The Weekend of FOOD

 So much food! 

Friday was Cook Book Club! I am so happy that this has become a reality.  We had so much fun!  For our first cookbook we did the Friends Cookbook and everything was so yummy!

Then Saturday morning we had a Ladies Brunch at church.

I did a cooking demo and made this super yummy caramel apple cream cheese ring- I highly recommend! It was a HUGE hit!  My second one was a little prettier- should've taken the picture of that one- but sooooo tasty! 

Then Sunday we celebrated September Birthdays!

Rhett, Dad and Mikayla

We had burrito bowls and I made copycate Chipotle Cilanto Lime Rice and it was a hit!

I also made Bri McKoy's beef in the slowcooker and it was so easy and delicious!

The sky yesterday morning...

Ryan accidently locked us out while we were on our walk, 

patiently waiting for him to come open the door...

I am very excited to start this study on Saturday!

Happy Monday Friends!  I hope its start of a great week!

Retreat 22

I am thinking about Ladies Retreat this weekend.  As well as past retreats.  The things God has done in my life.

This year I was so excited to go to Retreat! I had been feeling so blah. I was sure this was the answer to refresh my spirit and soul.

I took Friday off so we could leave whenever. Whenever ended up being early afternoon. Which made me happy as the jeep had an appointment to get inspected.  We dropped it off first thing in the morning.  I took Bruno for a little run which was mostly irritating and found me very grumpish and frustrated with myself.  Bruno though thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Back home I finished laundry and got down to the business of packing.  I messaged my friend who always finds it funny I wait to the last minute to pack. I only forgot my phone charger and regretted not bringing flip flops (I don't know what I was thinking there!)

The jeep was finished and passed. Rhett and I picked it up and had lunch at a local sandwich shop.  

Mom picked me up, we then picked up our friend Stacey and were on our way!  We stopped for ice cream at the Spotted Duck.  Their ice cream is beyond delicious! 

We made it to the campground, checked in and settled into our cabin.  Grabbed some supper from the Snack Shack before the main session.

From the get go things felt a little underwhelming.  I have been to many retreats over the years and something seemed to be falling flat.  As I sat in the main session I prayed.  Wondering if it was me. Praying God would open my heart.

Me, Mom & Stacey

We had such a good time together!

The Prayer Walk

I just love our church ladies!

I FaceTimed with Rhett (and Bruno).  This may seem like such a small thing but it filled my heart so much.  I still get anxious especially when one of us is away.  It made me so happy that he wanted to connect while I was away and that he was thinking of me.

I don't want to dwell on the things I was disappointed in.  I so much appreciate all the hard work the retreat committee puts in.  It is a huge task to put this weekend together! I did glean some things. I had so much fun with old and new friends.  I felt God speaking to my heart.  I had deep heart sharing talks late at night with my cabin mates. Our church is going through a lot of changes right now and it is not easy. But we are prayerfully excited about our future. 

Some of my takeaways from Retreat

• YOU are either a Missionary or a Mission Field
• Be a noticer- take note of the people around you (how can I minister and share Jesus, or just be a light) and what God is doing
•  Actively listen to/for God with EXPECTATION 
• Dream BIG! Pray Big!

The theme verse for the weeknd was Romans 12:11-13 at the Sunday service the speaker read it from The Passion Translation which I had never heard of before.  We really liked it!

On the drive home we looked it up in several versions.  We also really liked it in The Message

 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

As service was ending this was the last song. I LOVE it! I had never heard it before and I totally added it to my running playlist.

My thoughts on our past retreat excursions can be found >> HERE << if you are so inclined.

Ignite was the theme. There is definitely a spark lit in my spirit.  I am working to fan it into a flame as I reflect and  pray for the ladies I as with this weekend, our church, our future and next year's retreat!

Looking for the good =)

I've been in a bit of a funk. Maybe it's the weather, rainy and dark.  Or the disruption of my routine- trying to figure out a new one that works. :-/

BUT here are somethings making me disproportionately happy! 😂

This morning I made this Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Cold Brew from Half Baked Harvest! Oh my! So good! Try it!!

One of the happiest things in life is seeing cream swirl into coffee!

I, of course, made cold brew in my cold brew pitcher, made the chai simple syrup last night and stored in the measure, mix n pour... maybe a better use than salad dressing! :P (Alaina, I used the Autumn Chai to make the simple syrup.)  This morning I mixed the cold foam ingredients in the Whip Cream Maker! Voila!

