It's June....

June is half over and that means that summer in the northwest is about 2 weeks away. Our summer doesn't start until July 5th - that's usually when the rains stop or at least slow down and the summer sun will come out to play. June for me is always a "wait and see" month. Wait and see if anyone is coming up to play with me. Wait and see how bad the moss on the driveway will get before I have to drag out the power washer and spend a few weeks getting it off. Wait and see if those deck flower pots will actually bloom. Wait and see if I will be taking a summer vacation and go exploring. Wait and see if there is anything else I can do inside before taking it outside. Wait and see when the Saturday farmer's market will be selling veggies. Wait and see I can turn off the furnace and open the windows - wide. Wait and see if I still fit into my summer clothes. Wait and see I can start ordering iced latte's. Wait and see if my July and August calendar will be filled with fun things to do. Wait and see the night sky at 9:58 instead of 10:02. June is half over, I'll just have to wait and see . . . . .

I'm stuck --- I just can't think of anything to blog about. What are you blogging about right now?

Project 12: Capturing May

I'm still participating in the scrapbooking Project 12 (doing a layout for each month of events, projects and calendar doings). Here's my May layout.

May's Book(s) Report

A Night Too Dark by Dana Stabenow

The 17th book in the Kate Shugak's series. The mine just outside the native Alaskan's park is starting up and brings murder into Kate's backyard. Another good read by Ms. Stabenow

Apple Turnover Murder by JoAnne Fluke

Hannah's at it once more in Lake Eden, MN. A full town of fundraiser has her cookie shop baking around the clock. Mixing up Murder and Mayhem. Plus, all the new cookie recipes included in each chapter. A fun, light and yummy mystery series
The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz
All you have to do is mention this author's name and I'll break out laughing. The 4th in this zany series that is a laugh a minute. Once again Ms. Lutz has us running around San Francisco following the antics of this dysfunctional family of private detectives that usually just get it right --- a must read that tickles the funny bone with each page.
Tell No One by Harlan Coben
A stand alone (Myron's not in this one). This is one of those "I could not put it down until I finished the whole book". It's a slow start - but then hang on for a good ride to the end. After 8 years since his wife's death, David gets a message that only his wife would know about.
Gone For Good by Harlan Coben
Will's brother, Ken, ran after being accused of murdering Will's previous girlfriend 11 years ago. It all comes home and Will wants answers. Fantastic story line that will have you turning the pages until you've got the answers, too.
The Woods by Harlan Coben
20 years ago 4 teens walked into the woods while away at camp - and no one came out. Paul Copeland's sister was one of them. Paul was there and is now a hot shot lawyer that has a case that brings those 20 years into present time.
Hold Tight by Harlan Coben
Mike and Tye are concerned about their teenage son - they start to snoop and it's a house of cards that comes falling down. A slow read and just an Okay story - but, it's Coben, so worth a read.
Caught by Harlan Coben
Hang On! This is a page turner that is not all that it seems to be. Great, great ending. Lot's of Coben characters from Myron's stories are showcased throughout.
Just One Look by Harlan Coben
Lots of characters - lots of story line - lots of endings. Another "you just don't really know what is what until the last page".
The Innocent by Harlan Coben
One of his best stand alone mysteries. Matt Hunter has a good job, a new house in escrow, a wife he's crazy about that is expecting their first child. Matt has straighten out his life -- or -- has he? Vegas - Reno - New Jersey: you do the math.
Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry
The first in the Jane Whitefield series. And it's off to a wonderful start. American Indian guide, Jane, who has the gift to help those in need. A vanishing act, slight of hand, helping people disappear from the bad guy's is what Jane is all about. Great read with lots of twists and turns along the way.
Dance For The Dead by Thomas Perry
Jane specializes in making victims vanish. Calling on the ancient wisdom of the Seneca tripe and her own razor-sharp cunning, she conjures up new identities for the people with nowhere left to run. Jane helps an innocent 8 year old boy and then picks up another needy person in the process. Great story twists & turns - this book won lots of awards and worth every one.
Shadow Woman by Thomas Perry
Jane is a name to be whispered. A shadow woman who rescues the helpless and the hunted when their enemies leave them no place to hide. Pete is a Las Vegas gambling executive needing Jane's help - a piece of cake, but she doesn't know about Earl and Linda - professional destroyers who will cash in if Pete dies and they love what they do. From Vegas to upstate New York to Glacier N.P. --- this one is worth some awards, too. Great Read!

That's my read list for May ---
on to June and a book coming my way I've been waiting for (not so patiently, I might add) for over a year. It's murder and mayhem in the scrapbook world and Lomax & Biggs are on the case. Marshall Karp needs to write faster.

I'm A Happy Crafter . . .

I GOT INTO BELLINGHAM'S
ALLIED ARTS HOLIDAY FESTIVAL, again!!!!
November 19th to December 24th 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Wednesday through Sunday
with extended days Christmas week
YIPEE!!!

The Little Lady

After receiving a greeting card with this little lady on the front - I tore it apart, traced the edges and created a new little lady of mine own for this journal. There's a little lady in all of us (well, the female readers, any way) and this one is just waiting to hear all you have to say, filling your journal with thoughts, ideas, projects, or musing. And, she is the best secret keeper around - she's your best friend. Soon to be in my shop at Sam'Studio.

;)

On the other hand . . . you have different fingers.

I wish ......

Really? Really? In our house that's about the size of it and when things start going wrong/broken/need attention I start looking for that wishing well. Lately, we (read I) have got the book opened to Murphy's Law -- if it's going to go let it all go at once and all in one week.

1st, You've heard of bats in the belfry? Well, we've got mice in the movie room (and yes, I have a movie room: filled with my mystery books, yarn to crochet, movies I love to watch and the remote is all mine - all mine). Those cute little creatures that can wreck havoc, poop all over and get into the smallest of small places where they just should not be. They are invading my movie room - not the kitchen, not the storage pantry, not the large cupboard of bird seed. Go Outside Little Creatures - it's nice outside - or you die.

2nd, our house alarm system (put in before we bought the house and don't have the codes for) has been going off at odd times throughout the day. AM PM it doesn't matter -- it's loud and we can't find a way to stop the darn thing (and can't find the power box it's attached to) - nor can we find a way to disarm the device - and are blasted out of bed when it goes off in the middle of the night. (by-the-way the previous owners were asked for the code: "Alarm? What alarm? Excuse ME, you put the darn thing in.)

3rd, the stove wanted to join the alarm blasting with one of it's own. It sounds an alarm that will continue every 8 to 10 minutes - we thought we had that taken care of for a few days when it got back into the act by bypassing the OFF code we entered and on Wednesday night went off every 5 minutes until I nudged the hubby and said, "This one's yours -- stop that noise". He did, turned off the stove at the breaker box. So, for now, no stove until the Maytag repair man (and don't believe the hype they ARE busy) comes out next week to replace our Jenn Air's front panel. The upside - I don't have to cook and we are eating out every day. I love eating out. And NO, I did not do this one to get out of cooking. Really?

4th, my newish window broke -- the inners just popped out. I have taken it down, studied it's mechanisms, tried various ways to put it all back together and had to prop it up with pieces of wood for the time being --- I really don't want to pay to have a glass person come out for one little window repair. It goes on the Honey Do List for now.

5th, our fence is falling down --- a post a day. Well, this has been a slow process this past year. But, now it's all coming down - one post at a time. I love our rustic, wooden fence - it's cute and well, rustic. We've lost about 7 (as of yesterday) and the rest are looking like loose teeth - just waiting for that little extra nudge to All Come Down. I'll wait until the son from San Francisco comes and says, "Got anything I can do outside?" Yup, son from San Francisco I've got a project for ya, follow me........

I know these are not major problems - and will eventually all go away - they give us (read me) something to do (and to spend money on instead of say more new camera equipment or scrapbooking supplies) - But, they are interruptions in my otherwise pest free, quiet, peaceful, home cooking, window closing, protected, environment.

it's a small world after all . . .

isn't that cute?

The following took place between 4:16pm and 5:16pm

Where's Jack Bauer when you need him? While waiting for the pound cake to bake, I sat and waited with camera in hand at the window to capture Lil' Hummer (that's what I call our lone humming bird) to come for dinner. Next time (oh, there will be a next time) I will set up the tripod (I have a new one after all, I might as well use it), clean the window (smudges and droplets didn't need to be included) and try to speed up the shutter speed without losing the light (timing is everything) to capture this little guy (or gal) hovering near by.

Check This Out!!!!!

Beekeeper Vintage Blog (my darling daughter and vintageista extraordinaire) is giving away a $25 gift certificate to anything in her shop. Just go to her web site and leave a comment telling her what is your most adored thing in your closet is and why you love it so. You have until Monday when the random drawing will be made. And check out Beekeeper Vintage on Etsy for great vintage wear.
Go - Hurry - Run - This is Great News!!!!!

While out shooting photos....

I was out and about trying to capture a city landscape photo for my last assignment in the photography class I'm taking when I spotted a great blue heron on the shoreline. With a latte and camera in hand I sat on the ground and watched this great bird for many (many) minutes. A wonderful surprise.

Project 12: Capturing April

Continuing with the Project 12 in scrapbooking (doing a layout for each month and what happened by photos and journaling). Here's my April layout.

April's Book Reports.....

Taking a page from my daughter-in-law's inspiration, at the beginning of the year I started a journal (Book It) to record the books I read each month. I read mysteries - funny mysteries, detective mysteries, who done it mysteries, series mysteries, all mysteries except scary (cause they scare me) & sicko (I don't like nightmares, Mr. Patterson) or true life crime mysteries (no profits for crimes please). If it's a series, I ALWAYS start with book one and move on from there. So, here's my book report(s) for April...........

The Final Detail by Harlan Coben
I discovered Harlan's books last month and been zipping through the Myron Bolitar series. Great dialogue - banter throughout that will have you rolling on the floor with laughter - Myron's got a mouth on him and is not afraid to use it. This book is the 6th in the series when Myron meets Teresa. Myron is an injured basketball player turned sports agent in New York City that needs to investigate the death of "his" Yankee pitcher and get his business associate out of hot water. Good Read!
Darkest Fear by Harlan Coben
Myron's college girlfriend has to find a missing bone marrow donor for her son and comes to Myron for help. You can just guess what surprises await Myron and you in this good book.
Promise Me by Harlan Coben
Myron's neighbor's daughter goes missing and Myron was the last person to see her -- he plays superhero once more and on the case along with his best friend Win and the MB Sports Agency crew.
Long Lost by Harlan Coben
Eight years have passed since we've seen Myron in action and for eight years he's kept his nose clean having given up detecting. But after disappearing eight years ago, Teresa calls out of the blue and needs Myron's help. Myron jumps on a plane to Paris and comes to the rescue. A very good story! If I had not been reading this series all in a row - I would have been screaming for my Myron fix seven years ago.
Don't Tell A Soul by David Rosenfelt
This was David's first stand alone novel (away from the Andy Carpenter series). I love the Carpenter series and when I finished those I had to grab whatever David wrote next. Big disappoint in this book. I could only get through 55 pages and sent it back to the library. The humor in the Carpenter books was missing completely. Maybe his next stand alone novel will be better -- one can only hope.
The Last Refuge by Chris Knopf
A first novel and it shows throughout. It's an Okay story, great landscape descriptions but the character studies are long - to the extreme. The author makes a statement early in the book that our hero can't put a book down until it's completed - no matter how bad it may be. With that challenge in place, I had to finish this story. It wasn't bad just not great. I'll read more of his stories and hope they improve with age.
The Merry Wives of Maggody by Joan Hess
Joan Hess has always been a favorite of mine - her stories are just ridiculously funny. But, with a three year gap since the last Maggody book, this one was hard to read. To many characters to sort out -- way too many. And to light weight to keep me interested. If Joan had used the underlining story line as the main interest this would have been marked as a favorite read -- but with only 3 pages out of 339 dedicated to the real story in the book, it got lost in translation.
The Pallbearers by Stephen Cannell
Great Story -- Great Book! We've got Scully back and he is back in fine form. One of Cannell's bests. I loved the all the background references to the layers that make Scully a great lead. 9th book in the Shane Scully, a police sergeant in LA series who always goes off the beaten path.

And that folks, is what I read for April --- I've already started on my May list --- stay tuned!

Target .. Set .. Go

And looping back to Marketing 101: Marketing Review Tips
Keep your message simple
You have only a few seconds to get your prospects' attention -- do it with a simple, powerful message that clearly tells what you're selling and the benefits. Avoid too many details.
Test with small mailings
Many variable can affect the response to a mailing -- the list, the offer, the price and so forth. Try mailing only a hundred pieces or so, to refine these variables before rolling out the big mailing. This will help you prevent costly mistakes.
Mail (and email) more than once
Too many times, businesses "test" email and direct mail as a knee-jerk reaction to sales being slow. If they don't see a great response right away, they'll quit. Unfortunately, this doesn't give you a true picture of the mail's potential. Like other kinds of advertising, repetition is the key to success.
Analyze the response you get
Make sure you can track leads and purchases, so you can do the math and determine your true return-on-investment. Follow-up calls to recipients can often double response rates.
Offer multiple ways to reach you
Different recipients often prefer different methods of contact. Allow your customers to reach you in a way they are comfortable with - by email, telephone, response form, website, text, tweet
Include a clear call to action
Many times prospects don't know exactly what they need to do, why or how they need to respond. Don't make it hard to do business with you. Lay out exactly what you want the recipients to do -- do you want them to call you, visit your website, send you an email? Design the message to make that action clear and easy to follow.
Have a strong subject line
Working in tandem with the from line, the content of a subject line will drive prospects to either open an email, delete it, ignore it, file it, report it, or filter it as spam. Also, a poorly written subject line may not even reach your prospect's inbox in the first place.
Motivate with a clear and compelling offer
Offers come in all shapes and sizes - a discount, a free trial, free items with a purchase. Whatever you offer, make sure it's compelling, enticing and time sensitive.
Provide a way to unsubscribe
People must have a quick way to remove themselves from your email list. Provide your unsubscribe link where it's easily found. And don't forget to exclude from your list those recipients who opted-out.
Vary your size and envelopes
Studies have shown that the look and feel of your envelopes make a difference in their likelihood of being opened. Test different size envelope sizes, different teaser copy and different weights and textures to see what works best for your business. They will usually always open a "lumpy" envelope - include something small. Be sure to watch the size and weight of those envelopes to pass post office standards and not just rack up your costs.
Do it again and again and again
You want to be there when they need you.
And when that need arises, you want them to think of you, contact you and buy from you.
(taken from "finding new customers" from Infogroupusa and Sam's Home Marketing)