Stormy Monday

"They call it stormy Monday/ But Tuesday's just as bad." - "Stormy Monday" by the Allman Brothers Band

Sigh. My family reunion is over and things are returning to normal. Back to work, back to the same old, same old. It rained my whole way to pick up the youngest kid I take care of from school, that summery rain that comes with the hot, sticky air that is a struggle just to walk through. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse, hence the reason for the song of the day.

Today is just not a good day. I can't concentrate to write, the very over-tired child upstairs is refusing to sleep and in a terrible mood, and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will have to work late today. Aren't Mondays great?

Tomorrow though, I plan on getting back to my writing. Poor Willow and the rest of the gang from Santa Elena have been frozen in time (1990 to be exact!)while I have been busy with family stuff, but now their journey can continue, much to my delight and relief. I have been working on this book since January, which is a long time for me. I have promised myself that it will be done by the 4th of July, and I think "it's very important to keep promises, especially to yourself". That quote was said by Barbara Stanwyck's character in "Christmas in Connecticut". What a great line!

Family

"We are family/ I've got all my sisters with me/ We are family/ Get up everybody and sing!" - "We are Family" by Sister Sledge

Every year my mom and her sisters get together for a long weekend, with a different sister hosting the reunion each year. This year is my mom's turn, so I get to see a couple of my aunts that I haven't seen in four years! I've been looking forward to this for a while now, so I'm glad it's finally here.

With the added family members and change in routine, I figure that I won't get any writing done at all this week. I have been holding steady around the 250 page mark in Willow book #4 for a few weeks now and it's starting to get on my nerves. I don't have writer's block or anything, I just either don't have the time, can't concentrate when I do have a few moments to spare, or I keep finding things to change in what I have already written. I think I have rewritten the last ten pages I have been working on at least half a dozen times. Sometimes it's just tweaking a sentence here or there, sometimes way more. Next week, I plan to get back on track and get some serious writing done!

I was originally hoping to finish this novel by the first week of June when the girls I nanny for get out of school, but that's not happening. My new goal is to finish my writing and editing of book #4 by the 4th of July, which will mark the end of a two week vacation I have from work while the girls are out of town. That goal will be accomplished!

Thanksgiving Day

"Over the river and through the woods/ Trot fast my dapple grey/ Spring o'er the ground like a hunting hound/ For this is Thanksgiving Day!"

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day full of good food, loving family and friends, and great memories.

And for all of you who are going shopping tomorrow at the crack of dawn (or before!), have patience, understanding, and most of all, a lot of FUN!