Flower Friday - Jacob's Ladder + Friday's Fab Five

Jacob's Ladder

This week's featured flower is Jacob's Ladder!  This perennial blooms from late spring through mid-summer.  It has small bluish-purple flowers and grows best in partial shade.  This particular variety gets to be around two feet tall and eighteen inches wide.  The feather-like leaves are just as pretty as the flowers, so this plant is lovely even before it begins blooming.  Some varieties of Jacob's Ladder have variegated leaves and some have white or pink flowers.  Cats like the smell of this plant, so young plants may need to be protected in order to flourish.   To learn more about about Jacob's Ladder, check out Better Homes & Gardens'  Jacob's Ladder page, Wikipedia's Jacob's Ladder page, or the Jacob's Ladder page at Dave's Garden.

A few book & blogosphere notes:

1.  Novel Novice is giving away three copies of Lauren Kate's Torment.   Be sure to stop by and check out their exclusive interviews with Lauren Kate & enter to win a copy of Torment here (ends 10/8).

2.  Candace's Book Blog is hosting a 1,000 Follower Giveaway.   There will be four winners and one part of the contest is even open to international followers (a book under $15 from The Book Depository).  So be sure to stop by and enter that contest here (ends 10/22).

3.  Visit the Goodreads page for Erin Blakemore's The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder & enter to win one of fifteen advance copies they are giving away (ends 11/1).  The publisher is also giving away fifteen copies for review through LibraryThing, and you can enter that giveaway here  (about halfway down the page - ends 10/27).   I can't wait to read this book!  :-)

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1.  Favorite fruit?

Apples!

2.  Favorite vegetable?

Mmm... broccoli!

3.  Favorite cheese?

Daiya vegan cheese!

4.  Favorite lunchmeat?

Tofurky deli slices!

5.  Favorite nut?

Almonds ... yum!

Flower Friday - Dahlia + Friday's Fab Five

'Purple Gem' Cactus Dahlia

This week's featured flowers are 'Purple Gem' Dahlias!  These big purple blooms grow from tubers and make excellent cut flowers.  This cactus dahlia blooms nicely from mid to late summer, and the tubers can be divided year after year.  We live in a fairly wet region of the country and our dahlias have issues with pests like slugs and snails at the beginning of each season, but as the plants mature they seem much less susceptible to such attacks.  This plant gets to be around three feet tall and the blooms are fairly heavy so it benefits from staking.  To learn more about about 'Purple Gem' Dahlias, check out Easy to Grow Bulbs' 'Purple Gem' Dahlia page, Holland Bulb farm's 'Purple Gem' cactus Dahlia page, or the 'Purple Gem' Dahlia page at Dave's Garden.

A few book & blogosphere notes:

1.  Manga Maniac Cafe is giving away ten copies of Inara Scott's debut novel, Delcroix Academy: The Candidates.  You can enter that giveaway here (ends 10/2).  You can read the first chapter of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates here & check out the book trailer at Inara Scott's website.

2.  Melissa Marr is giving away six autographed copies of Kiersten White's Paranormalcy and six autographed copies of Lisa Desrochers' Personal Demons on her Rath & Ruins message board.  You can enter that giveaway here (ends 10/2).

3.  The Undercover Book Lover is hosting an international "Hungry for HarperTeen" contest featuring several fabulous books that I can't wait to read, including Lauren Oliver's Delirium and Courtney Allison Moulton's Angelfire.  Check out all the great prize pack options & enter that contest here (ends 10/15).

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

What is your favorite: 

1. 50's song?

I love Nat King Cole (L-O-V-E, Smile, Mona Lisa, The Very Thought of You, etc.).

2. Country song?

I'm not much of a country music fan, but I've always liked Patsy Cline.  Crazy & Walkin' After Midnight are two of my favorites.

3. 80's Song?

There are so many fun 80's songs!  The Promise by When in Rome is among my favorites.

4.Pop Rock song?

I like Lene Marlin's Whatever it Takes and basically every Secondhand Serenade song.

5. Song done on Glee?

I love Glee and it seems impossible to choose just one favorite, but the Halo/Walking on Sunshine mashup always makes me smile.

Flower Friday - Hollyhock + Friday's Fab Five

Hollyhock - Alcea Rosea 'Nigra'

This week's featured flowers are Hollyhocks!  These dark burgundy Hollyhocks bloom from mid-summer into early fall.  The flowers are so dark that they look black until you see them up close or happen to catch the sunlight shining through them.   This plant gets to be over seven feet tall and puts on a striking display each summer.  Our Hollyhocks have suffered from rust & fungal damage for the past couple of years, so the leaves are not as lovely and unblemished as they could be, but that doesn't seem to stop the flowers from blooming beautifully and they still seem to spread a little more each year.  The buds are also very pretty and are shaped like little green meringue cookies.  I've read that these flowers can be used to make a natural dye and that the flowers, buds, and leaves are all edible.  To learn more about about Alcea rosea 'Nigra', check out the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Heritage Perennials, the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Dave's Garden, or the Alcea rosea 'Nigra' page at Gardeners' World.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Do you love zombie stories?  If so, you may want to check out The Living Dead 2, a new anthology featuring several fabulous authors including Kelley Armstrong, Carrie Ryan, Brenna Yovanoff, Kelly Link, and Cherie Priest.  Want a sneak preview?  You can read Carrie Ryan's short story Flotsam & Jetsam here.  

2.  Cindy Pon is giving away three fun books - Everlasting by Angie Frazier, Wildwing (ARC) by Emily Whitman, and Entwined (ARC) by Heather Dixon.  You can enter to win all three books here (ends 9/20).

3.  Julie Kagawa shared a teaser from the final book in her Iron Fey trilogy, The Iron Queen.  It is full of Ash-y goodness and can be found here.

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What is your favorite season?

Spring

2.  What is your favorite activity in that season?

Watching the flowers begin to bloom.

3.  Which season do you hate?

Hmm... I don't really hate any season.  They all have good and bad points.

4.  Why?

The pros of each season:  Spring = Flowers!  Summer = Fresh berries in the garden!  Fall = Pumpkins & Halloween!  Winter = Holiday celebrations, sparkly lights, and more hours of daylight from the solstice on!

The cons of each season:  Spring = Wet & muddy.  Summer = Too hot!  Fall = Dark days.  Winter = Gray & cold.

5.  What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say Autumn?

Halloween.  I love Halloween!  :-)

Flower Friday - Cardinal de Richelieu & Friday's Fab Five

Cardinal de Richelieu

This week's featured flowers are 'Cardinal de Richelieu' roses!  These Gallica roses are our darkest purple roses and the blooms darken even further as they age, which makes this one of my favorite roses.  The flowers are bursting with petals, but they are smaller and less fragrant than our other old roses (like Marianne & Duchesse de Montebello).  In fact, the entire plant is slower-growing and smaller, but it grows in a lovely rounded shape with tiny leaves and thin arching canes.  These roses are not quite as hardy or as prolific as the other old roses in our garden, but the flowers remain lovely even when the leaves get a bit of rust and they are still much hardier than any of our hybrid tea or grandiflora roses.  To learn more about about 'Cardinal de Richelieu' roses, check out the Cardinal de Richelieu page at Paul Barden's Old World Roses & Beyond, the Cardinal de Richelieu page at Dave's Garden, or the Cardinal de Richelieu page at Backyard Gardener.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  If you picked up Kiersten White's Paranormalcy this week, then you will probably want to take a picture of yourself hanging out with your lovely copy of Paranormalcy in order to enter Kiersten's fabulously fun contest.  She will be giving away a signed copy of Paranormalcy, an "Oh, Bleep!" t-shirt, a hot pink iPod shuffle, and more.  Check out the details of that contest on Kiersten's blog.  (ends 9/12)

2.  Cassandra Clare will be chatting with the Mundie Moms on September 8th at 8 pm CST.  Stop by the Mundie Moms blog to participate in that chat.

