Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 6/26/17

 

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

 

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I recently took a part-time job.

I'm not sure what this will mean for my blog yet.  I'm tossing around a few ideas.  I'll keep you updated.

The weather outside is::::

We're supposed to have a gorgeous week, weather-wise.  I'm going to enjoy it fully :)

 



On my breakfast plate:

Special K Bar and Diet Dr. Pepper:)

  

As I look around the house::::

 

Progress is being made on the addition!

The foundation has been dug, the footer poured and the blocks are being laid.  Doug took a week's vacation to work on it with my Dad.  We're hoping to get the foundation completed and ready for inspection by the end of the week.

On today's to do list::::

Bible reading
Blog writing/visiting

CAL's
Wash the car

 

Happening this week::::

 

Monday.... Devotions, Atlanticus CAL, Wash Car.
Tuesday...  Devotions, Sew Curtains, Laundry.
Wednesday... Menu and Grocery List, Schedule for next week, Wash Bedding.
Thursday... Laundry, Groceries, Bills, Pack for vacation weekend.
Friday...  Work 8-12pm, Trip to Pittsburgh!.
Saturday....Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Pirates Game!!!.

Currently reading::::



Susan May Warren is one of my very favorite author's.  I've loved the firs two books of this series and look forward to reading this one as well.
 

On the TV::::

Pirates Baseball
Dragonheart

 

On the Radio:::

A mix of Country and KLOVE.
 

On the menu this week::::

Monday - Weiner Winks, French Fries
Tuesday - Pork Chops, Fried Potatoes
Wednesday -  Hoagies, Chips
Thursday - Chicken, Cheesy Potatoes
Friday -  Out (traveling)
Saturday - Out (traveling)
Sunday - Dinner at Church

What I am creating at the moment::::

Part 6 of Atlanticus comes out today.

I'm up-to-date on the my first Atlanticus and on Part 3 of my second.

I'm also going to be sewing some curtains for my sister-in-law this week.
 

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Linking up to :What Are You Reading,   Yarn Fanatic, Art of Homemaking, Make Your Home Sing,  Good Morning Monday, Menu Plan Monday ,  The Creative Gallery, Tuesday Pin-spiration, Yarn Along, Keep Calm Craft On, Linky Ladies, Pieces by Polly , Homemaking Linkup, Homesteader Hop.

Stacking the Shelves ~ 6/25/17

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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This week I added the following to my shelf:
 

 No one needs to push Nikki Boyd to excel on the Tennessee Missing Persons Task Force. The case of her own missing sister, still unsolved after ten years, is the driving force in her work. When a Polaroid photo of a missing girl shows up at a crime scene, Nikki quickly recognizes similarities to the past. The closer she gets to the abductor, the more she feels this case has become personal, and she is not the hunter . . . but the hunted.

With this explosive first book in The Nikki Boyd Files, award-winning author Lisa Harris takes you on a fast-paced pursuit of justice that will have you holding your breath until the heart-stopping finish.    
  

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Also linking up to: The Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday



 

Happy Reading!

Book Review ~ Tempest's Course by Lynette Sowell ~ 6/15/17

 

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Blurb:

 

  Kelly Frost, a textiles conservator, is invited to the Massachusetts coastal city of New Bedford to restore a more than 150-year-old Mariner's Compass quilt. But there is one stipulation: she must live and work in Gray House, a former whaling captain's home, where the quilt is stored.

 

There she meets Tom Pereira, the caretaker of Gray House, whose heart seems as hard as the rocky Massachusetts coastline. Over the long-lit months as Kelly works to restore the quilt, she is drawn out of her self-imposed shell and embraces the family God has given her after her own family failed her.

 

As Kelly reads stories in a journal penned by Mary Gray, she learns there is no transgression beyond God's forgiveness, but the real obstacle is forgiving herself. During her and Tom's journey to grace and love, an unknown force works to keep both of them from discovering a long-buried truth that will change their lives forever.    

My Thoughts:

 

 I've enjoyed every "Quilts of Love" book I've read.

 

They are so interesting and intriguing.  This book was both of those things!  From the beginning it was mysterious and suspenseful.

 

The quilt aspect was very interesting as it is in all the books of this series.

 

Another really cool aspect of this book was Mary Gray's Journal from the 1850's that Kelly finds in Gray House.  I really enjoyed the excerpts spread throughout the book.  Each excerpt divulged a little more to the mystery.

 

I enjoyed the characters and the setting of this book greatly.  Kelly was an interesting Leading Lady and Tom was an intriguing Hero, each with their own past and frailties.

 

I loved how quickly I flew through this book!

 

On to the next!

 

For the Biblical "Way of Salvation" please see my header or click HERE.

 

Linking up to:  Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Literacy Musings and Saturday Situation, Booknificent. Party at My Place , Saturday Review of Book , Book Nook, Hearts for Home

Stacking the Shelves ~ 6/10/17

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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This week I added the following to my shelf:
 

 Hawaii was the last place Grace Christiansen ever imagined she’d vacation, much less fall in love. But when her family surprises her with a cooking retreat in paradise, she is pulled—or maybe yanked—away from her predictable, safe life and thrown headfirst into the adventure of a lifetime.

Maxwell Sharpe may make his living on the ice as a pro hockey player, but he feels most at home in the kitchen. Which is why he lives for the three-week culinary vacation he takes each year in Hawaii. Upon being paired with Grace for a cooking competition, Max finds himself drawn to her passion, confidence, and perseverance. But just when Grace dares to dream of a future beyond her hometown, Max pulls away.

Wrestling with personal demons, Max fights against opening his heart to a love he knows he should never hope for. And as his secrets unfold, Grace is torn between the safe path in front of her and what her heart truly desires. If love means sacrificing her ideal happily ever after, Grace’s faith will face its toughest test yet.    
  

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Also linking up to: The Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday



 

Happy Reading!

Book Review ~ In Firefly Valley by Amanda Cabot ~ 6/8/17

 

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Blurb:

 

  Marisa St. George is devastated when she is a victim of downsizing and has no choice but to return to the small Texas town where she grew up. Though it's a giant step backward, she accepts a position as business manager at the struggling Rainbow's End resort. The only silver lining is Blake Kendall, a new guest who is making her believe in love at first sight. But will her dreams of happily-ever-after be turned upside down when she discovers who he really is?       

My Thoughts:

 

 Sadly, I didn't love this book.

 

My first problem might have been that this is the second book of the "Texas Crossroads" series and a lot of the characters and setting where already set up in the first book which I didn't read.

 

Secondly, I just didn't really like the leading lady.  She seemed stiff and arrogant and judgmental from the start.

 

I did somewhat like the hero of the story.  I appreciated his willingness to change when shown that he was wrong in his thinking.

 

I was really hoping to like this book but it just fell a little flat for me.

 

Maybe if I had read book one first...

 

For the Biblical "Way of Salvation" please see my header or click HERE.

 

Linking up to:  Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Literacy Musings and Saturday Situation, Booknificent. Party at My Place , Saturday Review of Book , Book Nook, Hearts for Home

Book Review ~ The Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson ~ 6/7/17

 

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Blurb:

 

   Marie Carrington is running from a host of bad memories. Broke and desperate, she's hoping to find safety and sanctuary on Prince Edward Island, where she reluctantly agrees to help decorate a renovated bed-and-breakfast before it opens for prime tourist season.

Seth Sloane didn't move three thousand miles to work on his uncle's B&B so he could babysit a woman with a taste for expensive antiques and a bewildering habit of jumping every time he brushes past her. He came to help restore the old Victorian--and to forget about the fiancée who broke his heart.
The only thing Marie and Seth agree on is that getting the Red Door Inn ready to open in just three months will take everything they've got. Can these two wounded souls find hope, healing, and perhaps a bit of romance on this beautiful island?

Step into the Red Door Inn, a lovely home away from home tucked along the north shore of fabled Prince Edward Island. It's a place where the wounded come to heal, the broken find forgiveness, and the lonely find a family. Won't you stay for the season?     

My Thoughts:

 

 I believe this was my first read from the author Liz Johnson.  I now want to read more!  (Lucky for me this was book one in the series!)

 

I'm also pretty sure it was the first time that I've read a book set on Prince Edward Island.  I now want to go there!

 

I loved the setting and the plot.  I really enjoyed the renovating of The Red Door Inn.  The author made it sound like a place that I would love to stay at.

 

I also really enjoyed the romantic side to the story.  Seth and Marie were both wounded but learned to trust again.  Jack and Aretha were also finding their second chance at love :)  So sweet!

 

I read this book as Book #1 of the "20 Books of Summer".  I'm on a roll!  hehe

 

 

For the Biblical "Way of Salvation" please see my header or click HERE.

 

Linking up to:  Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Literacy Musings and Saturday Situation, Booknificent. Party at My Place , Saturday Review of Book , Book Nook, Hearts for Home

Teaser Tuesday ~ The Painter's Daughter ~ 6/6/17

My teaser for this week is from:

 

~"March 1815

Infuriating artists...Captain Stephen Marshall Overtree grumbled to himself as he walked along the harbor of the unfamiliar town, looking into each shop window.

He glanced down at the crumpled paper in his hand, and read again his brother's hastily scrawled note."~

 

What do you think?

Also linking up to:

 


Happy Tuesday!

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 6/5/17

 

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

 

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The weather outside is::::

We had beautiful weather this weekend!  Now we're getting some rain, though.

 



On my breakfast plate:

Special K cereal and Diet Dr. Pepper:)

  

As I look around the house::::

 

I still see no digging being done for the footer for the addition.  Still waiting...  ARGH!

DITTO this week!


On today's to do list::::

Bible reading
Blog writing/visiting
Housework

Walk
CAL's
Decorate for VBS
 

Happening this week::::

 

Monday.... Housework, walk, CAL's, Decorate for VBS.
Tuesday...  Clean, laundry, Decorate for VBS.
Wednesday... Menu and Grocery List, Schedule for next week, Walk, VBS.
Thursday... Groceries, VBS.
Friday....Laundry, Walk, VBS.
Saturday....Weigh-In, VBS.

Currently reading::::



I love, love, love Julie Klassen's books!  I started this one last night and didn't want to put it down.  I'll be reading it as part of the 20 Books of Summer Challenge.
 

On the TV::::

America's Got Talent
Pirates Baseball

 

On the Radio:::

This week for Songs on Sunday I featured  "Home" by Chris Tomlin.
 

On the menu this week::::

Monday - Kielbasa, Fried Potatoes
Tuesday - Chicken Alfredo, noodles
Wednesday -  Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes
Thursday - Ham, mac-n-cheese
Friday -  Pizza
Saturday - Breakfast
Sunday - Dinner at Church

What I am creating at the moment::::

Part 2 of Atlanticus by Ness at Hooked on Sunshine.

I am loving this pattern!

 

From the Camera:::

 

 

Prayers, Inspirational Quotes or Devotionals::::

 

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Linking up to :What Are You Reading,   Yarn Fanatic, Art of Homemaking, Make Your Home Sing,  Good Morning Monday, Menu Plan Monday ,  The Creative Gallery, Tuesday Pin-spiration, Yarn Along, Keep Calm Craft On, Linky Ladies, Pieces by Polly , Homemaking Linkup, Homesteader Hop.

Songs on Sunday ~ Home by Chris Tomlin ~ 6/4/17

 

  Free at last, in Heaven!

 

Amen!

 

 

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!

I'm also linking up to Spiritual Sunday and Counting My Blessings , Faith And Friendship , Grace And Truth , Dance with Jesus, Sunday Stillness, Give Me Grace .



Stacking the Shelves ~ 6/3/17

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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This week I added the following to my shelf:
 

Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful.

Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. Home on leave, he's sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter's daughter. He's startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him--one of Wesley's discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.

Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she'll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.

Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family's estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?  
  

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Also linking up to: The Sunday Post, Mailbox Monday



 

Happy Reading!

Tea Time ~ Pirates and Parades ~ 6/2/17

 

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things that made me smile this week :)

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~Last Friday evening we took Kaylee, Laken and Dex to see "Pirates of the Caribbean ~ Dead Men Tell No Tales" at the theater.  We've seen all the "Pirates" movies and I was interested in seeing how they would bring Will Turner back from Davey Jones' Locker.  I was a bit worried that it would be too scary for Dex, but he loved it!  My favorite part of the movie was probably the last 2 minutes but I don't want to give anything away!  Have you seen the movie?  What did you think?

~Monday was the Memorial Day Parade in our little town.  Kaylee played in the band for the parade and the Memorial Day Ceremony.  After the parade, we went to my brother and SIL's for a picnic.  The weather was very ominous first thing in the morning but it turned out to be a beautiful day :)

 

 

~Kaylee made the paper as Athlete of the Month!  If you know Kaylee, you know that she's not extremely "sporty", but she loves tennis :)  I was really excited to see that she was chosen to be featured!

~Thursday was the last day of school for the girls!  I'm as excited as they are, if not more!  I'm looking forward to staying up late and sleeping in.  hehe.  I can't believe I now have a Senior and a Fifth Grader!  Time flies.  Here are some comparison pictures from the first day of the school year to the last day:

~Kaylee's boyfriend, Shawn, graduated last evening!  He is a great kid :)  As you can see, he was in the National Honor Society and was an officer in a few different clubs.  Congratulations, Shawn!  Way to go!!!!



What made you smile this week?

Please leave a comment with a link so I can return the visit!
 

Linking up with Friendship Friday, Friday Fragments, Five on Friday, Show Off Friday, Awesome Life,  Friday Favorites , High Five for Friday , Diary of a Real Housewife and Tricky's Five , Friday's Fave Five. Life in Leggings, Fresh Friday Finds, Weekend Wind Down.

20 Books of Summer ~ 2017

Cathy over at 746 Books is hosting a summer reading challenge called "20 Book of Summer".

 

I don't know if I'll get all 20 books read (kids and all that) so I'm going to shoot for getting at least 10 books read this summer.

 

The Challenge starts today, June 1st and runs through September 3rd.

 

Do you think you'll join in?

 

Here is a very loose list of the first 10 books I'll be reading:

 

The Red Inn Door by Liz Johnson ~ Finished 6/2/17

The Painter's Daughter by Julie Klassen ~ Finished 6/9/17

From the Start by Melissa Tagg

Here to Stay by Melissa Tagg

Scrap of Evidence by Barbara Cameron

Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley

A Killer Plot by Ellery Adams

Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay

The Quick and the Thread by Amanda Lee

The Square Root of Murder by Ada Madison

 

I'll be coming back to this post for updates.

 

HAPPY SUMMER!

 

WHOOOHOO!!!

Book Review ~ Every Trick in the Book by Lucy Arlington ~ 6/1/17

 

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Blurb:

 

  The national bestselling Novel Idea Mysteries return with Lila Wilkins, who has just been promoted to full-time literary agent. But great new writers aren’t the only people she’s trying to catch…Lila Wilkins has it all: the home of her dreams in the charming town of Inspiration Valley, North Carolina; a perfect police officer boyfriend; and a new job she absolutely loves. At the Book and Author Festival, which is sponsored by the Novel Idea Literary Agency, Lila expects to discover some talented new authors, but what she finds instead is the body of an editor to whom she bears an eerie resemblance.

Trouble is, the editor’s death isn’t the only literary murder taking place. Soon a blossoming author is also killed, and Lila has a gut feeling that the two murders are linked. Now she must hunt down the dark figure who killed these women—and to her surprise, she just might find the clues hidden in a manuscript…    

My Thoughts:

 

 This is the second book in the "Novel Idea Mystery" series.  To read my review of book one, "Buried in a Book" click HERE.

 

I was excited to get book 2 of this series because I enjoyed the first book so much.  So many literary references and reading is the main subject.  What's not to love?

 

I read this book in a day and stayed up late to finish it.  I was hooked, again.

 

I especially loved the idea of a festival centered around books.  I would love to go to one.  They even had a costume party where the guests dressed up like literary characters.  How fun!

 

The mystery itself was great.  There were so many twists and turns and I couldn't for the life of me figure out where the teddy bear came into play (just a sneak peak)!

 

I'm loving this series and can't wait to get my hands on the next book :)

 

For the Biblical "Way of Salvation" please see my header or click HERE.

 

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Flip Flop Swap

 

I'm hosting a Flip Flop Swap.

Sign-ups end June 2, 2017.

  Click HERE for more information.

 

 

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Linking up to:  Share Your Cup;  Grandma Ideas, Literacy Musings and Saturday Situation, Booknificent. Party at My Place , Saturday Review of Book , Book Nook, Hearts for Home