Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 29

Friday Favorites Part 2

Hey, all! Hope everyone had a nice long President's weekend holiday. (I know I did) :-)

Let's see. I have so much to say and so little space...

First, this week's Friday Favorites:

Downton Abbey. (my new favorite TV series guilty pleasure)

I kept hearing about this show everywhere: blogs, FB, twitter, writing forums, etc... Sheesh, I HAD no choice but to give this show a shot. So, I downloaded season one to my Netflix and yada-yada-yada...

I watched all of it in less than three days. (I know. No comments please)

I love all that Masterpiece theater stuff anyway, but this show is rich in characters, setting, style, and history. I also really enjoy how a circumstance happens and the viewer is shown how it affects everyone including the servants. I was sucked up from the beginning!

Check it out. More info HERE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Downton Abbey takes place around the 1916, which is kind of funny because, I spent all yesterday looking for 1920's style clothing.

Ha! There's something you don't write on a blog post everyday. :-)

The hubby and I have dinner with neighborhood friends once a month. Each couple who hosts must decide on a "theme" and they cook the main entree and all the other couples supply the alcohol, dessert, apps, and sides. But it all has to go with the theme.

This month's theme is a 1920's Speakeasy--dress-up strongly suggested
.
So the hubby and I ended up at a consignment shop. He bought a cool suit vest and I bought a white boa, long white clothes and the cutest little hat. (Pictures to come)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's it for me.

So tell me, have you watched Downton Abbey yet?
Have you ever been to a Speakeasy party?

Friday Favorites!

Hey, all!

Well, as I mentioned on Monday, I have found some great vegetarian recipes. So for my Friday Favorites, I HAVE to share with you this vegan recipe that I absolutely could eat everyday for lunch (and pretty much do eat everyday for lunch).

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

1tBsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
8oz of organic tempeh, crumbled
1 tsp cumin
1 tBsp chili powder
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
10oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
10 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
whole wheat flour tortillas
lettuce

** Heat oil in a skillet and add onion and pepper. Cook until softened. Add tempeh and brown slightly. Then add seasonings, tomatoes and potato. Cover and lower heat. Simmer until potato softened about 10 min or so. Then add beans and cook until heated through.

(Of course, I take the vegan out of it and add a little Greek yogurt or sour cream inside before I wrap it up with a little added chopped cilantro too)
YUMMO!!

Two things about this recipe: 1) What is tempeh? Check here. It's a good source of protein. Of course for me, it's kind of...well...nasty. But mixed in with the right foods and seasonings, then it takes quite good. I buy mine at an organic health food store.
And 2) don't cheat and use regular diced tomatoes. Use the FIRE-ROASTED. What a difference. So good!

Have you ever had tempeh? Any plans for this long weekend?
Enjoy and have a great weekend!

The End

Well, in case you missed my BIG news on Twitter, I'm finally done with the book I've been working on.

I say finally done because this book was a bugger to write. (Think giving birth to a pineapple and you'll get what I mean.)

I really don't know why the end didn't want to come. I usually love writing the last chapter. My conflicts have been resolved and all I need to do is bring my hero and heroine together in a lovey-dovey way and tie it all up with a bright red bow. 

But no. The red bow had been missing for months. Don't ask me why.

