Whispered Words Forever Captured

A Life Update

2020-02-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have written anything. As you can probably guess I've been struggling. I have been very depressed and feeling lost since my mom passed away. I am not sure if I mentioned it or not but I decided not to go back to my other psychiatrist because at my very lowest point when I was feeling no hope and like dying would be better than living - she told me if the next medication didn't work for me then maybe there was no hope of any working and I would just have to deal. That, by far, is not something you say to someone who is feeling the way I was. So when I did get a new pysch doctor I was worried about more of the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised but how well the appointment went. I was told there is a TON of medication I haven't tried so giving up is not an option. Also, I was told if the next medication they were going to try didn't work we could consider doing a DNA test to see which would best fit with my immune system. It wouldn't pop out the name of a medication and say this one will for sure work but it does tell you which medications have the best chance of working. Anyway, we decided that we would ween me off the Lexapro and start Effexor. I started the Effexor about three weeks ago and I think it is helping. I have been cooking a little more and wanting to do things. Even if I am not actually doing the things I want to do, I'm thinking of doing them, which is progress from not wanting to do anything at all. I have had no interest to do anything at all and now I am starting to feel like I am on the track to being a person again instead of being the hermit sloth I've been.
Other than handling my mental health we have also been tackling Haleigh's. She has started seeing a counselor out of school and a counselor in school. I don't really have a lot of feedback on how it is helping her but I'm hoping I'll be able to come back and say how amazing it is for her. Right now her self esteem is really low, she's very depressed and super anxious over everything. I just want my baby to be happy.
Other than all that, things have been going okay. I have been reading like crazy and will make sure to do an update on that. I've got some new recipes I've tried, tested and perfected that I would like to share. I'm hoping to start putting together a recipe book with pictures that I can add to as needed. It will be my big project for the year.
That's all for this update. I'll be back soon with more!

Books & Books & Books

2019-11-13T12:06:00.001-05:00

Every year for the last few years I have been invited to an invite-only book sale put on by a publishing warehouse. It is one of my absolute favorite book sales because it is newer books and you buy per pound! $2 a pound! The first year I came with a tote bag. I was highly unprepared. In the following years, I have brought a rolling suitcase. It worked well. So, this past weekend was the book sale and since I've had a hard go of it lately I decided to indulge in a Dunkin frozen coffee, a breakfast sandwich, and a cute beanie.

The sale floor is set out like a huge U. Hundreds of books are set out on tables and you just walk around and take what you want. It is very overwhelming at first but amazing and awesome all the same. They have a ton of kids' books, especially for little kids/toddlers. I picked up a few for the kids I watch and a few for my nephews. They usually have a bunch of 'adult' coloring books. I always find good chapter books for Haleigh - but this year she has so many unread books from last years sale that I didn't buy her any.

One of my favorite thing they have is graphic novels. Graphic novels take so little time to read but are so expensive. Worth it for the craft that is put into them but if I can buy them at 20% of what it usually costs me. I will. I always come away with a minimum of three graphic novels. This year was no different. I got a box set I have been wanting to read forever and I got Haleigh a three in one book about dancing.

This year I was very picky with what I was taking because I just cleaned out my bookshelves and didn't want to end up with another 20 books that will just sit there for the next five years.

At the end of every sale, I always want to take a haul picture but then remember that I use this sale to buy a lot of Christmas gifts so that can't actually happen. However, I can share what I got for myself and for Haleigh and the kids to have right now.

There is probably at least another 10 books that are put away from Christmas presents.

Until next year!

My Epidural Steroid Injection And How It Went

2019-10-16T10:25:00.000-04:00

Three weeks ago today, September 25th, I went in and received a guided thoracic epidural steroid injection. I was told that I might be sore for a few days then at two weeks, I should definitely feel a change. This isn't a shot where it may work a little, it either does or doesn't. So I waited and waited. I held at hope because honestly, this pain in my back is completely doing me in physically and mentally. I am 33 - I can NOT deal with this pain for another 30 years or more.
Right after the medicine was given I felt very nauseous and I had cramping pain around my ovaries. My Endo pain has been pretty much controlled for a while so to feel this much pain again in my uterus really sucked. I figured this was some of the soreness they talked about and ignored it. They told me if I got sick to my stomach, nausea, or fevers after a few days then I needed to call them. After a few days of feeling sore, I did not have any fevers and I wasn't getting sick to my stomach. I was nauseous but honestly, that is my reaction to everything so I ignored it.
We are at 3 weeks today. I gave it an extra week because why not? However, I am still in a lot of pain, potentially more pain than before, and now I have the pain in my uterus. It feels like cramping but it is almost constant. I am also still nauseous. I realized yesterday that these are things I probably should have called them about - why it took me that long to realize that, I don't know. I wrote the office yesterday to let them know that the shot did not work and I would like to schedule the sciatic joint shot. We had discussed during the first appointment having the second shot done a few weeks after and that if the epidural shot didn't work we could talk about doing it again. I figured before trying it again (if I choose to do so - I am still unsure) I would do something I know helped previously.
The plan is when they call to make the appointment I can ask to talk to a nurse or ask if I can just talk to the doctor while I am there. I don't know if how I feel now would influence their willingness to do the second shot or not. So, now it's a waiting game to see when they call and what they want to do.
Below I am going to post the two x-rays I was sent showing the needle and then the needle releasing the dye. Mostly because how cool is it to have that? I will also put in links to videos showing how both shots are done.

Epidural Steroid Injections for Back Pain

Sacroiliac Joint Steroid Injection

September Monthly Wrap-Up

2019-10-09T12:54:00.001-04:00

12 books this month and it was a great month for reading! I read a lot of 4 stars and 5 stars books.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can really never go wrong with a Carolyn Brown book. She is amazing.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a re-read but read for book club!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐✯

I read this book because my friend said I had to. I still don't know how I feel about this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This makes my fangirl heart swell!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Our Island Adventure

2019-10-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

In May we went to Turks and Caicos for my cousin's wedding. Months earlier it was decided that my mother would not be able to go because of her health issues. She was really, really upset about having to miss it, so we decided to do a big family vacation at the beginning of October. The plan was to rent a cabin somewhere in the mountains in Tennesse. It was going to be my mom, my grandma, the three of us, my sister, her husband, and their two boys. Mom was really excited about it especially once I started showing her all the awesome cabins there were.
After mom passed we knew we wouldn't be able to have the vacation without her - at least not right now. We want to eventually make it happen but this year was just too soon. So since we had the time off, Tyrone, Haleigh, and I decided to do a small family vaca somewhere not too far away. We chose to go to Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague is known for its wild horses that roam the island. We chose to stay in a pretty hotel that had a stable on its property. I never ended up getting the story behind the horses that were there but I am very sure they have some awesome stories. I loved that we were able to feed and love on them because I was not expecting to be able to get close to any of the horses. ALSO, I have previously been VERY allergic to horses. I am talking throat itchy and closing, eyes swollen shut, hives - allergic. I have always joked about the last thing I do in life will be riding a horse because at least I will go out doing something I have always wanted to do. However, when I went up (prepared with benadryl in my pocket and a drink in my hand) I had NO reactions at all. So I waited a few minutes then pet the horse. NOTHING. I was able to be around and pet the horses all week long without a trip to the hospital. I do not know how to stress how amazing this is!
Anyway, I got off-topic, the hotel we stayed in was beautiful. The staff knew us by name and greeted us every morning when they saw us at breakfast. One day Haleigh left one of her stuffies at the table and they kept it safe until Tyrone and Haleigh went down for hot cocoa before bed. They said they knew she would be back down for hot cocoa so they kept her stuffy safe for her. It was just a very calm and nice atmosphere. We will 100% be staying there again. OH! Another awesome thing? Haleigh finally mastered riding a two-wheeler! She is so excited and cannot wait to be able to take her bike out for a ride here.

It was a bittersweet vacation. I know my mom was smiling down on us though. She was proud of us for going, she was proud of Haleigh for learning to ride a bike, and most likely laughing hysterically at my horse situation.

August Reading Wrap Up

2019-09-03T09:57:00.000-04:00

August was a great reading month for me. I read a lot of really good books and a few that were out of my comfort zone. Every time I hear 'fantasy' I am turned off to the book. However, every fantasy I have read and finished I ended up loving so I am not sure why I am so hateful towards the fantasy genre.

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐✩

This book was everything I needed in high school. There is plus size positivity and positive reactions to queer teens. I can't explain exactly why I love it so much, I just do!

“So how'd you know you were gay?"

"How'd you know you weren't? It was probably the same way."

He laughs as we get into his car, "Touché.”

⭐⭐⭐

I went into this book thinking 'oh God.. here we go.' It was actually a decent book! I enjoyed hearing the different ideas Trump had for his run of the presidency. If only what he said came to light. He sounded intelligible most of the time, I mean a lot of the time he talked about how awesome he is and how rich he is but beyond that, he had a lot of good ideas. I could see why if someone ignored everything else about Donald Trump and just read this book they might vote for him. I was pleasantly surprised.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love this duology so much!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Words were different when they lived inside of you.”

“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.”

“Maybe we just lived between hurting and healing.”

I avoided reading this book for years because it just did not seem like it was a book I would like. I was wrong. I really liked this book and it felt very poetic.

⭐⭐

First - this is NOT a thriller/horror book. I do not even know what it would be labeled as but it is not horror. This was not my favorite book at all. I really think Stephen King needs to stick to writing big books. He needs more time to build the worlds.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

All the fat positivity this summer has been awesome. Also, you can never go wrong with a Carolyn Brown book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐✩

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Arrival of Someday Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved the small-town feel and being immersed in her culture.

⭐⭐⭐✩

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐✩

⭐⭐⭐

I just do not know how I feel about this book. I hated it most of the time. I'm not sure why I ALWAYS love Ellen Hopkins books!

It was a pretty good reading month. How did you do? What was your favorite? Let me know!

Disney Read-a-thon Wrap Up!

2019-09-02T04:37:00.002-04:00

August was a long month with a lot of reading. I will do an August reading wrap up where I go more into the books I read and my thoughts on them but for now, I will just share how I did for the Disney read-a-thon.

I started with my team. Team Tangled!

Team Tangled

Rapunzel: Read a book with glowing reviews (10 points):

The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone

Flynn Ryder: Read a dark/mysterious book (10 points):

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia

The Snuggly Duckling Crew: Read a book with a dreamy cover (10 points):

Before I knew by Jamie Beck

Mother Gothel: Read a book featuring a power-hungry character - this book must be out of your comfort zone (25 points):

Crippled America: and how to make it great again by Donald Trump

Maximus: Read the group book (50 points):

Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

Team Mulan

Fa Mulan: Read a book with a powerful female lead (10 points):

The Perfect Dress by Carolyn Brown

Li Shang: Read a book that features a squad (10 points):

The Fall of Crazy House by James Patterson

The Matchmaker: Read a YA romance (10 points):

The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding

Shan Yu: Read a book over 500 pages (25 points):

Rumble by Ellen Hopkins

Mushu: Read the group book (50 points):

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Team Lion King

Simba: Read a book featuring a male protagonist (10 points):

Elevation by Stephen King

Mufasa: read a book featuring war and politics (10 points):

They Can't Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery

Nala: Read an adult romance (10 points):

What We Find by Robyn Carr

Scar: Read a book that will push your emotions over the edge - this book must be completed in one day (25 points):

Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagan

Timon: Read the group book (50 points):

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Team Aladdin

Jasmine: Read a book that features royalty (10 points):

Aladdin: Read a book that contains romance (10 points):

It's in His Heart by Shely Alexander

The Magic Carpet: Read a fantasy book (10 points):

Saga Vol 1 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Jafar: Read a book that will suck you into its world, as if in a trance - this book must only be read at dark (25 points):

Abu: Read the group book (50 points):

335 points out of a possible 420 points

I think the option to double up on books for teams other than your own was given but I didn't want to take it. I was trying to push myself to read them all. I almost succeeded too!

Not bad, if I do say so myself! I am hoping this group of woman will continue to do this read-a-thon in the future. If you want to follow them to see what they will be doing and when our next adventure is, follow them on twitter: here.

Congratulations to everyone else who joined in on this adventure! Let me know what was your favorite book and what was your least favorite book.

A Book That Will Push Your Emotions To The Edge

2019-08-29T19:34:00.000-04:00

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (and a half)

For the Disney read-a-thon one of the prompts for Lion King was Scar: read a book that will push your emotions to the edge and it has to be read in one day. For this I chose Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties by Camille Pagan. Part of the description of this book says:

‘At fifty-three, Maggie Harris has a good marriage and two mostly happy children. Perpetually anxious, she’s also accumulated a list of semi-reasonable fears: falling air conditioners, the IRS, identity theft, skydiving, and airbag recalls. But never once did Maggie worry that her husband of nearly thirty years would leave her.”

With that description, I thought that this book would surely push my emotions over the edge since I am definitely perpetually anxious, although not all of my fears could be considered reasonable, and fear being middle-age and my husband deciding ‘just kidding. I don’t love you.’ However, this book pushed way more emotions then I thought it would.

First of all, if my husband of 20 plus years decides to leave me - will I be as neurotic and dense as this character is? Probably, which is truly terrifying, but you put in so much work into a relationship you don’t expect it to just end. You would do anything to get it back, right?

Second, I was not expecting how much Maggie’s mother’s death would push my emotions. Well, mostly because I had no idea it was something that would be discussed but also because of how close in ages Maggie and her mother were to my mother and I. Maggie was 34 and her mother 54 when she passed. I am 33 and my mother was 55. I think reading “My mother’s death taught me that when you think you are bypassing heartache, all you’re really doing is borrowing happiness from another day” was so enlightening. Yes, that’s exactly it. I keep trying to bypass all the heartache. I only feel it when I absolutely have to, when it hits me when it is least expected. It is all going to come down on me in the future but I can’t seem to let go right now. It is much easier to pretend none of it has happened.

Third and last, how absolutely terrifying and exhilarating must it be to be doing it all over (but better) in your fifties!

The very last quote of the book was everything I needed to hear.

“For now, I had the good fortune of more chances to fail and succeed, more love to give and receive - more life. And while I didn’t know what my future held, I would follow my mother’s lead. I would summon my strength and go find out what was next.”

I Wasn't Ready

2019-08-23T10:15:00.001-04:00

I wasn’t ready for the emotions that The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone brought me. This contemporary YA novel is about Amelia a teenage girl. Amelia, nicknamed Rollermort on the roller derby track, has a rare liver disorder she was born with. This disorder hasn’t given her any problems since she was really young but now has flared and puts her on the organ transplant list. This novel takes us through how Amelia, her family, and her closest friends deal with all that goes along with being sick and being on a transplant list.

I have been staying away from books centering around mother’s or mother’s passing since my own mother passed away a few months ago. Seeing as this book is quite obviously about a teenager and her liver problems I did not think I would have any problems. Boy was I wrong. Every time Amelia’s mother came to comfort her and show her love for her, I was overly emotional. How lucky is Amelia to have an amazing mom who will hold her while so she can go to sleep when the monsters in her head won’t be quiet.

The book was a great read and I rated it 4 stars but what really wrapped it up for me was the authors after note. The author, Jen Malone, goes on to explain what prompted her to write this book and how important it is to become an organ donor. There are so many people waiting on transplant lists that could be helped by just signing up to become a donor. You cannot take them with you so you might as well donate them to someone in need. This hit home because we just recently got a letter in the mail thanking us for our mother’s cornea donation after she passed. Because she chose to be an organ donor, a man just two hours from us is able to see (more?) than he could before.

I am an organ donor but if you are not and would like to become one, consider following this link and signing up to become a donor. There is a frequently asked questions section that will help answer any questions you might have.

Reverse Readathon Results!

2019-08-05T09:29:00.001-04:00

I finished this book that I had started prior to the readathon.

This was SUCH an amazing book! Plus size friendly story about a gay teen. It is everything and needs to be read by everybody!

All of this brought me to a total of:

I'm not sure why reverse readathons are so hard for me to do but they are. I ended up only reading for 12 hours. I had a high (back) pain day so it was more like I was reading in between naps instead napping in between reading. All in all I think I did good because I only set a goal of reading 600 pages and I almost met that. For regular readathons my goal is usually 1,000 pages.

Did you read for the reverse readathon? How did you do? Did you come up with any 5 star books?

June and July Reading Wrap-Up

2019-08-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

June Reading

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

This book was going to be 2 stars because I was not a huge fan of the decisions she was making, however, in the end, she made the right choice so I give it a 3.5.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

** spoiler alert ** I didn't realize that this book had to deal with a parent dying. My mother just passed away and hearing the thoughts of one of the main characters really hurt. However, it did make me feel like I wasn't alone. Abbi Glines explained perfectly how I felt with a chronically ill parent and then after their death. numb. It is all numb.

It was a hard read for personal reasons but a great story!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars

8 books in June! It was a rough month and I tried to lose myself in books. Spoiler alert.. it worked. I was glad the majority of them were really good books too!

July Reading

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

I'm a little disappointed I didn't love this book. It has been on my TBR for two years!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was really excited to read this book just because I love James Patterson and how fun that Bill Clinton was involved right? I ended up being REALLY surprised because a decent part of the book was about the president having ITP and it making him sick. ITP was mentioned in a book written by two very famous people!!! MY rare disease was given so much awareness by this book! I am so excited but now I'm wondering why they picked that disease and how they even knew about it. If anyone has answers let me know!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carolyn Brown books are never a disappointment!

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars

I didn't accomplish as much reading during July but what I did read was pretty good content. I know I will be reading a ton in August because of all the challenges and readathons I will be doing. How was your reading so far this summer? Did you read anything amazing?

August Will Be Filled With Lots of Adventures!

2019-07-30T12:37:00.000-04:00

In August I am going to participating in two readathons and finish up a reading challenge. I am really excited about all of them (well as excited as I get these days. I am still pretty gloomy because I miss my mommy). The challenge I'm finishing up in august is the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge. I have read 5 out of 12 of the prompts so far.

I have plans for a few others and already have the books for them as well. Hopefully, I will be able to finish it before the end of the month.

The next thing I am participating in is the Summer Reverse Readathon that Dewey's is hosting. usually, their readathons go from Saturday morning at 8am to Sunday morning at 8am (EST) but for the reverse, it's 8pm Friday to 8pm Saturday! Last year this one kicked my butt but I have a better plan and it includes sleeping some of the time!

The last is Disney Readathon! There are four teams: Aladdin, Tangled, Mulan, and Lion King. Each team has its own prompts and its own group book. There is a cool Buzzfeed quiz you can take to tell you what team to join OR you can just pick. My pick and quiz results were the same so I didn't have a dilemma on my hands. I am Team Tangled so when I tell you the prompts for that team I'll also include my TBR!

TEAM ALADDIN

Jasmine: Read a book that features royalty (10 points)

Aladdin: Read a book that contains romance (10 points)

The Magic Carpet: Read a fantasy book (10 points)

Jafar: Read a book that will suck you into its world, as if in a trance - this book must only be read at dark (25 points)

Abu: Read the group book - The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell (50 points)

Special Ability: Genie can grant you a wish! You can DNF any book (besides the group book) and still receive the points

You must complete all the prompts in order first then you can travel around the map (in order)

TEAM TANGLED

Rapunzel: Read a book with glowing reviews (10 points)

The Arrival of Someday by Jen Malone

Flynn Ryder: Read a dark/mysterious book (10 points)

Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia

The Snuggly Duckling Crew: Read a book with a dreamy cover (10 points)

Before I Knew by Jamie Beck

Mother Gothel: Read a book featuring a power-hungry character - this book must be out of your comfort zone (25 points)

Crippled America by Donald Trump

Maximus: Read the group book (50 points) (I can't get a hold of the group book but I am allowed to pick from the poll so I picked this one)

Don't Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno

Special Ability: Pascal will allow you to blend in and stay hidden! You may travel the map as you please in any order you wish.

TEAM MULAN

Fa Mulan: Read a book with a powerful female lead (10 points)

Li Shang: Read a book that features a squad (10 points)

The Matchmaker: Read a YA romance (10 points)

Shan Yu: Read a book over 500 pages (25 points)

Mushu: Read the group book (50 points) Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Special Ability: Cri-kee is on your side and bestows you good luck! You may have three whole days to start your quest early.

