Chris Keniston's Blog
September 2, 2025
A House Full
Sorry this is a day late but it's NUTS in the Keniston household. My son and his golden retriever are staying with me because there was a flood at his condo and repairs still need to be made - then my daughter and her family are here because here husband has a new job and they're house hunting. Then - yeah ain't that enough lol - my niece and nephew from out of the country are visiting for a few days so we are scrambling on all channels ! But you know I love it.
The challenge is it's affecting my ability to be in a story and finish it so the Aloha Series' holiday book - fake Dating the SEAL is going very slowly but I will have it to you as scheduled by October if I have to go without sleep at some point! After all, this IS my job!
I hope you picked up your copy of Sweet Deal - and are telling all your friends about it - and Sweet Beginnings is free everywhere but amazon at the moment so tell your friends about that! Then pop over to my facebook page to read about my mother and the affects of her nutritional changes on her dementia. I'll talk more about that here, but for now, I have to take my nephew to the stockyards for a tourist day and I'm late!!
Take care folks!
The challenge is it's affecting my ability to be in a story and finish it so the Aloha Series' holiday book - fake Dating the SEAL is going very slowly but I will have it to you as scheduled by October if I have to go without sleep at some point! After all, this IS my job!
I hope you picked up your copy of Sweet Deal - and are telling all your friends about it - and Sweet Beginnings is free everywhere but amazon at the moment so tell your friends about that! Then pop over to my facebook page to read about my mother and the affects of her nutritional changes on her dementia. I'll talk more about that here, but for now, I have to take my nephew to the stockyards for a tourist day and I'm late!!
Take care folks!
August 25, 2025
Home Again
I'm not only home, I'm staying put! We are in whirlwind mode. My daughter is scrambling at this late date to find schools for the grandkids - well my grandkids, her kids lol. There are a handful she loves but they're already full, so we keep looking. Then once that's all settled, they'll start looking for housing. The goal is a house near me but unfortunately, there are more people wanting the same thing then there are people moving away, but we'll keep looking.
My job is to make the guest room designed for folks staying a few days or a week, to something more comfortable for a month or more. The biggest challenge has been the bathroom, it has a pedestal sink and no other storage and of course no counter space. So I ordered one of those over the toilet shelf thingies to gave them a place for putting creams and things down and then I have one of those plastic drawer things - it's been emptied and put in a corner--I hope it helps! Next job to tackle was the closet - well, I can't do much about small closet, but thankfully, a good friend is lending me one of the clothing racks she had in her garage, so now they'll have plenty of room to hang things while they're here. I'm also shuffling furniture around - switching the bigger queen bed down to the guest room and moving the full bed up to where my grandson sleeps. Full bed is fine for a few nights - but they need a little more room. And then there's dressers, I pulled a short one out of another room and am using it as a night table so my daughter has someplace to put her things while my son in law uses the one that is already in there. All in all, I hope when we're done they'll be mostly comfortable in their temporary digs!
The hardest thing for me is learning to go to bed early. I've always been a night owl, and I get my best writing done after everyone else has gone to bed, except then I'm supposed to be able to sleep late too, well, not so much with young ones around. This means I keep dozing on the recliner in the middle of the day, but I'll get there soon, where I can sleep earlier, wake up with the grands, and get writing done!
The good thing about having visited Olivia Sands in France, is that my husband took a liking to swimming every day. We have a pool, but no one ever uses it -- until now. Every day since we returned from England, hubby has been swimming in the pool! Great gentle exercise for us old whipper snappers LOL
The downside, is that I have put on three pounds since returning to Texas - that is so frustrating - I really hate how processed and sugar laden our foods are - sigh.
There's a vote on my facebook page for the cover for the new Aloha book - pop over and take a look see which ones you like - so far the blue seems to be in the lead by a small margin!
All right - that's it for me today - I have to get some words in and assemble a toilet shelf!
see y'all next week!
My job is to make the guest room designed for folks staying a few days or a week, to something more comfortable for a month or more. The biggest challenge has been the bathroom, it has a pedestal sink and no other storage and of course no counter space. So I ordered one of those over the toilet shelf thingies to gave them a place for putting creams and things down and then I have one of those plastic drawer things - it's been emptied and put in a corner--I hope it helps! Next job to tackle was the closet - well, I can't do much about small closet, but thankfully, a good friend is lending me one of the clothing racks she had in her garage, so now they'll have plenty of room to hang things while they're here. I'm also shuffling furniture around - switching the bigger queen bed down to the guest room and moving the full bed up to where my grandson sleeps. Full bed is fine for a few nights - but they need a little more room. And then there's dressers, I pulled a short one out of another room and am using it as a night table so my daughter has someplace to put her things while my son in law uses the one that is already in there. All in all, I hope when we're done they'll be mostly comfortable in their temporary digs!
The hardest thing for me is learning to go to bed early. I've always been a night owl, and I get my best writing done after everyone else has gone to bed, except then I'm supposed to be able to sleep late too, well, not so much with young ones around. This means I keep dozing on the recliner in the middle of the day, but I'll get there soon, where I can sleep earlier, wake up with the grands, and get writing done!
The good thing about having visited Olivia Sands in France, is that my husband took a liking to swimming every day. We have a pool, but no one ever uses it -- until now. Every day since we returned from England, hubby has been swimming in the pool! Great gentle exercise for us old whipper snappers LOL
The downside, is that I have put on three pounds since returning to Texas - that is so frustrating - I really hate how processed and sugar laden our foods are - sigh.
There's a vote on my facebook page for the cover for the new Aloha book - pop over and take a look see which ones you like - so far the blue seems to be in the lead by a small margin!
All right - that's it for me today - I have to get some words in and assemble a toilet shelf!
see y'all next week!
August 18, 2025
Greetings from Sunny... and HOT... Florida
My travel buddy and I usually celebrate decade birthdays with a special trip. For her fiftieth we spent three weeks in Australia so she could scuba dive the great barrier reef. For my fiftieth we did a two week Caribbean cruise (because november is a crappy month to visit my bucket list Greek Islands) and now her sixtieth is coming up next year - so - I flew into Florida to help her with some more decorating shopping and trip planning.
The final decision - though we're waiting for confirmation - Antarctica! It seems we're developing a pattern of new continent visiting on the big years - Maybe for my next one we'll get to see the great wall of china on my bucket list - and a new continent to me!
Anyhow - this planning has taken up a lot of spare time but I'm delighted to report that Sweet Obsession is back from the editors and off with the review team to proof. You should be able to purchase it early on my website soon. It will release at all vendors in late September.
I am now working on a holiday book from the Aloha series - its been a while since we've hung out with the folks from the Big Island Dive shop and there was one book I very much wanted to write back in the day- so y'all are going to get it now!
And now - as we run out the door to go shopping - here is the VERY rough draft of the first scene in the new Aloha book I'm working on:
“What’s that smell?” Sara Alani sniffed at the air like a blood hound seeking its mark.
“My fritters!” Maile Everrett shouted from across the room. Bright red and purple and blue flowers from the family matriarch’s neck to her toes flew past Sara. For the mother of four and grandmother to three of her grandchildren and even more almost grandchildren, that woman could move. Not to mention she wore a muumuu like no one else on the island.
“I’ve got it,” a call came from the kitchen as Maile disappeared through the doorway. Emily Everrett Hamilton had come in the back door and reaching the oven minutes before her mother, averted a near disaster.
“Well,” Maile slid the hot baking dish onto the stone trivet that always sat on the counter. For anyone who baked and cooked as often as Maile did, putting the thing away simply made no sense. “Only the row closest to the back of the oven are toast.”
Reaching for one of the fritters with a darkened rim around the edge, Sara pulled her hand back and licked her burned finger.
“You know better than that.” Maile grabbed the hand and shoved it under the cold water faucet. A move she’d done often when growing up Sara and the Everrett girls would help in the family kitchen.
Rabb, the family’s beloved German shepherd, stood at his master’s feet. Any other dog would have been waiting for a dropped treat, but Sara knew as well as anyone else in the kitchen, that the astute dog was more concerned for Maile’s safety. As soon as the animal was convinced that Maile’s mad dash across the house and Sara’s hand under running water was not a major, or even minor, crisis, he plopped to the ground from the corner of the room where he could oversee all the happenings.
The front door flew open and now the sweet chaos of the Everrett family was about to truly begin. Billy, the oldest child and only son came through the door carrying their two year old son NAME, his wife Angela had their daughter Isabella by the hand.
The four year old easily dragged her mother toward the kitchen. “Hurry Mommy, cookie time.”
On their tails, Nick Harper, who might has well have been an Everrett considering how close, like Sara, he’d been to the Everrett brood, ushered his own family—Maile’s almost grandchildren—through the doorway.
Within minutes the kitchen was filled with giggling children and their parents all talking at the same time. Sara had to smile. Only once had she missed the annual Christmas cookie baking day at the Everrett household, and that was because she’d been confined to bed with strep throat. The memory broadened her smile. When she’d fully recovered she’d had Maile Everrett all to herself one afternoon after school and baked the best looking Santa and reindeer cookies ever. It hadn’t been the same as the loving chaos of the whole family baking on that special day, but Maile had made it special for her nonetheless.
Even though Sara had wonderful loving parents, she always felt doubly blessed to have the Everretts as a second set of parents. Except of course for the matchmaking thing. Sara had spent the last six years trying to explain to her mother and her mother’s best friend that she could find her own man—when she was ready. Whether the two women doubted her ability to find a man or if she’d ever be ready, was a mystery to her. Especially since with the best of intentions, those two had tried to hook her up in one way or another with pretty much any breathing male old enough to order a beer for more years than she cared to think about.
“You doing okay?” Emily Everrett, her dearest friend since they’d met the first day of preschool and their mothers had become as fast friends as she and Emily, smiled at her. Ever since Emily turned thirty and she and Doug decided that it was time to start a family, Emily seemed to be more worried about Sara’s biological clock than Sara. After all, she still had a few months until her own thirtieth birthday and in this day and age, thirty wasn’t all that old for starting a family.
“You know I love cookie baking day.” Sara smiled at Emily.
“I do.” Her friend’s eyes were filled with love, friendship, and Sara feared, just a bit of pity.
“Don’t you start turning into my mothers.”
“Me?” Emily’s eyes doubled in size. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. Yet.” The minute Emily discovered she and Doug were having a baby, she’d tried to set Sara up with one of dive shop customers who’d been getting certified to scuba dive. The guy had been nice enough, and handsome enough, but it hadn’t taken long to figure out he had more interest in the fish than in women. Especially her.
“What are you two doing out here?” Apron tied around her waist, hands on her hips, Maile stood at the kitchen threshold. “It’s time to mix the dough.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emily saluted, even though unlike her brother and most of his buddies, she’d never been in the military.
As Sara passed by her friend’s mother, Maile reached for hand and leaned in almost conspiratorially. Sara braced herself. She’d seen that look on Maile and her mother’s faces too many times.
Lowering her voice, Maile glanced back into the kitchen as if worried someone would over hear her sharing state secrets, “Emily tells me there’s a new teacher at the high school.”
Sara nodded, cautiously.
“He’s not married.”
And here they went again. Why did Christmas have to heighten everyone’s interest in finding Sara a man? Maybe it was time she tried in earnest to find a man on her own. Too bad she couldn’t ask Santa.
All righty - I'll leave you all here with that little tidbit to digest! See y'all next week!
The final decision - though we're waiting for confirmation - Antarctica! It seems we're developing a pattern of new continent visiting on the big years - Maybe for my next one we'll get to see the great wall of china on my bucket list - and a new continent to me!
Anyhow - this planning has taken up a lot of spare time but I'm delighted to report that Sweet Obsession is back from the editors and off with the review team to proof. You should be able to purchase it early on my website soon. It will release at all vendors in late September.
I am now working on a holiday book from the Aloha series - its been a while since we've hung out with the folks from the Big Island Dive shop and there was one book I very much wanted to write back in the day- so y'all are going to get it now!
And now - as we run out the door to go shopping - here is the VERY rough draft of the first scene in the new Aloha book I'm working on:
“What’s that smell?” Sara Alani sniffed at the air like a blood hound seeking its mark.
“My fritters!” Maile Everrett shouted from across the room. Bright red and purple and blue flowers from the family matriarch’s neck to her toes flew past Sara. For the mother of four and grandmother to three of her grandchildren and even more almost grandchildren, that woman could move. Not to mention she wore a muumuu like no one else on the island.
“I’ve got it,” a call came from the kitchen as Maile disappeared through the doorway. Emily Everrett Hamilton had come in the back door and reaching the oven minutes before her mother, averted a near disaster.
“Well,” Maile slid the hot baking dish onto the stone trivet that always sat on the counter. For anyone who baked and cooked as often as Maile did, putting the thing away simply made no sense. “Only the row closest to the back of the oven are toast.”
Reaching for one of the fritters with a darkened rim around the edge, Sara pulled her hand back and licked her burned finger.
“You know better than that.” Maile grabbed the hand and shoved it under the cold water faucet. A move she’d done often when growing up Sara and the Everrett girls would help in the family kitchen.
Rabb, the family’s beloved German shepherd, stood at his master’s feet. Any other dog would have been waiting for a dropped treat, but Sara knew as well as anyone else in the kitchen, that the astute dog was more concerned for Maile’s safety. As soon as the animal was convinced that Maile’s mad dash across the house and Sara’s hand under running water was not a major, or even minor, crisis, he plopped to the ground from the corner of the room where he could oversee all the happenings.
The front door flew open and now the sweet chaos of the Everrett family was about to truly begin. Billy, the oldest child and only son came through the door carrying their two year old son NAME, his wife Angela had their daughter Isabella by the hand.
The four year old easily dragged her mother toward the kitchen. “Hurry Mommy, cookie time.”
On their tails, Nick Harper, who might has well have been an Everrett considering how close, like Sara, he’d been to the Everrett brood, ushered his own family—Maile’s almost grandchildren—through the doorway.
Within minutes the kitchen was filled with giggling children and their parents all talking at the same time. Sara had to smile. Only once had she missed the annual Christmas cookie baking day at the Everrett household, and that was because she’d been confined to bed with strep throat. The memory broadened her smile. When she’d fully recovered she’d had Maile Everrett all to herself one afternoon after school and baked the best looking Santa and reindeer cookies ever. It hadn’t been the same as the loving chaos of the whole family baking on that special day, but Maile had made it special for her nonetheless.
Even though Sara had wonderful loving parents, she always felt doubly blessed to have the Everretts as a second set of parents. Except of course for the matchmaking thing. Sara had spent the last six years trying to explain to her mother and her mother’s best friend that she could find her own man—when she was ready. Whether the two women doubted her ability to find a man or if she’d ever be ready, was a mystery to her. Especially since with the best of intentions, those two had tried to hook her up in one way or another with pretty much any breathing male old enough to order a beer for more years than she cared to think about.
“You doing okay?” Emily Everrett, her dearest friend since they’d met the first day of preschool and their mothers had become as fast friends as she and Emily, smiled at her. Ever since Emily turned thirty and she and Doug decided that it was time to start a family, Emily seemed to be more worried about Sara’s biological clock than Sara. After all, she still had a few months until her own thirtieth birthday and in this day and age, thirty wasn’t all that old for starting a family.
“You know I love cookie baking day.” Sara smiled at Emily.
“I do.” Her friend’s eyes were filled with love, friendship, and Sara feared, just a bit of pity.
“Don’t you start turning into my mothers.”
“Me?” Emily’s eyes doubled in size. “What did I do?”
“Nothing. Yet.” The minute Emily discovered she and Doug were having a baby, she’d tried to set Sara up with one of dive shop customers who’d been getting certified to scuba dive. The guy had been nice enough, and handsome enough, but it hadn’t taken long to figure out he had more interest in the fish than in women. Especially her.
“What are you two doing out here?” Apron tied around her waist, hands on her hips, Maile stood at the kitchen threshold. “It’s time to mix the dough.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Emily saluted, even though unlike her brother and most of his buddies, she’d never been in the military.
As Sara passed by her friend’s mother, Maile reached for hand and leaned in almost conspiratorially. Sara braced herself. She’d seen that look on Maile and her mother’s faces too many times.
Lowering her voice, Maile glanced back into the kitchen as if worried someone would over hear her sharing state secrets, “Emily tells me there’s a new teacher at the high school.”
Sara nodded, cautiously.
“He’s not married.”
And here they went again. Why did Christmas have to heighten everyone’s interest in finding Sara a man? Maybe it was time she tried in earnest to find a man on her own. Too bad she couldn’t ask Santa.
All righty - I'll leave you all here with that little tidbit to digest! See y'all next week!
August 11, 2025
Godric Hollow Anyone?
Our second day touring was a whole lot of fun even though I stopped reading Harry Potter after book 4 and stopped watching the movies after 2 lol.
If you're looking to step back in time - visit Lavenham England. It's a small Tudor village that doesn't have anything modern in it - You get a real feel for how folks functioned in the 15 and 16 hundreds!
You also become aware of the inspiration for Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows. Some of you may have seen the little video clip in front of the Harry Potter house - if not - run over to Youtube now and watch! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HuT_s-...
So - what you need to know is that the way the production company did this was that they came into town, quietly, took photos and videos and then went back to the studio and with the help of computers - created the Godric Hollow. This means many of the photos aren't exact, but were altered for the movie - but you'll get the feel of it!
The first house - is the one that was used for the birthplace of Harry. I didn't even realize what it was, but there were a few other people mulling about taking photos and then our friends explained it to us. The town was delightful on its own - but the Harry Potter connection just made it more fun!
Here's a snippet from the former owners:
“The crew arrived without actors and filmed both the front and the back in the height of summer. They used parts of the house like pieces of a massive three-dimensional jigsaw, cutting and pasting them to form the streets of Godric’s Hollow. They even made the final result a snow scene in the winter, with a Christmas tree in our front window and carol singing coming from within the house.” Tony Ranzetta, the owner of De Vere House at that time.
the second house - which is the guild hall - became the home where the Potters hid from voldemort and eventually died saving Harry. I have no clue what the tea room was used for but the woman said that they were there for quiet some time filming and photographing.
And of course the church - you can see that big tower in the background in the film (I watched the clip lol) and then the tombstones - had I known where we were going I would have watched the movie first - because there are a couple of tombstones and I recognized one - it had an odd pyramid shape top and it caught my eye - then later when watching the film clip I saw the same shape and thought - ohh - the cemetery scene is from the church cemetery. It was really quite fascinating and a lot of fun!
Now on the book front - it took a lot of late night - or would that be early morning lol - until three, four and even five am to get Sweet Obsession finished for my drop dead deadline - but I did it! - here's hoping my editor likes it!
I'm also tinkering with trying to get a holiday book out for y'all - I'm thinking from the Aloha Series - might be nice to revisit those folks for a bit - don't you think?
Well, this is the end of galavanting with hubby - Not sure I'd want to do it again. lol. Handsome is a sweetheart but not really adventurous. There were more things I would have done while I was there because -well we were there! but hubby, he wanted to come home - I guess, we'll just have to see!
Anyone have any questions for me? You know you're allowed to make comments! I'll answer - I promise!
If you're looking to step back in time - visit Lavenham England. It's a small Tudor village that doesn't have anything modern in it - You get a real feel for how folks functioned in the 15 and 16 hundreds!
You also become aware of the inspiration for Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows. Some of you may have seen the little video clip in front of the Harry Potter house - if not - run over to Youtube now and watch! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HuT_s-...
So - what you need to know is that the way the production company did this was that they came into town, quietly, took photos and videos and then went back to the studio and with the help of computers - created the Godric Hollow. This means many of the photos aren't exact, but were altered for the movie - but you'll get the feel of it!
The first house - is the one that was used for the birthplace of Harry. I didn't even realize what it was, but there were a few other people mulling about taking photos and then our friends explained it to us. The town was delightful on its own - but the Harry Potter connection just made it more fun! Here's a snippet from the former owners:
“The crew arrived without actors and filmed both the front and the back in the height of summer. They used parts of the house like pieces of a massive three-dimensional jigsaw, cutting and pasting them to form the streets of Godric’s Hollow. They even made the final result a snow scene in the winter, with a Christmas tree in our front window and carol singing coming from within the house.” Tony Ranzetta, the owner of De Vere House at that time.
the second house - which is the guild hall - became the home where the Potters hid from voldemort and eventually died saving Harry. I have no clue what the tea room was used for but the woman said that they were there for quiet some time filming and photographing.
And of course the church - you can see that big tower in the background in the film (I watched the clip lol) and then the tombstones - had I known where we were going I would have watched the movie first - because there are a couple of tombstones and I recognized one - it had an odd pyramid shape top and it caught my eye - then later when watching the film clip I saw the same shape and thought - ohh - the cemetery scene is from the church cemetery. It was really quite fascinating and a lot of fun!
Now on the book front - it took a lot of late night - or would that be early morning lol - until three, four and even five am to get Sweet Obsession finished for my drop dead deadline - but I did it! - here's hoping my editor likes it!
I'm also tinkering with trying to get a holiday book out for y'all - I'm thinking from the Aloha Series - might be nice to revisit those folks for a bit - don't you think?
Well, this is the end of galavanting with hubby - Not sure I'd want to do it again. lol. Handsome is a sweetheart but not really adventurous. There were more things I would have done while I was there because -well we were there! but hubby, he wanted to come home - I guess, we'll just have to see!
Anyone have any questions for me? You know you're allowed to make comments! I'll answer - I promise!
August 4, 2025
On to Jolly Old England
This time we flew back to Stanstead airport on purpose. Our friends live in Ipswich and Stanstead is the closest airport as well as the only airport out of Carcassonne the nearest airport to where we stayed! The first photo is a picture of the ancient wall of the Carcassone - not taken by me - but I thought it worth sharing.
The thing that struck me - from the airplane - besides how low to the ground we flew the entire flight - was how much greenspace there is in England. The first photo was taken not far outside London. I think you'd have to be forever away from the Dallas Metroplex to find green space like that!
Our friends who we haven't seen in person in about ten years picked us up. Our first night we had dinner at a nearby pub - actually we had dinner in a lot of nearby pubs LOL - but I got a kick out of the name of this one! You'll have to click on the page to see the name!
Our first day in Ipwich prooved fascinating for me - as we were walking along I saw two tudor buildings at the end of the street and thought - what a great English photograph and posed my hubby and friends so I could capture the two buildings. But then as we kept walking, the wife went right up to the door, pulled out an old fashioned skeleton key, and opened the door of the orange building - oh my oh my oh my! This sucker is 600 years old and they bought it and are in the process of restoring it!
I can't describe how it felt walking through a building that was carbon dated back to the year 1430 - Every corner was awe inspiring. It was explained to me that the carvings were there simply to show the owners wealth. The more intricate, the more money. And during the repairs, they collect things that were left behind. I believe they determined the shoe was only two or three hundred years old - I was flabbergasted.
I teased my husband. So many castle dungeons in Ireland but none were as intriguing as the 600 year old basement of this place. I barely dared peek at the stairs. Maybe next trip I'll shore up the nerve to actually walk down there! And what would be a visit through Ipswich without another lovely pub for supper - and I took a picture of the salad - it was a beet root salad (I love beets) and a buretta cheese. I have never had it before and I loved it! Who said the English don't know how to cook!
If I have any #HarryPotter fans here, pop back next week for our photos from Day two in England! In the meantime, I'm back to working on Sweet Obsession, chugging along as best I can. I got a good chunk done in France at Olivia's, and more done on all the plane rides. I sure hope everyone is loving the series so far! This sucker was a long time in the planning stages and went through so many iterations before becoming the series it is. Please let me know if you've read and how you're liking it!
Until next week - ta ta!
The thing that struck me - from the airplane - besides how low to the ground we flew the entire flight - was how much greenspace there is in England. The first photo was taken not far outside London. I think you'd have to be forever away from the Dallas Metroplex to find green space like that!
Our friends who we haven't seen in person in about ten years picked us up. Our first night we had dinner at a nearby pub - actually we had dinner in a lot of nearby pubs LOL - but I got a kick out of the name of this one! You'll have to click on the page to see the name!
Our first day in Ipwich prooved fascinating for me - as we were walking along I saw two tudor buildings at the end of the street and thought - what a great English photograph and posed my hubby and friends so I could capture the two buildings. But then as we kept walking, the wife went right up to the door, pulled out an old fashioned skeleton key, and opened the door of the orange building - oh my oh my oh my! This sucker is 600 years old and they bought it and are in the process of restoring it!
I can't describe how it felt walking through a building that was carbon dated back to the year 1430 - Every corner was awe inspiring. It was explained to me that the carvings were there simply to show the owners wealth. The more intricate, the more money. And during the repairs, they collect things that were left behind. I believe they determined the shoe was only two or three hundred years old - I was flabbergasted.
I teased my husband. So many castle dungeons in Ireland but none were as intriguing as the 600 year old basement of this place. I barely dared peek at the stairs. Maybe next trip I'll shore up the nerve to actually walk down there! And what would be a visit through Ipswich without another lovely pub for supper - and I took a picture of the salad - it was a beet root salad (I love beets) and a buretta cheese. I have never had it before and I loved it! Who said the English don't know how to cook!
If I have any #HarryPotter fans here, pop back next week for our photos from Day two in England! In the meantime, I'm back to working on Sweet Obsession, chugging along as best I can. I got a good chunk done in France at Olivia's, and more done on all the plane rides. I sure hope everyone is loving the series so far! This sucker was a long time in the planning stages and went through so many iterations before becoming the series it is. Please let me know if you've read and how you're liking it! Until next week - ta ta!
July 28, 2025
France Anyone?
I hope everyone got their copy of Sweet Temptation this week! Sweet Deal is ready to go and should be available in my store for early purchase by next week! Will keep you posted. Sweet Obsession the fifth book in the series and my first effort at a Rock Star romance is making progress- not as much as I would have liked, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a stick LOL (Who's old enough to remember that expression?!)
Now our trip - we have gone from moving from city to city and new site to new site, to settling for a relaxing stay with my friend author Olivia Sands in the south of France. The first thing to be thankful for is all the beautiful sunflowers - the location is so peaceful
But, there is no discussion of France without mentioning food - oh my - I am delighted to announce I gained less than a pound despite all the delicious foods and desserts - oh my oh my oh my !
We'll start with desserts because there's no place in the world that has baked goods like France - I sadly failed to get a good photo of my favorite Brioche - it's like a massive croissant popover in a sweet glaze that is irresistible and hence - eaten too quickly to photograph LOL. The meringue cake has a name, but I have no idea what it is, now the san tropez cake is great if you love pastry cream and strawberries which I do - but the to die for best are the Chou Chous - oh my they take cream puffs to a whole new level!
I did not take enough photos of all the delicious foods. One of the guests made a morroccan dinner one night - that's the first photograph - somewhere under all those tasty flavors is couscous. Then of course the French take a fresh grilled hamburger to a new level and by the way - the bun - from the bakery not the grocery store! and the last photo is home made pizza with farm grown tomatoes and three cheeses - oh my- how I didn't gain wait has to be an act of God LOL. I didn't bother with all the cheeses and breads and fresh salads - it was all delicious! And every night - the dining room table was outdoors. Oh how I wish we could do things like that in Dallas but with summer temperatures over 100 most days in July and August - dining out would be a kin to dining in hell - seriously LOL. The last photo below is just another view from the table - sigh.
If we're not eating or admiring the view - then there's the pool. Too chilly for me to climb in - but a great place for me to sit on the edge and dangle my feet. Hubby thought it a great place to read a book! Just for the heck of it - here's my favorite kitty companion too - this cat would just plop down next to you and start purring - so sweet!
All in all a wonderful break after three weeks of driving on the wrong side of the road and moving from city to city every few days! And now - on to our next stop!
Now our trip - we have gone from moving from city to city and new site to new site, to settling for a relaxing stay with my friend author Olivia Sands in the south of France. The first thing to be thankful for is all the beautiful sunflowers - the location is so peaceful
But, there is no discussion of France without mentioning food - oh my - I am delighted to announce I gained less than a pound despite all the delicious foods and desserts - oh my oh my oh my ! We'll start with desserts because there's no place in the world that has baked goods like France - I sadly failed to get a good photo of my favorite Brioche - it's like a massive croissant popover in a sweet glaze that is irresistible and hence - eaten too quickly to photograph LOL. The meringue cake has a name, but I have no idea what it is, now the san tropez cake is great if you love pastry cream and strawberries which I do - but the to die for best are the Chou Chous - oh my they take cream puffs to a whole new level!
I did not take enough photos of all the delicious foods. One of the guests made a morroccan dinner one night - that's the first photograph - somewhere under all those tasty flavors is couscous. Then of course the French take a fresh grilled hamburger to a new level and by the way - the bun - from the bakery not the grocery store! and the last photo is home made pizza with farm grown tomatoes and three cheeses - oh my- how I didn't gain wait has to be an act of God LOL. I didn't bother with all the cheeses and breads and fresh salads - it was all delicious! And every night - the dining room table was outdoors. Oh how I wish we could do things like that in Dallas but with summer temperatures over 100 most days in July and August - dining out would be a kin to dining in hell - seriously LOL. The last photo below is just another view from the table - sigh.
If we're not eating or admiring the view - then there's the pool. Too chilly for me to climb in - but a great place for me to sit on the edge and dangle my feet. Hubby thought it a great place to read a book! Just for the heck of it - here's my favorite kitty companion too - this cat would just plop down next to you and start purring - so sweet!
All in all a wonderful break after three weeks of driving on the wrong side of the road and moving from city to city every few days! And now - on to our next stop! July 21, 2025
Waking Ned Divine
I’m picking up our travel journal at the Isle of Man. But first, let me explain something first. One of my husband and my favorite movies is Waking Ned Divine. It’s a thirty year old, give or take a few years, Irish comedy. The story is about a man in a small village who wins the Irish Sweepstakes and the hilarity that follows. Because this was not written by Americans, every time we expected one thing to happen, the film would go in a different direction. We just love it.
Turns out the movie was not filmed in Ireland but in the Isle of Man – which is part of the UK. It is also a very very small island. We learned that on Sundays you can’t get pastries because it’s Sunday Roast day – please don’t ask me what one thing has to do with the other because I haven’t a clue! We learned that restaurants say they’re open till after 8pm but if no one comes in by 7:30, they send the cooks home and at 7:45 you’re just out of luck! I’m glad we weren’t there for more than two days because eating out was not easy lol.
Now what we did learn is that anyplace so small tends to be very friendly. The pub truly is everyone’s living room. The town has chairs set up in the square – I stayed in the smaller Castletown not the larger Douglas – and every night there’s something to watch. Our first night it was a Bee Gees concert. The second night it was a Wimbledon match. We thought it was a great way to spend a summer night, and definitely nothing we’ve experienced coming from bigger cities.
So – now comes the story. We arrived late, there were no cabs into town from the airport and a nice lady from the car rental counter stopped to help and wound up driving us to the hotel on her way home! Seriously the kind of thing I would expect from one of the characters in my books. But, it doesn’t stop there. Turns out her husband was on the lighting crew of the Waking Ned Divine film. She tried to find someone who could give us a tour on a Sunday but was unable to – so – she took us herself. Yep, a total stranger picked us up and drove us all over the filming sites and to a small time whose name I forget that she says was a must see.
If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it highly (we watched it again that night on Youtube) and if you have seen it maybe you’ll recognize some of these shots!
Then the next day, before she picked us up to take us to the airport – Yep, our new friend informed us getting a cab to the airport would be as difficult as getting a cab From the airport – we toured the Rushen castle. There are videos on my Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@chriskenistonauthor/shorts - of the castle. They’re short snippets but it gives you an idea of what has been my favorite castle of the trip!
Here you’ll see the gate to enter. None of the other castles had that so it was kind of fun. Like you might see in an old Knights movie as someone is asking to come in. There’s also a view from the top of our hotel and the square I mentioned with the chairs for viewing the screen with the concert or the tennis matches, and lastly, a view of the island as we flew away to Manchester. In Manchester we spent one night at the airport and next week I’ll share France with you!
I am now back to working every day, even though I’m not home. I may not get as much done as I’d like, but I’m still on track to bring you Sweet Obsession in September and don’t forget that tomorrow is release day for Sweet Temptation! I hope y’all enjoy book three of the Honeysuckle series as much as books one and two!
If any of you are waiting for more Farraday Digital Audiobooks, those should be coming fairly soon too!
Okay – I think that’s enough for one day! Enjoy – tell your friends about my books and my blog and see you next week!
Turns out the movie was not filmed in Ireland but in the Isle of Man – which is part of the UK. It is also a very very small island. We learned that on Sundays you can’t get pastries because it’s Sunday Roast day – please don’t ask me what one thing has to do with the other because I haven’t a clue! We learned that restaurants say they’re open till after 8pm but if no one comes in by 7:30, they send the cooks home and at 7:45 you’re just out of luck! I’m glad we weren’t there for more than two days because eating out was not easy lol.
Now what we did learn is that anyplace so small tends to be very friendly. The pub truly is everyone’s living room. The town has chairs set up in the square – I stayed in the smaller Castletown not the larger Douglas – and every night there’s something to watch. Our first night it was a Bee Gees concert. The second night it was a Wimbledon match. We thought it was a great way to spend a summer night, and definitely nothing we’ve experienced coming from bigger cities.
So – now comes the story. We arrived late, there were no cabs into town from the airport and a nice lady from the car rental counter stopped to help and wound up driving us to the hotel on her way home! Seriously the kind of thing I would expect from one of the characters in my books. But, it doesn’t stop there. Turns out her husband was on the lighting crew of the Waking Ned Divine film. She tried to find someone who could give us a tour on a Sunday but was unable to – so – she took us herself. Yep, a total stranger picked us up and drove us all over the filming sites and to a small time whose name I forget that she says was a must see.
If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it highly (we watched it again that night on Youtube) and if you have seen it maybe you’ll recognize some of these shots!
Then the next day, before she picked us up to take us to the airport – Yep, our new friend informed us getting a cab to the airport would be as difficult as getting a cab From the airport – we toured the Rushen castle. There are videos on my Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@chriskenistonauthor/shorts - of the castle. They’re short snippets but it gives you an idea of what has been my favorite castle of the trip!Here you’ll see the gate to enter. None of the other castles had that so it was kind of fun. Like you might see in an old Knights movie as someone is asking to come in. There’s also a view from the top of our hotel and the square I mentioned with the chairs for viewing the screen with the concert or the tennis matches, and lastly, a view of the island as we flew away to Manchester. In Manchester we spent one night at the airport and next week I’ll share France with you!
I am now back to working every day, even though I’m not home. I may not get as much done as I’d like, but I’m still on track to bring you Sweet Obsession in September and don’t forget that tomorrow is release day for Sweet Temptation! I hope y’all enjoy book three of the Honeysuckle series as much as books one and two!If any of you are waiting for more Farraday Digital Audiobooks, those should be coming fairly soon too!
Okay – I think that’s enough for one day! Enjoy – tell your friends about my books and my blog and see you next week!
July 14, 2025
Still in Ireland
Another week on the road again! I will freely admit that I have learned to really like the roundabouts. I wish we had more in the US – there is definitely something to be said for not sitting at traffic lights for two minutes every so many blocks, or coming to a full stop at every stop sign. Not sitting and idling has to be better for anti pollution efforts. Of course, I’m also one of those people who wishes that the cities would require every new parking lot to have one shade tree planted for every 10 parking spaces. It would do wonders to keep cars cool, cement cool, and cities cool. Not to mention adding all that oxygen to the air. I might add that having trees also means having roots to help absorb excess water. But – why should I expect any government to be that practical.
But, back to my travels. So I’ve adapted to the roundabouts, but still prefer driving on the correct side of the road as well as a designated lane for each car on the road. This craziness of streets only wide enough for a car and a half on a two way street so folks are pulling into driveways or onto embankments to let the other guy drive buy is frankly – nuts! I will be happy to not drive again until I’m back stateside. If you want a good laugh though, my husband was a great sport as I plugged along, occasionally taking out a curb or two along the way! Even the car rental place agreed that front left tire was going to need to be replaced! Thankfully, unlike the USA where I always decline the insurance, we paid for the daily insurance so the tire won’t cost me anything more.
Things I don’t understand – my beloved croc sandals. As you know, I bought these before leaving for the first time ever because I fell in love with how cushy and comfy the soles are. I knew that the strong rubber tread meant that I could slog through the wet grass and muddy and rocky terrain in Ireland without any issue. On that front, I was absolutely correct. Yesterday as I climbed over rocky beachfront on the Isle of Man, I was very thankful for my rubber crocs! On top of all that, not once, despite the amount of walking on hard concrete we did, not a single day did I have sore feet. It has been marvelous! That said, a few days ago – actually, at the Blarney castle—after almost three walks of walking around in my crocs, I got a blister. It makes no sense to me at all – how the heck did that happen? Though I am glad to report that it’s much better now and I suspect I will be able to run around again shortly without a bandaid or bandage.
Where did we go you ask? First here’s the castle hotel we stayed in for two nights – I loved it. We did an afternoon in Kilarney. Anyone who enjoys Pat O’Briens in New Orleans, if you have a chance to go to Ireland, you have to put Paddy Sheehans pub in Kilarney on your list – it was everything you think of when you think of an Irish pub! Music, and families, and kids, and all!
Next: Hubby grudgingly carried on with me the next day to Dingle – he loved it! We took a little boat ride and saw local dolphins (the famous bottle nose dolphin passed years ago). My favorite sighting wasn’t the dolphins, it was a ruin house. All over Ireland you see ruins of old stone structures from hundreds of years ago. Most of them have no roof – apparently you were taxed for the roof so people who couldn’t afford the upkeep and taxes on these old structures, merely took the roof off. Well – this one road, in front of us was a small grouping of these structure remnants, but behind us, the land owner (no one is required to restore ruins on their land, but they are not allowed to remove them) opted to restore and modernize – I loved how they combined new and old and all that glass is great for a phenomenal view of Dingle bay!
Next we moved on to Cork. Our hotel was another pleasant surprise. The attention was amazing – but the most fun thing – a golf putter in our room! Anyhow, moving on, Cork was particularly important to my husband because his brother who passed almost two years ago had written a song about where the river forks in county Cork. Well, there’s only one place the river forks and that’s in Cork city. So we walked the length of the split.
Last stop for today’s post – Blarney Castle. (Next week I’ll pick up on Isle of Man!) I can’t see coming all the way to Ireland and not taking the time to go to Blarney Castle. And for the record – no I did not kiss the stone. Anyone who knows me would agree I need more gift of gab like I need a hole in my head. My husband did bend over backward and kiss this little itty bitty stone on the wall – it was hard to determine which was the blarney stone! I had always thought it was a big rock- nope – just part of the wall- like the cornerstone of a house – and how it wound up in the middle of the castle up high and not in the cornerstone, I have no idea! The thing that I really got a kick out of was the Blarney House. We were there too late to go inside, but from the outside it reminded me of one of my favorite movies growing up - Where Angles Go Trouble Follows. The house looks so much like the building they used for the girls school.
Anyhow, that’s more than enough for one day! We’re moving on to France soon to visit my friend author Olivia Sands, and hopefully then I’ll be able to get back to Sweet Obsession!
But, back to my travels. So I’ve adapted to the roundabouts, but still prefer driving on the correct side of the road as well as a designated lane for each car on the road. This craziness of streets only wide enough for a car and a half on a two way street so folks are pulling into driveways or onto embankments to let the other guy drive buy is frankly – nuts! I will be happy to not drive again until I’m back stateside. If you want a good laugh though, my husband was a great sport as I plugged along, occasionally taking out a curb or two along the way! Even the car rental place agreed that front left tire was going to need to be replaced! Thankfully, unlike the USA where I always decline the insurance, we paid for the daily insurance so the tire won’t cost me anything more.
Things I don’t understand – my beloved croc sandals. As you know, I bought these before leaving for the first time ever because I fell in love with how cushy and comfy the soles are. I knew that the strong rubber tread meant that I could slog through the wet grass and muddy and rocky terrain in Ireland without any issue. On that front, I was absolutely correct. Yesterday as I climbed over rocky beachfront on the Isle of Man, I was very thankful for my rubber crocs! On top of all that, not once, despite the amount of walking on hard concrete we did, not a single day did I have sore feet. It has been marvelous! That said, a few days ago – actually, at the Blarney castle—after almost three walks of walking around in my crocs, I got a blister. It makes no sense to me at all – how the heck did that happen? Though I am glad to report that it’s much better now and I suspect I will be able to run around again shortly without a bandaid or bandage.
Where did we go you ask? First here’s the castle hotel we stayed in for two nights – I loved it. We did an afternoon in Kilarney. Anyone who enjoys Pat O’Briens in New Orleans, if you have a chance to go to Ireland, you have to put Paddy Sheehans pub in Kilarney on your list – it was everything you think of when you think of an Irish pub! Music, and families, and kids, and all!
Next: Hubby grudgingly carried on with me the next day to Dingle – he loved it! We took a little boat ride and saw local dolphins (the famous bottle nose dolphin passed years ago). My favorite sighting wasn’t the dolphins, it was a ruin house. All over Ireland you see ruins of old stone structures from hundreds of years ago. Most of them have no roof – apparently you were taxed for the roof so people who couldn’t afford the upkeep and taxes on these old structures, merely took the roof off. Well – this one road, in front of us was a small grouping of these structure remnants, but behind us, the land owner (no one is required to restore ruins on their land, but they are not allowed to remove them) opted to restore and modernize – I loved how they combined new and old and all that glass is great for a phenomenal view of Dingle bay!
Next we moved on to Cork. Our hotel was another pleasant surprise. The attention was amazing – but the most fun thing – a golf putter in our room! Anyhow, moving on, Cork was particularly important to my husband because his brother who passed almost two years ago had written a song about where the river forks in county Cork. Well, there’s only one place the river forks and that’s in Cork city. So we walked the length of the split.
Last stop for today’s post – Blarney Castle. (Next week I’ll pick up on Isle of Man!) I can’t see coming all the way to Ireland and not taking the time to go to Blarney Castle. And for the record – no I did not kiss the stone. Anyone who knows me would agree I need more gift of gab like I need a hole in my head. My husband did bend over backward and kiss this little itty bitty stone on the wall – it was hard to determine which was the blarney stone! I had always thought it was a big rock- nope – just part of the wall- like the cornerstone of a house – and how it wound up in the middle of the castle up high and not in the cornerstone, I have no idea! The thing that I really got a kick out of was the Blarney House. We were there too late to go inside, but from the outside it reminded me of one of my favorite movies growing up - Where Angles Go Trouble Follows. The house looks so much like the building they used for the girls school.
Anyhow, that’s more than enough for one day! We’re moving on to France soon to visit my friend author Olivia Sands, and hopefully then I’ll be able to get back to Sweet Obsession! July 7, 2025
Another Week in Ireland
I hate to admit it – but I had hoped for a few minutes here or there to work on Sweet Obsession and there just hasn’t been a minute. One of the challenges is when you vacation the way you live and write – by the seat of your pants – you spend a crazy amount of time at night figuring out where to go next but mostly – where there’s an available hotel room!
Actually in that dilemma now – no clue where we’re going to sleep tomorrow night LOL – but rest assured, we always find someplace. Some we like more than others. We stopped in a town about an hour away from the Cliffs of Moher (because they had room) and we liked it so much, we stayed an extra night and did more day trips. Same with tonight’s hotel. We’d only booked last night but it was so nice (I really like old castles) that we’re doing day trips instead!
Now I’m going to share a bunch of photos - this from althone ireland - the town with the oldest licensed pub in Ireland - Seans. Apparently it's not the oldest actual pub - but close enough for us :)
From there - we moved on to an afternoon in Galway - the cathedral was pretty amazing - built in the late fifties, finished in 1965 - it was impressive and worth the stroll.
we also should have a few youtube videos posted - I sent them to the person who knows how to load it - so keep looking!
Next stop was the cliffs of moher - very impressive but WOW what a windy day! in the photo of my husband and I the wind actually knocked my earing off! Even with the wind and drizzle (I call it spitting) it was still an impressive view - I suspect though - that it would be really mind boggling from the water looking up!
I'm guessing this is enough photos for one day - will keep you posted on the trip and the book! Off to Dingle LOL :)
Actually in that dilemma now – no clue where we’re going to sleep tomorrow night LOL – but rest assured, we always find someplace. Some we like more than others. We stopped in a town about an hour away from the Cliffs of Moher (because they had room) and we liked it so much, we stayed an extra night and did more day trips. Same with tonight’s hotel. We’d only booked last night but it was so nice (I really like old castles) that we’re doing day trips instead!
Now I’m going to share a bunch of photos - this from althone ireland - the town with the oldest licensed pub in Ireland - Seans. Apparently it's not the oldest actual pub - but close enough for us :)
From there - we moved on to an afternoon in Galway - the cathedral was pretty amazing - built in the late fifties, finished in 1965 - it was impressive and worth the stroll.
we also should have a few youtube videos posted - I sent them to the person who knows how to load it - so keep looking! Next stop was the cliffs of moher - very impressive but WOW what a windy day! in the photo of my husband and I the wind actually knocked my earing off! Even with the wind and drizzle (I call it spitting) it was still an impressive view - I suspect though - that it would be really mind boggling from the water looking up!
I'm guessing this is enough photos for one day - will keep you posted on the trip and the book! Off to Dingle LOL :)
June 30, 2025
Traveling Still
Oh what a week it's been.
Some of you who follow me on facebook know that we had an emergency landing on our way to Dublin and I also posted a short video on You tube - at least I think we did LOL. I didn't even realize how serious it was until I saw t
he video another passenger took of the fire brigade following us after the plane touched down! After a twelve hour effort we finally made it to Dublin.
We've had a great week - we were walking about and after enjoying street musicians and getting a big kick out of the molly malone statue and how her boobs are brassy from folks rubbing them - we spotted a theater with a river dance performance so we bought last minute tickets and thoroughly enjoyed the night. Next day we met two of my husband's second cousins on his maternal grandfather's side - and had a really great time - my husband has learned how to drink Guinness! Apparently it's much better here in Ireland than in the USA - someone told us it simply doesn't travel well and the 'pour' is very important!
From Dublin we rented a car and I am happy to report that I have stayed on the wrong side of the road! Granted, my husband repeatedly warned me with 'curb' that I was getting too close, but I have now figured out where I am on the road and pretty much stay away from the curbs on the left! LOL
anyhow first stop outside of Dublin was the pub his cousins own. Good food, and really nice meeting family we've only heard about. We also stumbled onto the largest anglo norman castle in Ireland and learned it's where the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson was filmed. I've also learned that I really love Irish desserts. Not quite as sweet as the states, and the creams are amazing. I really wish the US didn't pasteurize the flavor out of everything dairy - sigh.
Today - and why this post is a little late - we visited with a different branch of the family and were taken to the remains of the house where Paul's grandmother was born and raised - wow - apparently it hasn't been lived in since 1965 and I had no idea that a house could fall apart so easily. We also went to where hubby's great grandmother and grandfather are buried and the house where his great grandmother was born and raised - all very humbling!
The tricky part of all this family history searching is everyone has different names and dates and information on everyone. The gravestone has my husband's great uncle Thomas being born in 1901 - except the 1901 Irish census has him being 4 years old that year - and another cousin has him being born in 1899 - so we are going to have to do a little more research - I am going to try and go to the county registry office and see if there are any official documents, but I don't know that one afternoon will do it !
And just in case anyone forgot - The new Honeysuckle Texas series released last week - so tell all your friends to pick up a copy - book one is only 99 cents!
That's it for now! Everyone take care and we'll meet again next week!
Some of you who follow me on facebook know that we had an emergency landing on our way to Dublin and I also posted a short video on You tube - at least I think we did LOL. I didn't even realize how serious it was until I saw t
he video another passenger took of the fire brigade following us after the plane touched down! After a twelve hour effort we finally made it to Dublin.
We've had a great week - we were walking about and after enjoying street musicians and getting a big kick out of the molly malone statue and how her boobs are brassy from folks rubbing them - we spotted a theater with a river dance performance so we bought last minute tickets and thoroughly enjoyed the night. Next day we met two of my husband's second cousins on his maternal grandfather's side - and had a really great time - my husband has learned how to drink Guinness! Apparently it's much better here in Ireland than in the USA - someone told us it simply doesn't travel well and the 'pour' is very important!
From Dublin we rented a car and I am happy to report that I have stayed on the wrong side of the road! Granted, my husband repeatedly warned me with 'curb' that I was getting too close, but I have now figured out where I am on the road and pretty much stay away from the curbs on the left! LOL anyhow first stop outside of Dublin was the pub his cousins own. Good food, and really nice meeting family we've only heard about. We also stumbled onto the largest anglo norman castle in Ireland and learned it's where the movie Braveheart with Mel Gibson was filmed. I've also learned that I really love Irish desserts. Not quite as sweet as the states, and the creams are amazing. I really wish the US didn't pasteurize the flavor out of everything dairy - sigh.
Today - and why this post is a little late - we visited with a different branch of the family and were taken to the remains of the house where Paul's grandmother was born and raised - wow - apparently it hasn't been lived in since 1965 and I had no idea that a house could fall apart so easily. We also went to where hubby's great grandmother and grandfather are buried and the house where his great grandmother was born and raised - all very humbling!
The tricky part of all this family history searching is everyone has different names and dates and information on everyone. The gravestone has my husband's great uncle Thomas being born in 1901 - except the 1901 Irish census has him being 4 years old that year - and another cousin has him being born in 1899 - so we are going to have to do a little more research - I am going to try and go to the county registry office and see if there are any official documents, but I don't know that one afternoon will do it ! And just in case anyone forgot - The new Honeysuckle Texas series released last week - so tell all your friends to pick up a copy - book one is only 99 cents!
That's it for now! Everyone take care and we'll meet again next week!
