Gimme a ReBeL Yell !!!!

So, I know it's been a bit since I updated... it has just been SUPER crazy around here lately. Will get into all that in a minute.

First, thanks Marianne, Amy and Marty for your responses. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has feelings of envy even though we're happy for our friends' successes.

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Now, for the ReBeL Yell!!! Over the weekend several of my friends from the RBL Romantica Message Board and website came into Vegas for the yearly RBL sleepover. What a fun group of ladies who love books as much as I do. Here we are:


Front Row: (from left to right)Linda, Rosie, Sandra, Debbie & Ann - Back Row: (left to right) Briana, Me(Chris), Kandy, Bo & Barb

While they were here we went to dinner a couple times and hung out in their hospitality suite. We had a book exchange and I got a couple books from a new-to-me author that looks pretty good: Christine Warren. They've since been added to my almost out of control TBR pile and I'm looking forward to reading them ... whenever I have the time. LOL


Fun in the hospitality suite....

And we did a picture frame exchange where we each brought a frame and it was exchanged... you know the type of exchange where one person picks then the next person can "steal" any previous frames that were opened or pick one of the unopened packages. This is notoriously hilarious as some of us try to hide our frames if we loved em and don't want to give them up... and others steal just to "welcome" a newbie to the group!


Me and the Brat... a.k.a. my sister!

It was great to see the ladies and to spend time with my sister, who came into town to meet our new baby and meet the RBL ladies as well. It was a blast and fun was had by all! LOL


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In honor of my RBL sisters... I HAD to take this test:

Your Mind is PG-13 Rated

Your mind is definitely a little dirty. You're naughty, but not trashy. You don't shy away from a dirty joke, and you're clearly not a prude.

Do You Have a Dirty Mind?

Hmmm.... I think this one is subjective... I have been accused on more than one occasion of hanging out way too much in the gutter. *snort* Maybe it depends on the company I'm keeping at the time! :-)
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Last time's Kiddie Quote was: "My head, we clocked 'em!" and no one even ventured a guess as to the question behind that one. Basically, I heard my 3 year old screaming and he came running out of the playroom saying his brother hit him. I promptly jumped all over big brother's case, "What did you hit him with?!" The above was his answer as to what he had hit his brother with. Kind of hard to be mad at them for getting out of hand when you're laughing!

Today's quote doesn't have a question that goes with it, but it's pretty darned funny.

Kiddie Quote: "Mommy, I had a HUGE fart in my butt!"

I'm not kidding I swear he said that!

So that's that... at least for today.

I am so jealous!!!!

Have you ever been jealous? You know, not covetous but jealous, like you wish it were you but you're happy for the other person?

I have a few things I'm feeling a bit jealous about. Okay, the other day my friend Michele came back from vacation (the first thing I'm jealous of...) and promptly got signed up for high-speed Internet (the second thing I'm jealous of). *sigh* I haven't had a vacation, despite what my bosses think, in a long time because taking time off to have a baby is NOT a vacation! And, I would so love if my DH finally got on the danged ball and actually signed up for the high-speed Internet he's been "talking" about for the past four months. But, I love to see how Michele is so excited about her new capabilities, and she makes me giggle each time she figures something else out. I think I'm just as excited for her as she is for herself.

Then, my dear friend Marianne gets another contract for one of her books... and I'm jealous again, but in a great way. I'm incredibly happy for her and I can't wait to read this one. She says, "So when do I get to celebrate with you?" So, not so jealous as to begrudge someone their happiness, but wishful that it will happen to me soon. The good kind of jealous, the motivating kind where I can be happy and supportive of my friends while hoping the same will happen for me soon. Guess I need to keep on plugging away at my stories and get a move on so Marianne can celebrate with me one day!

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? It's not a bad thing, just a motivating thing... you know?

Dancing, Flowers and Pain Pills.... OH MY!

Alright, I figured I needed to update this... as I know it's been a bit since I did so. But, I'm just drawing a blank right now. Probably has something to do with the pain pills and Benadryl that I took earlier. *sigh* Aha, inspirations strikes!

I started up my dance classes this past week, after being gone for four months to have a baby and recover. Part of me was so happy to be back in the studios, I really missed my girls and was gratified to see that they missed me too. Another part of me though, wasn't as excited and just wanted to be back at home writing or working on reviews or playing with my kids! Does anyone else ever feel like things that used to be our favorite things to do have suddenly become chores?

I'm hoping that I can maybe change up what I do in class and get the excitement back again. Dancing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I just hate it that it seems so trying now. Gah, enough whining, I'll figure it out. LOL.
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So, I was wondering about something:

Has anyone ever seen a rose like this before?



My poor mom had to have knee surgery to repair a pretty severe meniscus tear. When we went to make dinner for her and my dad tonight, she had this gorgeous bouquet of flowers on the table. They were given to her by a family friend to keep her spirits up while she is basically bed-ridden as her knee heals. Anyone who knows my mother knows she doesn't handle inactivity well (something we have in common... lol), so the flowers and the books I brought her to read were to keep her distracted a bit.



