January Wrap-Up

So January's over? It's certainly been an interesting few weeks of 2017.

In the midst of the crazy, there has certainly been some good, though. Snuggles from adorable three year olds. Big conversations with a certain nine year old. Laughing and weeping through a Broadway show. Having all of my sisters in the same place. Seeing my best friend and BG's namesake.

What I Read/Reviewed:
I'm off to a good start book-wise. As of today, I've read 13 books this year. I reviewed five books during January. Three were for review and two were from the library. I am still reading my own books, but I just don't feel as much impetus to review them if I don't desperately need to write about them! I'm going with Michael Chabon's Moonglow for favorite January book and, quite possibly, a favorite for the year.

   

Favorite Kid Books:
D is flying through the Pegasus and Wings of Fire series, while BG is insisting we never return the Missy's Super Duper Royal Deluxe books to the library.
 
   

Favorite posts:
I wrote about my favorite 2016 books, which you can read here. Like many book bloggers, I find that blogging is sometimes not getting much time and that's ok (go do your important stuff, people!). But I also want to keep blogging because I think reading books and talking about them are important things, right now and always.

What I've Been Watching:
Jane the Virgin. This Is Us. Sherlock. The Good Place. Most importantly, the glorious Miss Phryne Fisher. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is on Netflix and it will do your heart good.

                     

What I'm Into:
1. Pretzel Rolls
Trust me, this is what your sandwich has been missing. A pretzel roll makes everything taste better, including buffalo chicken burgers and yes, I know this from personal experience.

2. Duolingo
My dad is Romanian, but we only spoke English in our house growing up. Duolingo just added Romanian and it's a great way to easily learn a language.  You only need a few moments each day and you can work right from your phone or  computer. If you are thinking about learning a language, this is a great way to do it!



What were you into during the month of January?

October Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

Oh October. You were really long and too short and full of good as well as crazy and stressful. We went on a Disney cruise for a week and had all the fun of festivities of Halloween. It's also been a tough few weeks as my husband deals with some medical stuff and my 3 year old is at peak toddler. I could do with a few easy days during November!

Han Solo loves Princess Leia. 

What I Read/Reviewed:
I only reviewed four books this month? Maybe I will get my book reviewing powers back for November. Two of those books were for review and two were from my library. Three of them were read as a part of Readers In Peril, a fun fall event where we read spooky books during September and October. My favorite of the bunch was probably The Fireman by Joe Hill.


                      


Favorite Kid Books This Month: BG is adoring a series of books about The Jellybeans, a group of four friends who like different things but go together like a handful of jellybeans! D is really into The Elemntia Chronicles, a Minecraft series, and The Treasure Hunters series, James Patterson's attempt to take over the kid's bookshelves too.

         

Favorite posts:
I wrote about our vacation experience on a Disney cruise and I also recorded my 24 Hour Readathon adventures this time around. 

What I've Been Watching:
It's nice to curl up on the couch after putting the kids to bed and watch a show or two with my husband. My current favorites are This Is Us and Jane the Virgin. Yes, I like to cry along with my laughing when it comes to tv.  

What I've Been Cooking/Baking:
I have to confess we have been ordering takeout far more often than I would like. I hope we are going to do better in November! We did make our first Chicken and Dumplings of the season. They are the perfect way to start fall. 

     

Picture from How Sweet Eats

Picture from Love and Olive Oil

   






I also baked these pumpkin chess pie bars and it seems like everyone liked them. There were none left for me to take home at the end of coffee hour! 


What were you into during October?

September Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

September is done? Are you sure? Well, all right then. Fall is decidedly in the air. I am happy with my warm blankets, pumpkin coffee, and plans to use our backyard fire pit. We will, however, escape the cool temperatures for a few days with a cruise later this month. I think by that point we will be ready to break our bathing suits out again and spend some time on the beach!

But this month was certainly not boring. We had two weddings, traveled cross country and back within four days, and our son started third grade. I know, I now have a pretty big kid. I don't want to talk about it.

What? Is there a different way to wait for the bus? 

What I Read/Reviewed:
I reviewed nine books this month. Five were for review and four were from the library. I finally wrote about a nonfiction book in the midst of all my novels. I feel like I am not reading much nonfiction lately. However, the truth is just that it took me two months to wade through my Jonathan Edwards biography, which really checked off my nonfiction box for a while. My favorites this month were Marrow Island and Homegoing, with an honorable mention to Underground Airlines.

                    

                                    The Dollhouse        Homegoing       Amy Snow
                             Smoke       MWF Seeking BFF              The Book of Esther
                               Jane Steele      Marrow Island       Underground Airlines 

Favorite posts:
It was fun combining a book review and writing about my own life experiences when I discussed MWF Seeking BFF. This month also featured the second edition of Readalongs, where I pick a children's book to accompany the novel you are currently reading.

What I've Been Watching:
Oh hello there, fall tv. We have eagerly been awaiting your return. In our house, we are remaining loyal to Once Upon A Time, Grey's Anatomy, and I am very impatient for Jane the Virgin to be on my tv again. New shows in our lineup are The Happy Place, Designated Survivor, and This Is Us. 

What I've Been Listening To: Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts. Overdue, What Should I Read Next, The Book Riot Podcast, Get Booked, The Liturgists, and The Mom Life Crisis Podcast are currently in rotation. I'm also trying out my first audiobook in a long time - Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent. There is still some music around the house, but it tends to be classical in the early morning to gently start our day or music for the kids in the car.


What were you into during September?

August Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

Goodbye August? My son starts school next week and I'm trying to figure out what in the world happened to our summer. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary this month with chocolate fondue, of course. Aside from D going to soccer camp, we've been doing a little schoolwork to get back into the swing of things, reading lots of library books, and watching our fair share of My Little Pony and Digimon.

I asked her to pick up her toys...

                                                

                                      

What I Read/Reviewed:
I reviewed six books this month. I'm still struggling to write reviews this summer although, at the risk of jinxing it, I seem to have the next few weeks pretty well-planned. Two books were for review, two were from the library, and two have been living on my shelves. We are on the all fiction train again this month, at least when it comes to reviews. My favorite this month would have to be Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty, with an honorable mention to My Name is Asher Lev and Father's Day. 

             

                   Sleeping Giants       Paper and Fire      My Name is Asher Lev
        Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty     Father's Day     Imagine Me Gone

Favorite posts:
I talked about the books I would buy if I received an endless gift card and gave some book recommendations for the theatre nerd. I also wrote a post about the disappointment of an apocalyptic novel that doesn't end in an apocalypse.

What I've Been Watching:
I'm still rewatching Gilmore Girls, because we must prepare for November. My husband and I have been binge-watching Arrow, although we have concluded we are watching specifically for Felicity and Dig. They are the best characters and Oliver and Laurel are the worst. I had a movie night with the kids and we watched Home, which I thought was sweet. I think my son was a little bummed there weren't more action scenes, but everyone enjoyed it anyway. 

What I've Been Cooking/Baking: 
We made a delicious grilled chicken Hawaiian pizza. We are getting in as much grill time as we can before it turns cold with Italian pork chops and turkey burgers. On the hottest August nights, I made some chicken salad, put out some bread and fixings, and we had sandwich night. It was so easy (and delicious!).




What were you into during the month of August?

July Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

I'm pretty sure July went by in about five minutes. I feel like D just got out of school and now people are starting to talk about September! This month, we took a short jaunt to Washington, D.C., I saw Hamilton, and the kids went to Vacation Bible School. We've also been watering our church garden once a week and enjoying lots of cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes as a result!

She's got a necklace, her big brother's backpack, and a giant stack of books.
She's good to go! 

We read everywhere. 

So we are down to five more weeks of summer here in NJ, people. What are your favorite summer activities? What should we try to fit in before September comes calling?

What I Read/Reviewed:
I only reviewed five books this month. This summer has been good for reading, but I'm just not feeling that motivated to write reviews. All of the books that I reviewed were fiction, but I did write a post this month about getting into nonfiction! Four were for review and one was from the library. I am finding a lot of freedom these days in alternating between review books, library books, and my own books while not feeling pressure to review the books in the later categories. 

                       

                 The Fifth Avenue Artists Society     What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours 
                   Summer Days and Summer Nights     The Gilded Years      June

Favorite posts:
I wrote about some easy ways for fiction fans to try nonfiction. I'm also jumping back into some Top Ten Tuesday posts with this one about books that made me want to learn more or try new things.

What I've Been Watching:
I've been watching the later seasons of Glee some nights but, other than that, I feel like nothing is sticking. I tried Crazy Ex Girlfriend and I've watched two episodes of Grace and Frankie, but I'm not sure I'm going to continue with either. 

What I've Been Listening To:
Next to Normal. A lot of Hamilton, obviously. And podcasts! Lately I've been enjoying What Should I Read Next, Overdue, and Book Riot's Podcast and Get Booked. I'm on the lookout for some that are not about books (I know, the horror). What are your favorite podcasts? 

What I've Been Cooking/Baking:
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream Icing for a church event (picture from site)

                              

Ricotta Berry French Toast for brinner when my sister slept over (picture from website) 

                                          

Easy Chicken Burritos (adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook)
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast until no longer pink. Shred chicken and put in tortillas. Then add a quick salsa made of chopped tomatoes, mango, and cilantro and a tablespoon or two of lime juice. Top with cheese and sour cream if you like and enjoy with rice! 


What were you into in the month of July? 

June Wrap-Up and What I'm Into

June felt a bit like a marathon this year. It was crazy busy, with lots of visiting and events. With the exception of a trip in the middle of July, I am now looking forward to lots of lazy mornings in the backyard and quiet evenings on the porch.

Since the kids are home, I'm on the lookout for the best books/audiobooks/podcasts for kids. Any suggestions?

What I Read/Reviewed:
I reviewed eight books this month. Seven were fiction and I read one lonely nonfiction title. Five were for review and three were from my shelves. I did read several library books but I didn't write real reviews for any of them!

               

     Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World    Sunday's on the Phone to Monday
               Country of Red Azaleas    Shotgun Lovesongs     Alias Grace
              Maine     Everyone Brave is Forgiven     All of Us and Everything

My favorite book this month was Everyone Brave is Forgiven.

Favorite posts:
I wrote about realizing that I can cook after reading Dinner: A Love Story. I had fun discussing what I've learned and loved halfway through the year and how different readers approach the problem of forgetting what they've read in earlier books in a series.

What I've Been Watching:
Not too much? We are watching Royal Pains and The Last Ship. But I guess I've been focusing more on reading and trying to get some projects done in the evening. I'm also trying to make sure I exercise several days a week and that sometimes happens after the kids go to bed.

What I've Been Cooking/Baking:
I'm trying to put my recipe list back together after losing my favorites from my computer. Are there any amazing recipes I should be adding to our queue? We did make some tasty buffalo chicken sandwiches and these ricotta gnocchi.

          

What were you into during June?