jbarrett5

Heavenly Savings: A Mile in His Shoes Movie Reveiw and Giveaway!

2012-01-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

Heavenly Savings: A Mile in His Shoes Movie Reveiw and Giveaway!: A Mile in His Shoes It is no secret that I am picky about the movies I watch. I try to keep my life uplifting and inspirational and ...

nuture your books contest

2012-01-25T15:57:00.001-08:00

look at all these books, and a literacy necklace, mug and key fob,
magnet for the fridge, and all these books. Cedar chest will be the first one i read. Thanks so much!

Brigid Kemmerer: Win an ARC for STORM!

2012-01-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Brigid Kemmerer: Win an ARC for STORM!: All right, guys. The day is here. Who wants to win a signed ARC? No challenge, just a straight up drawing. Leave a comment on this blog ...

books i read

2012-01-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

I do read and review fro publishers: Penguin Group, Kennsington, Harlequin and many others. Post my reviews at: my blog: www.jbarrett5.blogspot.com,
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Diesel, facebook,
twitter, books a million and netgalley. smashwords

Movies watched dec 2011

2012-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Movies for the past 3-4 months
lack death
every day
thor
killer
10 episodes of camelot
bandits frank and jesse james
wild target
hunt to kill
sacrifice
the resistance
the speed of thoughts
iceburg
cherry
the spy next door
the freebie
assault girls
iron clad
cougar hunting
the postman
journey to promethea
the encounter
outside the law
sinbad and his 7 adventures
rockaway
gunless
moby dick 2010
supernova
the way of war
interplanterm
good day for it
west brick murders
the warriors way
season of the witch
riding in cars with boys
waiting for forever
lies and illusions
swat=firefight
midnight chronicles
harry tries to get married
take me home tonight
holiday in handcuffs
in the sinatra club
gundown
limitless
hardwired
my future boyfriend
knockout
20 years after
dragon crusadors
aftershock
mandie and the hidden tunnel
buck
a wrinkle in time
iron man 2
no strings attached

and 85 episodes of brothers and sisters

books i read dec 2011

2012-01-01T17:46:00.001-08:00

books i read in dec 2011
53 436 for 2011 total

All I ever wanted by Kristan Higgins
Callie works in VT at the local ad agency. She's got a crush on
the boss but he's brought in a new female and he gives her an engagement
ring. She moves on and tries to catch the new vet which they have many
hours spent together as they get to know one another.
She helps out her grandfather who only has one leg. He's falling in love with
his true love. He also makes different styles of kayaks and is an expert
at that trade.
Love the VT dialect-wicked, brings a smile to my face.
Now the boss is leaning towards getting rid of the new woman as
Callie has told him her feelings about her. He's grown up all his life
with Callie as his best friend.
Who will she end up with now?

Maine by Jay Courtney Sullivan
Family beach house in Maine where over the years the family members
have assembled. Three generations of females descent upon the house
one summer. Story starts out with how they were first married, and he
had won the land when another couldn't pay their card debt.
Alice remained and Daniel had passed away. Each of the kids and their
families would come to the house a different month for each child and
their family.
Very confusing as each person gets their own chapter and you struggle to
figure out who it is they are even talking about. Goes from the present
to the past.
It is a very good book, the setting especially.

the jewelled darkness by virginia coffman
Actress who likes one of the brothers but it's the younger one that
is stalking her. Things go wrong and the younger one dies and she ends up
marrying the older one-the one she likes. She's got a feat that is
terrifying til she blacks out. She thinks the servants are out to
poison her. A ghost in the shape of the one who died is after her.
The end of the play turns out different bringing to light all that had
transpired and the truth comes out.

The Danger of Desire by elizabeth essex
1799 timeframe in England:
Meggs and Timmy are pick pockets and they've made it so far with no
trouble, except one time where Meggs cut up her hand pretty bad.
The Captain is looking to hire a pick pocket to get some papers the
military requires.
He finds her when she takes his pocket watch. He takes her in and
gets the surgeon to do emergency surgery and then time for it to heal.
Timmy has come looking for her and he is also taken in. She is now
to learn how to keep a house so she can fit right in with her
assignment. He's also offered to teach them how to read and write.
Problem is he's falling for her and she's starting to fall for him.
Things turn around after her assignment. Some for the good and some
for the bad.

12-28 Dangerous Love by Ednah Walters
Faith is in trouble as she finds out from her customers that her rival
designer/ex finance has gotten her designs and claimed them as hers.
She calls on Ken who is into security to help try to find out how it was done.
Her aunt and her bevy of sority sisters want to help also.
Love learning about the fashion/design industry and actually have the one who
designed the outfit do the actual sewing.
Other relatives come into the picture and it's always nice to hear what's going
on in their lives as well.
She's overheard bits of family conversation and is wondering if she's really
related to any of them. Fashion week in NY was all set.
Things start to go wrong and get even worse as time goes on.

Pansley The Panda's Great Day by Christina Weiner
illustrated: Shows various pictures of what the panda does all day long. Also
shows the book covers of many other books from this author.

Mamma Sea Turtle Lost her Babies, A Silly colors and shapes picture book by Robert Stanek
illustrated: The sea tutle asks other animals to help her find her babies
in the ocean.
The comparison of shapes and colors to match up are good.
There are a lot of different sea creatures in the salt water.

TBot and Peabody Explore by Jonathan D. Fluck
illustrated: Two robot brothers go exploring at the zoo today.
The come across a lot of different animal on their travels.
Tells them where they live and what they eat. There are
other books by this author. they explore other things.

Math Candy, 7 sweet stories for early readers by Amanda Trane
Few illustrations: Danny had carried around 3 dimes all day at school and was looking
forward to spending them at the candy store after school.
One of his friends tells him that will not be enough.
The teacher said it would be enough to buy candy.
They are able to sort the candy by color and decide what they want to get.
There are other books by this author.

To Santa with love by janet dailey
Jacquie has had it with her dad. She finishes college for the term and leaves.
She takes her foreign car and travels from Texas to LA. She stops in AZ to visit
with a friend that just got married. When she leaves there she runs into a man who
has a little boy with him. The garage will fix her car but it's going to take several
days to even get the parts in. After spending almost all her money from staying at the
nearby motel she's been enjoying her leisure time by discovering the little town and
all it's treasures: museums, gardens, etc. The man she ran into comes to her help when
he offers her a job at his ranch with his dad and son so she can pay off the car and be
on her way. They figure it will take several weeks worth of work.
She wants to be independent and do everything on her own to show her parents that she can do it.
She goes for a ride on the horse and the horses leg is injured now, so she dismounts and looks
around to find out she has no idea where she is.
Things do get better but she realizes the real things in life are meant to fight for.

When a pig flies by JadeNabi Jin
illustrated: The pig's son is dying and he seeks help from others.
He also hates his short legs and thinks he is ugly. The mother pig
gives up her body parts to help get the child pig what he wants.
He gets parts of bodies donated, deer legs, horns from a bull, and
wings. She gave up her heart for the pig also, then the pig woke up.

One Little Christmas Tree
illustrated: Life from the perspective of a Christmas tree at a tree farm
around Christmas. The true meaning of the holiday comes to light.

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
Love the quotes in the recipe box that their mom had started in previous book and the
girls have kept up in each of their books.
Chloe, the wild one, is always up to something. She's involved with Lance who has CF
and lives on the edge. The local sheriff always seems to be right there when she gets
home. He's not yet arrested her as he doesn't want to bring bad attention to the B&B her
sisters are running. Her sisters are almost married to his best friend and his brother.
A neighbor wants to fight pit bull vs pit bull and have wagers. She and Lance say it's not
right to make dogs harm themselves to death so they crossed the wire fence to let dogs out.
She got cut up really bad and ended up having to go to the ER to get fixed up.
Find it very interesting to learn of the different natural products you can mix to help with
spa treatment areas: frizzy hair, dry skin, etc
Terror strikes when she gets anonymous heavy breather phone calls.
She tries to win over her sisters by talking about how she'd turn one room of the inn into a
spa, this way she'd NOT have to leave to do her treatments at hotels.
I like Chloe's iphone app the magic 8 ball where you ask it a yes or no question. They all
have fun with it.
She's been spending a lot of time with Sawyer, helping paint his house, bringing him lunch, etc.
Drug deals, runaway bride, kidnapping, revenge and mud springs all lead us to the finale.
What a really nice treat at the end.

post in Jan
The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods
This book starts where the last one left off: the trip to Ireland.
Luke did stay behind and has now returned to the US and is pretty sure
he wants to open a Irish pub. He majored in history and he doesn't
want to go that route. Family members are behind him all but his father. He doesn't want to start a family feud over it. His grandmother will even teach him to cook Irish meals and even pitch in at the bar some times.
He was quite taken with Moira-his grandmother's long time friend Dillion granddaughter. Moira is now working at the bar in Ireland and gets to use her photography skills. She is wondering what is going on with Luke back in the States. She is starting to get work from the photos she took of patrons at the bar. What a great business to get into, something she really liked.
Interesting to learn about what goes in a bar.
So now we find Nell courting Dillion in her hometown and Luke is with Moira. They are only there for a short time, everybody knows. They have things to get back home to.
Nell has talked to Dillion about her declining health and he's agreed to stay on longer.
Luke is getting closer to Moira and things heat up with others as the opening night of the bar approaches.
Serious health issues strike.
Love to hear about the other members of the family and their current events. Love this series.

Yours, Unexpectedly By Susan Fox
M&M were always together. Besides being next door neighbors growing up they liked each other. She's got 3 older sisters and parents. Matt only has his mom now and she's overbearing. Merilee has all her family around her for her wedding weekend.
Problem is she sees how her other sisters and their dates are acting and she does NOT feel the spark so she calls off the wedding. They are able to either cancel or rearrange the day for one of her other sisters to go ahead with their marriage.
The cruise can not be canceled so he decides he'll just get away from it all. She also can use the time to recoup and discover who she really is. They come to an agreement to both stay in the cabin just not be together. As they go on outings from the cruise ship they find themselves really finding out about the new person.
She's gone and changed not only her hair but things she never would've done otherwise. He's also changed his hair and dress and they can now listen to what the other is saying.
Both of them accept drinks from others, dance with others and do things out of their comfort zone, very adventurous. And they discover a new kind of sex.
He had brought her to the doctors in the past cuz of her extreme pain. They found out she needed some surgery and chances are she'd never be able to conceive.
Merilee is staying in touch with her sisters to gain confidence and ask their opinions about how to discover her new self and Matt.
Everything that is happening can be explained by the chaos theory.
I love where they have been on the cruise-to places I'll never get to visit. Great details on what they find. Everything has changed, they no longer think they want to be just teachers anymore but something they've dreamed of forever when they were very young.
Now a health problem, could that mean more problems for them getting back together?
I didn't realize this was a book with others associated with it. At the back of this book are excerpts of several other that go along with the series. Now I just have to go get them, the series is not going to disappoint by any means.

A SUMMER IN EUROPE Marilyn Brant
Starts out with Gwen who's a teacher and off for the summer, is celebrating her birthday with her boyfriend of 2years. She's thinking he's going to propose to her but he only gives her some other jewelry. The aunt that raised her, and her S&M (not what you are thinking) board game playing friends give her a treat as one of them can't go. a trip to see Europe 5 weeks.
I find the tour guide is super. He knows where to take them, off the beaten path but also the major touristy sites. He gives them time to wander on their own if they wish or to stay as a group. Gwen does a bit of both. She describes the market place in detail that makes me want to
go just to experience the smells and colors. Her aunt tries to push her into going out more after dinner so she will forget her dull boyfriend and maybe have some fun.
Cool how one of the group is heavily into numbers and knows exactly how many steps a certain museum has, sometimes over 400. The views, gardens, parks and gondola rides sound like something I would want to do.
At a friends house yesterday and she showed me set of earrings made from
blown glass on the island of Murano=very fascinating design. In the book that is one of their stops=to see the glass blowers.
Love how knowledgeable the guide is. Would make this trip in their footsteps if I had him for a guide.
This book describes what a lot of places are like seeing them for the first time, very detailed.
You can tell the appreciation for the buildings, architecture, sounds, colors, traditions, and the story that goes along with the group on this adventure.
Between the guide and the England part of the group there is a wealth of knowledge as to what facts they know, astonishing!
Tragedy strikes on their way to play in the world wide tournament.
Gwen gets a shock when they arrive in England.
Love the ending and also the explanation of how to play the board game, thanks for adding that.
What I would have liked to have seen was the map of their journey.

CITY WEDDING By Maggie Carlise
Jessica wakes up on her wedding day in a historic hotel where there is peace and quiet. She
is ready to wed her groom, Ed. Their big fairytale wedding day, the night before the ceremony.
And all the people involved. I don't feel like I know too many of them well because there are
just way too many coming at you so fast it seems. Story was good, just very short.

Jack and the Cowstalk by Colin Anderson
Different take on Jack and the beanstalk. In this one he gets a cow and climbs to the top where
there is a castle. He did find some huge things but some other non typical things that makes
this tale a LOT different. Good outcome anyways, very innovative.

Children's Christmas Dreams by Kathy Mann
There are several chapters devoted to the Christmas holiday, reindeer, elves, Santa comes
to town, the Christmas tree, etc and the best one, Christmas dreams.
Very colorful and magical for children to follow along.

A Christmas Feral Mary Matthews
Similiar story about Scrooge but using different characters. The judge has to put some in
jail where at least they will get a free meal. THen there is the case of the cat, they are
strays. Cats were always in his life and he just hated them now. He saw the good in the cats
and when he awoke he sent a telegram that it was now illegal to killcats.

Bunny’s Homespun Christmas By Susan Ripley Rodgers
Benjamin's mother was dead and he sees the butterfly as a sunlit star and makes a wish.
He knew if he lived in the big warm stone house he would feel safe and cozy.
Betsy is playing in the garden and finds Benjamin and takes him inside where it is warm.
Love comes into your life and into your heart. Good heartwarming story.

What is that? Learn the alphabet with animals by Adam Brandt
Excellent illustrated book for children to learn their letters by using
colorful pictures of animals and their names to help them.

A Surprise for Centi - Lalgudi, Sujatha
A book about Friendship
The reason I really got this book was for my grandson. He totally just loves
bugs of any kind and Centi is a centipede. The story is of the centipede and
all his friends, a ladybug and that they hide in the leaves.
A water strider shows them how he can walk on water.
There was no way for Centi to walk on the water but his friends helped him with it.

Santa's Diary
A journal from Santa about what he does all year round to prepare for when he delivers
gifts to all the children of the world.
The one chapter I was drawn to is the one about penguins. It's one of my grandson's
best animal friends. Everything from the opening day party, drinks, food, dancing to
the letters children write.
He makes sure the reindeer are well, his sleigh is fixed and ready to go, wrapping machine
is ready. A lot of penguins came to visit the North Pole and the only way to make them move
away from the workshop was to give them candy canes.
This book should probably be read over the period of a few nights before Christmas as it's
quite long and very detailed.

REBEL By Julianne MacLean
Prequel to the Highlander Series
What got me interested in this was that it's about castles and sword fighting and
based in 1700's. Alex is in the middle of a battle when he's approached by a lad and
the lad takes a swipe at his thigh. He uses his sword and attacks him only to find out
that it's a female.
Elizabeth wakes up in pain and knows she must get back to Argyll's camp. She does not like
Scotland at all. He comes and gives her whiskey for her pain and finds out it's 10pm, she's
slept the day away when he didn't even know if she'd survive at all.
He allows her food and finds out that she's there to take revenge for her father and brother
dying in the rebellion. Problem is he's looked at her and has fallen in love with her looks
and her wit.
Others learn she is there and want to return her to her village as a spy. Alex won't allow
that to happen, she's under his protection now and he will see her back to the only living
relative she has, her uncle.
On their journey they talk a lot and find out about each others families and interests.
She now sees him as one who loves his family and wishes him no harm. He returns her and leaves
til 5 months later he is back and proposes to her because she is all he ever thinks about.
Sounds like a good series and the timeframe is ideal.

The Lonely Christmas Tree by Shannon Glenn
A lone tree is by itself where there are other trees but they are all together.
A star falls down from the sky and selects the tree to be the real Christmas tree.
Tree is no longer lonely as birds come to nest, other creatures bring nuts, they decorate
with blinking lights. Seeds were planted and after the holiday new trees were growing
so the tree would never be lonely again.

Whisper of Angel Wings By Susan R. Rodgers
There are many chapters in this book.
One snowy blizzard in Colorado she gets a revelation to stay and fight. It's a gift from God,
not the devil.
She goes through other visions that she construes as being from God also.
Little miracles of life that are taken for granted.

Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis
This book there is actually 2 stories included along with a knitting pattern that goes with the first story and a recipe that goes with the second story.
Simply Irresistible
The story starts out with the 3 sisters meeting at Lucky Harbor to look over the resort their mother has left them. The girls had not seen each other in years and didn't stay in close touch with their mother.
I all ready love this book and know I will love it further as the decriptions of the ocean meeting the sea in the state of Washington has a special place in my heart.
Maddie arrived at the inn and her sisters were allready there. The plan was for them to go to the store to get some food for a few days. She walked and found the local bar and again she met Jax who she had run off the road earlier. They exchange a few kisses and he brings her home.
They use a tree that fell in the yard for their Christmas tree and things around the house to decorate it.
Maddie even found yarn and a book called knitting for dummies along with a scarf she and her mom had attempted to make. She's all for refinancing and getting the inn going again-she even called a few local contractors.
The others want to get back to their lives.
Maddie asked Jax for a bid on renovations.
She heads into town one day and there is a flyer for a shrimp feed, games and one gets to kiss the mayor.
Towns' shrimp feed sounds like so much fun, the parade, games and dancing and eating.
She's a bit shocked when she finds out who the mayor is.
Cards in the recipe box are priceless.
They hear back from the bank and Maddie has decided to stay and do some of the work around the house, like paint and other small tasks.
Oh hidden secrets from their mother, promises to never tell, it's not gonna go good here, a fire diaster, giving a baby away when a teenager.
Sex scenes at times are a bit hot, spicy and steamy-very good mix.
Fears and triumphs, what a treat this book is to read. And there's more.
I so love the directions for the boyfriend scarf are in this book, that was my major bond to this book.

