Oh! My! Lucky! Stars!

So today we had a snow storm. I imagine a lot of people did. I mentioned a while ago that I was going to a Keith Urban Concert tonight. Well a lot of you probably didn't realize it was tonight. I wasn't sure whether we would still be going or not 'cause of the weather.

But T - a girl from work who I was going with called me earlier in the day and it was just a given that we would still be going. Her ticket was a birthday gift from her husband. Now I don't knw if I mentioned before or not, but I knew nothing of his music. To me he was just the good looking guy who married Nicole Kidman and sang Country.

Wowzers!!!!!!! Did I get the treat of my life at that concert!!! Holy Camolie is he good!!! Excellent!! Why I thought he was just country I don't know - he sang country, rock, a Christmas Carol - he sang it all!! He in incredible playing the guitar!!!

And I LOVED his music. They had this HUGE screen behind him so although it was hard to see him, we did get to see him up close.

T and I sat there and drooled let me tell you!!

The seats we had were excellent. At one point, he and the band came down towards the end of the runway, close to where we were sitting and they played a number of songs.

He can play hard rock, he can play love ballads on the piano.

How did I miss this musician??????

It was the best concert I've been too!!!

It was the last date on their tour so they played and played and played - a lot more than they normally do I think. And the crowd just ate it up. Despite there being a raging snow storm outside, there were A Lot of people there and he thanked the crowd again and again for showing.

And given a choice between him and Bon Jovi - I made the right choice in seeing Keith!! Now of course I'm going to have to get his CD's.

And in final - I leave you with this video.

I have no idea what the song is because I don't know his music - yet.

And the sound on my computer is broken so I can't hear it. But I couldn't not put up a video.

'til later

*****ETA*****
I forgot to mention this last night in the excitement of it all, but T came to pick me up. I'd been telling her about my library for a while now and I finally got a chance to show her. As she is a romance reader too, she was in raptures over it!!!
*g*She had to call her husband right away and tell him about it. That was the best reaction I've got so far. Of course now I have a lot more work to do on it now that I have the old upstairs bookcases downstairs!!

One wonders sometimes

how things can go so terribly, horribly wrong.

You remember my dilemma with the bookcases? Weeeeelllllll it seems things have gotten worse. My sons came over yesterday to put the rest of the stuff together. Brent, the oldest, got here first. He's my Peter Pan son. I love him dearly and in some ways he most like me and in other ways the complete opposite. He got the shelves out of the box, worked on it for about five minutes, got frustrated and flounced down on the couch saying he didn't know why I asked him to help - he hates doing this kind of thing and now I put him in a bad mood.
You see, my sisters call me a quotation mark Draaaaammmmaaa Queen quotation mark. I laugh at them, laugh at myself and admit I might have a wee bit of it in me. Brent, on the other hand beats my drama queen with his Drama King without the ability to laugh at himself. He sulked for the rest of the day. I told him at one point to just go home but he said he was only staying to help with the heavy stuff and then fell asleep.
Ryan arrived not long after and worked on putting the main entertainment shelving unit together. It took him over four hours - working by himself. I offered to help a few times but he just said "out" so out I went and finished reading Creation in Death. I learned that was the best thing to do when Ron was trying to put something together too.
Later on I ordered pizza for the 3 of us. Brent woke up long enough to get pissy because I wasn't ordering it from his favourite pizza place - which I don't really like and is the most expensive.
Ryan finally got it done. It was in two parts and the two of them put it up. Although seeing how large it was I started having those dreadful suspicions again that the measuring thing was going to bite me in the butt again.
They put it against the wall and said "done."
At which point I said "Not exactly".
"There is another one?" Ryan said.
"Um." I answered. "Not one."
"Two???" came his reply.
"Weeeelllll, how about three?" I confessed.
You see - I had two more on either side of the big one the TV sits on and there was still the third bookcase.
"I'm not doing those today!!" came his emphatic answer
"No, no I don't expect you to." I said
It had taken him almost 5 hours to do just the one and I wasn't about to ask him to do the rest. Besides, seeing the one big one there, I don't think two on either side will fit. Those show rooms at Ikea are so much BIGGER than my living room.

So then, with food in his stomach - he somehow managed to get over his pissiness and eat the pizza I wanted, Brent and Ryan worked on setting up the cable and VCR. It was at this point another problem cropped up. You see, the SurroundSound/DVD cable was quite short. It just barely reached on the other stand. This one is higher and the DVD is further away from the television.
It wouldn't reach. I have to go and get a longer cable. This means no North and South. This means no Robin Hood. This means no music real loud (which is how I like it) because the DVD is also a FM radio station. There is a snow storm going on outside.
So - I have boxes upon boxes all over the living room and hall. I have two more entertainment/shelves that probably won't fit. I have a bookcase that won't fit. I have no DVD. And somehow I managed to break the sound on the computer.
I have to have the kitchen cupboards all cleaned out by the day after Christmas. I will have no kitchen for a month starting January 4th.
On the positive though - I did stop at the mall on the way home from work on Friday and got most of my shopping done. Mind you at this point I don't want to give Brent anything except a lump of coal and if we didn't have a snow storm raging, I'd be very tempted to take his gifts back.

February - I can hardly wait till you get here.

'til later

When the weather is so cold outside...

Poor Kristie is all stressed out from her lack of shelves and her clutter of books that are about to take over her house!
As for myself, I found out how evil drinking too much wine is and the holiday parties have only just begun. Plus there will be a crazy snow storm hitting the east coast of the US right where I am. It is cold and yucky out and the perfect weekend to stay inside. But only if you have finished all your shopping!
Another perfect way to keep nice and warm are some hot reads that will get you all sweaty! I have some that always get me hot under the collar and I welcome you to enjoy these recommendations:

Dangerous Lover by Lisa Marie Rice- In my top ten for one the best books of 2007. The hero and heroine are stuck together all alone during a snow storm. They have lots of sex. Not any freaky sex, but nice hot and sweaty sex all the same.

Promises Keep by Sarah McCarty- This was my very first read by Sarah and my first Elloras Cave ebook. After reading Promises Keep, my eyes were wide open to some hot cowboy loving in the West. And Sarah does have a way of writing incredible sexual tension. You may need to go out into the snow after reading this. (Even though this cover is a bit too robot-ish in my eyes)

Behind Closed Doors by Shannon McKenna- Her first book and her hottest. Talk about an alpha male who won't take no for answer (but in a very yummy way). He has a thing for peaches also!

JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series- Sorry guys, all these books have incredible passion and mindblowing sex that I just can't choose. Even though Rhage's book- Lover Eternal is one of my favorites. He has a great mouth on him! ;)

The Lover and Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone- Both are a tad uncomfortable to read but... my oh my. Bananas and chocolate?? That shower scene with Gabriel?? Be still my beating heart. These books are true erotica and its best.

Knight of a Trillion Stars and Rejar by Dara Joy- Intergalatic loving at its best. I have a new found appreciations for cats. Come back Dara come back!

The Real Deal by Lucy Monroe- A Fun, sexy and dreamy romance. A total keeper.

Of course there are hundreds more I could recommend. I haven't even touched upon most erotic ebooks I have read. But these few I have posted should get you all hot and bothered. And of course if you have any suggestions, give us a hollar. I always need more reads to add to my on-going pile.

