Reading Challenge

My Best Friend by Sally Rosenbaum

I read 68 books in 2014.

I'm always looking for new ways to spice up my reading selections.

I found a link on Face Book from Susan Wittig Albert (one of my favorite mystery authors) to a Reading Challenge on Popsugar.

Looks like fun! 

Here's a few of the selections:

- A book with more than 500 pages

- A classic romance

- A book that became a movie

- A book published this year

- A book with a number in the title

- A book with nonhuman characters

- A funny book

- A book by a female author

- A mystery or thriller

- A book with a one word title

- A book of short stories

- A book set in a different country

- A nonfiction book

- A popular author's first book

- A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet.

- A book a friend recommended

- A Pulitzer Prize winning book

- A book based on a true story

- A book at the bottom of your to-read list

- A book your Mom loves

- A book that scares you

- A book more than 100 years old

- A book based entirely on its cover

- A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't

- A memoir

and that's just the first half of the list!
I think I'll take the challenge.
Anyone else???

You can find a link to the entire list at Popsugar.

Wishing YOU well and much joy in this new year!

The game is on!

Cat and Mouse

The kitty and the mouse came out to play on my tea mug!

Isn't it cute?

I found it at the Victorian Trading Company.

Mug, saucer, lid and strainer.

It is stoneware and keeps tea nice and warm.

Fun to brew more than one cup, too.

Purrfect for lazy days in the heat and humidity and curling up with a book!

I've spent the last two months taking a blogging break -- sort of.

I made one post a week of the little pieces of art I was making on Index Cards.

That challenge is over and I'm going to slip slowly back into blogging.

It will be nice to catch up with everyone.

Here's a litte bit of tea art by Mary Cassatt.

It is called The Tea Cup and was painted around 1880.

I wonder who she is visiting.

That's way too many clothes for this heat and humidity!

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

May you be filled with loving-kindness.

May you be well.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy.

Little Things

A few little random things:

- I bought two four inch pots of basil at Trader Joe's several weeks ago.

They are ready to be cut and the first batch of pesto made.

Yum.

- Once I finished reading THOSE ANGRY DAYS by Lynne Olson (it was excellent),
I started to clean my reading palette by reading some chick lit.
JOY FOR BEGINERS by Erica Bauermeister
SHADOW SPELL by Nora Roberts
DEATH COME QUICKLY by Susan Wittig Albert
DAYS OF WINE AND ROQUEFORT by Avery Aames
I enjoyed them all and am now ready to take on another history book.
I just haven't decided which one.


- Early Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market
Smoked Black Pepper Chevre from Blue Heron Farm
Golden beets, turnips, cabbage, cauliflower
Apple cinnamon rolls
Fresh picked strawberries

- Another rose blooming in Musashi's Garden.

This one is Wild Blue Yonder.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Thanks, Kim!

Potpourri

Easter is just around the corner.
This is reproduction vintage postcard that the Lillian Vernon Corporation offered many years ago. I love the embossing. I happened on this cute card while cleaning out a closet. Wonder what else I might find!? A big thank you to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

*

It gets quiet around Twisty Lane during college baseball season.

I try to keep up with posting, but I'm not always successful.

I've been watching ....

COSMOS and I'm loving it.

I remember watching the original Cosmos with Carl Sagan ... 

"billions and billions of stars".
Cosmos' "ship of the imagination" -- 
a vehicle to take viewers through wonders large and small -- 
now has a new captain, astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson.
I could listen to Tyson for days on end. 


I'm reading ...
JOY FOR BEGINNERS by Erica Bauermeister.
Kate has won her battle with a life threatening illness and has invited her six close friends to dinner to celebrate. At the dinner, her friends challenge Kate to go white water rafting down the Grand Canyon. Kate is reluctant and decides she will do it if her friends will do one thing in the next year that scares them. Since Kate didn't get to choose her challenge, she wants to choose theirs. It's agreed and the adventure to experience true joy begins. 
I enjoyed Bauermeister's THE SCHOOL OF ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS and hope I feel the same way about JOY FOR BEGINNERS. So far so good!


If you've been following the daffodil saga, I'm happy to announce
that I now have a house full of daffodils.
Trader Joe's came through again.
YeeHaw!
Spring can now officially begin.

I was determined I would not miss the azaleas this year.

They were late blooming with all the cold weather so I had no excuse.

Here's some of what I found at the zoo this week:

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

A big thank you to Nancy for hosting.

It's Monday!

It's Monday and What Are You Reading?

I finished two books that really went well together.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit that the older I get the more interested I seem to be in history. ONE SUMMER, AMERICA 1927 was interesting and entertaining. Easy to read until the last several chapters that seemed to drag a bit. 1927 was very busy -- Lindberg's flight probably the most exciting event. There were massive floods along the Mississippi and Hoover was put in charge of arranging help for the victims. He was quite a guy, not very likable, but great at organization (as long as he got the rewards). In Bryson's words "Hoover was also extremely intolerant of anything that seemed likely to diminish his eminence." There was Alvin Kelly who was a well known flag sitter -- an occupation that was sure to incite the onlookers. Radio broadcasting. Newspapers and tabloids. The very beginnings of television. Talking movies. Buildings that got taller and taller and cities got larger as the workers poured in. Babe Ruth hits 60 homeruns. The bombing of an elementary school. A secret meeting held at a Long Island estate that would lead to lowering of interest rates and the crash of 1929. Mount Rushmore. .Sacco and Vanzetti. Prohibition. Al Capone. Henry Ford (what a crackpot). And on and on. What a ride!



The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I finished Bill Bryson's ONE SUMMER: AMERICA, 1927, I was left with a desire to read more about the Lindbergs. I knew of Lindberg's flight, alone, across the Atlantic and Anne's success as a writer before reading Bryson's book, but very little else. When I found THE AVIATOR'S WIFE at Half-Price books, I grabbed it and continued my journey with the Lindbergs. I thought the two books were quite complimentary. Author Benjamin is careful to state in her afterwords where she took liberties and she took very few. The historical facts are all there. Benjamin added the emotion. Shy, thoughtful, Anne finds out just how strong a woman she is by marrying the American hero, Charles Lindberg. From learning to fly and setting a few records on her own, to flying with him, the kidnapping, the constant interference in their lives by the media -- what an interesting ride. I don't give 5 stars to books as I don't think anything is perfect, but I came close with this one. A very very enjoyable read.

View all my reviews

What are you reading?

Wishing you well and much joy.

Happy New Year!

**

If you like postcard swaps --
it's time to sign-up over at June's ... A Creative Dreamer.

It's warmer in Anchorage, Alaska than it is in Houston, Texas.
Who would have thought????!!!!!

It's Monday!

It's Monday.

What are you reading?

I just finished OLD TIN SORROWS by Glen Cook.

Old Tin Sorrows by Glen Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I noticed Glen Cook had published a new Garrett, P. I. novel. I went to my bookcase and looked to see if I had kept any of the Garrett novels of the past and could I figure out where I left off. OLD TIN SORROWS was the oldest that I found, published in 1995 when paperback books were $3.95 a copy. Remember those days?! I started to read OLD TIN SORROWS and didn't remember the story, so I continued reading. What a fun ride. It was everything I remembered about the Garrett novels. Great one liners. Fun characters (elves and all sorts of critters). Garrett is hired by his old marine sarge, Blake Peters. Peters has retired from the marines and is now working for the "old man", General Stratnor. Peters believes someone is poisoning the General and he hires Garrett to found out the truth. What's the saying -- the truth will set you free -- nothing stranger than the truth ... you get the drift. Garrett moves into the Stratnor mansion where he finds one surprise after another and Garrett thought he had seen it all. Morley comes to help (Garrett's elf friend who owns a bar and who is always after Garrett to eat better). I found a few more Garrett novels that I'll be reading in order to catch up to the new one. I'll be laughing all the way. Fun fantasy, mystery.

View all my reviews

Wishing you well and much joy!

Happy Monday!

Harmony

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Potpourri

Friday means a few Random Things ...

a little This and That.

Thank you Nancy for hosting.

*

I just finished reading BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel.

BRING UP THE BODIES follows Mantel's Booker Prize winning novel, WOLF HALL and continues the story of Henry VIII seen through the eyes of Thomas Cromwell. Katherine, Henry's first wife has died and Anne becomes the center of attention. Henry wonders that he has spent the best part of his life with Anne and only has one child and that child, a daughter. No one likes Anne. She is the focus of gossip and malice. Henry wants her brought down and he has already chosen her successor.

Perhaps I am now used to Mantel's writing style as I found BRING UP THE BODIES much easier to read. Seeing the story unfold from Cromwell's side is very different from the usual novel of the period. Mantel suggests that several of the men executed as lovers of Anne may have been selected as victims because of their part in the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey. Who knows? Being an advisor to Henry definitely takes a man of great skill and courage.

I'm looking forward to part 3 of the tale of Thomas Cromwell.


**

This is Alice Owl.

Isn't she cute?!

Love her eyelashes.

Meme Rose is having a CAL (Crochet-A-Long)

I've gone through my stash and picked out my yarn.

I'll report next week on how my Alice is coming along.

***

The plumeria are starting to bloom in the garden.
When they were first planted I had three different colors.
Then came a couple of bad freezes and Hurricane Ike.
I've pampered and babied them and thankfully, they don't mind the drought.

These are the first hints of what is to come.

YeeHaw!

****

I've been going to the gym with a good friend at 5 in the morning for our morning stroll

on the treadmill.

It is just too blooming hot to walk outside. 

UGH

But it is good for me/us. 

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

It's Friday!

It's Friday and that means it's time for some

Random Things.

Thank you Nancy!

*

My kitchen chairs are back.

You may remember I sent them out to be reupholstered.

They look great and the kitties are so happy to have them back home.

We can now all sit at the kitchen table in the morning.

They nap while I have my tea and toast and check email. 

**

When July rolls around that means it time for the

Tour De France.

I love watching these amazing bicyclists and really enjoy

seeing the beautiful countryside.

Arm chair traveling at its best!

***

I saw this on Face Book and it made me think of my Granny.

She always made a macaroni and pea salad for the 4th of July.

She added a little onion and some sweet pickle relish, I think.

The recipe for this one, Macaroni and pea salad with chives,

can be found at Smart Balance.

****

I recently finished reading A Cup of Light  by Nicole Mones.

I really enjoyed it.

Lia Frank is a specialist in Chinese porcelains and is sent to China by her auction house to evaluate a privately owned collection that is for sale. Lia is amazed by the quality and quantity of the porcelains she must evaluate ... are they real or fake. There is great beauty in imperfection -- something Lia knows all about. Lia is extraordinary and she is flawed. She is a mnemonist -- she can remember every porcelain, every catalog, all the history of each piece she has ever seen ... and she must call upon that ability to fill in the missing information on the pieces she sees. She is also deaf without her hearing aids ... something she turns into an ability rather than a liability. This was my kind of book. I have enjoyed everything I've read authored by Nicole Mones. She knows China. Wonderful history on Chinese porcelains and the emperors kilns in Jingdezhen -- something I really enjoyed that others may find a little boring -- too much information, but with my interest in Asian ceramics -- I was in heaven! Fascinating look at the ah chans and the illegal sale and distribution of art works. Lastly, a very quick and sad look at lead poisoning in young Chinese children -- something that may be fairly common because of all the pollution in China. Throw in a little unexpected romance and Mones has another winner.

But this is not my favorite Mones book.

That honor belongs to The Last Chinese Chef!

*****

It is peach season and I'm enjoying peach smoothies.

The best of summer time!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Random Things

It's Friday and time for This and That.

Random Things!

Thank you Nancy for hosting!

- I went out early this morning into the garden, cut basil and back in the kitchen made pesto.

My mouth is watering!

- The kitties are upset.

They watched the kitchen chairs leave the house.

They love these chairs.
They are very comfortable for me and the kits. 

I finally decided to get the chair seats recovered.

They were getting a little thread bare after 30 years.

The stuffing was leaking out.

(Sort of sounds like me!)

- It's getting hot and humid.

Summer has arrived.

I have plenty of books, yarn and other crafty things to do

as I enter my summer hibernation!

- The college baseball season is coming to an end.

Tomorrow is senior day -- time to say farewell to some fine young men.

-- I finished reading Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier and recommend it highly.
Two remarkable women, unconventional in a very conventional time (1820s), meeting and doing remarkable things -- like finding fossils.
Fiction based on two very real women.


Wishing YOU well and much joy!

Five Random Things

It's Friday.

Sit back and relax.

I have some random, this and that, things for you.

Thank you, Nancy!

*

Since today is Good Friday and Easter is Sunday,

here is a reproduction vintage postcard celebrating the holiday.

No artist, publisher or date was listed.

Can you hear the music?!!!

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday each week.

**

Sometimes the kitties think simplest toys are the best.

Like an empty box.

In this case, it was a waded up piece of paper.

I think the sound got Cassie's attention.

I threw it across the room, Cassie fetched, and we had a game going that's lasted all week.

Of course, the other two had to get in on the act and two more pieces of paper gave their all in

two furious games of soccer for Teddy and Mina.

***

I mentioned that I finished a counted cross stitch project.

I couldn't share it with you as it was a birthday gift.

The gift has been delivered and here is the project all finished.

This is a kit I purchased from The Stitchery.

****

I'm taking part in the Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap.

This is my first postcard swap and the reason I liked it --

I could use photographs of art I had previously made.

Five postcards (goes well with 5 random things) could be made of one image or more.

I made five different postcards using 4 Index Card a Day images and one tea image.

Kat Sloma put the swap together and I should be seeing postcards in the mail by mid April.

I'll share as they come in.

Thank you Kat!

*****

I've started reading As Always, Julia: The Letters of Julia Child and Avis Devoto

Food, Friendship and the Making of a Masterpiece edited by Joan Reardon.

What a lovely book and what lovely letter writing.

It really makes you think about the lost art of writing ... and writing letters.

I'm taking the letters a few at a time.

Wishing YOU well and much joy this holiday season.

Happy Spring!

This And That

It's very early in the morning and already it is HOT.

It's September for goodness sakes!

One of those BER months that is supposed to mean

NOT SO HOT! 

The weather people have promised a cool front this weekend which means

highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s.

If i get the 60s, I'm walking into the village and having crepes for breakfast!

***

So, what did you do during your August break?

I had a list of things I wanted to do and I didn't get to them.

Several CALs (Crochet A Longs) I wanted to start, but didn't.

BUT

I did read and found I had a theme going in my reading --

FRANCE!

I started off by reading a charming little book titled

JULIA'S CATS: Julia Child's Life in The Company of Cats.

After hearing Martin Walker on NPR, I decided to try one of his mysteries

BRUNO CHIEF OF POLICE 

which led to reading

THE DARK VINEYARD

and purchasing two more!

THE TENTH MUSE is the biography of Judith Jones starting with her life in France

and of course, including Julia Child.

Have you visited with Vivian Swift?

She has a wonderful blog.

She writes books about her travels (or not traveling) and includes her wonderful illustrations.

LE ROAD TRIP is her Journal of France.

That was my unplanned month with France!

***

I had a cataract removed from my right eye this week.

I now have 20/15 vision in that eye.

What is amazing is how clear and bright everything looks.

Having a cataract turns your world brown -- literally.

Guess I don't need to boost the color in my photographs anymore!!! 

The left eye has a date in the future with a new lens.

Wishing you WEll, much JOY and a FUN filled weekend!

The Perfect Day

It's cloudy and rainy today.

A very light rain.

The perfect day for a cup of tea and reading!

I have green tea in my Blue Willow teacup by Churchill.

I think my mother started this Blue Willow set when it was sold in the grocery store.

Remember those days?

Remember the days when you bought laundry detergent to get the glass bowl inside?

Or the tea towel?

Aging myself!!!

I have lots of books to pick from, 

but I decided to start my reading with the March 2012 Southern Living Magazine,

especially when I saw this article:

"The New Ladies Lunch":

with the pretty rose teacup.

"Inspired by the South's most beloved department store restaurants, we developed a classic lunch-with-the-girls menu, complete with tea sandwiches, chicken salad, and hold on to your napkin, honey -- 

the dessert cart."

What memories this article brought to mind!

It mentions the dining room of Dallas' flagship Neiman Marcus, 

that was built in the 1940's. I remember my grandmother and my aunt

taking me to lunch there. We had to dress to go downtown ... hat, gloves, the whole works.

I had the pimento cheese sandwich.

I can almost taste it! 

The article includes the recipe for Neiman Marcus Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

and I'm sharing it with you today.

Makes: about 2 1/2 dozen

Hands-on Time: 20 min

Total Time: 1 hr, 40 min.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup (4 oz) freshly shredded sharp Cheddar-cheese

1 cup buttermilk

Parchment paper

1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas and dough is crumbly: stir in cheese. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 to 4 times. Place dough in a bowl; cover and chill 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll dough to i-inch thickness, cut with a 1 1/2 inch round cutter and place on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

4. Bake at 350 for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: Unbaked biscuits may be frozen up to 1 month. Bake frozen biscuits as directed for 26 to 28 minutes or until golden brown.

This article also includes recipes for Tomato-Basil Bisque, Tarragon Chicken Salad, Cranberry-Strawberry Salad; Tea Sandwiches like Ham Salad, Curried Shrimp, Cucumber and Strawberry,

Goat Cheese and Pecan, Orange and Cranberry, Egg Salad.

There's a recipe for Caramelized Onion Quiche and last,

the dessert cart that includes:

Banana Pudding Cheesecake, Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon-Orange Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla-Buttermilk Tarts, Chocolate-Espresso Pots De Creme.

And, did I mention the photos are lovely?!!!

Well done Southern Living!

A big thank you to our tea party hosts:
Tea Time Tuesday
Friends Sharing Tea
Tea Party Tuesday
Teacup Tuesday
A Return to Loveliness

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Wishing YOU well, a JOY filled week and a Wonderful cup of tea!

Good Morning!

This and That

As I start a new journey in the New Year,

it's time for This and That.

I read Tiny Buddha daily.

There have been several good articles on getting the New Year off to a good start.

One of those was create solutions not resolutions by Laura Fenamore.

I encourage you to read the whole article, but here is a short form:

"My solution  for letting go comes in daily reminding myself of the process.

 I do that using this morning affirmation for self-love:

Today, I accept myself just the way I am.

Today, I accept my body the way it is.

Today, I accept my mind the way it is.

Today, I accept my heart the way it is.

Today, the love I have for myself is so strong that I embrace all that is me.

Self-iove transforms my life from fear to joy and guides me to make healthy choices.

Today, I share time with others and easily forgive any injustice I feel in my mind.

Today, all of my relationships are based on respect, love and joy.

Today, I allow the divine wisdom in me to direct all my thoughts, words, and deeds.

Today, I allow divine love to give me peace and joy.

Today, I remember I am one with all life, and I give thanks for being me."

There was also a nice article by Loran Hills on journaling tips to help you heal, grow and thrive.

1. Start writing about where you are in your life at this moment.

2. For five to ten minutes just start writing in a "stream of consciousness."

3. Start a dialogue with your inner child by writing in your subdominant hand.

4. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude by maintaining a daily list of things you appreciate in your life, including uplifting quotes.

5. Start a journal of self-portraits.

6. Keep a nature diary to connect with the natural world.

7. Maintain a log of successes.

8. Keep a log or playlist of your favorite songs.

9. If there is something you are struggling with or if there is an event that is disturbing you, write about it in the third person.

10. Develop your intuition.

Loran goes into detail on each of these suggestions.

***

Speaking of journals:

I've started a journal of sorts in a Composition Notebook.

Images that I come across that I like, a post from Tiny Buddha that I liked, tea that was new to me, breakfast at Hungry's. roses for the Rose Bowl Parade, scones that I made and liked ....

***

I've been cleaning out the garage.

I tackled all of the boxes from Mr. Dragon's office and then found three boxes of *things* like this:

I believe these are all left over from the clean-out of my mother's things

years and years ago.

I have no excuse. There should always be a project going to keep my fingers happy!

***

Sometimes it's fun to visit with an old friend.

I first read The Copper Crown in 1986 and I still love it.

Good fantasy, good writing, good story, a smidge of sci-fi and lots of good 

Celtic Mythology.

Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled week.

A Christmas Tea This and That

Every morning this month I've been getting up and making 

tea in my Christmas Cardinal/Poinsettia Mug.

I found the mug and teapot at Homegoods last year.

It's a BIG mug (Gibson Elite China) and filled with

Twinings Christmas Tea, gets the day off to a wonderful, warm start.

Twinings Christmas Tea is a black tea with a little cinnamon and cloves.

In the evening I have Twinings Winter Spice.

It is camomile tea spiced with cinnamon, cardamon and cloves.

Just in case you haven't noticed,

I love cardinals!

***

I missed getting to the gym this morning.

On days when I miss walking on the treadmill,

I try to walk into my village (weather permitting). 

Off I went with a list of books to look for at Half-Price books.

This book wasn't on my list!

 

But Mary at Home Is Where The Boat Is was very impressed

with Nigella Christmas. In fact, she even gave a copy away!

I didn't win (!!) and when I saw this at the book store I just had to give it a good look and I ended up bringing it home.

I'm glad I did. 

My mouth has been watering and tummy growling all afternoon!

It's worth the price for the recipe for the poinsettia cocktail!

I love butternut squash and look forward to trying butternut orzotto.

It's a beautiful book and I probably should have picked up a few extras for gifts -- great price at Half-Price Books!

Thanks to our tea party hostesses.

These are just a few of the tea parties in the Land of Blog.

Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday

Tea Time Tuesday

Teacup Tuesday

Tea Party Tuesday

Tuesday Tea For Two

Friends Sharing Tea

Wishing YOU well and a wonderful cup of tea!