It's back to winter here…..

Brrr…..only 19 degrees outside right now.  Winter is holding onto Wisconsin….although I noticed that it (might) get into the 50s this coming week.  YAY!!  Not soon enough for me, I'll tell you!!  I can't wait to open up my windows and get some fresh air in my house……hopefully before the heat of the summer along with the humidity.  lol  Seriously, just to see green grass again will be a delight!

Here are the envelopes I sent out this week.  I had a few family birthdays, so that's why there are more than usual:

AND…..of course, I read some books.  Incidentally, the 1/2 book that I read and told you about last week, I took back to the library…….I lost my place and it was due anyway.  Duh!  I'll have to borrow it again.  The name of it is "Dead Wake:  The Last Crossing of the Lustania" by Erik Larson.  It's getting all sorts of hype lately and actually, the 1/2 I read was pretty good.  In addition to that, I read these:

THE POCKET WIFE  (debut)                  by                 Susan Crawford
THE DEAD KEY   (debut)                       by                 D. M Pulley
MASTER THIEVES   non-fiction             by                 Stephen Kurkjan

By far, "The Dead Key" was the BEST!!  At 467 pages in softcover, it won the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novels award and it was well deserved!  I think I finished it in two days.  Today,  I'm expecting an order from Amazon so I'm excited!  Harlan Coben's latest book, "The Stranger" is among my items so that'll be on my list for next week.  Rarely do I buy hardcover books, but Harlan Coben is one of our favorites so his books are passed through the family and then we re-sell them to the 2nd hand bookstore or donate them to our local library for their annual book sale.

So, my friends, have a happy, fun week!  Smile and take time for yourself!  You're worth it!

Short and sweet…….

Not much going on this week creatively.  I suppose that happens to everyone now and again when life gets in the way with other situations.  Here are the envelopes I sent out this week to my sweeties:

And, naturally, I did get a few books read.  Actually, I read 1/2 half of another one too, but I'll tell you about that one next week.  Rarely do I read two books at once, but these were fiction and non-fiction (sort of) so it made it easier.  Incidentally, thanks for the "heads up" that you enjoy my small review of books every week.  I try my best!  Be assured that I completely investigate everything I read first for story content, and (hopefully) others reviews before I even pick up a book.  I, like you, don't want to waste my time reading unless I think it might be good either.

THE BOOKSELLER  (debut)                by                  Cynthia Swanson
DAMAGE CONTROL                          by                   Robert Dugoni

"The Bookseller" was good, but had a very different concept than anything I've ever read before.  When I finished, I think I was just as confused as the main character.  You can read my review on goodreads.com.  The other one, "Damage Control" was by an author I discovered last year and have almost finished reading everything he has written except for one.  This was probably the worse of the lot, but I whipped through it in no time anyway.

So, that's it.  Enjoy your week!  And send the sun and warm temps back here please.  We're back to normal which is in the low 40s.  Brrrrrrr!

Who'd ever guess???

E-gads, who'd ever guess that we'd get 67 degree temps here in Wisconsin on March 13th??  I can't remember that ever happening, although I haven't heard (yet) if it's a record, so who knows?  I am enjoying this break from our single digits though, I must admit!  The snow is almost all gone too, if you can believe?  From what I understand, we'll have a few more days of above normal temps and then it'll go back to the normal low 40's where it belongs this time of year.

I sewed this week……amazingly enough and I'll show you at the end of the month.  It's just a small swap quilt, so no big deal….(although I do like it.)

Here are the envelopes I sent this week (and thankfully, my little niece finally got the book I mailed out last Saturday).  Lord knows what's up with her post office though.  She still didn't get the one I mailed Wednesday and she lives only about 35 minutes away from me.  I suppose I should be happy she's getting them at all, huh?

And, of course, I read a few books this week.  (I should be out looking for new carpeting for our house though, but that's another story.)

THE LOST EMPRESS                                by                       Steve Robinson
THE GOOD GIRL  (debut)   xxxxx                by                       Mary Kubica
MOSQUITOLAND (debut)                            by                       David Arnold

(Ever wonder why so many authors have simple names?  Me too!!)  Anyway, #2 was good, good, good!  I could hardly put it down.  Check it out on Amazon (I think it was just released in soft cover) or Goodreads to read the reviews.  I got my copy from the library.  Seriously, I could hardly put it down and finished it in 6 hours flat.

So, happy reading, or sewing, or whatever fills your heart with joy!  Have a great week, my friends!

Turn your clocks ahead tonight….

I LOVE daylight savings time!!  I live for it!  Here in Wisconsin, even the days seem warmer when it's lighter outside earlier in the evening.  I kid you not!  You'll laugh, but I never change my clock in my car.  It's ALWAYS on daylight savings time!  Always!  My husband thinks I'm crazy…..BUT, it's my car and I like it that way.  I might have to think a bit differently during the few months we're in the dark (so to speak), but it all works out!  And yeah….tonight we change!!  I'm a happy girl!

Not much new.  I did a 8 1/2 inch appliquéd block for a joint sympathy quilt that a bunch of us are doing for a Flickr friend who lost her mother this week, sent out a few envelopes (below) to my girlies, and read a few books.  Also had to call the dishwasher repair guy and think of a few other repair people I need to get here for stuff.  Ugh!  Now I know why old people's houses get run down……too much bother and who wants strangers in the house all the time?  Much easier just to live day to day and pretend everything is okay!!!  (E-gads, do I sound old or what??)  Actually, I did have a birthday this week, so perhaps that's the reason, who knows??  

Anyway, here are the envelopes that I sent out this week:

Naturally, my little granddaughter, Arwen, got an identical one to that bottom one with her name on it too.

I read some good books this week……probably the best one so far in 2015.  Yeah!!  Last year I read "A Fall of Marigolds" by Susan Meissner and loved it.  It's on my all time favorites list so when I discovered that the author released another book this year, I was dying to read it and it did not disappoint me.  Do yourself a favor and read, "Secrets of a Charmed Life"……another winner!  These both are historical fiction just so you know, and are in soft cover.

March books so far:

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (debut and good)        by        Paula Hawkins
SECRETS OF A CHARMED LIFE (xxxxx)           by        Susan Meissner
FORTUNATELY THE MILK (kids book)               by        Neil Gaiman
THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE
                                     HENNESSEY               by         Rachel Joyce

And that's it!  Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead and enjoy the extra sunshine.  Until next week...