I really did a number this time!!!

 And I really shouldn't have any excuses for not getting any reading done over the next few weeks, or more. Wednesday night north GA got hit with some more of that wonderful winter weather that is not suppose to come near us. Our streets were covered in ice. I have to give myself props though... for someone who has never drove in the mess I didn't wreck my car. I was extremely proud of myself but was too scared to turn around when I saw the traffic at a stand still on my way home. So I spent over 2 hours on the road that leads to the road that leads to my subdivision, Only to get the road that leads to my subdivision and find it to be a parking lot as well. I decided I was going to park my car before I ran completely out of gas and walk the last two miles to the house. Everyone else was doing it!  Well I am not everyone else, and I should have just sat in my car and prayed really hard that I would get home with out wrecking going down the big hill or running out of gas.  NO NO NO I should have just stayed put.  Instead I do this...

yes that is my foot at odd angle. I broke my ankle in three places and dislocated my foot. My mother tells me that there were a total of 7 brakes that have now been stabilized with plates and screws. My surgeon told her that he had to perform  plastic surgery on my dolphin's nose but "Miki" is now "Niki".   This is why the south does not like that winter weather that insists on blowing down here.

So up this week is Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran to complete the DIK challenge. My guilty indulgence, Explosive by Beth Kery, and then I will have to send my mother into my closet to find me something else to read.

Thank You!!

I have been extremely absent of late to both my blog and the internet. Every year we go to a beach house just north of St. Augustine, and while there I don't use the internet...not because I don't want to but the signal there is not very good. So instead of getting upset that the computer can't keep up with me or it won't load properly I just relax without using the internet. In truth it is very nice most of the time not using the computer and just enjoying my time with the family playing on the beach or strolling through St. Augustine (I do love that city!).

 kids on our deep sea fishing trip

When we got home we were busy running the kids to cheerleading and football camps/practices and having several of their friends running around the house. I felt it better not to get on the computer... once on it all else ceases to exist for a few hours. Besides I got totally engrossed in the Sookie Stackhouse books. I don't think I have read this many book in one month in over a year, and that was only because I was participating in a game/contest.

Once I got past the shock of how different the books are from the HBO series True Blood and got use to the first person POV I could not put these books down. I have succeeded in reading all 10 books plus one short story in an anthology. I will eventually get the book containing all the Sookie short stories, but for now I am content.  I absolutely loved the books and really started understanding Ms.M's sentiments on "Dull Bill" and her rooting for Eric, however I was extremely disappointed when things did not quite work as planned with Quinn. If I didn't think my husband would sneak into my closet and take my collection away I would already be rereading them.

Then we had the dreaded problems with our modem. I guess it just worked its little heart out for the last 5 or 6 years and couldn't continue any longer. We got the run around from AT&T...one person tells you one thing and another tells you something else, then they try and remedy to the problem only to screw it up  and have a total Jerk Off tell me something else entirely. So I said screw you and dropped AT&T completely and went with Comcast for telephone and high speed internet. So I was completely with out internet for almost 2 weeks here at the house. Everything seemed to going great until I went outside to mow my yard. The blasted cable guy left the box hanging wide open with all the wires exposed and when I try to log on after finding that mess my internet won't work. So here goes another day and a half without the internet. The new cable guys tells me that the problem with the internet has to do with the first guy not closing out the job properly. Yippee!! I am so done with all this at the moment. I am ready to chuck the computers out the window and say screw the internet. I did fine without it before I found it and I might be able to be fine without it again...

NO I won't I am addicted to my books and this is how I find new ones and share my thoughts about the ones I am reading!!

 So I want to send out a big

 

to all my followers, readers, and friends that I have made during my time on the blog. I know that sometimes life gets in the way of being as active as we would like to be with our blogs and commenting on our fellow blog posts, but I want you guys to know how much I really appreciate all of you!

What Im doing besides reading!!

