Lauri Robinson's Blog, page 21

How Grandkids see their Grandparents

Recently my aunt sent me one of those 'forward' emails. I usually don't send those on, but this one I had to, and decided to share some of it here: 
How Grandkids see their Grandparents: 
·         She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful
eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before.  After
she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But
Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!"

·         My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.  He
asked me how old I was, and I told him, 62. My grandson was quiet for
a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"
·         After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into
old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.  As she
heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew
thin.  Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their
room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings.  As she left the
room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice,
"Who was THAT?"
·         A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own
childhood was like.  "We used to skate outside on a pond.   I had a
swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard.  We rode
our pony.  We picked wild raspberries in the woods."  The little girl
was wide-eyed, taking this all in.  At last she said, "I sure wish I'd
gotten to know you sooner!"

·         My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you
know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said,
"No, how are we alike?''  "You're both old," he replied.

·         A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word
processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he
asked.  "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

·         I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I
decided to test her.  I would point out something and ask what color it
was.  She would tell me and was always correct.  It was fun for me, so I
continued.  At last, she headed for the door, saying, "Grandma, I think
you should try to figure out some of these colors yourself!"

·         When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the
lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.
Still, a few fireflies followed us in.  Noticing them before I did,
Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa.  Now the mosquitoes are coming
after us with flashlights."

As I said, I'd forwarded it on to others, and was laughing all over again when they responded with things their own grandchildren/children had said. So precious are the children.
Last week was busy with a surprise birthday party for my ten-year-old great nephew…he was more than surprised. Stunned speechless was more like it. The party was wonderful and on Saturday we attended the wedding of our neighbor 'boy'. Still hard for me to admit all these kids are grown up. He used to check what we were having for supper, and then check what his mom was cooking before deciding where he wanted to eat. The wedding was fabulous, and his wife is adorable.

I'm off now to work on final revisions. I'm digging deeper into the hero and heroine's emotions for this story, making them deeply ponder why they are falling in love, and I'm loving it.
Stay happy by thanking the Good Lord for all you have!

How-Do!

Here's Bear, Granddog extraordinaire!   The sweltering, humid days of the temperature reaching over 90 in Minnesota are here. Yes, it's hot, but I refuse to complain. Summer's too short for that. We had two high school graduation parties last weekend, my step-grandson James, and great nephew Tyler. So proud of both of them. Great boys with their futures ahead of them. One party had a dunk tank, the other a swimming pool, to help tackle the heat and we had a marvelous time. 
My sister-in-law from Kansas called to say the gals she works with are reading the Quinter Bride Series, and how she had to prove to them I was her sister-in-law.  Between hubby and I, the poor girl was on the phone for over an hour.  My mother read the first drafts of all my books, and said I could write a million books and Guardian Bride-The Quinter Brides Book 4 would always be her favorite. I now believe it was because the spirit of Jonas Quinter, the father of all those boys, appears in that book.  Mom was so ready to be reunited with Dad.
Speaking of The Quinter Brides, I just received this five-angel review on Badland Bride.
Oh, and I must mention, we are no longer dogless. We inherited my mother's shih tzu, Pooh.  He's settled in just fine, and follows hubby everywhere, but then he did that before since this was his second home. He's a nice little dog, and we are enjoying him, however, the neighbor dog's nose is a bit bent out of shape. 
I completed the edits on one story and sent it in, and am working on the other two, while also outlining another story. Our trip through Wyoming left me with so many wonderful bits of research I have to get them down while they are still somewhat fresh in my mind. 
Blessings to you all!

Life as I know it has changed

 My wonderful mother passed away June 25th. This photo of her with two of my granddaughters was taken the first part of June. She was a genuine, amazing woman.  I miss her greatly, and always will, yet at the same time I find honor in the fact I was so very fortunate to have called her "Mom". She raised eight kids, and at the time of her death had 24 grandchildren and 37 great-grand children.  A unique, little known fact about my mother was that she was given the name of Arlene Ruth at birth, but when she was 18 months old her name was legally changed to Mary Jane. Her older sister, Betty Ann, had passed away at the tender age of six. Betty Ann had always called her baby sister Mary Jane, so after Betty Ann succumbed to meningitis, my mother's aunt paid to have her name legally changed from Arlene Ruth to Mary Jane. That had been in 1933 and cost my great aunt over $300. I've always loved that story about my mom.
Besides being my mother, she was my greatest fan. One of the last entries in her journal said, "Lauri got good news from London." And this morning, I heard her whisper in my ear. "You have edits to work on today." And I do. I have three stories that have deadlines, so with my mother's never failing encouragement, I'm going to end this blog post, shut down my internet, and immerse myself in the Wyoming Territory with a mail ordered bride.
"A mother holds her children's hands for a while, but their hearts forever."

