Happy Homemaker Monday August 27th, 2018

I am linking up with Sandra from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather..... We've had a few simply beautiful days in the upper 70s - lower 80s with blue skies and fluffy clouds.  I've walked out of work and thought ..... wow!  Now this is perfection!  

Right now I am....Taking a break from hand-washing dishes.  I really don't enjoy it!  LOL  But I have been watching the YouTube channel "Shelly's Home Life" and it makes cleaning more enjoyable!  If you haven't watched her before, check her out.  Great recipes, she does some planner-ing, grocery hauls, and clean-with-me types of videos.  

Thinking....My mind is always racing.  I'm always thinking about a whole mess of things. Right now I'm thinking about the changes that I have already made to my life and the goals I want to set up for September! 

Something fun or interesting that happened... I watched the entire movie of "Me Without You" and did not realize until 2 days later that the main female character is the Mother of Dragons!  Ack!  How did I not know this?.

On my reading pile....I finished "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"  and it was beautiful, insightful, and informative. You can read MY BOOK REVIEW HERE.  

I also finished reading "The View from Rainshadow Bay" by Colleen Coble.  She is one of my favorite authors.  You can read my review of it HERE.  

I have since started "Me Before You" and "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Franks.  

On my TV....
Days of our Lives 
Young & Restless
Finished "The Iron Fist"
Finished "The Defenders" 

Movie of the week......  "Me Before You"  I sobbed.  It was good but really sad.  I'm reading the book now so I will review both when I am finished with it.  

On the menu for this week....

Sunday - Taco Bowls (seasoned rice, 96% lean ground beef taco meat, beans and corn, salsa, reduced fat cheese and avocado)  One of my staples!  Love these.
Monday - Homemade bean and ham soup (in the Crock now) 

Tuesday - Turkey burger and oven fries 

Wednesday - From last week - chicken green enchiladas  

Thursday - Whole grain pasta with 0-point marinara, steamed broccoli 

Friday - Family dinner and game night  

Saturday - Jambalaya (turkey sausage for me, chickpeas for Emily) 

Weekly Weight Watchers update.... I lost 3.9 pounds this week!  Huzzah!  I'm down 37.2.  This week's meeting was about gratitude. I'm pretty excited to have gotten back on track.  It usually takes me falling down the entire flight of stairs before picking myself back up - this time I only fell down a couple :) 

On my to do list for today..  
Finish the dishes from meal prep this morning (almost done) 
Start 2nd load of laundry
Reading break! 
3rd load of laundry
Take Emily driving 
Thrift store so Emily can buy some "man shirts" to cut up and be creative with 
Dust and organize book shelves
Declutter/pick-up living and dining room
Blog "The Monday Book Report" with my 2 reviews, etc. 
More reading 

In my planners.... Nothing exciting.  Pretty utilitarian this week! 

Looking forward to/dreading this week.... Going to University of Michigan Hospital to see if my sister qualifies for a liver transplant.  This is the big intake interview!  I took the day off of work to go with her. 

Looking around the house... Lazy cats and lazy children today!  I need to get them going with their chores! 

Things making me happy right now..... Diet Dr. Pepper. Birds. Thunder and lightning. Flowers. My cats. The sound of cicadas and crickets, i.e. summer. 

Bible Study..... Last week of Her Binder Project, God's Promises.  

Scripture or quote....   

Have a beautifully blessed week! 

The Monday Book Report, Edition #2

I am linking up with 

Mailbox Monday

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading? 

The Sunday Post @ caffeinatedbookreviewer 

WHAT DID I READ THIS WEEK:  I only finished two books this week.  "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou and Colleen Coble's "The View from Rainshadow Bay"  

My Thoughts: I have long respected Maya Angelou and her gift with words.  She was a very special talent.  

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" chronicles her early life.  She is very open and honest about the life she led.  Her upbringing was not an easy one. She was very introverted and impressionable.  Thankfully a good woman put a book in her hand and gifted her with a love of reading. 

