magick musings…

Friday night had the whole house to myself. Again. I love it when I can do that. I get so much done and have my music blaring with no one to complain or can actually have complete control of the remote. Worked on an outline/synopsis for my Shadow Warrior series and got a few paragraphs done before dh called and said there were bad storms headed my way with possiblities of tornados. I love storms, but not tornados. But we ended up with only a little rain. No thunder, no lightening, no storm.

Saturday got the prez’s column done and my prez’s stuff organized that when I am not looking little gremlins into my stuff and have a heyday.

Saturday was fun! It was M. ‘da Bear’s’ birthday and we went to Sundance Square. Pretty cool place. The weather was great and we sat outside at the restaurant/club called 8.0 and had spinach and chicken quesadillas. Yum! Need to try those again.

Then we had dinner at the Reata Restaurant. If you have never eaten there, it is a real treat. The decor seems to be based on the 1950’s movie ‘Giant’ and even has a life sized figure of James Dean. Giant was the movie he was starring in when he died and they had to finish filming it without him. Not that I am a big James Dean fan but dh is. I had the salmon with fruit salsa and it was great! DH had a chicken fried steak that was so big he couldn’t finish it. So we took it home and gave it to one of my sons and it filled him up. BIG chicken fried steak.

Today, I cleaned out my closet! It has needed to be done for months and it feels good to look in there and see it all organized and neat. But dh’s side is still a mess. He kept hollering from downstairs, “Don’t touch my stuff!” I have four bags of clothes to give to charity. And dh kept saying he wanted to go through them to make sure I wasn’t giving away anything he likes.

Helloooo! It’s MY clothes! He is such a pack rat. Not me. If it is in my way, I either throw it away or give it away.

Have to work tomorrow. :yuck: But the awards luncheon is this next weekend and looking forward to it.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Oh, and Happy Birthday, Dennie! :party:

~Sandy

Have you ever done something dumb? We were talking at work yesterday about things we have done that is not only dumb, but funny.

The only one I could come up with (okay, okay, that I would own up to) is the time I made homemade ice cream for my husband. A friend had brought some in a big tupperware container to the cook out we had one weekend and my husband LOVED it.

So being the good wife I am, I asked for the recipe. Made it, put it in my big tupperware container and stuck it in the freezer to surprise him one night.

While eating it, he had a funny look on his face. “Hon, why is it icy?”

I took a bite. Tasted good, just not creamy. Promptly called my friend to find out what went wrong.

Did you add this? Yes
Did you stir in this? Of course
Did you…did you…did you… Yes…yes…yes…I made it just like the recipe you gave me!
Well, what kind of ice cream freezer do you have?

Ice cream freezer?

I had no clue you had to churn it in an ice cream freezer. Color me stoopid.

Okay your turn.

While you are thinking, below are some I found on the internet lately.

Again, these are not my works!

…I was checking out at the local Wal-Mart with just a few items and the lady behind me put her things on the belt close to mine. I picked up one of those “dividers” that they keep by the cash register and placed it between our things so they wouldn’t get mixed. After the girl had scanned all of my items, she picked up the “divider”, looking it all over for the bar code so she could scan it. Not finding the bar code she said to me, “Do you know how much this is?” I said to her “I’ve changed my mind, I don’t think I’ll buy that today.” She said “OK,” and I paid her for the things and left. She had no clue to what had just happened.

…A lady at work was seen putting a credit card into her floppy drive and pulling it out very quickly. When asked what she was doing, she said she was shopping on the Internet and they kept asking for a credit card number, so she was using the ATM “thingy.”

…Several years ago, we had an Intern who was none too swift. One day she was typing and turned to a secretary and said, “I’m almost out of typing paper. What do I do?” “Just use copy machine paper,” the secretary told her. With that, the intern took her last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five “blank” copies.

…A mother calls 911 very worried asking the dispatcher if she needs to take her kid to the emergency room, the kid was eating ants. The dispatcher tells her to give the kid some Benadryl and should be fine, the mother says, I just gave him some ant killer….. Dispatcher: Rush him in to emergency!

~Sandy

A little late today for my blog, but had to get last hugs and kisses from Brady and Colby. And then spent the afternoon cleaning, doing laundry, and spending $65.00 to fed ex a forgotten suitcase to them.

All week, have had all these cool scenes dance in my head, but now…nada…zip! WHEN am I going to learn to stop what I am doing and WRITE THE DAMN THINGS DOWN! I was really in the zone while cleaning today and couldn’t wait to get to the computer.

I could just kick myself.

Tagged by Rene to come up with six weird things about myself. Here goes:

1. I hate writing with pens that don’t have caps. And if that cap gets lost…in the trash the pen goes.
2. I clean every day. But this is nothing new that the Rosebuds don’t know already.
3. I love socks. Wear them almost every day, even though I spend hard earned money on pedicures every month.
4. I love words. Fascinated by them. The sound of them, the looks of them, the way they fit in a conversation. But I can never find the right word I need when I am talking. Very frustrating.
5. As shy as I am, I won the lead in the very first play I auditioned for. At the age of 35. And went on to be in two more after that.
6. Love to travel. Love to plan to travel. Love to think about travel. But like being home in my own bed and bathroom at night.

Are these weird enough? I hereby now officially tag:

Michelle, Dennie, Mary D, Daisy, and Cece!

Double dog dare you guys!

~Sandy

This past week I’ve had the pleasure of babysitting my twin grandsons while their parents traveled. All in all, I’ve been astounded at all good these three year olds have been.

If you tell them not to do something, they don’t do it.

If you tell them to do something, they do it.

In the restaurant yesterday, they sat in their chairs and never once asked, cried, whined, or screamed to get down or go home once they were finished.

I accused my son of having stepford children.

But I have learned that sometimes what they say is a totally different from what they mean.

If they say they have to go potty…really means either: they already did or if you don’t get them there in 2.0694 seconds, don’t bother. It’s too late. There is no ‘wait a minute’ in potty training.

If they are quiet and you asked from the next room what they are doing and they reply ‘reading a book’, it really means they are rearranging the two bottom bookshelves in your office – all with the spines facing inwards.

If they ask to take a nap, it really means they want to use your bed as a trampoline.

If they say they tee-tee’d outside, it doesn’t necessarily mean in the fenced back yard. I am sure that was quite a show with the neighbors.

If they say they are playing hide and seek with the dog, means that Misty is hiding somewhere not REALLY wanting to be found.

They have been such a joy to have this week. Although, I am now far behind in my writing, my house is a total wreck, haven’t vacuumed since they got here (the Rosebuds will NEVER believe that), and I am exhausted, I’m so glad to have them with us.

Now, I need coffee. More coffee. :coffee:

Can’t take the credit for these, but they are a hoot!

* * I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

* * Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

* * The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

* * Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

* * There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

* * Life is sexually transmitted.

* * Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

* * The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

* * Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you
still can’t help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

* * Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

* * Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

* * All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

* * In the 60’s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

* * How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a
whole box to start a campfire?

* * Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”

* * Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken there? I’m gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt.”

* * Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

* * If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

* * Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don’t point to their crotch…

* * Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

* * If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

* * If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

* * Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

* * Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog’s face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

* * Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

* * Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Robert Q. Steinman, Ph.D.

~Sandy

Tagged by Eve!

Four jobs you’ve had in your life:

1. clerical
2. medical transcriptionist
3. realtor
4. nurse

Four movies you’d watch over and over:

1. Armageddon
2. The Cutting Edge
3. Rudy
4. Titanic

Four places you have lived:

1. Beaumont, Texas
2. Huntsville, Alabama
3. Louisville, Kentucky
4. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. American Idol
2. Lost
3. Invasion
4. any of the CSI’s, Ghost Whisperer, House

Four websites you visit daily:

1. Dennie, Michelle, Cece, Eve, Rene
2. Jill Shalvis, Suzanne McMinn, Daisy Dexter Dobbs, Mary D,
3. Voodoo’s room, Nienke Hinton, Caroline Clemmons
4. Michelle Agnew, Sandy S…you really mean only four????

Four places you have been on vacation?

1. Hawaii
2. Bahamas
3. Jamaica
4. Mexico

Four of your favorite foods:

1. Pasta
2. Gumbo
3. Salad
4. Vegetables (all except green peas, yuck!)

Four places I would like to be right now:

1. Ireland
2. Scotland
3. Switzerland
4. Egypt

Four people I tag:

1. Anybody
2. Anyone
3. Whomever
4. Wherever

Just send me the post as I’d be interested in reading it…

~Sandy

Most of you know we have four sons. Although our second son is not mine by birth, he was born in my heart, having helped raise him since he was only three years old. He is also our rebellious one. Good looking, kind, but lives life on the edge.

As we worried about him in his early twenties, I was reminded by an older friend who has experienced the same with one of hers, that sometimes you have to let them go and hope they find their own way. And when they do return, it will be of their own accord and will be all the sweeter.

Two nights ago, I received a phone call and was ecstatic to learn the deep voice on the other end of the phone was him.

Our prodigal son had returned.

He asked about all his brothers and the rest of the family sounding as if he really cared and not just making conversation. We caught up on all the news and it turned out he had news for us.

He was married. And had been for nine months.

This child who has sworn for years he would never get married has now given me another daughter-in-law.

Instead of being upset for not letting us know earlier, we respect his need for privacy and for his decision on how to manage his life. He is working. He is healthy. He is happy.

And we love him just the way he is and look forward to meeting our newest member of our family.

Now maybe one day I’ll get those grandchildren he says he will never have. :thumbsup:

~Sandy

Stolen from Mik

You Are an Easter Egg

You’re so sweet, you don’t need candy. You much prefer the taste of artificial coloring instead.

Yeah, right!

~Sandy

My DH gets a little confused sometimes. :dunno:

The other night he asked if I had called so and so to find out about such and such (names have been changed to protect the innocent) and, because of a unusual super busy week, I replied that I hadn’t had time. He then wanted to know if anywhere in the near future I would be able to get to it. It was something that I had to handle and it really was on my to do list.

Really.

Yes, I will do it as soon as I get time was my reply as I shook my head and sighed heavily. Too much to do and too little time.

Not five minutes later, I get a call from a dear friend and fellow writer. Thirty minutes or so later I hang up and find him looking at me strangely.

‘Whaat???’ I asked.

‘You haven’t had time to take care of (protecting those innocents again) and yet you talked for over thirty minutes to a girlfriend about nothing much in particular.’ He shook his head, clearly puzzled.

‘And so your point is???’ Now I was baffled.

‘But you said you didn’t have time.’

‘I didn’t have time to do that. But ‘dear friend and fellow writer’ called and I had to talk with her.’

‘You hated talking with your mother on the phone. You never have time to talk with your brother. You refuse to call my mother. You barely make time to talk with me when I call. So, why on God’s green earth that you will drop everything and talk to one of your girlfriends?’

I pondered that for a moment. ‘Because they’re my friends.”

‘Nuff said.

~Sandy

Seems like forever since I have had the time to blog. I try to make sure I blog at least once or twice a week, and would love to do it every day, but sometimes can’t. Even behind on reading them! It is so addicting!

Saturday had our monthly chapter meeting and let me tell you…Cece came, we saw, and she conquered! She totally had everyone eating out of her hand! I believe she changed several of our die hard members minds about e-pub, promoting, and marketing. I know it opened a whole new world for me.

Afterwards, Cece, Dennie and I went and researched Deep Ellum. The annual street Arts Festival was on and it was a blast! We walked and talked and researched and ate. Yes, you CAN have fun and research also!

Contest update: Them puppies are in the mail back to the entrants! If it seemed it was a little late it’s because our contest offers a matrix to let the entrant know exactly where they stood in the final scoring. And that takes time, folks! I took them to the Post Office to get them mailed as soon as Brenda and I packed up the last of them. Does the words TAX TIME and EASTER mean anything to you???? Well, after spending an hour and fifteen minutes there and with the line out both doors, I should have turned around and left, but nooo…. Can you say dumb Sandy?

Now that we have wrapped that up, I am excited about my writing! I will be hitting it hot, hard and heavy. Just watch me! I have some great friends that are making me accountable to them and I feel very comfortable asking for their help. Don’t know why I worry about that!

News, news, and more news: Mik’s serial from Inara Press is now available for purchase. I received my first season today and can’t wait to start reading it.

Lost was good tonight. It’s weird, but I am starting to see TV and books in a different light. I now look at conflicts, motivations, characterizations, and plot. Day-um! Ruins a good movie every time!

~Sandy