Sunday Blessings ~ 5/31/20

Carol at Slater's Funny Farm hosts a Sunday Blessing link up.  

I thought:  what better way to bless and be blessed than with scripture and prayer.  The following are taken from Serenity for a Woman's Soul 2020 Creative Planner for this week.

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"Instead we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the Church."

Ephesians 4:15 NLT

Help us to love all people and to realize that we too go astray, Father.  We are all sinners and lose sight of the right ways at times.  I ask that we will be led always to speak the truth in love.

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Blessings,

Colletta

Book Haul ~ 5/30/20

This week I added the following books to my TBR "shelf":

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Linking up to:  Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post, Sunday Salon,  Mailbox Monday



Happy Reading!

First Lines Friday, 56 and BBH ~ 5/29/20

Today's "First Lines" and "56" are from:

First Lines

A high-pitched wail reverberated through the grocery store, loud enough to shatter glass.

 Page 56

She shook her head.  "let's not talk about it now.  We're fine.  I promise.  There's just a lot going on."

 Q.  What social media sites do you visit? Please leave your links so we can follow. (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

 A.  Mostly I'm on my blog.  My facebook and instagrams are linked in my heading.  I'm also on goodreads.

Colletta 

Also linking up to:

 

Book Giveaway ~ The Fashion Designer by Nancy Moser ~ Ends 6/5/20

Since starting to read on my Kindle, my physical TBR shelf has been sadly neglected.

So, over the next few weeks, I'll be having some book giveaways!

Some are contemporary and some are historical.  Some are gently read and some are brand spanking new!  There will be single books and there will be whole series.  But, they all need someone to love them and read them.

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The next giveaway will be for:

Blurb:

The American Dream thrives in 1912 New York City
 
Annie Wood, the housemaid-turned-pattern designer in The Pattern Artist, jumps at the chance to design her own clothing line when a wealthy New York couple offer to finance her endeavor. Joining the project is Annie’s new husband, Sean Culver, her best friend at Butterick, Maude Nascato, and a mother figure, Edna Holmquist.
 
Annie and her colleagues give up their careers, risking everything to follow a shared passion: clothes that are both fashionable and functional for modern, busy women in 1912.
 
Personal and financial setbacks threaten to keep the business from ever selling a single dress and test old relationships and new romances. No one said it would be easy. But the promise of the American Dream holds a deep hope for those who work hard, trust God, and never give up.

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To enter the giveaway:

*Mandatory-  Leave a comment telling me how to contact you if you are the winner.

*Extra-  Follow my blog and leave a second comment telling me that you do and how :)

The giveaway will run until 11:59pm EST, June 5, 2020.  The winner will be emailed on June 6th.

Colletta

In the Kitchen ~ Creamed Dried Beef

This week's new-to-me recipe from the Gooseberry Patch "Recipes for Comfort" cookbook is "Creamed Dried Beef".

I've had Creamed Dried Beef before but this was my first time making it.

I served it over toast and it was so good!

Creamed Dried Beef

1/4 lb dried beef
4 T. butter
3 T. all-purpose flour
1 cup hot milk
1 cup light cream
1/4 tsp pepper

Separate the dried beef slices, set aside.  (I cut mine up into pieces)

In a medium saucepan melt butter then sprinkle in flour.  Stir mixture until well blended.

Add milk and continue to cook over low heat, stirring frequently.

Slowly blend in cream, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and is smooth.

Add pepper and dried beef; stir and continue to heat until warmed throughout.

Makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!

Colletta

Wondering Wednesday ~ Getting to Know My Pets ~ 5/27/20

Welcome to Wondering Wednesdays hosted by A Baker's Perspective, a weekly post to learn more about me and other bloggers.

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Today’s questions is – Do you have any pets?

My Answer - 

Yes, I do!

We have many outside cats which includes the newest addition of 2 yellow tabby kittens.  Here they are with their Mama, Raspberry.

We also have two dogs that are like members of the family.

Delilah (Lilah) is our old girl at 13 years old.  She is a black lab mix.  She's getting very gray in the face but is still spunky!  It is very difficult to get a good picture of her.  This is the best that I could do...

Kona is our almost 3 year old chocolate/silver lab.  Her mother is a chocolate lab and her father is a silver lab.  Kona LOVES getting her picture taken :)

Do you have any pets??

Colletta

Journal Entry ~ 5/26/20 ~ With pictures

A few sentences about each day...

May 20, 2020 - May 24, 2020

Wed/20 ~ We had Prayer Meeting and Bible Study this evening!  It is so good to be getting back to normal!  Doug has tonight to work and then he's off for four days.  He wants to re-do the dog yard and porch.  Hopefully we have nice weather so that he's able to get done what he wants to complete this weekend.  Right now the dogs are enjoying being able to stretch out on my bed.  Where am I going to sleep?

Thurs/21 ~  Doug worked last night and then stayed up all day working on the fencing for the dog's yard.  As I'm waiting for Kaylee to get home from work, he's snoring away on the couch.  It is supposed to rain all weekend, so he was hoping to get it all done today.  Unfortunately, he needs to get two more boards to finish up the project.  My poor hubby...

Fri/22 ~ During a break in the rain, my Mom and I walked around the outside of the house looking at the flowers.  I always plant Marigolds in honor of my Grandmother who had a green thumb.  We plant Impatiens in honor of Doug's Mom.  She always planted them in her flower boxes, just not the white ones!  She hated white flowers for some reason. We tried out the new food truck in town called "Lumberjack Snacks".   It is run by one of Doug's best friends from high school.

Sat/23 ~  Laken and I repainted my swing today.  First we had to  scrape the old paint.  Laken was a big help.  I absolutely love the color.  It is called Milano Teal.  My porch swing is my Happy Place :)  Kaylee and Shawn ordered us all Chinese takeout for dinner.  Kaylee was happy to get her sushi.  She loves the stuff...

Sun/24 ~ It was great to once again fellowship with other Christians at Church.  I made some Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies to take for snack in the evening.  They turned out a bit flat but were quite tasty.  Next time, I'll add some more flour.  I'll share the recipe soon :)

Until next week,

Colletta

Book Review ~ The Road Through Rushbury by Martha Keyes

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Title:  The Road Through Rushbury by Martha Keyes

Series: Seasons of Change Book #1

Pages:  245

Date Published:  April 28, 2020

Publisher:  ???

 Blurb:

All she needs is a little bit of change. She'll have to fight him for it.

Georgiana Paige is on the shelf after eight full Seasons in London and not a single offer of marriage. When the opportunity to act as companion to her spinster aunt presents itself, she jumps at the chance to escape the Marriage Mart and embark on a new adventure. Upon her eventful arrival in the tiny Yorkshire village, though, she finds herself confronted with a man who both piques her interest and provokes her pride.

A lowly country vicar, Samuel Derrick would do anything to keep his coarse but idyllic parish the way it is. When change arrives there in the form of multiple new tenants straight from London, he vows to fight against their meddling. He is unprepared, though, for Georgiana Paige and the way she forces herself into the inner workings of the parish. His past experience tells him to keep the woman at arm's length, but his heart—and her determination to stay involved—won't allow for it.

As the village fights against the industrialization and poverty sweeping the North, Samuel and Georgiana find themselves working to pull the village together, even as those around them seemed determined to pull it apart. But how can two people who have lived such disparate lives bring anything together when they are fighting against their own desires for change and love?

My Thoughts:

Martha Keyes is another new-to-me author.  I am absolutely loving being able to read all these new authors and stories!

"The Road Through Rushbury" seemed an odd title to me before I started reading the novel.  Now, I think it the perfect name for the book.  The "road" is almost a character unto itself!

I felt that Georgiana was far too good natured.  She let so much roll right off her back.  I guess that is something for me to aspire to.  I take things a bit personally.

Samuel got on my nerves at times with his reverse snobbery!  He was so harsh toward Georgiana; until he wasn't; and then he was again when the conflict arose.  I guess I expected more from him as a vicar but he had been hurt in the past by someone of Georgiana's "class".

I loved how the author evolved both characters throughout the progression of the book.  I fell a bit in love with Rushbury and its citizens myself.  I could certainly understand Georgiana's desire to stay there rather than be in the London "crush".

I enjoyed how the story comes full circle back to the "The Road Through Rushbury" with Georgiana wielding her pistol once again :)

This is a sweet, clean regency romance that I highly recommend.  I look forward to reading the rest of the "Seasons of Change" series :)

I downloaded this book through Kindle Unlimited.

On to the next book!

Colletta

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? ~ 5/25/20

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week.

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What I read last week (click on the picture to read my review):

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What I'm Reading Now:

Blurb:

Elliot Ransom isn’t living her best life.

Moving halfway across the world and leaving behind a community she loves has left Elliot restless. Though Storm River, Virginia, may be beautiful, the river town is also a playground for haughty politicians and wealthy playboys. As a missionary’s daughter who’s struggling to help pay her sister’s medical bills, Elliot feels nearly invisible.

Needing a change, she takes a new job with a hot shot private investigator. Little does Elliot know she won’t be doing filing and background checks—she’ll be in the field. As her new boss begins training her to be his sidekick, she finds herself surprisingly invigorated but also cautious of the man’s methods.

On her first assignment, she finds evidence that could prove their client, a professional athlete accused of murder, is innocent. The problem is that the real killer may have seen Elliot’s face—and now someone is watching her every move.

Can Elliot keep this new career a secret from her worry-prone mother? Did she put her family in danger when she took this new job? Learning the art of investigating shouldn’t be so dangerous . . . but this case just might as dicey as the new town she’s living in.

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What I'm (Probably) Reading Next:

Blurb:

Sarah Dupont's mom just died.
Her fiancé's cheated on her with her accountant. (It didn't help when Sarah caught them in the act on top of her cherished pastry table.)
Oh, and they've been robbing her blind, so she's broke now, too.

When Sarah's offered a fresh start, and a place to stay, she high tails it out of San Francisco and moves to rural wine country. Finally settled into her new, small town-sleepy life, with a cafe of her own, the last thing Sarah needs is drama.

So, when notoriously sexy actor Jamie Santino, swaggers into her new business looking for baking lessons, and help with his new movie role, Sarah's blindsided.

Jamie, one of six wealthy Santino Brothers, of Napa Valley Winery fame, has a feeling Sarah might be the off-screen leading lady he's been looking for forever.

Wine flows and their passion has all the ingredients for everlasting love until a femme fatale from Jamie's past enters the scene.

How can Sarah believe Jamie isn't acting, when everything he says sounds too good to be true?

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Book Giveaway:

Click HERE to go to the GIVEAWAY!

Blurb:

To escape a scheme to marry her off to a dishonorable man, Margaret Macy flees London disguised as a housemaid. If she can remain unwed until her next birthday, she will receive an inheritance, and with it, sweet independence. But she never planned on actually working as a servant. And certainly not in the home of Nathaniel and Lewis Upchurch--both former suitors.

As she fumbles through the first real work of her life, Margaret struggles to keep her identity secret when suspicions arise and prying eyes visit Fairbourne Hall. Can she avoid a trap meant to force her from hiding?

Brimming with romance and danger, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall takes readers inside the fascinating belowstairs world of a 19th-century English manor, where appearances can be deceiving.

What are you reading?

Colletta

Also linking up to: