Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• 88 degrees and sunny on Monday, 40 degrees and rainy today. Welcome to the Midwest!

• My removable wallpaper came yesterday! So excited to jazz up our built-ins flanking the fireplace. Hopefully it will get done this weekend.

• I also have a bookshelf arriving today. I need a place to store all our homeschooling resources. Piles on my craft room floor is not cutting it now.

• Read a picture book last night that made me cry. Hit me right in the feels. It’s a time capsule for the first few months of the pandemic. Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham

• I have my first haircut in 9 months this afternoon and I’m still deciding what to do. I’m thinking a dramatic asymmetrical bob.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Title: Robots and Empire

Author: Isaac Asimov

Publisher: 

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 512

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Scifi

Isaac Asmiov's classic novel about the decline and fall of Solaria. Gladia Delmarre's homeworld, the Spacer planet Solaria, has been abandoned - by its human population. Countless robots remain there. And when traders from Settler worlds attempt to salvage them, the robots of Solaria turn to killing...in defiance of the Three Laws of Robotics. Pax Robotica Long ago, Gladia's robots Daneel and Giskard played a vital role in opening the worlds beyond the Solar system to Settlers from Earth. Now the conscience-stricken robots are faced with an even greater challenge. Either the sacred Three Laws of Robotics are in ruins - or a new, superior Law must be established to bring peace to the galaxy. With Madam Gladia and D.G. Baley - the captain of the Settler traders and a descendant of the robots' friend Elijah Baley - Daneel and Giskard travel to the robot stronghold of Solaria...where they uncover a sinister Spacer plot to destroy Earth itself.

Oh goodness! This just became my favorite Asimov book so far. I absolutely loved this one. Where the previous books were focused a lot on the plot (the murder mysteries), the mystery in this one is a bit more background. The philosophical conversations between characters (especially Daneel and Giskard) were center stage in this volume. I loved seeing the connection between the time of Elijah Baley and the founding of the empire. We get to see a new side with the settlers lead by DG Baley and his interactions with Gladia. So now we get to see what has happened to Earth, the Settlers, and the Spacers. I thought the mystery of the plot to destroy Earth was interesting, but again, it was the conversations that kept me reading. I loved the examination of the Laws of Robotics. This book renewed my motivation to read the rest of the Asimov’s books.

Next up on the TBR Pile:

Outlawed by Anna North

Title: Outlawed

Author: Anna North

Publisher: Bloomsbury 2021

Genre: Fiction - Alternate History; Western

Pages: 261

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf Project; Seasonal RC

In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.

The day of her wedding, 17 year old Ada’s life looks good; she loves her husband, and she loves working as an apprentice to her mother, a respected midwife. But after a year of marriage and no pregnancy, in a town where barren women are routinely hanged as witches, her survival depends on leaving behind everything she knows.

She joins up with the notorious Hole in the Wall Gang, a band of outlaws led by a preacher-turned-robber known to all as the Kid. Charismatic, grandiose, and mercurial, the Kid is determined to create a safe haven for outcast women. But to make this dream a reality, the Gang hatches a treacherous plan that may get them all killed. And Ada must decide whether she’s willing to risk her life for the possibility of a new kind of future for them all.

I was so excited to grab this on from Book of the Month back in January. It was a very enjoyable story, but missed the mark just a bit for me. The book was slightly slow to start, but once Ada arrived at the Hole in the Wall Gang, everything started to pick up. From there, I was reading at a decent clip to get to the end of the adventure. Ada is at times, a very sympathetic character and a very annoying character. I enjoyed many of the other characters, and wished we had learned a bit more about some of them (e.g. Lo and Newsy). The book misses the mark just a bit by getting bogged down in Ada’s obsession with having a child/getting married. In this sections, I was less likely to keep reading the book. Upon reflection, I think this is a really good feminist alternate history western. But for my 5 star read, I would turn to Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey. I love their take on a feminist western.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W28: Three Outings and a COVID Vaccine

What We Studied

Beyond our usual school work, we had multiple outings this week. We started with a park playdate with potential coop families. Monday was a windy but warm and sunny day to be at the park. We found a new-to-us park that wasn’t busy (until right at noon) and has a variety of playground structures.

On Tuesday, we joined a friend and visited the animals at a farm. It was cold and windy, but the animals were fun to meet. We got up close and personal with goats, chickens (and chicks!), horses, donkeys, a llama, and two baby sheep. One of the employees gave us some important farm lessons and even got a chick out for us to pet. The boys loved feeding the baby sheep and playing in the nature classroom. We are going back in a few weeks to see the piglets and baby ducks they are getting!

Wednesday afternoon, we braved the chilly weather to go find all the easter eggs scattered about Lauritzen Gardens. We walked down almost every path and even traveled all the way to the back gate. I didn’t even know they had a back gate. I’ve never been back that far… After finding all the eggs, we explored the fantastical fairy lands in the indoor greenhouses. I loved looking at all the fairy houses.

On Friday, I (and J) got the first COVID vaccine. Someday we might actually get to have friends over for a cookout.

Literature and Poetry

We have almost finished The One and Only Ivan. I am actually really enjoying the story. Can’t wait to see how it ends next week.

• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Math

For math we covered Unit 7 which was multiplying and dividing by 4, 5, and 10. We also did some random math review throughout the week.

Found a snake friend outside

Social Studies

We went to ancient China for this week’s history lessons. Lots of great information and videos pertaining to Ancient China. Even I learned some things.

• D is for Dancing Dragon by Carol Crane

• Ancient China by Mel Friedman

• 20 Fun Facts About the Great Wall of China by Therese Shea

• Secrets of the Terracotta Army by Michael Capek

• The Ancient Chinese by Jane Shuter

Science

We counted our farm visit and garden visit as impromptu science lessons for the week.

Art

Nothing formal

Found a ton of turkeys at the gardens

Music

Our composer was Danny Elfman. I really enjoy his scores (Edward Scissorhands might be my favorite), and we listened to a few good ones for Arthur. He loved The Nightmare Before Christmas, but that’s about it. I don’t think Arthur was into appreciating music compositions this week.

Unit Theme

Instead of a unit theme this week, we just focused on Easter activities on Saturday. We colored eggs, had an egg hunt, decorated cookies, and did some games and puzzles. My favorite part was the jelly bean math. Arthur guessed that the bad held 50 jelly beans. When we counted, we found 185 jelly beans in the bag!

• Easter by Elaine Landau

• Turkey’s Eggcellent Easter by Wendi Silvano

• Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood

• The Littlest Easter Bunny by Brandi Doughtry

• There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick by Lucille Colandro

• How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Bloom by Deborah Diesen

• The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle

• 999 Frogs Wake Up by Ken Kimura

• Spring Hare by Eugene Yelchin

• Rabbit’s Spring Gift by Anita Loughrey

• The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes

• Raindrops Fall All Around by Charles Ghigna

• Hail to Spring by Charles Ghigna

• Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn

• There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

• And Then It’s Spring by Julia Fogliano

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

• My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell

• Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Call

Highs

• I can’t decided between the park, the farm, and the gardens. We had so much fun during this very busy week!

Lows

• Thursday’s dental appointment took me out of commission for the day. We wasted a whole day…

Next Week

We’re back to more of a normal schedule. We do have a park playdate on Tuesday and a library visit on Thursday, but that’s it for outings. We will be studying the Byzantine Empire, Australia, rainbows, gardening, and libraries (It’s Library Week!). We will be finished The One and Only Ivan and Unit 8 in math.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - Bring Me the Horizon "1 x 1"

Winter was all about Emo song selections. Now that we’ve moved into spring, I’m turning back into hard rock and metal. Enjoy!

Bring Me the Horizon might be one of current favorite bands. I love all the songs that I play on Sirius XM’s Octane.

Life Right Now #10

As I look outside my window: It’s a beautiful day outside. The birds are very vocal, the sun is shining, and it’s supposed to be 85 degrees by 4pm. Goodness!

Right now I am: Trying to sneak outside and hide the eggs. The kids keep getting up at the crack of dawn and I didn’t have a chance before they got up.

On my bedside table: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner; Alice by Christina Henry

On my tv this week: We’re continuing our watch of A.P. Bio. The first season was funny, but the second season is even funnier!

