Barbara's Thin Line Between Truth and Fiction

New Fiction Series!

2012-02-19T14:06:00.001-06:00

My newest novels, a two-book series called Second Chances, were recently released into the wild. Running Home and Alias Raven Black are Christian suspense with a little romance thrown in to sweeten the deal. I hope you'll check them out. I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride. Ivy’s husband is a cheat and a liar, but when he gets caught up in a game of espionage and flees the country with his latest

Two hearts + bad economy = Frugal Valentine's

2012-02-13T15:10:00.000-06:00

Today is Valentine’s Day. You probably already know that. The gaudy red and pink hearts everywhere usually give it away. I think Valentine’s was invented to help us all get through a long winter. Christmas is already two months past and spring is slow in coming. We’ve been hibernated indoors far too long, eating soup and watching reruns of Bones and NCIS because there’s never any new shows

Profundity Made Simple

2012-02-08T08:18:00.000-06:00

A "royal" wedding in Nebraska “The royal engagement and upcoming wedding is the most televised wedding this year!” a newswoman ranted one morning this week. Really? The most televised? Wow! Maybe because it’s the only wedding story you’ve chosen to broadcast. What about the thousands of commoner weddings taking place everyday all around the world? Why don’t they get any

Signs of Spring

2011-04-12T15:23:00.001-05:00

Here we are again. Spring is in the air, everyone is eagerly coming out of their cocoons after the long, hard winter and what is the first thing I see – besides glow-in-the-dark white arms and legs sticking out of shirt sleeves and shorts – a crazy person downtown on the street corner, dressed like the statue of liberty, trying to wave customers into their place of business to have their taxes

Barbara's Back Page News

2011-03-26T15:53:00.001-05:00

I haven’t written a blog in quite some time and I know you’ve been waiting with bated breath for my next entry. So, relax and breathe. I’m back.Since I just finished writing and publishing my second Fredrickson Winery novel, Crushed, I haven’t really been keeping up on the news. Sure, I’ve heard about all the Arab countries rioting and starting wars, I saw the horrible devastation in Japan from

"The Mountains Bow Down" by Sibella Giorello (Book Review)

2011-03-16T08:56:00.007-05:00

About The Mountains Bow Down: Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .. That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

Criminals Beware! Maybe I do and maybe I don't...

2011-03-08T18:58:00.000-06:00

When liberal gun haters argue that guns should be taken from all citizens and melted into a lovely artistic expression of peace and goodwill, they never take into consideration that even the very thought of a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen can stop a criminal in his tracks and make him wet his pants in fear. I’m all for criminals wetting their pants in fear and not the other way

Sneak Peak – "Crushed"

2011-03-04T20:09:00.002-06:00

This is a sneak peak into my upcoming novel, "Crushed," Vol II in the Fredrickson Winery saga and the sequel to "Entangled."Crushed will be available as an ebook in just a couple more weeks! So check out the blurb below for a taste of what's coming: CrushedIt’s crush time at Fredrickson Winery and everyone is working feverously to get the grapes in and ensure a great vintage. When Adam

Life: The Great Equalizer of Unfairness

2011-02-22T12:33:00.001-06:00

My kids often complained about things not being fair. As a parent, I told them that life wasn’t supposed to be fair—deal with it! (In a tender, motherly tone of course) But no matter how old we get, we all have situations that make us want to cry, “It’s not fair!” Here are just a few of the things that continue to prove to me that life is not fair: 1. I should not still be getting pimples at 49

Pucker Up & Take It!

2011-02-11T14:34:00.000-06:00

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. I know that because nearly every commercial is an advertisement for heart-shaped diamond pendants. Some are traditionally shaped, others are droopy, swirly-shaped hearts that have an open part for…I’m not sure. You’ll have to listen to Jane Seymour’s explanation on that. I keep losing time when I hear her voice. I may be hypnotized. I

Football, nachos, and beer ads/A good time to read a book

2011-02-05T14:59:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the big day for religious football fanatics. They call it Super Bowl. I have no idea what number it is. There have been too many to count. Cult members paint their bare chests and faces with the colors of their favorite team and gather in an open stadium in twenty below temps to scream unintelligible gibberish into the camera of any news station crazy enough to come within spitting

