Christmas Ornament Swap

Today is reveal day for the Christmas Ornament Swap hosted by the delightful Stephanie (The Enchanting Rose) blog.

This was a lot of fun to participate in. - Thanks Stephanie for hosting this.

The partner that I sent to was,  Jeanie Walker - Jeanie doesn't have a blog so I'm sharing the gifts that I sent to her.  I bought the ornament before I had even received her information. 

This is what I picked out to send her:

I was so excited when I got her information because she said she liked,  Snowmen and Snowflakes.  How perfect was that ornament!

To round out my package I sent:

A wooden snowflake wall hanging,  Some Cocoa, Some mini M&M's, and a Christmas tissue packet.

The parnter who had my name was,  Carol Slater.  She blogs at:
slatersfunnyfarm.blogspot.com.

Here is what she sent me:

 A Coffee Mug that says,  A Friend is a present you give yourself, That cute little Christmas box.  It was filled with assorted teas & Junior Mint Cocoa (yum!), Some candy, Butterrum lifesavers, I love those.  Some wax melts,  which I haven't had a chance to use yet as my wax melt pot has been put away until after the holidays but the melts sure smell good, a ink pen and a cute little pinecone christmas pot.

Last but certainly not least was this darling cat ornament.  I put it on the tree right away.

 

Thank you so much Carol,  everything was just wonderful.

 

 

Willy Nilly Friday Five

Well if you follow my blog you've probably noticed I've been absent again for a couple of weeks. Seems that is a pattern for me anymore.  I'm still alive and doing okay, just busy.

So today I'm joining Tom (The Backroads Traveller) for:
WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE.

1.  A Frosty Rose - I finally managed to get the rose bushes cut back in the last couple of weeks.  Captured this one before I cut the bushes back.

                                  A Watery Leaf Print on the Windshield

2.  Seasonal Decore 

 

Spotted this in someone's yard and had to take a picture because Thanksgiving usually doesn't get much attention.

 

                                          My mom's new Nativity and Angel

3.  A colorful Truck I spotted while out one day.

4.  Flying South for the Winter - Geese at Bennington Lake with the Blue Mtns. in the background.  Yes we have (snow) in the mountains already.

5.  It's "Sumo Kitty" (aka - Speedy G)

Hope you've enjoyed your visit.  - Have a great weekend.

 



 

Book Review - The Body In The Attic

Today I am reviewing: The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn.

Book Description from Net Galley:

Description

Welcome to River Bluffs, Indiana, a cozy small town populated with charming homes, close-knit families, and the occasional deadly secret . . .

House-flipper Jazzi Zanders and her cousin Jerod have found their latest project. The property, formerly owned by the late Cal Juniper, is filled with debris that must be cleared before the real renovation begins. But a trip to the attic reveals something more disturbing than forgotten garbage—a skeleton wearing a locket and rings that Jazzi recognizes . . .

Tests confirm that the bones belong to Jazzi’s aunt Lynda, who everyone assumed moved to New York years ago after breaking up with Cal. Soon enough, the whole family is involved, sifting through memories and rumors as they try to piece together what really happened to Lynda—and the baby she gave up for adoption. In between investigating and remodeling, Jazzi is falling for the old house’s charms—and for her gorgeous contractor, Ansel. But with surprises lurking in every nook and cranny, a killer might be waiting to demolish her dreams for good

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My thoughts:  Being a huge fan of the television show, Fixer Upper, I was excited about the fact that the main character of the book, Jazzi flipped houses (renovate old homes) for a living along with her cousin Jerod.

The book starts off with Jazzi and Jerod winning the bid on a place that an old family friend had owned.  In fact he had once been engaged to Jazzi's Aunt. - When Jazzi and Jerod go through the attic they discover an old trunk that turns out to contain the remains of a Skeleton, none other then that of Jazzi's Aunt who went missing 26 years ago.

The story continues as Jazzi, Jerod and their construction contractor, Ansel continue to work on the house and try to solve the mystery of her aunt's disappearance and death.  Jazzi works closely with Detective Gaff to interview people that knew her aunt and might have been involved in her murder.  Along the way they discover another body buried in the yard which adds to the suspense of the story.

Jazzi's family was a fun group of people so that made the story enjoyable.  At times it seemed a bit "choppy" in places and I felt the (romance) aspect of the story seemed a bit rushed towards the end of the book.

Overall I would give this book a 3 1/2 star rating.  It was an easy read but again places in the story seemed rushed and not totally developed so I couldn't give it a higher rating.

This is the first book in a new series by this author which I like because its easier to start a series of books then to jump in during the middle of a series.

If you are looking for major suspense and a thriller ending this book probably isn't for you. - On the other hand if you enjoy a good mystery that is fun to read give this one a try.

I received an advance e-copy of the book from Net Galley for my honest opinion and review.  I was not compensated monetarily for my review.

Willy Nilly Friday Five (a little late) and a salute to Veteran's.

Yep, It's Sunday folks and I'm just getting around to posting for:
WILLY NILLY FRIDAY FIVE (hosted by Tom, The Backroads Traveller). What can I say, it's been that kind of a week.

So let's get started: 
1. Spotted this at the Wedding Fountain in Pioneer Park one afternoon. 

2.  Spotted in the Parking Lot at the Grocery store.  - Okay now you might think, Zebra car, yes it is but what you don't realize is that I accidentally took the shot in Black and White.....

Here is the car as it actually looked:

3.   Last weeks shot for 52 Frames, Macro theme.  This is my granddaughter's Leopard Gecko, Speedy.  Isn't she a beauty.

 4.  Fall is still pretty here.  Most of the trees have lost there leaves but a few still remain.  Here are some fall shots to enjoy.

                                            Vines on a chimney

                                              
                                                Golden Carpet

                                              Beauty in the Park
5.  Spotted while out on a drive yesterday:

Bonus:  In Honor of our Veterans:

                                           Liberty Bell Balloon

                                 Community College Campus

Musical Selection: 

Thanks for your Service and Sacrifice to keep us safe.  God Bless You and America.

Book Review - Murder by the Book

Welcome - Today I am reviewing:
Murder by the Book by author, Lauren Elliott.
I received an e-copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest opinions.

Murder by the Book is the debut book in a new series by the author.  I love it when I have a chance to start a book series.

Here is a description from Net Galley of the book:

Description

Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . .
 
Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father’s fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she’s moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store.

But there’s trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie’s friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they’ve got the story in hand, but Addie’s not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . .

Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills...

           

                         -----------------------------------------------------

 

My thoughts on the book:  I absolutely loved this book from the very first page.  While the book was a bit fast paced and crammed a lot into the story I still found it very enjoyable and one that I wanted to keep reading without putting it down. 

 

Addie is the main character in the book and she has suffered several losses in a very short amount of time.  That part was one of the things I thought was a bit "much" to the story but it made sense as you went along in the book.  Addie inherits a family manor and opens up her own rare/used book store much to the dismay of a few of the towns residents.  Soon things start happening like break-ins to the story, near misses with cars, and murder that keep you wanting to figure out the mystery of why they are all happening to Addie.

 

What I really liked was that there were fun character's in the story and a hint of romance as well.  I like a good murder story and this one kept you guessing as to who the murderer was until almost the very end of the story.

 

I found myself rooting for Addie and wanting her to find peace from the turmoil that she had been through. - Of course with a murder to deal with that wasn't easy.  Addie finds that she has friends on her side when she meets up with Serena and her older brother, Marc who happens to be the Chief of the Police.  They team up to help solve this crime.

 

I was satisfied with the ending of the story and excited that there is another book in the series that is now available for pre-order HERE  you can also purchase this book in the series HERE -  I have already pre-order the 2nd book in the series.

 

I will say this is a more (easy) read book and not a suspense type murder mystery but one that I really enjoyed reading.

 

Willy Nilly Friday Five - The Halloween Edition

Welcome!

Joining Tom (The Back Roads Traveller) for:

WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE

For this week I'm featuring Halloween themed photos.  People love to decorate here for Halloween and all photos here were found out and about in town. - Some are spooky some are not.  Enjoy.

Click to Enlarge Photos.

1. 

                                           Rising up from the dead

2. 

A Friendly Witch Ghost

 

3.

Spooky Entryway

 

4.

A cute Scarecrow

 

5.

Witches Brew

Bonus shots:

 

Oh what a Tangled Web we Weave

 

Just Hanging Out

 

Adorably Spooky

 

Mr. Pumpkin Head

 

                                          Werewolves of London

                                            Spooky Flamingo

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My Black and White Shot this week.  This is actually part of an, Art Exhibit on the Whitman College Campus - Non-Halloween related but I thought it was scary enough to share for this post. 
















 

Leaving you this week with a Scary Musical selection:

 



 

Have a great day & thanks for stopping by.

Book Review - Deck The Hounds

Today I am Reviewing,  Deck The Hounds by David Rosenfelt. -  This book is part of the Andy Carpenter series. - I had not previously read any of this series. 

What initially attracted me to the book was the adorable cover and the description of the book.
Plus the fact that it was set at Christmas time (one of my favorite seasons of the year) and featured a Dog in the story.  Since I'm more of a "cat" person I thought I would give dogs an equal chance to be enjoyed in a story line.

Description from Net Galley

This Christmas mystery, featuring criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara, showcases Rosenfelt’s trademark humor and larger-than-life characters.
Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter doesn’t usually stop to help others, but seeing a dog next to a homeless man inspires him to give the pair some money to help. It’s just Andy’s luck that things don’t end there. Soon after Andy’s encounter with them, man and dog are attacked in the middle of the night on the street. The dog defends its new owner, and the erstwhile attacker is bitten but escapes. But the dog is quarantined and the man, Don Carrigan, is heartbroken.
Andy’s wife Laurie can’t resist helping the duo after learning Andy has met them before… it’s the Christmas season after all. In a matter of days Don and his dog Zoey are living above Andy’s garage and become two new additions to the family. It’s not until Andy accidentally gives away his guest’s name during an interview that things go awry; turns out Don is wanted for a murder that happened two years ago. Don not only claims he’s innocent, but that he had no idea that he was wanted for a crime he has no knowledge of in the first place. It’s up to Andy to exonerate his new friend, if he doesn’t get pulled into the quagmire first

My thoughts on the book:  I found I was able to follow this story without having previously read any of the other books in this series.  The story started out with Andy (the books main character) seeing a homeless man and his dog sitting on the sidewalk in the cold. - He offers the man a gift card to Pet Smart and goes some money then goes on his way. Later on the news Andy, his wife, Laurie and son Ricky see a news story on this same homeless man  and his dog.  The man has been attacked and the dog bit the attacker who fled the scene.

Eventually they take the homeless man in along with his dog.  Then in a  series of events the homeless man gets charged with Murder and it's up to Andy to prove him innocent.

Now I must say at times I found the story line a little difficult to follow because there were a lot of twists and turns with various characters coming in and out of the story but in the end they all fit into the plot.

One thing that was enjoyable about the book was the "wit and charm" that the main character, Andy had.  The author was very descriptive which is something that I find helps to make a story fun to read. I also liked that Andy's wife was a part of the story as well in that she helped work on the case.

One thing I did not like about the book was that the (dog) in the story really wasn't a featured part of the story.  For me personally if an animal is part of the books title I feel they should play a more significant role in the story plot then the dog in this story did.

While I did find the story interesting I would have to say for me personally I did not find this to be a series that I would continue to follow. 

I received an e-copy of this book from Net Galley for my honest opinions.

Awww Monday and a late Gottcha Day

If you are here for last Friday's WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE click on the link to be taken to that post.


Saturday was our sweet Speedy G's "Gottcha Day" and I just never got around to getting his pictures up and posted. (Shame on Me) but he had a wonderful day and got plenty of love and attention.  So today I'm sharing his photos for:

 Awww Mondays (Comedy Plus)

 

Our little "cutie" shortly after we got him.  What a difference a year makes:

 I love how he crosses his paws when he sits on the floor.

 I love that little triangle he has on his nose.

 I love how sweet he looks.

 You just want to pinch his cheeks.

Yeah this is why he grew so much!

Happy Gottcha Day (a little late) our sweet Speedy G.

Willy Nilly Friday Five

Hello! - Well it's been a couple of weeks again since I've posted but I'm back today to join Tom (The Backroads Traveller) for:
WILLY-NILLY FRIDAY FIVE

1.  This past week I took my granddaughter and her friend to the local Corn Maze. - Didn't get any pictures because we went at night but though you might enjoy this little video of this years maze.   Click on the link:

https://www.facebook.com/365WashingtonState/videos/269031427058478/

It was a lot of fun.  We had to ask for a couple of hints to get out but for the most part we did the maze on our own.  Took us about an hour to get in and back out.

2. Coleen is really into Skeletons this year and I spotted this on the Whitman College Campus so I decided to take her to see it.  After we got there though she informed me that she'd already seen it on a field trip to the campus, bummer!  Still it made for a great photo to share.  They do have some "strange" art work on the campus.

 3. This weeks Black and White Shot and a colored version as well.

4. Some Halloween fun spotted out and about.

 

5.  Fall is still in glorious color.  I liked the way the sun was shining on this tree and the leaves on top of the roof.



6.  Spotted this on a drive this morning.

 

7.  It's Balloon Stampede Week here in town.  So far this is my favorite shot that I've taken of the balloons.  More to come in another post.

 

 



  So in honor of our Balloon Stampede I'm leaving you with this musical selection.

 

Have a great weekend.