Isn't that bouquet gorgeous? I know that the flowers are Tiger Lilies and Roses, but I'd love to know how they got the rose to have that color striation. Was it grown that way? Or, is it like with Carnations how you can let them soak in colored water and the petals take on the color of the water? If it's the second... how in the world did they do that? Either way, I think it's utterly gorgeous!

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From Marianne's blog the other day:

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

This about says it all! Maybe because I love to see through my kids' eyes? Or... it could be that I'm sometimes a great big kid myself and am usually easily amused.
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Last time's Kiddie Quote was self-explanatory for my sister. The question that prompted that response ("Ummm... Mommy is!") came from my DH. He was ranting a bit at the boys about how they just don't listen... well, yeah, they're kids! LOL Anyway, in the middle of his rant he asked, "Who in the heck do YOU think is the boss around here?" It made me laugh when I saw that all the wind just slipped from his sails! Now, it's a standard answer when anyone asks who's the boss in our house. I swear, it's not true... :::batting lashes:::

Today's Kiddie Quote:

"My head... we clocked 'em."

Can you guess the question behind that gem?

MY signs of Spring...

So, I've been visiting some of my friends' blogs and they're all talking about the signs of Spring all across the country. I know that I've already sort of addressed this, but it got me thinking... what do I consider the signs of Spring?

Now, I don't have a garden, I haven't ever really liked having my hands in the dirt... yeah yeah, I know... I am SUCH a girly girl, but at the same time I love flowers and have even gone so far as to get flower seeds and soil to plant in the little patch by my front door. *sigh* But something always comes up... usually my children.

We DO have sagebrush in our front yard, and they have some gorgeous purple flowers that bloom after it rains. I guess one sign of Spring is when the flowers on the sagebrush start to bloom, without rain.


This is one of the sagebrush in our yard just starting to bloom. See how pretty that color is.

And I was still thinking... What else do I consider a sign of spring? And it came to me... (now cover your eyes if feet make you squeamish):


Okay, you can uncover them again. It's warm enough that I get to pull my poor abused feet out of those stifling tennis shoes and put on my open toed sandals (these are wedges as I HAVE to add a few inches) and paint my toenails. Nevermind the fact that I have dancer's feet, besides... they don't look like they used to when I was dancing all the time, I just love changing my toenail colors to match my moods! A different color at least every week, sometimes every other day! Those things to me are signs of Spring.

Sorry if the foot picture freaked anyone out... :-)

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I'm heading to the dentist in the morning, and I am NOT a person who goes easily to the dentist. A couple of bad experiences when I was younger have basically given me a phobia. My wonderful DH went the extra mile and found a dentist for us that is actually a good friend of ours, so he's gentle and understanding and gives me Xanax before I have to come in for major work!

Well, the problem tonight? I don't get any premedication this time... I have to be able to drive myself to the dentist in the morning so that DH can get the kids off to school on time. *sigh* I guess I can take solace in the fact that it doesn't seem likely that what is wrong will be anyting major (sounds like a quick fix) so hopefully I won't have too much time to get myself worked up. We'll see how well I'm doing when I get home tomorrow!
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Last time's Kiddie Quote came from my three-year old. When I called him on the fact that he had ahold of his Easter basket full of candy, which he had been told was off-limits due to the sugar rush he had recently experienced! When I told him to put the basket back, he very innocently told me that he only wanted to carry his basket around the house. How ignorant do our kids think we are? It did however make me smile as I took the basket away from him and emptied all the candy from it and then handed it back to him. "Well, I don't want it now!" he huffed. *snort* Yeah, that's what I thought!

Today's Kiddie Quote:

"Umm... Mommy is!"

Yeah, I know, you have no idea what this means, but there is a story behind it... you'll just have to come back later and see!

Do We Have Spring In Vegas?

Well, I have been accomplishing a few things lately. I've actually been getting some writing done, and we're starting to think about Spring cleaning... lol. Which brings to mind the fact that it's Springtime! At least in certain parts of the country. It has been so very warm here lately, and supposed to hit the 80s or 90s this weekend (yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't I?). I'd say it's about time to pack up the winter clothes, and my maternity clothes (YAY), and pull out the warmer weather clothing.

Since the signs of Spring that most people look for, don't really apply here in Vegas, I simply go by how warm it's getting. It has been brought to my attention (over and over again) that there are only two seasons in Las Vegas, Winter and Summer. Although, I guess our winters don't really qualify for some people... no snow, not as cold as other places... but it's cold enough for me. I've got very thin blood... I HATE the cold, and I don't handle it well at all. I am such a wuss when it comes to the cold. So sue me, I'm a Desert Rat!

Another sign of spring? My RBL sisters make their annual pilgrimage to the glittery lights of Las Vegas! YAY, we talk books, and hot bods, and life, and books and hot bods... and we have dinner and we gab and if the more adventurous ladies come... well we have adventures! LOL While they aren't set to come for another week and a half, we start plans and preparations weeks and months in advance! I cannot tell you how excited I am! Well, I'll be telling more about that on other days.

