Beware the Pink Spyder's Web

Fires licking at my heels...

2009-11-12T21:03:00.003-06:00

The strangest thing happened to me yesterday (Wednesday). This weird warming sensation struck my posterior area. Not sure what was happening, but it had something to do with the fact that November is quickly slipping away from me. The date December 2 held special significance in my mind. Hmmm.

December 2...

Ass on fire...

Word counts...

Holy crap, I have just over 2 weeks to get my entry ready for Romance Writers' of America's prestigious Golden Heart contest. Picture my heart melting into a puddle of electrically charged goo rolling in a somewhat forward motion. Got to ... get busy...

I've enrolled, paid my $50, and now I have to have the book finished and all the pertinent copies and paperwork ready and in the RWA Houston office by Dec. 2.

Being a compulsive 'how-many-words-do-I-have-to-write-every-day-to-get-this-done" sort of person, I immediately burned 2 or 3 perfectly good hours figuring that out. Happily, I'm all caught up with my critique partners on their stuff, so I should be able to concentrate on mine full time.

I'm having a great week, comparatively (last week of chemo cycle which is generally good), but next Tuesday is a new treatment and a new cycle. Hopefully I can get a reasonable amount of writing done this week and next. Ugh!

Love you guys - happy writing - make your dreams happen!

~pinkie

Everything's a Trade-Off

2009-11-07T07:53:00.002-06:00

Well, yes, I'm on the upswing for this cycle and many things are feeling quite normal. Unfortunately, I don't get a "Get-out-of-jail-free" card. I got the "Now's-the-time-for-pain" card. Yesterday was the most excruciating day I've had since I went to the hospital and found out the cancer had spread to my liver.

I called the doctor on call, and she upped my pain meds quite a bit. Luckily, I have a ways to go before I hit the ceiling on those types of meds. Not much interesting on the left side.

I'm quite sleepy, however. Another boost to today is that my daughter and son-in-law are in town along with my west Texas aunt. I can't get everything going my way at once, but I also *don't* have everything going wrong either.

Love ya!
~pinkie

Throw Your Arms High in the Air..........

2009-11-05T17:39:00.003-06:00

..........'cause today has been designated CHEMOCOASTER DAY!!

I woke up feeling pretty darn good. My appetite was close to normal and food tasted more like it should. I had forgotten how chemo distorts the taste of food. I ate the biggest breakfast (2 pcs of toast) since all this started.

Then I found out my cell phone had died in the night. I bought it less than a month ago, so I was hoping I could just call in and get it taken care of. If I were able to run around, the phone option would have been fine, I'm sure.

While I thought about what to do, I decided to make banana pancakes. Unfortunately, by the time I got them made, I was too tired to eat. My appetite was gone.

I laid down for a while, then called Sprint to deal with the phone. We tried to reset it but no luck. She said I had to take it in. I asked her if she could just do the return and sell me a new phone, she said I should take it in so that if they could fix it, I would have service while I waited for the new phone to come in.

So I called my mother-in-law who was kind enough to give me a ride to the Sprint store. They couldn't get the phone working either. They processed the return. They don't carry the phone I want, the HTC Touch Pro 2 in the store, so they got my phone-before-last working and instructed me to call from home to order the TP2.

Yes, I'm back at the house on the phone. This time, however, it all works and my purchase is complete.

My pain, unfortunately, is spiking and my novel is calling my name. I'm loving the plot and characters. *sigh*

Two of my critique partners and I signed up for the Golden Heart this year, so NaNo has another dimension of importance to it. Got to get the ms done for the contest.

My granddaughter just visited me, so it looks like I'm ending the day on an upbeat. She brought me a beautiful necklace and a cake she picked out for me. She has great taste! Nothing like family, is there? And truly great friends....like you!

Love ya!
~pinkie

Sunshine and Peppermints, NaNo Day Three

2009-11-03T14:54:00.003-06:00

Day 3 of NaNo, 1 day 'til birthday. All in all a good day today. I got 8 hundred-something words, not my highest ever but decent.

I'm convinced I'm on the sunshine side of the chemo cycle. Food commercials are no longer revulsive, I don't wish I were laying down everytime I'm sitting up or sitting up everytime I'm laying down. My eyes feel clearer, my attention span longer. Little things that add up and multiply.

Need to go give the dogs their pills and shut down all my little projects around the house. About that time, it'll be my time for bed and meds.

Get ready for another day of writing all, rev up those engines. We are off!

~pinkie

NaNo Boo Boo

2009-11-02T11:24:00.003-06:00

Halloween was pretty darn cool this year. Quite a few kids moved onto the block this year, so we gave away most of the candy we bought. I love seeing the kids' costumes. My stepdaughter has moved back in with us for a while, so I got to see one of her costumes and a picture of the other. She and her friends are so cute all dressed up.

Opened NaNo on Sunday morning with 745 words. Not a great start, but I discovered I needed work on my GMC's and got that out of the way. Used one of my favorite resources, Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain. WARNING: His is an advanced book for those who've mastered the beginning principles of writing. If you don't get what he says now, keep coming back as you learn more and his principles will make better sense.

Hope to get more writing done today if I can get to feeling better. Had a hard time getting out of bed. Four more days of bad before the body starts to bounce back. Ugh. Been a long week. Two of my buddies got around 2500 words done yesterday, so that's got me really encouraged. I've got to catch up! :-)

I can't believe I'm only on Day 6 of my treatment cycle. Yesterday I told Mom I just wanted to go by the hospital and get one of those mega-painkiller shots. *sigh* Today is the same as several issues conspire to get me down. Cancer in liver kills the appetite, pain meds stall digestion, chemo causes mouth irritation (feels kind of like invisible canker sores). I had forgotten what chemo was like, but I'm thinking I'm doing better this time than last, espcially since I'm not doing 'speed-chemo'. We'll see how the second half of the cycle does. Looking forward to losing hair probably in about 4 or 5 weeks.

Well, off to drink the lemony wonder that is magnesium citrate! TTYS.
~pinkie

NaNo - And Everything Else - My Way

2009-10-30T08:42:00.002-05:00

I've been writing down all non-scheduled meds in a date book, and last night's entries were quite numerous. Not a lot of sleeping done but I feel pretty good nontheless. I have a feeling nights are going to be my enemies in the foreseeable future.

Got my NaNoWriMo launch email today (squeal!). For my non-writing friends, NaNo is National Novel Writing Month held at this time each year (nanowrimo.org). Participants strive to write a novel from scratch during the month of November. No editing - only fresh rough material.

I'm excited and want to start *now*. Known for being a rebel (quit laughing all you out there!), I'm doing a slightly different take on NaNo from the straight and narrow. Funny, because this is my first year to do it 'officially' signing up on the website and all. You'd think I'd follow the rules...LOL.

Anyway, I'm revamping a previous work of which I've saved a few scenes, the title, and the names of the characters. During NaNo, I'll be completing the rough draft of the main part of the book. Technically, you're supposed to start with nothing more than an outline and plot notes. I'm super-excited about this book, tho, and can't imagine working on anything else.

I'd better get busy organizing my stuff. Only today and tomorrow left until writing begins. Woo hoo!!

~pinkie

NANO, Chemo, and Clinging to Our Dreams

2009-10-28T11:55:00.001-05:00

I actually meant to write this post yesterday, but I felt good enough to move around and be active. Today, I don't feel so great, but I'm going to squeeze this sucker out anyway.

I had an acquaintance, once upon a time, who told me the story of her breast cancer. Years ago she had a double mastectomy, chemo, and the rest. Another friend pointed out that this person had let her illness totally derail her writing dream. As far as I know, she's never bounced back either. Other than the breast cancer, this fellow writer and I have little in common. I never see her anymore, but I owe her a great debt that I would like to pay forward to others in my situation or who may someday join me.

As I listened to her story, so long ago, I never dreamed I would receive my own cancer diagnosis several years later. In Dec 2004, I found a lump in my right breast. It reminded me of other 'come-and-go' little lumps that appeared from time to time through my cycle. Instead of disappearing quickly, though, it stayed. It was minorly painful, so I thought maybe it was an infection with inflammation. My doctor prescribed a round of antibiotics that did nothing. The tumor, however, grew *fast*. In mid-to-late-January, my doctor sent me for an ultrasound which led to a biopsy which led to a diagnosis of breast cancer.

The first thought in my mind after the shock wore off was, "I will NOT let this derail my writing career." I'm a slow enough learner as it is. I can't let external issues slow me down even more.

In early March of 2005, the surgeon removed a tumor 11 centimeters in diameter, an almost unheard of size for the time period it had to grow. I went through 8 cycles of dose-dense chemo and a couple of months of radiation. No cancer was detected by any of the post-treatment scans, but I knew my doctor suspected we weren't done with this disease.

I could only hope......and write.

In August 2006, the breast cancer metastasized to a few small spots in my spine and pelvic bone. No chemo or other treatment to do as studies have found it ineffective in this situation. Very small, very slow growing, and utterly incurable. Fortunately 'boney disease' as they call it can be lived with for a long time.

Three years passed, and I've now received a third diagnosis. The breast cancer is in the liver. I remember my doctor saying "...not *if* but *when* it spreads to the liver..." I surely hoped I would have more time, but we play the hand we're dealt. With the grace of God we win, sometimes in very surprising ways.

I have a dual purpose now - send this cancer screaming out of my liver in terror and write like my hair's on fire and my ass is catching. My first chemo treatment is done and accelerating downhill toward mid-cycle where I will then struggle back up to enough strength to take the next one.

I invite you to take this journey with me (the writing part anyway :-)), but I accept no wimps, no excuses. As my good friend Heather said recently, "If @donnellepperson (who encouraged me to Nano) can do chemo-again-I think I can finish a draft during November w/o whining." Heather, you inspire me.

The rest of you: Comment here and let me know how your writing is going whether you're doing Nano or not. Let's inspire each other. Let's get that rough draft done despite the odds against us.

Talk to you soon!
~pinkie

Let There Be Peace

2009-10-03T10:14:00.002-05:00

Got the following from Focus on the Family http://bit.ly/9LxtN regarding teaching our children conflict resolution (and you don't have to be a Christian to appreciate it). My friend Betty and I are on opposite sides of many (most?) political and religious issues and we've been discussing lately how both side feel embattled by the other. I think it's because we aren't using good conflict resolution practices.

A second reason this article appealed to me is that I've come to realize that the only Christian example some people have seen is negative, such as the Kansas congregation that protests at veteran's funerals and condones violence against those different from them. The news rarely reports Christian efforts at peacemaking or to promote the love of Jesus toward those who don't believe the way we do.

Here's what FOF's article says:

Here are 12 principles you can teach your children to help them resolve conflicts among themselves or with their friends.
by Ken Sande

You can teach your children how to resolve conflicts among themselves or with their friends and other people they know. Imagine how much better life could be for you and them.
Here are 12 key principles that young peacemakers need to learn:

1. Conflict is a slippery slope. Some children try to escape from a conflict, while others try to solve it by going on the attack. Few naturally try to work it out.

Escape Responses: These responses are used to get away from a conflict instead of trying to resolve it. They delay healing.
Denial — Pretending that a conflict does not exist or refusing to do what we can to work it out
Blame Game — Blaming others for the problem, pretending we did nothing wrong, covering up what we did, lying
Run Away — Prolonging the problem by running away from the other person

Attack Responses: These are wrong attempts to win a fight rather than resolve it. They damage a relationship further rather than repairing it.
Put Downs — Attacking others with harsh and cruel words, stirring up anger in others
Gossip — Talking about others behind their backs
Fight — Using physical force to get our way

Work-It-Out Responses: These are the only good ways to respond to a conflict.
Overlook an Offense — Dealing with an offense yourself by simply deciding to forgive a wrong
Talk-It-Out — Going directly to the other person to talk out your disagreements
Get Help — Asking a parent or teacher to help you decide how to handle the conflict you are involved in

2. Conflict starts in the heart. The choices we make to get our own way are deliberate. We decide whether to be obedient or disobedient, wise or foolish, caring or unloving.

3. Choices have consequences. For good or bad, the choices we make will affect us and others. Conflict is often the consequence of a choice we have made.

4. Wise-way choices are better than my-way choices. Selfishness is not smart and will not lead to happiness. The wise way is to obey authority, make right choices, seek godly advice and respect others.

5. The blame game makes conflict worse. It doesn't work to point the finger at someone else, cover up one's own bad choices or make excuses.

6. Conflict is an opportunity. By handling it right we get a chance to glorify God, serve others and become better people.
Conflict is not necessarily bad or destructive. Even when conflict is caused by wrong-doing and causes a great deal of stress, it can lead to good. You can use conflict to:
Glorify God (by trusting, obeying, and imitating him)
Serve other people (by helping to bear their burdens or by confronting them in love)
Grow to be like Christ (by confessing wrong and turning from attitudes that promote conflict)
These concepts are totally overlooked in most conflicts because people naturally focus on escaping from the situation or overcoming their opponent
Therefore, it is wise to step back from a conflict and ask yourself whether you are doing all you can to take advantage of these special opportunities.

7. The "Five A's" can resolve conflict. These simple steps will almost always lead to peace.
Children, like adults, can learn to confess their wrongs in a way that demonstrates they are taking full responsibility for their part in a conflict.

Admit what you did wrong. Include both wrong desires and bad choices.
Apologize for how your choice affected the other person. Express the sorrow you feel.
Accept the consequences for your wrongdoing without argument or excuses.
Ask for forgiveness.
Alter your choice in the future. Think over and plan how you are going to act differently next time.

8. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. By forgiving someone, we are making four promises.

False Ideas about Forgiveness
You need to feel like forgiving before you can really forgive. (Wrong. It's a choice you make, not a feeling.)
Forgiveness means forgetting about what someone did to hurt you.
Forgiveness excuses the other person's sin.
Forgiveness depends on getting a guarantee that someone won't do the same wrong thing again.

Four Promises of Forgiveness
I promise I will not dwell on what you did wrong. I will think good thoughts about you and do good for you.
I promise I will not bring up this situation and use it against you.
I promise I will not talk to others about what you did.
I promise I will be friends with you again.

9. It is never too late to start doing what's right. You can always stop doing wrong, then think about a better way and plan how to pursue it.

10. Think before you speak. Or before you act. Or before you confront someone.

11. Respectful communication is more likely to be heard. This includes the words we speak, our tone of voice and our body language (making eye contact and avoiding bad gestures, facial expressions or posture).

12. A respectful appeal can prevent conflict. Learn how to make one.
Stop yourself from choosing to say or do something that will cause conflict.
Think about why you want to appeal and about what words to use.
Appeal (Ask): Using "I" messages and questions, communicate your appeal in a respectful way.
Respond respectfully whether the other person answers yes or no.

From Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande, a Focus on the Family book published by Tyndale House. Copyright © 2002 by Peacemaker® Ministries. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used with permission.

There's a Scale in My Hotel Room Bathroom

2009-09-30T11:01:00.002-05:00

What is up with that? This is Vegas! I thought the pounds you gain here stay here.......

I get the feeling God is tough-loving me into behaving, culinarily speaking, of course. Which is why He should have shown me the scale BEFORE I scarfed down 1/2 orange cranberry muffin and a croissant. You know, I really wish He'd just make me immune to calories. Unfortunately, He's got this thing about free will and self control. If you don't work for it, it's not worth having or some crap like that (LOL).

It's just after 9 where I am, and my body thinks it got to sleep until 11. Very happy.

I mistyped the resort where we're staying's name (was that real grammar?). It's Green Valley Ranch in Henderson NV. Very beautiful, but the casino is mostly slot machines (and not too many of the really cool ones. Lane was disappointed there were so few gaming tables. I saw my first craps table - don't know why it's the first (except from afar). That game is way too complicated for me. May try a little Blackjack if Lane goes with me. I know, I'm a horrible chicken about doing things unfamiliar to me. One minute I can be facing down the guns and the next I'm begging someone to hold my hand while we walk by those big bad card dealers and floor bosses (whatever they call them - they all look scary and mobsterish to me).

There's great shopping here on the resort along with a movie theater and arcade. Talk about self-contained. There's something like 12 restaurants. My favorite place is still The Golden Nugget.

Lane is a Randy Couture's gym (yes, THE Randy Couture) working out. Last time he worked out with a guy he'd heard of on UFC. Very cool. This time it's someone he hasn't heard of, but he was pretty excited just the same. Jiu Jitsu is such a fit for him.

Gotta tell a funny on the grandaughter. She's at that boundary pushing stage when they're transitioning fully from toddlers to school kids. Grandpa wouldn't call her Caroline (which is *not* her name, btw) and she told him she was going to spill her Gatorade all over the floor if he didn't.

