Tag: writing

Sunday Bookends: An anniversary and a busy week and still trying to fit in summer reading

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends14 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



What’s Been Occurring

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 22 years of marriage. We went to dinner at a nearby restaurant and watched a movie together after shipping off the kids and dog to the grandparents.

It was a nice, quiet, relaxing day and very welcome.

I rambled about our trip to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon in my post yesterday if you want to read about that.

What I/we’ve been Reading

The Dandelion Cottage by Carol Watson Rankin

Version 1.0.0

Return to Gone Away by Elizabeth Enright (a read aloud with Little Miss).

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

When You Returned by Havelah Mclat

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker (I wanted to like this much more than I did. Not the worst but pretty much like a previous book I read by the author under her real name).




Reneeby Sandra Ardoin

Clueless at the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

Little Men by Louisa Mae Alcott

The husband is reading the latest installment in the Hawthorne and Horowitz series by Anthony Horowitz.

Also, for those who wanted to know, he did enjoy the Patrick Stewart biography.

The boy is in between books because he finished his last read which was an audio version of a Warhammer book.

What We watched/are Watching

Just a Few Acres Farm

There is something so relaxing about just watching Farmer Pete work on his farm or dig holes in his field or feed the cows. When my brain is spinning or I just feel off-kilter, I turn on Pete and just remember the simple things of life.

Last night the kids and I watched Monty Python’s Search for The Holy Grail because we needed a laugh.

The husband and I watched Breakheart Pass with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland (Bronson’s wife) after our anniversary dinner. I didn’t think it was very romantic but then I got wrapped up in it and needed to know what happened. I’m going to make him watch a romantic comedy with me later in the week.

During the week I watched this YouTube channel because it is also relaxing: Under A Tin Roof.


What I’m Writing

We had a busy week so I did not write as much as I wanted to but I did work on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree a little bit.

On the blog I shared:

Photos from Last Week

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: It’s hot. It’s hot. It’s way too hot. And reading.

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends16 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



What’s Been Occurring

 We have been sweating. We will sweat more this week. We will try to go swimming and maybe do some other things as family since The Husband has this next week off work. I am ready for Summer to be over. I’m sorry Summer lovers but I hate the heat. If it can be 65 to 70 for the rest of Summer, then it can stay. Otherwise – buh-bye *wink*

If you want to read about how much I want Summer to go away and Autumn to come, you can read my post from yesterday.

What I/we’ve been Reading

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker

The Chosen Kids Saga Book One: Encounter at the Dunes by R.W. Ruiz (not related to the show The Chosen/children’s book)

Return to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (reading with Little Miss on nights we don’t fall asleep early)

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

Renee by Sandra Ardoin

Dandelion Cottage by Carol Watson Rankin

Clueless At the Coffee Station by Bee Littlefield

Little Men by Louisa Mae Alcott

What We watched/are Watching

I have been rewatching All Creatures Great And Small (the modern version) and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew series (more on that later this week), but not a lot else. I’ve been reading and writing a bit more lately.


What I’m Writing

I am working on Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree (the title is tentative at this point), which is the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries. I’m having fun writing it and I hope you’ll have fun reading it.

I don’t mention it a lot here but if you want to read the other two books you can find a link to them in the My Books section in the menu at the top of the page.

I’m also offering 50 percent off annual paid subscriptions to my Substack newsletter/author site. I’ll be offering sneak peeks, author interviews, and several other perks on there and this week added an epub version of Gladwynn Grant Gets Her Footing to all paid subscriptions.

If you are interested in the discount, you can use this coupon link:

https://lisarhoweler.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=3809a83a

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am listening to Live & Let Chai by Bree Baker when I am driving somewhere, while also reading the ebook on Kindle.

Music-wise I am listening to Anne Wilson’s Rebel album.

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Author Interview: Jessica Marie Holt, author of Cynthia

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Apron Strings Series4 Comments

The books for the Apron Strings Book Series keep releasing and this month Cynthia by Jessica Marie Holt was released.

