Category Archives: Life As We Know It
What is my earliest memory? and pics of a baby me~ #CalisaRhose #MFRWauthor #52weekchallenge2
Osiyo~
Marketing For Romance Writers (whom is not actually only for romance writers, but ALL writers) started a 52 week blog challenge last year. Cool, huh? So, you’ll be seeing a lot more posts from me this year with this challenge and, hopefully, in my writing as well.
I don’t know how I missed this challenge last year, or maybe I was aware and I just don’t remember it. Which, ironically, goes with this second week’s preset topic; My earliest memory. Considering here lately I don’t seem to have any memory whatsoever, or at least no short term memory, now I have to sink back 45+ years to an early one! Well, here I go…
This is me. Cute little bugger, huh? I was about 4-6 months old, I believe. No, I don’t remember this particular moment, or where it was taken. I’m guessing Alva, OK. where I was born, since we supposedly moved to California when I was about 6 months old (and that’s not our California house or dogs behind me).
I remember, once in California, living on the
farm owned by Daddy’s Greek boss in Lancaster until I was just over six years old when, we moved to Texas (where I had to repeat kindergarten because of the age/date of birth thing).
I think I was three in the color pic (that’s me on Momma’s right, my older sister on her left, and our older brother behind sis. It seemed my parents took quite a few pics in those fields surrounding our house because there are a butt load of them. 😆
I admit, the country around Lancaster was beautiful, so I can’t really blame them.
But I digress. So, what is my earliest memory?
Before she was school age my sister and I were wild little hellions, running all over the Mojave desert (within range of Momma’s voice, of course). My birthday is late December, and hers late November- and two years older than me- so she didn’t start school until I was almost four. Which meant, I was alone, a lot, in the two years after she started school.
See what I mean? Those fields were the backdrop of many memories. This is my adorable parents.
One day when I was probably five, and this might not even be my earliest memory–those years were about childhood and it was all one big fantasy time for me of interchangeable memories–I had my bff with me, aka sister’s walking doll she told me not to play with. (I have a pic of the doll somewhere.) I was playing in the barn, talking to the boss’s many horses in their stalls. My favorite horse was a deep red three year old sorrel named V-O. He was off limits to us kids because, being a stallion, he was quite mean, or so we were warned. I loved him anyway and spent many hours sitting on his gate petting and talking to him, while my older sibs were in school. Of course, the grown-ups didn’t know what I was doing!
That day I heard the stock trailer rumble into the barnyard and I got very excited at the sound. The trailer always meant NEW HORSES!
I remember running with that doll, who could not keep up and I don’t remember whatever happened to the doll after that. lol I got to the trailer just as the 2000 pound cargo unloaded. To this day, I can remember my breath escaping as I got my first look at the black-as-pitch massive horse with long, flowing mane and a thick tail that dragged in the dirt when he moved. All I do remember is how the sun gleamed off the slick fall coat of the huge beast.
It was the first time I’d ever seen a Frisian, though I didn’t know what he was at the time. I can still remember the giddy feeling as Gus Elliopus swung me up onto a back wide enough to play on! I grabbed a handful of that silky, wavy mane, and held on for dear life because it seemed like I was a hundred feet off the ground! And I rode him as Gus lead us across the barnyard and inside the barn.
That memory stops there. I don’t remember getting off the horse and I don’t recall ever seeing him again. It’s like a mystical dream of a five year old little girl. It is also one of my more vivid memories.
Here’s a horse that looks exactly like my memory, http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-breeds/profiles/friesian-horse-horse-breed.aspx
Thank you for dropping by and I hope you enjoyed my little trip into the way back recesses of my mind. 😆 Join me and visit other authors earliest memories by clicking their links below.
Dodadagohvi~
Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Cover-Call! #UCM #shareyourcovers #MFRWAuthor
Osiyo~
Welcome one and all!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS, however you might celebrate this season!
It’s time to wrap up 2017 and get ready to begin 2018. With that, I thought I’d post a new call for covers.
I need lots and lots of covers to share from January 2018 forward!
Apologies, I don’t post erotica, or anything above a 4 heat level in content or cover image. You will find everything you need to show the world your covers at this link: https://calisarhose.com/uncover-monthly/
Please consider submitting your covers, and I’d appreciate if you would share the link with your loops and groups as well as this UCM showcase.
The next post will go live at midnight (CMT) Tuesday, January 2 (instead of Monday the 1st). We’d love to see new faces in the comments and in the showcase in the months to come.
Thank you!!!
Now, meet our new family member, my five month old, three pound apple-head (notice how round and apple-like her head is?) chihuahua, Itsy-Bitsy Boop. Some of you might have heard earlier this Spring that my beloved Cocoa passed as quietly as she lived–and in my arms. It took a very painful eight months to feel my heart again, it seemed.
But then, I met Bitsy and my daughter gave her to me as an early, and ever amusing, birthday gift. No matter how much thoughts of my Li’l Miss Cocoa Rio still invade my days and nights, Bitsy is always ready to make me laugh and feel loved. And she’s ready for Santa! I’m just not sure if she’s waiting to offer the ultimate elf a gift of her monkey toy, or to taste him, or she’s hoping he might bring her a tasty snack. Fo
r his sake, I hope he brings a snack. Her little baby teeth are razor-sharp! 😆
Back to business! Welcome to Pen of the Dreamer, where I welcome guest authors with their beautiful covers on UnCover Monthly!
Go HERE to get the application, read carefully, then hurry and submit your covers! Remember, the early bird gets the prime slots. 😀
For now, enjoy more awesome cover art by the incredible authors and artists who make them possible for you to gaze upon each month.
It would be great if you leave a comment letting everyone know what you think about them and maybe even check out a few author links to meet those behind the books. Or just say hi. Don’t forget to tell your friends to stop by so they can appreciate some greatness, or get in on the fun, too!
This feature is only to highlight the authors and artists, instead of the actual book (though if you see one you want to buy I’m sure the authors won’t mind 😆 ). Enjoy this months’ covers to ogle and explore. If there is one provided, you can follow the artist links by clicking on the name, if there’s an artist link provided, to learn more about the amazing creators of these beautiful covers.
There’s a heat level rating for covers, one through four scale, for your benefit. You should never see a *5* rating on the Ranch since I don’t feature anything erotic in nature.
Some author links may be shortened due to the site format, but the hyperlinks are not. If any link does not work when clicked, please let me know so I can fix it asap. A note in comments or by email is good.
If there’s anything else you’d like to know about covers being revealed here, please don’t hesitate to let me know. You can leave it either in a comment or by my contact page https://calisarhose.com/say-hey/.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: A Ghost To Die For
Author: Keta Diablo
Weblink: www.ketaskeep.blogspot.com
Genre: Contemporary-Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella, 33000 words.
Heat Level: 3
Publisher: Keta Diablo
Cover artist: Charlene Raddon
Release date: September 15, 2017
Do you believe in ghosts? Rooney Fontaine doesn’t—or didn’t until one named Stuart Granger shows up in her hotel room. Now the humorous, yet desperate, apparition is begging her to find the men who murdered him before his brother becomes their next victim.
After serving three tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, Stephan Granger is no stranger to risk and peril. When a woman shows up at his house rambling about ghosts, murder and assassins, his first inclination is to deem her wrong in the head and send her packing. But how does she know things that happened to him and his dear departed brother in their childhoods, secrets they never shared with anyone?
Soon after he invites her in to hear more about what really happened to Stuart, gunfire splits the air and shatters all the windows in the house. Someone is trying to kill them. Now they’re on the run from assassins while trying to find out who killed his brother and why they want him dead too.
Even amid murder and mayhem, sometimes you find love.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Christmas Revels IV :
Four Regency Novellas
(Christmas Revels series)
Author: Hannah Meredith, Anna D. Allen,
Kate Parker, Louisa Cornell
Weblink: www.hannahmeredith.com
Genre: Historical romance
Length: Anthology -433 pages (Print)
Heat Level: 1-4
Publisher: Singing Sprint Press
Cover artist: Hannah Meredith
Release date: October 30, 2017
The Revels Continue…
The Sergeant’s Christmas Bride – Sergeant Jacob Burrows just wants a place to bed down for the night. He never expects to be confronted by a lady with a gun. Elizabeth FitzWalter intends to drive the stranger off her land, until she realizes he meets her most pressing need.
Home for Christmas – When Charity Fletcher receives a mysterious bequest—a house by the sea—she hopes to rebuild her life. Lord Gilbert Narron leases a seaside house to hide from his memories of war. Charity’s refuge is Gil’s bolt-hole… but what both are seeking is a home for their hearts.
A Memorable Christmas Season –The last thing Lady Roekirk expects at her Christmas party is a dead traitor in her parlor… or the Crown’s Spymaster helping her hide the body. Thirty years earlier, she’d been forced to wed another and Lord Keyminster became a spy. After this long, does their love stand a chance?
A Perfectly Unforgettable Christmas – Every day, Lucien Rollinsby endures a memory of Christmas Eve. Not even his lovely new neighbor can make him forget that horrible night five years ago. Caroline McAlasdair remembers that Christmas Eve, too. But if Lucien recalls her presence there, it will destroy their only chance at happiness forever.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Christmastime on Donner’s Mountain
Author: Laura Strickland
Weblink: www.laurastricklandbooks.com
personal link.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: Novella
Heat Level: 3
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover artist: Diana Carlisle
Release date: November 10, 2017
For most of her life, Becca Monroe’s been running. The urge to see what lay beyond the next horizon took her away from Donner’s Mountain and the man she loved. Now, back for what will surely be her grandfather’s last Christmas, she’s caught in a tangle of unresolved emotions that leave her torn between the impulse to flee and the desire to stay.
Jack Donner never stopped loving Becca, even though she deserted him. Better than anyone else, he knows how cruel it would be to fetter her wild spirit, and he doubts she could ever be happy living in one place, on his mountain.
Can memories of Christmases past remind Becca what truly matters? And can love convince Jack to give her one more chance, even if it means risking his battered heart?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Her Country Heart,
Christmas Edition,
Sierra Creek Series Bk 1
Author: Reggi Allder
Weblink: www.facebook.com/reggi.allder
Genre: Contemporary romance
Length: Novel
Heat Level: 3
Publisher: Cressmead Publishing
Cover artist: Steven Novak
Release date: September 1, 2017
Why is Amy Long attracted to the only man who can prevent her from achieving her dream?
A single mother, she was downsized and then lost her apartment in the city. Will she have a home for Christmas? Hoping to find a fresh start, Amy returns to the small town of Sierra Creek. Does she fit in? Cowboy Wyatt Cameron knows she belongs in the city and he has the power to see she returns.
What can she do to change his mind? When opposites attract, will sparks fly without breaking a heart?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Love’s Ultimate Balm
Author: Mickie Sherwood
Weblink: www.mickiesherwood.com/
Genre: African American Romance
Length: Novel
Heat Level: 2
Publisher: Mickie Sherwood
Cover artist: Mickie Sherwood
Release date: October 1, 2017
Now that Dr. ZeLisa Tobias has survived an IED attack and a stint of homelessness, nothing will prevent her from achieving her goals (her “Three B’s”). Then, the veterinarian makes a house call on Halloween night. Face to face with a man from her past, she must deal with his feelings of betrayal and, later, a series of rash misfortune that threatens her newfound stability.
Firefighter Hank Streeter knows his call to the animal hospital is a mistake the instant he answers the door. The doctor has arrived. And—heartbreak is her name.
Will deception, doubt, and a run of bad luck curse their accidental reunion? Or will Hank convince ZeLisa that a marriage of convenience is love’s ultimate balm?
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: No Such Thing As Dasher
Author: Juli D. Revezzo
Weblink: www.julidrevezzo.com
Genre: Paranormal romance
Length: Novelette
Heat Level: 1
Publisher: Raven Queen Publications
Cover artist: Raven Queen Publications
Release date: November 16, 2017
For Avery, her holiday duties as a forest ranger oftentimes involve tracking revelers who have lost their way in her wilderness domain. After a camper clashes with a reindeer, however, Avery is shocked to discover the creature is defended not by Santa, but by the formidable, yet gentle, shapeshifting Lord of the Forest.
Can the magic of the forest bring together a ranger and a supernatural being, or is Avery destined to celebrate yet another Christmas alone?
An enchanting fairy tale to celebrate the magic of the season!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: One Week to Win Her Boss,
Snowflake Valley #2
Author: Barbara White Daille
Weblink: www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Genre: Sweet romance
Length: Novel
Heat Level: 1
Publisher: Entangled Bliss
Release date: November 2018
Single mom Amber Barnett loves family, kids, Christmas…and unfortunately, her boss, confirmed bachelor Michael DeFranco. It’s a crush she really needs to get over. Except, when she’s temporarily forced from her apartment, her only option is to stay at Michael’s private ski lodge, where she’s the housekeeper. No problem. Her handsome boss rarely visits Snowflake Valley unexpectedly, plus he’s spending the holidays with his family. Or so she thinks…
A stormy Christmas Eve reunion leaves Michael seeking the solitude of his lodge, where he finds Amber in residence—and in trouble. Attempting to save her from her matchmaking family, he announces they’re a couple. His good deed backfires when they’re instantly included in each and every holiday event in town. So much for solitude.
Only the more time he spends with the beautiful, cheery brunette, the more he yearns to make things real between them. But he and Amber want different things, and Michael could never be the family man she’s looking for.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Retribution
Author: Karen Cogan
Weblink: www.amazon.com/Karen-Cogan/
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: Novel 351 Pages
Heat Level: 1
Publisher: Karen Cogan
Cover artist: N/A
Release date: July 12, 2017
In this romantic crime novel, Steve Yarrow returns from war to discover that his hometown is no safer than a war zone. His family is marked for murder and he is the first on the hit list. The only escape lies in identifying the assailant and the motive before it is too late.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Title: Rule Breakers, Soul Takers,
Bk One, Hell Runners Series
Author: Jacqueline Jayne
Weblink: www.jacquelinejayneauthor.com
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel- 109,000 words
Heat Level: 4
Publisher: Hartwood Publishing
Cover artist: Hartwood Publishing
Release date: November 2017
For more than a hundred years, gifted humans of the uber-elite, ultra-secret Hell Runners Society have sworn to rescue lost souls from the First Ring of Hell. Thousands of misguided spirits have been saved and sent onto Heaven without one Soul Saver ever questioning the Society’s authority.
Until now.
Prudence Luckett trained almost her entire life to earn the prestigious position of Soul Saver. Just like her father. But once Jack Luckett became Chancellor, he wielded his power to prevent his daughter entering Hell’s First Ring. Her career stunted. Without explanation. Bent on circumventing her father’s orders, Pru swallows her pride and approaches Hell Runner’s only-ever demoted Soul Saver with a proposition. Though as arrogant and stubborn as he is sexy, she’s certain he’s like her—desperate to regain his good reputation as she is to create one.
Jesse Thorne rescued more souls than anyone else in the Society’s history, but lost everyone’s respect the day his former partner decided to punt the rules. Though forbidden by the boss, his partner chose to remain behind the Gate and search for the Legendary Door connecting Heaven to Hell. Jesse didn’t agree with his decision, but he kept his friend’s secret. The backlash resulted in accusations of negligence for leaving his partner behind. Worse still, he suffered a total shunning by all the other Soul Savers.
All, except one. The Chancellor’s irrepressible and smokin’ hot daughter, offering him a chance at redemption.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I want to thank all the authors who submit their covers
and make this a special place to share!
To see YOUR cover here visit the
UnCover Monthly
page for detailed instructions.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Day 2 NaNo! Buddy with Calisa Rhose! #nanowrimo2017 #mfrwauthor #amwriting
Osiyo~
A quickie thanks to amazing author Silver James for creating these AWESOME NaNo daily inspiration badges and letting me steal them a day at a time! I added the frame on mine. Feel free to save-to-borrow your own copy, as she said to share them! Click on any of these badges all month to get to her website and check out her books.
It was a busy day today. I had a full day with minimal interruptions planned to write, write, write. Well, this is a perfect example of why I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Planning ahead rarely works out for me. J
First thing, I checked a few emails. I do this each morning before starting a day of writing. Get that out of the way so I don’t get tempted to check it all day. Then I got side tracked.
My 12 year old granddaughter (gdd) whom lives with us hurt her knee in a bicycle crash last summer. Just when we thought it was nothing, it began hurting a lot, every day. So I took her to our Dr. who treated it with a cream to cure bursitis. He said he hoped it would help, because if not bursitis, then she likely broke her patella (knee cap) in half. Yikes! That would require surgery to put in pins to heal it. Not what I hoped to hear. Especially when, after two weeks, the cream had not helped at all.
I called to let the Dr. know and he came back with a referral to an orthopedic Dr. We saw that Dr. last week and he took x-rays and reviewed them with us. Thankfully, she did not break her patella. In fact, he said there was a calcium spur on the side of her knee but he had no way of knowing what caused it, or when. But nothing is broken. YAY!
Well, not quite. Since it’s not broken, now we don’t know what is causing her the extreme and constant pain. Next he ordered an MRI for Nov. 1. It didn’t get in the way of my writing, though having gdd calling to be picked up three hours before school was out because she couldn’t take the pain did sort of slow things. Actually, it slowed writing quite a bit, because that’s how I am when it comes to The Girl. Family always must be first for me. So I picked her up and later we went to get the MRI. We have an appointment Monday afternoon to get those results. I’ll keep you posted.
But in all the kid stuff I still got 631 words down. Not bad.
Today, day 2, not so good. The Girl woke up crying and in pain, so she stayed home from school and rested her leg all day with heat on it. I had research to do on the NaNo project, so I didn’t get any actual words written, though I did work on it. That’s ok. I’ll make up what word count I’m short along the way. J
Day 2- research, zero words
And on to another day.
If you think you want to NaNo, I urge you to give it a shot. It’s addictive!
If you already NaNo, look me up and we can be buddies! You can find me here. I think. I hope. If this link isn’t right, just type in Calisa Rhose. LOL
Until tomorrow…
Dodadaghovi~
Calisa Rhose says ~ Happy Birthday Wonderful Man!!!!! #mfrworg #myhusband
Osiyo~
Today is dedicated to a special man. He’s the father of our three beautiful daughters, and half of what makes us proud grandparents to five beautiful little girls. We’ve been together for thirty-two years and celebrated a lot of holidays, birthdays and anniversaries. I wouldn’t change of him, or our life together. He’s my biggest hero, a man who can do or make anything. He’s my inspiration, totally encouraging in my early writing, he pushed me to submit to publishers and threw a party when I got my first contract. He is my real life romance hero.
Here’s to my life mate, soul mate and love of my life!
To my wonderful, handsome husband I wish you a happy, happy birthday! I love you, Mitchell. 😀
Turner Falls, Oklahoma 04-15-09
W is for~ #atochallenge #MFRWAuthor #Wishes
![A2Z-BADGE-000 [2015] - Life is Good](https://calisarhose.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/a2z-badge-000-2015-life-is-good.jpg?w=300&h=300){kind=icon}
Osiyo~
is for~
Wishes and prayers. It’s one of those “I can’t talk about that here” days, weeks. I wish I could and one day maybe I can, but for now… I apologize for this post being a little late.post being a little late.
I’m wishing something painful wasn’t, and praying for someone so very special. If you’d care to, we could sure use your prayers, too. Good wishes, whatever you believe in as a higher power, we could use lots of right now.
Thank you.
Dodadagohvi~
U is for~ atozchallenge #MFRWAuthor #unrestricted
Osiyo~
is for~
It’s been three years since I sold my first book. It’s been three and a half years that my fil has been living with us. That’s how long it’s been since I was able to go and do what I needed or wanted without restrictions, a time line for returning home. See fil couldn’t be alone very long at any given time, so any time I went out, whether to go shopping, visiting or with hubby, I knew before I left that I had about two to three hours before I’d need to be back. Just in case. In case something happened, he had another stroke, he wanted to cook on the stove, in case of any number of reasons, I had to be home.
It’s strange now to go somewhere with anyone and not have that restriction to hurry back. I didn’t mind the restrictions for the most part, I was glad hubby had that special time with his dad that I didn’t have with my own. But it made it hard to go anywhere over night, like to visit our daughter when they still lived in Colorado, or to my brothers’ in St. Louis. Now I find myself thinking I need to get back soon, when I don’t. It’s a good feeling, yet strange, and a little sad.
Youngest daughter and I went to see fil this morning and we were both relieved he seems to be integrating into his new home, making acquaintances with other residents and the staff. He was in a light mood, laughing and chatting with us. No, we didn’t always understand what he was saying (he lost his speech with the first stroke), but he was trying to interact. He gave us the in depth tour of the game area today. Board games, puzzles, books, pool table, computers, and even stopped to tease one of the directors in her office. That’s a very good sign.
So for today’s letter I have to embrace and learn how to be free and Unrestricted, and plan my days around that again. I plan to make the most of this as soon as the current remodel is done in a week or so.
Dodadagohvi~
Calisa Rhose Blogging A to Z Challenge~ R is for… #MFRWAuthor #atozchallenge
Osiyo~
I’m back for the regular letter post. If you’re joining me for the first time, welcome! If you are returning, welcome and thanks for coming back for more of my rambles. 😀 I’ll be spending a bit of time today visiting other A to Z challengers and I hope you’ll click the logo above and do the same! Let’s get on with R!
R is for Remodel~
My father in-law has lived with us since 2011, shortly after his stroke. Recently he had another, small but undetectable, stroke that has caused him to lose almost all cognizance and common sense. Before that he was still able to do most things for himself; dress, take meds, do laundry, cook (in a microwave only), care for himself and his dog. Until he lost his license in a separate incident two years ago he could still drive, and did, to dr. appointments, fishing, to the dog park, grocery shopping, etc.
After four days in the hospital this month he came home, and it was immediately apparent we could not care for him here any longer. Physically, I’m unable to care for his needs while hubby works, and he has to work for obvious reasons. For whatever reasons he didn’t qualify for in-home care, nor would he allow it. It was a sad day for all of us, but we found a nice ‘home’ for father in-law to move to and he is adjusting so far.
Closet and new light fixture
Now we are remodeling the two rooms that were his suite in our house. We will now move into that downstairs bedroom and I’m excited not to have to travel, a million times a day, up and down those darn stairs that caused a broken rib, and sprained ankle for me in the first eight months we lived here. Within two months after moving in I slipped on the stairs. The carpet was pretty old and slick, no match for my bare feet. I had my socks in one hand and a full cup of coffee in the other and down I headed. Our stairs have a landing half way and I was three steps down from the top when my left foot slipped out from under me. Socks went one way and coffee another, while I went down two more steps I don’t recall touching. I never dropped my cup, though it was emptied! LOL I sprained my right ankle when I landed. I went on about my day, we were building the horse pens so I could bring my Sonny Boy home. That night I ended up in emergency with a painful, swollen and badly sprained ankle.
Removed closet door
It was a few months later that, while coming down stairs I was almost to the floor when I slipped on the carpeted stairs again. I landed on the ground floor just as fil came from his room. I almost took out his little dogs. I told him I was fine and got up, got Andee off to school and settled in to write. I couldn’t hardly breathe all day. I called Mitch and told him to bring hand rails home to mount to the stairs. I don’t know why the original or previous owners never installed that one crucial thing! But nobody did. Maybe I’m the only person the house had it in for. 😆 He brought the rails home and installed them immediately after getting home. A couple of hours later I finally caved and had him take me to the emergency to learn I’d broken a rib. Soon after, we pulled all the carpet in the house, save for in the one room downstairs. My second broken rib was my fault and happened on the back porch steps a year later after a ice/snow storm. Do not run down icy steps!
New closet door in bathroom hall
So we’ve torn the bedroom down stairs apart, moved the closet door, added a light in the hall of the bathroom and stripped the last of the original carpet out to be replaced with hardwood flooring, like the rest of the house now has. It’s a gutted mess right now, but we hope to have it finished by May. We’ll replace that burnt orange with a lovely beige color on the walls, which will also run throughout the house (now a horrid rotten-hard-boiled-egg-yolk yellow!) The downstairs bath will have an ocean theme with an aqua lower wall and golden sand on the upper half of the wall.
We painted Andee’s room two summers back in a nice blue she loves and our current room is a weird pink. The living room will get the beige with a teal or burgundy accent wall.
Then I can carry out plans for our current room upstairs. It will get a face lift in beige and green once we move out. More on that later. All I’ll say for now is that I’m very excited about those plans and my work future! 🙂
These are plans we’ve had since buying this house, but fil’s illnesses prevented us from using chemicals and paints so we put it off for his comfort.
Dodadagohvi~
O-Q I’ve done it again, casts, grandkids and new boots #MFRWAuthor #catchup #atozchallenge
Osiyo~
Once again, I find myself playing catch up. Maybe I should let fate win and just give up. 😆 Nope. Not my style. So here we go with O through Q and then I’ll do today’s post later today.
is for~
Overwhelming. This last two weeks have been this way. But I think things will slow down soon. For now, this is all I can say for today’s letter. LOL
is for~
Positivity. My sister has five acres that she shares with her daughter and sil and her only grandchild. She loves having her baby boy so close and babysitting him while both parents work. I have two of my five grandgirls close (Andee lives with us) and wish the other three were closer. One is about an hour away, Andee’s baby sister, and the other two are way out in California with their parents. I miss my oldest daughter terribly, and her two girls. Kaia was four the last time we saw her, she’s now seven. Little sister was just two when I saw her, Safira is four now. I speak to them regularly on the phone, but it’s not the same. Sp I have to look for the positives in this situation. They are old enough to talk to me. We have phones that don’t require long distance bills. I once called a friend in Canada and it cost me $11 for less than a half hour! I can’t hug them, but they know who I am. Two of my girls never even got to meet my grandmother and my mom passed before my first daughter was born. I feel so blessed to be able to know all of my grandkids even from a distance. 🙂
If your grandbabies are near you, give them a hug every chance you get. Have a blessed day! 😀
is for~
Quest.
5-2012 cast #3
Andee has had a quest since she broke her arm on the 7th of April.
When she broke her arm the first time three years ago she had one cast striped. They didn’t have the colors she wanted then so she ‘settled’ for pink and purple. She is a tomboy so pink is not her favorite color. lol She wanted blue camo, but they didn’t have that color either. Go figure! LOL Once again, she was determined to
4-20-15 cast #2, and new boots
get a striped cast. They still don’t have blue camo, but she didn’t want it this time, so that’s ok. I took her for a check up yesterday and they renewed her cast with another full arm length one. She was a little bummed about that because it means continued restrictions on physical activity. Nope, no cartwheels this next ten days either! 😆 She got red with blue stripes and I have to say I kind of like it, though I did try to get her to go with green again, like the last one. I was also the first to sign this one. 😀
To top it off, I’d gotten her new boots while she was at her momma’s this weekend. She hasn’t stopped wearing them. Guess she likes them. And you can’t beat $35 boots for $10 after clearance and BoGo deals! I want some now. LOL
Oddly, on 4-7-15 she broke her arm exactly two weeks short of three years to the day she broke it the first time. Today, 4-21, marks that anniversary of the first break in 2012.
Well, that’s the latest. See you later for Tuesday’s regular letter post!
Dodadagohvi~
Spring Fever? #MFRWAuthor #atozchallenge #KthruN
Osiyo~
Well, it seems the universe, or powers that be, or something is trying to make me drop from the challenge again this year. I was struck with the flu about the time of my last post and have been laid up since. That’s not what I expected when my sister and I discussed Spring Fever. 😆 Today I recapture my freedom. LOL Hey! I refuse to be bullied, so off with you, flu! 😀
I am finally almost feeling human today. But despite all good intentions, I find myself four days (letters) behind again. Ugh. So, I’m going to cover K thru N here today. Hold on tight. 🙂
is for~
Kindness. I love when neighbors step up. When father in-law (fil) had to go to the hospital three weeks ago it was the kind, and new, neighbor next door who took Andee into her home and fed her pudding, with her own children, while waiting for the ambulance and Andee’s aunt to arrive and take her home for the night. It’s the little things that can make a bad or scary situation better, even if just a little. Pudding can ease many things. 🙂 Thanks Kimberly!
is for~
Love. As I mentioned, I’ve been sick. Since taking in my father in-law and our oldest granddaughter, it’s a rare day when I get to just sleep in, sick or not. On the occasional Sunday when Mitch is home, or intermittently throughout the summer is about all I get. While my girls were growing up I don’t think I ever got a real ‘sick day’ because, well, moms and dad’s in a mom roll just don’t get that privilege. I get that and accepted that years ago.
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week were two of a handful of days I can count on one hand with two fingers missing. Monday I was up to take Andee to get her cast on. But the other two days Mitch left me sleeping while he got Andee up and off to school before he left for work. I was so unprepared for that chance to just be sick and just worry about getting better. It’s not, by any means, that he never cared before. But when our girls were growing up he was often at work long before daylight and it was my role to take care of the rest. Now, for the first time in a very long time, he’s in a more relaxed job and position and able to care for me if I need it. We’re both in a position that we can do things we weren’t able to in those earlier years. I’m taking this time to thank my husband and let him know how much I appreciate him. Thank you, Mitchell. I love you!
is for~
Murky Words. I’ve been struggling all month. I have two WIPS I want, need, to complete and get to my editors soon. One is an absolute deadline of June 1. The other, well, let’s just say I’m running out of time and can’t get it back. So what’s the problem? I’m calling it murky words. That is those words you know what they need to be, you know where the story is supposed to go, the A+B=C formula is in place (that is not to say there IS a formula to writing, just that you know the beginning, middle and end of the story). But it’s the in-between that refuses to cooperate. See, I know where I want both stories to go and how to give these two couples their HEA. I just can’t get those murky words to clear and become what I envision. Good thing I’m not a quitter and am determined to see these couples see that happy ending one way or another. 🙂 Do you have those stories that just don’t seem to want to be written? How do you handle them (remember, deadlines on both, so I can’t set them aside any more than I already have)?
is for~
Necklaces and other goodies. I’ve mentioned my artsy side, that I make jewelry, among other totem-like items. I’ve sold some necklaces inspired by the Highlander Beloved series by one of my all time favorite ladies and authors, Vonnie Davis, and some tiny bookshelves with miniature books for AJ Nuest’s Golden Key trilogies. Then there are key rings for Sarah Grimm’s Midnight series. I swoon for Dom! I’ve made a clock out of a CD, created a pretty Carmex lid (both as taught by polymer clay experts Lisa Pavelka and Katie Oskin) and Christmas ornaments for the grandgirls, and had a lot of fun with those. It took me almost a year to decide to start a website and blog for my creations. I should share the fun. So, a couple of months ago I did just that, then posted a couple of blogs to initiate the site. Then I sort of just forgot about it. Silly. Well, I thought I’d share that site here. My crafts are titled Fanciful Allure and I look forward to having you visit me at my other home in cyberland. I’m still getting it all prettied up, but there are a few creations around the site you might enjoy. If you see anything you might like for yourself or to give as a gift, though it’s more a hobby right now, I might be able to make something for you. Just email me from there and we’ll talk. 🙂 Shares here and there would be so appreciated to help get the word out about my craft blog. Thank you for reading and, in advance, for visiting my ‘Lisa’ site!
Dodadagohvi~
I write contemporary and paranormal romance, with sensuality as the key ingredient and spice for kick.
Pen of The Dreamer 