Blog

Movies You Love

3/27/2021

What are your favorite movies? I saw a meme about The Mummy the other day, and was reminded why it is my favorite movie. Right now we are watching Fellowship of the Ring and man, do I love this series.

I saw this article about comfort movies and I think my favorite movies fall more into this category, movies I can watch over and over again.

So I was thinking about the rank. I aimed for 10, but couldn’t stop.

The Mummy
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Last Jedi
Jaws
Star Wars: A New Hope
Tangled
O Brother Where Art Thou
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jurassic Park
Romancing the Stone
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Money Pit
So Proudly We Hail
Ghostbusters (both)
Bridget Jones’s Diary

I like the Marvel Universe as a whole, but couldn't say which movie is my favorite. Maybe the first Iron Man, maybe the first Guardians.

I also have a number of chick flicks I like that I didn’t include: Two Weeks Notice, The Back-Up Plan, both Mamma Mia movies, Pitch Perfect.

What movies do you love? Are your favorites that because they’re just so good or because they’re something you can watch over and over?

0 Comments

Spring

3/14/2021

0 Comments

I am looking forward to this spring more than any I can remember. When I was teaching, I was glad for the countdown to the end of the year, but there were so many stressful things between spring break and summer—testing being the top, but also other events like Field Day, the end of the year concert, Fiesta parade, talent show. Just lots of things that occupied my thoughts.

Then last year, my first year of retirement, was the lockdown and so much uncertainty.

This year my mom and stepdad are fully vaccinated, as are my brother and brother-in-law. My other brother and sister-in-law have had their first dose, my husband and I are eligible now here in Texas. The hope is palpable.

We had that winter storm a month ago, and while I was able to bring in a lot of my potted plants (and I have a LOT!) I am waiting to see if my landscape plants, my crape myrtles and Vitex and desert willow will come back. We have lived here 21 years, and today I saw we have a redbud tree! We don't have a large property, but I have never seen it bud before! Mind, it has TWO buds on it, but still. I was very excited to see it.

So yes, hope. Hope of being able to gather, hope of seeing life return to normal.

I hope you are finding the same hope in your spring! Big hugs!

0 Comments

Snow Week!

2/22/2021

0 Comments

So this happened this week.
In Texas, we usually get a couple of days of cold, then rebound to the 60s within a few days.

Not this time.

Super Bowl Sunday was warm enough that we ate outside, and the next two days were similarly nice. I thought Wednesday would be, also, and that would be my day to bring in the plants/set up my outdoor cat, but even that day was cool. I managed to close off part of the house for the cat and the plants Thursday morning even though a cold rain had started. Fred wrapped the outdoor faucets, and we did everything we could to prepare for the forecasted temperatures.

BOY am I glad I did.

Friday was cold, but Mom and I had already decided we needed to get out and do some shopping. That night the temperature went below freezing, and stayed there through Wednesday.

Fred and I went to pick up lunch on Saturday, and we didn't leave the house again until the following Friday.

At first it was fun. Hot cocoa, hot soup. We were well-supplied. We were excited to see snow, which we haven't seen since 2017 (and that year we didn't even get a snow day, since the roads were safe.) We stayed up and watched it come down, bundled up and went out to experience it, along with the neighbors who had their little boy running up and down the street. It was absolutely beautiful, so peaceful, but SO COLD. The low that night got down to NINE degrees.

The next morning my bother texted that they had no power, and then my son. After that we learned about the rolling blackouts. My FB feed was full of people who had no power, who were getting just a few minutes at a time, if they were getting any at all. My son was getting little at a time, but my brother wasn't getting any, so he and my sister-in-law headed to Mom's, because she hadn't lost power at all. My son decided to stay at home, which turned out just as well because we lost power the next morning. Fred has been working from home, so of course he couldn't, so we sat on the couch under blankets and read. Fred grilled chicken on the barbecue, even though it was only 28 degrees and there was still snow on the ground! We were without 9 1/2 hours, and the minute it popped back on, we ran to charge everything.

Oh, and that day was supposed to be my stepdad's vaccine, and my brother had an important dr appt. My stepdad made an effort to get to the vaccination, but the line was crazy, so they left (we were able to get it on Saturday, thankfully!)

My son and his girlfriend came over to warm up and have a warm meal, and almost as soon as they left, the power went out again, and stayed out until about 4:30 in the morning. We were toasty in bed--good thing I like to quilt! But when the power came on, I popped out to get some coffee. We lost power again around 8, so another day Fred couldn't work, another day of reading. I didn't want to write and wear down my laptop battery in case we needed it, but I finished 3 books in 2 days.

I think we got power back around 1:30 or so on Wednesday, and that day the temperature got up to 40, I think. Maybe a little more than that. Most of the snow melted. Honestly, I don't remember that day--they all kind of blended together. My brother and SIL got their power back on Tuesday and kept it, but never got internet back.

Thursday, the power rollouts were done throughout the city, though many of my friends were still without power.
And that day, it snowed all day. That NEVER happens in San Antonio, so I pulled up a chair to the window and just....watched. I had planned to write, but I couldn't stop watching. I also had hot cocoa and hot tea and hot coffee, and I baked a coffee cake and made soup in the crock pot. I felt guilty that I could do that when so many couldn't though.

That day it didn't get above freezing.

Friday it was cold in the morning, but got into the 40s, so most of the snow melted. We had a boil-water notice, so we had buckets of water in the kitchen, as well as boiled water in plastic pitchers in the refrigerator. (That might have started Wednesday. The days, they blended.) My brother and SIL came by to pick up some bread and water because the grocery stores were wiped out. The trucks hadn't been running.Then that afternoon, Fred and I went to JoAnn's because I'd put in a curbside order earlier in the week, and between the weather and the power, either I couldn't get there, or they weren't open.

Saturday I met my folks at the vaccination site to help make sure my stepdad got his vaccine, then I came home and we started taking my plants back outside after the weather warmed above freezing. It was SO NICE to have that part of the house back. I was getting a little claustrophobic. The water warning was lifted also, so we could get rid of the buckets, and move the cat back outside. It was a beautiful day and you could hear all the neighbors out working in their yards.

We picked up lunch and ordered out for dinner, because we COULD. It was wonderful.

Sunday we tried two HEBs before we were able to get milk and Diet Coke, really the only things we ran low on. No eggs though. And there are no curbsides available until Friday, so I grabbed that.

We are fortunate not to have any damage, other than a few shrubs that will need to be removed. My family seems to have weathered it okay, and for that, we are really grateful.

But boy, I don't want to be that cold that long ever again!

0 Comments

What are you watching?

2/7/2021

0 Comments

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! I know I keep promising I’ll post more regularly and yet….

Puppy is growing, and I really would like to take her to get trained, because clearly just spending every minute with her isn’t enough to get her to do what I want. But our infection rates are still pretty high here in San Antonio, so I hesitate.

She’s currently taking up most of the couch beside me.

We’ve always watched a lot of TV, so 2020 didn’t change that for us. We have most of the streaming services. Our cellphone pays for Netflix, Spotify pays for Hulu, we pay for CBS and Disney, and we bought new phones so we have Apple for a year.

There have been a lot of fun shows.

We watched For All Mankind on Apple, which is an alternate history for the space race. Russia got to the moon first, had the first woman in space, and the US is racing to catch up. It’s really interesting, but this season is REALLY sad. We’re looking forward the new season starts next month.

We really enjoyed The Mandalorian, especially the second season. But we are big Star Wars geeks anyway.

We’re also watching WandaVision. I’m seeing a lot of criticism of it, but I’m loving it. It’s refreshing to see the Avengers outside of their group. Wanda and Vision were never my favorites, but this is fun and twisty, with lots of neat Easter eggs.

Bridgerton was wonderful, beautiful and romantic, and not too angsty, just what I needed at the beginning of this year.

We have made it about halfway through 30 Rock but I’ve started rewatching Schitt’s Creek. I thought Schitt’s Creek was pretty brilliant in their character arcs, plus, best romance on television. I actually found some fabric on Spoonflower and made myself a little zipper pouch, and want to do a mask.

Lovecraft Country was really weird but really awesome. Super creepy and wild. I wish for another season, but I don’t know if it would be necessary.

We’re watching The Stand, but it doesn’t compare to the series from the 1990s. You just don’t get to know the characters well enough. We have the DVD from the 1990s series so we’re going to rewatch to compare the two. I thought Harold was perfectly cast, and Skarsgard, but didn’t really care for the casting for the rest of it. And, while I’m not easily scandalized, I thought it went over the top with the nudity and profanity.

We also watched Star Trek: Discovery, which we really liked.

Another one we watched is The Expanse (yes we watch a lot of sci-fi!) I’m not liking it as much this season because the crew is all separated. I liked the visit to Earth, which hasn’t played much of a role in the series. I would have liked to see more Bobbie, the Martian soldier, though.

