Marcia Lynn McClure's Blog, page 6

My Books in Chronological Order-Best Guess! ;)

A few weeks ago, a reader wrote and asked me for a list of my books in "when written" Chronological Order.  She wanted to start from the beginning and read them from first written to most current.  My Mother-in-Law has always liked to read them in chrono order, too, and so I thought it might be kind of fun/challenging to see if I could come up with a pretty accurate list for the reader who had requested it, as well as myself, and anyone else who might want to read my books in that specific manner.

Well, believe it or not, when I sat down to type up the list going by the order in which I wrote then instead of publication date, I found it kind of hard to remember exactly which order I'd written them in!  I'm serious!  It was weird.  There are certain books I can easily remember which year they were written because of certain chaotic events that happened at the same time.

For instance, The Visions of Ransom Lake was written in 1997.  I began writing it in Albuquerque and finished it in Ferndale, Washington.  So that one was easy.  But most of them were kind of a swirl in my mind.

However, I did manage to come up with a pretty accurate chronological order.  There are some exceptions such as the fact that e-books such as Weathered Too Young, Saphyre Snow and The Highwayman of Tanglewood were eventually lengthened from novella length into novels when I was able to scrounge up some time.  So keep in mind that this list includes when the originals were written.  I did the best that I could without calling a million people and asking them what the original date was that I gifted them the manuscripts.  (Okay…maybe not a million people.)

Anyway, since I have recently received several requests for a chronological list, I thought I'd just slap one up on my blog for fun!  And as a side note, if you're one of the less-than-a-million people I should've called first and you have dates that will help me out, just e-mail me at marcialmcclure@cs.com and I'll fix anything I goofed up on this list!

Meanwhile, maybe you'll find this a teeny bit interesting if you've ever wanted to read my books in the order in which they were written!  (Keep in mind that "order in which they were written" does not necessarily mean it was the "order in which the plot/story/characters etc. were conceived!)

The Anthology of Premiere Novellas Romantic Vignettes (This book has the first three novellas I ever completed.)

Desert Fire (The first Western Romance I completed by the way!)

Born for Thorton's Sake

Divine Deception

Weathered Too Young (Originally written as a birthday gift!)

To Echo the Past (Also originally written as a birthday gift!)

Sudden Storms

The Heavenly Surrender

The Visions of Ransom Lake

Shackles of Honor

Dusty Britches

The Fragrance of her Name

The Rogue Knight

An Old-Fashioned Romance

Love Me

The Prairie Prince

The Windswept Flame

The Highwayman of Tanglewood

The Touch of Sage

Saphyre Snow

Daydreams

Kissing Cousins

The Whispered Kiss

Sweet Cherry Ray

The Time of Aspen Falls

A Crimson Frost

The Light of the Lovers' Moon

Kiss in the Dark

Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine

The Tide of the Mermaid Tears

A Better Reason to Fall in Love

The Pirate Ruse

Take a Walk With Me

The Trove of the Passion Room

The Haunting of Autumn Lake

The Chimney Sweep Charm

Went to Sleep Thinking About Sea Monkeys, Of Course (Contest Winner and New Contest, too!)

So a couple of nights ago, as I was just lying there trying to relax and drift off to sleep, I started thinking about Sea Monkeys.  Do you remember Sea Monkeys?  I mean, you can still get Sea Monkeys and their habitat (little kits that come with Brine Shrimp eggs that you hatch in water and a little plastic aquarium thing), but you really don't hear about them much anymore.  BUT when I was kid, I had some!

I used to read comic books when I was a youth…actually, I still do…but the ones I read then were like Hot Stuff the Little Red Devil (my favorite!), Casper, etc.  Somewhere in every comic book I ever read one would find an ad for Sea Monkeys and the ads always intrigued me!  I mean, Sea Monkeys were supposed to be like this little family of like alien aquatic life and they looked sooooooooooooo cute!  (Here's an old ad I found!  See what I mean?)

