When I really love it a book...

You know how you hear people say, "I loved XYZ book, I couldn't put it down!" I do the same thing myself. If I like a book, I'll blaze through it pretty doggone fast.

But if I love a book, it takes me ages to finish.  I put it down, I walk away for a few weeks, I resist the siren calls.  Super counter intuitive, right? 

Here's the thing, when I love a book, I don't want it to end, I don't want to say goodbye to the characters. I miss them, life get drab. Coming from me, there is no higher praise I can give a book than to say, it took me a long time to finish it.

Up Jumps The Devil took me ages to finish.  I loved it, no wait I floved it.  I hated having to say goodbye to John Scratch. Michael Poore did such a fantastic job of  giving the devil his due.  Oh sorry about that cliche, I tried not to go there, but I had no control.  The devil made me do it. Alright, I'm done.

I cannot more highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys flawed protagonists.  Michael has really created a fantastically sympathetic anti-hero.

 He takes a bit from old tales of the Devil (ie Robert Johnson, The Devil and Daniel Webster, etc) and does something amazing. The Devil has such hope for humanity and we let him down again and again. 

The book begins with Satan as the host of a Reality Show and then moves forward and backward through time in dreams and memories and current moments. I let that sit with you a moment, Satan is the host of a wildly successful reality TV show.  How perfect is that.

From the opening pages where The Devil is shot we follow him through a timeless love affair he has with an Angel and the love affair Satan has with humanity. 

Up Jumps The Devil is a love story, a history lesson, and a road trip story wrapped up in a leather duster smelling of pipe smoke.

And the ending is wonderfully satisfying. 

Curious?  Want my copy?  Too bad, you can't have it, I'm going to keep it--and I don't keep books.

It's available on amazon and other fine book selling establishments.

Click the book for the Amazon link.

Located in

#Wordless Wednesday Dinner Time!

1 lb cut up boneless skinless chicken breast browning in a tablespoon Roasted Garlic Infused oil. Along with 2 tbsp of our new fantastic Rustic Herb Seasoning.

Add like 3 cups chopped red potatoes and 1/2 cup chix broth and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Then add in about 2 cups chopped green beans...

2 cups chopped green beans

 

Simmer/saute for another say 8 minutes

And Dinner is done!

FourSquare you disappoint me.

FourSquare, in case you aren't aware, is an app for your smartphone and with it you 'check-in' to places and it rewards you with points.  The points are completely meaningless, and yet still I love to see my points!  There is some benefit to using FourSquare  as some businesses have specials that are only revealed when you 'check-in' via FourSquare.

On the app, people can add a location if they want to check in somewhere that doesn't already have a location.  For example I made one called:  "The Hamel Lakehouse." 

It should come as no surprise that people try to be funny and/or creative in naming places.  My Big Comfy Bed is a place you could check into by our old house in Hickory Hills.  Out here in Western North Carolina, you don't even need to come up with funny name because long ago, the forefathers of this area went to great lengths to give  the surrounding mountains, valleys and roads funny and/or creative names. The best are funny at the 6th grade immature boy level.
You may recall a while back, I posted a picture of Peckerwood Road, which is located right by a golf course. This is a popular street sign to steal, natch.  However there is an even better area around here, and I wanted to 'check in' from it on FourSquare. Much to my dismay,  it isn't listed as a spot to check into via the app.

  FourSquare, you've let me down how could you *not* have Smackass Gap listed!

Yes that's right Smackass Gap, see it's right there.  I am sure there is some story that goes along with the name probably something about a stubborn mule, but who cares!

Baby you're a Firework!

Dear Sir or Madam:
Thanks ever so much for the fireworks show last night. When I went to bed at midnight, fireworks right outside my backyard at 1AM were certainly the last thing on my mind.

It was super thoughtful of you to wait until 1AM to have your show. What a great way to ensure everyone around you would wake up and pay attention to the noise and lights, I know I did!

Thanks again for your amazing display of thoughtfulness! Our dogs went crazy during your show!

All the best!
Victoria

Ps if it happens again tonight, I will hunt you down.

#Wordless Wednesday Wine!

Sat we went to a local Winery.  Lovely place. Lovely wine.
Here's the stream next to the grapes and a bit of Patrick.

The boys and one of the owner's dogs.

Cabernet Franc Grapes.

Eagle Forks Vineyards Chardonnay. Yum.

Why am I on linkedin?

I was filling out a form to join a blogging network and one of the required pieces of info was my linkedin profile.  When I went over to Linkedin, which I hardly ever do, I realized I have been on there since 2007.

