Monday's Musings - Tag

How was your weekend? MINE? Well, I am feeling SOOO much better, thank you all for your well wishes.....
I went downtown Los Angeles Saturday morning and fed the homeless and it felt really good! I saw a lot of my friends... it is amazing how people get used to seeing you on a regular basis and when you get out of your routine it is noticed. We might think that just because they have nowhere to live they don't have routines...but they do! When I got home I managed to squeeze in a tiny little nap before cleaning the house. I also found a 'tag' in my mail and had to go find out what was going on... so.... keep reading.....

Over at my friend Hilary's place: Feeling Beachie she tagged me in this wacky post. She decided that Muttley and I should do a post together.... SO.... Miss Muttley, "I'm afraid of everything that moves" Gladden, and I spent the entire day Sunday clearing out the spare bedroom and discussing how to handle this post. We went for a 3 mile walk, had a bath, got brushed and even took a new portrait just for the occasion.

1. Describe yourself in 7 words: 

Me- Honest, Ethical, Obsessive, early-bird, dedicated, mother, perfectionist

Muttley - Adorable, beautiful, charming, enchanting, patient, young-at-heart, Perfect!

2. What keeps you up at night?

Me- What doesn't?

Muttley - those stupid dogs next door!

3. Who would I like to be?

Me- I'm pretty happy being me!

Muttley - My mom! She gets to go away all the time, and she leaves me home! 
4. What am I wearing now?

Me - Pajamas!

Muttley - My collar!

5. What scares me?

Me - the thought of one of my kids passing away before I do.

Muttley - EVERYthing! - fireworks, dogs, cats, snakes. squirrels, --- did I mention EVERYthing!

6. The best and worst of blogging:

Me - The best has to be all of the people I have met and all of the things that I've learned from those people! The worst is the dread of feeling that I have nothing to say and that I will miss a deadline that I have imposed upon myself.

Muttley - I can't type!

7. The last website I visited:

Me - Feeling Beachie - I had to check out this silly meme!

Muttley - I don't type!!!

8. What is the one thing I would change about myself

Me - I would stop thinking all the time and take a bit more time for relaxation

Muttley - I would get thumbs so I could type, and I would get a driver's license!

9. Slankets yes or no?

Me - No thank you!

Muttley - Sure, I'll take another blanket, slanket, snuggie, toy, anything you want to throw my way!

10. Tell us something about the person who tagged you:

Me - Hilary is, without a doubt, one of the most obsessive people I have ever encountered and I adore her to death! She is a great friend whom I've spoken to several times about so many different things. I'm sure if we didn't live on different coasts we'd end up having coffee, drinks, brunch, who knows what else together!

Muttley - He's a cat!

I am supposed to tag people now, so I will, but I really want to tag everyone… so if you want to play along….

Ruthi and Tidbit
Patty and Lucy

Tami and Kimmy Girl and Pandora Paige
McGuffy Ann and Maggie





How was your weekend?

Six Word Saturday - TGIFTW

Glad this week is finally over

or

Thank God it's Finally the Weekend!

It is so hard to work a full week when you're not feeling 100%.... glad it's finally over!

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, go to Show My Face. and Cate explains it all....feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

Friday Four Fill in - Last Friday in January - 2012

Four Fill-In Fun Blog Hop

 This is the deal: Hilary at Feeling Beachie is the host of this Hop.

Each week, she lists four statements with a blank for us to fill in on our own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own check out her site. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop!This week’s co-host is ME!!! (I came up with the last two statements)

This week’s statements:

1.       Nothing is better than.____

2.       I ___my ___ in ___but never ____

3.       Those _____ that are always _____ make me want to ___________

4.       My favorite _________________ is when __________________________.

My Answers:

1.       Nothing is better than a warm blanket, a cozy fire and a fluffy dog on a stormy Saturday when you don't feel good !

2.       I sleep in my oversized t-shirts and pajama pants in the winter but never in the summer.

3.       Those people that are always complaining about everything make me want to strangle them!_

4.       My favorite _time of the day_ is when _everything I have to do is done and Muttley races me upstairs!

Pondering with a Purpose - Home?

Welcome to Pondering with a Purpose -

 This is my weekly hop where I post a prompt and you get to write to it on your blog - come back here and add it to my linky and then we all get to go read what you wrote!

