Top Ten Tuesday

 Today's Top Ten list is my least favorite chores.

Top Ten Least Favorite Chores

10. Taking out the garbage. I put this at number 10 because it's the lowest on my list of least favorite, mostly because the hubby and the son do the bulk of it.

9, Folding laundry. It's just not fun and back when I did the whole family's laundry, I'd fold the kids' clothes and then find them the next day on the floor in a pile... at least it would be a neat pile?

8. Vaccuming. Especially the stairs. When he was little my son loved the vaccuum. I mean used to chase as soon as he could crawl. So once he was old enough he loved doing the vaccuming. When we bought a handheld cordless Dyson for the stairs, you'd think it was Christmas and this was a gift just for him. Man, do I miss those days.

7. Cleaning out the fridge. Why is it that something has always fallen over and leaked all over the place? Only, in the back and you didn't know and now it's hard and sticky or totally dried on... 

6. Picking up the dog poop. It's my job when walking the dog and it's not the worst thing in the world (sure it better than accidentally stepping in some that wasn't picked up) but there are days when you just can't get away from the smell until you get home and toss it.

5. Cleaning the oven. At least now they're mostly self-clean, but you still have to get down in and there and wipe it out, plus scrub the really burnt in bits.

4. Washing windows. Just no thanks. I can never get them not streaky.

3. Drying Dishes. I don't mind washing them, but I hate drying them. I'll fill the rack, let them airdry, empty the rack and wash the rest if I have to in order to avoid actually drying.

2. Washing the bathtub. Bending over or hands and knees and scrubbing? Yuck.

1. Ironing. I hate ironing so much that I just don't do it anymore. Almost all my stuff doesn't need to be ironed anyway, and if it does, I just hang it up so the wrinkles sort of come out of it.

Have a non-chore day!

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

 Last week I did fiction shows, so I thought this week I'd do reality shows. Top Ten Reality Shows I have recently watched. Again, these are in no particular order.

Top Ten Reality Shows

1. The Big Flower Fight - like the Great British Baking Show, this takes place in England, in a tent. It involves teams who create all sorts of different topiaries and things using flowers/trees/etc. It was suprisingly charming.
2. Blown Away - a competition for glassblowers. It was amazing to see the different things these people could make out of glass. I have taken a few beginner classes where you make a single thing - very basic stuff, so I knew how damn hard all this stuff was. 
3. The Circle - This one is a social media experiment, where they take nine different people, put them in individual apartments in a building and let them communicate only by social media. Some put themselves out there for real, others are catfishing, and they vote people out and eventually vote for a winner. I wasn't sure what I expected, but I did think it would be fairly... nasty? but it was surprisingly interesting and even the folks who were pretending to be people they weren't were interesting and not scummy. 
4. The Floor is Lava - I remember my kids playing this game when they were little - jumping from piece of furniture to furniture because 'the floor was lava'. It works pretty well as a game show.
5. Nailed It - I watch this in fits and starts and there's almost always new episodes I haven't seen when I feel like watching it again. The baked results are usually hilarious and the host manages to make everything funnier.
6.  Big Brother - I still find this show fascinating and was pleased there was a new season. It totally makes sense that you can do it if you isolate everyone for two weeks first and test them multiple times. 
7. Ru Paul's Drag Race - I'd never watched it before so I've mainlined all 11 seasons. 
8. Tough as Nails - A competition for blue collar workers to see who is toughest. The guy I was rooting for won, which is always nice. But my favorite to watch was an older woman who lasted well into the middle of the competition. She was defintely tough as nails.
9. The Amazing Race - it's back for another season - they  obviously made this one last year and once Covid hit decided to wati to air it until this fall when they knew they might have a lack of new shows to air.
10. Halloween Baking Championship - I like most of the food network cooking competitions, but this one is on currently so it's why it's the one listed. 

I like watching the reality shows especially when I need something that doesn't take a lot of concentration and isn't intense. Like after watching an episode of Bly Manor - one of the above shows will immediately take the creeps out of me. Also, a lot of them are fascinating studies in human behavior.

Have a great Tuesday!

Sean

smut fixes everything 

Top Ten Tuesday

 With all that's going on in the world, I have to admit that I've been having a hard time keeping up with the dailies, but I'm determined to get back into the swing of things and I'm starting with a top ten list - recently watched shows. While there are ten, they are in no particular order, these are ten shows that I have enjoyed.

