Welcome to Autumn! I can hardly believe we're already a week into this gorgeous season with the added bonus of being the host of my two favorite holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving. I've heard Autumn referred to as the evening portion of the Wheel of the Year. I love that! Evenings to me are about settling down, reflecting on the day, then letting go.
There are also the fun things that come along with the cooler temperatures ... like football (I even updated my profile photo to illustrate where my loyalties lie ... *shaking my head* Can't help who ya love, right?), bonfires, sweaters, and cider mills ... maybe even a hayride. (<< The link will take you to a little partial flash from a while ago. Sexy fun with Kit and Ethan! **I'm noticing several photos from my blogs are simply not showing up anymore, so I apologize for the missing eye candy.)
A couple of things are currently in the works -- I know they've been "in the works" for oh-so-long, and I thank you for your patience as my life jerks the reins from my hands and runs wild! I've been doing the read-through/revision/expansion for the re-issue of Hearts A Plenty and am really [really!] anticipating it going live again in late fall! YAY!!! Followed in the spring with the release of Tattered Hearts.
I had no idea just how dear to my heart this series would become. When the idea for Vintage Love first came to me, it was fairly straightforward ... small town, sexy people, lots of secrets. Originally it had been planned as a trilogy to begin with Frank Britton and Lydia Sharp (Salvage My Heart, now VL #3), followed by an as-of-then list of characters I wasn't really sure of. Then the Thanksgiving challenge was issued and I decided to have Hearts A Plenty begin the series with a steamy m/f/m introducing Claire Mason, Jared Young, and Mark Pierce. That would be followed by Stella James and Eric Mason in Tattered Hearts, then Frank and Lydia's story, before finally winding up the series with Reclaim Her Heart, a m/f/m f/m/m featuring Charlotte Britton, Gabriel Mason, and Quinn Parker. Yes, the small midwest town of Awry has burrowed deeply into my heart. Looking forward to sharing it with you!
Also on the drawing board are several Bedtime Stories featuring Bicycle Built For Two, and Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, as well as "loading the toad" for Three Men in a Tub and Waltzing Matilda.
And on that note ... I wish you a wonderful evening!
Erotic romance shot straight to the heart
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Delicious ...
Those who know me well, know that my favorite color is green ... though there is one exception that most probably wouldn't suspect. Panties! Slipping into a pair of fun, sexy pink skivvies never fails to make me smile ... or slipping out of them if need be.
I also love testing the resilience of muscle with my teeth. The hard curve of a bicep or pectoral ... or hip flexor ... mmm. (Zero calories too!)
Come on ... don't be shy.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Conspiracy
Some days you just need a nice quickie in the afternoon ... but the world (or your household) seems to be conspiring against any such fun. *sigh*Hope your own "Hump Day" was a satisfying one.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Just DO IT already!
If we're lucky, we know just how wonderful it is to have an orgasm on a regular basis. When people tell me they haven't had sex in weeks, months ... or YEARS even, I am sad for them. I love sex! It's not just about inserting Tab A into Slot B though. It needs to be fun ... and most importantly, it needs to end in a climax. As if a toe-curling, mind-numbing orgasm in and of itself isn't reason enough to engage in sex with a partner or have your own party for one on a daily or every other day schedule, here are a few more reasons to start penciling in some quality bedroom time.
- Kick insomnia to the curb ... naturally. (Tossing and turning in the wee hours? Grab your partner ... or let your own fingers do the walking. Nothing settles a restless mind like an orgasm.)
- Reduce the risk of prostate cancer. (Okay, I couldn't find any hard data *tongue in cheek* to support this claim, but there were several websites that swore that a high ejaculation frequency decreased the risk of this type of cancer. *shrug* I say it's worth a shot!)
- Reduce stress. (Sexual arousal tenses muscles, but orgasm causes complete relaxation.)
- Get some more cardio into your day. (The heart rate during climax increases to that of a vigorous workout. Sure beats 15 minutes on the treadmill!)
- Boost your immune system. (Having an orgasm 1-2 times a week has been shown to increase antibodies by 30 percent, though supposedly more than that will cause you to lose the antibody benefits. Since one or two are not nearly enough, I'll continue with the multi-vitamin and take my chances. *grin*)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Happy Birthday!
