I know it’s been about a week or so since I posted. Life just runs away so fast, doesn’t it?

WRITING NEWS

I’ve been working at getting Sword & Illusion completely polished and finished. It isn’t easy. This is a very complicated story and contains lots of delicate threads and changing just one has consequences throughout the book.

My biggest problem right now is Chapter Eight. I will be so glad when that Chapter is declared finished! Beloved is my First Reader and he had great insights. However, he also has a fabulous imagination and is always coming up with “what ifs” that are good but require additional scenes or little fiddles here and there. I know the book is stronger when I’m done with his suggestions but it’s taking me forever.

I had hoped to declare it finished by 19 Feb, when I turn 50, but that’s looking very unlikely. As I said, I’m still fiddling with Chapter 8 and there are 32 chapters in this monster. And with less than 28 days to go, I don’t think I can do it. Frankly, that depresses me a bit. I’ve been working on this for about 2 years.

KID NEWS

The Girl is in Washington, DC this week. She participated in the March for Life and comes home Sunday. I’m sure she’s having a great time and I can’t wait to see pictures!

Funny story: She called me yesterday because she was trying to find a building or something where she was supposed to meet her friends and couldn’t find it. So she called and asked me to look it up on Google Maps and give her directions. Technology actually does make our lives a bit easier, doesn’t it? Some times!

The Boy is doing well with his language therapy. We played Candyland last night and as his therapist recommended before he took a turn, I asked him how two things were different and how they were alike. He answered quickly and without hesitating! He’s talking more and for longer stretches without losing the topic.

It’s time to register him for school for next year and I’m feeling more confident that we can keep him in St. Thomas More. He’s been doing much better there these last couple of months.

He did get a red yesterday so I hope he’s not slipping back into old habits. One thing he does that drives me (and his teacher, apparently) crazy, is he chews on the sleeve of his shirt. It’s been chilly here (around 36 in the am and up to only the 50s, so he’s been going to school wearing a sweatshirt. No more. Twice he’s been “gigged” (a word from my time in the military meaning marked down) for chewing on his sleeve. Fortunately, it got up to 70 yesterday and is supposed to be warmer today.

Beloved has started using a squirt gun to help with discipline. If the Boy is caught with his hand in his pants (he scratches his butt like that often) or chewing on his sleeve, he gets squirted. I prefer just keeping him in short sleeves!

OTHER NEWS

I’m interested in starting a “Scrap for Hire” business, doing digital scrapbooking for other people. I’m trying to trust God about this one. I’ve come up with other plans to bring some extra money into the family before and they’ve all failed miserably so now I’m trying to just talk to Him about this idea and not push ahead trying to make it work. If He sends clients my way, fabulous. If not, I have to keep trusting that He’ll work things out for us.

I haven’t been optimistic about the future lately. It’s no secret I’m not enamored of our new president. His very liberal policies scare the crud out of me. Add to that some financial worries and the stress of dealing with school and medical issues (I hate dealing with our Flexible Spending Account bureaucracy almost as much as I hate that they question practically every payment I use the card for!), and I don’t see a rosy future for us or our kids.

Probably some of this comes from approaching the big 5-0. It feels like such a huge number and I’m not seeing a whole lot of the dreams I’ve had coming true.

Yes, I’m a published author, but am I finished? Do two books published almost 5 years ago (well, yeah, 5 years ago for Fabric of Faith) count as a career?

Well, it’s time to wake up the Boy for school. I’ll write about my weight news at Lowering the Speed Limit.