School has been out for few weeks around here and we have been busy little bees. My son left with my mother two days after they got out, right after his last baseball game. The following weekend we headed up to West Virginia to spend Memorial weekend with my mother, stepfather, and sister and her family. They all recently relocated up there leaving me in north GA with the closest relative being four hours away. So it was really nice to spend several days with them in what one of my friends calls "Twang Town"

We then came home to do some weeding and cleaning around the yard and house. The FedEx lady brought the kids a special treat...Six Flags season passes! So I spent the entire day Thursday convincing my son that  he was not afraid of the big roller coasters and that there was a lot more to do than the water slides in Skull Island. My daughter's friend Robyn was sweet enough to sit with Cody for about an hour while Michaela and I rode the Superman roller coaster. This was my first time on it! I absolutely loved it!!

Saturday rolled around which meant I had to take my baby, yes I mean the soon to be 15yr old, to the airport for her annual trip to her Dads. This time it was particularly hard on me. She no longer has to fly Unaccompanied Minor...saves lots of mullah but I don't get to walk her to her gate. So my baby had to walk through security and find her way to her gate at the Atlanta Airport all by herself. I was a nervous wreck!! I sat in my car in the parking garage until her flight left. My daughter was really awesome!! She catered to her mother's needs and text me every step of the way letting me know when she got on the Tram, when she made it to her gate, when the plane arrived and started kicking passengers off to make room for her. She then text me when she landed in Baltimore and again when she landed in Michigan. She laughed at me when I thanked her for being so understanding of my needs!!! How Dare she?!!! LOL

Now I am going to be letting my son go back to Moms for another two weeks! I was originally going to drive him up there, but Lil Sis is going to be down this weekend and said she would take him back with her.  Great news for me!!

Now what am I going to do with myself for the next two weeks having no kids in the house and my husband in and out on business. Im throwing a huge party!!! Yes anyone want to join me?!! I plan on repainting my living room hallway, and dining room. And if time permits the main bathroom. I am also going to be looking into new lights for my kitchen. I am really hating the track light that has been there since we bought the house. It does not match anything and the stupid bulbs, which cost almost $8, are constantly burning out. To help me in my search for new  lights CSN stores  has an array of light fixtures. And they have given me the opportunity to review one of their products. With so many projects going on around my house I am sure to find something from their 200+ stores. So be looking for an upcoming review on something that is so not book related but will be something special to me!

Why Parents Drink

Another wonderful and much needed email from my husband! How is that this man knows exactly what to send at exactly the right moment? If you are experiencing or ever had problems with your teenagers then you really want to read this. It will hopefully lighten your spirit and take a step back and appreciate the problems that you have and know that you will get through this bump in the road! A friend of mine recently gave me some great advice (or maybe it is wisdom)... When your children are little you want all this great stuff for them, by the time they reach the dreaded teenage years you just want them to grow up to be good people. That too couldn't have come at a better time!

 (my daughter and her best friend---who I claim as well)

the email~~Why Parents Drink!
A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see that his bed was nicely made and everything was picked up.  Then he saw an envelope, propped up prominently on the pillow that was addressed  to "Dad."

With the worst premonition he opened the envelope with trembling hands and read the letter.

Dear Dad:
It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you.  I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Mom and you.  I have been finding real passion with Stacy and she is so nice.  But I knew you would not approve of her because of all her piercings, tattoos, tight motorcycle clothes and the fact that she is much older than I am.

But it's not only the passion... Dad she's pregnant.

Stacy said that we will be very happy.  She owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.

We share a dream of having many more children.  Stacy has opened my eyes to the fact that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone.  We'll be growing it for ourselves and trading it with the other people that live nearby, for cocaine and ecstasy.

In the meantime, we will pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Stacy can get better.  She deserves it.  Don't worry Dad.  I'm 15 and I know how to take care of myself.  Someday I'm sure that we will be back to visit so that you can get to know your grandchildren.

