Cozy Christmas Cats, Criminals and Community! The Santa Claws Bandit!

The Santa Claws Bandit by Alannah Rogers was kindly sent to me to review. It was a delightfully fun cozy,with so much heart!
Caring, Community, Christmas and Crime are some of the themes of this story. This story has Fantastic Feline helpers, relevant holiday gifts and situations that most of us find ourselves in over the holiday rush.

Amazon has The Santa Claws Bandit offered at $1.49 which you can view by clicking here. Treat yourself to a lovely gift this for the season and read The Santa Claws Bandit. Cat and Cozy lovers will truly enjoy the antics and mayhem found with in its pages.

Squirrel and I are looking for something new to read while we stalk the mail man....

Thank you for joining us here for A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery Review. As with all my posts I would love to hear from you so please leave us a comment here or email us at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Cup Of Tea And Several Dozen Cookies...

"Christmas Cookies and Holiday Hearts That's The Way The Season Starts" This morning on my table I have the work of 15 friends upon my table. Undoubtedly the largest cookie exchange I have hosted yet. Everyone who comes brings the other guests 1/2 dozen of their favorite holiday cookies. If you are trying to do the math that is just shy of 100 cookies. I put out the invite in September and had an overwhelming response. More confirmed this year then in any years past and I think I could have hosted two parties easily with the amazing friends I have willing to bake and exchange cookies. My living room was bursting at the seams.

 Unable to attend in person Author Alice Loweecey kindly joined us in spirit.

My friend April also joined in the fun. I love her fairy collection and vintage aprons don't you!

I could not have a party with out Aunt Pitty! I love her Dick and Jane apron!
exchange

Only half the cookies would fit in my photo! There was an entire other table which took up the length of my living room!

I really enjoyed the exchange and I had several pots of Davids Holiday Teas out for the guests to enjoy, what a delightful way to start the season and my Christmas tins are over flowing!

My friend Lia posted a photo when she got home of the cookies she collected at the party, here is what we all took home to enjoy!
Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a sugar overload today! I look forward to sharing more with you soon. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table and In My Cup November 21-28th

This week has been so busy and lots has happened. We are in full Holiday swing here and the Elves are back on my table again this year. The Santa Claws Bandit is currently on my table and a good English Breakfast tea in my cup.

I was delighted to read Murder Fir Christmas this week, such a treat to find a cozy like this story offers. I really love the balance of the cozy with paranormal, lore and traditional murder mystery. I love stories by Joyce and Jim Lavene.

I also loved Vicki Delany's Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen, the year round Christmas town cozy is going to be a series I am looking forward to reading, book two which I hope will be set in the Summer!

Last night my younger two and I started our holiday baking (though I did bake more then 20 dozen cookies last week) and tonight I am hosting my annual cookie exchange, it is so much fun to gather and exchange with my friends, we each bake 1/2 cookies for each person coming. Looks like it is 16 this year. So if you pop by this time of year I will have cookies to offer and share along with a pot of tea.

Squirrel and I thank you for joining us for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery week in review. I look forward to sharing more with you again soon.

3 Holiday Cat Cozies To Enjoy While I Remember

This week I am sad to report our 17 year old cat Baby Kitty died. She lived a very good long life and on Monday it was very clear that she was suffering, unable to keep down water or food anymore we made the agonizing decision to have her put down. It has been a hard week for our family and I did not share it on social media but it has been on my mind. Today I want to remember happier times and wonderful cats, so today I bring you some wonderful new Cat themed holiday cozies.

I have just started The Santa Claws Bandit by Alannah Rogers and I thought today's post I would share some Christmas Cat Cozies you may just need to add to your holiday to be read and wish list!

I have not yet read The Cat of Christmas Past but I love Kathi Daley's Whales and Tails books! Click here to find it on Amazon. I am purchasing and adding this one to my tbr pile today.

The Paws & Claws mysteries by Krista Davis are delightful and I am so looking forward to this one arriving in my mail box in the next few weeks. I pre ordered mine from The Book Depository .
I am really looking forward to reading it.

We were blessed with this cat for so many years and this is the last photo I took of her. She was going down hill pretty steadily for the last little while and it is a comfort to know she is not suffering anymore. The entire family will not soon forget her. Thank you for taking time to read my post today. Enjoy your day.

Treat Yourself This Thanksgiving And Order Murder Fir Christmas

I feel blessed and very thankful to have been sent an ARC of Joyce and Jim Lavene's Murder Fir Chrismas. That warm fuzzy cozy mystery feeling washed over me as I read it.  The story is a very touching  and alluring. The idea of making a new start and starting over a new job in the town you grew up (and hoped to have left behind), a mystery, an ailing mother. a snow storm and the holidays with an unlikely furry companion and a touch of romance await readers with the December 1st release of Murder Fir Christmas by Joyce and Jim Lavene.

This story takes place nestled just down from the cozy mountain town of Sweet Pepper, Christmas Tree Valley has a new Federal Wildlife Agent in main character Bonnie. She arrives in town to take over from the outgoing Agent and returns to her childhood home just in time for Christmas, when mayhem in sues.  One of the things I love about Joyce and Jim Lavene books is how they blend the traditional cozy mystery with a touch of paranormal and a dash of lore. I also love how they manage to seamlessly blend characters from their other series into the new ones making it feel more homey and cozy each time. Murder Fir Christmas exceeded my expectations and is one I highly recommend this holiday season. You can pre order it now on Amazon by clicking here. 
For My American readers I wish you a very Happy and Safe Thanksgiving. Though I am Canadian, I am partaking in the holiday as well. I made my stuffing yesterday and hope to have the dinner on the table for the boys and my husband around 5:30 tomorrow night. Thank you for joining me for A Cup of Tea and A Pre-view of a Wonderful Cozy Mystery. I would love to hear from you and I invite you to leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

One Month To Christmas!

 

It is one month to Christmas day and all the hype is in full force. I am Canadian so we don't have the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow but some how we are getting the black Friday sales here, it has happened over the last few years that our retailers are cashing in on the American Tradition of crazy deals. I am looking forward to seeing what is on sale but for the most part I wont be partaking in the cross border mayhem.

I do love homemade items at year round but especially at Christmas. I have just started to take out my Christmas decorations an am planing on putting them up this Friday. I have a Cookie Exchange that I am hosting on Saturday and I am looking forward to the 15 dozen cookies headed my way!

I saw this quote on Facebook a few weeks ago and I fell in love with this idea. So I have been actively searching for the right books for the people in my life and have three wrapped for my boys, I have to buy the chocolate later or I will eat it now but I think this is fantastic! The ultimate handmade Christmas gift is a story after all and why not give the gift of your favorite cozy mystery series or book you read this year to someone you love or even a community center, library, seniors home or hospital this year.

I can think of some wonderful series and authors I would love to share with my friends, this year had so many fantastic cozies!

I am in the holiday mood now and I love shopping in my pj's from home, one book for me one book for them....
I hope you find time today for A Cup of Tea and A few Cozy mysteries! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Rest Ye Murderd Gentlemen By Vicki Delany A Christmas Cozy And Year Round Christmas Mystery Review

I just finished Vicki Delany's Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen. I actually stayed up past my bed time to finish it I just had to know how it ended!

First in the Year-Round Christmas mystery this new cozy I ordered earlier this summer with great anticipation. What a fun idea a Christmas town and year round too. I love the setting for Vicki's latest series,  Rudolf New York. I could easily picture the town, the residence and feel the holiday spirit through out the story. I was not even close on who the murderer ended up being. I really liked all the attention to detail that Vicki added to the story, from the handmade toys to the descriptive setting and the love-able and not so love-able towns folk. This was a wonderful holiday read.

 

I look forward to reading another in this series which seems like it will be a lot of fun. I can only guess what a summer time Christmas Murder Mystery will be like and if it is anything like the first one it will be fun and festive as well as an exciting holiday mystery.

I ordered my copy from The Book Depository and it can be ordered by clicking here.

Thank you for joining me for a cup of tea and a cozy mystery! I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Monday Holiday Etsy Favorites

It is Monday and I should have spent yesterday reading but instead I was baking cookies, I baked more then 20 dozen cookies. Needless to say that did not leave me much time to read so instead of a book review today I will share with you some of my recent Etsy Favorites. the above is a Pine Log Tea light holder that caught my eye. I would love to make one of these for my own table. I have long wanted a Yule Log and I love this idea. This would be wonderful as I could reuse it year after year for the winter solstice and the holiday season. This one is offered by MoorCrafts of England and you can view the listing by clicking here.

Herbal Scents Etsy Shop has this lovely listing for a Holly Jolly Tea Cup candle. This ships out of New York and I love the patter. Click here to view this listing and so many more beautiful Candle Gifts.

At AngieGcrafts Etsy Shop I found a fun tea wreath! These are a lovely idea and I think I want to give these a try! This one holds 12 teas and would be a fun gift for the tea lover in your life. Click here to visit her Etsy shop and check out more of her wreaths! 

From my table to yours I hope you have a wonderful day.  Thank you for joining me for A Cup of tea and A Cozy Mystery. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

Memories, A Cup of Tea A New Cozy Mystery And A Few Wreaths I Made

Last night my friend Jen invited me to her mom's place to make wreaths for the holidays. I brought my own branches from my yard which I make into stars for my wreath base and then decorated it with a combination of fresh greens and herbs from the garden. I brought the branches that recently fell from my maple tree and some holly my son and I trimmed from the tree in the yard. My friends provided the bay and the sage and Jen's aunt pulled the most amazing purple poinsettia from her stash. I saw it and though of Joyce Lavene and my young friend Ahmie. 

Joyce had become a friend of mine through Facebook over the last few years. She was so  kind to me. Very encouraging and she was someone I very much looked up too. I am amazed at how this woman and her family were able to write so much, so often and so well. Through social media and Facebook I am thrilled to still be apart of this community that Joyce helped build, her presence is greatly missed. I miss her comments and likes on my morning tea photos and her presence in my daily news feeds. I am however blessed through her passing to have been able to connect with her family and stay in contact with our community. Knowing how much she is loved and remembered and still inspiring so many of us daily is remarkable. When I see purple I think of two people who have passed from this world this year and two remarkable people who still inspire others.

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/11/19/girl-honors-beloved-sister-toy-drive-sick-kids/76078290/
Ahime is the other person I am remembering, Ahmie passed away this summer from Cancer she was 14, she loved purple and she inspired so many and changed so many peoples lives. She leaves behind an amazing family as well. Her mother, father and her little sister (shown above)  carry on  in her memory by helping other children and their families living with and fighting Cancer. Aishah just had her birthday and her wish is for 500 toys, not for herself but for the sick kids at Seattle's Children's Hospital. If you can help her out please watch the video link above and check out her you caring page by clicking here.

I had a rare night out last night an I made a few other wreaths. This one hangs on my front door.

This one now hangs at my mother in laws on her door. I really enjoyed myself and had not done anything like this before,  have done my own door wreaths in the past but making in the presence of friends was a real joy. I am so very thankful to have been invited.

When I got home tonight I was very excited to see an email from Joyce's husband Jim and their cozy Murder Fir Christmas which comes out December 1st. I can not wait to read this one and share my reviews with all of you. You can order your own copy from Amazon by clicking here.

I shall leave you now with yesterday's tea photo, my new lighthouse and  my 2010 Snowbabies figurine. In my cup (from my friend Karolina's mother who lives in Poland and brought me this cup and saucer last summer) I pulled out an old favorite from Davids tea called Coffee Cake. I wish they never retired that flavor and I savor it while I still have some of the loose leaves left.  I am off to read more of Vicki Delany's Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen and hope to have the review for you soon. Thank you for joining me for A Cup of tea and a long story today. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

On My Table And In My Cup November 14-21st

Another week has come and gone. The holiday vortex is upon us and days feel as though they are flying by. I have been so lucky to have so many wonderful books on my table this week and wonderful cups of tea.

Sunday I reviewed The Postman Is Late by Vicki Vass, I am still thinking of the Main Character and the story line I hope this one turns into a long series! So many rich characters and such a great read, better then great.

I read Kari Lee Townsend's short story which was such a nice escape and like a visit with old friends. I look forward to reading book 4.

A pleasant surprise to have the mail man deliver two wonderful books this week. I read Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer and loved it! I can not wait to read more of that series. Thank you to my friend Lisa K for this book! I am currently reading Vicki Delany's Rest Ye Murdered Gentlemen.

I can not wait to make more of these cookies, we ate them all this week and I have my cookie party next Saturday and I need to make at least 9 dozen for next week. I should really start now.

Friday I took a trip to the local Sally Anne Thrift Store (Salvation Army) I really lucked out on this trip. I got more then I am sharing here but here are some of the highlights. I recently broke one of my Old Country Roses Creamers and I found this one to replace it for $4.99, I also got the teapot handled measuring cups with a rack for another $4.99! The metal hanging looks great in my living room right now and it was $3.99. I have wanted this Snowbabies book forever and it was such a treat to find it in store and at such a great price $2! It was a very good day to go and I am thrilled with my finds.

In my cups this week as with the parade of Snowbabies, I have tried to vary my selection. I have enjoyed Santa's Secret, Paris Black Tea, Peppermint, Snow Day tea I was thrilled to enjoy Buckingham Place Afternoon tea my friend Karen had sent me. I feel so blessed and so thankful to have you all stop by this week and share a cup of tea with me. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com

A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer, A Gift From A Friend And A Review To Share

Today's review of A Spoonful of Murder by Connie Archer is all do to my friend Lisa K sending me this special treat. I owe a lot to Lisa K. She has gone out of her way for the last few years to take me under her wing and share with me about the cozy blogger review world. She very kindly sent me this book and she knew I would love it.

I received it a few days ago and Lisa ordered it for me from The Book Depository, the free shipping is a huge bonus especially when you are shipping to a friend internationally!
Lisa has always made wonderful suggestions about authors and series to me and she was right about this one. I loved it.

A this is a book about coming home, rediscovering lost friendships, building a life from the pieces of a shattered dream and tragedy. About character and about community this story was the perfect book at the perfect time. I love to make soup as some of you know and there are some fantastic recipes in the back of this book. This was an unexpected surprise and delight to receive from a friend. I love that it is an established series and I can now order and read more about Lucky, Her Grandfather and all the gang from By the Spoonful.  Thank you Lisa! Your book was a highlight for me this week. It was like having you over for a visit. To order your own copy of A Spoonful of Murder please click here.
Thank you for joining me here for A cup of tea and a cozy mystery. I would love to hear from you so please leave me a comment here or email me at karenmowen@gmail.com