July's Layout

I'm still doing the Project 12 scrapbooking challenge -- to do a layout a month about each month. Here's July's layout. Great month! We got out of the house and headed to the North Cascades for a few days of camping, celebrated DD's 26th and played on the beach on the Oregon Coast for a week of sun-n-games. AND looking forward to August!!!!!
(layout inspired by a scraplift from a member of Jessica's Sprague's site)

July's Book Report

Nightlife by Thomas Perry
Another stand alone Perry book that gives us both perspectives - the chasers and the con. It starts in Portland, Oregon and moves south. Good read!

Runner by Thomas Perry
Jane is back and helping a pregnant girl run from the baby's father's family. It's a first in the Jane stories where the runner makes one big mistake.

Fidelity by Thomas Perry
Only read half of this book and that was pushing it -- no plot development

Third Person Singular by K.J. Erickson
First of the Marshall Bahr books. It got lots of awards in 2001 and it was Okay, just not a page turner, up all night book.

Strip by Thomas Perry
A strip club owner, 2 crazy robbers, an innocent bystander and a lieutenant all in the mix. A fun read - just not great.

The Dead Survivors by K.J. Erickson
Great history background to point the direction to the perp. A flag, a trip to Virginia and Bahr gets the job done.

The Last Witness by K. J. Erickson
Long, drawn out with a few clues and a snap ending. Not much of a story.

Along At Night by K. J. Erickson
Not a murder but a mystery of events. A good book, but in Erickson style = short on clues, short on discovery with a quick ending that was pulled out of the air. Her last book. K.J. Erickson is a female writing in the voice of a male hero and it shows - she just doesn't pull it off well.

GRAND OPENING!!!!!

A new Etsy shop that is well worth checking out - BeeTwixt. The beauty in blooms displayed are BEEguiling, BEEautiful, BEEtwixting. If you're looking for that little extra that BEEcomes a favorite to wear then head over to BeeTwixt and you'll find just what you're looking for.

JULY 21st 1984

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Andrea Leda!!!!
July 21, 1984
4:34 am
9 pounds 7 ounces
20 & 1/2"
the proud parents: Bruce and Sam Mansfield
May all your wishes and dreams come true, darling daughter!

Thanks to my daughter-in-law I have fallen in love with this group and particularly this song. The group: Mumford and Sons The song: The cave. It doesn't hurt that this group is really cute, have British accents and write songs with soul, meaning and has a great beat, I'd give it a 10!

Give it a listen........
(for a quick look of their other video's and songs, visit D-I-L's blog: slimartsgirl.blogspot.com/)

It's been 14 days - that's 2 weeks!

It's been 14 days since I posted a new blog entry - it's summer - it's camping time - it's trip planning time - it's clean up the yard time - it's trip time - it's pushing the forest back from driveway time - it's clean the windows time - it's get out the shorts and shades time - it's fix the tent to go again time - it's wash the car(s) time - it's iced lattes time - it's grab the maps and see where the road takes me time - it's listen to the morning bird songs time - it's eating watermelon and lemonade time - it's filling my camera with memory shots time - it's seeing my kids who live out of town time - it's lazy afternoons time - it's summer reading time - it's not June time - summer is short in the NW and I'm having a good time.......

Project 12: The month of June

I'm half way through the year creating layouts for Project 12. Yipee!!
I love doing these monthly layouts and June's was extra fun.
(for an up close and personal look - click on the pic)

June's Book Reports

61 Hours by Lee Child
The 14th in the Jack Reacher series and Jack is stranded in South Dakota where a snowstorm has a small town in lock-down and 61 hours to get it back to normal. Jack's skills put him in the mix with the local police to figure out how to protect a witness that will put the bad guys away for good. I started reading and didn't stop until I hit the last page. Fantastic book that leaves you with a cliff hanger and now waiting for the end results in his next book, "Worth Dying For" coming in October.

No Second Chance by Harlan Coben
Marc wakes in ICU from a gun shot wound, his wife is dead and his 6 month daughter has vanished. Another twist and turn Coben stand alone. Read it!

The Face Changers by Thomas Perry
Jane's doctor husband asks her to help his mentor disappear and finds another group copying Jane, but for all the wrong reasons.

Innocent by Scott Turow
I put this book down after reading two chapters --- I usually will try to finish a book, but this one wasn't one of them. A story that continues from 20 years ago and I could care less.

Blood Money by Thomas Perry
Jane gets mixed up with the mob families money man. Good story line with too many characters -- a good read if you can keep a score board of who's who.

The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp
Marshall's first book with Lomax and Biggs (the zany LA detectives). I love the humor that Marshall has created in this book and I'm rereading his previous 3 before hitting his new book. If you love a good belly laugh - fun characters - super story lines, then Marshall is your author.

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz
Once again, hang on for a roller coaster ride with the Spellmans. The totally dysfunctional detective family that turns San Francisco upside down with their escapades. This is just too funny!

Silence by Thomas Perry
A stand alone read (without Jane helping with the disappearing act). 6 years ago, Jack Till helped Wendy disappear, now Jack must find her before the tango dancing assassins, Paul and Sylvie do. A good story with similarities to the Jane stories.

Heading to Sun River for a little bit of R-N-R, snap a few pictures, explore a new place, find me some sun (and a river), chat - banter - laugh and hug my darling daughter.

Today is the Longest Day of the Year!
In Bellingham, Washington the sun rose at 5:07 a.m. and will be with us until 9:17 p.m.
That's 16:10 hours of daylight. Yipee!!!

3D is back, once more

and what's wrong with this picture? You'll notice there are no kids in the audience. 3D movies of the 50's were made to entice the movie paying audience back to the big screen. TV's were becoming popular and people were getting their visual entertainment at home on the little screen instead of shelling out a few quarters to watch a movie on the big screen. Such wonderful movies like "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" and other sci fi scripts that needed 3D to give us a thrill to watch (the scripts weren't doing it).

and now 3D is back - except for a few recent blockbusters, it's back for the kids. I saw Toy Story 3 in 3D and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. What I noticed in the theatre that night wearing my Buddy Holly 3D glasses, was that it was the adults doing the "ah- ah-ah's" and the "oh-oh-oh's" throughout the movie and the kids were just taking it in stride. Buzz and Woody in another adventure story would have been a good adventure story without 3D - it was just enhanced in 3D, fun & I actually forgot at times that I was watching it in 3D - it felt normal. And that is the difference from the 50's 3D movies to today's latest craze. Hollywood is actually using this throw-back technique to enhance the story lines instead of making the 3D technique the story line

3D movies didn't last long in the 50's -- most of the time you left the theatre with a headache and serious eye strain. But, I think 3D will be around longer this time around. We'll soon have performance movies in 3D and we can all become kids again, pop on our 3D glasses and go back to watching the movies on the big screen, instead of waiting for Netflix to deliver our small screen viewing pleasures.

When times are tough and rough - we have a tendency to grab something from our past (or any one's past) and remember how good times use to be and bring with it the feeling that things are Okay. We usually only remember the good times from the past and forget that things weren't always Okay then either. But, that's OK, too --- Mad Men gets it right, most of the time, and gives us a great example that some things are best left in the past. And that title will be used again, I'm sure, in the future when they bring back the era of the 21st century for our grand kids and great grand kids to wax nostalgic.

But, go see Toy Story 3 in 3D -- it's great!

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.