Substance of Living

Murder by Page One A Peach Coast Library Mystery from Hallmark Publishing (Peach Coast Library Mysteries Book 1) Written by  Olivia Matthews  |  Narrated by  Janina Edwards "Do you have a library card?" opens most of Marvey Harris' conversations with the people she meets.  Marvey, a librarian, and her cat, Phoenix, have recently moved from Brooklyn, NY to the small town of Peach Coast, Georgia. Ms. Olivia Matthews brings forward a refreshing take on the cozy genre.  She combines all the good parts of a cozy; mystery, amateur sleuth, friends, a cat, and a budding romance all the while wrapping this small town of Peach Coast around me like a blanket.  Her characters are brought to life through well-developed characters who are smart, sassy, cerebral, and realistic.   Janina Edwards' (narrator) did a fantastic job bringing voices to each character through her narrating.   I enjoyed her Southern accent and treatment of colloquiali...

Do you remember playing with homemade dough when you were little?  Oh my gosh, my middle sister and I would sit at the kitchen table for hours playing with our dough.  Mom would put a few drops of food coloring so we would have colored dough - like the kind that was available in the stores.  We would use cookie cutters, make our own shapes, blend the colors together to make another color.  We sometimes even saved our creations.  Searching (falling down the rabbit hole) Pinterest one day, I came across  this recipe By Oleander and Palm.  Aren't her ornaments gorgeous in their simplicity? She puts her designs in the oven to dry.  I read in another blog that you can also air dry them.  So I did; and I used this recipe that uses cinnamon !  Oh, they smell heavenly! I used cookie cutters on hand.  Here's the kicker.... patience was my friend.  It took about a week for the dough to thoroughly dry.  I started them out ...

Let's dig into our psyches this month and see if we can answer some tough questions.  Some of the questions are of a moral nature while others are more personal.   What would you do if you opened your mailbox to see your adoptive child on a "Have You Seen This Child" flyer?  In Lisa Scottoline's book Look Again , investigative reporter Ellen Gleeson is faced with such a dilemma. Look Again written by Lisa Scottoline Beautiful, modern Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, live a life of bliss in 1937 Shanghai until their father gambles away their wealth. "To repay his debts, he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from Los Angeles to find Chinese brides. As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, from the Chinese countryside to the shores of America. Though inseparable best friends, the sisters also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. Along the way they make terribl...

There are times that we just don't feel like messing with the stove to make homemade hot cocoa but still want something hot and tasty.  Today's hot chocolate solves that problem and more. Pour milk (dairy or any non-dairy) into a microwavable cup, heat for about 1 1/2 minutes on high, open your favorite hot chocolate package, pour in cup, stir, and now add a 1/2 to 1 full shot of your favorite peppermint liqueur. You're done and the sensational sipping begins within two minutes! When you're hosting a gathering on a cold evening, try setting up a hot chocolate bar with instant as well as homemade.  Have hot milk, hot water, sprinkles, marshmallows, whipped cream, and of course alcoholic and non-alcoholic flavorings to add. Notes: We used non-dairy milk and of our favorites are almond milk or coconut milk.  Soy and rice would also be nice. We like dark chocolate and have found Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate to have a rich flavor. There are other varieti...

Take a look and drool over everything that came in the September Send Me Gluten-Free box!  I'm telling you, these boxes of goodies each month are AWESOME!!! Thanks to Pamela's , we enjoyed a pancake breakfast one morning. Had a romantic picnic, provided by gopicnic , Beanfield's , and Lovely , inside by the fire one evening. Breakfast and a snack on the go by Giddy Up & Go and SoyJoy . I'm telling you, these boxes are like a little surprise gift each month and the best way to sample all sorts of gluten-free items.  It's so much better and cheaper to enjoy new goodies each month than to go out and purchase items that you've never tried.  You and I both know how expensive a lot of gluten-free or specialty food items are to just to fill your grocery cart full of new items. Take a look at last month's box of SendMeGlutenFree and you'll know what I've been going on about.  There are some products I've tried before, which are...

Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil I remember years ago, and I'm talking almost 20 years now, a co-worker friend of mine introduced me to Tea Tree Oil.  It's been so long that I don't remember which brand she used, and suppose that doesn't really matter.  What does matter is that she had been using it for a long time.  She used it to treat all kinds of skin problems including acne.  She also used it as a cleanser around her house. To my uneducated thought process, I couldn't fathom using an oil to clean anything in my house except maybe to condition my wood. Fast forward to 2014 and here I am ordering Tea Tree Oil from Amazon and loving it.  Besides the pureness of this product, it was really quite gentle on my skin.  It is recommended that another oil, such as coconut oil, be used if trying on your skin for the first time. Upon ordering my Apothecary Tea Tree Oil , they also sent me a recipe / use type booklet via email in PDF format. Bes...

I'm beyond excited to introduce you to what I'm calling "The newest sensation in eating gluten free" !  You can now sign up to receive a box in the mail each month packed full of gluten-free items from Send Me Gluten Free .    This is what my box looked like this much.  In addition to some full-size items, there were samples of tea, sweets, energy bars, lip balm, and coupons galore.  After your box arrives, you'll also receive an email with links to each of the products and if you complete a quick survey they'll send you additional discounts or coupons. Another email will come giving you recipes and ideas of how to use the items in the box.  For example, this month there was Sevierly Good: Garlic Bread , TeeChia: Blueberry Date Quickbread , and other recipes . Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. Close up of Items in the August 2014 box. I don't know if I'm actually supposed to co...