LOTS OF RANDOM CRAP :D

BIRTHDAY PICS - I was asked for some pics of our birthday celebration for Miss Crazy. Here are the only ones I can seem to get uploaded at this point. :D

Hugging one gift while sharing another with friend

Rapunzel wig.  It reaches the floor! :)

Princess ring birthday cake- chocolate!
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SCHOOL SHOPPING: School shopping is DONE DONE DONE!!! We got all five kids clothes today for under 200 dollars. Some bought at big box store and some at our favorite charity thrift store. :D  I was so proud of us.  But....Next year I will remember to try to get the clothes earlier in the month because the thrift store had no shoes for any of the littles and no pants for Mr. Insane. But the expensive part is stuff we dont' usually buy at thrift stores. Socks (pairs never really match) and underwear (new are much better unless all you can afford are used). those right there were fort five dollars. (Of course we had to buy Little Butt some too. :)

LITTLE BUTT Well, she is doing much better but because she is under five they have to do an ultrasound on the 30th to make sure there isn't something structurally wrong.  I'm pretty sure it is from her sitting butt naked in the yard when she sneaks her diaper off, but no one listens to the mom. :/

RELEASE DATE: Well, the release date for my next novel is August 24,2013. Hopefully won't have to change it.  As long as editing is done and formatting isn't as difficult as I think it will be, we will have it out.  Hop on over to http://www.facebook.com/writerjjellis to find out about our relase day event!

OTHER BUSINESS: So, I got this email yesterday and I wanted to know what you all think about it.  They asked me to find beta testers for their product.  I will post the email here and let you check it out and I ask you to let me know what you think...(I in no way am endorsing this as I don't know much about it yet) I like the idea but am always wary of uploading my pics to strange places (I felt this way about dropbox at first too)

KairosLife.com is a place for families to save digital memories and heirlooms for kids and loved ones. Then digitally deliver those keepsakes to them at a predetermined date in the future, kind of like a digital time capsule or gift. 

Our founder recently lost a close friend who passed suddenly without warning and was again reminded of how quickly life can be taken away, at any age.

He woke up one night with the idea of this site.  He is a father of three and was thinking about the memories we want to keep forever - and how could they be stored, kept for the future, and delivered at just the right moment to have the greatest impact.

How does it work?

1. Upload photos, videos or letters from your PC or mobile device to a “KairosMoment” which is the album or capsule that will be delivered to your loved one on a future date.
2. Tag your loved ones to that KairosMoment and set a reveal date when it will be delivered.
3. As the reveal date approaches, if desired, other family members and friends can share their thoughts on that KairosMoment to add to the memories for that loved one.
4. Then on the reveal date, the loved one will get an email notifying them of a KairosMoment that has been unlocked.

We are still polishing up the site and are giving complimentary memberships to people who can help us. Just visit www.KairosLife.com and enter your email address.

Until Next Time...unplanned busy days lead to BS blogs, haha.  Do I hear complaining? ;)  See ya Friday! :)

AN EVENING AT THE ER

We had quite and adventure tonight. Little Butt kept complaining of a tummy ache and she had a fever that felt really hot (thermometer broken). She hadn't pottied in a couple of days and they say if constipation is mixed with fever they should be seen by a doctor so we headed off to the ER.  When we got there she started saying her pee pee hurt instead of her tummy. I know she is always stripping down to nothing - inside and out SMH so I mentioned that I thought she could have a urinary tract infection because she has been known to sit in the yard/dirt/grass/concrete/steps with nothing on her bum.  So they had to tackle the possibility that she had either a UTI or a blockage in her bowel system.

They were going to put a catheter in because she hadn't peed much all day, but just in time she asked to sit on the potty to go and we were able to get a sample. Phew...I know how much I hate catheters I can't imagine a baby liking it much either.

Next came the blood and they couldn't get a vein. They tried twice and gave up to call a phlebotomist to come do it.  Well, she couldn't get a vein either so they had to prick her finger and milk out three small vials of blood.  Believe it or not during all of this poking, she laid still on the bed. She cried and talked to me, but she laid still!!! I can't believe that (and her fever was temporarily down so she was feeling good, it wasn't like she was lethargic).

My poor sick baby! Laying on the bench at dinner 

Then she was taken to x ray to get a picture of her tummy where she cried, but laid calmly. I was holding her hands and daddy her legs. She is such a sweet big girl!!!

Then we waited and she started to play and have fun, only complaining of pain a couple of times and then she drank a full cup of water which made them very happy but it made her tummy hurt again.  Finally they came in and the results of all of the tests.....Bladder/kidney infection.  So, they gave her an initial dose of antibiotics and sent us on our
way.  She still won't eat much but is drinking a bit now and we have pain pills in her.  Hopefully in the morning (Monday - I am writing this Sunday night while it is still fresh) she will be on the mend.  We will take the hubs to work (Gwen is learning to drive so she does most of the driving these days) and then grab her prescription.

My hips are killing me from carrying, lifting and comforting my baby doll, but I could really care less. I would go through hell and back for that sweet little butt. :D

Until Next Time...If you feel, in your gut, that something is wrong, follow your instincts and take them in.  I'm glad I did because by morning she could have been really sick.  :(

SHE'S TURNING 7!!!

Well, tomorrow we celebrate birthday number seven for Miss Crazy. It should be an interesting day.  The Hubs starts a new position at work that we are all excited about and his hours become more regular which will be great. So at 4:30 tomorrow we can start our celebration.

Miss Crazy picked a beef and broccoli ramen meal that Gwen makes as her birthday dinner and then after dinner will be presents and cake.  We bought her a book on kindle(No, she doesn't have her own), a present yet to be determined because I just realized we haven't bought gift number 3 yet (can you say oops)  And the present she has been looking forward to all year....A rapunzel wig.  This girl is OBSESSED with rapunzel.  We used to have Tangled on DVR and she would watch it everyday if we let her.


She takes my old large fabric pieces and walks around with them on her head pretending that she is Rapunzel....and she knocks everything in the house over.  So we had to make a decision, continue to have the house torn apart or buy her a wig that she will probably wear day and night for weeks/months/years.  Well, since we someday want to sell this house we figured we better not mess it up anymore than it already is.  We are expecting the mailman to bring it any minute. It won't be a surprise, but it will be the most popular gift.  She will be ignoring everything else.

We got her a princess cake because they didn't have Rapunzel, not that she cares as long as it is chocolate with buttercream icing.  Done

Probably the highlight of her day will be playing with her little friend two doors down. At this point, little miss almost seven year old prefers to be away from her siblings and parents in favor of her friends. Now the question is, is she acting like a teen because of her sister's influence, or is this a new norm for seven year olds in this day and age.  On second thought, I don't want to think about that. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO KNOW. I'm just going to enjoy my baby girl's birthday celebration and give her an extra snuggle or two.

Tomorrow is also Little Butt's 2.5 year mark.

Until Next Time...Time flies when you're having fun.  So make sure that you truly do have fun or time will slip through your hands and you will feel unfulfilled.

A CHANGE OF PLANS

Announcement about my writing at the end of my normal post!!!!!!

So, I thought I was going to start this great diet/drops that was going to help me lose a lot of weight just like it did my friend and countless other people I've met over the last couple of months.  Yeah, well, I was wrong.  I started the diet and about 3/4 of the way into the first day of low cal eating I almost passed out 3 times.  Well, you see it turns out there is something with my blood sugar that makes it where I have to eat carbs or I pass out (didn't know for sure about it before, but knew that if I was late eating a meal I would get shaky and dizzy) So, this diet was carb free.  For the sake of my health I had to stop it.  However, I still take all of the vitamin supplements that this company sells and they are really working. I was crying because I thought of this diet as my last ditch effort to be alive and active for my kids.  (They have a new diet supplement coming out and I am going to use the hell out of it. It is Raspberry Ketones and even Dr. Oz recommends that stuff. (not our version of it, but Raspberry Ketones in general)  http://www.omnitrition.com/jjellis

My before pic.  Can you see how crooked
my hips/pelvis are? 

I have lost 10 pounds!!!! My hip pain is down by half when I sit and walk short distances and almost half when I walk long distances/stand for long periods of time!  That is huge!!!! My energy is up by about 50 percent and grows a bit every day that I am on the Vitamins. I am so happy! Maybe another ten pounds and I won't have this awful pain at all. They are pretty sure the stiffness will remain but I can deal with that!  

So, the whole family is on a healthy eating plan now that is about lean meats, fresh produce, portion control and less sugary snacks.  The rest of the family can exercise and I hope to join them soon even if it is just a walk around the neighborhood (until winter hits again...sigh)

We went shopping for the ingredients we needed to eat a bit healthier yesterday and I was happy with our selection. Very few prepackaged foods which is huge for us!  I actually went shopping three times yesterday and my hips survived without me curling into a ball of pain!!!  We had to go birthday shopping for The Sophomore who celebrates birthday number 15 today!!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY B, I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND HOPE 15 IS THE BEST YEAR YET!

Until next time...It is rough, but starting to eat healthier is the key to success and maintenance of a diet program.  And it's okay to splurge sometimes, just make sure you make up for it! And Good luck!!!  I also recommend vitamins.  They help so much!!! 

I have the first two chapters of both of my books up on Wattpad to read for free.  It's like sampling before you make a commitment.  I encourage all of you to give it a read. It will only be a few minutes of your time and you might find something you like!  Oh, and while you are there please click VOTE and leave a quick comment, it will help people find me easier!  ENJOY!!! 

BOOK 1 VIRGIN VOYAGE ON WATTPAD CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 http://www.wattpad.com/20774146-virgin-voyage-a-sunset-destiny-romance-book-1#.UeQlP_k7s38

BOOK 2 ALASKAN AMBUSH ON WATTPAD CHAPTERS 1 AND 2 http://www.wattpad.com/20909206-alaskan-ambush-a-sunset-destiny-romance-book-2

CRAZY DAYS, FUN TIMES, SILLY KIDS AND OTHER STORIES

Sorry I'm so late but I had to take Gwen to the doctor today for an ear infection and got waylaid by a lot of crap including a big box store's pharmacy. :/ And then it was family time and an early dinner so now here I am.

It was a weird weekend for sure. We had a lot of family turmoil going on around here (extended family not the ones who live here) but it was all straightened out quickly.  Thank goodness, I'm not up for fighting right now (or ever really). I said some things on facebook that were taken wrong and I really didn't think to explain to certain people about it.  I guess when they say be careful what you talk about on facebook, they aren't kidding right?

Poor Gwen is sick again.  The allergies are killing her this year.  She had an earache so I took her in today and they cleaned her ear out.  She had a piece of was in there so big that it is a wonder she cold even hear out of that ear.  And of course an infection was being caused and blocked by the wax.  It was painful, but thankfully the doctor was able to get it out and she is on the mend.

I am trying to teach Mr. Crazy to recognize his ABC's but it is hard.  He is not all that interested in writing them down and that would be a great way for him to learn. And he can't sit still long enough for flash cards.  If anyone has any suggestions, we'll take em!  He needs to know this by mid August!

Little Butt still amuses me every day with the cute little things she says, however I keep forgetting to write them down. And I have some short stories that I am reading so I can do reviews on them but she won't give me my kindle!  She stays up really late and won't let go of it until it dies completely.  Sigh....I stay up way too late reading now. I need to find the money to buy myself another kindle! (And no, she doesn't have a bed time yet. That will come down the road when she is older.  I like being able to stay up late and work and sleep in late or wake up early and work.)

The writing has been going great!!! People are loving my excerpts from my next book. Especially the one from chapter four.  It is a cliffhanger even! http://www.writerjjellis.com is my site for excerpts and the first four posts are from chapters 1-4 of my next novel. Check them out if you get a chance. I have also received some great reviews for my latest book

http://www.amazon.com/Alaskan-Ambush-Sunset-Destiny-Romance/dp/0615827942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373323369&sr=8-1&keywords=Alaskan+Ambush
 My books have been called witty...hehe I love that word and think it is a great compliment. LOL

As for the health and diet. I have been  off the supplements for the last couple of days and boy am I feeling it. I feel like crud, so tomorrow it is back on the supplements.  And Wednesday I will hopefully be starting the diet and you can witness the pounds melt away.  My friend who did the diet before me has been called the incredible shrinking woman!

