Evil, thy name is procrastination . . .

When did I become a procrastinator?  Ugh . . .Yet, here I am.  I will have to pull a miracle to finish this stupid novel that no one cares about but me.  Still . . . Thanksgiving was great!  My mom managed to fit all 25 of us into her living/dining room, see the picture?  Isn't her house pretty?  

Wednesday, Uncle Paul dropped off my two nephews and only niece for the day.  He had errands to run.  My mom and my sister were getting the house and all the food ready.  Ian was on his way to Bing's (my mom) with chairs and tables and the muscle to empty her living room!  Tim was working.  Mike was working.  Dan was on his way home from Tallahassee!  Andy was thrilled to have his cousins around.  They ran wild in the back yard, swinging and running and shouting while I made rolls and some "back-up" mashed potatoes.  At one point the kids came in and ate REALLY fast and ran back out.  As the day wore on, more kids showed up and then some more.  Funny how they showed up in time for the last batch of rolls to come out of the oven - even funnier how their parents seemed to come with them.  

Thanksgiving Day was the best.  There was just the right mix of big kids and little kids and everyone was happy.  Everything was so pretty.  There was a ton of food.  My mom cooked the biggest turkey I have ever seen, 24 lbs(Yes, my mom essentially baked a two year old in her oven and he was delicious).  And, we all ate nearly everything in the house!  It was fun to see old friends and to have new families join us as well.  It's pretty overwhelming how much we all have to be thankful for sometimes.  In a good way!

Friday was spent putting up Christmas lights that did not go up Thanksgiving Day, a first.  Saturday, I ran out of Allegra D and tried the wee Allegra we had in the house.  Ummm . . . no.  I am dying from some kind of pollen right now.  I went to the grocery pharmacy and got some Allegra D.  I asked the pharmacist what the odds were of me killing myself or ending up in the emergency room if I took one of the Allegra D a mere 8 hours after taking one of the on the shelf Allegra's.  He looked at me and said, "Ma'am, I cannot tell you to ignore the instructions printed clearly on the box."  I nodded.  I was not out to get anyone fired.  I paid for the drugs and started out to my car when, there was the pharmacist, casually walking near me but not looking at me.  "I can't say much," he muttered, "but you won't end up in the emergency room." At that, he veered off in a new direction.  I bought a bottle of water and ran to my car to take a real  pill.  Lo and behold, I was human within 90 minutes.  Thank you pharmacist!!!!  

While I was out, Dan and Mike had also been out.  By the time we all got together again, I learned that we had some people coming over to watch the Florida/Florida State game.  Mike was going to make wings.  I ran back to the store to get sodas, chips and beer.  When I came back, I learned there were more people coming.  What had started out as Mike and the boys watching the game, turned into Mike, the boys and at least 20 other people watching the game!  

Impromptu is good and fun.  I did not have time to do much more than make sure the bathroom was clean. People brought snacks and drinks as they rolled into the house.  No time to worry or do anything but visit and have fun.  AND, bonus, our mean neighbor never even called the police!!!!

And, now I go write.  

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

I am thankful to have my whole family under one roof tonight.  Dan came home this afternoon!!!  We have not seen him since August.  I love seeing how happy all four brothers are to be together tonight.  It won't last long, but they're sure happy right now.  

Giblet of the week?

I dragged Andy to the thrift store, my most favorite one, yesterday.  He was not pleased, but what can you do when you are 11 and your mom drags you somewhere? As I searched through different aisles, Andy entertained himself in the aisle of weird stuff.  (To the person who snagged up the $10 accordion before my son who had exactly $11 in his pocket, just in case,  God bless you!)  Andy came in search of me once he recognized the accordion was gone.  I was scanning the dresses.  I held one up and, more to myself than Andy, said, "Hmmmm, What do you think?"  Andy testily replied, "DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR GAY FRIEND?  No!  I am your son.  I'm only here because I cannot drive."  :::sigh:::: I took that as our cue to leave. 

In Other New:s:

My mom is hosting me and 22 other lovely people for Thanksgiving dinner. I spent the day hosting the cousins while my mom and sister got the house ready.  While I hosted, I made about 8 million dinner rolls, some for our Thanksgiving dinner, some for a neighbor's.  Glad I made so many.  As I was pulling the last batch out of the oven, every kid in the neighborhood and some of their parents showed up for hot rolls and butter.  I hope we can get through with just 2 million rolls for dinner.  I have the back up mashed potatoes made and ready to go.  I refuse to say how much butter I used there but, Paula Deen is smiling.  

