Time to start a new week.

Morning all.  *Yawn*  I'm tired this morning; would have definitely preferred a few more hours when that alarm clock went off.

Well, we made it back from Charlotte yesterday afternoon.  It was soooooo cold up there this year.  Usually when  go it's warm in the day and cool once the sun goes down and the race begins.  Not this year.  It was downright COLD during the daylight hours and freezing when the sun went down and the race began.

I was a frozen Christie-Pop!

I was shivering so hard and for so long that my entire body hurt when we left (which was before the race ended cause Tim couldn't take the cold anymore either).  We went back to the hotel and I took a 20 minute scalding hot shower... took that long for my legs to not feel cold to the touch.  When we got up the next morning both of us just ached.  We're both super sore.

Today I'm working on cleaning house and getting things in order for when November 1st rolls around and I need to focus all of my attention to NaNoWriMo.  I do this every year; lots of marathon cleaning, decluttering, holiday preparations, Christmas shopping, etc. just so that I don't have to worry about it in November.

I haven't uploaded our trip pictures just yet, but when I do I'll post them for you to see.  There aren't many since the camera battery died and the camera on my phone sucks on zoom.  Oh, and there's only one of me and it won't be seen.  I was freezing, pale, and it's an all around unflattering photo.  LOL.  Nope, it'll be deleted as soon as I get around to messing with the camera.  ;-)

Okay, I'm out for now.  More cleaning to do.  I started Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, but I still have lots to do.  Thank goodness for online shopping!  It's the only way to go.  :-)

Have a great week!

On our way to Charlotte, NC.

Good morning ladies & gents.  How is your weekend going?

Yesterday turned out to be a great day.  I had absolutely no plans for the day, and yet it turned out to be a busy day.  Tim and I spent the morning together and had a "nap" while the 4 year old enjoyed a showing of Dora & Diego.  LOL.

Afterwards I had a shower and then we went out for lunch.  Tim and the youngest wanted to hit the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut.  Luckily, they had a buy 1, get 1 free deal on it because I never come close to eating enough to justify the cost of a buffet.  I had a salad & 2 slices of pizza with a glass of ice water.  LOL.  Definitely not enough food to justify it.  I think the 4 year old ate more than I did... and her's was child's price.  LOL!

Oh, and I got bombarded by questions about my books.  This was the first time that I've been eating and had someone come to my table to ask me about my work.  I was chewing on a carrot stick from my salad at the time.  Not too sure I liked that, but at least an entire restaurant of people were introduced to me when the manager shouted to her employees that she was right and, "She IS an author!"  I seriously hope that I don't have to start going out in full make-up all the time now.  LOL!

I gave her my card and wrote the titles to my Alex & Fiona books on the back for her.  You never know when you'll discover a new reader (or when they discover you!).  ;-)

After that we went to a feed store to pick up cedar chips for the dog's house, since cooler temps are on the way for this weekend.  We also picked up a new chew bone for her.  That dog loves her chew bones.

The rest of yesterday went fairly routine:  pick-up time, dinner, laundry, packing for today!

In about an hour we'll be on the road and heading north to Charlotte, NC.  Tim wanted to go up yesterday, but that wasn't possible.  He wished the week, days, nights away until we finally arrived to this morning.  We'll be on the road for 6 hours, then we'll check into our hotel, rest for about half an hour, and then head to the track for all the pre-race stuff, shops, attractions, etc.

I won't be taking the laptop with me this trip, so I'll "see" you wonderful blog readers on Monday.  We'll be home Sunday evening (just in time to feed, bath, and send the kids off to bed), but I won't be posting a new entry until Monday.

For my Facebook friends, I'll turn my phone notifications back on for the weekend, so you'll be able to get in touch with me if you need to.  :-)

Oh, one last thing before I go:  I've heard from two out of my five beta readers and the response has been great!  So far Time for Death is a hit (on this small level, LOL).  It makes me so happy that they're enjoying the story.  I'm looking forward to starting the next story on November 1st, and going more in-depth into the life and times of Liz Baker.  :-)

Okay, I'm out.  I need to feed the brats a quick breakfast and get everyone loaded into the van before Tim goes into cardiac arrest because we haven't left yet.  LOL.  Poor boy.

Have a great weekend!



*Image: Taken by me; October 2007; Our first trip to Charlotte.*

Sunday Morning

Morning everyone.  How has your weekend been?  It's been gorgeous here in north Georgia, but it's cloudy this morning.

