Busy Spring

 

Happy Monday, Friends!  

It has been a very busy spring for me, I'm happy to say!  I've been traveling, getting involved in my community groups, and gardening...A LOT of gardening!  

I recently attended a sorority luncheon at the beautiful Rotunda Club at Samford University.  I sat with our fearless leader, Fran, and Patrice, our state's DAR Regent.  

I look forward to becoming more involved with DAR this year.

I thought I'd share a little preview of posts I'm working on for you.

April showers bring May flowers, and tomorrow's post is chock-full of beautiful floral beauties, like the striking red dahlia, above.  I'll also share a pretty combination for a large container garden.

I was gifted a copy of The Batch Lady's newest cookbook, Cooking On a Budget.  There are so many delicious recipes and cost-saving ideas in this book.  I am loving it, and summer is the time to develop new time-saving habits.  I know I'd rather spend more time outside than in the kitchen! 

I've been working so hard to take care of things that have been let go for a very long time.  I spent several weeks deep cleaning our lake cabin and redecorating the main bedroom.  It is taking me so much longer these days to get anything accomplished, so my patience has been tested for sure!  Deep cleaning is not blog worthy, but I think the new look of our lake cabin's bedroom is.

We've been traveling a lot in 2023, and I will share two trips on my Tales of the Traveling Tote post coming-up June 1st.

Here's a hint from one of our trips.

I haven't been reading as much, but I haven't posted many reviews lately.  I've planned a mini review post for June 2nd, and I've challenged myself to write no more than five sentences per review.  It isn't easy!

My birthday books

Folks know what I like!

I haven't missed an art class in a long time, and I'm so happy about that because the Red Dot Gallery is my happy place!  I will write a post later in the summer updating my art projects.

This isn't my breakfast, but I hope you think it looks like it!

Which one of these posts interests you the most?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Busy Spring

Monday, May 22, 2023

Random Tuesday: After the World Series Wrap-Up

Happy Random Tuesday, My Lovelies!  It has been busy here at Art @ Home since the World Series (Go Cubs Go!)  so I thought I'd write a wrap-up post.

Once I put away all the Halloween decor, Cubbies and Election decor, we decided to decorate for Christmas and not decorate for Thanksgiving.  We still need to put up our tree and bring in our Poinsettias and other greenery.

Here's a little preview:

Have you ever heard of Art Snacks?  Art Snacks is a monthly art supplies subscription.  

Below is a video about November's box.

Here are the supplies in my November Art Snacks box:

It seems that most of the products are for mixed media and art journaling.  I liked the Plumchester pen, and the Stonehenge watercolor paper feels very good.  I would be more inclined to continue my subscription if they included more watercolor or colored pencils in the Art Snacks boxes.  I don't like ink as well.

Shelley placed fifth at her most recent horse show at Idlewild near Madison, Georgia.  She competed against girls from the following Southeastern teams:  Auburn University, Berry College, Emory University, Georgia College, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Kennesaw State University, Mississippi College, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, University of Alabama, University of Georgia, University of North Alabama, and the University of North Georgia.

Congratulations, Shelley!  Fifth Place in Advanced Walk, Trot, Canter!

A couple of weeks ago, I read the perfect Chick Lit book, Nine Women, One Dress.  This is the perfect book for travel: each chapter is about a different woman who's life is transformed by a magical dress. Check it out before you hit the road for your Thanksgiving travel!

According to Goodreads:

A charming, hilarious, irresistible romp of a novel that brings together nine unrelated women, each touched by the same little black dress that weaves through their lives, bringing a little magic with it.

