A Fill in the Blank Friday
09 Mar 2012 3 Comments
in Personal notes Tags: beagle, books, chair, comfy chair, cozy, fish tank, home decor, kitchen, living room, organized, paint the walls, porch, porch area, Reading, windows, yellow walls
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Note to WordPress: Please stop eating my paragraph spaces!
Blossom Street
17 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Knitting, Personal notes, Reading Tags: A Good Yarn, Alex, Blossom Street series, book, books, cancer survivor, clive cussler, clive cussler books, Debbie Macomber, hold a grudge, how to make a baby blanket, linda hoffman, Project Linus, Reading
I’ve been feeling sentimental lately. That happens from time to time and I start missing my sister. I miss my bothers too but not like I miss my sister. Whenever this happens I end up reading more emotional books and listening to sappy music. I feel sorry for the people who have to endure this little spell of mine.
So I’ve put aside my beloved Clive Cussler books that I’ve been devouring lately and I’m re-reading the first book in the Blossom Street Series by Debbie Macomber called “The shop on Blossom Street“. I just feel the need to revisit “A Good Yarn” which is a little knitting store owned by Linda Hoffman, a cancer survivor. It’s been a while since I read it and I can’t remember all of the details. I just know that the characters are great. Linda opens her store and has a knitting class to teach how to make a baby blanket. The people who come together are all so different but become very close friends. That is the thing that draws me to this book and other’s like it….. that friendship element. Sisters are like good friends that never drift away, never get mad for long, and always remember your birthday. My sister and I are a lot alike in some ways but so different in others. She is the always happy, forgiving type sister and I’m the moody, hold a grudge till I die sister. We balance each other out.
This book is also about knitting, which I love, and one of the characters in the book just happens to be making the blanket for Project Linus. Of course its a court ordered community service type of deal and Alex is a little rough around the edges but this little group ends up helping each other out. Alex is actually my favorite character. The pattern for the blanket they are knitting is in the front of the book so you can actually make it too, in-between reading times of course.
I read several books in this series several years ago until I hit a brick wall. I have to read books in order. I just can’t stand skipping around. So I found out that Debbie had written a short story that went with the series and it was in a book with a couple other short stories by different authors. I could not find a copy of this book anywhere. I finally put it on my wish list at www.paperbookswap.com and a while back I finally got a copy! So now it has been so long that I feel like I need to start all over. That is one bonus to getting old – old books become new again!
The Wrecker
05 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in Personal notes Tags: assassins, book review, books, clive cussler, moving picture, railroad system, the wrecker, van dorn, wreaking havoc, wrecker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great book! I got really sick while reading it but couldn’t stop thinking about it. As soon as I was able I was reading until I finished. All of the details are great and the words painted a moving picture in my mind that kept me riveted till the end. This book is better than the first book, The Chase, and I can’t wait to read the next book!
This is another book built around the railroad system and set in 1907. The Wrecker is sabotaging the railroad, blowing up tunnels, derailing trains, and constantly wreaking havoc with the help of well paid criminals and assassins. Issac Bell, Van Dorn’s Top detective, has to figure out how to stop the wrecker before he strikes again and kills more innocent people.
Chicken…it’s what’s for dinner
24 Jan 2012 5 Comments
in Personal notes, Recipes Tags: books, chicken, chicken tenders, clear boxes, database, free ones, google, mail, NaBloPoMo, Reading, recipe cards, recipes
The other day I got some recipe cards in the mail. I did what I always do and took out the recipe cards and tossed the junk. I never sign up for stuff like that since there are plenty of recipes online. Ever heard of Allrecipes.com? Or Google? I have a box of recipe cards in a cabinet somewhere from a similar thing….actually, they are VERY similar. The thing is the recipe cards never stop. They will keep sending them to you and if, I mean, WHEN needed you can get more cool clear boxes to store them in until you find a trunk or need another house to store them. There isn’t anything wrong with the recipes but I would rather store them online in a searchable database and leave some space for the chicken.
Well, when I got around to looking at the recipes I found a couple I really wanted to try. Tonight I made “Crunchy Chicken Tenders” and they were really good! The recipe cards are by Everyday cooking my way just in case you want to buy a new house to house some new recipe cards….or, you can just snag those free ones like I did (and scan them). I was going to check and see if these are just an updated version of the recipe cards I collected when I first got married (20 years ago) but I can’t remember which cabinet I stuck them in.
I completely forgot to make the dip but I’ll do that next time. I have enough ingredients to make this again and I WILL make this again since everyone in my family actually ate the same meal for once. There is also another recipe I really want to try. My husband can’t wait.
The NaBloPoMo Prompt for today is….
How do you feel about not finishing a book once you’ve read a few chapters?
