~ For B. Virtual Champagne and Roses ~

For more the last two years, Beth has been a constant source of inspiration, support, strength and generosity. It is truly an honor to call her my friend and I want to take a moment to say thank you for the incredible journey that her writing has taken me on.

Although one chapter has reached its finale, I know there is more to come. Take a well deserved bow and breathe. You are an amazing, talented writer.

The finale to South Beach can be read here -> Vanishing Point

*tosses bouquets of flowers*

~ The Long and Short of it ~

Thank you Beth for keeping me focused.

It is much longer than it started out although not entirely unmanageable I hope. I am going to apologize in advance for some very stiff looking images. It took me three tries to get the shots. The first time Gadwin wasn't running; the second time I was making a minor adjustment to the settings and forgot to hit the OK button. Both efforts resulted in fabulously setup shots without the end result. So the third time around all I really wanted to do was finish the damned thing.

Cadence would NOT stop grinning (and who can blame her) and Wyatt's face was frozen half the time. So next time we see Cadie, she will be a freshman in college with new hair. Did I mention I hate her hair?

Song is #4 in the playlist and it is called Closer by Lacuna Coil. (I still need to add the other ones)

Update here -> Closer

ETA: Playlist may be borked. It's too hot to fuss with it right now.

~ Happy Mother's Day ~

A bit belated but heartfelt nonetheless. I had a lovely one thank you very much. My oldest and his roomies invited all the moms to Santa Cruz for a BBQ. I was extremely impressed. Chicken, grilled veggies, rice, and all kinds of tasty appetizers including an amazing artichoke dip (deliciously spicy), the usual salsa (very spicy) and guacamole and...wait for it...these are college students...baked brie! OMG it was to die for! I'm sharing the recipe with you all and there is a shot of it to follow. I swear these boys did not get their cooking expertise from me...thank goodness. Picspam follows along with the recipe and some random facts you probably don't need to know but hey, I'm a proud mom.


This is my middle son making some sort of fashion statement (according to him) however just look at those goodies on the table! Artichoke dip in the greenish bowl and the baked brie to it's right with the strawberries. He is a drummer/guitarist/vocalist btw. You should see that hair fly.


Another shot of the aforementioned brie in the foreground. You would have thought I would have taken a better shot of it but alas, no. A shot of my oldest son in the background. He cut his long hair off and opted for a tie to mark the occasion. He is a lead guitarist. Note the quarter pipe in the background. There is a trampoline behind it. I don't even want to know the reasoning behind that...


Apologizing in advance for the road kill on the windshield. This was the sunset on the ride home. Pacific Ocean, which you cannot see, is on the left.

I had a shot of my youngest playing foosball but I forgot to download it. *sigh*

And so for the baked brie, it is very simple. You make a pie crust, you plop a round of brie in the center, top it with strawberry jam and fold the crust on the top. Bake it for however long (until it gets brown and flaky I guess. I was into a couple of pale ales when I got the recipe) and drizzle some more strawberry jam for effect along with sliced fresh strawberries.

So I do hope all you mothers out there had as great a day as I did.

~ Spinning my Wheels ~

And spraying mud everywhere! I've had a few false starts lately with regard to my writing so I decided to contribute to Back 2 Basics with a download instead! It is a tribute to the 1-year anniversary of the SWA.


It should be base game compatible. You can find the download link at Back2Basics

In other news, I have a bit of Rising Above written as well as a start on Corinne's next adventure. Oh, and some ideas regarding Sessions. Also, for you Trekkies out there, my company is taking us to a private screening of the new Star Trek movie tomorrow at the Metreon in SF. It's an IMAX theatre (whatever that means since I have never been to one) but it should be fun! Live long and prosper! And for those of you patiently waiting for me to catch up on my reading...I'm getting there I promise.