Best Mom Ever

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Isn't that a sweet LOLcat? Of course it also says something about how kids (whether human or fur-covered) think. In their minds, the "best" mom in the world is the one giving them what they want whether it's "nom" or permission to watch television or a million other things.

Kids don't seem to understand that the best mom is one who sets boundaries. That there is actually some wisdom to my not letting a seven year old kidlet play in the front yard without someone older than her out there, too. That ketchup and french fries aren't the number one vegetable choice. And that staring at the television screen for extended periods of time just isn't healthy, especially on a sunny, beautiful day!

That means I'll never be up for "best" mom, but the kidlets sure do think I'm a top ten contender for "meanest" mom in the world. If I had a nickel for every time I was called "mean" I could have afforded a new car instead of a used one! But if being "mean" is what's best for my three, then I'll wear the title proudly.

I Write Like...

My friend, Mary, posted a link to a website that tells you who you write like. You simply paste some of your writing into a box and hit a button.

Here's who I came up with depending on what I put in (never the same author!)

1. Anne Rice (current WIP)
2. Dan Brown (more of WIP)
3. Stephanie Meyer (Expecting Royal Twins)
4. H.P. Lovecraft (Christmas Magic on the Mountain)
5. Margaret Atwood (Wedding Date with the Millionaire)

I write like
Margaret Atwood

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Your writing doesn't have to be from a book. Give it a try and let me know who you write like!

Car Trouble

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My minivan didn't end up in a ditch off the side of the road, but it is in the garage. Unfortunately, the cost of repairs are too much when compared to the value of the car. We bought it new in July 2002. It now has 177K miles on it. Hmmm...maybe we did drive it into the ground!

I spent much of yesterday looking at cars. I've only owned new cars so I started there. I narrowed it down to two models: 2010 Chevy Traverse and the 2011 Sienna. I love things about each. The price tags are similar, but when push comes to shove I think I have too much of Dave Ramsey's influence. I cannot spend that much money on a new car no matter how much I like it. Okay, maybe if I won the lottery.

So...I'll be checking out used cars. Much cheaper new cars because again I think Dave Ramsey is right about car payments. Not sure we can find something that inexpensive that we can afford outright, but we need something that won't kill our budget. We really have taken to heart the Total Money Makeover. We only use our credit card (note singular!) to check into hotels or secure rental cars. At checkout, we switch to a debit!

Right now I'm driving a rental so would like to find something ASAP. I will most likely end up going the minivan route again. There are lots more of them out there for sale than SUV crossovers.

I must admit I'm sad. I loved my Dodge Grand Caravan. It wasn't all that fancy. The best option were the leather seats and the automatic back hatch opener. But it was dependable, could fit so much and easy to drive. Plus it was finally paid off!

Wish me luck on my used pre-owned car search. Thanks!

Switching Gears

I've been hard at work on my new proposal that features a heroine who first appeared in my Silhouette Romance If the Ring Fits... and also appears in my 2/11 Harlequin Romance Expecting: Royal Twins! The other day I was driving and heard the perfect song for her. Take a listen:



White Flag by Dido is song #2 on my book soundtrack. I'm so thankful I have a list with a couple of songs on it because I was just offered the opportunity to write an eight chapter eHarlequin on-line read. That means, I have to switch gears. The princess proposal goes on hold for a short time while I write the on-line read.

The only on-line read I've done was back in 2004. It was called Husband Material.  It was part of a four story continuity. This time the story is all mine. It will be set in Hood Hamlet on Mount Hood and act as a lead-in to my upcoming 11/10 Christmas Magic on the Mountain.. It shares the same setting as my 11/08 Rescued by the Magic of Christmas.

I know who the heroine will be. I had something in the upcoming book that would work perfectly for this! Amazing when that happens.

Right now I'm trying to figure out who the hero is and the plot. With only 10,000 words, I think they'll need to have known each other in some capacity before the story begins. But how? That's the question.

Wish me luck writing this short sequel to one book and prequel to another!

Zombie Car Crash

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A car full of "Zombies" crashed on I-84 on Saturday night. The story from KGW news is here. If this had happened on the north side of the Columbia River in Vancouver, I would have been more surprised. On the south side in Portland...not so much.

