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Crazy for Color

March 6, 2013 at 9:58 am by Claudia

nest

I’ve got Spring Fever. I could hear birds singing away yesterday and it gave me hope.

The giant sheet of ice that covered a good portion of the parking area outside the door has finally melted.

cone

The ice was so thick and dangerous that I resorted to putting this attractive cone out so that delivery trucks wouldn’t park there. I had to park over there by the shed. Those little bits of ice you can see in the photo? I chopped up the last bit of ice with my boot yesterday.

Don backed into the cone recently and it ended up on its side. I let Scout out and noticed that she was staring at it for the longest time. Then she started barking at it. I have no idea what the heck she thought it was, but I had to go outside and restore the cone to its original position before she would stop barking.

She doesn’t like any changes on her turf.

Do you think it’s time to put the cone back in the shed? Or should I use it as the focal point for a spring garden?

Just kidding.

Unfortunately, we are due for some snow today and tomorrow. I don’t think it will amount to much – just snow, then rain, then snow, then rain. Those to the south of us are going to be hit harder. I’m not too upset because it’s going to hit 50° on the weekend, which is positively balmy for us.

threads

I need color. After months of a grayish brown landscape, I’m longing for some color outside my windows. Inside? I’ve got plenty of it, because you know I love color.

yelloworchidgarland

I’ve been crocheting flowers like crazy and the colors make me happy. (I’ll list the new garlands for the Etsy shop tomorrow.) Yellow, Purple, Red, Blue, Tangerine, Pink….oh my. I think we can all use some color right about now, whether it’s in the garden or in a springtime banner.

What about you? Are you longing for color? Or are you one of those lucky ones who lives in a warmer climate?

Happy Wednesday.

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Book Review: No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

March 5, 2013 at 8:42 am by Claudia

No Mark Upon Her

Today I am reviewing No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

The Story: A woman’s body is found in the Thames by a K9 Search and Rescue Team. The woman is identified as Rebecca Meredith, a former Olympic Rowing hopeful who is working toward a comeback. She is also a Detective at the Met, which adds another layer to this mystery and is the reason that New Scotland Yard Detective Duncan Kincaid is brought in to head the investigation. Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, tackle an increasingly complicated mystery with tentacles that reach out to include New Scotland Yard itself.

I will reveal no more plot than that. I don’t want to be a spoiler!

Review: For some reason, Deborah Crombie hadn’t been on my radar system. Since I am a lover of mysteries, I’m not sure how that happened. Consequently, I looked forward to discovering a new-to-me writer. As I read, I was sure Ms. Crombie was British and it wasn’t until I read the blurb on the back of the book that I realized she’s from Texas. You would never know. She is such an excellent writer, paints such a realistic and vivid picture of London and Henley, has such an ear for a Brit’s turn of phrase, that she might as well be born and bred in the UK. She’s that good.

The novel takes place in London and Henley. Henley is known as a training ground for rowers and the novel is rich in details about rowing and a rower’s life. Crombie has a gift for descriptive detail that makes every setting come alive. I could see the river, the rowers, the cottages; each piece of the setting vividly came to life. There is a colorful and richly drawn cast of characters, each of them fully realized and each of them integral to the plot.

The plot is complicated and deftly written. Though this mystery is part of a series that includes Kincaid and James, it is fully able to stand on its own. I hadn’t read any of the other novels in the series and, yes, there is some back story that I picked up here and there. Some of it I could figure out, other details remained hidden, but none of that kept me from being fully engaged in this excellently written mystery.

In fact (and this rarely happens for me) I didn’t want the novel to end, yet I did want it to end. You know what I mean? You want to find out who did it, but the novel is so well written and the world you’re living in via the words on the page is so real that you don’t want to leave it. I finished the novel wanting to learn more about the recurring cast of characters. I want to know more about what led them all to this point in time in the series. I promptly ordered the first 6 books in the series from my local library. It’s that good. Crombie writes in the tradition of P.D. James and Elizabeth George, both of whom have written an excellent series of books revolving around a police detective. I can’t wait to read all of the books in the series.

By now I’m sure you’ve realized that I recommend this book highly.

DeborahCrombie

The author: A native Texan who has lived in both England and Scotland, Deborah Crombie is a three-time Macavity Award winner, an Edgar Award nominee, and a New York Times Notable author. She is the author of more than a dozen novels, including the recent Necessary as Blood and Dreaming of the Bones, which was selected as one of the 100 Best Crime Novels of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. She lives in McKinney, Texas, sharing a house that is more than one hundred years old with her husband, three cats, and two German Shepherds.

I’m not sure, at this moment, if there is an official giveaway with this book. I’m still checking on that. But, if there isn’t, I will donate my copy of the book. So, either way, I’ll give away a copy of this excellent novel to some lucky person. Leave a comment if you want to be entered. I’ll draw the winning name on Friday evening.

Happy Tuesday,

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A PJ Party!

March 3, 2013 at 8:00 pm by Claudia

pjparty It’s time, girls! Time for our PJ Party. I must admit I haven’t been to a PJ Party since I was a teenager. We used to watch late night scary movies in those days. We had a local show called “Shock Theater” and we’d watch Frankenstein and Dracula and The Mummy and cover our eyes and scream.

This party will be a bit more sedate, unless the sight of me in my flannel pjs causes you to scream. And it well might! I have long been a fan of flannel pjs and I make no bones about it. I could easily wear my pjs all day long. I have worn them all day long. And I wasn’t sick.

packingpjs

Here am I last year packaging up my first-ever Etsy orders. Note coffee cup nearby and box of donuts on the counter. Note now dead coffee maker on the counter behind me.

I’ve had many adventures in them, many of them written about right here on this blog. I recently had to run outside, wearing only my flannel pjs and a pair of white socks to wrestle Scout to the ground when she was trying to get a squirrel who had been caught inside our dog corral. This highly dramatic incident occurred in full view of all the morning commuters on our road. Don’t worry. I was able to get the squirrel to safety. The socks were ruined. It was very muddy out there.

lovemypjs

Have you noticed that my Flannel PJs have a squirrel on them? I don’t think that’s a coincidence, do you?

I’ve driven my husband to the bus station in my flannel pajamas. I’ve danced in my flannel pajamas. I’ve greeted the FedEx guy, the UPS guy, and Lori, our mail lady, in my flannel pajamas. I’ve gardened in my flannel pajamas. Many times. I’ve painted and created in my flannel pajamas. My chalkboard that you see on the sidebar was painted and antiqued during a wintry day spent in my flannel pjs. I regularly, almost exclusively, blog in my flannel pajamas. I’ve coached actors over the phone wearing my flannel pajamas. I’ve cooked, baked and cleaned the house in my flannel pajamas.

I wrote an Ode to Flannel Pajamas in this post.

Don captured me blogging in my flannel pajamas in this photo:

Note Scout in her tunnel. And my well-worn slippers, since discarded. And I’m not thrilled with the way my top is pooching – it makes me look like I’ve got an even bigger gut than I have. This is called a reality shot, my friends. Try not to be jealous.

Oh I forgot. I’ve shoveled snow in my parka and flannel pajamas.

I started the Flannel Pajamas Club more than a year ago and posted the requirements for membership:

• You must love wearing your flannel pajamas.
• Simply loving them isn’t enough. You have to find any excuse to wear them.
• Possible excuses: “But I need to clean the house.” “My writing suffers if I’m not comfortable.” “It’s 3:00 pm.” ” It gets dark early.” “I just came home from work and I have to change my clothes, so why waste another outfit? I’ll just go straight to my pajamas.”
• More excuses: “If I must cook, then I have to wear my flannel pjs.” “But I’m drinking hot chocolate.“
• That’s all. Simple.

And I love nothing more than finding an excuse to put them on around 4ish so that I can have hot chocolate in my pajamas. Heaven.

This is my newest pair of flannel pajamas:

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I got them from Target and I love them. My other squirrel pajamas are still here, but to put it kindly, they are threadbare. But Don gave them to me and he really loves them. So I wear them occasionally, even though the fabric has ripped under the armpit. This particular pair is by Nick and Nora. The cut of the top isn’t the most flattering – it’s boxy in a way my squirrel pajamas were not and makes me look like I weigh a lot more than I do. But here goes. Don took this photo with my old camera with the lights on and it’s a bit blurry.

newpjs

A girl and her dog.

Okay. As you can see, I clearly have no pride, so why should you? So be brave and share a pic of you in your flannel pajamas. Or cotton pajamas. Or yoga pants and a T-shirt. Come on, go for it. Tell us why you love them. Bring some popcorn and something decadently sweet to eat. I’ll supply the hot chocolate. Be there or be square.

Just write your post, click on the post title and copy the URL address that shows in your browser. Supply that information in the link manager below and you’re good to go!

Enjoy!

Crazy for Color

Book Review: No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie

A PJ Party!

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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