High Heels Mysteries

One of my favorite birthdays gifts, is this series of books. I got them from my sister. Who read them all, last Fall. She kept telling me, that they were AMAZING! So fun. And I NEEDED to read them. All of them. But every time I went to Barnes and Noble, I got distracted. And forgot to look for them.



My sister got them for me, for my birthday. I'm almost done with the first one. This book, is the last in the series. They're all about one main character. Who is a very girly girl. These are murder mystery type of books. Something very different, from what I normally read. But I have to say this, Gemma's books are a nice break from real life. :)

~Manders

Cuddly Crochet

Not long ago, Lola was working on some cute presents. Baby Shower gifts. But to me, the little animals, would be perfect for my kiddos! When I asked her, where she got the patterns, she immediately pulled out this book!



Oh, goodness! These are cute patterns. And this book is AMAZING! I just can't find it anywhere. And that makes me sad. I was shocked, to find it out of stock, on Amazon. I guess, I just have to keep searching for it...

~Manders

Once Upon a Time

I've ALWAYS had a soft spot for fairy tales. When I was little, I still remember a trip to an Antique Store. My mom had taken my brother and I. And there was this big book of Fairy tales. Printed in the 1950s. And I wanted it! So badly!!!

But before we had even gone inside, my mom had told us, we each had $5 to spend. That was it. Because she was there to buy a dresser. For our new baby! My dear book, was $10. Because it was gigantic! My brother had found, a big yellow dump truck. He really wanted his toy too!

I think you know by now, that my big brother and I, were super close. He was just so good to me. Always taking care of me. Robert, was seriously, the best big brother you could dream up! Well, he saw me. Pining over my book...

He came up to me, and asked me what was wrong. I told him, that I wanted this book. It had all these stories. All about princesses, and far off places. The pictures were amazing! But I didn't have enough money. He put down his truck. And picked up my book. I remember him studying it. With such intensity. Then he took my hand, and told me that we'd buy it.

I was in shock! 4 years old, and in shock! I didn't want him to miss out on his truck. But Robert insisted, this was much more important. So I helped him hide his truck. I promised myself, that I'd buy it for him. For his birthday. (I did! And I'll have to blog about that, another day.) And we bought our book.

From then on, we would sit and read together. Robert would read me 1 story, every day. Well into the time, he started middle school. Once, when I had gotten my heart broken, my brother had gone to search for our book. It had been a few years since we had read from it. I was a teen already. And Robert read to me, while I cried. I remember this. Because it was so incredibly sweet!

And after Robert past away, I found myself, going to his grave. To read to him. It made me feel close to my big brother. And it always comforted me. I still have this book. It's so special to me! And I read to my kids, out of the book, that my brother bought me. :)

As you can tell, I've always had this soft spot for fairy tales. When I heard about Once Upon a Time, I just had to watch it! I've quickly become a HUGE fan! For about 3 months now, I've never missed an episode!



I'm telling you, you need to watch this show. It's like the adults' version of our most beloved Fairy tales. I LOVE it! It's like the background, to all of our favorite stories. It's funny, every time that I watch this show, I think of my brother. I think of all those nights, when he'd read me a new story. And in some way, I feel close to him again. Like we're watching this together!

~Manders

Oh Mrs. Paula!!!

One of the things, that I really wanted for Christmas, was Paula Deen's new cookbook. The Southern Cooking Bible. I'm not from the South. I'm from the Southwest. But my husband, he's from the South. And he enjoys his Southern Cooking!

Over the last 6 1/2 years, I've picked up on some of his favorite recipes. I ALWAYS convince my mother-in-law, to show me something new. Because, I want to make my man happy! ;) But I've been looking for a good cookbook. One that I'd use often. And would really enjoy. That's when I heard about Mrs. Paula's new book!



I'm not lying when I say this. It's the only thing I asked Billy for. And he thought I was nuts! I know he did. He happened to tell my MIL about it. And she thought it was a cute idea. But it wasn't until my dear sister-in-law heard, that someone finally took me serious.

I was so pleasantly surprised, when I opened my Christmas present, from my BIL and SIL. It was my cookbook! And let me tell you, Mrs. Paula didn't disappoint! This is such a great cookbook. It makes me want to run out, and buy a copy for each of my friends, and my sister. :)

This is one of those cookbooks, that I'm going to get a lot of use out of! I've already tried 5 or 6 recipes. My favorite thus far, being the Banana Cream Pie! Yum! I just made it right before we went to Las Vegas, and I already want to make it again. :) Let me tell you, this is a must have!

~Manders

Free Cookbook

Lola blogged about this offer not long ago. It was for a free recipe book from Gooseberry Patch. I couldn't resist. And I sent for one. I also sent for one for my mom, my mother-in-law, my sister, and my sister-in-law. I hope that they've gotten theirs. :)

I got my recipe book last Thursday. It's so cute! And it has some really good recipes too. Not just for desserts or crockpot meals. Nope, it's a variety of recipes. All made with raisins. Honestly, they all sound yummy. And I've already marked some of the recipes to try.

I really can't wait for Fall to come. These are going to be some tasty recipes. Billy was even excited as I was reading some of the recipes to him. It was nearly midnight, and I was tempted to go make the Crunch Oats and Fruit Cups. They really do sound good!

~Manders