Romance Readers Favorite Top 100 Movies of All Time

* Hope Floats
* Sommersby
* Return To Me
* The Con
* Bounce
* Quigley Down Under
* The Love Letter
* Winter People
* Far & Away
* Phenomenon
* Mrs. Winterbourne
* Paradise
* High Road to China
* At First Sight
* Notting Hill
* Indecent Proposal
* The Fulfillment of Mary Gray
* A Star is Born
* While You Were Sleeping
* The Substitute Wife
* Calamity Jane
* Sweet Home Alabama
* Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
* It’s a Wonderful Life
* A Christmas Carol
* Pride & Prejudice
* Emma
* Anne of Greene Gables
* Anne of Avonlea
* The Quiet Man
* Steel Magnolias
* When Harry Met Sally
* French Kiss
* Love Comes Softly
* Pirates of the Caribbean
* Some Kind of Wonderful
* Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
* Wuthering Heights
* Ghost
* Green Card
* Sweet November
* Last of the Mohicans
* Beauty & the Beast
* Kate & Leopold
* Gone With the Wind
* Four Weddings & a Funeral
* Face Off
* The Bone Collector
* Sabrina
* Titanic
* Yentl
* Dangerous Beauty
* The Way We Were
* King Arthur
* Chocolat
* Grease
* The Truth About Cats & Dogs
* Pretty Woman
* The Notebook
* At First Sight
* Arthur
* Sixteen Candles
* Who’s That Girl?
* Earth Girls Are Easy
* Romancing the Stone
* Coming to America
* An Officer & a Gentleman
* Hairspray
* Desperately Seeking Susan
* Crocodile Dundee
* Dirty Dancing
* Saratoga Trunk
* The Wedding Singer
* Shrek
* Boat Trip
* From Here to Eternity
* Moonstruck
* Dances With Wolves
* Pretty in Pink
* Roxanne
* City of Angels
* Birdcage
* Flubber
* A Beautiful Mind
* It Happened One Night
* A Walk in the Clouds
* The Runaway Bride
* Ever After
* You’ve Got Mail
* Never Been Kissed

My Top Ten Favorite Romantic Movies Of All Time

* Hope Floats
* Sommersby
* Return To me
* The Con
* Bounce
* Quigley Down Under
* The Love Letter
* Winter People
* Far & Away
* Phenomenon

10 more I have to list because they're also in my watch-all-the-time bin:
* Mrs. Wintersbourne
* Paradise
* High Road To China
* At First Sight
* Notting Hill
* Indecent Proposal
* The Fulfillment of Mary Gray
* A Star is Born
* While You were Sleeping
* The Substitute Wife

You might think this is strange, but Face Off is another of my favorite movies. It's character driven, and John Travolta's character is a wounded hero. I love it.
Another is The Bone Collector. I watch it all the time.

Now I have to see if we came up with 100. So many of us shared the same favorites, that it will be iffy. I loved seeing your favorite movies!

Post Valentine Shopping

Is the day after Valetine's Day a let down? No way! There's a lot to be said for HALF-PRICE CHOCOLATE! I cleaned up yesterday. I have enough to last through post-Easter candy.

So does anyone want to share what they got for Valentine's Day?

I promised you my Top Ten Favorite Romantic Movie list, so that's coming next.

Oh, and by the way, I went and bought Love Comes Softly and watched it last night. I loved it and I love that Marty is Izzy from Gray's Anatomy. Has anyone read those Janet Oakey books? My daughter, Kristin read them all in high school. I also bought the second one, but haven't watched it yet. You guys are increasing my DVD library. Or as my grandson calls them, DBDs.

On Tuesday I bought the Gray's Anatomy DVD. If you never had a chance to catch the show, I highly recommend at least renting the DVD. My daughter and I can't wait for Sunday nights when the show is on. And somebody tell me -- where have we seen Dr. McDreamy before? I know Patrick Dempsey was a young heartthrob, but neither if us can picture the movies we saw him in. I may have to find his fansite. Questions like that keep me awake, you know?

CONTEST WINNERS!