Listening to: Mostly podcasts, but I did listen to a decent amount of The Emo Project and Alt Nation’s Alt 18. I completely forgot that I can listen to all the Sirius XM On Demand shows through Sonos.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Irish Whiskey Short Rib Stew

• Tuesday - Chicken n Dumplings

• Wednesday - Leftovers

• Thursday - BBQ, Avocado, Cheddar Chicken

• Friday - Shrimp Scampi Fra Diavolo

• Saturday - Baked Mac n Cheese

• Sunday - Chicken Tikka Masala

On my to do list: I’ve got some curriculum to sort, a few appointments to make, and lots of things to clean!

Happening this week: Back to somewhat more normal schedule. We’ll be doing a park playdate on Tuesday and a library visit on Thursday. I also have a hair appointment on Thursday. My first haircut in over 6 months. I’m excited for my hair to be doing something interesting.

What I am creating: Mostly just lists. Although I hope to get to my craft projects at some point this week.

My simple pleasures: A nice breeze and sunshine on the back deck. Also iced tea.

Looking around the house: We (okay J actually) ripped out the cabinets in the laundry room in anticipation of getting a new washer dryer set. Just by taking those down, the room has so much more room.

From the camera: Found some great fairy houses at the botanical garden this week.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Title: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Publisher: Viking 2020

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 299

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Currently Reading - Someone Wants Me to Read

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Such buzz about this book! I have heard so many people talk about how deeply affecting it was and how they were tears by the end of the book. And I did not have that reaction. Overall, I think this is a very decent It’s a Wonderful Life-esque book. I was interested to see how different choices would shape the different lives of Nora. I was hoping that at least one would result in her being together with Ash. And I felt that the ending was very fitting. it was an enjoyable book. But it did nothing for me emotionally. It might be because I have read so many of these types of books or it could be that the writing just didn’t speak to me. Either way, I didn’t shed a single tear while reading this one, but I did come away feeling that it was a worthwhile read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2021 Life Goals

Let’s check in on my March goals and my progress.

• Read 15 books, including 5 Unread Shelf reads - 50% success. I read over 15 books, but only 2 of them were from my Unread Shelf

• Layout podcast episodes - On hold… while J takes care of some other projects and tasks

• Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes - Fail. I had hoped to make some more, but I only ended up with three recipes made. So close!

• Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill ✓ - I’m calling this a win even though I didn’t do all 20 miles on the treadmill. We ended up with multiple outings that included long walks.

• Make eye appointments - Fail

April’s Goals:

• Read 15 Books, Including 5 Unread Shelf Reads - Hoping for a big unread shelf month!

• Walk at Least 15 Miles on the Treadmill - Hoping to transition from the treadmill to outdoor walks.

• Work on My December Daily Projects - I will finish this at some point…

• Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes - I’ve got some good ones lined up.

• Weekly Field Trips! - We’ve got the ball rolling again. Still taking tons of precautions, but excited to to get a bit more out and about. I’m shooting for at least one outing a week.

• Plan Out the Rest of Spring Homeschool Weeks - Gotten a good jump on this, but hoping to tidy it up soon.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Videos, I Guess

I so hope that this is better than the first one…

Definitely creepy. I am here for it!

March 2021 Wrap-up

March TBR Pile (19/24):

1. Book of the Month Club: TBD

2. Girly Book Club: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown ✓

3. Friend Book Club: Dangerous Women by Hope Adams ✓

4. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

5. MMD RC: I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman ✓

6. Nonfiction: Walkable City by Jeff Speck

7. Nonfiction: From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

8. Romance: Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

9. Romance: Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

10. Romance: Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

11. Fantasy: A Vow of Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer ✓

12. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

13. Fantasy: Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire ✓

14. Thriller: Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger ✓

15. Science Fiction: Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman ✓

16. Kid Read Aloud: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar ✓

17. Kid Read Aloud: Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie ✓

18. Added: To Sir Phillip With Love by Julia Quinn ✓

19. Added: When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn ✓

20. Added: It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn ✓

21. Added: Librarian Tales by William Otten ✓

22. Added: Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

23. Added: Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

24. Added: Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 5537 pages
Pages Remaining: 484,888 pages

Current Read - The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Outlawed by Anna North; Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (4)

Using my birthday gift cards, I bought two comic trades:

• Lady Mechanika Vol. 5

• Lady Mechanika Vol. 6

And I picked up two Book of the Month books:

• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

• The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 276

• Books Read: 2

• Books Acquired: 4

• Books Unshelved: 8

• Finishing Number: 270

April TBR Pile:

1. Book of the Month Club: The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

2. BOTM: The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George

3. Girly Book Club: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

4. Friend Book Club: Outlawed by Anna North

5. MMD RC: Still Life by Louise Penny

6. MMD RC: Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

7. MMD RC: The Switch by Beth O’Leary

8. Nonfiction: In the Hurricane’s Eye by Nathaniel Philbrick

9. Fantasy: Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust

10. Fantasy: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

11. Fantasy: Alice by Christina Henry

12. Fantasy: All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace

13. Science Fiction: Robots and Empires by Isaac Asimov

14. Science Fiction: Sea Change by Nancy Kress

15. Romance: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

16. Romance: Bridgerton Happily Ever After by Julia Quinn

17. Kid Read Aloud: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

18. Kid Read Aloud: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid

Movies watched

• Raya and the Last Dragon - The settings and backgrounds were absolutely gorgeous. The story wasn’t quite hitting all the emotional notes.

• Pixie - Enjoyed this black comedy! We unintentionally watched this for St. Patrick’s Day.

TV Shows watched 

• Last Week Tonight - Our usual current show

• Below Deck Med S5 - Still love Captain Sandy, but man that was a season full of firings!

• Superstore S6 - We finished it!

• WandaVision S1 - Heartbreaking, but oh so good.

• Resident Alien S1 - Delightfully weird show. We watch anything with Alan Tudyk in it!

• Falcon and the Winter Solider S1 - We are totally in on this show.

• Ted Lasso S1 - This was exactly the show that I needed right now. It’s so incredibly hopeful!

• AP Bio S1 - J had me start this one and it is good. It’s the cynical opposite of Ted Lasso.

Comments - A surprisingly great reading month. I read some duds, but I also finished a great (very large) historical romance story and almost finished another one. We also managed to watch some great TV series (seriously Ted Lasso is life!). Looking to April to decrease my library books and read more from my shelves. This should be helped by the fact that both book club books I actually own and am prioritizing.

Next up on the TBR pile:

It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgerton #7)

Author: Julia Quinn

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Romance

Pages: 407

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance; UnRead Shelf

Meet Our Hero . . .

Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth’s sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past . . . and the key to his future. The problem is—it’s written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet Our Heroine . . .

All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She’s fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there’s something about her—something charming and vexing—that grabs him and won’t quite let go . . .

Meet Poor Mr. Mozart . . .

Or don’t. But rest assured, he’s spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual—and annually discordant—Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth’s every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other . . . and that there is nothing as simple—or as complicated—as a single, perfect kiss.

Another enjoyable historical romance. I was hoping that Hyacinth would get a glorious love story and thankfully she gets Gareth. He is who really makes this book so enjoyable. I loved the banter between him and Hyacinth and the banter between him and Lady Danbury. So lovely! I do love a book with witty dialogue. The Romance is good, but those scenes became less important than the connection between the two main characters. The mystery was a nice addition to liven up the book. I’m hoping that the series finishes off strong with Gregory’s story.

Bridgerton

• #1 The Duke and I

• #2 The Viscount Who Loved Me

• #3 An Offer from a Gentleman

• #4 Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

• #5 To Sir Philip, With Love

• #6 When He was Wicked

• #7 It’s in His Kiss

• #8 On the Way to the Wedding

• Happily Ever After (2nd Epilogues and Violet’s Story)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W27: Diving Back In

**I somehow took a total of three pictures this week. Terrible on my part…

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

We started reading The One and Only Ivan for our read aloud. I’m enjoying the

• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

• Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk (literature study)

• Mouse Loves Spring (Arthur read)

• Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Spring Smiles by Kallie George (Arthur read)

• Spring is Here by Joan Holub (Arthur read)

• The Garden by Gwendolyn Hooks (Arthur read)

• Poems Have Roots by Lilian Moore

Math

We covered Unit 6 in Singapore 2B. It was a bit of review for Arthur, but we got back into the hang out it. Arthur also completed another unit in Khan Academy math. I’m hoping we can get through K-2nd grade math before the end of May.