Did some sourdough baking this past week.  It made me super happy to have Betty back on my countar again!

I tried this - sourdough sandwich bread recipe.  Same results bit maybe rushed this one just a little.  I am going to try again.  The recipe looks light and fluffy and mine just always seems more dense than I'd like.  It tastes OK- this loaf was not overly tasty. 

Then I tried Bagels! They came out a little wonky but better than expected! They tasted pretty yummy.  I am anxious to try again!

I also made another loaf to go with soup on sunday...again not my best but looking forward to perfecting over the fall and winter!

I ordered my next two book club reads yesterday and can hardly wait for them to arrive.

Tomorrow is Mikayla's birthday and she is coming over so I am able to make her birthday dinner! 

This weekend I am headed to Ladies Retreat with my MOM. I am very excited and looking forward to being back at Chambers Camp.

My favorite fall study was announced and beginning October 1. Making your Home a Haven.  I can not wait.  This year the theme is Don't Let Go.  Just ordered my journal!

Ending with one of my devotionals from last week...

(from Jesus Listens)

August Books

66- Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown ★★ 8/1 (print/library)

I did not care for this book in the least. I would probably not have finished it if it was not a book club pick. We'll see if we ever even get together to discuss. (This book club tends to be a bit sporadic).  The premise seemed interesting enough but just fell flat or made me angry.  One of the main characters was very unlikable. In my opinion. Alice is self centered, manipulative and a liar. She moves to the suburbs with her husband.  She hates the house, hates he "made" her move out of the city.  Basically does nothing for the entire book but think he's against her.  The rift in the marriage growing.  In the basement she finds an old cookbook from the home's previous owner.  The other story line follows Nellie (the home's previous owner) a housewife in the 1950's.  I am slightly more sympathetic to Nellie's plight but not much.

The one quote I found that I liked in this whole book.

The sun always returned...as long as you were strong enough to wait for it.

67- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ★★★★ 8/6 (kindle/library)

This book really surprised me and I found it delightful. You can't help but root for Elizabeth Zott.  A woman chemist, in the 60's, in a world dominated by men. The cast of characters in this book is spectacular.  Six Thirty (the dog) was one of my favorites!

Throughout the process, Elizabeth, her face serious, told her viewers that they were up for this difficult challenge, that she knew they were capable, resourceful people, and that she believed in them. It was a very strange show. Not exactly entertaining. More like climbing a mountain. Something you felt good about, but only after it was over.

CHEMISTRY IS CHANGE, she wrote. “Whenever you start doubting yourself,” she said, turning back to the audience, “whenever you feel afraid, just remember. Courage is the root of change—and change is what we’re chemically designed to do. So when you wake up tomorrow, make this pledge. No more holding yourself back. No more subscribing to others’ opinions of what you can and cannot achieve. And no more allowing anyone to pigeonhole you into useless categories of sex, race, economic status, and religion. Do not allow your talents to lie dormant, ladies. Design your own future. When you go home today, ask yourself what you will change. And then get started.

68- Jane in Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge ★★★★ 8/8 (print/library)

Sweet, clean, romance, retelling of Sense and Sensibility.  A Little slow getting into but lovely little story.  Three sisters move to Austin to stay with a cousin while opening a tea shop.  Also lots of yummy looking recipes I'd love to try at the end of chapters.  

Really enjoyed the three legged Great Dane therapy dog, Dash <3

It was a great gateway for me into reading Sense and Sensibility.

69- Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan ★★★★  8/17 (kindle/library)

This was such a good one! Thoroughly enjoyed the story. Nora is a single mom "hallmark" romance screenwriter.  Until her husband up and leaves and she pours all her angst into a new script.  She sells the movie and a portion of it is being filmed in her teahouse. The main lead in the movie seems to be a rude, self centered actor type who overstays his welcome.

The chapter with her sister was my favorite. 💖

Well, that’s bullsh*t, because you have me. Let me go with you to the premiere, and I’ll pay for the shoes. When they see the Larson sisters all done up, Hollywood won’t know what hit them.

When we were little, Penny’s Barbies always put their best foot forward. They were groomed and well dressed, and, no matter what kind of tragic story line I threw their way, she always had them coming out on top. Tonight, she’s doing the same for me.