Yesterday Tim & I got to sleep late since the kids went to Mom's Friday night.  We got up at 9:30, but I probably could've gone back to sleep for at least another hour.  I really needed the rest it seems.  I did wake up quite refreshed though.  :-)

When the girls came home we spent several hours outside cleaning up around the house and enjoying the sunshine.  We cleared out the pool and put it away.  Straightened up the outside furniture and focused them around the rock firepit Tim & I built a few years ago.  We don't use it much during the summer but it gets used a lot in the autumn.  Then we confisgated the dog's stick collection.  That dog picks them up all over the year and piles them in one spot.  It gets bad if we don't clear them out from time to time.  LOL.

After that we spent the evening just hanging out and enjoying our time.  Tim watched some Nascar and football.  The kids played games together.  I watched some missed shows on the dvr & Hulu.  Just stuff like that.

Ooohh, I did find out that I finally reached 1 million pageviews on Associated Content on Friday.  Woohoo!!  It was actually 1,000,006 pageviews.  ;-)  A big thank you to all of you who have read my articles from time to time!  It makes me happy.  :-)

In about an hour we'll be going to visit the in-laws.  After that we'll come home, I'll do laundry, Tim'll watch Nascar, the kids will play outside, and then I'll lock myself away to finish up my chapter writing.  It has to be done today as tomorrow and Tuesday will be dedicated to article writing.  I'm planning to make enough $$$ from the article writing over the next 2 weeks to cover all the expenses for our race trip on the 17th.  It won't be too difficult, but it does take 2 full days per week of article writing focus.

It'll be a fun trip though.  And it makes my man happy.  That's what matters in the end.  :-)

Okay, time for me to get going.  I need to go change clothes and make sure the kids are dressed.  Have a fabulous Sunday.  Go out and enjoy the sunshine, if you have some. 


*Image: Another lovely tag from my friend Mis*

I'm home

Yep, we finally made it back from the race in Charlotte. The hubby and I had a great time all alone for two days. Grown-up time is something I miss having on a regular basis.

The weather was just pefect. The temps were comfortable and the sun was shining. The 6 hr drive is a pain (in the behind, lol), but we survived.

I'll update more tomorrow. Right now I'm tired and getting ready to settle back and watch True Blood. If anyone needs me, just email. :-) christie@christiesilvers.com

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Back to work!

Well, my two week "vacation" between books is now over. It's time for me to get back to work and start on the next one. For the next couple of weeks, I'll be working on character development and trying to organize my thoughts, writing snippets, ideas, etc. all into a more manageable jumble. I have to get everything in order before I can sit down and start writing the actual book. I need to "get to know" my main character, her life, her friends, her job, her likes and dislikes, before I can write her story.

Since this isn't an Alex & Fiona story, it's like meeting a complete stranger. You have to go slowly, feel out who they are and what they think about. You can't rush the feeling of knowing someone forever. It has to come slowly, carefully, until you're so "tight" with them that it seems like they've been your best friend all your life. You have to build a relationship with your characters in order for them to feel comfortable enough to tell you their story.

Sound insane? Probably is! LOL!



On a side note: The hubby and I will be out of town this coming weekend. We are heading up to Charlotte, NC for a Nascar race. We'll be leaving early, early Saturday morning and coming back Sunday evening. The kids are staying the weekend with my mom. YAY!

I don't care for the races, but it's so much fun being away from home without the kids. LOL! I'll be guaranteed some fun times with the hubby. ;-)

If you're interested in my take on this race... from our trip last year... check out my article, 10 Things to Expect at a Nascar Race in Charlotte, NC. Ignore any misprints or wrong words, as I think I wrote it the very next day, and was so exhausted I didn't notice how badly it was written. LOL! Nevertheless, it's a good read if you've never been, or even if you have been. :-)

Okay, that's it for today. I'm off to make some lunch and spend some time with the 3 yr old. Spongebob has been entertaining her while mommy works, so now it's my turn! :-)

Have a great week!

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Nascar Race......

The title says it all. LOL. DH & I are going to our very first Nascar race tomorrow night. Dh watches the races on Sundays (and the ocassional Saturday) and he thoroughly enjoys them, but we've never been to one. Well, my good friend Jami invited us to go with her and her hubby so we're going to Charlotte, NC tomorrow for an overnight....without any children!

This will be the very first overnighter for the husband and I, without any children, since our oldest was born almost 11 years ago. *shocking* It will be quite interesting, to say the least. Of course I pity my mother. LOL. She'll have her hands full with three fiesty girls.

I hope that all of you will have a fabulous weekend and if you happen to be at the race and spot me give a wave and say Hi! :-)