The Apron Strings Book series features books about women in each decade from 1920 to 2020. The characters are connected by one recipe/cookery book, but otherwise the books can be read individually and in any order. My book, Cassie, will be released in August and there are 11 books in all.

Today I am interviewing Jessica about her writing and her book, which was released June 15.

Here is a quick description:

At twenty-two, Cynthia Bailey has had enough family drama to last a lifetime. She loves her small eastern North Carolina town, and longs to settle into a simple, quiet life on her own . . . or maybe with Tucker, the boy next door who won’t stop asking her to marry him. Unfortunately, Momma’s wild ways have a tendency of throwing monkey wrenches into Cynthia’s plans. Besides, without Cynthia there to keep constant watch over her, Momma is certain to get herself into real trouble.

Cynthia has one respite from her problems: Granny Tru’s farm. Momma doesn’t like her going there, as she left Granny and farm life behind long ago and expects Cynthia to do the same. But she doesn’t dare say much, because if there’s anyone more strong-willed and determined than Momma, it’s Granny.

Cynthia secretly wishes everyone would just get along. But Momma and Granny are worlds apart, with bitterness, family secrets, and tragedies between them. It all seems hopeless until, tired of Momma’s frozen TV dinners, Cynthia asks Granny True for help learning to cook. When Granny gives her a vintage cookbook she acquired from a used book shop, she finds much more than cooking lessons. She finds faith, hope, and a way back to healing for her family.

See the bottom of this post for a link to the book.

1.       Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I’m a mom of five, although two of my little birds are grown and have flown the nest. I homeschool my three younger kids. We have two dogs, Jack and Daisy, and two cats, Milo and Whiskey. We also have a hamster named Taco. I grew up in South Florida, but I currently live in central/eastern North Carolina. I absolutely love it here; it has inspired so much of my writing. 

I have been writing almost all my life, but I have only been published since 2018, when I dusted off a short story I’d written 20 years earlier and made being a writer official. 

2.       What is your latest book about? Who are the main characters and when and where does it take place?

My latest book, Cynthia, is part of an amazing multi-author series called Apron Strings. Each book is set in a different decade, and each main character is from a different place and a different walk of life. The stories are tied together by one cookbook from the 1920s. 

My book, Cynthia, takes place in the 1970s. Cynthia is a sweet 22-year-old girl who is caught between two very different generations—Momma’s and Granny Tru’s​. She’s also caught between a rock and a hard place. She wants to move on with her life and find her place in the world, but she’s stuck. She lives at home with Momma, whose wild ways make it difficult for Cynthia to start a new life on her own—or with Tucker, the boy ​next door who won’t stop asking her to marry him.   

3.       What is the overarching message of your latest book?

      Mainly, Cynthia is a story about finding the courage to let go and move forward. In one way or another, each of the three women in the story, Cynthia, Momma, and Granny, are struggling with the past and finding it hard to let go and move on. 

In our doubt and fear, we often tend to try and hold on to people we love—to manage them or rescue them or control the outcomes of their choices. We do this to protect them, and to keep ourselves from getting hurt. But this kind of “help” isn’t really helpful. At some point, we need to learn to let people go and be at peace. After all, God loves them more than we do, and he’s in control.  

4.       Did you learn anything about writing or yourself as you were writing the book?

This was a healing story for me. I found a little bit of courage and clarity when I wrote it. 

5.       Where can readers find out more about you and your projects?

You can find me at any of these places! linktr.ee/jessicamarieholt

You can purchase Cynthia, or read it on Kindle Unlimited here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D3SFNXNK?ref_=dbs_m_mng_rwt_calw_tkin_5&storeType=ebooks

Sunday Bookends: I need to wear bubble wrap and books and stuff…

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends17 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays (yes I did post this on Saturday night this week), I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



What’s Been Occurring

Yesterday I shared in my Saturday blog post that I was in the ER on Monday. I am doing fine now and long story short is my heart felt like it was flipping/skipping for more than 12 hours but because I’ve had this feeling off and on for years (and been checked for it), I delayed going. As it has been in the past, I was told my heart was fine. I don’t know why the skipping feeling was happening and kept happening over and over again and the doctor who was there didn’t either but by Thursday it had stopped for the most part and by Friday it was all the way gone.

I am now thinking it was related to a muscle twitch in my chest caused by – well, who knows. A possible autoimmune condition and just the fact I am over weight (just started an exercise plan and a new way of eating so maybe I strained something)? Who knows.

If you want to read more about my weird and stressful week, you can catch up on that post.

Today, though, I will share that after all of that, I was carrying in groceries yesterday, tripped over a curb in our sidewalk, went flying, and injured my knee. Yesterday I spent half the day with it propped up and frozen veggies on it.

This is where I would like to announce that I will be encasing myself in bubble wrap for the foreseeable future but I really don’t know if that is practical or financially wise.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

The Real James Herriot by Jim Wight

and

Death At A Scottish Christmas

and

The Women of Wyntons by Donna Mumma (I forgot I had started this one! Whoops! It is for a book tour and it’s good so far.)

So I started the Jim Wight biography of his father Alf (James Herriott is his pen name), but decided it was a little bit dry. I still want to read it but I feel like I’ll need a bit to break up the slower pace, which is why I started Death At a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connolly. It turns out it was just what I needed to have a little bit of a fun read in addition to more of a educational read.

Just Finished:

I finished The Fast Lane by Sharon Peterson, a fun romantic comedy last week. It comes out June 25. I am behind on reviews, but  hope to have one up for this soon. It was a silly, sweet book with a few parts that started to drag but then picked right back up again. I would recommend it for romance fans. I don’t read a lot of romance books but when I do I like Sharon’s, ones by Bethany Turner, and others by Becky Wade.



Soon to be read:

A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz

An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey

The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliff

LIttle Miss and I are reading Return to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright.

The Boy is reading a War Hammer book that I forgot the name of (he’s at a friend’s house and I don’t want to bug him and ask).

The Husband is reading With A Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

What We watched/are Watching


I watched the last two episodes of the fourth season of All Creatures Great and Small on Thursday and Friday and had a good cry, which was a nice release after the week I had.

I also watched some episodes of The Dick VanDyke Show this week.

Last night The Husband and I watched The Rockford Files.


What I’m Writing

I am working on book three of the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries. I can’t wait to share it with you! I’m having fun!

What I’m Listening to

I am listening to Around the World in 80 Days on Audible. Yes, I’ve been listening to it a long time but I haven’t had a lot of time to sit and listen to it. I am really enjoying it and I would have given up and just read the book except I am really enjoying the narrator.

Photos from Last Week


Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: Children’s books, ARCs, and working on future books

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Sunday Bookends12 Comments


It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.

What’s Been Occurring

Catch up on my week in yesterday’s post!

Saturday Afternoon Chat: beautiful weather, trampolines, and cottonwood trees

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

The Women of Wyntons by Donna Muma (ARC)

The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene (Another fluff read by “Carolyn Keene” this week.)

The Fast Lane by Sharon Peterson (A romantic comedy – much needed, though there is some seriousness thrown in so I’m reading it sort of slowly.)

Just Finished:

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

I almost abandoned this one because of how odd it was when I first started but then I had to find out what happened with the Slater family – who are so mean to the Boyler family. If you’re not familiar with this one it is about farming families in Florida in the early 20th century. Their accents are, I guess, very authentic. Or mocking. Not sure which, but I think they are meant to be authentic. (I know they are meant to be authentic. I’m teasing a bit here.)