 I don’t dare look at him in case he can still read my mind. My parents are the happy ending of the romance movie. My parents are what we could have been if he’d just come back.

70- The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd ★★★★★ 8/18 (kindle/library)

I loved this book! Read it in a day, put my kindle on airplane mode so I could finish without it returning to the library! It is from MMD SRG and also her August book club pick.  I put off reading it for a while but ultimately jumped in because my loan was almost up and I also wanted to watch the upcoming author talk in the book club.  Oh my goodness. It grabbed me right away and if time allowed I could have easily read in one sitting.  

Nell finds out in the opening chapters that her estranged father has passed away in his office at the New York Public Library.  She finds a map hidden in his special portfolio and takes it home.  Turns out to be nothing but an old foldable travel map of NY state.  things get stranger when it appears every other copy of this map has been wiped from existence and is highly sought after...  as she begins to dig deeper the mystery deepens.

71- Rachel (Wives of the Patriarchs #3) by Jill Eileen Smith ★★★    8/25     (ebook/hoopla)

I read this because I was doing a devotional series on Jacob. This biblical fiction was told from the perspectives of Jacob, Rachel and Leah. I really enjoy reading Biblical fiction, it makes the Bible characters seem more like the real people they were.

72- Alaska Twilight by Colleen Coble 8/26 (print/library)

Our Alive Book Club selection.  A mystery/thriller set in Alaska. A little slow going at the beginning but very much enjoyed it overall.  I enjoyed the setting of Alaska.  Photographer Haley goes back to Alaska to photograph bears and also find closure from her sister's death 20 years ago when they were children.

I also really enjoyed her dachshund as a character.  Doesn't seem like the type of dog you would take on an adventure Alaska but...

73- My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams 8/29 (audio/library)

I listened to this on audio after watching the Netflix series Inventing Anna.  Rachel is one of the close friends that Anna conned out of thousands of dollars.  It was interesting to hear her side of the story.

Seems so crazy how trusting Rachel was of Anna.  Even when it seemed to become apparent she was not paying her back.  The amount of money this girl scammed was crazy!

74- The Shadow of your Smile by Susan May Warren 8/29 (kindle/library)

This was recommended in the Christian Fiction FB group I belong to.  I was disheartened when I checked it out on my kindle to see it was #5 in the series.  But it seemed fine as a stand alone novel.

In this book Noelle wakes up in the hospital from an accident with no memory of the last 25 years, her husband or children.  In her mind she is still a 21 year old college student.

I really enjoyed this book, I read it in one day.  My first by the author and look forward to reading more.

Like figuring out how she got here, a forty-six-year-old woman who longed to start her life over.  (Sometimes I feel this so much!)

 He hadn’t stayed committed to Noelle, hadn’t believed in her, hadn’t encouraged her. And most of all, he hadn’t loved her. Hadn’t been patient, hadn’t forgiven. Hadn’t truly sacrificed. He’d just wanted to be left alone, to handle his grief on his terms.

Total:   9  2022: 74

Kindle/Ebook: 5  Print: 3   Audio:  1

Library:  9  Owned: 0  Borrowed: 0

Unread Shelf:  0  Purchased: 4 (although I did read much of Sense and Sensibility.  Hopefully will finish in September, been on my bookshelf unread since ~2005ish)

Favorite: The Cartographers (currently re-reading).

1st Day of School!

 And we are down to one. How? When? The years, they just flew by.  Actually to be fair last year Hannah was also the only one in school.  But Mikayla was still living with us in September and it was her first day teaching.  I still took a first day picture of the two of them together on the front steps. So this year hits differently. 

Traditional first day of school pancakes.

Off to her Sophomore Year!

Chance wasn't feeling good last night.  He spent the evening snuggled up in the kitchen.

We celebrated Rhett's birthday last night.  We had cheeseburgers, baked sweet potatoes and corn.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake for dessert...

Might need to switch to evening runs now that school has started. But two more, slightly rainy, miles yesterday morning with Bruno.

I randomly came across this audio book while browsing cookbooks on the library site. I listened to the whole thing this weekend.  It was pretty cute. A bit of bad language. But enjoyed listening overall.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Praying for all the students starting school today and teachers, drivers and all those working with the school systems.