I started Pondering with a Purpose because -- simply put -- I am a writer - - that is what I do (I just can't help myself)! And although I love following all the hops, I wanted to see if I could bring out some creativity in not only myself, but some of my blogger friends as well.

The rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in my sidebar)
2. Look at the week's prompt
3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.
4. Come back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list below.
5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.
6. AND most of all.... Have fun!


This Week's prompt is:                             Home?

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How do you know when you are home? I don't mean how do you know which home is yours... or yes maybe I do mean that. How do you determine that a house can become your home? Or what is it that sparks you into deciding that that is the one?
I was driving home from work -- in the rain -- and I have to cross a bridge to get home now.
I suppose a bit of a back story is necessary - - - I moved into a new house in August 2009 - and as soon as I walked into the house I knew it was the perfect house for me. My sons were gone, Michelle was moving out and I knew that I had to have a house that I could love and live in by myself. Now mind you when I walked into the front door everything - and I mean everything was white! I thought I had walked into the middle of a marshmallow. But I envisioned paint on the walls, furniture and pictures and turning it into my home. Now two and half years later I still love my home - the walls are blue - and I have made it a home. BUT I took a huge leap of faith. I moved into a town I knew nothing about - away from everything I ever knew. In hind sight, the house is not in the best neighborhood (in fact it's not in a good neighborhood at all), and I should have gotten to know the area better; but I fell in love with the house. And now all this time later I sit here, most of the time either on my couch downstairs, with my laptop, or upstairs in the bedroom. When I am downstairs and I am alone and it is cold I just turn on the fireplace. And then I am reminded that I love this house! I also have a really tiny kitchen . . . but it has a white tile counter with a bar - you know - the kind that divides the living area from the kitchen. Well the walls in the kitchen are white and the walls in the living room are a deep blue. So I come downstairs and enter the kitchen every  morning and always think to myself - "I just entered my beach house." And then to make matters even better - I stenciled pelicans in the kitchen!  Now when I cross that bridge - to get home - I know that I am home.

So what is it that makes your house a home?
I'd love it if you wrote a post and linked up - but if not, go ahead and leave a comment - or better yet - do both!

Happy Pondering!

Wordless Wednesday - Harbor Lights

Life's Little Oddites - Tuesdays Coffee Chat

So my friend Leslie over at Time out for Mom asked the question: What are those things in life that make you go hmmmm?

Well I say:  Why do I always wake up BEFORE my alarm clock?Buy This at Allposters.com



and Why is it that I always wash my car and then the next day it rains?




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and here's a great one:  WHY are you hungry two hours after you eat Chinese food?




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Why do people call salad rabbit food? Rabbits don't eat salad? 


Last, but not least, if children are the greatest gift on earth.... why do they keep taking everything you have???




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Tuesday's Spotlight - Sheila Deeth

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Today I have the immense pleasure of introducing all of my blogger friends to a talented woman I have known for quite a while. I actually ran across Sheila when I was active on Gather and we cross-commented each other on several occasions. Since then we seem to cross comment each other on blogs and I am always a great admirer of another self-published author who markets her own material. As you read through her spotlight you will see what I mean. When you are done then you can hop on over to her main blog and check out the multi-faceted author/reviewer/blogger Sheila Deeth:

How long have you been blogging?

Just over three years now

Do you have more than one blog?

I started with one blog and wrote about my self-published books, what it felt like trying to self-publish, why I self-published, and so on. Then I made a second for daily writing (my daily dribs’n drabs), and a third for Bible studies. Then there’s the one I made into my home page, another I’m still playing with, and… etc.

What do you normally blog about?

Good question. Maybe that’s the reason I ended up making so many blogs—I just couldn’t decide what I was blogging about. My main blog has lots of mini-book-reviews now, plus posts about writing and editing, interviews with other authors, notes about getting my stories published, and really whatever comes to mind.

I know you are an author as well as a blogger, what do you write about?

My writing’s about as mixed-up as my blogs. I self-publish Christian children’s stories based on the Bible. I’ve got some spiritual speculative ebooks out with Gypsy Shadow Publishing. My first novel—contemporary literary fiction—comes out with Stonegarden in July 2012. And I’m still looking for homes for my children’s and young adult books.

You also write book reviews. How do you choose which books to review?

At first I searched for authors looking for reviewers. Now it seems the authors find me first. I read quickly and I enjoy a wide range of books, so choosing is really just a matter of convincing myself I have time and energy. Then I read and review.