Congratulations to the three readers who will be receiving their books asap. We held a special drawing event this afternoon, and here are the winners:

Maureen

Meljprincess

Marelou

Please email me your address asap, and I'll be off to the post office.

Enjoy your books!

Love Your Guts, Babe

These are the top favorite romantic nicknames listed at LovingYou.com

Baby
Sweetie
Honey
Sweetheart
Darling
Honey Bunny
Pumpkin
Love
Babe
Angel
Boo
Princess

What do you think, and what does your honey call you?

Dancing Gophers

I love coming up with captions that make you look!

I am LOVING, lov-lov-loving reading everyone's lists of movies. I do hope we come up with a hundred. I will post them here.

Today my hubby and I went to the Home & Garden Show at our convention center. We made sure we were there for the gopher show. Every time I called it that he cracked up, picturing little critters in pink tutus dancing. No, no, it was an expert talking on moles, voles and gophers. We learned that what we were battling last summer are voles, and they're the easiest of all three to eliminate, thank goodness, because they also reproduce the most. Those little guys won't be eating my flower bulbs or our tomatoes anymore! They'll be -- ha ha -- pushin' up daisies!

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you always got

This morning I gave a motivational workshop for my writers group called Getting Rid of the Junk That Holds Us Back. I talked about time wasters, negative attitudes, unrealistic goals, low expectations and perfectionism to name a few topics. I asked members to look at themselves, be real and own up to the behaviors that drag them down, and then I challenged them to find ways to mofify those behaviors and get rid of the trash. Ahead of time I had asked them to bring one small (clean) piece of trash. I listed the negative behaviors on slips of paper which they then stuffed into their empty paper towel rolls and vitamin bottles. At the end I carried around a trash bag and each person threw away their "junk."

What really touched me was how eager people were to get rid of that crud, to start fresh and be determined to move ahead with positive outlooks. Isn't it great how every day is a chance to start over? I'm thinking about developing this into a longer, interactive workshop. Or maybe a book. :-)

First Peek at my May Book - Just For You!

WHAT ARE YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE ROMANTIC MOVIES?

Can you pick just one? I don’t think I can. Here are a few suggestions to get you thinking.

Titanic, Ghost, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, An Affair To Remember (1957), Princess Bride, William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Pretty Woman, Jerry McGuire, Somewhere in Time, Gone with the Wind, Only You, Untamed Heart, My Best Friend's Wedding, While You Were Sleeping, A Walk in the Clouds, Sabrina, The Truth About Cats And Dogs, Notting Hill, The Outsider.

Later in the week I’ll post my all time favorite romantic movies. Let’s say ten. You know how I love lists!

Okay, list your top ten favorites!

HEY! YOU! Get off of my cloud!

I went to the mall today, and I noticed a lot of men in the jewelry stores. Way to go, guys! I browsed past one and the salesgirl was showing him diamond earrings. Ooooh.

Big sales and clearances in the department stores. I bought a suit with a skirt and a suit with capri-length pants. Tomorrow I have to find the right pair of shoes to wear with those, however. Got a great purse, too: black with pink trim. I have a two outfits it will match. I am so glad fashion styles are more eclectic than ever. Shoes don't have to match purses and bags, in fact shoes don't even have to "match" the outfit as long as they're the right style. I've always been a mix it up kind of gal, mixing gold and silver before it was in style, and now you throw beads in with them and have it all going. I dug out stuff that was in style back in the 70's and it's fashionable now. Even cooler, because it's "vintage." Who knew?

I have refused to wear some of the comebacks, however, like bell bottoms. Uh uh. been there, did that, let this fad pass without me, thank you. Peasant blouses and skirts are on my list of un-do-ables as well.

Even the hairstyles! I wore a "flip" in junior high! Okay, I'm thinking about that one. But I refuse to set my hair on juice cans. LOL

By the way, for the record, I loved seeing the Stones do the Super Bowl half time. You have to give MJ credit for still having the energy and the moves.

