Don't You Hate It

when you're all excited about something, like the soup in the fridge, and you open it to dish some out...and you realize...the veggies you hate somehow made their way into the soup? Paul made soup from the turkey and ham we had leftover - it's a lot of soup too. He made it last night, I smelled it cooking and was excited for today. But my excitement was dashed when I opened the lid and saw peas and carrots staring back at me...I'm pretty sure they were laughing at me. I knew he'd gotten carrots, baby carrots actually, and I figured he was going to leave them that size - because they're easier to pick out that way. Nope, he dumped a bag of mixed veggies in. Not only was I surprised to see peas, I was shocked to see small cubes of carrots too. So, this is the situation we have now; the man who doesn't like soup made a bunch of soup with stuff the soup lover doesn't like. So, what do I do? I put more of the containers in the freezer, I think it's going to take a while to get through the container in the fridge.

It's Monday

Oh, my! Things are quiet and I'm alone! That hasn't happened since Tuesday morning of last week! Got a bit more editing done on Claimed. Today I'm going to double check the punctuation around my quotes. I think this is a weak area of mine, and I don't want to drive my friends crazy when they read it for me! Went to the Y again this morning. I was on the eliptical for 45 mins. I think I did 20 and 25 the other times I was there. I pushed buttons today to see what would happen (I held on tight with the other hand though, incase it tried to throw me off). I found ways to make it harder so I use more calories in a shorter amount of time - I use more muscle groups too! Anyway, gotta go get cleaned up from the gym, then go to Hobby Lobby to use some coupons for some Christmas shopping :) Then I can get back to my edits. Just waiting for the dog to come back in.

Editing Update: Done!

Just finished up my second draft - yay! I took a break earlier this afternoon because I got socked with a migraine - I was in bed. It struck as I was bringing the kids home from school, so that was something at least. I popped some medicine, chilled my room, and snuggled into a very warm bed. About four hours later I was able to function just above zombie level and finish up the last seven pages. Now, I'm done for a little bit. I'm going to let it sit for a week or so and then jump in for draft three. I think I have some boring parts I need to fix, but hopefully, there are no major holes or fixes. Now, though, it's time to dance, and Say Hey (I Love You), by Michael Franti and Spearhead sounds like a great way to celebrate. Then maybe Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy. Let's dance!

So, This is a Little Embarrassing

I dozed off while editing Claimed, and I didn't know it because the scenes were swirling round and round in my head. The outlook reminder that it was time to get the kids from school woke me up (cheer for technology!) In my defense, I'm tired, and the eye strains make me even sleepier, it's not that I was bored with my own work, I promise! Guess I better go pick up some kids!

It's Tonight!

New Moon! We'll be there at the midnight showing - yay! Paul got our tickets earlier in the week. I'm not sure though, how early to show up. Is an hour too early? Too late? Maybe an hour and a half? Poor Paul...this is a sacrifice for him, to be surrounded by so much estrogen, packed into a place waiting for a movie that's not really his thing, all to make me happy :) He's so sweet. Thanks honey!

Editing Update

WooHoo! I made it to the 1/2 way point! It's downhill from here! Funny, though, my find and replace option isn't working right now. I saved everything and closed out, hope that fixes the problem. Now, I'm going to sit back and read while the house is quiet for a few minutes longer. 3/4's of the kids are in bed, I'm just waiting for the last one to come home from a church activity, so it should be quiet for a little bit :) I did 12 pages today, and my brain and eyes are a little toasty or I might keep editing. I don't have morning plans, so I can get a much earlier start tomorrow.

Zumba

My local Y has a class on Wednesdays. It's an hour and 15 minutes (although we went a little over today). If I'm not dead tomorrow, I'll be back Wednesday for another round. I'm not coordinated but this was fun and the people were really nice. Friday is Boot Camp, and I'm afraid. I'll try it anyway. I have a friend that's going too, so we're using the buddy system. It's so much easier to try new things when you have someone with you, especially if they're at the same level! I'm so out of shape though, it's not funny, but that's the whole reason behind going, to get in shape...I just wish I didn't have to sweat to get there...

Working Away...

My goal is to get to the 1/2 way mark in edits today, and I'm about seven pages away - Yay! The kids are home now, so I probably won't be able to pick it up until later, when the house is quieter again. Hitting 1/2 way feels good. The editing isn't going as quickly as I'd hoped, but I've been busier than usual too. Wish me luck!

