You've Got Mail Monday

Last week was a great one. I typed "The End" on my first picture book of the year. I cleaned up my Facebook account, unliking pages that I don't even visit that were clogging up my feed. And I got some nifty stuff in the mail.

Two copies of The Moses Quilt by Kathi Macias arrived. This is the first book in her new series. I'll be giving away a copy of this book here next month during her virtual book tour. I saw the trailer for this series, and I can't wait for the Christmas one to come out. The Doctor's Christmas Quilt depicts the life of America's first woman doctor, Elizabeth Blackwell. It is a contemporary story about a woman doctor and it will be interesting to see how Blackwell fits into the storyline.

I also received two books from the Harlequin Book Club. I'm not a huge romance reader, though I do enjoy them. Romantic suspense and inspirational romance are my most preferred genres, but expanding beyond that is fine too. The two free books that arrived were Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts and Already Home by Susan Mallery. I'm familiar with Roberts's work, having reviewed two of her books. Not sure when I'll get a chance to read these, but I'll see how I like getting books on a regular basis. There's no commitment, so I can cancel anytime.

The Cableyoyo™ arrived. It's a product I'm reviewing here. It's supposed to keep your wires looking neat. Finally, my new jeans from Old Navy showed up. Thank God! I have been wearing the same two pairs of jeans for about a year now. I rarely spend money on myself, but I'm at the point where if I don't get some new clothes, I'll scream. These are great jeans. Very comfortable and they fit perfect.

That's it from my neck of the woods. Hope you have a great week.

You've Got Mail Monday

Phew! It's almost the end of the day. This weekend was the Lil Diva's (11) sleepover party. The Hunger Games theme went over well. I'll post some pictures later this week.

Since I haven't let you take a peek in my mailbox for a couple of weeks, this might take a while. Feel free to take a potty break first.  LOL!

The girls were thrilled to find that all their clothes from Land's End and Old Navy fit well. In the picture below, you'll see the Lil Princess in her new clothes from Justice. This was her first soccer practice, and we had gone shopping earlier in the week, so you know she had to wear her new clothes.

 

 

Most of the catalogs I received over the past couple of weeks were the usual ones: Land's End, Oriental Trading, and flyers from Macy's. I bought a few of the girls' school clothes at JcPenney. They had some awesome Back-To-School deals. They sent me a flyer last week about their Liz Claiborne® collection for men and women. I thought these jeans were lovely.

 

 

I also thought some of the bold prints they had this year were stunning.

I've been down in the dumps lately, so I used some of our Discover rewards to buy books from Amazon. Not that I really need more books, but these are special ones I wanted in print. I wouldn't have bought so many if the rewards hadn't accumulated. Here's what arrived over the last couple of weeks:

Farmer Boy Goes West by Heather Williams. This book is considered a sequel to Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy. I've been reading it with one of my online chums. We are enjoying the discussions.

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane: Authorship, Place, Time, and Culture by John E. Miller. This was my most expensive purchase, but I am familiar with Miller's work and I have wanted this book for a long time.

Rose Wilder Lane: Her Story by Rose Wilder Lane and Roger Lea MacBride. This was my cheapest purchase. The book cost a penny and the shipping only $3.99. MacBride was Lane's heir, and is responsible for The First Four Years, the final book of the Little House series, being published after Lane's death. He also wrote his own series of children's books about Rose's childhood.

Little House, Long Shadow: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Impact on American Culture by Anita Clair Fellman. I don't know that I would have bought this book without using my rewards. It seems to be a controversial book, based upon the reviews I've read. That William Holtz, author of The Ghost in the Little House: A Life of Rose Wilder Lane endorsed it, didn't make me very confident I would enjoy it. Still, I rarely pass up a book about Wilder or her daughter. After my new LIW related purchases, however, I need a new bookshelf, as my shelves dedicated to my collection are full.

The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White. I have wanted this book for ages, but I refused to request it from her publicist when I knew I was so behind on reviews. I'm still thrilled when I open one of White's books and see my review blurb from The House on Tradd Street on the inside pages. I've read the previous two books in this series, so I wasn't going to miss this new book. Now, I just need to find time to read it.

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox. I have wanted to read Fox's memoir since I learned it was coming out. He remains one of my favorite actors. I was so thrilled when I learned he was coming back to TV. I can't wait until his new sitcom comes out next year.

Lessons from the Mountain: What I Learned from Erin Walton by Mary McDonough. While The Waltons doesn't hold the same appeal for me as Little House on the Prairie or Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, I rarely missed an episode when it originally aired. I didn't know that Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson, Little House on the Prairie) and McDonough were good friends in real life, until I read about a book signing they held together.

I almost picked up Rob Lowe's autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, but I decided I better curb my enthusiasm before I have to walk over piles of books just to reach my desk.

My final purchase was a DVD titled, Pa's Fiddle: The Music of America. This is a collection of songs Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her Little House books. Overseen by Dale Cockrell, director of MTSU's Center for Popular Music, in conjunction with Peak Moore Enterprises, Inc, and Santa Fe Productions, then manufactured and distributed by Compass Records Group, it features Randy Travis, Rodney Atkins, Ronnie Milsap, Natalie Grant, and other country music greats. This will be an excellent addition to my LIW book collection.

As you can see, I've kept the United States Post Office in business the last couple of weeks. Hope you've enjoyed this peek into my mailbox. Have a great week!

You've Got Mail Monday

Has another week passed already? It's sure been a crazy one. Vacation Bible school starts tomorrow, so the girls and I spent the past week getting ready. Everything is all set. Say a prayer it all goes smoothly.

Last week was busy in the mail department too. Items ordered on eBay came in: the case for my new cell phone and the Lil Diva's cell phone, in addition to a pillow sham I bought to match her new bedding. I'll snap a couple of photos this week to share her new look with you.

In addition to that, our order of Happy Goats Soap came in. I love this soap and won't bathe with anything else. The Lil Diva picked out Bacon Bits the Pig with a  Sleepy Time fragrance. The Lil Princess opted for a Sea Urchin shape in lavender, and I went for an unscented bar--though I have to admit my allergies don't seem to be bothered by the fragrances of these soaps.

For catalogs, I received three from Land's End (Kids, Women, Home), a new Gardener's Supply catalog, the fall Creative Ideas For Home and Garden catalog from Lowe's and a catalog from Chadwick's of Boston. I can't tell you how long it has been since I received one from them.

It's back to school time right now, so I picked up clothes online for the girls. Land's End is running a 25% off everything plus FREE shipping on orders over $50. My most exciting find from their deeply discounted On the Counter section was these French Terry Ruffle Pocket Hoodies. The girls needed new sweatshirts desperately, so I'm glad I found these at such a good price and then took advantage of the additional 25% off discount.

I also shopped Old Navy online. My favorite find there was their Printed-Waist Yoga Pants. The girls love this style of pants for dancing.

Now, if I could just make time to find some new clothes for me.

Have you shopped for any fall clothes yet? What is your favorite store to visit?

You've Got Mail Mondays

It's time for another edition of You've Got Mail Mondays. No books last week, which is unusual, but good for my massive TBR pile. I'm taking my Kindle, my Kindle Fire and three paperbacks with me to North Carolina. That should help me catch up a bit.

There are days I wonder how much Land's End spends on postage. I received another catalog. This one talks about their kids' summer sale. The Oriental Trading Crafts catalog also arrived. It hosts over 150 new crafts. Now's the time of year I look inside to see if I can scoop up any great deals for vacation Bible school.

The most exciting thing the mailman brought last week was the clothes I ordered from Old Navy. I picked up a pair of khaki colored cargo shorts, this floral racerback tank top, a sports bra and this pair of women's active compression shorts. I've already used the top and cargo shorts. The tank top is beautiful--even nicer than I thought it would be for $10. The cargo shorts are a bit loose, but I held onto them anyway. They are comfortable. I haven't used the other items yet, but I plan to. I didn't notice it in the description, but the compression shorts have a zippered pocket at the back waist. That might come in handy.

That's it for this week. Hope it's sunny and warm where you are.