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This test made me laugh, it hit the nail on the head. Although, I should probably have my husband take the test to see how on the head it is! Cuz, I do so luuurve kissing him! I mean come on... I have FOUR BOYS! Obviously, he's doing something right! Yeah, yeah, I know... TMI. *snort* Ask me how much I care! :-p

Your Kiss is Pink

For you, kissing is pure happiness... simple as that. You definitely get a little blissed out from kissing, even if you're a bit shy about it. You won't kiss just anyone. Your kisses are special! Young at heart, you still get very excited the first time you kiss someone. Kissing Type: Generous People See Your Kisses as: Sweet You Kiss Best With: A Black Kisser Stay away from: An Orange Kisser

What Color Is Your Kiss?

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So last time's Kiddie Quote was a picture, and self explanatory. DS also has a shirt that says "Charming and Lucky", and he would wear them all the time now if I let him!

Today's Kiddie Quote:

"But, Mommy, I just want to CARRY my Easter basket!"

Uh-huh...

Grieving Or Not

This isn't going to be a light-hearted, silly post like most of my previous posts. I have something that is choking me, that I just have to get off my chest before I go crazy. Also, fair warning... it may be rather long. Some of you know, and some of you don't, but we lost a very dear friend of ours the same week that our baby was born. Bob, our neighbor, had been a member of our family and someone that was a major part of our lives. His death came so unexpectedly we were left reeling. As he didn't have a wife or children of his own, never mind family that lived nearby, it was left to us to notify his family that he was lingering on life support in the hospital. My DH and I sat at his bedside, crying and talking to him even though his brain injury was too severe to hear us. In our hearts we knew he wasn't there in that hospital bed, but we had to say goodbye. We never got the chance to say anything to him when he was conscious. The circumstances surrounding his brain injury and eventual death were tragic and our family was left to grieve his sudden loss.

When we had originally contacted his family members, we were given the runaround about who we needed to call, as it seemed that nobody wanted to take any responsibility for his personal affairs. Then we got ahold of a family member that seemed to be actually upset by the circumstances and promised that they were heading down here and could we please ask the doctors to hold off on removing life support. DH and I sat and held his hand some more and cried with each other, trying to decide how we were going to explain to our children that their beloved Bobba was no longer with us. When his family finally arrived, we were a bit mired in our own grief and didn't pay close attention to their demeanor.

Now, months later, I find myself upset, and shaking in my fury at the seemingly callous behavior of people that professed to love someone that WE truly did love. As I've seen them coming and going as they "cleaned out" his home in preparation to sell it, I've been struck by how sometimes we aren't so blessed to be confronted with some people's true nature. Having stopped by several times to ask if there was anything they needed (help moving anything, food, help cleaning, etc,) I have been personal witness to their callous disregard for things that Bob was very proud of and attached to. I got the distinct impression that if they didn't think something would bring them any money, or was of any value to them, then it didn't matter how they treated it. I know that for me, it was just hard walking back into his home and knowing Bob wouldn't be there with a smile and a hug for me. I rushed back home in tears just from that quick visit. Somehow, I think I expected his own family to be having similar difficulties and it hurt me somehow not to see any outward appearances of grief.

Now, I understand that different people grieve differently, but I have never seen someone profess to love someone and then shed no tears at their passing. I think back to when they did show up at his bedside and not a tear was shed, not to mention that they made comments along the lines that it was "just like Bob" to not take care of himself and cause them to come down here, and where were the keys to his house?, and were the car keys there as well...

Last week I came outside to find that they were having a garage sale, which I couldn't fault them for as who can take everything from someones life and integrate it into their own homes? I didn't think much else about it until the next day when my husband walked in the door and told me that I needed to come outside with him. In the driveway of Bob's house (it will probably always be Bob's house, no matter who lives there!) were boxes and boxes of things that were just left for the garbage men.

Stunned I saw that several of Bob's photographs were left out like so much trash. Bob was a photographer both in hobby and formerly in profession for the Air Force. He flew numerous missions with the Thunderbirds, the Air Force stunt flying team. He was an amazing man and an even better photographer. All I could do was snatch those pictures up and fight tears as I thought of how his love was just tossed aside when it didn't bring his "family" any money!

Needless to say, we called our children outside and had them look through the boxes for anything they would like to keep as mementos of their Bobba. They found several wood carvings from Korea and a couple of figurines that they liked, and DH and I took every photo of his we could find. DH asked me if I had seen any pictures of his family that were there "cleaning" on his wall. Thinking about it I couldn't, but I knew for a fact that OUR family picture had a place of prominence on his wall, and now I wonder what they did with THAT photograph.

Now, maybe I'm overreacting, but this was someone who meant a great deal to us, and I find that I can't wrap my mind around his family's behavior. Maybe because he was such a major part of our lives? He spent every Christmas morning with our family from the year we moved in, until this last one right before he passed away. We have his dog, Harley, and our memories of him... and now, we have a bit of his heart as well. I guess, that makes us more his family than those of his own blood.


Above and below here are a few of Bob's photos, as well as one of me and Harley, and you can see what I mean. Keep in mind, these aren't very good copies as I took these pictures with my own camera until I can get them scanned and saved, so they're a bit blurred. Even so, you can see his amazing eye for composition.