Coming or Going?

We spotted this Cadillac in Wyoming. My hubby remembered seeing it as a child and wondered if it would still be there, and sure enough, it was. Turns out, it's been there for over 50 years. 
Oh, and speaking of cars, butterfly nets do not fit in the trunk of a Mustang. After picking up my granddaughter from Vacation Bible School, and after eating lunch at her favorite restaurant, KFC, we did a little shopping. She and her little sister both picked out butterfly nets. One pink, one green, with long bamboo handles. I'd said whatever they chose was fine, so we drove home with handles bouncing around our heads. 
This has been a week of contracts. Harlequin called yesterday and offered contracts on two stories, Unclaimed Bride, a long story about a mail order bride, and One Wish, a Christmas story for their Western Christmas Anthology. (Titles are working titles and subject to change.) And the Wild Rose Press is coming out with a new series, Honky Tonk Hearts, and just today offered to contract a story in that series. Exciting days!
We are dog sitting this weekend, which makes the neighbor dog very happy. She's been here all day, playing with the boys. Even now, while they are inside napping, she's snoozing on the front porch, waiting for when they are ready to come back out and play.
That's all for now, enjoy the rest of June, the 4th of July will soon be upon us!

Home

We are home from our trip to Colorado for an interment service for my mother-in-law. We took the headstone out there my husband had made for her out of a limestone rock from Kansas. It turned out beautifully, and I know she's happy to have her final resting place be in Colorado. 

Though the purpose of the trip was poignant, we did have a good time. There were three car loads of us, and we took time to stop and visit many sites. My granddaughter's pacifier ended up tumbling off Pueblo Canyon on top of Mesa Verde, and my step-grandson bought a hat in Telluride that makes him look quite spiffy. I ended up sitting with ice on my leg to ease the swelling from the sun burn I received at the four-corners, and almost lost my stomach looking over the edge of Dead Horse Canyon in Utah. Our group split after seeing the Hole in the Rock in Utah. The other car loads headed back east to Iowa, and we continued north to Wyoming and then came home through South Dakota. All in all, we hit ten states and drove over three thousand miles. Our favorite location was Rico, Colorado. The best meal was in Moab, Utah, and the most comfortable motel bed was in Deadwood, South Dakota.  

We saw a lot of country and I gathered a lot of information for research, (like the 1st bank Butch Cassidy robbed in 1889 where he stole approximately $21,000) but must admit, it's good to be home.  

Wow, it's been awhile...

Sorry about that, but with the sun out and the grass green, the outdoors calls. And I gave the 'playroom' a makeover. First I painted the walls a plum color and the molding all bright white, then put up new curtains and shades, and then the fun came. The accessories! A full length mirror, a large basket of 'dress up' clothes, high-heeled shoes and an overstuffed jewelry box, new lime green tubs for the shelves and matching baskets for other toys. And in the corner, one large, comfy wicker Papasan chair (for snuggling with Grandma). It turned out adorable. The girls loved it and had to spend the night so they could get up and play in it again the next morning. Okay…enough about that.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day and found time to remember.
We had a very special occurrence a couple weeks ago. My niece graduated from college and in the middle of the graduation party her wonderful boyfriend proposed. It was very special, and a day none of us will forget for a very long time.
Our fingers are all crossed for my mother. She will be having another PET scan next week to see how well she has responded to her chemo treatments.
I completed the edits on another Undone for Harlequin, (due out the first of 2012), made requested revisions to another, AND my gold mining story is on the home stretch. I'm looking forward to our trip to Colorado so we can visit one of the towns I've researched for this story.
Thanks to so many for your wonderful emails about Wildcat Bride. I've been amazed by the amount of people who are asking when Jack will get his own story….Food for thought.
I hope June arrived with all the sunshine and glory you dreamed of in your neck of the woods!

