TMST: Comfort Zones

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

3/11: Have you ever ventured out of your comfort zone and ended up having a nice experience?

Books? Yes. I'm always willing to try something new. It doesn't always work out for me, but....yeah sometimes it does. 

Life? Sure, I guess you could say that. 

For one, I started this blog years ago and I've loved it. I may not have the biggest following or whatnot, but I love the community I have found. Plus, I love the work of writing up my reviews. 

Also, I've recently (well slightly over a year) have started streaming on Twitch. I play video games talk. Sometimes (with the right crowd) I talk about current books I'm reading. It has been a great experience and I'm so glad I was talked into trying it out. I love the community there. If you're interested, you can find me at: https://www.twitch.tv/carole_rae

TMST: Pets!

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. Feel free to leave your links in the comments if you are participating.

2/21: Time for a pet update! Tell us about yours

Awwww I am a proud furbaby Mama!! 

We currently have two pets. 

One cat named Mamyia. Nicknames include (but not limited to): Mimi, Maya, Ma'am, Loaf, Mama's Girl, Madame, and Missy. 

She is doing good from our last update in 2021! Oof so long ago! She is a Mama's girl and sweet when she wants to be. She is on a diet but not much I can do when she eats bugs and stuff out of the sink. We force her to play (even Ralph will try and play with her) but she is a loaf and only gets zoomies once in a while. She will be turning 8 in October!

We also have one dog named Ralph. Nicknames include (but not limited to): Ralphie, Ralphie-butt, Bootie, Goat Boi, Lord Ralphington, or Handsome Boi. 

He's doing good. Still the most handsome boy I know! He just turned 5 a few weeks ago. In January, we had to rush him to the vet because he was freaking out. He was shaking his ear and trying to hide in weird places. He kept looking around thinking something was there. Poor guy! They found that his ear was full of gunk and junk. They flushed it out and gave him medicine to fight any sort of infection or irritation. He is MUCH better now. 

Sadly, Toki has now passed away and has joined his brother over the rainbow bridge!

TMST: Real-life Superpower

10/26/2021 What is your real-life superpower?

Superpower? Real-life?

Being so clumsy and still being alive. Hahahahahahahahaha. 

Joking...kinda. 

Book-wise/Movie-wise, I would have to say I am really good at guessing endings and solving mysteries. There are times there will be a good twist that will get me, but I think I'm really good at solving mysteries. My parents always said I should've been a detective. 

Life-wise.....ummm.....I'm the Queen of I-told-you-so. I'm good at reading people and some situations. Sure I'm not always right, but I can't tell you how many times I give people advise...they ignore me....and then it turns out I was right. Sighs. It's a blessing and a curse because people rarely listen to me.

What about you guys?

TMST: Paper, Electronic, Audio books

10/12 - paper, electronic, audio… how do you read?

I'll take what I can get! hahaha. 

The last couple of years ebooks and audios have been my main sources. I can give a million reasons why. Money, space, Covid, and ease of access....just to name a few. 

I must thank all my blogging friends...especially Blodeuedd for really getting me into Audio. Not too long ago I was all MEH about that source, but they have gotten me addicted ;) 

I do still love paperbooks but mainly I only get the paper versions if I go to a used book sale, gifties from people, or randomly at the grocery store. 

TMST: Fur-Babies

8/24/2021 Do you have any pets? Tell us about them (past or present)

I have always been a huge animal lover even when I was a wee one. So many pets are waiting for me when I go to Heaven. 

I've had a range of animals...cats, dogs, chickens, turtles, fish, lizard, birds....and that is just what I remember. Sooo many furbabies. This post would be so long if I typed up each one. 

Currently I have three pets, so I'll share some about them: 

Toki - my first chinchilla. He's 7 now. His birthday is in May. We adopted him from a breeder along with his twin brother, Roah. I had always wanted a chinchilla and it felt like a good compromise since we were not ready to pay for a cat or dog. At the time JP (Future-hubby) were in an apartment and it costs an arm or leg! Sadly, his brother, Roah, passed away shortly after we brought them home. The vet believed he had a heart condition. A couple weeks later,  we brought him a brother so he wouldn't be alone. They loved each other. Sadly Rei passed a few months ago. Toki is doing okay alone, but you can tell he's sad still, but he has us and his other furry siblings. 

Mamyia - My darling and bipolar kitty. She's turning 6 this year in October. I call her my Halloween kitty because we saved her on Halloween. She was barely old enough to be away from her mom. She had been left alone (not sure how) and my parents found her shivering on their porch. We took her and raised her as our own. She was a tiny thing and now she is our own Pusheen kitty! She is for sure a mama's girl. She is bipolar I swear and she is super picky on who she likes. Typical cat for sure ;) 

Ralph - Our "newest" additional. He's turning 4 in January. We decided we wanted a dog when we finally bought our own house. We originally had our eyes on a golden lab pup, but that didn't come to be. We found this lil guy at our local Shelter. He was the sweetest thing. They had found him roaming the hills of West Virginia (I think...was it Kentucky? I can't remember now. It was one of those southern states). They shipped him to the shelter by us and there we found him. The name Ralph was what the shelter gave him. They said we could change the name, but we kept it. He is goofy, sweet, and super loving. He loves everyone and everything. He is anxious though and gets scared at the most random times. Love him to bits. 

