Happy 101 Award...

The wonderful and talented Christine from The Happily Ever After gave me the sweetest of sweet awards. You probably know Christine but if you don't I'll tell you a little about her. She's very kind and always has something nice to say. She has great taste in books, posts some really good, healthy recipes with great pics and is a bit obsessed with running. ; )

The rules for the Happy 101 Award are:

Copy the award image into a post.
List 10 things that make you happy.
Tag 10 bloggers who brighten your day.
Put in a link to their blogs.
Notify the award receivers.
Recipients should link back to the sender’s blog.

Here are my ten:

1. My family ~ they drive me crazy at times but they also give me infinite amounts of joy.

2. My home ~ it's mine and my families' haven.

3. Friends ~ Both online and RL. When I'm having a bad day I know I can count on them to bring me up and make me smile. :)

4. Reading ~ of course!

5. Shopping ~ for books! I love hunting down old favorites and discovering new ones.

6. Chocolate ~ finding that last Reese's cup in the freezer when I'm craving chocolate = priceless.

7. Sleeping In ~ I'm a night owl so when the weekend comes and I get to sleep in, that makes me very happy!

8. Organizing ~ I love to sort and catalogue. Seeing everything neat and organized gives me a sense of accomplishment.

9. Kicking butt at Spiderman: Friend or Foe ~ this is one video game that I love playing with my 8 year old, as long as I get to be Spiderman. :)

10. My Neighbor ~ I don't know her very well, she keeps to herself, but she makes me happy. Why? Because she's nice and very quiet. Old neighbors were a nightmare!

So there's my ten. I'm not going to tag anyone because those that read my blog make me happy so if your reading this you can consider yourself tagged. :) You can post your ten if you would like or not. Whatever makes you happy!

A Very Late Meme...

Christine at The Happily Ever After... did this meme on New Year's Eve as a reflection of her reading for the year. I thought it was a cool meme and started typing mine up, then I dropped the ball and never finished it. Christine reminded me of it and I was like, "Oh, crap, where is that word doc that I started." LOL I found the doc and here it is, better late than never right? :)

My Life According to the Book I Read in 2009

Directions: Using only titles of books you have read this year (2009), complete the prompts below. Try not to repeat a book title.

Describe yourself:
Riding on Instinct by Jaci Burton

How do you feel:
Relentless by Lauren Dane

Describe where you currently live:
Madhouse by Rob Thurman

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Virgin River by Robyn Carr

Your favorite form of transportation:
One Lucky Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Your best friend is:
Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard

You and your friends are:
Too Good To Be True by Kristin Higgins

What's the weather like:
Flat-Out Sexy By Erin McCarthy

Favorite time of day:
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockmann

What is life to you:
A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade

Your fear:
Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann

What is the best advice you have to give:
Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Thought for the day:
Only Pleasure by Lora Leigh

How I would like to die:
Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye

My soul's present condition:
Touched by Light by Catherine Spangler

These were harder to come up with than I thought they would be. The hardest one was the last, "My Soul's Present Condition". It's just something I don't think about. Some fit really well and others made me laugh. My BF is dh so that answer is sooo not serious. LOL If you're like me and haven't done this, give it a try and let Christine know. :)

Happy Tag...

Dani from Confessions of a Romance Book Addict was a sweetheart and tagged me for this happy meme. So here's how to play.

The Rules ~
1. Link to the person who Tagged you.
2. List 6 things that make you happy.
3. Post the rules.
4. Tag 6 others and let them know you Tagged them.
5. Then tell the person who Tagged you that your entry is finished.

Six things that make me happy...

My kids ~ yes, they can be real PITAs sometimes but most of the time they make me very happy and so very thankful they're here.

Books ~ of course. Can't live without them. I don't understand people who don't like to read. It's like there from another world. They think I'm from another world because I have so many books ~ 1000+ and counting.

DH ~ I figured I should mention him. lol He supports my book addiction by not saying a word about how many books I have and that I keep getting more. He does give me the occasional "More books?" look but I can deal with that.

Chocolate ~ need I explain?

Music ~ I love music. Always have. I'll listen to almost any kind. It varies with my mood which is what is so great about it. The infinite possibilities there are.

Clouds ~ Seeing clouds in the sky makes me happy. It means there's a chance of rain and living in the desert, rain is always welcomed.

If you want to play along go right ahead.

Kreativ Blogger Award...

The lovely Brie at Musings of a Bibliophile has honored me with the Kreative Blogger Award. Brie is one of those readers who not only has great taste in books but has a truly kind heart. She makes you feel welcomed and she has such a variety of books to recommend that there is always something interesting to read at her blog.

Not only is there an award but there is also a MeMe.

Here's the rules for the MeMe:

1. Mention the blog that gave it to you.
2. Comment on their blog to let them know you've posted the award.
3. Share 6 values that are important to you.
4. Share 6 things you do not support.
5. Share the love with 6 other blogging friends.

As Brie mentioned the rules have been tweaked a bit by previous award recipients so I'm going to do a little tweaking myself.

The 6 things that I value this time of year:

Togetherness ~ that means spending time with family that I don't get to see very often.
Honesty (to a point) ~ Do I like the present? Of course I do! I could always use more slippers.
Good Food ~ Do I really need another cookie? Why, yes... yes I do.
Tape ~ wrapping paper-check, name tags-check, bows-check, tape? Where's the tape? Who took the last of the tape?! Finding the tape=Priceless. (In case you hadn't guessed, I can never find tape in my house.)
Good Hiding Places ~ that are kid proof and I can remember where they are. (the gifts, not the kids.)
Warm Fuzzies ~ not the afore mentioned slippers but the feeling you get after things quiet down and you realize how lucky you are to have such a great bunch of people in your life.

The 6 things I do not support this time of year:

Long Lines ~ at the post office, the grocery store, the bookstore, McDonald's drive-thru...
Christmas Music ~ before Thanksgiving!
Bad Drivers ~ OK, I don't like them at any time of year but they seem to be especially bad this time of year.
Rampant Commercialism ~ I do not have to buy every toy in the world to give my kids a wonderful Christmas. Period.
Chia Pets ~ need I say more?
The Clapper Commercial ~ it always gets stuck in my head. Always.

Sharing the love with one and all.

Banned Book Meme

A little late to the party...

I got this from KMont at Lurv à la Mode. (((Feel better Kenda)))

The books in dark purple are the ones I've read. Most were read many years ago so the memory is a bit fuzzy.

Three things I learned while doing this meme:

1) My elementary and high schools were either forward thinking or didn't know they were making the kids read banned books.

2) All three of my kids have read banned books.

3) What the heck's with all the Judy Blume hating going on?! She was one of my favs when I was a teenager.

A couple comments on specific books:

On Where's Waldo? I actually looked this up to make sure they weren't talking about some bizarre pornographic Where's Waldo? Nope, it's the kids book.

On Little Black Sambo. I remember having this when I was just a little kid. It was one of my favorites. And if I'm not mistaken I think it was a Little Golden Book.

ALA's list of the 100 most frequently challenged books from 1990-2000.

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz

2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite

3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling

8. Forever by Judy Blume

9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

14. The Giver by Lois Lowry

15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris

16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine

17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck

18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

19. Sex by Madonna

20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel

21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard

27. The Witches by Roald Dahl

28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein

29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry

30. The Goats by Brock Cole

31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

32. Blubber by Judy Blume

33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam

35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier

36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry

37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras

41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

42. Beloved by Toni Morrison

43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel

45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard

46. Deenie by Judy Blume

47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar

50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz

51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)

54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole

55. Cujo by Stephen King

56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell

58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest

60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras

62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly

64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

65. Fade by Robert Cormier

66. Guess What? by Mem Fox

67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney

69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

71. Native Son by Richard Wright

72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday

73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen

74. Jack by A.M. Homes

75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya

76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle

77. Carrie by Stephen King

78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer

80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge

81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein

82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole

83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King

84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez

87. Private Parts by Howard Stern

88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford

89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene

90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman

91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher

93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis

94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene

95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts

98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney

100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

My First meme

This is from Kristie at Ramblings on Romance. I asked to join in and she was kind enough to let me. Thanks Kristie. My first meme. : )

Ok, here are the rules:
~ Comment on Kristie's post and ask for a letter.
~ Think of 5 fictional characters whose names begin with the letter, post their names and comments about those characters on your blog.
~ The characters can be from books, movies, TV etc...

So I got S. Not too difficult but I did have to do some thinking. Here's who I came up with.


Senior Chief Stan Wolchonok
from Suzanne Brockmann's Over the Edge.

Lord, I love a man in uniform. So much that I married one but that's another story. *g*

Stan is a U.S. Navy SEAL, part of SEAL Team sixteen. He's not your typical hero when it comes to looks. He's pushing 40, average height and described by his heroine as "...a scary looking man - with a face that looked as if he'd spent a few years in the boxing ring." But he is a total sweetheart, a real gentle man and can still be just as alpha as any SEAL.


Lucas Swain
from Linda Howard's Kiss Me While I Sleep

This is one of my favorite Linda Howard books. Lucas is a CIA agent that has been ordered to bring in agent Lily Mansfield. He's a hard driving, funny, "fly by the seat of your pants" sexy alpha agent. At just over six feet tall, he's lean with blue eyes and short brown hair with a bit of gray. I always thought Lily was very lucky that Swain was sent after her.


Sin ~ ex-god turned Dark Hunter
from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Devil May Cry

His name pretty much says it all. Tall, tan, with topaz eyes, curly black hair and just all out gorgeous. He's a sexy former god that was tricked by Artemis(the bitch), lost his soul and became a Dark Hunter. He doesn't always follow the rules, sometimes employing the enemy in his casino. Did I mention he lives in Sin City? He's one of Kenyon's classic tortured heroes.


Lt. Col. John Sheppard
from Stargate ~ Atlantis

There aren't many shows on TV that I like but this is one of them. And Sheppard is one of the main reasons why. He's funny with a dry humor and quick wit that I find very sexy. He's also a pilot, soldier and leader his team looks up to and can count on to come through in the end.




Captain Jack Sparrow
from Pirates of the Caribbean

Gotta love a man that can wear eye liner, prance around in heels and still be sexy. Yes, Orlando Bloom was in the Pirate movies but I truly think Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow really made the movies. His convoluted intellect and oh so sharp wit could not be matched. Even when you couldn't make sense of what he was saying he was still a thrill to look at.

Here's some Bloopers from Pirates of the Caribbean 1