on my wish list now

Miss Cheryl (Ginny) Doll

Gray's Anatomy Season Finale

Well, that was a bit of a shocker at the end there. Christine was the one ready to get married and got jilted!

I was a bit confused over the whole head of surgery thing, though. Didn't they show Callie's name on the board as the person selected? And didn't she tell Izzy that she got the position and decided to have a baby that day? But then at the end, the head of surgery was telling McDreamy that he had the job and McDreamy turned it down and told him to do it better himself this time around.

Anyone else confused? I have it taped. Maybe I'll have to watch it again, though I don't want to.

Izzy = Izn't she irritating? "I love Denny, I'll sacrifice my career for him. I can't live without Dead Denny. I'm so depressed, but I love George Oh, I'm so jealous." Pu-leeze.

Melinda Doolittle Sent Home in 'Idol' Shocker

By ERIN CARLSON
NEW YORK (May 17) -

Most observers thought she was a lock to go on to the "American Idol " finale, but Melinda Doolittle was eliminated Wednesday night. The result was a real surprise, considering Doolittle - hands down the best singer there - had the blessing of Simon Cowell . Her departure clears the way for a final showdown between Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis.

"Congratulations to you two. My commiserations, Melinda, 'cause you are one heck of a singer," said a glum Cowell, who covered his face with his hands upon hearing the news.

The acerbic judge had always made clear his affection for the 29-year-old backup singer-turned-diva from Brentwood, Tenn., who delivered knockout performances week after week. Doolittle, who never hit a bad note during her "Idol" run, seemed resigned to her fate. She belted "I'm A Woman" before leaving the stage.

It's tough to predict who'll win next week's finale. Sparks, 17, of Glendale, Ariz., rose from the bottom ranks to gain much momentum in later weeks, and few would deny her broad appeal to viewers of all ages. The bubbly beauty has charisma for miles - a true American idol, her fans argue.

But the 25-year-old Lewis, who hails from Bothell, Wash., has tricks up his sleeve. As this year's hippest contender, the stylish beatboxer has wooed fans by taking risks with song arrangements and infusing even stale pop songs with contemporary flair. He had a big "Idol" moment weeks ago when he mixed up Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" to add fresh beats - a move that secured him a spot in the final four. Even Cowell loved it.

Wednesday's show also featured performances by the band Maroon 5 and former contestant Elliott Yamin, who came in third last year.

Fox is a division of News Corp

Bones Season Finale

Cold-booded murder...
Red Hot Romance...
and a Wedding Surprise to die for!

I can't wait! How about you?

American Idol Prediction: Down to the wire!

After last night, I stand by my prediction that it's Blake's night to go. He's good, he's fun, he's cute...but he can't hold a candle to vocals that can hold their own in a Tina Turner/Whitney Houston showdown. He's not quite quirky or charismatic enough to merit the Tayor Hicks factor. I've thought all along that this has been a girls' competition and tonight will prove it. So, thanks for the entertainment, Blake Baby. Buh bye.

My American Idol Prediction

After Jordin and Melinda's extraordinary performances last week, I predict Blake will go home this week. He should have left well-enough alone with the noises the previous week when they worked and used his voice this time. I like him, I do. I've enjoyed his performances a lot. But when push comes to shove at the end here, it's these two vocally strong women who will duel it out at the end. That choice will be tough for me, because I love them both.

So there you have my Idol prediction. Give yourself the gift of a few minutes to hear Jordin Sparks sing one of my favorte songs and do it justice. In case you've never watched and heard Randy say it a hundred times, here's it is: "She's only seventeen!"

Readers favorite stars

The Harlequin Romance Report 2007, The Romance Revolution, includes the highly anticipated ranking of the male and female celebrities that epitomize The Romance Revolution. With an army of women waiting in the wings to be the next Mrs. Clooney, George Clooney took the number one spot for the men, while stunning songstress and recent breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow topped the women's chart. Honorable mentions on the men's side went to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, comical genius Vince Vaughn, tennis pro Andy Roddick and the sexiest pirate on earth, Johnny Depp. Lovely and talented Salma Hayek, controversial pop star Pink, acting legend Diane Keaton and actress-turned-author Angela Bassett are making it look easy for the women. Other celebrities making this year's list include Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Alex Rodriguez, Matthew Fox, Hugh Laurie, Cameron Diaz, Sandra Oh, Natalie Maines, Melissa Etheridge and Demi Moore.

This is just a taste of the findings in the 2007 Harlequin Romance Report. The full text of The Romance Revolution can be downloaded at http://www.press.eHarlequin.com.

Debbie Macomber

Here's a link to a brief phone interview Debbie Macomber did from Omaha while on tour. A lot of you are fans, so I knew you'd enjoy this.

Season Finales

What will you be sure to watch this week?

Thanks to Margaret Moore, I won a


I am supposed to pass this list of rules to the blogs I am tagging.
The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

Here are the blogs I feel have merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get me thinking.

Super Librarian

Paperback Writer

He Wrote, She Wrote

Teach Me Tonight

Miss Snark

<----- Here I am enjoying Mom's Day.

Mother's Day was good. On Saturday my writers chapter had our annual mother daughter lunch at Upstream this year. LeighAnn and Kristin accompanied me and treated me to lunch, which of course included chocolate. Saw a movie Saturday night.

Sunday after church Jay took me out to eat at the Crowne Plaza. It's a hotel with a lovely Sunday brunch. We ate with friends and enjoyed a leisurely ::two hours:: of quiet conversation and attentive waiters and staff. Afterward we visited with my mom at my brother's home. I got a call from my out of town daughter with good wishes. I'll see her next weekend. Toward evening once we were home, my son and his family came over and brought me presents. Pajamas, shower gel, CHOCOLATE, nail color. My daughter-in-law said Alexis picked out the pajamas. Good job!

I also got a new iced tea maker. My teeth are having boat races right now, because it's so yummy. It was a good weekend.

The Doctor's Wife

If you're a member of paperbackswap.com and you need one, there's a copy of The Doctor's Wife available.

Also noticed a listing for The Mistaken Widow if anyone is missing that one. Didn't look for more, I just know this because I get google alerts for anything posted with my name and this book was posted.

Pet Name Reminder

Remember I asked for names of your pets last year? Well, The Preacher's Daughter is where you can look to see if I used any of yours. I used a lot of them, so it will be fun to hear from you when you find yours.

Here are Mazie and Riley, btw, my daughter's dogs.

Cheryl's Easy Strawberry Shortcake

Cheryl's Easy Strawberry Shortcake

I buy the angel food cake mix that only takes water. I think it's Pillsbury. Other mixes require egg whites, but that one is so simple, that's why I like it. Bake it according to the directions, but bake it in a 9 x 13 pan that you've sprayed with cooking spray.

While it's baking clean and slice 1 - 1 1/2 pints strawberries. (I've also used frozen with excellent results.) While the cake is cooling, prepare a large package of sugar-free strawberry jell-o. I use crushed ice (cause it's on the door of my fridge and easy) added to the cold water to speed setting up. It will still be liquid. Add the strawberries to it.

Use a large meat fork or a knife and poke holes all over the cake. Use the utensil to pull the sides away from the pan. Stab it up really well. The pour the strawberry and jell-o mixture around the sides first. then over the top. You may have to use a big spoon to distribute the liquid and fruit evenly.

Cover it and immediately refrigerate. It takes only a couple of hours to set up if you need it right away. I've made it at the last minute or the night before with perfect results.

Serve with Cool Whip.

Bleeding Heart

Isn't this amazing? I love the bright pink against the background of the ferns. These grow on the north side of my house.

Do you remember the first romance you ever read?

The Bandit and the Gentleman
Both were wounded in the same train robbery in frontier Colorado and left on Abigail McKenzie's doorstep to nurse back to life.

Gentle, loving David, promising her a happiness she'd lost hope of finding, was all a lady could wish for.
Jesse stood for everything she hated: he was rude, violent, roughly handsome and disturbingly sensual.
But it was Jesse's mocking mouth that troubled her dreams, Jesse who made her feel a hundred things a lady should never know, Jesse who challenged her every waking hour. She fought him with all the stiff propriety her stubborn will commanded...but in her burned the aching embers of love too long denied--love that would force her to a choice no woman should ever have to make...

Do you remember the first romance you ever read?

Through my twenties I was a horror fan. Yep, loved Stephen King. I also read true crime and Ann Rule type non-fiction accounts. My first "romance" experiences were accidentally getting a Nora Lofts Gothic from my bookclub. Pretty good. Catherine Cookson. Wow. I remember The Black Dress. Okay, I was hooked. Well, I don't know what inspired me because I'd mostly ordered through the bookclub until the, but in 1983 I went to a store and browsed the racks for something similar to Catherine Cookson. What I found was HUMMINGBIRD. Oh my goodness. I was hooked for life. I ran right back out and found THE RAINBOW SEASON by Lisa Gregory. (Candace Camp) Can you imagine the good fortune of discovering those two authors in my very first romance shopping trip?

I read every book both of them wrote and I branched out, and by then I was a true romance lover. I guess that's where my love of western and Americana comes from. My favorite LaVyrle book of all time is TWICE LOVED. She is the master of taking the mundane details of life and turning them into the stirring details of a love story. Internal conflict, poignant emotions wrung from the soul, and characters you believe in and root for.

What hooked you on romance?

Mother's Day

Remember: You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too many purses or bracelets.


This is a Fossil brand necklace that turns into a charm bracelet. How cool is that? $42 to spoil mom the way she deserves.

If you're a mom, what would you like to get this Mother's Day? If you have a mom, what do you think she would like?

first garden pic of the year: columbine

:: CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTO ::
Did I mention it's monsoon season in Nebraska? The grass is ankle deep because there hasn't been a day dry enough to mow. I think this is the day!

The sun crept out a little before seven last evening, so I hurried out with my camera to get a snap of the one bed I had completed near the front steps. The late frost took all my daffodils and hyacinths, so I was concerned for the columbine, one of my faves. But it looks lovely, doesn't it?

Last week one morning I went out and mixed up my special dirt recipe in a wooden frame Jay made for me. I started filling in beds, turning over the old mulch and dirt. I planted various colors of morning glories that will grow up the front corner near the garage. The rain has been good for seeds, but now we need sun!


Here's a robin in my front yard on an overcast afternoon.

Press Release from Fox

“BONES” TO INTEGRATE VIEWERS IN A MURDER MYSTERY PLOT FOR EPISODE AIRING WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, ON FOX

Five-Week Campaign Kicks Off Wednesday, April 4, on Fox.com and MySpace

Viewers Have Chance to Follow Clues to Decipher Who Victim Will Be And Who Committed Fictional Murder

In an unique integration, the FOX series BONES, in conjunction with Fox.com, has created a comprehensive online world that will parallel the characters and storyline of the upcoming episode “The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House” airing Wednesday, May 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Eighteen MySpace (http://www.myspace.com) profiles have been created to mirror the characters in the episode, and the MySpace pages will be live and accessible through Fox.com (http://www.fox.com and http://www.fox.com/bones) beginning Wednesday, April 4 at noon PT. Additional promotional content related to the character profiles and episode storyline will be available on Fox.com.

In the episode, written by BONES executive producer Stephen Nathan and directed by Caleb Deschanel, Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) are called in by Homeland Security to investigate potentially radioactive remains, which are emitting a green glow at the crime scene. Brennan’s team at the Jeffersonian joins her and Booth in pursuing the murder mystery, which leads them to a group of friends who are shocked to discover that one of their own is the victim. During the course of the investigation, the characters’ MySpace pages become a virtual tool for the Jeffersonian team’s search for answers.

In-depth MySpace pages on characters will include personal blogs referencing the episode’s storyline, as well as photos and videos that reveal details about the characters’ relationships and insights into their personalities. These profiles will enable viewers to immerse themselves in the characters’ world and gather clues as to the identities of both the fictional victim and the murderer.

Personal blog postings and ancillary pages will be updated in real time, multiple times per week, throughout the campaign leading up to the episode – enabling viewers to gather new information, clues and hints on a regular basis. Each profile cross-references the others, creating a parallel online version of the episode’s storyline, with characters commenting on each other’s pages, blogs, images and videos.

BONES is from Josephson Entertainment and Far Field Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Barry Josephson, Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan are executive producers.

Mr. Fix-It

David Boreanaz stars alongside Alana De La Garza in this cute flick.

As Lance Valenteen, Mr. Fix It gets all the dumped men back in the groove by getting their gals back.

Newly dumped guys visit Lance at Mr. Fix It HQ where they plead their case, telling him of that one major flaw that saw their former significant other giving them the axe. Lance gathers the girl’s personal information, sets up a time and place to “accidentally” bump into her, worms his way into her heart, and then, just when she’s totally fallen for him, he takes her ex-boyfriend’s one major flaw and magnifies it, so that he becomes the biggest creep on the planet and the ex becomes Mr. Fantastic again and winds up with the girl. It’s easy money for Lance, but it comes at a price: the business has hardened his heart. But then, romantic comedy formula kicks in, and Lance is assigned to the one girl that turns the tables on him.

I think I'll rent it again, it's been a couple months. If you're a David fan, you'll like it. I appreciated his character growth. And I just appreciated....


TV shows:
Buffy The vampire Slayer (never watched it)
Angel (spinoff - never watched it)
Bones (never MISS it!)

Movies:
The Hard Easy
Mr. Fix-It
The Perfect Lie
Aspen Extreme
Macabre Pair of Shorts
Valenitne
I'm With Lucy
These Girls
The Crow: Wicked Prayer