New-To-Me Author -- Just Found Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Anyone who knows me knows that I read to the detriment of anything else going on around me -- I guess totally absorbed would be the term.  I mean I can't even count the number of pans of boiled potatoes I had to dump and re-do before my mom found out -- from the time I was 10 through college -- all because I was reading while cooking. (Mom started me cooking early -- she'd call from work and tell me how to get something started and within a year I was on my own, burnt potatoes and all.)  BTW, if I remember, I'll give you the handy hint for getting the burnt stuff out of the bottom of the pan.  So, if I had a moment, my nose was in a book. To this day, I still have problems with regard to time and how much to allow for in order to get ready to go somewhere or get something prepared.

Present Day:  So I've progressed from holding and reading books to reading on a Kindle or on the app on my smart phone or on the computer. Love the apps. Love my computer Kindle app. So handy, purchase at Amazon and then read a moment later. One click is too handy, waaaayyyy too handy, but so available when you need a reading fix. Genre at the moment is Romance whether Western historical, Western present day, Historical, SciFi or my new interest, Paranormal.  Yes, werewolves, shape shifters, demigods and witches. I like the wereanimal ones the best, but I found a new series I just love, the sassy dialog has me in stitches. Yes, there is sex in the books, gotta be prepared for a quivering something or other and mentions of manly thighs, abs and pecs. 

So this week, Dec. 18, Katie Lane's new book in her series got here  (Trouble in Texas) and was read.  Then a book by Edie Claire, called Long Time Coming, was in my to-be-read 'stack' and got read.  I thought it was very good.  Then The Courtship by Grace Burrowes. I liked it. Then To Wed a Rake by Eloisa James. I looked through the others in my TBR list and decided to look at Amazon and thought I was going to find a Kat Martin or Linda Lael Miller I had not read yet or even a Lori Foster or one from Maya Banks.

Instead, I found Sun God Seeks...Surrogate? (book 2) because the title sounded interesting by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff. Finished it and immediately bought Accidentally Married to....A Vampire? (book 3) and read it the same day, yesterday. Immediately bought the first one which is Accidentally In Love With....A God? and am into it only a quarter of the way through and had to pin it and then write this blog. Had to.  Love these books, and can hardly wait for her novella 3.5, Accidentally....Evil, due in -- arrgghhh -- April 2013.  Her Facebook page note says she's working on book #4 but not fast enough for me. 

OK, that's all folks, back to my reading.

BTW, handy hint for getting burnt stuff off the bottom of the pan is to put water in to cover and a bit more, like maybe half a pan full of water, and then add a half to one teaspoon of Cream of Tartar, bring slowly to a boil, and if you can wait that long, let cool and you should be able to get a lot of it off without too much muscle power. Steel wool pads like SOS are very helpful on stainless steel and aluminum pans. Use the 3M green scratchy pads for ceramic, Corelle, glass or cast iron pans.

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff - Author -- Accidentally Yours Series

Update 7 p.m. on 12/20/2012 -- oh wow, look how the date comes out... I digress....
Finished the third book, Accidentally in Love With.....A God? a few minutes ago and I want to say to Mimi Jean and Michele and Latoya, if you are reading this: I Hate Cliff Hanger Endings without a follow up story or book that I can get at fairly quickly.  There is Nothing till April!!!!! Nothing???? ----- Katie Lane left me in the lurch too, I'm waiting for her next book in 2013. 

Updates on Singer SEQS-6700 Futura Quartet

Comments and Problems Aired... 

1-18-2013 Update below re:  positive comments on HSN ---

                                          about Viking 600E

12-25-2012 update below re: Viking model 

Did some more reading of comments and thought I'd mention a couple of things. Seems that one of the problems with the 6700 reading from the computer to the embroidery module is a defective cable. One lady was told Singer would not replace it, so she had to buy her own at about $35.  That did solve the problem with the machine but not with her appreciation of Singer. A couple of others mentioned the same issue, but since they already had previous models of Futuras, they just swapped out the cable and that solved their problems with the machine.

One lady reported that if one was to put in the update from Singer before loading the operational CD that comes with the machine, there was a greater success with the download.

Tension issues are another reported problem, some with the sewing machine and more with the embroidery module.  Two comments I read said the nests of thread on the bottom actually was so bad the needle plate was attached to the embroidery.  I've had that happen with my regular older Kenmore sewing machine, and it took a razor blade to cut it loose.  I can imagine it being worse when the hoop is caught with the fabric.

The rating for the 6700 at HSN was at 2.6 out of 5 stars as of early this morning. Many returns being posted by frustrated purchasers. A couple suggested that Singer might have included an instructional CD.  Early on several reported that not all items were included in the box, but a suggestion was made that since the packers put items into the styro packing, to look further for it.  Major suggestion is that after unpacking the machine, do not throw away the shipping boxes and supporting packing.  One lady's husband threw out the box and now she is stuck as she can't ship back or to a repair facility.
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1-18-2013 Update:
I went in and looked at both the SEQS-6700 and the XL-550 at HSN.com.  The 6700 sold out during the launch of the Plus One sewing machine yesterday.  The customer comments have raised the star rating to 2.8 which means at least 5 people have given 5 or 4 star ratings to bring up the percentage. Most have said it takes some learning and cited possible operator error on others' problems.  The 550 has 10 people giving positive comments of 4-5 stars to give a 4 star overall rating.  The FB page for Singer still has some people having problems with software error messages usually about the smaller hoop not being the correct size.
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(continued)
At this point I'm considering other embroidery machine choices even if I have to wait another year or two to find a used upper end machine at a decent price.

Update to the Update... (12/25/2012) and 1-18-2013

On Darlene Cahill's Facebook page, a comment recently came up that I have Not researched yet.  It was stated that the Viking H Class 600E is the same machine as the XL 550 and the SEQS 6700.  Need to check out price and what accessories it has.  What I would like to find out is if the proper software, and/or the same software packages (CDs) are shared, or if better ones were made for the Viking machine.  For those who don't know, Singer, Viking, and Pfaff joined together as a company. So now they share some body models in both sergers and sewing machines.  I was told that Viking moved their factory from Europe to whatever country in southeast Asia so the Viking quality is still up there as they are using the same equipment from the European factory/factories.

1-18-2013 Prices are not given over the phone, but one poster said the Viking 600e was a few hundred over the cost of the Singer. One of the sewing places I talked to said it was a Singer machine, and if anyone was selling it, they were offering it as a lower cost Viking badged model so that Viking had something comparable to the competition.