Have you ever read a book you really don't like? If so, how did you handle that?

I’ve read a few books I didn’t like, but that doesn’t mean no-one else would like them. When I review I try to work out what the author was trying to do and convey enough information so someone else can make their own decision. I really don’t like having to give ratings though—I don’t feel qualified to ‘judge.’

How much time a day/week do you spend blogging?

Is too much a good enough answer? I enjoy reading other people’s blogs as well as reading books. And being a quick reader definitely helps. I probably spend an hour or two, Monday to Friday, catching up on stuff. But I should spend more time writing.

What do you do in your spare time?

Read and write. What else would I do? I draw pictures too—some of my self-published books are self-illustrated. I’d walk the dog if we still had one—does anyone want to lend me one?

What attracts you to other blogs?

I enjoy the company of people who read and write. I belong to a local writers’ group which meets once a month. When we’re not meeting, I guess I belong to a global writers’ group in the world of blogs.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Well, I’d like to you for inviting me, Brenda. And I love the name of your blog—Fiction with a Purpose. I guess I’d agree that one person can make a difference, and I hope perhaps, in my writing, I might be that person for someone, somewhere out there.

Mondays Musings - Rainy Monday in January

This had to be the most uneventful weekend I've had in a very LONG time...
Mostly because I was sick!!!!



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I never left the house --- I got home from work on Friday and planted my butt in my bed. Saturday morning I woke up and began the final edit of Skewered Halo - this is the LAST edit of the layout - the one right before the cover goes on! Then I took a nap and watched television for the rest of the afternoon. I do not remember doing that on a Saturday in FOREVER!
Sunday I got up and finished the edit of Skewered Halo and sent it off to the publisher and then actually went to the store and bought bananas! Then I took Muttley for a walk.  That was enough to put me back on the couch for the rest of the day in front of the television!
Let's hope this flu is gone and the week goes by uneventfully!

How was your weekend?

Six word Saturday - the Flu

Have the flu - Stupid Flu Shot

or

I wasn't sick before the shot!

Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, go to Show My Face. and Cate explains it all....feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

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Friday Four Fill In - 3rd Friday in january '12 - already?

Four Fill-In Fun Blog Hop

 This is the deal: Hilary at Feeling Beachie is the host of this Hop.

Each week, she lists four statements with a blank for us to fill in on our own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own check out her site. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop!This week’s co-host is Susi from Boca Frau (she came up with the last two statements)

This week’s statements:
1. I used to enjoy ______ but now I don’t really anymore except for when I____
2. My first job was ______
3. I am a bit obsessed with ________ at the moment
4. If I don’t have my ___________ at night, I don’t sleep well

My Answers

1. I used to enjoy _eating ice cream but now I don’t really anymore except for when I_oustide on a sunny day.___
2. My first job was typing up rental listings for a rental agency - on an old typewriter______
3. I am a bit obsessed with _work__ at the moment
4. If I don’t have my __pillow_________ at night, I don’t sleep well

Pondering with a Purpose - Resolutions

Welcome to Pondering with a Purpose -

 This is my weekly hop where I post a prompt and you get to write to it on your blog - come back here and add it to my linky and then we all get to go read what you wrote!

I started Pondering with a Purpose because -- simply put -- I am a writer - - that is what I do (I just can't help myself)! And although I love following all the hops, I wanted to see if I could bring out some creativity in not only myself, but some of my blogger friends as well.

The rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in my sidebar)
2. Look at the week's prompt
3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.
4. Come back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list below.
5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.
6. AND most of all.... Have fun!


This Week's prompt is:                             Resolutions

I had decided not to make any resolutions because quite honestly I don't believe in them. It's not that I think that I don't have anything to improve upon -- far from it! There is always room to improve -- it's just that I feel like if I set up myself up with a list of resolutions it is just one more list of things that will not get completed and I am not really into setting myself up for more failures. So I stopped doing the whole resolution thing a few years ago . . . BUT two years ago I made a promise to myself to stop being so critical of others and not judge so harshly.

WELLL..... as you know I just changed jobs. I had a huge staff meeting today and met a whole lot of new people. And I work in a business where we need to know what we do, so self-confidence is really important. Now I have to say that I am quite proud of myself as I met everyone and actually kept an open mind about meeting new people and they were all quite nice.

Then I got in the car and started to drive home. Traffic is the pits in Los Angeles - in case you needed to be reminded - and I started out at 4:30. So when I was almost home and getting onto the final leg of my trip - which happens to be a 2 lane bridge, WHY would someone decide it is OK to scoot up the right side and try to SHIMMY in? DID they not see the lane end in the same PLACE everyone else did? What kind of an idiot were they anyway?




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Man that pissed me off.... all my hard work of not judging out the window in a nano second --- all because some jerk wanted to wait in line in FRONT of me  . . . instead of BACK of me.

So... if you would like to write about what resolutions you have or have not made and post it and link it up . . . that would be great. If not, just go ahead and leave a comment!

Wordless Wednesday - Tree Fashion

It's the latest fashion - all the trees are wearing them!

Coffee Chat - It just went dark!

My friend Les at Time out for Mom  has a weekly coffee chat where she asks people to come on over and sit down, grab a cup of coffee and chat. This week she has given us this prompt:

You’re home alone and the power goes out, what do you do?

What a great prompt!

First of all, I’m always home alone … well unless living with a great big fluffy dog counts for anything! It used to be that this would be a much more serious occurrence when I had kids living at home, but now it is not really a big deal! Actually it happened the night before Thanksgiving and I was supposed to do a bunch of cooking.. man did that put a crimp in the plans!

Now losing power – depending upon the time of day – can be a good thing – it forces me to GET off the computer! Well, not really because my laptop runs on a battery and I can go for hours without power! So that is good for a while. But I am pretty good at amusing myself. I can always do a jigsaw puzzle – by flashlight and I do have the flashlights in handy locations. I suppose that goes back to having kids and living in a fairly large home and never wanting to be in a situation where the power went out and not being able to have a light handy. (Maybe I just knew that someday I would need to write this post!)

I also always have a book handy to read and can do that by flashlight as well. It is rather interesting in retrospect as I write this that having a loss of power is really not a big deal to me anymore! Now don’t bring any kids into my house and turn off the power – there is something about the dark and kids that just doesn’t work!!

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Tuesday's Spotlight - Boca Frau

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Another Tuesday... and another chance to introduce my friends to each other. If you have not met Susi from Boca Frau yet, you are missing out on a lot!!

I met Susi because she hopped over from Hilary's. It turned out that she and Hilary are actually friends in 'real' life and Susi is a new blogger - but you would NEVER know it - she figured this stuff out very quickly - in fact when I first went to her blog I had no idea she had just started it! I love the fact that she posts things about her family and that she is from Germany! And now she is a new American Citizen --- Yay!!! we are all so proud of her! . . .  So when you are done checking out the spotlight.... go on over to her Boca Frau and check her out.

How long have you been blogging?

My first post was on October 7th, 2011. So for about 3 months now. I'm a newbie!!!

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

Actually, the hubby came up with the final name. We were throwing things around and I just couldn't make a decision.  I wanted to combine with where I am now with where I came from.

What do you normally blog about?

I guess, I'm what you would call a mommy blogger. I am a mom. I blog... about the kids, the hubby, the pets and family life.
Anything that goes on in my life and around me.

How many hours a day/week do you spend on your blog?

Way too much time. And I enjoy every minute of it, except when I can't figure out what to write.
I would say I spend about 2 hours a day on my blog and commenting and reading others. Sometimes more...
You could say I've developed a slight addiction!!!

What is that attracts you to other people's blogs?

It's different. I guess, sometimes it's the writing, sometimes it's humor, sometimes it's a picture that pulls me in.
I can't really put it into words... either I like it or I don't. It's really as simple as that.

What makes you run for the hills?

Overload. If it's too overwhelming to make sense of what's even on a page. I don't like to wade through a lot of stuff.

What is your favorite part about blogging?

I love interacting with all the other bloggers. I love it when someone comments on my blog. It's just incredible how many people you "meet"  and how different, yet alike we all are.

Your least favorite?

Trying to figure out what to write about. If I should write something or not. And also, finding the time to write.
With three kids running around it's not always easy to sit down and let everything else disappear.

Have you ever posted something and then later regretted putting it up?

I can't say I have. I'm still finding my way in this blogosphere and I take one day at a time.

Anything you would like to add?

