How easy it is to bring a smile to my face...

I'm finished and ready to enjoy the holiday season. Everything is wrapped and posted to various countries, cards sent out [albeit late] and this morning all I needed was two hostess gifts so off to the shops I went. The path takes me by this little house which always catches my eye and the reason is real simple: I smile, even laugh out loud each time I drive bye.

The house is tiny but they have a menagerie of pets who sit staring at the front door [rain or shine] - waiting for it to magically open and let them back inside.

Normally seeing a family pet on a porch isn't much to look at but two of these dogs are huge and all 4 sit together so some portion of their bodies is on the doormat! I kid you not...nothing makes them look away from the door, even if there is no car in the driveway, they are patiently, or depending how you view it, impatiently waiting to go back inside to heaven.

You have got to smile, one of these days I'll take a picture of these pitiful faces to share with everyone...share a smile.

Enjoy and hopefully find an easy smile :-)

A fantastic life for me...

because I have a mother who cooks fabulously and mails the offerings to her youngest child who is far from home - me :-) Yup, received a box full of toffee, fudge, peanut butter balls and macaroons. Oh yes, the holidays have officially arrived and my waistline is expanding!

The holidays are upon us!

Last night I was getting ready to take my first soaker in ages - the in-laws have been here for a month and as we live in a very old house [i.e. 1 bathroom]. It was a dream but would have been rude to hide in the tub for hours on end. Anyway, the water was running, bubbles bubbling and before I could step in I heard the fire truck horn blowing.

Now, let me explain...we live in a very small town with a volunteer fire department. When there is a problem a siren sounds calling them in before the truck is sent out. Our neighbor is one so we usually hear him leave but a horn without a call is unusual. So I went to the window and what a sight I saw!

Santa arriving in town via the old original truck [gas lanterns to light the way] and a bunch of volunteer behind him! It was a fabulous site and you could hear them going up and down all the streets...can you imagine being a little kid and seeing Santa waving from the fire truck? He'll be on Main Street today, and the school will let a class at a time walk in to town [about a block and a half] to have their chance to tell him what they really want for Christmas.

Yup, sometimes living in a small town is just plain old fun!

Okay, yesterday this survey was making the rounds so I thought I'd give it an answer - give it a go yourself :-)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate piled high with mini-marshmallows.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa wraps everything...he loves to do this, but sometimes doesn't bother with the ribbon.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored lights on the tree and have bought white icicles for the house but in four years we have never remembered to put them up.

4. When do you put your decorations up?
Whenever...depends where we're spending the holidays.

5. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Ham or
roast.
Don't like this questions, live for desserts! If I have to choose then it would be mashed potatos and gravy!

6. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Well, there are many but I would have to say it was thinking I heard Santa on the roof and my older sister telling me to go out to the living room and check. I found my dad and uncle putting together a Barbie Doll House and was so excited my sister was getting just what she wanted I went back and told her it was just Dad and Uncle Jimmy talking, no Santa. The next morning there was a note from Santa saying he couldn't finish the doll house and tricycle but our Dad would act in his stead. Hmmm, nope, I didn't catch on until a few years later.

7. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Nope, all on the day.

8. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Lights first then the ornaments.

9. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it if I don't have to go anywhere...shoveling and blowing are both diabolic necessities - if we have to do it :-).

10. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
My mom' english toffee and peanut butter balls!

11. When was the last time you went sledding?
About 6 years ago.

12. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Seeing family and friends.

13. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
No question - giving!

14. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
"Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt! Love to tease the cutie with the chorus.

15. Favorite Christmas movie now?
"Holiday Inn", "White Christmas" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" - every year, no matter where we are in the world.

16. Favorite Christmas movie of childhood?
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman

Enjoy Everyone!

Recently...

I hosted a contest, Where in the World... asked where would the entrant want to go if time and money were not an issue. There were so many wonderful answers, and spread across the planet, even Mars! But it came to my mind that there is one thing time and money can't do and that is to make some things stay the same, not change or move on with time.

Now, if it were possible, if I could go back and see any one place, well I couldn't answer that one either. But of all the places in the world I'd like to see, there is definitely one thing that stands out in my head as one to have seen in it's original place - the Nike of Samothrace.



