P.J. Fiala's Blog, page 2
May 4, 2014
Getting Ready for Mother's Day
You Learn Something New Every Day
By: PJ Fiala
Most people have heard the saying, “You learn something new every day.” I’ve used that saying more times than I care to think about. Usually, it follows something that I wished I would have known before I did the thing that made me learn.
Case in point. I’ve learned that when a wayward, brand new black sock is laundered with your whites, you end up with a new gray wardrobe. Or, when you’re cooking supper at the same time you’re checking your facebook newsfeed for the first time in two days, chicken doesn’t stop cooking itself when it’s done.
My biggest lesson was 22 years ago. Issue; what happens when you leave two new chocolate bars in a van with a two year old, even while standing outside the van speaking to a friend while waiting for my five year old to come out of school? I got a chocolate covered two year old in a locked van.
Yes, he had been spying the two chocolate bars I purchased for him and his brother. Said chocolate bars were for after dinner treats if the boys ate their supper. (Yes, I often resorted to bribery. Show me a parent who hasn’t!) As soon as I was engaged with my friend, said two year old locked the van doors with the push of a button and proceeded to eat, yes, BOTH of the chocolate bars. I was begging him through the window to unlock the doors. He continued to eat while looking at me and shaking his head no!
Right about that time, my five year old was released from school. He walked up to the van and started screaming that his brother was eating his candy bar. Did I get attention you ask? Why yes, I did get attention, a lot of attention. It didn’t take long before a crowd of parents were peering through the windows laughing at my chocolate covered two year old, wiping his dirty little hands and mouth all over my light gray cloth interior and refusing to unlock the doors. Luckily, my husband was only a block away. (Such is life in a small town.) A friend walked to the store (we’ll call this bcp, before cell phones) to get the second set of keys from my husband while I continued to attract attention trying to calm my five year old down and calculating how long it was going to take to clean the interior of my van. (A whole day! Did you know chocolate can seep into the inside of your seat belt buckle?)
My husband arrived with the keys, laughing hysterically and took my five year old home in his clean car, while I belted my candy coated toddler into his car seat and drove home in the choco-mobile.
What did I learn that day? Several things. Buy candy bars during regular weekly shopping trips and hide them. Never and I mean NEVER, leave a two year old in the van with the keys inside (even if I’m right there!) And, it takes a whole day, several buckets of hot water and a mild detergent, to clean chocolate off of car seats, floors, seat belts, windows, well everything.
Now you tell me, what have you learned in your life as a mom?
By: PJ Fiala
Most people have heard the saying, “You learn something new every day.” I’ve used that saying more times than I care to think about. Usually, it follows something that I wished I would have known before I did the thing that made me learn.
Case in point. I’ve learned that when a wayward, brand new black sock is laundered with your whites, you end up with a new gray wardrobe. Or, when you’re cooking supper at the same time you’re checking your facebook newsfeed for the first time in two days, chicken doesn’t stop cooking itself when it’s done.
My biggest lesson was 22 years ago. Issue; what happens when you leave two new chocolate bars in a van with a two year old, even while standing outside the van speaking to a friend while waiting for my five year old to come out of school? I got a chocolate covered two year old in a locked van.
Yes, he had been spying the two chocolate bars I purchased for him and his brother. Said chocolate bars were for after dinner treats if the boys ate their supper. (Yes, I often resorted to bribery. Show me a parent who hasn’t!) As soon as I was engaged with my friend, said two year old locked the van doors with the push of a button and proceeded to eat, yes, BOTH of the chocolate bars. I was begging him through the window to unlock the doors. He continued to eat while looking at me and shaking his head no!
Right about that time, my five year old was released from school. He walked up to the van and started screaming that his brother was eating his candy bar. Did I get attention you ask? Why yes, I did get attention, a lot of attention. It didn’t take long before a crowd of parents were peering through the windows laughing at my chocolate covered two year old, wiping his dirty little hands and mouth all over my light gray cloth interior and refusing to unlock the doors. Luckily, my husband was only a block away. (Such is life in a small town.) A friend walked to the store (we’ll call this bcp, before cell phones) to get the second set of keys from my husband while I continued to attract attention trying to calm my five year old down and calculating how long it was going to take to clean the interior of my van. (A whole day! Did you know chocolate can seep into the inside of your seat belt buckle?)
My husband arrived with the keys, laughing hysterically and took my five year old home in his clean car, while I belted my candy coated toddler into his car seat and drove home in the choco-mobile.
What did I learn that day? Several things. Buy candy bars during regular weekly shopping trips and hide them. Never and I mean NEVER, leave a two year old in the van with the keys inside (even if I’m right there!) And, it takes a whole day, several buckets of hot water and a mild detergent, to clean chocolate off of car seats, floors, seat belts, windows, well everything.
Now you tell me, what have you learned in your life as a mom?
April 14, 2014
September Again by Hunter S. Jones
SEPTEMBER AGAIN
By
Hunter S. Jones
&
An Anonymous English Poet
According to Cherokee beliefs, opportunity will bless you twice.
September Again, second in the series, September Stories, is the follow up to the hugely popular indie sensation, September Ends.
September Again finds Liz Snow Savage leaving England. She follows her daughter Zelda Savage back to America after Zelda’s betrayal of her. More drama ensues as Liz looks for meaning in life while Zelda finds her direction after the tragedy of losing Jack O. Savage, The Poet.
Set mainly in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September Again chronicles the rhythm of life's cycles. The ebb and flow of love unravel the mystery of Liz's past.
September Again allows a further glimpse into the intricate web of passion and desire which have entangled Liz Snow, Pete Hendrix and Jack O. Savage for years. Will a chance encounter finally reveal the truth? What act will change the destiny of Liz and Zelda forever?
The story of sin, salvation and redemption continues in Book 2 of the September Stories, told through a mosaic of prose with a smattering poetry.
Magic happens when you least expect it.
Buy links:
Amazon US http://amzn.to/1jFNfUF
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1iPjJJ9
BIO – HUNTER S. JONES 2014
Writer.
Exile on Peachtree Street.
Lover of all the finer things in life.
The art form I create when writing is much more interesting than anything you will ever know or learn about me.
However, since you ask, I have lived in Tennessee and Georgia my entire life, except for one “lost summer” spent in Los Angeles. I was always a complex kid. My first published stories were for a local underground rock publication in Nashville. Since then, I have published articles on music, fashion, art, travel and history.
October 2013 saw the launch of a novel collaboration, SEPTEMBER ENDS, contemporary fiction laced with romance, erotic and supernatural elements, bound by poetry. This novel is written with an anonymous English poet.
SEPTEMBER ENDS has been labeled an “Indie Sensation” due the critical reception and international recognition the novel has received. The book has been downloaded in every Amazon domain on the planet. It has achieved #1 status on Amazon for World Literature, #1 in British Poetry and #1 in Contemporary Poetry.
The first installment of The Fortune Series, FORTUNE CALLING, released in January 2014, is the story of Dallas Fortune, a musician from Nashville who has been dealt a bad hand by fate, but finds a way. It has been #1 on Amazon in Contemporary Fiction featuring Performing Arts and #1 in Contemporary Short Stories.
Look for upcoming details about the release of the next September story, SEPTEMBER AGAIN, set for release on Amazon on April 15, 2014.
You can connect with me at the following social media sites:
www.Twitter.com/huntersjones101
https://www.facebook.com/HunterSJones111
www.Pinterest.com/HunterSJones
about.me/huntersjones101
www.HunterSJones.com
www.ExpatsPost.com
www.thehuntersjones.blogspot.com – Exile on Peachtree Street
http://kissfrommymuse.com/
By
Hunter S. Jones
&
An Anonymous English Poet
According to Cherokee beliefs, opportunity will bless you twice.
September Again, second in the series, September Stories, is the follow up to the hugely popular indie sensation, September Ends.
September Again finds Liz Snow Savage leaving England. She follows her daughter Zelda Savage back to America after Zelda’s betrayal of her. More drama ensues as Liz looks for meaning in life while Zelda finds her direction after the tragedy of losing Jack O. Savage, The Poet.
Set mainly in Chattanooga, Tennessee, September Again chronicles the rhythm of life's cycles. The ebb and flow of love unravel the mystery of Liz's past.
September Again allows a further glimpse into the intricate web of passion and desire which have entangled Liz Snow, Pete Hendrix and Jack O. Savage for years. Will a chance encounter finally reveal the truth? What act will change the destiny of Liz and Zelda forever?
The story of sin, salvation and redemption continues in Book 2 of the September Stories, told through a mosaic of prose with a smattering poetry.
Magic happens when you least expect it.
Buy links:
Amazon US http://amzn.to/1jFNfUF
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1iPjJJ9
BIO – HUNTER S. JONES 2014
Writer.
Exile on Peachtree Street.
Lover of all the finer things in life.
The art form I create when writing is much more interesting than anything you will ever know or learn about me.
However, since you ask, I have lived in Tennessee and Georgia my entire life, except for one “lost summer” spent in Los Angeles. I was always a complex kid. My first published stories were for a local underground rock publication in Nashville. Since then, I have published articles on music, fashion, art, travel and history.
October 2013 saw the launch of a novel collaboration, SEPTEMBER ENDS, contemporary fiction laced with romance, erotic and supernatural elements, bound by poetry. This novel is written with an anonymous English poet.
SEPTEMBER ENDS has been labeled an “Indie Sensation” due the critical reception and international recognition the novel has received. The book has been downloaded in every Amazon domain on the planet. It has achieved #1 status on Amazon for World Literature, #1 in British Poetry and #1 in Contemporary Poetry.
The first installment of The Fortune Series, FORTUNE CALLING, released in January 2014, is the story of Dallas Fortune, a musician from Nashville who has been dealt a bad hand by fate, but finds a way. It has been #1 on Amazon in Contemporary Fiction featuring Performing Arts and #1 in Contemporary Short Stories.
Look for upcoming details about the release of the next September story, SEPTEMBER AGAIN, set for release on Amazon on April 15, 2014.
You can connect with me at the following social media sites:
www.Twitter.com/huntersjones101
https://www.facebook.com/HunterSJones111
www.Pinterest.com/HunterSJones
about.me/huntersjones101
www.HunterSJones.com
www.ExpatsPost.com
www.thehuntersjones.blogspot.com – Exile on Peachtree Street
http://kissfrommymuse.com/
April 7, 2014
Because of Kian by Sibylla Matilde
Because of Kian by Sibylla MatildeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I received this book as a gift for an honest review.
Sibylla Matilde has done it again!
Kian is, what's the word? HOT! He owns a gym where he teaches self-defense classes. He's built, sexy and he falls hard for Brynn.
Brynn has had a rough time of it. Her last boyfriend beat the crap out of her, repeatedly, and she's scarred, scared, and lonely.
Kian watches Brynn for a while at a local bar they both frequent. He recognizes the pain in her eyes and the way she keeps to herself. He follows her to her car each night, even though she isn't aware, because he wants to make sure she's safe.
When they finally meet, formally, the sparks are instant and intense.
These characters are easy to fall in love with. You will not be sorry you spent time reading this book.
View all my reviews
April 4, 2014
Within Temptation by Tanya Holmes
I received this book as a gift from the author for an honest review.
Tanya Holmes is a gifted writer. She has a way with words that made me sigh at times.
Trace Dawson has had a hard life. Poor and abused as a child, thrown in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. An awful family, life just doesn’t get much harder. Yet, with Shannon, he was soft, loving, giving and supportive.
Shannon’s life wasn’t much better, even though she never wanted for anything. That is anything monetary. She wanted the love of a mother who was incapable of loving anyone. She wanted the love of the boy who she thought was lost.
This is the story of each of them meeting again, facing the demons of their past and wanting to forge a future together despite the odds.
Tanya Holmes is a gifted writer. She has a way with words that made me sigh at times.
Trace Dawson has had a hard life. Poor and abused as a child, thrown in jail for a murder he didn’t commit. An awful family, life just doesn’t get much harder. Yet, with Shannon, he was soft, loving, giving and supportive.
Shannon’s life wasn’t much better, even though she never wanted for anything. That is anything monetary. She wanted the love of a mother who was incapable of loving anyone. She wanted the love of the boy who she thought was lost.
This is the story of each of them meeting again, facing the demons of their past and wanting to forge a future together despite the odds.
April 1, 2014
March 25, 2014
Knockout by J.C. Valentine
I received this book as a gift for an honest review.
This is a great story. No, wait, a fantastic story. Jamison Weston (Jami) and Allison Blake (Ally) were childhood friends. Both came from abusive, dysfunctional families and formed a bond while helping each other through their traumatic childhoods. Jami was arrested and then left town and Ally thought she would never see him again.
Years later a chance meeting has them remembering their past together and pondering what it all means. They both are aware that no one would ever be able to understand what their childhoods had been like except the other. The bond that had been formed was still there, despite years of absence.
Much like in life, events have been put into place, life has gone on, and people are affected by their relationship. Jami doesn’t have time for a relationship with his career in full swing. Ally, has always wanted Jami in her life and has to struggle with doubts and the people wanting to pull Jami away from her.
This is a fantastic story of two people who grew up in the most unfavorable conditions, but have struggled to make it out and not make the mistakes of their parents their own. The attraction is strong, steamy and sweet. At times I thought the story dragged and their union could have come sooner. But, overall, I really liked the story.
I hate waiting for the next book. I’m kind of “over” cliff hangers and books that require me to wait to find out what happens. Life is too short. But, I do recommend this book and think you will love reading about Jami and Ally.
This is a great story. No, wait, a fantastic story. Jamison Weston (Jami) and Allison Blake (Ally) were childhood friends. Both came from abusive, dysfunctional families and formed a bond while helping each other through their traumatic childhoods. Jami was arrested and then left town and Ally thought she would never see him again.
Years later a chance meeting has them remembering their past together and pondering what it all means. They both are aware that no one would ever be able to understand what their childhoods had been like except the other. The bond that had been formed was still there, despite years of absence.
Much like in life, events have been put into place, life has gone on, and people are affected by their relationship. Jami doesn’t have time for a relationship with his career in full swing. Ally, has always wanted Jami in her life and has to struggle with doubts and the people wanting to pull Jami away from her.
This is a fantastic story of two people who grew up in the most unfavorable conditions, but have struggled to make it out and not make the mistakes of their parents their own. The attraction is strong, steamy and sweet. At times I thought the story dragged and their union could have come sooner. But, overall, I really liked the story.
I hate waiting for the next book. I’m kind of “over” cliff hangers and books that require me to wait to find out what happens. Life is too short. But, I do recommend this book and think you will love reading about Jami and Ally.
March 11, 2014
Be Were
I received this story for an honest review.
If you like shifters, this is a good story. There are more than just were wolves in this story. You will read about bears, cats, wolves and mixes, which are call Hybrids.
There is love, angst and family in this story.
If you like shifters, this is a good story. There are more than just were wolves in this story. You will read about bears, cats, wolves and mixes, which are call Hybrids.
There is love, angst and family in this story.
Be Were
I received this story for an honest review.
If you like shifters, this is a good story. There are more than just were wolves in this story. You will read about bears, cats, wolves and mixes, which are call Hybrids.
There is love, angst and family in this story.
If you like shifters, this is a good story. There are more than just were wolves in this story. You will read about bears, cats, wolves and mixes, which are call Hybrids.
There is love, angst and family in this story.
March 3, 2014
It here!!!
It has been hard to concentrate all day! I got an email from UPS that my package would arrive today. Usually, our UPS driver arrives in our neighborhood before 11:00 in the morning. Well, this morning, 11:00 came and then went. Ugh!
I watched the clock and checked email every 15 - 20 minutes today, looking for that notification that my book arrived! Finally, at 4:00, my awesome husband emailed me and told me my package had arrived. Yippee! Now, I only had an hour to go at work and then I burned home to see my package sitting on the counter waiting for me to open it.
Yes, yes, yes, it's beautiful. So darn beautiful. I am officially a published author!
I watched the clock and checked email every 15 - 20 minutes today, looking for that notification that my book arrived! Finally, at 4:00, my awesome husband emailed me and told me my package had arrived. Yippee! Now, I only had an hour to go at work and then I burned home to see my package sitting on the counter waiting for me to open it.
Yes, yes, yes, it's beautiful. So darn beautiful. I am officially a published author!
March 2, 2014
Indulging in Irelyn
I received this book for an honest review.
Wow. Not sure what more I can say. This is a great book. The writing is very creative and the story line original. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot.
My only complaint is that I have to wait until spring for the next in the series to see what happens to Irelyn and Zolt.
Thank you Dawna for a great story.
Indulging in Irelyn
Wow. Not sure what more I can say. This is a great book. The writing is very creative and the story line original. I really enjoyed the characters and the plot.
My only complaint is that I have to wait until spring for the next in the series to see what happens to Irelyn and Zolt.
Thank you Dawna for a great story.
Indulging in Irelyn
