Hello from the long lost blogger...ME

So sorry I have not been keeping up with the blog. Lots of various reasons but the biggest is probably depression. I have been and will continue to battle it and one way is to get back into doing more things. One of which will be to become more active on the blog. Over the next week or so I will be cleaning up all the info here that isn't valid anymore. I have been doing some reviews on Goodreads and I will start posting them here too.
I've been wanting to get more of online presence for my crafting business since that is how I earn extra book money so you will probably see some posts about that part of my life too.
Oh, and animals and hot guys. Can't leave those out. :)
One of my recent selfies for your enjoyment. (wish my eyes hadn't closed at the flash)
Roku was purring his little heart out...while trying to choke me. :D

WOW!! It's been a long time.

Well, I really got behind doing any blogging. Real life drastically interfered with my online life in 2012.

Happy New Year everyone!

I got to be the end of the year and I suddenly realized that I hadn't kept up my Reading Challenge posts. I was a good girl in that most of the books I read this year I did record on Goodreads. I joined the 2012 Reading Challenge there and set a goal of 366 books(a book a day). I ended the year with 370 listed. I figure my total is actually closer to 400 since you can only count a book once for that challenge even if you read it more than once within the same year. Which I did for several books that I read early in the year if a new one in a series came out later in the year.
I am currently going through my Goodreads list and trying to match up what I read to the various reading challenges I attempted for 2012. I already know that I failed a few of the challenges. I also finished at least three, other than the one on Goodreads.

One good thing about my real life being so hectic the last few months is that I lost almost 25 pounds last year. Was I ever excited when I got on the scale a couple months ago and discovered that I was under 200 for the first time in almost a decade. YIPPEE!!!

I have several things I want to do this year.
First is to definitely blog more than I have been.
Second is to do fewer reading challenges this year, and keep better records for those that I do join.
Third is to get a website going to sell my crafts through.
Fourth is to work on polishing up one or more of the stories I have partially written and maybe finally get them submitted.
Fifth is not entirely up to me. Would love for both my 20+ year old daughters to finally be able to move out and stay moved out. They will always have a home with me if necessary, but they really need to get their own lives.
I was thinking about adding a sixth of doing more reviews of the books I read, but I really can't force those out. Occasionally a book will move me to do more than just give it a star rating on Goodreads, but not very often. And even those few that moved me to words, those words are few. A couple sentences usually.

Okay, I've rambled enough for now. Hopefully this weekend I'll have the information organized enough to post about my successes and failures in the reading challenges I attempted for 2012. And maybe have even figured out which few challenges I'd like to try for 2013.

I'm Back!!!

Well, I am really going to try to do a lot better this year. Less time on Facebook apps will help a lot. Fewer people in the house(at least for a couple months) will help too.
More time to do my crafting, to work on this blog, and to read. And to that end I joined a few reading challenges. I think I may have overdone it though. Am I reckless or just plain crazy? I'm hosting one challenge and signed up for 9 more. Well, really 10 more, but that last one is all about finishing the others. Check out the TWO pages devoted to 2012 Challenges(accessed from the pages bar at the top of the blog) for more information about my craziness. :)

My adventure for the evening!

My oldest daughter was outside mowing part of the lawn this evening. The younger one went out to ask her a question and they both came running back in the house a minute later, slamming the door. Once the initial scare wore off, we all ventured back outside, with a digital camera. Apparently, when she looked up from the area she was mowing, my oldest noticed our local bear ambling through our empty lot that is next to the area she was mowing. At least he didn't raid OUR garbage can this time like he did back on the morning of May 20th.

Here are the links to the videos that were taken today.

Bear Video One

Bear Video Two

And here are the ones we took on the 20th when he showed up at about 7:45am. He stuck around for about 20 minutes, until one of the garbage trucks came up the street. My daughter actually contacted the local news stations and a couple of them used the videos.

First

Second

My Adrenaline Rush for the Day

Yes, I know it's been a long time since I last posted. I'll explain that in another post later today. But right now I just had to share the morning excitement.

Last summer and fall, thanks to the cooled than normal weather, the blackberry bushes(and lots of other plants)didn't bear fruit like normal. Bears in the area started raiding garbage cans for food. There was one that visited my garbage can at least once a week for over two months. Then winter hit.

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of reports on the news about bear sightings. I began to wonder where our bear was. Maybe I shouldn't have worried. He visited us this morning. And today is garbage pick up so the full can was at the end of the driveway.

At 7:45 this morning I heard a thud outside that I knew well, but hadn't heard for months. He loved all the food remains(we had cleaned out the refrigerator just yesterday). He kept pulling stuff out and eating for a good 20 minutes, til a truck drove down the road and scared him off.

My daughter got some video of him while he was out there. She posted them on her YouTube channel here if you are interested in seeing our visitor.

Romance readers and writers UNITE

One of the first authors I read in the paranormal romance genre is also classified as erotic. Judy Mays.
In her day job she is a high school teacher. She does a great job of keeping the two careers separate.
Well, recently someone exposed her pen name to the parents of her students and they in turn told the local news. You can see the article here.
Make sure to read the comments. One of Judy's sons even made a comment. I like it.

And I have found a couple of other blog posts about the subject here and here.

There is also a page on Facebook for supporting Judy. Here's the link to that.
Support Judy Mays

I like the way the romance community is coming together to support Judy during all this.

I felt like baking

If you want to know how I turned this

 

into this

check out the recipe below.

BANANA BARS

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. butter(or margarine)

2/3 c. granulated sugar

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. mashed ripe bananas(usually 2 bananas)

1 egg

1 c. mini chocolate chips

1/2 c. chopped nuts(optional)

Combine flour and baking powder in small bowl and set aside. Beat the butter, sugars, and vanilla in large bowl until creamy. Beat in bananas and egg. Gradually beat in flour mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts(if used). Spread batter into a greased 15x10 inch cookie sheet.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or til golden on top and toothpick inserted near middle comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

Oh, and be prepared to make more in a day or two. They disappear fast.

UPDATE-4/18 at 7pm-I was right. The last one disappeared a few minutes ago. Less that 24 hours after making them. I think I'll have to make some more tonight

My first attempt at writing a review

Legacy of Stone by Vickie Taylor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I must have been reading too many ebooks lately(this is the first print book I've read in more than a month), because about two thirds of the way through the 278 pages of story I had to take a break when my brain suddenly asked 'how much longer can this go on?'
Other than that, which isn't the books fault, I enjoyed the story.
It's the third book in a trilogy and you do have to read them in order. Each book has a separate couple getting their own HEA, but the surrounding story about their situations and actions, the battle between the good Gargoyles and the evil against them, it carries from book to book. In Legacy of Stone there are lies told by the evil one to our hero about events and knowledge from books one and two, that if you haven't read the books, may confuse the story for you.
The story is definitely as much about the battle between the good guys and the evil Romanus as about the romance between Levi and Tasha, who had already known each other for two years at the start of this book. The situation they find themselves in helps make them realize their 'friends with benefits' is much more than that. There is not a lot of sex scenes in the book, and those that are there are more the 'behind closed doors' type.

And I've realized while writing this(my first written review ever)that I suck at writing good reviews. :)



View all my reviews

It's that time again-My March Reads

This is the first month I have ever had that I didn't finish at least one print book. Wow. Didn't even notice that til yesterday when I started thinking about getting this post ready. I will definitely have to change that pattern since I will be buying five print books(or more)in the next couple days now that payday got here.

Well, here's my list of books that I read in March.

Dragon's Dare	Willa Okati
Dragon's Delight	Willa Okati
Dragon's Deal	Willa Okati
Dragon's Devotion	Willa Okati
Dragon Mine(A)	Joyee Flynn
Dragon Ours(A)	Joyee Flynn
Sheriff Found(A)	Joyee Flynn
Here Kitty, Kitty(A)	Joyee Flynn
My Little Kitty(A)	Joyee Flynn
Our Sexy Tiger(A)	Joyee Flynn
Pretty Baby(B)	Stormy Glenn
Affairs of Dragons(62)	Lena Austin
Primal Passions( C )	Stephanie Hecht
A Feral Christmas(B)	Stephanie Hecht
Savage Awakenings( C )	Stephanie Hecht
Carnal Intentions(A)	Stephanie Hecht
A wicked Caress(A)	Stephanie Hecht
Ruthless Pursuit(A)	Stephanie Hecht
A Tempting Distraction(B)	Stephanie Hecht
Catch of the Day(A)	Lily Sawyer
Blazed(91)	Amber Kallyn
Inestimable Blessings(A)	Amanda Young
Can't Bear It(35)	Celia Kyle
Shifting Winds(60)	Lex Valentine
Unconventional Love(29)	Aeryn Traxx
Not Seeing Is Believing(36)	TA Chase
Hunk of Coal(56)	Cassandra Moore
Unexpected Mate(A)	Toni Griffin
Determined Mate(A)	Toni Griffin
Extinction(A)	Carol Lynne
Retribution(A)	Carol Lynne
Evolution(A)	Carol Lynne
Resolution(A)	Carol Lynne
Were Lost(75)	Aeryn Traxx
In A Wolf's Eyes(47)	Cassandra Gold
With Love(94)	JL Langley
Without Reservations( C )	JL Langley
With Caution( C )	JL Langley
With Abandon(B)	JL Langley
Attracting Anthony(83)	Amber Kell
Baiting Ben(80)	Amber Kell
Courting Calvin(85)	Amber Kell

And the key for the stuff in parentheses after the title-
actual number if under 100 pages
A=100-149 pages
B=150-199 pages
C=300-299 pages

How did you do with your reading this month?

Wednesday WOW

I know. I got behind. Well, here's my apology. Hope you like.

My February Reads

I guess I was a little bored at night during the month. Here is a list of all the books I read in the shortest month of the year.

These are the ebooks I read:(If they were under 50 pages I didn't use them for challenges)

Finding Magic	Kate Douglas
Chasing Dragons	Kate Douglas
Crysalis(17)	Belinda McBride
Mad at the Moon(28)	Belinda McBride
Blaque/Bleu	Belinda McBride
Lust & Fae	Joyee Flynn
Lust & Vamp	Joyee Flynn
Feral Cravings(45)	Jenika Snow
Faire Justice(42)	Michelle M. Pillow
Feral Heat	Elizabeth Black
Fierce Heat(44)	Celia Kyle & Lizzie Lyn Lee
Savage Retribution	Lexxie Couper
Black Cat Fever	Desiree Holt
Furry Endeavors(43)	Christina J. Loren
How Not To Date A Fae	Stephanie Burke
Scared of Spiders	Eve Langlais
Sex & Chocolate: Seducing Destiny	Anne Kane
Solstice Heat	Leila Brown
Ranch Hands	S.L. Danielson
Storm in the City(42)	S. Michael
Kiss and Kin	Kinsey W. Holley
Yours, Mine & Howls:The Nanny Years	Kinsey W. Holley
Yours, Mine and Howls	Kinsey W. Holley
Mariah, the Christmas Moose(45)	Andrew Grey
One Stormy Night(43)	Paige Warren
Secret Santa(34)	Deanna Wadsworth
Bound for Christmas(25)	S. Michael
Gatos(5-in-1 collection)	Lia Conner
Shifting Sands	Kiernan Kelly
Mark of Cain	Kiernan Kelly
Uncaged	Kiernan Kelly
Jaguar Mate	SA Welsh
Full Moon Mating	Stormy Glenn
Just A Taste of Me	Stormy Glenn
Man To Man	Stormy Glenn
Blood Prince	Stormy Glenn
Love, Always, Promise	Stormy Glenn
Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf	Stormy Glenn

And here's the print books I read:

Master of Smoke	Angela Knight
Miss Congeniality	Shelly Laurenston
Pack Challenge	Shelly Laurenston
Go Fetch!	Shelly Laurenston
Here Kitty, Kitty	Shelly Laurenston
The Mane Event	Shelly Laurenston
The Beast In Him	Shelly Laurenston
The Mane Attraction	Shelly Laurenston
The Mane Squeeze	Shelly Laurenston
Beast Behaving Badly	Shelly Laurenston
Atlantis Rising	Alyssa Day
Wild Hearts In Atlantis	Alyssa Day

Thursday Recipe

With today being

National Chocolate Cake Day

I thought I’d get a little more elaborate this time for the recipe post. I’m including facts about cake, chocolate and the day that I got from various places.

Today is...National Chocolate Cake Day!

Cake has been around since the discovery of flour thousands of years ago. Since these ancient times, a variety of cake recipes have emerged throughout the world.

In Medieval England, cakes were flour-based sweet foods described as breads. The words bread and cake were actually interchangeable for sometime among Neolithic villages. In Greece, cakes were heavy and flat and were called "plakous." During the Roman period, cakes were primarily used as an offering to their gods. These types of cakes were also more like a cheesecake or pastry.

Today, cakes, breads, and pastries have all differentiated themselves and each are now in their own baked good categories. Within the cake category of baked goods there are a wide array of sizes, shapes, and flavors of cake. The most popular type of cake though is chocolate. From German, dark, white, and black forest, to even chocolate beer cake, it's difficult to pick just one type of chocolate cake to enjoy.

Celebrate National Chocolate Cake Day by heading to your local bakery or whipping up a chocolate cake in your kitchen. Then enjoy a piece with a nice tall glass of milk. Yum!

And another one.

Chocolate Cake Day

When : Always January 27th

Chocolate Cake Day is a a chocolate lovers delight, and a day to eat cake. Why this a day to "bake your chocolate cake....and eat it, too!"

On this day, a white or yellow cake will not do. Nor, will part chocolate, part white suffice. It must be chocolate, all chocolate. You can make milk chocolate, dark chocolate, fudge, or any other type of chocolate cake.

This day is for you, and all chocolate lovers.

There are three objectives of Chocolate Cake Day: To bake a chocolate cake. To decorate a chocolate cake. And, to eat a chocolate cake. Of course, if you are to busy to bake or decorate a cake, then just eating a chocolate cake will certainly do!

Origin of Chocolate Cake Day:

Our extensive research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day. Perhaps, it was baker. Perhaps, it was a food company. Most likely, it was a chocolate cake...eater!

And I got this from a friend on a Yahoo group.

Useless, yet interesting, Facts

(about chocolate)

 The First Chocolate Bars
The first time chocolate was made into a solid, edible food is believed to be in Mexico sometime in the 1700's. Later, two British companies, Cadbury, and Fry and Sons began to make edible chocolate in the 1840's. 

Choose the Best-Tasting Chocolate Bar
The best-tasting chocolate bar looks shiny and even. It should only smell like chocolate too. Grab a corner of the bar and bend it. A piece should snap off cleanly with few crumbs. It should feel creamy and rich, and melt in your mouth too. 

The Shelf Life of Chocolate
An interesting fact about chocolate is that the shelf life of a chocolate bar is approximately one year. You can place it in a freezer and keep it practically forever, but dark chocolate will turn whitish in color on the outside.

The First Box of Valentine's Day Chocolate
It's no surprise that Richard Cadbury came up with the idea for the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in the year 1861. Seven years later, John Cadbury began mass producing them, and, of course, several companies produce them today. 

Research

An interesting fact about chocolate is that, after much research, it's since been found to contain healthy antioxidants. These can help lower the incidence of getting cancer and heart disease. Eating chocolate can also lower your LDL cholesterol and add beneficial iron and magnesium to your body! 

Chocolate Can Make You Feel Good!
Chocolate contains a chemical known as phenylethylamine. The phenylethylamine, in addition to the sugar, fat and caffeine that's found in chocolate has been shown to release serotonin and endorphins- two known chemicals that make us feel happy!

*********

And now for a couple of recipes.

Not sure where this one originally came from or the original name of the recipe. I’ve seen it talked about for a while now and finally got my hands on a copy of the recipe.

Coffee Mug Chocolate Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (opt.)(I used 2 Tbsp. chopped nuts instead)
A small splash of vanilla extract(I’m going to try it with mint extract next time)
1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts or high.
The cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

It doesn’t take long to mix up and cooked well. Here’s my finished cake.

And here’s the second recipe. I’ve had this one for a loooong time. I originally got this from a Home Ec class back in the seventh grade. Obviously it has stood the test of time if I still have it and use it 30 years later.

Snack Cake

1 & 2/3 c. flour                               1 c. water

1 c. packed brown sugar                  1/3 c. oil

1/4 c. cocoa                                    1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. baking soda                           1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt                                  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first five items in bowl. Stir in the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour into ungreased 8x8 pan. Bake 35-40 min or til toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Dust with powered sugar or use frosting, if desired, before serving.

I usually double this and cook it in a 9x13 pan. With kids in the house that is the only way I can get my fair share of it.

Hope you enjoy one or both of these delicious cakes.

You may notice some changes

Not that many of you have been here much.

I've been experimenting with the look of the blog, mainly in the different text options.

And I've added a couple of pages(see tabs above).

I'll be working on those pages for the next few days. Signing up for challenges I want to participate in and refining the info for the challenge I'm hosting.

Thursday Recipe(I'll come up with something more catchy later)

I plan on this being a regular Thursday feature. And I know this may not be Thursady for some of you anymore, but I'm on the west coast so it still is for me. I'm not really late yet.
On recipe day I will post either a well loved recipe, or one that I have made within the last few days, or maybe even both.
Today, I'm sharing a recipe that I like and the family devours.

MIX-IN-THE-PAN CARROT CAKE

1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. shredded carrot
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla

In a 8 or 9 inch square pan, mix first six ingredients with fork. Add carrots, eggs, oil, water and vanilla. Mix briskly with fork til thoroughly blended. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack. Use your favorite cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar before cutting into pieces and serving, if desired.

*Can be doubled and made in a 9X13 inch pan. Just increase baking time by 5 to 10 minutes. (This is what I do, otherwise is disappears too fast.)

Hope you guys enjoy the recipe and in the future I hope to be more organized and be able to include a picture of the finished product to go with the recipes(and post a little earlier in the day).

It's a new year. Time for something new.

Here it is. I finally did it. Fulfilled one of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Creating my own blog has been on that list for the last couple years and this year I finally did it. Since I am not very tech savy like some people I know, this is still a work in progress and there will be changes to the blog as I learn what I’m doing. Heck, I’m not even sure how to add pictures to my posts. So far some work, some don’t.

As the name of my blog says, I’ll be talking about books, crafts, and occasionally other things. The other things will mostly be recipes, at least at first.

Now that I’ve created the blog I have to populate it. I have several reading challenges that I’m considering for this new year. I’ll be spending this weekend figuring out which ones to actually participate in.

Hope everyone who visits enjoys me efforts here.