Until next time...Watch what you post on facebook, don't argue with relatives - you love them so it's not worth it, teach your kid to recognize ABC's way before they start school (but not too early, because they are now saying that teaching them too young doesn't do any good because they don't retain it as well as if you teach them a bit later.), and for pete's sake, write down everything your little ones say (and don't give them your kindle to use EVER!!!) ;)

BUSY BUSY BUSY - EXPLODE!

Do you ever have so much to do that you think you might explode? And there is an order that things should be done in, but you don't want to do them in that order?  Yeah, that's me right now.  There is so much to be done with my book coming out in June, a short story coming out in June, working on a book with my daughter to be released in August (or maybe sooner), doing at home preschool with my son, being sick, a super secret project with The Hubs,

and doing the blog three days a week. I just feel like I am  going to combust, I know it doesn't seem like there is a lot to do, but the job of getting my book ready for publication in June still has about twelve steps and I have about a week to do them in.  

I would much rather play around making a cover for the book that doesn't come out until August, ummm maybe I should just concentrate on finishing it first. Right?  But doing the cover is so much more fun! Doing pre school with my son is like pulling teeth. Not that he doesn't want to learn new things, but my kids just don't like it when I'm the one teaching them. :/

I know I need to set a schedule, in order of importance and stick to it, but I DON'T WANNA!!! I know in the end I will get it done, but sometimes I just get overwhelmed and want to stop what I'm doing and have some fun. Sometimes I tell myself not to sweat it, because it all needs to get done and as long as I keep busy working I will be fine.  Sometimes that works, but when I have projects spread out so far, that doesn't work so much.

On the other hand, I love, love, love being busy.  It is so rewarding when I cross multiple tasks off my list every day. And I guess, deep down inside I wouldn't change a thing. Is it possible that I actually thrive on feeling like I'm about to combust?  Yeah, I think it is. I'm crazy like that. ;)  So I will just take it one step at a time and get it done.  I can't ask for more, my fans can't ask for more and my family can't ask for more.

Until Next Time... Work hard and do your best. That is all anyone should ask from you.  That is what I am going to do and I know, in the end, it will all work out perfectly. :)

STRUGGLES WITH IMPERFECTION

So, over the last week I've been struggling with something that i just had to share as I think a lot of people struggle with it. IMPERFECTION.  I have learned to live with it in my house, with physical limitations and five kids there is no way I am ever going to keep my house perfect. I get it. I really do.  I've accepted it (for the most part). There will always be a dish not washed, clothes not washed/folded, toys not put away and dirt tracked through the house. (Unless of course I hire a maid to live in and follow the kids around with her cleaning supplies. Hmmm, wish I could afford that!)

My most recent struggle with imperfection came last week with my book Virgin Voyage. I finally got down to doing more than just skimming and reading my favorite parts. I was absolutely mortified to see that somehow my group of five people missed 15 mistakes in the Proof (me being one of them :/).  Things like know instead of known, child instead of children, improper indents that were made while formatting the book for publication, stray punctuation, improper punctuation.  Really really mortified!!!  (Not to mention the formatting issues of my Kindle copy that DID NOT show up on the preview I did before publication)

I had people tell me that I should just forget it and move on 15 mistakes in 312 pages wasn't bad. I had them tell me to just apologize and move on.  I tried, I really did. But I just couldn't ignore it or move on.  It haunted me, awake and asleep.  I had something that I loved so much, that was flawed, out and about and people were reading it.  After a few days, I just couldn't take it anymore I had to do something about it.  So I did.

I had been told that you couldn't re submit it once published but I did some research and found out that in fact you could. So this weekend I re uploaded my work for both the paperback and kindle versions. (I had a perfect copy already so I'm thinking that I uploaded the wrong copy or they used one of the previous copies I had uploaded when trying to make formatting perfect) I learned that if you upload a version and it needs corrections, to completely close out your browser and reopen it before uploading a new copy. So, anyway, I uploaded and republished my book without mistakes.  The preview of the Kindle showed it being perfect so if I notice on the actual Kindle that it isn't i'm going to be one upset mama. I ok'd the proof of the book this morning and am very happy with how it turned out.

I can not tell you how much better I feel now that I know that the product out there is as close to perfect as I could get it. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  Much of the depression I had been feeling is gone. (read my blog from Friday about my Depression). It is amazing how something can bother you so much, but when you really sit down and think about it, the solution is easy.  Do whatever you have in your power to fix it. My book was off the market for awhile and that could have hurt sales (haha not really with me, because no one has reviewed my book yet so I don't have an abundance of sales although my free weekend was amazing!) and it was a lot of work to make sure everything was perfect.  But the peace of mind I now have is indescribable. I wouldn't change it for the world.  I don't feel like a pretender anymore, I feel like a real author!!!

Until Next Time...If you want something to be perfect, then do whatever you have to do to make it that way, whether it be the first time or the tenth.  If you are not satisfied, try try try again until it is. Don't settle for second best just because it is easier!

PATIENCE - THOUGHT I HAD IT

Want to know what is scary as hell? We gave away over 400 books in our free weekend promo and that means, excluding friends who bought them, there are about 400 strangers who now know my name and own one of my books!!!! Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!! Now lets just hope a good number of them leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so my rank goes up and my book is more visible and I can sell some!!! I'm not in this for the money, obviously, but it would be nice to make back my initial investment.....haha!
I never expected that many free books to 'sell'. When I look for free romance books on Amazon there are so many that I get tired of looking after about the first ten pages or so. I'm not sure how people found my book, but they sure did. There were only two countries in Amazon's network that didn't buy any books. I was shocked that people in France, Italy, Spain, England etc were interested in my little books.

At least now I know that people find the subject matter interesting because I know for me, if the subject doesn't sound interesting, I won't get the book even if it is free. I just needed a little exposure and that exposure was the word "free" attached to my book. Now if I get the reviews, people might see that it is worth the money to actually buy it!