Anyway, I became determined that I simply MUST have some Sea Monkeys!  I scrounged up a couple of bucks and ordered them.  (This was back when you could send cash in the mail.)  As I began impatiently waiting for my Sea Monkey family to arrive in our mailbox my anticipation was much like Ralphie's in the movie A Christmas Story.  Every day I'd check the mailbox hoping for my Sea Monkeys kit to arrive.  And then one day, when I thought I couldn't wait any longer, VOILA!!!!

Naturally, I was totally excited and went to work preparing the Sea Monkey habitat and sprinkling my Sea Monkey eggs into the waiting water.  I can't remember how long it took them to hatch, but when they did, they looked NOTHING like the comic book ad.  I mean NOTHING like it.

BUT I'm usually one to find the silver lining in any situation, and as I watched my little brine shrimp swimming around in their cute little habitat (complete with little inlaid magnifying windows so that when the Sea Monkeys swam passed one you could really see them well) I delighted in the miracle of the whole thing.  To me it was amazing that you could order something in the mail, sift in some sandy looking stuff and have little creatures appear! Oh sure…they looked nothing like a little alien aquatic family, but I loved them anyway.

I used to set the little Sea Monkey habitat on my window sill so that the sun could shine through it, and watch my Sea Monkeys swimming around.  I'm guessing they lived about two weeks before they just disappeared somehow (I'm guess died)…but I enjoyed them to the fullest…even if they weren't aliens.  After all, that's what we should do in life, right?  If something isn't perfect, just enjoy it as much as we can anyway!

So…did YOU ever have a Sea Monkey experience?  Whether or not you did, leaving your Sea Monkey comment will automatically enter you in my Random Contest this week!

Last week's winner…the winner of the Calamity Jane DVD and some "Irresistibles" is Karen Foster!!!!  Snail Mail your mailing address to me Karen, and I'll get your winnings in the mail!

As for today's Random Contest…hmmm…how about this…Don't you think that if anyone was ever going to make a movie about a MANLY merman…that Hugh Jackman would make a good merman?  Seriously!  Let's run with that weird idea!  Up for grabs this week on my blog, is a DVD/movie starring Hugh Jackman (who WOULD make a good merman)!  And he would be an even better merman if they would let him speak with his natural Australian accent, right?  So this week…Australia is the contest prize!  Leave a comment about Hugh or Sea Monkeys and your entered to win!  I LOVED this movie and the little boy in it will entirely win your heart!  Not to mention that it proves Hugh would make a good merman!

My "Irrestitibles!" (Winner and New Contest, Too!)

Just jotting down another random thought:

I was just taking a lovely little snooze on the couch downstairs (it's a blustery January day…the wind is blowing and it's cold and I had the fireplace on), and I woke up thinking about how badly I want some cocktail peanuts and M&Ms!

So I got to thinking about something dumb—about jotting down those certain few treats that I CANNOT resist! I mean CANNOT!! If they're in the house, I can't resist eating them!

In no particular order, here is a list of things I CANNOT resist eating if they're in the house:

1. Cocktail Peanuts with M&Ms!

2. The dessert known in our family as "Chocolate Torte" (see below)—it's the only thing on earth I've ever found that even if I've eaten so much of it I feel sick, I'll still eat more! One of my dreams is to sit down and eat an entire pan of it all by myself one day! Mmmm!

3. BBQ flavor Pringles (potato chips)!

4. Rice Krispie Treats!

5. Homemade Cake with my homemade frosting (even if it's a box mix cake)!

6. Cheetos Twisted Puffs!

7. Graham Crackers with my homemade frosting chocolate frosting!

8. Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups (my FAVORITE candy)!

9. Keebler Fudge Stripes Cookies!  (LOVE them!)

Most everything else I can resist, either easily or by putting my mind to resisting it. I can even resist most kinds of cookies, my favorite kind of ice cream (Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter, Blue Bell Pecan Pralines 'n Cream, or Blue Bell Rocky Road), brownies, any other kinds of potato chips, etc. But when it comes to the things I listed above—no can resisto!

