Quote Sunday

I love this quote from one of my favorite Christian authors, Patsy Clairmont. If you've never read any of her books, then I'd like to suggest a couple of my favorites for you to check out...

Have a blessed day! :)

Great Read: The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

Earlier this summer I read The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory, and once again, she has written a terrific historical fiction novel about the Tudor court. (I cannot even begin to imagine the stress of living during the time of Henry VIII's reign...it was a very cautious and scandalous time to serve at his court!)

This novel focuses mainly on Lady Margaret Pole and her family. Lady Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, who was the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III. She married Baron Henry Pole, and served Queen Katharine of Aragon and her daughter, Princess Mary Tudor.

During the reign of Henry VIII, the Pole family, as well as many other families in his realm, would be in great favor of the king, and then would fall into suspicion of treason, only to regain his favor again. Lady Margaret Pole faced this challenge during her lifetime, and being one of the York heirs, the irrational suspicions of Henry VIII fell upon her multiple times.

I don't want to divulge too much detail, as the struggle, survival, and ultimate death of Lady Margaret Pole are due to the irrational behavior of Henry VIII and the choices he makes after ending his marriage to Katharine of Aragon.

If you have read/enjoyed any of Philippa Gregory's other Tudor court novels, then The King's Curse is a must-read to add to your book list!

Have a FANTASTIC day!!

Great Read: The White Princes by Philippa Gregory



 

Mornin' folks! I hope that you've had a great week! As many of you know I am a BIG 'OLE BOOK NERD! I love to read, especially historical fiction. I've really gotten into Philippa Gregory's novels about the Cousin's War and the Tudor Court.

 

I recently finished reading The White Princess, which is about Elizabeth, princess of York, and her marriage to King Henry Tudor VII. 

 

This story is quite a page turner, and Philippa Gregory creates a wonderfully detailed story about the beginning of the Tudor reign. She has a fantastic way of drawing the reader into the storyline, making you feel as though you are standing on the outskirts of the Tudor Court looking in.

Upon reading this book I have gained a new appreciation of Elizabeth of York and the great patience and tolerance that she showed during her reign as queen of England. Her husband was dominated by his mother, Margaret, and I feel that he never really appreciated what Elizabeth brought to the table as his wife and a royal from birth. As a usurper to the throne of England, he never seemed to feel at ease in his reign, and struggled with insecurities and paranoia...much in part to his mother's domineering personality.

Elizabeth of York was the mother of Henry VIII, and although she died in childbirth when he was just a boy, she adored and doted on him and he in turn loved her dearly.

If you enjoy reading about the Tudor's of England, then this would be a great read for you!! Now I'm off to read the next and last book in this series The King's Curse. :)

Enjoy your weekend!!

Great Reads: Philippa Gregory's "The Constant Princess" and "The Boleyn Inheritance"

Good morning! With the cold temps and winter weather that we've had here in Oklahoma during the past few weeks, I've settled in to catching up on my reading. As you know, I am a HUGE fan of historical fiction, particularly Philippa Gregory's novels about the English court in Tudor times. (If you've never read any of her novels, I HIGHLY recommend them if you too are a fan of this era in English history.)

The Constant Princess is the story of Katharine of Aragon, who comes to England as Catalina, princess of Spain, to marry Prince Arthur. She was betrothed to Arthur at the age of 3, and was raised to become the future queen of England. She marries him at the age of 16, and sadly becomes a widow when he contracts the sweating sickness only a few months into their marriage. On his death bed he makes her promise that she will swear that their marriage was never consummated and that she will one day marry his younger brother Henry, so that their legacy will come to fruition. Throughout history this has become known as the "Great Lie", and she pulled it off to become one of the greatest monarchs in England. 

This story will take you through her childhood in Spain, alongside her parents King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who were two of the most powerful monarchs in all of Christendom at that time. You will rejoice with her as she and Arthur fall deeply in love; and you will feel her sadness and despair when she becomes a widow and suffers for many years before becoming Henry's wife. This is truly a hard-to-put-down novel!