Love, Your Son John

PS.  Dad, none of the above is true.  I'm over at Tommy's house.
     I Just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than a report card.  It's in my center desk drawer.
     I love you.  Call me when it's safe to come home.

More time for reading and blogging!!

I am finally going to have more time to read and blog. My son's football season is over. His team lost Game 2 in the playoffs Saturday ending the season. Unfortunately my son won't be starting his Wrestling season as planned either. Great for my reading and blogging but horrible for him and my husband. Cody broke a growth plate in his arm the night before our last game. So not only did he not get to play in the game but the Doctor just put the cast on his arm yesterday. He will be in it for three weeks, was only suppose to be two weeks but the office closed for Thanksgiving. He was really upset about missing the game and only mildly bummed about missing a month of wrestling. The good news for him in all of this is that he will now actually be able to go to a Boy Scout meeting. Me I get less running around and more time on the computer and with my lovely books. I have already read three books this month and just started my fourth... well I tried to start earlier this week but couldn't find the time to sit and read enough to catch my interest. Just as I was starting this morning my sister called and asked me to come get her and take her to Rome. Her husband was apparently scheduled for vascular surgery, he had to leave while she was at the doctor's office with her son, who was just diagnosed with pneumonia. I tell you when it rains it pours, well at least for my sister!! That took half my day. I did finally get to sit down and read a little and my interest has finally been piqued!!

I hope everyone is doing well and finding plenty of time to read!!

Advertisements

I got this in an email and thought it was too funny not to share!! Enjoy!

I'm sure that you have seen pharmaceutical advertising in doctor's offices on everything from tissues to exam table cover paper. Well, in my book, this one should get the prize...



One of our doctor buddies e-mailed back: 'If the light stays on for more than 4 hours, call your erectrician.'

Pity Party!!

I am so not Lovin' this weekend. Both my children are leaving me. My daughter is spending six long weeks with her father in Michigan. My son, the baby at a whopping 6 yrs old, is going to spend a week with my mother in the DC area. My husband and I are actually flying with my son and meeting my mother at the airport to drop him off. We will then spend a couple of days with some friends in Maryland. I am going to have a week without either of my kids. You would think that I would be jumping up and down and shouting "Freedom" (think Mel Gibson in Braveheart), but I'm not. As much as I whine about not having alone time or peace and quiet, I am going to desperately miss my kids. I have gotten use to my daughter leaving for weeks at a time, she has been doing it since she was 5, but not my son! What makes it worse is that my son has been counting down the days until he leaves... talk about twisting the knife. I know that he will be well taken care of and that he will have a great time with his cousins, but does he have to be so excited about it!!

OK I am done with my pity party for now!

Flickr Mosaic

I found this on Cecile's blog All I Want And More. I thought it was really cute and once I figured out how to use Flickr and the mosaic maker it was a lot of fun to create!

Here are the rules:

1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, pick an image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

Now, the questions:
First name?
Favorite food?
What high school did you go to?
Favorite color?
Celebrity crush?
Favorite drink?
Dream vacation?
Favorite dessert?
What do you want to be when you grow up?
What do you love most in life?
One word to describe you.
Your flickr name.

Here's my mosaic!~~~~~~OK IT Needs some Help! I don't know how to make it bigger and I don't know why my Scottish castle is missing!!!






1. Damp heather, 2. The Tree Musketeers doing a splash!!, 3. Windsor Forest, 4. Just an Orchid, 5. VIN DISEL_075, 6. Coffee has two virtues: it is wet and warm., 7. my home is my castle, 8. coffee and chocolate mousse cake, 9. Hey Teachers leave the Kids alone, 10. Being Happy, 11. Life（生命）, 12. Just Peachy!

Booty Call

Thank you Beth Kery!!!

As we all know Beth Kery has been running a month long contest. Each day she is featuring a different author and giving away some awesome books. All running up to the release of her book Daring Time.
Her special day has come... Daring Time is being released today!! In celebration of Daring Time hitting stores Beth Kery is having a release party at her yahoo group Total Exposure where she is giving all sorts of prizes away all day! I joined right away, and I got lucky!!! Beth is giving me a copy of Booty Call by Fiona Jayde Synopsis: Nicole Lang, erotic romance author, has a secret. Well, two secrets -- and she's keeping them both from her boss. Now that's she's blurted out exactly what genre she writes for when she quits her job to write full time, she's not about to tell the drop-dead-gorgeous Dan Gust that she'd rather work under him than with him.... Until the ring she bought as a good luck charm falls off and Dan bends down to pick it up. How can a girl resist those firm full lips when they're so close to hers?

Dan has worked with Nicole for years, smelling her perfume, hearing her voice, constantly schooling himself to act the cool professional. He never even considered that the calm and curvy blonde is interested in him, or that she spends her nights choreographing hot love scenes. Now that he knows, Dan issues a challenge Nicole can't refuse: if he can prove that mere mortals can have mind-blowing sex, Nicole’s next book will feature humans and not stamina enhanced werewolves or super-endowed aliens.

And with a bit of luck, Dan might convince Nicole that a booty call can lead to so much more...

Language Barriers

After posting about my day in Paris I started thinking about the good time that my husband and I had. Yes the weather was awful, but it didn't hinder us- well not until we hit Barcelona, but that is a whole other story.

I took two years of French for my second language requirement in high school. That was 17 years ago!! OMG do I feel old now. It is pretty accurately said that I could not carry on a conversation nor understand most if spoken in French. I could pick up a word here or there and I could say thank you, please, yes, where is, how are you, hello and good bye. There may be a few other things but definitely not enough to really help in situations like the one I am about to share with you.

After leaving the Arc de Triomph we decided to head back to the hotel to take a nap and get out of the rain. We chose our hotel for its location... within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomph and the Champs-Elysees, so we walked, and walked, and walked. We had walked ourselves to the point that our feet hurt, we were drenched, cold and ready to snap. Yes we had a map! Of course the street we were looking for was not on the map, but we knew the general area. I finally convinced my husband to stop so we could TRY and ask someone for help.

We go into the Pharmacy thinking, Ok I can only say a few things here hopefully this lady is like most that we have come in contact with and speaks English. No such luck !! Here I am trying to ask where is (which is very easy to say) our street... the street name was not easily pronounced, especially coming out with my strong southern accent. The lady was completely at a loss. Another costumer comes in who does speak English and between the three of us ladies, my husband wasn't touching this conversation with a 10 foot pole, we figured out the direction in which we needed to head.

I decided while we are here I might as well get some conditioner. The hotel only provided shampoo and it wasn't the 2 in 1, and after the last 2 days I my hair needed it. So here we go again! For some reason my mind went blank and I did not think to ask for "cream rinse", I asked for conditioner. This poor French lady was at a loss again. We went round and round trying to figure it out and all of a sudden the light came on... in her head not mine. She says "After Shampoo" , Yes Yes yes! That is what I need. She rings my bottle of After Shampoo up and we head out.

Hubby hits the sack as soon as we walk through the door. I am off to relax in a nice long HOT shower. Guess what comes next! The darn bottle of after shampoo was in fact SHAMPOO!!! I was sooo frustrated all I could do was laugh.

Now every time my husband sees a bottle of conditioner he calls it "After Shampoo"!

Midieval Professions

I found this little quiz on Beth's blog and had to find out what my Medieval profession is. Here it is:

You Are a Cartographer

You have a wide range of knowledge and you're very detail oriented. You have a photographic memory, and you remember places very well. Like a middle ages cartographer, you're also very adventurous and curious about the world. In modern times, you would make a good non-fiction writer or scientist.

What's Your Medieval Profession?

I WON!!

I WON! I WON!

My friend Baraba, over at Happily Forever After, recently ran a contest featuring Charlotte Featherstone

and I am the lucky winner of not only an autographed copy of Addicted but also

a copy of the anthology, Lords Of Desire!

Thank You so much Baraba!!!

Ms. Featherstone, I look forward to reading Addicted and Thank You for such a wonderful prize!!

My Rant on Women in the Military

This morning I was watching Fox and Friends. They were talking about a woman who has been out of the military for four years and has been recently recalled to duty. This woman is a married mother of two. From the pictures I would guess that her children are any where from 3 to 6 years old. I could be way off the mark with the ages but it doesn't really matter. I am probably going to anger a few people here with my opinions. This story really disturbed me!

This woman joined the military of her own free will, signed the contract knowing all that it entailed, and now that she is a mother has issues with the details. Before I go any farther in my rant I am going to tell a little about myself...

I am a mother and a wife! I had my daughter at 19 yrs old. I was a single mother, never married her dad, which in my way of thinking now was probably the best thing I could have done for my daughter. My biological father was in the Army, my Dad (my first stepfather) served in the Vietnam war, my second stepfather was in the National Guard, I grew up near two Army bases (Hunter Army Airforce Base and Ft. Stewart), I married a man who served in the Army, and to top all of this off I almost joined myself. I was a single mom when I was looking at joining a branch of the military. I was well informed at the time that if I joined that I had to have a family plan in tact. If I were to ever be called into action or had to leave for any length of time I had to have someone that would step in and take care of my child. I knew before I even started looking into the military that it wasn't for me for several reasons but the biggest was I was a single mom and my daughter came first. That being said let me get back to my rant.

Women for as long as I can remember have been screaming about equal rights, I agree we need equal rights...we are just as smart as men if not smarter. Women wanted equal rights in the military as well. They want to be allowed in combat, carry a gun, etc. However women have a different set of standards that they have to meet when in the military because we are women and we are not as strong nor as fast as a man. Women have children, men father them. So when it comes to active duty or being activated to go overseas what ever you want to call it, why does it seem there is a different standard for women.

If there are children involved in a military family, a family readiness plan has to be in effect. This is basically saying that if you are a mother or father you must have someone willing and capable fo taking care of your child(ren) in the event that you are called to war or shipped overseas. A married couple would assume that the parent not in the military would become the caregiver and if that parent will need help then there would be someone else called in to help out (ie grandparents).

This mother is receiving a discharge from her active duty status because she brought her two kids in tow. She complained that her husband travels for work and is unable to take care of the kids if she has to leave and that if her husband could loose his job if he doesn't travel. I get it and I understand it. She is the parent that takes care of the kids, but there are two parents here. Why does it seem that she is getting special treatment here? If it were reveresed and the man was the parent that cared for the kids while the wife was the main money earner and work called her away, the man would still be expected to do his duty. I applaud this woman for her service and the duty she has performed to her country but I have a real issue with this latest occurance. No one expects to get called up after they have finished their active duty portion of the contract, but everyone that signs that paper knows that there is always a possibility that they can be called back for up to certain amount of years. I believe it varies depending on what kind of contract and how many active years you serve. I don't agree with the decision that has been made to allow this woman a discharge because they did not take the precaution needed during the time she was still able to be called back to active duty.

Something that was not mentioned is what kind of discharge this woman received, they only stated that there would be no legal actions taken against the woman.

I remember watching a movie, Courage Under Fire, with Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington. Meg Ryan played the part of a woman in the Army. She was single mother, she was sent to a war zone, I believe she was a helicopter pilot. She dies... DW is investigating the circumstances of her death. I don't know whether or not this is a true story, probably isn't... but this movie is to the point. She was a single mother who had to have a family plan in case she was ever sent to war.

This only touches base on my thoughts on women in the military. I loved the movie GI Jane and when it came out I thought holy crap can I be her. But ultimately I think there should be some rights when it comes to the military that women should not have and others that women should have.

I feel like this makes no sense at all...