20 Books of Summer ’22

May 192022

Cathy is again hosting the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge

The challenge runs from June 1 – September 1
You can either read 20, 15, or 10 books
You can read all the details HERE

I’ve been in a really long reading slump so I plan on reading
mostly the shorter books that have been piling up on my Kindle

Here are the books I plan to read:
1. Love Story by Erich Segal
2. The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple
3. The Final Wish of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple
4. The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan
5. The Happiness Recipe by Rebecca C. Morrison
6. The Puma Years by Laura Coleman
7. Still Celebrating: Stories of Remembrance and Grace by Cynthia Shiver
8. The Rocky Orchard by Barbara:Monier
9. Between Sundays: Stories From Childhood, Lessons For Life by Nathan Thompson
10. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
11. Find It in Everything by Drew Barrymore
12. The Dog That Saved Me by Tom Toler
13. Journey into The Apostolic by Bill Easter
14. The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi
15. Love at First Bark by Dana Mentink
16. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
17. Keeping the Promise by Ken Oder
18. Life at 10 Meters: Lessons From an Olympic Champion by Laura Wilkinson
19. Down Right Joy: Joyful Stories Of Raising A Child With Special Needs by Tony D’Orazio
20. Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight

Sunday Salon: 5/15/22

Sunday Salon 19 Responses »

May 152022

Outside…
The temp. is 89° right now

What I’m Reading…
Audio: The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Print Book: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Book(s) Reviewed Last Week…
None 🙁

What I’m Watching…
Excited to watch the last episode of Beyond The Edge, which airs May 18, at 9/8c on CBS
This Is Us 🙁

Menu Plan For This Week…
Dorito Taco Salad
Baked Chicken Thighs, Mac & Cheese, Pea Salad
Eggs, Biscuits, Sausage Gravy
Taco Spaghetti
Beans and Cornbread

Today’s To Do List…
Worked this morning so I plan to relax other than cooking dinner. My son made me Caramel Brownies – YUM!

Looking Forward To…
I’m off Tuesday so my daughter and I are going to Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, we’re very excited!

A Favorite Bible Verse…
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

From The Camera…
May be an image of person, child and outdoors

♥ My Great-Grand Daughter Jensen ♥

She’ll be 2 next month

Sunday Salon: 5/8/22

Sunday Salon 18 Responses »

May 082022

Outside…
High is expected to be 90°

What I’m Reading…
Audio: The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Print Book: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci

Book(s) Reviewed Last Week…
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski

What I’m Watching…
Yesterday I watched Fatherhood with Kevin Hart and I LOVED IT!
Tonight I plan on watching My Dog Skip

Today’s To Do List…
Haven’t made up our minds yet

Looking Forward To…
Spending next Tuesday with my daughter

A Favorite Bible Verse…
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

From The Camera…

I wish those lines weren’t in the way
but I loved how the rising sun made the top of the clouds glow

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski

audiobooks, books read in 2022 12 Responses »

May 042022

Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski

Laurie Zaleski never aspired to run an animal rescue; that was her mother Annie’s dream. But from girlhood, Laurie was determined to make the dream come true. Thirty years later as a successful businesswoman, she did it, buying a 15-acre farm deep in the Pinelands of South Jersey. She was planning to relocate Annie and her caravan of ragtag rescues – horses and goats, dogs and cats, chickens and pigs – when Annie died, just two weeks before moving day. In her heartbreak, Laurie resolved to make her mother’s dream her own. In 2001, she established the Funny Farm Animal Rescue outside Mays Landing, New Jersey. Today, she carries on Annie’s mission to save abused and neglected animals.

Funny Farm is Laurie’s story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It’s the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it’s the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued.

Thoughts
I first saw this book when Diane posted about it. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE animals, so it was an automatic “get this book”!

It starts with Laura’s childhood and you get to know the good, the bad, and the ugly of her family. I was glad the author added all that information, it added a lot to the story and let us get to know them up close and personal.

The story has a lot of information about the animals and the farms. Some hilarious, some sad, some info I didn’t know. I loved this book. It had all of my favorite things. Animals, family, humor, overcoming life’s hardships etc. It gave me all the feels.

I highly recommend it!

Funny Farm Rescue & Sanctuary is located in Mays Landing, NJ

It is free to the public

It’s run with the help of volunteers and donations

Sunday Salon: 5/1/22

Sunday Salon 40 Responses »

Apr 302022

Outside…
High is expected to be 86°, cloudy and a 60% chance of scattered thunderstorms

What I’m Reading…
Audio: The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Print Book: Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci -for some reason I couldn’t get fully interested in this before, so I’m going to try it again
Kindle: The Not So Golden Oldies by Liz Davies

Reviewed Last Week…
None

What I’m Watching…
I’m sadly looking forward to the last 4 episodes of This Is Us 🙁
I love this show and don’t want it to end, but I am reluctantly looking forward to the last few episodes. There may be tears!

This Week’s Menu…
Slow Cooker Ravioli Casserole
Grilled Hot Dogs, Pea Salad, chips
Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs, Rice, Fried Green Beans
Fish, Onion Rings/French Fries, Coleslaw

Today’s To Do List…
Working then home to relax

A Favorite Bible Verse…
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4

From The Camera…

Tuesday 4

Tuesday 4 19 Responses »

Apr 262022

Tuesday 4

1. If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?
If I had to spend it only on myself, I’d buy a small beach house and travel

2. You can do it again. What decade are you going back to and why? What’s the attraction?
I’d go back to the 70’s because it was the best decade of my life. I had the best parents and we had so many adventures! I loved the clothes, the music, and my friends. I’m still listening to the music and still friends with some of my besties from then, and I’ve been waiting for the clothes to come back in style but I’m too old for them now 🙁

3. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head? Alternatively, what’s your current favorite song?
The song that is usually stuck in my head is I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me. It’s one of those songs that make me so emotional even though I’ve been listening to it for many years. It is also my current (forever) favorite song.