FEBRUARY CONTEST

Here are the three packages of books I'm giving away for Valentine's Day.

package of 4 historicals:
CHALLENGE TO HONOR - Jennifer Blake - autographed
TILL NEXT WE MEET - Karen Ranney
THE RAKE'S REVENGE - Gail Ranstrom
THE LADY's HAZARD - Miranda Jarrett

package of 4 romantic suspense:
PERSON OF INTEREST - Debra Webb
PREMEDITATED MARRIAGE - BJ Daniels
EPIPHANY 3-in-1 - Herron/Webb/Kane
DB HAYES, DETECTIVE - Dani Sinclair

package of 4 Blaze/Desires:
HER PRIVATE EYE - Shannon Hollis - autographed
NOTHING BUY THE BEST - Kristin Hardy
CUTTING LOSE - Kristin Hardy
LIKE LIGHTNING - Charlene Sands

With each group I'll also include an envelope full of assorted bookmarks, many of them autographed by the various authors. I collect these throughout the year at conferences and signings so I can offer them to you.

How to win:
For each post on my blog between now and Valentine's Day, you will be entered. Post as many times as you like to any subject and you'll be entered each time. As I receive notice of each comment, your name will go into the fishbowl. I'll draw three names on the 14th and mail out your prizes asap.

I LOVE my readers!

Gearing Up For The Big "V Day"

I've been seeing the cards and candies, the red and white doodads and pink flowers since the day after Christmas, and I'm sure you have too. Yes, the commercialism is a bit too much, but I still love Valentine's Day. I love boxes of chocolates, jewelry and red roses, so shoot me. I'm a hopeless romantic.

I'm putting together a gift buying booklet for men, and I'll give away copies at my booksigning this Saturday. I'd love some input -- your suggestions on a few things.

Not all men are completely clueless about gift buying, so how did those special few get that way? Do they possess a gene the rest of the male population is missing? A really good instruction book I don't know about? Here's the problem: letting the guy know what to get you without making it obvious that you're hinting. Just telling them outright takes away the romance, does it not?

Maybe we're too subtle. We want them to know exactly what we want without us having to say a word. If he knows me, if he really loves me, then he's in tune and knows what pleases me. Am I wrong here? So I drop hints. I leave catalogs around. I make lists. I mention stuff. I point out things I'd like. If the big day comes around and he says he didn't know what I wanted, is it time to hit him over the head?

He should KNOW what kind of woman I am. Perfume or allergies. Chocolate or diet phobic. Real flowers or silk. If he pays attention, he knows this stuff, right?

And here's a real biggie. I want to receive a gift that's something *I* would like, not something he wants me to have. If I'm a flannel jammies gal and he gives me a revealing Victoria's Secret number, I know he has a motive. And his motive wasn't pleasing ME. Worse -- what if that gift makes me think I wasn't sexy enough for him in my T-shirt and lounge pants? See what I mean? He could get himself in real hot water here. On the other hand, what if I am a sexy lingerie gal, so I love that kind of stuff? I'm probably not a perfect size, so do I want him to know my size? Will I be insulted if they're too big? Crushed if they're too small? No wonder guys find gift-giving so complicated.

What about a gift card so that you can buy whatever you want? Does that show his lack of interest? What about a certificate to a spa? Would I think he thinks I hook haggard and need a day of pampering, or will I just accept it at face value and know he wants to pamper me? So many question. So little time left. Do you feel the urgency?

Are there any gifts sure to please? Anything fail safe?

I guess for me it's thoughtfulness. I want something that says he was thinking only of me. Jewelry always does it. Chocolate usually does it.

And once again, no cords, please. Okay, that's just unromantic. 90% of items with cords involve work. “I love you more than life, baby -- and now here’s your new toaster.” See what I mean?

What would please you this valentine's Day?

What's the best Valentine's Day gift you ever received?

in February thoughts turn to love...

...and nothing says love like something from the kitchen, right?

Every year my Valentine's Day cookies are a huge hit. The kids all know I'm going to make batches for them, and these are their favorites. I often have enough to take a tray to a booksigning. They freeze really well.

