I love spending time with my grandson. I’ve always been fond of babies and fortunately for me, even though this one is approaching two and no longer a baby, he’s still adorable to watch!
 
The other fun thing is he really enjoyed playing with my mother. Mom would have loved to have had twelve kids, but she had to settle for one little old me !  As a result she laughs and laughs at everything her great grandson does.  Even when he makes a game of standing behind her on the sofa and pushing her forward. Bless mom’s patience level!
 
We went looking at houses once again. This time with hopes of finding something so mom can stay with my daughter until her memory really disintegrates. It’s hard because Texas is dealing with a real estate boom and a lot – and boy do I mean a lot – of seller are trying to take advantage and are asking insane prices. By insane I mean as much as two hundred thousand dollars more than they paid for the house six months ago! And that’s without changing a thing!  So I’m vigilant for the honest deals that are a bit higher but not six figures higher! And that is making the shopping harder.
 
For now, Mom is staying in the guest room at my daughters and we’ll see how they all get along for more than a weekend. It will be interesting to see how all the interaction affects Mom. Will keep y’all posted!
 
On the bright side, I did a lot of eating this weekend. We ordered pizza one night, and they cooked spaghetti and meatballs another and then we had Mexican take out last night. None of them were diet friendly meals and yet I only gained a few ounces. I was delighted! For me it really seems like skipping breakfast and not eating till lunch time is doing wonders for not gaining weight! Today I am keeping my calorie intake low to try and lose those few ounces. My mission is to maintain the fifteen pound weight loss I accomplished over the last two months.  Then after a while I’ll give losing another ten or fifteen pounds a shot.
 
If all goes well, by next week’s blog I will have stabilized my weight, have great news to report on Mom, and have started writing again. I’m a bit behind and need to get caught up on that!
 
Take care and enjoy!  Here’s a picture of my grandson and me. He was enthralled with a movie on the TV.  Just love snuggling with that little guy!
 
Do all your family live close by or do you guys have to drive to see everyone too!
 

This week has been income tax week for me. Yes it takes me that long to find and gather every receipt under the sun that I so inefficiently stuffed in a plastic bag all year long waiting for tax week. Anyhow, I digress from the point.  During my annual ritual I went hunting through our old desk that we rarely use in the age of laptops and recliners (LOL) for some envelopes and found an old photograph. The photo was of my grandmother and grandfather on my mom’s side, her brother and his wife, and two of her first cousins and their wives – there’s an extra wife in there and we have no idea which cousin she was married to who wasn’t in attendance, lol.  The photograph was taken at the famous Copacabana Club in New York City and thankfully dated 1947.  I also have to thank my grandmother for having the good sense to make everyone autograph the photograph sleeve (which is how we know there's an extra wife by her last name). While I recognized my grandparents and her siblings, the first cousins were not as easy!
 
The nice thing about all this is that I still keep in touch (made easier thanks to Facebook) with a third cousin whose grandparents were also in the photo. She recognized the other first cousin to our grandparents but couldn’t tell which wife was which. Truthfully don’t you think the two women on the left side of the table look somewhat similar?
 
I wonder what will happen to all of these photos (My mom has albums full!) as the generations continue to pass. I am thinking of putting together one large scrapbook-like album with all these miscellaneous photos, labeling them as best we can, and handing it down to whoever is interested in being the historian and keeper of the originals. (I have some early photos of that same grandfather’s sisters. In couple of the photos they were so young, and it was so long ago, that none of the surviving generation knows which sister was which - so labeling would be seriously helpful if we can figure out who everyone is!)
 
My grandmother is front on the right side of the table (she had great legs! Fanny Brice’s second husband Billy Rose stopped short in a club one night and told her so- lol) My grandfather is in the middle on the left side between the two women we don’t know LOL.  The gentleman front and left was my grandmother’s brother, and the gentleman beside my grandmother was the grandfather of my third cousin I still keep in touch with.


​Just for fun, here's a photo of that third cousin and me. We were about 8 and 9 the year my mom and I visited her family one summer!  That bathing suit was definitely not my color! LOL. And wouldn't I kill to be skinny again! but again I digress!   