The original wet t-shirt look only in marble! She's stunning, huge, impressive and intimidating and used to sit high on the cliffs of Samothrace, protecting it from all invaders from the sea. What an incredible sight that would have been. Luck will have it that anyone can see her, in a museum. So, I'll go into the Louvre and hunt her out in a seldomly used stairwell, sit there and enjoy the view from a marble step...maybe some day you'll see me there.

I couldn't resist...can you?

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What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Run for your life!

A combustion scientist is at the turkey fryer!

Yup, the cutie is an R&D man [research and development] and he loves to push the limits of the set in stone directions just to see what happens. There we were out in the rain frying up the turkey...ever hear water and oil don't mix? What about water and boiling oil? The sizzling sounds were fabulous and the turkey was even better.

Can't wait to see what he does for Christmas!

A sexy bit of rough!

Oh yes, we packed up the in-laws and went to see Casino Royale this weekend...this Bond is spot on! What 00 agent isn't going to have a brutal, ruthless, side to go with his handsome and refined appeareance? Nope, my idea of James Bond is just like this one, fighting, killing, pulling out secrets and confident in his ability to do it well.

So, hear hear for Daniel Craig!

Muttering, whistling, singing...

without a care for those sitting beside you is absolutely annoying! Can be bloody rude in fact if everyone else is trying to talk. So, please, keep it to yourself, some of us don't want to listen.

As for the muttering, enunciate!

Okay, phrew, rant over...the day is sunny, gorgeous in fact and I have loads of work to get on with that I'm excited about :-)

Is curling a sexy sport?

Curling, a winter team sport [men and women both] where they slide granite stones down an iced lane, making points when their stones stop as close to the centerpoint as possible. It's all about precision and very graceful when they slide down the ice. Now there is a new side to female curlers not many have seen before, but you can see it in their calendar for 2007.















WOW! Yes, absolutely! Curlers are sexy!

Go to The Curling News and buy their calendar, it supports these everyday womem and their sporting endeavour.

It's Friday and this one...

is a Ladies Lunch day. Yup, once a month a group of us drop everything and get together to just natter at a random local restaurant. They hate us, we take our time to order, eat and leave...they definitely hate us.

This one snuck up on me. Usually I schedule my writing so I'm at a good stopping point but that didn't happen this time. I'm right in the middle of Alaska [loving where the plots going] and will have a difficult time stepping away...but I will and I'll enjoy it!

On a sad note, a fly got in the house this morning and I gave him the spray. Now he's dying a violent and prolonged death on the windowledge...oh man, the guilt is immense.

Every knows I love pop-ups!

But did you know that there was a group who sued a publisher over a pop-up?

Yup, they sure did. The group blamed the publisher for snaping their partners spines when trying to duplicate a particular pop-up...with a mis-fold. Oops! The bad side is there were deaths, and I'm sorry, but the lead lawyer is quoted for saying: ...some of the positions are "just sick and wrong" and that "You'd have to be a friggin' yoga master, to be able to do what's on page 85!" and all I can do is laugh!

Well, needless to say the group lost but this still cracks me up...what are you people doing?

DONE!

The annual breast squishing is finally over! For me this is a really difficult time, the insecurities rage once the appointment is made. I've been through the scares enough times to make me grit my teeth when it comes to the mamogram. Add in my superstitious mind [original appointment was the day after the cutie was hit in the head with the baseball] and I was way stressed.

Thankfully, all is good...the film will be sent to a second screener to check out an enhanced digitized picture but the ta-ta's look to have gained a gold star this year.

All year round is a good time to have the lovelies checked over...so get to it!

Yippee!

I have some left over Halloween candy, the sun is shining, there is just a few things left on the "have to" list and I'm getting the final touches on the plot for my Alaska tale of love in the Arctic Circle! Yeah! I'm so very excited, there is less than a week remaining of political pollsters phoning and advertisements bombarding me on so many different levels, my victories are simple.

No so bad afterall, well...

the cutie hasn't forgotten about the trees, he keeps mentioning how his stick pile was shredded and how can he build a fire for Guy Fawkes day without his starters. I've promised to go and find him some more sticks and he'll go out and buy some wood [that won't smoke] and we'll have a rager!

