J.J. Devine's Blog, page 23

Trail markers and other things...

Good morning, everyone!!!

My sister and I took a 2 hour hike on Friday evening. We've been researching trail markers and during our research we realized there was a tree just like those we've been researching, in her woods. So, off we went to locate this tree, examine it, and take some pics. 

​We also hiked the woods in search of other trail markers as well as just enjoying the hike. Her woods has so many winding creeks, interesting shapes of vines and trees. All of this gave me ideas on how to enhance my story, Passionate Pursuit :) Which of course will be the next story I edit and get out there after I finish up Destiny's Price :)

​I'm less than 6k on finishing up my NaNoWriMo project :) I had full intentions of coming home working on it all day yesterday, but man, by the time I got done with work and the shopping, let's just say I was worn out and needed a nap. I did get some writing in before I couldn't move any longer, but not nearly as much as I wanted too. I have four more days, so keeping my fingers crossed I can hit my goal of 50k in the next few days :)

​There is just something about being out in nature this time of year. We've been fortunate that we've had some nice days these last few days. Friday was the perfect day for hiking in the woods. We managed to see the tracks of a few deer along with a raccoon's little prints by one of the creeks. We also saw what we believe was a opossum hiding along the river bank from us. 

​This sort of thing refreshes my soul and gives life to my writing world in ways that is hard to describe. I love the outdoors and this time of year it is hard to get outside more than you are trapped inside, due to weather. So, it was wonderful being able to go out and tramp through the woods and refresh my mind and body. Especially after a week of getting things ready for a family dinner.

​Thanksgiving day even though it was freezing out there, we did manage a ride on the golf cart through the trails. It was a fun time seeing all that my brother-in-law and nephew have accomplished to make the trails easier for getting through the woods for those of us who just enjoy walking or riding through them. These are paths I am anxious to go down at all times of the year to see the changes in the landscape as each season takes hold. 

​This sort of thing refreshes my being and gives life back to my creativity especially in my historical writings. When you get deep into a wooded area, it is easy to imagine what it must have been like so long ago. Then add the research of finding little things such as trail markers and even plant life, to the mix, and you find so many things you can add to your story to enhance the reading.

​It allows me to deepen the storyline through some experience. Each time I find something new to try, I wonder how it would have been done back in the day and research more. Enhancing my knowledge of the time I'm writing about.

​I will be pulling down the 100+ year old encyclopedias again on my days off this week, due to the strong desire to learn a bit more about the area and a bit more about these trail markers. When researching history I trust the older books more than I do the internet and more modern encyclopedias. Older ones are more detailed on the events and happenings. They are also less biased on twisting the events such as today's times. However, you also get a bit more of the gruesome details that they tend to believe we shouldn't read today, another factor I like about the older books. Not because they are so detailed even in the shock factor, but because they outline what it was like back in the day regardless. It does help when writing historical romance. :)

​Well I guess I should prepare for this day. One more day of doing books before I go back to my 7 to 3 schedule :) 

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!







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It's me again...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yeah, I'm back again this morning ;) I do hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful day. Ours was very enjoyable. So many people working in my sister's kitchen yesterday to get the meal on the tables. Her entire kitchen countertops and two more tables were full of food. People everywhere in the house. :)

​We took a golf cart ride through the woods, which was so relaxing and enjoyable. My brother-in-law and nephew built bridges over all the creek beds as well as cleared a nice little trail throughout the woods. It's just a nice way to relax on any occasion. 

​I'm going over there today to go on a hike with my sister. We've found some old old trail markers we want to check out better. So the plan is to go hike through the woods and see just what we can see. They've also found a HUGE quartz boulder sitting in the middle of the woods all by itself, no other rocks around. This has given me another aspect in which to research. Which of course I began last evening and will continue doing so until I find answers LOL.

​I'm almost to the 40k mark on my WIP. This month has been super good for me and writing to say the very least. I'm loving the progress but I'm also loving how the story is moving forward. There will be some editing over the course of December, but that's expected. I've made mental notes on aspects that need 'more' and other aspects that will need less. Mostly more though LOL. I'm just determined to get this all down and keep it moving until the end of the month. There's time to get the rest next month LOL.

​Today I go in again on the early early shift, Saturday and Sunday as well. By Monday morning when I don't go in until 7 again I'm going to feel like I'm sleeping in LOL. It's all good though. I like getting in there at 4 on these days because it helps me get more done. The boss is going to come in and help me with payroll, because I have only watched doing holiday pay a few times. I'm super thankful for the boss we have, she's great. She takes care of all of us and is so thoughtful when it comes to her employees.

​In two weeks from this week my schedule will be flipped and I will start my new regular schedule :) It's much the same as my old regular schedule however the weekends and days off have been flipped to the opposite week. The nice thing is I will have this Wednesday and Thursday off as well as next Wednesday and Thursday off :) Having this Wednesday and Thursday off will be a blessing because this way I can write like a crazy woman to get my NaNoWriMo project completed before the time is up :) I'm hoping I'm almost there by then, but if not I have two full days to get it completed before the end :)

​Well I guess I should prepare for the day ahead. I have to see hubby off and then head to my sister's after the work day is done.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!







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Happy Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

​I awoke this morning to a wonderful surprise, my dishes were done!!! Yeah, I have a wonderful husband for sure :) 

​Between the day job, the writing, and the going to my sister's house to prep for Thanksgiving dinner, well, it's just been hard to get to those little things such as dishes. However, while hubby was killing time waiting on time to wake me up at 2 a.m. he knocked off those pesky dishes :) I do dearly love that man.

​All of our hard work on the charity paid off. Our store won!!! We didn't beat Ft. Wayne, but we did manage to get the top two!!! Which still means we get $50 gift cards :) I am super proud of our team!!! I was proud either way, of these amazing people :) I'm also super thankful for the people of this town. Without all of them we could not have done this.

​Today I work the early early shift. Then I come home to grab the hubby and youngest son before heading over to my sister's house for more cooking fun :) before the people begin to arrive :) Thanksgiving (the turkey my brother-in-law raised for the occasion) is a 40 pounder. Christmas (the other turkey he raised) may even be bigger in another month. We have so many desserts and goodies for this day. My sister even made her own homemade cranberry sauce :) Which actually I don't do cranberry sauce normally, but I am already craving another taste of hers :) It is very good!!!

​My sister's home is open to anyone wishing to have a meal. They do this sort of thing all the time. So if you're out and about and want something to eat stop on in, there's plenty of room out at the lake house and there is LOTs of food for sure :) I promise you won't walk away hungry :)

​Well it is almost time to hit the shower so I guess I better sign off.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!







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9 more days, 20k more words...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​So I've managed more writing than cleaning over the course of the last couple of days. In my defense, NaNoWriMo will be over in nine days, the house will still be here after ;)

​I just haven't had a lull in the writing to need the break to multitask. I know weird, but I haven't quite figured out what is going on other than I need this writing binge this month. Fortunately, my OCD is geared more to getting this WIP done and ready to go, versus, the house needs me.

​By the time I get home from the day job I'm ready to just sit in front of the computer for awhile and just get the writing done. I was a little less than a hundred words from my 30k last evening, but figured I can hit that easy enough before work this morning. I was all too ready to collapse of exhaustion by the time bedtime rolled around. It was already an hour or so past my normal bedtime at that point.

I love when a story flows :)

​I can thank some of my readers for this. Recently, a few new people have read The Cheyenne Bride and therefore have given me the incentive to push the mark to get the others out there :) To actually use this positive feedback to fuel my writing energies :)

Well if I am going to get any writing in before work this morning I guess I better get myself busy.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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Making accomplishments as well as not getting a thing done...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​This is a weekend full of making accomplishments but not getting much else done. I know I know that doesn't make much sense, so let me explain.

​I've managed to get the apples strained off the apple cider vinegar, make 13 more jars of applesauce, and helped my sister with some pretty amazing apple pie filling. I started the next Chapter on my WIP. I also had all four grandchildren Friday night over night :) and now it's Sunday morning.

​I woke up to a pile of blankets that need folded and put away. Carpets that need vacuumed. A bathroom that needs cleaned. A kitchen that is in die or need of attention. Trash to be taken out. Dusting to be done. A bedroom that could use a LOT of attention. Laundry to be done. And last but not least, a little less than 30k words to be written on my NaNoWriMo project :) 

​So you see, I've made accomplishments, but man oh man, there is still so much to do. Thankfully, I'm a multitasker so things should get finished up by tonight :) That's the plan anyway. 

​I'm pretty excited about the NaNoWriMo project. Normally, by this time of the month I'm in the self doubt mode. The ask myself why in the hell I'm doing this mode. But for some reason this time I'm just enjoying where the story is going and the progress being made :) That at least is a big relief. Now I'm not saying this time next week I may not be ready to chuck the whole thing LOL. Yeah, I get that way. Then have to make myself continue. It's all good though. I am good at forcing myself to do things, so if that moment comes this month, then so be it :)

​With everything going on this month, I will be thrilled if I can hit that 50k mark before the end of the month. Between the daughter's water lines needing fixed and having a house full all the time. Spending time working on apple goodies. And then of course working full time at the day job. This is kind of that sort of month that will either make or break my writing LOL. I'm really hoping for making it instead of breaking it :)

​I spent the afternoon and evening at my sister's yesterday. It was a nice time working on more apple goodies :) We came up with a nice apple pie filling for apple crumb pies for Thanksgiving. It even has a reddish tint to it :) We made another batch of the pie filling to freeze before I left and we still have a quarter of a bushel of apples to do more :) We had an entire audience to watch us make applesauce with the kitchenaid :) The easiest invention ever!!! I don't know how I lived without mine before. I use it all the time. 

​We did realize though, if you don't have at least a portion of the attachments that go with it, well, it is nothing more than a glorified mixer. The attachments are where it is for this handy dandy kitchen helper. There are so many things you can get to help make life so much easier that this machine will do. Sauces, shedding, mixing, it's all there for the taking, spaghetti, noodles, ravioli, yep, this machine can do it all with the right attachments. I personally have the sauce maker, the shedders, the meat grinder, and the grain mill. I plan to get more attachments later, but these are the must haves for me right now. It helps with canning and large meals and yes, even smaller meals and cakes and cookies. Also allowing me freedom to do other things while it is mixing. 

I was planning to get the girls one for Christmas this year, but I will have to wait until next year seeing as we've had a lot going on this year money wise. And so close to Christmas :( But they will have one because frankly it will make life easier for them :) 

​Well I should really get busy this morning. I'm going to start off writing, then throw a task or two in there when I need to get out of this chair for a break.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

​Blessings to all!!!









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MY FRIDAY...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Can you guess it is my Friday??? My weekend off??? Don't think for one moment today won't be a busy one, but at the end of the day, well, it's my Friday :)

​I got off work yesterday and came home to head out with my mom and sister to Alexandria to our favorite little wholesale shop down there. I picked up a few Christmas presents to get my Christmas shopping more underway :) I also picked up the cutest little snowman rug for in front of my fridge :) It was a nice way to spend an afternoon.

​Tonight I have Miss Ava and Zoe Belle. Mom has to work in the morning so grandma is going to just keep them overnight and then head to my sister's house after that for some apple fun :) I have to strain off the apple cores and peels from the apple cider vinegar starts we did two weeks ago and take those apple pieces to the chickens at her house :) It is starting to smell like apple cider vinegar for certain :) Can't wait to see the final product here in about four to six weeks :)

​We have to finish off her bushel of apples this weekend and also plan for Thanksgiving dinner. So the weekend is already full of fun activities :)

​I helped the grandson plan again for his spelling test today. He sat down at the table last evening and told me, "Grandma, I feel pretty confident about this test." I had to smile. I told him I feel pretty confident about this test too LOL. He also assured me that next week he doesn't have spelling or a reading log seeing as it is only a two day week :) He's done a fantastic job writing down in his journal his homework each day and I asked him to bring home his math folder so I can better help him with his math homework, and yep, his math folder has now been coming home :) He's really good at math, so not much of my help is needed in that department, but IF he needs help like he did the other day, his math folder may be better than youtubing how something is done LOL. Yes, I did that. Hey, it's been years since I added fractions and all I could remember was how to multiply them.

​Miss Airi has been reading each night, even though she tells me she doesn't have to :) I just feel reading is one of those important aspects of life. If you can read you can do pretty much anything. So to me learning to read and comprehend what you read is a must. So every night it's a half hour of reading and then tell grandma what you read :) I'm not worried about how many pages they read as long as what they read they understand and know what is happening to move the story forward :)

​This morning I need to move my writing forward :) Things are coming together in my NaNoWriMo project, however, I keep forgetting to sign on and put in my word count. So hopefully, by end of day today I remember to get that done :) I received a new review on Into the Darkness the other day!!! Very nice review:

Hold your hats; it's a wild ride
By wine&cheese on October 31, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
Vampires and witches... how can you go wrong? By underestimating the power of the author's writing and how she fleshes out the characters, even the secondary ones. And the epic battle scene??... Totally floored me!

​Well I guess that is all I have for today. Need to get busy writing :)

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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Two more days...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Only two more work days until my weekend off!!! I'm working books this morning and getting the store ready for a drive through by the big wigs (which of course may or may not happen, but we need to be ready) :)

​Soon very soon, my schedule shifts to put me on the same schedule as hubby. That will be nice. I do enjoy having his days off home. I just feel like we've actually had his time home together when I'm off at least a couple of days when he's home.

​Still no water at the daughter's house. The grandkids and I have worked out a nice neat little schedule and it seems to be working just fine. Bug has actually been excited to do his homework and his daily reading which makes me very happy :) Each evening after his half hour of reading he has to tell me about the story he's reading. When we first started this he only managed a few pages of the story, but now, he's getting more and more pages in each night and when he has to write it on his paper for school, his paragraphs are getting longer :) We've also been doing practice spelling tests each evening after he writes his spelling words. That was his idea :) He writes the words then he spells what he wrote out loud to me. I really see a huge difference in just two weeks :)

​Lil Zoe went home early yesterday. Please keep her daddy in your thoughts and prayers right now. The Lord and Lady know what he needs and with prayers it will be provided. He came and picked her up yesterday morning not long after breakfast. She and I were watching Santa Buddies, because the Buddies movies are one thing I love sharing with the grandchildren. They all seem to just love those movies :) 

​It was one of those cold and rainy days yesterday. So I did procrastinate going out and getting my banking and bills done. It was just too cold and yukky and I didn't want to get out of pjs much less get out and about, LOL. 

​I have managed a bit of writing over the course of this time. I'm hopeful to get in a LOT more over the weekend. I will head to my sister's house on Saturday to plan Thanksgiving dinner and work on apple goodies :) But no alarm clocks for two days which will be nice :) 

​I really still feel hopeful for kicking NaNoWriMo butt this year. After work today I plan to get in a LOT of writing and also I'm doing another writing hop on facebook fanpages. So start off with mine at 10 a.m. this morning and go through the pages. There are lots of fun prizes being given away in the next couple of days and also some great authors to check out!!! Just click on the word 'mine' above in this paragraph to start the hop!!! We did this last year and we decided it was that time of year once again to say Thank you to our readers :) I will be pinning the post to the top of my fanpage when I get home from work today but it will go live at 10 a.m. this morning :) Just look for the picture below  on my page and follow the link :)

​Well I guess I better get ready to hit the shower.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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Last work day then a day off...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Thankfully yesterday was better than Sunday. Whew...

​I even managed to get out of work at 2 instead of 3 :) Now the real trick will be to get out of there today by 2 seeing as it is truck and Pepsi delivery day. Keep your fingers crossed. 

​I worked on my NaNoWriMo project until almost 10 last night. I'm starting to make some real progress which is what I wanted in the first place :) Now to get some more good writing in over the next two days then again over the weekend :) It has been several years since I completed NaNoWriMo, so I am truly hoping to kick NaNoWriMo butt this year :)

​I worked on and off from the time I got off work yesterday until bedtime. Chilling when the house got busy and not allowing that to get under my skin. Bug was much better last evening from the night before. He also provided even more insight into what was going on with him the day before. It was very hard to keep this grandma's emotions in check, to say the least. But keep them in check I did, while I allowed him to tell me what was going on and how it came about. Let's just say I'm not upset with him, but I am very upset with some of the 'supposed' adults in his life. He's not a baby anymore and he may not understand some things, but he does know what is going on, just sayin'...

​It's been a long time since he came to climb into bed with grandma. I'm talking many years here. When he was small he would know I was still up writing, he would sneak down the stairs from his room to mine and say, "Grandma, read me a story." Of course I would say, "Bug, it's 3 in the morning, you should be asleep." Then he would give me that 'please' look and of course I would say, "Okay, let grandma finish writing this part. Grab the book." He would smile, grab the book of Grandma's Fairy Tales, and climb up on my bed and wait patiently until I was done.

​Last night was a bit different. He came in, kissed my forehead to see if I was still awake, and when he knew I was he climbed in on papaw's side of the bed and began to talk. We talked for a little while. I'm so glad I started building a solid relationship with my grandchildren early on in their lives. Now that they are getting older, it is definitely something that is paying off. Every little chat shows me we have a bond, a good bond. I adore this part of life more than any other. There is nothing in life that means more to me than conversing with those I love. 

​Bug will be okay in this life. He's got a rough go at it for sure. But he does know deep down he is loved and who loves him unconditionally. I'm so happy to be one of 'his' people. You know, the 'people' he can come to, talk about anything, and help him work out the bad things in life. For so long he clammed up about things in his life. Kept it all inside and let it fester. Now, it seems he's back to his old self and so full of questions and wants real answers. Of course this grandma is full of real answers tempered with kindness and hopefully, he understands that aspect of it. Bad things happen in life, but we don't have to allow hate to become a part of the equation. We can move on in life and surround ourselves with the good even knowing the bad is there. We can accept people for who they are and we don't have to understand their reasons for being that way, we can just accept it and move through our own lives controlling what we can.

