— Here’s What I Have to Say —

My dear friend in Seattle turned me on to the clothing from Princess Awesome. I hadn’t purchased anything myself until recently because my friend has sent the girls dresses for a couple years for birthdays or Christmas. Here are some of the patterns we have. (Rockets, Dinosaurs, Robots, Pi and Ninjas.) They have a new...

I read Defending Jacob at the recommendation of a friend of mine. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read. Here’s a bit about the book: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life:...

A friend posted a recipe for yogurt parfaits. I thought I’d give it a try and see if I could add a new breakfast to the handful the kids will eat. Turns out, it was a huge hit. I was happily surprised by how much they ate. The ingredients have now been added to my...

The Girl on the Train was one creepy book.  Here’s a summary of the book: EVERY DAY THE SAME Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch...

I read Me Before You last May right before the movie came out. A bunch of friends (mostly book club ladies) went to dinner then out to see the movie shortly after it was out in theaters.  Here’s a bit about the book: Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend,...

February marks 5 years that my little book club has been together. I'm pretty proud of this. It started with just a couple people and now there's quite a few members. Only a few are regulars, but I love that they have stuck it out with me. They were even around when I moved to...

My dear friend, Lauren, suggested that some friends try high tea at the St. Paul Hotel. It was such as fun experience. You get to drink tea served to you by cute men and women in their serving uniforms, sip champagne or wine if you choose, and snack on delicious food. It’s a fun experience...

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was such a wonderful book. I felt like I had been reading a lot of books during WWII and the holocaust, so I was weary to read another, but this was beautifully written and such a fabulous read. In love we find out who we want to be. In war...

I read Term Limits a while back for book club. I knew a number of people that had read it and loved it, so I really wanted to read it. I didn’t feel compelled to read the rest of Vince Flynn’s books, but I did enjoy this one. Taking America back…one politician at a time...

First, I know it’s supposed to be “caramelized”, but I spelled it wrong on my picture and I didn’t have the originals anymore. So this is what you are getting. 🙂 I came across the recipe HERE and knew I had to give it a try since it had so few ingredients and looked amazing....

I haven’t done a post about each of the books I read in 2016 for the Goodreads yet, but I thought it would be fun to just post a picture of them all with links to purchase them. The books are not necessarily in the order that I read them. My goal was to read...

Since I’m working on catching up on posting about some books I have read, I figured I should maybe post more than one at a time. There are a lot to write about. Here are a few young adult books I have read in the past, um, well, while. The two-time Newbery Honor winner Gary...

I recently discovered the joy of audio books. I know this sounds strange considering it’s 2017, but I am a little slow sometimes when it comes to new trends.  I started listening to them while I was painting and quickly discovered that I love listening to them in the car, too. The kids are plugged...

It’s December 21. I last wrote almost exactly 6 months ago on June 22nd. Not for lack of thinking about ye old blog here, but I just haven’t done it. Something else has come up or something else needed to be done. I’m going to have to make a serious list of all the things...

Alex and Dannie had a Curious George birthday party again this year. I am not sure how I convinced Dannie to have another one, but it turned out great. It was so nice to be home for their birthday, although their birthday in Seattle will always be so special to me because I got to...

  We read Speak for book club a couple months ago. First, here’s what it’s about: The first ten lies they tell you in high school. “Speak up for yourself–we want to know what you have to say.” From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big...

I’ve been trying to plan date nights for Chuck and myself before he leaves for Seattle. We have done puzzle rooms, out for sushi, a cooking class, dinner with friends, adult night at the zoo, and the other night we went wandering around Minnehaha Falls and then met some friends at the Stone Arch Bridge...

Last month, for a date night, I signed us up for a sushi making class through Cooks of Crocus Hill. This class taught us all about sushi (which is the rice) and how to make it correctly. We also learned how to make nigiri and some rolls. There was a lot of great information and...

Our long-time friend, Kelly, and her daughter, Aria, came to visit us a couple weeks ago. I literally squealed when she told me she booked a flight here and was even more excited when she decided to stay with us! That meant loads of baby snuggles and Kelly-time! Chuck also made his best batch EVER...

A dear friend of mine asked me if I would help her make a website for a business she wants to start. I couldn’t be more excited that she asked me. I love web design even though I am quite an amateur at it. But this is something I would love to add to my...