In Nerf We Trust

If you have a boy, chances are at some point he will/does own a Nerf gun. And if you have a very active boy, then he'll probably have several. My Boy has a basketful of guns and a bucketful of various bullets and darts. They're starting to overflow.

On a recent trip, we drove by a house that offered a solution.

Behold…the Nerf Wall!

Cool, right? And fairly easy to put together. I'd love to add outlines of the specific guns so he remembers exactly where each one goes after he's finished terrorizing his sisters and the dog.

Teaser Tuesday: Fallen

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


I should probably read something other than angsty teenage paranormal books. I might need an intervention. But I can't help it! They totally suck me in! My life would be meaningless without them!!


*ahem*


And they always have awesome covers.


Luce (because they all have to have weird names) must leave her posh boarding school for a reform school as a result of events that she still can't remember. She's watched by cameras every where she goes but the one person she wants to notice her seems to avoid her at all cost. The mysterious Daniel holds a secret that he's willing to do anything to keep away from Luce.

Here's the Teaser: 

"She'd been sent here because of the suspicious death of the guy she'd been crazy about, and still she was 'far from the worse case here'? Luce wondered what else exactly they were dealing with at Sword & Cross."

- pg. 19, Fallen by Lauren Kate

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday: Dreams of Terror and Death

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


I've never read H.P. Lovecraft, despite knowing the author's name and style. It wasn't until I'd read several reviews comparing a new author to the classic writer that I decided I needed to read these for myself and determine if I liked it well enough to consider a comparison review as a compliment. After all, if a book to compared to Twilight's writing, I'd run screaming in the other direction. Since it's summer and I have a short attention span, I opted for a collection of short stories. In Dreams of Terror and Death, the only one I'd even heard of was "The Cats of Ulthur" regarding Egypt and as I've read more, I've discovered some I'd forgotten or heard of, which is a lot like remembering who you used to have a crush on in high school; brings back a rush of memories -- and not all of them pleasant. 


And I warn you…if you don't enjoy the old fashioned writing, with long and rambling sentences, you won't fall in love with this book.

Here's the Teaser:

"Once again came the voice of my friend, still hoarse with fear, and now apparently tinged with despair:'I can't tell you, Carter! It's too utterly beyond thought--I dare not tell you--no man could know it and live--Great God! I never dreamed of this!'"

- pg 33, "The Statement of Randolph Carter" from Dreams of Terror and Death: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

What are you reading?

Lessons Learned from Chocolate

Several years ago, I got a quote-a-day calendar as a birthday gift. Having known me for over a decade, the giver wisely chose one with a chocolate theme. I still use it and it still makes me smile. Or crave peanut butter cups, depending on the day.

Here's a quote from the Chocolate Calendar:

"I taught my kids to count using little chocolate candies. They could make it to 20 before either fo them started school, but I gained 5 pounds."

Some other things I've learned from chocolate:

• Nothing says "I love you" like getting your favorite treat (it means they've paid attention enough to know what you'd like).
• Chocolate bloom (that grayish film on some chocolates) has turned me into a chocolate snob.
• When in doubt, bake brownies. Everyone loves brownies! Need it fancier? Add a scoop of ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and a cherry. Anyone who refuses that ought to be asked to leave immediately.
• It's perfectly acceptable to have chocolate for breakfast. In fact, it may just be recommended, as it starts your day off on a sweeter foot.
• As luxurious as the bubble bath might be, it's just not enough unless there's chocolate to nibble.
• Children can be bribed with chocolate. Even the promise of one single M&M will bring out the unexpected in your little ones (like making their bed, being quiet for 10 minutes, or using the potty).
• I don't judge people based on their race, religion, or education, but on whether or not they like white chocolate.

What has chocolate taught you?

Teaser Tuesday: The Bell Jar

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:• Grab your current read• Open to a random page• Share a few “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


I was developing a character that likes the goth lifestyle and, as such, thinks she's also obsessed with death and dying. She is very much into Sylvia Plath's poetry and pretends to love it, going on about the imagery, although secretly she doesn't really understand it much.  I thought I ought to read Sylvia Plath so I could write it better. Never having been a fan of poetry, I decided to start with her novel, The Bell Jar, about a young mother who slowly slips away into a deep depression.


Here's the Teaser:

 "It didn't seem to be summer any more. I could feel the winter shaking my bones and banging my teeth together, and the big white hotel towel I had dragged down with me lay under my head numb as a snowdrift."

- pg 45, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 

What are you reading?