Top Ten Shows Recently Watched

1. Lucifer - This one is not new to me, but I loved the latest season. I have said it before and I will say it again - all shows should be written as if it was their last season because the quality is often superior.
2. Umbrella Academy - I had watched the first couple of episodes when season 1 came out, but got busy and never finished it, so when season 2 arrived, I binged it from the start in about two days.
3. Star Trek: Discovery - The new season has only just started and I loved the first episode. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes.
4. Lovecraft Country - I came late to this one and got to binge four or five episodes in a row, and then wished I had waited until the whole season had dropped, because it is immanently bingeable and I so wanted to keep going. So now I'm waiting until I have a few episodes banked before going back to it.
5. The Haunting of Bly Manor - I'm only on episode 4 because I find it so very creepy and I watch with the hubby, but only a single episode at a time because I do not want to have watched several episodes only to have him go up to bed, leaving me alone with the creepy feelings. So we watch 1 and then watch other stuff before he has to go to bed. (Yes I'm a wuss when it comes to horror.)
6. The Walking Dead: World Beyond - I had been watching The Walking Dead and then the Talking Dead after each new episode until that season opening with Neagan. Yeah. That was so bleak, so awful and I just couldn't bring myself to watch anymore. I might eventually go back and pick up from the next episode and finish out the series. That was the point when I stopped watching Fear the Walking Dead as well. I just couldn't deal. Again, maybe I'll go back and watch the rest of the episodes. But we thought we'd give World Beyond a try and three episodes in we're liking it. I love that the kids call the zombies 'empties'. I think it's an interesting take being from the pov of young people who have grown up with zombies as a reality in their life and how that changes their attitudes towards the whole zombie apocalypse compared to the adults.
7. Marvel's Agents of Shield - I had thought it had been cancelled, so I was delighted when there was a 'final season' aired over the summer. Some seasons were good, some seasons were meh and some were not good at all, but this last season? Best writing the show has ever had. Not hampered by having to conform to the canon of the movies helped a lot, I think, but also knowing it was their last season seems to have upped the writing game. 
8. Warrior Nun - Had no idea what this was going to be like and absolutely loved it. I really hope there is going to be another season.
9. Teenage Bounty Hunter - Had no idea what to expect from this one - oh my goodness so much fun. Irreverent, funny, heartwarming. And omg, they are such teenagers. A surprise gem.
10. Away - I enjoyed this one, especially the way being on the mission changed the people who were stuck together. The addition of following the families as well kept it from being too clausterphobic. 

I've watched lots of other stuff too, but these came to mind as the top ten from the last few months. 

Happy Tuesday!

Sean

smut fixes everything 

Top Ten Tuesday

It''s no secret I don't like the heat. At least at the moment the humidity isn't as nearly as bad as it can be some summers, so it's that little bit better. Anyway, I thought it would be the perfect time to do a top ten list about what I love about winter!

Top Ten Things I Love About Winter

1. Snow! I love snow in all it's forms, but especially the great big slow flakes that leave the world hushed.
2. Getting to wear hoodies! I really enjoy wearing sweaters and hoodies and just can't the rest of the year 'cause they make me too hot.
3. Christmas! I do love the holiday season. Decorating and giving gifts and making cookies for people makes me happy.
4. 
   My birthday! I'm a winter baby.
5. Cold weather! Give me a cold day over a hot day anytime.
6. Blue skies! On the coldest of days there is very little humidity in the air and the sky is this incredibly blue blue that it doesn't get any other time of year.
7. Less daylight! Yeah, yeah, I know this makes me a weirdo, but I like the shorter days. I am not a fan of sunshine and much prefer shorter days (sure by about March I'm ready for longer ones again, but as soon as the heat hits I'm looking forward to winter again.)
8. No bugs! I have never seen a mosquito here in the middle of winter.
9. White Hot Chocolate! I can have it during the summer if I want to, but there's nothing like a white hot chocolate on a cold winter's day. It warms you from the inside out.
10. Snowstorms! The world becoming blanketed and quiet and everyone staying inside and watching. 

I don't know why I used exclamation marks for all of those...

Anyway - can you tell that I love winter?

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

If you have suggestions for top ten lists, please let me know or I'll wind up doing stuff like today's top ten favorite articles of clothing to wear

Top Ten Favorite Articles of Clothing To Wear (in no particular order)

1. pyjamas - the softer the better, but not too warm - I love to lounge in them
2. hoodie - again, the softer the better, I prefer 'em a little oversize and with a zipper up front.I have one I got in Texas when visiting BA and the zipper is now broken, but it's still wonderful to wear.
   