I'm in the kitchen at this point with my back to them and all I hear is about spilling the Gatorade and then the sudden affirmation "I won't Grandpa! I promise I won't!" She'd gotten The Look. You know the song about not spitting into the wind or messing around with Jim? You should also consider not messing with Lane. Brooklynn still tried to push her position but she never got Grandpa to back down. I have to admit I found it somewhat amusing because it was like watching the little pea and the big pea facing off in the family pod.

Plan for today? Write, shower, lunch, gamble, nap, work on SS lesson, dinner, read more of THE DARKEST WHISPER and zonk out - with or without Lunesta remains to be seen.

By the way, THE DARKEST WHISPER is awesome. It's the first of Gena's novel that I didn't get to see at least part of during the writing stages, and I can't believe she pulled off such an awesome read without me - just kidding. Seriously, I'm loving it. Gwendolyn the Timid has to be my fav character of Gena's so far.

Life is good.
~pinkie

Writing and Dieting

2009-09-22T12:46:00.003-05:00

Two major focusses of my life right now. Either can be excruciating or euphoric.

Right now the writing is euphoric. Just got back from my RWA chapter's annual writing retreat with 14 other fabulous Outlaws. Our guest speaker is a reader for a major agency, and she let us send in a chapter and synopsis ahead of time and made *very* thorough comments on them. I'm telling you, this gal went above and beyond - aided, I must say, by another favorite OKRWA member (you know who you are and how we love you!!)

They set up the openings of each submission and we read them as a group, and it was really eye-opening to see how each individual element (Title, first line, first paragraph and first page) were perceived by each reader. Plus we learned that we're a very talented chapter. I want to finish all the books we read the first page of.

I also love the book I'm currently working on. It's a paranormal historical, and I've decided to do it in first person, which is weird because I've never had the desire to try first person. Will let you know how that goes.

The diet front, however........*sigh* I'm starting over again with a vengeance. Trying to lose 20 lbs by Thanksgiving. Yes, that's a very ambitious goal, especially considering my dismal failures of this year. What am I doing differently? Extreme calorie control (not extreme restriction). I'm eating cereal and 1 fruit for breakfast; protein bar, 8 oz 1% milk and 1 fruit for lunch; and, a Healthy Choice entree and 1 fruit for dinner. For my flat-belly MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid), I'll have 6 semi-sweet chocolate morsels with each meal. Drink 64 oz of iced water. Let's see....what else.....oh yeah. Exercise. Bleh!

For my exercise, I do Wii DDR (Dance dance revolution) 1 hour 4 times per week, Yogilates starting with 15 minutes and working up to 30 minutes 3-4 times per week, and weight training twice per week. All of which I need to do today since yesterday was crazy.

Gotta get busy now....exercising and not writing, darn it!

Good luck to us all!
~pinkie

The Ultimate Love Scene

2009-09-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

I'm sure we all wish we'd thought of this scenario...

WICHITA, Kan. - A tender moment in a trash bin went all wrong for a couple who found themselves being held up at pocket knifepoint. Police said two 44-year-olds had climbed into a dumpster to be alone just after 6 p.m. Saturday when two men interrupted them and demanded their belongings. Officers said the man and woman were engaged in "an intimate moment" when they were robbed of their shoes, jewelry and the man's wallet.

Police said one of the robbers was a 64-year-old man who egged his 59-year-old companion on during the robbery.
The Associated Press

Rasen Frasen....

2009-09-18T09:11:00.002-05:00

I need more time, people!

For example, today is Leave For Writers' Retreat day. I did not need a flat tire (thanks, pothole - I felt like I was on that commercial). I need to go to the grocery store and find my converter so I can use my computer in the car to read my critique partner's chapter (I promised!).

I need to blog more. Loving Twitter and Facebook, and the creative folks there are inspiring me. Like this chick: http://www.inkygirl.com/twitter-guide-for-writers-part-2/ Love her page and want to spend more time there!

Ugh, gotta get dressed before the wrecker guy gets here to change my tire. (Then take my tire into the shop to be fixed or replaced, wait............wait...........wait.)

Fortunately, it's National Sound Like a Pirate Day, so I can say ARGH! without blushing in embarrassment.

Have a great day, ya'll!
~pinkie

Man with Spears Tattoo Steals Earring-Wearing Dog

2009-08-22T15:41:00.002-05:00

WILTON MANORS, Fla. - A man with a tattoo of Britney Spears' name on his arm or neck allegedly stole a Chihuahua with pink earrings from a South Florida gay bar. Brian Dortort, 48, said Thursday he has spent weeks searching for his 4-month-old pooch, named Hudson Hayward Hemingway. The dog, about the size of a softball, was in a specialty pet bag.
Dortort said he let a man hold the Chihuahua for a moment during a friend's birthday party, then both of them disappeared. The Associated Press

This amuses me on so many levels.

Is it the fact that the thief has a Britney Spears tattoo? Britney? Really?

How about that he was willing to risk stealing a dog WEARING EARRINGS. Let me say that again. The DOG was wearing pink earrings. Was the thief channelling Paris Hilton?

Which brings us to the dog's owner who actually PIERCED a dog's ears.

The poor dog not only has to endure the pain and aggravation of having her (his?) ears pierced, he also looks stupid. We could hope the thief intended to relieve the dog's situation, but with Britney on his arm (or neck), there's not much chance of that.

But what do I know? I'm a spyder with a pink bow on my head.

~pinkie

Getting Back on Track

2009-08-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

Have you noticed that I spend a lot more time off the track than on it? Seems like every post is of me getting "back on track" lol.

To that end....I got an hour and a half of writing in this morning - yay! I'm working on the rough draft of the paranormal historical. Having trouble getting the heroine down right. It's really hard for me not to write them uber confident and *so* together. I want Jacena to be sweet and child-like but with an uncanny wisdom that pops out every now and then. Every new scene I have to go back and take out all the too grown-womanish parts. My hero, Greylond, is reserved and brooding. In his world, the imperative is to gain honor and avoid shame, even if that means making dangerous choices. He rushes into defense of his lands and subjects no matter what the odds. And, of course, he always wins .

I'm really loving this book.

Did I mention I finally got my friend Christy to do the dogfood promise? What's the dogfood promise, you ask? She has to revise 5 chapters by the end of the year or she has to eat a can of dogfood of my choosing. Yeah. Let that soak in for a minute.

People think that's really crazy, but trust me, a person will do *anything* not to eat that dogfood, including find time to write. It is the ultimate motivator.

On the health front, I'm clinging to a recent 2 lb weight loss (making a total of 4 so far). I've lost and regained these same lbs about 50 times over the last 6 months. No more. Went to Zio's the other night and guess what I had - iced tea. That's it. I had a protein bar before I left which saved my butt. Otherwise the smell of fabulous Italian would have been my undoing.

Arg! Time to go work out. Today I'm working toward 45 minutes of Wii DDR (I was up to an hour before my last surgery) and 20 minutes of bendy yogilates (yoga and pilates mixed). Did I mention that I'm not at all bendy? About like a dry stick. *sigh*

Wish me luck!
~pinkie

In the Summertime, dee-dee-dee-deet-dee

2009-06-15T17:58:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend and Monday I've had. I'm tired but very happy. It's been a week with no insomnia (I say that cautiously, hehehe). I guess the good part actually began on Thursday when I got the results of my used to be quarterly CT scan. Still no growth in any of the cancer spots - yay! In August, it will be three years since I got the recurrence diagnosis. I get to wait 4 months for my next scan which is about as good as it gets in my situation. Still on the Zometa every 4 weeks.

Thursday night my buds and I went shopping and had a great time. I got a yummy black cocktail dress for one of my functions at national conference in July.

Friday evening and Saturday I went to Lay Speaking Training which is a church thing. I really enjoyed it and learned about some fabulous resources for my church committee. Can't wait to share them. Saturday evening I finally found a long gown for my national conference in July. Had to get it since there's virtually no hope of losing enough weight to get into any of my old ones. *sigh*

Saturday night and Sunday until early afternoon, I was pretty nauseated. A little hiccup in the UC I think but it went away. I lazed around most of Sunday until the two youngest grandkids came over. They are sooooo much fun. We all went to bed around 10 and they went right to sleep. Brady woke up wanting his mamma and cried for a little while around 3:30 but I got him settled and back to bed not long after. Earlier today, I sneezed in the car, and 2-year-old Brady said, "Bless you." It was the cutest thing!

We all went to eat with Lane who was headed to the airport after lunch. He'll be in DC for a couple of days. After that we headed to my house and the swim instructor met us here at three to teach the grandkids, Alec's little brother Ashton, and the next door neighbor boys. 6 kids in all. She's a brave soul. The two youngest will be dropping out of lessons this year because they're just too small yet. They made a good effort, tho. The rest did really well. My neighbors are super nice and Karsen and Jake are fun to have around. Alec and Karsen are close in age, so they really have a great time. Jake and Brooklynn are the same age but he's way too boy and she's way too girl for them to buddy up. :-)

My friend Di called and we'll be going to lunch tomorrow. Sheila might come over tonight to soak in the hot tub if she can get her parents squared away. Alec's stepmom might come back after the game if they're not too tired. We've become really good friends and I'm really grateful. She truly loves Alec, and that eases my mind. He seems to be getting along with his stepdad better, and I'm glad for that too. He's such an easy going boy. It's hard not to love him. Yeah, that's a Nana speaking. :-)

I need to go clean up my nasty kitchen and put away all the toys the kids dragged out. Then I'm going to kick back with some popcorn and watch TV until someone shows up. Gotta love summer!

~pinkie

Week of Good Times

2009-06-06T21:54:00.002-05:00

Just got back from my mom & dad's in Texas, and I miss them already. We had a great week. She made my favorite meals (tacos and fried chicken) and we went to Taco Villa and Rosa's. Mmmm. We also made Hello Dolly cookies and went to Red Lobster, so I probably have my 3 pounds back to lose again. Hopefully no more than that!

My four girls and Sean will be glad to know I worked hard on the recipe/scrapbooks and got a lot done. I'm about 2/3 of the way done and have all the photos sorted. I'm going to print pics of Lucas for Melanie's book.

We got Mom's new TV all set up, and it's working great.

Watching fights tonight (joy, joy) with my hubby. It was soooo good to see him and my doggies. Hope all my loved ones are doing well tonight. Get well soon, Lucas!!

~pinkie

Factoid Friday

2009-05-22T18:50:00.002-05:00

Found some interesting things this week in the mags I thought you guys might enjoy/benefit from.

For those of you taking Ginkgo for memory - you can stop now. According to an eight-year study done by Steven T. DeKosky, M.D. of the Univ. of Virginia School of Medicine, of 3,000 older patients, those who took ginkgo biloba were just as likely to develop Alzheimer's as those who didn't. *sigh* You're better off working puzzles or learning a new language or an instrument. So far I think the studies are looking good on the efficacy of keeping your mind sharp through activity.

For my worry wart friends (and you know who you are, Sheila and Betty), Susan Crandell wrote a very interesting article in this month's Good Housekeeping magazine called The Worry Cure. I didn't read all the way to the cure (as I wouldn't know a worry if it came up and bit me on the...but I digress), but I found a couple of nuggets to pass on to you guys. Number one:

"Toxic worry" is what Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., author of Worry has dubbed chronic worry which leaves your mind revisiting the same issues over and over, with no solution in sight and no exit ramp, the infinite web of 'what if'. [As I love to say...you can't live your life on 'what if' LOL!]

Number two: "...the sneaky thing about chronic worry, says Alan D. Keck, Psy. D., director of the Center for Positivey Psychology in Altamonte Springs, FL, is that it can masquerade as constructive action "When you worry, you think you're doing something productive," says Keck, "but you're not; you're just spinning your wheels." [and using up energy that could be better used otherwise.]

I liked the sidebar comment: "It's not the cause of your worry but your confidence that you'll handle it that counts." So the next time chronic worry crops up, think of solutions. If there are no solutions, pray for acceptance.

Looking forward to a busy weekend with a wedding, a birthday party, PPV fight party, and church. Oy! Hope you all have a great weekend.

Love ya,
~pinkie

Thoughts on Thursday

2009-05-21T12:47:00.002-05:00

This was Max as a puppy. He's always been a big rocker, and he's very disappointed Adam didn't win last night.

Hehehe! Just kidding.

Speaking of TV series, did anyone watch the 24 season finale? It was kind of blah for me. I predicted most of what happened (it helps being a writer). Still a good season tho, but I'm worried they're running out of material.

Lots of my favs got cancelled after the writer's strike and more this season. *sigh* Loved Pushing Daisies. They've promised to air the final three episodes and finish out this last season beginning May 30 on consecutive Saturday nights.

Almost time to pick up the grandkids - yay! so better run. Love you all!

~pinkie

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T17:31:00.003-05:00

Today has been a great mom's day. I got my mother-in-law's quilt done - yay! (After 2 years or so - sheesh!). I started with two pretty fabric panels and designed the quilt around them. Talk about a risky venture, but the end result wasn't half bad if I do say so myself. I'm wrapping up several projects at the moment, and I'm so relieved to have time to work on them!

My housekeeper called today. She's out of town visiting a nephew whose wife miscarried last week. She called to tell me that I'm an inspiration to her. Me. Wow. You know, 10 years ago that's the last tag I'd have applied to myself, and I'm not sure I truly deserve it now. After all, it's not me who has all this strength and courage. It's the fact that, no matter what happens (including death), God's got my back. Like Paul said, to live is Christ but to die is ultimate gain. Not that I'm ready now, you understand. LOL!

My friend who was so terribly ill in the hospital is home now, and miracle of miracles, she's still on the list for donated lungs. I'm telling you, only God could have pulled that one off! Lane's assistant who suffered a brain aneurysm a couple to weeks ago went through a risky, experimental surgery which was a success. She's getting to where she can talk now and is making good strides back to normal. Her right eye won't open - that's where the aneurysm was - behind that eye, but she's able to feed herself now and all kinds of stuff. A couple of weeks ago, the doctors predicted she'd die within minutes.

My oldest daughter is coming from school for a short stay next weekend. I'll get to see my mom twice this month! Once when Laura and I go see my niece's new baby next Sunday and again for my regular visit at the end of this month (or first of next). I'm hoping to get a lot done on the kids' recipe scrapbooks. That's one project I *really* need to wrap up!!!

My son's on the way over. He's stopping by McAlister's to pickup sandwiches and broccoli cheese soup (in a bread bowl, of course!) and then we're going to play Samba (a form of the card game Canasta). Life truly is good.

Always,
~pinkie

Smiles to all you moms

Spyder's Got the Blues

2009-05-06T17:15:00.002-05:00

Just got a rejection from Nocturne which is kind a mixed blessing. I really wanted to sell to them, but my dream agent doesn't represent series (Harlequin/Silhouette), and she liked this one (at least the first chapter which is all she's read so far). I know, I'm talking in circles. Not a good day today. Suffice to say, I was having trouble keeping the word count down anyway, so I'll be turning this into a single title. Hopefully my agent of choice will continue liking it all the way to the end.

The rejection from Nocturne was that the premise is good but a couple of major aspects don't fit with the Nocturne line. I'll just have to keep reading them and see if I can shoot within the target with another book later. For now, I'm going to develop some aspects that my critique partners mentioned during the readings that will deepen the storyline.

Not today, though. I've been in a weird mood all day, and I'm going to give into it while trying to get some laundry and grocery shopping done so the day's not a complete wash. I'll snuggle with my doggies, regroup, and start again tomorrow.

Love you all!
~pinkie

What happens in Vegas...

2009-04-28T00:47:00.002-05:00

...has been really fun this time. More so than normal, I mean. It started out a bit rocky on Sunday night when the slot machines were ravenous and ate 1/2 my money in less than an hour.

We're staying at Mandalay Bay, and I haven't left the hotel since we got here Sunday afternoon. We ate steak and onion rings to die for Sunday night at a place called StripSteak.

This morning, Monday, I met my cousin Kenneth and Aunt Leota at the buffet here for breakfast. I can't believe we were all in Vegas together! The buffet was scrumptious and I ate like there was no tomorrow. It was so good, Lane and I ate supper there.

The gambling was awesome. I stretched my first hundred for several hours. I'd be way down and all of a sudden I'd win 35, 50, 60 dollars on a penny or nickel machine. I played several cat machines in honor of my bf Sheila, and they were very good to me. I also played a Green Stamps machine because I remember saving green stamps with my mom. It had some pretty good bonus features. At my last machine, I kept getting bonus spin after bonus spin and then special bonus spins until I'd racked up $282. Not bad from a $0.40 bet!

After that, Lane took me to a blackjack table. I'd been practicing online but was still too bashful to go play. We were betting $25 a hand, and I held my own for quite a while before ultimately loosing most of my chips. I had a blast.

