Kate Collins's Blog, page 336

Where Did I Go Wrong?

By Heather

Look at this. Just look. It's a travesty, no?



Your eyes do not deceive. That is a chocolate Easter bunny.

Intact.

At the end of July.

It belongs to son #2. But not for long. When my daughter discovered he had yet to eat it, she laid claims. Smart girl.

The thing is, son #2 doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, with two exceptions: ice cream and Sour Patch Kids. And I can understand that—I have more of a salty tooth than a sweet tooth, too. But to not eat a chocolate bunny? I went wrong som...

J.B. Bares It All!

I've received enough emails lately to make me realize that folks are fascinated by what constitutes a writer's life. I decided to reveal the naked truth from my perspective using the uncompromising language of numbers.

Please keep in mind that these statistics are only a reflection of my work. Me, little ole mid-list cozy mystery author, but I hope they fill in some of the blanks.

Number of books I'll have published by the end of 2010 — 13

Number of author names I've used — 3

Avera...

Songs That Get Stuck in Your Head

I haven't slept for two nights. I stay awake singing one particular song inside my head. All day. All night. The same tune keeps playing over and over and ... over.

Did you know that the creepy, crawling thing invading my mind has a name? It's called an earworm. And it's contagious.

This isn't the first time I've been attacked, and it won't be the last. Earworms travel as simply, catchy rhythms and sneak up unexpectedly. Here are a few I've had:

YMCAWho Let The Dogs OutGilligan's IslandSweet...

Enjoying Summer

Yes, it's another Summer in Colorado post, guys. I can't help it. I'm enjoying myself too much. Maybe it's because I was on the road the entire month of June, except for short 4 day stints to do laundry and pack again. Anyway----I've been revelling in Summer ALL July. Simple things, too. Nothing special, really. I'll bet I'm doing some of the same things you guys are wherever you live.
You've heard my lists of doc appointments and meetings in previous postings, well---I grabbed every spare...

The (Impossible?) Six Piece Wardrobe Experiment

by Kate

Perhaps you saw the segment on one of the morning shows about the six item clothing experiment, where for one month you are allowed to choose what to wear from a mere six pieces. Naturally, you get to pick those six.

But it got me to thinking about which items I'd choose. In the summer, it would be a snap: my favorite pair of white cargo capris with just about anything, although I find myself wearing the same three tops over and over. One nice summer dress. One cardigan sweater. One pai...

That Time of Year

by Leann

When you live on the Gulf Coast, hurricane season changes your routine. These days, the first thing I do when I wake up is check "Hurricane Central" on my local news. This is supposed to be an active storm year since there is no El Nino. I must say, the experts are probably right. Three storms in the Gulf already. We've had plenty of rain, more than I can ever remember.

My history with tropical storms is not good. I was too naive when we first moved here to know that even a tropical de...

It's my favorite

By Lorna

Mr. Lorna doesn't understand how I can have a favorite part of almost every song I hear.  Ohh!  Did you notice that nifty chord progression?  How about that interesting bit of percussion? 

He thinks I'm a nut.

Therefore, he doesn't understand how I can have a favorite fork, either.

My family has had a cottage on Sodus Bay for over thirty years.  Like a lot of summer cottages, it has a lot of odds and ends.  Mismatched dishes, sheets that don't match the pillowcases, etc.  And lots of in...

TV Blasts from the Past

By Heather

My husband was flipping channels last weekend when he stumbled across Davey and Goliath, a show he watched regularly (reruns!) as a little boy. As we watched for a while there was no denying that the animation is prehistoric, the overall feel is straight out of the early 60s, but the moral of the stories still ring true and the simple charm of the show is still as strong as ever.

I'd seen the show once or twice as a little girl, but my favorite shows back then were vastly different.

H...

Falling Behind

I'm having one of those weeks. Okay, two of those weeks. A vacation followed by a sick kid and now all I can think about is how far behind I've fallen.
Whenever this happens, here's the order in which things start to pile up:

Restocking the larder (right now we're living mostly on essentials. Coffee, cat food, ice cream).Returning phone callsLaundry (especially the whites because I like to soak them overnight in bleach and two Cascade tablets)Answering emailsWatering the plants (I've...

Cute Sayings

I love to hang out in novelty shops (Door County, Wisconsin, where I visit often, has tons of them) and read all the little sayings on shirts, cups, wall hangings....

They are so clever. And true.
No one is ever credited, so I wonder who makes them up??

I put one of my new favorites on Hannah Reed's (that's me) facebook page and couldn't believe the number of friends who responded. Here it is:

"Cats are  like potato chips, you can't have just one."

Here's another that made me stop and think:

...