In the end, it's a good thing he was here because I actually forgot about the original reason I was calling the tree man - work on the big maples out front! Ooops, I wanted the other two gone I forgot about the three beauties. Tree man and gang are coming back and will take care of those, thank you cutie :-)

Uh Oh, there's been a spanner thrown into my wicked plan!

Okay, we are easy going folk, not indecisive but it can take us ages to make a decision [remember the couch?].

Anyway, the cutie has been away on a trip and I've been dashing around trying to get some projects done [plumber for the bathroom sink, furnace serviced, etc] before his parents come for a month [gasp!]. Yesterday the man came to check out and give me a quote to have a few trees taken down. All was good, he said end of the month and he'd even have his guys chip up all the logs from the previous trees - NICE! Perfect for me, no need to stress about the cutie, his injured eye and an ax!

Everything was good until this afternoon. The cutie phoned from the plane, he's landed, lovely! I hung up from him and the phone rang again - tree man's gang is coming over this afternoon to take down the trees!

Uh oh, wanted it done while a certain someone was away on a trip then I could present him with a done deal. Oh man, off to buy milk for tea to help ease the way of his trees and manky wood pile going away.

YES! YES! YES!

Cracker is back! Robbie Coltrane is fabulous and sexy as the screwed up Cracker. I can't wait until the 30th to catch up with the character...oh yes!

I'm normally a patient person...

very patient, but I'll tell you all these political phone calls are driving me up the wall!

I finally have time to write and the phone is ringing incessantly with somebody wanting me to answer their questions about where I stand on various issues. The wording of these questions is ridiculous as are the people who are making the calls. Yes, I have just bulked all the polsters into one group because of annoying beasts because of the last man who phoned. So what was wrong with his approach...he was eating his lunch while speaking with me. You bet, he picked the wrong number to dial doing that...rude man!

Grrr!

Okay, I've vented and now the phone will go directly to the answering machine, bypassing the human :-)

Oh for crap sake!

Early I went on this rant about the November issue of Elle posting the winner of Project Runway...I was angry, disappointed and so very wrong!

Yes, I know, how unusual for someone to admit they'd made a mistake but I am.

Even though I knew the outcome I still taped the show to see what the others had to offer...and then I was shocked to see it was Jeffrey who won and not Uli [spelling ?]!

Now I'm on to Top Chef and am not so sure it will be as good as the first season. As with many reality shows [and why I don't watch any other than PR and now TC] is that they attrack the "I want to be famous for whatever reason" type of person. No thank you.

Such fun!

Every two months another author and I meet up for lunch and chatter. Okay so it's more talking than anything else, but the hot chocolate is great [they have whipped cream and drizzled chocolate on top] so all is good.

Anyway, we got together earlier this week and, as usual, I truly enjoyed myself. JJ Massa is an incredible woman who also happens to write great erotic romances [love her Barback]. We feel free to talk about work if we want to. She has me thinking about trying a new avenue...hmmm, maybe.

Yup, it was a fun day...despite the rain :-)

What a day!

It was a perfect fall day...there was not a cloud in the sky but there was a chill that required a wooly jumper to be pulled from the rear of the closet. So, where did I spend this wonderful day? With a good friend trolling through a book fair, then we stood in line for almost two hours for a paper engineer to sign my book. Had the obligatory chit-chat and found out he, he and his partner, their imprint have a load of pop-ups coming down the line. By the time I got home the cutie had a mug of hot chocolate with a covering of mini-marshmallows...yummy!

Oh, what a day!

Oh Bugger!

I love Project Runway, it and Top Chef are the only two reality shows on that I'll watch. Today I was at the shops and saw the latest [November] Elle. I purchased, got home and after a few phone calls started to flip through...then the true pisser happened. Next Wendnesday, not the one that just passed, is when the winner is announced - except for in Elle!

Grrr, do they not know timing is everything?!?

So very disappointed :-(

WOW! What a flick!