Natalie is a Bloomingdale’s salesgirl mooning over her lawyer ex-boyfriend who’s engaged to someone else after just two months. Felicia has been quietly in love with her happily married boss for twenty years; now that he’s a lonely widower, she just needs the right situation to make him see her as more than the best executive assistant in Midtown Manhattan. Andrea is a private detective specializing in gathering evidence on cheating husbands—a skill she unfortunately learned from her own life—and can’t figure out why her intuition tells her the guy she’s tailing is one of the good ones when she hasn’t trusted a man in years. For these three women, as well as half a dozen others in sparkling supporting roles—a young model fresh from rural Georgia, a diva Hollywood star making her Broadway debut, an overachieving, unemployed Brown grad who starts faking a fabulous life on social media, to name just a few—everything is about to change, thanks to the dress of the season, the perfect little black number everyone wants to get their hands on…

My Review:

I saw this book at the library, and it looked cute so I checked it out.  I enjoyed the vignette structure of the novel because I could focus on one of the women's stories, put it down for a little while, and pick it back up and focus on another.  I loved Natalie's story best.  She has the best break-up-get-even story *ever*.  You know how it is: your boyfriend breaks-up with you, and a day later you think about what you wish you'd said.  Then you worry about the circumstances when you run into him for the first time after the break-up.  All I can say is "Go, Natalie!" because when she runs into her ex, she makes a fool out of him.  

Natalie, Felicia, and Andrea's stories are given more attention in the book, but the other six women's stories are also magical in how their lives are changed from wearing this particular design (all nine don't wear the same dress...it's the design that seems to be magical).  Morris Siegel is an almost 90-year old dress pattern-maker for designer Max Hammer who is approaching retirement and wants to go out with a bang. He creates the pattern for a little black dress that he feels confident will be "that dress," the dress every woman wants for the season.  Max nails it because after it's featured in the Max Hammer runway show it graces the cover of Women's Wear Daily and is crowned "that dress" by the press.  I love the circular ending because one of the women wears the design to Morris's retirement party (she has a date with Morris's grandson).  Another interesting storyline in the book is how Morris Siegel and Max Hammer meet and begin working together.  This book is definitely Chick Lit at its best!

Sorry for the long post, but I had a lot to share today.  Come back later in the week to see Christmas decor.  

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

Random Tuesday: After the World Series Wrap-Up

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Random Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Lovely, The Wicked, and The Creepy

Happy Random Tuesday, My Lovelies!  This post is a little long, but I haven't been posting a whole lot lately because I've been busy doing fun things....

The Good

Recently I had lunch with Ellen, Emily, and Jenna.  Jenna put together the {above} little Halloween surprises for us.  

I finally finished decorating the kitchen for Halloween.  Yay, me!

The Bad

These candy corn are s'mores flavored.  They are too good and if my daughter brings anymore of them home I'll cry.

I know I've posted about these before, but they truly are my guiltiest pleasure.  Luckily they're a bit rich so I can't eat many at once.

The Lovely

It's been difficult going into the classroom with Shelley off at college.  I finally totally cleaned it out and organized it.  I stored Shelley's high school stuff she won't need for college, and it's a much neater room for Shanley Belle and me to use.  

Look at the books I'll be reading and reviewing this fall!

The Ikea cart has books Shelley will need for college.  She can study in here when she visits on the weekends.

I'm using this work table and large desktop computer for blogging.  For now.  :)

Recently we visited Rome, Georgia for a horse show.

Berry College hosted the show, and it's one of the prettiest campuses in the world.

The Wicked

Recently I read Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier.  This is the first Lucy Stone Mystery I've ever read, and it isn't the cozy mystery I was expecting.

According to Goodreads:

With planning the town's annual Halloween Party, the drought wreaking havoc on her garden, and her brood of four children, Lucy Stone's got her hands full this fall. As the air turns crisp and the trees blaze red and gold in the tiny town of Tinker's Cove, Maine, a newcomer arrives who seems to suit the Halloween season. Diana Ravenscroft has just opened Solstice, a charming little shop featuring candles, crystals, jewelry, and psychic readings. But after an unnervingly accurate reading by Diana, Lucy starts to get more than a little spooked. 

Then there's the dead body Lucy finds, way up on one of the old logging roads behind her house. The deceased is identified as Malcolm Malebranche, a seemingly harmless magician who worked at children's birthday parties. When it turns out that Diana knew the murder victim, Ike Stoughton, a prominent local businessman, starts a campaign against Diana, blaming 'the witch' for everything from the unseasonal dry spell to his wife's illness and his pumpkins' lack of plumpness. But Lucy's not so sure that Ike himself is innocent. Still, as the town Halloween party approaches, Lucy's more concerned about the costume competition, pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin, and baking three dozen orange cupcakes and Beastly Bug cookies. But as the October moon rises, a killer plans a lethal celebration of his own and Lucy's the guest of honor.