The Sweetest Thing
This part of the book is about Tara, the one who cooks at the local cafe: Eat Me Diner.
The town is always having a festival, this time it's the Summer Arts and Mustical Fest
where the whole town comes out to participate in.
The inn is almost ready to open and she's giving away peach muffins with the inn's flyer on them to all who are on the pier. Tara had been married to a NASCAR driver but had gotten a divorce before moving back to Lucky Harbor.
Ford owned the bar with Jax and was also a world class sailing expert, gone for many weeks/months at a time. He also took care of the boats moored at the inn's dock, where his boat was kept.
Even though this book is mainly about Tara the other sisters are mixed in with everything as well. Great we can keep up with the whole family and new neighbors and townspeople.
Tara's ex husband is back, injured from racing and going to spend the whole summer there trying to win her back.
Things are just moving along and out of left field: Someone else is back in Tara and Ford's lives also and she's only got 7 weeks with them. Lot of heartwarming truths come to the surface.
Competition to win her over, accidents, ER visits to name a few things that make this a 'never a dull moment' at the Inn.
Can't wait for the next one head over heels as we get to check out Chloe's story along with keeping up to date with her 2 sisters and townspeople and other family members.

30
post 1/20/12
sweet stuff by Donna Kaufman

Quinn, an author, has returned to the island and buys the house he walked into while Riley was setting up a display of cupcakes for the open house. She had fallen
off the back end of the walking machine into a bush.
He used to summer there and was very familiar with the waterfront.
She is a klutz and her dog really likes him and shows it often.
He likes that she is not only a designer but a photographer and he found some of her prints at his house.
Riley and the other females and Franco have their weekly Cupcake Club meeting where they not
only get to chat but sample new combinations of cupcakes that will be in the store soon.
Like learning about writing process/business and how he goes about it all.
She goes into detail to a few at the Club and tells them about why she left Chicago, her job and her boyfriend.
He's torn between making a decision to go the easy route and give readers what they expect from his writing or to go out on a limb and do the story a different way.
She's on the beach with Brutus and he ends up in the water again.
She helps him solve a dilemma he's having about the book he's writing.
Numerous job opportunities for Riley, which will she take? one of them will bring her closer to him on a daily basis.
Reference to the Walton's was priceless!
Recipes and an epilogue and excerpt from Sugar Rush, what a great book!

Fluke Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore
Really enjoying this book as it's an audio tape and you can hear the whales
singing. Lot of field research, breakin and missing sound recordings and
notes for seminars. some saw markings on the whale but now can't really claim
it's real as they have no proof.They try to figure out if some of the callings/songs
are the mating song. There is an episode where a diver goes down to get DNA samples
from the whale and gets tailed and knocked out. Others see it and go after him with
an oxygen tank. Very interesting subject, great to learn about new things.
Science and magic, what a combination. great book!

finders keepers by Fern Michaels
Jelly has returned and he's injured. The baby is not with him.
Grace's daughter, Hannah has been taken. The dog must've ran after
the car that took the girl.
She can't believe her girl isn't there, she sewed dresses for her and
knitted her sweaters for when she returned. 18 years later he gives her
an ultimatium: he's tired of working 2 jobs and same food every night, either
htey start spending some of the money or he's out of there.
She has a girl and is there when she goes to school every day giving her
a rose. She's got every toy that is on the market, when a new one arrives at the
store, one is delivered to her also. She's so spoiled, she wants coveralls, not frilly
dresses. She wants to fit in with the rest of the girls at school.
Hannah has nightmares about 'Jelly' and her mother has no idea what it's all about.
The parents discuss sending money to the people they took the little girl from.
They got their house back and she continues to make sweaters for her little girl, who would
be 18 now. They continue to get a yearly package of money, they put it in the toy box with the lock
to never be spent. They've got 2 boys now but she still grieves for her little girl. They have to
put the dog down also.
Jessie is on her way to NY after visitng with her best girlfriend in Atlanta. She is loving the
freedom and the travel. She makes it to DC and calls her best friend a change in plans is in the works.
Their schooling and careers go on til tragedy occurs and they pull together to get through it.
Liars and running away, private investigators, pregnant and deaths, overdose of pills and gardens.
She's so glad Sophie had done things, she was always so smart, she thought of everything.
Love how tying everything together, even the name of the book, great link up!

Mistletoe Magic: A Christmas Regency Short Story by Donna Hatch
Love the reference to hand knitted muffler at the beginning of this book. Love very detailed
descriptions of the group skating on ice. Brought back memories of the family and relative
children skating on the cow ponds in the fields below our house each winter.
Race on the ice leads to a tragedy that could've been worse.
I am very happy the knitted muffler and others came to the rescue.
After Colin saved Evelyn's life he thought about how he would win her over from the one she had set her eyes on:Michael.
Artwork on the floor sounds exquisite!
Love descriptions of the flowers and mistletoe. I can almost smell them.
At the masquerade ball Evelyn thought she knew Micheal was one wearing a half gold mask. There were a
lot there with that particular mask on. She danced with many but wanted to find him and get him under
the mistletoe.
Colin wanted to get Evelyn under the mistletoe.
She danced and talked to who she thought was Michael and made plans for the dinner waltz and then they'd
site down to dinner together. Dance finally over and they strolled to the dinner, through mistletoe arch where
they kissed. upon removing their masks she found out she had been deceived and ran away.
Colin reveals something to Evie and she had a confession to make after full realization hit.
Very happy ending, that mistletoe was magic.
I rate this book a 5, very touching holiday story.

An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods
Laila Riley's father ran the bank. She used to have a job there til she hooked up
with playboy Matthew O'Brien. Now she will work at the Inn doing their accounting
The whole family each had their turn at talking to her to get her to change her mind and go with the family to Ireland for Christmas.
It finally worked and she just loved Ireland and how Matthew was the tour guide and knew so much about the country. All of them would show up, 1/2 of them in the first batch. Other half in a few more days.
Love how throughout the whole book I am updated on the other members of the families and their lives as it's all intertwined. I know I've missed a few in the series but I can kinda catch up with them anyways.
Love how the scenery is described, makes me feel like I'm on the
trip with them.
And Nell, the leader of the O'Briens meets up with an old boyfriend while in Ireland and they spend some time together and even have a coming of the clans-a huge dinner party. One rebellious woman has been settled by one of the O'Briends much to everybodys astonishment.
Even though some in the family thinks there will be a wedding in Ireland there are just too many problems and obstacles to overcome with Liala and her father.
Crackers-all right! Love those things! Ah the Christmas Blessing, what a treat!
Wow, always something going on: Christmas morning announcements: a wedding, one is expecting a baby, donating gifts to the less fortunate, and another wedding in the works.
i rate this book a 5 for all the down to earth things that occur, just wish I had a fairytale wedding day.

How I Planned Your Wedding by Susan and Elizabeth Wiggs Maas What a
funny but sometimes serious book. All the details and thoughts
what went into planning the special day. You can tell the mother and
daughter are VERY close.
I never had a fairy tale wedding so it's quite interesting and SO involed
to see how it's all put together. Love the cheat sheets and am amazed as
how it was pulled off (on a budget).
They really share a bunch more than I expected one to share but it fits
right in. Really shows just how close they really are by their interactions
throughout the book.
Love what they had on the menu and love the before hand preparations: sugaring
and eyelash extensions, who knew is what E. said LOL
Susan was invited to speak with a crowd at Writerspace site one night and she
was doing Q and A with us and she told us of using 'cloud' technology so her and
E. would be on the same section. At the end my name was selected to get a free copy
of the book and it was even autographed. I found the Q and A the best part cuz it
allows you to find out about the people who wrote the book, their work schedule, home
life, etc.
I hope they are able to get together to write a 'baby on the way' book, I know it would
be such a loving, tender, hilarious colleraboration.

Knit With Love - Stories to warm a knitter's heart by Lisa Bogart
super! This book is just super. It's got the knitter's language and God's as well. The way
Lisa mixes them together makes them fit right into their place, like a jigsaw puzzle. When I
first started reading this I thought, this is a book that was written about me. My path in life
has mirrored Lisa's so closely but we take different turns at one spot that changes how individual we are. I can relate on so many levels with this book, I'm in shock.
Love shared ideas of retreats for a weekend or a whole week and the combined efforts of everyone in the office to knit a newborn sweater.
The stories all take me back to when I first started knitting and all the charity work I've done for others over the decades.
Sweet, i was hoping there were patterns and i found the perfect one: leftover yarn in lengthwise scarves although I was gonna do mine with afghans as I only have 6 big garbage bags full of leftover yarns!
The information collected is priceless and I was happy to see the listings of URL's listed at the back of the book. Normally I'm writing them down as I go along.
I rate this book a 5 out of 5 and hope there is another in the series. It's like the segment on TV
'everybody's got a story' and knitters know all about that :}

A Catered St. Patrick's Day by Isis Crawford
Realize the author has put out other books along the same lines, just different holidays and after reading 1/2 of
the first page I know I will be hunting down the rest of the books to read.
Being as I do bake just listening, reading about how they are handling the dough makes me think I can learn something
from them by reading this book. The luck is with them, besides the 4 leaf clovers they have the kitchen witch there.
I remember making them to sell at craft shows.
Libby and Bernie run the bakery shop and live upstairs with their Dad.
Brandon is the bar tender that covers for the morning guy cuz he's in the hospital. Til he finds Mike out back.
Mike is dead and now Duncan is arrested. His aunt comes to his rescue and wants the family to find out who really did murder
Mike so Duncans' name can be cleared. The family (Libby, Bernie and their dad Sean) has done investigations before because they just know everybody in town and
how they are related to one another.
The girls start by visiting with Duncan and he tells them his story, several different ones. They then go visit with Brandon at the
bar as he's on duty to maybe run a few things past him.
Their father also is following up a lead with the guy who drives the hearse. They all get leads to other sources and trace them out as well.
What each of them has to go through to get the answers is sometimes too funny.
The best part of this book for me was their daily routine of making and baking the bread, priceless!
Good mystery story also. Can't wait to get the authors other holidays books.

Hot Rocks by Nora Roberts
Willy comes into Lane's shop gives her a card and leaves. He gets hit and dies but as she knelt down and covered the rain
from hitting him he whispered a few things to her that made no sense. She recalls him but not the name at all.
Max was trying to follow Willy and the $28 million but Willy had died in the car crash.
Lane and Max have dinner and she learned Willy was a jewel thief.
She returns after dinner with him and finds out her house has been burgalized but nothing is missing. Her dog is scared.
Hide the pooch Willy had said, she's only got her dog and he's nothing to hide.
The store assistant was selling one of the desks and the customers found a box in it and she unwrapped it, found a dog statue
and placed it where the other dog statues were on the shelves.
Lane seduces Max in his hotel room and goes home very early in the morning but gets a call and shows up at the police station.
He had gone into her shop, although another had knocked him out there. He's got to search her shop for the $28 million.
She finally had to come to terms with her assistnat, Jenny and her husband the cop, along with Max. She thought they'd all be
mad at her and leave her.
The man after Max has been on the job for many years and had just missed Willy. He's plotting his next steps.
Lane's dad comes back into the picture and she tells him she doens't have the diamonds. Her and Max broke open the dog and found
the gems and she gave them to Max to go hide.
Lane was kidnapped by Crew-he was thinking the others would gladly give him the rest of the gems from the heist.
Jack was kidnapped by Max who was thinking he'd give him the rest of the gems.
I like how this one turned out, wow.

posted: Holiday Kisses
This Time Next Year by Allison Kent
Brenna Keating is on her way to her grandmothers. She swerves to avoid and deer and finds her car nose deep into a snow pile.
Dillion is on his horse making the rounds when he finds her car and drags her out by a window and brings her back to his place and dresses her ankle and puts her to bed under quilts.
As they sit and talk in front of the first, he's told her they will be snowed in for days as this is the storm of the century.
She finds out he knows a bit about doctoring and makes rounds to the local people on the mountain to see how they are doing and to bring them food or whatever they need. Others on the mountain supply those in need with food if need be.
After they shared a kiss he went out to the barn to work and she decided to make a Christmas tree and decorate it. And she was baking cookies when he came back in. One of the bonds I have with the character here is I also keep my big 20 lb. bag of flour in the freezer.
After they have finished in the bedroom he tells her what the dates on the fan blades mean, very touching and real.
Lots of surprises when she finally gets up from bed. He brings her to her grandmother's on the back of the horse.
The present he gave her was one he made by hand. What a treasure! Later that day he took her back to his cabin and drove her home with plans that her car would be repaired.
They made plans 'this time next year'.

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton
Wyatt is about to bid on his ex-wife's younger sister Calliope day care center.
When he saw her she did a number to his head. She wasn't like her sister at all and he kept losing track of what she was saying. He better pay attention and get the job, so other contractors didn't get it, and get the job over and done with and get out of there.
She still had a crush on him and when she noticed his clipboard she thought she'd just swing by and drop it off for him, in person. She finally finds him at the bar and gives it to him, gets a beer and proceeds to learn from Joey Johnson how to play pool.
It's late at night and she's still in the building. He goes to find her and walk her out to find a lot of snow on the ground. He puts her in his truck and they go to her house. After a meal and a light kissing it's decided he will spend the night.
He backs away from her, not wanting to start rumors and getting people to gossip about her.
She confronts him and tells him her sister will be in town for the holidays and that he should talk to her and get some closure so they can move on. She sets up the meeting and he is furious with her for doing so....

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon
Carrie took the job in DC and left her hometown and boyfriend of Hollowoy, WV. This year she's going to stay in town and just work through the holiday, not go back home.
Austin decides they have not broken up at all and if she can't come home he will go to her. He gets a job selling Christmas trees outside her apartment in DC after paying the registering fees.
Lucky his brother Spence got him out of his drunken mode and that's why he was on the trail of Carrie.
They are able to talk and she tells him her mother gave up all her dreams to raise her and her brother. She doesn't want her life to be the same cuz she can see how unhappy her mom is.
Spence is at the tree lot to also give him romantic advice for the month of December. She keeps coming back to the tree lot and still hasn't picked out a tree yet. By the time she did go back to the tree lot he had left the area to drive the first batch of trees back home. He was done, he knew her place was in DC.

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey
Claire had lost her husband for over 2 years now and Justin was there
for her, always had been, late in getting to her first.
She does bookkeeping for a lot of small businesses in the area at her home.
He's a roofer and in the winter he plow roads in NH and she sometimes tags
along with him.
They end up at a party and she's had a few too many and they go back to her
house for the night. He can't get over that Brandon was his best friend
and he's now having sex with his friends wife-sure he's dead but he still feels
like it's wrong.
Will they ever be able to move on or just break it off?

Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Trish Jensen, and Kate Holmes
Three orphans, Blue Angel pilot, bounty hunter and an ex NFL football player, are all forced to get back to their hometown for the Christmas Eve wedding of their friend. Problem is the world's worse ever blizzard is ongoing. Where there is
a will there is a way.
There are many references to The Waltons throughout the book but there are just as many spicy steamy scenes.
Starts out with Sam being stranded at PA airport. The ultimate goal is for him and the rest of the wedding party to actually make it to Maine for Christmas Eve. There is a blizzard and it's not only shut down all the trains, and airplanes but the roads.
The towns elderly population is on the Santa Brigade bus traveling to bring cheer to those less fortunate and those who can't get outside to see a real Santa. They are on their way back to Maine to also attend the wedding of their friend.
What is amazing to me is that 3 people wrote this book, not the typical method where one took a character and played out the whole story line but a round robin type. One started and did a chapter and passed it onto the next. They each wrote about what was happening with all the 3 major characters in the chapter before passing it onto the next author.
At times this is a hilarious book and at other times very solemn tones.
I like how you just can't even imagine what is to happen to them next in their trek to make it to Maine. Just when you think ‘ok the road is clear the rest of the way’ something up occurs.
They all pitched in to do a show or hand out gifts at every stop they came to. Thanks to Reba who knew just everybody they had a place to sleep every night.
The red fluffy handcuff, well a lot of them have them (he he he)
Wheelbarrow sledding, who knew? These adults sure know how to party with limited things.
Such a fun to read book especially more so as it's about a Christmas Eve wedding.

Santa in Montana by janet Dailey
Another book for the Calder series! This one is about Christmas time and the whole family is to travel home to be together.
That ranges from Texas, England and places nearby. Chase has decided Cat needs a husband maybe then she'll stop nagging him
about his health. This was brought on by a local cop stopping by to ask for their help in Toys for Tots drive which they will
gladly contribute to.
Ah the memories of the whole family. Who they are, what they stand for. Glad I came across this book as I thought the series had
ended. What a treat! This year chase will shop for a special gift for each of them rather than handing the list to soembody else
to buy the gifts.
The ranchers wives buy gifts for the Marines' toys for tots program.
An old friends son stops by and there is so mystery as to why. Cat needs a husband is one of them. Some are trying to fix her up
with him. Others say he's got a deal going with Chase.
The house has been deckked out in holiday attire and the annual Christmas ball in the barn is ready.
A lot of other mundane ranch life is talked about-bringing us up to date with the others in the series and what is new with their
lives. Also those who have passed on, leaving their legacy to others. Tara's old house: what to do with the monstorsity of it.
A lot of secret things going on: $10,000 check, a cowboy has to leave the ranch for 2 weeks time, lot of mysteries.
Super finish, didn't see that coming and there's openings for the series to continue.

posted at amazon:
Smitten by Colleen Cable, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter

Natalie Birthday Wishes by Colleen Cable
Smitten is a town in VT that has to close the mill down. The women talk about how to attract business and agree that it should be a love type business that would enhance the name of the town. Everything catering to the honeymooners and lovers. Their every wish come true. She even has the mayor on board now and is helping him redo his cabins
and they start going on dates. She doesn't really think he is the father of her sister's baby that she's had custody of for over 5 years.
Her sister only calls when she needs money. Like how her friends are more than aware of her having to eat gluten free food and they cater to her needs. She finds herself in love with the mayor and the little girl, Mia also loves him. She looks to the bible for guidance in
the scriptures.

Julia: small town, big dreams by Kristin Billerbeck
Julia had worked in an upscale spa in NY but now lives in Smitten, where she takes care of her mother. She still has the insight when it comes to transposing things like someones
makeup on their face. She's called her friend Devlin to come look at the town to not only inspire her but to monetarily fund the transformation.
Her brother Greg has asked Zak-the body builder who's local to keep an eye out for her. He
doesn't feel he has any chance of catching her eye, he's not as high class as her.
She needs more faith and hope in her life to help her get over herself and let others help where they can. Or is she gonna head back to the big city?
Her women friends have a lot of faith in her and the ending is a total surprise.

Shelby: You've Got a Friend by Diann Hunt
Shelby's shop is called Social Graces where she teaches girls how to become ladies.

Nick is a local fireman and he's helped put out a fire at Shelby's house. On his way back to her house he gets a call that his ex-wife has passed away so now he needs to make plans for his young
daughter and bring her to live with him.
Roses house had a flood from the hot water heater and now Shelby can't use her house for the classes.
Nick has come to the rescue by allowing her to use his outbuilding where in season, he sells Christmas trees and decorations. Things happen that leave her watching Nick's daughter while he
settles the trust fund for Willow. Her own child would've been the same age as her but her dad had ordered her to get rid of the baby.

I'm in heaven-Willow knows how to knit and crochet!

Like how in every story Mia has provided the lavender wreath meaning eternity and having faith in the towns survival, connects them all together.
Another thing I really like was in each story there is a daily walk/run/rollerblade exercise and talk with the 4 women. Each day a different person gets to choose the type of exercise.
Only God can help when Willow has run away.

Reese, all along by Denise Hunter
She is ready to start on the renovations with the local contractor: Griffen.
She will run the new outfitters shop in town in hopes the tourists that come will find something to do with their time, athletically.
She wants to make Griffen jealous but her plan backfires and he wants to step in and make her old boyfriend jealous that he missed out on her.

Really great how the whole book was brought together at the end, fantastic!

post 2/10
Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr
Katie has packed up her house in VT, under the witness protection plan and headed out with her 2 kids to go live near her brother Conner who had been
a witness in a murder. Things were just not working for her in VT. Her boyfriend she found out was gay.
She treats the boys to Disney then heads up to Virgin River where her brother lives. Just in the northern section of CA she gets a flat and several bikers
stop to help her. Dylan does most of the work and even gives her his jacket to keep her dry from the rain.

Dylan and his buddies head out once a year to see the country on their bikes, stay at Virgin River a few days, fish, eat at Jack's and go for bike rides.
This book hits home as 3 family members and myself flew into LA and took Pacific Coast Highway up towards Washington. I can almost pinpoint exactly where
she had the flat. We drove that road and can relate totally to places along the side where there is NO guardrail, no protection if you should slide and end
up down a 100+ foot cliff side of the mountains.
She gets settled in and enrolls the boys into a summer program and she is invited to tour on the back of his bike.
He's decided to stick around a few more days than the others, to check out options for his aviation company. He can also revert back to acting in LA.
They spend a lot of time together while the boys are in the program and when they are doing other family things he gets to know the boys and enjoy time with them and with her brother.
His company is going downhill and fast, as are other aviation places. If only he can make it last a bit longer. Most of the people that worked for him have moved on - to bigger cities where they can get a job but he hates to throw the towel in. Not only has he looked around Virgin River but the larger cities til he contacts an acting agent.
'People step up for each other' perfectly sums up this community.
He has to deal with the multiple family members that had different fathers, 4 in total. They all want a part in a movie. He flat out tells them no. He is missing Her so bad. He heads back putting everything else on hold but her brother beats him up at the bar. He decides to stay a few days but she's down with a bug. He pitches in to help around the house and with the boys.
Where they are staying there is a continuous threat of a mother bear and her 3 cubs. They wander all over the yard and brush nearby. Tom, a neighbor that will be handling the nearby orchard is back from the war and has offered to contact the warden so they can maybe relocate the animals with no harm to them.
bears and a missing child, can't be a good thing. The community comes out to help. And the job offer isn't what he was thinking about
at all.
From here, things go terribly wrong with Dylan and katie, or is there hope of a reunion after things are divulged.
Will things ever be right again for them? One of his family has arrived to really get the pot boiling hot.
I rate this book a 5. Love hearing about the flying and the business of acting, what to do when you come across wild animals-new things for me. Love this community.

post 12/7/11
Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Connor is under the witness protection program, kind of, before he goes to testify in a trial that will put a mob type guy away for a long time. his ex wife is a sex addict.
Leslie has been divorced from her spouse for quite some time but wants to still be her friend.
Neither are sure just how long they will be in virgin river but love how everybody helps each other out to accomplish things. It's like having a family with no strings. Her ex keeps coming into town to harass her.

His sister and kids were also relocated and shes falling for her boss, she works in his office.
She and Connor were both thinking the other would relocate to their new location and live out their lives.
There has to be a solution - after the trial, or would he even testify?

As time goes on things heat up and not only in the bedroom but the trial is ready to start.
i surely didn't see it coming along the way it did, quite interesting, very fast paced and held my interest, very tragic what occurred at the trial.

loved the book, a 5 rating. the places the scenes took place, the details of being a witness in a murder trial and the closeness of the town, as in robyn's other virgin river series was super to read about.

post 12-26
Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier
Typical New England seaside town where in a small town everybody knows everybody.
She is a newspaper reporter and there's a lot going around in town during the winter.
Death on the ice while ice fishing, chamber of commerce meetings how to promote the town
so others will visit and celebrate Valentines Day, award to 1st and 2nd best New England
hocolate shops-both are in town and in competition with one another, returning military
man, tourists looking for a house to buy, and drug related crimes, Valentine ball to attract tourists in winter, dessert contest,
Lucy continues to gain info about things going on in town to help solve the murder while doing her regular job. Some things just don't fit.
Economy during this time is bad but people find things
beside money to pay for things to get done. Even though a lot of things are going on it is easy to keep track of everybody and what they do for a living and how they are related to.
There are a lot of mysteries as murders become solved: the title makes sense.
Really like this town, people and how they help one another. You just don't see that in today's
society is some towns. Whoever says nothing ever happens in the winter needs to read this book.
I rate it a 5 out of 5.

post 12/20
Be My Texas Valentine by Jodi Thomas; Linda Broday; Phyliss Miranda;Dewanna Pace

4 stories for Valentine's Day
The Valentine's Curse
Valerie is a widow, two times over. She accompanies her father to the local dance where the whole neighborhood is.
Brody is just in from tracking down some cattle and is given orders from his boss' wife to attend the dance. He is also told to sit near the widow and talk to her. She has a curse that the whole town bets on how long any relationship will last before her next spouse is dead. Brody thinks it's all superstitious and pays no mind to it all.
He walks away into a dark section and she's going to say goodnight and he hugs her and gives her a kiss.
He stops to get the bosses wife sewing machine and she is there and he helps out. He finds himself there again another time and helps out. He gets another hug and their relationship starts slowly.
He's a loner and not too sure about women and she's had two husbands and is very shy, it's a wonder they even connected at all.
She gives him an ultimatum and he agrees to become her husband, tend the farm/ranch and she will live up to her party as a wife. The old boss has some cattle delivered to him as he's the only one to understand them so he has to fix up the fences so they can roam and fatten up. Trouble arises and after a whole day goes by and he's not returned Valerie heads to the old boss and they send out the search parties to locate him. She figures if it's such a curse she at least wants to buy his bones on her property.
Lot of tender slow love in this book. You can tell they really are learning about one another and just taking things slow. Really appreciated having the epilogue so we'd not have to guess as to what happened over time.

Cupid's Arrow by Linda Broday
Logan is back in town and runs into Rue Ann while she's leaving a store.
She is set to marry Theodore and he's been seeing a lot of Charlotte.
With some help from elderly ladies who like to play pranks and have relationships go their way they play a huge part in getting couples together that they know will work.
This reminds me of The Waltons and the elderly sisters who always come to visit their neighbors.
Little do they realize all the lies and arrangements to work against what they want.
Arranged marriages and deals in the backroom are made to advance their careers.
Others have lied to keep them apart and destroy their lives in town.

Loving Miss Laurel Phyliss Miranda
The men in town want business to pick up via the railroad so they need to spend the money on paving the main road.
The women don't think the town is at all ready for that growth so they want to spend the money on a library for the kids to enjoy now.
Some women disguised themselves as boys and overheard the meeting that went on and report back to the mayor's wife.
Laurel has just returned from the East and is appointed the new womens society president job. The men have their own club and will stand behind the new paving. The women will stand behind the new library.
The men plot to have a Valentine supper and dance and the women plot to raise more money by providing free beer to them the proceeds going towards the library.
Problem is that's all the women dressed as boys heard so they went to the newspaper and got things mixed up and that's what was printed in the next newspaper. They didn't get the mens' side which was not what was printed.
Laurel gets mad at her uncle and leaves the house, thinks she'll take the job of president of the womans' society and do bookkeeping for the saloon while being able to live on their property.
There is an scuffle at the livery and a few people have confronted her with solutions to her problem.
Hunter, the mayors mother: Melba Ruth recalls the terms of Laurel's parents will and she is to inherit the estate and all sums on Valentine's Day-her birthday.
The mayor must find her to set things straight. Some one has taken her as she's left her weapon behind.
The truth comes out in the end...

Sweet Talk by Dewanna Pace
Noah is a doctor and his practice is very busy. He has a housekeeper and a talking bird-well he squawks a lot.
JoEmma is wheelchair bound and has a talking bird that has flown away. The bird show up at the docs in the same cage with help from the housekeeper.
The Valentine Dance is approaching and the hearts with names on them has been done. Now to draw one name and that man will be your date for the evening, if you don't have a date. They agree the sisters can visit the bird at his place just so they can keep the birds together. The older sister is the beautiful flirty type which he has no interest in.
He's never gotten to know JoEmma much.
His father stops by to tell him he choose the right sister and he asks him about her health as he was the last one to treat her. He tells Noah and leaves it open for improvement.
Noah's not talked to his dad in years and again the housekeeper comes to the rescue.
The ending is most fitting on all accords.

post 12/20
Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman
Lani has studied under the best chefs and business people. Although she did not sleep her way to the top that's where she is.
She relocated to an island off Georgia and just in time for the festival. Now she learns the ones who mentored her are going to be back in her life again with cooking TV shows from the island she lives on.
She checks in with her girlfriend who's still in NY at least once a day to go over their thoughts as to why
he is there, what she has to do with it and when he will be leaving.
A few of the local gossip people take it upon themselves, along with her dad, to help her get over her old mentor
and/or to try to move them together.
Her aprons, I'd love to have just one of them, they are priceless to say the least.
How in the world is Baxter, her mentor going to get her to loan him her kitchen at cakes by the cup (her combinations of flavors she eats, breaths and loves cupcakes) going to get her to loan her kitchen to him for upcoming shows-the ones that will start taping in 2 hours time.
She takes Baxter out to the beach while they discuss the tv schedule and she tells him everything she's learned about his boyhood years and he tells her everything he knows
about her years.
oh just perfect: a cupcake therapy club, who knew LOL
Really appreciate all the behind the scenes of how a TV cooking show is done, love the angles and why.
They have a fast paced whirlwind romance, she travels with him for business, then he's gone for weeks on end. Back to the grindstone.
She is so miserable without him in her life now. If only there was a happy medium for both of them.
I rate this book a 5, it has recipes for the different cupcakes mentioned, and their corresponding frostings.
Can't wait to read the next in this series.

books dec 15

2011-12-16T14:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas in Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis
This book there is actually 2 stories included along with a knitting pattern that goes with the first story and a recipe that goes with the second story.

Simply Irresistible
The story starts out with the 3 sisters meeting at Lucky Harbor to look over the resort their mother has left them. The girls had not seen each other in years and didn't stay in close touch with their mother.
I all ready love this book and know I will love it further as the decriptions of the ocean meeting the sea in the state of Washington has a special place in my heart.
Maddie arrived at the inn and her sisters were allready there. The plan was for them to go to the store to get some food for a few days. She walked and found the local bar and again she met Jax who she had run off the road earlier. They exchange a few kisses and he brings her home.
They use a tree that fell in the yard for their Christmas tree and things around the house to decorate it.
Maddie even found yarn and a book called knitting for dummies along with a scarf she and her mom had attempted to make. She's all for refinancing and getting the inn going again-she even called a few local contractors.
The others want to get back to their lives.
Maddie asked Jax for a bid on renovations.
She heads into town one day and there is a flyer for a shrimp feed, games and one gets to kiss the mayor.
Towns' shrimp feed sounds like so much fun, the parade, games and dancing and eating.
She's a bit shocked when she finds out who the mayor is.
Cards in the recipe box are priceless.
They hear back from the bank and Maddie has decided to stay and do some of the work around the house, like paint and other small tasks.
Oh hidden secrets from their mother, promises to never tell, it's not gonna go good here, a fire diaster, giving a baby away when a teenager.
Sex scenes at times are a bit hot, spicy and steamy-very good mix.
Fears and triumphs, what a treat this book is to read. And there's more.
I so love the directions for the boyfriend scarf are in this book, that was my major bond to this book.

The Sweetest Thing
This part of the book is about Tara, the one who cooks at the local cafe: Eat Me Diner.
The town is always having a festival, this time it's the Summer Arts and Mustical Fest
where the whole town comes out to participate in.
The inn is almost ready to open and she's giving away peach muffins with the inn's flyer on them to all who are on the pier. Tara had been married to a NASCAR driver but had gotten a divorce before moving back to Lucky Harbor.
Ford owned the bar with Jax and was also a world class sailing expert, gone for many weeks/months at a time. He also took care of the boats moored at the inn's dock, where his boat was kept.
Even though this book is mainly about Tara the other sisters are mixed in with everything as well. Great we can keep up with the whole family and new neighbors and townspeople.
Tara's ex husband is back, injured from racing and going to spend the whole summer there trying to win her back.
Things are just moving along and out of left field: Someone else is back in Tara and Ford's lives also and she's only got 7 weeks with them. Lot of heartwarming truths come to the surface.
Competition to win her over, accidents, ER visits to name a few things that make this a 'never a dull moment' at the Inn.
Can't wait for the next one head over heels as we get to check out Chloe's story along with keeping up to date with her 2 sisters and townspeople and other family members.

books dec 13

2011-12-13T19:09:00.001-08:00

Holiday Kisses

This Time Next Year by Allison Kent

Brenna Keating is on her way to her grandmothers. She swerves to avoid and deer and finds her car nose deep into a snow pile.

Dillion is on his horse making the rounds when he finds her car and drags her out by a window and brings her back to his place and dresses her ankle and puts her to bed under quilts.

As they sit and talk in front of the first, he's told her they will be snowed in for days as this is the storm of the century.

She finds out he knows a bit about doctoring and makes rounds to the local people on the mountain to see how they are doing and to bring them food or whatever they need. Others on the mountain supply those in need with food if need be.

After they shared a kiss he went out to the barn to work and she decided to make a Christmas tree and decorate it. And she was baking cookies when he came back in. One of the bonds I have with the character here is I also keep my big 20 lb. bag of flour in the freezer.

After they have finished in the bedroom he tells her what the dates on the fan blades mean, very touching and real.

Lots of surprises when she finally gets up from bed. He brings her to her grandmother's on the back of the horse.

The present he gave her was one he made by hand. What a treasure! Later that day he took her back to his cabin and drove her home with plans that her car would be repaired.

They made plans 'this time next year'.

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

Wyatt is about to bid on his ex-wife's younger sister Calliope day care center.

When he saw her she did a number to his head. She wasn't like her sister at all and he kept losing track of what she was saying. He better pay attention and get the job, so other contractors didn't get it, and get the job over and done with and get out of there.

She still had a crush on him and when she noticed his clipboard she thought she'd just swing by and drop it off for him, in person. She finally finds him at the bar and gives it to him, gets a beer and proceeds to learn from Joey Johnson how to play pool.

It's late at night and she's still in the building. He goes to find her and walk her out to find a lot of snow on the ground. He puts her in his truck and they go to her house. After a meal and a light kissing it's decided he will spend the night.

He backs away from her, not wanting to start rumors and getting people to gossip about her.

She confronts him and tells him her sister will be in town for the holidays and that he should talk to her and get some closure so they can move on. She sets up the meeting and he is furious with her for doing so....

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Carrie took the job in DC and left her hometown and boyfriend of Hollowoy, WV. This year she's going to stay in town and just work through the holiday, not go back home.

Austin decides they have not broken up at all and if she can't come home he will go to her. He gets a job selling Christmas trees outside her apartment in DC after paying the registering fees.

Lucky his brother Spence got him out of his drunken mode and that's why he was on the trail of Carrie.

They are able to talk and she tells him her mother gave up all her dreams to raise her and her brother. She doesn't want her life to be the same cuz she can see how unhappy her mom is.

Spence is at the tree lot to also give him romantic advice for the month of December. She keeps coming back to the tree lot and still hasn't picked out a tree yet. By the time she did go back to the tree lot he had left the area to drive the first batch of trees back home. He was done, he knew her place was in DC.

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

Claire had lost her husband for over 2 years now and Justin was there

for her, always had been, late in getting to her first.

She does bookkeeping for a lot of small businesses in the area at her home.

He's a roofer and in the winter he plow roads in NH and she sometimes tags

along with him.

They end up at a party and she's had a few too many and they go back to her

house for the night. He can't get over that Brandon was his best friend

and he's now having sex with his friends wife-sure he's dead but he still feels

like it's wrong.

Will they ever be able to move on or just break it off?

I rate this a 5, super book and there's 4 stories, each one unique and special.

books dec 13

2011-12-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

Holiday Kisses

This Time Next Year by Allison Kent

Brenna Keating is on her way to her grandmothers. She swerves to avoid and deer and finds her car nose deep into a snow pile.

Dillion is on his horse making the rounds when he finds her car and drags her out by a window and brings her back to his place and dresses her ankle and puts her to bed under quilts.

As they sit and talk in front of the first, he's told her they will be snowed in for days as this is the storm of the century.

After they have finished in the bedroom he tells her what the dates on the fan blades mean, very touching and real.

Lots of surprises when she finally gets up from bed. He brings her to her grandmother's on the back of the horse.

The present he gave her was one he made by hand. What a treasure! Later that day he took her back to his cabin and drove her home with plans that her car would be repaired.

They made plans 'this time next year'.

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton

Wyatt is about to bid on his ex-wife's younger sister Calliope day care center.

He backs away from her, not wanting to start rumors and getting people to gossip about her.

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon

Carrie took the job in DC and left her hometown and boyfriend of Hollowoy, WV. This year she's going to stay in town and just work through the holiday, not go back home.

Austin decides they have not broken up at all and if she can't come home he will go to her. He gets a job selling Christmas trees outside her apartment in DC after paying the registering fees.

Lucky his brother Spence got him out of his drunken mode and that's why he was on the trail of Carrie.

They are able to talk and she tells him her mother gave up all her dreams to raise her and her brother. She doesn't want her life to be the same cuz she can see how unhappy her mom is.

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey

Claire had lost her husband for over 2 years now and Justin was there

for her, always had been, late in getting to her first.

She does bookkeeping for a lot of small businesses in the area at her home.

He's a roofer and in the winter he plow roads in NH and she sometimes tags

along with him.

