Woo Hoo it's Friday!

Because of that, it seemed like a good time to give a little reading round up.

Also, a sidenote that I love this little blog quickie by Anahata. It's perfect and a reminder we all need to take time for ourselves.

As part of that taking care and getting ready for the weekend, I'm continuing to pretend I have a summer vacation and have jumped into some summer time reading. I may have a little too much summer reading at the moment but I'm determined to get some of them complete. It didn't help that I got sucked into Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books. I had read the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons back when the craze swept the world but the follow up just sat on my shelf and when I saw there was now a fourth, Inferno, I got a little obsessed with catching up. Oy! I read the Lost Symbol over the 4th, which seems appropriate and timely, now I have Inferno on the kindle app ready to go.

Also on the night stand and/or my iPad mini  that are partially complete:

• The Butcher and the Vegetarian
• The Prophets of Smoked Meat
• Living the Savvy Life
• Zen Under Fire
• Instant Love
• Beginner's Grace

On deck if I finish any of the above or decide to jump into another book are the following:

• But Mama Always Put Vodka in Her Sangria!
• Shapeshifted
• Inner Excavation
• Beyond Snapshots
• Poser: My Life in Twenty Three Yoga Poses

This does not include any of my cookbooks I've been eyeballing waiting for it to cool enough to turn on the stove. I've also been eyeing my stock of travel memoirs since nothing says summer like a road trip! I have no idea what's happened. It had been that I would never dream of starting a book until I finished the one I had going, I would even not read for a while if I was stuck trying to get through one and now, look at that list! It's crazy.

Anything else I should be adding to the list?

Summer Break

It's been pretty busy around  the house lately but I'm still super excited for summer. Every year I still think I'm going to get out for the summer and decide to over plan when not much really changes with our schedules except less traffic. Not to minimize the importance of less traffic
cause that's awesome!

But we've made some changes around the house that have made it feel a little more special. We've started eating al fresco for all meals at home. This was partially to save our dining room rug from the toddler but we also wanted to enjoy our nice patio. We've cleaned up the yard and all the debris that had accumulated in the nooks and crannies. A small furniture rearrangement has made it seem roomier and the grill area has a space all to itself making it easier to keep Sophy fingers away. I still want to get a little more color via retro styled seating. Similar to these.

I have a long list of recipes I want to work on from Salty Snacks: Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips, and Other Savory Bites, Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Treats Without All the Junk, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux, and a bunch of other cookbooks I've amassed.

I'm also stock piling these jars. I've currently got a couple in the refrigerator with basil simple syrup and another with lime juice for spontaneous Basil Lime Coolers. My new favorite drink. Sophy's a fan too. 

Super quick recipe is:

1. Simply Syrup: add 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water along with 5-6 basil leaves (substitute with mint or any other favorite herb here) and heat until sugar dissolves. Let cool and use immediately or store in a container in the refrigerate.

2. Juice limes: we do an entire bag at a time. Costco or Sam's is your best bet for large inexpensive produce for this. You could also do grapefruit, orange juice, etc. 

3. I also add carbonated water that Rolland carbonates using the soda stream but totally optional.

4. Mix the above into a pitch or in a glass of crushed ice to taste. Sophy and I like tart so I do about 2/3 juice to small amount of syrup and water. Sophy's has about 1/4 juice and 3/4's water with a tiny bit of sugar.

Tasty summer goodness.

Odd and Random

I'm tired. Not just need more sleep and I'll be fine tired but burned out and I'm pretty sure it will never end tired. So... I'm going to talk about pretty things that make me happy.

My Land's End purchases were fantastic especially the chevron dress and the Joan dress. Rolland approved highly of both.

These shoes are greatness. I've discussed lots my inability to walk in heels without risking death but for these I might risk it. LOVE.

I've also got this great little book,The Little Paris Kitchen: 120 Simple But Classic French Recipes ,
on the way

I saw it last weekend at Anthro but couldn't justify the full price when Amazon is soo much cheaper allowing for more future book purchases along with super cute baby clothes.


Our house is also into 1st b-day planning which isn't much really. Ordered a few super cute party elements, also via Amazon (I pay for prime and I'm using it!), and found some cute plates/cups. I need to compare with party supply before ordering. I hate to ship if I don't have too.... ignore book purchase above since saving $12 bucks is "have to" in this era of fiscal frugality.

