Saturday, July 31, 2010

Photo Challenge - 11/30

A Photo Of Your Favorite Films(s)

As this seemed too complicated to do if I were to pick every single one of my favorite movies I thought I'd choose my current favorite instead. 'How To Train Your Dragon' is my favorite movie of the moment mainly because Toothless reminds me of my cat Prince (:

Interviewed for Unik Apparel

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from Rose, of Unik Apparel, asking me to take part in an interview! Of course I said yes. One of my first interviews like this, very exciting!

Well, The interview came out on the Unik Apparel Blog Today!



If you want to read the article with my interview, Go HERE.

Thank you so much, Rose! I'm happy to be a part of your site.

Thanks to everyone else who's reading this blog!
Have a great weekend!

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

Sometimes you run across a novel that just touches your heart and is one that will be savored and revisited time and time again. Charles Martin's The Mountain Between Us is one such novel for me.



Sometimes the urge to get home can be overwhelming, and for Dr. Ben Payne, being stranded in the Salt Lake City airport with a huge snowstorm coming in was not an option he looked forward to. An orthopedic surgeon, he has patients he has to get home to see about.

So, as flights are cancelled and others are lining up looking for hotel rooms, Ben seeks out a charter flight that might get him out of the impending storm. On a whim, he remembers that fellow passenger Ashley Knox is anxious to get home for her wedding, so he invites her to join him on the flight. When tragedy strikes, it would be a decision both of them would soon regret.

In Charles Martin’s riveting novel, “The Mountain Between Us,” two strangers find themselves struggling to survive after their pilot suffers a fatal heart attack and crash lands their plane in the middle of the mountainous Utah wilderness.

Ben suffers broken ribs in the crash, but Ashley sustains major injuries to her leg, rendering her unable to walk and dependent on Ben for her most basic needs. Fortunately, Ben’s medical training allows him to tend to her the best he can with whatever he can salvage from the wreckage. Also an avid mountain climber, he has his gear with him that gives them a few of basics to work with. But after days with no rescue in sight, they soon decide the only way they will be saved is if they save themselves.

As Ben works tirelessly to find a way out as well as find food to sustain them, Ashley begins to realize there is more to this handsome young doctor than meets the eye. She listens as every night he tapes a message to his wife, Rachel, from whom he is separated, and it’s through his loving words that Ashley finds herself questioning her own relationship with her fiancĂ©e and wonders if she is just settling for friendship and companionship instead of love.

As Ben and Ashley face huge obstacles to get back to civilization, they slowly find their emotional and physical struggles drawing them together in a surprising way neither one is prepared for.

Charles Martin offers a beautiful, emotion-filled story of survival and redemption with “The Mountain Between Us.” His descriptions of the frigid cold, the frightening unknown, and the sheer strength both characters exhibit are amazingly realistic. The reader is offered a front-row seat to the breath-taking drama which unfolds, and is allowed to observe the powerful and heart-wrenching story of friendship and love which blossoms on the side of a snowy mountaintop.

This book is from my private collection.

Great decor blog giveaway....and an update on me

First, before I tell you about an amazing giveaway on one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite blogs), I want to say thank you to all of those that prayed for me and my family this past week.

I wasn't sure if I was going to talk about what had happened on my blog or not, but I post about my family regularly and this *is* part of my family. Josh and I had been trying to have another baby and I did get pregnant..and lost the baby. It was a very emotional time for both of us--ups and downs of waiting several days to have blood work come back and trying not to get our hopes up. In one way we were very lucky--we didn't even know I was pregnant until I started having intense pain. If you've read my blog any length of time, you know my body does NOT like being pregnant, so please keep us in your prayers in the future, as we really do want to add onto our family. I think I'll leave my update at that.


*****
Ok, even if you don't enter this giveaway, you must checkout the Miss Mustard Seed blog! I absolutely adore her decor...she's so creative, she's down to earth, a youth minister's wife and very sweet! I seriously would love to fly her up here to decorate our dream home when/if that ever happens! She's giving away a 2000 follower prize pack and it is loaded with things I love..ironstone, grain sacks and...an OLD SCALE!!! I want an old scale so bad I can taste it people....seriously..my favorite one that she has is in her bathroom..go look through her photos. I DROOL over that thing....I love the one in the kitchen too!!

