Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads . To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky (at West Metro Mommy). Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

Most of you who read my blog know that in addition to books, quilting is a passion of mine. Lately though I have lost my love for quilting. I don't understand what exactly happened, but I am trying to re-kindle the feeling I once had. That being said, I wanted to share the quilt I made for my newest great grandchild. The Winnie the Pooh images are from a panel that I cut apart. Then the smaller squares are some Pooh themed fabric and some that color coordinated. The back is a soft dark brown minkee. For those of you who don't sew, think stuffed animal fabric. The good kind! It turned out really well and Joseph's mommy likes it too. 

Until next time, 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Julia's Chocolates

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph or maybe two of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph (or2) of the current book you are reading.

I left my wedding dress hanging in a tree somewhere in North Dakota. 

I don't know why that particular tree appealed to me. Perhaps it was because it looked as if it had given up and died years before and was still standing because it didn't know what else to do. It was all be itself, the branches gnarled and rough, like the top of someone's knuckles I knew. 

These are the first two paragraphs of a book I hope to start this weekend. Would you continue? Or would you have to read a bit further before deciding?

 

Julia's Chocolates
by Cathy Lamb
Kensington Books




The Cover blurb:  Life is waiting.
                            Take a bite.

 This is the November read for the group, Love of Reading on Goodreads. I had a hard time finding a copy before I finally bought it on Amazon. It was not in our library, not in our local bookstore. It wasn't even available on inter library loan from the other libraries in our area. When I first look at it on Amazon it was $5.99. When I finally decided I could not get it elsewhere, I went back to Amazon and it was $8.06. Does that mean other people were purchasing it?  I wonder?


Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Another Ebook read, 9 more to go.

Caramel and Magnolias by Tess Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't know what to expect from this book. It was featured on Bookbub,either free or for .99 and I was drawn to the title. I guessed it was a love story, a chick lit kind of book. I was in for a surprise.

The prologue introduces us to a young girl named Alicia Johnson, who live in the Pacific Northwest in a small town and a woman with ice blue eye in purple glasses.We are meant not to like her.  In the locker room at the HS, Alicia's friend Lola says she has a way for Alicia to make some money for masseuse school but she has to keep it a secret.

As the book begins we meet Cleo Tanner, a Montessori teacher and a young woman who doesn't think much of herself. Her best friend Sylvia is married but unhappy. Sylvia want a baby and can't conceive. Malcom, her husband, could care less but goes along with in-vitro anyway. Cleo and Sylvia have a bestie named Nick. He has been their friend since HS.

This is a story of friendship, of love, of family. At first I was unhappy with the mystery of how the young girls were introduced to a way of making money to provide for their dreams. I wasn't sure where the story was taking me. But finally, the characters come to life, their lives intertwine to give us a great story.

I'll read Tess Thompson again.



This is my 16th ebook this year, on my way to 25 before the year is out. Last week when I posted my review of The Husband's Secret I wondered if Sarah at Workaday Reads was going to host this Challenge for 2014. Well, on her post dated 11-16-13, she announced that she was!  Hooray!  I will definitely do this one again. No pressure, just read the books on your electronic device, or download new ones!! Review and link when you can and go for your goal.  My kind of challenge!

Please join Sarah and the rest of us by signing up at Workaday Reads. This is the link to the sign up post. the instructions are there too.

Until next time,
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

 It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. As she says, it’s “a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!”


I am in the middle of Broken Dishes by Earlene Fowler. This is #11 in the Benni Harper Mystery series. I am trying to complete this series as part of the Mega Mix Challenge that is hosted by Love of Reading on Goodreads. Also, the November Mini Challenge in that same group needs to be Food or Feast related. I chose the easy level, 3 books with titles that are related to food. I read Caramel and Magnolias by Tess Thompson, and now am finishing Broken Dishes. Next I will read Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb. Cathy Lamb's book is also the November read for Love of Reading group. So yea for multi-tasking.!! 

What are you reading this week?  Link up with Sheila at Book Journey and share you current reads. 

Until next time, 
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Saturday Snapshot : The sewing machine has been humming!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky (at West Metro Mommy). Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

In the last few weeks I have been working on finishing some projects. My plan for 2014 is to use up what is in my stash and finish projects that I have purchased and not finished. A plan to downsize and git r done!

All 2013 I have been taking part in a BOM from Shabby Fabrics. I have shared a few of them in past posts.
They come from designer Kathy Schmitz and are complete with fabric and backing. I only need to supply the batting and the sewing thread, and a scrap of fusible web. Here is August and November. They all fit on a standing frame that I display on top of our entertainment center. I am working on stitching December to have it ready by Dec 1st or no later than the 10th.

Also this fall, I worked on a seasonal banner set that has 4 parts, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. It was in the Quick Quilts magazine 2011. I have done Summer and here is Fall:

 This was made with fabrics from my stash. I did not purchase anything.  The same with the large table runner shown below. You can see the scrappy binding and even the backing piece was in my fall basket on the shelf. I did have to buy a piece of batting for this one. It is 27x36 and the largest batting I had in my stash had a chunk cut out of it. *sad face*   But I did purchase some fusible tape so I can put my batting scraps together for future projects.

This pattern is called Log Cabin Pumpkins and is from Suzanne's Art House. I purchased the pattern from Pinewood Cottage, the quilt store in Story WY during Story Days. I used all fabrics from my stash. 

At last but not least is the Turkey banner from Patchabilities. This is also from my fabric scraps and I completed it last year, but really like him, so every year he gets hung up too. 

You can't tell here, but our living room walls are sage green and all this fall decor looks good in here! This space between our front hall closet ( to the right) and the stairway edge (to the left) always has a seasonal banner occupying it. 

So I have been busy and I have also read or listened to 13 books since the first of October and during the month of November I am going to work part time for my former employer while the Admin. Assistant is off on medical leave.  Whew!  When I list it all, it seems overwhelming. But you know my mantra:

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

So until next time, 

SB&SH

Friday 56 and another one in a series.

Below are the rules posted at Freda's Voice, sponsor of this Friday meme. I have only participated a few times, but it's a fun way to see what others are reading and to get a feel for each book. Hope you will click on over to Freda's blog and link up your Friday 56. 

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. It's that simple.

page 56

Broken Dishes by Earlene Fowler

A Benni Harper Mystery  #11

"Oh, yes, " Hud said. " Benni and I are also dear old friends." He crossed his arms over his chest. " I should have realized if there was some kind of odd murder scene, you'd be involved."

This is number 11 in a 15 book series. It is one of my challenges in the Mega Mix Challenge in the Love of Reading group on Goodreads. I am hoping to finish that challenge before the end of the year. *fingers crossed*. 

Until next time, 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Amy Einhorn Books Perpetual Challenge from Beth Fish Reads

A couple of years ago I happened on the blogging world. Completely by accident I found my first blog,  Beth Fish Reads. I was so captivated by Beth's love of books and her ability to review books. It is something I struggled with then and still struggle with so I decided to participate in some of her challenges. I chose the Amy Einhorn Books Perpetual  Challenge because I had already read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and because it wasn't timed there would be no pressure. So I ordered 6 selections from her lists and began. I have fallen woefully behind, but have read some of the selections.

The following is a recent review from the 2013 list of Amy Einhorn Books.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cecelia, Tess and Rachael have part of their lives in common. Cecelia happens upon a letter written many years earlier by her husband and address to her to open if he dies. As she ponders whether to open in now, her husband is very much alive but away on business, her life unfolds around her. It intermingles with Rachael's life, at her daughter's elementary school. The PE teacher at the school grew up in the area, even dated Rachael's daughter, Janie. Tess grew up there too and is now home while she sorts out the news of her husband's affair with her cousin and best friend Felicity. Tangled webs are woven and must surely destroy lives. Or must they?  

I loved this book. Liane Moriarty's characters were very real to me. They experienced feelings that we all have experienced at one time or another. They know of guilt and anguish, of love and hate, of ambivalence and abhorrence. They are human.


This was also an ebook on my kindle, so it satisfies another challenge that I participate in. I originally decided to try to read 10 EBooks. I completed that level so the next level was 25, I may not make the goal. But I have a lot of books on my kindle and seem to keep downloading more!  You can participate too, though you might just want to wait and see if this challenge in sponsored again in 2014.  I will look for it. If you want to check it out, just go to Sarah's blog  Workaday Reads and see what everyone else is reading on their electronic device.

Until next time, 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy,