Hi everyone. First, thank you guys for all of your well wishes pre-surgery. They meant a lot to me! I just wanted to post a quick update this morning, and I will probably post a video update from me later on. It’s been rough and sometimes I need to talk through things to process them better. It has definitely been rougher on my kiddo, although he is handling things like a champ.
The first few days were very rough on Wyatt. The first 24 hours he was inconsolable from pain and muscle spasms. Literally screaming in pain for 12 hours. However, things have gotten better. His pain seems to be managed and he is able to sleep when he needs to now. He is pretty unhappy about everything and I don’t blame him. They said the worst days are the first few so we are praying he is feeling better in a day or two. He will still have to wear knee immobilizers and a wedge pillow between his legs 24/7 which will take some getting used to, but Wyatt is a trooper. The staff at the hospital was incredible though and did whatever they needed to take care of him.
We were able to bring him home yesterday afternoon, which was both awesome and scary for us as parents. However, we have all made it through the first night and we all were able to sleep. It sort of reminded me of bringing home a newborn, with lots of middle of the night tasks – instead of feedings we gave meds, but it felt the same, waking up, stumbling around, doing what we needed then collapsing back into bed for a few more hours sleep until the next alarm. He is up and watching cartoons and eating some toast this morning. We are praying and hoping for another good day today, and hope that as time goes on things just keep getting better.
We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and messages about Wyatt.
I’ve been doing mini book reviews after every three books read, but today, I am writing this after two. I am anxious to get my thoughts out about The God of the Woods and I am reading so slowly right now! So two it is.
Let’s start with Dark Waters by Katherine Arden.
I love this middle grade series by Katherine Arden, the author who wrote The Bear and the Nightingale. It seems crazy to me that the same author wrote both of these series. They are just so different! This is the third book in the series, and takes place on the infamous Lake Champlain this time. The trio of friends has to face lake monsters, ghosts, and shipwrecks this time around, and the ending was a surprise. The next book should be a good one, and in video game talk, the one where they meet the “boss.”
It was a great spooky middle grade to read at the beginning of summer!
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is amazing. This book is written from multiple viewpoints, and multiple timelines, each focusing on the disappearance of a child from the Van Laar family at their summer camp. On some level, this book is about the power of rich men, men in power, the women in their lives, and how they mistreat them. But this book is also very woman-driven, with smart, savvy, brave women making their way in the world. Underneath all the surface, this book is also about mothers- good mothers, bad mothers, overprotective mothers, neglectful mothers, and substitute mothers. Mothers who have lost their way and mothers who have lost children. It is also a story of privilege and the working class, power and the powerless.
This book is a chunk, and has so many different points of view and so many stories, that it feels almost impossible to write a cohesive review that encompasses all the plotlines and characters – or it is beyond my abilities, at least.
It dives right in, not with a bang but a squeak, or, lack of squeak, of the all important screen door of a campground cabin. Here we meet Louise, who quickly learns that one of her campers is missing – and of course, it is Barbara. Barbara, the misunderstood, intelligent, clever, confident, punk rock daughter of none other than the Van Laars themselves, the owners of the campground. The parents who lost their other child, Bear, almost a decade before, in the same woods. From here the story unfolds, and the time is fluid, and skips around, stirring up these characters and their stories, with something new floating to the surface with each perspective.
I absolutely loved this book, with one small exception that kept it from being perfect in my eyes. This didn’t prevent this book from being my favorite read of the year so far, because it definitely is. I am not one to throw something completely out because of one small defect. What is that expression? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater? I can reject that one small bit because the rest of this book was outstanding.
I hate that I keep dancing around this part in my review but there is no way I can discuss it. The only way I could come up with, if you want to know and want to discuss it with me, is to record a small spoiler video and post it here. I have never done anything like this before, so please bear with me. This is an unlisted video on YouTube, but you can comment on there after watching. So, again, watch only if you don’t care about a major major spoiler or if you have already read the book. (that is my suggestion, read the book first).
Ok this video. Please excuse how I look and sound, lol. I did this in one take, no editing. I am running out of time before the surgery and I wanted to get this post up. I was very nervous, and things are not YouTube perfect. Lol. I really thought my voice sounded funny – I am not used to my own voice I guess. I also have this weird eyebrow thing going on too, please know my eyebrows are not like that. However, I did think this was fun, and I liked being able to connect with you guys on a different level, and have a different way for us to discuss spoilers without being here on the blog. You should be able to leave comments there as well. I am going to work on this whole video aspect and improve it but I figured, you have to start somewhere!
I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!
The past few weeks have felt more like the summers I had growing up. Slower. Simpler. Small joys. And I am not complaining – and Wyatt wasn’t either.
First though, I want to brag about my little Scouts for a minute. Last Saturday morning we assembled to pack lunches at the church to hand out to people who needed them, and the kids did such a great job. I was proud of my Scouts! Only half of our pack could make it, it is summertime after all, but the three of the kids who did worked so well together and packed 120 lunches! The kids who weren’t able to make it are going to fill some blessing boxes on their own, which is just as important.
Later that evening, we got together for ice cream with friends. Wyatt’s and mine! Just a summer night, scoops of ice cream, stories, and laughter, sitting outside at the tables behind the ice cream parlor.
When the weather cooperates, when it is not too swampy out or extreme heat, we have been enjoying the outdoors. You know, let me amend that. I decided it was a good idea to take Wyatt on a hike through the woods on a very muggy day. It was beautiful out, the water was sparkling, the birds were singing, Wyatt kept telling me how happy he was, and I was sweating profusely while pushing a child and a wheelchair through the woods. It was a good time although I looked like a wet tomato at the end. Wyatt was in charge of holding my phone and recording the birds on Merlin and we would stop occasionally just to record a spot that had lots of bird chatter. I plopped down under a tree at the end and told Wyatt we were going to enjoy the shade and breeze and take a minute. While we were enjoying this moment, a man walking by told me that we were sitting under his favorite tree, with a little smile on his face. I agreed, it was a really great tree, with giant roots all over the ground, wide and strong with lots of shade branches and leaves. And I loved that idea of a favorite tree! Do any of you have a favorite tree? I don’t know if I do, but I might need one.
While we were out sweating in the woods, Billy was at a friend’s house building Wyatt a Little Free Library! I use the term “little” loosely, as it is actually quite big. Like almost as tall as me. Taller than Wyatt for sure. It is awesome and Wyatt is extremely excited to get it set up. Billy is actually working on it right now, putting the final touches on it while I type this.
I have been spending mornings outside on our deck, drinking coffee, reading, working, while Wyatt plays or draws out there with me. I also usually wander about poking at all of our flowers, checking on the caterpillars (who are slowly disappearing, even before full size – I think the birds have spotted them too), and I found a chrysalis! Some silly caterpillar had formed its chrysalis on the grill, and since it was a black swallowtail chrysalis, I gently removed it and relocated it, and also the only remaining caterpillar, to a butterfly enclosure. I decided I would protect the last little baby ‘pillar from the birds.
We haven’t been outside all the time though. It’s been more hot than not. When my dad visited the other day we decided a shopping trip to Target was in order to stay cool yet get out of the house. I also wanted to see if there were any Camp Snoopy notebooks there, since Wyatt loves Camp Snoopy. I had seen a post online that there were, but we didn’t find them. However, we did find a bunch of other things! All three of us had a really good time honestly. We spent some time in the dollar spot, oooing at all the things there we could buy – tiny colorful plates with summer fruits on them, card keepers for flash cards and playing cards, a little metal lunch box with clasps that says “Happy Camper”, fun mugs. My dad and I each picked out a mug – mine is a pastel purpley color with clouds on it, and my dad chose a yellow one with a handle that looks like a banana. Wyatt wanted the Happy Camper tin so we picked that up too, and it now houses his markers. My dad and Wyatt each got some shorts and shirts, I grabbed a new nail polish color. We just wandered around looking at everything and picking stuff up. It was good time!
Also, at the urging of my friend Kelly, who I had drinks with the other night in her yard, I ordered a few new embroidery kits to do during Wyatt’s recovery. I am glad she convinced me, it will probably be the best distraction for me, and the most relaxing too. I have oodles of books to read but I will probably be doing more reading with Wyatt than I will for me. I tend to not be able to read as much when I am anxious, but I can embroider. I picked out a set of three, that are hygge themed and they are really cute!
Then yesterday we got together with my whole extended family for the fourth. It also marked the 100th Independence Day since my grandfather’s family, the Keedys, came to America! My cousin has a big party every year, and it is so nice to just hang out near the pool, chat with family, eat and drink, and listen to the bops in the background. He has a gorgeous house and yard, and the kids go wild in the pool, and so do the dads. It was a typical super muggy day in the midwest, so even if we weren’t swimming we were poolside, legs and feet dangling into the water, getting splashed by children, mostly Wyatt. I was so happy that I decided to take a second dress with me, since I ended up getting soaked at one point when I chased my littlest niece down to give her mom a break for a second. We were a happy, motley crew and I think I smiled and laughed all day. We came home and all crashed hard.
This is my favorite photo from this past week or so…
And with that, I will sign off for now. I hope that whatever you all do today that you do something that makes you smile!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! I hope you had a good week! We took it pretty easy around here last week, between the heat wave and just needing a slow down. It was nice to be summertime lazy with Wyatt.
We have been amassing books for his post-surgery recovery, and I feel like we have a good start! Wyatt is pretty into dragons now and his reading material reflects that… lol.
What I Am Reading:
This is my current slow read. I am reading it now, but I read nonfiction sooo slowly for some reason. So I am going to have to add in some fiction while I am reading it. I am really enjoying it, and learning a lot more about British books about Otters than I could have imagined, specifically Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell. I had never heard of this book or movie, but it is one of the books that Darlington read that formed her lifelong love of otters.
It also seems like the perfect time to start Pat of Silver Bush. I am looking forward to retreating into the world of L.M. Montgomery again.
Billy and I finished season 1 of Yellowjackets and are pressing pause on it until fall. We are loving it though.
We have been watching Sirens with Kevin Bacon and Julianne Moore, and it is really good! I also love seeing the shots of the interior design in this show. Everything is like a visual feast. I loooove Simone’s bedroom, and I love Peter’s study. The interior also serves to reflect the secrets of the show, the tone, the weirdness. This article explains it a bit. Anyway, the cool coastal interiors are perfect for summer tv watching.
When we finish this up, I think we are going to start the new season of Dark Winds.
Wyatt’s been watching a lot of cartoons on Apple TV+ mainly Frog and Toad and Camp Snoopy. I have to admit I like when he watches these because I enjoy them too.
Online Things Happening:
Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I are still hosting our Drop In Crafternoons once a month. Lisa and I have been hosting crafternoons for fellow bloggers on Zoom since January, and it has been so fun. It is nice to meet the person behind the blog, hear their voices, and share more stories – all while we work on whatever craft we choose! There is no right or wrong activity, you don’t even need to craft if you don’t want to. Just hang out, that is fine too! I need to update the dates for this – hopefully I get to that today.
I am also participating in 10, 15, 20 Books of Summer which is hosted by Emma over at Words and Peace, and Annabel at Annabookbel. I am glad that one of the “rules” is that we are allowed to switch up the books from our list at anytime, because I have already done that a few times since the beginning of June. I hope to post a few reviews this week! I went with 10 books but who knows? Maybe I will hit 15!
And that is it for me today! I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!
Ugh! This weather! We are on day 3 of a 4 day heat wave here in Michigan, and I know we are not the only ones experiencing high temps! I am a fall/winter girlie so I am NOT enjoying this to say the least. The weather here is hot, humid, swampy, oppressive, downright disrespectful, if you will.
I pulled together a list of a few books that feel like a heat wave, in case you want to match the weather outside. These temps call for more than a light summer read!
Desperation: Desert heat, scary horrible creatures, and a gang of thrown together heroes battling an ancient evil. This is probably one of my top fave King books.
Lonesome Dove: More desert, minus the … gore? It still has its moments. Just imagine wandering the desert in all that gear. Bleh. One of the best books ever though.
Holes: This book is on my mind a lot right now, as it is a book Wyatt and I are reading next year for school. But dang, is it hot out there. Poor Stanley.
The Ruins: Jungle heat, humidity, swampy, bugs and plants and horror. So good!
Jaws: I don’t think this one needs an explanation. However, this book makes you think twice about swimming in the ocean to beat the heat!
