I’m Impressed

I’m impressed with myself!

I’m one of the world’s largest procrastinators.  If something can be done tomorrow, next week or next month the odds are pretty awesome that they won’t get done now simply because I have other things I would much rather be doing.  Most of those things I would rather be doing most often involve reading on some level.

When I started Ultimate Blog Challenge earlier this month I honestly didn’t think I would finish it since most of what I start usually ends up being abandoned but I didn’t abandon this one.  In fact I think I’ve actually done more than 31 posts since I started it.

I am going to try to turn over a new leaf and attempt to update this blog at least once a week then do the challenge again when it comes around because I’ve found myself actually having fun while doing it.  Of course it has helped that I asked an all important question over on facebook and got a quick reply.  That quick reply lead me to discovering how to do a hashtag for Twitter in my post settings which lead to my discovering how to schedule posts.  Scheduling posts meant I could actually write the posts when I had time on the weekend then schedule them so they would go out daily rather than when I remembered to go back to the draft and post it.

It has been a fun month full of discoveries about myself and my life and remembering how much I really do enjoy a challenge.

As a result of this challenge I’ve got some new followers waves hi to all of you and I’ve discovered some awesome blogs along the way as well.

I don’t know where the next few months will find me but I will be doing the Ultimate Blog Challenge again in a few months.  Maybe my muse will come back?  Please come back?

Until next week take care of yourselves, live, love, laugh and have fun.

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Review: The Stone of Valhalla

The Stone of Valhalla

by

Mikey Brooks

Four Stars!

The Stone of Valhalla is targeted at 8 to 12 year olds and Mr. Brooks has done a wonderful job of pulling them in.

The story starts off with 13 year old Aaron standing outside an elderly woman’s house and contemplating his life.  He’s a loner with no friends to speak of, four older brothers who always get to do everything first and parents whom he loves very much.  He’s also thinking about exactly why he’s standing outside Mrs. Timble’s house:  he’s supposed to steal something valuable so he can be part of the ‘in’ crowd.

Aaron manages to get into Mrs. Timble’s basement and does find something he believes is valuable but before he can make good on his escape the light comes on and someone starts coming down the stairs.  The lights miraculously go out and he manages to hide in an old root cellar where he finds something even more valuable.

Follow Aaron as he is transported from his known reality to a totally different reality where he is mistaken for a witch and taken to be burned at the stake, to his rescue and go along for the adventure as he makes friends and discovers that he is one of three who is destined to save that reality.

If your children are reluctant readers because they can’t seem to find something that grabs their attention this might just be their ticket to a world we all love:  reading.

Recipe: Pork Loin Rub

I know it’s been a while:  I’m trying to improve!  Honest!

This is THE best rub ever!

Share Your World: Week 30

List 2 things you have to be happy about.

I’m alive and well, have a roof over my head, a job and am planning on going to Fan Expo on August 30:  lots to be happy about.

List at least 2 things in nature that you find most beautiful.

The day after a spring rain and sunset in the country.

Show us 2 of your favorite photographs. Explain why they are your favorite.   If you are not a photographer (serious or otherwise), think of a two favorite scenes in your life and tell us about them.

Sushi

This was the first time I took a picture of food :).  It turned out pretty good although I am NOT a photographer by any stretch of the imagination.

  Sorry about the quality.  It was just a cheapo digital camera which has since been replaced.

This is my son sharing a plate of spaghetti with one of our budgies, not that you can tell, lol.

List 2 of your best personality traits.

Giving, sometimes to a fault and to my detriment a lot of the time.

I am funny, despite the fact my boyfriend says I have no sense of humour :D.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful to be alive and I’m looking forward to the holiday next Monday AND Bluesfest the following weekend!

Share Your World

Review: My Sunny Vampire

I read and reviewed another of Stacy McKitrick’s books.

I gotta say:  the woman has style!

Romance isn’t generally my go-to genre but I will be reading each of her books as they are published!

My Sunny Vampire can be found here.

Plagiarism for Profit « ficlit78

Plagiarism for Profit « ficlit78.

This is a crying shame.

Fanfiction authors should have the same recourse and rights as published and payed authors when it comes to being able to say who can use their works and what happens when someone steals it.

I know I have something like 135 followers and I hope some, if not most, of you will help us do something about this.

I’m going to post this on twitter with hashtags for Barns and Noble (once I find out which way the spell it) and Amazon as well as plagiarism, fanfiction and any others I can think of.

It might not hurt to let publishers know as well that this is happening so maybe they should check their authors work against already published works whether those works are written by published and paid authors or those of us who do it for fun.

Share Your World–Week 29

Have you ever been in a submarine?  If you haven’t, would you want to?

Nope, not planning on it either.  Claustrophobia and panic attacks don’t do well in an area where I can’t escape quickly and easily.

Are you a listener or talker?

I used to be a talker, whether I had something to actually say or not.  I can remember my mom telling a story from when I was real little.  We were at the pediatrician’s office and he told me that if I didn’t stop talking so much my tongue would get sunburned, lol.

This has changed over time though.  I’ve learned that you can learn more by being quiet and listening to what others are saying than you can by hogging the conversation..  You also find more to laugh about because you can see it when others realize they’ve said or done something wrong; their reactions can be quite hilarious.

Do you prefer crunchy peanut butter or smooth peanut butter?   Anything with your peanut butter?

Creamy, of course.  The only thing I require is a spoon :D.

Have you ever been drunk?

Many years ago.  Young, stupid but not so stupid as to not do my drinking at a friend’s place where he wouldn’t be driving and their was a nice toilet handy for the morning after.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m finding the  to be easier than I thought it would be although this weekly one is a little harder since the email comes through a little funny so I miss it more often than not.

I’m looking forward to continuing both of these challenges and, well, just continuing to wake each morning.

Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Zits | By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman.

My boyfriend brought this home from work with him today.

It is our true life story, lmao.

Quite often I’ll get a massage at bed time and frequently I will either be a puddle of goo or fall asleep at his ministrations.

Yes, his hands should be insured and I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Promoting

Hey everyone, I just thought I would plug my brother’s company on here.

K.C. YardCare is my brother and he does a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

He’s based in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge area of Ontario, Canada so if any of you want to take a look at his site just click on his Company name to take you to his website.

Share Your World–Week 28

Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?

Yup.  Way back when I was a teen.  All I can remember is riding my bike, lol.

If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?

I would go.  I’ve always wanted to go but never had the money or someone to go with.

Why did you start your blog?

A place for my fanfiction stories where the M rating wasn’t policed by the ‘ooooooooo, this has adult content so we should report it so it will be deleted’ police.

What is your favorite tradition? (family tradition, church tradition, whatever)

Things have changed so much in my family life over the last six years so any traditions I had are no longer 😦 and I haven’t picked up any new ones.

I think the best one, which came about only because my parents (and them me as a parent) wanted a little peace and quiet on Christmas Eve.  My parents would let us kids open one present on Christmas Eve and I passed that on to my kids.  It’s much better than listening to a litany of ‘is it time yet?’ “has he come yet?” ‘can we open a gift yet Mom?’

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I think we’re all grateful for the slightly cooler weather which has taken my mind back to when we first moved here in 1975.  The temperatures then were much more moderate and humidity was an unknown entity.  I’m grateful one of my son’s has found a job he’s enjoying for the  moment

I am one week closer to a week’s vacation, lol.