Thinking of You

I recently participated in a "Thinking of You" card swap. Each person made ten cards with the theme, and got 9 different cards in return.
I made a variety of different cards because I was using up materials, but some people make all of theirs the same. Either way is fine.Two of my cards are pink, and I just really loved them and didn't want to give them away! I didn't want them to say "Thinking of You" specifically, so I used quotes that referenced thinking about a friend.
For more pink goodness, visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Naamah's Kiss: not my usual fare

When it comes to reading, I am a historical fiction, contemporary romance, and mystery gal. But every once in a while I try something else and usually enjoy it, as I did with The Host by Stephenie Myer. Naamah's Kiss by Jacqueline Carey is another outside my usual choices that I have really enjoyed. It is what I would call a fantasy-world book, where many things are familiar to the reader, yet fantastic elements such as magic, multiple gods, talking animals, etc., are key to the story. I went through a big phase in college where I read a lot of this genre, and Naamah's Kiss has re-awakened that enjoyment.

About the Book: Once there were great magicians born to the Maghuin Dhonn; the folk of the Brown Bear, the oldest tribe in Alba. But generations ago, the greatest of them all broke a sacred oath sworn in the name of all his people. Now, only small gifts remain to them. Through her lineage, Moirin possesses such gifts - the ability to summon the twilight and conceal herself, and the skill to coax plants to grow.
After Moirin undergoes the rites of adulthood, she finds divine acceptance...on the condition that she fulfill an unknown destiny that lies somewhere beyond the ocean. Or perhaps oceans. Beyond Terre d'Ange where she finds her father, in the far reaches of distant Ch'in, Moirin's skills are a true gift when facing the vengeful plans of an ambitious mage, a noble warrior princess desperate to save her father's throne, and the spirit of a celestial dragon.
I was actually worried about Moirin when she set out on her quest to find her destiny, a testimony to the multi-dimensional writing of Ms. Carey. Although she has 2 magical gifts and is intelligent, she has led a sheltered life in the woods with only her mother for companionship. It is not until she is 8 that she meets another person and at 10 years old she finally meets another child, and then he only comes to her home, she does not venture into the more civilized world for several years. Because her gifts are of nature, and she has lived in the open all her life, the stone walls of man made shelters seem to choke her, cutting off her gifts, and making it difficult to breathe. A girl who has only ever hunted her own food, worn the same clothes until the fall apart, and never used money, enters a world of intrigue, thievery, and lust. Moirin handles most of it very elegantly for a girl of sixteen, a testament to the quiet strength given by her mother, Faiche.
Naamah's Kiss has all the elements of a great fantasy-adventure story, a tortured princess, a fight for a throne, magic, even a dragon! If you have not tried an other world fantasy before, Naamah's Kiss is easy to follow, and a wonderful tale of a young woman's strength and growth through her quest, both personal and geographical. My only caveat for some readers is that there are many graphic sexual situations, since Naamah is a goddess of pleasure. They can easily be skipped over to continue with the plot.

Beachy Brooches

For this week's installment of Vintage Thingies Thursday, I'm bringing a touch of the beach to you. I am away in Ogunquit, Maine, hopefully basking in the sun, but there are tons of folks participating in VTT with Suzanne at Colorado Lady, so click on over to see what they've got.This starfish pin is great because it is multi-dimensional. It is not quite gold or silver, and the gentle bend of it's arms makes me think of seeing starfish washing up with the tide. There is no manufacturer's name on it.This beachy and summery abalone with the "pearl" nestled in it, is also unsigned.
As always, these pins belonged to my mom, and live in a Hush Puppies shoe box in my linen closet! When I get back from my vacation I'll have actual beach pictures to share, I hope!

The Castaways: definitely NOT a reject!

Castaway: cast adrift or ashore; shipwrecked; a rejected or discarded person or thing.

The Castaways are four couples who are best friends living on the island of Nantucket off Cape Cod, MA. None were raised on the island, but all have found their way to it through various life events, and now with children, careers, and established relationships, it is part of their blood. Elin Hilderbrand has once again given us a story celebrating her home and the life of the year-round inhabitants woven into complex human relationships. I first read Ms. Hilderbrand 9 years ago with the publication of her first book, The Beach Club. With each successive novel I have seen her writing grow, and her storytelling enthrall me even more. Every summer I look forward to another layered, emotional story that makes me almost want to brave the horrors of the Cape in summer to visit the island. Maybe I'll go after Labor Day this year...
The central characters of The Castaways, teachers Greg and Tess MacAvoy, appear in the novel through the thoughts of their six good friends. The story opens with the death of Greg and Tess in a boating accident, leaving 7 year old twins, a daughter and son. This sail was to be a symbolic reconciliation and renewal of Tess and Greg's 12-year marriage, which had undergone a year of strained crisis. As friends and family scramble to make arrangements for the children, the burial, and the execution of the wills, questions swirl throughout the group. Why were both Tess and Greg found under the b oat? Why hadn't they yet made it to their destination when the squall arose? The Chief of Police, their good friend Ed has a question that the others don't even know about. Why were opiates found in Tess's bloodstream in the toxicology report? More questions arise as the Chief investigates the accident. Why did Tess receive 5 phone calls from Addison, her friend's husband, on the morning of the accident? Why did Tess's cell phone disappear right after the Chief noted the calls? Was Greg truly at the beach the night before with one of his female students? The reader learns of all these things through the eyes of Andrea & the Chief, Addison & Phoebe, and Jeremy & Delilah, piecing together a complex quilt of foolish choices, friendships, tragedy, lost loves, and family.
I'm sure you can tell that I really enjoyed The Castaways, and I'd love to tell you to run out and get it...but, it's still only in hardcover, so if you've never read Elin Hilderbrand before, try one of her earlier novels in paperback. If you are familiar with Ms. Hilderbrand, go get this one right away! Her novels are great beach books, not sudsy or foolish, and really make me think about relationships and the impact of small decisions. My favorite after The Castaways is The Blue Bistro, the story of a famous chef on Nantucket, and her restaurant.
On Elin Hilderbrand's web site there is a giveaway for a tote bag full of several of her novels, so check it out if you are interested.
There are also giveaways for The Castaways at:
This Book for Free
Booking Mama
Frugal Plus (5 copies!)

Blue Checkerboard Tableloth

Welcome to another installment of Blue Monday, hosted by one of the sweetest bloggers around, Smiling Sally! There are more than 60 participants from all around the world in this great weekly meme, so take some time to check out the cool blue things they are sharing! I will not be visiting very many because I will be leaving on vacation in about an hour, but crazy blogger that I am, I got up early to link up. The rest of the week my posts are scheduled.
I have this great vintage tablecloth I got on eBay about 2 years ago. At the time I thought I wanted to be a collector of vintage linens and I bought several tablecloths.This one was actually an accidental purchase, and it turned out to be my favorite! I was bidding on something from a seller, and thought I'd just put in a quick low bid on this particular tablecloth and I got it, but not the one I actually wanted. I think I paid less than $5.00 for it, that's what I mean by a low-ball offer.It is the only one of all my tablecloths that has a manufacturer's label.I also didn't read the dimensions carefully, because it turns out to be a square, and is too small for my dining table. However, I have used it on my round outdoor table, and on my rectangular dining table I place it like a diamond so some wood is showing. Besides the great vibrant colors, and awesome blue checkered border, the fabric is not the typical smooth linen that is kind of stiff when ironed.It is more of a flow-y feedsack quality fabric, a little thicker, more work-horse material. Although I have decided that I am not a collector of vintage linens, I will definitely keep this one, even if I get rid of some others.
Have you ever had an accidental purchase that turned out great?

Pink Birthday!

Wednesday was my niece's birthday! She is growing into a lovely young lady, and I am so proud of her and the wonderful job my sister and BIL are doing raising her. She is an excellent student, enjoys reading, and is a great athlete, playing soccer and softball, and just generally loving active things. She is also the girl who is nice to everyone and includes them in her activities, even if they are nerdy-birds.I just realized that my gift is almost all pink, so I thought I'd share it with you this week. I love paisley, so this box immediately caught my eye in the store.Then I realized it held another box! It's a little Vera Bradley trinket box.Inside I placed these great polymer clay flip-flop earrings I got from Split Rock Designs on Etsy.Here's the birthday gal herself in her pink shirt doing her homework. No, Bo the dog isn't dead, he's just sleeping. Tired out from assisting with the homework I imagine.
For more pink goodies, be sure to visit Beverly and the other PINK SATURDAY participants listed at How Sweet the Sound.

Summery Brooches

It's another fabulous Vintage Thingies Thursday, hosted by Suzanne at Colorado Lady! Click on over to see the goodies she and the other gals are showing this week. Also, while you're here, check out my book giveaway for April & Oliver, on the right sidebar. I have 5 copies and it ends tomorrow night.I have a large collection of vintage brooches, most of which I received from my mother. Some are mine or my sister's from our childhood.These butterflies and bumblebees are about the size of a quarter. My sister and I each had one, and when I began teaching she gave a lot of her pins to me.I would wear them in pairs on floral shirts, and they often blended right in. My mother told us that when she was a girl many pins were sold as pairs in different sizes or a theme, meant to be worn together.This large, gold-tone butterfly was my mom's from her working gal days. It is marked ERRY's on the back. Because I am a teacher, I don't dress up much in the summer, but I do try to wear these in the spring and early fall.
Do you have a summer "uniform", like mine of capris and t-shirts with flip flops?