myJaxon

I was running a search for a way to bake chicken for dinner tonight and I noticed something at the Betty Crocker site…..they have a bunch of recipes for 2 PEOPLE! Do you realize how hard it is to find recipes for 2 people? All the recipes tend to have “4 servings” and seriously, Jesse and I do not need that much food at one time. So anyway, I ran a search at the site for just “cooking for two” and it came up with 18 different recipes. Now I just need to go through them.

So I just finished reading Ashes to Ashes by Jennifer Armintrout. It was kind of anti-climatic in my opinion. You get geared up for this big fight scene and then it’s over rather quickly. So quickly it seems that I skimmed through it [the fight scene] without realizing it. I’ve noticed that a lot with this series. It has a great plot line, but it doesn’t have the greatest execution. There really hasn’t been anything that makes these novels stand out. At least, nothing I haven’t read already in multiple books already. I usually write a bit more when I review a book, but I really can’t think of anything else to say for this one.

There’s an excerpt for Lick of Frost! I’ve already read it and now I can’t wait to get my hands on the book. Another two and a half months and then I can start battling my way to it at the library.

A couple of books have come out - Ashes to Ashes by Jennifer Armintrout and Embrace the Darkness by Keri Arthur. I’ve read the Arthur novel and I truly enjoyed it. With the first four books having the same overall villain, the fifth novel had new foes, a new romance, and bigger problems. I liked it and I can’t wait until the sixth book comes out (whenever that will be). I’m currently reading Ashes to Ashes, so you’ll have to wait until I’m done to hear about it. As of right now, it’s going good, but I do not have any burning desire to pick it up and constantly read it like I do with Laurell K Hamilton’s books or even the new Arthur book (although this could be due to the reading drought I’ve been in lately….I read too much for awhile there and kind of burned myself out). So we’ll see how long it takes me. I am also trying a new author…Eileen Wilks. The book is called Tempting Danger. It’s next on my pile, so I’ll be getting to it sooner or later.

Oh my god! Christmas came early….Diana Gabaldon has an excerpt for the seventh Outlander novel!! I’ve only been waiting for book seven for two years now. If you haven’t read this series, then you really need to. This is my all time favorite series and there are not that many books I’ll buy in hardcover format, in fact, this is the only series I have bought in hardcover format. I love this series so much that I actually had to replace a book because it was so worn from reading. I should pick them up again. I will once I hear when the next book is due out.

If you’re a fan of the Stephanie Plum series, then you might be interested in knowing that Janet Evanovich is running her “name the book” contest right now. You can submit as many names for book #14 as you like through August 31st. Here’s an excerpt for the latest Sherrilyn Kenyon novel, Devil May Cry. It came out Aug 7th, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on it yet. I want to say I’m next in line at the library. At least I hope I am.

Upcoming Releases:

• Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade - by Diana Gabaldon - Aug 28th
• Hotter than Hell - Anthology including Kim Harrison - Sept 2007
• Lover Unbound - by JR Ward - Sept 25th (Dagger Brother #5)
• Many Bloody Returns - Anthology including Charlaine Harris & Kelley Armstrong - Sept 4th
• Lick of Frost - by Laurell K Hamilton - Oct 23rd
• Upon the Midnight Clear - by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Oct 30th (Dream Hunter #2)
• Lord John and the Hand of Devils - by Diana Gabaldon - Nov 27th
• Holidays are Hell - Anthology including Kim Harrision - Nov 1st
• Holy Smokes - by Katie MacAlister - Nov 6th
• Elijah - by Jacquelyn Frank - Dec 2007 (Nightwalkers #3)
• Plum Lucky & Plum Lovin’ - by Janet Evanovich - Jan 8th (Stephanie Plum holiday novellas)
• Dream Chaser - by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Feb 5th (Dream Hunter #3)
• The Outlaw Demon Wails - by Kim Harrison - March 2008
• Personal Demon - by Kelley Armstrong - Spring 2008 (Otherworld #8)
• Title Unknown - by Charlaine Harris - May 2008 (Sookie Stackhouse #8)
• All Souls Night - by Jennifer Armintrout - Jun 2008 (Blood Ties #4)
• The Darkest Kiss - by Keri Arthur - Sept 2008 (Riley Jensen #6)

I felt the need to write something, so I’m probably just going to ramble for a bit. Let’s see, what can I talk about? Oh, I know…I’m gaining weight again! This is sad. I’ve gained another 5 lbs more, which means I’ve gained about 10 since I lost all the weight right after Ian was born. I’m depressed about that. I really need to get back into shape…especially since i have to find something new to wear to Brad and Erin’s wedding in two months. I found this great shirt to wear to Jordan and Beth’s wedding this weekend, but found out that the flash makes it a very sheer shirt. Of course I found this out while at the wedding getting a picture taken. It’s not too bad, but it also means I can’t wear it in October. Speaking of the wedding, I found that it really makes the even interesting to have an infant with you. We took Ian with us to the wedding since Beth hadn’t met Ian yet and she wanted to. The fun part was finding out I was sitting up at the head table with Jesse (he was in the wedding). The three of us were quite a pair, I tell ya. Three, okay four, more weeks and we go camping again. It’s going to be interesting this year because Tim and Kathy are going with us. Not that interesting is a bad thing, just different than last year. We’re still not sure where we’re going. We have two campgrounds in mind, we just haven’t picked one yet. It’s not like we need reservations. Not after Labor Day anyway.

MMmmmm….Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies…..okay I’m done. I want more cookies….so not good for my diet, but they are oatmeal. That’s good right?

So I guess Facebook is going to be the latest greatest thing since mySpace. Jesse does not like mySpace, but I guess Facebook is okay. I’m not really sure I agree. At the moment, it seems that Facebook is still pretty new. I say this because it is not really user friendly. There is no good way to search for friends other than through the one network they give you. I can add people as my friends, but only if they are already a friend of a friend. I do have to say that I did find a group on Facebook that I have not seen in mySpace. At least not one that is really used. I’m not giving up on Facebook, but I am going to put around with it for awhile. We’ll see how it goes, but if anyone has any suggestions or advice, please let me know.