Books and Journals - First To Pack.

So, I am now in the mood to move - - I've packed three boxes of books, and am about to drive to Sam's Club to buy more boxes because my boxes are too big. I don't want to hurt myself carrying them down the stairs when I do move. I need about 20-30 smaller boxes, what they call "medium" boxes I suppose. They are 14"x 17"x 13" I think.  I need tape too. I want to be sure they are nice and secure; nothing like fearing your box bottoms will come out from under the weight of books.

    The books and the journals are the first things to pack, but this time I decided to throw out most of the books since I really don't read them. I buy them occasionally, and because I'm an author I get free books from other authors. I don't read them. I know, I should. I really do mean to, but I never do. I don't make the time, I don't have the time. I am either working, writing, or pretending. When is there time to read anything other than another Perry Mason novel?

    I just finished packing three boxes of journals and I have made a decision to not unpack them when I move but to store them in a good cool place like the storage room or maybe in the closet of my office.  I think we have an attic too, so depending on whether or not it has ventilation, I may store them there. I don't want or need them out taking up space even if I do love them all and hope someday someone reads them - - except when they do, I also want them to remember that I said what I said because I felt that way at that time - - keep reading, I probably changed my mind.

    I have about a dozen larger boxes that I'll use to hold stuffed toys, clothes, linen, towels, curtains, and other lighter things. I really don't want to strain myself when I go to move these boxes out of my apartment, down the stairs, into the car, out of the car, and into the new house. I'm giving away shoes, clothes, coats, and more so I don't have to carry them anywhere other than to the car to be donated. The Goodwill guys come to the car to take them from my trunk. I love that.

    I'm looking at my bulletin boards on my walls and I see a bunch of really fun and cool memories on them. I'll probably keep them, but I may get a few more cork boards to make a half wall of the stuff and have even more memories on them. That way I can spread them out a bit and it can make a bit more sense. Right now the hodge-podge resembles my brain at 10:30 p.m. just before going to bed. It can't make up its mind what it wants to think before retiring. It wants to think it all.

    Moving lets me clear my head, my mind, my body, my soul, my thoughts, my memories, and my space. I'm not going to take anything to the new place that I won't use or want.  There is going to be a lot of trash bags used in this move. I'll be going through the kitchen this week and then the living room. I'll do my bedroom this weekend when Jeannie comes over so she can be the one to do the casting - - she's really good at it. 

    The clothes will all be donated. I don't want to throw out good wears if someone else can use them. I've mentioned it, but my shoes have dust covering them. I don't wear shoes unless I take the dog out or go to the store, and believe me, I can get rid of 28 pairs and I won't miss them because I don't wear them - - ever. I used to wear them. When I worked out of the house I wore them. I wanted to have all these nice things and there they sit - - not being used. They will be given away. Someone will want them.

    The bathroom stuff will be 90% thrown out before I travel to the new place because I want to start over! I'll keep what I can, but most of it will hit the skids.   I have about 200 copies of one of my books that I'm thinking of donating too. That way if they sell people will have donated the money to the Goodwill and have a book to read that's new. I'm not going to sell them at a book signing. I just won't do that, and they can be sold for $5 or something and be useful to the charity.

    Maybe if someone really cool buys one of my $5 books at Goodwill they can tell a friend who will look them up on Amazon and buy more! That's a good plan. What do you think? I do a lot of pretending, so why not pretend that works? I think it could; why not?  Stranger things have happened. Besides, books in the closet not being read is silly -- giving them away to a charity that I believe in is a better option.

    Boxes and boxes and boxes  - that's the plan for the next few weeks.  When I hire the people to move my things I want to be able to rent a U-Haul and have all my boxes loaded before they have to load the heavy stuff, so that it goes easier, smoother, nicer, and lovely - - they load the heavy stuff, take the heavy stuff out first, and I unload the boxes, and drive the U-Haul back. It makes perfect sense to me.  

    This move should be economical in the sense that a U-Haul will cost about $77-80 for the day, and the guy(s) helping will be paid about $200.  The only other expenses for moving will be the couch and chair I'm ordering online and that's free shipping. (I will tip)

    I figure, if I get it all packed and ready to load it will take about an hour to load, and an hour to unload, and I'll take the U-Haul back within four hours which could actually cut the cost down, but even if it doesn't, I'll be in and out soon. I don't want to bring anything whatsoever that I'm not going to use. It's time to get serious about clutter - - I'm not that bad in the first place, but it's gotten worse in the past few years.

    I have a ton of LITTLE things - - little boxes of jewelry, little boxes of trinkets. I don't need them. I really really don't. I hate to say it, but I'm probably just going to give most of it away and be done with it -- I'll keep a few pieces I love. I just don't wear jewelry - - I don't go anywhere to be seen with it. I have 1000000000 CDs and that will probably not change. I will probably end up keeping them. You just never know when you may need to pop in a CD and chill to something ancient and Celtic  -- I'm lying, I actually do know when to do that.

Photo Credit: Me.

Preparing the Move! (about a month away)

 We have about a month before we move into the new place.  It would be great if we knew exactly how many weekends we have, but it is what it is. We have put up with the way management is where we live for over eight years this time and several other times that we have lived in the complex. It's a unique experience to say the least.

    We are at the end, however, of an era. Our manager will be stepping down -- or sideways really. Her daughter-in-law will be the new manager, and since she's in her 40's I think, she'll be around for the next 30 or 40 years probably. Our landlady, or the manager, will remain on site two or three days a week because she'll come up and visit with her kin. She's like that. We'll see her, hug her, talk to her, have coffee or tea with her, and remember to remind her to remind her daughter-in-law that we're still her favorite.

    The weekends will be our purging times. This weekend I'll make a decision to plan out all that I'm going to purge, and then next weekend, when Jeannie comes over, I'll do the first round of clothes and shoes and whatever is under the bed. Whatever is under the bed turns out to be more clothes; mostly t-shirts that I've rolled up and stored away, thinking I would rotate them into what I end up wearing. I'm not kidding, I think I own more than 100 t-shirts. That needs to change.

    I glanced over at my shoe rack today and noticed several if not all of them were covered in dust. There's a reason for that; I don't wear shoes. I do own shoes! I own a lot of shoes. I own a lot of boots too - - that has to change. I don't need them, I don't wear them, I don't use them, they need to find good homes. This time next week, they will be donated. I will have so much more space -- and so much less to take over to the new house.

    By this time next week, I'll have walked through the new house without all the things that were in it when I first walked through it. The old tenant is gone, the house has been sanitized but still may need to be fixed. The electrician and plumbers are coming out in a week or so to go through it and see if they need to do anything. I'll take a boatload of photos of every corner of the place to better pretend! I love pretending. It's what I do, and I do it well.

    I'm going online now and finding the right sofa, chair, nightstands, and curtains. I'm thinking of when I'll go to Sam's Club and buy things in bulk that I can store in the storage room; toilet paper, paper towels, Tootsie Pops!! Who am I kidding the Tootsie Pops will be stored in the pantry in the kitchen for easier access!!  I buy them in big boxes on Amazon for $15 for 100 suckers - - it's a very good price for a very good product.

    It won't take long to pack up the rooms either. We're already collecting boxes and trimming down. We see something we don't need or want to bring over to the new place, and it goes into the donation boxes in the living room. They're filling up quickly.  I won't decorate the same either; things will go away and new things will appear in their place. We've stared at the same art for over 8 years - I brought some of it with me from God knows when - - one piece in particular is over 30 years old. I love it, but it will be donated. 

    I'm purging the mugs in my kitchen. I'm buying new ones, and making new memories. I'll take the pots and pans I have, but soon buy new ones and donate the others. That's down the road as far as purging is concerned. I am mostly getting rid of things I don't use that someone else could use. I use my pots and pans every day - - there is a difference. The fluff goes first. I have six coats and I think I use one. I mostly wear hoodies in the winter, but I will keep one coat in case of emergency.

    Since both Laura and I work from home, there's no reason to have fancy dress clothes hanging in my closet. I don't go anywhere and I'm not returning to the classroom or an office anytime in my lifetime - - those clothes will be donated. It's amazing how much I accumulated when I worked out of the house; I wanted to have different clothes to wear. I not only managed to have different clothes, I have so many things that I could work two months without wearing the same thing. That's not necessary. 

    I know this will be my last move too; unless my books take off and I need to move to a place I find more interesting. Since I believe this is my last move, I want it to be fast, smooth, and easy. I have a month to plan that, and that's what I'm doing. I am hoping to make quite a few trips to Goodwill for the clothes and items, but we also have a method here at the complex where we leave good items we don't want and someone who lives here may want them.  We put them in the laundry room and if they're not gone in a couple of days, we take them to the trash.  That will happen first probably, and then Goodwill.

    Planning is my forte. I love it. My plans have plans. I write about planning - - like I'm doing right now.  I am in a great mood!! I think I'll run over to Home Depot and find the plants I expect to buy later and the cleaners I'm planning to use - - it's all a part of the mind games and pretending. You can't know how happy it makes me to do this!!

Photo Credit: Reddit.com

    

    

I Did it!! I Joined Sam's Club!!

 Sam's Club is about a mile from my house, maybe slightly further, but I won't be measuring - it's close to my house. I decided to join it so I could buy really cool stuff at a reduced price, but also so I can walk the place about 8 laps a week and get my steps in. If it's hot outside I stay cool and if it's cool outside I stay warm. Sam's Club is going to be an even 70-72 degrees; so yeah, it's a good bet I'll be happy during my walk.

    I joined at the regular club price of $50 a year so that I could buy stuff at a reduced price and since I don't live that far away, I don't have to have it delivered. If I did want to have it delivered, I could have joined with the premium club option and paid $100 a year, but still -- that's amazing considering the free delivery! They don't want you just getting a couple of items of course, but it's a good thing when you order 10 bags of this, or 12 boxes of that - - which again, I won't need to do.

    Their dog food is good actually, it's manufactured by another recognized brand, but sold in a Sam's marketed bag - - the same food, literally 1/3 less the cost. I'm OK with that, but more importantly, Ginger is OK with that. The 25# bag of jasmine rice will have to wait until I move so I don't have to lug it up and down the stairs -- I can wait on the 52# bag of cat litter too!

    Some of the things I will buy from Sam's include packages of meat, larger blocks of cheese (I can slice it), and big boxes of breakfast bars. Today, because I could, I bought a big bag of cheesy garlic bread flavored Lay's potato chips - yes, I did! I almost bought some walking shorts, but they were all too short! What's up with these marketing people thinking we all want to show off our butt cheeks? I don't want shorter shorts because I don't want to burn my legs on my car seat! It's a real thing here in Oklahoma...heat that is, heat is a very very real thing.

    You know you're in Oklahoma when you see people fighting for the shady spots in the parking lot, not the slots closer to the door! We think down here!  Something else I really liked about joining Sam's was the big box of coffee creamer - - you heard me, the BOX of coffee creamer. It's a half gallon of the stuff, and it's only 35 calories - - and dang good!! So very very good. It was $3.42...which is unheard of in most parts of the world; not the price, but the coffee creamer! Coffee creamer is unheard of in most of the world! Crazy people.

    Hamburger meat is $4.48 a pound, you buy 3 square pounds at a time, freeze them, and you're good. The bread comes in two loaves, use one, freeze one.  They have these massive beef franks that were 12 for $10.42 - - each one of these hot dogs would go for $6.00 in a stadium somewhere - - on a bun of course, but that's just such a deal. I bought a box of Bevita dark chocolate sandwich cookies (breakfast) for $12 I think, and I think ( I want to say ) it has 24 cookie packs and there are 2 sandwiches in each - - so 48...I was wrong, I looked. It's 25 packs of 2, so 50.

    A huge bag of Seattle's best coffee is $12.48 and 3 pounds. Yes, three pounds of coffee made from Starbucks - - because Seattle's Best Coffee is manufactured by Starbucks. The same size bag of Starbucks Verona style is $17.48 - - it's the SAME THING!  I'm not trying to support Starbucks, but I will buy good coffee when I see it - - we bought a big box of Chex brand cereal too; Strawberry and Vanilla flavored. Crazy? We think not. I bet I end up loving it.

    Besides the Oil of Olay bath wash that I have my eye on, and will buy when I move, there are just so many other things at the store that kept me thinking I made the right decision today. I may not buy gallons of olive oil or ranch dressing, and I may not buy 15 pounds of ground beef at once or a variety pack of 60 cookies (think party or Vacation Bible School) but I will buy some of the lesser bulky things - a sack of potatoes is $4.36 for 10 pounds. I can split that with a friend. I will end up buying my Rx glasses there - - if I ever order them. I use readers.

    Basically, Sam's is there to help me lose weight, have fun, and shake my head at the free demonstration foods on Saturday - - I could make a meal of it every week! I may make a meal of it every week. You just never know, and they give free stuff away to members during the hours of 11-2 so yeah -- I'm there! I'm doing it.  Call me suburbanized - - it's a real thing - - another real thing. 

Photo Credit:  The Oklahoman

Pretending!! (New House Stuff)

 OMG...I am very happy!! We got the house!!  It was about 99% sure, but now we're sure-sure.  The landlord is putting the deposit check through, so that means it's ours. I can't wait!! As usual, when these things happen in my life, I start thinking of all the things I won't miss - - and this time is no different. I say this time is no different, but here I am not counting Laura as one of the things I'll not miss because I'm dragging her with me!! That's right, the woman is still going to be my roommate!!

    The other two children who I gave birth to think Laura and I should split up and live separately, but every time I tried Laura either lost her job, or I lost my job, or both of us lost our jobs at the same time - - making it virtually impossible for one or the other of us to split off. It wouldn't have mattered, we would have needed to stay with each other to help the other one out. We're pathetic...I know, but she's the one with the loaded guns and she's really scary in the early mornings. 

    Well, turns out Laura is a great roommate. She pays half the bills, or just about half, and she's really good at taking out the trash, putting things together that I buy that need to be put together, and she's even halfway decent at cleaning parts of the house that others see. Her room is still a disaster zone, but who really cares? She can close the door. Well, NOW...she can close TWO DOORS!!

    The house has three bedrooms and a really cool storage room that is actually larger than any of the three bedrooms. It doesn't have a window, which in the UK would make it a box room. It's 14' x 14' whereas our bedrooms are all 12' x 12'. We each have our own bathroom too, but we will have to share the common rooms. The house is made of stone, has a very good interior and exterior structure, and has been remodeled about two years back, making it really modern and really nice. 

    We have a backyard for the dogs and for my new plants, a carport for my car, (Laura doesn't drive), and a driveway for Jeannie! I'll actually end up parking in the drive unless and until we have bad weather; then it's inside the carport for me. There are other really cool features that we simply don't have at the apartment, and those are a garbage disposal, washer and dryer hookups, a larger-than-necessary refrigerator, an extra bedroom, an extra bathroom, and the extra storage room for sure. 

    Because the floors are heavy laminate, I'll buy a Roomba-type vacuum cleaner and watch the thing chase the cats! That should be fun. I can mount a laser pointer on it for extra giggles. The back door opens to the backyard, so I won't have to take the dog down a flight of stairs 8-10 times a day, and though it doesn't have a dishwasher, I don't use one. I wash my own. There is, however, an actual pantry for my food. This apartment has one too, but for 9 years I've used it for other bits of storage. 

    I'm going to have a real-live dining room-- one I can put a table in with chairs, runners, centerpieces, and yes, food on plates and force my roommate to eat with me. I can force her by threatening not to feed her -- she typically complies. She'll be on one side of the house, while I'll be on the other, and let me just say I can't be more thrilled...well, I mean sure, I could be, but I love having her as a roomie because it gives me someone to complain to. The poor dog shouldn't have to hear that from me. 

    I've been on Amazon for a couple of days now simply pretending and taking snippets of literally all the things I think I want to buy - - but you know me, I'll end up not buying most of it, talking myself out of it for whatever reason. I'll have a clean house finally, not a stuffed-to-the-brim house. I have been looking for a good reason to get rid of 30% of what I own and just live like I know I should. I don't need so much of what I've accumulated...this weekend and every weekend until I move, I'll make trips to Goodwill..this makes me happy.

    Each bedroom has two windows I think, and each bedroom has a good-sized closet with wonderful shelves. I checked with the electric, gas, and water companies today to get an average of what the bills have been over the past two years and it really is within our budget. Two people lived there before, so it should be about the same. I do shower and bathe a lot, and I do end up cooking a great deal of the time, but I think we'll be able to pull this off with grace and love.

    If Laura ever does decide to leave me she'll have to find her own place to live - - I think I'm going to stay put until Jesus comes back. That's the plan anyway. Good plan.

Photo Credit: MentalFloss.com 

The New Book - - Outlined.

 OK, I have the new book outlined and I've sent it off to Charlie Garrett to see what he thinks about it.  Normally, I wouldn't really do that, I've never done that in the past, but he's a central part of this book, so yeah...I want his opinion.  I think he'll like it.  I like it.

    The new book has a title, but I'm not telling anyone (except Charlie and my kids, and my best friend) what the title is. I think it will make a statement and I want it to be a good statement when I release the book. Today is the day I start it officially. I'm going to rest now that I've done the outline. I'll pick up the writing this week, and maybe get a few chapters in before next week.

    My daughter and I are planning to move around the end of July, so hopefully the book will be finished by that time. It will give me a goal anyway. I can write five or six chapters a weekend and do the rest in the middle of the week. It should be good. I wrote out the book today in outline form and believe it or not, it did take a couple of turns I wasn't expecting it to take, but given my penchant to include both murder and romance, I see where it happened the way it did.

    Like the storyline of "Bay Sorrel Ranch", there is a murder, it does take place, but it's not central to the entire book. In fact, in "BSR" the murder is more talked about than it will be in this book. The focus of this book will be the unseen, the unhung, the unnoticed, and the unwanted. There will be talk about why people do it, why they want to remain anonymous, and how they will go to great lengths to make that happen in some cases, whereas in other cases, they truly want to be noticed but can't make it happen. 

    I could call the book "Paradox" but that's not the title.  It takes place mostly in Sarasota, Florida, so I'll need to do a bit of research of the area. The other two main characters are from just outside of Dallas, and from DeQueen, Arkansas, where my daddy was born and raised. The heroine, Leigh Avery Madsen, is from DeQueen and she finds herself moving to New York City for work  -- Mathew James McConner, one of the two leading men in the book, is about six or seven years older than Leigh, he's about 38 or so, probably. He's from Decatur, Texas, and was working in Dallas before going to Chicago to become a top-tier chef.

    They both end up in Sarasota, years apart, and they know or have known Pastor Charlie Garrett, who by the way, is my real-life preacher! I can't tell you how excited I am that he's allowing me to use his real name, likeness, and personality for the book -- he's gifted and wonderful, and I love him and his precious family. His wife Hideko will be in the book as well, and their eight Chihuahuas....you have to include the dogs!

    So, this is it. This is the start. I'm turning the pages soon, and making it happen. This is a drama, a book that will include romance, murder, deep discussion, appreciation, awareness for self, and there may even be a recipe or two since Mathew is a chef. It only makes sense. I'll even throw in a few tips for trading on the FOREX since I like to do that, and Leigh is a trader herself. She scalps! Woot!  This will be fun. 

Photo Credit: iStock.com

    

New House Excitement - - Can't Help it!

 OK, I'm trying really hard to not get too excited and to not think I have the house yet  -- I have filled out the application, I've turned it in to my landlord - - and I've paid the deposit. The fact that my landlord knows me, and has known me for over 15 years helps. I've lived in this complex five times in my life; she's been the landlord of the complex probably since 2006 - - so we've known each other that long.  I was here in 2006 as well as now. I moved out in 2008 and came back in 2014 and again in 2016. 

    I'm just going over the possibilities of the whole thing and getting really happy thinking about cleaning the house, decorating it, buying furniture, curtains, and things to put my small appliances in. I'm thinking too much, and I know it. But, the alternative is to not be happy and no one wants to do that. If she says no I'll be uber surprised, but it will be what it is  -- she knows if she tells me no I'll leave and probably never speak to her again. There's that.

    If I made a list of all the things I love about it I would have to include things like, there are no stairs. We live upstairs now, and I won't have to do that if I live there. I'll have a carport to put my car under when there's bad weather. Currently, I move my car to the parking garage behind my apartment unit. It's never been a problem, but I won't have to do that. More big things are that there is a washer and dryer in the house! I have walked my laundry downstairs, and around the corner (and paid for it to be washed) for nine years! I won't have to do that if I live there.

