Pine Forest Baby Blanket

I FINALLY finished knitting the baby blanket for my ex-boss and got it in the mail to him and his family – woohoo!!!

 

I am thrilled with how it turned out.

 

Isn’t it pretty?  I can just imagine a baby girl wrapped up in this.

 

And this is the little note I put inside when I mailed the blanket.  I wanted mom to know it’s ok to wash and dry.

I used Baby Bee Sweet Delight yarn from Hobby Lobby in the Boo Pink color.  It really is very soft and I can see me using it again and again for baby blankets.  The pattern is Pine Forest Baby Blanket (Ravelry link) and is free.

Wordy Wednesday–Dogs Love to Swim!

Once again this post and picture is in honor of our upper 90’s weather.  Tomorrow they say we’ll be flirting with 100 degrees again.  *insert long-suffering sigh here*

 

This photo was taken earlier this summer while playing at the beach at the lake.  My grand dog is pictured – Xena – wearing her life jacket and I want you to notice the yellow ball at the top.  Xena, like most labs, just loves the water, running, swimming and BALLS! She had a BLAST running after that ball and was just exhausted after a while. 

Unfortunately dogs just don’t have the sense to stop running and chasing when they get worn out, so we had to intervene a bit.  No matter what we did with that silly ball she would find it, so finally Loni stuck it in the handle of the life jacket and it WORKED!  Xena went back to more leisurely swimming and her breathing returned to normal.

And of course you’ll see Miss B sitting on the back of the boat.  Rarely do I remember her sitting much while on the boat, so this must have been one of those moments of getting her second wind as well.

Oh how that water looks inviting right now! 

REVIEW: Dangerous Mercy by Kathy Herman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dangerous Mercy
by Kathy Herman
408 pages
David C Cook Publishers

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. —Matthew 5:7

When eighty-five-year-old Adele Woodmore moves to Les Barbes to be near the Broussards—and her namesake, their daughter—she wants nothing more than a comfortable, quiet life. Employing men from Father Vince’s halfway house for the homeless to do odd jobs and landscaping, she delights in the casual conversation she has with them, the fledgling friendships, and the idea that she is helping them get back on their feet.

A series of murders in Les Barbes has cast a pall over the town and, in fact, one of Adele’s handymen becomes a person of interest to the police. But Adele cares for these young men, she knows them, and continues to show them kindness in spite of her friends’ concern. And then one day a murderer walks through Adele’s defenses, sits down at her kitchen table...and they begin to talk...

If you would like to read the first chapter of Dangerous Mercy, go HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Suspense novelist Kathy Herman is very much at home in the Christian book industry, having worked five years on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and eleven years at Better Books Christian Center in Tyler, Texas, as product buyer/manager for the children’s department, and eventually as director of human resources.

She has conducted numerous educational seminars on children’s books at CBA Conventions in the U.S. and Canada, served a preliminary judge for the Gold Medallion Book Awards of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association , and worked as an independent product/marketing consultant to the CBA market.
Since her first novel, Tested by Fire, debuted in 2001 as a CBA national bestseller, she's added sixteen more titles to her credit, including four bestsellers: All Things Hidden, The Real Enemy, The Last Word, and The Right Call.

Kathy's husband Paul is her manager and most ardent supporter, and the former manager of the LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas. They have three grown children, five almost-perfect grandchildren, a cat named Samantha. They enjoy cruising, deep sea fishing, and bird watching—sometimes incorporating these hobbies into one big adventure.

Wordy Wednesday–Cousins on a Boat

I’ve seen so many people do a Wordless Wednesday post where all they do is share a picture.  I’m not able to do that because, as my beloved says, I can make even a long story longer. 

However….  in honor of our temperature back up in the 90’s again I wanted to share a picture from this summer.  Because with this heat it would’ve been a GREAT day to be on the water.  Well except for the pesky problem of the blue green algae that has our lake closed right now. 

 

These two Cutie Patooties (or as Uncle Gary calls Brooklyn, Cutie on Duty!) were sitting up at the front of the boat as we headed out of the cove one day this summer.  They were all grins and giggles and highly anticipating the swimming and beach fun we were about to have.  That anticipation is even more fun when you have your cousin next to you!  On the left is my precious granddaughter Brooklyn and next to her is her cousin Kaitlyn, who is 3 months to the day older than Brooklyn.

(And lest anybody worry, we are in the No Wake Zone here and going very slow, which is why they are sitting up there like that. And you can see the pink and green sandals of their mamas right there!)

REVIEW-Here’s To Friends by Melody Carlson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's To Friends
by Melody Carlson
313 pages
David C Cook Publishers

ABOUT THE BOOK:  Once upon a time in a little town on the Oregon coast lived four Lindas—all in the same first-grade classroom. So they decided to go by their middle names. And form a club. And be friends forever.

Decades later, they're all back home in Clifden and reinventing their lives, but the holidays bring a whole new set of challenges. Abby’s new B&B is getting bad reviews and husband Paul is acting strange. Still grieving for her mom, Caroline is remodeling the family home, but boyfriend Mitch keeps pressuring her to go away with him. Artist Marley, distracted by a friend's family drama (and a touch of jealousy), can't find her creative groove. And Janie’s drug-addicted daughter has just appeared up on her doorstep! When a long-planned New Year's cruise turns into a bumpy ride, they learn once again that, in your fifties, friends aren’t just for fun—they're a necessity!

If you would like to read the first chapter of Here’s to Friends, go HERE.

 

MY REVIEW:   What an enjoyable book this was!  Imagine four friends enjoying one another’s company into their 50’s – and their friendship began in the first grade!

Melody Carlson has become one of my favorite authors as she can make a story so real.  I looked forward to reading this book every free moment I had – it’s that good.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from pre-school teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eight years, she has published over ninety books for children, teens, and adults--with sales totaling more than two million and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List. Several of her books have been finalists for, and winners of, various writing awards. And her "Diary of a Teenage Girl" series has received great reviews and a large box of fan mail.

She has two grown sons and lives in Central Oregon with her husband and chocolate lab retriever. They enjoy skiing, hiking, gardening, camping and biking in the beautiful Cascade Mountains.

 

**My thanks to CFBA for furnishing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Milk Glass and Orchids

I love milk glass because I think it’s pretty.

And I love how certain things can evoke strong memories.

I see it and instantly I’m 8 years old again sitting at the table in my grandmother’s kitchen, food all around us.

I do have a few pieces of my grandmother’s milk glass, but I have it put away to only bring out on special occasions.  Like so far never. Which is bad because we all know that we should splurge on ourselves and our own family and USE THE GOOD STUFF!

 

 

Since I enjoy milk glass so much I got the idea to buy a few of the small pieces and put them in my windowsill with plants. I could never bring myself to use my grandmother’s pieces for this, but seeing them in the windowsill does remind me of her.

 

I have to confess too that Keith has bought orchids for me on a few occasions, so I have a particular fondness for them.

 

Isn’t this AWESOME?  We were out in Canton, TX at the ginormous flea market when I found this piece for only TWO DOLLARS!!!  It’s very small, probably would only hold about a cup and a half or so, but just perfect for the teeny tiny orchid.

I couldn’t bring myself to put any sort of drainage hole in the piece in case I decide to use it for something else later, so we’ll see how well the flower does!

 

* Linking to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday,  Tip Me Tuesday, Twice Owned Tuesday, Anything Related, White Wednesday