Also loving this print from Zutano. Frankly, I love most all of Zutano but wait for sales. Sophy could go to college or be a super cute baby with these prices.


Tomorrow equals Trader Joe's and Rudy's breakfast tacos. Giant yum! Ok, 9:45 on Friday night and I'm heading to bed. Maybe it will help take the tired edge of just a little.

The Little Paris Kitchen

I've discovered a new favorite show that my husband can hate. And he does. A lot. Although to be fair Rachel Khoo never stood a chance since he hears the french music playing and bee lines it out of the room. That man seriously has issues with the French. It's not right. Also, anyone want to visit Paris with me? He claims to never return. London? London he loves and will visit any time.

... Anyway, I love The Little Paris Kitchen on the Cooking Channel and can't wait for the cookbook The Little Paris Kitchen: 120 Simple But Classic French Recipes to come out. I may, in the interest of frugality and minor torture, make it my Valentine's Day present request. So far the recipes look relatively easy but fancy enough for a nice dinner if you use the good china. Also, being on the frugality train I love the Paris eye candy to help nip in the travel bug. It doesn't really work but I still like the eye candy. 

So far, there have been a few new offerings for the late winter that look pretty good. I'm really looking forward to Danielle Bryk's new show on DIY. I loved what she did with her house on Family Under Construction. House and Home has a gallery of a few finished rooms. Luckily, the husband loved this one so we can both watch. I'm hoping it will help keep the home organization and improvement momentum going. Additionally, I want to paint everything white - another hated of the husband's. For the love of God, never bring up Sarah Richards. He'll lose his poop. 

Anything else new I can't miss?

Camera Love Continues

Continuing with my camera love I now want to go here. Instead I had to settle with this purchase Instant Love: How to Make Magic and Memories with Polaroids since it is a little more budget and baby friendly.

 

I'm making the most of my instant camera love and can't wait to find some creative uses for pictures of this little cutie.

HA! Not what you expected, sometimes she resists photos and is not an angelic little creature who poos silk. Nope, that poo is stinky and gross. Additionally, she has taken to screaming. For no reason. Just 'cause. Forcing you to distract her with something sparkly. ...  I'm starting to become uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation and where she may have gotten the sparkly distraction gene. You have to admit, that pigtail and tantrum is cute as hell.

Moving on! We had an incredibly relaxing Wednesday for my final vacation day yesterday. We wisely used our time and caught up on Top Chef watching all 8 episodes (maybe 9) on our DVR. So now let me say that John Tesar is a little ferret and I'm happy he's off my TV.  Also, I'm loving Stefan this time around. Much less irritating to me than on his previous season. Now, off to watch Selling New York and heading to bed early. This working stuff seriously cuts into my play time!

Weekend Planning

Super excited that I know have Bouchon Bakery in my hot little hands! Well, depending on the recipe having hot hands wouldn't be a plus but I'm pretty sure you get that I love myself some hyperbole. I actually picked it up at Barnes and Noble yesterday with a my member discount it was $45 vs Amazon's $30 but I wanted to support one of the sole brick and mortar businesses left even if they are a giant chain but not $15 bucks worth. From now on, online ordering is it. Also, I clearly have a lot of pinions...also not surprising to anyone who knows me.





I'm also super excited that Beadfest is this weekend in Arlington. Larger shows are great for finding some harder to come by beads and findings. The International Gem Show is in Ft Worth in February and I've marked it on my calendar. I'm ready to spend some time in the studio to finish up a couple projects and then get started on some new goodies.

I got Solder Technique Studio: Soldering Iron Fundamentals for the Mixed Media Artist at B&N with a coupon - only exception to new frugal book buying policy - and want to make everything!



I'm back on the handmade bandwagon and want to make at least 1 thing for everyone for Christmas. The likelihood of this is a solid 20% especially with Sophy but we'll see. I can't wait until she's old enough and we can do projects together. Also, projects handmade by Sophy would be big hits with the fam for gifts.

Anyone else have fun weekend plans?

p.s. Cool weather has hit Texas and I got to wear my new motorcycle jacket and snuggle under extra covers. Baking and soup creation are on the docket as well. Also solid 20% on all of my weekend plans but dreaming of major productivity is almost as good as actual productivity.

