Good morning! Today’s post will link up to Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post, and Book Journey, for Weekly Updates.
**Mailbox Monday is now hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.
Good morning, Bloggers! Grab some coffee (or a pot of tea!), and let’s talk about our weeks.
I had a very productive week. Not so much with the reading, but with the blogging. Somehow I was distracted by moving my Rainy Days and Mondays blog to Word Press...(click the link to find it), especially with all the preparation that entailed. And I didn’t even post everything on the new site; but correcting the links on my book reviews at the book pages on Curl up and Read, the links that went to any reviews on the old site, took HOURS. But I am now happy that I did it.
Here’s the blog header:
And then I have been watching movies, especially those that make me cry. The happy crying, of course, like the DVD that I just got today of Chapter Two, the Neil Simon production with Marsha Mason, Valerie Harper, and James Caan. I had the VHS version, but lately I’ve been thinking of the movies I loved from way back in the day (1979, for this one); I love Neil Simon’s dialogue, and the schmaltzy music during and after doesn’t hurt either.
And then, there was the family lunch last Saturday, with my second son and four of my grandchildren. The teenage boys are very tall, with the tallest being Aaron, on the right, at 6’6″.
So these were the events and people that distracted me…but I did a fair amount of blog posts, too:
LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:
Sunday Potpourri: A Little Christmas, a Lot of Netflix
November Reading Wrap-Up: Welcome to December!
Tuesday Potpourri: Intros/Teasers – “The Secrets of Midwives”
Starting Over: Blue Mondays No More
Back in the Beginning: The Days That Informed My Choices
Friday Fun: Book Beginnings/Friday 56 – “Walking on Trampolines”
A Flight of Fancy: A Short Story by Laurel-Rain Snow
Bookish Saturday: Sparky Love & Book Retreats
The Reunion Continues: An Excerpt from “Interior Designs”
Review: The Nightingale, by Kristin Hannah
Review: Finding Jake, by Bryan Reardon
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INCOMING BOOKS: (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)
One book came in the mailbox from Amazon Vine; and the other I purchased at Barnes & Noble.
Unbecoming, by Rebecca Scherm (Vine)
A major debut novel of psychological suspense about a daring art heist, a cat-and-mouse waiting game, and a small-town girl’s mesmerizing transformation
On the grubby outskirts of Paris, Grace restores bric-a-brac, mends teapots, re-sets gems. She calls herself Julie, says she’s from California, and slips back to a rented room at night. Regularly, furtively, she checks the hometown paper on the Internet. Home is Garland, Tennessee, and there, two young men have just been paroled. One, she married; the other, she’s in love with. Both were jailed for a crime that Grace herself planned in exacting detail. The heist went bad—but not before she was on a plane to Prague with a stolen canvas rolled in her bag. And so, in Paris, begins a cat-and-mouse waiting game as Grace’s web of deception and lies unravels—and she becomes another young woman entirely.
The Cinderella Murder, by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
Television producer Laurie Moran is delighted when the pilot for her reality drama, Under Suspicion, is a success. Even more, the program—a cold case series that revisits unsolved crimes by recreating them with those affected—is off to a fantastic start when it helps solve an infamous murder in the very first episode.
Now Laurie has the ideal case to feature in the next episode of Under Suspicion: the Cinderella Murder. When Susan Dempsey, a beautiful and multi-talented UCLA student, was found dead, her murder raised numerous questions. Why was her car parked miles from her body? Had she ever shown up for the acting audition she was due to attend at the home of an up-and-coming director? Why does Susan’s boyfriend want to avoid questions about their relationship? Was her disappearance connected to a controversial church that was active on campus? Was she close to her computer science professor because of her technological brilliance, or something more? And why was Susan missing one of her shoes when her body was discovered?
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WHAT’S UP NEXT? (Titles/Covers Linked to Amazon)
Currently Reading: the book that precedes The Cinderella Murder – I’ve Got You Under My Skin, by Mary Higgins Clark
Cancel the Wedding, by Carolyn Dingman (Vine)
The Secrets of Midwives, by Sally Hepworth
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That was my week…and I plan to have a more productive reading week in the next few days. What did your week look like? What are you planning?
***
Here are some Christmases Past….
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Wow, you’ve had a busy and productive week! I can see why you didn’t get much reading done.
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Thanks, Belle, and it tells me that I become obsessed with whatever project I’m on and everything else goes by the wayside. Glad you could stop by.
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I always enjoy getting a favorite movie on DVD… and it’s always fun to revisit them once you get them. Glad you got your blog moved over… looks like you had a good week!
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Thanks, Greg, and I didn’t even mind doing the prep work, but it was tedious and tiring at times.
I still have some VHS movies, and if I don’t have them in DVD format, I keep them. Once I have the DVD, I can recycle them. LOL
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Busy, busy! Moving blog is hard work but worth it all in the end. Unbecoming looks really interesting, I’ll be keeping an eye on that one as it sounds nice and twisty!
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Definitely! Thanks for stopping by, Trish, and I am intrigued by Unbecoming, too.
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Wonderful pic of your son and grandkids. Looks like you did a lot of blog work. I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on Unbecoming. For some reason novels involving art heists always intrigue me. Have a good week.
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Yes, I loved the sound of the art heist aspect, as well as the Paris setting and the changed identity. So mysterious!
Thanks for stopping by, Mary, and I thoroughly enjoyed the lunch with my son and the grandkids.
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Sounds like you had a good week. Enjoy your new books and the weekend,
My Sunday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/12/weekly-book-recap-89.html
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Thanks, Catherine, I am looking forward to staying in and watching Netflix, as well as some reading. Enjoy your week, too.
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I don’t think I’ve heard of that Neil Simon. I’ll have to search it out…some day. 🙂
…off to check out your new blog. Header looks good, now to see the rest.
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I have always been a big fan of Neil Simon’s works; I have even seen some plays, back in the day. I think Chapter Two is supposed to reflect his own circumstances early in his marriage to Marsha Mason.
Thanks for stopping by, Bryan.
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I was the exact opposite…not much blogging, but lots of reading!
http://www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com
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Yes, some weeks are like that for me, too, Deb. Thanks for stopping by!
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You’ve definitely been busy blog-wise! I’m curious about WordPress but am too scared to make the move currently. All the boys must be seriously tall if the tallest is 6 ft 6! It only looks like there’s a few inches difference. My whole family is really tall except for me. I haven’t read Mary Higgins Clark in awhile but I wouldn’t mind revisiting some of her books. Have a great week!
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Thanks, Katherine, and the boys are all over 6′ tall…and Aubrey is 5’10”. Who knows how tall Noah, the youngest, will be, but I’m betting…TALL.
I am looking forward to reading The Cinderella Murder, as it is a sequel (or part of a series) that I’m reading now with I’ve Got You Under My Skin.
As for the move to WP, I had nine other blogs there, many of which started their lives on Blogger. But when I move, I don’t import everything…just the recent posts, like the last year or so.
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What a busy week of blogging! I’ve considered moving my blog several times, but the whole process seems so overwhelming and scary. I’ll probably be stuck with blogger forever, lol! Your family lunch sounds like it was a lot of fun. Hope you have a productive reading week ahead 🙂
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If it works for you, that’s all good, JoAnn…I already had nine blogs on WP, and love the experience here. I move the lazy way…only the past year’s posts went.
I do love the family get-togethers, especially since we don’t do them that often.
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your week.
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Very busy week indeed, Laurel-Rain! Your grandchildren look great! And very tall, too 😀 My two oldest children are now taller than me, and it feels pretty weird at times… not that long ago, they were tiny little humans.
I hope you’ll enjoy your new books, have a fantastic week.
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Thanks, Lexxie, and looking up at tall children and grandchildren can be daunting. But luckily, they are not intimidating….LOL.
Enjoy your week, and I’m glad you could stop by.
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Busy week and I can just imagine the time it took to correct your links. Not rewarding but a necessary evil.
Unbecoming looks wonderful, I hope it will be.
Chapter Two, I can’t remember if I eve saw that movie. I may have to see if it’s on NetFlix or Hulu.
Have a good week.
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Definitely a necessary evil, but I took the easy way and linked them to my Goodreads reviews…LOL.
I really enjoyed Chapter Two, and even though I’ve seen it at least twenty times, LOL, I cried at the end.
Thanks for stopping by, Bea, and I am looking forward to Unbecoming.
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I used to love Mary Higgins Clark’s books. The Cinderella Murder really looks good. Your review of Kristin Hannah’s book is great and I have this one waiting for me to review it too.
Your blogs are looking wonderful. You did a great job!
Enjoy your books and have a great week!
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Thanks, Yvonne, I do love creating (and apparently recreating) my blogs…LOL.