They end up at a party and she's had a few too many and they go back to her

house for the night. He can't get over that Brandon was his best friend

and he's now having sex with his friends wife-sure he's dead but he still feels

like it's wrong.

Will they ever be able to move on or just break it off?

books i read nov 2011

2011-12-01T06:20:00.000-08:00

33 books
Smitten by Colleen Cable, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt and Denise Hunter
Natalie Birthday Wishes by Colleen CableSmitten is a town in VT that has to close the mill down. The women talk about how to attract business and agree that it should be a love type business that would enhance the name of the town. Everything catering to the honeymooners and lovers. Their every wish come true. She even has the mayor on board now and is helping him redo his cabinsand they start going on dates. She doesn't really think he is the father of her sister's baby that she's had custody of for over 5 years.Her sister only calls when she needs money. Like how her friends are more than aware of her having to eat gluten free food and they cater to her needs. She finds herself in love with the mayor and the little girl, Mia also loves him. She looks to the bible for guidance inthe scriptures.

Julia: small town, big dreams by Kristin BillerbeckJulia had worked in an upscale spa in NY but now lives in Smitten, where she takes care of her mother. She still has the insight when it comes to transposing things like someonesmakeup on their face. She's called her friend Devlin to come look at the town to not only inspire her but to monetarily fund the transformation.Her brother Greg has asked Zak-the body builder who's local to keep an eye out for her. He doesn't feel he has any chance of catching her eye, he's not as high class as her.She needs more faith and hope in her life to help her get over herself and let others help where they can. Or is she gonna head back to the big city? Her women friends have a lot of faith in her and the ending is a total surprise.

Shelby: You've Got a Friend by Diann HuntShelby's shop is called Social Graces where she teaches girls how to become ladies.
Nick is a local fireman and he's helped put out a fire at Shelby's house. On his way back to her house he gets a call that his ex-wife has passed away so now he needs to make plans for his youngdaughter and bring her to live with him.Roses house had a flood from the hot water heater and now Shelby can't use her house for the classes.Nick has come to the rescue by allowing her to use his outbuilding where in season, he sells Christmas trees and decorations. Things happen that leave her watching Nick's daughter while hesettles the trust fund for Willow. Her own child would've been the same age as her but her dad had ordered her to get rid of the baby.

I'm in heaven-Willow knows how to knit and crochet!
Like how in every story Mia has provided the lavender wreath meaning eternity and having faith in the towns survival, connects them all together.Another thing I really like was in each story there is a daily walk/run/rollerblade exercise and talk with the 4 women. Each day a different person gets to choose the type of exercise.Only God can help when Willow has run away.

Reese, all along by Denise HunterShe is ready to start on the renovations with the local contractor: Griffen.
She will run the new outfitters shop in town in hopes the tourists that come will find something to do with their time, athletically. She wants to make Griffen jealous but her plan backfires and he wants to step in and make her old boyfriend jealous that he missed out on her.
Really great how the whole book was brought together at the end, fantastic!
I rate this one a 5

the house on olive street by robyn carr
Friends who are authors are going to surprise one of their own and bring a catered dinner to her house as it's her birthday. Problem is Gabby's dead.
THe friends take care of everything and the book continues on with each still writing and the problems each one of them has and what they are doing to
overcome them.

One is a heavy drinker, one is getting abused and another is starting an affair with her body guard.

Found a novel that had been started by their dead friend. could they finish it for her?
It's an autobio of their friend and her past history is revealed.

Sable is the star of an expose show on TV and her earlier life is brought to the screen. Even her closest friends had no idea. She runs to Gabby's house
and the other woman come to her aid and she tells them why she covered it all up.

She helps to clean out Gabby's closet and help the daughter who has a Downs syndrome child.
One of the woman leaves her husband and grown children, she's been a maid for them for too long. She helps them with the box Gabby left them

Grandmother shows up, mom goes to court for drug possession and speeding, everybody pitches in.
another confronts her abusive husband.
The women have just been there totally for one another to help them overcome their problems and move on with
their lives. I really like the decisions made for each of them and how they can continue on, the bond was in place.

There Your Heart Will Be Also by Felicia Rogers

The King has sent him to take over control of the castle and to wed the mistress. He wanders around in town and learns about it and
the people living in it, working in it. He's fallen for a maid and he knows it's not right as he has to wed the mistress in order to
get the land.

He is a Scot and he's intrigued with the Lists and watches how the English fight with their swords and attempts to show them how he fights with his kilt on. He senses something isn't right here.

Sarra has a lot of friends in the keep that are intentionally keeping her suitors from the King away. Every one of them has either come down with a health ailment or they see the mistress as an old haggard women.

It is her 21st birthday and the whole village will be stopping work soon and helping to celebrate with a feast, dancing and drinking.
He does not have a gift for the mistress but he does have one for the maid and she loves it.

An uprising occurs to cut the party short and things don't add up. His band of men weren't to come til they were summoned. He learns that gold is involved and can't understand why one is paying anybody to steal sheep.

There are many things that occur that I thought would be in a specific order and just when I thought something would happen a certain way the opposite happened or it was three fold as worse than I feared. Like the anticipation of what was to happen next and especially liked
the sharing of the book with Cedric. Was happy to learn that he wanted to learn more of it.

This story reminds me of Covington Cross where the mother had passed away so the young girl took on a role that made her as strong as her brothers in every regard and ran the castle.

This book has strong characters that are likeable.

I rate this book a 5.

wild man creek by robyn carr
She is on leave for several months when her, what she thought boyfriend. files a sexual harassment suit against her. Her boss knows she is not to blame at all and suggests the months off til the company can get rid of him.
Jillian heads to Virgin River and stays at a local place where the building belongs to the town, it was gifted to the town for all to enjoy. She really enjoys playing in the dirt and brings life back to the garden.

Denny helps her with the fencing and bulbs and grading of the ground.
She gets permission to expand and is planning on having greenhouses to start plants during the winter months, and exotic fruit and vegetables that she can then sell to the best restaurants in big cities.
He now has tracked down his real father and they hook up and make a date to get to know one another and to have a paternity test.

She meets Colin in the pastures and he patches her up as he had drawn his gun on her, knowing the local bears are roaming around.
Colin is a painter, mostly rare animals and birds from photos he's taken or by viewing them firsthand.

The book also brings us uptodate with the other locals and how they mingle with Jillian and Dan's lifes.
Colin's life in the military is now a thing of the past, he can no longer fly. He tells Jillian all about his rehab and the drug addiction and all the problems.

I love the down to earthness of this book: someone saved up and gave her egg cartons to use to start her plants in the greenhouses. I use the same thing when I start my garden plants in the house in Feb/March.
She still refuses to tell him why she no longer has a boyfriend.

Luke talks him into watching the baby so he and his wife can have a night out.
Colin brings Jillian with him and Luke doubts what's going on with him. Shelby tries to reassure him.

She opens up to him and explains what happened in her past. They head out to his brothers wedding and the festivities as the house she's been living in is being shown to prospective buyers. The flowers are starting to bloom and she hopes she can buy the house. She wants him to follow his dreams and travel to get the shots he needs.

Seems a few men are leaving, heading off into their own directions to find what is missing in their lives.
Love how this book catches up with everybody in Virgin River, can't wait to read the next one.

Redwood Bend by Robyn Carr
Katie has packed up her house in VT, under the witness protection plan and headed out with her 2 kids to go live near her brother Conner who had been
a witness in a murder. Things were just not working for her in VT. Her boyfriend she found out was gay.
She treats the boys to Disney then heads up to Virgin River where her brother lives. Just in the northern section of CA she gets a flat and several bikers
stop to help her. Dylan does most of the work and even gives her his jacket to keep her dry from the rain.

Dylan and his buddies head out once a year to see the country on their bikes, stay at Virgin River a few days, fish, eat at Jack's and go for bike rides.

This book hits home as 3 family members and myself flew into LA and took Pacific Coast Highway up towards Washington. I can almost pinpoint exactly where
she had the flat. We drove that road and can relate totally to places along the side where there is NO guardrail, no protection if you should slide and end
up down a 100+ foot cliff side of the mountains.

She gets settled in and enrolls the boys into a summer program and she is invited to tour on the back of his bike.
He's decided to stick around a few more days than the others, to check out options for his avaition company. He can slso
revert back to acting in LA.

They spend a lot of time together while the boys are in the program and when they are doing other family things he gets to know the boys and enjoy time with them and with her brother.

His company is going downhill and fast, as are other aviation places. If only he can make it last a bit longer. Most of the people that worked for him have moved on - to bigger cities where they can get a job but he hates to throw the towel in. Not only has he looked around Virgin River but the larger cities til he contacts an acting agent.

'People step up for each other' perfectly sums up this community.

He has to deal with the multiple family members that had different fathers, 4 in total. They all want a part in a movie. He flat out tells them no. He is missing Her so bad. He heads back putting everything else on hold but her brother beats him up at the bar. He decides to stay a few days but she's down with a bug. He pitches in to help around the house and with the boys.

Where they are staying there is a continuous threat of a mother bear and her 3 cubs. They wander all over the yard and brush nearby. Tom, a neighbor that will be handling the nearby orchard is back from the war and has offered to contact the warden so they can maybe relocate the animals with no harm to them.
bears and a missing child, can't be a good thing. The community comes out to help. And the job offer isn't what he was thinking about
at all.

From here, things go terribly wrong with Dylan and katie, or is there hope of a reunion after things are divulged.
Will things ever be right again for them? One of his family has arrived to really get the pot boiling hot.

I rate this book a 5. Love hearing about the flying and the business of acting, what to do when you come across wild animals-new things for me. Love this community.

betrayal by fern michaels
Kate and her husband Alex always take his best friends kids while they are on a week long cruise. What happens next is one of the girls accuses him of
sexual misbehavior. Alex is brought to trial and is found guilty. How could this have happened-the kids loved visitng with them as they paid attention
to the girls more than the parents.
He is put in jail for years til another laywer finds the lawyer was incompetent. He is to be set free on Monday and will be able to go home with her.
What happens next doens't make any sense but definitely changes her whole life.
She went undercover, just disappeared from the face of the world. She started tracking the girls and to figure out why it had all happened. She was like
a private eye as she did her investigations. She changed her hair color, style, clothes, everything.

The lawyer needs to locate her to give her an envelope that Alex had entrusted in him to give her if anything should happen to him. He's yet to locate her
and calls the ones who had brought charges up on Kate. The Winters: the girls are messed up, the father now drinks himself into oblivion cuz his best friend
is dead and he never believed his daughters accusations, he is broke. Mrs. Winters owns the real estate agency and Kate is attempting to buy a new house with
their agency. There is a lot of gossip in the office about them, the money they want from the civil suit, which they will never get.

Revenge is sweet as Kate watches what happens to Debbie. The Winters wil be feeling total downfall within a weeks time.
Kate calls her best friend who's continuing on with the breeding of Alex's dogs and they laugh about the downfall.
She confides in the lawyer and he's agreeable to help her after she gets the envelope.
She is able to confront the girl and her sister, her dad, her mother and her lawyer. She tells them what future the girl will have now and
there is not a thing anybody can do to stop it.

Be My Texas Valentine by Jodi Thomas; Linda Broday; Phyliss Miranda;Dewanna Pace

4 stories for Valentine's Day

The Valentine's Curse
Valerie is a widow, two times over. She accompanies her father to the local dance where the whole neighborhood is.
Brody is just in from tracking down some cattle and is given orders from his boss' wife to attend the dance. He is also told to sit near the widow and talk to her. She has a curse that the whole town bets on how long any relationship will last before her next spouse is dead. Brody thinks it's all superstitious and pays no mind to it all.
He walks away into a dark section and she's going to say goodnight and he hugs her and gives her a kiss.

He stops to get the bosses wife sewing machine and she is there and he helps out. He finds himself there again another time and helps out. He gets another hug and their relationship starts slowly.

He's a loner and not too sure about women and she's had two husbands and is very shy, it's a wonder they even connected
at all.

She gives him an ultimatum and he agrees to become her husband, tend the farm/ranch and she will live up to her party as a wife. The old boss has some cattle delivered to him as he's the only one to understand them so he has to fix up the fences so they can roam and fatten up. Trouble arises and after a whole day goes by and he's not returned Valerie heads to the old boss and they send out the search parties to locate him. She figures if it's such a curse she at least wants to buy his bones on her property.

Lot of tender slow love in this book. You can tell they really are learning about one another and just taking things slow. Really appreciated having the epilogue so we'd not have to guess as to what happened over time.

Cupid's Arrow by Linda Broday
Logan is back in town and runs into Rue Ann while she's leaving a store.
She is set to marry Theodore and he's been seeing a lot of Charlotte.

With some help from elderly ladies who like to play pranks and have relationships go their way they play a huge part in getting couples together that they know will work.

This reminds me of The Waltons and the elderly sisters who always come to visit their neighbors.

Little do they realize all the lies and arrangements to work against what they want.
Arranged marriages and deals in the backroom are made to advance their careers.

Others have lied to keep them apart and destory their lives in town.

Loving Miss Laurel Phyliss Miranda
The men in town want business to pick up via the railroad so they need to spend the money on paving the main road.
The women don't think the town is at all ready for that growth so they want to spend the money on a library for the kids to enjoy now.

Some women disguised themselves as boys and overheard the meeting that went on and report back to the mayor's wife.

Laurel has just returned from the East and is appointed the new womens society president job. The men have their own club and will stand behind the new paving. The women will stand behind the new library.

The men plot to have a Valentine supper and dance and the women plot to raise more money by providing free beer to them the proceeds going towards the library.

Problem is that's all the women dressed as boys heard so they went to the newspaper and got things mixed up and that's what was printed in the next newspaper. They didn't get the mens' side which was not what was printed.
Laurel gets mad at her uncle and leaves the house, thinks she'll take the job of president of the womans' society and do bookkeeping for the saloon
while being able to live on their property.
There is an scuffle at the livery and a few people have confronted her with solutions to her problem.
Hunter, the mayors mother: Melba Ruth recalls the terms of Laurel's parents will and she is to inherit the estate and all sums on Valentine's Day-her birthday.
The mayor must find her to set things straight. Some one has taken her as she's left her weapon behind.
The truth comes out in the end...

Sweet Talk by Dewanna Pace
Noah is a doctor and his practice is very busy. He has a housekeeper and a talking bird-well he squawks a lot.
JoEmma is wheelchair bound and has a talking bird that has flown away. The bird show up at the docs in the same
cage with help from the housekeeper.
The Valentine Dance is approaching and the hearts with names on them has been done. Now to draw one name and that
man will be your date for the evening, if you don't have a date. They agree the sisters can visit the bird at his place just so they can keep the birds together. The older sister is the beautiful flirty type which he has no interest in.
He's never gotten to know JoEmma much.
His father stops by to tell him he choose the right sister and he asks him about her health as he was the last one
to treat her. He tells Noah and leaves it open for improvement.
Noah's not talked to his dad in years and again the housekeeper comes to the rescue.
The ending is most fitting on all accords.

Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman
Lani has studied under the best chefs and business people. Although she did not sleep her way to the top that's where she is.

She relocated to an island off Georgia and just in time for the festival. Now she learns the ones who mentored her are going to be back in her life again with cooking TV shows from the island she lives on.

She checks in with her girlfriend who's still in NY at least once a day to go over their thoughts as to why he is there, what she has to do with it and when he will be leaving.

A few of the local gossip people take it upon themselves, along with her dad, to help her get over her old mentor and/or to try to move them together.

Her aprons, I'd love to have just one of them, they are priceless to say the least.

How in the world is Baxter, her mentor going to get her to loan him her kitchen at cakes by the cup (her combinations of flavors she eats, breaths and loves cupcakes) going to get her to loan her kitchen to him for upcoming shows-the ones that will start taping in 2 hours time.

She takes Baxter out to the beach while they discuss the tv schedule and she tells him everything she's learned about his boyhood years and he tells her everything he knows
about her years.
oh just perfect: a cupcake therapy club, who knew LOL
Really appreciate all the behind the scenes of how a TV cooking show is done, love the angles and why.

They have a fast paced whirlwind romance, she travels with him for business, then he's gone for weeks on end. Back to the grindstone.

She is so miserable without him in her life now. If only there was a happy medium for both of them.

I rate this book a 5, it has recipes for the different cupcakes mentioned, and their corresponding frostings.

Can't wait to read the next in this series.

the silken web by sandra brown
a woman, who had been orphaned now works at a camp where
other orphans go to during the summer. she resigned her fashion job
when a married man wouldn't leave her alone.
She is in the same situation when a photographer comes to the camp,
a disaster happens and he's in the hospital and she can't get in to
see him, his wife shows up so she leaves the camp and nobody can find her.
she gets a new fashion job and a new apartment in a brand new city across
the US.
abortion, birth, new job, new location, death, someone out to destroy her by
signing her name to papers. confrontations, exotic places for photo shoots
find them together again.
through tribulations one is shown how strong they have grown to
overcome and triumph.
i rate this book a 5, strong characters and details and scenes this book
brought me to new places and new things occurred.

clouds glenbrook series #5 by robin jones gunn
love explanation of why the book was called this, good idea
flgiht attendant shelly comes home and wants to see her old boyfriend.
memories of things that happened as children, birthdays, happy tears, sad tears.
she transfers to a location and travels to Germany where he is doing
charity work. she hides her feelings as he's about to get married.
Her faith in God helps her get through the tough choices.
Love her ideas on decorating and using things that were useless. She seems
to have found her calling in life as things progress.

an engagement in seattle by debbie macomber
groom wanted - scientist needs to get married to stay in US. he can make their company survive and thrive with
the knowledge he has. he only believes marriage is for life. the family is trying to talk her into marrying him
and the prenup offers him a part of the company which he turns down. just why would he want to get married then?
she wants to please her grandmother and get married before she passes away, she's had another heart attack.
now they have to convince the immigration people that they are in love or they could send him back to his home
country and send her to jail for fraud.
can they learn to live with one another as husband and wife? and the problems at the office: someone is giving others
secrets about the new paint line. everything points to her new husband.

bride wanted by debbie macomber
Chase needs a wife and they need to leave Seattle for Alaska in a few weeks time.
he advertises on a billboard.
Leslie thought she'd be marrying Tony who she dated all through college up til a few months ago when he told her he needed more time but he then dated another teacher and they had married.
her friends come to her rescue to help her get through the loss.
she saw the billboard and thought the one who left the ad was a moron.
Leslie meets Chase when a mugger takes her purse=she had started to pursue him but Chase took over and caught him.
he agrees to a coffee in payment. she's emotional as this was to be her wedding day. she tells this all to Chase and he sits and listens intently.
She agrees to have dinner with him and they meet at the publice entrance to the aquarium. they stroll to a restaurant for dinner as she educates him about the area and stories about mail order brides. after getting to know one another better
they agree to meet the next day. Problem is she finds out it was he who posted on the billboard before he can tell her himself. He has started to return and meet the 500+ women who've left a message for him.
She is interested in why the women responded and they discuss the many reasons.
He forfeits interviewing the 800+ now respondents to spend time with her at Paradise at Mr. Rainier, a picnic lunch, hike to the meadows.
they take the neighbor's boys fishing early in the morning and we learn how to smoke a fish they caught. her old boyfriend wants to hook up with her again so Chase leaves her to make that decision.

the reason why i like this book so much is we do travel to Seattle area a few times a year to spend time with my daughter and her family and have been to the area and like it very much-good to hear more details about new places we
need to visit when there. The stories are easy to follow as there are NOT a ton of characters to keep track of.

Sunrise on Cedar Keys by Terri Dulong
Such tragedy at the very beginning of this story: Grace not only loses her coffee shop but her apartment in a fire while
she is picking up an aunt that is relocating to the island. To make matters worse as she's settling into the new house with her and they discuss a new business venture that both are really excited about: knitting weekend retreat. Sounds like heaven to me along with the local yarn store providing yarn, etc but a call from her older married sister makes her become very angry.

She's had everything she's ever wanted in life and now it's all crumbled and Grace is allowing her to come live with them til the divorce. And her best friend Suellen also wants to relocate to the island.

I'm in love with this seaside town. They take care of the stray animals with donations.

Love the idea of their business and wish it was real-it'd be an ideal vacation spot.

Like the intrigue of the tarot cards, quite interesting along with island folklore and the history.

Now Grace has cravings of having a child before she's too old because another friend is having a baby.
Having the cleaning womans' child with them all at the holidays really shows the cheer on the island.
some old things are brought up and they can destroy many lives. Just when they had found one another.
I rate this book a 5 for the different point of view-it's refreshing. The characters are just so huggable.
The scenery and comfort you can find on the island is just precious.

Closeness and the ability to talk to one another to work through problems really got to me.

And another book in this series is in the works. I hadn't realized there were 2 other books prior to this one. I will have to go get them and read them.

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Connor is under the witness protection program, kind of, before he goes to testify in a trial that

will put a mob type guy away for a long time. his ex wife is a sex addict.
Leslie has been divorced from her spouse for quite some time but wants to still be her friend.
Neither are sure just how long they will be in virgin river but love how everybody helps each other out to accomplish things. It's like having a family with no strings. Her ex keeeps coming into town to harass her.

His sister and kids were also relocated and shes falling for her boss, she works in his office.
She and Connor were both thinking the other would relocate to their new location and live out their lives.
There has to be a solution - after the trial, or would he even testify?

As time goes on things heat up and not only in the bedroom but the trial is ready to start.
i surely didn't see it coming along the way it did, quite interesting, very fast paced and held my interest, very tragic what occurred at the trial.

loved the book, a 5 rating. the places the scenes took place, the details of being a witnes in a murder trial and the closeness of the town, as in robyn's other virgin river series was super to read about.

a creed in stone creek by linda lael miller - first book of a new trilogy
steven leaves the city and is awarded custody of his friends 5 year old son. they move into a ranch with a barn neighbors swing by to help get them settled by letting them borrow a tour bus to live in on the property as he makes repairs.
she is a lawyer that lives in town. they keep running into one another. shes to head the parade now and he's going to help.

against the law by kat martin
in this series Devlin is the main character. He's the boss of a security agency, who has it all, a girl anytime he wants, houses,
sailboats, money, good apparel, etc. He's feeling he doesn't have it all.
she is a handbag designer and needs to find out where her dead sisters baby adopted parents are so she can make sure the baby is in
good hands.
she helps him with the investigation as they travel from one lead to another.
things happen where Lark now has the child and is raising her but her one night with Dev plays on her mind, and it also plays on his
mind. They can't get each out of their heads. Problem is somebody else wants the child so there is major mayhem.
Dev has to call on his trained buddies to help him retrieve the girl from another country. Love the planning that goes on. It's like the
ATeam show on TV, they have their act together.
I rate this a 5, very well written, down to earth and over the top in action. True characters and the author comes through as always.

driftwood cottage by sherryl woods
heather has left her boyfriend and took the child with her. his career of a divorce lawyer has made her really think abou how things really are.
the family and the extended family all live closeby. she has a quilting shop and that's what keeps her in the Chesapeake shores area. Many family gatherings find them together as they try to work through visitations and getting to know one another again.
Love this series, the big extended family, traditions and keeping uptodate with everybody.
an accident occurs and the whole family comes to help. it's where they belong it was said.
as that is the beginning the recovery is dealt with in the same manner, everybody has time to
help in any way needed.
As the recuperation goes on they start talking to one another about the important things.
I rate this a 5, it's a wonderful series and always look forward to a new title and can't wait for the next one.

echoes glenbrook series 3 by robin jones gunn
Laurn and her boyfriend have called off the marriage. Her brother gives her a computer and she
reconnects with KC, learning more about one another. She continues her college education and
they agree to meet in person.
Somedays she's really a klutz and things happen throughout this novel that find her in situations
and locations she never thought she'd be in. Her faith in God will get her through.
Good to catch up with others in Glenbrook, love this series.
Love the explanation of how the book got it's name, priceless!

Candy Cane Murder by Joanne Fluke
Love this book because it not only is about the Christmas holiday but there are 3 stoies in total, with recipes.
The murder/mystery parts are just the added topping to make these a good gift for anyone this year.

Hannah is helping Santa pass out gifts to the children and is dressed up in an elf costume.
Santa is very hoarse but makes it through the presents. He doesn't make it through the night.
Her sister and fmaily come to aid her in gathering information as to who killed Santa.
Love logic they use. Love the ability to swap out ingredients to make your own cookies.

danger of candy canes by laura laveen
Los Angelos around Christmas: A man dies when he is stringing up Christmas candy cane.
Jane's cat Prozac hates holidays and destroys everything to do with it.
She starts investigating about the roof-he forgot to pay his insurance premiums.

LA girlfriends is a mentoring program that Jane looks into while asking neighbors about the
man who fell off his roof. It is a program where a woman is hooked up with a girl without a
mother and they do fun things together. They head to Santa Monica pier-I visited there once
several years ago, quite fascinating. Things get worse as the hour goes by.
Back to the investigation: the neighbors name others as being an enemy so she's got a lot
more people to talk to. She's very crafty when it comes to getting information that is useful.

candy canes of Christmas past by leslie myers
Lucy and Bill in their house in Maine with Toby their child
Mrs. Telly, whose oven they used to make Christmas cookies, Lucy gave her a glass candy cane and they talked
of things that happened in the past. Lucy hopes to find out what happened to her mother, could've been TB.
Bill is fixing up the house to save money from having a contractor do it.
The tradition to read a story every Christmas makes her cry as her mom sent her to book.
Spritz pressed cookies, handmade crochet afghans, open houses are just some of the things that occur in the New England area around the holidays.
Lucy gets the older people to help her solve the mystery by listening to stories they have of days gone by.
After Bill almost burns the house down they are consiering going back to New York as they can't make a go of it there.
The neighbors come to the rescue and even his parents help in a way they had no idea was much needed.
She gets clues to solve the mystery from a book her husband gave her.

somewhere along the way harmony series
Mysterious Gabe doesn't like to deal with others so he keeps to himself. He gets a meal from the cafe and pays for it. He's got an office where mail goes to, right next door to the woman laywer who just moved in. They've exchanged
a few talks and kisses til she gets a call from him that he's in jail. The lady who brought him his meal has injuries and they are blaming him. Their pasts are revealed which makes what's happening now a reality.

There are other people in town and we are introduced to them and given the updates as they will be playing a part in
what's going on very soon. Very colorful people all mixed up with one another.
the kidnapping take everyone by surprise and i'm surprised as to who helps to solve it and capture the kidnappers.
I rate this book a 4.5, slow getting started but once it did it was nonstop action. characters i hope to meet in
other novels by this author. Didn't feel like I knew the characters well, like maybe a previous novel told more of
them.

home again chesapeake diaries book 2 by mariah stewart
woman returns to her childhood home as her ex husband is caught online-something to do with nudity.
child really suffers a lot through this as mom hopes a different location where nobody knows them will help.

a light at winters end by julia london
Hannah who's heavily been taking drugs has left her son with Holly telling her that her husband has left her and she
is leaving (going into rehab). Holly loves the baby even though it's a disruption of her life. Hannah's husband won't come
get the baby either, tells her she can still write her songs and handle it.
Holly heads back to the house where her mom lived, she left it all to her. She meets her neighbor while trying to take care of
Mason and to continue with her writing of songs.
Wyatt is a helpful neighbor=checking on her chimney, gas oven, fences, etc

he gets weekend visits with his daughter and they have playdates and become very well acquainted with one
another. Her sister is going through rehab and seems to be healing.
Through their struggles Holly takes his advice and furthers her songwriting skills.
It is made all complete by the end with some turnabouts.
I rate this a 5 as so many things are brought up and dealt with that only a strong character
could achieve.

harvest moon by robyn carr
Kelly is a chef and has had enough of her environment and her male friend, after a medical issue she flees to her sister Jillian who has an organic farm.
A movie script writer has had enough of LA also. Laffe and his 14 yo daughter are also at Virgin River. He is getting help for his daughter and himself
with a local therapist.
Opportunities arise where she is able to cook to her hearts content and hooks up with another female in a business venture.
His daughter is finding her way among animals and making close friends with a nearby family.
The open house they had the neighborhood came with fun things for children to do, good food, everybody pitched in to make it a wonderful afternoon.
Love the horse scenes and I am almost ready to try it myself. I'm finding out what's involved before the riding part to get over my fear of the horse and
how to feel comofortable around them.
As they all spend more time together the therapist has seemed to break through and the girl is now acting normal, she's got a lot more going on in her life,
her interests, etc.
He and his daughter go visit relatives for thanksgiving day
They talk a lot in the car and really get down to the problems with one another. They have come to understandings and they can laugh together now.
The story of the migration of the geese hit home as we have a local company down the street that sets a stuffed fox out on the lawn to deter the geeese from
landing there-doesn't work.
Her mentor tracks her down and prepares a feast for them all. Can Laffe keep her to himself or will she run back to the city and get another kitchen to run?
Her real father wants her for the Christmas holidays but Laffe who's been raising her thniks they've given her to him. He has to get the lawyers involved and
the girl wants to visit his relatives on the farm again because they had such a great time at Thanksgiving.
All heck breaks loose and things couldn't get any worse than what happens next.
She no longer feels wanted and makes plans to go back to the city but something happens that changes that and the whole outcome when it's announced in front of
his daughter.
I rate this story a 5, it's heartfelt welcome is inspiring around the holidays. Anything is possible.

The cowboy by joan johnstone
2 families have a feud, The main from one hooks up with a girl from the other.
11 yrs later they are brought back together again.
Lot of things that happened in the past are brought to the forefront and the ones involved now
find out the truth of what really transpired and why things happened the way they did.
A lot of misunderstandings along with her and he finding out about their parents misgivings takes its toll.
She packs a picnic lunch and sends her parents out to the meadow so they can light a spark in their marriage.
Problem is it's after dinner and they've not returned.
Between murder and horse thieves and just plain backstabbing, bar brawls and going behind others back, this book has that and more.
Like the details of becoming a cutter-never knew that occupation existed and like finding out about horses as I am terrified to become closer to them.
Even though there are a bunch of characters they are easy to keep straight and what's going on with each of their lives. Like how things are brought up and the problem things are dealt with and how. Being disabed it's good to know
others will light a spark under your butt to get you moving and functioning to be self sustaining and not have to rely on others for everything.
Secrets are enough to break up a marriage but it never happened and she married another. The things that come out 11 years later-I don't know if I'd be able to forgive one for withholding the information that finally comes to the surface.
Love the structure of the family and those in charge.
Love and romance was just enough to make this an enjoyable novel.

The Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter
Marta works at home in the advertising area. She attends PTA's and just does NOT feel like she belongs - her ideas, and clothing, her lifestyle, nothing.
Eva her daughter is all about fitting in. Her mom overhear the women talking about her daughter and her clothes. She is devastated but so happy her daughter
didn't hear.
Her daughter wants her to hang around with other mothers in hopes she will become more like them, dress properly and feminine and not stand out by wearing her
combat boots, holy jeans and driving her motorcycle.
Marta has vowed to never fall in love with a guy again but she keeps running into a macho man everywhere she goes in town.
She deals with business problems and her daughter is acting out by doing cruel things to herself, and her mom being sick isn't helping.
I like this book for a few reasons: the mom is going through wandering around lost as she has alzeihemers, hits home as we are dealing with the disease with a family
member. Like the scenery of the Seattle area-places I've yet to go when we visit my daughter and her family.
Her friend who travels to visit them puts her foot down and intervenes to get her to start dating.
Her daughter is also helping in that regard.
Is this just what she needed or should she get back to working in her business as it's on a downfall? As life goes on
business is now her personal life, they are one.

flirting with forty by jane porter
she's 40 and it's Christmas. So getting the tree up on top of her car, dragging it to the house after dropping it from the roof of the car,
onto her cream color living room carpet and there is sap over everything, rug, clothes, furniture . she doesn't even have a saw to trim the trees
for it to be able to put the tree in the stand. What else can go wrong and why does she have nothing but he got the vacation home, the Porsche and the
20 year old girlfriend.
She goes first class to Hawaii, after giving her ex the kids for 5 days, to spend time with her girlfriend but she cancelled at the last minute, she has her own driver and she's in a luxury hotel.
Nothing to do but lie in the sun at the pool drinking til the men start to come over and engage her into conversation.
She decides to go with a local surf instructor and go for a cocktail cruise around the island via catamaran. He's 20 years younger than her and she just can't relax.
She does spend more time with him and finds herself and loves how he makes her feel-so loved.
Back to reality and life again til she can go again to HI. Another vacation and she's on the island again with him and his friends.
There is an accident and she has to overnight herself back home to deal with the injuries. Later she goes to take a home pregnancy test
and finds out her world is about to change.
How can she just call him and help her deal with this?
Her friends come to her aid and help her get through the problems and they introduce her to a man at a BBQ in hopes they will get together and spend some time together.
she makes a bucket list and first time the kids are with the ex she is on her way to argentina for the holidays. What she never expected to happen is when her doorbell rings.
Love the scenery, very long sunsets, Seattle area and learning about new places I need to visit. This is such a down to earth book but with impulsive behavior that is adventurous.

the glass case, a short story by kristin hannah
this story reminded me of a time when my daughter was 4 years old and though only traveling to school one day
she did not return home once. this story is aoubt how a girl that is 17 becomes pregnanat and her boyfriend marries
her. a few months later her mother dies and before she does she tells the duaghter, all she wanted to do was to be
able to hold the childs hand.
hours go by and her son doesn't return home from school and everybody is out searching
for him. then during the rainstorm she sees him walking down the road towards them.
he has an interesting story as to who brought him home, making this book go full circle because of the necklace.

Chocolate Covered Murder by Leslie Meier
Typical New England seaside town where in a small town everybody knows everybody.

She is a newspaper reporter and there's a lot going around in town during the winter.

Death on the ice while ice fishing, chamber of commerce meetings how to promote the town
so others will visit and celebrate Valentines Day, award to 1st and 2nd best New England
chocolate shops-both are in town and in competition with one another, returning military
man, tourists looking for a house to buy, and drug related crimes, Valentine ball to attract tourists in winter, dessert contest,

Lucy continues to gain info about things going on in town to help solve the murder while doing her regular job. Some things just don't fit.

Economy during this time is bad but people find things
beside money to pay for things to get done. Even though a lot of things are going on it is easy to keep track of everybody and what they do for a living and how they are related to.

There are a lot of mysteries as murders become solved: the title makes sense.

Really like this town, people and how they help one another. You just don't see that in today's
society is some towns. Whoever says nothing ever happens in the winter needs to read this book.
I rate it a 5 out of 5.

best staged plans by claire cook
Great memory book. This woman is telling others what they need to do to sell their house. She tries to implement the same thing in her house so
her 20+ yo son and her husband will help with the manual labor and get their house ready to sell or she's leaving.
She has things in her junk drawer that I also remeber having: mood ring-and she knew what all the colors meant. This is a hilarious book at times
and a serious one at times. Maps that are more uptodate online, games: go fish cards, mousetrap, etc.
She's tired of not trying fun new things.
she leaves her husband and son there to dismantle the kitchen cablinets to spruce them up so they can sell the house, her daughter shows up in town as
she's there on a business meeting for some time, while she heads to where the daughter lives with her husband to redo a hotel. She has a lot of fun with
that and helping her friend who arrives to try to find out if her boyfriend is seeing an old friend behind her back.
What a fun and very helpful book if you want to redo your house in order to sell it. Various tips through the book and at the end tell you how to accomplish this.
Ending was just right, not too much over the edge but and not dull -what you expect, either.

i meant to clean my room today miriam nerlove
Cute children's book about all the animals that he helped along
the way when he went to make his bed. The combinations of the colors
and the animals make this a very fun book. Matching poem form.

charity projects, animal shelter

2011-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

19 animal blankets for Potter Animal Shelter

charity projects, plimoth plantation

2011-11-23T07:20:00.001-08:00

Mini mittens are to decorate their tree

charity projects, plimoth plantation

2011-11-23T07:10:00.001-08:00

22" long stockings made from wool from Plimoth Plantation.

charity projects, plimoth plantation

2011-11-23T07:08:00.001-08:00

various sizes of mittens for Plimoth Plantation mitten tree that they give to local homeless children

knitting

2011-11-12T16:30:00.001-08:00

hat with matching wristers edged in fun fur

maroon, yellow and slate blue

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-11-12T16:29:00.001-08:00

afghan in greens for holiday bazaar

also hat and scarf with fun fur

books i read oct 2011

2011-11-01T08:55:00.001-07:00

books i read in oct 2011

picture perfect by deena remiel
a woman injures her foot while the sun rises on her birthday. she collapses and a man
comes to her rescue. takes her to the ER and then home. then manages to put together a
two person happy birthday party at her house=-which is just 3 doors away from his. he
thought of everything to make a good party. she's a cover artist and he's a model for covers.
he's been there for her and now it's her turn when an envelope is delivered for him at her house.
life becomes complicated til the mystery is solved but it made them break up. will the figure out
the problme and get back together?

hunted sequel to the last soul by carolyn rosewood
demons and dragons loose at mardi gras in new orleans. bounty hunteres and guardian angels combat
one another to gain the trust of the woman.

The Seduction of Damian (The Gossip of Mysterious Lane #1) by Morgan Kearns
damian was deemed the most desirable bachelor of the month
being a vampire all kinds of creatures are throwing themselves at him.
the local witch comes over to see if he wants company and he lies telling her he's gay.
the troll next door is his best friend and she comes over with beer and pizza.
something strange happens when they kiss and the secret is revealed.

home at rose cottage by sherryl woods,
whats cooking - another of the sisters goes to rose cottage and finds love, hearts do heal and love blooms
the other relatives help get them together.

a mothers touch, 3 stories from 3 different authors as to what happens when one becomes pregnant, does it change the relationship?
the way home by linda howard
their agreement was for her to be his mistress. now that she was carrying his child
would he change his mind about keeping her? there's a twist in the past that is brought
to the forefront and dealt with by both of them.

paternity test by sherryl woods - a woman knows her clock is running out to have a baby and all her friends
are having babies. she meets her once boyfriend in a new city where he works and she gets pregnant. he comes to her
many months past and they try to find out if they can be a couple for the baby.

a strangers son by emilie richards, man helps a woman whos crashed on snowy icy roads. she is having a baby.
she was a reporter after a story and got it from him, a musican 9 months earlier. why was she here now, why didnt
she tell him when it first happened? can they make a go of it together?

a continual feast by jan karon
a lot of different inspirational things collected
form father tim over the years.

nell by nancy thayer, woman lives on nantucket island, after college she marries a leading man
and raises her children. he leaves her for another and she continues with dinner parties on the island
and contemplates with her panic attacks selling the house, taking the old trees down, and just being able to live there still.
life on the island, the nursery day care she starts up to survive and all her love interests over the years.

the search by nora roberts
a missing 3yr old boy and how the special trained woman and her lab dog track
missing people on a northwestern island. Fiona has other rescue dogs at home and this story tells of her rescues and love affairs.

simon, a wood artist has her train his dog. he's chewed everything at his house.
the man who had killed her to be husband is back at it, killing woman by using his stun gun and then burying them in a deep grave in a national park.

she is highly concerned but tries not to show it. she knows he will come after
her again. she has to be careful.

Whispers- The Glenbrooke Series, Book 2 by Robin Jones Gunn
terry goes to hawaii to visit with her sister and runs into a guy she dated the previous year. hes got a grant
to study infant whales, she also discovers an old high school football player who will be working with her brother in law.
and another man has an interest in her. see how she juggles all 3 of them for the week she is on the island.
the woman all rally together in HI when the sister gives birth.

Passion and Illusion by Barbara Delinsky
female talk show hostess via radio is hit and she gets scraped up coming out of the bookstore where she's purchased a bunch of
romantic novels. the cop that aids her drives her home while his partner gets subs for their lunch. the mugger has not put anything
into her bags. the stalker is at it and tries to get to her again.

blackberry summer by raeanne thayne
small community of caring people. 4 breakin's in town and on a snowy icy night the
local cop is in a chase to catch who he thinks is the burglar. many car accidents happen
and afterwards the town helps one another heal. some have died, some have broeken bones, etc
and the angel of hope pays a visit. they do not know who it is but they leave things for the
ones hurt to help them over the crisis. good heartwarming story of not only friendship but
caring loveing people helping one another. hope there are more in this series.

The Other Woman by Joy Fielding
married woman feels she is not up to what she used to be in her marriage as she
finds her husband paying attention to the new lawyer in his office. she is back in
the exercise class to get up to speed. a murder mystery.

This Time Forever by Kathleen Eagle
cleve finds a dead body in the mens' room and the hitchhiker is gone. he is a rodeo cowboy and
got a flat tire, bashed his front end of the truck and walked to the town. he got a ride and they
stopped at a bar. he had a few beers and tried to get somebody to tow his truck in to fix. the other
guy had a bunch of money and made sure everybody saw it. they pick up a hitchhiker and after a few more beers stop by a rest area and use men's room. cleve waited in the truck for them, 3 hours later he wakes up and find dead body of the driver. his cell won't work so he drives the truck to nearest town to notify the police.

susan is on the jury. she hears his story and tries to figure out what happened with only his testimony. she is an emergency nurse who spends a lot of time in neonatal unit, she's in love with 2 lb infant there and follows him to his next Indian home. later he is released and she is attempting to adopt a child.

Love to read about Indian traditions.

All about Eva by Deidre Berry
evan is a fashionasta, donovon is a wall street trader. he finds her and falls in love with her. talks her into moving in with him, and
he talks her into getting rid of her apartment. she loves shopping and he doesn't mind paying her bills.
eva enjoys her birthday surprise party and afterwards donovon takes her to france, then switzerland. some things don't add up: the
fight at her party for one. after he goes missing for 24 hours things become very clear when she uses the phone to call US and finds out
he was wanted for embellizament for 1.2 million plus. she did call on a few friends but some just hung up on her. now that shes back in town
she goes to get her belongings and finds out she has no apartment now. she also has lost all her clohting on the plane ride back to the states.
Didn't see the ending when they do meet up again, wow!

the christmas train by david Baldacci
journalist heads to his girlfriends house for christmas. has to use the train from DC to LA and he
meets up with a variety of different people and hears their stories.

a mystery arises when everyone is missing something special to themselves. they try to solve it together.

everything is in an upheaval when the train stops due to the weather. wow this whole book changed and
it continued on to a good ending.

on strike for christmas by sheila roberts, wow this was me a few years ago when i was no longer able to see.

I did go on strike and got a LOT OF help from my husband to help with all the Christmas chores. This is a very good book about how one woman can't take it anymore, doing it all for the holidays and her husband sits back and does nothing. she brings it to her knitting friends and they also want to go on strike for the holidays, make their spouses do it all this year.

this is hilarious but sometimes serious when you understand the full impact of it all. the ending i could not believe it really happened for a minute. the woman all came together with one another

Title: The Wedding Quilt
SubTitle: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel
Pub Date: 11/01/2011
ISBN: 9780525952428
Author: Jennifer Chiaverini
the wedding quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

love how this one starts out, i have read a few books in this series and the history of how it all started was given it's due here and i remember the earlier books. it's great to see that this series is still ongoing and progressing in helping others with their passion of quilting. I love the history of it all and how the people involved help one another to achieve their goals.

from beginner to master quilter this book is also about the lives of the people involved in this series through time adding others and some have moved on, what a tale. the folklore is super to learn about. it talks indepth detail on how
and what the wedding quilt is.

When Sarah and Matt have the babies. with snow and his job in a far away town the ladies keep her busy and help with everything. the book picks up where the girl is now grown and ready for her marriage at the Elm Creek center where she grew up. reminisciences of past lives are brought to the present.

this book follows many of the people involved from the original book of the series, lovely descriptions, very detailed making you wish you could vacation there.the treasures they find are super, almost like a mystery and following the clues til you discover the answer. what a treat to find that in this book. the education one can get about quilting in days gone by according to the color and patterns is phenominal.
i rate this book a 5 out of 5

I can post my review at amazon, barnes and noble, smashwords, goodreads,
netgalley, my blog

hot ice by nora roberts
oh the places nora takes you to, escape and she does it so very well.
whitney just returns from a jaunt overseas and Doug hops into her car as others are chaing him and shooting with real bullets. they avoid then in the
car but they follow her to her upscale apartment which leads them to steal a car and hightail it to the airport. she wants to accompany him on his hunt for
treasure to madagascar as he owes her money for damages done. he did his homework as she arranged for everything, traveling in first class no less. he had done
extensive traveling, learning how to make food the right way. he was after the treasure.
among their travels they meet up with a tribe that honors their presence as they share what they know of the tribe with one another, legends, customs, etc. the whole
time they are being followed. what an adventure! exotic, intrigue. quite the surprise ending, perfect!

someday soon by cathleen eagles
Boston reporter travels west to do a report on horses and meets up
with a rodeo rider who also knows the horses she wants to do a story on.
they do spend some time together: bar and dancing at rodeo, her watching him
ride and calf rope, and he's also a singer. she decides to go into his camper vehicle
to learn more about the horses and he can show her around for her report. they travel back
to his home state of South Dakota and follow the rodeo circuit so he can participate in other events while she also does her horse research. he gets hurt and then there is a death they must deal with as they learn about one another. a kidnapping occurs and brings them together and makes them realize how they feel about one another but other family things keep them away from one another.
i rate this a 5 out of 5

sunsets glenbrooke series book 4 by robin jones gunn
elissa is a travel agent and is just moving into a new neighborhood. she doens't like longterm things so moves
often. she recalls her past as things that happen brush into her life and she must deal with them.
she starts to believe in God again and things smoothen out and are easier to deal with. 3 of them start out to
help move one of their sisters to oregon. things just get worse as they go on but her faith comes to the rescue
again. the doctor doens't have a good report but he will stand by her and she has faith in God also.

woodlands glenbrook series book 7 by robin jones gunn
leah is a nurse and takes care of all the residents of glenbrook when they need help. she helps young and old and was delivering
to a neighbor when her car stopped working. the UPS man comes by to make his delivery and he needs help in getting to the new complex
in town so she goes with him to show him, they get dinner, a new puppy and back to her house. so much going on with real life, surgeries,
deaths and helping everyone she can. shen she breaks down at the funeral reception others in the town help take care of her for a change.
her faith again helps her handle it and move on with her life.

waterfalls glenbrook series book 6 by robin jones gunn
meredith is a child book editor and meets up at a family gathering where a photographer is also stopped by to see the waterfall where he plans on filming a movie.

seminars and conventions bring them together and she even gets to audition
for his movie. really like how the local people in town help and their stories
are brought up to date from previous books.

I rate this story a 5 as I really like the series and the places it takes me to.

wild flowers glenbrook series book 8 by robin jones gunn
steve and geneviere have a trusting marriage, he's an airplane pilot and is often jetting off to attend conventions,
she runs a local cafe their 2 girls keep them busy. things start to wear on her as she's saddled with the girls
all the time and the cafe, the inheritance money he invested badly that her store could've really used. so she starts
making some changes in the cafe after spending a dinner at a resort 40 miles away. it has a tree growing in the middle near
the fireplace that make Genevieree hoping that if she used that n her cafe to attract more to come daily and things go
wrong to the point there is a major disaster. things happen that bring them back to the church and answers to many
questions that have piled up over the months. the bible and verses she discussed with her lady friends at their meetings
and that helped not only her marriage but her daily life. really like how the local people in town help and their stories
are brought up to date from previous books.

lark and termite by jayne anne phillips
acts of love by judith michael

the sheriff of nottingham by richard kluger
1208 England has sheriffs in the towns to keep peace. love era, the costumes, legends,
things people stood up for, castles, taming of the big birds

Never realized how much religion and how much politics played a huge part of all this.
I rate this a 4, because it was very long and took me forever to finish it. Really liked the era and all that entails, quite a tale.

Title: Silver Girl
ISBN: 9780316099660
Author: Elin Hilderbrand
Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
I have read a few of Elin's books and really enjoyed them so
I didn't feel I really needed to even know what this book was about at all to want to read it. I was not disappointed.
I love the book covers with beaches on them or knitting or cooking things.
This book is about Meredith and she's fled New York as her husband is in prison for taking others money via stock market. She calls on a friend that she's not talked to in years and she picks her up and summers on the island.
Strange things start happening: photos of her and not leaked to the press, house smeared with words that rattle her and Connie. They need to change things up so nobody knows she's there so they can just live freely on a daily basis and not fret having to look over their shoulder all the time. Connie has a lot of obstacles to tackle and overcome since she lost her husband and she is doing them with help from Meredith. They transform Meredith so they can start leaving the house.
Book also reverts back to when they were growing up as teens. Meredith dated her brother. It's been 5 years since Connie had a husband and now she's just starting to date, but brings Meredith along with her cuz she's so insecure.
The story of how she met and other things that happened in her life are told and it makes sense, another piece of the puzzle.
There is also a detailed explanation as to why the name of the book is silver girl. I didn't see that coming but it is beautiful.
The lawyers want her to tell them of names he used, for animals, nicknames, places they travelled to, slang words etc so they might be able to find the missing 10 million dollars that he's not telling anyone where he hid it.
Detailed descriptions on the island, view from inside the top of the lighthouse, the water, the boat make me wish summer was still here. traditional things to do are described. Their previous years where they travelled extensively through Europe and overseas. She even looked through the box of photos she took with her to maybe find a clue as to where the money was?

I like this book for a lot of reasons, I like how there are just a handful of characters to keep track of but they lead such a very bountiful life.
Like the two different simultaneous stories going on that intertwine themselves to one another. I rate this a 5 out of 5.

MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT Fern Michaels; Elizabeth Bass; Rosalind Noonan; Nan Rossiter

4 stories for the price of one, you can't go wrong!

Making Spirits Bright by Ferm Micahels
This is just one story out of 4 in this Christmas book. This tale is of a woman that shuts down her PC during the holidays so you can devote
her whole time to the holidays and friends and fmaily. She cares for the little girls down the street and attends parties that arise suddenly.
She also meets up with her friends brother and they spend several days together, doing everything: skiing, chopping down a real Christmas tree
and traveling for a short holiday. She get antsy about having children and starts the adoption process and wonders if her being single is going
to be a problem. Tragic things happen that lead to a wonderful finish. They would make a prefect fit with one another but there are others to consider.

I rate this book a 5 out of 5, it's easy to follow with a handful of characters. Love the holiday season, the decorations, food, festivities, friends
and family. Like that this is so up todate with events that have made the paper - the octomom was one mention. This is only one out of 4 so I know the
rest will be just as good as this first story.

Runaway Christmas by elizabeth hass
In this story we find Heidi, she runs a bake shop in NY. Her idea for Christmas this year is to not decorate her apartment and watch Avatar. Her niece in Texas feels
left out with a new baby on the way in the family. Heidi gets a free tree, drags it home and there are problems. Up top of everything else she forgets about the cash
box in a plastic bag from the shop. Now the landlady and the nanny upstairs need her. What else can go wrong, oh plenty more. It's called an ice storm and effects everything.
Maybe there won't be a Christmas at all? I rate this story a 5 out of 5, light reading with some intrigue. Easy to follow and in the spirit of the holidays.

Home for Christmas by Rosalind Noonan
Just started this story and am in love with it. set in Woodstock, NH as Jo is heading up the mountain with others there is a talk about
the area, the Old Man in the Mountain is a spot I've recently wanted to see with my spouse. The trip is in the works as we speak as he's never
been there. Jo runs a Christmas shop and has finally made a lot of money selling trees fully decorated. so much money she no longer has to work
at nights at the ski lodge cleaning for them. her spouse was killed on the slopes and she's heading up there to ward off others from going down
the icy terrain. Her daughter is well looked after by a live in cousin as she goes to college for her nursing degree. ah-yeah and wicked=love the
New England slang! this story reminds me of my family-they even have a swear jar. he's just back from the war and is disfigured and doesn't allow
her to even see him til they've met many times. as they begin to care for one another she wants to keep him in the dark about their relationship
and other things that are finally brought out the day before Christmas. Will they be able to get through it or does he leave?

Christmas on Cape Cod by Nan Rossiter
Maddie helps her teacher friend and child for the holidays. They travel to the Cape Cod house where the boy remembers his previous parents and
certain things. Traditions are a must: carrots for the reindeer, cookies and eggnog for Santa, Mass the night before where Noah is given a special
thing to do, makes him feel real special. The surprise Noah gets when he wakes up in the morning has a two fold meaning. What a precious story this
is and the characters are also in another of Nan's books: the gin and chowder club. I rate this book a 5 out of 5, easy to pay attention to what's
going on with the characters, their surroundings and the Christmas traditions.

A Lone Star Christmas by William W and J.A. Johnstone
This book first appealed to me because of the cover. It has snow and horses, blizzard looking. After reading the back of the cover I was convinced I just had to read this book. I've read other series of books about cattle runs and thoroughly enjoyed them.

The lifestyle, the hardships and having to
survive by what you did mattered.

Book starts out with a female who is traveling back home after visiting relatives and there's a mystery as to her birth mother. She meets up with a man who sticks up for her when she arrives and he handles the problem men in his own way.

He's left his past in Boston but proves himself to her father who gives him a job on the ranch. They part ways, her to find her bio mom and him to learn about cowboying.

Things are going just too smoothly for the ranch and the cattle drive but it will be in December and a different type of cattle than what they are used to.

The cattle even appealed to me as my dad was in charge of an experimental cattle here in our hometown when he was young.

A lot of different things happen in a specific order that play havoc on everything to follow. Revenge for things done in the past: sometimes to friends, sometimes to family that trigger events.

The weather plays a major part in all that happens, it's just so unpredictable in the winter to begin with. The book talks of many different types of storms.

The generosity of people overwhelmed me and made this a true Christmas book to read. Love the scenery, people, story line, time frame and had a hard time putting it down at the end of my day.

I do rate this a 5 and wish the rating system was higher as my rating would then be higher as well. As this is
the first time reading the authors I will search out more of their works and read them as I know I will not be disappointed in the books.

charity projects, old sturbridge village

2011-10-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

muffatees for osv

books

2011-10-17T16:35:00.002-07:00

upon returning from our trip to the shennadoah national park and luray caverns and downs park in MD we had many books and swag waiting for us.

12 audio books from sandra brown - thanks SO much

kiernan kramer with tea, cookies, book, tea rest, halloween candy

kate douglas also sent a book and bookmarks

Kailey hart sent trading cards

and the publishers contacted me and have authorized me to read ARC's for them for review, i will start that tonight.
also received a few ebooks from contest I had entered, will get those tonight also.

