Taking a Stand, Fresh Food on Demand

Dress: Mudd, Kohl's; Bag: Excel, Delia's

Enlightened Elephant Necklace

This isn't a rant about the importance of uncompromised produce in an increasingly GMO world.  It's just an account of a Sunday at our local farm stand.  Even if the husband's the one selecting the choicest tomatoes and peaches while I pose by the flowers.  To be sure, my sleepy stare and bedhead hair (just add a bow!) reveal that I've once again traded slumber for cucumbers and marigolds.  But I'm jumping for joy on the inside at the thought of fresh garlic bread and tomatoes.  Also, for the chance to wear my Enlightened Elephant Necklace, which I made ages ago but listed only yesterday.  Bold yet simple, it reminds me that happiness is less complicated than we make it.

Also that I should've gotten a shot of the awesome elephant ears. 🐘🍃

Dearly Departed and Humor Whole Hearted: A Romance Writer's Resurrection

"Love is dead," Florence Day said 

To her editor one day.

But her editor was hot

So she blushed on the spot 

And then they had a roll in the hay.

Okay, so that's not what happens in Ashley Poston's The Dead Romantics.  But it's not not what happens either.  Ghostwriter and mortician's daughter Florence Day has been through a lot.  An epic breakup.  A missed manuscript deadline.  A family tragedy.  And oh, she also sees dead people.  Understandably, it all makes her a bit cynical.  At least on the surface.  But underneath the humiliation and hurt is the heart of a romantic that refuses to die.  

This novel is like The Addams Family meets Six Feet Under with your favorite romcom sprinkled in.  Which is to say, delightful.  Poston's writing is that irresistible combination of clever and lyrical.  Plus, there's a small southern town, a Victorian mansion of a funeral home, fields of wildflowers and balloons, and two well-timed twists, all of which spell cinematic feature.  (Hear that, Hollywood?  Please add The Dead Romantics to your long list of post-strike projects).  But the most compelling thing about this book is Florence's growth.  She starts out as a woe-is-me victim in hiding, then breaks back into her past to author her future.  The part where she sees her ex is particularly poignant:     

"He gave me a strange look, and oh, I wished he could've said that he missed me.  And I wished he could've apologized.  And I could've told him that my stories were real, and that they were precious, and that I wanted to tell them someday.  Because ghost stories were just love stories about here and then and now and when, about pockets of happiness and moments that resonated in places long after their era.  They were stories that taught you that love was never a matter of time, but a matter of timing." (309)

Florence's epiphany about writing -- and life -- is so spot-on beautiful.  Because that's what The Dead Romantics is really about -- a writer rediscovering her voice.  

Next up, another account of love and loss:

Casper Disaster: The Ghost That Got Away    

Not Quite Through With Red, White, and Blue

Bag: Amerileather, Zulily; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Top: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Deep Blue Twee Necklace

Bad: INC, Macy's; Shoes: Katy Perry Collection

Flag Swag Necklace

Nine West, Kohl's

Top: XOXO, Macy's; Bag: Royal Monk, Modcloth

American Anchor Necklace

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Some stores already have their fall stuff out.  And to that I say boo hiss!  Because here at The Tote Trove, we post Fourth of July flare a week after the Fourth.  Some may call it procrastination . . . but I call it reliving the moment (and also, yes, procrastination).  So it's with pride that I display these baskets of hot-off-the-grill red, white, and blue baubles:

Baskets: Michaels

I just love these baskets, which I found at Michaels for half off just before, not Fourth of July, but Memorial Day.  (See?  My procrastination knows no bounds.)  

Who knows.  Come December, I may channel Blink-182 and have Halloween on Christmas, festooning my tree with ghosts instead of gumballs.

Well, ghosts with gumball eyes.  Because it's not Christmas -- or, for that matter, Halloween -- without an unhealthy dose of high fructose corn syrup.

Prediction Friction: Killer Cookie

Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop Mysteries are always such a treat.  But I particularly savored her latest, Misfortune Cookie.  Because restaurant manager-slash-sleuth Lana Lee flees snowy Cleveland for California!  Lana is attending a restaurant convention, and her big sis Anna May is tagging along in the wake of her breakup with a married man.  Both are staying with their gracious and glamorous Aunt Grace.  But all is not blue skies and bon appetits.  Aunt Grace's bestie gets into a kerfuffle with a fortune cookie vendor only to plummet to her death.  And for once, Lana is staying out of it.  After all, she promised her detective boyfriend Adam that she'd stick to potstickers.  Yet Aunt Grace is distraught and beseeches her niece to find justice for her friend.  What's a semi-retired, amateur PI to do?  Snoop in the deceased's home office, of course.  Even if it means outsmarting a smarmy widower and dealing with law student Anna May's million objections.

Speaking of Anna May, I didn't expect to like her so much.  She's usually relegated to the background in these novels, passing judgment while Lana and her roommate Megan have the fun of solving the murders.  But being the other woman humanizes her, making her seem like less of a killjoy and more like a genuinely concerned sister.  Plus, she's smart and sassy like Lana, and her legal expertise brings a fresh perspective.  Sure, she and Lana still snipe at each other.  But they also get closer, adding depth to the story.  

