In this continuation of The Sinclair Sisters of Cripple Creek, we follow the story of Ida Sinclair. Ida is the oldest of the Sinclair sisters. She comes to Cripple Creek to find work the the legendary businesswoman Mollie O'Bryan. And while Ida is not looking for a husband, love seems to find her none the less.
I very much enjoyed this story. Even though I haven't read the first book, I believe this story can stand on it's own. That said it did take me some time to get in to this story. It was enjoyable but took a while to get going. And having not known the characters from the previous book, I felt like I was trying to play catch-up.
I love the character of Tucker Raines. I also have found a love of fiction set in Colorado. When I learned that Cripple Creek is a real life town in Colorado (Just 2 hours from me) I told my husband we just have to visit.
I recommend it! It was a fun read. And I can not wait for the next book. Now off to get the first book.
Check out this video by the author, it made me really wanna go visit Cripple Creek:
Just so you know, I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. And you get get free books too through Blogging for Books. There's a link on the sidebar. -->
So it's that time of year again. The time when we thank the ladies and gentlemen who work so hard to teach our kids. And even though we homeschool, my kids attend science classes through the local school district. So I thought I'd share what we've made for the teachers this year to show our appreciation.
I've seen these on blog linkies and I'd love to post the link to where I've seen them but I've forgotten. (sorry) If it was you let me know. I'd love to give you credit.
Here's what you need: plastic photo frame, some paper (I used scrapbook paper), sticky note pad, double stick tape, ribbon and I also used a label maker but you can use whatever you want or have on hand.
I got all of this at the dollar tree. Except the label maker obviously. The frames I used were the 3.5 by 5 inch ones. I didn't do anything fancy. Attach the sticky pad to the frame with a couple pieces of double stick tape. Cut a piece of scrapbook paper 3.5 x 5 inches and place it in the frame. I tied a ribbon around the top and I printed little labels with their names. I'm going to place them in see-through goody bags with a colorful pencil and tie them off with a ribbon. These take almost no time and they are so easy.
If you wanted to shake things up a bit you could let the kids draw a picture and use that in place of the scrapbook paper. And here's the finished product in both the vertical and horizontal frames. What are you making for your kids teachers this year? Leave me a link!
I've started crocheting. I have this habit of picking up a new hobby, making a few things, losing interest and then a few years later picking it up again. I've had crochet hooks for a long time. I somehow made a little hat for my daughters baby doll and a small shopping bag for her barbie doll and then never picked up a hook again.
Until somewhere between Valentines day and St. Patricks day this year. I found these 2 patterns and I've been making a ridiculous number of crocheted goodies. The first I found at Skip to My Lou it's a really cute shamrock garland. I didn't actually create the garland, just a million shamrocks. Seriously, they take no time and they are so easy! And the other pattern I found at Sarahndipities it's a super cute heart garland. Again, I didn't make the garland just a million little hearts. Same problem: Easy and Fast. Today, I saw that Sarah posted another garland, a crocheted flower garland this time. My house will be blooming by tomorrow.
Also on the list of things I've crochet in the last month are:
A baby hat for my friends little newborn
A very bright green beret for myself (I haven't had the gall to wear it yet, lol) Started out as a newboys hat, lol.
A little headband for my daughter with a shamrock on it (snickering)
A half finished prayer shawl
A really cute off-white hat for me that was suppose to be for my 7 year old daughter but something happened with the sizing (more snickering)
A couple of unsuccessful attempts at granny squares which aren't that hard but I somehow managed to messed them up.
My most recent project is Crochet ponytail holders/Scrunchies. I watched this video and it is so easy it's ridiculous. I think I've made six now. My daughter is gonna have one to match every outfit. It's a really easy project if you happen to have had all 4 wisdom teeth removed and you are all but sedated. Just sayin'.
So check out this video and enjoy the sweet accent. By the way, AllFreeCrochet.com has got some really cute patterns. This hobby is getting out of hand. I'm printing off so many patterns that I'm gonna need to put them in a notebook now. They also have a few ebooks that are free for download.
Once again Liz Curtis Higgs has created a masterpiece. In her beloved land of Scotland, Higgs retells the Biblical story of Ruth. This book is the sequel to Here Burns My Candle.
In Mine is the Night we catch up with Elizabeth Kerr and her mother in law. Marjory is returning to her hometown with Elizabeth after the sad loss of her husband as well as both of Marjorys sons.
Upon returning they don't find the welcome they expect. They are for the first time in their lives living without means and status. Can they let go of the past and embrace what the future holds?
I very much enjoyed this book. Liz Curtis Higgs makes you feel as though you've been to Scotland. Even a person like me who has yet to get out of the US. I feel I know and have walked the places she writes so well. Having read pretty much every work of fiction by Higgs, I can say without a doubt this ranks in my top favorites. This story feels like it takes place just over in the next kirk from the Thorn in My Heart series.
This book comes highly recommended. With all the action, adventure, and romance we've come to expect of a Liz Curtis Higgs novel, Mine is the Night does not disappoint.
Just so you know, I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. And you get get free books too through Blogging for Books. There's a link on the sidebar. -->
Also, Liz Curtis Higgs is hosting a live video event on April 5th at 2pm (eastern) Liz Curtis Higgs live event
Also, below is a book trailer for the latest book. Enjoy!
I've been a fan of Liz Curtis Higgs for quite some time. I love reading about Scotland and she is able to bring it to life for poor people like me who must read about it until the day they can afford to travel there.
I decided to go with a childrens book this time around. The Dragon and the Turtle Go on Safari was a cute little story. My children each took a turn reading. The oldest 12 said,"It was pretty good." The next who is 10 said, "It was funny." And then my husband read it to the 7 year old just before bedtime. On her way to bed she said, "Oh and the book was good."
My husband on the other hand did not enjoy it. He said he felt that there were long stretches of dialogue and the story didn't seem to go anywhere. But he liked that it ended with scripture.
I read it by myself and I thought it was cute. I stopped reading little kids books a long time ago. But decided to give this one a try because I've seen it everywhere. The illustrations are very pretty. The turtle reminds me a lot of Franklin the Turtle. I love that Donita K. Paul fit a dragon in to the story.
I'd say this book would be great for people with really little kids. Probably 2-6 years old. It's not exciting enough to hold the attention for a long spell. It includes a second short story at the end. And also discussion starters.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review
My hubby is a sucker for those brand name Cookies and Cream candy bars. So for Valentine's Day I made him a whole batch of homemade Cookies and Cream Bar candy. It's super simple but it's really yummy. I think I actually like it better than the brand name. The whole batch cost me around $3. The almond bark is on clearance at our Target right now. It's not in high demand after the holidays. So I got it for like $1.75. And then the cookies were like $2 for the pack but we are using only half.
So here's what you need:
1/2 package of oreos or store brand sandwich cookies
1 pack of white almond bark
Get out your jelly roll pan/cookie sheet or whatever flat pan you want to use. Spray it with non-stick cooking spray. This may not be necessary but I did it just to be safe. Now put your 1/2 package of cookies in to a ziploc bag, seal it and let out your aggression. Break the cookies into small pieces. How small is up to you. Set that aside.
You'll need to melt the almost bark according to the package. I did it in the microwave but you can do it in a double boiler or over really low heat. You microwave it for 1 minute and then continue until it's melted. Check it every 15 seconds to stir it. Once it's melted you can pour it on to your cookie sheet. Spread it out with a rubber spatula if you need to. Get your bag of crushed up cookies and sprinkle them over the melted almond bark. At this point, I put the cookie sheet in to the freezer and left it there for about 10 minutes. After you pull it out of the freezer, break it into pieces and voila! Cookies and cream candy. This makes a lot of candy. It easily filled 1/2 a gallon size zipper bag. So it would be really good for a class treat or even for teachers gifts.
My first impressions of this book when I picked it up were:
The cover art is beautiful.
I want that ring!
I've never read anything by Susan Meissner. I'm excited to get to know a new author.
It's got that new book smell!!!
There's a family tree chart in the front. I love books with charts!
My impressions after reading are that you still can't judge a book by it's cover. That said I must confess, I'm an avid reader. I eat books. But this book turned out to be a really slow read for me. It took probably 3-4 days to complete.
Lady in Waiting is the story of 2 women, living hundreds of years apart. Their destinies become connected by a ring found by Jane, an antique shop owner and our main character. Jane is in a bad place, emotionally. When her husband walks out, she is blindsided. She begins to see her life clearly for the first time. That she has the life that she decided for herself. She's allowed others to shift her focus and make her life decisions. Jane doesn't know herself. She begins to question the life that she's been living for the past 20 plus years.
The other character, Lucy Day is a dressmaker for Lady Jane Grey in 1500s England. Lucy's story begins when she is brought in to attend to Lady Jane Grey, a young royal who is the chief mourner at a funeral for the Queen Dowager, Katherine. Jane and Lucy form a friendship that impacts them both for life.
This story is about decisions. We make them daily and they impact our lives. We decide who to love. We decide where our focus lies and in the end we have to live with those decisions. I didn't really enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It felt very disjoint. The two stories didn't seem to have an obvious common thread. The theme was decisions. The ring didn't really play that big a part in the story, in my opinion.
I would have like to read just Jane's story. Her story would have been enough. I think the historical secondary story actually took away from the story of Jane and her husband. So in the end there were 2 semi-complete stories that felt forced in to the same book. Jane's story doesn't have the ending you want to read. It's more of a beginning. Overall, the characters could have used a little more development. I didn't feel like they had a lot of depth.
I will rate this book at 3 stars.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
I haven't read anything by Tracey Bateman before so I have no idea what her style is usually. This book was a slow starter. It took about 1/3 of the book to get going. It's also a sequel. The cover says "A Novel" but it's the sequel to Thirsty, which I haven't read.
All that aside, it was an interesting read. I didn't know it was going to be about vampires. But the cover art and title font is reminiscent of a certain series.
The writing style took a while to get use to. The story was engaging. It did keep me wanting to know how it would all end. I don't know if there's to be a third book in the series but I'm probably gonna check out the first one.
If you are on a vampire binge, I would recommend it. It's a pretty good mystery.
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
