Passionate Critters -- Easter Scavenger Hunt!

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The Grand Passionate Critters Easter Scavenger Hunt
Did you know…
The Easter Bunny was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter Bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s.

During the 1700s it was introduced to American folklore by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch county.

Some people there still call it "Oschter Haws".

The Easter Bunny, aka Mr. Hide Egg and Scarper, told us he's having a few leftover eggs this year.

Naturally, we don't like anything going to waste, so we said we'd help him out.

So we decided rather than hide all our eggs at Easter…we'd do something a little different.
Hence "GPCESH" was born.
Starting today, you will find a question (or two!) on our blog every day, until the 24th April 2011.

Find the answer(s) and email it (them) to us (Don't worry, we'll give you clues), and there are prizes to be had. We will do random drawings throughout, and you never know – you might get something you like. It could be a book, or a goody bag, or chocolate, or…something…else.

All the entries will go into a daily/weekly pot, and the winner(s) drawn from that.
Be sure to enter every day, and your name will go into the Final Draw — which will win an Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift voucher.

The Final Draw winner will be announced after the 24th, to get the last day answers into the pot as well.
We has Rulez. 'Natch.
So here they are:
Only entries emailed to the dedicated contest email address qualify – the link will be beneath the question.

Entries not having a subject line of "Day X Answer" will be disqualified. (If you use the daily link, it is already set up, all you need to do is click on it.)

To win the main prize of an Amazon / B&N gift voucher, you must enter every day, with the same name/email address. (Even if you get it wrong on some days!)

Contest winners will be announced on our blog, here. (Be sure to check.)

You should leave a comment on the various blogs, if you can. (Don't post the answers!)

We won't tell you the answers until the very last day! (25th)

Have fun!!

WE RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY, AND NO EMAIL ADDRESSES WILL BE REVEALED OR MISUSED IN ANY WAY.

ALL ADDRESSES ARE CONFIDENTIAL, AND WILL BE REMOVED ONCE THE CONTEST ENDS.
We would appreciate if you you could tweet, facebook, or blog the contest. Not a must, but please spread the word!
We may also sneak in an "Egg 'n' Ketchup Day", for any who missed a day or two.

The questions won't be the same, and you won't be eligible for the previous days prizes, but you'll still get a shot at the Grand Prize.



Friday Five

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Here we are again for Friday Five with my Five Favorite Candle Scents.

1. Hazelnut -- for fall. I just love when the weather cools off and I light that warm scent of hazelnut and coffee. Mmmm.

2. Apples and Berries -- what is it with me and fall? I love adding the scent of apples to those warm fall days.

3. Linen -- Glade has a clean linen scent that--oddly enough--I really like. It's not too harsh and reminds me of days at the beach house. Weird, huh?

4. Island Breezes...or no, Moonlit Walk -- I like something exotic, especially during the summer. I don't want fruity smells or sweet flowery smells, either, but these two have always been pleasers for me. More subtle than the floral arrangments, they sooth and float in the background.

Last but not least,
5. Pine/Cinnamon/Christmas -- I like something for the winter months. The pine has to be high quality, otherwise you feel like you're in a motel room. Iiiick. :P

What about you? Do you like candles? What's your favorite go-to scent?

Don't forget to stop off at the other Friday Fiver Blogs, listed on my sidebar!

Music Monday

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Where is the line between apology and regret?

Have you ever been sorry for something, but not regretted what happened?  Is that even possible?  I have this contradiction within myself and debate this topic in quiet moments.  Is it possible to regret an act but not the outcome or result? 

It has to be. And though, as a Christian, there are so many things I've done wrong. Choices, looking back, I might [maybe] change... everything in my life has brought me to where I am now.  How can I regret that?

I don't think I can.
Enjoy the song. Great voice. Thoughtful words to encourage us to look ahead and see the blessings we have.

Friday Five

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Another FRIDAY!!!
Can you believe how fast the weeks go?
After today, I have TWO MORE Fridays before I see my husband again.
:D :D :D :D :D :D

So...back to the matter at hand.
Friday Five.
Five Damsel in Distress Scenarios that we all love or hate
1. Your classic, helpless Damsel who needs a Knight in Shining Armor--I can take this sometimes. But of all the dames, this one rubs the worst. She often cries too much.

2. The not-so-classic, kick-ass Damsel--She doesn't need any Knight. Though she's not as annoying as number one, for me she has a tendency to be too strong, too independent. At times even bitchy. She can go so far as to make the hero seem like an idiot. Eh. I don't always like her, but she has some good qualities.

3. Then there's Miss Clueless. She can be sweet or sometimes naive, occasionally strong but more often just helpless. I can like her better if the story shows her growth. She has to gain some commonsense.

4. Miss Smarty-Pants is likely to be taken down a notch or two by the hero. And THAT I like. It makes the banter between the two fun and easy to read. I like her because despite being a know-it-all, she has soft spots and doesn't think less of the people around her, USUALLY. :D

5. My favorite Damsel in Distress is the mix. She's strong yet knows when to rely on a man. She appreciates his appeal and his strengths. She doesn't pretend to know everything but isn't afraid to speak up when what she does know can bring about resolution.