How about you?  What do you find yourself unable to resist?  In fact, let's do this week's contest around that idea.  Hmmm…let me think.  Oh!  I guess first I should pick the winner of the Olive Garden Gift Card from last week, huh?  Ok…here I go…and the winner is…Lindsey Olmstead!  Lindsey…e-mail your snail mail address to me at marcialmcclure@cs.com and I'll get your gift card in the mail to you asap!

As for this week's contest…hmmmm…let me think!  How about this, leave a comment confessing your "irresistibles" and the winner wins a box full of MY "irresistibles" AND a DVD of one of my favorite MGM musicals, Calamity Jane, starring Doris Day and Howard Keel!  Now if THAT isn't random, I don't know what is!  But just imagine yourself all cuddled up on the couch, snacking on Fudge Stripes Cookies, BBQ Pringles, Peanuts and M&M's and watching Doris and Howard!  FUN!!!!  Just leave a comment and you're entered!

Oh, and just in case you share my dream of having a 9×13 pan of "Chocolate Torte" all to yourself, here's the recipe for that, too!

That Decadent Dessert I Can Never Remember the Name of…

(a.k.a. Sandy's Birthday Dessert!)

Crust Ingredients:

1 ¼ c. Flour

1 c. Softened Butter

¾ -1 c. Chopped Pecans

Mix above ingredients and spread/press into 9 x 13 inch glass pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until starting to brown. Cool completely.

First Layer Ingredients:

1 c. Powdered Sugar

1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese (softened)

½ of a 16 oz. Container of Cool Whip

With mixer, blend ingredients and spread over cooled crust.

Second Layer Ingredients:

2 Small Boxes of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding

3 c. Milk (Just 3 cups…not 4 as indicated by the pudding directions.)

Mix pudding and spread over first layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each serving with a generous helping of Cool Whip.

*You can also use the remaining Cool Whip form the 16 oz. container as a third layer…but mine tends to run.

Note: I can't remember who gave me this particular version of this dessert (Albuquerque—before 1995), but it is the best variation of this recipe I've ever tasted! Sandy used to choose this as her Birthday desert instead of cake! It's the one dessert that I will eat and eat and eat—even if I feel sick from eating so much already!

My “Irrestitibles!” (Winner and New Contest, Too!)

Just jotting down another random thought:

I was just taking a lovely little snooze on the couch downstairs (it’s a blustery January day…the wind is blowing and it’s cold and I had the fireplace on), and I woke up thinking about how badly I want some cocktail peanuts and M&Ms!

So I got to thinking about something dumb—about jotting down those certain few treats that I CANNOT resist! I mean CANNOT!! If they’re in the house, I can’t resist eating them!

In no particular order, here is a list of things I CANNOT resist eating if they’re in the house:

1. Cocktail Peanuts with M&Ms!

2. The dessert known in our family as “Chocolate Torte” (see below)—it’s the only thing on earth I’ve ever found that even if I’ve eaten so much of it I feel sick, I’ll still eat more! One of my dreams is to sit down and eat an entire pan of it all by myself one day! Mmmm!

3. BBQ flavor Pringles (potato chips)!

4. Rice Krispie Treats!

5. Homemade Cake with my homemade frosting (even if it’s a box mix cake)!

6. Cheetos Twisted Puffs!

7. Graham Crackers with my homemade frosting chocolate frosting!

8. Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups (my FAVORITE candy)!

9. Keebler Fudge Stripes Cookies!  (LOVE them!)

Most everything else I can resist, either easily or by putting my mind to resisting it. I can even resist most kinds of cookies, my favorite kind of ice cream (Haagen Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter, Blue Bell Pecan Pralines ‘n Cream, or Blue Bell Rocky Road), brownies, any other kinds of potato chips, etc. But when it comes to the things I listed above—no can resisto!

How about you?  What do you find yourself unable to resist?  In fact, let’s do this week’s contest around that idea.  Hmmm…let me think.  Oh!  I guess first I should pick the winner of the Olive Garden Gift Card from last week, huh?  Ok…here I go…and the winner is…Lindsey Olmstead!  Lindsey…e-mail your snail mail address to me at marcialmcclure@cs.com and I’ll get your gift card in the mail to you asap!