You must complete all the prompts in order first then you can travel around the map (in order)

TEAM LION KING

Simba: Read a book featuring a male protagonist (10 points)

Mufasa: Read a book featuring war and politics (10 points)

Nala: Read an adult romance (10 points)

Scar: Read a book that will push your emotions over the edge - this book must be completed in a day (25 points)

Timon: Read the group book (50 points) Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Special Ability: Pumbaa will take all your worries away! You don't have to have a fixed TBR and can swap and choose books as you please

You must complete all the prompts in order first then you can travel around the map (in order)

I am really excited for this readathon! I love being a part of a team, I love Disney, I love Tangled, and I love that I get to read whatever I want and I don't have to go in order! I'll post an update in the beginning of September to let you guys know how it goes! Any fun readathons going on the rest of the year I should know about? Let me know!

May Reading Wrap-Up

2019-06-14T07:38:00.000-04:00

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

I enjoyed this at the time but it's unrememberable now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was AMAZING! I still think and dream about this book.

These quotes are from this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was another five-star book! It was amazing

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐✯

2.5 stars

⭐⭐

I was so disappointed with this book. It was recommended to me by so many people and it just fell short for me. I don't know if it was me or the book. I was reading this during a hard time in my life but I also read another book that I really enjoyed, so I'm not sure. A lot of reviewers say they ugly cried at the end but I just did not have those emotions, or really any emotions for this book.

How was your reading month in May? Was it a good reading month? A bad reading month? Did you read something that changed your life forever? Let me know!

Not Quite Ready

2019-06-05T15:50:00.000-04:00

On Mother's day, May 12th, my mother passed away. I am not in a place where I can talk about it yet but I will in time. For now, I am going to leave her obituary.

Lori Jean Whiffen, 55, of Charlottesville, Va., passed away on Sunday, May 12, 2019, after a beautiful mother's day with her family. She was born on June 29, 1963, in West Islip, New York, to Barbara and Allen Foley. She was preceded in death by her son, Jason Foley. Lori was a preschool teacher for years in both New York and Virginia. She loved all her little ones and talked about them for years after they were in her classroom. Lori loved to talk and never met a stranger. She would strike up a conversation with anyone and know their whole life story by the end of it. Something she was better at than talking, though, was listening. She was always ready, no matter the time of day or night, to be there for whoever needed to talk. She always had encouraging words to say and advice to give. Surviving Lori are her mom, Barbara Foley; her father, Allen Foley, and stepmother, Pat Foley; her daughters, Nicole James and Angela Campbell; her sons-in-law, Tyrone James and Greg Campbell; her grandchildren, Haleigh James, Gregory Campbell, and Adam Campbell; her sister, Judith Chandler; her brothers, Allen Foley and Steven Foley; along with a large number of additional family members and dear friends. A special thank you to the doctors and nurses at UVA who gave her so much support and care over the last few years. A huge thank you, as well, to the EMS squads that have responded to the many calls made in that time.

What the Wind Knows - Book Review

2019-05-07T16:40:00.001-04:00

As I get ready for the huge author signing I am attending in June I am trying to go through all the authors and read one of their books. I knew I wanted to read something by Amy Harmon because a lot of people have said great things about her books. A few people suggested What the Wind Knows but it is listed as a historical romance and it has to do with time travel. All things that do not necessarily call to me. However, it takes place in Ireland and really that trumps everything. I downloaded this book on Kindle Unlimited and it came with free audio. I HIGHLY recommend listening to this book. The voice actors made this book feel so real for me.
What the Wind Knows takes place in 2001 and 1921 in (mostly) Ireland. Anne Gallagher goes to Ireland to spread her grandfather's ashes in the Loche. However, when she does she is pulled back in time and into a very traumatic situation. In 1921, she meets Thomas and the familiar little boy he has been looking after since his mother and father passed. Ireland, during this time, was on the brink of war. A scary, yet interesting, place to be transported to! Once Anne is sucked into a life in the 1920s will she want to go back? Is the choice even hers if she chooses one way or the other?
The more I read, the more I wanted to read. It was a beautifully told story with an amazing amount of history throughout it. So much of what is told in the story actually took place. The way Amy Harmon weaves her story it's almost as if it was pulled straight from a history book. It was definitely a five star read from me and a book I'll now be forcing my friends to read. I can't wait to meet her in June!

April's Monthly Wrap-Up

2019-05-02T09:44:00.001-04:00

April was a protective reading month! I think mostly because of the readathon but I'll take what I can.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I love this series!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book broke me

⭐⭐

I was being nice with 2 stars

⭐⭐⭐

I rated it 3 stars mostly because I had a hard time realizing if it was from the dogs point of view or the kid's. I'm still not sure. However, I read this with Haleigh and she gave it five stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was amazing! I loved learning where she came from and how she got to where she is now.

⭐⭐⭐

Part of me LOVED this book and part of me is still going what the hell happened?!

⭐⭐

Two 2 stars and one 5 star books. 12 books read this month; I felt like I read a lot more books that were 2 and 3 stars then I did. I just felt 'eh' with a lot of books I read this month. Hopefully, this month will be better! What did you read this month? What was your favorite and what was your one or two-star book this month, tell me in the comments!

Music Monday - Me! and Stuck Like Glue

2019-04-29T18:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my first Music Monday! I want to share some music I really enjoy or hate, who knows what time will bring. Today I'm going to share two songs, one by Taylor Swift and one by Sugarland. Both of these songs I love but hate their music videos. So the first time you listen to them, do NOT watch the video. The second time watch and tell me what you think!

Me!

by Taylor Swift ft: Brendon Urie

I promise that you'll never find another like me

I know that I'm a handful baby, uh

I know I never think before I jump

And you're the kind of guy the ladies want

And there's a lot of cool chicks out there

I know that I went psycho on the phone

I never leave well enough alone

And trouble's gonna follow where I go

And there's a lot of cool chicks out there

But one of these things is not like the others

Like a rainbow with all of the colors

Baby doll, when it comes to a lover

I promise that you'll never find another like...

Me-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

I'm the only one of me

Baby, that's the fun of me

Eh-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

You're the only one of you

Baby, that's the fun of you

And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-eh-eh

I know I tend to make it about me

I know you never get just what you see

But I will never bore you, ba-a-by

And there's a lot of lame guys out there

And when we had that fight out in the rain

You ran after me and called my name

I never want to see you walk away

And there's a lot of lame guys out there

‘Cause one of these things is not like the others

Living in winter, I am your summer

Baby doll, when it comes to a lover

I promise that you'll never find another like...

Me-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

I'm the only one of me

Let me keep you company

Eh-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

You're the only one of you

Baby, that's the fun of you

And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-eh-eh

Hey kids, spelling is fun!

Girl, there ain't no ‘I' in team

But you know, there is a ‘me'

Strike the band up 1, 2, 3

I promise that you'll never find another like me

Girl, there ain't no ‘I' in team

But you know there is a ‘me'

And you can't spell awesome without me

I promise that you'll never find another like...

