Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I still haven't finished the last of the edits on Garrett's book. You know that saying that goes something like you make plans and the universe laughs? That's how last week went. I'm hoping this week will be back to normal so I can finish the edits and get this book out to my beta readers. 

Motivational Quote:  "You don't know where or what fate will bring you or when. You just have to keep going. You have to just keep the faith. You have to just get up and do what you can." ~ Joe Biden, US President

What I'm Reading:  I finished reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn last night. I think it would fall into the fantasy category? I don't read a lot of fantasy so I could be wrong in saying this book fits that category. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Quinn and I really enjoyed it. 

Random Things:  It's supposed to be in the 70's most of this week with a bit of rain on some of the days but I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so I can have the doors and windows open and get some fresh air into the house. We have one scraggly looking hyacinth that's trying to bloom in the front yard that somehow escaped the landscaper's weed eater. (He cuts down everything in his path unless it has a decorative type fence around it.)

Random Photo:

 It was such a rough week last week that I stopped at a local bakery and treated myself to an almond danish Friday afternoon. 
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I didn't finish the edits on Garrett's book as I planned. My mom was under the weather for a few days so I spent extra time with her making sure she was okay. I should be able to finish the last of the edits this week. 

Motivational Quote:  "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." ~ Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart, actor) from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong last night. It's the 4th book of the Haven's Rock series which is a spin off from her Rockton series. Both are good mystery/suspense type stories but in order to understand what's going on in the Haven's Rock series, you do need to read the Rockton series first as some of the characters from Rockton carry over to Haven's Rock.

Random Things:  We had a quiet Easter holiday with just my mom and two of my sisters over for dinner. I made a homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. The frosting was bought from the store (Betty Crocker). I have yet to master the art of making frosting that doesn't taste like you're chewing sugar or like you just took a bite off a stick of butter.  

Random Photo:

I forgot to take a picture of my carrot cake before we cut it so here is one that I found on FreePik that looks very close to my cake except for the little carrot on top. 

 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Good writing week last week. I should finish up the last of the first round of edits/revisions by the end of the week. I will have to go back and rewrite part of the beginning due to changes I've made to the rest of the book. I hope to get that done by the end of the first full week of April.

Motivational Quote:  "There are only so many hours in the day, so some parts of your life will be out of whack. You can try to have it all if you manage expectations and redefine what joy, protection, and safety mean to you."  ~ Gabrielle Union (American actor and activist)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Bloodlust by Sandra Brown last Friday. I didn't realize it was the second book in a series. Despite that, I don't feel lost at all or that I needed to read the earlier book first. 

Random Things:  Like most people, I'm looking forward to spring weather. Any day that's 50 degrees or higher makes me want to put away the winter coats, boots, and gloves. Not to mention the shovel and snow brush. I haven't put away the latter yet because I'm certain that as soon as I do, we'll get one last late winter storm. The winter coats will have to stay out a bit longer because we have temperatures in the 30's more often than not.

Random Photo:

This seemed appropriate since I'm working on first draft edits and finding more things that need "fixing" than I expected.
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  It's been a busy couple of weeks but I've still managed to make progress on Garrett's book. I'd say I'm about two-thirds of the way through edits for the book, maybe a little less. I'm still on track to be finished by 4/4 unless something unexpected crops up. And given the way the last 2 weeks have gone, that's entirely possible.

Motivational Quote:  "The greatest relationship, the greatest one you will ever have is with yourself. Believe me. Have faith in yourself." ~ Sheryl Lee Ralph (American actress)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Free Falling by Jill Shalvis Saturday evening. This is the 2nd book in her Colburn Brothers series.  

Random Things:  I made Ciambellone (an Italian citrus cake) for the first time just over a week ago now. You can make it with lemons, limes, or oranges. I used lemons. I've never made a bundt type cake from scratch before. The top of the cake cracked a bit when I tipped it out of the pan but overall I was happy with how it turned out. It had a good lemon flavor but I think it would have better with a lemon glaze. The recipe I was given calls for powdered sugar to be sifted over the top before serving. I would make it again but with a lemon icing or glaze.

Random Photo:

                                                    The Ciambellone that I made.
 

Monday Check In

Sorry, no new post this week. Here's a picture of Mrs. Green from 2 summers ago enjoying some summer sun.

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Edits/revisions on Garrett's book are moving forward. I'm happy with my progress but wish I was further along. At the same time, I don't want to rush the process and turn in a sub-par book to my editor. 

Motivational Quote:  "I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope." ~ Rosa Parks (American civil rights activist)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score yesterday afternoon. I didn't get a chance to read this during the Christmas season so I decided to read it now while it's still cold and snowy outside.

Random Things:  The temperature reached 50 degrees in my area this past weekend. It was bright and sunny and "warm." Warm being a relative term but since we've had days where the high temperatures were in the 20's or lower, 50 almost felt like summer. I'm hoping winter is winding down. 

Random Photo:

 

I meant to include this photo in my 2/16 post. This is a bouquet of roses there were available for purchase at one of our local grocery stores for Valentine's Day. I'm not sure how I'd feel if someone gave me black roses.