The Do Over by Sharon Peterson

 My last review was beautiful and serious, so now it's time for a lot of fun.  A kettle full of laughs is necessary to get through the dingy, brown days of late winter.

Perci is a people-pleaser, starting with her mom, and then her boyfriend, Brent, and all others. 

Apparently, Brent is too hard to please. 

I want to tell you, as a reader, how Brent broke-up with Perci, but I can't.  I had to put the book down and wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.  For Perci, I want to smack him, but I can't deny the humor.  

She has a change in her romantic relationship, changes her job because she works with Brent, and the other life changes are all done by keeping a sense of humor in life. 

Perci, in her late twenties, is my kind of woman.  She loves her forget-the-rules grandma, loves chocolate, and is working on the idea of loving herself.

Hot-Man-Next-Door, Nate, gets involved.  And a good thing he does.  He's accidentally what Perci needs and wants and should have.  With all the sudden changes in her life and happenings in the family, Nate pulls Perci through with the best of kisses and tulips (two-lips).  Those are kind of the same, but not really:)

Laugh and love,

Dawn

 

YA JUST GOTTA WONDER.

 

Hey gang, hi ya, how are ya?  Good, I hope.  Well, I’ve been MIA because I’ve been working hard, but wanted to stick my head in with a quick, little story that will make you go, “HUH?" 

It did me.  LOL 

I went to the lab the other day for the yearly, much-dreaded, mammogram... and yes, that's the way I look at the machine too...like it's my arch nemesis. Anyway, I’ve done these for many years—probably have not had hundreds of them, but certainly dozens—and they never get any better.  I don’t think the technique has improved one iota since my very first one. 

Now, to be fair, I’m certain the technology and accuracy has improved, but not the technique as experienced from my end. Hence, my firm belief that it is all men behind the development of this method—which I am certain would be significantly improved (fast) if men had to use the same methodology on their “equipment”.  Could someone propose that at the next user meeting…please! 

Okay, I digress.  Since the process has not improved one stupid millimeter, I’m not going to go into detail here—we all get it.  But if you want to see a blog I wrote a few years ago about my mammo, here is a link to that one.  😊  Enjoy…then come back here and read about the head-scratching moment I encountered at this year’s appointment. 

Link to Old Blog Post

Now, as I was saying, I had a WTF moment at this year’s mammo appointment.  All went as it always has—compassionate woman administered the test, reminded me to remove the BB’s, and all was good. But on my way OUT of the clinic, I encountered a handwritten sign in all capital letters, using red ink, taped to the inside of the door that read as follows: 

THIS DOOR EXIT ONLY!

Now, I have to surmise that there was a big problem with this door being used as an entrance instead of an exit—hence, the handwritten sign that someone felt needed to be posted (and with emphasis). 

But I’m not sure the solution, as implemented, truly yields a lot of improvement. 

Wouldn’t you think you would stop more “entering” violators by posting this sign on the outside of the door?  I actually checked outside and there were no signs anywhere…only on the inside. 

HUH!  

I sure hope the person who posted this sign isn’t responsible for anything truly important...like testing or reading results. Perhaps there is a special position for Coordinator of Handwritten Door Warnings. 

One can only hope.

Well, that’s my story, confused and confounding, and I’m stickin’ to it. Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya,  

Be sure to sign up for Kayce’s newsletter and get a couple of free ebooks at:

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Shopping On-line

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

My apologies in advance. This post will contain some ranting and raving.

I’m not sure how you all feel about it, but I absolutely hate ordering things online! I understand the convenience factor of ‘letting your fingers’ do the walking (hahahaha, how many of you remember that advertisement for the Yellow Pages, which I don’t believe are in existence anymore), but I still dislike it. Doesn’t feel so convenient to me (the gentleman at Whole Foods, where they have an Amazon return booth, and I are becoming quite close as I’ve been there many, many times over the past couple weeks...he sees me coming and just grins).

I need to try things on before I purchase, you know? I like going to clothing stores (my favorite clothing stores are now closed, courtesy of the pandemic but there are other that are still around) and feeling the fabric between my fingers…is it soft? Or crinkly and stiff? Looks soft in the picture…looks can be deceiving, as I’m coming to learn. No, it isn’t perfect, standing in front of those dressing room mirrors (which lie…can’t convince me otherwise), but if something doesn’t fit right or look right, I don’t have to buy it to find out.

