This Week's Reads 12/27

From a tired mommy who reads for entertainment, not enlightenment.

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  We did, it was lovely.  My little daughter said it was the best Christmas ever!  And my son said his stocking was full of happiness.  :)

Anyway, didn't have time for a ton of reading, but I did manage a couple quick read cozy mysteries.

Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins
Number three of the Flower Shop Mystery series.  This heroine (our law school drop out turned flower shop owner) just keeps growing on me, I'm enjoying the series more and more.








Snipped in the Bud by Kate Collins
Aaaaaand onto number four!  I think this was my favorite so far, maybe because it forced Abby back to the law school she attended before flunking out.

Merry Christmas!

This Week's Reads 12/20

From a tired mommy who reads for entertainment, not enlightenment.

It's FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!  It's also the beginning of Christmas break for our family...including my wonderful husband who saves up most of his PTO for the end of the year.  It's going to be a wonderful Christmas season, I just know it.  :)

It's been a busy week, trying to finish up gifts and treats and whatnot, but I still fit in some reading.  So here's what we've got:

The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Interesting.  I'm still not totally sure how I feel about it.  It's well written, and the story engrossing.  Or maybe it was the lifestyles of the wealthy in the Golden Age that was engrossing.  Either way, I found it fascinating.  Not too sure about the conclusion.  Still a lot of questions and mystery surrounding it, I felt.  And a gorgeous cover, which is always a point in a book's favor...I don't have to cringe every time I look at it!





Slay It with Flowers by Kate Collins
Number two in the cozy mystery series I started last week.  Enjoyed it!  The characters are fun, our heroine spunky.  I think we'd be friends.  :)

Holiday cards and a time saving tip

So back in the day when I had only one child, my other baby was an Etsy shop.  I sold handmade cards, jewelry and accessories.  And then I had another child.  And that went out the window.  But anyway, these days I do a few card orders a year as a favor (paid favor, but favor nonetheless!) to my dad for use in his business.  He sends out cards for employees' birthdays, anniversaries of working for him, and of course, Christmas cards.  Now these cards of a necessity are simpler than the cards I typically make, and I have to find ways to make them as efficiently as possible; otherwise I just don't have the time.

Here is this year's Christmas card:

Cute, huh?  I really like it.
So on to my time saving tip: spray adhesive.
Really.  This is the kind I like:

3M General Purpose 45 Spray Adhesive

I picked it up at JoAnn, and when I ran out (I've had this can for years, it goes a long way) I picked up another brand at Michael's which is far inferior.
Anyway, so rather than using Tombow or a gluestick or what have you in assembling the cards, I use spray adhesive.  It does come in acid free, but seeing as these will hardly be a treasured momento for those receiving them, I felt that regular spray adhesive would do just fine.

So here's what I do:
I get some cardboard and lay out the piece to be adhered face down, 30 to 40 at a time.  Any more than that, and they'll begin to lose their stick towards the end of the batch from sitting out.

Then I lightly spray the adhesive on.  Lightly.  Don't drench, and be careful that you don't blow the pieces away with the force of the spray.  In fact, do a test spray first to get the hang of how the adhesive comes out.

Then take your cardboard and set it next to your assembly location, and assemble!  Carefully lay down the pieces and smooth into place.  Repeat for as many pieces as you have to adhere.

SOOOOOO much faster, cheaper and easier than the other options.

And this might be it for the year, unless I manage to squeeze in my reading posts!  I will also really really try to get my sister's wedding post up soon.....  :)

This Week's Reads 12/13

From a tired mommy who reading for entertainment, not enlightenment

My husband has been away on business this week, so I've been reading more.  I.e., collapsing onto the heat vent (it's been below freezing every day here) with a book and a sweet after getting the kids to bed.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I found myself with no library books waiting for me, no Kindle books I was dying to read, so I decided I should pick up one of the dozens of books I own but haven't read.  I really enjoyed this book.  Had the same sense of magic as the last Allen book I read.  Also a sex scene or two to skip.  Set in North Carolina.  Very Southern.






The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Another Sarah Addison Allen that I had lying around.  I liked this one even better than Garden Spells.  Also Southern, also magical.  Set in a mountain town in North Carolina.  Probably a sex scene I skipped, but I don't remember for sure.  Good book.

Mum's the Word by Kate Collins

The first in another cozy mystery series that I picked up at my latest favorite used bookstore (Keep and Exchange Books).  The main character of this is a law school drop out flower shop owner.  I enjoyed it, just like the Antique Print series I was reading last week, though also not my top favorite cozy mystery series.






The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

I closed this book upon finishing, and said aloud, "Wow.  What a book."  And it was.  A compelling tragic mysterious story.  One of those books you don't necessarily love, but that stays with you.  For that, I recommend it.  Now, for my usual warnings: language.  One actual sex scene I skipped, though the characters do refer to sex a few times in an unsurprisingly cavalier manner.  Otherwise a good read.

This Week's Reads 12/6

From a tired mommy who reads for entertainment, not enlightenment.

This is a catch-up entry!  I got behind first because of the wedding (that post is coming, I promise!) and then because I was recovering from the wedding and didn't feel like it!  :)  So here's what I read last week:

Catherine by April Lindner
After reading Jane, I was a little uncertain about this.  But I liked it a whole lot more than Jane.  I wouldn't rank it as one of my favorite books by any means, but it was an interesting read and an interesting interpretation of Wuthering Heights.









The Witnesses by Stephanie Black
This is evidently a sequel.  I just saw it at the library, and since I really like Stephanie Black (my favorite is Rearview Mirror), I picked it up.  It was different than the other books I've read from her.  Suspenseful and intense.  Interesting.  Not my most favorite, but a thrilling ride.









Shadows on the Coast of Maine by Lea Wait
Number two of the Antique Print mystery series.  I really enjoy cozy mysteries.  Again, this isn't my most favorite cozy mystery series (I like Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's and Cupcake Bakery mysteries, as well as Cricket McRae's Home Crafting mysteries a little better), but I definitely have enjoyed it.  This book in particular...it makes me want to go antiquing in Maine!  :)  I may have to settle for an episode of Antiques Roadshow though....