As for this week’s contest…hmmmm…let me think!  How about this, leave a comment confessing your “irresistibles” and the winner wins a box full of MY “irresistibles” AND a DVD of one of my favorite MGM musicals, Calamity Jane, starring Doris Day and Howard Keel!  Now if THAT isn’t random, I don’t know what is!  But just imagine yourself all cuddled up on the couch, snacking on Fudge Stripes Cookies, BBQ Pringles, Peanuts and M&M’s and watching Doris and Howard!  FUN!!!!  Just leave a comment and you’re entered!

Oh, and just in case you share my dream of having a 9×13 pan of “Chocolate Torte” all to yourself, here’s the recipe for that, too!

That Decadent Dessert I Can Never Remember the Name of…

(a.k.a. Sandy’s Birthday Dessert!)

Crust Ingredients:

1 ¼ c. Flour

1 c. Softened Butter

¾ -1 c. Chopped Pecans

Mix above ingredients and spread/press into 9 x 13 inch glass pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until starting to brown. Cool completely.

First Layer Ingredients:

1 c. Powdered Sugar

1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese (softened)

½ of a 16 oz. Container of Cool Whip

With mixer, blend ingredients and spread over cooled crust.

Second Layer Ingredients:

2 Small Boxes of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding

3 c. Milk (Just 3 cups…not 4 as indicated by the pudding directions.)

Mix pudding and spread over first layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Top each serving with a generous helping of Cool Whip.

*You can also use the remaining Cool Whip form the 16 oz. container as a third layer…but mine tends to run.

Note: I can’t remember who gave me this particular version of this dessert (Albuquerque—before 1995), but it is the best variation of this recipe I’ve ever tasted! Sandy used to choose this as her Birthday desert instead of cake! It’s the one dessert that I will eat and eat and eat—even if I feel sick from eating so much already!

Poor Man's Lasagna, Contest Winner and New Contest!

Last week Debbie W. commented on one of my Facebook posts asking if I would re-post a recipe I'd posted sometime back titled Poor Man's Lasagna.  Of course I'm happy to oblige, so here I've posted it at the bottom of this blog! (That's over-usage of the word 'post'!)  It's funny, but I bet I haven't made this recipe in 6 or 8 years!  My boys really liked it when they were little, but you know how you burn out on stuff after a while?  I think that's probably what happened…I burned them out on Poor Man's Lasagna!

Now, in other news, I know you're waiting on the edge of your seat to see who wins the DVD collection of 15 Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote Cartoon Favorites and the copy of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog…so let me pull a name out of the hat for that winner before I think up a new contest!  Hold on…here we go….

And the winner of the DVD collection of 15 Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote Cartoon Favorites and the copy of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog is AubreyB!!!!  Aubrey…shoot me an e-mail at marcialmcclure@cs.com with your snail mail address and I'll get your prizes in the mail to you!

And now it's time for another silly Marcia contest!  Let's see…as Winnie the Pooh always says, "Think…think…think."  In fact, this video clip is sooooooooooooooo ME!!!!  Furthermore, though I do enjoy honey in moderation, I'm not a wicked-crazy honey fan like Pooh…I'm more of an Olive Garden fan!  Hey, yeah!  That's it!  This week's contest is for a $25 gift certificate the Olive Garden!  Yay!  Just leave a comment on why you love Winnie the Pooh, Honey, or the Olive Garden and you'll be entered to win!  I love it!  A recipe for Poor Man's Lasagna comes with a chance to win a gift card to the Olive Garden?  I love when a plan accidentally comes together!

Poor Man's Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb. of Lean Ground Beef (Crumbled and browned.)

5 Green Onions (Chopped and sautéed with meat.)

½ t. Garlic Powder

1 t. Salt

1 t. Sugar

¼ t. Pepper

2—8 oz. Cans of Tomato Sauce

1—8oz. Package of Cream Cheese (Softened.)

1 c. Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 Cup Sour Cream

12 oz Large Egg Noodles (Cooked.)

