*sigh* ...

Have you ever been totally consumed by a book or series of books? So consumed that you dread seeing those final pages creeping up on you, knowing full well that last handful are purely blurbs of other books, past and present. So consumed that returning to the ‘real world’ has you almost hyperventilating to the point where you just want to curl up into a fetal position and hide beneath the sheets.

So consumed that a level headed person such as yourself is praying that all things Paranormal really did exist and that bad boy Vampire warrior would honest to god, end up on your doorstep?

Yep. I’m in one of those spirals ATM. I have been in between books, eagerly waiting my next book in my Sookie Stackhouse series. Yep. The one where I’d purchased book 7 but not book 6. Anyway, for some reason I picked up my JR Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood books again out of sheer boredom. Not really thinking I’d get so absorbed this time considering I’d already read them. Wrong.

I swear my husband thinks I’m having an affair, I’ve been so tuned out. I’ve read 5 books in about 3 days. Not good on my poor old eyes but I just can’t put these books down. I’ve totally zoned out and am walking around in a daze. A horrible, yearning, resentful daze. I know it’s not healthy. Here I thought my depression was under control. Perhaps not.

Pathetic. Really, really pathetic.

Strange thing is I have the sudden urge to write too. I don’t have a story in my head. Just the urge to write. I could go back to my poor old WIP’s and see what I can do to those but I’ve hashed and rehashed those so many times I don’t know if I’m coming or going anymore. I don’t have the staying power that’s required for writing. I used to have lots of ideas and images racing around my head. It’s like someone’s pulled the plug. Dead. Gone. Kaput!

Sometimes it’s just easier to read what someone else writes, isn't it?

Yeah. Not a good place today. Tomorrow will be better. I hope.

Day at the Races

Not a lot to report I'm afraid. Been sick with a cold this last week. Feeling pretty crappy but well enough to do what's required of me.

Went to the local Races yesterday. They had a family day. I've never been to the races before. It's not an industry that I particularly like. I tend to get a bit annoyed when the jockeys start whipping the horses and have been known to grumble something along the lines of 'put that damn whip where the sun don't shine'. And that's to put it mildly.

However, I must say that I quite enjoyed myself despite having to stand in line for 40 minutes to get the kids faces painted. It's been a while since I've been up close to those gorgeous creatures. The horses, not the kids.

I'd forgotten how damn big they get and watching a 17 hand thoroughbred full of beans head out onto the track certainly makes you take a step back from the fence. Especially when they're only 1 foot away from you LOL!.

I took some photo's to try out my new little happy-snap camera that I got myself. I couldn't work out how to find the fast speed setting so most of the 'action' shots came out a bit blurry. But then my talents don't lie so much in photography. I'll let you decide:













(blurry)




(oops .. too slow LOL!)

















(not so bad if you're in an Arty frame of mind)










Oh, and I fell in love ...



















(with the horse, not the rider. Sheesh!)

So yeah. We had a good day, despite the wind and the kids LOL! Nah, the kidlets were pretty well behaved and both slept through to well past 8am this morning. So I'll say we'll be going to the races on a regular basis LOL.

Oh and I'm a happy fan-girl today. I got a lovely signed photograph of Rhys Bobridge in the mail. *sigh* Oh he's a gorgeous boy! And a big thank you to Rhys' mum who organised that for the KBC girls. He's now got pride of place next to Johnny, right above my computer. This is where I work from in case anyone is interested :D

I've booked my flights to Melbourne to see the SYTYCD show. Accommodation is booked and we're in discussions as to what else we are going to get up to. Chapel Street was mentioned which I believe is a bit of a mecca for shoppers. I'm not much of a shopper so let's see if I'm impressed.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

Happy Mothers day to all those mums out there in the world!

I was awoken to the delightful sounds of 'winge, winge, winge - Mum! Get out of bed! - winge, winge, winge'. *sigh* After telling my 3yo to go out to the kitchen and see dad they soon returned with coffee and pikelets covered in maple syrup and cream.

Okay. Winging forgiven LOL!

I was very pleased to see a gift card from Big W (much smaller version of Wallmart?) for $100. In my mind it's already been spent on a new happy snap camera. My daughter got me a lovely necklace and matching earings from her school Mothers Day stall. Very impressed and will not hesitate in sending money with her next year.

So not a lot planned for today. The V8's are on (car racing) and I don't mind sitting down and watching a bit of V8 madness. We're a Ford family *ducks for cover* LOL. You're either on one side or the other here in Aus - Ford or Holden. I think that's what makes the V8's so much fun. There's always that rivalry between fans. Funny how I've always found the V8's comforting. It always brings back memories of my childhood with the V8's on the telly and dad snoring away in his chair LOL!

Here's a little glimpse for all you rev-heads out there:



Okay. I'm a bit peeved with myself ATM. I finished book 5 in the Sookie Stackhouse aka Southern Vampire Series last night only to realise that I did not purchase the next book in the series. I have book 7 but not book 6. Grrrr. Now I'll have to order it online and it will take a good 3 weeks to get here. Damn I hate that. I have nothing else to read (well, nothing that I'm in the mood for) so I'm going to be like a bear with a sore head until I get my next fix of Sookie. LOL.

I could always go to Dymocks but why pay $20 when I can get it online for $11. Yes, there's postage to consider but if I purchase a few other books at the same time, the postage doesn't change. Anyway, I don't want to risk the 40 minute drive only to find out they don't have it in store anyway.

This is what really tempts me to get a e-reader. I could purchase a book and have it within minutes. I wouldn't be stressing about the growing pile of books on the floor beside my bed because there's no more room in the book cases and cupboards. I'm a book hoarder. I don't like to get rid of them. Although I must admit to having sold a few series of late. The ones where each book a repeat of the previous, just with a few names changed around.

So that brings me to the question. Which e-reader? If I get an e-reader I don't want to be limited to only one e-book provider (eg. Amazon = Kindle), yet I want the flexibility of genre's that Amazon offer. Do you have an e-reader? What would you recommend?

Speaking of all things technological. I've found all of a sudden I want an Ipod. I don't know why. I've never wanted one before. In fact I couldn't see a place for one in my life before this. I wonder what happened. Must be related to my mid-life crisis that I seem to be having ATM.

I might just get the smallest, most basic (= cheapest) one for the time being as much as the ones with all the bells and whistles call to me.

We'll see.

Let them eat rice!

The wonderful Denise Rossetti posted this on her blog a little while back. I've been playing it ever since and I think I've now managed to feed a third world country LOL! It's nice to know that I can make a difference while having a bit of fun. Just click on the banner below.

How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?

For every word you get right, FreeRice donates 20 grains of rice through the UN World Food Program to help end hunger. Here are some facts from their FAQ.

FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words appropriate for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most scholarly professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, homemakers, doctors, truck drivers, retired people… everyone!

FreeRice automatically adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. You then determine a more exact level for yourself as you play. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the “outer fringe” of your vocabulary, where learning can take place.

There are 60 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 50.

Who pays for the donated rice?

The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). We commend these companies for their participation at FreeRice.

If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?

FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice―you are earning it 20 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

Does FreeRice make any money from this?

No, it does not. FreeRice runs the site at no profit.

Who distributes the donated rice?

The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good. Wherever possible, the World Food Program buys food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. We encourage you to visit the United Nations World Food Program to learn more about their successful approach to ending hunger.

Will the rice I donate make a difference?

The rice you donate makes a huge difference to the person who receives it. According to the United Nations, about 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children. To a mother or father watching a loved child die in their arms from hunger, the rice you donate is more precious than anything in the world.

So it's Mothers Day tomorrow. The kids are quite excited and have a bounty of home made pressies lined up for me. No doubt I'll be getting the book that I bought myself the other week or one of the cracked coffee cups from the cupboard. All nicely wrapped of course ;)

We have ANOTHER appointment with the dentist this Wednesday. This time, hopefully with the gas. The poor kid has had a horrible week, pretty much stuck in her room the moment she get's home from school. I've been using her homework as an excuse to get her out of her room, but you know what? She's been an absolute ANGEL despite the punishment LOL! Might have to send her to her room a bit more often.

She has a bit of a cold atm so no doubt that will herald the beginning of the 'sick' season in our home. Yee-bloody-har. NOT!

Miranda & the Prince

Coming soon to Total-E-Bound: Miranda and the Prince by Wendy Stone.

Isn't she pretty *sigh*. Something a little bit different this time. I must say, it was a nice sidestep away from the man-titties and perky breasts LOL! I wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen standing in the check-out line at Big W with this one, is all I'm saying ;)

Okay. So where do I start. The girl was pretty straight forward except for her shawl. It had little silver spangles on it which didn't suit the theme of the 'Pauper' girl so I overlayed it with a tartan texture which gave it a more earthy, hand woven feel. The background is the beautiful Lake Bled in Slovenia. My husband's best mate married a Slovenian girl and he had the pleasure of going over there to the wedding to be best man. I stayed at home and looked after our baby daughter. He owes me big time.

But I digress. The ring was possibly the most fiddly part of the cover. The original ring was a yellow topaz so I tracked down a nice image of amber and cut out a chunk and stuck it over the top. A bit of blending and touching up and I think it came out pretty well ;)

All together there were four stock images used in this cover. There was a bit of trial and error with the font and font colours but other than that this was a relatively easy cover to do. There was talk about having the prince in the background but I'm glad we went with this one.