Me-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

I'm the only one of me (I'm the only one of me)

Baby, that's the fun of me (Baby, that's the fun of me)

Eh-eh-eh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

You're the only one of you

Baby, that's the fun of you

And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me

Girl, there ain't no ‘I' in team

But you know there is a ‘me'

I'm the only one of me

Baby, that's the fun of me

Strike the band up, 1, 2, 3

You can't spell awesome without me

You're the only one of you

Baby, that's the fun of you

And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me

Stuck Like Glue

by Sugarland

Absolutely no one who knows me better

No one that can make me feel so good

How did we stay so long together

When everybody

Everybody said we never would

And just when I

I start to think they're right

That love has died

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again, heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time,

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in, right back in

And I know I'm never letting this go

I'm stuck on you

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Some days I don't feel like trying

Some days you know I wanna just give up

When it doesn't matter who's right

Fight about it all night

Had enough

You give me that look

I'm sorry baby let's make up

You do that thing that makes me laugh

And just like that

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again, heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in, right back in

And I know I'm never letting this go

I'm stuck on you

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

You almost stay out

Too stuck together from the A-T-L

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Feeling kinda sick

Just a spoon full of sugar make it better real quick

I say, whoa-oh, whoa-oh

What'cha gonna do with that

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Come on over here with that

Sugar sticky sweet stuff

Come on give me that stuff

Everybody want some

Melodies that get stuck

Up in your head

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Up in your head

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Up in your head

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Up in your head

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me together

Say it's all I wanna do I said

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again, heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in, right back in

And I know (I know)

I'm never letting this go (never letting this go)

There you go making my heart beat again

Heart beat again, heart beat again

There you go making me feel like a kid

Won't you do it and do it one time

There you go pulling me right back in

Right back in, right back in

And I know (know)

I'm never letting this go (never letting this go)

I'm stuck on you

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Whoa-oh, whoa-oh

Stuck like glue

You and me baby

We're stuck like glue

Spinach and Cheese Egg Muffins

2019-04-25T13:24:00.001-04:00

Spinach and Cheese Egg Muffins

Every week I try to make a batch of egg muffins so in the morning when I am dealing with getting everyone ready and out the door I am not also having to make breakfast. If I leave it until the morning of I end up not eating until lunch time which I am told is very unhealthy. So I make a dozen egg muffins and bag them up for the week to come. I generally throw in whatever I have. This week I made spinach, cheese, and egg muffins. Although I also added ham in some of them because we had leftovers from Easter.

Ingredients used:

8 oz of chopped spinach

4 oz of shredded cheese

12 eggs

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Pepper

1 tablespoon of butter

I am not going to lie I am not someone who follows directions when it comes to cooking. I use as much of whatever I feel like that day. The only thing that stays the same is the number of eggs. Generally, it is 1 egg for 1 muffin.

First I took out the spinach and threw it in a frying pan with some butter. *Wait* I just finished this and realized I never said to preheat the oven. I cook just about everything on 375 so - do that.* Once it started to heat up I used a lot of shakes of onion powder, fewer shakes of garlic (because it will overpower everything), and some pepper. When it is fully heated and ready I put it off to the side.

Second I crack all the eggs into a big bowl, add in more pepper, onion, and garlic. Just a little of each. You don't want to go crazy. Then put that to the side.

Next, take the muffin pans and grease them. After they are greased I layer cheese and spinach. The reason I don't put these into the eggs is that it will sink to the bottom and when you go to pour nothing will be even. For the egg muffins that got ham, I did cheese, spinach, then ham. Once those are in - pour the eggs in. You want the tins to be almost full and then you top them off with cheese.

Put them into the oven (375 degrees) for 25 minutes. Once they are done I suggest taking them out right away or they tend to stick to the pan. For reheating I suggest the toaster oven but they are also good in the microwave.

Other things that are really good in egg muffins are:

onions and peppers

mushrooms and mozzarella

sausage and cheese

broccoli and cheese

Ham and cheese

Really there isn't much that wouldn't be delicious in them. I hope you enjoy and don't forget to share how your egg muffins came out!

No Matter the Bumps, No Matter the Bruises

2019-04-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

If you have ever been in a car with me you know my music playlist will go from contemporary Christian to rap to Disney and back again. I love a ton of different types of music but lately, I have been listening to a lot of contemporary Christian. It is something about springtime that makes me want to listen to that and country. So since this is what I have been listening to lately I thought I might share. Maybe one of these will become your new favorite too!

A New Cozy Mystery TBR List

2019-04-17T11:41:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've shared some cozy mysteries on Kindle Unlimited (KU) that are on my TBR. So here are 16 that looked interesting to me.

Murder on Bainbridge Island

Book 1 of 9

When Lisa Sanders, a well-known Seattle art gallery owner, is found dead at a prestigious dinner party, shock waves ripple through the local art community. For DeeDee Wilson, the death becomes a personal tragedy, because the dinner party was the first ever event for her fledgling catering business.

On the following day, newspaper reports indicated the cause of death was possibly poisoning, but could it have come from the food she served the guests? In order to save her business and protect her reputation, DeeDee has to find out how Lisa, the art gallery owner, died, and if it was murder, who did it and why?

Could it have been the smarmy competing gallery owner who was jealous of Lisa's success in getting a top art glass artisan to exhibit in her gallery? Or the artist whose work she rejected because she didn't feel it was up to her standards? Was it the disgruntled ex-girlfriend who was dumped by the man Lisa was currently seeing? Or was it a museum employee who was fired by the woman who hosted the dinner party?

The Mist Rises Over Notchey Creek

A book-loving whiskey distiller’s life is upended when a famous rock star moves to town and murders start occurring.

Whiskey distiller and nerdy wallflower Harley Henrickson's life is changed when she discovers a disoriented stranger in the ditch, mumbling about a lost boy, a boy who was "innocent." When the man disappears into the woods, Harley is left with many unanswered questions. Who was the mysterious man, and what happened to the innocent boy?

As she digs deeper, she discovers the stranger, in reality, was no stranger at all, and had ties to many highly-esteemed citizens in town. When one of those citizens, a wealthy history professor, is murdered, Harley decides to investigate. What she discovers is a multitude of secrets, lies, and sins, dating back decades, and revolving around a handsome and brooding rock star who has chosen Notchey Creek as his new home

Tempest in Teaberry

Book 1 of 16

Megan Bennet, owner of the Teaberry Farm B&B, turns amateur sleuth when a wedding guest is murdered. With the help of her friends, Megan untangles the clues to help solve the mystery. This mild cozy mystery series offers a clean read with a female amateur sleuth and friends in a small-town setting.

Megan is one of the main characters in this series but interacts with a wide range of other characters in the fictional town of Teaberry. A difficult first marriage ended in the accidental death of her husband. She supports herself with her B&B, produce from her farm, and her tech skills as a web developer. Main characters in the series are multigenerational.

Plotting for Murder

Sawyer Davis’ new life in picturesque Sunset Cove is crumbling around her as fast as the old Victorian house she lives in. She’s a chef whose matchmaking mother has left her a puppy, a bevy of single men to choose from, and a bookshop dedicated to whodunnits. Complete with a book club of amateur sleuths who live for death. When one of the members dies just after eating Sawyer’s amazing truffle mac and cheese, Sawyer is immersed in an even bigger soup pot of trouble.

