Angie's Easy Salsa

1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBS chopped fresh Cilantro [y'all above the mason dixon might call this Chinese Parsley]
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp Cayene pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
2-3 TBS chopped jalopenos [I use fresh that I've pickled in vinegar & salt, but you can use jarred or canned]
2-3 cloves chopped fresh garlic [can be frozen or thawed]
1 squirt lime juice [optional]
1 qt Mason jar or other recycled jar [glass keeps the strong odor out of your fridge]
* optional - 1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Drain both cans of tomatoes. Add the tomatoes w/green chilies to the jar. Add all chopped products and spices. Add the other can of diced tomatoes. Screw on lid. Shake until well blended. Chill for at least 2 hours. Keeps up to 2 wks in fridge [maybe longer but in our house it only lasts tops 4-5 days til it's all eaten] The salsa's hotness will get stronger the longer it is in the jar/refrigerated.

Writing News:
30k from finishing fantasy novel. Next up: horror novel.

Sewing News:
Finished another Bleuette ensemble and need to list on ebay. Will be listing another Alien baby doll as the other one got himself adopted. Yay. Currently the red demon baby in the vintage black velvet christening gown has been bid on and will be going to his/her new home in a few days! Currently working on beautiful and darling pink felt, embroidered baby booties [for real or loved like they're real babies]. Will be sewing for Kiddo#2 shortly. Have fabric, buttons, patterns, etc. Most auctions closing in next 24 hrs, go here to bid:

Doll News: I'm so excited. I have a new Bambino who is going to be a Bambina for me [Bleuette's little sister] doll coming home to me soon. She's been on layaway. I also have on layaway a Daisyette [the American version of Bleuette] and a reproduction of an antique Japanese doll. Yay! Also, I won an AMAZING auction on ebay this past week. A Patsy doll [circa 1930s] and her travel trunk and matching smaller trunk! Got an amazing deal on it. Nearly was outbid in the last seconds of the auction, but I managed to snipe it back and my computer didn't freeze up as it normally does when I don't want it to! lol. So, sewing up a storm! Expecting some repro patterns for the Patsy doll so I can sew for her too!

Summer News: The last weeks of summer are winding down. It was 108 here yesterday. School clothes are in the final stages of being purchased. We have new backpacks and shoes and clothes and excitement is building. Class rosters get posted in 2 wks. The kids are already talking about who they might or might not get for a teacher. Christopher heads back to class the same time the kiddos do. Kiddo#2's birthday [Sept 2] gifts have been purchased. She waived the party in favor of more gifts. She wanted the Elizabeth and Felicity American Girl dolls and many ensembles. We've divided the list among the family. She won't be disappointed!

I'm nearly finished with the year's worth of photos in my scrapbooking album.  Whew. Still easier to haul all the stuff and all the photos out every summer and live with the mess for 2 wks then it is to break out the stuff every few months.

Because everyone else is doing it:
First, the rules:

1. You must answer yes or no.
2. You may not explain unless someone asks you to.

Have you ever....

Taken a picture naked? Yes
Made money illegally? No
Had a one-night stand? No
Been in a fistfight? Yes
Slept with your best friend? Yes
Had sex in a public place? Yes
Ditched work to have sex? Yes
Slept with a member of the same sex? No
Seen someone die? No
Run from the police? No
Woke up somewhere and not remember how you got there? Yes
Worn your partner's unmentionables? No
Fallen asleep at work? Yes
Used toys in the bedroom? Yes
Run a red light? Yes
Been fired? No
Been in a car accident? Yes
Pole danced or done a striptease? Yes
Loved someone you shouldn't? No
Sung karaoke? No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? Yes
Laughed so hard you peed your pants? Yes
Caught someone having sex? Yes
Kissed a perfect stranger? No
Shaved your partner? Yes
Given your private parts a nickname? Yes
Gone in public without underwear? Yes
Had sex on a rooftop? No
Played chicken? No
Mooned/flashed someone? Yes
Slept naked? Yes
Blacked out from drinking? Yes
Felt like killing someone? Yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day? Yes
Been with someone because they were in a band? No
Taken 10 shots of liquor in a day? No
Shot a gun? Yes
Gone outside naked? Yes

And that's all folks...lol.

