Book Review: Mercy Street By Tess Evans

This is a book review of Mercy Street by Tess Evans that was published by Harper Collins on 1 January 2016.

Tess Evans is an Australian author and this is her third novel. Tess's first novel was published the year she turned 60 which proves it's never too late to follow your dream! Tess is married with three grown children and lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Set in suburban Melbourne Australia, this is a beautiful story of George a 67 year old widower who has been living a lonely life since his wife of 50 years died three years ago.

Then along comes wild child and single Mum 19 year old Angie and her 5 year old daughter Rory and George's days are suddenly full with his instant family.

The story is realistic and honest and follows the lives of typical Australians. The characters are all portrayed brilliantly and provide plenty of drama, entertainment and warm and fuzzy moments.

There are many great messages and meanings within this story and I was really moved at the thought that a troubled child could make a cranky old man soften and feel love. The writing was funny and easy to read and the story didn't drag on either it was quite a short book which I finished in just a few days. I thought the ending was a bit harsh and rushed and that's the only reason why I didn't score it a perfect 5/5 stars.

I recommend this book to anyone young and old it will make you appreciate the simple things in life.

I give this book 4 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

Mercy Street can be purchased from the author here and Harper Collins

Sharing my book review on Good Reads here and Netgalley

Disclosure:  NetGalley partner with bloggers such as me to help promote authors and their books and I was given this ebook published by Harper Collins to review. As always, all opinions are my own.

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[Image via Harper Collins] 

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1920's Murder Mystery Party Planning

My friends love a good themed party and I love to get involved and help with the party planning - so today I'm sharing my latest party planning venture an 1920's Murder Mystery Party thrown for a friends 50th Birthday.

The Murder Mystery game Murder at the Four Deuces we found online at Dinner and a Murder - we picked this one because it had great reviews, a forum with helpful advice from other users and it was cheaper than the box kits you buy as you download and print everything yourself (although they do sell the box kits as well).

I have played a few Murder Mystery games but always from a box kit and everyone has to solve the murder in teams.

This style of Murder Mystery was very different - everyone was assigned a character before the party so you know who you had to come dressed as and what you had to do and you worked individually.

I really loved this version of the game it was a lot more fun and interactive and got everyone involved and playing out a character.

The gangsters, gamblers, inspectors, flappers and more!

We also hired a host for the night to co-ordinate the event and it is well worth the cost to do this as it means all the guests can enjoy themselves and let the host keep everyone on track and host the game.

The invitations I made using the Avery design and print online and printed them on Avery invitations I had leftover from my wedding stationary. I kept the design simple in black and white and put them in black envelopes with matching address and return address labels (the labels are also an Avery design). 

Once everyone had RSVP'd they were assigned a character and sent their character booklet which explained who they were to come as, how they should dress and the part they will play.

We hired a stunning house for the party via Airbnb which had a real retro feel to it which fit with the 1920's theme perfectly. It's such a great idea to hire a house for the night it really made the party that bit more exciting being in a different environment.

The house owners let us come over the night before and set up all the party decorations which was fantastic because then the night of the party we just had to show up, light the candles and get the food and drinks ready.

The Murder Mystery setting was in Chicago in 1922 at "The Four Deuces - Speakeasy" which is a club that serves alcohol at a time of prohibition when alcohol was banned. 

You had to knock three times and say a password to enter the front door. The host welcomed everyone and handed out goodie bags with an extra copy of the character booklet, name tag and fake money.

At the front of the house we put out tealight candles in decorated jars leading up the steps to the front door and a blackboard which read A LITTLE PARTY NEVER KILLED NO-ONE. Inside as you entered the front door you were greeted with empty boxes, wine bottles, and signs I found on Pinterest and printed out plus some signs like the Four Deuces came with the Murder Mystery game. 

We stuck to a classic colour theme of - black, white and gold.

For a table centerpiece we spray painted empty wine bottles with a gold spray paint, filled them with feathers and wrapped pearls around the bottles.

The small jars with ribbons and lace were used to hold candles and these were scattered all around the rooms (I DIY these for my engagement party).

Empty boxes were in the living room with alcohol labels on them that I designed on the computer, printed out and stuck on the boxes. The boxes were also filled with empty wine bottles.

On the TV we had black and white silent movies playing and for music we had jazz playlists on an ipad that we played through speakers. The movies and music created a perfect ambiance and really set the scene.

In another living room we set up the photobooth flower backdrop (I DIY for my wedding), with an old wooden box filled with props, we had 2 polaroid cameras with film and a guest book which everyone wrote messages in and stuck the polaroids into.

The jail sign I designed on the computer, printed out and had laminated. The photobooth and guestbook signs I found on Pinterest and printed out and framed in gold frames.

Outside on the balcony overlooking the pool we set up a tressle table for the food and drinks. 

The food was 1920's themed using the names of some of the characters. The menu I designed on the computer, printed and framed in a gold frame. We served MeMe's devilled eggs, Prohibition pizza, Big Al's Frankfurts, Golden Age finger sandwiches, Big Daddy's sausage rolls, Gatsby stuffed mushrooms, Roaring twenties crudites with dips, Roasted nuts and olives. 

The drinks were in the bar fridge with glasses nearby. The bar signs I printed and framed were found on Pinterest.

The Birthday cake the Birthday girl arranged herself and it was a show stopper .... isn't it amazing! 

It also matched the black, white and gold colour theme perfectly!

The venue, decor, music and food all set the scene for this 1920's party and it was awesome!

I had so much fun helping with the decorations and party planning and we are already talking about the next Murder Mystery party .... all we need to do is settle on a theme!

Have you been to a Murder Mystery party?

Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

 

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[1st image from here, venue via Airbnb and all images my own]

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New Limestone Retaining Wall + Colorbond Fence

I have another subdivision update on the blog today!

Once we agreed on a plan with our neighbour for a new retaining wall and fence we could go ahead and get the work done.

Bright and early Sunday morning the guys building the retaining walls (who also built our limestone courtyard) were ready to get to work and with the help of the bobcat driver digging up the old fence panels, Mr P removed the old fence panel by panel, wrapped it in plastic and took it to the rubbish tip.

Once the fence was removed they measured out where the new wall would be built on our side of the boundary.

The land was dug out with a bobcat so it was level and ready for the new limestone retaining wall to be built.

The retaining wall is built with these big meter long limestone blocks.

They are too heavy to lift by hand so the bobcat is used to carry them over and put them into place and they are then cemented in.

It took just a few hours to build the first course of the wall and then start on the second course. The wall is staggered as it follows the height of the land.

These guys work really fast I can't believe how quickly the wall was built.

The next day the guys finished off the second course of blocks on the retaining wall.

They also did the top section of the wall adjoining our garage. This section steps up again and will be the length of our new backyard once we have subdivided the block.

Next we booked in the fence guys to come and install the new colorbond fence in classic cream which will be installed in the center of the retaining wall in the backyard.

You can see the neighbours have already had the new fence installed along the rear of their boundary and the same style of fence will be used for the side. There are different patterns of metal you can get but we agreed to stick with the same style.

We also had the side section of our driveway fenced in. This retaining wall was built a few years ago by the guys who built the courtyard and they did this section at that time but it wasn't until now that we were ready for the new fence to go in.

The fence will follow our boundary line but instead of sitting it on top of the retaining wall it will go behind the retaining wall.

It's made the driveway and front of the house feel a lot more private and secure.

The new fence looks great and it makes our home look modern and newish ..... you'd never know it's a retro 1960's home now!

So now that one side of the property is fenced in we are very eager to come to an agreement with our other neighbour so we can get the other side done.

We also need to have a retaining wall and fence put in down the center of the block which will signify the new backyard space for the front house. We are going to build a deck in this space as well so we are currently looking for a draftsman and structural engineer to draw up plans for us and then submit it to our local Council for approval.

Slowly but surely our subdivision plans are almost complete which is a good feeling!


Sharing with link parties:
Curly Crafty Mom - The Creative Corner
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
The Plumbette - Home Improvement Thursday

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[All images my own]

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Book Club Book Review: All The Light We Cannot See By Anthony Doerr

This is a book review of my Book Club's pick for the month of June - All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This is a story set around the 1940's during World War II and jumps between two main characters - a blind girl Marie-Laure in France and an orphan boy Werner in Germany. Told at a time when Germany went to war and invaded France with both the characters being deeply affected by it and how they lived their lives during and after the war.

Both Marie-Laure and Werner are strong characters with their stories told parallel to each other with very short chapters which quickened the pace and switched between the past and present day.

It took me a while to really get into the story but once I did I was hooked. The last third of the book really builds momentum until the very end and leaves you wanting more. The writing is beautiful both in the expressive words and quotes and the meaning behind the story.

I have read many wartime books but this story was different in that it was told through the eyes of children during the war, what it was like inside Hitler's Youth schools and how childhoods were affected forever.

I recommend this book to those who like wartime stories told from a different perspective through the eyes of youth.

I give this book 5 stars out of  5

Jarrah Jungle's Star Rating:

1 Bad - I'd rather eat brussel sprouts topped with anchovies than read this again
2 Not Good - I'd rather watch paint dry than read this again
3 Ok - I'm sitting on the fence - its not great but not terrible either
4 Good - I'd give up a bottle of the worlds best champagne for this read
5 Great - I'd pass up a date with Johnny Depp for this read

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[Image my own] 

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My Ideal Herb + Veggie Garden

Now that the courtyard garden is finished we have a big raised corner garden bed that we are going to plant out with herbs and veggies.

I love to cook with fresh herbs and have an ever growing list of must have herbs for the garden which looks something like this Basil, Mint, Parsley, Oregano, Coriander, Rosemary and Thyme.

Plus easy to grow veggies like Rocket, Cherry tomatoes, Spring onions, Chillis and a Lime tree to name a few!

I had a lemon tree for about 3 years which sadly didn't product any fruit so I'm hoping I'll have more luck with a lime tree.

Before we cleared and subdivided the backyard we had a herb and veggie garden and I loved being able to pick fresh herbs at dinnertime or cherry tomatoes for my salad and I can't wait to grow our own produce again.

I'm really looking forward to planting out my dream herb and veggie garden in the coming weeks.

What's your favourite thing to grow in the garden?

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[Images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

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