Lighten the Load

I have this urge to bring a little lightness to my blog.

Gee, I wonder why?

I heard the CUTEST song today on the radio - Dominic, the Italian Christmas Donkey.
If anyone has heard this one, isn't it a riot? Today was the first time I'd ever heard of
it and I couldn't get over the originality and humor of it. It's better than Grandma Got
Run Over By a Reindeer.

THANKS TO JUDY I HAVE A short LINK TO SHARE WITH YOU!!!


Please enjoy - I"ll have more cerebral conversation later!

Gee, did someone ask for a change ?

I know, it has been awhile.

I have news:

Not great news.

Three things have transpired to affect my day.

First, my son was diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome. He is considered high functioning but it has made an impact on his life - not in the positive.
Other than that, I have NO idea what that means.
What I DO know, is that it will take us on a different journey into understanding our child.

I called the school. Found out his special teacher has been fired.

Then a call was placed to his therapist and found out he's on medical leave until early 2008!
No idea why or who is taking over the case load.

It's just been a dandy day.

Last night...well, Brandy and Marianne got to hear all about that.

I was torquing my body from washing machine to dryer with a load of towels. Just as I dragged the final towel from the washer, it caught on the spout of the opened laundry detergent, and you guess it, knocked it right off the dryer and onto the floor.

Bam! Whoosh!

An upswell of soapy, slimey liquid covered one entire leg, my shoe, the freshly cleaned towels, the dryer, the floor, the other innocent laundry baskets ... basically everywhere except the ceiling and wall.

I had to RE-wash the entire load, extra rinse for all that extra soap I mopped up and had to wait until it dryed to put in the other load that I needed to do, which was supposed to have been the LAST load.

Then! Then! at 11PM, I found out that the Towels didn't dry all the way!!!!
Another 30 minutes waiting!
At Midnight, I finally was able to put my poor head to bed.

It should have been 10PM...NOT 12AM.

Now I have to wonder..was that the start of some bad karma or what?


So, now you have an update .... And I most certainly wish I had something funnier to talk about , but this is a major emotional roller coaster...and I'm just getting on the ride.

Ouch.

Wish List

Have you started your wish list?

I have.
Not for the family, or for what you THINK you should wish for on behalf of others, but for YOU.

I want a can opener. Yes for me ... my wrist is killing me! I need a new one.

I want a dust eating Gecko. Truly, a critter than can walk vertically up my walls to grab and gorge on all the cobwebs from the corners of my vaulted ceiling is worth his green scales in gold! Never mind all the dust bunnies behind the refrigerator and on top of open topped cabinets. Why wouldn't you want one too?

I want a makeup mirror. You know, the kind that manipulates your reflection to show you JUST how to apply the right color and swipe of the brush?

That's just for starters.
So, What do YOU want?

Oh, and I have a Lori Foster fan who wanted me to spread the word about her review she did for a book that has a story from Lori and other authors that she's excited about.
What are friends for, right?
See Bailey's review


And to top off the smiles....





SMART ASS ANSWER #6 -- It was mealtime during a flight. "Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John, seated in front. "What are my choices?" John asked. "Yes or no," she replied.

SMART ASS ANSWER #5 -- A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets. As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket, not your stub."

SMART ASS ANSWER #4 -- A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family. She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?" The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

SMART ASS ANSWER #3 -- The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window. "I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could." When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

SMART ASS ANSWER #2 -- A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that reads, "Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge. Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."

SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2006 -- A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam.
"Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!"
A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked,
"What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?"
The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says,
"Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."

Ba-dum-bump. LOL

Have a wonderful weekend All!

How did it go?

How was your Holiday?
Did you enjoy yourself?

I ate some of everything! The greenbean casserole, the broccoli casserole, the butternut squash, mashed potato, sweet potato, orange glazed carrots, turkey(dark meat), bread stuffing, black olives, snowflake roll, cranberry sauce - I passed on the pickle beets and meat stuffing though.

For desert, we were offered,
pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling
pumpkin pie
chocolate cream pie
apple pie
vanilla ice cream

I ate only a thin slice of the pumpkin roll and chocolate cream pie with a side of ice cream.