I can’t not finish the book unless it is REALLY REALLY REALLY bad. Otherwise I will always wonder if I missed something and it could POSSIBLY get better at some point. AND, no matter how bad the story is I HAVE to know how it ended. There have been times when I’ve stuck it out and ended up really enjoying the ending. There have, of course, been other times when I just told everyone to never read it, removed any evidence that I touched it and donated it to a thrift store in case some poor unsuspecting soul might actually like it. There has only been one book that I didn’t finish and it hit the wall on the other side of the room before the end of the first chapter. I’m not telling what book it was since I don’t remember. So, what about you? Do you ever STOP reading a book?
Breaking out
21 Jan 2012 7 Comments
in Craftyness, Personal notes Tags: artist, ATC cards, books, buying books, cabin fever, clive cussler, colored pencils, french fries, new years, painting, resolution, teens, watercolor, winter time
Today I got out of the house finally! That might not seem like a big deal but to me it is. I am constantly dealing with pain during the winter time and getting cold always makes it worse. It warmed up some though and I really had a bad case of cabin fever. I told my husband I wanted to go somewhere but I didn’t care where. I just needed to get out! We went to McDonald’s first and that was great. I mainly only like the french fries but I had these new chicken… well it’s like popcorn chicken. I also had a mocha and it was the best mocha I’ve had in a really long time. Yeah, it was the only one I’ve had in a really long time too.
After that we went to Value Village where I looked all over the whole store but didn’t buy anything but books! A friend turned me on to Clive Cussler and now I’m addicted. I had already bought a bunch of his books. I have a notebook of all the books I want and check them off when I get them. That keeps me from buying it multiple times which I have done several times before. Ol’ Clive has several different series so I listed them all down by series and in order. I was really hoping to find the last two books in the Issac Bell series. There are only 4 and I’m on the second one. Well I found a bunch of other books I didn’t have but not the two I was looking for. Some of them were really old so I got them pretty cheap. After that we went to two more book stores but still didn’t find the books I was after. Then we went shopping and I ended up buying the next book new. I hate buying books new since I don’t keep them after I read them. So I ended up getting 10 books for $29. Not too bad for the money…… it is however, bad for my resolution I made to not buy any more books. I’m supposed to be reading the books I have and getting rid of them. I guess I can’t help it. HELLO, MY NAME IS DONNA AND I AM A BOOKAHOLIC
While we were out we saw a RAINBOW. I couldn’t believe it. It is 10 below F and just as we were making a turn we could see behind this smoke billowing up the end of a rainbow. We never did see the other end and of course I didn’t get a chance to take a picture. Bummer. It was really pretty out and not too cold although I still would like it to be warmer by about 90 degrees.
My youngest son Riley, the 15 year old, and his dad didn’t fair well today. My husband stepped into his room before we left to ask him what size shoes he needed. Riley smarted off to him I guess and was very disrespectful. He was cocky because he just had a birthday and he was playing his games and wearing his new clothes his grandma sent him. He didn’t think his dad could LEGALLY take away things that he was given for birthday’s and Christmas’s. He actually threatened to call the police. My husband told him he knew some of them and played cards with them. Riley didn’t think that was funny. He ended up swearing at his dad. He said some things that made ME want to duck. I have to say, my husband is a heck of a man to not have beat him to death. He didn’t even touch him because he was afraid he was too angry. He did take away everything even remotely fun that was in his room. Every video game and the systems that run them. He took the shopping bags from out groceries and loaded them up. Riley is still moping in his room. He went outside for a while which he expected to get us upset. He’s done that before but when it was much colder. This time I didn’t bite. I could tell he was right outside by Blue’s perked up ears. She does that when she can hear people walking in the yard. I would bet, if I had any money, that after a few days he will start cleaning up everything and being extra nice in the hopes that he can get his stuff back early. That won’t work though after what he said to his dad.
Anyway, I almost forgot to post my ATC cards that are for the ladybug swap. The first one is the one I just did with colored pencils and watercolor Inktense pencils and the second one I did last September with colored pencils.
Too cold for the birds
15 Jan 2012 4 Comments
in Crochet, Personal notes, Photos Tags: alaska, bird feeder, bookcrossing, books, chase scene, cold, cowboy type, graphic scenes, hot cocoa, photography, winter, wool eater
It is -40 F and the whole area is engulfed in a thick ice fog. Not the kind that floats in the air over a stretch of road and you can see the top and bottom of it…… this ice fog is everywhere. When I look outside it looks like the air is white…. like thick white smoke. I think it is frozen…. I didn’t dare go outside. I decided it was a great day (or days) to stay inside and sip hot cocoa or tea while snuggled under a warm blanket reading a book. I took this picture through my window. It looks more clear up close but the camera just doesn’t pick it up very well. If you look at the tall trees in the background you can see it better.
The snow on the smaller bird feeder is causing the hook to tip a little.
Yesterday I added another stripe to my Wool-Eater blanket. I chose purple. I usually ask my husband what he thinks 
and he thought the blue against the pink was a bit too much and thought I should go with colors that were more closely related. I think it looks nice. Now I just have to decide what color to use next.
I finally finished my book called The Chase by Clive Cussler. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the second book which looks even better. It isn’t often I find a book that I really like that doesn’t have a curse or two and some really graphic sex scenes.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a good mystery with a cowboy type hero although he had no horse. He drove a fast car. I really enjoyed all of the historic details that were woven in with the story. This story has a western feel and is captivating even without cursing and graphic scenes. Once I got half way though the book there was no putting it down until the end. The “chase” scene made you feel like you were on board…..
One of my resolutions was to read 12 books that I already have and pass them on some how….. now I have to decide how. I might just add it to my bookcrossing wild releases.
Book Review: A Can of Peas
17 Nov 2011 4 Comments
in Book Reviews Tags: book review, books, goodreads, mandala
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. It’s about a young man named Peter whose grandfather just passed away. He has many fond memories of helping his grandfather on the farm in Minnesota and wonders why his father didn’t stay there to take over the farm. He resents his father, who is a musician, for always moving around while he was growing up and for missing his grandfather’s funeral. Peter is between jobs and he and his new wife Mae are staying in her parent’s basement which hasn’t been ideal. Mae’s mom doesn’t think Peter is good enough for her and Mae ends up leaving with their mother-daughter relationship in ruins. Peter’s Grandmother mentioned one day that her husband Roy had always hoped someone in the family would take over the farm and Peter thinks that is what he wants to do. He talks to his wife and his grandmother and they decide on a trial period to see how it goes. Mae finds out very quickly that outsiders have a hard time fitting in with small town folks where everyone knows everyone’s business. Peter loves farming but has a hard time keeping up and is worried about paying back his operating loan. The story continues to tell of some of their trials on the farm.
I really like how the author inserted sections in italics that tell a small story from the past. That allows the reader to get to know the people in the small town and how they relate to one another. You learn a little bit of history right when you need to. The stories are very well written and make you feel for the people in the story. After reading this book you are left wondering what’s next and there are two more books “Dandelions in a jelly jar” and “aprons on a clothesline”.
This isn’t just a book about farming. It’s about being new and trying to fit in where newcomers aren’t welcome. It’s about love…. and family. It’s about coming through difficult times unscathed and knowing you are not alone in the world.
So that was a great book. I finished it last night and I’m ready to get started on the next one. I don’t want to give anything away but that book ended with me in tears! I am pretty good at not crying during sad parts in books but that one got me! UGH! No one could get away with not crying at that….. or……like say, the Notebook (book or movie). One thing I really liked about this book or more about the author’s style of writing is it is like a collection of small vignettes – small stories that connect. So you can easily put it down to get something finished and come back to it. I usually have a hard time putting a book down and just want to KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!! This book is more relaxing and though the story hangs in the back of your mind it isn’t so urgent that you get all the details right away. I actually don’t want to finish too soon because there are only 3 books and then I always end up missing the characters and wanting the story to continue. This book is one of those descriptively written books that leaves you with a movie in your head. It’s like watching a good show on TV… like little house on the prairie where there are different people who interact and you get attached to each one.
In other news, I am working on my mandalas. I haven’t taken any pictures yet but I’m getting anxious because my prince is coming back home tonight! I’m waiting on pins and needles for his call that he’s arrived. Since it is so cold I’m going to just pick him up at the door with a warm car and not bother going inside. My hands are already hurting from being outside and getting too cold yesterday. It doesn’t feel like the arthritis this time. It feels more like the fibromyalgia in my hands… just hurting in random places and not at the joints. I have been getting sharp pains all over and just want to lay down and stay bundled up. I wish I didn’t have to go out but at least I don’t have to get out of my car. I wonder………. if I kiss my prince when he gets here will he turn into a frog? I hope not.
Edit: I decided to add some pictures of my mandalas. These are just the practice ones on the templates so they are just pencil on printer paper. It may be difficult to see the pencil lines but we’ll see. I should have some color mandalas to show soon.
Oh and a picture of blue looking so cute snuggled up on her queen sized blanket. She is not going to be happy because her blanket is going into the wash in a minute. Eventually I’m going to cut this down to fit better on her bed.
Snuggle-puss
Like my mother does
06 Nov 2011 4 Comments
in Knitting, Personal notes Tags: books, dog, Reading, traci depree
Thanks to everyone who left me nice comments about my mom. I really appreciate your kind thoughts :O)
I’ve had this song playing in my head all day and I love how Laura Alaina sings it. I have to push it to the back because this video makes me cry!
Today has been a slow day for me. I took Claritin and it really helped a lot but it makes me tired. Everything makes me tired… I’m so sensitive to medicines. I took the claritin this morning at 7:30 and I slept till 2 pm and missed church again. UGh. Oh well, it is nice to be able to breath and its nice to know what I’m dealing with finally. I had been taking cold medicine and it just wasn’t working. My sinuses were really congested and my ears had that annoying tickle! I wished I could slide a pipe cleaner through there and scratch it real good but I might wipe out a few good brain cells doing that. When I woke up I laid there for a while still feeling doped up. Finally I decided to read a little. I had started to read this book a while back called “A Can of Peas” by Traci Depree. It’s a trilogy about a small town and things that happen with the people there. I started back where I had left off but realized I didn’t remember who anyone was anymore. So I started over again. I really like how the story has small sections written in italics that tell a small story that happened in the past. Those sections help the reader to understand some things about a person in the story and the history between the people.
It starts off taking about a guy named Peter Morgan whose grandfather just died. He was really close to his grandfather and remembered going with him on the tractor and watching the peas being harvested. Here is a quote from the book that his grandfather Roy Morgan said to him as a boy in an effort to explain why his dad is different and doesn’t want to work on the farm. His dad is a musician.
“People are like these here peas. They come in all sizes, you know. Some are big, some small. There’s floaters and sinkers, but it takes all kinds, working together and helping each other out. That’s what makes a family, a town, work.”…. and then a little bit farther on Peter says, “What will I be when I grow up, Grandpa?” His Grandpa answered, “You’ll be who you are now, plus or minus the choices you make along the way. Now, what you do, that’s another matter altogether. You’ll have to follow your heart… and God’s leading. But it’ll come to you, Peter.”
I’ve also been looking at my library book some – Forgotten Household Crafts by John Seymour. It has some really interesting information about how household chores used to be done. I just don’t like it when it tells something without a date range… That’s stuff I need to know in case I’m ever on Jeopardy!! Like this part that says “Whitewash was ritually applied to the ceilings every spring as part of the spring cleaning…” it also talks about “pounding the wash with a peg-dolly in the wash tub, then rinsed and passed through the wringer, before being hung out to dry.” It gives no indication about when, what era. Still interesting though… I always have google I suppose.
I also picked up my knitting that has been getting lonely in the corner. I am making a sweater in pale pink. I got the back finished towards the end of last month and started the ribbing at the bottom the front side. I
Back of Sweater
couldn’t knit for a while because of pain in my hands – especially, knit 2, purl 2 ribbing… and then I realized that Blue my beagle had pulled it out and nested on it. So instead of pale pink it was looking more like a tri-colored beagle. I ripped it out and tried to get rid of the dog hair sticking to the yarn and started fresh. Hopefully I’ll get the 3 inches of ribbing finished today or tomorrow morning so I can start on the stockinette. I’ve been sitting here in my recliner section of the couch knitting away while snuggled up with an afghan my mom made for me after I got married. It’s made with two strands of yarn… one is blue (my favorite color when I was a kid) and one is black (my husband’s favorite color). My mom was always making something when I was a kid :O)
I haven’t done anything creative yet today so we see later what I come up with.
Book Review: The Color Purple
03 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews Tags: book review, books
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This was certainly a different kind of book. The whole book is written in letters… by the main character Celie who learned what hurt was at a very young age. At first she wrote letter’s to God…. and then later when she felt God forgot about her and she had found out her sister was alive and had been writing to her all along she began writing to her sister Nettie. She found out that the man she was forced to marry that she referred to only as “mr _____” had been hiding her sister’s letters. She found out through reading her sister’s letters that her two babies who had been taken from her were alive and her sister was helping to take care of them. Celie had a very hard life and had never known love until she met Shug Avery. She learned to love and to be loved and then the hurt of losing love….
(I didn’t like the bad language in this book- and there is a lot of it.)
Book Review: Keeping Faith
26 Sep 2011 1 Comment
in Book Reviews Tags: book review, books
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really like Jodi Picoult writing style BUT this book was just too out there for me. Maybe it’s just me, because I like realism and as soon as an alien comes into the picture it’s all over… I usually read through books pretty fast but this book took me almost a month because I couldn’t get into it. It wasn’t so much that it was controversial but that it was just plain weird and unrealistic. I do like the characters she creates and Mariah’s mother was my favorite! But, all through this whole book I kept finding myself wondering WHY, if neither parent had no interest in any religion or FAITH, why did they name their child that?
(There is some bad language in this book)