    There are no neighbors!! I love my next-door neighbors, you can't get better neighbors, and to be honest, we're probably the loud neighbors if I'm being honest - - but one of our neighbors either forgets or intentionally leaves the front door to the building open and unlocked. Another one smokes and it drifts up to our place...no neighbors is really a blessing. That, and there are 10 windows in the house!! I counted. I love the light. The house was darker before, but recently they opened up the space and added new windows, drywall, flooring, quartz counters, great sinks, and faucets; they even put in new kitchen appliances. (a French door fridge with ice and water in the door, too.)

    Another HUGE thing (and difference) is the fact that the house is totally floored with hardwood (no carpet) there is tile in the bathrooms. We can get a Roomba.  I'm looking forward to it actually.  The back door opens to the backyard and I can just open it, and put the dogs out!! That is so big - - you may not think so, but we literally have to walk down the stairs 8-10 times EVERY DAY to walk the dogs. This is going to be a game changer and I simply can't wait - - and I pray it goes through. Like I said, if it doesn't, I'll leave. I think it will go through.

    I will mount a flag holder and fly the American flag outside. I will feed the birds from a couple of bird feeders, and I'll decorate the house every season - - beginning with Autumn!! I am too (very very) excited about that, and Michael's and Hobby Lobby will see a lot of me soon. It will be so obnoxious. You'll see it - - you'll love it. It will win awards.  I'm not going to do the inflatables, no, that's my son's thing  -- I will do the standard cute to the max thing -- it will be glorious. I will sit on the side porch, drink tea with my friend, and watch people.

    I'm already picking out bathroom mats! I'm buying towels in my mind, and I've decided to put the bookshelves in different corners and not have them flanking the TV as they have been for 9 years - - new house, new stuff, new adventures for sure. I'll definitely get better renter's insurance. The house is detached, so I don't have to worry about neighbors and their candles or cigarettes, but I will want to fully cover my contents and give me that peace of mind from having it.

    I won't say wish me luck - - that's for the Irish! I am born again, I say, pray! Thank you.

Photo Credit: Me. 

Probably Gonna Do it !! (Gonna Move to a House!)

 A house has come up for lease and Laura and I have already put our deposit down for it, and we've filled out the application. Since it belongs to the apartment complex we currently live in, and have lived in for almost 9 years, it should be a shoo-in that we get it. I won't hold my breath, but I think I could actually hold my breath. I think we'll get it. I'm hoping so, and I'm praying so.

This morning, when I heard about the house being available, I practically met my landlord at the office before she could set her coffee down! I had already texted her and told her I was going to give her the deposit today and fill out the papers. She agreed to let me see it - - it's being moved out of, and the lady who is moving out is just such a wonderful lady!!  So kind.

    Laura and I walked the house today and were just really surprised at how new and bright it looks. The outside is older stone and mortar, but the trim is really pretty. The windows are all nice. It has two separate porches, one on the side, and one on the front. There is no garage, but a built-in carport, not one that sticks out like an awning. The backyard has a locked gate on both sides. Because it is next door to the apartment complex, many tenants used to walk through the backyard, but thankfully that's been shut off from public use.

    There are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living, and dining room, a good hall, and deep closets. there, in the carport area, there is a storage room that is 16x16 and Laura will keep her office in it. We'll get a fireproof door for it, It's heated and cooled, so she'll be fine. The washer, dryer, and extra refrigerator are in that room. We'll store the water in that room, but that's where Laura will office, play, dance, sing, workout, and basically live.

    My side of the house has two bedrooms that are about 12x12 and both bathrooms. Laura can claim the one with the bathtub, and I'll take the one with the shower. The hallway has another closet for linens and towels, and the entire house has hardwood flooring...so nice.  The ceilings are 9' or even 10' in some spaces. TRULY love the space. TRULY hope it goes through and goes well. I paid the deposit, and hopefully around July 20th or so we can start the move. I'm off the 19th, so maybe that weekend.

    Let's just say, this is a God thing. It really is, and I really hope we get it. The rent is cheaper than if Laura and I lived separately, and we get more rooms, more closets, a washer, a dryer, a garbage disposal, a driveway, a carport, and a backyard.  We're over the top happy about it. There are a few really cool things that I'll go ahead and talk about it - - I really do think it will happen, so I'll say it is!

    The living room is smaller, but we don't use ours now. I have a chair I sit in to write, but I don't watch TV. I'll end up buying a nice chair and a nice couch, and we'll set up the TV in that room just in case we do decide to watch it - - but the really cool thing is the dining room! It is a big, fat, open, airy, dining room that my dining table and 4 chairs will look wonderful in; and I will keep it so seasonally decorated!! YES, I will!!  The front and side porches will be seasonally decorated as well. 

    We'll move in the first of August, or the last of July, but come Autumn...that house will be poppin' with color and really cute -- cuteness! Laura can keep her room as messy as she wants to, but I'll let her use my office closet if she needs one to store her stuff in. We have an attic too, so it could be that she just pops her leftover things into buckets and stuffs it up that way - - I'll just have to remind her from time to time where it is.

    Ginger and Rose will LOVE the backyard. It's going to be so wonderful - - and get this, because it is part of the complex, the maintenance is FREE!! The bills are about the same as they are in my apartment now, as they are now. The electricity runs about $150, the gas about $75, and the water about $60.  I only pay electricity where I am now, but Laura and I would be paying $1350 a month if we had two separate places, and mine would only be a one bed - - this is too too too much better.  I'm very excited and hope we can do it. 

