Another great suspense read!

The Stolen by Jason Pinter

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh.my.gosh. This book was soooooooooooo good! I had never heard of Jason Pinter before. I got his book from my Mira book club and it sounded good so I read it. I HATED to put this book down.

Daniel Linwood disappears as a young boy only to return to his family almost 5 years later with no evidence of abuse or neglect, and no memory of the years he was missing. Henry Parker is a reporter sent to cover his story. Intrigued by certain things is his interview with the boy, Henry digs deeper and finds Daniel isn't the only child who has been taken and then returned a few years later unharmed. I won't spoil the story.. just read it and find out the deeply hidden and disturbing secrets behind the disappearances.


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Never Argue With A Woman

I got this from my friend Chris. I love it!!


One morning the husband
returns after several hours of fishing and decides to take
a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife
decides to take the boat out. She motors out a short
distance, anchors, and reads her book.

Along comes a Game Warden
in his boat. He pulls up alongside the woman and says,
'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'
'Reading a book,'
she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')
'You're in a
Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her
'I'm sorry,
officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading'
'Yes, but you have all
the equipment. For all I know you could start at any
moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'

'For reading a
book,' she replies,
'You're in a
Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her again,
'I'm sorry,
officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.'
'Yes, but you have all
the equipment. For all I know you could start at any
moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up.'

'If you do that,
I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says
the woman.
'But I haven't even
touched you,' says the game warden.
'That's true, but
you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start
at any moment.'


'Have a nice day
ma'am,' and he left.


MORAL: Never argue with a
woman who reads. It's likely she can also think. Send
this to four women who are thinkers. If you receive this,
you know you're intelligent.

Tea With Jane

I finished this yesterday.. any ideas what I should make it into? I don't need a tea cozy cause I don't have a teapot.. at least not yet..

Hanna and her new do

Actually she got it cut a couple of weeks ago but I forgot to post!

A book review: The Ocean Between Us

The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a great book, especially for anyone from a military family. Grace and Steve are married. Steve is in the navy and is gone for months at a time. They have 3 teenage children, two of which are coming upon their high school graduation. The story is about them and another couple (I will not spoil the plot by telling you about them) and basically how Navy life affects their family and the decisions they make. It was an excellent book.


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Two things finished this week!

A San Man kit I received as a gift a while back- pillow included (I only WISH I made pillows that well! And a magnet for a friend who hopefully won't check my blog for the next few days. I did cut it a little more evenly after I took this picture, but I was at work so I didn't take another pic.

The gift I made for Mom and Dad's 40th anniversary

I can post it now cause they got it yesterday!

Quick blog before work...

Sorry I haven't blogged much, I have been stitching away to get a couple of things finished.. now they are done but I can't even post them here yet, because they are gifts...one you will get to see soon but the other may be a while. I have started a couple of new things, and am still working on my Christmas ornament on Mondays. The two things I just started shouldn't take too long so hopefully I will be posting them in the next week or so! I will blog more later, I have to finish making my lunch and get the kids off to daycare so I can go do my morning walk. I didn't walk at all last week and I feel like a blob. lol

My new glasses!

Whatcha think?

More glasses!

OK, trash all the ones on the previous blog, cause I like all these better. I am really leaning toward either the first or last one, but I thought I'd post the middle one too, even tho I look like I'm stoned in that picture. lol Appointment is next Wed. I have never been so excited to get my glasses in my life!! :-D The one pair is kind of crooked, but I couldn't get them to straighten out.

Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark

Two Little Girls in Blue: A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow. Mary Higgins Clark does it again! This was a page-turner. I finished it in just a few days. While I'm not sure about the whole "twin telepathy" thing, at least not to the extent they had in the book, it was still really good. I sat up last night and finished it because I couldn't put it down, I HAD to see how it ended!


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a fun site for readers

Has anyone heard of GoodReads? Here is my page: Hi,

http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDU4ODYyMDI6MzU2%0A

Not much on there yet, I'm just starting out. :-)

one for Christmas

My days are off from having today off(not that I'm complaining) and I almost forgot today was my "Christmas stitching day". I remembered just in time and finished this one by the Sampler Girl. :-)

AWESOME books

I got this great book at the book sale at my library back in April. It's called The Disappearance by and author named J.F. Freedman. This book was so good. I think it was over 400 pages and I read it in a week/week and a half. I read it every chance I got- at lunch, in the line to pick up Hanna from school, at long stoplights(shh don't tell). It's a suspense book- kind of Law and Order meets CSI- heh. I highly recommend it.
Next I read Summer's Child by Luanne Rice, which when I started I didn't realize was a prequel to another book I read by her, Summer of Roses. Both of these books were great as well. Matters of the heart and suspense as well! Good summer reading!!

What do you think?

Next week I am going to get new glasses- which ones do you like best? I know they are all kinda similar but I would still like to know what you think. :-) Please forgive my hideousness.

Magnolias are here!

One of the things I love about living in the South. Aren't they beautiful? And they smell wonderful too!

Scissors fobs

Hanna, my 9-year-old, actually made these and would like to sell them. She will be making some more when we can get more supplies. They are $5.00 each + 1.00 for shipping. :-) I think they're pretty!

Some new things to post

One of these, the pillow, I finished a few weeks ago, but was waiting for my friend to get it in the mail. The other is one I finished this week, I plan on making it into a pillow but want to find the perfect fabric. :-)

Juno

I watched this movie tonight. It was surprisingly cute and sweet. But I have to say the soundtrack SUCKED. Almost every single song sounded the same and was really annoying. And the Moldy Peaches? What kind of name is that? I just didn't get the soundtrack, really. I don't even usually notice the music in a movie to be honest, unless it is exceptionally good. But all the songs were pretty much the same, and kind of loud. Ellen Page did a great job in the movie though. I give it two thumbs up. lol

And another...

The shades make the man!

A Verse

Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
~Edgar Allan Poe~


Isn't it lovely?

Loving Swirly Snow is finally done!

Hooray! I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out- I wasn't sure the fabric would work but I like it. It gives it that grey snowy sky feeling. :-)

Bubbles!!

Rob got David a bubble gun, and he and Hanna were playing with it outside today. I love this picture, even if he is all messy from eating lasagna! lol

David's first fishing trip

He went with Rob and caught 3 fish today, including the one pictured! He caught more than Rob did!!

Need opinions please..

Here is a piece I finished a few weeks ago, it required a charm that I couldn't get locally, and rather than order it and not know if it would fit or not, I bought a charm at Michael's today(actually a pack of them). This one is the one that worked the best. Please let me know if you think it works ok or not- I could just take it off, it didn't seem like anything was missing without it but I thought it was a nice touch. Thanks! Please excuse my wrinkles and the askew-ness of my charm, it got knocked a little when scanning!

A new finish

A bookmark for a good friend from church!

Fun with Photo Fantasy

I actually forgot I had this program til I picked it by accident to touch up a photo. I've been having fun messing around with it! I know, I need to get a life.. lol

I love this picture

I took it awhile back at my little man's bedtime!

Updates

Here are my two projects I'm working on... I didn't get much stitching done the few weeks I was sick, I hope to get back working on these on a regular basis now!!

Idle flowers

Thick on the woodland floor
Gay company shall be,
Primrose and Hyacinth
And frail Anemone,
Perennial Strawberry-bloom,
Woodsorrel's pencilled veil,
Dishevel'd Willow-weed
And Orchis purple and pale.
~Robert Seymour Bridges, Idle Flowers

I really like this quote!

What makes a good blog?

Just now I was clicking "next blog" and paging thru the many blogger blogs that are out there.. and find mine very lacking. I found blogs full of beautiful pictures and insights and things very meaningful. I am a little depressed now and feel a little like my blog is rather dull. :-(

Hanna's Oil Pastel Egg

Every so often the local schools display kids' artwork at the mall, this time one of Hanna's was chosen! Here it is. :-)

still here...