Thanks to all so very much!

charity projects, hospital

2011-10-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

3 afghans and 16 booites that we did bring to the hospital this morning after flying in from VWI

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-10-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

6 of 10 baby layettes and matching afghans

31 cotton dish cloths

2 layettes and a ton of blue/pink headbands

charity projects, hospital

2011-10-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

10-10 3 afghans and 16 booties

Maureen Cracknell Handmade: A Sponsor {Giveaway} : :

2011-10-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

Maureen Cracknell Handmade: A Sponsor {Giveaway} : :: * * * * * * * * * * * * It's Fabric Giveaway Friday! My sponsor Moona Fabrics is owned and operated by a mother/daughter-in...

books i read in sept 2011

2011-10-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

brandon's secret by Lizzy Stevens
strong and to the point in a nice way, with the ocean as a back drop.
this book given to 5 others each would come up with a different meaning and
how it effects them. ending took me by surprise and really appreciate how the
reader is informed that things don't always appear as what you thought. love the
explanation. i rate this book a 4.5 as i'd want more background and more for the future of the same characters.

note: also now that I know the author has done other stories I want to read all of them.

a surprise for christmas by lizzy stevens
and what a surprise it is. wow what every single waman dreams of finding,
a baby on the doorstep to raise as your own. kinda reminded me of the baby in a basket
among the grassy reeds-a religious story. this story a year later has upheaval as the
father comes to find his daughter-not knowing the mother was pregnant. magic happens
and they fall in love to make it a memorable Christmas for them all.
I rate this a 5, it's just the right length and not too heavy, just a light story.

kiss me crazy by ednah walters in this book of the family we again are in the art world but a different aspect of it. really cool when they paint murals on the walls. this one has
a big twist when a 10 year old murder is brought up and attempted to be solved with new information that does come out in spurts. The love and family scenes are also welcome reading. The escape for me
is when they travel to ones' hometown and are given a back door guided tour. makes it seem like i'm there with them. and the long trek to the mountain house to do some work and have some play time was also
a most welcome trip, to yet another place i've never been in my travels. Love the escape this series brings me and the strong family oriented family and relationships. Can't wait for more.

a voice from old new york a memoir of my youth by Louis Auchincloss
summary of his life, mostly in ny but in newport, RI and to Jackie O, along the maine coast at Mount Desert Island is the place i found that I liked the best.

Secrets, the Glenbrook Series Book 1 by robin jones gunn, lady just arriving in a new town w/all her belongings, end up down a ditch, in the hospital.
on her birthday! she does recover with the help of the local firefighter and others go way out of their way to make her feel welcome. there is a reason she
doesn't want anyone to know her last name. the man who hired her knows what it is but hes' in the hospital and there's a different principal at the school she'll be teaching English.
she finds faith in God when on a religious retreat to help build a church in Mexico. Her faith aids her in getting through some horrible things that occur and especially
when she confronts her problem from her previous life.

one last dance by Eileen Goudge two sisters come together at the family home, just 5 days shy of their parents wedding anniversary
to bury one of them. the other is locked up in jail. they go through the process of the burial services and trying to help the one in jail.
it brings up secrets that each of them was holding for over 30 years, that just does not clear up what happened.

deep dish by mary andrews
two people who are losing their cooking shows will combine to form one. the winner of an extreme weekend using only the outside elements to cook up a
feast for the judges will win. there are mishaps along the way, nothing can go right.

in dreams by nora roberts antique shop owner is on tour in ireland and gets lost in a forrest. crashes her car and makes her way to the castle's light.
Flynn is just back to being normal for a week after a century of being frozen in time. Not sure what is real and what is mystical and magic but they find a
lot of common things. she wakes up the next day, no clothes are torn, car is no longer smashed against a tree and she has no injuries. he gives her a tale
of what has happened to him, he has dreamed of her for centuries. the week of magic goes by fast. i won't spoil the ending but it's the stroke of midnight
on the last day when the Keepers have come to a decision as to if they will give Flynn back his life as a mortal.
I rate this a 5 as I enjoyed the escape into the fairy land that was created.

the long road home by mary alice monroe: an author who writes very well about all kinds of problems and how the characters in her books solve them.
I love this author. this book is about a woman who relocates to vermont to the sheep farm after her husband has used all his money and others and
commits suicide leaving her with nothing. the workers at the farm really are her family now and pitch in at any time to help out. she finds out that one
is not who she thought he was and he goes out of his way to change the things that happened in the past to clear her husbands name an the debts.
really great nature scenes that as a northeastern i treasure.

the four seasons by mary alice monroe, sisters travel home to bury their youngest sister. different thoughts, different lifestyles all mingle
to come together again in the family house. good and bad memories are brought up and each deals with them differently.
reading of the will brings forth a last request, deliver the
time capsule to the child that one of the sisters had as a teen.
the book takes you through the journey to search and find the child. i love how the
realizations bring them all closer as a near drowning occurs.

the mischief of the mistletoe: pink carnation series by lauren willig
the school gives a Christmas performance with live animals. it's quite comincal with the romance that is under foot as well.
Love holiday season and everything it means to all. pudding with ribbons with a note written on them help lead them in the right direction to solve the mystery.

living the fantasy by joanne rock
wow love the escape this book brings with the exotic locations
and the detailed descriptions. 8 years apart as they went their own
ways and now their paths cross again. she's a teacher in a remote
area of Fiji and he owns hotel properties there, in control of the
school she teaches at. the school has had to close down when he took
possession and now they will attempt to work things out in 3 days
time til she goes back to teaching the poverty stricken children
in the southern island. frist day is TOO fantasic, she is given
everything a woman would want in her own beach side bungalow.can one
have their cake and eat it too? great read!

the tycoons runaway bride by christine rimmer
she bails on the wedding and lands in montana at a nice resort.
he tracks her down there and confronts her...

she's gone country by jane porter, wow packed book about a lot of things going
on. a mom recently divorced from her husband who is now a gay man. kids go to new
york at thanksgiving to be with him. one stays behind. 2 come back and one is
enthralled with bull riding=he starts lessons. another is being bullied at school
and she finds out. a housebreak on thanksgiving and she's calling a lifelong friend
who comes to her rescue. she is a model to boot and takes off to exotic places a few
times during the timeframe, always has her mom nearby to watch the kids. she does it all
and then some. nobody can kick her down. a lot of things from the past come back to be
dealt with so she and others can move on. really liked the book but not a lot of dialogue,
i felt. i rate this a 5 of 5 and will now look for more books by this author.

promise canyon a virgin river novel by robyn carr
series continues as two native americans find hope in one another, another family struggles with
their brother coming back from the war in one piece but broken inside and out, also the most
fascinating part of this series is the one who whispers to breaks the horses. riding a horse is
still on my bucket list and it's just so cool to learn of new things that hold an interest for me.
The Indian customs are so refreshing to learn about.

defying convention by abby niles
sci fic writer has to attend a huge book signing for a week and he has killed off his main character and
the readers are furious and attack him with their nerf swords while dressed in their costumes at the convention.
a female photographer who's in costume comes to his rescue and learns about his series of books and about him and
the career suicide he wrote. when she learns more personal things she thinks this is just what her boss wants, it
better be or she's out the door. her brother is along on the trip to the convention center and everybody has secrets
that come out. some hurt more than others but can they get through it?
i know nothing about the role playing games going on but it was fun to read it. hoping there is another book to add to make this a series.

deep in the valley the grace valley trilogy by robyn carr
lady doc returns to town and learns things she must keep to
herself. she gets another doc to help in the practice and is
unsure of if what he's told her is true. it's fun to follow the
families in the valley, there are not many and it's easy to keep
them straight. there are magical things that occur with no explanation as to
how they happen. i know there is another book at least, in this series
so i hope it will continue with all the people in this one.

just over the mountain, the grace valley trilogy book 2 by robyn carr
same as deep in the valley, but more births, deaths, and general every day
living. what a treat!

One On One Time With Wendy Williams in Jelly Land by Alcala, German
talk show host, one has adream he is being interviewed by her and his
blue care bear. hes 41 years old

love for sale by joe brewster, yard sale very day for the the past 10 years
joe finally stops in altho his dead wife betty would marvel at yard sales he was
never into them. ends up in ladies bedroom where her art studio is and he realizes
she is the one who painted betty in an adult costume for a gift for him.

The christmas Angel by Abbie Farwell Brown
an old woman remembers her years at christmas when the maid brings in the play box with all the
childrens toys in them. she sets out to do an experiment, by putting out a toy on the curb to see
who will take it. she puts out several toys that are taken til she comes to the angel. she puts that
on her mantel and it comes to life. the angel tells the woman to sit back and watch what happened to
the toys she had placed out on curb. she learned the fate of each one.

nineeleven by Donald Capone
his wife was in one of the towers, heading down from 80th floor. he rented a car and drove from FL to NY
listening to news on the way. he had dreams, so he saw what happend in this case and other events in his life
and the outcome.

Sagan's Law A "Digital Sea" Short Story By Thomas K. Carpenter
husband dead and she's close to delivering her second child.
tax on having a child. law was to only have one in the City.
she watched a replay of what happened prior to his death on the digital and
found he had left something in the peep show.

Paintings on The Father Wall by Ami Braverman
3 different stories, quite diverse.

a callahan carol by emily march. what a nice soothing christmas tale
of faith, hope and love. the oldest of the clan gets sick and everybody
looses faith he will come out of it, nor do they really want to celebrate
christmas. a miracle happens to bring them all together. this opens up the
series for me to start reading it. i'm very happy with the family relationship
and want to know more details of their past and future lives.

bird cloud by annie proulx. the highlights of this book are the building from scratch of a house
in wyoming. the full process of permits, etc and how tough it was to even find the right people to
build it. the nature and background of who settled there first was good. the nature really enthalled
me to keep reading, such beautiful things in life. this sets me up to read the wyoming series that i
have put together in various media forms for the upcoming week. should be fun to sit back and read.

bad dirt, book 2 of wyoming stories by annie proulx
harsh rural life in wyoming

fine just the way it is book 3 of wyoming stories by annie proulx
harsh rural life in wyoming

against the wind by kat martin, i am used to darker side of books by kat so when i first started reading this one
i was happily surprised to find out it's a family type novel. a woman returns home after her dead husband leaves
her in so much debt she can't recover. she brings her daughter back to where she grew up also and got a job at the local
newspaper. it's a wyoming setting which i touched on a few days ago with a different author and love the descriptions of
the scenery and nature. this appears af if it's going to be a series set in the same town, just differnt family members.
i love this type of series. just when they were what they thoughtt to be close to finding out who was at fault they uncovered
way too many more things about the companies her husband had swindled. love how this story shows how much one loves another
without words but by doing things for her and her daughter.

Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon 4 college girl friends, now later in life are remembering their earlier lives. one of them has
written a book with the other 3 kiinda mentioned in it, no by names but what they did in college. as the ladies sit around and
chat about it, they realize the author is right. they challenge one another to overcome their fear, leading them off in different
directions to accomplish them within a years time. this book is about Maddy and how after she looses her husband after 6 years her
friends tell her to go accomplish her career goal of being a painter/artist. she gets that opportunity while being the craft director at
a camp. she meets up with an old boyfriend and after a bit of loving she decides to stick around to help him with his other camp project.
but then her paintings take off. to the point where the gallery owner wants to promote her career hoping to recope what she's put into it
within a years time. that means traveling and maddy isn't too sure now what she wants to do. glad this is a series so each woman gets
her own book. i rate this a 5, very interesting things and places

a reason to believe by cathleeen eagle
native american marries a white woman and they have a child together. when the girl is a teeager she starts getitng into some serious trouble.
the parents are divorced now so everybody blames it on that.
they agree to go to the big foot/wounded knee memorial ride by horse-2+ day travel and it brings them together again. and Indian ways, things are passed down
to the next generation.

Moon Shell Beach by Nancy Thayer, childhood secret beach where they'd get together and share their private secrets with one another,
book follows 3 girls as they grow up on the island,
one leaves for more schooling, one to get married, one stays. years later they are all
back on the island, brought together again after apologies are made for various reasons.
love small community living on an island.

it's all about him, finding the love of my life by denise jackson, memoir about her song artist husband alan jackson.

the last time i saw you by elizabeth berg
40th class reunion brings a bunch of people together to think and talk about their lives and
growing up attending the same school.

seasons of yesteryear by rachel ryan/ sandra brown
widower Lee has left the girlfriends party and pulls over to the side of the road. chad stops and helps get her
into the back of his truck and delivers sarah. drives them to the hospital and contacts her relatives and
then he's gone.he reappears later and they try to get past their earlier lives but his job/work haunts her to
the point where she can't marry him. can she learn to live with it ?

then came you by lisa kleypas, good book, a woman tries to stop her sister from marrying a man who she's really
interested in. can she plot to make it happen and live with the consequences. and there's a twist, somethiing that
happened in the past resurfaces.

trouble don't last always by Francis Ray
woman leaver her abusive husband but the car breaks down and she walks to a house within 3 miles of where her car is.
she ends up getting a job there taking care of a neurosurgeon that has recently gone blind. they discover that he can
do other things and do them well. she proceeds with her divorce long distance and does get her car out of the shop.
she enjoys helping him live with his blindness with aids available.. she pursues her career and schooling while he
is praying for his sight to come back supporting her with everything she does.
rate this a 5 for the vision problems as i am blind they hit home. also not one but several romances n the book.

chasing fire by nora roberts
love to learn about other careers=smoke jumping. sounds so dangerous but at the same time something you'd get an extrme adrenaline rush doing.
ah all the romances from the many in the group. very interesting twist at the end to discover who was setting the files and killing others - never
saw that ending but it fit perfectly. book bout not only the bad things about fire but the other side of fire.
Nora never disappoints in any tale she tells, rate this a 5 out of 5.

in this mountain by jan karon
life goes on with many people in town. father tim has now retired and needs something to get energized about.

devils food cake murder by joanne fluke
LOVE THIS SERIES, gives me ideas of how i can change my cookie recipes. love creating a one of a kind cookie recipe once per year, the
experimenting with just the right ingredients comes from the books i read from this author. love hearing about the close family members
of the baker in this series and how they combine to solve the murders. i wonder if this series will ever end and hannah will pick one
for her husband.super cookie recipes, vinegar raspberry cookies sound over the top! love how the next book has allready started as some
thi9ngs were divulged in this one, WTG!

home at rose cottage by sherryl woods, hearts do heal and love blooms
three down the aisle
whats cooking= another unsuitable affair

mike lives in the cottage next door. his daughter is so deprived as his wife was into drugs and left them
melanie was in her grandmothers cottage to recover from a bad love affair, with a married man. he appraches the house
thinking an intruder is there, he had never met her. he lets her know how appauled he is at the state of the garden. her
grandmother would be appauled at its state. he's a landscape designer and wants to help restore it to its original state.

gardenias for breakfast by robin jones gunn
a daughter and her mom on vacation from Hawaii, come to seattle and with her brothers van head to see the US, on their way to have the daughter meet
the grandmother in louisianna for the first time. they get to experience a lot of new things, snow, birth of a llama, death of a dog, getting her brothers car
to lousisanna, desert and other terrains, car problems,
they also get to bond while on this trip staying with other family members for a night as well.

lessons from the mountain by mary mcdonough , tales of background scenes while filming
different episodes of waltons mountain. all the things i learned, wow just in time for my
trip south to visit the waltons museum in a few weeks.

projects this week part 5

2011-09-29T13:49:00.001-07:00

for the hospital, yellow little bricks afghan. this will get worked on tonight as i also will watch tv

projects this week part 4

2011-09-29T13:48:00.001-07:00

dishcloth using bambboo needles, like size 10, good for taking with me in the car

projects this week part 3

2011-09-29T13:47:00.001-07:00

off white, peach and burnt orange , my missioni afghan

can't wait to do one in greens

projects this week part 2

2011-09-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

needles i'm now using. these bend very easily, i'm glad there are 5 per set. they are very sharp and pointy. i have to really pay attention or i stab myself with the point. my poor finger has had a crochet hook jammed through the skin and into the tendons and nerves, now these, and yes i do wear a bandaid on the finger LOL

projects this week part 1

2011-09-29T13:44:00.001-07:00

one muffattee, it's like a 1800 wrister. using size 0 needles. i still knit too loose so i had to drop down another size. to 00 needles

halloween things for c, pt 3

2011-09-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

eyeballs on a string for outside

halloween things for c, pt 2

2011-09-27T13:21:00.001-07:00

huge black spider on top of spider web

halloween things for c

2011-09-27T13:18:00.001-07:00

ghost wind sock

halloween deco for c

2011-09-26T20:20:00.001-07:00

still have black eyes to make tomorrow but you can see the ghost windsock here.

eyeball is Styrofoam and i am thinking of using fishing line and stringing a bunch of them on a string so they can just hang them on a nail outside their house.

For What It's Worth: Banned Books Week Hop!

2011-09-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

For What It's Worth: Banned Books Week Hop!: The Banned Books Week Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books from September 24th - October 1st. "Held durin...

The Muriel Reeves Mysteries: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

2011-09-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

The Muriel Reeves Mysteries: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop: Welcome to my blog. I'm honored to take part in the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop . I’m #120 on the blog hop list. Thanks to I Am A Read...

Heather Marie Writes: Banned Books Giveaway Hop!

2011-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Heather Marie Writes: Banned Books Giveaway Hop!: I just recently did a giveaway hop from this blog, but when I saw that this week's hop would be promoting banned books, I thought, "hmm. Ho...

YA Litwit: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop (September 24th-Oct...

2011-09-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

YA Litwit: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop (September 24th-Oct...: Welcome to the Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop! This hop is hosted by two awesome bloggers; Kathy over at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer an...

The Reading Geek: Banned Book Week Hop Giveaway

2011-09-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Reading Geek: Banned Book Week Hop Giveaway: The Banned Book Week Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books . There are over 200 sites involved in the hop s...

Marie Bishoff's Erotica: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

2011-09-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

Marie Bishoff's Erotica: Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop: Welcome to my first giveaway hop! I really hadn't planned on doing a hop under my erotica pen name. I don't promote or push this name and...

wow when i went to school they were on the required list to read, thanks for having this tour.
Julie

books

2011-09-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

banned book i'd most like to read would be grapes of wrath. saw the movie and the book from what i recall is better

updaated pic of pacifica homespun afghans

2011-09-23T18:22:00.001-07:00

this is 2nd one using homespun yarn. won't have enough for 3rd so if there is any left i will make animal blankets.

self striping blues/greens and another is reds/browns and a tweed of off white.

