M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 8

Goals for the Week of the CRAZY

Sooo. my Dad and stepmom came in last night for Fiesta on the way back to Minnesota. My cousin is coming in Thursday night. We have STAAR testing Monday through Wednesday which means a lot of sitting and waiting. My birthday is Tuesday and I have a new book coming out on Tuesday.

Crazy? You betcha. Wish me luck!

My birthday
Launch Promenade
newsletter, etc
Carolyn visiting
Dad and Sue visiting
Fiesta events
STAAR testing
Work on Avalon Island

Goals the Week Before Company

Time to panic! Didn’t get everything we wanted done. So this week will be busy. And I’d sure like to get out to see some bluebonnets.

Work on Avalon Island
Clean house like crazy
Polka’s spa day
meeting
Breakfast duty
Set up preorder for Avalon Island book (as soon as I get my cover!
Walk Polka
Dinners with Josh, since his girlfriend is out of town this week.

Goals for the Week After Easter

I miss Easter Monday holidays. We used to get a four-day weekend, but now, testing. I’m SO TIRED!! We celebrated last night, got home around 8:30 and watched an episode of 12 Monkeys before collapsing.

This is a full week at work, and next week, too, then company comes, so I’m a bit frantic right now.

This week:

1) Finish lesson plans!

2) Buy new printer

3) Finish revisions/format Boom Town book

4) Finish painting Josh’s old room

5) Take out ads

6) Look for cover art

7) Work on Avalon Island book

Goals the Week of the STAAR Test

I didn’t finish my book, but I’m close, and I will finish this week. I’m also monitoring the STAAR test two days, and we have Friday off, thank goodness, because the weekend will be busy with the Starving Artist Show and Easter.

Work on Avalon Island
FINISH/revise/edit Promenade
STAAR test
PLC meeting
Starving Artist Show
Take out ads
Make promotional graphics
Keep walking the dog
Give her a bath
Work in the yard

Goals the Last Full Week of March

This has been an interesting week, getting back to school, learning the habits of a new dog and teaching her ours. I haven’t gotten as much writing done as I need, so this week, I’m cracking the whip! I still have a wedding to write, some post-wedding drama and a trial. Yikes! And I can’t take off any more until May! Soooo…

Finish Promenade
Work on Avalon Island book
Cover reveal for boxed set, including the first Avalon Island book
Submit ads
Paint Josh’s room
Walk with Polka
call accountant

Wish me luck!

The Newest Member of the Family

It’s been a month since we said good-bye to Stormy, but I had the feeling even that day that she wanted us to pass on the love she gave us, pass it on to another dog. Fred and Josh didn’t want another dog, didn’t want to go through that hell again, but the house felt so EMPTY without a dog, even with *cough* five *cough* cats. I was the one whose routine had changed the most, who missed the companionship. So I started looking.

I knew about every animal on the Humane Society’s website. A puppy would be fun, but a lot of work and a lot of energy. I wanted someone settled, like Stormy had been. I saw a girl there who had been in the shelter since July of last year, but when I went to meet her, she didn’t want much to do with me. Polka, however, looked right into my eyes and essentially said, “I’m your dog.”

Fred came to meet her, and she liked him, a lot. But we weren’t sure if we were ready.

The next day I went to the Animal Defense League. I walked a couple of dogs, but couldn’t decide. They were both MUCH younger than Polka, who is 8. I went back on Friday to see her again, and got her story from Amber, one of the staff. She’d come into the shelter with what they thought was mange, all bloated, a stray. They treated her, and she was given to an older couple. After 7 months, they brought her back THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS. Again, she was almost bald, and they called her “Stinky Polka” because she smelled so bad. They discovered the problem was her thyroid, so she’ll be on thyroid medicine the rest of her life. When I called Fred to pass on this info, he wanted me to check into the cost of medicine. Plus, we were out of town Saturday and didn’t want to leave her that long.

So we went back Sunday as soon as they opened. My other visits hadn’t been documented, so they wanted me to spend 20 minutes with her. By the time my time was done, 4 families were in front of us! THEN they wanted to do a cat test to make sure she would get along with mine. (She was so chill, it was funny.) THEN they forgot to get her medicine. THREE HOURS, we were there before we could take her home. But she was one happy dog.

She’s been home 6 hours, claimed her bed (Stormy would never use it), met the cats (who fled) and is currently sleeping on the couch.

Goals for the First Week Back

And I almost forgot to post my goals! I did 92 pages over vacation, finished the book and am now busting my butt on revisions, so if you see me online, tell me to get to work!

Revisions
Faculty Meeting
Monitor Testing Thursday and Friday
Jump Rope for Heart kick-off, so no teaching, but lots of exercise
Dentist
Take out ads
Find a prize for a contest I’m part of, something Texas-themed

Goals for 2015

Last year my goal was to write 4 novels and 6 novellas. I actually wrote 3 novels, 2 novellas and 4 short stories. Not. Even. Close. I had a harder time than I expected. I thought Two Step would pour right out. If I’d written it in September, it may have done. Alas, I wrote it at the toughest time of the year for me.

This year:

Finish the Boom Town series (2 more books)

Write a sequel to Eden’s Promise

Start a new series (The Off-Season)

Exercise regularly

Continue decluttering (hard, since I’m sentimental)

Continue paying off bills

My Favorite Books of 2014

 

I didn’t read nearly as many books as I wanted to this year. I wrote three, though, so that should count for something!

10) Ice Red by Jael Wye

9) Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

8) The Place I Belong by Inez Kelly

7) Now You See Me by Kris Fletcher

6) Cross Country Christmas by Diana Duncan

5) Sweetwater Springs Scrooge by Debra Holland

4) Her Holiday Man by Shannon Stacey (Also, Taming Max and Snowbound with the CEO)

3) Between the Sheets by Molly O’Keefe (also Seduced!)

2) Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra (also loved Carolina Girl and Carolina Man)

1)  Worth the Fall by Claudia Conner

 

Goals for the Week of Our 28th Anniversary

This week…I think I’m going to hide. I need need need to finish this book. Fred’s back at work, except New Year’s Day, it’s going to get cold, so I hope I can!

1) FINISH THE BOOK

2) Celebrate Anniversary–not sure how.

3) Take out ads