Another favourite holiday song

This song makes me sit and smile :)

One of my favourite holiday songs ...

I've been on another reading frenzy this month!

A list of my November reads ....

*Dressed to Slay ~ Harper Allen (this one was meh...alright but it took me longer than it should have to read it)
*Dead End Dating ~ Kimberly Raye (DNF - I'll try again later)
*Fallen From Grace ~ Laura Leone (OH.MY.GOD. I loved this book)
*From the Dark ~ Michelle Hauf
*Hot In Here ~ Susan Lyons (2nd book in a series - read out of order *gasp*)
*Angels Fall ~ Nora Roberts
*Retrival ~ Jeanie London (quite enjoyed this - it was very different from what I've seen out there lately)
*Black Ice ~ Anne Stuart (another one read out of order ... I'm a rebel)
*Cold As Ice ~ Anne Stuart (read out of order)
*Like Dandilion Dust ~ Karen Kingsbury (must find more books by this author)
*Sword of Rhoswen ~ Brenda Williamson (e-book .... bought up the rest of her books at this publisher after reading ths one)
*Watchers in the Night ~ Jenna Black
*Songs of the Humpback Whale ~ Jodi Picoult (the only book by this author (so far) that I've not fallen in love with)
*The Memory Keeper's Daughter ~ Kim Edwards (another author I want to read more from)
*Wednesday Nights With Jamie ~ Daisy Dexter Dobbs (e-book - loved it)
*Home by Starlight ~ Jerri Corgiat (I think?)
*Good Girls Don't ~ Shiloh Walker (e-book ~ another keeper *s* I LURVE Shi's books)
*Before I Wake ~ Dee Henderson
*Whose Bride Is She Anyway? ~ Dakota Cassidy (e-book *note to self - must buy this in print)
*She's No Faerie Princess ~ Christine Warren (LOVED THIS ONE)
*Chill of Night ~ John Lutz
*Fire Dancer ~ Colleen Coble (or4dered backlist of books from the librarie *s*)
*Cemetary Dancer ~ K.Z. Snow (e-book - I can't WAIT until the next book in this series!)
*Hard Evidence ~ Pamela Clare
*After Hours ~ Jodi Lynn Copeland
*The Cop (anthology) ~ Sasha White (LOVED her story)/Alyssa Brooks/Renee Alexis)
*Darkfever ~ Karen Marie Moning (OMGOMGOMG I NEED the next story in this series NOW!!!)


So what have you been reading? *s*

November TBR Challenge

This month I read the book Sword of Rhoswen by Brenda Williamson.

The blurb from Samhain "The Silver Dragon is a myth, so they say. But legends are often born from life.

When Brienna Rhoswen sets out to find the man she has given a blood vow to marry, she never anticipates falling in love with the handsome rogue warrior.

Brogan Torrick has avoided his betrothed for one reason-fear. Rumored she’s a Mystic Healer, his prejudice rules his emotions. To garner an ally against an enemy, his father however, binds him into a marriage contract with the sorceress.

Meeting as strangers, Brogan believes he’s never seen a more beautiful and deadly messenger. On the journey, they struggle with an attraction they think is forbidden to them until they learn each other’s identity. Only their love may not be enough to keep them together and a drop of blood from the Silver Dragon may doom all Kingdoms if their enemy gets hold of the Sword of Rhoswen."

I actually won this book and I'm so glad I did! I never would have picked it myself since it's a historical romance and I tend to avoid those most of the time. If you haven't yet red this book, or others by Ms. Williamson you should do so ASAP! I loved it :) After I read it I went to Samhain Publishing and bought the rest of the books by Brenda. :) I have it in e-book format so even if I wanted to I couldn't pass this one on. It's definitely a keeper!

Happy Birthday to me!

This is me 35 years ago sitting for my 1 year old picture :) Wasn't I cute???

What colour is your passion?

I found this link on Sasha's blog.

Your Passion is Pink

Innocent and naive, you approach sex with a virginal mindset. You tend to enjoy teasing and flaunting much more than actual sex. You're a notorious flirt, and you can pick up anyone you desire. As a result, your reputation is a lot steamier than your real sex life.

What Color Is Your Passion?

*snort* Why am I not surprised?

I found another video like the torn one *g*

This time he interprets the song Wherever I Lay My Hat

Guess my book ....

I got this from Anne's blog

The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the text of the next six sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig around for that "cool" or "intellectual" book on your shelves. (I know you were thinking about it.) Just pick up whatever is closest.

Guess my book:

"How would I know, I've never been married."
"Is it always the same for you?"
"Well in some ways, yes."
"In what ways?"
"Well, so far, it seems to be moist."
"Moist?"


LMAO I don't think any of you will be able to guess this one *g*. And YES it was SO the closest book for me. *s* I didn't even have to leave my chair to reach it.

Lest We Forget

Did you pause to remember?

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and during peacekeeping missions.

Torn - adapted for the hearing impaired

LOL this is too funny!

I have new glasses *s*

October TBR Challenge

This months TBR challenge was to read a paranormal or fantasy book.

I chose Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan.

What a disappointment! It isn't that it was a bad book so much as it was so much longer than it should have been (I know this is a shock coming from me, short stories piss me off). The same phrase/scene/etc. was repeated over and over and over again. Hammered into the reader really.

I got this book from the library. It made me angry that the rest of her series was in mass market paperback and this one was hard cover so I refused to buy it. THANK GOD! It's the first time I had to force myself to finish one of her books.

I guess if you're new to this series (the Dark Carpathians) then the story would have been good. (Everything was certainly over explained for anyone who has read any of the other books). It was a collosal disappointment for me though. I'm really glad I didn't buy it. If I had it probably would have been a wall banger and it CERTAINLY would have been given away.

It's Snowing!

It looks pretty now but I KNOW I'm going to hate the shovelling. I'm waiting until after supper tonight to do that though. (If I don't wait I'll just have to do it again anyways)

Happy Halloween (a little early)

Someone sent me this in an e-mail.

Okay this just makes me giggle for no sane reason *snort* I have no idea what he's saying but OH. MY. GOD.

And because I was taking pictures

Just for you Dakota :)

The sun was at the wrong angle for me to get a good picture of the mountains. It's a pretty view though :)

What I'm doing this weekend

*sigh* yard work

Books I read this month

e-books:

Betting Hearts by Dee Tenorio (Samhain publishing)
Wyatt's Chance by Ciana Stone (ellorascave)
Night's Promise by Sandy Lynn (Samhain Publishing)
At Cross Purposes by Sahara Kelly (EC)
Dirty Deeds by Lorelei James (Samhain)

print books:

*Twice Bitten (anthology) by Erica Orloff and Crystal Green (Silhouette Bombshell)
*Flashpoint by Suzanne Brockman
*Fatal Burn by Lisa Jackson
*The Only Suspect by Jonnie Jacobs (I can't actually remember if I read this in September or at the end of August)
*Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
*Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (one of the best books I've read)
*Don't Be Afraid by Rebecca Drake
*Silent Witness by Lindsay McKenna
*The Switch by Diane Whiteside
*The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
*Swept Away by Toni Blake
*Vanish by Tess Gerritsen
*You Can't Hide by Karen Rose
*Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (this book was fantastic - it definitely lived up to all the hype about it *s* I can't wait until the next one!)


I really didn't feel like I was doing a whole lot of reading but I guess that's compared to the summer when I was on holidays from the one job (I'm back to working 2 full time jobs now).

I need to get a life I think

Septembers TBR challenge

The challenge for this month was to read either a category romance or a book that is part of a series.

I really REALLY really don't enjoy category romance books but I'm determined to do something for all the challenges Angie has thrown out to us *s*. I tried to read about 4 different ones from the library but they were impossible to finish. (they made me want to slam my head against the wall and gouge out my eyes they were so bad. I actaually shouted and talked out loud at the characters in the book when they were being stupid (I did this a lot LOL). No I can't remember the titles. I couldn't have been bothered to write them down I was so grumpy about them. I gladly gave them back to the library never to be taken out by me again.

I did manage to find a few that I did enjoy ... they weren't plain old romances though they had elements of suspense and/or paranormal themes in them.

Just Past Midnight by Amanda Stevens ... from the back cover "Stalked for years, Dr. Darian West has become an emotional recluse, a woman at the mercy of a skilled killer. Threats to her family have kept her silent, but every man who has become involved with Darian has paid the same fatal price. All but closed off from life, she lives a solitary existence until a chance meeting puts her next suitor in harm's way ...
Convinced his brother died at Darian's hands, Richard Berkley has vowed to avenge his death. He'll stop at nothing until he exposes the wealthy psychologist's deepest secrets...and her darkest fantasies. But as passion erupts, the killer lurks in the darkness, waiting until...Just Past Midnight...to strike." This was an enjoyable story. It kept me engaged and I cared about the characters. The ending was a bit of a twist that I had only partly guessed. I like having a final a-ha moment at the end of a suspense so that was a good thing. I don't think I'll be keeping the book. It'll go to the library so someone else can enjoy it.

Something Inspirational

This was sent to me in an e-mail (thanks Mary)

Strongest Dad in the World

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike.

Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at
Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate.

"No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried.
"Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon?
Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters.

Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

Here's the video....

Yes I'm still alive

....barely *s*

The first couple of weeks back to work at school have been kicking my ass. I'm hoping to find my groove (hopefully a bruiseless one) soon. Wish me luck!

So what's new with you? Tell me something good!