Category Archives: books

Review: Daughters of the Bride

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, me, round robin by

cover-daughtersDaughters of the Bride – Susan Mallery, July 2016, HQN Books

Courtney ~ The Misfit ~

As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her—and how she views herself—forever.

Sienna ~ The Free Spirit ~

When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say “I do” even if she’s not sure she does?

Rachel ~ The Cynic ~

Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom’s wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily ever after.

This book links into Mallery’s Mischief Bay series (see here for my reviews  ) which I loved. This title is one I’d solidly rate 4 stars also; it ticked nearly every box. I would put myself in the Rachel camp, so I’ve learnt something from this book – it is okay not to expect the same effort in bathroom hygiene from my boys as I would put in, but it’s definitely okay to give them a checklist for guidance!

  • Well drawn characters
  • Believable plot
  • Consistency in character behavior
  • Consistency in story line
  • The animals didn’t hurt the story either!

IRL, I have not lost more weight altho I have stayed static for the last two weeks. I can however slide my jeans off without undoing them and I need new bras. This is progress! Simon’s torn some cartilage in his knee, and is on a wait for surgery. Understandably, he’s in discomfort most of the time and outright pain at other times. Yesterday I picked up a brace – and we both slept solidly. 7 hours or so my Polar tells me! Apart from the night he fell asleep on the couch, I haven’t had more than five to five-and-a-half hours for a few weeks. I’m hoping this is the start of a beautiful friendship. It’s very hard to get up at 5am and go swimming without restful sleep!

20160814_205158I didn’t stitch for a couple of weeks, but then I binged a little over the last weekend and finished Afternoon in London! It’s currently on my noticeboard here at work, as I need to make time and go to the framers in Mt Eden. I’ve started the Harry Potter House Banners for Z, and it’s BORING. Seriously boring. It’s going to be a Netflix binge watch to get thru these things. I have also joined up a large format (5K stitches) round robin – what was I thinking?!

 

 

IMG_20160816_213950.jpgMase is collecting the Countdown Star Wars cards right about now. He wrote Pete, our COO, this cute letter to say thanks! It’s one for his 21st wall.

 

Tourists in our own Island

Posted in books, cross stitch, family, grateful, me, photos, travel by

My rotation plan has gone out the window- well, not entirely but there’s an edit. When we checked the referee’s draw on Thursday, neither Si nor B had been allocated games, so we decided to escape Auckland for the weekend (thanks Emma for feeding the fish!). We knew the weather wasn’t going to be sharp anywhere we went, but it’s all about the adventure. We don’t know how many more weekends we will be able to get away as a family of 5 (B plans on finding an apprenticeship for 2017) so we want to take advantage of the opportunities. Raven Queen is too unwieldy to do in the car (32ct dark fabric? ah no) so I picked up Afternoon in London. I needed a jump to get over my stitching hump with this one.

We booked in at a little cottage in Opua, in the Bay of Islands. It’s just before Paihia (too touristy) and it’s where the car ferry for Russell leaves from. Small, but we could see ourselves retiring there. They even have a Stitch & Bitch session! Sadly we did not win lotto so that dream will wait a while longer. Even in the gloom the view from up on the hill was engrossing and I spent time at the windows both mornings. My only complaint would be that the kitchen doesn’t face that view.

Saturday we were all up early so we jumped in the car, planning to get to the northern most tip of New Zealand, Cape Reinga. Mase wanted to be the first boy to have been at both top & bottom of the islands (he’s forgotten all about Stewart Island!) & goal achieved. We did stop wherever we felt the need – lots of junk shops & second hand bookstores. I found some haul too as well as a very thick bio on Mary Magdalene (amazon link here).

Williams House, Paihia – part of an Anglican Mission
sailboat under repairs at Opua
Wesleydale Memorial Church, Kaeo-KeriKeri parish, c 1820’s – & still in use
Simon mourns the ruins of old houses

The Cape was a bit different from what Simon remembered as a teen. The parking lot is now well back from the lighthouse (a ten minute walk) and the entry has been all tourist-fied with piped in traditional Maori music and planned plantings. Never mind. Once you’re thru that, it’s raw and as it should be.

where the two seas meet

The lighthouse is smaller than I thought, much smaller than I remember Castlepoint being. Sadly it’s operated by remote computers now, but I could imagine the loneliness a keeper would have experienced. It’s so open and you can see where the two seas meet – Tasman on my left, Pacific on the right – and recall the Maori myth about this being the departing place for the spirits of the ancestors, as they made their way back to Hawaiki (better story here).

20160709_145257Being back at work is kind-of a letdown. I would much rather be back at the lighthouse.

and lastly – Mase reenacting the story of Jonah…

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PSA about Dishwater

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A lot of what I am reading lately comes up with a description about a character having dishwater blonde hair. So I got annoyed enough to google the description.

All I can say is EWUUU and seriously, change your dishwater. It ain’t cleaning nothing if it’s this colour.

Current culprit: Just One Thing by Holly Jacobs. It was a Samsung/Kindle freebie this month. I don’t know yet if I’ll finish it.

Main read: Master of Shadows by Neil Oliver. I’m only in chapter two so we’ll see how that goes.

Hellooooo July!

Posted in books, cross stitch, goals, me, Mirabilia, Nora Corbett, Smalls SAL by

Well, I finished Firefly Lane AND the sequel Fly Away. I enjoyed Firefly Lane very much, getting so engrossed in the characters that I had no shame bawling my eyes out while waiting for Zac’s sweet & sour pork the other night. Fly Away not so much, but it had a redemption theme which I do like.

firefly laneIn the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all—beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. 

I have a bestie like this. We’ve been apart for a long time, but as she’s moving to Auckland very soon I hope we can slide straight back into that easy friendship.

Stitching-wise, I haven’t done a lot this week. I woke on Monday feeling quite dissatisfied with things, and decided that I was going to change. So I hauled a$$ & went to the base early to start.

Now, I used to swim competitively. I went to meets all over, and secondary school nationals a couple of times. I thought I’d slide back in – oh no. But I managed 4 lengths (of a 25m pool!) before everything turned to jelly. And once I was back at work, I rang the local Jenny Craig office and got a same-day appointment (no room to chicken out, right?). Turns out that mentally I’m ready for this. Ready to turn around my health spiral. It took 6 months of being out of the yes-I’ll-volunteer cycle to get myself to this point. I wonder if in a few months I’ll be able to give up the headache pills? Look for an activity/weight loss update Monday – if I don’t post it, YELL at me. Please keep me accountable!

So I’ve managed maybe half-a-dozen threads at work, and a couple of hours on Mermaids at home. And as today is the first, I am rotating out from Mermaids to Persephone for a week. My only issue with her is that she is on the big stand so can’t go to league with me tomorrow. But a limited time period might help me get some progress on that skirt – the carrot being that I plan to switch out to Raven Queen next Friday. Then Arezzo, and lastly nine days back on Mermaids – or maybe 7, with the 2 days of the weekend doing something new? We’ll see what happens!

For the Smalls SAL, I finished a Mill Hill kit (Fireflies) and have two Holly ornaments ready for beading, and another two Berry ornaments being stitched. I decided to stitch a second of each of these on Darine 14ct plastic canvas, not only so I have a set to keep, I’m feeling like I get more value for money. These kits are not cheap here in NZ  – roughly $18 for fireflies and $14 for the Christmas Jewel series, each! I also finished the Bunny kit from Cross Stitcher magazine – he’s going to stay as is, without the ribbon, and become my massive needle minder.

 

Hope you all have a fun-filled weekend with your family & friends!

Book Review: Mischief Bay & a bit of waffle

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Sorry for not keeping up – life is kind-of hectic, altho I look back and think that really, I’m just dog-paddling like a mad thing, trying to stay in the one spot. I feel sorry for Mase, as he is not playing a team sport this winter, solely so that I can support Bran & his refereeing. Si is running around with Zac in tow – who STARTED in the run-on 15 this weekend. Woot! Mase is lovely and while a little upset, is just getting on with everything else. I brought him a Lovett’s kids puzzle book as it was persisting down on Saturday (no park playground time) & he ripped thru it. His spelling list is year 5/6 – he’s technically a year 2. Words like acclimate, estimate, zootopia – and he’s expected to know the meanings too. Have you ever tried to explain Zootopia to a 6 year old? I think it could have been easier to explain the U2 album of the same name…

Anyway, I have made time for reading. Right now, I’m in Firefly Lane by Kristen Hannah, but I’m kind-of hungover from back-to-back Susan Mallery. I came across her Mischief Bay series and wow.

The Girls of Mischief Bay.jpgBook ONE: The Girls of Mischief Bay:

Nicole Lord wants to be a good wife, but there’s a difference between being supportive and supporting her husband, who quit his job to write a screenplay she’s never seen. He won’t even help take care of their son, leaving Nicole to run the house and work full-time at her Mischief Bay Pilates studio. Can she say enough is enough without losing the man she loves?

Sacrificing a personal life for her career is how Shannon Rigg rose to become vice president in her firm, but she wonders now whether she made the right choice. An exciting new relationship with a great guy convinces her that it might not be too late—until he drops a bombshell that has her questioning whether she can have it all. And if she can, does she want it?

Although Pam Eiland has a beautiful house and a husband she adores, she feels… restless. She wonders who a stay-at-home mom becomes after the kids are grown. Finding sexy new ways to surprise her husband brings the heat and the humor back to their marriage, but when unexpected change turns her life upside down, she’ll have to redefine herself. Again.

The Friends We Keep.jpgBook TWO: The Friends We Keep

After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can’t wait to return to work. Oh, to use the bathroom in peace! No twins clamoring at the door, no husband barging in, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband’s crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.

Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is worried about the expensive fertility treatments and frantic about the threat to her health. But to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost.

Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn’t as painful as it should’ve been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time’s the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?

At times these characters are someone you’d like to know IRL, then at other times I wanted to smack them. I guess that’s the sign of a good book – you get engrossed and you have real feelings. The growth and changes are realistic, the sub-characters are well crafted, the location (the other side of the earth from me) sounds real; I’ve already added book 3 to my diary so that I definitely don’t miss it next February.

Sadly, not the same with the latest Nora Roberts trilogy. Blah blah boring.

And lastly – go ICELAND! Love a good under-dog story.

Sharing is Caring: How Emma can teach us

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image: ©BBC In Mansfield Park the charming Mary Crawford claims, “Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope for a cure.” But she’s dead wrong. Jane Austen shows us in another novel, Emma, that there is indeed a cure for selfishness: love. And no I don’t mean just falling in love or…

via Emma Woodhouse and the Cure for Selfishness — Carrots for Michaelmas

Book Review: The Obsession

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Nora Roberts, 2016, Penguin Random House.

image

I haven’t read a Nora for a while. TBH, they were feeling all same-same and I couldn’t be bothered. But I downloaded this one on Thursday and finished Saturday night and could go back and happily read it all over again right now.

The basic plot is that Naomi discovered  something awful in her father, revealed it, and was strong enough to start creating her new life. As an adult she moves to a remote-ish house on the Washington coast, starts reno and starts living properly. In comes Xander, the hero, and the sub-hero, Tag.

Some things hit close to the bones for me (the mother’s way of checking out was the main) but on the whole I enjoyed this one. The book is divided up into sections (exposure, depth of field, panorama, light and shadow, focus, & balance) and I like the way the writing is subtly changing in each section to highlight the heading. The character development is vintage Nora and the second quotes are perfect.
4 1/2 ⭐

Sharing is Caring: Snowflower Diaries

Posted in books, cross stitch, freebies by

I found a new SAL for the year via @stitchymom on IG. I quite like the gentleness and primitive aspects of this one – which will be really surprising to most! Me too 🙂

Each will be free to download on The Snowflower Diaries blog – take a peek! Here’s Jan & Feb (already released) & the schedule for the rest of the year. I think I’ll honour the book I’m currently reading and stitch the month in French, inviting a bit a of Paris into my life.

The hashtag for this SAL is #joyfulworldsal

WIP Wednesday

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I don’t know if it’s the mood that I’m in or that time of year, but I am looking intently at my routine. What is going to make me happy? What is going to make me feel satisfied?

I’ve decided NOT to follow up on the Reading Challenge. Well, not as printed anyway. I’m still going to read to improve, and to relax. I’m going to follow recommendations more, and I’m definitely going to clean up my eReader to get rid of the crap stuff, or the “oncers” – you know, the things you read once then shelve. And I’m going to journal my “new” reads more, either in my log or on IG.

I’m going to continue to get up early & use that 30 min or so to catch up on social media, on my notebooks, and MAKE something. Even if it’s just a couple of thread lengths, or planning. I started doing this late last year and it made a difference to my sanity, once I got over the shock of not having the snooze option. Being “alone” in my home gives me peace. I want to introduce a daily devotional to this mix as well.

Anyways enough of the WIP that is me. Let’s look at the WIPs I’m making:

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This was my table this morning. My current read (one co-worker expressed shock that I was reading a “real” book, ha-de-ha), my log and the current Small. I am planning a border for this then to make it into a small hanging ornament. It’s the symbol for Year of the Monkey, and I intend for it to be a gift for my local Chinese takeaway place. I’m altering Raven Queen’s border, hence the chart paper – I want to use pencil & avoid the stitch-and-frog part of today’s entertainment!

Hope your week is a little bit awesome.