Did You Know Tuesday - Fun Facts About March

Pictured above:  "A Spike of Green" by Barbara Baker, with vintage children's book illustration by John Lawrence

March!  I love this month.  In my part of the world, March signals warmer weather on the way (usually by St. Patrick's Day), Spring, St. Patrick's Day (March 17) and Easter (either March or April, depending on the year).  Plus, my Mom's birthday is March 2!

Here are a few fun facts about March:

March was named for Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology.

The Old English word for March was Hlyda or Lide, a reference to high winds.

March is Women's History Month. 

The birth flower of March is the daffodil (one of my favorites - I love bulb flowers!).

The birthstone for March is the aquamarine.

This perfect quote from Emily Dickinson:  “March is the month of expectation, The things we do not know.” 

There is a saying, “March comes in a like a lion, and goes out like a lamb."  This means a month that starts with gentle weather may end with tumultuous weather, while a month that starts with tumultuous or winter weather may end with gentle, mild weather.

So, how did your March start - like a lion or a lamb?  Are you also a fan of this month?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.   

Music Monday - "Girl Don't Come" by Sandie Shaw (1964)

This is another one of those great retro songs that I only discovered in recent years - thanks to SiriusXM radio.  I love the decades channels on XM, like '60's on 6, '70's on 7, etc.  And this is yet another song that would be great in the soundtrack for a tv show or movie.

"Girl Don't Come" was a 1964 song by Sandie Shaw.  Sandie Shaw was from Great Britain, and was the first winner of the Eurovision contest.  She had several British hits and performed frequently on tv, usually appearing barefoot as part of her image. 

This song was released in the UK in 1964, and made it to America by 1965.  It charted at #42 on the Billboard chart.  It probably would have gone higher if Sandie Shaw had been able to tour;  unfortunately, she was not able to obtain a work permit to travel to the U.S. to promote this single.

Later, Sandie Shaw got married and began pursuing acting and writing children's books.  Eventually she went back to school and became a psychotherapist.

Here's this week's song.  It's a jazzy little ballad with a distinctly 1960's sound.  What do you think?

Weekend Window Shopping at Birdhouse Books - Vintage Easter Cards

I have some lovely vintage Easter cards and postcards for you this week -- and many more in my store next week as well.  You will find these cards at Birdhouse Books on eBay.

Here are just a few of the new additions:

Vintage Easter postcard featuring little chicks with an Easter egg cart.

1911 vintage Easter postcard with two sweet chicks and pink dogwood blossoms.

1911 vintage Easter postcard - gel card with a farm scene and chicken.
 

Vintage Easter postcard with two little chicks and a pink Art Nouveau Easter egg.

Vintage Easter card by American Greetings - a pink embossed die-cut cross.

1960's vintage Easter card with an acetate photo of two cute toy bunny rabbits.

1960's vintage Easter card with a sweet white baby bunny - from child to godmother.

Die-cut vintage Easter card with a dressed duck (mechanical - duck's head moves).  

Vintage mechanical Easter card - a dressed bunny and chick garden together.

A sweet bunny rabbit hops along for a bunny hug on this vintage Easter card.

Vintage Easter card with a bunny rabbit hiding Easter eggs.

1945 vintage Easter card with a shy bunny rabbit - "just an old softie."
 

I hope you enjoyed this peek into Birdhouse Books.  I'll have more Easter cards for you next week as well!

Dear Abby - Invitation for Rescued Dogs and Cats

Dear Friends,

I want to put a call out this week.  I would love to connect with your rescued fur-friends, and any friends who have rescue pups or kitties as well.

As a rescued former stray, I am a very BIG supporter of pet rescue and adoption, and I would like to spread the good word by introducing readers to dogs and cats who have been rescued, and sharing their stories.   I would love to share their cute pictures, too!

If you have a rescued dog or cat who would like to be featured here, please get in touch.  You can leave a comment with your email, below.  If you want to space out your email (i.e. gooddog at bestdog . com) that is fine, too!  

I hope to hear from you - and your furbabies!

Love to all,

Abby xoxoxo

Book Review - Kissed By a Cowboy by Debra Clopton

Book Synopsis:

Cassidy was looking for a home and a place to belong . . . not for a cowboy to steal her heart.

Having lived through her parents' endless string of "matrimonial bliss gone wrong," Cassidy Starr knows when the odds are not in her favor. Divorced and humiliated, her faith on rocky ground, Cassidy is through with love. She's been bucked off that horse far too many times. Instead, she returns to Wishing Springs, Texas, and the rundown farm she's inherited from her great aunt Roxie. She'll reopen the strawberry farm and a bed & breakfast and follow in her aunt's footsteps, remaining forever-independent, happy . . . and single.

Rancher Jarrod Monahan's hands are full running the ranch, looking after his ailing grandfather, and chasing down a group of rustlers on the loose. He's pushed his longing for a family to the bottom of his list of priorities. Besides, he was in love once but ran scared and lost his shot at happiness. But suddenly, the biggest regret of his life has moved in next door with a wounded heart, determined to become a spinster . . . and that's a challenge that Jarrod can't pass up.

Jarrod sets his mind to breaking down the walls around Cassidy's stubborn heart. How can he show her that a cowboy's kiss lasts forever? For the good folks of Wishing Springs, falling in love has never been so much fun to witness.

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1PMjz9Z

My Review:

This is my second Four of Hearts Ranch series read by Debra Clopton.  I read, and enjoyed, Counting on a Cowboy last summer.   This series has such a warm, cozy setting in the small town of Wishing Springs, Texas.  It felt like returning to a friendly, favorite place to visit this town and many of the same characters again.

This book centers on Cassidy Starr, who returns to Wishing Springs in order to run a strawberry farm and bed and breakfast at her late aunt's home.  Cassidy is sour on marriage after a particularly bad divorce, but she still feels sparks fly when she sees the handsome cowboy-next-door, Jarrod Monahan, again. 

The couple meets cute, as Cassidy cannot find the keys to the farm house she has inherited, so she is entering the house through the doggy door ... only to get stuck.  Jarrod comes along at just the right time.

This is a novel about Cassidy's second chances in the town where she grew up.  I really liked Cassidy as a character.  She was strong and independent.   I also enjoyed her romance with Jarrod, who impressed me in the previous novel as the strong but silent older brother.

The novel has well developed and likable characters, dialogue that moves the story along at a nice pace, and an interesting plot.   I recommend it for readers who enjoy Christian fiction, women's fiction, and fun weekend reads involving handsome cowboys!

Author Bio:

Debra Clopton is a multi-award winning novelist and has written more than 22 novels. Along with writing, Debra helps her husband teach the youth at their local Cowboy Church. Debra's goal is to shine a light toward God while she entertains readers with her words. 

Connect with Debra: website, Twitter, Facebook

I received this book from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.