Castle in the Clouds

I thought I'd share with you the first ten songs my Amazon player picks when I tell it to surprise me with random picks.

Today as I was browsing Facebook I was admiring one of my (much younger) cousin's lucky find at a church rummage sale: a beautiful artificial Christmas tree she got for free.  While she put it together, she mentioned that she had been watching her favorite Christmas movie.  I'd have to agree with her: this seems like the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit to me.  Putting up your tree, whether it's artificial or dropping sap and pine needles, with a Christmas movie playing in the background helps create a little holiday ambiance. I love Christmas movies.  As we will be putting up our tree this weekend after a visit to the tree farm, I thought about the movies I have quick and easy access to in my DVD cupboard.  There are quite a few, and not all of them are enjoyed by the entire family.   My kids recently added this one to our DVR and we've already watched it.  I'm thinking that automatically disqualifies if from consideration, but ...

This was a first, but hopefully not a last. My sisters, niece, and I had a Girls Night Out this last Saturday. What made this particular outing unique was that it included my niece, who is only 8 years old. (Or is she 9 now? I should know this, right?) This meant our Girls Night Out was alcohol-free. Instead of drinking and dancing, which is usually what happens when us girls get together, we were singing and dancing without the benefit of any alcohol-enhanced rhythm.  Just to be clear, though, the lack of adult beverages didn't lessen the pleasure of the event. Sugarland put on a great show. The stage looked amazing and rather steampunky. These pictures, taken with my sister's cell phone, don't really do the set any justice.  As the title of tour - The Incredible Machine - suggests, it incorporated gears, keys, and other bits and pieces of machinery.  In fact, I wish our pavilion seats would have been closer to the stage so we could have gotten a better look....

We made plans back in July. We picked a weekend, then picked another when schedules began to conflict. Finally, we managed to coordinate our calendars and a date was made. They drove "down State" to spend the weekend with Grandma, just a few short miles from my house. Committed to the weekend, we could only watch the weather forecast and hope for the best. Of course, being Michigan, the weekend had little sunshine to offer. Determined to brave the elements - and hoping the rain would hold off until early evening as the weatherman promised - we donned our outfits and hit the expressway. We took some pictures in the "parking lot" and then headed toward the ticket gates. We were about halfway there when the first sprinkles appeared. Hoping the sprinkles would be the worst of it, we continued on. The sprinkles heralded the rain. Still, we had paid our money and looked the part, so we were determined to make the most of the situation. We shopped. We ate. We shop...

I write like Stephen King I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software . Analyze your writing! If only the agents I've been querying would agree! Of course, they'd totally have to let go of the whole "horror writer" thing and settle for a paranormal romance writer/fantasy writer instead. But still. Stephen King. I could get used to his level of success. Now, because I figure you have nothing better to do, go get your writing analyzed !

Okay, so I have a story to tell you, but I really want the visual aids. Although, I may change my mind after I actually have a chance to look at the pictures. We'll see. So, in the interest of giving my readers something to read, here's a meme. As an English major, I'm thinking I should have better answers, but whatever. 1) What author do you own the most books by? Anne McCaffery, Johanna Linsdsey, Dean Koontz, Melanie Rawn, Terry Goodkind, Nora Roberts, and Jacqueline Carey. 2) What book do you own the most copies of? The dictionary. 3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? Only a little. 4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with? Collan from Rawn's Exiles or James Mallory from Lindsey's Mallory family series. 5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)? Oh, my. I tend to re-read a lot of books. Let's see...I guess...

I first watched this YouTube video on Paperback Writer's blog. Just had to share!

Not sure which gift I love more: the PS3 from last year or the laptop computer from this Christmas. It's a mighty close race. Hubby did good with both. And, because I really don't have any writing related news to share, I thought I'd give you the top five reasons why I love that little piece of insanely-priced equipment. Reason #5. Media Center. It's not an exclusive capability to the PlayStation 3 platform, but it's a nice little perk. Of course, since I only have the 60K version (I think), I'm worried about filling up the harddrive space, so I try to limit my uploads. Right now, the majority of the pictures and music are meant to be enjoyed during the holiday season. The Christmases Past slideshow gets me in the heart every time. My, how my kiddos have grown! Reason #4 NetFlix Instant Queue on demand. While the movies aren't the newest, there's enough variety there to provide hours and hours and hours of entertainment. All I have to do is in...

Which expensive electronic device do you most often let your older children abuse or your baby drool on? The kids aren't allowed to abuse anything I consider "mine". I'm a bit selfish that way. However, in my defense, my boys are incredibly spoiled and have expensive electronics of their own that they most definitely abuse; namely, their Nintendo DSs and games. How many take-out restaurant numbers do you have programmed into your phone? I used to have the pizza place down the road from our house pre-programmed but that was three or four phones ago. So, in truth, none! How many hours of television do you so totally not let your kids watch a week? Well, they sleep and go to school. So, if we add those hours together, I'd say they get about an 17 or 18 hour break from television. Of course, if we're talking weekends, I'd say they get more time in front of the television than I do. Do you think people who say “we don’t watch television” at play dates bu...

Coordinating schedules is never easy, but somehow we managed it. Me, my sisters, one of my sisters-in-law, and my best friend found babysitters, change in the bottom of our purses, and a couple hours in which we could indulge in some vampire and werewolf make-believe. The movie was pretty much what I expected it to be. After all, I've read the books. I know I can't stand Bella. And Edward is only slightly more tolerable. Jacob, though, is a different matter entirely. Of all the characters in Meyers' world, Jacob is by far the most well-developed, complex personality. In some ways, I feel like Meyers really told his story and not Bella's, she just didn't know it. The resolution of his story arc was the only thing I found redeeming in the entire series. Okay, so I'm definitely "Team Jacob". It's my prerogative. The movie certainly didn't change my mind. I found the special effects wonderful. The transformation from human to werewolf...

1. Put your iTunes/Mp3 Player on shuffle. 2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. 3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS! 4. Tag 10 friends who might enjoy doing this. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL? Maneater - Nelly Fertado HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY? My Love - Justin Timberlake WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE? Chestnuts Roading on an Open Fire - Nat King Cole WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? Rollin' – Big & Rich WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU? If I Had - Eminem WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN? Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses WHAT IS 2+2? Drips - Eminem WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND? Celebration - Kanye West WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE? I Want You - Bon Jovi WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY? Shake That - Eminem WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? Rap Superstar - Eminem WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE? Maru's boychild - Thijs Van Lerr WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU? Boom - P.O...

Look! I've been nominated! How sweet is that? Many thanks to Zoe from Le Chateau de Chiffon .

What? It's not healthy? Might lead to impaired hearing in the near future? Too late! Already there! Here's just a small sampling of why (imagine me in that crowd, screaming my fool head off). Nickelback - BURN IT TO THE GROUND from Nickelback on Vimeo .

I love the fact that I'm not taking classes this fall semester. Knowing that I'm going to have a few more months to enjoy my favorite pastimes is so very, very sweet. While on vacation I managed to sneak in quite a few books in between our touristy moments. I read romance novels (2), historical fiction (1), and science fiction (1), and fantasy (1). Yes, five books in two weeks. And it was glorious! Right now I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitud e by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I've tried reading this book before but only managed to make it about halfway through. I blamed my lack of progress on school last time. We'll see if that was true now that I don't have that particular excuse to pull out of my magic hat of excuses. This book is challenging not because of it's content, but because the author used character names that are easily confused. Of course, this isn't the only thing I'm reading right now. Remember that Writers' Conference I ...

Of work, that is! Tonight I'm going to go running (two to three miles depending on my knee) and then I'm going home to do some major laundry. I want to have everything caught up before we leave. This means I might just have the hubby take the little man to his baseball practices so I can stay home and get things done. Funny enough, I may have to break out the Fall/Winter apparel! While the forecast calls for moderately warm weather during the days, the nights are looking like they might be on the chilly side of summer. You know, sweatshirts, long sleeved tees, or jacket chilly. Not exactly snow boots and winter parka temperatures, but still cold enough to make you scoot a bit closer to the bonfire. And, oh, yes, there will be bonfires! And 'smores. And fishing. And reading. And writing. And day trips. And time with just the hubby and the kids. It's going to be fabulous! So, if you don't hear from me much, don't worry. I'm not dead. I'm off ...

Not sure if mentioned this in an earlier post or not. I might have. I might not have. If I weren't so lazy, I'd read through the last couple of entries to find out for sure. In any event, Ken and I will be playing in a slow-pitch softball tournament this weekend with a bunch of my family members. My brothers, sisters-in-law, cousins and their spouses, as well as a couple of family friends, all agreed to play. Many of us are creeping up on middle-age (I refuse to believe we're already there!) and the exercise has proven painful. We've got sore body parts everywhere and we've only had three practices! Of course, you know me. I had to take the camera to at least one of those practices. Here's some random shots of us hobbling around the field...

Jody at MCP Actions is going to be awarding one lucky person an amazing lens from Tamron USA. Go here to find out more: Contest! .

It's amazing how fast a three day weekend can disappear. I feel as if I hardly had a moment to sit down and relax. Maybe that's because I didn't. Not until the evening bonfire that is. I guess that's one of the joys of camping with friends and family over a holiday weekend. There's always something to do or somewhere to be! We camped at a nearby reservoir, which is always a lot of fun. The hubby and his best friend took the boys fishing. Later, after the weather decided to cooperate, there was tubing and swimming to be done. While there's a nice public beach within walking distance of the campground, we always try to snag one of the little sandy coves along the shoreline. The privacy is nice, but even better is the fact that you can drive the boat close to shore. The only downside is the dramatic drop-off that usually comes a few feet away from the beach. Drop-offs make mommies nervous. In addition to the fishing and tubing, there were a couple of pok...