When I have wedding pictures to post (hopefully soon), I’ll tell all about Bart and Lea’s big day!

~~~

Questions will be posted daily beginning today and ending on Dec 18, 2009 - the Desert Breeze Scavenger Hunt!!!!

THE HUNT begins HERE!

Some of the prizes will include:

Free reads from authors like Stephanie Burkhart, J. Morgan,
Barri Bryan, Shawna Williams, and Michelle Sutton
Free books
Fresh baked cookies to 3 lucky winners
Goodie Bags and autographed Postcards
Holiday themed handmade jewelry
$10 GC to Amazon
Cover Art Mugs with coffee and bookmarks
2010 Calendars and hand crocheted snowflakes
Author Pens
Bookmarks, Pens and Magnets
Tins of mixed nuts
Crucifying Angel tee shirts
Cover Art Canvas Bag ­ Woman of Honor
2 book credits to DBP storefront
Irish themed gifts
Book themed gift basket

The grand prize will be a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.

I forgot to mention yesterday that I’m at Author Island this week, so please visit. I know this is a busy week with Thanksgiving but it’d be great to see my blog friends and others there. There is a drawing and the winner gets to choose one of my Samhain ebooks. The titles are: A Fiery Secret, No Greater Loss, OR Never the Same. Here is the link: http://authorislandtikihut.blogspot.com/

I won’t be on here the rest of the week. Just too much to do with Thanksgiving and the upcoming wedding. Today Tom’s going to pick up his tux, and I need to return a dress that I’m not going to wear to the wedding. I ordered two online and liked one better. The dresses were so much cheaper online than in the Nordstrom store. I also need to get more colored stones for the table decorations for rehearsal dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I’ll be back next Monday!

I loved my birthday party on Saturday evening. April did a fantastic job putting it together. Her townhouse looked great and it was roomy for all the guests. I was so happy some of my relatives were able to make it, especially my niece Cheryl and her son Peyton. I don’t see them very often. Michael grilled lots of delicious meat. Christina brought a great tasting pasta dish and April made a salad that I also need to get the recipe for and Lea made her cheesecake. By the way, I have Lea’s pie recipe in my Mallory book. Emily made M & M cookies - they are always better than the ones I make. Fortunately, April didn’t put 60 candles on my birthday cake. April made an emotional and beautiful toast to me - very sweet of her.

My sister-in-law, Denise, made me a mother’s bracelet. It is so pretty with the six birthstones for our children. I’m going to wear it to Bart and Lea’s wedding. Tom and the kids bought me a Kindle. I am so excited to have it. Cheryl gave me so many gifts (also from my sister Lois and her husband - they live 3 hrs. away and couldn’t make it) that I asked her if she was trying to give me 60 presents. Also received other lovely things. I guess it wasn’t so bad getting older this year.
~~~~
Marianne has a great blog post about covers. Here is the link: www.reading-writing.blogspot.com

I’ll blog about covers in the future because I think a good book cover is very important, especially when you are not a well-known author. I’ll share some of my favorite book covers soon.

I’m trying to focus on wedding stuff, upcoming birthday celebration, and Thanksgiving.

Bart and Lea’s wedding is getting close now. I ordered the food today for the rehearsal dinner. A friend, Angie, dropped off lovely table decorations to use for the dinner. I just need to buy candles and light blue gemstones for them. Emily thought of the idea of putting gemstones in the light blue bowls with the candles in the middle. My sister-in-law, Denise, has tablecloths for me to use. We will go early in the morning to decorate for it.

I found some shoes I like to wear with my dress for the wedding. Not an easy task with my very wide feet but I found a cute pair of heels. Next thing I need to do is finish altering Emily’s straps of her bridesmaid dress. The sash is done. My husband will look handsome in his tux. He didn’t wear a tux for our wedding but ours was a very simple church wedding with one attendant each. However, I did want him to wear a suit but he wouldn’t. Instead he wore a leisure suit - remember those leisure suits in the 70s. They didn’t last long.

Also like many of you, I’m preparing for Thanksgiving.

I have my Marrying Mallory revised so that’s done! I haven’t had time to do any new writing.

Tomorrow April is having a birthday party for me. Okay, I have to brag a bit. Something to lift my spirits because of my age. Recently I was in McDonald’s and ordered a senior coffee. Actually I don’t usually bother asking for a senior coffee but my husband stood nearby. He always wants us to get them because they are cheaper and after all, we are that age now. Anyhow the young man couldn’t believe my age. He said that his grandmother was younger and she looked older than I do. Then he embarrassed me by asking the other workers if I looked almost sixty. He made my day. I carried my senior coffee, with a big smile on my face all the way to the car. And the coffee never tasted better!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Sunday evening we were invited to dinner by Lea’s mom, Lony and her stepfather, Franz. We enjoyed delicious food fixed by Lony. She’s a wonderful cook and I need to get her recipes for her dishes. Franz made great tasting coffee. I want a coffee maker like theirs now. It’s a Cuisinant Grind ‘N Brew.

Since I’m talking about food, Desert Breeze Publishing has a free cookbook for you to download! Cooking by the Book is a collection of recipes and excerpts inspired by some currently available and available soon novels published through Desert Breeze Publishing. Everything from breakfast to dessert! There is a link at the DBP home page to download - just click on the title above and it takes you to the page with the information.

Not only will you get free recipes for the holidays but you’ll get to read excerpts of some pretty terrific books! Mine included.

“Cooking is like love… it should be entered into with abandon or not at all” ~ Harriet Van Horne - Vogue 1956

Just a few recipes you’ll find…

Aunt May’s Blueberry Muffins
The Gamble
By: Lyncee Shillard

Breakfast Enchiladas Secrets of Old Santa Fe
By: Marion Kelley Bullock

Michael’s Short Stack
The Phoenix Rebellion Book One:Revolution
By: Gail R. Delaney

Brunswick Stew
Laura Kate Plantation Series Book One: When Serpents Die
By: Gerrie Ferris

Chicken and Dumplings
Christmas Stranger
By: Marion Kelley Bullock

Easy Chicken Casserole
Whitney in Charge
By: Diane Craver

Fried Pork Chops
Pretend Mom
By: Rita Hestand

Grandma Frazier’s Sausage and Beans
Christmas Stranger
By: Marion Kelley Bullock

Pelmini – Russian Dumplings
Winner Takes All
By: Sandra Sookoo

Picadillo
Angel with a Backhoe
By: Deborah Kinnard

Uncle Nicolo’s Favorite Pizza
Tabor Heights, Ohio Series
By: Michelle Levigne

Cake for What Ails You
Listen With Your Heart
By: Barbara Scott

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
Marrying Mallory
By: Diane Craver