Several Things...

Currently Reading: Camouflaged Hearts. I'm already finished with the first story, but I've apparently missed something and I need to go back and re-read a section. I was mildly disappointed; I wanted to jump into the story and grab the heroine by the hair and shake her until she got over her uncertainty! If I'd been in her shoes, it would have been a no-brainer. Unless, of course, there were 2 other people to consider...then I would have raised objections! But they were both single, still attracted to each other, and in the end, it all worked out. But I was still gnashing my teeth at her internal dialogue. And no, Bron, it wasn't yours!

NCAA Final Game Tonight!

I've been going back and forth as to who will win the game tonight, and then I said 'screw it." No, I didn't flip a coin; I looked over my bracket and realized I only picked Kansas to win in the first round! Memphis, I'd picked all the way up until the last round. So, I'm picking Memphis over Kansas tonight.

Goodbye Auntie Rene

I was given a gift yesterday. Hubby and I took the three toddlers (ages 6,5, and 4) to see Grandma yesterday. As all toddlers do, they were soon restless after speaking to her and checking out the birds in the aviary. They settled down when my daughter produced the Etch-O-Sketch, but soon that wasn't even holding their attention. So we left.

I briefly considered popping my head in my aunt's room to say 'hi', but decided at the last minute not to do it, as the 6-year-old always wants to go wherever I go. And we'd only been home a few moments when Jackie called and said she was gone.

As in so many cases, the first thing I blurted was, "But I was just there!" But in all likelyhood, had I gone in her room, I would have found her already gone. I can rest assured, the last time I saw her, she smiled at me, squeezed my hand, told me she loved me and was proud of me, and said she was about to take a nap. And she had read both of my books and was happy I had finally submitted the third.

Funeral arrangements are still pending; she wanted to be buried next to her husband in Kentucky, so I'm not sure where the service will be.

And now for the rant

I won't mention the company my friend works for, but they will not give him any bereavment time to bury his only remaining relative. Parents, siblings, and children are listed, but as his parents are long gone; he's an only child; and only has stepchildren, the fact Auntie Rene is his aunt and 'next of kin' (except for his wife and her children) does not meet the criteria for time off from his work. That is a crime. He lived with her for several years while he was working, to take care of her. After he married, he insisted she continue to live with them, and his wife loves her as much as he does. So why does this company not take into consideration she was all he had?

I met this sweet lady when my hubby and I were dating. She attended our wedding, and made multiple trips to see us, especially after the kids began arriving. She introduced me to Lavryl Spencer books, as well as those by W.E.B. Griffen and John Grisham. We didn't have a computer; we travelled to Cincinnatti and she and John took the rest of the family to the Mall so I could type my manuscript onto a floppy disk. We attended the Tall Stacks festival and enjoyed the day, laughing at the people who chose to eat on the deck of the floating restaurant and shivered, while we were upstairs in the ENCLOSED area, warm as toast, and eating off the buffet.

Ghostlie Antics

My turbie-twist has disappeared. Literally.

I showered Wednesday morning and hung it on the closet doorknob so it could dry. The younglings arrived Thursday afternoon, and Friday morning, I could not find my white towel I use to dry my hair! I looked downstairs; I looked in the chute to see if it was caught somewhere; I looked behind every door! No clue where it has gone. My older kids remember seeing it, but no one has touched it. So I'm back to wrapping my head in smaller towels and trying to balance it on my head once more.

What's a turbie-twist? Basically it's a small turban-like towel with a tiny loop of elastic at one end. You place it over your head, with the elastic at the back of your head. Twist your hair in the rest; flip your head back and place the end through the loop. Voila! Everything stays in place. Especially if you have an odd-shaped head, as I do, or simply want to bend over while your hair is still dripping wet! If I don't find it soon, I'll have to remember where I put the other one...they came as a pair. And I've not seen them anywhere lately.

Record Snowfall

This is for Bron and Brynn. Saw on the news that y'all in Grand Rapids have had...(drum roll please)....107 INCHES of snow, double the normal amount, and here it is, APRIL, and yes, Mother Nature isn't finished with you yet! Whew....that's a lot of snow. And when it melts, it's going to filter down and flood me out, if your water hits the Wabash River. If it flows to the Mississippi, then I'm safe!

And finally...

The results are in, and apparently no one is reading my 'Notes' page on my website anymore. Good; I was getting tired of copying and pasting it. And sometimes the internet would rebell and all my hard work would be lost.

Now the only question I have is, what about the MySpace blog? I've not updated it in a while; does anyone care? I'm sure I have friends who don't read this, but keep up on the MySpace; maybe I ought to be more diligent in updating it. What do you think?

Fooled you...this is the final thought!

Tomorrow is the 200th entry of this site. I was going to give away a free book, but no one entered the last impromptu contest. So if you'd like to win a free copy or download, leave me a comment tomorrow and I'll randomly draw a winner.

With that said, have a great day! It's beautiful outside, and today is our normal errand day. Especially with not having to wear a coat!