Castle in the Clouds

Who has time for it? I don't know that I'll be able to work it into my schedule at all this week!

Well, my oldest started second grade today. Thanks to the bus garage it was not a smooth welcome into the school year. First, the bus came 15 minutes early. Early, people! So instead of getting on the bus at the quoted 7:15 am time, we're now required to be at the bus stop by 6:50 or so. However, the horrible timing wasn't the only offense committed. While my son wasn't there many of the children were but they didn't get to ride the bus either. She drove right on by because instead of being at the edge of the road they were standing on the driveway near the house. Mind you, this is the same spot they've stood in for the last two years and never had a problem. Since I was the only parent there, I volunteered to take my son and one of the other little boys into school. I dropped them off and went to the bus garage. Excuses, excuses. Bottom line: Have the kids there a little before 7 am and standing closer to the road because she's a new driver. Bleh. T...

Warning: Family rant ahead. Strong lanugage used. Proceed with caution. You know what I'd love to tell my dad? No need to guess. I'll just blurt it out here on the web for the entire blog-o-sphere to read. I'd love to tell my dad to get some damned self-respect or his head out of his ass, whichever works best for him. Maybe a clue would be a good thing to have, too. Why the sudden hissy fit of frustration? Apparently his psycho girlfriend --you remember her don't you? The alcoholic who has made it a habit to offend or alienate everyone in my family-- bitch slapped him this weekend. Any harder and he said he would have stumbled. Now, my dad isn't a twig or a weakling so this slap had to have some umph behind it. What did he do? He pretended to dial 9-1-1 and then acted as if he were talking to the operator. Of course, when psycho started hyperventilating, bawling, and mimicking heart attack symptoms, my sap of a dad told her he was sorry. The bitch hit...

Me and my two boys. 

This was the only rollercoaster we could all ride on together. My cousin's daughter just turned three and they let her on the ride, too!  

My 7-year-old's first rollercoaster ride ever was the Corkscrew! I still can't believe he was big enough to ride the big rides!  

Other than "ewww" what can you say? My head hurts and all I want to do is sleep.

Grandma's memorial service was today. The hubby dropped off the boys at daycare while I did my hair and makeup. He returned just as I was finishing up. Amazingly enough, we got there in plenty of time and didn't feel at all rushed. (I'm notoriously late for everything, so this was impressive.) . This particular branch of the family is quite spread out. We have relatives in Florida, Texas, Wyoming, New York, North Carolina, and some states I'm sure I've forgotten to include. It's sadly true that nothing brings the family together like a funeral. There were missing family members, of course, but the turn out was exceptional given the distances some of these people had to travel. The most surprising reunion was in finding my cousin, Duane. It seems he lives less than a half hour from me. His dad had tracked him down a few months back (long, convoluted family story there) and had been keeping him apprised of grandma's pending death. I don't hav...

My mom called this afternoon. Grandma has passed onto a better place and is no longer in any pain.

After dinner tonight the hubby mentioned to me that he reads my blog every now and then (which I already knew) . He was more than a bit concerned when he realized I had been telling people I was home alone while he was gone fishing in Canada. "Not smart" was a phrase I'm sure he uttered more than a time or two. And you know what? He's absolutely right. It was more than "not smart", it was downright ignorant. Despite my over-developed sense of paranoia I announced to the entire blog-o-sphere I would be all by my lonesome. What the hell was I thinking? Although I would guess anyone reading this blog is harmless and has no desire to actually track me down, the possibility of some computer-savvy psycho running across my blog is more than possible. So in the future I will keep such tidbits to myself until hubby is safely home again. Then I can post how my week or weekend alone went. Go ahead and scold me. I know I was bad.

I joined Monica Jackson's Writers Write challenge. The goal is to write every day, six days a week. I did great Monday night with an added 700+ words to my WIP, Magic & Madness. I knew I wouldn't be able to write last night so I tried writing on my lunch hour. I got one and a half paragraphs before I got interrupted; Tuesdays will remain the most challenging day as they're my scrapbooking night at mom's.

This weekend was a roller-coaster ride of emotions. I think my current state of exhaustion is a mere side-effect. First, the good news. I'm an aunt once again. Nephew number 9 has arrived. He was born Saturday afternoon to my youngest brother and his wife. They named the little fellow Luke Jasper. Isn't that cute? Jasper is such an uncommon name but I love how it compliments Luke. They baby weighed in at 8lbs and 3oz and measured 19 3/4 inches long. A good sized little fellow, wouldn't you say? His mama only had to push twice to bring him into this world. When my brother called to say the baby had been born I didn't believe him. No one had even called to say "hey, we're on our way to the hospital" or "Jaime was just admitted to the hospital. We're having a baby today." So the shock of hearing he was actually here was a great surprise. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed we hadn't been informed but the feeling quickly pa...

As you can imagine not much progress has been made this week. Considering the circumstances, I figure any progress is worth boasting about, though, so bear with me. :) Dragonborn: I don't know if I'm working on the rewrite of Dragonborn or simply creating a new story that parallels my first attempt at fantasy. The female MC and the antagonist have the same names and their backstorys are similar to those in DragonBorn but I'm not sure how much else will remain. Small pieces of worldbuilding still work but for the most part I think it's going to be completely revamped. I figure I have to write this story because it just won't leave me alone. But what, then, do I do with my first sad attempt at fantasy? Do I toss it? The urge to toss it onto the Internet as a pdf with copyright stamped all over it is there but then I worry about what that would do to my chances of getting the majorly revamped story published. How different do they have to be? The title no long...

Your Hidden Talent You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words. You're never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel. People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation. When you're up, you make everyone happy. But when you're down, everyone suffers. What's Your Hidden Talent?

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not but my Grandma is going to die in my mom's house. Several years ago my mom and her husband remodeled their house so my great-grandparents could come to live with them. They sectioned off their house and installed a fourth bathroom. Since the day they moved in they've had their own space: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a living room. Within the last year and a half my mom and her husband also installed a "Michigan Room" for them. When my grandparents became too old and it became too dangerous to allow them to live on their own, they were moved into separate nursing homes. Why separate ones, you ask? Well, Grandpa had some serious health issues and dementia, whereas Grandma had her health but not her eyesight. They couldn't stay at the same place because their needs were so very different. Grandpa went into a nursing home and Grandma into assisted living quarters. Being separated was so very hard on the two of...

After work tonight I stopped by mom's house where my great-grandma has been brought home to die. Hospice has been arranged and meds are being provided to help with pain management. The end started last week when she had a heart attack and the doctor's discovered some blockage in her heart. Refusing surgery, she merely wants to made comfortable as she passes from this world into the next. So, tonight I stopped by for a brief visit. I love her dearly but being there is very uncomfortable for me. So why am I going back tomorrow?

Well, the hubby left this morning at 6:00 am for Canada. I vaguely remember telling him to be safe and "I love you". Mornings aren't exactly my best time of day. The kidlets are at the campground with Grandpa and Grandma, which leaves me all by my lonesome. After I dropped them off I ran to the grocery store--I always spend more than I anticipate. The rest of the night was spent playing the PlayStation and watching TV. Yet, no matter how well entertained I was, I couldn't help missing them. The house is empty without my family around. I missed goodnight kisses and snuggling with my hubby before falling asleep. The dog even seemed lost. She kept going upstairs to the boys' bedrooms and then coming back downstairs like she was looking for her sleepig partners, which she was.

Let's see. Went to a jewelry party tonight. Spent $49 on a pair of earrings and a necklace . I realize they don't go together but separately they'll work with other pieces I own. I also used the JoAnn's gift certificate I had gotten for my birthday. I bought some metal glue, some embossing powder, a black staz-on ink pad, and some ribbon. All for scrapbooking, of course. My hubby is leaving on Sunday for a week long fishing trip in Canada. I think he'd be happier about it if he wouldn't have broken his favorite fishing pole last night. He's off to buy a replacement today but you know how it is. You can never quite replace the old tried-n-true with any real satisfaction. The boys are staying with their grandparents for three nights next week. I imagine the house will seem very empty with them and their daddy gone. Don't worry about me, though. I'll have the dog and cat for company. My great-grandmother, who is in her nineties, has been ho...

The Keys to Your Heart You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free. In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored. You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring. You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please. Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily. What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to the Playstation. It happened during the second week of my vacation. A few months ago I bought Shadow Hearts: Covenant , a role playing game. I played it now and again but could go weeks without even thinking about it. That's not the case anymore. I love playing that stupid game! LOL Of course, I'm spending so much time on the Playstation that I'm not writing. Strangely, I don't even feel guilty. I know I'll start writing again when I'm ready. I always do.

Well, it ended up that today was really my first day back to work. I walked into the office Monday morning and didn't last for 5 minutes. I hurt so bad I thought I was going to pass out. Literally. Things got fuzzy and my vision narrowed. As I have more than my fair share of experience at passing out, I knew this was bad news and sat down in the nearest chair. When I could stand up I told my boss I had to leave. I couldn't even drive myself home. My hubby had to excuse himself from work in order to get me safely home. I'm not sure what was causing the pain but it seems 1000mg of Tylenol and a three hour nap took the edge off. I woke up to tenderness but not pain, which meant I quickly cancelled my afternoon appointment with the doctor's office. Made a new appt with the OB/GYN who gave me the C-section 4 1/2 years ago. Don't know if it was the scar tissue causing the pain or an ovarian cyst but I'd rather have him deal with it. (Too much information?)...

Okay, so I go on vacation for a couple weeks and what happens? Michelle up and deletes her site. Hey you, you better email the link to your new website! And give me a clue as to what in the hell happened.