Since we're on the topic of zombies today, it's the perfect time for this book trailer:



Wonder what Jane Austen would think? I haven't read any of the regency-horror mash-ups, but I really like the book trailers. The Bennett sisters training to be zombie killers reminds me of the young women training to be vampire slayers in the final episodes of Buffy!

Hope you have a nice and Zombie-free Monday!

Eclipse with LOLcats

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If you like LOLcats, go here. Even if you don't, you should still check it out. It's a LOLcat version of Stephanie Meyer's Eclipse. Long, but funny. I'm still smiling!

I also found this Twilight parody that will be out in August. I know I won't be seeing this in the theater, but the trailer is pretty funny!



Have a fun Friday!

Change is in the Air

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My cats, Rocket and Spirit, used to sleep like this when they were little. It was the sweetest thing that would warm my heart. Now it only happens once a year and usually ends in a fight. How things change!

Speaking of change, this blog redesign is pretty much good to go. There are a few links on the booklist I still need to do and a few things that need to be rewritten, but everything on the navbar should have content now. Melissa's Diary will soon be my website once I transfer the www.melissamcclone.com domain name over.

Why am I making my blog my website?

I've been wanting to get my blog on the homepage of my website like my friend Elizabeth has for a while now. I only update the website when new releases come out while I blog regularly. But I couldn't afford a redesign. Instead, I opted for something I had the money for—a blog redesign after I saw the great job Julie from Zip.Zog.Zoom. did with the Girls' Weekend in Vegas blog.

I mentioned to Julie I was also thinking of eventually making my blog the website. She told me a lot of things were now possible with blogger so just let her know what I wanted. I told her I'd think about it, but was in no real rush.

About this time, Delle Jacobs, a historical romance author, posted on our RWA chapter loop about using her blog as a website. I knew this really was the direction for me to go. It made (and continues to make) so much sense when I looked at regularly updated blog content and the money I'll save each month. Maybe I'm missing something in my thought process about what a website offers that a blog can't. If I am, please clue me in! I do tend to get tunnel vision about some things, and this might be one of them.

As soon as I saw my new blog design (and absolutely loved what Julie had created. It's so me!), I no longer wanted to wait. I asked her to take the blog she'd just designed for me one step further. A few days later, this blog website was the result!

If you are looking for a blogger designer, I highly recommend Julie and Zip.Zog.Zoom. I found her via a link I clicked on a google search when we were looking for someone to do the Girls' Weekend blog! Talk about getting lucky!

Please have a look around. I'd love to hear what you think of my remodeled home on the Internet. If you see any errors, typos, etc. or something you would like to see, please let me know. Thanks!

Under Construction

I'm adding some new features to the blog. Nothing is quite ready yet so if you start clicking on the navbar you may or may not find content. As soon as it's all ready I'll let you know! Sorry it can't be just a clean transition!

Thanks!

Spoiled

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I love this LOLcat! It perfectly describes not just my four cats, but my dog, too.

When I was up in Tacoma at my class, the kidlets and hubby attended a gathering of Norwegian Elkhounds and their families. Chaos would not go into a kennel. (At home, she goes in for breakfast and dinner, but that's it.) A breeder, who has known Chaos since she was born, looked at Tom and told him he'd spoiled the dog!

Guilty as charged.

I remember rubbing my kittens, Rocket and Spirit, to sleep every day and night. Granted I didn't have kids then. But I still carried Yoda around in my jacket or sweater when he was little and wanted to nap. There are nights when all five sleep with us. We're considering a king-size bed because of it. On Saturday night, the fireworks were scaring Chaos so much she climbed on my lap. I stopped writing, put away my iBook and held her for an hour until they stopped.

Our pets bring so much joy to us. A few rolled eyes and moments of annoyance, too! I can't imagine not spoiling or indulging our fur-covered family members. What about you?

Happy 4th of July!

Here are a couple of videos to commemorate the Fourth of July:





Each year we celebrate Independence Day the same. A BBQ with family and friend. There is always too much food and way too many fireworks.

What plans do you have for today?

Paving the way!

I saw this video on Facebook. It really appeals to the soccermom in me. I know many Americans really don't get soccer, but I hope the 2010 World Cup is opening some more eyes to the beauty of the sport!



Thanks to the U.S. Men's National Team! You really are paving the way for kids and the future of U.S. soccer!

Happy Birthday Chaos!

Our Norwegian Elkhound, Chaos, turns five today! It's hard to believe we've had her for three years. It seems like she's been a member of the family forever.

.....................................................................................................................................

Chaos is the best dog ever. I know everyone thinks that about their pets, but she really is. She is the best dog for us. Even if three of the four cats would disagree with that! .....................................................................................................................................
.She wants to do whatever we do whether it's heading to Mount Hood or watching the World Cup on television. She thinks she's a lap dog in spite of weighing 48 pounds. And you really do get used to the shedding. Having a Dyson vacuum cleaner helps!
......................................................................................................................................

Mackenna, my oldest, has been showing Chaos in 4H this year. Chaos is a champion show dog, but in 4H they judge the handler's action not the dog. It's been a great experience for both of them, and she already said she wants to continue next year.

...............................................................................................................................................

Getting Chaos has allowed us to be members of the PSNEA (Puget Sound Norwegian Elkhound Association.) We've only done a couple of things locally with the group, but the kids enjoy it so much, we're hoping to get more involved in the future.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................

Later today we'll be having a little party for Chaos with some special treats and a nice big bone for her! The kidlets can't wait. I'm sure Chaos will be happy, too!

Girls' Weekend in Vegas

Around this time last year, I was writing a book that would be the fourth in a four book miniseries called Girls' Weekend in Vegas. Well the first book, Saving Cinderella by Myrna Mackenzie, is out now!

Saving Cinderella kicks off the series with a bang. Four best friends from San Diego go to Las Vegas for a Girls' Weekend to help one of them get over the break up with her fiance days before their wedding. See what happens when Alex Lowell is offered a job by sexy, hotel owner Wyatt McKendrick!

Our blog called Girls' Weekend in Vegas recently went live. I hope you'll check it out here. It's still new, but we'll be adding posts and other things about the series, authors and of, course, Las Vegas!

Have a great Friday!

New Book, New Soundtrack

On my way home from the grocery store, I heard the song Down by Jay Sean and thought it might work my new story soundtrack. I've always liked the song and a few months back I posted a YouTube video of the song that had been made by Providence St. Vincent Hospital. So last night I went to YouTube to listen to it:



I couldn't believe all the little magic special effects. It's perfect because my book is a contemporary take on a well-known fairy tale! Needless to say this is the first song in my book soundtrack!

Always Something

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My proposal was due last night so it would be waiting for my editor when she got into work Monday morning. Her office is in London so I use midnight as my must-send-by time. Everything was going great. I had one final chapter of changes to type in and then...

The lights went out. Not just our house, but the entire neighborhood.

I used my Petzl headlamp that I use for climbing and got everything typed in. Huge sigh of relief. Except...

No power means no internet.

It was now getting closer to midnight. I was going to have to find free WiFi somewhere so I could email the manuscript.

I knew the airport had WiFi, but I really didn't want to drive here. I thought about the new Kessid Center. I had used their free WiFi on Friday. I headed over there with a prayer and my fingers crossed. I parked, opened my iBook and on-line. Even bigger sigh of relief. I emailed my manuscript, updated my status message on Facebook and drove home.

Here's hoping the next book goes much smoother than the last three have gone. I'm tired of total drama writing.

Sunday

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Hope you are enjoying your Sunday. The sun is shining outside, but I'm hard at work inside reading through my manuscript. I must email it to my editor in London tonight so it's in her inbox when she arrives at work. A Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen sounds really yummy right now, but I'll have to wait until after lunch to get one of those. Need to set a good example for the kidlets!

What are you up to?

LOL!

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I haven't been in a happy mode today. One of my aunt's passed away yesterday, but the above LOLcat made me laugh so I thought I would share in case anyone is in need of a smile.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Almost home

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Today is the last day of class. I'll be driving home this afternoon. I miss my family so much, but I wonder how long it'll be until I deal with a situation like in the LOLcat photo! Knowing my kidlets, not too long! The furbabies, too.

The sun is finally shining in the Pacific Northwest. As I drove to my friend Elizabeth's house yesterday, I saw Mount Rainier. That was my first glimpse of it since being here.

I'm a little sad that my training is coming to an end. I've spent time up here during four of the last five summers. This is the last official class, but people are already talking about retreats and get-togethers!

I hope you have a great day!

Cool Adidas Ad

I saw this during a World Cup game. The fangirl in me was thrilled. Enjoy!



What did you think?

Happy Father's Day!

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Happy Father's Day to my wonderful hubby and my dad and all the other dads out there and up in Heaven!

This time tomorrow I'll be back in Tacoma, but I want to make the most of today with my family and seeing my dad later this afternoon!

Have a good one!

Future So You Think You Can Dance Star

I saw this on Facebook last night and thought it was funny.

Sorry that YouTube pulled this one. Here's a link to it there.

That baby sure can move. Don't know about you, but some of those dance moves remind of the dolls at Disneyland's It's A Small World ride!

Have a happy Friday!

Drive by

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Just a quick hello! Between my class, my revisions and visiting with Elizabeth, I don't have a lot of free time this weeks. It's busy, and I really miss my family, but I don't miss the kidlets' tattle telling and fighting. It's kind of nice to be away from the routine for the week. Plus I have a really great view of the Puget Sound to enjoy!

I have to laugh though each time I stare out the back windows though. Elizabeth's new neighbors decided to build their own fence which is a couple of feet away from hers hence my use of the term demilitarized zone the other day. A foot or two of no mans land exists between the two fences now. I wonder if she'll use that in a book someday! If not, I might have to.

What's going on with you?

On my own

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Star Wars LOLcat reference. Two of my fave things. I love it!

I'm taking a class in Tacoma this week. It's my fourth time being up here with many of the same people. It's nice reconnecting.

The difference this time is I'm staying with my good friend Elizabeth Boyle and her family. She has a great work space for me to use while I revise my book. Luckily, Elizabeth is on deadline also or we'd never get any work done.

Better get to it. More later including life in the demilitarized zone!

Hope you are having a great day!

Sneaky

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I'm getting pretty good sensing any sneakiness around here. Whether it's a kidlet or a furbaby I can spot it pretty fast. Sometimes pre-sneakiness. That always puts the funniest expressions on their face!

Slowly I'm checking off items on my To Do list.

- I had two email accounts with thousands (not exaggerating) emails. Some hadn't been read since my ski accident a year ago. I'm down to 8 unreads (can't find them no matter how hard I search) from 2800 and on another account 300 from 1500. I did a lot of deleting. The 1500 account was mainly spam. The 2800 had a lot of yahoogroups and other things.

- mountain of laundry is now just a hill

- printed a lot of research for my new story and started reading with highlighter in hand

- grocery store run. I hadn't been in a couple of weeks. Hubby was shopping during that time which means he only bought enough for whatever meals he had in mind. No extra stuff at all!

- continuing to put all the paper from the deadline crunch in the recycle box. I've got about 2/3's of it picked up.

- visited a few blogs and actually posted comments early this morning! It's great to catch up with my friends though facebook helps with that when I can't blog hop.

I'm going to try to get more done today before revisions wing their way back to me! Hope you're getting lots done wherever you are!

A little R&R

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I took some time for some R&R. I did clean the papers off my desk and around the floor, but that was as much work as I could manage. I hadn't realized how tired I was from the writing marathon.

My youngest and I enjoyed a nice nap after lunch. We attended the kidlets' end of the year extravaganza at the school where they take enrichment classes. They loved seeing their friends for one last time until September.

Back home, we watched Galaxy Quest and laughed. I put them to bed and enjoyed the season finale of Glee. A great night all around.

Now it's back to work. My editor should be getting back to me later this week about the book. I have research to do for the next one. And summer camps to enroll the kidlets in! Plus catch up with all my fave blogs!

Hope you have a great day!

Back!

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The manuscript is with my editor. I emailed it around midnight. A huge sigh of relief. I really like how the book came out, but I'm already itching to get my fingers on it again. I should have revisions by the end of the week so won't have to wait long.

My favorite part about deadlines is when everything starts clicking. I live and breath the book. I drove hubby to the airport yesterday morning and on the way home something popped into my head which gave me a nice dialogue exchanged and explained a secondary character's motivation. It was totally unexpected, but so perfect it gave me chills!

But I must admit I'm ready to write a manuscript without any injury or illness drama going on. I cannot remember that happening in... No idea. I'm praying the new one I'm going to be starting is the one!

The cats and dogs wouldn't let me sleep in, but I plan to take it easy. I'll write a Dear Reader letter and start pulling together notes and things for the new story. I'm also going to get caught up on my bloghopping and email! Everything's been on hold the last week.

My life has been the book. What's yours been like?

Rainy days

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This LOLcat put a smile on my face this morning!

It's raining again. So far it's rained every day in June. That was after a string of rain in May. It's the PNW. It does rain here, but not like this. It's very odd and much colder than normal.

The kids just play outside in the rain. They don't let anything stop them except hail because that hurts.

The rain makes it easier for me to stay chained to my computer and write. A few more days and I turn in the book. I can't wait!

How's the weather where you are?

Writing

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Hope you have a great Thursday! Mine will be spent at the keyboard again. We've had so much rain here, but it makes staying inside a lot easier!

Counting the days until I can crawl out of my cave and have a life again!

Hope you are having fun!

Manic Monday

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This pic reminds me of Yoda. He likes to stand in the shower while the water warms up. I think that's pretty brave of him even though he's figured out where to be so he doesn't get wet.

My book is supposed to be due today, but my editor gave me another week. Thank goodness because it's not ready to go yet. Plus my son ended up in the ER Saturday night. (Sprained foot, nothing serious but we were worried it was broken.) And yesterday I stumbled across a plot hole, really a plausibility issue, that I need to take care of.

So my week will be all about writing. Again!

No complaints. Okay, a few complaints such as there's not enough chocolate, but I love my writing and still can't believe I get paid to do this. Just praying with the next book there are no injuries or illnesses. I'd love to see what writing without having to deal with that would be like!

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend! What did you do?

Honoring the Fallen

On this Memorial Day, I wanted to share this article about the Arlington Ladies, a group of women who honor the fallen by helping those they have left behind. Happy Memorial Day!

Weekend plans

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Camping this Memorial Day weekend is a far off dream. Maybe someday, but it seems I'm always on deadline at the end of May. Though I didn't let that stop me from skiing last year!

This weekend, I'll be writing, attending Irish dance class and performances and watching a swim meet. It will be busy, but no doubt fun. I only hope the sun peeks out. We've had the coldest May on record this year and so much rain it's time to think about building that ark!

I did have some good writing news to share. A character from my first Silhouette Romance, If the Ring Fits..., Princess Julianna, makes an appearance in the manuscript I'm writing. But she'll be the heroine of my next project! Finally. I've been wanting to write her story for a long time!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Any big plans?

9 lives

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A good thing Yoda has nine lives. He almost lost one last night.

For some odd reason, Yoda decided that my feet and hands were playthings. At midnight. His scratching and biting of my appendages woke me up. He would not stop.

Devil's evil minion. I kid you not.

My hands are nothing but red scratches. Fortunately my feet were under the covers, but they didn't escape unscathed.

He's sound asleep under my bed. I think it's my turn to wake him up and let him know how it feels! No scratching though. That would put him right back to sleep!

Playtime?

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I wish I had time to play! I'm sure I could find something to do, but I'm in full deadline mode with the manuscript. Hubby is out of town so that leaves me even less time to write. Oh, I have fun with the kidlets. Last night we were at B&N for Rose's art show. She received a second place ribbon for her mountain landscape water color. The kids each bought a book and we had Frappucino's at Starbucks. But I couldn't wait to get home so I could work.

Tonight is a mandatory parent-player meeting for Finn's new soccer club so I may have to skip Glee and catch it later unless I meet my page goals.

Yesterday, my schedule got completely messed up because I had to get up at 4:30 am to take hubby to the airport. I ended up taking a nap which meant I was up too late which made it impossible to get up at 5 am this morning. Must do better today!

Hope your day goes well and you have plenty of time to play!

Minion

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Iz noes evil minion. Iz Yoda.

Momme mad. Call me Basement Cat spawn.

Iz noes spawn. Iz Yoda.

I pull down her windo toyz agin. She not smile.

I find doll to playz with. Dehead it. Body broke in two. Armz came off.

Noes my faultz. Cheap fake Barbi. Kidlets laugh. Not momme.

To makez her happy I leave body parts in her bed. Presentz!

Still noes smile. I try agin today.

I noes Basement Cat evil minion. Iz Yoda.

Sigh...

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The above LOLcat fits one of the kidlets today so perfectly it's kind of scary. It's been a very difficult morning with said kid and I fear it will only get worse with all the things going on this afternoon.

It's days like this I totally get the concept of boarding school. I'm sure tomorrow will be better. At least I hope so.

Hope you're having a better day wherever you are.

Annoyed

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I know my deadline is getting closer without even looking at the calendar. Why? I find myself getting annoyed much easier. I'm reaching the point where I want to be alone. Even the cats are starting to bug me.

Only two weeks to go.

The writer in me hopes the days pass slowly. The mom in me wishes it was already June!

Do you get annoyed easily? Or does it just depend on your mood?

Sunny days!

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Not sure how long this nice weather will last in the PNW, but it's really nice! Sunshine and blue skies.

Today my oldest and Chaos are marching in a parade with 4-H on the west side of town. The theme is pirates. It should be a fun time.

Me? I'll be writing. Though I plan on taking a walk around the lake for my break!

I also see s'mores being made tonight on the fire pit I got for Mother's Day!

Hope the day is sunny wherever you are!

Headache

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My head has been killing me since Monday. My friend Amy thought it might have to do with the physical therapy I had that morning. I went to PT today and found out she was right. The mechanical traction I had earlier in the week caused a muscle spasm in my neck. This led to the headache on the right side of my head. Amazing how it all works together!

The PT worked on relieving it this morning. Not all gone. But better!

With a lot of writing ahead of me this weekend, that's good enough for me.

I'll be working on my newest manuscript Saturday and Sunday and enjoying the sunshine. What about you?

Soccer mom

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My kids play soccer so I guess that makes me a soccer mom. But to be honest, I don't know much about the game. I know to cheer when the ball goes in the goal. I have no clue what off-sides means. I pretty much watch my kids, clap and cheer, and that's about it.

My soccer experience is pretty limited:

- attending an Olympic soccer game at Stanford. Anything having to do with the Olympics is pretty cool. This was my first taste of what soccer means outside the US.

- playing in an after work league when I was 21. Okay, I was new in town and I really only joined to meet guys. You see I'd met a soccer player from Brown on a train in Switzerland when I was backpacking in Europe a couple months before. We bumped into each other again in Amsterdam and flew back to New York on the same flight. He was really cute and a great kisser. I thought maybe other soccer players might have similar traits. Yes, I was young. And stupid. I ended up bruised and missing a contact by the time the season ended.

- attending a World Cup game at Stanford. Everyone MUST do this once in their life. It's an absolutely amazing experience and redefines what being a fan is all about. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The train ride alone from San Francisco to Palo Alto was incredible. Go. Don't think twice. You won't be disappointed.

- watching rec. soccer games since 2003.

But even though I have a lackluster soccer resume, I'm a mom. When the Premier B team my son had made in April got cut due to lack of players and he still wanted to play competitive soccer, I decided to find him somewhere else to play. Easier said then done. But I had to try, if only to be able to tell him I did everything I could. I made phone calls. I talked to friends of friends. I sent emails to a neighboring club to see if they had any U11 spots. I found a soccer forum that helped me figure out a few things, including the fact Oregon had not had soccer tryouts yet.

Score!

Okay, the thought of driving to Oregon wasn't all that appealing, but when I thought about all we've done for Irish dance or ballet or... It really wasn't going to be that bad.

I found a club thanks to a kind stranger who pointed me in the southeast direction. Finn went to the tryout prep. He liked it. I attended the new parents' meeting. I liked it.

Finn tried out on Sunday and Monday. Monday night we got the call. He made the team!

I still have no idea what competitive soccer is all about, but I guess this soccer mom going to find out!

Use the force!

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The fangirl in me couldn't resist putting this LOLcat on the blog!

Yoda's famous "Do, or do not. There is no try" is my current mantra as I work furiously on the manuscript. My new early morning schedule hasn't gotten easier, but waking up so early isn't as difficult as it was the first week.

Progress!

Hope you're making progress with whatever you have going on!

Happy Mother's Day!

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I hope all the moms out their enjoy their day! We've got soccer tryouts. Looking at another club for my son to play at since his the team he made a few weeks ago didn't have enough players so was cut. Never thought I'd ever spend Mother's day at a soccer field, but we'll all be together so no complaints. We'll also be having dinner with my family later so I can see my mom!

Any plans for today?

