All Stace, All the Time

ROAD TRIP!

2012-02-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

Next month my nephew will graduate from the Marines boot camp down on Parris Island in South Carolina. Have I mentioned how proud I am of him?? Love that boy! Anyway, even though we are only a state away, it is a 5 1/2 hour drive. Yikes!

The plan is that my mom is going to fly in here by me and then we will pick her up from the airport and drive down. We'll spend two nights and get to visit Justin on base and then attend the graduation service. I am excited for this on many levels. First, it's a HUGE accomplishment for my nephew. He worked so hard to get in to the Marines and here he is, one step closer to his dream. He didn't let anything or anyone stand in his way and for that I am so proud of him.

Next, Michael LOVES all things Military so to be able to take him on an actual Marine base is going to be very exciting for him. He is studying already so that he'll be familiar with all that he sees. Then there's the fact that this is a mini vacation. Sure it's 11 hours of driving over the course of two days but it's a short break from my life and I am so looking forward to it!

Now, I just need for February to FLY by so that I can get to March!

A Classic Big Bang Theory Moment - Amy & the Tiara

2012-01-31T14:34:00.001-05:00

Book Sales...

2012-01-30T14:31:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I am nearing the 100 book sale mark for "Jordan's Return". So exciting!!! While I had hoped for bigger numbers, I know that it's not possible without marketing and I just have not had the time to do it. I long for the day when I find someone who knows how to do and would volunteer their time for me!

So, just a reminder, you can get your copy right now for only .99 cents on Amazon's Kindle or in paperback for $11.99. You can find it on Barnes and Noble's Nook for $1.99 (it wouldn't let me change the price!), or in paperback for $8.63 (I didn't know they were offering it until just now!). I would love to hit the 100 mark for it's 3 month release date.

Can you help me, please???

And on an exciting note, I am featured today on "Cafe of Dreams: Book Reviews" site today. Click HERE to check it out!

Another Classic Rockstar Moment...

2012-01-29T14:27:00.001-05:00

Special thanks once again to the fabulous photography talents of Scott Chmelar.

Highs and Lows...

2012-01-28T14:23:00.000-05:00

So...Frank finally got a job. YEAH!!! He'll be working with a commercial painting and wallpaper company and the money isn't great and it's kind of far away but it is WORK. Praise GOD! He starts on Monday and you know what's gone on here since he got the job? He's getting calls for work on his own. I HATE when that happens. So he's torn between working the new job for someone else or staying on his own and I told him that he needs to just take the job with the commercial people and perhaps start booking jobs maybe 2-3 months out from now. This way, we start getting an income again and he can see if he fits in with this job or if it's everything they said it was going to be.

As for me, working, working, working. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about just life in general and going through a "life decluttering" phase; hence the defriending post the other day. I officially left my church and have been visiting some other local ones and I have to tell you, this is not a fun or easy thing to do. There is no perfect church, and I get that, but it's been nice to feel that lightness and job on a Sunday morning again.

I had some let downs at work; I had asked about coming on full-time but was turned down. Not permanently, mind you, just not right now. I was really bummed because I love my job and want to be able to support my family as best as I can - even though that job alone wouldn't cut it, but it would be a start.

So for now it's just us plugging along; work, school, housework...you know, the fun stuff.

Do you "Defriend"?

2012-01-24T21:59:00.000-05:00

So I read an interesting little article on BlogHer today titled "Defriending on Facebook". I was instantly interested because lately there has been someone that I wanted to "defriend" but I think that there could be ramifications if I do.

In the article, the writer talks about defriending a Facebook friend because though they were close friends at one time, now when she sees this person actually "in" person, they don't acknowledge her. Interesting. I think Facebook is a great way to reconnect with people that you really are interested in being friends with from your past but I think we can get caught up in friend requesting people that we are only sort of interested in or because we are just plain curious as to what they turned out to be like in life.

I have numerous Facebook friends that fall in to that category.

So back to my defriending. I am FB friends with someone who was a good friend for a time, but we've not talked in more than a year, didn't part on the best of terms and to be honest, the pictures that she posts sort of creep me out. Seriously, when I see one of her pictures, I tend to refresh my page or do whatever possible to get it out of my field of vision. So why don't I just do it? Because we have mutual friends.

I certainly don't want to be in one of those awkward conversations where someone will say, "So, you defriended so-and-so...". Don't think it will happen? Trust me, it does. I've had several conversations with people who have been in similar situations and have been questioned (or interrogated) about their defriending. I really don't want to deal with that but then again, this woman's pictures creep me out. They're a weird family and I feel better just not associating with them.

So...do you defriend or grin and bear it?

Quality customer service...

2012-01-22T21:42:00.000-05:00

So I got a new Kindle Touch for Christmas. It was one of those gifts that I really didn't think that I wanted but now that I have it, I totally love it. So I've put a bunch of books on it and it took almost a whole month of serious ready before I had to re-charge.

So I plug it in to the computer to charge it and this morning I go to start it up and do some reading and it froze on my library page. Okay, fine, I reboot it. It does the same thing - it starts but freezes on the library page. I go to the computer and research all of the troubleshooting issues for the Touch. I find nothing about what it specifically going on with me.

Okay, fine, now I have to chat with an Amazon Kindle person. I'm not fond of the online chat but I had things to do and not a lot of time so I figured this was the way to go. I started the chat at 9:45 a.m. and did not get done until almost 11:00 a.m. During that entire chat time, I not only worked on my Kindle with a super nice guy named Luis, but I did two loads of laundry, took a shower, did my hair and make up, put in my contacts and made lunch. Luis was very understanding of every time I had to walk away from the computer for those 5 minute tasks. The five minute shower was a new personal record!

So after I deal with all of my stuff and try everything that sweet little Luis offered, it turns out that my Kindle is defective! Can you believe it? Not even a full-month old and it's a bust! I was a little freaked but Luis assured me that this was not a problem and promptly shipped out a NEW Kindle to me - using next day shipping - and I have to ship my broken one back. I almost hated to ask what this was going to cost me because I don't have a receipt for the Kindle (Frank didn't save it) and now they upgraded me to the next day shipping and you know what?

IT WAS ALL FREE!

Now, all I have to do is wait for my new Kindle to arrive, box up the old one and voila! Done! BIG round of applause to Amazon customer support. You guys totally rock!!

When your child doesn't take a good picture...

2012-01-20T22:30:00.001-05:00

I have two sons. They are both the greatest things that ever happened to me. I love them more than I ever thought humanly possible. They are opposite in every imaginable way even down to their looks. Nick is brown hair, brown eyes, olive complexion whereas Michael is blonde, blue eyed and fair skinned.

Nick takes an amazing picture; he is VERY photogenic. I honestly, in his 20 years of life, have rarely seen a bad picture of him. Michael is not so fortunate. He is clearly uncomfortable having his picture taken - and yes, he gets that from his father - but it's gotten to the point where we just don't know what to do about it and he has become aware of it as well.

Last week at school the Ident-a-Kid program came to do ID cards. We needed one for him and so we signed up and ordered them. Tonight they texted it to me (I'm not quite sure why...I thought we were getting ACTUAL cards). Anyway, the picture on this ID rivals Nick Nolte's mug shot.

I only wish I were kidding.

My beautiful curly headed boy, my sweet little bean, takes horrendous pictures! I don't understand how such an adorable child can photograph so badly! He has one eye open, one eye closed in this shot! How does that even happen??? Getting Christmas card pictures became painful and don't even get me started on school pictures; I had to stop buying them because they won't re-take them the amount of times it takes to get him relaxed enough to get a good shot!

It's not that his clothes are bad or anything fixable like that. His curly hair is unruly so what looks fine when he leaves the house is normally out of control by picture time and then...it's his expressions. All you have to do is glance at one of these shots to see that he feels like he is being sent to his execution.

My poor baby. Someday he is going to relax enough to let us get some good pictures of him and then I am going to post them all over the place. Hopefully.

WRAL Sucks!

2012-01-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

You know, I have so few things these days that bring me joy. I have all of three TV shows that I watch that make me happy. On Monday it is "How I Met Your Mother", Wednesday it is "Modern Family" and on Thursday it is "The Big Bang Theory". Tonight was to be the 100th episode (all new, might I add) and so at 8:00 I turned on the TV, tuned in to CBS and what did I find?

College basketball.

Do you know when my show will be aired? 1:37 AM.

Needless to say I am NOT amused.

So I commented on WRAL's Facebook wall the following: Not everyone cares about basketball, WRAL! It shows a lack of respect toward your viewers to not air an all-new prime time show in favor of a college event.

To which they responded: WRAL is the long-time ACC basketball affiliate in this market, and each season we must carry a certain number of games in primetime. Some are great games - others are not. We must take them all.
Our standard practice is to move the affected network programs overnight so 100% of our viewers at least have the opportunity to record the shows. We could put those shows on a digital channel - but less than 50% of the households in our viewing area have access to that channel, and we don't think that's a good tradeoff.
We understand the frustration that these conflicts cause, but we always try to make the programs available in some fashion. Many of the network shows are available for viewing online the next day at cbs.com, so that is another option.

While it was nice to have them respond, I'm curious as to when I missed the FREE DVR giveaway in which enabled 100% of their viewers the opportunity to record the show. Seriously? Um...I don't have DVR. I barely have cable so this statement angered me even MORE.

Sporting events should be broadcast on separate channels or maybe they should be aired overnight. I don't see why MILLIONS of viewers who tune in for a network TV show need to be inconvenienced for the thousands who MIGHT (and I'm being generous here with that audience) tune in to watch a college event.

I was always a fan of WRAL but as of now, they have lost a viewer. I will watch my CBS shows on-line from now on and take every opportunity I have to tell the masses how much WRAL SUCKS.

.99 Cent Kindle Download!

2012-01-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

That's right! My book, Jordan's Return is now only .99 on Kindle this week! Go and check it out! Click HERE to go directly to Amazon's page.

Do you ever just get tired?

2012-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

I know I've shared this a lot but Frank's being out of work is exhausting to me. It's not just the extra work and pressure on me that is tiring, it's more. For years I tried to help him with the business - I'd offer to type up the estimates, come up with advertising ideas, etc. What I've learned in the process is that we are indeed opposites and sometimes that is a really, really bad thing.

When I would offer to type the estimates, he would wait until I was climbing in to bed to ask "Oh, aren't you going to type this for me?" after I had been sitting next to him for HOURS with no idea that an estimate needed to be typed. All of my ideas for expanding the business, getting the word out there about the business - basically any input I gave was shot down.

Now here we are. Two months without work. Again. I am now working three part time jobs to help pay the bills and we are still painfully short on making it and guess who wants my help?

Kill me now.

I have helped him compose some emails, I've gone on to Vistaprint and helped create all kinds of free merchandising/advertising material for him and I have tried to be encouraging. Today? I was just plain DONE with the whole thing. I'm tired of writing emails. I'm tired of helping with the applications. I'm tired of having to stop what I'm doing to help him find a job. I know that it sounds stupid because maybe if I help him, something will come through and by not helping him, perhaps I am spiting myself. But at the same time, I am just TIRED.

When I was out of work for two years, did he help me find a job? No. When I'm trying to find an agent or a publisher, does he help? No. When I am freaking out because I don't want to live on the damn street, does he take any job available to help us out. No. Maybe I'm trying to justify my screaming like a lunatic until my voice was raw but I am beyond frustrated and tired of having to help him.

Sigh...

Bank hacking, dieting and other things that stink!

2012-01-14T09:35:00.001-05:00

I've been negative lately. I'm sorry. Just know that today isn't any different. This morning I get a message on the answering machine from our bank saying that there is an issue with our card and we need to call. So I call the number and it's an automated service and some of the questions just didn't seem "right". So I hung up and actually went to the bank's website and called them directly. Apparently, my instincts were correct. Someone had hacked my bank card number and had made several purchases and that phone call was one of those fishing things. They were hoping to get more of my personal information so that they could get more of my financials.

Really?

I think I am one of the poorest people I know. I have less that $200 in the bank and you have to hack MY account? How sucky is that???

Now I'm finishing up the first week of my diet and let me just say, that sucks too. I was doing a 'jump start' kind of thing and have been really strict with myself and have a good support system around me to encourage me.

I hate them.

Not really, but when I am losing my mind with hunger, when the thought of another bowl of vegetable soup makes me want to throw up, the last thing I want is a cheering squad around me! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't like I was going to opt for a Big Mac or a pepperoni pizza, but to choose some grilled chicken instead of another banana or another bowl of the stupid soup was NOT a choice that was going to kill the diet. I'm hungry and I'm cranky and I hate that weight loss is so damn hard!

That's not too much to ask, is it???

The End of Online Advertising?

2012-01-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, so those of you on Entrecard probably also use Adgitize. Well, by now everyone knows that Adgitize went bye-bye. I never made anything on it so I wasn't too devastated except how it affected my Entrecard life.

For those of you who do neither of these things, I apologize for the foreign language!

You see, ever since I upgraded my internet browser, I can no longer use the Entrecard toolbar. That sucked. What I used to be able to do in 55 minutes now takes closer to 90. I am NOT happy with that. Having the Adgitize widgets available speeded up the process a little.

Not anymore.

Plus, it seems to me that Entrecard has no interest in upgrading their services. Does that mean that they are just going to phase out? I don't know. But I'm kind of curious as to what is going to happen. I've contacted them several times and have gotten no response.

Anyone out there in the know?

Are the days getting shorter???

2012-01-12T09:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but lately it seems (even more so) that there is less time in the day. Nothing in my schedule has changed; I'm still working the same amount of hours and yet I am getting less and less done. How is that possible?

I have not written here like I have wanted to. I have three books in various stages that I have not touched/written/edited as they need. I am getting ready to submit SOMETHING (I still don't know what) to Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award and to top it off, this stupid diet that I started this week is starting to make me a little crazy. I'm halfway through this 7-day "jump start" and to be honest, I cheated a little last night. I had three teaspoons of mac & cheese. I'm so ashamed!

So where's all my time going? Is the stress of life really eating away at me that much? Am I just so tired from the stress that I'm not staying awake as much because I just want the days to end? I don't know. All I do know is that I am ready for another writing retreat/escape.

I just wish it could be someplace tropical...

So how's your New Year going so far?

2012-01-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

So...it's 2012. Whoop-dee-do. Actually, I do have high hopes for this year but so far I am severely unimpressed. Frank is still not working (we're at a month since his last short job) and I am getting to that point where I am getting to be "not nice" to him. I don't like getting that way but my frustration level is at its breaking point.

Nick turned 20 yesterday. I meant to blog about it but I was sort of a wreck about it. I am no longer the mother of a teenager. He is out of his teen years. I have been a parent for 20 years. That is a very long time. I don't feel old enough to have a 20 year old and I certainly don't want to think that I LOOK like the mother of a 20 year old. It was very upsetting.

Since last Thursday I have been to the doctor twice and I have an appointment for a mammogram on Monday. Apparently I am trying to be healthy in the new year.

I have organized a "Biggest Loser" challenge in my office. We start that on Monday. I think it's going to be fun but I am finding it hard to get psyched up about it when I'm at home when all that is going on here basically sucks right now. It's hard to find time to exercise when you have a depressed husband moping on the couch staring at you. It's worse than the creepy guy at the gym!

I have decided that it's time to change churches. I've had issues for a while and I am finding that they aren't getting any better and so if I want to go to church and actually focus on worshiping God, then I need to be in a place where I respect the leaders. It wasn't an easy decision and it was rough to tell my small group leader that I was leaving but I am hopeful that this is the year that we find a church home that fits our family and where we feel welcomed.

So here we are; 2012. My hope is that things get better all around for all of us. Anyone have any big goals for this year?

Why would they do this???

2012-01-04T08:04:00.000-05:00

I have worked for companies that have had to close their doors in the past. In retail, you sell off everything that you can and then you donate the rest. It just makes sense. In this economy, particularly now with so many people in need of just about everything, how can a company explain such blatant disregard of merchandise?

Have you seen this? A bridal shop in Minnesota closed/went out of business and destroyed all of these gowns! You cannot tell me that they couldn't sell these at drastically reduced prices to regain some of their costs or donate them to military future-brides or something! I think it's a disgrace.

Now before someone starts yelling, I get it; it is their merchandise to do with as they please but when so many people are struggling, was this truly the best option for anyone? Were they so bitter about closing that this was their way of flipping people off?

Bad business. Maybe THAT'S why they closed their doors...sucky attitudes.

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-31T19:12:00.000-05:00

Here's to a happy and prosperous 2012 for us all. Happy New Year!!

New Year's Dilemma...

2011-12-29T18:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, okay, I know, opposites attract. I get it. For years Frank and I have marveled at the fact that we are so opposite and yet things just work.

Until now.

So I made the mistake of asking what we were going to do for New Year's. Keep in mind that for the most part, we are home-bodies on New Year's. We never got the babysitter and went out; if we went anywhere, the kids came with us. It's always worked and when we weren't out somewhere (which, in itself was rare) we were home and made a nice little party just for us with all of our favorite snacks.

Anyway, one of the first options was to see what the band was doing. I think we were both hoping for just a small get-together with JUST the band and our families. That is not going to work out. In fact, one of the guys already has a big shindig planned and extended the invite to all of us but to be honest...that is so NOT going to happen.

I have issues. HUGE issues. I have good reasons for these issues and because of them, in the past, it was decided that we NOT go to one of these shindigs ever again for the sake of our marriage. It was bad. This led to a discussion of what we could do, what we should do, blah, blah, blah. I am not one of those people that feels that we need to be joined at the hip all night on New Year's. If he wants to go and hang out with his friends for a little while and I go and hang out with my friends for a little while and then we are home together at midnight, I am A-OK with that.

He is not.

It's hard to make compromises in situations like this. We have each bitten the bullet and gone to a social function where we were uncomfortable and I think we are finally at the point where we can comfortably say to one another "You know what? I'm not going to do that anymore." It sounds cold, I know, but there it is. I don't want him to be uncomfortable and while I know he doesn't (STILL) understand my discomfort, he begrudgingly accepts my discomfort and doesn't want any issues that will cause harm to our marriage arise again.

So where does it leave us for New Year's? I still don't know. I hate to see him miss out on something where all of his friends are, but not enough that I am willing to subject myself to things that I find repulsive and behavior that I am against. Not anymore.

If I could, I would gladly just stand firm and sing "Should old acquaintance be forgot..."

I Want to Finish 2011 Strong!!!

2011-12-28T13:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, I'm not going to lie to you, I really had some very unrealistic dreams of what my book sales would be. To say that I fell short of them would be a severe understatement. So what I want to do is to just remind all of you, my faithful readers - who just might have gotten an e-Reader for Christmas - that my book "Jordan's Return" is available on Kindle and Nook along with other formats on Smashwords and then, of course, in paperback on Amazon. Here are all of the links:

Kindle

Nook

Smashwords

Amazon.com

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see some sale action this week like I did in that first week of release so if you got a new eReader or know someone who did who is looking for something to read, "Jordan's Return" is a good place to start and it's still only $1.99!!

Christmas Round Up

2011-12-27T17:55:00.000-05:00

It goes by way too fast! For all of the plotting, planning and preparations, Christmas, itself, comes and goes too fast. All of the shopping and wrapping and whatnot all comes to a head in a frenzy of flying wrapping paper and within 30 minutes, three months of work is done.

Crazy.

We had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas Eve with a quiet dinner for just the four of us. Then we opened our doors for our annual Christmas Eve dessert open house. In years past we've had over 30 people come by and say hello and this year we had 20. I realize it's an open house but it would have been nice if those that weren't planning on coming could have at least replied to my email reminder to let me know that they weren't. Bad manners, people. I now have enough dessert to feed all 20 people again two more times! Luckily we have some friends coming from out of town tomorrow that I can share some of the sweets with.

Christmas Day found me and Frank up before the boys. That's two years in a row that that's happened! Actually, funny story here, when I went to bed the night before, Frank was sitting on the couch watching some TV; it was after midnight and the bike my mom had got for Michael still had to be put together. I reminded him of that fact and he was like "I'm just going to watch a little TV and then I'm going to do that". I woke up somewhere around 2:30 and found him sound asleep on the couch and no bike in sight! So I woke him up and out he went to put it together. THAT is dedication!

Presents were opened, pictures were taken and honestly, I spent the rest of the day in my jammies and loved every moment of it. The boys fought at one point, then Frank and Michael fought and then I got annoyed and yelled at everyone...ah, Christmas...

I hope that all of you had wonderful Christmas' and spent time with people that you love because really, that's what it's all about. It's not the presents and the shopping and the money, it's about the birth of a Savior who loved us and passing that love along to those around us.

Even the ones who DON'T RSVP when they should...

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 1

2011-12-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

I think Linus says it all and he says it beautifully. Merry Christmas, everyone!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 2

2011-12-23T23:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm not going to lie, this movie is my absolute FAVORITE Christmas movie. I watch this one year round but as a family, we make sure that we watch this one when we're all together and we can quote the whole darn movie! Don't even get me and Nick started!!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 3

2011-12-22T21:00:00.000-05:00

I had lost track of this special for years and then I stumbled upon it somewhere and now it's part of our annual Christmas movie marathon. LOVE MR. MAGOO!!!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 4

2011-12-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

This one is a long standing tradition in out house but can you believe that I didn't see it for the first time until I was 18??? That's just wrong, isn't it? Now, it is a Christmas Eve tradition and although everyone loves the ending, this is one of my favorite scenes.

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 5

2011-12-20T21:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, I know it's not a Christmas special or movie, but I absolutely LOVE this song! Crazy, I know. Plus, this was before Mariah Carey got completely annoying. Feel free to sing along!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 6

2011-12-19T21:17:00.002-05:00

This is still such a sweet little movie. I'm not a huge Tim Allen fan but this was when he was truly funny in this one. And the boy that plays his son is just so darn adorable that I just want to hug him!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 7

2011-12-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch...but who doesn't melt when the Gringe's small heart grew three sizes? Sorry, Carol, but this is still one of my favorites!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 8

2011-12-17T22:16:00.000-05:00

<p>&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;Another</p>I do love the classics! Today, Frosty. This is one of my favorite scenes from this special. Enjoy!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 9

2011-12-16T22:15:00.002-05:00

Oh, come on now... who doesn't find themselves singing this a time or two during Christmas?? It is still a classic even if the claymation technology is a little rough. Enjoy!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 10

2011-12-15T22:22:00.003-05:00

Christmas movies and specials are all in the same category to me. "Elf" is actually a favorite of my son's and it's okay, but there are definitely some funny parts in it!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 11

2011-12-14T20:58:00.001-05:00

You know, you just can't beat a good claymation special and I have three that I love, including this one - Santa Claus is Coming to Town. And really, who doesn't love and remember Fred Astaire? Classic!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Specials - Day 12

2011-12-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Christmastime. I am telling you, Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday and one of the things that I love the most is that there are so many great Christmas specials on TV to watch. For the next twelve days, I'm going to pick my favorites to share with you!

A Tale of Two Soldiers...Part Three

2011-12-12T12:05:00.002-05:00

They are two young men who never met and yet they keep coming together in my life without knowing it. Back in July I had written two posts on them; one was killed in action and the other had just won the right to join the Marines.

