It’s time again for another fun filled 10 on the 10th! 10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha over at Marsha in the Middle.

1. A color I like to wear…black. Does this count? If not, then green is my next favorite. As for a color I would never wear, I will say white or anything metallic colored. White I just feel so washed out or something. I am fair with dark hair and eyes and I just feel like I look weird.

2. A food I loved as a kid but wouldn’t eat now would have to be apples and cinnamon oatmeal. So gross to me now, even the smell. It is too sweet for me in the mornings now too.

3. A bucket hat. I used to never ever take them off and wore them everywhere. Now though, never again. Maybe.

4. Oo good one. Hmm. I would love it if Billy bought me white roses. I don’t know why, but I love white roses so much more than red ones. Although, he could totally buy me a David Austin rose bush in any color. That would be great too. As for a flower I am not a fan of, I will say orchids.

5. There were a ton of foods I didn’t like as a kid. Lol. I was a pretty picky eater. I now love Brussels sprouts where I once thought I would die if ate them, but now we eat them at least once a week. I won’t say exactly that I can’t get enough of them but I do really like them now.

6. This one is easy. My very favorite book of all time, Watership Down. I reread it every spring and have since like junior high. I have owned so many copies, as they get so well read and fall apart. I love how they are underdogs, yet have so much camaraderie, loyalty, bravery, and grit. Also, who doesn’t love a clever rabbit or two? As for a book I wish had never been written, Stone Fox. I actually think I talked about this with Marsha before! That book is so sad, and I hate it so much for making me sob.

Some Watership Down inspired art I have hanging in my office. The triple pic is by Alex Boone Art, the second by Rivulet Paper Co.

7. I am a person whose love language is gifts of time. I absolutely love when my husband surprises me with taking a day off mid-week and we have a family day instead. That always makes me so happy! As for what he does that drives me crazy – he has ten million pairs of shoes, far more than I have, and he will leave them to accumulate at the front door in our small home. We do not have available space for him to build a shoe mountain.

8. I absolutely love my linen overalls. I have them in black and khaki but I could use another color. The other day my stepmom told me I was the cutest hippie mom when I had them on, and had my hair in braids. I just adore them. I also LOVE the boots my husband gave me for Christmas. They are so comfortable, the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, and they look like little elf boots!

9. We are big Halloween fans over here. It is just such a fun holiday, without much prep or work involved on my end, unlike the Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are fun but always give me a lot of work as well. Halloween, we can get a costume, get together with family, order a pizza, and just have fun. It’s so laid back, and Wyatt absolutely loves it. Me too. We don’t even eat a majority of the candy he gets. Billy will take it to work and let his coworkers eat it. For us, it is just about the good time. The holiday I could do without celebrating is New Year’s. I’ve just ever been a fan. It’s always so cold here, and now with Wyatt I think about all the drunk drivers on the road and would rather stay home. Plus, it has always made me melancholy. So I can skip it.

10. I guess my phone? It does so much, including take photos, connect me to information, to people. As for which I would ditch, my Kindle. I can read physical books forever.

And that is it from me today!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

The week ahead feels daunting to me. Wyatt has two huge specialist appointments this week and to say I am feeling anxious would be an understatement. I am keeping the rest of my week easy to make it a little more manageable; however we are at the end of our specialist visit gauntlet run that we have been on for the last few weeks with these. Then I might take a breath. Hopefully at least.

What I Read Last Week:

Shores of Mercy by Lisa R. Howeler – I very much enjoy this enjoyed this book. Well written, with relatable characters, a story of redemption which is always uplifting and inspiring.

A Woman in the Polar Night: I am not finished with this book yet but it is really good! Ritter’s comments on her situations sometimes make me laugh – she seems like she was bit snarky and I am here for it. I will finish this one up probably this week.

Reading This Week:

In addition to A Woman in the Polar Night, I am going to start this adorable little cozy fantasy. I am pretty sure this is the genre I have been waiting for all of my life.

Posted Last Week:

Pretty in Pink: Literary Classics

Book Review: Shores of Mercy

Hello February!

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Watching and Listening:

We have been watching Poker Face and Lockwood & Co. We love them both! Poker Face is a television show but each episode is like a mini-movie, and we have loved every single episode. Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion) is a genius in my opinion.

Lockwood & Co. (Netflix) is a really cool world – one where there is an epidemic of ghosts. One touch can kill someone, and only kids can see them and fight them. It takes place in London and we love the whole idea of this and the world building. They are based on books by Jonathan Stroud, which I need to read.

We watched Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli last night. I enjoyed it but it was not my favorite. I like the cozier ones.

As for listening, I have been successful lately with certain audiobooks. I started listening to a book yesterday and while I am only just an hour in I am fascinated.

And that is it from my corner of the Mitten state! I hope you are all doing well, and staying warm if you are in one of the Arctic cold states!

Book Description:

There was a time in Ben Oliver’s life when his career was more important than anything — including his girlfriend, Angie, who he walked away from when she told him she was pregnant. Even before that night, he’d been drinking too much, but after that night, the drinking got worse.

That was four years ago. Now he’s sober and opened a law office half an hour from where he grew up. He’s stayed away from Angie and the little girl he never met because he believes their life will be better without him, but when her family moves back to the area and her parents ask him to be involved in his little girl’s life, his past catches up with him.

Judi Lambert has battled her own demons and is now fighting for her sobriety. She wants to kick her party-girl lifestyle to the curb and she’s well on her way. Not far into the journey to get her life back on track, though, she’s forced to relive a traumatic experience with a man she’d once thought was simply her ticket to a good time.

When Judi and Ben’s worlds collide, can they work together to get their lives back on track? And can Judi work to help Ben get Angie and his daughter back again?

My Thoughts:

I loved this return to Spencer Valley! I am going to be up front, Lisa is my buddy, but she did not ask me to read and review her book. I wanted to, and I pre-ordered this book way back in October knowing that I would love it. And knowing Lisa she would probably want criticism of some sort, but..she’s not going to get it from me because I adored this book.

One thing Lisa really excels at is writing characters who are accessible, relatable, people you would know, y’know? Characters who have hopes and dreams but have made mistakes, who do not have it all together, like most of us. Her books are always so full of wit and humor, that make me chuckle or laugh out loud while reading. And this book, like all the rest is funny, smart, heartwarming, and a little heartbreaking too.

Let’s start with Judi, the former party girl who is tired of living that lifestyle and wants to do something else with her life. This decision had a few factors in the forming of it, from being tired of waking up feeling crappy after a night out partying to a much larger, more traumatic incident that haunts her. Seriously, poor Judi, because she has A LOT going on in this book. Like seriously. I was rooting for her so hard, and there were so many situations that occurred that could have sent her spinning off in the wrong direction again. I think that despite her outward appearances, a flighty flibbertigibbet, she is really actually quite brave and strong.

Ben on the other hand, outwardly looks like a person who does have it all together. He has returned to the area after time away, and opened a law firm nearby. He has clients and responsibilities, and unfortunately at the beginning of this book, also has a totaled car which leaves him with some other longer lasting issues. Ben has skeletons in his closet too, just his aren’t on display for everyone. He has overcome a drinking problem, and lives with the fact that he abandoned the woman he loved and their baby, and has lived with this for four years. Ben’s story broke my heart a little, especially for his child. He has a chance now to change that, and every interaction with Ben and his tiny daughter are just adorable, and I was rooting for Ben too! Like, please, let this work for him. However, there were some hurdles in his way that needed to be worked out first.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it all in two days! It is very readable and I wanted to just keep reading and reading so I could see how things turned out for these two.

If you are interested, you can purchase the book here. You can visit Lisa’s blog here.

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Last week was very full! My kiddo had a tooth pulled Monday, we played catch up in school everyday after, and for fun, I threw in a snow day, complete with playing outside, cocoa, reading snowy day books.. all kinds of good stuff.

Read Last Week:

So, I absolutely LOVED this book! I love all things faerie and faerie related and always have. I checked this out from the library but I am 100% buying it for myself.

Reading This Week:

By the time this posts, I should have started Shores of Mercy already (I am writing this Saturday afternoon). I always enjoy the books in this series and I anticipate that this one will not be different. I am also planning on reading A Woman in the Polar Night – partly because I feel like I am in a polar tundra right now.

Posted Last Week:

What Wyatt’s Reading – January

Homeschool Journey: Happy Little Trees

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Watching:

This past week we watched All Creatures Great and Small, which is one of my favorite shows. I love everything about it. And I decided I want to dress like Helen. Warm woolly knits in jeweled colors, corduroys and overalls, her hair always looks so pretty… hmm.

We also watched and finished Shetland (not crazy about that ending!), and watched a few episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, where I get quite distracted by her tiny hat and how it perches on her head. I also get a bit distracted by Duke but for different reasons.

We watched two movies this weekend! On Friday, we watched The Lost City with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum and Saturday we watched Love and Monsters. I have a weakness for all movies that are “adventuring in the jungle in search of something”. I love them all, whether serious or silly. This one was very silly and Billy and I were cracking up. Love and Monsters was also very good, although I was very tense in a few parts!

And that is about it from our little burrow! Hope all is well in your world!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everyone! It’s snowing here today and I am so excited. We have had virtually no snow this year which is not great for the lakes; I am also concerned about the apples this year, as apple trees need a certain amount of time in cold temperatures in order to produce fruit. And, I just like snow. Snow is prettier than ugly mud and dead plants. If you get enough, you can play in it. So, I am happy it is snowing this morning.

I had a bit of a week – nothing bad just a lot of phone calls and paperwork for Wyatt’s upcoming flurry of specialist appointments. I also spent quite a bit of time prepping for the next few weeks of school, and switching up what we are doing for language arts and science this month, which took a little extra work as well. I decided to shake things up a little this month!

However, this didn’t leave me much time to read, and when I tried to read before bed I managed about five minutes before crashing out. I feel like I have set us up in a good spot for a while though now, so this week should be a better one in terms of some down time.

Reading:

I am still reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which I am enjoying very much! I just didn’t have enough time to read last week which was no fun! I am also starting Shores of Mercy this week, by Lisa R. Howeler or as some of you may know her, Lisa from Boondock Ramblings. This is the fourth installment in the Spencer Valley Chronicles, and I am really looking forward to revisiting this world. Lisa has a gift for writing characters who are like people you would meet in your neighborhood, just so real and relatable.

Posted Last Week:

Book Review: Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Homeschool Journey: Grunge, Gaudi, and Gray Wolves

Watching:

Billy and I finished up Grantchester and then binged out on Willow. I loved the movie when I was a kid, and I loved the tv show just as much! It was just so fun! Yes, it was campy, but that is all part of its charm. I also kept cracking up at the Elora Danan character. She just reminded me so much of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in her teenage, slightly dingbatty, snarky way. It was just a really lighthearted watch for us. After watching all of Willow, we moved on to Shetland. We are behind on it and we are catching up. Gol-ly, that place is gorgeous! We are missing some of our favorites characters this time around though, which is a bummer. Tonight we are watching one of my all time favorite movies, Amelie. It’s homemade pizza, popcorn, and movie night!

And that is it from my corner of the Mitten State! What is going on in your world?

Publisher Summary:

Stevie Bell solved the case of Truly Devious, and now she’s taking her detecting skills abroad when she becomes embroiled in a mystery from 1990s England. Another pulse-pounding and laugh-out-loud stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.

Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

My Thoughts:

So. This book. I absolutely loved all the books that came before this one, and I was super excited to see that this installment takes place in England, with the central murder mystery taking place at a manor house. I love settings like this, and I was looking forward to what Johnson did with this idea and how Stevie and the gang would handle it.

This book had a lot of characters. There are of course Stevie and her gang, plus David’s new friend in England, Izzy, then all of the characters from the central mystery, The Nine. Because there are nine of them. Or were. (cue ominous music)

Let’s start with The Nine. The book does so we will too. The Nine are a group of very close friends in the 90s, who live and work and go to school together. They share everything, swap romantic partners within the group all the time, and basically just live in each others pockets. However, they are on the precipice of leaving their snug hive, have packed up their shared home, and are about to start their own individual independent lives. So they plan to have one last hurrah, at the manor house of one of their group. They arrive, get drunk, and play a game of hide and seek in a rainstorm in the wee hours of the night. And in the morning, two of them are dead. Who did it?

I really enjoyed this whole mystery, the idea of it, being so Christie-esque. Now enter the Ellingham group. David, Stevie’s boyfriend, is living and going to school in London, while the rest of them are focused on finishing their last year back in Vermont. Filling out applications, taking tests, preparing for their futures. All except Stevie, who seems to be floundering and a bit lost. David calls with an invitation for the group to meet him in London, like a study overseas program, and with a little bit of finagling, they get the school to agree to them going, with the caveat that they must be learning and that the trip is purposeful and not just for vacation.

Now our gang in in London for the rest of the book, Stevie is introduced to this murder mystery by David’s friend Izzy, and for Stevie, the game is afoot. However, her friends aren’t quite as keen this time around. They need to stick to their plans, they want to accomplish what they are there for, and while they want to help solve this mystery, they also need to think about their own futures as well.

Stevie really bothers me in this book. She just was so selfish and not very self-aware, while also being really wrapped up in her personal issues. There was way too much of that sort of drama in this book compared to the others, and I had to remind myself that this is a YA book and not intended for adults. So maybe it is just that I am not the intended audience here, and did not care to revisit that part of youth. However, I could see it being a realistic portrayal of that time of life – a bit lost, a bit scared, confused, full of dreams but uncertainty too. So I am giving Stevie a break, I wasn’t too much better at 17 either.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, with its nod to the locked room mystery.

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

2023 is just motoring along over here. It was one of those weeks where it is just full of everyday stuff – getting groceries, homeschooling, making meals, cleaning – you know those weeks. Just pretty ordinary which isn’t bad. We DID have a Fast Food French Fry Showdown at my brother’s last night. My niece and Billy have had a running “argument” over who has the best fries. Mermaid Girl is a die hard McDonald’s fan, while Billy insists the winner is Rally’s. So, we got fries to share from six different fast food restaurants – Rally’s, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Arby’s, White Castle, and Burger King (usually my favorite). The results were varied and interesting.

Read Last Week:

I was so excited to read this! I really enjoyed it but Stevie sort of annoyed me this time around. I did like the English Manor house mystery and murder storyline though! Review coming soon.

Reading This Week:

I just recently saw this one someone’s blog (and I apologize, I can’t remember whose!) and I knew I needed to read it ASAP. I can’t resist a book about faeries, and this even involves academia, also a favorite theme of mine. This cover is also absolutely gorgeous!

Posted Last Week:

MIgardener Seed Haul

Thursday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Book Review: Outfoxed by Melinda Metz

10 on the 10th – January

Watching and Listening:

We binged out on Wednesday this week, and I absolutely loved it. I have always loved The Addams Family and this version was fantastic, and had that special Burton style to it as well.

After finishing Wednesday, we watched Ghosts, Grantchester, and started Willow, the television series.

We are hoping to watch a movie tonight – White Noise. We had intended to watch it last night but went to my brother’s for the French Fry Showdown instead.

And phew, super short post this week! What is going on in your world?

Good morning! Or afternoon or evening or whenever you happen to be reading this. This morning I am back to my standard favorite brew, Seattle’s Best, Post Alley Blend.

I am drinking my coffee today with one eye open for my new little friend, Charles, who is the cutest little Gray squirrel – although he is in his black phase right now he doesn’t look gray/brown. I started feeding him and now he comes in the morning (most days) and waits for me to notice him and feed him his breakfast. Yesterday he didn’t show up and I was a little worried! At about 4pm though, I saw him peering in my window, trying to flag me down, demanding his sandwich. I either put out nuts or I will make him a little peanut butter sandwich cut into squares. I am crazy I know. Isn’t he so cute though?

Last Friday night we had our first Full Moon party of the year, and we had a blast! We are using the Kids Moon Club again this year and Wyatt and his cousin Mermaid Girl seem to be very much enjoying it. Billy and I actually had a fantastic time too! My brother dropped my niece off for the party and the playing and fun did not stop for hours!

First thing, I handed out their wolf ears, because that was important. Then, dinner. Dinner for these hungry wolf children was “Magic Moon Mac and Cheese” (just a party size Stouffers) which they devoured, and “Howling at the Moon Milk”. And of course, cupcakes! I love those wolf cupcake toppers! Mermaid Girl did too, she took one of each (clean) home with her. After eating, we read the full moon story, pretended to be wolves, painted, and played board games. It was a wild time and Wyatt slept good that night. And so did Billy and I!

We spent the rest of the weekend doing not as fun things – putting the house back to normal. We took down all the Christmas stuff, including the tree, and then it was time to tackle my office. It sort of became a catch all during the holidays and it was baaaad news in there.

That was taken while I was in the process of making piles and organizing. Miso was being a big helper as you can see. It is almost 100% back to its original state. Finally. And actually, I did some deeper organizing and improved how I had things. So it is not back to normal I guess, it is better!

And I am so excited I got my new candle!! I have wanted a candle from Mythologie for ages! They are so pretty and I love that they have stories to accompany them. It is just fun to browse through the website reading about all the candles. There are so many collections, like a Lord of the Rings collection, Braveheart, and an Ancient Winter collection to name a few. And there is a fun quiz to see which candle scent you should get if you are unsure. I am a quiz fan, so I took it, and actually bought the candle it suggested. I burned it for the first time the other night and I loved it. It didn’t give me or my husband a headache, which happens sometimes with candles. They are hand poured, clean burning, and I bought the wooden wick version so it makes a lovely crackling sound as it burns. I like an ambiance, guys.

It was a quiet, cozy little week around here!

10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha in the Middle! This month is a “would you rather” style!

Would you rather make resolutions, select a word of the year, or make bucket lists?

Lists, hands down. I literally have lists for everything. Books, tv, movies, vacations, garden, to-do… I could go on and on. I did resolutions for years and crashed and burned most of the time. I do usually choose a word of the year, and try to embrace that spirit all year. I do pretty well with it!

Would you rather make memories on vacations or save or save for a big occasion (retirement, wedding, college, etc.)?

Hmm. Both? We do things in small ways over here, and take little trips that we try to make as full as possible but also save a little too. I want to show Wyatt new and different things while he is a at an age to just soak it all in but I also want to think about the future.

Would you rather buy all the things on sale or shop your closet?

I’m not much of a shopper, so shop my closet even though that is very limited, since I am not a shopper. Vicious cycle. Lol. I would like to add to my wardrobe this year and I want to add meaningful pieces (I mean, my word of the year is intentional), natural materials, and a mix of practical and “special” for dress up times. Most of the time I am painting with a 7 year old, hiking outside, and other activities that can get messy. I love my cotton overalls, I have so many pockets for my glasses, pens, acorns and bits of bark or whatever Wyatt finds, paint brushes, etc. I also love my long flowy sweaters, especially when they have pockets. But I desperately need some grown up clothes too.

Would you rather shed weight through fad dieting and do it quickly or eat differently and lose slowly?

Can I do it quickly and keep it off? I will choose that one then.

Would you rather undergo some type of facial treatment or update a room in your home?

A room in my home. We are slowly making our way through the house and updating and changing to accommodate our new lives, aesthetic, and needs. We are so sick of the colors on our walls, which sounds crazy, but we are craving more neutrals and a more natural, artsy look. And recently a friend told me that they loved my house, that it was warm and artsy which is EXACTLY what we were aiming for! However we still have a few rooms left to go. The purple room is going next!

Would you rather watch Paul Hollywood or RuPaul?

Paul Hollywood! I don’t have anything against RuPaul or drag queens though, I just love the Great British Baking Show so much!

Would you rather have to wear the same color all year long or not wear that color at all?

Wear the same color all year. I sort of do that anyway. LOL.

Would you rather wear a designer look or a designer knockoff?

Hmm. I don’t think I would know the difference!!

Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed at an occasion?

Underdressed. If I were overdressed and everyone was running around in casual clothes I would literally go home and change.

Would you rather have only neutral clothing or extremely colorful clothing?

Neutral. I love color and whimsy but I like it around me not one me. I’m sort of boring fashion wise! I like black, and wear a lot of it. I like that you can add to it, like Marsha’s plaid jacket from the other day would be a piece I would totally buy! I love any plaid. But extremely colorful clothing is not my style. In my defense, I am Gen-X and we were all grungey and goth back in the day! Lol.