With her chef’s reputation on the line, and an uncle after her inheritance, Sawyer teams up with the sheriff who once broke her heart—whether he wants her help or not—to solve the mystery. Will past hurts, and long-buried attraction for the sheriff stand in the way of solving the crime before the murderer strikes again?

Mind Your Manors

Book 1 of 4

Meet Stella O'Neil, retired FBI agent Oscar O'Neil's granddaughter. She's got a lot on her plate, trying to figure out her crazy, stubborn family, the hidden secrets that caused her grandfather's estrangement from her dad, and starting out as a realtor. Throw in a dead body found in what used to be the town's "royalty" family's manor, and she’s neck deep in a mystery.

She may be sweet, but she's pretty stubborn herself.

As Stella's curiosity leads her from one town resident to the next, a dramatic tale of family secrets starts to appear, but is she getting too close to the truth? A scary car chase in the dark has her nerves on edge, but she won't give up until she finds out who the skeleton once was. She's so close... but someone... maybe more than one person... will do anything to stop her.

Southern Magic

Book 1 of 12

In less than twenty-four hours Pepper Dunn loses her job, her boyfriend, and her home.

It's the worst day of her life.

But when Pepper discovers she’s a witch and has inherited the most important store in the magical town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama, she’s as happy as a pig in mud.

Too bad the shop is a familiar pet store and Pepper doesn’t like animals—not even a teensy bit. Determined to sell the shop and get the heck out of town, Pepper’s plans go haywire when a local storeowner winds up dead and Pepper gets accused of murder.

Thrust into a magical mystery, Pepper teams up with a mysterious private detective and a cat so traumatized by the murder that she’s not talking—and that cat could hold the key to Pepper’s innocence.

Now Pepper must avoid trouble, solve the mystery, and placate her new grandmother, who keeps a strict ten p.m. curfew that’s enforced by the talking end of her shotgun.

Sounds like a simple day in the life—as if. Can Pepper solve the mystery or will she become the next victim of the Magnolia Cove murderer? And most importantly, will Pepper learn to love the animals she’s in charge of?

Strawberries and Strangers

Book 1 of 7

Dumped by her cheating husband, Jenny King is trying to build a new life in the small seaside town of Pelican Cove. Locals are lining up at the Boardwalk Café for her tasty cakes and muffins. But when her aunt, a local artist, is accused of killing a stranger, Jenny is forced to set her apron aside and put on her sleuthing cap.

Jenny battles with the cranky local sheriff and quirky local characters to get to the truth. Aided by her new friends, she will move heaven and earth to find out who the dead stranger was and what he was doing in Pelican Cove.

The Sweet Taste of Murder

Book 1 of 6

After a scandalous divorce, Elise returns from the big city to her southern home town only to trip over the body of the town playboy. He leaves behind a heap of trouble that includes missing money, missing pets, and mourning lovers, and the suspects just keep piling up.

Caught in her own drama, Elise is quick to wash her hands of it, until her best friend, Lavina, winds up as the number one suspect.

Can Elise clear her friend's name without ending up as the next one dead? Or are her friendship blinders keeping her from seeing the truth?

So drop into the cozy cafe and have a doughnut and a sip of lemonade. See for yourself that living in the country isn't always about the quiet life but sometimes is filled with riveting suspense and deception with second guessing right to the end.

The Buzz Kill

Book 1 of 3

When middle-aged beekeeper Alice Trentwell installs some hives in Christchurch's red zone, she looks forward to her bees pollinating the bounty of fruit trees in the area. Instead, after just one day, a dead body is discovered nearby covered in bee stings. Now the police believe that a killer used her bees as a murder weapon.

Desperate to keep her hives safe from destruction, and the bees safe from police officers on the hunt for evidence, Alice sets out to solve the murder. Between an argumentative wife, a neighbor embroiled in property disputes, and a potential stalker, she's soon in over her head.

As if having a potential murder conviction hanging over her hives wasn't enough of a worry, Alice's dog Chester is also feeling under the weather. Trouble just seems to be making a beeline to Alice's door.

End of the Lane

Book 1 of 5

Abby Maguire’s luck is about to change. She’s looking for a sea change and starting a new job in a new town. With any luck, she should be able to put her past behind her in no time. Her first assignment working for the Eden Rise Gazette will be to cover the weekend’s bake sale. Within a short time of arriving in town, there is a slight change of plans and Abby finds herself giving a statement to the police. Now her new job and her new life hang in the balance…

Dead Wrong

Book 1 of 6

Dealing with ghosts is easy. It's dealing with the living that keeps me hiding in the shadows.

Until Now.

No one knows how a record number of cold cases are solved in Billson, Mississippi. No one knows that my psychic abilities are responsible for providing the clues to solve these dead files. And certainly no one knows that I'm the person providing the tips to my godfather at the local PD.

That is until an attempt on my godfather's life puts him in the ICU.

I'm willing to give up my anonymity to help solve this case if Detective Mason Spencer would only believe me, but convincing him proves harder than dealing with the dead.

With my godfather's life hanging in the balance, I'm forced to work with one skeptical detective and one conniving criminal. My psychic gifts couldn't save my parents, but I'm determined to unmask this perpetrator before he strikes again, killing the only family I have left.

Steps From Death

Book 1 of 9

When you’re the new girl in a small town, you have to step out of your comfort zone and meet new people. But sometimes that can leave you only Steps from Death.

Georgina is the new owner of a craft store in a small town. When a woman is found dead after falling down the stairs, she suspects foul play. After learning her new home has a similarly tragic past, she begins to fear for her own safety. Can she unravel the mystery of two suspicious deaths before she becomes the third?

Beaches and Bodies

Book 1 of 2

Leaving London behind, Ally Wescott finds herself running the B&B her grandfather left her in his will.

The small village of Westford is quiet, quaint and picturesque and the locals seem to all know each other. Part of her craves the busy life she left behind, because just how interesting can a sleepy coastal community get?

She’s about to learn the hard way…

The body of a young woman washes up on the beach by her B&B, and suddenly she’s thrust into the middle of a murder investigation.

Who was she? How did she come to be out there alone? And most importantly, who killed her?

With the rekindled friendships of Fran and Lewis and a suitably handsome detective to pull information from (and keep her distracted!), she’s determined to get answers… Even if the killer might be closer to home than one might think.

A Berry Deadly Welcome

Book 1 of 7

Escaping a dreadful marriage and an angry ex-husband, Kylie Berry moves to the small town of Camden Falls, Kentucky, to run her cousin’s café, Sarah’s Eatery. Only one problem: Kylie can’t cook to save her life, and the longtime chef walks out on Kylie’s first day.

"Winters will have you giggling into your book!"

Answering the call for a new chef, in walks lovely Rachel Summers, a friendly local brownie-addict who immediately gets the job. But when Rachel is found dead a few hours later, all fingers point to Kylie and her killer brownies.