Patti Lacy's "The Rhythm of Secrets" (Book Review)

2011-01-27T17:35:00.005-06:00

About the book: Since 1955, Sheila Franklin, a talented musician, has perfectly performed the role of devout pastor’s wife, locking away her past as Sheba Alexander and Sylvia Allen. Her carefully constructed façade crumbles with a single phone call from a young Marine named Samuel, the illegitimate son she secretly put up for adoption. Samuel begs Sheila to use her government contacts to get

A Younger You in Fifty Years

2011-01-22T15:13:00.000-06:00

Growing old must have been a real bummer fifty-plus years ago. They didn’t have all the great products we have now. They were still using plain old aspirin for flu and colds and smashed fingers and headaches and fevers and cramps. It was the miracle drug. Now we have over-the-counter medications pinpointing our exact symptoms. One for backache, another for headache, one

Tips by Gwenyth; Sarcasm by Barbara

2011-01-13T16:43:00.006-06:00

Total makeover today. Okay, maybe not total as in—I look twenty years younger and had my back waxed—but semi total. (besides, some men prefer women with hairy backs) I did have my hair cut, and I signed up at a fitness club that will eventually give my body a makeover—in time. Hopefully less time than it takes for summer to arrive in Minnesota. That gives me a few months leeway.I wish there were

Parenting Grown Children 101

2011-01-10T17:00:00.000-06:00

College daughter left yesterday afternoon to return to the land of dorms and classes, in pursuit of a degree and eventual career. She had a four-hour drive ahead of her, a packed car to unload once there, and a chance to excel at Ballroom Dancing and Kick Boxing. Yes—she is taking both of those classes as well as her Graphic Design stuff. How dancing and kicking fit into

Thin Skin and a Runny Nose

2011-01-02T10:54:00.001-06:00

It may be because I’m sick and I can’t stand any more pressure, (sinus or otherwise), that caused me to take a recent criticism of my book so personally. I have no problem with an honest critique/review, or individuals telling me what they like or dislike about my writing and characters. Opinions vary, tastes in fiction are diverse, and I certainly don’t expect everyone to agree. But someone

Four humans and a pair of mutts

2010-12-28T17:16:00.003-06:00

People used to live closer to family and perhaps that made the trip over the river and through the woods so much more enjoyable that they wrote a song about it. But in the Midwest, with the entire North pole blowing down on our SUV, the drive to Grandma’s house was a little farther and not so pleasant.My parents live in Nebraska and on a clear day when you can see for miles and miles over fields

Life in a Snow globe: Shaken and Stirred

2010-12-22T17:19:00.000-06:00

I got my cards and Christmas letters out this year with days to spare. My daughter and I have baked dozens of bars and treats. Some for the neighbors, but most to take on our pilgrimage to the holy land of Nebraska. They don’t have treats there, just corn, Big Red football fans, and my family. So now I have time to blog and tell you all about the magic of Christmas. You

"The Clouds Roll Away" by Sibella Giorello (Book Review)

2010-12-15T13:38:00.001-06:00

About The Clouds Roll Away: Forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon returns home for Christmas but discovers Richmond, Virginia running low on goodness and light. Although her exemplary service in Seattle lifted her disciplinary transfer, Raleigh lands a hometown civil rights case riddled with problems that could get her sent away again. When she helps out a fellow cop, her life goes on the line,

Are you absolutely sure you need to go out?

2010-12-11T22:29:00.000-06:00

Snow has been piling up all day, leaving Minnesota blanketed thickly in the white stuff and pretty much incapacitated. My husband wouldn’t even chance a little drive to Target this afternoon. I thought it would be the perfect time to Christmas shop—with no one else there. But perhaps there really was no one else there. In that case, it would have been a wasted adventure.

It's not you, it's me

2010-12-04T16:23:00.001-06:00

I’m sitting here listening to a free song download by Kristin Chambers called “It’s not you, it’s me.” I’m not trying to push business her way, (although it is free), just telling you where my strange thoughts are coming from today. Everyone knows those words are the padded club that weak individuals swing when they want to break up with their “no longer significant other.” I was wondering what

Time is Running Out...

2010-11-26T19:30:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but as I look in the mirror today, I realize it hasn’t gone away completely. The turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, olives, green beans, croissants, pecan and peach pie with whipped cream are still lingering—or rather—looking as though they have permanently attached themselves to my hips and thighs. This is not the

Turkey and Books

2010-11-24T21:40:00.001-06:00

While you're digesting your turkey and dressing tomorrow afternoon, waiting for space to clear up in your gullet so you can shove a piece of pie down your throat before you pass out on the couch, crank up the old computer and check out these deals! As you’ve probably heard over and over and over again, this Friday is THE Friday to shop until you drop, find the best deals ever (even if you have

The Tears of a Clown

2010-11-19T11:16:00.000-06:00

I’ve seen a glimpse of the future if my husband should retire early, and it isn’t pretty. I think France was definitely on the right track when they recently raised their retirement age. Two grumpy old people living in the same house at the same time is not healthy. Men live longer if they continue to work and feel useful—which in turn keeps women out of prison for murder.

Book Review: Nightingale by Susan May Warren

2010-11-15T16:12:00.003-06:00

About Nightingale: Esther Lange doesn’t love her fiancé—she’s trapped in an engagement after a mistaken night of passion. Still, she grieves him when he’s lost in battle, the letters sent to her by the medic at his side giving her a strange comfort, so much that she strikes up a correspondence with Peter Hess, an Iowa farmboy. Or is he? Peter Hess is not who he seems. Indeed, he’s hiding a

Ambien Dreams: porpoises, flying cars, and chimney soot

2010-11-12T17:18:00.002-06:00

Perhaps you missed it, but there was a story yesterday that involved Dick Van Dyke, the ocean, and a school of happy porpoises. He recounted how he fell asleep on his surfboard, was swept out to sea, and was pushed back to the safety of the shore by—you guessed it—Porpoises. Okay, first off I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding me! What the heck is he doing on a surfboard? He’s eighty-four

Death of Happy

2010-11-08T11:17:00.000-06:00

The City by the Bay—also known as San Francisco—is once again on the cutting edge of reality. Always being first to do things--such as having ¾ of their city destroyed in an earthquake/fire in 1906, using their famous streetcars to advertise Rice a Roni as a treat, opening Alcatraz to house the cream of society, naming their football team with a number instead of an animal

The Inability to Change Disorder

2010-11-01T16:37:00.000-05:00

Someone once said, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” According to the Dog Whisperer, you actually can, but teaching old people new tricks…that’s a whole other program. After about fifteen years with a cordless phone, I still find myself standing directly in front of the wall where the old phone once hung, as though tethered by the ghost of phone calls past. When I

Sublime Abandon

2010-10-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

I have been dieting off and on now for a few months and I’ve lost a few pounds. But the cravings for certain foods just never go away. Some days I yearn for a slice of Godfather’s pizza, other days the taste buds tend to lean toward Chinese take-out. So far I’ve been able to keep those evil little urges locked up in the back of my mind, screaming for release,

The Flavor of Meat and Other Deep Issues

2010-10-26T15:26:00.003-05:00

Is it just me or does this time of year—the beginning of hibernation season—bring forth loads of unanswered questions to ponder throughout the coming cold months? Why is it that salad needs dressing to make it edible, whereas chocolate needs nothing extra at all? Which reminds me…it’s coming up on Halloween again. Children dressed in store bought costumes, plastic capes flapping in the wind,

An Epic Life (Belva Plain)

2010-10-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

Belva Plain died last Tuesday. She was 95 years old. I read many of her books when I was in my early twenties. They were epic novels of hope, forgiveness, longing for a better life, love and family; novels some people these days might find daunting because of the sheer number of pages. But back then we didn’t have cable, cell phones, or internet so I had plenty of time to

Stars & Marriage (old but still hot)

2010-10-17T21:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to me! Today my husband and I have been married 29 years. That may seem like a lifetime to those of you just turning 29, but for us old people it’s a drop in a bucket. Well, actually it’s a really, really long time. I have now been married longer than fifteen or twenty movie stars put together. Not that I’m in a marriage contest against movie stars. I’m too competitive for that

I'm optimistically pessimistic

2010-10-13T21:53:00.002-05:00

In London they’ve just figured out that some dogs are pessimists. In fact, they believe half of the dogs in the United Kingdom show “separation-related behavior.” These dogs are the “bowl is half empty” kind of pooch. Questions abound in my mind. How do they know 5 million British dogs have this problem? Did they drive through neighborhoods and count how many dogs bark while their owners are

