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Monday, July 5, 2021

Blink of an Eye – Book Review

by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Readers of the mystery genre may be familiar with best-selling author Iris Johansen, who is well-known for her Eve Duncan forensic sculptor series. To date, she has written 25 books in this series. She is also the author of 22 non-series books and 4 books with Catherine Ling as the main series character, who is a shadowy CIA operative raised on the streets of Hong Kong

In 2012, she began a new series with a new character, Kendra Michaels, who has keen senses from being blind for 20 years. Kendra now uses those exceptional senses as a consultant to the FBI and local authorities to solve difficult cases. What makes this series different from her other novels is it is written in conjunction with Iris Johansen's son Roy.

Roy Johansen is an author in his own right, having published three mystery novels prior to collaborating with his mother on, to date, eight Kendra Michaels books.

This is a book review of Iris and Roy Johansen's latest Kendra Michaels book, Blink of an Eye.

Blink of an Eye Synopsis:

Blink of an Eye

The story features investigator Kendra Michaels, whose observational skills are worthy of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

Kendra was blind for her first 20 years of life, until a revolutionary surgical procedure allowed her to regain her sight. Her powers of observation became honed during her years in the dark, allowing her to detect what other investigators don't.

When Delilah (Dee) Winter, one of the hottest pop stars in today's music world, is kidnapped in the middle of a show at the Hollywood Bowl, authorities cannot figure out how it is done. Dr. Kendra Michaels agrees to lead the race to rescue the young singer before time runs out.

Kendra is joined by Jessie Mercado, her long-time friend and the singer's former bodyguard who knows Delilah well. As they close in on the hideout location of the kidnappers, casualties mount up. Desperate for leads to where Dee is being held, Kendra also joins forces with Department of Justice Special Agent Adam Lynch with whom she has had a personal relationship. His special skills aid in the search for Dee Winter.

But, as the true purpose of the kidnappers become clear, the trio uncover a plot they never could have imagined – leading to a showdown they won't soon forget.

Summary

Even though Blink of an Eye is Book #8 in the Kendra Michaels series, it reads easily as a stand-alone story, so it doesn't really matter in which order you read any of the books in the series. Starting with Book #8 works just fine as an introduction to this fast-paced thriller series.

For More Mystery Book Reviews, go to

ReviewThisBooks - Mysteries

Sunday, July 4, 2021

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort Book Review

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort by EllynAnne Geisel Book Review

When I was a child, I had the privilege of knowing and spending time with my great grandmother, who raised her family during the Great Depression. In those years, she was forced to be very frugal and learned some interesting tricks to stretch the family income that she later attempted to pass on to my sister and I. The time that I remember best is when she showed us how to turn an old dress into an apron. I could not do so today but I guess having participated in that activity with my great grandmother when I was a child created a fond spot in my heart for aprons.

It is very interesting to me then that aprons, both vintage and modern, are turning up everywhere from movies and television shows to magazines and shops the later of which cannot keep trendy aprons on the shelves. Many people collect them including celebrities like Julia Roberts and ordinary folk like you and I though my collection is small and well used.

This book, The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort by EllynAnne Geisel, is a guide to old and new aprons. It features photographs of both new and vintage aprons, patterns for four basic styles and still more information including tips for collectors, instructions for preservation and even some apron stories.

Amazon calls this book a celebration of the apron and says that it reminds us of why we love this humble item. Homemaker's Magazine says, "this book provides easy-to-follow instructions, interesting facts and vintage illustrations which make it charming" and the Denver Post says "this book restores dignity to a domestic symbol and is part how-to and part history, which is comforting." Finally, NPR says, "it unfolds like a bolt of fabric, the pattern of a life remembered through a homey object."

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort is a top ranking apron book. Originally published in 2006, it is still widely available in your choice of format be that hardback, paperback or Kindle.

If you are interested in making or even just reading about aprons, you can buy your new or pre-owned copy on Amazon by clicking right here though I was delighted to see that it is available for less than five dollars including shipping on eBay. See for yourself what is available on eBay today by clicking right here.

Are you an apron collector?

See you in the kitchen!

Hopefully, with an apron on.

Brenda

MORE READING:

Discover a life time of wisdom, memories and recipes from the Great Depression.

Find a fun cookie-themed apron here.

Check out the aprons in my eBay store.