Yes, today is my birthday! To celebrate, for the next week, I have made The Letter available for FREE! on Smashwords! Thank you all for being wonderful!! *mwah* rghttps://www.smashwords.com/books/view/151659
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Veggies ... with a side of veggies, please
If you follow me on Facebook, you have heard me talking about a pretty significant lifestyle change that occurred just about three months ago. My husband and I switched to something called a "plant-based diet," which for all intents and purpose was Vegan. And we switched over completely from one day to the next. We eliminated meat, dairy, and eggs. If it had a face or a mom, it was out.
For I'd say a solid two months, that's how it went too, with a couple areas that I would let something slip in. I'd have a piece of cheesecake or a couple of Girl Scout cookies.
I cooked some amazing food too. There are a lot of really helpful websites with easy to follow recipes: www.veganhousewives.com, www.dailygarnish.com, and of course the website based on the documentary that got us going down this road, www.forksoverknives.com. Some I followed precisely, others I added a little of my own flare to; but either way we've eaten some delicious meals. Still learning new tips and tricks to make things easier and faster.
Then it reached a point where I was simply tired of cooking every single night. I've had a lifetime of either throwing the packaging away after the meal or just leaving the restaurant. Not that I haven't cooked throughout the years -- of course I have. It's been comfort foods that I could make with my eyes closed though. These meals I'm creating now consist of ingredients I'd never even tasted, much less actually cooked with. "Smart Ground" and Tofu. Silk brand dairy products. Tofutti. Yep, all new.
And there were other things that tripped me up at first. Like wanting to bake a dessert or something and not having a specific ingredient ... like an egg replacer. Or something like powdered maple syrup, which I never actually found. I just used brown sugar. [shrug]
This brings me to another point ... sticker shock at the grocery store. O.o At least initially. It was also a little discouraging to spend a hundred bucks at Kroger and have nothing at the end saying "You saved [this much] on your order!" Over these months, I've become more familiar with what's available and what works for us as far as taste, cost, and life of opened products, so we're wasting much less in terms of leftovers and such. Thankfully. No one wants to throw out food ... especially when it costs so much these days.
In the first several weeks, hubby and I each lost about ten pounds. I went on to lose about three more and Rog lost another 8-10. He's staying pretty consistently around that weight, but I have gone back to about ten overall pounds lost.
During the last month, I've really struggled with having no dairy. There are some things that just taste better with cheese: nachos, pizza, and lasagna. I realize that cheese is high in cholesterol and that's one reason I have tried to stay firm against eating it ... at least too much. I have not been doing too well the last month though. Plus it's ice cream season. But ice cream, like cheese, tends to have too much cholesterol, as well. And my cholesterol and our hearts are what sent us on this path in the first place.
One thing I don't miss. Meat. It's not that I don't love meat. I do. Or at least I did. I'm realizing though that meat is in a lot of stuff. Another thing I'm steering clear of is most processed stuff. WAY high in sodium and/or cholesterol. Even stuff in the organic and healthy areas of grocery stores.
For the most part, I'm happy with this new way of eating. I feel that I'm helping to undo decades of eating a diet filled with all the crap that everyone else was eating too. All we have to do is look around to see we've been doing something very wrong for many, many years.
I need to reevaluate where I'm at with this though. The changes I've made are good ones, without a doubt. It needs to become more streamlined and less work. Eating shouldn't consume huge portions of the day. I'm working on that.
So how do I refer to our way of eating? I guess I'd call it flexitarian ... but mainly because of the dairy products that tend to meander in more often than I want to admit. I'm still off the meat and eggs and completely fine with that. What I mean by being off the eggs is that I haven't actually eaten an egg -- like fried or hard-cooked, or in anything that I've cooked from scratch. I have eaten things that contain egg, though it's rare. A cookie or piece of cake, something like that.
I'll admit that since slacking on the dairy restrictions, my tummy doesn't feel as lean as it did in the first couple of months. Just bloated feeling and uncomfortable. Makes be wonder if it's really worth the short term deliciousness of the lasagna. Probably not. Need to dig back in to the recipes and get back on board. I loved the way my body felt during those first weeks. Healthier. Happier.
Next up ... a soft yoga program to go along with my daily walks and fifteen pushups. I feel that I've lost strength or muscle and I'm not sure why, but I want to regain it.
Then it's time to get my cholesterol rechecked. I figure it has to have improved since the numbers two years ago.
It's good though. There have been some slip ups, but this is life. All the changes that I've made have got to more than make up for any small sampling of the foods that brought comfort the majority of my life. Now please pass the veggies.
For I'd say a solid two months, that's how it went too, with a couple areas that I would let something slip in. I'd have a piece of cheesecake or a couple of Girl Scout cookies.
I cooked some amazing food too. There are a lot of really helpful websites with easy to follow recipes: www.veganhousewives.com, www.dailygarnish.com, and of course the website based on the documentary that got us going down this road, www.forksoverknives.com. Some I followed precisely, others I added a little of my own flare to; but either way we've eaten some delicious meals. Still learning new tips and tricks to make things easier and faster.
Then it reached a point where I was simply tired of cooking every single night. I've had a lifetime of either throwing the packaging away after the meal or just leaving the restaurant. Not that I haven't cooked throughout the years -- of course I have. It's been comfort foods that I could make with my eyes closed though. These meals I'm creating now consist of ingredients I'd never even tasted, much less actually cooked with. "Smart Ground" and Tofu. Silk brand dairy products. Tofutti. Yep, all new.
And there were other things that tripped me up at first. Like wanting to bake a dessert or something and not having a specific ingredient ... like an egg replacer. Or something like powdered maple syrup, which I never actually found. I just used brown sugar. [shrug]
This brings me to another point ... sticker shock at the grocery store. O.o At least initially. It was also a little discouraging to spend a hundred bucks at Kroger and have nothing at the end saying "You saved [this much] on your order!" Over these months, I've become more familiar with what's available and what works for us as far as taste, cost, and life of opened products, so we're wasting much less in terms of leftovers and such. Thankfully. No one wants to throw out food ... especially when it costs so much these days.
In the first several weeks, hubby and I each lost about ten pounds. I went on to lose about three more and Rog lost another 8-10. He's staying pretty consistently around that weight, but I have gone back to about ten overall pounds lost. During the last month, I've really struggled with having no dairy. There are some things that just taste better with cheese: nachos, pizza, and lasagna. I realize that cheese is high in cholesterol and that's one reason I have tried to stay firm against eating it ... at least too much. I have not been doing too well the last month though. Plus it's ice cream season. But ice cream, like cheese, tends to have too much cholesterol, as well. And my cholesterol and our hearts are what sent us on this path in the first place.
One thing I don't miss. Meat. It's not that I don't love meat. I do. Or at least I did. I'm realizing though that meat is in a lot of stuff. Another thing I'm steering clear of is most processed stuff. WAY high in sodium and/or cholesterol. Even stuff in the organic and healthy areas of grocery stores.
For the most part, I'm happy with this new way of eating. I feel that I'm helping to undo decades of eating a diet filled with all the crap that everyone else was eating too. All we have to do is look around to see we've been doing something very wrong for many, many years.
I need to reevaluate where I'm at with this though. The changes I've made are good ones, without a doubt. It needs to become more streamlined and less work. Eating shouldn't consume huge portions of the day. I'm working on that.
So how do I refer to our way of eating? I guess I'd call it flexitarian ... but mainly because of the dairy products that tend to meander in more often than I want to admit. I'm still off the meat and eggs and completely fine with that. What I mean by being off the eggs is that I haven't actually eaten an egg -- like fried or hard-cooked, or in anything that I've cooked from scratch. I have eaten things that contain egg, though it's rare. A cookie or piece of cake, something like that.
I'll admit that since slacking on the dairy restrictions, my tummy doesn't feel as lean as it did in the first couple of months. Just bloated feeling and uncomfortable. Makes be wonder if it's really worth the short term deliciousness of the lasagna. Probably not. Need to dig back in to the recipes and get back on board. I loved the way my body felt during those first weeks. Healthier. Happier.
Next up ... a soft yoga program to go along with my daily walks and fifteen pushups. I feel that I've lost strength or muscle and I'm not sure why, but I want to regain it.
Then it's time to get my cholesterol rechecked. I figure it has to have improved since the numbers two years ago.
It's good though. There have been some slip ups, but this is life. All the changes that I've made have got to more than make up for any small sampling of the foods that brought comfort the majority of my life. Now please pass the veggies.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Been Here Before ...
Three Word Thursday. Leave a three word comment here (as well as your email address) and receive a copy of my e-book, The Letter!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Captivated
There's something inherently captivating about catching a glimpse of sexy in an unguarded moment.
Friday, May 4, 2012
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