End of 2024 Blog Post and New Words for 2025

 Happy New Year 2025

Water globe nativity gifted from one of our nieces this Christmas

Hello friends! Are you ready for the new year to begin? I have to say that I will not be sad to see 2024 go bye-bye as many challenging events happened during the year. I experienced personal challenges via two cataract surgeries, Covid, Hurricane Helene winds which spawned a tornado that hit my neighborhood, a fall which resulted in a broken wrist that required surgery and supporting my family through the loss of another brother-in-law. Yes, it has been a very challenging year in so many ways. And, yet, I would be remiss if I didn't end the story of 2024 by sharing the multitude of blessings which came during the year. Things like the way my neighbors and community pitched in during the aftermath of the hurricane to bring comfort, help, cell phone charging stations, food and water and brute strength to help fellow neighbors in need. And beyond our close community, there were people who came from as many as 19+ states to lend aid to the people of Western North Carolina. We, personally, experienced the help of people coming from the states of Ohio, WV and Tennessee to work on cutting huge old-growth trees that had fallen on our house and property. And many dear friends came to our aid bringing chainsaws, water, wipes, meals, bread and comfort. Our families in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado and California bolstered our spirits through phone calls and texts once we were able to receive them on our cell phones. A mystery package arrived after the storm that contained a special light that could be used with or without power or batteries. We now know that this gift was sent from life-long friends in West Virginia. Prayers and phone calls from Asheville friends sustained us as we began the long recovery process. You see, even when you think you are alone, you really aren't. There are so many caring and kind people out there who step in to help in so many ways during times of stress and pain and I am so very humbled by all who reached out to us during a very difficult time. I was brought to tears one morning when a truck pulled up our driveway and we saw that a former member of our church was coming just to check up on us! What a sweet gesture! And as for my eye surgeries-all went very well with both surgeries. The inconvenience of the long wait to get a new eyeglass prescription was the worst part of it. That and the 21 days of doing eye drops after each surgery! And now, here I sit, wearing my new eyeglasses (finally!) and typing away happily writing a new blog post. My wrist is doing so much better. I began physical therapy for my hand and wrist a couple weeks ago and I am already experiencing so much improvement with movement, strength and dexterity. I have been blessed with having amazing health professionals who have been kind and helpful along this journey. The nurse who comforted me at the hospital triage tents where The Mr. took me after the fall, the hand surgeon whose expertise was evident during and after surgery, and my physical therapist who is helping my hand to get strong again. I am grateful for all of these people. And through every challenge of 2024 my faith has sustained me.

I won't say that I was all smiles going through these challenges. At the time, I kind of felt like God was allowing a lot of things to happen all at once in my life. I don't mean to say that I thought God was causing these issues. Because I don't believe that bad things come from God. Because I believe that God is good. All the time. But, He did allow them to happen. And I was not a happy camper. For many days after the hurricane, I would read chapter four of the book of Philippians over and over. It helped me to hear Paul talk about how he had learned to be content in all circumstances. I really had to dig deep to remember that, like Paul, "I can do all things through Christ who is my strength." And I am here to testify to the fact that God's strength got me through. A sweet friend associated with the church bell choir texted me a beautiful prayer in which she prayed,"that God would send angels -in cars, boats, helicopters, all kinds of uniforms and may we see your radiance and glory in their actions and works." Wow, what a prayer, and God certainly did send those angels and is sending them still! 

When I felt called to choose the words "Courage" and "Contentment" as my words to focus on in 2024, I had no idea how much I would need to rely on these words throughout the year. It's hard to feel content when you can't see well because your present glasses aren't the right prescription since eye surgery, you feel sick from having Covid, your wrist and arm hurts and can't be used, and your house is torn up, your woods are gone and you don't have water, electricity and you're stuck because your driveway and road is a wall of fallen trees, your family doesn't know if you are alive or not because you have no cell phone service and you feel fearful and afraid that you will never get out of this situation. I worried that things would never be "normal" again. But, friends, I can attest to the fact that God met our every need during all of these times. And in the midst of worry and concern, there were moments of peace and even joy. I knew that God was present with us. That He would work it all out. And He did! And He always will. Even when our/my faith wavers. 

