Spring-Summer-Autumn-Winter - A mini-challenge!

Did you know that the seasons occur because of the tilt in the earth's axis with respect to the plane of earth's orbit?  Spring, summer, autumn and winter are four well recognized seasons.    We wear different types of clothing according to the climate of the season - like in summer we wear cotton clothes because cotton helps us absorb sweat.  Winter we bring out the layers of comfy clothes and outer wear.  Then of course there are also the "rules" of fashion and seasons.  No white shoes after Labor Day - shorts are only for summer - pastels are only for Easter or spring . . .

But that's enough information about the seasons, right? 

Here's my point to this challenge - - - what about seasons for reading certain books?  I have noticed that I tend to notice book covers that coincide with the season we are in!   I love to look at allllll beach books during the summer - any beach - anywhere - but I love to see water and sand, boats and beach chairs and umbrellas and swim suits on a brightly colored book cover for my summer reading.

How about you?  Do you do something similar?  Do you have special books that you re-read each season?  Does Christmastime bring visions of warm fires and beautifully decorated Christmas trees on your book cover or cause you to long for a family Christmas story?

Challenge:  Please share your thoughts on this - and if possible maybe you can include a picture of the "seasonal books" you cherish most! 

I will choose a random winner and mail you a book of your favorite season!

Thanks for participating.

Happy Reading - whatever the season!

Let's do the MASH . . . the retirement MASH . . .

Day #3 of Bout of Books Readathon.  I plan to READ tonight!  I also took the challenge to do the MASH game by Sarah at  Rocky Top Real Talk.  My sister and fellow blogger from Just One More Thing suggested we change it up with our choices for retirement!

So here is how my Retirement Mash turned out:

I shall retire in a MANSION on MYRTLE BEACH and will love having our 12 grandchildren visit, (which is twice the number that we currently have btw)  . . . and I will drive around in my CHEVROLET TRAVERSE because I guess I will have enough money to finally buy one?    My hobby will be HOMEMAKING, which is just great with me although I did think it would be fun to host random Vacation Bible Schools for small groups of kids . . . AND lastly I will read 5 books a week!

That was a fun challenge - can't wait to see what tomorrow's challenge finds us doing!

Happy Reading!

A huntin' we will go . . .

For books that is! 

The second challenge in the weekly Bout of Books readathon is from The Book Monsters! 

Book Scavenger Hunt:

1. A Book that begins with “B”  (for Bout of Books!)

2. A book you’re planning to read/currently reading for Bout of Books

3. Blue Book(s)

4. Books from your favorite genre!

5. A book on your TBR shelf, or your full TBR shelves

I had a great time running up and down stairs to look through my books.  When we moved in 2012 I left a huge supply of books at our small town local library - so my one book shelf plus one children's book shelf is all I have left.  Then there are books tucked in a crock upstairs that are my TBRC (to be read crock) and a few stacked on my dining room table.  Here is what I came up with:

Book that begins with B - Well since I have a small personal library - I had to move over to my kids's bookcase and look for B books - I quickly found some of their favs.   Benji, Fastest Dog in the West; Big Bird's Red Book; Baby Mickey's Toys; and Baby's First Book.  Now I can read these myself but I decided to use technology - so I asked my daughter if I can Facetime with my granddaughter some time this week and I will read her a book - - - she's 3 months old - so I'm not sure how it will go!

A book I'm planning to read for Bout of Books - The one I am presently reading is An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor.

A Blue Book - This was hard again also.  I found an old book of James J. Metcalfe's Poem Portraits.  I love this book as it was my Grandma Wheat's.      
Inside is an inscription dated Dec. 17, 1952.    My grandma's birthday.  The book was given to her from her dear friend Mamie.  Mamie was a dear part of my childhood, also. 

Books from my favorite genre - Pioneer Women

I have always loved to read Pioneer stories and Janette Oke was my first introduction to that.  The Calling of Emily Evans has been my best read to date.  Although. . . I reread it earlier last year and it didn't intrigue me in the same way.  Why does that happen?

