Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Scenes from a Bloomin Walk

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thankful For Grocery Stores, Modern Medicine and Multiple Rooms

Wow. We've been enjoying documentaries and creative reality television via Netflix for the past few months.

Lately, Frontier House has caught our attention.

Watching this particular five-month experiment/project has been eye-opening.

Lord of the Flies, the tale of young, civilized boys finding themselves on an island embracing animalistic survival-of-the-fittest mentality and becoming something altogether different than civilized, fits the experiment results in Frontier House pretty well. One family resorted to "trading" with modern families a walking distance away (with the teen girls watching MTV while the trading was in process), then making moonshine to supplement their income. Another family is on the verge of divorce and man oh man the dialogue/interaction between two bitter adults is an ugly thing to watch.

That said, I am thankful that I live in modern times. The lack of cleanliness, the hard, constant, physical labor, the close quarters would be a challenge I don't know that I could survive let alone thrive in. Fascinating place to visit via television, wouldn't want to go there.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ What's Cooking Clara?

This little lady is too cute.

If you want cooking lessons from someone with a little history under their belt (or bloomers) check this out.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Stretch Marks ~ Reviewed

Stretch Marks: A Novel
Kimberly Stuart
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781448921


From the Back Cover:

Mia is a granola-eating, sensible shoe–wearing, carbon footprint–conscious twenty-something living in a multicultural neighborhood in Chicago. Her mother, Babs, is a stiletto-wearing Zsa Zsa Gabor type who works as an activities hostess on a Caribbean cruise line … and if you guessed there’s some tension there, you’d be right. Factor in an unexpected pregnancy and Mia’s idealistic boyfriend—Lars is such a visionary he doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage—and the mother-daughter relationship is, well, stretched very thin. As is Mia’s sanity when Babs shows up to … help.

My Review:

With a healthy dose of wit and a touch of whimsy Kimberly Stuart takes on the challenge of a prickly yoga enthusiast who inadvertently ends up pregnant by her tree-hugging, commitment/job-phobe live-in. This alone is enough to challenge Christian fiction readers. But that's not all this novel is about. Toss in the estranged mother who is opposite in all ways and pushy about it. Add a touching teen Juno situation and a will-they, won't-they romantic scenario and, well, you get the general idea, lots of drama and opportunity for change.

This out-of-wedlock pregnancy from a live-in arrangement is a plot enthusiastically brought to you by David C. Cook who seem to have heard the cry of those who are looking for realistic fiction with a bit of heavenly hope tossed in. I applaud the decisions being made at David C. Cook. Not only are the recent novels edgy, but they are well-written.

The scenario of Mia and her unraveling life leaves a lot of opportunity for Mia to come to terms with reality. She is forced to look at the world a little differently since she is carrying a child. The Christian elements in this novel are light. You won't find verses at the beginning of each chapter. Sensitive readers may find a bit to squirm about as Mia and company aren't exactly embracing a Christian walk. There was maybe a bit too much story which hindered some development of a couple of relationships and some timing issues popped up now and again.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Words to Ponder

The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.


Elbert Hubbard

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ A Thought Well Said

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.



Ralph Waldo Emerson

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Free? Now You're Talking...

What do cat litter and Sunchips have in common?

I don't think I want to spend a lot of time thinking about that. But I do know I've gotten free coupons for both of those items after seeing their free offers here.

I tend toward skepticism after being burned more than once, but the draw of free gets me more often than not.

So far, in the past few months, I've gotten four or five free coupons. Not bad for a few clicks on the computer. Some offers require participation of some sort. Keep that in mind. The bigger the offer the more you will likely have to participate in...but....that can be worth it big time as I've recently found out.

I'll tell you about my big, BIG, freebie later. That one caused me to nibble my fingernails a few times while waiting for my prize. But in the meantime, go check this out. Who knows what you might find.