3.  "It's a YA Takeover" is a new blog dedicated to sharing information about movies based on YA novels.  They are currently hosting a "12 to 12 contest" and giving away several ARCs (including The Duff, Sapphique, & I Am Number Four).  You can check out YA Takeover and enter that contest here.  (ends 9/7)

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What was your favorite childhood book series?

When I was very little, I loved the Sweet Pickles books!  That is the first series I remember adoring.  

2.  What is your favorite fruit?

Apples.

3.  What is your favorite hobby?

Aside from reading, I love working on genealogy research.  

4.  If you were only able to have one food the rest of your life, what would it be?

Lotus Garden's vegetable tofu soup.  Yum!

5.  What did you have for breakfast today?

Rice and noodles.

Flower Friday - Graham Thomas + Friday's Fab Five

'Graham Thomas' roses

This week's featured flowers are - 'Graham Thomas' roses!  These pretty yellow roses bloom in large, lovely clusters and smell wonderful.  This is the first time we've featured a flower that is not from our own yard, so I don't have any personal experience with growing this rose, but they happen to be in bloom at our favorite city park right now and I just couldn't resist snapping a couple photos of them while we were at the park this afternoon.  I am excited to learn more about them and am already trying to figure out if we could make space to fit 'Graham Thomas' into our yard.   To learn more about about 'Graham Thomas' roses, check out Dave's Garden's Graham Thomas page, Backyard Gardener's Graham Thomas page, or HelpMeFind's Graham Thomas page.

A few book and blogosphere updates:

1.  Our Stupid Shiny Designs contest ends on Tuesday (8/31), so be sure to stop by and enter if you haven't already!  Click here to enter.  Our Richelle Mead giveaway also ends Tuesday (8/31), so if you would like the chance to win a signed copy of Vampire Academy click here to enter that giveaway.

2.  Julie Kagawa shared an excerpt from The Iron Queen on Harlequin's Blog.  Click here to get a sneak peek of what Meghan and Ash are up to in The Iron Queen.  :-)

3.  Escape from Reality is giving away a copy of Sophie Jordan's Firelight.  The contest ends 8/31.  You can stop by to check out that contest here.

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What is your favorite tree?

Jacaranda!  I absolutely love Jacaranda trees, but they won't survive the winters where we live.  We've tried planting and pampering them several times, but never with any success.  Eventually we settled for keeping a few baby Jacarandas inside (as bonsai-style houseplants).

2. What is your zodiac sign?

Pisces

3. How long does it take you to do your grocery shopping?

If the kids are with me, at least an hour.  If I am alone, about thirty minutes.

4. How often do you ride a bike?

Not very often.

5. Who is your role model?

My mom.  :-)

Friday's Fab Five + Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, and it is a terrific way to connect with other book bloggers and readers. You can join the Hop by clicking on the image to the left. This week's question is:

1.  How many books do you have on your 'to be read' shelf?

On my actual shelves, I have around 50 books waiting to be read.  On my virtual shelves, I have around 200.  I don't imagine my TBR shelf will ever be empty, but that just means there are always lots of fabulous worlds waiting to be explored & I wouldn't want it any other way.  :)

This fun meme is hosted by Froggarita's Bookcase.  Every Friday Froggarita asks five questions so we can all get to know each other better.  The only rule is that you can't use the same answer twice within your five!   Ready to play?  Leave your answers in the comments or leave us a link to your own Friday's Fab Five post. 

1. What new TV shows starting this fall are you excited to watch?

I'm curious to check out Running Wilde.

2. Which returning shows are you excited to see?

Glee, Castle, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and Project Runway

3. Do you ever look for spoilers for your favorite TV shows? If so where?

I've listened to a few Glee songs on YouTube before the episodes air. 

4. Has one of your favorite shows been cancelled? If so which one?

Not this year, but several of my favorites have been cancelled in past years.  Pushing Daisies is the most recent show that I was sad to see cancelled.

5. Is there a character on one of your favorite shows that you just wish they would kill off the show? If so which one?  

Hmm... I'm not sure if this counts because she is technically not a character.  But So You Think You Can Dance is one of my favorite shows, and I would enjoy seeing Mia Michaels leave the judging panel (where she annoys me) and return to choreography (where I was impressed by her work).