My Review:

I'll keep this review brief because this post is long enough as it is!  ;P

I know that almost all cozy mysteries involve a murder, but this one is gruesome, and the prologue of the book depicts witches in a sexual pagan ritual.  The Witch Diana tries to get several of the local teenagers to join her coven without parental consent, and the citizens who dare question the motives of Diana and the other witches are called bigots and intolerant although they are right.  There is much explanation of the pagan religion, and the book is divided into five sections: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Spirit.  This is not my favorite cozy mystery, and if you've read any of Leslie Meier's other books I'd like for you to leave a comment and tell me about it.

The Creepy

This one is for Andrea.

She likes creepy monkeys  *giggles*

You mean like wipe it?  Like [with] a cloth?  

This post is long enough.  Come back tomorrow for a lovely breakfast recipe!

Until next time...

Blessings!

Ricki Jill

Random Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Lovely, The Wicked, and The Creepy

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Random Tuesday: Random *fun*

Happy Random Tuesday, My Lovelies!  Today's random is fun....F-U-N *fun*

First, I want to share some mailbox fun I received from Katie, Derby and Julep's mom.  Seriously, Derby and Julep are the cutest little Westie-bugs on the planet.  I love reading about their shenanigans!

Take a look-see:

Look at how cute Katie wrapped my prezzie!

Katie made me these adorable napkins!  She knows me very well!  I love the retro look of the fabric with the Scooby-Doo flowers and white pumpkins.  So AH-dorable!

Thank-you, Katie!

Last Saturday, Shelley participated in her first demo at a Judson College Preview Day.  She and her team did an amazing job, and it was fun to see her ride!  They also had their team pictures made.  I haven't uploaded her team photos or her video yet, but I'll get to it by next week.  

Speaking of other wonderfulness in the mail.....Look what *finally* arrived!  Yes!  It's the next Flavia de Luce mystery!  I am so, so happy so I guess you know what I'll be doing this week!  Based on the cover, this installment must be a Christmas mystery.  YAY!

I was a bit surprised because I recognized the title from my favorite Shakespearean tragedy, you knw, the Scottish play:

A cavern. In the middle, a boiling cauldron. Thunder. Enter the three WITCHES.

FIRST WITCH

Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd.

SECOND WITCH

Thrice, and once the hedge-pig whined.

THIRD WITCH

Harpier cries, “'Tis time, ’tis time.”

FIRST WITCH

Round about the cauldron go,

In the poisoned entrails throw.

Toad, that under cold stone

Days and nights has thirty-one

Sweltered venom sleeping got,

Boil thou first i' th' charmèd pot.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble,

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

SECOND WITCH

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake.

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble,

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Hmmm.....I truly thought that the timing of the release (today) and the title of the book meant that it might be a Halloween story, but then I saw the holly under the cat's paw.  Very mysterious!

What are you doing today that's fun?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Random Tuesday: Random *fun*

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Randomly Random: Gardening, Books, and Pups

Happy Tuesday!  I hope your week is going well, My Lovelies!  

Mustang Sally celebrated her fourth birthday on September 2nd.  We took her to Hollywood Feed and bought her special treats!  We love this dog!

I've been reading some F*A*N*T*A*S*T*I*C books lately, so stay tuned for book reviews for these books in the coming weeks:

Here's a look at some of our late summer containers.  The roses continue to look great, but we had to replace all petunias because they were looking so sad.  I wanted to replace them with zinnias, but they looked sad at the nursery, so we went with cosmos instead.

Our roses continue to flourish in containers.  I've decided that all roses should be grown in containers in Alabama!  No black spots!

I added Creeping Jenny to this container

Plumbago might be my new favorite.  The rose is blooming again, too!

After tidying up our containers, I'm ready to enjoy autumn on our patio.  I'm also visiting Marion, AL once a week because I miss Shelley, and I'm deep cleaning our home, one task at a time.  Boring, I know....

Come back tomorrow to see Shelley's dorm room.  I'll also share dorm tips I've learned over the years.

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill

Randomly Random: Gardening, Books, and Pups

Tuesday, September 13, 2016