Now it is just wait and see. I've read articles where people said it takes a week to a month to start noticing results from free giveaways. I can be a patient person when I need to be. I hope this is one of those times that I can be the most patient person on the planet because if I can't, it isn't going to be fun in my house. I'll get moody and start second guessing myself (all while writing book two in my series) and the kids will notice. I might get a bit snippy if I'm feeling down enough (yeah, my mood is what makes me snippy and not the kids themselves...right?)

Of course I will have to try to stop myself from checking my statistics multiple times a day, although again, patience comes in handy for that too. I tend to check things over and over until I go insane. If I can check them maybe once a day or even once every other day I think maybe that would help. (Yeah, don't count on it, but at least I'm trying right?)

I tend to have patience for some things more than others. My kids, yeah as long as they aren't being overly obtuse, I have a lot of patience for them. Waiting for a package to come or to find out how many page views I've had - not so much. I have been know to track my packages obsessively ( kind of like when I found out a Kindle Fire gift was being sent to me) and I have been known to check my blog stats every half hour.

Okay so as I write this I am learning something about myself. I don't have nearly as much patience as I thought. What the heck. I always considered myself to be a very patient person but really there are only some situations when I have any patience. Oh boy. Now I must reconsider my whole life. ;)

Until Next Time...Beware of writing blog posts. You might just learn something new about yourself. No really what I want to say is that you should try your hardest to have patience. Being impatient can cause a lot of trouble, heartache and craziness...Hey, maybe that's why I'm so crazy...hmmm something else to think about. :D

SPRING FEVER AND ME!!!

Spring fever doesn't just hit school kids. Guess how I know that?  Yep, it has hit me so hard  I can't even function.  Of course it doesn't help me that my hips are driving me up a wall lately and I think I am coming down with something. Sore, dry throat, earache, stuffy hurting head.  Blah!

I am so excited about the next installment of my Sunset Destiny Romance series but I can't seem to bring myself to work on it much.  I assumed it was because of my hips and not being able to sit comfortably anywhere in the house to type. But then I started thinking about it.  I think I have spring fever.  Even as a school kid I never got it this early.  But then again as a school kid, our spring break was never the first week of March. :/

We had a few days of sixty degree weather and I must say it was heaven! Yeah yeah I know, sixty isn't too warm for most people, but for us here in Centeral Wyoming, that's bikini weather! It was perfect.  We'd had spring break and temps in the 50's and 60's spring must be here so the brain kicks in with spring fever.  And then what happens? I woke up to three inches of snow this morning and more is expected throughout the next few days.  Winter is back! So maybe my spring fever will go back into hibernation?   Yeah, probably not.  Once I get it I am stuck with it. (at least it's not a forever thing right?)

So what does that mean for my novel?  I'm not sure yet.  Maybe when this bug goes away and I'm not achy and stuffy and tired and blah I will feel comfortable enough to sit at the table and type again and I will only have to worry about keeping my mind on track and my novel will complete itself (seemingly not really). Or maybe once I feel better I will still be unable to get my butt up off the couch to head to the table and work. And maybe I will be able to write, but still not be able to figure out how to best structure my complicated  sentences. (Which makes for even more complicated editing).

For some reason I don't see this bout of Spring fever getting any better. And the main reason why is that we are all looking forward to The Senior's graduation. [SCHOOL IS ALMOST OVER!!!] How in the heck can I concentrate when my daughter is going through one of the most stressful, exciting, wonderful times of her life!  And then I have to prepare for the relatives that will invade in May.  That will be much more exciting than concentrating on sentence structure and Grammar. (Although it won't be as exciting as concentrating on my story line. so hmmmm....)

As it is, I have started to let the kids slack on chores and they got so used to it that I had to get tough again. Hopefully my house will shape up but I somehow doubt it will, at least before guests start to arrive.  But that's okay, it's spring right?

I've met people who don't suffer from spring fever and I envy them.  I always have, I probably always will.  I crave watching my kids go outside to play or being able to sleep in, or do whatever they want during the day.  The teachers that pile on the homework start to piss me off this time of year and I know it's wrong to be mad, but come on people it's spring, the weather is changing (in most places at least) It's time to relax and have some fun! Okay, so I know the work still needs to be done, but I DON'T WANNA!!!! I have spring fever after all ;) And all I want to do is play with my new Kindle Fire (a very generous gift) and relax to recover from scraping windows all winter!

Until Next Time...If you get spring fever, enjoy it! But don't let it take over your life because eventually you will HAVE TO get back to work!!!!

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NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT...EXCEPT...

I have no clue what to write about so I just opened up a post and started typing.  It isn't that I am not inspired today, because I have had a wonderful day and am inspired by a lot.  I have received the electronic proof of my book and am waiting for the hard copy to get here.  I have found things I didn't like and have made the changes that are needed. If I like the cover and other physical aspects of the book I will be publishing sometime in the next week.  How exciting is that! And quite inspiring.

I MIGHT GIVE A HINT (IN PICTURES) ABOUT MY UPCOMING ROMANCE NOVEL AT THE END OF THIS POST

My kids are being, well, my kids.  They aren't doing anything out of the ordinary - good or bad.  They are just being themselves.  You know, The Senior and Freshman are fighting all the damn time as usual and I'm about ready to kick them both to the curb (okay not really, but it makes me feel better when I actually use the words.) Miss Crazy is suffering from Middle child syndrome, which she has been for awhile and we are doing what we can to ease it. (see child attached to my side whenever possible)  Mr. Insane is being, um, insane?  He is loud (extraordinarily so) He loves all things weapons, fighting and superheroes and for once I wish I didn't have to listen to him do weapon sound effects! (I want to banish him to his room until he is ready for college, but that just wouldn't be nice.) And Miss Little Butt is driving me up a wall with her attitude (Jeez older girls, I wonder where she got that from! Knock it off or I'll kick you to the curb! Dang it felt even better to say that a second time) And do you know what the worst part of her attitude is now?  It is the speech.  That girl can talk back now!!! The moment all parents dread.  I am spending most of my time these days being disciplinarian. (Okay, most of my time is spent working on the novel, but the rest of it is spent disciplining my kids so maybe, someday, they will grow up to be civilized adults)

What inspired me to write the paragraph about my brats wonderful darling children?  Well you see, Spring break starts at 3:45 tomorrow and I am going to have to be with them all day every day for a week (I won't mention that my wonderful husband will be on vacation and home the whole time too -- oops, I just did!) All I can say is that the weather better be nice enough for them to go outside sometimes or I'm gonna flip my Shiz. Really, try being locked in the house with six other people for a week because you can't afford to go anywhere to get away. We have our spring break so early here that we usually still have snow on the ground and freezing temperatures.  Who the hell ever thought of that?  NCSD has their heads so far up their hineys...but that is another story for another day.

