Wordless Wednesday -- Santa Clara

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I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.

~ Psalm 122:1

The Gate House by Nelson Demille

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/  Anyone can play along!

From The Gate House by Nelson Demille, page 72:

In fact, many of the old family servants had been planted in what I called "The Stanhope Bone Orchard", including George Allard. I think I actually had a plot there too, but maybe I lost that in the divorce.

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The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

~1 Corinthians 2:14

Gilded by Deborah Davis

Gilded by Deborah Davis is a captivating history of socially exclusive and elaborately developed Newport, Rhode Island, which--of course--only matters to those who care. Dating back to A.D. 1000 when Norse sailors visited the area and to the Native Americans who used it long before the ships landed, this non-fiction book reads like a very good novel. Think "Lives of the Richer & Famouser"! Outlandish extravagance well established by the Mrs. Caroline Astor set the mark for all the Vanderbilts, Oelrichs, and Fishes to follow.

The author delineates the changing fortune of Newport through tales about many people who lived or vacationed there. Standards were set, then changed. Some residents changed with the times, others clung to the old ways of the Gilded Age. The storyline takes the reader through world events effecting this cloistered community and ends at the present time. Its an exhilarating history lesson that can also rank among excellent beach reads not because its light-weight, but because I could not put the book down.

5/5 stars

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But Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble.   ~ Isaiah 33:2

Teaser Tuesdays -- Gilded

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ . Anyone can play along. Just do the following:

++Grab your current read

++Open to a random page

++Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

++Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From Gilded How Newport Became America's Richest Resort by Deborah Davis    p. 82

Mamie, Fish, the third member of the Newport Social Strategy Board, was an unlikely candidate for the role because she was always breaking--then rewriting--the stuffy rules of society. Mamie decided that Newport dinners, often lasting three to four hours, were interminably long, so a meal at her house was a speedy affair.

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For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.  ~ Psalm 143:11

I've Created A Monster!!

I've created a monster!!

 Oh---it's an---orange elephant. Whew. Except for the ears and tail, this cute little pattern is knitted in one piece! Can you believe it?! Of course you can. It is now bagged and tagged (crime shows, anyone?) and ready to be dropped where a child can find it. This endeavor is the project of http://www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com/  The pattern is available at http://www.angelfire.com/art2/oasisguild/news2_5.html#top You'll need to scroll part way down the page to find the pattern. This one is made with GGH Samoa and size 5 needles. Orange elephant is lounging near the impatiens and verbena on the deck table. So cool....

Meanwhile at the front door, this peony shrub stands straight and tall, loaded with buds.

Loaded with tightly rounded buds that are yet to open though the ants are crawling all over them, trying to do their job. Soon. Soon they will bloom.

How does it stand so tall, you might ask?  Using my mother's method, I tied the stems with an old knee-high stocking. Works perfectly. Doesn't cut into the stems. Doesn't show.

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Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.~~ 1 Peter 4:8

Friday Fill-In #177

http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/
And...here we go!

1. My grandchildren never fail to make me smile.

2. I'm looking forward to camping & boating.

3. Television is what I'm listening to right now.

4. Potato salad must have lots of celery in it!

5. Prosciutto wrapped asparagus was the best thing I ate today.

6. Today was quite restful.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to the lake, tomorrow my plans include boating and camping, and Sunday, I want to do more boating and camping!

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Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. --Luke 18:40–41

Books 'n' Flowers 'n' ....Life Jackets?

Lovely Margot at http://joyfullyretired.com/ sent the ARC Spinning Forward by Terri Dulong. Thanks to Margot for what appears to be a fun read!

I've finished filing the pots on our deck starting with this so pretty George & Martha geranium sharing a pot with a Dusty Miller and Bacopa.

Petunias and violas are such a colorful combination along with a few other small plants along the railing of the deck.

For accent, we have...life jackets!! So, we bought a larger pontoon this spring. The seller told us he left the life jackets on the boat for us. OK, that was very nice. We thanked him. As we cleaned the pontoon the other day, I opened the storage bins under the seats and began tossing the jackets onto the lawn. DH carried the heap to the corner patio in the back yard.

Twenty! There were 20 life jackets of every size, style, and color on that boat! All these in addition to the ones we already have!

Most of them will be donated to our church garage sale, although my hair dresser asked me for one to fit her 3-year-old nephew. Comin' right up!!

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Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses.   ~ Proverbs 10:12

Trouble in Bloom

Trouble in Bloom by Heather Webber

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

After struggling through 165 pages of this book, I skimmed through to the end. Nina Quinn finds herself involved in a weakly written tome in Book 4 of this series set on a reality TV program. Of course, there's murder, her uncertain romantic status, and many short, choppy sentences. The writing put me off and made me wonder if the author struggled to get this book written. This was an unpleasant reading experience for me because the writing simply did not flow. If you're a Nina Quinn fan, you might want to skip this not-so-cozy book.

View all my reviews >>

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Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God!  ~ Psalms 42:11

Mitered Blanket Progess

This blanket is humming along nicely, thank you. I must be in the mood for this project because I rarely enjoy a project that is so repetitive. However the color changes, the constant decreasing on each square, and the puzzling together of the squares equal a fun and engaging process.
Of the darker colors, one set is dark blue and the other is meridian blue. All four blue shades are discontinued Cascade 220 yarns while the cream is Plymouth Encore. True to form, the Plymouth Encore has a more pleasant hand for me. All in all, this is shaping up to be a very special blanket for DGS#4's birthday this summer. I know---exactly when he doesn't need it. He's been requesting a blanket for a couple of years now, so he'll be thrilled. Even in July.

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And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.    ~ Colossians 3:15

Friday Fill-In ##175

#175

By Janet

And...here we go!

1. Salsa and chips.

2. Brats with sauerkraut and you've even got mustard.

3. By the time I get home, I'll be hungry again!

4. Being finished is what I look forward to most when grocery shopping.

5. And I was dreaming of reading on the beach.

6. Guacamole...is there anything else better?!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to lots of knitting time, tomorrow my plans include grandson's baseball games and Mother's Day dinner and Sunday, I want to go to the lake!

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Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! ~ Psalm 66:5

Dogs On Thursday

Since Lailah loves riding in our vehicles, we've trained her to be our chauffeur! Here she waits as one of her minions--that would be DH and I--pumps gas into the Tundra. No word on whether she'll be allowed to steer the pontoon, however!

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Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3

The Toy Society

Here's the wee-little baby bear that I made today for The Toy Society http://www.thetoysociety.blogspot.com/ . Wonderful pattern! He's knit in one piece which is then folded in half and seamed. Really! I am so not kidding. Some diagonal stitches across the top corners form the little ears. A few finishing touches for the face, add a bow and he's ready to be found by a child. This is made with Plymouth Encore Sock DK weight yarn and size 6 needles. The pattern is "Bear Pair Teddy Bears" at http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/buddybears.html There's also a crochet pattern available.

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For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  ~ Proverbs 2:6

Wordless Wednesday

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Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!  - Philippians 2:5-8

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Make certain that you exclude spoilers! Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others.Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are mine from Trouble In Bloom, a cozy mystery by Heather Webber:
 

"Thou, Nina Colette Ceceri Quinn, shall never, ever, resort to a bad comb-over if thou should happen to go bald....Right up there with never wearing dark socks--or any socks for that matter--with sandals and never letting hair on my upper lip grow to the point where someone thinks I have a moustache."

 

What are YOU reading?

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. . . until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.   ~Ephesians 4:13

Plymouth In Progress

Block One of the mitered ghan for DGS#5 is now complete and ready to grow! I've been sketching ways to place these mitered squares to achieve the look I'm imagining. I'm not even going to attempt to describe it! The darker striped blocks are actually two different colors. The top left block is medium blue rather than navy. The lower left block is a gorgeous blue-green. I think DGS#5 will love the stripy-ness of this ghan. It will certainly be a visual challenge!! The yarny goodness is Plymouth Encore in the cream color. The rest is Cascade 220. We all know just how satisfying it is to work with these yarns, don't we? My size 8 needles and I love them!

I give you the bunched up wedding ghan! There's a lot going on there--not easy to see the stems and buds along the bottom edge and the horizontal row of leaves with the seed stitch. This is for DGS#1 and his bride-to-be. Since the wedding is a little over a year away, I'm not in a rush to complete it. Its a combo of "Nature in Natural" from Lion Brand and the "Entwined Trees" by Nicky Epstein. Once again, we have the ever-faithful Plymouth Encore yarn.

A candy corn ghan from stash is my mindless knitting project since I'm making it up as I knit with--What, children? Why yes, it IS Plymouth Encore. Despite what you may be thinking here, I am in no way affiliated with that company--just have lots and lots of their yummy yarn! Random stripes and a combination of seed, stockinette, and garter stitches make up this baby blanket that will be donated to the Nurse-Family Partnership in NE Colorado.




As I sit at my computer knitting, reading or listening to a book, I look up to watch the finches at the feeder. The tiny goldfinches make me smile as I enjoy the splash of cheery yellow. Doncha just love nature?! I do!

Happy knitting!

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The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. ~ Psalm 29:11

Cozy Mystery Challenge Book #1

Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First in the crochet mystery series, HOOKED ON MURDER, by Betty Hechtman introduces us to Molly Pink and her world. The cutesy name of the lead character did not bode well, however the story and characters evolved pleasantly to move the story along. All in all, I enjoyed this group of characters meeting in a book store, crocheting a group project for charity, and living with the loss of friends as the plot thickened! A satisfying read, HOOKED ON MURDER includes a simple crochet pattern and recipe at the end of the story.
View all my reviews >>

This book is the first completed for the Cozy Mystery Challenge and introduced me to the author.

http://cozymysterychallenge.blogspot.com/

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So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.  ~ Hebrews 2:1

Toy Society Drops

Here are a couple of toys I crocheted for The thetoysociety.com  Silly Square is waiting in --oddly enough--the waiting room of East Morgan County Hospital. I pray that he will cheer and comfort some one who will enjoy him.

Rectangle 2 was dropped at a playground in Brush, Colorado. Another crocheted item, the pattern is available at lionbrand.com .

There is hope for DGS #5, who has been eager for me to make his afghan. He's seven years old and has been so sweet with his hints and hopes. His big brother received the world map ghan a few years ago, so it's well past time for his ghan to be complete! This is the pile of Cascade 220 that will be striped silly with a cream color yarn to make the mitered square ghan from Mason Dixon Knits with my own twist, of course.

The quirkiness of that ghan seems to fit this DGS' silly personality. :)

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Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.   - Luke 9:23-24

Purple Power!

The Rocks won their opening game yesterday. Here's looking forward to a good season! DH and I will be at the Rockies/Mets game at Coors Field on the 15th. We're looking forward to ROCKIN' the ROCKIES!  

                 

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I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

Psalm45:17

Trudy Hopedale

Trudy Hopedale: A Novel by Jeffrey Frank

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Jeffrey Frank employs the ballot-counting debacle of the 2000 election as a back drop for the coming change in DC and its ripple effects among the D-list social set. Events swirl around wanna-be socialite Trudy Hopedale, a party-giving friend seeker among the influential people. Irony is so heavily slathered on this story that it is...well, ironic. There's some humor, some recognizable stereotypes, and enough bits of history that kept me reading, finally reaching the final page.

View all my reviews >>

Dogs on Thursday

Lailah loves toys and always has one with her, usually her kitten. Whether its rubbery toys like her pork chop, assorted balls, or her Kong, she loves carrying them around and bounding after them when one is thrown for her.

Her favorite type of toy is a stuffed toy like her panda.

She tosses it in the air and chases after it. She shakes it mercilessly while Panda maintains his pleasant demeanor throughout.

Nuzzling and cuddling, Lailah finds every sort of play and fun with her many toys. She loves to play fetch with her stuffed toys, so we toss her kitten or other stuffed item for her to chase. She doesn't seem to enjoy playing fetch with a ball, but is very happy when the suffed kitten goes flying through the air for her retrievel. 

This is all great fun for DH and me as she entertains us with her playfulness and her enjoyment of TOYS!

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When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."  ~~Matthew 21:10,11