UPDATE: The winner is…Delaine McLafferty!
*~*~*

July

1. I finished writing and published Book #9 of Montana Bounty Hunters: We Are Dead Horse, MT — Jackson!
2. I completed 4 editing projects for other authors in July.

Health-related:

1. I’ve been swimming almost every day. Sometimes, twice a day.
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to get my blood pressure down to 130-155. There’s been an occasional spike, but it’s so much better.

Happiness-related: 

1. The family and I have returned to the movie theater! We accepted the “Barbenheimer” challenge and watched Oppenheimer then Barbie in theaters! So much fun! And I have the T-shirt. 🙂
2. I have been working on and making more great progress organizing my art room, getting ready for the next push for art shows and reopening my Etsy store. I have accumulated the supplies I need to begin painting in encaustic wax.
3. I DID NOT finish the fodder challenge. In fact, I only managed to get through the first day’s challenge because it was too time-consuming and I didn’t like the daily challenges. I did so little art, I only have these items to share…

I also did a little Gelli plate work…

August

1. To complete writing Hard Knox, the next in my We Are Dead Horse, MT series which releases on September 12th!
2. To complete 4 editing projects in August!

For health related, I plan:

1. To swim at least once a day!
2. To keep counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet and hopefully shed at least 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
3. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
4. See my heart doctor for a progress checkup!
5. To begin walking and counting my steps.
6. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To spend quality time with the family—movie nights, swim-time, making fun meals together!
2. To get the kids excited about the return to school!
3. To participate in and complete a free art workshop, the Inchie Challenge!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in August…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallens!
*~*~*

A day late, but here it is…

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me what you would wish for once you discover this item. And where did you find it?

I’m posting late today. Sorry—no puzzle! And no, those aren’t my legs (obvi!), but the view is very similar to the one I enjoyed today.

We were up early this morning so we could hit the Caddo river with our innertubes before a mob arrived. Tubing is very popular around here.

Several years ago, I invested in rugged river tubes because it’s something we love to do in the summertime and renting tubes is ridiculously expensive for a family of six. I also bought a floating cooler-tube that we fill with water bottles and snacks. And although we bought the best SPF sunscreen we could find, I’m still a very pretty color of dark pink at the moment.

I’m worn out. I think I’ll blow off the rest of the day and sit under an AC vent with a big jug of water to play Charm King until it’s time to go to bed. I promise, I’ll share a puzzle tomorrow!

Here are some pics with my favorite people:

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy!
*~*~*

Hi, everyone! I have to start with a big thank you to Delilah for letting me come play in her space again. I always have a great time with all of you.

It’s my birthday today, and I was thinking the other day about birthdays past. The ones when you’re a kid and they’re a bigger deal. In our house when I was growing up, my mom would make us what we wanted for our birthday dinner, plus bake and decorate our cake (also the flavor of our choice). Blowing out the candles on the cake was a huge thing, making that wish. Trying to decide what to wish for. I don’t think I remember any of those long-ago wishes, I’m sure they were frivolous things, silly things to an adult, but probably important to a little kid—a new doll, some books, a new pet, things along those lines.

Now I’m the adult and the meal and cake are my responsibility, which is fine, I do the same thing for my husband and sons (though I don’t bake their cakes, my decorating skills are awful!).

I do still think about birthday wishes…what I’d like if a birthday wish could come true. I’m a writer, after all, and wishing and what-ifs are part of the job description. These days, though, my birthday wishes are much different than when I was a little girl. I would wish for my family to stay healthy and safe. For more sanity in the world, for people to care about others more and be less hateful. This week, I’d wish for people to treat animals better—there are a lot of stray and feral cats in our neighborhood, and just last week, a pregnant cat showed up; she has a flea collar, so she belonged to someone, but she’s hungry, so she’s showing up at our house where two of the strays have made their home in our carport. I could come up with a more frivolous wish or two if pressed—I’d wish to win the lottery and then I could make sure the cats in our area were all taken care of (after I’ve made sure my family is taken care of, of course, haha), or that I’d sell tons of books—but mostly I think my wishes would be more practical.

What about you? Can you still come up with some fanciful wishes to go along with more practical wishes for your birthday?  I’d love to hear about them. If you comment with your birthday wish(es), I’ll enter you into a drawing for a choice of one of my ebooks. I’ll draw the winner on Monday, July 31, 2023 after noon, so you have a little time to think of a good wish or two.

Thanks again to Delilah for having me!

About the Author

Lifelong book addict Elizabeth Andrews fell in love with romance novels as a teen, a love that’s carried into adulthood. Now she writes her own, full of sexy heroes and strong heroines. Her stories range from paranormal to contemporary, to who knows what her imagination might come up with along the way, but happy endings are a guarantee!

You can find her at ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com

About her Books

Light the Way Home
Single dad Nate Baxter has his hands full with his son and his haunted lighthouse. He doesn’t have time to spend with a woman…especially one who won’t stick around, like his ex-wife.

But Lucie Russo’s not like other women Nate’s met. She’s sweet and sexy, and his mouth waters every time he’s around her.

Will a family emergency cause him to break his relationship rules? And if he does, will his heart be broken too?

Hunting Medusa
Medusa’s Daughters Book 1: When Kallan Tassos tracks down the current Medusa, he expects to find a monster. Instead he finds a wary, beautiful woman, shielded by a complicated web of spells that foils his plans for a quick kill and retrieval of her protective amulet.

Andrea Rosakis expects the handsome Harvester to go for the kill. Instead, his attempt to take the amulet imprinted on her skin without harming her takes her completely by surprise. And ends with the two of them in a magical bind—together. But Kallan isn’t the only Harvester on Andi’s trail…

Protecting Medusa
Medusa’s Daughters Book 2: Being the Medusa will put a real crimp in a woman’s social life. Lucky for Philomena Gregory, she gave up on men long before Athena’s curse landed on her head. Not even the naked man in the bathroom will change her mind.

Ryder Ware has waited six years to meet Mena in person. Flirting on the phone and via email is no substitute for face to face when a man is so intrigued. But now that Athena’s Harvesters have found her, Mena has no choice but to let him keep her safe—and close, very close.

UPDATE: The winner is…Miki!
*~*~*

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me a story…

Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing? Just have fun with the challenge!

Barbie Pics!

On Tuesday, the girls and I went to see Barbie. And what fun we had! But it didn’t start with the movie. It started at home as we all donned our Barbie tees and glammed up a bit. The 9-year-old did my makeup! Fabulous job, right?! Pink earrings, pearls… LOL

Here are the rest of the girls…

Anyway, like I said, it was a very fun day!

UPDATE: The winner is…Nancy Brashear!
*~*~*

“I was practically driven to Rome in order to obtain the opportunities for art culture, and to find a social atmosphere where I was not constantly reminded of my color. The land of liberty had no room for a colored sculptor.”

Thus, Edmonia Lewis was quoted in the December 29, 1878, New York Times‘ article: “Seeking Equality Abroad. Why Miss Edmonia Lewis, the Colored Sculptor Returns To Rome – Her Early Life and Struggles.” While saddened by the familiar story of trials and tribulations faced by African Americans in this era, I am nevertheless heartened that Edmonia Lewis refused to let adversity keep her down.

Born on July 4, 1844 of African-American and Native American heritage, Edmonia was orphaned by the age of nine, but had two aunts and her half-brother Samuel to care for her. Samuel struck it rich in the California Gold Rush and was able to finance her education. She attended New York Central College from 1856-1858 then Oberlin College in 1859 where she was one of 30 students of color. A white mob, believing she had poisoned two students, beat her and left her for dead. Exonerated of those charges, she was later accused of stealing paint brushes and a picture frame. Even though cleared again, the college refused to let her re-enroll for her last term in 1863, thwarting her chances to obtain her degree. In 2022, Oberlin awarded her a degree.

She relocated to Boston in 1864, where she received the patronage of abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison. Sculptor Edward Brackett became a mentor and helped her to set up her own studio. She sculpted and sold images of famous abolitionists on medallions made of clay and plaster. Her first real success came from the bust she created of Colonel Robert Shaw, the white officer of the all-black 54^th Massachusetts Infantry Civil War unit.

She traveled to Europe and settled in Rome by 1866. While there, she created one of her most famous works, The Death of Cleopatra. It was shipped back to the US and displayed at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876. In 1877 while in Rome, Ulysses S. Grant commissioned his portrait from her. Edmonia remained in Rome where she could work without always having to combat the hostility of being Black and Catholic.

Life in Europe was no paradise, however. Sexism against female sculptors, regardless of race, was rampant. Nevertheless, Edmonia established herself and created pieces that included, but were not limited to, African-American and Native American themes. Her neoclassical style of sculpting fell out of favor in the 1880s, and Edmonia fell into obscurity. She moved to London in 1901 and died there on September 17, 1907. You can learn more about her and see her work on this website: https://edmonialewis.org/

Unfortunately attacks these days on opportunities to enable modern day Edmonia Lewises to emerge make her 1878 NYT quote still relevant. For a chance at a $10 Amazon Gift card, leave a comment on Edmonia’s life or on someone who you know persevered despite discrimination.

“The Spirit to Resist” by Michal Scott from Hot & Sticky: A Passionate Ink Charity Anthology

A woman may be made a fool of if she hasn’t the spirit to resist, but what does she do if, for the first time in her life, being made into a fool is exactly what she wants?

Excerpt from “The Spirit to Resist”

Florence lifted her face into the cool of the night and gazed at the stars. The breeze’s gentleness put her in mind once more of Harold’s sweet entreaty.

It’s just that I’d hoped to show you something different, something pretty special. Just for you.

The remembered words caused her nipples to pucker.

From here she could see the Edwards pavilion. It loomed surprisingly stately, given its frivolous purpose. She remembered her silliness with Harold over that tub of strawberry ice cream. A smile twisted her lips. What different, pretty special something had Harold planned just for her?

In her mind’s eye, she recalled control in that woman’s eyes back at Mrs. Wanzer’s. From memory, she reheard the sounds of pleading in the man’s grunting and groaning. The scene reaffirmed what she always believed. For sex to be satisfying, there had to be an exchange of power. Until she found a partner who believed this, too, she’d be a vanilla until her dying day.

She gazed toward the Edwards pavilion again. A similar exchange happened between her and Harold when she teased him. He enjoyed receiving her taunts as much as she enjoyed delivering them. They shared a mutual respect whenever they spoke, whenever they caught one another’s eye, even when no teasing occurred.

He’d had something planned for her tonight. Something different. Something pretty special. Something just for her. What might that something be? Something that said Harold, like Madison Dugger, respected the power of the cunt?

Maybe it wasn’t too late to find out.

Buylink: https://books2read.com/u/3nNDnx

UPDATE: The winner is…Beckie!
*~*~*

Ugh. Finding GREAT Barbie pictures I can legally use was hard!

Today’s the day we complete the “Barbenheimer” challenge! We saw Oppenheimer on Saturday, and today, we take the girls to see Barbie! We all have Barbie T-shirts and are doing the makeup and hair. We’re not going crazy, but we wanted to have some fun with it. So, we’ll do the movie then go to Red Lobster afterward for a meal before heading home. We’re all dying of excitement!

I have a question for you below, but I’ll share my favorite memory of growing up with Barbie. My parents didn’t have much money. Dad was an enlisted man in the Air Force, so money was always tight. But I had a Barbie, and mom found a Barbie wardrobe box in a consignment shop, and she filled it with clothing she made for my doll. She had little patterns and used remnants of fabrics to make me a dazzling array of clothes for my doll. I wish I still had it. My mom made me feel like the luckiest girl ever.

Puzzle!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you had a Barbie growing up and share some special memory.