J.J. Devine's Blog, page 33

Been a fun week so far...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​It's been a rough week but a good week so far. Work has been a bit hectic trying to learn the new system, but I will get it eventually I'm sure. It has been nice being able to combat this stress with coming home to the camper, hanging out by the lake and letting the stress of the day go.

​The Australian Shepherd in the pictures is my sister's dog, Rain. She's just a pup but she takes her job seriously here at the farm. They've been introducing the ducks to the lake and Rain is very serious about making sure her 'kids' enjoy the water :) Miss Belle, the little black Chihuahua, mimics her bigger friend, Rain, and has been helping Rain with the ducks :) It was so funny to watch yesterday. They would get the ducks in the water, then Rain would take a stroll around the lake to ensure the fishermen were doing okay. The ducks would notice Rain was gone and start to climb the banks. Miss Belle would immediately herd them back in LOL.

​The other night my sister and I took the golf cart, Rain, and one of the other Chihuahuas, Gracie, and explored the property. We were out and about for two hours just gathering black berries and checking out the plant life around the property. It was so relaxing just being in the woods and doing much of nothing.

​Today we leave this little place for a little while. Tomorrow I start getting the camper ready for our vacation. I'm really looking forward to the time off of the day job and just being able to not get up to an alarm :) I will come back here after work today and help load up the camper. Then we'll get it home so I can clean and pack. Mostly, it will be just a matter of washing up the laundry and putting it back in here and getting the food for the trip.

​After we bring the kids home we'll be heading out to another campground for the weekend. Just a few days of adult time :) I'm looking forward to the entire week for sure :) Nothing like some nice relaxation to make a good vacation.

​Well I guess I should prepare for this day. I'm still a little nervous on what I need to do, we have sales change today and I still haven't got this new system down that well. BUT there's always today and the rest of the week :)

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

​Blessings to all!!!



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Back at it...One more week!!!

Good morning, everyone!!!

​The weekend just didn't seem long enough :( It was a good time hanging out with friends but man, it seemed like the time just flew by :( We had very little service where we were so it was really nice disconnecting from the world even for a short time.

​Today I get to learn a new system. It's pretty scary considering this was thrown at us on Friday to start on Saturday (which I had off) and so it is completely new for both my boss and I. I'm hoping to be able to use her examples and go from there. So wish me luck...

​We are back at my sister's lake house for a few days before heading home on Wednesday to prepare for our grandchildren getaway. By the end of this week I'm sure vacation is going to look really great :) It is stressful enough trying to get everything done my boss and I normally get done in a week, but then to have a few new formulas thrown in, yeah, I'm a bit nervous about even starting this day and already know vacation can't get here fast enough.

​Time has flown by this year, but I can be sure of one thing, since I'm waiting for next week, this week will creep by, LOL. There's a plus side to this one though, with all I need to accomplish this week, it will be a good thing if it does creep by :)

​Hubby and our boys are going to a concert in the park this evening. So, I'm going to be hanging at camp tonight just me and the furbies :) I'm sorta looking forward to just relaxing this evening. I have a feeling I'm going to need it :)

​I have one of those nights last night where I was tired all day then when I went to bed I had a LOT of trouble getting to sleep. So tonight I should be pretty tired considering our entire afternoon is filled up with things that we need to do before I can relax. So that means no accidently falling asleep before bedtime today :)

Well I guess I should get this wrapped up seeing as all I am doing is rambling away about nothing much.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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It's Friday!!!

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yep, made it to Friday!!! My last work day for a few days before I start six days of early early morning shifts :)

​Hubby brought me home a pretty amazing surprise this week. I love those salt lamps and have actually been wanting to get one I just hate shopping so, you guessed it, no salt lamp. Well, hubby brought me home one from Arizona this week :) I will be putting it in the camper for our adventures over the course of the next two weeks for certain :) I can't wait to see what the effects of it turn out to be :)

​This morning I'm burning sage as I sit here on the back porch. The bugs are a bit fierce this morning seeing as we've had rain all night. The sage also brings some calm to me before the hectic day, so it is a win win as I see it :) Breathing in the soothing aroma does help counteract any negative that may invade my space today. I want to start this weekend on a bright note and a cleansing one as well.

​We will be spending a few days with old friends starting this evening/tonight. It always amazes me how long we've all been friends and how much our lives have changed from those insane young adults we once were. It also amazes me how much alike all of us have remained even without seeing one another as often as we used to.