4. What items do you miss from the past and wish they were still around?
I miss a lot of “things” from the past but the main thing I miss is neighbors knowing each other and getting together for cookouts, bowling, card games etc. I also miss diners.

Sunday Salon: 4/24/22

Sunday Salon 18 Responses »

Apr 242022

Outside…
High is expected to be 88°, low is expected to be 63°

Current Books…
Audio: Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski
Print Book: Slowly reading Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
Kindle: Slowly reading Sinbad And I On The Loose by John L. Kirn

Book(s) Reviewed Last Week…
I Don’t Want to Read This Book by Max Greenfield

What I’m Watching…
Catching up on When Calls The Heart: LOVE this show
Timber The Treasure Dog

This Week’s Menu…
Baked Porkchops, Fried Apples, Mac & Cheese
Slow Cooker Ravioli Casserole
Grilled Hot Dogs, Pea Salad, chips
Chicken Burrito Skillet
Chili

Today’s To Do List…
No plans

Looking Forward To…
Going on a day trip to a town I’ve never been to

A Favorite Bible Verse…
It is written, “As surely as I live,” says the Lord, “every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.”
Romans 14:11

From The Camera…

I Don’t Want to Read This Book by Max Greenfield

books read in 2022, Childrens Books 12 Responses »

Apr 112022

I Don't Want to Read This Book

I Don’t Want to Read This Book by Max Greenfield
Illustrated by Mike Lowery

From actor Max Greenfield (fan-favorite “Schmidt” from television’s New Girl) comes a hilarious picture book for every child who thinks they don’t like to read books (and all the kids—and grownups—who do).

Words, sentences, and even worse, paragraphs fill up books. Ugh! So what’s a reluctant reader to do? Actor Max Greenfield (New Girl) and New York Times bestselling illustrator Mike Lowery bring the energy and laugh-out-loud fun out for every child (and parent) who thinks they don’t want to read a book. Joining the ranks of favorites like The Book With No Pictures and The Serious Goose, this clever and playful read-aloud breaks the fourth wall and will have all readers coming back for laughs again and again!

Thoughts
I didn’t know about Max Greenfield until the show The Neighborhood premiered. I love this show so when I saw this book was by Greenfield, I knew I wanted to read it.

This is a funny book and is geared toward kids ages 4-8 who don’t like to read. It will hopefully show them that reading can be fun.

The illustrations are big and bold which I think makes the book very appealing. I think most children whether they like to read or not will enjoy this book. For those who don’t like to read, I hope it starts them on a lifelong love of books!

Many adults have enjoyed this book, including me.

Tuesday 4

Tuesday 4 14 Responses »

Apr 052022

bok%20tv.jpg

Tuesday 4

1. Which is better… the book or the movie?
I think that most of the time that the book is better because they cut so much out of the movie because of air time

2. Got a reading list for the year? (Or a movie list ) Found a real winner you will share with us?
I have a reading list but don’t know if it will last a year. I loved The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People by Rick Bragg. As for movies I loved, Marry Me, Rescued By Ruby, and the documentary TORN, all were very good

3. What TV shows are you watching lately?
Some of the shows I’m watching now are Survivor, Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, A Million Little Things, This Is Us, NCIS, The Rookie, and a lot of shows on HGTV.

4. Is there an actor or actress whose movies you consistently enjoy?
So many but the ones I would watch anything they were in (no MA rated) is Meryl Streep and John Travolta

Sunday Salon: 4/3/22

Sunday Salon 35 Responses »

Apr 032022

Outside…
High is expected to be 80°, low is expected to be 57°

What I’m Reading…
Audio: The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Print Book: Slowly reading Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci
Kindle: Slowly reading Sinbad And I On The Loose by John L. Kirn

Books Reviewed Last Week…
Nothing, but just finished a book and will post review this week

What I’m Watching…
I watched the documentary TORN about legendary climber Alex Lowe who was killed alongside cameraman/fellow climber David Bridges in an avalanche on the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma in 1999. It was sad but very very good! 5*

I also watched Rescued by Ruby. All animal/dog lovers will LOVE this movie! Made me feel all the feels! 5*

I watched Big Stone Gap last night after it being on my watch list for a many years, I LOVED it! 5*

Today’s To Do List…
I have today and tomorrow off so I plan on mostly relaxing today but I do have a few loads of laundry to do to tomorrow. I need to catch up on my audiobook which I didn’t listen to at all while I was home with a sore back, binge watching tv was my thing that week

Looking Forward To…
Going to Solomon’s Castle soon, it’s been on my list for many years.

Question Of The Week…
What is the most bizarre wrong number text or phone call you ever received?

Mine was when I was probably 12 or 13 and I called my friend. Her dad answered and I asked to speak to Cathy and he said “who can I tell her is calling?” and I said Vicki. She came to the phone and we talked for about an hour. Then I said “I’ll be over later to get my jacket.” She said “what jacket?”. I told her when I was over at her house earlier I forgot my jacket and needed it for in the morning. She said “you didn’t have a jacket on when you were here”. So we started asking each other questions and found out she was a different Cathy who had a friend named Vicki who had visited her earlier that day. I had called the wrong number.

A Favorite Bible Verse…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

From The Camera…

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