Go HERE to check out Miss Mustard Seed!

Magnolia Down Under Challenge #57

Good morning Magnolia Fans!! Welcome back to Magnolia Down Under Challenges.

This week we have a nice easy challenge for you, one that we all love and one that our Boss Lady, Kellie, especially loves (because it is her's this week), our challenge this week is:

BIRTHDAYS

That sounds fun, doesn't it? Have we got you thinking? cake, presents, balloons, flowers - the list is just endless!

Our Guest DT member for August has been super fast in creating something wonderful to show you, please ensure you pay her a visit to leave her a comment:





Now onto the amazing work our DT has put together for you this week:













HOW TO JOIN IN...
  • You must have at least one Magnolia stamp on your work, it can be a sentiment, background etc does NOT have to be Edwin or Tilda for your card to be entered..
  • You must add your link in Mr.Linky
  • You MUST add a link to your **direct blog post***.... All entries not doing this will be removed.
  • You should have a link back to the challenge blog in your post.
  • Entries close Mid-day Saturday AES time (see the clock on the side bar)
  • DO NOT link your entry to an old card, even a day before will be removed. Making it fair to all the people that have made a card for the challenge...





Magnolia Down Under Challenge #56 {Christmas in July} - Winner and Top 5

It's scary to think of how soon Christmas will be here - but at least many of us made a start on our cards with this challenge - LOL. Personally I love Christmas - and it was wonderful to see sooo many gorgeous creations being entered this week.

But now comes the hard part - to pick just one winner - and you guys made it hard for us yet again! But as always the DT has come through and picked from all the entries and we hope our winner displays our badge with pride.

Congratulations.................................


Anne Kristine {46}

I'm sure you'll agree Anne Kristine has come up with an amazing easel card full of wonderful details. To see more of her work check out her blog HERE.
 
Anne Kristine - Please email Kylie at kyliekueter@tpg.com.au to collect your Winner's Badge and to let us know if you'd like to be our Guest DT member for August!

These AMAZING entries made up our Top 5 this week - oh OK once again I can't count - there are 6 here - I told you you guys were making it hard for us to narrow it down - LOL. Here they are listed in numerical order...

Ulla {6}
Linda-Pysselbus {14}
Kiki {27}
Maritha {34}
Lori {39}
Denise Lynn {54}

Congratulations girls. Grab your top 5 badge from our side bar and place on your blog to display how talented you all are!


Thanks so much to all that joined and be sure to stop back tomorrow for our next amazing challenge and to check out the DTs fabulously inspirational cards.

xXx

Debbie

Saturday Squeeze: Stardust (The Novel)

Subconsciously making my Saturday that much better

During my sixteen hour transit at Changi Airport, I finished reading 'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman. Apparently it has been made into a movie but I have yet to see it however considering how much I loved the book I think I will watch it soon.

The book is, as Gaiman describes it, a mature fairytale. Initially I thought it was for a younger audience but getting through the first few chapters I soon came to realize that it really targets more mature readers who are still enthralled by tales involving magical beings and the impossible (yes, I do fit into that category!).

Now, truthfully I do skim through pages when a book gets slow but with this book I didn't skip a word, it was that well written and flowed amazingly throughout. If you've seen the movie adaptation of Gaiman's 'Coraline' you'll know just how fascinatingly, darkly creative he is and that is exactly what you can expect from 'Stardust'.

A perfect read to take with you if you have a few hours to spare on a flight (as I did) for it fits perfectly in a handbag or pocket even. I definitely suggest it and if anyone has seen the movie let me know if it's any good! I look forward to comparing the book and movie so look forward for that in the near future.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Construction and No Internet

We're getting pretty deep into the construction at the house. There's no floor in the living room, and no kitchen at all, but we're trying our best to deal with it without going too nuts.



At one point yesterday morning, the contractors unplugged all our cords and cables to our TV, Internet, Phone, Etc, so we've been dealing with no internet at the house too. I was so worried about the shop at first, but I just had to take a deep breath and know that any questions anyone had, could wait one day. I spent our internet free day having picnics on the floor of the living room, organizing and cleaning, spoiling kittens, reading camera manuals, and catching up on some documentaries, and old cooking shows.

Anyways, internet is back now. One of the spare rooms is finished, so we've fashioned it into a little make shift living room, so at least we have a small peaceful spot. Sales and questions are more than welcome at the shop, but it's probably going to be a few days before you see any updates with new items for sale.

Please see my post below this to enter the Montana Snow Vintage Giveaway! :)

Everyone have a fantastic weekend!

CPS177 - Nahum 1:7

I love this stamp from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  I think I've mentioned before that it was one of my dad's favorite verses.  



I stamped the butterflies, cut them out and embellished them with green pearls and then popped them up. I left their wings free to add dimension.



I also popped up the oval with the Bible verse.



Supplies:
Cardstock: SU & Bazzill
Papers:  Basic Grey
Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Memento
Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy (verse), Studio G (butterflies)
Embellishments: Offray Ribbon, Queen & Co pearls
Tools: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Spellbinders nestabilities

Challenges: 
CPS177 - sketch
Paper, Talk, Scissors - use the color orange
Distress - ODBDSLC22
Polka Dots - CPC-FOF63

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!! Celebrating Penguin Book's 75th Anniversary with a Special Book Giveaway!

Today is the 75th Anniversary of Penguin Books! Yep, that cute little formally dressed bird has graced the cover of some of the most beloved books for the past seven and a half decades!



Penguin’s founder Allen Lane started the paperback revolution with that little flippant but dignified Penguin (his secretary came up with the name and he sent another colleague off to the zoo to make sketches). One year later, 3 million Penguin paperbacks had been sold. Today, the Penguin imprint alone has over 4000 books in print.

A bright-orange Penguin Mobile (an adorable mini-cooper with the Penguin logo) is driving to bookstores all over the US to bring some of our bestselling authors to parties in their hometowns, increase awareness of The Nature Conservancy, and promote literacy. At each event, a set of 75 Penguin Books is donated to a local library or literacy group. Each author is signing the Penguin-mobile as it makes its way across the United States, and the summer’s events will culminate with a party at the New York Public Library in September where Penguin will auction the car with the proceeds going to the New York Public Library. Penguin is also donating sets of books to numerous U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Check out their special anniversary website at http://www.penguinbooks75.com/ for more information on all things Penguin, plus to find out where the cute little Penguin-mobile might be!

To help Penguin Books celebrate their birthday, I am holding a special BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!

One lucky reader of my humble blog will win a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's book, EAT, PRAY, LOVE, which has been made into a movie starring Julie Roberts, and will be at the theaters in a couple of weeks!




So, what do you need to do to win this fabulous book for yourself? Simply leave me a comment here!

That's it! Just leave me a comment, with your name and your email address, on this post and on Sunday evening (August 8th) I'll draw the name of the winner!

Become a follower of my blog to earn a extra chance!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PENGUIN BOOKS!!! HERE'S TO ANOTHER 75 GLORIOUS YEARS OF PUBLISHING!!!


Thank you to Penguin Books for supplying the copy of "Eat,Pray,Love" for this Giveaway!

badge


I'm joining Lydia @ Still on the Verge- Confessions of a Madwoman (and Mother of Four)
in supporting Follow Me Friday!!
So, go ahead - sign up to follow my blog !! So easy!
Then, spread the word and get other's to join!!
Have a GREAT weekend!
(One more week til we're on our nice long, much needed VACA!! Hooray!)

Photo Challenge - 10/30

A Photo Of You As A Baby

Oh golly gee whiz (:

Friday Feature: Fighting The Blues Today

It's time to fight Friday blues

It's coming to the end of the week and considering I was traveling for about a day plus some earlier this week, returned to Adelaide only to tackle three lectures and unpacking and then dealing with work and catching up with other work etc. it's gotten me pretty darn exhausted and just a little drained...make that really really really drained!

So what I did for my Friday Feature was to investigate ways of cheering yourself up. I googled it (because I'm a big google-r and I will just about google anything!) and found some websites that suggested ways of cheering yourself up! How neat is that?

Here are some of my favorites:


Drink two glasses of water. Many times, what I thought was sadness was really just dehydration. Sounds simple, but it's true.
I haven't exactly tried this out but I might just do so the next time I have a bad day! As it turns out, this might be why I'm so grumpy all the time because I tend to neglect food and water a lot, uh oh!

Eat something healthy and fresh. You could be feeling blue because your blood sugar has taken a dip. Eat a bowl of fresh fruits or vegetables.
Something else to take into consideration! I know a lot of the times my mood will turn sour if I'm hungry or if I don't have enough sugar/proper food in me.

Blow bubbles for a child.
I prefer doing this with my cat because the way he chases the bubbles is just too cute! (: I love making my own bubble mixture - I mix a bunch of shampoos together with not too much water so the bubbles last longer. I also use a straw to blow my bubbles, definitely more fun.

Make something. Use your creative mind, and create something with your own two hands, whether it is a piece of jewelry, a scrapbook page, a pretty floral arrangement or a batch of cookies.
Keeping yourself occupied with something else is a great way of forgetting why you were moody to begin with especially if it's something intricate like crochet or making jewelry. I love creative projects (:

Read, read, read.
Usually this is the remedy I turn to and I find getting lost in a fantasy novel is the best way to go because the author takes you to an entirely different world so you really do feel like you've "gone away" for a while!

Try a new approach to your problem, or a new approach to whatever your facing.
Always see the best in every situation! For example, I hate wet hair but I know that at least it means I don't have to wash it again. Okay, so maybe not the best example but you get what I mean I hope!

Mark Twain said, "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up." He's right, and it doesn't have to mean a big time investment. Just do something thoughtful for someone, right now.
This is so true and so self explanatory - hurray for selflessness!

Choose your thoughts with care; they can really have an impact.
Gosh this is SO true for me! Most of the time my mind will go crazy making up possible scenarios to the original problem that I'll end up with a script fit for a soap drama! Positive thoughts are the way to go even if you're kidding yourself in the end.

Play with a kitten or a puppy.
Because they are too cute to resist and you always end up smiling!

Shout at an inanimate object. Computers. Cars. Chairs. Whatever. Then spend the rest of the day ignoring it.
I thought this one was really funny! I can't imagine doing this but I might just try...

You can read all the ways on the following websites:

Cheer Yourself Up: 25 Instant Mood Lifters

101 Ways To Cheer Yourself Up

Pomgirl: 5 Ways To Cheer Yourself Up

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Celebrate Your Creative Spirit!



Hi Everyone--
I recently received some awesome news that I am going to be featured in Crescendoh online magazine! It will be running soon...I will have more details later.

In celebration of that, I decided to do an online Link Party...It will transpire once a month on the 8th of each month and you will be able to post from that date until 7 days later each time.

The first Link Party will be Sunday, August 8, so I hope you will help me celebrate the creative spirit that resides in each one of us!

Some of you are artists. Others are photographers. Still others are collectors. Of course, others are culinary experts. Whatever brings out your creative spirit, share it with everyone here.

And please, if you want to participate, just post this on your blog to let others know in case they would like to join in! You can grab my new button from the right sidebar and place it on your blog and you will be set to go!

Also, if you would like to participate, just leave me a quick note on here to let me know.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! There's only one requirement--do it for fun!

You are welcome to link up something you have already posted for a different party--no problem! Just want you to be part the excitement!

The image here was created with a graphic from Marie's Freebies.

One more thing: If you want to add the blog button, it is on my sidebar. Right click on the picture and save to your desktop. Then, go to your own blog and find where it says "ADD A GADGET." Then, click on that and add the button as a PICTURE! Easy! Where it says to put in an http, just put in http://cindyadkinswhimsicalmusings.blogspot.com

Just make sure that you do not type http 2 times, only once!


Hugs,
Cindy

A Thread So Thin by Marie Bostwick



With her “A Cobbled Court” novels, author Marie Bostwick shares the stories of a group of women who find friendship and support at the Cobbled Court Quilt Shop.

Owner Evelyn Dixon opens her cozy shop to all, and over the past two books, “A Single Thread,” and “A Thread of Truth,” readers have become familiar with Evelyn along with the rest of the Quilting Circle members Abigail, Ivy, and Margot.

In her latest book, “A Thread So Thin,” Bostwick tells the story of youngest Quilting Circle member, Liza Burgess.