Yesterday, the 19th, was Christopher and my 2nd wedding anniversary. We remarked that it seems like a lot longer than that. In a good way. We decided it must be the fact that we were friends for so long  before, that the time seems longer. It's been very blissful. There is no doubt in my mind that Chris is my soulmate...I've never been so happy. I look forward to a lifetime together...many more happy memories, many more books, many more adventures. I love you baby.

Finished piecing the southern belle quilt/sewing all the squares into the quilt top today. Packed up the sewing machine for a while. It's been out for some months now. I'm glad to be cleaning up the sewing for awhile. That doesn't mean I'll stop hand sewing. Just the clutter of the sewing machine is going away. Yay!

All that is left on the monster babies is the painting, rooting of eyelashes, and fixing them to the bodies [which are stuffed and weighted and waiting]. All of the clothing is finished.

Writing continues on the fantasy novel.

Blurbage and reader comments are beginning to roll in for my new horror collection, Symphony for the Forgotten, due out this fall from Daverana Enterprises.

I will be signing/selling books on Memorial Day, May 26th, at The Book Faire bookshop at Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie, Texas. I'll have with me, copies of Frontier Cthulhu, Sails & Sorcery, Beneath the Surface,  Return of the Sword, and others. Christopher and the kiddos will be mingling with the crowds, although mead consumption will be at an all-time low due to the presence of the kiddos. Come out and see me at the Faire!

A new story from my fantasy series, Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar, is coming May 1 in the May issue of Flashing Swords.

"Sacrifice of the Utukki: From the Tales of the Barbarian Kabar of El Hazzar" is a story featuring Kabar's wife, Adina. I thought it would be nice to feature a woman warrior for a change of pace. When Kabar is aiding King Segmund of Ur, Queen Tiamat of Caldana comes to Woldenstag for his help. Adina, Kabar’s wife, agrees to rescue Duzi, heir to the throne of Caldana, from the clutches of the Utukki. She must cross through the three gates of Kish to reach the demon realm of the Utukki.

In Other News:
Writing continues.
Sewing on the Bleuette ensembles continues. I have 2 more to finish then will be listing a new batch on ebay.
The Creepy Doll production continues. I am painting the bodies/faces of the Alien-Human hybrids right now and deciding on designs for their clothing. The demon baby parts are in various stages of molding and drying. Woot.

Now I must go walk on my treadmill and watch the crap that passes as daytime news.

I was hard at work sewing this weekend for a Bleudoor challenge. Lottie is in the red and black, in her LSDS 1928 #9 Visiting Dress and LSDS 1925 #50 Velvet hat. Lizette is helping with maman's laundry. She's wearing a LSDS 1921 #39 Peasant dress. Both are busy working at the salesman sample replica wringer/washer that was a pre-Valentine's Day gift from Teh Hotness.

Besides sewing, I finished/edited chapter 10 and finished and edited chapter 11...and started chapter 12....so <sticking out tongue> I did WORK too!

All work and no dollies makes Angie a bored girl....

OH! PS! I won the aforementioned head! So, a SFBJ 60 Bleuette head is on its way to me from England! Woot!

Christopher Fulbright aka Teh Hotness received notification from Lachesis Publishing that his novel Of Wolf and Man will be reprinted! I'm so thrilled that he's finally found a home for this book! It's an excellent novel and suffered before due to lack of distribution.

More Christopher Fulbright news: He's featured  this month on Heidi Rudy Miller's "Pick Six," where authors pick six questions to answer from a list of fifteen.

The other good news is that good friend and mentor Robert Weinberg has been awarded the HWA Lifetime Achievement Award. Here's the press release:

TWO GENRE ICONS AWARDED LIFETIME HORROR AWARD

The Horror Writers Association will award two Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year’s World Horror Convention and Bram Stoker Awards Banquet.

Writer/director/producer/composer John Carpenter exploded onto the horror scene with his 1978 classic “Halloween,” a film that held the title of most successful independent release for two decades. His other notable films include “The Thing,” “The Fog,” “Escape from New York,” “In the Mouth of Madness” and “Vampires,” as well as many others. Carpenter has come to be known as one of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time. He is currently in production on his newest project, called “The Prince.”

Eleven years before Carpenter’s “Halloween” was released, Robert Weinberg sold his first short story. He was a junior in college at the time, and hasn’t stopped writing since. A founding member of HWA, Weinberg is a two-time winner of World Fantasy Award and a renowned expert in many genres, having edited over 100 books in the fields of horror, fantasy, science fiction, young adult, western and mystery. Weinberg also has worked as a writing instructor and served as HWA vice president for two terms.

HWA President Deborah LeBlanc said, “We are proud to honor these two men with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Bob Weinberg’s contribution to the genre goes much deeper than his obvious body of published work, as he has always been a reliable, invaluable resource to HWA, and ever-willing to offer advice to our young writers.

“John Carpenter revolutionized the horror film,” LeBlanc continued. “The influence of ‘Halloween’ surpasses the boundaries of film, touching literature, comics, non-fiction, and nearly every other aspect of the horror genre. The creation of Michael Myers and his iconic theme music alone would be enough to earn him this award. The fact he has been a consistent and innovative force in the genre is just icing on the cake.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award is the most prestigious of the Bram Stoker Awards, given by the HWA in acknowledgment of superior achievement not just in a single work but over an entire career. Past Lifetime Achievement Award winners include such noted authors as Stephen King, Anne Rice, Joyce Carole Oates, Ray Bradbury, and Peter Straub. Winners must have exhibited a profound, positive impact on the fields of horror and dark fantasy, and be at least sixty years of age or have been published for a minimum of thirty-five years. Last year’s winner was author Thomas Harris.

The HWA Annual Conference and 29^th presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards will be held on March 29 in conjunction with the 2008 World Horror Convention. The convention runs from March 27-30 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide organization promoting dark literature and its creators. Started in 1985, it has over 500 members who are writing professionally in fiction, nonfiction, videogames, films, comics, and other media.

Other News:

I'm hard at work on Christopher and my fantasy novel...one of 6 on the 2008 pile To Be Finished...which is where I should be right now. Ragnar's got some monsters to be killin'....

Swiped from my sister-in-law, Torri's Myspace....

You are Brigitte Bardot

Naurally sensual and beautiful You're an exotic beauty who turns heads everywhere You've got a look that's one of a kind

So what the hell have I been doing lately?

Writing: novel [w/Christopher]; invitation to a sword & sorcery anthology; 2 books coming out this month [Frontier Cthulhu and Sails & Sorcery] ; various other submissions; oh, submitted to that Amazon Novel contest, worth a shot.

Sewing: mucho. Vintage chenille doll blankets, doll sheet/pillowcases/pillow sets, seasonal handtowels [muslin and other]...all for the Fall Carnival at the kiddos school in November. Will be selling all this plus the china dolls and doll clothes. Woot.

Have Begun: Christmas shopping. A bit late. Usually I begin in July. I'm getting all slackerish in my old age.

Decorated: The house for Halloween. The giant spiders come out of the attic and into the yard this weekend. Woot! Photos will be posted of course.

For my pervy fans [you know who you are, and that I wuv you lol]: No, I will not post a naked picture of me like Poppy did...she has balls of steel [and they're not in that hot pic either]....sorry...y'all will have to scrounge up that half-naked ass and legs/boot shot I posted on Shocklines in the wee hours of the morning about 3 years ago...that's as close as I'm coming to naked until Heff comes a calling with a check. And the odds of that happenin, are like 0. lol.