Christmas in July III giveaway WINNERS!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on my Christmas in July III giveaway. It's great that so many of you love to give and receive homemade gifts for the holidays. I loved reading all of your ideas... and totally forgot that I also often give an assortment of Christmas cookies away as gifts. At least on those years that I have my act together and actually get my baking done on time!

I used the List Randomizer at www.random.org to select the winners to the giveaway and the winners are ....

Alessandra

azteclady

kimehak

Congratulations! Please email me at krauscakes [at] verizon [dot] net with your book choice from my gift shelf and your mailing address so I can get your book in the mail to you this week. Alessandra has already claimed Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie.

Thanks for playing, everyone! :)

List Randomizer

There were 15 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

alessandra
azteclady
kimehak
jackie b
maija A
dru
misuesedinnocence
orannia
elaing8
lea
venus vaughn
cecile
mariska
breanne
kris

Timestamp: 2010-08-09 15:36:39 UTC

What's in YOUR refrigerator?

I still haven't sorted through my vacation photos, but am determined to do so over the weekend. In the meantime, I've been trying to catch up on my blog hopping, which is taking a while. Man, you guys have a lot to say!! Which is great--don't get me wrong. It's just taking me a while to get around the block to everyone. ;)

I got this fun '5 Things' meme from Dru a few weeks ago that was later also posted by Brandy. Check out what kinds of things I always have around ...

5 things always in my purse
wallet, Burt's Bees lip shimmer, earphones for iPhone, gym ID, keys

5 Things always in my wallet
driver's license, library card, credit card, health insurance cards, pennies

5 things always in my refrigerator
milk, orange juice, eggs, carrots, apples,

5 Things always in my closet
clothes, blankets, books, an iron, sewing kit

5 things always on my desk

post its, calculator, bills, jar of pens + pencils, paper clips

5 things always in my car

insurance & registration cards, iphone charger, jumper cables, coins, lollipops

What's always in your refrigerator?

Library Loot XXIII

Library Loot is a weekly blog event that encourages bloggers to share what books they borrowed from the library that week. To participate, simply make your Library Loot post on your blog and link it using the Mr. Linky link at Marg's blog Reading Adventures or Claire's blog The Captive Reader. This week's link up is at Claire's.

In fiction:

A Bad Day for Pretty by Sophie Littlefield

This is the second book in a new crime fiction series by Sophie Littlefield. I was happy to see my library get this book in as I had just read A Bad Day for Sorry last month, which I liked. The romance reader in me enjoyed the development of some subtle sparks between the heroine of the series, Stella Hardesty and the local Sheriff, Goat Jones, so you know I need to read the next book to see what transpires between them. Especially knowing Goat's ex shows up in A Bad Day for Pretty. That should make for some interesting scenes.


In non fiction:

Sips and Apps by Kathy Casey

This is a great little book filled to the brim with cocktail and appetizer recipes. I'd like to get a few classic and out of the ordinary cocktail recipes that I can learn how to make on the fly for when friends come over, hopefully this book will do the trick.

Eating Local:

The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers

by Janet Fletcher and Sur La Table

This is another great cookbook that I've borrowed from my library that highlights seasonal foods and encourages becoming a locavore. I have been an a New Jersey based organic produce co-op for years, so eating local has been an important part of my consumer patterns for some time now. It's important to me for my family's health, and I also believe that supporting local organic, ecologic and IPM farms is important from an environmentally perspective as well. I've already thumbed through the cookbook and have tagged dozens of recipes to try. The timing is perfect, too, as local produce is at its peak right about now in both variety and abundance around here.

What local produce is at its peak near you right now?

As I said above, so many summer vegetables are at their peak right now in New Jersey, but my favorites are peaches, corn, cucumbers, tomatoes and basil.

It's Christmas in July III

... my annual gently used book giveaway.

I know, I know... I'm a day late. It's not July anymore, but 'Christmas in August' just doesn't have the right ring to it. In any case, it's that time of year again for my Christmas in July giveaway. I usually post this giveaway on July 25 at the 'five months till Christmas' mark, but alas, I was on vacation. I still planned on the giveaway, and when I realized that Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 1, 2010, exactly four months from today, I thought today was a great alternative to my usual. So a heads up to all my Jewish friends and followers: you've got four months and counting to prepare for your holiday! Those who celebrate Christmas, we have a little less than five months to go.

Normally, I'm a last minute kind of girl when it comes to birthdays and holidays. I don't mean to be, but that's just how things go for me. I end up pulling it together somehow and things usually work out fine, but every year I say next year is going to be different. In that vein, I'm saying now that this year is going to be different. I'm going to have my shopping finished well in advance, homemade gifts crafted, presents wrapped, greeting cards mailed, gifts shipped, cookies baked and the house decorated so that I have time to savor the season with friends and family. Wish me luck! ;)

I realize for some people--myself included, it's not easy and frankly quite insane to start thinking about the holidays now when we're in full summer vacation mode. I don't even like seeing school supplies in the stores right now, so forget about thoughts of Christmas, right? The truth is, though, if my game plan of being ahead of the game in December is going to come anywhere near fruition, I need to start now. I figure this is a good time to at least pull some ideas together for home crafted gifts I'd like to give to some friends and family, so that's what I'm starting to do now.

So far, I've made homemade strawberry jam and a few jars of these amazing rum soaked cherries that I will give as gifts for Christmas. In the next week or two, I'll be making peach preserves and then later in the summer, raspberry and blackberry jam, and I may even try my hand at jalapeno jelly for the first time. I think these will make delightful little gifts for some lucky people on my gift list. If I may say so myself... ;)

Other homemade gift ideas I have in mind include bookmarks, beaded wine glass charms, quilted coasters or those little scented pillows to put in your underwear drawer to make everything smell nice, both made using decorator fabric scraps. Maybe some other ideas will come my way along the way.

Enough talk about my super advanced holiday preparations and on to the giveaway. In the tradition of the past two years that I've held my Christmas in July giveaway, I'd like to give away some books from my own, overflowing bookshelves. Some of the books are brand new and some of them are gently used by either me or my book fairies--Kate and Mariana who have so generously passed on boxes and bags of books to me. Some of these books are doubles of books I already have, some are ARCs with the final covers and some are ARCs with plain card stock covers, the latter of which I know is important if you're a cover art junkie. Hey, don't be embarrassed if you are--it takes one to know one. ;)

I'm going to give three winners a book of their choice from my gift shelf on Shelfari, which you can view by clicking on the link.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment in this post telling me your favorite homemade gift to give or receive. I'm looking for some ideas!

The giveaway is open to everyone--I'll ship overseas, but will use the cheapest mailing option to mail outside the US or Canada.

Giveaway ends on Sunday, August 8, 2010 at 12:00 pm (noon) EST at which time I'll use random.org to select the winners. Check back that evening or the morning of August 9, 2010 for the results.

Winners have one week to contact me with their book choice and mailing address. After that, I'll choose a replacement winner.

NOTE: I have at least two dozen more books--some of them fairly new releases, to add to the 40 books already on my Shelfari gift shelf, so if you don't see anything that interests you right away, click back to my gift shelf in 24 hours or so for a bigger selection. I need some time to enter them in Shelfari.

Good luck! :)

In Death Challenge Post: July 2010

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time. See the sign up post HERE.

This is the round up post for the seventh month of the In Death Reading Challenge.

Link up any In Death posts you made this month here. If you made a post on your blog whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily.

If you're just keeping a running list of the books as you read them, grab the link to your list post and enter in the Mr. Linky so we can recognize your success this month.

If you're reading or rereading without documenting it on your blog, let me know in the comments which book(s) you read in this month. This will also help me keep track of who's eligible for the challenge giveaway in August.

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BOOK REVIEW

Judgment In Death by J.D. Robb
In Death series, Book 12

Judgment In Death begins with Lieutenant Eve Dallas moments after arriving at the scene of a violent murder in a high class strip club called Purgatory. A bartender of the club, the victim had remained alone at the club after hours to close up and meet someone he knew when he was bludgeoned to death and left behind the bar in a pool of blood and broken glass. To complicate things, the club is owned by none other than her husband Roarke and the victim is a cop. A good cop who worked hard at his job, had a clean record and was liked by everyone. As Eve proceeds with her investigation, more cops are found dead--all from the same precinct. The further she investigates, the sticker the situation becomes as fellow cops are under question and the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) appears to be involved in some way as well. Not to mention a mysterious connection to an elusive criminal and ex-business associate of Roarke's from 10 years past, Max Ricker. Roarke and Ricker parted on extremely unfriendly terms years ago and now both Eve and Roarke's lives are in danger. Sounds like just another day in NYPSD for Lieutenant Eve Dallas, but this case really ramps up the tension for our fearless cop and quite frankly, had me on the edge of my seat as well.

Judgment in Death is fast paced, action packed and emotionally packed as well. Eve's professional and personal lives are intricately meshed together in this story. The murder investigation becomes personal by its inherent nature simply because it directly involves her own people, and when Ricker's involvement starts to come to light, it becomes even more personal due to his ties with Roarke. On the personal level, this case creates a lot of tension between Eve and Roarke. They fight--and make up-- throughout the book, usually over control issues. They're both such strong individuals with strong instincts to protect each other. Which creates a crazy conflict because both of them are risk takers and neither of them are willing to let the other take risks. Their love sees them through, they communicate, they compromise and they come out better for it all every time.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DISCUSSION TOPIC:

I know it's not very nice to find enjoyment out of watching someone face their worst fears, but I have to say, I get a kick out of Eve's extreme fear of heights. Or rather, I get a kick out of Roarke pushing the limits of Eve's fear of heights! In Judgement in Death, Eve needs a really fast ride somewhere and Roarke takes her in one of his hybrid two-seated flying car things. She tries to be brave, but it's still so funny when she's not. I get such a kick out of scenes like this one and as the series progresses, I'm finding more and more of these minor character traits that pop up throughout the stories that really add depth and personality to the characters. I think it does wonders to keep the characters very real.

What other character traits have you picked up on throughout the series that you think adds to a character's personality?

Back from Vacation

I've recently returned home from a busy and fun-filled Pacific Northwest road trip vacation with my family. We had incredibly perfect weather--warm, sunny days with NO humidity and cool nights. Either we struck it lucky or someone has been making up all those rumors about the Pacific Northwest being perpetually damp.

I came home with a lot of great photos of our trip and of course, wonderful memories of quality time spent with my family. Unfortunately, I also came home with an icky head cold. I had a couple of posts planned for the end of the month that I still hope to get to such as a post about our trip including photos, my annual Christmas in July giveaway, and of course, the July In Death Challenge post, which I'll post tomorrow.

I hope you've all been well and I look forward to catching up with you on your blogs this week! :)

Is there a sign on my back?

If so, I think I know EXACTLY what it says:

"If you see me working my butt off,

biking up some really steep hill,

working within 90-95% of my maximum HR,

out of my comfort zone,

not able to talk,

focusing on the road and my cadence ....

STOP ME AND ASK FOR DIRECTIONS.

p.s. Don't think anything of interrupting and basically screwing up the most challenging and best part of my ride, so make sure I'm at the steepest part of the climb so that I have to stop and lose my focus and momentum."

What is UP with that? Could they not see that I was in the middle of something that was requiring a lot of mental focus and physical effort?

Today wasn't the first time this happened to me, either. I just don't get why this has happened to me once, let alone twice. I'm telling you, I have NEVER seen a motorist stop a cyclist while they were biking to ask them for directions. EVER. Think about it... have you ever witnessed such a thing? Am I wrong in thinking this is absurd? It's like flagging down a car coming in the opposite direction to ask for directions. You just don't do that. Unless you're in the middle of nowhere, I suppose. But this is New Jersey people. It's jam packed with people. OTHER people besides the cyclist in her zone. Go ask someone else.

So why has this happened to me TWICE in the last month or so? Is it because I don't wear an "official" bike jersey with all the blocks of color and writing on them? I'm wearing athletic clothing and definitely conveyed that I was in serious ride mode. I was clearly not on a leisurely ride.

I thought the first time a motorist stopped me for directions earlier this summer was a fluke. I remember coming home and complaining about it to my husband, thinking "Can you believe that motorist stopped me on the climb for directions? Who does that?"

So today, when I saw this car coming towards me in oncoming lane and start to slow down, I thought, "No way. Not again. You are NOT going to stop me and ask for directions." So I focused even more so on just me and the road. I figured if I acted like they're not stopping, they wouldn't. They stopped.

