Jamie Farrell's Blog, page 25
February 10, 2014
A Week of Happy Mondays – Smiling Into Week Six
This week’s Happy Monday is brought to you by IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT WEEK!!!
Ahem. Sorry. Got a little excited. Not only to we romance writers love Valentine’s Day, but I get to escape this weekend for a writing retreat with one of my besties. Woot!
So let’s get straight to it, shall we? Here’s this week’s list of ten things that make me smile:
10. Bea’s Ho Made Cherry Jelly
9. Birthday hats
7. Babies in Tutus
6. Fuzzy socks
5. Making a perfect pie crust. (I don’t have to eat it, I just have to make it right to be happy.)
3. Giraffes
2. Wii bowling (except when I’m playing my grandma, because she always kicks my you-know-what)
1. Uncle Kracker’s “Smile” (And not just because it flashes a sign that says “Bacon” in the video.)
February 7, 2014
Husband of the Year – A Jack of All Trades
Happy first Friday of February! This year, in honor of the upcoming release of The Husband Games, we’re celebrating everyday, real life husband heroes. Today, Sacha from Gonna Need More Books is here to tell us about her husband, Jordan. Welcome, Sacha!
Jamie: Tell me about how you met your husband.
Sacha: Jordan and I met in Eighth Grade, but we didn’t really get to know each other until we went to high school the following year and were in the same music class.
Jamie: When did you know he was the one for you?
Sacha: When I knew I wanted to have babies with him. Before I started seeing Jordan, and things got serious, I didn’t want to have kids of my own. I figured that if I wanted a child, I would adopt. It wasn’t until I wanted a child that was a piece of him that I knew he was the man I wanted to be with for the rest of my life.
Jamie: What’s your favorite small thing that he does for you?
Sacha: On really cold, snowy mornings, he cleans off my car before he leaves for work. It doesn’t sound like much, but it has been really cold and snowy this winter, and when I’m dragging a three year old out the door to get to preschool on time, it’s great to be able to skip that step.
Jamie: What’s the grandest gesture he’s ever made?
Sacha: Oh, gosh… I’m not sure I can pick just one. I’ll go with a recent one because it’s something that really touched my heart. A little over a year ago, my grandfather passed away. He was more than a grandfather to me, though. My father was never around when I was little, so my grandad was always the man in my life. He was really special to me, and I have hung on to every little thing I could that was his, or that he made, or anything that reminded me of him. When I was a kid, he was away working on a cabin and during his downtime he made a beautiful pine hutch for my nana. When my grandparents didn’t have room for it anymore, my mom got it and put it in her kitchen. When we moved into our current home, my mom gave it to me and it sat in our garage for nearly three years. This year for Christmas, Jordan refinished it for me. The doors were warped, but he fixed them, he didn’t replace them. He didn’t add fancy smooth drawer slides. He didn’t sand out the old pencil marks on the inside in my grandfather’s hand. He didn’t mend any of the dings and dents it’s acquired over the years. He didn’t fix any of the imperfections. He made sure you could see the details that my grandad spent so much time on, and he used my grandad’s tools during this process. I don’t think it was hard work for him, necessarily, but it was thoughtful work. I appreciate every little bit of it.
Jamie: What is your husband’s sexiest feature?
Sacha: He has the bluest eyes. They could be as cold as ice, but they’re (almost) always so warm. He has little lines there, because he smiles with his eyes. He saves the biggest smiles for our little girl, and that’s the sexiest thing about him. He’s a great dad.
Jamie: If he were competing in the Husband Games, which events would he win?
Sacha: If Jordan was to compete in the Husband Games, he would win The Grill-Off, the Lawn Mowing event, the Oil Change event… heck, I think he’d pull off a clean sweep save for the diaper change challenge. He’s a Jack of All Trades!
I don’t know about y’all, but I just got a little weepy-eyed! What a sweet guy. Thanks, Sacha, for sharing your love story with us today!