Also, the models are much taller (and thinner) than I. What looks lovely on a long-legged, wasp-waisted woman doesn’t look so lovely on me. I am short (and yes, I sometimes forget that) not coming anywhere near those five-foot ten-inch beauties (I do look for petite size dresses if they are available). Also, there is no way to stretch the imagination to say I have a wasp waist. No, ma’am. Not sure there is a corset strong enough to give me one, either!

So not having a good time buying things online only to have them delivered, not fit, and have to return them (thank goodness for free returns…I’d spend a fortune sending things back otherwise).

Hmmm, the only things I do not have a problem ordering on line are books. They always ‘fit’ perfectly. And the dogs’ Cosequin. Can’t go wrong there.

Okay, done ranting!

In other news, work on Wife By Surprise is…going fairly well. I had wanted the story to be finished by Christmas, then January, then February, but my characters had other ideas. I also wanted the story to come in at 85K words…again, my characters thought differently so we’re going with what my characters want and frankly, it’s better that way.

And that’s about all that’s going on here. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

It's your chance to win 25 historical romances and a new eReader!

 

Don't miss your chance to win 25 Historical Romances and a new eReader. Contest ends on February 21st so don't wait! Yes, you may recognize one of these. Just saying 😊

 

CLICK HERE

A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery

Rose, A Japanese woman in the middle of her mundane life and living in America, receives the announcement of her father's death.  She doesn't know her father as she was brought up by her mother and grandmother.  An invitation to her father's reading of the will is reluctantly accepted.

The catch to going to Kyoto, Japan for the finality of her father's wishes is she must be accompanied by her father's assistant, Paul.  

Paul is finishing his service to Rose's father as a guide for her in the Japanese culture.  

The scenery and habits in Kyoto are a deep breath of beauty and thinking about what is really around a person.  The descriptions of gardens, restaurants, and historical monuments bring the reader into the story.  

Paul has a sensitivity to the beauty around him, which gradually creates a closeness between him and his client's daughter.    

This calm read is perfect for Valentine's Day.  Appreciate the grandness around you of simple things.  Anything small can become an influence on the peace and love available to all.

Love what you read,

Dawn

An Update

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

An update on my girl, Pepper. I have been doing what the vet said and giving her vegetables in place of some of her food and this is what I’ve learned…she likes carrots (frozen, canned or fresh, as long as they’re kinda mushy). She does not like string beans. No, sir! She very carefully removes them from her dish and places them around the bowl, kinda like what I did as a kid when my mother served liver. She thinks I don’t see this, but she can’t fool me. She’s okay with broccoli but doesn’t like peas. Most confounding to me is that she likes canned mixed vegetables.

Lacey, Pepper’s sister, doesn’t seem to have a problem with any of the vegetables—yes, I give her some, too, so she doesn’t feel left out.

But…

It seems to be working, along with her medication, which she’s really good at taking…well, she really doesn’t have much choice—I’m not one to hide pills in cheese or peanut butter. I’ve noticed a little bit of a change in her…DH has noticed, too! She’s more active and seems to move more easily—not as stiff as she was. This makes me happy. She’s only five and a half and I know (from experience) that big dogs have a shorter life span than say, a chihuahua, but I’d like to keep her around for quite some time.

On other news fronts, DH is healing nicely from his broken rib. Coughing and sneezing still hurt, but it’s getting better. Now, if we can control the pain in his back, we’ll be good.

So…what else is going on? Well, I’m on the hunt for shoes and a dress. Our son is getting married in April—in Texas—where one doesn’t know what the weather will be like from one day to next. I have tried on several dresses and I must confess that I absolutely hate dressing room mirrors—either they are lying to me or they’re telling me the truth…both of which are possibilities and not good. I’ve ordered a few things from Amazon, which is hit or miss, but I am determined to find what I want!

Oh, I finally finished the love scene in Wife By Surprise. Whew! It was…a challenge, to say the least, but it’s done and I can move on. Yay!

And that’s about all that’s going on here. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie