My husband's gift (and Book Blurb Friday)

As you know, my husband's birthday was last week, and the inevitable question was, "What do I get him?" He deperately needed a new cell phone, so when I found a free Droid Global with a package upgrade, I jumped. This was to be the perfect gift because I knew he had been looking at this phone, and I planned to unveil it on his birthday. There was just one problem-as soon as the phone arrived, he immediately lost service in his old phone. I mean he couldn't call out or receive calls, and although I hadn't activated his new cell phone yet, Verizon was acting as if I had.

So...my husband got his new phone three weeks before his birthday, and I had a new question, "Should I get him something else?" My husband hinted that since the phone was "free" I should get him another gift, and he knew just what I should get-a Wii fighter pilot game he had seen in Gamestop. Off I went to get this game, (although I told him he had his present already). So, my question was anwered, right? Wrong!

My new question went something like this, "What kind of surprise is a gift you are told to get, and one that really didn't cost much money?" I was stuck again-what could I get him? I can't remember when the idea popped into my head, but a few days later I was scouring the Internet and calling to set up his very special present-one I knew he would either love or hate...

See, my husband has always said that when we retire, he wants to sell our home (note: I never said I agreed with any of this), buy a Catamaran Sailboat, and we will sail the world. The thing is, he has never been on a sailboat, and doesn't know how to sail, so I thought I would get him started. This weekend he will be on the bay learning some of the basics-I enrolled him in an introductory sailing class, and after some initial hesitation, he is really starting to get excited. (He got his gloves to protect his hands from the ropes, and although he wanted a captain's hat, if all of us call him captain he said that would suffice...) I really hope he enjoys himself.

And now it's time for:

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:

Before It's Too Late

Dr. Elana Stark was a pioneer in her field, studying the effects of the environment on the body’s cells and primary organs. Her lab developed a drug to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but any attempts at reversing the damage came up short, and investors want to pull the plug on this new project.

Just as things looked their worst, Elana receives a strange letter from a witch doctor in far off Tristan Da Cunha. He has the answers she is looking for, and he will share them….for a price. He claims that the leaves of a well-known plant, known to locales as the Chimgum, could turn back time, and he had data to prove it.

Intrigued despite some initial misgivings, Elana flies to the island to meet the man, and soon she will know if this is a fountain of youth, or a horror in disguise. (148 words)

Well, I'm surprised by what I came up with, and the hardest part was coming up with a title-nothing new for me... I can't wait to see what everyone else wrote!
*Note: By the way, the island I mentioned is a real place and is somewhere far off the African coast. I learned a little geography this evening :)

More rain than the plain in Spain (and Book Blurb Friday!)

It's funny, but I really can't remember when it first started raining, but I can tell you that it's raining still, although not the buckets of water we were getting the last few days! Now it's more of a "too little to put an umbrella up but too much not to drag one along" kind of rain, but the damage around our community was almost unbelievable. Buses couldn't get through on certain roads because of the flooding, so the kids and I were sent home early from school Tuesday, and today most schools closed due to rising waters and lack of streets-yes, no streets! I have lived here for 20 years, and I can honestly say I never saw anything like it! Here are some images from one street over from us:

 

You know, you never question the power of nature after seeing scenes like this. Thankfully the weather forecast is isn't as bleak and rain isn't part of the picture! I'm so glad it's:

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:



An Angel Draws Near

Carlos was new to the neighborhood-he didn’t know the Young Lords’ turf covered the areas between La Masada and La Salle Streets. He didn’t know people in his neighborhood went out of their way to avoid these streets because entering this gang’s territory meant trouble. He didn’t know until he innocently crossed the street and came face to face with the gang’s leader, a day he will regret for the rest of his life.

