Laughing out loud (literally), the glamor of the author.

I had heard that being a bestselling author was glamorous. More evidence here:

(their website isn't working right now and I had to get this out.)

http://jauntyquills.com/2011/01/10/glamorous-moi/

(never mind. It's working again)

(nope. direct link not working)

(go here: http://jauntyquills.com and look for "glamorous moi")

New Year's Resolutions

1) get back to exercising. THREE times a week, not two. Haven't been to Curves in about a month now, so I need to decide if it will be there or not. Without a place to go work out, I tend to never work out, so I'll stay there for a while.

Though DH is going to have a new contract (YAY!!!) and might not be home when I need him to be. Which also might mean cutting back on volunteer work at school...

2) query agents. Get one to take me on. I'm thinking with my were-fox/shapeshifter story.

3) finish and edit French historicals as well. Amp up the suspense.

4) finish the book that I have not told anyone about. It'll be fairly short and I'm getting close to the end.

And to all a gooooood night!

I tried. I did.

Most of the things on the boys' lists were either expensive ($250 Lego set?) or no-gos (a cell phone? You're 10. And you never make calls) or just not happening (pet).

So I found stuff they would like, not necessarily what they asked for.

I was also trying to get out a bit cheaper than usual - though I don't spend all THAT much any year.

So DS2 didn't like anything. At all. The remote control car he wanted - because his cars and only his cars never work right - DH got him an RC helicopter that is mostly uncontrollable. He got one, small lego set because I thought someone else was getting a big one for the two of them to share. He had already read one of the books (though he will likely want to read it again!). He liked the bathrobe until I went to take a picture of him in it. So, of course, the boring stuff like clothes were an affront and an offense.

DS1 was happier, but then, he got three small lego sets.

DD is pretty happy all around. She's easily pleased and we did get her stuff that we knew would please her.

I got some cool stuff and some chocolate. Woohoo! I'm waitin' and hopin' that my present from my brother was a couple of books that don't come out until the 28th.

DH didn't get a whole lot. He never tells us what he wants and then the slippers allegedly in his size don't fit him.

I'm trying to talk DH into the pet still. I think a cat or two would be great.

Right. Moving on into Christmas

No shopping done yet. Not even stuff I have to mail.

Need to get oil changed in car and SMOG test and registration done by early January.

Tree is up and decorated. Spare decorations around the house. Need to do outside lights.

Need to bake Xmas cookies for cookie exchange.

Need to bake banana bread next Thursday for both kids' classes.

Need to get holiday presents for teachers. If I want anything shipped, I have to get BUSY. (right. ordered t-shirts for 2 of the 3. Not sure what to get for the last one)

And I swear if DS2 gets any more wound up about Xmas, he is going to spend it in... in... in the North Pole.

NaNo and my life

I hit 75K yesterday and am now looking around and everything else I need to do.

DS1 has his red tip test (pre-test, I guess you'd call it) for his junior black belt on Friday. And he hasn't finished all the home stuff he was supposed to do, so unless his moves are completely flawless, he's not going to make it. He can do it in the spring and maybe he'll understand that he has to start early...

I keep meeting with my critique partners (the new one and the brand new new one) and this is the 2nd week in a row that I have nothing for them to read, really. I have to bang out a new ending and some edits to a book that one of them read for me. I also need to finish reading the stuff they gave me last week. So I shouldn't be on the internet.

And 2 parties this Saturday, then no parties at all after that, I don't think.

And Xmas shopping out the yinyang.

And some sewing. Poor DS2 has almost no long trousers and there are some in my sewing heap. Plus warm PJs for those who wear them and maybe a fleece for the boy who doesn't, because he needs jackets, too.

Right. Off to get the toddler down for a happy nap.

Curse you, perimenopause!

Thirty-six freaking days. Which, hey, is better than extra short cycles, right? Only I was PMS-y for about three weeks and have been cramping for about a week.

Stupid hormones.

NaNoWriMo - 50K and counting!

Two days ago, I wrote my 50,000th word toward a new novel. It was only the 14th, but I was really flying, with my characters thought about and my outline done.

So, big celebration! Woohooooooo!

I think I'm 3/4ths of the way through and since I hit 50K, I've been... well.... not writing.

OK, so I spent some time with the toddler today when I would usually have been trying to concentrate. I picked up the dang toys from all over the room that I'm working in (we have a LOT of toys). I read and commented on some chapters for my critique partner and have started revising a draft that she commented on for me (and realized that I managed to give her an older version - which I can't even find in my computer now, so where did THAT come from???)

I also have to get on DS1's case more, because he's way, way behind in the home practice for his karate black belt. Way. Way. Way.

And then, my characters have to spend another week in a carriage and go to the Paris region, where they have to find out if Helene's family are the ones who are trying to kill her. (SPOILER: They're not, really, but they're the key. And it wouldn't really bother them if she croaked)