Liza is a soon-to-be graduate art student who faces a dilemma on which way her life should go. She plans to return home to New Bern to work on her art and at the quilt shop, but when her fiancĂ© Garrett proposes to her on New Year’s Eve, Liza feels her carefully made plans come unraveled. Even more so when her art professor offers her a job in Chicago as assistant curator at a prestigious museum.

Caught up in a whirlwind of wedding plans being made by her formidable aunt Abigail, Liza must stand up for herself to make some big decisions on what would make her happiest, and where. But the risk of hurt feelings and rejection have her scared silly, to the point of making herself ill.

Meanwhile marriage is in the air as Evelyn and her beau, the handsome Irish Charlie, ponder their own commitment to each other, and poor Margot continues to chase after her gold ring from Arnie. Only Ivy has sense enough to stay out of the romance department for now.

“A Thread So Thin” is a lovely visit back to old friends of Marie Bostwick’s making. The continuation of the storyline is full and vibrant, and will leave readers happily looking forward to the next installment of adventures at Cobbled Court.


Thanks to Kim Miller and Nancy Berland Public Relations for the review copy of this book. I was not compensated for my opinion.

I've become an obsessive hair clippie junkie.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I've been making hair clippies. It all came about when I was shopping through the dollar section of Target and came upon some cute ribbon.

I brought it home and took one of Lillian's hair clippies (that I bought) apart and then made my own with my new ribbon.

I loved it so much that I wanted to make more. I took the girls out one night to go find us some clippies. 5 stores and 3 hours later we came back with 24 hair clippies, more ribbon and some hot glue sticks. If anyone knows where I can find hair clippies in bulk, let me know. I tried Wal-Mart, Michael's, Jo-Ann Fabric and Target - all of which only had the LARGE ones in packs of 6. I found what I needed at CVS - a 12 pack for $2.99. I bought 2.

I've become an obsessive hair clippie junkie. If I could make a career out of it, I would. They are so fun to make and so gosh darn cute, I just can't help myself. I want to make them all the time. I want to make them for every little girl I know. I really do!


What do you think?? (warning: not the greatest pictures, because I was trying to avoid shadows)















Alexa likes the yellow one with purple polka dots because they are Viking colors.

See the one with the little rinestone? How cute it that?

Just wait til I get really good..I could add little buttons and other darling embellishments.



Soo?? Please tell me you think they are as cute as I do!!!
What??
You want one?
You think your little princess would look absolutley adorable wearing one of these colorful hair clippies???
Just let me know.....and I would be happy to make one for her.

Photo Challenge - 9/30

A Photo Of Your Family

That's pretty much most of my family (minus Mummy though and some others) (:

Thursday Turmoil: When It's Over (Part Two)

A tsunami of a Thursday...





The Thursday before last I wrote about the end of relationships (etc.) and so today I want to touch upon how and when to end a relationship (etc.!) seeing as most people are genuinely clueless at times and end up hurting others and suffering unnecessarily. Keep in mind, this isn't an extensive entry but just a few suggestions.



Relationships in the modern day vary: you have your good old regular relationship in which you are involved with someone and are exclusive to that person whether it be for the long run or just short term.

Then of course you have "understandings", "friends with benefits" or other cruder terms. The gist of these relationships is that it's nothing exclusive, nothing long term but more or less for the moment while the going is good.

Finally, you have the long term commitments. Now this could be marriage or it could be just living with someone or being in something like a married situation except you both choose not to get married (it's slightly different from living with a person).

Now, when it comes to ending what you may have with someone special...it's never easy to consider ending things nor it is ever easy to actually end what you have. The truth is it will take a lot of willpower and being selfless on your behalf especially if you're finding it extremely difficult to let go. At times we'll be reluctant to let go of a person because we wouldn't want to hurt them or we'd wouldn't want to change the routine of life you have with that person. However here are the instances as to when you ought to end a relationship:

If you both have reached the end of your patience: At times you may have great chemistry with a person but suddenly it'll fizzle out. You try and try again to make things work but it never rekindles. That is when you should recognize that the best thing to do is to move on, the more you try to rekindle things, sometimes the less of a chance you'll have at being friends with your partner after the relationship is truly over.

Circumstances prove to be too much: Now this one is a tough one, sometimes things may work despite the worst of circumstances but sometimes they will not and you have to be strong and realize it if that's the case. An example of this may be if you're in a long distance relationship and years have passed by without either of you appearing to attempt to move closer to the other or perhaps your separate lives prove too hard to uproot for the other person. In this case ending it might be easier than trying to keep things going with no hope for a future together.