​Then it will be a few more days with family as we go back to my sister's beautiful lake house for the fourth and enjoy some good conversation and bonding. Then back home for a few days to prepare for our few days with the grandchildren. It's turning out to be a nice summer for sure. So much to look forward to, so many new adventures to go on, so many new memories to be made.

​The day job will be insane over the course of the next several days with the holiday week upon us. I'm prepared for the insanity. It is going to be just one of those go with the flow moments in time. I have so much to do with the boss being on vacation, but I will take it one step at a time and just do what needs done. That's how life works :)

​I sent in my final edits for my Lake House story last evening, so today it will be getting back to Unfinished Business once the day has wound down to a quiet lull. I'm hoping to do some blogging each day as well. But we'll see how easy that comes with so much on my mind of trying to remember everything I need to do for the day job. Hopefully I am starting to get my routine back in order :) Keep your fingers crossed.

​The birds are chirping rather loudly this morning. I see some big fluffy clouds appearing in the morning sky, but otherwise it looks somewhat clear. The crickets and frogs were pretty loud also, before the birds awoke. I imagine that was because the bugs were out in full force from the rain. I believe it will be a hot one today considering it was 70 degrees at four a.m. But I don't mind the heat. It reminds me that this is the time of year for living life to the fullest. Where just being indoors isn't the only option. Adventures await in the nice weather. Walks, finding treasures, making memories that will hold us through the colder months.

Life is good!!!

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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Two more work days!!!

Good morning, everyone!!!

​There is a strong breeze out here this morning but it doesn't seem to bother the birds at all. The only difference between this morning and other mornings is the birds didn't start chirping at 5:15 a.m. instead they woke up at 5:30 a.m. this morning :)

​My wind chimes are playing with each gust this morning, adding a bit of background music to the singing birds :) Then of course the boys are romping all over the backyard enjoying the cooler weather. Yeah, its starting the day off on the right foot for sure.

​I only have two work days left before a couple of days off :) Hubby will be on vacation the next couple of weeks once he gets home today. So, this evening I will finish up my last load of blankets (I took a small nap when I got home yesterday), then I need to get all this stuff ready to take back to the camper.

​I also need to clean the boxes out of my truck that I brought home for the youngest son. Between all of us I believe we will have him set up for housekeeping for sure :) I pick up another load on Monday afternoon of household items but some of those are for me :)

​I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. My boss is on vacation next week so my work week will be packed full. Then the following week is vacation!!! I can't wait to have seven days off in a row :) Ahhhhhh....

​I did work until bedtime last evening on Unfinished Business. Today I need to do the final edits on Remember My Name for The Lake House anthology. Yeah, you know me I like to wait until we're down to the wire to get those done :) They need turned in tomorrow :)

​I plan to take my laptop with me all next week to get some good writing in hopefully on Unfinished Business. I would like to release this one in the very near future. I also should be working on another newsletter, which I haven't put out in a couple of months. I need to get myself on a strict work schedule for not only my day job but my writing job as well. I've done okay this week with getting a bit in each day, which is my goal for sure. Getting back to my normal writing will just take a bit of daily work before I am pounding out the word count like I used to :)

Wish me luck!!!

​Daylight is starting to take place now. The sky has gone from midnight blue to a gray-blue. If there wasn't so many trees in the way I am sure I would be able to see the pinks and purples of the sunrise :)

​We've been super busy at the day job. Which helps the days go by faster. I like being busy :) Today the boss and I have a couple of coolers to rearrange and fill a few power wings. Neither of us have been looking forward to this one, but it has to be done, and we've put it off as long as we could LOL. Yeah, we both procrastinate, now you know why we get along so well LOL.

​Well I guess I should get off of here and get ready to get ready to start this day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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Productive day...Hoping for another one...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I have to say I am pretty happy with the way yesterday went :) It was a super busy day, however, it did make the time fly by :)

​I couldn't believe how many times I had to call my boss out of the office to help me with customers. She and I both received very wonderful yearly reviews on our work :) Which thrilled me to death. Yearly reviews always make me nervous. Hell, reviews make me nervous period.

​I worked on Unfinished Business a bit more last evening after I did a bit of housework. I was also able to get some shopping in (which I hate but I needed coffee for this morning). So I'm calling yesterday a win win for the day for sure.