Know an awesome husband? Email me or drop me a line on my contact page. I’d love to feature him here!
Have a great weekend!
February 5, 2014
A Day In The Life Of A Romance Writer
I needed a think-break the other day, so I decided to make an angel food cake. Hubby was home, the kids were all playing together nicely in the playroom, and I had a dozen egg whites in my freezer, so it was a natural thing to do. (Baking is my sickness. I own it. It’s okay to judge.)
Just as I was starting the egg-whipping part of the recipe, hubby decided to go on a run. And every three-point-two seconds after that, Munchkin came into the kitchen. “Mommy, can you cut me a circle?” “Mommy, can you sing the hokey pokey?” “Mommy, can you unstick these Legos for me?” “Mommy, can you look up the temperature outside for me?” “Mommy, what is the air velocity of an unladen swallow?”
You get the picture.
In the midst of chasing Munchkin off for the fifth time (“If you want to eat this angel food cake, you’ll wait until this mixer has quit running and the cake is in the oven before you ask me for something again!”), Squeaker walked into the kitchen. “Mommy, I pee.”
Yep, he had. All down his pants. That’s potty training for you.
My angel food cake batter was at the “pour a cup of sugar into the whipped egg whites, two tablespoons at a time” phase, so I pointed to the bathroom. “Squeaker, you’re a big boy. You know what to do. Go get cleaned up.”
Seven minutes (and thirty-two questions by Munchkin) later, I realized I didn’t have a clue where the baby was. So I took a quick break to go look for her and found her sitting on her brother’s pee-soaked pants on the bathroom floor, tearing all the toilet paper off the roll. So I got her cleaned up and re-positioned where I could see her, and handed her a near-empty pack of wet wipes so I could finish the cake.
Then I realized the 2-year-old had no pants on.
I turned my back for two more minutes to put the cake batter in the pan, only to discover I actually gave the baby a nearly-full pack of travel wipes, which were now all over my floor.
I rescued the wipes, repositioned the baby again, and set about doing some dishes, at which point I somehow took a chunk out of my pinkie finger with my flour sifter.
(Yes, my flour sifter.)
(No, I don’t know how it happened, but honest to goodness, my flour sifter tried to kill my pinkie.)
“Munchkin,” I called, because I was dripping blood and I didn’t want it to get on the carpet, “can you please be a big boy and get Mommy a bandaid? I got a booboo on my finger.”
“Sure,” he called back.
Two minutes later, he presented me with a bandaid the size of my foot.
I looked at my pinkie. Then at Munchkin. Then back to my pinkie. “Something smaller, maybe, honey?”
Seven point three hours later, he returned with a ten-year-old box of neon bandaids that were buried beneath his angry birds bandaids, his star wars angry birds bandaids, his Cars bandaids, and probably three other random boxes of bandages (including the foot-sized bandaids). I thanked him, double-wrapped my finger, then went to grab the baby, who had once again maneuvered past the roadblocks between her and the cat food and was happily tossing chunks of kitty kibble into the cats’ water bowl.
And then Squeaker returned, still not wearing pants, but this time bearing presents in the form of a plastic Easter egg. He held it out to me, grinned really big, and said, “I got you poop.” And just as quickly, he scampered off, his brother in hot pursuit, both of them singing, “Sexy la-dy! Sexy la-dy!”
But you know what?
My angel food cake was still awesome. And one of these days, I’m going to finish my book.
February 3, 2014
A Year of Happy Mondays, The Fifth
Happy First Monday of February, y’all! This is going to be a fabulous week. The weather will warm up, rainbows will burst forth, and hot guys will come and serenade you in style while throwing rose petals at your feet.
And while we wait for all that, I have your weekly dose of Ten Things To Smile About. Hooray!
10. That there’s a patron saint of bacon.
9. The first warm day of spring (It’s coming! It really is!)
7. Baby panda bears
6. Killer Bunnies (It’s a game. And it’s awesome. Until your bunny is taken out by a Terrible Misfortune like a stray lawn dart. But we’re smiling today. Not thinking of Terrible Misfortunes. Like flying melba toast–no. No Terrible Misfortunes! Only happy thoughts!)
