Baby, It's Really Cold Outside!

Like a good portion of the country, we have been snowed in this week. After a three day weekend (President's Day holiday) we took on several inches of snow covered by a nice, pretty layer of ice. I live on the mid-Atlantic coast and we only get a storm like this once per winter or so. The local cities don't have the capacity to move snow and clear roads like my hometown in New York state so often we become homebound for a few days as was the case this week.

As a teacher, if the kiddos are home, so am I. This little winter break we had was just what I needed to recover from a very busy year so far. My boys will be entering baseball season in a couple of weeks- that kicks up the speed of our days three fold. So having a week of forced rest and relaxation is a good thing. We all enjoyed it.

Of course the boys enjoyed the snow! The day it started they were outside in the dark throwing snowballs and making snow angels. The next day and the day after that were a cycle of go outside and get cold, warm up for a while and then head back out. I think they got fresh air and sunshine then they had since winter began. When the artic freeze moved in making our southern temperatures bottom out in single digits, they went out in small bursts, just enough to get the feel of the sun.

It's been a good week.

Over the course of the week, I have been methodically emptying our guest room and preparing it for my older boy to move into. He turned 12 in November and we have finally decided to separate the boys and give them their own space. He has chosen a red sox theme so it has been fun for the whole family to hunt down pictures and décor that fit his theme. Of course, I now have to find a place and a means to store all the things that had been in the guest room but I look at it as a great opportunity to downsize and de-clutter. There is a television in the guest room he wants to keep. Not sure how I feel about thought. I welcome any thoughts on the subject in the comments below. :-)

Last night we were so desperate to get out of the house, we went to dinner at our favorite Mexican joint. The place was packed full of people as desperate as we were!

The other major accomplishment of my week? I finished the second book in the Secret Lives of Police Wives Series. Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos releases on April 3rd so I am excited to now be putting the finishing touches on the next book in the series. I hope to get it off to my editor in the next week or so. The series is about a group of cops wives that get a little more involved in their husband's jobs than most wives. There is always action, suspense, humor and of course a little romance. I will include a short excerpt below so that you can see that I really was productive this week!

Since today is Saturday and the weatherman promises that we will warm up substantially this weekend it is back to reality for us in a few days. I am ready now to tackle baseball season. Where ever you are reading this, I hope that you are safe and warm. Old man winter has definitely socked us a good one this year!

Just a little hint of what I have been working on...

When the time the truck came to a stop she was on her side, face soaked in tears, covered in methamphetamine and emotionally exhausted. As someone fiddled with the lock on the truck she forced the phone down the top of her shirt and into her bra. Carter couldn't save her now, all she had left was her wits and that cell phone. No one was going to find it and take it from her.

The door slid open. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Wilkins demanded.
"Go to hell you rotten bastard."
"You’re a feisty one. I like that."
"Screw you." She was in absolutely no mood to deal with any of this. "Get these damned cuffs off of me!"
"Not so fast, girly." Wilkins said with a dry laugh. "You just sit tight."
Schmidt came around the corner. "What the hell happened to our product?"
"Ask your girlfriend over here." She indicated Wilkins with her chin. "He did it when he threw me into the truck."
"Who you calling a girlfriend?" Wilkins glared at her. "I ain't no bitch!"
"Shut up, man." Captain Roman called out from in front of the truck. "She's just trying to get your goat."
"You know you're going to pay us for that." Schmidt said.
"Not me. Let your lady friend there deal with it."
Wilkins lunged for the truck but Roman grabbed him before he landed inside. "Cool it Wilkins. You don't need to get yourself all covered in that stuff."
"Get off me!" Wilkins shrugged Roman off and stormed away.
"Mrs. Massey, I need you to step out of the truck now please."
"I don't think so, Captain. I am very comfortable right where I am."
"No one is going to hurt you, we just need to get out stuff out of there."
"No one is going to hurt me? Bullshit. I was married to a cop for twenty years, you think I didn't learn a thing or two?"
"Oh, I'm certain you did. That's why I know you are smart enough to get down out of that truck before I send Wilkins in there after you."