Social Studies

We covered three lessons this week: native groups of the plains, rising tensions in the colonies, and the beginning of the revolution. It felt good to get back into U.S. History for a week. I especially loved going through the run-up to the Revolutionary War. Lots of good resources out there now.

• The Pawnee: Farmers and Hunters of the Central Plains by Karen Bush Gibson

• Shawnee by Sarah Tieck

• Ojibwe by Torren Ramsey

• Ladder to the Sky retold by Barbara Juster Esbensen

• Young Jim Thorpe Bright Path by Don Brown

• Our Colonial Year by Cheryl Harness

• Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick

• George vs George by

• Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters

• DK American Revolution

• The Boston Tea Party by Sarah Gilman

• Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concern First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin

• Sybil Ludington’s Midnight Ride by Marsha Amstel

Science

See Unit theme

Art

Nothing formal

Music

This week started our movie composer cycle. We listened to John Williams first. Of course, Arthur immediately recognized a lot of the pieces I pulled. And his favorite was Jurassic Park, no surprise there.

Unit Theme

The theme was all about spring and plants and growing. We’ll be continuing this through the rest of March and into April. We worked through the chapters of our Tinkeractive Books, talking about plant group, and watched a few episodes of Magic School Bus.

• The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth by Ellen Jackson

• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes

• Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand

• Are You Ready for Spring by Sheila Anderson

• Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson

• Splish, Splash, Spring by Jan Carr

• Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson

• Mud by Mary Lyn Ray

• The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb retold by Shirley Climo

• Anywhere Artist by Nikki Slade Robinson

• Rain by Linda Ashman

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Jack Blasts Off by Mac Barnett

• I Want to Take a Nap by Mo Willems

• Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf is Not Around by Claudia Rueda

• Coelophysis by Josh Gregory

• Swarm of Bees by Lemony Snicket

• There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

• Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda

• Little Lucy Goes to School by Ilene Cooper

• Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin

• Pete the Cat’s Got Class by James Dean

Highs

• We jumped back in and I feel so much better!

• We say Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical at the Rose Theater. A lovely socially distant and masked up event!

Lows

• We jumped back in and Arthur had to do some adjustment…

Next Week

We’ll be having a very strange week next week. We have a ton of outings (feels so weird to write that after a year in quarantine). Our outings are going to be a mix of educational (farm visit and botanical garden visit), playtime, and necessary errands (dentist appt and groceries). We will end up with three half days and one full day of regular style homeschool.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Music Monday - The Blue Stones "Spirit"

Winter was all about Emo song selections. Now that we’ve moved into spring, I’m turning back into hard rock and metal. Enjoy!

A new-to-me band that I’m really digging this week.

Life Right Now #9

I hate when I schedule a post and completely forget to write it! Ugh! Well, here we go…

As I look outside my window: It’s bright and sunny after a very gray Saturday. The forecast is looking better for this coming week. Good thing too as we have three different days of outdoor field trips planned.

Right now I am: Attempting to make a meal plan and grocery list before we have brunch and then go see a play (social distancing and masking enforced!).

Thinking and pondering: How should I structure our potential homeschooling coop? I’m meeting some interested families at the park tomorrow to start the discussions. I have my own ideas, but I do want this to be a collaborative effort. We’ll see how it goes.

On my bedside table: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; Robots and Empire by Isaac Asimov

On my tv this week: We finished S1 of Ted Lasso and that was exactly the show I need this month. So funny and hopeful. We also started AP Bio (well J has watched it and wanted me to watch it) and caught up on some other ongoing shows (Superstore, Last Week Tonight, Resident Alien).

Listening to: I’ve been digging the new alternative channel on Apple Music as well as The Emo Project on Sirius XM.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Cheesy Artichoke Pasta

• Tuesday - Apple Cheddar Dijon Stuffed Chicken

• Wednesday - Caribbean Salmon Quinoa Bowls

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Chicken n Dumplings

• Saturday - Spicy Lentil Nachos

• Sunday - French Onion Pork Chops

On my to do list: Number one task this week to make eye appointments. I also need to pay a few bills and look into more curriculum resources for the rest of the spring semester.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Park playdate with interested homeschooling coop families!

• Tuesday - Trip to Gifford Farm with a new friend

• Wednesday - Grocery Day; Trip to Lauritzen Gardens for Easter Egg Hunt

• Thursday - Dentist Appointment

• Friday - Nothing (thank goodness; we will need a normal homeschooling day)

• Saturday - Nothing planned

• Sunday - Easter Hunt (in our backyard of course)

What I am creating: Plans for homeschooling. Really haven’t gotten to crafting this week. I need to carve out some time soon…

My simple pleasures: Cranberry and Orange Scones; birthday cake; a good cup of coffee

Looking around the house: We are starting a unplanned renovation on the laundry room. Our dryer quit a few weeks back and now our washer is dying on us. We are going to buy a new set, but first we need to get the old dryer out, take down the cabinets, and assess the walls. We decided that if we are taking down the cabinets (what I wanted when we moved in; necessary to stack the new units like I want), we should probably think about painting and other potential projects. I want to blow out the closet and make it an open storage area (a pseudo mudroom). Also I want to investigate whether the soffit above the cabinets is hollow or contains some essential pipes or beams. If hollow, I want to remove it and take the potential new storage all the way up. Right now it really cramps the space. And we want to remove the old home alarm system that’s next to the units and possibly investigate the area under the window (again, is it hollow or holding essential parts of the house). Phew! So much to do before we actually install the new washer dryer set.

From the camera: Totally didn’t take many pictures this week, but we did celebrate J’s birthday last night.

Once Upon a Maiden Lane by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 130

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Miss Mary Whitsun is far too intelligent to fall for the rakish charms of a handsome aristocrat. But when the gentleman in question approaches her in a bookshop, mistaking her for his fiancée, Lady Johanna Albright, the flirtatious encounter only raises more questions. Could Mary, a servant raised in a St Giles orphanage, actually be Lady Joanna's long-lost twin sister? If so, Mary has been betrothed since birth---to the rakishly handsome artistocrat himself . . .
Henry Collins, Viscount Blackwell, is far too intrigued by Mary to let her go so easily. He's drawn to her sharp mind, indomitable spirit, and the fiery way in which she dismisses him---ladies simply don't dismiss Lord Blackwell. But as Mary makes her first hesitant steps into society, she can't help but wonder if she truly has a place in Henry's world---or in his heart.

Decent little story featuring Mary Whitsun, but I wasn’t super excited. We didn’t get to know Mary as much as I wanted. Plus, the sex scenes were a bit strange. I think because I was still thinking of Mary as a young teenagers. Kind of strange.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Title: Recipe for a Perfect Wife

Author: Karma Brown

Publisher: Dutton 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home's basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner—1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life—including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.

Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie's secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister—even dangerous—side to Nellie’s marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.

I finished this novel and absolutely groaned in disgust. I couldn’t believe that I wasted all that time reading the book. But let’s back up. I was concerned in just the first two chapters. I was making predictions as to where the story would go. I was right about Nellie’s story. But I actually liked reading Nellie’s story. I thought it was an interesting look at an abusive relationship in the 1950s. We get to see how she attempts to navigate her world. And I fairly satisfied about the ending of her story. Unfortunately, I absolutely detested Alice’s story. I kept thinking that we were supposed to find parallels between Nellie and Alice and their relationships. However, the two women went about life very differently. While Nellie found herself in an impossible situation, Alice’s bad behavior just escalated over the course of the novel. I really liked Nate and kept rooting for him to see how terrible Alice was and leave her. She was a terrible partner to him but kept stringing him along. By the end, I was completely confused as to the message of the book. Should we show sympathy to Alice as a women “stuck” in a bad marriage (she wasn’t and I didn’t)? Should we see a turning of the tables in terms of gender roles and who was initiated the abuse? If so, that’s a terrible thing to aspire to and obviously this book is a warning. Either way, it wasn’t clear what the author was actually getting at and I ended up really disliking the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a Moonlit Night by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Moonlit Night (Maiden Lane #10.5)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 87

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Hippolyta Royle is running for her life. Pursued by hounds on a cold rainy night, the heiress flags down a passing carriage and throws herself at the mercy of the coach's occupant. Whoever this handsome traveler may be, he is her only hope to escape a terrible fate. But should he agree to escort her to safety, he's in for much more than he bargained for . . .

At first Matthew Mortimer doesn't believe Hippolyta's story, that she's a fabulously wealthy heiress who's been kidnapped. He assumes she's a beggar, an actress, or worse. But once his new travel companion washes the mud from her surprisingly lovely face, and they share a breathtaking kiss, there is no turning back . . .

A fun little interlude story in the series that follows-up with what happened during Duke of Sin. I wish we would have been able to get more of Hippolyta’s story, but I guess this will have to do. At least we get a bit of a conclusion to the mystery blackmail from the Duke of Montgomery. To be honest, I loved Matthew much more than Hippolyta. Entertaining novella to add to the collection.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

Title: Dangerous Women

Author: Hope Adams

Publisher: Berkley 2021

Genre: Historical Thriller

Pages: 334

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

London, 1841. One hundred eighty Englishwomen file aboard the Rajah, embarking on a three-month voyage to the other side of the world.
They're daughters, sisters, mothers—and convicts.
Transported for petty crimes.
Except one of them has a deadly secret, and will do anything to flee justice.
As the Rajah sails farther from land, the women forge a tenuous kinship. Until, in the middle of the cold and unforgiving sea, a young mother is mortally wounded, and the hunt is on for the assailant before he or she strikes again.
Each woman called in for question has something to fear: Will she be attacked next? Will she be believed? Because far from land, there is nowhere to flee, and how can you prove innocence when you’ve already been found guilty?

What a meh book… Seriously, I was just so incredibly bored. There’s a spark of a great story here in the actual history. After reading the author’s note, I was interested in learning more the real story of the women aboard the Rajah. It’s definitely a part of history that I know very little about. Unfortunately, the actual novel just doesn’t do the history justice. Out of the 200 women on the ship, we only get to know three of them and I didn’t really connect to any of those three women. I was just bored with this book. Definitely not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Been on a huge romance binge right now and I’m totally okay with it

• Finally started watching Ted Lasso and it is just what we need right now

• I need to pick a new dessert recipe for this week. Maybe an orange cake?

• While I love falling asleep to the rain, I’m very over the rain and need a bit of sunshine this week.

• In a weird twist of life, I’m actually pretty excited to go to my dentist appointment next week. It’s a big step to fixing my teeth problems.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt

Title: Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #10.7)

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Publisher: Grand Central 2017

Genre: Romance

Pages: 85

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Perpetual - NPR Romance

Adam Rutledge, Viscount d'Arque, really rather loathes Christmas. The banal cheerfulness. The asinine party games. And, worst of all, the obligatory trip to the countryside. His grandmother, however, loves the holiday---and Adam loves his grandmother, so he'll brave the fiercest snowstorm to please her. But when their carriage wheel snaps, they're forced to seek shelter at the home of the most maddening, infuriating, and utterly beguiling woman he's ever met . . .
Sarah St. John really rather loathes rakes. The self-satisfied smirks. The sly predatory gazes. Oh, and the constant witty banter rife with double meaning. But in the spirit of the season, she'll welcome this admittedly handsome viscount into her home. But as the snowstorm rages, the Yule log crackles, and the tension rises, Sarah and Adam find themselves locked in a fiery, passionate kiss. If love is the true meaning of Christmas, it's the one gift this mismatched pair can't wait to unwrap.

Maiden Lane

• #1 Wicked Intentions

• #2 Notorious Pleasures

• #3 Scandalous Desires

• #4 Thief of Shadows

• #5 Lord of Darkness

• #6 Duke of Midnight

• #7 Darling Beast

• #8 Dearest Rogue

• #9 Sweetest Scoundrel

• #10 Duke of Sin

• #10.5 Once Upon a Moonlit Night

• #10.7 Once Upon a Christmas Eve

• #11 Duke of Pleasure

• #12 Duke of Desire

• #12.5 Once Upon a Maiden Lane

Next up on the TBR pile: