UPDATE: The winner is…Shirley Long!
*~*~*

I start every day the same way. I get up and head straight to the coffee machine to start my first cup while I do other things. Once my teeth are brushed, I head outside to my small outside porch, cup in hand. I check the weather, look at the forest behind the house to see what’s changed, what animals I can see. It’s very peaceful. The ritual centers me. When my dd joins me, it’s even better because we chat about what’s happening that day. Dolly Parton wasn’t wrong when she called coffee a “cup of ambition.” I wouldn’t dare chart my day without it.

Puzzle Contest

So, you know what you’re gonna find in this puzzle, given my morning’s theme. Still, a mental challenge is good for the old gray matter. So, solve the puzzle, then answer my question for a chance to win a download of your choice from my backlist of books!

What is your favorite beverage?
And don’t say just coffee, or tea. Say how you like it.

For me, I love coffee. My absolute favorite version is Turkish coffee. It’s ground as fine as a powder then boiled in water on the stove. When you pour it into the cup, it’s a little thicker than everyday drip coffee, and there’s a sludge of fine grounds that settles to the bottom of the cup. But oh my! With just a little sugar, it gives you that espresso pop without the bitterness. I don’t even mind encountering the sludge. Now, your turn!

Open Contests

1. Gabbi Grey/Gabbi Black: My Heart is Breaking (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday’s Puzzle Contest! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. April into May (Contest — and more contests!) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Story Cubes: Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. 10 Things That Make Me Smile (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
6. Gabbi Grey: Stanley’s Christmas Redemption (Contest) — Win a gift card!
7. Cameron Allie: Somewhere to Belong (Giveaway & Contest–3 Winners!) — There’s a giveaway to everyone! Plus, a contest with 3 winners who get a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winner is…Rebecca Merz!
*~*~*

I’m heading into town to my favorite destination! We go early to avoid crowds. Once we’re past the desk, we head to the stalls, where there’s no one around and we can pull off our masks. (They have open doors and run fans all over the place!) Then it’s pure nirvana!

So, you probably guessed where we’re going. For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me about your weekend plans!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

I hope you have a lazy Saturday, filled with lovely sunshine, phone calls from loved ones, and good food! While you’re being lazy, have fun with the puzzle, and be sure to enter all the open contests!

Puzzle Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle and then answer this:

Giant jellyfish or…? No, really. Would you be tempted to raise your hand and say, “Take me!”?

Open Contests

1. Monday, Monday… (Open Contests!) — Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Flashback: Knight in Transition (Contest — 2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book! 2 Winners!
3. Cara North: Where is Spring? (Contest) — Win a SWAG PACK!

UPDATE: The winner is…Delaine!
*~*~*

Today’s forecast was for thundershowers. The weather guy wasn’t wrong. We already had a two-hour power outage this morning due to lightning/rain/hail. No hail in our yard, so we lucked out. I’m still waiting for April to warm up. Most years, I take my first dip in the pool in mid to late April, but we haven’t had enough warm, clear weather for us to even clean the pool properly!

We’ll get there. In the meantime, I’ve been tackling indoor projects, along with editing projects and trying to get some words written on my own story. It’s been tough. I don’t have a lot of git-up-n-go lately. Today, I’ll try to fool my body into believing better days are here by showering (always important) and then getting into a pair of shorts. Maybe I’ll do some light makeup, too. Then I’ll smile at myself in the mirror and repeat some inane aspirational saying, or… Maybe I’ll get out the sage and burn it while I imagine all the dark, lazifying (it’s a word—I just made it up) thoughts fleeing to the corners. Yeah. I like that last idea.

In the meantime, here’s something fun for you to do!

Solve the puzzle then let me know how your April is going for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Okay, so no one’s sick, but the 13-year-old is going in for another surgery tomorrow. We made a hotel reservation for her and mom in the big city so they won’t have to drive through hail and tornadoes in the early hours tomorrow. So, that’s one thing less to worry about. I’ll be taking care of (ordering around!) the other kids while she’s gone, so my afternoon and evening will be blown. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And since I’m scurrying through today’s To Do list because it just got longer, here’s a puzzle! Have fun with it! Yes, it’s topical! Tornadic, even. And if you saw the red truck in the tornado on social media, you will understand why this grabbed my attention—and why we popped for a room for my dd! And be sure to enter the contests that are still open! The list is below!

Open Contests

1. Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Flashback: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology (Contest–3 Winners!) — Win a FREE book! 3  winners!
3. Fill in the blank! (Puzzle-Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Diana Cosby: Exciting UPDATE about Diana Cosby’s – Romance Reader’s Help Build A Habitat For Humanity House!!! (Contest) — Win a SIGNED book!
5. A little bit of this, a little bit of that… (Contest) — Win a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jolene!
*~*~*

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, fill in the blank!

UPDATE: The winner is…Rachel Blackburn!
*~*~*

Puzzle-Contest

It’s raining here. So, I was up early and painted, and now I’m getting ready to shower and maybe hit the flea market to hunt for treasure!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, let me know your plans for the weekend!

Enjoy the puzzle! I saw it and yeah, it doesn’t have a thing to do with today’s “theme” but I liked the illustration!