My Sunday-Monday Post

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

It was a pretty good week last week! Lots of good things happening all around me, lots of outside time, lots of reading and playing. We are just trying to soak up these last weeks of summer! Saturday we took Wyatt to his first music group, and he had a blast. He is so darn musical! It was our first time attending the group and he picked up a few of the sounds really quickly – he was even the only kid there who was singing at all. Lol. Of course, he also doesn’t like to stay in the circle and wants to scoot around and explore so that happens too, but overall it was a really fun experience and we are looking forward to the rest of the sessions this month! Billy and I also had a wee little date night – this time we went out to the nearby woods and took a tiny hike then joined in on the bonfire and interpreter led discussion on Michigan’s woodpeckers. I came home from Texas knowing that Billy and I need more time together without kiddo sometimes, and I put some plans into action! This week coming up we have are going to Greenfield Village for a members only bike night, where we get to ride our bikes around the village, and then for dinner on Saturday with some friends we haven’t seen in a long time!

Read Last Week:

I’m actually a bit behind on What the Wind Knows – I am trying to finish and review a bunch of books from my NetGalley list for their Reviewathon, and unfortunately my book club book got lost in there!

Reading This Week:

Another from my NetGalley shelf that I hope to read and review along with my book club book.

Posted Last Week:

Taking Time

Book Review: The Little Bookshop on the Seine

Book Review: Relative Fortunes

Watching:

We have settled right back into Criminal Minds lol. Also, we watched two seasons of This Farming Life on Britbox, which was really well done! Billy and I found ourselves having a discussion about bulls the other day and we had to laugh, since bulls are not exactly a part of our lives! It was just funny. Great show though.

Book Review: Relative Fortunes by Marlowe Benn

Publisher Summary:

In 1920s New York, the price of a woman’s independence can be exorbitant—even fatal.

In 1924 Manhattan, women’s suffrage is old news. For sophisticated booklover Julia Kydd, life’s too short for politics. With her cropped hair and penchant for independent living, Julia wants only to launch her own new private press. But as a woman, Julia must fight for what’s hers—including the inheritance her estranged half brother, Philip, has challenged, putting her aspirations in jeopardy.

When her friend’s sister, Naomi Rankin, dies suddenly of an apparent suicide, Julia is shocked at the wealthy family’s indifference toward the ardent suffragist’s death. Naomi chose poverty and hardship over a submissive marriage and a husband’s control of her money. Now, her death suggests the struggle was more than she could bear.

Julia, however, is skeptical. Doubtful of her suspicions, Philip proposes a glib wager: if Julia can prove Naomi was in fact murdered, he’ll drop his claims to her wealth. Julia soon discovers Naomi’s life was as turbulent and enigmatic as her death. And as she gets closer to the truth, Julia sees there’s much more at stake than her inheritance…

My Thoughts:

This book was the bee’s knees!! It checked a lot of boxes for me, and so much more. I love mysteries, and the 20s, but this book took those ideas to the next level. At first, it seems like a simple murder mystery, where a high society woman who happens to also be clever mixes in attempting to solve it. Julia however is much more than just a clever rich lady looking for a distraction. She is self-possessed, has a lover, independent, intelligent – and currently waiting for her 25th birthday when she can take control of her own inheritance and not depend on her older brother to dole an allowance out to her.

Julia becomes embroiled in the mystery of Naomi Rankin’s death through the admission of her friend Glennis, who is shocked by her sister Naomi’s sudden death, which appears as a suicide. Yet neither woman is buying that. Julia is pulled further into the mystery when Glennis invites her to a private family meeting about Naomi’s passing, and is shocked by how the family is more anxious to sweep it all under the rug without a second look. That family is a piece of work, and negotiating their family politics and relationships was a bit confusing – there were so many! All of them with different motives and personal agendas too, it seems…

As she and her friend dig deeper into what really happened that night to Naomi, Julia is also facing a few challenges herself, most importantly the fact that her brother Phillip has challenged the will, stating that he is entitled to the family fortune, which would leave Julia with nothing. She imagines her own dreams going up in smoke, of being an independent woman, and of continuing on with her own private press of books, Capriole. When Phillip proposes a wager regarding the cause of Naomi’s death, Julia doesn’t hesitate to accept.

