Hubby's 300 Debut!!

Hubby has brought it to my attention that it's been a while since I've posted, and yikes--he's right!! And you know how much I hate it when he's right!! LOL!!

The past month's been a blur of end-of-school meetings and helping the kids study for finals. Son #1 has been sick, but thankfully, he's feeling better now. Hard to believe the kids will be sophomores in a little over a week.

We had a yard sale last weekend that was EXHAUSTING!!! We spent the proceeds at the Muskogee Renaissance Faire, and had a ball!!


Here's Hubby striking a 300 pose!!

Daughter has always wanted a corset, so we broke down and bought her one. Isn't she cute??!!

Son #2 had never ridden a camel, so we forced him to climb aboard!!!












The neighborhood pool opens in a couple weeks, so Hubby and I have been trying to get in shape. Ugh. We've been walking a nearby park trail that's 3 miles around. Yesterday morning, I did my 3 miles, then, since I can't seem to get one of my kids to do it, I mowed the lawn. OUCH!!! I never realized that we live on a mountain!! The front yard wasn't so bad, but the back is awful. Lots of rocky spots, and it's marshy by the pond. At one point, I fell--double ouch!!

On the writing front, I finished up the last of my Harlequin contracts (an anthology project out of the NYC office that'll be released in January), and my fingers are crossed to hear great news soon about the latest batch of proposals I sent to Harlequin American in Canada.

Hope everyone has a great start to their summer!!

Stickers!!!!

I have a dirty secret to confess . . . I'm addicted to stickers!!!!! Any of you who know me (or have been checking in to my blog with any frequency), accept the fact that I'm horribly date challenged. I'm flawlessly punctual--assuming I know the date I'm supposed to do something. But more often than not, I need reminding.

Enter stickers. I've been breakfasting with my writer gals Karen Crane who writes as Karen Toller Whittenburg and Amy Lillard who's a soon to be writing star!! Anyway, Amy's incredibly organized, and has a darling planning book that she decorates with stickers. It's gorgeous!! I was so jealous!!! Anyway, long story short, I now have my own sticker book--ahm planner --and no longer need reminder calls about every little thing!!!

What got me on the topic this morning, is that Daughter and I went out last night for *bling* to decorate her new dresser with--long story--and wound up at the dollar store (don't you just love those?? ) I found Barbie stickers, My Little Pony, and even fabulous iridescent fairy stickers!! I've already been playing with them, even though Hubby shot me a dirty look for purchasing a cute binder to store them all in.

In other news, my anthology that's due May 1st is coming along nicely. Daughter's shoulder's healing well, but she found out she needs glasses. I didn't figure she'd even wear them, but we bought her a pair of Coach glasses (with the matching Coach case, of course), and now she wears them all the time! Yay!! She just got her grade check for cheer tryouts, and she's doing MUCH better in class, so they must be working!!

There's not much news with any of the boys. Hubby's been behaving (aside from his sticker grumbling! ), Son #1 is so smitten with his new girlfriend that he's always in a great mood, and Son #2 has been helping me redecorate the downstairs. We had to plaster the walls in the bathroom, which turned out to be tougher than I thought, but seriously cute!! I've got to get one of the kids to take pics. Why can't I do it, you ask? Hey--I finally learned how to write down a date, but no way have I figured out how to work the digital camera!!! LOL!! (This pic is of Son #1 and his girlfriend. Aren't they cute??!!)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!

We're having low key celebration this year. Son #2 has to work an eight-hour shift sacking groceries, and Mom and Dad said they're tired after their return trip from the Bahamas and didn't feel like making the two-hour drive to Tulsa. Hubby and I are still cooking up a storm, though. Plenty of ham, baked beans and cheezzzy potatoes!! We made Granny Sylv an Easter basket, and will go see her soon.

Monday night, Daughter was running from being tickled when she ran right into a wall!! She complained about it hurting pretty bad, so we took her to the emergency room and after x-rays discovered she has an AC separation on her left shoulder, which is a fancy term for she tore the ligament from her bone. I spent a huge majority of the week taking her around to various doctors. Poor thing is in a shoulder-harness-immobilizer-thingee, and is still in a lot of pain. Her pain medicine made her throw-up, so she's just having to suck it up pain-wise.

Compounding the problem, is the fact that cheerleading tryouts for the coming year are next week!! Her orthopedic specialist said he wasn't prepared to make a prediction on whether or not she'd be able to even move her arm--let alone tumble--until this week. I'll keep you posted on how this turns out.

Like we hadn't already had enough fun earlier in the week, Hubby was grabbing something out of the car Thursday night, when he hollered for all us to come. Why? Because we had a tarantula on the driveway!!! AGGHH!!!

On the writing front, I just finished a flurry of mini-revisions and the last round of page proof edits for my September book, Dancing With Dalton. My latest project is due May 1st, so this week--barring unforeseen kid trauma--I'm hoping to lock myself in my office and write, write, write!!!

In the mean time, however, I'm off to make potato salad! YUM!!

Mixed reviews . . .

Saturday morning, Hubby and I took Granny Sylv to the nursing home. She's been there before on short stays, and all the workers fuss over her, so she was happy.

From there, we took Daughter to her first beauty pageant. She looked gorgeous, had a ball, won Prettiest Smile and a sparkly crown she rarely removes!! Daughter's happy.

Sunday, we rearranged furniture and deep-cleaned Granny Sylv's room, as Daughter's moving in there. The eeeuuw-factor was off the charts. We found lots of very odd things I won't get into, and while I painted, poor Hubby scrubbed.

Okay, so Monday morning comes, and after doing carpool, I arrive back home where I should've gotten a ton of writing done. I should've been happy. I had no breakfast to prepare, no bath to run, etc., yet I felt frozen. After staring at the computer, waiting for the words to come, I finally gave up and cleaned the kitchen. Hubby and I did lunch, but ended up bickering.

