Ink Flamingos by Karen E. Olson

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Ink Flamingos (Tattoo Shop Series #4)Ink Flamingos. Finished 8-19-12, rating 4/5, mystery, 310 pages, pub. 2011

Book 4 of the Tattoo Shop series (Book 1) (Book 2) (Book 3)

Okay, I’m going to start with the good news.  This book about tattooist Brett Kavenaugh and her assortment of co-workers was great.  Brett owns The Painted Lady and is an easily identifiable Las Vegas resident with her long legs, red hair, and multitude of tattoos.  She’s good at what she does.  When someone begins impersonating her and framing her for murders she is at a loss as to who would hate her that much.  Good thing she has a brother who’s a cop and friends who have her back.

I’ve raved about this series before.  I’ve loved them all.  Brett is cool, way cooler than anyone I know, and she is always finding herself somehow involved with dead bodies.

And this leads me to the bad news.  This is the fourth and last book of the series.  This makes me very sad, but it could be good news for you.  If you worry about starting another series at least you know this one is only four really good books.  I didn’t know it was the end until I looked around after I’d finished and now that I’ve (grudgingly) accepted it I can say that it was a good send off for Brett.  There had been some sexual tension in the first three and I was very excited about how that panned out.

I plan on telling author, Karen Olson, how I wish there’d be more books in the series when I track her down at Bouchercon 2012 in October.  I registered today, so let me know if you want to come or meet up.

I checked this book out of the library.

Tuesday Quiz Reboot

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When September rolls around the Tuesday quizzes will be back!  I am hoping that you’ll all put it on your to-do list.  I want it to be fun and I hope we continue to have more participants every week so I’m looking for your help.

Is there a better way to collect all of your answers or is leaving a comment okay?  Is there a quiz you loved and would like to see more of or one that hated and never want to see on the internet again, ever?  Would you like to try your hand at making a quiz for the masses?  You get 100 points for doing it.  Any other suggestions on how I can get more people involved or suggestions for better prizes?

Thanks for your feedback!

Pin It and Do It – Kid Play & Fun Food

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Trish’s Pin It & Do It Challenge

I decided to jump in at the easiest level and try a few things for Gage.  Pinterest is a great place to find toddler activities.  The two I tried are going to seem silly because they’re so basic, but the truth is that the easiest and most basic things rarely occur to me!

First up a Gage activity.  My original pin is here.  The original post is here.  Basically it’s a basket activity that helps fine motor skills.  You put lots of different containers that open in various ways in a basket (I used his dry water table), show him how each one opens and then let him play.  Here’s the set up

The beauty of this activity is how simple it is.  I spent 15 minutes going around the house collecting things and this translated to about 20 minutes of fun for Gage.

Here’s a picture with his favorite, the bubbles bottle

Do you see the concentration?  There were some he couldn’t do on his own, but by showing him how maybe he’ll be able to do it next time.  He did have fun and I collected it all to bring out another day.  I’ll see what other goodies I can add.

The key for these types of activities is the presentation (I’ve seen some sites call it the invitation).  This and the alphabet box were successful in part because I presented them as something special and he recognized that.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Now on to the food portion.  This was also for kids, but, hey, maybe you want to surprise your husband tonight, LOL.

This picture is from Cake From the Soul, although I’m not sure if she’s the originator.  My pin is here.

I fixed this last night for dinner and it works!  Cut some hot dogs (we used nitrite-free turkey dogs), poke the thin spaghetti through and boil.  Easy peasy.  I think this would be great for older kids.  Gage was not all that impressed.  He did eat some but it was definitely more fun for me to make than for him to eat 🙂

Sundays with Gage – Dada in the house

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(Hey, look at what dad lets me do!  Is that poison ivy?)

As some of you already know in April we found out that Jason would be out of a job by October 1.  The reality was August 1.  After eight years he was back on the streets with the job seekers.  We weren’t worried (really!).  The company provided a nice severance package and we were looking forward to the family time. This month has been great for us all.

Jason is able to enjoy some free time.  This is great for a guy who’s had some kind of job since he was 14.