Could Kylie have made a major kitchen blunder and poisoned the woman? Did a bitter former employee tamper with her pantry? Or was there more to Rachel than the kind smile and eager-to-please attitude she sported at the interview?

With the help of the few remaining café regulars, Kylie sets out on a journey to uncover the truth behind who killed Rachel Summers!

Lethal Latte

Book 1 of 6

Maddie Goodwell, Trixie, her Persian cat (who might also be her familiar), and Maddie’s best friend Suzanne Taylor, run their coffee truck, Brewed from the Bean, in the small town of Estherville, Washington state.

Maddie always thought it was a sleepy kind of town, apart from the fact that when she was seven, she found an ancient book, Wytchcraft for the Chosen.

Now, twenty years later, she can only cast one spell successfully from the book – the coffee vision spell.

But when she peeks into Joan’s future – one of her regular customers – she sees the middle-aged woman lying dead in the kitchen!

When the vision comes true, Maddie is determined to investigate – with the help of Trixie and Suzanne.

Who would want to kill Joan? Why?

And will they be coming after Maddie next?

Pit Perfect

When cougar-shifter Lily Mason moves to Moonrise, Missouri, she wishes for only three things from the town and its human population: 1) to find a job, 2) to find a place to live, and 3) to live as a human, not a therianthrope.

Lily gets more than she bargains for when a rescue pit bull named Smooshie rescues her from an oncoming car, and it’s love at first sight. Thanks to Smooshie, Lily’s first two wishes are granted by Parker Knowles, the owner of the Pit Bull Rescue center, who offers her a job at the shelter and the room over his garage for rent.

Lily’s new life as an integrator is threatened when Smooshie finds Katherine Kapersky, the local church choir leader and head of the town council, dead in the field behind the rescue center. Unfortunately, there are more suspects than mourners for the elderly town leader. Can Lily keep her less-than-human status under wraps? Or will the killer, who has pulled off a nearly Pit Perfect murder, expose her to keep Lily and her dog from digging up the truth?

Readathon Wrap-Up

2019-04-08T12:22:00.001-04:00

Dewey's readathon did not go quite how I expected it to go because I had some unseen medical issues arise however I still got a lot read. I spent the morning, early afternoon, and night reading with Haleigh and a few hours in between reading with a few friends.

I started and finished Dyeing Season by Karen MacInerney. I love this series and this book did not disappoint. I was hoping that this book would be about dyeing yarn and something having to do with fiber arts. There were mentions of a knitting store in town but that isn't what the book was based on. It had more to do with natural dyes made with different plants and murder, of course. I rated this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The next book I read was Fredrik Backman's And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer. This is about a man telling his grandson about his life and how Alzheimer's is taking over his mind. It was a short book but absolutely heartbreaking. I have such a fear of Alzheimer's and this did not help. It was beautifully written but I cried the whole time I read it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I started this book but I couldn't get into it, I spent 30 minutes rereading the first 3 pages over and over. I gave it a good go but ending up putting it down and starting another book.

I started this book and absolutely love it so far. It was too deep for me to read quickly. It is more of a book that I need to sit with for a while.

"i always regret the nights i stay awake
for no reason at all
except to trace and retrace every fear
that lies awake on my chest..."

So when I went to read the Stephen King book I downloaded I noticed it was no longer there and wasn't available again for a few more weeks. I quickly downloaded the first cozy mystery I saw and started it for my ride home from my friend's house. I quickly realized this was NOT the first book in the series because I had no idea what was going on. It doesn't matter though because after 2 minutes into the book I knew I didn't care enough about the characters or storyline to go back and find the first book. I was annoyed with how many times "she said" was written. I ended up giving it ⭐⭐but probably could have given it 1.

Haleigh and I listened to this book together. At first, I thought it was from the perspective of Patches the pup but really I just wasn't paying attention. Patches is the dog in 'trouble' and the POV is of a little boy who lives nearby. I thought this book was cute. I gave it ⭐⭐⭐ but Haleigh gave it 5!

I had started this book before the readathon and wasn't planning on picking it up for it. However, after a book, I didn't enjoy and a kid's book I needed a story that I knew somewhat interested me. This story is a good one. It takes place near my hometown which was a nice surprise. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. It was just a good story. ⭐⭐⭐

Last but not least was a graphic novel, one picked solely from how much I liked the cover. It was cute and it set up for a good second volume which I hope to get to in the next week or so. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

6.5 books and 668 pages. That's not too bad if you ask me. Definitely not my goal but not the worst I've ever done either. Did you participate? What was your favorite and least favorite book read? Did you do better than you thought you would? 6.5 months until the next Dewey's readathon.

Little Free Libraries and Readathon TBR

2019-04-05T21:37:00.001-04:00

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon starts tomorrow at 8am and I FINALLY have my TBR pile ready. When I started to gather up books last week I realized that all the books I have to read are on my phone. I love reading on the go, however, it does not make for cute TBR pile pictures. Which is what I was looking to take. Then I looked at my bookcases and kind of sighed. I have over 100 unread books but I just wasn't feeling any of them. Ridiculous or not, it is what it is. I considered going to the library with a friend but I go crazy at the library. There are so many books I want to read and I set unrealistic goals that end with me owing the library late fees. I just sat on my unhappiness with an electronic-only tbr list for a few days.

Finally, I came up with the idea to go to some Little Free Libraries around town and pick a physical TBR from them. I figured this would be a good way to not overdo it (because that would be selfish) and I could drop off some books I've been meaning to donate. I am lucky enough to live in a town that has a lot of them. When I was looking on the map I noticed these libraries are mostly in Virginia. Is this a Virginia thing? It needs to be an everywhere thing. Anyway, once I figured out which ones would be the easiest to get to, I planned a route and piled my family into the car.

One of these was on a walking trail and one was in front of a house. Although they didn't have any books I wanted the first one had a book for Haleigh and both got a few books from our home.

Look how cute this one is! I found two mystery/thriller books that sounded good and threw them in my bag.

In this library, Haleigh found a few books and I found a memoir that is a graphic novel. Nothing beats graphic novels when your eyes are heavy in the last few hours of a readathon! Also, this little library came with a cool background story "My father learned woodworking as a child just prior and during WWII from his uncle who owned a wood working shop in an area of Germany that is now Poland. He became a refugee and immigrated to the United States in 1956 and has maintained his hobby with a wood working shop in our basement for as long as I can remember. He made our Little Free Library at the age of 84 as a tribute to all that education has given his children, grandchildren."

This was my favorite! It had a lot of great books but mostly my love for it was because it's so cute. I found an Amish book to add to my pile but Haleigh really came away with a great find; a 5 book box set of graphic novels. How cool right?!

This library wasn't a hit with Haleigh but I found a book that caught my eye. I honestly didn't even read what it was about. I'm a cover-judger.

These next two didn't hold any books that enticed me or Hal but they were really cute. The one on the left has a hedgehog as a knob!

Last but not least was this library. It was in front of someone's yard who had the coolest fire pit. If I lived there I would definitely be reading my books by that fire!