    The lady that lives there was saying that the light from outside the window may be too bright at night, but that's OK, we have that now too - - and we have neighbors, stairs, bad carpet, old cabinets, and people who can't remember to keep the doors locked (main door to the building). We won't have that there. It's a detached house! It has a backyard to throw the dogs into, and with the extra refrigerator that I'm storing in Laura's cave, we'll have plenty of cold drinks (water) for the summer!!

    The paint on the walls are great colors - I won't change them. The blinds will be changed later, but not now. They are new, just plastic...I want the wooden blinds. I will buy a few rugs to put under the furniture so the dogs and cats don't slip, but let me just say - - it will be so very wonderful to have a carport for the car during storms and a really good interior closet for tornadoes! It is really an amazing house...the address is not that exciting, and no, I won't give it out, but it's not as cool as the house  -- we'll just say that. 

    I'll find out Monday or Tuesday if she is going to allow us to move there, but she accepted my deposit, so if she puts it through I'm pretty sure it's ours!  I'm not posting photos of the outside, but I'll post the inside soon.

Photo Credit:  Craiyon.com (not actually the house I'm moving to....LOL) 

Sam's Club and Costco

 So, it looks like I will be making a decision this week. I'll either join Sam's Club or I'll join Costco. I'll likely choose Sam's because it's so much closer than Costco, but I think Costco is bigger and would have more things for me to buy. The thing is, however, I don't think I really need to buy most of my things in bulk  -- so it's probably just as well that I'm going to probably choose Sam's.  It's $50 a year for basic club and $100 for the premium membership - - I don't know the difference yet. I will check that out this week as well.

    I think another reason I'll go to Sam's Club is to get my steps in. I can walk it and get my 10,000 steps in pretty easily actually - - and since it's closer I won't have to fight traffic to do it. I like that. I want to get my walking in without having to go to the gym to use their treadmills. I may end up buying a walking pad, to be honest. I can still use Sam's (see, I've made my mind up, haven't I?) as a safety net - - Jeannie will want to go too, and that's cool. I can get all my meat there because I don't mind buying that in bulk and separating it doesn't bother me. $4.48 for a pound of ground is good.

    I will probably buy my vacuum cleaner there. I saw a REALLY good Shark brand unit for $179 that is $279 at Best Buy just 1 mile down the road! Most of the things they have are for bulk use - but there are things that are sold separately. Today, I bought cat litter (52 pounds for $13), honey made in Oklahoma ($16 for a big bottle, worth every penny) and a fat  jar of medium salsa that Laura really loves. I think I'll end up buying my rice, toilet paper, paper towels, dog food, cat food, frozen veggies, meats, and any electronics I think I may have to have  -- but I'm not joining for the savings. I'm joining for the walking ability!!

    Sam's is closer to my heart because it is named after Sam Walton; he's a good man. I'm not a fan of his kids or his grandkids, but he was a good man. He did a great thing for the average man and woman of the South. Of course, Walmarts are all over now, but he started them in Arkansas. I mean, a lot of folks don't know he was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, but he was. I remember being in the 2nd grade, so I was 7, which would have been 1968-69 and that's when I went to my first Walmart store. It was in Amber, Oklahoma. Walmart started out in small towns.

    The first time I saw a restaurant (McDonald's) inside a Walmart, I thought I had seen it all! That, to me, was the epitome of doing things right! I won't shop at a Walmart now unless I go to a small town to do it. I can't stand the way the big city has ruined the brand and how rude and crazy the people inside the stores are in the larger cities. I've yet to see someone being crazy or inappropriate in a small town Walmart. I think they may have them, but I have never seen them, not once. I typically shop at stores where I won't see a lot of nonsense.

    So, I'll pay $50 a year and get my card so I can go walking the aisles and get my steps in, and I'll come out with a few things I'm sure. I may have to buy a big freezer to keep all the meat and ice cream sandwiches in, but if I have to make that sacrifice I can't think of a better reason to do it. There is one thing I saw today that I liked. It was a rolling storage cabinet - - one with French doors. I would use that as a pantry.  I don't know if it would actually fit in my house, but if I had a bigger house I would buy it and use it for that  -- made me think when I saw it!!

Photo Credit: Me.  ( I really have no use for an 86" TV )

    

    

Making Plans - - Big Plans.

 Today, just because I could, I drove to El Reno, OK, which is about 22-24 miles from where I live. I wanted to see if time had changed it, if it was different and if it was, I wanted to know how it was different. I didn't see much change, and I wasn't sure if I was happy about that fact, or not. I suppose in some ways you can say that El Reno, a small city west of Oklahoma City, is the same today as it was literally 50, 60, even 70 years ago. I will say this, it had more churches than I thought it would have, or that I remembered it had. Lots of churches!

    Then, about an hour after I drove there, I took my bestie Jeannie with me out to Okarche and Kingfisher, OK, which is on the same North/South highway as El Reno. Okarche is about the same distance, about 22 miles from Oklahoma City, and Kingfisher is up the road another 10 miles. LOVE LOVE LOVE Kingfisher, Oklahoma! It has literally everything I need, but it doesn't have the two things I want  -- my kids (which include my grands) and it doesn't have my besties.

    So, what to do? I want to move out and I want my own place, but it looks like I'm going to have to make plans to stay relatively close to where I am now so that I can be closer to the grands, closer to the kids, and of course, closer to the besties. Robin and Jeannie have been in my life since I was a kid - - they do mean a great deal to me. I'll end up buying a place in or around where I live now, or maybe down into Norman, OK but it's going to take some time.

    I'll need to save about 10-15% of the house cost so I can get a better house in a better neighborhood, and I'll need to be at my job for about a year so I get better breaks from lenders too. Looks like I'll end up renting for about a year, saving each month, waiting for the interest rates to fall (which they will after November) and I'll end up getting a place that suits me better than one that is farther away - - even though I truly love Kingfisher. I guess Jeannie and I can take a few trips out that way each year - - maybe that will suffice.

    The best thing for me probably, if I'm honest, is a condo. I  know the funding is tougher, but if I'm putting up 10% I should be OK. I don't like lawn work, so the  HOA makes sense to me.  A two-bed two-bath place with 1000 sq ft will be in the $115,000 range with $250 a month for HOA. (The HOA covers the water, sewage, trash, and lawn maintenance as well as the exterior insurance.) I'll be fine. I have never been one to do anything outside the lines so I will fit into an HOA just fine.

    For now, at least the next few months, I'll end up getting an apartment near where I live now and "suffer through" the one-bed one-bath thing for a while - - though to be honest, I'm a cave dog and have no problems with smaller places. Even if I had $$$$ I couldn't see myself buying a big place. I may buy a place with a big barn! I could do that and stuff it full of horses. I could...but I probably won't. I believe those days are over too. I'm just going to be content, which if you think about it, makes more peaceful sense than anything else.

    I'm too blessed to be stressed. This much I know.

Photo Credit: www.flikr.com 

"Murder Book" is an eBook!! (June 22 Publishing Date)

 June 22, 2024 is NOT just my best friend's birthday, but it is also the day that my book "Murder Book" comes out in eBook format on Amazon! It will be sold for $3.99 and of that I am paid $1.60 (which is a LOT lower than I expected!) I was told we were paid 70% but we're not. It's 40% and where that sucks, it's not the money that I'm excited about, it's getting the book out there for people to read!

    When "Mesa" comes out (also June 22, 2024) it will be in PRINT form until about August and then it too, will be in eBook format. I'm doing one book every two weeks and I'm doing them in order for the most part. I want all of the books to have the same chance(s) as the others do.  I don't necessarily like one of my books over another one - - but I am partial (just a little) to "Murder Book".  

    There was a time when I thought I would learn to do the conversion myself, save money, and be the author who did all things by herself - - then I realized how much work it would be and decided that paying .60 per page for them to do it made a lot more sense. I do realize that it means I have to sell about 115 books to break even, but that's OK too. Again, it's not about the money -- it's the good experience. It's worth it. "Murder Book" has 308 pages and it costs $184.80 to get done. It was painless really - - but now I don't have to worry....hopefully.

    I've never seen a book go from print to eBook (my books) but I'm hoping that what I read about the conversion is true. I think all I have to do is pay for it, hit the little button that asks for a free ISBN - - and then hit the other button that says "convert Print to eBook" and BAM!  Done! At least, that is my hope. If I paid $184.80 and I still have to do something, I'm not going to be happy.

    I wanted the books to be $1.99 for the first 90 days and then changed to $3.99 but decided again, that I would have to keep going back and forth, and it would be a headache - - people can pay $3.99. It's cheap. It's a good cheap price for a 308-page book that is fun and it has several sequels. I do it - - I buy three or four books from unknown authors for $2.99-4.99 and think nothing of it. I even paid $8.99 once - - wow! I must have seen something in the reviews that I liked.

    That's another thing; having the book out on Amazon for $3.99 on eBook guarantees me more reviews. I can't say everyone will be kind, but I'm not writing to please anyone either - - I write to write. I have stories in my head that need to be expressed, so I write them. I do hope others like them, and I pray they are read over and over again - - that would make me happy. I want to hear what people think, but if they only want to say mean or rude things -- then yeah, no, I don't want to hear it. I'm not saying they have to lie - - I just want to know if the book was enjoyable.

    So, when you think about it - - write down the date for June 22, 2024, and go to Amazon to see if both "Mesa" and "Murder Book" are available. I'd rather pay $3.99 for an eBook than to pay $18.00 for a printed book. That's just me. I have to fix "Mesa" before it comes out. I'm reading it for its last go around now...it's available, but let me just say - it SUCKS right now because Ingram Spark published it incorrectly, and I have to go in and make MAJOR corrections with the formatting. I have to get them to stop the press on it until it's ready to go.

FUN TIMES!

Photo Credit: PublishDrive.com

"MESA" Correcting It.

 This probably won't be that long of a blog - I have to get into the book and start reading it so I can make all the necessary corrections. I read it as a book because reading it online is too hard for me to do after the 3rd time. I need to hold it, see it, turn the pages, and take the ballpoint pen to the pages when I do find errors. I know I'll find quite a few - - hopefully less than I think I will find - - I am really hoping for less.

    The main thing is, when I first saw it - - right out of the cardboard sleeve they sent it in, I noticed that the dang book is off-center on the front cover - - that will have to be corrected. The entire cover will have to be resized of course, which isn't a big deal, but I hate that I have to. They didn't use the one I sent up apparently, they cropped it somehow and I have to fix it - - they claim I sent it that way - - I hate them so much.

    The back cover has HUGE lettering which will need to be adjusted. It looked fine when I saw it online, but when you see it in person - - not so much. The photo of me is too dark too - - sucks. That's the cover - - the book's interior has a major problem with the space going into the gutter - - the center of the book. There is virtually NO space and I set it up for it to be at least .4 (which means nothing to you, but it's good) and they either didn't take my criteria or the formatting got screwed up when they uploaded. I don't know, but I have to find out before I resubmit. I don't want them to do it and have it be too wide.

    Writing and publishing books is a lot of fun - - but it's also a lot of work. I'll read the book over the week and send it up on Sunday to be redone. It should be ready to buy by June 22. You can "buy" it now, but it won't be printed until June 22 and by then it should be corrected. Fun times for me this week! Good thing I like the book - - and the author. She is so nice to me.

Photos Credit: Peanuts.com

NEW BOOK -- IN THE WORKS (Just Beginning)

 I suppose I could say that this book is now being written in that I have thought about it for over two years, but I've not put it to ink and/or keystrokes until today. Today, I'm working on the outline, or more specifically the things that will go into the outline. I'm doing what I call posting points. I have a notebook, I put a bunch of bullet points on it, and I start posting events; things that take place in the book -- not necessarily in order.

    The way I do this is simple; I literally sit down and write out points, just statements of what I think will take place. Then, as I go back over the points, I start putting them into chronological order to see where it all starts, where it will end, and what the general and/or overall story will be. Of course, the story won't start until the introductions are finished.

    The book will be about 86,000 words. It will be about 320 pages like all the other books. It will be about 30 chapters, and it will have about the same style. I will introduce the main characters, show them in a situation, evolve that situation, and maybe add a few new situations, and it will finally climax and be resolved later in the book.

    The first five or six chapters will be the introduction of the main character Leigh Avery Madsen. She's the lead character, and she's from DeQueen, Arkansas.  She went to college and got a degree in Finance Management. Over time she became a financial planner, but she wanted more.  She uncovers a lot of SEC violations with the new firm she's been hired into, and that leads to her having to make a decision to blow the whistle. Believe it or not, that's not the storyline for the book.

    The next few chapters will talk about the people she meets, the men she has been interested with as opposed to the man she becomes interested in; and the differences between being seen and unseen, being helped and being ignored. There are vast differences in our loves, lives, and leisure. We have so many times when we want to be seen, and so many times when we don't wish to be. This book discusses those.

    The book is a journey for more than just Leigh; she enters the lives of a few unseen and helps them to become seen. She enters the lives of the seen and helps them to become unseen. She enters the lives of the unseen who wish to remain unseen, but she needs to and chooses to expose them - to make them seen. In doing so she is seen and needs to become invisible before she's killed for her efforts to do the right thing.

    The book is a drama book. It is not a thriller, it is not a murder mystery, it is not a hot romance book - - but I will throw in a hot romantic scene -- because I like writing them. There will also be a love story, but not in the traditional way that Hallmark or others portray love; more along the line of what the Bible calls love in this book the main characters are in fact Christians, and the struggle for them is just as real as those who do not profess to follow Christ.

    It's not a Bible-Thumper, but it will mention the love, devotion, and redemptiveness of being a Believer. It will talk about faith, lack of faith, what it means to live by it, and what it means to prove it. There are true feelings and true events in the book. What I'm REALLY excited about is my preacher Charlie Garrett of Sarasota, Florida has given me permission to use his real name, likeness, and mannerisms in the book! Woot!! That makes this book - - super cool. His wife Hideko will be in the book as well, and I'll have Leigh work with Charlie at the projects in Sarasota where many unseen and forgotten live.

    The book is about appreciation. It is about awareness. It is about understanding why some are acceptable and some are made outcasts by those who have the power to do so. It is about inequality; as much as it is about finding ways to combat those who think they have the right to create such inequality. The strong survive; so be strong.

    This book will start in genuine in about a week or maybe sooner, but today I'm writing names, places, dates, things that happen, and conversations that will take place. I'm thinking of backstories for the characters who don't have major roles; there will be quite a few. The main characters will be Leigh Madsen the female lead, and her main interest Mathew James McConner (My name would have been Matthew James if I was a boy, that's why I chose this name and I took out one of the "T"s for good measure.) Charlie is another main character as well. His work is key to the understanding of what it means to be a servant.

    The notebook is full, so full, of details and what I want to add. Most of it must be what Leigh relates to her friends, family, Charlie, or Mathew. She may have a therapist too; I think adding one will help others on the bubble about needing one. Everyone needs someone to talk to - - I have you! I just tell you everything and feel so much better afterward. I also have my dog, my kids, and my best friend - - I won't discount the fact that I also have Jesus. He is first to hear of my every need or complaint; and hopefully my praise.

    The book has started. I won't tell you the title until it is published. There's a reason for it.

Photo Credit:  Charlie Garrett of The Superior Word in Sarasota, FL.  My preacher. You can find him on Rumble.com and YouTube  (The Superior Word)