Now, as much as I’m craving a weekend indoors (reading) to shake off this post-deadline exhaustion, I am off on a weekend with dozens and dozens of middle school aged girls. Destination? Some winter camp. Reason? Girl Scouts.

Looking out my window right now, it’s raining. Not quite sure what the rest of the weekend will hold, but if I can ride down a hill on a sled and sip a little hot chocolate, I’ll be good.

So tell me, were you in scouts as a kid?  What was your favorite overnight outing and why?

Me? I was a scout myself for eight years, a head leader for eight years, and an assistant for another troop at the same time I was heading one for four years.

~Elizabeth

 P.S. You may have noticed it took me a little longer to come back this week than I stated on Monday. As for the reason, you can read about that over on the Stiletto Gang today…  (click HERE)

                                             ~Walt Disney

Tell me, what’s one of your favorite quotes?

~Elizabeth

So come on over and check it out.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

~Elizabeth

Okay, ready? Here we go…

Behind the Scenes–Past and Present:

*Did you know that when I was just five years old, I got hit in the head with a door knob? That little incident earned me five stitches and a scar that you can still see today.

*Did you know that my first job was for the now defunct Northeast department store–Caldor? I worked in Domestics cutting fabric, placing curtains back in bags after customers ripped them open to “take a look,” stocking shelves, and generally having a great time.

*Did you know my second job had me ringing groceries at a Stop and Shop for a few months? A lobster stuck his rubber-banded claw through his bag and cut me not long after I took that job. I went back to Caldor pretty quickly.

*Did you know I’m a bit of a binge reader? I can go weeks without reading anything (usually because I’m too busy to think, let alone read) and then…WHAM! I’m putting away book after book.  Now, if I just had one of those ereaders, I could read even more and save my rapidly decreasing eyesight (The Fire looks SO SO cool).

*Did you know that I could look at photographs all day long if given the opportunity? They make me happy.

*Did you know I love smacking a candy cane into veritable dust and then sprinkling it over my hot chocolate at this time of year? Yum!

Writing Stuff:

*Did you know that HEARSE AND BUGGY–the first in my  new Amish Mystery Series written as Laura Bradford–will be out June 5th and is now available for pre-order?

*Did you know that if I couldn’t be a writer, I’d be a writing teacher? Which is why I’m excited to be doing my first classroom SKYPE this afternoon with a sixth grade class in Missouri!

*Did you know that my first-ever romance, KAYLA’S DADDY, has now been translated into German and Spanish?

Food:

*Did you know that I adore pizza? And that I detest vegetables (all except corn and spinach, anyway)?

*Did you know that my very favorite donut from Dunkin Donuts is a Bavarian Creme Donut? A gift of one of those guarantees a smile a mile long…

So there you have it. A few interesting facts. And who knows, maybe we’ll have a pop quiz in a few weeks to see who remembers a few of these facts (with prizes, of course). 

Any comments?

~Elizabeth

So I’m digging deep for some sort of boost. My way of digging deep? Imagining my peaceful place (Wilderness Lodge at WDW), fantasizing about a special evening (which tends to lean toward a nice dinner out with lots of conversation), thinking back to a particularly happy time (usually a memory involving my kids), and grabbing some sort of comfort food (which tends to be something warm and yummy).

How do you find your boost?

~Elizabeth

 Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

  I hope your day is full of laughter, good food, and special memories-in-the-making!

 Be sure to check in tomorrow as I have a fun trip-down-memory-lane planned for all of  you!

 ~Elizabeth

 In case the image is too small to read, it’s Johnson & Johnson’s Melt Away Stress Lavender & Chamomile Lotion.

Oh my.

I swear, if I rub this stuff on my hands at bedtime, I sleep like a baby…

Love this stuff so much, it would be one of my “favorite things” if I was the next Oprah.

So tell me, what’s one of your “favorite things?”

~Elizabeth

~Elizabeth

And, since today is a fourth Friday, that’s where you’ll find me (along with some pictures you might not have ever seen before)…

So come over and say hi:  http://thestilettogang.blogspot.com/ 

~Elizabeth

After a week of some tricky questions and the efforts of some of my most faithful readers, I am ready to announce the names of the two lucky answer-givers in my Win-A-Copy-of-DANGEROUS-ALTERATIONS Challenge!!!  These two lucky winners just had their names pulled out of my Correct Answer Hat !

So, without further delay, I’d like to congratulate  Annette C. from Layton, Utah and Carol Swigart!!!  YAY!!!!  Ladies, please make sure I have your snail mail addy (send to ElizabethLCasey@aol.com ) and I’ll get your autographed copy of DANGEROUS ALTERATIONS out in the mail this week!!!

Congratulations!!!

~Elizabeth