This weekend, I was on Facebook on Saturday and saw this picture:

And it was Saturday night when I got to talk on the phone to my nephew as he was preparing to leave for boot camp. I've been encouraging my sister for months that this is a GOOD thing, that this is an amazing accomplishment for her son. He overcame cancer, he beat the odds and instead of hitting the easy button, he chose to join the Marines! She should be proud! She should be happy! I have to admit that now that the time is here, I'm having a hard time being upbeat. I mean, look at this face:

I'm just the aunt/godmother and I don't see him hardly ever but I miss him already. Boot camp is not an easy thing and even though he has battled cancer and it was horrible, this battle is something completely different. I could not love him anymore if he were my own and I hate to think about all that he is going to endure over the next three months.

The bottom line, though, my own personal misery aside, is that there are two mothers that won't have their sons with them for Christmas. For one, there will be phone calls and Skype and eventually, they will have their Christmas's together again, for the other, she will never have that. My heart breaks for both of them.

It isn't just the individual who is in the military, it is their family as well. I have so many friends who have children serving in branches of the military all over the world and I never understood even part of what they go through until recently. I pray for my boy's safety. I pray that he perseveres and finishes well and that it is all that he wants it to be.

I pray for all of the mom's out there with children serving...you are the bravest of them all.

A Boy and His Frog...

2011-12-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

We went to see The Muppets this weekend - just me and my boys. Nick has always had a "thing" for Kermit the Frog and so when this photo of Kermit was in the background of one of the scenes, we both laughed because of the similar one we have of Nick.

Backpain, blogging and books...

2011-12-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough week for me around here. That's why I haven't posted in a few days. Last week I did something to my neck and shoulder and I have been in chronic pain ever since. Finally on Thursday a dear friend who is also a physical therapist took pity on me and came over to help me out.

I'm sorer than I was before.

Honestly, it felt GREAT when she was doing all of the massaging and stretching but the next morning I felt like I had been hit by a mack truck. I'm not sleeping well and I'm really starting to get rather crabby about the whole thing. Although I have to admit, the soreness is different than it was before; like this soreness I can live with whereas before I would just cry from the pain.

I want to thank those of you who have sent suggestions on how to get started with a blog tour. I am looking at a couple of different options and I think that by January, I should be good to go. I honestly need a week-long writer's retreat to get it all done but that is CLEARLY not going to happen. Although, this coming week we were supposed to be in Florida visiting my in-laws and we had to cancel due to finances. I already had gotten approved for the time off at work so technically I could have had the week off but again, due to finances, I really need to be at work.

Bummer.

Book sales have slowed a bit and that kind of makes me sad. I know, though, that I am largely responsible since I haven't been doing a whole lot of promo stuff for it due to back pain and misery and a busy schedule. We went and had dessert with some dear friends last night and we were discussing the whole book thing and I was saying how it's been interesting how the response has been to the book in general. For example, some really good friends have not bought it. They've not congratulated me, they've not offered to buy the book, nothing. Then there are people that I know who I wouldn't have expected to get excited about the whole thing who have gone wild over it. It's bizarre to say the least!

So here I sit, in pain, looking forward to a weekend where I can actually accomplish something and achieve some books sales, too. Wish me luck!

Anyone know how to organize a blog tour?

2011-12-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

So in my attempt to become a "known" author, I have to get my name and book out there to the masses. Merely having it for sale on Amazon, Kindle and Nook is not enough; I have to market it.

I have talked to several other self-published authors like myself and they recommended doing a blog tour. Not wanting to push my luck or annoy them with my constant questioning, I did not ask how they got theirs going. Probably not my smartest moment but there it is.

From what I understand the premise is that my book and me are the topic of a blog post on a different blog every day of the month for a month. That means that I have to come up with 30 blogs (that actually get decent visits/traffic) who would be willing to help me with this. It means sending out 30 PDF copies of my book for free for review, it means really opening myself up for critique.

I had researched a couple of book review sites and they were all backlogged until in to the new year. It's not that it's SO far away, but I'm not even sure how to approach them about doing it. There is still a bit of a stigma about being self-published. What I thought was a good thing, isn't embraced quite so much yet. And speaking of that, I have been a little shocked and disheartened by people that I know and am close to, who share that sentiment. I'm not a real author; it's not a real book. For the sake of protecting the insensitive, I won't expand on it but suffice it to say, it hurt. I worked for years on this book and it took a lot of courage to step out of my comfort zone and do this. I may not be on TV or be in the newspapers but I'm still somebody who is following my dream.

But enough self-pity; anyone out there know how to get a blog tour started that would be willing to help me get started?

Amazing Race Outrage!

2011-12-05T09:58:00.002-05:00

Okay, so MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!!! If you did not watch last night's episode and DON'T want to know who was eliminated, stop reading now.

So my Sunday night TV show is "Amazing Race". I have to admit that in the beginning of the season, I really wasn't overly impressed with anyone. I had plenty of teams that I did NOT like from the get-go, but it took a few weeks before I was actually cheering for a team. Snowboarders Tommy and Andy became my favorite team because they were Christians who weren't afraid to discuss their faith and they were just fun, lighthearted guys who were really quite enjoyable to watch.

Last night was the final four. Tommy and Andy were in the lead. Well the other three teams, at some point, all ended up with cab drivers who decided to work together. So when they were all racing to the "pit stop" for this leg of the race, TWO of those teams were going to the WRONG place! Tommy and Andy had made a mistake but with two teams heading in the wrong direction, they could have recovered. Well, the cab drivers all talked and the two teams going in the wrong place, ended up in the RIGHT place!

I was pissed!!!

I'm sorry, but that was just wrong. Those teams did not get the "clue", they had wrong information but were rewarded with the finish line!!!

I don't know if I'll be able to watch the finale next week. I may still be too mad.

Great Birthday Weekend!

2011-12-04T15:11:00.000-05:00

You know, I never would have guessed it but turning 43 has been pretty darn good. I have had a great weekend and even as it is winding down, I'm still feeling really good about it.

So I went to breakfast with a friend Friday morning and sat and talked and laughed until it was time to head to work. And other than the very YOUNG cashier guessing an age that was a little too close for comfort, I had a great time. Thank you, Cathleen!

Once I got to work, my desk was covered in all of my favorite vices - chocolate and Coca Cola! There was Dove Dark Chocolate, two six packs of bottled Coke, Mint Milano cookies (bless you, Fran!) and an adorable Mickey Mouse Christmas sign and the biggest treat was a gift certificate to go and get a pedicure! Thank you, my sunshine! You know who you are! There was a double chocolate cake and everyone sang and it was just a wonderful time that it was all okay to be at work! LOVE my office!

Got home and Frank and the boys got me Chinese food (which I ate in my jammies!) and another chocolate cake and we just hung out and watched TV and laughed. It was wonderful.

Saturday night was the company Christmas party which was just fabulous. I don't think that I've ever gone to an official company Christmas party like it before and I was pleasantly surprised. We had a lovely room at the local country club and the food was fabulous and we all laughed and had a great time. I got to dress up and even though Frank fussed, he got dressed up, too, so we had a really nice date night.

Sunday isn't so great...Michael isn't feeling well and I had to go and do the cleaning gig but it's still all good. I had some dear friends buy my book and so that makes me happy and appreciative of the support. You guys ROCK (and again, you know who you are!).

So I might now have been in Disney World, but it was a pretty magical weekend just the same! Thank you for all of the birthday wishes!

It's My Birthday!!!

2011-12-02T07:51:00.002-05:00

You know, I've spent quite a few birthday's at the house of the mouse and it has spoiled me! I wish I was there today. Sigh. But even though I am not, I am blessed to have time to have breakfast with a dear friend, cake with some awesome co-workers (who are now also friends), dinner with my family and a lifetime of amazing memories thanks to the people God has blessed me with in my life.

While I'm sure I'll have trouble just sticking to one wish when I blow out the candles, my list of things that I am thankful for is much, much longer.

My main wish for today is book sales. I am so close to hitting my goal of 50 sales that I can almost TASTE it! If you haven't had the chance to purchase your copy of "Jordan's Return", click HERE for Kindle, HERE for Nook, or you can even click HERE for paperback.

Thank you!!!

A Birthday MeMe...

2011-12-01T07:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Queens's Meme

7 Royal Questions

Someone in the castle is having a birthday today. Homer says it's not him. Who, oh who, could it be?! Whether or not it's your birthday, you should be able to answer these age-related questions. Sounds like fun, eh? Or not. I'm going to talk to the birthday girl. She needs a good talking to.

1. If you could turn back the hands of time, where would you go?
In my own life? I'd probably go back to the age of 20. Purely for vanity reasons. I was in really good shape back then!

2. What was your favorite age and why?
There were two points in my life that I really enjoyed my age. I'd have to say the first was 19 - my friends were my whole world and every day was fun - and then again at 30. Different friends but life was still full and fun.

3. Travel into the future 10 years. How do you picture your life?
Right now I'm dreaming of being a famous author who has a real publisher and agent and I see my kids having direction in their lives. Nick would be married, Michael would be in college and Frank and I would be celebrating over 30 years of marriage. It's a good picture.

4. Did you ever take part in a birthday surprise? Tell us about it.
I threw a surprise party for a friend once. I think she knew. Personally, I hate surprises. I've had several thrown for me on my birthday or for my first baby shower and I always felt ridiculous.

5. Pretend it is your ultimate birthday party. What five people, living or dead, would you invite?

Ooohhh...I LOVE this kind of question and hate it at the same time. When you list the fantasy people, all of the real people in your life get all huffy like "Why wasn't I on the list?" and then I have to remind them that it's not REAL! So five fantasy "Famous" people? Okay, first would be Susan Mallery (author) because I love her work, next would be Walt Disney (no explanation needed), Neil Patrick Harris (because he makes me laugh), Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin - because together, they also always make me laugh!

6. Let's have cake! Forget about candles and flavors and balloons. Who jumps out?

It's a toss up between Jon Bon Jovi or Roger Taylor of Duran Duran. Both yummy and worth sacrificing the cake! Plus, they'd get to add to the whole "fantasy" birthday guest list!

7. And finally, make a wish but not just any ole' wish. Make it count.

Done!

Actually, my birthday is tomorrow but I thought it would be fun to get in to the spirit a little bit today!

Websites, worries and wonders...

2011-11-30T08:59:00.001-05:00

So I was blessed this last weekend. Actually, I am blessed on an everyday basis but this was an extra blessing. We had some friends come over Saturday night with their family and the husband designs websites. He graciously agreed to design websites for both me (my alter-ego) and for Frank's business.

For six hours (yes, six hours!) they were here and he worked on my site from getting my domain name and then actually designing the site. Let me tell you, I thought I did okay with my little blogs, but clearly, I am but a wee-novice! I have always used Blogger and am very comfortable with it, but as a tech-guy, he set up my new site in WordPress. So far, I am NOT a fan. Once all of the design aspect is done, he will hand the reigns over to me and I will maintain the site but for right now, I am just playing around in it because it doesn't feel natural to me.

I've heard the debates before - Blogger vs. WordPress - and I guess it's all a matter of what you are comfortable with. I have relatively few complaints with Blogger. Over the years there have been issues but they were minimal. In the few hours I was on WordPress yesterday, at times I wanted to kill myself. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic but it felt like that.

In the end, I have a sparkly new website for the book and it's wonderful and just a little bit "spicy" (thank you, Danette, for introducing me to that word - I love it!). The goal continues to be to sell books and I'm hoping having a professional looking website will help in that matter.

If you are interested, you can see all of the magic for yourself over at www.samanthachaseauthor.com. Let me know what you think!

This is Exhausting!

2011-11-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

The life of a poor, unagented author is rather exhausting. Besides working my three other jobs, I can now add author to the mix and marketing the book takes up a decent amount of time and it would probably take up a lot more if I actually HAD the time to give to doing it.

I was fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with New York Times Bestselling Author Susan Mallery this year on marketing and promoting her books so I was mentally prepared for the kind of stuff that I would need to do but the only difference here is that everyone knew her and wanted to promote her; the places and websites that I am hitting have no idea who I am and a lot of them don't want to deal with self-published authors. Kind of discriminatory but whatever.

I have posted the book on close to a dozen different sites and now it's a matter of getting those sites to have members read it and review it. I believe it is KEY to get reviews and ratings up to generate interest.

I sold 24 books my first week and I think that's pretty good. My goal was to sell 50 by this Friday because that's my birthday but I'm not so sure that's going to happen. I'm keeping logs of my sales and where it's selling the best (Kindle) and I've had a lot of positive feedback from people who have read it. That's a good thing, too. I think I am most interested in getting feedback from people that I don't know. I'm scared of it, don't get me wrong, but I think I can learn a lot from those people on where I need to work on my work.

I need another 4 hours in the day; I need work for my husband so that I don't have to work 6 days a week. I need a personal assistant to do all of this promotional stuff for me and just present me with great results at the end of each week.

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Okay, BIG favor to ask...

2011-11-26T07:07:00.000-05:00

Okay, it is now officially, official. That makes sense, right? Anyway, my book (which I worked YEARS on) is now out in paperback!! YEAH!!! That's right, "Jordan's Return" is now available in paperback on Amazon.com.

So what is the favor that I need to ask?? Well, for starters, you can buy it! That's a biggie, I know, but believe me, it's a good book for those of you who enjoy a good contemporary romance and since it is the holidays, think of those on your list who also enjoy a good contemporary romance.

But really, what I want right now almost as much as the sales is to generate action on the Amazon page. So if you go to the book's page HERE, and click on like or even write a generic review (you do need to have an Amazon account), that would be awesome!!! My goal is to sell 43 books by December 2nd. Why? Because that is my 43rd birthday. I've already sold 20 eBooks in less than a week is awesome so I'm hopping that selling two dozen paperbacks will be a bit easier and, I think, more excting.

So help a first-time author out! Please!!! I have great friends and followers here. Let me know if you order! Thanks!!!

How Walmart Ruined Black Friday

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I am one of those crazy people who go out shopping on Black Friday. As the kids have gotten older, there has been less on their list that were hard to find or big on the "must have" list, but I enjoy going out and hunting down a bargain.

Part of the fun was going out in the wee hours of the morning, meeting up with friends and hitting Walmart first, at 5 a.m., then Target at around 7 a.m. and then the mall. Well this year, Walmart decided that they were going to be open all day and night on Thanksgiving so that there would be no waiting outside in a line (or mob) and sales would start at 10 pm on Thanksgiving night. Okay, fine, I'm on board. I have to work today so going out shopping at night seemed like a good idea.

It so was NOT.

I arrived at the Walmart at around 9:20 pm. I was parked at the very back of the lot. Not a good sign. When I got to the door, there were no carts. I searched around inside near customer service and finally found one. My main goal was a bike. So, back I go to the bike department. It took me 20 minutes to get from the front of the store to the back. Once there, I looked for the bike that was on sale, and it was not there. Okay, fine, I was mentally prepared for that. It was 9:50 and so I decided to go and position myself for some of the other minor items I wanted and let me tell you, I have never in my life seen a mob scene like I witnessed at that time. For whatever reason, people started tearing down the black plastic that was wrapped around the "sale" items - it wasn't supposed to happen until 10. Employees just stood back and watched because the mentality of the crowd was insane.

It took my 45 minutes to reach the front of the store!

I did eventually find the bike - in the PRODUCE department! I was fortunate to find two gentleman (shoppers, not employees!) who helped me get the large box in to my cart. I went directly to check out because there was no way I would be able to continue shopping like that. I paid and walked out, walking passed about a dozen Walmart MALE employees who saw me walking out alone with this giant box, and not one of them offered to help me! At my car I was struggling to get the darn thing in when a fellow lone female shopper came and helped me. Thank GOD!

Then stupidly I went BACK inside to attempt to get a few other items. I spent another hour there, got four things, and then headed over to Target. And let me just say that other stores (ie - Walmart) should learn from Target. They did not open their doors until midnight. There was a line that wrapped around the building. They only opened doors on one side of the store and the entire story front was barricaded. You had to be on the line to get in, and they let people in in 30 people increments to keep it from being a mob scene. There were security and police on hand to keep everyone in control. The store was set up NORMALLY with a few random "special item" displays set up in other departments. I bought a LOT there.

I was home by 1:30 a.m. and in bed by two.

I think that opening the stores at midnight (or before) is a horrible idea. It was insanity. It's not fair to the employees. And mostly, it just makes people mean. This will be my last Black Friday endeavor. It's just too much of a hassle. I think that had Walmart not said that they were opening early, most of the other stores would have kept to their 5 a.m. schedule.

Greed is not a good thing, Walmart, and for all of my own stupidity, the experience was totally not worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2011-11-24T11:43:00.002-05:00

And yet more places to find it...

2011-11-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I promise to calm down in a few more days but really, I'm new to all of this and each and every thing that happens is exciting!

So I am in full-blown promo mode, getting my "brand" out. Brace yourselves. You can now find author Samantha Chase and "Jordan's Return" in the following places:

Twitter (and I'd love some followers!) - HERE
Kindle (go and click "like") - HERE
Nook (would love some ratings!) - HERE
Smashwords (this one's new to me) - HERE
Goodreads (thank you, Dot!) - HERE
Facebook (follow or like me!) - HERE
Amazon Authors - HERE
And finally, the Blog (Samantha Chase author) - HERE

So as you can see, I've been busy. How I'm going to keep up with all of this, is beyond me. If I make enough sales, I can hire someone to keep up with it all for me!

CRAZY and LOVING IT!!

And now we are LIVE on NOOK!!

2011-11-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, I have to admit, I am having WAY too much fun with this! I want to stay home from work and just search the internet all day long and get the word out that I have published a book!

So for those of you who are Nook people and not Kindle people, "Jordan's Return" is now available through Barnes & Noble's Nook. You can click HERE to go to the page and purchase it. Please do. Please, please, do. It's only $1.99 and you would be helping me fulfill my dream!

Plus, while you are there, please click "Like" to help me generate some action on the page. THANK YOU!!

And we are LIVE on KINDLE!!!

2011-11-21T08:08:00.001-05:00

Oh, my goodness! This is so exciting that I can barely stand it! My book went LIVE on KINDLE this morning! I mean, there it is, clear as day, on Amazon's site! I feel a little bit sick, but in a good way! I am hoping that the paperback will be out there on Amazon by Friday.

But for those of you who are interested, here is the link to Jordan's Return on Kindle. It's only $1.99! I'll have it up on Barnes and Noble by tomorrow for those of you with a Nook!

Have a great day! I know I am going to!!

Here's What it's Gonna Look Like...

2011-11-20T22:15:00.002-05:00

Okay, here is your "Sneak Peak" at my book! EEK!!! This is such a bizarre feeling!!! I have submitted everything to CreateSpace and as soon as everything is approved, we will be live on Amazon, Kindle, Nook and hopefully, eventually on iTunes bookstore!

This is Why I Look Ten Years Older...

2011-11-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

In case I haven't mentioned it, my young son has slight OCD. It comes out in weird ways and we've managed to work through the worst of it but sometimes his thought process is a little bit out there.

This is the first year that we've had him take the bus TO school. We felt that he was older and could handle the whole thing and to be honest, I was just tired of the whole carpool thing each morning. So, we got in to the routine of taking the bus. It was touch and go for a little while mainly because the bus was not consistent in its pick up times. For a little boy with OCD, this was HUGE. We managed to convince him to STOP going out 20 minutes early and I studied its arrival time for a month straight and narrowed it down to a two-minute time span.

Not too shabby.

So the other morning, he leaves for the bus. It was still 9 minutes early but I call that progress. He leaves, he shuts the door. I then walk over to the door and open it up so that I can see when the bus goes by. Now this is a huge step for me because for that first month of school, I would almost stalk him in the bushes while making sure that he made it to the bus stop okay (it's two blocks away and cannot be seen from the house) and got on the bus.

Three minutes after he left, I see him running like an axe murderer is chasing him - in the OPPOSITE direction of the bus stop. Now keep in mind, I'm in my nightgown and robe - no shoes or socks - and now I am on the front porch yelling "Where are you going???" to which he replies "I can't talk now, mom! The bus!" I know for a FACT that the bus has NOT come and I'm screaming now for him to come back. He doesn't. In fact, he crosses the main road next to our house and is running down the other side of the block.

I am freaking out at this point.

I run in the house, get Frank, who then gets dressed, gets in the car and goes in search of the boy. I text a friend whose kids ride the bus with Michael and ask if Michael is at her bus stop. Then I call the transportation department and ask them to please get the driver on the phone and see if Michael is on the bus.

The driver won't answer.

Frank comes home like all is well. He's sitting in the car, finishing his cigarette, rolling up the window, turning down the radio and I am on the porch ready to peel my own skin off because I want to know where my son is. Turns out, Frank never found him. So I'm like "GET BACK IN THE CAR AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS!!"

He leaves.

My friend texts and then calls because she didn't go to the bus stop with her kids. Now I hang up and call the school. I am in tears right now because I have no idea if someone picked him up, is he on a school bus or did some freak take him. My mind was running wild. I tell the lady at the school to have him call home as soon as he gets to homeroom. Now I have no choice but to sit and wait.

I was sick to my stomach.

Finally, the transportation department called and Michael was, indeed, on the bus. PRAISE GOD! I was able to relax and breathe a little easier but I felt like I had gone ten rounds in a boxing ring! I went to take a shower and Frank was home and the phone rings. It's Michael. Frank lost it. He held it together for me all that time (the whole thing lasted 20 minutes but it felt like an eternity) and when he heard Michael's voice he was like "What were you thinking! You don't run after the bus, the bus comes to you!"

Honestly, we were both torn between wringing his neck and hugging him. It's not a feeling I ever want to feel again!

SNL Kardashian Fairytale Divorce Parody

2011-11-18T11:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I've had anything to say about all of the celebrity nonsense going on because really, why indulge them even more? But this skit on Saturday Night Live making fun of Kim Kardashian getting divorced was just too funny not to share.

Happy Birthday to my Sister!!!

2011-11-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

I'm younger so I can still act immature. I love you and hope that you have a wonderful day where you are spoiled rotten - while I'm here slaving like a dog.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

When does it get nervy?

2011-11-16T11:00:00.002-05:00

Facebook is an amazing thing. I love catching up or keeping up with friends and family, I enjoy playing games and I really like keeping up with favorite authors or musicians in a more personal environment.

What I don't like is people that seemingly have an "agenda" that they use Facebook for. I had one friend who was EXTREMELY political and most of his posts were just nonsense rants. I'm still his friend, I just block his posts. when I'm curious about what's going on in his life, I can drop by his page and find out.

Tonight, however, I noticed something that really kind of enraged me. An acquaintance is posting how many friends she has and currently she is trying to adopt internationally. Her original post was her asking for $20 from each of her friends so that she can book her flight and bring her babies home. Then she lowered it (quite a bit to $2 per FB friend).

Don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge someone that is looking to adopt children; if that's what they want to do, more power to them. But while we were nearing eviction and were putting out prayer requests, not ONCE did we blatantly ASK for money. That just seems a little crude. I mean, maybe I'm the one who's looking at this the wrong way but what would it sound like if my status read "I have 684 friends on Facebook, if each of you hired Frank to paint a room in your house, I wouldn't have to work three jobs...or then Frank and I could get out of the hole that 6 months of him not working has created".

That would sound heinous and nervy, wouldn't it???

Remember when Customer Service actually MEANT something??

2011-11-15T11:00:00.001-05:00

I have not made it a secret how much I despise Time Warner and their services. Unfortunately, the price is right for our bundle but here is a time where the ol' adage is true - you get what you pay for.

I have their "bundle" of service - home phone, cable and internet for one low price. The internet is the slowest speed they have and still be called "digital or high speed", the cable package is essentially the same 100 channels that I had before except now they are repeated three times and one of them is in hi-def and the rest of the channels just mock me with their "Upgrade now to see this" screen.

My biggest problem that I am having with them is their email. This is quite possibly the WORST email system ever created and believe me, I've dealt with bad email service before. I switched to TWC because they had a good reputation, big name, blah, blah, blah. So the email issue, just keeps getting worse. First, there is the issue that at 8:00 EVERY night, I cannot get in to my email account. By 9 pm I'm usually okay, but what in the world is that? I am paying for service 24 hours a day and essentially, I am not getting it.

Then there's the "sending an email" issue. I type up and email, I hit send, all seems well and then, some time later, that email shows up in my draft file. I don't know about you but I don't sit in front of my computer with it open to email 24 hours a day. Most of the time I send something out - sometimes a very important something out with the expectation that it will get there. Last week, I ended up missing something important (like a teacher conference) because I could not get to my email and because my response didn't send. What am I supposed to do about that?

I have done the "Live Chat" thing about a dozen times with a TWC rep in the last three months and each time, my issue has not been resolved, I have not gotten a copy of our transcript and this last time I was so out and out aggravated with the guy that I cut the session short. I had explained all of my issues and he asked what browser I used, I said Firefox, he said "Go in to IE and do it." Now, I don't know about most of you but I do not have multiple browsers set up and I use Firefox for a reason. Seeing this email in IE wasn't going to help me because I was not going to use it. Tell me why it isn't working with Firefox! Is there a known issue? Have other customers had similar complaints?

Then he asks what security I have on the computer. I tell him and he says "Shut it down so I can test". Um, I'm sorry, but no. Again, this is the security system that I use. Does TWC have a known issue with it? I am not going to change my security system so why do I need to shut it off for you to do a test?

I'm telling you, I was livid. I cannot get a customer service person to actually GIVE any customer service and I am to the point that I want to cancel my home phone (even though I love it, believe it or not), cancel the cable (TV nowadays is like the black hole of time) and just find some sort of bargain basement internet provider because basically, I'm getting crap service now, how much worse can they be?

All I want, is an answer as to why this is happening? If you cannot answer that, then don't work in customer service. That's all I'm sayin...

Magic, Memories and You...Except, Not me

2011-11-14T11:00:00.002-05:00

If life was fair, I'd be seeing this live and in person a month from today, but NOOOOO...stupid unemployment, car breakdowns and life sucking in general has me watching it on the computer rather than from a spot on Main Street while eating a giant salted pretzel or perhaps some ice cream.

It just doesn't seem fair...

And then my hands stayed like that...

2011-11-13T10:05:00.002-05:00

Okay, here's a writing update...

Last weekend on my writing retreat, I wrote non-stop. I went in to the weekend at 11,000 words and by the time I got home Sunday afternoon, I was at 38,000 words. By Monday night, I hit my 50,000 word goal. Actually NaNoWriMo is thirty days to 50,000 words but I was in such a groove that I wanted to hit that goal early on in the month.

Then I had the last three chapters of my book to finish editing thanks to my critique partner and then had to re-format the file and submit it again to Create Space and order my proof copy.

I had to then edit three chapters for my critique partner's book and get that back to her and correct 8 assignments from the online dialogue class that I am teaching PLUS critique/correct a research paper that one of my former students sent to me and asked for help on. My fingers feel like they are both super-glued to a keyboard and permanently bent to the "home row" position.

This week I need to come up with four Disney-related blog posts to submit to a site that I've been working with, while writing and editing and teaching, and cleaning and working my job.

Can we all say hand cramp?

Riddle Me This...

2011-11-12T18:00:00.002-05:00

So Michael brought home his progress reports last week. One from each class. Now I know that I am not very good with math (I admit it, Cathleen!) but this makes NO sense to me whatsoever!

These are his scores in one of his classes:
100
93
98
0
88

He has a 95.5 on his project
but a 47 on his classwork

His average in class? A 62.9%. Which, using the STUPID 7 point scale, means that he is failing this class!

So to answer the question plaguing us all, no, I am NOT smarter than a fifth grader (or in this case, a sixth grader).

I hear bicycles are making a comeback...

2011-11-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

So Nick's car died; it's in the shop being worked on but he has been without it for two weeks. With my work schedule, my car basically just sits in the parking lot not doing a whole lot of anything and so it really made sense to let the boy borrow the car while I was at work so that he could get things done.

What kind of things, you ask? Well, let me give you a little backstory. He has had a job at a local supermarket for about three years. They suck. They jerk him around, they don't give him a steady schedule and basically, he cannot support himself on that job. So a friend of mine heard of a temp position at her company (a nursing home) that was a three-month thing. It was a 40 hour work week at $10 an hour. Score! He went, he applied, he got the job and took a leave of absense from the supermarket thing.

Well, after a couple of weeks at the nursing home, they were telling him how much they loved him, how great of a job he was doing and that when the three month gig was over, he had a job if he wanted it. He was totally psyched. He was making more money than he ever had, he bought himself a laptop, he was living large.

(insert doom-inspired music here)

So two weeks ago, they offer him a legit job. They let the person go who he was covering for and offered him the job. He was thrilled. No more supermarket, no more struggling, he was going to make some serious money and not have to rely on anyone for anything. Well, two days later they call him in to the office and were like "Um...we need someone with more experience. We're going to hire someone else BUT if you want to work in the dining room, you can talk to that department. It's half the hours and $2 an hour less but hey...you'll still be working for us."

There is a certain corner of hell reserved for people like this.

So his car dies, he's looking at almost $2000 in car repairs (yes, it's mostly the whole engine) and he goes in to work on that Monday and at 3:30 they tell him they hired someone and his services are no longer needed. Bye-bye. Freaking out, he goes to the dining people and they're like "Oh, we didn't know you were going to be available so quick; we offered the job to someone else."

So to recap, he's got no car and now he has no job.

Then there's me and my car. Now remember, I taught the boy how to drive. I'm a fairly good driver. He is a very cautious driver (now) but there is still something to be said about giving the child who drove through red lights and stop signs because, hey, nothing happened when he did, that makes me want to cringe just a little bit.

If his car isn't fixed soon, I'm buying him a bike and a warm coat and wishing him well...

Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday

2011-11-10T18:00:00.001-05:00

So I have not mentioned my author/BFF Susan Mallery in a little while but I wanted to let you know what she's been up to.

Out on ebook format (Kindle) is "Only Us: A Fool's Gold Holiday" which is part of the Fool's Gold series she's been doing and that I have been cheering for these last four months. This is an ebook exclusive novella and believe me when I say, it makes a great addition to the series and helps get me through until the next trilogy comes out. You can click on the title (above) and go and order yours from Amazon. If you don't have an e-reader (like me) you can download a Kindle for PC for FREE for your home computer. Sweet!

But the absolute BEST part?? I am part of the dedication!!! How cool is that??? Susan dedicated this book to her cheerleaders. I have to admit, it was very cool to see my name in one of her books.

YOU ROCK, SUSAN!!!

Male Pride = Female Rant

2011-11-09T18:00:00.002-05:00

So I have a new part-time job. Lucky, lucky me. I am now cleaning my office once a week. Seriously, I'm not complaining because the extra money has most definitely been a blessing and I know that I am lucky to have any job right now.

Part of the reason I took the job was because Frank had been out of work for so long. When the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it. I told Frank, however, that he needed to help.

Sigh...

He was really not as, shall we say, appreciative of the opportunity and has come along and helped me...kicking and screaming and grumbling and griping the whole way.

For the most part I can deal with his nonsense and just let it go. But Friday night when I was trying to get the cleaning done (we normally do it on a Saturday) because I was going on my retreat and did not want to have to come in on the weekend, and so he met me there at five with a MAJOR attitude going on. Let's just call it "Bitch Factor". He brought Michael with him and if everyone just did what they were supposed to, it would have been done in 90 minutes.

Well, Friday's are a completely different beast because there were still people in the office and this equaled (in his brain) a MAJOR problem. I guess pride-wise, he did not want anyone to witness his doing the office cleaning and although every single person there was super friendly and polite to him, he was just in a mood.

After about an hour I was like "What is your deal?" and yes, I was snippy. He went in to the whole schpeel about how he doesn't want to do this, he hates the whole cleaning gig, blah, blah, blah, and tops it with "And I worked all day". So I reminded him that so had I.

BBIIIIIGGGGGG Mistake.

He looked around the office and was like "Yeh, that chair looks like it's real uncomfortable to sit in while in this nice air conditioned office". Suddenly he's acting like he climbs mountains in the arctic or in the jungle somewhere. That was it. The gloves came off and I "reminded" him that I would not have had to TAKE the damn job if HE had gotten off his butt ONCE during the last six months and put in a REAL effort in to finding a job. I "mentioned" that this cleaning gig will help us to have Christmas this year.

And yes, those quotation marks do signify sarcasm.

I was so annoyed with him that I almost beat him to death with my Swifter!!

What a difference a second pair of eyes makes...

2011-11-08T18:00:00.001-05:00

So I have had a GREAT time with my critique partner. Her looking over my book has been such a blessing. She had some great ideas on how to tighten up some things and found some errors that I had missed.

One of the greatest things that she gave me was confidence. You know, I had two friends read my book in various stages of completion and because they were my friends, they gave me the “good friend” response when I asked what they thought of it “It was really good!” But having a stranger read your work and tell you that they love it?? PRICELESS!!!

She has boosted my confidence like you cannot believe. The best thing that she said to me was that the book wasn’t long enough because she didn’t want it to end. She loved my characters and wanted to keep on being a part of their lives. LOVED that!

So as of now, with all of the edits complete, I have to re-submit the file to Create Space and read the proof and then we are a GO for publication!!! YIPPEEE!!! It should be out on Kindle by Thanksgiving. How exciting is that??? When that happens, I will put a link to it up here on the blog so that you can go right to it and buy tons of copies so that we can make up for Frank being out of work for months!!!

Remember, it's almost time for Christmas!!!

Running Screaming from the Building!

2011-11-07T18:00:00.006-05:00

Sometimes it just seems like by the end of the day, no matter where I am, I feel battered and worn the heck out! Work has been crazy lately; there just seems to be crisis on top of crisis on top of crisis to the point that when 5:00 hits, I am running from the building!

Then there is the literal need to run from the building because there are a hundred things to get done once I leave the office. With Nick having no car, he is using mine while I’m at work – and THAT is SOOOO going to be a blog topic in the future, believe me. But he’s here, pacing, talking, yammering and I feel the need to get him out of the building as quickly as possible. Then there’s the speech therapist that comes to the house once a week that I have to rush home to, and small group/bible study, and picking up Michael from ping pong club…I mean, I am in a perpetual state of rushing around and it is exhausting.

But I think the most precise moment of running screaming from the building came Friday night when I was trying to get going to my writing retreat. I had worked 12-5 and then cleaned the office from 5-7 and by that point I was like “Stick a fork in me, I’m done”. Time seemed to crawl. As I mopped my way out the door, I was practically coming out of my own skin in my rush to get going.

I long for the days when 5:00 didn’t mean escape. I long for the days that whenever I get home, I get home. Slower days, that’s the dream.

The Retreat is Over...

2011-11-06T18:00:00.005-05:00

...And this is how I feel.

Acapella Medley of Disney Songs.

2011-11-05T11:46:00.001-04:00

A friend and fellow Mouseclub-er's husband sent this to me via Facebook and I just thought it was amazing. Even if you are not a Disney fan, the musical talent of these young men is just mind-blowing!

Enjoy!

The Friday Countdown Is On!!!

2011-11-04T06:54:00.000-04:00

It's Friday! It's Friday!! It's Friday!!!

Yes, I know, most people feel the same way mainly because it means that the work week is over and the weekend is here but for me, not only is that part true but it also means that I am heading off for my writing retreat this weekend! I am leaving after dinner tonight and heading back to the little cottage that belongs to some friends and spending the weekend mostly in my jammies and writing until my hands cramp and my eyes explode!

Sounds fun, right?

The timing is great because this has been a particularly harsh week - Nick's car died (blown head) and he lost his job. I don't know which one of us was on the more severe suicide watch - me or him. Actually, he is handling the whole situation better than I am and I am so proud of him but it's just added a lot more stress to my life.

I hate that we can't help him out more. I hate that he is going to have to struggle to get out of this situation but I also know that this will make him stronger. Me? It's making me want to go to the cottage and eat chocolate chip muffins and wash them down with Yoo-Hoo's all weekend long!

I'll try and not do that, but I make no promises...

Channelling Peter Brady...

2011-11-02T22:27:00.000-04:00

So I have an eleven year old. He's adorable. He's growing like a weed and makes me giggle a lot. He has the greatest laugh.

His voice is changing.

I am SO...NOT...READY...FOR...THIS.

I didn't notice it so much at first. There was a squeak here, a gruffness there. But lately, I'm noticing it more and more and I have to admit that it's freaking me out. I don't remember how old Nick was when his voice started to change but this whole voice thing added to the ginormous growth spurt he's had and his interest in girls, well...I don't like it.

I want my baby back!!!

HELP!!! ENTRECARD ADVICE NEEDED!!!

2011-11-02T09:15:00.001-04:00

Okay, so it seemed like Entrecard got the bugs out and things were moving back at a normal speed. My stats dropped drastically because of the days that I could NOT drop but I'm okay with that.

Now we've got a new issue. Well, actually, two. When ever I was doing my drops, and I was using the Entrecard toolbar, Mozilla would lock up. I mean flat out lock up. It would take anywhere from 5-10 minutes to get it clear again and I'd maybe get to drop on 10 sites and then BAM! it would freeze again.

So in my growing frustration - and I knew it wasn't an internet problem because the desktop is working fine and when I'm not doing drops, we're fine. Tonight I decided that maybe the problem was Firefox. So I updated Firefox to the 7 version and now the toolbar is not compatible! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

So to re-cap, first I couldn't drop because Mozilla kept freezing and now I can't drop because I can't get the toolbar to load and for the life of me, I don't even know how to do drops effectively without the toolbar. OY!

Anybody have any suggestions??? Anyone???

TODAY'S THE DAY!!!

2011-11-01T18:33:00.000-04:00

So today is finally here! It's November 1st!! I actually sat down this morning after NOT doing an outline and started the great American NaNoWriMo 2011 Challenge and I already am at almost 1,900 words!!! Yeah, me!!! The goal is to write something like 1600 words per day in order to get it all done by November 30th and I plan on writing more tonight so I am totally getting in to the groove.

Come on, fellow writers! JOIN ME!!!

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

2011-10-31T09:06:00.002-04:00

Personally, I am not a fan of Halloween AT ALL but apparently my kids are. So I struggle to get through it - even all of the candy doesn't thrill me. I'd gladly buy them giant bags of candy if they'd stay home! But if this is a holiday that you enjoy, then have fun and enjoy it!

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo!!

2011-10-30T20:52:00.002-04:00

It is that time of year again...thirty day, 50,000 words...it is just way too exciting! That's right, November is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo and I am totally psyched to get started!!!

I'm not as prepared as I was last year but more prepared than I was the year before. Does that make sense?? So my plan is to bang out a brief outline of what I want to write about and sort of ease in to it this coming week and then next weekend, when I am at my writing retreat, to just right like a fiend. Again, so EXCITING!!

The website is up and running, although it is still flipping out with the amount of traffic it is seeing. I am hoping they get all the bugs out by Tuesday because it's quite annoying when you can't get on the site to do what you want to do.

My work is untitled, my characters are sketchy at best but I am just so looking forward to just having a goal like this that I just can't even describe it! You know, it's kind of stupid that I wait for November to do this because really, I can do it on my own at any time - you know, give myself the same goal and then do it but there is something about going to that darn website and getting caught up in all of the frenzy that motivates me. Crazy, right?

Either way, if you don't see me around here much in November, it's is because I am using all of my words and typing skills to get to the 50,000 word finish line. Woo-hoo!!

Watching the end of a life..

2011-10-29T14:50:00.000-04:00

So Nick got a job working in a nursing home. You know, it all seemed like a good idea at the time - more money, more hours, close to home, all of the things that are important when looking for a job.

His first full day on the job was a bit of a shock to him. First of all, we've not spent a lot of time in nursing homes. He's only been to one maybe four times and that was down in Florida when we visited my step-mother. I mean, maybe three hours MAX. He came for dinner and was like "Did you know...?" and the list of topics was endless. He had no idea that patients could not, shall we say, "care" for themselves to that degree. He was not prepared for the fact that many patients wear adult diapers and go in the bed.

The smell was a big obstacle for him to overcome. He is basically a janitor in charge of the floors and so he is all over the place cleaning. There is one patient in the Alzheimer's ward who has taken an interest in him. She's a large, 80 year old woman and she has cornered him in a closet more than once. He's been called a "dirty Mexican" even though he does not look Hispanic and he has witnessed very sad scenes of loneliness - patients holding dolls and calling them their babies.

He works the third shift and for the first month there, if anyone passed, it happened when he was not there. Well, the other night he was there and one of the patients asked him if he could please get a nurse and he asked if she was okay and she said "No...I'm dying". She was very calm, he said, and so he ran and got the nurse and when they got back to the room, the woman was taking her last breaths. He was profoundly moved by this.

This was not something that I thought about when we talked about him taking this job. There was another patient who he had called his adopted grandma and she passed away one day when he wasn't there. That's a lot of death to deal with in such a short time.

I've dealt with a lot of death in my life - grandparents, aunts, uncles and a cousin, but there was time between these events. My boor boy is having this happen in a very short amount of time and I just hope that it doesn't toughen him to the point that death or losing someone doesn't mean anything to him.

Touch life lessons...

It all started with a forgotten key...

2011-10-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

So I'm at work the other day and Michael calls me. I was shocked because I always WANT him to call when he gets home from school, but he never does. So I answer the phone, happy to hear his voice and he tells me that he forgot his key and so he is locked out of the house. It is 3:50 in the afternoon.

Okay, fine, I can do this. I go to my boss, explain the situation and I'm like "It's gonna be about 25-30 minutes round trip to get there and back" and she's like "You can just go home for the day". Part of me was like YIPPEE! while the other part of me was agonizing over losing the hour of work. But I left.

I get home, there's my boy sitting on the porch and as I walk to the door, I happen to look back at my car and notice that my front tire is really low. I mean REALLY low as in almost flat. I panicked because I noticed it was low the other day and Frank had put air in but now it looks like it's more than a slow leak.

So we go inside, Michael has a snack and I realize that we have yet to get a pumpkin. When he was done eating, we left, put air in the tire and went in search of a pumpkin. It was actually a very short search because we found a good one right away at the local supermarket. This leads me to go in to grab a few things. Okay, so we're back in the car with our loot and I think about the tire again and remember that there is this stuff called Fix-a-Flat.

Now we're on the way to Target. Okay, fine, groceries in the car, it will have to be a quick trip to Target. Frank calls and I'm telling him all that is going on and he's like "Hey, you know that new road that was being built...?" Let me interject here. When he is working, he tends to work in Raleigh. I almost NEVER go to Raleigh, particularly the part of Raleigh that he is speaking of. I think the last time I was on the road he was asking about was six months ago. So he wants to know where this new road leads to. Really? And I'm the first person you think of to ask? Why not just DRIVE on the new road? I mean, you're right there!

Apparently, he did not appreciate my observation and hangs up in a snit.

We get the Fix-a-Flat (and some more things because we're in Target) and head home to start dinner. Michael had a nightmare of a homework assignment and after HOURS of arguing about it, we finally just decide that he'll have to talk to the teacher and I will send a note (which I will later forget to do).

Next morning, I get up early to go to a once-a-month cleaning gig that I do with a friend to find, surprise, surprise, a flat tire! Frank had yelled the night before because I put air in the tire BEFORE the Fix-a-Flat but really, my first priority had been to put air in the damn tire! So now, he can use the Fix-a-Flat because that tire is FLAT!

So, Fix-a-Flat in and now I have to drive it for a couple of miles and top off the air. Okay, I can do that and STILL get to the cleaning gig with minimal delays. I drive, I go to a gas station, wait on the line for AIR (go figure) and I turn off the car. When I go to start it again, it's dead.

I kid you not.

Now, I'm stuck at the gas station. Perfect. I call Frank and I'm like "I'm dead at the gas station" he's like "What do you mean?"

SIGH...

I repeat myself and he's like "I'm not following you..." I'm like "THE CAR HAS DIED AND WON'T START!" There may have been a nasty name added to that statement, but for the sake of the story, we'll leave that out. So he's like, "What am I supposed to do?" Um...how about come and help me?? Michael had just left for the bus and he wanted to make sure he got on it before coming to the gas station. Okay, fine, I'll wait and in the meantime, I'll call our dear mechanic friend and see if he can help.

After listening to me make car noises (it wasn't fun) we decided it's quite possibly the battery. Frank jumps the car, I drive it to the mechanic (who I LOVE!) and he takes care of it and tells me there is a nail in my tire. That is clearly going to have to wait because the battery is the more important repair at the moment and the Fix-a-Flat seems to be doing an okay job. In the meantime, I have to go to the cleaning gig, clean like a fiend and then go home and shower, change, eat lunch and then go to my real job. By this point, I am beyond ready to call it a day.

I work until five, go home, grab Michael and then meet Frank in Raleigh for dinner because I had a coupon for one free dinner at Outback that was about to expire. We eat, we hang out, then he leaves to go to the band and Michael and I hit the mall. I had a Bath & Body Works coupon on the verge of expiration, too, and needed some Sea Island Cotton scrub! It's a weakness, so sue me!

I did not walk in the door to my house until 8:00. I had left it at 7:00 in the morning. I do not want another day like this EVER!!! And to top it off, "Modern Family" was a repeat and I forgot to watch "Psych"! Clearly, I just needed to go to bed...

Who knew happiness was a crime??

2011-10-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

I know you haven't been able to tell it too much around here lately, but basically I am a happy person. I love to laugh, I love to have fun, I love making other people laugh with me.

This, apparently, is a very bad thing to some people.

When I first started my job, I was pretty psyched to be there and trying to make friends and everyone was like "Are you this happy all the time?" and I was like "Yes" and they were like "Crap". As time has gone on, I still try to not let what is going on at home spill over in to the office - so I go in with a smile on my face, I laugh and joke on the phone with our customers and STILL people are annoyed with me about it.

I don't get it...I get annoyed when people are in pissy moods and nasty, I never thought of getting annoyed with people for being pleasant and happy and laughing. What is up with that???

So now I'm in an awkward position - I have no idea how to behave. I cannot help who I am; I like to laugh and I laugh easily with people. Several customers have told me that they love when I answer the phone because I make them happy. Do I stop laughing so that my co-workers aren't annoyed? I just don't know and really, what a stupid problem to have!

Just what I need, more stupidity in my life!

Playing in the Hurrican Booth...

2011-10-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

Have you seen these things? it's a booth that you go in to and pay $2.00 to experience hurricane force winds for like two minutes.

So tonight we're at the mall and Michael sees the booth and he's like "OH MY GOD!!! I HAVE $2!!" So we put him in the booth, put in our two buck and all of a sudden, the wind kicked up and there was my curly headed boy, giggling up a storm with...wait for it...straight hair!!! It was great! I wish I had my camera with me because it's not often these days that my eleven year old just gets silly.

Best use of $2 EVER!

A Vision Board...

2011-10-25T10:29:00.002-04:00

This whole concept completely cracked me up. If you can get beyond some of the crude comments, it's actually quite funny. And you knows what's even funnier? I actually thought of making one...just so that I have something positive to look at and dream of!!!

Crazy!!!

Looking like a rock star...

2011-10-24T15:03:00.009-04:00

At the show last weekend, there was a photographer there taking pictures of the band and this was one that he got of Frank. Pretty cool, right? His name is Scott Chmelar and he is a pretty amazing photographer here in Raleigh. Thanks for the great photos, Scott!

Photo by Scott Chmelar

I wanna quit the bank!

2011-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

Okay, so my situation is a little bit different but I really think that I want to quit my bank. They just changed names and they are doing things differently and after 16 years of great service, I don't think I like the "new" bank. Free checking will no longer be free, their emails are annoying and quite frankly, for all of the notices that they bombarded me with for months alerting me to the big change, do I have my new debit/atm card? No.

I wanna quit the bank! Ah, classic Chandler. I miss "Friends"...

Game intervention...

2011-10-22T15:18:00.000-04:00

You know, it's gotten to the point where I really don't read anyone's status or catch up with anyone on Facebook anymore, it's all about the games.

I have like 11 current games of Scrabble going, two Words with Friends and then there are the games that I just play solo - who knew there were so many different and addictive versions of Solitaire out there??

Either way, my day starts out with games and normally ends with them too. It keeps my brain from working too hard and also helps me to keep my thoughts off of how sucky things have been around here. So that can't be wrong, can it?

I won't do anything crazy again like that restaurant/cooking game that I did for a while on Facebook where you had to keep making the virtual food all the damn time. That was too much. But some mindless games just for funsy sake is a good thing.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

How do you stay happy and engaged while working?

2011-10-21T06:52:00.008-04:00

This question was recently raised by BlogHer and I have to admit, it intrigued me. Why? Because, for the most part, I don't usually put "work" and "happy" in the same sentence. It's not that I don't like my job, I do, it's just that most days, it's a struggle to do the whole working mom/wife/juggling thing.

So what do I do? After some thought I realized that there are some things that I do to maintain that whole happy/engaged thing. For starters, I make it a point to stay in touch with people that mean something to me. I may not do it in conventional ways (thank you for the 47 games of Scrabble that we keep up, Cathleen!) but even a quick phone call to say hello to a friend helps keep my spirits up.

I take about 15 minutes after work to just have "me" time. Whether I lock myself in the bathroom with a book or put on my iPod, I take that time to just let the day roll off of me so that I can put all of my focus back on my husband and kids and have a peaceful night with them.

I do things that make me happy (or try to) in my spare time. You all know I love to write and so I try to work on that as much as possible in my spare time or pick up a good book (Susan Mallery, anyone?). I think that if you get to do the things you like in the hours you are not working, you'll have a better attitude for those hours when you are working.

What about you? Where do you find your balance? How do you stay happy and engaged while working? BlogHer has a great article on the subject written by Dr. Aymee called "4 Steps Toward Serenity While Working". Interesting. It's definitely worth checking out. Also, you can enter the Life Well Lived Sweepstakes on BlogHer for a chance to win a $250 Visa giftcard - and wouldn't that help in making you happy???

Share with us here what you do to make you happy and then head over to BlogHer and share it with even more people and remember...happiness is a good thing!

Can you take the critique?

2011-10-20T08:07:00.002-04:00

Okay, so there have been some stumbling blocks on the way to self publication and I decided to not look at them as negative things. It's not easy. One of the things that I did was find a critique partner.

One of the writer's websites that I belong to offers that service. You sign up that you are looking for a critique partner, list what you write, what kind of stories you like and don't like and then they put out the list like once a month and you can see if there is anyone who matches what you are looking for. Actually, someone contacted me.

I was a little hesitant at first because this is where the rubber hits the road. What if this person reads my work and tells me it stinks? What if they have all these suggestions and there is no way for me to incorporate them without changing my entire story? Well, the upside to that is that, really, I don't have to listen. They are suggestions and as such, I can say "thanks" and just not use them. But I have to tell you, so far so good.

In return of reading my work, I read theirs. We are doing this three chapters at a time and I have to tell you, it's challenging. First because my time is already so limited and secondly because the writing teacher in me came out in full-force when I read their first three chapters that after I sent them back with my suggestions, I felt bad. I told Frank how I felt and he was like "Well, kiss that gig goodbye. I doubt you'll hear form them again."

But I did. We're on to our second set of three chapters and I am looking forward to getting some feedback since I'm trying to bulk up the story by 100 pages - which is no easy task. This could be the best use of what I thought was negative time. Who knew?

Motrendus LIVE @ Volume 11 in Raleigh, October 15, 2011

2011-10-19T09:21:00.000-04:00

So Frank's band played Saturday night at a club in downtown Raleigh. I can't help but say...I really like watching him play!

Nope, nothing there...

2011-10-18T09:19:00.001-04:00

I used to consider myself to be a fairly creative person. I could write for hours on end, have multiple stories going on, scrapbook, cook, blog...I mean, it just came easy. Now? Not so much.

I am gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I cannot focus on any kind of a story. Oh, and FYI, I even booked my little writing retreat cottage so that I COULD write endlessly without interruption but now I have a feeling I will be curled up in the fetal position eating Chinese food and BBQ potato chips while I cry for an entire weekend.

Where did my creative spark go? True, I have been just a wee-bit distracted with the horrors that are my life right now but you think that would create some sort of fun world in my head for me to escape to, right?

Clearly, no.

Even coming up with what to make for dinner makes my brain hurt! Although, I did concoct some KILLER seafood quesadillas the other night. Seriously, they were so good I almost made myself sick. I both love and hate when that happens. That was the most inspired I've been in quite some time and for someone who is a foodie who likes to cook, that's sad.

I long for the days where my brain functioned normally. And really hope that this, too, isn't one of those pesky signs of aging...that would really suck.

Seriously, Entrecard, you're killing me!

2011-10-17T08:30:00.002-04:00

You know, I have a love/hate relationship with Entrecard. I do really well with it for a time and then I get away from it and it seems like when I am hitting my stride and doing great with my drops everyday, they start having technical issues.

This last week has been one of those times.

I have had my standard hour of drops go closer to two because the widgets won't load or the sites won't load...whatever the issue is, it is killing me!! I just want to go and do my drops and get on with it but no. For a site that's been doing this for years, they still can't seem to get themselves together.

The site gives you the whole "We're sorry...technical difficulties...blah, blah, blah..." but whatever the case, I'm not feeling too kindly towards them right now. So if I haven't dropped on you in a few days, please don't blame me, put the blame where it belongs...with Entrecard!!!

Seriously, it's NOT a competition!

2011-10-16T20:01:00.001-04:00

Hello, my name is Stace and I am poor.

This is not an invitation for you to compete with me on your level of poorness, too. This is not an opening for you to tell me why you are poorer than me or why your lack of money is worse than mine.

Remember the days when we all wanted to do BETTER than one another? What happened to those days?? Why am I ranting about this? Because recently I had a conversation with someone that I am close to and just sort of shared very briefly what's been going on with us. I didn't go in to great detail, it was just like "Things are really tough right now and I'm stressed, blah, blah, blah..."

Their response was to tell me about how they returned from a vacation to have two of their utilities shut off and how much they are struggling to keep up with their bills. Okay, fine. I sort of felt that it was relatable and we were done. BUT...I come to find out that it was all a big, fat LIE. No utilities were shut off, no struggling. I mean, really? I get it if you were trying to make me feel better if you were genuinely struggling but this level of competition or "I'm poorer than you" just seems juvenile.

I don't want anyone to compete with me on this. It's ridiculous. I know that there are people in worse condition than we are or who have struggled with the same things, I get it. Don't create drama and lie so that you can seem relatable! That's just insane!

Oy...I just want to have a normal life again...

She Taxi

2011-10-15T11:00:00.001-04:00

So recently I was contacted by this website called "SheTaxi" about advertising here on All Stace and in return they would promote me on their site. I had never heard of them before and decided to check them out. After a couple of issues with getting their badge on here (it's here but it doesn't work for some reason), we are a go.

What is SheTaxi? Well according to their site they are an on-line vehicle taking women through life's journey. We're your resource for life's tools and conversations that go beyond the "superficial". SheTaxi is dedicated to helping women thrive.

Pretty cool, right?

So once I got them set up here on the blog, I went to the site to check them out. You need to create an account - which is no big deal - and then I wen to explore. There was so much to read, see and do that I think it's going to take a while to navigate.

Essentially, if you are familiar with Blog Her, it's kind of similar. They promote women's blogs. They have communities, you can invite friends, they offer advise. It's a cool place to check out. With topics/tabs like SheNess, Motherhood, Daughterhood, Friends, Coupling, Working, Well-Being and SelfHood there is something out there for every woman.

If you have time, click over to SheTaxi and check them out.

Lily's Disneyland Surprise!

2011-10-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

This was just so dang cute that I had to share it. I mean, this little girl just tugged at my heart. The fact that it's Disney-themed is just an extra perk! Enjoy!

Just in case you missed it...

2011-10-13T22:15:00.004-04:00

"Happy Endings"

2011-10-12T09:24:00.002-04:00

You all know that I am not a "sit in front of the TV all night" kind of gal. I have my select few shows that I like and then I move on. Well, a little over a week ago I had finished watching "Modern Family" and I was sitting no the couch doing me entrecard drops and was too lazy to change the channel and so I left it where it was and on came "Happy Endings".

Have you seen this show?? I was cracking up! It's a familiar premise with the group of friends casting but it just made me laugh like crazy! Here's the synopsis from the ABC website:

Forget who gets to keep the ring -- when a couple splits, the real question is, who gets to keep the friends? In this modern comedy, a couple's break-up will complicate all of their friends' lives and make everyone question their choices. When life throws you for a curve, hold on tight to the people you love. Every circle of friends has someone who's the gravitational center. For years, perfect couple Dave and Alex drew their friends in and held them together. Now that they've split, does this group have the stuff to stay together? Or do Max, Brad, Jane and Penny have to choose sides? Suddenly every event is a negotiation... like, who gets to go on the annual ski trip? There are a lot of big questions to be answered, but this group has been together so long, somehow, little by little, they'll figure out how to hold on, even though their center is split up. It helps that Dave and Alex have agreed to stay friends. But there will definitely be other complications down the road. This show isn't afraid to ask the embarrassing personal questions that inevitably arise in every long-term, close-knit group of friends.

Happy Endings stars Eliza Coupe (Scrubs) as Jane, Elisha Cuthbert (24) as Alex, Zachary Knighton (FlashForward) as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. (The Underground) as Brad and Casey Wilson (Saturday Night Live) as Penny.

This is actually the second season that has just started and I am anxious to watch the first one and totally get in to the groove of what's going on. Although, to be honest, I felt completely okay with the whole thing tuning in for the season premier.

If you are looking for a great comedy and you're already watching "Modern Family", stick around for the following 30 minutes (and then turn to USA to watch "Psych"). Wednesdays are a great night to laugh!

GO TEAM SPIRIT!!

2011-10-11T09:16:00.002-04:00

An unfamiliar phenomenon happened here in my house this week. My middle schooler asked if he could stay after school and go to the football game.

What the WHAT???

I know, completely bizarre. No one in this house is a sports fan or participant. Well, we watch hockey but only if the NY Rangers are playing. But I digress, Michael has always been athletically "gifted" and I say gifted because to the rest of us here in the house, he's a marvel. But I'm not sporty or outdoorsy, Nick had no interest in team sports whatsoever and Frank just...well, never wanted to do the sports thing.

So here's my boy, with his money that he's saved, telling us that he has the $4 for his ticket and could he please go to the game. How could I say no? We made a plan, he told us which friends he was going with, he had his cell phone and knew the time we were going to pick him up. When he got home, he was fairly GLOWING. He had a great time, was psyched about his school's team winning and talked about all of the friends that he saw there...it was amazing.

