I usually try to take Sundays off but this weekend we'll be hosting the WritersWeekly Spring, 2015 24-Hour Short Story Contest. IT STARTS SATURDAY! If you want to sign up, don't delay! Only 500 entrants permitted per contest. You must sign up BEFORE start-time to participate. TO ENTER, go here. In other "home office" news... …
We managed to convince Zach and Mary to babysit the boys for a long weekend and Richard and I escaped alone to Ybor City. We had a FANTASTIC time! Best date EVER!! …
The violent Easter egg hunt went pretty smoothly this year. Furniture was overturned, sofa cushions were thrown about, and (adult) kids were shoved aside (by each other)... …
Each year, there's a colorful egg hunt for everyone (adults and kids), and a very violent golden egg hunt for the adult kids... …
For Christmas, Richard bought me a green fishing light for the backyard. Now, after dark, we can see a variety of beautiful fish and other marine critters under the water. Every night, there's something different or new. A couple of weeks ago, a snook came by... …
I'm not a huge fan of housework but I do enjoy a good materialistic purge. Last weekend, I started on one corner of the house, intending to keep moving until I had finished the entire house. My intentions were good... …
Richard and I took our first trip to Naples, Florida last weekend... …
Last week, it got down in the 40's. Yesterday, it was in the 80's and the boys went swimming after they finished their school work. Their friend Hailey, who has a cold, wet a line, and caught a nice pin fish. The flowers are blooming, the sea birds are singing with glee, the pollen is flying, and my allergies are...HACHOO!!! …
I love all things related to water. I've always felt a "need" to live near the water, but only moving water. I can't live on a lake or a pond... …
For those of you who missed it, Santa helped us find a puppy for Mason a few days before Christmas. I forgot how expensive a puppy can be! And, this puppy is VERY MUCH SO... …
Last Thursday, Mason woke up with a sore throat, a fever, and a sick tummy. A day later, Max got it, and then Frank and Chelce, and then Richard. The entire house is sniffling, and sneezing, and coughing EXCEPT... …
Well, it took a couple of years of living at this house in Florida, but we have finally met enough neighbors, and done enough socializing, to truly feel at home, and also feel like our neighbors are family. Of course, once you REALLY get to know someone, they might let you look in their closet...and see some scandalous skeletons... …
Our new neighbor had spine surgery late last week, and hasn't been doing well. Since he only has a girlfriend in the area, and no relatives, we, of course, pitched in to help. Late Tuesday, he was in such agony that we all decided it was time to go to the emergency room. The problem was...we couldn't move him. …
I usually try to take Sundays off but this weekend we'll be hosting the WritersWeekly Winter, 2015 24-Hour Short Story Contest. If you want to sign up, don't delay! Only 500 entrants permitted per contest... …
Richard is taking me on a romantic getaway this weekend and our oldest son, Zach, will be caring for the boys...and the new puppy. Even though Coco's crate (I call it her hidey-hole) is very large, we're going to put it in the back of the truck, and deliver it to Zach with the boys. Coco sleeps very well in her crate at night and we don't want that to end... …
The out of town guests have left, the Christmas decorations have been taken down, and the boys are back in school (homeschooling). I'm raring to get back on my regular schedule... …
In case you missed our pre-holiday issue, we adopted an adorable puppy, CocoPuff, who has taken over our hearts...and our lives. Her nickname is Coco. As soon as she moved in, she started eating EVERYTHING... …
Last week, we took a short trip to Orlando to unwind, and prepare for the holidays. While we were there, we found Santa and Mason sat on his lap for the very first time. He'd never wanted to do it before. Mason walked right up to him, sat on one knee, and swung his feet over Santa's other knee... …
I am almost completely ready for Christmas. I just have a bit more wrapping to do. So, it'll be nice to take a small breather before all the Christmas company starts arriving in a couple of weeks... …
Our elf, Christopher, returned on Friday and Mason and Max are SOOOOO excited! So far, Christopher has turned my entire inventory of LED "candles" on (so I had to buy more batteries!), has almost started a fire by roasting marshmallows in the middle of the night, took a ride on our ceiling fan, and used Mason's toy bulldozer to bulldoze an entire (brand new!) bag of gourmet (expensive!) chocolate chips... …
Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones who were doing their Thanksgiving shopping on Saturday... …
While my bedroom closet may be in disarray (that's an understatement!), and the laundry may be backed up for three days, I am very organized with regards to business, paperwork/bills and...Christmas. Yes, really. It's a bit of an obsession for me... …
I admit it is "chilly" here (by Florida standards) but it's nothing like our old friends in Maine are experiencing. Last week, they received 21 inches of snow... …
Our good friends, Scott and Kelly, arrived from Wisconsin on Monday. They are enjoying the warmer weather, despite the fact that it's chillier here than any early Florida November we remember... …
Ali and Justin's annual Halloween Party was Monday night and, boy oh boy, what a bash it was! WARNING! FEATURES OFFENSIVE CONTENT AND GROSS PHOTOS!…
In case I haven't gushed about him enough, I want to again tell you that Richard is the best husband on Earth! Each year, he lets me choose his Halloween costume and he never knows what he's going to be until Halloween.…
After another hot and humid Florida summer, things are cooling off and the snowbirds are heading…
We had a great time decorating the yard for Halloween! Max and Mason made some cute headstones out of cardboard. I told them to watch out for rain, and to bring them in if it starts sprinkling. Just 24 hours later, we had a major drenching and, well, it looks like we're gonna need more headstones! …
We returned from our vacation in Tennessee last week and it has rained here, heavily, every…
I finally gave in last weekend, and let the boys put up the Halloween decorations. The china cabinet is now full of my horror babies, faux fall leaf garlands are hung here and there, and skeletons, witches, and other ghouls grace every corner... …
Fall is, by far, my most favorite time of the year! Shorter days, cooler weather, and a crispness in the air that I wish I could bottle up and save for next summer! But, the best part about fall is our WritersWeekly.com fall 24-hour short story contest... …
We were in Georgia to attend the wedding of our friends Cole and Christy. This is the awesome wedding cake Ali made for them... …
We are on the road right now, heading to Georgia for another wedding. Yea!! That reminds me that I never posted a picture of the yarn painting I made for Matt and Sarah's wedding gift... …
Last week, I shared that our son Matt got married. This week, I wanted to share that our daughter, Ali, a pastry chef, made the wedding cakes (yes, plural). And, unfortunately, she asked me to help. Now, don't get me wrong. I love cooking with Ali. We have a lot of fun and she has taught me SO much over the years. But, wedding cakes are SO stressful. I mean...one little mistake and a catastrophe may ensue! …
Our son, Matt, got married in Maine last weekend. Here is my favorite picture of them... …
We are looking forward to escaping Florida's heat for few days... …
We went out to dinner on Saturday night, and were treated to a lightning storm that lasted our entire dinner, and an hour afterward as well! We ventured out on the pier after dinner to enjoy the show. Rather than describe it, I'll share some photos... …
When we got home, the boys excitedly went through the bookstore bag. Max grabbed MY book, and said, "Yea! You bought me Orange is the New Black!" …
Ali's future mom-in-law, Sharon, came into town again last week so we gals hit the road in search of the PERFECT wedding dress. I honestly thought we'd have to go to several stores over several days but, within three hours, Ali had picked the perfect dress! And, it was the very first one she'd tried on! …
The Summer, 2014 Short Story Contest IS THIS SATURDAY! Rather than sweating and getting a sunburn, spend the day in the cool air conditioning, and come play with us! …
We lost our beloved doggie, Percy, last week. We adopted him from the shelter for Frank, who was around 12 years old at the time. However, Percy attached himself to me. Frank didn't mind that his dog was protecting his mom. Percy followed me everywhere, even to the bathroom. He suffered from severe separation anxiety... …
On Monday night, we had just eaten dinner, and were watching TV when I glanced outside, and noticed this sky... …
It's hard to believe but Mason turned eight years old this week... …
Max (age 12) and Mason (who will be 8 this weekend) have attended one summer camp this month, and are already on their second... …
Many of you remember Matt, our (unofficially) adopted son who came to live with us many years ago. He worked for BookLocker and WritersWeekly for years and he still does ebook conversion work for us on the side. After college, he moved to New York to attend Columbia for his Master's. He then landed a super job in Boston doing actuarial work, which has always been his dream (yes, we don't understand that level of attraction to math, either, but he's happy!). Matt and his fiance, Sarah, who we also adore, were here over the weekend and we all had a blast... …