Katiebabs (who also goes by Tigger because she loves to bounce! )

A time of stress

I always find this time of year very stressful. Every year I say next year will be different but it never is. In fact this year is even worse than normal. I still haven't started Christmas shopping!! I plan to on the way home from work, but we are down a person and we are trying to do our own jobs plus hers. While the day zooms by, by the time 4:30 comes along, I'm exhausted and cranky as all get out. I also suffer from bouts of depression and the fact that things have changed make me sad and more depressed than normal. I've never waited this late to start shopping before and that's making me stressed.
Another stress factor is they start on my kitchen January 4th. I'm excited as all get out about it, but for a life long pack rat like me, the thoughts of emptying the cupboards is rather frightening!! Terrifying to be honest. And when I say do the kitchen, I'm talking TOTAL overhaul. From ceiling to floor and everything in between! I'm even getting a new kitchen sink! (hah hah) There will be walls taken down, doors removed, appliances moved (and maybe even new appliances - haven't decided on that one yet) But I'll be completly kitchenless for a month. That's a bit of a scary thought.
I will of course show pictures, before, during and after.
On the happy front - I'm going out for dinner and then to a Keith Urban concert on Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to that. Even though I don't know his music at all.
And no, I don't have the bookshelves/entertainment unit up yet either. Brent and Ryan are coming over tomorrow to *cough* help finally put it together.

So - anyone else feeling stressed this season?

'til later

She has joined in our Crusade

For more thoughts on North and South go visit Devon. She's posted her thoughts. *happy dance*

'til later

I love when this happens

"What?" you ask.
"Why finding new to me bloggers." I answer.

My newest find is Phyl. She's read some excellent books and unlike me is Very Talented with a needle and thread!
And then there is Georgie Lee, who is going to watch North and South and who has Excellent Taste in Music

'til later

Duo Review

Katie and I are doing something different this time. I don’t know if anyone noticed, but we just happened to be reading the same book at the same time, I thought it would be fun to do dueling reviews.
So here you go – two for the price of one on





Untouched by Anna Campbell

Kristie’s Thoughts

I heard all the buzz and controversy about Claiming the Courtesan. Of course that meant I had to buy it. I haven’t read it yet – but I bought it. So when I noticed her newest book was on the shelves I decided to get it too. Then I read ‘virgin hero’ and I decided to bump it ahead of CtC.
I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t perfect and I had a few issues, but overall, I thought it a decently good read.
The Very Handsome Mathew, Lord Sheene had been held as a prisoner on a country estate since the age of fourteen when he had a fit of madness. His Evil Uncle John declared him a madman and kept him away from society for years. After a number of escape attempts Mathew finally stopped trying.
In order to calm his nephew, Evil Uncle John decided to get him a plaything – a young doxy. But his evil henchman grabbed a young widow by mistake.
At first the Very Handsome Mathew is quite rightly suspicious of our Vulnerable Young Heroine, Grace Paget. But he eventually believes her tale. Well naturally nature takes it’s course between The Very Handsome Mathew and the Vulnerable Young Heroine. I give the author kudos for the first love scene. It was Not Good for her. I found that very refreshing in a genre where it’s usually multiple orgasms first time out of the gate for hero/heroine.
But because our Very Handsome Hero was the studious sort, he managed to get things right by the second go-round and made things very good for our Vulnerable Young Heroine. When it was brought home to him how much danger she was in from the Nasty Bad Henchmen, he planned her escape at great cost to himself.
All kidding aside though, this was a pretty descent book. Mathew was delicious as the lonely young man and is pretty high up there with other very good heroes. Grace I found a bit too self-sacrificing. There is a bit at the end where I found her a little overboard in her sacrificing ways. I could see where she was coming from and kind of understand why she did what she did, but I thought the length of time much too long. I know I’m being vague here but those who’ve read this book will know what I’m talking about and those who haven’t – well, I don’t want to spoil it for them.
Also – the bad guys were pretty over the top bad, but I found this a bit campy and I could deal and enjoy that.
I don’t think this one will create quite the stir her first book did. But now I will certainly read Claiming the Courtesan and I will read future books by this author. And if you know the publisher, you will note that’s quite a concession for me *g*.

Grade: 4 out of 5




Katie's Thoughts

I have been hearing great buzz about Anna Campbell’s latest- Untouched. Last year she had created quite the stir with Claiming the Courtesan, which reminded me greatly of Anne Stuart’s A Rose at Midnight. Claiming the Courtesan is one of those books that brings out a great deal of emotion and many were burning up the message boards about this book and Anna herself.
So this weekend I grabbed a copy of Untouched not knowing what to expect. I read an excerpt from the book off Anna’s website and I had some email conversations about her thoughts about her second release. Untouched is a very different book from her first. I seriously read Untouched in less than three hours and I am on the fence on what grade I would give.
First off Anna has a way of writing remarkable characters. In Claiming the Courtesan I adored her heroine, Verity. With Untouched it is all about Matthew. Now the main reason I had to read this book is because Matthew is a virgin. There is nothing sexier to me that having a virgin hero. And Matthew is truly a virgin in every sense of the word. His evil and diabolical uncle has held him hostage since he has been eleven. Matthew is now in his mid twenties and has never kissed a woman, let alone been intimate with one. Matthew is a truly wonderful hero. He is the reason to read Untouched. When he realizes Grace, the pious widow is the ONE for him, he is a goner. He falls headlong into love. He admits his love first, has a holy experience from making love to Grace and even though she will not say those three little words back to him, he doesn’t care. He now knows love and would shout it to the sky if he could. He is faithful and generous. Yes, very, very generous when it comes to showing his love for Grace.
Now with Grace I had some issues with. Yup, she is one of THOSE widows. Not the one that is married and never had sex because her first husband is missing some parts down below, which I really hate. But Grace eloped with a much, much older man when she was only sixteen. Her husband at the time was in his fifties. Just plain…ewww. Grace has been disowned by her parents, has no money, is mistaken for a whore, kidnapped, drugged and wears black mourning clothes. If I was Grace I would have had a breakdown. But then comes Matthew and he becomes Grace’s protector and knight in shining armor.
There are also some small things that took away from my enjoyment of this book. Evil uncle gets Matthew a whore so he can have a mistress. We really never know why. He thinks Matthew will continue to go along as is, as long as he is getting some loving. Evil uncle is so… evil, just because. He is very one-dimensional and I really could not understand why he acted the way he did. Of course it comes down to money, but come on his character is a little too much.
In essence, this is a very passionate love story. Anna has an excellent way in writing some luscious love scenes. Matthew is a quick learner, and a believable one. And Grace does act the way I would expect a woman like herself to be.
The title is also very appropriate. Matthew has been untouched physically, no hugs, kisses or slaps on the back, that is until Grace enters his world. Grace is untouched in her emotions and never feeling any love from her husband or even her parents.
Even though I do have some issues with Untouched, Anna Campbell has a way of writing stories and characters that get people talking. There are not many authors out there that can do that. I have to applaud her for being able to do that.My grade is a bit lower but I would give it a 3 out of 5. The “3” is all due to Matthew. Thank you for writing a hero like Matthew!

In light of the previous keeping you warm post

I read this and found it rather depressing on a site called TV Stevie - an online television critic. He's actually quite a hoot with his own particular brand of humour on TV. Here's what he had to say:

The strike goes on, and on...and onIt looks like this TV writers' strike is
going to drag on for quite a while. Mind you, I have no special insights into
negotiations between the two sides, but all signs point to a long, greedy
stalemate. And I'm finding it remarkable just how unaffected most people are
from it.When I get together with friends -- something that happens more often
during the holidays than any other time of year -- eventually the conversation
drifts over to my job, and I start blabbing about whatever semi-interesting
stuff I've recently learned about television. However, when I start
jibber-jabbering about the strike, I've found it remarkable how many people
haven't even noticed that it's going on. Since only a handful of popular shows
have been affected to this point (most notably The Office), it still hasn't sunk
in to most people that even if the work stoppage was resolved in the next few
days, the effects of the strike will be felt well into next summer.At this
point, it is unclear whether there will be enough time to produce the remainder
of the 2007-2008 TV season before production is slated to begin on the next one.
Depending on how long the strike lasts, fans may not see the conclusion of this
season's Lost, 24, and Battlestar Galactica (among many others) until at least
halfway through 2008, well into the summer.Next season's new TV shows are also
bound to be affected. If a settlement with the Writers' Guild isn't reached
within the next few weeks, an entire season of pilots will likely be torpedoed.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, if the stoppage isn't ended soon, with
writers back on the job before January 1 (unlikely), 25 percent of next year's
usual crop of pilots will have to be scrapped. If the strike goes past February
1, 50 percent of the pilots will go up in smoke. If the dispute lasts well into
February, there's a good chance that the entire pilot development season would
be cancelled, which would dramatically affect the entire industry, not to
mention people like me who look forward to new shows every year.
Season four
of Lost might not conclude until summer 2008.An autumn without new TV shows
would be like Christmas without presents or Hanukkah without candles. Imagine
what it would be like: summer ends, the leaves change colours, and ZERO NEW TV
SHOWS to ease us into the cold discomfort of winter. Tantrums would be thrown
(by me). I feel like I'm breaking out into hives just writing this.As we all
know, I don't have a problem with reality television, but I think the entire
world might go insane if TV was all-reality, all the time. I like Survivor, and
I can stomach any amount of celebreality you throw my way, but I can't watch it
all the time. I imagine that if this strike persists and television goes down
the tubes, I'll have to find a new job writing concert reviews or posting
homeopathic remedies for athlete's foot. If TV goes down, I'm going down with
it.While the strike is mostly a pox on us all, I kind of like how the TV writers
are proving to the world that writers are actually integral to the industry. As
a writer myself, in my darker moments I tell myself how 99 percent of the people
on this planet could do my job. We all wrote essays in university, and it's not
like I was pulling in the highest grades. But seeing the mass hysteria from the
industry when these writers pull their support fills me with a feeling of self
worth.In a sense I feel solidarity with them, and want them to hold out as long
as they feel they need to. On a more selfish tip, I want them to get back to
work because writing about this strike is getting boring.

We may soon have us another one!

Devon now has a copy and is just waiting for a chance to watch - you know what! I'm crossing my fingers she likes it as much as we and our newest convert Dev did!

And just a reminder - there is a contest :)

Also to keep you warm this winter

And at this rate - this will be all we get *sigh*

To Keep You Warm This Winter!

Another reason why Richard Armitage makes me swoon!
From Robin Hood, Season 2 Episode 9. No tongue, but a kiss you won't forget! ;)



Katiebabs

The times, they are a changin'

I’ve been meaning to post about this for a couple of weeks now but time got away from me.
A few weeks ago three other women from work and I decided to go out drinking on a Saturday night. And I mean drinking like I used to go drinking years and years ago, not for one or two at a restaurant with a friend or two. I mean hard core drinking at a BAR. We had thought that more might come, but it being the time of year it is, only the four of us could make it. First shock for me after a VERY LONG absence was the time. Now back in my day, we would hit the bars about 7:30. By eight o’clock they were full and line-ups had started. In this new age, I gather you don’t even get started until around 10:00. We planned to get there about 9:00. I invited them all over before hand and then take a cab to the bar. Everyone arrived around 7:30. A (I’ll call her A) brought over shots for everyone. R (I’ll call her R) brought wine and I had got a number of other alcoholic beverages. We partook of them before we left so we were already in fine shape by the time we got to the bar. The taxi cab ride was most enjoyable.
When we got to the bar, it was empty. And it was after 9:00. I kept asking those more experienced if it would get busy and they assured me it would. It did seem strange to me. But as we began drinking, it did indeed slowly start to fill up.
Now this is where I got my HUGE shock of the night. And I’m still sort of in mourning over the differences between now and – dare I say – 25 or so years ago. You see – guys don’t come and ask you to dance!!! Can you imagine that? That’s how I met Ron! I asked the A, the most well-informed member of our group if this was how it was these days and she gave me a yep.
Nevertheless, I did dance – with the bunch I went with – and it was all fast songs of course. But at one point I had to go use their facilities and I had to walk by the dance floor. I noticed all these guys standing around with a drink in their hands watching the women – and that’s mostly who was up dancing – dancing. I tell you it gave me a real case of the willies – like we were on display at a cattle market or something. I didn’t dance after that.
But still we had loads of fun! A won a draw they had – it was retro 80’s night and I’m so an 80’s kind of girl. The prize was $50 worth of booze that had to be used that night so it was more shooters for everyone!!. We had a grand old time discussing all kinds of things we wouldn’t discuss while at work. We finally left at 12:00 which I gather is quite early. Another difference from my salad days. Back then the bars closed at 1:00 so midnight was close to last call. We went back to my place for a final drink before everyone headed home. One other good thing about the night was no hangover the next day. I have no idea how I escaped that curse as I was quite mixing my drinks but I was quite glad.
The real fun part though came the next week when I was talking to Ryan the next week. See he had spent the weekend in NYC at a rugby tournament. The conversation went something like this:

Me: So, did you get drunk Saturday night?
Ryan: Oh yea, falling down
Me: I did too (in a delighted tone)
Ryan: What???
Me: Got drunk, yep – we had a great time
Ryan: Who??
Me: Me and some girls from work
Note: sometimes he’s not the most the most talkative sort
Ryan: Where?
Me: (I named the bar)
Ryan (in a most horrified gasp) What?!?!?!
Me: yep
Ryan: I’ve been there. (a moment of silence) The crowd is a bit older than me but you better not go there again!
Me: Why not? (and really starting to enjoy the conversation)
Ryan: Because I might run into you!!! (still sounding horrified)
Me: So? Then you could ask me to dance and I wouldn't have to just dance with other women.
Sounds of horror coming through the telephone wires and I’m shaking with quiet laughter
Ryan: garbled sounds
Me: Well? What do you think?
Ryan: (finally able to talk) And besides, you’re too old
Me: I am not!! I think we will probably do it again. And I think we might check out other bars. Maybe I’ll run into you sometime

Now I’ve scared my son straight

But still my final question. When did things change so much?

Go Forth

And do what Dev says.

You won't be sorry :)

It's starting to work!

For Dev, who can now appreciate this even more.

The clip was sent to me by a friend who appreciates it *wink*




I haven't been around as much; I'm battling a cold and work is majorly stressing me out. And there is still my book-laden living room *sigh*

'til later

PS I Love You and Gerard Butler!

Richard is not the only man in my life. I also have a thing for Gerard Butler!


*and of course we have to keep the leather outfits going!

Gerard is in a new movie coming out this month called, P.S. I Love You based on the book by Cecelia Ahern. I watched the movie trailer and have to say this look so cute, romantic, sad, funny... and of course alot of Gerard Butler in all his manliness *G*.
I have the book on hold at my library and hope to read it very soon. Just another book to add to my pile of 30 books and counting.
So for your enjoyment, here is the movie trailer. I have watched in about 5 times and I dare you to try not to drool all over yourself as you watch.



Katiebabs
PS- Harry Connick Jr. is in it also *wink wink* Who do you choose now?

Those Dreaded DNF's and Being Cold

Since Kristie is having issues with her shelves and possibily her house has exploded with thousands of books, I too have my own issues. First, I have no cowboy in my life. No big hat or a horse to go giddy yup on!

And I have some sad news to report. I have tried to finish 2 books that everyone has been raving about and I just can't. Wicked Deeds on a Wicked Night by Kresley Cole and Taken by the Night by Kathryn Smith.

Sad but true, two authors I adore and I couldn't get through these reads!

With Wicked Deeds, I think my expectations were too high. I have glommed every past release by Cole and I adore her immortal series. But for some reason, Bowe- "Och I miss me mate... er maybe she wasn't me mate... hey Mari you evil witch, you look tasty, let's get down and way dirty in these caves" just didn't do it for me. Bowe and Mari annoyed me. No chemsitry, no real hot sex. EH! Having sex in the amazon jungle doesn't do it for me. A true blah read for me. Plus the cover is a big turn off. At least you have to give me that.

