I’m cleaning today. It’s not pretty.
If things go right, tomorrow this blog will be pointing to the new website. Keep your fingers crossed.
Here’s a teaser for ya:
what you think? Are you intrigued?
thank you Chrissy for all your amazing and very fast work. You are a bucket of awesome.
been watching Office Space a lot lately right before bed.
This made me LOL
My sweet little Tree Frog is a high school Freshman as of today.
Really.
When I woke up this morning, I was flooded with memories.
The day he was born, when I had to have an emergency C-section because my blood pressure was stroke level. I was awake but high as a kite. I thought I was talking non-stop, but apparently the conversations were all in my head. However, when they pulled him out and showed him to me, I did manage to say, “He looks like a grape.”
His first Christmas that I missed because I had to work. He was 9 months old and trying to walk. He was still bald but he had a mouthful of teeth. I treasured the pictures from that year for a long time. He didn’t know I wasn’t there, but I knew it and it broke my heart.
His first REAL Halloween costume. He went to Daycare as a Fisherman. He wore overalls and a matching plaid shirt and hat that I got from BabyGap. We tied a fish potholder to a string and a stick and he drug that around with him for a week.
I remembered his first real projectile vomit. He wasn’t quite 2 years old. I was taking him to daycare. We were at a stop light, I turned around to admire him (as I always did) he smiled and flooded the car with his breakfast. It was horrifying and funny all at the same time.
The cowboy boots he wore EVERYWHERE with EVERYTHING.
How much he loved playing in the ‘sock basket’ and playing inside boxes or baskets in general.After his brother was born, he named my breasts ‘Milk and Lunch’.
Of course, there are other memories, but for some reason, the baby years are the ones I’m holding on to the most today. Maybe because now he’s only 1/2 inch shorter than me when we’re barefooted. Maybe because his voice is deep and scratchy now. Or it could be the fact that he has to shave sometimes. I dunno. He’s growing up and I want to remember the 5 lb. 6 oz Tree Frog who was born almost 4 weeks early and looked like a grape. I wish I could hold his tiny little naked bottom in the palm of my hand again. I want to feel his long , flexible fingers wrap around mine and see his tiny, dark blue eyes stare at me with love and adoration.
Cuz I promise, when they stare at me now, there is nothing even close to adoration in there. Love, yes–irritation, yes–adoration? Hah.
this will be me next week. Only there will be no video evidence. This is funny as hell.
This time next week, I’ll be packing for my trip to Tallahassee. Maria, Louisa, and I are getting together for our yearly critique partner gathering. We’re picking Louisa up in Pensacola and heading to Destin for a few days, then on to another fabulous destination where we’ll be able to soak up lots of sun, sand, and surf.
a pic from last year’s tripI can’t wait.
I’ll try blogging next week, but I’m afraid I’ll be having too much fun. We’ll be plotting out our next books, writing, and generally having a really good time. This will be especially awesome since Maria and I missed RWA this year.
I’m head down in my revisions right now. Trying to perfect this story and send it off by the weekend. I need this vacation. I’m sad that Fishdog and I didn’t get to do our San Francisco/Sonoma trip like we had planned. But we’ll get a vacay together. Maybe in October.
In other news…my interim website is almost complete…so stay tuned for a really cool change very soon. Thanks to the lovely Chrissy Olinger at Websong Designs for all her hard work. She designed a gorgeous template (that of course, my webby hubby had to tweak, cuz God love him, that’s in his nature). I can’t wait to unveil the new site. I think you’ll love it.
Okay, done for now. I’ll leave you with the final picture from last year’s beach extravaganza…
We haven’t had rain in probably two months here at Chez Francis. But for the last two and a half days, that has changed.
It’s been raining a steady amount. And the temps are amazingly fantastic. Fall temperatures in the morning. Like right now, it’s in the 60s! I mean, WOW! The high is supposed to be 80 today. That’s the normal sunrise temperature for August so this is a blessed relief.
This is the last official week of summer. The boys had their long hairs cut off the other day. Now they are both back to their good Catholic school boy look. Though there is nothing ‘good’ about either one of those boys.
