Thursday, October 23, 2008

It's Been a Month!?!?

Wow, this month has flown by.

First I want to thank all of you for your beautiful comments and the thoughts andprayers for Robynn. She has taken Graft versus Host disease in her stomach and colon, so she has endured high fevers, stomach cramps, and other unpleasant symptoms. But our girl is a fighter, and I have no doubt she'll pull through this too.

I have read one of the best books I've come across in a while. In Bed with the Devil by Lorraine Heath. All I can say about this book is WOW! I have been a fan of Ms. Heath since her days of writing westerns and when she made the switch to Regencies, I kept right on reading, and I'm glad I did because she has written the best love story to hit the shelves in a while. Book description from Amazon-

They call him the Devil Earl—a scoundrel and accused murderer who grew up on the violent London streets. A proper young lady risks more than her reputation when consorting with the roguishly handsome Lucian Langdon, but Lady Catherine Mabry believes she has no choice. To protect those she loves, she would do anything—even strike a bargain with the devil himself.

Lucian desires respectability and a wife above all else, but the woman of his choosing lacks the social graces to be accepted by the aristocracy. Catherine can help Lucian gain everything he wants. But what she asks for in exchange will put their very lives in jeopardy. When danger closes in, Catherine discovers a man of immense passion and he discovers a woman of immeasurable courage. As secrets from his dark past are revealed, Lucian begins to question everything he knows to be true, including the yearnings of his own heart.

I tell ya'll, it's bound to be one that I read over and over again.

The daughter and I have been 'bitten' by the vampire bug. After she finished the Twilight series (for the second time), we discovered True Blood on HBO. True Blood is based on the Charlaine Harris books about Sookie Stackhouse. Now, a brief warning-if you don't like foul language or somewhat explicit sex scenes-don't watch it. I have to say that so far my favorite character is Jason Stackhouse and his bumbling antics at being the town Lothario. Although, the vampire is really nice to look at!

We've had frost here for several nights now, nothing like the snow that is being forecasted out west, but cool enough to let us know that the season is changing and it's time to dig out sweaters and jackets. We installed a stove in the house, trying to deflect the costs of heating with gas, and I have to say I enjoy sitting here and listening to the crackle and hiss of burning wood. There's something really soothing about that sound. It's also crockpot season, for me. We eat a lot of soups during the winter months and I thought I would share the easiest one that I know with you.

Cheesy Potato Soup

5 lb. bag of potatoes
one small onion
one small block of Velveeta cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Peel potatoes, dice potatoes and onions. Place potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in stock pot, cover with water and boil for about 25 minutes (I'm totally guessing on how long to boil because I always tend to get sidetracked at this point). Once the potatoes are done, slice 3/4 of the block of Velveeta into thinnish slices (easier to melt)and place in the pot. Keep the potatoes boiling and stir until the cheese is melted. We put bacon bits and croutons in ours and let me tell you-it's delicious and filling. (Plus there's enough left over for lunches the next day!)

8 comments:

Gillian Layne said...

Go Robynn!! :) She's one beautiful little fighter. I'm hoping the next month brings a bit of peace and quiet for her and all of you.

That soup looks yummy! I adore potato soup; my mom makes it with cooked bacon or ham and no cheese, but lots of onions.

Kelly Krysten said...

Robynn is such a great kid! I hope everything goes great for her.

Isn't Lorraine Heath fantastic? I loved that book, too. and her westerns were without equal.

Thanks for the recipe. I'll be sure and give it a try when I get some time(Ha! Did I just say that? Like I'll ever get time.*g*).

Stephanie J said...

I'll be sending some mental vibes for Robynn to get well soon! She certainly sounds like a fighter!

The crackling wood in the stove sounds wonderful. I wish I was able to have such a thing. Heck, I just wish it were cold here! A "cold" front came through but it's not that bad. I miss living up north!

Mmmm soup... I'm going to try this one. :)

Gillian Layne said...

Terry Jo, I'd never heard of the True Blood books before--and we don't have HBO--but tonight I went to the bookstore and there they were, front and center on their own stand. So now I'm dying to read them!

Terry Stone said...

Gillian, thank you, I'm hoping that Robynn beats this quickly, although I know it's unlikely. Poor thing, she is so stressed and homesick.

And your mom's potato soup sounds like my mom's! She never put meat in hers, but Lord, you could smell the onions from the front porch. She always made a big pan of cornbread with hers. Alas, I am not a proficient maker of cornbread, mine crumbles if breathed on. Not good.

Terry Stone said...

Kelly, I love Lorraine Heath and this book was just phenomenally well written. I love when there's just a bit of jealously in a book (because, really, who hasn't had a jealous moment or two?), and how well Lorraine handled it.

While a part of me wishes she wrote westerns again, another part of me is just plain happy with anything she writes!

And let me tell you, if it were up to me, I'd NEVER find time to cook! I seriously hate it and won't cook anything that requires me standing at the stove more than twenty minutes. My daughter, though, loves to cook. I'm just waiting until the day she gets fed up with my attempts and tells me to let her do it.

Terry Stone said...

Stephanie, I'm envious of you now. We're expecting our first snow tomorrow morning. I don't mind fall weather, but I hate winter. I must be part bear because I like to stay bundled up in the house until warm weather breaks.

Terry Stone said...

Gillian, I looked them up on Amazon when True Blood first came out (I'd heard of them before but never bothered looking them up), and couldn't decide which ones to get! I had no idea that there was so many of them.

The show is hilarous-I swear *Spoiler alert* the exorcism scene with Tara's mother, or rather Tara's reply to it, just about had me wetting my pants!If the books are half as good, I would be happy with them.