And a book on my TBR shelf or crock -

A book that is waiting just for me is by Joyce Meyer.  Secrets to Exceptional Living.  I have been talking about a final beginning again of living a great life.  I have been thinking of my goals for 2016.  Tami, my sister and I have been planning a weekend to read and brain storm about our plans for a new year.   This book promises to help - Transforming your Life Through the Fruits of the Spirit.  I am excited to begin!

This was a fun challenge!  

Grab a book . . . let's read.

Just a quick post to say that I am excited not only for the ReReadathon that I have talked about in September, but to discover a week long readathon beginning today:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23rd in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

          

Has anyone read these?  What did you think?

An Irish County Doctor by Patrick Taylor

The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons

Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel

The bout of books readathon also includes daily challenges - the first one is called the Fictional World Travel Challenge:  I must say I flunked . . . however, An Irish Country Doctor - as you can guess takes place in the emerald hills and glens of Northern Ireland.  I can't exactly join the challenge to tell about 3-6 books - but I am enjoying learning a little bit about the Irish in my first read!  

Thank you ladies for the chance to join in!

Sister Weekend #2

Welcome to my lonely blog spot!  I won't dwell on why there have been no posts . . . whether I have had writer's block . . . been too grumpy to write . . . or too busy with new granddaughter . . . all are true . . . but not a reason.  So . . . moving forward.

In January of 2015 my sister Tami and I started something new - Sister Weekends.  We had the first one at her house in southeastern Nebraska.  It was a huge success . . . healthy eating . . . great conversations . . . nice guest room . . . and much fun with sewing, painting and crafting!

The 2nd Sister Weekend is scheduled for August 29 - 30.  I came up with the idea that we needed to use this chance to be together to ramp up another fun idea that we started many many years ago!  Our sister-shared book club.

Tami quickly found the ReReadathon sponsored by Bex at Armchair by the Sea and we decided to join in!    It runs from September 7 - 20, 2015.  Rules are to read or re-read a favorite and post about it!  Sounds perfect for Tami and I.  We both are signing up today!

Now that I'm back to writing - blogging - - - stay tuned for me to catch up with what has been going on in my life in 2015.  And join us for a readathon of fun in September!  I know Tami and I are planning to talk books, share books, and read books on our Sister Weekend #2!

50 IS the New 50 . . .

On a recent revamp of my sisters/I book club - T & T Book Club - I went first with the selection pick for September.  In honor of our quest to do things better in the second half of life - (after 50) I chose a book written by Suzanne Braun Levine.

With chapter titles like  - "Nothing changes if nothing changes . . . No is not a four letter word . . . Age is not a disease . . . and You DO know what you want to do with the rest of your lives . . . " I was excited to jump on this book and find out that many women out there are feeling the same way I am with this over 50 lifestyle.  

I was sadly disappointed - - - with her every now and again referral to the "F" word I was just turned off.  I honestly felt like the chapters grew longer and longer and said nothing . . . I would find a couple sentences and I'd get hopeful - oh here we go . . . but then . . . more mixed up content.   My sister did enjoy a few chapters - especially the one on saying NO - and we can all use help with this.  But that has not been my problem at any part of my life - is saying no to others - - - I don't do much of what I don't want to do . . . and I don't normally feel guilted into doing something that I really don't choose to do.  

Sorry Suzanne Braun Levine . . . although you did touch on a few good points . . . most of your outlook on life and family and marriage kinda well annoyed me.  

I shall move on to the next book on our T & T reading list - - - Tami has challenged us both with an interesting read that brings the old testament stories to life!  I'm excited!  

Someone wise has said . . . "Life is too short to read bad books . . . "   I did . . . and wish I hadn't.  

Virtual Book Tour: The Songbird of Sovereign by Jennifer Wixson

You can own a copy today! See giveaway details below!

