30 Days of Insight: Day 07

It is now Day 07 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is:

Favorite cover of your favorite song.

Really, do you have to do this to me? I guess my absolute favorite cover of my favorite song would be Evanescence's cover of "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana. You already know I adore Nirvana. With covers, I tend to get picky ... but, I really think that Amy Lee nailed this one.

30 Days of Insight: Day 06

It is now Day 06 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is:

Earliest thing you can remember.

I'm guessing this is referring to the earliest memory that I have. I actually know one when I was two. I know I was two because it was summer and my grandmother was alive - the winter after she passed away. We were camping at one of these camp grounds at Lake Wateree. The first thing I remember is sitting be the shore in front of my grandmother and mother and watching my godfather swim out toward a boat. The next thing I knew, I was a drowned rat from a wave that came from said boat. Later on in the evening, my mom and I were packing up and there was a HUGE snake on the hill we had to go up to actually get to our camper. My mom is deathly scared of snakes, and she actually held me and climbed up a hill that was literally vertical just to avoid the snake. That was always significant in my head because I'm afraid of snakes and I'm sure the fear came from that day because I felt completely helpless ... though afterwards I always knew I could count on my mom to keep me safe.

30 Days of Insight: Day 05

It is now Day 05 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is:

A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.

Dear MattBear,

Words cannot begin to tell you how much you mean to me. Your sheer will when you were alive absolutely amazed me. As active and energetic as you were, you would have never known you had a major heart surgery in your late teens. If it wasn't for your love and acceptance, I don't know if I could have become the strong-willed girl that I turned out to be, unafraid of being myself. If it wasn't for your sneakiness and conniving behind my back, I would have never had the courage to go out with Nick ... and I wouldn't know how wonderful it is to be married to someone who turned into my best friend. And if it wasn't for guidance and own writing, I would have never been inspired to write on my own. Without you, I don't think none of it would have been possible. I've always believed in guardian angels, but I never knew I would have one living and breathing in my life every day - I just wish I would have known that before you passed on. All things happen for a reason. While I'm not entirely sure of the reasoning behind your death, I know for a fact that you were in my life in the short time for a very specific reason ... to help me grow up and become the person that I am today. I love you, and I'll miss you until we meet again some day.

Kisses and such,
Missy

30 Days of Insight: Day 04

It is now Day 04 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is:

"What you imagine paradise to be like."

A peaceful place, imagine something like a beach, where everyone gets along and we don't have to debate all day in order to socialize. No one would worry about fashion trends, pop culture, or anything else ... everyone would just be happy with what they have - which is a peaceful land rich and full. Oh, and it has a library. It HAS to have a library.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


Once In A Full Moon
by Ellen Schreiber
Releases On January 1, 2011

Beware of a kiss under the full moon. It will change your life forever.

Celeste Parker is used to hearing scary stories about werewolves—Legend’s Run is famous for them. But when, after an unnerving visit with a psychic, she encounters a pack of wolves and gorgeous, enigmatic Brandon, she must discover whether his transformation is more than legend or just a trick of the shadows in the moonlight. Brandon may be Celeste’s hero, or he may be the most dangerous creature she could encounter in the woods of Legend’s Run.

The bestselling Vampire Kisses author, Ellen Schreiber, weaves together psychic predictions, generations-old secrets, a town divided, and the possibility of falling in love with a hot and heroic werewolf—the perfect formula for what happens...once in a full moon.

Teaser Tuesdays!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading.

· Grab your current read.
· Open to a random page.
· Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
· BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
· Share the author and title, too, so that the other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries {or Sookie Stackhouse}, Book 1), by Charlaine Harris

They looked at the pictures. Bill's face was blank. Eric looked up. "I have been with this one," he said coolly, tapping Dawn's picture. "She liked pain."

30 Days of Insight: Day 03

It is now Day 03 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is:

"The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why?"

01. "Lake of Fire" - Nirvana

This hurts me because I thoroughly enjoy all of Nirvana's music. However, this is one of those tunes that you can just belt out when you feel like it.

02. "When The Stars Go Blue" - Tim McGraw

I wanted a country song and I picked Tim McGraw because I'm sort of in love with him. I *love* his voice in this one.

03. "Vermillion, Pt 2" - Slipknot

Need my Slipknot, and this is one of my absolute favorite songs that I don't get sick of easily.

04. "Daddy DJ" - Daddy DJ

I need some raver music to reminisce about my husband. This is one of our favorites that we actually agree on. ;)

05. "Best Friend" - ToyBox

Silly, pop-ish song that I cannot get enough of.

I think I've covered the basic genres to give me some variety.

30 Days of Insight: Day 02

It is now Day 02 of 30 Days of Insight, inspired by Lost in YA Wonderland. Today is: "Something that inspires you."

For myself personally, I think people actually inspire me. I see people doing what they love to do and it inspires me to do the same. I see people living their lives to the fullest, and it makes me want to live my life to the fullest. I see people organizing their place and it makes me more efficient at my own house. I just get inspired by others.

As far as writing: music. I've told you guys before that I cannot listen to music with singing and lyrics because it makes my mind wander. I can sit down, listen to 20 songs, and literally come up with a story inspired by each and every one of the songs. I am sometimes distracted in my writing this way too, which is why I have to methodically pick out specific songs to go with a particular story as I'm writing. Otherwise, my entire story changes - plot, characters, atmosphere ... everything.

Product Review: Light Source Lamp from CSN Stores

Remember that post I made about getting the opportunity to review for CSN Stores? Well, after a few days of choosing, I found something, ordered and now get to review!*

Honestly, the longest part of the process for me was actually choosing something that I wanted to review. They have so many things that I want! I got so confused, I asked my husband. The first thing out of his mouth was, "How about a floor lamp so I'm not blinded at night by the bright lights of the ceiling fan?" Like that, it was decided. Go figure my know-it-all husband would think of something immediately! ;)

So, I narrowed it down and finally picked the Light Source Zett Floor Lamp in Chrome ... chrome because I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with the remodeling of this house, but I know I want lots of chrome! Literally five days after my order was placed, it was here! I thought it was pretty fast considering I placed the order late at night on the weekend ... so, I wasn't expecting it to be processed so quickly.

Now ... guess how long it took me to put it together? Less than five minutes! I'm not even kidding. The worst part to the whole assembly was getting the tiny styrofoam balls off of it - and I'd rather do that than not have the styrofoam and end up with a damaged product.

The price was cheap, the shipping was FREE (look around, most of the things I wanted on the site offered free shipping!), the delivery was super fast, the assembly was easy ... and the light itself? The lighting is light enough, without being harsh. My husband can sleep with it on with no issues - which is saying a lot considering how sensitive his eyes are to light at night. I really can't say enough good things about this light ... it's perfect! I would recommend this product and CSN to all of my friends and family ... and I will definitely be a returning customer of the site!!

The Verdict?

*While the product from CSN was gifted, I was not paid for my actual review of the product. This is my honest opinion of CSN Stores and their product, and the review was not swayed by any other form of compensation.

30 Days of Insight

I saw this 30 Days of Insight idea on the Lost in YA Wonderland blog a few days ago. Since I don't do much on Sundays, I figured I'd start this. The 30 days are as follows:

Day 01- Guilty pleasure.
Day 02- Something that inspires you.
Day 03- The five songs you would have with you on a desert island and why.
Day 04- What you imagine paradise to be like.
Day 05- A thank you letter to someone who has changed your life.
Day 06- Earliest thing you can remember.
Day 07- Favorite cover of your favorite song.
Day 08- Someone you think would make a good president.
Day 09- Five things you want to see change.
Day 10- A dream you had this past week described in detail.
Day 11- Favorite picture ever taken of yourself.
Day 12- Your favorite musical artist’s life story.
Day 13- A memory that never fails to make you laugh.
Day 14- Best mashup you’ve ever heard.
Day 15- A moment, phrase, or song that has changed your life the most.
Day 16- Something that you want to do within the next five years.
Day 17- What you want to be remembered for.
Day 18- A picture that makes you feel.
Day 19- A passage from a book that has touched you.
Day 20- A band that you immediately liked and the song that made you like them.
Day 21- Your favorite medium of art.
Day 22- Someone you would give your life up for without question.
Day 23- Most awkward first impression you feel you’ve ever given.
Day 24- Something you did as a child that other people remember you for.
Day 25- Something you would do if no one stopped you or if you knew you wouldn’t fail.
Day 26- Your definition of love.
Day 27- Your definition of the meaning of life.
Day 28- A moment you remember being completely happy in and a description of why you believe you were. What is your definition of happiness?
Day 29- What you live for.
Day 30- Ways you believe you have grown over the past thirty days.


Today, being Day 01 for me, is guilty pleasures. I have too many to count - so we're just going to go with the ones that I think matter the most to me. ;)

Vampires. I think this one should be a "duh" for me. Vampires are the reason I started reading so much. I love the idea of immortality, super speed, super strength, heightened senses and, overall, night time! Oh, and did I mention immortality??

Lords of the Underworld. They're not vampires, but they're immortals ... and I love them just the same. Showalter has combined paranormal romance with the mythology that I love the most. What's not to love?

Sun-Drop. I live in North Carolina. Typically, you have to be a Carolinian to know about the carbonated and caffeinated deliciousness that is Sun-Drop. There's also Cherry Lemon Sun-Drop and Cheerwine. All three I could marry. This is why I can't completely cut out sodas from my diet.

Music. Specifically, electronic music. Happy hardcore. Club music. Techno. I have never been a self-proclaimed raver, but I fully support raves. Best music ever. And, OMG ... glowsticks! Two things that I love mixed together to make a happily entranced Missy.

Neurotically Yours. I am a closet pessimist, so Foamy relates to the part of me that I try to grumble about and keep to myself. Seriously, all the social issues you want to gripe about ... Foamy does. Check out the site, you'll understand.

Halloween. Night time ... dressing up ... candy ... scary stories ... vampires and other creatures of the night. Need I say more? I think I need to say "dressing up" again for dramatic emphasis.

Johnny Depp. Obviously, I was saving the best for last. What's not to love about Johnny Depp? He's truly the most talented actor of our time, he's a great musician, and he's a humanitarian. Then there's the whole thing of being the sexiest guy alive!! Everything he does, I love. Johnny can do no wrong in my eyes.

So, there it is. My favorite guilty pleasures. Feel free to tell me yours!!