Review on No Way Up by Mary Connealy

"When Cimarron ranch patriarch Chance Boden is caught in an avalanche, the quick actions of hired hand Heath Kincaid save him. Badly injured, Chance demands that his will be read and its conditions be enforced immediately.

Without anyone else to serve as a witness, Heath is pressed into reading the will. If Justin, Sadie, and Cole Boden don’t live and work at home for the entire year, the ranch will go to their low-down cousin Mike.

Then Heath discovers the avalanche was a murder attempt, and more danger might follow. Deeply involved with the family, Heath’s desire to protect Sadie goes far beyond friendship. The danger keeps them close together, and their feelings grow until being apart is the last thing on their minds".

I have never read any of Mary Connealy's books before and loved her writing.  This story takes place in the New Mexico territories and in the lower southwest corner of Colorado.  The plot combined, mystery, suspense, romance and some humor.  As I read, I couldn't help reflect on the Mesa Verde dwellings; although the the different levels of Mesa Verde were more complex than those in the story.  I truly enjoyed this book and found it an easy read.  The characters are easy to relate to and the author weaves a wonderful tale.  I will definitely look for more of her books.
Disclaimer:  Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing, provided me with this book free of charge, in exchange for my honest review.

Outdoor Wednesday and Meeting in the Flesh

Happy Wednesday to you all! We are back home after a wonderful time away; loved each minute of the day with our friends and a bonus was that when we stopped in Ogden, Utah for the night on Monday we got to meet, in the flesh and furs~ Carol, Bob, Murphy and Stanley. This was such a special time for me, as I've been blogging buddies with Carol and her boys since I started blogging-or at least it seems like that. If you don't know Carol, stop by and say hello. You can find them here:
http://murphyandstanley.blogspot.com
We met in front of the hotel we were staying at and took a walk through a city park and even heard incredible music. We had been on the road for 10+ hours and we kept our visit short~hubby was pretty hungry. These boys are just the sweetest!  There personalities are wonderful.  Meeting Carol's hubby Bob was pretty special too.  They showed us a place where we could eat and it was great. We both had salads; we ate so well with our friends and my scale attests to it.  Back to walking and riding for me, plus lots of salads.

Since I was missing my boy so much, I loved the kisses Stanley gave me.

If I had more time I would have wanted to meet Michelle and also Vickie-two other blogging friends.
We left Ogden at 8:00 yesterday morning and arrived home by 3:00 p.m.  That included a gas stop, lunch at Subway and stopping at one quilt shop in Cheyenne.
It was so good to pick up Hunter and then unpack.  Lots of laundry to do and mail to sort through.
I just want to tell my hubby how much I appreciated this trip.  It was a trip of a lifetime for me~Sisters has been on my radar for many, many years.  He willingly went to lots of quilt stores and walked(till we were ready to drop)for hours at the quilt show.  It only is held for one day and they have 1300 quilts to see.  I was exhausted when it was over.  A big thank you to all those who work so long to put this show on.
Have a great day!
Hugs, Noreen

Happy Monday to you!  It seems like forever since I've been able to get around to see you all; I'm hoping that my blogging buddy KB does not loose her home or area due to the wildfire that is raging near her.  She and her pack were evacuated this weekend; I'm hoping the CDF got that fire out.
Today we leave Redmond~we've had a wonderful time here and the time flew by. I will say we packed so much into each and every day that I was exhausted by the time we turned in at night.
Yesterday we saw a great State Park-Smith Rock.  We hiked, saw Rock Climbers and even saw a High Wire walker-similar to a tight rope.  I can tell you that the two walkers were so high~I'll post pictures when I'm home.  I've already packed my things in the car and after we have breakfast, hubby will pack the rest.  We head to Ogden today; I had hoped to find a quilt store to look for a Row By Row pattern, but didn't find any on the web.  Tomorrow morning we will head home; today's drive about 9 hours and tomorrow we will drive about 6/7 hours.  There are two quilt stores in Cheyenne that I want to stop in at.  Actually, there were so many in Laramie that I'll have to make a day trip out of going up there.  I will say that I have enough projects to last till December.  I have my two quilts from the classes, one is for Christmas.  Then I also bought fabric for a throw for Christmas and a book with gifts for the grands.  I am still looking for a winter project, but I fell in love with a kit at the store where I belong to the Monthly Quilt Club, so that may end up in my stash.
So many wonderful memories were made this week.  Over our lives we have made many dear friends~some have been around since we were kids, while others have been in our lives for the last twenty plus years.  Barb and I are so close-she has been my best friend, mentor with sewing & quilting and understands my quirkiness.  I cherish our times together and also realize that distance has made our friendship deeper and stronger.  Our passion for quilting has helped too.  WE laugh so much when we play cards and she is there to help with any corrections I might need to make while sewing.  She grew up sewing and is a natural quilter, something I am not.  I do try hard though.
So until we travel again together, I'm/we are sending all my love with Jim and Barb. It's been a trip of a lifetime.  Home awaits us with our loved ones, grands and our Hunter.  Can't wait.
Blessings~
Noreen

Good Evening my friends! Today I am thankful for the wonderful time we are having with our friends here in Oregon.  On Tuesday, Barbara and I took a class from Linda Ballard; it was a Mystery Quilt as I shared yesterday.  We only knew that it was two colors and how to cut our fabric.  We did not see the quilt pattern until half way through the day~here it is.  This is the size I am making and it is a pretty easy quilt, with just two blocks.  I love her blue and white, but will love my red and white even more.  I would love to say I've got it all finished, but I haven't.  We had talked about sewing when we got home, but after six hours of sewing we felt we needed to focus some time on our hubby's.  Today's class with Rob Appell, aka Man Sewing with Missouri Star Quilt Company was equally as great.  I had watched his you-tube video twice and thought the quilt would be so easy coming together.  The class had a lot more in depth details that I expected.  It was a six hour class as well and I would love to say I got more done than I did-but I am slow and methodical when it comes to piecing.  He was such a good teacher, however he didn't have instructions to hand out(they are currently in the works), so I had to video some of his instructions.  Again, I am tired and look forward to having a relaxed evening.  Tomorrow we are going kayaking early, so I won't be posting. I'm hoping we get to sew in the afternoons and maybe on Sunday.
I hope you've had a great week!
Blessings~
Noreen

Sisters, Oregon

Good Morning friends; I've been waiting for some photos to arrive in my email so I can post a few pictures here.  However, breakfast is looming and they haven't arrived, so this will be short and sweet.
We are having  fabulous time with our friends!!!! We've traveled so much together and been friends for so long that we just fit well together.  When we first moved to Colorado, I had a hard time spending more than 3 or 4 days together, but over the years you learn how each other lives and adjustment seems natural.   So yesterday, Barbara and I had our first class-a mystery quilt by Linda Ballard; it was easier than the last two mystery quilts (about 15 and 12 years ago).  Of course in that time frame, I've grown much in the skills and feel more confident than I was so long ago; then I was a new quilter.
We arrived at the class about 15 minutes early and most of the ladies were all set up. I would say the majority of the ladies took Linda's classes for the four days she had them.  They actually called themselves groupies.  We were given directions for the first two steps and then worked until lunch; after lunch she revealed the quilt we were making.  There are many variations to the pattern and it as so fun to play around with the blocks and decide which pattern you wanted.  The class ended about an hour early, so Barbara and I headed to several quilt shops to check them out.  I have to say that I haven't seen anything that I couldn't live without.
On the way home, we stopped at Trader Joe's for a few items and then headed home. We are eating well, but light.  Today we will head into Bend and just tour around.
I hope you are having a wonderful week and have a great day.
Contentedly,
Noreen

We are celebrating with our dearest friends, Barbara and Jim, in beautiful Oregon.  WE are having so much fun already and we haven't even gone near a quilt shop.  Tomorrow Barbara and I have our first of two classes and then hope to spend some time checking out all of the local quilt stores.  Thursday we have another class; I think it will be my favorite.  The Sister's show is on Saturday; I'm just hoping we have enough time to wander around Sisters.  So much fun and so many memories being made.
Joy to you!
Noreen

A Family Luau

Happy Friday to you. This week our two daughters, sil's and grands threw a party for hubby. It was a combination Father's Day and Birthday and the theme was his favorite foods when we are in Kauai. They went over the top with preparation and spared no expense. It was such a blessing to see my hubby honored this way.  Such a blessing to see the creativity and love of our family poured out.
The entry was decked out perfectly.

Two cousins celebrating too.

The Hostess's with the mostest.

The dinner menu consisted of Yellow Fin Ahi tacos.  A staple when we are in the islands.

Kim made all the sushi and even made Yellow Fin Sushi.  A first for her; they do make vegetable sushi on a regular basis, but this was her first using raw fish.

Chicken for the kiddos and grilled pineapple.

This was a new fish for me to try-raw Salmon Poke.  It was so good!

Hunter on alert.

The family enjoying a beautiful summer evening. Most of the kids were playing on the tramp or the zip line.

The girls have been talking about having a luau for years and I'm so glad it finally came together.
We also came home with leftovers, which we enjoyed last night.
Today I have an annual eye exam and then will spend the day packing and grocery shopping.  We are also having some friends over for a simple dinner tonight-probably taco salad.
I hope you have a great day.  Don't know how often I will be posting next week-hopefully a lot from the quilt show.
Hui Hou or Until we meet again~
Noreen