3. hats - I have to wear a hat in the sun or I get sunstroke, so I have a lot. A lot. The one I wear when walking in the summer is like the one to the right only purple. But I tend to buy ball caps as souvenirs whenever I go anywhere.
4. leggings - softer the better (sensing a theme?) and I don't like them too tight, but I prefer them to any other kind of pants
5. t-shirt - you guessed it, I like them soft, and I hate it if the collar is small and touches my throat. I like v-necks a lot because of this.
6. sleeveless t-shirts - soft, cool, the best thing for summer
7. shawls - I have a couple I like for when it's cool in the house or cooler but not cold outside
8. sweater - I don't wear one often, but in the evening in spring and fall if I'm outside, they're great - I have a jack skelington one that goes to halfway down to my knees and it's gotten softer as it's been washed.
9. flip-flops - not the kind that separates the little toes from the big toe - I hate those, but the ones that have a strap across the top of your foot. There's these ones that are cushiony and super comfy and I wear them year round in the house (I have diabetes and have to be careful of my feet)
10. Okay, so there isn't actually ten. Honestly, I like my clothes comfy and easy to wear and while I will wear dresses and socks and shoes and whatnot when I have to, I don't particularly enjoy wearing any of them. 

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I asked for suggestions for Top Ten Lists and flowers were suggested, so here we are. (I'm always open for suggestions so send 'em to me if you've got a subject you'd like me to do a top ten list for.) Again, this is my top ten favorite flowers, but they aren't necessarily in order.







Top Ten Favorite Flowers

1. Tulips - we have a tulip festival every year (not this year though) and there are so many different varieties and colours (as evidenced by the 4 photos on the post that are all tulips - pictures taken at the festival a couple years ago). I love going and seeing them all.
2. Crocus - I even have these tattooed on my right arm as a part of my sleeve and they are a wonderful sign that spring is here
3. Roses - another one with lots of variety and colours I like how the petals look like silk
   
4. Daffodils - another harbinger of spring! I like the standard yellow ones, but also the organgy ones too
5. Snapdragons - they look as neat as they sound - the dragons of flowers!
6. Iris - another one with several varieties and colours - I like the purple ones best
7. Peonies - these petals look like velvet!
8. Phlox - I love how they can blanket the ground 
   
9. Daisies - so bright and happy
10. Sunflowers - big and bright and fun

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

As we've had breakfast and lunch foods, today must be time for dinner foods! Although a lot of dinner and lunch items are interchangeable. Again, these are some favorites, but you could probably move them up and down the top ten list at any given time. Although I always loved seared scallops and they are probably always going to be my number one item on this list.

Top Ten Favorite Dinner Foods

1. Seared Scallops. Sweet, soft, I love love love them. Add in some lemon beurre blanc and some perfectly cooked asparagus and I'm a super happy camper. Those last two items are totally optional in the whole I love seared scallops game.
2. Steak. I prefer a fairly tender cut, but the fat is where all the flavor is, so I like a little fat on it, too. There's one restaurant that does this honey spiced marinated steak that is so delicious. I like my steak rare if it's a really good restaurant, otherwise medium rare.
3. Fried Chicken. When I was a kid, I always picked KFC for my birthday supper. I still like KFC, though it's more hit and miss depending on how fresh the oil is. If it's not too dark and super crispy - that's the best.
4. French Canadian Split Pea Soup. I got my recipe from my mom, but I found one you do in the Instant Pot that is super close in flavor and it doesn't have to sit on the stove all day. I use yellow split peas for this. And I love it best with a fresh baked roll.
5. Lobster. Oh man, so expensive, but just delicious dipped in in garlic butter. Guh.
6. Calamari. Preferably lightly breaded and deep-fried with a sweet and spicy sticky sauce to dip it into
7. Tongue. I prefer beef tongue, but pork tongue is also good. I simmer it with onions salt and pepper for about 2-3 hours, let it get cold and then slice it and have it in sandwiches. I will eat this for any meal or as a hearty snack, really.
8. Roast beef dinner. That would be roast beef, roasted potatoes, brussel sprouts fried with bacon, and buttery sweet cooked carrots.
9. Shrimp. Yeah, I'm a huge seafood fan - don't like fish, but if it's got a shell, I am there. I like my shrimp prepared a bunch of ways but it's best either with grits as an accompaniment, grilled with garlic, or marinated in a lime chipotle sauce and wrapped in bacon.
10. Fajitas. One restaurant does buffalo chicken fajitas that are super yummy, but then so is their grilled steak fajitas. My go to at home is steak ones. 

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

Last week was breakfast, so this week is lunch themed! While these are my faves, they aren't necessarily in order - and also the order might change. For instance while the burger is listed first here, some days I just don't feel like a burger. Also some of these I prefer from a restaurant, some are things that I make at home.

Top Ten Favorite Lunch Foods

1. Burger - I love me a good burger, whether made at home or from a restaurant or fast food joint
2. Onion rings - I prefer the ones that are quite thick and large, soft onions, super crunchy outsides
3. Grilled Cheese Sandwich - I love me a grilled cheese, whether it's using craft singles, cheeze whiz or brie/camembert, I love it. Each different type of cheese tastes best with different types of bread, btw, so for me there's way more to a grilled cheese sammy than just smacking together some bread and some cheese.
4. Fries - what more do I need to say?
5. Poutine - the best ones are from a food truck and the french fries are hot enough to burn fingers and mouths for the first few minutes. And they have to be made with cheese curds, not grated cheese!
   
6. Pogos - the Canadian version of corn dogs. And these have to be from a fast food joint/food truck. You can buy them frozen - they are just not the same. In fact I'd be inclined to say gross.
7. Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches - these taste best on fresh white sliced bread, with the extra smooth peanut butter and homemade strawberry jam (if the jam isn't homemade, I'm not intersted)
8. Hot Dogs - preferably from home and preferably with toasted white bread. Margarine on the bead, ketchup and mustard on the bread, do the hot dog in a frying pan so its crispy on the outsides.
9. Leftover Chicken Sandwiches - I love taking the leftover meat off a thigh, warming it in the microwave and having it on bread with a little bit of ketchup.
10. Mac 'n Cheese - whether it's the white cheddar mac 'n cheese from a mix or homemade in the instand pot, I'm not hugely picky when it comes to mac 'n cheese. My mom used to make it with elbow macaronis and cheeze whiz and I still like that, too.

And now I'm hungry! I'll need to see what's in my cupboard.

Sean

smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I thought I'd do my Top Ten Favorite Breakfast Foods today. I might do lunch and supper in the next few weeks. I have to admit, bacon will probably make an appearance on all the lists!

To Ten Favorite Breakfast Foods

10. Scrambled eggs. I like eggs, they just aren't my favorite. And I really do prefer them scrambled.

9. Homefries - but they have to be the right kind. I like them crispty on the outside and soft on the inside and there are very few places that do them like that.

8. Hashbrowns - again, this is with a caveat - I like them crispy!

7. Waffles. Sometimes I really feel like a waffle, but most of the time I'd prefer one of the things that are higher on this list. I like them with lots of melted butter and either some fruit compote or some maple syrup.

6.  Pancakes. I like 'em buttermilk and fluffy, with lots of butter and maple syrup (real is best, but I'll totally take the fake stuff.)

5. Sausages. Breakfast sausages are things of yumminess. I like them well done on the outside and dipped into maple syrup.

4. Chicken fried stead. The Denny's up here does it, but the it tastes way better when I visit the states!

3. Biscuits. Homemade are best, but restaurants do pretty well with it, too. Lots of butter on them, please. And they also taste good with a bit of maple syrup on them.

2. Grits. Mmmm, I do love me some grits. Butter and brown sugar, please, but I'm happy to have them with butter and a little bit of salt, too. I only discovered grits in the last 15 years or so and they are yummy..

1. Bacon! I love bacon. A lot. An unhealthy a lot, probably, but it's just the most yum!


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday - Hammer Club Couples

I thought I'd list some of my favorite Hammer Couples. Now, I have a hard time picking favorites, especially with my own writing (my favorite is almost always the last couple I wrote) but I thought I'd choose couples who were the most fun to write.

Top Ten Most Fun Hammer Couples to Write

10. Devon and Barny from This Old House. I've made these guys number 10 because technically they are from a side series - Box of Nails. But they are members of the Hammer Club and they started the entire Box of Nails series, which is another super fun one to write.

9. Oliver and Jack. These guys don't have their own story - but they appear in countless of the other books. Oliver is the old guard. He's the one who started the Hammer Club. He's the one who trained Marcus. He's not perfect - he certainly makes mistakes like he did initially with his judgement of Tanny, but he is a good man. And he and Jack need each other like whoa. And Jack, my screamer, is very fun to write.

8. Hunter and Forrest from Gravity. Ah, my second chance lovers. They broke up, circumstance brings them back together again and they get a chance to make things right. Gotta love being able to make things right.

7. Matt and Adam from Sold. I enjoyed writing these two so much, I followed them to the east coast and the B&B they bought and the Briar Rose series was born. One of the few stories I've done in the Hammer Series where the sub has so much more experience than the Dom. It totally works for them, as does them opening a BDSM B&B where couples can come to learn and explore and get their lives back on track.

6. Gordon and Frank from Push. Ah, my older couple. Frank first appeared in Billy and Tanny's story. He was just a side character, the PI who helps them out. Who knew he had a story of his own to tell? I certainly did until he poked me and told me to start writing. I do love the pushy ones. These two were fun to write, and they're a pair of very good men who are a credit to their community.