The Sunlit Man: My husband suggested this one so I don’t know anything about it! However, Billy understood the assignment, as the description reads “Fleeing the fires of a sunrise that melts the very stones…” Yep, that is pretty hot.
Good Girls Die Last: This book is all feminist rage during a London heatwave. Em is just going through some shit, pardon my French, and is fed up.
The Summer That Melted Everything: I can’t describe this any better than this blurb.. “Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heatwave scorched the small town of Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil.”
A Streetcar Named Desire: Literally the first book that popped into my head when I was thinking about this post. New Orleans in the hot summer is something to be experienced y’all!
The Great Gatsby: Another book that was an instant add to my list.
This week was music camp week! This was Wyatt’s third year attending the Eric “RicStar” Winter Music Therapy Camp at MSU, and his best year yet.
First, a little look back. Wyatt’s first year was definitely our roughest, but there was so much else going on as well. Billy was supposed to go but ended up having to stay home due to kidney stones (poor Billy!), so Wyatt was processing a lot of different emotions. He and I were off on a three day adventure without his dad for the first time, navigating hotels and scary AirBNBs, a whole new experience with music camp, and also, being taken off of an epilepsy medication bit by bit. There was a lot going on for this kid. But we made it through the week – lots of tears, but also such a good experience for us both. The staff were all so wonderful though, that I knew we would be going back.
I am so glad that we did because year two was so much better! A few tears the first day, but then, smooth sailing for there on out. Billy was with us, and while this time Wyatt was getting used to new meds (ugh do you all remember Wyatt being so sick with that new med last year?) we were prepared for it. And he ended up having a great year!!
This year though, was by far the best. Let me tell you why.
We hit the road early Monday morning, coffees and Egg McMuffins for Billy and I, water and French Toast sticks for the boy, and had an easy 90 minute drive north to Lansing. We arrived right on time, and headed on in to the school, where the staff were all lined up on both sides of the door to greet campers. Wyatt was met with a cheer and a “Wyatt’s here!” which was such a happy way to start the day for him, so welcoming, and then we went off to meet our group, green group in the cafeteria. Wyatt was starting the day with music and dancing, which to me seemed like a great way to begin. He was feeling a little shy for most of this hour, but slowly began to settle in and relax. I get it, I am the same way. We just gave him time and let him acclimate and danced as well to encourage him to join in, and eventually he did.
This whole first day was so much easier than previous first days for us. Wyatt knows these people now, the therapists and some of the volunteers, who have been there all three years that we have been there, and then even some of the kids in our group were the same from previous years. These days are very full – they are on the go and making music and learning about music from 9:30-2:30, and let me tell you, even Billy and I were tired at the end of the first day. But it had been awesome. There were some favorite moments of Wyatt’s that day, playing the piano and the bongos and then a horn. When we left for the hotel at the end, we were all ready to just chill out for a bit.
Look at that little tired face.
Which is exactly what we did. We checked in to the hotel, where music followed us. The entire cast of The Book of Mormon were checking in that day as well! We stayed in our room, reading and watching tv for a while, having snacks and water (I swear, I could not drink enough water while we there), before deciding to find some dinner. We took a little drive around the area and decided on Peppino’s Pizza, which was delicious. If you find yourself in East Lansing, give it a try. And if you are there on a Monday, they currently have a $5 special for a medium. Just saying.
The next morning, we headed back to camp. This time we were smart and parked in the shade, since our little family took our lunch breaks outside to give Wyatt some time out of his wheelchair and to give me a quiet moment in the day. All of that activity and noise is actually really hard on my own nervous system, so those little breaks were awesome. We just had car picnics in the back of the Subaru, and they were little respites.
We started off with more dancing in the cafeteria. Today Wyatt took a minute or two to warm up to being back before joining in, and it helped that they were playing with the parachute. He loves that. I think all kids do honestly. I sort of want a small one for scouts to do the same activities. The therapist plays music, the kids all raise it up and lower it, go under it, catch and toss balls as a team. The whole thing is pretty fun and Wyatt loves it. It must be evident, because Wyatt’s group leader told us that his face was pure joy during it.