Psycho-analysis

2010-10-07T00:44:00.001-05:00

I was talking to a friend this week and I brought up classic movies by Alfred Hitchcock. She admitted that she’d never seen any of them and I nearly fell off my chair. How could someone live their entire life in such a state of deprivation? Watching Rear Window, Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, and Psycho were some of my most memorable childhood moments. These great movies used strange

Facebooking my Likes

2010-09-30T14:05:00.003-05:00

The sidebar ads on Facebook are very revealing about who we are as individuals. Apparently, the little ninjas who live in the Facebook website are constantly deciphering our private info and comments, and figuring out what we should be interested in at our age, what our likes and dislikes are, and whether or not we need weight-loss help. Yes, the one ad that keeps popping up on my screen would

Unknown Languages & Decoder Rings

2010-09-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

Archeologists have again made an amazing find. They discovered a letter at a 17th century dig site in Peru, and have concluded that it is written in an unknown language that hasn’t been spoken since who knows how long. They can’t really say for sure cause no one has ever seen or heard of it before. That makes for a very confusing conclusion on their find. But since it’s

Completely Random Autumn Thoughts

2010-09-20T15:02:00.007-05:00

Autumn hit like a ton of falling orange and red leaves this week. Which makes me wonder if a ton of leaves would hurt as much as a ton of bricks—if they fell on me. I’m thinking not, but I could be wrong. I wasn’t much into science in school.The gray skies and changing colors seem too soon this year, but I know we’ve had the trees dump all their plumage early on in September before. It makes

Mud Bunny Spa

2010-09-13T21:05:00.002-05:00

The Grouches "Mad at MS" This past Saturday I participated in the Mud Run Twin Cities benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Our team of six brave--or foolhardy women--however you choose to look at it, joined the fray of hundreds of eager teams chomping at the bit to run approximately six miles of wickedly rough and steep terrain, dotted with dozens and dozens of mud pits, puddles

It's Hip To Be Square

2010-09-06T10:20:00.001-05:00

Labor day is a holiday for many and a work day for those with jobs. Which is actually a good thing since we're in such an economic turndown, or depression, or whatever they choose to call it these days. The people without jobs probably call it, Crapola-on-a-stick, in celebration of Labor Day also being the last day of the Minnesota Fair.I went to the fair last week, while it was still hot

Publishing Announcement: Get Entangled in a new novel!

2010-08-30T11:25:00.001-05:00

I've been writing stories nearly all my life, but about eleven years ago I decided to make it my vocation. My kids were grown up enough to feed themselves, turn on the television, and have better things to do than hang out with their mom anyway, so it worked out fairly well. I'm not saying it's been a paying gig or a great career choice, just a love of story that turned into lots of hours

Signs of the Times

2010-08-25T17:25:00.007-05:00

Signs tell us where we are, how fast to go, where we can find the best ribs in the world, how to use a hand dryer in a restroom, or when the end of the world will take place. Signs are everywhere and every size. Roadside billboards, grocery store window ads, mini-van bumper stickers, and opinionated t-shirts. We are inundated with information all the time. Much of it is useful--such as

Spam--the other pink meat

2010-08-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

Our home is once again an empty nest, leaving me to wonder how one extra person could make so many more loads of dirty laundry. It's a mystery. But our daughter has gone back to finish off her college degree and now that I don't have to be down in the basement folding clothes for hours on end, I can get busy and write. A masterpiece of fiction doesn't write itself! This

Airline Perks for Pushy People

2010-08-18T19:40:00.002-05:00

Ever since kindergarten, there have been those individuals who just have to be first in line. You remember the kids that pushed in front of you when the teacher wasn't looking, or their friends let them cut in line in front of you with the silly excuse of "saving a place." Like that's fair. Those were the kids you wanted to smack, but didn't, cause of course your mother taught you manners.

He's Older Than Me!!

2010-08-12T11:48:00.004-05:00

With news that President Obama turned 49 on August 4th, I suddenly knew what it felt like to be old. I never really thought of Presidents as being young and hip, or even agile enough to ride a bike. They're supposed to be old, and wise, and decrepit, to sit around in the Oval Office and decide important things that we obviously can't decide for ourselves. Like which china dishes would look best

You Know it's Hot When __

2010-08-10T10:03:00.003-05:00

This week has turned out to be quite miserable, temperature-wise. Unless you're native to the Rain Forest. Then you might feel right at home. Of course, with the Dakota County Fair starting up, I knew the weather would rise to the occasion. You can't truly have the ultimate fair experience without eating deep fried cheese while standing in the blazing sun, losing half your body weight in

The "ick!" Factor

2010-07-30T13:50:00.003-05:00

Barney Frank makes me go “ick” without ever opening his mouth, but when he speaks his gross-out factor skyrockets. Why—with all the money he’s stolen from the American public while perverting the Senate—does he not buy himself a nice set of wooden teeth?Women who wear shirts way too tight in the middle make me go “ick!” Accentuating your multiple rolls of belly, side, and back fat is not pleasing

Domestic Disturbance

2010-07-28T09:29:00.006-05:00

A story in the News of the Weird caught my eye yesterday and I wanted to share it with those of you who may have missed it. A twenty-six year old “boy/man” in Pennsylvania called the police and reported his mommy for cleaning his bathroom with his toothbrush. There are so many things wrong with this scenario. Nothing you can get arrested for—but definitely wrong. Here is my take on what actually

Seasoned With SALT

2010-07-24T10:02:00.006-05:00

This week’s new spy film has slammed The Cold War down on a Bunsen burner. Evelyn Salt—the character played by Angelina Jolie in the new movie, Salt—is my kind of woman. I think I’m in love. Not in that way! In the—“if I was a super spy and fifteen years younger, and could do one arm pull-ups, and wasn’t afraid of heights or jumping off moving Semi’s”—I would totally be her.Jolie has proven once

Groomzilla!

2010-07-14T11:07:00.005-05:00

Tis the season of weddings. Love hangs hot and heavy in the humid air of summer like a canopy of hugs and kisses. Brides and grooms everywhere light unity candles, stomp glassware, or bungee jump together to prove their love to those watching. Most of us have acted stupid for love at one time or another. You may have married the person you were a fool for—or you may have eventually realized it

Awesome Spy Careers are Heating Up!

2010-07-10T11:29:00.001-05:00

The Cold war has thawed just in time for summer news. Theatres aren’t the only ones hoping for blockbuster entertainment to keep folks in the seats and out of the great outdoors. Morning news, evening news and news at ten have been showing an increased lack of viewership since people realized they could get the news off the internet with their cell phone while laying on the beach or watching

Eye want to look like Anime

2010-07-06T16:51:00.007-05:00

For those of you who still haven’t heard the name, Lady Gaga, you might want to listen up. Not because she is anything new or different from the other raunchy, young women singers following the likes of Madonna or Brittany Spears who believe “a show” is more important than talent. I’m not saying they don’t have talent, but with all the nudity, bizarre behavior, and personality disorders, it’s

The Love of a good nook

2010-06-30T20:43:00.008-05:00

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a nook.” Or something like that.I finally took the plunge and bought a nook. For those of you who think a nook is a pacifier—it sort of is, but not for infants. Actually, it’s an ebook reader from Barnes & Noble. As a writer, I held off, thinking that I would injure my own chances of future

Hoarders Anonymous

2010-06-23T13:33:00.004-05:00

This past weekend my daughter and I went through every closet in the house, as well as the attic over the garage, to find clothes to donate to the Lupus Foundation. I just did this sorting and giving away about two years ago, and low and behold there was probably triple the amount of clothes to be hauled away this time. How is that possible? Last time I did it alone—which may account for the

Martha Versus Reality

2010-06-16T11:16:00.003-05:00

School is officially out for summer and now the real fun begins. Not actual fun, but the fun of having children under foot twenty-four hours a day. Now don’t come down on me because I’m baring my soul and telling it like it is. I know many of you would like to have year round school, but you’re too afraid to admit it.It’s not that I don’t like children. I liked my own children, and we built a

Fishing for an Electrician

2010-06-09T15:14:00.005-05:00

We have a small electrical problem in our house. Two outlets downstairs quit working and another outlet upstairs shuts other outlets off when in use. Probably connected, right? Also our doorbell suddenly quit this winter, for no particular reason other than refusing to sound when the UPS man pushes it and sprints back to his truck like he’s playing a Halloween prank. I guess I’d quit working too

We're Back!!

