Long Weekend...Sort Of...

Jeff's minor surgery is tomorrow, and I still have to get things ready for that, but I wanted to post about this past weekend.

What wouldn't be all that special to most people, I found exciting. I haven't been to very many farmer's markets, so I had a great time going to the one in Fort Smith. There weren't very many vendors out. I learned that some had gone home because the high winds kept blowing their canopies over. But I got to talk to a woman from one of the farms I discovered on Facebook, and she told me a bit about home grown eggs, which was pretty cool. We also talked about green tomatoes, and she told me who to talk to (another vendor) about them. We bought some home made doggy treats and some chocolate chip cookies from her. They were yummy, and Nikita loves the treats. :)

We also stopped at the table of another vendor I wanted to check out, where I bought two different kinds of lotion. One is a combination of lilac and lavender, and the other is made with citronella, catnip, black pepper, etc. It sounds weird, but it smells great! It's called Bug Be Gone, and I plan to get more soon.

We also got Eric a couple of gifts for his birthday: a jack for their car, and a gift card to the hair salon inside Walmart. He loved both gifts, so we're happy. :)

And we went into town to check out the closing sale at a candle shop I love but rarely bought from (because of their high prices). I bought two lilac jar candles and a six-pack of little tarts in a scent called Romance.

And today, I've spent a lot of time treating the house for fleas, doing laundry, and catching up online. We bought some flea spray for carpets and upholstery, and I started with our room and my studio. I got everything up off the floor that I could, then I sprayed the carpet real good. I closed off the rooms and took Nikita out to the dining room (actually, she was already there--when she saw me start spraying, she made a beeline for the front of the house). I fixed breakfast, did dishes, and got dinner started in the slow cooker.

After I was done, I opened windows in the bedroom and studio, then vacuumed them. I did the same for the hallway, living room, dining room, and kitchen, being careful to cover things up. While the floors were drying, I brought Nikita back to the studio.

Then after I vacuumed those rooms, I took Chloe out of "her" room, moved her food and water and all out to the kitchen, then treated that room and the guest room. I vacuumed again after a while, opening several windows to air everything out.

And I'm still doing laundry...

It's been a long day, but I'm glad I got so much accomplished! :)

Oh, and Jeff instructed me on how to wash Nikita, as he's been the one doing it. We have a special attachment in our shower, and he showed me how to use it. He was amazed at how well she did for me. No scratching or trying to get away from me or anything like that. She did great! :D And she got to have three of her new treats for being such a good girl all day. :) After her fur dried, I put some generic Frontline on her. I treated Chloe earlier, so they're both up to date on that.

I just hope we can knock these things down. They're driving me crazy! O_O

I think I hear Jeff in the shower, so I'd better get off here so we can relax for a little bit before bedtime.

Lois

The Library Is Open! The Library Is Open!

The kids and I went to the grand opening of the Van Buren library yesterday. Wow! I can't believe how awesome it is! :D

Here's an article: New Library Opens Doors In Van Buren

And some pictures: Van Buren Public Library Grand Opening

A Video! And if you look really close, you can spot Eric walking beside one of the bookshelves. He's wearing a baseball hat, a black t-shirt, and light shorts: Van Buren Celebrates Grand Opening of new Public Library

And to wrap it up, they have several events going on this week: Van Buren Public Library Plans Weeklong Grand-Opening Celebration

Now, Eric being the ham he is, walked in front of the camera on purpose hoping they'd show him on TV. Well, he got his wish, but he doesn't know it yet. Chelsey's going to surprise him by showing it to him after he gets home from work. Hopefully, it will make him feel better. He's sick with a bad cold or flu.

I've got a few things to do today, and I'm late in getting off here, so I'd better run.

Have a good one!

Lois

Life After Nanowrimo

Now that the first draft of my novel's done, I plan to take some time to relax and do other things. I'll jot down notes on the changes I want to make to my novel, planning out the rewrite, but I won't be pushing myself toward a lofty goal. This will give me time to finish a knitting project I'm working on, and it will give me time to keep up on here.

Eric took me to the movies Sunday. We saw part one of the new Harry Potter movie. I can't wait to see part two! It was a lot of fun, and it was good to see him again. :)

There's not really a lot going on here. My mom will be coming on Saturday, so Jeff and I will have to pick her up at the airport. I'll miss the T.G.I.O. (Thank God It's Over) party with the Yetis, but my mom's worth missing it. :)

Lois

Free To Write!

I'm going to spend a good part of today writing. I'm eager to work on my screenplay...something I haven't done in a few days.

I babysat Josiah again yesterday, and he spent the night with Jeff and me. He's been pretty good over the past two days. :)

I'm hoping to get my mom's room ready soon. I've only got two weekends left for that. Her area in the living room is already set up, though I'll need to put away the things that are sitting on the card table.

This weekend (actually, beginning tomorrow) is supposed to be cloudy and rainy/ stormy. In fact, it's pretty cloudy today, too. *blah*

Eric's supposed to go in for his orientation at the new job tomorrow. I sure hope he's a lot better by then.

I need to hurry up and register Windows XP on the desktop PC. It's been sitting back in the studio, so I haven't done it. I think it's about time I did. ;)

Well, I'd better go.

Have a great day!

Lois

Short...and Not So Sweet

Eric's got an interview at Lowe's today. I hope he gets the job. They could sure use the money.

This morning has already been hectic. I walked Niki, but then, as everyone was leaving (Chelsey had to drive Jeff to work so they can use the Focus today), Niki got out. It was my fault. I'd forgotten that she wasn't in her kennel anymore. She ran straight outside. I refuse to chase her down. If she comes back, fine. If she doesn't, fine. I'm just tired of dealing with everything. I'm not cut out to own a dog. Hopefully, we can get her back and find her a home, but I'm not going to chase her down in the meantime. :/

Anyway, I've got to go make our breakfasts for the next two or so days, so I'd better get to it.

Have a good one!

Lois

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Yesterday, I was encouraged by Vivek Oberoi to help others...if not through Project DEVI, then here at home. It's so nice to receive words of encouragement from someone who's out there doing it. :D

I ended up doing absolutely no writing yesterday, so I'm considering it a day off (which it obviously was). Today, as soon as I finish up on here, I'll be writing another feedback, then I need to write some character journal entries so I can regain that feel for how my characters talk.

I've somehow convinced Eric to agree to read my screenplay summary and give me his impressions of it. I'm almost afraid to find out what he thinks, but I need as much feedback as I can get!

I've got a couple other readers, too. Hopefully, I'll get any major kinks worked out before I start writing it. :)

And on that note, I'm going to wrap this up. I've still got some catching up online to do before I get to work.

Have a great day!

Lois

Jury Duty? What's That?

I'm home today. Jury duty was postponed until tomorrow. I have to call tonight to see if I still have to go in.

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I got a lot of writing done. I'm hoping to get a lot more done today. I also organized my studio...at least part of it. It looks good. :)

It's starting to warm up here. Today's high is supposed to be 47°. I guess we can stop dripping the faucet. It's been nice and sunny. That's always a bonus.

Jeff and I went to pick Eric up from work last night. He thought my music (from the Hindi movie, 99, soundtrack) was stupid...until I began playing the track called Soch Mat Dobara, by Bonnie Chakraborty. It has some rap in it that's in English, and the chorus is really catchy. It was funny to hear him singing the line where they sing the title. :P

Well, I've got a busy day planned, so I'd better go.

Have a great day and an awesome week! :D

Lois

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Current Location: My Studio

Current Mood: chipper

Current Music: "Shine A Light For Me," by Steelheart

Back to Writing

It's been a nice relaxing weekend, but now it's time for me to get back to work. :)

I did manage to work on my Jack Hunter outline... extensively ...so now I've got something to go on. It's kind of a romantic thriller and it doesn't have anyone with amnesia in it anymore, so I've got to come up with a new title. I'd already planned on changing it anyway. I didn't really like The Amnesiac, so it's not a big deal. I'm not really great with titles, though.

Anyway, I plan on working on From the Ashes (Zane Greywolf) and Sons of the Wild Frontier: Phoenix Rising (Fox and Sawyer Redman) today. If I have time (I'll make the time!), I'll work on the other outline, too...and maybe that short I wanted to write yesterday.

Eric went to work today. His toe's not great, but he's got it bandaged up and is wearing sandals. His boss said he might have work he can do, so here's hoping. :)

Now I've got to finish up on here so I can get writing!

Have a good one. :D

Lois

Today Is More of A Heinz 57 Day

It's been stormy here this morning, but I think it's supposed to clear at some point. I sure hope it does. It's too dark and wet outside!

Anyway, today I'm going to start by working on the project I'm working on with Patti. That's my top priority right now. Then I'll either work on some outlining / brainstorming or do some reading.

I have two important phone calls to take over the next couple of days, too. Tomorrow's call will take a bit of time, so I want to make sure I get some things done that I need to do before then so my time is free.

Eric hurt his toe pretty bad last night. He and Chelsey went to the emergency room. They gave him some painkillers and a butterfly bandage and told him to stay off his feet for a few days. That means he can't work. That means Chelsey and I get the "pleasure of his company." Oh, joy! A bored Eric is not an Eric you want to be around for too long. ;)

Anyway, I need to check my account at the Library real quick, order some more stamps and upload my novels to Box.net, then I'll get started on that project.

Have a great day! :D

Lois

To Do Lists, Discussions, Rings...

I managed to do all of two things on my To Do List yesterday, but they were writing related, so I'm okay with that. I'll work on the rest of my list today.

I jotted down some notes for the fantasy/ western I have in mind, then I wrote several entries for Jack's journal...with pen in a real notebook while I was in the tub! :P After my bath/ shower, I went out and started dinner, then took my laptop out there to transcribe Jack's journal, so far. I also made a graphic to go with it and I wrote one or two more entries right on the computer.

Then Eric wanted to know what I was writing and I closed the laptop. I don't like people reading what I'm writing while I'm writing. Plus, it was a slightly romantic scene (no, not sex, I don't write sex) and I didn't want him to read it just then.

Somehow, we got into a discussion and I said some things I shouldn't have. Needless to say, the rest of the night was pretty subdued. :( Hopefully, we can work it out today after he gets home.

On the bright side, Eric and Chelsey bought their wedding rings and her engagement ring yesterday! :D They'll be making payments. They were really expensive. But they're nice. They bought them at Kay Jewelers. :)

Now I want a diamond solitaire! :P (A diamond's not really necessary. I'd rather like a turquoise.)

Today, I plan on working on The Gift, the project I'm doing with Patti. I also plan to work on that SotWF Timeline, consolidating my character journals into one and working on the family tree. I'm cutting it really close on that.

When I have time, I'll finish reading the CP manual.

Otherwise, I don't really have anything else planned for today...except to grab something to eat soon. ;)

Have a great day! :D

Lois

Wednesday Writing Sprints, August 5, 2009:

Today, I'm going to work on the character journals. I don't know if I'll get them all done, but I'm going to try. I also want to work on one of my novels. I'll update again later.

Well, that's all the news here. :)

Oh, wait! There is a bit more news!

Eric and Chelsey announced to us yesterday afternoon that they're getting married! They were looking into wedding chapels, but they finally decided on the courthouse. I guess the wedding chapels are too expensive (even though they're much cheaper than a full-blown church wedding). Anyway, they're both excited, and so are we! :D

Okay, that's all the news here. ;)

Have a great day!

Lois