It honestly had a lot of disturbing stuff in it so I don’t think this will be a book I’ll read over and over. The librarian at our local library said this one had sentimental meaning for her like the Little House books but I don’t remember neighbors poisoning the Ingalls’ mule like the neighbors in this book did. Yikes. It did have a good ending, but I would not call this a “cozy read.”

It was, however, an interesting one.

Abandoned: I planned to start a new book by author Maddie Day and then found out that she is a cozy mystery writer who pushes politics in her books. No thanks. I read to escape from all that – not to have it shoved at me in books that are meant to be fun. And, by the way, I don’t want politics even if it is politics I “agree with.”


Soon to be read:


The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of my Father by Jim Wight

The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe

The Boy and I are reading Around the World in 80 Days Together.

Little Miss and I are reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes.

The Husband is reading . .. oops. Forgot to ask him and he’s laying down for a nap. I’ll let you know next week.

What We watched/are Watching

It was a mixed bag of things on tap to watch this week. I watched an episode of Dick VanDyke, one of the old Carol Burnett Show, a couple of YouTube videos from Just A Few Acres Farm and I think that’s about it. I read and wrote more this week than watched things.
What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

I am still working on corrections to Cassie and on writing the third book in the Gladwynn Grant Mysteries.



Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: Lots of mysteries and warm temps coming up

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends14 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.


What’s Been Occurring

 I rambled about what’s been occurring in my post yesterday if you want to read that.

Today I have to drive 45 minutes one way to pick up The Boy from his friend’s house and then we will have lunch at my parents afterward. Then I’m bringing him home to mow our lawn which is crazy high from all the rain we have been having.

The temps are supposed to be hotter this week which I am not actually looking forward to because I don’t enjoy the heat and our AC isn’t ready to go yet. We have to install an extra pipe into the window and set up this whole contraption because we have odd vertical windows. It’s a whole process.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Just Finished:

The Mysterious Affair At Styles (The first book in the Hercule Poirot series) by Agatha Christie.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Do the New You by Steven Furtick

Operation Restoration by Kari Trumbo

This week I read that The Secret Garden was written by Burnett after her son died of tuberculosis. This helped me appreciate the book more because I just finished it for the first time with my daughter and I didn’t like the ending. I didn’t hate it but I wanted more. Now that I know the story behind the book I like the ending more because for Frances Colin being able to walk and be alive – like her son couldn’t be – was all she needed us to know.

To be started today or tomorrow:

The Fast Lane by Sharon Peterson (a romance)

And

Murder At the Rusty Anchor by Maddie Day

Soon to be read (or eventually at this point):


The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of my Father by Jim Wight

The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe

Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander

The Husband is reading London Rules by Mick Herron

The Boy just finished listening to 1984 by George Orwell (nope, I didn’t make him), is almost done with Horus Rising and is also listening to Around The World in 80 Days.

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched episodes of Newhart, Midsomer Murders, and Brokenwood Mysteries – some with The Husband and some alone.


What I’m Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

What I’m Listening To

I am still listening to Around the World in 80 Days.

Photos from Last Week

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: Under pressure – sinuses that is – lots of cozy mystery love, and lovely warm days

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends15 Comments




It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



What’s Been Occurring

Yesterday I woke up with insane sinus pressure. More than I have had in a long time. It hurt so bad I couldn’t smile or show much emotion so I think my family thought I was mad at them all day. I had to keep explaining about how bad it hurt and that it wasn’t them. This time anyhow. Ha!

I don’t know if it is an actual sinus infection or if it is just because of allergies, the temperature drop yesterday and the rain today. Whatever it is, it stinks, but hopefully it will clear up later this week.

Little Miss had a couple of friends over and they played all around outside, briefly at the playground, and inside. After they went home we watched the movie Migration as a family.

Today, if I can get off this couch after I finish this blog post, we will have lunch at my parents. If not I will just sit here and whine for the rest of the day while sipping tea.