The motorist called out, "Excuse me? Miss?" and for a few seconds, I kept going even though it was clear this motorist was stopping to ask for directions. I came so close to saying, "Sorry, I can't stop, I'm in the middle of training." Okay, so I'm not training per se, but I mean, I'm climbing a mountain on a bike. There's no way what I was doing looked easy. One would think one wouldn't want to interrupt me.

The only thing I could think of was that there must be a sign on my back.

Apparently on my front, too. :S

Moral of the story: DON'T INTERRUPT ME WHEN I'M IN THE ZONE. Thank you.

Otherwise, I'm usually nice to strangers and helpful with giving directions if asked. Really. :D

The last week has been busy and a tad stressful, hence the desire to rant about something, I suppose. Nothing too major, just busy with a lot of goings on with the husband, kids, father-in-law and pets. Vacation is coming soon, though, so I'm looking forward to some quality time with my husband and daughters, exploring someplace new and recharging my batteries. :)

How are you?

I really do want to know! Got any rants of your own this week?

Library Loot XXII

Library Loot is a weekly blog event that encourages bloggers to share what books they borrowed from the library that week. To participate, simply make your Library Loot post on your blog and link it using the Mr. Linky link at Marg's blog Reading Adventures or Eva's blog A Striped Armchair. This week's link up is at Eva's.


I can't believe it's time for library loot again. I didn't plan on borrowing more books this week, but you know how it is when you love books...

In fiction:

Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen

I need to read a book with the name of a body of water in the title for the What's In a Name? Reading Challenge that I'm participating in and while I had a book tentatively chosen from my TBR shelves, I was kind of keeping my eyes out for a different selection. I just happened to see Tomorrow River displayed on a table near the main desk at my library, the cover having captured my attention. When I read the title I thought "Hey, I could read this for the Name challenge!" Then I read the inside flap and decided the story was something I'd like to read and voila! I checked it out.

Tomorrow River takes place in a small community in West Virginia during the summer of 1969. It is the story about an 12 year old girl named Shen Carmody who sets out to discover some answers about her troubled home life. Shen's mother disappeared a year ago and her twin sister Woody hasn't spoken a word since their mom has been gone and their father spends most of his nights drunk and mean. Shen decides it's time for her to find out what exactly happened to their mother.

It sounds kind of heart wrenching, but I'm also counting on it being an uplifting coming of age kind of story for these two young sisters.

In non fiction:

Jams & Chutneys:

Preserving the Harvest by Thane Prince

Yet another book on jams and preserving. There's just something so appealing to me about preserving fresh fruit or vegetables from the garden or farm. Making your own jam from scratch is such a rewarding experience. I think it tastes so much better when it's homemade because it's made with love and every bite is filled with memories of the summer.

A Homemade Life:

Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg

This book has been on my list of books to borrow from the library for a while now. Molly Wizenberg is the author of the popular and successful food blog Orangette and now this book. A Homemade Life is a culinary memoir of sorts as Molly shares stories from her life and the recipes that accompany them. It's really a joy to read.

What is your favorite food to prepare from scratch?

Right now, I'm into making homemade jams. I also love making homemade ice cream and fresh salsas in the summer.

Life is a bowl of cherries

Of course once you've eaten all the cherries I guess you could say life is the pits.

LOLOL! ^_^

In the kitchen:
I'm going to try to make time tomorrow to make Cherry Jam using Tracy's recipe at the Sugarcrafter blog. I already washed, pitted, and sliced the four cups of cherries I need for the jam. The cherries in the photo are the cherries I have left over. I made some white chocolate dipped cherries last week and I only tasted one before I gave them away to a friend, but it was so delicious. I really want make more. I also saw a recipe for rum soaked cherries at Rebecca's Foodie with Family blog that I'm dying to make, so I don't know what to do. I could go out and buy more cherries and make both, but (a) I don't have too much time to invest in the kitchen this week and (b) I still have all those blueberries to bake, freeze, and eat! Decisions, decisions!

In books:
I haven't read much in the last several weeks, which has been so frustrating. I have plenty of books to read... plenty that I'm even interested in reading, but I'm just not finding the time to read during the day and at night I start falling asleep as soon as I open a book or my laptop. Needless to say, I'm falling behind very quickly in my monthly reading goals in order to meet my 100+ Books in 2010 Reading Challenge. Well, the last thing I want to do is make reading feel like homework, so I'm just going to roll with it and see how it goes from here.

