by Sarah | Jan 29, 2019 | All About Family, All of Us, Blogging Life, Redefining Perfect, Top Ten Tuesday
I’ve visited this topic before, but it was in one brief post. I wanted to broaden the stretch of my top tens, to address each answer and give it its own worth. So, without further ado:
#10 on my list is California.
Not a specific location in the state, but California.
When I was in middle school, my parents arranged and took my brother and I on a trip to California. We started in Fresno, drove down the coast, then back up through the state. We visited Monterey, Yosemite, Redwood Forest, San Francisco, and many others. Though boring at times (so much driving), and we never did Disneyland, I still remember that trip with much love and happy memories.
From the sites in Yosemite, the giants of the Redwoods, to the ocean views, and the oddities on display around Fisherman’s Wharf. There was never a shortage of cool things to see.
I would love to be able to give my kids a chance to see the state like that. I’ve always said I never wanted to live there, but I loved to visit California, and it still holds true. There is so much beauty and fun to be had.
I’m thinking a two week road trip, north to south like we did back then, but making it to the original house of mouse unlike my first trip. With so much to see and do, it would take a ton of vacation time, but be so worth it in the end.
Have you been to California? What were your favorite parts?
by Sarah | Jul 7, 2015 | All About Kennedy, All About Me, All About Molly, All of Us, Blogging Life, Photography, Redefining Perfect, Top Ten Tuesday
Hooray for the return of Top Ten Tuesday! At least I’m saying that…if I’m the only one, don’t tell me 😀 I love lists of all kinds.
This one was especially fun for me because it meant I got to do a little photo shoot with the Monster High Dolls in the house 😀 We own a few (probably close to 40 all three of us combined–the girls & me), but I have a few favorites lying around here, and not all of them are mine.
I struggled with how to do this list, because it’s so hard to pick favorites. I finally decided on the good old alphabetical method – by name, not the line.
1. Avea Trotter – She’s from the Freaky Fusion show. I had to get the daughter of the centaur for many reasons – she’s purple, she’s part horse, and holy cow is she gorgeous.
2. Catrine deMew – from the Gloom & Bloom line. She’s fancy, she’s pretty, and I love the flowering touches in this line, I want the whole thing. 😉
3. Clawdeen – This one’s from the Scaremester Collection. She’s not mine, it’s Kennedy’s, and I’m totally jealous. Clawdeen with short hair is to die for. She’s got this cute little leather jacket, and I just love her.
4. Clawvenus – Another Freaky Fusion doll, I’m a bit obsessed. Again, unfortunately, this is not mine, I haven’t got a single Clawdeen. I am a big fan of the crazy furry jacket here, and the addition of Venus McFlytrap’s “shaved” sections of hair.
5. Draculaura – Sweet Screams indeed. She was my first purchase for myself. The wrapped pigtails did it for me. Yes, I have issues. shush. She’s pretty.
6. Ghoulia Yelps – Another from the Sweet Screams line. Ghoulia has long been one of my favorite Monster High characters–and she (not this doll, but the character) was the first one bought for Kennedy. I like the Sweet Screams version because it’s super bright and colorful – and her shoes are gummy worms for crying out loud.
7. Jane Boolittle – Another from the gloom and bloom line. I really just liked her fluffy skirt, and her pink highlights.
8. Lagoonafire – Yet another from the Freaky Fusion line. Can you tell that’s one of my favs? Lagoonafire is, alas, not mine at all though there are two of her in this house. Both Kennedy and Molly own one, but I do not. They bought her for themselves with their own money. I love her crazy color scheme, her flaming tail, and her hair curl. I have my eye on one for myself, yes I do.
9. Rochelle Goyle – Scaris style. Look at the Eiffel Tower. Plus, pink & grey has always been one of my favorite color combinations. I also totally dig gargoyles, and she does gargoyle in a gorgeous fashion.
10. Vandala Dubloons – She’s a pirate ghost with a pirate ship. Need I say more? (From Haunted)
Honorable Mention!!
Her photo shoot didn’t go as well, because she was the very first Monster High doll brought into the house…before K really thought to take care of them so they’d stay as pretty. We long ago lost her glasses, and her hair is no longer curly and her pictures in the photo shoot, well…they didn’t come out so pretty.
So, I’m using an old photo from the first week we had her originally posted on Instagram.
Ghoulia Yelps – I don’t know why I always liked her, but K got her for Christmas the year I had surgery and every day K brought Ghoulia to me to keep an eye on me (because she was my favorite). And so the O.G. Monster High in this house must be acknowledged.
by Sarah | Nov 12, 2013 | Guest Authors, Top Ten Tuesday, Writing
Top ten ways to prepare for Christmas.
I love Christmas. The bit I don´t like is the 3 months or so of tinny carols in shops, excessive advertising, and the supermarket being rearranged to make way for twenty aisles of seasonal produce. Given my occasional Scrooge-like tendencies, it can take me a while to get in the spirit of Christmas, which makes it all the more ironic that my first seasonal release is a Christmas story. This year, publishing my story The Santa Next Door with The Wild Rose Press has helped me get in the mood for Christmas a lot earlier than usual, so I thought I´d take this opportunity to share my top ten ways of getting into the spirit of the season and avoiding the last-minute panic. I wonder how many of these you share?
1. Wrapping gifts. While I can take or leave Christmas shopping, I love the process of disguising and beautifying items to sit under the tree. Maybe it´s my overactive writer´s imagination, but when battling with the sticky tape, I can almost see the joyous faces of my friends and family tearing the paper off.
2. Writing Christmas cards. It can feel like a chore, but writing cards is also a wonderful opportunity to connect with people I don´t see often, and show appreciation for those I do. Like choosing and wrapping gifts, finding the right card is another way to step away from the mass-produced and add a personal touch.
3. Making decorations. Of course you can buy decorations, and I often do, but some of the baubles and trinkets I love seeing most are the lop-sided, hand-made ones that carry personal memories with them.
4. Mince pies. This traditional British favourite is so much a part of Christmas, it ended up with a whole scene of its own in The Santa Next Door. I love all kinds of seasonal delicacies, but if I could only save one, it would be hot spiced pies.
5. Mulled wine. No Christmas party would be complete without steaming spiced wine, and I was over the moon when I discovered you could do the same thing with red grape juice for the drivers in the party.
6. Christmas music. I don´t mean the endless repeats of seasonal number ones that you hear in the shops, but traditional songs like a soaring Gloria never fail to lift the spirits.
7. Outdoor skating rinks. They might be even chillier than their indoor equivalents, but there´s a unique thrill to gliding about in the open air, huddled up in a scarf and gloves, feeling the chill just on the end of your nose
8. Scented candles. As Christmas approaches, the nights draw in, and the early dusk is a great excuse to light candles scented with pine or cinnamon. As a very wise lady once said, better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
9. Re-reading old favourites. Little Women never fails to remind me how lucky I am to be enjoying a Christmas with presents, and The Magic Christmas Tree is another seasonal must-read to encourage me to appreciate the season.
10. Watching Christmas movies. For many of my friends, Christmas is A Wonderful Life or Mary Poppins. I´m a little less conventional in my choices. My current favourite is Arthur Christmas, which has just narrowly surpassed my previous top pick, Olive the Other Reindeer. Both are adorable animations with a heartwarming message. What better way to feel the real Christmas spirit?
*~*
| [amazon_link id=”B00ES5JYLE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] |
Blurb
Sue Edmonds swore off men after her feckless husband left her struggling to care for their four-year-old daughter Trudi and maintain their ramshackle Victorian home. But her mysterious neighbour might tempt her to change her mind.
Bryn Thomas once found peace and happiness in music but that was before his heart was broken. Now it stirs up painful memories and provides little comfort. That is until he finds himself sharing Christmas carols with his young neighbor and her beautiful mother. As Sue sees Bryn playing Santa, she is touched to discover his gentler side. Can she hope for a Christmas miracle and the fulfilment of Trudi´s Christmas wish for a Dad?
*~*
Excerpt
“Mmmm.” A blissful murmur escaped Bryn’s lips. The pastry was crisp and warm and light, and the filling rich and spicy, bursting onto his tongue with the taste of childhood Christmases. “Thank you.” His thanks to Sue related to more than just the neighborly gesture of bringing pies. He only hoped the two weak words could hold the depth of gratitude he felt for the way she had awakened him, his energy, his hopes, and his senses. The warmth in her eyes as she responded with a simple, “You’re welcome,” suggested that she understood something of the depth of his feeling, though perhaps not the reason for his emotive response. He smiled across his coffee at her, and no words were needed as they shared a moment of perfect contentment. Of course, Trudi was not one to allow the silence to linger, and she bounced over to Bryn with her hand outstretched, displaying the coloring book she’d brought. Sue sat back in the corner of the sofa, and Bryn got a very appealing view of her shapely legs. She looked like a cat curled comfortably in the warm room, and she seemed happy to let Trudi, perched on Bryn’s chair arm, dominate the conversation. “I want a princess dress for Christmas,” Trudi announced. “I love princesses. I like the princess in Aladdin best, and I like the other princess, the one with red hair like mine.” Sue and Bryn exchanged an amused look as Trudi rattled on. “I like unicorns too. I’ve got a unicorn but it’s not a real one. It’s purple and furry.” Did all girls go through a fairy-tale phase? Something in Sue’s eyes told him that if she had ever believed in happy endings, she no longer had that faith. What had happened to change that feeling? He wasn’t ready to ask yet, but maybe one day he’d find out. He’d like to bring back her faith in the world.
by Sarah | Nov 4, 2013 | Guest Authors, Top Ten Tuesday, Writing
Katya Armock has stopped by today to talk about the top ten songs she likes to listen to while writing – and how they tie into her novel, [amazon_link id=”B00FY3FN1O” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]To Growl or Groan[/amazon_link].
*~*
Here are ten songs that I like to listen to when I write. They have some relation to my current novel To Growl or to Groan.
- [amazon_link id=”B00150U8DS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Mr. Self Destruct[/amazon_link] by Nine Inch Nails: Chloe feels like she is losing control of her psychic ability, and this song could be from the point of view of her ability when Chloe is viewing it as a threat.
- [amazon_link id=”B0017QJN8G” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sour Cherry[/amazon_link] by The Kills: Chloe and Jorge’s relationship gets tested in this book, not necessarily in the way this song implies, but I like the song’s vibe.
- [amazon_link id=”B000W18LPI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Right in Time[/amazon_link] by Lucinda Williams: This is such a great love/sex song.
- [amazon_link id=”B000WIPZ28″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Metal Heart[/amazon_link] by Garbage: Chloe has to face a lot of her inner demons in this book. A line from this song sums up her feelings in many ways: “I want to understand so I can forgive and be willing to love.”
- [amazon_link id=”B000004AT7″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Most Beautiful[/amazon_link] by Frente: “The most beautiful thing is when I hear your heartbeat.” The Happily Ever After moment in a nutshell.
- [amazon_link id=”B000UCEJDM” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]And Darling[/amazon_link] by Teagan and Sarah: A short song that always makes me think about the nature of relationships.
- [amazon_link id=”B00136O0AG” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sweetest Decline[/amazon_link] by Beth Orton: Such a beautiful, haunting, hopeful song. “What’s the use in regrets? They’re just lesson we haven’t learned yet.” Kind of like the sun will come up tomorrow but a bit more my taste in music. J
- [amazon_link id=”B000EHQ7L0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Turn Into[/amazon_link] by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs: It’s so hard to open yourself up to someone.
- [amazon_link id=”B002B31B84″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]You Shook Me All Night Long[/amazon_link] by AC/DC: I don’t think I need to explain. This band is not known for its subtlety. 😉
- [amazon_link id=”B0092MKH82″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Demons[/amazon_link] by Imagine Dragons: Just to prove I do listen to some contemporary music. J Plus, this is a song I listen to over and over.
*~*
| [amazon_link id=”B00FY3FN1O” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Amazon[/amazon_link] | BN | ARe | Amazon UK | Amazon CA |
Blurb:
Her gift could save a missing girl…or destroy her relationship forever.
