My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

First, my prayers for everyone that was in the path of Dorian. What a terrible tragic force that hurricane is, leaving so much devastation in its path. I read that Habitat for Humanity is planning on helping to rebuild housing that was lost, and I plan on donating to aid in this cause. I can’t do much but I want to do something.

Last week was all about finding our feet with our new schedule – pretty sure we haven’t figured out our routine quite yet…. I find it just as hard to transition to a new schedule as my son! It’ll take us a beat to find our new school year rhythm. We spent last week just getting used to it all again, and I have to say I am feeling all off. Hopefully this week is easier! Wyatt is enjoying being back though, which is great! Over the weekend we had our last summer Music Together class, and we won’t be joining again until spring. We all loved the class though, and recommend it if you have one in your area! We also went to a Family Fun Day at the center where Wyatt goes to therapy, then had dinner with my mom before leaving the kiddo with her for a few hours to have a short little date night at Greenfield Village. They were open late for a Ragtime fest and old car show (1900s-1930s cars only!) and the weather was perfect. It was a busy but good day. This morning, after I finish here, we are going on a family hike before coming home to do some home stuff that we need to do for the week. I think I am going to make Mushroom and Wild Rice soup and I am super excited for it!

Read Last Week:

I managed to read both of these books last week, and I loved them both. Leaving Time was phenomenal, and blew my mind honestly. Soo good!!

Reading This Week:

I started Foxes Unearthed last week and it is pretty interesting so far. I love foxes so this book is perfect for me. Although, who could loathe this beautiful clever animals! I am also starting A Little Hotel in Cornwall.

Watching:

We binged on Carnival Row – it was so good!! We both loved it and were sad when it ended. I think we are going to start Stranger Things next and get that knocked off of our list. We have so much waiting for us – Mindhunter, Glow, Big Little Lies, and I will be able to catch up on some podcasts too while little man is at school.

So what is going on with you all?

September!! I absolutely love fall – I wait every year patiently for my favorite season to roll around, and while I know the beginning of September is not quite fall yet technically, don’t we all associate it with fall? I think it is the whole back to school aspect of the month – kids go back in the fall, therefore, it is fall. While the weather is still sunny and warm there is now a breeze that is blowing through, crisp and cool that is making me long for fall to finally and totally arrive. Bonfires and apple picking await this month, there is cider to be drunk, flannels and boots and sweaters will be pulled out soon, and cozy meals are soon to be made. We have already started with a few of these, with a bonfire at my brother’s over Labor Day weekend, chili mac and cornbread served up at it’s glowing warmth and flames. The weather was perfect, the kids had a blast, and the adults just enjoyed the moment. One of those nights. The kids did not go to sleep in the tent as we had hoped, but it was ok – we were saying goodbye to summer and they were a part of that.

I am still reminded that it is more of a late summer right now, when I head outside. Some of my flowers are still blooming away, bees are hurriedly gathering all the pollen they can, but signs of fall are out there too. Leaves fallen into the garden, squirrels eating the apples from our tree, our family eating the apples too. It’s time to gather up the seeds for next year, harvest what we can. I am outside gathering and collecting, acorns and marigold seeds, lemon basil to make into salt, black walnuts for pesto, apples for pie and just eating. My sister-in-law and I are planning on a canning day at my uncles, while my mom watches our kiddos. It is a time to gather the bounty of nature and gather together as well.

We have some fun things planned for this month, from family art projects to hikes, field trips, and milestone birthday parties. Wyatt has started school again, and while he is busy learning I hope to do some home projects and personal art projects and write here more too. I always feel more creative and energized this time of year – it is my time, and I love it. My brother and I took our kids for ice cream together today, and he was wearing a flannel, and eating maple walnut ice cream, an echo of the change of season, right there in front of me. It was a day of small wonders and sights anyway, from a cuddly cat sleeping in a chair to the monarch caterpillar I watched shed into its chrysalis form, to the grasshoppers hopping about my yard, and finally to the magical white pumpkins that seem to have planted themselves in my front garden.

I am so ready for fall, so excited for this season. How about you? Is there a season or time of year that really resonates in your soul?

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

This past week was the last week before school started, our very last week of summer vacation. Part of me wanted to fill it up with as much as I could, and another just wanted to slip out of summer right into school slowly. We ended up doing a lot of hanging out at home, getting geared up, and eating lots of ice cream outside. This weekend is a holiday weekend, so Billy has three days off, and we are so excited! We spent our last day of August hiking in the woods, where we saw signs of fall’s upcoming arrival all around us. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect! And today, the first day of September, it is rainy. I love a rainy day so I am not too upset, although we are supposed to go to a BBQ this afternoon so…we shall see.

Read Last Week:

Wow, did I love this book! I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did! You can check out my review here.

Reading This Week:

I love foxes so I am looking forward to Foxes Unearthed! And Leaving Time is a book club read for me. So far it is really good!

Watching:

We started watching Carnival Row on Amazon and are obsessed! I love Orlando Bloom though…

What is going on in your part of the world?

Amazon Summary:

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

My Thoughts:

This book was AMAZING! I loved it so much. I thought this book was so original, with very well developed characters that I could perfectly imagine.

Jo Teale is an orinthologist, studying the nests of Indigo Buntings, and the impact of habitat loss on their population. The once prevalent birds have dropped in numbers in recent years due to habitat loss, and Jo is studying the survival rates of nests alongside roads compared to more remote and wild locations. One night after returning home, a girl in dirty pajamas shows up out of nowhere, and tells Jo that she is an alien. Jo enlists the help of the local Egg Man, Gabe, to help her find where the girl came from, and the two end up playing family with Ursa, as she calls herself, like the great bear in the sky.

I loved the intricacies and complexities in this book – where did Ursa come from, really? Could she really be from the stars? What should Jo and Gabe do? Ursa is brilliant and sharp and doesn’t miss a beat. The three actually start to become a real family, one that they have chosen for themselves. But how can it last? They need to find out the truth about Ursa sooner than later, as every day is a day that could possibly get them into more trouble, and Ursa’s sticking to her story that she is from an alien planet and can’t leave until she witnesses five miracles.

While Jo is recovering from her own history, Gabe has his secrets as well, that slowly he reveals to Jo, little by little. Secrets that have shaped his entire life. Jo and Gabe find solace in each other, and they become more than they were before on their own. Their peace and contented happiness has a deadline though, and they know it, unless steps are taken.

I loved this book, every single bit of it. Fantastic characters, including Jo’s bestie Tabby, who I loved as much as Ursa does. It is a book of moving parts and little bits that all just fit together at the end. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

Last week was crazy super busy. Most of it was fun (the dentist appointment not so much), but phew, I am ready for a break. I think our family needs a slow down week this week!

Read Last Week:

I am working on my NetGalley reviews for August, slowly trying to tick them off. Knocked these two off last week! Both were really good, although pretty different!

Reading This Week:

I’m taking a little time off from my NetGalley list this week though – I had been wanting to read the second in this series for a very long time and I finally remembered that fact when I went to the library the other day. Lol.

Posted Last Week:

Book Review: The Secret to Happiness

Summertime Snippets #2

So what is going on in your life right now?

Summer is starting to wind down into fall, and I see the abundance of the summer all around, from the huge overgrown gardens to the happy, fat animals running around. I also feel like we have had a very full summer too – full of fun and family and good times. Not all of course, but mostly. I am starting to think about school starting in just a few weeks, and our family rhythm changing, and I am looking forward to these new autumn adventures. But, it is still summer right now, and we are going to continue to make the most of it while we can!

We are still loving our breakfasts outside – although I had to start putting my coffee in a tray to stop the katydids from leaping in to their deaths! We have been reading a lot (picture book post coming up next week!), and watching the world go by from our front lawn. We also sit out here in the evening, and wait for Billy to come home. I love that time of day too – our whole neighborhood is out in the front yards, kids playing, parents sitting out, talking to each other. I love a sense of community!

We went to my little niece’s birthday party – a dinosaur rainbow party, which was super fun. The kids had a great time!

In these last few weeks we have picked peaches, made art together, explored and found new cool places..

We had a date night bike ride, and set out little happy boats out for a sail…

Saw some bugs and insects and enjoyed our new favorite snack of Tillamook vanilla and these yummy flavored maple syrups.

Our August has been full of little moments – how has your month been going? I’d love to hear!

And if you saw the post right before this, that is now deleted, I published my rough draft and I hadn’t meant to! Lol.