Summer Reading List | Books
23 June 2018
Reading used to be one of my favorite past times and these days it feels like more of a novelty to crack open a book and put a chunk of time into reading. After a long day, I usually choose a show to binge on tv for an hour or two because it allows me to mindlessly not think for a few minutes-- but, this summer I'm trying to be more dedicated to reading in the evenings. This is a list of books I've put together, most have been hanging out in my 'books' list on Amazon for a while now but I've been slowly ordering one here and there and I'm working my way through them. So far I've finished 3 of the 10 that I choose. There are a few of them that are getting optioned for movies so I definitely want to read them before they come out on the screen. The ones with (**) are the ones I've already read!
**1.|| Soulful Simplicity - We are often on a quest for more—we give in to pressure every day to work more, own more, and do more. In this book, she shows us how to pursue practical minimalism so we can create more with less—more space, more time, and even more love. Carver invites us to look at the big picture, discover what's most important to us, and reclaim lightness and ease by getting rid of all the excess things.
2.|| Circe - "A bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story, Circe manages to be both epic and intimate in its scope, recasting the most infamous female figure from the Odyssey as a hero in her own right." --- Alexandra Alter, New York Times
3.|| Girls in the Moon -“Girls in the Moon is a beautiful, heartfelt novel about following your own path and finding your voice. Janet McNally’s stunning debut is a lush, lyrical paean to mothers, daughters, sisters, and the music that weaves them together.” (Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces)
4.|| The Sun is Also a Star - Soon to be a major motion picture! "A book that is very much about the many factors that affect falling in love, as much as it is about the very act itself . . . fans of Yoon’s first novel, Everything Everything, will find much to love—if not, more—in what is easily an even stronger follow-up." —Entertainment Weekly
**5.|| Tell Me Three Things - I read this book in a day, it's light and fluffy and a great summer read.
**6.|| The Woman in the Window - This book as all kinds of twisty and I can't wait for the movie to come out!
7.|| The Sun and Her Flowers - The second collection of Rupi Kaur's poetry, her first collection was published in Milk and Honey.
8.|| For the Love: Fighting for Grace in a World of Impossible Standards - Best-selling author Jen Hatmaker is convinced life can be lovely and fun and courageous and kind. She reveals with humor and style how Jesus’ embarrassing grace is the key to dealing with life's biggest challenge: people. The majority of our joys, struggles, thrills, and heartbreaks relate to people, beginning with ourselves and then the people we came from, married, birthed, live by, go to church with, don’t like, don’t understand, fear, compare ourselves to, and judge. Jen knows how the squeeze of this life can make us competitive and judgmental, how we can lose love for others and then for ourselves.
9.|| Our Endless Numbered Days - Part fairy-tale, part magic, yet always savagely realistic Claire Fuller's haunting and powerful debut Our Endless Numbered Days will appeal to fans of Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child and Christian Baker Kline's Orphan Train
10.|| Letter to My Daughter - Maya Angelou shares her path to living well and with meaning in this absorbing book of personal essays. Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight.
Berry Citrus Jam | Recipe
12 June 2018
I grew up on strawberry freezer jam, my mom would go pick up local berries, bring them home and make batches of freezer jam for us to enjoy over the winter months. If you've ever had homemade strawberry jam then you understand what a treat that it is-- it tastes like summer. It wasn't until I had my own kitchen that I started making it myself and experimenting with different flavor combinations. I tried out two new ones this season so far, my little taste testers have given their sticky thumbs up to both and I'm excited to share one of them with you!
Its called 'Berry Citrus Jam' and it's a flavor combination of blueberries, raspberries, and orange citrus. Once our strawberry jam was complete and in the freezer I wanted to try something new-- I had a beautiful bowl of blueberries in the fridge but I'm not a fan of pure blueberry jam so I browsed the web for compatible flavor combinations I could used to spice things up and decided on a blueberry-orange combo-- and then I wanted to create another layer of flavor I thought I would cut back on some of the blueberry and add raspberries. Also -- it's worth noting that I don't deseed my jam, first of all, I like the rustic look and I just don't have time for all of the extra steps. Below is a photo of the finshed product as well as the recipe I used, it's totally customizeable so have fun!
Bake bread or biscuits and enjoy!
Friday Top Five | Chalk Activities
08 June 2018
Now that the weather is perfect for outdoor playtime I love being able to scoot them outside during Naomi's afternoon nap. Our new place gives me lots to explore, trees to climb and spots to dig dirt but another thing they really love to do outside is; play with chalk. And Charlotte's favorite part is when I get the hose out to wash it off-- she loves to, and I quote 'watch the colors dance and run'. Childhood can be pretty amazing. We recently stocked up on some different colors of chalk and other fun things to make their outdoor drawing sessions more creative.
Here's a list of our top five chalk items!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons