Easter is over already?

Well Easter came and went like and whirlwind. Didn't Lent use to be longer??? Oh, what's that you say? I'm just getting older and days are going by faster? Bummer, I was afraid that was the answer.

One great thing about the weekend was that my sister, Warrior M, was here with her husband and the Stair Steps. They are getting ready to change their duty station from California to *gulp* Nebraska. The reality that Nebraska is too far to drive in a weekend strikes me every now and again. *double gulp AND heavy sigh*

They don't leave for another six weeks so we are trying to cram as much time together as we can before she moves. Of course, there will never be enough time and while I really do hate to see her move far away again, she's so happy and together and has a great husband and kids, that you can't help rejoice about all the good stuff in her life. Not to mention they already found a fabulous house to live in so, you know I'd be a real b*tch of a sister if I couldn't be thrilled for her.

Another good thing was that Beanie was given enough of a reprieve from Disney that he could be home overnight and have Easter dinner with us even if we did eat at 3 PM. Hey I was at a table with my children with a home cooked meal on a holiday. It was a red letter day.

I took a few days off last week to get all my Easter stuff done so I could spare my family my usual holiday frenzy and angst. All I will say about that is, "it worked". What can I say, but that life is a work in progress and I'm no exception to THAT rule.

I even had a little bit of time to read and was able to consume Jennifer Haymore's newest, A TOUCH OF SCANDAL. It's a follow up to A HINT OF WICKED and in October there will be a third book out also related to these first two called, A SEASON OF SEDUCTION. I was in the right mood for this historical and found it a "just right" read for me over the long holiday weekend.

So while I feel like Lent and Easter were here and gone before I knew it, we had a wonderful holiday. Color me grateful and blessed.

Hey! Wow!

Look at that! I have a blog! Who knew? Considering how I've been neglecting it lately it's like rediscovering the whole process. I feel so out of touch. Forgive my neglectful blog hopping. I'm sure when things settle a bit here I'll be back out in the mix of things.

Anyway, I just wanted to stop by and say hello and let you know I'm enjoying the holiday season quite a bit. The Stair Steps are visiting with their mom (my seeesteer) and my brother is here from NoCal and we are having a bit of holiday fun this weekend. The only blight on my December is my reading. Nothing seems to hold my interest, although I quite enjoyed Stephanie Tyler's HARD TO HOLD and am looking forward to the next book in her SEAL trilogy. Yes, I still have a thing for a man in uniform.

I'd love some suggestions for something to read. Is anybody reading a recent release that's really knocked your socks off? Tell me, tell me.

Enjoy the holidays. I'm thinking about you all.

Poster Girl

I took all of today off from work at the last minute. What does that mean? Well, I didn't have a specific plan for today, just a plan to get my last minute stuff done for the weekend without being crazy, rushed or, did I mention crazy?

However, being the Poster Girl for Stuff Happens, I instead have been playing on the internet. Joyfully playing. Blog hopping and googling to my heart's content. All of which means I didn't write the post about WRITTEN ON MY SKIN by Meredith Duran that I set out to write when I sat down this morning.

Nor did I start some sort of post for Access Romance. Nope. I played. I even *whispers* Twittered a little bit. I know! I'm such a loose cannon!

Time to get back on track and ready for the Stairsteps and the new little baby in the family, happy little GW, to arrive. Can't wait. Although I have a couple loads of laundry to do, a bathroom to clean, a rug to vacuum, some bruschetta to make and much painting and spakling to make myself presentable.

Wedding rehearsal is tonight. I found out yesterday I'm facilitating it. Power! So heady!

Sisters and Brides and Packing...oh my!

My sister is here visiting. She came without her husband and the Stair Steps because my niece's bridal shower was yesterday. Which, by the way, was loads of fun.

Now I'm not particularly a "shower" type of person. Generally speaking I can think of no worse torture than being trapped somewhere and having to play bridal/baby shower games. My only solace is knowing that most women feel the same way and we all secretly agree to endure the ritual for someone near and dear to us to have her rite of passage.

The theme at this soiree was BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. Yours truly won the BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S movie trivia game. My prize? A truly awesome set of dessert plates which helped mitigate the torture aspect of the event immensely. Truth be told, we had a lot of fun which was helped along with some tart and spankin' raspberry martinis. And, more importantly, it was great watching my niece's enjoyment of the event. That says everything.

Now I'm off to run a couple of errands with my sister and then it's cramming my stuff packing for me. It shouldn't take long. Hopefully. I'm pretty organized. Then it's early to bed.

The adventure begins tomorrow. I'm up at the butt crack of dawn to catch my plane to Washington DC and RWA.

The plan? See everyone. Do everything. Miss nothing. I'll be blogging. I also plan to have my tweets on my sidebar like last year.

Any last minute advice? People you think I should see?

Born to Run...

Well GG is anyway... Born to run I mean.  If there is one thing I don't get though, it's running.  I admire it.  The beauty and the discipline of it are awe-inspiring, but I sure don't get someone wanting to beat up their body like that.  

Anyway, we are off to the Central Valley for a half marathon. GG is running with the Road Warriors, my sister's group, to raise money for WWP. I told you about this a few times recently. Anyway we are off for the weekend. 

So much for all my resolve to keep current with the blog.  *sigh*  I have, however, already done my May re-read for Nath's challenge. Not telling what it is either... There's a couple more clouds with silver lining for the weekend, since GG insists on doing all the driving that means lots of reading time in the car for me. Wa-hoo! Plus I get to see my sister and The Stair Steps.  That's always a hoot.

Oh yeah, here's a nugget of news for you to chew on. I bought a recent release in a series that I said I was D-O-N-E with.  Can you guess what it is? I plan to put up a review of it next week. 

Guess what else?! I went to see the new STAR TREK movie last night with GG, Shmoo and Shmoo's GF.  Here's my review:  Fun movie!  I don't think you have to be a trekkie to enjoy it, but Trekkies will be in heaven.  On the other hand, the director JJ Abrams has sort of reinvented the wheel here too.  The movie is well cast, action packed and just plain fun to watch.

Gotta finish packing now so I better get going. I'm bringing the new laptop with me so who knows, I may end up getting in some blog-time in this weekend.

Have a great Mother's Day!

Reading Binge

I'm captivated by Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Will be back when I come up for air.

Great weekend with my sister and the Stair Steps. Always chaotic and fun. GG and Shmoo had a great time camping. GG had a run in with a tree branch...

Do brown eggs come from brown chickens? Do white eggs come from white chickens? My sister, WarriorM, sez they do. S'rsly?

Sure I could look it up on google, but that would be easy.

The faster I go...

...the behinder I get.

My sister is coming with the stair steps. She'll be here until Saturday, and in between I'm working and walking and swimming... you get the drift.

Once again my participation in these here parts will be scattered. I might not make my TBR Challenge this month. Bummer that.

Tomorrow is Shmoo's 19th birthday. He's celebrating by going camping with his Dad for a couple of days. Yes, that does mean what you think. I'm home alone with my sister where we can talk books to our hearts content.

Yep, no more pity party...

And so it goes...

Whirlwind weekend with the Stairsteps is over. Fun was had by all. Well Aunt Ro-Ro had fun and I think the Stairsteps did too. Lots of junk food was consumed I can tell you that. Yes, I did also manage to get a couple of fruit and vegetable servings in but bribery is a very fine edge to walk.

We didn't get any yard work done because the weather wasn't cooperative. Bummer that. We did get lots of exercise running around though and Emily was in heaven with three boys to play with.

Our weekend included a visit to the bookstore where they each scored a couple of books. It's hard to argue with a kid who wants to read. My sister, before having three boys in rapid succession, taught elementary school, so her boys love books. We got a couple of Boxcar kids chapter books, a book on the rain forest, a book on reptiles, and the first two books in a series called the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer. Shmoo read the Vladimir Tod books and recommended them to our precocious 10-year old boy genius.

We had some moments of hilarity and high drama with the three of them in between stuffing ourselves with pizza, doughnuts, and ice cream. Fortunately GG and I restrained ourselves with the food, but not with the laughter.

I managed to get some reading time in and finished the reprint of TANGLED LIES by Anne Stuart. I have a lot of her older books, but they are of her single titles. TANGLED LIES was her first Harlequin Intrigue and was released in 1988 or 1989. It held up pretty well although at one point I found myself thinking 'why doesn't she use her cell phone?" Ooops. No cell phones. Anyway it was pretty good and a nice, easy, quick read. Of course the reading of this book called for a visit to her website which resulted in finding out that this little gem...

It's supposed to be a thriller involving a serial killer. Shades of Richard Tiernan in NIGHT FALL? May 1st release date and I'm really looking forward to this one.

In other news...

We have also finally subscribed to HD TV for the BATV. Alright, here it is... Life will never be the same. Holy guacamole! It's awesome, just awesome. Wonderful. You can still see the TV screen from Mars, but it's all kinds of WOW!, so you know, I'm almost glad we have it. Almost. Just gotta call the electrician back to hide some more wires. *sigh* It's always something.

3 Nephews, History 118, a 101.5 Fever & SEP

Mea culpea! I can't believe how erratic my interaction in the great blogosphere and Romancelandia has been since November. Every week I think I'll get back to my routine and somehow I never get there.

My three nephews age 8, 7, and 4 are here. We are in the middle of a six day visit. Their Mom (my sweet sister Mary) went to Alabama to surprise her husband. He was attending a class for the Air Force for the last seven weeks. My sister flew out to surprise him and make the drive back. Even though it's a long drive back at least they are getting some time together and the nevvies are here entertaining me mightily. However, since my guys are 16 and 20 I forgot how high maintenance little guys are. Sheesh, I'm making three meals a day! And the laundry...Oy Vey!

Number one son decided to take a six-week online class over winter quarter. Yes, indeedy...History 118. The kid had sometimes two papers a week to do and tons of reading. I only mention it because he was on my computer about 6 hours a day...which while I'm on a roll with my whining...really cuts into blog time.

My last entry about my cold, which was barely over when the nevvies arrived, was nothing compared to how sick my younger son got. He not only got the cold, but the flu and for three days was running a temp of 101.5. The only thing that worked keeping the temp down for good was alternating tylenol and advil every three hours. You would think it would get easier when they are sick when they get older...you still worry.

Consequently I'm clueless about what is going on. I haven't been to another blog site in about 10 days. I'm practically a newbie again. My nephews will be here until the 15th so I probably won't be catching up much until the end of the week. If you have a minute let me know what you've been up to.

I do want to end this on a high note by saying I read NATURAL BORN CHARMER by Susan Elizabeth Phillips and thoroughly enjoyed the book. Since I read CROSSROAD CAFE by Deborah Smith last year I hadn't read a book I've enjoyed as much. If you are a SEP fan you won't be disappointed...if you aren't, it's worth the HC price.

BTW, Scooper, tagged me for what?

Gone Walkabout Mates!

I'm on the road again for a few days to go help my sister Mary relocate to Southern California. I'm going to go help her unpack boxes and put stuff away. Go talk amongst yourselves. See you next week!

So my Dad met a woman in a bar...

Does that make her a "ho"? Inquiring minds want to know. I mean I haven't met her yet, but he's 74 and she's 54...he thinks. That's only a few years older than me for cripes sakes! That's kinda weird. Anyway, none of the progeny have met "Pearl" yet.

So if your Dad meets a woman in a bar and he's 74 and she's 54 does this mean your Dad is dating a harlot? Tart? Trollop? What do you think? The family consensus seems to be that her biggest flaw is that she likes Dad. Okay, I know that's a pretty shitty thing to say about one's Dad, but truthfully it's what I've been thinking and MAY have repeated to one or two or three of my sibs. My bad?

Of course Dad doesn't like me to mention how close Pearl is in age to me. I mentioned recently that we could have gone to high school together. He didn't like that much and went on to say something like, "Don't say that! Besides, she seems older because she's got LOTS more life experience than you do."

Huh? Say what? Life experience doing what exactly? The man actually thinks these little tidbits he shares with us will make us like Pearl better. *sigh* He's so clueless sometimes.

Mary wrote a bit about this. Go check it out, it's pretty funny. She's the sister in Montana. The post starts off about an adventure she had taking her dogs to the groomers, but she goes on to talk about Dad and Pearl.

Anyway, since Dad is in Montana right now Mary will meet Pearl first. In fact when I spoke to my Dad yesterday afternoon, he said he may be seeing Mary tonight. He's hoping they will be able to go to dinner together so Mary can meet Pearl. Of course in a family as large as ours is, the phone calls will be fast and furious. I expect Mary will be getting calls starting mid-afternoon and will carry on for days. Poor Mary. I almost feel sorry for her. Hehehe! The torture she will have to endure from her nosy siblings will almost wipe out all the "gimmes" she had by being the baby. *kiss,kiss* Sorry chica!

In case you were wondering, Pearl isn't Dad's first girlfriend. In the two short years since my Mom died there have been several. A couple of times he has speculated that women who rejected him were lesbians because they weren't interested in being intimate. Can you freaking believe that men still say that shit even when they are 75 years old? I almost came unhinged when he said that to me recently. Men can be such complete shits sometimes. Anyway, Dad has supposedly given up his harem for Pearl. Believe me, that ain't no little thing.

I hope it doesn't sound like we don't want Dad to have a girlfriend. 'Cause that's not true...well for most of us that isn't true. We aren't demon spawn. We all want our Dad to be happy. If Pearl floats his boat...good for him. I just hope she doesn't sink his boat or worse sail away in it and he has to come and live with me. Oops...that wasn't being very nice again, was it? Hell, who knows if he'd even want to live with me...he's got 8 kids to chose from. But you can see where I might be worried can't you?

So my Dad met this woman named Pearl in a bar. He's 74 and she's 54. I wonder what's going to happen next. Poor Mary, she gets to meet her first. I hope she leaves her cell phone at home.

Will somebody please tell me...

What makes a blog site or post entertaining for you? I have such a wide range of sites I visit...despite my small list noted on my blog page. There is such a disparity in what I find interesting or attractive about my favorites. One of them, Mary's Blog, I visit because it's my sister. I think she is funny and smart. But that's not why I like her blog.

I like her blog because it seems so real and is accessible to my real life. Not because she's my sister either. She's younger than I am so I get to see a younger POV of the stay at home Mom. I stayed at home with my kids too and it's interesting to see the differences and the similarities of how she deals with those challenges. She has an interesting mix of people who hang out there and I love that.

On the other hand, I like Karen's blog because it makes me feel connected to other women who enjoy the same sorts of books I read. Everyone there has strong opinion and I love the feeling of belonging to a community of women with opinions...about absolutely everything! It is often funny, frequently irreverant, and most of all honest. I wouldn't miss a post...and the comments are just as enlightening and entertaining.

Of course, I've mentioned Jennifer Crusie here many times. Now she and Bob Mayer have formed a collaboration to write books together. Their first book together, DON'T LOOK DOWN, comes out in April and I can't wait to read it. Ms. Crusie just tickles my funny bone. Because we are of a similar age she presents a familiar frame of reference. Besides how could I not like someone who watched ANGEL? I thought I was the only closet 40-something watching it. It was my guilty pleasure. Then there was Spike...

See, there I go again completely off topic. Anyway, she and Bob have a web site together Crusie/Mayer and are doing a blog He Wrote, She Wrote as well as her own Argh Ink. On their collaborative blog site there are more frequent posts (almost every day). I find their adventures a hoot and a great escape at lunch hour to transport me away from my work doldrums.

And while I can see with my new work schedule it is going to be harder to post very often myself. I'm so grateful for all the places that I can visit with the click of a button and be so enriched, enlightened and entertained.

Is that too much sucking up?

The Countdown Begins!

17 calendar days and 13 work days to go. Yes, I know I've said I quit before, but that was before "the diagnosis". This time I really, really am quitting. November 18th is the goal!

I'm crossing the days off the calendar one by one! One would have to wonder why I've stayed at a job so long that I'm so eager to leave. As with most things in life it is a mixed bag. It hasn't been all bad. I think my greatest challenge and difficulty at work is the work environment itself.

On another subject, completely unrelated to work, I've missed posting the last couple of Sundays. As a result I haven't done my health update and attitude of gratitude thought. It's sort of a cleansing experience so bear with me and my meanderings. While I would like to do this on a specific day of the week so I have a good comparison...that hasn't exactly worked out well for me so far has it? : ) I hate when that happens. Anyway, here's my update.

My eating has been pretty good. While my walking had been excellent, it has sucked the big one this past week. No walking at all. My Catholic guilt is now relieved...I've confessed. Now all I need is some really good penance and I can be cleansed and guilt free.

Of course, since my last post and my sister's comments about that new HBDS (Husband By Default Syndrome) I could always lay blame at the altar of the guy I live with. His dry reply is usually, "Yeah, it's me. I know it is." Of course he doesn't REALLY believe it is, but come on, we all know that they plot and plan while we are sleeping to come up with things to drive us crazy. GG says he finds it amusing to get me "all worked up" and then stand back and watch.

I know what you're thinking. No, I'm not sooooo stupid that I haven't figured out what he's doing. It just usually sends me into a rant that he finds it so amusing to try and get me to rant. I don't usually take the bait on whatever subject he's using to yank my chain. No, I'm the dork who gets worked up because I know that he's trying to set me off which usually ends up with me in a rant anyway. Pretty picture isn't it?

What was my point? I hate when I have to scroll back in the post and figure out what it was I started out to say. Free associating is better. Right? It's how I talk most of the time. I have to concentrate to stay on subject.

Which is...oh yeah, what I'm thankful for. Let me digress for one more momemt. I love the few seconds before I actually type what I'm grateful for because just before I actually type something I have one more second to remember that I had a list of things to chose from and I'm filled with a feeling of gratitude just for the fact that I have so MUCH to be thankful for.

But this week I'm particularly thankful for my sister Mary. Now I love all my sisters dearly, I really do. And, lucky, lucky me I have some wonderful friends. Each of my sisters has her own special place in my life that is for sure, but Mary Angela is my happy place. She is the sweetest, most precious of friends. I don't know what I would do without her. Of all my sisters there are the most years between us...17. She was born when I was a senior in high school. Yet, she and I, of all my sisters, have the most in common.

I don't think I have another friend or family member who would send me a greeting card with a free pass to whine and complain about my spondylitis...but she did.

So, Mary...here's to YOU... the champagne in a family of fine wines. I love you and am so grateful to have you in my life.

BTW, thanks for the free pass.

Happy Trails to You...Until We Meet Again

I'LL BE BACK AFTER A SHORT BREAK. UNTIL THEN, I FOUND THIS KISS AND THOUGHT I'D SHARE IT WITH YOU. HOPE IT MAKES YOU FEEL AS GOOD AS IT MADE ME FEEL!