Have you ever tried to diet while traveling? Not the best idea I've ever had LOL.  Well, I didn't start out wanting to diet, but after gaining five pounds in two weeks, this tired heart (literally) started complaining. So I've limited my breads each day to two slices at lunch and half a croissant at breakfast.  Thankfully the Greek yogurt here is phenomenal.  Most foreign countries do not pasteurize their dairy.  In other words - they don't sterilize all the flavor out of it ! SO the Greek yogurt is crazy creamy and totally delish and a joy to eat. It doesn't feel like dieting.

What does that have to do with the market you ask?  When I do a grocery run back home, I'm off to a massive supermarket. Everything is bought in one stop and I'm done. Not so here. On Monday we went to a good size outdoor market for out staples. 

First off the location - nothing to make groceries more fun than a 16th century town. 

 Pretty cool, huh? I've seen lots of great churches in my life, including the famous Notre Dame, but this ancient structure was impressive in a very different way. I wish I had a better camera than my phone! 

So on to the food part - one of the things that I'm thankful for is that the saucisson (french version of hard salami- sort of lol) which I adore, and the cheeses, which I also adore, are diet friendly! And there is so much to choose from at the market - along with fruits, vegetables, snacks, cooked foods, breads, pastries... you get the idea!  And all of it in the middle of a beautiful town square under the cathedrals steeple! 

If anyone is wondering - I'm in what I'd call farming country about an hour outside of Toulouse. I know this because the other night our otherwise peaceful evening was filled with engines rumbling. Turned out there was rain in the forecast for the next day so the farmers from the neighboring fields were harvesting their wheat until after midnight.  Something about if it gets wet it rots. Anyhow, I felt so bad for them, working in the pitch black of night - and let me tell you I am not kidding when I say you can't see past your nose! - could not have been easy, or safe. I so wished I could have gone and helped! (night owl here!) 

And now what y'all probably really care about - Honeymoon for Six.  I sure hope you guys enjoy this new addition to our romance on the high seas stories!  It arrives on Saturday! Yes only five more days! So get your preorders in, or if you prefer to buy at a discount, you can pick the ebook up directly from my website at a discount. How cool is that! 

All right - that's it for this week - see y'all next week! 

​I must admit, I love the ‘feel’ of Paris. I can stay in all day, not leave the house, still know I’m in Paris and still be as happy as a clam!  Here’s my view from the sofa while working.

​One of the issues with having grown up by the ocean in my youth was many a day at the beach slathered in baby oil instead of sunscreen.  I took advantage that my friend has an excellent dermatologist and had my annual check up. Thankfully, a clean bill of health. On the walk back to the house, we passed an old fashioned candy store. How many years has it been since I’ve seen a candy store. It was so colorful and brought back fun memories of the candy store across the street from my elementary school! 

​The other thing that is not helping my efforts at weigh loss – I’m actually afraid to step on a scale at the moment lol—is the delicious foods. I know what I consider pizza as a native New Yorker and again as a Texas resident, but as a Parisian – boy do they know how to use Mozzarella!  The dough was purchased already made from the baker, no idea where the sauce came from, the tomatoes were fresh from the market as was the cheese. So so so good! 

​The sad side of my trip, as many of you know, is the death of a seventeen year old escaping from the police and the massive destruction of cities and town that followed. The youth (average age of rioters is 17) have taken to using fireworks as firearms, (you know those canisters that pointed up shoot those beautiful fourth of July fireworks- picture them pointed at people and property) and have caused so much damage burning libraries, mobile health clinics, storefronts, city halls and all their records, etc etc etc that I have my doubts how the country will recover – if this is the next generation that will rule, the country is in deep you know what. 
 
We however were spared. The day after the incident we left Paris for the South of France where tranquil dinners are followed by beautiful sunsets.  

​I will remind everyone that Honeymoon for Six is in process for release on July 15th. You can preorder now, or purchase at your favorite vendor after the 15th or directly from my store and use the coupon on the storefront to save 10%.  And then, only one more month and the Bilionaire Barons of Texas arrive in August! Are you ready???
 
Will catch you next week! 

​Have I mentioned how much I love hanging out in Paris.  I was blessed after college to have met a lovely woman on a bus in London who invited me to her home in a Paris suburb. My weekend trip turned into a three month stay.  I learned to speak conversable French, to love bread and cheese, and of course bread and pate, but mostly the slower pace of life. 
 