Well I better get in some writing before I start my day...

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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Mid November really???

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Can you believe it is mid November already? Where the heck has the year gone??? Next week Thanksgiving will be here, then Christmas, then the New Year, life just flies by...

​Saturday went smooth this past weekend. Sunday, well, let's just say it was a nightmare. By the end of the day I was just over the day all together. That was at noon. Now my morning is flying by this morning. I've been sitting here since 4:30 a.m. trying to wake up and now it's already 5:30 a.m. I do hope that means the work day will also fly by. 

​The daughter's water lines will resume being fixed tomorrow. We'll know more once they get in there and see what else is going on. Until then she and the grandchildren will stay here. Tuesday night I will have little miss Zoe over night :) Then over the weekend I will have all the granddaughters :) 

​I need to prepare for the Christmas goodies sleep over as well. This time I have some crazy ideas that will require more than one sleep over to finish it :) I was going to talk to hubby about this little project, but as busy as he was when he was home I totally spaced it. So I need to get on that too :) 

​I also need to go to the craft store up town again. I have some ideas for Christmas presents and need to get them before someone else buys them :) That place is just amazing :) 

​So much to do and if time keeps flying by, well, it will all be done and over with before I blink. 

Ahhhhh....

​With all this time flying by it also means everyone is growing older. My youngest will be 23 this Saturday. I can't believe he's all grown up. Hell, it's hard to believe all of my kids are grown now. But they are and two of them have children growing up right before my eyes. 

​I guess life isn't mean to just stroll by. Instead, it's a whirlwind waiting to happen. I just wish some people would see this and know one day these little people won't be little people anymore and the chance to be a part of their lives will be gone before they know it. To be able to impact their lives in a positive manner will disappear and the feelings they've instilled in them will be set into their dna makeup forever. 

Sad, but true...

​The one days...

The when I have times...

​When I'm done doing what I want to dos...

​Those will all be gone and the expectations of these children just falling into your life, well, it will be gone too. Because the term, "You made your bed now lay in it," does hold water and is a fact of life.

​For eleven and a half years I've found you can't force someone to be something they're not. No matter how much you see what the future will hold for them, you can't make them change. What else you can't change, is how it effects a young one. How sitting around a campfire answering questions of Why am I not loved, can not change the facts, but all you can do is love them more and hope it is enough to prove to them they are loveable and important in this life. 

​Being there for someone is more than just your physical presence from time to time. It is being there emotionally for them. Being there when they need you the most and even when they don't. It is building relationships by communication. By hugs and silently proving you love them. 

​Yeah, let's just say, yesterday started out shitty and ended even worse. I had to rein in anger that I had long thought was gone from my soul. To have it thrown in my face, well, I realize I have a great deal left to work on in this area of life for sure.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!









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It may be Friday but it's not my Friday...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yep, it is once again Friday, but it isn't my Friday. My next day off doesn't come for a few more days. My boss made up the new schedules clear through my schedule flip flop which puts me off on hubby's days off once again :) It is nice seeing it coming and actually having an idea of when :)

​I didn't get much done last evening. Man, were we busy yesterday morning. I was so worn out by the time I got home I just sat and did a LOT of nothing. The slow easy day we hoped for really didn't come. However, it did make the day go by fast :) Seeing as today is Friday, truck day, Pepsi day, and Friday in general, I really don't look for this day to be slow for sure. Which is fine because that just means 3 p.m. will get here pretty fast :)

​This new scheduling/pay period thing drives us nuts. Normally my boss and my weekends to work are at the end of our pay periods. Now they are at the beginning. Which makes it hard to adjust the extra time we put in at the store. See, we always used to use our weekends to shave time off our time. You know where you've worked a ton of extra time over the week, you can balance your time out by leaving a bit earlier on the weekend you work. Well, now that is hard to do seeing as we don't know how much extra time we'll put in during the week because it hasn't happened yet. We're starting to get the idea of the new schedule beginning on Friday, but the rest of it is still insane. I'm sure given time we'll get used to it, I hope anyway.

​Pay day Wednesday still feels weird and I haven't gotten used to doing the shopping that day or even the few days following it. I've been doing my shopping too many years on the weekend for this to seem normal I guess LOL.

​Well if I am going to get any writing in this morning I probably better get to it :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!









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