I am thinking that this time next year I will be sitting in the bleachers cheering him on, myself. It's kind of a cool thought...

Work...issues

2011-10-10T10:18:00.002-04:00

I have a friend on Facebook who often complains that one of her co-workers sings all the time. She's not opposed to singing in general, she's opposed to BAD singing that goes on all day, all the time. I think that would definitely grate on my nerves after a while but what about a co-worker with, shall we say, more offensive habits?

Okay, I work with someone who is well aware that they have digestive "issues" and yet doesn't seem to care that when they eat certain things, their body makes certain sounds that are EXTREMELY offensive to the rest of us. Yes, I'm talking about burping and farting. There, I've said it. It's not a once in a while thing, it is daily. They apologize, say 'excuse me' but basically, it makes me throw up a little with each sound they make because...and here's the kicker...when they sit down to eat the offensive food, they ADMIT that this is not good for them and they are eating it anyway.

THAT IS WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL!

If you want to eat stuff that makes you...make noise, do it at home! Have it for dinner! Why would you do that to the people around you? We have ALL complained about it and they laugh! You can't blame cluelessness because we have all said "STOP EATING THAT!" and told them why!

I've been temped to go to the bosses but what do you say? How do you, as an adult and without laughing, say that your co-workers digestive problems are becoming a problem for you? Is there a way to say that without sounding stupid or petty? I just don't know...

This blog is brought to you by the letter "F"

2011-10-09T20:13:00.002-04:00

So I'm on the laptop the other night and I went to log in to my email account. I signed in and got an error message that my password was incorrect. Okay, fine, I typed it again. Still wrong. This went on or quite a while and I tried not to freak out because Road Runner is sometimes funky. I put the laptop down and went over to the desktop.

Next day I pick up the laptop and go to sign on and it says that my Windows password is incorrect. I kid you not. So now I'm freaking out because there is no way for me to retrieve that password because I cannot find the disc and pretty much was having a nervous breakdown because everything that I've written is on here and I stupidly had never made back up discs. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

After much yelling and crying and generally losing my mind I decided to try one more time. I typed in my password SLOWLY. I watched as each character appeared on the screen and lo and behold...the F key would not type! The letter F key is sticking and I cannot get it to unstick! You have no idea how difficult it was to even type this post!

Crazy, I tell you...just crazy!!!

Don't be offended if I put my fingers in my ear and ignore you...

2011-10-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

I know, I know...I'm depressing to listen to (or read) these days but seriously things have got to get better eventually.

Deep down, I can be very petty. I don't believe that to be a good thing but there it is. I don't basque in others misfortune or anything but I do struggle with listening to all of the good things that are going on in other people's lives when mine is falling apart.

For example, right now four people I know went on fabulous vacations. Basically, I do not begrudge them their vacations, but I am having a VERY hard time wanting to sit and talk about them, and hear about them. Three of the four are most gracious in this way; the fourth? Not so much. They want to cram their vacation down my throat.

You see, it wasn't JUST a vacation, it was a FABULOUS vacation. It was the BEST vacation. They had the BEST place to stay and had the BEST food and they spent SO MUCH money and it was TOTALLY worth it. By the third sentence I wanted to scream. I mean, I'm sitting here eating canned soup for the third day in a row and so your little "All-you-can-eat-lobster-fest" is really not appealing to me on any level.

Am I wrong? Am I just overly sensitive? But would you go to someone who is homeless and brag about your trip to Paris? Would you walk through the pediatric ward in the hospital and tell the parents there how healthy and wonderful your kids are? I just think that if we're going to talk about it, have a little sensitivity, you know? I will politely ask how your trip was (because it's the elephant in the room) but we do not need to spend ENDLESS hours talking about it, do we?

This is where the mean-girl in me fights to come out and just smack somebody.

Amazingly enough, time does NOT stand still...

2011-10-07T19:21:00.000-04:00

As a parent, you have the responsibility of teaching certain life necessities to your children. How to walk, how to talk, how to have good manners at the table, tie your shoes, tell time, etc. Then, as your child gets older and goes to school, the teacher then reinforces all of these things.

How is it, then, that I happen to have a child with NO sense of time??? I mean, we have a discussion DAILY on time: it's time to get up, it's time to get ready for school, it's time to go to the bus stop, it's time to do your homework, it's time for dinner and it's time for bed. We are fairly routine-oriented people. Wake up is at 6:30, he leaves for the bus at 7:13, homework is to be started at 5:00, dinner is promptly at 7:00 and bedtime is 10:00.

It doesn't seem to matter what is going on but whenever I mention the time the response is usually "WHAT? ALREADY?" Yes, son, time does not stop because you are sleeping, eating, playing a video game or whatever. I'm getting kind of tired of the whole darn thing. I mean, we have clocks in every room - sometimes more than one! What time it is and what that time signifies should come to no great surprise DAILY.

I think it's time for me but him a timer...

"Surprises" in the mail...

2011-10-06T07:25:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago, someone had broken in to my car right here in our driveway. It kind of ticked me off because the car is parked practically right outside my bedroom window and Frank is a nightowl who stays up until 3-4 in the morning and neither of us had heard anything.

It was a Monday morning when Frank was driving Michael to school when they both "thought" something was missing, but decided to say nothing to me. The following morning, after driving Michael to school, Frank said "Did you take the DVD players out of the car?" I had not and so I called the cops.

Since we didn't know when the actual theft had occurred, the cops took our statement and pretty much told us that there was little to no chance of finding the people responsible and that there had been a rash of car breakins in the area. Good-bye and good luck.

I was not happy. They were dual screened portable DVD players and we usually only used them on long car trips but after our last one to wherever, the boys wanted them to stay in the car or were too lazy to take them out, whatever. They cost $179 and that's not money that we usually have to spare. I filed a claim with our insurance company but with our deductible, we weren't getting anything.

Yesterday in the mail I get a letter from a lawyer's office. It scared the crap out of me because with all that's going on lately, I was sure that someone was after me for not paying something. I open it up and after reading the letter like a half a dozen times it turns out that the car thief was actually CAUGHT, has been in jail and is now getting ready to be released and has been ordered to pay us the $179! I have no idea if we'll actually ever SEE that money but I find it odd that we were never contacted to be let known that the police had actually caught anyone!

I'm not holding out much hope but it would be nice to get that money back...maybe soon...

If you haven't read it yet, you should!

2011-10-05T15:00:00.000-04:00

My time as a cheerleader is coming to an end and I'm kind of sad about the whole thing. I never quite made it to the top of the list - although I was cheerleader of the week once! - but I had so much fun doing this, you cannot even imagine.

I learned a lot about marketing and publishing that I know is going to help me with my own writing journey. I think that if you like contemporary fiction and enjoy a good romance, then you should definitely check out Susan Mallery and her Fools Gold series. "Only His" was a great book with a couple of different stories going on at once and actually had me laughing out loud quite a few times.

So if you're looking for a good read this weekend, check out "Only His".

And as if life wasn't bad enough...

2011-10-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

You know, it's really unfair for the universe to kick you when you're down. With the way things have been, there are very few things that give me joy. Chocolate is one of them. Dove dark chocolate in particular.

So I'm food shopping the other day, cruising the aisles with my little calculator to stay within our budget and decided that I could go another week without conditioner so that I could buy the "big" bar of Dove Dark Chocolate. It was a necessity and I was okay with spending that $1.99.

I came home, but the chocolate in the fridge for a little while - I prefer that it not melt in my hands - and went about my business. After dinner, I cleaned up, did some things that I needed to do and then went in to grab a couple of squares of chocolate and...it was BAD. No, not the taste (although I'm sure that wasn't good either) but the SIGHT of it! I opened the package and what should have been dark chocolate was the color of sand! The bar looked old and disgusting and I was SOOOOOO disappointed that I wanted to cry.

It was too late to head back to the store (I was lazy and didn't want to seem like a crazy person harassing the customer service clerk over a chocolate bar at ten o'clock at night) so I waited until the next day. I go, I show them the bar, we laugh, I get a refund and the woman asks if I just want to grab another one. "Oh, no", I say. "That kind of scared me off."

Fifteen minutes later I found myself on line with another one. I'm not strong, I admit it.

I get home, open it up and...IT WAS BAD TOO!!! Son of a bitch!!!

All I needed to feel just a wee bit better about this crap life was a few squares of chocolate and really? Two bad bars?? What are the odds??? Probably pretty good since I bought them both at the same store like an IDIOT.

Sigh...

Actually, it's kind of depressing...

2011-10-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

For those of you keeping track, Frank is still not working. We've hit a new level of low and frankly, it sucks. After the post I wrote last week about having lunch with Yoko, this will all seem ironic but...Frank has been forced to quit the band and we are having to sell his drum equipment.

I. Feel. Like. Crap.

Honestly, there is nothing left of any value in our lives to sell other than the drums and it was his idea. I totally appreciated the sacrifice because his music means the world to him and I had been struggling with the fact that I was making all of the sacrifices and working my butt off while he did nothing, but now that he's doing it, it makes me sad. There was nothing else we could do.

I hate this. I hate that our lives have come to this. I hate that people we know have hired other painters; I hate that all of the things that we have worked towards are gone. I'm tired of people asking stupid questions like "Why doesn't he just get a job" when the nations unemployment rate is like 9.1% and here in North Carolina it's 10.1%. Obviously someone has to be in that stupid percentage and it sucks that it's us.

We also had to post his acoustic/electric guitar for sale and I had to roll up all of our change that I had been saving towards going to see Frank's parents in December. That's the third trip this year that I've had to cancel - not luxury trips, mind you, just trips in general.

I want to move away and start over where I don't know anyone. I want to just crawl under the blankets and go to sleep and not wake up. This is all just too stinkin hard and I don't have the time or energy to keep dealing with stupid people asking stupid questions or making more demands on my time. I'm exhausted - mentally and physically and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Going through clothes like the Hulk...

2011-10-02T20:27:00.000-04:00

Nick went though his growth spurt late. He was like 13 or 14 and even then, it was a slow process. Michael is literally ripping and tearing through his clothes at an alarming rate. We bought him a brand new pair of sneakers right before school started. He went through nine weeks of school and a three week break to get us where we are right now.

His sneakers actually split at the seams! About a month ago. The sole and sneaker came apart! I mean, how often does that happen?? We used crazy glue and some sort of bonding stuff that Frank swore would work and...it did not.

He was a size 12 at the beginning of the school year. He is now a 14. At this rate, I have no idea how big he'll be by the end of the school year! We're not tall people. I'm barely 5'3 and Frank is about 5'9. Neither sets of parents/ grandparents are particularly tall so this is all a bit bizarre to me. I want to put a heavy book on his head and keep him this size for a little bit longer. Not just because of sentimental reasons but because we just cannot afford to buy him more clothes right now!

Why does time have to fly???

Fall is Finally Here!!!

2011-10-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

I know it said on the calendar like a week ago that it was the first day of Autumn, but here in NC it was still quite warm outside. I realized at that point that I had spent about 98% of the summer indoors. Why? I hate the heat. I honestly and truly hate the heat.

I don't enjoy sitting out in the sun tanning myself (I am fair skinned and burn WAY too easily), I don't like to sweat (I'm not one of those "pretty" sweaters... I like blotchy and disgusting) and honestly, I just enjoy the A/C a whole lot more.

While I am sad because this means my days of wearing cute flip flops and showing off my fun pedicure colors are coming to an end, I'm kind of looking forward to wearing a sweater or two. I'm looking forward to my electric bill going down a little from the continuous use of the A/C. We put the flannel sheets on the bed the other day and they kind of felt nice.

Summer is most definitely not my favorite season, it really is the Fall. I'm looking forward to the leaves changing colors and just being able to be outside without being uncomfortable.

Yeah! It's finally here!!