A place of relaxation

A place of relaxation

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Bittersweet: A Novel

I must say I have neglected my little Blog for far too long!  It's time to post a book review that has also been waiting too long.

Bittersweet is a suspenseful novel written by Miranda Beverly Whittemore that gives the reader into the not so ideal world of the wealthy and privileged.  One questions the reasons for 'friendships' in this setting.  People are used for various reasons, but true love can still be found.  Mysteries are unraveled and unflattering secrets revealed in the light of a new generation.  A read that will keep you wondering until the end!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Festival of Lights

We were so pleased to be able to have dinner with Aunt Lola Faye and Uncle Bob before heading to church to enjoy the annual Festival of Lights.  After the program, they came home with us and spent the night.  We really enjoyed Lola Faye's Christmas Torte!


Cruise

We spent a wonderful 2-weeks unplugged and off the grid the end of November. 
 Our ship

 The beautiful waters of the Bahamas

 Formal Night - Kendall

Formal night - me

 Under the sea in a submerged boat

Windy at the natural bridge

Lots of time to play cards on deck by the pool

Arial tram through the rain forest 

Beautiful skies

Thanksgiving dinner on the ship

and of course the new critter every night!


Monday, November 17, 2014

Where Treetops Glisten

Where Treetops Glisten, A collection of short stories by Trichia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin
I love Christmas and I enjoy historical novels.  When I saw this book, I thought it was the best of both worlds coming together.  The book is comprised of three short stories by three different authors.  The stories all take place during the Christmas season in the years of World War II and center on members of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.  Each of the authors focused on one of the children in the Turner family.  They each find love amongst the sadness of a war-torn time and the strength and faith of the family is evident throughout the three writings.  The stories were good, but I did not find them to be page turners.  Perhaps that is because they were short and did not have the depth I am used to in regular length novel. 




Disclosure of Material Connection: Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review

Thursday, October 09, 2014

Dallas

I attended a conference in Dallas and was able to connect with prior co-workers from around the country.

Woody welcomed us - pictured with Jennifer

We had dinner at the Ritz on Tuesday.  The flowers in the foyer were amazing!

 After a dinner of roast pheasant, I had a blueberry pie with lemon poppy seed cake and lemon sorbet.  Wow!!

Cowboys seemed to be everywhere!

Eats with Pam, Ramona, and Faith on Thursday

Faith & Ramona

Monday, October 06, 2014

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

The temperatures may still be in the upper 90's during the day, but the mornings have become cool and so nice.  It makes it feel like Autumn has arrived!  And with Autumn comes more baking opportunities.  This weekend was Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

Yummy!

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen, a cookbook by Francine Bryson


Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen, a cookbook by Francine Bryson

Ms. Bryson may believe she has a redneck kitchen, but her recipes are much more sophisticated than that.  This cookbook has so many dessert recipes that I can hardly wait to try.  There are eight sections of fabulous desserts with mouthwatering pictures: pies, cookies & bars, cakes, cheesecakes, ‘Sunday go-to-meeting’, fancy for ‘show off’, biscuits & breads, and candy & truffles.  I have a lot of cookbooks in my library, including My Sister’s Recipes, but I’m happy to add this one to the shelf for use in the future.     

Here is a recipe from her website and the cookbook to give you a 'taste':

Aunt Thelma’s Peanut Butter Balls

INGREDIENTS

2 cups creamy peanut butter (I use Jif)
¹⁄
₂ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¹⁄₄ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¹⁄
₈ teaspoon salt
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 cups chopped pecans
2 to 2¹⁄
₂ cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

·         Using an electric mixer, beat together the peanut butter, ¹⁄₂ cup of the butter, the vanilla, and salt. Stir in the confectioner’s sugar, pecans, and 2 cups of the cracker crumbs.

·         Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Set the balls in a single layer on a small wax paper– lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm.

·         Melt the chocolate chips and remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the top half of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Turn off the heat, but leave the chocolate over the hot water to prevent the chocolate from hardening. Insert a toothpick into a chilled peanut butter ball and dip into the melted chocolate until coated. Return the ball to the baking sheet, removing the toothpick. Repeat with the remaining balls and then chill in the refrigerator until hardened. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

MAKES ABOUT 40 BALLS

Author’s website: http://francinebryson.com/


Disclosure of Material Connection: Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Labor Day Weekend

It was such a nice relaxing weekend in the pines.  A little baking, reading, puttering, and riding to new heights for a lovely picnic.

Apple Pie

Picnic lunch

What a view!

The fire lookout tower


The Ranger invited us up to join her in the tower where the view was even more spectacular 




Monday, September 01, 2014

A Table by the Window


A Table by the Window, a novel by Hillary Manton Lodge
What a delightful book!  Juliette D’Alisa is a food writer who has grown up in a family of restaurateurs.  Her parents owned a restaurant and being in the business is just a part of who she is.  Her time in culinary school let her know that being in a kitchen of a restaurant that was not staffed by family was something she didn’t want to do.  Her expertise in the business was running the ‘front’ of the house. 

As she embarks on a project with her brother, she is also exploring an online relationship with a man on the other side of the country.  It is a wonderful story of finding one’s self and exploring possibilities.  One of the best parts of the book is recipes dotted throughout.  I can hardly wait to try some!    

This is a fantastic book that I highly recommend.  Pick it up today!    



Author’s website: http://www.hillarymantonlodge.com/blog.html

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Time for a Book Review - What Once Was Lost


What Once Was Lost, A Novel by Kim Vogel Sawyer
I was a bit distracted with my doctoral program, but now that graduation is behind me it is time to get back to reading for pleasure.  What Once Was Lost sat on the shelf for a while, but it was worth waiting for.  The story is that of a young woman who feels she knows her purpose in life.  After all, she is carrying on the work of her parents before her.  That of caring for the poor without much hope – giving them a home and love in the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor. 

Events occur that cause her to question why she is being tested when all she wants to do is help others.  She finds an ally in a loner who runs the local mill.  He helps her care for young Tommy who is blind by taking him in when the house is lost to a fire.  Their story is one of finding themselves by way of their pasts.

A great book – highly recommended.  


Author’s website: http://kimvogelsawyer.com/media/



Disclosure of Material Connection: Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

Coffee with Childhood Friends

Friday morning was a great time to reconnect with some forever friends over coffee.



Linda

Kris & Audrey

Diane

A Walk with Dad

I was in Pittsburgh in business the beginning of the week, and since it was a holiday week I decided to extend the trip and spend some time at home with Mom & Dad.  Did I ever spend the night in the house alone with them?  I'm not sure. Being the 2nd oldest of 7 made that difficult in my earlier years, and now we usually stay elsewhere on our trips back to the homeland.

Dad wanted to make sure i was in training for the upcoming 5K so he took me along on his walks - the 3 mile and the 2 mile.  They are pretty walks along country roads.  We saw deer, wild turkey, and other small critters along the way.  It was chilly at 41 degrees, so I bundled up in layers, gloves, and knitted cap (no pictures of that!).

 The neighboring farm




Beautiful berries

Deer

 Great rock formations 

 The turn around point of the 3-mile walk is at the bridge that goes over the freeway.  Not much traffic early in the morning.

 Morning is the best time of the day!

Another deer







On the second morning they came over to us for some petting