OF DUBIOUS and QUESTIONABLE MEMORY Book Review

– A Herringford and Watts Mystery eNovella

by Rachel McMillan

Download from Amazon or CBD, etc.
depending upon your choice of eReader.

FIRST, I AM IN LOVE WITH HER COVER STYLE! 

Round of applause to artist, Nicole Dougherty!!!

•°• ENJOYABLY DIVERTING •°•

October 1911, Toronto, Canada to start, and then moving on to Concord & Boston, Massachusetts, America

Told in first person, again, by Jem

So smack me, because I could not wait for the full length book to arrive in the post, and I downloaded this eNovella which comes AFTER that book and read it out of order! Oh, well.  I loved it!  However, you really should read them in order, because this caused some spoilers for me.  This is a light and fun mystery, which follows our two female detectives on another adventure; dressing in disguises, bantering with their love interests, and sometimes jumping the gun on possible outcomes, which leads them into trouble! This time around, they are to track down a friend of a friend’s missing sister in America.  The clues they follow send them in the direction of Louisa May Alcott’s famous Orchard House. 

From left to right: Louisa (seated on the ground), Mrs Alcott, Frederick Pratt (Anna's older son, in a baby carriage), Anna Alcott Pratt, and Mr Alcott

Read more about Orchard House on their FB page here: https://www.facebook.com/louisamayalcottsorchardhouse/?fref=ts

FUN LEMONNY STUFF:  I FB messaged the author regarding lemon jam and lemon sandwiches, which were mentioned in the story.  I had never heard of either.
Ch. 7 - “Ray DeLuca, this is delicious.” “My Nonna made it when Vi and I were little,” he explained. “She taught me how. Said I could impress a girl someday.” {{{smiles!!!!}}}
Rachel kindly sent me these two links.

Click here: LEMON JAM

“Lemon curd is one of my FAVOURITE things in tarts and sandwiches” -Rachel McMillan

Click here: LEMON CURD

Amusing Quotes: Ch. 3 - “Rather ridiculous, I thought,” George sniffed. “Wouldn’t want a woman of mine dressing in trousers.” Though his tone was cordial, his words had Mirinda gripping her soup spoon so tightly her knuckles went white.”

Throughout the stories, a favorite line of Mirinda’s is “Cracker jacks!”  I love how she says this!!!

Faith: – Love is the essence of God.  (faith is lightly sprinkled in this book).

Tea Moments:

Ch. 3 - I rearranged my hair and happily accepted the teacup and biscuits the maid brought on a tray.

Ch. 7 – On our last morning in Boston, we sat at tea, while the chauffeur saw to our luggage.

DO: read her dedications.  She quotes Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock, sharing her inspiration for the titles of her books!

This author: is very approachable through her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/rachkmc

author photo

I purchased and downloaded this eNovella from Amazon.  {btw, I never purchase eBooks, since there are so many free ones already sitting in my Kindle, but these I could not resist since there are no hard copies available! Boooo!  Yay for paperbacks! - smile}

Overall, I would recommend this book to a friend.  

5 stars

© May 31, 2016 Harvest House Pub.

7 chapters + epilogue

Read: 6/02/2016

Reviewed: 6/7/2016

Others In Series:

*A Singular & Whimsical Problem – A Herringford and Watts Mystery (eNovella) 12/2015 {My review: CLICK HERE}

*The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder 04/01/2016

*A Lesson in Love and Murder 9/1/2016

Hugs & A Cup of Tea,

Fathers Day Craft

I found a 4 pack of canvases for $5 at Ross over the weekend. SCORE!
We got a jump on our Dad's Day crafts with these cute hand-print sunshines.  I used the name each child calls his/her dad, and below you see a view of the 4 sides of the canvas.

[Psalm 113:3 ESV] From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!

[Psalm 127:3 ESV] Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD...

Supplies for this craft: canvas, Crayola yellow fingerprint paint, black Sharpie marker, and kids markers for dots and cheeks.

Blessings and a cup of tea,

HAPPY NATIONAL ICED TEA MONTH

I recently received this sample from Twinings, of their Cold Brewed Iced Tea - Mixed Berry.

From a review standpoint, it is light and refreshing, but it did take a while to brew just sitting in cold water (3-5 min. recommended).  I probably would just settle for icing any other favorite flavor, after traditionally hot brewing it.

HAPPY NATIONAL ICED TEA MONTH FRIENDS!

A Singular & Whimsical Problem - Book Review

A Singular & Whimsical Problem – A Herringford and Watts Mystery

Rachel McMillan

•°• WONDERFUL •°•

November 1910, Toronto, Canada

Told in first person by Jemima (aka Jem), and primarily about her and Mirinda’s (her roommate) detective adventures.  There are 3 cases: a missing cat with 1 ear, a missing suffragette, and a sister who suspects something is amiss with her younger sister, who suddenly also goes missing!

Assisting the girls: Constable Jasper and journalist, Ray DeLuca, plus Kat and Mouse (two poor children from the tenements who help on cases, getting into places our detectives can not).

I absolutely loved this book.  I had read a review on another blog, and could not wait to get my hands on one of the books.  While ordering I spotted this eNovella for only $2.51 (sadly, no paperback available), and gave it a shot.  I read it in an afternoon.  The book is full of danger, mystery, humor and a teeny hint at romance.  Plus there are plenty of scenes that include tea drinking… my favorite! The mystery was light enough; in other words, not gruesome, so I was not uncomfortable.

Amusing Quote by Jasper – Ch. 4 - “A nice place for respectable young women to lunch.  And by respectable young women I am not talking about you Mirinda.” Merinda harrumphed.
Faith Quote from Jem –  End of book – I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and whispered a prayer – more effective than a wish … – I loved this, because that is so me.  I always say a prayer when blowing out a birthday candle!

Tea Moments:

FIRST - there is a tea kettle hiding on this fabulous cover!
Dedication Page – Go to battle, yes, but with a well-steeped kettle of tea and a batch of irresistible muffins.  You will slay him where he stands and he will be rendered powerless. ~From Dorothea Fairfax’s Compendium to Bachelor Girlhood.

Ch. 1 - I blushed, hurrying to the kitchen to make tea while Merinda greeted our client and showed her into the sitting room.

Ch. 1 - The well-dressed lady settled on our doily-ornamented settee, gingerly sipping the hot black tea I supplied her.

Ch. 1 - “Tea, Jemima?” He lifted a hand to the waitress, who acknowledged him with a nod.  She returned in a moment with a pot and was rewarded with a smile.

Ch. 1 - Merinda appeared with the tea service – she’d forgotten the biscuits- and poured three cups.

Ch. 4 - He shrugged. “Why don’t we go in for a bite of lunch? I’m freezing and I could use a hot cup of tea.”  Settled, Jasper used an empty chair to position his discarded police hat and ran his fingers through his thick hair.  I ordered cream teas for all of us with a plate of extra sandwiches for Jasper.  While we sipped, Merinda’s cat eyes patrolled the tearoom.

About the Author – “Rachel can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries.” YEEEES! ;)

New to Me word of the day – Ch. 5 Indefatigable = persisting tirelessly

I purchased and downloaded this eNovella from Amazon.  Overall, I would recommend this book to a friend.

5 stars

© 2015 Harvest House Pub.

7 chapters + epilogue

Read: 5/31/2016

Reviewed: 6/1/2016

Blessings and a glass of iced tea... since today begins national iced tea month!

Peonies and Pencils

Two days ago I purchased some peonies.  Squeeeee....!!!!
I have been waiting for Trader Joe's to get these in stock.  I loved them so much last year when I bought them as a hostess gift for someone. But, when I went back, they were gone :( (booo!)

I quickly gave these a fresh cut and arranged them into a mason jar, so they would be ready for our afternoon tea.

They are amazing.  You can practically see them change and open as the hours tick by!

Here is how they look after 48 hours.

Gorgeous Peonies

 Last week I discovered a HUGE display of the newly popular "adult" coloring books at WalMart.  I personally do not consider these just for adults, as I have been copying them for my daycare kiddos, and nieces as well.

After browsing for quite some time, I finally settled on the one I was first pulled to (naturally), which I had already "favorited" on CBD.com.

It was on sale for $9, & no s/h (whoop!) :)

One of my "love languages" is "Words of Aspiration".  This book is filled with them, so it truly speaks to my heart.

TEA represented. YEEEEEES!!!!

There are several styles throughout... a little something for everyone.

Here is the one I did yesterday. I plan to mail it to my sponsored child in Guatemala, along with a copy she can color :)

The pages are perforated at the top, so you can easily remove them.

 There are even some cute bonus pages at the back, like these bookmarks and 

 

these gift tags. 

Sometimes, when I scan a page, I like to shrink it (printing 4 to a page), and add personalization (like this scripture).

I then print them on small, papercrafting pages to use as tuck-ins when mailing to people.  Some people (ahem, me) might be intimated by coloring a larger page, so this might help.

Besides colored pencils, my niece loves coloring on the phone.

So I decided to attempt something else!

I scanned this page and saved it. 

I emailed it to myself.

I opened it in my phone (Samsung Galaxy Note 4).

I clicked save.

I clicked the edit button and used my stylus to create this:

You have to be a little creative, because you are coloring on top of the picture.  It also takes patience.  However, it was a fun diversion.

I'm thinking this might be easier on an iPad or something similar. 

Once I was satisfied,

 I clicked save again, 

and was able to email & text it to friends/family, 

and upload it like a regular picture.

Well, I hope you are inspired and find joy

in simple pleasures.

God bless you readers! Hugs and a cup of tea,

UPDATE: Just 24 hours after

posting my blog, my peonies 

have changed to this color:

sort of antique looking.

So interesting :)

Linking to the following blog party: The Charm of Home

FREEBIES, Mother's Day and Adventures

Dear Friends,

I have been having loads of fun lately. But, FIRST, in honor of yesterday being Mother's Day, here is a little freebie (at least as of this posting it was) for all of you book lovers!

Elizabeth Camden's eNovella, Summer of Dreams
Now, I have not yet read the book, but usually enjoy her work.

Last Thursday was the National Day of Prayer, as many of you probably know.  I had fun making photo collages of all my daycare Littles praying, saying the pledge of allegiance and reading a new book.

Purchase info by clicking here

Although it indicates it is for boys, the inside does not read that way at all.  It teaches kids that they can pray any place, any time, and for any thing.  I love the artwork too!

Friday night was my daughter's graduation as a 2nd year student at the South Hills Assembly of God Leadership school.  She has grown so much in her walk with the Lord and built many amazing relationships. I'm so proud of her for taking the time to grow her spiritual walk with God.  In the photo, are some fun ways to display food.  I've seen these items recently at WalMart for not to much money.  I thought some of you might like to see these as potential outdoor tea service items :)

Saturday morning, I decided to travel to downtown Riverside when I heard that one of my favorite jam vendors would be at a little outdoor vendor fair.  They have some amazing old world architecture there!  Here are a few things I saw.

I was blessed with the sound of these
bells ringing!

Backside of the historic Mission Inn

Check out that spiral staircase on the right, coming out of the window.

I love this tree growing right up in the middle
of this covered walkway.

Backside of Mission Inn as
viewed from across the street

I splurged on some fancy English hand cream in a luxurious Lemon Basil fragrance.  Do you know that my hands are still feeling soft today (Monday), and I put that cream on my hands Saturday?!  I thought these furniture pieces were so charming for a baby's room.  My lunch was a very delicious veggie enchilada casserole.  I may need to make one soon! I love Susan Winget art, and I spotted this very large rooster art of hers on a shelf.  The cute little shop in the corner is called Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles. If you are not familiar with that name, it is one of Beatrix Potter's stories.  Just for fun, (another freebie) you may enjoy the full story video in the 25 minute youtube link below, which starts off as real life, and then switches to cartoon. Naturally, Lucy and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle do take tea together (-smile). There is also a bit of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny featured.

Adorable stamped (in purple!)
bag, and a fun postcard I purchased

I recently purchased some adorable items to create a fairy garden next to my front porch where I like to sit, and take tea.  I had been wanting to do so for a very long time, and when I spotted the teapot house at a discount store, well...

In shopping Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles.,I found a few more items to add including the Little Prince and his fox, a gazing ball for Mr. & Mrs. Gnome, & a pinwheel for the fairy.

As if my day wasn't pleasant enough, I came home to find the items I had ordered only a few days prior, had arrived from Vermont!  I can not wait to try these new teas.  She even enclosed a "teany" sample of her signature tea named for her etsy shop: Sunshine Cottage (shop here: SUNSHINE COTTAGE).  I love how the earrings arrive in Tiffany Blue boxes :)  I of course, ordered lavender teapot earrings, and everything was wrapped in lavender tissue - Yay! And, I then decided to also order green, because they were just so pretty!

"You've got Tea-mail"

Sunday, of course, was Mother's Day.  And my children certainly spoiled me this year.  We started off with flowers, filled with my favorite fragrance of Stargazer Lillys and several gorgeous purples, and then off to church.

My pastor spoke on Mark 5:25-34, which tells about having faith and the Master's touch.  This is a beautiful story about a woman who

has been sick for 12 years, but knows if she can just "touch the hem of Jesus garment as he passes by, she will be made well."  Now that IS BIG FAITH. My pastor also noted that this is the only place he has found where Jesus calls someone daughter.  v.34 "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."  Isn't that beautiful?  Here is an old Sam Cooke song (2 minutes) about this very story!

After church, the kids drove me to Old Town Orange.  Everything was a SURPRISE.  We went to The Filling Station; a popular indoor/outdoor diner.  I ventured outside my normal comfort zone, and ordered a veggie sandwich on soft ciabatta role, with sweet potato fries, and cran-apple juice (btw, that's not on the menu, but whenever I see apple and cranberry juices, I just ask for 50/50 & am one happy girl!)

Ducking behind menus for more whispered plans, while we waited for seating.

Next we headed to Mission Viejo, for an outdoor vintage market.  My daughter did not even know I had been wanting to go there. I thought this old book was so cute, along with the stepside truck, and the trailer.

Below are the treasures I found which my son purchased 

as gifts for me :)

vintage, lavender plate $10

modern, toile teawares $20/set!

After shopping, we went to see the new Captain America movie.  I always enjoy super hero movies.  But, we were so far from home, and the freeway held two accidents, so we did not get back until nearly 9pm.  They planned to take me out to dinner too, but I respectfully declined in favor of fast food, and my PJs!!  It was certainly a day I won't soon forget!

I pray you all enjoyed your mother's day as well.
Thank you for sharing in my adventures!
Hugs and a cup of tea friends.

photo courtesy of FB

Linking up to the following blog party: The Charm of Home