It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hey all! So last week was just a repeat of the week before, dealing with some unpleasant side effects of medication for Wyatt. We are all hanging in there though!
Read Last Week:
Honestly, I was so exhausted that every chance I had to rest, I actually slept or listened to a book. I was just to tired to read!
I am almost done listening this one, and it is really good! I kept it cozy too, since I am on a cozy mystery binge.
Reading This Week:
I enjoyed the first in this series so much! I am looking forward to reading this one!
Listening:
Doesn’t this sound so good?? As soon as I finish up Assault and Pepper, I will start listening to this one.
We didn’t watch too much! We did watch When Calls the Heart (and I am super squealy about the new season coming out soon!), Newhart, and the highlights of the Tour de France (all we have time for these days!)
And that is it from my corner of the world! How are you all doing?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hi everyone! Wyatt was feeling a little under the weather this week so we stuck pretty close to home most of the week – and when we were home he was keeping me busy! I did manage to read though!
Read Last Week:
I feel a cozy mystery binge coming on! I started down this road and I am firmly on it for a bit, I believe. My summer TBR just flew out the window! This is why I can never plan ahead with reading, I change my mind too much, as I am such a mood reader.
First up – Crime and Poetry by Amanda Flower. I have read a series by her Flower before, and I loved it! And so far, the Magical Bookshop Mystery series has not let me down, although I have only read one book. Lol. I am looking forward to the second, which I hope to get tomorrow when the library opens!
The second book I read was Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing by Lisa Howeler. As many of you might know, Lisa and I are friends, and she blogs over at Boondock Ramblings. (we often do movie watch posts together) Anyway, she has quite a few books on Amazon already, but this is her first foray into cozy mysteries and she nailed it! Gladwynn is a vintage wearing, book loving research librarian who finds herself out of her library job when the library decides to downsize, so she moves in with her grandmother and gets a job as a journalist at the local paper. She thinks Brookstone will be a sleepy little town, and in ways it is, but the secrets begin pouring out as Gladwynn uncovers more and more in pursuit of her stories. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read the next in the series, which Lisa is currently working on!
And thanks to JoAnn at Gulfside Musing, I was able to get The Living Great Lakes on audio to finish that up as well. I really loved this book, in part probably because I live on the Detroit River and the Lakes are a huge part of my life! However, you don’t need to live near a Great Lake to love this book – just adventure and history!
This Week:
My next two cozy mysteries! I can’t get over the cats. I love it. Although the tuxedos all make me miss my Maggie Jane.
This month’s questions look super fun and summery!
Sunrise vs. Sunset:
Hmm. I love a good sunset especially over the water. I feel like my son wakes me up at sunrise or before everyday so I do that already…. I should probably actually get out and see the sunrise since I am up.
Sneakers vs. Flip-Flops
Sneakers. I was flip-flop person for years and years but now I am about the sneaker, or sandals.
Tutu at the beach or tiara at the pool?
Lol!! I think I would prefer the tiara at the pool just because I am not a fan of sand or beaches. So tiara wins by default!
Pool full of Jello or Slip and Slide full of pudding?
Hmm. I guess the pool full of jello? Maybe I could sort of float on the top of it?
Tree House vs. Boat
Tree house all the way!! I worked with a teacher once who had a tree house just for herself in her yard and she would sleep in it during the summer. It always sounded so awesome. I might have to just settle for a vacation in a treehouse though. (although I would vacation on a houseboat in a hot minute too!)
Camp in a Yurt or a Camper
I would try a yurt, 100%B. There are some super cool glamper setups in yurts! This one in Georgia is super adorable and I would definitely stay there in a heartbeat.
Barefoot on grass or barefoot on sand?
I am always barefoot, so I will walk anywhere barefoot, except maybe through an alley in Detroit or something. However, between grass and sand, grass all the way.
Water skiing or water tubing?
I have always wanted to try water skiing although I am sure I would be much better at water tubing. Are both being dragged behind a boat though? Then I am switching my answer to water tubing. If it is between water skiing and lazy river water tubing where you amble slowly down a river in a tube for hours then water skiing. I am not able to stay in one place for that long to do a lazy river tube, although they do look super relaxing.
Watermelon Juice or Ketchup?
Ketchup? Is ketchup less sticky? I don’t eat ketchup but watermelon juice can get sticky.
Hot air balloon vs. Helicopter
Hot air balloons scare me, so helicopter which at least have you completely surrounded by walls and ceilings so you can’t accidentally just fall over the side.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Last week was Music Camp – and a complete whirlwind of a week, honestly. I did not get much reading done but this week, my plan is to take things slow and easy for Wyatt and I. So far our summer has been jam packed full of goodness and being busy and I hope to take a few weeks of laid back summer daydreaming and just chilling in July.
Read Last Week:
I finally got to this one and it was a total treat! I flipped through it while drinking some coffee, wishing I was in the woods or the mountains somewhere, looking into the wilderness from my own lodge room. It was a book for dreaming by, that is for sure.
Reading This Week:
I totally used to be able to read this many books in a week. Those days are over for me right now, but I am going to hopefully read at least two of the three!
I did start Dial A for Aunties last week and it was making me snort laugh out loud while reading it, all in the first chapter so it is off to a good start. I can’t wait to dive back into it later tonight!
Billy and I are still watching Death in Paradise at night. We do a lot of rewatches when we are tired out or need comfort tv (me). We hadn’t seen the first few seasons in a while and it is fun to revisit them.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hi all! Last week was all appointments and appointment follow ups, phone calls, phone calls and more phones calls. However, I did get a lot done and I feel like we have a new, good plan for Wyatt that all his doctors are aware of and working toward. So, I feel like it was also a very successful week too, which made all the talking on the phone worth it (hopefully!)
This week Wyatt and I go to music camp! We leave tomorrow morning and I have an Airbnb all reserved for us – I have a feeling we are both going to get back to the house tomorrow night and want to just veg after a big, awesome day. We will be home Wednesday night, and while I am anxious because that is who I am, I am also very excited for Wyatt, since he is going to love this!
Read Last Week:
I read two whole books last week! First, The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White. I absolutely loved this book and when it ended I was so frustrated that I didn’t have the next book in the series right on hand so I could start it immediately. Lol. I have a hold at the library but it looks like it won’t be in before I leave for music camp, so I will have to wait just a little bit longer! I read it fast, but not as quickly as I read The Villa by Rachel Hawkins! The Villa was a fast read, one I couldn’t put down. It was a crazy ride and I loved it, although it was very tense and heavy in parts honestly. I felt sort of sad after I finished just because the material was sort of intense. It was really good though, and I read it all in one day. I would love to stay in an Italian Villa for a summer but maybe not one like this one…
Reading This Week:
This week I need something a little bit lighter, especially after reading The Villa. I am reading an ARC of Lisa’s newest book, a cozy mystery called Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing, which comes out July 18th! I am also starting Dial A for Aunties.
Billy and I have been rewatching Death in Paradise, starting over at Season 1 again. We also started a BBC show Full Steam Ahead, which about “golden age of steam” and “how Victorian railways created modern Britain.” We love the team of Ruth, Peter, and Alex and watch pretty much anything we find that they have done, including rewatching all the farm series shows many times. We were just saying the other night while watching how cool it would be to hang out with them and have a chat over drinks and talk about history. You can find them on YouTube right now. We are still also watching Newhart here and there.
As for listening, I started a new audiobook, Billy Summers by Stephen King, but it is not a true Stephen King book. I mean it is, but it is not a horror book per se, more of an action-crime type one that doesn’t interest me. So I returned it and I am looking for something else to listen to.
And that is that for today! I hope you all have a good week!
What is the most amazing thing you remember about your wedding?
We had such a fun wedding, truly. We were 24 and young and just wanted a big old party. It was New Orleans themed, and instead of table numbers, we had New Orleans street names. We had cajun and creole food, and our favors were masks and doubloons and beads. We made all 400 masks by the way…. that was a thing. Billy’s mom made a gigantic mask to hang on the wall behind the head table – anyway, we had a party all right! People still talk about our wedding to us. We actually got discounts on things because vendors wanted to do it so they could add it to their portfolio, because I guess we were weird and different.
Billy always tells me that he will never forget the morning I had my hair and makeup trial done, because I met him and his family at lunch after and he didn’t recognize me for a second… I am not sure how I feel about that! Lol. My hair was all done up in an updo, and I had makeup on though, so I forgive him. I never wore my hair up, or wore makeup so it had to be different.
My bridesmaids all wore black, I wanted to go from a very small color palette at the wedding to an explosion of color at the reception. I had this image in mind of going from a formal type of event in a church to a straight up celebration and that is what we had.