Most everyone else had one of everything!

We stayed longer than we usually do and that was really nice. My neices are great and I can't believe how much they've grown!
Of course, the gameboy competition was held...sheesh, that is so absorbing for this generation.

The youngers went out side and played tag and kick ball while the elders traded Pokemon and battled.

How times have changed, and yet, not. Guys still gather around the TV watching football and talk politics. Women clean up and talk about medical conditions. Have have to ask...WHO Has more fun?

ROTFL!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my visitors

I hope you have a peaceful and fun day with family and friends and that no one succumbs to

playing with their food!

Silly sayings

I was driving past a lake and the temperature shifts made a fog/mist cover the water like gray ghosts on parade.

My eldest says" Wow, look at that! It almost looks like a mist!"

My Youngest says, "Yea! Scary mist ... Rated R!"

Tell me television commercials don't influence kids. Sheesh. That was a reference to a recent ad seen on TV about the lastest , I can only assume, slasher flick.

Then, at supper, youngest asks with all earnestness, "Why can't roosters hatch eggs on a roof? Because they roll off?"

We had to explain to him that Roosters don't , um ... lay eggs. Hatching isn't an issue for them.

You never know when the birds and bees will strike, do you? *grin*

****************************************************************

Imagine the following:

You have just made it through your wedding ceremony and have stepped out on the front steps of the church.

The photographer raises his camera. Following a family tradition, both of you hold white doves which you will release together.

You and your new spouse stand shoulder to shoulder, each with a dove in your hands, as your friends and family eagerly wait.

The photographer gives the signal and you both open your hands toward the sky.

Not a dry eye anywhere, the camera flashes; the moment is saved for eternity...



(You think the doves are going to poop, don't you?)

The Motto??

That's why fit is soooooooooo important!!!

ROTFL

The highlight of my weekend

Have you ever had a surprise that came out of no where that made an impact that you know will affect you years in the future?

Eighteen hours was all it took to make that a reality for me.

Have you ever entertained the thought: What would you do if you had a chance to meet a blog buddy? Would you meet or pass?

Eighteen hours was all it took to make that choice a real decision for me to make.

I chose; MEET.

They were the fastest two hours of my life.

I met Marianne, the Operations Guru at LASR - Long And Short Reviews.

She was delightful, funny, gracious and no longer VIRTUAL! *gg*

Just think, if not for blogging, this would never have been possible.

What an amazing time to be alive.

I hope some day everyone has at least one beautiful experience just like mine to remember into their golden years.

Don't you?

A Bumper Sticker

Today on the way to work, I saw this bumper sticker for the first time.

Wiccans are Spellbinding People.

That has to be a first for me. It was on a huge fire engine red pick up truck with "manly" stickers all over the tail gate.

So out of place.
Or is it?
**************************
So, who watched Moonlight this evening?

This one was more active and well done. The bad guy was creepy and perfect in fangs.
I didn't care for last week's, with his ex dead undead wife come back as human because he toasted her to save Beth all those years ago and for some reason that purging by fire remade her human.
I have to say, HUH?
Next week they're going back to that Coraline thread and I am NOT thrilled. Give us a real doozy of a curve or conflict or antagonist. Drop the Bitch for good and give us a more original villain.

And Mick? He sure is handy with a sword. So Medieval ... So authoratative, so romance book hero worthy.
And did anyone else get the feeling that the "blood" he was drinking was actually GRAPE JUICE? It sure looked like it to me.
**************************

The romance book site that caters to those of the erotica line is up and running.

http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/

Check it out.
They're always looking for reviewers. Remember that if you ever read a romance book that inspires you to want to share.
It's a crime to keep silent about those.
***************************************
Well, it's true.
They finally said the dreaded four letter word. I hoped this year would be like last year, but nope. They said it.

SNOW

**shudder**
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Did I tell you that my camera was either lost - fell out of my pocket book at the band concert - or Stolen - out of same pocketbook - at the band concert.
I am extremely bereft.
I bring a camera everywhere because you never know when that perfect moment will occur.

It obviously is going to be perfect for someone else.

***********************
That's all the update.
Have a great Saturday and Sunday!

Third Floor Blackout

Yesterday was wild!
Our building lost power, even the phones.
So there we were, stuck on the third floor. Thank goodness no one was in the elevator!

The odd thing? Even without power, there was still noise. Beeps from alarms, and a strange humming from somewhere inside the building.

Faint light from the emergency lights didn't do a thing, especially when you had to go to the bathroom. It was pitch black in there. But the bladder didn't care about any of that. You know?
And no one had a flashlight.
What to do??

CELL PHONE TO THE RESCUE !

Yep, open cell phone and work fast. LOL

We still don't know what caused the outage, but by the time my work day was over, the power was back up and faxes and computers were humming.

And I discovered a new use for my ER cell phone.
Guess it was an emergency.
*grin*

Review Time: Seducing the Mercenary

Today I have a guest Reviewer visiting me. She LOVED this book and really wants to pass the word along. So, Please folks, enjoy reading Bailey's ode to a new Fav of hers.


Seducing the Mercenary
By Loreth Anne White
Reviewed by Bailey Stewart

The book was done, the last page read and yet I sat there holding it in my hands, unwilling to let it go. The sounds of the neighborhood slowly emerged from the jungle in my mind; I had been so engrossed that they had been shoved back into the shadows of Ubasi. Usually when I like a book, I jump up immediately and write the review; but not this time. I want to savor the feelings that still pour through me; its story holds me in its grip. What to say, how to articulate the sensations brought on by Emily/Emma and Jean’s story; the emotions that still hold me tight.

Ubasi, an African nation in the middle of turmoil, its tyrannical leader Souleyman ousted by Jean-Charles Laroque, Le Diable, son of the merciless Peter Laroque. Emily Carlin is a psychologist who works for the Force du Sable, a mercenary group that has been commissioned by the U.S. to help Souleyman regain power. She’s an expert in tyrannical pathology, alpha dogs as she calls them. Her job is to determine the best way to control Laroque, whose rise to power makes the U.S. uncomfortable because he can not be controlled as easily as Souleyman. The adage, better the devil you know than the one you don’t, comes easily to mind. Emily has to identify the dictator’s weaknesses in order to help the FDS devise their strategy; do they take him prisoner, or do they assassinate him? She has one week to find out.

Jean-Charles Laroque, a man with a mission, distrustful of everyone. Burdened with the legacy of his father’s cruelty, he must deal with enemies on all sides. Betrayal is dealt with quickly and ruthlessly. How will he handle the duplicity of the woman that he not only let into his castle, but into his heart.

Wildly Zipping by

I don't want my blog to get stale.

I'm here only to change the words.

I got a thrill went I went to the library tonight. I found a 7 DVD box set of the WILD WILD WEST TV SERIES!!

I loved that series.

My cousin and I would call each other on the phone and gossip about what we had just watched. It was FUN. Made for great memories too.

Loved Dr. Loveless, what a great villain. He may have been small in stature but ginormous in creating wicked and devious plots.

Look at that wild eyed enthusiasm!

Of course, even as young as I was, I had the hots for Agent James West.

The man with the cool shoes that

predates Get Smart's gadgetry.

At least West's shoes were lethal.

I mean, he was the MAN.

The Alpha.

The male with the charisma to charm even the most jaded lady's petticoats up and off.

Just look how he dressed ... short waist coat to frame his flat stomach and what had to be a nice chest covered in fine fabrics.

Only the best for the bestest spy in the West.

*gg*

LOL - did you know its debut was in 1965 - I was so cute back then. *wink*

I can't wait to share with my kids the wonder that was the Wild West.

What TV show or Series are you excited to share with YOUR family from your youth??

A Rumor

Did you hear about a new review site that needs reviewers?

Truthfully, I think there's quite a few sites out there.

But there's one on Blogger that kinda touches base on the kind that I like, romantica.
You know, romance stories with situations that push the envelope past mainstream and topple into their own body of steamy and volcanic waters?
They have the mandated HEA which qualifies for romance but along for the ride is more adventurous explorations in the expression of physical love.

The alphas are bit more alpha; the paranormal embraces the need for three lovers to handle the powers of their universe; a little tie me up, tie me down to test the boundries of trust between the main characters - all of these additions enhance, not detract from the story and plot.

