SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY

Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos is the host for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  Hop over and check out all the photos everyone is sharing today.

My interpretations of the words this week.

Cool.....

I was having lunch at Wendy's and thought these clouds were pretty "cool" looking.

Media......

Junk mail......we get lots of that.

Something New.....

Went to Joann Fabrics and got some new fabric.  The pretty striped green is the border around a quilt I'm working on.

Scarf.....

Went into my archives for this one.  I made hats and scarves for my sisters and nieces a few years ago.

Starts with C......

Nothing like Cookies and Milk after school.  Bella ate some Chef Boyardee Spaghetti before the cookies and milk.

2016 READING CHALLENGE.....

I was blog hopping and found another reading challenge I want to join.  I found out about this challenge over at Socrates' Book Review.  The reading challenge is hosted by Vicki over at Based On A True Story.  

Foodies Read Challenge

What counts as a food book?  Any genre – fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, etc.  If food is a major part of the plot then it counts!

 Want to challenge yourself?  Pick a level below.
Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
Pastry Chef: 4 to 8 books
Sous-Chef: 9 to 13 books
Chef de Cuisine: 14 to 18
Cordon-Bleu Chef: More than 19

I am going for Cordon-Bleu Chef level.  I'll be reading Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
2. Strawberry Shortcake Murder
3. Blueberry Muffin Murder
4. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder
5. Fudge Cupcake Murder
6. Sugar Cookie Murder
7. Peach Cobbler Murder
8. Cherry Cheesecake Murder
9. Key Lime Pie Murder
9.5 Key Lime Pie Murder
10. Carrot Cake Murder
11. Cream Puff Murder
12. Plum Pudding Murder
13. Apple Turnover Murder
13.5 Gingerbread Cookie Murder
14. Devil's Food Cake Muder
15. Cinnamon Roll Murder
16. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder
17. Blackberry Pie Murder
18. Double Fudge Brownie Murder
19. Wedding Cake Murder
20.  Joanne Fluke's Lake Eden Cookbook: Hannah Swensen's Recipes From The Cookie Jar

BOOK REPORT......

The West Hampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club - Samantha Bruce-Benjamin

Product Description(Amazon.com)

In the tradition of The Great Gatsby and Mrs Dalloway, Samantha Bruce-Benjamin delivers a haunting and evocative insight into five minutes in the life of a celebrated Hamptons society hostess, set against the backdrop of The Great Hurricane of 1938.

September 21st 1938, and at Serena Lyons' exquisite Hamptons estate, the footmen are serving vintage champagne, the orchestra is playing a favorite tune, and the house is lit so brightly it could almost be mistaken for a star in the distance. The occasion is the last party of the season at The Westhampton Leisure Hour and Supper Club and anybody who is anybody has turned out in force. All except for one. As her guests arrive, Serena watches from her bedroom window, searching for a face in the crowd: The Summer Visitor she has never forgotten.

For thirty years she has waited for him at the start of every party. But on this last evening, the ritual assumes a greater significance. On a road nearby, Kit Peel, is at last returning to her, bringing with him the answers to the unresolved mystery of his disappearance at the age of twenty-one, and the truth behind the secrets that will finally set her free. If only he can get to her in time; if only Serena's estranged husband, Captain Lyons, will allow him close enough.

As The Great Hurricane of 1938 moves over Long Island, finally reaching the fabled Hamptons, the place and its people are irrevocably changed. Over the course of five minutes, as Serena relives the defining moments of her life, we learn of the tragedies that left their indelible mark, the promises that were made and broken, and the decisions that brought them all there that evening, their destinies forever intertwined and sealed.

Based on historical research about the Hamptons at the peak of its grandeur, the devastation that the 1938 hurricane wrought, and a real supper club called The Leisure Hour and Supper Club, Bruce-Benjamin spins a story that will remind readers of Rebecca or, more recently,

MY THOUGHTS: This is a book I received free from Jocelyn Kelley of Kelley& Hall book publicity for my honest review.  I was not compensated in any way for my review.  From the moment I picked this book  up to read, I did not want to put it down.  For one thing, I wanted to find out what or who Serena Lyon's was waiting for.  I was also wondering how the hurricane was going to impact this story.  I felt like I was at the party waiting along with Serena.  Does Kit Peel make it to Serena?  Do all the secrets unfold?  You'll have to read the book to find out.  I give this book 4.....