Carlos doesn’t walk but runs in the streets of Miami now, always looking over his shoulder, always worried about another fight. The gang wants him to pay dearly for his carelessness, but there seems no end in sight. That is until a piece of angel graffiti starts showing up in the oddest places, always where Carlos chooses to hide from his attackers, and always offering advice. And when Carlos follows that advice, things begin to happen… (150 on the dot!)

Well, I hope you are all well (and dry!), and I can't wait to read your blurbs. (I had a hard time with mine at first.)

A little bit of this and that (and Book Blurb Friday!)

My mind and life is so jumbled lately, but I thought I would reveal a couple highlights, and they revolve around my son.

• My son has developed a habit I am desperately hoping to break him of-everything that pops into his head comes out his mouth, and I mean everything! I admit that some of what he says is downright funny, and my husband and I have shared moments where we laughed like crazy at something he said (when he is not within earshot of course.) But no amount of, "Listen to what you say in your head before letting it come out your mouth," seems to be working. The other morning I did a quick blow dry prior to my usual straightening when my son walked into the bathroom. Our conversation is as follows:

My son: Woa, mom! What's with your hair?
Me: I haven't straightened it yet. He stood there very quietly for a couple minutes watching me brush my hair before I tackled the unruly mess with the straightener.
My son: You know something mom?
Me: No, what?
My son: If your nose was a little more pointy, and you were wearing a pointy black hat...
My son was comparing me to a witch for crying out loud! I wouldn't let him utter the rest and once again reminded him about thinking things through first. Now I admit, my hair was sort of witchy-looking, and it is kind of funny now, but he has said very blunt and hurtful things to his sister lately, so the sooner he gets a handle on this, the happier everyone will be.

• My son decided at the end of last Spring that he didn't like soccer much anymore and really who could blame him-all that endless running up and down the field in games where goals were made, but no one officially kept score. His latest passion? Baseball. Something clicked in the boy after my husband bought him his first aluminum bat, and now all he wants to do in the evenings is batting practice. The problem with this is that he wants the most non-athletic person in our family-yours truly-to pitch to him when his dad works late.
  
  Well, since hubby has been working a lot of evenings lately, little old me has been trying my best to pitch to my budding baseball star. We started using tennis balls for practice because I have lobbed the poor kid more times than I care to admit, and I've blamed it on everything from the sun's in my eyes to it's getting too dark to see, but the fact is, I don't know where the ball is going once it leaves my hand! You would think my son would wise up and just wait until daddy can practice with him, but he doesn't.
  
  Sometimes we're in stitches over one of my wild throws, but I do see some improvement to my form-he is hitting more and more of what I throw him. And even though I still have that moment of dread when he asks me to play, when I'm old and gray I know I will look back on this and smile-I'm hoping he does too...
  

I'm so glad it's time for:

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:


The Moment of Truth

Alana Anderson had always been ordinary. She came from a working class family in a poorer section of town, worked her way through school only to land a mediocre job in finance, but she was just hours from marrying His Royal Highness, the Prince of Dunbar.

Things started out simple enough-a case of mistaken identity brought Alana face to face with the Prince on a daily basis, but slowly things started spiraling out of control. As time went by, it became harder and harder for her to break free from what had once been an innocent charade, but she decided she didn’t want to live a lie anymore.

But someone else knew Alana’s secret, and he threatened that if she ever revealed her true identity, her prince would pay with his life. (132 words)

This is way under my usual word counts, but I'm out of practice-I really regret missing last Friday, but I was just so tired... Hope to stop by and read all of yours tomorrow!

Smithsonian Museum Reviews (and Book Blurb Friday!)

In my last post I talked about recently visiting Washington D.C. with my family, but what is there to do when you get there? All 19 Smithsonian museums and all the monuments are free to the public, so some should be on your "must see" list. Now we weren't able to see the entire spread (some we didn't have an interest in, and there is no way I would even try to tackle the lot of them in three days anyway), but I thought I would give you my oppionion of what we did see anyway. One good thing is that most of the Smithsonian Museums are located in one long strip called the National Mall, so you could do two at different times (which we did) in the same day if you wanted...

