live on, but sign me up for hockey-related residential street names!!

* * * * *

Have a great week--

I really have something to celebrate this time around!!!

After several years of yo-yoing and over a year of gym attendance, I have finally reached my goal weight. HAHAHHAHAHAAAAA! I'm so excited. My list there on the left says between 120 and 125 pounds. I've reached 123.2lbs and I'm terribly happy about that. I need to celebrate for sure.

I started my journey in January of 2012 at somewhere around 165lbs. I knew it was going to take a long time, and it has, but I'm finally here. That's not to say there's not a new goal in regards to all of this, but the weight part is done.

So let's visit the rest of the list...

--> I've gotten off schedule of writing to my grandmother and I really really really need to write one and get it in the mail. BAD JEN.

--> Call my moms. I've been doing pretty well. It's almost that time. One mom is on vacation though, so I'll probably wait a week or so before checking in. I should probably reach out to the other this week.

--> Cook and eat better. Well, this one kind of goes hand in hand with the weight loss, but not entirely. However, while I may not necessarily be cooking better because I don't cook--as in prepare ingredients and then prepare a meal over the stove--I am eating better. I mentioned that lavash bread awhile back which was a huge boon to helping me reduce the number of not-good carbs in my diet. I eat more salads and include spinach and kale in them and rarely do I use iceberg lettuce. I'm staying balanced between fats/(good) carbs/protein.

--> I cleaned up my writing room a little, but not the really concentrated sort/discard/clean I've intended.

--> Cleaning plan. HAHAHAHA. 'Nuff said.

--> Publish six books by September. Well, September ended two days ago and I just finished book six, like, a week ago. So that one's definitely a bust. But book six is now done and the new goal is to start publishing in November.

--> And guess what??? I actually started walking the dog. I needed a little more activity in the evening and she needs the exercise. we probably go five out of seven days, so doing better that my goal. Except now she's limping because she sleeps on the same side all the time on the hardwood floor and I think she's sleeping on a nerve.

So YAY for me for accomplishing two more very important goal. Still working on the rest.

My thoughts go out to the victims and their families as well all the first responders in Las Vegas.

Last Wednesday, I mentioned a phone setting that disabled the blue lights that emanate from the cell phone screen and (possibly) interfere with one's ability to fall asleep and sleep well.

It's been a week and quite frankly I'm sleeping harder than I was before and I'm having a bit more trouble waking up when the alarm goes off. If DH is experiencing restlessness at any point during the night, it hasn't bothered me much or at all. He's changed a few things that may affecting his sleep as well (for the better) but not every night is identical.

But I think, over all, taking advantage of this setting has helped. :0)

Last Wednesday I talked about fasting and the number of calories in a pound and what that meant to me...

So here we are a week later and despite two very calorie and carb-laden days (Sat & Sun), I have dropped 2-ish pounds. I promise I'm being safe in my choices. I'm eating enough calories for my body to exist and then some--did you know it takes everyone 1200 to 1600 calories a day just for basic body functions to keep you alive??--and drinking *plenty* of water during these dog days of summer.

What I did do was increase the length of time I go without eating. I've been waiting to 11 am to consume my first meal of the day to maximize my body's fat-burning mode. I do give it some easily accessible carbs right after going to the gym for a recovery boost in the form of my cinnamon/honey elixir I take for arthritis.

It's not always fun or easy waiting until 11 and, starting tomorrow, I will go back to a more normal schedule. I'd been in a pretty static eating mode and I think the increased fasting shook my body up a little bit. Made it adjust and pay attention.

I'm getting closer to my goal, which, after probably three years of being stuck with ten pounds to go, pleases me greatly. Once I get there, then it's muscle-building time. Not super huge ones, just nicely rounded muscles appropriate for my age.

Happy Hump Day...

Catch you Friday.

Quite frankly, I'm not doing so hot.

I'm calling my mom & step-mom, so that's good.

I'm behind on writing a letter to my grandmother.

I'm not doing as well on the cooking better/eating better as I'd like, but I'm doing better than last year. Still have nine months to make further improvements.

My writing room is also not as clean and tidy as I'd like it, although I have worked on it a little. Again...still have time. :0)

The cleaning plan is nowhere to be found at the moment.

I am slightly behind on getting my six books published. Just need to get my arse in gear and pick up the pace.

I'm on track to reach my weight goal. Just got to keep on doing what I'm doing. Only maybe a little more gung ho there too.

I haven't walked the dog in months, so yeah. There's still time!!

How about you???

Did you  lay out some goals? How's your progress??

We're a month into 2017 and things are going well, but I've come up with a couple more items to add to the list...

1) call my moms every month or so--I had this one last year and did okay for awhile, but then I slacked off. One of my moms pointed ought that I ought to put it back on the list, so here it is.

2) write to my grandmother every six weeks or so--this has been on the list before too, and I'm actually still keeping up with that. Mostly. I'm a week, maybe two behind, so gotta get this one done this week.

I thought there was another one, but if so, I can't remember at the moment.

These two bring the list up to eight.

Happy hump day!!

Well, I was a bad blogger and didn't post on Friday. I don't have much of an excuse because I was up early and at the gym, but then DH and I got sucked into TV before we had to head south for our Thanksgiving celebrations. We had a delicious (as always) dinner at my in-law's house and just sat around and visited for a couple of hours before heading back home for a low-key weekend.

I did break out some Christmas decorations...garland and the strings of snowflake-tipped lights that go around the front window. I busted out the winter/Christmas votive holders and tea light candles too. I put up the tree, too, which took all of twenty minutes because the tree is only 18" tall. There's still more stuff I want to put up, but it's start and I have to find the rest before I can do anything.

Oh! I'm happy to report a weight-loss break-through. I finally dipped below the 132.8 lb. mark I haven't gotten under that in forever. I know it won't hold, but I broke the plateau, so I've got incentive to keep pushing until I can get below the 130 lb. mark once and for all and stay there. The biggest obstacle is going to be the weather now that it's getting colder. My warm cozy bed is going to be hard to leave each morning once the temperatures get below the 50s overnight. But I can the light at the end of the tunnel, so hopefully, I'll keep reaching for the light.

On the writing/publishing front, things are going mostly well. Book one is ready to go, with cover art and everything. Book two is with the content/copy editor and on her schedule starting tomorrow. No cover art as of yet. That's scheduled for end of January. Book three is in progress and I need to get my act together and finish it. Book four is done and ready to go to the content/copy editor and ready for cover art (end of February). Book five needs to be read and revised. Book six is in the planning stages. I have characters and a premise and some scene ideas, so once book three is ready for it's 2-to-3 week deep freeze (when I don't look at it in order to re-read with fresh eyes), I can juggle books five and six. I'm mostly on track. I'm not stressing because I am self-publishing, so I can push back deadlines, but I really, really want to keep my original goal of publishing on my birthday in June.

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend! Tell me what you did.

Technically, I didn't do so well overall based on my Goals list, but considering all the writing I've gotten done, as well as everything else pertaining to my plan for publishing next year, I feel really great about myself and life in general.


The last one on the list was accomplished in the first quarter. I've written one complete book in the second quarter. And two halves of books in the third. So yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about this writing thing.

I'm feeling really healthy and well despite not reaching the 120lb mark, although I am actively working towards that again by reducing my carb intake and upping the protein. I have faithfully gone to the gym three times a week (mostly) since mid-July. I do skip if my body needs the rest.

Still not walking the dog, although I did finally break down and buy a no-pull harness. I have yet to try it out. But the weather is turning, so maybe it's time to get us both out into it.

As for my writing group jobs, I'm getting stuff done, but mostly because my tenure as treasurer is coming to an end and I'm trying to get everything caught up to hand off to the new treasurer. The website will still be mine to maintain, so I do have to come up with a schedule to stay on top of that better.

