Sandra Cox's Blog, page 18

Ketch-Up Day

 

What's going on? I've been working on projects and trying to finish my first draft of Reuben Hays. My projects include the eternal staining of the back fence. I've been working on it four years now. I figure next year or the following I'll have it finished. Of course, by then it'll be time to start staining it again. 😆 My little carousel horse was my other project. He lost his ceramic tail years ago. I finally made him a new one.  Let me just say that the super glue on my fingers after I finished really confused my computer when I tried to sign in. 😁 

AND

The trees got a hair cut.

Before

After

And while I hated having all those glorious blooms cut, it sure makes mowing easier.

AND

More crepe myrtle

AND

From Colorado

Thanks, Julie

 From North Carolina

Thanks, Steve 

What's going on in your neck of the woods?

 

Weekend Wishes

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

 What's your word, example, sentence or definition for:

 

Example: That woman is agelast.

From Middle French

AND

 Did you know, that William Henry Harrison, ninth president of the United States, only served one month before he died? (From March 4, 1841 to April 4, 1841.)

 WFor more information: Today in History: President William Henry Harrison Dies in Office (1841) (historycollection.com)

Ketch-up Day

 

How are you, Blogger Buds? How is your blankety-blank weather? Ours seems to be finally leveling out. Knock on wood.

Things are pretty quiet here. Met friends for lunch a couple of times last week. One meet up was at our favorite Italian restaurant where I got veggie pizza, as you can see below. It's like a salad on crust:) and huge. A slice is the equivalent of a quarter of a large pizza. A lot of folks don't care for oversizing because they feel it adds to the weight problem in the country. I get it. But personally, or selfishly, I love it. I'm a take home gal, so I'll get several meals out of an oversize meal.  Moving on....:)

 ANDThe Eternal Garden

 

 

Our little buddy that stops by of an evening.

What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Your Weekend Read: GIRLS SUCCEED

 

 

 Amazon book description PaperbackJuly 2024

Tagline Empowering Girls to pursue their dreams.

Recommended for ages 9-13

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Experience extraordinary journeys within the pages of GirlsSucceed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, a book for youngdreamers to explore the lives of sixteen, remarkable, twenty-first-centurywomen who turned their childhood dreams into reality. These are the stories ofeveryday heroes, from doctors who have battled diseases to Olympians who havewon Olympic and Paralympic gold medals, a professional clown who brings joy andlaughter with her funny antics, a star in the courtroom, and an adventurer whohas conquered the roads in her mighty 18-wheeler truck.

Each chapter unfolds with an inspiring quote and a tale ofdetermination. These outstanding role models share their stories of joy andsuccess and how they overcame daunting obstacles to achieve greatness in fieldsas diverse as medicine, sports, the arts, ministry, the law, and beyond.

Accompanied by a Reader's Guide, this book is not only a collection ofsuccess stories, but a toolkit for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents to sparkpassion, persistence, and the courage to blaze new trails. Girls Succeed:Stories of Successful Women is a guide to empower girls to choose the pathstoward achieving their goals to heal, create, compete, and lead.

Author J.Q. Rose, mother of two daughters and a granddaughter, appliesher experience as a classroom teacher and her storytelling skills as an authorto inspire girls to Dream Big! 

Join the journeys of these amazing women. Open their encouraging storiesof success.

Download the interactive eBook and/or order the paperback book now. 

 

10 year old girl eBook Description

Open "Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of SuccessfulWomen," a book that's like a magic window into the future! Duck throughthe window and join the sixteen amazing women who followed their dreams tobecome leaders in their chosen careers. They stood on Olympic podiums withmedals shining around their necks, found the key to destroying diseases, and evenmade people laugh until their tummies hurt! Each story is a sparkly gem ofwisdom showing you how to keep going even when obstacles look like mountains.

And guess what? There's a fun part of the book just for you! It'spacked with cool projects and big ideas about being unique, following yourpassion, and being a trailblazer. So, whether you dream of cooking up a storm,painting a masterpiece, or being a star in a courtroom, Girls Succeed will takeyou on their journeys to learn how they made their dreams come true.

Buy Link for paperback and all eBook online booksellers: https://books2read.com/JQRose

J.Q.Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/

Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor

JQ’sSubstack Publication https://jqrose.substack.com/

 

1. I like potato chips dipped in ketchup accompanied by a cold glass of chocolate milk. 2. My go-to and easy-to-prepare dinner is chicken on the grill cooked by my hubby, GT, baked potato (baked in the microwave) and a salad or fresh fruit. 3. I am not a fan of zucchini except when it is used in zucchini bread or cake. This is the peak of the zucchini harvest, so we are eating a LOT of zucchini cake!

 

 

Writerly Wednesday AND Did You Know

 What's your word, synonym, definition or sentence for:

Example: There wasn't a cloud in the welkin.

Definition at dictionary.com.

 

 

 AND

 

 Did you know, you should drink your tea out of a red mug?

 

For more information, visit CJ's blog: https://cjkennedyink.blogspot.com/2024/07/t-stands-for-how-youve-been-making-tea.html?spref=tw

 

 

Ketch-up Day

 And then the rains came.

We got 7.5 inches in twenty-four hours and the state had  ten tornado touchdowns. I'm relieved Miss Debby has moved on. What was it like in your area? I trust all of you are safe. 

At least the flowers appreciated the rain.

AND

It's Left-Handers day. Woot. Woot.

Weekend Wishes

 

IWSG Wednesday AND Did You Know

 

The firstWednesday of every month is officially IWSG day. IWSG was formed by NinjaCaptain Alex Cavanaugh. Members post about their doubts and fears, discussstruggles and triumphs, and offer words of encouragement to others who are struggling.

 

Twitter handle: @TheIWSG  

Hashtag: #IWSG 

The awesome co-hosts for the August 7 posting of theIWSG are Feather Stone, Kim Lajevardi, Diedre Knight, C. Lee McKenzie, and Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post.These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experienceor story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let itinspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional

 

August 7 question - Do you use AI in your writing and if so how?Do you use it for your posts? Incorporate it into your stories? Use it forresearch? Audio?

I use IA for guest posts on specific topics and I have out oneaudio that’s AI. What about you? Have you tried AI on audio?

AND

July/August Reviews in noparticular order

*Disclaimer. If I run into an occasional typo, I ignore them and don't factorthem into my review.

CATCHA TIGER BY THE TOE by Joe Congel

Thisis book twenty-six of twenty-seven in the Magnolia Bluffs Series and the secondfocused on Brandon Turner retired NYPD police officer.

Inbook twenty-six, there’s a serial killer on the loose, in this small Texastown, that has killed two young children and has his eye on a third. Besideeach victim he leaves a stuffed toy tiger and a nursery rhyme. Brandon comesout of retirement to help the Magnolia Bluffs’ police catch the killer.

Ifanyone but Joe Congel had written this, I probably wouldn't have read itbecause of the subject matter: child murder. But being a Congel fan this wasnot an option. The story, as expected, was a riveting tale.  The author handled the subject matter withsensitivity and didn’t get bogged down with macabre details. The tension buildsthrough the book and ends with a high-octane chase to catch the killer beforehe kills again AND offers some unexpected twists at the end.

Ifyou are a murder mystery aficionado, a Congel fan or just appreciate a goodtale I think you’ll enjoy this one as much as I did. 

Available at Amazon

 

THESILVER LEOPARD by Zoe Cass

Thisis a classic example of the romantic suspense genre written in the 70s.

Carolinehas escaped a lonely and unhappy childhood by moving to London and developing asuccessful career buying and selling antiques. With her mother's death, she iscalled back to Scotland where danger and evil linger.

Recommendedfor those that enjoy classic romantic suspense.

Available at Amazon

 

LEGENDIN GREEN VELVET by Elizabeth Peters

ElizabethPeters at her best.

Thisis an enjoyable read about a young American on her way to work at a Scottish archeologicaldig when she gets embroiled in a murder. Sprinkled throughout with laugh-out-loudmoments, this is a must read for Elizabeth Peters fans.

Available at Amazon

 

 

AND 

 

NewReleases

BECAUSE NO ONE NOTICED by C. Lee McKenzie

(Editors Pick)

Five juniors at Las Animas High have a long history together. They love, dislike, or tolerate each other depending on the day. Occupied with class assignments, career choices, family disharmony, and the usual teen turbulence, none of them thinks seriously of the danger lurking in their near future or how fragile and temporary life is.

Inspired by real-life tragedy, the story unfolds in alternating points of view as the characters explore the resilience of their hearts and their ability to rebuild their lives after a shattering tragedy.

Available at Amazon

 

MATEO'S WOMAN by Sandra Cox

Delilah is dead.

With her demise, everyoneshould be safe, but something insidious is happening to Mateo’s town and to thewoman he loves. People are dying and Blair is changing, taking on mannerismsthat are clearly not her own. Becoming a danger to herself and others. He hasno idea what is happening to the town’s people but he has an inkling of what ishappening to Blair and what he’s thinking just isn’t possible. But whether it’spossible or not, he has to pry Blair from the evil that’s sunk its fangs into her.Now it's a race against time to save the woman he loves and get to the bottom ofwho is killing Grizzly’s citizenry. And if that’s not enough of a challenge forthe shapeshifting sheriff, his future mother-in-law has come for a visit.

Available at Amazon 

NOW OPTIONED FOR TELEVISION!
Every book can be read as a standalone mystery - hop in anywhere in the series!

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Amy Vansant has her cast of characters embroiled in three Halloween hijinks --- a murder, a robbery, and a ghost story!

 Available at Amazon

AND

Did you know, Dr.Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel)  was creditedfor inventing the term nerd?

 

For moreinformation: 20 Dr. SeussFacts - Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Dr. Seuss - Parade

 

 

 

Ketch-Up Day

 

 

How are you? I feel like I may need an exorcist the way the weather is causing my head to spin. We dealt with drought conditions and mandatory water restrictions this summer then in the last few weeks we've had over eight inches of rain and now heavy rains, storms and tropical cyclones are heading to North Carolina at the end of the week. Though probably nothing like what Florida and the more southern coastline have experienced.  

August Calendars   Yes, this is true;) This is a D.L. Finn calendar. (Thanks, Denise:) August may be my favorite picture and photo so far. North Carolina skies 
 
Florida skyThanks, Shane. 
Reflective Kitty
 What's going on in your neck of the woods? How's your weather?