When you're kissing a fish: You will always realize it, your partner may be unresponsive when you're affectionate and they ignore you entirely as though you have ceased to exist. They may not be ending things for a reason like you're useful to have around (how many of us have been used like this?) or they just can't be bothered. So it's up to YOU to end things and to give yourself the chance to be happy. If you want to be loved there is no point trying to get it from someone who won't return it.

Now how in the world do you go about ending a relationship (etc.) that has been the most legendary experience of your life yet? Well, it's not going to be easy but there's only a few ways to go about it:

By being HONEST: If you love and respect your partner, you'll be honest about why things have to end. You shouldn't try to come up with a tall tale in order to break the blow. You both have been together long enough to owe it to each other to be honest, so don't end it off by being dishonest which could later bring consequences should they find out.

Don't make it into a soap: Daytime TV way of ending a relationship? Not really a great way of doing it in real life. Don't do it in public, don't do it in front of your friends (don't do it through a friend either!), don't publicize it - be low key and you both can hold your heads up high afterward.

What else do you think is important?

P.S. Isn't Drew Fuller (the guy in Lindsay Lohan's music video) a cutie? I loved him the moment I saw him on 'Charmed' - it was the floppy hair that did it for me! (:

Garden Delights







Hi Everyone--

Today I thought I would bring you some flowers from Louisiana. Our
2-story plantation-style home was lucky enough to be chosen for Garden of the Month...we are excited!

I wanted to show you some pics.
Hugs,
Cindy

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Delight

The steps of a man are directed
and established by the Lord
when He delights in his way

(Psalms 37:23)

Photo Challenge - 8/30

A Photo Of Your Favorite Band/Musician

This is a tricky one for me as I no longer have a "favorite" so instead I chose Il Divo whom I saw in concert in 2007. This was actually the first concert I've ever been to and it was also my Christmas present to Mummy so it was pretty special in a lot of ways.

Wednesday WhatsIts: Lasagna a la Rice Cooker

Gotta get it outta my system on a Wednesday

(Image taken from Yumeko's blog 'A Dream of Tokyo')

One way I love to relax is to browse through blogs I love and my current favorite is Yumeko's A Dream of Tokyo. She is such an adorable blogger with a mature twist to her entries too. Mixing in fashion, beauty, culture and personal interests and quirks, her entries make for a great read in the evening after a long day.



There was one particular entry that I fell in love with when I first encountered her blog and sealed the deal for me while also giving me something to try out one day.

Now, if you're Asian - well, in my case [half] Japanese - then you understand the importance of this appliance: the almighty Rice Cooker! It is THE one appliance we have to have and owning one makes your life complete. No joke, it's a serious matter! Rice is important in any Asians life even if we don't acknowledge it. I'm not too sure about other Asians but I always feel guilty if I leave behind even a grain of rice in my bowl, every single one has be eaten otherwise it's just wasteful.

Anyway, enough with the rice, my focus today is the cooker itself. It's amazing how you just assume something or someone is only as they seem only to find out that there is more than meets the eye. That's what Yumeko's entry on rice cooker lasagna (scroll to the end) made me feel! How insanely good does it look?! At first I was pretty skeptical and almost horrified over the thought of using a sacred appliance in such a manner but the more I thought about it the more I fell in love with this unconventional way of cooking.

So even though I don't yet own a rice cooker (first thing I'll purchase as soon as I move into my own place though!) I definitely know this is high on my list of things to try out.

Check out Yumeko's blog for more delightful entries and try out this recipe if you own a rice cooker, don't be scared!

Still waiting...

Still waiting for more results. Please keep sending prayers this way!

Romances from Robyn Carr - A Summer In Sonoma and The House on Olive Street

Robyn Carr writes great women’s fiction. She taps into the triumphs and tragedies of contemporary women in a way that her readers can relate to, and her warm and heart-tugging books are always eagerly awaited.

This summer Carr has out two books, one brand new (A Summer In Sonoma) and one a reissue (The House On Olive Street). Both are terrific stories of friendship and how important that relationship can be in women’s lives.