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-09-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

blue striped afghan

homespun it's off white, reds and green/blue self striping. heavy as an afghan, great for upcoming chilly weather

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-09-17T07:24:00.001-07:00

elephant afghan for forest farm bazaar

done in pumpkin/sunflower color

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-09-16T08:53:00.001-07:00

3 crochet afghans

this set, the woman who passed away had made the wristers. i added the scarf and hat to this set for them to sell at the Christmas bazaar.

books i read in august 2011

2011-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

in it to win it by morgan kearns
the chimney still stands by tammy synder
Mine until dawn by ednah walters
slow burn - ednah walters
southern comfort by fern michaels
The Aran Islands and Connemara by J.M. Synge
Love Me If You Dare by carly Phillips
ONE TRUE LOVE By Barbara Freethy
Pearl in the Mist by V.C. Andrews
morning by nancy thayer
spirit lost by nancy thayer
everlasting
this summer by julia averbeck
devil's due by jennifer conglin
out to canan the midford years by jan karon
shades of grace by barbara delinksy
A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr
in my dream by julia averbeck
dreams of love and loneliness
7 reasons to fall in love with Stockholm by Julia Averbeck
summer blowout by claire cook
three to get ready by teal michaels
souvenirs by barbara phinney
an act of love by nancy thayer
The Snow Owl By Jon Hartling
How to Knit a Love Song A Cypress Hollow Yarn by RACHAEL HERRON
Honeymooning = A Cypress Hollow Yarn by rachael herron
How TO KNIT A HEART BACK HOME.
the gateway stories by tm mcnally
in the still of the night: a gracie and favor mystery by jill churchill
first family by david baldacci

hurricane knitting charity, Forest Farm Nursing Center

2011-08-30T17:42:00.001-07:00

shells on the beach pattern

actually crocheting, got 3 afghans done in 2 days due to loss of power, i did read though

3 afghans folded and piled up

charity projects, hospital

2011-08-26T07:19:00.001-07:00

peach, pink and lavender afghans for the hospital

childrens ward

booties and hat for infant ward

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-08-26T07:18:00.001-07:00

bright pinks and varigated yarn for an afghan

big blocks afghan

red/white and blue afghan and multi color afghans

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-08-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

knit white and multi color layette and

little blocks afghan

pink and white layette

shells on the beach afghan

lilac layette and little blocks afghan

camo layette

charity projects, hospital

2011-08-05T16:23:00.001-07:00

crochet shells on the beach multi stripe afgha

knit little blocks varigated blues afghan

11 booties and one hat

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-08-05T16:21:00.001-07:00

queen size afghan shells on the beach pattern

2 lap sized afghans

one ripple crochet queen size afghan

no auction bids so all goes to charity

2011-08-04T03:08:00.001-07:00

Irish Fisherman knit afghan:

Handmade, machine wash and dry.
Each set of patterns tells a tale which is described on a sheet of paper enclosed with each afghan. These afghans are perfect for a damp summer night as well as a chilly cold winters night. Perfect for housewarming gifts or a wedding or anniversary or even a special friend's birthday. Can be used as a shawl/stole. Off white 32" x 52"

Knit white baby layette and afghan:

white layette set:

sweater
hat with pom pom
blue and pink headbands
booties
ripple white knit afghan

this comes with tissue paper, a welcome baby gift bag and a card.

crochet shells on the beach browns and whites lap afghan, 27 x 44, machine wash and dry.

crochet shells on the beach shades of browns afghan, 34 x 48 machine wash and dry

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-08-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

striped afghan

flower garden

2011-08-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

august 2, 2011

vegetable garden

2011-08-02T13:28:00.001-07:00

vegetable garden, cukes and green bean section

movies i watched may +

2011-08-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

transformers, revenge of the fallen
eat pray love
gullivers travels
adventureland
land of the lost
the fourth kind
dear john
opposite day
the pledge
cash!
a marine story
true grit
jack goes boating
crazy heart
go with it
resident evil: afterlife
inception
tyler perry why did i get married too?
cross over
my last 5 girlfriends
the wild stallion
chasing 3000
big fan
party monsters
white lightenin
shadows and lies
source code
lottery ticket
baby on board
falling for grace
the break up artist
not since you
starstruck
night of the museum, battle of the smithsonian
fat sick and nearly dead
skyline

books i read in july 2011

2011-08-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

for nothing by Nicholas Denmon
A Light in the Window- The Mitford Years, Volume 2 by Jan Karon
True Compass- A Memoir by edward Kennedy
In Another Man's Bed by Francis Ray
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly by David Feldman
The Golden Deer by Margarett Hodges
the rivers of babylon by nelson demille
love song by charlotte bingham
lake news by barbara delinsky
when light breaks by patti henry callahan
The Color of Heaven By Julianne MacLean
the dangers of gingerbread cookies by lori lavine
gingerbread cookie and gunshots by leslie myers
Gingerbread Cookie Murder BY Joanne Fluke
Intimate by Elizabeth Gage
tough cookie by diane mott davidson
Catch of the Day by Whitney Lyles
brides gone wild by cathy linsess
so caught up in you by beverly grant
heaven can't wait by pam leclair
the wedding party by Whitney Lyles
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew by Dr. Seuss
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
Here's a Little Poem- A Very First Book of Poetry by Jane Yolen
Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor by Lisa Kleypas
beachcombers by nancy thayer
Driftwood Summer by Patti Callahan Henry
These High, Green Hills- The Mitford Years, Volume 3 by Jan Karon
Chicken Soup for the Soul- Christmas Cheer- Stories about the Love, Inspiration, and Joy of Christmas--Our 101 Best Stories by Jack Canfield
fire and ice by julie garwood
tribute by nora roberts
44 charles street by danielle steel
a christmas grace by anne perry
the night remembers by kathleen eagles
christmas in the barn by margaret wise brown
mcbroom tells a lie by Sid Fleischmann
nibble nibble poems for children by margaret wise brown
the little island
the runaway bunny
a kiss at midnight by eloisa james
pay it forward by catherine hyde
how the grinch stole christmas by dr. seuss
horton hears a who
horton hatches the egg
hooray for diffendoofer day
gerald mcboing boing
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by wallace stehner
brotherly love by pete dexter
crystal lineby anne mccaffrey

baby items for sale

2011-07-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

white layette set:

sweater
hat with pom pom
blue and pink headbands
booties
ripple white knit afghan

this comes with tissue paper, a welcome baby gift bag and a card.

baby items for sale

2011-07-26T08:24:00.001-07:00

pink layette:

sweater
hat with pom pom
headband
booties
little blocks knit afghan

this comes with tissue paper, a welcome baby gift bag and a card.

baby items for sale

2011-07-26T08:22:00.001-07:00

camo layette:

sweater
hat with pom pom
headband
booties
crochet diamond afghan

this comes with tissue paper, a welcome baby gift bag and a card.

baby items for sale

2011-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

light blue baby layette:

sweater
hat with pom pom
booties
headband
little blue blocks afghan

this comes with tissue paper, a welcome baby gift bag and a card.

books i read in june 2011

2011-07-11T13:14:00.000-07:00

shadow dance by susan andersen
the silver boat by luanne rice
abandon by carla neggers
me by ricky martin
breakwater by carla neggers
Double Shot- A Culinary Mystery by Diane Mott Davidson
What Happened to Patrick-s Dinosaurs by carol Carrick
Swimming Lessons by Mary alice Monroe
Golden Lies by Barbara Freethy
Love and Smoke by Jennifer Blake
downhill lie by carl hiassin
the 8th confession by james patterson
cathedral by nelson demille
into the wilderness by sara donati
rivers end by nora roberts
crystal line by anne mccaffrey
raptor red by robert t. bakker
When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer
Love Will Find a Way by Barbara Freethy
Some kind of wonderful by Barbara Freethy
Taken by Barbara Freethy
Silver Wedding by Maeve Binchy
Fatally Flaky- A Culinary Mystery by Diane Mott Davidson
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
Sweet Revenge- A Culinary Mystery by Diane Mott Davidson
Legacy by Danielle steel
The National Parks- America-s Best Idea by Dayton Duncan
Wishes by Jude Devereaux
marrying daisy bellamy by susan wiggs
the sweetest thing by barbara freethy
Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry
Holly, Reindeer, and Colored Lights- The Story of the Christmas Symbols by Edna Barth
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
happy birthday to you by dr seuss
Home to Holly Springs- A Father Tim Novel, Book 1 By Jan Karon
ice by linda howard
The Husband Test by Betina Krahn
escape by barbara delinsky
a turn in the road by debbie macomber

charity projects, plimoth plantation

2011-06-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

gunnister purses and tudor rose, and garters. they don't need in the summer so no work for me

charity projects, navy relief

2011-06-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

for groton, ct office. they also now don't need any more knitting done

nana 6-19

2011-06-19T18:19:00.001-07:00

was awake in the afternoon but looks very sleepy. she was just sitting there, no tv on and her roommate was talking in her sleep. everybody there has a cold and she found her glasses. the nursing home took them out for lunch to newport creamery one day and another day someplace else. she thinks she still going home, still very confused.

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-06-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

brownish tones for an afghan

purple stripes and granny squares put together this afghan looks unique

charity projects, hospital

2011-06-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

31 booties and 2 afghans for hospital. was surprised they were open today, being a sunday and fathers day.

6-9 hospital award ceremony

2011-06-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

my certificate for 8100 hours for my knitting

two grocery green shopping bags, shining star logo on them

booklet of events for the ceremony, compilation of hours

lisa in fron tof the p

odium

food was excellent, the servers came coming around with shrimp, bruscita, sliders and a few other platters. that is besides the hand sandwich buffet. topped it off with lots of fun stories from others at the table and tea and listening to the hummingbird trio sing all night long.

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-06-08T10:53:00.001-07:00

4 afghans and 3 washcloths for forest farm

yarn

2011-06-03T09:38:00.001-07:00

insane, 42 skeins of yarn was given to me, whoa!

books i read in may 2011

2011-06-01T12:54:00.001-07:00

books i read in may 2011
daniel's desire by sherryl woods
seth's reckoning
catering to nobody by diane mott davidson
dying for chocolate
chopping spree
trading places by fern michaels
the grilling season by diane mott davidson
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
the angel by carla neggers
themist by carla neggers
dark torte by diane mott davidson
one day by david Nicholls
Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss
Hawksmaid- The Untold Story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian by Kathryn Lasky
Things That Sometimes Happen- Very Short Stories for Little Listeners by Avi
burning up by susan andersen
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer
All the Right Angles by stef ann Holm
bnding the rules by susan andersen
cutting loose by susan andersen
green eggs and ham by dr seuss
i am not going to get up today
Lilies, Rabbits, and Painted Eggs- The Story of the Easter Symbols by Edna Barth
A Summer to Remember- The Bedwyn Family by Mary Balogh
The Best of Friends by susan Mallery
Ask Mariah by Freethy, Barbara
My Many Colored Days Dr. Seuss
The Reversal by Michael Connelly
Hop on pop by dr seuss
Daisy-Head Mayzie by dr Seuss
Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr Seuss
Daniel's Gift by Barbara Freethy
Island Magic by Elizabeth Goudge

gardens

2011-05-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

started pulling weeds from vegetable garden. my neighbor brought us over a few instant packets of seeds from mcdonalds. i guess you jsut plant them in the dirt and cover them and water them. one tomato and one carrot.

also scrubbed down north side of the house with bleach. had to sop after a while, the spray from the bottle was too close to what i was doing with a scrub brush. looks nice again.

daisies in the front yard are very tall again this year.

charity projects, hospital

2011-05-28T08:57:00.001-07:00

6 birght mint green booties and one pale blue set of booties. to the right shows how they double over the top edge to form the bootie/sock. also good for covering the infants little hands with sharp fingernails.

project completed

2011-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

forest farm gave me this unfinished shawl so i finished the last 3/4 of it. it's white yarn and black fun fur throughout it.

new projects

2011-05-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

got a call this morning from forest farm nursing facility and the administrator told me she had gotten some yarn and many unfinished projects, still on the needles. she doesn't know of anyone but me and i told her i'd take a look at them and try to complete them. i had planned on calling her to ask for more yarn as we were going to drop off 2 afghans i had completed.

the yarn, well it smells like smoke, she told me it would. there's some projects with instructions from 1955 jack frost books. one particular afghan pattern, called petal afghan is a knit pattern and sounded like something i'd like to try. there were many patterns for berets and slippers and 2 needle mittens. some of the finished sweater pieces must've been done using size 2 needles. but the unfinished prujects were on very large needles.

there was box of wood that slid open and it had knitting needles in it. similar to salted cod fish we used to buy. got talking to nana and she remembered it was a deeper box. it also had some long crochet hooks.

gonna be interesting as i go through the items.

new projects

2011-05-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

one more glittery one to do in pink/purple. be nice to see these hanging as a mobile

new projects

2011-05-26T09:11:00.001-07:00

glittery scarf and headband that can be used as a ponytail holder

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-05-24T13:24:00.001-07:00

another crochet squares afghan for forest farm

charity projects, navy relief

2011-05-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

6 afghans for navy relief in groton, ct. they are now out of yarn as is newport, ri station

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-05-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

afghan for forest farm , 45 different squares

charity projects, navy relief

2011-05-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

30 x 20 afghan, 6 oz of tlc red heart yarn

new projects

2011-05-23T08:16:00.001-07:00

my blind friend made this afghan, it's over 10 feet long and at least 4 feet wide. told her i'd fix up the holes. ready to be shipped back to her now

charity projects, navy relief

2011-05-23T08:15:00.001-07:00

this baby afghan will take another 2 hours to finish up the rest of the yarn. very tedious pattern, don't think i'll make this one again. if i do it will be with larger needles cuz it's just taking forever.

charity projects, hospital

2011-05-23T08:14:00.001-07:00

3 afghans and 6 booties for hospital since i was there 3 weeks ago

sparkly neck ware for dinner party in june

2011-05-23T08:12:00.001-07:00

plan on having this done before the dinner party in june. i plan to wear this black sparkly scarf under a collared shirt with black slacks, white shirt

charity projects, hospital

2011-05-16T17:49:00.001-07:00

blue big blocks afghan, have 2 others done also in various stitch patterns, also some more booties. got a lot done on the plane and long car rides

charity projects, navy relief

2011-05-16T17:44:00.001-07:00

pink big blocks afghan

light yellow basketweave afghan

another of the same

light yellow big blocks afghan

pink 3dc, ch3 combo afghan

books read may 2011

2011-05-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

books i read in may 2011
daniel's desire by sherryl woods
catering to nobody by diane mott davidson
trading places by fern michaels
the grilling season by diane mott davidson

charity projects, done

2011-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

plimoth plantation, gunnister purses, just using same 3 colors of wool they look so different

precious feet dance studio for autism students, this 3d floral granny square crochet baby afghan will be auctioned off with a baby layette.

hospital, baby blue big blocks baby afghan for children who need to spend the night but don't have anything to comfort them.

charity projects, navy relief

2011-05-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

pink crochet baby afghan for navy relief in Groton, CT

with shell border

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-05-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

3 d floral baby afghan, have enough to make a good sized baby afghan, 6 x 5 rows

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-05-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

pile of afghans for forest farm, i did get 2 orange wool ones done

movies i watched in past 2 months apr 2011

2011-05-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

movies i watched:
showtime
greetings from the shore
mammoth
knowing
faster
please give
whre the wild things are
that evening sun
bandsslam
the box
miss march
life according to greta
taking woodstock
the jersey promotors
whip it
robin hood
rollerball
autumn n new york
ager management
all the pretty horses
grownups
the brotherhood
tooth fairy
get him to the greek
the road
alaska
book of eli
vanilla sky
everybodys fine
cocktail
leaves of grass
the tourist
yogi bear
green zone
the joneses
exit through the gift shop filebuffondemand.com
sunners moon
public enemies
time travelers wife
the shipment
darian gray
a town called panic
how to be
dear john
black and blue the legend of the hip hop cop
the sicilian girl
mademosille chambon
kiss the bride
what if
kings of pastry
battle in seattle
the deal
the wildest dream
the good guy
splice
the good guy
salt
milf
love hurts
all about steve
amelia
just wright

books i read apr 2011

2011-05-02T12:19:00.001-07:00

Perfect Family by pam Lewis
knit one kill two knitting mystery eries book 1 by maggie sefton
All That Matters by stef ann Holm
Instant Temptation by jill Shalvis
instant attreaction
instant gratification
ryans place by sherryl woods
safe haven by nicholas sparks
honey by Stef Ann Holm
hooked by Stef Ann Holm
hearts by Stef Ann Holm
the development by john barth
pepping tom
toga party
The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri
Chocolate for a Woman-s Heart- Seventy-seven Stories of love to Nourish Your Soul and Sweeten Your Dreams by Kay Allenbaugh
lucy gets her life back by Stef Ann Holm
Esther-s Gift- A Mitford Christmas Story by Jan Karon
the beach house by mary alice monroe
hot flash by kathy carmichael
sanctuary by nora roberts
Shepherds Abiding- A Mitford Christmas Story by Jan Karon
cold pursuit by carla neggars
cold river by carla neggars
happiness keys by Emilie Richards
Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards
Outlaw Hearts by rosanne Bittner
Killer Pancake by Diane Mott Davidson
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook by Debbie Macomber

charity projects

2011-04-27T07:53:00.001-07:00

pink afghan for navy relief

red orange afghan for forest farm

gunnister purse for plimoth plantation

charity projects

2011-04-27T07:51:00.001-07:00

afghan for forest farm, dark brown, black and varigated striped eyelet afghan

charity projects

2011-04-27T07:50:00.001-07:00

orange red afghan for forest farm christmas bazaar

charity projects, forest farm items

2011-04-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

afghan for hospital

3 afghans for forest farm nursing center

forest farm volunteer lunch 4-15

2011-04-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

i was one of two people today that were given awards from a bunch of different sources for volunteer work i do for forest farm nursing facility.

theme was starfish, so we had some nice seashell napkins, invitations with sea life and the residents made clay starfish and painted them.

town proclamation with a town tile (above)

nancy tucker was the other person who received awards.

vase of purple tulips

a sand bucket with a crystal star fish and a gift card for $50 for atlantic beach club
starfish and seashell

lighted bottle covered with seashells

food was great. had NO idea i was being honored.

books i read in mar 2011

2011-03-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

nfamous by suzanne brockmann
outliers: the story of success by malcolm gladwell
computes for seniors for dummies by by nancy muir
fancy pants by susan e. phillips
perfect match by jodi picoult
kiss me if you can by carly phillips
The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan
hideaway by dean koontz
wild jinx by sandra hill
Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
keeping faith by jodi picoult
wanted: perfect partner by debbie macomber
Commitments by Barbara Delinsky
A Southern Exposure by alice adams
mercy by jodi picoult
Pearl Jinx by sandra hill
Pink Jinx by sandra hill
point Dume by Katie Arnoldi
shotgun bride by bj Daniels
Coming Home- The Chesapeake Diaries by Mariah Stewart
Dangerous Curves by Pamela Britton
the search by nora roberts
family ties by danielle steel
legacy by danielle steel
Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Weisberger, Lauren
the stone bull by phyllis whitney
Does an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away by sandy Donovan