Let's be honest, every heroine has to change and resolve something within herself to make the story come alive. My favorite heroine of all time is Emma McAvoy, Nora Roberts' young heroine in Public Secrets. She didn't just literally grow up in the book, she became a strong, intelligent, street-smart woman who could turn away from pain to love.

Tell me about your favorite heroine. What makes her special?
Then don't forget to visit the other FRIDAY FIVERS, listed in my sidebar. :)

Picture Wednesday

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Five YEARS ago this month...
I finished making that blanket.

Looking back, I see friends I haven't thought of in YEARS... holding my then-a-baby, five year old

What a cutie. She looks [almost] exactly the same.














I would call this Wordless Wednesday, but then I wouldn't be able to tell you what I'm thinking...and that's what a blog is for!!! :D I will tell you this.... adding pictures got wonky on Blogger with the last editor change. :P

Friday Five

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Five uses for Braille if you're an over imaginative writer:
1) as a preteen, passing notes in class that your teacher won't be able to read
2) as a young adult, impressing the opposite sex with a unique skill...and passing notes in class to your best friend that your love interest won't be able to read.
3) as an adult, being able to communicate through letters to your loved one who is blind...and passing notes your boss won't be able to read.
4) in middle-age, like with soduko and word puzzles--working the brain to keep it useful...and passing notes to your lovey that the kids won't be able to read.
5) during old age, reading because you've lost your eyesight...

I would rather learn braille than not be able to read!!!


I've got all my Friday Five Friends listed on my Sidebar. Please take a swing by and enjoy a few more short reads. :D

Happy St. Patrick's Day

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My Grandma will be the first to tell you that I'm not ALL Irish. There's enough Scottish in me to make a difference. :D But I come from a long line of McCarthys. I have two redheaded sisters, blues eyes and freckles, and a temper. And if I can help it, I never cry. I have 8 nephews [by one sister], Patrick, Seamus, Francis, Liam, Peter, Michael, Timmy and David. I'm Catholic and have five of my own.

Stereotype much? :D hahaha.

What do you Dream?

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I dream alot. Maybe it's a result of my diabetes[isn't their a study about sugar levels affecting dreams?] or maybe it's the result of being a woman [hormones] or maybe I just have an active imagination. The scientists say that we dream. I am a person who often remembers her dreams, vividly.

For about two days when I was a teenager, i thought of keeping a journal. But rolling over and sleeping seemed so much more important at the time. I never did reconsider the task. Now that I consider myself a writer, I occasionally get the urge to jot down the good ones.

I love how my dreams combine ideas and images from my waking hours. Last night, it was a wonderful drama of secret identities, military intelligence, and political intrigue. [Hey! Look! Three I words. Looks like a good plan for a series.] So, you're probably wondering really? This reflects your waking hours? LOL
Well, sorta.

I had a hypothetical conversation with my neighbor about the political climate. I've noticed lately how wonderfully conservative the military community is. Being a conservative and a Christian, I feel good about that. But what if, in the future, there came a point when the military [or even each soldier] had to make a choice between following orders and following beliefs? When our enemies say, They will defeat us from within, at what point will we need to fight ourselves in order to maintain our freedom? I know I'm not the first person to consider this. I'm sure there are books and articles written on this topic... fiction and nonfiction. Somehow it came up in life and then again in my dreams.

I watched Psych before heading to bed last night. If you watch it and have met Juliet's brother Ewan O'Hara, you know this is where my dream got dreamy. LOL Hunky guys, uniforms, guns blazing... espionage. :P

Well, with my husband in the Army now, military things are often on my mind. What can I say? I dream and those dreams inspire new stories. What do you dream?

Army Strong

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I thought I knew what Army Strong meant. Look at me. I'd gone a whole month with my husband gone and I hadn't really cried once. I was strong. I was ready for this new life. My husband and I, we were so closely bonded the miles didn't even matter. I had this great community to lean on--family, neighbors, church. I was praying every day. My foundation was solid and I was ready for the next twenty years.

Or so I thought.

In one sharp instant of disappointment and pain, I was struck down from my high horse and, looking up from my back, saw what I had been missing. God [and a dose of humility, too]. Cut off from [almost] everything I thought was making me strong, I cried like a freaking wimp who could never possibly make it in this Army lifestyle.

The lesson? It's lent. Expect trials. Know that you can ALWAYS be closer to God.

Time on my Hands

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Seems I have a little extra time on my hands now. I've given up facebook for the time being and it has really hit me hard just how much time I've been spending there. I actually sit do: no notifications. I dropped all my yahoo groups so no activity there. I visit my writing group.

...then I sit and stare and think to myself, "Oh that's right. This is when I used to be able to write, but then didn't write so much because I was checking what everyone was doing on facebook."

I can't say I'm completely happy about leaving Facebook, but as the saying goes, blessings are often disguised.  So, I shall go forth in this new [old] world and figure out what to do with myself on a computer that involves Microsoft Word. LOL :D