Now I did search online for the best museums to visit if you have kids, but I have to disagree with some of these web site's recommendations. First and foremost on our list was the National Zoo. Our kids love the zoo, as do I, and we decided that since it was only 4 1/2 miles away from our hotel (the National Zoo is located outside of D.C.), it was the perfect spot for day one of our visit. The plan was to visit the zoo and then check into our hotel when we were through. Unfortuately, the zoo is a popular place during the summer, and getting there an hour and a half after it opened wasn't quite early enough. There were no more parking spots available, and the only thing we could do was head straight for the hotel.

We were able to check in early, and after a good lunch, we got our feet wet using the metro to get to the zoo. (That 4 1/2 miles took us over half an hour by car in very heavy traffic, but only 5 minutes by rail. Plus, we found out that the "free" zoo charges $15 for three hour parking, and $20 for more than three hours.  It only cost us almost $15 to take the metro-round trip during the peak period for all four of us, so even though we had a hike uphill a couple blocks to the main entrance, we sort of came out even...)

The good: it's relatively shady and that's good for some of the hot, humid weather D.C. is known for (and speaking of heat, there are several water sprayers to cool you down, and my kids certainly took advantage of this); many animals are in outdoor habitats; and the number one reason is to see the pandas.

The bad: If you are going by metro, it's a hike all uphill, so if you don't think your legs can take this and a walk around the zoo, go for the parking but get there early; the indoor (meaning air conditioned exhibits)get crowded-this is where you will notice just how many people are there the same time you are; eating in and around the zoo, just like everywhere else in D.C. is not cheap; now while I thought the zoo was big, I don't think it can compare to the likes of places like the Pittsburgh Zoo which covers a lot more ground. Was it worth it? We thought so, and you should give yourself at least 3 hours to see all the animals.

Next on our list was the Natural History Museum, and for the most part it didn't disappoint. There are two levels with various wings showcasing the likes of dinosaurs, prehistoric man and animals, rocks and minerals (showcasing the famous Hope Diamond necklace worn originally by Marie Antoinette), and many other displays. There are areas where you can sit and watch an informational movie about the specific area you are in (hint: a chance to sit down!), you can watch as archaeologists chip away at fossils, and there are various interactive exhibits.

One of our favorites was the Meanderthall Man where you sat, lined up your face with an image on a screen, took a picture, then combined your face with a face of a prehistoric man or woman from different periods. You can then e-mail that picture to yourself. (If you have a scan app on your smart phone, you scan the app into your phone, change your face with a picture you then take with your phone, and keep or rejet the results. We did both!) 
The good: So much to see that you really need to be selective; interactive exhibits; large enough spaces for groups of people to move around; the interactive butterfly lab where you can go into a room and be surrounded by different species of butterflies (this was good and bad-the bad was that it cost extra: I think it was $5 per kid and $7 per adult, but you could stay in the room as long as you liked, and they were beautiful...);and of course there was that "coolness" factor for the place.

The bad: The museum offers many imax movies on different topics at an extra cost (we decided against them); the "natural" is the focus (mainly prehistoric, so nothing related to times of kings and queens-somewhat disappointing for me); the interactive areas did get crowded, so don't plan on hurrying through this museum; we could never find the escalator or elevators even after following signs pointing the way-we hiked up the stairs instead; and their was just one small mummy in an incomplete exhibit marked for Egypt (it doesn't open until November.) Was it worth it? You bet, and I believe it tied with the zoo for favorite sight seeing spot.

I will highlight the National Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American History, and the monuments we saw later in the week. Right now it's time for

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:



Alive for Now...

Anna hated the cold, and she was sick of Deadwood, South Dakota, and all the snow locals ramble through on a daily basis without complaint. It was the end of March for crying out loud-she should be wearing cute little outfits, enjoying spring flowers, and suffering through allergies like everybody else back home, but according to the FBI, this was her new home.

Anna’s parents died in a horrific car accident that still has law enforcement shaking their heads. They were the prosecutor’s star witnesses in the trial of the Big Tuna himself, notorious mob boss Tony Accardo, and though Anna’s parents never told her about the case, the mob didn’t know that, and the FBI decided relocation would keep her safe.

But would it? An unknown car nearly missed her as she went for the mail. A coincidence, or is someone making sure Anna’s never heard from again? (149 words, and Deadwood is a real place, and The Big Tuna, Tony Accado, was an actual mob boss in Chicago... I got lazy-LOL!)

I can't wait to see what everyone else wrote!

Camping pictures (and Book Blurb Friday!)

As promised, here are a few pictures of the family camping trip (minus one of course...)

Here is night number one-notice how differently my son and daughter sleep!



A picturesque setting...

 

Daddy does the cooking (and the kids said he did great.) Hmm...



The last day there it poured off and on all day, but no leaks!

Does this get you yearning for the great outdoors? For some of you (like me) probably not-LOL!

Well, at least I have:

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:


The Man They all Forgot

Madison had been married to Asher less than a year when she began to see signs that something wasn’t right. Instead of growing closer, they were growing apart-her husband stayed late at the office, took strange phone calls at all hours, and when she questioned him, he accused her of not trusting him anymore.

Madison felt like she was living with a stranger, and she was ready to call it quits when Asher convinced her to wait. After his business trip in Rome, he would explain everything, but that day never came, and it was if he never existed-his coworkers acted like they never knew him, the airline had no record of his getting on or off the plane, and his parents they said he died years ago.

Madison would now study the past year, searching for clues, anything that might help her find the man they all forgot… (149 words-cutting it close!)

I thought I would have a hard time with this week's picture, but the words just flew on the page. I had to do some major cutting to get it under the 150 word limit though. I can't wait to see what everyone else did!

Camping dropout (and Book Blurb Friday!)

The kids went camping-I did not. In fact, half of my husband's family is camping alongside them-I am not. Let's just say I am not a big fan for many reasons, one of them being that I've been there, done that. My childhood vacations were spent cooped up in tents, then in campers and trailers of various sizes with my mother, father, and three sisters (and sometimes a cat or dog!) You don't really know your family until you've spent a week with them in such a small space, and it isn't pretty... My dad often asks if I remember that time we went to Yellow Stone National Park, or Rehobeth Beach, and all I remember is a hot truck ride (no air conditioning my friends) and fighting with my sisters for SPACE.

And my other reasons? No escape from the heat, the bugs, the dirt, and then there's all the work to set up camp, and the lack of SPACE (yes, I know I said it already, but it needs repeating.) So here I sit, more than a little teary eyed after wishing my family goodnight via a cell phone call (my daughter texted me half the day!), and I keep reminding myself of all the negative so that I can pull through this okay. Are any of you campers?

So I am doubly glad for:

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:



The Water Takers

Darby watched the rain just as she did the day they forgot her, but they were coming back-she could feel it, and the bizarre weather patterns were her proof. Not only was the little town of Bridgewater, Main, the only town getting rain, it was getting close to the yearly rainfall for the entire state.

She remembered how the ships hover out of sight, heating nearby oceans so that massive amounts of precipitation falls, water they desperately need on their dying planet. They are Humanoid in nature, resembling Earthlings the most as children, easily adoptable, at least that’s what they thought…. So the young serve as water takers, in case something goes wrong.

And things went terribly wrong years ago, and Darby now lives with an alien species, in a government scientist’s home. But this isn’t her home, and she needs to make it back somehow. (146 words not including the title.)

This is sort of funny. I was reading Lisa's previous post about allowing her muse to lead her, and the direction this took is way off the deep end for me. I looked at this picture earlier today and couldn't get an idea, and when I started writing this evening I thought I was heading to the horror realm (another first for me) but thankfully sci-fi extreme took hold. I can't wait to see what you all wrote!

20 years and still going (and Book Blurb Friday!)

I know I said I was going to post reviews of some good summer flicks, but yesterday my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage, and I thought that cancelled everything else out. In fact, if you want to get technical, I have known my husband 24 years now-we were friends for two years in college, then dated, got engaged, and were married two years after that. My husband remarked at dinner that soon we will have lived with each other longer than we did with our families. Interesting...

Anyway, we both decided that since we were doing a lot of work on the house (replaced a patio door, about to tear out and replace our living room carpet and remove wallpaper to paint), and since we have two small trips planned(my husband is taking the kids camping, and we are all going to Washington DC)presents this year weren't necessary. We were just going to go out to dinner.

Well I, also now known as super idiot, at least went along with the "no-gift" plan-my husband didn't. He has heard me talk off and on about maybe getting a plain gold wedding band to wear when I don't want to wear my engagement ring/wedding band wrap combination. I have started taking them off when I'm at home because I don't want to lose a stone. (My wedding band wrap has two rubies and I have already had it to the jeweler to reinsert one of the stones-I'm afraid I won't know one has fallen out next time...)We were enjoying dinner when my husband asked for the time and when I turned back, a ring box was sitting in front of me-I now have my wedding band!

I'm also glad it's

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story


What Her Eyes Have Seen

The three-alarm blaze totaled the charismatic cottage, and the all-American image of the Lawrence family went up in smoke. Neighbors were stunned to learn the blaze was no accident, and firefighters claimed a member of the Lawrence family, daughter Tara, was the likely culprit.

Police found Tara huddled in a blanket in the families’ backyard, but when they questioned her, she spoke not a word. Neighbors described the girl as an underachiever compared to her family –the mother, a former Rhodes Scholar and lawyer, her father a neurologist, and her brothers both honor students and great athletes.

Authorities say Tara finally cracked under pressure and killed her family, but social worker Monica Perry believes differently. She feels the pain of what really happened in that house has led to the girl’s silence, and she hopes to reveal just what Tara saw. (141 words)

This is a little dark even for me, and at first I was leaning towards the super natural side, but I never got there. I am very curious to see (lol, couldn't resist) what everyone else did!

HOT! (And Book Blurb Friday!)

Most of you probably don't need to be told how hot it is where I am, and that's probably because it is just as hot where you are, but I'm going to tell you any way. Today it was 93 at 11:00 AM, and 100 by 1:30 PM, and that was in the shade and on grass! (Do you feel hotter already? My mother always said that she grew hotter if she knew the actual temperature, and I think she's right!)

So, even though I detest the whole process (lathering the kids down with sunscreen, packing all the necessities for the pool, piling in the car, arriving at the pool, getting abused by kids in said pool, coming back home, then dealing with all the wet necessities and showers), this is exactly what we have been doing almost five days straight. We took only one day off to do grocery shopping and errands...  Are things as hot your way?

Oh well-summer goes by quickly so I better not complain. I'm just glad it's

Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover. It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge? Here is this week's picture and my story:

What the Statue Told Her
Aubrey began working on her family tree when she was in grade school, but after her parent’s sudden disappearance when she was 12, her once passing interest became a serious pursuit. Some thought it a bit strange for a young girl to be digging about in the past, trying to locate estranged family members. Authorities believed her parents were dead, but Aubrey believed differently, thinking that somebody knew something.

The largest piece of the puzzle came to Aubrey in the form of a note that read, “The girl will tell you,” and it lead straight to Shady Oaks Cemetery. Friends warned it was a cruel joke, but Aubrey went looking for the “girl” anyway.

She now stood facing a statue resembling her in every way, and as she stared, a tear slowly rolled down the marble face, and a voice in Aubrey's head started to speak… (146 words)

As usual, I don't like my title very much. Do the rest of you struggle with your titles too? I can't wait to see what everyone wrote!