What I/we’ve been Reading

Currently:

Apple Cider Slaying by Jennifer Anne Lindsey

Description:

Blossom Valley, West Virginia, is home to Smythe Orchards, Winnie and her Granny’s beloved twenty-five-acre farm and family business. But any way you slice it, it’s struggling. That’s why they’re trying to drum up business with the “First Annual Christmas at the Orchard,” a good old-fashioned holiday festival with enough delicious draw to satisfy apple-picking locals and cider-loving tourists alike—until the whole endeavor takes a sour turn when the body of Nadine Cooper, Granny’s long-time, grudge-holding nemesis, is found lodged in the apple press. Now, with Granny the number one suspect, Winnie is hard-pressed to prove her innocence before the real killer delivers another murder . . .
 

I’m also reading The Secret Garden which I am reading aloud to Little Miss.

Just Finished:

Murder Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins (will have a review up soon).

I was surprised to find the audiobook for this available for free on Amazon this week when I went to purchase a copy of a book for a friend. I downloaded it and it helped me get through it a little faster as I listened to it while driving to pick up groceries on Friday and yesterday while puttering around the house with the aforementioned sinus pressure. Most of the time I read it though because I found the narrator a little annoying. She made every character sound afraid no matter what they were saying. It was weird. I read the last few chapters instead of listening to it.

Soon to be read:

Operation Restoration by Kari Trumbo

The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe

Lost Coast Literary by Ellie Alexander

The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father by Jim Wight

What We watched/are Watching

This week I watched Booktubers, as they are called, and mainly those who read cozy mysteries. I gleaned a lot of book suggestions from those videos.

I didn’t watch other shows except for an episode of Midsomer Murders with The Husband because it was nice out and I mainly read a book outside on the back porch.
What I’m Writing

I’m working on book three of the Gladwynn Grant Mystery series – Gladwynn Grant Shakes the Family Tree.

What I’m Listening to

I am listening to Around the World in 80 Days on Audible.

I do not like the song Angels by Sarah McClaulin (spelling) at all since it has been so overplayed, but just heard a version by David Phelps and liked it a lot more with his arrangement.

Photos from Last Week

Blog Posts I Enjoyed This Past Week

Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

Sunday Bookends: Broken down cars, ruined afternoons, sunny days coming, and lots of cozy mysteries

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends20 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This week I’m joining up with Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at Readerbuzz, and Kathyrn at The Book Date.



What’s Been Occurring

 I wrote about what’s been occurring yesterday in my Saturday Afternoon Chat post, which I’ve now added a link up to for anyone who shares weekly updates.

Right before I hit post on that post, everything I wrote about having a relaxing Saturday afternoon was blown to smithereens when my husband called to tell me he was parked along the road because smoke and flames had been pouring from his right front tire while he was on his way to work 45 minutes away. He had gotten about 20 minutes away when he called me. He had to call 911 and I came back to edit that this will most likely not be an easy fix, sadly. It looks like a major injury to the truck my daughter has named Methuselah after an alligator character on a kid’s radio drama that we listen to.

My dad and I drove up so The Husband could take a car and continue on to work and then Dad and I waited for the tow truck. It was a cold, rainy, and windy day and I was glad that we didn’t have to wait long. Sadly, though, my relaxing afternoon was gone.

At least I was able to see a pretty view while I waited. The building below is where my son goes to school.

I was able to salvage some of the day by going home and watching a movie with The Boy. He groaned when I made him watch The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth, but he started to like it after a half hour or so. I mean, he played a game on his phone through most of it so he sort of paid attention. He did, however, tell me this movie choice was a reason why I never get to pick movies for movie nights.

What I/we’ve been Reading

I’ve been reading a lot of cozy mysteries and have a lot on my upcoming reading lists.

