PA Bucket List

Philadelphia

Magic Gardens

Magic Gardens article

Magic Gardens website

need pre-purchased tickets

Enola

Cupboard Maker Books

open 7 days a week

lots of cats to adopt as well!

"largest" bookstore in PA

157 No. Enola Road

Only in Your State article

Lititz

Inna's Pierogi Shop

take out or eat outside in warm weather

closed Sunday and Monday

Only in Your State Article

website

2024 Mock Newbery Suggestions by Heavy Medal/SLJ

Rules for Suggestions

SPS Library has purchased

cag has read

SPS purchased + cag read

Alexander -  (3) An American Story (Ill:  Coulter)  pictbk GR 4.69

Applegate - The One and Only Ruby

Bailey - (2) Henry Like Always beg chap bk GR 4.28

Baldwin - No Matter the Distance

Bow - (9) Simon Sort of Says midgr GR 4.37 Kindle 10.99 Aud 8.52

Brown - (2) That Flag pictbk GR 4.69

Cline-Ransome - For Lamb ya histfic lgbt GR 4.47

Cordell - Evergreen pict bk GR 4.37

Craft - School Trip

Dunlap - It Happened on Saturday mid/ya GR 4.61 Kindle 8.49

Echenique - Our Roof is Blue

Edinger & Younge - (2) Nearer My Freedom verse nonfict GR 4.28

Fogliano - (2) All the Beating Hearts pictbk midgr poetry GR  3.70

Giles - Not an Easy Win

Harris - My Head Has a Bellyache

Kemp - A Crown for Corina pictbk GR 4.30

Kline-Ransome - (2) For Lamb 

LaRocca - Mirror to Mirror

Leavitt - Buffalo Flats

Lerner - A Work in Progress

Lin & Messner - Once Upon a Book pictbk GR 4.29

Lowry - (2) The Windeby Puzzle mid/ya histfic GR 3.59  yuck - didn't read it all, but tried...

Marsh - The Lost Year

McDunn - When Sea Becomes Sky  midgr GR 4.46 Kindle 8.44 Aud 17.56

Mendez - Anina Del Mar Jumps In

Nayeri - (3) The Many Assasinations of Samir, The Seller of Dreams

Nickum - Superpod

O'Shaughnessy - Lasagna Means I Love You

Oh - (3) You Are Here: Connecting Flights midgr 12-AsianAm short stories GR 4.44 Kindle 11.99 Aud 22.35

Pennypacker - Leeva At Last midgr GR 4.16 Kindle 11.99 Aud 22.35

Pinkney - Just Jerry midgr memoir GR 4.33

Salazar - Jovita Wore Pants pictbk biog (gender) GR 4.31

Santat - (23 A First Time for Everything midgr GN GR 4.48

Selznick - Big Tree midgr Fant GN GR 4.48

Stein  - (2) Beaky Barnes; Egg on the Loose juv GN GR 3.35

Swinarski - (2) What Happened to Rachel Riley mid/ya myst GR 4.29 Kindle 9.99 Aud 22.35

Tyson - (2)  My Red, White, and Blue pictbk GR 4.02

Wallace - Love is Loud: How Diane Nash Led the Civil Rights Movement pictbk biog GR 4.38

Wynter - Nell Plants a Tree

Yoh & Chang - This Is Not My Home pictbk GR 4.43

Cabbage Roll Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 3 ½ pounds chopped cabbage (coarse is okay)
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth

Directions

1.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and gather all ingredients.

2.   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.

3.   Combine cabbage, tomato sauce, onion, rice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in cooked ground beef. Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish, then pour beef broth over top.

4.   Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

5.   Stir, re-cover, and bake until cabbage is tender and rice is done, 20 to 30 minutes more.

6.   Serve hot and enjoy!

Easy Peasy Chicken Brocolli Casserole

EASY TO MAKE HALF THE RECIPE!

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 2 cups (or more) cooked chopped broccoli
• 2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 pinch ground black pepper to taste
• 2 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ cups bread crumbs
• ¼ cup salted butter, melted

Directions

1.   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.   Combine chicken, broccoli, condensed soup, sour cream, and pepper in a bowl. Mix in 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish and top with remaining Cheddar cheese.

3.   Combine bread crumbs and butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over casserole.

4.   Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and cheese is melted, 30 to 35 minutes.