“A Summer In Sonoma” finds four women, best friends since they were all high school cheerleaders, grappling with life’s ups and downs as they grow older.

Cassie, an emergency room nurse, has had a bad run of luck with men, and is to the point she is swearing off dating for a good long while. But when a rough and tough biker with a heart of gold enters her life, Cassie finds she has to do some rethinking on the whole relationship thing after all, but she has to wonder if her friends will accept this unusual man that has won her heart.

Cassie’s friends are having problems of their own as well. Her best friend Julie married her high school sweetheart and is now a stay-at-home mom struggling to make ends meet with her large family. Julie finds herself questioning her life decisions as her marriage and family seem to be falling apart.

Marty is frustrated by her marriage as well. Unappreciated by her husband, she finds temptation in the sudden appearance of an old high school boyfriend. She has to decide between love and loyalty or passion, a decision that has her heart torn apart. The most successful of the friends, but the loneliest is Beth, a prominent doctor who doesn’t have time for relationships. But when her health takes a turn for the worse, she realizes that she needs to be able to lean on someone else, but is that someone her own doctor?

All four friends band together to help each other through their crises, creating tighter bonds that will see them all through any storm life brings.


In “The House On Olive Street” another set of friends are mourning the loss of a dear friend. All four women are writers of one genre or another, and they are given the task of going through their late friend’s estate. As they gather at her home, they are surprised to discover that their gentle friend has left some important life lessons for each of them to find.

The oldest of the friends, Elly had known her late friend Gabby the longest, and is determined to have her pal remembered through her writings. As she moves into Gabby’s home and begins to dig through the notes and manuscripts she left behind, Elly finds a love story that so powerful, that it has her reflecting on her own solitary life and longing for a companion and love of her own.

Sable, the “superstar” writer among the friends, has created a solitary life for herself that many find unable to breach, but she finds she must depend on her friends for support when a stalker journalist threatens to expose all her secrets.

With 27 romance novels to her credit, Barbara Ann struggles with her creativity as she wrestles with a hectic and overwhelming family of four boisterous young men and a husband who doesn’t pitch much around the house. Fed up, she joins the other ladies at Gabby’s to regroup and rethink her life. The youngest of the group, Beth, is a successful mystery writer but has a dark family secret that none of her friends know about. She joins the ladies to escape a brutality that would shock them all.

As the friends retreat to the serenity of Gabby’s small home on Olive Street, they find love and support from each other that will see them through their struggles and worries.

Each of these books has Robyn Carr’s special touch that blends sorrow and joy to bring an inspiring and satisfying reading experience that women turn to again and again.

And don’t be surprised if you wonder to yourself, as you are reading along – when did Robyn Carr peek into my life? I know she must have been hidden away somewhere in my house, taking notes on my bunch of rowdy boys! I found myself saying “yep, been there, done that!”

My thanks to Kim Miller and Nancy Berland Public Relations for the review copies of these books. I was not compensated for my opinions.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A Special "Thank You" to Wanda





Hi Everyone:

I came on my blog earlier tonight and to my surprise I was the winner of a beautiful gift of vintage ecru napkins from Wanda at Victorian 1885...I was so surprised--and it touched my heart. How very sweet!

So, I got to thinking about Wanda's 2 precious dogs on her blog and decided to make her 2 "Paris" pictures. They are like the ones I made my little Jamie (bottom left of this blog.)

Thank you again, Wanda!
Hugs,
Cindy

MONTANA SNOW GIVEAWAY!

Time for a Giveaway!

This week I'm hosting a giveaway brought to you by Montana Snow Vintage!

The Prize is one $25 Gift Certificate to the Montana Snow Vintage Etsy Store. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to enter!

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There are lots of sweet hand picked, unique vintage item's in Laura's shop, stop by and see what you like!

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TO ENTER:
Visit Montana Snow Vintage on Etsy and Stop by Laura's Blog.
-Be sure to Leave a comment on this blog post, and you'll be entered to win!
-For one additional entry, Post about this giveaway on Twitter! Come back and leave a separate comment as your entry.
-For one more entry, blog about this giveaway! Then come back and comment again with a link to your blog or the post!
(Make sure there is a way to contact you in one of your comments, please!)

This giveaway will run one week, until Tuesday August 3. Then one winner will be picked at random!