Brown ground beef adding onions to sauté.  To meat mixture add garlic powder, salt, sugar, pepper and tomato sauce.  In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese, cheese and sour cream.  Mix in meat mixture, then add cooked noodles.  Pour into a 9×13 glass baking dish and back at 350 for 25 minutes.

 

Note to Self… "In case I ever need to perform an emergency tracheotomy…"

While I was on my walk this morning, the thought came to me that I need to get a ball-point pen to keep in my purse—just in case I ever need to perform an emergency tracheotomy on someone.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend's husband Tom (retired Army, retired Police Officer, incredibly cool, and very handsome older man) mentioned (during our conversation on how I might someday need to perform a tracheotomy and thus be prepared by having a ballpoint pen in my purse) that if I had a ballpoint pen on me when such an occasion arose…I wouldn't even really need my little pocket knife to make an incision at someone's throat if I needed to do an emergency tracheotomy on them, because I'd probably be able to puncture through the person's skin at the hollow of their throat with the smaller/sharper part of the pen casing. Thus, as I was walking this morning, I did a mental "note to self" that, the next time I'm at Wal-Mart, I need to pick up a couple of ballpoint pens to keep in purse.

This got me to thinking, wondering if everyone finds themselves making mental "notes to self" on their morning walks.  Do you?

Beat the January Blahs with…Coyotes!

Yep. The moment I woke up this morning, there they were…staring me right in the face…even though I had determined to brush them off this year.  The January Blahs had arrived!  Bleck!

I really don't know what my deal is with "the month that shall not be named"…I mean, Elvis' birthday is coming up, spring is on its way, there's not a whole lot of demands on my time.  And yet, for some reason, I just "thud" in January.

Well naturally, I decided that re-instituting my morning walks was absolutely necessary.  Thus, I put on my way-too-tight work out pants (don't even ASK me what happened to the entire box of Peanut Brittle my sweet neighbors brought over just after Christmas), threw on my gianormous SAINTS sweatshirt (yes, Troy…I still have your cast off sweatshirt), and headed out into the bright, cool, and very sunny morning!

My first thoughts were, "Oh!  I LOVE frost!"  The ground and tumbleweeds were covered in it and sparkling in the morning sun like tiny little diamonds.  I instantly decided that the walk was definitely the thing I needed, and as I trod alone watching the sun catching the frost, causing the landscape to look like it had been sprinkled in white Kindergarten glitter, I thought nothing could make the walk more interesting.

As I turned off the beaten path and onto the dirt path that leads out onto the mesa, I noticed a flock of crows just off to my left some distance ahead.  Now, as you know, a flock of crows congregating on the mesa ALWAYS means something interesting is up!  Right?  So naturally (it's my word of the day) I plotted my course to intercept them.

As I approached, however, a coyote appeared about 50 feet in front of me.  I wasn't rattled because I always see her (I'm assuming it's a her because I heard pup last summer out that way).  Almost every morning when I'm walking I see a coyote and like to assume it's the same one.

BUT something was different this morning.  As I walked toward the flock of crows, the coyote began to pace me.  She didn't seem threatening at all, but I did begin to have thoughts of The Windswept Flame (you know, that rabid coyote scene) and was a little more watchful…even slowed my pace.

As the coyote continued to pace me…walking parallel to me about 30 feet off to my left.  Naturally (my word today) I decided to check the time on my phone, and indeed realized that I had been walking for half the time I had planned to walk.  Thus, it was time to turn around…which worked out great, since I had reached the flock of crows and found that their attention seemed fixed on the coyote pacing me.

Turning around then (the coyote now to my right), I saw a few crows a ways beyond her and noticed the flock of crows' attention was riveted on those crows.  Following their crowy gaze, I uttered, "Ah ha!" out loud.  Just beyond the large coyote who was keeping and eye on me, were two young coyotes munching down on the remains of a jack rabbit!  It was clear then why the adult coyote was "fronting me" as my boys would say.