We fly home tomorrow, and I'm ready to go home. Wednesday is critique night, and I'm ready to see my buds. Oh, btw, I also got about 2 hours worth of work done on the plane out here. Hope to do similar on the way back. I'm ready to get the current WIP done and get on with the next one.

To finish out the good news, my friend in the hospital has been taken off the ventilator - yay! She should get to go home soon, I hope. The sad thing is that it doesn't look good for her to get a lung transplant. It's doubtful she could survive the surgery. That really limits her days and In can easily imagine what that must feel like. I intend to support her with prayer for as long as she has.

Hope you're having a great day as you read this!
~pinkie

Taking the Good with the Bad

2009-04-23T21:56:00.002-05:00

April is a reall iffy month for me. The first notice I receive that it's arrived is that very exciting talk begins of my granddaughter' s May birthday. She will be 5 this year. Another little granddaughter turned 5 today but I don't get to celebrate with her. For reasons I can't honestly savvy, I' m not all sure of why she's been denied me. Or why I've been denied her. So as with all other things I cannot understand or really effect, I've turned this heartache over to the Lord.

Then April comes around, and all my good intentions fly out the window. Despite my strict diet, I ate pizza today and cheese sticks and a chocolate cupcake and chocolate donuts. I cried when I learned a friend is in ICU in life-threatening situation. Day before yesterday a lady who works for my husband landed in ICU with a brain aneurism.

Then the rest of the grandkids show up, and I have a respite from the world headed-for-hell-in-a-handbasket. Now alone at the end of the evening, my emotions feel more confused than anything. Kind of twisted together and wrung out with an iron fist. But soon, maybe tomorrow or next week, the world will begin to knit itself together again, and I'll feel fine again until the next trigger.

Sorry to be so melancholy today, but a spider's got to do what a spyder's got to do...

Love you all,
~pinkie

My Friend is a Hit!!

2009-04-14T09:59:00.002-05:00

My friend, Gena Showalter, has been bouncing around for a while on the New York Times bestseller list, she's been interviewed on local television, and now she's made her national television debut on Nightline. Follow the link below to see Nightline's piece on romance novels (very interesting how romance sales increase during stressful times like now) including Gena's interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoyFC8u4TKo

What am I up to? Well, first of all, I'm terribly excited about Laura coming to town in mid-May. We're going to Dallas for a day to see my niece's baby (Laura's seeing him for the first time). She also has a new nephew here, who arrived in April. My mom and dad will be in Dallas as well - yay!

Secondly, I'm also terribly excited because at the end of May, I make my sort-of-quarterly sojourn to west Texas to see Mom and Dad again. We always have a great time and I generally get a lot done on whatever crafting project I have going on. This time I'll work on the scrap-recipe-books again.

Today I'm going to do some writing, yard work (yay!), and various and sundry chores. Yes, I really love yard work. I have several flower beds to level and a paver path to create, and I'm very excited about both projects. Lowe's delivered my retainer wall bricks and pavers a couple of weeks ago, but the weather and my obligations have not cooperated until now.

BTW, I'll also be participating in a Write-a-thon this weekend to benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure this weekend. If you'd like to donate a penny a word (will end up costing you anywhere from $25 to $63 depending on how many words I write) or a flat amount of at least $5, you can email me or comment on this post. I'll be starting a new book with the Write-a-thon - yay!!

I'm also making my bf, Sheila, a surprise but I won't say what it is on here because she reads this blog. I'm only mentioning it to make her crazy - hehehe! love you, girl!

Well, daylight's burning, as they say, and I need to get busy. Hope to see you all soon!
~pinkie

Dreamin' in Dallas

2009-04-06T14:57:00.003-05:00

My buddies and I went to the DARA conference in Dallas this past weekend, and it was better than ever, I thought. They've always put on a great show, but this year seemed extra good. It was really hard deciding between the workshops.

Roxanne St. Clair was the kick-off speaker, and she did a great job. I wish they'd recorded the speeches and the workshops, but alas... This was the first time I'd met 'Rockie' as she's called and I'm totally in love with her! I have a couple of her novels in my TBR pile, and they're moving to the head of the line. Also got a free one at the conference (signed, of course!).

Vicky Lewis Thompson did the luncheon speech and was great, of course. We made sure we each got a different book of hers so we can trade and read all three. :-)

Bob Mayer did a couple of workshops I attended, and oh my gosh were they awesome. I learned several key things that will really help me. I can't wait to share them with my OKRWA friends.

I met Tessa Woodward of Avon, and though she didn't request my ms (they're not doing straight contemps right now), she did give me an excellent idea to strengthen the beginning. Plus she's a really nice gal.

I'm feeling really good this week. I slept much too late this morning, but when I do that, I feel so good all day. Truly rested. I wish I could sleep less and still feel that good, but it's not in the cards. Yesterday we were all really worn out because we drove to Dallas Friday night and came back late Saturday night. I didn't sleep much on Friday night, but I caught up yesterday and today. Now I'm feeling great which is important because I'm working out with my husband this evening. I asked him if I could so I can judge how much the workouts I'm doing on my own are helping me. I figure if I can hang with him, I'm doing super!

Getting down and dirty about the diet this week. I'm doing the low-carb kick off week of a diet I found in first magazine. 20 grams of carbs or less per day which means meat and salad all week. Then I start a regimen of high carb, low carb, and medium days (it's a lot easier than it sounds) to keep burning fat. I hate deciding what to wear every day because I've gained so much. It's time to get busy! Yeah! (oh crap!) hehehe!

I'm headed to Dallas again in mid-May for a pleasure trip. My daughter will be down from IN and we're going to spend the day with my mom, dad, sister, BIL, niece, nephew-in-law(?), and their beautiful new son. Cannot wait. Then on Memorial Day, I head down to west Texas to spend a few days with my mom and dad at their house. Love that time. We don't do a darn thing except work on our latest craft projects and watch movies. Ahhhhhh. Love it.

Love you all,
~pinkie

Important Prayer Request

2009-04-06T12:29:00.003-05:00

This arrived from a friend in my email this morning, and I think it's a great idea.

Chron. 7:14

AFTER A DAY OF CONTEMPLATION AND SOUL SEARCHING, I HAVE DECIDED TO REACH OUT TO MY FRIENDS AND RELATIVES AND ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE OF WHAT HAS BEEN TROUBLING ME FOR A LONG TIME.OUR NATION IS/HAS BEEN ON THE SLIPPERY SLOPE TO HELL FOR A LONG TIME. IF YOU LOOK AROUND YOU WILL FIND CORRUPTION, GREED, MORAL DECAY AND A STEADY MOVE AWAY FROM THE THINGS THAT MADE US GREAT. THE PRINCIPLES UPON WHICH THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED ARE NO LONGER OUR BACKBONE.

HOWEVER, WE CAN REVERSE THIS TREND.IN GOD'S WORD HE STATES,"IF MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES, AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE, AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN, AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND."

I AM CONVINCED THAT WE MUST PRAY FOR OUR NATION AND ITS LEADERS AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS. SO I ASK YOU TO JOIN ME IN THIS PLEA TO OUR LORD.WOULD YOU PLEASE SEND THIS TO AT LEAST 25 PEOPLE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, (SEND IT TO ALL OF THEM). ASK THEM TO PRAY EVERY DAY. 25 TO THE 5TH POWER IS 9,765,625 PEOPLE. IMAGINE IF EACH PERSON REACHES TEN OTHERS.IF YOU DO AND THEY COMPLY, WE WILL LIFT UP MILLIONS OF PRAYERS A DAY TO OUR CREATOR. HE WILL HEAR US AND IN FAITH WILL ANSWER.

One person added the following: Let me just add a quote from Ronald Reagan - "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape we are in today. Most people have forgotten that we are ONE NATION UNDER GOD! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this. ~ Have a Blessed Day!

Echoing the prayer for all to have a blessed day - love you all and don't forget to pray for our country and leaders every day for the next 30 days.

~pinkie

2009-03-31T21:57:00.002-05:00

Wow, has it really been almost three weeks since I've posted? You guys should string me up in my own web - hehehe!

I'm glad for spring to be almost here. I say almost because we had snow just a couple of days ago. Yes, snow. It didn't stick, but it was really pretty falling. Except it wasn't pretty because IT'S SPRING!

Lane and I ordered a bunch of lawn stuff (pavers, retaining wall bricks and mulch mostly) to work on leveling our flowerbeds and laying a path where the dogs walk through one of them frequently. It's already arrived, so now I need to find time to get out there and work on it. Good luck, you say? You've got that right!

Got to close now - I'm bushed. Love you all!
~pinkie

Sunsets and Sanity

2009-03-11T21:41:00.002-05:00

Life is good when you can look out your back door and see such a drop-dead gorgeous sunset. I especially needed this today as I've been even crankier that yesterday. The last couple of days have featured messed up sleep (last night I didn't fall sleep until around 4:30). The night before wasn't much better, so tonight is definitely a Lunesta night. Anyway, I ended up in the line from hell at WalMart. The girl was training and none too smart to begin with. Then the b*t@h, I mean chick in front of me wrote a check - Who (other than my elderly mother) writes checks these days? Holy cow!! Total time spent in line: 45 minutes. Yeah, I called and complained. Evidently I threw a big enough fit that the experienced cashier helped the girl catch the line up after I left.

On a positive note, I'm loving doing Dance Dance Revoloution for my cardio. I've upped my calorie burn as I get better and better at the game. It's tons of fun. I also got wrist weights since I've reached a plateau on my Wii tennis. *That* upped the difficulty factor (and messed up my score a little, but I'm catching back up).

My Wii tennis and weight workouts on my arms have paid off. When I went for my treatment last time, the nurse who did my bloodwork found a new vein that accessed super easy, and the next day the treatment IV slid effortlessly into still another new vein. Thank goodness because we were doing 4-5 sticks per visit, including very painfully digging trying (unsuccessfully) to make some of them work.

Also, I'm really glad Megan and Anoop didn't get kicked off of Idol. I thought Jasmine was a bad choice for wildcard from the start, but I thought Jorge would do better. What do they say? Song choice, song choice, song choice!! My favorites though are Adam, Danny, and Alexis (I'd forgotten all about Dirty Diana - kudos Alexis) - this week anyway. Can wait to see how next week goes.

Even cranky, I love you guys!

~pinkie

Just finished reading PRIDE by Rachel Vincent

2009-03-01T20:25:00.002-06:00

It was everything I expected, but now I have to wait for PREY coming in July 09. *sigh* Not too big a deal because now I can catch up on my Jordan Dane novels. What's next in line?

NO ONE LIVES FOREVER

This will be my second Jordan Dane, and after loving the first, I'm greatly looking forward to this one. Her new series has already begun coming out, so I'm eager to catch up.

Anyway, back to PRIDE. It was everything I'd hoped it would be. Action, plot twists, tender moments that had me on the verge of tears... There are few authors I can read these days without being in writer critique mode. These two authors and others have managed to turn me back into a reader and have returned that simple pleasure to me. I highly recommend them both.

Well, I had a rough night last night. Some friends came over and we wrote all day Saturday, then stayed up and watched movies until about 1 am. I was so sleepy and went straight to bed, but did I go to sleep? Oh no. Around 2:30 I broke down and took a Lunesta (I hate to take them so late because I sleep really, really late). Tonight I took one tonight at 7:30 to make sure I'm asleep around 9 to start the week off right. It's so much easier if I'm up by 8:30 am, and that's hard to do if I fall asleep later than 10:30.

Enough about the insanity of my sleep rhythms. Happy reading everyone and have a great week!
~pinkie

Strange Days

2009-02-19T21:34:00.003-06:00

What a weird day today. It started with a crazy night of nightmares and weird dreams. It was like all the crazy dreams I've ever had rolled into one continuous depressing mess. I couldn't find my car or if I did it was torn up. I left my purse laying around and it got stolen and I was upset because my PDA was gone. I also couldn't get anywhere I needed to go. I did figure out I was in Branson MO instead of at my mom's house where I was supposed to be. If I did manage to end up in mom's house, I had too many clothes to fit in my suitcase.

I had forgotten to buy my airline tickets for national conference. Then I was at the conference hotel and had lost my key. The guy at the desk went to get another key but never came back. Then I couldn't remember my room number.

I talked about being in a purple funk a while back, but this was the worst ever.

Then the grandkids came over and all is sunshine and light. God did good when he created grandkids!! Also my new housekeeper is coming tomorrow and I'm so excited!!

So goes the rollercoaster of my life. Hope yours is going well!

~pinkie

It's Here!!

2009-02-18T20:45:00.002-06:00

Too tired to say much, but I had to shout out that my copy of PRIDE finally arrived today - woo hoo!

Love ya,
~pinkie

Happy Monday All!

2009-02-16T09:23:00.003-06:00

Listening to Heart's Bebe Le Strange - gotta love it!

Got word that my copy of Rachel Vincent's PRIDE has finally shipped so it should be here any day now - yippee!!

In the meantime, Maureen Child's VANISHED was well worth the read. If you don't have a copy, I highly recommend it. The ending was somewhat predictable but still satisfying.

Also in the package with PRIDE is Jordan Dane's lastest. I still have to read NO ONE LEFT TO TELL and the other 'no one' book - man, my memory is the pits these days. They say chemo can't pass the blood brain barrier, but I think that's bullcorn. I used to have such a great memory and now I can' hardly recall my name on some days. Well, it's not relly that bad...

Tonight is my youngest's 21st birthday, so I'm taking him to Cattleman's for a steak dinner. He's going to college about 60 miles away and is doing really well. He's had a rough start (of his own making), so he's had to do the last year or so on his own, and has been successful, I'm proud to say.

Had dinner at the bff's yesterday - yummy! She's a great cook which is probably why her in-laws are always dropping in to stay whether they would admit it or not. They're kind of you-know-what holes.

Well, it's time to go write for a while. Love ya!
~pinkie

Great day today

2009-02-10T20:26:00.003-06:00

On the trusty MP3: The slow version of Eric Clapton's "Layla"

What am I reading while I wait for my PREORDERED copy of Rachel Vincent's PRIDE to come in (even though Walmart has tons of copies - I'll never trust Amazon again!)

Vanished (Silhouette Nocturne)

by Maureen Child

Now this book fits my definition of a grabber. I've hardly been able to put it down since I started it. The hero is the height of sexy and the heroine is independent without being TSTL (too stupid to live). She does manage to get herself into trouble and need rescuing, but in ways that make perfect sense. Ms. Child's demons are less like the modern version (which so often end up being heroes) and more like the demons of old. The only thing that bothers me is that the author keeps repeating that the demons can't be killed in this dimension. I'm wondering why she chose that particular rule. She mentions it in almost every demon confrontation, so it seems very important to her that the hero doesn't kill them. I'd just as soon he dispatched them for good.

At any rate, the issue isn't enough to distract me from the excellent story. I love a book that lets me be a reader instead of an ever-critiquing writer. That's a rare quality indeed.

I designated today as a writing day since I didn't get much done last week due to an overabundance of medical appointments. I got a ton done on the WIP - yay! Tomorrow is errands day and catch up on some housework, and then hopefully I can devote the early part of Thursday to writing again.

I'm eager to see how Vanished ends, so must sign off now. Love to all!

~pinkie

Laughter for the Weekend

2009-02-06T17:16:00.002-06:00

Sending you into the weekend with the funniest video I've seen in a long time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83JDXXKzOXg

Love ya!
~pinkie

Hi, I'm Pinkie, and I'm a Facebook Addict

2009-02-05T10:51:00.002-06:00

I absolutely love Facebook. It is the number 1 waste of time ever! What a great way to keep up and learn more about your friends.

Today is a good day. I met with my CP's last night and that's always a big boost to the mood. If laughter helps you live longer, they've added at least 10 years to my life so far (and I need all I can get!!) For those that don't know, my breast cancer metastisized to the bone and is now incurable. Don't worry yet, though. It's been 3-1/2 years since we found tiny (barely enough for a definitive biopsy) and there's been no growth. God has my back and my friends keep me young. My family loves me no matter what, and my husband is devoted like no other man will ever be. I go to a wonderful church and *love* my family there.

Because of the cancer, I was able to quit work and go on SS disability. Now I pursue the things I love most - writing, church, family (esp. kids and grandkids!), and my household. I'm not a great housekeeper, but I love what I do. As Rick Warren says, God never wastes a hurt!

Speaking of housekeeping and writing - I need to get busy. How is it I never get caught up???

Love ya!
~pinkie

Purple Funk

2009-02-02T21:25:00.002-06:00

I've always loved that expression: purple funk. It's so descriptive of the dark clouds of dissatisfaction that periodically shadow our lives. For me, it usually means that someone in the periphery of my life is not behaving as I wish they would. *sigh* Darn these people for having their own opinions and thoughts! hehehe!

