Working on my next submission.....

Two years ago, this book came out! Wow!

Thanks to my BFF, I am getting ready to submit my next book! As usual, I'm excited about it! What makes it even better, I picked up on a manuscript I started last year and I remembered what I wanted. The characters were a little miffed at me for letting them hang for a year, but I've been through a lot this last year! They were very forgiving.

I am a creature of habit which is how I get things done. I time everything, trying to make the most of my day. I am devastated they are closing my favorite grocery store which is less than a mile away from my house. Kroger wants to build mega stores which sell patio furniture, clothes, etc. This little Kroger was perfect for me. It was small, the employees are like family to me and I could be in and out of there in a heartbeat!

I shouldn't complain because there are plenty of stores within a five mile radius. Two Tom Thumbs, a Super Walmart, Super Target, Whole Foods, Market Street, Sprouts and another Kroger who has a sexual deviant as a floor sweeper (but that's another story in itself). Tom Thumb has 'different' brands. Target doesn't always carry what I want, Whole Foods? $$$$$, Sprouts is natural but has good seafood, meats and produce. WalMart is okay but their produce is lousy. I'll have to adjust, I guess.....

Life Experiences

I hope everyone had a great week!

I had to take time out from my writing this week since my sister and husband, whom I haven't seen in seven years, came out to visit me in Texas! They came on Monday and left on Thursday.

I don't know if I told you, but in late August, my clothes dryer died. It was only seven years old. The matching washer is still going and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. (Remember? I said I had a sequel to When the Runway Went South?)

Come Labor Day, my dishwasher  of seven years, died. My husband kindly went online and researched new dishwashers. He found the best price at The Nebraska Furniture Store, owned by Warren Buffet, located The Colony, TX. Well, they were closed on Labor Day.

Knowing my company was coming in, we scheduled ONLINE for a delivery date of 9/13/2016. My sister agreed to us going out to dinner so I wouldn't have to do dishes, because the new machine would come Tuesday. (She is on a special diet and has lost 83 pounds and avoids restaurants!)

Come Tuesday morning, the delivery team calls me to say they are on their way with the new appliance. When they arrive, they cheerfully tell me, I never registered an installation, so therefore they couldn't do it and were not authorized to haul away the old dishwasher even though the instructions on the ONLINE order requests they do so. What?

I'm on the phone with Customer Service and was told rather than order online with them, I need to go to the store and see a sales person to ensure an installation for future orders. (Which there won't be!). I said why would I order an appliance without an installation and why didn't the ONLINE process catch something like that? She told me they were too busy to check each and every order that came in. The earliest date they could have someone install it would be 9/16. I told her that was unacceptable and asked to speak to her manager.

The manager gets on the line and apologizes for the mix up. She told me to look on the NFM Website and in fine print it does say, when ordering on a holiday, please follow up the following day to have your appliance installed. Missed that. Didn't have to do that with Home Depot or Lowes....

I told her I would never buy from them again. Then I got a robo phone call from NFM asking me to take a brief survey about the delivery team. Yes, they were very nice but they didn't do what I wanted. Then, I got another call saying that my appliance would be delivered on 9/13 between 9 am - 11 am. My first thought was that the manager was able to pull some strings and get an installer out because the order number was different from the ONLINE order. I'm feeling proud of myself until noon and nothing has happened.

I called them back and was told no, my installation date was still set for 9/16. I told the lady I had a house filled with out of town guests and really needed the dishwasher. She offered to put me on a stand by, if there were any cancellations, I would be top priority.

Tuesday night's dinner was a disaster with me cooking and my brother in law cooking, we must have used five pots and pans. For us to do those dishes took us about an hour and a half. When I woke up on Wednesday, my sister said they would take us out to dinner for their last night there because they didn't want me doing dishes.

During the day, I did get a call from NFM they would install the dishwasher between the hours of twelve and two on Thursday. Great. My sister's flight was at 9 in the morning, so I had to take them to the airport and wait for the installation team. The team was very nice and apologetic, but still. Nebraska Furniture Mart lost my business.

I guess the powers-to-be want me to write that sequel!!!

Me Time, Much Needed!

The 2016 NFL season has started! This is where I lose my Sunday afternoons to go to the sports bar to watch my team. And it's not looking good for my time, so it's going to be a long season. I will catch up with my fellow fans and their lives.

I have been such a space cadet this week. I've been working on a detailed synopsis of my latest book, Cruise into My Heart. I can't tell you how many times I've rewritten it. Which means I'm not getting enough sleep.

On Thursday, I ran errands and driving home, I noticed my watch was missing. ??? I back tracked and someone had found it in the parking lot and brought it to the store's lost and found. I've had this watch a long time.

Friday, I went to a store a couple of towns away because they were having a clearance on patio stuff. I chatted with the sales clerk because we got on the subject of Ontario, Canada. He used to live there and my sister lives there. Packed up my purchase and drove back home to the grocery store. Went to pay and noticed my credit card was missing. I left it at the first store. I frantically called and yes, he had it locked in the store safe. I had to drive all the way back there in rush hour traffic to get it.

I need a day off from me!

Holiday Weekends and Family!

Labor Day weekend! Woo hoo! Doing things around the house while I have time between writing. My sister and her husband from Illinois, are coming for a four day visit next week. I haven't seen them in over 8 years.

My sister has lost a tremendous amount of weight and I'm so proud of her. Eighty pounds in a two year period. She said she feels so much better and feels more energetic. I love to work out and walk, so I'm anxious to show her the walking trails around here.

But another good thing about their visit, things are getting done around the house. You know those chores you keep putting off? Windows cleaned, touch up paint jobs, lawn work, gardens weeded.

After our trip to Canada and meeting my family's new dogs, I'm hunkering down to search for one for our family. My husband is against it because he doesn't want to go through the ordeal of putting one down again. But meeting those two dogs and petting them, lowered his blood pressure and we need more of it. I thought of appeasing him by suggesting we name him, Ernie Banks. (My husband is a die-hard Cub's fan!) Good idea?