Believe me, In the end I won't complain too much (more) because I will have help at home and I won't have to get my aching hips in and out of the car to chauffeur them to or from school. But seriously, if they fight all. the. damn. time. I am going to lock them myself in a dungeon and they  I will not be seen until they are old enough to move out and get married (was thinking college, but then they tend to come back too often)

Wish me luck folks!  This next week will be a true test of my endurance (and sanity)

Until next time...During spring break, winter break, summer break etc.  Remember you love your kids and hopefully you will survive, and if you don't, at least you will get a nice, happy, quiet place to be :p

Aspects, themes and ideas about the novel! :)

I DID IT!!!

So, guess what I did on Friday?  Yep!  I finished the romance novel I was writing. I think the only thing I've ever been that thrilled about in my life was getting married and giving birth. If my hips hadn't been hurting, I think I could have done some sort of end zone dance or maybe jumped off the roof in joy.  But I just kinda danced around the house and got a lot of hugs from my kids.

These kids (characters in my book) were conceived eight years ago and I just now finally gave birth! Now we are in the editing stage right now.  The senior is an aspiring English teacher so she is doing all of the punctuation/grammar editing and then I and my friend will do content editing. Someday, hopefully, I will be able to hire someone to do the editing because I hate hate hate doing it myself. Layout is pretty much set (and I must say the interior is going to be pretty), we just have to plug in the finished project when I type in all of the changes.  Sigh....Someday I will hire a typist. I used to love to type, but I just can't sit and do it like I want to, because of my hips.

So what's next?  Well, I have to decide on a cover. I never thought this part of the project would be so hard! I want it to be super special though because I can't afford to buy rights to a lustful couple picture to put on there. I have three options right now that I love, but I JUST CAN'T DECIDE!  I have been asking for opinions and it still doesn't make it any easier, because once my friends chose one, I find another style I like.  So, my point with this? It might take another eight years to publish because I can't chose a damn cover! Haha!

So, after the cover is picked we will wrap up all loose ends and it will be time to publish.  I am so excited I can't even concentrate sometimes. lol  It looks like the book will be 5 x 8 and about 313 pages or so (not counting title, copyright etc. pages)  I thought I was going to be lucky to get 200 pages out of it.  So that was a pleasant surprise. This book has a little bit of everything; drama, love, passion, heartbreak, comedy, fun and SEX, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how long it is.

So, would you all like to read the synopsis that will appear on the back of my book?  Okay, here it is:  VIRGIN VOYAGE

Example of interior layout

"I've waited a lifetime to touch you like this"

Mari Mannon and Graham Blake always loved each other, but life kept getting in the way. An Alaskan cruise vacation might be just the place to overcome their demons and rebuild the love they once had--to discover a passion they’ve never known. But first, Mari must cast aside her inhibitions to become the independent, carefree woman she once was. And Graham must  learn to believe in love again. Can they find their way, or will everything fall apart for good?

And the good news? There will be four more books in the series. One about each of the Mannon Children - Next up is Alaskan Ambush! If you want to read excerpts of Virgin Voyage visit my other site http://www.writerjjellis.com 

Coming soon: Sneak peek at the cover! (If I ever chose one :/)

Until next time...Follow your dreams no matter how long it takes.  Keep at it, and no matter what, you have to work hard! 

I WANT I WANT I WANT TO EMBARRASS MY KIDS

You know that new car you want so bad you can barely stand it, but then you either can't find one you can afford or one that is just right? Or maybe that new gaming system? Or the new big screen TV? Or the new house? Or the new computer/tablet?

Then suddenly, one day you find just the right one and you can afford it and you finally get it!  You are so unbelievably excited.  You tell everyone you know about it, even strangers. And the minute you get it home/drive it/move in, it is all you can think about and you do everything you can to make it perfect and you don't want to leave it for the first month or more! So much excitement and joy in something so trivial right! You dance, you sing, you jump around and give people high fives (strangers and your kids mostly). But best of all, you embarrass the kids. (**evil grin**) Can you tell which one of those things is my favorite? Remind me one of these days to tell you about dancing in my chair and lip syncing to 80's music while I type my novel.  The kids hope and pray their friends aren't over then. (**another evil grin**)

This is it! (points and jumps up and down)

Well, the other day, I experienced the joy of finding that one perfect thing I have wanted for years. Can you guess what the product was? It was a desktop copy holder. You know, one of those mini easel looking things that hold your papers while you type.  Yep. I had been looking for one for years that would be just right. They were either too expensive (when I first started looking many years ago, they were in the $40.00 range and they all had to be ordered which meant shipping cost too) or I couldn't find just the right one, even at office supply stores. Well, I finally found the perfect one!!! With shipping I will be spending under $16.00. I am so excited I want to shout it from the rooftops. I just have to wait for it to arrive and then I will not let it out of my sight. I will probably even sleep with it. (Don't laugh, it will make me more likely to sleep with it. I'm defiant like that.)

What does this mean for me? It means no more sore neck and shoulders from having to bend over too far when I spend a marathon five hours at the dining room table working on my novel. (I know, I know, I really shouldn't do that, perhaps I should move to the couch for a bit? But don't you understand, I don't have a copy holder so it is even worse to sit on the couch because then the papers are too far away from me to read. Hmmm, maybe I need new glasses too?  I guess that will be the next purchase I get super excited about. But I won't sleep with those or they might break. haha!)

So, what is the point of this post? Is it to not be materialistic?  Nah, I think for many people we can't help but love our toys. I just try to balance that out with caring, charity and friendship. The point to this post is, even if you are weird enough for your kids to make fun of, keep being yourself.  (They'll either get over it or be embarrassed for the rest of their lives, which is great payback for all of the labor, headaches, and heartbreak.)

Until next time...Be yourself no matter what.  You can't be truly happy unless you are truly you!

DISTRACTIONS AND GUILT - GOOD OR BAD

What is your biggest distraction? Right now for me it is YouTube. I have to listen to music while I write and the easiest place to make a set playlist is on my YouTube. Pandora plays songs I don't like and that is completely unacceptable when I'm working. (I know, I know, picky picky me) Besides, it's really annoying when I have to let Pandora know whether I like a song to have them play it again - even when i'm not working. I have Spotify too,but it doesn't work well on my computer for some reason so I haven't had a chance to figure out how it works yet.

So you might be asking me why YouTube is so distracting for me. The answer: It's the official videos/live performances! All of the songs I have on my playlist are ones that I have loved for years and most of them have videos/musicians that I grew up with. I can not keep myself from watching some of these over and over again. So, while I'm watching the videos my work has to wait until I am done.

I know what you are going to say next. "Don't put the videos on your playlist, use fan made vids and lyric vids to play the songs." You know what?  I've tried doing that and for some strange reason, I just can't.  For some reason it is just not the same and I end up deleting the play list to start again - with official videos/live performances.

Now my problem is this - how do I get a decent amount of work done when I have these videos tempting me time and time again?  I really have no solution.  Is it safe to say that I enjoy these distractions and really don't want to do anything about them?  YES!!! OMG I love watching videos while I work, but then I feel guilty when I don't just sit down and bang out twenty pages in a row. (Okay, maybe not twenty, but a lot.)

For now I think I will teach myself to be happy with the joy the videos/live performances give me and the energy I get from them to eventually do my work. I find that I am a bit more creative after one of my many 'breaks' to watch the videos.  Maybe someday I will learn to balance things, but then again maybe I won't. I am kind of enjoying myself and I know I can be trained to not feel guilty anymore.  So for now....Please carry on, I guess the status quo isn't so bad. (I may change my mind when I get picked up by a traditional publisher and my deadlines are no longer my own though! ;))

Until next time...Guilt can be so very powerful. However, we all need distractions (to a point). In the end, I believe they make us perform better. If you want or need a break, take it when you get the chance! And by all means, don't feel too guilty about it. :)

THE DAYS WHEN I HATE WRITING

This is one of those rare days when I really don't want to write at all.  I just finished a chapter that I thought was going to be awful and it turns out that I actually really LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Then I start on the next chapter and I just can't concentrate. The baby is fussy and I would rather snuggle her.  She will be 2 soon which means she's not going to want to snuggle much longer (most likely) so I get in the time when I can.

I need to write. I need to have the book ready for final editing by the time my kids have a five day weekend next week so they can help me but it just isn't going to happen.  I still have six or seven more chapters to rewrite/edit.  I crave the work, but I just couldn't tonight.  I had to take a break for the evening. I did not work from eight pm on.

Why did I not want to work today?  Well it wasn't just the fussy baby or the high/low of coming off a fabulous chapter.  It was a mix of many things. I finally didn't have to drive the husband to work everyday so I was thrilled but then I found out that a friend suffered a devastating loss{I love you sweetie!} and then my car broke down so we are back to the one car thing.  Then I found out that we have a huge storm coming and I'm not quite ready for it. Oh and lets not forget that I don't have a comfortable place to work. I don't have a desk right now and can't get one. I can't sit at the table because of my bad hips so that leaves the very uncomfortable couch where I can't spread out and work the way I like to.  Now some of these things are actually stupid reasons to be upset (and a couple aren't) but when you add them all up it comes out to be a 'not wanting to write a word for the book' kind of night for me. I needed a break!

Will tomorrow be any better?  I sure hope so. I hope to finish the chapter I am on and at least half of the next one. If for some reason I can't, I think I will have to do the self diagnosis of writers block.  Because then it will be more than just not wanting to write it will be not being able to write.

I hate days like this.  They really mess up how my brain works. But I really am grateful for the novel I am working on and I will love it again soon.

Until next time...Just go with the flow and if that little voice inside you tells you to take a break, DO IT. Don't stress yourself out or you will just make things worse. <3

UPDATES!

I got so into writing my novel yesterday that I totally forgot to write a blog.  I didn't feel like getting into anything too deep at 10 pm, so I decided to do an update on past blogs.  And here we go....

1. Pen and Paper, Paper and Pen

Well, it seems that I am slowly training myself to do more of my work on the computer.  Of course it helps that The Shooter bought me a new laptop to use.  But I can now do one or two blogs a week solely using the computer and I have been doing bits and pieces of the novel that way too.  I will even sometimes write down a bunch of ideas that go together on paper and then type them up and transform them into paragraphs of my book.  It is a bit daunting still, but managable.

2. My Baby is Possessed, Um I Mean Obsessed
Well, she still has her obsessions.  Some lesser now, but some are still the same.  She hates having her own drink and she still loves to be nakey all day long.  And now that she is weaned, she is obsessed with being rocked to sleep and our rocking chair is about to fall apart. haha

3. Be Careful What You Wish For - The Weaning of Little Butt
Well, there isn't much to say on this one except that SHE IS FINALLY TOTALLY WEANED! Oh and she kinda loves me again although some days she doesn't bother me much and only wants her two oldest sisters. I still love the little stinker more than anything though :)

4. Complicated mind of a 6 Year Old
She is getting better.  Believe me, she still has her moments but some days are pretty good.  She does seem to be suffering from middle child syndrome and sometimes feels forgotten and unloved but we are trying to fix that.

5. How Toys Drove me to the Brink of Insanity
Well most toy pieces are missing.  They are buried somewhere in one of our toy areas i'm sure.  I threatened the older ones if they threw any pieces away without my permission so i'm sure everything is still in the house.  The board came is still fully intact...because we haven't played it yet.  We put it up out of Little Butt's reach and forgot about it :/

6. Eh I Don't Need Sleep - Or Do I
Well I was getting a lot more sleep there for awhile and then I started working on my novel which threw sleep out the window which I explain in the blog My New Baby.

7. I Love Her... No Matter What
Well, she is still giving us a lot of trouble getting dressed but not nearly as much. She hasn't hurt me since that day and we haven't had any totally awful days since, so I guess whatever was bothering her that day was over quickly.  I'm thinking 2 year molars. :)

8. Judging My Brats
Well, I am still scared out of my mind because the kids have been really good in public...still. At home on the other hand...Anybody want to adopt five misbehavin' kids??? ;)

Until next time...I am working on a big project right now but I will try not to neglect you too much. :D

MY NEW BABY

I am in the process of giving birth again. Only this time the 'creature' I give birth to will not be a child so to speak. It will be one of the great loves of my life, but it will not be a breathing, squealing, eating, sleeping, pooping child.  This particular birth is from my mind.  My first Novel - Virgin Voyage.

Last night when I was laying there thinking of how the heck I was going to function on such little sleep I realized that the novel I am writing is very similar to a child. It causes worry, frustration, sleepless nights, and complete and utter joy. All of the things my children have inflicted upon me time and time again through the years. By the time my writing career is over I wonder how many 'children' I will have.  Many I hope because I wouldn't trade these things for the world.

You see, I started writing this novel in 2005. I fell totally, madly, deeply in love with all of the characters, especially the two main characters. I ate, drank, and slept this story. It was so hard for me because I always doubt my abilities to tell a good story but I loved everything about it so much that I couldn't imagine not finishing it.  Well, I eventually did finish it and sent a proposal to a publisher.  The minute I sent the query letter in the mail I knew I had made a mistake.  These characters and story would not fit in with this company. I didn't really want them to either. I would have to change too much and sacrifice too much.  Well when the rejection letter came saying the story didn't fit their requirements I was of course a bit hurt, but also very relieved.  I vowed to find a better way to showcase this special work.  But not quite yet.  I had worked on it so much that I could barely look at it after I finished it. It caused me way too much anxiety. I was afraid on one hand to spoil it and on the other hand to have it rejected. So here we are almost 8 years later and thanks to this blog I finally have the courage to tackle it again.


Here is where the worry comes in : The first thing I did was cut some crap from it.  Boy my writing skills have come a long way since then! Stuff I thought was an integral part of the story turned out to be excess fluff that just had to go. It took me a month of fretting and worrying daily to finally decide that I had the courage to do it. And once I did, the product I had left started to make me very excited. I started to fall completely in love with the characters and story all over again.

Now comes the frustration: Trying to get this new Chapter 1 perfect is driving me nuts! Once again I am second guessing my writing skills and some of my story devices to the point that if I don't just stop and be happy with what my three proof readers says is great, I will literally go flippin insane. (See mom sitting on the couch staring blankly at everyone for the rest of her life) AAAAAAHHHHHHHH. And you know what? Each subsequent chapter is going to be the same damn torture.

That brings us to the sleepless nights. Until this novel is complete and I upload it to Create Space, I will probably not sleep well (and as those who regularly read my blog know, that isn't good since I haven't slept well much of the last two years and 8 months). I lay awake thinking about these characters and the story and what I could do to make it better. I toss and turn wondering if what I am doing is right and if I am good enough (Yep, I"m full of self doubt yo!). And then I lay there wondering about the characters and story all over again.  At least I love these things that keep me awake at night right?  (Kids included ;))

Well now we will end with complete and utter joy: How could I not be totally thrilled with these characters that I love so much. How could I not be thrilled with sharing them with people who want to see me succeed (and total strangers - now that is scary!) Everything about this book whether it is a success or a giant failure is going to bring joy and peace to my life because it is my first, and will probably be my best loved NOVEL!!!

Until next time...If you have a passion for something, just do it and have fun and fall in love with it. The happiness it brings is indescribable and the ride to get there is crazy enjoyable.

TO BE YOUR MOTHER...

About the time my kiddos turn two I write them a poem of sorts. Well, Little Butt will be two in just over a month so I decided to write hers tonight.  When I couldn't decide which topic to write about for this blog, I decided to share these poems with you.  I hope you love them as much as I do.


To my Gennie the Pooh Bear - My first born                                  From the moment I first saw you
I knew that being a mother would change me for the better.  

To be allowed to have you with me and healthy is a dream come true.
To hold you in my arms is the scariest yet most profound thing I’ve ever done.
To kiss your round cheeks brings tears to my eyes.
To wonder if what I’m doing is right keeps me awake at night.
To hold you when you are sick reminds me how much you truly need me still.
To give you the ability to be the leader of the pack made our bond even stronger.

But most of all…
To be your mother makes me the luckiest person in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my Bubba - My second born
From the moment I first saw you
I knew being your mother would be 

the adventure of a lifetime.

To add you to our family was the best surprise I ever had.
To hold you as you screamed, not knowing how to calm you was the most defining moment of my life.
To kiss your little chubby chin brings tears to my eyes.
To wonder if I would ever be able to make you happy keeps me awake at night.
To hold you when you are sick reminds me how much you truly need me still.
To help you fight this monster (called Autism) has made our bond even stronger.

But Most of all…
To be your mother makes me the luckiest person in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my Pookie- My third born
From the moment I first saw you
I knew the extra love I’d been 

missing all those years.

To have you in my life made me realize motherhood get’s better with age.
To hold you in my arms when you weren’t supposed to be here yet was so unreal.
To kiss your little button nose brings tears to my eyes.
To marvel that you are truly okay despite how sick we were keeps me awake at night.
To hold you when you are sick reminds me how much you truly need me still.
To be my first child as an older mother has made our bond even stronger.

But most of all…
To be your mother makes me the luckiest person in the world

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my Mini-Man: - My fourth born 

and my one and only boy,
From the moment I first saw you
I knew my one and only wish 

had finally come true.

To be allowed to love you was a one in a million chance for me.
To hold you in my arms feels like nothing I’ve ever known.
To kiss your sweet forehead brings tears to my eyes.
To worry over you because you are one of a kind keeps me awake at night.
To hold you when you are sick reminds me how much you truly need me still.
To nurse you beyond your first year made our bond even stronger.

But most of all…
To be your mother makes me the luckiest person in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To my Dee Dee - My final baby

From the moment I first saw you

I knew that despite all of the 

hardships, I could  never 

regret having you

To have one last child to love and raise was a surprise I could never have guessed

To hold you while we co-sleep is the sweetest feeling I’ve ever known

To kiss your chubby tummy to hear you laugh brings tears to my eyes

To hold you when you are sick reminds me how much you truly need me still

To have you be my last child means more to me than you will ever know

But most of all…

To be your mother makes me the luckiest person in the world

PEN AND PAPER, PAPER AND PEN

When you picture a blogger, you probably see someone sitting with their laptop just typing away and hitting the publish button and ta da they are done. I am probably the farthest from that stereotype as anyone you've ever met. First of all, my laptop is broken so I definitely don't blog with it, haha. Second, I very rarely 'write' anything using a computer in the first place. I'm an old fashioned pen and paper kind of gal.

I've often tried to figure out why I prefer pen (pencil) and paper. Could it be that I obsess over pens and paper? If I could own 20,000 pens and a warehouse full of paper, it wouldn't be enough. Guess what was #1 on my souvenir list when we went to Alaska? Yep, that's right, pens! (And I bought 3 - those little suckers are getting expensive!) But you know deep down I don't think this is the reason. There are plenty of chances to use pens and paper in every day life. I wouldn't have to use them in my writing just to get my fix.

I have also considered that I use pen and paper because I am a warped individual that enjoys the torture of sore hands and permanent indentations on my middle finger.  Oh, and ink stains all over everything!  But no, although I do consider myself warped in many ways that I will never share with you, this is not my favorite part of writing. In fact it is probably my least favorite part. More pain is the last thing I need in my life.

When it comes down to it, I know using the computer would be a lot quicker and easier, but the ideas just don't flow quite as easy with a laptop on my lap or a computer in front of me. I remember in high school typing class, having to compose a story while sitting there in front of a typewriter. ( Yeah, we didn't do computers much way back then) That was the one unit I got less than an A on. Once I sat down in front of that machine, my ideas just dried up like prunes.

As computers became more and more prevalent, things just didn't get easier for me. In college it was pretty much a necessity to be able to do the work in front of the computer and I got by, barely, but it was really hard.

Presently, years away from any kind of schooling. I can occasionally rip something out on the computer, but rarely. Now imagine the 70,000 word novel I wrote (and am re working). It was written on paper with pen and pencil and then transferred to the computer. It is a lot of work, but the results are so worth it.

You might be wondering if I do my proofreading and editing on the computer or not. Nope, I have to print pages out and I do all changes and proofreading with colored pen. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I  know I am wasting paper, but if I don't have the words in front of me on paper then they just kind of slip right on by. I guess that is why I can't do a lot of reading on the computer either.  Small blog posts are about all I can handle.  No reading books or long stories on the computer for me! I guess my problem is that it just isn't hands on enough for me on a screen. But then that doesn't explain why I love my kindle so much. It is a screen too but I adore reading on it! That however is a story for another day.

Until next time...<3 Thanks for all of the support and don't forget to share the blog with your friends.

TO HELL WITH YOU WRITER’S BLOCK

So, what do you do when you have writer’s block? You write about writer’s block of course!

In all of the time I have been writing there are two kinds of blocks I’ve run into. Type 1 is where you just plain and simple can’t write anything. Even a subject to write about escapes you. Type 2 is when you have everything you need to put a great piece together but the words just won’t come out right.

I guess for me, my latest episode of writer’s block leans more toward Type 1. I had a subject six hours ago when I started working on this blog post but decided early on that it was a subject better left until we know each other a bit better. So I was back to square one. Usually I can pull a subject out of thin air and go with it, but not this time. I sat there for 5.5 hours with nothing. Not one damn idea. Then I started to laugh because it was all so ridiculous that I was sitting there acting like a crazy woman for five and a half hours trying to decide what ideas and words to put on paper.  That is when it hit me, this blog post that I was trying so hard to write would be about the ridiculousness of writer’s block.

I sit there on any given day and think of 20 or 30 different subjects I might want to write about. If I can, I write them down and if not, I pray that I can remember them when I need to.  Then comes time to write, and all of the subjects I wrote down don’t appeal to me anymore so I am stuck trying to pull these other ideas out of my brain which frankly doesn’t work quite as well as it did before I had five kids. Seriously, pregnancy brain never truly disappears, it just morphs into mommy brain. Times five for me which equals MUSH.

Okay, so once I have determined that I have writer’s block, I try to find out why. Am I over stressed? Do I have too many mundane things on my mind? Are the kids bothering me? Am I on a deadline because of an appointment or previous commitment? If one of these applies, then I try to solve the problem. If I can’t, then I try other things. I’ve meditated, prayed and tried a change of scenery. Deep Breathing has sometimes helped too. If all goes well, I start writing and don’t stop until I choose to. If not, it is time to smack my head with my pen, or my cell phone, or my hand. And if that doesn’t work, I give it a break for awhile.

Yes, writers block can be so stressful and I guess smacking myself about the head is a bit extreme, but I’ve known and read about people who have really gone all out to end this awful state of mind.

I heard of one woman who would go bungee jumping or skydiving  to try to cure her block. That is something I would never ever do. Not because I don’t want to do those things (because I do) but because with my luck I would have that best selling idea on the way down and then crash to the earth where the awesome idea would die with me.

I knew someone who would sit in a chair with their legs on the back and their head hanging down to the floor.  I could see where that might make the ideas flow to the brain better, but again I would never do that because I would have that best selling idea and then I would pass out cold never to remember the idea again. Part of my ‘brokenness’ is migraines/sinuses/dizziness and I really don’t need to add to that if at all possible.

Now swimming is a writers block cure that I could get into. For me swimming can cure just about anything that ails me. But then I don’t have a pool, the city/rec center charges way too much, I don’t do bathing suits in public and I don’t have a baby sitter for the little ones on a moments notice. So in the end I will just have to whack myself upside the head in times of blockage emergency and hope that it doesn’t add to the brain mushiness that I have thanks to my five wonderful children.

Until next time…here is wishing you easy recovery from whatever ails you. <3