Home Improvement Plans.....#MFRW Authors #48

Technically, this week's topic is Five Things on my Bucket List.
Didn't we cover this in Week #17?

To briefly recap it, click the link above.

Yes, TRAVEL is at the top of my bucket list.  But at the top of my Christmas List?

You guessed it....a new laptop.  I already have a new desk top tower, so as soon as MS Word is installed, I will have a fully functional computer.

I mentioned the houses that came with the one we live in, didn't I?  Item #2 would be to Get Our Green House Emptied and Torn Down.

The only things left inside is some windows, a refrigerator, dishwasher, washer (all non-working), some shelving, a filing cabinet, and a patio table.  Then this house can be torn down.  This is an older picture I found, and you can't see the holes in the roof or the fact the back has completely collapsed.

Item #3:  Our Brown House Used For Storage:

This house will actually stay standing for a while.  We plan to eventually move the contents of our storage unit into it, as soon as we finish getting rid of some exercise equipment, several doors, several rolls of carpet, and the spouse plans to use the flooring found on the upper level for the garage roof.  We can't restore this house; there's evidence it had once caught fire and the previous owner tried to reuse the existing (burnt) ceiling joices.  A no-no.

#4:  Little Things For The Living Space:
My closet is tiny.  I need a shelf above my bed, to hold my clock and hearing aid container.  I want to replace my existing bedside table with a three-drawer tote, so I can store more of my clothing inside.  Currently, they're in a box at the foot of my bed.   Yeah, been here an entire year now, and my clothes are still in a box.

#5:  Outlets In The Basement....And In The Dining Room!
Dining Room:  So we can utilize the other wall.  Currently, there are only two outlets in this room.  One by the kitchen and one by the hallway.  One more outlet would take the pressure off the power strip to my immediate left.

Basement:  I could set up my stereo....move my computer downstairs....in essence, move my writing space downstairs!  Not to mention relocating the chest freezer down there, freeing up more space in the garage!

To see what others have to say, go here.

NaNo Update: Made it over the 10K mark at 10033:)

Then I get to start baking cookies!  Whoo hoo!

"Technical Difficulties...Please Stand By..." #MFRW Authors #47

Back in 2011, this was my 'prime' writing space, our local bookstore, along with my shiny new laptop:)

However, two weeks ago, it died.  This is all that's left of it.

Have you figured out by now that electronics just don't like me?

Yesterday, a friend of mine brought over this shiny new tower!  My desk top, purchased in 2008 (Vista operating system) was outdated, and throwing fits.  That tower was replaced with a MS 7 OS, and e-machine, so I can at least do my online job, write, and not have to wait ten minutes for pages to load.

I've also written at the kitchen table (at our old house).

With all these techno-challenges, I've been forced to use Google Docs, or even more recently, resort to that tried-and-true method, the notebook and pen.  Then comes the challenge of deciphering my own handwriting.  Never very good, since the invention learning to type availability of home computers, my handwriting has gotten worse  (my 3rd grade teacher has probably already been rolling in her grave for the past twenty years!).

My dream office downstairs still needs outlets, shelving, and other items before I can move my desk downstairs.  Hopefully next year???  Stay tuned!

In the meantime,

                       Happy Thanksgiving!

To see what other authors' writing spaces look like, go here.  And don't forget to shop local on Small Business Saturday!  Stay safe if you venture out tomorrow for Black Friday.

Indy Christmas Gift and Hobby Show #MFRW Authors #46

Again, apologies....my laptop indeed died, and I'm supposedly getting a temporary laptop to use until our insurance $$ arrives and I can get a new one (hubby was in an auto accident the week before Halloween-no one seriously injured, but the truck was totalled).  So in the meantime, I'm using my very UNRELIABLE desk top, which was purchased new ten years ago, when VISTA was the 'new' Operating Server.

Now....the topic at hand is 'let me brag for a moment'.

Hmmmm.....there's child #1 who has earned his Orange Belt in Tai Kwon Do, and took 2nd place in a tournament a few weeks back....plus has lost over 100 lbs on the Keto diet.

Or there's the granddaughter, who spelled out her Uncle's T-shirt....still can't read yet, but is recognizing her letters!

What About Why I Was Absent Last Week??
Or there's the fact that last week, I managed to sell 13 books, three more than last year, PLUS managed to pay for half my booth for next year AND gas up my rental car AND pay for food during the ride home.

That's me on the far right; I completely sold out of Teacher's Pet, Hotel Stories, Best of Both Worlds, and Orion Anthology:)

Now to order more.....sigh.....

What's going on in YOUR life?  Tell me:)

To see other's 'brag moments', go here.

So Many To Choose From! #MFRW Authors #45

How do you pick one date that stands out?  I have six, yes SIX that I absolutely can not pick 'just one'.  I'll keep it brief, though!

April 20, 1991:  The day I found out I was expecting my 1st child.