FRIDAY BOOK MEMES......

Gillion over at Rose City Reader is the host for Book Beginnings, Freda over at Freda's Voice is the host for The Friday 56 and Billy B.  over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict is the host for Book Blogger Hop .  Head over and check them out, you could find your next book.

February Conspiracy 365 - Gabrielle Lord

My Book Beginning......
CAR LOT
12:00 am
The stinking sump oil gushed out of the cale on my right, relentlessly filling the underground tank I was trapped in.  I struggled to hold my mouth above the rising tide as I bashed my slippery fists against the manhole cover over my head.  It was useless.  It wouldn't budge.

Well, that certainly caught my attention.  So I will definitely be reading on to find out what is going on with this teenage boy and why he's in an oil tank about to be drowned.

The Friday 56.....
I looked around the dump I was living in.  The only thing I've go going for me is the truth.  I  know it's dangerous, but while there's the chance to slove the mystery of the Ormond Singularity and clear my name, I must do it.  I must do it.  I have to do it.  Otherwise I'm going to be on the run all my life.

Book Blogger Hop......
This question this week.....
How long does it normally take you to read a book?

Depending  on the book and the time I have, it could take anywhere between 3 days to a week.  

 

BOOK REPORT.......

Deep Down Dark - Hector Tobar

Product Description(Amazon.com)

Now a Major Motion Picture Starring Antonio Banderas
Includes New Material Exclusive to the Paperback
A Finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award
A Finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book
When the San José mine collapsed outside of Copiapó, Chile, in August 2010, it trapped thirty-three miners beneath thousands of feet of rock for a record-breaking sixty-nine days. After the disaster, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Héctor Tobar received exclusive access to the miners and their tales, and in Deep Down Dark, he brings them to haunting, visceral life. We learn what it was like to be imprisoned inside a mountain, understand the horror of being slowly consumed by hunger, and experience the awe of working in such a place-one filled with danger and that often felt alive. A masterwork of narrative journalism and a stirring testament to the power of the human spirit, Deep Down Dark captures the profound ways in which the lives of everyone involved in the catastrophe were forever changed. 
Paperback: 336 pages 
Publisher: Picador (September 1, 2015) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 1250074851 
ISBN-13: 978-1250074850

MY THOUGHTS:  This is my book clubs choice for November.  I really liked this book.  It started out a little slow, but quickly picked up and held my attention.  The author gives lots of details that adds to the story line.  I could almost feel the miners desperation when they ran out of food and the darkness came on them.  What I really liked about this book, was the author not only told about the 33 miners trapped in the mine, but also followed them after they got out of the mine.  Some of them had trouble adjusting to being outside in public and with their family's.  If you want to read an awesome book, this is the one.  I give this book 5........

BOOK REPORT.....

The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose - Susan Wittig Albert

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Just in time for the Confederate Day celebration, the Darling Dahlias are ready to plant Confederate roses along the town cemetery. Of course the plant is in fact a hibiscus.

The Confederate rose is not the only thing that is not what it first appears to be. Earle Scroggins, the county treasurer, has got the sheriff thinking that Verna Tidwell is behind a missing $15,000. But Darling Dahlias president Liz Lacy is determined to prove Verna is not a thief.

And club member Miss Rogers has discovered a secret code embroidered under the cover of a pillow that belonged to her grandmother. With missing money, mysterious messages, and the strange behavior of one resident, Darling, Alabama, on the eve of Confederate Day, is anything but a sleepy little town...
Series: Berkley Prime Crime 
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages 
Publisher: Berkley (September 3, 2013) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0425252264 
ISBN-13: 978-0425252260

MY THOUGHTS:  I ran across this series of books while browsing the internet.  This is book 1 of 6.  I consider this a cozy mystery.  I really enjoyed meeting all the ladies of the Darling Dahlias Garden Club. Verna is in trouble, someone is setting her up to take the rap for 15,000 dollars that has come up missing at the county treasury.  So Lizzy and Verna are going to find out what happened and where the money went.  Miss Rogers has found some mysterious stitching on a pillow that belonged to her grandmother.  What could it possibly be?   You'll have to read the book to find out.  Can't wait to read book 2.  I give this book 5......

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY......

Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos is the host for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  Head over and see all the photos everyone is sharing.

