UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallans!
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Before we get into the contest… 

I just wanted to remind everyone, that we’re doing a “Getting to Know You” thing on the Collections website. We’re running contests and giveaways. You’ll meet authors who might be new to you! Be sure to follow this link to check it out. The posts will continue until the release of Secret Identities at the end of this month!

Now, onto today’s little ramble…

The 19-year-old turns twenty today! Our little college girl/pom squad member/school ambassador/future teacher. We’re so proud of her. So, her mom, I, and the 10-year-old are taking her to the city for a meal and a movie—Inside Out 2. We all love a good animated picture. 🙂

So, I’ll be away from my desk for most of the day. Today will be the one break I’ll give myself until I finish the book due out later this month! I hope everyone has a wonderful day, too. Be sure to catch up on the contests still open here and on the Collections website. Enjoy the puzzle!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you are a fan of animated movies. Do you have a favorite? Any recent favorites? The 10-year-old and I adore Moana and probably watch it once a month together just because. 🙂

UPDATE: The winner is…Katherine Anderson!
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Before we get to the puzzle, I’d like to say a word about something that’s starting on Monday and will continue through the release of Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology on July 30th! There are 14 authors who have contributed stories to the book, and I can’t wait for you to meet them all! To introduce them, we’ll be starting a “Getting to Know [insert author name]” campaign, where you’ll learn fun things about these authors and compete for prizes! So, if you don’t want to miss any of the fun, be sure to head to the website and subscribe to get the posts sent to your email inbox. Here’s where you can go to sign up: Delilah’s Collections. We’ll see you there next week!

Saturday Puzzle-Contest

Orange you glad you stopped by? Sorry for the cringey pun! I couldn’t help myself. When I think of summer, I remember my summers spent in Florida, the roadside orange stands that weren’t far from my house, and driving past the fragrant orange groves. The scent of oranges is my favorite of all things. (Maybe I shouldn’t post these things before breakfast!)

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, and then tell me what your favorite fruit-scent is + tell me whether you’re planning to join us next week on the Collections site!

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
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It’s Saturday, so it’s puzzle time!

I went to my favorite photo site to find an image and typed in “romantic.” Of course, there were lots of couples sitting on park benches or sharing champagne in a darkened restaurant. Then I saw this photo. It’s the perfect place for a rendezvous. He texts and says, “Meet me on the bridge near your work at noon…” But for what? That’s up to you.

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell a little story about who is meeting there and why. Or if you have a favorite “bridge scene” you remember from a book or movie, tell us about it here! Have fun!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beckie!
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Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to the big city for some imaging appointments. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass. However, my daughter and I try to take advantage of the fact we’re out and about to enjoy some shopping and some good food. We’re big foodies and have adventurous tastes.

Last week when we were in the city for another appointment, we hit our favorite Greek restaurant for gyros. There was a hummus appetizer and plenty of tzatziki sauce to slather on the pita bread. Delicious!

We haven’t decided what we’ll have tomorrow, but it will be good!

Since we don’t get away often, we experiment a lot in our kitchen.

Here’s a photo of one of my daughter’s latest entrees, Hungarian goulash. So good!

We dabble in Indian, Irish, German, and lots and lots of Mexican dishes. This week alone, my daughter made Indian Chicken Curry and the 19-year-old made chorizo-potato-egg breakfast tacos with homemade salsa and homemade corn tortillas. My spaghetti with meatballs is to die for, by the way. For Christmas, we toss the traditional ham or turkey and choose an international cuisine then research recipes. We’ve done Mexican, North African, then we circled back to Mexican, again. I’m hoping for Italian or Eastern European this year. Anyone have some good recipes? I know if we do Italian, I’ll have to do my meatballs and my dd will have to make her fantastic focaccia bread, but there will have to be more on the table!

So, thinking about food and tomorrow’s trip, I wondered how adventurous you all are! Do you like eating international cuisines when you’re out? Do you make special international dishes at home? (Spaghetti counts!) For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle then share in the comments!

UPDATE: The winner is…Deb Brown!
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International Panic Day is a “mock” holiday meant to give people a day to intentionally de-stress.

I’m all for that! Well, I’m all for another odd holiday and all for destressing! How ’bout you?

I thought making a list of ways I like to destress would be fun…

1. 🐈 Pet a pet
2. 📻 Listen to music
3. ☕ Drink a cup of tea
4. 😮‍💨 Breathe
5. 🧘‍♀️ Meditate
6. 🏊‍♀️ Swim!
7. 👭 Spend time with friends
8. 🚶‍♀️ Go for a walk
9. 👩‍⚕️ See a therapist
10. 🏝️ Get away from it all!

The last two aren’t things I generally do, but I was struggling to get to 10! I also managed to fit in a puzzle for you all since so many of you enjoy them!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then add to my list of 10 or tell me which items on my list you use!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beth!
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Do you sometimes wake up with a goal you can’t shake?

I watched a trailer for a movie yesterday and got so excited about it that I messaged the link to my daughter for her to watch. She never replied. So, I take that as she’s not excited about the idea. But how can she not be?! A giant shark in the Seine, IN PARIS?! It’s going to be epic!

Okay, so it’s not as over-the-top as the Sharknado movies (has there ever been anything as gonzo?!), but I can see the possibility of a fun movie night. When the Sharknado films came out every summer for all those years, we made the releases a big event. We’d binge-watch the preceding movies and hunker down with finger-foods and popcorn, our attention glued to the screen. They weren’t meant to be great art, and they weren’t, but oh what fun they were. I have the same reverence for The Meg movies. I just love shark movies and Shark Week. Summer isn’t summer without watching some new shark-disaster movie.

So, this morning, I awoke determined to watch the new movie tonight. I’m pretty sure I can talk the 15-year-old and the 10-year-old into watching with me. We’ll get a huge tub of popcorn and dim the lights. Under Paris will be watched!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you love shark movies like I do. Have you watched Jaws, the Sharknado movies…Shark Tale?

UPDATE: The winner is…Dana Zamora!
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Y’all said you wanted more puzzles, so…

I’ll be out of pocket today. I have a doctor’s appointment in Little Rock and will be away from my desk. I posted this early, so you’d have something to play with while I’m gone. Hope you enjoy it!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me what he’s hunting. I always enjoy what you come up with!