I am excited about The Cinderella Murder, which comes after the book I’ve Got You Under My Skin, which I just finished earlier today.
Glad you could stop by, and enjoy!
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I’ve read Mary Higgins Clark in the past and enjoyed her work. I’ll have to check out some more of her stuff soon. Thanks for stopping by my SP & STS earlier!
Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
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Thanks for stopping by, Sandy, and enjoy your week!
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Wow! It seems like you’ve had a very busy week! How many blogs do you actually run? I haven’t read any of the books you’ve mentioned, but I hope you enjoy them!
Tracy @ Cornerfolds
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I have eleven blogs, which I’ve had for a while, but there are only four (and now five) with lots of activity. Thanks for stopping by, Tracy, and enjoy your reading.
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Moving a site to wordpress is a lot of time, but it’s worth it I think. Glad to hear you had a productive week, my week was pretty productive as well although I wish I could’ve spend more time blogging. i have some good ideas for posts, but need to find time to write them.
I hope you’ll enjoy your new books!
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Thanks, Lola, and I hope I’ll enjoy my reading, too. Now that I’ve moved Rainy Days and Mondays, I’ll be posting a lot on it until it gets more regular activity.
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Busy busy week for you. I moved to a self hosted sight and still have to check for links that didn’t transfer. Most of them did though. I really like the title and look of your new sight.
Isn’t this a fun time of year. Sharing our Christmas moments and spreading the cheer!
here’s my Sunday Post – http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/12/07/whats-new-on-my-bookshelf-88-and-the-sunday-post/
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Oh, totally, Laura; I’m glad you had a successful transfer. I haven’t done any self-hosted sites, as I am not quite sure how that works out. I gather that the blogger is totally responsible for everything, including maintenance.
I’m not ready for that…LOL.
Enjoy your week!
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Unbecoming looks good. Hope that you enjoy and have a good week.
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I think it looks very good, too, Brandi…thanks for stopping by.
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I’m thinking about moving to an upgraded blog platform but am so nervous that I will lose everything.
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Oh, I didn’t import my blog; I wanted to control what I took, so I only copied and pasted my posts from 2014. I know many people move everything over, but that seems too daunting for me.
Thanks for stopping by, Karen…
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Congrats on the big move! Chapter Two is such a fun movie. Being a debut and thriller Unbecoming will go on my TBR list Hope this week is a great one for you.
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I am eager to read Unbecoming, too, Nise…and it was lovely to see that delightful movie again and have it on DVD. Thanks for the congrats…I am happy to have Rainy Days and Mondays on WP now!
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Nice selection Laurel! And nice ix of family and blogging 🙂
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Thanks, Sheila, I had fun this past week, and enjoyed creating this post about family and blogging.
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Wow! You sure had a busy week!
https://rabbitearsblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/the-sunday-post-meme-5/
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Thanks, Rabbit Ears…glad you could stop by…enjoy your many productions!
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Thanks!
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What a big job transferring all those links, makes me nervous as I intend going to WordPress in 2015. Lovely family photos, Aaron would make a good basketball player.
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Thanks, Kathryn, and once I decided to do it, I set myself up with a notebook so I could keep track, and while my eyes glazed over after a while, it was a good feeling afterwards. Good luck, and I’m sure it will be fine.
Some people have help with it…that might be a good way to go.
Glad you enjoyed the photos…and yes, both Aaron and Aubrey play basketball…and so does Alec, the older one, who is not in the picture because he is a student at Berkeley and missed our lunch…sigh.
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Spending time with the family is a great distraction from the blog. I think! 🙂 Moving blogs is a big time consuming process isn’t it?
Enjoy your new reads and your week.
Sharon @ Sharon’s Book Nook!
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Oh, yes, love the family time…moving blogs feels good afterwards, not during…LOL. Thanks for stopping by, Sharon.
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Unbecoming is just such a fabulous name for a book…
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Isn’t it? Love the cover, too. Thanks for visiting, Deborah.
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I’m thinking of moving my blog too but I bet it would take a lot of patience which I don’t have at the moment. Lol 🙂
WeeklyWrap@EverythingNyze
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You are already at Word Press, the perfect destination…LOL. Do you mean to self-hosted? Thanks for stopping by, Nyze.
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Haha! Sorry. Yeah. I meant to self host at WordPress.org 🙂
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Now is the time to curl up and read, absolutely 🙂 You’ve been busy, though, enjoy your new books and your family time !
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Thanks, Iza…I definitely plan to do just that. Glad you could stop by.
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Congrats on the big blog move! I wish my family had the same height as yours, hope you had a lovely time with everyone.
Here’s to more reading this week!
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Thanks, Sam, I am loving my new blog space…and I always enjoy family time. Especially now that I don’t see them often. Glad you could stop by.
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Lovely photo of your son and grandkids … great looking family and nothing like spending time with them. I like the new blog header for Rainy Days and Mondays. You’ve been very busy!! I’m off to check out your review of The Nightingale. Have a great week and happy reading 🙂
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Thanks, Teddyree, and I am very excited about the upcoming week…and posting more on the new site. Family time is delicious! Glad you could stop by.
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Lunch with the family is so much more fun than blogging! I hope you have a great week!
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Thanks, Kathy, and you are so right! Especially when they don’t live nearby and the visits are not as frequent as I would like. Glad you could stop by.
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Good Luck with your new blog. Your family photos look wonderful! I have The Secrets of Midwives. I will be interested in your thoughts. I’m going to hop over to check out your new blog.
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Thanks for visiting, Pat, and for checking out the new blog. I will be reading The Secrets of Midwives tomorrow, probably. Hope to enjoy it.
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Your blog looks so pretty and festive. I would love to read the Mary Higgins Clark mystery. Have a great week.
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Thanks, Hattie…I love MHC books! Glad you could stop by.
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You certainly have been busy, I’ve never heard of Chapter Two, i might have to see if I can find it.
Have a great reading week!
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
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Maybe it was the whole ambience of the 80s, but the proliferation of Neil Simon movies, with the fun dialogue and the MUSIC, kept me entertained. I have a few of his productions, including The Goodbye Girl and Max Dugan Returns, both with Marsha Mason, who was his wife then.
Thanks for stopping by, Shelleyrae.
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enjoy your books.
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Thanks, Serena, glad you could stop by!
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Unbecoming sounds especially good! Happy reading, and have a great week!
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I agree, Anna…thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your week!
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We are getting more snow tomorrow, it is a good time to curl up with a book.
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Oh, yes, cozy is great when the weather is cold. Thanks for visiting, Mary Ann.
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Yay on all the blogging you did. I hope you can find some more time to read this week. I always find I read less and less as December goes along..
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Thanks, Celine, and already I have finished two of my books…so I think this week will be better. Glad you could stop by.
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The Mary Higgins Clark books should be good. I haven’t read her for years.
We can discuss The Secrets of the Midwives after we read it.
ENJOY your reading week.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
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I went a while between reads, too, on MHC…and I am getting ready to start The Secrets of Midwives. Thanks for visiting, Elizabeth, and enjoy your week.
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Omg, your grandchildren are so very tall!! My brother is 6ft but I’m only 5’1. HEH. It’s incredibly embarrassing needing like a step-ladder to have a conversation in my house. lol
Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
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Ha-ha…Yes, that would be intimidating, Cait…what I enjoy about these extremely tall grandchildren, not to mention my sons, who are no slouches in that area, I feel small in comparison. I was 5’9″ for many years and have now shrunk a bit…an inch?
Thanks for stopping by, Cait.
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Wow your grandkids are tall. I don’t think I ever saw Chapter Two, but I do recall The Goodbye Girl, remember that one? Marsha Mason was hard to beat back then in those Neil Simon movies. Enjoy the holiday season!
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I agree, Susan…and I have The Goodbye Girl, as well as Max Dugan Returns, which is another one I enjoy. Sometimes I love gathering up all the Neil Simon movies and having a marathon.
Funny thing, though, my granddaughter doesn’t find them as appealing, although she tries. I guess you had to be there, in the 80s, and in the Neil Simon era.
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Unbecoming sounds good! A lot of interesting stuff coming out next year.
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I agree, Leslie, and I get excited whenever I read the Vine listings…thanks for stopping by.
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defintely a LOT of work but also successfully – glad for you!
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Thanks, Faith….I love the feeling of satisfaction after spending time on a project. Glad you could stop by.
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Lovely picture of your family. Wow, and they are really tall. We are all midgets LOL, with me being 5’1″ and my husband 5’3″.
I always enjoy Mary Higgins Clark, so will have to put this on my list.
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Thanks for stopping by, Peggy, and enjoy your week. I am always amazed at how tall my grandchildren are, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Their parents are pretty tall…and so was I. LOL
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