Scribble and Scrambles ~ Note to Bargain Shoppers

Note to self: (and any others who may benefit).

Sometimes items that are in the dollar bin are there for, shall I be blunt, hmmm, the lack of quality of said item.

i.e. (forgive me X-ta, this is a granddog post)some plastic bags are superior to others.

Plastic bags are a necessary part of walking the dogs. For the more delicate readers and those who may be eating, this is because dogs who walk sometimes relax enough to do their business along the trail. If one chose not to clean up that business and everyone else refused to do so, too, then the trail walk would no longer be pleasant. Trust me.

So yesterday on our walk, as per usual, 22 grabbed her plastic bags. This time she grabbed the bags from the dollar bin.

And as per usual, the dogs did their business. I have the enviable position of watching over the dogs while she scoops. (her dogs, her business) During the first swoop and scoop she muttered and then growled. "Yuck!!! I got some on me." And then as she scooped the second business byproduct she shrieked and held up the bag that had become kind of a funnel. The whole bottom had ripped out in the scoop attempt and she grabbed the stuff with her bare hand.

Repeat after me....Ewww!

Serials and Scenarios ~ Michelle Sutton Danger at the Door

Michelle Sutton has been pounding away at her computer keys. She has two books releasing this month. Read her Dregs interview here.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Danger At The Door
(Desert Breeze September, 2009)
by
Michelle Sutton


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michelle Sutton, otherwise known as the Edgy Inspirational Author, is Editor-in-chief of Christian Fiction Online Magazine, a member of ACFW, a social worker by trade, and a prolific reader/book reviewer/blogger the rest of the time.

She lives in Arizona with her husband of nineteen years and her two teenaged sons. Michelle is also the author of It's Not about Me (2008) and It's Not About Him (Sheaf House 2009). She has nine other titles releasing over the next three years.






ABOUT THE BOOK


Upon her fiancé's death, Laney became a recluse who only left her home for emergencies. She managed to survive - barely - on food delivery service and her work-at-home job. When she tries to move on from her grief, the commemorative meal she orders is ruined. However, it leads to an unlikely friendship with an attractive man, Bojan, who speaks little English.

As he befriends Laney he continually says the wrong things, but he doesn't give up trying to win her trust. Meanwhile, she has this strange feeling of being watched and wonders if she's losing her mind.

Complicating things further, every time she leaves her house something bad happens, confirming that she is safer at home. Can Bojan convince Laney she'll be safe with him, or will his presence put her in further danger? Will he be able to protect the woman he loves before it's too late?


If you would like to read the Prologue and first Chapter of Danger At The Door, go HERE

My Review:


Michelle Sutton has tried her hand at a grown-up romantic suspense with success. Basic plot - nearly agoraphobic heroine meets charmingly bumbling foreigner at her front door. Unknown to them a psycho stalker is just beyond that same door waiting for his chance to pounce.

Sutton is heavy on the romance for those who want a heart flutter in nearly every scene. I was charmed by Bojan "Bob" and his grasp or lack thereof of the English language. Those who want their heroes to be a great blend of Antonio and Gilligan should find much to like in the interactions.

I also found the bad guy to be sufficiently creepy.

Overall, the fast pace kept me turning "pages" or clicking through them actually. Sutton has proven that she knows her romance and can write for young and slightly more mature romance lovers.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Gimme A Piece of That.

Chocolate...free chocolate...

Every Friday through September, register to receive your free Mars candy bar here. You can request 4 per household and the coupons arrive quickly.

Scribble and Scrambles ~Cheese

Serials and Scenarios - Jenny B. Jones's Just Between You and Me.

I haven't read this little gem, yet. But Jenny B. Jones (I love saying/typing her name) visited Dregs a while ago. Here's her interview. And go here and here for a couple of reviews of Just Between You and Me.

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Just Between You And Me
Thomas Nelson (September 1, 2009)
by
Jenny B. Jones


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I write Christian fiction with a few giggles, quite a bit of sass, and lots of crazy. My novels include the Katie Parker Production series and So Not Happening. I would also like to take credit for Twilight , but somewhere I think I read you’re not supposed to lie.