We went to the nursing home around six to drop off papers and have a quick visit, and we found Granny Sylv glowing with happiness. She kept saying over and over how this was the best place she'd ever been in her whole life. Patsy--her main caregiver--is a sweetie, and dotes on all of the folks in her charge.

I thought I'd wake this morning feeling great and ready to write, but I have to drive Son #2's Christmas kitten about thirty minutes North to get spayed and declawed. We adopted her from a shelter up there, so the vet services were included in the adoption fee. How cute is this pic of Foxy napping on my desk?!

I'm hoping at some point during the drive, I'll figure out what's bugging me!! If there are any armchair psychiatrists out there--or real ones--who have ideas as to what's wrong, please feel free to chime in!!

Spring Break in Altomville

It's spring break here in Altomville, and seeing how we're not going anywhere fabulous, that means a messy house and whiny teens!! LOL!! Seriously, the house is a disaster, but I'm trying to keep boredom at bay by providing plenty of activities. Sunday, we did the zoo (this pic is of me & Hubby on a popcorn break), yesterday we did errands and the orthodontist, and today, we're lunching with Margaret at Olive Garden. I think we're going to a movie, too, but will have to check with Margaret's schedule. Being a teacher, she's on spring break, too, but she has an action-packed schedule even on vacations!!

Tomorrow, we're headed to a miniatures museum, and then on to the Philbrook, which is a fancy schmancy art museum here in Tulsa. The kids will probably slip into a coma midway through our tour, but all three of them could use a massive dose of culture!! Hubby thinks I'm nuts for this, and in fact has said he's thrilled to not be on vacation so I won't be torturing him with force-fed culture!!! Nice, huh?? LOL!!!

Ignoring hubby, Thursday, we're trekking to Bartlesville (about an hour north of here) to learn about Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Phillips. We were recently at the airport, picking up Hubby, when the kids were checking out a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit and asked who he was. Having majored in Interior Design in college, during which, I spent a year studying Architecture, I freaked!! By the end of Thursday, at least two of my apple dumplings will know about Mr. Wright!! Son #1 is narrowly avoiding our family study day by going to a friend's lakehouse!! Hubby finds this most amusing!!

Happy news for Granny Sylv . . . She'll be staying in a private home that houses six other elderly men and women. They have round-the-clock nursing, eat in a family setting, etc. She's stayed there before on a temporary basis and the caregivers are great!!! We're relieved to have found her such a perfect home, and will move her in Saturday morning.

Sad Granny Sylv News

Boy, have I done great on my wish to become a regular blogger again, or what?? In the words of Borat--NOT!! LOL!! In my defense, things have been a tad crazed around here. But then that's the usual, so I should be getting used to it!!

One sad thing that's happened is that Hubby and I have made the tough call to put Granny Sylv in a nursing home. She's as sweet as ever to me and spooky mean to him. She's constantly taking things from the kids and staring at them in the middle of the night. She's spitting, etc., etc.. It's too much. With Hubby traveling a lot with his new job, I can't care for her on my own and still stay sane--like I ever was!! And the kids are all pretty freaked out. My job for the next few days is to scope out some homes that have Alzheimer units. In talking with her lawyer, he said that he has a client who runs a nursing home, and that 95% of her workman comp claims come from the Alzheimer unit. He went on to tell us that she's seen Alzheimer patients become Jekyll/Hyde and snap someone's arm in half!!! Anyway, two years after bringing Granny Sylv to live with us, we're thinking it's not only best for us that she go, but her.

On a lighter note, I'm lunching today with Heidi the cheer coach, so in between looking at nursing homes, that'll be fun!! She's such a hoot, and always full of good stories!!

Hubby and the boys are doing great, but Daughter's been grounded for grades. To be ungrounded, she had to get three raised, and so far, she's fixed two of the three. Next week is spring break, so I'm really hoping she pulls it together by Friday!! I remember my parents feeding me the old "this hurts us more than you line" as a kid, and rolling my eyes, but it's sooo true!! She's one of my favorite "toys"!! When she's not allowed to play, seeing how she's usually my playmate, that means I'm crazy-bored, too!! LOL!!

Oh--before I forget, if anyone's out there . . . Drum roll, please, I redesigned my website!!! It's not fancy, but totally updated, and since I'm now handling it myself, I'm hoping to get updates done more often. Also, I added a mailing list, so get signed up!! (lauramariealtom.com)

All right, I'm off to yell as three out of three kids ignored my first "get up!" rant!! Time to get ugly!! LOL!!! ;-)

Hello? Anyone Out There?

Okay, so I was at Ladies' Night last night, when my gal, Sandy, comes up and says that she enjoyed my blog, but what happened? So I was like, what? Could you possibly be referring to the fact that I vanished?? LOL!!

Truth of the matter, I had a *baby*, and he's taking some getting used to. Remember Son #2? Well, he's now legally ours, and something about having an added son, on top of caring for Granny Sylv, has emotionally taken a lot out of me. Don't get me wrong, I'm over-the-moon happy with the new member of our family, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of worry that came along with him--both emotionally and logistically. He was sort of a blank slate in terms of dentistry, health care, government documentation, etc., so it's been an adventure getting him on the *grid*.

Yesterday, he got his learner's permit for driving, and both boys have gotten jobs at our local grocery store, so there's been banking to do in setting them both up with new accounts. The job is more work for me than them, in that I'm now driving to and from work in addition to cheer and track and tennis!! They make $6.00 an hour, but hit me and Hubby up for snack money during their breaks. So far, between gas, snacks, and buying their uniforms, it would've been cheaper for them to stay home loafing!!!!

Daughter's great! We just got back from a trip to Orlando with her cheer squad. They competed in the UCA National Cheerleading Championships, and while they performed their hearts out, the other teams were SPECTACULAR, so they didn't make it to the semi-finals. Coach Heidi explained that many of the teams have had programs in place for twenty-plus years, whereas our school has only been competitive for the past two. I was still impressed with how our girls performed!!! But you know me, I was REALLY impressed by Disneyworld caramel corn!!! LOL!!!

As for my diet . . . Sigh. I'd lost seventeen pounds before Christmas, only to gain it back during the holiday rush. It's finally gotten pretty again outside, so I've started walking again in the park. Hopefully, that'll help offset my love of McChickens!!!

Hubby's great--currently in Minnesota. He took a new job that he's happy with. It's a much smaller, specialized consulting firm VERY close to home, plus, he's great friends with the guy in his office, so now that we're past the hump of switching insurance, etc., I'm thinking it's going to be a great fit.

As for the writing front, I just finished a flurry of new Harlequin American proposals that I'm excited about! (Let's hope Johanna and Kathleen are, too!!) Speaking of my poor, new editor, Johanna, she shattered her ankle weeks ago, and as far as I know is still out of the office. I just finished edits on my September book, Dancing With Dalton--yay!!! LOL!! Johanna made some great suggestions, and I was pleased with how it turned out. I'm now fine-tuning a detailed synopsis/outline for a project I've been contracted for out of the NYC Harlequin office.

This was MAJOR excitement for me, hearing I'd been invited to participate in a winter-themed anthology headed by my first editor, Tina Colombo. It's been fun catching up with her again, and crazy-flattering that they thought to include me in the project!! Lindsay McKenna and Cara Summers are the other two authors!! Cool, huh??!!!

Now that life has settled into somewhat of a regular routine, I'm hoping to get back into my regular routine--meaning blogging and an updated website and answering e-mails!!! In the mean time, time to wake the kiddos!!!

Homecoming, Halloween and Birthdays, Oh My!!!

What a fun, but crazy time we've been having!! Friday afternoon, I picked up Hubby from his Connecticut trip. As luck would have it, I was finally on time in picking him up, only to have his plane be an hour late!! After lunching at Olive Garden, we headed home, and still had a couple hours before the kids got home. Seeing how Hubby would be on hand should the Fed-Ex man appear or the phone ring, I headed to the tub to work on Dancing With Dalton edits. How's that for the ultimate decadent romance writer behavior??!!!! LOL!!

I'd gotten about ten pages done, when Hubby comes in, and says I need to get out as we have company. I rolled my eyes and said, hah ha, you're so funny. Now leave me alone!! These edits are due Monday!! A few minutes later, he reappeared, this time with a squirming dog in his arms--Noodle, my parent's beefy wiener!!!

Surprise!! My parents were in town furniture shopping and stopped by for a quickie visit!! They just bought a new house, and needed a kitchen set. I'm soooo jealous of their granite counters!!!

Friday night was homecoming, and though our team lost, we still enjoyed the festivities.

All day Saturday, Daughter was at a cheer clinic for middle school girls, teaching them cheers. I helped out for a few hours, helping another mom man the snack table.

That night, we had our second annual Halloween party. My pal, Dixie, helped me chaperone, as well as a few seniors from the cheer squad. I was very careful from the invitation stage to only invite kids I knew weren't likely to knock holes in our walls (remember last year??), so aside from one set of crashers who showed up with an electric guitar and amp, the evening was trouble free. In the past, I've done fancy virgin blender drinks, but Dixie and I let the kids handle their own beverages while we relaxed, keeping an eye on the pizza rolls coming out of the oven.

Sunday was Hubby's birthday!!! While the kids slept, we snuck out for a romantic birthday breakfast of cheesy hash browns at Cracker Barrel, then strolled in Tulsa's rose garden. It was a GORGEOUS morning, with just a little nip in the air. That afternoon, Hubby vanished to the guitar store where he spent his gift card on a new guitar. It's pretty, but I don't see that it sounds much different than the old guitar!! LOL!!!

In between getting opening chapters of D w/ D to my new editor, attending football games for Son #2, Halloween, and teacher conferences, I've been working up new proposals. I've had some VERY exciting news from my agent, but nothing's remotely settled yet, and I need to do edits on that work. Trouble is, I'm not clear on what the editor wants, so Michelle's promised to translate!! Cross your fingers for me that I finally figure it out!!! LOL!!!

I Knew Life Wouldn't Stay Calm Long!!

Was it really me just a week ago bragging about how wonderfully calm life's been? BIG mistake!! LOL!!

Heading the trauma train, last week, Daughter's boyfriend of the past year broke up--totally out of the blue. (This is the same guy who gave her the Tiffany's necklace for her birthday.) He then admits he's been doing pot, and that he no longer has time for her!!!! :-O Daughter was initially a sobbing wreck, then things really got interesting when all these other guys started calling, asking if she's really and truly single!! Last night she got an invite to the Holly Ball, their school's Christmas formal!! Um, it's Halloween!!! Anyway, she's doing much better!!

But to insure she keeps smiling, we're hosting a Halloween costume party. Am I a glutton for punishment, or what?? Sunday, we made invitations and stuck them in goody bags with little glow-in-the-dark skeletons for name tags. They turned out super cute!! We then hand delivered most, seeing how I only let the kids invite kids we know. Meaning, I know their parents, so if there's trouble I know who to call!!! LOL!!

Hubby got home from Ohio, only to turn around and head to Connecticut. He said the leaves are amazing! MUCH better than anything he's seen around here, or even in Arkansas where they have a beautiful Fall. Speaking of Hubby, Sunday's his birthday, which reminds me that I need to go shopping!!

Our new sort-of adopted son (we'll call him Son #2--long story!!!!) has been sick with a cold. Bless his heart, he stayed home yesterday, looking miserable. He's on the freshman football team, and I'm sure he wasn't helped by being out in the cold for two hours Monday night. Now, I've got it and would just as soon sleep, but seeing how much I've loafed lately, I seriously need to work!!

I haven't heard anything new from Harlequin American, but when I do, I'll let you know!! ;-)

Weekend Update & Editor News!!

Whew, it's been a crazy-busy weekend, but fun! Daughter's cheer squad won 1st in their category, then we had fun at Frontier City, riding rides and eating waaaay too many forbidden foods!! I screamed so hard on the Wildcat rollercoaster that my chest and throat hurt!!!

Hubby jetted off for a sales thing in Ohio this morning. As usual, I'm not sure what he's doing, but he seemed excited as he wouldn't have his usual workload at night in the hotel. I hope he has fun!

Meanwhile, I've got plenty to keep me busy. I got edits on my anthology, and whew--they're nice and light!!! Drum roll, please . . . I also have an official new editor, Ms. Johanna Raisanen. I've not yet had the pleasure of meeting her, but have heard she's VERY sharp! According to Kathleen, she's been with Super for the past four years. I love reading Supers, so hopefully I'll also love working with a Super editor!!

Kathleen put me in the hot seat, requesting anthology titles ASAP. Usually, titles are fairly easy for me, but this one just isn't coming. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!! Seriously!! LOL!! The story is set at a class reunion being held on 4th of July. Overall themes center around fresh starts. My fave so far is Sparklers and Smooches!!

In other news . . . Granny Sylv has lost her glasses again. I've searched EVERYWHERE!!!! They're seriously gone. Maybe she flushed them?? Considering the fact that she doesn't go that many places, I can't imagine where they've gone. She didn't have them when we dropped her off at the rest home, so I know they're not there. She usually doesn't wear them anyway, it just bugs me to not know where they are!!

Blessed Dullness!!

Ahh . . . It's been wonderfully dull around here lately--knock on wood!! LOL!! I've written 22 pages this week, and I think I might've lost one more pound. (I'm weighing in today instead of our usual Saturday morning, and our scale doesn't even remotely match up to WW's, so it's always a crap shoot as to whether or not you've lost!! )

Yesterday I had the BEST surprise in the form of an impromptu coffee meeting with two dear friends I haven't seen in ages. Karen Crane, who's a star of the Harlequin American line and also writes under the name of Karen Toller Whittenburg was a mentor to me before I'd sold to Harlequin. One of the books she helped me with was Santa Baby. The early drafts we played with never made it into the final version, but she helped me a lot with tightening and learning to not being afraid to cut my work. Amy Lillard was also in attendance. She's sold confessions and a wonderful book to a small press that sadly went out of business before her story went to the printer. She's a fighter, though, and I expect to see great things from her soon!!

Rounding out the fun, Thursday night was our bi-monthly critique meeting. I haven't seen the gang in ages, so it was awesome getting together with them, too!!

Today I'm thinking will be crazy busy. Due to our leaving town at seven tomorrow morning, and not coming back till late, I'm taking Granny Sylv to her home away from home. It's a rest home, but set up in a private house. It's a pretty cool alternative to some of the depressing retirement homes we've seen. Getting her out of the house is a MAJOR ordeal. In the past, we've just split up (Hubby and I) rather than move her, but caregiving is taking a toll on the whole family, and we think it's worth the effort to try getting back into somewhat of our normal family routine.

When I read the stats on how the folks caring for Alzheimer's patients are actually worse off the patients, I'd have to agree. It's a horrible disease I wish they'd hurry up and find a cure for. In the mean time, Hubby and I are consciously trying to make the best of this tough situation.

On a lighter note, Daughter's cheering at a big game tonight, so that'll be fun!! So far, our poor team hasn't won a regular season game, but I'm thinking (praying ) tonight's their night!! LOL!!

In other fun news, HOW AWESOME WAS SAWYER AND KATE'S KISS ON LOST???!!! Whew!!!! Daughter and I have been watching it over and over on AOL's TV Pick of the Day. Love, love, LOVE that show!!!

Whirlwind Update!!

Well, after sickness, famine (with Weight Watchers me and Hubby are both down 12 lbs!!), school angst, book deadlines, and two Chinese exchange students, I'm back!! If anyone's still out there reading--thanks!! ;-)

It's been a seriously crazed few weeks, but I'm hoping things will now settle back into a somewhat normal routine.

In a whirlwind update, my anthology is done--yay!! But my editor was laid off. Boo!! Jen was super sweet and I hope she finds another editing gig soon. I'm now working on a project called Dancing With Dalton, which doesn't yet have an official title, but is a little like Dancing With the Stars, only in a small town setting, minus the stars. LOL!!

Our exchange students were a hoot--even more so since neither spoke much English. There would be lots of times in the car when they'd be chattering up a storm in the backseat, and my son and I would just look at each other like how bizarro is this??!! NEVER have I experienced such an action-packed week. There were activities planned all day every day. The week before, we cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. The Saturday they arrived was like the perfect storm of kid events. Daughter had her first cheer competition of the year, at which I worked, starting at 7 AM. We were there till 2 (or driving back and forth, running last minute errands), then went to fetch the China kids from the airport, then went to a big China party that night. On paper, it doesn't look all that tough, but in real life, it was hellish!!! LOL!!!

That Sunday, we hosted a barbecue for FIFTY!!! That was pretty hellish, too, but fun. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Never have I seen so many cameras. The visiting teachers got a kick out of our house, and did lots of posing on my office balcony while more visiting teachers took pictures of them from the street!!

Literally hours after putting everyone on planes bound for Washington DC, I came down with a nasty something. I'm wondering if it's the dreaded e-coli, as I'm the only one who had it. A week later, I'm still not a hundred percent. I just thank God it held off till after everyone left.

This weekend, Daughter has another cheer competition. This time, it's at Frontier City on OK City. Should be fun--at least I hope so, as we're taking the whole crew!! ;-)

The Tree's Winning!!!

Tree 15, Altoms 2. Well, Hubby, Son and I started out Saturday on a fairly confident note, sure in our ability to take down the last of the tree. HA!!!!! With Daughter at the OU game, the three of us ended up neck-deep in scummy pond water, trying to get our footing while stepping on hidden branches and mud that'd suck you down to your knees. I've got bumps, scrapes and bruises in places I didn't know I had!!!

The last straw was when Hubby and I were trying to tackle one of the last branches still over the water, and the chainsaw got stuck. By jacking up a portion of the main trunk, we managed to remove the chain, so at least the actual saw was salvaged.

Sunday, we headed out to buy a new chainsaw, figuring we could cut out the old one's chain, then have two, so both of us could be cutting at the same time. Great plan, but seeing how we did start Weight Watchers, we were both too weak from starvation to tackle much of anything beyond unloading our $200 worth of fat free, sugar free, taste free groceries!!!!

This morning, we'd planned to get back to it, but it's raining. Thank God!!! LOL!!! Poor Hubby has developed some kind of itchy rash on his legs, and is wondering if he's caught a bizarre pond scum allergy. I guess if he isn't better in the morning, he should probably go to the doctor.

In other news, I was saddened to wake this morning and hear Steve Irwin had died. When the kids were smaller, we never missed his show. I thought it especially odd as to the way he died. Hubby and I have played with stingrays, and never thought anything of it. They've always seemed like such gentle, harmless creatures. I'm having trouble even picturing how something like this could've happened. Anyway, my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. I'm sure he'll be deeply missed.

Misc. Rambling!!

Ahhh . . . Finally, a delightfully slow week!! Not that I haven't been busy, madly trying to organize and paint and clean for our exchange student, but it's made for a nice change in my usual routine.

Hubby's due home from Canada tonight, and tomorrow, we're planning Attack of the Downed Tree Part Two. It's so ugly, I've been tempted to tackle at least part of it myself, but the chainsaw needs sharpening which is a tad out of my realm of expertise!!

Last night was the first regular season football game. It was neck and neck, with our team down in the last quarter. At 58.6 seconds, we got the ball, then started making crazy-beautiful passes. At 3.3 seconds, we were a foot away from a touchdown, the crowd was going nuts, my baby was jumping and cheering, when splat. The try bombed, and our fans just sort of sat there, stunned that we'd lost. Oh well, it was seriously fun almost getting that miracle!!

Son (who'd painted his face red and blue--joy) had a friend over to stay the night, so while Daughter headed off with the cheer girls for ice cream, Son, friend and I drowned our sorrows in late night Taco Bueno. YUM!!

Which brings me around to my failed diet!! LOL!!! In the grocery store the other day, I bought this book called Fitness over Forty For Dummies. I've got a couple years till I actually get to forty, but I figured what the heck? I feel ninety most days, so why not give it a try? Sadly, it said pretty much what I already know, which is to stop eating and exercise. Ugh. Why, why can't science develop an anti-fat pill???? LOL!!

Anyway, Hubby and I are backsliding Weight Watchers, and lately, we've been getting tons of coupons to join back up. Today, I even got an e-mail!!! Is nowhere safe?? Hubby doesn't know yet, but I'm thinking maybe before we start on the tree in the morning, we should mosey on by a meeting.

Meanwhile, Daughter is heading off for a fab weekend of football and tailgating at an OU game, then on for more fun at her friend's lake house. I want her life!!!! LOL!!!!

I'm Back--and Still Hot and Grumpy!! LOL!!

What's more depressing than working, working, working all week, then spending your weekend chainsawing a dead tree and deep-cleaning? Doing all of that, then waking Monday morning to find Hubby spent half of his weekend at Niagra Falls!!!!! Then lounging in his fabulous Toronto, Canada hotel!!!!!

Here's an excerpt of his e-mail hotel description, so you can be sick along with me:

"The hotel is really nice. I'm on the 10th floor, and it is sort of like a suite. I have a separate living area and bedroom. The bathroom has the same marble that our master does, only it is gray instead of tan. There is even a vanity mirror with lights all around it next to the closet that you girls could use to preen if you were with me. And there is a live Bamboo tree next to my bed that is probably at least 10 feet tall." --Hubby

Instead of waking beside a lovely, ten-foot bamboo tree, I had two dog butts in my face, and a nest of wild Daughter hair!! LOL!!! Anyway, I am glad he's having fun, but sad for me!! LOL!!! Since my Harlequin editor's in Toronto, we talked about me going, too, but decided to be responsible and save $$$. Aren't there days you just hate being a grown-up??

Oh--with all his Gold-Club-Flying-Bonus-Wonder-Boy Points, he got to fly First Class, too!! If I'd didn't love him so much, I'd seriously hate him!! LOL!!!

Nothing much new to report. The tree in front of the kitchen window died and fell. Swell. As did another in the pond. I'm starting to feel creepy about all the tree deaths around the house--like the Tree FBI may come for a visit!! LOL!! Seriously, the one by the pond was pretty much a dead, leaning trunk when we got here. It has a few straggly branches and used to sport a bushy poison ivy vine before Hubby sprayed it. The tree in front of the kitchen was an odd, straight, TALL, branchless oak that has looked half-dead for the past year. I glanced out the window Sunday morning and noticed it'd tipped. Like it'd broken off at the base. Very odd. Not sure how to tackle removing it, as it's leaning against another tree.

Daughter had her first football game to cheer at Thursday night, so that was fun!! Despite the kick-off temp of 105, she looked amazingly perky!! I, on the other hand, felt--and no doubt, looked--amazingly bedraggled!! This was a pre-season tournie, and since our team won their first game, we stayed for a second game that didn't start till 9:30!!! We didn't get in bed till close to midnight!!

Knock-on-wood, but both kids seem incredibly happy and well-adjusted to high school. I'm talking so happy, there's been virtually no angst at all. I'm not sure what to make of this, but am sooo happy that for once, they're happy!!!

What's not happy is that I'm already getting a stomachache from worrying about getting the house clean enough for our Chinese exchange student who will be here on September 30th. Figuring he'll want to e-mail his parents, I'm starting with my office. Seeing how due to heat, this space has been abandoned for the past month, the cat has taken it over. There's cat hair EVERYWHERE!!!! I don't know what she's been doing up there, but it's nasty, and needs to stop!! I did get quite a bit done, but there's still a lot to go. I going to paint this morning until it gets too hot, then work on my anthology.

I talked with Editor Jen about the anthology's opening chapters on Friday morning, and she said it's off to a good start, so that was cool news!! She also extended my deadline to October 1st. That's nice, but seeing how I'll be cleaning 24/7 the week before our student gets here, I need to finish by the 18th--which was the original date.

It's my week to carpool, so guess I'd better find some shoes . . .

Just When You Think Things Can't Get Worse . . .

Well, one crisis averted, only to get slammed with another!!! Cocoa's home, healthy, and feisty as ever. Hubby devised an anti-tipping gizmo for the trash can, but Son sat down on the floor with her, and showed her how head-butting it in just the right place now tips it even easier than it used to!! Hmm . . . wonder if there's any way to get Son sent to college early--and take the dog with him?? LOL!!

After narrowly surviving family angst too icky to get into Monday & Tuesday, Hubby and I were out drowning our sorrows in vodka and a split cheeseburger, when Daughter calls Hubby's cell. "OH MY GAWD," she screeches. "HAVE YOU SEEN THE BIG TREE IN THE BACKYARD??!!"

As a matter of fact, yeah, I'd just seen it a few hours earlier, hauling laundry up the stairs, and it was fine. This oak is ancient and MASSIVE and the showcase of our backyard. It's on the pond bank, and our pride-and-joy cushioned swing sits in this gorgeous tree's dappled shade.

Long story short, the tree is gone. I guess rain from the previous night's storm must've weakened it, then an ant colony in the core finished it off. Fallen, it stretches half-way across the duck pond, and obliterated the swing.

After shelling out $400 for Cocoa's vet bill, I shudder to think what this will cost to have removed. I'm guessing $1000--at least. The branches are thicker than Hubby's chainsaw blade is long. The trunk's easily half a VW Bug!!! Our babies are wanting to go school shopping, but judging by the Altom Calamity Meter, they'll be sporting the latest in Adam and Eve Leaf-Wear!!!! Ugh. I'm just sick, sick, sick.

Meanwhile, more edits--this time on my April book, are making me even sicker. Fortunately, health-wise, I'm much better. Margaret and I were commiserating last night on a variety of topics, and turns out she had the same symptoms I did. Chest pain, sweaty, tired and blah. Seeing how we both came down with this mystery ailment Thursday--the day after our lunch and movie outing, we're thinking it must've been some bizarre food poisoning.

I do have some happy news--alas, not for me, but Margaret, so I'll borrow it!!! She just got a new, three book deal from Steeple Hill!!!!! YAAAAAYYY, MARGARET!!!!

Scary, Fun & Wacky News!!!!!

Yikes--I think I liked it better around here with no news!!!

Starting with the scary, yesterday morning, Hubby and I got home from taking my edits to Fed-Ex to find that Cocoa had dumped the trash. No big deal, right? She does it a couple times a day!!! Well, Son and his pal had eaten turkey legs the night before (it's a guy thing--makes them feel medieval to chow on them while immersed in a video game they play!!). The busy day wound on--more about that
later--and Daughter and I were recovering from heat stroke, watching Overboard, when we noticed Cocoa breathing funny.

We watched her for about an hour, and when it didn't get better, and her stomach now seemed swollen and tender, we took her to a vet. Figures, our regular vet didn't answer their emergency number, so at six on Saturday night, we scrambled to find one!! Turns out my poor baby has pancreatitus (sp?) from eating too much turkey!!! She has a fever, and is having to be hospitalized and put on an IV till sometime on Monday!!!!!

Pet ailments are like a double whammy emotionally, because not only are you sad to see your baby sick, but sick over how much treatment is going to cost. Luckily, the vet assured us she'll be fine, but last night wasn't much fun without her. She's literally my shadow, so not having her constantly by me is disconcerting and blah.

Okay, on to fun news . . . Part of the reason we were so busy yesterday is that Daughter had her first Varsity football scrimmage to cheer at!! One of the crazier parts of the event, was when the football players played bowling with the cheerleaders and plowed down a pyramid!!! The scene was captured on local TV!!! Luckily, no one got hurt, and Daughter got great coverage, gasping as the trauma unfolded!! I taped it for posterity!!

She's stressed over their next performance--putting on a mini-show for Thursday night's 9th grade orientation!! Someone please remind me to find a red satun hair ribbon by then!! Usually, bows are ordered as a squad, and are big, fancy affairs, but I guess in high school, bows are more low key. Anyway, I hope she and the squad do great in front of her peers!! I especially hope they don't get *bowled* over again soon!!!

Moving on to wacky news . . . This report also involves Daughter. Her longtime boyfriend is moving to a town about thirty minutes northeast of here. (This is the same guy who bought her the Tiffany's necklace for her birthday.) Thursday night--10:00--I was laying in bed, certain I was having a heart attack (I still feel wretched, but wasn't able to get a doctor's appt. Friday), Daughter runs into our room, shrieking "Mom--you'll never guess what Boyfriend just said!" She rambled on about how they'd been in a fight, and she'd commented she never got to see him, when he says, he'll be right over!!

I rolled my eyes and said, no, he won't, but if he did, I'd take him straight home. He lives at least three miles from here, and would have to travel some fairly busy streets. Not only that, but we're under our first thunderstorm warning in months, and the wind was blowing like crazy!! She danced off to call a girlfriends, and I continued watching Seinfeld and hoping I wasn't dying!!!

Twenty minutes later, I hear the security bell chime on the front door. Figuring it's Hubby communing with the storm, I didn't think much about it. It chimes again. And again. A few minutes later, Son comes running in. "Mom, Mom! Sister's down the street with Boyfriend! I bet they're kissing!" Swell.

I added a bra and sneakers to my PJs, snatch up the car keys, then head out into the night. I'm not sure where Hubby was during all of this. I'm thinking downstairs, practicing guitar. Probably, just as well.

I find Daughter and Boyfriend, sitting in an empty field near the house--no kissing going on. They looked sweet, but my parent-alarm was going nuts!!! With Son in the front seat beside me, thrilled to have Sister in the hot seat (usually, it's him), I hollered out my window for the two lovebirds to get in the car. Underway, I asked Boyfriend if his parents knew where he was. He said, no, they were at a lodge meeting, but his brother did. He'd asked permission, and the 17 year old brother endorsed the mission. Double swell.

