Need to Beat the Heat? Head to the Library!

For many of us across the US the weather has been unbearably hot! I live in an upper-floor apartment with no central air. Let me tell you the heat rises and leaves it feeling like a sauna. This year our main window unit air conditioner broke. Since we don't have huge windows we are stuck with stagnant humid air. Ugh it is horrible. So what is my solution? Well I could hole myself up in the bedroom with the working unit and blast it till my electric bill skyrockets. But no I chose another alternative. I packed up my laptop and some icy water and braved the mid day sun with my 3 year old toddler in tow. We walked the 8 minutes to our local public library. The second we stepped inside we were greeted with an arctic blast of cold air. Ah so refreshing.


So if your house is unbearably hot why don't you take a trip to the library. Many libraries have free wifi and the best part is you can grab a book or the latest issue of your favorite magazine find a cozy corner and dig in for the afternoon. What better excuse for making time to read than having to keep cool? And you can do it without spending any money.

Etsy Finds- Honeybees

So I decided to feature some shops who have at least one item that has to do with honeybees. Why honeybees you ask? Well quite simply that is the meaning of my name Melissa. The name Melissa stretches back to Greek mythology where the nymph Melissa cared for the baby Zeus by feeding him honey. I find that rather funny as these days we know not to feed babies honey. It can cause botulism in infants under 1 years old. Anyway here some great finds!


Project Transaction is an Oakland California based company. The deal in leather making and screen-printing. They use eco-friendly biodegradable cleaners. They specialize in custom work.
From transaction's shop
                               

Algomah Acres Honey Farm and Hive Products is based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Make a gift of their basswood, clover, and wildflower honey.  Beekeeper and crafter you can check out  the wonderful craft blog at http://www.melissa-hronkin.blogspot.com/
From algomahacres shop

CookECuts based out of Alexandria VA featured hand-cut fine paper artworks by Sarah Cooke Little. She is a full time artist, military spouse, mother of 3 and an obvious Princess Bride fan! Her works are simply beautiful.
From CookECuts Shop

Roby Baer works in pastels to create works of art that are so realistic they look like photographs. Based out of Redding CA, Roby is a self-taught artist! Great artistic ability runs in her family as both her mother and her grandma Marty were full of talent themselves. Roby sold her first painting when she was in high school!
From RobyBaers Shop

Tree Wings Studio based out of Buchanan, VA, is run by shop owner Rebekah Payne. Inspired by the simplest of things Rebekah works mostly with polymer clay. You can check out her blog at http://wo.com/ http://www.treewingsstudio.com/
From treewingsstudio's shop

Review Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I've been in a dystopian end of the world mood lately. Mayhap it has to do with the fact that life has been sucking for me lately. You know it is bad when you daydream about a zombie apocalypse and it isn't that you are scared of it but rather that you would welcome it. <sigh> All I can hope is that the economy turns around or that somehow either hubby or I get offered an amazing job. Anyway after reading the description of this book I knew it was perfect one for me to check out.

After an asteroid hits the moon knocking it out of orbit a chain of environmental disasters occurs on earth. Tsunamis wipe out the east and west coasts of the us. Volcanoes continually erupt filling the sky with dark ash. Crazy thunderstorms and snowstorms occur. Teenager Miranda documents it all in her journals. She tells of how her family strives to survive during what seems to be the end of the world.

I really really really enjoyed this book. It was one that had me reading it till I could no longer keep my eyes open at night then first thing in the morning I was back at it reading again. It took a while at first to get used to the diary style of writing but once I got into it it flowed along. I loved the family dynamic. I love how the mother fought the entire time for her family and even stopped eating at times so her children would not have to go without. The whole family had to fight for survival. In the end Miranda is the ultimate hero as *spoiler alert* she goes on a suicide mission to go into town knowing that she most likely will die and not make it back. She ends up saving her family from starvation.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars!

Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

        Blood Bound is the second novel in the Mercy Thompson series. In this book Mercy owes the vampires a favor. Her vampire friend Stefan tags along with her and they discover that a vampire/sorcerer is causing havoc and raising the crime rates. We also learn in this book that along with her ability to change into a coyote Mercy can see ghosts. Which has the vampires none too happy. For centuries vampires have hunted and killed her kind. Mercy needs to find the vampire/sorcerer causing so many violent deaths all while keeping her head down and out of trouble with both vampires and other magical creatures.

         I enjoyed this book but not as much as the first one. I really love the character of Stefan. When you meet his menagerie you really get an insight into who he is. I also loved the new added element that Mercy can see ghosts and it explains why the vampires are so afraid of her. She can see their victims and attack when they are most vulnerable during the daylight hours. As always Mercy is headstrong and is not afraid to protect others or do what she has to by herself. She is even willing to battle the vampire/sorcerer all by herself. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. What I most did not like was the section where the werewolves take over searching for the vampire/sorcerer and Mercy is just stuck sitting back on her heels waiting for them.



Hogwarts Reading Challenge- Mini challenge
Kickass heroine Challenge

Key Harvest- Game Session and Review

The newest game to my family's game collection is the Rio Grande version of  Key Harvest. We picked it up recently for $15-$20 at a local comic book store during free comic book day. Board Game Geek  rates the game 6.87/10. It is a 2-4 player game ages 10 and up.  Though I would say more 12 and up unless your child is a seasoned board game player. Seasoned meaning has played games more complex than monopoly, life, chutes and ladders etc.

We decided to give it a whirl Monday night. Unfortunately we didn't get to finish the game but managed to get down most of the basics. Some of the mechanics of it is similar to Vegas Showdown where you need to bid on a piece of land and place it on your territory. However there are two added elements of having workers and harvesting your land. The game is estimated to take 60-90 minutes. I would say closer to 90 especially the first few sessions. The game is not overly complex and my 13 year old stepdaughter who sleepy at the time was able to pick up on the basics. This is the type of game that requires a few times being played to get all the mechanics and to understand the strategy. That being said it was fairly enjoyable and I can see my family putting this into our normal rotation of games.  If you are new to board gaming I would suggest only playing this with someone who has played it before and can help and explain it. If you are a seasoned player you should have no problem picking up the mechanics of the game.


Now then what to rate this at...well since I haven't played a full session of it yet it is hard to rate. I would have to put it at a  3 out of 5. Not an instant hit but still very enjoyable. After a few more game sessions I'll update my opinion on it.

Etsy Finds-Procrastination Station

As you all know I'm a huge Etsy fan. Well my all time favorite team on etsy is the Procrastination Station team. What's the Procrastination Station you ask...well it is exactly as it sounds. It is a place to play word games and have fun with some of the nicest and funniest ladies I've ever met. I want to honor these great ladies by posting some of their shops. Unfortunately, I can't put up everyone so I tried to put in as many as I can. Maybe I'll do a part two post to get in even more. Come check out The Procrastination Station. Play a few games or start one of your own! All are welcome you just need to be friendly and willing to play :) 

 OurTimeCapsules Shop is an eclectic shop filled with wonderful vintage items. This shop is owned by husband and wife duo Ivy and Bill

UUEndy&Friends shop is owned by Wendy and her two cats. You'll find afghans and baby blankets in her shop but where she really shines is her play earrings. She has such cute earrings that it was hard for me to narrow down to three examples. She can make them as either clip or post. and the prices are so reasonable and the shipping is already included in the price!

EllenRay's Shop based out of Indiana is filled with her watercolor creations. She also crochets and sews. I'm totally in love with her original watercolors and her candlestick holders are just adorable.

                                               

MeiGuiDesigns shop is run by the ever friendly Julie. I literally want to own everything in her shop. I mean everything! I just spent 45 minutes going through her shop and just could not stop looking. She has some of the most beautifully crafted jewelry I've seen on Etsy. It was so hard to pick just 3 items from her shop since again I love it all!

   

                                                     

TheMusesCall Shop is filled with items perfect for the book lover. The store is full of handcrafted cards, bookmarks and book thongs. Using inspirational quotes on her items makes them stand out from the rest. Her items are so pretty and so connected with nature and the world around us.

                                                      

Been a Month

Ok so it has been exactly a month since my last post. I had a hard month last month and this month. A number of illnesses and family emergencies coming one after the other. I just couldn't drag myself on here. But I realized that I really miss posting. I've evaluated what I want to do with this blog. At the moment I'm going to hold off on giveaways though I've had a few very thoughtful offers from sponsors. I just want to get back into the swing again before I do any giveaways. I plan on continuing book reviews. I'll also be doing product reviews a few sponsored but mostly unsponsored reviews. Also as my family is very heavy into boardgames I really want to start posting reviews of the games we play. I also want to do more features on etsy shops as I truly love them and want to give the only kind of support I can currently afford. Since there are so many items I would love to buy on there but simply can't afford I'm going to support those shops I love by featuring them on here. Thank you so much to my fellow book bloggers who have continued to inspire me and motivate me to try. I want to especially thank  BookGeek from ReadingUnderTheInfluence who never hesitates to comment on my reviews and fellow reader and boardgamer Carol from CarolsNotebook