For the first time in months the cutie and I went to the movies. Until now there hasn't been all that much of interest come out, and if it sounded like we might like it, it wasn't available out our way. So, what did we see: The Departed. It was fantastic! I'm not a fan of "stars", you know when you see the person and not the character because they are overexposed, well, in this flick there was not a single moment where I had a flash of realiy, it was all character...nice job :-) And, as a side note, may I say DiCapprio finally looks like an adult and not a pretty boy kid.

We saw ads for Stranger than Fiction, 300 [apparently from a graphic novel but looked different] and Casino Royale [the latter opens a couple of days after the in-laws arrive...yup, were still going, can't wait to see this one. I like the idea of this new James Bond.

Life is getting a bit of a routine again...finished off the October Monthly Scorcher and got it out, love the wicked flaming short 'Taming Marie Antoinette', may just end up expanding on this one :-)

Back from a break!

Oh, that was so what we needed...a break away from work, computers, mobiles, everything that screams "HAVE TO!"

We took the last of my sister's kids abroad, our nephew was on the block this time and have to admit at times he was much more of a trial that the three girlies who went before. The weather was shockingly wonderful, t-shirt time, and only one day of rain - what a shocker! Had firm words for my father-in-law, looking at the positive is much more fulfilling than dismissing an idea out of hand...if we'd gone his way he never would have known how beautifully his son bbq's a leg of lamb. I also came back with a suitcase full of my favorites, should keep me going until the in-laws come over next month [for a month - ahhhhh!]

The joy of our trip was only slightly diminished when I picked up all our post this afternoon and found the painting I'd bought for my birthday had arrived damaged. The artist responded with confidence he can fix it and I'll hold that belief close.

Today is beautiful and I'm back from a break, ready to delve in to work :-)

Banned Books Week Contest is up!

Banned: Prohibited, Outlawed, Barred

Did you know books are challenged, restricted, removed or banned all the time? Well, they are and Banned Books Week [September 23-30] makes sure you don’t allow your freedom to choose and read what you want to be trampled.

Want to know more? Curious to know the authors who write material so offensive they can’t be on the shelves? Wonder what titles could possibly be so bad they must be banned? Head over to Tilly Greene’s Hot Thoughts Blog, now through September 30th and take part in her Banned Books Week contest.

It’s guaranteed you’ll be shocked!

Everyone who participates receives a goodie bag, and one winner will be randomly picked.

Tilly Greene, author of scorching romances
http://www.tillygreene.com/

Tilly Greene’s Hot Thoughts Blog
www.myspace.com/tillygreene

Nothing better than belly laughs!

Watched Rick Dees last night and laughed so hard - he was talking about having visitors and then being a guest, so flippin' funny! The promos were for Eddie Izzard tonight so you know where I'll be...laughing until I, well, laughing :-)

Went out for donuts and hot chocolate this morning to settle down and watch some footie, it is a slow moving match, nevermind.

For birthdays we always give books, not much of a shocker consdering I love books. So, later, after all the errands are finished, we are going to pick out a birthday book for our neice. Yesterday we did Peter McCarty's Moon Plane for the youngest nephew, love his books for little ones. Hondo and Fabian and T is for Terrible are still a couple of my favorites for giving as gifts. Really it means quality time for me in the book shop!

Best day in ages...

The new couch arrived yesterday and it is even better than when I signed on the dotted line. Unlike what the salesperson said, this is not stone but a lovely milk chocolate brown. It's cushy, long enough for the cutie and the chaise bit fits me perfectly.

Downside to it all...the cutie won't get rid of the old couch. Wants to leave it for a few months: his parents are coming for an extended trip, the nephew is coming for a few days, it doesn't look so bad, could go in the cellar...you name the excuse has been voiced. With the next reason given why it can't go out with Friday's trash is that IT'S BROKEN! With the visiting cat came a busted spring!

But there is more...yesterday saw the release of my erotic futuristic romance and a lovely ecard from a reader [so thoughtful], it truly made my day. And then, best of all, the cutie was given the green checkmark from the surgeon on his eye. The lid still pulls away from his eye when he bends down but the Doctor figures that will stop when the swelling goes down. Yup, it is still swollen and bruised 3 weeks after surgery and 4 weeks after the accident, but the eye sight is great - I couldn't be happier.

Giving a sigh of relief!

The cutie had another post surgery check-up and, despite still be swollen and bruised after 3 weeks, the doctor was pleased with his eye! It's still pushed back but not nearly as much as it had been.

To take my mind off this coming appointment I've been working on my Banned Books Week [September 23-30] contest and I am so excited...I always away from this subject, stunned and fired up to make other people aware of what is going on in their own backyard so keep your eyes open for an event near you or head over to my Hot Thoughts Blog for work.

This year seems to have been a bumper year for the banners.

Oh yeah, not really.

Dental appointment today. I've been good [brushing twice a day] but it is still a worry, and the scraping off the plaque I missed is torturous. But the upside, when I get home I'll finish working on the final line edits for one of my stories and then I'm done editing for stories contracted through July 2007! Yippee! Although I still have some stories out there waiting to hear from editors whether they want them or not [who would have thought this would take 3 months for an in-house submission], so there may be more to come. Otherwise it will be all about the writing...oh yeah for real!

There is a huge smile on my face today!

My spontaneous couch purchase has freaked the cutie out! We have been looking at couches for almost 2 years, then the visiting cat bust a spring and it became necessary. The cutie has to hang out on the couch for 3 weeks straight and it becomes urgent...end of story.

Today the cutie is in day 1 of the takeover [watches and bbq's] and I'm actually home, surrounded by my own noise, working! Finishing an errata list, reworking a short for submission, WIP research is almost done and my fingers are anxious to be productive, and finally one of my wicked tales is going to be released today...yup, there is a smile on my face.

Well, the sun may not have been shining...

but today was still a good day. The cutie spent went in to the office today and, despite all the telling and retelling of his orbital blowout, seemed to have faired well. I went out and bought a couch before settling into a local coffee joint to wait for him to call for a ride home. I feel as if I've run a marathon.

I'm thinking tomorrow can only be better, besides the new couch shows up on Tuesday - yippee :-)

How do I know the cutie is on the mend?

He's hunkering down for weather phenomenon watching, minus the pacing, with tea and bisquits at his side. Now, if only I could sleep.

I know I'm going to look back...

and wonder how I survived this time in our life. Worry for the cutie is my constant companion and while I'm taking care of him, I'm still trying to make my deadlines. I have to believe any moment now we are going to get some great news and when we do I will collapse with relief.

Well, a small setback...

the cutie is heading in for surgery. We had hoped for it not being necessary but it is. His eye has been pushed back with nothing left to support it below. He thinks this will make him the bionic man...dare I tell him it will be his same eye just supported by titaniam?

Giving a sigh of relief...

surgery isn't urgent. Odd how the slightest thing makes you feel better and yet this 3 day reprieve has done just that for us both. The cutie is feeling somewhat better because he asked for a cup of tea yesterday, we'll see how today goes.

Right when you think you have it right...

it blows up in your face. For us this happened Tuesday when the Cutie was hit by a baseball. Struck him directly on the eye, thank goodness for his glasses which took the brunt of the force, but left him with an orbital blowout. He's home and on the couch with an ice on his eye and drugs in his system and we are now on the facial reconstruction track.

Next time I think we have everything figured out, I'm looking for the foul ball coming at us.

The house is on fire!

Not quite but almost. Yup, I haven't been entirely with it lately and almost blew up the house. The cutie loves to bbq, and when we're home he is all over it. Knowing his love of the American staple item, it's not a surprise he has a grill with gadgets...or in this case, a propane starter then it becomes a traditional briquette bbq. Each night as he leaves the office I go out and light it up so it's ready for grilling when he gets home. My mistake was in forgetting to turn the propane off and emptied an entire cylinder on our back patio. All I can say is thank goodness we don't smoke.

Keeping it short, heading outside to turn off the propane!

Keeping it real.

Today I feel better than yesterday and think the cutie and I are going for a bike ride. We are in the midst of trying to plan 6+ trips between now and the end of the year and it is blowing both our minds.

