Celebrate the Small Things-May 26, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

I know I'm posting this a little late, but it's been a busy week. Not crazy like last week was.  Just busy.  I had appointments and errands to run that required a lot of driving, and my boys have t-ball, which means taking them to practices and games. I'm ready for some relaxation over the weekend.

And yay for a three day weekend!  I'm definitely happy about that.  The weather also looks like it's going to be pretty good for those three days, so I'm sure we'll be doing some outdoor activities as a family.

The kids are also excited because next week is their last week of school.  Bring on summertime!

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-May 19, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

Have you ever had one of those crazy weeks that leave you stunned, and not in a good way?  That was this past week. There were family feuds.  A family member had a rare and scary medical emergency.  (I don't want to share details for sake of privacy, but I can tell you that the person involved is okay and doing as well as can be expected.)  I am now celebrating the fact that life seems to be on an even keel again. At least for now.  I hope it stays that way.

The boys started T-ball this week.  They're very excited about this.  Zoe and I got to enjoy watching them practice.

My writing suffered slightly, which is to be expected with a week like we've had, but I'm getting back to it now.  I'll happily celebrate that.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-May 12, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

The weather has been absolutely wonderful most of the week. We had some rain at one point, but the rest of the time it's been warm and sunny.  The boys have enjoyed playing outside.

Of course, all this outside play can get a little rough and tumble.  Last Saturday, Lyle was riding his bike and trying to show off for one of his classmates who lives across the street. This means he was going too fast and not paying attention. He ended up wiping out and landing face first on the sidewalk. He broke his glasses and split his forehead open right above one eye.  It was a bloody mess, and it resulted in a visit to the emergency room.  Fortunately, the doctor was able to glue it and Lyle was in and out of there quick.  The damage could have been so much worse.  And you know what he wanted to do first thing when he got back home?  He wanted to ride his bike again. That kid doesn't let anything get him down for long.

Lyle also turned six yesterday.  He got to take cupcakes to school to share with his classmates.  Kids grow up so fast.

Jude is happy because his class is going on a field trip to the zoo today.  The weather is supposed to be great all day, so that's something to celebrate.  I'm hoping he has a good time.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-May 5, 2017

It's Friday!  Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain!  Tonja Drecker and I are her co-hosts.

The weather here was cold and rainy for several days, but it's warming up and the sun is coming out again.  We took advantage by spending time at the park after the boys got out of school the last couple of days.

The boys had their spring concert at school last night.  They always love performing on stage, and they had a great time.

Writing continues to go reasonably well, and I'm pleased about that.  If I keep it up, I might actually achieve all the goals I set myself for the year.  Fingers crossed!

What would you like to celebrate?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: May 2017

It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group! Our leader Alex J. Cavanaugh has recruited another wonderful group of minion co-hosts: Nancy Gideon, Tamara Narayan, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Michelle Wallace, and Feather Stone.

Be sure to check out the IWSG website!

Congratulations to the authors included in the newest IWSG anthology Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life, which is now available.

I love the question for this month, so I'll jump right into it.

What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

Oh man, I've done a lot of interesting internet searches over the years.  If any non-writers got a look at what some of them were, they'd likely be horrified.  Just last week, I did the search "how long does it take for a pool of blood to coagulate?" I did it for a story I'm writing right now.  I've also done searches about how long it takes for various poisons to kill an average adult.  Those don't sound too horrific, do they? :)

What weird or cool things have you had to research for your writing?