 

Wordless Wednesday (Showing off the fur babies!)

 

TMST: What Makes a Good Book?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. 

  

what things make a good book for you?

Been a hot min since I've done one of these!

What makes a good book for me? OooooOOOoooOOooo mmmmmmm *thinks*

Well....umm.......here are some generic things that help make a good book...well...good:

- Good characters. NOT like goodie-two-shoes, but interesting and dynamic characters. Characters that intrigue me. 

- Well-balanced pace. I don't want things to drag and I don't want things to go so fast I feel like I'm missing stuff or get confused. 

- Fresh ideas. Sure we have the recycled storylines and it is hard to avoid them BUT I want them to feel fresh and new. I hate it if it feels like a copy-paste. 

- A book that makes me feel and/or think. I love a story that can make me feel or think or both. 

Ralph! My little model!

TMST: Book Series Started...but not finished

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging. 

  

What are some series you started or fell behind on that you would like to pick back up?

Tough one, because there are a lot of series that I have started that was okay and that I liked to a point, but normally when I really adore a series I read it as fast as I can. I have no self-control TBH when it comes to a series I fall for. I fall hard and fast. 

Here are some I thought of right away that I SHOULD continue the voyage on someday and plan to one day....maybe....we shall see 


- Inferno Club Series by Gaelen Foley
I legit have ONE book left to finish the series. I've adored the series...but for some reason, I haven't had the motivation to track the last book down and read it. I know the last one I only gave 3 stars....but I still enjoyed it overall. 

- Scandals with Bite Series by Brooklyn Ann
Read book one a while back and I gave it 4 stars. It was pretty good! Not sure why I stopped? I do want to read more. I have the next three listed as "want to read". 

- The Wulfkin Legacy Series by T.F. Walsh
Why have I not finished this series??? I read the prequel and two of the novels. They were awesssssssssssome??? I must finish this one. I am getting behind!

- The Dragon Archives Series by Linda K. Hopkins
Here is another one that I read book 1 and liked it a lot and I have a few of the series listed as "want to read". Mmmm not sure why I stopped for this one either. 

- Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews
Book 1 was meh for me, but with the encouragement of the book and blog world I read book 2 and LOVED it....sooooo....why did I not read book 3? Maybe I am scared I won't like it? Sighs. I really need to just continue forward. 


Whelp - those are just a few series I thought of right away when creating this post. 

Work is having a Spirit Week this week! Tuesday is dress like a professional day/No PJs since we are all working remotely due to the covid situation. Here is me sans makeup because I am not THAT motivated. And yes. Ralph is photobombing me ;) 

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

TMST: Reviews for Book That I Didn't Love

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. 

  

How do you handle writing reviews for books that you didn’t love?

Oooo Rainy Day Ramblings is creating some tough questions lately! I almost didn't do this post this week because I really didn't know HOW to answer. 

Having a book you don't love is rough. I always dread when I come across a book I do not like. Sometimes if it is bad enough I'll just cut my loses and DNF. Saves me time. But I really HATE DNFing books because I am full of hope that it'll get better. I've had so many books do a 180 and turn around. There are times though that they don't. 

Now - just say I have a book I have decided is not going to get a shimmering, love-filled review. What to do next? I'll admit that if I was given the book by a friend, family, author, publisher, or etc then I might be a bit nicer when I write my review. Mainly because I know the person who gave it to me will be reading it and I don't want to be rude. It was a gift so I'll be 100% honest of course (that is my disclaimer after all), but I will keep the pitchforks and torches at home. I'll always point out the good as well and then point out the not-so-good.

Now books that I wasted money on or wasted gas on from getting it at a library, I will not hold back. Sorry. You wasted not only my time, but my actual money. I will bring the gifs and the pitchforks and torches. I'll ALWAYS point out the good that I found as well. 

NOW I will NEVER EVER attack the author personally or be flat out mean to be mean. There is no need to be rude and offensive. But if it was not great...well...eeeeee I will not just give it 5 stars to soften your ego. Sorry. I have to be honest. It is not in me to lie. 

Ralphie!

Wordless Wednesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Controlling the TBR Pile

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

  

How have you learned to keep your TBR pile in check, or how would you like to control your pile?

This question made me chuckle. My TBR pile is a hot mess. So many books, so little time! I have tried to keep it down and stick to reading only books on my piles and lists, but there are so many books that come across my desk. it's hard to ignore them and just stick to my list. 