I just would like to say a big "Thank you." to you for doing a Tuesday Spotlight on me. I feel like in this short amount of time I've been blogging that I have been embraced by some great bloggers. I also would like to give a shout-out to Hilary at Feeling Beachie for being such a big help to this newbie. And of course I'd like to thank each and every one of you who read my posts.

Monday's Musings - MLK Day

Happy Holiday - to some of you! ME?  I have to work!!!

So? How was your weekend? ME? I went to a wedding shower in Santa Barbara.... my eldest son is getting married - in 4 weeks! The shower was small - only 14 people were there - but this was the funniest part about it - her mother threw the shower - - and the game we played was a memory game where she passed around a tray of kitchen gadgets that we had to remember and then write down. How many of you have any clue what these things are:

Call me old-fashioned - but I've managed to make everything work in my kitchen - for years - with a knife and I had NO idea what any of these things were!

The shower as a whole was very nice and my future daughter-in-law got some nice gifts. The icing on the cake had to be when her step mother said good-bye to me and said, "It was very nice meeting you Raine." - Raine is my ex-husband's girl friend.


SO....  How was your weekend?

Six Word Saturday - Yippee!

Going to a Bridal Shower --- Yippee!!!!

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, go to Show My Face. and Cate explains it all....feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

Friday Four Fill In - Friday the 13th - in 2012

Four Fill-In Fun Blog Hop

 This is the deal: Hilary at Feeling Beachie is the host of this Hop.

Each week, she lists four statements with a blank for us to fill in on our own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own check out her site. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop!This week’s co-host is Tami from Empty Nest in Il (she came up with the last two statements)

This week's statements:

1. I have never eaten ___
2. I like to ___ in ___
3. If I could go back and change one thing, it would be _______.
4. My greatest _____ for my ______ is ______.


My Answers:

1. I have never eaten frogs legs or escargot --- and I'm just FINE with that!
2. I like to sleep_ in my own bed... I'm not really much of a traveler___
3. If I could go back and change one thing, it would be the decision I made to break up with my boyfriend in college - now that doesn't mean it wouldn't have happened eventually - - - .
4. My greatest hope__ for my _children_____ is _that they find the love and happiness that I never did!

Pondering with a Purpose - Routine

Welcome to Pondering with a Purpose -

 This is my weekly hop where I post a prompt and you get to write to it on your blog - come back here and add it to my linky and then we all get to go read what you wrote!

I started Pondering with a Purpose because -- simply put -- I am a writer - - that is what I do (I just can't help myself)! And although I love following all the hops, I wanted to see if I could bring out some creativity in not only myself, but some of my blogger friends as well.

The rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in my sidebar)
2. Look at the week's prompt
3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.
4. Come back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list below.
5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.
6. AND most of all.... Have fun!


This Week's prompt is:                              Routine

My entire routine has gone through somewhat of a shakeup in the past month and that got me to thinking that I guess I am a creature of habit. I don't suppose I ever quite realized that before....even though I always surmised it. When my kids were little of course I knew they had to be kept within a routine, it just made the most sense. Dinner at a certain time of the day, bedtime within 30 minutes - give or take - with a reading period ALWAYS before bed. There was always nap time - no matter what - and the world was at peace. As they got older and their bed times were pushed later and later mine seemed to get earlier (isn't that odd?) I guess that is because I was still the first one up in the morning, making sure that lunches were made, dinner was prepared - in advance if necessary, and everything was in motion for the day. Now that they are gone the routine seemed to just continue even without them here.

THEN - I got a new job and the hours are wonky - last week I worked 2nd shift - 12 noon to 9 PM - I feel like I lost the days - no matter how hard I tried I couldn't really sleep in - I mean who does that on a work day? And I didn't get home from work until 10:30 PM and who eats dinner at midnight? Not me! So not only was my routine messed up . . . I didn't even know what meal to eat at what time of the day - - - and to make matters worse - - Muttley didn't eat dinner when I came home - so what? Now dogs have routines too?


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Thankfully I am back to a normal schedule (whatever that means anymore) this week - I get up at 4 AM to be at work at 5:30 AM and don't get home until about 4:00 PM - but for some reason that seems to be more 'normal'.