Can't stop her now...

Karlee started crawling yesterday. Just a few feet, but it was so awesome to witness, and there won't be any stopping her now. It's truly amazing how much babies learn in their first year of life, isn't it? She reminds me so much of her daddy when he was little. Always happy and smiling. 
Speaking of grandchildren…Isabelle and Hayley gave me an adorable shirt for Mother's Day that say's "Never Fear, Grandma's Here." It's hot pink and already my favorite shirt. And Bear and Gander, AKA, the boys, (my granddogs) gave me a card that has a picture of a yellow lab puppy on the front and it says, "Grandma, As I get older, I realize that you've been right about so many things…I am adorable, for example. And talented, and quite possibly a genius. You were so insightful to see that." It was signed with two paw prints. Priceless. 
Spring, or possibly summer, arrived yesterday. We had eighty degree weather. Which means I must attack my closet, take out the winter garb and replace it with the summer stuff from the upstairs closet. And of course dig out the sandals to show off my wonderful Mother's Day pedicure. 
On the writing side, I just received the final chapters from one of my critique partners of her Native American story, and I'm looking forward to reading them. It's a wonderful story full of rare historical facts. I also have a goal of finishing one of my stories this week, so I may be up until the wee hours of the morning.  My favorite time to write is during the quiet evening hours, and I often lose myself until well after midnight. 
Celebrate life this week, with the spring flowers popping up and the trees budding out, there is so much to be grateful for!

Happy Mother's Day

The international day dedicated to the celebration of motherhood came about after the civil war, when in 1870 Julia Ward Howe proclaimed 'Mother's Day' with her proclamation.  
Yes, this is the same woman who wrote the The Battle Hymn of the Republic. 
To mothers everywhere, I wish you a day filled with happiness, joy, and honor.

Happy Monday!

I took my mother shopping this morning, and snowflakes were in the air! Goodness, goodness. It is May 2nd! While we were out and about we ran in my daughter-in-law and granddaughters, so we spent extra time just roaming the store visiting. It was truly delightful. 
Lots going on in World News today, and though I'm extremely thankful for all the men and women who work tirelessly to keep us save and our world thriving, as well as the men and women who bring us the news, I had to turn the TV off. Too much of anything is well, too much.
Nights with the Outlaw was released yesterday. Yeah! It's a short story—right around 15,000 words. The heroine is a 'pig farmer' in Nebraska and I really enjoyed writing this book, especially the opening scene where she is stuck in a tree with a pig rutting the roots below her.  The 'hero' comes along to save her, but soon he's stuck in the tree as well.
Love Western Romances just posted this wonderful review for Wildcat Bride. If you haven't visited Love Western Romances, those gals do a great job of keeping readers current on western reads. Check it out when you have a chance.
Have you ever tried one of those chickens in a bag? You get them in the fresh meat section at the store and bake them in the bag they come in until the little red button pops. I hadn't, but my son raves about them and suggested I try one. I made it last night, and it was delicious!  Much more food than Papa and I can eat at one setting, so tonight I'll make a thick stew with homemade egg noodles from the leftovers. If you try one, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Have a wonderful week and keep dreaming!

Royal Wedding and Publisher Party

Did you watch the Royal Wedding?
I love once upon a time and happily ever after, so yes, I watched the entire wedding. Loved it. I especially loved the hats! From the 'freakish' to the classic ones. Everything from the dress to the carriages to the flowers and the ever graceful Queen was so classy. A modern day fairytale.
My publisher, The Wild Rose Press is having a 5th anniversary party, and everyone is invited. Just join the Wild Rose Press YahooGroup to participate in the fun. Lots of fun and LOTS of wonderful prizes!
Mixed Book Bag Blog has a wonderful review posted for Wildcat Bride, and Nights with the Outlaw goes on Sale May 1st!  
I took advantage of the wonderful spring day we are having and cleaned out my flower beds, so now it's time to hit the keyboard for awhile. 


 Have a wonderful weekend, and if you haven't seen the wedding, I hope you get a chance to. It is history in the making.