5. Napping children
4. This conversation:
Munchkin: “I’m going to marry Buttercup!”
Me: “Honey, you can’t marry your sister.”
Hubby: “Well, we are in Alabama…”
(He was kidding. We love the South!)
3. Roasted carrots (I. Love. Them. And I apologize to the 76% of you who probably got this far in the list and then grimaced instead of smiling. You can think about Girl Scout cookies instead. Or Tim Tams. Or… what’s the national cookie of Canada? Somebody help me out here.)
2. Castle (The TV show. With Nathan Fillion. Whom we’ve discussed before on a happy Monday. Nathan Fillion…*sigh* )
1. Colbie Caillat’s “Brighter Than The Sun”
Need a few more? Click here for the Happy Mondays archive!
What’s making you smile this Monday?
January 31, 2014
Husband of the Year – The Physicist
In honor of this year’s launch of The Husband Games, we’re celebrating awesome husbands every Friday this year! This week, Christine Glover, debut author with Entangled Publishing this summer, is sharing her husband, The Physicist, with us!
Jamie: Hi, Christine! Tell us how you met your husband.
Christine: I met my husband at a barbecue. We were there with other people. He was with a date and I with my boyfriend. We didn’t admit we “liked” each other.
Jamie: When did you know he was The One?
Christine: We ended up going out with our mutual friend who had hosted the BBQ a few weeks later. One thing led to another. We were connected. And a month later he proposed. I remember telling a friend “I’m going to marry that man” two weeks after we had that “date” and I did!
Jamie: What’s your favorite small thing that he does for you?
Christine: The Physicist is very logical. I’m not. He has always helped me deal with my most saddest and hardest times by taking over and being my strong rock. It’s the way he does that for me in all things that makes him my perfect man.
Jamie: What’s the grandest gesture he’s ever made, or your favorite story about him?
Christine: He is bigger than life. He always wants to give his “girls” (me and our daughter) everything. He took us to Disney World to the Yacht Club for a big anniversary. He flew us to Europe first class just because he had the miles. He’s a big giver.
Jamie: What is your husband’s sexiest feature?
Christine: The Texan will always rock his Lonestar belt buckle. And his cowboy boots. And he has a sexy bottom in Levi’s.
Jamie: If he were competing in the Husband Games, which events would he win?
Christine: Ok he WILL win the Grill-Off!!!! Trust me. And in his day, Daddy Diaper Changing. He is a great dad!!! The way he loves our daughter and his ongoing respect for her has given her so much.
Sounds like a grilling throw-down is in order! (Or maybe dinner at Christine’s house.) Super huge thanks to Christine for sharing The Physicist with us today!
Know an awesome husband? Email me or drop me a line on my contact page! I’d love to feature him here!
Happy Friday!
January 29, 2014
Conversations with Squeaker
Squeaker came running up to me with an empty lemonade pitcher. Except the pitcher wasn’t empty anymore.
It was half full of Matchbox and Cars cars.
“Mommy, you take this,” he said, thrusting the pitcher at me. “Them is bad.”
“What did they do?” I asked him.
He poked the pitcher. “Them is bad.”
“Right,” I said. “They’re bad. What did they do to be bad?”
“Them steal the hidden treasure.”
Well then. There you have it. Them cars is bad.
January 28, 2014
The Top Ten Things Southerners Need To Know About Snow
We’re supposed to get a snow-slash-sleet storm here in Alabama today.
The polar apocalypse is upon us.
But seriously, snow days are no cause for panic. Here’s all a Southerner needs to know to survive this:
1. THE WORLD IS ENDING!
(Just kidding. Get out there and have some fun in this snow!!)