GOOD LUCK!

Photo Challenge - 7/30

A Photo Of Someone You Love

I love my family (pets included!).

I love Scott, my boyfriend.

I love my friends.

Tuesday Thinks: Stumbling Over My Fingers

It's Tuesday and I'm looking for inspiration

This Tuesday I was a little stumped: what could I possibly offer up for inspiration this week? I thought I'd spend some time on a site I found a while back called Stumble Upon to see if I'd "stumble upon" inspiration.

Then it hit me - Stumble Upon is inspiration in itself!

The site is pure genius, it essentially allows you to narrow down your interests and at a click of a button you "stumble" upon a website that focuses on one of your interests. A word of caution though, it can be very addictive! I've literally found myself spending hours just "stumbling" through websites. However it's a very good way of passing time and also you can share your finds with someone.

Here are three of my favorite finds for today:

1. I love images that play tricks on your mind and compel you to think outside of the box so when I found Liu Bolin I was definitely intrigued! I love how well done his illusions are - my favorite is the police man restraining him.

2. There's this side of me that very few people are privy to and that is I'm a HUGE trivia junkie! I can literally read trivia for an entire day and not be bored - you always learn something new or amazing to tuck away to talk about later on (with someone who equally appreciates tidbits!) So definitely appreciated finding Human World while stumbling.

3. One of my goals for when I have children is to create a story for them and either draw the pictures to accompany it or let them draw them in. I just think it's something sweet to do for your child, create a story that is especially for them. When I found the story 'The Saddest Bear Of All' it just blew me away! How sweet is this story??? I love it!

I definitely suggest stumbling should you ever need inspiration or a boredom fix - guaranteed to be productive (:

"No Mommy, I'm a big girl"


Lillian waking Alexa up this morning.

I asked Lillian this morning if I could nurse her, knowing that she would giggle and say, "No Mommy, I'm a big girl". I just had to ask anyways. Secretly I wanted her to say yes and secretly I wanted to have a milk supply.

Adam and I had a conversation the other night, trying to get things sorted out for Alexa to go to kindergarten. They don't make it so easy on the parents. I mean, either they get morning or afternoon kindergarten and all day is run on a lottery system. You have to coordinate daycare and who's going to get her on and off the bus. It's crazy. So many things to plan and so many scenarios to figure out.

At first I wasn't so worried about sending my baby off. We have a neighbor girl (Hannah) that's going to kindergarten, too. They could have potentially been in the same class, if not, at least ride the bus together.

We're still waiting on the final word from the school, but the inside scoop is that our street has 'afternoon's'. A big HOORAY for us, because that's what works best for our schedule. However, Hannah is getting on the bus at her daycare which is only 4 blocks away, but they happen to have 'morning' kindergarten.

So, as Adam and I are having our converstaion, I'm realizing that not only will Hannah and Alexa not be in the same class, they won't even ride the bus together. Then I come to realize that since Alexa has afternoon kindergarten, she won't even be riding the bus with the other neighborhood kids that she knows. Sigh!

This is not a huge deal, but as a Mommy, it's nice to have that comfort in knowing your kid at least knows SOMEONE on the bus.

We're hoping that we can work it out where she won't have to ride the bus to school and that Adam can drop her off. And then she can ride the bus home with the rest of the neighborhood kids after school. Please pray for us (ME) that it works out that way.

As we continue our converstaion, we talked about our friend's getting their son a cellphone. He's 10! Alexa is going to be 10 in 4 years. TEN!! Will we be needing to buy her a cellphone in 4 years, when she turns TEN??

Lillian starts preschool this fall. PRESCHOOL! MY BABY!

I will be 41 years old when Alexa graduates highschool. Adam will be 39.

When Alexa is a Senior, Lillian will be a Freshman.

I made Adam stop the converstaion there. I had a huge lump in my throat that I couldn't swallow.

My kids are growing up too quickly. And it's Freaking Me Out!!!

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P.S. Did you notice...ONE WEEK AND THREE DAYS TIL WE GO ON VACATION!!

P.S.S. Did you remember to VOTE??

P.S.S.S. Did you know that you can now 'share' my blog? Yeah!! At the end of each post you can either email it to a friend, post it on facebook, or share it on your own blog. Cool huh? Try it!