Taken by the Night was okay but overall another disappointment. Saint was one yummy vampire. I did like him. He likes to kiss. Ivy on the other hand was too "Girl Power-ish" I think it was cool that her mother ran a brothel and she knows the ins and outs of sex, but the old, "I need to solve crimes, because I am so good. But hey, where is my trusty sidekick who I want to get into his pants and by the way I can paint!?" is getting old. I was a little grossed out that Saint knew Ivy when she was an itty bitty baby and then out of the blue wanted her in every way imaginable. Also, Ivy at one point thought Saint and her mother were boinking or were still boinking, but for some reason Ivy wants Saint. What girl can pass up some hot vampire loving? Apparantly I can! But I like the color purple and this cover is pretty nice.

The past week has been a big weather change here I live. I live near NYC and let me tell you, it has gotten very chilly. The wind and on and off snow flakes make you want to stay inside. I seriously looked like the younger brother from that movie A Christmas Story from my hat, scarf, gloves, coat that looks like it will eat me because it is so big- I wore it all. And I was still cold! But as I was busy working in my nice warm office and I was checking my email, the books I had on hold from the mid-town library were available for me to pickup! 6 books I needed and wanted right then and there. I looked out my window- wet snow was falling and it is about 30 degrees out. It is about a 15 minute walk to the library and I sat in my chair looking out the window and glancing at all the gear I had to put on and really thought about it, do I really, really need to go out into this cold and wrap myself up to get some plain old books?

What do you think?

But there are other ways to keep warm this winter season:

Anyone hot in here?

Katiebabs

One of those d'oh moments

Do you ever have one of those "I'm an idiot" moments? I had one on the weekend. I mentioned that I recently spent a great deal of money at IKEA on bookcases and an entertainment shelving unit. I had them shipped because they were way too heavy and way to big to carry home in my mid-size Chevy Cavalier. They delivered them a few weeks ago - all eleven boxes. And since they go upstairs they were kind of all over the place. I was waiting for my sons to come and help *snort* put them together. That's one of the reasons I figure I had sons. Well the oldest one came over the day after I went out drinking - oh and more on that story later. I was unfortunately not feelin' so hot so the only ones he put together with me observing, were the two CD/DVD towers. Then I had to wait a whole week for Ryan to come and help *snort* put the other ones together. He said he'd be over last Saturday so I spent the day cleaning out the old bookcases, emptying, dusting etc. I had books all over the sofa, the kitchen table, the end tables in the living room - where ever I could find a spot for them. And this was just the upstairs books! Well he didn't show up until after 7:00 that night. While I was glad he showed up at all - and on a Saturday night even, I wasn't sure if he would feel like helping me *snort* in putting nine boxes of shelves together that late. He should have had a date or something. He's a handsome successful head of the accounting department. And he has a nice big truck. And a cowboy hat I brought home from Dallas with me that he could use in doing a strip tease for his lady friends. He found the two book case boxes out of the nine boxes and proceeded to put them together while I observed. Then together we put them against the wall. The plan was to put the two CD/DVD towers on the outside, the two tall bookcases next to them on the inside and the half-sized bookcase in the middle. He looked at me. I looked at him. We both looked at the wall with the bookcases & CD/DVD towers.




"You didn't measure the wall, did you?" he asked.

"Ah, no - I didn't." I replied

"They aren't all going to fit you know."He said with a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes.

"I kind of gathered that."

"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked still shaking his head at his mothers lack of forethought.

"I don't really know." Was my slow reply.

"Well, let me know when you figure it out. I gotta go now," came his his reply.

So now I have the two CD/DVD towers - empty, next to them two tall bookcases and in the middle a bit empty spot that I have no idea what to do with. I have books all over the sofa, all over the kitchen table, the end tables - where ever there is room for them. See, if I put them on the shelves and then decide to move them, I'll have to empty them all again.

In the meantime I sit and watch TV on the one section of the sofa that isn't filled with books, glance over at the empty middle spot, looked at the squished down carpet that I'll never be able to fluff up and then back at the TV where I have a WHOLE bunch more shelves and TV stand to go - and think to myself - "I didn't measure that wall either."


til later

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet Nor Dead of Night - Not Even a Snowstorm

Moving away (very reluctantly) from North and South, one of the best things about the last week of the previous month and the first week of the next month for us romance readers is........New Books. I've become more of an investigator in the past year. I've discovered this great website that lists upcoming books. I make a mental list of the ones that appeal to me and then start checking the Chapters web site to see if they are in stock. This month was no different even if I did have other things on my mind *g*.

I noticed that the reissue of Lord of Scoundrels was in stock at the Chapters near me. This one is back on my radar since it came in #1 on the AAR poll and a few recent bloggers have just discovered it for the first time. I read it years ago and my copy is pretty banged up now from all the times I've reread it. So of course when I saw it was being rereleased I HAD to get it. Didn't I? Of course I did! I didn't have a chance to pick it up on the weekend but today at work, while a snowstorm was raging outside, I decided today was the day!

There are are two main ways I can get home from work, the quick way, or the slower way which takes me right by Chapters. I chose the slower way. With bated breath I entered the store and went right to the C's. Rats!!! It wasn't there. Darn it all. Luckily though there were two other books I'd planned on getting so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

I happily picked up Parellel Desire by Dierdre Knight and Redeemed In Darkness by Alexis Morgan. I was still quite disappointed though that Lord of Scoundrels wasn't there.

Now there are two ways I can get home from Chapters. The quick way, or the slower way where I can cut through the mall which just happens to have a Coles book. Since I was researching Lord of Scoundrels, I knew they had two copies at Coles. Again, I chose the long way. It's a much smaller store. I headed towards the C's with fingers crossed and Taaa Daaa.

I'm now the happy owner of three new books I've been waiting for.

Not even a snow storm can stop this romance reader!! Now all I have to do is find the time to read them!

'til later

The Great North and South Crusade

Final Thoughts

For the wrap of The Great North and South Crusade, check in with Sula. If we haven't convinced you yet, perhaps her final video just might do the trick.

Happy Watching - and Watching

Great North and South Contest!

By now most of you are fans of the movie North and South. But some of you may have just come on board and have been wondering- what is it about this movie that has made most grown-up women go gaga? I am not going to lie, but the main reason I love this movie is the wonderful actor Richard Armitage and his portrayal of John. The smoldering passion and love he has for Margaret, is the stuff true romance is made of.

We want as many people as we can to know to get the word out about how great North and South is. And that means a contest!

We are giving away 3 books of North and South. This makes total sense seeing as if the movie is so good, we should read the book! In order to win a copy, all you have to do is watch the movie and post your review, thoughts about the movie, or lustful dreams over John on your blog or another review website and just email us to where we can see it. 3 bloggers or reviewers will win a North and South book.

BUT that is not all! We also have a DVD copy of North and South to give away. Now to win this prize it will be a little more difficult. I was wondering about John and Margaret after they got on that train and rode off into the sunset, so to speak. All you have to do is write your own epilogue of John and Margaret after the last scene in the movie. It can be funny, subtle just like the movie, or some erotic and passionate love making between the two that will make our eyes pop out. This is where you will have you creative juices flowing. And if I am brave enough, I will post my own personal epilogue in the coming weeks. (It may be a bit scary but I will try my best)

The deadline for both of these contest is Thursday, January 31st. The three judges will be Me-Kate, Kristie and Sula. You can send your entries to:

Kristie (J): Jenner2@rogers.com

Kate: Katiebabs@aol.com

And of course if you have any questions, please just post here and we will answer. Now off to write my smutty love scene with John, Margaret and his cravat ;)