Reflection of the week

You know the saying 'attitude determines altitude'? Well, the words you use really influence your attitude altitude. That hit home in a big way this week. I was determined to fit in my workouts, at least one 30 minute session each day. The first couple days, I was like 'Ugh! I have to do my workouts. I have to get up earlier. I'm tired after work and I still have to do my workout.' By Tuesday night, I was worried that I wouldn't get through the first week, let alone to summer.
So, I started telling myself - I get to get up and dance. I get to go home and dance. 

Wednesday, I rolled over, ready to hit the snooze button and told myself 'get up to dance.'
Thursday night (I had to go in early), on the bus, I kept telling myself - you get to go home and dance.' Saying that, instead of 'workout', well, it worked.

Some people love workouts and have no problem calling them that. A sister-in-law is one of those people. She loves doing her workouts no matter what the time of day. I have to trick myself. That's okay. I got the workouts dances in and felt better both physically and mentally. Calling it dance changed how I looked at it.

Now, if it can just change my waistline by a couple inches...

Self Spring Cleaning

I've cleaned and cleaned, scrubbed the walls, sprayed at stains on the carpets, shaken cat hair out of blankets and curtains and washed them, and ... time to spring clean ME. I decided to do this over the weekend, laying out my plan - diet, exercise, clothes. Little bits at a time so by summer in SIX weeks, a happier, calmer, maybe a few pounds lighter Abby can greet the warmer weather.

First up - food and drink - the first thing to go was my glass of wine in the evening. Empty calories add up and I've no room for that! I pulled out (most) of the junk food, keeping a little for treats and putting them in inconvenient places - ice cream buried in the freezer and cookies way up on a top cabinet shelf (I'm short and getting to them will be a pain). Next came really thinking and planning out my weekly meals - I spent an hour or so on Sunday chopping, grating and dicing peppers, mushrooms and veggies while cooking mini ears of corn, a bag of brown rice and baking chicken breasts. I love a bit of salmon mixed in my scrambled eggs so I chopped that as well, plus spinach. Now - no excuses for not eating good-for-me food. I'm drinking water like crazy - at least 8 oz every hour. I'm looking at the frequent bathroom breaks as adding steps to my daily total. :)

Second was exercise. I'll be honest here - I get bored REALLY easily when it comes to exercise. All those long programs by the fitness experts? Yeah, they're great, but by the second or third week (I've managed to get that far a couple times) I'm bored and thinking 'what's next?' Especially the ones that repeat the same routine every day - really? BORING! I flipped through the binders (yes, multiple) of the exercise DVDs I have and decided to focus on bellydance for at least six weeks - I have the BellyTwins and Rania Bossonis. Through in some yoga and maybe some walking (Leslie Sansone's Punch up your Walk - four miles is a fave), and I figured there would be enough variety to keep even my hop-skipping brain engaged. Soooo - I started Monday with Rania's Hip Hop Hip Drop. That was enough to make me realize I needed to do this slowly or my back would go 'nope, no good. We're outta here.' I walked 20 minutes at work on Tuesday and this morning I did the BellyTwins' Basic Moves and then Hip Drop. Much better. I'm going to do those this week to get the body 'warmed up and ready' and hopefully not let enthusiasm get the best of me.

Third - clothes - sigh. And shoes. Double sigh. But  really, I don't need or wear stuff from five years ago? It's in the way and I can't get to (or see) what I really want to wear. Or can. (I've still got a bit of winter poundage to lose.) The plan - every time I see something in the wardrobe or drawers that I haven't worn in a couple years, can't wear or am 90% sure I won't wear, it goes in a blue plastic bag. Same for shoes. Right now, I have a bag full of shoes and a half-full bag of clothes. Goodwill will love me in a couple weeks!

So, would you like to join me? Let's Spring Clean ourselves and get ready for summer!

The weekend! Finally

Have three stories bubbling in my brain (yes, the voices can do that! lol) - two are paired up - in the first - the woman is a bitch and the man deals with her, she learns a lesson and in the second, the situation is reversed - the man is an asshat and the woman teaches him. And the third - it's the lovers kept apart by snobby relatives (his) and he goes searching for her, throw in an ice storm, an isolated farmhouse.... ;) I won't be able to write them this weekend, but I'll get the gist of it down so I can go back to it. And, so far, these are stand-alones (or paired) and not with any series currently in the works. Then again, the characters have this habit of going 'hey! guess what we're doing now?'. I'm just along for the ride.

