Years ago I created an e-format of my book through Smashwords and I reckon it’s still there doing nothing, so I thought I’d set it up on Amazon to see if things improve. *cross fingers* Anyhow to celebrate my blogging anniversary, I’m offering a FREE Kindle download of my children’s book, The Tale of Ole Green Eyes. Act fast because it’s only good June 1-5!! 

Writing for a living in the kiddie lit genre was something I wanted and while part of me clings loosely to the idea I’m uncertain when or if I’ll pursue it again but who knows I might surprise myself with a new project in the not-so-distant future.  After all, I keep saying, I want to illustrate one of my children’s stories, so the possibility remains in the back of my head.

For now, I’m going to enjoy the blogging community for what it is right now, a place to interact with my circle of friends with my passions for mewsic, art, photography, giggles, & random mewsing. Who knows maybe, we’ll share the next nine years together!

At the last minute, I decided to incorporate Round 10 BoTB Showdown into my blogversary celebrations. So, what’s my battle song? Well…that’s obvious don’t you think? Kool & the Gangs 80s disco hit, Celebration.

If you’re one influenced visually then close your eyes before hitting play before each song.  My featured artists today are new discoveries. I hope you enjoy my findings.

Contender #1 — Dragon

Contender # 2 — DJ BoBo

**Poll closes at noon (EST) June 7th**

Who gets your vote, Dragon or DJ BoBo?

Tell me which artist is your favorite rendition. There’s no wrong way to vote unless you don’t vote at all.  If you want, you can spill the beans on why you think your artist deserves to win.

You will find more awesome battles underway at some of these blog listed below (not everyone is doing the bi-monthly showdowns now) and if you’d like to be included in the fun, then contact Stephen requesting to be added to the list.

✩ai loves music✩ (Amy), Angels Bark (Michele),  Cherdo on the Flipside,  The Doglady’s Den (Debbie),   Jingle Jangle Jungle (Mary), Mike’s Ramblings,   STMcC Presents BoTB (Stephen, BoTB Manager),   The Sound of One Hand Typing (John), &  Tossing It Out (Lee)

Once again, please don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite artist in June 1st Battle of the Bands in comments. I’ll be back tomorrow with more mewsic. Grab your blue suede shoes and hit the dance floor with ‘your choice song picks‘ with Monday’s Mewsic Moves Me!

A week zipping by lightning fast is one thing, but where did May go? Good grief, the days literally disappear on me! Is it that way with you? I hope today’s memes make you giggle a lot in this edition of Friday Sillies!

I’m gonna wind things down with Friendly Fill-ins hosted by my good friends, Ellen and Lorraine.

1. I would love to be a personal assistant to Donald Trump when he did Celebrity Apprentice.  It was such a fun show to watch.

You’re fired! ~Donald Trump

2. If I had a boat, I would name it Stayin’ Afloat. Get it? Stayin’ Alive! What do you mean that’s not funny? I thought it was and besides, you’ll knot (pun intended) catch me ever on a boat.

3. I want to improve my art sketching abilities.  The only way to do this is to keep practicing and challenging myself. 

4. Surprises are good if they are happy surprises.  For instance, like the happy surprise, I have for you below! Tomorrow marks my 9th Blogversary and to celebrate the occasion for my existence in the Blogosphere community I set my children’s book up on Amazon in Kindle format, The Tale of Ole Green Eyes. Download for free, just click on the link (book title) to claim your copy between June 1-5th.

Speaking of celebrations,  I hope to see you on the dance floor for your choice song picks on Mondays Mewsic Moves Me on Sunday!  

More Friday linkups…

• Celebrate the Small Things
• Feline Friday
• Friday Features Linky Party
• Friday Frivolity
• Friendship Friday
• Skywatch Friday

In the era my parents were born (late 30s to mid-40s) times were hard for the mountaineers. Folks in the small woods communities in McDowell County had few luxuries and many lived in conditions we would think are primitive today.

I got to thinking about their many inconveniences and things we take for granted like bathrooms. In those days, you went to the bathroom in an Outhouse (outdoor toilet) in most areas. Although, finding a spot behind a tree would work, too. When I was a little girl that’s the only bathroom my family had until the late 60s. Have you had the privilege of using one?Now, this brings me to the point of post. I have a funny story to share about my last time in an outhouse.

In the early 80s, we went home for a weekend visit to my in-laws. Years ago, we sorta coördinated our trips home when DH’s older brothers and their wives would be there, too. On this particular stay the house was full of people.

It was night-time, everyone was doing their own thing as I laid on the sofa reading a scary book when mother nature made her call. I didn’t waste time to check the bathrooms ~ upstairs bathroom…occupied. SHOOT! Downstairs bath…taken! DANG!! I had no other recourse than to venture out into the darkness…alone. It sounds like I’m a bit of scaredy Cathy, doesn’t it? If you said, yes, then you’re right. Trust me, no one wants to go to an outhouse with you. I grabbed a flash light; out the door, across the lawn, and down the hill I went.

Making myself comfortable, it was then I realized all alone…in the dark… and at the edge of the woods my ears picked up every tiny sound. My eyes darted rapidly back and forth.  I heard scratching and movement. Where was it? My heart quickened. It wasn’t uncommon for animals to amble across my in-laws property. Was it a bear? A panther? Anything was possible, after all I was in wild, wonderful, West Virginia.

My brow was tense, my nostrils flared excitedly with each breath, and my pulse beating 100mps. “Okay,” I thought, “If its a bear I can out run it, but a big cat? No way!” Exhaling heavily, I voiced out loud, “Stay calm. Walk, don’t run. Keep alert!” With saucer wide eyes, I gradually opened the door. So far so good! I don’t see anything, I thought.