Every library we went to we dropped off at least one book from our house. The motto is 'take a book, share a book.' I am so grateful these are in my town!

Now on to my electronic TBR. I have a little of everything. I have some poetry books, graphic novels, some short stories and one book that's the next in a series I'm reading. Twice a year I put so much time into choosing the right books for my TBR then I end up grabbing whatever is in front of me or downloading a different book. Let's see if I actually stick to these books this time.

My goal is always to pass the 1,000 page mark but really I just want to enjoy the books and hopefully find some new authors to love. Are you doing the readathon this year? It's not too late to sign up! If you don't want to go to the website and sign up just participate by following along on social media by using the hashtag #Readathon #DeweysReadathon and #24HourReadathon. There will be an hourly photo challenge on Instagram with the hashtags #DeweyApril and #ReadathonHourlyPhoto. If you are posting someone link me in the comments and I will follow along!

Happy reading!

March Bookly Month Wrap-Up

2019-04-03T13:24:00.001-04:00

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Delia Owens is an amazing author. I felt like I was right there in the story watching it play out in front of me.

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars! I picked up this book because a friend said she was reading it and I love reading books my friends are reading. It was the second book in the series but I didn't feel like I was missing any information.

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars. I picked up this book because Jenna Bush Hager from the Today show decided to start a book club. I am always ready to join a new book club. It gave me a lot of the same vibes I got from Where The Crawdad's Sing. I'm not sure why because they are nothing alikeT but I think it was because the writing style was similar. I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite book of the month.

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars must be my go to this month. I've read a few books by Diane Chamberlain and really enjoyed them, this was no different. I couldn't even imagine going through what the women went through in this book. Diane Chamberlain always writes such strong women characters.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

⭐⭐

2.5 stars for this book. I really struggled with rating this book. I think the book had great bones to it. I really enjoyed the story but I felt like the author had certain parts of the books really mapped out in her head and skipped to those parts. I felt that the in-between parts were lacking details and things didn't connect well. I wanted to rate the flushed out story in my head a 4 but the actual book was more a 2 for me. I went with 2.5 stars but I am still unsure.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was absolutely amazing! Amazing and terrifying. I highly suggest this book.

⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars!

Endometriosis Awareness - Why I Share

2019-03-31T00:30:00.000-04:00

On this last day of endometriosis awareness month, I wanted to explain why I am always talking about how this disease affects me. The last post I made explained why sometimes I lie and keep things to myself but a good part of the time I am sharing. I am telling everyone that I am in pain, that I feel like I'm being stabbed, that I feel like things are exploding, that my bloat is not just bloat but a death balloon with knives that are poking me. I do not share to gain pity. I do not share to be in the spotlight. I share because this is my life. This is how endometriosis is affecting me. Sharing is a way of raising awareness. I am always open to questions and depending on who I am talking to I try to tailor my answers for them to best understand. For the kids in my life, I tell them that I have endometriosis and that means that sometimes my belly and back hurt. Sometimes I have to use a wheelchair or cane or lay down to be more comfortable. Sometimes I can't eat because the pain is too much and making me nauseous. It's actually really easy to explain things to kids because they take everything with a grain of salt. When it comes to explaining to other adults what is going on, it gets more difficult. Do I explain about the internal bleeding or organs getting stuck together? Will they get uneasy at words like uterus, blood, or bloat? I feel like saying 'endometriosis is a gynecological disease' is the easiest but also doesn't really explain anything at all. It feels like sweeping it under the rug. Usually, I say something along the lines of "Endo is abnormal tissue that grows outside of the uterus and bleeds causing pain and sometimes organs to adhere to one another. It is really painful and interrupts a lot of things I do in my life. So if you notice me taking a break or changing positions a lot or using something like a wheelchair or cane, that's why." Usually, my statement is followed up by questions if not I say if you ever have any questions just ask. I am an open book when it comes to this. I don't mind sharing what I have been through or what I have learned along the way. Anything I share is raising some sort of awareness. The end goal is to raise enough awareness that my daughter and her children and children's children will not have to deal with or worry about this disease.

Thank you for sticking with me this month and hopefully learning some new things about this disease!

Endometriosis Awareness - Things You Don't Realize

2019-03-29T01:00:00.000-04:00

There are two articles I read over on The Mighty that really spoke to how I feel when dealing with pain from Endometriosis. Sometimes this disease can make you feel alone even when surrounded by people you love and because of that we sometimes feel like a burden.

I can relate to all 9 things listed in this article but I think the three I related with the most are:

1. I over apologize all the time. I apologize when I am in too much pain to cook dinner. I apologize when I have too many doctors appointments in one week. I apologize when I have to go to the ER for whatever reason. I apologize when we are struggling with paying bills because I cannot contribute as much as I would like. There are some days I apologize for crying.

2. I get frustrated. Some days when my pain gets to me instead of crying or apologizing, I just get frustrated. I get frustrated about what I wanted to do in life, with where I wanted to be. I get frustrated with the things that cause me pain - things as simple as showering. I get frustrated at food that hurts to eat, at the drinks I can't drink. I get frustrated at the exercise I can't complete. I get frustrated with not being able to work outside of the house. Sometimes one thing will set me off and then everything frustrates me. I just get angry at everything.

3. I lie about how I'm feeling. All. The. Time. I get so tired of telling people that I am in pain or that I cannot do something because of it. I lie to my friends and my family because it is easier to say 'sure I'm okay.' then to watch their faces when I tell them that I feel miserable, again.

Not only did this article, 9 Things People With Illnesses Don't Realize You're Doing Because You're Illness Makes You Feel Like You're A Burden, have a lot of insight to how someone with chronic pain/illness feels but at the end of it, it gives some great encouragement by members of the community.

In the second article, they say "It is important to remember you never truly know what others are going through. That is why we asked our Mighty community for something they do that people don’t realize they’re doing because they have endometriosis. Hopefully, their responses will shed some light on what it’s really like to have the condition. If you live with endometriosis, know that we see you, your pain is valid and you are not alone."

It is a short piece with a little intro to Endometriosis and then 24 quotes from different members of the community. I am going to include 5 quotes that I can relate to but I truly want everyone to go read 24 Things People Don't Realize You're Doing Because You Have Endometriosis.

“Spend more time at home without other people. I need recovery time and to be alone at home when I’m in pain.” – Adelie L.

“Saying ‘I’m just tired.’ It’s easier to just say that versus going into details about the constant pain I’m feeling that is truly exhausting.” – Athina F.

“Rocking. When the pain starts, I start to gently rock. As it grows, the rocking grows. Next is the rapid tapping of the foot, followed by the frown. I didn’t even know until my roommate told me.” – Jes M.

“Zoning out a lot when people talk to me. [I] don’t mean to, but when the pain gets really bad it’s all you can think of.” – Athena N.

“Naps! I nap several days a week. I simply can’t get enough sleep at night with the amount of pain I have. I also have to lay down several times per day to allow my back and abdomen to relax.” – Kendra L.