August is almost over...

... and my heart is sad.

Summer is ending. Saturday we take our girl back to Houghton. I'm not ready.

But she is. She can't wait to get back to school and her buddies and her new townhouse.

I feel like I was cheated out of summer...but maybe that's just the way of adulthood. Summer is for children. I miss the days of staying home with my littles. Days we could while away the hours at the library or beach. Splashing in the kiddie pool in our backyard.

I think I might be on the verge of a mid-life crisis. How cliche. I find myself wondering where my life might have gone if I had taken a different fork in the road...

I picked up this book, The Accidental Beauty Queen, because it was available on my kindle from the library. I wasn't sure I would like it...but it was one more from Modern Mrs Darcy's Summer Reading Guide.  I have put a pretty good dent in her list and this one would be another check off. Let me just say I LOVED it.  I read the whole thing Tuesday.  It felt like a guilty pleasure and easy, fluffy, summer read.  It is the story of Charlotte a bookish, elementary school librarian. Identical twin to Ginny, beauty queen extraordinaire. Add in a dog and a plethora of references to Harry Potter and Pride and Prejudice and well- it was pretty much perfection.

This book also made me wish it had occurred to me to become a Elementary School Librarian. It seems like a perfect career for me. C'est la vie.

I finally finished Pride and Prejudice! I am so glad I can finally put a Jane Austen book on my READ shelf!

I feel like the ending made it all worth it. Now  I can watch the movie. 💖  I plan to listen to the audiobook and read it again. I am determined to become a fan of Jane Austen's works.

The story felt more familiar and manageable after reading Unmarriageable a variation set in Pakistan. 

I want to be well read. I feel like I need to read more of the classics to do that. As well as other books the stretch me and expand my horizons.

One of my next reads, on my kindle is another nod to Pride and Prejudice and also from MMD's Summer Reading Guide- Ayesha at Lastby Uzma Jalaluddin.  I'm interested to see how that one parallel's and differs from the Classic.

Enjoy this last little bit of summer. What are you reading this month?

Thank you + Such FUN

I was feeling discouraged when I got up this morning. Sometimes life feels hard.

But I am choosing to be optimistic and hopeful.  I am thankful for a super fun party last night!
I am thankful for awesome friends & family who came out to visit and support me, as well as those who tuned in online.  I am thankful for my kitchen and home to host. 

The new fall catalog is amazing! I love all the new products. 

Last night we made Hidden Veggie Marinara Sauce in the NEW Deluxe Cooking Blender.  It was pretty good.  I might need to tweak it a little bit.  I also made hummus and it was super amazing! I'm really impressed by it.

Here's our recipe demo from last night...

Helping people feed their families makes me so happy.  One comment last night was, "you gave me some great new ideas" and that made me super happy.

Pampered Chef, my new Blender + J A M

For Today {August 20, 2019}

Everyday when I write the date I feel like time is going so fast I can hardly catch my breath. I can't believe the summer is almost over.

I am thinking Oh my goodness- so I went to this Mary Kay thing last week it confirmed for me two things. 1- I am with the right company.  The Mary Kay lady doing the party was so passionate! That's how I feel about Pampered Chef- I love it! I love the products, I love cooking, I love that I can help people feed their families! 2- I miss being part of a local team. (It was a group of consultants and their "guests"). I personally have been feeling a little bit like a Pampered Chef orphan lately. So it's time to get reconnected. I'm going to start going to meetings in this area (I have not done this since I moved away from my team in Virginia) and also start actively building my own team and maybe, just maybe move up to Director (finally).

One of my favorite things Pampered Chef!

I am wearing Make up! 😄 When I went to that Mary Kay thing last week- and I kinda felt like the ugly duckling. (haha).  So I decided to give wearing make up another shot and stop being lazy.

I am reading 

• Pride and Prejudice (still- I am determined to actually finish it this summer!)
• Fin and Lady
• The Last Romantics

I am hoping for a great party on Thursday and Friday nights to get my fall season off to a great start!  I'm looking for more host and fellow consultants as well!

In my kitchen my kitchen has been busy! Tasting, testing and playing with new fall products! Last night I made jam in my new Deluxe Cooking Blender!  It was so awesome!

In my garden ugh its a mess. Gardening is not my gift.  I am so jealous of people who have nice flower beds. Maybe next year...

Board room

 

Pinned: For Today...

