Vicki Batman's Blog, page 64

Have you ever been Naked and Afraid? #television #MFRWorg #RLFblog #realitysurviving

Last year, while scrolling through some channels, I landed on Naked and Afraid. I am a huge Survivor fan and like Survivorman too. So no brainer--right?


This show is about a woman and a man who already have strong survivor skills. They are taken to a remote area with only one thing. Often, the people choose a machete, pot, or firestarter. Once they land, they strip to nothing except for their item and a burlap-type bag. 

The couple (not romantic) have to make a shelter, find potable water, food, and start a fire. They live for so many days in their location and then with the aid of the map, move to the extraction point. They are removed via boat, plane, or helicopter. 

The weather could be blazing hot or constant rain. The constant rain impedes the fire making. The hot weather dehydrates. Finding eatable food is difficult.

Sometimes, they fashion clothing from the vegetation, especially a hat. Sometimes, they try mushrooms and that's bad. They've had cuts, blisters, bad food, high fevers and one lady passed out and was unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital. Occasionally, a contestant drops out, leaving the partner to complete the task along. 

Yeah, I can't see myself doing this. Could you be on Survivor or Naked and Afraid?

author Stephanie Queen: Have you discovered the Season of Love? #MFRWorg #RLFblog #fashion #accessories

Handbag Monday  
Thank you so much for inviting me to talk about my handbag!

If you guessed it was the shocking electric blue color of this bag that drew me to it, then Bingo! You’re not color blind! It was the color and it was the size.  (Where have I heard that about size before?)
So taken with this bag was I when I bought it last spring (a whole year ago now) that I proceeded to go out and buy new clothes to match it—an entire wardrobe in fact. First a blue and white striped top. No big deal. Then electric blue pants. Okay. But it was the hours of searching online for just the right sandals to match that blue that gave me pause. But only for a minute. Then I proceeded to run with the bold blue wardrobe theme until here I am now, able to wear my shocking electric blue bag every day of the week without a care about clashing with my clothes.

I am happy. With my bag.
Oh Stephanie, I would wear this blue with absolutely everything and not give a darn! Good choice!!

One of the novellas in the Season of Love Boxed Set Beachcomber Valentine,  a Beachcomber Investigations Novella 
Ex military special ops legend Dane Blaise and ex Scotland Yard investigator, the gorgeous Shana George, team up to find the long lost love of a mystery client In this fluffy assignment their only concern is flirting with the dangers of romance and Cupid. 

But of course there's more to this easy-money case than the rekindling an old flame. Once Dane and Shana find out that the "lost love" is involved with an FBI sting--and their best friend, state cop Captain Lynch--their suspicions kick into high gear. 

Dane and Shana end up with far more than a dinner date on Valentines Day...

Buy Link:  AmazonWebsite:  Stephanie Queen
Would electric blue be a favorite handbag color for you? 

#Handbag Monday ! #childrensauthor Susan Day w #birthdaygift #MFRWorg #accessories #fashion

Susan Day, author/illustrator, secret handbag lover, dog lover and slave to three cats is visiting with me today on
Handbag Monday

I was lucky (or is it spoiled?) enough to get this bag for my birthday. I love the color because it matches my Astro's Adventures books. The leather is soft but I was afraid it was going to be too 'hard' - does that make sense?

I was wrong. It is really supple and the bag is big enough to hold all of my goodies. I love the satchel style. It makes me feel young again. It's photographed here on my antique piano which I picked up for a bargain on Valentine's Day now, I'm just showing off, right?) LOL!

Wow, Susan, I might have to go to your house and appropriate a handbag for moi! The color is totally awesome. Good bag!


This fun and entertaining book was created to give children the skills they need to build resilience and cope with depression and anxiety.  
Find Astro's Adventures at: Amazon
Fore more about Astro's Adventures, go to:  Facebook Astros Adventures  Thank you, Susan, for showing off your handbag and your new book!

Kicking and Screaming, then a life change #MFRWorg #StarWars #movie

Recently, I wrote a post about how I raised the boys on Bugs, Bond, Indy and Star Wars. 

Here's my confession: Star Wars almost didn't happen. 



When Star Wars was originally released, I didn't want to see it. Another weird science fiction thingy--right? But my friend really wanted to go and being the nice person I was, he persuaded me and we went. 

Instantly, I was captivated. Words scrolled across the screen, telling a sort of prologue to the story. I'd never seen that before. And then the movie transported me to a planet where a young man was eager to go. To do. To Live. But he couldn't. Sympathy for his plight instantly overcame me and I was hooked. 

I was hooked to the ending. Through fights and wars and yelling and electricity. I was hooked so much, that when I saw #2, I cried out when Han Solo was freezed. His "I know" and the look between him and Princess Leia was priceless. 

And don't get me started on the "Luke, I'm your father" bit. 

So I married and the boys came along and I introduced them to the magic of movies. They became hooked on Star Wars as well. Three other prequels were released, but didn't have the magic of the first two. 

Now, a new one is coming in December. Several original cast members are returning. And I'm sharing the trailer with you. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngElkyQ6Rhs&feature=youtu.be

Want to share how old you were when you first saw Star Wars? 


Sometimes, the far-out stuff rocks on. In Temporarily Employed, a romantic comedy mystery, the heroine perseveres through job crisis after job crisis, like many of us have. Find TE at: Amazon and other sites. 

So what about all those lines guys use on girls? #datinglife #romance #comedy #cozymystery #MFRWorg

When I dated in college, a young man asked me if I wanted to see his hamster. The instantaneous thought I had was "weirdo with something else up his sleeve" and maybe my radar hadn't been working.

Seeing the skeptical look on my face, the guy said, "No, really, I have a hamster."

Again, I waited. I'd heard about the etching line used to lure girls to a guy's place with the hopes interesting things could take place under the covers. I still leaned toward a big fat no .

I asked, "Why do you have a hamster?"

He shrugged. "Can't have a cat in the dorm." Then he added, "I know what you're thinking..."

Damn right I was.

"The hamster is for real."

I sighed and decided to go. I could use my pretend karate if I had to. FYI: the hamster was for real.

When I wrote Temporarily Employed, my heroine, Hattie Cooks, knows hero cop Allan Wellborn. He's her best friend's brother. But we're all aware people change over time. Here's a fun dialogue run between the two:

No frisking and no arrests were--so far, in my book--a good thing. As Sarah Anne’s older brother, I found it easy to eliminate him from the stalker, murderer, and rapist categories. The something in the truck line sounded similar to approaches used in past dating experiences. For instance:
“Want to come up and look at my etchings?”
Translated: A roll in the hay.
Or the ever popular “Would you like to meet Mr. Lizard?”
Translated: Mr. Wiggly Worm.
“How about coming to my place for a drink?”
Translated: To ply me with multiple drinks and the requisite roll in the hay.
I hadn’t fallen for those then and wasn’t going to be a sucker now.
He stuck his hands on his hip and said, “I know what you’re thinking. I’m not a stalker, murderer, or rapist." 
Apparently, he could read minds.
"Just a minute." I closed the door partially to release the chain, then opened it. “Why can’t you just tell me whatever it is?”
“No. I want to show you---”
“Not a Picasso?” I asked.
“No.”
“Not an iguana?”
A perplexed expression crossed his face. “A what?”
“Not your pet worm?”
“What pet worm?”
“Not---”
          “Look, I don’t know what you’re thinking. The only worms I know about are for fishing.”

