Fried Cereal

Okay, I'm back! 

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who commented on Jenny's guest post.  You guys are awesome!  The winner of the giveaway is Arni at Travel Gourmande.  Congratulations, Arni!

It was a crazy weekend!  Yesterday, after preparing my house for another showing, I had to go to a theater to assist with our dance studio's annual showcase recitals.  It was 8 1/2 hours of dealing with toddlers in tutus!  I don't mind those adorable little princesses, but when they're biting and scratching, and hitting, and dancing on tables, and drawing on floors, I get just a wee bit grouchy!  Oy!

But that's not my story.  Here's my story:

A few days ago, I shipped my eight year old son, to his Grandpa's house.  (Okay, not really shipped, but had him picked up and taken there.)  I couldn't handle my kids bickering non-stop while I was stressing over cleaning every single piece of dog hair off of the floor. I figured the only way I would get a little peace was to remove one of my offspring.  (I was right!)

Grandpa was thrilled to spend a little time with his grandson.

When Bubba came home, he raided the refrigerator.  "Mama, I'm starving!  Grandpa didn't feed me!"

I looked at the kid.  "What do you mean, 'Grandpa didn't feed you'?"

"He didn't give me dinner the whole time I was there.  Except for one time when he fed me fried cereal."

My eyes got real big.  "Fried cereal?  What the heck is that?  What kind of cereal?"  I had to know.

"Grandpa put some Cheerios in a frying pan and fried it up.  Then he put some peaches on top."

I shook my head.  "Well, at least he didn't shoot a squirrel and put it in his crockpot for you to eat."

My son laughed.  "Grandpa tried to shoot a snake, but it got away.  He probably would've tried to cook that if he had killed it."

I seriously need to have a talk with that guy!  Oy gewalt!     

Guest Author Jenny Brigalow and a Giveaway

Today, I have a special guest:  Jenny Brigalow, author of  A Man for All Seasons.

Jenny, tell us a little bit about yourself.


Born in Britain, I arrived in Australia as a young woman in 1985 for an impromptu holiday and never left. I fell in love with the Australian bush, its unique flora and fauna and the colourful personalities that inhabit the country. I live on a small acreage close to Toowoomba with my family, dogs, cats and ponies.
I love to write. I write rural romance, young adult and, more recently, literary fiction. When I'm not writing, I'm reading, walking or riding my Connemara pony, Romeo. Rural romance is a natural extension of my passion for all things country. I believe that romance is the universal language of love. And besides, I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

I like happy endings, too!

Here's where you can find Jenny around the web:

Facebook      Twitter       Website     Author Page

 

Jenny was so gracious to share a  cool "Mama" story that has a little Australian flavor.  Here it is:

It was four o'clock in the afternoon. Not so much happy hour as snappy hour. So I did the only thing I could, threw Miss Two and Miss Three  into the pushchair, called the dogs and went out for a walk.

It was a lovely afternoon, still hot, but not oppressively so. Every one cheered up as we set off up the road. The dogs raced around terrorizing the flora and fauna, and the cicada's chirruped in the eucalypts.

At the top of the road, as  we travelled past the hibiscus farm, Miss Three  sat up and pointed, her face aglow with excitement. "Look Mummy, look," she said  "a giant mouse!"

Intrigued , I followed the line of Miss Three's little finger. And there it was. The biggest mouse you ever did see. Although some - who lack in  imagination -  would say that it was just a wallaby hopping by. But I know a giant mouse when I see one. Don't you?

 

That's so funny!  Usually I can tell the difference between a wallaby and a giant mouse, but if I were sleep deprived or completely frazzled, I'd probably go with Miss Three's guess of it being a giant mouse!  (At least she didn't say giant rat!) 

                                   

 

 
And now here's information about Jenny's book:

 

 

A Man For All Seasons

 

When successful rodeo rider and racehorse trainer Chad Cherub steps off the plane at Heathrow, love is the last thing on his mind. He’s travelled from Australia to do a business deal with the wealthy entrepreneur and racehorse fanatic, Walter Driscoll. However, he soon finds himself distracted by Wally’s gorgeous daughter, Seraphim.

Sweet, spoiled Seraphim, a gifted dressage rider, is also distracted. Engaged to the eminently suitable Barry Wellington-Worth, the arrival of cool, confident Chad forces her to re-examine her life. When she discovers the devastating truth that she does not love Barry, and learns that Chad’s cook has been injured, Seraphim jumps at the chance to take up the position on his remote property and escape the confines of her English life.
In the great dust bowl of the Australian Outback the couple find they have more in common than horses. Their love blooms as they work hard to start a new life together. But Seraphim’s family, and the past, threatens to tear them apart. It is only when the truth is laid bare that the barriers are broken down.

 

Read Reviews

Buy Links:

Steam eReads

Amazon

Amazon UK


 

 One lucky commenter will win a free download of A Man For All Seasons!

 Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!  I wish you all the best with your book!

Searching for Snappers

Ever since the construction workers brought that snapping turtle to our house, my son has been on a hunt for more.

"Mama," he said.  "Can we go to the lake to look for turtles?"

"Sure, Bubba."

We drove to the park and commenced the turtle hunt.  Bubba poked under rocks and bushes and fallen-down logs.  But he didn't find a turtle.

"Mama, where are they?"

I did some deep thinking.  "I know!  Follow me!"

We walked and walked.  All the way into town where the candy store was. 

"Mama, there aren't any turtles in the candy store!"

I gave him a big grin.  "Are you sure about that?"

We walked in and went up to the counter.  We looked in the glass display.  And guess what we saw?  Turtles!  The chocolate kind.  And guess what else?  They even had snapping turtles!  We bought a few of those things and tried them out.

Mission accomplished.

 (Let me just say, snapping turtles are pretty nasty - even the chocolate kind!  Those things were so spicy hot, my mouth was on fire after eating one!  I guess if I ever want to cure my chocolate addiction, all I have to do is eat about four of those things.)   

Dancing in the Field

We had some showings for our house today, which meant the kids, the dog, and I had to leave the premise.  It's a little hard to go anywhere with a giant German Shepherd, so we opted to take a walk to the nearby lake.

We stood under a tree, staring at the water. 

"Mama, this is boring," my eight-year-old son said.  "Let's dance."

"What?" I asked.  "I'm holding this dog, and I really don't feel like dancing."

"Lighten up, Mama.  The dog will be fine.  Let go of the leash and follow me."

I gave the leash to my daughter and walked with the boy.  After a while, he stopped, took my hand, and started spinning.  Then he did some sort of tango move.  "Come on, Mama.  Dance!"

I rolled my eyes and started dancing.  And guess what?  It was fun!

We danced all around the field.  When we were done, we plopped down next to the dog.

"See Mama, wasn't that better than staring at the water?"

Absolutely!  

Mama Super Powers

Last night, I went into my son's room to tuck him in.  I noticed he wasn't in his bed.  I looked down at the ground and noticed a pair of feet sticking out from under the bed.

"Bubba, you can get out of there," I said.

He slid out.  "Mama, how did you know where I was?"

"I have super powers!"

"No you don't Mama, because you don't know what I'm thinking."

"What are you thinking?"

"It begins with the letter 'p' and it's something I really like."

"Pokémon?"

"Yeah!  How did you guess?"

"I told you.  I'm the Mama.  And mamas have super powers!"

(Speaking of super powers, I'm going to seriously need some.  It's been quite a challenge having my house ready for showings and keeping up with all my regular work.  If I skip a few days here and there, I apologize.  It's just because I'm ridiculously busy!)      

Wonders of Nature

I took my eight-year-old son to the park to "air him out."  He was a little cantankerous, and I figured a little fresh air would do him good.

We made our way to the Little Miami River, one of our favorite places to hang out.  A nice little family of ducks  swam by - a mama duck and about six babies.  We watched them for a while and then continued our hike along the river.  Eventually, my son decided he wanted to get up close and personal with the river.  He took off his shoes and socks and handed them to me.  Then he waded in.  After a few minutes  he reached down and pulled up a rock.  "Mama, fossils!"

I walked over to see what he had found.  "Yes, Bubba.  Those are fossils."

"Are they trilobites?"

"No, Bubba.  They look like crinoids."

"Oh.  Can you hold this, Mama?"

I took it from him and he continued his search.

A few minutes later, he found a smooth, water-worn stone.  "Here, Mama.  Hold this."

I dutifully took the stone and added it to the collection.

Then he found another rock.  "Mama, is this a moon rock?"

I looked at the thing.  "No, Bubba.  It's limestone."

"Oh.  Hold this, too."

"Seriously, Bubba?"

"Yeah, Mama.  It's special."

Then he reached down and pulled up a giant rock.  It was covered in mud.

"Mama, check this out!"

"Bubba, it's a rock with a lot of mud on it!"

"No, Mama.  It's a wonder of nature!"

He spent the next twenty minutes carefully examining that rock, and everything in the mud.  He found tiny shells, fossils, water bugs, and marine plant life.

Okay.  So maybe the kid was right.  It was a wonder of nature.  But I  definitely wasn't going to add that thing to my collection of fossils, rocks, and socks!      

Moving Signs

My eleven-year-old daughter really does not want to move!  She has a lot of friends, and she's also been very involved with dancing here.   After hanging out in her room for a while, she finally emerged with a paper in her hand. 

"I'm making copies of this and taping it to every door in the house," she announced.

I looked at the paper.  It was a sign.  And here's what it said:



WARNING

This house is filled with

Rats
Roaches
Raccoons
Crows
Mice
Wasps
Bees
And lots of other scary things.

DO NOT BUY THIS HOUSE


Okay, then.  Now who wants to buy my house?