Not too much else going on. This is oncologist week as well as treatment time. I also have a visit to the GI specialist tomorrow. I've been doing well keeping up my weight training so hopefully the veins in my arms will be more accessible than last treatment. While I was in the hospital they all decided to run and hide, and can you blame them? I've also regained my PRO status in Wii Tennis (just barely!). I've worked my way up to playing 45 minutes now, so I'm doing good.

Yesterday was my last day on the steroids, and the side effects are already starting to disappear. I wasn't sure if it would take time to get them out of my system or not. Thank goodness.

Better run and get my last tasks done before time to sleep!

Always,
~pinkie

Forgot this part...

2009-01-28T10:02:00.002-06:00

What am I reading while I wait for my pre-ordered copy of PRIDE by Rachel Vincent to arrive?

Darker Masques

An anthology featuring Ray Bradbury, Graham Masterson, and others

Is it really the end of January already?

2009-01-28T09:42:00.002-06:00

WOW. October, November, and December gone. It's hard to believe I was that sick that three months slipped by me. January has been much better. I'm about to get caught up around the old web.

My Silhouette Nocturne is officially on the editor's desk after three tries. Naturally I forgot to include the synopsis in the package, but she was sweet and let me email it. I heard from an agent I'd queried months ago requesting a partial on my contemporary so woo hoo!!

Not much else going on. I'm about to settle into work on the WIP and then various housecleaning activities. It's still icy outside, so no going into town for me today. Hopefully it'll melt off tomorrow. The high today is supposed to be 35, but I don't think it'll be above freezing long enough to melt much. Maybe, if the sun stays out.

I'm feeling fabulous these days albeit now 30 lbs overweight instead of 20. Darn those steroids!! This is my last week on them. It's not supposed to be my last week, but I'm making it the last. I'm tired of the moon face, night sweats, and appetite from hell.

I have a new little nephew and he is sooooooo cute! Got to go see him briefly last week. Got to love those babies. My granddaughter and I had our first "Nana and Brooklynn" day week before last and we had a ball. We have enough Barbies to pilot a battleship but not as many Kens - isn't that always the way? Today or tomorrow I plan to put together a dollhouse-shaped bookshelf to go with her Barbie Disco Ball house (or whatever they call it) for more furniture room. We have three Barbie cars too.

The dh and I are officially empty nesters. The last child moved out a couple of weeks ago. We sure do miss her.

I'd better get busy now. I'm also on Facebook now, btw. That is so addictive!

Love ya,
~pinkie

Oh my gosh, I miss my life!!

2008-11-18T17:33:00.004-06:00

What is your favorite Spyder reading while eagerly awaiting the release of PRIDE by Rachel Vincent?

A WHOLE BUNCH OF BOOKS ON CELL CHURCH STRUCTURE

Which is a whole different topic that deserves its own post. I've buried myself neck deep in facilitating the renewal of the little United Methodist congregation to which I belong. Progress has slowed considerably considering the *other* less pleasant thing I've been doing since my last post. I've spent over five weeks accomplishing nothing more than trying to recover from - not the worst GI problem a fella can have - but close.

I did get my proposal resent to Anne Leslie Tuttle at Silhouette Nocturne, so that's a big yay! I'm also writing about five days a week consistently. I suppose I have the illness to thank for that. Writing is one of the few things I can do flat on my back.

The technical term is ulcerative colitis. It works like a autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself. In this case, my immune system decided my lower colon is the devil.

I left on vacation with GI symptoms I thought were simple IBS. You watch what you eat and wait for it to go away. Not only did it *not* go away, the day we left for our long trek home, it got incredibly worse. Worst 4 days of my life - bar none, and that's saying something.

We got home on a Wednesday afternoon. I thought that, without the cataclysmic bump, bump, bump of the RV, I'd get much better. Thursday morning, the dh and I awoke with the same thought written in neon in our brains. I needed to be in the hospital.

I got up and pulled a pair of pajama pants on under my gown while Lane brought the car around to the front door. I made it as far as the entryway before I cramped up so badly that I couldn't walk. Lane walked in to find me sitting on the floor and crying. Scared him to death. We opted to call an ambulance.

Lane carries me back to bed, and about fifteen minutes later here come eight or so firemen clomping into my bedroom in their heavy rubber boots. Pretty funny, but I was too embarrassed and sick to appreciate the humor. They took me to a local hospital where I got the absolute worst, worst, WORST, ER crew.

I was very dehydrated, but unfortunately I didn't realize how badly or how sick I was. When they tried to draw blood, my hand drew up and lost all feeling. I pointed this out to them, and they said, Oh, that's no big deal. They sent me home with two antibiotics and two pain killers and told me to see my primary care physician if I didn't get better.

I made an appointment with my PCP for Monday afternoon and suffered through the weekend. The visit to the PCP is its own comedy of errors I shall save for my next post.

It's good to be back on the net.

Love ya!
~pinkie

Tuesday's trip to Niagara Falls

2008-10-02T20:59:00.001-05:00

The mist thrown up from Niagra is the first thing you see. It goes hundreds of feet up into the air. Remember, this originates from the bottom of the falls where the water hits the rocks.

The instant we approached the falls, the power was evident. The water is filled with white caps long before it reaches the drop off. The sound is a roar.

A fabulous distance view of the falls - notice how high the mist is thrown into the air.

No picture can do justice to the sight of all this water boiling over the rocks, then plummeting over the side and down to the rocks below. It's the most awesome and awe-of-God inspiring sight Lane and I have ever seen. We just stood there, mouths agape. Lane felt that if we'd turned around here and headed home, the trip would have been worth it.

A light shower fell for a few minutes, and we were rewarded by this fabulous rainbow!!

The bottom of the falls.

It's hard to see, but there's change scattered on these rocks. How do you miss Niagra Falls? Hehehe! It's not that far (a couple feet) from the fence.

Here are a couple of really cool downriver pictures taken at Niagra.

Back in the good ole' USA!!!

I have lots more pictures from Wednesday and today to download from my camera, but I'm tired!!! I'll post more tomorrow evening or perhaps the next. Love you all and miss you!

donnell

Port Huron and Through Canada

2008-10-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

This is our camp at Port Huron. Very beautiful and nice. We ate supper at Appleby's and the waittress introduced herself and said 'I'll be helping yous.'

Here we are driving into Ontario, Canada. The border guy was really nice but asked a ton of questions. He came into our camper and looked around a bit. We had to show them the dogs' rabies certificates.

The speed limit was 100 in Canada!! Don't get excited, though. It's kilometers per hour which equals about 60 mph.

No billboards allowed along the highway in Canada. We only saw this one and one other, and they were way, way out in the farm fields. The countryside was incredible as you'll see with these pictures.

This is either Lake Erie or Ontario. Not sure which. The shot doesn't do it justice!

Hopping on the QEW to Niagra Falls! Notice the shape of the highway designation is a crown.

More pictures from Monday night

2008-10-02T14:27:00.001-05:00

This highway BB was a real booger to find. I finally located it on Mapquest which I saved to Lane's computer. The image is unbelievable. I'll upload it later for you all to see.

Also, poor Maxie dog is having knee problems. He went out jogging with Lane and it got really bad so now he's a three legged dog. He's on pain meds and joint medication.

Love you!!!

Monday night's post

2008-10-02T11:16:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone!! I finally got online to post vacation pictures and news.

We took off Saturday morning, and drove first to Boiling Springs Campground on the Big Piney River.

You can't tell from this picture, but the sign says "Watch for cars turning left from passing lane." Evidently, they have some people who don't know the difference between a solid yellow line and the dotted white line.

BIG WARNING HERE: Do not trust the online mileage calculators online!! The one I checked (Ingram's) said we had 339.6 miles to drive, but it was actually a little over 400. Holy crap! Our mileages have been off every day. Sunday we didn't reach Bloomington until 4:30 EST (big frown), but we had a great time. Brian and Laura cooked steaks (oh my gosh, they were sooooo good!!!) and took us on a walking tour of the Indiana University campus. Bad me, I didn't take a picture one, but maybe Laura will post some pictures of what we saw on the blog. It's a really beautiful campus.

On Monday morning, we headed for Port Huron, MI. and should have been here by about 6:00. Unfortunately, I wasn't watching the GPS, and the interchange at Lansing was really jickey. At one point Lane had announced 133 miles to Port Huron. About 45 minutes later, I picked up the GPS and thought, wouldn't that be strange if it said we had a lot more miles to go than 133?

You guessed it, it did. Somehow we'd gotten on 96 headed west. By the time we were done, we'd gone 88 miles out of the way. *sigh* We did make it to Port Huron which is where I am now. We're headed across the border through Canada with a stop at Niagra Falls and then on to Syracuse NY to spend the night. There's also supposed to be a big casino just past Syracuse that we're planning to visit.

Not too many fall colors yet, but the blogs in VT say they're really starting to turn, so it should be great once we get there!

Love you all and I'll post more soon!

donnell

A Phrase I Never Thought I'd Hear

2008-09-05T10:29:00.004-05:00

"Skinny Fat"

But that's what my Prevention magazine asked this month. Evidently, if you manage to maintain your weight without exercise, put away your excitement. A Mayo clinic study of 1101 women (average age 41) showed that 54% qualified as "normal weight obese." Do I hear all the overweight obese cheering? That's right! All you skinny minnies (or 54% of you) likely have body fat measuring more than 30%. This means 4 times the risk of metabolic syndrome, double the risk of high triglycerides, triple the risk of diabetes, and a 20% jump in high blood pressure.

I looked up metabolic syndrome on americanheart.org and found the following:

What is the metabolic syndrome?

The metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in one person. They include:

Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
Elevated blood pressure
Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly use insulin or blood sugar)
Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)

People with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly common in the United States. It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans have it.

Even a bunch of skinny people!!! Okay, it's probably not nice to make fun over such a serious subject. The point is EVERYONE NEEDS TO EXERCISE.

I know, exercise sucks. I actually found my ideal cardio exercise: WII Tennis. Yes, WII Tennis. I can't help moving around a lot when I play, and it so engages my mind that I really have fun with it. It's not as great with the legs as the arms, so between sets, I jump around or do squats and lunges (which I've finally gotten to where I don't *hate*).

The point is, don't give up until you've found what works for you. Something you can stick with for the long haul. I adore all of you and want you living large and long with me.

One last hint - posture counts Slumping during cardio ups your heart rate making your workout feel harder. Pulling back your shoulder blades lets you take in more oxygen so picking up the pace feels easier. You'll burn more calories.

~pinkie

Home again, Home again, jiggety jig

2008-09-03T10:15:00.004-05:00

What is your favorite Spyder reading while eagerly awaiting the release of PRIDE by Rachel Vincent?

NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM

by Jordan Dane

Had a couple of sleepless nights while I was in Texas visiting my mom and dad, so I finished THE NIGHT SERPENT by Anna Leonard (Silhouette Nocturne). Loved it. The writing style was a bit confusing at the end (or maybe I was just worn out from not sleeping for two nights), but I just kept going and thoroughly enjoyed the ending anyway. Ms. Leonard is really good at making the pacing feel lightning fast and the tension truly tense at the end. Her book definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf. I'm a hard person to hook and keep hooked. I'm one of those readers that puts a book down after 50 pages and never picks it up again. Time is precious. I'm also a writer, so I'm constantly editing in my head - not with this book! From page one, she grabbed me and kept me so kudos to you, Anna!!

As I mentioned, I fell into one of my sleepless phases while in Texas, and I forgot my Lunesta. I have no refills left, and neither does my husband. I had to sleep because I was already a day late coming home. Like many people, I'm immune to Benadryl (which is in all the 'PM' type medicines), and if I take enough of it to make me sleepy (at least 4), it gives me restless leg syndrome symptoms big time. More on that in a later post.

I went to Walgreen's and got some over-the-counter stuff, and I really believe it helped me. I used it last night too and went to sleep much faster than normal (normal is 1-1/2 to 2 hours *every* night but last night was around 45 minutes). So I feel pretty comfortable recommending it for those who'd rather not use the prescription stuff.

It's called SLEEPMD and is a concoction of several herbs etc. that I won't list here. It is also diphenhydramine free (aka Benadryl). You take one about 30 minutes before bedtime, then enjoy the wonderful sleepy feeling as it comes over you. I'll still have to use my Lunesta some, I'm sure, but I can try this one first on those terrible nights.

I also got a product called Liquid Sleep that tastes awful, but Lane took it in the middle of the night when he couldn't get back to sleep, and he thinks it helped him. He's going to keep experimenting with it and see if it really does help. He's prone to wake up around 2 or 3 and stay awake until about 5.

I'll keep you posted as to how it works. For now, happy sleeping everyone!

~pinkie

Affair of the Heart

2008-08-26T18:43:00.002-05:00

What is the Spyder reading now to pass the interminable months until Rachel Vincent's PRIDE comes out (which is now scheduled for the first of February instead of March - yippee!!)?

The Night Serpent

Harlequin Nocturne

by Anna Leonard

The heroine is a 'cat whisperer' haunted by dreams and memories of a murky past. How could I resist such originality? I'll let you know how it turns out.

Heart disease is the number one killer in America, even over cancer. Like cancer, it isn't easy to spot a heart attack coming, so we need to all be on the lookout for the most reliable predictors. In that vein, I found a great article in this month's Prevention Magazine.

3 Heart-Saving Questions You Might Want to Ask Your Doctor

1. Should I get a CT scan of my heart? Dr. Arthur Agatston MD considers this one of the best tools to assess a patient's risk of heart attack in the near-to-far future.

2. Should I get specialized cholesterol tests? Some doctors may not be familiar with these advanced blood tests that show the size of your cholesterol particles. It seems if you have small particles, your risk is higher even if your total cholesterol count is in acceptable ranges.

3. Should I take a drug to lower my cholesterol levels? Dr. Agatson says statins are good to lower the bad cholesterol, and niacin - in large prescription strength doses - is good for raising the good cholesterol. Unfortunately, niacin causes flushing (blood vessels dilate) in some patients. Evidently this is very unpleasant although I can only imagine. He suggests taking an aspirin a half-hour before taking the niacin. He also suggests taking the niacin with food.

To assess your risk of heart disease, try the heart risk calculator at AOLhealth:
http://www.aolhealth.com/health-concern/interactive-tool-are-you-at-risk-for-a-heart-attack

Visit the following link at WebMD for a detailed description of various CT scans:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/ct-heart-scan

Recall Alerts of the Rich and Flameous

2008-08-22T21:04:00.008-05:00

What's the Spyder reading tonight while she waits the long months until Rachel Vincent's Pride is released?

The X Files: I Want to Believe

by Max Allan Collins

I found some interesting recall alerts in my Good Housekeeping mag this month:

Cricket EZ Cellular Phones - on 911 calls, a software problem may keep the operator from hearing the caller or the caller from hearing the operator. Now that's scary. You're running from the serial killer wearing a hockey mask and carrying a meat cleaver. You dial 911 and scream for help. Meanwhile the operator keeps saying, "Hello. Hello? Hell-o-o."

Here's one for all the writers out there: Michael's Seasonal Writing Pens are being recalled because the pens' surface coating contains high levels of LEAD, which violates federal standards and may be toxic. Can I blame that for the problems with my plot? Oh yeah, I use a computer. Well, darn.

On a more serious note, LOWE'S CHILDREN'S STORAGE BINS are being recalled for excessive levels of LEAD as well.

Now this is one I did *not* have to check my cabinets and drawers for: Funtastic Hillbilly teeth. The gray surface paint on the teeth contains excessive levels of LEAD. I thought they finally figured out how DORKY their product is.

Speaking of people trying to kill us, FireX Brand 1000 series Carbon Monoxide Alarms and 12000 series CO/Smoke Combo Alarms come with an owner's manual that says to disconnect the alarm if a "double chirp"/fault alarm sound occurs, but this can actually be a warning of carbon monoxide presence. I had a friend one time who wrote technical manuals for a nationwide heating and cooling unit company. In one, he started a sentence and ended it with yada, yada, yada, intending to go back later and fill in the information. You guessed it. The material shipped to several hundred customers before the mistake was caught. Of course, yada yada yada isn't likely to *kill* you.

Have a great weekend all!
~pinkie

Twice in One Month!!

2008-08-19T11:01:00.002-05:00

My life is just so full. Yes, it's a good thing, but it's also stressful. I keep thinking I'll get caught up, but it's been 2 years now since I quit the day job. Oy! My weeds are higher than ever, laundry beckons, and now I have a fabulous new vacation to prepare for. Guess what's going to get most of my spare time?