2010-06-03T23:05:00.006-05:00

Our trip to Hawaii was glorious. Sun, surf, and sand in every crack. I had blissful naps on the beach, consumed fresh cooked shrimp from roadside venders, went to an authentic Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center – (owned and operated by Mormons), and watched my husband’s skin turn from gleaming white to boiled lobster red in under a week. It was great! We did the tour of every navel vessel in

The Doggie Door to Paradise

2010-05-18T12:21:00.003-05:00

This has been a busy month so far. We celebrated May Day (or as non-English speaking freedom fighters like to call it—Cinco De Mayo), my husband had his fiftieth birthday (which he barely noticed cause we worked the whole day), and I was treated to my own special day on the 9th (they called it Mother’s Day, cause I guess I’m the mother of all mothers). My husband surprised me by purchasing

Ransomed Dreams

2010-05-14T12:27:00.003-05:00

Ransomed Dreams by Sally Johns (Book Review)When I started reading Ransomed Dreams I didn’t really know what to expect. I’d never read any other books by Sally Johns. The prologue starts off with a bang as the main character relives the terrorist shooting that has left her husband an invalid and herself a fearful recluse. But from the very first chapter this story is totally character driven. It

It's a Dog's Life

2010-05-06T13:21:00.003-05:00

I was sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee when I had an epiphany—okay, maybe not an epiphany. But a really clear insight. This insight didn’t come through a window, cause I haven’t washed them lately. It came as I was watching my dog sleep peacefully in the corner beside me. Yes, my dog. Rugby is a very needy animal. He craves attention, food, and love all the time. No matter how many times I

Give Back Program

2010-05-01T13:17:00.007-05:00

It’s May Day again, and the protesters are supposed to be out in force in all the big cities across the country. Remember simpler times when May Day meant leaving a basket of fresh, beautiful flowers on someone’s doorstep? Well, flowers are now outrageously priced, so maybe that has something to do with the shift in celebration--but protesting immigration laws? Really? How May Day is that? Not

The Trinity of all Christian Women’s Retreats–Rain, Bedbugs, and Rap Music

2010-04-25T16:04:00.007-05:00

I attended an overnight women’s retreat this past weekend. Forty-some women of all ages and seasons of life converged upon a small camp in southern Minnesota for an annual church activity. We spent time talking, laughing, and learning about one another, seeking our Hope in the Lord, and our refreshment in gummy bears and licorice. There were many chances to make new friends, catch up with old

I'm Bleeding From The Ears!

2010-04-20T13:38:00.006-05:00

The evolution of music seems to be going backwards. I know every generation supposedly has its own sound and form of expression. Although with the advent of American Idol and UTube, there’s a lot of strange expression going on. I’m not saying that many of these kids don’t have talent, but so do a million others. In the past, the great ones stood out from the crowd. They had to actually have

Are we there yet? (X marks the Rest Stop)

2010-04-15T12:49:00.006-05:00

It’s that time of year again. Vacation planning. The pull of warm weather, kids getting out of school, or just the need to travel after being confined during the winter, makes us dream of places we’ve never been. For my husband and I, April the 15th is the spur that makes us think of getting away. Tax season is officially over today and now it’s time to chart a vacation. I say officially because

Enslaved by a Lie

2010-04-13T10:28:00.004-05:00

I couldn't help attaching this video of Pierce. At least he's not modeling the bra.When I was a kid, the way they advertised bras in TV commercials was very tame compared to now. A woman stood next to a mannequin and pointed at the undergarment, showing the features that provided ultimate comfort and support. This apparently convinced women of their need to own and wear a Playtex bra, or some

Twilight Sucks!

