Always My Baby

December 5th, 2000 was the year of my daughter's birth. Her bright blue eyes and shining smile warmed my heart the instant our eyes met. She was beautiful. She was my baby. The moment her tiny little fingers grasped around mine I knew I was destined to be a mother. I would always protect her--always love her.

I watched her grow over the years into the young lady she is today. She's in that wonderful stage of  prepubescent years where eye rolls and embarrassment are a frequent factor. You know exactly what I mean. It was perfectly acceptable to shop at Kohl's, but that was so last year. If it doesn't say Aeropostale, it can no longer grace her body. Christmas lists are no longer dolls and stuffed animals, but DS games, iPod Touch and Lady Gaga CD's.  

Her sense of humor is beyond compare. With some of the things that escape her mouth, she has me rolling on the floor. Good grades, travel basketball, a nice bunch of friends, what more could a mother ask for? I don't mind spoiling my kids when they are doing well. They work and play hard. 

Yesterday was my daughter's 11th birthday. We treated her to dinner at Olive Garden and took her gift to the restaurant. When her father told the waitress it was her birthday, my daughter's features turned to crimson. The waitress brought her a cake with a candle in it and asked if my daughter wanted her to sing to which she cringed and murmured a polite 'no thank you.'  

After dinner we sat around the table and handed her the gift. She opened the box which had a padded envelope inside. She opened it and reached in. When she pulled out the box and saw the iPod Touch, her eyes widened and she reached over and gave me a hug. My eyes welled with tears as I tried to blink them back. Seeing the expression of pure joy and happiness on her face was truly all the thanks I needed. She sprang from the booth and embraced her father. I gave a quick glance at my husband as his eyes reddened. That suit of armor is not so tough! 

At that moment, I became cognizant of one thing. No matter how old my daughter is, she will always be my baby.

Christmas Presents: On-line Shopping or Facing the Masses

This has to be the first time in my history of Christmas shopping I am 99% complete--not wrapped, but the gifts are bought.

Between running both kids to basketball, meeting editing deadlines and the day job, I have discovered the wonderful world of internet shopping. As my beautiful niece would say, "You punch on the keyboard what you want and they deliver it to your door the next day. Oh, and you don't have to pay." Wishful thinking, Maisy.

Now I don't normally do this. Every year the dh and I dredge through the mall, store to store, window to window and immerse with a ton of bags. It's hot, crowded, and by the end of the day we've had it. Of course we always encounter the slap to the head moments like, "Do you know what we forgot?" At times, it's downright frustrating.

I have to admit, it is rather satisfying to have the UPS guy ring the doorbell and my package is delivered. No fighting for parking, no crowds and no misery. There is a little thread of guilt I'm plagued with by not shopping the traditional way, but it quickly fades after meeting the first rude holiday shopper.

What about you? Internet or do you bravely face the masses?

Halloween Adventures

Halloween rocks. No really, it does. Not only is it fun for kids of all ages, but it's my birthday. Hey! Before you even think about it! I've heard all of the jokes before! You're not funny! Yep. I'm the super cool mom who shares her birthday on the day when the veil between the living and the dead are meshed. What can I say? 

Being on the lower side of 40-ish, I've had a lot of Halloween adventures over the years. You remember--the times when getting into innocent mischief was not risking a lawsuit or someone wasn't running out of their house with a gun in hand.  

Toilet paper, soaping, I've done it all. I have to say my favorite was corning. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure... You take a handful of popcorn kernels and whip it at an aluminum sided house (no windows, please!) The sound was unbelievable, especially when you strike at the same time from front to back. Yep, our neighbors would thunder out of the house cursing up a storm while we hid behind a bush. Good times and clean fun.

One of my fondest memories was when I'd hang with my neighbor, Jimmy. He had this amazing talent of always finding us different 'activities' to get into. It was around Halloween and he had a hideous monster mask. He stole one of his mother's sheets and borrowed his little cousin, placing him on his shoulders. When he covered them both with the sheet, they looked like a 7-foot hunchback. Directly in front of Jimmy's house was a stop sign. He'd wait for the cars to stop and then dash out from the side of his house and scare the--well, you know what he scared. Those were the days when we could stay out until midnight and play in the street with not a care in the world. *sigh* 

What were some of your best Halloween adventures?

This Bad Boy is Done!

There is nothing sweeter than finishing a manuscript. All of the blood, sweat and tears, fist pounding, hair pulling, more gray hair (which in turn leads to coloring), swearing at the CP for yet another redo and a year of your life buried in your writer's cave... You better believe it was worth it! What a ride!

I am pleased to announce that Bewitching a Highland Rogue, Book 2 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series is complete! Declan MacGregor. I think everyone will love his arrogant alpha arse. Think of him as the Gannicus of the Highlands--a Highland rock star. Of course the beautiful Lady Liadain Campbell sees right through his roguish act. In fact, she's been known to put him in his place a time or two. ;-)

Highland Savior, Book 1 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series is scheduled for release in Fall 2012. Sourcebooks is deciding on the launch date this week. Woo-hoo!

That pretty much leaves me plotting Book 3. Mmm... Heroes and heroines are named, plot(s) are forming, I might need a few names for villains. Anyone tick you off as of late? Let me know and I'll slip them in or behead them. Frankly, I'll leave it up to you. 

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

With the kids starting school and wrapping up Book 2 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series, I have not had a lot of time to basically stop and smell the roses. This weekend I put everything aside and took the kids to the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival. Nothing stirs an author's mind into inspiration more than taking a trip back to the past.

As you can see from the picture above and below, the costumes were absolutely exquisite. From the nobles to the commoners, everyone played their part well.  

The instrument pictured below was very interesting. It had TONS of piano wire braided across a wooden platform and this nice man told me he had put in countless hours of practice. At first, five hours a day! The music he played was very soothing.

I always enjoy the acts, but you have to be careful if you take the kids. Most of the sexual innuendos are over their head, but some are not. I did find the actors minded their manners when the kids were about. 

The poor guy below had to stand like that for countless hours. He threw endless insults at every passer-by and even more when you tried to bash him with tomatoes. I would not want that job! My daughter (who was a glutton for punishment) threw tomatoes at him and he screamed, "I see you're wearing purple! That's so everyone won't look at your face! You think your phone is broken, but the boys aren't calling!" Of course she laughed always being the good sport.

As we moved through the shire, I managed to find a Scot or two! I have this tremendous talent of being able to spot a kilt a mile away.

I think our favorite part was the jousting. Thundering hooves, swords, chain mail, man-to-man combat... If you weren't inspired before, you were now. Talk about inspiration. The gallant Sir Roderick battled the French knight Mitri.

The day was purely wonderful, but there was only one event that was truly delightful. Yes, this is my hand. Yes, I was about to swoon. Who doesn't like a knight in shining armor? Sir Roderick proved that chivalry is not dead. *sigh* Thank you for 'inspiring' me, Sir Roderick.

Foxburg Scottish Festival

The clan and I recently journeyed to the Foxburg Scottish Festival. This was the second time I dragged them *clearing throat* meant to say we traveled to the festival.

We started the day's events by walking along Clan Row. Why not start with my Campbell friends? This was an interesting tale for sure. For those of you that don't know, Book 1 of the Bad Boys of the Highlands series depicts the Campbells and MacGregors. In actuality, history portrays the Campbells as a beloved clan and the outlawed MacGregors were clearly that. I asked myself 'what if' a lot and ultimately decided to have the right hand of the king, Campbells, falling from grace. Imagine my surprise when I approached the Campbell tent to find this Campbell wasnae verra friendly. Perhaps history was mistaken.  

I can usually talk to anyone and make them smile. You know, kindness with kindness. I picked up one of the books on the table and examined it. I knew it was Kilchurn Castle since that was what Book 1 was based upon, the Campbell seat at Glenorchy. I smiled and said, "Oh, I see you have Kilchurn Castle. Was that the Campbell seat in Glenorchy then?" I am but a stupid female. Please enlighten me with your expertise.

If it was even possible, his scowl deepened further and he yelled to his wife, "Hey, come here and answer this lady's question." Bloody Campbells.

That did not dampen our spirits. In fact, we moved on to the vendors. Their wares consisted of everything under the Scottish sun. From kilts, sporrans, tartans, plaids, dirks and swords to Scottish short bread and the Scottish drink, Irn Bru. I always wanted to try it and the man who sold it insisted it tastes just like Bazooka bubble gum. He was right. It was great for the first couple of sips, but then I had to pass it to the kids. Too sweet for me. 

While the men showed off their prowess during the Highland Games,

some had colorful opinions and displayed them openly. If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

We meandered over to the sheep herding event. If you have never seen border collies in action, they are definitely something to see. Following only the commands of a whistle, these dogs are very agile and are able to herd the sheep from a specific area to another with minimal instruction. If only we could train our kids that way!

The people were colorful and dressed to the kilt. Pun intended! From the wee laddies to the pipers...

To the animals. The stuffed and the real...

Everyone wanted to be Scottish, if only for a day.

 

Celebrating the Sale of the Bad Boys of the Highlands Series

In celebration of the recent sale of my Bad Boys of the Highlands series, I treated my three biggest fans to dinner at a local Scottish pub. My daughter, CP and Beta all joined me for a wonderful treat at Piper's Pub.

We started our enjoyable evening by my CP's recommended appetizer of Scotch Eggs. A hard boiled egg was encased in sausage, breaded and then deep fried. I almost forgot. It was served with hot sauce. I felt my cholesterol rising before I even took a bite, but it was so good. 

 The atmosphere was loud as you would expect from a pub, but that didn't stop me from toasting my three favorite gals for their unwavering support. I passed out gifts to all of them, including the necklace pictured to the right for my beautiful daughter.

The food was wonderful and plentiful. How could you go wrong with the traditional corned beef, cabbage and potatoes?

Not to mention the Beef Shepherd's Pie.

We topped off this hearty meal with a Scottish ice-cream sandwich. This delicious morsel consisted of vanilla ice-cream surrounded by Scottish shortbread and topped with a chocolate, raspberry, butterscotch and blueberry sauce.

Even though we will not eat for a week, a great time was had by all. It's fun to celebrate with friends and family. My heartfelt thanks go out to these three who have been and continue to be my biggest supporters.

How do you celebrate a special occasion with family or friends?