Currently:

Murder Always Barks Twice by Jennifer Hawkins

The Deeds of the Deceitful by Ellery Adams and Tina Radcliffe

Listening to Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne with The Boy

Reading The Secret Garden with Little Miss

Just Finished:

The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts by Lilian Jackson Braun

The Mystery at Lilac Inn by Carolyn Keene

Soon/Eventually to be read:

The Women of Wyntons by Donna Mumma

The Real James Herriott: A Memoir of My Father by Jim Wight

Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey

Death At A Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly

What We watched/are Watching

Last week The Boy and I watched Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

He and his sister also watched the first Harry Potter movie and I watched a little with them.

Last  night, as I mentioned, we watched The King’s Speech.

I also watched an episode of All Creatures Great and Small this past week.

I found a new vlogger who I really enjoy and have enjoyed her book recommendations:


What I’m Writing

Cassie is with my editor and I’ve started on book three in the Gladwynn Grant Mystery series. The title is Gladwynn Grant Shook the Family Tree and I am excited to tell you all about it more in the future.

What I’m Listening to

I am listening to Around the World in 80 Days. Music wise I’ve been listening to Ellie Holcomb lately.

Photos from Last Week



I don’t have a ton of photos from last week but here are a few:


Now it’s your turn

Now it’s your turn. What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to or writing? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

What I’m currently loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, and . . . cleaning?

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn currently, everyday musings13 Comments

I am joining Jennifer at All 4 Boys for Currently for April after seeing this on Erin’s blog at Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. This is a feature held the first Wednesday of the month where you share what you are currently …well, whatever the themes are for that month. This month the theme is what we are currently loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, and cleaning.

Currently Loving

I am currently loving reading The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes to Little Miss, who is 9. I read this book in March for Middle Grade March and really enjoyed it but it is even more fun sharing it with my daughter. It is old fashioned, sure, since it was written in the 1940s but that doesn’t bother me at all. It has some super cute stories in it.

I am currently reading Little Miss the chapter where the main character Janey (she’s about 10) is trying to keep the “oldest inhabitant” safe. The oldest inhabitant is a 99-year-old Civil War veteran whom the town is anxious to celebrate the 100th birthday of and Janey makes friends with him in the beginning of the book. Throughout the book she works hard to protect him from any harm and the friendship grows. It is super sweet and adorable.

I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series soon.

Looking Forward To

I guess I could have used the above sentence for this. However, in addition to looking forward to reading the other Moffat books, I am also looking forward to warmer weather.

The last couple of weeks have been very cold, rainy, snowy, and dreary in our neck of the woods and I really need some sun.

Life has been a little down lately and I’m hopeful the sun might cheer me up a bit. That and the blooming flowers which will be pretty to look at even if they trigger my spring allergies. The neighbor has a few daffodils in their yard so that’s been nice to look at.

Buying

A new planner. I don’t know how I got into buying planners that go from July of one year to July of the next but I have and now I can’t seem to get myself unstuck so I am buying another planner this week so I can plan further out than July of this year. I used to buy these huge planners, but now I buy smaller ones that I can slide into my purse and carry around. Not so I can look at it and remember what I have to do, mind you. Just carry around and look like I’m organized, when I am totally not.

Planting

I should be planting plants or vegetables this month, but I’m not. Gardens, flowers, plants – they’re all failures for me usually. I kill them and sometimes they even toss themselves off shelves instead of letting me take them home with me where they know they will die anyhow.

Instead of living things, I am trying to plant some more faith this month. Faith and gratitude. I have been horribly depressed, bitter, and sad about the state of the world this week and I don’t want to be that person so I am taking advice from a book I am reading and doing the things I want the future me to do and that includes being more positive than negative. I have failed this week so pray I get better for the rest of the month.

Cleaning

I’m not cleaning the way I should be cleaning. I always seem to get wrapped up in other things – like writing blog posts or dealing with my daughter’s friend dramas.

It seems like I clean my living room and an hour later I clutter it again. Since our dishwasher died several months ago, I have been cleaning a lot of dishes and I will be doing that again today. I will also do my best to finish cleaning my daughter’s room and sliding a new sheet on her bed.

How about you? What are you loving, looking forward to, buying, planting, or cleaning currently?