4. Bellamy and Key from Trust. Sweet little Key came to me first, with his sad eyes and his suitcase containing everything he owned in the world. It took no time at all for Bellamy to show up and claim him. I do love it when a Top can help his sub heal and learn to trust again.

4. Nick and Little Francis from Beaten. Talking about loing it when a Top can help his sub heal and learn to trust again... Nick and Little Francis have this in spades. They also have another novel in them, and it's just a matter of time. This next novel is super kinky, too.

3. Simon and Jeremy from Forged. You'll note my top three are the three I have revisited most often in short stories *grins*. This one started off normally enough, I had the fish out of water sub Jeremy and the a little older, established top Simon and they got together and adored each other from the start. Then, to my surprise, Jeremy was injured and lost his legs. That was not the plan, but the characters knew and suddenly Jeremy needed Simon in a whole new way to keep him even and focussed and remind him what he had to live for. It is always fun when a character zigs where you expect them to zag.

2. Billy and Tanny from Found, Snared and Owned. These guys practically wrote themselves. They even pointed out when they were at an end point for that section of the story, which is why they are three long (for me) novels. I do love it when they show up in my head with their stories all right there for me to write down. I still love Tanny's attitude - he cracks me up.

1. Marcus and Jim from Bent.  How could they not be number 1? These guys started it all. I had their beginning in my brain, I could see it clearly, and I sat to write and bam, they just kept going and going and going. At 125000 words, I figured I'd better stop there. It was a good ending and as it was it was so much longer than most of what I had written. There's still more of their story to write, I just need to find the right time to do it. But I loved writing them and when I do the shorter stories featuring them, it's like putting on a comfortable outfit and off they go to tell a bit more of their story.

Top Ten Tuesday

Talking about the Twelve Apostles last week made me think of other places that I have been that were a similar experience. To me, there are some things in nature that are almost religious and they fill me with wonder. While these are my top ten amazing places in the world (that I have been to) they are not in any particular order because how can you put one of these amazing places ahead of the next? I can't and I don't want to, I just want to celebrate each one.

Top Tem Places That Have Amazed Me

1. White Sands, New Mexico. Out of nowhere, there's this desert of the brightest white sand. You feel like there should be an ocean washing up on it, but there isn't. And it's so damn bright as to be almost blinding. Incredible.
2. Cape Reinga, New Zealand. This is at the tip of the North Island and it's where the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean meet. I could have sat there on the bluff and watched the waters meet, listen to the waves crashing together, for days.
3. Northen Tip of Jutland, Denmark. This is the northern tip of Denmark where the North and Baltic seas meet. It's just as powerful as Cape Reinga, but instead of lushness, it's all sand dunes. Still awesome.
4. Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Talk about power. The water rushes over the edge and pounds down into the river below, throwing up tons of mist. They are loud and majestic and in the winter there is ice coating everything from railings to trees as the mist freezes in the cold. You can go behind the falls and see them from inside out. You can go on a boat that will take you as close as it can down below. Or you can just stand next to them, down the road from them, and watch and listen to the majesty.
5. Great Barrier Reef, Australia. We took a day tour on a boat to see them, donned snorkles and swam above them. The colors were incredible, the formations amazing. I have never seen anything like them.
6. Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Australia. First of all, all the red dirt in central Australia is really cool and then, out of the flat land are these rock formations. I can see why they are sacred to the aboriginals. I got to see Kata Tjuta at sunset and Uluru at sunrise. Magificent. Just make sure you wear one of those hats with the mesh that comes down around to your neck because omg, the flies!
7. Heidelberg Castle, from Schlierbach. So when I was 10 we went to Germany for a year. We lived in a suburb of Heidelberg called Schlierbach, which was around the hill from the castle which hovered on the side of the hill over the city. You could walk along the hill and approach the castle and grounds from behind. When it isn't tourist season, this castle was 'ours' (and all the other Heidelbergers) and we would walk to it almost daily and wander around the grounds. 
8. Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, New Zealand. I'm sure I would name other glaciers too if I had been to them, but these are the only two I have seen in person. I love the different colors of the ice, but the blues are my favorite part. It's incredible to imagine that these slow-moving giants have been around for so long and are continually changing. 
9. Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada. The water simply disappears for miles and miles when the tide is out. Nature is incredibly cool. Seriously.
10. Beaches on the Atlantic ocean. I have been to the beach in Nova Scotia, and I have been to the beach in Florida and while one was warm and the other one much colder, they both have the waves coming in over and over again. I realize a lot of my top ten places involve water and it's because to me there is something peaceful and renewing about the water. It speaks to me somewhere inside. My sister got marries on the beach and we flew in late Friday and left early Sunday, but I spent almost every moment of Saturday on or near the beach and could hear the water the entire time and when we got home I felt so reinvigorated. 

