Book and a Blanket

I've saved the best book for last.

It's my favorite so far...

I like how right now, as I type, there's thousands

of books I've not read that have the potential to become

one of my favorites.

(sigh)

Anyhow...

this week's book is called

I've included a brief synopsis from Amazon:

"1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again." 

This book is very moving and emotional.

I finished it..set it down..put my hands over my face and sobbed.

You know how it is when you fall helplessly in love with a character?

yeah, that was me.

I absolutely loved it!

Ok this week I'm giving away a box of tea, a blanket and this book.

last week's winner is Ricki Jill.

I'm behind on mailing out the prizes but everything is going out

ASAP.

I want to thank you all for your kind comments

and wonderful prayers & wishes for my dad.

He was extremely dehydrated with a UTI

so there was a reason he was on a downward spiral.

He's on antibiotics and his appetite is growing now.

He recognizes me and his speech is clearing up.

Thank you so so much.

This may be the last book and a blanket 

but December is MY birthday month

so there's going to be some fun stuff going on then.

stay tuned!!

big hugs to you all!!

Postponed

Hello.

I wanted to post and let everyone know that

I'm going to postpone A Book and a Blanket

until Saturday night.

My Dad has been in a care home since March

 and lately he's been a bit off .

He doesn't want to eat or drink anymore and he's become very

dehydrated...

his blood work came back and he seems to have a

touch of an infection..which could be the reason why he's

not well.

At 92 anything can be really bad.

He's on an IV and actually seems to be improving with the fluids.

Hopefully he will bounce back from this.

If I don't see you before then,

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Puppies, Stars, Gingerbread and Angels

How was your Friday?

Ours was beautiful!

It rained all day long and it was actually cold.

Cold for us..it was 55 degrees!

We've had to wrap up all toasty.

I stood out in my little garden and marveled at the weather.
(notice the kitty all snuggled up on a little bed?)

 When it's like this, I'm very inspired to make
Christmas decorations.

I created two different projects 

using Lisa Kettell Designs  products.

I bought a paper mache house shaped box at a craft store.

After I painted it gingerbread and ivory

I added glittered candies, stickers, lace trim and a cupcake.

 After I painted the Tristan style doll heads brown and glittery

I added them to the gingerbread 'cookies'

 

The next project is an ornament

using my favorite dolly, carnival Lulu!

 You need a wooden circle about 5 inches in diameter.

Hot glue glitter tinsel around the circle.

glue a Styrofoam snowflake to the front of the circle.

Paint Carnival Lulu, add wings, skirt and tiny Christmas tree.

Glue her to the snowflake.

add a pipe cleaner to the back of the circle to make a hanger.

 

 

I hope you get a chance to try out these projects..they're super fun to make.

Don't forget you can purchase these doll parts 

in Lisa's shop.

Thank you to everyone that emailed and posted

suggestions on getting rid of those nasty cramps..

you're all awesome!

 

Have a great weekend.

A Book and a Blanket...and a Mermaid

 Welcome back!

How has everyone's week been?

I swear I meant to get back on here at least

three more times, but I've been

so sleep deprived lately!!

You remember how I hurt my back in July?

Well, it's acting up again...in the form of

excruciating leg and foot cramps every single morning.

It's to the point where I'm actually afraid to go to bed

because I know how I'm going to be woken up:(

So I apologize for not visiting with you sooner.

I always get anxious when it's time for
Random number generator to pick a winner...

you know how I feel about you all!

But I'm going to be having giveaways until the new year

(December is my birthday month!!!)

so everyone will get a chance to win something for sure.

This week's winner is 

Tessa

send me your details please!

I'm a huge fan of fairy tales...

I can't get enough of them,

 I love Hansel and Gretel,

Snow White and Rose Red...

The little mermaid!

The book I want to share this week is called

Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon.

I actually suggested this one about two years ago...

But it's so incredible, I wanted to talk about it again!!

 

 

It's a modern fairy tale and it's absolutely mesmerizing,

beautiful and magical.

Totally loved it!

This author has written a few books that have the fairy tale spin

to them..I enjoyed them all.

She writes in a way that just takes you there..

you feel the cold wind

and smell the sea.

I hope you get a chance to read them all.

I'll be giving away a copy of this

treasure next week..

with a blanket of course.

and extra goodies!

 

Yummy marshmallows 

 

 

and a box of cocoa.

Leave a comment and you get a chance to win.

 

Hope everyone is doing great and keeping toasty.

 I'll see you soon.

 

Marfi

Book and a Blanket

Hello!

I hope you are doing great today!

Welcome to the first Book and a Blanket gathering.

I'll be doing this until the last Tuesday of November .

Mainly because I love the thought of 

reading, being toasty and sharing some of

my favorite books.

I'll also be giving away cozy gifties throughout,

Tea, book markers, fuzzy socks, throw blankets, 

and of course books!

Have you heard the story of Tam Lin?

It's about a knight in the elfin queen's company

that is saved by a woman named Janet.

The woman is told that if she truly wants to 

rescue Tam Lin from being sacrificed to Hell,

 then she will have to 

knock him off his horse when he rides by &

hold on to him no matter what happens.

 The Elf Queen is furious when she finds out

that he is trying to escape.

She turns Tam Lin into all manner of 

beast and bird, but Janet refuses to let go.

Finally, he is transformed into an incandescently hot

iron bar, which Janet knows to throw into a well..

the spell is broken and Tam Lin is once again

restored to his regular self.

 ( JILL KARLA SCHWARZ)

The reason I mention this story is because

there's a major connection to this week's book...

This book came out in 2003.

I'm going to show you the synopsis that's on 

Carolyn Parkhurst's site.

"When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist Paul Iverson is wild with despair. In the days that follow, Paul becomes certain that Lexy's death was no accident. Strange clues have been left behind: unique, personal messages that only she could have left and that he is determined to decipher. So begins Paul's fantastic and perilous search for the truth, as he abandons his every-day life to embark on a series of experiments designed to teach his dog Lorelei to communicate. Is this the project of a madman? Or does Lorelei really have something to tell him about the last afternoon of a woman he only thought he knew? At the same time, Paul obsessively recalls the early days of his love for Lexy and the ups and downs of life with the brilliant, sometimes unsettling woman who became his wife."

Written with a quiet elegance and a profound knowledge of love’s hidden places, The Dogs of Babel is a novel of astonishing and lasting power—a story of marriage, survival, and devotion that lies too deep for words.

 I loved this book!!!
It's one of those you can't put down.
Beautiful, sad and suspenseful.
Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.
I won't tell you what the connection is to the Tam Lin
story is...
(you'll have to read the book to find out:)

I have a copy of this book and a warm fleece throw to give away.

 Like I said before, no pressure, just let me know
you stopped by
and you're automatically
entered to win.

Have a great week!
M.

November is here!

Happy November!

Hope you have all been well.

I took a little break...

Vertigo forced me too you see:(

But I feel better now

and I'm ready to catch up with you and share 

what's been happening around here.

Don't you love how the sky looks this month?

It's such a nice rich blue...

makes all the leaves look extra gorgeous.

There was a storm last week,

nothing too dramatic, just lots of (welcome) rain.

Once that passed the leaves that do change here,  began their

amazing transformation....

We had our Dia De Los Muertos celebration.

There were candy skulls

I made pan de muerto..

Then I cleaned up our altar. 

It's been fifteen years that my mom has passed

and it seems like it just happened.

Okay..random number generator chose comment #10

for the last Haunted Humpday prize, which is Tee

Congrats to you!

 

I participated in Vintage Dragonfly's matchbox swap

and my awesome partner Mina sent me 

such an amazing matchbox!!!

And look at all the incredible goodies she included!

I love it, thank you Mina!

Can't show you the matchbook I sent her

because I failed to take photos, lol!

Today, out of the blue, I received a lovely thank you gift

from Nancy James at  Sugar Lump studios  .

It's a beautiful little journal.

Thank you so much Nancy!

Last but not least

I'd like to talk about a little challenge I'm going to have this month..

it's not going to be as huge as Haunted Humpday..

but I'm hoping it will be fun.

It's called A Book & A Blanket.

Once November comes around and the temperatures actually drop,

I want to crawl in bed and cozy up with a  good book.

Every week I'm going to post a book suggestion and review.

All you need to do is leave a comment.

You can even post a book /review suggestion on your blog if you want.

I'm going to have a few giveaways..

book markers, warm throw blankets, art!

Maybe even a book or two!

this is very laid back, no pressure.

I'll put the first post up 

on Tuesday.

Until then take care & keep warm

I hope to see you soon!

Marfi