I am a much better mother when I have support.  Suddenly it isn’t completely up to me to entertain the little man.  We can split some of the time and share others.  I am better rested, much less stressed, more patient and happier.  I don’t know how single moms do it.  Jason was gone from 7 am-6:15 pm and that was a long day, but to have no live-in support would be very hard.

As much as Gage loves his mom he may love his dad just a bit more.  Daddy loves guy stuff, is way more lenient than mommy, and doesn’t seem to stress out as much.  It has been heartwarming to watch the two of them together.  Gage loves that we are both home.  He likes seeing us both come in and get him in the mornings and after naps.

When people told me they were worried for us I smiled.  We were enjoying every minute!  But good things can only last so long and Jason has a new job he’s really excited about and he’ll go back to work at the end of the month.  (sigh)  We’ve been blessed to have the month and equally blessed that Jason found a job in Cleveland, so we don’t have to move.

I don’t know who will be more sad when Jason goes back to work, me or Gage, but I’m pretty sure that first week back will be an adjustment for both of us!

Bring in the clowns and Thrill Week II

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I’ve struggled to get into a reading groove this year.  Gage is way more active and my time is spent keeping him busy, finding things and places to go to keep him busy, and spending some time with Jason.  But, Jill had a series of clown posts that I read altogether (because I am currently about 2 1/2 weeks behind on my blog hopping) and I thought in a moment of insanity that, yes, yes I could read the 1000+ pages Stephen King novel IT by mid October.  So, it looks like I will be falling even further behind in my blog reading (although maybe that will prevent me from signing up for more things I don’t have time for).  Sorry, blame Jill.

If you are interesting in joining other crazy, clown loving folk visit Jill and Christina and sign up for the IT-along.  There may even be a clown nose in it for you.

Another fun September event that ties in nicely with the IT read along is Thrill Week over at Tea Time with Marce.  Marce did a fantastic job last year and I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s got up her sleeve this year.  If you like mysteries, thrillers, or horror I encourage you to go check it out.

So that’s what I’ve got planned in September.  Anyone know of a good babysitter so I have time to read and blog?

Movie Talk – Is Meryl Streep as good as the critics tell me she is?

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In the last two weeks I’ve watched two of Streep’s latest movies –It’s Complicated (2009) and Hope Springs (2012).  Both are romantic comedies (although I’m using the word comedy in connection to Hope Springs very lightly).  I’ve never considered her a favorite and I’ve never quite understood what all the fuss was about.  Am I in the minority here?

I think my favorite movie of hers is Silkwood. I loved her as Karen, a plant worker bucking the system.  I also liked her in The Devil Wears Prada and It’s Complicated.  I’ve seen some of her classics, like Sophie’s Choice and The Deer Hunter, and they were fine.  She’s also had a few clunkers like She-Devil and Hope Springs (IMO).  Maybe I just haven’t seen her in her best roles.  She’s been nominated for 17 Oscars so maybe longevity is part of her appeal.

So, do you consider Meryl Streep the best actress working today?  What is your favorite Streep movie? 

America, You Sexy Bitch by Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain

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America, You Sexy Bitch: A Love Letter to FreedomAmerica, You Sexy Bitch. Finished 8-14-12, rating 2.75/5, political travelogue, 309 pages, pub. 2012

Michael Ian Black, 40-something happily married father of two, liberal atheist, former Power Ranger

Meghan McCain, 27-year-old MSBNC contributor who likes her guns and alcohol, Christian Republican, current daughter of Senator John McCain

How’d they meet? Twitter!  Late one night over a few tweets they decided to take a cross country trip to talk to real Americans.

Where’d they go? California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Washington DC, Connecticut

Who did they talk to? Strippers, Mormons, Katrina survivors, military, congressmen, Muslims, random folks

What did they talk about? Guns, religion, health care, government, war, military, drugs, gay marriage

Who drank the most? Meghan

Who did I agree with more (but not always)?  Michael.  His opinions actually came with explanation and nuance.  It may have been Meghan’s age, but her opinions came with attitude and there were many inconsistencies.

What were the good parts? I don’t know.  I learned a little about the Mormons and some of the drug testing the government is working on.

Coolest parts?  Because of the McCain name they had access to Fort Campbell and it’s training programs and access to Congressmen.

Bad parts?  They had a hard time explaining the book to people and that’s no surprise.  I read it and am still unsure about the point.

Their conclusion?  Stereotypes are bad and opposites in the voting booth can still be friends.

My conclusion? Although I enjoyed the idea and Michael’s take on their travels I can’t really see much reason for recommending it.  I didn’t like the first half but the second half was better.  The less drinking, the better the writing.

I received this book from Mandy at The Well-Read Wife for her first ever book club.  I posted two earlier discussion posts (1 & 2) and if you want to find out what the rest of the 49 people in the book club are saying about it click here.

Thank you so much Mandy for inviting me to be a part of it!

Bouchercon 2012 – Cleveland Rocks – Wanna Come?

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Bouchercon is the World Mystery Convention.

“is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization which holds an annual convention in honor of Anthony Boucher, the distinguished mystery fiction critic, editor and author. It is the world’s premier event bringing together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community, and is commonly referred to as Bouchercon. [bough’·chur·con]

Boucercon 2012 is in Cleveland!  It’s October 4-7 with the opening night event held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I admit that I didn’t even know about this convention before I saw that it was here but now I am psyched!

Here’s the list of authors that will be attending and handling the panels (although that info isn’t available yet).  Here are just a few of those I’m most excited about…

Linwood Barclay, Chelsea Cain, Lee Child, Mary Higgins Clark, John Connolly, Gillian Flynn, Heather Graham, Charlaine Harris, the list goes on and on.

It’s pricey at $175 BUT if you can get yourself here I can hook you up with a place to stay.  As long as you’re willing to give Gage a few hugs, put up with our furry kids, and be willing to carpool with me 25 minutes twice a day.  We have room for more than one 🙂

If you are going ot attend let me know so that we can meet up at some point.  I’m sure you’ll hear me talking more about this later.

Sundays with Gage – A day at the zoo? yawn

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This photo sums up Gage’s first trip to the zoo.  Ehh.  The Cleveland Zoo is free on Mondays so we thought it was a good day to try it.  We had NO IDEA how many families take advantage of this free fun.  It was raining strollers in there.  Gage was fine as long as he was running wild and free, but once we put him in his stroller (for everyone’s safety-the boy is fast) he was not happy.

He did get to visit the petting zoo, but again running wild and free straight for a donkey got him snatched up by mom pretty quick.

So, it may be next year before we try the zoo again.  But, hey, at least it didn’t cost anything 🙂

This zoo had a lot of pink flamingos and they looked like cotton candy on a stick.  I usually like the penguins or bears best, both of which we missed out on this time.

Do you have a favorite animal at the zoo?

The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

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The Great EscapeFinished 8-8-12, rating 3.5/5, romance, 418 pages, pub. 2012

I’m counting this as stop 5 1/2 on my Ohio tour since Susan spent time living in Ohio when she was first married (I think her husband might even be an Ohio State grad) 🙂

Lucy Jorik’s story has been told by Phillips in First Lady and last year’s Call Me Irresistable.  This time around she gets her own book.  What happened when she walked out of her wedding to the perfect man and jumped on the back of a stranger’s motorcycle?  It’s not easy for the daughter of the first woman President of the United States to disappear, but with Panda’s help she manages to do just that.

Lucy was a runaway child forced to take care of her sister in First Lady and a runaway bride in Call Me Irresistable but in this one she was more like a lost child instead of a 31 year-old woman of the world.  There was also a secondary story about redemption that was sweet and even a third story involving being happy with who you are.  All enjoyable, but maybe not all were needed.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of a handful of authors that I buy in hardcover.  I look forward to her wit and sass and characters with hot chemistry.   I liked Lucy, Panda and the surrounding characters on Charity Island, but none of them really had me wanting to read faster.  I did love the ending so that was a saving grace for me.  The story was fine, but I was expecting more because I usually love her books so much.

A nice escape to Michigan’s ‘Charity Island’.  My favorite part was the island iteself.  It reminds me of the island we go to every summer, but ours in in Ohio.

Bought this one for my personal library. And I’ll be buying the next one in hardcover too!  She’s still a go-to author.