I paced my feet – not too fast and not too slow. My heart-felt like it would jump out of my chest. DH told me on several occasions how the terrifying cry from the big cat woke him in the middle of the night or how he sensed the stealthy creature prowling around in the shadows after he’s returned home at night when we dated. Why even Grandma Kennedy told us the story of a panther that chased her and her sister home when she was young; barely escaping death from the merciless feline we named Green Eyes.

The minute long trip back to the comfort of my in-laws’ home took forever or so it seemed. Breathlessly, I told DH about my experience. Trying to not laugh, I’m sure he giggled just a bit, a silly grin creased his face. “That was a mouse more than likely. They like to build nests under the outhouse.”

My shoulders slumped with relief. I was happy my wild suspicions was nothing more than a mouse but I couldn’t help to think, “What if it weren’t a mouse, but ole Green Eyes?”

Please forgive me, but this is a good time to toss in a plug for my children’s story. Check out… The Tale of Ole Green Eyes  Thanks!

In retrospect, I like to think my venture was every bit as exciting as a panther lurking somewhere in the dark, unseen and not a little mouse. However, I never used the outdoor facilities again after that and avoided being out after dark…alone. lol

You may enjoy reading the Time’s article A Brief History of Toilets. Personally, I am thankful we have toilets…in our home where you don’t have to wear a coat or carry a shotgun when you go to the bathroom, aren’t you?

What outhouse stories do you have to share?

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Wait, there is more…

If you would like a personally autographed copy of my book ($7.99 MSRP) from my personal reserve, then I’m going to extend the 50% off offer to those who buy the e-book version. Your cost will be $4.00 plus shipping/handling.

To complete the special pricing a manual PayPal invoice will need to be generated. This is easy-peasy! All you’ll need to do is send an email to curiousasacathy@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to do this for you.

NOTE: This offer is effective only while supply lasts or until June 30, 2012 which ever comes first.

Be still my beating heart, it’s Friday! Whoo-hoo, let the partying begin!!! Alright, I’m not a party animal and I never been. Fridays signal it’s time to kick back and relax.  Au contraire to what some may think, SAHM do look forward to the weekends just as much as working gals and guys.

Yesterday’s post entitled Yesterday I asked questions about monetizing your blog. Please, if you haven’t given your two cents (pardon the pun) on this topic yet, then I certainly welcome reading your personal experience a little or a lot.

Oooh, did you by chance notice in my right side menu ——–> Yes, Amazon is doing it again! They have dropped the price on my book, temporarily.  This is a tremendous saving for you at Amazon’s expense.

Do you know of any kiddos who would like a copy of it for their birthday or Christmas or any occasion? If so, order yours before the price shoots up again!

Now where was I? Oh yes…

Lucky for me, lucky for you this is one of my Fridays which I can do a little blog hopping.  With that being said, I’m going to visit Hilary’s @

Each week, Hillary plans to list four statements with a blank for you to fill in on your blog. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own, please email them to her at  here.  If she uses them, then she will add you as co-host to the hop! This week’s co-host is Beth Ann from It’s Just Life (she came up with the last two statements)

It would give Hillary a lot of  LOVE, if you could please help her spread the word about this hop – Tweet it, FaceBook share, and add the linky to your post…


This week’s statements:

1.Somehow____ comes naturally to me
2.I could spend hours in a ____ store
3.If money and time were no consideration, today I would ____________________and _____________________.
4.You should always take time to _______________

My answers:

1.Somehow doing everything wrong(not really, it just sounds funny) comes naturally to me

2.I could spend hours in a virtual rubber stamp (remember, I hate shopping except for online!) store

3.If money and time were no consideration, today I would say to my sweetie, “Forget work today!” and then I would pack a weekend bag for us to venture off someplace without a care in the world.

4.You should always take time to each day to do something special for yourself. It makes no difference what it is, as long as it gives you joy.

Time for you to have some fun. Hilary has a few rules, but they are totally doable. Here’s all she’s asking you to do…

• Please add the Follow Friday button to your post or your blog.
• Next Follow Hilary, (you can follow me, too =D). If there is a co-host, please follow them as well. Leave a comment for Hilary and she will follow back (me, too!)!
• Finally, link your Follow Friday Four Fill-In Fun post to the linky below and don’t forget to grab the linky to post on your blog

Have a fun-filled weekend!

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For more book reviews, click here

Blogger Broadcast wrote a lovely review of my children’s book. I hope you’ll decide to take a moment to read it here!

Thanks, Amanda!
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Indian summer gave way in the Appalachian Mountains with the colors of autumn blanketing the East Tennessee hillside. Two sisters, Brittany and Nicole, were spending the weekend with their grandparents.

On the first evening of their stay, Great-Grandma Sarah had come for a visit. By the warmth of a cozy fire in the living room, Brittany and Nicole listened closely to Great-Grandma’s true story about a face-to-face meeting with a panther named, Ole Green Eyes, and how she and younger sister, Ella, barely escaped a terrible fate.

The weekend’s promise of fun with their grandparents included cookie baking, apple picking, and romping through the leaves. However, when the two sisters venture into the woods and find a large paw print in the soft dirt, they suddenly recall Great-Grandma’s story and warnings about wild animals in the woods from their Papaw. As the late afternoon sunlight begins to fade, the woods darken quickly and things soon get a little scary. Turn the pages now, if you dare to read Brittany and Nicole’s adventure in, THE TALE OF OLE GREEN EYES.

This is an early reader both boys and girls, ages 5-9, will enjoy. If you still want an autographed copy, but want to take advantage of Amazon’s hot deal then zip me an email requesting an autographed book-plate. Send who you want the book to be autographed to and your address.