A different activity to try this weekend and as the wife of a very carpentry-oriented scientist who built half of the furniture in the house, I stand squarely with Mary for it. It’s not just how much you save, which is a lot, but the memory of it and the pride that comes with building things.

Mary E. Thompson grew up loving to read. As a child, she hid under the covers with a flashlight and convinced herself her parents didn’t know she was up. As an adult, she no longer needs a flashlight, but now she’s hiding from her kids instead of her parents. When Mary’s not reading, she’s playing with her two kids or living out her own real life romance novel with her hubby. She has a weakness for chocolate, especially when it’s paired with peanut butter, and has been known to have a bad day just because there’s no chocolate in the house. Unless there’s wine. Then everything is okay. 

Mary grew up in Buffalo, New York and swears she’s the only local to never ski or snowboard. Soccer was always her sport, with adventures white water rafting and skydiving to keep things interesting. Mary moved to South Carolina for college but missed Buffalo every day. Yeah, she thinks she’s crazy, too. She somehow convinced her South Carolina born and bred hubby to return to Buffalo to raise their kids and live out their lives. He’s still not sure what he was thinking.

My not-so-relaxing first day of Summer.

It’s the first day of summer! Hooray! In Buffalo, New York, where I live, it frequently feels like summer will never arrive. We had snow in early May, and two weeks later we had record breaking highs in the 90’s. June has been mild, but summer is finally here, and it’s time to get outside and enjoy!

I’m also excited to be celebrating Father’s Day tomorrow. Every year I tell my husband he can pick what he wants to do. Usually it’s a dinner out or a day to relax. This year, we’re staying home, but it isn’t going to be a relaxing day.

We’re building a bed!

I know. It’s ambitious and a little crazy, but I’m also really excited about it. My husband and his father built beds for both of our kids when they were little. Those beds moved from the house we lived in when the kids were born to storage, then from South Carolina to our apartment in Buffalo and in March we finally moved their beds into our new house (yes, we moved during the pandemic – I don’t recommend it). Their beds are awesome, and we wanted a custom-made bed of our own. So, we’re building one.

I never thought of myself as particularly crafty growing up. I always had a book in my hand and loved to read, but my sister was (and still is) the artist. When I started writing, I still told myself I wasn’t all that creative because I saw creativity as something tangible, like a piece of art. Over time, I’ve learned that creativity comes in all kinds of forms, and that I’m a lot more creative than I ever gave myself credit for. And I’m stretching that creativity once again with some projects around our new house.

The bed is our biggest project, but it’s a chance for us to work together and do something bigger than we’ve tackled before. It will stretch not only our creativity but our abilities, too. We already built two bookcases, a nightstand, and a (slightly wobbly) chair. We have ideas for some frames, more nightstands, maybe a TV stand, and another bookshelf. We’re having fun seeing our ideas come to life and being creative in new ways.

I think we all need to try new things and find out what we’re capable of. I never would have thought I could write a book, let alone more than 50 of them, until I tried. And now, I’m spending the first weekend of summer, and Father’s Day, with my hubby, building our own custom bed! Hopefully it’s not as wobbly as the chair!

Go out and try something new this weekend! Have fun with it! And enjoy the first weekend of summer.

Find Mary:

Author website: https://maryethompson.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/authormaryethompson

Instagram: https://instagram.com/authormaryethompson

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/metdaisy7

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/mary-e-thompson

Please, share this post!

Give It Up For The #Weekend with Mary E. Thompson ~ My not-so-#relaxing first day of #Summer #RomanceBooks #books #BookLover #GreatReads #bookaddict #MustRead #WhatToRead #weekendvibes #MFRAauthor #MFRAtogether #Collection

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~*~

Mary brought with her a great collection with her latest story, and it’s full of great authors!

Happily Ever After: A Contemporary Romance Boxed Set will release January 12 in the Anthology, Contemporary, Short Stories genre.

These heroes and heroines are lost without each other … but obstacles stand in their way. Inside the pages of this steamy, limited edition boxed set created for you by your favorite romance authors, you’ll find sexy, funny, heartwarming, and red hot romance reads, where characters navigate their love through all the twists, turns, and ups and downs required to reach a happily ever after.

Which passionate romance will be your favorite? The enemies turned to trusted lovers or the rock stars who know exactly what they want? Best friends who wish they could be more, forbidden love, or second chance at forever?

No matter what you love – enemies to lovers, second chance romance, a forbidden tale, vacation fling, opposites attract, comedy, or contemporary romance – every story in this limited edition boxed will deliver the satisfying end you crave.

One-click now to discover your new favorite ending with twenty-one happily ever afters guaranteed.

Fans of Abbi Glines, Jill Shalvis, and Lauren Landish will swoon for Happily Ever After.

Authors included in this set are:

Piper Rayne, Erin Lee, Mandy Melanson & Elle Ryan, Sophia Henry, Lena Bourne, Selene Drake, Joanne Dannon & Faith Summers, Mallory Fox, Kathryn C. Kelly, Dakota Davies, Evie Wilde, D. R. Love, Mckenna James, Debra Elise, Heather Wynter, Mary E Thompson, Ann C. Orlandi & Riley James, Marie Skye, Olivia Marie, Maria Ann Green, and Aria Rae Blossom

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/4XXyJ9

Only 99 cents!

“No. No, no, no, no, no. You can’t do this!” I shouted as I raced to my car.

The cop turned and looked at me, and slid the ticket under my wiper. The bastard.

“I was only in there for a minute. Seriously. It was barely long enough for you to give me a ticket. Can’t you just tear that up or something?”

He shook his head, and I tried not to notice how his hair flopped over his brow in that adorable puppy way. Maybe I should get a dog since I no longer had any friends.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tear it up. And we both know you weren’t in there for a minute.” He raised an eyebrow and dared me to argue.

Fine, I wasn’t, but I wasn’t about to admit that to him. I was good at making enemies, and if he wanted to be one, I’d happily take another. It seemed the only way anyone talked to me anymore was to tell me what a disappointment I was.