If were having coffee….
Today I want to celebrate…
The week completely got away from me. Which is why this Celebrate Post is coming late, and honestly why the Coffee Post is coming early. I have plans with the weekend. They involve writing, writing, and more writing — combined with some social stuffs. And I know how easily I can slip into spending much of my Saturday putting together my weekend coffee post, so I thought I would preempt that particular procrastination method by inviting you to have coffee with me today.
Coffee on the run, snagged during one of my work breaks. I’d tell you that it’s been a tough week, with a return of the Invader Ants Army of Doom (yes, that is their new name, I shall henceforth refer to them as IAAD). They are disorganized, and mostly just a small nuisance. I’m pulling out the poison tomorrow morning before I head out for a writing-morning at one of my favorite coffee shops but for now I am taking them out one-by-one.
I got some good visiting time with family and friends in this week, which has been nice, but writing time has been severely limited. I still have managed some – but am going to have to begin to really start putting my nose to the grindstone if I want to get back to the levels of productivity I had before winter hit. I do feel like I’m coming out of hibernation — a little more energy, and have been interested in reading again (for about a month I haven’t even really wanted to read anything). It feels good to be coming through that.
In honor of Celebrate the Small Things Friday, that is one of the things I celebrate — I know that some are still many who are buried (quite literally) in snow. But here in the Portland Oregon Metro Area there are unmistakable signs of spring. The other day I was able to sit outside for my lunch-break and write — what a difference that made to my lunch-break productivity!
I’d take a pause in our coffee, and our appreciation of the sunshine (yeah, yeah, so today is actually a rainy and cold day here, but let’s pretend), to express sadness at the death of Leonard Nimoy. I am surprised at how the death of a celebrity (one I grew up watching on TV) has stirred up the other losses I felt this year. I don’t want to dwell on that, not right now, but it will get more reflection. Instead, lets celebrate the gifts we have been given by all those who have passed this year.
I also would call your attention to the fact that there is a new book out today! Lori MacLaughlin‘s Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble came out today! 
I had the privileged of getting an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book and my review will be posting next week. But for now, I wanted to share with you all the cover (I really love this cover, it’s perfect for the book)! I’ll share much more about the book and the author on Thursday!
Breaks done, time for me to hurry back to work! I’d love to hear your celebrations, reflections, check ins… what have you. How has your week been? Any plans for the weekend? What are you reading these days?
Today’s post is a part of the Weekend Coffee Share, graciously hosted by Part Time Monster every weekend! A time for us to come together, share a cup of coffee (or our beverage of choice) to share some of what is going on in our lives. It’s a lovely check-in time!
Today is also Celebrate the Small Things Friday. Hosted by Lexa Cain, L.G. Keltner of Writing Off the Edge, and Katie of The Cyborg Mom, Celebrate the Small Things is a time when we all take a moment to celebrate something good from our week. It can be small, it can be big, just something to look back on the week and celebrate!
Eclectic Alli 
Thanks so much for sharing, Alli! I hope you can get rid of your ants. Have a wonderful weekend writing!
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Ants are being managed, at the very least 🙂
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Good luck with the writing Alli! Sounds like a productive weekend is coming. 😀
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Writing got waylaid yesterday with an unexpected “rescue mission” to help my brother with his broken-down car — but still got some done, and more will get done today!
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My whole weekend has been turned upside down. Hoping to do some catching up tonight. I feel as if I never get a chance to just relax and read a book anymore! It’s busier than when my kids were small!
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Hope you can get some catch-up done! I feel like sometimes we need to schedule time (and somehow make ourselves stick to it) to just relax with a book! Life just gets too crazy, too quickly!
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Absolutely! 😊
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Congrats to Lori! It’s so nice that you’re supporting her great new book. Spring has sprung around here too. I HATE ants. In the summer it gets so bad we can’t leave even a dirty plate on the counter for 15 minutes. The ants appear as if by magic and swarm all over it. Have a good writing weekend!
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They are downright spooky with their ability to appear, en mass.
Lori’s book was a great read, I’m happy to be able to support and promote it!
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writing, writing, and more writing sounds like a perfect weekend. Congratulations to Lori on her book. Reveling in a new launch is also a great way to spend a weekend.
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Writing, writing, writing is a lofty plan… I’m starting to get moving on it though!
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Thank you so much for the coffee. The hope of spring is only a thought away (as I look upon the 5 ” of snow that fell recently, LOL). Looking forward to your take on Lori’s book. No sad thoughts… I think Nimoy would want us to celebrate his life.
IAAD – good luck!
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Thanks! Glad you could stop by for some coffee — I still really want all the snow everyone else is getting… as much as I love that it’s sunny out today, I miss the snow.
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I feel similar about winter – it’s like my year’s just getting started now! Good luck writing!
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It really is.. this has been a definite Hibernation winter.
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Glad you’re seeing some signs of spring about!
I’ve been writing just productively to keep up with the blog, and that’s better than the alternatives (not writing at all or not writing enough for even the blog), but I’ve got to put accelerate my pace a little bit and start writing some A to Z posts and such!
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Yeah.. keeping afloat is enough, but not quite enough… so hard to get accelerating on it though!
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Please don’t get poison for the IAAD. Get some diatomaceous earth instead. it’s totally safe for the environment, pets, children, you can even eat it and kills ants like crazy. I had a huge colony in my yard, I spread that stuff on the hills and now no more ants. Magic! Thanks for coffee.
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I’ll ask my brother (the household insect manager) on that one. The poison I’m using is just in my room (an animal and child free space). They’re insidious… probably have settled under the house and are coming through the floor (ugh).
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I’ve used diatomaceous earth for years – the stuff works great and is non toxic and won’t harm the good critters (like lizards.)
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The stuff I was using was just in my room — it creates a barrier that they don’t come through. So… it will keep them out for a while at least. I know some other options are being looked at. With small dogs, and my brother very much being interested in his thriving garden, I know that a mind to things that aren’t going to harm good critters is important. We currently have a pet spider, for instance. It’s a household spider that had the good fortune to set its web up in a corner of the kitchen and started eating the moths that had decided to take up residence. We are working on eradicating the moths, but for months now that spider has gotten wayward bugs directed into its web.
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I see you wrote this on Friday. Well, today, Saturday is a beautiful day here in Portland. It’s in the upper 50’s and no rain or gloomy sky. The sun is shining and the sky is blue and the breeze is slight. Just enough to let me hear my windchime. Ants. I rarely get them but I noticed a string of them coming in the kitchen sink window and down into the sink and counter just this past Thursday. I cleaned them out, I think. I haven’t seen one in almost 24 hours! Yay!
Definite signs of spring here. Daffodils next door. Crocus in my yard. Beautiful pink blossoms in all the trees around here. Yay for spring!
Happy writing!
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Saturday was beautiful! As is Sunday! I got to be out and about a bit on Saturday, but today I’m in my room working away at my desk, but thankful for the windows that are letting in some of the beautiful sunlight! Hope the ants are gone for you! I think this weather is really bringing them out — the temperatures are all over the place.
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Spring and coffee are always things to celebrate! Sounds like things are going well and I agree – the book cover is intriguing.
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Spring and Coffee are awesome things to celebrate! I spent Saturday visiting two different coffee shops (and then sitting in a car waiting for a tow truck…but the window was open) it was pretty lovely!
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I love coffee. Since I’m pregnant, I’ve had to seriously cut back. I know a giant cup of coffee is going to be the first thing I ask for once this baby is born!
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