Happy Birthday Grace

It's my friend Grace's birthday today - for another 19 minutes anyway...   I saw this picture of a birthday cake that combines yarn AND tea and thought it's perfect!

But I was hungry and...

Then I thought, I know I'll put accurate candles on her cake... 

But  I got distracted when the fireman showed up..

Then I thought about cupcakes..

but I ate some and it just spelled HAP IR DAY ACE, so I settled for this one

Hope you had a great day sweetie!!!  (And you made it through this year - you can relax now!!)




 
 
 
 

Vacation Read

Got this book for travel/down time on my trip to Chicago.  Two quick stories, the first city girl falls for spoken for country stud. The second big city cop, former bad boy, comes home to the small town he fled after High School, falls for the recently divorced older (3years) sister's best friend he spent most of his youth fantasizing about...  easy read, easy to put down and pick back up, perfect travel book. 

PS - there will be more posts from my recent trip now that I'm home and have the computer - my phone didn't like posting more than one picture at a time!!

I can never have eggs benedict again

I had the PERFECT eggs Benedict at brunch today. We took the red line up to Hash House A Go Go. I had salmon Benedict. Chunks of smoked salmon, jalapeños, spinach, sun dried tomatoes a chili cream sauce all pulled on an amazing biscuit! It has forever ruined me for eggs Benedict anywhere else.  I had about half and I think Curt may have to roll my stuffed butt out of here.

Went to the original pizza uno

Went yesterday. Split a pepperoni, sausage & mushroom pie with Curt and the Angie. Gotta say, still don't like it. For those of you who've had it elsewhere (not sure how many restaurants they have now) it pretty much is the same. If you like it, enjoy it near home. If you're like me and don't understand the fuss? Don't bother trying it in Chicago, it doesn't get better.

Went to Wrigley Field last night

We figured if we come to Chicago, we had to go to a game at Wrigley. The Cubs got killed by the last place Brewers. I really don't think either pitcher was that good that no one was making it on base. By the last two innings it seemed like the Cubs went through their entire bullpen and anyone who could hold a bat was going in to pinch hit.  But it was kind of cool to be there, even though apparently my Mets found out I was cheating on them and lost to Atlanta....

That is the Angie in the picture. We got there really early and had some snacks and drinks at Goose Islands Wrigleyville bar down the street.

2 Time Traveling Scottish Highlander Books

Because really, who can resist a Highland warrior? Both books are by Janet Chapman - who wrote the Spellbound Falls series I'm working on also reading.  These are actually each the first in their own series as well (what a hole I'm digging myself) 

The first is Charming the Highlander, where we meet Greylen MacKeage and his brothers, as well as his enemy Michael MacBain who were brought through time by the old wizard Da'ar in a storm, because Greylen is supposed to father his heir with a woman from the 21st century.  With Da'ar's help and coaching, they learn modern language, ways, customs and how to survive in this world.  The four Mackeage brothers buy Tar Stone mountain and are building a ski lodge.  Greylen meets Grace when they are taking the same little plane to TarStone, Grace bringing her late sister's baby to meet his father MacBain, and the plane crashes killing the pilot leaving the two and the baby to try to survive an ice storm. 

 

I'm not going to spoil the book, but it's a little annoying that in the Spellbound Falls and the  Midnight Bay series this event should have happened about 30-35 years prior. Yet in this book, Grace has a laptop, a portable satellite link for it, and cell phones.  Definitely not 1980 technology.  I know literary license and all that, but it annoys me.

The other book, the Midnight Bay Series, Moonlight Warrior, has Eve Anderson butting heads with Kenzie Gregor.  Eve is only months past her divorce in which her husband left her for another woman, and took all their assets with him (after not paying the mortgage on their house for 4 months)  her step father died, her mother's business is struggling, her mother has a slowly debilitating brain disease, her mothers brother in law sold the farm and house out from under them. Basically she has her hands full. Kenzie has been traveling through time trying to become a man again - most recently he was a black panther, after his brother turned him into an animal  to save him after he was mortally wounded on the battle field. Kenzie has discovered his true calling as a "soul warrior" to help other lost souls. His current soul is William, an annoying 9th century Irishman who a witch turned into a dragon and whose hard head Kenzie can't get his message through.
 


SO Eve doesn't want to be saved by a big strong hero who will up and leave her, Kenzie doesn't want to give in to his attraction to Eve fearing it will place her in danger from the evil that wants to stop his mission... any guesses how this ends?