Happy Birthday To Me

Two years ago, for my 31st birthday, I got the news that I was past the ‘danger zone’ and well into a real, successful pregnancy for the first time in four years of fertility treatments and disappointments. It was an amazing gift.

Last year, for my 32nd birthday, my gift was two happy, healthy babies and the return of some semblance of normality to our lives – at six months old, they were finally fun instead of ungrateful lumps.

Today is my 33rd birthday, and my gift is something completely different and a bit unexpected. Soul Mate Publishing has contracted to publish my very first novella. (!!!)

‘Thieves’ Honor’ is a historical fantasy romance featuring a shy wizard and a thief with secrets, set in a magical Victorian London. It will be released in spring of 2016; when I have a firm release date, I’ll be posting a lot more about it.

I’m insanely excited about this, and I’ve been hard at work on the second story in the series, too. It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m looking forward to every new experience it’s going to bring me.

In the meantime, it is definitely time for birthday wine.

A Day In The Life: 18 Months

I, um, skipped a Day In The Life post. Sorry. I kept meaning to post the 16-month one, and then time just kept passing. It’s just as well; things as they were at 16 months did not stay that way for very long, as we were right in the middle of a big transition. Another one, I should say.

Two huge differences between now and my last DITL post: the twins are fully weaned, and now take only one nap a day. It feels like an entirely different world.

To-Do Wishlist

I have a lot of long-term projects, like everybody. Stuff I want to do, to get to, ‘eventually.’ I tend to get bogged down in everyday and shove it to the back burner, which is fine, but my problem is that when I do have time, all the things I wanted to do have slipped my mind. Which is why I spend a lot of time on Twitter and have very little to show for it.

To help myself remember to tackle all those things I want to do ‘someday,’ I decided I needed a To-Do Wishlist. Something that wasn’t my daily to-do list, but also wasn’t so far-reaching that it was a bucket list. I wanted something I could categorize, too; my projects tend to fall into difference spaces in my life. Some are parenting-related; some are writing-related; some are product designs that I’d like to get up and for sale. Each category has a list of stuff I’d like to get to, soonish.

So I designed myself a list. And even better, I laminated it, using my delightful new toy. Now, I can slip one or two into the pocket of my daily planner to remind myself of things I want to do in my spare time; or I can post some up on the wall above my desk as a running tally of work to do (this might be a ‘new house’ thing – right now, my desk has a big window over it and no wall space).

And, since I’m a generous soul, I thought I’d make my To-Do Wishlist available as a free printable.

Things About Moving I Am Looking Forward To

We’re officially on the hunt for a new house. A bigger one, in a better school district. We’ve given ourselves lots of time (those of you who have followed me here from Ancestral Pile may remember that it took us two years to agree on dining room chairs, so agreeing on an entire house needs some major lead time), but we’re definitely in the market and looking. As the prospect of moving looms closer with every open house or agent showing we go to, I’ve been getting excited about the thought of living somewhere else.

Here’s a list of some of the things I’m really looking forward to about moving.