Veteran's Day

A thank you to soldiers past and present. To those I've known, those I've heard about, and those whose heroism is known only to God. My Dad served in the Air Force for 20 years, I got to travel the world and have experiences some people only dream of. My grandfather was Navy. I have friends that served bravely in various branches of the military. My brother-in-law served in the Army. My cousin passed away while serving the Navy, and currently serving; Cousin: Brandon - Navy (just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq) Sister: JoAnn - Navy (bootcamp) Forthcoming: Brother: John - Navy. I'm sure there are people I've forgotten, but whether I know you or not, I thank you for your service, for doing the hard thing at times when your country asks it of you. For being scared witless and still doing your job, for leaving those who mean the most to you for months on end, to protect strangers and people who call you names and belittle your sacrifices. Your sacrifices have not gone unnoticed in our home. We give thanks to the Almighty for you, we pray for your families and your safety, and most of all, we pray for your safe return to the arms of those who love and miss you. Thank you.

He's Home!

My cousin, Brandon, is home from Iraq! He was stationed, last I heard, in the Baghdad area. For most of his tour I thought he was tucked away on a ship in the Gulf, after all, he's Navy. I thought they pushed buttons and watched things go boom somewhere far away, and they caught airplanes that landed on their ship. Boy was I wrong! He's a bomb technition. When they find IED's, he's the guy they call in to disarm them. He gets to wear the shirt that says, "bomb tech. If you see me running, go!" Sadly, he replaced someone who made a fatal mistake. Needless to say, his mom's been stressed and on pins and needles this whole time. He's been expected home for a bit now, but his dates have been pushed back a few times. Home for him is Utah, and since I'm in Missouri, I wasn't able to be there, but my mom was. She called, and with a joyful voice, said, "He's home! We've all hugged and kissed him, and cheered for him and the rest of the soldiers that got off the plane!" I bet that was something special she got to be a part of. I'm glad you're back safely Brandon, and from the depths of my soul, thank you. I'm honored to call you my cousin.

I'm So Irritated

and mad, and frustrated....there's so many other words, but you get my drift, right? I spent all day working on Blood and Water, got all the way to page 97, and I felt really good about the work I'd done. This morning I was having computer issues, and needed to reboot. I closed everything out to restart. NONE OF MY EDIT NOTES ARE THERE NOW! I don't know what happened. My version of Word has an auto save feature, so even if I didn't save the last time I stopped (which I did, and I think I even did so before I closed it out, AND there was no message asking me if I wanted to save first) there should be something to show for yesterday, but there's not. Argg....I just lost a whole day's worth of work and I don't remember every comment or every note. So, here's my plan for today; wait for my bil to get back to his desk and ask him what happened (although I don't have much hope there's anything he can do at this point). The second part of my plan? Pretend like it didn't happen and move on. I'll be picking up at page 97, where my big notation of "start here" should be, and going from there. After I'm done, I'll circle around and catch the first 96 pages if they can't be found by someone better with computers than I am. What else can I do? It looks like I need to push my schedule back though, my new deadline is to have this document, with full edits, to John Walker on Monday, and then pick back up with Claimed on Tuesday (whose edits are still there - I checked). Okay, venting done, unless I can get a hold of someone on the phone. Time to get back to work.

Blood and Water Edits

For John Walker :) My eyes are crossing, that means it's time to go to bed. Today was good, got a great start on his edits, made it to page 97 of the 288 page word document. I have tomorrow and some time on Saturday to finish. I want to get back to my book, Claimed, on Monday. Thanks for stopping by!

Edits for John Walker's Blood and Water

He's kind enough to let me do some read throughs and edits for his books, today I'm starting on Blood and Water (or as we refer to it, B&W). This is his 6th book, and there's another one in the works after this, he's a busy man! Anyway, I hope to spend a couple days on this project, and then pick back up with Claimed on Monday, I feel like I finally found my editing mojo for my own work and it's exciting. One thing I noticed reading through Claimed, I don't hate it...that's a good thing, right? So, John, if you're reading this, consider it an update ;) Hope to talk to you soon!

Ever Want to Know...

What a five year old notices? I can tell you at least one. Here's a conversation I just had with mine. him: Mom, I gotta tell you something, but it's kind of weird. me: What? (he should have been in bed an hour ago). him: I have TWO shadows! One in the front and one in the back. I couldn't help it, I laughed, and then tried to explain why. I think he feels better about it now, but he was a little disappointed at first.