Life Right Now #19

On my bedside table: The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis; The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

On my TV: I completely caught up with this season of The 100. And I finally started Lucifer (it’s delicious!). The little boys and I finished the week watching Mary Poppins Returns.

Listening to: All my usual podcasts. Nothing too exciting right now.

On the menu: We are going to be gone from Tuesday until the next week so no big plans. Monday we are going to have breakfast for dinner so as to not have leftovers in the fridge!

On my to do list: We’re continuing to buy things for back-to-school and specifically the twins moving into the Academy. More immediately, I have to pack for traveling to Indiana on Tuesday. I also need to do a bit of picking up/cleaning before we leave.

Happening this week: We’re traveling to Indiana on Tuesday. While there, Nick has to complete his biology and geometry R finals. I’m planning on talking the littles to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum during that time. Then we are going to catch the tail end of the Three Rivers Festival and fireworks in Fort Wayne.

What I am creating: All the lists!

My simple pleasures: Iced coffee! So much iced coffee! And wacky cake and quiet moments after the littles go to bed.

What I’m planning: Moving forward with the twins’s back to school plans.

Looking around the house: A bit messy, but the usual crap just not in its place.

Looking forward to: The next two nights before we leave. I’m getting in all my solo tv watching.

From the camera: Riding the dragon at Medieval Putt!

Summer Bucket List Update #1

It’s hot, the twins are here, and we’re right in the middle of our summer! Let’s get to our summer bucket list:

1. Read 50 books - 14 books read so far

2. Have an appetizer night ✓ - Instead of grilling out for the Fourth of July, we did an appetizer night! Crab rangoon, shrimp cocktail, pumpernickel pretzel pouches, jalapeno poppers, garlic zucchini, watermelon, blueberry lemon upside down cake, Reese’s PB cup cheesecake bites, and hushpuppies.

3. Tie Dye Shirts

4. Weekend trip to the Cosmosphere

5. Try 3 ice cream places 2/3

   • Coneflower - Oh so yum! I got Rhubarb Crisp, Arthur and Quentin got Dark Chocolate, Alex got Mint Choc Chip, and J got Coffee, Mint Choc Chip, and White Choc and Basil. I think the winner was Coffee.

   • Ted and Wally’s - A favorite in Old Market! I got Almond Joy, Arthur and Alex got vanilla, Quentin got chocolate, and J got Guiness and Fudge Brownie German Chocolate.

6. Go on 5 picnics

7. Visit an outdoor cinema

8. Make s’mores

9. Go to 3 movies 1/3

   • Lego Movie 2 - I took the littles to the weekday $1 showing of the second Lego Movie. Love the cheap movies!

10. Make sangria

11. Find and complete a new puzzle

12. Visit 2 other library branches

13. Complete the summer reading program ✓ - Alex, Arthur, and I all earned rewards for completing 10 hours of reading.

14. Visit Mahoney State Park

15. Check out Pirate Putt and Medieval Putt ✓

    • Pirate Putt - Loved this one.

    • Medieval Putt - This one has some great hole designs.

16. Visit 5 Nebraska Passport spots

17. Try a new food truck

18. Go on a brewery tour/tasting

19. Run through the sprinklers/splash pad ✓ - We bought a sprinkler for the backyard. The boys love it!

20. Ride a Ferris Wheel

21. Go to a concert (indoor or outdoor)

22. Go tanking

23. Try 2 new-to-me restaurants 2/2 ✓

    • Barchen - J and I had a date night at this German beer hall and restaurant. Food wasn’t amazing, but beer was good.

    • Yum Roll - We had dinner at the fancy food court and I tried the Korean BBQ bowl. Decent, but I think the taco place next door is better.

24. Visit Hollywood Candy in Old Market ✓ - Lots of fun stopping in after lunch in Old Market one day. I loved all the crazy items thrown into the store. The boys got a basket of candy to last for the rest of the summer.

25. Complete a series

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones

Title: The Salt Line

Author: Holly Goddard Jones

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library love; Popsugar - “Salt”; Dancing with Fantasy and Science Fiction - Utopia

In an unspecified future, the United States' borders have receded behind a salt line—a ring of scorched earth that protects its citizens from deadly disease-carrying ticks. Those within the zone live safe, if limited, lives in a society controlled by a common fear. Few have any reason to venture out of zone, except for the adrenaline junkies who pay a fortune to tour what's left of nature. Those among the latest expedition include a popstar and his girlfriend, Edie; the tech giant Wes; and Marta; a seemingly simple housewife.

