Sandra Cox's Blog, page 221

Have Yourself A....

Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Good friend and blogger bud, Gina Stoneheart nominated me for this award several weeks ago. Thank you, Gina:)  Apologies for the lateness of posting it. Without further adieu, here are the rules and regs:



Rules for this AWARD.
1. Thank the person who nominated you, and link to their blog. 2. Display the award logo. 3. Nominate at least 15 other blogs (more or less) and provide a link where they may be found.4. Then, go to their blog, leave a comment to let them know they have been nominated, and where to find the information they need to accept (rules).5. Mention three things that inspired you the most during the past few weeks.

Here are my pics....
1. Gina Stoneheart for bringing optimism to every post
2. Stephanie Faris for posting blogs that ALWAYS hold my interest
3. CJ Kennedy for posting blogs that frequently make me laugh
4. Sherry Silver for timely information in the kitchen and the craft
5. Alex Cavanaugh for keeping us updated on new books, new movies and what's going on in the writing community
6. Blue Grumpster whose blog has the best graphics ever
7. The Happy Whisk because her recipes and pictures makes my mouth water
8.Woke Up, Got Out Of Bed because Linda's pictures are so beautiful they take my breath away
9.Rhyme Time because Pat's versatile mind can rhyme on ANY subject
10.To All The Bloggers who make the effort
*To those of you who just don't have the time and inclination to deal with blogger awards feel free to consider it an honorable mention
And my inspirations......

Heading the list, of course, is my retirement. Let me just say......come on in, the water's fine.
My second inspiration is huge. Alzheimer's may be curable by ultrasound. Human testing is to start in two years.Wouldn't it be miraculous if something this simple did the trick? Here's the link if you're interested:http://www.cnet.com/news/non-invasive-ultrasound-restores-memory-in-alzheimers-mice/
And last but not least Love, Lattes and Mutants got a mention from Serena Chase on usatoday.com
 

Wacky Wednesday

If You Find My Mind Please Send It Home

So when I stumbled, half-awake into the kitchen the other morning, I noticed the kitchen table was dirty and got out the furniture polish. I was about halfway through when I realized I was hosing down the table  with hairspray. On the upside it did have a nice shine and lovely finish with no sticky, heavy feel:)
* On a more serious note, you probably already know that hairspray is a great product for removing clothing stains. 

Litmus Test

Uncertain as to whether the kids are really and truly sick? Send in the grandparents. They're the perfect litmus test. If they go down, yup the kids are sick.
The plan was to visit the grans on Saturday and head to Illinois Sunday to spend the week with the  relatives. Well we made it to the grands Saturday.......
How was your week? Hope it was  productive and fun...or just plain fun.

A Player A Hero

This is over ten minutes long, buts it's a great human interest story.

For Those of You on The Time Clock

I won't be posting next week. But when I get back, I want a full report of what's been going on in your world. Enjoy the weekend and the upcoming week, my friends.

News Briefs

Items That Caught my Eye

Thumbs Up: Hotel Matches Guests with Dogs
http://blog.exploreasheville.com/2015/02/asheville-hotel-matches-guests-with-dogs.html 
I think this is lovely and Asheville is the place to make it happen.

Thumbs Down: Saturday Night Isis Skithttp://news.yahoo.com/snl-isis-skit-dakota-johnson-video-154431536.html
Really? Nothing about ISIS is remotely funny.

Instead of Wacky Wednesday It's IWSG Wednesday

Reviews, do you love them or hate them?I have yet to reach the zen state where a negative review doesn't affect me. That thick skin writers are suppose to grow...I'm afraid I shed mine before it gets any layers to it.
Reviews can be great teaching tools and should be approached as such. (And yes I need to listen to my own advice:) One comment on what you did or didn't do and it can be put down to a reader's opinion or preference. Three or more..maybe you should give serious thought to addressing it in your next manuscript.
Oddly enough, reviews also vary from site to site. Silverhills has been my most extreme. On Amazon it got a negative review and not many reads. Thankfully, down the road it got a few reviews that offset the negative, but its sales are still so-so. On the other hand at Barnes and Noble its had thirty-one unsolicited reviews (which for me is huge),the majority of them fives, and it continues to sell. Weird huh? What makes the difference on these two sites?  Why does a book do well on one site and not another? Do you think the reviews factor into it?
I was bemoaning a less than stellar review to the hh and his response was, 'If they bother you why do you read them?'  I found this question to be both simple and profound. So until my skin thickens--and they say with age it gets thinner--or until I find my zen state, I'm ignoring the negatives and concentrating on the positives. And you dear reader/writer: What's your approach to a less than stellar review?

National Anthem Sung By Two Year Old

Did you see this? The National Anthem sung by a two and a half year old? He did a better job than I would have.