Curious, does anyone have a historian of sorts in their family? Are you like me and go all tingly over old family discoveries? Let me know in the comments - love chatting with fans. 
 
As an aside – I did get to go to the Copa myself when it reopened in the 70s on prom night! Spent weeks singing the Barry Manilow song:  “At the copa, Copacabana, the hottest spot north of Havana!”  Though I’m actually pretty pleased that I made it to both the Copa and Havana in my lifetime, but that’s a post for another day!

And remember it's appreciated if you let me know in the comments that you've popped by and if you're enjoying the blogs! 
 
Enjoy your week! 

I can not believe we are almost half way finished with 2021.  To make matters worse, I’m already looking ahead to the fourth of July when my grandson comes to visit. I have one major chore on the table. Now that we have finally found and fixed the leak, and it has stopped raining, we need to finish cleaning out the pool and get it up and running before the long weekend. My husband is part fish and looking forward to playing with the baby in the pool. Well, at almost two he’s not really a baby anymore!
 
Last year we got him into the pool a time or two but he wasn’t quite old enough to decide what he thought about all that water and PawPaw gliding around with him.  This year he has so much more personality and seems really fond of stomping in puddles and playing with his new water table that I strongly suspect he’s going to love the big pool. We can hardly wait.
 
It’s the next thing this summer I’m looking forward to. After that, I have a handful of friends for over twenty years (boy does that sound old)  from around the country will come together at my house for a long weekend. We’ve been doing this for eighteen years and the first decade or so the reunion was at my house, then the last decade or so it has been at a friend’s house. This year it’s coming back to my house!  Needless to say, we’re going to start a deep clean NOW! Lol.
 
I just know I’m going to blink my eyes and we’ll be planning the Labor Day weekend for my grandson and husband’s birthday. Maybe for next year we’ll have a resurfaced pool! It had been on the schedule for this year but we had to give that up when my mom’s living conditions shifted. The repaired cracks aren’t pretty, but it holds water and that’s all that matters!! 
 
You’re probably thinking what about Father’s Day? For that we’re driving down to visit my daughter for the weekend. We’ll be bringing my mom too and she’ll be staying for a long visit for a couple of weeks. It will be good for her to spend a lot of time with the baby while she still remembers everyone.
​Here’s a photo of my hubby a few years ago on Father’s Day. The grandbaby wasn’t even a twinkle in anyone’s eyes yet. It’s been fun having two dads in the family now!
 
Let’s visit – tell me what do you like about summertime?

On Memorial Day
 
I have a hard time saying ‘happy’ Memorial Day when I think of all the young men and women who gave their lives in honor of this country.  I do however feel that a gathering of family is a tremendous honor to those same young men and women. The ability to come together, enjoy a good meal, laugh and smile and play with the small children, listen to the stories of the aging family members, and every thing in between is exactly what so many people in this world do not have the freedom to do.
 
Today, I’m at my daughter’s house in South Texas.  We’ve actually been out house hunting- again lol.  After two years, my son in law accepted a new position that will keep them here a few more years. In the meantime, as many of you already know, my mom is slipping away with dementia. One of the joys of old age is watching the newest generation bloom. Enjoying the fascination and curiosity that only a two year old can have for a pine cone on the ground or a button on a blouse.  Since my mother was determined to live long enough to meet her great grandchildren, as a family we are considering moving Mom south to spend more day to day time watching my grandson bloom.
 
This idea of course requires a bigger house with more senior friendly aspects. We saw a lovely house that knocked everyone’s socks off – but not enough green space for the kids. Then there was a great backyard for the kids and adults, but on too busy a street. There were quite a few in between, but the housing market has gone nuts and I can honestly say some homeowners are too in love with their own homes! LOL.  Folks – I’m here to tell you not every house is all that!
 
So – what do you think of the whole idea? Multigenerational homes? Good thing? Bad thing? Did your grandparent ever live with you? Your parent? Got any advice? Thoughts?  Part of our dilemma is my Mom lived alone her whole life and loves her house that she couldn’t afford until she was almost sixty years old. Until then she always lived in an apartment. There’s a little concern if we pull her away, no matter to whose house, she’ll slip away a little faster. On the other hand, will always having people around be better? So many hard choices. The new house is the least of it.
 
On the bright side – I have a new helper when I type.   ​

My grandson loves climbing into my lap (well sort of) and watching me type. If I stop typing to read what I wrote, he takes my fingers and pushes them back on the keyboard.  It is a plus of being close to the kids. And it’s a freedom I have to come and go for which I am very thankful – to every person reading this who has lost a family member to service to our country – Thank you doesn't seem enough, but it is meant with all sincerity and appreciation.
 
Chris K 

LOL. Life moves too darn fast! This has been a crazy world wind week. As many of you know, there’s a giveaway at Goodreads for my new release coming out Wednesday, Honeymoon for Four.  Marketing is not my gift so there was lots of back and forth on graphics and what not.
 
My daughter and grandson were visiting so that’s always entertaining. I just LOVE watching toddlers discover the world. Then mom had her first face to face appointment with her memory doctor. We got the news we already knew, mom had digressed to the next stage of dementia/Alzheimer’s. Considering how darn healthy she is, and strong, it adds to the frustration. On top of all that, had a new toilet installed that I hate – who knew you could hate a toilet? So this morning I had it replaced. I like my normal, old-fashioned toilet thank you very much! And now I’m late because I’m juggling the installers for mom’s windows and a luncheon appointment I forgot I had!
 
One of the downsides of being thin and being older is that at 75 degrees, rooms feel cold. My mom’s windows are old as dirt so it was time to get rid of the drafts.  That’s being done today – and of course, micro-manager me wants to be there. Those poor men don’t know what they’re in for!  Just wait until I tell them they can’t seal a single window until I inspect the insulation! LOL -
 
We’re also working on travel plans for mom. With the updated diagnosis on Mom, we’re pushing to try and get her to California to see her brother while she’s still pretty aware of who is who. See why I want the world to slow down? . I’m thinking what I want is a world with no phones, no television, and a month on a warm sandy beach – who’s with me!
 
I’m thinking Bora Bora would be nice. Never been and it’s on my bucket list!
 
If you could change one thing in today’s world – what would you change? 

See you on the flip side! 

​CK 

​In a perfect world, I would love to see rain from three to five every morning so that I don’t – well –see it! Then the grass would be green, the flowers blooming, and the trees and I happy.
 
Rain here started yesterday and is predicted to continue for six more days. I’m hoping they’ve miscalculated and we get a little sun in between or a break earlier than six whole days. You see, I don’t like rainy days. If I could, I would crawl under the covers and binge read, then is might not be so bad. I have so many books I want to read that I don’t have time for. But on gray days the motivation to do anything else is hard. I avoid going out because I have teased most of my life that like the wicked witch of the west – I melt in water! LOL.
 
When I do have to go out I have one of those reverse umbrellas that I just LOVE. I can climb into my car and not have to move the dripping wet thing across me to stow it away. I have two, one in my house and one in my car and I gave a third to my daughter. But I still strongly dislike being out in the pouring rain.
 
And now the trick, my grandson is here for a few days. As many of you know my mom has dementia and this week is her annual appointment with her neurologist so my daughter and grandson drove up to go with us. We celebrated mother’s day yesterday with Chinese food (small cheat on my diet lol) and I have done my best to sit back and enjoy watching the world through the eyes of my two year old grandson. I had hoped to do some of this outside. We have a really big yard with lots of trees and he always finds something fascinating. Sometimes it’s the mulch in a flower bed (I love when he picks up stray pieces and puts them back in the beds lol) or a stick, or a stone, or a leaf. The little things hold such fascination for a little boy. But it looks like this week it’s going to be done through a window. Sigh.
 
I know some people love walking in the rain, listening to the rain, or perhaps just watching the droplets fall outside their window. I’m not one of those people. Are you?
 
What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? 

​Good morning!
 
I hope you had a wonderful week and that all mothers had the day they deserved yesterday!
 
For me, Sunday was a work day.  This last week has been a hard push to get the last details done on Honeymoon for Four and that meant working sixteen hour days this week including Mother’s Day. We will however be doing a three generation celebration next weekend when my daughter is in town! Looking forward to that.
 
