Weekend Book Reviews

Sweet Tea and Secrets by Joy Avon is the latest book in the Tea and Read Mystery series.  Callie has retired from her job as a tour guide and is now working in her great aunt's tearoom, Book Tea.  She wants to contribute to the town's big 4th of July party by tracking down a tv star who disappeared from the town many years ago.  Callie actually stirs up more secrets than she intends to and wonders if she caused the recent murder in town.  In this particular book the tearoom plays a much smaller role.  The mystery had several twists and turns.  Overall it was a fun cozy mystery.

The third book in the Gourmet Cat Mystery series by Kathy Krevat is The Trouble with Talent. Colbie's good deed of picking up a friend's son from an oboe lesson puts her in the middle of another mystery.  The oboe teacher is abusive to his students so when he winds up dead the suspects are plentiful.  The main plot of this book seems taken from real life as it focuses on college fixers who "help" students get into college.  I enjoy reading about Colbie and her family and friends.  I did solve the mystery very early on, but I still enjoyed the book.  I have read previous books in this series, but it is not necessary to enjoy this book.

The Pasta Friday Cookbook by Allison Arevalo makes entertaining for a crowd easy with her pasta recipes.  The book is divided into the four seasons with pasta dishes and salads.  I appreciated that the author included pasta substitutes for those of us living in areas where numerous pasta varieties are scarce.  The recipes are easy to follow and go beyond the basic spaghetti.  My only problem is that many of the recipes require fresh ingredients (meat, cheeses and vegetables) that I will never be able to find in a local grocery store.  For those living in a large city and cooking for adventurous eaters, this would be a wonderful cookbook!



disclosure:  I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

It has been a long time since I have written a frugal Friday post.  I have been frugal but just have not kept a list.  I am going to try to think back over the past couple of weeks for a few things.

I used a promo code to add extra talk minutes to my Tracfone.  I did break down earlier this year and get a smartphone.  I cringe when I see the prices of the newest smartphones and monthly plans.  I am quite happy with my refurbished phone and inexpensive plan ($12/month). 

I made my own elderberry syrup with elderberries bought during the summer.  Flu season hit early here, and I mixed up my first batch of elderberry syrup a couple of weeks early.  I planted two elderberry trees this spring so eventually I will not need to buy elderberries.  Until then I purchase them during the summer to save $10+ per pound over fall/winter prices. 

We ate leftovers.  W pointed out that a large portion of our meals are leftovers and then said he was not complaining.  We are both home all of the time now.  If it were not for leftovers, I would spend a large portion of my time cooking.  Some meals leave us enough for a complete repeat while others are individual sized portions. 

I took advantage of reduced shipping from Dollar Tree.  I needed a bunch of a few items to make things for my craft booth.  I would never have found enough at the local stores.  Shipping was just $4.95, and I would have spent more than that driving around to various stores.  *I could have picked in store pick up for free, but I honestly did not trust the stores around here.  Some things are worth a bit of money.*

I bought some mark down candy to use at trunk or treat next month.  I have been collecting small items throughout the year when I found an extra good deal.  I have candy and non-candy items.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Weekend Book Reviews

Something Borrowed, Something Mewed by Bethany Blake is book five in the Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series.  Daphne's sister Piper is getting married before her fiance heads overseas for a short term job.  Her mother and mother-in-law-to-be have worked up an Independence Day themed wedding.  The problem is that the wedding planner has organized several weddings at the same time and at the same venue.  When the wedding planner winds up dead, Piper's fiance is the prime suspect, and Piper worries her wedding will never happen.  I adore Daphne and her pets.  In this particular book Daphne and Piper seemed to have a better relationship.  The book includes a bit of romance but not too much that it becomes a romance novel.  While I did figure out the mystery portion early on, I still enjoyed the book.

The second book in the Very Cherry Mystery series by Darci Hannah is Cherry Scones & Broken Bones.  Whitney is working to get the Cherry Orchard Inn back on its feet after a recent murder on the property.  She thinks she is on the way to that goal after the popular artist Silvia Lumiere books a room for the summer.  What seems like a dream quickly becomes a nightmare after Silvia and her assistant move in.  When another death occurs on the property, Whitney jumps into action to save the family inn.  The mystery had several twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end.  I enjoy the inn and cherry farm setting of this series, and Whitney is a smart, likable cozy star.  I am looking forward to the next book.

A Crafter Hooks a Killer by Holly Quinn is the second book in the Handcrafted Mystery series.  I had not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble following this one.  Sammy runs Community Craft, a store dedicated to selling items handcrafted by those in her community.  She took over the store after her best friend was killed.  Sammy is thrilled to be hosting a celebrity crafter for a book signing.  Jane stops by to meet Sammy and says she needs to talk to her about Kate.  Before Jane can reveal what she knows, she is murdered.  Sammy is faced with two mysteries finding out who killed Jane and what really happened to Kate.  I love the idea of this book based on a community craft store.  I guessed the solution to the mystery early on, but that was not my issue with the book.  Sammy went a bit too far in "helping" the police.  I have no problem with some cozy heroine meddling, but Sammy seemed intent on getting what she wanted no matter the cost.  That dropped the book from four stars to three for me.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Fall Spruce Up

I am once again trying to do the Holiday Grand Plan.  I am not necessarily focusing so much on the holiday portion since our holidays are pretty low key.  Instead I am trying to get all of the little projects around the house that need to be done.  It is things that we put off after we moved in, and they have continued to be put off.  W works from home and can easily take time for a few around the house projects.  Last week was front porch week.  It was a combination of cleaning and a project. 

I swept off the porch and put down the fall door mat insert.  It is a little early, but I cannot be the only one jumping ahead with fall decorating.

W put hangers on the wreath post decoration.  A lady at church had asked him to cut out some shapes for her to paint.  We bartered and supplied the materials for two wood pumpkins.  She painted two and gave one of them back to me.  I love it, and it makes me think of her each time I see it.

The final project was fixing up the bench.  Originally it was covered with foam and outdoor material.  After two southern summers, the material was barely holding together.  Since W has started tearing down the old house, we have an abundance of 120 year old wood.  I asked W to make me a wood bench instead.  The bench base is actually an aquarium base.  It came with the very large aquarium that is in our foyer wall.  It is the perfect height for a bench though.  I was thrilled with how it turned out.  It is so much prettier than a fabric topped bench.

Weekend Book Review: When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams

When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams by Jill Eileen Smith showcases 12 women of the Bible.  Each woman's story is told through an imagined adaptation based on the Bible.  That event is then related to our current world.  At the end of each chapter is a Bible reference to ponder and a set of discussion questions.  This book would work well for a personal study or even for a group study.  The questions at the end would be particularly well in a group setting.  I enjoyed the "In Our World" section of each chapter since it showed how the Bible and even the Old Testament is relevant to today's world. 

disclosure:  I received this book from Baker Publishing but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Murder with Cucumber Sandwiches by Karen Rose Smith is the third book in the Daisy's Tea Garden Mystery series.  Daisy is expecting a visit from a food critic that has everyone in an uproar.  When the critic is murdered shortly after his visit, Daisy and her employees are at the top of a long suspect list.  Add in relationship problems and family issues and Daisy is at the end of her rope.  The mystery was good but took a back seat to all of the other drama.  I enjoy the setting and the characters, but I do wish Daisy was a stronger main character.  At times her actions such as refusing to have a grown up discussion with her boyfriend in favor of pouting like a toddler are a bit childish.  I am hoping for a change of pace in book four.

The fifth book in the Pancake House Mystery series by Sarah Fox is  Crepe Expectations.  Marley, owner of the pancake house, and her chef employee, Ivan, are both volunteering at an amateur chef competition in town.  At the same time a cold case gets a new lead with the skeleton of a long missing 18 year old turns up at the site of Marley's boyfriend's latest landscaping job.  When participants of the chef competition are targeted, Marley wonders if the two are related.  This is a good cozy mystery with strong characters and a great setting.  Marley leans toward the smarter side when it comes to being a cozy heroine.  The ending of this book leads into the next which I am already looking forward to reading.



Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon is the fifth book in the Cat Latimer Mystery series.  Cat is welcoming another group of writers to her writers' retreat.  The retreat is in trouble when a jealous bakery owner, Dee Dee, files a false report with the health inspector.  Dee Dee has problems of her own though when a body is discovered in her bakery.  The suspect list grows from there as Cat begins to dig into the dead man's life.  The writers retreat is such a fun cozy mystery theme.  I love that a large group of new characters is introduced each book while the base characters remain the same.  Lynn Cahoon writes two cozy series, but this one is my favorite.  Her books focus on the mystery with some side stories and the slightest touch of romance. This is a great addition to the series.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Feathered Friday - Peachicks

I have been working every day to tame our two little peachicks.  One is more tame than the other.  At this stage it is impossible to tell if we have baby peahens or baby peacocks.  

I discovered early on that the two littles loved for someone to talk to them.  They are more used to W and me since we are around them all of the time.  Of course tossing out a bit of feed at my feet helps bring them in closer.  Mama peahen gives a gentle reminder not to get too close by clucking at them.  Even she ventures close to me though.

Hopefully in time they will come right up to me and eat out of my hand.  It is a slow process and best done with the youngest animals.  Kindness and taking time with any animal goes a long way though.

Fall Decorating

I have started decorating for fall even though it feels more like the middle of summer here since the heat index is over 100 degrees.  I love that the cold weather takes longer to arrive though.  I choose instead to embrace decorating for fall when it does not even remotely feel like fall.  I have been trying to do it slowly though.  Yesterday I added a set of pumpkins that I crocheted. 

I put the set on the table in our foyer.  They are a nice range of sizes, colors and textures.  The only sad part is that I only have these until Saturday as I sold them soon after posting a photo.  I will be starting on a couple sets this afternoon.  I listed them on Etsy and plan to take them to the farmer's market so I want to make sure I have a set for myself.

In the Garden

This year we decided to try growing loofah gourds.  I admit that we got a late start on planting which I am sure means a lower harvest, but we should get three or four gourds at least.  I knew they were going to run, but I was surprised at just how much.

We put up a row of fencing for them to grow up.  They quickly became a mass of vines and grew up the fence and then along the ground.

Then they started to grow up the side of the building beside the garden.

This is the largest of the loofah gourds.  With all of the vines I expect a few small ones may be hidden away.  This one gourd is enough to make us want to grow loofahs again next year!

Weekend Book Review: Joyful Surrender

Joyful Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot focuses on seven disciplines for Christians.  Approximately one-third of the book is dedicated to reasons why Christians should surrender to God.  The remaining chapters deal with the seven disciplines.  The short chapters worked well when I had a limited amount of reading time.  I could easily read a chapter and focus on the one particular discipline.  Each of the disciplines was relevant to today's world.  I do think the chapters on surrender could have been summarized into one.  My main issue with the book was the lack of references for the Bible verses used.  I would have preferred the book, chapter, and verse be included.  This would allow readers to easily look up the references on their own and study further. 

disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from Revell/Baker Publishing but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Read on Arrival by Nora Page is part of the Bookmobile Mystery series.  Cleo is an active senior librarian in a small town in Georgia.  In addition to driving the town's bookmobile, she is preparing for the re-opening of the town library.  Two things threaten to put a damper on the event.  First she is trying to reclaim the library's only overdue book, which happens to be 40 years overdue.  Second is the arrival of a neighboring town's bookmobile driver.  This pretty, young driver has caught the eye of Cleo's library board president.  The main problem being the young woman does not want books on the bookmobile.  Throw in a murder and Cleo is fit to be tied.  This is a fast-paced cozy with plenty going on, but everything ties together.  It is a great addition to the series!

J.R. Ripley's ninth book in the Bird Lover's Mystery series is Cardinal Sin.  J.R. Ripley is one of my favorite authors, and this is another great book in the series.  Amy meets Yvonne who is new to town.  Before she can get to know Yvonne well, the woman is found dead.  Amy immerses herself in Yvonne's life including her strange family and odd neighbors in an effort to solve the mystery.  The quirky characters (both standard and new) make this series work so well.  I am already looking forward to book number ten!

A Twist in the Tail by Leighann Dobbs is the first book in the Oyster Cove Guesthouse series.  Josie is the new owner of the Oyster Cove Guesthouse.  Things are not going well though as the town building inspector seems to have it out for Josie.  When Josie finds a dead body in a closed off section of the guesthouse, she wonders if her new business is over as soon as it began.  Now for the twist in the book - Josie is not truly the main character.  The story switches from Josie to her two cats, Nero and Marlowe, who came with the guesthouse.  I am undecided on this series.  The human characters were less likable than the feline characters. If you are looking for a book with cat detectives, this is the one for you.


disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Furry Friday - Tucker

I was crocheting in the garden last week when Tucker came to keep me company.  

He napped for a bit until he realized that I was taking pictures of him.

Then he decided to strike an extra cute pose for me.

I am dreading winter when sitting in the garden will not be as much fun.  For now I am taking advantage of every sunny day.

Sprucing up the Porch

The plants that I did have in the big planters on my porch had outgrown the pots.  A few weeks ago W decided to plant them in the yard which left me needing new plants in the planters.  It may be close to fall, but the weather here in the deep South will continue to be hot until the middle of October.  Still it was close enough to fall that I did not want to spend a pile of money to refill the planters.  

I headed out to the garden center of a home improvement store and went straight to the clearance section.  As I was looking for something that would work, I spoke to one of the employees.  I mentioned what I was trying to find.  She said she had just the thing.  Large hanging baskets that she needed to mark down for clearance.  The plants had not sold well since they were better suited for pots than hanging baskets.  

The plants were beautiful when I bought them but were starting to turn a touch yellow.  I added a bit of farm fertilizer (hoppy poo poo) to the soil when I planted them.  Now they are gorgeous.  I made sure to find the employee when I went back to the store to let her know how much I was enjoying them and thank her.  

Beach Trip

Once upon a time W and I went to the beach once a week.  That dropped to once a month until eventually it had been a few years since we went to the beach.  We live a bit less than two hours from the coast.  Last month we decided to take a day off and head out.  It was an inexpensive trip as we packed our food and did no other shopping.  It was just us on the beach.  W spent the time fishing while I read and wrote a couple of letters.

The weather was absolutely perfect.  The beach was practically empty since we chose to go after schools had started back.  Aside from us there were a couple of families with very young children and some retired folks.

Just like at home I seem to attract an animal of some sorts.  This crab came by to visit me.

Hopefully we can make a yearly beach visit a tradition.  It did us both good to get away just for a day and relax!

Busy, Busy

I feel as if I fell off the map when it has related to blogging recently.  I am seriously hoping to remedy that this month.  I have been busy getting the house back in order and putting myself on a schedule.  It is still a work in progress, but I am at least making progress.

I have had several weeks off from my Saturdays at the farmer's market and have been using that time to stock up on items.  You can see that from the pile of things waiting to be tagged.

That is on my to do list for this week.  I have been stocking up on items more than normal since I will soon be doing a farmer's market every weekend with fall quickly approaching.  A friend also talked me into setting up a booth at a festival in a neighboring town in November.  This will be my first festival so I am just trying to be as prepared as possible. 

Also on my list is adding some things to my Etsy shop as the holiday season nears.  I love working from home, but it has definitely been an adjustment to balance everything!