So, can the sisters save the day?  And what will Adam have to say?  Most importantly, will fortune cookies ever have real fortunes instead of stuff like "Keep calm and eat more fortune cookies."?!  

Only that contentious cookie vendor knows for sure.  And something tells me she's not telling.     

Mixed Media Madness and Serpent Time Sadness

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's

Dress: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Duster: New York & Company

Rhyolite Delight Necklace

Flower barrettes: Capelli, ULTA

Bag: Current Mood, Dolls Kill

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Eye of the Tiger Eye Necklace

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Chase & Chloe, Zulily

Bag: Circus by Sam Edelman, Kohl's; Charm: Staples

Top: Worthington, JCPenney

Jasper Rapture Necklace

Sparkly and skinny bangles: Target; Wavy bangle: Mixit, JCPenney; Stretch bracelet: Amrita Singh, Zulily

Headband: Candie's, Kohl's

When I found a bunch of semi-precious gem beads on sale at Michaels (jasper and rhyolite and tiger's eye, oh my!), I instantly knew that I wanted to embellish their mined-from-the-earth natural beauty with a rainbow of manmade kawaii cabochons.   

And I'm so glad I did, because it was tons of fun!  I love the contrast of the bright plastic against the muted stones and am already planning new designs.  What's more, I sold the fruit one (Rhyolite Delight) just hours after listing it!

Now for the not-so-sweet part of our program.  Over the weekend, the husband informed me that he saw "a creature with no legs" in our backyard, then in our front yard wrapped around the small Christmas tree shrub on our walkway.  Yes, friends, it was a snake!  A big black one.  Now, I probably don't have to tell you that I abhor these slithering reptiles.  I can kill a spider no problem, but anything sans limbs gives me the willies.  I even refused to look at the pictures the husband took, not wanting to risk nightmares.  The husband, on the other hand, is, ahem, charmed by serpents.  To my horror, he stood observing this one from the dining room window while snacking on dates, insisting that it "had a cute nose."  (I was facing the opposite wall.)  He even went as far as to name it Lieutenant Dan, on account of the whole no legs thing.  

Needless to say, that's why two of these three outfit pics were taken inside.  (You may recall that the mini Christmas tree is one of my favorite photo op spots.)  I haven't even gotten the mail since the sighting and have been super careful getting into the car (which is thankfully parked in the backyard) the few times I've left the house.  For his part, the husband has been keeping tabs on Lieutenant Dan and recently reported that he saw it in the tree two days in a row but not since.   

Until now.  Just minutes ago, the husband announced that the suspect has shed its skin in front of that fateful tree.  Which means that it's probably taken up residence under the black plastic mulch tarp behind it in the hedge -- and is, gulp, growing.

I've never needed a reason to stay indoors, but this just may push me over the edge into true shut-in status.  Summertime sadness indeed! 

It's a good thing I got those craft supplies . . .

Flag Day Replay: Putting the Fourth First

 

Bag: Old Navy

Skirt (a dress!): O'Neill, Macy's

Howdy Howlite Necklace

Shirt: Izod, Kohl's

Katy Perry Collection, Nordstrom Rack

Top: So, Kohl's

We celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday, with a BBQ at my parents' house.  Indeed, I took most of these pictures there.  My mom always makes everything so festive, and I couldn't help but capture it.  I asked her if she minded me posting her utensil setup and flowers, and she said "of course not."  For my part, I made cupcakes.  To paraphrase the Dos Equis man, I don't often bake, but when I do, it always comes from a box.  So thanks, Duncan Hines, for letting me fast-forward to the fun part: decorating!  I chose to adorn half with maraschino cherries because one Fourth when I was a kid, my mom put cherries on her cupcakes, which I thought was so special.  She also dyed some of the icing blue and some red (well, pink), as a nod to the flag.  Like I said, always festive.   

So here's hoping that your Fourth is full of food, fun, and fireworks.  And, of course, cupcakes. 🧁

No Sugar in My Tea: Two Kinds of Cozy

They say that tea has a calming effect, and the same can be said for tea-themed novels.  Even if, in Leslie Meier's English Tea Murder, the scones come with, not clotted cream, but a killer.  Indeed, this installment in the Lucy Stone series has an Agatha Christie feel to it, complete with a trip to jolly old England, a strangely connected cast of characters, and even, not to put too fine a point on it, an outing to see Christie's The Mousetrap.  These elements, mingled with the cozy-yet-creepy mystery that unfurls amidst the steam of Earl Grey, make it one of my Meier favorites.   

By contrast, Elizabeth Berg's Tapestry of Fortunes isn't a mystery.  Unless, of course, you count the mysteries of life.  Because that's what CeCe Ross is forced to confront after the death of her best friend Penny.  Adrift but aware that her life needs more meaning, she takes a sabbatical from her job as a motivational speaker, starts volunteering at a hospice center, and sells her house to move in with three strangers.  Lise, Joni, and Renie are different from CeCe -- and each other -- but turn out to be just what she needs.  Not only do they share her penchant for reading tarot cards and tea leaves, they offer up their own fears and regrets, creating an unbreakable bond.  Berg steeps their poignant yet never saccharine story in irreverent reverence, making Tapestry of Fortunes joy in a cup.

And that's all tea that we have today, friends.  Maybe next time I'll spring for crumpets.