I think the new Ted Danson show, Mr. Mayor, or something, is cute and funny. I like workplace comedies, and Holly Hunter is surprisingly funny.

I enjoy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, but haven’t watched the new season. The last episode last year gutted me.

So what have you been watching lately?

0 Comments

New Novella

1/24/2021

4 Comments

So it finally happened—I finally have a new release, my first since April. I never would have thought, all those YEARS that I wanted to just stay home, that I would NOT be more productive in that time. I didn’t even sew as much as I thought I would. I lost my elderly dog, and a few months later adopted a little puppy.

I wanted to give you a little background on my new book. My parents inherited some land out in the country, between the towns of Seguin and San Marcos. On one of the back roads, there’s this little campground, with like ten cabins, some that look like teepees, some that are on stilts overlooking Geronimo Creek. We are not really outdoor people, but have always been charmed by it.

I was surprised, then, to see one of the ladies I worked with post pictures from it on Facebook, saying it was one of her favorite getaways.

Thus, my story was born. It’s been percolating in my head for a couple of years, and I thought it might be the thing to write, kind of a low-stakes, low-stress romance that gave my friend the happy ending she deserves.

Here’s the blurb:

Lori Cervantes would say she was pretty content with her life. But when her favorite getaway, a campground on the San Marcos River, is put up for sale, she begins to rethink her dreams. She’d brought her kids to the family-owned place after her divorce, and they’d spent countless weekends in the cabins, floating the river, sitting by the fire. But now the owners are retiring, and it may never be the same. Because of that, she is determined to spend as much time there as possible to soak up final memories, even if it means helping the owners’ eldest son fix up the place for the sale.

Justin Langston is glad his parents are finally retiring so they’ll have time for themselves after running the campground for decades. He couldn’t be happier to see the place go. The place was a drag on him when he was a kid. Not when they first bought it, when only the family had enjoyed it, but when they turned it into a business that ate up every weekend of his life until he left home. He’s working on a long list of tasks when a guest shows up despite her reservation being canceled—and insists on staying.

Maybe if she hadn’t been a cute single woman, he might have put up more of a fight. But now she’s here, willing to work, and helping him see the campground anew through her eyes. The more they work, the more appealing the place becomes.

The more appealing she becomes.

But his parents deserve to retire, and Lori deserves to be happy.

How can he make all of their dreams come true—including his?

And here’s where you can find it!

https://www.amazon.com/Claiming-Her-Happy-Place-Fredrick-ebook/dp/B08S45J5M1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-her-happy-place-mj-fredrick/1138568620?ean=2940162912828

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/claiming-her-happy-place

https://play.google.com/store/books/details/MJ_Fredrick_Claiming_Her_Happy_Place?id=ySQSEAAAQBAJ

https://books.apple.com/us/book/claiming-her-happy-place/id1548354519

I hope you check it out and enjoy it!

4 Comments

On the bright side

9/17/2020

2 Comments

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say this year has been nuts, But while everyone can list all the horrible things this year, I have been thinking of the blessings.

My husband has been working from home since the end of March. Now, we have been married 33 years, and I'd, at that point, only been retired 10 months. I was NOT sure how it was going to work.

I love it. For the first few months, he worked out of our son's old bedroom, on an old computer desk, you know, the pressboard kind that used to be like $100. He used a kitchen chair. He hated it. Over the summer he decided he was miserable in there, and moved to this other room off our kitchen, one which we mostly use for storage. But he cleaned it up very nice, bought new office furniture, which I will use for sewing when he goes back to work, and he's much more comfortable.

Anyway, back to me loving him working from home. No more commute, so he walks into his office with his coffee at 8:30, walks out at 5:30, and we eat lunch together nearly every day. (Okay, the lunch thing has been a challenge lately--getting kinda bored with sandwiches and such.) But while some days having a rigid schedule is hard for me, most days I just love it.

Another blessing is that it is THIS year instead of LAST year. My brother had 2 strokes in December 2018, and was in the hospital and rehabilitation for three months. We would not have been able to visit him over that time, and that would have been so challenging.

Another is that I've been able to see my family. We've all been very careful, but I've been able to see my parents and brothers at least a couple of times a month over the past few months.

And lastly, I've gotten to know my neighbors. Like I said, I'd been retired 10 months when this all started, but most people were working. Now everyone is outside, working in their yards, eager to see other people.

I hope you're able to find blessings in your year!

2 Comments

Excuses Excuses

9/10/2020

2 Comments

I said I was going to blog every week and I've fallen down on that--on most of my goals. I got some stickers on Etsy with tasks for my planner, and the last few weeks I've fallen down on those goals. And then last week I planned to start writing 2000 words a day and not one day did I make it. I feel like I wasted those stickers!!

Well, for the past almost two weeks, the above picture is the reason why. This is Daisy, she's 10 weeks old. She's very good and sweet but it has been a LONG time since I've had a puppy and she's a LOT of work. Until I was able to get a pheromone spray for her, she wasn't sleeping, and neither was I. MAN, I understand why young women have babies, because I could not function. I've been playing a lot of Candy Crush because it takes little brain, and one hand (since the other hand is full of puppy.)

This week will be more productive, as Daisy is getting a little more independent. I was actually able to sew today!

I hope everyone is well, and safe. Crazy crazy year!

2 Comments

In the end...

8/21/2020

1 Comment

Since March, I’ve watched The Office beginning to end once, and Parks and Rec twice. Both of them, I thought, had perfect endings.

How I Met Your Mother….did not. HATED the last episode, didn't care for the last season. They really messed up on that.

Friday Night Lights—perfect. Angel, too. Wow, that last season was so intense, and the last words, “Personally, I always wanted to slay a dragon.”

I remain distressed by Rise of Skywalker, the last Star Wars movie. I won’t go into all the reasons, but I loved Last Jedi. LOVED LOVED LOVED. And all that I loved from that movie was stripped away in the last movie. Rose, the idea that the force was in everyone…there weren’t even cute animals in the last one.

Look, I get it, endings are hard. (Especially when your star dies before you make the movie.) Every book I’ve had, I’ve struggled with the ending. Sometimes they come together well in advance. The first book I ever wrote (and never published because NO CONFLICT) had the BEST epilogue. Y’all, I based that book on a real place, and every time I drive by that place I think of that ending. It was HAPPY.

But sometimes it’s harder to bring the threads together. Sometimes it’s harder to resolve the conflicts, to make the hero or heroine make up for their transgressions.

In the book I’m writing now, I know the ending. Getting there is a struggle, but I know what the big gesture will be. That’s unusual for me, but I have been writing this book for MONTHS now.

Huh. Maybe that’s the key. Maybe the longer I write the book, the more real the ending becomes in my head. That’s something I haven’t thought about before, because that first book took me YEARS to write. Maybe I need the characters to congeal a little more before I give them a happy ending. Something to consider.

Well. I didn't plan to have a revelation in this post, lol. I meant to ask what shows/series/books YOU were satisfied with, and which disappointed you.

1 Comment

Antici...

8/11/2020

0 Comments

pation!

Maybe y'all are too young to know the relationship between the ketchup and anticipation--it was an old commercial, before squeeze bottles.

One of the things Covid has disrupted is the habit I have of looking forward to things.

Retirement had already disrupted that to some extent, because when I was teaching, it was a big coping mechanism, but then I mostly looked forward to things being over, like the high-stress performances.

ANYWAY. This year we haven't celebrated any birthdays, not Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day or Fourth of July, not my SIL's 50th birthday or my parents' 40th anniversary. There haven't been new movies to count down to, or the new TV season, all the things I used to anticipate.

I have compensated, I guess, with ordering stuff through the mail and looking forward to getting packages. And I'm looking forward to fall, because at least THAT should be predictable this year. My husband has a vacation week every month for the rest of the year, so I'm looking forward to that, even if it only means we'll be able to take little road trips, or go pick up lunch, just something different.

What are you looking forward to?

0 Comments

Escape!

8/5/2020

0 Comments

Escape….what is taking you out of the stresses of the world these days?

I’m reading Revolution-era romance.

I’m watching Hamilton, The Mandalorian, and Parks and Rec pretty much on repeat.

I’m playing a ton of phone games, too many, if I’m honest.

I’m buying fabric like it’s going out of style. I went to JoAnn’s twice last week, to a quilt store yesterday, and I had two mail orders this week.

I’m even cross-stitching and crocheting again.

And I’m writing a fun little stand-alone novella with a spunky heroine with grown kids. I love her. I’m writing the next book in my series also, but I’m playing with this book, too.

How are you getting through?

0 Comments

<<Previous

Movies You Love

Spring

Snow Week!

What are you watching?

New Novella

On the bright side

Excuses Excuses

In the end...

Antici...

Escape!

Author

Archives

Categories