Let me throw something in here – Billy and I are pretty much the only parents that attend. We definitely needed to the first two years, and after this year, we are going to attend but also start stepping back a bit. We think Wyatt can handle it, if we do it slowly. We have seen so much growth in him already, over the past year. I think with Scouts, the independence from the ramp and being able to go outside on his own for the first time ever, all of this is contributing to a stronger, braver Wyatt. He is coming out of his shell, bit by bit.
The sessions are an assortment that include composition corner, which Wyatt liked, tech tunes, rhythm, musical stories, guitar jam, the dance and music expression class, and beats blues and booms. Wyatt really enjoyed them all this year, but his favorite this year was definitely guitar jam. This sort of blew our minds, as the first two years, this class for some unknown reason, made Wyatt cry. I have no idea why. However, this year, he was totally in. He loved playing the guitar, he loved the therapist Vic who ran it, he was participating and laughing and having fun. I was beyond happy about this, and I know Billy was too. But the thing that really got us was that Wyatt wanted to, on his own volition, to say goodbye to Vic. He wheeled over to fist bump him goodbye, and if you know Wyatt, you are probably just as shocked as we were. Wyatt does not do goodbyes. They usually upset him and he is very avoidant. So to see him seek this interaction out was amazing. Of course, a few minutes later when he was saying goodbye for the year to everyone else he had a meltdown, but it didn’t matter. We had that win. That one huge moment. Special needs families always say that we don’t have milestones, we have inchstones, and this was definitely one for us. It was huge.
I skipped ahead a bit but that is ok. I will rewind just a bit, since that was the last day of camp that he did that. Anyway, after our second day was over, another really really good day, the three of us went to the MSU Children’s Garden. It didn’t take us very long to stroll through but it was still very fun. There were people working it (students maybe) and they took time to show Wyatt a cool plant, called a sensitive plant that closes up when you touch it. The garden itself was really cool, and Wyatt loved exploring it, especially the musical tiles. After this we grabbed some dinner to relax again in the hotel.
The next day we were bummed that we had to make a tough decision. Wyatt was having so much fun but the weather forecast was terrible. Predicted tornadoes, large storms, flash flooding, torrential rains. He had a concert scheduled for 1:30 and we would be out at 3, but his grandparents were also driving up to see it, and might be caught in bad weather, both ways. And so would we. We really went back and forth, but ultimately decided that it was better to leave early, even if the weather didn’t materialize, then to stay and regret it. Plus, we didn’t want our family elders driving in it either, and there is no way we would have been able to get them to stay home. So we left early, although the storms didn’t come until later than stated in that area. It really sucked, honestly, not being able to finish up. As it was we did get caught in some of the weather making its way across the state, with zero visibility for about 45 minutes of our drive. Our drive took twice as long going home as it did going up, and we actually heard the weather alert system go off on the radio, for real, and not as a test. It was announcing a tornado warning nearby, so that was alarming. We made it home though safely and were glad that we made the decision that we did.
This was such a great year for Wyatt, and we can’t wait for next year! It is an incredible experience for all of the kids involved and you can tell that everyone who puts this camp on puts their entire heart and soul into. The love for the camp and campers shows in everything they do, making this experience one that will stick with Wyatt forever.
Hello everyone!! It’s been a whirlwind my friends. Billy and I have spent most of this month so far trying to cram an entire summer into one month to the best of our abilities, and we have done ok. We have hit most of Wyatt’s bucket list at least so that is good.
Hmm. Where did I leave off last time? Ok, so Dream Night, the EEG, and our deck ramp oasis. Lol. Since then we have done a few more things on our quest to fill Wyatt’s June. If you are new here, Wyatt is having surgery in July and will be recovering most of the rest of the summer. So we are trying to make June full of adventure.
Billy and I did take a look at our schedule board though a few weeks and took a deep breath before plunging in.
Wyatt was invited to a birthday party for one of his fellow scouts the other week and it was so much fun. I think the parents at the party had just as much fun as the kids! It was a bowling party, and it was super chill and relaxed. As a little bonus, we all got our own little Nothing Bundt Cake. It was delicious!
We followed that up the next weekend with the Summer Reading Kick Off at the library. We love going to the these kick off parties. The library does such a nice job of having lots of activities and fun things for the kids to do. This year the theme is art related, and they had different craft activities set up around the library, a quiet coloring room, a sticker room, and a caricature artist! Wyatt really enjoyed the coloring room, which is where we spent most of our time. Afterwards we went our for pizza at our favorite pizza place downtown, where we ran into my bestie and her family. They were on their way out but we got to chat for a bit before our pizza came. It was nice way to spend a summery Friday night.
Then Saturday was the day Wyatt had been waiting for! We got up early and went to the movies to see How to Train Your Dragon. Wyatt never would really sit for a movie before this spring, so we had never really taken him to the theater. However, now that is something we can do – and we started with a movie he was really excited about. We bought tickets for a few of the VIP seats, ate hot pretzel bites, and settled in for the movie. And we all absolutely loved it! We all loved the original animated movie, and while Billy and I were a little apprehensive about the live action, it was perfect. It was almost shot for shot just like the original, and the additions they made were thoughtful and made sense. Wyatt absolutely loved it, and later that night we went to Burger King just so that he could get the How to Train Your Dragon kids meal. Wyatt also told us he is no longer our little wolf boy, he is a dragon boy now. I am not sure how I feel about that, after years of him loving wolves more than anything!
The next day was Father’s Day, and we always go to Greenfield Village for their vintage Motor Muster. We try to get there when it starts because it gets so jam packed, and it is always like a million degrees for some reason. We walked around a bit, and then looked for our friend’s dad, who always take his car to show. It is a 1949 Packard. And this year he won for his division so congrats Mr. Gallagher! I am not as excited about the cars as Billy is, but I always appreciate how shiny and colorful they are. I do have some favorites though usually every year. This year I thought the Gremlins were so cute, especially the little Gremlin logo, and I also love old station wagons with the wood paneling. I wouldn’t mind having one of those honestly. They are just so retro cool to me. Billy really likes the Mustangs from the 1960s. I always tell him every year how my mom bought herself a little Mustang in the 60s. I think that is tradition too.
This year they also had reenactors for different decades and eras. They had an area set up for the CCC and the She She Shes, another for hippies, women working a Victory Garden, and it was just so fun. It just added to the vibe! Our favorite reenactors though were the Women’s Baseball league from the 40s, just like in A League of their Own. These ladies were the South Bend Blue Sox, and we loved talking to their manager. She told us about an event in Ohio, that reenacts the Normandy invasion, and they also have old timey baseball games for the women’s league and a USO show. We are totally putting it on the calendar for next summer! I think it will be a great living history event for Wyatt to experience.
Of course, we had to get dinner for Billy on Father’s Day! Nowhere fancy for us though – I thought it would be fun to keep with the theme of the day, and have dinner at A&W! It’s a drive up type restaurant, you eat in your car with a little tray hanging off your window, and the menu is like hamburgers and coney dogs and root beer. It is pretty iconic in this area (in fact one of the cars in the pictures above has a tray displayed), and all of the branches around here look exactly like they did in the 80s, which is also probably how they looked in the 70s. I sort of think they haven’t been upgraded too much since then, but that is beside the point. We went and ordered our root beer and hot dogs and coney dogs and then drove around the Metropark before heading home. And we had to head home, because we still had a lot to do there! We had to pack for music camp and get everything in the house ready for us to leave, including instructions for my poor brother who agreed to watch our menagerie of critters.
And I think I will leave off here, as I want to spend some time talking about music camp, and this is already a lot.
And of course, a few random shots from my camera roll.
I hope that whatever you do today my friends, you do something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone!! I decided that this year I am going to be doing book reviews in groups of three, and just little short mini reviews. And it is finally time for me to do three more, plus a sad little DNF.
First up is Of Salt and Shore!
Of Salt and Shore however, was amazing. It is a middle grade but wow, it was fantastic. It is translated from Dutch (the OG title is Lampje) At first, I didn’t know if I was going to like it. It has some darkness swirling around in it, but the story that evolved was a beautiful tale of friendship and found family and loyalty. I just loved this one, and so far it is one of the best books I have read all year.
It was much more emotional for me than I had anticipated from a middle grade. It touches on child abuse, neglect, alcoholism, otherism, prejudice, and there were moments that made me feel the pain of these characters so profoundly. But little Lampie marches through in her practical way, setting things right, shaking things up, helping to heal the people around her just by being her own steadfast self, a little girl who won’t be swayed from her purpose and goals. She stares headlong into challenges and despite any fear, keeps going. The daughter of a lighthouse keeper, she herself is like a beacon and a lighthouse for those around her.
It has vibes of The Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. There is found family and friendship, and I highly recommend this book to everyone.
I just want to say that this book made me smile and laugh and just get all feet kicky over some parts. I love a good adventure theme, I guess, and this one is even set in my very own home state of Michigan! This book was just campy goodness, with inept but earnest characters, a total cinnamon roll of a MMC, crazy situations, danger, shipwrecks, a missing diamond… It was just absolutely perfect. It did also have some more serious moments, that explored grief, that were so very true and touching. We have all lost people we love, and know what it is like to be hit out of the blue with a memory that just reminds you of how much you miss that person to your core.
The romance is a slow burn which I also enjoyed, and the spice level was probably like, 2 jalapenos if that? Open door, but not like super detailed or graphic. LOL. I never know how to describe this for people!
This book is just charming and adorable and touching and hilarious, and I absolutely loved it.
Little Pieces of Hope began when WHO declared COVID a pandemic, and the author Todd Doughty realized that in order to keep going through such an unprecedented, scary time, he needed to do something. And what he did was create lists, something I can totally understand, of things that made him happy. Anything and everything. Feelings and moments and sounds and smells and memories. It is not really a book to read straight through, but one to pick up here and there, when you might need a reminder of good things in life. It inspired me to start my own list of happy making things as well, those glimmers that just tickle our souls and make us smile.
And now my DNF. I am so bummed about this one! I was pretty excited about it – this cover is gorgeous, and the premise sounded interesting, a LGBTQ+ version of The Holiday. And there were parts of it I did enjoy! However, I felt like Goldilocks reading this book that had dual relationships happening, and one moved way way too fast for me, while the other was way too slow. However, the writing itself was wonderful.
And that is it my friends! I hope today you do or read or see something that makes you smile!
Hello everyone!! I am drinking Cafe Bustelo this morning, which isn’t too bad. It’s new to me and I am still finding the right balance in making it. I need the caffeine today; it has been a busy week!
Last weekend, Billy spent all day Saturday putting up shade for Wyatt and me around the deck. Wyatt loves to be out there – it is a great spot for him that was an unintended byproduct of the ramp building, but I am so thankful for it. It really is the perfect place for him to play outside. And he can go in and out all by himself, which makes him feel so much more independent. However, it was like being on the surface of the sun at times, with the complete lack of shade in our yard. So, Billy did what he does best and fixed the problem! Billy wanted to also make sure that we could wheel Wyatt out there after surgery and have it be a safe place for him to get out of the house and get some fresh air, and that required massive shade. Billy’s plan – he turned canvas dropcloth into curtains by adding grommets and hooks, and hung them on rods he had in the garage leftover from an old pop up gazebo thing. He also ordered an actual sun shade sail for the top, and now it is perfect! I can take Wyatt out there and move the curtains around as needed to keep him safe and not overheated (he doesn’t react to heat well, like a lot of people who have suffered brain injuries) and unburned. I do use an Australian sunscreen on him, Blue Lizard, because I believe Australians probably are the experts on it, but still, you know?
Sunday Billy got to use his new grill, which he got on sale over Memorial Day Weekend. We figured the deck area is going to be where we spend most of our time this year. Billy will be out of vacation time after taking time off for Wyatt’s surgery, so no little trips for us this year. And this is fine, we just want kiddo’s surgery and recovery to do well, and then we will be perfectly content spending our days and evenings in our little DIY oasis.
Then Wednesday, Wyatt and I headed to Motts Children’s Hospital, where he was all hooked up to some electrodes for a 24-48 hour EEG. It’s not necessarily a difficult procedure, just long. He needs to stay in the room the whole time, but he is allowed to play and move around and do whatever, as long as he is in the room. He does well for being stuck in a hospital room with all sorts of wires attached to him. He really is such a good kid guys, seriously. We watched The Wild Robot, read from his library book, drew, colored, and then he just played on his tablet. When Billy got there they played a game while I took a short walk around. And we had a surprise treat! My brother door dashed us delicious goodies from Tous Les Jours bakery! I talked about this place in a previous post, it is an Asian-French bakery and is so good! He sent us so many things, and I was grateful because I was starving!! Wyatt had eaten lunch and had snacks but I hadn’t, so when I grabbed the door dash and brought it up, I demolished the ham and cheese croissant. Lol. It was sooo good!
The next morning when the doctors came by, we had a good report!!! Wyatt had had no seizure activity captured, and the spike waves that he has near constantly at night (called DEE-SWASS) all originate in the same little spot in his brain. DEE-SWASS is continuous spike waves while you sleep, which can disrupt REM and can create issues with memory and also cognitive loss. If they are too frequent, doctors try to treat although DEE-SWASS still doesn’t have a lot known about it yet. However, the doctors felt that since Wyatt’s was located in just one area, that doesn’t cause the same issues and felt comfortable not being aggressive with it. So we were able to go home, and honestly, I was so relieved I could have cried about this report.
Last night, Wyatt got a reprieve from medical appointments! The foundation, A Kid Again, gifted us with tickets to the Detroit Zoo Dream Night! This is an evening for special needs families, where everything is open and free, even the carousel, movie theater, and the special Dragon Forest. They provided dinner and snacks, had zookeepers on hand for animal chats, a silent disco, and sensory friendly activities. The tickets are limited as well, so it is a quiet evening, without too many people. It is just a very special night for the kids and families. I know that my son had a blast. The smile never left his face!
We wandered the whole zoo, saw the wolves, and had to go through the Dragon Forest twice. Wyatt picked out a dragon toy, which he didn’t let go of the rest of the night, and ate chocolate chip cookies. Basically, we just had the best time and laughed so much and had fun. It was the perfect antidote to follow up his overnight stay at the hospital, and I am so grateful that we had that opportunity.
This weekend will be a little more low key, with tacos at my brother’s tonight, and a bowling birthday party tomorrow. Still fun but much more relaxed!
I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile my friends!
Today I am linking up with Lisa, at Boondock Rambings, for her Saturday Afternoon Chats!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date
Hello everyone! We have been working on projects around here like maniacs, but we are getting things done. Billy has been working outside on the yard, while I have been neglecting the house while I work on school and scout stuff for next fall (I don’t want to be planning after Wyatt’s surgery), handling Wyatt’s prehab exercises, and finishing up the bit of school we have left. I need to clean today…..
What I have read lately:
Let me start with Anywhere You Go. I wanted to like this one so much, but I didn’t. It is a LGBTQ retelling of The Holiday, which is such a fun premise. However, I felt like Goldilocks. One of the relationships moved way too fast for me – I don’t like the trope of insta-love – and the other was way too slow! Lol. I ended up DNFing it.
Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries was another one that I didn’t love, but I did enjoy it. Like, not love. I am going to read the next one though, because I am curious about where this series goes. So I guess that says something.
Of Salt and Shore however, was amazing. It is a middle grade but wow, it was fantastic. It is translated from Dutch (the OG title is Lampje) At first, I didn’t know if I was going to like it. It has some darkness swirling around in it, but the story that evolved was a beautiful tale of friendship and found family and loyalty. I just loved this one, and so far it is one of the best books I have read all year.
We are still watching Wheel of Time, although it was cancelled. Billy is bummed, but knew it was probably coming.
We also finished up The Brokenwood Mysteries, and I will have to be sad now until more come out. It is my favorite show and it is so short!
We also started Yellowjackets, which I have been wanting to watch for ages, and we are obsessed. However, if you don’t know much about it, it is pretty gory, just wanted to put that out there. Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci are amazing in it. I love Ricci in anything and I don’t think I appreciated Lewis enough back in the day, but her performance in this is fantastic.
We haven’t had a night where we can watch a movie together (other than movies with Wyatt earlier in the evening, we just watched the OG Lilo and Stitch which he loved!), so we are still waiting to watch the first two on our list, Holland with Nicole Kidman and Wait Until Dark with Hepburn.
And that is it from me today! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!
Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.. 