Post Script
Thursday night we are having our Fall Reveal Pampered Chef Party!  If you can't be there in person and try our yummy recipes you can watch the demo over at Amy's Pampered Kitchen on Facebook starting around/or slightly after 6:30...depending on how punctual my guests are ;-)

Check out the new Fall line here -->> https://pamperedchef.com/party/amysfallreveal19

Shared Quote 

A moment from my day

my camping reads

I read two books while on our camping excursion.  I honestly thought I would read more. But two books a week is about my average this year. Although The Gown was pretty lengthy.  It was a nice fat paperback that felt wonderful to hold and read.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson

This book did not appeal to me at all on the shelf.  It was "recommended" to me about 3 times in a week so I ended up picking it up.  It was on it was on Modern Mrs Darcy's Summer Reading Guide, which was enough to peak my interest. Then I saw it a couple other places, including the library recommendations or something the same week.  So I grabbed it up. Then I kept it from the library for weeks/renewed to the limit- before finally cracking the cover open. But I loved it! I think it is one of my favorite books of the summer, of the year...maybe even of all time.  It's one I am considering adding to my personal library.

The bulk of the story takes place in 1947 in London, as well as a bit in 2016 in Toronto.  I am finding I really enjoy stories told from more then one point of view.  As well as one that connects across the generations.  If that makes sense.  I also read a lot of books around the WWII time frame.

This is the story of two girls who worked together embroidering on the Princess's wedding gown.  At first it didn't appeal to me because of all the Royal Hype lately.  It just didn't interest me all that much. This story though, didn't have much to do with the Royal family at all, other than the work on the Gown was a central part of the story.  It was much more about the two young women and their stories, Ann and Miriam.  The story was well written and enthralling, the characters endearing and really came alive for me. Ann is from England, Miriam emigrates from France, a survivor of the Holocaust.  Their friendship blossoms as they seek to move forward and heal in the aftermath of WWII.

Bluebird, Bluebird(Highway 59 #1) by Attica Locke was the 2nd book I read on our trip.  I started it before we left but set it aside when I got sucked into The Gown.  For some reason this one was  a little slow starting for me, but once I got going I read it in less than 24 hours.  I didn't even realize it was the first in a series until I got to the end and was left with a bit of a cliff hanger.

I picked up this book because it was the He Read She Read buddy read for July.  It's one of my favorite podcasts. I enjoy their conversation and it helps satisfy my book club craving. I held off listening to it until after I read the book because, spoilers. I was excited to hear that the 2nd book is slated to come out in September so I don't even have to wait that long!

This is a racially charged novel, taking place in Texas is 2016.  It has to do with the murder of a black man and a white woman, found days apart in a small Texas town.  Darren Matthews is a black Texas Ranger on the case and all to familiar with the racial tensions in the area.  It is interesting to see how all the characters stories connect and intertwine in the small town.

July Reads *book reviews*

Wow! 11 books in July! I think it that might be my highest to date. My average this year has been around 8 per month. It was enjoyable month of reading. Pretty much all the books left a mark on me in someway or another. This is a bit overdue and a bit long.  I intended to write a little review as I went through the month for each book and publish it at the end...that didn't happen.  I finally managed to write at least a little something on each of the books I read last month.

1. Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes - kindle/prime - July 1 ★★★
   
   This is a Kindle book that I borrowed with my Prime Membership. I heard about it, of course, on the What Should I Read Next podcast.
   
   This was an intriguing read, although difficult in some places. My heart ached for this little girl. This is a memoir of the author's childhood growing up in the Philippines. She was born into a wealthy family but then tragedies deplete the family's finances. It basically tells the story of her life from ages 3-12. She has an amazingly resilient and strong spirit.
2. The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller - print/library - July 5 - ★★★
   
   I don't remember how I came across this book. Perhaps maybe on the goodreads similar books list or something. Basically I know it appealed it me because it had "baker" in the title. I enjoyed it over all.
   
    Olivia is a pastry chef in a swanky Boston restaurant, she flees to her best friends tiny Vermont town after starting a fire at an important event with a Baked Alaska. She takes a job at a tiny B&B as their pastry chef, while also seeking to perfect an apple pie recipe worthy of winning the blue ribbon at the fair. I found Olivia endearing, even if I questioned her actions although maybe she redeemed herself in the end. I particularly liked that she had a giant dog as her companion and she also played the banjo. She is quirky and lovable. With no family and a somewhat rootless existence I enjoyed how her story becomes intertwined with characters of this close knit small town. Its an enjoyable if somewhat predictable read.
3. If I Stay (If I Stay #1) by Gayle Forman - kindle/library - July 11 ★★★
   
   I picked this one up because I saw it recommended on an old blog entry from my favorite blogger Hungry Runner Girl.  (See sometimes I get book recommendations from places other than Modern Mrs Darcy).  I found the cover kinda creepy but since I read it on my kindle- I never really had to see it.
   
   The story is of a girl who is in an awful car crash with her family and told from her perspective while her body is unconscious.  An interesting point of view.  Overall I liked it OK.
4. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson - kindle/library - July 16 -★★★
   
   This one sat on my to-read list for a little while.  It was recommended to Curtis and Chelsey of the He Read She Read podcast- when the were on What Should I Read Next podcast by Anne Bogel AKA Modern Mrs Darcy ;-) Interestingly enough- turns out it is their August buddy read- so I am interested in hearing their thoughts the book.
   For me- I wasn't crazy about it.  It was OK, I didn't hate it but I didn't love it. It takes place in a small montana town one summer told from the adult point of view of the main character remembering this traumatic event the summer he was 12, I believe.  It's the story of twisted power abuse and injustice, also racial issues involving the family's Sioux housekeeper.
5. 26 Marathons: What I've Learned About Faith, Identity, Running, and Life From Each Marathon I've Run by Meb Keflezighi, Scott Douglas - print/library - July 16 - ★★★
   
   I was slightly disappointed in this book only because I expected more "faith" from the title. Basically it is the story of each of the 26 Marathons Meb ran over the course of his career.  Still enjoyable and inspiring- especially if you are a runner seeking to run her 1st marathon ;-)
6. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - print/library - July 22 - ★★★★
   
   This is the story/memoir of a therapist time in therapy. I found it enjoyable and interesting. I read it almost in its entirety in a weekend. (Its also on MMD SRG).  My biggest take away- basically we are all flawed and probably could all benefit from "talking to someone".  And also there is always HOPE.
7. Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey - print/library - July 23 -
   
   This one is a Modern Mrs Darcy Summer Reading Guide pick. It appealed to me because I am a Tom Hanks/RomCom fan. It was a sweet, predictable, funny read. My one complaint was the constant use of the word RomCom in the first part of the book. It also has a lot of references to Romantic Comedy movies especially ones featuring Tom Hanks. The protagonist is constantly comparing her life to that of a romantic comedy. That in and of itself gets a little tedious- I just wanted to shake her and say live your life already! But the story itself I enjoyed.
8. Only Love Today by Rachel Macy Stafford - print/owned - July 24 - ★★★★★
   
   This one was a Mother's Day gift from my mom a few years ago.  I read it off and on over the past couple years, in my daily devotional time.  It is broken up into short daily reads.  It is simple yet inspiring at the same time.  I found it very encouraging and highly recommend.
9. Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal - kindle/library - July 30 - ★★★★★
   
   Another favorite of the summer....also from the MMD Summer reading guide.  I wrote up a full review ->HERE<-
10. Where She Went by Gayle Forman - kindle/library - July 26 - ★★★
    
    I read this because it is the sequel to If I Stay.  This story takes place three years after the 1st book and is told from the then boyfriend's perspective.  I liked it better than the first book.
11. Steve and Me by Terri Irwin - print/library - July 30 - ★★★★
    
    We have long been fans of Steve Irwin in our family.  This book written by Terri is a look inside the life of this exception human being.  Mikayla got this book out of the library and LOVED it.  I just had to read it too.  It may make you want to pack up your bags and head to Australia to work at Australia Zoo and be a wildlife warrior, or at least be more mindful of the animals you are capable of helping and protecting and the world we live in.

summer's waning

Last night we went to the library.  It's been awhile since we stopped in to browse and it made me happy to wander the stacks again.  The girls both picked out some books too.  It makes me happy to see them reading again!

When we got home I took Chance for a walk and then set off for my run.  I quickly realized I had misjudged the amount of sunlight left.  I found myself trying to run faster to beat the dark.  

I guess that means summer is winding down... fall and school and cooler temps will be here before we know it.  I find myself in the familiar feeling melancholy that summer is ending and it feels like it passed me right on by. 

But I love fall too... I love the crispness and the need to wear a hoodie. Apples and pumpkins and fall baking.  Cooking dinner in the dusk hours.

 I received my fall paperwork and am sooooooooo excited about the fall products and recipes!

 We are having a Fall product Reveal/recipe tasting at our house next week on Thursday night at 6:30.  We will be making the above pictured recipe PLUS a dessert in the Quick Cooker. If you can't make it in person be sure to tune in and watch us LIVE at Amy's Pampered Kitchen.

 The new fall mini's- I'll be mailing them out tomorrow to past hosts and anyone else who would like one ;-)

 I tried one of the new fall recipes on Monday night- Quick Cooker One-Pot Ockoberfest.  It was so yummy. The three of us (Rhett, Hannah and I) pretty much devoured it.  This recipe is a keeper- it is in the new Season's Best- available Sept. 1

I hope to test out my dessert recipe tonight for both my party next week and one the following day. I love trying out new recipes! ;-) 

Happy Wednesday all- hope you are enjoying the summer <3

our camping trip... mostly in pictures

Last week was vacation. A much need vacation. We went camping on Piseco Lake.  It was peaceful and refreshing if a bit rainy.

It was beautiful!

I love being by the water.  The dogs had a blast swimming and splashing.

This is the trail from the road to our site...it was very steep.

Wednesday we all went out for ice cream...

I did a lot of reading 💖📖

It rained almost every night...

Chance does not like the rain and was not the biggest fan of camping in general.

Puppy Snuggles