So there you have it, ten amazing places in the world. There are so many more that I have been to - all of New Zealand is incredible, from the caves, to the dormant and not-dormant volcanos, the mud pits, the glaciers and mountains, the beaches, the hundreds of years old trees... and that's just one country!

And I didn't even name the place that inspired this list in the first place! The Great Ocean Road, Australia, with its Twelve Apostles and other rock formations, and all that beach.

Have a wonderful Tuesday.
Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I was going to do this last Tuesday and then all of a sudden it wasn't Tuesday anymore! So here this week are my Top Ten Birthday Things.

Top Ten Birthday Things.

10. When I turned 18 my best friend, whose birthday was two months minus three days before mine, took me to a bar (18 is the legal drinking age in Montreal) and I discovered that I do not like the taste of alcohol at all. Not much has changed - I do enjoy a very fruity cider, and a not too strong frozen lime margarita, but otherwise, yech.

9. Several of my tattoos were birthday gifts from the hubby.

8. My sister's traditional gift has become dinner and a movie - we've done it the last ten years or so.

7. My nephew always makes his own cards on a piece of plain 8x11 printer paper and ever since he could write he makes me tear up with the nice things he says.

6. When I was little we could choose anything we wanted for our birthday supper. I almost always chose KFC - we pretty much never ate out and I just loved the chicken.

5. When I was seven or eight - can't remember which one it was - I got a card with a picture of a bike cut out of a catalog in it - and as soon as spring arrived, I got my first ever bike.

4. This year my daughter got me not only a GC for a massage, but included a little coupon in her card for a lift there and back, as well as lunch!

3. Schnizle mitt frits on my birthday in Heidelberg when I turned 11.

2. It has become a tradition on my birthday that my mom makes me seafood tartelette - a danish dish that I love. It's served in little tart shells with a creamy sauce and had little shrimp, scallops and asparagus in it. So yummy. (like a grown up version of the KFC I used always want for my bday supper). I found a recipe in english for it - only instead of the codfish balls they use in this recipe, my mom's are made with scallops.

1. I turned 25 in Australia. My sister and I were travelling Down Under at the time and on this day we did a drive with a wee tour along the Great Ocean Drive. I loved the Twelve Apostles formation so much.


smut fixes everything
Sean

Top Ten Tuesday

Today's Top Ten Tuesday visits my favorite cooking competition shows.

Top Ten Favorite Cooking Competition Shows

10. Worst Cooks in America. It always boggles my mind just how bad some of these cooks are.

9. The Great Food Truck Race. I look forward to this one showing up every summer.

8. Guy's Grocery Games.  Guy's Diners Drive-ins and Dives makes me crazy, so I wasn't sure I'd like the grocery games when they came along, but I do! I especially like it when the judges are the ones cooking.

7. Chopped. This was one of the first that I watched and I enjoy it a lot. The themed ones are especially fun.

6. Cutthroat Kitchen. They don't seem to be making new episodes, but it was a great show. Best thing about it? How much joy Alton Brown got out of inflicting the sabotages on the contestants.

5. Masterchef Canada. I always find it fun to watch Canadian versions of shows.

4. Halloween/Christmas/Spring Baking Championship. I really enjoy these seasonal ones with themes, although I like some of the judges better than others.

3. Best Baker in America. The desserts made in this competition are always amazing looking.

2. The Great British Baking Show. Oh my God, I love this show. It's so much fun. I loved it with Mel and Sue as the hosts, but I also love it with Noel and Sandy.

1. Masterchef Australia. I watch this show whether I've seen the episode before or not. I will watch them over and over again. We have three seasons available to us and they run them over and over and I just keep watching.


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I thought today I'd list my current top ten favorite cookies - homemade. Of course, this list changes on a regular basis, but this is my favorite ten today. I've put the links to recipes in if I have them.

Top Ten Favorite Homemade Cookies

10. Chocolate Chip cookies. I like them, but the aren't the big fave. I alway try a different recipe when I get a yen to make them.

9. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I think I like these better than the chocolate chip cookies because there's more chew from the oatmeal.

8. Almond Joy Cookies. Eating these really are just like eating an almond joy. And they're super simple - just 4 ingredients!

7. Chocolate Stars. I make these every year at Christmas too. They're made with icing sugar and cocoa and have just a touch of cinnamon in them that really makes the flavor.

6. Meringues. These don't always work out because if it's too humid they don't try out properly, but I usually do better with the overnight ones. I omit the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. At christmas I will put crushed candy canes into them. And I love throwing them in a piping bag and having fun with them. I love how they just melt in your mouth.

5. Cranberry Swirls. This always makes the final cut for holiday cookies because they are one of my favorites.

4. Pecan Pie Cookies. I was really skeptical about this one until I had them. They are so good. I use homemade pie crust instead of storebought and I omit the chocolate drizzle.

3. Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodles. Nothing like upping the cinnamon quotient by adding cinnamon chips. Which I can't get here - I always try to bring some back when I visit New Mexico.

2. Lemon Rhubarb Cookies. As you might know, I love rhubarb, but I was having trouble finding a cookie recipe that I really liked. Until I found this one. Lemon and rhubarb and both shine. Guh.

1. Skor Toffee Bits Cookies. These are my current favorites and soooo good. If I'm bringing cookies anywhere, it's these.


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

With it being summer and having access to all sort of fresh-picked fruit I thought it would be fun to do a fruity top ten.

Top Ten Favorite Fruit

10. Lemons. I love sour and lemons have that in spades. I love lemonade and lemon desserts.

9. Apples. I love a good apple - especially a nice tart one like the MacIntosh.

8. Pomegranite. It's a pain in the ass to separate all the aliles out, but man, they do taste good.

7. Pineapple. Deliciosu and slurpworthy.

6. Grapes. I like the green and the red ones equally, but I always prefer the smaller ones.

5. Peaches. This time of year is the only time I eat them, because they just don't taste the same the rest of the year.

4. Strawberries. So damn good, when it's fresh picked and local.

3. Rhubarb. Tart tart tart - yum! This is my favorite fruit to cook with.

2. Raspberries. Tart and sweet and yum, especially fresh off the bush.

1. Bing Cherries. Unfortunately I can't have more than a few before my throat starts to close.

Top Ten Tuesday

It's rainy and grey today, which I totally don't mind, especially in the summer. So I thought I'd do a top ten of my favorite weather. There might be a lot of winter involved in this one...

Top Ten Favorite Types of Weather

10 -  post ice-storm - I don't like the ice storm itself - those things are dangerous - but the aftermath is stunningly beautiful: every tree is coated and everything glistens in the sunlight

9 -  cool summer day - they aren't common, but I do like summer when it isn't too hot, just pretty and temperate

8 - snowball snow weather - humid and close to freezing, lots of wet snow that rolls for snowballs or snowmen so easily

7 - windy fall day - the kind where all the leaves get blown off the trees and I have to wear a hoodie to keep warm - I love having to wear hoodies and sweatshirts and sweaters

6 - first snow of the season - usually starts with a few random flakes and I go wait, what - is it snowing? gradually more and more falls, but it only wets the ground, it doesn't actually stick - still, it's the first snow of the season!

5 - sunny fall day - the trees are wearing the fall colors, the sky is beautiful and it's finally cool after the hot summer

4 - cold clear winter day - the kind where your breath freezes on your eyelashes and the sun is brilliantly blue - a shade I only see on the deep cold winter days

3 - breezy spring day - it's just starting to warm up and the sun is warm, and the breeze is cool

2 - thunderstorm - big and loud - with thunder and lightning and a ton of rain - it's magestic

2 - big flake snowing -  like the big huge flakes - I just adore everything about them, the way they seem to fall slowly, the way everything seems quiet

1 - snowstorm - snow, snow and more snow, where it falls and falls and when it's finally done there's a foot or more of snow out there, coving everything


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

With the new Fairytale Shifters book now out, I thought I'd share my top ten favorite fairytales with you. Find out more about Goldilocks and The Three Bears below.

Top Ten Favorite Fairytales

10 - The Lion and the Mouse (Aesop)
9 - The Ant and The Grasshoper (Aesop) btw, I am the grasshopper, much as I try to be the ant.
8 - Beauty and the Beast (Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve)
7 - The Princess and the Frog (Brothers Grimm)
6 - Jack and the Beanstalk (English fairytale)
5 - The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Hans Christian Anderson)
4 - The Emperor's New Clothes (Hans Christian Anderson)
3 - The Princess and the Pea (Hans Christian Anderson)
2 - The Ugly Duckling (Hans Christian Anderson)
1 - The Little Match Girl (Hans Christian Anderson)

Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a Fairytale Shifters story

On the run from a pack of wolves, Locke, a mountain lion shifter, comes upon an empty cabin in the woods. When he discovers that not only is the door open, but there’s jerky and cookies on the counter, just sitting there like an invitation, he slinks in and makes himself at home.

