Christmas 2007

Emma one year old

Emma in doll chair

Chris

Shelby

Emma eating her cake

Autumn thinking about eating cake


Autumn and Ashley

Chris talking to Emma

Kids and dogs

Christmas is almost here--already!

And the babies aren't new any longer. Emma turns a year old on Dec 18 and Autumn is now a year and a half.

Autumn can be so serious at times. Last month, with a serious face, she walked up to my brother and said, "Are you crazy?" Mind you, she had spent the rest of the time jabbering in Croatian or something--and then out of nowhere came that!

Yesterday she said to her great-pappaw (Larry) "Pappaw, are you a communist?" Now I tell you, no one talks about things like that, so where is it coming from? It just cracks us up!

There's something about celebrations that bring on sickness with the kids. Autumn wasn't feeling well on the day of her birthday celebration and was sick the day of her parent's wedding.

Emma had to go to the doctor's yesterday before we had her party. But in spite of it, she was her impish self. She wouldn't let Shelby or Dorinda hold her, wanted her Gammy instead. Her other grandparents were here and I took some pics of her with her other grandfather. And of course we had to have the messy cake eating pictures!

Shelby always takes over her goddaughter, Autumn, when she's around. Autumn loves her. Dorinda wants one of the babies to like her. We're working on that.

Holden and Carson played outdoors and then checkers on the back porch. The weather was hot--yes, it was December 15!

Diana said that Carson's teacher generally writes a note on his paper at the end of the week saying how he did. But in his hand writing at the bottom of the page it said, "Had a very bad week." He's eight years old and very affectionate to us.

We got Emma a large stuffed dog that comes with a blanket. You squeeze it and it growls. You squeeze it's hand and it barks.

Oh, you say Meow to Autumn and she says it back--or moooo and she's right with you.

The dogs like to hang around the babies to see what food they drop so they can grab it quickly! Both Zeus and Icarus got haircuts last week. Larry told them they look handsome and almost human again. Maggie loves the babies--we have to stop her from licking them. I think she thinks of them as puppies! The boys know when to duck and hide from the babies.

OK, time to do some writing--and go pick up sticks from the storm we had this morning. We have lots of trees!

Y'all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy new year!
dee

Emma turns one

Happy First Birthday, Emma

Baby Emma is walking and being ornery now that she's a year old. Below she's with her maternal grandfather, Stan.

Dorinda and Emma

Gammy's girls

Here are the girls--Ashley, Autumn and Emma. They are growing up too fast! But cute to watch.
Dee

Hair Dye

Have anyone else ever noticed that your hair never turns out the same color as they show on the hair dye box? You follow directions. You leave it on X amount of time. You rinse it out. But yet when the color is supposed to be light ash brown--it turns out--get this--BLACK!

Yes, I now have black hair. Far cry from the shade on the box.

Yet, when I get it dyed professionally, it turns out pretty close to the swatch they show me. But sometimes you have to economize and do your own hair, which was the case this past weekend. I mean, why spend that money at the beauty shop when you see those ads on TV that shows how easy it is to acheive the color you want.

Now I know why!

Perhaps I should've used the dye on my white schnauzers who are a dirty gray most of the time from the dirt in the yard as they run a race around and around, stirring up the leaves and sand.

Dee

A life in Dee's day--or so

Boy, it's been a while since I have blogged. OK, what excuse can I give you?

Hmm. My dogs wouldn't let me on the computer? Yeah, that's it. Zeus was blogging, telling everyone about his bad brother, Icarus, and his tattle-tale sister, Maggie.

Zeus wants to play with them. But he can't keep up with them. They run off with the toys or sticks and he tries to chase after them. He simply gives up and hangs out with the old folks.

Hey, Zeus has a birthday on July 28, same as granddaughter Shelby's. Only she likes cats, not dogs!

The babies in the family are growing fast. Autumn turned a year old June 9 and Emma is almost 7 months old. Autumn is serious--takes everything in. And now that she's walking, Zeus doesn't like her. I have no idea why a walking baby scares him, but since he snapped at her, he has to be locked away from her. Icarus, on the other hand, puts up with the babies and Maggie wants to take over as their mothers.

And let's not forget that Dave and Lynn were married a year ago June 10th on our deck. And guess what? They are still madly in love! Maybe I should include them in a romance novel, huh?

Writing--my muse died for a while--but he's returning slowly.

Writing for the confessions is at a stand still for many of us. They've had big changes with their editors and other personnel. A lot of us have decided to take a break from them and do other writing. Or work on our novels.

Novels--Take This Mop and Shove It--I'm working on revisions so I can send it to Wild Rose Press and hope they like it enough to buy it.

Revisions on Death Came to Dinner--a romantic suspense.

Revisions on Home Sweet Home--a woman's fiction.

Time to send out Coming Home to one of the Harlequins--now just do it,

Dee!

I sent out a story to Women's World. The WW loop I'm on has seen more rejections than sales, so that's what I'm expecting, too! But I hope not. My story is entitled Fancy Pants.
One of my son's has epilepsy--petit mal. He had been seizure free for four years and then started having seizures again. His meds had to be changed. But what an ordeal he had to go through. Scary stuff.
I am now the Guppy Web Liason. The Guppies are a fun group. I'm also active with Volusia County Romance Writers. And I'm a member of many other writing groups! It seems once you began writing, you just can't stop.
I have been a newspaper reporter and then worked for 15 years as an educational advisor. So at least I have things to pull from, right? LOL!
That's about it from here for now. Wish you all well.
Dee

Easter at Gamy and Pappaw's house

Gammy Dee and Autumn
Messy Autumn
Baby Emma

Carol Quinto Mini Conference

The Volusia Country Romance Writers had a great conference on April 21, 2007. Guest author speaker was Haywood Smith, author of the Red Hat Club, a New York Times Bestseller, and The Red Hat Rides Again. The Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch appeared on both the USA Today's list and the New York Times Extended Bestseller list.

We found Haywood very entertaining and good choice for guest speaker. If your writing group is looking for a speaker, I'd recommend Haywood Smith.

Also a guest speaker was Elaine Spencer from the Knight Agency. Elaine acts as the liaison between clients, publishers and agents. She is experienced with legal contracts and executive management as well as writing, editing and publishing.

I also found Elaine to be a terrific speaker, giving us a lot of useful information. She's easily approachable and our guests were happy with the way she would answer their questions.

I am happy to say that I was given this year's Carol Quinto Service Award. Carol passed over several years ago. I know she's up there looking down and saying, "You're doing what I wanted you to do--volunteering to keep the chapter going."

We're fortunate in our group to have great people who volunteer and keep our small RWA chapter going. Carol was big on volunteering. I remember the time she called me to say the newsletter editor had to drop out of writing and she wanted me to be the new editor. I tried to tell her I didn't have time, with working and the family. She said, "yes, you can do it. I'll help."

I did it! It was hard to say no to this great lady. She and her husband, Mike, passed away within two months of one another, both from cancer. She's greatly missed.

So now, it's time to get busy and work on my manuscripts so I can send one to Elaine and keep my fingers crossed that she doesn't dislike my work!

Dee

Wow! The Easter bunny is arriving soon!

Here it is--nearly Easter. I know--I haven't posted in a long time. Bad Dee.
We've opened the pool and I'm waiting to see if Bad Icarus falls in. He spent the winter walking across the winter blanket and along the edge of the pool. Now--well, he'll have to swim to the steps and get out.

So, have any of you ever thought about how the Easter bunny gets all the credit for Easter while the chickens actually do most of the work? I mean, they lay the eggs. Others fill the baskets and all the rabbit has to do is hoping around delivering the baskets. Yeah, well, some of those baskets these days are dang big and probably heavy to carry around--if you're the size of a rabbit. But hey, they get all that credit and everyone loves bunnies!

I got a perm a few weeks ago. Can you imagine being at the beauty shop for 4 hours, being soaked from your neck to your britches? Sitting around in AC and freezing? And then being told yeah, your hair does need dyed. Can you wait a little bit while she cuts two others? It won't take much time. Forty-five minutes later, you're sitting under the dryer trying to stay warm, pulling your shirt up under the dryer as far as you can to dry it--didn't work. Finally, the time comes. And you have to say, "Hey, I have food cooking in the crock pot. Just finish me and I'll have to come back another time." That's what I did.

Do driving down the highway with my sunroof open, glancing into the mirror, I nearly panicked! Gray hair! Gray hair! Where'd it all come from? Was it really there all along? So now it fits--the old gray mare she ain't what she used to be!

Getting a dye job on the 19th--before I pick up the author and agent at the airport and hear them snicker--"did you see that gray hair on that head? Yeah, look close and you'll see it's about every so many hairs in that old head."

Grandkids: Baby Emma seems to hold her bodily functions for about 5 days. And she seems to hold it all back until it's my turn to sit for her. She pooped all over herself, all over me, too! Yuk. If that wasn't bad enough--she threw up on me later. I know make sure I'm wearing my oldest clothes when I watch her. No sense in messing up my good clothes.

Baby Autumn: She was baptized a few weeks ago. The church is very, very small. Our families and friends took up nearly half the church. She didn't cry during the sprinkling on her head. But she was so sober all day--for all her pictures, nary a smile. But when I visited her last Sunday, she was smiling. She's trying to walk now. She and her Auntie Em have the same color eyes and hair.

Maggie is watching me type. Think that means, hey maw, you haven't mentioned me! Oky, so Maggie is 70 lb of shedding hair dog. She's sweet, but likes to slap her brother Zeus with her large paws at times just to irritate him. And poor Zeus, Maggie and Icarus play together and we find Zeus out in the yard throwing sticks in the air and catching them while the other two are playing tug of war with their sticks.

Zeus is a Leo and fits the cowardly lion on the Wizard of Oz. If we sneeze, he runs and hides. Maggie, however, slinks away if we raise our voices. And both are scared of storms. Icarus likes to watch storms. Icarus doesn't care if we sneeze or yell or whatever. He's our Bad Ass dog. He weighs 15 lbs!

Have a great Easter. I have to get ready for company, work around the house and well, you all know how it goes--not enough time in our days!

dee--who has to wonder if anyone reads this

This and That

I swear, time just slips away, doesn't it?

So now it's the end of Feb. And we've had company from OH--bro in law and buddy. All the family was in to see them and to celebrate Ashley's birthday.

I've been going to the YMCA three times a week to do the exercise. Now let me tell ya, I hate to exercise. But that darned Oprah makes me feel guilty and I go. Now to see what happens when I weigh in at Weight Watchers on Monday!

We've been babysitting for baby Emma twice a week. Now that's work! She's two months old already and growing.

The house is being remodeled--really, I'm not sure it'll ever be finished. We bought a money pit to be sure. But my office now has tile flooring, much easier to move the chairs around--unlike the dirty old carpet. And on Monday we're supposed to get wood floors in the dining and living rooms--again, dirty old carpet removed. I mean the stuff is 20 years old and how much dirt must it hold? Yeah, I always feel guilty spending the money, but some things just need done, ya know?

We got the living room painted. Still have the two bedrooms and kitchen to paint and to get wallpaper off the hallway and kitchen walls. Oh, and the other bath.

Writing: bad Dee. Haven't done what I should be doing. I'm behind in my online class on both the Women's World and the chocolate goal. Hey, I don't need the chocolate anyhow, right?

Baby Autumn (picture of me which is really Autumn) will be baptized on March 4. That's another family get-together.

OK--off to write now.

dg

That Icarus is at it again!

I don't know how Icarus does things. I mean, we had to put a gate on the deck for winter, because he thought it was okay to walk on the water--cover on top of water. We told him that only Jesus can walk on water, not him.

But I've told you his other tales. This morning I let the three dogs out to do their business. The boys were in their doggie PJ's. And when I went to get them in--there stood Icarus on the deck! Now I tell you, there was no way for him to get up there. The gate had no gaps in it and it's on the top step. How, pray tell, did Icarus get onto the deck?

We had company tonight and put the doggie gate up on the bedroom door to keep the three dogs away from the guest. Who else but Icarus figured out how to open the gate just enough for him to squeeze through? And he thought he was so smart, listening to Zeus making yippy noises because he couldn't figure out how to escape while little Mr. Icarus was out getting all the attention and walking past the gate laughing!

The dog is something else!

dg

kids and dogs

dogs and babies and writing
Well, good morning, y'all. Hope it isn't too cold where you are at. It's sunny here in Florida, but the weather has been chilly--well for some of us!

We had a pipe break on the wall this week. Plumber says the whole house needs to be replumbed. Does that mean I need to come out of retirement and get a job?

Last Wednesday we had four young ladies and three babies visit us. The babies are 7 months, 8 months and 10 months. They had a good time playing and stealing each other's toys. All girls. Autumn still doesn't have much hair. And our dog, Maggie, the shepherd, still wants to lick her head and see if the hair will start growing in.

Zeus wants nothing to do with these little people. He finds them scary. Of course, Zeus is a Leo and I think he's the cowardly lion from the Wizard of Oz. If we sneeze, he runs and hides.

Speaking of cowards, at 6 a.m. Maggie was freaking out, jumping around like the boogie man was after her. Icarus jumped on the bed and watched Maggie running back and forth, back and forth. She finally settled down beside the bed, but huffed and puffed for the next 45 minutes. When I got up I saw that the cane I use at nights--so I don't step on her--must've fallen on her. I assume it got caught on her collar and she was really freaking out. This was the boogie man to Maggie!

Icarus looked at all the babies when they were here. Mostly we kept the dogs on the back porch or outside. But once I let them in. Then the babies wanted to crawl for the dogs. Maggie said, well, okay, until one of them grabbed her ear. She just looked scared--that boogie man thing again.

Zeus--all 25 lb of him--crawl on my lap and wanted me to shield him from those evil little people. Then it hit Icarus. Oh yeah, that's that baby who grabbed my beard and pulled it. He crawled by my feet and then jumped up on me--like on my chest since Zeus had my lap--and wanted protected, too. Then when the little ones wanted to reach up to them, they didn't like that and we had to put them out on the back porch again. The babies were happy. They stood at the sliding glass door looking at the doggies from a safe distance. Sort of like being at the zoo, ya know?

I didn't get much writing done this week, but did get the synopsis and three chapters of Death Came to Dinner ready to send to the agent.

What did we do? Look at flooring to see what it would cost to replace these ugly 20-year-old carpets.

That was my week. How was yours?

dg