One of life's lovely moments.

Today is what we on this blog call "Fun Friday". And my fun this week is a trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan to see my granddaughter, Estela.
At 28 months of age, Estela subscribes to the "parrot" philosophy, and so repeats every word she hears. My daughter and her hubby have had to censor some of their own words and off-the-cuff remarks in recognition of this new philosophy.
But the other day, Estela dropped her parrot philosophy to announce that for Christmas she wants a tail.
Yeah, her house is home to two very pleasant cats who have beautiful tails, and Estela wants one just like the ones they have. Children have such beautiful, uncluttered minds, don't they?
But what do I do with a request like that? I've been checking out all the craft shops and costume places, but any tails I found came with full size adult costumes!
Her mother has given up on the issue, and like all parents who feel that the Christmas wish can't be met, she's trying to steer Estela into other areas of possible gifts.
As grandmother to this wonderful little girl, Job 1 when I get to Kalamazoo is to continue the search for a tail.
I'll be back here in about two weeks time, and give you an update.
Stella MacLean

Fun Friday--Give Myself the Oxygen First!

Hello Everlasting Love readers! It's the day we all hold our breath for--Friday.

I try to keep things in perspective when I have a rough week. I'm not serving on the front lines of Iraq or Afghanistan, my family is healthy, I'm realizing a life-long dream by publishing the stories I love to tell.

It's still relative though, isn't it? With a pre-teen and teenager in the house, life is never dull, slow, nor boring. We have periods of peace, even serenity. When we're all asleep. No, not just then, but sometimes it feels that way.

I love my family. The root of it all is the marriage I've been blessed with for several decades. But it's not without work, nor without preening. Lately I've been tending to everyone else's part of the garden--making sure my dh has peace and quiet to study (he's taking very intensive courses for his career), ensuring that the kids are where they need to be, and picked up when they need to be (this is probably the most important part!).

Today is going to be a little weeding for me. Maybe a pedicure. Definitely some knitting. Leisurely shopping for a dinner party we're hosting tomorrow night. I love to bake, so I'm focused on a white chocolate cheesecake for the adults, and the chocolate mousse trifle Tracy Wolfe posted last month, for the kids. My kids enjoy baking and cooking as well, so they'll take care of the trifle.

I could opt to run around the house and clean, or fume over the state of my children's rooms, or spend most of the day studying my own courses. But instead I'm going to take care of the writing, then go take care of me. I used to think this was so self-serving. Now I KNOW that it's self-serving--and that it's a good thing.

Because if Momma Bear is happy, we're all happy!

Peace,

Geri Krotow

A Special Friday

The older I get, the faster time flies. I didn't think it was supposed to be this way! In my grandmother's day, growing older meant a woman had a surplus of free time on her hands. She'd been through the wars of raising a large family and was due the rest. Today, grandmothers often have busier lives than their daughters. They're running companies, managing small businesses, bungee jumping, parasailing, taking adventure vacations...and writing.

Is it already September? Where did the past nine months go? I remember last Christmas and a week or two in March, but not much else. For most of that time I was writing my Everlasting Love and so deep into the story that days slipped past me. I was in the Zone, that magical place where the characters and story take over a writer's life.

The Zone can be a little hard on a writer's mate, though. Someone has to pick up the slack. My husband is a wonder. He cooks the meals, washes the dishes, even cleans the bathroom. He's a keeper! And today is his birthday.

Happy Birthday, my love. More today than yesterday and less than tomorrow!
Ginger

About Last Night . . .

How do my husband and I keep the romance alive? Geez, this week is not the week to ask me that! With all three of my boys going in twelve different directions each, my husband's insane work week and my laying the foundation for my brand new classes while I finish up my latest novel, my honey and I have been like ships passing in the night. If we even get that. But last night, my husband reminded me that love and romance is often in the small stuff and not the grand gestures.

I walked in the door at ten-thirty last night after teaching for five hours straight-- after spending the day taking my youngest to two different doctors and a physical therapy appointment while at the same time trying to take care of my other two, do lesson plans for my evening classes, help my oldest with his science project, talk to an agent, make dinner and squeeze in a few minutes to write. The house was a mess when I left and I expected it to be worse when I got home (as it usually is on my late nights) but to my surprise and everlasting gratitude, the kitchen was cleaned, the house was straightened and all three of my wonderful little monsters were in bed.

The joy was indescribable. And when hubby logged off his work as soon as I came upstairs and settled on the couch with me to watch Jay Leno and give me a foot massage, it made up for all the bad things that have gone on this week (and there've been a few really terrible ones). The fact that he knew how exhausted I was-- and how sad-- and took time from his own busy schedule to make me feel better meant the world to me, because it meant that he was really paying attention to what I needed despite the fact that his pacehas been almost as frantic as mine lately.

So while I appreciate being surprised with a bouquet of flowers or a picnic in the park or dinner at my favorite restaurant, in my book nothing compares to the romance of a clean house and a good foot rub :)

Is it Friday already?

Have you ever wondered how we ladies manage to keep all the parts of our lives moving along in some semblance of order? It’s called multi-tasking in some parts of the world. I call it keeping the chaos organized…or not.
Take today, Friday, for instance. I have galleys to get into Harlequin by next week for Heart of My Heart, my first Everlasting Love book, a house full of company, groceries to buy, an attention seeking assistant, Emma Jean, also known as my Maine coon cat. Then there’s the usual emails, the phone calls, the drop in and drop off traffic, and the people who depend on me to help them with their lives.
Approaching the bottom of the list these days--I’m sad to say--is my husband.
He’s been in my life for years, and he’s a very patient man. Believe me.
So, the weekend’s coming and what part of it will we manage to carve out for just the two of us?
What sort of fun things can we do this weekend that will break the pattern of rush and scramble that is the hallmark of our joint lives these days?
When I finally found five spare minutes to myself last Monday, before the chaos took over for the week, I thought about it. And here’s my list of fun things I want to do with my hubby this weekend.
On Saturday we’re going to take the phone off the hook, hunker down with the coffee pot and the long-awaited New York Times--last Sunday’s edition, mind you. But I can’t complain, I have books on my ‘To read list’ that are older than my cat! On Sunday we’re going to escape on a boat to go whale watching in the Bay of Fundy. No cell phones, no computer, no fax machine…
And there’s this perfect little B&B nestled along the edge of the ocean, a delectable overnight adventure. It has a hot tub, and we've had the bubbly stashed in the cabinet, waiting for a chance like this.