Reminder

This coming Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - - -

My blogging friend, Jodi (please check out her blog) has declared it #OutstandingInOrangeForMS day in honor of MS Awareness Week (March 2-8)! All you have to do is:
Wear orange
Take a photo (a selfie is fine)
Tag it with the above hashtag. 

Come on, wear your orange!

Finding Beauty Friday

TGIF!!!!

I am linking up again this week with Aimee for another Finding Beauty Friday.

 

I took this a few years ago. My favorite times of day are sunrise and sunset. I find it's a beautiful time for reflection and meditation.

 

What is your favorite time of day?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

 

 

It's Wednesday again!  I'm linking up today with Jodi and Rachel for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

 

First (and most importantly) - NEXT Wednesday, March 4, Jodi has declared it #OutstandingInOrangeForMS day in honor of MS Awareness Week (March 2-8)! All you have to do is wear orange, take a photo (a selfie is fine) and tag it with the above hashtag.  Come on, wear your orange! (And you really need to check out Jodi's blog and read her story!)

 

 

Second - I am so glad The Voice is back on. It is the one talent reality TV show that I enjoy and can watch.

 

Third - my sister is AWESOME! Not only did I get to spend Sunday afternoon with her, we went shopping in her closet (found a dress and a couple of shirts), we went to one of her local thrift stores where I found a couple sweaters and she found me another dress. Score!  To boot - this bag....

is a camera bag. She won it and wondered if I wanted it. Ah - YES!!!!  It's a really pretty turquoise color.

 

Fourth - I love playing with make up. It took until I was almost 40 to learn to enjoy it. Now I like to experiment. Last night, my Mr. asked why I didn't have a beauty box subscription (thank you TV commercial). Ummm - what? Really?  So, I am looking around. Anyone get Birchbox?

 

That's what I'm loving this Wednesday.

How about you?

Travel Tuesday

Happy Travel Tuesday!  Today I am linking up with A Compass Rose. Stop by her blog for some amazing travel posts.

 

Today I am going to share the Bridges of Madison County, Iowa (near Winterset)

We drove out to Madison County in April, 2008. There is a driving "tour" of the bridges and a couple of the movie sites. (Unfortunately, there has been a lot of vandelism at some of these sites)

 

You can visit the website here: Madison County Iowa

 

 This is the Roseman Covered Bridge - make sure you stop by the gift shop next to the bridge! (Also prominently featured in the movie)

 

A bridge interior:

 

Take some time, take the drive and see the other sites around Winterset, Iowa.

John Wayne's birthplace is there, as is the "home" of Fons & Porter (for all you quilting fans).

 

Happy Trails!

#TravelTuesday

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a good weekend - you stayed safe and warm!

We had a nice weekend - here's a quick recap.

Friday night, my Mr. and I went to the Miranda Lambert concert. RaeLynn (The Voice, Season 2) opened - meh...she was kind of boring.  Justin Moore was up next and he turned me into a big fan. He was awesome and brought me to tears at one point!  Miss Miranda - we were both disappointed. She seemed almost bored and was going through the motions of having a concert.  BUT - it was nice to have a night out together.

I started this book on Saturday (after I got my butt out of bed...) - it's going to be a slow read but it's enjoyable!

 

 I tried a new crockpot recipe - teriyaki chicken. Let me just say - we went out for dinner... I was disappointed!

 

We rented Gone Girl - we enjoyed it. I had given up on the book because it was dragging on. In this case, for me - the movie was better than the book.

 



Yesterday, the Mr. and Young Mr. went to the Blackhawks/Bruins game. As Hawks fans, it was U-G-L-Y!!!!!

BUT - while they were at the game, Little Miss and I went to see my sister. We had late lunch, did a little shopping (in her closet and at a thrift shop) - found some good stuff too! Then we hung out at their place for a while.

Then we watched part of the Oscars last night and enjoyed relaxing.

I wish you all a great week!

A children's book

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of

My Grandma's a Ninja by Todd Tarpley

 

This book is set for publication on March 1, 2015.

 

This book gets 4 stars from me.

It's a cute story about Ninja Grandma and her help to her grandson. The illustrations are enjoyable too.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Time for another "Loving Wednesday" link up with Jodi and Rachel.

1. Little Miss will be 11 tomorrow! She's excited that her age will be 2 - 1's.

2. The Mr. and I saw this on Sunday. It was GREAT - action; humor; Samuel L. Jackson.

 

3. I LOVE this podcast! 5 sisters - randomness discussed and LOTS of laughter!

4. Loving my Tuesday night TV again. Chicago Fire was starting to get a little dull for me but they have redeemed themselves the past few weeks.

 

5. 2 more days until I see Miranda in concert! SUPER excited!!!

 

What are YOU loving?

 

President's Day

In honor of our holiday today, I am sharing pictures of some of the Presidential homes we have visited in our travels. We have also visited Presidential museums, gravesites and libraries but here are some of the homes....

Dwight Eisenhower boyhood home in Abilene, Kansas - his gravesite is also at this location. The museum is very interesting.

William Clinton boyhood home in Hope, Arkansas.

 Abraham Lincoln home in Springfield, Illinois. You can spend a whole day in Springfield visiting Lincoln sites.

William Taft home in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 Harry Truman home in Independence, Missouri.

 Rutherford Hayes home in Fremont, Ohio.

William McKinley home in Canton, Ohio. It is now the First Ladies National Historic Site, which is very cool.

 Herbert Hoover birthplace in West Branch, Iowa. His library, museum and gravesite are all at the same location..

Happy Day!

Finding Beauty Friday

Happy Friday the 13th!

First, thank you to all who participated in National Wear Red Day last Friday. I loved all the photos that were sent to me and posted.

After being sick this week, I am needing some pretty. I'm tired of kleenex, cough drops, medicine, painful ears and swollen eyes. The weather is turning cold again and promises to sick around for a while.

I am linking up with Aimee today for another Finding Beauty Friday. I hope you'll visit her blog and others who link their beauty.

This was taken a few years ago after we had a snowfall.

Happy Friday - have a great weekend!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Today I am linking up with Jodi and Rachel for their What I'm Loving Wednesday.  Join in every Wednesday and tell us what YOU are loving.

1. 8 days until pitchers and catchers report for spring training. Bring on baseball!

2. Dooney and Burke came out with a new line of MLB purses. Drooling....

 3. I finished this over the weekend. Fantastic book!!!!  5 stars. It's set in New Orleans during all Civil Rights events.

 4. Homemade cinnamon rolls! (This pic is pre-baked) they were quite tasty on Sunday morning.

5. That an author friend consulted me about blurb for the cover of her new book. Soooo looking forward to reading it!

 

What are YOU loving this week?

Book blurbs

Good morning! I am linking up with TASTY BOOK TOURS again this week to bring you some book blurbs from the romance novel, Too Hot to Handle by Katie Rose.

PUBLISHER'S SYNOPSIS:

Katie Rose’s Boys of Summer series returns for a delicious double-header—with the story of total opposites who are drawn to each other like moths to a flame.
Nikki Case is no fan of baseball. Her ex gambled away a fortune on the sport, and now her PR firm has tasked her with cleaning up the league’s most notorious bad boys. The New Jersey Sonics are known for wild womanizing and booze-fueled brawls, so Nikki expects the worst. Her first stop in the battle to win hearts and minds is star hitter Jake Baldwin—a legendary ladies man so smokin’ he threatens to melt her tough-girl armor.

Although his teammates prank her without mercy, Jake admires the way Nikki gives as good as she gets. She may be the queen of frost, but there’s kindling beneath those sultry curves—and he’s just the man to ignite it. But when a PR nightmare lands the Sonics in headlines across the country, Nikki is ready to walk. Only then does Jake realize how important she is to the Sonics’ success—and that winning the love of a good woman is no game.

EXCERPT:

"Hey, bro!" Ryan Wakeman strode into the MIXX bar at the Borgata Casino and waved at the Sonics shortstop. Jake Baldwin was, of course, surrounded by girls. A cute little blonde hopped off the stool as Ryan approached, and she blew Jake a kiss when he made it clear he was occupied.

While not the best-looking member of the team—Chase Westbrook held that title—Jake’s little-boy looks, sandy-blond hair, wide blue eyes, and sexy smile attracted women immediately. Charm he had in buckets, and when he turned the full force of his personality on an unsuspecting female, she was done.

The first baseman grabbed the recently vacated stool and signaled to the bartender for a drink. A shot of tequila appeared before him, along with an icy draft. He gave his teammate a questioning look at the amount of alcohol even as he downed the clear liquor.

"It’s off-season," Jake said with a grin. "We don’t start spring training for a week yet. Plenty of time."

"Apparently not for all of us." Ryan gestured to the couple across the bar. Chase Westbrook, their ace pitcher, sat with his girlfriend, Darcy Hamilton, and was nursing a club soda. He seemed to sense their perusal and sent Jake a grin as well as a nod.

"He has to behave himself. He’s got the wife with him."

Ryan chuckled. "She isn’t yet, but I think it’s just a matter of time." One brow arched and he looked at Jake speculatively. "So I’m already married, Chase is on his way. What about you? Think you’ll ever settle down?"

"Not my style," the shortstop said, and then looked at his teammate with curiosity. "I don’t know how you do it. We’re on the road all the time, a different state every week. And with spring training in Florida, there are just too many opportunities to meet girls. Some of them are so damned gorgeous. How do you stay committed?"

"That’s easy," Ryan said. "It really is true—when you find the right one you just don’t want to cheat. Not that I don’t like to look. But that’s all."