Mid-Week Recommendation

 

 I bought The Happiness Project not long after it came out but have just started reading it. I am loving it. Gretchen Rubin's writing style is perfect for me. Conversational and anecdotal for what worked for her and clear instruction that this is what worked for HER. Apply appropriate type of planning to your own life since her happiness isn't your happiness. I'm also loving the reminders that it's important to take care of yourself. That said I went to bed very late last night but previously I had been doing better! I swear. For like, two days I was asleep before 10pm with walks being taken. We've also been eating at home and it's been tasty and wallet friendly. But last night  I was working on a jewelry project for a friend and got totally inspired. Damn day job is interfering with my creative muse!

This weekend includes big plans for cleaning out and organizing. The studio, inside and out, since the weather is gorgeous and we can work in the garage without risking heat stroke. The house will get back under control so say we all... little Battlestar Galactica throw back there since I don't want to lose my geek street cred, and I want to rid it off about half of the crap that has totally taken over. Big goals people, big goals!

Next, I promise more Halloween pics with cute babies.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I love myself some sci-fi and fantasy as long as it's not all horror and gory filled or just giant bugs and horrible weather disasters. Seriously, when did a tornado or earthquake not caused by aliens or some weird cryptid animal become science fiction? Mystery, angst, romance I'm totally sold. Add in gorgeous locations or fantastic costuming as a bonus and I'll write a blog post highlighting your awesomeness. Mostly I'm outing my love for Urban Fantasy and if you know me, that closet door was mostly wide open which was a walk-in with seating.

Sooo... Syfy, who has finally convinced me the re-branding wasn't totally stupid and I often start to spell all sci-fi that way, has some good programming. But, I am still bitter about the loss of Eureka (insert sniffing here) and the Dresden Files which now that I'm getting started I really, really miss The Chronicle  and am kind of nostalgic for Stargate even if they did beat that horse to death a couple of times. I've got a little Battlestar Galactica angst as well. Also, I have started to get kind of pissed at Syfy for torpedoing a lot of great programming. 

Ok, I'm over it.

The new season of Haven is getting ready to start and I'm crazy happy about it. It's set in Maine, has lots of paranormal goodness with pretty people. What's not to love? They also have a pretty great twitter feed with Dave and Vince but I had to pare down the twitter following and just follow the Herald.

image via Syfy

The latest seaon of Lost Girl has just wrapped up and won't be back until January. I'm pretty sure you can catch up via episodes on Syfy. This one is filmed in Toronto so the scenery is pretty typical urban environment but the sets are pretty good and the costumes are fantastically leather badass with boots to match. There's been some romance angst that can get grating but I'm willing to give it another season before I decide if it's irritating or not.

image via Syfy

The whole family is a fan of Grimm on NBC but they're a pain in the ass to try and swipe a photo so they just get a link.  This one has fairy tale quotes, moody Portland locations, cute main characters and awesome set design/houses. In a quick cross over, if you love the fairy tales and also graphic novels then Fables is the series for you. Greatness.

In case TV isn't your favorite, I've got a few book recommendations that fit my criteria for good fantasy and have had releases this fall. Seanan McGuirre has two series that are huge favorites. The October Daye series and the Incryptid series which feels a little campier to me but that could just be that the lead character moonlighting as a dancer/cocktail waitress. And by dancer I mean ballroom not stripper. I've also started Celia Jerome's Willow Tate books and they are total camp. Not un-enjoyable but I have to be in the mood or I just find them irritating and want to smack everyone. I'm pretty sure that's not what she's going for when reading. 

A few more favorites are Kat Richardson, Ilona Andrews who does a lot of awesome stuff for e-versions and I'm primarily a fan of the gunmetal/Kate Daniels stuff so can't speak to any of her other series, Carrie Vaughn, and Laura Anne Gilman.I could list a ton more but these are the latest I've been reading. 

There's something about the onset of fall and the approach of Halloween that seems to especially embrace the typical spooky/angsty/moodiness of fantasy. For me, that's primarily  urban fantasy and the first Harry Potter with floating pumpkins, which has a lot of great talent embracing the genre right now. I'm striking and soaking it up while the iron is still hot. Sorry for the poorly constructed sentence there but you get the idea.

Re-reading

I've been going through some of my stuff and doing a serious clean out. The husband has been tasked with converting all of our DVDs into electronic versions so we can cut down on the 3 bookcases full of them. My books are also under serious review. Our house is incredible cluttered with several people referring to it as "Hogwarts like" and this doesn't always feel like good thing no matter how much I love those damn books.

Anyway, some of them are getting 2nd reads and some are becoming candidates for Kindle reading only. I've had one for years and just recently embraced it beyond it's travel purposes. There are some books that are always going to be purchased but I'm starting to see there are a few that are one time reads and not serious bookshelf keepers (I know about the library and love libraries except for my weird OCD about what people. did while reading. Ugh.).

Anyway, I've been re-reading the Berger and Mitry series by David Handler and loving them all over again. Highly recommend you give this mystery series a shot. More of the cozy variety rather than hard boiled detective novels. But fictional setting is daydream worthy and the unlikely couple charming.

Hope everyone is loving this three day weekend!

Catch Up

I haven't forgotten about posting I just haven't had much time to get to it. The husband set up my laptop on the dining room table so now I'm able to run wild on the intranets with baby safely nearby in her pack 'n' play. For my last two weeks at home, this will be greatness and I have totally unrealistic expectations for getting back into the kitchen. Also, we've been fairly under the weather with complications from delivery to general illness but now I think we're over the hump.

On Easter we did the required baby in the bluebonnets pictures. Next year should be awesome with her ability to actually sit up/walk and pose. She'll be running wild!




Generic cute baby picture. She loves to play on Mommy & Daddy's bed so I can get some good picture time in.



Small kitchen side note: I made the basic meatballs from this book and they were fantastic. I used pork and beef in the mix since I had ground pork in the freezer. It also makes them a little lighter than all beef. I served them with the basic tomato sauce which wasn't as tasty and pretty bland so I'm continuing the tomato sauce search.

Here If You Need Me: Book Recommendation

In my new role as shut in I haven't done much besides lay in bed and watch TV but I did manage to get a little readying in and this has been my favorite so far.



It's Here If You Need Me by Kate Braestrup and it's fantastic. I love the spiritual journey she takes but also the humor and humanity she brings to all of her stories. It was exactly what I needed at the time and I can't recommend it enough.

Now that I'm not regularly throwing up and can manage to walk from the kitchen to the bedroom without being exhausted I'm hoping to get in some baking. Nothing says fall like baking during football. That and soup making but we'll start small with some pumpkin bread.

Also, regular blogging would be nice. I've missed it.

Summer Lovin'

Past summers have most likely been fairly hellacious for my husband as I spend mid-May through October bitching about how hot it is here. I have vowed this summer will be different and I will embrace all things that are good about summer. So far that has included:

1. Kaftans: My favorite has been from World Market

2. Reading, reading and more reading. So far I've finished the Twilight Series, the latest Sookie Stackhouse, read this fantastic book called Spellcast that I can't recommend enough, and am working my way through the books stacked on the nightstand.

3. Have not complained about the heat once. Seriously, this is miraculous.

4. Watching all the fantastic summer programming and looking forward to others starting: White Collar, Burn Notice, Eureka, Haven and all things Real Housewife on Bravo.

5. Cooking: I'm trying to avoid the oven which is tricky since I want to work my way through some of my baking books but with the heat (of which I'm just mentioning but I'm not complaining about) it's much better to not turn on the oven and just cook it all outside. The husband has cooked some tasty goodness on the grill.

6. Travel: So far this has been a bit of a summer wish list but we've got a trip to Austin next week planned and there are several minor road trips I've got my eye on so again with the wish list. And if I eek summer into September I have a trip to NYC planned with a friend and I can't wait!

Ok, I'm packing it in at the top 6 since I've been working on this post for a couple of weeks and it's sad how little progress I've made. More summer to-do items include:
more studio time, playing with the digital camera and my light box to figure it all out, have a garage sale, clean out my studio, update studio space in the garage and work on some home improvement projects. Good thing summer is a fairly decent amount of time in Texas!

What are your summer plans?

Latest Books

In case anyone's interested, and you're a fan of urban fantasy (if you're not, please don't tell me), here's a quick list of a few favorites I read in the last couple of weeks.

I just finished reading Jim Butcher's anthology of short stories in the Harry Dresden series Side Jobs. Serious greatness. Plus, I'm now super excited and totally nervous (i.e. slightly dreading) the release of Ghost Story coming out in a few months.



Patricia Briggs and the Mercy Thompson series may be my favorite right now. I love Mercy and am a big fan of where the series is headed.



I love the Hollows series but the last couple of books haven't been my favorites. This one was similar and I'm not sure I like the direction of the series. It's not a big enough issue to stop reading (in part because I have a series book monkey on my back) but I'm hoping they eventually get back to somewhere I want it to go.



My comments on Late Eclipses are the exact opposite. I love where this series is headed and Tobey Daye becomes a more compelling character with each book. The amount of research that must go into the this series is a little staggering but I'm completely appreciative and these books are fantastic.



Rob Thurman rocks the Cal Leandros series and this was no exception. Loved it and was ready for more way too quickly. I'm pretty sure I read this in one day and drove the hubby nuts. Her dedication also made me all teary eyed before I even started.



Ok, I'm done and would've posted all the new books coming out that are exciting the book monkey but I'm tired and doing all the links would push me to the edge. May be later this week. Hope everyone had a terrific weekend.

Baking and Soldering

I've become a huge fan of the show "Anna & Kristina's Grocery Bag" on the OWN network so I did a little baking this weekend. Although to be clear, I don't really need much of a push to do any baking!

These were cookies I made over the holidays and froze the dough. This is the absolute best way to insure an easy option for much needed baked goods in an emergency. I thawed them over a few days then rolled them and baked them today. They're the Mexican Hot Chocolate cookies from one of the cookie editions of Martha Stewart Living. Super tasty and the touch of chipotle powder to the mixture you roll the cookies in is awesome. I think they're the perfect "take to the office for Valentine's treat".



Muffins from one of my favorite baking books. I made the blueberry muffins but had to swap out most of the sour cream for yogurt and it's a pretty tasty substitution. After Rolland nicely ran out to get more sour cream, I made another batch for him with cherries instead of blueberries. He declared these tasty as well.



And finally for dinner, homemade pizza. I've been making the crust for years which is super easy. The sauce my dad actually taught me forever ago and it's still a favorite. Rolland, not a fan but that's the beauty of homemade pizza, everybody can make it to order.



During all of the cooking frenzy, I made 5 charms. 3 are for Valentine's gifts (I was a big failure at Christmas so folks are getting Valentine's gifts!) and two others just 'cause I had enough stuff on my desk to work on a few more and more sparkles are always great.

I hope everyone had a terrific Valentine's eve and have plans for a sweet and romantic day tomorrow.

Time, Time, Time...

I have a two week vacation coming up and I'm giddy with the possibilities for what I can do with that time. Unfortunately, I'm also terrific about the over booking and over committing leaving myself with little vacation. Here are a few of the things I really want to get done.

1. Reorganize my studio space and garage workshop
2. Play with all my new goodies from Sublime Stitching
3. Start some of the bread recipes from the Tartine Bread book
4. Look at next year's calendar for art events, workshops, shows, etc I'd like to sell at or just attend. This year was supposed to be the year of art and that didn't go so well. I'm just moving it on to next year since it's still a priority. I've already started by booking this class
5. Create more pieces based on my Stephanie Lee's online class
6. I've also got some plans to hang out with some friends I don't see very often: Suzanne, Yuri, Bo the girl (although we do get in a fair amount of girl time :) ) and even Bo the Boy and the old True gang if they're around. Holidays are challenging for schedule synching.
7. Read about a million books I've been collecting: Urban Fantasy, Travel, Cookbooks, and at least my weight in magazines.
8. Go to the day time yoga classes I haven't had time to check out
9. Visit the DMA (Dallas Museum of Art whose website seems to be on the fritz)
10. Sleep in past 6 am!

Any terrific holiday plans you are super excited about?

Best Ice Cream

Lately I've been getting a lot of Border's coupons for 40% and I typically use these to feed my cookbook addiction. My last fix included The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz. And it didn't disappoint!

This was in progress



Then the perfect scoop(s).



I added in marshmallows and toasted almonds turning it into Rocky Road. Beyond tasty.

I made Rolland vanilla with actual vanilla beans (go figure) to which he added almonds (untoasted) and dried cherries. But since he was impatient to let his chill I put his in the fancy maker that has the compressor while mine was in the more old school frozen bowl maker. Ice cream turned out great with both so no super fancy equipment really required.

I have a blood orange sorbet recipe that sounds super tasty as well.

Baking Goodness

I came into a little book gift card windfall and picked this up as part of my loot.



So far, I've made the Chewy Oatmeal cookies, blueberry buckle and pumpkin bread. I was especially excited about the pumpkin bread since my current recipe, which is super yummy, has shortening and I'm trying to avoid it. The cookies came out really weird but tasty. I think they would be better if chilled prior to baking.

Pretty much this has been the extent of my labor this weekend. It's been awesome to take 3 1/2 days to do nothing except relax and do all kinds of odd errands in and around the house. I'm thinking we should all revolt and make these holidays mandatory every week!

Hope you guys had a great weekend.

Cupcakes, Holiday and Oh My!

I had a baked goods request the other day so I went with the favorite cupcake which is truly just a vehicle for icing. In this case I went with the all time best chocolate cake (recipe on the back of the hershey's cocoa tin) and peanut butter cupcakes. Turns out, the only peanut butter I had was the super crunchy flax seed from Trader Joe's (seriously come to Dallas already!!!) which made them a little dense and dry but still tasty.

Pre-frosting and cool on the wire racks.



Double batch of frosting (not the one found on the back of the cocoa tin) but a double batch does have 6 sticks of butter. You know, just to keep it light.



Frosted. These are the peanut butter designated by a lone peanut on top. I wanted to pipe the icing on but all my icing bags and tips have vanished. A trip to Sur la Table is imminent since I have a coupon and have ambitions to get the piping down. Also, it cuts down on the icing looking like poo.



All packed up and ready to go. The lone cupcake was for a friend who requested no frosting. He prefers things not too sweet but the cake was super moist (hehe) and yummy.



I plan to start working through a few books. This one and this one specifically.

I'm beyond excited about the long weekend. My vacation started at 12:40 today and I immediately grabbed a chai tea, hit the bookstore and grocery store. Back home by 2:30 and watched The Time Traveler's Wife. It got mixed reviews but I loved it. I thought they did a great job translating a fairly complicated idea and feeling from the book to the big screen. Also, I covet that house they bought. Seriously, I would sell a lot of cupcakes for that! Ready to rest up, bake and play in the studio.

Happy Friday!

Cinnamon rolls

Baked goods I made last weekend. I forgot to take an after picture but they were very popular. Super tasty.



I'd like to get a few things baked today but at 108 outside I'm reluctant to turn on the stove. I did make mushroom curry, brown rice, black bean soup and cauliflower... something I forgot but with Indian spices to go with the curry. I've finally been using the Indian cookbook I bought a few years ago. And Deborah Madison's is a new favorite for vegetarian offerings.

I've also got some art pieces in mind but the heat, not too keep being whiny, really does sap my energy and the couch plus this book are too much of an oasis.

Summer Reading

As I am a delicate flower and wilt in the sun I've decided to take this time to snuggle in the couch with tea and a favorite baked good with a stack of books that will get me through these next few scorching months. Over dramatic? Not a bit, I live in Texas... y'all (nope, still doesn't fit but I'll keep working on it).

I try to be fairly eclectic in my reading material but I've mostly been reading the urban fantasy or paranormal mysteries. In addition, I'm working in some awesome foodie favorites but those take a lot longer.

I have been a fan of Charlaine Harris since the beginning and the Southern Vampire series (aka True Blood books) are the perfect summer reading. I think I read this one last Saturday and am super excited True Blood starts again tomorrow. Go team Eric!



This series by Ilona Andrews is greatness. It's really original in it's approach and I love a chick who can kick ass with the best of them.



I've had this one on the shelf for a long time but just picked up recently. It's written by a great blogger Molly Wizenberg and in the fashion of blog posts. I haven't tried any of the recipes, which were fairly secondary for me in terms of priority, but the reviews have been mixed. The stories are yummy enough to stand up on their own. No, I really couldn't help it.



Juliet Blackwell has done a great job with a fun magical mystery series set in San Francisco. SF is on my list of places to visit, hopefully this year, so I love the background it provides. There's also lots of talk of vintage clothing which is fun in the book but in life I mostly want it new and sparkly.



I've also tackled the latest in the Dresden Files, loved the series and Syfy can suck it for dropping it for super gigantic killer centipede story lines, not that I'm bitter.

Also finished Victoria Laurie's latest in the Ghost Hunter series. Fellow Texan who is much more productive with her summer hours. I love her mysteries with Abby Cooper too.

Whew, clearly my day job is impacting how much more reading and baking I could be getting done! I'm simply going to be grateful for all the extra daylight to read by.

Note: links and picture size are not a sign of favoritism but more of laziness in fixing them.