Cozy Mystery Challenge: Wreath of Deception by Mary Ellen Hughes

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Place a few ladies of varying ages and backgrounds around a table in a craft shop and they not only learn craft techniques, they also reveal themselves through casual conversation. In WREATH OF DECEPTION, a cozy mystery by Mary Ellen Hughes, Jo not only begins her new small town life by opening her craft supply store, but also solves crimes! The endearing Jo is surrounded by a stereotypical group of ladies: the elderly mother-figure, the young woman, the silly-fluttery person, the dear ever-reliable close friend, and so on.

This initial book in the Craft Corner Mystery series is a relaxing read with affable characters, an interesting plot, a fairly standard recipe for chili, and directions of wreath-making. What more could you want?
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Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

~ Galatians 5:25

Cozy Mystery Challenge -- Murder Runs in the Family

Murder Runs in the Family by Anne George

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Author, Anne George exaggerates Southern culture to bring two sisters to life in her cozy mystery series. Set in Birmingham, Alabama, Murder Runs in the Family refers to many local sites that particularly engages readers who live or have visited there. Of course there's a crime to solve amidst the rollicking adventures of Patricia Anne, Mary Alice and their friends. With characters as Bonnie Blue Butler, George and Gerorgianna Peach, and Shanklette Ferguson, you know there are some laugh-out-loud moments and many chuckles in this story. Its a quick,quirky...maybe even a bit zany... book to lift your spirits in all its silliness.

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                                                                  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   ~~ Philippians 4:7     

Teaser Tuesday: Murder Runs in the Family

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

--Grab your current read.

--Open to a random page.

--Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page .

--Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!

--Share the title & author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they want!

Murder Runs In The Family

by Anne George

"My startling news about the judge seemed to have little effect on these two women crawling around on the floor. These two big women, who were going to have to get up in the not-so-distant future."

Given the girth that I have sadly acquired in my latter years, I know exactly what is involved in getting up off the floor!! Not a pretty sight!   ;)  This book is a cozy mystery with a generous dose of humor and silliness.

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And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   ~~Philippians 4:7

Candy Corn Baby Ghan

The gift is completed for dear niece whose baby is due to arrive in September. This is knitted with stashed Plymouth Encore. The crocheted hearts are sewn on and sprinkled off-center to break up the stripes.

These colors remind me of Halloween candy corn, hence the name. As you can see, it is simple stripes in stockinette and garter done with size 11 needles. I randomly changed between the two stitches and the three colors according to what appealed to my eye. I did a variation of a picot edging with a size H crochet hook.

After I washed the blanket, I decided to run the lace wires through the picot to block it out and draw more attention to it.

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Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.  ~ John 15:5

About the Header Pic

 Response to Angela about the Header Pic

How sweet of you to ask! The header pic was taken of our old boy, Max, and Lailah when she was about two months old.

Max passed when he was 11 years old in 2009. My heart still breaks for him even though I realize he had a long life for a Boxer. He was mellow and gentle, our sweet giant. Didn't he have a spectacular white collar?

I miss him.

Lailah is bouncy, loving, and very energetic!! Max was so patient with her even in his last days of illness. The Lord blesses us in countless ways. These beautiful companions are just two blessings the Father has bestowed upon me.

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Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.   ~ John 8:12

Dogs On Thursday -- New Puppy

A new puppy arrived at our house today. Very patriotic, isn't he/she/it?

 She waited near a corner in our house.

She waited for Lailah find her,

and play with her,

and show her today's knitting,

and take her outside.

Welcome, patriotic puppy.

You certainly are low maintenance!

Blog Tip of the Day

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This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.  ~ Psalm 118:24

Reply to Gnat's question about the puppy's name:
I refer to him/her/it as the patriotic puppy.

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  “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page .
--Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!
--Share the title & author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they want!

From The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble:
 

She'd lived in her parents' house, where the garden was somewhere to play and lounge around, in university halls and in flats,where, on hot, sunny days, Clapham Common was the only garden you needed and you ignored it for the other 360 days of the year. But after they bought the house, she drank the first cup of tea of the morning on the little patio off the kitchen, almost every day, drinking in the sights and sounds and smells of the garden all year around.

 

 

 

 

Blog Tip of the Day

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God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  -- Psalm 46:1

Musing Mondays

My mission, that I chose to accept, is to answer Matthew's question posted at http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ . He asks, "We all have favorite books. How do you determine what your favorites are? Do your favorites change?"

I am not prone to have favorites in anything. Books that immediately came to mind because I enjoyed them so much are
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
A Year by the Sea: Thoughts of an Unfinished Woman by Joan Anderson
The Uncommon Reader by Allen Bennett
Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion and Property in the Hamptons by Steven Gaines

You can read my question for the next reader at the above link. Join in!

Blog Tip of the Day
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Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

~ Colossians 1:10

On Retirement

Quite honestly, it took me a few years to adjust to retirement from my 32 years in education. I had to focus on what I truly wanted to do each day. What do I feel like doing? It was a challenging adjustment. I truly miss the children and avoided driving by a school during the school year. Strange, yes? It was a process of giving myself permission to "indulge" my whims. If I feel like knitting and reading all afternoon, its truly OK to do that. I had to think of it differently, as not being an indulgence, not taking time away from something more important. Initially, I had to think in terms of "I've earned this." You see, I still was trying to validate this shift in how I spent my time. I don't have to be busy-busy-busy. Its OK to do the things I enjoy and not necessarily follow the "retirement guidelines" such as volunteer, keep a schedule, etc. Many of my friends do those things and find it completely fulfilling. I realized I wanted to completely shift out of structure, thus realizing my newly acquired sense of freedom. Freedom became my perspective on retirement, however it took me a while to get there. Each of is as unique in this life change as we are in many other ways. During the '70s, I began to use the "Free To Be You and Me" album from Marlo Thomas to help children build self-esteem. I haven't thought of it in decades until I heard it on a commercial the other day. Time warp! I realized that phrase has an entirely new meaning for me at this stage of life!!

Blog Tip of the Day
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This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.   ~ Psalm 118:24

WIP Baby Blanket

After searching for my camera for the past couple of weeks, I finally decided to use my phone cam so that I can post some pix of the baby blanket that I'm crocheting.

My only niece is expecting their third baby in September. A nephew and his gf are expecting--I think in January, so my sister is excited to have two new grands on the way!! Then, my hair dresser told me that she is pregnant. There you go -- things happening in threes. I'm making baby blankets here all of a sudden.

Dear Niece and her DH choose not to know the baby's gender until the birth, so I am crocheting this gender neutral --- or as I've been thinking of it, "non-denominational" --- little blanket with Mission Falls 1824 cotton and an I hook.

The pattern is "Accra Tri-Colored Baby Blanket", a free pattern at http://www.naturallycaron.com/ I have opted to use hdc rather than the sc in the pattern. As I have said many times, hdc is my favorite stitch because of the nice look it gives to items. Another adjustment I'm making is how I'm doing the embellishments. I've decided to crochet them separately, then stitch them to the blanket once the baby's gender/denomination is known. Hearts and flowers for a girl. Stars and possibly a heart in the center for a boy. This WIP is working up so quickly and is fun to make!

Blog Tip of the Day
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And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ~~Colossians 3:17

Wordless Wednesday -- On Our Boat

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

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The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.  ~~2 Timothy 2:2

Mum's the Word

http://cozymysterychallenge.blogspot.com/

Mum's the Word by Kate Collins

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Hoping to find another cozy mystery series to enjoy, I read MUM'S THE WORD by Kate Collins, her first effort in "A Flower Shop Mystery" series. It seemed like a series I would enjoy. It isn't. Though the story line is unbelievable, it is OK enough for a cozy. The characters are varied with the requisite personality types...check. The writing. That's the weak point. The story is padded with so much repetition that it becomes a distraction. Once we know that Abby's flaming red hair is instantly recognizable and that Marco is dark, handsome, and exuding masculinity, that the Corvette is banana yellow and gleaming--well, we truly do not need to be continually reminded of these characteristics. Published in 2004, the first book may be the weakest link in the series though I don't intend to read the others.

If you like cozy mysteries and can skim over the wordiness, you might want to try this book. I just can't recommend it.

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Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  ~ Hebrews 13:8