Thanksgiving was yesterday. My kids have been off school (and driving me nuts) and we had several traditions to uphold. The first is that someone *always* gets ill the week of Thanksgiving. Every. Danged. Year. Without fail. This year was the hubby. though he is major denial of how sick he is. He wants me to hold off on the Mcturkey until Sunday. That alone should make him realize he doesn’t feel well (we still maintained our regular schedule for his entire family meal).

The Mcturkey being the second in the list of traditions. One year, hubby’s mom made manicotti for Thanksgiving and the hubby bitched and bitched for a good, solid fours months. You think I am exaggerating, but I am so not! So much he whined that I now make our Mcturkey the week of Thanksgiving to ensure that he has his stupid turkey—though I will say his mom hasn’t repeated “her choice” of what to server for her meal. (Yes, he’s a big ole baby!)

Football is an obvious tradition in a sports household—though I like it less and less every years—but what can you do?

For some reason baking has become a tradition. I like desserts! And I will end up making umpteen different batches of cookies by the end of the week. Shortbread is the flavor de jour this year—I tend to obsess and then overdo—another tradition I suppose. I will usually go through a couple of bags of flour & sugar and multiple sticks of butter… cookies w/o gobs of butter is just plain wrong.

You’d hope that being thankful would be a tradition that would especially be strong this week, but with teenagers, I am still trying to get them out of the “how does it affect me” mode. It’s a slow process but one I will endure and eventually achieve (or else!)

One tradition I do NOT partake in… Black Friday (or Thursday as it should be called now that *all* the stupid stores are opening early—what a shame!) I think because I worked retail when the hubby was in college, that shopping day has less than zero appeal to me!

What traditions will you observe this week? Which are new and which are family favorites?

I wish you all a very

           HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So when I signed my Harlequin contract in October, I had no idea how quickly things might move (I anticipated the book to be released in a year or so). Color me shocked and then some when I got notice my book: Baker’s Law would be released in February—2014. Yep in a little over two months.

I haven’t even gotten a cover yet and it’s already up on Amazon (WOOT) as a pre-order. It’s initial release on Feb. 3 is going to be part of a e-book box set  with three other authors (Selena Bowen, Rebecca Avery and Amy Jo Cousins). Of course I’ve already pre-ordered my copy! In May, the four e-book titles will all be individually released.

How exciting is that?!?!

The Harlequin Series Digital First is a brand spanking new line. The first two books will be released in December. It’s pretty exciting—did I already say that?

I am working hard—writing every day (often with Amie’s pushing me along, ‘cause I need it!) getting the next book to the finish line. And can I just say, from day one of my “writing career”, selling to Harlequin was number one on my list of goals. I achieved it! And now I can’t wait to make a new list and get rocking on that.

Let me let you in on a secret, I’m a shopoholic. I am. Worse, I am a BIGGER web-shopoholic, but I’m not. Don’t know what I mean, well let me explain… I love online shopping. Groceries aside, I think I do 90% of my shopping online. It’s just so much easier. I actually save money this way, because in a store I can *easily* (and I do mean easily) get talked into more. Every danged time. So the online shopping streamlines my purchases (and I am great at searching for coupons) and makes it easier to get in and get out.

Anyway… back to the web-shopoholic.

I have several stores I frequent—I won’t bore you with which ones, because I’m not here to promote anyone. I (daily) go to these online stores and I will put several things into the cart and on the wish list (I have items on one wish list that are multiple years old). I will move them back and forth and I will talk myself into and out of dozens of things. Often.

BUT… I don’t buy most of them.

I really don’t. I look, I covet and I remove with ease. Without guilt. Sometimes with some prolonged longing, but eh, no harm no foul right?!? My web-shopping isn’t limited to one product market either. I have books galore that I will go through (though truth be told, that’s the highest percentage of what I will actually end up buying). Clothing/shoes being the next most perused. Electronics coming in a close third with food—yes food—a not distant fourth.

It’s a weird habit to have, though I supposed the web version of window shopping is better then the actual shopping—I’d be broke, broke and broke some more if I bought all the things I want online. Sure I should be writing or reading in those online moments, but those are things you need your brain completely committed to and sometimes you can’t for whatever reason. The shopping, you can move away from and come right back to without the jarring interruption. And since I don’t knit anymore, and my sewing machine is under tons of things, the online perusal is my brain-downtime. It’s a way to relax and block out the world (and come right back to if need be) I suppose.

Do you have a weird pastime? A confession you want to admit to? Is there something that takes up a lot of your time that folks might raise an eyebrow at—that you want to share? And the biggest question…do you think I’m weird?

I have been writing/creating for as long as I can remember. I don't know that there's anything special about that, it's just the way I am/haven been/will be. It's me. The hubby is creative too, though in a different medium than I am (he was a thespian as a kid, well, he's also dabbled at writing a time or two, so...) so my kids are predisposed to in from both sides. Does that mean they are creative? Well, my totally biased opinion is that yes, every last danged one of them are creative as hell. Do they want to be? See it in themselves? Even try to cultivate that creativity? Not at all.

It drives me a little bonkers when they relay something to me with so much dramatic flare that you're right there in the moment with them (and there are many more examples I could give you, but I won't bore you with my parental bragging). Cut to when you happen to mention that they should be a writer or whatever. Their reaction is not even consideration, but to shut down completely and say, "I hate writing." Or "I hate reading." It should break my heart, but really it chaps my hide more than anything. Again, totally biased mom here, but my kids might not be able make a real go of it right at this age. But they could at least hone skills that they clearly possess.

Granted, my kids are still young yet. So there is still hope they will turn that corner and decide to try their hand at something. Anything. I just really hate how, right now, they won't even consider the idea that they could/would do it.

I take it back, I do have one kid who is somewhat pursuing creative endeavors. He's my rocker kid and just by being in marching band and concert band, he's at least immersed in music daily.

Do you have someone in your life who you just know has a creative bent but will not for whatever reason work at it? Have you given up trying to get them to take a chance? Or are you standing back and waiting for the right time to give the extra little push they may need?