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SOOOOO ---- this whole post had been written and scheduled to run in advance and then I was driving home from work and heard Concrete Angel by Martina McBride on the radio and it made me realize something so important that I had to re-open the post and add something to it. I realized why routine is so absolutely important to me. That song reminded me that 18 years ago the only thing I could count on was a routine because I was literally living one step at a time, a day at a time and the routine I set for myself - and my children - was the only thing that got me through. Now I am sure there are many of you who are shaking your head in agreement right now reading this and if you have been following me for a while you will have seen (at least once or twice) me write that I believe all things happen for a reason. That song played today for a reason and that memory flooded back in time for this post. In light of last weeks' post about wallowing and reminding myself of where I was and where I am - it is often times important to remember where we have BEEN so that we don't go back there.

On that note: How about you? Do you need to have a routine or are you okay just flying by the seat of your pants?
I'd love it if you wrote a post and linked up with the linky below.
Or if you'd prefer - - you can just leave comments (or both!)

Coffee Chat - Worst Movies

SOOoooo.... over at my friend Rory's aka Leslie at Time Out For Mom she is doing her Tuesday Coffee Chat topic on Movies that make you go..... (and that is literally go -- as in out ....)  [Yes.... I know today is Wednesday!]

So... I have this thing about sequels that should never have been made .....

First on my list:

Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights - NOW why would anyone WANT to make another movie after the original?

Better question? Why would anyone think they could ever make a movie that would stand up to the original? Well the obvious answer answer is that they didn't...... Enough said!

Second:

The Exorcist - the Beginning --- REALLY? The beginning was the original - probably the scariest movie anyone of my generation has ever seen! Why .. again that word! would anyone think that they could make a PREquel???




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The last one on my list for today is Speed 2 - Cruise Control - - now seriously ---- the original was SO much better - why would anyone want to ruin it's reputation with such a crappy sequel???


How about you --- what movies did you go ????? Seriously ???


Link on up at Rory's place!

Wordless Wednesday - Stop What?

The senseless lights on trees????

Tuesday's Spotlight - The Conscientious Reader

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Can you even imagine what it must be like to teach school, grade papers, raise a baby (who is downright adorable at that!) and then write on a blog to boot? And you think you are busy? I tell you . . . .oh yeah and she is on Facebook all the time! So, Stephanie  . . . . is your computer on while you are teaching? Just asking.....

Anyway... back on track here . . .  Stephanie aka The Conscientious Reader and I have been exchanging comments both on our blogs and Facebook for months now and I could never find her email address to ask her to be a part of this program... I finally decided to ask her on Facebook -- (how totally unbloggy of me) . . .  But . . . I think that you will all see why I am such a huge fan.... please go check her out when you are done checking her out!:


How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging for a little over a year. I started December 23rd, 2010.

How did you come up with the name of your blog?

There is this book that our AP Lang and Comp teacher uses called The Conscious Reader, a book of various types of essays by famous writers, it's a play on words from that. We should all be aware of how what we read influences who we are.

Do you have more than one blog?

Yes, I have a blog for my classroom called Sophomore English...I didn't update it at all during first semester...oops. http://www.lhssopheng.blogspot.com/

And, my teacher friends and I started a YA fiction blog called Teen Text Talk. http://www.teentexttalk.blogspot.com/

What do you normally blog about?

My life in reading, my kiddo, whatever tickles my fancy...it's really pretty random with a focus on books and reading.

How many hours a day/week do you blog?

Here lately, I've been doing more grading than blogging, but at least an hour a day is a minimum.

What draws you to someone's blog?

Depends on what kind of blog I'm looking for...if I want crafts the tutorials need to be clear and have lots of detailed pictures, same rules apply to a food blog, a good book blog just has to have honest reviews...if it's just a personal blog it just has to be honest stories...I enjoy a rant every now and again, but don't want to read them all the time.

Makes you run for the hills?

Lots of cussing for no reason...I mean everything has a time and a place, but when your cussing distracts me from what you are trying to say than it's bye-bye.

What advice would you give to someone just starting a new blog?

Make up rules that work for you...you know 'they' say that your blog should have one focus and should be updated regularly...but, you do your blog however you want to, if it makes you happy people will read it! :)

Do you think having a lot of followers is important?

No. In the beginning I kind of gauged if I was doing well by how many people followed, but I've realized people read my blog and they've never followed. It's interesting how following works...I suppose if I want to get more free swag I need more followers, but I don't really. I like where I am, well, I'd like it if I were all caught up with my blogging for this year! :D

Anything you would like to add?

I love that you do this and I love your blog! :)

Monday's Musings - Seriously?

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So it is the second week of January - right?
Someone want to explain to me why the weather feels like summer here? And no, I don't live in Australia! I am used to mild winters - after all I live in Southern California - but let's be real! I don't think it has been colder than 70 degrees since last Wednesday! Now did I hear someone say that global warming didn't really exist - Seriously?  move to California! it's warming here!!!


I had a really strange weekend - the reason for that was because I was on a strange schedule last week and I didn't get home from work on Friday night until 9:30 PM --  
then I was up on Saturday  morning at 6:45 to go feed the homeless and I was really out of sorts for most of the day but I wanted to get the majority of my chores done so I could try and spend Sunday as a 'down' day to try and rest for the coming week - Seriously? Does that ever really work for you either?


What I did manage to do was pretty exciting -- check this out....I have been having a really hard time managing the food around here because of the schedule so I decided to pre-prepare dinners. I made Potato cheese soup, a chicken pot pie and an egg plant parmesan - so they are all prepped and ready to go for the week.
Also, I had been having a tough time writing Ferry Tails - that was the novel about romance scammers - and I think there are a variety of reasons for that difficulty but the main reason is that there is another story that really needs to be told first so Cracked Cocoon is well on it's way to becoming the 8th work of Fiction with a Purpose. ---- NO you didn't miss the 7th! Skewered Halo just finished the editing stage and will be available for purchase sometime in March.  So the conclusion to all of this is that my 'down' day was anything but 'down.'

How was your weekend?

Six Word Saturday - 2012 Already?

A short week felt really long

or

I am happy it's the weekend

Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, go to Show My Face. and Cate explains it all....feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

Friday Four Fill In - Happy 2012

Four Fill-In Fun Blog Hop

 This is the deal: Hilary at Feeling Beachie is the host of this Hop.

Each week, she lists four statements with a blank for us to fill in on our own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own check out her site. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop!This week’s co-host is Sarah from The Mama Pirate (she came up with the last two statements)

This week's statements:

1. ________ is not my strongest virtue (patience)
2. _________ is my favorite meal of the day
3. ___________ is my ____________
4. Whenever ____________ happens, I always _____________.


My Answers:

1. Subtlety_ is not my strongest virtue.
2. I don't have a favorite meal of the day - I'm not a really big eater, so mealtime is not a big deal for me!
3. Baking____ is my _therapy___________
4. Whenever _the phone rings in the middle of the night, I always _assume the worst____________.

Pondering with a Purpose - Wallow

Welcome to Pondering with a Purpose -

 This is my weekly hop where I post a prompt and you get to write to it on your blog - come back here and add it to my linky and then we all get to go read what you wrote!

I started Pondering with a Purpose because -- simply put -- I am a writer - - that is what I do (I just can't help myself)! And although I love following all the hops, I wanted to see if I could bring out some creativity in not only myself, but some of my blogger friends as well.

The rules are really easy:

1. Grab the Pondering with a Purpose Badge (in my sidebar)
2. Look at the week's prompt
3. Post something on your blog that relates to the prompt - it can be a story, a poem, a picture -- anything you want it to be.
4. Come back here and add the URL from your post to the linky list below.
5. Go check out the other bloggers who have added their links to the list.
6. AND most of all.... Have fun!

As I wandered through the blogs over the past week I couldn't help but see a recurring theme - people were sad... and it made me ponder what everyone else does..... which leads me to


This Week's prompt is:                              Wallow

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I was reminded of something my father said to me back in 1994 when he asked me if I would like to join him to go out to dinner and I turned him down. He said, "Why? Are you just going to stay home and wallow in self pity?" Now 1994 had to be the epitome of, what I thought, was the earth shattering around me. I was 34 with a 5,4 and 3 year old child. My ex-husband was a first rate bastard who would stop at nothing to make my life miserable at any opportunity he could come up with; I was literally working to make ends meet and I really had NO idea what I was doing with my life. If someone had told me this is what I was going to be doing at 34 I would have looked at that cock-eyed at gone, "Me? Are you kidding?" I had graduated college in 1982, law school in 1985 and gotten married in 1986. By 1993 the marriage was over and I was on my own. Every weekend HE had the kids, and I would sit on the couch, curled up in a ball, waiting for them to come home. That is until my father said THAT! And to this day whenever I get sad . . . oh Hell . . depressed! I refuse to wallow is self pity - - - and believe me I have had plenty to wallow about!!! Don't even start the stories . . . . . but do you want to know the truth of the matter?  Wallowing does not do anyone any good - least of all me!!
So what do I do instead? Well... first I used to hit the vodka bottle - - - then I would get sick .....
Now... I go for long walks with Muttley!
Or I do a jigsaw puzzle
Or I watch a movie
Or I read a book
Or I write a book
Sometimes . . . but not too often. . . . I go out with friends. . . .
you see... my problem is . . . I really have learned not to trust too many people . . . .
Perhaps that is why blogging has become so great!