I also want to take a moment to share how strong and wonderful The Mr. was and is during all of these events. The hours he spent sitting in waiting rooms at doctor's visits with me. The strength and courage he showed during and after the hurricane with his, "I'm going to fix this," attitude that saw him cutting us out of our back door after the storm, climbing over and under fallen trees to get us water and to connect with neighbors, bushwhacking up the mountain behind our house to try and get cell service so he could call our families to let them know we were okay, bringing me food and drinks after my surgeries, countless reassurances to his frightened wife that we would be okay, and hours of chainsawing to clear our driveway and property. And I'm sure I am leaving out many other ways in which he has been by my side. On New Year's Day, we will celebrate 42 years of marriage and I am so very grateful that God brought this strong man into my life.

So, this brings me to my new words for 2025. I have chosen "Grateful" and "Grace" as my words to focus on in the coming year. I have SO much to be grateful for in my life and I want to be sure to recognize the many blessings coming my way through the grace of God. And, I want to look for ways to extend grace to others. I'll try to remember to share my journey with these words with each of you in 2025!

Friends, I am certain that we all have stories to tell from 2024. Each of you has faced your own joys and challenges throughout the year. Of that I am certain because that is the way of life. And I am sure that there will be challenges for all of us in 2025. I pray that through faith in God, I will face these challenges with courage and contentment but also with gratitude and grace. I know there will be many joys and moments of happiness for each of us as well. If the words "courage" and "contentment" have taught me anything this year, it is the lesson that, even in the midst of bad things, that good things can come if we have courage, faith in God and the willingness to find contentment in all circumstances.

May 2025 bring many blessings to each of you dear readers! And please feel free to share your own thoughts and stories from 2024 in the comments. I love to hear from each of you!

Happy New Year!

“Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20

Until Next Time,

Debbie This and That

Cassie, Garden and River Take Over The Blog

 Merry Christmas From Debbie Styles Life Fur Family Members

Hi everybody!  Love told us that since we haven't been able to get our paws on the blog in a long time that we could take today to write our own blog post and wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I'm Cassie and I'm doing the typing and my fur sister and brother, Garden and River, said they want to help too. 

"I don't call Mom "Love" I just call her Mom."

"Yes, River, I know but Garden and I call her "Love" because we know how much she loves us and we call our Dad "Softie" for obvious reasons. He lets us get away with murder."

"We never murdered anyone. (whispering) Except that mouse that came upstairs that time."

"I KNOW Garden! Of course we haven't murdered anyone, that's just a saying. A human saying that means Softie is soft hearted when it comes to four paws."

"I have four paws, and a tail, and a nose that can sniff out lots of stuff."

"River will you please just let me get on with this post? Everyone knows you have a tail and a nose for Pete's sake."

"Who's Pete?"

"Oh good grief. I thought this post would have lots of pawsibilities but now I'm not so sure!"

"Cassie, you said I could sing a Christmas song I wrote for all the readers."

"Ok, Garden, go ahead and sing your song or I'll never hear the end of it."

"Ok, here goes. Let me warm up my voice first. (Garden sings high and low pitches. Meow, meow, meow, meow....") Okay I'm ready."

🎝 Jingle Bells, River Smells and He licks his bu__🎝

"Garden, stop singing right this furry minute! What kind of Christmas song is that?! Love will never let us take over her blog again if you sing such a silly song!"

"I thought it was a good song and it's true, he does lick his bu.."

"Never mind! My goodness. Sorry about that River."

"It's okay Cassie. But I hope Santa Cat brings Garden a stocking full of wet dog biscuits!"

"Santa Cat won't bring anything to a smelly dog like you!"

"Garden! River! Stop arguing! We all know that Santa Cat brings goodies to all the dogs and cats and other animals around the world on Christmas Eve! Oh my goodness, this blog post is never going to get written at this rate. Let's just go ahead and sing our song together that we practiced. Now no silliness this time. C'mon Garden, get away from the food dish and let's sing!"

Crunching and mumbling. "I'm coming...."

🎜We wish you a Furry Pawsmas

We wish you a Furry Pawsmas

We wish you a Furry Pawsmas

And a Furry New Year! 🎝

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Cassie, Garden, River

and Debbie (this and that)

Dressing for the Holidays #2

 Get Your Red On For The Holidays

Hi friends!  Is there another color other than red that just lends itself to the holidays? I don't think so. I am wearing a favorite sweater that is a gorgeous red color as another idea for my "Dressing for the Holidays" posts. Red is a great color to wear at any time of year, not just during the Christmas or Valentine seasons. Red is also a flattering color on everyone. This particular sweater was purchased from JCPenney and comes in a variety of colors. It's very comfortable and easy to wear. I threw on a navy blue blazer along with jeans and tennis shoes for a dressed up casual look that can take you to errands, shopping, meetings or lunch with friends. 

For an extra pop of red, I am wearing a necklace, earring, bracelet set given to me by one of my sisters. It's so pretty and red on red works for me, especially at Christmas! You can see that River approves as he joined in the photo shoot sporting his red collar! This red sweater is one that I will be wearing all winter, and not just at Christmas. But for a great Christmas look, nothing beats getting your red on!

How about you? Do you have a favorite color to wear during the holidays? Be sure to share in the comments. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie ( this and that)

Dressing For the Holidays #1

 Christmas Sweaters Aren't Ugly

Hi friends!  I thought it might be fun this season to do a few posts on dressing for the holidays. You can let me know if you enjoy these kinds of posts. Today, I'm sharing a very casual way to dress. You know, I think Christmas sweaters have taken a bum rap over the years. People call them "ugly" and make all sorts of fun about them. And while some Christmas sweaters can be a little bit over the top, I don't think many are what you would call "ugly" at all! I purchased this sweater a few years ago at Sam's Club and I really enjoy wearing it.

This Christmas sweater is more of a winter sweater that could be worn beyond the Christmas season. The snowflakes, pine trees and deer are all quite festive and the colors are blue and white rather than red and green. Plus, you know I love anything blue, especially navy blue!

I think that pairing a Christmas sweater with a turtleneck and a pair of jeans is the perfect way to dress for a casual day during the Christmas season!

How about you? Do you still wear Christmas sweaters or do you think they are ugly? Be sure to share in the comments! And I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season so far! As for me, I'm enjoying watching "Elf" on repeat and writing this post!

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)

A Blessed Thanksgiving to All My Readers

 Happy Thanksgiving

Hello friends!  Just want to send out a Happy Thanksgiving greeting to all of my dear readers from Debbie Styles Life blog!

Each of you are so appreciated by yours truly and I sincerely hope that you, your friends and families enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving day. And if you are located outside the USA and today isn't your Thanksgiving day, then I wish you a happy day and weekend ahead!

I'll be back next week with more styling life posts for you! Take good care.

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)

Christmas Decor Around The House

 Pockets of Christmas Around The House

Hi friends! I've been doing some one-handed decorating for Christmas and thought I would share with you. Hope you enjoy. I'll let the photos do the talking as typing is still hard. New wreath on front door.

Nativities

You can still see storm damage outside the window

Dining Room Shelf

Gingerbread

Foyer

Kitchen

Living Room

At Night

Hope you enjoyed!

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)

Just A Few Things Have Happened

 Catching Up Since September 8th

Well friends, it's been a minute hasn't it?! Seven weeks to be exact. And I have to confess that a WHOLE lot has been going on during that time in my life. And most of it not good, although I will testify that many blessings have occurred during these seven weeks. And God has met our every need along the way.

When I left off on September 8th, I had experienced my first cataract surgery and had, unfortunately, caught Covid. My husband caught it too. Thankfully, we both recovered well although I had to have a rebound case like I had two years ago. So, in essence, I had Covid twice. Not fun but we both got over it just fine.

Then, Hurricane Helene came along. September 27th, 2024 will forever be burned into my memory. You see, we don't have hurricanes in Asheville, NC where I live. Not until this year. A category 3 hurricane hit us full force bringing destruction with it. You name it-Asheville and Western North Carolina got it-hurricane force winds, torrential rains, floods, landslides and tornadoes. As my husband and I and our fur family huddled in our basement, a tornado hit our house piling trees up on our roof and around all sides of our house. It was a surreal time and an incredibly frightening time but, praise God, we survived! When it was all over, my husband had to cut us out of our house as all exits were blocked by trees. Our driveway, which is 1/10 mile long, was totally covered in trees as was our road. What followed was days of fear and worry as we were completely stuck and unable to get out, we learned via radio how bad things were in Asheville, there was no power, no water, no help forthcoming on our road except help from neighbors just as stuck as ourselves. Day after day, neighbors would climb over and under trees to get to each other's houses to check on one another. The Mr. climbed over and under trees for days to get to our stream to collect stream water so we could flush our toilets. We had collected drinking water before the hurricane hit but, after learning that the entire water supply for the city of Asheville had been compromised by storm damage, we began to collect water from an underground stream that flowed out from underneath our house because we didn't know how long it might be before we could get drinking water. We learned that there had been landslides further up our road and we watched helicopters do air evacuations of neighbors who live above us. Finally, after about 5 days of wondering if we would ever get out of our driveway volunteers with chainsaws made it up our road and a friend brought a crew to cut us out of our driveway. I'll tell more about these times in another post. About how surreal Asheville was at that time with no stores open and emergency personnel everywhere and wonderful volunteers who came from many different states to help. Truly, many wonderful things happened during those days. But, for now, let me continue with the catching up.

About a week after the hurricane/tornado hit, things were beginning to look a tiny bit better. Still no water or electricity but we could drive out on our road. I decided one morning to take our dog, River, for a walk to help out The Mr. who was talking on the phone. Long story short, River pulled, my left foot rolled on storm debris, I lost my balance and down I went falling on my right outstretched hand. I knew immediately my wrist was broken. The Mr. took me to the emergency department where I was given a splint and then a few days later I was given a cast by an orthopedist. My re-check a couple weeks later revealed that my bones were not in alignment and I was scheduled for surgery the next day. So here I am, two weeks after that surgery doing well and in a brace for the next month. Hopefully, I will be ready at that point for physical therapy. 

So, that's what has been happening folks. It has been quite the few weeks/months and that is why you haven't heard from me on the blog. It's quite laborious to type with one hand in a brace but I am persevering. I also did finally get my second cataract surgery a week ago and am in the in-between time when I am waiting for the next appointment to get the go ahead for a new glasses prescription. My current glasses aren't the best for my eyesight right now but I am getting by the best I can. 

I keep thinking about my words of the year-courage and contentment-and how these words have really come into play these last three months or so. I won't lie. This has been a very trying time for me. I have really relied on my faith during these times to get through many challenging situations. I have been touched by the kindness of others and have been reminded how small I really am in terms of the world. Others have suffered much more than my family and I. There are families in our area who have lost loved ones and have lost everything they own. As communities, we are standing together and rebuilding that which was lost. We still don't have potable water anywhere in Asheville but, thankfully, we have non-potable water coming from our faucets so we can flush, shower and do laundry now. We are Western North Carolina Strong and we will get through this difficult time with faith, strength and resilience. Having courage and being content with all that has happened has sustained me these last weeks. Prayers are very much appreciated!

I'm happy to be back blogging and pray that each of you dear readers is well and safe wherever you are in the world. May each of you feel God's richest blessings!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Where Have All The Bloggers Gone?