Just because I felt someone needed to, I lectured him on the dangers of skateboarding across town at ten at night, during an approaching storm. He said he skateboarded all the time, and didn't think it'd been any big deal. Excuse me, but I thought it'd been a VERY big deal, and if it'd been one of my kids, they'd now be in Mom Jail.

I got home to find Hubby in bed. He opened one eye, then asked, "Where've you been?"
AARRGGHH!!!! LOL!!!!!

I was going to share the events of RWA Friday, but after rehashing the last three days, I'm exhausted--and hoping things calm down in a relaxing way!!!

August Blahs and RWA Thursday

Ugh. It's over a hundred every day here in Tulsa, and I'm mired in edits. Can you guess what kind of mood I've been in? GRRRRR. LOL!!! That said, there's not much to report in the way of new news.

Yesterday, Margaret and I did a last lunch and movie of the summer. I HATE it when she goes back to her day job!!!!! Having no one to lunch with is a serious bummer. We saw My Super Ex-Girlfriend which was very cute. Plus, the theater was nice and chilly!! We had time to spare before the movie, so she dragged me to this super-fabulous new florist/home decor store. Very, very mean of her!!!!! I could've dropped an easy $50,000 in five minutes. Seeing how after Atlanta, there's approximately $4.87 in checking, all I could do was drool!!!

Back to conference news, here's Thursday . . .

Thursday was one of those days that was so good, it makes up for all the icky stuff that sometimes makes writing feel similar to ditch digging on the fun meter!!! LOL!!! As usual, Margaret was off first thing in the morning, while I lounged in bed, reading. I think I finished my Janet E. book, as well as the cappuccino cookies I'd bought at Ikea--YUM!!!! I took my time getting ready, then headed down for the Harlequin American booksigning.

The signing was held in the Harlequin suite, which had been decorated with about fifty red, white and blue helium balloons. They touched the ceiling, and had a couple yards each of curling ribbon flowing down, so you walked through this party-forest to reach the head table where we sat. Way, way, fun and festive!!! I also heard there were awesome snacks, but I didn't get any!!! What's up with that???

Anyway, Pamela Britton was at a NASCAR race, so it was just Marin Thomas, Debbie Macomber, Ann Defee, and me!!!!! The signing began, and droves of people showed up!!! My editor, Jen Green, acted as my *handler*, handing me pre-stickered (with autographed copy stickers) books that were already open to the title page. The whole thing was quite surreal, and aside from my blechy hair, made me feel like Jessica Simpson at a CD release party!!! Oh--I think I have a couple hundred pounds on her, too, but we won't discuss that!! LOL!!!

From the signing, we piled into cabs to go to a restaurant called, Canoe. It's on the Chatahoochee (sp?) River, and super elegant, while at the same time, being not so elegant that it made you feel uptight. We sat at a round table, and I had Paula Eykelhof (Executive Editor) to my left, and Kathleen Scheibling (Associate Senior Editor, American Romance) to my right!!! How's that for cool company??!! To Kathleen's right, was Marin Thomas (Code name, Brenda!! ) She is so much fun!! Kind and gentle and all around cool gal--and taaaallll!! I'm so jealous!! Next, was Jen Green (Editor, American Romance), Ann DeFee (double Rita finalist!!!). Ann's also way fun with an infectious laugh!! I very much enjoyed her company!! Next, Loriana Sacilotto (Executive Vice President, Global Publishing & Strategy), then--taa daaaa . . . Debbie Macomber!!!!! I had a creamy potato soup appetizer and salmon--double YUM!!!

Back at the hotel, I was late in meeting with my agent, Michelle Grajkowski, so once I found her in the lobby, I yanked her up to my room for girl talk. We were supposed to be discussing the State of the Laura Marie Altom Union, but Michelle's so fun and giggly, whenever we meet in person, we never seem to get much done!!

From this quasi-meeting, we had to settle down and meet with Jen and Kathleen to further discuss me!!! By this time, I could tell my editors were pooped, and still had appointments to make, so I kept my questions brief, and seeing how much by this point in the day, I was LOVING my job, I certainly had no complaints!!!! From here on out, whenever I whine about how hard writing is, I'll just think back to how much fun the results are!!!

Okay, so like this wasn't already enough partying for one day, Margaret and I met up with my Winnie and Beth, and headed to the PASIC, Editor of the Year party. From there, we went to KOD's Death By Chocolate party. And from there, quite near death from exhaustion, we went straight to bed!!!!!!!

RWA--Wednesday/Current Home Stuff

Good lord, it's tough coming back to reality after having been gone a week!!!! All that stuff I didn't do the week before RWA? It's come back to bite me with a vengeance. Anyway, I'm ticking stuff off my To Do list, and this morning am heading halfway to Arkansas to pick up Mom and Dad's dachshunds. Combined with our two--yes, that makes for FOUR wieners for the next four days!!! ARGH!!!! :-O Fortunately for us, M & D's dogs are better behaved than ours!!! LOL!!!

In other current news . . . Daughter got 4 of her 6 cheerleading uniforms!! CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!!!!! I told Hubby that it'd be much cheaper if we just bought her the fun costumes from the start, then skipped coaching fees, tumbling fees, pep club fees, etc.!! I can't wait for the first game. Since she's on varsity, even Hubby's excited about watching *real* football. I just watch my baby!!

Okay, back to RWA . . .

Wednesday, while Margaret chased around at the crack of dawn, getting ready for her mini-conference, I lounged in bed, reading the latest Janet E. (LOVED IT!!!), then got ready for the big trek to IKEA.

I met Dream/Danica in the lobby, where we waited for her friend who had the car. CJ Lyons is a doctor and just sold her first book to Tor ( I think). We stood outside the store that I'm pretty sure occupies an entire city block, waiting for the cafe to open. While waiting, a cute redhead runs over--Staci Wallace. Danica, CJ, and Staci are all part of an online critique group and had plenty to talk about. I kind of felt like I'd crashed their party for a while, but once we started chomping on our yummy .99 cent breakfast, I began feeling like more of the gang. After eating, everyone exchanged biz cards. Staci had cellophane-wrapped cookie panties attached to her card!!!!!! She had them professionally made, and I was seriously jealous!!!

(**Secret Confession Time*** I'm still not all the way unpacked, and while pilfering through my stuff, looking for candy, Daughter came across the panties. She thought they were cute, too, then set them on top of the suitcase. That night, I hear rustling beside the bedroom door, only to find the panties in Cocoa's mouth!!!!!! Apparently, she also liked them??!!! We rescued them in time for them to only be partially mutilated!!)

Back to IKEA . . .

CJ and Staci are IKEA regulars, so this was no biggee for them. Danica and I, on the other hand, were virgins, so we wandered around oohing and gaping. TONS of cute things for kids!!! I could've filled a whole suitcase, but since the mean, airplane people only let me take two, and they were already full of shoes and purses, I had to show restraint!!! I ended up getting a few cheap organizer-type-thingees for my office and cookies. What more could a girl need??

Got back to the room, intent on napping, only to find the maid there. Ugh. Dumped my stuff, then headed to deliver my Bookseller Tea goodies. Denied. Some woman not from RWA--can you imagine???? LOL!!!--stopped me and said in a very grumpity tone that the room was her company's till 3:00 on the nose. O-kay.

Went back to the room. The maid was gone, but Margaret was home!! Yay!!! We swapped stories about our day, then got ready for the tea and big booksigning to be held that night.

Just after 3, we went to the bookseller thing, but it was seriously crowded and hot and we found no booksellers!!! I ended up heading to the goody room and handing out sunglasses in person to anyone who wanted a pair under the condition they had to wear them and have fun!!! LOL!!!

The big event of the night was the literacy booksigning. I loooove hosting yard sales because of all the fun folks you get to talk to, and this is like the granddaddy of all yard sales, only everyone stopping by your *sale* is a friend!!! VERY cool, only every year, the As are stuck staring at a wall. Just once, I'd like the As to be in the middle. I know it makes no sense alphabetically, but it would be more fun!!

After the signing, a huge gang of us tried to go out to eat, but everything was packed. We ended up buying sandwiches in the lobby, then taking them back to our room. I know--boring, but as it was already pushing ten, what're you going to do???

RWA Atlanta--Part One

Whew--I'm back from Atlanta, and still EXHAUSTED!!!!!! I'd planned to add a few entries while at the conference, but alas, was too cheap!! When given the choice between buying Internet access or purses/jewelry, I'll take the latter every time!! LOL!!

Here's a daily rundown:

Monday--Had a wonderfully uneventful flight in. Checked right into our pretty room on the 6th floor of the Marriott Marquis (GORGEOUS place!!! 47 stories and it was all open in the middle w/ glass elevators!!), then, while Margaret napped, I watched Y & R!!! Doesn't get any better than that!!

We unpacked, then checked out the mall attached to the hotel. Had a strange nacho-like lunch in the food court, then shopped!! Picked up a great pink and white polka-dot purse everyone in the elevators always seemed to love!! Oh--I also snagged a new pair of sneakers at Naturalizer, as I'd failed to pack a single pair of comfortable walking shoes!!!!

That night, we met up with my Winnie and her roomy, IM author, Beth Cornelison, at a sports bar. I was still reliving the black beans from lunch, so I just ordered soup, then snagged one of Winnie's chicken strips!! YUM!!!

Tuesday--Woke up at the crack of dawn to tour the Georgia Aquarium. You have to make reservations, and ours were for 8AM. Good thing, seeing how once the 9AM crowd showed up, the place was too crowded to even see any fish!!! I HIGHLY recommend seeing this place, but only if you go early. They had whale sharks and beluga whales and a gazillion sharks. Gorgeous, gorgeous, but seriously overcrowded.

From here, we schlepped back to the hotel to drop off gift shop purchases, register for the conference (no more fun ribbons to attach to our badges. BOOOOO!!!!!), then took the Marta (subway) to the Atlanta Underground where we basically lunched and tore through a Dollar Store finding goodies for the Booksellers' Tea. I signed up for it, but didn't know we were supposed to bring party favors.

Seeing how I'd made simple business cards with a beach scene and my web site, I tied those with curling ribbon to kid party sunglasses. They turned out darling!! Took the rest of the afternoon to make those. While Margaret napped, Winnie and I had an assembly party in her room while watching Airplane (but a space shuttle version I didn't even know existed) and eating peanut M & Ms. We were supposed to have our goodies downstairs, so we schlepped them all down, only to be told to come back the next day at 2.

Sixish ( I think), we went to the general meeting for the Kiss of Death chapter. The free dinner was a great enticement, as was the evening's speaker, Suzanne Brockmann (sp?). Her speech was wonderfully inspirational and made me vow to quit whining!!! (At least for thirty minutes, or so!! )

From dinner, we headed to one of the hotel bars, where we met lots of cool people!! I'm going to butcher names, but here goes . . . We originally sat down with my Winnie, Beth and Margaret, but then snagged Cynthia Cooke and Nina Bruhns (LOVE them!!). Next, Dream/Danica from eHarlequin.com wandered by, as did Margaret's friend, Dana. (LOVE them, too!!!) Nora Roberts was seated a little ways down!!! How's that for cool??!! We didn't get back to the room till late, but had fun catching up!!

Margaret was speaking the next morning at a mini-inspirational writing conference that Winnie would be attending, meaning I had no one to play with on Wednesday!! I mentioned this to Danica, and she invited me to IKEA. Having always wanted to go to one of these supersized houseware stores, I agreed to meet her at 9 in front of the concierge desk.

To be continued . . . Time to take Daughter to cheerleading!!