Once out of zone, the group find themselves at the mercy of deadly ticks—and at the center of a murderous plot. They become captives in Ruby City, a community made up of outer-zone survivors determined to protect their hardscrabble existence. As alliances and friendships shift amongst the hostages, Edie, Wes, and Marta must decide how far they are willing to go to get to the right side of the salt line.

I picked this one up one the recommendation of the Reading Glasses podcast and loved it. There’s a great utopian society and a spare possibly. And then we get to dig beneath the surface and see what is beyond the wall. I loved the world-building and background information to explain how exactly the characters find themselves in the situation they are in. Once the story moves beyond the wall, the plot picks up the pace and things start to devolve. I immediately felt an attachment to Marta and her backstory. I loved the sections from her point of view. The plot moved fast with the twists and turns. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, but overall I really enjoyed the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Welcome Summer Videos

Yep!

Hmmm…. maybe

I’ll watch it!

So pretty…

While looking for something else, this great cover popped up! I would have loved to see Palaye Royale at Warped Tour 2018, but we arrived after their set.

Did you hear about the musical featuring the six wives of Henry VIII? Here’s the opening number for you!

The River by Peter Heller

Title: The River

Author: Peter Heller

Publisher: Knopf 2019

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Popsugar - About a Hobby

Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

Thrillers aren’t usually my go-to genre, but this one was recommended by Anne Bogel. Of course I had to try it out. And I’m really glad I did. I loved getting to know Jack and Wynn as they traveled down river toward the bay and potential peril. There are a lot of tense moments in this book that held me on the edge of my seat. There were some turns that I did not see coming. The ending wasn’t happily ever after, but I like that in a book. Overall a great read that I sped through in just a day. Couldn’t put it down!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Title: The Peacock Emporium

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Books 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 389

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Monthly Motif - Through the Years;

In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

This was one big confusing bore. There were too many time periods, jumping back and forth, but also spending too much time in one period. I wasn’t super engaged in the storyline. And was super confused for the longest time about the meaning of the first chapter and then the first section. I figured it out by the end, but was utterly bored with the story. On the other side, the characters were self-absorbed and whiny. I just couldn’t find myself liking any of them at all. I thought this was a new book by Jojo Moyes, but it turns out it was published in 2004 in the UK. It’s come to the US only this year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones on the recommendation of Reading Glasses podcast. Loving it so far.

Watching: Finally finished S5 and moving into S6 of The 100!

Listening: Slowly making my way through the bonus episodes of Unobscured S1 podcast. The bonuses are the uncut interviews with the various historians. Right up my alley!

Making: Cleaning out some of the leftover card kits to have some non-birthday cards for my stash.

Feeling: Surprisingly calm right now. There are tons of spinning plates in the air right now, but I’m actually pretty calm.

Planning: We’re leaving again next week for a short Indiana trip. Getting everything organized.

Loving: We’ve been hitting the 1/2 Happy Hour at Sonic a few times this summer so I can get my Cherry Limeade fix.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Slipknot "Unsainted"

I do so love this new one.

Life Right Now #18

On my bedside table: The River by Peter Heller; The Gown by Jennifer Robson

On my TV: J and I knocked out a few more episodes of Game of Thrones S2. And I restarted S5 of The 100.

Listening to: All the podcasts that I usually listen to.

On the menu: No idea right this second. Guess I need to do some meal planning today…

Happening this week: We’re hoping to get to Medieval Putt, the zoo, Wildlife Safari Park, and Lincoln. Plus Alex is going to his last YuGiOh tournament this week and the twins have a Smash Bros tournament.

What I am creating: Working on finishing up my June Memory Planner pages. Then maybe I’ll turn back to Project Life pages.

My simple pleasures: Reese’s PB cup cheesecake bites, watermelon, a good summer read

What I’m planning: Finalizing our details for the trip back to Indiana. I’m thinking about a trip to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum and a trip to the Devonian Fossil Gorge on the way back.

Looking around the house: Looks like a whirlwind went through the house this past week. We need to do some serious picking up today.

Looking forward to: Knocking off a few more bucket list items. We’ll see where we get to…

From the camera: A little boy with a large piece of watermelon.