Judging from the size of the younger coyotes (about half the size of the adult), I figure these pups were the ones I'd been hearing last spring and summer!  How fun, right?!  I LOVED it!  Kevin was out for a walk as well, and none-too-pleased when I pointed out the coyote family to him.  (He thinks I should change my walking route.)  Still, after we spoke for a few minutes (at which point he told me his name was Clive, called me Julianna, took his keys out of his pocket and told me they were his room keys and that he was in room 207 and I should meet him there for…well, if you've seen the newest popular sitcom, you'll get all that), he raced off on his own walk.  I watched as the adult coyote,crossed the road in front of Kevin…the two pups leaving their rabbit remains to venture closer to him, too (their attention perfectly fixed on him), all three keeping there distance a lot further from Kevin/Clive than they did from me.

As I walked back to the house, the frost was beginning to melt, the sun was warming me up as well, and I thought, "Yep!  That's exactly the way to beat back the January Blahs!  Frost and coyotes in the morning!"

Another way to beat the January Blahs might be this:  CONTESTS!!!!!  Yes!  Random, pointless blog contests!  Right?

I figure I should probably start with drawing a winner for the GWTW (Gone with the Wind) DVD!  I'm soooooo behind on everything!  Hold on and I'll draw a name out of my hat…

And the winner of the GWTW DVD is…Laura McLendon!  Laura…e-mail your snail mail address to me at marcialmcclure@cs.com so I can pop your DVD in the mail to you!

And now, for a new contest!  Hmmm….let me think…something to look forward to…hmmm.  How about this:  Leave a comment and you'll be entered to win this week's blog contest for not only a DVD collection of 15 Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote Cartoon Favorites…but you'll also receive a copy (I always keep a few on hand) of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog!  Hank the Cowdog is a children's book (chapter book) but it is HYSTERICAL!  I'm telling you, it's a keeper!  AND Hank does have adventures with coyotes in this book!  You'll love it!

So?  What do you say?  Wanna beat the January Blahs with Coyotes with me?  Then just leave a comment!  (Beep Beep!  I also love roadrunners, you know!)

Funny Title Challenge! (And a new contest, too!)

Now, for those of you who have met my friend Rhonda…you know what a funny little stinker she can be!  Right?  Well, the other day, she and I were e-mailing back and forth about which of my books she didn't have in her collection.  I asked her to simply e-mail a list to me of what she DID have, and then I could fill in the blanks so she would know which ones she was missing.  Sounds easy enough.  But nooooooooooooooooooo!  Playful little Rhon Rhon made a game out of it!  It was totally fun and I thought I'd share it with you!

Below you'll find a list of the Marcia Lynn McClure titles that Rhonda has on her shelf.  See if you can figure out which ones she has by HER titles.  (This was before the release of The Haunting of Autumn Lake and The Chimney Sweep Charm…so those aren't included!):

Smell of Her Moniker

Beneath the Bees

Red Cold

Tree Water Flowing

Gem Winter

Dreams in my Head

I Can't Hear You Kisses

A Little Bit of Spice

Cloudy Give Up

Locks on My Wrists

Dirt in My Pants

Robber in The Woods

Little Stories All Together

Sea Captain Trickery

Winds Kill My Campfire

Storms Make Me Old

I Just Kissed my Cousin, Oop

The Rapscallion Night

Love Me Tender

Living for Lots of Pricks

In the Middle of Nowhere with Little King

To To To To To To To To An An An An An Earlier Time

Long Ago Love

You Faked Me Out

Bored in School

Phoenix Rising

So?  Did you get them all pretty easily?  Ha ha!  Fun, huh?

Naturally I responded to Rhonda's e-mail with a list of my own…the ones she was missing:

Motivated to Stumble

Beso en la Oscuridad

Quick Tempest

Honeyed Stemmed Fruit Beam

Accompany Moi un Promenade

Illuminated Paramour Crescent Body

Vortex a la Siren Saline Droplet

Treasure en la Rapture Space

Hallucinations of an Extorted Reservoir

Did you get them all?