Dec 8, 1991:  The day Child #1 was born, at 3:41am.  I'd gone into active labor around 7 pm on the 7th.  Start-finish:  8.5 hours.

July 3, 1994:  The day Child #2 was born, after a quick 3 hour trip to the hospital.  We weren't due for three more weeks, but my 'firecracker' decided to arrive early, while we were out of town.  We debated going to the local hospital or trying to make the trip back to Indianapolis, and opted for the latter.  Long story short, an hour after we arrived, Miss Sara made her entrance.  Start-finish:  4 hours.

Feb 29-March 1, 2004:  Child #3 (and final!) arrives.  I was happily watching the Academy Awards when I made a trip to the bathroom at 10 pm and my water broke.  Since this had never happened at home before, plus it had been ten years, I totally panicked.  I did NOT want this child to be a Leap Year Baby, and was praying we'd get to the hospital in time (do you see the pattern I thought we were establishing?), plus I was pissed about missing the rest of the awards.  So when we arrived at the hospital, I demanded my spouse turn on the TV so I find out if Lord of the Rings won Best Picture.  I don't remember anything more until the awards were over, other than telling the nurse the child could NOT be born until after midnight, lol!  I was thrilled to learn I was only dilated at 5, and could get the elusive epidural, which I wasn't able to get with the other two.  Finally, at 3:29 am my 'caboose' was born.  Start-finish:  5.5 hours.  NOT the 2 hours I predicted!

Nov 15, 2008:  The day my first e-book was accepted, with the condition I expand the story.  I was thrilled!

Jan 29, 2009:  The day my 1st contract arrived from Freya's Bower for All She Ever Wanted.

Okay; I'm throwing in a 7th:  May 19, 2009:  The day ASEW went live on amazon:)  My writer's group threw me a release party, complete with cake, and the family took me out to dinner:)

What about you?  What date immediately comes to mind when asked about your 'most memorable'?
For others, go here.

Apologies again; I'm currently up in Indianapolis at the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show.  My laptop died earlier this week, so I've posted this earlier than usual with the help of my son's computer.  I'll check in with everyone on Monday.


 

Apologies.....#MFRW Authors #44

Forgive me; I had an entire post prepared, but before I could write it, LIFE interfered, and here it is, twelve-thirty Thursday night/early Friday morning and I cannot remember one word of what I was going to write!

Who inspires me?  My mom, other authors.....look to the blog roll to the right.  These ladies encouraged me on this journey ten years ago, and I'm forever grateful to them.

I also admire my daughter.  For someone who never played with dolls, she's turned out to be a darn good mother to my granddaughter!

Now, what the heck blew up this week?  

-A week ago, a woman pulled out in front of my spouse as he was taking the kids to school.  No one was seriously injured, but our truck is now missing the front end.  The insurance adjuster FINALLY has arranged for a rental car for us that we'll be picking up around 9 am.

-Kids.  My teen had a meltdown and managed to get himself suspended from school Tuesday and Wednesday.  He became my House Elf, and complained bitterly, but maybe now he'll remember that getting suspended is no laughing matter around here?  Plus, taking care of a house is Hard Work when all you want to do is play videos and sleep til noon....oh yes, he was grounded from the PS3 and all electronics.

-Granddaughter:  Had an accident twice this week in kindergarten, and the 2nd time, her mommy forgot to send fresh clothes to school.  Did I mention we got this news as soon as her mommy left for work and my oldest left for his afternoon college course?  Poor child had to hang out in the nurse's office for an hour until College Kid returned and we could go rescue her.  Since we now live over a mile away from the school instead of 5 blocks, walking was NOT an option, esp in the rainy weather today!

So apologies; Kenzie's a little stressed out and grumpy today.  

To see who the other authors on this blog hop admire, go here.  Don't forget to come back next week; I'm sure to be in a better mood!

My Fur Babies #MFRW Authors #43

Yes, we have a red-nosed Pit Bull:)  This is Dexter, and he's about as vicious as a limp noodle.  Unless he doesn't know you; then he's likely to growl, bark, and ready to defend his pack....but once he sees you're friendly, he will try to crawl into your lap.  He thinks he's a 50 lb lap dog!

We acquired Dex when his former owner could no longer keep him, and asked if he could stay with us 'only for the weekend'.  Four years later, he's part of the family!

,

This is Cheyenne, our 'German-Rott-Bull-Chow' mix.  Daughter Sara adopted her from the local shelter back in 2010.  This is the best picture I could find of Chey, who is now 8 years old.

Next up is Jelly aka Jealous aka Jelly Bean aka Jellico aka Jellyboo.  We were originally supposed to get two cats, and since Sadie was found first, Miss Jelly earned her name by trying to attract the daughter's attention.  But when it came time to collect both cats after we moved, Miss Sadie was nowhere to be found.  Jelly discovered she enjoys a can of Fancy Feast every morning, and is leery of the granddaughter.  Her litterbox is downstairs, but the only time she really uses it is in bad weather, since she spends the majority of her time in the back yard.

Now For The Pets We've Lost in Recent Years:

Our beloved Oreo....my youngest rescued him from a park back in 2009, and disappeared one snowy February day.  It happened to coincide with a neighbor's 'Stray Cat Round Up' action plan, and since Oreo was never one to pass up free food, we think he was taken to the country and dumped along with the others.  My youngest son grieved for months over the loss of his kitty, and though people thought they've spotted him, we either couldn't find him, or it turned out it wasn't him.  I thought I saw him at the Humane Society, but someone had already adopted him.  If it was him, I hope he's found a good home.

My sweet Roxie.....she was rescued back in 2009, and the first Cocker Spaniel we've ever owned.  Her former owners left her to fend for herself in the back yard and neglected her.  It took us months to get her to understand she would always have food and water, and she lived to the ripe old age of twelve.  She slipped off her chain once and I thought I was going to find her in the middle of the street, but this blind sweetheart managed to find the Doggie Boarding Shelter five blocks away.  Another time we thought we'd lost her, someone found her and placed her in an outside pen of the animal shelter.  Poor Roxie, who also suffered from arthritis, was outside the entire night in 50 degree weather.  We brought her home and warmed her up, but when she later had trouble with her bladder, it was time to let her go.  Dexter and Chey howled as we buried her, and lay on her grave for about an hour.

Last but not least, is our deceased 'Kermit'.  We're not sure how this bullfrog found his way into our basement, but he was an extremely helpful pet, eating the camel crickets and whatever else he could find.  He played tug-of-war with my towel at times (our shower was in the basement) and would sometimes spend his days in the shower area.  When we moved, we scooped him up and wrapped him in towels in a bucket to hibernate, but someone put the lid on slightly too tight, and we think he either froze or starved to death.  Every spring his mating call would entertain us, and he has been missed.

I also use this picture as my FB profile pic when I begin to get too many requests from men, trolling for hook ups.  Usually after about a week, it stops:)

I couldn't find any pictures of our Norwegian Elkhound Shadow, our German Shepherd Keisha, or our Black Lab Lucky. Shad and Keisha passed away in 2007 (Shad of a heart attack and Keisha was put to sleep due to old age), and we had to put Lucky Pup down in 2010 due to bladder issues.  We'd had Shadow since 1996, and the other two since 2000.  Our other four cats were born in 1991, and passed away in 2004, 2005, and 2006, all of natural causes, though Gizmo disappeared into the woods in 1998 and was never seen again.

Want to meet other fur babies?  Click here.

Reading, Shaun Cassidy, and Steve #MFRW Authors #42

What was my 1st love?  Since I'm not sure which 1st love we're supposed to mention, either hobby-wise, Romantic Interest, or Celebrity Crush, I'll cover all three.

Reading:
Since you've been reading my posts for the past 42 weeks, you know by now I fell in love with the written word as soon as my mom read me Cinderella.  At the tender age of 11, I discovered how to write down these stories in my head.

"That's Rock-n-Roll"
Okay, to be fair, Shaun Cassidy and Donny Osmund occurred at about the same time.  I soooo wanted to be on the Donny and Marie Show as an ice skater, and maybe he'd 'discover' my *cough* singing ability and let me sing with him.

I rarily missed an episode of The Hardy Boys, and when Shaun Cassidy began singing....wow.  Just....wow.

*side note*  Both were actually replaced in my heart about the 4th time I saw Star Wars.  Harrison Ford (Han Solo if you've been living under a rock the past 40 years) swept me off my feet (I wish!!) when I realized he was MUCH better looking than Mark Hamill!  (Sorry Luke....)

First Kiss:
I met Steve when we were 10 and 11, through our parents.  When Steve's parents spent six months in Colorado on sabbatical, I began writing letters to him and his twin brother.  My family joined them for two weeks of camping and driving all over Colorado, so we were spent two solid weeks of togetherness, even sleeping in the same tent a few times!  By the 3rd day, we were 'officially going together', holding hands whenever no one was looking, and he held open doors, unfolded napkins, and in general, treated me like a queen (I was 12, he was 11).  At the end of our vacation,  I left for home counting down the weeks until Steve's family would return.

We held an 'unpacking party' for them a month later, and right before we were to leave, Steve called me to his room, and after we shooed his brother and my sister out, he came over and kissed me on the cheek.  I kissed him back, then was starry-eyed all the way home!

We only saw each other once a week, or twice if our parents got together, and this 'relationship' lasted four more years, until we realized our hormones were now 'raging' for other people, lol!  Still, we remained good friends, and I even attended his wedding in 1991.

What was YOUR first love, be it hobby, opposite sex, or otherwise?

To see others', go here.