Do you know what that means?  Five years of not knowing what the point of being on Linkedin. Are you Linkedin?  If so can you please tell me what I am supposed to do on there?  Why am I there? Anyone know?

A while back I went on to my profile and on the right hand side it said "link your resume to complete your profile." So I did, and guess what, apparently that is a generic message because all of a sudden my profile had all my career info listed 3 times. Even then my profile sits at 90% complete.

Linkedin also keeps telling me to add another email address to my profile. I refuse. Why does it keep asking?  Facebook doesn't bug me for multiple email addresses. 

How about you?  On Linkedin?  Profile Complete?

It's Friday. I don't care.

Hey how's it going?  Got big plans for the weekend?  Got any plans?  Nah, I don't, in fact, I'm having a sucky day. Here are a couple low lights.
1. I spilled coffee all over the paperwork I filled out to register the kids for school.  I also spilled it on my planner and on a couple of birth certificates (part of the whole registering kids for school process).
2. I couldn't get new paperwork and register the kids for school because I didn't have my electric bill.  See apparently there is something called your 911 Address and that is on your electric bill.  I don't know what the difference is, but I didn't have that paper.  It was around 12:15pm when I was trying to get this done, so I said I'd go and get the bill and come back.  However, the lady said she was getting ready to leave for the day, so I'd have to come back on Monday.

I had two thoughts on that:

Personally, I don't think it would be too much to ask to have someone that could help me if I came to register btwn the hours of 9-3pm.  *Shrug* what can you do.  I guess she had a better weekend plan than me. Secondly, I thought, man, wish that was my job, sounds pretty flexible and I am sure the benefits are nice.

The rest of the day was tedium and life with IMO Grumplstilskin. Mr. Crabby Patty. Bah, and I don't feel like making dinner.

************************************************************************
Now is the part where I try to muster up some happy thoughts.
1. I noticed that some of the men around here don't say "Thank You" to people they deal with (cashiers and whatnot) instead they say:
"I appreciate ya"
I think I really like that. Who doesn't want to be appreciated?  Nobody.  Everyone wants appreciation. In fact, I'd like appreciation more than say, a bag of chips or $20.

2. I saw a cool butterfly and it let me take it's picture:

#WordlessWednesday Next Week I'll be out of town!

A week from tomorrow is the Tastefully Simple National Conference.  I can't wait. 4 days of friends, motivation and no cleaning up after anyone. Ah...

Above is me having participated in the Shining Chef Competition at our 2009 conference.

So. whatcha been up to?

Holy Smokies it's been a week since I blogged.  That is just bad form!  I've got a goal to write 250 posts this year and posting once a week ain't gonna do it.

Now is it just me or has this been the longest July on record?  I feel like it has been July for about 8 weeks.  Typing that last scentence brings to mind my recent comments on May.  I don't know if I bored you as well as my Facebook friends with my thoughts on how May was the longest month ever.

It seems that I am not feeling as though time is flying by, hmm, could this be because the children are home for summer break?  I don't know.  I suppose that this slowness of time should be seen as a good thing, as well, life is short. 

This week I started running a coffee shop here in Hayesville. It's called Cafe Touche.  Everyone who comes in is quite nice--which is good because I am having major frothing issues.  I can't get my milk to foam up.  My lattes are nottes.

I work from 7AM until 3PM, so this basically will match up with the kids school.  The Man's store Golftopia opens at 10am, so he will be in charge of getting the kids off to school in the morning.
Stop it!  I know you are laughing, I am too.  He is just going to have to figure it out!  Breakfast and lunches and kids wearing clean clothes, it's more work than it appears.

I am betting with the return of a schedule for me, time will speed back up and the next thing you know I"ll be talking about how I can't believe it is Thanksgiving.  If I am lucky, I'll also be sharing how I am busy running around doing Tastefully Simple parties at night and making latte art during the days!

Here is a picture of Anna AKA Trail Mix and Patrick AKA Finn playing Scrabble at Cafe Touche.

It's the middle of July and I feel like Summer is Over

I'm feeling like Fall is right around the corner. This has nothing to do with the current weather. I'm feeling like Fall for several reasons.

1. Because March this year seemed like June--and that was weather related--
2. Football practice has started--we all know Football rhymes with Fall.
3. Tastefully simple's fall product unveiling is just around the corner! National Conference always makes me feel Fallish.

Time sure flies, I hope to get a chance sometime soon to smell the roses.