Julia is led up and down and all around trying to solve this mystery, and her discoveries shed light on what life really was like for a woman in the 20s, where their financial freedom and sexual freedoms were not necessarily their own, as Julia herself comes to realize. We think of the Roaring Twenties as good times, jazz, dancing until dawn, and drinking, but we forget about the women fighting in the trenches for women’s rights. Sadly, even now, not every state has ratified the Equal Rights Amendment which is a proposed amendment that will guarantee equal rights to every citizen regardless of gender, in regards to divorce, property, employment, and other matters. Still to the day. Almost a hundred years later and the fight still continues. Benn’s novel does a wonderful job of marrying the mystery to the early days of the women’s right movement, and it fit the story perfectly.

I loved this book! I love even more that this book is listed as number one in the Julia Kydd series, meaning there will be more! I can’t wait to read more about Julia and where her journey will take her.

 

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Little Bookshop on the Seine

Publisher Summary:

It’s The Holiday on the Champs-ƒlysées in a great big love letter to Paris, charming old bookstores and happily-ever-afters!

When bookshop owner Sarah Smith is offered the opportunity for a job exchange with her Parisian friend Sophie, saying yes is a no-brainer—after all, what kind of romantic would turn down six months in Paris? Sarah is sure she’s in for the experience of a lifetime—days spent surrounded by literature in a gorgeous bookshop, and the chance to watch the snow fall on the Eiffel Tower. Plus, now she can meet up with her journalist boyfriend, Ridge, when his job takes him around the globe.

But her expectations cool faster than her café au lait soon after she lands in the City of Light—she’s a fish out of water in Paris. The customers are rude, her new coworkers suspicious and her relationship with Ridge has been reduced to a long-distance game of phone tag, leaving Sarah to wonder if he’ll ever put her first over his busy career. As Christmas approaches, Sarah is determined to get the shop—and her life—back in order…and make her dreams of a Parisian happily-ever-after come true.

My Thoughts:

A bookstore, Paris – what more can you ask for? When Sarah Smith gets the call from her friend asking to trade their bookstores for a while, she very much of out character replies yes. Sarah lives life safely, and quaintly, in her small town. She has a slower pace of life, friends that she loves, a bookstore that she adores, and a hot boyfriend to boot. But the siren’s call from the City of Love beckons even to her, and she thinks the opportunity is a dream come true. And best of all, her boyfriend can join her there, as his job as a journalist takes him all over the world . The idea of spending time strolling the streets of Paris with Ridge is almost enough to get her there all by itself, and her romantic nature can’t resist. Heck, I wouldn’t be able to either!

But when she gets there, she finds it is not necessarily the dream come true that she imagined – it is a lot more work and unhappiness that she had expected. She barely sees any of Paris in her early time there, as she works from sun up to sun down, everyday. And Ridge can never seem to find the time to join her as he had promised, which adds to her misery. Here Sarah is, surrounded by the beauty and charm of Paris, close enough to touch but it is still just out of reach!

The bookstore itself sounds amazing, a store that any book lover would love to wander into; historic, lovely, with many rooms and floors of books – it even has a writer in residence and a piano room! It has a wonderful history from decades past,  lending books to readers who can’t afford them. Sarah can appreciate the beauty and the history, although she also begins to feel chained to the place.

Sarah is not a quitter though, and as Christmas approaches, she puts plans into action to turn things around. And you will just have to read to find out if she does!

I enjoyed this sweet little book so much, although at times I was just frustrated as Sarah! I really loved it, and while the book does have some emphasis on the holiday season, it didn’t feel strictly like a Christmas book. If you like books and Paris, you will love this book!

 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Taking Time

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When I was in Texas, I attended a workshop led by Dr. Keri Riggs on the importance of creativity, play, and fun and it was pretty mind-blowing. Life today is so fast-paced – there are always errands to run, things to clean, chores to do, calls to make, emails to answer, appointments to go to – that it feels like we are on a never-ending conveyor belt of things to do. Billy and I have been trying to reshape our lifestyle into one that does allow more time for fun and play and creativity, but sometimes we are not successful. We can get mired in all the minutiae of the life just as quickly as not. Finding the balance is hard!

Dr. Riggs asked us all to think of a time that we had fun, just really let go and had fun. And to think about what play meant to us. For me, that means many different things, as I am sure it does to most of you as well. Reading and writing, being out in nature, being with my friends at book club, laughing with my family about something or other, practicing yoga. Then Dr. Riggs asked about what gets in the way – and I am sure my list is again, the same as many of you all, all of the things I mentioned above. I also realized that for me too, that I can “Chevy Chase” a moment, that I have really high expectations of how I want and expect something to be, that I have a hard time being in the moment 100%, as I try to manage it so that my family has a perfect outing or moment. And I need to realize it doesn’t need to be that way sometimes. I need to step outside of that idea, and just be.

We also talked about what we can do to try to help us make the time for ourselves – we all know and have heard how important “self-care” is for us by now. And self-care can be just a small little thing too – a piece of that special candy you love and don’t treat yourself to, for example.  For we also learned, a treat is self-care – if it is something you do all the time, it doesn’t count, because it doesn’t actually affect your brain the same way as treating yourself. So it is important to switch it up! If you buy a big box of Godiva and eat a piece of everyday, it is no longer special right? It is there and you can have it whenever you want. And it loses that magic. So we have to make sure we switch it up sometimes.

A few suggestions I took from the workshop that I feel I can actually use are very simple – make a list and put things on the calendar. My very organized brain loves these ideas. Have you ever had time to yourself where you were completely overwhelmed by the fact you had some time, and then didn’t know what to do? (This also sort of happens to me in a book store – too many options and I can’t choose!) Dr. Riggs suggested making a list of fun or self-care type things that you would enjoy, then when you get 30 minutes, etc look at your list and choose one! And the calendar thing – so important I think. It feels sort of like you shouldn’t need to schedule free time, but sometimes you do, at least until it becomes habit I think. I have to schedule in blogging or I wouldn’t get a chance. And when I don’t keep to my schedule, I never get to it! This is something I am urging my husband to do too – text his friends and set stuff up, put it on the calendar! I never miss a book club, and it is because it is scheduled. But this is just how things work for me, it might not be the thing for you, and if that is the case, find the way that works for you. Remember the things that make you smile, and restore your spirit and soul. Find the things that feel like play and fun, and do them.

Right before I left on my trip, I texted my husband that when he got home from work, we were going to go on a picnic, even though rain was in the forecast. We kept it extremely simple – we picked up pizza rolls and cookies from the bakery and headed to a local metropark. Due to the weather, we had the place to ourselves, and it was a wonderful way to spend an hour or two. We opened up the hatch of our SUV and piled into the back together, watching the rain roll in, as the wind blew our hair around. Wyatt absolutely loved it, I loved it, Billy loved it. We were safe and warm and cozy, eating our cookies while the weather was a little wild, just out of reach. We got to see deer and have a priceless moment together, really. It was after work and we had dishes in the sink and laundry to do and I needed to pack and it was probably later than Wyatt needed to be out by the time we got home, but..it was worth it. And Wyatt was fine and everything got done eventually.

What about you? What kinds of things restore you? What do you do to make time for them?

My Sunday-Monday Post!

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

We had just a week last week. Lol. Trying to get back into the groove and get re-organized after my trip and all that. We did spend a lot of time outside which was nice, and Billy and I squeezed in a dinner out, just the two of us. We had fun!

Read Last Week:

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The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin – I so enjoyed this book!! This would be like a dream come true, living in Paris, running a bookstore – although Sarah did run into some not so dream come true troubles. Review upcoming!

Reading This Week:

What the Wind Knows

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon – I am reading this for one of my book clubs this month!

Posted Last Week:

Hello, August!

Texas Mini-Retreat 

 

So what about you all? What is going on in your neighborhood?

Hello, August!

Hello August

Goodbye July, hello August!

We are heading into our final month of summer already! I have really been enjoying having my kiddo home everyday with me, it has been so much fun! Even though I can’t get very much done, like cleaning or reading or blogging, hanging out with him is better than all that, hands down. We have little adventures all the time. One thing we have been doing this summer is breakfasting outside in the morning, and it has become my favorite part of the day. I spread out the blanket, take some books and toys and our food, and just sit there until the heat and sun drive us inside. It is a very nice start to our day, one the just works for us. Once the sun starts beating down on us too hard, we go in and go about our business of the day – for me at least.

I am not ready to let go of summer yet, although fall is my favorite season of the year.  We have so much planned still for this month, bonfires and bike rides and birthday parties; we are planning on a “late night” outside too, to observe the night sky and just the nighttime itself. One thing I want to start this month too, is a family art night every Thursday if possible. We will work on art projects together, and some individually too. Next week is our first attempt, and we are all going to paint our version of the night sky. It will be interesting – I am not an artist and my husband is! But, that is not the point really anyway. It is about doing it together. I don’t want Wyatt to not try things or do things because he doesn’t think he is good at them. I remember reading a long time ago, in a Robert Fulghum book, that when we are kids we love to sing, and draw and color and dance, and when we become adults, we are too self-conscious or judgmental of our selves to do it anymore. That is so sad to me! Let’s live, and remember to play. That’s been my whole goal this summer anyway, to let go and have fun, and play with my son and my husband. And it has been a great summer so far!

August feels so abundant, wild, overflowing – gardens are full, blooms on flowers are bursting from their beds. The sun is shining high in the sky, and the world is so lush and full. Our apple tree is heavy with fruit, the weight pulling the branches down so far you would think they would snap, but they don’t. Trees can teach us a lesson in flexibility – strongly rooted, but able to bend as needed. The apples on our tree are starting to show a little red, and will be ready in the next month or two. I love how our whole neighborhood enjoys them – it is an apple summer here! Next month we will all begin to harvest, to get ready for the fall and winter, but for now, we can all just enjoy the fruits of the summer.

 

Texas Mini-Retreat

I’m back! I recently went on a mini-retreat weekend to Denton, TX as part of a CHASA moms retreat. CHASA stands for Childhood Hemiplagia and Stroke Association, and Wyatt is a right side hemi with CP – meaning he has cerebral palsy and his right side is affected. Our whole retreat was for moms with children just like Wyatt, to get away for some rest and to make connections and share stories with women who are in our situation. Who truly get our children, because they have children of their own whose challenges are the same challenges. All of our kids are different of course, different symptoms and severity and stories, but essentially, we can all speak the lingo and talk the talk and laugh and share the tears. Which we did.

This was my first weekend away from Wyatt since he has been born, and it took so much for me to get on that plane. It helped that my stepsister was going as well – she is also mother to boy with CP hemi. My guys left me at the airport and Wyatt was sobbing. It was heartwrenching but I did it. I want to raise Wyatt that despite being nervous and afraid, we do the things. And that starts with me. So I boarded the plane and headed off to Dallas!

Our hotel, The Embassy Suites in Denton, was insanely awesome. It was huge (Katherine and I kept telling each other that everything is bigger in Texas!), with beautiful pools, a green lawn, a giant wall of plants – it was also practically brand new. They also practice green housekeeping and are very environmentally friendly – paper straws! (I was also happy to read that Delta offset our carbon footprint by donating to the nature conservancy for our flight!)

My pasty white self was a little intimidated by that Texas is hot sticker! Lol. I survived though. Our room was super cute and perfect for the two of us. Katherine is a night owl and I am an early bird, so it gave us somewhere to hang while the other was sleeping if we didn’t want to be out of the room.

