Hey guys, welcome back! Hope everyone who celebrated had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was nice and quiet and I think it was the most food I’ve eaten in months. (And I’m ok with that.)

Now here we are in December and there is just so much going on. I’ve been in full holiday shopping mode while trying to create some new things for one of my online shops (and failing miserably) as well as still trying like hell to shake the illness that has been plaguing me since August.

I’m also a huge holiday movie and tv specials kind of girl. Even as a kid, I couldn’t wait to get a tv guide and a highlighter and search for every version of a Christmas Carol and crazy animated special being shown on tv. These days, I look online every single day and make a list (check it twice) and then see what I can squeeze in to watch when I can. As I’ve said many times here, I’m a five year old in a very much not five year old body and this time of the year really brings it out in me. It’s the stuff like this that keeps the kid in me alive though. I still sing to the Grinch and Heat Miser and all the fun shows they only show this time of the year.

I also went a little crazy between Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. I’m a shopaholic at heart and during this festive season, I go nuts. Yes I got some books for myself, the sales were just too good!) Hopefully everyone will like what I’ve gotten and that my inner Santa has worked its magic.

All of this is to say…I’ve been distracted as hell from working properly on my book. I mean, I still have been putting the hours in, I really have. However, I’ve been fading much earlier while working and most of that though is due to the fact that I just haven’t been feeling well. Plus, the meds and the fevers have me a little loopy. Not that there is much of a difference than how I normally am, you can ask anyone who knows me about this. lol

I am, however, proud to say that I have hit a major milestone of words cut so far. Ready? I’ve cut just over 20,000 words! Ok so I still have hundreds of thousands to go, but still, this is a good chunk taken out and it is definitely a good start.

I am nowhere near the internal deadline I put in place for myself and that is bumming me out. But seeing this number appear tonight was the big shot of confidence that I needed. Just knowing that I hit that and that it’s truly showing just how hard I’ve been working? Huge. Really, really huge. So as distracted as I’ve been, I really am seeing the progress that I’ve been making. For someone like myself, this is so important.

This book has been an even larger undertaking than I ever imagined. I knew of course it would be the hardest work I’ve ever done. I’m not blind to that. But when I saw how high my word count was and what I’d need to cut in order to submit it, my old self would have given up and started work on a new one. I’m completely dedicated to this manuscript. It invades my thoughts 24/7, including my sleep time. Seeing actual proof that I’ve been making this dent has me excited knowing that yes, I CAN do this! I WILL do this! I will also get multiple books out of this story and I think knowing that, is a big bonus that is also keeping me going.

Even now with the holiday season upon us and all of life’s distractions, this work is keeping me going. And I truly mean that. Every couple of days, it feels like labor, can’t lie about that. Again, I think it’s just because I haven’t been feeling well. All that aside, once I sit and really get into it every night, I know it’s where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing. To keep it festive, I got myself holiday themed keys for my keyboard to keep me on track because that’s the kind of grown up I am!

And that is where I will leave you today.

Thanks so much for being here and please remember, if you’d like to help support my website and get some holiday shopping done? You can do so by clicking on one of the links around the site as well as the links below. Unfortunately, text links here are NOT underlined so be sure to hover over links if you’re interested in something. Thanks for understanding.

Until next time all…cheers!

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To follow me on social, including my #booktok (I’m on booktok the most these days) as well as shopping site relevant ideas, click: HERE

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To shop products with my designs, from home decor to tshirts to stickers and pretty much everything in between, click: HERE

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To see my vintage and estate jewelry listings on eBay, click: HERE

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For book recommendations, check out the On the Bookshelf pages here on the site. See site menu.

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You can find some links in the sidebars here on the site for my blank journals, shops and my Ko-Fi link as well, if you’d like to help support the site a little differently.

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If you’ve made it this far, thank you SO much and I’m done pushing my shops for now. 😉See you soon! 🥰