Purpose by author Kristie Cook

So, I am now having fun doing book reviews for Examiner.com as the Prospect Book Review Examiner. I've always loved to read, and even as a teenager you'd probably find me with my nose in a book. I'm not necessarily one to enjoy reading educational books, moreso I like fiction that takes me on an adventure out of my world for a bit.

Usually my genre has always been murder mysteries, with James Patterson and Dean Koonz being my top two authors. But lately, I've been reading some fantasy, and if you like fantasy, you’ll love the fantastical adventures that author, Kristie Cook takes you on through the character of Alexis Ames in PURPOSE (book two in her Soul Savers series novels). She’s definitely outdone herself with the amazing journey Alexis continues on now that Tristan is gone and her quest to find out if he’s alive and to get him back.

Alexis is left alone to raise their son after the Daemoni captured Tristan seven years ago. She struggles to work through her extreme sadness with the loss of Tristan and the love she so desperately needs, continue her writing to finish the novel that is important to the Amadis; all the while waiting for the Ang’dora that will give her the powers she needs for a battle between the good and the evil within herself and the struggle if she is to save her own soul.

She battles the Daemoni side of herself, wonders if she’s going mad and feels a failure for not giving birth to the daughter that is the future of the Amadis.


Ms. Cook’s writing and descriptive adventures of the Amadis, Daemoni and all the characters in her book seem to jump at the reader with the amazing fiction that flows through this book. It’s colorful and like you’re actually experiencing the action and pain right along with Alexis and the other characters. The battle scenes between good and evil are phenomenal. It’s so realistic that it leaves the reader anticipating how the story ends. Will Alexis find her soul mate and love of her life, will she win the battle and choose good over evil, will she find out more about her purpose and secrets that only the Amadis can tell her? Once started, it’s hard to put the book down and leaves the reader wanting to know the answers and more page after page.


About the Author:
Kristie cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at http://www.KristieCook.com.


You can find more on the series and where to find her books on the website at: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com


Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook  
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth


Excerpt from the author’s website about the book:

The Soul Savers Series

An epic fantasy tale of good versus evil, the Soul Savers Series brings everything you love about the paranormal genre with the author's own twists and unique mythology. Follow the story of Alexis Ames as she discovers true love, learns about her heritage and what her future holds and begins to take on her life's purpose. With a total of seven full-length novels along with companion novellas and stories, Kristie Cook plans to keep you on the edge of your seat for some time to come.

Hoping you enjoy her Soul Savers series as much as I have so far. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

~“To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says, but to go off with him and travel in his company.” ~
- Andre Gide

DEVOTION ~ Sneak Peek ~ (book three in Kristie Cooks Soul Savers series)

Here's a sneak peek at the cover to Book Three in Kristie Cooks (Soul Savers) series ~ Devotion, which is set for release in the next few months. Even with the jacket cover spoiler, I'm sure you'll want to get your copy of Promise (1st in the series) and Purpose (2nd in the series) so that you can catch up to the story line and know the whole story of Alexis Ames and Tristan and their fated love. Visit Kristie Cook at her website http://kristiecook.com for more information on the author. Her novels are available at most book stores and online at Amazon and Smashwords just to name a couple.

Be sure and visit and leave Kristie a comment on her website...

Amazing cover is designed by Brenda Pandos

Jacket cover excerpt
With powerful abilities gained from the Ang’dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she’s ready for the next challenge—protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis. Having believed the secret society to be definitively good and righteous, she discovers she couldn’t have been more wrong.


Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they’ll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis’ protection. The couple’s own society begins to shut them out. But that’s not all.


There’s a secret. A big one. And faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time.


But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test—devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs—leaving her to question whom she’s fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won’t fight … who will?

Promise (Soul Savers) by Author Kristie Cook (book review)

This book takes you on a fantasy trip as told through the voice of Alexis. She’s a somewhat typical teenager, going to college except she finds she’s not quite like other teenagers or not quite like other humans at all. She’s always known she has quirks that make her weird compared to others.

Even as a youth, she and her mom moved constantly. Her mom, Sophia, never seems to age, and Alexis, herself, heals whenever she is cut or hurt. She asks her mom continually about the reasons behind why those things are, but Sophia never seems to want to reveal things and changes the subject. It’s not until she meets an extremely handsome college classmate named Tristan that things start to seem even weirder. When Alexis finally brings him home to meet Sophia, she instantly acts as if she hates him and abruptly leaves the room.

The storyline develops and more and more are revealed to the reader. Alexis and her mom are exceptional people from a society known as the Amadis and Tristan was born (on purpose) by their enemy society the Daemoni as a superior warrior with genes developed to kill their enemy, and select enemy is the Amadis. Alexis’ mother reacts that way to Tristan because she knows him, has known him for generations. She also knows that he has given up his life with the Daemoni and become one of the Amadis, but she’s not sure he’s 100% changed.

As the story goes on, Alexis, finds that she has been promised to Tristan since birth, but as things are revealed to Alexis about herself, her mother and Tristan she’s revolted and turns away. Eventually, she comes to realize that she has ulterior strengths, and has been told that once the Ang’dora happens to her, she will change and become exactly like her mother and the rest of the Amadis. She will never age, her true powers will be full force, and in order for their society to continue, she must marry Tristan and have a daughter to carry on the line.

The book erupts into the war between the two cultures once Tristan and Alexis are married. The Daemoni are angry because they want Tristan back and Alexis back with him so they can defeat and be the rulers.

The battle rages on between the two cultures as the writer reveals more and more of who these two societies are, where they originated and how they are intertwined with Alexis, Tristan and their families.

This first in the series leaves you wanting more information page after page as the story develops the love between Tristen and Alexis, the mysteries surrounding Sophia and their backgrounds. It promises to not be a disappointment as the writer takes you on a fictional fantasy that boggles the mind at times.

This is the first in a series and promises to reveal more about Tristan, Alexis and the Amadis and Daemoni in the books to come.

It is a tantalizing read, hard to put down once you start the book. If you like books that take you on an adventure into fantasy-land, you’ll love this one.

About the Author:
Kristie cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at http://www.KristieCook.com.

You can find more on the series on her website at: http://www.soulsaversseries.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

Excerpt from the author’s website about the book:

The Soul Savers Series
An epic fantasy tale of good versus evil, the Soul Savers Series brings everything you love about the paranormal genre with the author's own twists and unique mythology. Follow the story of Alexis Ames as she discovers true love, learns about her heritage and what her future holds and begins to take on her life's purpose. With a total of seven full-length novels along with companion novellas and stories, Kristie Cook plans to keep you on the edge of your seat for some time to come.

http://www.soulsaversseries.com/the_series.html
Promise (1st in the series)
Purpose (2nd in the series)
Devotion (3rd in the series will be released in 2012)

Cadashi (The Cat)

Cadashi is sort of an arrogant cat who walks around with her tail in the air that looks like a hook you could hang her up with and her head held high. She wonders why the dog is always allowed to go in and out, but she can’t. She knows she no longer has her front claws, but she is still fearless. She thinks “humph!!!! If that silly dog can go outside and make it, then why do they think she should stay indoors all the time?” “I’m not afraid!!!” She soon starts plotting her escape…


Cadashi is a cat who wants to get outside and one day when the door is left open, she escapes. The air and the warm sun feel wonderful on her fur…and from there the adventures begin.


“Ah…how great that sun feels.” Soon she sees that there are things outside that she can play with. She notices a butterfly swooping up and down. “Great!, she thinks…I can jump and swat at it.”. “Stop fluttering”, she tells the butterfly…but it just flies away. But Cadashi doesn’t care, she moseys on her way. After all, “I’m Free!” she shouts…..


When chasing the butterfly she hadn’t noticed that there was another cat just lying in the field across the way. “Hi there”, says the other cat. “Are you new to the neighborhood?” “Oh no”, says Cadashi…”I’ve lived here for about 2 years now”. “Well, how come we’ve never seen you out and about before?” asked the lazy cat lying in the field. “Oh, my owners think it’s too scary for me to be outside, but what do they know?”…”I’m not afraid, I’m Cadashi and I’m fearless!!!”.


The lazy cat moseys up, and says, “then if you’re up for adventure, follow me”. Down the field they trot…Cadashi smiling all the way as she follows the lazy cat. “How fun Cadashi thinks”. “Why have I never ventured out before, this is great”.


They keep going across the field; all the while Cadashi is jumping and swatting at butterflies or just plain ole flies or anything that moves. She even got to chase a mouse for a little bit, but it soon disappeared under a pile of rocks and stumps, and Cadashi was too excited to continue her adventure across the field to stop and play her waiting game. Cadashi thought herself to be the most patient cat in the whole world and could outwait any moving object…but not just now, she was busy just being outdoors.


Soon the lazy cat stops and starts creeping way low. Cadashi is like “what, what is going on?” The lazy cat says, “shush…..there’s a fox right over there across the field.” Cadashi is like, “so? What’s a fox anyway?” The lazy cat almost shouts as he asks, “You don’t know what a fox is?” You have been coddled and locked inside! “A fox isn’t our friend; they’d as soon eat you as look at you”. “Well!! Not me”, says Cadushi as she raises her tail in a smug manner and starts prancing around, head held hi. “I’m Fearless!!” “Right!”, snorts lazy cat.


Soon, the fox suddenly sees them and darts toward them. The chase is on. Cadashi has never run so fast in all her life. First the fox was chasing her, now it’s chasing lazy cat, and now back to her. Her heart is beating so fast as to puff her fur out making her look like a running fur ball. Finally, the fox darts back in the direction of lazy cat who is closer, and off they run. They continue until way out of site of Cadashi, and they are running so fast she can’t catch up even if she wanted to, but she didn’t.


She found she was afraid of the fox after all once she saw his teeth. They made hers look like tiny little bauble pearls. His teeth looked sharp, very sharp and she wasn’t anxious to never see those again nor did she ever want to feel them pierce into her lovely furry body. After all, she was Cadashi, and was always perfectly groomed. Her owners had always seen to that.


With the lazy cat, and the fox gone, Cadashi continued on her outdoor adventure. She wasn’t sure how far she had ventured, but looking back she no longer could see her house or the front yard so she knew she had gone quite a way. However, she wasn’t concerned; she was outdoors, after all, and on a wonderful adventure. Soon she was jumping and batting at butterflies again, and hoping to find another mouse she could chase, but this time catch it because her tummy was rumbling, and she realized she was getting hungry after all.


Cadashi continued on her outdoor adventure until well into the night. When nightfall came, she started to shiver…it was getting cold out. She longed for her nice warm bed that had been made especially for her. She also didn’t like all the animals that seem to come out of the fields at night or from under the ground or logs or wherever they came from. The warm wonderful sun was gone, there were no butterflies flitting around, but at least for a while she could chase those wonderful little things that kept lighting up. However, by the time she reached where they were and had jumped high enough, it was dark again and there light was gone. Those things were amazing, she thought.


She was tired and so longed to just go back in that door at home again, but she now didn’t know where she was or how to get back to it. She really didn’t want to nap in this field, she wanted to go home. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel so fearless, her tail wasn’t smugly up in the air like a hook; she just looked forlorn.


She had just started to fall asleep to her own purring, when it became very light, and she thought it was getting daylight already. But soon she heard a wonderful, familiar sound. It was the sound she had grown up with, a wonderful little voice that always called her name, only now this voice sounded all loud and upset. She realized, the sound was calling her name over and over very loudly, and it was her little girl owner.


She started to run and meow as loudly as she could, all the time hoping they would hear her. Soon she was scooped up, and hugged so tightly she thought she might stop breathing. She meowed loud so her little girl would know to release a little pressure. Soon she was nuzzling the little girl’s neck and purring loudly. If she could only tell her that she now knew and understood, and she would appreciate the wonderful, warm safety of her home even more.


Soon the daddy voice, said…”so glad we found you Cadashi, and you didn’t go far enough away to get lost. If you’d gone farther, we might have never found you. You only made it part way across the field that is behind our house.”

Let’s go home, and Cadashi was happy to picture her nice, cozy bed she’d be sleeping in after all. She’d had enough adventures in that day to last her for quite a while (or at least until another day).

(for Tess ~ in memory ~)

©copyright Peabea (all rights reserved January 2012)

Tickle Bee

Mr. Growley Bear only came out at certain times. He never came out at night. Then there was the Tickle Bee and the Snorty Bug. Whichever of these three came out depends on Charlie’s mood.

When Charlie was happy and playing with his Legos or his cars or just running around and doing somersaults…sometimes the Tickle Bee would descend on him. The Tickle Bee is grandma’s hands and she wiggles them back and forth while coming at Charlie and he squeals and says “No, Tickle Bee..No, No, Tickle Bee”, but the Tickle Bee keeps coming anyway and just tickles and tickles him until he says, “Stop, Stop” with outstretched hands. Grandma then stops and Charlie likes that.

Sometimes though when Charlie gets scolded for things, he isn’t sure why he should get in trouble, he pouts and heads off to his room. Grandma comes in to say, “Okay, you know why you got in trouble, but Grandma’s not mad at you, just trying to get you to understand what you did that made Grandma upset.” Of course, Charlie being only 4 years old, thinks he never does anything wrong. How could it be wrong when he was only trying to entertain Grandma and make her laugh, and could he help it if in the process he knocked over his glass of juice or he broke a favorite knick knack or smacked at Grandma? So he thought to himself, I’m gonna stay mad and stay on the bed and just pout and hide under the pillow and not look at Grandma when she comes in the room.


Of course, then here would come Grandma and she would say, “Ut oh…now you’ve made the Growley Bear come out and she would go Grrrrrr!!!! And wiggle her fingers while coming at him, and Growley Bear did the same thing as Tickle Bee…he would growl all the while as he tickled Charlie until Charlie would laugh and squeal and then he wouldn’t be pouty anymore. If its’ Snorty Bear…he does the same thing only instead of growling, he just makes a snorting sound while coming at Charlie and tickling him.


One day when Charlie and Grandma went shopping…to Charlie it seemed like Grandma went shopping every day, and he sometimes just didn’t want to go along...but in the car he would hop and fasten himself into the car seat and off they would go. While they were shopping and Charlie was riding in the cart, he got bored and started asking questions like, “Where’s mommy?” to which grandma answered, “She’s at work honey”. Charlie said “Why?” and grandma explained that mommy had to work to buy him clothes and groceries and the toys that Charlie liked to play with. He thought, “Oh, that’s what mommy always says too”. Okay!!. Then he said, “Why don’t you work grandma”. Grandma explained that she did work, but then they couldn’t afford to keep some workers anymore so they had let her and others go. She had lost her job so now she stayed home and she babysat him and played and had fun with him. Charlie thought about it, and pondered that for a moment and then he said to grandma as he patted her arm “That’s why we have to be nice to people grandma”. Grandma burst out laughing with the biggest smile on her face. Charlie laughed too, but wasn’t sure why they were laughing. He wasn’t sure he liked her laughing at him. Then he started to pout, but grandma told him…”Oh honey, I’m not laughing at you, I’m just laughing because what you said was so grown up and so funny”. He liked the part that she called him grown up because he was a boy and not a baby anymore…he was 4 years old now..but he still wasn’t sure he liked that she had laughed when he had said that to her.


He decided though that he would not pout and then he said, “I love you grandma”. With that, she gave him a smile and said, “I love you too, baby” and gave him a big hug. “I’m not a baby!”, he told her. “I’m a boy and I’m 4 and my mommy goes to school and she teaches me things and I learn things and I’m NOT a little baby!” “Okay, okay” said grandma..and again she smiled. After that Charlie decided he just wouldn’t talk anymore, and just rode in the cart while grandma looked for the things she needed from the store

I WANT BLUE BEAR!!

This is a little boy’s cry each and every time he finds he’s in trouble. Not bad trouble, but to a little boy who gets scolded, he cries and thinks it’ll never be the same again. The only thing he can do is cry and shout ‘I W-A-N-T  B-L-U-E  B-E-A-R!!’ and the sniffling continues.

Blue Bear has been with this little boy from the day he was brought home from the hospital. The Bear is one that his grams bought because it has a special blessing on it, and she just loved it and so hoped the new baby would too. Eventually, he did.

Blue Bear allows the little boy to hug onto him through thunder storms, scary nights when lights are out and when imaginary monsters might loom in the closet. Blue Bear sleeps with him and never snores, and that is good because Blue Bear’s snoring would cause him not to fall asleep, says the little boy.

Blue Bear is the best confidant. He can keep secrets, and he never, ever tells on the little boy.

The little boy cuddles Blue Bear, wraps him in blankets and asks that he be washed when Blue Bear gets dirty. But the little boy never scolds Blue Bear for getting dirty because he so enjoys laughing and playing and getting dirty right along with Blue Bear.

He says Blue Bear is his best friend, and to a little boy of four, what better friend than a cuddly bear?

Just Passing Through

All the people that pass through our lives
Do you remember all the names?
Do you picture their face?
Seems the holidays usually bring that back into place

Ones we’ve loved,
Some we just knew,
Some were just for a few

You wrap your arms around to give a hug
And then you find that your arms are just hugging an empty space
They’re just gone,
Either moved on or passed to a better place, as they say
And we just continue each and every day
Do you ever wonder why?

Why do we just go on when others have left?
What motivates us to just keep moving, never giving up?
When sometimes our hearts are shredded away

What is this thing we call life, anyway?



© peabea December 2010

Love

Love Texture Tuesday

Meet Razzy

How could anyone not fall in love with this little bundle of activity and love. I know I did so I took him home.

Pets, whether dog or cat, don't ask for much except some patience in training, some toys, lots of attention and love, and a warm bed. In return, you'll have one of the most faithful buddies ever.

This Tuesday's photoshopped picture is to be about the theme Love so I chose this picture.

It has been photoshopped using Fall In from Kim Klassen's Cafe Blog.

If you love photography and would love to learn some techniques and pick up some free textures as well as participating in Texture Tuesday visit Kim Klassen's Cafe

Enjoy. We love when you scribble comments. Thanks..

~hugs 'n giggles~

Peabea

Back To School Texture Tuesday

This week's challenge is below:

We were to use two of Kim Klassen's Textures:
I chose Summer Lovin and Dream.
I also applied the Adobe Craquelure Effect and Text from my Adobe Photoshop Elements program.

Stop by Kim's Cafe Blog to see all the entries and great photography..and while you're there you can sign up for some of her free textures.

Thanks for stopping by my Scribbling about Photoshop and Textures.

Enjoy!!

~hugs 'n giggles~ for a Happy Tuesday

Finding Treasures

A little boy's rock, marble and string

How wonderful are these playthings?

The marvel that they see

as they scout for treasures.

A rock for the pocket

A string for imaginery fishing

And a marble ~ well,
the beauty of it is enough ~

The beauty that you see through a little one's eyes
Is gift alone.

Treasure each moment
See as children see ~
Their excitement
Their joy
Their pain

They're small, little ones to protect and to mold into amazing grownups.

I'm Not A Very Good Wife

I'm not a very good wife of a musician. I hate the mess that the instruments make. I've looked at that mess on and off for forty-seven years. I call my recreation room a wreck room. But, I also have known marriage is not a one-way street. It's not 'all my way or the highway'. The give and take is an important part of marriage.

In the early years when you start making a home together, it's not always easy since you're both use to things your way. The give and take was a battle at first. I will say, I was kind of spoiled and naive thinking marriage was a fairy tale where you set up housekeeping and all goes smoothly. It doesn't. We made messes and there was no mom there to clean them up. It was up to us to do housekeeping, pay the bills, provide food.

I learned over the years that I make messes too with my hobbies, and he has to look at my mess. Life is not always neat and tidy. Marriage is not always neat and tidy. It is a continuing growing process. If you love someone truly then the give and take isn't so bad once you get past the spoiled part of youth. It's not always an uphill battle, and you learn that giving is more rewarding than taking and always getting your own way.

The instruments that I look at now bring back all the memories of a man's life. The music he made as a young traveling musician. The music he made when he came off the road and formed his own band. The music he made when the children were old enough to pass the talent onto whether they choose to use it in life at all, and the music that his life has given us in all our married years together.

I learned that I hate the mess the instruments make when spread all over a room, but the sound when all played together is worth it.

Loving a musician can be an awesome adventure.

The Blue Pearls

Heading into Junior High was such an exciting time. I felt so grown up. I would be going to a different school where now you would have to have lockers, grown up notebooks and best of all, you would get to move from one class to another and not be sitting in the same classroom for the entire school day. The anticipation and excitement were extreme.

Summer was over and it was time. Some new clothes were bought, which I always had to share with my older sister since we were about the same size. It was kind of ‘one wardrobe for all’ in my family. Still though, it was exciting to think I would be going to the school with my sister who was two years ahead of me. It would be her last year of Jr. High and my first.

The school year started out great. The first day we had beautiful weather so that meant walking to school with friends and home again. Of course, beforehand, I didn’t know that everyone always stopped and had ice cream and cokes or food at the local after school hang out so I didn’t stop there the first day. I was excited to walk home with my sister and her boyfriend. I also met his friend that day who later became my boyfriend.

The school year progressed wonderfully; I met all kinds of new kids, but kept a lot of the kids I’d grown up with in the neighborhood. The year went all too fast. That summer though was the first time ever that I was allowed to have a birthday party. It would be my 13th birthday right at the end of my 7th grade year, and amazingly my step father had agreed with my mom and allowed me to invite friends and have an outdoor party just before the end of the school year.

I remember pop beads were in style and I’d so wanted some and one of the girlfriends gave me those, but one of the presents from that party that I would save and would become my most cherished would be from the boyfriend of my older sister. His name was Teddy, and he gave me a strand of beautiful blue beads. I loved them even more than the pop beads that I’d so been wanting. They were just unusual because usually beads are white but these were an awesome powder blue color.

The birthday party ended as well as the school year. I passed with flying colors to the eighth grade. The summer flew by and it was time again to return to Junior High. My older sister would be entering her first year of High School. She still had the same boyfriend named Teddy and was learning to drive now that she was sixteen.

Teddy, however, wasn’t doing as well and hadn’t passed the 9th grade and was held back. To this day, I’m not sure anyone knew all that troubled this wonderfully kind young man. He was kind of on the wild side, but was always so sweet. We weren’t very far into the school year when Teddy went to his sister’s house and committed suicide. His sister had no clue as to why nor did his family. Sadly, he hadn’t confided in anyone what was bothering him, not even to my sister.

So, the blue pearls that he gave me that 13th birthday, I still have and whenever I open my jewelry box and look at them, I remember the cute, sweet 16 year old Teddy that I hold in my heart to this day. But when I think of him, I also feel sad for the life he never experienced. And I still have to wonder why?

Where to Put It???

Don't know what to do with that Digital Photo Frame that was so popular a few years ago (and probably still is)? Hubby got me one for Christmas when they were pretty much new on the market so off to work it went with me to sit on my desk and proudly display a slideshow of all my favorite photographs.

Since then, I was given the downsizing notice, and have been unemployed and enjoying retirement. So, what to do with the digital photo frame. I put it in a box and stored it away since I already have a computer that runs a slideshow of my pictures when I'm not on it.

With time on my hands, I began the fun job of doing some painting. I painted the grandbabies bedroom, painted the kitchen and repainted the bathroom. While doing the painting and some much needed clearing out of things that had been on my to do list while I worked, I rediscovered the Digital Photo Frame. I hated to let it go since it was a present. I considered sitting it on the kitchen counter, but seemed redundant since everyone could already see the slideshow that runs on my computer. So..........then I got the idea of why not the bathroom? Our bathroom is already stocked with handheld games that passes the time so I thought how about my Digital Photo Frame, which could entertain and might be a novelty for any guests to peruse while using the facilities and catch up on some family and scenery photos.

So that is where the Digital Photo Frame ended up. I just keep a flash drive of quite a bit of photos and the slideshow continues on...so when you're at my house and you have to go, Enjoy The Scenery ~smiles~

Inhibitions and Innocence

Innocence Definition

• The state, quality, or virtue of being innocent, as:
a. Freedom from sin, moral wrong, or guilt through lack of knowledge of evil.
b. Guiltlessness of a specific legal crime or offense.
c. Freedom from guile, cunning, or deceit; simplicity or artlessness.
d. Lack of worldliness or sophistication; naiveté.
e. Lack of knowledge or understanding; ignorance.
f. Freedom from harmfulness; inoffensiveness.

When we are born we are so fresh and new that it is amazing. We have no shame, no remorse, no prejudices, no hatred…simply we have nothing in our hearts, it seems, except love. We love and we love to be loved.

The proof of this as they say is in the pudding. Just be around any small child to know that they are trusting and innocent, and they love unconditionally and they adore knowing they are loved.

They do crave a lot of attention to prove that they are loved as much as the love they are willing to give. It is amazing.

I babysit my grandson, and when visiting his preschool class recently, it was very apparent of how all children exhibit these traits. They were so fun to watch as they interacted with each other and the teacher. For the most part, they followed the rules because that is another trait of children, they like structure. They may fight it, and display the opposite, but I think to them structure means that we care about them.

They were learning their first letters of the alphabet, and singing songs. Each child had brought something that started with the letter “B”, and when asked to come up front to share what toy or item they brought that started with the letter “B”, they did so willingly. Some were bashful, but each child proudly told about their item with no inhibition. They simply are amazing little people.

The teacher had some hand-me-down Halloween costumes so they could have dress up time. They were delighted, and each child tried on many different outfits as they also played. One child even brought me over a hat to wear, and then an outfit that he wanted me to wear, but there was no way I could even begin to fit into that small super hero outfit. LOL

Children interact with each other without judging or the fear of being judged by the other children. A simple hi and what’s your name and off they run playing is usually the norm that you find on any playground.

scribbled by peabea 1-7-2011

thanks to www.clipartstock.net for the clipart



I Tried Not To Panic

I could not wait to go to school with all the other kids in the neighborhood. I enjoyed school and was anxious to learn. I made friends in the neighborhood and new ones in my classes in grade school. That is how it pretty much went all through the 1st to the 5th grade.

The summer was ending, and as with tradition, the lady down the block usually curled and did everyone’s hair the day before. It was a small neighborhood where most everyone knew everyone especially all the kids. Excitement was in the air and also anticipation of starting a new