FAB-RUARY DAY 7: Books you’ve loved – loved as a child – want to read

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Linking up with I Will Bloom for Fab-ruary…A month of blog challenges to help you ‘find the fab’.

 

Books!!  You had me at books.  I hate to say it, but I did not like to read at all growing up.  In fact I hated to read. (that was actually hard to type, lol).   All during high school, I used Cliff notes for every book we had to read.  Except one.  I was a sophomore in high school, and we were assigned to read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.  This one only kept my attention because also that year, the movie came out, with a cast including some of the 80’s heartthrobs:  C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillion, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe.  It was a good story, and I did finish the book.

It was probably about 13 years ago that I began reading, and really enjoying it.  The more I read, the more I loved to read.  I especially enjoy reading books that are in a series.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Nikki Heat Series by Richard Castle.  This particular series is so clever, and they are well written.  It is based on the 93show Castle (one of my favorites).  In the show Richard Castle is an author, and Kate Beckett is a detective and his inspiration/muse to the books he writes.  I just love that a fictional character is the author of these books.  On the back of the books is a huge picture of Richard Castle played by Nathan Fillion.  The books are usually based on one of the episodes of the show, and are very well written murder mysteries.  I just think this is a very clever marketing tool as well.

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The Fools Gold series by Susan Mallery.   Based in a small town with fascinating characters, especially the Mayor, who is female and California’s longest serving mayor.
 

 

 

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The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts.  A detailed story about the renovation of an old inn.  I love how she describes tile patterns and fabrics, and furniture throughout the book, it’s like you are a part of the renovation itself.  The characters are fun too. Nora Roberts actually owns this inn and renovated it.  The Inn is located in Boonsboro, Maryland, and is absolutely beautiful.

 

Cedar Cover series by Debbie Macomber.  This series is based in a small town as well.  Each book is a different 0020730e8ea40d7be65d93a3cf6b431aaddress, which I liked, and the first number of each address is the order in which it falls in the series.  I just like little details like that. 🙂  This was made into a series on the Hallmark channel, and I thought would be really good.  But I didn’t like who they chose to play the main character.  The stories are very good.

 

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Friday Harbor Series by Lisa Kleypas.  This is also a series based on a renovation of an old Victorian (LOVE Victorian homes).  I have to share the first line of the first book, I had to read it twice:

The ghost had tried many times to leave the house, but it was impossible.

Very. good. stories.

FAB-RUARY DAY 6: Coolest thing you ever saw (and why!)

Snow Art!!

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Why?

These designs are incredibly cool!! Especially knowing what it takes to make them…plus…it’s snow!! (no pun intended) lol.

You can read the whole story and see more here at the Daily Mail.com

Quick Info:

Created by Simon Beck a 55-year old orienteering map designer, from Bracknell, in Berkshire

Can spend up to 10 hours walking 40 km (that’s about 25 miles for us Americans) 🙂 to create one single design

Plans out his pattern on graph paper and uses a measuring tape, snow shoes and a compass to create it

These can be found in France, where he lives during ski season, in spaces between lodges and mountains at ski resorts.

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Linking up with I Will Bloom for Fab-ruary…A month of blog challenges to help you ‘find the fab’.

FAB-RUARY DAY 5: This makes me smile

This is the pic that my daughter shared with me and thus began our love for Corgis.  Someday we’ll have our own running around.  How can one not smile at this fluffy bit of cuteness?  Just look at ’em!!  It’s the ears…and the little legs…and he’s smiling right back at you!!

Linking up with I Will Bloom for Fab-ruary…A month of blog challenges to help you ‘find the fab’.

Double Link Up…

FAB-RUARY DAY TWO:

A Postcard From Your Ideal Life…

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 Linking up with I Will Bloom for Fab-ruary…A month of blog challenges to help you ‘find the fab’.


AND…

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
Cold and White!!  We survived the blizzard from yesterday.  In the middle of the afternoon, as the twins were communicating with their friends from different areas of the town, they would yell out who lost power and what street, as they scrambled for their phone chargers, lol.  It got as close to us as the next street over, and my son was like “it’s getting closer!!”  Thankfully, we didn’t lose power.

See pics below.

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:
Cinnamon toast (not a big breakfast person), and coffee with International Delight Cold Stone Creamery Sweet Cream.

AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:IMG_2034
I see a lot of snow, snow drifts, and our neighbors digging themselves out.  But the snow is so beautiful glistening in the sunlight.  The sunshine is nice today…but that also means 6 more weeks of winter, since the groundhog saw his shadow.  The way the wind was blowing last night, we could not see out our front windows.  This is what our front door looked like last night.

 

ON TODAY’S TO DO LIST:
Shoveling, laundry of course, home school.  Today is my middle son’s birthday, he’s 14 and taller than me, where has the time gone?  I baked him a Funfetti Cake that he requested.

RIGHT NOW I AM:
Feeling a breeze across my head as my son is flying his new remote controlled helicopter, over me while I sit here finishing up this post. 🙂  I must have a lot of confidence in his flying to allow this thing to hover over me.  Those things are totally cool though, this one even has lights!!

CURRENTLY READING:
Just finished: The Second Chance Café by Alison Kent.  This one was good.  A story about a girl who was in the system as a child, and raised by Foster parents.  After they die she is able to purchase the house she grew up in with them, and renovates it (love my renovations, lol), and turns it into a Café, all while trying to find her parents.

Currently Reading: Evening Stars by Susan Mallery (one of my favorite authors).  I love all of Susan Mallery’s characters.  Her Fool’s Gold Series has 15 books, and all the characters are different, and a lot of them interact with each other.  Such good stories too.

Currently Browsing:  Weaving Made Easy a lot of terminology.  This is really a how to book, and without an actual loom, and not knowing the new terms, hard to picture what is being said.  But a lot of helpful information about the whole process and how to choose yarns and colors.

ON THE TV TODAY:
Castle!!  I think last week was a re-run.  I am also waiting for The Good Wife to resume!!

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:
Pizza – Birthday Celebration
Beef Stew
Chicken Bacon Club Sandwiches (Subway style)
BBQ Breaded Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli/Cauliflower with bread crumbs, Grands Flakey Biscuits.

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:
Still nothing. 😦 The book I just read had a character that made scarves with a loom weave.  So I found a book that tells you how to get started.  It’s going to be a process, but there is just something that fascinates me about it.

NEW RECIPE I HAVE TIRED OR WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:
10006195_10152979512211002_97405721_nI have been quite ambitious in the kitchen.  I saw this recipe on Face Book and tried it  Yeah…it looks good, but, eh.  A little extra work, and it’s basically just pancakes and bacon, though my oldest son said that they were easier to eat.  I think I’ll stick to making them separately. 🙂

I also tried the Simple Bread Pudding from Northwoods Scrapbook.  WOW!!  That was a bowl full of delicious!!  I actually made a big 9 x 13 pan of it, #growingboys.  My youngest son likes to watch that show The Chop with my mom.  So as he’s eating this, he is taking small bites and chewing it, with this serious look on his face, just trying to absorb all the flavors, and figure out the ingredients.  Then he says this is really good, did you make this recipe up yourself?  Because if you did, you could be on The Chop!!  LOL.  I had to let him know that I wasn’t that awesome to make up my own recipe, but awesome enough to follow one.  Thanks Carrie for sharing that one, I have to make more!!

FAVORITE PHOTO FROM CAMERA:
Had to share the Blizzard of 2015 with you.  I so enjoyed watching the snow fall, and fall, and fall…all. day. long.  My daughter was the designated photographer.

These were all before the snowstorm was upgraded to a blizzard.

 

Fab-ruary: Day 1 – Inspirational quotes

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Joining Helen at I Will Bloom for Fab-ruary…A month of blog challenges to help you ‘find the fab’.  Don’t know if I will make it everyday, but will jump in when I can.  So let the fabulous fun begin!!

I have found this one to be true, more so over time.  Since my dad passed away just a couple of years ago I find that each day, month, year that goes by, there are more smiles than tears.