How about you?  How do you wallow?  I'd love it if you wrote a post and linked on up!

Wordless Wednesday - Now This is Foggy!

and I wasn't commenting on my picture taking ability!

Tuesday's Spotlight It's Just Life

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This is such an amazing journey we are all on! Wouldn't you agree? And I am so fortunate to be able to share the people I meet with the rest of the people I meet! This week I am spotlighting a woman I met through hopping along . . . literally . . and I'm not even sure how long we just 'commented' each other before we started talking..... and now we are Facebook friends and she's read a book or two or mine... and you know... she donates every month to a charity based upon the number of comments she gets on her blog - - NOW who does that????  I'll tell you who:  Beth Ann Chiles from It's Just Life 

So, when you're done reading all about her here... please head on over and check out her blog! 

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” John Wesley

 

How long have you been blogging? 

I started my blog in March 2008---so I have been at it for a long time. Hard to believe it has been that long.  I started it originally to keep our family posted on our travel to Australia for a job interview and then I couldn't stop!!!!!

How did you come up with the name of your blog? 

It just kind of came to me that what I was writing about was just my life and stuff!  My original title was Beth Ann's Musings but that seemed pretty dull so it changed about 4 months in to It's Just Life--Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary.  I think there are a lot of extraordinary things and people out there that go unnoticed.

What do you usually blog about?  

I usually blog about my life, my travels, my observations, my faith, my family and about articles or things I have read or seen that strike me as blog-worthy.  

How much time a day/week do you blog?  

I probably spend at least 10 hours a week on my own blog writing and coming up with ideas.  I try to answer every comment and that takes some time, too.   I spend a lot more time reading other people's blogs and finding out what they are writing about.

What is your favorite part about blogging?  

My favorite part is probably the same answer for about everyone else who blogs---the community of friends that is found through having a blog!!!  I have friends that I lovingly call my "imaginary friends" who I have never met in real life but who have become my best friends through this platform.  They offer support and love and friendship when it is most needed.  The other favorite thing that I do is Comments for A Cause where I pick a charity each month and donate 50 cents for each legitimate comment that month to that cause.  It has connected me with a lot of great people and hopefully my small donations have made a small difference.

Least favorite?   

The only thing I can think of is when I write what "I" think is an absolutely fabulous and insightful post and nobody comments. That can be a real bummer!!!  It doesn't happen too often but when I get cranked up and have a great post, in my opinion, and there are few views and no comments it makes me sad.

What attracts you to other people's sites?
 
I seem to be attracted to other bloggers who have similar values and who write about life and who are willing to expose themselves to the world out there by writing about what is important to them.  I follow quite a variety of bloggers from humorous to poetry posts to spiritual to authors so it really runs the gamut  which is refreshing.

Have you ever posted something and then regretted it?  

I really haven't regretted anything that I have written/posted ...yet.   I am pretty good at censoring what I write and edit it quite a bit.  Not everything I write gets scheduled for a post which is a good thing!

What do people say when they find out you have a blog?   

Depends!   Some act interested. Some could care less.  And of course there are those who have no idea what that is all about and why I would blog!!!!  I have a pretty large "older generation" following which fascinates me and makes me wonder why but I think perhaps they have more time and I have a personal connection with them and they are interested in my life.  Who knows?   

Anything you would like to add?  

Well of course I would like to thank Brenda for highlighting me today and for becoming one of my imaginary friends this year.  I have great respect for anyone who can make their writing dream come true like she has and I am thrilled to be featured this week!   I count it all joy that I am able to do this and that I live in a country where I do have the freedom to write about anything that comes into my head!!!   I am blessed and am just always happy to meet new folks who might be interested in my ramblings!!!!