Nothing better than chocolate (and Book Blurb Friday!)

Tonight has been a trying evening-first we were made to sit and wait for someone from Lowes to come out and measure for a replacement sliding glass door (I just don't get the 2 hour window that repairmen give when they make an appointment to come out to the house), and since I gave my son a "trim" back before school let out, the plan was to do another tonight. Let's just say that I will pay any amount of money to have someone else do this next time! I still don't know why he was making such a fuss, but the end result was an angry mom and dad, a pouting kid, an early bed time, and a dose of chocolate for me! (Chocolate always cures, but just for the record, I think I did even better than I did the last time, but still, never again...)

I'm glad it's

 Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover.  It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge?  Here is this week's picture and my story:

So the Story Goes
The dilapidated old house was left to Deborah in the will, and though Deborah’s husband had been in the attic earlier declaring it unfit for man or beast, she had to see for herself.

Deborah’s husband was right in some aspects-the thick layer of dust and cobwebs indicated years of neglect, and trash was scattered amid the boxes on the rotted wooden floorboards. But as she started rummaging through the bits and pieces of her grandmother’s life, she came across a rusted typewriter and a box filled with what looked like the makings of a novel.

Curiosity more than anything made Deborah sit down to read-she never knew her grandmother could write. But as the words began flowing into Deborah’s head, the story about kings and queens seemed to come to life, and Deborah soon found that she too was a part of the story… (145 words)

This picture was really interesting so I can't wait to see what everyone wrote-unfortunately it's almost 12:30 AM so I will stop by tomorrow!

So the Story Goes

Full time mom for the summer (and Book Blurb Friday!)

The kids and I have been out of school for three weeks now and I wonder how full time mothers do it. I mean I love my kids, and I love spending time with them, and my house is much cleaner now than during the school season, but jeeper leepers there are a lot of hours to the day. By 9 PM I don't want to play another game of Uno (especially since I always lose and this is hard to take by someone who is both a type A and B personality!)  And if I don't have a "real" activity planned for the day look out. The kids get tired of doing their own thing and then the arguing starts.

I never thought about it before, but getting dinner ready has become my escape. "Sorry, I can't do_____ (fill in the blank) now because I have to get dinner ready." This is one of the only times I can take a "physical" break from the kids (playing outside doesn't last long-it's too hot or too cold or too windy-I don't want them sitting in front of the TV, and my shower or bathroom trips are only sacred to me.) But just when I think I will lose my mind (I mean I'm either loved or hated by one of my kids on any given day) there are the quiet moments with one or both kids that cancel everything else out.  Have the rest of you felt this way? How do you get through without feeling like such a bad mommy...sigh.
Boy, I'm glad it's

 Book Blurb Friday! This is where Lisa Ricard Claro, from Writing in the Buff, posts a picture meant to serve as a fictional book cover.  It's your job to write a blurb about the book in 150 words or less to entice a prospective reader. Are you up to the challenge?  Here is this week's picture and my story:

The Cinderella Switch
Yawning, Meredith stretched her slender arms and squinted at her dresser-she could barely make out the time without her glasses, but the sun streaming into the room told her she had overslept. She didn’t care-last night had been wonderful, just like something out of an old fairy tale, and she was Cinderella… She grabbed up her pillow and putting it over her face she squealed with delight, kicking her feet against the stiff mattress.

The old tower clock chimed reality, and Meredith tumbled out of bed and into her work clothes. She still had to clean the latrines and help with breakfast before the headmaster made her rounds and before students clamored into the dining hall. She put her glasses on and caught sight of her reflection-if she could pull this switch off, then maybe, just maybe, her life could be different. (142 words)

I don't know why I thought of Cinderella with this photo, but it had such a wistful quality to it that I couldn't help but think of a young girl dreaming. What did you think? I'm coming by to check it out!