The plans are coming along for our Melbourne trip. Oh, and my camera died yesterday. Damn! Now I'll need to get myself another one to take down to Melbourne with me. I'm not going to miss that photo opportunity LOL! I had wanted to save up for a really good camera but I may just have to go for another 'aim and shoot' for the time being.

Um. I burned the back of my finger the other day. Got a lovely two inch blister running down the back of it. Funny the stupid things you do, isn't it? Who in their right mind would test a pot on the stove with the back of their finger? I do it all the time though. I flick the back of the steamer pot with my finger to see if it's on (only because I can't see the contents). Usually it just feels hot and I know things have started. But this time my damn finger stuck to the pot! Eeeeouuuch! Turns out that I'd had a blond moment and forgotten to put water in the pot so I burned myself with steel that was on the verge of meltdown.

Anyway, I think I've learned my lesson ;) The blister finally popped yesterday. Ick! I'm not quite sure what to do with it now. I'm just keeping it covered so I don't have to think about it LOL.

I'm so hard on my hands. I stubbed my middle finger on my right hand the week before so now it swollen and I can't bend it very well. Add that to the 2 inch burn AND the nice scar from the Vanity incident and there goes any visions of being a hand model *snort*.

Dentists Suck!

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do.

My daughter has a hole in her lower back molar. Actually she also has a smaller hole in her top molar. Same side. I took her to the dentist. He asked her 'Would you like me to fix it' and she said 'No', so he said 'Okay. Here's the number to a dentist who uses the gas'. What the? Since when does a 6 year old call the shots?

So I make an appointment with the Dentist with the Gas (har de har). When we get there it appears that they didn't book me into the room with the gas. Grrr! This time she got as far as having had the needle. Yes folks. She Had the needle but then refused to let the Dentist drill. *sigh*

So our third attempt was today. The above dentist palmed us off to the local Dental Clinic at the Hospital. 'Oh she'll be fine' says the receptionist, 'Our staff are very experienced with young, problematic children'. Hmmm, yeah right I think to myself. You haven't experienced MY daughter. So I give them the benefit of the doubt. As expected they re-emerge 15 minutes later. My daughter crying and my husband shooting daggers. Honestly, I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.

Once more nothing got done. We have one more appointment with Dentist #2. The one with the Gas. Hopefully they'll use it this time. If that doesn't go to plan then we have to put her under a general anesthetic.

Meanwhile my husband is so damn cranky with her she's been grounded for the week. Poor kid. While I don't totally agree with her punishment, I really am at a loss as to what to do next.

Now. I have a mouth full of fillings. I don't EVER recall going to the dentist and coming away without having had a procedure that I'd been booked in for. I can't EVER recall refusing to have something done and getting away with it. I do recall doing that at the local GP's when I had to get a needle. But I still ended up getting it. I think they sat on me LOL!

The thing is she's now had three positive results from her carry-on. How on earth are we ever going to get her the proper treatment she requires if everyone throws up their hands at the first sign of tears?

I'm on the verge of saying 'Stuff it. Let the tooth rot out of your head'. But I know I won't do that. I'll keep plugging away. Taking her out of school, wasting our time and the Dentists...

Lord knows how much money this is going to cost me.

Keep writing ladies. I'm going to need the covers.

Tasting Pleasure

Tasting Pleasure by Marie Haynes coming soon to Total-E-Bound.

I like the simplicity of this cover. Sometimes less is best. I love the contrast between the black/white and Strawberry Pink. Nice and easy cover to pull together. I've had my eye on this photo for a while and was just waiting for the right book to come along.

All I really had to do for this one was cut out the shoe & hands and place them on a gradient background. The background was originally white but it was a bit too stark. I added the strawberry for a subtle hint of the storyline and then the text. The text box just breaks the cover up nicely. So there we have Tasting Pleasure.

Okay. I'm a tad disappointed at the moment. My favourite dancer from So You Think You Can Dance Australia came runner up. It's a sad day for the KBC0 (Kinky Boot Co - long story), but we're strong. Congrats to Jack the winner. He'll do us proud. He's a fantastic dancer, so watch out Broadway!! Jack's on his way LOL.

<- Rhys Jack ->

Don't know what our boy Rhys' plans are. Hoping us girls will find out some more when we all get together for the Melbourne leg of the SYTYCD tour. It's all very exciting actually. I've never been one to get too wrapped up in Reality TV shows, let alone the forums attached to them. It's been nice to chat to people with similar interests and I honestly look forward to meeting these fantastic ladies.

I so need a life at the moment. I need to know that I'm still my own person, that I can still do something on a whim and do something because I WANT to. Not because I have to.

The tour isn't until July and there's going to be quite a bit of planning in between then but I'll keep you all posted on my mid-life-crisis LOL!