2. Thick, wet snow is the best for making snowmen.
3. Thick, wet snow is also the best for making snowballs. But don’t make snowballs out of ice. Those hurt. And leave scars on your foreheads that are still visible thirty years later. (And ice ball scars are not nearly as cool as Harry Potter lightning bolt scars.) (Not that I’m speaking from personal experience…)
4. If you’ve never licked an icicle, this is your chance. Seize the day, and get licking!
5. DO NOT DRIVE ON SNOW. Yes, yes, I know you’ve seen people doing it on TV. They’re from Minnesota or Canada, eh, and they’ve been doing it all their lives. Trust me. Unless you’re in labor or you have absolutely no clean water or you need a finger stitched back on, stay home.
6. Layers, y’all. Pile on two or three of your favorite football team sweatshirts and get out and play in that snow.
7. Plastic grocery bags tied around your shoes make great makeshift snow boots.
8. There is nothing better than sitting in front of a fireplace, reading a book while it snows outside.
Note to Northerners: Yep, Southerners have fireplaces too. Here’s a picture of mine: 
Note to Southerners (and anyone else looking for a good book today): Southern Fried Blues is a great choice. Jackson Davis would love to warm you up!
9. If you’re going to take pictures of the snow to send to your local news station, take a picture of something other than your patio furniture.
10. Large garbage bags make great impromptu sleds. So do blow-up pool mattresses. And, thanks to Christy on Facebook for pointing out the most obvious – Mom’s cookie sheets! But if you’re redneck enough (Christy mentioned sledding in ice chests too!), I expect you don’t need my advice on how to makeshift anything.
And one last bonus thought on the beauty of snow days:
Hot chocolate was made for days like today. Drink up, y’all.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go teach my children proper snow angel making techniques.
EDIT: Huge thanks to Angela on Facebook for pointing out I missed one of the coolest snow day activities: Snow Ice Cream! If you get enough snow (and if you don’t have to run to the store for milk), give it a try!
January 27, 2014
A Year of Happy Mondays, The Fourth
Ooh, do you hear that? That’s the sound of the last Monday in January. So how are we all doing? Ready to bring in February with its hearts and flowers and romance and happiness?
Okay, okay, I’ll wait for you to get coffee before I mention the love and schmoopsy-poo stuff again.
What say we just skip right ahead to the happiness?
This Monday’s Top Ten Things That Make Me Smile
Pretty Patterns!
10. Egg Art
Okay, yes, I’m a dork.
9. The Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls
8. My kitty cat snuggling me under the covers on a cold morning
6. Apples to Apples, the board game (I haven’t tried Cards Against Humanity yet, but it’s on my list of things to do.)
5. Pride and Prejudice (Both the book and the Colin Firth version. Sigh.)
Brownie Coats – Awesome Firefly-inspired print by Patrick Ballesteros
4. Patrick Ballesteros’s Brownie Coats print
3. The time 11:11. (It’s like the time stands up and shouts “I’m number one!” four times in a row.)
2. Kaylie Newell’s Facebook posts (Seriously, go follow Kaylie. She’s hysterical!)
1. Lee Brice’s “Woman Like You”
There you go. Happy Monday! What are you smiling about today?
p.s. Need more? Check out the last few weeks here!
p.p.s. I’m always up for happy guests! Or people who want to pretend to be happy guests. Or for grumpy guests trying to turn over a new leaf. Or… you get the idea. Want to talk about what makes you happy on a Monday morning? Email me or drop me a line on my contact page!
January 24, 2014
Husband of the Year – A Confident Dad
This year, in honor of the launch of The Husband Games, we’re featuring awesome husbands every Friday! This week, we have my sweet Twitter friend Angie telling us about her husband, Edward. You might remember Angie – she gave me the best recipe for banana pudding a few months back! And I’m super excited that she’s sharing Edward with us today!
Jamie: Tell me about how you met your husband.