Boots....

This is a box full of shoes and boots destined for the Goodwill.

Inspirational.....

I started working on this tablecloth about 10 years ago.  Put it away and forgot all about it.

Since I've been working on my Crazy Quilt, I've learned lots of new embroidery stitches from Sharon over at Pintangle.  I've started working on this again.

Artificial Light......

Was not to sure what this was, so just guessed.  It was getting dark out and wanted a picture of the pink and orange clouds.  But I had to use my flash to get the colors to come out right.

Negative Space....

Not sure if this is right or not.  It's really hard to take a picture of the sky with all the trees around here.

Outside My Window.....

This is what I see outside my kitchen window when I'm doing dishes.  Trees, wires, and occasionally a critter or two.  But today I got a picture of me. lol

FRIDAY MEMES......

Gillion over at Rose City Reader is the host for Book Beginnings, Freda over at Freda's Voice is the host for The Friday 56,  Billy B. over at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict is the host for Book Blogger Hop.  Head over their places to check out all the books everyone is sharing.  You could find your next book.

Deep Down Dark - Hector Tobar

My Book Beginning...
In the San Jose Mine, sea level is the chief point of reference.  The five-by-five-meter tunnel of the Ramp begins a Level 720, which is 720 meters above sea level.  The Ramp descends into the mountain as a series of switchbacks, and then farther down becomes a spiral.  Dump trucks, front loaders, pickup trucks, and assorted other machines and the men who operate them drive down past Level 200, into the part of the mountain where there are still minerals to be brought to the surface, working in passageways that lead from the Ramp to the veins of ore-bearing rock.

This is my book clubs choice of book to read this month.  I haven't actually gotten started on it, but what I've read so far, it makes me want to continue.  All the information in this beginning makes me want to understand why these men do this job.  Why they would want to go into the bowls of the earth.  It would scare me to death to do this every day.

The Friday 56.....
Those first few hours begin to pass, slowly, punctuated by a fumbling stomach or two (they have just missed lunch, after all), and byt the continual thunder of rock falling somewhere in the dark spaces beyond the weak, warm light of their headlamps, many of which the men now begin to turn off, to save their batteries.

Book Blog Hop......
The question this week....

As you are reading a book, do you take notes for your reviews, write your reviews as you read, or something totally different? 

I write my reviews by memory of reading the book.  If there is something that I like or a phrase,  I will write it down and stick the paper in the book.  I also write my reviews the same day I finish the book.  That way the book is still fresh in my mind.

PHOTOS......

Have you ever wanted to keep a picture diary of your life for a year.  A 365 photo challenge is what I went looking for.  I found lots of information out on the web.  Pinterest  even has a listing of lots of photo challenges.  I also found one that has lots of information and links to help you start your own 365 Photo Challenge.  It's over at Digital Photography School.  They have lots of tips and info on how to do this.  Also ways to keep you interested in taking photos.
My life isn't really that interesting.  I'm just a wife, mother and grandmother.  I've been a wife to Thomas for 47 years, a mother to Tommy for 46 years and a grandmother to Bella and Luke for 5 years.  My whole life revolves around this.  And I admit it gets kind of boring around here sometimes.  I don't travel to exotic places, heck I don't even travel period.  As far as I go is to the BIG city of Marion which is a whole 4 miles from where I live.  And that isn't very often, maybe once a month, if that often.
But I've always been interested in taking pictures.  Love capturing animals, birds, the sky, trees, flowers and of course my family, well lots of pictures of my family.  But as they say the point of taking lots of pictures is to have them for all time.
A few years ago I took pictures of my Living Room.  I have every wall covered with pictures of family and friends.  People come to visit and they look at these pictures and want to know who all these people are.  And a conversation starts.  These are my memories hanging on these walls.
Living Room - North Wall

Living Room - East Wall

Living Room - South Wall

Living Room - West Wall

As these pictures were taken when the twins were small, there have been a few more new pictures added.  But the point is, I want to do this as a 365, a picture a day for a year, and see what comes of it.  So starting January 1, 2026 you will be seeing a new picture everyday.  And hopefully at the end of the year I'll have some new pictures to hang on my walls.

BOOK REPORT/READING CHALLENGE........

Thursday the Rabbi Walked Out - Harry Kemelman

Product Description(Amazon.com)
Barnard’s Crossing, Massachusetts, is thriving. Every year, more young couples move to this cozy New England village to raise their families, and many of them join Rabbi David Small’s synagogue. But the town is jolted out of domestic tranquility when Ellsworth Jordon, the town selectman, is murdered. An outspoken anti-Semite, and one of the town’s richest and most powerful men, it seems like everyone had a reason to dislike Jordan. When he’s murdered, not even the rabbi is surprised.
Police suspicion falls on several upstanding members of the synagogue, so Rabbi Small endeavors to clear them the way only he can—with God at his back and the Talmud in hand. Surprises lurk at every turn as the rabbi narrows down the long list of suspects to find the killer. 
Hardcover: 250 pages 
Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (August 1978) 
Language: English 
ISBN-10: 0688033628 
ISBN-13: 978-0688033620

MY THOUGHTS:  This is a new author for me and a new series.  Although this is also a great stand alone book.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  The author explains lots of things about the Jewish religion in this book.  Which I like as I've always found the Jewish religion kind of mysterious.  But now lots of things I didn't know makes sense.  When the clues started I had no idea who the murderer was, but as the suspects were slowly taken out of the picture I finally figured out who the killer was.  Very good book.  I give this book 4......

This book is also for the Read the Days Reading Challenge.

I have also found another reading challenge I am going to join.  The Color Coded Reading Challenge is being hosted over at Bev's place, at My Reader's Block.  Here's some info on this challenge.

 

 The color may either be named in the title or it may appear as the dominant color for the cover of the book. For "implies color" the image implying color should dominate the cover--for instance a large rainbow, a field of flowers, or the image of a painter.  Get ready for a rainbow of reading in 2016.

My list of books for this challenge.

 1. Blue - A Spool of Blue Thread - Anne Tyler

2. Red - NYPD red 3 - James Patterson

3. Yellow -  Love Finds You in New Orleans, Louisiana - Christa Allan

4. Green - The Green Road - Anne Enright

5.  Brown - Maximum Ride - James Patterson

6. Black - Black Friday - James Patterson 

7. White - White Plague -  James Abel

8. Purple - Smokin'  Seventeen - Janet Evanovich 

9. Plaid - Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid -  Suzanne Enoch

 

 

 

MONTH IN REVIEW........

It's Month in Review over at The Book Date.  What books did you read in October?  Here's my list and their links to my review.

October Books Read

Reviews Posted
***** indicates how many stars the book got.

**** The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt

****  It Happened One Autumn - Lisa Kleypas
**** Tuesdays at the Castle - Jessica Day George
**** Autumn Blue - Karen Harter
***** Plum Spooky - Janet Evanovich
*****  Broken - Karin Slaughter
**** Thanksgiving  - Janet Evanovich
**** Femme - Bill Pronzini  
***** Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton
**** Ideal - Ayn Rand 
**** The Baker's Apprentice - Judith Ryan Hendricks
***** Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich
**** Inferno - Dan Brown 

Favorite Book for October

Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton

Reading Challenges Finished

Full House Reading Challenge - 25 Books Read
Fall Into Books Reading Challenged - 5 Books

QUILT TA DA.......

I got the Dachshund  Dog Quilt done.  Turned out pretty good if do say so myself.

I'm linking up with Heather over at Quilts and Books for Needlework Tuesday.

THE GOOD. THE RANDOM. THE FUN.

Tamar over at Random-osity is the host for The Good. The Random. and The Fun.  Head over and check out all the photos everyone is sharing.

The Good.
I was taking some night shots of the sky.  I've been practicing, but still have some work to do.  This one turned out pretty good, well, I think so anyway.

The Random.
Last week I got out my Afghan and worked a little on it.  It's getting longer.

The Fun.
Bella and her "castle".  She came and got to come look at her castle.  So I took a picture of it.  She was so proud of her castle.

SCAVENGER HUNT SUNDAY.......

Ashley over at Ramblings & Photos is the host for Scavenger Hunt Sunday.  Head over and check out all the photos everyone is sharing today.

Spooky....

Coming to our door on Halloween is kind of spooky.

Cozy.....

This is my cozy spot to read my books.

Denim.....

This pair is kind of raggedy.

Candy.....

It's our secret stash of candy, but everyone knows where it is, so it's not a good secret. lol

Dressed Up.....

Bella's Halloween party at school.