Now…hoping you had fun with this little guessing game…and whether or not you did well on it, leave a comment and be entered to win my newest blog contest!  What's the contest for? you may be asking.  Good question!  Give me a second.  Hmmm.  Something random…something random.  How about…Oh!  I know!  How about a Gone with the Wind DVD?!!!  Yes!  My daughter-in-law and I were talking just yesterday about Gone with the Wind…swapping memories about the first time we saw the movie or read the book!  And so…leave a comment and you'll be entered to with the Gone with the Wind DVD!  LOVE it!  (AND I love random contests, too!)

 

Cracker Barrel Gift Card Winner!

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to find a moment to pull a name out of my hat as the winner of the Cracker Barrel Gift Card!  It's just one thing after another over here, it seems!  I know you know what I mean!

However, it's time at last!  Hang on a second…let me pull out a name…

And the winner of the $25.00 gift certificate to Cracker Barrel is..

Vennesa!!!!  (your posted has a time signature of "November 15th, 2011 at 10:14 p.m.")

E-mail your snail mail address to me, Vennesa, at marcialmcclure@cs.com and I'll get that gift card in the mail and on its to you!

I'm hoping to blog again soon…because I woke up last night in the middle of the night thinking, "There's an Imperial Walker in my closet."  And it's true!  There really IS an Imperial Walker in my closet!

"I'm Baaaaccckkkk" Contest!

I won't even bother boring you with blah blahing about how crazy things have been around here lately…because I'm sure it's been just as crazy in your neck of the woods!  Ahhhhh!  Let's just say I'm way behind on absolutely everything I could be way behind on and leave it at that!

However, I'm finding that I miss connecting with you via my oft ridiculous blog!  Not that I ever say anything of real interest…but at least we have that contact.

Now, naturally, I don't have anything of value to blog about today (you know how I am), but I was reading over a couple of journal entries the other day and thought I'd share one with you…because it TOTALLY expresses how out of control my time has been!  I think I may have posted this a few years ago…but oddly enough, the message my dream was trying to get through to me STILL applies!

September 29th, 2009 (Dream Interpretation and Priorities)

"Okay…so…last night I had this dream that Bruce Willis came for a visit (fortunately my bathrooms had just been cleaned).  It was great to see Bruce, but, unfortunately, our family was so busy running here and there that we just had to drag Bruce along and never really got to spend any quality visiting time with him!  He went with us to the produce stand, and grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, to my son's driver's ed. class…he hung around while I cleaned the house a little and as tons of people dropped in to borrow sugar and eggs.  All too soon, he had to leave and I realized that we didn't even get any photos with him!

Thus, I woke up thinking, "Okay…life is way too busy if Bruce Willis comes over and I don't even have time to get my picture taken with him!  Slow down!"

Slowing down is about to be forced upon me by way of the fact that Kevin and I have to go to the DMV this morning to get the car registration thingy done.  Undoubtedly that will take most of the day.  So, I guess I'll be slowing down all right…but I still won't get my picture with Bruce Willis if he drops by!  Good grief!  I have GOT to get my priorities in line!"

Seriously!  Life IS way too busy if Bruce Willis drops by and you don't even have time to sit down for a chat and snap a photo with him!  And that got me to thinking, that I haven't even done one of my pointless blog contests in like weeks!

Therefore, in honor of my renewed determination to slow things down and truly enjoy the holidays this time of year, here's a new "Random Contest" for us:

I LOVE The Cracker Barrel restaurant!  I love the old-fashioned, "home cooked" menu!  I love the itty bitty bottles of maple syrup you get when you order pancakes!  I love the decor and the ambiance!  But most of all I LOVE the gift shop!  LOVE it!  And especially at this time of year!  (I bought a new Halloween shirt there in October that was to DIE for!)

Therefore, this week's contest is for a $25 Gift Card to The Cracker Barrel!  You can use it for a mean OR spend it in the gift shop!  Either way, it'll be fun!  So just leave a comment on my blog concerning…oh…let's say…anything wonderful!…and you'll be entered to win the $25 Cracker Barrel Gift Card!  Don't love randomness?!