I refer to the supreme mistresses of this literary art: Emma Holly, Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton, Shelly Monro, Robin Schone and Jaid Black - just to name a few.

This is a new site and lots of input is still needed.

Gee, did I forget to mention something? Oh yea, that's right - you might want to know the Blog's name, right?

Whipped Cream

Cute title, eh?

Are there any readers that visit my blog that might be interested in reviewing romantica books for this site? Print or Ebooks. Although, truth to tell, I don't see as many Romantica books in print as I do in Ebook format. It's changing, but not fast enough to suit me.

I'd love to hear from you.

I mean, a bunch of posts down, I did one for a story I read by Kaitlyn O'Connor that I simply gushed about. I'm thinking this is going to be a perfect spot for me.

So, I'm game, how about you?

Gotta make up for the shock

Seems my last pict-o-man was shocking to one reader.

I was told she didn't like hairy men. LOL

Gee, I thought it was a clever depiction of the point I was trying to make.

But I understand her POV and I feel bad I made her eyes water. Well, she said something else, but I'm going to tone it down. *snort*

To appease the tender and sensitive eyes of my trusting reader(s), I'll post some Pict-o-man bandaids...

I like to call them, Inspirations for Heroes ... since she's a word sorceress. From my perspective, one can never have enough ingredients for the bubbling pot of literary brew.

So, Am I redeemed?

Moonlight cliche and twist

OK, raise your hands if tonights episode started to sound like Charlain Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. First book was it, or second?


::waves hand:::



Moonlight put its own spin when it was Lola {{...and how many of you started singing the Kink's, LOLA, when they said that name ...}} who was doing the dirty deed to other vamps. The interesting twist was the silver.


Remember the old movie, COMA? Or how about the scene from the original series, Battlestar Galactica?

Seems we, of the shivery stomachs, don't like thoughts of naked people being "harvested"by being laid out in vats or restraints while their bodily innards are sucked out or utilized for something other than their own survival. Anyone catch that cliche? Does it still work as a vehicle for horror? If so, then I guess it worked here.


However, when Beth wakes up 'the day after', it was incredibly like a scene out of a romance book. I could hear Mick's thoughts ...

"Beth looks damn good wearing my shirt."

Classic, absolutely classic scene.

Dare I add,

"She belongs in my shirt, she belongs with me."

That gives me a nice shiver. *grin*



Remember, he's easy on the eye.But why do women get to wear the man's shirt but guys can't wear the woman's?
Oh yea ... the shoulders don't fit.

Well, who says they have to button them?

Darn, that's right, it's a T-shirt - too tight.

Hey, wait a minute, what's wrong with that?



Oh.

A Fungus that puts the Stool in Toad

Alright, I'll admit - this is a VERY strange title. Then again, look at the picture! It's a very strange example of fungi.

Hmmm, and WHY do they call it Fun-Guy when there are no fun guys around?

Well, I can't really say that, I had my family with me and they can be very fun, but we're not talking animal kingdom here.

Have you ever seen a large Toad Stool? That's what I think it's called when they are this big. Can't call it a mushroom because I see small wrinkled gray things popping up in my head with the word, mushroom.

Now, Toad Stool, that's a word of grand proportions.

And what about Toad the Wet Sprocket? It should have been Toed, but I guess it sounds like they were a little too daring with electricity and got a bigger kick than expected so they stuck to making hit music and changed it to Toad.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Toad Stools. So anyway, driving along, my DH slams on the brakes and says,

"Did you see that? Did you see that huge mushroom?"

This, from a man who never notices I changed the shower curtain or lightened my hair. He STILL doesn't know that I've lightened my hair.

So, he does a U-ey, I get out with my camera - I always have my camera with me - and I take pictures to prove it's the biggest mushroom (he says) /Toad Stool ( I say) that we've ever seen.

But I have to ask, What KIND of toad stool is this? Why did it grow so big? Can you eat it? What conditions bring about such a large fungus? Why is it yellow on the outside but white on the inside? Why is the center brownish in color? Why are there dots all over its surface?

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll EVER find out. What are the odds a fungi expert will ever see THIS blog?