The Songbird of Sovereign is the third book in a series by Jennifer Wixson called The Sovereign Series.  This is my first book review and I have been excited to give it a try.  As I began to read this month I was drawn into the story for several reasons.  I first read about Addie and Pappy Russell.  Addie was a 55 year old farm wife - hard working farm wife I might add - and she had arthritis.  She and Pappy had been married 37 years.  (Loved it!  Clay and I have been married 37 years, I am 55, and yes I have arthritis!)

This made me think as I read the rest of the story . . . what is it that catches your interest and lights your fire for a book?  It can be something like I mentioned above - a certain character who shares your age - maybe your interests - or maybe your name?  It could be the home that is featured in the story.  And one of my favorites is when I fall in love with the setting of the story - especially a town.

The Sovereign Series are all about a little town in Maine named, Sovereign.  My bucket list includes traveling to the east coast and staying near the ocean so I was thrilled to discover these books.  I have the first two books, Hens and Chickens and Peas, Beans and Corn, all lined up on my virtual shelf on my Kindle!  Reading them out of order but very anxious to get started!

A little glimpse into the story goes like this:  Jana Hastings is the star of the show.  I had no idea, that the disease of Tuberculosis was so devastating!  I have always taken that little TB skin test I used to get at work as a minor little test of inconvenience.  Jennifer Wixson opened my eyes to the dread of that disease that put fear into all people in its day.  At the beginning of the book, Jana is diagnosed and taken to Windmere Sanatorium in central Maine.  She quickly learns the "groups" that the children are placed into according to their prognosis.  Some, like Jana, have hopes of a cure, but some do not.  I was floored to learn that some of those children would spend their lives there.  How naive I can be . . . I quickly thought of my own parents - born in 1935 and 1936 - they too were at risk for this devilish disease as the antibiotic did not come around until the 1940's.    The story continues with Jana making friends and meeting a young boy who she quickly finds a special place for in her heart.    As the story of the two families - the Russells and the Hastings unfolds - it is interestingly intertwined with modern day characters and their story line.    Jumping between the 1940's and 2013 - - - we hear the story of Miss Jana Hastings through the eyes of the town's minister, Maggie.  And we get to meet Jana who is present day age 89!

Once again the most unusual events in the story caught my interest.  The dawning of World War II.  My son in law is a history teacher and I have hundreds of history type questions that I fire at him regularly.  I was thrilled to share with him the part about President Roosevelt and the differing opinions people had of his involvement with bringing us into that war.  My heart ached for the mothers and fathers who feared for their sons as the war loomed ahead.  

I highly recommend the series of books.  Jennifer Wixson does a fantastic job of descriptive writing and certainly has a talent for developing characters that you quickly love!    Now on to books #1 and #2 . . . 

Lastly, if you would like to have a chance to win your very own copy of The Songbird of Sovereign please leave a comment below and tell me . . . what is it about a book that can clinch the deal for you?  Keep you reading and not wanting to put down a book . . . Can't wait to hear your thoughts! 

Book Review

Snow Melts in Spring is my first book read for Summer 2014. 

I am participating in a summer reading program called Kate'sBook Blog.

She loves the land. Mattie Evans grew up in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Although her family has lost their ranch, she still calls this land home. A skilled young veterinarian, she struggles to gain the confidence of the local ranchers. Fortunately, her best friend and staunchest supporter is John McCray, owner of the Lightning M Ranch. They both love the ranch, and can’t imagine living anywhere but in the Flint Hills. He’s haunted by it. Gil McCray, John’s estranged son, is a pro football player living in California. The ranch is where his mother died and where every aspect of the tallgrass prairie stirs unwanted memories of his older brother’s fatal accident. Gil decides leaving the ranch is the best solution for his ailing father and his own ailing heart. But he doesn’t count on falling in love. Falling in love isn’t an option. Or is it? When Mattie is called in to save a horse injured in a terrible accident, she finds herself unwillingly tossed into the middle of a family conflict. Secret pain, secret passions, and secret agendas play out against the beautiful landscapes as love leads to some 

unexpected conclusions about forgiveness and renewal.  (Taken from the author's description)

I really enjoyed the book!  I live not too far from the Flint Hills and I have always wanted to do some hiking in that area and spend the night in a little Bed and Breakfast I found online.  It was a fun read, had twists and turns that kept it exciting, and as always I have the Lightning M Ranch all mapped out in my mind - the house - the barn where Mattie builds a small animal clinic after a fire - and the area where the horse rides were taken.  Great read for the summer!    

Also interested me as our granddaughter wants to go horse back riding in the mountains . . . and the plans are in the works for that . . . I'm sure that will be another post as my time on a horse has been limited to about a whopping total of 20 minutes per lifetime!

Here's to the next book on my reading list . . . Songbird of Sovereign by Jennifer Wixson.

Enjoy your summer reading!!

T & T Book Club Summer Reading Challenge

T & T Book Club, is in it's second decade of existence.  It was started as a great way for my sister Tami and I to share the reading of the same book at the same time each month.  We lived several hours apart and so we used snail mail and by that I mean email or oh my even the United States Postal system to deliver  "book announcements" to each other.  We took turns being in charge each month and finding a book to share with the other.  Then the one in charge also came up with a fun activity to do along with reading the book.    This was a huge success for several years - I still remember the excitement of sending off an announcement and sometimes even a copy of the book to Tami - or the thrill of getting the announcement! Then things changed and Tami moved much closer to me - just l0 miles away and although we have always kept it going - - - it has waxed and waned throughout the years.  But we love the idea of having our own Book Club and so as we kicked it in gear again just recently - we have decided to do something a little different and we are calling it:    The Summer Reading Challenge of the T & T Book Club!

I have picked a four book series from the great state of Texas!  I plan to make two trips to my sons house this summer in the deep of Texas - so when I discovered this series - I was intrigued.  I challenged Tami to pick her own books to read this summer (and it was easy as she had recently posted here about her choices of "pretty covers" and great stories that were on her summer book reading list.)

The challenge is this:  She will read her choices and I will read my series - - - and weekly or every other week we are obligated to post on our blogs about our reading progress!  An online book report if you will!

Here are my books  . . . and feel free to join us in the T & T Summer Reading Challenge!!


             

       TEXAS RICH - TEXAS HEAT - TEXAS FURY - TEXAS SUNRISE

The first in Fern Michaels' best-selling Texas series, TEXAS RICH introduces us to passionately compelling Billie Ames. Young Billie was naive but a real knockout when she met Moss Coleman at the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. Within a few months she was pregnant and married to him. It was a marriage that brought Billie--and her mother, Agnes--across the country to Austin, to a 250,000-acre spread called Sunbridge, and into the world of the Texas rich.

Happy Summer Reading All!!

Coffee and a book . . .

When you look out the front window and see this view the best thing to do is to grab a cup of freshly brewed coffee and a stack of books.  That is what I have planned for tonight!  TGIF!

8-10 inches of heavy snow has fallen in our town.  Thankful for a busy street crew that hummed up and down the streets all night long. 

                                       Here's the problem - If you were to wind your way down to our family room and spot the brown, cozy recliner - you would have to step over this below ... look familiar?

I tend to end up here at some point every night and while I suffer through Swamp People or some such "oddity" I turn the pages of my Mary Jane Farm notebook deciding what badge to work on next, or I write in my Gratitude Journal a brief entry for each day (also a badge for MJF), or read my Bible or devotion for the day, as well as my book club selection, another book I'm about to finish, a self-help book by Bill Hybels. Oh, and a couple of magzines that came in the mail.  And when I can pry the Ipad out of hubs hands I will be on it as well. :)

One of the blogs I love to follow now is Jen's Journey.  I think she might be my long lost twin sister!  She loves to organize!  And I am stealing her great idea seen below.  She refurbished a basket and it is just the right size for her two Bibles - study books - notebooks - markers - pens - pencils and post-it notes.   She can easily grab her basket and set up shop anywhere that works!

Thanks Jen for a great idea!

Enjoy your Friday night!  Enjoy your weekend!

And my version - determined to not buy anything new - I had a 31 brand bag that works well!

Where in the World Are You Reading?

What an interesting question . . . Where is your comfy spot to read?  Thanks to Kelly for hosting this month's poll - check it out here.

I have two favorite places to read - one I am showing you below - in my recliner and obviously I'm not alone - my Boston Terrier Dodger is snuggled beside my legs - always looking for an excuse to curl up and sleep.    I have tried to read in bed - and can't get comfortable - plus husband wants the lights out so he can sleep!  If I lay down on the sofa and get all comfy - I drift off in a nap - so the chair works great for me!  

But aha . . . spot #2 is my real favorite!  Nothing better than to find a sunny spot on the patio - stretch out in a lawn chaise - with diet coke - shades - and read away - - - This also usually ends up with me  catching a few nods also - but love it just the same!

Please let me know - where is your comfy place to read?

P.S.  Places I DO NOT read ...

bathroom

airplanes

while driving!!  yes I've seen it done!

Book Review

My favorite book club T & T started off the New Year with the instructions to "re-read your favorite book"!  My sister and I started this blook club many years ago and have changed it up from time to time but the general idea is that we read the same book and discuss it and find an activity to do or lesson to learn from each book.  The assignment was to write a post for our blogs telling why the book was our favorite and something new we gained from re-reading it.

This was easy for me!  Many years ago I got hooked on Janette Oke's books about pioneer women.  My favorite series was The Women of the West.   The Calling of Emily Evans was one of the first I read and the book has stayed with me for the last 20 years.  More correctly, the feelings I had, the pictures I conjured up in my mind about the little two room pioneer house, the lessons I learned about pioneer life stuck with me much more than the actual "story line" details.  This surprised me!  I thought I knew the story, but as I began to re-read I told my husband - this does not even sound familiar - it's like it's a different book!!

Could it be that I have changed that much in the 20 years?  Have I read more books and watched movies and some how gotten the details all mixed up??    I have often shared with my sister Tami and friend Rebecca that when I read - I imagine the house - the town - sometimes in great detail.  I think it's a common reader-thing.  I remember the little two room pioneer house that was in my mind back years ago - - - and it was not the same way I imagined it this past week as I read.   I have to say - rereading the book was a disappointment to me.   Yes it is a very good book and Oke is a superb writer, but I could not get the amazement and wonder feeling that I had before.

     She feels God nudging her toward ministry, but what options are there for a young single woman? Emily Evans has a hard time getting herself to class on time, much less figuring out God's will for her life. Then, to her surprise, she feels that God is calling her into full-time Christian service. She expects the Lord will also provide her with a companion to share her life and ministry, but Emily does not want to marry any of the available young men. She squares her shoulders and decides she will accept the task of opening a new church in a pioneer community--alone.

When Emily arrives at her new assignment, she is disappointed to find the church building in disrepair. After many days of hard work fixing it up, she announces her first service and is once again disappointed, this time in the size of her congregation. Is her faith strong enough to stand against the local doubters and myriad challenges that will test her calling?

Pioneer Stories - I think they appeal to me because I tend to like my cushy-life.  I like my air conditioned air and my instant heat when it's cold.  I like protection from storms.  I like driving my car on well paved roads.  I like convenience cooking and housekeeping.  So . . . I am transformed to another time and to an era I can't really imagine surviving.  The simplicity appeals to me. 

I finished this Book Club assignment feeling disappointed that NOW the book didn't hold quite the specialness for me.  It was different than I had remembered but I decided that's crazy - - - I enjoyed it the first time - just let it be what it is - a book I have always loved.  

Shouldn't we 50 year old's know by now that nothing stays the same - what we read and how the book inspires us is really part of who we are at the time and where we are in life . . . that is what I learned.  

excerpt taken from The Calling of Emily Evans by Janette Oke

Where Lilacs Still Bloom

T & T Book Club is a special thing for me.  My sister Tami and I started it many years ago.  Normally the plan is to choose a book for both of us to share reading each month.  The September selection was "Where Lilacs Still Bloom" by Jane Kirkpatrick.    Along with reading the same book we like to find something to discuss about the books or an idea for an activity that came to us through reading the pages of the book.  

Really loved reading Where Lilacs Still Bloom and the reason it grabbed my eye from it's prominent shelf at the library was that my favorite flowers are lilacs.  I'm really not sure why as the blooming season is so short.  But the perfume from lilacs is like nothing else!  Page 16  "A lilac says, 'Here is a place to stay'"  I loved that.  Three of the five homes that I have lived in since getting married have had a lilac bush.  The present one is huge, actually having a 3-fold purpose to smell beautifully in the spring, to provide a shelter belt from the weather for our dog, and to hide the neighbors little dog from our big dog to eliminate barking!  It has accomplished all 3 purposes already this year!  (We didn't live here when it was blooming - but we had intentions to purchase the home).

Tami and I have two assignments to go along with the September Selection:  #1 Pick a discussion question from the end of the book and blog about it and #2 Work hard to "winter" a plant and transplant it outside in the spring.  Doesn't have to be a lilac sprig - - - but some type of blooming flower or plant.

I have chosen question #7 which says:  Do you agree with Hulda when she tells her sister, "Beauty matters . . . God gave us flowers for a reason.  I think so we'd pay attention to the details of creation and remember to trust Him in all things big or little, no matter what the challenge.  Flowers remind us to put away fear, to stop our rushing and running and worrying about this and that, and for a moment have a piece of paradise right here on earth."  Hulda is a real life German immigrant wife and mother who definitely weathered her share of fear and loss.  Her gardens were what kept her focused and grounded through all kinds of disasters.  I don't know if I have her determination, but I certainly have her love for "a garden".    Not until just recently did I consider a flower garden a REAL garden.  I guess I thought it had to be edible or preservable for the winter to be a garden.   But I had recently began to call my back-porch - my garden - because I had flowering pots, hanging baskets, a small corner flower bed, and a very special huge Trumpet Vine tree that grew so beautifully right out my back door.  Every spring I would put together the flower pots, purchase some hanging baskets, and tend to the corner flower bed with mulch and water.  As I have moved now to a different place - God has blessed me again with a "garden".  As I have shared in previous blogs - I now have roses as pictured below.  I have sedum in the back that is blossoming a pretty purple flower this fall, and I have some flower pots - that I packed up and brought with me.  Thus, I have a garden.   Yes, I am a gardener.    I don't share Hulda's determination to make bigger and better varieties, my desire for that stops with watering and feeding, tending to, talking to, and looking at.  I love my flowers.  Yes beauty matters.   I notice it all around.  I notice my neighbors brightly blooming flower pots perfectly placed around her property in little groups of 2 or 3 - a mixture of colors and ferns as well.  I notice when I walk the blocks or ride the streets the yards with flowers.    They are a great enjoyment to me. I like the idea of thinking that somehow they would keep away fear? and worrying?  and rushing and running? I will think on that and make it my truth as well.   My husband is getting ready to build a small fence to border our patio.  I have always wanted a patio.  Now I will have a true corner of paradise to sit in and ponder, read, rest, visit, pray, study.

Check out my sister's blog about Where Lilacs Still Bloom at Just One More Thing . . .

New Reading Challenge for the New Year 2012

Happy New Year - just finished a phone conversation with little sister Tami - on how on earth to join this reading challenge!!  HELP!  I need a course in blogging and I plan to have one the next time we can sit down at a computer and go over things!!  But for now I think she has me on the right track and so I am excited to join The Book Vixen's Challenge for 2012! I will be working on level one - Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books.  I estimate that last year I read 5-6 books - sad I know - but - looking ahead - I plan to read 15 books this year - Our T & T Book Club will provide me with nearly 12 to read and so I will pick 3 on my own.   Happy Reading!