For example.
Yesterday I was teasing the boys about my upcoming week at the beach. I showed them the house I would be staying in and this is the conversation that followed:
Ian says: Take me. Pleeeease.
Me: No. It’s just me and 12 other women.
Ian: oOh women. How old?
Me: 29 and up
Ian: (eyes and smile get wide) 29 huh? perfect.
Me: Ian! Don’t be a pig!
Ian: I’m not a pig, I use a Trojan brand condom.
Yes, that’s what he said. It’s from a commercial…see below for the hilarious TV version. The radio one ends with “Don’t be a pig. Use a Trojan brand condom.”
Oh what have I created?
I’m at Fictionistas today. I just don’t have 2 blogs in me this morning, so you’ll have to get your Mel-O-Drama over there.
Maybe I’ll have more to say later. Until then, click the banner.
So we’re ‘home’ here in Oxford.
It’s so weird being here.
I really miss my kitchen. And my closet. I talked to my closet for a long time last night. Told her how much I missed her and how I was sorry we couldn’t take her with us. She understood, but isn’t happy about it.
Ian is mowing the lawn and Rader is just hanging out.
After lunch, I start working on my edits. Then I plan to go out for drinks and swim.
Everyone cross your fingers that we sell the house this weekend so I can continue to drink and feed my family. Those things are very important. I don’t wanna have to revert back to college where we are buying The Beast and eating Ramen 3 meals a day!
I’m on the road today, but because I am such an awesomer blogger, I planned ahead. I love this ‘scheduling’ blogs thing.
Anyway, I know y’all are always looking for something new to ready, and boy do I have just the book(s) for you. Agency sistah Candace Havens‘ book CHARMED & READY is now available in mass market paperback. Click here to purchase. And if you haven’t read the first in the series, CHARMED AND DANGEROUS, be sure and purchase it as well.
Charmed & Ready:
After spending most of her life single-practically an occupational hazard for a witch-Bronwyn’s finally found a sexy warlock to love. But it’s going to take more than a few love spells to keep him from getting jealous about her latest gig-protecting a rock star named Zane from the creepy Goth guys in cloaks who keep showing up at his concerts and zapping his mojo. Bronwyn would like nothing better than to blow them up in an inferno of Love That Red smoke, but they’re proving elusive. And in the meantime-what girl wouldn’t want to hang with the hottest man in music?
Judge Reinhold and I share the most awesome hair dresser. Katie rocks my socks and I love that I share a seat with Judge Reinhold…even though I’ve never seen him. Katie and I agree that he should buy the movie rights to my book since he’s all about developing the Arkansas Film Industry. So yo, Judge, If your google alert pops up and you find yourself reading my blog, you should totally support another local artist and buy and develop my awesome book into a movie (or a TV series) Just throwin’ it out there…
Anyway, back to the star(s) sighting.
After my hair appointment, I stopped at the new pizza restaurant next door that has been getting rave reviews. I ordered a couple of pies, sat and had a beer while I waited.
That’s when I heard this strangely familiar laugh. It was sweet and lyrical. So I looked up.
It was Mary freaking Steenburgen.
and right next to her…that’s right TED DANSON!
Okay, look, this isn’t LA. This is Little Rock, AR. I know these folks live here part of the time, but the only time I ever see them is when Bill Clinton is doing something special…and then I only see it on the news. Not in person.
And there they were, not even 10 ft away from me.
I did NOT stalk them or go all OMGITHINKYOU’REAWESOME fangirl on them. I didn’t even try to snap their picture. (I did try to figure out if I could do it discreetly…but there was no way)
They were so damn cute. And that Mary Steenburgen just should not be that cute live and in person. With her sweet, genuine laugh. Dammit.
There you have it. Today’s brush with fame.
PS: Dear Ted or Mary…if you find yourself reading my blog and if you have an interest in purchasing the film/TV rights to my awesome little YA Vampire book titled BITE ME…
Just throwin’ it out there….again.
Bitchin' Fiction: Musings by author Melissa McKenzie / Melissa Francis 