TexasRed Books

BabyJack's Quilt

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on June 17, 2009.)

Here's the quilt I did for my friend's son, Jack, in 2005-2006.

Jack's mama now posts some fantastic stories about faith, family, and travel over at The Gypsy Mama.

Mountain Themed Baby Quilt

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-06:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on August 12, 2009.)

You can check out a prairie dog themed WW at TexasRed Books. Click here for the Wordless Wednesday Headquarters.

Finished Project Linus Sampler

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

(Originally posted at TexasRed Quilts on September 23, 2009. I definitely need to do another Project Linus quilt soon. It's a fantastic organization!)

You can check out some prairie dog nesting activities at TexasRed Books. Click here for the Wordless Wednesday Headquarters.

Log Cabin Baby Quilt

2011-12-15T11:08:00.000-06:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on November 13, 2009.)

I finished the binding for this quilt during the last California road-trip and got it off to the mother-to-be in the mail yesterday!

We're Fascinated with our Toys!

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

(Originally posted at TexasRed and the Twins on July 20, 2011.)

We are very focused on our toys around here these days:

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday and pics of our newest gecko intruder at TexasRed Books.

Family Christmas Tree Skirt

2011-11-28T11:04:00.000-06:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on February 19, 2010. Looking forward to getting this out again!)

Whew! Finally finished!

Here's the front (the red diamonds were the fabric that inspired this project -- it was from the bridesmaids' dresses from my in-laws wedding):

Here's the back (very pepperminty):

And here's to not seeing this thing again until November! Cheers!

Twin Future Card Sharks

2011-11-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

(Originally published at TexasRed and the Twins on August 31, 2011.)Love it that the boys are already picking up the family favorite card games!

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Pinwheel Quilts

2011-11-10T11:02:00.000-06:00

(This was originally posted at TexasRed Quilts on June 30, 2010.)

Finished both these baby quilts over the weekend. Phew!

Bookish Update -- Game of Thrones, Anyone?

2011-11-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Currently Reading: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Most Recently Completed: Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson (Great light murder mystery read. This was my only nod to Halloween-ish literature this year. I know, it only slightly qualifies because it involves murder.)

Series I'm in the Middle Of: Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

This series was recommended to me by half a dozen friends -- either based on the books or the HBO series. Since we don't get HBO, I decided to check out the books. I can't review them separately because, honestly, they don't seem like separate books to me. This is especially true of books 4 & 5 where the author included a note that he wrote about all the characters and it was way too long, so he pulled half the characters' stories into another book (book 5). I've made it through the first 4 (a little obsessively) -- taking a short break now while I figure out if I can get an electronic copy of book 5 from the library.

What have y'all been reading lately?

Crocheted Turtle Family

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on July 6, 2010. This is especially cute now that the boys are in a nursery class called "Tiny Turtles." The little guys are destined for shadow boxes in the not-too-distant future!)

I've taken a small break from quilting to work on some more Japanese crochet (Amigurumi) toys. Here's a pic of the turtle family in progress now:

This pattern is in Ana Paula Rimoil's book Amigurumi Two!

Our First Halloween

2011-11-02T09:16:00.003-05:00

Why are we dressed like this, lady?

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at its headquarters.

Twins Fascinated with Each Other

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

(Originally published at TexasRed and the Twins on september 14, 2011.)

The boys are definitely getting to the stage where they're paying lots of attention to each other --- and to things like switches and levers!

Crocheted Cute Fuzzy Owl

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

(Originally published at TexasRed Quilts on July 13, 2010)

I started amigurumi after seeing Chris at book-a-rama's Love Birds. Finding out that yarn companies have free patterns just adds fuel to the fire. Here's the pattern I just followed from Coats and Clark ( I agree with them -- it is the "cutest little owl"):

(Of course, I played around some by changing the feet, using different colors and textured yarn, etc. I also made the eyes out of fabric, rather than using plastic eyes, b/c I worry about babies swallowing them.)

Chaaanges and Butterflies

2011-10-26T11:25:00.001-05:00

Man, just realized how long it's been since I posted. Sorry about that. I'm going to try to get into a better rhythm for these things.

As a step toward that goal (and because I realize that it's silly to have 3 blogs I'm not keeping up), I'm going to combine the TexasRed and the Twins blog and the TexasRed Quilts blog into this space. Originally, I was trying to keep these subjects separate so that people who wanted just to talk about books and not baby snot or my out of control crafting obsession could do so. I have discovered, though, that I can't really separate my life very well that way. As a result, I'll just try to make it clear in the post title what I'm talking about and leave it up to y'all to click or not click for the day.

Also, I'm starting a new part-time job tomorrow, which I'm sure has no impact on my desire to clean up my mess online.

Whew, so after all that, here's some butterflies for your Wednesday. This is from the Monarch migration in our backyard. You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Wild Insurance Agent - Part 2

2011-07-20T14:57:00.005-05:00

I previously complained about this little guy trying to sell me insurance. Apparently, his colleague decided to step up the campaign, because this week this one was in our house:

Give it up, already. I do not have 15 minutes to give you! (I do usually have lots of screaming when I see one of these in the house, until I realize they are harmless. I guess I'm that kind of girl now.)

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and see pics of our boys enjoying extra closeups of their favorite toys at TexasRed and the Twins.

Crochet Tools

2011-07-13T07:19:00.006-05:00

Still making progress on some crochet work here -- thanks to Amigurumi Two! by Ana Paula Rimoli (check out her blog for other fantastic ideas).

(screwdrivers, files, and handle for hammer)

My husband loves these for our little boys!

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and see pics of my One Eyed Jack at TexasRed and the Twins.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

2011-07-08T15:07:00.005-05:00

I'm getting back into some fiction reading and was very impressed with Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I assumed the Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum started in London in the 70s or 80s. Well, it did start in the 70s --- the 1870s! Yes, this book was about the woman behind the museum, but because of her connections with both the royalist and revolutionary sides of the French Revolution, we get to see both sides of the conflict as it developed and spiraled out of control.

This book does have descriptions of the violence of war. I thought it was fascinating, though, especially in the wake of the revolutions in the Middle East to see how similar the development of the French Revolution (using cafes instead of Twitter and Facebook) was to our current world. Hopefully we have learned from the past. In history classes I've had, though, there was no real explanation as to how reasonable people with the best of intentions can spiral out of control. To me, that portrait was the most fascinating part of this book.

Let me know if you get a chance to read it and what you think!

Happy Weekend!

Quilting Catch-Up

2011-07-06T07:23:00.005-05:00

I stopped posting on my quilting blog when I started the separate space for the boys at TexasRed and the Twins. I still want to update about what I'm working on (when I have a chance during naptimes) from time to time. Here's what I finished this spring:

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and see pics of the boys at our Independence Parade at TexasRed and the Twins.

Library Haul

2011-06-20T12:11:00.002-05:00

Made it to the library this morning with the boys! Here's what we came home with. I'm happy it's a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Last time I was 2 out of 6 for actually reading the books I'd checked out. We'll see how this batch goes!

Off to handle two crying babies and get the prairie dog ready for a visit to the vet. Catch you on the flip side!

Fiction Starvation

2011-06-16T08:19:00.003-05:00

So far, I've been hit-and-miss about getting back into a regular reading routine. We went to visit my parents (the boys and I) for a few weeks and I did lots of reading. Then again, I had no household stuff to do after the boys went to bed and two grandparents who had taken off work to hold babies.

Seems like I'm doing mostly non-fiction reading these days at home -- lots of parenting books and magazines. Partly, it has to do with parenting being my new "job", since I'm staying home right now. Then again, I usually do lots of reading whenever I feel like I'm jumping into unfamiliar territory.

It's only when I feel my stress level rising that I realize its been too many days since I had a good fiction storyline to think about. I'm going to try to hit the library today or tomorrow (have to return the books from my trip!) to re-stock.

Do you all get stressed when you're not reading enough, or the right balance to keep your head from going wonky?

Look Who's Trying to Sell Us Insurance

2011-06-08T16:53:00.005-05:00

Must be summer, the geckos are gathering on our back (brick) wall to eat the insects that come to check out the light from our living room.

(Trying to get back into the blogging mode. Hopefully more tomorrow about some actual books!) You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and check out the newest pics of the boys at TexasRed and the Twins.

Prairie Dog Sulking

2011-03-23T14:35:00.003-05:00

Everyone here is obsessed with the new babies. There have been barely any pictures taken of me lately. This is clearly unfair.

So until you can make it up to me, Owners, I'm staying in here.

(Ppsst.... an almond would totally make it up --- do you have one? huh? Just checking...)

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Family Life After the NICU

2011-02-25T20:27:00.003-06:00

Lots of big changes here! The twins came home from the NICU this month and everything's been turned topsy-turvy at our house. (In a good way!)

I've still been reading (some), but don't think I can pull together any intelligent thoughts about books yet. My most recent reads (other than baby books) have been the first two of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. I'm very curious about how they were made into movies, but haven't peeked at either the Swedish or US version of the movies.

So, as I'm getting back into the world, what are the best new fiction recommendations you all have?

Still Spending Quality NICU Time

2011-01-27T23:36:00.003-06:00

Thanks for your continued patience as we get used to being parents of kids in the NICU. I will get back to posting as soon as I can. In the meantime, the boys are doing well.

I'll be checking in to see how things are going with you all -- but probably lurking still for awhile.

Don't Tell the Prairie Dog...

2011-01-05T09:51:00.004-06:00

What do you mean I'm going to have to share the attention at home soon?

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Our Newest Tax Deductions!

2011-01-04T21:52:00.002-06:00

Someone forgot to tell the twins that they weren't scheduled to arrive until March 2011 and they decided they wanted to join the holiday celebrations.

Post 400 - No Idea What's Coming Next

2010-12-16T11:54:00.003-06:00

Generally, I'm trying to keep all my pregnancy stories and info on the TexasRed and the Twins page. Right now, though, that's becoming difficult.

I've just been diagnosed with preeclampsia by my OB and a specialist. Now they're trying to decide if it's mild enough to stay on bedrest at home (for the moment) or if they need to put me in the hospital for the foreseeable future (which would include the holidays).

I'm freaking out a little over this news, because I'm really not ready for the babies to arrive, or for a long hospital stay starting at the drop of a hat.

I'll keep you guys posted about how I'm doing. No idea yet whether I'll be posting here more frequently during bedrest (because I'll have so much more time to read) or less (because my wifi will be limited).

Fingers crossed that all of this will work out for the best in the long run.

BBC Book List

2010-12-01T17:24:00.003-06:00

I just saw this over at The Avid Reader's Musings. It's a list from the BBC of important literature and they believe most people will only have read 6 off the list.

I'm surprised by the number of new books here. There's also some double counting (like the Chronicles of Narnia being listed separately from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe). I got dinged for some authors that show up repeatedly, too (like Thomas Hardy, who I always heard was horribly depressing). Mostly, I'm impressed with how many of there I read in high school and feeling the need to read some more!

Here's the list with an [X] to show the ones I've read -- 51, plus most of Shakespeare:

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen [X]
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien [X]
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte [X]
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling [X]
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee [X]
6 The Bible [X]
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte [__] (tried, but never finished)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell [X]
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman [__] (tried, but never finished)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens [__]
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott [X]
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy [__]
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller [X]
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare [mostly]
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier [___]
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien [X]
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk [___]
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger [X]
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger [X]
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot [___]
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell [X]
22 The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald [X]
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens [___]
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy [___]
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams [X]
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh [__]
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky [___]
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck [X]
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll [X]
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame [X]
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy [___]
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens [___]
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis [X]
34 Emma-Jane Austen [X]
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen [X]
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis [X]
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini [X]
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres [___]
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden [X]
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne [X]
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell [X]
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown [X]
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez [___]
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving [X]
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins [___]
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery [X]
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy [___]
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood [X]
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding [X]
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan [X]
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel [___]
52 Dune - Frank Herbert [___]
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons [___]
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen [X]
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth [___]
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos RuIz Zafon [___]
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens [___]
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley [X]
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon [___]
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez [___]
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck [X]
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov [___]
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt [___]
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold [___]
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas [X]
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac [___]
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy [___]
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding [X]
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie [___]
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville [X]
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens [X]
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker [X]
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnet [X]
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson [___]
75 Ulysses - James Joyce [___]
76 The Inferno – Dante [__]
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome [___]
78 Germinal - Emile Zola [___]
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray [___]
80 Possession - AS Byat [___] (tried, but never finished)
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens [X]
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell [___]
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker [___]
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro [___]
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert [X] (extra points for reading in French? not if it was in high school?)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry [___]
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White [X]
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom [X]
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [X]
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton [___]
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad [___]
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery [X] (extra points for reading in French? not if it was in high school?)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks [___]
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams [X]
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole [___] (not after my friend told me it was the worst book she'd ever read)
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute [___]
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas [X]
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare [X]
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl [X]
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo [___]

How about you? How'd you do?

Prairie Dog Damage

2010-12-01T10:01:00.004-06:00

Don't worry -- no damage to the prairie dog. Doesn't he look like an angel here with his yellow "halo." All he wants to do is eat his cracker in peace...

Mostly because he's already eaten the wall!

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Thanksgiving Wednesday

2010-11-24T11:14:00.002-06:00

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving here. Lots of preparation to be done.

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and my nursery quilt progress at TexasRed and the Twins.

Teaser Tuesday - Life From Scratch

2010-11-23T12:24:00.002-06:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Thanks to Bell Bridge Books and Melissa Ford, I received the ARC for Life From Scratch, Melissa's novel about a woman going through a divorce, living a new single life, and starting a cooking blog (coming out December 2010). Here's my teaser for today:

I never learned to cook because my mother told me that "real women don't scramble eggs." They are too busy saving the world. Suggesting that we cook dinner rather than order in from a local restaurant is the first step in returning all the liberties women have obtained in the last fifty years. I might as well declare myself Amish and go sew my own clothing and can green beams from my garden.

This quote is especially funny to me as I am hand-sewing two quilts right now and planning a Thanksgiving dinner with green beans from our garden -- granted, they were frozen, not canned (this year).

Pumpkin Cupcakes

2010-11-10T12:27:00.003-06:00

I know cupcakes are too trendy right now, but these were so yummy and fun to make for a party this week! You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and hear about my first birthing class at TexasRed and the Twins.

Quiet Wednesday

2010-11-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

Sorry - No new prairie dog pics today. He's been sleeping lots more since the weather has started cooling off and the days are getting shorter. I'm starting to remember that last year I had to be the one to wake him up during the fall/winter, instead of the other way around.

Had a nice long cuddle this morning where we were both pretty much napping on the couch. I'm not posting pics of me my bathrobe here, though -- which is best for everyone!

I did get pics of the nursery development up at TexasRed and the Twins, for those interested in how the quilting and room planning are going: TexasRed and the Twins. (This is what I work on while watching Making Room for Multiples and freaking myself out.)

Teaser Tuesday - Unseen Academicals

2010-11-02T10:20:00.005-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

So, here's my teaser for today from Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett.

"In fact my progress is now hindered by a pease pudding and chowder stand. I have been doing my best, Mister Trev, but it has really been slowing me down," said Nutt over his shoulder...

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

2010-10-29T11:26:00.005-05:00

Last week I finished Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. It was inspired by the underground of Seattle (created when the city raised the street level and burried the bottom stories of several buildings), which I saw a few years ago during a friend's wedding weekend.

Plot Summary: Here's the summary from the official Macmillian website ---

In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great achine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.

But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.

Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.

His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.

My Reaction: This book was recommended by a friend of mine from college and I definitely appreciate the recommendation!

I have to say, though, lots of the short summaries I read talked about this being a zombie book. I didn't think that was so much the emphasis. There were definitely some "rotters" playing the role of zombies within the destroyed version of Seattle, but I thought the Blight gas, itself, was a more sinister villan. I guess I've just gotten to the point where I expect my zombie fiction to have an undead guest showing up every couple of pages (Pride & Prejudice & Zombies).

To me, this was much more a book about trying to live in the shadow of a ruined city and environmental disaster. I liked the juxtaposition of the proper (but passive-agressive and hateful) residents of the Outskirts civilization and the more straightforward (and often more friendly) pirates, looters, and saloon-keepers within the destroyed city, itself.

I liked Blair quite a bit, but kept getting annoyed at her son's lack of respect for the dangerous situations he kept wandering into. I know he's just a teenager, but serious lack of self-preservation skills for a kid who was in theory having to take care of himself while his mom worked long hours at the water purification factory.

Bottom Line: I'm a fan and will keep my eyes out for another book in this series.

Rolling Prairie Dog

2010-10-27T14:03:00.003-05:00

Back home and doing well! You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters and my new belly pics at TexasRed and the Twins.

Teaser Tuesday - The Laughter of Dead Kings

2010-10-26T06:42:00.004-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

So, here's my teaser for today from The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters (one of her Vicky Bliss mysteries). I'm reading this for the RIP V challenge (although I'm way behind where I thought I would be at this point of the month).

"What do you think, Schmidt?"..."I think," said Schmidt, "that you are deceitful and dangerous. And even more clever than I had realized. At least you had the sense to let us in on this instead of going alone to reconnoiter."

Snaggletoothed Prairie Dog

2010-10-06T09:54:00.003-05:00

Poor guy took another nose-dive off my shoulder this week. (They weren't kidding about PDs' lack of depth perception.)

The tooth sticking out is the broken one that's working its way out. It seems pretty tender right now, so he'll feel better when it's all the way gone.

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

2010-10-05T09:27:00.006-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

I was THIS CLOSE to sharing a teaser from the non-fiction twins book I'm reading now, but am really trying to separate all the twin-baby-type stuff over to TexasRed and the Twins. So, here's my teaser for today from Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.

Zeke continued. "Once everyone understood about the Blight, they evacuated everything they could, right? They cleared out the hospital and even the jail, but the people stuck at the station -- the folks who'd gotten arrested, but not charged with anything yet -- they just left them there, locked up. And they couldn't get away. The Blight was coming, and everyone knew it. All those people in there, they were jsut going to die."

You can find my non-fiction twin teaser over at TexasRed and the Twins.

RIP V -- Library Loot

2010-10-04T10:58:00.002-05:00

I'm taking part in the Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) challenge hosted by Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings, but was having a hard time finding appropriate books. So, I hit the library at the end of last week and now have these beauties waiting in my TBR for me this month:

PD James -- The Private Patient

MC Beaton -- Death of a Valentine

Elizabeth Peters -- The Laughter of Dead Kings

A Blessing on the Moon -- RIP Challenge

2010-10-01T09:37:00.003-05:00

Just in time for the start of October, today I'm posting my first review for the fifth annual Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) challenge hosted by Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings.

I picked up A Blessing on the Moon by Jospeh Skibell last year (I think at the local library book sale). As with many books, I think I picked this one based on the cover (no matter the old saying, this is why graphic designers are so important). I saw that the book had been compared to a Chagall painting -- which is an interesting concept to me -- but did not realize that the book was a ghost story until I started it.

Plot Summary: This book is set in Poland during and just after World War II. We meet the main character, Chiam Skibelski just as he is being shot and thrown into a mass grave with the other Jewish residents of his small town. Chiam climbs out of the pit alone and it takes him quite awhile to realize that he is dead (although he immediately understands that his former rabbi is now personified as a crow).

Initially Chiam wanders through his town, living in his old house (which has been taken over by another family) and office (which continues to do business). He is trying to understand what has happened to his community and why he is left alone to wander, rather than moving on. We also start to hear the first references to the moon. It has apparently disappeared and the Polish Jews are being blamed. Eventually, Chiam has to wander further from home and take on new quests on his way to finding peace.

My Reaction: This was a very different take on a difficult subject. Since we are seeing the world through Chiam's point of view, even the most macabre details are told in a very matter-of-fact way. The surreal quality of the story does remind me of a painting, at times.

As we wander with Chiam, we have the opportunity to explore, from the victim's point of view, how a person can grieve for his family and community, as well as whether or not this type of tragedy can make a leader out of a regular family and business man. I think the story about the moon that threads throughout the novel is meant to address how man-made tragedies like the Holocaust affect us all -- perpetrators, victims, and future generations.

For all of those serious themes, this book is full of humor (although dark humor) and Chiam is a believable -- even likable -- character. I did feel like there were some Yiddish folktale elements that were going over my head, but even without that background, I found this book really thought provoking and I'm glad that I read it.

Bottom Line: This novel read like a dark fairy tale (think Grimm Brothers, not Disney) and is a very unique way of coping with some of the impacts of the Holocaust.

Good Morning Prairie Dog

2010-09-29T11:15:00.003-05:00

As the days get shorter, Hoover is definitely sleeping more and more. He's getting up about an hour or two later than a month ago already. Still loves the morning scratching session, though:

A little to the right...

This bump thing is getting in my way!

You can see how our nursery is progressing at TexasRed and the Twins and more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - The Sword of the Lady

2010-09-28T12:15:00.005-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling.

"At least I'm not hanging up by my thumbs," Ingolf Vogeler said to himself, looking up at the gray cracked concrete of the cell's roof and breathing the smells of iron and old sweat and piss and less pleasant things. "Or being hammered with lead-lined hoses. Or being strung up and hammered. Yet. Rudi's got a couple more days before the month is up."

What I'm Reading Now

2010-09-24T11:09:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I was traveling (but left the husband at home working on on the house) to visit some friends where I grew up. I was going to bring Scarlet with me to finish on the plane, but I only have a few chapters left. Instead, I'm working my way through The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Sterling and Ready or Not... Here We Come by Elizabeth Lyons.

I'm enjoying The Sword of the Lady, but after reading several books in this series, I'm ready for the cross-country expedition to be over. (The main characters are making their way from Washington state to Nantucket by foot and horse after an event wiped out combustion engines and electricity world-wide.)

I'm really loving Ready or Not. Talked about it today on the TexasRed and the Twins page. I also just realized Elizabeth Lyons has 2 more books out about raising twins, so I think I'll be ordering even more of her work here shortly.

Of course, with any traveling, I have the excuse to read as many magazines as I can get my hands on, so I've been doing lots of that, too. What are you reading today?

Prairie Dogs Love Almonds

2010-09-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

We loves some almonds here in the Wild Wild West!

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - Scarlet

2010-09-21T11:16:00.002-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead.

"What's wrong now, monk?" I ask him, sweet and innocent as a milkmaid's smile. "You look like a fella that mistook a bolt of vinegar for ale."

Writer's Block Monday

2010-09-20T10:39:00.002-05:00

After all the connecting and blog-reading last week with BBAW, I think I have a bit of writer's block this morning. My plan was to go back to my Monday habit of reviewing short stories, but I've read one and part of another this morning and neither are sparking any desire to tell you about them.

I did write a post about my new-found love of neti pots over at TexasRed and the Twins (which has thankfully moved to its official domain name now). Other than that, just trying to get back into the swing of things after a relaxing weekend. How are you all doing?

BBAW - Future Treasures and an Announcement

2010-09-17T07:30:00.005-05:00

Today's the last official day of BBAW for this year and Day 5 is all about how we enjoyed the event and what our future plans are for the year.

As with last year (my first BBAW), I've loved having the opportunity to meet book bloggers who are new to me. There are so many fantastic people out there. In addition, this is such a great community of readers and writers! I love the emphasis on supporting each other and talking about all the books we love. Events like BBAW are such a great example of that attitude!

As for my goals for next year -- 2010 to 2011 will be a very interesting time here at our house. We are expecting our first babies -- twins due some time this spring. I won't talk about them too much here, but have started a new space to write about being pregnant and handling double trouble (and a place to ramble when I'm sleep deprived next year). I may talk more about kids books here, but mostly expect to be reading more adult (or YA) fiction to keep my head balanced.

Please come check it out at www.texasredtwins.com!

BBAW - New Treasure (and Prairie Dog Pics)

2010-09-15T13:20:00.001-05:00

Today's BBAW theme is about a New Treasure -- i.e., a genre or book we've picked up because of another blogger.

I have to admit, I'm reading much more YA fiction these days than I have since I was about 16 (well, not counting the Harry Potter addiction a few years back). Case in point are the books I heard about last year from Smash at Great Books and Fresh Coffee, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Here's the cover for the first book in the series, City of Bones.

I started reading these a couple of weeks ago. I finished the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, the City of Glass last night. I finished the first book in Cassandra's new Infernal Devices prequel series, Clockwork Angel, this morning. (So much for thinking I'd be doing lots of quilting while my husband played the new Halo game all night.)

I'm loving the gritty fairy-tale quality of these books, the coming-of-age stories, and the good-against-evil plotlines.

What about you -- have you picked up any great new books / genres this past year?

Also -- here's some prairie dog pics. For those who are new, our pet Hoover, is usually the star of Wednesdays around here! (He's on his way from napping in his ball in the kitchen to napping in his bed -- tough life for a pd!)

BBAW - BookCocktails Interview

2010-09-14T08:24:00.005-05:00

Today for Book Blogger's Appreciation Week, we're interviewing and highlighting other book bloggers. My interview swap partner is the fabulous Miz Tipsy from BookCocktails.

Miz, Tipsy, you have a great 12-step program for people who don’t have time for reading. I love how you suggest people working up to reading more novels by reading short stories and blogs (two things I’ve been doing more of lately). I was surprised by the recommendation to read essays and famous speeches. Do you have some favorites to recommend?

I believe a reader should never limit what he/she reads. It is through broadening our reading choices that I believe we equip ourselves with the ability to be great thinkers. The more we expose ourselves to different types of materials, the more we challenge ourselves as critical and creative thinkers.

Some famous speeches that I would recommend are:

· Aung Sang Suu Kyi – “Freedom from Fear”

· Randy Pausch – “The Last Lecturer”

· Sojourner Truth – “Ain’t I A Woman?”

Essays that I recommend are:

· Thoreau’s Essays

· Trey Ellis – “When The Wall Came Tumbling Down”

· John T. Edge – “I Am Not Leaving Until I Eat This Thing”

I’ve been reading more short story anthologies lately. How do you usually find the short stories you review?

I choose my stories by friends’ suggestions, short story searches I do on the internet, or looking through anthologies and other books that I have laying around the house.

You have an emphasis on your blog of blending reading from different genres and different countries (like a good cocktail). Do you find yourself gravitating to a certain genre or geographic region right now? Have you found a writer during the past year who surprised you by sampling this variety of books?

Recently, I have covered many short stories. I am interested in learning about people from different parts of the world and cultural groups. I have consciously selected stories from writers of different backgrounds, ethnicity, and countries.

One writer that I have come across in my reading that shocked me in his writing style is César Aira in his book How I Became A Nun. I think some readers of this book were frustrated with how Aira wrote this book and possibly the concept of the book. Yet, I thought the book was cleverly written and challenged the reader to think outside the box of how an author tells a story.

You talk about “Intoxicating the World With Knowledge” and supporting literacy campaigns. Aside from us reading and talking about books, what are some of the best ways you have found / heard that we can do this locally and on a broader scale?

Locally and nationally, I believe we can intoxicate the world with knowledge by learning about local landmarks and attractions in the communities that we live in and nearby places, mingling with people in the community who have different experiences than we have, volunteering to teach someone to read, participating in different groups in the community, and just being open to learning new things and sharing information, knowledge, and skills, that we already have.

You have a great list of types of books and reviews on your Book Cocktails Menu. If you had to pick just one type of book to read for the next year, which would it be?

I enjoy reading mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels. If I had to stick with one genre, that is probably it. However, I would try to make sure I include novels that fit into this category from authors all around the world.

You have a category of book reviews called “Bloody Mary” that is full of mysteries and crime detective novels. Do you have plans already for spooky Halloween reading?

I think I will devote the entire month of October to spooky reading materials. I am currently reading Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe based on true events of some very gruesome murders. I will probably start the month off with this book.

What motivated you to start your blog?

One of my friends thought it would be a good idea for me to start a blog to talk about all the books I read. At first I didn’t think too much about it because I had no idea how to blog. After doing some research, I decided to try my hand at starting a blog that reflected my enjoyment of reading diverse materials.

Do you have a life-long favorite author? A new favorite?

I love to read lots of authors so it is hard for me to say that I have a particular favorite author. I enjoy reading books by John Grisham, David Baldacci, Toni Morrison, Edwidge Danticat, Malcolm Gladwell and Sherman Alexis.

Do you have an e-book reader? Strong feelings pro / anti these types of digital devices?

I have not invested in an e-book reader yet. I think it is an investment that I will eventually make. I like the idea of having hundreds of books at my disposal in a reader versus carrying around a bag full of books. However, I do not think I will ever stop reading hard or soft back copies of books. It is something about having an actual book in my hand and turning the pages that makes me unable to completely abandon the physical book itself.

If you weren’t reading, what would be your favorite way to spend a weekend afternoon?

My ideal way to spend a weekend afternoon is learning ballroom dancing, spending time with friends and family, and experimenting with preparing different Italian dishes.

Are there any places you would like to visit after reading about them?

I am glad you pose this question. I was actually considering doing a future post about places that I have come across in my reading that I would love to visit. I would love to visit Glacier National Park in Montana, the mysterious El Dorado in South America, Guilin in China, and South Africa, just to name a few.

Please go check out BookCocktails for more information (and to see what kind of interview questions Miz Tipsy had for me)!

BBAW - First Treasure

2010-09-13T07:38:00.005-05:00

Today is the beginning of Book Blogger Appreciation Week and we're talking about great new book blogs we've found in the past year or so.

I love finding new book blogs to check out. I find them through comments on other blogs, Wordless Wednesday posts, Twitter, and other bloggers' recommendations. I found You've GOTTA read this! about a month ago through DeSeRt RoSe, who I've read for years.

Sandy is so much fun! I love the variety of books she reads (and who could help smiling at the cuddly cat in her logo). She's taking part in BBAW, too, so please go check her page out!

Just So Stories -- Self Censorship?

2010-09-10T09:51:00.002-05:00

I've been reading my copy of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories this week. I have a beautiful re-print from the 1990s of these stories from 1902 and 1903, with Kipling's own illustrations reproduced and his captions for each (which are hilarious and go on for half a page each time).

It's a lovely book -- and I would never, ever give it to anyone as a present. Why?

Kipling is brilliant and I love his use of words -- the rhythm, pattern, etc. You can see a taste on Tuesday's teaser. I can understand why he was the first English language writer to win a Nobel Prize for literature and why his stories are children's classics.

So, what's my problem with the Just So Stories? I'm only about halfway through, but have already run across two:

In "How the Leopard got his Spots", Kipling casually drops the n-word in reference to an Ethiopian in the way only a 19th century British colonialist can.
Kipling's illustrations occasionally contain swastikas strewn about in the drawings. (According to Wikipedia, he was accused of being a Nazi-sympathizer later in life, which he denied and said these symbols were references to Indian sun symbols. Also, this drawing dates about 20 years before the Nazis adopted the swastika as their symbol.)

So, I'm left trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Most of the stories would be lots of fun to keep and read to future children. As long as I was in control of story time, I could skip over those troubling details. But maybe I'd have to tell future babysitters not to read any that have an "X" marked in the corner? Maybe some stories / illustrations get cut / blacked out?

There doesn't seem to be a big overlap in the ages you'd read a kid a funny story about a crocodile stretching out an elephant's nose to the age you'd start talking to them about bad words, racism, and Nazis. Eventually, especially once they start reading for themselves, though, you'd have to have that conversation. Would it be heartbreaking for a kid to find out that a childhood favorite has these troubling issues hidden in it?

Have any of you who are already parents already faced this issue with other classic literature? What did you do?

RIP V Challenge

2010-09-09T08:00:00.002-05:00

Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the fifth annual Readers Imbibing Peril (R.I.P.) challenge during September and October.

To participate we just need to read books & stories or watch movies in one of these spooky genres:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

I haven't taken part in this challenge before, but sounds perfect for the fall / Halloween season!

Slow Mornings with Prairie Dog

2010-09-08T08:30:00.002-05:00

Yes, even prairie dogs need to start the morning sometimes (ok, most days) snuggled in a fuzzy robe in front of the TV. Don't you?

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters (sorry, no new quilt pictures this week).

Just So Stories - Rudyard Kipling

2010-09-07T10:03:00.002-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling.

Then the Elephant's Child put his head down close to the Crocodile's musky, tusky mouth and the Crocodile caught him by his little nose, which up to that very week, day, hour, and minute, had been no bigger than a boot, though much more useful.

I got this book in the 90s because it's a beautiful hardback with copies of Kipling's illustrations. I just realized that I've never read this copy and it's been years since I've read these stories, so it was probably time to check them out and see if they are how I remember them, or not. Should be fun!

Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead

2010-09-02T07:46:00.004-05:00

I've seen Stephen R. Lawhead's books for years in bookstores and wanted to check them out. The ones I was seeing, though, were King Arthur-based stories. After spending a summer playing in the pit orchestra for a community production of Camelot, I'm still pretty much done with King Arthur.

On the other hand, I love Robin Hood stories. My most recent favorite was the BBC America Robin Hood series. Since that's over, it was a perfect time for me to pick up Stephen's first book in the King Raven trilogy.

Plot Summary: It's less than a generation after William the Conqueror and his Norman armies invaded England in 1066. William's son, William Rufus, is establishing his authority over the British isles, in part by giving loyal noblemen authority to move into present-day Wales.

One of the Briton (aka Welsh) families being pushed out of power in Wales is King Brychan ap Tewdwr and Prince Bran ap Brychan. Brychan is king of Elfael, one of the border kingdoms between western England and the rest of Wales. It is also located just on the edges of a huge forest known as "The March."

When King Brychan is killed by the Normans, Prince Bran flees into the March, although not quickly enough to avoid being injured by the same soldiers. It is during his recovery time in the woods that Bran begins to change from a spoiled noble prince into a leader fighting for the rights of the people in Elfael against Norman oppression.

My Reaction: Several of the familiar themes of the Robin Hood legacy appear in this book, including Maid Marian, Tuck, Little John and taking from the rich to give to the poor. It still took me quite awhile to get used to the shift of the traditional Robin Hood story from the 1300s in middle-England to a much earlier Welsh period.

For anyone else reading this book and looking for the Robin Hood legend, I'd suggest starting with the author's essay in the back called "Robin Hood in Wales?" That's where Stephen explains the research he did into the Robin Hood stories, which started showing up in popular culture even before the 1300s. Based on his research, setting the story in Wales made lots of sense -- and as a reader, this was pretty convincing. I just wish I'd had that explanation up front so the disconnect wasn't distracting me while I was reading the story.

So, it wasn't the clear-cut re-telling of the same Robin Hood story I'd been expecting, but I really enjoyed this adventure. I'm not that familiar with Welsh history (although I know some of it is similar to the Scottish stories I do know). It was worth struggling with some of the unfamiliar names and phrases, though, to meet Bran and watch him transform into a hero. It was also good to have a somewhat familiar storyline, but not know exactly what was coming up next.

Bottom Line: I'm excited to pick up the second book in this trilogy, but am still getting used to the early Welsh setting.

Even Prairie Dogs Work Around Here

2010-09-01T08:40:00.001-05:00

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters (sorry, no new quilt pictures this week).

Mailbox Monday -- Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford

2010-08-30T15:39:00.006-05:00

Thanks to Bell Bridge Books and Melissa Ford, I just got the ARC for Life From Scratch, Melissa's novel coming out December 1, 2010.

Mostly I'm excited because I enjoyed reading Melissa's first (non-fiction) book, Navigating the Land of IF, so much. Frankly, if she can make me laugh that much writing about infertility treatments, I can't wait to read her novel!

Book Deluge and Prairie Dog Cookies

2010-08-27T10:25:00.004-05:00

I've been super tired for the last month or so and have been doing little reading as a result. I'm starting to feel a little more like myself and have had a relatively light week at work, so have been doing more reading for fun this week than any time in the recent past.

Here's what I've read so far this week:

The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy
The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen

The Scourge of God by S.M. Stirling

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

And I'm halfway through Hood by Stephen Lawhead

Whew. Not sure how all that will combine in my head, but I'm surprised I haven't been having weird dystopian / Robin Hood / werewolf dreams yet.

Ohh ... and also this week, I got this cookie cutter from Kritters in the Mailbox. (yes, I paid for it, but I'm going to tell you about it anyway, because it's adorable.)

Mockingjay Hiatus

2010-08-25T13:21:00.002-05:00

Sorry I've been slacking on blog posting this week. The only excuse I can give is that I was trying to avoid the internet chatter about the Mockingjay release (the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins) and now I'm reading it in all my free time. I should be back to normal by tomorrow --- or maybe Friday!

The Sunshine Award

2010-08-20T10:47:00.003-05:00

One of my longest book-blogger friends, DeSeRt RoSe from DeSeRt RoSe'S BoOkLoGuE, gave me this bright and sunny award this week. Thank you! According to her:

"This award is given to bloggers who inspire others and show positivity and creativity."

I'm supposed to:

1) Put the logo within my blog or on my post
2) Pass the award on to up to 12 fellow bloggers
3) Link the nominees within my post
4) Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog
5) Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from.

I'm passing this on to several fun blogs. Please go check them out and say "hi":

Michy at Book Reviews and Author Interviews
Chris at Book-a-Rama
Smash at Great Books and Fresh Coffee
Lena at Lena's Lit Life
Minds Alive on the Shelves
Necromancy Never Pays
Readin' and Dreamin'
Shark's Short Story Reviews
Lynn at Stuff and Nonsense
The Avid Reader's Musings
The Book Bundle
The Book Lady Online

Thanks again, DeSeRt RoSe!

Relative Insanity by Shauna Glenn

2010-08-19T15:41:00.003-05:00

Check it out! Very excited about Relative Insanity by an online friend:

Here's how Shauna describes it:

"People are emailing asking what the book is about. Seriously, it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I hardly remember. But if memory serves it’s about a wife/mom named Kate, who gives up her career outside the home to stay home and raise her three children. She’s surrounded by a cast of characters also known as her family. Kate struggles with feelings of discontent…she constantly feels like her life has amounted to being nothing more than the resident nose wiper. And she’s not happy about it.

If you like this website you’ll love the book. Kate is ridiculous…like me. You will laugh more than you will cry, and don’t be surprised if you confuse Kate with me. Everyone who’s read it says something like…'I love the part where YOU blah blah blah.' And I’m all 'DUDE, THE BOOK IS NOT ABOUT ME!'

It’s fiction. Honest."

Sleepy Prairie Dog

2010-08-18T10:04:00.002-05:00

We're getting some summer thunderstorms rolling through West Texas these days. I had no idea until we got a prairie dog pet that rain makes them sleepy --- even the threat of rain in the area. Guess it's a defense against flash-flooding in the wild.

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters (sorry, been slacking on the quilt pictures again this week).

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

2010-08-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley.

In the past five years alone, I have left my wallet in a cab an astonishing, nay impressive, 6.7 times. (The .7 is for all the times I would have gone ID-less into a bar had someone not slid across the pleather backseat after me and said, "Forget something?".) With the exception of that first seventeen-dollar idiot's fee, my wallet gets returned to me fully intact every time. Every. Single. Time.

Moon Rise by Marilee Brothers

2010-08-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Summary: Here's the summary of this young adult science fiction from Marilee Brother's website:

Her mom's still dating losers. Her boyfriend's gone back to Mexico. Dad still hasn't told his wife and kids that she exists. At school, the drama queens and bullies still rule. But worst of all for Allie Emerson--aka the Star Seeker of an old Gypsy prophecy--is that her powers have taken a hike. She can't read minds anymore. She can't move stuff just by looking at it. The other Star Seekers are counting on her psychic gifts more than ever, and the evil Trimarks are closing in, eager to snatch her magic moonstone necklace while she's helpless. The hot new guy at school is ready and willing to fight her battles, but he comes with some wicked baggage.

"Dear Diary: I'm a little worried. My new BF is a demon."

Welcome again to Allie Emerson's funny, scary, amazing, and always unpredictable life, as the girl voted least likely to save the world from evil.

Reaction: I reviewed the first book in this series in November, Moonstone, and enjoyed it enough that I requested the sequel from the author. Moon Rise was just as much fun. I still think Allie being such a believable character is the key to the series. Her struggles with trying to compensate for her irresponsible mother and learn about her potential are what make her a realistic teenager. The magic is just an added bonus!

I also enjoyed how this sequel is a complete story arc. (I have a pet peeve for second books that just trail off to make you buy the third to have any resolution to the story.)

Bottom Line: Another big thumbs up for Marilee Brothers!

(Thank you to the author and publicist for this review book.)

Summer in West Texas - Horny Toads and Prairie Dogs

2010-08-11T10:17:00.006-05:00

Saw my first real-live Texas horny toad this summer! My husband caught him and turned him loose in the backyard. Love the camouflage:

Hoover's pretending like he wants to go outside, too. Very convincing as long as he's in the air conditioning. Once he's outside, it's all scratching on the glass to be let back in.

You can see more Wordless Wednesday at the headquarters (sorry, been slacking on the quilt pictures this week).

Teaser Tuesday -- A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

2010-08-10T19:08:00.001-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer.

"Forgive my bluntness, Miss Brailsford, but I try never to underestimate a woman. Particularly not an Englishwoman"

Lambert was perplexed by Jane's sweet smile in response, "Very well, Mr. Lambert. In that case, I conceded that I am quite capable of snooping. Let us go and find the proper authority together."

Burr Gherkin Pickles

2010-08-06T12:35:00.004-05:00

This year we tried out growing burr gherkins for the first time. The vine has been great and climbed up our trellis nicely. We've also been getting lots of these little spiky cucumber-type fruit on a regular basis. So far, I've been putting them in salads, but this week, I decided to make pickles from some after reading about a nonstop pickle recipe in Mother Earth News. Here's how they turned out:

I added garlic and dill to the vinegar for these pickles. Loving the taste of the ones I've sampled so far! I've also cracked my mom up because my grandmother used to have nonstop refrigerator pickles going all the time.

Blog Hop '10 -- Introduction

2010-08-05T12:12:00.005-05:00

BlogHer / Blog Hop: This time last year I was at the BlogHer conference in Chicago. This year the group's meeting in New York City (which I have never seen). I'm only slightly jealous. Really. (Or maybe more than slightly jealous, but things were way too crazy here this year for me to go.)

So, instead, I'm staying home with an empty Skype list and watching the fun on Twitter. Pensive, though, is hosting an alternative Blog Hop tour for those of us in the same situation. You should totally go check these other writers out!

Introduction: As for those just stopping by here from Pensive's site or elsewhere, welcome! We're excited to meet you. I started this blog a little more than a year ago after moving to a relatively small town in West Texas and wanting to find new people online to talk about books with.

As a result, I've added SO many books to my To-Be-Read list (usually science fiction, and a surprising amount of young adult literature) and lots of fun blogs to my reading list. It's been so good to communicate with authors and other book fanatics out there.

Also in the meanwhile, we've expanded our family by adding a pet prairie dog. He's a year and a half old and not spoiled at all:

Anyway, it's great to meet you. Hope you have fun here and come back to visit often!

Prairie Dog - Taking Out Laundry

2010-08-04T08:00:00.004-05:00

Sorry this is a little late. Here's what our little guy has been getting up to lately:

Success!

Mockingjay Tour Starts Now!

2010-08-02T13:09:00.004-05:00

I'm still reading lots of other books, but mostly I'm holding my breath until the end of the month when Mockingjay, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, is published.

If you haven't checked out this series, its a young adult science fiction story set in a future after the destruction of the United States. The country is divided into 13 districts, each of which specialize in the production of a certain good or service. As punishment for a past uprising, each district must send two children to fight to the death in the hunger games. After following participants through two rounds of the games, I'm excited to see how the trilogy resolves.

Several book bloggers are hosting a tour this month, organized into representatives of each district. The tour kicks off today in District 1 with GalleySmith.

Pickled Jalapenos and Book Mystery

2010-07-28T11:31:00.004-05:00

Last week my husband pickled jalapenos out of our garden using a standard recipe from the Seattle Farmers Market Examiner and a sweet recipe from Garden Web.

I hid away from the kitchen to avoid the natural pepper spray in the air. (Yeah, I'm a tough Texas girl... or not.)

In other news -- have any of you seen this children's book from the 1960s/70s? I can't find any copies for sale: Patchwork Puppy.

"The Fire" by Jennifer Walker

2010-07-26T13:53:00.002-05:00

Today I got into the second short story in the

Elements of the Soul anthology, "The Fire" by Jennifer Walker.

Plot Summary: Heather has planned a relatively calm summer day. She is responsible for "ranch-sitting" for her riding instructor, but figures she can take care of the horses and still have time for a dip in the pool. Her friend Christine even volunteers to help her out. Everything seems to be going smoothly -- until she sees the smoke on the horizon.

Instead of relaxing with her friend, Heather must get 4 frightened horses to safety on her own before flames reach the ranch.

Bottom Line: Excellent (although I would like one of the loose ends tied up -- I suspect a happy ending for that one would be too unrealistic, though).

Short Story Mondays are hosted by John at The Book Mine Set!

How to Lose a Client by Becky A. Bartness

2010-07-22T11:07:00.002-05:00

This is the third mystery for Kate Williams, Esq. (Don't let that scare you away, though. I hadn't read any of the others before this -- although I want to go back and do that now.)

Summary: Here's the summary of this mystery / comedy / thriller from the author's Murder Mysteries L.L.C. website:

Kate Williams, Esq., has just started her own criminal defense law firm in Phoenix, Arizona, when Katherine Paar aka Tangerine, a new client, walks in and proposes a lucrative deal to bring Kate on as her attorney. Things get complicated and events unfold quickly when the body of Tangerine's ex-lawyer is discovered and Tangerine disappears. Kate, aided by MJ, her tattooed, pierced, and fashion challenged paralegal, Sam, her sometimes cross-dressing investigator, and a cast of characters straight out of a John Waters movie try to unravel the bizarre mystery and save Tangerine's life.

The action is fast and fantastically funny, and Ms. Bartness proves once again that you can laugh at death.

Reaction: I know -- I've said before that I don't usually read lawyer books and here I go again reviewing another one. This is such a fast-packed romp, though, it doesn't really have anything do to with the paperwork and memos I deal with on a daily basis. (It did make me kind of want to open a one-woman firm, though -- well, other than the near-death experiences.)

In terms of pacing and humor revolving around crimes, this book reminded me of the Janet Evanovich books. The novel is set in Phoenix, where Becky Bartness has practiced law for years (rather than New Jersey) but they have the same level of zany fun. Because of that attitude and the Southwestern location, I'd say this is a perfect, light summer read.

I loved the main character. Her associates weren't as well defined in this book (maybe because they'd been introduced in the prior two) but the descriptions of Tangerine and her "employees" were also fantastic. I'm curious to see how these characters will interact and develop in other books in the series.

Bottom Line: I hadn't heard of this author before, but will now be keeping an eye on her. Lots of summer reading fun!

(Thank you to the publicist for this review book.)

Night-Blooming Birdhouse Gourds

2010-07-21T11:31:00.004-05:00

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday and my current walling hanging quilt progress at TexasRed Quilts, too.

"Jasper" by Lucinda Gunnin

2010-07-19T10:13:00.003-05:00

Still a bit behind on my Monday goals, but today's review is of "Jasper" by Lucinda Gunnin, which is part of the

Elements of the Soul anthology, edited by Michelle Devon at Twin Trinity Media.

This story is a bite-sized action film.

Plot Summary: Carrie, our main character, got her dog, Jasper, as part of the safety precautions her uncle recommended when she moved to the city as a graphic designer. He's been a great pet for her, but never forgot his years as a K9 unit police dog.

When he gets agitated at 5am one day, Carrie thinks it's just because there's a stranger dumping trash in her apartment complex's dumpster. It turns out to be something far more dangerous.

Bottom Line: My heart is still pounding. Great work!

Short Story Mondays are hosted by John at The Book Mine Set!

The Source of Miracles by Kathleen McGowan

2010-07-15T09:44:00.005-05:00

My plan was to read this book during Advent and Christmas of 2009. I did start it at that point, but this is a book about prayer and spiritual disciplines, not something I could go through quickly. I've been thinking about it ever since.

Summary: Kathleen starts her book by talking about the Lord's Prayer (Jesus's prayer that starts "Our Father..." and is recorded in the Bible in Matthew and Luke) and her experiences at the Chartres Cathedral with its mosaic-designed "rose" design in the floor. This experience begins her study on the symbolism of the six-petaled rose and how it has been connected in Christian theory with the Lord's Prayer.

Here's the summary from the Simon & Schuster website:

"The real secret to creating and sustaining an abundant, joyous, and fulfilled life has been hiding in plain sight -- in the power of the prayer that unites two billion Christians worldwide, the prayer that each one of them knows by heart.

True happiness and success can't just be wished for. The real secret to fulfillment lies in using the Lord's Prayer as part of an ongoing spiritual practice that leads to real and lasting change in the soul -- change that will manifest itself in earthly, tangible ways. Each chapter in The Source of Miracles is a guide to one of seven steps in that process, corresponding to a primary teaching of the prayer: faith, surrender, service, abundance, forgiveness, obstacles, and love. Each chapter also includes meditations, affirmations, and other activities designed to help readers work through life's challenges.

In her bestselling fiction, Kathleen McGowan has popularized the world of Christian esoterica, a unique place where New Age and Christianity meet, making ancient teachings new and powerful. The Source of Miracles harnesses the wisdom of those traditions at a time of great material and spiritual uncertainty, when the need for signposts on the road to success has never been more acute."

Reaction: I think the emphasis on the ideas in the Lord's Prayer (such as faith, service, forgiveness, etc.) is fantastic. I also appreciated having these ideas broken into separate sections (each represented by part of the Chartres rose). I have a tendency to be a little (ok, often a lot) single-focused in my prayers. (As in, if I'm praying for a friend's situation, I'm not usually doing much thanking God or other praise.) It's a good challenge for me to have a reminder of all of the spiritual concerns I need to be addressing -- and also how my prayer life should be reflected in the rest of my regular life.

One of the themes in this book that I had a hard time with is the idea that each of our souls decided before we were born what our life's work would be and we just need to re-discover that path. That doesn't impact my appreciation for the things Kathleen says about the Lord's Prayer, but did cause some dissonance in that she and I are not coming from a same base point understanding of the universe.

Another issue that The Source of Miracles raised for me is the conflict I have with abundance theology. Kathleen does point out that prayer is not just a magical genie that will grant all our wishes for money and physical comforts. Still, I think there are some implications in this book that if you have the right spiritual discipline, only good things will happen in your life. That concept doesn't jive with what I read in the Bible and causes a concern for me that people having difficulties could suffer a second burden of feeling that they are guilty of something to "earn" such a situation. (It reminds me of the disciples asking Jesus about a disabled man -- basically whether he or his parents had sinned to cause the disability and Jesus saying "neither.")

Bottom Line: I'll read this again and keep working through these spiritual disciplines, although I don't buy in 100% to everything the author says.

(Thank you to the publicist for this review book.)

Prairie Dog Toys

2010-07-14T11:31:00.002-05:00

He's been reduced to actually playing with his toys occasionally. Poor thing!

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday, too.

Squash Pickles

2010-07-07T10:41:00.003-05:00

Love this squash pickle recipe: Field and Stream. Preserved about 6 pounds of summer squash this weekend.

Teaser Tuesday -- Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger

2010-07-06T09:25:00.002-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger.

"When you two are done with your quest, come back this way. Just walk into the casino and look on a table in the lobby. I'll leave a room key there for you. You can be my guests! Safe and sound and no worries. I'll protect you as long as you want to stay here... After what you'll have seen on your journey you'll need the rest, I expect."

Nibble and Kuhn by David Schmahmann

2010-07-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

I warned the publicist for Nibble & Kuhn that I would be a tough reviewer for this book. I'm a lawyer in my pay-the-bills job, so wanted to give them the heads-up from the beginning. Fortunately, even from that perspective, I only have good things to say about this book.

Plot Summary: Derek Dover is an associate at the law firm of Nibble & Kuhn. The senior partners will be deciding within the year whether or not to offer partnership to Derek, so he's trying to keep in everyone's good graces.

At the same time, he's trying to figure out where things are headed with his sometimes-girlfriend Maria Parma, who also works for the firm. Unfortunately, Maria has an "understanding" with her Spanish family, which has resulted (in effect) in plans for her future arranged marriage.

Also complicating matters are the building move / reorganization of the law firm and the Erin Brockovitch-style case Derek "inherits" from a partner who leaves the firm to become a judge (after spending all the budget and creating a mess of useless files).

Reaction: I liked the love story between Derek and Maria, overall, although there were places where their struggles were just frustrating. (Much as I can imagine they would have been for friends of either one who were hearing the story but not allowed to comment on bad decisions.) The environmental contamination legal battle was also interesting (although, to me, mostly as a way to better understand Derek's character).

My favorite storyline, though, was the description of Nibble & Kuhn becoming the type of large law firm I've always worked for (highly organized staff departments, lots of policies, etc.). It was fun for me to read about how someone who started in a small Boston firm might react to these changes. (I could definitely tell that the author is an attorney who practices law in Boston.) It was especially fulfilling to see how Derek responded to these changes.

Bottom Line: This was worth breaking my "no legal fiction" rule!

(Thank you Academy Chicago Publicity for this review book.)

Redheads Unite!

2010-06-29T14:39:00.002-05:00

Take a look at this even put on by Redheads-World: August 8 North American Gathering.

Just another reason I wish I could attend the Dublin, OH Irish festival, which I was already drooling over because my favorite Celtic band, Gaelic Storm, usually plays there.

Dalek Entry in Hitchhiker's Guide

2010-06-25T11:32:00.005-05:00

I love both Dr. Who and The Hitchhiker's Guide. Imagine how excited I was to see this video over at Bookish Gal's blog! Brought back all my high school memories of first seeing the old BBC Hitchhiker's Guide series.

Have a good weekend!

Benny And Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

2010-06-24T09:26:00.004-05:00

Katarina Mazetti was at a funeral, wondering about how a wife would feel if she was burying a husband she wasn't really grieving, when she got the idea for Benny & Shrimp.

Plot Summary: This book is set in Sweden, where Desiree, a librarian, has just buried her husband. He was a very practical man, who had even picked out his own plain and simple headstone. Desiree spends at least an hour there on her lunch breaks -- mostly because she's trying to work up to the grief level she feels is appropriate for a new widow.

The neighboring grave is a very ornate affair, planted with tons of flowers, and tended by Benny. Benny, like his parents (who are commemorated by the gravestone), is a dairy farmer in the countryside.

Under ordinary circumstances Desiree and Benny would never have met. Their lives are complete opposites, other than this connection in the graveyard. Still, after avoiding eye contact for weeks at the graves, they begin a relationship. Unfortunately for them, this a more realistic story than your general chick lit book where boy meets girl and everything goes smoothly. Benny and "Shrimp", as he calls her, have to deal with the real logistics of their lives and the tension in Sweden between the intelligentsia and the small family farmers.

My Reaction: I admit, from the cover I was convinced that this book would be like a thousand other books I'd read before. It makes a huge difference that Katarina Mazetti lived on a Swedish dairy farm for 20 years before writing it. (She is clear in the author interview at the back that this was not an autobiographical book, but the details of life on the farm appear to come through personal experience.)

I'm also not used to reading Swedish novels. This book was originally published in Swedish in 1998, but not translated into English until 2008. That's very different than a book written by someone who just went to visit Sweden and set a novel in the tourist locales there. The author's voice was very different, too. Much more mater-of-fact even, in some places, about sex in ways that was more shocking than the more detailed, flowery imagery I've read in American romance novels.

As someone who didn't get married until my 30s, which included a big change from my single city life to living in a small West Texas town (and talking about having chickens in the backyard), I very much identified with the tension that Desiree and Benny face in trying to blend two established lives into one.

The storyline didn't flow in a way that I expected, but the issues Katarina discussed and the unique voice had me thinking about this book long after I put it down.

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed Benny & Shrimp, primarily because it was nothing like what I expected.

(Thank you to FSB Associates for my review copy of this book.)

Garden Pics -- Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-23T13:14:00.006-05:00

Having fun watching our garden grow -- although having to watch out for pests:

See the tomato worm?tiny burr gherkin

first garlic harvest

Click here for more Wordless Wednesday and here for the current quilt update: TexasRed Quilts.

Teaser Tuesday - Herself by Leslie Carroll

2010-06-22T10:23:00.004-05:00

Just got back from Dallas. (One of the downsides to living in a small West Texas town is needing to head to Dallas or another big city for medical treatments that are anything more than basic.)

Read lots of good books and, despite having a huge stack in the suitcase, hit the massive Barnes & Noble a few times. I admit -- I picked up Herself, by Leslie Carroll, purely based on the lovely shamrock cover art!

Decided it would be the perfect get-back-in-the-saddle book for MizB's (Should Be Reading) Teaser Tuesday.

To play along with Teaser Tuesday:

(1) Grab your current read;

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page;

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page (avoiding spoilers); and

(4) Share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today:

"I'll go!" volunteers Brigid. "I'm starved." This has the immediate effect of changing her mother's mind, as Maureen is not about to permit a "nunlet" to spend any time alone with her wayward son and his faith-less (in her view) lady friend.

Garden in Full Swing

2010-06-09T09:19:00.003-05:00

We got a bit of a late start this year, but now have all kinds of things happening in our garden!

squash

peppers

gourds

cilantro

swiss chard

Sorry for the sporadic posting. I have some medical things going on right now and am a bit frazzled trying to take care of everything. I should be back to regular posting in 2 weeks or so.

Thanks for your patience!

The Versatile Blog

2010-06-03T14:20:00.006-05:00

Wow! Even after several weeks of slacker blogging, Patiently Waiting, another Texas book blogger, passed on this great award to me. Thank you so much (and enjoy your anniversary this weekend)!

I'm supposed to say seven things about myself and then pass it on. Here goes:

(1) I've got my DVR set to record several Cartoon Network shows, even though we have no kids.

(2) I can't see more than 6 inches of my desktop because it's covered with things I need to take care of (oops).

(3) I'm ridiculously excited that there are still flowers blooming in my yard even though it's been in the 90s / 100s.

(4) I've run out of rooms in my house to redecorate. Guess I may have to start over on some of them now.

(5) I've got five quilts either in progress at the moment (plus more in the planning stages).

(6) I'm putting off going through my books to give away to the library book sale because it feels like I'm giving up on them if I put them in the donation box.

(7) My pet prairie dog's new favorite is cocoa covered almonds. I'm "trained" enough to be planing a 50 mile drive to get him more.

I'm passing this on to several fun blogs. Please go check them out and say "hi":

Thanks again, Patiently Waiting!

New Prairie Dog Bed

2010-06-02T11:02:00.007-05:00

Had a wonderful visit with the parents the last few weeks. My parents were so great with helping us out with projects around the house and in the garden.

One of the projects I handed off to my mom during the heat of the day (i.e., when I was trying to get her to leave the garden and come back to the air conditioning) was a new bed for Hoover. He chewed up the corner of his last one quite a bit -- apparently trying to close off the entrance. So, the new house is made from sturdier denim and includes a "door" he can play with. Thanks to my mom's embroidery, it also includes a monogrammed "H."

Gotta love a prairie dog with style, right?

You can check out more Wordless Wednesday, too, as well as my quilting progress at TexasRed Quilts.

Prairie Dog - Tucking Himself In

2010-05-26T09:15:00.001-05:00

Sorry that it's been so long since I've had a prairie dog post. Here he is tucking himself into his old bed. I'll post pictures of the new bed my mother made for him this week over on TexasRed Quilts. Here's a teaser -- it's monogrammed (and she says we spoil Hoover)!

Happy late Wordless Wednesday!

New "Questionable Content" T-Shirts

2010-05-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, this week is not a Wordless Wednesday. These are the new T-shirts my fabulous husband ordered for me. They're from the Questionable Content online comic by J. Jacques. (We're definitely going to go heckle him if he ever comes to a Texas comic convention!)

Aren't they fabulous? I especially like the one that says "She Blinded Me With Library Science." Can't wait to wear it to the next Friends of the Library meeting! I'm wearing the "Aerodynamically Curvaceous" shirt today!

Here's my less wordy quilt updates TexasRed Quilts. And here's the Wordless Wednesday Headquarters.

Disclaimer: No, FTC, I was not given these shirts (well, other than by my hubs). Just wanted to pass on one of my addictions for free!

Short Story Monday

2010-05-17T10:02:00.005-05:00

I was hoping to have my first short story review up today, to play along with Short Story Monday. Looks Like I'm still a little behind, but I'm excited about joining in the discussion -- especially since I have some exciting new short story anthologies sitting on my desk, waiting for my attention.

First up is Elements of the Soul, edited by Michelle Devon at Twin Trinity Media.

Here's a summary from the publisher's website:

Through "The Fire" and "Purgatory" we suffer "Love and Loss" and a "Flood of Tears" until we get to those "Healing Scars" and are able to "Fly" again.

These are just a handful of the short stories published in this outstanding anthology from Accentuate Writers.

From humanity and understanding in stories like "Healing Scars" to lust and angst in stories like "Purgatory" Elements of the Soul will take you on a journey as diverse as the writers themselves, and as emotional as the touch of a child's hand or the slap of a love gone wrong.

In the pages of this book, you will find death, devastation and loss; you will also find hope, friendship and faith. The entire gamut of emotions will be run in this anthology, leaving no feeling unturned, no relationship unexamined, no heart untouched, but told in bite-sized chunks to easily satisfy your reading hunger.

And here's a trailer that has motivated me to make sure I have reviewed at least one of these by next Monday!

Short Story Mondays are hosted by John at The Book Mine Set!

This ATM's not in Chicago

2010-05-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

We live in a subdivision, but open countryside is not too far away. Case in point -- the field right by our drive-up ATM:

What are you looking at, human?

Llama song, anyone? Click here to see my quilting progress this week (TexasRed Quilts) and here for the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

2010-05-11T11:10:00.002-05:00

Today is Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

With his faith in ruins, eleven-year-old Abe took his resolution a step further in this undated manifesto (c. August 1820): "Henceforth my life shall be one of rigerous [sic] study and devotion. I shall become learned in all things. I shall become a greater warrior then [sic] Alexander. My life shall have but one purpose. That purpose is to kill as many vampires as I can. This journal shall be where I write about killing vampires. No one other then [sic] me shall read it."

Prairie Dog - Scratching Lessons

2010-05-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

You really have to train these humans in the art of prairie dog scratching.

A little to the right -- and to the left...

I suppose I'll allow you to scratch my back now.

Almost...

Ahhhh.... right there!

Click here to see my quilting progress this week (TexasRed Quilts) and here for the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy

2010-05-04T13:15:00.004-05:00

Happy Jedi Day! May the fourth be with you today! (Couldn't resist after my husband reminded me!)

Today is also Teaser Tuesday. Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy: curiouser and curiouser edited by Richard Brian Davis. This is a collection of essays centered on various philosophical themes in connection with Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland.

To philosophers, procrastination is a puzzle of Carrollian magnitude, even though it is a strikingly common puzzle (kind of like Sudoku, but not as much fun) -- after all, there must have been SOME reason why the White Rabbit was so late at the beginning of Alice's adventures!

May Day Celebration

2010-05-03T07:25:00.005-05:00

Nope, no May day baskets for us, or protesting the government. We spent the first weekend of May making serious strides on our garden:

(hot peppers with onions, rosemary and parsley in the background)

(chocolate bell peppers )

(tomatoes)

(5 color swiss chard)

(basil, thyme and dill)

(our parsley that survived the winter and is ready to bloom)

(garlic from last fall)

Now it's all up to Mother Nature!

No Respect for the Rosemary

2010-04-28T08:56:00.005-05:00

I know this rosemary's been at our house longer than we have, but it desperately needed to be cut back (and we needed to be able to build the back wall of the raised bed).

Guess I'll be drying some rosemary this afternoon, huh? Click here to see my quilting progress this week (TexasRed Quilts) and here for the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.

Rattlesnake!

2010-04-21T16:35:00.002-05:00

So, I recently ran across my first Texas rattlesnake. Here are the results of that encounter (no thanks to any work on my part).

I have to say -- rattlesnakes are now my least favorite part of West Texas! Click here for my TexasRed Quilts progress on a new quilt and click here for the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.

Teaser Tuesday - The Sweet Potato Queens' 1st Big-Ass Novel

2010-04-20T07:47:00.004-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays are hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

It asks us to:

(1) Grab our current reads.

(2) Let the book fall open to a random page.

(3) Share two (or three) teaser sentences from that page somewhere between lines 7 and 12 (avoiding spoilers).

We're also supposed to share the book title and author so others can find the book themselves.

Here's my teaser for today from The Sweet Potato Queens' 1st Big-Ass Novel by Jill Conner Browne (with Karin Gillespie). Here's the website for The Sweet Potato Queens. One of my best friends gave me a SPQ care package for Christmas and I'm loving the books and music. This novel is a fictionalized version of the growing-up years of the Boss Queen of The Sweet Potato Queens:

'Polka's fun,' Patsy offered.
'Good suggestion, Swiss Miss,' Mary Bennett said. 'I'm particularly fond of strip poker.'
Patsy frowned. 'I didn't say poker, I said --'
'Food,' Tammy said softly.
'That's the best idea yet,' Mary Bennett said, lighting a cigarette. 'We should open and close all meetings with the appropriate snack foods.'