In the morning, Mike will be making pies.  2 pumpkin, 1 cherry/cranberry, 1 chocolate and one apple.  He's also going to be cooking the back up turkey breast.  As I type, the boys are tromping in the attic, not quite through the ceiling yet, hunting down the Christmas lights.  That is how they'll spend their morning - festivating our house at moderate heights with staple guns in hand.

I'm going to work on my sad, sad novel now.  I'm sore far behind @ 27.000 words.  I will be bummed if I don't finish.  I was lazy about it this time around.  But, who knows?  This weekend will make it or break it for me.  I don't know, this is on of those dumb things that means a lot to me and no one else.  Yes, that counts, but maybe not as much as other stuff?  

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  (I will accept any and all leftover stuffing (plain, cornbread, sausage, oyster, you name it!) should you feel the need.)

Goodbye Sunday . . .

Andy is done with football.  His best friend, Paul, finished up baseball this week.  For the first time in a long time they have had a full weekend of running around barefoot and filthy.  I love that they have this kind of time.  I do, however, wonder at my back yard.  Andy shouted to me, in the kitchen, to tell Ian to get the camera.  I know better than to rush outside for this kind of shout.  I yelled back to Ian to get the camera.  

There, in the middle of my back yard were two enormous albino turkeys.  Why The Face, I ask you?  To misquote Humphrey Bogart, "Of all of the yards . . . " Gah!  Where in the world did these things come from and why are they living here?  I may never leave the house again at this rate.  I wonder if someone had them penned in their yard, I dunno to eat for Thanksgiving? But, I doubt it.  This is suburbia, we like our turkeys frozen and wrapped in lots of plastic.  Anyway, if anyone wants a pair of white turkeys please let me know.  

After I calmed down about the turkeys and made Andy and Paul circle the house aboutr 50 times to make sure they were no where to be seen, I went out to weed the garden.  I'm so old.  I was about half way through when Paul's mom stopped over to ask if I wanted to go to a new nursery that has opened near us.  She needed a break from holiday cleaning and I needed to stand up straight for an hour or so.  Cool nursery - I came home with garlic ready to plant and some farm fresh eggs.  

When I arrived home, Mike was pretending to watch college football with his eyes closed and I found Andy, Paul and Cally hanging out in the hammock.  All Sundays should be this great!!!!  

21,000 and stuck

I am dying here on the novel in November, aka Nano, this year.  The kids are older.  No one needs as much from me, yet I am finding myself filling days with things that "have" to be done that don't really "have" to be done - no one cares but me.  Arrgghh.  It's November 19 and I am at 21,000 words.  I have lots more to write, I'm not stuck, but It's also 2:20 am when things are finally settling down.  I'm going to be bummed if I don't finish this - it's not the end of the world, but it's something I like to do.  Cross your fingers, toes and everything else that I can work out a plan for the end of the month and get this thing written.  Please????

The truth . . .

It doesn't get easier, it just gets different.  I often hear from people who have boys asking me when it gets easier.  I don't know, I'm still waiting to find out.  Now some things come easier to people than other things.  For instance, potty training did not bother me too much.  However, nagging preteens to floss between their braces made my blood pressure sky rocket.  

I'm still trying to find a balance with television and movies - most of what they like to watch (Mythbusters, stoopid cartoons, etc) are okay once or twice, but, mostly, these days, I find myself knitting and listening to a book on tape.  I'm not willing to let the kids have full tv access in their own rooms, so that's a price I pay. 

It's funny, when my mom was my age, I was getting married.  Now, I have friends who are my age and still dealing with young kids.  I think in your 40's you have more patience, but you also need a lot more sleep!  It's tricky.  And, if you're dealing with teenagers, you're just tired all the time.  They can be extraordinarily fun, but then, they can also drive or go off with friends who drive and you worry that they might be too much fun.  And, funny thing, most teens are not going out for early bird specials or twilight movies, so you, the old parent, end up waiting and waiting and waiting.

I think the whole parenting thing is exhausting no matter when you start or where you finish.  We all have a plan for our kid(s) and it's amazing how they manage to foil those plans. Just when you conquer one hurdle, a new one is presented.  And, somehow, you manage to climb that mountain.  In the meantime, you just hang on, know when you're right, admit when you're wrong and move to the next level.  It's a long and painful real-life video game.  But, I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel . . .

I asked Dan (finishing up his first semester of college) what he wanted for Christmas.  After some hemming and hawwing, he admitted he would really love a second set of sheets.  Sniff!!!  My baby is all growed up! In the end, they all grow up - for real.  And when they do, it's easier to like them again.

Bob Seger is old!!!!!

I've said it before, I'll say it again, I'm sure, but we have awesome neighbors!  Our neighbor that works for the radio stations stopped by Friday night to offer Mike and the boys tickets to a local event, Orlando Calling.  Ian and Tim had looked into attending this on Saturday, but the tickets were well out of their budgets.  They were so thrilled and our neighbors are thrilled with their new indentured servants.  Ian, Tim and a friend went to this event Saturday and had a great time - you know it was a good time because they came home SHOUTING to me what a good time they had and could I believe how EXPENSIVE a piece of pizza was?

Sunday, it appeared, was a day for older folks with the likes of Bob Seger and Chris Rock and Dwight Somebody.  Mike was excited.  Mike also knew he was on his own.  I hate concerts.  I hate the crowd.  I hate not being able to see anything and did I mention how much I hate the crowd?  So, Mike was on his own to find a "date" for the concert.  He had it all planned out.  Ian had an Eagle Scout fundraising thing in the morning.  Mike planned on coming home for a quick lunch and then a power nap and then a night of musical fun topped off by Bob Seger.  Now, Mike has seen Bob Seger many times in concert, but that was back when he was in his late teen's and 20's.  Mike called around.  As Bob Seger did not go on until 9:30, most of his friends begged the late hour - ::::sigh:::: how is it we hang out with a bunch of 80 year olds?  Finally, Mike found a concert buddy among our scout friends.  

Fast forward to 12:30.  Mike came in.  I was sitting here writing my incredibly bad November novel.  I asked how it was as Mike slammed peanut butter and some bread together.  "Bob Seger is REALLY old."  And, with that, he stomped off to bed.  I felt so sad for Mike.  When I talked to Mike this morning, he was okay with it all.  He said the concert was actually pretty good, but, Bob Seger is still old.  Ya think?

Guess I won't be getting Mike the new Tony Bennett cd for Christmas.

The Joy of Thrifting . . .

Went with Ian, Tim and Andy to Costco this afternoon to pick up a few basics.  I'm sure it is not you, dear readers, but the rest of the world needs to get a handle on the free sample thing!  People, especially old ones, are out of control.  Once again I remember why I avoid warehouse shopping on Fridays.  

On our way home, we stopped at Goodwill, because it was there.  I have been looking for a long table for the televison, but no luck.  As I was just about ready to leave, I noticed a stack of chairs in the corner.  Sure, they were bright green, but they were sturdy.  I flipped a chair over, it was a restaurant chair. The chairs we have had for the past 10 years were hand-me-downs from Chili's and they were old when we got them from Chili's.  Still they were sturdy and up to hard use by six people all day everyday.  These new chairs?  Same maker, much newer model.  Our kitchen is many things and one of them is multi-colored!  I'm going to stick with the bright green through Christmas.  The seats will be easy to re-cover once I figure out what the chairs are going to look like.  In the meantime, we'll all be sitting in level chairs!  So exciting! Go ahead, guess what I paid for four awesome chairs?  

Okay, you gave up pretty quick.  I paid $6.99 per chair.  Go ahead, flip me a fish!!!!  Or not.  That deal was pure luck.  No skill involved.  

It's the weekend and I'll be dedicating myself to bad fiction, my own fiction in particular.  I'll check in when I can.  As always, I'd appreciate a few extra thousand words if you have some just floating around. 

Home inspections . . .

I am dying trying to write this silly novel.  My house is clean, clean, clean.  The laundry is completely caught up.  The garden is weeded.  The pantry is stocked.  Meals are being made and served pretty close to a normal dinner time.  The schoolwork is graded and planned for the next couple of weeks.  Wait!  I'm not done.  My toe nails are painted.  Things are plucked, shaved or whatever they need.  Emails are answered.  Bills are paid.  And, still I procrastinate - I never procrastinated when I was young. I hate getting old.


As I procrastinate (and consider going to the street behind our house to set the dog that has been barking for two hours straight free), I've been wondering what Nora Roberts or Stephen King or Maeve Binchy's  or other prolific writer's houses look like (pre-making-the-millions)?  Maybe this is something normal???


Okay, I AM going to set that poor dog free. If you're going to have a dog in  neighborhood of small lots, you have to let the dog in the house.  Crate training is a good thing.  If you do not have acres and acres and acres surrounding your house, you simply cannot leave a dog trapped in a small space all night long and ignore its barking.  (And, yes, I did let my kids cry themselves to sleep sometimes.) This poor little dog (based on its bark) is frantic.

Blogging is easy

You get to write about whatever you want and it does not have to make sense day-to-day.  

Writing a novel is not like blogging (at least the way I blog).  I had a good start and was up to about 15,000 words on Sunday.  Monday morning, though, it came crashing down, I hated my novel.  I hated the people in it. I did not care one whit what happened to them.  Ugh. I deleted the whole mess.

So I started over late last night.  I like the new novel better, but, wow, I have a lot to write, I've lost over a week.  But, I like to write and I prefer to write about things and people/characters I like!  Only 44,000 more words to go.  

In other news, I'm a camera spaz.  The garden is growing really well - I had a picture.  The fire pit is cute and fun. We got rained out, though, Sunday night.  We did make some Butterfinger s'mores over the stove.  You need to do this.  They were really delicious - gooey, crispy, a little burnt . . . aahhhhhh.

Hanging out in the 'hood . . .

Thanks American Science and Surpus.  Years ago I bought some action figures - Einstein, Da Vinci and Shakespeare to be exact.  They were awesome.  Durable, realistic and fun, fun, fun.  I think Da Vinci went to college with Dan.  Shakespeare mysteriously disappeared a couple of years ago.  Einstein, though, he was a trooper, he stuck with us!  Lately, he's been hanging out on our "spinny thing" in the middle of the table, aka The Apprentice.  Sadly, Cally got to Einstein this evening.  I am sure it started as a bout of friendly frolicking, but it's ended badly.  Just look at the picture.  Cally feels terrible, but as a reminder, I have shut down her Facebook account and cut out all of her television time.  I hope she learns from this.  ;) 

I love Halloween.  I'm not all that uptight about the candy.  It's a week out of a year.  We are not candy people, we don't have huge dental issues, so my approach is "Go for it.."  Problem?  Ummmm . . . it would be me over-buying candy every year.  It WAS buy one get on free.  Mike and I seem to be on a mission to eat our weight in Butterfingers.  Surely, there is a bottom to this bowl.  Right??  

Mike started building a new fire pit this afternoon.  He says it will be ready for use tomorrow night.  I'm seeing Butterfinger s'mores for all the neighbors in our very near future. 

Quick, send me 3000 words!!!!!

It's that time of year - November.  Time to write a novel  of 50,000 words in one month.  I've got a "map" of my lame idea. I'm even down one kid.  And, still, nothing.  To stay on track, I need 10,000 words by Sunday.  I think I can do it - if you read here even randomly, you'll notice I don't lack for words.  What I lack is time!!!!  I know it would be wrong to enroll Andy in public school for one month, but it's OH so tempting.  

Since I first started this whole Write a 50,000 word novel in November madness, aka Nano, in 2005, I've finished four incredibly AWFUL novels.  Yep, that's right - four novels, baby! ;)  If you like to write, it's fun.  If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late.  Join me - I'm just starting tonight.  It'll be fun!!!!!  Trust me. 

Halloween!

Well, this was most definitely a transitional Halloween for me.  Dan, of course, spent the holiday in Tallahassee.  (sniff - I sent him a bag of candy, an ugly-Mrs-Weasley-scarf and some soap), Tim and Ian went to a concert of some local bands.  It was just me, Andy and Mike.  In the 13 years we've lived here, trick-or-treating has been a group activity.  In the past, we've banded together with some other parents and kids and marched around the neighborhood.  Often the parents would dress up as well.  This year ... not so much.  Parents are working different and/or more hours.  Girl children want to t-o-t with other girl children (not many of those on our street). 

As it worked out, a bunch of us assembled.  Quickly, the older boys (wah - Andy is now an OLDER boy) set off on their own trek for treasure.  The rest of us kept walking, slowly as we were basically herding cats.  We'd gone about 20 yards when it occurred to me that not ONE of the kids in our group was mine. WHY was I even there????  I'm now the creepy old neighbor.  Waaahhh.  I couldn't figure out a graceful exit so I stuck with the group.  But, really????  I no longer have to dress up as the Keeper-of-the-Crypt, I AM the Keeper of the Crypt!!!!!  

Still, we had good pumpkins.  Mike stayed home and rested his sorry broken toe.  Toes seem like such silly things until one of them stops working.  And, it was fun when Andy got home to hear about his adventures.  He was really excited to have gone off on his own with his friends. I'm glad he had fun.  This is one of those transitional things (at least here it is), but it makes me a little sad. Won't be too long until I'm complaining about my aching shoulders as I teach him to drive.  

I was really happy when Dan called on Tuesday and Andy was able to fill him in on all the details.  Andy REALLY misses Dan and I think the feeling is mutual.  I love when they get a chance to talk and I love that Dan will listen and have an actual conversation with Andy.  

Adding pictures - Andy is the kid with the burlap sack on his head (yes, I am proud) - he's a scarecrow and designed his own costume.  The pumpkin is Tim's creation.  A pumpkin eating an apple carved like a pumpkin vomiting watermelon.  :::sigh:::: I'm glad I took the time when I had it to make their costumes when they were little and cute and willing to wear whatever I pulled over their heads.