Love is in the Air Winner is...

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Anchor of Hope necklace as worn by Dani Sullivan in Just for the Summer is...AMY REMUS!!! Congratulations, Amy! I hope you enjoy your necklace!!

Please email me your address at jennarutland@gmail.com and your beautiful necklace will be on its way.

Thank you all so much for participating in the Love is in the Air blog hop. I hope you enjoyed the experience of meeting other authors.

Take care!

xoxo - Jenna

Love Is in the Air

Valentine's Day is long gone, but Love is in the Air. Spring has arrived, at least according to the calendar - not the weather. Spring promises a new beginning. Nature's awakening from the long, cold winter. There's something about seeing those tulips and pear trees blossoming that make people feel hopeful about their lives and their future.

What better time of the year to find love! Whether it's a blind date, a reunion with a lost love, or taking a chance and turning that friendship into a romantic relationship, Love is in the Air!

Join me for the Love is in the Air Blog Hop, March 25-31. At the end of the Hop, one lucky winner will win an Anchor of Hope necklace like the one my heroine, Dani Sullivan, wore in Just for the Summer. All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment. Share with me your favorite part of Just for the Summer. Let me know what kind of recipe you'd like to see in my Fork It Up Fridays posts. Or come up with a comment of your own!

Don't forget to stop by the other blog hop participants!




a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Debut Novel, JUST FOR THE SUMMER, Released!!

You may notice something new around here. I have a new website! Just in time to share the fabulous news--my debut novel, JUST FOR THE SUMMER, released through Entangled Publishing's Bliss Imprint on Monday!

JUST FOR THE SUMMER



His temptation. Her secret. Their summer.

Dani Sullivan has come to Lake Bliss to write her latest cookbook and take a breather. After the year she’s had, she deserves a summer retreat to reevaluate priorities and make peace with past decisions. But from the moment single dad and sheriff Matt Reagan shows up, she has a hard time convincing herself that a life away from Lake Bliss could beat the life she might have here.

Recently divorced Matt is ready for a new relationship, but he doesn’t want short-term—his son needs permanence, and so does Matt’s heart. Unfortunately, it’s the smart-mouthed and sinfully sexy Ms. Sullivan who catches his eye. But when Matt learns Dani’s secrets, will he still want her to stay? Or will her chance for love last just for the summer?

Just for the Summer is available as an e-book through the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iBookstore!

I've also taken the plunge--I now have a Facebook Page. If you have a minute, I'd love it if you "liked" my page. If you prefer less interaction but want to stay up on my latest book news, please sign up for my newsletter (form is linked). I only send out a few newsletters each year, and your information will never be shared or sold--your privacy is important to me.

Please, look around the site. The navigation bar up top will lead you to a short biography page, a page with all the details of my book, a recipes page (still under construction--hoping to have all the recipes up next week), and a page with all of my links, email address, and other information so we can connect.

If you're interested in sharing the news about Just for the Summer on your blog--feel free to use the Media page for author pictures, the book cover, back-cover copy, and any links you may need. Thank you!!

I'll be sharing information all month about book signings and my blog tour.

This week has been so special to me--thank you for sharing my excitement! What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Thanks so much for stopping by!
xoxo Jenna

Back to the Low Country

As you all know, my daughter and son-in-law, parents to a beautiful 10 month old daughter (yay, my granddaughter!!!), live in the south. My SIL has terrible back issues and will soon be having surgery. My lovely daughter is a registered nurse, working 12 hour shifts. She will be picking up extra days while her husband is post-surgical. So who is going to care for her husband and child while she's at work?

 

That's where I come in! This Saturday, I'll be heading south for 6-8 weeks to take care of my granddaughter and son-in-law while my daughter is at work. Eeek, you may think. How many SIL's would want their MIL to live with them, even if it's temporary? Well, I'm one of the lucky ones. My SIL actually likes me! We have a lot in common. We both love to cook, both love my daughter and granddaughter, and enjoy in-depth conversations. I think we'll do all right. (Except for the fact that he wants my daughter to get a "bell" before I get there - just kidding - I hope!)

