Thirty And A Half Excuses, and Why I Love The Rose Gardner Mysteries

I love the Rose Gardner Mysteries so much.

I fell in love with Rose and the other crazy and colorful residents of Henryetta Arkansas 

when I read "Twenty Eight And A Half Wishes".

And I loved her, and felt sorry for her, and worried about her and cheered for her

 and cried along with her in "Twenty Nine And A Half Reasons".

And, well, I also fell in love with her boyfriend Joe. 

Sigh. Joe. Mmmmm....

So when I found out Denise was writing "Thirty And A Half Excuses", 

well, I practically begged to review it 

(translation: read it as soon as possible!!!)

Denise Grover Swank is my friend, a fellow adoptive mama, and a brilliant writer.

Here is a little more about her. 

New York Times and
USA Today bestselling author Denise
Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she
was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four
states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her
roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she
learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period.  Her hobbies
include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen
with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.)  Hidden
talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive
amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the
sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks.  She has six
children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

You can read more about Denise Here.

Thirty And A Half Excuses is the third book in the Rose Gardner Mysteries and I think it is my favorite!

THIRTY AND A HALF
EXCUSES Synopsis:
Life in Henryetta, Arkansas is turned upside down with the
arrival of a televangelist, but it’s the death of a little old lady on Rose’s
street that catches her attention. The Henryetta police deem her death natural
causes, but Rose suspects foul play and so does an unlikely supporter–-the
president of the Busy Body Club, her eighty-two year old neighbor Mildred.



But Rose is in the middle of opening her nursery with her sister Violet, who’s
separated from her husband Mike, as well as stalling her boyfriend Joe’s
family, rich socialites who are determined to meet her. Along with her multiple
encounters with Fenton County’s new assistant DA, Mason Deveraux III, it’s just
another day in the life of Rose Gardner–-chaos.

What can I say about this book to tell you how much I love it?

Well, as I said before I love the characters. I love Rose and how she has grown as a person just in the span of a few months since "28 1/2", and then "29 1/2" and now. Rose is a hard worker who is experiencing first love, really the first love in her life. She has been mocked and belittled and lied to her whole life. Yet she is learning to embrace her special "gift" and use it for good.

Rose and her sister Violet are thrilled to open their new florist nursery 

and more intrigue arrives on their grand opening day. 

I get so mad at how the townspeople treat her and mistrust her, yet there is redemption as some grudgingly admit her curious ways are solving crimes. 

Well, and Joe. hmmmm. Yeah, Rose's boyfriend Joe is just a bundle of mystery. And then 

there is Mason Deveraux, who is Rose's friend, but he wants to be more, as well as having 

his own touch of mystery. And Rose's sister Violette just needs to have some serious therapy!

And the new minister in town....well......there is a story...........
and I must add that if we lived in Henryetta, my HRH would
probably be playing in the church band....well maybe.  

Somehow trouble and mystery, seem to follow Rose. 
I think you will love her as much as I do.

You can buy Denise's books at
Amazon. 

 Denise has offered a giveaway to celebrate the release of "Thirty And A Half Excuses"!!
I am hoping I did this correctly. A Rafflecopter should appear. If not, well, I did something wrong.

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Happy Reading!

Sivje

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My First Sew Beautiful Story- A Giveaway!

Look! Do you see my name?

That is my name right next to 

 Janet Gilbert's name!

 Yes, much screaming and jumping up and down

was done by me when I saw it!

You see Sew Beautiful

is my very favorite magazine.

I have learned so very much of sewing,

smocking, 

embroidery,

construction,

design,

and inspiration 

from this magazine

and it's writers.

Janet Gilbert is my favorite!

(Yes, she knows that I was a stalker fan before

we finally "met" and now we are friends!)

And look!

Our story is even a "cover story"!

So Janet and I worked on this article together.

It features 3 of my skirts

and 3 of Janet's skirts.

One of the skirts is my 

Monkey Girl Bloomer Skirt pattern.

You can buy the pattern here from my blog,

or "You Can Make This.com"

Or from my Etsy store

Sivjegoose

Or from Fairytale Frocks And Lollipops

The corduroy A-line skirt with zipper trim

is featured in the article as a free pattern!

My photos are awful but the photos in the magazine are 

much better!

And the free tutorial for my "Math Skirt"

pattern are featured on the 

Sew Beautiful Blog!

There are many, many more

wonderful articles,

ideas and patterns in the Back To School issue

of Sew Beautiful!

So to share my joy and excitement,

I am giving away a copy 

of this issue of Sew Beautiful Magazine!

If you would like to be included in this giveaway,

please leave me a comment 

with your email address.

Thank you for sharing my joy!!!!!

Happy Sewing!!!

Sivje

Happiness Is Homemade - A Giveaway!

I am so excited!!

Last year I fell in love with 

a book called 

"Twenty Eight And A Half Wishes"

by Denise Grover Swank.

I interviewed her on my blog

HERE

 and then pined away waiting 

to hear what would happen next to 

the heroine Rose, her sister Violet

 and the handsome Joe.

Well,

the next book,

"Twenty Nine And A Half Reasons"

just came out and I LOVE IT!!!

So, when Denise

asked me to make an apron

for a giveaway on her blog to celebrate

the launch of the new book,

I was thrilled!!!

Denise is giving away this apron I designed 

and created 

and some other goodies as well.

You can enter at her blog,

Denisegroverswank.com

And you can
buy the book and load it right to your
Kindle here:


Twenty Nine And A Half Reasons

So pop on over to Denise's blog and
read all about her fabulous books,
and enter the giveaways too!

Thank you Denise for letting me be a part
of the fun!

And thank you for writing such wonderful books too!

Winner!

I am sorry this is so late! 

I tried to make the random . org widget 

show up but I can't get it to show up.

So.............

 Without further ado..........

The winner of the

book, needle book and floss 

is 

RUTH!

Ah, Sivje, so many blessings this year, and you want just one?! :) Okay, one major blessing this year was when my husband bought me a new-to-me oboe. And I'm taking lessons. Huge blessing.

Praying now for your migraines. I can relate.

Also, I have been a long-time follower or yours with google reader, but I just now did the follower-thingy on your blogsite.

So Ruth, I need your address so I can

pop this bunch of goodies in the mail to you!!!

Thank you all for the migraine prayers.

I am starting to feel better.

Now, if only I could get my photos to load

so I could show some pretty pictures!

Happy Sewing!

Sivje

My Belated Blogaversary - A Giveaway!

So, I am here. 

Really, I am.

But I have been battling stupid migraines

for a few weeks.

And I have sewn very little.

And the orange chair,

well it is still unfinished.

And yesterday was my 

third Blogaversay!!!!!

So, by way of apology for my rude absence,

I decided to have a giveaway

of some of my favorite things!

Last year, I got to meet Bari J

at a book signing event for this book.

I had forgotten that I had already pre-ordered her

book from Amazon.

So in my excitement to meet her,

I bought another one so she could autograph it for me!

I was soooooo excited to meet her!

And this book is wonderful!

So wonderful that I decided to 

give away my extra copy

(not the autographed one, sorry.)

to one of you!

In addition,

I will include 

this darling Mary Engelbreit

needle card with 25 needles and a threader

and 6 skeins of bright DMC embroidery floss.

I adore all things M.E.

and thought it was about

time I shared.

So, how do you enter?

Well, how about you tell me one

way in which you have been blessed this year.

And if you want another entry,

tell me if you are a follower of this blog,

or become a follower and then tell me.

If you are a "no-reply blogger"

then leave me an email address so I can contact the winner.

I will post the winner on Valentines Day!

And I hope to have more done on the orange chair

by that time too!

And if you have a prayer to spare,

please pray that my migraine lets up

 soon.

Thanks a bunch!

Happy Sewing and Good Luck!

(Please forgive the goofy pictures. 

These are from my phone

and I can't find the camera.)

Sivje

Twenty-Eight And A Half Wishes! -and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Oh! Lucky Lucky me!!

I just finished a really fun

new book!

And by "really fun", 

I mean

"I-am-not-gonna-go-to-bed-until-I-find-out-what-happens!!"

kind of fun!

 

Denise Grover Swank

an amazing woman whom I came to 

know through her blog,

"There's always room for one more"

is the author who penned this 

wonderful book!

Like me, Denise is a mom of children

of both the homegrown, 

and the international variety!

I had the opportunity to

interview Denise about her new book.

I fell in love with the main character,

Rose Gardner.

And I wanted to find out a bit more about her.

Denise let me in on a little secret.

You see.....well.....

just watch this and you will see.

So, grab a cup of coffee,

or a glass of sweet tea,

and get to know Denise and Rose a little bit.

Goosegirl: So, how did you "meet" Rose and where did her story come from?

Denise: The story idea came to me first. My son had bought his first car and I went with him to the DMV to get license plates. It was a hot and humid summer day and the room was stuffy and crowded, thus lots of cranky customers. As any writer knows, a good story needs conflict so I told my son that having a character who worked at the DMV would be awesome. My son thought I was nuts, but the idea stuck with me.

I’d just written a heavy, dark urban fantasy/paranormal thriller (Chosen which will be released in September) and I needed to write something lighter and more fun. Chosen had a little boy who saw visions of the future so I thought “What if I take that same idea but make it lighter?” So Rose’s crazy, mundane visions were born.  But Rose herself still didn’t exist. At that point, she was a nebulous woman who worked in a DMV and had visions.

It was when I decided her mother would be overbearing and abusive that Rose came to me.  Once that piece fell into place (and this all occurred in one afternoon. It rarely works this way but Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes was like a lightning strike all the way around) I sat down to write. Twenty-Eight is first person so Rose stuck herself in my head and told her story. She just poured out.

If I could be friends with any of the characters I’ve created, Rose is the one I’d want to live next door to. She’s sweet and funny and has the most fantastic outlook on life. I LOVE that she’s been repressed all those years, but ultimately takes responsibility of her own behavior. I love that she could have easily fallen into a victim mentality but chose to pick herself up and change her own future.

I know what you’re thinking. “Uh, didn’t you create this character?” And while I did, the characters all become very real to me and tell me how they react to situations. I think that’s why readers tell me that my characters seem so real. It’s because they are. In my head.

 Goosegirl:

Did you ever have a time where you came up with a list of "wishes" like Rose?

Denise: Yes, although I never wrote them down. After my husband died five years ago, I realized that life is short and there may not be a tomorrow. If I wanted to do these things, I needed to do them NOW.  The biggest one on my list was to complete a novel. I did that in December 2009 when I participated in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month.  But I will say, my own personal realization spurred Rose’s in the story. And when she’s walking in the park and faces “the undeniable proof of my mortality” I’d had the same experience a few years earlier.

Goosegirl: I was sad to leave Rose when the book ended. I felt like I was just getting to know someone who I thought would be a fun friend. Will Rose be back?

 Denise: Rose will definitely be back. I love her too much to not experience her life more. I have three more books plotted. I started on the second Rose book but put it on hold to edit the second book of the Chosen trilogy, Hunted, which I plan to release in November. I hope to have the second Rose Gardner Mystery, tentatively titled Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons, published by next summer.  Rose will struggle with her long distance relationship with Joe while her sister Violet encourages her to not limit herself to her first relationship. I may switch the plot around a bit with the mystery, so I hate to say too much about it but will say that Mildred, the president of the Busybody Club, will be a more prominent character.

Goosegirl: Do you see yourself in Rose, or is she modeled after someone you know?

 Denise:  I think Rose is more like me than any of my other characters; however, I think she’s sweeter than I am. I have a bit more snark. ;)  She’s also not modeled after anyone. I know some authors do that, but I’d be worried I’d offend someone if they found out. Plus, like I mentioned above, each character I write is real to me. They live in my head so I think I’d find it limiting to base them on someone.

Goosegirl: Is 28 1/2 wishes your first book or do you have others?

Denise: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes is my fifth completed book. It was the third book I wrote. I wrote it last July and finished the first draft in 30 days. It was an incredible rush. Rose took control and told me her story. I heard her voice in my head and even started talking in a southern accent, because that’s how I heard her. I drove my kids nuts.

I have two more books coming out in the fall, Chosen and Hunted, and a completed young adult novel about an alternate universe that is still making the agent querying rounds. The first book, that NaNoWriMo book will never see the light of day. I’ve promised to haunt my children if they ever release it after I die.

Goosegirl: So Denise, Rose's neighbor Joe is quite the conundrum! Do you have a "Joe" in your life?

Denise: Ha! No, no Joe. I wish. ;) But I wouldn’t mind have a Joe living next door. In fact, out of all the male characters I’ve created, Joe would be the guy I picked out for me. 

Goosegirl:  Denise, thank you so much for chatting with me! And thank you for letting me read your book. I know I have told you this several times, but I loved it!

I can't wait for the next Rose Gardner book to come out!

So.........

You are going to want to read this book!

And Denise has graciously offered

a book to one of my followers!!!

She is offering the winner

their choice of a signed paper book

or an Ebook! 

If the winner chooses the paper

book, she will sign it and send it directly to you!

So, to enter, please leave a comment

and make sure you leave an email address so 

I can contact the winner.
The winner will be randomly chosen
and anounced Thursday, July 28th!

And if you don't want to wait to win
you can get your copy at these places.

Ebooks:

Amazon: Kindle ebook

Barnes and Noble: Nook ebook  

Smashwords: ebook

Print:

Amazon:  print

Barnes and Noble: print

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Denise as much as I did.

Aprons for Christmas -A Giveaway!

Christmas Aprons!

Preparation for the holidays means lots

and lots of time spent in the kitchen.

And so you simply MUST have a darling, 

festive apron!

And, it would be even more fun if your 

little ones have matching aprons!

The Yaya's Apron pattern provides

5 sizes in one Ebook.

Because, little ones get messy!

And don't you think their dollies need aprons to match?

The dolly size fits an 18" doll.

You can even wear an apron over your pajamas

and feel well put together!

(yes, you are seeing Ahnalin in PJs from Target! 

Sigh.... I am busy with customs and packing to move so 

I had to buy her some pjs......)

Last year I  made matching aprons 

for India, Ahnalin, and my niece Emma

for our cookie baking day. 

It was snowing outside and I could not get the girls

out of their jammies,

so they just put the aprons over the top and started baking.

I even embroidered their names on them!

The Yaya's Apron front has a nice open space

for embroidery. 

So, why am I reminding you of 

all the fun things about my Yaya's Apron pattern?

Well.........

I don't want you to forget that you can make your own

Yaya's Aprons for yourself,

your friends, 

your family,

or even to sell.

You can purchase the Ebook

from my Etsy store here

or by clicking on the box at the upper right of my blog.

The Ebook is $9.95 and 

provides a misses (one size fits most) size,

3 children's sizes and a dolly size!

And now for the Giveaway......

How do you get to receive a colorful, 

festive and fun Yaya's Apron 

in the size of your choice from me?

You can have 5 entries, 

so leave a comment for each separately.

1. Leave a comment about your favorite apron memory.

2. Become a follower or tell me if you are one.

3. Become a friend of Sivjegoose on Facebook.

4. Follow me on Twitter and post this giveaway.

5. Post about this giveaway on your blog or on your Facebook page.

The winner will receive a Christmas Yaya's Apron in the size of their choice,

made by me!

I am busy packing for our move, 

and sewing a custom smocked dress for a client so I am going

to give you until Wednesday night to enter.

I will draw the winner and on Thanksgiving morning!!

And next week, I will list some aprons on my Etsy store

if you just want to purchase a Christmas Yaya's Apron.

Happy Sewing Everyone!

Yaya's Apron Is Here! And Giveaway Winners too!

Here she is!!

Yaya's Apron is here!

Isn't she darling? YES!

This is my Mother-in-law Lyn. 

Her mother is the "Yaya" who inspired this whole

pattern project.  

You see, THIS is the original apron!! 

I have never been able to find the orginal pattern for this,
so I HAD to make my own.

I love this apron. 

It is threadbare and hanging together my memories,

tasty recipes and love.

Using the original apron for inspiration, I re-engineered

it to enhance the practicality and beauty of the design. 

I added some fun design elements that may make you smile!

And it gave me a good excuse to use these gorgeous fabrics by Jennifer Paganelli!

(Yes, this is me, with out any makeup and I forgot to brush 

my hair before India took the picture!)

Ahnalin is wearing the Child Size Medium

which fits children approximately ages 5-8.

This is an older Dick and Jane print and I wish I had bought the whole bolt.

But I do have a bit more of it! Heehee!

And she is holding her dolly Marina who is wearing her own matching apron.

And here she is again, wearing her denim craft apron

made from the Yaya's Apron pattern too. These little craft aprons go
together SO QUICKLY!

Another Yaya's Apron, sewn up in another

gorgeous fabric by Jennifer Paganelli.
I LOVE this fabric!

And you have seen this one before, but it is one of my faves!

This fabric is by Patty Young and it just reminds me of Spring.

And the back view is so pretty too.

The Yays's Apron pattern is an Ebook that will come
as a PDF to your Inbox.

Included in the pattern are 5 sizes.
The Misses size is approximately 41" inches wide and 37" long.
It hangs loosely from the shoulders so it is very comfortable.
 The child sizes come in a size Small (2-4), Medium (5-8),
and Large (10-14).

The pattern for your 18" doll is also included!
So you can sew up a bunch of these little darlings with those pretty scraps
so many of us can't bear to throw away.

Your pattern will arrive in your inbox within 24-48 hours
of my notification of your purchase.
I can not accept any refunds but
I do want you to feel successful in your creation of your
own Yaya's Aprons.
So I include my email in the E-Book.
And I love chatting about sewing,
so email me!

The pattern will be $9.95 and you have two options for purchase right now.

You can visit my Etsy store OR
you can click the button on the upper right of the blog and order through Paypal.


And now, for OTHER news you have all been waiting for......




So CONGRATULATIONS to the winners!!!

Katrina Marie said:

The best gift I ever received from my grandmother is learning how to sew & crochet. She helped bring out my craftiness. She is the best grandmother I could have ever asked for.

And Meredith said:

What a wonderful giveaway! I would love to take part in it. I have so many wonderful memories of my grandparents and great grandma. They have given me so many things but one that particularily stands out are the diaries that my Grandpa wrote in. For over 40 years he wrote in a diary everyday (yes, EVERY DAY!!!) he used the 5 year diaries so it is neat to be able to look across the years and get a picture of his life. Some days it was just the weather. Other days it was the price of milk or the news of the neighborhood. I love looking up the days that I was born, someone's birthday, etc. It is such a gift to have all these memories written down in his hand, especially as he is gone now. Thank you for this wonderful chance to share this memory of him with you and to be a part of this drawing! Meredith

Thank you all!!

And thank you to all of my wonderful testers!!
I will email you the final copy of the pattern!
You were all so amazingly helpful!

Sisters, Cookies, And the E.R.

We baked cookies today.

And yes, we had more rainy snow.

You see, I am kind of at a temporary standstill with the

Yaya's Apron pattern since my photographer is out of town

and so is my husband. 

So I could not get the photos back from Heather before she left.

And Don, who is my computer genius, is gone until tomorrow night.

So, we baked cookies.

And ate dough. 

And did a lot of laughing.

Yes, some of that cookie dough did get baked.

And two sisters had fun.

And then, whenever sugar is consumed,
craziness ensues.

So, here we are at the Emergency Room.

Ahnalin decided to use a chair and the edge of the counter
like parallel bars.

Not wise.

Not sure if you can see it, but she has a huge knot on her forehead.

She fell and slammed her head into the wood floor so hard it creased,

her head, not the floor.

The ER doc, who knows us by name, said that
the lump would start to drain into her face.

So she will have black eyes later today.

Yippee.

Before, the cookie dough and the ER,
Ahnalin measured, cut, and sewed her own book bag.

She insisted that I take a picture and post it on the blog.

She told me she likes the "Press".

I think she is turning into a sewing diva.

Oh, and there will be more pics today of this little apron.

Really, the pattern is coming.

I promise!!!

I am going to take a nap now.

I had to check Ahnalin every hour all night long
because of her concussion.

She is fine.

I am convinced one of us will not survive her childhood!

Keep those beautiful stories coming
and do not forget to enter the Giveaway.

I am loving your beautiful tributes to those who have
invested time and love into your lives.

Love to you all.

Sivje