That's right! The vacation. Lane and I are headed to Vermont at the end of September to see the fall foliage and the gorgeous countryside. We're RVing, and I have our campsites picked out and reserved. We'll be staying at Apple Island Resort on a little island in Lake Champlain. We're renting a car for our driving tours. That's what I'm mapping out now - the driving tours. I definitely want to see 'The Kanc', a popular scenic highway with a long, long name I've already forgotten. It's in New Hampshire. We're going to see covered bridges and turn-of-the-century hamlets. I've always dreamed of this vacation.

I am getting more disciplined with my scheduling. I'm exercising on a regular basis (Wii tennis which is surprisingly great cardio) including weight lifting. I'm writing on a steadily more regular basis, and I'm involved in a project with my church that is incredibly exciting.

We're working toward a spiritual renewal from top to bottom based on Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church, 12 Steps to Congregational Transformation, and the Strategic Plan rolled out in our Annual Conference this year. We're an older congregation striving to survive, and I'm convinced the way to do it is to return to the church's roots, our 'first love', if you will.

Aw, man - time's up. I've got to go exercise and write and all the other things screaming my name! Hehehe. Hope you all have had a great summer, and Jo - it was great hearing from you!!

~pinkie

Sick-O-Rama

2008-08-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

Just got back from national conference in San Francisco. Had a great time, but what I thought was a terrible allergy attack has turned into a cold. AND I came down with a bladder infection yesterday. My friends nicknamed me 'Tanks' because I can go so long without use of the facilities. Unfortunately, my capacity is down to a few drops at a time. Two different doctors have called in antibiotics (I was desperate and more than a bit wicked), so I'm soon off to the pharmacy.

I've been puttering in the yard today - so good to be home! This must be the year of the milkweed because mine are incredibly healthy since I've been gone. It's not too hot so after the pharm visit, I think I'll pull some weeds until it gets too hot. We're having big company this weekend, some who've never seen our house, so I'm trying to get it in extra good shape. And with my clutter, that is not an easy task. I like things where I can see them, okay? Drives my hubby bats.

Thanks to my great friend, KN (you know who you are!) I got to go to the Harlequin party this year at conference and had a freaking BLAST. You all know how I love to dance, and they were playing my favorite classics. Came home in an extreme writing mood.

Well, the tank is calling for attention, so I'm off to the ladies' room and then the pharmacy. You all have a great day and TTYL!

~pinkie

Ramblings

2008-07-06T12:59:00.004-05:00

I started this blog originally because my local writer's group had a meeting about the efficacy of blogs in generating notoriety for a writer. I wasn't so sure about that, but I was willing to give it a try. Now that I'm writing like a mad woman, it's hard to get time to post!

Then, of course, the cancer appeared for a return engagement, so I switched to using this for updates on how I'm doing. Well, the show's been a bit boring (thank you, God!) and I've had no growth in the cancer for close to two years now.

Soooooo, I'm thinking of turning to discussions of topics near and dear to my heart (or at least on my mind at the moment). Right now the articles I've been reading and many news items have to do with going green. Being into my own convenience, I'm not so sure about the green thing.

I should qualify that. I do not like deforestation. I like doing whatever I can electronically and saving trees. I do not like pollution. I'm willing to do without a few things (like that extra trip to the store in the car) to cut down on my contribution in that area. There are other areas I can stand to be conservative about.

What I'm thinking of today are my leisurely baths in my huge (and I mean HUGE) tub. I read recently that I should turn the water off while I'm brushing my teeth. Okay. I shouldn't water my lawn during the day because so much of the water evaporates. No problem (but only because I have a sprinkler system). However...

I'm a twenty-minute showerer (or bather - I have a shower head in my tub). Then I read that I should keep my showers to under 5 minutes. Jennifer Aniston uses 3 minutes. Holy cow!! Does she turn the water off while soaping her hair or bod? That would be the equivalent of my bathing in about an inch and a half of water. I don't think I can do that.

Did I mention I haven't even used our walk-in shower since we moved into this house 14 months ago? I *love* my bath. I love filling it up and watching movies on my little bathroom TV. And why are we so concerned about water? I always thought it was a renewable resource. Water evaporates from the ground, turns into clouds and rains back down. I'm sure the article told me why it's so important, but I've blocked it out. Thank goodness I threw the magazine away!

I think I'm going to have to find other ways to be green. Did I mention I use all compact flourescent bulbs? I planted six trees in my yard this year? I guess I'm going to have to suck it up and use one of those carbon foot print calculators and see how much I really have to change to be a good citizen of earth. *Sigh*

If you have the cajones to map out your carbon footprint, you can visit https://gozero.conservationfund.org/calc/household or http://www.carboncounter.org/offset-your-emissions/personal-calculator.aspx. There are tons of them if you google "carbon footprint calculator." Get out your utility bills and be prepared to answer some fairly complicated questions.

You know, I think I can contribute to the green effort. It's kind of like a maturing process. I gave up my pacifier when I was less than two. But my baths... Now that really give me the shivers!!

Happy greening, guys!
~pinkie

Surfacing from my travels

2008-06-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

I’m rounding out the end of a busy couple of weeks. The best kind of busy, too!

My daughter came home from Indiana University for a short visit May 21-24. We had Alec on Thursday, so she got to spend the day with him. We invited Grandma Peggy and Brooklynn over to swim The neighbor boys joined us too, so we had a great time. She and Brian left on Saturday, and on Sunday, I left for my mom’s in Texas.

Oh, and my best friend’s baby had his first birthday. Judging by the way he dived into the cake, I’d say he had a great time.

Mom and I didn’t do a whole lot, which is just the way we like it. Dad is doing really well. He still needs the walker, but he gets around pretty fast. We took him out to eat every day and to Hobby Lobby while I was there. Mom and I went to JC Penney’s but it just wasn’t the same shopping without my sister. I didn’t buy a darn thing.

We watched 8 or 9 movies, mostly old ones like Esther, Ruth, and David and Bathsheba. We also watched Overboard and As Good As It Gets. I hadn’t seen any of those in ages. I worked on the kids’ scrap/recipe books and got my niece’s caught up with the rest of them. My aunt (Mom’s twin) came up with more old family photos which was awesome. She had some old pictures of my cousins that really brought back memories.

I came back from there on Thursday and left for the lake on Friday. We had a great time. Brooklynn and I were nigh inseparable on Saturday which makes my heart glow. On Sunday Brady and I got quite a bit of quality time. He is such a cutie and a tooter at the same time. That child fears nothing and tries everything. He’s hard to keep up with but so fun to watch!

We came back yesterday, and I have Alec all day today. We’re going to invite Brooklynn and the neighbor boys to swim again this afternoon probably. I have a ton of work to get done because we’re leaving on vacation to San Antonio either Saturday or Sunday and will be gone a week. After that my summer pretty much returns to normal. I’ll be glad, but I’ve really had a great time.

Hope your summer is going well!

~pinkie

If at first you don't succeed...

2008-05-14T13:32:00.002-05:00

I started this post a few minutes ago, went to highlight and save it since Blogger was having troubles, and the entire post disappeared. That is so annoying!!

Anyway, I was saying I got my Golden Heart scores back. The straight contemporary did lousy, but the paranormal did really well. I rewrote the opening to the contemp so hopefully I fixed the problems. To be in the top quarter required a score of 36. something, and the paranormal got a 38.something. I'm quite pleased with that even though I didn't final.

Of my 10 agent queries I sent out, I've gotten 3 requests for more material, 2 no thanks, and 1 'let me know how this turns out' (meaning let her know if a contract is offered). I'll probably forget about that last one. Not quite the enthusiasm I'm hoping for. Still no word from the editors, but that's not a surprise. They pretty much have to read uncontracted stuff on their off-work time, so it's likely to be at least another month or longer. As long as they don't keep it for years like a certain editor did (who is now with the peace corps - who knows where the manuscript ended up). That's the second really interested editor to flake out on me. Perhaps the third time will be the charm?

The dh and I have been doing some home improvements this year. We had the front and back porches acid stained, and they are beautiful! The back looks like red flagstone (to match the red mud that gets tracked across it so often), and the front porch is Italian Mocha with a circle in the middle. The circle looks like it's edged in light brick with multi-colored flagstone in the middle. We covered the rest of the back porch with a pergola with a drop down screen to block the afternoon sun. It's heaven!!

We're sodding the rest of the back yard (about an acre's worth) to hopefully cut down on the mud tracking. I'm also getting some trees - yippee!! I picked out two red maples, three evergreens (don't remember what they're called but they're gorgeous), a river birch, and a smoke tree. When the smoke tree blooms (which is right about now), it looks like it's surrounded by pink smoke. Next year we're going to do the front yard. By splitting it up, I was able to get bigger than usual trees. The maples are about 15 feet or so.

Well, I'd better run. Still lots to do today. Hope you all are having a great spring!!

~pinkie

From the Deepest Web

2008-04-28T07:19:00.002-05:00

I know, I know - I've been remiss in my duties as a blogger. I don't have a ton of time to blog right now either, but I did want to share some good news. My health is doing so well, my oncologist has changed my appointments from every three months to every four months, so woo hoo!!

~pinkie

Back in Texas

2008-03-13T10:35:00.002-05:00

I've been in Texas again this week, but this time for a pleasure trip. My daughter flew in from Indiana, so I came down to meet her. We did some shopping and had a great time. I just dropped her off at the airport.

Dad is doing great. He has a therapist that comes 3 times a week and a nurse that comes 2. He got a pressure sore on his heel in the hospital (don't get me started on the hospital here...) that is taking its sweet time healing. Doc says he'll probably have to go to a wound center.

I brought my WIP with me and worked out the next few scenes on the tape recorder on the way down, but I haven't worked on it since I've been here. Instead, I've been working on the recipe scrapbooks (which I haven't touched since I left here at the end of December). I have at most 4 weeks to get both WIPs done, so I've really got to get busy when I get home. I'm really excited about the current story. It's shaping up nicely I think (hope).

Well, got to run Dad around a little, so I'll talk to everyone soon!

~pinkie

Happy days!

2008-02-29T12:48:00.003-06:00

Dad has been home for a week now and is doing great. They took him off the Loritab and that solved all his mental confusion. He and Mom are able to take care of each other without help, so that's a huge blessing. I'll be headed down there March 10-14 because Laura's flying in from Indiana to visit them.

I'm so swamped here, I don't know which end is up. I've managed to get way behind this week, but I'll try to post more next week.

Take care!
~pinkie

Bits and Pieces

2008-02-19T08:37:00.002-06:00

With Medicare's restraints, Dad has to leave the hospital on Friday. He'll either go to a rehab facility or home. We have no guess which one, but he does seem to be doing some better. He's doing well on his physical therapy and walked 130 feet yesterday with a walker.

On the home front, Stanley Steemer is coming to clean our bedroom carpet, the entryway and kitchen tile, and the oriental rug in the living area. Thank goodness because one of the dogs (I'm thinking Max due to sheer volume) got sick last night, once on the tile and once on the rug. That's really unusual for him. We're talking about a dog who ate a frisbee a couple of years ago and didn't get sick. Sam is the one who has the delicate stomach.

I'm making progress on my edits but not as fast as I'd like. I'm hoping to get a lot done this afternoon while the cleaning guys are here. I'm also making CDs for my boot camp classes, and that's taking a lot longer than I'd figured it would. I'm nearly done though.

Oh, here's a funny (a red-faced funny). I put my car in the shop to get it fixed from when that guy hit me. The insurance paid for a rental. They didn't have much to choose from, so I got a Tundra to try it out. Lane's always trying to get me to get a truck for all the yard work stuff. I went to pull into the garage, turned way too tight and scraped the side of the truck. I'm hoping I can buff it out. *sigh*

Tonight is dinner with the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun club, so named by our enemies a few years ago. We loved the name and kept it. Take that Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse (hehehe).

Gotta get busy now.
Have a great day - tomorrow it turns cold again!
~pinkie

The Continued Perils of Pinkie

2008-02-14T07:20:00.002-06:00

Holy cow, how stubborn can one man be? I have an answer to that:

Pretty Darn Stubborn

I think my dad has decided he'd rather have a Hoveround instead of walk (even though he's proven he's perfectly capable of walking) and he'd like to live with one of his daughters. Unfortunately, he has discovered how stubborn three women can be.

Pretty Even More Darn Stubborn

Oh yeah. We've gone with him to his physical therapy to make him work. We've talked about all the things we'll do when he's well. We've made him eat. Rewarded him for good behaviour.

He's complained of chest pains to get out of PT. He's complained of being lightheaded and swears he'll faint when we make him stay out of bed for a while. He's sung the Restless Leg Syndrome song with all 99 choruses. He swears he's too nauseated to eat, but he sure feels good when we're wheeling him around the hospital.

He's worn us out. (I should mention here that I came home last Sunday to rest up for my next tour of duty, so he's worn my sister out more than anyone. She definitely deserves the purple heart.)

We finally had to get real with him. We will not let him be an invalid. If he won't walk, he'll have to go to a nursing home. We hated being so blunt, but if he won't do things for himself, he'll waste away. Mom is not strong enough to care for an invalid, and we refuse to let him waste her as well. The mortality rate for elderly caregivers is frighteningly high. Plus, he's freaking capable!! He's been able to walk from the start of his physical therapy.

I'm cautiously optimistic. Sis and Mom have stood firm and gave him a good report yesterday. My sister is going home for a break this weekend, and Mom promises to keep up the pressure. She'll do it too because she wants him home and well. They're perfectly capable of continuing to live on their own for now, and that's what she wants. Can't say I blame her.

Me, I'm catching up on housework in between fielding sis's calls. DH did a pretty good job, but there was still plenty to do. I've sent 4 chapters to my CP's this past month and a half, but I'm still behind on my goal. I need to finish in the next week or two so I can go to work on the other WIP. I have 5 contests I want to enter in the next month.

And it's Valentine's Day!!! The DH and I are taking the grandkids to Chuck E. Cheese and we have presents for them. This Saturday we're going to the Sweetheart Banquet at the church. It's also OKRWA meeting day and that's always good.

Ah, life. What would we do without it? :-)
~pinkie

What a Difference a Day Makes

2008-02-04T16:08:00.000-06:00

A week ago this past Sunday, my dad fell and broke his hip. He's 81, so it's been a rollercoaster since then. We're fighting delirium (reactions to pain and sleep medications), kidney function deterioration (now seems to be reversing itself), low blood count (CT scan soon to determine cause), 'silent' heart attacks (2 so far), ultra painful restless legs syndrome spasms, and a plethora of other minor issues.

I'm writing from Texas, preparing to take the night shift with him tonight. Thankfully, he's much more himself now and we've found the right combination of medications to manage his pain.

On a positive note, I'm getting some work done on the WIP and other commitments I have. Praise God!

~pinkie

2008-01-29T14:47:00.001-06:00

Well, the boring times are over. My dad fell and broke his hip Sunday, and I'm going nuts here wanting to get to him. I had my quarterly CT scan yesterday, and I have my doctor appt and treatment tomorrow. Then I can leave town.

He had a partial hip replacement yesterday and seemed to tolerate the surgery very well. They got him up and sat him in a chair today. Mom said it was very slow and painful. Tomorrow they'll stand him up. Thursday, he'll move down to the physical therapy floor for about a week. Mom hopes he'll go home after that, but most likely he'll go into a rehab facility for a couple of weeks.

I'm checking out rehab facilities here and will try to get them to come live with me while dad recovers. Both will hate not getting to go home, but Darlene and I just can't keep traveling back and forth and Mom will need the help.

Scary stuff.

The wind is blowing like crazy today. It blew all our chairs into the pool, so Lane will have something to do when he gets home from work. I have lots to do to get ready to go, but it's hard not to just sit and worry. I'm pretty down in the dumps today.

I'd better go and get busy. Hopefully the time will go faster.

~pinkie

Pluggin' Along

2008-01-22T09:33:00.000-06:00

Things are pretty boring around here which is a really good thing. I've been ready for the slow-down since last Thanksgiving. Right now I'm working on editing my straight contemporary novel which is going slowly. I'm at a part that needs heavy rewriting (as in delete these pages and start over kind of heavy), but I think once I get past this, I should move at a pretty steady clip.

Brooklynn and Brady are coming to spend the night with us this Friday, and it's my Friday to have Alec, so he's probably going to want to spend the night too. I plan to call his step-mom later and see how she wants to work this.

I did my first early-bird writing class with my local chapter this past Saturday and it went really well I think. We're listening to workshops from past conferences and working through the boot camp book I love so well. Hopefully many of us will be able to stay motivated through the year and be able to finish our projects and polish them up to perfection. I do the same class with my online group, but I'm having trouble finding a way to do the workshop tapes. I'm investigating free online radio services right now. The HHRW webmistress set up a site where I can upload the workshops for people to listen to during the month, so I'll start uploading them tomorrow.