  Has anyone ever done this to you?  For more TE fun, go to: Amazon The Wild Rose Press

When a sister gives a sister a gift - Denyse Bridger on #Handbag Monday #fashion #accessories #vampire #MFRWorg

When a sister gives a sister a gift...
Handbag Monday  


This is my main handbag, the one I’ve carried for the past twenty years. My sister paid $300 for this bag, and decided afterward she couldn’t carry this bag and her work portfolio, too. She went to a small bag she could tuck into her work bag. She gave me this awesome Italian leather purse and I’ve been using it ever since. I swear it weighs about five pounds, and I carry everything in it. The usual things, wallet, cards, plus an amazing array of stuff that is somehow essential. My mom no longer carries her bag, so I have her medication when we go out, my rosary, which I’ve carried with me since I was about nine years old, lighter, pens, notebook… it’s all there. The bag itself is high grade leather, very durable, and it’s never been in for repairs… I love this bag!
Wow, Denyse, you sister was so generous. But what I find hilarious about this picture is the groceries surrounding it. Do they fit in the bag too? LOL



Death has many shades and shapes... Deep within the ageless Carpathian Mountains, an ancient evil wakes. Imprisoned many centuries ago, the creature has waited, patiently, for the one destined to grant her freedom. Arienne Lereaux has studied the preternatural menace called "vampyre" for most of her life. She is an expert in the field. Loosely affiliated with a secretive organization called The Institute of Paranormal Research and Investigation, she turns to them when she unearths what may be the first representation of the vampyre ever to exist.
The enigmatic and attractive Head of the Institute, Adam Raven, has spent a lifetime tracking the clues left by his mother's disappearance in the mountains of Romania nearly twenty years past. When Arienne arrives at the secluded island headquarters of the Institute, he wonders if she holds the key to finding his lost mother. But before too many days pass, the city of Vancouver is rocked by a series of grisly murders. As it races to find the culprit, the Institute faces an evil unlike any it has encountered before...
In the middle of their hunt, another branch of their network is making a scientific breakthrough in genetically heightened telepathy. The team responsible may soon hold a weapon that will have world powers at their door—until their lead scientist vanishes after leaving Toronto to consult Raven and his people. Ancient myth is suddenly not myth, and evil may take many guises before the Institute can restore the delicate balance that was destroyed the night Arienne stumbled into a remote castle in the mountains half a world away…
Find Shades of Death at: ARe Romance

Has someone ever given you a bag you just adore? 

All things Peanuts - Naturally! #animation #cartoon #MFRWorg

Recently, Handsome and I traveled to a nearby gallery to view what we thought were original art featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown. 




We got something else.
Peanuts...Naturally features strips from Peanuts and shows how Charles Schultz incorporated environmental concerns into the cartoons. It is fun and educational, especially for young children. Hands on exhibits and lots of strips to read. The show will travel throughout the states until 2016.
Topics in the strips include the four seasons, climate changes, trees, birds, gardening and more. I was especially taken by one with Woodstock and Snoopy. Woodstock did a rain dance just on himself. There were stuffed birds in one exhibit which asked what kind of bird is Woodstock?
Young families will especially enjoy this exhibit. Handsome and I laughed over many of the strips and wondered why we hadn’t read the funnies in the paper in a while.
FMI: Information

Are you a Peanuts fan like me? Who is your favorite? And does Lucy drive you crazy?



Want to have some book fun? Lots of laughs? Great hero? Handbags and Jeeps? Check out TE at: Amazon paperback

May Woodworth - what is a toxic partner? Sticky Girls #MFRWorg #WROTM #lastingrelationships

Not only are toxic partners dangerous physically, they can damage your self-esteem and affect decision making. You focus on surviving each day instead of thriving. 

After a lifetime working for women and families, May Woodworth explores why some women attach themselves to toxic partners, and why they have difficulty unsticking from them. 
In her debut non-fiction, Sticky Girls, Why Women Stay In Bad Relationships, May approaches dependent relationships in a compassionate manner, giving guidance, and offering solutions to woman who feel stuck. 
Keep attracting the wrong type of guy? Do you stay invested in toxic relationships well past their expiration date? Have you ever been on the receiving end of relationship abuse? Do you have a relationship pattern that you would like to change? Are you ready to explore why you behave the way you do? 
Sticky Girls is for you. 
Getting unstuck is not impossible. With the right tools, you can make it happen.

May's books explore women's self-esteem, parenting struggles, personal growth, and empowerment. 

After years in social services and early childhood education, she has now carved out time to explore her new passion: writing. 

Sticky Girls (Non-Fiction, Self-help) Arrow Publications LLC, (book 1 in a women's empowerment series).releases February, 2015. 

Heart of the Hurricane, 2014 (Romance, Drama, Fiction), Big World Network, is available in print, e-book, and audio-book.

May also published over 14 romances under a pseudonym between 2010-2014.


Find Sticky Girls at:   Amazon      Omnilit


Find May at: Facebook    Twitter  Google 
Find Sticky Girls fun at: Sticky Girls Central  Sticky Girls Twitter 
                                        Sticky Girls Blog

Yipee! It’s Christmas in April! #handbag #accessories #shoes #fashion #romanticcomedy #mystery #MFRWorg

Handbag MondayWhen I picked up my latest finished needlepoint project, I felt like Christmas in April had arrived.
I have a unique love for all things crafted and have bought many a finished needlepoint handbag on eBay and ETSY. Then I got an urge. I had to make one of my own. I did a random search on eBay for handbag canvases and this popped up:

I could do that. Just fill in the background. And I love red. I loved red poinsettias. And I’d never made a Christmas bag before—SOLD!
Here’s what happened in stages:





I took my finished canvas to my local shop to be made into a bag. I knew what size tote and handle length I wanted. The shop ladies are terrific in helping, too.
And now for the finished product:


So what do you think? Like the size? The color? Would you have picked a different background color? Would you make a handbag just for Christmas? 
Would you be surprised to learn my heroine carries handbags and loves them like I do? LOL. In case you'd like to make sure, find my romantic comedy caper, Temporarily Employed, at: Amazon

.@VickiBatman - doodle doos? poodoos? What kind of dogs are those? #poodles #MFRWorg #RLFblog #dogs

I was raised a cat girl. I love 'em. Mine is now twenty-one years old. However, Handsome was raised with dogs. 
When #1 son was small, Handsome brought home the cutest puppy, a sheepdog. I named him Baxter (although the three year-old next door referred to him as Bastard). LOLOL. The problem with Baxter was he grew and grew and grew, finally weighing in at 150 pounds!!! I kept asking Handsome if he was supposed to get that big. And being so large also meant he was a handful and really, too big for the kiddoes.
Baxter left us when he was twelve. Most big dogs only make it to that age. And several years went by without dogs. Which was fine, we had cats. 
Eventually, Handsome would drop a comment or two or three. He circled ads in newspapers. I found where he had gone looking. Then he finally asked if we could get another dog. I laid down the law about training and care and most importantly--size. We'd discussed beagles because we liked the size and their spunky nature. Then he began telling me about malti-poos, a Maltese and Poodle mix. Poodles are the second smartest dogs (German shepherds are first). They have hair not fur and don't shed. They are pretty good-natured. 
He showed me pictures and I was sold. Coal black eyes and nose. Shaggy short hair. A bobbed tail. I agreed.
Onllllyyyy that wasn't what he came home with. 
Handsome brought home two dogs--a short white one and a taller gray one. He said he watched the white one run everywhere. He was playful and a great size. Then he noticed the gray one by himself, wanting to be in the fun, but acted shy. He couldn't say no. 

I'd been trying out names for a while, but had settled on one because the thought was he would get one dog. So he asked and I said, "Jones," for the gray one. Like Indiana Jones, but no Indy. LOL. The white one had me stumped, but not for long. He's full of might and fun and adorable. I called him Champ. He's the alpha. 
Handsome and I took them to training. Jones loves to run and has caught many a squirrel. Champ likes to play fetch with Squeaky and takes him to bed. 







What kind of pets do you have and what is their name?
Sometimes, pets show up in Vicki's stories. In her romantic comedy mystery, Temporarily Employed, there is a stray cat with a funny name. Find Temporarily Employed at: Amazon