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Plus, there was a complimentary happy hour from 5:30-7:30 every night…

We got there on Thursday and had a meet and greet with the other moms late that afternoon, followed by dinner wherever we wanted. They had sign up sheets for different restaurants and we opted to stay in and eat at the hotel restaurant with a group of women that night. It was a nice way to start the trip and relax after a big day of travelling.

Friday morning we had a workshop on cultivating creativity, pleasure and play delivered by the wonderful Keri Riggs. I greatly enjoyed her talk about self-care and the importance of it, and learned a great deal. I brought home a lot of self-awareness about what I need, how to get it, and also how to help Billy take care of himself too. Can’t forget my guy needs it too! Plus, I got a new journal (love!) Our workshop was followed by a luncheon where we chatted with the ladies at our table. It was a nice morning.

The rest of the day was ours to play with. Keri had told us to really think about how we recharge – and as an introvert I recharge by lots of alone time. Katherine is an introvert as well, and we split up for the afternoon. She basked in the sun by the pool while I read and wrote in the room. It was lovely. Later we met back up for happy hour at the hotel bar, went to dinner, and on a ghost tour of Denton! I love a ghost tour. I’ve been on them in Gettysburg, New Orleans, Savannah,  and Key West, and Katherine was awesome enough to join me on one in Texas. It was the perfect night! Texas was having a “cold front” while we were there and I was very grateful. There was a breeze stirring about Denton Square, it was a cooler evening, live music was playing, the trees all had little lights, and all over people were enjoying the night, sprawled across the courthouse lawn enjoying the weather and community.  Shelley Tucker did a great job on her ghost tour- I learned so much Denton history – and to be wary of ghosts around the town!

We went home and crashed out! Well, I did at least. Lol. The next morning I got up early and had breakfast at the enormous breakfast buffet, which was delicious, and then Katherine and I met back up to go shopping!  We headed back to Denton Square, where it was much hotter than the night before! We sat in the shade of the courthouse, listening to a little folk band play, just talking and sharing, before hitting the shops! I picked up souvenirs for the guys, and I had promised my mom and dad both that I would buy something for myself…so I did. And I absolutely love it! It is the perfect memento for my trip, and for my office.

I love it love it love it! I can’t wait to hang it up!

We did a little more shopping, had lunch at this great place called the Lion and Crown, and ended our morning with Katherine getting her own perfect memento, a tattoo to represent where she is in her life.

We didn’t leave the square though until we went to the place I had been wanting to go for months – Gnome Cone! There are two locations in Texas, and one had just opened in Denton! I was so excited!! Lol. I opted for the Troll’s Blood flavor – it must be a little known fact that it tastes like pina colada…

We went back to the hotel after, and met up with the group for happy hour and dinner at an amazing Italian restaurant, Luigis. It was a very special night out, with lots of sharing and laughing. I made some new friends, new connections, and learned a lot on my trip, and even got some rest and relaxation in there! The bonus was getting to know my stepsister a whole lot better – I really loved that.

And of course, gnome cone.

My Sunday-Monday Post

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

My week last week was so different and out of routine for me – I went to Texas! I was away from my family for the first time in four years, and I have to admit, it was tough at times. I missed my guys so darn much. I did have fun though so all the missing them was worth it. I hope to share my adventures with y’all this week! And as I am writing this Saturday, I am still in Texas – I land tomorrow afternoon and I am excited to see my kiddo and husband. And to watch the end of the Tour de France with them too!

I read less than I had anticipated last week! In my downtime on my trip I actually tried to catch up here, with commenting and even wrote a post. I also did a little planning – I never get enough time as I want to mess about here, so it was fun for me to get to do that.  I did finish one book and start a new one. So I apologize, the books are not different from last week!

Read Last Week:

Reading this Week:

 Nine Coaches Waiting: The twisty, unputdownable romantic suspense classic by [Stewart, Mary]

I’m hoping to finish at least one of these before the end of the month! I need to catch up on my Paris in July posts!