​Today I have an entire list of things to do as well. Getting off work at 2 seems to really keep me going. Today after work is going to be laundering all the blankets and sheets I brought home from the camper. I have to get those ready to go back in the camper seeing as it is only a few days until we live in it for almost a week. Then it will be turning around and getting the camper prepared for vacation!!! I can't wait until that gets here for sure. No alarm clocks other than grandchildren :)

​I really like the productivity yesterday brought into my life. I want to hold onto that momentum and bring more of it into my daily life. I know that is completely up to me, so I just need to do it. It's very strange but it seems as if I get lazier when hubby is gone. Like I have no get up and go anymore when he's going to be gone for a good many days.

​Back in the day I always had a house full of kids that kept me moving. Always something to be done. These days I don't have that. So it is just me most of the time. Crazy how that works out. Something you dream about always wanting a moment of peace, then when you have it, well it's not all its cracked up to be, LOL. Those moments of peace turn into days and weeks of peace and quiet. This is definitely something that is going to take some getting used to. But I will :) Of that I'm sure.

​With the youngest son so close to getting his own place, the knowing that it will be just me around this big old house all the time is just strange. Sure, I don't see much of him now being on different work shifts. But I know he's upstairs when I get home from work. Or he'll be coming downstairs to get ready for work at the time I'm preparing to go to sleep for the night. Soon this too will change and I will readjust to a new way of life once again.

​I believe that is one of the hardest things in this life. Readjusting when things change. It seems like it takes me forever, LOL. But it is also something I should be pretty good at these days LOL.

This is why God made grandchildren :) It helps remind us not only that we're getting older, but it also allows us some of those crazy moments in life once again.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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Took the weekend to reenergize...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​It is a bit cool this morning sitting out here on the back porch. But I just threw on some winter pjs and did it anyway :) Here in Indiana we have enough cool months for sitting inside, so I need to enjoy these moments while I can :)

​I did books this weekend at the day job, so after I came home I spent my days just chilling and doing a lot of nothing. Okay, so Saturday put me down a bit. I came home from work and thought I would lay down for a few then get my day started when I ended up with a strange migraine. I still felt the effects yesterday also, so I just decided to take the weekend off of life and rest it up. Which is exactly what I needed.

​The next few weeks are full of activities and spending a good bit of time in the camper. So, I decided I just needed to take a moment for resting up. So, I did :)

​Hubby called last evening with a game plan for the weekend. Then next week he is on vacation, so we have more plans. Then the week after is our grandparents/grandchildren vacation. Lots of family and friends time over the course of the next two weeks :) Most of which involves camping!!! YAY!!!

​Between the blogging last week and the rest this weekend I can say I feel refreshed this morning. Which is so what I needed. Watching the boys bounce all over the backyard as they play in the cooler morning air. Miss Mimi finally decided to join them for the morning romp :) It does a heart good watching them play. Baby Bear is almost too vocal for this hour of the morning however :) I swear if he could speak human he would be one of those very vocal children for sure LOL.

​I'm pretty excited to join up with some old friends this weekend. The timing didn't work out so good all last summer and I missed getting together with all of them. Hopefully we will be able to get a getaway weekend nailed down over the weekend with them before hubby has to go back to his normal run. It's always nice getting together with people you haven't seen in awhile. Catching up on things and just enjoying the company of good friends.

​Then a few days of family time at my sister's lake house to enjoy the holiday before bringing the camper home to get it ready for our week with the grandchildren. (Okay, so it is not a full week, but the longest they've been away from their parents and these grandparents have had them). I've gotten all their outfits for our time away :) Now all I need to pick up is Lil Miss Zoe's diapers, swimmers, and wipes :) Then it will just be a matter of food and goodies for the trip :)

​I can look forward to this much better now that I've rested up. I guess I just needed a moment to quit peopling for a few days and just be. For an introvert, peopling can be overwhelming at times. Then choosing a day job that requires peopling, well, I look at it as a means of overcoming something that holds me back in life. A dear friend told me that I'm doing much better at these things than I once did. She would know because she was there when I first began working on this aspect of life :) But after so long of not getting a break it does wear me out a bit mentally. I do need that down time once in awhile.

Well I guess I should start preparing for my day.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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Let the weekend begin...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​It's still dark out and the breeze is really blowing this morning. The birds woke up about ten minutes ago and the dogs, well, they weren't ready to wake up when I did this morning :)

Sitting out on the porch this morning is like breathing in a bit of fresh air to the day. Coffee in front of me and fingers on the keyboard.

​This is my working weekend. So definitely the mornings will be earlier than normal.

I enjoyed the grandchildren yesterday. We spent the entire day outdoors once again. They played from the time they got out of bed until they went home last evening.

​The blogging yesterday did help a bit. I'm not as blah as I was, but it is still looming :( I'm looking forward to vacation time when the only responsibility I will have is making sure the grandchildren have a good time :) That could be exactly what I need to kick this mood in the ass.

​I also will be solely responsible for all the books and such at work the week before my vacation. So, that could also be a bit of my issue. Nerves. My boss has full faith in me, but it still makes me a bit nervous trying to remember to do everything that needs to be done. I've written everything down that I need to do on what day. So hopefully that helps.

​Another aspect could be I am just overthinking things. I do have a bad habit of doing that. That is my writing side for sure. I always do that with my characters when writing. I have this strong desire to understand and know why they feel the way they feel. It justifies their actions and reactions to know these things.

​I know I haven't been able to write as much as I desire lately as well. This is always a sure fire way to push me into a solemn mood. It could be something as simple as that. I got so much writing in at retreat, then I came home to write hardly a word (for me that is). I hate that. Writing is a part of who I am, a big part. So when I neglect that aspect of me, well, it is like I am neglecting nourishment for my soul.

​I have spent too many days doing those things I've deemed necessities and losing myself in doing what I feel I need to do for others versus what I need to do for myself. So many writers would kill for the quiet time I get. I know this. I get angry with myself for being so slack in that department because I know once I put my mind to it, there is no stopping me.

​I've made excuses for myself, but in the end it is just excuses. I need to get back into my habit and letting nothing stop me. I used to kick off anywhere from 30,000 words to 80,000 words a month. Now I'm lucky to get in 2,000. Yeah, this could be my biggest issue of all. Somewhere along this line I lost the drive I used to possess.

​When I first began writing my house was a busy place. Maybe that's part of the issue. Things are too quiet anymore LOL. Back in the day when I was pounding out the word count my house seemingly had a revolving door. People in and out all the time. I remember telling myself, one day, this house will be quiet and I will have uninterrupted writing time. Well, that one day is here and I seem to find myself stalled more than writing. Go figure.

​Well, I do believe I may have just figured out my issue. Thank you all for letting me ramble away until I was able to see things clearly.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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Explanation...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I know I haven't been blogging like I used to and I guess I really don't owe anyone an explanation, but...

​I haven't been myself this last month or so. Why? Who knows? Maybe writing this blog will give me some insight. At least I hope it will give me some insight :)

​I've been feeling strangely overwhelmed and really I have not been able to pinpoint why. I try to stay focused on the positives of life. Which really isn't an issue doing considering for the longest time I've chosen to count my blessings not my trails.

​I love my jobs. I adore this time of year. I totally enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. The sun shining, the gentle breeze blowing. The sounds of nature all around.

​I can feel a big change coming. But for the life of me I have no idea what that change is. Sure the youngest son is moving into his own place. I'm thrilled for him. I truly am on that aspect. We all need to spread our wings and fly out into the world. So I really don't think that is the issue.

​I know this year has been harder than all the years before where Ali is concerned. I'm not really sure why, because she's been gone now for four years. But this year has been more difficult than the years before not having her. I guess it is because she would be a full blown toddler now.

​I've made peace with the fact I am a grandmother to an angel. But there is just something about this year that is trying on that level and I wish I could pinpoint what it is. Maybe that is the why of this strange mood I'm in??? I listen the other grandchildren talk about her, miss her, telling me how they wish she was here to enjoy our times together. There is not a time when the grandkids come to my house that one of them doesn't bring up the fact that they wish Ali was here to have fun with them.

​Then of course my parents have sold my childhood home. However, they've sold it to my niece, so that really isn't an issue either. But maybe stirring up childhood memories is another aspect??? Cleaning out more than 40 years of life is definitely emotional :) I can imagine even more so for my parents.

​Then there is the fact that this year I've officially been a grandmother for 11 years. I'm going to say this is one of the best perks life has given me :) Watching these young ones grow into little people. Seeing the changes as they unfold in each of them. Seeing them grow into who they are going to be. Watching as life transforms them.  

Something I learned in raising my youngest child is time goes so fast. So treasure each and every moment of the time children are young. Because before you know it they will be grown, having a life of their own, and this time will only be a memory.

​I guess you could say I am happy with my life. I love my jobs. I love my family. I love my solitude. There are just times in life when I guess you just feel blah. I'm having one of those moments I guess. Where things seem overwhelming and I just have no get up and go. But, as always, this too shall pass and I will be back to my old self once again.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!




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It's been a few days...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​It has been a few days since I've blogged. I spent the weekend enjoying fun in the sun at my sister's place. She has the perfect spot for a weekend getaway :)

​Two of the grandchildren came to see us on Sunday and swam for seven straight hours :) Okay, so some of that time they fished and played in the paddle boats :)

​Hubby spent the weekend fishing and helping the brother-in-law. I worked the day job doing books and then retreated to this tranquil atmosphere for some relaxation in the sun.

​We left the camper there so I can go back this weekend (my weekend off) to enjoy some more quiet and get in some more writing. I plan to use this time as my own little writing retreat :) seeing as hubby will be working. It will be great to get away and relax once again. Something I could definitely use :)

​I have final edits on my lake house story to finish up. I also want to get back to working on Unfinished Business seeing as I haven't touched it since right after retreat. These last few weeks I've had some issues with my sleep habits. I'm either wide awake or sleeping forever (two nights I slept for twelve hours). This is definitely unusual for me. My normal is sleeping for five to seven hours and I'm good to go. But then I had an issue doing that a few days in a row, sleeping only two hours each day. Since then if I sit down I'm asleep and not just for a little nap, I'm asleep.

​Hubby says it's cause I need more sleep, so I'm going to work on getting things back to normal this weekend and start next week off on the right foot. I just love the sunshine and warm weather so much that I believe that's my issue. I want to savor every moment of it :)

​This funky sleep pattern has definitely torn up my writing schedule. Which I know once I get back into it should help. But man, I do hate being like that. I can't stand sleeping so much then when I do manage to stay awake, well, it's way too long.

Wish me luck on getting things back to normal :)

We've had a lot of very hot days lately with a good bit of humidity, which could be a good deal of the issue. But you won't hear me complain about the heat, I love it :) I've been spending some time on our back porch lately and enjoying the early mornings or late evenings. This is one of my happy places in this kind of weather :)

​Well I guess I should start preparing for my busy day at the day job. This week has been filled with something every day, between audit, sales change, scan audits, and new delivery schedules. Today, we redo our lunchmeat cooler, then tomorrow is big delivery day. Yep, I'll definitely be ready for my weekend off :)

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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Last day off for a few days...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I got plenty of rest last evening after the kids left. In fact, I slept almost twelve hours. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. I laid down to watch a bit of tv and ended up falling asleep instead of working on my blurb and tagline. Then woke up at 2:30 a.m. feeling pretty rested but decided I should go back to sleep. Needless to say I slept until 7:30 :) Guess I needed the rest.

​So this morning I got up got that blurb and tagline done for my story for The Lake House anthology :) Now I'm sitting here finishing my morning coffee and contemplating working on Unfinished Business.

​Seeing as this is my last day off from the day job until next weekend I figure I should get some good word count in on that one :) There's only a tiny bit of minor housework to get done today along with a trip to the bank and maybe the store. But mainly, my intentions are to sit on this back porch and write today :)

​I made the decision not to put a garden out this year because I want to focus on my two jobs more over the summer months. Which means there is little time for much else. Yes, I enjoy planting, growing, and canning all the goodies each year. However, all of it takes time and effort. Between the day job and the writing job I just don't know where I would get any extra time this summer. Besides I also want to spend as much time at the campgrounds as possible too, which also takes me away from gardening.

​I have considered maybe doing some potted gardening, but that is still up in the air so far. We'll see :)

​I enjoyed having the grandchildren over for the night. We spent the entire day outside. I loved listening to their imaginations go wild. The games they play. Not one time did any of them ask to go inside and watch tv. Instead, they ran about the yard, played on their swings, used their imagination at every turn. Then they made me take a walk, yes, they made me LOL. Having them around is definitely good for my health :)

Well I guess I should get out of this chair and get ready for this day!!!

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!



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