Quick and Easy Makeover

Popped into the garden centre on Sunday and they had buy two get one free on all silk flowers.  So I spent under $25, as I needed florist wire as well and did the following:

Started out with my plain wreath:

Bought three stems of silk Forsythia, cut them down into individual stems; only used two of the three stems:

Ended up with this, very Spring like:

Put the third stem in a vase in the house for a little Spring colour in the house. 

I was looking at Spring wreaths and they were $50 + for the nice ones.  My Spring bulbs are finally peaking through the soil.

Sharing a couple of photos.

Despite the fact that it is so humid at the moment, I picked up a Fall Wreath for the front door at Pier One today.  They had 20% off and I also had a $10 off coupon when you spend over a certain amount.

 Dh also got the blinds up on the windows beside the door.  I am not as happy with these ones.  However due to the width of the windows, just over 9 inches, I was limited in what I could put there.  I am still waiting for the ones for the kitchen as they are the sheer ones that match the living room.

Here is an up to date photo of our Little Munchkin:

Her parents just had the basement carpeted on Thursday, as they have been renovating it all.  She was enjoying crawling around the open space without being told not to touch things!!

Wreaths, Grocery Shopping and a Book Review

Dd completed her second wreath to give to her friend as part of a house warming gift.  She gave her the dark brown one, as she has just bought an older house and it went perfect with her decor.

I personally prefer the lighter one, but both are nice.


Dh took me grocery shopping on Sunday morning, bless his heart.  He even took me to No Frills and he hates shopping in that store.  Thankfully it was nice and quiet so that was a blessing.


Anyhoo, I spent $73.94 and had savings of $10.39 bringing my monthly total up $134.13 spent and $29.51 in savings.  Stocked up on Casa Di Mama pizzas, and chicken noodle soup for me.  Again I must be sick as I NEVER eat chicken noodle soup, but at least it's lighter on my stomach.  I even bought Italian Wedding soup, which is something I never eat either.  Just not happy with the amount of Sodium in them but as long as I keep drinking plenty of water it won't kill me.

"The Messenger," by Siri Mitchell

Hannah Sunderland felt content in her embrace of the Quaker faith... until her twin brother joined the Colonial cause and ended up in jail. She longs to bring some measure of comfort to him in the squalid prison, but her faith forbids it. The Friends believe that they are not to take sides, not to take up arms. She is not allowed to visit him, even if she were able to secure a pass.


Jeremiah Jones, a Colonial spy, needs access to the jail to help rescue men important to the cause. Upon meeting Hannah, a plan begins to develop. Who would suspect a pious Quaker visiting a loved one?


But Jeremiah is unprepared for Hannah, for her determination to do right, to not lie. How can one be a spy and not lie? Hannah, in turn, is surprised by Jeremiah... for the way he forces her to confront her own beliefs, for the sensitivity and concern that he shows her despite the wounds he still carries.


This is actually not a bad book, as long as you can wade through the first half of the book, because it is very slow going at first, and I mean snail like slow going.  If you can hang in there though, it is worth it, as the story does get interesting and it is not without it's twists and turns along the way.  This particular period in history and the Quakers are not subjects that really grab me.  I did find a couple of the story lines a bit unbelievable, especially when Hannah went behind enemy lines, but overall this book kept me out of mischief for a few days.


Oh and that is also a tell tale sign for me as to how long it takes me to read a book.  A really good book I can read in a day, this one probably took me five days, as I couldn't stick with it.  Mind you the last half of the book, I probably read in less than a day, as it got interesting.


Stars out of 5 : 3 Very slow going, as has been all the books this month, but well worth the read if you can stick with it.




"Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group".