 Bloggers MIA

Image by Freepik

Hello friends! I have a mystery that I would like your help in solving. I have spent quite a bit of time today looking for new blog posts from favorite bloggers who seem to have disappeared from the blogosphere. And many of these are bloggers that I feature in my right hand column so that I (and others) can easily find their blogs and their latest posts.

People like Andrea Nine who wrote "Living on Cloud Nine" and Shellie from "The FABulous Journey." And how about Laurie Bronze from "Vanity & Me?" I can't even find newly written posts from some of these folks on Instagram, where I know many bloggers have moved to. 

It makes me worry about people, whom I have come to know as friends through reading their blogs over the years, when they suddenly aren't writing new blog posts. Has something happened to them? Are they sick? Or have they simply decided not to blog anymore? 

I do see posts from Shellie Bowdoin on FaceBook from time to time, so at least I know she is doing well. She and her husband are missionaries in the Philippines and I have followed her through her son's cancer diagnosis and healing and her daughter's wedding. But, she hasn't created a new blog post in a very long time. 

It seems like so much has changed over the years since I began blogging. There used to be soooo many bloggers and here lately folks seem to be dropping like flies from their blogs. It's kind of sad to me. I realize that for folks trying to make money that Instagram is a huge pull, but there is still something so lovely about being able to visit people's blogs and look at pictures and learn what is happening, or not happening, in their lives. I have always been drawn to lifestyle blogs because you can really get to know people through them. And whether you live near or far from them, we all share so much in common. And there is such a sense of community in blogging. It still thrills me that I have folks in England and Canada, as well as the USA, who read my blog! Who would have thought that could happen for little old me??

I'll be the first to share that I know my blog pictures aren't of the professional Instagram-like quality that some writers boast. And, I've always said that I live in a home and not a museum. So everything in my pics are far from perfection. But the thing is, we all share a love of home. Of making, and styling, the very best lives we possibly can. And, as bloggers, we love sharing that with others. 

So, I promise, that if I ever decide to give up blogging, I will be sure to let you all know before I disappear from the blogosphere. So you won't have to worry about me. Or wonder why I am quitting. And Andrea, Laurie and Shellie-if you're reading this, please let me know that you're doing okay. And please know I really miss reading your new posts! And, if any of you dear readers know something I don't know about how to find these bloggers or why there are no new posts on their blogs, please do share with me. 

And many thanks, as always, to each of you for taking the time to read Debbie Styles Life! Each of you has a special place in my heart! ❣

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)

Early Autumn Home Decor

 Decorating for Early Fall

Hello friends! Can you believe that September is underway? And that, along with some cooler temperatures, has me thinking about how I want to decorate for early Fall around the house. So, as promised, I'm sharing what I have accomplished thus far. 

I decided to decorate the little faux pine tree that sits atop my curio cabinet with Fall color ribbon and some lovely Fall leaves. 

It's cheerful during the daylight hours and absolutely stunning at night when it lights up the corner of our dining room. Sooo pretty!

And on the dining room table is a bowl filled with pumpkins and squash. I found these at Dollar Tree and was pleasantly surprised at the quality. 

The colors are just right to match the table and cabinets in the room. 

And on the foyer table there is a new Fall flower arrangement along with a gold pumpkin. It's a little early for too many pumpkins just yet, so I will save the rest of my collection for closer to October. 

And then, it's always fun to add a few simple items around the house which speak to Fall like this apple orchard tea towel.

And this gray and white pumpkin that I picked up at Dollar Tree. Doesn't it look perfect on the shelf with my other gray/white bathroom decor?!

I've really enjoyed changing a few things up around the house as September gets underway. And I'm sure I'll be adding things here and there as Fall truly gets underway. I'll keep you posted. 

Tell me, how are you preparing for Fall at your house? Be sure to share in the comments section!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

The Best Laid Plans Go Oft Awry

 And Then, Life Happened......