Tell us about your wedding dress.
My dress was off the shoulder, with bands of satin that overlaid the whole top of the dress. I bought the second dress I tried on. It was my mom and I at the store and we both loved the dress immediately.
Did you include all three things (they start with b) at your wedding? Care to share more?
My something old and borrowed was a gold sovereign coin from England that was my grandfather’s and my mom carried on her wedding day as well. I had the unfortunate mistake of losing it… My something blue was my garter, something new the dress, etc.
Where was your wedding held…church, park, neighborhood bar?
Our wedding was held at the church my mom was married at, my aunt was married at, and that we had attended all of my life.
What is the worst thing you’ve ever seen at a wedding?
Gosh, I am not sure! I am one of those people who loves weddings and going to them and usually I love it all. Hmm. Ok, the worst thing I saw was more of a potentially embarrassing moment for a bride that Billy and I saved her from, I guess? We were at a wedding where the bride had really enjoyed the bar, was well-endowed, and wearing a corset dress. Billy and I had stepped outside for a bit and the bride came out a few minutes later- with the corset all loose and her dress top falling down exposing her to the world! She seemed oblivious (probably was) so I held Billy’s jacket up in front of her and looked away while Billy redid the back of her dress.
Do you think less of a bride who doesn’t wear white?
Nope not at all. I love the fact that weddings are becoming more personal and less traditional. If I was to have a wedding now, I think I might do it totally differently, although I loved our wedding.
If you got married tomorrow or sometime soon, what would be in your bouquet?
I had white roses the first time around. This time I might opt for something less formal, and want more wildflowers instead.
Have you ever attended a celebrity’s wedding? (Yes, I’m looking for name droppers!)
No, sadly. I did attend a wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado, where Some Like It Hot was filmed, but alas Marilyn Monroe was long gone by then. We were at my SIL’s sister’s wedding. She had a very casual, small like less than 20 people, wedding on the beach and it was beautiful and so very her.
What wedding tradition means the most to you?
Here I will be old fashioned – I like the groom not seeing the bride until the wedding.
Describe your perfect wedding.
Am I my current age in this imagining? Or still in the bloom of youth? I am going to imagine I am planning a wedding now with my new loves for 24 year old me…
I would still get married in the autumn, but in the woods by candlelight would be amazing! And then I would just want it more casual, smaller, rustic boho feeling. I would not wear that headbandy thing that is in the photo though.
This was a fun walk down memory lane! And dang, we all look so young in my wedding photos! My flower girl is now a grown woman with a new baby!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Last week was very full – we had Wyatt’s 24 hour EEG (and thank you everyone for all of your supportive comments last week!), Dream Night at the Detroit Zoo, and our Strawberry Full Moon Party with Mermaid Girl. I am wiped out y’all and I am looking forward to a very lazy day today. Although I am sure I will do a few things, I am going to *try* to take it easy!
Read Last Week:
As I suspected, I did not have time to read very much. However, I did a quick read through of a non-fiction book, and also listened to a book, so I am counting those.
Sunflower Houses by Sharon Lovejoy was a really neat book with a ton of cool ideas to do with young children in the garden. I didn’t read every page or word, but I did read the parts that interested me. And there were quite a few! I told Billy we need a bigger yard so I can do everything I want that I read about in this book. However, if I have to settle for one or two, I am choosing the construction of the “sunflower house” from the title, and the flower clock! The flower clock sounded so cool. They have a list of flowers that open for every hour of the day, a full 24 hours of flowers opening, and instructions on how to arrange it. I 100% want to do this!
I read Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland before, but I feel like I got so much more out of listening. Maybe because folk tales are part of oral tradition, that hearing them read out loud just added so much to them. I started listening while we did our overnight in the hospital, and it was so relaxing. I really enjoyed it. (If you have Kindle Unlimited both the book and audio are available as part of your membership!)
Reading This Week:
Lodge looks amazing and I didn’t get a chance to look through it last week – it is in my plans for today though! I did manage to read about 50 pages of The Shop on Royal Street so far, and I am enjoying it greatly. When I was younger I was obsessed with New Orleans and read every book set there (it felt like), watched all the movies, did all the things, even visited from Michigan 5 or 6 times, the last being the week before Katrina. I would love to go back and need to get that planned.
