Music can change your mood…

I have to say, I am very susceptible to music as a mood enhancer. Feeling a bit down lately, I finally put my iPod on my favorite folk music playlist, and have listed to it for days. Something about great folk music heals my soul. Especially great old folk music like Cat Stevens, Peter Paul and Mary, Simon & Garfunkel…

I’m feeling much better now.

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

I’d be teaching her to drive…

Today is my daughter’s birthday. If I hadn’t given her for adoption, I guess I’d be teaching her to drive by now… That is so weird to me…

Happy Birthday to my daughter. I hope you and your family have a wonderful day today.

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

Logitech Harmony 880 Remote

Two of my TiVo remotes were finally wearing out. Some of the buttons on them didn’t work so well anymore, and it was time to replace them. But I decided not to buy another TiVo remote. Nope, I went for the Logitech Harmony 880 Remote. Yeah, baby!

This one remote can control up to 15 devices, which means I can and have configured it for all the remote-controlled devices in my home – all the tvs, TiVos, DVD players, Cable Boxes, and even the surround sound box thing. I have to say, this is sooooo nice! Plus, it is rechargeable, which means no digging for batteries when it all of a sudden runs out.

You connect it to your PC with a USB cable to program it, and it is a snap. If you have the model numbers for your devices, which are usually found somewhere on the device itself, then it is a real no-brainer. Logitech had all of the devices I gave the setup program model numbers for in their database, and it was very quick to set those up. I had one TV that I couldn’t find the model number for, so I just gave the manufacturer name, and it asked me if I had the remote for that device. I did, so it asked me to push a few specific buttons on the device so it could learn it, and it had figured out the best model match for that TV within 1 minute.

I love the remote, and so far I think I’ll be fine with just having the one, since it is rare I’ll be watching TV in more than one room at a time – LOL. Plus, I still have the original remotes that I’ll tuck away for emergency use. I won’t be at all surprised if I decide to get another Harmony sometime in the future, though.

You can get all the details for the Logitech Harmony Remotes at their website. This is the model I got: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/detailsharmony/US/EN,CRID=2084,CONTENTID=9933.

The best price I found for the Harmony 880 was at Amazon.com. It is currently about $155 there, and has a $30 rebate offer with it. Couple that with my Amazon Prime membership, which affords me free 2-day shipping, and I am a very happy camper!

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-880-Remote-Control/dp/B00093IIRA/ref=cm_pdp_profile_rp_title/104-3271163-2819132 Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

An Open Letter from a Birth Mother

Next week I celebrate my daughter’s birthday alone, once again. Although she lives, I’ve never laid eyes on her. She came to me at a time in my life when I could barely take care of myself, much less a precious child, and so I made the only decision that was right for me at that time – she was adopted.

I agonized over the decision for the entire pregnancy, and for months I wasn’t sure what I would do. I finally realized that God knew as well as I did that I couldn’t provide for her and that he was using me to help a family who needed a baby. Sixteen years later, I know I did what was right for everyone at the time, and I don’t regret it for an instant. I do at times allow myself to daydream about what might have been had the father been a different man, or had I been older and settled in a career that allowed me to raise her myself.

To Adopted Children everywhere, particularly my sweet daughter: Your Birth Mother loves you and thinks of you every day, but especially on your birthday, holidays, Mothers’ Day… I pray that you are healthy and happy, and that your parents have shown you a life that I could not have given you. I hope you know how much you are cherished, and that I wish the best for you.

To Adoptive Parents everywhere, with special love to my daughter’s parents: Your child’s Birth Mother thinks of you as often as she does her child, and thanks the Lord for providing her with parents like you. I love you as family, and hope that our child has brought you much joy and laughter. I would never try and take your place, for you are her parents, but if you ever need me, you merely need call.

To other Birth Mothers: I hope you have found the same peace I have with your own decisions. Know that through you, God worked a miracle, and blessed a happy home with the sunshiny love of a child. You are not alone, there are others of us who’ve made the same decision, perhaps for reasons different for your own, but we feel the same way you do. If you are still struggling with the decision, find someone you can talk to – a friend, your pastor, or maybe even check with your local adoption agencies to see if they sponsor a support group for Birth Mothers. For many of us, having someone we can talk to about it normally helps tremendously. It’s the pressure and anxiety of keeping it a secret that makes it more difficult.

I can’t send this to my own daughter, since I don’t know her or her parents’ names, but I hope that by sharing this, perhaps I can help someone else with their own situation. Hugs and love to you all, and God bless.

Love,
Your Birth Mother

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

January reviews are out!

I know this is hard to believe, but I really love reading books and giving my opinion! This gig is perfect for me… LOL

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

Reluctant Muse by Anne Vremont

Body Language by Denise A. Agnew

Shifters: Dragon’s Mate by Emma Petersen

The Assignment by Evangeline Anderson

Terms of Surrender: The Matchmaker 2 by Gracie C. McKeever

Fairies and Wishes by Karen Erickson

Black Star Princess by Marteeka Karland

Seducing Simon by Maya Banks

Consumed by Moira McTark

Her Majesty, My Love by Sharon Long

Key to Sin by Skylar Sinclair

Aurora’s Triangle by Titania Ladley

I’m in print! At least, some of my reviews are…

I received wonderful notes from two of my favorite authors this week that my reviews for a couple of their books are quoted in the print editions of those books! Both are now available for purchase, although some brick & mortar bookstores may not yet have them. I was able to order copies through Amazon.com easily. Both of the review pages I’ve linked to below have a link to be able to easily purchase the books from Amazon.com!

The first is Fallon’s Revenge by MacKenzie McKade. You can read my full review here: http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/fallonsrevenge_jennifer.html

The second is Dragon Knights Book 3: The Ice Dragon. You can read my full review here: http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/theicedragon_jennifer.html

I am so excited about this! It is such a great honor to have been quoted, and it tickles me pink that my first two are from authors I enjoy so much!

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

Lora Leigh’s ‘Dangerous Games’ Book trailer out!!!

Oh, this book is going to be sooooo hot!!!! Go to http://www.loraleigh.com/mainpage.html and look just under the Pre-order button for Dangerous Games for the link to the trailer…

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/

If a man wanted to get lucky…

All he would have to do is buy a woman a Dyson vaccuum, I’m convinced of it. If she can’t give it up to him, I daresay she’d find a woman who could…

I did it. I bit the bullet and finally replaced my old vaccuum. It was on its last legs and took about 4 times as long to vaccuum as it should, didn’t work well even after working that long, and left me needing a professional massage.

I bought a Dyson DC15 Animal. It came yesterday and I vaccuumed last night. This thing is worth every penny I paid and then some. I vaccuumed every carpeted room in my home last night in an hour, with the exception of the staircases. Now, I didn’t move furniture or anything, I just vaccuumed the main areas, but it was 10:30 PM when I started, so I wasn’t into a heavy cleaning, just wanted to see how well it did.

I found a whole darned cat apparently hiding in my carpet. That’s how much cat hair it pulled up, and I just vaccuumed a week ago. I shudder to think what it would have looked like if I had not steam-cleaned the carpets in the last 6 months.

It was so easy to move, and it took so much less work to do 10 times better than the old vaccuum. It’s a bagless, beltless unit with a lifetime filter that just needs to be washed every 6 months, so that saves some cost right there in the long run. The waste bin where the debris is collected is easy to empty – much easier than a vaccuum bag!

I’m going to quite my job and do infomercials for Dyson, I think. I love it that much.

Jennifer Ray
http://www.jenaray.com/