Angie: My husband and I met on my twentieth birthday. I was in college, supposed to be going home for my birthday, and we had an ice storm so I couldn’t travel. I went with a group of friends dancing that night. My roommate ran into some people from one of her classes and introduced me. I really wasn’t paying much attention, but she introduced me to Edward. He asked me to dance later and that was the last time I saw him that night. Honestly he looked about 10 years older than all of us and I thought “what a loser to hang with all of us young adults”. In actuality he is one year YOUNGER than me. A few weeks later Edward showed up at our apartment for a study group and made sure that I talked to him. The next day he left a rose for me outside our door and showed up after class to ask me out. We’ve been together ever since.
Jamie: When did you know he was the one for you?
Angie: I really don’t think there was ever that one defining moment. From the moment we started dating, we became best friends. We spent most of our time together and we just knew that we had found the one we wanted. He is the only guy I have ever said I love you to, so once I told him, I knew he would have my heart forever.
Jamie: What’s your favorite small thing that he does for you?
Angie: He’s great at occupying the girls in the afternoons, and giving me a little time to wind down from work. I teach school and my girls go with me….so I’m with my kids or students 99% of my day. It’s nice to come home, grab a book and just have a little quiet time.
Jamie: What’s your favorite story about him?
Angie: I’ve got a funny story. When we were in college we would meet after our last class of the day and walk to my car.
Edward rode his bike to campus everyday and just parked his truck at my apartment. One afternoon we were leaving class and walking across campus. Or rather I’m walking and he’s trying to ride his bike slowly so we can talk. I finally tell him to ride ahead, get my car and just meet me in front of a building about ½ way across campus.
As he’s leaving he decides he’s going to grab my rear as he goes by. When he does, his handle bars catch my backpack and propel me forward and onto the ground. I had no idea what had happened. My knees and elbows are bleeding and I’m all skinned up. More embarrassed than mad, I just told him to go get the car. He felt terrible. By the time he picked me up I was laughing hard as I imagined what people thought when he knocked me down and then road off on his bike. I think he was relieved that I was laughing and not mad. I like to tell people about the time I was hit by a bicyclist in college. I know that’s not very romantic, but it is kinda like our relationship. We have things happen but we always tend to find the humor.
Jamie: What is your husband’s sexiest feature?
Angie: Can confidence be a feature? My husband’s a fireman, so I think just seeing him at work in his element is one of my favorite things.
Jamie: If he were competing in the Husband Games, which event would he win?
Angie:The Cooking competition. He loves to cook and cooks many of the meals at his fire station. I prefer his cooking over mine any day!
Huge thanks to Angie for sharing Edward with us today! I have to say, I adore the bike story. A sense of humor is so important in relationships! And such a beautiful family! Thanks, Angie!
If you know a great husband, I’d love for you to nominate him! Email me or drop me a line on my contact page! Happy Friday!
January 22, 2014
When You Can’t Go Home Again
This weekend, we did some time traveling.
Er, okay, not really. But we did go to Georgia, to the base where hubby was stationed for four and a half years back when we were wee little baby adults. (Also known as The Time Before Kids.)
In a lot of ways, going back to Georgia felt like going home. When you spend that many years at one base, you get settled. You learn the back roads. You learn the best local restaurants. You develop a history there. And when you go back after seven years away, it feels surreal, like you’re visiting a past life.
And when you pull into your old neighborhood, even knowing that it’s been torn down since you left, you understand the term ghost town. Because you can still hear the neighbor kids playing. Still envision the candle and kitchen gadget and scrapbooking parties happening. Still smell the smoke from the neighborhood grills.
I pulled over to take a picture of where our house used to be, and Munchkin piped up from the back seat. “Mom? Where are we?”
I pointed to the overgrown grass and trees. “Daddy and I used to live in a house right there.”
He gave me the squinty-eyed what’s-she-talking-about? look. “You used to live in a forest?”
Pretty sure he’s got some interesting ideas now of how we lived before he came along. And I suspect watching The Croods Sunday night didn’t help those impressions.
All in all, an interesting trip. I’m glad we went while we had the chance, but I don’t think I’ll go back again.
How about you? Have you ever gone back to a place you used to live?