Almost Friday

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Hubby arrives home later tonight. I cannot wait. This traveling of his has gotten old fast, but it's the way things will be from now own so I have to get used to it. This time hasn't been as bad as the others except for missing him. I think we're figuring out a routine. Finally.

But the routine kinda sucks.

I haven't been blogging because I've been too tired. I am now waking up at 5 am. Okay, 5:15 am. I'm not a morning person, but if hubby is away I am so tired when nighttime rolls around I can't write. 'm trying to change my process so I can get it all done before the kidlets wake up. But with a manuscript due on the thirty-first of this month, it's a little stressful. But it was the only way I could think of to get it done!

Not much else to say! Hope you're having a nice Thursday!

May the Fourth be with You

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Happy Star Wars Day!

Yes, today is the official Star Wars day. We'll celebrate by watching one of the episodes tonight! How about you?

The race

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I feel like the LOLcat above. I'm in a race to my end of the month deadline, and I'm trying something new.

On Saturday and Sunday, I had to get up at 5 am due to my son's 2-day swim meet. This morning I set my alarm for 5 am. I didn't crawl out of bed until 5:30 am, but I'm only one page sigh of my page goal! Woo-hoo!

I'm not a morning person, but I get sick if I stay up late every night so I'm hoping I can train myself to write in the morning. Maybe then I'll be healthy when I reach the finish line!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Ten!

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Today is my son's tenth birthday. Double-digits. Hard to believe. Time is going way to fast.

We celebrated last night since Wednesdays are crazy busy. He invited four friends to dinner at Olive Garden, then back to our house to wii, eat ice cream cake and play with Star Wars figures and vehicles. They had a blast, and it was very easy for me to throw together. And really inexpensive!

He and his sisters will be learning how to snowboard as soon as I can get them up to Mt. Hood. That's what he wanted instead of a big party somewhere.

What have you got going on today?

Someday my prince will come

The kidlets and I were watching the Disney Channel when a movie trailer came on. Seeing Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia, especially the close up shots of his eyes, were just what I needed. I got that feeling and and knew... I'd found inspiration for my current hero also a prince. Have a look.



So glad I found him sooner rather than later. Having a visual really makes the character writing easier for me!

Have a nice Tuesday!

Yay Monday!

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I'm not normally a fan of Mondays, but we had such a busy weekend I'm happy it's over. On Saturday alone, we had a 4-H dog show, a soccer game, Irish dance class and swim workshop. It was crazy. Worse, upcoming weekends don't look much better. Sigh...

And we've even been cutting out activities, too! Yikes!

I overdid it at the dog show since my daughter's club was the host. Lots of setting up, carrying, taking down. A good thing I have PT this morning. I'm really sore. Guess I wasn't as healed as I thought.

I did manage to finish a chapter on the new book. Writing and continuing to heal are the big priorities around here.

What's going on with you?

Crammin'

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I've been seeing improvement from the PT sessions I've been attending. Unfortunately, some numbness has returned. They think they know the reason which is good. Just hope it's not a drawn out process to fix.

As it is, my writing time feels more like cram sessions. My goal was to not need any extensions this year after what happened last year. With three books to write, I really can't afford them because each delay would effect the next manuscript.

So I'll just continue to cram. I mean, write. And hope I'm doing it right!

Have a great Friday!

Friends

This has been around for over a year, but it's new to me and I wanted to share. Enjoy!

Norwegian Forest Cat

A little bit ago I blogged about Yoda's fluffy plume tail, how big he already was and the size of his paws. We also noticed how he walked a little funny and had fur growing out of his ears. We figured he was just some genetic mutant cat. Well, it turns out he's a Norwegian Forest Cat! All the weird things about him are normal for the breed!

Here's a little YouTube video on the breed:



A Norwegian Elkound and now a Norwegian Forest cat. I wonder if there are any other Norwegian breeds out there!

Overrun by elves

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I hear this excuse a lot. If it's not elves causing the problem, Idaknow seems the culprit. It's rather annoying the mess they've been making around here.

Hope you had a good weekend. We were busy as usual.

I'm feeling a little better and did some writing.


NBC had a family movie night on Friday with Secrets of the Mountain. After Friday night soccer tryouts, we grabbed dinner from Burgerville and headed home. The kidlets and I enjoyed the movie, but there sure were a lot of commericals!

Hubby arrived home on Saturday! It looks as if he'll be home all this week. Woo-hoo! I want to make the most of it and write, write, write!

What did you do this weekend?

Norwegian Elkhound Puppies

Earlier this week, the kidlets and I drove to Hillsboro, Oregon to visit three 9 week old Norwegian Elkhound puppies. I think Chaos might be the half-aunt of these cuties. I forget the exact lineage of the mom, Cassie. My camera is in Taiwan with hubby, so the breeder provided these pictures and said I could use them on the blog!

We'd never seen Elkhounds this young before. I think Tango, one of Chaos' puppies we met, was a few weeks older than these. I remember her being bigger, longer legs and not so round a belly. It was almost exactly this time two years ago that we adopted Chaos.

These nine week old puppies are so cute, the definition of adorable. They are bundles of energy. Biting on shoes, hair, whatever they can get their mouths on. They ran around the fenced in area chasing kidlets, balls and sticks. We played with them for two hours. All of us were worn out!

The breeder identifies the puppies by color. Each wears a colored tag. The three left were red, blue and green. They were all set to be placed in homes by the weekend which is why we needed to get over there earlier in the week. All are considered show quality right now. The kids thought it would be fun to watch them compete when they were older.

Fortunately for hubby, all the puppies were already spoken. The kids fell in love and if they knew any of them hadn't had a home yet there would have been begging, tears and wailing! I haven't really considered getting a puppy before but now that we've had some dog experience with Chaos, it might be an option in the future.

One of those Wednesday

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Wish I didn't have to go on. It's been one of those days, but I've yet to write one word today. My work is just beginning now...

Monday smiles

I saw this on one of my yahoogroups this morning. It put a big smile on my face. A great way to start a new week. Enjoy!

Oh, Yoda!

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I found one of my new window coverings lying in the bathtub last night. Yoda had even managed to pull down the rod. Argh! Of course, he then jumped onto my table, stretched out and fell asleep next to my computer looking totally sweet and innocent.

I'm off to my Portland for a girls' group meeting. Hope you have a great Friday!

Revisting a story

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I need to get a copy of that book! Yoda is a kitty wrecking machine. My new bathroom window coverings are his new favorite toys. Good thing he's so cute and adorable.

Last night he managed to get locked in the garage. Hubby heard wailing, opened the door and something black darted inside. He stayed with me the rest of the evening. Poor baby was very scared.

Before I read the cat behavior book, I need to finish another first. The AAs (page proofs/galleys) for my upcoming November release, Christmas Magic on the Mountain, arrived yesterday.

It's always fun to revisit characters and a story. With the distance, in this case a few months, I can read the words without so much emotion invested. It's easier to find awkward phrases, words, you name it. It's also nice when I'm pleased by what I read. I'm only to page 80, but so far so good!

I'm doing physical therapy three times a week to recover from being rear-ended. I'm sore and my hand/arm is still numb, but my back is doing much better. Now to get my neck, arm and hand healed! It's still uncomfortable to sit in my chair so I'm limiting my on-line time. I am reading blogs, however, just not commenting due to my numb hand! I have a book due in May so pretty much a visit to Facebook, email and a blog here is about it. I'm even writing by hand and hoping to be able to type it all in soon!

Hope all is well!

Mean Cat

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Spirit, my grey kitty, keeps getting meaner. She'll be thirteen years old this month. I thought she might mellow, but nope. It keeps getting worse. She will attack the other cats. The dog, too. She wants what she wants and makes sure she gets it whether it's a chair to sit on, the bed to herself or rubs. It's really annoying because she can also be the sweetest kitty in the world when she wants to be.

I have spoiled all the pets rotten, but no one else has turned into a mean girl (or boy.) Guess she wants to make sure she remains top cat around her. But it's sad how all the other pets now keep their distance from her.

Hope you have a good day and are surrounded by nice people and animals :-)

Happy Easter!

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My furbabies don't like wearing bunny ears. Good thing I didn't try actual Easter clothing!

Hope you and your loved ones have a Blessed Easter Sunday. This is my absolute favorite holiday. We went to early Mass. The kidlets have done their egg hunt and are going through their baskets the Easter bunny left them. I'm finishing up my decorating this morning and will keep everything up until Pentecost.

He is Risen!

Love,
Melissa