Find more Apron books on Amazon.

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Saturday, July 3, 2021

Midwest Adventures – Travel Review

Summertime is frequently 'vacation time'. After a year of travel restrictions, many are looking forward to taking trips this year. Because of some restrictions still in place and due to limited resources and high gas and motel prices, most people are deciding to stick close to home for their vacations and/or staycations (visiting local attractions without much travel).

For those living in the Midwest, there are a wide variety of simple, easy-to-reach, and fairly inexpensive places to see and things to do. A few which have been visited by contributors to ReviewThisReviews are listed here, along with reviews and recommendations.

The American Midwest

Source: Wikipedia

The Midwest (or American Midwest or The Midwestern United States) consists of 12 states in the north central United States. The states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Several of our Review This contributors live within this area and have visited, written about and reviewed local attractions. If you cannot travel to some of them in person right now, taking a virtual tour via these travelogues would be a fun way to decide on your next trip.

MISSOURI

Mary Beth Granger (mbgphoto) loves to visit and photograph local areas in her Midwestern state of Missouri. She lives in Eastern Missouri, so the St. Louis area offers her many easy-to-reach places to visit. She frequently takes day trips with camera in hand to document her visits. Among some of her recommended places to visit are:

St. Louis Arch

Image Credit: mbgphoto

Known as the "Gateway to the West", the St. Louis Arch was built as a monument to the 'Westward Expansion of the United States".

Mary Beth Granger gives us a wonderful overview of this historic monument in her article Explore St Louis-The Gateway Arch.

*Note: The St. Louis Arch is located in Gateway Arch National Park on the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. Cost to ride to the top of the arch is $3.00 for visitors 16 and up and free for children 15 and under.

St. Louis Union Station and the St. Louis Wheel

St. Louis Wheel at the St. Louis Union Station

Photo Credit: mgbphoto

While you are still in downtown St. Louis, you might enjoy checking out the St. Louis Union Station and enjoying a ride on the new St. Louis Wheel. The Wheel opened on September 30th, 2019 to help celebrate the 125th anniversary of Union Station. The Wheel is a 200 foot high observation wheel with 42 fully enclosed and climate controlled gondolas that each seat 6 adults. The 15-minute ride includes 3-4 rotations high above the St. Louis skyline.

Read all about it in Mary Beth Granger's Review of New Wheel at St. Louis Union Station.

*NOTE: Union Station is located at 201 S 18th St. St. Louis, MO. Cost of tickets to ride the Wheel is $15 for adults and $10 for children.

In addition to the New Wheel, the St. Louis Union Station (a former train station for the area) also boasts a total of 7 other attractions, including the St. Louis Aquarium. It also has a hotel and a variety of restaurants. Check out the St. Louis Union Station attractions here.

Forest Park in St. Louis

Forest Park St. Louis - Photo by mbgphoto

Forest Park located just west of the city of St. Louis is a large public park with numerous attractions. Among the things to see and do is the St. Louis Zoo, The Art Museum and the Science Center. Many other attractions are also available in this amazing park. Mary Beth Granger describes the many delights of Forest Park in her article Visit Missouri-Explore St Louis- Forest Park and the Jewel Box

*NOTE: Forest Park is Located at 5595 Grand Dr, St. Louis, MO 63112. Open daily until 10 pm, many of the attractions are free. The St. Louis Zoo does have some special attractions with ticket prices, but the zoo itself is free. There is a nominal parking fee per vehicle.

The above St. Louis, MO attractions are just a few of places to visit in Missouri. For a review of several other fun places to see, such as Defiance (home of Daniel Boone) and the Missouri Covered Bridges, click on the MISSOURI search in ReviewThisReviews.

IOWA

Cedar Bridge in Madison County - mgbphoto

Madison County, Iowa is famous for its covered bridges. Mary Beth Granger visited there a few years ago and wrote all about the famous 'Bridges of Madison County' and the John Wayne Museum located in Winterset, Iowa, the county seat of Madison County. Read her Review of a Visit to Madison County Iowa.

*NOTE: The John Wayne Museum is open from 10 AM to 5 PM and the admission price is $15. It is located at 205 S John Wayne Drive, Winterset, IA.

Field of Dreams - Dyersville, Iowa

Corn field at Field of Dreams Movie Site

If you build it, he will come!