My other two major active projects right now are my scrapbook recipe books for the kids and judging the Golden Heart entries I received. Did I say it was boring right now - I obviously was still asleep when I wrote that! hehehe.

I'm drinking my coffee right now, but I'm about to go do my cardio for the day. I really *hate* exercising, but it's so darn good for you. Dadgumit! Lane says if I do it enough I'll get to where I like it. I'm not sure I can do it that much. I mean, I really, really hate it. It's boring even when I listen to music or watch TV. I still want to be doing a second task (I live to multi-task). Ah well, maybe I'll figure something out. In the meantime, I have to go do it. I promised myself I would. (Please don't make me!).

*sigh* Off I go. Talk to you later!
~pinkie

2008-01-17T17:19:00.000-06:00

I just had the nastiest sore throat I've had since my tonsils were taken out. The doctor gave me some new kill-all antibiotic, and it still took four full days to get over it. I'm still a bit too medicated to blog effectively, but I thought I'd check in and let you guys know I haven't disappeared. Call off the posse - I escaped. Don't pay the ransom.
hehehe
~pinkie

A Month Has Passed - WOW

2008-01-13T20:20:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last blog.

I got to see my oldest daughter for a few days which was awesome.

Christmas was great. I didn't get the recipe books (scrapbook style) all done, but I got close enough for the kids to see what they'll look like. It's been a really fun project with all the old photos and recipes. I hope to have them done in the next few weeks.

I got to take my oldest grandson to Texas to see my parents, and we had a great time. He likes to play board games, so we Sorry'd and Yahtzee'd until we were blue in the face. He and Dad got along great 'cause Dad does all the funny faces and silly stuff.

We didn't do much for New Year's - as I recall Lane and I went to bed around 9 on Dec 31. We're getting more boring by the minute, I think.

I got my 2008 goals done and made a spreadsheet graphing when I need to do what. So far it's working really well. I'm working on more edits for two manuscripts and hope to have them ready to submit by the end of March. After that, I'm going to start on the new paranormal historical I've been itching to write. Or I may work on edits for an existing historical and add a paranormal twist...

I'm program chair for my local writing chapter, and I'm doing earlybird programs each month. I'm really excited about those. I have some great workshop sessions from past conferences we'll listen to while we write and/or edit. I'll be putting those together with various writing exercises and Todd Stone's Novelist's Boot Camp (bless you, Todd!).

Made a flying trip back to Texas on Wednesday because my folks got sick, but all's fine now. I got back yesterday with some sort of cold myself. Throat is itchy and nose is running. Lungs are coughing - fun all around.

On the bright side, Medium has started its new season, and the first episode was fantastic. TV's looking pretty dicey in the next few months. I can't believe CBS is airing Dexter. They'll have to do some major cutting.

Then we also have this Carrie Edwards plagarism thing going on (for details see smartbitchestrashynovels.com) which is too bizarre for words. It also made CNN.com today. Who would have thought anyone would have caught her lifting descriptions from a non-fiction resource and a 1929 novel (even though it was a Pulitzer Prize winner)? And it happened in such a not-looking-for-it kind of way. Maybe I'm just not smart enough, but kudos to those who are. I would never have made that connection.

One thing about it, though. Even I'm smart enough to know you can't use another writer's words (including non-fiction) in your own work. Be creative. Come up with your own way of saying the same thing. Isn't that what creative writing is all about? Evidently, this gal's been doing this for years.

The dh and I are just about done with season 6 of 24, and it looks like we'll have to wait until the writers' strike is over to see the new season. *sigh*

So, what's been going on with the rest of you?

~pinkie

Electricity, Cable, and Internet - Oh My!

2007-12-11T21:46:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note to say our electricity, cable, phone, and internet are back up unlike a lot of folks here. I'll post more soon!
~pinkie

Forgetting to Worry

2007-12-07T10:53:00.001-06:00

I was in the dentist's office getting my teeth cleaned on Wednesday, and somehow the subject of my cancer came up to the dental hygenist's new assistant. I can't remember what she said that caused me to mention it, but as often happens, her expression turned tragic and fearful. I can't stand to upset anyone, so I found myself comforting her. This happens a lot. People are so afraid to realize someone they know has an incurable illness. I guess the knowledge is brought home to them in a very personal way.

Many people say, "But you're okay now, aren't you?" I always answer this question with a yes, and then explain that my disease isn't curable. People need to know that real, live people can be incurable yet still okay. I told her how God was taking care of me, and I'm doing my part by eating healthy and trying to exercise (I'm getting better but still can't say I'm doing good at that). I gave her my favorite motto: The opposite of faith is fear, so when I'm afraid, I work very hard to get back into faith.

Then I did something that, for me, was extraordinary. I asked her if she has a church home. I've been personally burdened to take up this fifth purpose for my life (see The Purpose Driven Life - if you don't have one, get one and actually read it!). I've always been timid and didn't know what to say, but now I have an easy script to follow, thanks to cancer. (Who'da thunk it?)

Both my husband and I feel strongly that the Holy Spirit is telling us that I have many more years to live. At first, He spoke to me and told me my prayers to write full time and enjoy all my hobbies and such were answered. I wasn't ready for the spiritual purpose yet, so He highlighted the selfish benefit first to ease me into His care and trust. My purpose is appearing to be much larger than my own personal evangelism, so I'd like everyone who reads this blog to pray that I will recognize my mission and execute it wisely. Pray for God to break down the barriers in my way.

I'll let you know when I get this purpose underway. Love you all!

~pinkie

Christmas Mania!!

2007-12-04T08:02:00.000-06:00

My former coworkers were telling me that my posts make them tired (hehehe), and this one's liable to be a doosey. They were over at the house last Friday for a holiday party, and we had a great time. (You guys are the best!!)

This week is crazy. I have a Christmas party at church tonight, choir tomorrow night, Alec on Thursday night, and the nutcracker suite with my MIL and SIL on Friday. Saturday night, we're hosting our Sunday School's Christmas party. I'm also having conflicting events now. Weekend after next, Laura will be here. My sister and her family are coming up on Saturday which is also the day of my OKRWA party. Laura and I were planning to go (she knows a lot of my writer friends) but I'm not sure how to fit that in yet or if to fit it in at all. I'm more excited about my sister and niece being in town. I'm thinking maybe we can slip in for a little while and visit, then go. Anyway, I'm sure things will work out.

I'd better get busy. If I don't, I might miss my nap! Hehehe!

~pinkie

Today is the day

2007-11-29T07:51:00.000-06:00

I've done all the damage I can do. Now it's time to send my entries into the Golden Heart. They moved the due date up a week to Dec 3 (curses!), so Lane is overnighting them for me this afternoon. It'll take most of the morning to get them printed. My laserjet is upstairs, so I'll definitely get my exercise today!

Next comes the Big House Cleaning and Christmas Tree Setup. The folks I used to work with are coming over tomorrow night and I'm terribly excited. I don't get to visit them nearly enough. I hardly ever see my old boss, Pat, because he's always galavanting around trying to keep the client happy or sell more stuff. I'm hoping another ex-SRC gal will join us. She's had a new baby, and I'm dying to see him!

Oh my gosh. The dogs and I heard a bird call outside (like a goose or something) and I let them outside. The bird call got louder and more distressed sounding, so I ran outside thinking the boys had caught themselves a goose. It was the guy across the back fence training his dogs for duck hunting. Here I was all set for a rescue operation. LOL! And my poor dogs must surely be disappointed. Oh well, it's probably the most exciting thing that'll happen to them all day.

Our guy is coming to put up the rest of our outside Christmas lights, and I'm supposed to know where I want each color. I don't. I should get out there and scope the bushes and make my decisions. After I go upstairs and start the print-a-thon (six copies of each partial and synopsis-about 55 pages per copy).

Love you dahlings!
~pinkie

How Was Everyone's Post Holiday Shopping?

2007-11-23T22:51:00.000-06:00

I went from not going at 8:59 pm Thursday to calling my MIL at 9:00 and deciding to go. It worked out well. Leaving my house a 3:40 am, we hit Kohl's opening at 4:00 and got most of what we went for. We made it to Sears before opening and got everything except the toys (which the Norman store does *not* carry).

Then we hit Radio Shack right before it's 6:00 opening. While in line I called FYE trying to get a line on a Wii (game system). No luck there, but we got most of what we went for.

All in all, I called it a successful flack friday for me and crawled back in bed by 7 and slept another 5 hours. Ahhhh. Love those holiday traditions. How did the rest of you do?

Now it's off to get the Christmas decorations out and get ready for party number one this Friday (You folks at SRC, I can't wait to see you!!!).

Oh, and I have 6 days to finished the two books for the Golden Heart. They moved the date up by a week. Argh!!

happy holidays all!
~pinky

Runnin' on Empty

2007-11-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

That used to be my fav song back in the day. It's by Jackson Browne. I was introduced to his work way back in the day by a crush at the skating rink (pre-driving age). I think of him every time I hear that song.

The books are going well, although I doubt they'll be completely polished by the time I have to send them off to the GH. As far as finalling, the first 50 pages are what count, and I have my critique posse going over them as we speak (I've always wanted a posse, haven't you?).

I'm totally in love with my heroine in the nocturne. She's such a good girl yet such a smartass at the same time. A woman after my own heart.

In the other ms, I've got to say the hero is my favorite.

Speaking of heroes, I'm thinking of taking Heroes off my DVR list. I could hardly get through Monday before last's episode. I'm not sure if I'm bored or just confused. The story seems fractured this year. Anyone else having troubles with it?

Alas, I should go get busy. I'm picking up the grandson today since Thursday is Thanksgiving.

Peace y'all,
~pinkie

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

2007-11-14T14:13:00.000-06:00

It is an irrefutable law of physics. My spending went up terribly in October/early Nov, and it must come down.

To that end, my credit card is now in the freezer because I charged more than I could pay off this month. In fact, it will reside in the freezer until mid-January (eek!). I'm also restricted to spending only on prescheduled events and gas.

And it's not just financial. I'm in one of my menopause induced sleep deprivation phases, so I've been spending a lot of time this week trying to keep my sleep caught up. Basically that means I haven't gotten nearly enough done this week. I didn't get enough done last week, so I've been spending the day catching up on personal and household tasks (double eek!).

AND, I have to work out. I have a two-day workout streak going, and I'm not going to break it!! In other words, this blog is over. Wish me luck!

~pinkie

Ten Things to Ponder for the Remainder of 2007

2007-11-09T13:38:00.000-06:00

A friend sent my these, and they were just too funny not to pass along. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

10. Life is sexually transmitted.

9. Good health is merely the slowest rate at which onecan die.

8. Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich...

7. Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day;teach a person to use the internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

6. Some people are like a slinky... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs.

5. Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital dying of nothing.

4. All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

3 . Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars, and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents???

2. In the 60's, people took LSD to make the worldweird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozacto make it normal.

1. AND THE NUMBER ONE THOUGHT FOR 2007: We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America,but we haven't a clue as to where thousands of Illegal immigrants and Terrorists are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration!

~pinkie

AAAAAAAaaaaaaa!! It won't stop!!!!

2007-11-06T08:18:00.000-06:00

But hey, I'm having fun.

Activities are stacking up for the coming weekends. The dh was asking if we want to make our annual shopping trip with friends to Dallas. Thanksgiving is November 22 (with shopping on the 23rd - yay!). I'm hosting a holiday party for my former work buddies on Friday the 30th (I'm soooo excited) and then we're hosting our Sunday School party on December 8th (again, sooooo excited). My daughter will be in town Dec 14-18 (triple the soooo excited) and the following weekend is the 22nd - right before Christmas. Holy month of excitement, Batman!

Guess we won't be making the weekend shopping trip - hehehe. I'll miss it, but something's got to give.

The dh and I got my TV stand up last night (actually it was more him than me) in my upstairs room. The TV swivels now so I can turn it toward whatever activity I'm involved in at the moment (of which there are many!).

Before Christmas, I have secret presents for the kids to get ready, my bff's baby quilt and a few other items, my MIL's quilt (we're in the quilting phase which is going slowly), and two mss that have to be ready to ship off to the Golden Heart by Dec. 7 or 8th.

I'm loving it!!

Oh, and did I tell you I'm taking up the flute again? It's only been a bit over 30 years since I've played. It's all coming back to me, though...

Off to get my hair done!

~pinkie

Eight-Legged TV

2007-11-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

I've really gotten into buying seasons of television shows on DVD. The dh and I have watched the first four seasons of 24 that way. I also have three seasons of Friends, and I recently bought the first season of the X-files (oh my gosh, I love it all over again). The first season of Medium is on its way. I had to buy that one to get my fix since they aren't starting the regular season until January. January!!

No more hoping for reruns shown at a time I can actually watch them. And speaking of that, is the DVR (or Teevo, if you prefer) not the greatest invention ever? I can hardly find time to watch TV in the evenings, but now I can fit it in during the day and on weekends. Are we spoiled or what?

While we're on the topic of great technological inventions, I need to grab my cell phone and head out to hunt for post-Halloween deals. Happy weekend!

~pinkie

Women's Murder Club

2007-10-31T17:09:00.000-05:00

Women's Murder Club is the best new show on TV. I love Angie Harmon and Paula Newsome. They're my favs, but all the gals are genuine and cleverly written.

Gillian Flynn of Entertainment Weekly sums it up nicely:

Neither self-serious nor campy, the new ABC police drama is just what I've been craving amid all the businesslike Law & Orders and CSIs. This pleasantly retro show harks back to when detective series were run on personality and playfulness: It's Josie and the Pussycats meets Columbo. Based on James Patterson's best-selling book series, WMC centers on workaholic San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer, played by Law & Order's Angie Harmon — who, it turns out, is the Charlize Theron of above-average TV.

Smart-alecky and surprisingly genuine despite her hot-tomboy looks, she anchors the show with ease — strutting through hospital corridors, snapping for coffee, chasing bad guys into ponds and handcuffing them underwater. Unlike TV's gorgeous, whiny single-woman archetype, Harmon is actually believable as a wary divorcée forced to work with her nice-guy ex, who's now her superior (Melrose Place's Rob Estes, nailing the act of looking bemused and/or befuddled). The native Texan lets her twang go unhampered, but the writers have resisted massaging in annoying ''Southernisms'': Lindsay has yet to messily chow down on barbecue, talk about ''how we do things back home,'' or even mention where she's from, which is a relief.
We only see Lindsay on the job.

She has a chagrined, wiser partner, Jacobi (Alias' Tyrees Allen), who has not actually said ''I'm too old for this s---,'' but is clearly thinking it. The two have a teasing, young gal/avuncular guy friendship that's unlikely to get more complicated — on WMC, men are expected only to react good-naturedly or exasperatedly to the women.

Harmon's fellow Murder Club members include neurotic assistant district attorney Jill (Laura Harris), who has commitment issues; sensible coroner Claire (Paula Newsome), whose husband is adjusting to life in a wheelchair; and spunky reporter Cindy (Aubrey Dollar), who's young and intrepid. The women combine forces to solve murders while talking about guys. It's more than girl power...it's BFF power! And just like a great Quincy, M.E. episode, the crimes are ultimately quite crackable: Some trace evidence here, a suspicious husband there, and — boom! — the suspect is soon coughing up an unwisely detailed confession, so the women can get back to girl talk and chocolate.

Occasionally, all that sugar-fueled banter can get a bit too Sex and the City Morgue. The women gather around a fresh body and joke about a corpse's bikini wax, and they obsess over one another's relationships: ''How did we go from the autopsy report to my sad sex life?'' Claire asks, and it's a worthy question now and then. Another query might be, When is the Kiss Me Not Killer, so ominously referenced in the first three episodes, going to actually show up? It's time. Everyone knows a good Murder Club needs strong, engaging women, lots of supportive sharing, several bottles of pinot grigio, and a really insane, unstoppable, gruesome serial killer.

See ya there on Friday nights!

~pinkie

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

2007-10-30T07:17:00.001-05:00

Spent a great weekend in Dallas visiting with my daughter and the rest of the family. We had a great time. Now, I get to knuckle down and work on my Golden Heart entries and get ready for the holidays.

I didn't realize it, but I never gave the results of my CT scan on this blog - it was good. Not a sign of any growth, so I guess the pains were yet another sign my twenties are long gone. Thank goodness.

I not very interesting this morning. Just finished Lane's breakfast and thinking about napping for an hour or so. Damn I love staying home. I can be lazy on occasion and still get a lot done. The dogs are definitely in favor of the idea. They'd like it if I stayed in bed with them all the time.

Okay, I've talked myself into it. See ya next time!
~pinkie

Cool Weather

2007-10-23T09:41:00.001-05:00

Well, I have good news and bad news - the good news is, cool weather is here. I love it! It really revs up my creativity, which is good since I'm polishing two manuscripts for golden heart contest.

The bad news is, my star carved pumpkin collapsed, and the butterfly one doesn't look too healthy. *sigh* I also tried the idea of carving the little (4") pumpkins and putting tea lights in them - the tops burned just a tad. They're really cute tho.

My month is so full, but it's all with good stuff. This Thursday I leave for our family gathering for my daughter's and my niece's birthdays. I cannot wait to see everyone!!!! I have dinner with friends tonight and critique tomorrow night. Then next week is Halloween - whew!

I'm so excited that it's Christmas time. I can't wait until time to decorate the house. I have so many exciting ideas. Yeah, only half will work out right, but I love trying!

Speaking of trying, it's time to get busy on editing the manuscripts - lots to do before the contest deadline!

~pinkie

Ah Grandkids....

2007-10-20T18:31:00.000-05:00

The dh and I took our oldest grandson to the aquarium this past Thursday and spent the night in the RV at the lake, and we had such a great time. Kids are so fun. I'm convinced our time with them adds years to our lives. I always knew I'd love being Nana, but it has exceeded my wildest expectations.

Wednesday was my 9th anniversary. I can't believe it's been that long already. My life has surely changed in that time. There hasn't been a single part untouched - spiritual, physical, emotional, professional. It's been a beautiful 9 years.

This next weekend I'm off to Big D to celebrate my daughter's 26th birthday. My sister and I are flying her in for hers and her cousin's birthdays (the cousin's was 3 months ago). They're very close and have been missing each other a lot since they live so far apart. My parents and my aunt will be there - yay! The kids used to go spend a couple weeks every summer with my aunt, and they have so many fond memories. Next spring we're going to try to plan an extended family trip to Branson. Silver Dollar City is right up my dad's alley.

My local scrapbooking store had a 'garage' sale today. People from the area package their unused scrapbooking materials and tools and sell them cheap. I got a ton of stuff for not much money. That's how I like to shop, baby!

I'd better run. I have at least two manuscripts to get ready for the big Golden Heart contest coming up. I'd like to get three revised in time, but we'll see. I learned another big thing this year so maybe this is the year. I'm really ready to run out of big things that prevent sale to learn about. Surely I'll have them all down eventually, right? I mean, I've been so close for so long. *sigh* I keep telling myself this will make me that much more successful in the long run.

Speaking of great books - I'm currently reading P. C. Cast's Goddess of the Rose. IT IS AWESOME. I want to live in the Realm of the Rose. I'm ashamed to say this is the first of hers that I've read, but it will not be the last. She has a way with fantasy that I haven't seen in a long time. I almost couldn't put it down to go to bed last night, and I'm only on page 159. That's unusual for me to get that hooked that early.

Talk to you all again soon!
~pinkie

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

2007-10-16T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here are the pumpkins on my front porch!

~pinkie

The New Vacation Home in Ft. Worth

2007-10-16T07:12:00.001-05:00

I'm thinking of buying this deluxe spider web near Ft. Worth for a vacation home...whadda ya think?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/zoom/html/2003861684.html

Blogger wouldn't let me upload the picture due to some kind of technical error, but here's the link. The web is in Lake Tawakoni State Park. According to reports a 200-yard stretch along a nature trail has been blanketed by a sprawling spider web that has engulfed seven large trees, dozens of bushes and the weedy ground.

I guess I won't gripe about all the webs in my yard anymore!

I got my 3 big pumpkins carved last night thanks to a handy dandy battery operated pumpkin carver from Hobby Lobby (9.99 on sale 1/2 price!). I forgot to take a picture of my front porch last night, but I'll do it tonight and post the picture. I got the idea from a Southern Living Magazine to use cookie cutters as templates, so I have one with stars, one with butterflies and flowers and one with a traditional face. I also have some mini pumpkins to make mini jackolanterns with (also from Southern Living I think). I take so many magazines, I feel the Hearsts should write me into their will.

Making good progress on two novels currently. The paranormal is in early revison, and I've rewritten the opening to a straight contemporary I wrote a couple of years ago and polishing the rest. I'll have to write a new ending too. It's amazing what you can do by dedicating 2 hours per day. I'm hoping to have them done for the Golden Heart. (I can't believe I'm entering that #@!! contest again!) Ah well...

I get the test results from last week's CT scan tomorrow afternoon. I think I mentioned this previously. They're looking for the cause of the pain I've been having. I've felt really good the last two days - yay! And I'm starting out good today. Gotta run, though - lots to do!

Everyone have a blessed day - love ya!!
~pinkie

Too Funny Not to Share

2007-10-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

These kinds of jokes get me everytime. You'd think I'd learn:

The Bathtub Test

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director how do
you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a
teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to
empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the
bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you
want a bed near the window?"

Enjoy the weekend everyone!!

~pinkie

Arachniphobia 2 in my backyard

2007-10-09T18:36:00.001-05:00

Oh my gosh, have you ever seen so many spiders? The fence around our pool is covered with webs. I mean, there is no space that doesn't have spider silk stretched across it. The dh is out there with a broom sweeping them all away.

I know, I'm a spyder, but it creeps me out. I keep expecting the big mama spider to be hulking in a nearby barn guarding her nuclear egg sac. She might try to take over my blog!!

Hehehe - all this paranoia probably is because the dh and I are watching season 4 of 24. What a great show. In fact, we're so absorbed by it that my spoiled little dog is demanding attention. He's such a cutie, I think I'll pet him for a while.

~pinkie

The Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

2007-10-08T07:25:00.000-05:00

Hi all. I know. I've been bad, bad, bad for not writing on the blog, but I have been writing.

To catch you all up, the scary paranormal didn't fly. In fact, it kind of clunked pathetically to the ground, rolled over twice, then gasped its last breath. Not sure how to fix that one. I got to discover another major lesson to learn. *sigh* Writing books is hard!

SO, I took what I learned and came up with a new one for Harlequin's new paranormal line. They're smaller books, so I thought perhaps that would help me control my conflict and relationship arc better. I finished the rough draft last week and will start revisions soon. I'm really pleased with what I have so far, and I actually caught myself almost making the same mistake in the relationship arc that I made earlier, so I did learn.

This is the fastest I've ever completed a rough draft - five weeks. It's about 2/3 of what the finished length will be. I think I've finally found my writing groove thanks to my buddies Sheila and Gena. They were discussing how they write, and parts of their method worked really well for me.

I expect to have it done and off to whoever I can get to look at it by the end of this month. I guess I'll enter the damned Golden Heart again this year. I can't wait to not be eligible for it anymore (which will mean I've sold!!).

Well, I'd better get to work. So far, I'm not having any trouble staying busy at home. I love it, love it, love it! Thanks for hanging with me, my friends!

~pinkie

House selling woes

2007-08-27T10:17:00.000-05:00

Well, Lane and I haven't had much luck selling the old house yet. It's a good thing we're not quite desperate! Lane stopped by there on Saturday and noticed water on the kitchen floor. The little freezer we'd left there badly in need of defrosting had defrosted. Which led him to figure out the electricity was off. He called me to bring clean up supplies and to call the electric company.

I went over there and gathered up the few things we'd left in the freezer and took them out to the dumpster next to the AC unit. The unit looked really funny. When I walked up to it, it looked like it had been demolished. There was still something more not right that I couldn't put my finger on. Then Lane came back by and figured out that the compressor had been stolen. Our electricity was off because the main disconnect had been switched off and then someone had cut the tubing and all, mangled the housing, and stolen the compressor.

Grrrr.

There seems to be a rash of such things going on because we heard at church that another congregation had had 7 compressors stolen that week. A pox on these people! A pox, I say!

Other than that, things are going good for us. Our college kids are back in school and we're really broke after all the tuition and books, etc. I've started exercising in earnest, and I'm already seeing an improvement. Unfortunately, the "change of life" symptoms are on the rise lately, so I'm not sleeping, I'm hot as hell, and grumpy to boot. *sigh* This too shall pass......

I'm traveling to Dallas to spend the night with Darlene on Thursday and then we're flying to Odessa on Friday for the holiday weekend. Yay! So, I'd better get busy and get all my stuff done so I'll be ready to take off.
donnell

Clay Schmay!!

2007-07-08T00:48:00.000-05:00

In contrast to this post's title, I now have a profound respect for Oklahoma red clay. The two acres of red clay that I now own, specifically.

Having moved into my new house and spent the last month-plus digging two years' worth of grass out of my extensive flowerbeds.....having witnessed my sweetheart Golden Retriever trotting up from the back forty positively covered in mud from head to toe with his happiest doggie grin plastered on his muddy face......having tossed one pair of shoes and scrubbed the daylights out of several others.......having mopped my floors and spot-cleaned my carpets (which are thankfully few) a gajillion times.....

Well, you get the picture. It's been a busy few weeks. At least I got a great tan from all that weeding, right?

I'm in dutch with the family for not posting on the family blog for so long, so I caught that one up before starting back on this one. Gotta have the fam, ya know. It's a love thang and all.

Speaking of family, the daughter and her dh (in my opinion, his 'd' always stands for darling) are happily settled in Indiana to begin pursuit of her phD. Technically, we'll have a doctor in the house now! Just don't ask her any complicated medical questions. My son is living his dream for the summer and traveling around the country with a drum corps (a marching band of sorts) called the Blue Stars. He's wanted to do that since he was fifteen, so kudos to you, son! They'll be in Broken Arrow the end of July, and I can't wait to see the show.

We kept the two littlest grandkids overnight last night and had a ball. The 7-month-old was pretty good despite his reputation to the contrary. I think he's just lulling us into a false sense of security. Let me tell you, that one is a busy boy. At 6 months he decided it was time to crawl, sit up, and pull up. If he could balance, he'd love to walk. He's got things to see and do. He loves the water and has thoroughly splashed and giggled his way into his Nana's heart. I'll post pics as soon as I get my head out of my you-know-where and get the camera out while he's here. The granddaughter was her usual funny, sweet self. We got her a battery powered ride-on 4 wheeler, and she zooms around like she's been driving for years.

Ah, life is good.....red clay not withstanding. Just wait 'til I get my compost and manure out! Then we'll see how tough it is!

~pinkie

Proud Mom!

2007-05-24T21:06:00.001-05:00

Went to Boston this past weekend to see my daughter get her master's from Boston U. Woo hoo! Will post pics when I get them from her. Dumb me forgot my camera. Off to Texas this weekend to see my mom and dad, so I'll try to get more regular about posting when I get back and things settle down.

Btw, I'm reading my first Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel - ohmigosh!! It is so good. It's called Ain't She Sweet. I can see why she's so popular!!

~pinkie

I'm an Honorary Aunt!!!

2007-05-10T11:54:00.000-05:00

My best friend had her baby yesterday - a pretty harrowing experience ending in a c-section. Mom and baby are doing fine, but Aunt Pinkie is way behind. I want to stay with mom and baby when they get released from the hospital, so I have to get my old house ready to sell and the new house much more unpacked. Gotta run but I wanted to take a minute and crow. The new little boy with no name yet weighs 7 lbs 15.5 oz (after peeing 1/2 oz on the nurses who weighed him) and is 20 inches long. I'm not exaggerating when I say he's one of the prettiest newborns I've ever seen. Amazing! Name to follow after mom recovers a bit longer...

Love,
~pinkie

Sittin' and Tryin' to Keep Busy

2007-05-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

I’m sitting here in my new house with a lawn chair and my little tablemate. We’re getting the carpets cleaned, the toilets adjusted, cable-phone-internet connected, and new furniture delivered. Periodically I can connect to the internet via a neighbor’s network. I’d forgotten how much work there is to moving!

The movers come on Saturday morning, and I have probably 75-80% of my house packed. I have tables, desks, and beds to clean off. Furniture to label so it doesn’t get moved. Stuff in the storage shed and the grandkids’ room to pack. Excuse me while my eyes roll back in my head.

Okay, I’m better now.

The pool turned out to be in pretty bad shape, so the dh has been spending most of his evenings cleaning and adjusting and adding chemicals before the surface self-destructs from killer mutant algae. Saturday he gets to dive in and scrape some spots. He asked me if I could handle the movers. I said you betcha – anything rather than dive in a semi-heated pool (we have heater parts to buy too) in less than 100 degree weather.

Last night we brought the grandkids here so we could check on the pool and adjust the settings. We ate KFC (after borrowing plastic forks from the neighbor since KFC didn’t bother to give us any…) on the back porch, and food never tasted so good! Unfortunately we’ve also heard coyotes howling in the distance, so we’re worried about the dogs going out at night (the little one MUST go out every night not to pee but to do his tough dog run around the fenceline). We need to keep them out of the abundance of red mud too, so it looks like we’re going to install a dog fence around part of the sodded area. Kaching goes the money machine!!

I should have brought a cot to take a nap on. The carpets are all wet now…

I’m also hungry.

What else can I whine about? Hmmm.

Oh yeah, they disconnected my phone at the old address first thing this morning so that when you call my number, it’s says it’s not a working number. Cox is working on that now. I just want it on until the new address is hooked up so people can leave voice mails if they wish. Not that I’m good about checking them or anything…

Well that’s enough griping for now. Monday I’ll be all happy and moved in, so I’ll post a glowing report then!

Love ya all!
~pinkie

The View and the Corner Jacuzzi Tub

2007-04-27T21:32:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of the view from the back porch and my huge new bathroom featuring a walk-in shower and big corner jacuzzi tub. Oh, how I've lusted for that tub. That's my favorite part!!!

~pinkie

More house pics!

2007-04-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, I couldn't wait to post more...

The two pictures of the upstairs room are the bonus room which will be my sewing room/office. The darker picture of the windows are the master bedroom. The pool, of course, is self-explanatory. The last picture is another view of the living room, breakfast nook, and kitchen bar. The previous owner had all kinds of murals painted in the house. This is one that we're keeping...
~pinkie

We have closed on the house!!!

2007-04-27T21:20:00.000-05:00

This is what my entryway looks like...

This is the dining area just to the left of the entryway (right if you're entering the house)

This is the living room

This is the breakfast nook...

This is the kitchen...

More pics later!

~pinkie

A New Web!!

2007-04-11T08:23:00.000-05:00

Well I'll be darned, they didn't take our exact offer, but we negotiated pretty close to it. Once we close in 2-3 weeks, the dh and I will be moving to our new house. I don't want to post the address in a public forum, so feel free to email me or ask next time you see me. We did a final walk through last night just to be sure and then signed the paperwork. I forgot to take the camera, so no pics yet, but soon. My best friend and her husband came by to see it along with my mother in law, and that was really nice. The house next door is for sale, and I want them to buy it!! hehehe (no pressure here...)

Ugh! Now I have to get this one ready to sell...

Let's not think about that right now. You'd rather hear about the house, right? It's 4350 sf and sits on about 2 acres. The lot is long and narrow, and most of the acreage is in the back. The house sits on a hill so the rear property slopes down quite a bit. On the left side of the yard, the slope is pretty steep. The grandson loves that! And, of course, the granddaughter had to run down the hill too - with Nana (me) holding her hand. Nana got some exercise!! Alec climbed back up the hill, but Nana and Brooklyn went around the less steep side. The rear of the lot is not developed at all, but it has been kept cut back. I have plenty of yard work for the next however many years, which alternately thrills and terrifies me (mostly thrills if I'm honest).

There is a pool in back with a slide - that's Brooklyn's favorite feature. Brady (who is 4 months old Friday) gave his drool of approval and then promptly got cranky and made Grandma (my MIL) take him home and tend to his every need - hehehe. He's a ring-tailed tooter, but he's also adorable so it's okay!

Which reminds me, we also went to Alec's baseball game last night, and the boys gave the other team a real run for their money. They played really well. Way to go, Alec!!

Back to the house...when you walk in, the formal dining area is immediately to your right and straight ahead is the living area with big windows to see the great view of the countryside. There are covered outlets in the floor for table lamps - is that not cool?

If you turn left, a hallway leads to the study (it's gorgeous!) and the spare bedroom which has its own full bath. Beyond that is the master bedroom with 4 floor to ceiling windows with the great view and a door to the pool area.

The master bath is HUGE with an even HUGER closet (yippee!). It has a big corner tub, two vanities and a walk in shower that looks like a spa. The closet is set up as a his and hers with tons of shoe space in the divider. No more folding 1/2 my clothes into drawers - yay! Not sure what I'll do with all my drawer space, but it won't take me long to figure out. hehehe

If you turn right as you come in the front, a hallway takes you to a huge closet where our new surveillance system resides. That's right, surveilance system. There are cameras in every room of the house and around the grounds. Cool but a little creepy...

Beyond that are two bedrooms with a Jack & Jill bathroom where each has its own vanity but they share a tub and toilet (or maybe each has its own toilet - I don't remember for sure). One of the closets back there is a safe room - concrete, steel doors, three deadbolts, the works! I take it these people were a wee bit paranoid. Of course the saferoom can double as a tornado shelter, but Lane and I plan on putting in an underground shelter.

Our youngest daughter will take those two rooms for her apartment area. Across from that is the upstairs bonus room (also with fab windows and view) which will be a combination sewing/exercise room. The previous owners put an OSU emblem really big on the wall. Our realtor joked about painting over it, but Lane said he'd have to sand it off so it'd really be gone - hehehe!

In the middle by the living room is a great kitchen. It's not terribly big, but it has every amenity you can imagine - slide out shelves, a vertical cabinet for cookie sheets etc., a fold out butcher block cutting board, corian countertops and sink, an island with a sink, a slide out for your trash cans...it has 2 ovens, one regular and one convection, so I'll have to learn to cook with the convection. Beyond the kitchen toward the garage is a nice sized utility room to the right and a pretty powder bath to the left. The garage holds four cars and the driveway is big enough for the fourth infantry to park there. There is also a circle drive in front. Lots of parking for our monthly family nights!!

All the detailing in the house is gorgeous. Unfortunately we will have to do some painting. The three spare bedrooms are garishly painted, and the house is full of flowery murals - I mean whole wall flowery murals. Emphasis on the flowery. Yep, those have got to go. We'll keep some of the accent painting around the corners and the palm tree and beach scene in the master bath, but that's it. We're plain folk.

This will also necessitate new furniture right away for the study and dining area and then later for the living room. Our bedroom furniture will fit just fine and is new so thank goodness for that. I also want to get a couple of big rugs for the hardwood floors in the living room and dining area. That'll be enough shopping for me for a while! I have plants to plant in the yard!!! hehehe.

Well, I've really got to get to work now (I'm trying to treat my writing like a business with regular hours). Thanks for letting me share my excitement with you!!

~pinkie

Getting Closer Step by Step

2007-04-09T06:51:00.000-05:00

We put an offer on the house I call the mansion. They probably won't take it because we offered them $45K less than their reduced price. What we offered was fair according to today's market, but unfortunately these people paid top dollar for it in 2005. Maybe a bit more than top dollar. They aren't likely to get their money back from it. One thing about it, though - if they take the offer, we'll know it was meant to be. We have another house we'll offer on if (when) this one gets rejected. The second house is almost as nice and quite a bit cheaper. We'll have to put in a fence and a pool.

Easter was fun. Brooklyn had a great time hunting the same eggs over and over again at each house she visited. She and Brady looked so sweet in their Easter outfits. Brady's had a cap like the golfers used to wear. When I get the pictures, I'll post them here.

I can't believe it was so cold!! My mom and dad in west Texas got measureable snowfall. I hope all my plants survived. Later today, I'll go check them out. Today is my dad's birthday (Happy birthday, Dad!!!)

I found out Friday my disability from the company got denied. I'm supposed to hear from my case manager today to see what I can do from here. It'll be another couple of months before I find out about the social security.

Today I go to the dentist and get my lateral teeth bonded and get 2 back teeth bonded to close up the last spaces. The Zometa I take for my bones made my jaw bone to hard to let the molars move any more. It's so great to have the braces off!!!!! Eating is a whole new experience. Funny, but it's also easier to sing too.

We're leaving for San Francisco Friday, so I have a lot to do to get ready. I also have to finish the book fast, so I'll be working hard on that. Gotta see if I can generate some income from this dream!!!

Love you all,
~pinkie

Here We Go Again!

2007-04-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

Working on getting my routine in order again. I've spent the last two weeks sewing like mad for a friend (and you're worth it, chickie!!), but I'm back on track today. The late morning nap I started a couple of weeks ago is working well for me. I've been sleeping pretty well lately. Praise God!!

I think my yard's had enough water for the whole month of April, don't you? I can't wait to get out there and see what's come up in the last week. Hopefully the mud will be dried up enough to get out and look.

Well, I'm kinda boring today, so I'd better go write. Love you all!

~pinkie

Ahhhhh, Fresh Air

2007-03-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

The dh and I got some cobwebs cleared out of the relationship yesterday, and it feels mighty good. The original diagnosis of cancer and the ensuing trials and tribulations changed a lot of the dynamics without telling us, and we're just starting to get a handle on how much. Old fears and insecurities from my past decided to make an appearance (just to baffle the crap out of both of us - for fun, you know - ack!) with the new fears and insecurities. In other words, from time to time, I'm an emotional wreck. I suppose it's inevitable. I was able to tell him things I hadn't fully realized I was feeling, and he was able to reassure me that I couldn't have stopped any of them no matter what I'd done. And also that the chrystal ball in my head is only an illusion. I have no way of reading another person's mind or the future.

But, today..........the air feels fresh and clean and life is good. I'm able to tell myself that I'm a normally flawed wife just like all the other normal wives. I'm a normally flawed mother just like all the other normal mothers. I'm not responsible for anyone else's happiness or lack thereof. All I can do is be the best I can, be as kind as I know how, apologize when I mistreat someone, and love all people to the utmost of my ability. Even enemies, which is an uphill battle - on my knees no less.

Our Sunday school lessons at church have been centered on embracing the love and grace of Jesus and have been very beneficial.

Well, it's off to sew the rest of the stuff for Sheila's bedding. The shower is Saturday, and I'm just about done. Love you all!

~pinkie

Alfred Hitchcock Must Have Been From Oklahoma

2007-03-21T20:29:00.000-05:00

There must be a million grackles hanging out on the overhead lines and in the trees around Walgreen's. I'm serious. They're lined up at least a quarter mile. And squaking - oh my lord! At least 90 decibels worth. It's like walking onto the movie set of The Birds. I never truly appreciated the finer points of migration until I moved to Oklahoma!

I'll never forget the first time I saw a migrating flock. These were smaller birds, but they filled the sky. I nearly had a wreck, I was so fascinated watching them. I'd rather they didn't poop on my car, of course, but I really do enjoy this time of year. One exception - grackles I could do without altogether.

Ah, spring...

Have I gotten all my bulbs in the ground you ask? Well (shuffling feet) not yet. I have close to 100 to go. Some are starting to come up - how exciting is that?

I love Oklahoma (because it rains here)! Nothing like living in the desert to make you appreciate all the little things like rain and birds and the great friends I've made here. Love you all!!

~pinkie

Sleep, Sleep! Wherefore Art Thou, Sleep

2007-03-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I'm feeling just about that melodramatic. For someone who's always slept like a stone, this is driving me bonkers. I do all right the first part of the week, and along about Wednesday, I can hardly get a wink except between 5 and 10 am. Obviously my previous plan is kaput. As you can see above, Max has no trouble gettin' the Z's at all.

So...I'm going to try going to bed at 9:30 or 10, getting up at 6:30, and taking a short late morning nap. Without the naps, if I do this, the Wednesday routine changes to sleeping between 5am and 3pm - not good for a gal that has lots to do.

I'm making real progress on the book - yay! And on the quilt - yay! with reservations. The reservations are because I'm a really terrible machine quilter so far (but getting better) and I'll have a LOT of things to fix on the quilt when I'm done. I think the backing and the front will be straight, but that's about all I'm hoping for. I have a lot of trouble seeing the lines I mark on the fabric (too bad I can't use my trusty Sharpie on anything but the tear away/rinse away paper). Even with my glasses and a magnifying glass! *sigh* It also doesn't help when you come close to a seam allowance and the machine won't glide smoothly over it...I'll have to plan for that better next time.

My sister, who is the guru of quilt making (darn her!) is probably smiling indulgently at me right now and shaking her head. The good thing is, she'll let me in on a much easier way to do it. She never lets me suffer for long! Speaking of my sister, I had planned to go to visit her and my mom this last weekend for a quilt show, but then my writing chapter scheduled that day to bring an agent and an editor in. I didn't want to miss the chance of making the contact, and then the dumb weather dumped a bunch of snow on the NY airport before the two could get out of town. Oh, man! I know, I know, there will be other quilt shows and other schmoozing opportunities, but to miss one of each on the same weekend!!

Okay I'm sighing way to much. Sorry to be a downer. I'm really in a happy mood today. Got some more bulbs put out over the weekend, and I'm heading outside after this post to get some more in before the rain starts. We're supposed to get rain all week - yippee! Oh! I was going to show you a picture of my little Jane Magnolia blooming for the first time...okay, it's up at the top of the page now. I haven't figured out how to make the picture stay by its text yet...My genius daughter will let me in on that trick, I'm sure (thanks!)

Well, as much as I love to sit and chat with you guys, I've got to get out in the yard before the rain starts. Love you all bunches!!

~pinkie

Principals of Medication 101

2007-03-16T14:08:00.000-05:00

Lesson One:

Even if you are taking an anti-depressant for hot flashes rather than the medication's intended use, it will still mess you up to stop taking it cold turkey.

Holy Effexor, Batman!

My hot flashes have tapered off significantly, so on Monday I took my last Effexor and didn't refill the prescription. Early yesterday afternoon, I called my husband to tell him I felt bad and might not be much help with the grandkids that night (supposedly from not sleeping well on Wednesday which is becoming a regular occurrence at our house) and proceeded to bawl and boo hoo all over him. He's about to panic and asks me what's happened. Of course, I tearfully reply, "Nothiiiiiinnnng." A couple of hours later I call my best friend, Sheila, and repeat the process only she has to listen to me cry for about thirty minutes while the dh got the five minute treatment. That's what best friends are for, right? And why the d in dh doesn't stay at darling all the time.

I also got the I'm-starving-no-I'm-too-sick-to-eat treatment. All while my grandson wants me to get my sorry sick booty off the couch and help him with his floor puzzles and figure out why his video game isn't working and steam him some broccoli (yes, he adores the stuff) and etc. and etc.

This morning I awaken much worse. My brain is a total fog and I'm having these weird electrical symptoms - that's the only way I can think of to describe them. Every so often, when I blink my eyes, it sounds and feels like those old-fashioned camera bulbs going off - remember those? I proceeded immediately to the phone, called in my refill, and have now taken a dose. From now on, I'll do what I should have done in the first place and taper off S-L-O-W-L-Y.

~pinkie, shaking her head and heading off to have a nice bowl of Southwest Tomato soup since she's no longer nauseated

Fabulous Salmon Salad

2007-03-14T20:37:00.000-05:00

Found a recipe today that is super delicious (actually I found it a long time ago but just now tried it today - hehehe).

Old Fashioned Salmon Salad:

While grilling 2-4 portions of salmon with salt and pepper,

In a blender combine:

1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup cherry preserves (I used no sugar added cherry pie filling)
2 T cider vinegar
2 tsp mustard (sounds weird but really yummy)

Set aside.

Dice:
1 pear
1 avocado
4 green onions

and mix with 1 c. chopped almonds (use honey glazed or raw - I used raw)

Layer a few baby spinach leaves (1/4 to 1/2 cup) on each plate, add your diced mixture, top with salmon and drizzle with cherry dressing. Serve with heated flour tortillas (heat them up with a bit of italian cheese to add dairy to this nutrient packed meal).

I absolutely stuffed myself. Happy eating everyone!
~pinkie

Lovin' the Rain!!

2007-03-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

My backyard is partially flooded, and I'm loving it! Maybe everyone's allergies will settle down at last now. The dh has been horribly sick with them for three weeks or so, and we're both sick and tired of him being sick and tired!

The rain also means I'm stuck in the house writing instead of working in the yard, and I need that. Two more of my chapter buddies have gotten agents, and it makes me lust all the more for my turn. Gotta get the book done, though, and I'm soooooo close.

Off to work - I'll post more later in the week!

~pinkie

New Bulb Count

2007-03-09T10:48:00.000-06:00

That's 61 hostas and 66 caladiums. Yikes! And yes, I have **huge** flowerbeds, mostly shade. I'll post pics when everything starts coming up. Bye now!

~pinkie

Dogs are a many splendored thing

2007-03-08T20:49:00.000-06:00

My dogs are too funny. I was out working on the yard today. I'm planting bulbs, and I put some bone meal down as I went. My smaller dog (the one I posted the picture of with the popcorn bag stuck to his head) thinks I'm holding out on him now. He smells bone, and he wants it. When the other dog goes anywhere near where the bulbs are planted, Sam gets after him. WE don't want Max getting to the imaginary bone before he does. No sir!

The whole time I'm working out there, Sam's whining and barking at me wanting to know where I've hidden the bones. Then later, I come in, and the big dog, Max, starts licking the bone meal dust off my shoes.

Haaaa, that was a good laugh. Just so you'll know how many bulbs we're talking about, last fall I bought 40 grape hyacinths, 30 of some little white flower I forgot the name of, 40 red tulips, 60 crocuses, and 12 ferns. I never put them out, but I left them on the table outside and now they're sprouting. Now on to the spring bulbs. I have purchased 12 calla lilies to go with my one lonely one I've had for several years, 40 or so hostas, 40 or so caladiums, 4 arabian night dahlias (gorgeous), 12 astilbe, and that's all I can remember at the moment. Lord have mercy. I'm having a ball. Can't wait to see my yard in another few weeks.

Oh, and the grandkids and I started 24 each of trailing petunia, delphinium, and lavender in seed pods last week. The first seedlings poked their heads up today. I also got morning glory seeds to climb up the bare trellises in the dog's part of the yard. They dig up whatever potted stuff I put out, so I'm just going to scatter the seeds. The good thing about morning glories is you can't get rid of them if you try.

As you might suspect, I'm exhausted. Going to bed now. Happily. Very happy indeed. May the sun shine brightly in your world too!

~pinkie

New Web Coming in Sight

2007-03-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

It looks like Mr and Mrs Pinkie will probably be changing webs soon. Mr. Pinkie has been scouring the internet and we've looked at a couple. I swore I'd never move again, but I must admit, he's won me over to his side. We looked at one yesterday, and ooo-la-la people...it was fabulous.

I went to Sheila's on Friday night to help them solidify their plans for the baby nursery, and it is going to be amazing. She doing it in knights, castles, wizards, and dragons. Her dh is going to make turrets to stand at each corner of the baby bed and a crenallated (the sawtooth pattern at the top of castle walls) shelf to go around three walls about a foot from the ceiling. A friend is going to paint a mural on the non-shelved wall, and we just learned another friend's daughter is mucho talented and can help too. Can't wait to get it done. My next step is to show up ready to paint next Saturday.

Which means, I need to get a lot of writing done this week, so here I go. Love you all!

~pinkie

Beware the Pink Spyder's Web

Fires licking at my heels...

Everything's a Trade-Off

Throw Your Arms High in the Air..........

Sunshine and Peppermints, NaNo Day Three

NaNo Boo Boo

NaNo - And Everything Else - My Way

NANO, Chemo, and Clinging to Our Dreams

Let There Be Peace

There's a Scale in My Hotel Room Bathroom

Writing and Dieting

The Ultimate Love Scene

Rasen Frasen....

Man with Spears Tattoo Steals Earring-Wearing Dog

Getting Back on Track

In the Summertime, dee-dee-dee-deet-dee

Week of Good Times

Factoid Friday

Thoughts on Thursday

Mother's Day

Spyder's Got the Blues

What happens in Vegas...

Taking the Good with the Bad

My Friend is a Hit!!

Dreamin' in Dallas

Important Prayer Request

Sunsets and Sanity

Just finished reading PRIDE by Rachel Vincent

Strange Days

It's Here!!

Happy Monday All!

Great day today

Laughter for the Weekend

Hi, I'm Pinkie, and I'm a Facebook Addict

Purple Funk

Forgot this part...

Is it really the end of January already?

Oh my gosh, I miss my life!!

Tuesday's trip to Niagara Falls

Port Huron and Through Canada

More pictures from Monday night

Monday night's post

A Phrase I Never Thought I'd Hear

Home again, Home again, jiggety jig

Affair of the Heart

Recall Alerts of the Rich and Flameous

Twice in One Month!!

Sick-O-Rama

Ramblings

Surfacing from my travels

If at first you don't succeed...

From the Deepest Web

Back in Texas

Happy days!

Bits and Pieces

The Continued Perils of Pinkie

What a Difference a Day Makes

Pluggin' Along

A Month Has Passed - WOW

Electricity, Cable, and Internet - Oh My!

Forgetting to Worry

Christmas Mania!!

Today is *the* day

How Was Everyone's Post Holiday Shopping?

Runnin' on Empty

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Ten Things to Ponder for the Remainder of 2007

AAAAAAAaaaaaaa!! It won't stop!!!!

Eight-Legged TV

Women's Murder Club

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig

Cool Weather

Ah Grandkids....

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

The New Vacation Home in Ft. Worth

Too Funny Not to Share

Arachniphobia 2 in my backyard

The Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

House selling woes

Clay Schmay!!

Today is the day