We had a bit of a scare with my mom. That woman is strong-willed, headstrong, whatever word you choose. She raised me alone in an era when that wasn’t the norm. There were times in my life where she worked two jobs to keep me living in a nice apartment and in good schools. She was the mother every kid deserves to have on their team.
 
Well that determination survives the deterioration of her mind with dementia. They expect her to have Alzheimer’s, so we’re preparing, but for now she’s healthy as a horse and stubborn as a mule!  She loves her independence and we have been blessed to find help to keep her in her own home, but Saturday the help took the afternoon off and Mom was up like a shot to get dressed and drive herself to go shopping. Sigh.  Needless to say at 86 with dementia she has no business behind the wheel of a car anymore but is aware enough to not want her car sold.
 
After Mom’s hospital stay during the great Texas freeze (not sure if I made that up!) we were able to install cameras in the main rooms to make sure she’s okay all the time. This of course is how we knew her intent. Bless my husband who was working hard in the yard, he grabbed his keys and hurried over to stop her and then took her shopping and told me she was so upset (I explained rather sternly she’s not allowed to drive anymore –again.) that he took her for ice cream afterwards. That man is my mother’s greatest reward for all she’s done in her life for me and everyone else she loves!
 
Sharing a few photos of my mother – she really is still something else!
 
Do you have any fun mother stories to share?
 
Take care,
CK 

First off I want to update on my daughter’s home projects. Seems the next generation got hit with a nasty cold that ran through the family so they’re only now starting to work on it. I think the first project is going to be changing a window to a patio door so they don’t have to go to the laundry room to go into the backyard. Will keep you posted as soon as there’s something to report!
 
Now what I did this week.  After I dusted the house – I swear dust breeds like bunnies – I hosted a plotting day in my living room! I have been blessed with the support of a lot of wonderful authors, but there are a handful I can count on to keep me writing on a daily basis, these four ladies who are comfortable walking into my home without waiting for me to come to the door are just a few of those wonderful author friends.
 
I’ve known Kathy Ivan for as long as I’ve been writing and let me tell you, that woman has the patience of a saint. She’s always there to talk through when I’m stuck and to scold me when I’m not staying on task. Same thing with Barb Han. There is many a moment when the next scene only came after doing knee bends and balancing on one foot and free flowing ideas. Some good, some not so much, but all lots of fun! Cindy Dees is my go to lady for out of the box. You know those crazy old men who were stealing cows to save them? Yep, Cindy! Then we have Kellie Coates Gilbert. The woman has behind the scenes skills that can keep us on the phone for hours. Can you name who is who?
 
Put all five of us together in a room for hours – and new series are woven together ready to go.  So here’s what we’ve come up with for me so far.  Some things may change but most likely our new family will be living in Honeysuckle Texas.  Thanks to Cindy the town will be famous for an annual festival – not honeysuckle either LOL (you might have to wait and read the first book to find out what it is).  The family head will be a strong widow who I have yet to name. She may have a few sisters, we’ll see what she tells me. My favorite part of this whole idea though is going to be the dogs. We’ll be bringing military K9s home and hope to have a lot of fun along the way!
 
So that’s it. You know as much as I do. Oh, the series name. Texas on my Mind. What do y’all think of that?  I’m pretty excited. I don’t know very much when I start writing and it’s always fun for to learn about a town and the characters as I go.
 
I wouldn’t mind more help. Do you have favorite things you love to read in a romance series? 


Have a great week!
CK

Good Morning
 
Sorry this is a little late this morning but I was rather distracted last night – though many would consider it this morning – I live in an older suburban neighborhood with big lots and houses. I also have a major intersection within view of my backyard.
 
The thing about that intersection is that our city—well county actually—has been having trouble with drag racers. What they do is gather thirty to sixty cars and block a major intersection and do loud and of course dangerous, three sixties in the intersection. I bet you know where this is going don’t you? LOL.
 