"Control" is not the right word. I just try to manage it a bit. However, it is a mess and always will be I fear. 

My love bug Ralphie. :3

Blog All About It: FIRST

Yayy! Doing another year of prompts! So fun. 

The first of the year is: FIRST

For this prompt. I'm going to share a few "firsts" of the year. 

First ebook of the year

First Audiobook

First print book

First movie watched of the year

First season finished of a show this year

And now the cutest first of the year.....Ralph turned one this month! He's a big boy now! Happy birthday month Ralphie! Thank you Pet Supplies Plus for the awesome puppy birthday cookie. He loved it. 

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Series

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

What series that you tried this year will you continue?

A hard question for this week! 

I am so bad at series of all kinds. I will try a lot of book 1s (or even a random book in the middle of the series) and then move on and never return. Not because the book is bad or anything but because I don’t care enough to go back. Sometimes I have all intentions, but I won’t look at the book series for a couple of years and I’m shocked I forgot about it. 

 However, there are those series that I legit cannot put down. I will read the entire series within a couple of months (I do try to contain myself and space them out). And then I am left a sobbing mess because I miss the series. 

This is a tough question for me because I am unsure of what series I will pick back up next year. We shall see I guess!  

It's a little Ralph! Adding Ralph was BF's idea ;) ^^^

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Celebrating Halloween

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.

What do you like to do to celebrate Halloween?

I love, love, LOVE Halloween. One of my favorite holidays of the year! There are so many things I like to do to celebrate this lovely holiday. 

1) Decorate my home. Now that we bought a house I have had to buy so many more decorations. Going from an apartment to a house is a huge jump.

2) Eat candy. Umm. Duh. LOL

3) Watch scary/creepy movies. Nothing is better than warming up to a scary movie! Slashers are my favorite of the genre. 

4) Dress up! This year we had a Halloween party and for the first time, we decided to have a costume party. So fun! But yes, I love dressing up and being something I'm not. This year BF and I inadvertently dressed up as a couple. We won the couple's contest, but it was totally unplanned. LOL. I was a 18th-century lady and he was a pirate. We made up the story that he killed my hubbie and I am a widow (which explains my dress). 

My friend who helped me set up (unofficial co-host) dressed as Holly from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. She won "Sexiest Costume" and "Best Overall". 

Our other friend won "Most Creative" for being a female Harry Potter (not pictured is her homemade broom)

I'm bummed I forgot to take pictures of all of the winners. The troubles of being a hostess indeed!

Here is a list of the other winners though!

*Creepiest/Scariest - "Sexy male" inmate

*Funniest - Waldo

*Most Boring - Someone who didn't dress up got this. But was wearing a "Sherlock Holmes" shirt and we dubbed her as a FanGirl. LOL

Mamyia and Ralph even dressed up! :)

Blog All About It: ORGANIZE

This month the prompt is "ORGANIZE"

I've been really struggling with this one......a rough prompt, but a challenge is always fun and good for the brain. 

I read a few articles and a few blogs about the organization in many different aspects trying to inspire some ideas. This had me take a few minutes to self-reflect. I have been an organized mess through school, life, work, and blogging. I keep some sort of planner, but I am a hot mess, but it always comes through in the end and works. 

This year I made it one of my blogging goals to be more organized and more prompt with my blog. I have done pretty well I feel. I try to post at the same time every day and at least 6 times a week. There are those off weeks when life gets in the way or work takes over my life. However, I have been pretty darn organized. I want to share 4 tips that have really helped me balance everything:

1) Use a calendar. I use Google calendar for blogging. I have my work calendar and my home calendar. This is the number 1 thing you need to stay organized and balanced. 

2) Analyze your timetable. Take a few minutes and really look at the clock. Map out your days and see when you have free time and when you do not. I try to take my 15 min break to make sure I have my posts together. Sunday or Saturday I'll try to get ahead in my posting for the blog if possible. 

3) Plan ahead. This falls with both of those. But I try to get ahead of the game and plan my posts out, my work, and my life. 

4) Chill. You need to chill and not take life horribly serious. It will kill you if you worry too much. I have been a chronic worrier all my life. This is a huge thing for me. School and work breeds us to freak out. Yes, it is good to be prompt and get things done. However, we are human and sometimes we cannot control everything. 

That bald spot on his leg was from his surgery. They took his manhood D: 

Blog All About It: ART

This month the prompt is "ART"

I am going to just go simple this month and just share my favorite pieces of art. Been a busy month so simple is good!

I'll do a top 5 for this. 


5)

Starry Night

4)

The Herd Boy

3) 

Iwo Jima Memorial Statue

2) 

Archduchess Marie Antoinette Habsburg Lotharingen

1) 

Cherry Blossoms

Now, here is something I made recently! One of my goals is to be creative and artsy. I finally did this project I've wanted to do for a while. 

ignore the blurry - my camera on my phone is going out. 

He's not really art...but he is cuteeeee. RALPH!