The movie Field of Dreams was filmed at the old Lansing Family Farm in Dyersville, Iowa. Afterwards, the field was kept by the property owners and turned into a tourist attraction. People have been coming to visit here for over 32 years and its popularity continues.

Read Wednesday Elf's review of this iconic Midwest movie location (Field of Dreams Travel Review) written after a day trip with family.

For any baseball fan, or anyone who has ever had a dream, the Field of Dreams baseball field is a delightful place to visit.

This summer (August 2021) the Field of Dreams Movie Site will host a regular season Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees. The Legend of 'Shoeless Joe' continues.

“Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa”

*NOTE: The Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa is free to visit. It is located in Dyersville, Iowa, 30 minutes west of Dubuque and two and a half hours from Des Moines.

Minnesota and Michigan Lighthouse B&Bs

Big Bay Lighthouse by mbgphoto

For an unusual overnight stay, you can be a Lighthouse Keeper. Here are two of the lighthouses in the Midwest which are available for overnight stays.

Big Bay Lighthouse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Two Harbors Minnesota

Read You Too Can Be a Lighthouse Keeper for interesting details about Lighthouse B&Bs.

*NOTE: TWO HARBORS LIGHTHOUSE - MINNESOTA: Self guided tours include the lighthouse tower, the Assistant Keeper's house, a Pilot House and the Fog Signal building. The Keeper's Quarters is open year round as the Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast.

Located on Lake Superior, this quirky bed-and-breakfast sits in the oldest operational lighthouse in Minnesota, a 19th-century redbrick building that once housed the lighthouse keeper's quarters. It is less than a mile from downtown Two Harbors and 28.2 miles from Duluth. Check the Two Harbors Website for price details.

BIG BAY LIGHTHOUSE. Located at 4674 Co Rd KCB, Big Bay, MI in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on Lake Superior, approximately 24 miles northwest of Marquette, the Big Bay Point Light stands on a tall bluff over a rocky point near Big Bay, Michigan. Today it is the only operational lighthouse with a bed and breakfast. It is reputed to be haunted. Send them an email @ keepers@bigbaylighthouse.com for information.

Michigan Waterfalls

Michigan Waterfalls Postcard
by mbgphoto

While in Michigan, you might also visit the lovely waterfalls in Michigan described in Mary Beth Granger's Photographing Waterfalls article.

Midwest Sports

For the summer sports fan, there are quite a few Midwestern locations of Major League Baseball Fields to visit for a game, including the Chicago Cubs, who play at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, MO. and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. Plus, the Minnesota Twins located in the Twin cities and the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin.

Woodmen Park baseball field in Davenport, Iowa

Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa - (Wikipedia)

Or you could attend a Minor League baseball game at Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa and watch the Quad City River Bandits, currently a minor league baseball team for the Kansas City Royals.

*NOTE: Woodmen Park is located on the Mississippi River in downtown Davenport, Iowa at 209 S Gaines St, Davenport, IA. Click here for game dates and ticket prices.

Summary

These are just a few of the many vacation spots and attractions available to visit on a Midwest Vacation.

HAPPY TRAILS!

*Midwest Adventures compiled and written by

Wednesday Elf

Journey through America's Heartland:

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Friday, July 2, 2021

Wilton Perfect Results Large Non-stick 18" x 12" Baking Pan Review

I have been baking with Wilton pans pretty much all of my adult life. Once I discovered the non-stick Wilton pans, I never looked back! They are fabulous pans that are available in a lot of different shapes and sizes.

I confess that as a newlywed (over 30 years ago), baking in my own first kitchen and having very limited funds, I was enticed by the lower price of the basic aluminum cake pans. It didn't take very long for me to realize they weren't worth the cost of an ugly cake. I don't remember burning any cakes in those old aluminum pans, but they did stick, even when coated with shortening, and tear chunks out of my cakes when trying to remove the cake from the pan. Then I had to force the chucks in place & "glue" them with icing. That simply didn't make a very pretty cake, even if the cake did taste good. I kid you not, once I tried the Wilton non-stick baking pans, I tossed those aluminum pans and never shed a tear.

Of course, there are a few downsides to the non-stick coating. For one, you don't want to use a sharp knife to cut a sheet cake still in the pan. Plus, it is best to wash the pans by hand and not in the dishwasher. Yes, they are dishwasher safe, but the coating will last a lot longer if you hand-wash them. Is it worth it? You bet! I would much rather hand wash a non-stick pan than to try to "glue" a cake back together.

You now know why I love Wilton baking pans, but I have found another use for a specific size Wilton pan that I must share! The 18" x 12" Perfect Results pan is my favorite to date.

The 18" x 12" Wilton Perfect Results Cake Pan

Of course the 18" x 12" size is perfect for baking a huge crowd pleasing cake. It is simply doubling or tripling a cake recipe (16 cups of cake batter) to fill and will serve 54 people depending on the serving size. The number 54 is based on cutting 2" square cake pieces. If you need to serve more, you could cut smaller piece. If you use boxed cake mix, according to Wilton, it will take 4 boxes.

But, this huge cake pan is NOT JUST for cakes!

I use mine for dinners like my manicotti (holds 14 stuffed manicotti shells - 1 box) & enchiladas (holds 18 stuffed enchiladas). Using this one pan is so much easier than splitting the meal and cleaning two standard casserole dishes. Plus, I love how lightweight it is when filled! I can easily put it in the oven and lift it out myself. Because of the 12" width, I can easily place the enchiladas end to end without mashing the ends together to force a fit like was required in a 10" wide casserole dish.

In addition to the manicotti & the enchiladas, I recently baked 6 pork chops on a bed of wild rice & soup. The meat was perfect and tender, and so was the rice. Therefore, it can be used for meat as well as pasta meals.

The size fits in my 27" wall oven without touching the oven sides.

It is so nice to be able to cook an entire recipe of manicotti or enchiladas all at one time in one oven. Previously, I either had to use both of my ovens for just the main course, or cook one dish, set aside and cook the second dish.

When cooking for a large family, or cooking a recipe that will provide enough leftovers for a second meal, having this 18" x 12" baking pan is essential.

One word of caution: I found out the hard way that reheating leftovers is this pan is not advisable. Sadly, I ruined my first pan that way. When reheating, the residue on the sides from the eaten half burned on the pan and took the non-stitch coating off with it when cleaning. So, do move leftovers into a different pan for reheating.

Wilton is a name we all associate with baking cakes, cupcakes & desserts. However, their non-stitch pans should not be limited to just baking cakes in our homes. They can do so much more!

Wilton W6516 Perfect Results Sheet Cake Pan, 18Check Price

Thursday, July 1, 2021

The Emptiness of Our Hands - Book Review

Who would you become if you were to suddenly find yourself without a home? Some of you here know the answer to that question because you have lived it. For the authors of The Emptiness of Our Hands, the answer was far beyond what they could ever have imagined. Living the question forever changed who they were and who they continue to become to this day.

Choosing to live on the streets of Columbus, Ohio for 47 days may not seem earth-shattering, but for Phyllis Cole-Dai, and her photographer friend, James Murray, the experience was, in many ways, soul-shattering. They found themselves immersed in an alternate universe offering up the kind of devastation that stripped bare their psyches and spirits. After just two nights, Murray was already broken to pieces.

The decision to go to the streets had not been made lightly or done as a stunt. Cole-Dai felt a deep call she could not ignore. Her intent was to offer up the gift of presence to everyone she met.

So then what transpires when you suddenly find yourself in deep survival mode? How are you transformed while living in a world ill at ease with the homeless... with you? How do you cope with feeling invisible, despised, and less than human? When constantly wrestling with intense fear, uncertainty, and struggle, what gives? What sustains?

How is it that something as simple as being seen can be such a consolation? Nothing is inconsequential to the one in need of the kind of attention that shelters, or the haven to be found in the eyes of compassion. To be seen like that is to receive an act of love.

As one with an outreach to those without a home, immersing myself within The Emptiness of Our Hands has reaffirmed for me the power of "thereness" (really being there for, and with, someone). It has stirred a deep desire to be a very present haven to the one who might need to rest for a moment in my embracing presence.

This book is for anyone who seeks to express the kind of humanity that feeds and shelters souls. Just as there are many ways to experience homelessness, there are also many ways to be the kind of home presence needed by the displaced, the lost, or the lonely souls we encounter all around us.

I also highly recommend the companion volume entitled Practicing Presence. This compilation of 47 reflections (one from each of the author's 47 days on the streets) enables each of us to more fully develop and engage our mindfulness intentions. I consider these two books the most important reading I have done all year.

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