What a Day!

I kid you not, since 9am this morning I have been trying to write today's blog! 

To fully explain all the day's complications - I need to go back to this weekend. 

My week actually started out pretty well. I have been slowly bringing out decorations and trying to make the house look more festive. I decided I really don't like tinsel on fake trees. Next year we may be going back to a real tree - we'll see. 

Wednesday came along and I had a house full of writers all afternoon - I just love getting together and talking writing and publishing with other authors.  We did manage to work through a little challenge I'm having with the rest of the Baron series.  For your early information - it looks like the next book after Rachel's Just One Mistake will be her sister Leah's book and Just One Family.  After that comes Cooper the engineer, Just One Surprise. Next is Claire the veterinarian, Just One Rodeo. And lastly, Devlin, Just One Look.  All of which are tentative.  I'd love to know what you think?  If you want to see a photo from the gathering, I posted two on my author page. 

More writing away on Rachel's book, more decorating, and it was time to take my mother shopping for Christmas. Christmas was always one of her favorite holidays and even though she has alzheimers and confuses easily, she still loves shopping and gift giving so I thought it was important to take her. The challenge of course is that patience is not my strength, so I invited her brother, my Uncle Gene, to join us - He loves shopping and it was a good buffer.  Here is a photo of the mall Christmas tree - when y'all buy Just One Chance Tomorrow - you'll spot the scene that was based on this photo! 

We had a lovely afternoon, bought almost everything Mom needed and I think it went great. ​​Until we got back to the mall parking lot. If you said, the car didn't start - ding ding ding we have a winner.  A mall parking lot on Christmas week is not a good time for a car to die. We couldn't figure it out. Battery dead as a doornail except the occasional clicky noises. Well, I found security, got back in the car, lights flashed and I thought... hmm.  SO I turned the ignition YAY it started. Thank you God!  Only explanation for the darn thing suddenly working. It would have been a nightmare with all the cars, and the bottlenecked traffic to get a wrecker in there never mind reach the front of my car to jump start it! 

so - off to the gas station because I was on zero miles to empty and thought - oh - not enough gas - well - that wasn't it.  Car wouldn't start at the gas station - hubby came we couldn't figure out how to jump start it - a nice stranger stopped to help - he pointed out the battery was corroded - scrubbed it, then said - you have a broken terminal - Oh fun! - so he had to bang on it and push on it but we got the car started - yay! - How kind of that man to stop and help.  On to my house - we have AAA so we called. THey came to change the battery but with the broken terminal it wouldn't start - so he did the bang, push and poke method (lol) and we got it started. I took it straight to the mechanic's with a note. 

All in all - it could have been worse. Come Sunday I had a writers meeting at a friend's house thirty minutes away from me.  As you already know I love meeting with writers.  Only this time, one of them made homemade marshmallows. I have never in my life had homemade marshmallows - WOW - what a difference from store bought! She made apricot and green apple flavors. Frankly, I couldn't taste the flavors but they were to die for anyhow! 

By the time I got home Sunday I was so tired - and by the way, hubby loaned me his car - such a sweetie- I was so tired I fell asleep for two hours in the middle of the day - I never do that.  Anyhow, writing away on Rachel's story, I crawled into bed early and fell fast asleep. 

Well - Monday morning comes along and it's blog time, but first I had to do an international zoom meeting over my German translations of the Barons. What I thought was going to be a short meeting went over two hours!  Oye!  All right, back to the blog. Except I get a call that my car is fixed. Instead of the blog, I had to dress (I've learned the city frowns on people walking around the streets in their bathrobes lol) and hike the short distance to the mechanic's. According to my internet - 1.1 mile.  I got there, huffing and puffing, but I got there. Then I happily drove my car home. Except now, it's time to pack up for a dinner date with a dear friend. That shouldn't take long. Yeah, well, when you get two women together who have been friends for over 25 years, and they haven't seen in each other in person for more than six months, dinners do not go quickly. 

I ordered chicken cordon bleu - which for this restaurant was a grilled chicken wrapped in bacon and glazed - I don't remember what else they did to it, but it was delicious! 

The little green things are brussel sprouts.  Finally, home and ready to write the blog - except- my cousin and her husband stopped by to surprise me. Great surprise. lovely visit - and y'all got a very very very late blog! 

to run down quickly - the new Barons are coming 
Chase will be here tomorrow - don't forget to grab your copy and leave a review! 
I'm writing away as fast as I can. (dictating more because my wrists are complaining) 
and now I'm off to bed! 

Catch you next week, same bat time, same bat channel LOL (who's old enough to remember that one! )