2010-04-08T16:24:00.004-05:00

Vampires are hot right now. Which is actually physically impossible, cause they are the undead. But despite that, they continue to gain momentum, especially with young girls. I think they may have bypassed teddy bears and puppies.With the overwhelming popularity of the Twilight saga, girls everywhere think that Vampires are angst-filled, sparkly, teenage boys who live in the woods of Washington

Advocacy for Retirement

2010-04-07T10:42:00.005-05:00

Back when advocacy groups were attacking Camel Cigarettes for using cartoon images of a camel for their advertisements, implying that it was a tool to manipulate young people to smoke, I sort of understood. (Although, it seems they make more “adult” cartoons than children’s these days. So I guess we can assume the producers of these cartoon programs are actually targeting children because they

Book Review: "Hand of Fate" by Lis Wiehl & April Henry

2010-04-05T09:13:00.002-05:00

The second in a series, Hand of Fate delivers a fast-paced mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Allison, a federal prosecutor, Nicole, an FBI special agent, and Cassidy, a local crime reporter, are friends that call themselves the Triple Threat Club. When Jim Fate, a national radio host, is murdered, the question is not “who would want him dead?” but rather, “who wouldn’t want him dead?

A Fool's Dream

2010-04-01T07:48:00.004-05:00

I was hoping I would wake up today and everything I didn’t like about the past year would be a dream. Remember the end of season nine of Dallas, when Pamela Ewing wakes up and finds her husband Bobby (dead since the end of season eight) in the shower, alive and well. She realizes she’d dreamt it all, and we realize the writers ran out of plausible cliffhangers. And it wasn’t even April Fool’s Day

Forty Something & Not Dead Yet

2010-03-29T20:19:00.004-05:00

Remember the show called “Thirty-Something?” I think I was twenty-something when it was on. They were all a bunch of whiny babies. I just wanted to tell them to suck it up and get on with their lives instead of always worrying about what they didn’t have and thinking life was passing them by because they had responsibilities and couldn’t go bungee jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge or party all

The Bill of Pet Rights

2010-03-25T15:49:00.003-05:00

All the news the past few days has been about the passing of the Health Care Bill, posturing and back patting, congratulatory fist pumping, and accusations that those who opposed it are evil terrorist types who want nothing more than to destroy the backbone of our nation—the welfare system. Our government has liberated us from evil insurance companies that prey upon the weak and lowly. They have

Percolator 101

2010-03-22T22:24:00.006-05:00

Have you noticed that coffee has become an obsession with Americans? Sure, compulsive coffee drinkers have been around since the first Luwak (Civet-cat) pooped out those little coffee beans in Indonesia and someone thought, “hey, I bet that will taste good ground up and dissolved in hot water!” Actually, most people can’t afford that coffee. It’s special. It sells for around $300 a pound. But

Roadkill in the First Degree

2010-03-17T21:18:00.004-05:00

Today I had my first kill. It wasn’t intentional. It’s not like I have a license to kill. It just happened. It was an accident. Okay, maybe if I hadn’t been speeding to Leon’s office to help out this morning, it wouldn’t have happened. But I can’t take it back. There are consequences to our actions. I’ve tried to teach my children this for years and often feel like a failure at even this simple

Book Review: "Chasing Francis" by Ian Morgan Cron

2010-03-15T14:37:00.005-05:00

Chasing Francis is a novel with an agenda. Every novelist has one but most don’t thrust it in your face quite so blatantly. While the story is entertaining and thought-provoking, it is not a novel you want to take at face value, but rather to sift it through true Bible doctrine and theology and see what parts come out whole in the end. I enjoyed the quirky characters, humorous quips about the

There's An App For That!

2010-03-12T17:09:00.003-06:00

Car commercials used to rule television land, but lately it seems that most advertising is about cell phones and apps. Now at first I thought app was probably just a misspelling. What they were trying to say was, “any ape can use this phone.” I got an ape for that. But I was wrong. Apps is slang for applications. For those of you, like me, who don’t have a special expensive phone with the

Free To Be Me

2010-03-10T16:24:00.008-06:00

Americans as a whole are very “arms-length” kind of people. I know I need my space and often find myself backing away from those who are “in your face” kind of people (you know who you are). But they are usually few and far between—especially during cold and flu season. Have you ever noticed when you stop for a red light, that all the cars are staggered so no one has to look directly across at

Barbi Bigots

2010-03-09T11:37:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I think there are individuals out there who just have to cause trouble or they can’t sleep at night. Especially pertaining to prejudice and Race. There is always someone trying to make an issue out of literally everything. Take Walmart for example. This is a huge company that employs many different ethnic groups: red, yellow, black, and white, men, women, and those who fall in between.