Mailbox Monday - March 26

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Can we just stop the week at Sunday? Oh, never mind, I'm a real estate agent and work most weekends. How about we stop at Tuesday. Tuesday is good. This Tuesday all I have to do is take my father-in-law to the doctor--which, for the record, takes all morning and then some. Between his doctors that are never on time and his decision not to eat much for breakfast simply so I have to take him out to get something, it's pretty much a spent day no matter how I slice it. I'm usually rushing to pick up the kids on time.

Last week was fairly hectic, but the spring market is coming and buyers are out there. I also have several closings coming up, so that lends itself to busy work.

No new books in my mailbox, but I did order myself a new one!!!! It should arrive in a couple of days.

What You Don't See Might Hurt You

Every year, residents of the small Amish community in Monte Vista, Colorado, look forward to the Ski Hi Stampede, the state's oldest professional rodeo. The rodeo is always good, clean entertainment for the hardworking farmers of the San Luis Valley. But this year, the Stampede turns deadly for one Amish man. Did rodeo fans see an unfortunate accident? Or something more sinister?

Amish bishop Henry Lapp is known far and wide for his uncanny ability to draw and remember the smallest details of anything he's seen, skills that have served him well in past investigations. He was at the rodeo that day. The problem? He didn't see Jason Scott's death.

With a murderer on the loose and members of his community being threatened, Henry must act fast. But can he solve a crime he didn't see? This time around, Henry will have to rely on his keen sense of human character and observation, skills he's honed in his role as bishop, if he hopes to crack the case.

What the Bishop Knows is a story of accepting our talents, putting one another first, and trusting that God will care for His children.

Can anyone recommend a good book on vegetable gardening? I'm looking for something that tells me what to plant when and next to what and how to combat diseases. Every year I plant pumpkins and they end up with some type of disease that kills them. It is so irritating. It's my own fault for trying to ignore the fact that I have the brownest thumb on the face of the planet.

That's it from me today. Hope you have a great week.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - March 21

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

I am in a rambling mood today, so please forgive me for the lack of structure.

1. Sick of all these school shootings. Had a district school safety summit last week. Sad how safe and prepared they think they are for this. I was able to enter the school undetected one day this month and I was in the school for a good 10 minutes without anyone even stopping me to ask what I was doing there. Sure, my kid is safe. 
2. Overwhelmed by everything that goes into taking care of aging parents. Forms to fill out, houses to clean and de-clutter, moving things, trying to juggle bills without enough money...so much fun.
3. Thinking of becoming a hermit--move to some deserted island without internet access and live in a hut. Wait, I need indoor plumbing. Scratch that idea.
4. Putting my faith in God. He'll get me through. Just hard to give up control to Him. Psalm 55:22: Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Mailbox Monday - March 19

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Here it is Monday again. I have meetings all morning into the afternoon, so I might be late getting to read your blogs.

Last week I signed up another new buyer and went house hunting with her. I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to, but I got through the important stuff.

In my mailbox I found, How to Love the Empty Air  by Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz. I'm reviewing it for her virtual book tour next month.

Vulnerable, beautiful and ultimately life-affirming, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s work reaches new heights in her revelatory seventh collection of poetry. Continuing in her tradition of engaging autobiographical work, How to Love the Empty Air explores what happens when the impossible becomes real―for better and for worse. Aptowicz’s journey to find happiness and home in her ever-shifting world sees her struggling in cities throughout America. When her luck changes―in love and in life―she can’t help but “tell the sun / tell the fields / tell the huge Texas sky…. / tell myself again and again until I believe it.” However, the upward trajectory of this new life is rocked by the sudden death of the poet’s mother. In the year that follows, Aptowicz battles the silencing power of grief with intimate poems burnished by loss and a hard-won humor, capturing the dance that all newly grieving must do between everyday living and the desire “to elope with this grief, / who is not your enemy, / this grief who maybe now is your best friend. / This grief, who is your husband, / the thing you curl into every night, / falling asleep in its arms…” As in her award-winning The Year of No Mistakes, Aptowicz counts her losses and her blessings, knowing how despite it all, life “ripples boundless, like electricity, like joy / like... laughter, irresistible and bright, / an impossible thing to contain.”