I'm still reading like a fiend, because I'm a reader, so that's never not going to happen.

Cleaner house? It stays at a certain level. Would I like it cleaner? Yes. Am I going to be the one to make that happen? Probably only with a cash payment and not my own elbow grease. But that's okay.

Creating any further pod fic may happen in the deep recesses of winter, but it's unlikely for the rest of this year. And that's okay...I created one. So technically the goal was reached.

Well, friends, how are you doing with your own goals at this point in the year??

I'd love to hear from you!

Shoulda done this last Friday, but things were a bit crazy with the looming holiday, so--

How have I done achieving my goals as listed just to the left and down??

Going in the order they're listed, though not numbered:

1) be a better website person--yep--keeping up with updates and changes
2) be a better treasurer--yes, not much to say, but staying on top of things
3) get physically healthy and well--mmm...same, really
4) walk the dog/walk to the post office--I do walk to the post office without fail when I work at the office; I don't walk the dog because she's very aggressive and I need a harness or a choke collar and I just haven't had the funds for either of those
5) reach the 120lb. mark--no, not yet, but I still have half a year and I'm hoping to join a gym soon
6) get the house cleaner--mmm...sorta, but now that DD has moved home, she's gonna be helping me with that
7) keep crafting/try other crafts--can't say that I've branched out much; I haven't even cross stitched much of late
8) create pod fic--well I did the one and the author had nice things to say; I still want to try my hand at some others, but I'm not sure when; I think this is more of a winter project, but we'll see
9) read and re-read--I've definitely been reading; I've re-read a few things but not as many as I'd planned as I found a new fandom and have been devouring new works
10) write 10K to 15K book for a Christmas box set--yes! My book came in at about 17K; it's currently waiting for its second round of revisions/edits before I do something with it--whether that's send it out to someone else for proofreading or buy a cover for it or create a cover--I'm not sure

So I think I'm doing all right for being at the halfway point of the year.

How about you??

It's time to ask that question again... How am I doing on my goals??

They're just to the left and down a smidge....

So let's just go down the list, shall we?

1) Do more crafts--got that one covered. Sorta. I've been doing a lot of cross stitch. I finished my Sherlock sampler and have created patterns and stitched a bunch of mini-samplers to put up for sale on Etsy. Fandom can be rather lucrative, I have discovered. A fandom friend completely funded a trip to England with her crafts. My goal is not quite so lofty, but I am hoping to at least pay for my plane ticket to Atlanta for the 221B Con next spring. We'll see how it goes.





2) Self-publish a book--not going to happen. After over a dozen years, I have decided to accept that I am a hobby writer and that any kind of career as a published author is not in my near future. I like writing fic and I like the kudos and comments that I get as a result. I have at least a dozen almost finished books. Someday, I'd like to hire one of those people to walk me through fixing a handful of them. But that service is not cheap, so that's a few years down the road.

3) Research degree programs--unlikely to happen. I came to a realization earlier this year. I'm really lazy. So the chances of me going back to school...um, slim and none. Homework at my age??? Now, I'm not ruling it out completely, but I'm not feeling it right now. Just being realistic.

4) Work on the yards--a little late in the year now. We've hired a guy who comes and mows & weed whacks every other Friday. But anything else is a no go until next year. I'm thinking just repair the grass for now.

5) Ramp up proof reading business--I did good at the beginning of the year and then slacked way off. I should try to drum up a few more jobs as I have a few things I'd like to be able to do with the money. A friend joined some sort of organization for those types of jobs. I've been thinking of signing up myself, but it's a couple of hundred bucks. I'm gonna ask her for a few more details before I spend the money.

6) Clean up/clean out the house--I can check this off the list. I've done a few things. Enough to qualify. :) There are a few more things I'd like to do and I probably will before the year's over.

7) Get healthy and well--an ongoing process. Not sure I can really check this off. Sonshine's departure for Navy boot camp and his subsequent assignment threw me for a major loop.

8) Write 2500 words a week--see #2.

9) Read three million words--yeah, hit that back in February. Closing in on TWELVE million words. If you want proof, click here and peruse the "logs."

10) Reach the 120lb. mark--not yet. There's still time. Though, I may have to re-think #7. I tend to eat when I'm feeling good. I let temptation get the better of me, so perhaps I am feeling a bit better than I realize.

How about you?

Well, we're a quarter of the way through the year, and I thought it a good time to check in on how I'm doing goal wise...My list is to the left and down...so starting at the top...

1) do more crafts -- um, no, not so much at this point, although I did make some chocolate bath salts for a friends birthday in February...

2) self-publish a book -- not as of yet, although I did get back into the writing groove, original fiction wise (as opposed to fan fiction), and have been cruising along getting words on the page; it feels good...

3) research degree programs --  nope, not yet...

4) work on the yards --  sorta kinda -- that is to say the DH has started mowing and weed whacking on a weekly basis, but nothing extra like trimming the holly or planting flowers or whatever...

5) ramp up the proof reading business -- have had fairly steady jobs since the beginning of the year, so yes, but time to go send out some more ads and notices into the universe for the second quarter...

6) clean up/clean out the house -- I've done a little cleaning out, not too much cleaning up; I was gonna wait till the dog was gone, but she's back for good so time to get off the pot; I did bring the mop and bucket home from the office, so floors will get a mopping very soon...

7) get healthy and well -- trying, but it's slow going; I'm not feeling entirely 100% yet, but making progress...

8) write 2500 words a week -- so we're 14 weeks into the year, which means I should have written 35K words by now; in reality, I've written 27.5K at this point; so I'm a little behind...

9) read 3 million words of fiction -- blew that away by the end of February; I'm interested to see where I'll be by the end of the year...

10) reach the 120LB. mark -- haven't really worked toward this at all yet; things just haven't been conducive to me putting in the effort, although I do walk on the treadmill every weekday morning without fail; I really need to get back to proteins and salads...


And there you have it!

How about you? Have you made progress on your goals?

The big rush is over--the contest I'm co-coordinating has closed and panels have been sent out to judges. Score sheets are already being returned. A bit more to go, but the big push is done.

Sonshine has arrived at his duty station and is once again in limbo. Goodness--how much of his enlistment is going to be spent waiting? He was supposed to attend an indoctrination class (that sounds very negative, doesn't it?), but there was no room for him. He has to wait for the next one and he hasn't been told when that is. Meanwhile, he has to eat on his own dime until he gets through the class. What kind of crap is that??

If you're not from our neck of the woods, we had a taste, weather-wise, of what a lot of other parts of the country are experiencing. I've stopped complaining because, here in Texas, we never get the extreme winter weather like the Midwest and Northeast generally do. But every once in a while, we do get extreme for us.

Which this time around was a severe ice storm. It was expected to be so bad, our district closed school for two days the night before. That rarely happens. They usually employ the wait-and-see approach.



Hope you're safe and warm!

Working mostly.

My responsibilities at work have increased exponentially, so I actually do work most of my day. Yes, I used to have a lot of free time. Not so much any more.

And since I actually work all day, I'm pretty pooped by the end of it, so I read to relax and wind down. What am I reading? Mostly Sherlock fic. Tons and tons of it.

I fit in a bit of housework here and there as well as keeping tabs on a few fandoms, mainly Sherlock and Harry Potter. Yes, Harry Potter. Not as crazy busy as back in the hey day of books and movies, but still active.

Speaking of fan fiction, I'm co-presenting a talk on how writing fan fiction can improve your writing in general to a group of 11- to 19-year-olds at one of our local libraries. I'm actually doing it to help a high school aged Girl Scout achieve her Gold Award. You know how I love fic, so a chance to talk about it seemed like a no brainer!



Have a great weekend.