The next novel, The Boleyn Inheritance, moves forward in the history of the wives of Henry VIII, beginning with Anne of Cleves coming from Germany to England to become Henry's 4th wife. Their relationship starts off on a bad note, and his great pride never allows him to accept her or fall in love with her. Although he turns her away and divorces her to become "his sister", she is thankful that she escaped his tyranny with her neck intact. It doesn't take long for him to become infatuated with Katharine Howard, who is a mere teenager at serving at court. She grew up in her grandmother's loose household, and wasn't taught the manners or graces that would serve her as a respected lady of the court, let alone as a queen of England. Her past transgressions, as well as her youth and lust for another man, sets the course for her own destruction. 

In the midst of all of the drama is Lady Jane Rochford. Lady Rochford is the former sister-in-law of Henry VIII's second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn. (She was married to Anne's beloved brother, George Boleyn. Both Anne and George were beheaded after being convicted of carnal sins, with Jane testifying against them on these crimes.) Lady Rochford, always looking out to gain a foothold in the royal household, puts her trust in the wrong people and comes to a devastating end as well.

Philippa Gregory's novels are always great page-turners, and I hope that if you read them you'll enjoy them as much as I do! :)

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a TERRIFIC week!

A Recipe and a Book Recommendation...

Good morning and happy Monday, friends! I hope that you enjoyed a nice, relaxing weekend. We had an early Christmas get-together at our house on Saturday. My parents, Justin and his girlfriend Hailee came over for lunch and to open presents. We ate waaaaay too much and had a great time visiting. :)

Today I'm going to share with you a fabulous recipe for white bread/rolls that was given to me by my sweet friend Robbi R. With Christmas just a little over a week away, you might want to bake some of these tasty rolls up to serve with your holiday meal:

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups of flour
• 2 packages of yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup soft butter
• 2 1/4 cups very hot tap water

Method:

Combine 2 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast together and blend well. Add butter and combine with flour mixture. Add hot tap water all at once. Mix at medium speed for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of flour and beat on high for 1 minute. Add remaining flour and, with dough hook attachment on mixer, and combine until a soft dough forms. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, cover with plastic wrap and towel. Allow dough to rest for 20 minutes and then punch it down. Shape into loaves or rolls and place in a greased pan. Rub surface with oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 48 hours and let stand for 10 minutes before baking at 400 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a light golden brown. If you want to make the rolls immediately after rising, rather than refrigerating the dough for later use, then cut the baking time to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Rub tops of bread or rolls with a stick of butter upon removing from the oven to keep them soft.

Serve warm with butter and/or Christmas jam. (Click HERE for Christmas jam recipe.)

Lastly, I want to share a Christmas book with you called Christmas Treasures of the Heart by Cheri Fuller. (Shown in the photo at the top of this post.) This is a wonderful little book chocked full of short stories and simple Christmas celebration ideas to inspire and enlighten you during this holiday season. My sweet sis-in-law, Lea Ann, gave me a signed copy of this book many years ago, and I re-read it and place it on my coffee table every year for visitors to look at if they want. I think you would enjoy this book as much as I do, and it makes a terrific little gift to share with teachers, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

Have a blessed week!

Good Read: The Antelope in the Living Room

Are you looking for a quick, light-hearted book to read? If so, I HIGHLY recommend The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle:

My wonderful SIL Sandy got me this book for my birthday and it is one of the funniest books that I've ever read! You'll love Melanie's stories of being married to an outdoorsy/hunting guy, their life together and the funny predicaments that they get into. This is a great book to keep in your purse or in your car to read while you're waiting to pick up the kiddos at school or while waiting in a doctor's office, etc.

Also, if you enjoy reading blogs, (and since you are reading my blog now, I am going to assume that you do - lol!), Melanie has a blog as well! You can check out her blog at: TheBigMamaBlog.com.

Have a fun and safe weekend! :)

Good Reads: Philippa Gregory's Cousin's War Trilogy

If you enjoy reading historical fiction, and are looking for some great summer reads, then I highly recommend the Cousin's War Trilogy by Philippa Gregory. These books, The White Queen; The Red Queen; and Lady of the Rivers are based on the rivalry of the Lancaster's and the York's to secure the throne of England and their family's destinies. Philippa Gregory does an amazing job of weaving an intriguing story line into these books using historical dates and locations that she has meticulously researched.

If you love historical fictions as much as I do, then I just know that you'll enjoy reading these books! Once you've finished the trilogy, you might be interested in reading her book, The Kingmaker's Daughter, which continues the story of the Cousin's War.

Happy reading!

Good Reads: "The Wild Queen" and "The Other Queen"

Hi, friends! As many of you know, I really enjoy reading historical fiction, particularly royal historical fiction. One of my favorite writers is Philippa Gregory. (NOTE: If you've ever watched the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl", then you will know who Philippa Gregory is...she wrote the book that the movie was based on.)

Anyhoo...I've been reading several of her books lately, one of them being "The Other Queen" which is based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Before I read "The Other Queen", though, I read "The Wild Queen" by Carolyn Meyer, who is a great, young adult author of historical fiction. When I started reading "The Other Queen" I realized how glad that I was that I'd read "The Wild Queen" first! "The Wild Queen" goes through the childhood years of Mary Stuart, where "The Other Queen" focuses more on her adult life. I believe that I would have been amiss on details of her life if I hadn't read Carolyn Meyer's book first, and I really think that these two books work well together even though they are written by different authors.

If you love historical fiction as well, I highly recommend these books and authors to you! Let me know what you think if you read them!

Have a SUPER day!

Recipe of the Week: Banana Rum Brownies

Last week I attended a meeting where everyone was asked to bring a dessert to share, so I decided to try out a new recipe from one of my favorite recipe books:

This has become one of my "go-to" cookbooks for never-fail recipes! I purchased it a few years ago, after I browsed through a copy that belonged to a co-worker. Anyhoo...I decided to try out the Banana Run Brownie recipe and it turned out great!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 box, (about 21 oz.), brownie mix
• 1/4 cup milk, (chocolate milk can be used!)
• 1 Tablespoon rum extract
• 2 or 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:
In a large bowl prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Heat milk and rum extract in a medium sauce pan, gradually stirring in mashed bananas. Pour warm banana mixture into brownie mix and stir. Spread brownies in a lightly greased 9" square pan. (I used a 9" x 11" pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and cut into bars. Really, really good served with a cold glass of milk! :)

Have a great day!

Good Read! "Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline

Happy Monday, friends! I am now officially on summer break, (insert happy dance!), so I wanted to start off the summer by recommending a good book to you. Whether you are traveling to a vacation destination, or enjoying a stay-cation like me, the book Look Again by Lisa Scottoline is a wonderful book to keep by your side to read when you have a little time to spare. (Warning, though, it's a tough book to put down so laundry and cooking may go by the wayside until you've finished the book - LOL!)

The story begins with reporter and single mom Ellen, arriving home from work to find a missing child postcard in her mailbox. Upon glancing at the children's faces in the photos, she realizes that one boy looks a lot like the son she adopted. As much as Ellen tries to push the idea out of her head that the boy on the postcard has an uncanny resemblance to her son Will, she just can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. This spurs her to begin her very own investigative research which takes her on an agonizing emotional roller coaster ride of mystery and deception, that eventually leads her to the truth about Will's origin.

I really enjoyed this book, which has a wonderful mix of mystery and romance and draws the reader in! It's a great paperback to toss in your carry-on bag to read on a plane, or to bring along to the pool for an afternoon of catching some sun while watching the kiddos swim. If you're looking for a good summer read, I recommend you give this book a try!

Wishing you a TERRIFIC week!

Good Read: The Stolen One

A couple of weeks ago I read The Stolen One by Susan Crowley. If you enjoy reading historical fiction, particularly about the Tudor's, then you will enjoy this novel for young adults which is set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

The story centers around a young peasant girl named Kat, which is short for Katherine, and her adoptive mother Grace and sister Anna. They live on the outskirts of a small village and earn a meager living by stitching beautiful dresses for the elite in London. Kat is being courted by a sweet farmer named Christian, but she wants more out of life than settling down to become a farm wife. Her true identity has been kept a secret from her for her entire life, and she yearns to know who she really is and where she comes from. The only information that she can get out of Grace is that no one else wanted her except for Grace.

As the story moves forward, Grace passes away and Kat makes a dash for London with Anna at her side. The plot thickens as Kat catches the eye of Queen Elizabeth I shortly after her arrival in London, and is invited to court. The queen becomes quite fond of Kat, and as their friendship grows so does Kat's yearning to know who her true parents are. The book becomes difficult to put down, and the reader is just as anxious as Kat to discover her true heritage.

I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Elizabethian period historical fiction! Why not pick it up at your local library, pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee, and settle in for a great story that is a true page-turner and pulls you into the fascinating era of the Tudor reign?

Have a blessed day!

Good Read! "The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn"

A while back I read Robin Maxwell's first novel, The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn, and thoroughly enjoyed it! This wonderful, historical fiction novel begins when a former servant of Anne Boleyn presents Anne's secret diary, (which she had kept hidden for many years), to Anne's only living child, Elizabeth. As Elizabeth reads the diary pages, which capture her mother's innermost thoughts and feelings, she comes to know the mother that was taken away and killed when Elizabeth was only 3 years old; gaining a love and respect for the woman that she was taught to despise through false pretenses. The revelations that Elizabeth encounters while reading her mother's diary forms her resolve that she will never allow a man to rule over her, and ultimately determines her status to remain an unmarried queen and the last of the Tudors to reign on the throne of England.

If you enjoy reading historical fiction about the Tudors, then I highly recommend this book to you!

My Summer Vacation is Winding Down...

I've gotten behind in my blogging during the month of July...both in posting and reading/commenting on my favorite blogs - sorry! With only 2 weeks of my summer vacation left, I've been kind of a hermit...but I've been having fun! Here's a a little snippet of what I've been up to this summer:

My best-bud Jamie, her mom Dena, and I recently attended a fun play, Kiss Me Kate, at the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse. We had a bit of a vested interest in this play, as Jamie's 16 year old daughter Kennedie, (who is my "adopted niece"), was the set manager for this production! Here's a pic of me and Jamie before the show:

The Affair of the Heart craft show was in Tulsa a couple of weeks ago, so Jamie and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go check out all of the fabulous, crafty goodness there! Here are a few of the things that I brought home:

First off...here I am with the AWESOME birdhouse that I got!! It barely fit into Jamie's Honda Accord...we had to open up the little area in her back seat and then the pole came clear up to the front seats between us - LOL! (Sorry the photo is a little blurry...it was taken with an iphone.)

Here is my terrific new birdhouse in the little flower bed in my back yard next to my garden shed...so cute! (If you remember, I purchased the little red birdhouse at last summer's Affair of the Heart show.)

I found these reproduction soap boxes at one of the booths...and just had to have them for my laundry room:

Let's not forget the SUPER CUTE flip flops that I bought!! Love them...and they're really comfy, too!!

Mike and I recently went to a neat antique mall in Jenks, OK, called River City Trading Post. While browsing through the booths there, I found a cool old cabinet door with windows for $10.00 and a metal tray with little round "feet" on the bottom for $4.99. I am in the process of making a couple of altered art projects with these finds, and I'll be posting photo tutorials in the near future...so stay tuned!!

Upon visiting my eye doctor, this summer has also brought the realization that I need bifocals to read and do close-up, crafty work...ahhhh - the joys of being 45...ha! ha! ha! Here I am sporting my new bifocals...I had the "line" taken out of them, though...I know, I know...so vain!

The temps here have been HORRIFICALLY hot, so we haven't been spending too much time outdoors these days. We spent one afternoon at the Oklahoma Aquarium and got to see lots of amazing aquatic displays. (Photos courtesy of the Oklahoma Aquarium http://www.okaquarium.org/exhibits.php).

I've read several books this summer, but my favorite so far has been One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. The story is about Stephanie Plum, a divorced young lady who has lost her job, had her car repossessed, has had to sell almost all of her furniture and small appliances to pay the rent and buy peanut butter to live on. She finds out that her cousin Vinnie needs someone to do filing at his bail bond office, but upon going to his office Stephanie finds out that job has already been filled. The secretary convinces her, (and Vinnie!), that she should try her hand and bounty hunting - which nets 10% of the bail posted for each client - and hands her a stack of files. Stephanie is unsure about her ability to actually be a bounty hunter, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and she strikes out to bring in her first "skip". You'll laugh at loud at some of the crazy situations Stephanie gets herself into, and you'll have a hard time putting this quick and fun read down until you finish the whole book! There are 18 books in this series, and they have been out for quite a while, so I can hardly wait to start book number 2!

As I said before, the temps here have been SOOOO hot - 110 degrees in some areas! - so I've stayed in on a lot of days...watching movies, reading, organizing closets and drawers, and hanging out with my little buddy Tony, who is such a sweetie! (Just look at his adorable face - irresistible!)

Well, that about wraps up my summer activities for the past few weeks! Thanks for bearing with me while I've slacked off on my blogging lately...I've got lots of projects and tutorials in the works, so lots of fun things will be showing up here in the near future!

Have a wonderful week!

Good Read! "Ten Cents a Dance"

Recently I heard about girls becoming "Taxi Dancers" during the 1920's, 30's and 40's. I had never heard about "Taxi Dancers" before, and I was curious as to what it was. Luckily, we had a really good historical fiction novel about them in the school library where I work. The book is called "Ten Cents a Dance" and was written by Christine Fletcher.

The story takes place in the late 1930's/early 1940's in Chicago. The main character of the story, Ruby, is only 15 years old and is forced to quit school and go to work at a meat packing plant to support her sick widowed mother and younger sister. Ruby hates the job at the plant, and is approached by the handsome neighborhood bad boy about becoming a "Taxi Dancer" at a local dance hall. Ruby quits her job at the plant; lying to her mother and sister that she has taken a job as a telephone operator, and begins her job as a dancer-for-hire. Lonley men come to the dance hall and pay Ruby and the other girls to dance with them. Ruby learns quickly from the other girls how to get other perks like dresses, jewelry, etc. from the men who pay to dance. (The dancers nickname these fellas "fish").

Ruby has to be scrappy to survive the dark side of Chicago during the difficult era she lives in, and is forced to make many hard decisions to get her life back on track. This is a wonderful coming of age story about family loyalty, first love, self-respect and preservation. Although Ruby has to learn many difficult lessons, you'll find yourself cheering for her as she fights to come out on top in the end.

Have a GREAT week!

Great Read! "Legend"

Lately I've really been getting into dystopian-type novels. If, like me, you are a fan of the Hunger Games then you'll enjoy reading Legend by Marie Lu.

This young adult novel is based on the two warring nations of North America - the Republic and the Colonies. It is a fast paced, cat-and-mouse story told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Day, (a poor kid from the Colonies who is just trying to survive and secretly keep his brothers and mother alive); and June, (born of privilege and striving to follow in her beloved brother's footsteps to become a great soldier for the Republic).

As the story unfolds, June goes undercover in the Colonies to track down Day for for the murder of her older brother and only living relative. As their paths cross and their lives become intertwined, the truth of her brother's murder and the political games surrounding the mystery are revealed, leaving Day and June struggling to survive and do what is right.

I couldn't put this book down because I just had to know what would happen to Day and June, and if they would be able to overcome their differences and trust each other for the greater good. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did, and I hope that the author, Marie Lu, will write a sequel to Legend!

Wishing you a terrific day!

Great Read! "The Six Wives of Henry VIII"

Last weekend I read The Six Wives of Henry VII, which is a really good historical fiction book written by Gladys Malvern. This young adult book is broken down in to chapters based on each of Henry VIII's wives, and by the time that you finish reading it, you can't help but feel sorry for each of these women. If you enjoy reading about the Royals, and enjoy reading historical fiction, then I think you would really like this book which is a quick read!

Have a great day!