Fast forward a lot of years and one very good friend, Author Olivia Sands, and I have spent the last week in Paris. Every other day we’ve walked to the market street for fresh groceries and that’s all the outing I need. We did take me to Olivia’s dermatologist for an annual melanoma check, though for me it’s been closer to three years while I searched for a good doctor in Dallas. Now I’ve bought some time to find one who is more alert on cancer and less concerned with the fountain of youth. (don’t get me started on that!)
 
One day, we took a stroll (and cab ride too) to see Notre Dame. I have not been in decades, but after the fire, I really wanted to go see her again.  Such a marvelous old church. Of course, we can only walk around the outside for a few more years. To my surprise, the French are restoring her with the same materials, tools, and methods as the years she was built. Amazing. 

​Now, don’t think France is all fun and games.  I’ve also written a small flirt that went out to my newsletter subscribers, finished up the first chapter of book 5 of the Barons of Texas so that I could put book four up for sale on my website – which it is, and am now working hard to finish Honeymoon for Six in time for next months release. For anyone who has not read the series, I’ll remind you that Honeymoon for One is free for the first time in years. 
 
I’ll sign off here and return to writing. My next post will be after arriving in the South of France. Will keep you posted.  Stay cool and enjoy your summer wherever you are! 

There are certain perks to being in Europe for most of the summer. Because France is seven hours ahead of Texas, I am unlikely to be very late with my Monday posts! Lol.  As for my trip – when it turned out that the best way to get from Dallas to Paris was via Helsinki, even though none of the Nordic countries are on my bucket list, the gypsy in me was like… wait… let me spend the night and look around. So I did! 

I learned a few things about Finland. First off, I take my warm weather too much for granted. The warm summer weather arrived in Finland a few days before me. As a result, the residents were delighted to be outside. Apparently picnicking is a favorite thing. Everywhere I looked, the green space (and there’s a lot of it in Helsinki) was covered with friends and family enjoying picnics in the sun… and heat. Yeah, this a/c spoiled Texan was much happier wherever there was a/c– which was sort of few and far between. I mean, it makes sense. When it’s freezing ten months of the year, why would you need a/c?
 
The next thing I learned is that I love blueberry juice. I have no idea if it even exists in the USA. I can not remember ever noticing it. Perhaps occasionally mixed with lemonade or cranberries, but not straight blueberry. I am going to look. It’s well worth the search.
 
I also sadly discovered that Finns love their reindeer, and not the Santa kind. Reindeer hot dogs, reindeer jerky, reindeer skin blankets and pads, and much more I don’t remember! Though, considering how much they enjoy being outside, a reindeer skin pad to sit on the grass made perfect sense somehow.

​I had a lot of fun riding around the city—due to my lingering sprained ankle from a couple of months ago a three hour walking tour was out of the question—and learning the history. Of course the only thing I remember is that a good number of the buildings were designed by an architect named Engel, lol. 
 
I had no idea Finland once belonged to Russia and Sweden (obviously not at the same time!). The people were very friendly and all seemed rather pleased despite their quiet dispositions with my outgoing nature.  One airline crew even commented how nice she thought it was when I complimented a stranger’s dress. 

​I also learned that the Finns really like their hamburgers - who knew? LOL.

​For my second day in Finland we drove to a small town along a river not too far away that is very popular with tourists. It reminded me of many older small towns dusted with small craft shops and street musicians. Though the street musicians here were very very young and very very good regardless of that young age.
 
Then of course on the ride back to Helsinki my techno challenged self was showcased to the world when I accidentally took a selfie. No idea what I was trying to do but I was clearly concentrating! LOL. 

​From Helsinki I made my way to my next destination, Paris. I really do love just hanging out in Paris, but more on that next week!
 
For now- for the first time that I can remember, I am working on three projects at one time: A Hart Land flirt, Honeymoon for Six, and book five of the Barons – Just One Taste. The idea of being in France is to work, work, work… and eat of course LOL.  As I adapt a little more every day to the time change, it’s already amazing how better I feel with no interruptions. At home there’s always something. A friend with car trouble, a question from my hubby, something breaking in the house, someone knocking on the door selling fruit or tree services or heaven knows what, etc etc etc. Here, it’s just me and my computer! We’ll see how much I actually get done!
 
Ta ta till next week! 

Yesterday was my granddaughter's first birthday - how did the year go by so fast? She's babbling up a storm - her favorite thing is to say is hi and wave. Okay, her wave is backwards, but she's trying! LOL. 

I'm also home in Dallas getting ready for my trip this Thursday. I will be going to Paris via Helsinki (that's what happens when you have to use the least miles available lol). I have never been to Finland, it wasn't on my bucket list, wasn't even on my interest list, but I admit, I'm looking forward to spending a 36 hour layover there! If you have any recommendations, please send them my way! 

As many of you know, we had to postpone Honeymoon for Six but I'm still scrambling away! With a ten hour flight with no internet and no interruptions, I'm hopeful to get a lot of writing done!  Once I get to France, there will be lots of working on writing with my friend Olivia Sands. So glad she has a guest room in Paris. Also glad she likes to cook LOL. One of the treats I'm looking forward to is the chestnut yogurt and ice cream - boy is that delicious. I have no idea why it's not available here in the USA - so good. 

And a nice treat to my last week in Houston - dinner with the funny and talented Christie Craig. One of my favorite people and a wonderful author. 

Today my big frustration is with the Finnish government - who knows if I need a visa to spend 36 hours there - apparently no one, including me. So the rest of my day will be spent on the phone listening to people pass the buck. Say a prayer for me please!

Oh - and somewhere in here I have to shop for a new TV - tried to fix the old one - that I love - and the repairman said - nope, lost cause.  Is it ridiculous for a grown woman to cry over a television? 

 Well we moved into the new house this weekend.  It was a group effort and took several days and we are all very thankful for my big car LOL 

the downside was ATT messed up and we had no internet until tonight so I'm posting this a tad late - sorry. 

Packing is always time consuming but moving is the great declutter key.  A few times it looked like as much stuff was being sold, donated, or gifted as was being moved to the new location. The nice thing is there is so much more storage space in my daughter's new house.  My favorite is the walk in pantry in the back hall.  There's a corner pantry in the kitchen, but the extra pantry in the hall is turning into the extra stuff spot.  Serving platters they rarely use, good china, even beach towels lol. Already they're enjoying the covered back porch I shared a few weeks ago.  They only have two outdoor table chairs, but that was all that was needed to watch the kids running around and playing on the back porch protected from the hot Texas sun. 

There is still SO much to unpack, but hopefully it will all be straightened out before it's time to move again! LOL - that seems to happen so often, you don't fix the long to-do list until it's time to move. Still, even in the state of half in and half out, everyone seems to be enjoying the new homestead. 

As for my little side house project, they started on the outdoor living space. 

 Sadly the beautiful shade tree in the back had to come down - it was too close to the house and messing with the foundation. The second photo is the frame going up this morning and the third, the roofline in place. I think it's going to be a pretty good shade replacement. I can hardly wait to see the finished product. 

Next on my busy day schedule was lunch with old friends. Hard to believe we've been friends for almost thirty years.  How does time go by so fast? The husband is from Bolivia originally and I was treated to my first taste of Saltenas. 

These are a meat filled pastry that was somehow both salty and sweet. One was beef, one was chicken, and both were absolutely delicious. Apparently you break off the tip, drain the juice onto a spoon and drink that before you bite into it. If you drip juice onto your plate, you're not eating them correctly. I proceeded to make a good mess ! It will take more practice!  

I have no book news yet - life is crazy here - and did I mention I'm getting ready to leave next week to visit my good friend author Olivia Sands? Well I am so I'm scrambling to get as many things finished as I can! 

Will talk to y'all next week! 

There's nothing unusual about thanking a serviceman at the airport, or the mall, or online at the grocery store for their service. I do it all the time because I am forever grateful that these brave souls are willing to do a job that I could not.  

Even if I wanted to, I would never make it through boot camp, never mind four years of rigorous, disciplined, and too often dangerous service. I wish I could do more than simply say thank you.  

But on a day like today, I can't thank those souls who gave their lives. They're not here for me to say thank you for making sure that I can, without fear, gather with my family on holidays, travel at will, shop when I want, etc etc. The list of freedoms we too often take for granted is so very long. I can, and do, however honor those souls and wish to thank all the family members who handled the home front alone so their loved one could make sure I and my family have all the freedoms I grew up with. Thank you to those folks who now must sit at a table with one fewer chair at Thanksgiving, with one less gift on their Christmas list, and forever a whole in their hearts. 

Today I will also stop and remember all the service men and women for having given their all for those of us they never knew. It takes a special person to serve their country, and today I remember and honor those who never came home and thank their families for the ultimate sacrifice. 

Our family will have a quiet day, thankful for more time with the little ones, an extra day without the rush of alarm clocks and work schedules, and of course, as Lee Greenwood said in his wonderful song, the people who gave that right to me. 

God Bless and Thank You,

This has been a tough week - 

Honeymoon for Six is coming along slowly. My strongest critic, my daughter, doesn't like the progress so far. This means I have to hit pause, look over what we've done and see how to make it more appealing to everyone. Sigh. 

Then, one of my dearest friends, Author Kathy Ivan took a fall and that uncovered new problems so she's in the hospital waiting for surgery. Have I ever mentioned  I dislike how short staffed hospitals are and how underpaid nurses are? Whole other argument, but every time someone winds up in the hospital, I'm reminded of more issues with health care. Sigh. In the meantime, I'd appreciate prayers for Kathy and the staff at the hospital - I'm wanting to see a fast and easy recovery. Though to my surprise, apparently this hospital's food is pretty good- she actually had tenderloin for dinner the other night! 

The other crazy thing going on is that my daughter is moving to a new house next week. Boy is there plenty to pack. Corralling two little ones, packing, and cleaning, and planning is a huge time suck. LOL.  But they're excited to finally have the extra space they need. Especially an office for my son in law when he works from home. This is especially nice for me because my guest room doubles as his office and you know I always forget something in the room and don't want to disturb him! 

but their favorite part of the house is the large back porch. The current house doesn't have a covered porch and it gets hot in Texas. A little vitamin D is good (lol) but shade for little ones to play is good too! 

Of course all that furniture belongs to the previous owners - I suspect the porch will have mostly toys - like the sandbox - and a few chairs for mom and dad!

Now we did have a nice blessing in all this. They of course have to sell the old house and the stove is the original from 1984 (yeah, they don't make things like they used to) and it doesn't match the beige microwave or the white cooktop and the original 1980s microwave with a dial for time worried my son in law so they have a small countertop one they've been using.  Well, last night someone advertised selling their old appliances - all of them - for a few hundred dollars. We certainly snapped that up. They're not new, but they're at least this millennium and they all match so that will make the kitchen look much nicer! Of course, this means more work for us, but we're up to it! 

My daughter has been here four years, I've been in my house twenty nine years. I'm curious - how long have y'all lived where you are now?

Okay that's it for the day! 

See y'all next week! 

well - lol- I am a day late, not sure about the dollar part but it seemed to ! 

I hope those of you who celebrated Mother's Day had a wonderful weekend. I was blessed to spend the weekend with my cousin and his family. We all had a blast with all the little kids in the next generation. For me it's always fun to see the way the young cousins who live hours apart and having the opportunity to bond. I know from my own experience with my cousins how valuable those relationships are as we grow up - 

Of course the downside to a lovely weekend is you need a day to recover when you return home. They just don't tell you how young old age starts. Who knew two days of fun and family requires at least one day of doing absolutely nothing to recover! LOL. 

I'm also a tad behind on Honeymoon for Six but am chugging away none the less!  I sure hope those of you who like reality television, game shows, and romance will really like this story. So far we're still tossing around ideas - and yes I said we. Many of you who have read my books and my acknowledgments know that I probably wouldn't get a single book written if not for the brainstorming with friends. Ideas get tossed around, batted back and forth, and eventually things fall into place that I can work with.  So far, small family hero, large family heroine. I'm doing my best to incorporate an amazing race type tv show with a romance couple theme.  So far so good - again - sure hope y'all like it! 

okay - I'm off to work 

have a great week! 
​

When I've got my head down working it's hard to remember what happened all week! 

My daughter and her husband are buying a bigger house - they lost their office to the new baby - it's her room now - and their desks are scattered around the house. One in the guest room the other in the dining room!  They've been looking and looking for a while and finally shifted to a new area and now at the end of the month they will have an attached garage and an office!  The downside is it's a slightly longer drive for me, but the important thing is that the family now has room to grow! 

I'm inching along with Honeymoon for Six - but very happy to have another story with the fun sisters from the previous two books. As you know, I love writing big families, and the Ummarinos are about as big as it gets! Next week, maybe I'll have another excerpt for y'all! 

And tell me - what did y'all think of Owen? Have you read the latest Farraday yet? Considering how long he took to talk to me, I think the story turned out pretty well.  I think it will be interesting to see what Paxton comes up with!  

Who's waiting for the Baron's in August? As soon as I'm finished with Honeymoon for Six, i'll be back to work on the Barons.  the folks who have bought the series early from my website seem to be liking it so I'm excited to bring it to everyone in a few months! 

I have a few side projects with my daughter's move and fixing up a few things so I'm going to cut today short - Will share more soon!