HOW TO LOVE THE EMPTY AIR brilliantly illuminates why we read poetry, and why poetry is needed. We read it to see another person’s unique experience, but also to help us clarify our own. And we read it to reassure ourselves that what we experience and feel it part of a larger human drama that we all share. Cristin reminds readers how huge, life-shifting events are totally unique and personal—and yet, they are also universal.

What did your mailbox hold for you last week? I hope you enjoy the days ahead.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - March 14

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

Since this meme has always been on Wednesday, but I never seem to get it done until Thursday, I'm going to move it to Wednesday and see if it sticks.

Unless you've been avoiding the news for days now, you've heard that students around the nation staged walkouts today to protest gun violence. In our school district, the high school students were not allowed to go outside. Instead, they were allowed to go to the cafeteria for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 victims killed in the Parkland, Florida shooting. From what I understand, the student organizers at our high school read the names of the victims and also shared moments in silence to honor them. Other types of protests took place across our districts, but nothing near what we've seen in other areas of the country where students and politicians gave speeches.

While we must applaud citizens of various ages exercising their freedoms under the Constitution, it is more than disheartening that this issue--and many others--have become so politicized; that lawmakers and activists use tragedies to push their political agendas forward. The worst part is that conversations are no longer even close to civil. Long gone are the days where people could share their views without name calling and hurling insults Politics, like so many other things, has become primitive in nature. Pretty soon I expect to see politicians pounding their fists against their chests like gorillas.

Book Review: Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller

Every Laura fan is going to want to own a copy of Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.

This novel is the story of the Ingalls family's journey from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to their settlement in Kansas told from Caroline's perspective. By the time the Ingalls family leaves home, Caroline is pregnant with their third child. She faces isolation with her family no longer close by. She fears the danger that settling in Indian Territory could present. As Caroline struggles against the hardships of pioneer life and rises to the challenges, the reader appreciates this story in a new way that makes Caroline Quiner Ingalls more than just Ma.

I cannot even express how much I loved this novel. From the opening pages, Miller's fine descriptions combined with her touching and real portrayal of Caroline, pulled me in and held me fast until the last page was done. As a wife and mother, I relate much more to Caroline than the young Laura who first shared her stories.

One thing the reader needs to be aware of is that this novel may include some scenes you wouldn't expect in Laura land. Caroline is married and already a mother of two with another baby on the way. She and Charles obviously enjoy some alone time. There are a few moments when the author explores Caroline's feelings on this subject. Part of the story delves into her attraction to Charles, how she feels when he looks at her a certain way, and there is a tastefully done sex scene. It's not vulgar or obscene but it is descriptive of how he makes her feel while performing her wifely duties and how her body reacts. Truly, this took nothing away from the story for me, but it was surprising.

Caroline is a book that was way overdue. It captures how amazing a person Caroline Quiner Ingalls was to follow Charles from place to place, how she worked alongside him, how what her mother taught her prepared her to be a good wife and mother, and how she envied the freedoms and rights Charles had because they were denied to her as a woman in the 1800s. All these things make this a timely story for women today. My admiration of Caroline has grown as a result of reading this novel. It's definitely a must read for Little House fans.

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reprint edition (June 12, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006268535X
ISBN-13: 978-0062685353

I purchased a copy of this book for my Laura Ingalls Wilder collection. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Task it Tuesday - March 13

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Well, it snowed enough that we didn't have school. That was okay because it meant I didn't have to leave the house. I've been working all day, but sure beats driving in bad weather.

Last week I had some personal things to get done that have to do with my in-laws. Finished one, the VA paperwork, however, is thirty pages long. Still working on that.

For this week, I want to accomplish the following:

1. Finish the VA paperwork.
2. Write one chapter of Amelia's Mission.
3. Clean out the kitchen cabinets. This probably won't happen, but I'll keep it on the list to nudge me about it.

How about you--what would you like to accomplish this week?

Mailbox Monday - March 12

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Monday! Hope you had a great week. Mine stunk, but then I went to church yesterday and it reset my mood--always does. Nothing like good old fashioned worship time and fellowship to do some correcting. I also feel happy that the downstairs is clean and all the floors are vacuumed and washed. Can cross that off my list for a bit.

Sat down with my work in progress on Friday and almost finished chapter 18. My goal is to finish Amelia's Mission this year. Monday was writing group, but we didn't write this time. We critiqued each other's work. I think Tuesday is the only day this week I might squeeze some writing time in. But if we get that third Nor'easter maybe I'll be stuck at home instead of showing houses.

No new books in my mailbox last week. That's okay because I have plenty. I'm reading these right now:

In this novel authorized by the Little House Heritage Trust, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship, and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving pioneer woman as never before—Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books.

In the frigid days of February, 1870, Caroline Ingalls and her family leave the familiar comforts of the Big Woods of Wisconsin and the warm bosom of her family, for a new life in Kansas Indian Territory. Packing what they can carry in their wagon, Caroline, her husband Charles, and their little girls, Mary and Laura, head west to settle in a beautiful, unpredictable land full of promise and peril.

The pioneer life is a hard one, especially for a pregnant woman with no friends or kin to turn to for comfort or help. The burden of work must be shouldered alone, sickness tended without the aid of doctors, and babies birthed without the accustomed hands of mothers or sisters. But Caroline’s new world is also full of tender joys. In adapting to this strange new place and transforming a rough log house built by Charles’ hands into a home, Caroline must draw on untapped wells of strength she does not know she possesses.

For more than eighty years, generations of readers have been enchanted by the adventures of the American frontier’s most famous child, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the Little House books. Now, that familiar story is retold in this captivating tale of family, fidelity, hardship, love, and survival that vividly reimagines our past.

Most of us have too much stuff and not enough places to put it. Combine that with our hectic modern lives, and you’ve got a recipe for clutter catastrophe. Luckily, help is at hand. Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized can show you how to simplify your life—and get control of your stuff.

In this new guide to streamlining and organizing your belongings, your house, and your life, author and expert Laurie Palau gives you all the strategies you need to clear your clutter once and for all. This comprehensive book offers clever storage ideas and decorating tips, but more importantly, it shows you where your clutter comes from and how to change your approach. This makes it the definitive how-to for dropping all the dead weight that’s been keeping you stressed and anxious. Just follow the hacks, tips, and strategies Palau clearly outlines, and you’ll soon be sipping pinot noir in a beautifully tidy living room.

Whether you’re naturally neat or a total chaos magnet, this informative and amusing guide takes an approach to organizing that’s as unique as you are. Let this witty little handbook be your new secret weapon in the war on disorder!

Can a former privateer and a determined heiress find lost treasure in 1725? A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

Pasts Collide in New Orleans when a Treasure Goes Missing
The last time New Orleans attorney Jean-Luc Valmont saw Maribel Cordoba, a Spanish nobleman’s daughter, she was an eleven-year-old orphan perched in the riggings of his privateering vessel proving herself as the best lookout on his crew. Until the day his infamy caught up with them all and innocent lives were lost. Unsure why he survived but vowing to make something of the chance he was given, Jean-Luc has buried his past life so deep that no living person will ever find it—until a very much alive and very grown up Maribel Cordoba arrives on his doorstep and threatens all he now holds dear.

I'll be starting this Sheila Roberts book soon for a mid-April review.

Once happily married, Jenna Jones is about to turn forty, and this year for her birthday—lucky her—she’s getting a divorce. She’s barely able to support herself and her teenage daughter, but now her deadbeat artist ex is hitting her up for spousal support…and then spending it on his “other” woman.

Still, as her mother always says, every storm brings a rainbow. And when she gets a very unexpected gift from her great-aunt Edie, things seem to be taking a turn for the better. Aging Aunt Edie is finding it difficult to keep up her business running The Driftwood Inn, so she invites Jenna to come live with her and run the place. It looks like Jenna’s financial problems are solved!

Or not. The town is a little more run-down than Jenna remembers, but that’s nothing compared to the ramshackle state of The Driftwood Inn. Aunt Edie is confident they can return it to its former glory, though Jenna feels like she’s jumped from the proverbial frying pan into the beach fire.

But who knows? With the help of her new friends and a couple of handsome citizens, perhaps that rainbow is on the horizon after all. Because, no matter what, life is always good at the beach.

What was in your mailbox?

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - Mar 8

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

Hawaii was a fun trip, but in some ways it was weird.

If you go there and like nachos, you need to go to the local Foodland grocery store and pick up these chips. They are toasted just right and have next to no sodium. At my age, less sodium is a good thing; but I've always like tortillas chips with very little salt. We snacked on these every night.

Weird thing number 1: There are chickens EVERYWHERE! There is not one place we went that roosters, chickens, and little chicks weren't running around begging for food. It's a known issue. Instead of feral cats they have feral fowl. The good thing is they eat bugs. The bad thing is they might hop onto your outdoor table while you're enjoy lunch and try to snag your food.

Speaking of bugs, weird thing number 2: they have gold beetles. Snapped this photo while walking through Haleiwa in hunt of a good cup of coffee (for Dad, not me).

If you are on the North Shore, the Halewia Beach House is a great place to eat. I had some of the best fish and chips I've ever eaten there. It's a bit loud, but it was crazy busy when we went. 

Perhaps the oddest thing is the sheer number of abandoned cars littering the roads--especially Kamehameha Highway, which we traveled every day.

They are working on the issue, but it is certainly a dreadful eyesore in an area that has some lovely scenery.

On a side note, we drove by the Anderson Estate, which became famous as the Robin Masters Estate in Magnum P.I. The property was sold to a close friend of the Obamas. It did not look as if the property was being well cared for when we went by.

On our way back home we had a four-hour layover in Dallas. In case you were wondering, they don't think you should mess with Texas.

Task It Tuesday - March 6

Originally created by The Geeky Blogger, Task It Tuesday is a weekly meme to help you--and me--get things done. The challenge is to post a a task or list of tasks you want to complete before next Tuesday. These tasks can help you with your blogging life, reading life, personal or professional life.

Last week I wanted to clean my Messy Bessy house. Some of it got done, but not all of it. Thankfully laundry is caught up after vacation and the living areas aren't in bad shape. Just need to vacuum and wash floors now.

For this week, I have only two tasks: complete the VA paperwork for my father-in-law to submit for his benefits and get myself on the bank accounts so I can start paying bills now that I am POA.

What do you want to accomplish this week?

Mailbox Monday - March 5

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Hard to believe that Hawaii has come and gone. We had a great time. We did some exploring, shopping, walking on the beach, and horseback riding. We also ate at some neat local places.

Honolulu International Airport

Shopping in Wakiki

Pearl Harbor

Waimea Valley Falls

Walking the beach

Honolulu Zoo

Lava rock on beach in Oahu

Yummy chicken

Sunset cruise

Horseback riding at Kualoa Ranch

(Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0, Lost and Jurassic Park filmed here)

As for reading, I finished A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.

I also finished Revision is a Process by Catherine E. McLean, which I reviewed here.

I started this book...

I'm currently reading...

As for items in my mailbox, I picked up this Kindle freebie while we were away...

What if the police suspect your best friend of murder?

There’s a body in the cathedral library, among the priceless books chained to the shelves, and it seems Libby Forest’s friend, Angela, could be the killer.

The last thing female sleuth Libby needs is another investigation into a mysterious sudden death. There’s enough on her plate already. The fast-growing cake and chocolate business takes all her time, her apprentice has problems, and even Bear, Libby’s beloved dog, is determined to create havoc.

She’d like to leave detection to the police, but when her friend becomes the prime suspect Libby once more takes on the role of amateur sleuth and finds herself entangled with the respectable ladies of the local Knitters' Guild, who plan to spring a surprise on the quiet cathedral city.

With a cast of indefatigable knitters, a lively Exham on Sea grapevine and a missing cat, the green fields, rolling hills, and sandy beaches of the West Country are a perfect setting for crime, intrigue and mystery, with a touch of mid-life romance.

If you love murder mysteries, cosy crime, dogs, craft and chocolate, you'll enjoy this instalment in the fun series of whodunnits set in a small English seaside town in Somerset, full of quirky charm and eccentric inhabitants, with a female protagonist torn between independence and a new, enticing career as a private investigator.

Download the story now to follow the trail and discover the killer.

When we arrived home, this book was waiting in my mailbox...

When Alice's dad moves out, leaving her with her troubled mother, she does the only thing that feels right: she retreats to her family's old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until her dad comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to swim freestyle fast enough to get on her swim team's record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon Alice meets an odd new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school's science fair is equal only to her conviction that Alice's best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who is mute—until Alice hears her speak. A funny and honest middle-grade novel, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice's determination to prove herself—as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person—rings loud and true.

That's it for me this week. How about you? What was in your mailbox?