I've received a few emails about Ally in The Master's Choice, mostly saying she's just too weak for them. I appreciate the feedback! What I was trying to show was a different type of strength in a woman. She's been through a lot - lost everyone in her family except a long-lost cousin and then was in a marriage to Kevin MacLauren (more to come on him!) - so I just wanted to show different ways women deal with situations. And she does stand up to JW and demand he be honest with her.

I love the messages and emails so keep them coming!

lots of fun and news!

Absolutely gorgeous day - I've got the doors and windows WIDE open for the fresh air and breeze. Cats are in heaven - chittering as they run from window to window (using me as a launching pad on occasion) and generally exhausting themselves so I figure they'll crash in a little bit.

I've a light Italian meatball soup simmering in the crock-pot and have wheat bread dough rising to make rolls this evening.

With this spring-like weather, I feel like I should be doing my spring cleaning, but I'm restraining myself. Mother Nature has a warped sense of humor, so I'll wait. Sort of. I moved the sub-zero parka and the winter boots from the entryway coat rack to the hall closet. And did a scrubbing of the walls. Not full out spring-weekend effort, but enough where I feel like I satisfied my spring fever itch.

I'm in full writing mode - two scenes to do for IM4 - one VERY hot and steamy - Jake let's loose on Tina and ties her up, and she's loving every minute of it - and the 'here's why Allura has been doing what she's doing' - ooo, the men are NOT happy. And then there's Barden - who has a crisis of confidence. The next three for the Interstellar Matchmaker series are bubbling about in my mind - Bessie's brother, Adam, Copper Fire's police chief, does something he's NEVER done before and secrets come out of the fire. For six and seven, two of Tina's older brothers literally dance their women off their feet, but... let's just say true love's course is never smooth! And the eighth - you like time travel with a Wizard of Oz twist? Allura's last matchmaking effort sends an Andersson back to the fifties.

Annnnd, I've received a few emails about my first series - unnamed, any ideas? - and I've gone back to it - Possessing Penny should be ready for Angela, my amazingly patient editor and incredible cover artist - in a couple weeks. Plus, Claiming Claire with the menage of Claire, Paul and David and a bit of a mystery. And, in a future book - something I've never done - using people I know as secondary characters - with their permission and their input - talk about scene stealers though! I think you'll love them as much as I do though. More on that in the future.

Have a fabulous week!

A writer's year - less clutter

My goal is to post every couple weeks about what my characters have told me lately, how they've taken hold of their story and, well, made it theirs and not mine. A few posts about life, the seasons, and who and what have influenced my writing.

January - Like a lot of people, I see the winter months as a time for nesting, staying home out of the cold weather (most of the time. I mean, what is with Mother Nature this year?!), and prepping for spring. The past couple weeks I've focused on prepping for spring - going through more magazines than I realized I had, going through clothes, the kitchen, my craft supplies, everything I can. Just trying to simplify. It's not easy. I'm the type of person who holds onto things for years and just knows that as soon as I throw something away, I'll need it. Most of the time I don't, of course, and I'm forcing myself to do toss, toss, TOSS, things I haven't used in... well, probably years. I'm asking myself - do I need this or do I want it?, when was the last time I actually used it? and, oddly enough, why the heck do I have two, or more, of these if I haven't used it in so long? Does the darn thing work? All those questions organizing gurus tell you to ask - I'm actually doing it.
So, lots of trips to the apartment complex dumpster.

While the living room and my bedroom are mini unnatural disasters as I continue January's project, things are finally settling down. I hope to have it completed by the end of the month. And yet, I also hope to keep doing it at least a few hours every month. I can already tell the difference in, well, just the clutter. There really is something to the talk about how less stuff and things about makes you feel calmer.

My three cats were entertained as they supervised and in a few instances, knocked over stacks of neat magazine piles I'd made according to subject - health/fitness, food, house, garden, etc. - and then proceeding to stretch out to groom themselves and each other. Totally not helping, and delaying the entire project, but looking so content and adorable it was difficult to get too frustrated. They quite approve of the now empty baskets that previously held the magazines though. New napping spots are always welcome.

I've also been busy writing. The Interstellar Matchmaker series is bubbling along - Bessie's oldest brother Adam, the oldest of the Andersson cousins and Copper Fire's police chief, is next up. And then there's some fire and ice to deal with, and my twist on time travel to finish up the series. The characters in Beloved of the Beast aren't being still either - Unleashed's Wulfgar has a cousin who has three weeks to be wed, but the intended bride's family has secrets. (hint - clues are in Unleashed and the soon-to-be-released Claimed). It's my twist on Red Riding Hood, with Snow White next.

Stay safe and warm during winter storms and may Mother Nature bring us an early warm spring!

No more negative

There is just too much negativity around us. I don't think I'm the only one stressing, over-stressing to be honest, about things I can do absolutely nothing about. World events, national troubles, etc. We're hammered with them 24/7 in this age of a non-stop news cycle. And it wears us down and exhausts us.

I remember when news was on for thirty minutes, maybe an hour if you add in local stations' contributions, a night. People would watch, tsk, wonder what would or could be done, and then returned to focus on their own lives. There might be great outpouring at noteworthy events - i.e. JFK's assassination (before I was born), the moon landing (I remember that) or other significant happenings. We weren't drowning in continual news, most of it terrible, horrific and tragic.

And then people go around tut-tutting and wondering why we're all so stressed out, trying to drown our sorrows with alcohol or drugs, over-eating, with medical conditions that our grandparents would have shaken their heads in bewilderment about.
Duh. Millions get spent on studies that tell the blazingly obvious.

So, first thing I'm doing is shutting off the news. I know - in this day and age, it'll be nearly impossible to do. But I am going to. I can feel the difference in my mood, the tension in my body, especially my neck and shoulders, and the doctor can certainly tell in my blood pressure.

I figure I'll still know what's going on. I'm not going to go around with earplugs or a blindfold so I'll still pick up on things, but... just imagine. Not being so mentally and emotionally exhausted because I'm so damn wrapped up about things I can do absolutely nothing about. Am I sorry that tragedies happened around the world? Absolutely. But I can't do anything to prevent them.

What I CAN do is focus on my corner of the world. I CAN focus on my mood, my emotions, and my health. I CAN care about the people I come into daily or regular contact with, and pay attention to what they're going through. I CAN do something in my local region to make the world better. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people do that, the positive will spread.
I am going to focus on the positive this year, focus on what I CAN do, and turn it into WILL do and then DID.

A Tweak a Week

I LOVE the holiday season. These next few weeks are my favorite out of the entire year. Already the magazines are full of articles - decorating, cooking, baking, crafts, gift ideas and more. And, of course, they also have articles and ideas on how to get through the next couple months without gaining any weight. Followed by the January issues full of 'New Year New You' exercise and diet routines.
I always try those, but rarely, if ever, stick to them. It's just too much all at once. Plus, I just don't have time to workout for an hour or the finances to go to some fancy gym or buy equipment for home plans or buy the exotic foods in their plans.
Soooo, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Gradual changes that get me through the holidays and into 2017 without gaining more than a pound or two (which I don't mind. Trust me - my Mom's cheesecake is worth it!) and keeping some semblance of health and sanity.
Every Sunday I'll have another suggestion to 'add in'. Nothing will be big or massively time-consuming or a hit to your pocketbook. Just little tweaks that can add up.

This week's tweak - walking 30 minutes a day. It doesn't have to be all at once. If you're at an office, try to get up every couple hours and walk the halls for ten minutes. Or squeeze in 15-20 minutes during lunch. Bonus if you can go outside (weather permitting) and get fresh air and sunshine for your Vitamin D daily dose. Or, as I've done on occasion - get up every hour and walk 5 minutes. Thirty plus minutes easy peasy. If you have a dog, you're probably getting your thirty minutes with no problem. Keep track and add on a few minutes if you need to. Have children? Have them come with you in the evening (if it's safe, of course) and use the time as a way to unwind from the busyness of school and activities and talk with them.

I have a small notebook to write down the days of the week and how I fit in the walking - like Tuesday - 5, 10, 10, 5. And I'm done. Anything to get up and moving.

I am going to make it through the last eleven weeks of the year making small tweaks that focus on me and start 2017 healthier and happier. Join me!