After receiving a troubling Tarot reading, Chloe just knows something big and bad is about to happen. Her ability to communicate with animals and shape-shifters is going awry, and her growing psychic abilities are beginning to scare her. Despite her unease, she won’t let anything interrupt her trip to Scotland to spend the holidays with her shape-shifter boyfriend’s family. Jorge is everything she’s always wanted, and the fire between Chloe and the passionate panther-shifter burns hot. But meeting his family has her nerves in knots.
When Jorge’s sister goes missing, Chloe’s psychic abilities might be the only thing that can help them find her. But things don’t go as planned, and with confusing psychic visions clouding her judgment, Chloe makes a mistake and an animal is injured. And Chloe fears she might hurt Jorge as well…
Excerpt:
“Which deck are you drawn to, Chloe?” The tarot reader lays out three decks before me and waves her hands over the decks. “Feel free to pick them up, look at the artwork.”
Her booth is toward the back of a new-age shop called The Abacus, not far from where I used to work. She wears jeans and a T-shirt that reads, “Tarot isn’t a matter of life or death. It’s more important than that.” I’d place her at about forty, wisps of gray intermingling in her near-black hair.
I look over the decks of cards. The first has Renaissance-type drawings. Boring. The second is purple and features whimsical faery creatures. It’s pretty and ethereal. The third is dark. On the back of each card, two serpents eating their own tails are entwined on a black background. I flip the deck, thumb through the cards. The pictures are raw and vivid; they suck me in.
“This one.” I hand the third deck back to her.
She nods. “Very good. What is your question? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”
There is no reason for me not to tell her; she of all people should understand. “I want to know about my gift.”
There’s not an ounce of judgment or question in her eyes before she holds the cards to her chest for a moment and closes her eyes for a few deep breaths. I watch the rise and fall of her chest, trying to claim her calmness, but I remain fidgety and anxious.
She opens her eyes, looks at my hands tapping on the table. “It’s OK to be nervous, but there is nothing to fear. All is as it will be.”
Oh, platitudes. If I ever become a Zen master, hallelujah. In the meantime, I try to quell my inner cynic and smile at the card reader.
She laughs, as if she can read my mind. Perhaps she can. “I’m going to do a three-card reading for you. The first represents the past, the second the present, and the third the future.” She shuffles the deck, then lays it neatly on the table between us. “Cut the deck with your left hand.”
I do, and she lays out the first card. It’s The Devil, which can’t possibly be good. At least it’s my past card.
Her face is unhelpfully blank. “Tell me your impressions of this card. It can be the name, the artwork, whatever.”
I pick it up for a closer look. The drawing is in shades of purple. At the top, a face, featuring lazy yellow eyes and downturned lips, sprouts four horns. A web of string seems to be wound among the horns and crisscrosses to form a pentagram on the devil’s forehead. From the neck down, he appears to be submerged in water and wearing some sort of vest with intricately interlocking clasps. “It is a dark picture, but it almost appears as if the figure has an angelic halo. As though all is not lost.”
She tilts her head to the side, revealing a small black goddess tattoo under her ear. “That is interesting. The Devil represents the shadow side of things. It can be lies and illusion, but it can also remind us to focus on using our power for good—to make our fate.”
Well that certainly fits and is a whole lot better than my first impression that my past must be filled with evil. Until recently, I had repressed the little I knew of why my mother left my father and me when I was ten. Now I know she left to go back to her mother to get help. I am certain it had something to do with her having a gift, just as I can telepathically communicate with animals and shape-shifters. And that means that my gift was inherited. What I don’t know is how far back in the family tree the genes go or where these gifts come from. I’m not sure I want to know.
*~*
I like books that are funny and fun to read (and hot!) but also make me think or look at the world in a new way.
These days you’ll find me writing, pet sitting, juggling a number of freelance gigs, and reigning as my home’s domestic goddess. I live in the Midwestern U.S. with my husband, dog and cats. Alas, I have, as of yet, been unable to teach my husband how to purr.
Website: http://katyaarmock.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/katyaarmock
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KatyaArmock
#10 on my list is California.
