Books, Screens, and In-Betweens

I am linking up with Deb at Readerbuzz,  Kathryn at Book Date, and  Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Hello everyone!! We made it all the back around to Sunday. Besides the news this week, I had sort of a personally crazy week full of bodily mishaps. Lol. I busted my knee against the car transferring Wyatt from his chair to the car, and it got all huge and bruised for a night, then I got the pneumonia shot which made me all achy for 24 hours, and my arm still hurts! I put that shot off for two years because the first pneumonia shot I got was rough, so I figured this one would be too. However after having the flu followed by pneumonia in my late twenties and remembering how crap that felt, I decided to suck it up for the 24 hours and get it done.

Books:

I am currently reading the newest Royal Street Novel, The Lady on Esplanade. I love New Orleans and I love this series set there for its historic preservation and ghostly vibes. So fun!

I am also slowboating my way through Stillmeadow and Sugarbridge because it is s such a wonderful calm read. I like to read it in small bits when I need uplifting.

Screens:

We finally started the newest season of Stranger Things, and it really is so good, despite all the actors being so much older now! It is cute though when they do flashbacks and they are all just tiny – it is crazy they were so young when the show started! We are close to the end now, maybe just one more episode I think? Then I think we might move on to Yellowjackets again, which we were saving for winter.

As for the blog, I posted only a few times last week.

Mini Book Review: The Bewitching, Dinner for Vampires, and Moon of the Crusted Snow

A Cozy Little Life: Small Things that Make Me Smile

In-Betweens:

It was a crazy week, as I mentioned above. We also started back to homeschool last week, back to physical therapy at the clinic, and had our Blackbirds Kids Club meeting. It is always so hectic getting back to the routine after break!

And I will leave you with just a few photos from the camera roll!

I hope that whatever you do this week, you do something that makes you smile!

Small Things That Make Me Smile

So life lately feels heavy, this week in particular. Watching the news breaks my heart and gives me panic attacks and in our world of 24 hour news coverage we can never quite get away from it, unless we make the effort. Put the phone down. Turn off the tv. I find it easy to lose myself in projects, but I don’t always have the time to do those. There are days, like every weekday, when we have homeschool and home therapy and all the other things, and it is so easy to pick up my phone and scroll in those quick in between moments. On those days, I need to rely on small things to lift my spirits. A great cup of coffee or tea. Five minutes with a good book. A long stretch.

There are some small things I am loving lately, that make me smile.

Orange is one thing. Actual oranges to eat – I love peeling one and getting hit with that fresh sharp citrus scent. So much so that I have included orange scents into my shower routine. My body wash is orange scented, and oh my shampoo and conditioner smells so much like driving through an orange grove I just stand in there enveloped in the scent for a few extra minutes. I am using The Earthling Co. shampoo and conditioning bars in Citrus Sun and it does my sun deprived self so much good. I also bought a citrus tinged perfume as well, but it doesn’t quite smack me in the face with an orange scent as much as I want so I am going to keep looking.

Also, waiting on our little orange kitten. Not much longer now!

And while I am waiting for her, I am of course getting all the cuddles from Miso. Billy and my bestie Kelly are trying to talk me into two kittens, but I think that might be hard for Miso. Or easier, if they play with each other and give Miso a break? Ugh. I don’t know. Anyway, Wyatt got a little pop up indoor tent from my dad that turned out to be big enough for Wyatt and I to sort of lay in and read. We like to climb in there and read some of his books for school, and then after that, just hang out for a bit. I love when we are in there and Miso pokes her little head in, like “Hey what are you all doing?” and then saunters in and lays on me, like she does. It is super cozy for all of us, I guess.

Tea is another thing that has been making me smile. Peppermint tea, ginger orange turmeric, lemon ginger, are all flavors that perk me up these days. And if I get a chance to go to Starbucks, I love their Honey Citrus Mint Tea. I feel like I am going to be picking one of those up today, now that I mentioned it. They are just so good!

I am also enjoying winter fruit salad. It has apples, pears, kiwi, clementines or oranges, and pomegrante seeds and I could eat it all day. It just wakes me up!

Finally, one of the books I am reading is a collection of letters between two friends, sent to each other in 1953. It is perfect to just pick up and read a few letters, spend five to ten minutes in their calm little worlds of dogs and rural life.

These are just a few small things that make me smile and pick me up when I need a little pick me up.

I hope that whatever you do today, you find something, no matter how small, to make you smile.

Introducing Soup and Story Saturdays!

Hello everyone!

Winter is coming here in the cold north of the United States and with it long dark nights, and chilly temperatures. For some people this is a nightmare. I however, look sort of forward to it. It is good to slow down, and winter here forces us to do just that.

“Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.” – Richard Adams, Watership Down

I do look for things to make the winter cozier though. I am all about the cozy and comfy over here, and spending time with a book under a blanket on a cold evening is something I love. Especially if my tummy is full of soup.

Weirdly, I had this idea before I started reading my current book, The Enchanted Greenhouse, and if the idea was just turning over in my brain when I started the book, halfway through this book it was a full fledged one. This book takes place in winter and they eat soup, a lot.

So the idea: On Saturdays, we share a soup we made or ate during the week, or maybe just one we really like, and if possible, share the recipe. Then, of course, we share a story. You can tell us about the book you are reading, or if you want, just share a story of something that happened to you over the week. Maybe even a story of a memory, since I feel like winter and fall make us more reflective. Think of it like we are all sharing a table together, feeling proof against the winter, enjoying our warm food and companionship. And now, I feel like this is so hobbity and I am even more excited!

I will have a linky so we can all pop around and visit, and our first soup and story Saturday will be November 15. I am really looking forward to this!