Monday, August 28, 2017

Quote of the Week


To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
--Thomas Edison

Friday, August 25, 2017

Books and Hurricanes...What a Combination!


Forrest's story is finished and in edits.

Over the last two years, Forrest Durant, the youngest of the three Durant Brothers, has watched the bond grow between Ivy and Ben Anderson. He's not jealous of their love, but he is definitely envious. He wants a mate and a family of his own, and it's making him and his bear cranky.

This story is the first of three books in the Durant Brothers series. You met the brothers in Surviving Ivy (Bryant Station Curves, book 8). Each brother has issues which tie back to what happened to their family.

With Hurricane Harvey unleashing its fury on Texas, it looks like this weekend I will be staying home.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.

It's not quite midnight, and it's already raining here in San Marcos. I'm luckier than most. I think the worse I will deal with is maybe not being able to get to the day job Monday due to flooding.

I hope everyone stays safe and dry. Please remember, if there's water over the road, don't driving through it. Risking your life is not worth it.





Monday, August 21, 2017

Quote of the Week


When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney

Monday, August 14, 2017

Quote of the Week


There are worse crimes than burning books. 
One of them is not reading them.
--Ray Bradbury

Friday, August 11, 2017

Ideas to Nurture or Recharge Yourself

I don't know about you but when I get busy with a project, the day job, and life in general, I sometimes forget to take care of myself. We all do this from time to time, though some of us may do it a lot more often than we should.

Here are some ideas that may help when you need to recharge or just take some time for yourself.

Wear comfortable clothes.
As soon as I get home from the day job, I change into comfortable clothes. In warm weather, it's usually shorts and an oversized t-shirt. In cold weather, it's some type of leggings or sweatpants and an oversize long sleeved shirt or oversized sweatshirt. Thank goodness for the men's clothing section where I can find the oversized shirts and sweatshirts I like to wear around home.

If you noticed, I said warm weather and cold weather. There have been many a Christmas that I was in shorts and a t-shirt or jeans and t-shirt because the weather was warm instead of cold. And there have been cold fronts in March that had everyone in long sleeves. But that's Texas weather.


Sip a cup of your favorite hot tea or coffee.
I honestly bounce back and forth between coffee and tea, and I drink it either hot or cold depending on my mood or the weather. It's nice to just sit in front of a window, sip my drink and watch the hummingbirds dance around the feeders. At first, we had only one coming to the feeders. Now, we have five. I love watching them.




Read a book.
It's nice to get lost in another world, even if it's only for a few minutes. (Shameless plug here. LOL)






Listen to music.
Classical, jazz, rock and roll, pop music...whatever is your favorite put it on and let it sweep you away.



Take a nap.
Sleep is the biggest problem I have. I just don't get enough. I used to feel guilty about coming home from the day job and taking a fifteen to thirty minute nap. But not anymore. Hours at the day job, and then work at home along with writing full time takes its toll. Most nights I don't get enough sleep. My body will just shut down on me when I get sleep deprived. A good example was last night. I was up alone writing. I woke up two hours later and I had only writing one paragraph.  Sleep is essential. If it takes a nap after work to get you through the evening, then that's what you have to do to take care of yourself.


Pick up your favorite take-out instead of cooking.
There are days when so much is going on that I just need a break from cooking. There is nothing wrong with indulging in take-out. I just try not to do it too often.


Drink plenty of water.
I've always heard that if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. That's a scary thought, especially if it's hot outside. I always know when I don't drink enough water because my body tells me. Make sure you drink plenty of water.



Monday, August 7, 2017

Quote of the Week


The world always seems brighter 
when you've just made something 
that wasn't there before.
--Neil Gaiman

Sunday, August 6, 2017

Clothes Shopping is Such a Pain

I had to do one of the things I really, really hate to do this week. I had to go shopping for jeans. I'm going to be honest with you.

I HATE clothes shopping. Even as a teenager I hated to go clothes shopping.

I'm a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl. At the day job, I wear jeans with dressier tops.
I have found myself wearing more t-shirts and athletic bottoms or leggings at home and on the weekends, especially when I curl up to write.

One of the biggest problems I have is that the sizes are not consistent. They are not consistent from store to store, brand to brand, or even different lines inside a brand. And I think jeans are even worse about this. I started with the size I know I wear and it was too big. So I had to grab a size smaller and it fit. Yes, I have lost some weight, but not enough to drop a whole dress size in jeans. The other problem is the waist. I don't need low riders, or mid-waist fits. I'm plus size and they don't work very well on my shape. I don't want jeans that fit below my belly button.

I managed to find three pair of jeans and a pair of crops that fit and have a "classic" waist that comes to just above the belly button. I saved the tags so that I can go on line and order a couple more pairs when I need them. Hopefully the sizes won't have changed.