 

It's going to be a crazy time in my life. I will continue to work while I'm there, continue my writing career while I'm there, and, oh boy, they're going to be moving while I'm there!!! I'm sure each and every day will be jam packed, and I will fall into bed exhausted. But they are part of my family that I love and cherish. I would do anything for them. I learned a long time ago that there is "no price" for what we do for loved ones.

 

Please join me on Friday for a great meatloaf recipe. And stay tuned for posts and recipes from the Low Country!!

 

xoxo - Jenna

Shopping Leads to Returning

Today I am making a confession to you all. I am pathetic when it comes to making returns. Why you ask? I abhor the whole process (almost as much as I detest going to the grocery store, but that's a topic for another post. Hmmm...maybe next week). I'm usually shopping in a rush.

Or if I have time, I hate the whole dressing room thing. I know someone in security is watching me as I try on clothes. I can see it all now. I grab a pair of jeans off the hanger. The security people elbow each other and say, "Oh, jeez, she can't think for one minute that she's gonna fit in those!" A small wager occurs between the two employees. As I step into the legs, the security peeps lean closer to their monitors. I slide the denim up over my hips. I imagine breaths are being held by the security team, anxiously waiting to see what transpires. I manage to button and zip the pants. Ha! Take that you doubting Thomas's (that just sprang to mind - I have no idea what the hell it means). Like a model, I turn from one side to the next to take a look.

Unfortunately, it's not a pretty sight. I turn an ear towards the ceiling. I think I hear the two idiots guffawing. Someone slaps their knee in hilarity. Money is exchanged. Now I'm ticked. As I yank off the offending jeans, a hot flash comes on. Sweat pours off me in buckets and I glance again at the ceiling - this time to make sure the sprinklers haven't gone off.

After repeating the above process more times than my brain can handle, my new MO is to take things home to try on. There in the privacy of my bedroom, with only my cat (Griffey) to observe, I try things on. Some are yesses and they get hung in my closet. Some are maybes that get shoved somewhere. And some are definite nos and go back in the bag.

What's the problem, you ask? I'll go months and months and months without returning the merchandise. Oh, I shop at the store in between those times, I just leave the returns at home. I'm able to do this because the store has a generous return policy.

Just the other day, I spent an hour (at least) gathering up returns and matching the receipts. I hauled the big bag to the customer service desk and dragged everything out. When all was said and done, I'm embarrassed to say my credit amount was almost $300! I have pledged to be better at this. I'll keep you updated...

Stop by for Fork It Up Fridays when I share an amazing appetizer that people will go crazy over.

And maybe next Tuesday I'll talk about my love/hate relationship (okay, it's actually a hate/hate relationship) with grocery shopping.

xoxo

Shopping Leads To Returning

The other day, I was shopping at one of my favorite department stores. For the purpose of this blog, I'll call it K's. As you all probably know, I have an adorable granddaughter whom I love to shop for. (And if I see you out in public and pull out her baby pics, just smile and let me have my way.) My daughter tries to hold be back, but sometimes I lose control. Okay, smart aleks, I always lose control. I'm a grandma, what can I say?

Anyway, I'm at K's in the baby section and everything is looking adorable. How to choose? I steered clear of dresses because the sweet girl is crawling and I know crawling doesn't work well with dresses. So that narrowed things down a bit.

I picked out a few cute onesies that could be paired with shorts or worn alone. Some shorts and tops got added to the cart. I chose a 3-piece set of jammies just because there was a cupcake on the front and I knew she'd look so darn cute. I picked out a few more 3-piece sets that had a shirt, shorts and a onesie. I took a glance down at my cart and thought I was hovering on a thin line between too much and just the right amount. So I scurried out of the department before anything else called to me.

When I got home, I took everything out of the bag and one by one looked at what I'd purchased. I smiled when I looked at one of the 3-piece outfits, imagining how cute my granddaughter would look in pink and white polka dots. I picked up the last outfit. Huh. It looked familiar, probably because I'd spent so much time in the store. But wait. There in the pile of clothes a ruffly pink and white polka dot sleeve peered out, taunting me. I dug through the clothes and what did I find?

You guessed it. I'd bought the same outfit twice! I looked back and forth from one hand to the other like I was waiting for something to change. Nope. I'd have to head back to the store to return one of them. But not then. I'll do it later.

Stop back next Tuesday and I'll tell you about my return policy.

Also, please check out Fork It Up Fridays when I'm going to share a delicious summertime drink (yes, with alcohol).

P.S. In my previous Tuesday's post when I talked about the hose versus me, the hose has won. I went out last night to water my flowers. There about 3 feet into the hose was a bulge. On further examination, I saw a slice. Back to square one.

xoxo

The Hose Knows

I have a love-hate relationship with garden hoses. They're hand for obvious reasons, but boy do they have a mind of their own. Those suckers can twist and kink to the point it can make a grown woman cry. Or, in my case, invent new cuss words.

A few Saturdays ago, Mr. Rutland and I were on a quest for a new hose caddy. A week earlier, I had purchased a new hose, but when I went to replace it on the old caddy, I realized that needed to be replaced too.

So off we go to a local home improvement store that for this story I'll refer to as "L's." Now the Mr. and I aren't tightwads, but like most people we want to spend as little money as possible. A replacement hose caddy like the old one would set us back $79. No way, we agreed. So after a much longer than needed search at L's, we agreed on the the one on sale for $19. With excitement building as we head home (yeah, I know what you're thinking--it doesn't take much for these two), we skip to the backyard with our shiny new hose caddy. The Mr. hooks up the new hose and let's her rip. As soon as he turns on the water, the dripping begins. I add a few suggestions, which he executes, and the dripping turns into leaking. The leaking turns into an outright massive spraying. My wifely duty suggests I let him know that the hose is leaking. By the look he gives me, I know I've been a smart ass helpful.

After some inventive cussing from the Mr. (go, honey!!), he disconnects the hose, grabs the cardboard insert that had been attached, and drags the soaking, dripping thing to the car simply stating, "We're taking this *&^%$ back."

Once again, we arrive at "L's." No words are needed as to why we are there when he places the dripping caddy onto the return counter. We go back to the hose section for round two. Nothing interests us. I suggest we go to "HD", which is just across the street.

There we hit the jackpot. We found the perfect caddy at $39, guaranteed not to leak. We share a private laugh, each of us remembering the "no kink" hose we bought the previous year that kinked like the mother of all hoses. That piece of do-do hit the garbage can in record time.

We head back home, get the caddy installed and voila! No leaks. After we high-five each other it's time to roll on the hose. Things go smoothly for about, um, 2 seconds. That son-of-a-gun kinked and bucked and twisted to the point where we each worked at it in 5 minute intervals, which happened to be the time limit on our tempers. Finally, finally, we got it corralled.

I really wanted to use it to water my plants, but I was scared. I knew it wouldn't be as simple as turning on the water, pulling out the hose and spraying. But I channel my inner big girl. After a stare down with the hose for a few minutes, I'm ready. I sweet talk the hose as I unreel a few feet. I hum a happy tune as I turn on the water. And when I squeeze the spray nozzle, I've moved into prayer mode.

With tenderness, I squeeze the nozzle handle. Alleluia! Beautiful water shoots out! I aim it at my summer perennial bed. In seconds, the pressure slows to the point where I have a teeny, tiny stream of water coming out! I yell for the Mr. and he barrels out of the house. I hold up the hose with the little drip-drip of water. "It's got a kink," he says.

My hand quivers because it wants to point the hose in his direction, but I know he won't get soaked. I briefly wonder if any one's ever been choked by a garden hose.  "Fix it," I boldly suggest.

So for the next 20 minutes, we unwind the entire 150 feet of hose to smooth out the multiple kinks we find.

And now? Now I'm afraid to use the sucker...

If you have any garden hose tips, I'd love to hear them!

Please stop back on Friday for a new recipe. Hint: It will be a yummy summer dessert.