Posted Last Week:

What Wyatt’s Reading – July

To Boldly Go..

Book Review – Cherokee Summer

What about you guys? What is going on in your neighborhood?

What Wyatt’s Reading: July

What

We have been reading up a storm this summer! I missed May and June, and I don’t want to list every book that we have read together, that would be overload, so I am just going to share a few of our favorites from July, as well as the few we read together as part of Paris in July. I got the kiddo in on the action! Lol.

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First up, our Paris/France reads!

Kitty Kat Kitty Kat Where Have you Been was such a fun look at all the places to visit in Paris – and even included a page on the Tour de France! That was a fun one to read together, since Wyatt knows that we are watching the Tour since it is on everyday for a while. Lol.

The Cat Who Walked Across France – This book was so good, but it was also so sad! 😦 I did love the ending though.

Babar’s Guide to Paris – Another “travel guide” for kids to Paris, but this one beloved character Babar and family introduced not just to places, but the lifestyle and culture – of course, in a kid friendly way. I loved it.

And finally, Madeline. What can I say about this classic that I read when I was a child? Just such a great little book.

And now for our favorites so far for July!

We read Imogene’s Antlers and Deer Dancer the same day that we made Wyatt’s own antler crown. They were both fantastic stories and Wyatt loved having his own antlers after seeing the book character’s antlers. Lol. Wyatt absolutely love Little Blue Truck – I read it so many times to him. We are going to have to read the rest! We also read Summertime in the Big Woods, which was a bit long for him so we read it in chunks at lunch time. I loved this one because Little House was my favorite book series as a kid, and I like introducing it this way to Wyatt before we get into the big chapter books. Wait Till the Moon is Full is another long one, but Wyatt didn’t seem to mind as much, but he loves the moon and night sky. And then finally The Things that I Love About Trees was another good one as we spend a lot of time lately under our own tree.

Any recommendations or favorite picture books? I love to find new ones!

To Boldly Go..

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Saturday was the 50th anniversary of when Neil Armstrong took those first fateful steps onto the surface of the moon. And in true me fashion, I wanted to make a little celebration of it.

We didn’t do anything too big, just mostly celebratory food – astronaut ice cream, Oreo Moon cookies, that had little space pictures imprinted on them, and for Billy and I, Blue Moon beer. I also found some free printables from Fiddlesticks Home, and I love the one about footprints on the moon. We had fish sticks and macaroni for dinner, I thought it kind of brought back the era of tv dinners and was kitschy. We ate and watched a replay of the big event on television, and frankly, 50 years later, it still inspires awe, if not even more so. I think watching it now, with the technology that we have at our fingertips everyday, compared to the technology they had back then when they were sending people to the MOON, is crazy. There is more tech in my phone now, I am pretty sure. I can’t even imagine what that felt like, to stand there, and look back on earth. It actually freaks me out a little!!!

Then Sunday, in keeping with the theme of space exploration, we went to the Star Trek Exhibit at Henry Ford Museum. I have been wanting and wanting to go, and it seemed like a great time. It was jam packed but I loved it! I want to go again in the morning some time so I can see more of it, but it was still pretty awesome!!!

It kicked off with a real astronaut spacesuit from one of the earliest missions.

And then costumes from the shows! I took pictures from my fave Star Trek, Next Generation, but they had costumes from all of them, including the original. It was super cool.

My husband and child were turned into borgs! We also saw a Jeffries Tube that Wyatt and his cousin played inside of. And the props were also super cool – they had a “real” original Tribble, an alien parasite from one of the episodes that looked like some plastic thing you’d get as a prize at a carnival, the actual replicas of the ships, and then fan flotsam and jetsam, like a program from a Klingon Hamlet! It was really super cool to see.

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I of course had to get Wyatt a few souvenirs while I was there…

It was a great weekend, full of space, truth and fiction.

Live long and prosper!