But I pushed forward and finished the book on Friday. I was literally pooped afterwards so I took a little online break. Sorry if I missed the blog rounds. (My eyes were too tired to read a computer screen anymore!)

~~~~~~~~
In other personal news, I've kind of become a...vegetarian.

I think three cows just had heart attacks as I wrote that.

But it's true. It started out with me just cooking three vegetarian meals a week (just for health reasons) and now the hubby is on board with me cooking vegetarian full time now. Believe me, I'm as shocked as some of my friends. Because if anyone had told me I would one day become a vegetarian, I would have choked on my hamburger.
Actually, Ive found quite a few tasty recipes, which I will share in the future. Stay tuned!

Anyhew, today I'm going to edit my chapter and submit it to my critique partners then play the rest of the day.
I deserve it. LOL

Are you or do you know any vegetarians? Do you think you could give up meat?

A Couple of Public Service Announcements...

Pay close attention. This is for your own good.
This is furniture polish.


And this is hairspray.

Please don't use the furniture polish as hairspray like I did the other day.
Of course, in my defense, I was in a hurry and they look VERY similar. But still...my hair needed a little more hold.

In other words of wisdom, you need to check out (if you haven't already) screenwriter Michael Hauge's website.
Truly. Click HERE.
His articles are fantastic.
So simple yet effective, especially the Ten Simple Keys to Plot Structure. I highly recommend!!

Those are your tips for this Friday.

You're welcome. :)

And We Have a Cover!

Hey, all!
Well, I hosted a Superbowl party last night! Heard it was a good game. I wouldn't know. I somehow missed everything.

Yep.

Did not see one play, did not see one commerical.
But...I did see Madonna and the halftime show.

All I can say is...

DANG, that woman looks good for her age!!!

And personally, I think it helped that her outfit and makeup were toned down. She could have really looked as if she was trying too hard, but she didn't do that.

But anyhew, I wanted to show you all the cover of my new book coming out in April: SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM.

Cute, huh?

I have a bit of a Cinderella theme going on in the book, since my heroine starts out as an amusement park princess, so I guess the good people at Avalon Books took that and ran with it.

My one "complaint" is that my name is a bit small, but otherwise, I think the cover fits the book. :)

What do you think of it?
Also, did you see any of the Superbowl?
Did I miss any good commericals?

The Third Biggest Unveil

I know. You're probably thinking, "Third biggest unveil? What's she talking about?"

Well, my new pendant lights are up, and... I have pictures! (finally)

My second big unveil will be my backsplash--once it's actually installed.
And then my number one biggest unveil will be the new cover of my book.
All very exciting to me!

Also, I wanted to make an announcement. My emails are disappearing. I thought I was accidentally deleting them, but now I'm not so sure... I feel like I'm losing my mind. Did somebody hack my account and is now messing with me? I'm beginning to think so.
So if you've sent me an email and I haven't responded. I may have lost it.

Just saying...

It's not you, it's me.

Anyway...here are the pics:

They're the Benson pendants from Restoration Hardware. (They were on sale)

Now I just have to get rid of that backsplash, get some new curtains, and paint.
And then my kitchen will be complete. Whew!

In other news, we're hosting a Superbowl party. No, I don't have a favorite team to win. And no, I really don't care for football. Funny that. But I do enjoy my hubby's vegetarian chili, which he will be making, in addition to his taco soup.

Go, food!

What do think of my lights?
Also, do you have plans for Superbowl Sunday?

A Little Library Appreciation

Happy Monday!

(FYI, pendant lights aren't up. Electrician was a no show. *sigh* Hopefully, today...)

Anyhew, as some of you know, I am now a member of our Library Board of Trustees in town.
Why is that so particularly cool?
Because our library is so cool!!

And here are a few reasons why:

**our library is in the middle of town. The community gym, Senior Center, and Historical Museum are are closely attached to it too. Yet, everyone sees the entire unit as the "library". :)

**we have a coffee/juice bar area, where you can also get a light lunch.

**in addition to several meeting rooms, we have a lecture hall room, complete with drop-down screen, that is available for people to use.

**we have cooking classes for kids

**we have Kindle instruction classes for new Kindle owners. (Apparently people have come to that with their Kindles still in the box!) LOL

**we have a newly hired, separate "Young Adult" librarian.

**we have a fantastic DVD (including lots of great TV shows) and CD collection.

**we have free WiFi throughout the entire library.

**there are free computers for adults and there are great child computers too.

**our Story Time program for toddlers is fantastic.There's singing, story, puppet show and sometimes a craft. All free.  And now they added a "Baby" program where 70 people showed up!

I could go on but I don't want to brag. (OK, maybe a little)

That's what the old library board achieved. Nice, huh? But to be honest, I loved our library before all that. The staff is friendly and they always have had a great book selection.
But now we have to look to the future and see where we want to take all this. Just recently we conducted some focus groups in town to get some feedback as to what people like or dislike about the library. Needless to say, there wasn't much to not like.

But, hey, there's always room for improvement. :)

So now I ask you... what do you appreciate about YOUR library?
Is there anything you would improve or change if you could?
Do you see anything MY library could add?

Friday FLASHBACK--and a winner!

Happy Friday, all!

Before I announce the giveaway winner, I want to say a BIG thanks to special guest author Allie Pleiter!!

I also thought it'd be fun to do a little flashback piece for Friday.
For something different, I'm going to flashback all the way to....this past week.

**cough cough**

What can I say? It was a busy week.

**A 60 ft whale washed up on our beach this week. Dead, unfortunately. And very smelly. It was a fin back whale and marine biologists seem to think it was hit by ship.

**My backsplash is ordered.

**Went through ANOTHER case of Strep with the kiddo. Poor thing (and poor me) :(

**Appointed (by the mayor) to the Library Board of Trustees in our town. (Go, me--er, library!)

**Got my RITA judging books in the mail. (That'll keep me busy reading until March)

**went out to lunch with the hubby (I love lunch dates)

**pendant lights are being hung today in my kitchen (Will post pics Monday)

**Got the green light from the hubby to plan a tropical spring break vacation (Go, Caribbean!)

**had two really sweet reader comments about my book of The Role of a Lifetime. (Thank you!!)

See? Busy week.

So now let's get to the giveaway...

The winner of Allie Pleiter's book FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN is...

Lucky number 25--I mean, RULA SINARA!

Thank you to everyone who commented and entered! I will be hosting another Love Inspired author giveaway in March, so stay tuned!

Have a great weekend!!!

Love Inspired author Allie Pleiter--and a giveaway!

Happy Monday!!
I'm so pleased to have Love Inspired author, Allie Pleiter on my blog today!!
About Allie:
An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The "dare from a friend" to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women's issues, and writing.
Visit her website at www.alliepleiter.com
or her knitting blog at www.DestiKNITions.blogspot.com

Please welcome Allie, and read about her writing for the Harlequin Love Inspired line!

"So you write one of thosebooks?"
I get it all the time. People are startled that a six-foot, knitting-obsessed, extroverted,coffee-loving, loud-mouthed, Dr. Who and spy-movie fan writes those books.  I have a relative who refers to me as "theone who writes the little God books." Such comments are usually accompanied with a puzzled look.

I'm never insulted...I love busting the stereotype.  Folks who can't reconcile me with categoryromance--especially Love Inspired--probably haven't read one lately.  I always take that as my cue to thrust oneinto their hands (me, pushy? never!). Sure my stories might be labeled as "clean and wholesome," but they surearen't "meek and mild." Faith belongs in our real world. 

I'm delighted that Love Inspired has always encouraged the "edge"in my voice.  They almost always let meget my "quirk" on.  My heroines are asclever and strong as women I'd want for friends.  If you're looking for a strappingbare-chested pirate on your cover, you won't find one in my books.  What you willfind is women of depth and strength, learning to love men of courage andcharacter.  And, if I've done it right,you will laugh a lot along the way.

So no, in answer to the question, I don't write one of "those books."  I write greatbooks that just happen to come in small packages.  Or slip right on yourNook/Kindle/ipad/whatever...because I'm also a gadget-freak.

Oh, by the way, my current WIP has a red-headed hero (for thoseof you who were pining for one earlier!)

Thanks, Allie! I realy enjoy the Love Inspired line.
And I LOVE that you're writing a red-headed hero in your next book!

Here's a bit about Allie's new release:

Falling for the Fireman
Harlequin Love Inspired
February 2012
ISBN #978-0-373-87725-6
Back Cover Copy:

There's something achingly familiar about the look in fire marshal Chad Owens's eyes. Widowed mom Jeannie Nelworth knows firsthand what it is: loss, hurt and yes—bitterness. Ever since the fire that changed their lives, Jeannie's young son has borne that same look, pushing everyone away. So she's grateful when Chad tries to get through to the boy with the help of his trusty fire station dog.

But the man who's all about safety and prevention keeps himself protected—from loving and losing again. Seems as if Jeannie will have to add his kind, guarded heart to her rebuilding efforts.

Allie has graciously offered to give away a copy of her book FALLING FOR THE FIREMAN to some lucky commenter!
Contest will run from now until Thursday, Jan. 26th 11:59pm EST.
Winner will be announced this Friday!

Good luck!

A Fallen Soda

Mr. Pibb (1972-2001) Hey, all!
My hubby and I are bit sad after we learned this week that Mr. Pibb is no longer available.
Yes, it's true!!  (I'd pass you a tissue if I could)
I'm not really a soda drinker. It's more of a treat. But you see, I have found memories of Mr. Pibb. When the hubby and I lived in MA, we used to go to Panera Bread a lot for lunch and that's where we first had Mr. Pibb. The hubby and I used to talk about it all the time. If you've never had it, it kind of has a Dr. Pepper flavor--only better IMHO.
The hubby went looking to order it recently online and, well... then he had to break the news to me:
Mr. Pibb, or Mr. PiBB as it's often spelled, isn't exactly gone, it was replaced by Pibb Xtra in 2001 with a slightly tweaked formula. That hasn't stopped the Internet petitions or an entire episode of American Dad constructed around the soda's disappearance. When Pibb Xtra came out, bottlers were allowed to use up their remaining stocks of real-deal Mr. Pibb. By 2003, all Mr. Pibb was gone and replaced with Xtra. Anything sold as "Pibb" to this day is "Pibb Xtra". That's how Mr. Pibb quietly ended.
**sniff sniff**
Unfortunately it's not the first time, this has happened to me. You may or may not know this, but I was one of the few people in America who actually ENJOYED Crystal Pepsi, also wiped from the market before its prime.
Is it me?
I'm not sure. But it could be you too. Here's a Tribute to Fallen Sodas you may have enjoyed as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~In other news, I picked out a backsplash for my kitchen. FINALLY.  I ordered pendant lights for my island. FINALLY. And I'm anxiously awaiting them all to come in now. (Will post pics when all completed)
That's all for me. I have a library meeting and then I'm off to work on the last chapter of my work in progress. (Yay!!)
How about you? Have you tried Mr. Pibb? Have any soda or food item you liked that was discontinued on you?