Hello friends! I thought I would pop on and let you know how things are going post surgery, as I promised I would. I am almost to the two week mark past my first eye surgery for cataracts and things along that front seem to be going well. My eye was blurry for several days following the surgery, which is normal, but I had no significant pain or problems otherwise. I wore an eye shield at night for the first week and am continuing with antibiotic eye drops three times per day, for a total of three weeks. I have also discovered that I can now use my mid-range music glasses as my long distance eyeglasses now and still use my bifocal glasses for reading. This should help me to get through the weeks until my second eye surgery happens. This second surgery had to be delayed because......both my husband and I caught Covid. My husband developed symptoms a couple days after my surgery and I succumbed about three days after him. 

Thankfully, neither of us have developed worse symptoms other than the usual fever, aches, congestion, tiredness that comes with a "milder" case. It still makes you feel pretty crummy, though! And so, here I am wearing two types of eyeglasses so I can see both near and far. It's an inconvenience, but certainly not something that I can't endure. I'm trying to stay positive as I await my second surgery which is now scheduled for the end of October. 

This was not the plan, however, life doesn't always go according to our plans, does it?! 

I'll be back in a few days with a new post in which I will share some of my Fall decorating ideas. Happy September to all. May some more comfortable temperatures be on the way soon!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

A Vintage Top for Fall

 I Am Vintage

Hello everyone!  I thought I would pop on and share a new top for Fall that I found, in of all places, at the Tractor Supply Store. What? Doesn't everyone buy their clothes at the Tractor Store? Just goes to show you I can find clothes to buy just about anywhere! 

Seriously, though, this is a beautiful top and is a vintage style. I love the color and couldn't wait to wear it with my soft, brown knit corduroy pants. I guess this could be considered a peasant top because of the tie at the neck, but it seems to be more streamlined than most peasant tops. I remember having a similar type top back in the 70's which is probably why it was billed as "vintage." But since I, too, am vintage the top and I get along very well together! 

One of the reasons I decided to share this top is to encourage you to look in unusual places for your clothes. The Tractor Supply Store typically carries heavy duty clothing for outdoor work such as tough jeans and flannel shirts. But, occasionally, they have other items for daily wear and I lucked out and found this top on clearance. It was a great find and I'm pleased to have it to wear this Fall. 

And while I was there, I met a friend! (The Mr. thought it was great fun to take my pic standing with this metal rooster!)

So, over the years I've shared clothing with you that I bought at the drugstore, online, via thrifting, shopping at regular department stores and now at The Tractor Supply. Cast your nets wide, ladies, when shopping for clothing! You never know what great finds are out there just waiting for you!

As I type this, I am preparing to have the first of two cataract surgeries this coming Tuesday. I'm feeling a bit nervous about this and would appreciate your prayers for a good outcome for both eyes. The second surgery will be nine days after the first. Everyone I talk to tells me that cataract surgery is "nothing." And while that is reassuring to me, surgery is never nothing when it is happening to you! So, thanks for your thoughts and prayers. (And please, no scary stories about cataract surgery in the comments. That won't help me.) I'll let you know how things go in the next post. 

Until Next Time,

Debbie

The First Leaf of Fall and This and That

 A Little Bit of This and That

Hello friends!  I'm afraid this is one of those posts where I may be all over the place with what I'm sharing. It truly is a "this and that" kind of post! I spied this leaf on our back porch yesterday and have dubbed it, "the first leaf of Fall." To me, Summer has flown by and soon we will be into September. Kids are heading back to school already, although so many are now homeschooled that we still see kids in stores and restaurants all through the year. This morning I sat out on our back porch with our dog, River, and noticed how cool the morning air was. Another sign of cooler temps eventually heading our way. I know that we will still have many hot days ahead, but I must admit that I am looking forward to Fall this year. Fall, along with Spring, are my favorite seasons. The colors, the crispness of the air, the smoky smells from chimneys and leaf burning all bring a sense of excitement. Of course, Fall leads into Winter which is my least favorite season. We haven't had bad winters for quite a while so we will have to see what this coming Winter will bring. Will it be as mild as last year? Time will tell. 

The Mr. and I have really been enjoying the fruits of summer. The melons and blueberries have been so sweet and delicious! I miss having fresh fruits in the winter. We don't garden so our fruits have come from Sam's Club or the grocery store but we have been lucky in finding really good produce this year. 

I've enjoyed many good meals this summer. This is a delicious new salad choice that I enjoyed recently at Panera's. The salad is filled with greens, fruits and nuts and topped with chicken and a poppyseed dressing. Delicious!

And, The Mr. and I have discovered that we really like shopping at Aldi. You can really get a bang for your buck there! We found these vegetarian meatballs in the frozen foods section and they are absolutely delicious! I used them in this spaghetti and meatballs dish surrounded by broccoli. The meal was tasty and nutritious. I find that I like the frozen vegetables at Aldi better than any other I have tried at other stores. I don't get compensated by Aldi, I just like to shop there. 

In other news, I bought new sheets several weeks ago and haven't shared how pretty they are on the blog yet. I love going to bed and laying on clean, crisp sheets that are soft, comfy and pretty! Even though our mattress is queen size, I bought king size sheets to have extra sheet hanging down on each side. Anyone else besides The Mr. and me play tug of war with their sheets at night? Using king size sheets seems to have solved the problem! Plus, the longer side sheets give the illusion of having a dust ruffle on the bed.

And, finally, these three turkeys wanted to pop on the post and say "hello" to everyone! Cassie has reminded me that she hasn't been able to write a blog post in a long time. And, of course, when River and Garden heard that they had to chime in and say, "me too," so perhaps in the near future I will take my chances and hand over the blog to these three crazy furballs!! Who knows how that will go?!

Hope you all enjoyed a little bit of this and that today. Be sure to let me know in the comments. I love hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie (this and that)

What's In My Book Basket?

 A Few Good Books

Hello friends!  As promised, I'm sharing with you the books that are in my book basket right now. As you know, I enjoy reading and always have two or three books going at the same time. I find reading to be relaxing and one of my favorite things to do each day. Some days slip away without my visiting a book or two but those days are few and far between!

My friend, Sharon, was kind in letting me borrow the latest, and final, book in the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear. I have been a Maisie Dobbs fan since the first book in the series came out in 2003. Without giving info that would be a spoiler, I can tell you that this final novel (#18), "The Comfort of Ghosts," ties up many loose ends in Maisie's life. I'm kind of sad that this series has ended and am currently hoping to find another mystery type series that I will enjoy like I did this one. 

I found "Sister Eve and The Blue Nun" by Lynne Hinton at our local used bookstore recently and decided to give this series a try. This mystery series features Sister Evangeline Divine, a young nun who is trying to decide whether to stay in the monastery life or join her detective father in the detective business. There are several books in this series as well. This particular book is interesting but isn't keeping my attention as well as the Maisie Dobbs books. Sometimes it takes me awhile to get into a series, though. So, I will continue reading this book and see what happens. This is also a later book in the series and I may benefit from reading the first book in order to feel more "grounded" in this particular series. 

"The Year at Thrush Green" is one of the books by my beloved British author, Miss Read, aka Dora Saint. I find Miss Read's books to be gentle stories of life in British villages and they always feature wonderful characters who come to life in ways that make them seem like they are your friends. This particular book takes each month of the year and highlights events happening in the village of Thrush Green that impact the lives of all of the characters such as Winnie Bailey the doctor's widow, Dotty Harmer the quirky lady who befriends animals and Albert Piggott's wife, Nellie, who loses a dear friend and must bravely carry on running "The Fuschia Bush" tea room by herself. Whenever I feel rumpled in spirit, a few minutes of reading a Miss Read book always calms me and makes me feel better. Even though I have read all of her many books time and time again, I still return to them frequently as do many other readers. I belong to a couple of FaceBook groups that are dedicated to Miss Read fans and everyone in the groups is in agreement about the beauty of these books. 

So, that is what is in my book basket at the moment. Have any of you read any of these books? Do you have some good titles to recommend? Please let all of us know in the comments!

Until Next Time,

Debbie