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Title: Once Upon a River

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on folklore; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Uncommon Fantasy Creatures

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

I finally got Diane Setterfield’s new book and loved every single sentence of it. Setterfield’s writing meanders just like the Thames, but I savored every turn. We follow a beautiful yet haunting story of three lost girls who may or may not have come back. The lives of three families are affected by the events of the Winter Solstice. We spend the next year following those families and the various characters around the village. My favorite storyline was following Rita as she tends to the people around her, especially the little girl lost. This is not the book for those readers that love a fast moving plot. But it is for those that love a haunting story that may or may not have magical elements. My absolute favorite part was the legend of Quietly. Perfection!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Publisher: Penguin Books 2012

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on a True Story; Historical Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

This book is rough! But ultimately it’s an amazing story of a facet of WWII that I don’t think many people know about. Lina’s story is so incredibly heartbreaking. I loved her as a character and the interactions that we see with her family at the beginning. I was constantly hoping for the family to be reunited, but I know how WWII stories go. The book itself is well written with a lyrical quality even in the harshest of passages.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Anxiety is high once again… I hate waiting on other people to do things so I can move forward on my tasks.

• Making my playlist for when J is in Romania for work. Piling on all the romcoms and period pieces.

• Need to buy more beef bulgogi bowls from Costco. They are surprisingly tasty with some added Siracha.

• My July TBR is ridiculously large. No way I’m going to get all those, but I have high hopes for what I am going to read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Grilled Cheese Adventures: May and June

Part of my 2019 goals is make a different Grilled Cheese recipe each week. I find grilled cheese to be so comforting, but just cheddar or Colby gets boring after awhile. So, I checked a few books out from the library and make a Pinterest Board with lots of options. Here’s what we ate:

Week 19: Gouda, spinach, and mushrooms.

Needed more flavor! Next time, I think I’ll switch up the type of mushrooms I use.

Week 20: Mango chutney and white cheddar on hearty Italian.

Pretty good! The chutney wasn’t quite as spicy as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the taste combination.

Week 21: Honey Banana with Mascarpone

We had this for our breakfast with a side of fried eggs. Arthur approved!

Week 22: Trainwreck Grilled Cheese

Maple whiskey glazed bacon with gouda and caramelized onions. I burned most of my onions and the bacon didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. We’re going to try to this one again soon with different bacon.

Not Pictured - Completely forgot to take a picture before eating. Our house was crazy that night…

Week 23: Havarti Chipotle and Gouda Grilled Cheese

This wasn’t very good and not a taste combination that I really enjoyed.

Not pictured - Really just forgot to take a pic.

Week 24: Dijon Chicken and Gouda with a Spinach Salad featuring Pepperoncinis

The spinach salad may have been just a bit too much. If I make this again, we’ll scale back the salad portion and just put some regular pepperoncinis on it.

Week 25: Honey Peach White Cheddar with Bacon

Decent enough, but not wowing us over here.

Week 26: Bacon Blackberry Jalapeno Swiss

Our jalapenos were a bit too rare and not spicy, so next time we’ll work on that. The rest of the sandwich was really good and we’ll definitely make this again.

July 2019 Life Goals

Let’s check in on June's goals and my progress.

• Finish summer plans - Fail. We’re still trying to figure out the end of summer and getting the twins back to Indiana.

• Finish Road trip plans - Success! It was so much fun!

• Have fun on the road trip!

• Pick at least one activity with the twins and littles each week - Success! So far we’ve been doing at least one big activity a week.

• Have three date days/nights with J - Fail, but so close! We went out to a concert at the beginning of the month and had a nice dinner and drinks on Friday night. Two dates is better than nothing…

July’s Goals: Another month of taking it easy and enjoying the summer.

• End of Summer Plans - The twins will be going back soon, but we don’t have a specific date yet. Need to figure all this out. Complicating matters is the fact that J will be in Romania half this month.

• Schedule a Kansas Trip - We want to go to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson to see the Apollo 11 exhibit.

• Stop adding books to my library holds! - Seriously, it’s gotten out of control and I need to read the books that I own.

Next up on the TBR list:

Furious Hours by Casey Cep

Title: Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

Author: Casey Cep

Publisher: Knopf 2019

Genre: Nonfiction - True Crime

Pages: 308

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted—thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend.

Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more years working on her own version of the case.

Now Casey Cep brings this story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. At the same time, she offers a deeply moving portrait of one of the country’s most beloved writers and her struggle with fame, success, and the mystery of artistic creativity.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t happen for me. I was annoyed by the structure and perceived lack of big idea. I didn’t love how the book was split into thirds. And then each section meanders throughout the main line. Cep took way too many side tracks about various topics (seriously multiple pages on the history of the life insurance industry was not necessary) and felt like a ton of padding. I wanted so much more about the murders and aftermath, but Cep speeds through that section to spend so much more time with the lawyer and Harper Lee. And please, do not get me started on the lawyer. His adamant support of the murdering Reverend was just too much. Not a book for me at all…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Sum 41 "Out for Blood"

I enjoyed Sum 41 back in the day. Thinking I need to pick up their new album.