January 2019

January started very calm and pleasant and ended with a bang of extreme cold.  We got to enjoy a 60 degree swing in the weather last month!

We ended our 13 week hiking streak with the dogs in early January, taking in a couple more hikes in Brown County State Park.

Brennan was installed as a youth deacon at church.  He'll serve for a year - this is a big step for him and we are so proud!

Walking into work one morning I saw this beautiful sky behind our courthouse.  I had to take a quick pick.

Bianca hosted the Litwits for our 70th book - "Driven" by Melissa Stephenson.  Such a beautiful read that takes place in two of my towns - Columbus and Athens, Ga.  We took a sugar cream pie because Indiana.  Bianca served an amazing meal and we had such fun discussing the book!

The first round of snow came in early January and Brennan and I built a snowman, with a little help.

I have wanted to play Bingo for years and friends and I went to the Moose on a cold Sunday and played!  It was a lot of fun.  I remember playing with my mom at the Officers Club in Germany when I was about 10.  

David and I joined friends to head to The Brick - local legendary spot for greasy burgers and American beer.  A fun night!

We took Brennan to Louisville for his 17th birthday!  I was so glad Thomas could join us.  We started at the Melting Pot where we enjoyed delicious fondues.  We had to take the leftovers to our hotel. 

David took the boys to Mega Caverns the next morning to zipline in the caverns.  It is probably a good thing I missed this - it may have been too much for me!

We had lunch at Taco Luchador, ice cream at the Comfy Cow palace and checked out Cave Hill Cemetery, the historical graves and Col. and Mrs. Sanders, and Muhammad Ali's.

We ended the trip at Flame Run where Brennan blew a glass ornament.  It turned out GREAT!

Bailey also had a birthday last month!  He is now 5 and had his first teeth cleaning, which was not his favorite outing.

He loves his blanket from Aunt Shelly and his new cow.

Finally we attended Dancing with the Stars - Columbus Style to cheer on our friends Ginger and Patrick who were competing against 8 other couples -all to raise funds for local children's charities.  Their dance was THE BEST and we were so proud of them!  Table 11! 

A quick pick of my friend Vinita the night of DWTS.  We've been friends for a long time and we never get to sit together at these events and just catch up!

We at thrilled that the negative degree weather has turned into 40s and 50s this weekend.  Hoping to get in another hike if at all possible!

What We're Reading #9

Welcome to our Linky Party!

Boy, as co-hostess I feel bad for being so late to the big day but we were on vacation so this is my first chance to link up.

If you haven't had a chance to link up your latest reading post - please do so at Ricki Jill's blog.

And check in on the others who've linked up to find some great new reads!

I finished up the Twilight series over the last month and really liked them.

I have to say that I enjoyed the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series a little more, but did like this series and am glad I finally read it!

Can't wait to see the final book's Part 1 movie next month.

I'm sure the chick flick movie club I'm in will have tickets on opening night!

While enjoying those crazy vampires, I also read a couple of good parenting books and wanted to share this one in particular.

I like the way it's laid out in 26 chapters.

I like the common sense advice that focuses on encouraging children to make their own good choices.  A couple of chapters didn't pertain to us (fear of pediatric visits, raising twins, raising girls...) but most did.  I read the book and highlighted sections in each chapter.  Now David's going through it and we're discussing it.  Good book - highly recommend if you have little ones of your own.

The Litwits (my local book club) are reading The Alienist this month and what a great choice for the spooky month of Halloween.  I had a hard time getting through the first few chapters of this book but really enjoyed the rest.  It's Historical Fiction set in NYC - a murder mystery and soon-to-be made movie starring Leonardo di Caprio.  Can't wait for our discussion tomorrow night!

So that's what I've been reading over the last month. 

Now, go link up - I can't wait to hear what you've been reading!

What We're Reading #8

Welcome to our 8th "What We're Reading" party!!

Ricki Jill and I are your hosts and we're so glad you've joined us.

Please link up your latest reading post - we love hearing what you've been reading lately.

The party will be up until the 25th so you've got time!

This past month I've read quite an eclectic group of books.

My sweet friend Michelle sent Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to me. 

We had been out of touch with for years, but thanks to facebook we're now re-connected and I'm receiving gems in the mail!

I enjoyed this read about friendship and love in rural China in the 19th century.

I refuse to see the movie because I've heard it absolutely pales in comparison.

I've got this author on my to-read list.

Next up was the Litwits' September book (my local super-fun book club).

We read the memoir Shattered Dreams:  My Life as a Polygamist's Wife.

This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, which I think is a benefit of being in a book club. 

I found myself feeling frustrated, disillusioned, and hopeful while reading this book. 

It was hard for me to get into, but by half-way through I was pretty hooked.

And yes, I am finally reading the Twilight series, and now I finally get it.

I wanted to read the books before the last book's movie comes out in November and my Chick Flick Club goes to see it. 

Then I found out they're turning the last book into two movies so I have a year!

It took me two weeks to get past the second chapter of the first book - Twilight.

Once I gave it another try, though, I found myself hooked.

While I sometimes feel the need to kick Bella in the tush, I am enjoying this series.

(Team Cullen!)

And am on the 3rd book now!

So please link up below and let us know what you've been reading!

Happy Reading!

~~ Bonnie & Ricki Jill

What We're Reading #7 and a Give-Away!

I hope you have had a fantastic summer!  I love good summer reads and wanted to share those that I've finished over the last month. 

Join us by linking up with Ricki Jill at Art @ Home beginning tomorrow! 

We'd love to hear what you've been reading!

Trapped is a great Young Adult novel.  I read about this book in an NPR article earlier this summer about how Young Adult is becoming mainstream for adults as well.  I don't care for the labels - a good book is a good book!

This book takes place in New England.  Seven high schoolers get trapped in their school during the worst storm in history.  It's well written, fast-paced and a cool read during the hot month of July!  It's sort of a mix between The Breakfast Club and Lord of the Flies.  Check it out!

Also recommended in the NPR article was the book Flipped.  Not until I picked it up and started to read did I realize I had recently watched the movie (directed by Rob Reiner) and liked it so much I mentioned it on facebook!  Flipped is a heartwarming story of two families who live across from each other.  The youngest sibling in each house friends/ignoring relationship in their tween-young teen years.  It's really a story about developing integrity at a young age.  I'd recommend the book and the movie.  In fact, I'd like my boys to read it soon.

In the wide (and very popular) genre of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Matched (you can see my reviews of those at the link below) comes another story that is destined to be a series and possibly a movie - Delirium.  In dystopian Portland, Maine all 18 year olds go through a process of having their brains altered to remove the need for love.  The 18 year olds are also matched up with a companion that they will marry after college.  Of course, there's a love story, a dramatic life-altering decision to be made, and engaging characters.  I'd certainly recommend Delirium if you enjoy this genre.  If you haven't stepped into this world of books yet - I'd start with The Hunger Games series and Divergent.

I'm happy to share this next book with you and will be giving away a copy this month as well!  It is the second novel by Bert Johnston.  Bert is a retired Presbyterian minister who lives in Mobile, Alabama.  Sunrise in the Cloud Forest is a mystery set in a mega-church in Mobile.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found it fast-paced and the characters really well developed.  Bert is the father of our friend Mike (who you'll remember from the book club and wine club photos on my blog!).  So take a break from the vampires, wizards, and post-apocalyptic government-mandated worlds.  Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea and escape to Mobile.  A great read!

And I just finished up Rob Lowe's biography Stories I Only Tell My Friends.  I don't read many memoirs but I really, really, really enjoyed this one.  I'm an 80s child so a lot of his memories recalled my own.  Rob has led a pretty fascinating life and has turned a few scandals and a rocky childhood into a pretty impressive second half of life.  It was touching and funny and down-right honest.  I believe he had early childhood encounters with many of the most famous entertainers of that time.  Loved the Cary Grant encounters :)

sigh

So, please link up at Ricki Jill's blog so we can hear about What You've Been Reading! 

And if you would like a copy of Sunrise in the Cloud Forest  by Bert Johnston, please leave a comment or send me an email and I'll enter you for the drawing on Tuesday!

And just a reminder that I'm kicking off my cooking blog this weekend. 

If you'd like to follow me there, I'd love it!

Here's the link to Y'all Come Eat!

You can read my earlier book review posts by clicking here

Happy Reading!

What We're Reading #6!

Welcome to July's "What We're Reading" blog party! 

Ricki Jill and I are avid readers and love to hear about the books you are reading. 

A friend once told me "There's no better gift than a suggestion of a good book."  I agree! 

So link up your latest reading post below.

Because we traveled in June I actually read a lot this past month.  Here's what I've been up to.

I really should keep up with where I hear about certain books in my to-read list on goodreads.com.  I am sure I'll remember when I put it on the list, and then I rarely do.  Case in point - A Discovery of Witches by Deborha Harkness.  I gave it 3 stars and did enjoy the writing.  The author is a university professor and this is the 1st of a 3 part series.  I am not sure I will read the other two when they come out.  Recommended for:  all you Twilight lovers.  Lots of readers like this because it's a more grown up series involving witches, werewolves, etc.

When we were planning for our trip to New York City last month I knew I needed a guide to help me plan our days.  On amazon this Frommer's guide had the highest reviews so I ordered it.  And it did not disappoint.  I gave it 5 stars.  Not only was it arranged really well but it had tons of tips, maps, and suggestions for off-the-beaten-path excursions.

I read this second Flavia de Luce mystery while we were in New York City.  I thought it was fantastic.  I might have liked it better than the first.  Flavia is an 11-year old budding chemist who gets herself in all sorts of scrapes in 1950s England.

And here is another that I cannot remember where I picked up the title.  But I'm so glad I did.  It's similar to The Hunger Games but set in Chicago in a dystopian time in the U.S.  It's very highly rated on goodreads.com as well.  I'm looking forward to the others in this series.

Confession:  I had never read a Jane Austen novel until July 2011!

I know all the movies and story lines but I had never sat down and read one.

For Mother's Day David and the boys got me the anthology of her 7 novels and I finally sat down and read one.

I chose Emma because my book club is reading Pride and Prejudice later this year and because Emma is the inspiration for one of the best movies ever made:  Clueless! (I unashamedly love Clueless)

I enjoyed Emma but did get bogged down in the language just a little.  It doesn't help that the book that I'm reading from has tiny print and it's a reminder that this 40-year old really needs to get some good reading glasses.  ugh.  It's hard to actually like the character Emma, but one can certainly sympathize and relate to her.  And of course, Mr. Knightley is awesome.

And I ended my reading marathon this month with the latest Stephanie Plum novel - Smokin' Seventeen.  I love the humor and will always read this series.  But I really get deja vu with these books.  The mystery story lines are always different, but really, are they?  And Ranger vs. Morelli.  I get sucked into that little triangle with these books.  I'm hoping Katherine Heigl does Stepahnie Plum proud in the movie coming out sometime next year.

Because you asked last month, I'll tell you that the Litwits (the local, really fun book club I'm a member of) is reading The Hunger Games this month.  We meet next week and I can't wait to hear how everyone liked it.

So what have you been reading lately?

Please link up below!

Happy Reading!

~~Bonnie and Ricki Jill

You can find my previous book review posts by clicking here

What We're Reading #5

Is it the 20th already?!  So hard to believe. 

I love the 20th because that's when Ricki Jill and I host the "What We're Reading" linky party.

So link up your own latest reads post over at Ricki Jill's blog - Art @ Home.

Can't wait to see what you've been reading!

Last month I climbed out of a reading slump by picking up Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg.  I was so glad I did because it was a great summer read.

On Goodreads several people highly recommended Ms. Eulberg's first book, The Lonely Hearts Club.  Also young adult.  I got it from the library and finished it in a couple of days.  Great read, well-written, fun, meaningful, funny, and memorable.  I especially recommend it if you have a tween or teen daughter.  Especially loved all the Beatles references! 

Elizabeth Eulberg has a blog that is fun to read.  Her latest entry was about her New Kids on the Block obsession and how she got to meet them this summer.  So funny!  I really enjoyed reading about her chance meeting with Kiefer Sutherland since she's such a big 24 fan.  He seemed so gracious.

I had never heard of Flavia or her evil sisters until the 3rd book in the series came out a couple of months ago.  Then I heard nothing but 11 year old precocious British chemist/investigator Flavia de Luce.  I decided to check her out and picked up the first book in the series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  I'm hooked and have the second book waiting for me by the bed (along with countless other books waiting for me).  Flavia is an original heroine and I loved the author's writing.  Any book that makes me want to plan our next family vacation around the story's setting gets an A in my book.  Couldn't we all just go back to 1950s England for a week or two?  My youngest son would love her chemistry lab.

I always say that I don't read a lot of non-fiction but apparently I am reading quite a bit more this year.  Moonwalking with Einstein was recommended in several reviews I read so I checked it out from the library.  Joshua Foer is a writer for several magazines.  This is his story of learning about the World Memory Championships while writing an article for Discover magazine and competing in the U.S. championships 1 year later.  It's an interesting book on improving ones memory.  Very well researched.  The first few chapters had me hooked.  Some of the middle chapters almost lost me, but I was so glad I finished because the last few chapters about the Championship were great. 

Please join us at Ricki Jill's blog today and link up your latest What We're Reading post!

Thanks for joining us!

Bonnie and Ricki Jill

My other book recommendations can be found by clicking here