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Death of a Stranger
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Death of a Stranger
by Anne Perry
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Archive for July 2010

Cheap er Economical Decorating

I love making a space my own, whether it’s house sitting or staying in a hotel or visiting my mothers. Adding little decorating touches can really make a room feel like home. Here are some affordable and easy decorating items that I love.

I love plants – and succulents are easy to take care of – look fantastic and come in endless shapes, sizes and colors. Good options for low maintenance decorating. A small succulent is usually around $3, then a little planter pot is about $3-6. The cutest planters usually don’t have drain wholes in the bottom – so here’s a tip – add rocks or a little gadget called “garden genius” which is a pot filler. That way the water doesn’t settle at the bottom.

The brown pot? Yeah I got really excited – ooo look at this vintage planter I found in the tool shed. Or a citronella candle made to look vintage – sigh.

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Categories : Home & Garden
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A Reliable Wife, She’s a Keeper

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

I ran across this book when it first came out and it sounded odd and dark and a bit morbid…meaning, right up my alley. Sure enough I loved it, couldn’t put it down, sat through stop lights reading this book. It’s certainly not for everyone. It’s not one of those books I’d insist everyone read in fact, but I thought it was fantastic.

It’s definitely dark and more than a little twisted…and if you are a bit prudish then don’t even consider it.

Here’s the synopsis… He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for “a reliable wife.” She responded, saying that she was “a simple, honest woman.” She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved. What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love. Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

I wouldn’t read the reviews first if I was you. They are all over the place and very mixed. No help at all. Like I said it’s not for everyone. Which is probably why I loved it. Things that are “one size fit all” bore me to nauseum. I have no idea how to spell that word and the spell checker doesn’t either.

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Categories : Reading List
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Tiny Houses

I love this idea – it reminds me of Texas architect Brad Kittel’s Tiny Texas Houses. In fact I’d venture to say Brad’s been doing this far longer than this guy – but oh well Yahoo didn’t come to Texas.

But notice these are MEN designing these houses – I seriously doubt many women would buy into this. Don’t believe me? Go to an airport, see how men pack versus women. One backback vs two suitcases and two carry on’s and that’s only because “they” won’t let us bring three carry on’s on board.
Anyway, usually when I’m at home I resign myself to one space. Kind of like a dog in its kennel. Yes I just compared myself to a dog, stop before you get to the B word why don’t ya. After dinner and a bath I tend to just hang out in my room. I don’t know why, it’s my happy spot. It’s comfy and everything I need is right there. So the idea of living in a tiny house actually really appeals to me.

I’m fairly certain I could do it. It’s large spaces that cause us to accumalate more crap right? I need a chair to fill that space, and a painting to fill that whole…I need some candles for that bare shelf and on and on and on. Next thing you know you are loaded down with a bunch of “stuff” you don’t need.
It baffles me how many friends and clients will shop houses based on how much stuff they have. Not location or quality of home first, but space – they need loads of space.

The more I think on this the more I like it, the wheels are spinning.

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Categories : Fun Videos, Home & Garden
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A Failed Attempt at Flirting

I have found in my lifetime that quite a few guys just don’t get my sense of humor. I don’t know why, maybe they aren’t used to women having a sense of humor – but usually it boils down to their lack of humor…or maybe I’m only funny to the other voices in my head. This in and of itself may be what leads me to being the single old lady with 6 cats who mutters to herself and traps squirrels…which I may be ok with.

So low and behold, it did not surprise me one bit when what could have been a flirtatious conversation went south and went south fast!

Enter…Mr. California, white teeth and all.

Him: What do you do for a living?

Me: Real Estate and Web design

Him: Cool, I am in sales and marketing…for a dental and whitening company
(notice, I didn’t even have a chance to ask him what he does)

Me: Oh, teeth whitening, like Milkbones?

Him: (head cock, lost look on face) Did I say anything about pets?

Me: No

Him: Oh…uh, well yeah we do teeth whitening and cosmetic dental work

Me: Do many pet owners use your services?

Him: (getting a little twitchy at this point) It’s not for pets it’s for people….small huff at the end

Me: So where do the milkbones come in play?

Him: They don’t…never mind, well it was nice to meet you.

And fade to black….

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Categories : Drivel & Drabble
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Does working at an office equal less productivity?

Today I stumbled on a blog post where the author aired her husband’s dirty laundry. Literally! Apparently he works from home and that keeps him from changing his underware….for days and days!! Blech. Oddly I cant make it through a full day most times without at least two different pair. What? More than you wanted to know?

Anyway, so the post ended up as a piece to prod stay at home workers into revealing what other gross things they do as a result of not having to work at a formal office. I have to admit I went from always having an office to sometimes having an office to not having an office at all. The later ended with my working in 5 day old unwashed PJ’s – hair up to heaven and needless to say I’ve seen CSI Vegas three times through. And I slept…. oh how I slept.

Then I got an office – PRAIIIIIIISE. I was beyond excited. This time was different. All the other times it was an office for someone I worked for. This time it was just me, all mine. So now I can work from home or go into the office. I may have already said this, but just in case….PRAIIIIIISE! So I’ve learned to get to the office by mid morning, why not earlier. Well I get some focus work out of the way. The kind of work that if I was at the office it would be 4pm and would still not be done.

This was a general concesus on the comments for the blog post I was reading. Going into the office meant less work would get done. And as crazy as it sounds, its mostly true. The office is where everyone wants to socialize these days, show their favorite you tube videos and such. I myself have had to threaten the office within an inch of their lives if they do not leave me alone and let me work. I’ve contemplated digging a moat and putting a guard dog named whiskers at the door.

So why is this? Why is so much time wasted at the office, forcing many to feel that they will only get work done if they are at home. Are we so efficient now we can get more work done in less hours, leaving us with all this extra time? Or are our work ethics so laxed now that the office has become play land?

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Categories : Drivel & Drabble
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Rubicon

Oh AMC how I love you so. Since childhood you’ve been one of my favorite things in life. So August first is the premiere of a new series Rubicon. BUT in all their brilliance they have put the intro episode on line. Espionage, murder and conspiracy. You couldn’t get a better recipe if you crawled into bed with Martha Stewart and asked to cuddle.

Rubicon, Intro Episode

Wanna watch?

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Categories : Fun Videos, Movies & Such
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