15 Minutes to Stitch ~ 2/5/2023

 

One of my "plans" for 2023 is to spend 15 minutes a day stitching.  That might entail sewing, quilting, crocheting anything else I might come up with.  I'll be joining in with Kate @ Life in Pieces.

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The past week or so I've picked up the Blue and White Quilt I've been (not) working on for my Mom for the past 1.5 YEARS!  I am determined to finish hand quilting it and finally gifting it to my Mom.  I would say I'm about halfway through the hand quilting.

Something new I've been working on is for another swap.  The swap is for 6 of the heart blocks below.  It is a centralized swap so I will be sending 12 blocks to the hostess and receiving 12 blocks of varying colors back.  I decided to sew my blocks using purples.  One down, eleven to go!

Below are some of the swap blocks I've made for the Friendship Block Swap.  I've sent them off to their owners.

What are you stitching this week?

Colletta

Tea Time ~ 2/4/2023

 

Grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or your favorite drink
while I share a few things about my life lately...

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~I've been contemplating my blogging schedule today.  I "might" change things up a bit but I'm still undecided.  Any suggestions?

~I hit 1.5 million views here on Colletta's Kitchen Sink.  To some that may not seem like a lot but it has been a long time coming!  I started blogging in 2009.  I've taken some breaks over the years, but always seem to come back to this space.  I love that I can look back and see my girls when they were little and what we were doing.

~Talking about when the girls were little...My babies have grown up before my very eyes!  Thursday, Laken turned 16 years old!  She has big plans to go Monday and take her drivers permit test.  I don't know if I'm ready for this!  We went to Cracker Barrel Thursday evening to celebrate the milestone and Laken got her complimentary Coca Cola Cake with ice cream :)

~The hubby and I have been watching a new TV show called "Alert".  Douglas isn't sure about it yet but I am anxiously awaiting the newest episode on Monday night!  Have you seen it?

~We're having a Family Movie Night tonight!  We're either watching "Disenchanted" or "Wakanda Forever".  If we have time, maybe both.  If you had to choose one to watch, which would it be?

So, what's new with you?s

 

Colletta

My Weekly Bookishness ~ 2/3/2023

All things bookish!

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What I Read:

I ended up "DNF"ing The School Mistress of Emerson Pass.  It started out promising but there were just too many triggers.  I do NOT recommend this book if you're sensitive to postpartum depression or bipolar disorder triggers.

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What I'm Reading:

Blurb:

Sam and Brody remind each other of what they want to forget—bad relationships and broken hearts.

Sam lost her career and her boyfriend on the same day. Needing an escape, she makes a radical decision—leave the big city for a small town, get a regular job, and take a break from men and romance.

Brody is picking up the pieces after divorce. He’s hoping for a fresh start in the small community of Maple Cove. Instead, he’s forced to co-manage a failing animal hospital with Sam, who seems ready to hate him on sight.

Watch two people learn to face their fears and love again in this sweet, small-town enemies to happily-ever-after romance.

Small Town Shepherd is the first book in the sweet romance series Maple Cove Dog Lover’s Society.

First Lines:

Sam pushed through the door into the empty scrub room. The pale-blue walls and gray lockers might seem sterile and clinical to some, but the setting put her at ease.

56%/Page 56

Aramis was a joyful and spirited animal. She couldn't say the same when she finally looked up at the man holding his leash.

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What I'll (Probably) Read Next:

Blurb:

Maeve McKenna is on the verge of a breakdown. Having worked herself into the ground as a sought-after interior designer in London, she’s in desperate need of a vacation.

Philomena Duffy is a little lonely. After losing her husband, their crumbling mansion, Willow House, feels awfully empty.

With the rugged shores of Ireland calling, Maeve visits her aunt Philomena in Sandy Cove, where she once, as a teenager, kissed a wild, mysterious boy – a kiss she has never been able to forget. The beautiful night’s sky is dotted with stars as far as the eye can see, and Maeve is worlds away from her chaotic life in the city.

As Maeve throws herself into restoring Willow House to its former glory, a deep friendship with Philomena begins to blossom. Surrounded by the faded walls and peeling carpets of the old mansion, together they stumble across a secret that turns their family upside down.

All the while, she can’t stop thinking about the enigmatic boy from her past, and that magical kiss… Is he still in Sandy Cove?

Just as she’s beginning to feel at home, reality calls. Part of Maeve can’t bear to leave Willow House and its rocky beach. Does she have the courage to leave the security of her old life behind, and put down new roots in Sandy Cove, or is that just a daydream?

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Book Haul:

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Book Blogger Hop:

Q. What was your favorite genre to read as a child? Do you still read that genre, or do you read something else now? (submitted by Mark @ Carstairs Considers)

 

A. I don't remember what I read as a small child but as a preteen I read books like "The Babysitter's Club", "Little Women" and the like.   As a young teen through my twenties I read what my mom calls "smut books"!  lol  I would say they were R rated but not X rated.  Think Mary Balogh and Johanna Lindsey.  Not exactly what I read now :)

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Bookishly Yours,

Linking up to: 

   

  

 The Sunday Post, Sunday Salon,  Mailbox Monday

Happy Birthday, Sweet 16! ~ 2/2/2023

Happy Birthday, Laken!

NOW:

and THEN:

FYI, Tangled is still her favorite movie :)

Love,

MOM

Weigh-In Wednesday ~ 2/1/2023

January started off strong and dwindled from there.

However, it is a new month and time to get back on track.  I tend to get into an "all or nothing" mode.  I need to learn to do what I can do each day.  Persistence not perfection.

As always, my tracking week is Monday through Sunday.  Here are some stats:

Exercise Week #4:

None

This Week's Total:  0 minutes

2023 Grand Total:  240 minutes

Weigh in #4:

Highest Weight ~ 300.6 lbs

Last Week's Weight ~ 1/16/2023 ~ 287.2 lbs.

This Week's Weight ~ 1/30/2023 ~ 286.2 lbs.

This Week's Total:  -1.0 lbs

Grand Total: -14.4 lbs

Please let me know in the comments if you are on your own weight loss journey!  I'd love to follow along :)

 
Colletta

Tuesday Tunes ~ Victoria's Secret by Jax ~ 1/24/2023

 

The song I chose to feature today is a bit of a departure for me and my blog.

I don't usually listen to pop music except for when my soon-to-be 16 year old daughter is in the car and talks me into tuning in.

The first time that I heard this song I thought it was hilarious!  The more I listen to it though, the more the message behind the song resonates with me and I am loving it.

I hope no one is offended by the word "boobs".  If you are, just skip this one!  :)

For your viewing pleasure:

What tune(s) are you listening to today?

Colletta

Happy Homemaker Monday ~ 1/23/2023

Come join Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday. 

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Hello, and Happy Monday!

The weather outside is:

We have a very wintry week ahead here in southern Pennsylvania.  Stay safe, everyone!

On today's to-do list: 

~Work

~Laken - eye doctor

Happening this week:

Other than Laken's eye appointment it is a fairly normal week ahead with work, school, Bible Study and regularly scheduled tasks.

The hubby was on second shift last week. I'm glad he's back on third shift this week.  The evenings are lonely without him at home.

Currently reading:

I'm currently reading "The School Mistress of Emerson Pass" by Tess Thompson.  You can check out My Weekly Bookishness post HERE.

Watching:

I didn't really watch much TV this past week.  I listened to music and read.

Listening to:

I'm going to be participating in the weekly linkup called "Saturday 9" which focuses on a different song each week and has questions to go along with the theme of the song.  This week was "Kiss" by Prince.  I also started a a new feature called "Tuesday Tunes".  Last week I featured "Thought You Should Know by Morgan Wallen.

On the menu today:

Steak, Baked Potatoes

In the Craft Basket:

I've spent some time getting a few of the Friendship Swap Quilt Blocks done and in the mail.  If you want to see a more detailed account of what is in my craft basket, click HERE to read my 15 Minutes to Stitch post.

Picture from the Camera

I got my first completed block back in the mail!!

Bible Verse

 ^{"Hold on to loyal love and don't let go, and be faithful to all that you've been taught.  Let your life be shaped by integrity, with truth written upon your heart.}"  Proverbs 3:3 TPT

Have a great Monday!

Colletta

15 Minutes to Stitch ~ 1/22/2023 ~ Before and After

 

One of my "plans" for 2023 is to spend 15 minutes a day stitching.  That might entail sewing, quilting, crocheting anything else I might come up with.  I'll be joining in with Kate @ Life in Pieces.

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I didn't get 15 minutes stitching time every day this week, but I did put in longer stitching time on both Monday and Wednesday.

I was working on sewing Friendship Swap quilt block.  Here are the before and afters of what I got accomplished.

#1

#2

#3

I also received one of my completed swap blocks back. I sent the pink fabric along with a pattern from www.quilterscache.com called Pennsylvania.  I am so happy with this block I received.  I can't wait to get more!

What are you stitching this week?

Colletta

Saturday 9~ Kiss ~ 1/22/2023

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

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Kiss (1986)

1) In this week's song, Prince insists there's no particular sign he's more compatible with. Do you take astrology seriously?

No, I don't take astrology seriously.

2) He tells his prospective lover there's no need to be flirty. Are you a good flirt?

I doubt it but you'd have to ask my husband!

3) He refers to the nighttime soap opera Dynasty. Were you a fan?

I was fairly young when it was on but I do remember watching it.  We only had one tv channel so we were limited on our watching abilities.

4) "Kiss" was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Built by Walt Disney Studio, it's the studio where the soundtracks to Mary Poppins and 101 Dalmatians were recorded. When you think of Disney movies, what's the first song that comes to mind?

Beauty and the Beast...Tale as Old as Time...

5) Prince said he was "obsessed" with Mozart and read everything he could find about the master. Do you often read biographies? If yes, who was the last one about?

I don't really read biographies or autobiographies.  I guess the closest to one that I read last was The Diary of Anne Frank.

6) He loved snacking while watching a movie in the theater and would mix Goobers (chocolate-covered peanuts) with his popcorn. When you go to the movies, do you visit the concession counter?

I could do without but the hubby and our daughters have to have popcorn and twizzlers :)

7) In 1986, when this song was popular, Peewee's Playhouse premiered. While ostensibly for children, this show had many, many adult viewers. Do you ever watch kids' shows today?

Only if I have to :)

8) Also in 1986, Sears shoppers were painting their interior walls with "Country Clover," a pale beige with a hint of pink. What color is the room you're in right now?

Our walls are white.  My decorating style is very hodgepodge!

9) Random question: Do you enjoy pressing the pedal to the metal and driving fast?

Only if I'm running late!

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

Colletta 

My Weekly Bookishness ~ 1/20/2023

All things bookish!

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What I Read:

You can read my review HERE!

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What I'm Reading:

Blurb:

When Miss Quinn Cooper arrives in Emerson Pass, Colorado, her entire life is packed into one small suitcase. Her widowed mother and baby sister are depending upon her for their survival back home in Boston. And the self-appointed mayor of the rugged mountain community is counting on Miss Cooper to prove herself a fitful teacher for the young and old alike.

Lord Alexander Barnes is determined to bring a bit of English civility to the wild terrain of Emerson Pass. Using his own resources, the widower and father of five builds a schoolhouse and recruits a young teacher from the east to provide an education for both the adults and the children in his rapidly growing mining town. But when the lovely, and much younger than anticipated, Miss Cooper arrives to town, Lord Barnes finds himself providing more than just employment when the boarding house proves to be an unsafe accommodation for the school mistress.

As Miss Cooper takes a room in the Barnes' home, the five Barnes children are delighted. They are sure Miss Cooper is the perfect woman for their lonely father. But when a friend of the Englishman turns up dead, the hope for progress in the untamed town seems immediately lost. Can Miss Cooper and Lord Barnes bring change to the closed-minded locals? And will their endeavor open their hearts to something more?

First Lines:

"Had I known of the ways in which Emerson Pass would test my character, I might not have had the mettle to step off the train that autumn day in 1910."

56%/Page 56

(Disclaimer:  This passage is NOT from 56%/Page 56 (25) but I couldn't help but share it!)

"I gasped,then coughed so hard that my eyes watered,and I had to clench my butt cheeks together to keep from tooting.  The very last thing I needed was eruptions from my nether regions to escape in front of my new employer."

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What I'll (Probably) Read Next:

Blurb:

Sam and Brody remind each other of what they want to forget—bad relationships and broken hearts.

Sam lost her career and her boyfriend on the same day. Needing an escape, she makes a radical decision—leave the big city for a small town, get a regular job, and take a break from men and romance.

Brody is picking up the pieces after divorce. He’s hoping for a fresh start in the small community of Maple Cove. Instead, he’s forced to co-manage a failing animal hospital with Sam, who seems ready to hate him on sight.

Watch two people learn to face their fears and love again in this sweet, small-town enemies to happily-ever-after romance.

Small Town Shepherd is the first book in the sweet romance series Maple Cove Dog Lover’s Society.

~~~~~~~~~~

Book Haul:

   ~~~~~~~~~~

Book Blogger Hop:

Q.  Do you use social media to keep up with your favorite authors? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

A. I do follow some of my favorite authors on facebook and also instagram.

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Bookishly Yours,

Linking up to: 

   

  

 The Sunday Post, Sunday Salon,  Mailbox Monday