I also picked up At the Bottom of the Garden, which sounds awesome. It is a chunkier book so it will probably take me a while to read but oo, it will be fun!
Last week Lisa, Katja, and I finished up with our Spring of Cary Grant movies, ending on Notorious. However, neither Lisa nor I have posted our thoughts on it yet! Look for it this week. Lisa is planning on doing a Summer of.. but isn’t sure which actor/actress she is going to settle on. I will probably not participate this season (well, I might watch some of them but I won’t be posting) because summer is unpredictable over here and we have a lot planned. I already had a hard time in spring sticking to a schedule and I don’t want to mess up her blog plans with my tardiness all the time! I did enjoy almost all of the Cary Grant movies we watched (with the exception of one) and it is hard to pinpoint my favorite.
Billy and I are also catching up on the American version of Ghosts, watching reruns of Newhart, Full Steam Ahead, which was produced by the BBC, and is hosted by our favorite historians. This is all about the golden age of steam and how trains affected Victorian Britain.
I was listening to the Botanical Folk Tales book and finished it up last night. As for podcasts, I am listening to National Park after Dark, Going West, and Night Owls. Musically, Wyatt and I have been listening to a lot of Tom Petty and the Wildflowers album.
And that is it from our corner of the world! What is going on in your world?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far! We did so much yard work yesterday that Billy and I are feeling it this morning. Lol. Wyatt had a blast though, playing in the yard while we worked and we had a great time out there together. This morning though, I might need an extra cup of coffee to get moving again.
So this week is a bit weird. Tomorrow is a holiday here in the States, and we are having some family over in the afternoon. Then Tuesday and Wednesday we have Wyatt’s overnight EEG at the hospital. I can never read in the hospital plus I will be trying to keep Wyatt entertained because keeping an 8 year old who feels fine confined to a hospital room is not fun, especially when they are hooked up to wires. And it will be just me and Wyatt for most of the day, since Billy will be working. He will joins us after work for the overnight part, but the daytime hours will just be Wyatt and I. Sleeping is bit hard too for kiddo. I saw this meme on the IG account Epilepsy Memetherapy and it is so true.
Read Last Week:
I REALLY wanted to read this book and I was hoping my hold would come in, so I was sort of avoiding reading anything in case it did. And on Wednesday, it came in! I practically raced to the library to pick it up, and it was definitely worth waiting for. It is a short, fast read, and I read it literally in one day. I LOVED it. I can’t wait to read more T. Kingfisher. It was both creepy and funny – the main character has a sense of humor very close to my own and I just couldn’t stop reading it.
Reading This Week:
I am not sure how much I will get to read this week! I do have a book all ready though in case I do get some time.
We have been watching the same things that we have been – Brokenwood and When Calls the Heart. Last night we changed things up though and watched Dungeons and Dragons, which was actually really good. It was just really fun and made me laugh out loud at certain parts. Chris Pine was great in his role, as was Hugh Grant!
As for listening, I have been listening to True Crime again after a long break. I am catching up on Morbid, Redhanded, and Going West. There was even a Morbid/Redhanded collab!
So when Lisa at Boondock Ramblings told me she was going to do a Spring of Cary Grant, I knew I wanted in on it. She introduced me to the legend that is Grant last fall, and I am woefully behind on his films. So I am tagging along on her journey, posting along with her as well.
I have done absolutely terrible at posting my thoughts on these movies – things have been a bit crazy around here for weeks. Months even. I am hoping I am entering into a quieter and easier season. However, I have been watching!
Last week’s feature: Operation Petticoat (1959)
I have to admit, when I first looked this movie up to stream I looked up Petticoat Junction and was SUPER confused. Lol. Then I realized my mistake. Then I thought, I am not going to like this movie. I am not usually into military themed movies as a general rule. Then about ten minutes in I was hooked. Or maybe after Tony Curtis first stepped onto the screen, because wow what a looker! I don’t think I have ever watched a movie with him in it before and he was quite the good looking guy. I can see the resemblance between him and his daughter Jamie Lee as well – and I totally had no idea she was his daughter until I googled him.
Basically, for those of you who haven’t seen this movie, Cary Grant plays a navy officer who has become an Admiral. The movie starts with him returning to an old submarine he spent some crazy times on, and he is reminiscing about that time as he waits for the next officer to come and take the Sea Tiger away. The old Sea Tiger’s time is up, and is about to be scuttled but is having a last journey out before being retired.
Anyway, that time on board the ship – I think the date was Dec. 10, 1941 that Grant, or Admiral Sherman, is looking back on and the time that follows. The ship needs heavy repairs after being destroyed in an air raid, but finding parts was very hard and difficult. Enter Tony Curtis, or Nick Holden. His appearance on the scene draws some laughs from the rest of the men, as he arrives all in white like the “Good Humor Man” and expecting more of a luxury cruise than active duty on a sub. However, they all soon learn just how useful Holden really is. He can talk his way in or out of anything, and is quite good at his job of finding what the ship needs – no matter how he gets it, which is mainly through scavenging or theft. It is quite humorous honestly, what they say he and the men are managing to scavenge!
They get the sub mobile again and things are seemingly a bit back to normal although a bit untraditional in areas. And then things become very untraditional, when a contingent of Army nurses are evacuated from their situation and brought aboard by Holden. And all the jokes and hijinks and overtly sexualized gags that you can imagine begin, from ladies undergarments to showering situations to women in the engine room, to the men pretending to be ill so that they can get nursed by the women. Of course, while all this is going on, there is still a war happening out there! Grant is a Lieutenant Commander at the time, and he tries valiantly to keep things sane and normal onboard his sub, and tries like heck to get the women to a safe port. But no one will take them. Later Holden even adds more women and children from an island they stop at, who need to get to safety as their island is a heavy target, just adding to the confusion and crazy onboard. It was a silly funny movie, and the ending made us both smile. It was complete, that ending.
Overall, this movie was lighthearted and funny and we both really enjoyed it. We had a long difficult week and it was perfect. It is definitely one of those movies that would be hard to remake now, I would think, but we had a laugh while watching it. We also tried to recast the movie, but not for now, but for the 1980-early 90s. We decided Harrison Ford could have played Grant’s role, or maybe Michael Douglas which would have been cool since Kirk Douglas had a very small itsy bitsy role in it. Holden’s role could have been played by Rob Lowe. The Prophet character who was a singer maybe could have been Sean Penn, and Melanie Griffith as Lt. Crandall, maybe?
Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Next up is Suspicion- and I have my fingers crossed I get my post up Thursday!!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! I am actually sitting at my new/old desk this morning, drinking my coffee and typing this up and it is pretty awesome! It was a very busy week. We moved my mom from her condo into a senior living apartment building and it consumed almost all of my time that wasn’t spent with Wyatt. I hope to catch up on lots of things this week, including blog posts and visiting blogs – especially since I may not have a car! We were on the expressway a few weeks ago when we were hit by another car. None of us were injured thankfully, but my Jeep took some damage! It has been functional and the damage is mainly cosmetic but I still need it to be fixed. It was all down the driver’s side of the car too, and I was told it will take 7 days to fix. And somehow I don’t have rental on my car insurance! You know I am definitely adding it now! The auto repair place said they may have a loaner we could use but we won’t know until we get there tomorrow. Fingers crossed!!
Read Last Week:
Wow this book really sucked me in!!! I mentioned last week that I found it somewhat rambling, and I continued to feel that way, but as the story started to really pick up I was totally absorbed and had to know just what happened that night! It has been a while since I read a mystery/thriller type book and this was excellent.
Reading This Week:
Well, I didn’t make it to the library and I very rarely buy books so it is off to my Kindle I go! I do have a book on hold; if it comes in this week I will be waiting by the door for Billy to pull up from work so I can race off to the library before it closes. (although, I may do that even if it doesn’t come in!)
I am in the mood for a creaky old spooky house book. I blame The White Hare, which I STILL have book hangover from.
I have A House with Good Bones on hold, and I found Accidental Magic on Kindle Unlimited.
Billy and I watched Operation Petticoat, which we both absolutely loved as part of my Spring with Cary Grant that I am doing with Lisa from Boondock Ramblings – although, I am doing abysmal at actually posting!! Look for my review on it Monday.
We also have been watching Murdoch Mysteries, When Calls the Heart (such a fall back for me when I am stressed and overwhelmed!), and the Brokenwood Mysteries. We are hoping to watch Dungeons and Dragons tonight!
As for listening, Wyatt had been learning about Kentucky last week, so we listened to a lot of Bluegrass music. I also started catching up with some podcasts, like Going West (true crime) and The Night Owl (ghosts).
And that is it from my part of the world! I hope all is well with you!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 