When I’m not typing my heart out (or checking email), I teach at a super-sized high school in Arkansas.

My students are constantly telling me how my teaching changes their lives and turned them away from drugs, gangs, and C-SPAN.

Okay, that’s not exactly true.

Since my current job leaves me with very little free time, I believe in spending my spare hours in meaningful, intellectual pursuits such as:

-watching E!
-updating my status on Facebook
-catching Will Ferrell on YouTube and
-writing my name in the dust on my furniture

I’d love to hear about you, so drop me a note. Or check me out on Facebook.




ABOUT THE BOOK

The only thing scarier than living on the edge is stepping off it.
Maggie Montgomery lives a life of adventure. Her job as a cinematographer takes her from one exotic locale to the next. When Maggie's not working, she loves to rappel off cliffs or go skydiving. Nothing frightens her.

Nothing, that is, except Ivy, Texas, where a family emergency pulls her back home to a town full of bad memories, painful secrets, and people Maggie left far behind . . . for a reason.

Forced to stay longer than she intended, Maggie finds her family a complete mess, including the niece her sister has abandoned. Ten-year-old Riley is struggling in school and out of control at home. The only person who can really handle the pint-sized troublemaker is Conner, the local vet and Ivy's most eligible bachelor. But Conner and Maggie keep butting heads--he's suspicious of her and, well, she doesn't rely on anyone but herself.

As Maggie humorously fumbles her way from one mishap to another, she realizes she's going to need to ask for help from the one person who scares her the most.

To save one little girl--and herself--can Maggie let go of her fears and just trust God?

If you would like to read the first chapter of Just Between You And Me, go HERE

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Toast-Making

Why am I drawn to simple toast-making moments?

You know, the scenes in movies or books that are so ordinary that they'd be B-O-R-I-N-G save for the conversation or thoughts or interactions of the moment.

I am absolutely drawn to the things that connect with my senses. Not necessarily the stench of the dead possum that languishes at the side of our walking path...I pull my T-shirt over my nose for that particular sense tickler. But the walk itself and the other discoveries feed my soul as my senses soak the moments up. And somehow being involved in a parallel activity or connecting while doing makes everything feel richer.

22 and I seem to have deep discussions about life as we walk the dogs. Of course, those discussions are always punctuated with pauses to scoop poop (I recommend the arrangement we have, her dogs = her drudgery and responsibility and I get to babysit/enjoy)("they" say that this is the essence and joy in grandparenting...k sounds good) and the behavior corrections, or the exciting discovery of a rabbit bolting from a hiding place or a biker sneaking up behind us. But we seem to have the same vein of conversation each and every time we walk together. Faith and relationships. Always. I don't know that it gets better than that.

We've also somehow developed the habit of reading books out loud. Much of our down time together involves one of us doing some necessary chore while the other reads out loud. It started with the book club we attend. Instead of leaving a communal book lying around with two or three bookmarks we decided to read it together. And the next thing I know, we'd begun another book. In the last three months I believe we've gone through five books that way. Reading them while we complete tasks makes life feel a little like a series of toast-making adventures. Moments of transcending the drudgery and embracing the life within it.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Hair Chopping for the Brave.

I'm a do-it-yourself hair chopper. My worst experience were two extreme bang snips...one perpetrated myself when I was 16, and the second was when 22 was 12 and I let her cut my bangs. Bad idea, both. Hair does indeed shrink up when it dries. However, IT DOES grow back. So hardly deterred, we have kept experimenting.

22 just discovered a great way to chop her hair and it looks fabulous. Keep in mind that this will be a choppy look, almost like you'd get with a razor cut.

First, she pulled strands, like the size you'd use for french braiding (all the hair on your head separated into eight sections). She twisted the hair several times and then cut downward at an angle.

If you are going to try this, experiment on the ends first. She started right above her ears and went all the way down. She chopped about eight different chunks. It thins the hair out and leaves the choppy look that looks so cute on most chicks.