Kodi, Griz and Pole are all bear shifters. When they make their way home after a lengthy shopping expedition to get ready for the winter, they discover an interloper in their home. Not only has he eaten all the food they’d left out for their return, but he’s asleep in the middle of their bed. Anger turns swiftly to desire, when they see Locke, and realize he’s sporting nasty bruises – desire to help, desire to love on and desire to keep.

Will these four shifters get their fairytale ending? Find out in this retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Buy links:
Amazon 
Kobo (availalble until 11:59 pm EST June 18)


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I often say I have trouble picking favorites, but the other day as I was listening to some INXS, I realised that I could totally pick my favorite bands from when I was younger. Sure, I liked lots of artists and songs outside of this top ten list but these are no doubt my top ten.

Top Ten Favorite Artists.


10. Live

9. Aerosmith

8. Tears for Fears

7. Bon Jovi

6. Simple Minds

5. The Beatles

4. The Police

3. U2

2. INXS

1. David Bowie


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

So spring is happening, but there has been snow, too. Gotta love spring in Ottawa, because it is not unusual at all to go from snowing to sunny, warm and 10C all in the same day. Warm rain the next day, cold rain the day after that, then sunshine, then snow again. It's spring, she's a little all over the place, but we generally start cold and snow and end with warm and flowers. So it's all good.

But that made me think maybe it would be a good time for one last snowy post. So without further ado:

Top Ten Reasons Why I Like Snow

10. Winter sports - okay, so enjoy watching winter sports but I don't participate in them. Still, if I did do sports it would be winter ones because who wants to run around in the heat of summer? not me.

9. Snowmen - it has to be the right kind of snow, but if it is, I love th 

8. Bright nights - even without the moon, the snow makes it bright out at night, but if there's a full moon and fresh snow on the ground I swear you could read by it.

7. There's so many different kinds - that's right, there's dry snow and wet snow and icy snow. Sometimes it falls in huge gentle flakes, sometimes it's tiny and hard and hits you like bullets. It's so cool how different each snow can be. No one snowflake is the another and that's the coolest thing in the world.

6. Snow angels - I remember making snow angels as a kid and every now and then I'll make one as an adult.

5. Footprints - I love all the different animals footprints I can see in the snow

4. Face surfing - my dog loves to face surf in the fresh snow and I love to watch him do it. He rubs his face and pushes himself along, and rolls and rolls in it. If it's deep enough, he just puts his head down and walks into it. It is wonderful to watch his joy in the snow.

3. It's cold, but not deep freeze cold - usually, because it's not always true, but usually it's between 1 and -10 (celcius) when it snows. And I love that kind of temperature - cold without being super cold. Have I mentioned I don't like the heat?

2. It's quiet - there is nothing like the hush that overtakes the world as it's being covered by snow.

1. It's beautiful - a fresh snowfall leaves everything clean and white. The trees look stunning when they're covered in snow.


Sean
smut fixes everything

Top Ten Tuesday

I do love binge watching shows on Netflix and they've got a lot of great original titles that I've been enjoying and hoping that they'll do additional seasons of, so I thought it would make a good Top Ten Tuesday. And if you have a favorite Netflix series you think I should watch, please mention it in the comments.

Top Ten Netflix Series I've Watched

10. The Order - I almost stopped watching this one after the first episode because it struggled. But it got better as it went on and I quite enjoyed it.

9. Shadow Hunters - I've only watched the first season of this, but I liked it. A lot about this list will prove I'm a sci-fi/fantasy fan and this is no exception.

8. Daredevil - Another one I've just watched the first season of. I like this, though I don't like the villain. But I love the main character and his two co-horts. 

7. Iron Fist - I liked the fact that the guy wasn't great at being the Iron Fist, that he didn't always know what he was doing. It made him more human.

6. Jessica Jones - found this by accident and liked it a lot, especially David Tennant as the villain - he was shiveringly good. I have only seen the first season of this.

5. The Titans - dark (but when is DC not?) but despite that I liked it.

4. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - OMG, this series is insane and I loved every crazy part of it - so much fun. Need to watch season two.

3. The New Legends of Monkey - this is the most recent series that I've watched and it was a lot of fun. Very reminicent in style of Hercules and Xena, it doesn't take itself entirely seriously.

2. Lost in Space - I never saw the original, though I knew the basic premise, the robot, Dr. Smith, danger Will Robinson. Well, I love this roboot. Really love it and I can't wait for the next season to be available.

1. Stranger Things - I binged the first season in a single day, absolutely needing to watch each episode after the last. Another one where I haven't had a chance yet to watch the second season, but I'm really looking forward to it.

Sean

smut fixes everything