Right now I'm reading Provocative In Pearls by Madeline Hunter. It's the second book in her newest Rarest Blooms Quartet and I'm enjoying it very much. I've also got a stack of really fun non fiction books that I'm reading here and there as well.

In sports:
I guess you all know by now that The World Cup is over--congratulations to Spain! I have to admit that I had so much fun keeping up with this year's World Cup. My husband has been a football fan since he was a kid {many World Cups ago}, but this was the first year I followed it so closely. I was watching games, looking up results on the FIFA app on my iPhone and keeping tabs on my bracket in the pool I joined with my husband and his football buddies. I didn't win the pool, but ended somewhere in the middle so at least I didn't embarrass myself too badly. ;)

As far as my sports go, I haven't been running much since May because I've been trying to do all low or no impact workouts in order the heel planter fasciitis in my right foot that has been ailing me for some time now. It is healing, but it's taking a long time. One day last week, though, I went for a run anyway. I had overslept my alarm and didn't have a lot of time to devote to working out that day, so a 2 mile run seemed like just the power workout I needed. It was pretty hot and humid, so I took it easy, but was super thrilled to discover that I can now run a 10 minute mile! When I checked my pace at the 1 mile mark, I was surprised at my pace because I didn't feel like I was pushing so hard and yet I ran the first mile in 10:03. I finished the second mile at 20:00! As I ran the second mile, I thought to myself how many textbooks I would need to put in a backpack to simulate the 25 pounds I've lost since April. Then I envisioned wearing that backpack and running two miles. Um, no way. I'm never going to do that again! I wonder how fast I'll be when I get to my goal weight!

I've been cycling a lot over the last several weeks, and I'm happy to report that that mountain is feeling smaller every time. The down side is that I got a three flat tires in the last two weeks and it is not like the Tour de France where your team car follows you along and hands you a new bike when you get a flat. Nope. You have to stop and change it yourself using a handy dandy tire changing kit that you keep stowed in a pouch under your seat. Quite a few tears later, at least now I can do it by myself. :)

That about sums up my bowl of cherries this week, what about yours?

What seasonal food are you enjoying right now?

What are you reading?

What activities are you doing outdoors?

Blueberry Picking

It's that time of year again when local blueberries are in season and ripe for picking. This is the third year in a row that I've posted about our annual visit to this local farm to pick blueberries. I guess it doesn't come as a surprise, then, how fond I am of this simple tradition in our family.

It's been very hot and humid here for the last several days with temperatures hovering around 100 F, so we waited for a break in the heat and chose today to go because temperatures were only in the low 80s at midmorning. Turns out it didn't really make too much of a difference, because according to the forecast, with the heat index it felt more like 98 F anyway! I guess that explains our flushed faces and damp clothing after less than an hour in the blueberry field. For once I was ready to go as soon as the first "I'm hot," complaint came along.

I don't think I could ever resist the lure of 'pick your own' on a farm.

Rows of zinnias and I think, ageratum (the brilliant blue flowers on the right).

My youngest daughter picking 'star berries' as she insisted calling the blueberries today. Did you know that 'star berries' is one of the original names for what we call blueberries today? They were called 'star berries' because of the star shape on blossom end of the blueberry.

This is a photo of me that my youngest daughter took with my camera. She wanted to capture the blueberries falling from my hand into the basket and she got the shot! Yet another photographer in the house!

My eldest daughter has taken an avid interest in photography over the last several months and is showing signs of a natural talent for composition and artistry already. She's taking photography as an elective next year in school. I can't wait to see where it takes her and I hope she'll have the patience to teach me whatever she learns...

I took this photo below of her taking photos of the blueberries from the other end of the row. Since my youngest and I had the basket with us, at first we figured she was just taking pictures and not picking berries.

I underestimated her resourcefulness. She had both pockets of her dress filled with blueberries.

"C'mon, Mom. It's hot. Let's go."

We spent less time picking than we usually do because it was just too hot. However, we did manage to come home with almost 5 lbs. of blueberries. I'm going to make some kind of blueberry treat this weekend. I'm just not sure what it will be yet...

What is your favorite way to eat blueberries?