I know it's been a little while, a bad cold or flu, I don't know what it is, has got me down. It's been off and on, mostly on, for three weeks now and it's REALLY getting old. I am feeling a bit better today, but I don't know if it's the meds I'm taking or I'm actually getting better or both. I stayed home from work today because this morning I felt so weak I could hardly stand for more than a couple of minutes together, though I think that's my own fault for not eating right this weekend. I just wasn't hungry. The worst part of it is that our medical insurance changed the first of the year and our old doctor isn't under our new plan, and we haven't chosen a new doctor yet. And the new insurance doesn't cover places like Immediate Care or any of those other walk-in places. So we need to sit down tonight and find a doc. Cause I am tired of this mess.
So as a result of this, I haven't stitched much lately. I've been going to bed pretty much right after the kids do, with the exception of last night; I stayed up and read for a bit. Maybe while I'm home today I'll have the energy to sit and stitch a bit.. we'll see..I may try to go into work later just to run the end of the day reports.

A good wife.

OH my gosh this is too funny! Supposedly an actual article from "back in the day."

a better pic of "Comfort House"

Finally got some batteries for my camera..

a framing finish from a couple of weeks ago..

I stitched this piece back in '02 (!) and finally framed it, another frame courtesy of my dad. :-) Sorry for the crooked picture!

David's Haul

David is almost 3 and has been in the 3-year-old room at daycare quite a bit, so he got to go the 2-year-old's party and the 3-year-old's party. Look at all this stuff! I feel like a slacker mom, I just gave him traditional cards with tattoos in some and pencils in others.. and all these moms made goody bags!

Hanna on Valentine's Day

With a new haircut as well!

A funny Ash Wednesday story

I know, Ash Wednesday is not a funny day.. but I had to share this. My church is relatively small, and not many people (sadly) show up for the Lenten services. So at our Ash Wednesday service all of us that were there came up around the altar at the same time to receive ashes on our forehead, including me and my 2 kids. David, my 2 year old, after I got the ashes on my forehead looked at me and loudly said "EEEW! EEEW!" and was pointing at my head, and his sister's. He said something else that I can't remember then continued to say "EEW!" and said to me "You going to take a bath?" LOL!!! It was too funny. Thank goodness people at my church are fairly laid back.

And the second pic..

A little blurry but the color is a little bit better.. a little.. lol

Comfort House

Posting a couple of different pics, neither are very good.. but they'll have to do til I get batteries for my camera! This is an exclusive design by The Sampler Girl. The quote is from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.

"Magic Stitch" sewing machines are..

PIECES OF CRAP!!!!! I mean, I wasn't expecting a professional grade sewing machine, just something that I can sew little pillows and ornaments with and stuff.. well I got one free through this gift thing at my husband's work. When we got it the thing was already threaded, which was ok but it had a little sample piece of fabric in it, and the thread was kind of twisted, the foot pedal didn't work..and now my new year's resolution is messed up because I was going to finish something every week, as I mentioned before.. I hadn't posted week 4 yet due to my camera batteries being dead.. but I had been keeping up. I am really upset, I stayed up late pinning and cutting all for naught. And there's not even an address to send the thing back to that I could find. I know it was free but I want them to know what a piece of junk the thing is.

Tuckered out..

Had to take this.. David fell asleep on my lap desk so he must've been pretty tired! It was so cute. I couldn't even wake him enough to eat dinner..I just let him sleep and then took him up to bed. Forgive the not-so-good picture quality. I need batteries for my camera so I am using my cell phone!

Finish 3 of the year

I had stitched this sometime before and thought it would be great for my friend Melissa, as she is an angel!! I finished into this tuck last weekend (finishing touches today) and framed a piece for myself, which I will post later.

Heath Ledger- A Tribute

I am so sad about this- it's so tragic! I pray for his little daughter, she is my son's age and won't understand..

Oh and a Project Runway rant..

I know, I know, I said I wouldn't watch this season due to the travesty of last season.. but I am weak. lol I love Tim Gunn and this season's contestants looked really interesting.. but I am seeing it go the way of last season as well. For instance, on the Avant Garde challenge.. Viktoria and Julianne (I think that's her name) - the judges RAVED about them.. all their outfits were wonderful, and technically they had three looks. Judges on Christian and Chris- very good also but the skirt looked cheap, etc. So who wins? CHRISTIAN. WTH? Christian is their favorite and I'm not going to be surprised at all- he's good, but he's a cocky little diva. And the fronts of his garments always almost look similar. OK I'm done for now. But if he continues to get favoritism this season I will NOT watch if there is another season, and I MEAN it.

Lazy Sunday

It's been a fairly relaxing day today.. went to church this morning after thawing the car doors and scraping the windows, been doing a little laundry but other than that just been hangin' out. The kids have been watching Star Wars movies all day upstairs, so we've been watching this and that, I've been online, been doing some stitching.. but what I am really excited about is that I ordered a sewing machine! Dh's work had a 'gift book' that they gave out at Christmas- we looked through it and looked through the online catalog but couldn't decide on anything.. they had a little cordless sewing machine (that does come with an adapter thankfully), so I ordered it, it should come in handy making tucks and ornaments and things. I had one of those "As seen on TV" Easy Sew sewing machines, but it didn't come with an adapter and I left the batteries in it too long, so of course they leaked. I tried to clean it out but it still wouldn't work right. So I'm going to try again. This one's called a Magic Stitch. If I can get halfway decent at sewing I'll invest in a real sewing machine. I kind of have to be self-taught as no one around here can show me that I know of, the ones I know that could, I would have to go to them which would require making sure dh or someone could watch the kids, etc... too much of a pain. Dh surprisingly has a little sewing experience (from being in the military? I don't know) so he has shown me some basics.
I had gotten an OLD sewing machine from a friend, if this new one works out I will give it back to her. It didn't have a manual and I was afriad to even try it.. I found some threading diagrams online for it but they weren't very easy to read.
Other than that not much going on today, I've been working on my "Comfort House" freebie from The Jane Austen Stiching Group and I like the way it's turning out. I changed the colors a bit cause I like overdyed threads better, and the color the words were in didn't show up on the fabric I had chosen- basically the only piece I had that was large enough. lol When I get a little more done I'll post a pic.
That's about it here for now.. gonna check some boards and my email then probably stitch some more. I love days like this but it does make it hard to get geared up for work tomorrow! ;-)

Sharing the Holidays by San Man Originals

Is finally finished!! Woohoo! As Mr Woodhouse said in Emma - "It only wants a suitable frame!" Guess I will have to talk to Dad about that.. :-)

A finished piece from 2003

Finally framed this today(can't rush these things)- I actually stitched it in 2003 but just framed it today. My dad made the frame.

Cool pictures

My mom took these on her vacation in Minnesota this summer. I think they are so cool!

I am Jane Bennet

Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Jane Bennet As someone who would rather see the good in people, Jane is a true pacifist and caregiver. At times, her shy temperament and naive outlook of people can land her in a compliant position, but those who know her love her for her positive spirit and cheerful view of what surrounds her. Jane Bennet 72% Emma Woodhouse 69% Elizabeth Bennet 66% Elinor Dashwood 63% Marianne Dashwood 50% Charlotte Lucas 31% Lady Catherine 25%

Tired of stitching white!

Ugh. I am working on three projects right now- a Christmas card design, a San Man Originals Christmas design (seen earlier in this blog) and a Swirly Snow design.. and I am stitching lots of white in all of them!! I am ready for another color! lol Just had to vent. ;-)

Two of my favorite things in one place!!

I recently joined a Yahoo group for cross stitchers who love Jane Austen and her works. Like I don't find enough ways to spend time on the computer, but I couldn't pass it up!! I'm looking forward to some great fun and friendship!