Amongst other things I've been gearing up for Banned Books Week, something I am passionate about and can be somewhat upsetting. To relax I bit, I headed over to one of my favorite bloggers [Karen's It's my blog and I'll say what I want] and found Neutrality on the Net. Head over and read up on what might happen to your freedoms on the web if this goes through...its scary.




Sign the petition today, its easy, sends a letter directly to your congress members.

Okay, wrote this over on my other blog but am making it work related so shifted this one over here.

Recently I took a break with the cutie, a serious do nothing but watch world cup games before heading down to the beach to sit and do even less. The water was perfect, the sun was cooking so hung out under the umbrella with loads of sunscreen - still have a fab tan :-) and had some of the favorite food goods.

Family was there, all of them, so it was a real hoot and a half. So, WTF World is what the eldest niece figured we were not worth talking to unless we knew about this clip. Here is the link: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end.php Yes, we laughed, watched again and figured I had to share, just in case there are other who hadn't seen it either.

The Humping Bush!

Sunday morning the cutie and I are sitting in the kitchen, enjoying breakfast, looking outside at the beautiful day and figuring out the have to's vs the want to's. The big window looks out onto the backyard but we can't see it, the bush is already taking over the view [we just trimmed it 2 weeks ago]. It doesn't take long to notice the bugs that take over each summer are already starting their vacation. Yup, we don't get the beautiful butterflies, we get the ugly humping bugs...by the end of summer every bloom will be covered with couples, menage a trois and more.



This will be the last time we spend much time looking from this window, it seems so rude to watch their non-stop sexual activities.

Upbeat!

Yup, after 3 months the visiting kitty is gone, sniffle, but I've watched the BBC Pride and Prejudice [Colin Firth as Mr Darcy coming out of the pond, sigh] and I'm ready!

I've bought two new Putumayo mixes - 'The Caribbean' and 'Music from the Wine Lands' and they were both great choices...putting them on the ipod right now so I don't have to be tied to the stereo or laptop to listen to them.

Now I'm going to heat up a veggie corn dog and get some work done, cleaning and laundry can wait another day :-)

I'm devastated today...

The visiting cat has had one too many trips in the car lately. This morning he was on my lap for his start of the day scratches. When I asked if he wanted a treat [my trick to get him in his traveling kennel] he hid behind the couch. We've enjoyed having the old gent for the past months, but I'm so upset with his family I could spit! He's old and they're worried about the long flight [and they should be] but he's had so many trips this week because of their disorganization I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't handle the plane ride.

My heart is breaking for the little feline and tomorrow I'm sure I'll be in tears.

Oh the pain!

Yes, pain! Went over to the neighbors the other night for margaritas and was eaten alive by mosquitos. I have about 12-15 bites per leg, all below the knee. The cutie had some anti-itch gel and it kind of works, but I just want to scratch.

Then there is sad news about the visiting cat. His family is back and he'll be leaving on Saturday. We're going to miss him, such a grand old gent, and hope he does well on the flight back to blighty.

And, with all this I am trying to finish off the changes made to 'Come to Me' so I can start on 'Come Here'...bloody hell, focus!

Back to the original program...

'Come to Me', a story I wrote about a year ago and submitted, has been sitting there, without a word of yeah or nay. So, I've found myself going back to the original concept and writing the other two stories that go with it.

I feel so much better for returning to what I wanted to do with the story...I adore the Ivanovich brothers!

Yeah! The 'Come' series is back under my fingertips :-)

Argh!

Today is a trying day. I'm exhausted, the cutie isn't sleeping either but full of verve and then the visiting cat freaked me out. Focusing hard I suddenly realized some wild animal had come in and was having a party under the couch...nope, it was a dust covered kitty...ahhh!

I need to focus and am struggling.

It is a wonderful day...

Okay, so it's still early yet, but thus far it is fantastic. Perfect summer's day, thankfully not too hot, have the visiting kitty plastered up against my side and I have finally started this blog - YEAH!

I have a list a mile long that needs to be done but the brain just won't go there. Right now I have last nights Footballer's Wives playing, I'm editing 'An Invitation to the World: China', almost finished reworking 'Come to Me' and writing a short for the Monthly Scorcher about Heaphustus and Aphrodite.

Well, I hope you all have as great a day as I plan.