Yep. Not too long ago I had my first experience with 'what the heck is all that revving engines about' and I looked out the window. It took me a bit to figure out that it wasn’t an accident it wasn’t a broken light – it was drag racers. So of course I called 911 and the line was busy because I wasn’t the only one calling. Long story short – about fifteen minutes later the sirens sounded and the dragsters (is that a real word? LOL) took off. (In defense of my local police department - twelve cars were dispatched, but sadly there were other criminal incidents tying our officers up) 
 
Well, as you might suspect, the story didn’t end there. The following weekend the muscle cars were back, except this time I got really mad, called 911, grabbed my phone and walked—okay maybe I stomped, to the intersection. Tried to take photos of the license plates of cars parked between me and the corner, and the people leaning against their cars and standing about. Have I mentioned I have a really bad camera in daylight? So no surprise that I got a lot of blurry grainy photos at night. I also got a really blurry video of one car in action. The amount of smoke was astounding. These people must spend a fortune on tires. I did wind up showing the police later when they had pulled over a red Camaro based on multiple caller complaints, but the officer looked at my video and noted it was a Dodge. Once upon a youth I might have known the difference at a distance lol.
 
So, weeks pass, probably a couple of months actually, and low and behold, last night I’m working late (on Honeymoon for Four in case you’re interested J ) and I hear a lot of engines, not revving, just engines. At twelve thirty in the morning that’s very odd. So I popped up, looked out at what I could see over my 8 foot fence and sure enough the intersection was crowded and blocked. The routine started again. I called 911 and got through immediately, but didn’t bother going over because I knew my stupid phone wasn’t going to do any good. The whole show was all over in about five minutes. Now the city is dispatching fire trucks and ambulances to help disperse the crowds. Sadly my husband told me in another neighborhood some woman brazen (and perhaps foolish) enough to confront the racers (I may be camera happy but I’m not stupid) and was shot and killed for her efforts. From the yelling and screaming and cussing of some of the crowd I observed last time who were caught in the backup, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later and my heart breaks for that woman’s family.
 
Now the plan is to borrow a better camera from someone and leave my 6ft ladder propped against the back fence (I had tried this after the last time, but the ladder got used and the person didn’t realize I had it there for a reason and, lord love a duck, put it away where it belongs! Can you imagine that? lol). The plan hopefully if they dare to come back, is to get better photos of license plates and cars and maybe people.
 
And that is the cap on a day in my life !
​
WHAT DID Y’ALL DO THIS WEEKEND?

Thanks for popping by!  CK 
 

I’ve done it – I’ve started a new weight loss program.
 
First let’s update you on my kids and the reno plans – I drew up some suggestions and now they’re getting bids and more suggestions to see what can be done with their budget to make their house work better.  If they move forward with the kitchen, I’ll share photos!
 
 This past weekend was busy as my daughter and her family were in town for a wedding and stayed with us. My grandson has reached the age of letting us know he’s headstrong. It will serve him well in twenty years, but it might wear the rest of us out sooner! LOL.  Unlike his grandmother who can talk a mile a minute about anything any time (lol) my grandson hasn’t found a good reason to talk to us yet. I expect he’s going to wait a while longer and spit out full sentences instead of first words.  My daughter is going to try a few new suggestions a friend gave her, but who knew too many toys and distractions could delay speech? Learn something new every day!
 
Okay – my newest weight loss effort. I’m on a diet plan (though they don’t like to call it that). The reason I opted for this one is that I don’t have to cook. There are lots of prepackaged foods which makes eating small amounts five times a day plus dinner much easier. Not all of them taste so great but in the first five days I’ve lost three pounds so that’s a great start!  It also forced me to discover that my favorite Italian restaurant makes a fantastic spinach salad with feta cheese and mandarin slices. Amazing, and on the diet! Also, they do great grilled shrimp! What more can a girl ask for on a weight loss effort?!
 
And now – with all the family stuff going on, I’ve been a little behind on my next Honeymoon release. I’m making slow progress but I’ve taken a liking to the heroine’s new next door neighbor. One of three sisters, Mina describes a large family well:
 
Mina stuck her hand out, holding the sheet of paper. “The nice thing about a really big Italian family is that there’s always a relative around who can fix something broken. Of course, the downside is even when nothing is broken there’s still always a relative around.”
 
I’m liking her enough to consider a Honeymoon for Five book – though no clue how to make that one happen!
 
I think that’s enough of me yakking for today.  Tell me what you think of Mina so far (I’ll tell you her full name is Philomena), if you’re waiting for Angela and Honeymoon for four, and remember if you have something in particular you want to talk about, let me know.