Many years ago I got the recipe from my husband's grandmother who called them Aunt Myra's Cookies. Since none of us know who Aunt Myra was, we call them Grandma Violet's Cookies. I'm sure that one day they'll be known as Bama's Cookies. (I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but my grandchildren all call me Bama. It started with #1 and never changed. Sometimes I'm The Bomb. Perhaps I never mentioned grandchiildren before either. It gives me a whole wrong image, doesn't it? Forget I said anything.)

Make sure your soda and spices are fresh. I always sift my flour before adding.

CHERYL's VALENTINE SPICE COOKIES

Cream together:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, lard or margarine

add 1 cup molasses
2 egg yolks (save the whites for frosting)
1 tsp soda dissolved in 2/3 cup boiling water
flour for stiff batter: about 5 cups

Mix and chill dough for several hours.
Roll out thin and cut with cookier cutter. Grandma claimed that the rectangles cut from a Spam can made for less re-rolling of the dough. I use heart shapes, of course.

Bake in 375 degree oven about 5 minutes.
Watch closely because they will burn easily.
Frost when cool.

FROSTING:
1 1/2 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together to soft-ball stage
Pour slowly over beaten egg whites and beat until stiff
Add a pinch of soda and 1 tsp vanilla
Add 3 - 4 marshmallows after adding the syrup

The frosting sets up firm and shiny and so pretty!

Happy Weiner-Hog Day!

Today my six-year old grandson came home from school and started redecorating his room, in the form of moving things around on his shelves and dresser. He asked if I'd get the skinny trees we had by the fireplace (meaning the alpine trees I use at Christmas). When I asked what for, he told me it was so we could properly celebrate this special day. "What day is it?" I asked, scanning my brain for February holidays, like president's birthdays. "No. it's not a president," he tells me. "What are those little furry things?"

I think again. Little furry things?

"Weiner-hogs!" he announces. "It's weiner-hog day!"

My husband was standing in the kitchen and he supplied the correct word, because I had to bury my face in a pot of spaghetti sauce. The boy was apparently asscociating words to remember the right term and crossed weiner dog with ground hog.

Guess the little guy saw his Oscar Meyer shadow, eh?

Still Soup Weather: TACO SOUP

Today I made one of my family's favorite soups. We'll eat it again later in the week, and it's great leftover. Doubled, you can serve a crowd.

TACO SOUP

Brown together:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped

28 oz crushed tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
1 can corn
1 can pinto beans
1 packet taco seasoning (I use mild, sone like hot & spicy)
1 or more cups water

Serve with shredded cheese and corn chips.

I promise your family will love it!

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

I've been blogging since 7/06/05 !! Over six months. I confess I'm not a faithful daily blogger. I go through fits and spurts -- like everything else I do. I'm -- what's the word? Impulsive. Yes, that pretty much suits me.

I'm cooking up a contest or two for my favorite holiday; VALENTINE'S DAY! Whoo hoo! Stay tuned.

RITA Judging

I got a stack of books to read and judge for RWA's national RITA award contest. I often find a gem that I wouldn't ordinary have bought or read, so I always look forward to this. As we all know: So many books, so little time....

The Ebay Song

My friend Robyn found this. If you're an ebay nut like us, you'll crack up. Even if you're not, you'll laugh. Can't get it out of my head now.

http://tinafolsomphotography.com/ebay_song.html

Still shopping

I added a red leather jacket to my Christmas gifts. Love it, love it.

Shoes, I confess........

I had to buy shoes. We now have a Discount Shoe Warehouse nearby. Until a new shopping center opened up the only DSW I'd ever seen was in Tulsa, so that wasn't too dangerous. But now...

You get a "membership card" - after spending $250 you get a $25 gift card. Shoes on the top shelf are 80% off, second shelf 70%, on down to 40%. How can you NOT buy at least two or three pair when they're discounted like that? Tell me!

I do have a firm rule for myself, however, so this makes it tough: When a new pair comes in, an "old" pair goes out. I have a freecycle lady who I just email now and she comes to get my departing shoes sight unseen. LOL