You know I'm almost tired of being online. I'm not sure why. Might have something to do with my depression. But I feel the need to remove my Internet presence. It just seems like everything is so inter-connected there's no separation and anonymity anymore. Not that I want to necessarily be anonymous, but there's something easy about hiding behind a screen name. Maybe hiding's not the best word. Maybe protecting yourself is a better way to phrase it. Or separating your professional self from your personal self.

But short of removing it all...I'll just stay offline.

I've been keeping busy with lots of other things. Reading, as mentioned Wednesday; cross stitching Christmas projects; football season; just hanging out with my family. Not back to yard work yet though...

One of the things the kids and I do is play Rock Band. It's an Xbox game. I play drums. We go in little cycles and we've been back on again. I like to play for several reasons... mainly because the kids ask and are still willing to let me play with them. I also like to play because of the obvious benefit of music to the brain. Despite the fact that I almost always play the easy setting, it's not always easy. I've found a disparity in what the game deems easy. But I digress... I like to play because I want to keep my brain active and challenged as I grow older and this is a fun way to do it.

It took me ages and ages to earn my first 100% (meaning I didn't miss any notes I was supposed to play), then it took me another age to earn the next. But I've earned two 100%s in the last few weeks!

Here's my most recent accomplishment...Minority by Green Day, one of Sonshine's favorite bands.


How do you like to spend your offline time?

It's been a while since I've posted about the yard or the house. Probably since before school started. And as much as I've neglected those things here on the blog, I've neglected them in real life too. The house has gotten minimal attention, but the yard...not so much. Aside from a random mow here and there, I've neglected it.

I feel disappointed in myself about that, but there's so much other stuff going on at the beginning of a school year that I am generally involved in. Not to mention any work things over and above the usual or writing group events and business. And of course I have to rest in between in order to maintain the pace. So ongoing yard maintenance goes by the wayside. No weeding, little watering, no tending... I've even neglected the bird feeders during the week. Poor things.

I had high hopes of keeping up with that stuff, but it didn't happen. I've found that I can no longer tolerate the heat as well as I once could, so even when I did go out, if it was hot, the heat zapped my energy and I got less done than I planned.

But marching season is almost over, so life will get less busy. And fall, while here according to the calendar, hasn't quite reached us weather-wise. Any time now though. And I'm looking forward to it. It's my favorite season. Especially the colors--the reds and the russets and the yellows and the oranges. I guess I should go dig up my decorations and enjoy it inside until it arrives outside.

What's your favorite season?

My blog has been so full of Nashville, I haven't had a chance to talk about anything else. So let's see...

There's finally a new band director for Sonshine. It's late in the game, sadly. I don't know about other schools, but for us, band never really took a break it seemed like school was out, but within a few weeks, there section camps to attend once a week, then twice a week, until the few weeks before school started when everyone would come together and work as a full band. The guy is a former Marian, which I think is definitely going to help--if he uses that persona and doesn't take any guff from anyone. I haven't met him in person though he's called me on the phone. This year, however, I'm not going to be as charitable with my time. Sucks for him, but I have other fish to fry.

Like my new business. I finished a couple of projects and I'm waiting for a couple of proof jobs to come in. And I've been honing my skills at a few other tasks so I can expand my offerings. The goal is to make enough money so I can quit my day job. Right now I have to be careful not to ramp up too fast, because I do still have work to do at said day job. Especially at the beginning of the month (hello, August)--there's payroll, and invoices, and reminder packets, and reconciling all the bank statements. I also have to train the new guys to handle my biggest on-going project. We have one client that I provide the bulk of the support for. So until the newbies are up to speed, I can't leave. Everything else, I could do from home. Which is the first goal. Get out of the office and work from home.

I haven't talked about my weight loss effort for a while either. It's...coming along. Slowly. Very slowly, if at all, to be honest. I haven't really gained anything back, but nothing's coming off either. While in Nashville, I walked a lot. Everyday for three days. Hours and hours. I realize you can't really keep that up especially with a day job, but I figured since I'd started, I would keep going. The goal was to walk an hour a day in two 30-minute chunks. That's all well and good, but all that calorie burning makes me hungry and I haven't been doing a good job and monitoring calorie intake. Nor do I walk twice a day every day. Sometimes, yeah, but I'm still building strength and endurance. So I listen to my body and when it says it needs rest, I give it rest. So the next step is to get back to counting calories and find some exercise that burns more calories in the same amount of time and/or alternate walking with some other type of exercise.

 And on a final note, we're having an awesome summer. Read mild!! After the last who-knows-how-many HOT HOT HOT summers, this one's been fantastic. We've even had rain in July. Now that we're looking down the barrel at August, I'm sure it'll heat up, but hey it's August and it's supposed to heat up. But I guess we'll see how it goes.

So, dear friends--how are YOU??

Movie Monday is being postponed until next week. I had the movie watched and the post is all ready to go (I swear), but this weekend was so productive and I bought myself a new camera and got some awesome pics that I wanted to share!

So the new camera is a Canon Powershot SX160 IS with a really awesome zoom lens. Much much better than my previous little Kodak. It was a good little camera, but I've gotten to the point where I want closer pics of things that *I* can't get closer too. (pics to follow) And the battery would no longer charge properly. Yeah, sure, I could have bought a new battery, but...see reason above for buying a nicer new one. Got a good deal (I think so, anyway) at Office Depot.

So I finally finished edging the bird feeder bed:


 On Mother's Day I received three miniature rose bushes, one from each of the kids:



Eventually I lost (okay, killed) one of them, but have managed to nurture the other two along. One bloomed a few days ago and the other has a bud... I was very excited to see these.
Several weeks ago, I'd bought a cool hanging planter for them. They've been doing pretty good hanging on the side of the house, and I do mean hanging on the side of the house. Sonshine hung it from a small little plastic bracket right up under the eave holding the coax cable to the house. So the planter has been resting against the brick.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I happened to be in Albertson's and found another mini-rose bush. So I bought it with the intent to transplant it into the bottom pot of the planter. And then I got a bee in my bonnet yesterday to dress up one of my trees. So now I have this:



I poured ceder mulch around the three huge rocks there at the base of my oak tree, then bought a shepherd's crook to hang the planter on. The crook needs to be embedded into the ground better, but I didn't have the weight to get it all the way in, nor did I have a mallet to help me... The roses are shaded through the hottest part of the day and should do great right there. Plus, I can see them from my kitchen window and my office.

And now for the *really* cool pictures that I took yesterday afternoon:



Now, this here is our resident tree lizard. I've named him Handsome. He's been around a few years at least, and it's always fun to watch him scurry around the tree or across the yard.

And this here is Steffi, one of several squirrels that visit our yard. We're pretty sure she's the same one--none of the others seem to eat the squirrel corn. We'd been calling her Steve, but I finally realized she doesn't have boy parts.

And that, my friends, is that. I'll have a 4th of July update on Wednesday.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?? No, really, I'm interested. Reply to the blog post and let me know.

As for me and mine...

It's raining this morning. The thunder, lightning, and rain started around 3:30/4:00 am, though amazingly the dogs didn't get all riled up. The thunder and lightning have dissipated, but the rain is still falling as I begin writing this post. Thankfully. The current temp of 72* is the lowest we've been in a month or more, but we're at 93% humidity. Ugh. But I'll take the rain. (My water bill was $161 from watering my trees!)(No, I don't water my lawn except what the front grass gets when I water the trees.)

The dogs are doing well. Even the 17-year-old Golden Retriever mix seems more spry than she did a few weeks ago. The fleas are gone, her hair is growing back, and she's able to get to her feet more easily and without help. So yay.

School starts in a week and a half. We're all mostly excited--Friday night lights and all. Marching Band Boy has been practicing for several weeks now and the band director is quite pleased with the group as a whole. They're ahead of the learning curve in regards to their show music. There will be pics and video in a few weeks.

On a side note, all Fine Arts programs in FWISD are on the chopping block if they don't have 100 or more students enrolled by next year. Our band has averaged 40 kids for the last couple of years. Which means Marching Band Boy will (probably, unless a miracle happens) only be JROTC Boy during his senior year. He's not overly bothered by it and since his aim is to join the military, then I suppose concentrating on JROTC is not a bad thing.

Speaking of JROTC...Sonshine was promoted again yesterday. He's now Cadet 1st Lieutenant Sonshine. :) His colonel thinks he could go pretty high in the food chain over the course of the next two years, which only benefits him in the long run. So I guess, as I'm writing this, I'm thinking he should focus on JROTC more this year and let those events take precedence over band functions, unlike the previous two years when band events almost always won out over JROTC.

I would have had pics of him in his uniform and with his new haircut, but the camera battery was dead this morning. *fail*

As for me...the writing room now has a window treatment and I'm quite pleased with it.


What do you think??

Also, I have preliminarily finished A Snowball's Chance in Hell. It's been sent off to critique partners and a select pair of beta readers. One CP and one beta reader have returned it so far with wonderful helpful comments. So one last round of revision is in order and I will be ready, willing, and able to confidently announce "I have finished a manuscript." for the first time ever.

Yes, I know I've been at this writing thing for close to a decade, but for all the stories I've started and almost finished, I've never actually *truly* completed one. So this is a huge milestone for me and I'm very excited. The question is can I do this by Saturday--meeting day--so that I can announce it, in public, to my chapter, who will then clap and cheer for me. Or do I want to save the announcement for September's meeting?

Nope! I'm going for it. If I can't, I can't, but I do think I'll be able to get it to the place where I feel I can call it done.

After that, it'll be submission time, but let's get it COMPLETE first!

On that note, I will sign off. And don't forget to tell me what's going with you. Inquiring minds want to know!!

ETA: By the time this post was published, the rain is gone and the sun is shining...

We severely neglected our backyard over the winter, and because it was such a mild one, the grass and weeds continued to grow rather than go dormant. Most of the yard was three feet high. So last week I decided to tackle it a section at a time. This also meant weed whacking since the grass--and I do use that term lightly--was so tall. Weed whack first, then mow over it to pickup what was whacked down and cut the rest. I've been using the bag, too, because that's just too much to leave lying on the lawn.

We've had a terrible habit of leaving the lawn and leaf bags (the paper kind) out and inevitably we forget to drag them to the curb and then it rains leaving them soggy on the bottom. Then they tear and we still have piles of yard waste. But not this time. Thank goodness--we hauled all the bags to the shed. And thank goodness we had the foresight. It rained for over 12 straight hours Monday night. And after all the rain we've had recently, our yard is saturated. Anyway--the point is our yard bags are still dry and intact for hauling to the curb this evening or tomorrow morning.

We actually have our patio back as well. It all still needs some work, but at least it looks like a yard should. The best part is that DH has taken over some of that work and I haven't had to carry the load on my own.

I also finally have new outlets with outlet covers in my writing room. Of course, my writing room may well become my Brown Eyed Girl's bedroom again, but that's okay. At least it's all fixed up and looks nice should she decide to come live at home for a while.

The quest for new words continues. But it's getting harder. I'm running out of story, which means the story's almost finished. Which means revisions. Which, actually, I don't mind all that much. As far as my writing incentive goes (the charm bracelet from my writing group) I have earned the bracelet and the first charm. This next month (from meeting to meeting) will be adding the last scenes and the rest of the words, and the month after that will be hard core revisions. After that, I don't know. Either another month of revisions, along with new words on the companion story, or submission time (along with new words on the next book).

Along with all of the above, is dealing with the issues of a recovering drug addict (my aforementioned Brown Eyed Girl). DH and I will be going to see her tonight to discuss her wants/needs/expectations about her living arrangements once she's released from the halfway house.

But we're halfway through the week and that's a very good thing. Hope your week is going well!