Watch it on YouTube

26. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

listened on Chrip (although I started on Kindle)

2017
262 pgs.
MidGrades/YA Crf/Myst
Finished 4/16/23
Goodreads rating: 4.31
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary Phoenix, AZ

My comments: I've wanted to read this for a long time - it's set in the Arizona desert and has cacti on the cover and in the title, for cryin' out loud!  So sorry it took me so long, because this was an amazing story. It should be required reading for everyone! The way it looked at and handled Tourette's Syndrome was particularly special...heartbreaking and informative at the same time.  Great characters, interesting setting, wonderful plot.  What more could one want?

Goodreads synopsis:  Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It’s hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven’s about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms.

25. Secret Shopper by Tanya Taimanglo

Read on Kindle, recommended by Book Girlsl and read for their monthly read
319 pgs.

2013
Adult CRF
Finished 4/14/2023
Goodreads rating: 3.65
My rating: 2.5
Setting: contemporary San Diego and Guam

My comments:  Read for a Book Girls monthly read.  I always dislike writing a non-glowing review, but I guess I must be honest with my feelings.  This one definitely didn't do it.  A 25-year-old, discovering her husband has been cheating on her, sludges her way through it with believable feelings, ups, downs, sadness, anger.  What didn't work for me was her obsession for a new guy, Thomas.  Much of the book seems trite to me, and it definitely needed some editing work.  There were so many opportunities to give the reader some insight into Guam, but this  didn't happen either.

Spring Season Quilt Block by Beth Shibley of My Sewing Room

 I love that the two hourglass blocks and all the half square triangles are made with slightly larger squares, then cut down (I'd use my BlockLoc ruler) to make accurately-sized 2 1/2 inch squares.

A 10:45 YouTube video can be found here.  Cutting directions below.

Each block is a 5 x 5 -  of 2/12 inch squares, so the end block is 10.5 inches.

Would make a super scrappy quilt, and maybe a way to work on a leaders and enders project?

Cutting info

For the center five:

Cut FOUR (4) 2 1/2” squares - scrappy
Cut ONE (1) 2 1/2” square - white
For the two hourglass blocks:

Cut TWO (2) 3 1/2” squares - Red print
Cut TWO (2) 3 1/2” squares - White

For the sixteen half square triangles:

Cut FOUR (4) 3” squares - yellow /green print
Cut FOUR (4) 3” squares - lavender print
Cut EIGHT (8) 3” squares - white

My Blog's Artsy-Fartsy Table of Contents

Quilt Patterns

     10-Inch Heart Square from Pin Cut Sew

     11 Different Patterns using leftover/scrap 2 1/2 inch strips by The Quilted Forest

     16-Patch Delight by Lori Dickman

     Arkansas Crossroads

     Color Wash Scrap Quilt by Terry Rowland

     Crumb Blocks into Crumb Quilts by Merry Mabel Market

     Fold & Sew SIMPLE Square-in-a-Square

     Fresh Start Quilt by Agilejack (scrap/crumb strips - gorgeous and easy!)

     Hidden Trails Table Runner from Charm Pack by Moonkin Stitchery

     One Charm Pack Table Runner by Sew the Distance

     Paper Pieced Mini Houses

     Potato Chip Blocks (using 2 x 3 1/2 in. blocks or 2 1/2 x 4 1/2)

     Scrap Strips Diamond Trip (Donna / Jordan Fabrics)

     Spring Season Quilt Block by Beth Shibley

     Sweet & Salty by Charisma Horton

     Unallocated by Michelle McKillop

Gifts to Sew

     Tissue Holders (TOO easy) thanks Ronda Winstead

     Easy, EASY Simple Fabric Bookmarks thanks to Jona Giammulva

Yarn Projects

     2022 Homeless Blanket Project (through Charles Bruce Fdtn.)

     Kim's Magic Blanket

Yarn Patterns

     Amigurumi Octopus 

     Linen Stitch Dishcloth

     Bathroom Mat using leftover yarn tied together

Knitting Book Reviews

Picture Books About Knitting and/or Yarn

Yarn Bombing

Art Techniques to Try

     Neurographic Art

Artists

     Blair, Mary (Disney Artist)

     Gaudi, Antoni (architect)

     Haring, Keith

     Kahlo, Frida

     Kandinsky, Vasily

     Kusama, Yayoi

     Lewis, Maudie (Canada's Grandma Moses)

     Matisse, Henri

     O'Keeffe, Georgia

     Pippin, Horace

     Rousseau, Henri

     Sumner, Kae (6' 3" Disney Artist & Founder of Int'l Tall Person's Clubs)

     VanGogh, Vincent

     Warhol, Andy

24. FInlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano

(#2 Finlay Donovan)

listened on Libby - borrowed from library

2022
357 pgs.
Adult Humorous Mystery
Finished 4/6/23
Goodreads rating: 4.02
My rating: 3.5

My comments:  A continuation of book #1, Finlay and Vero attempt to track down whoever it is that is trying to murder her ex-husband Steven.  Another comedy of errors with two love interests, and quite ridiculous escapades by the two women.  Once again it reminds me so incredibly of Stephanie Plum and her antics, which I tired of rather easily.  It looks like there's going to be a number three where they have to track down the still unknown assassin because the bad BAD guy has a lot to hold over Finlay's head.

Goodreads synopsis:  Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...

Color Wash Scrap Quilt by Terry Rowland

Easy, fun, gorgeous, and perfect for lots and lots of scraps!

Great video of putting this together, leaving no questions and needing no pattern!

 

Wonderful Facebook Group with gorgeous quilts

Potato Chip Blocks

Conquering Mount Scrapmore with Brenda

She does a series of Potato Chip Blocks that are AWESOME!

The first video in the series is here.

Darlene Michaud also has a YouTube video about this, doing it in a tiny different way, with  2 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch rectangles.  She calls it Scrappy 9" block using mini bricks.

Sweet & Salty Quilt - Getting ready to begin

Getting ready to start Charisma Horton's "Sweet & Salty" quilt, using her Banana Split ruler.  I don't like the quilt shown here, but I have my own idea, and purchased a jelly roll and coordinating fabrics at Humble Stitch this weekend.

I discovered this quilt by watching the "Sew the Distance" YouTube channel, which I very much enjoy.  Not a lot of extra chatter.  Great hints.

Check it out here.

"Unallocated" Quilt Pattern by Michelle McKillop

Unallocated Quilt Pattern

If you go to the Instagram website it shows a close-up, a very easy square to make (two at a time!) which would be a great ender/starter project.

To make two blocks:
Cut two 3 3/8th" squares of a dark and a light, cut them in half diagonally.
Cut two logs 1.5"×3"
Cut two logs 1.5"×4"

April Book Bingo - 2023

1 - March BkGirls US Challenge - The Indigo Girl, South Carolina-have on Chirp

2 - April BkGirls US Challenge -  The Secret Shopper (Kindle) set some in Guam, funny, partially set in CA

3 - Whatever I'm reading on Kindle

4 - Birnam Wood - 2023 waiting on Audible

5 - Waiting on Audible

6 - Waiting on Chirp - Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

7 - Finlay Donovan Knocks "Em Dead - Libby

8 - Wait Listed at the Library

9 - Wait Listed at the Library

10 - any Newbery Award

11 - any recent 4-8 title

12 - YA

13 - 2023 title

14 - a memoir

15 - a "real" book

16 - Kindle Unlimited/Audio

17 - Kindle Unlimited/Audio

18 - short story

19 - 

20 - 

READY TO READ next

Birnam Wood - out 3/23, just purchased with Audible credits

Fall from Grace - Time Weaver, #5 in a series...I read #4 and LOVED it.  Missing persons.

Geraldine Verne's Red Suitcase - 70 year old protagonist for BookGirls YearLong Challenge (KUnl Audio)

The Last Runaway - Tracy Chevalier

Parting the Veil (Bookbug) Kunl Audio - Louisiana to England Mystery/Thriller

The Dark Room - Lisa Gray Standalone

The Midnight Children - Dan Gemeinhart

The House at the End of the World  - Dean Koontz, 2023 KUnl Audio

Close to Home - Dugoni - Tracy Crosswhite #5 KUnlAudio

Signal Moon (Kate Quinn) short story

Knitlandia

The Unknown Beloved (Harmon) 1923

The Singing Trees (ME)

The Victory Garden (Rhys Bowen)

The Lying Club (Annie Ward) Thriller

Dark Objects (Simon Toyne)

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper

Final Equinox - Andrew Mayne (#2 Jessica Blackwood & Theo Cray)

in Chirp:

The Girl in the Painting - Tea Cooper

Caught - Harlan Coben

The Indigo Girl - Natasha Boyd - March choice for BookGirls