Ms. Angelou's writing is so engaging and her word choice spins a tale with very heavy subject matter, yet she is able to somehow capture her very own light and weave it throughout. 

What a gift that was given to us in Maya Angelou.  5*****

My thoughts:  Colleen Coble is one of my favorite authors. She has a way of blending mystery and Christianity that no one else does. 

"The View from Rainshadow Bay" is the first in the "Lavender Tides" series.  

The setting on the primitive natural Olympic Coast of Washington with the lavender fields and the wooded terrain was a definite draw.  She did a superb job of being descriptive with this location, which definitely brought life to the story. 

The characters are flawed but endearing.  You want to root for them from the very beginning.  The romance is secondary but needed in the storyline. 

The mystery itself is very creative and Coble does a wonderful job of weaving everything together at the end.  

4****

FAVORITE QUOTE(S) FROM A BOOK I READ: This week I have three, all from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaking need for an unshakable God.

The world had taken a deep breath and was having doubts about continuing to revolve.

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning.

WHAT BOOKS DID I BUY/BORROW THIS WEEK:  

Year One, Chronicles of The One, Book 1 by Nora Roberts  (purchased e-book) 

This next one I am super excited about!  The Illustrated Lark Rise to Candleford 
(purchased real book) 

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (borrowed via Kindle Unlimited) 

WHAT IS THE BOOK I MOST WANT TO GET MY HANDS ON RIGHT NOW: 

Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman This would be for an online book club on YouTube 

WHAT ARE MY READING PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK: To finish "The Little Prince" and "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Franks and start Nora Roberts "Year One" and Mohsin Hamid's Exit West and to keep working on my face-to-face book club read for Sept 19th, "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes.  

ANY NEW BOOK EVENTS OR BOOK NEWS ONLINE OR IN YOUR TOWN?  Now I am long past due for sharing this, but it is one of the biggest book events in Detroit.  It is in July every year. I have never been!!!  Mostly because of I have anxiety, especially in crowds.  I do hope to try and attend next summer!  Detroit Bookfest 

A goodwill effort to help generate a deeper love and appreciation of books in the Greater Detroit community

SHARE A BOOK PIC: 

ANYTHING READING RELATED, ETC.: 

Happy Homemaker Monday for August 20th, 2018

I am linking up with Sandra from Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy Homemaker Monday

Please let me know if you can see my pictures this week!  I am not sure what happened in my last post.  I am technically challenged! Also, I just started a brand new weekly post called "The Monday Book Report" - I'll talk about everything I've read, plan to read, and exciting bookish things happening around the world and the web.

The weather..... Although the weather is "perfect"  (80s and sunny)  I am ready for FALL! 

On my bedside table....... My study Bible, a floral box, purple pen, and small pink box of stamps. 

Right now I am.... Getting a very late start on my meal prepping for the upcoming week.  Weekends are just never long enough.  

Thinking.... of starting a fall bucket list later today. 

Something fun or interesting that happened.... I've decided to join my local library's face-to-face book club!  I hope I'll go!  LOL 

On my reading pile....  I finished Blake Crouch's "Dark Matter"  (you can see the full review HERE)  and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".  I loved them both!  I will be reviewing this one later this week.  

I'll be starting Mosim Hamid's "Exit West"  

I've posted a weekly reading meme called The Monday Book Report if you'd like to catch up on all I've been reading.
http://bygloryalone.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-monday-book-report-edition-1.html?m=1

On my TV..... Days of Our Lives, Young and Restless, YouTube videos.  Hoping to watch "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" tonight.  If I do, I will update. 

On the menu for this week....

Monday -  Skinny Ms. Chicken Parmesan Casserole   (I cooked this today (Sunday) Not a big fan. 

Tuesday -   Beef and broccoli with brown rice 

Wednesday - Green chicken enchiladas 

Thursday -  Turkey burger with broccoli cheese tots 

Friday -  Family dinner and game night - I have no idea 

Saturday - A WW friendly version of Chicken Souvlaki with Herb Quinoa and Tzatziki 

Sunday - Doritos Taco Salad

In my planner(s) this week.... I have yet to set up my planners for the week.  If I get them done before this publishes tomorrow morning, I will share! 

Favorite blog/vlog of the week..... I came to find out too late in the game to join that it is "Austen in August"!  Here is one of the posts that I've enjoyed about Jane's work this week! 

"Austen on Screen" @ Brona's Books 

Looking forward to this week.... A trip to the library and giving my youngest driving lessons 

Looking around the house....  It's not chaos, but it needs some picking up and vacuuming.  

Weekly Bible study..... In week three of "Her Binder Project".  We have been discussing God's promises.  

The Monday Book Report, Edition #1

WHAT DID I READ THIS WEEK:  I read Blake Crouch's "Dark Matter", you can see the review HERE. (As of 8/19/18, Kindle edition still on sale for $1.99!)  I also read Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".  Review is not up yet, but I can tell you that it was amazingly fantastic.  Finally, I am finishing up "The View from Rainshadow Bay" by Colleen Coble.  

FAVORITE QUOTE FROM A BOOK I READ:  I have two.  Well, I have more than two, but here are the ones I'd most like to share, both from "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".  The first because it rings true with me and the second just because it's beautiful. 

"Of all the needs (there are none imaginary) a lonely child has, the one that must be satisfied, if there is going to be hope and a hope of wholeness, is the unshaking need for an unshakable God."

"The world had taken a deep breath and was having doubts about continuing to revolve." 

WHAT BOOKS DID I BUY/BORROW THIS WEEK:  I purchased a few this week, mostly e-books because I do a lot of my reading in bed at night.  I always have one REAL book going at the same time :) 

Kindle Books: 
Blake Crouch's "Dark Matter" 
Colleen Coble's "The View from Rainshadow Bay" 
Mohsin Hamids "Exit West"   (Kindle edition still on sale for $3.99 as of 8/19/18)

Real Books: 
JoJo Moye's "Me Before You"  (this is for a face-to-face book club!) 
Margaret Mitchell's "Lost Layson" - This was a great find for my collection! 

Borrowed E-books from Kindle Unlimited: - 
"A Wilder Rose" by Susan Wittig Albert (About Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter Rose) 

WHAT I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON RIGHT NOW: 
Stephen King's "The Outsider" 

WHAT ARE MY READING PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK: That depends on *if* I find the time to go to the library!  But for certain I will be starting: 

JoJo Moyes "Me Before You" for my library book club
Mohsin Hamid's "Exit West" 
IF I make it to the library and they have it: "Kristin Lavransdatter 1" by Sigrid Undset"
If I do NOT make it to the library, I plan to start "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery

FAVORITE BOOKISH MEME AND/OR BLOG-VLOG: I am SO sad that I did not know about "Austen in August"!  I am most definitely a Janeite and I am already looking forward to doing this next year!!! 

ANY NEW BOOK EVENTS OR BOOK NEWS ONLINE OR IN YOUR TOWN?  I just found out my local library has a monthly face-to-face book club.  I have major anxiety issues, so this may be really difficult for me, but I have wanted to join a book club FOREVER.  Say a little prayer for me! 

ANYTHING READING RELATED, ETC.: I live 20 minutes from one of the most awesome used books stores ever ..... and I have never been there!  Shame on me!  It's on my fall bucket list! It was named the #2 bookstore in the "18 Bookstores Every Book Lover Must Visit at Least Once" by the Business Insider. 

So that is the first edition of the Monday Book Report!  If anyone is interested in joining in (I'd just love that!)  just post your link in the comments.  And if not, please let me know what great book you've read lately!  

Greatest blessings book lovers, 

Sherry aka Bibliomane 

I am sharing on The Book Date .......

and Mailbox Monday!