Jake just shook his head. "I’ve got to hand it to you and our buddy over there." He indicated Chase. "He’s smitten. Never seen him happier."

"I know. The man’s done."

Jake nodded and then gestured to the bartender for another round. When the woman approached, she gave him a sexy smile.

"Hey, honey," she whispered, leaning closer to the shortstop. "What are you doing later?"

She wore a badge that said Desiree and her voice was rich with promise. Jake allowed his eyes to travel from the top of her platinum-blond head down.

Apparently he liked what he saw. "I’m meeting someone for a couple of drinks," he confided with a wicked smile. "But I should be able to stop back before closing."

"Sounds good." She bent down to get the bottle of tequila, and Jake saw a long length of tanned thigh. His eyes met Ryan’s, and the first baseman shook his head and grinned.

As if on cue, one of the Borgata waitresses, a sultry redhead, entered the bar. She glanced around, and then spotted Jake. Waving enthusiastically, she pushed her way through the crowd and joined him.

"Sorry I’m late." The redhead kissed the shortstop’s cheek and gave Ryan a little finger wave. Her uniform boasted a plunging neckline, which showed off magnificent surgically enhanced breasts, and a skirt so short it barely covered her bottom. "I got held up at the table."

Jake gave her a kiss in return. "Did you win?"

"Yes, a couple hundred bucks. Drinks are on me!" she said enthusiastically and then turned to the bar. Immediately, her smile disappeared as her eyes locked on the bartender. The tension crackled between them as the cool blonde and the hot redhead sized each other up like two cats in the same barnyard.

 

Monday again...

Good morning! How do the weekends go so fast?!

We didn't "do" much this weekend but it was nice.  We just relaxed at home Friday night.

Saturday, I got the house cleaned and laundry caught up (that won't last long!). It felt good to have that done though. I made a homemade pizza for dinner and prepped some cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Sunday.

Yesterday, we had cinnamon rolls and cleaned up breakfast. We did lazy Sunday morning stuff - coffee; TV and eventually showers. We took Little Miss and one of her friends to Disney on Ice for an early birthday present. It was a good show - nothing like 8000 kids ALL singing Let it Go!  The traffic, as usual, at the United Center was horrible! UGH!!!  People need to learn how to drive.

We DIDN'T watch the Grammys - so I have no idea what happened there (and I guess I don't really care...).

Looking forward to a quiet week (as scheduled now).

I hope you all had a nice weekend and a good upcoming week!

Giving it a try

I signed up for an on line course for this April and May.  It is about the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I am looking forward to the reading and learning more about her.  

If you are interested, you can sign up HERE. It's free and sounds pretty interesting.

January reads

I got some books read toward my 2015 reading goal

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani   3/5
Mrs. Kennedy and Me by Clint Hill   4/5
The Quiet Game by Greg Iles   4/5
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty   4/5
In Your Wildest Scottish Dreams by Karen Ranney  4/5
On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle   4/5
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman   5/5

What did you read that you have enjoyed?

Friday Fun

This Friday - Feb. 6

 

February is National Heart Health Month.

 

So this Friday (Feb. 6) - wear you red - ask your friends and co-workers to wear red - spread the word!

 

I would love to see pictures of your red - you can email them to me:

jenmcgee34@yahoo.com

 

 

Book review

Today I am doing a book review for a blog book tour at TASTY BOOK TOURS.

Genre:  Romance, mild heat

Publisher's blurb:
New York Times bestselling author Karen Ranney's first novel in a brand-new series spins the intriguing story of a beautiful widow and a devilishly handsome shipbuilder...

Seven years have passed since Glynis MacIain made the foolish mistake of declaring her love to Lennox Cameron, only to have him stare at her dumbfounded. Heartbroken, she accepted the proposal of a diplomat and moved to America, where she played the role of a dutiful wife among Washington's elite. Now a widow, Glynis is back in Scotland. Though Lennox can still unravel her with just one glance, Glynis is no longer the naïve girl Lennox knew and vows to resist him.

With the American Civil War raging, shipbuilder Lennox Cameron must complete a sleek new blockade runner for the Confederate Navy. He cannot afford any distractions, especially the one woman he's always loved. Glynis's cool demeanor tempts him to prove to her what a terrible mistake she made seven years ago.

As the war casts its long shadow across the ocean, will a secret from Glynis's past destroy any chance for a future between the two star-crossed lovers?
My thoughts: This is a Civil War era romance set in Scotland. The characters are likable and believable. The storyline has twists and intrigue. You should pick this one up!

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Happy February!

January was a little rough around here, but I am determined to stay positive. So, welcome to a new month. My 365 project is going well and am looking forward to another month of fun prompts. I will also have a few book posts this month-stay tuned.

Winter Storm Linus is blanketing us with snow today. (Linus...blanket....eh?!)