Musing Monday #14 – Sticking With It


Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about sticking with it…

How much time (or how many pages) do you give a book that you aren’t really enjoying before you’ll set it aside? If you’re reading it for a book group discussion, or for review, will you give it more of a chance then, say, a book you’re reading for your own interest? Why, or why not? (courtesy of MizB)

I will generally give a book around 60 pages or so to really grab me. If I am really not liking it at all I will say forget it. I have too many books in my pile to read to just keep at it. However, if it’s a book sent to me to review, or a book for a group yes I will be more likely to give it a bigger chance than the others. But still…sometimes it is just not worth it to keep reading.

Humming Bird Feeders

Do you have a bird watcher in your family? I do, my grandma loves to watch birds. I have never been much on watching them, but she always has and I love watching her watch the birds. And my Grandma really does love Hummingbirds. So for Mother’s Day I got her this glass hummingbird feeder. I know it’s now well passed Mother’s Day, but I thought I should share a bit about it now since I have had time to see the feeder in action.

A humming bird feeder really is a fantastic and original gift that you can give to someone in your family. Humming birds are interesting birds, and I will admit I have taken a bit of joy in seeing when one of these little beaters comes to the feeder. Humming birds of course eat a nectar mixture instead of your usual bird food. I think you can make your own sugar mixture, but Grandma prefers to get the already made nectar, she says it works better. And really I think she’s right.

You can get several different kinds of nectar, and boy the little birds love it. They are such delicate pretty birds I am sure anyone you get a Hummingbird feeder for will get hours and hours of enjoyment out of it. I know my family sure has, and not just my grandma but everyone else in the family.

June Book List

1st-3rd- Just Jane by Nancy Moser 352 pages

4th-7th- The Naked Earl by Sally Mackenzie 352 pages

8th-11th- Chemical Cowboys by Lisa Sweetingham *Blog Tour*

12th-15th- Washingtons Lady by Nanzy Moser 352 pages

16th-17th- Surviving High Society- Lots of Love Trumps Lots of Money by Elizabeth Marvin Mulholland 184 pages

18th-20th-Bitter is the new black by Jen Lancaster 416 pages

21st-23rd- How Do I love Thee? by Nancy Moser 352 pages

24th-27th The Host by Stephanie Meyer 624 pages *Blog Tour*

28th-30th- Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn 288 pages

Book Review: Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz


Schuyler Van Alen is starting to get more comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, but she still has many unanswered questions. A trip to Italy in search of her grandfather only serves to make things more confusing. What secrets are the leaders of The Committee hiding? Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball. In true Blue Blood fashion, the ball is totally fab, complete with masks and hidden behind this masquerade is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire’s destiny.

The thrilling sequel in Melissa de la Cruz’s vampire mythology has all the glamour, attitude, and vampire lore that made the first book a hit.


Masquerade is the second book in the Blue Bloods series, and we once again find Schuyler dealing with the issues that have been thrust upon her by the change. When we come upon her at first she is in Venice looking for her grandfather. The effort seems fruitless until a chance meeting at an art gallery. Or perhaps it is not chance?

When we go back to New York and back to Schuyler’s usual life we follow the story that was set up for us by the first book. It is a good continuation on the series, and personally my favorite thing about the book was some of the history they went into. They have gone through and shown s more of the “legend” of vampires as it is seen in this series. It is certainly a different take on the fallen angels, and Lucifer I will say that.

Unfortunately for everyone in the books The Silver Blood is still on the prowl and the person that they thought it was is not it. The book is not a stand alone you need to have read the first one to read it, and the book does not end fully on its own. You are left wide open and hanging for the third book in the series. Normally this is not my favorite way for a book to wrap, but over all the book is good.

The Sunday Salon – #2 A Bad Week..but hopeing for a Better Month

The Sunday Salon.com
Today my Sunday is a little bit subdued I am very happy to be taking part in the Sunday saloon I really am. Last week I know my post was not very long, and I have no real idea how long this one will be either. But thank you all for having me.

So this week was a bad week for me in general. In the span of about 3 days I lost a 6 week old kitten, three newborns and my precious boy Caesar. He was a champion show cat, and my stud. He was young and healthy and seemed to have no issues at all. When we found him he appeared to just be sleeping. It was heart breaking. Since he left me on the 28th I have been lighting a candle everyday for as long as I am awake. Just for him. I miss my baby boy. He used to sit at the end of the bed while I read. Or he would be in the window. He was my Air whore. When I turned on the Ac in the summer he always had to be in front of it. I am very happy that we had two very hot days here this year, I turned on the AC for those days and he true to his nature sat in front of the air.

The only kid thing that managed to happen this week was that I did get caught up on my reading. May was a bad month for my health wise and I ended up falling behind on things. But I finished the last book on my list early this morning. So I am all set for June. I can’t help but laugh a bit as poor Harry Potter still hasn’t gotten read. But it will be on the July list for sure. It was knocked out this month by two blog tour books. Oppsy.

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, and I hope that this coming week is going to be a better one for me.

Quotable Sunday #11

Welcome to Quotable Sunday! I can’t wait to get around and read your quotes today. The rules of course are never changing but in case this is your first time joining in, I would like to welcome you and let you know the basics:~Post one or more of your favorite quotes on your blog in a post.~Come back here and link your post in the mister linky below(on http://www.juststopscreaming.com/ ).~Check back throughout the day and go read some awesome comments and leave some luv!
This week I post in honor of my Baby Boy Caesar Antonius who passed away very suddenly on the 28th. Bless his kitty soul.

“In the beginning, God created man, but seeing him so feeble, He gave him the cat.”
– Warren Eckstein

“A home without a cat- and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat- may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?”
– Pudd’nhead Wilson

“If animals could speak the dog would be a a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much.”
– Mark Twain

“A cat is more intelligent than people believe, and can be taught any crime.”
-Mark Twain Notebook, 1895

“I simply can’t resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know, outside of the girl you love, of course.”
– Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field, Fisher

“Of all God’s creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”
– Mark Twain Notebook, 1894

“You can keep a dog; but it is the cat who keeps people, because cats find humans useful domestic animals.”
– George Mikes from “How to be decadent

“Dogs come when they’re called. Cats take a message and get back to you.”
– Mary Bly

“For a man to truly understand rejection, he must first be ignored by a cat.”
– Anon

“I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul.”
– Jean Cocteau

“There are two means of refuge from the misery of life – music and cats.”
– Albert Schweitzer

“There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat.”
– Tay Hohoff

” God made the cat in order that humankind might have the pleasure of caressing the tiger.”
– Fernand Mery

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can’t get eight cats to pull a sled through snow. “
– Jeff Valdez

“Way down deep, we’re all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.”
– Jim Davis

“There is, incidentally, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come off as a sane person.”
– Dan Greenberg

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.”
– Leonardo da Vinci

“In a cat’s eye, all things belong to cats.”
– English Proverb

“Beware of people who dislike cats.”
– Irish Proverb

“You will always be lucky if you know how to make friends with strange cats.”
– Colonial American Proverb

“With the qualities of cleanliness, affection, patience, dignity, and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of becoming cats?”
– Fernand Mery

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”
– Winston Churchill

“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.”
– Hippolyte Taine

“A meow massages the heart.”
– Stuart McMillan

“No matter how much cats fight, there always seems to be plenty of kittens.”
– Abraham Lincoln

“Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God.”
– Unknown

“Time spent with cats is never wasted.”
– Unknown

“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.”
– Unknown

” No heaven will not ever be Heaven be; Unless my cats are there to welcome me.”
– Unknown

” How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven.”
– Robert A. Heinlein

Men’s Clothing

I don’t know about some of you ladies out there, but getting my husband to shop for anything new is like pulling teeth. I positively does not like to go shopping, or anywhere near stores with clothing. He also will not like to try on clothes on the rare chance I get him to the store for such an occasion.

Well I decided maybe if we did some shopping from home he would be a bit easier about it. He does after all know his sizes and for the most part fits them very well. And that’s where Jacamo comes in, they have small to Large Men’s Clothing and the choices really are fantastic.

The below double crease shirt is one of my favorites; it would be nice for any kind of outing you have, and for work. My hubby always kind of resists long sleeve dress shirts but when I showed him this one, he did actually like it and said he would wear it. He also liked that it was crease resistant which means less ironing, and a happier wife.


This pair of pants below is also another set I like. They are a nice cord jean and cut to a nice look. You could wear them for a dress casual event, or just out to dinner really. It sure would be nice to get the hubby to dress a little more than a bum when going out to see some friends at a BBQ!


More Awards Oh my!

I have been remiss in my awards lately, but I am touched and honored that two lovely ladies have seen fit to pass on some blog awards to me. Thank you very much Gals. And here they come..

Bridget3420 over at Readholic was kind enough to give me the Kreativ Blogger award! Thank you so much dear! And here are what I have to do to accept this lovely award.


7 Things I love:

1. Cats
2. Dogs
3. Horses
4. My Man
5. Family
6. Nature
7. Renn Fest!!!!

And 7 Blogs to pass this Award onto:

Sara @ Subjective Beauty
TwiCrack @ Confessions of a Twicrack Addict
The Crew @ CBA
MomJen @ Cheaper Than Therapy
Moon @ Narnian Photography
Anah @ Coming out of the Dark
Anissa @ Our Chaotic Life

And my other award I was given by the Lovely Lady Bug over at Escape in a Book Thank you so much Hun!


The Rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

Jennifer @ Crazy For Books

Fantastic Jar’s


I am a candle maker, and because of that I am always looking for places to get reasonably priced jars. Well today low and behold I found a Fantastic Sponsor who is a wholesale jar source you can get bulk glass jars and candles for a very reasonable price.

Now granted I do not need the candles part as I am a candle maker, but the jars are beautiful. And not only are they beautiful but unique and reasonable. They have every size jar you could be looking for. Personally I enjoy the look of the designer collection that they offer.

If you are just getting into candle making you may want to look at some of the other fantastic things they have to offer on the website, they have some very nice waxes, I recommend making candles in soy. They also have some wicks that appear to be of a very good burn quality. So no matter what you’re looking for I would recommend giving these guys a look.

If you order smaller orders (non pallet) you will get your items via UPS ground which can be reasonable. There is a handling charge, but really for as nice as they package these jars (low damage claims) it’s worth the little bit extra. So go on over and check them out. My favorite Jar the Roman Jar is a nice large jar and starts at just 1.74 you can’t beat that.






Book Review: Betrayed by P.C Cast and Kristin Cast


Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs–like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend …or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’’s old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.

Betrayed is the second thrilling book in The House of Night Series. I was hopelessly hooked on this series by the end of Marked, but Betrayed has only served to pull me into the series even more. We join up with Zoey and her friends again a month after we last left her in Marked. She has settled into her school nicely, and is now fretting about the other issues that seem to follow her around wherever she goes. The biggest one seems to be boy troubles.

Zoey Redbird who was so worried about fitting in at her new school has more boys than she can handle. I can’t help but laugh a little bit, because on top of the usual Teenage Hormones poor Zoey also has to deal with the hormone changes that happen when you’re a Vampyre. It would seem (and this goes with other books as well) they are very Sexual creatures, and much of that drive is connected to their blood lust and drinking. So poor Zoey finds herself Imprinted with her ex Heath, very loving towards her current Beau the handsome and talented Erik Night, and a teacher Loren Blake the talented vampire Laurent. Oh my!

As if that wasn’t bad enough Zoey will face trials like she hasn’t before, she looses a good friend, and somebody is killing are teenagers. The killings to crop up and play a bit of a part of the story line, but over all they are background to Zoeys loss, as well as her trials with the boys in her life and of course changing the Dark Daughters. The final blow to poor Zoey comes when someone she looks up to and nearly worships becomes something else. From light to dark. It is a powerful blow, but Zoey and her Goddess given gifts find away to keep going.

Betrayed is an emotionally charged read and I found myself crying as I read it. But I also could not put the book down as it was so good. Some of the themes are a little more adult than I would expect for a young adult novel, but nothing to over the top. Just beware you should probably pre read it before you let your young adult read it. It is a great second book in the series.


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