Book Club?

Hey ya'll - been listening to some southern people today and couldn't help it!

So a little off topic today - another hobby or favourite past time of mine is reading. Any one else? Ever since I was little it was how I enjoyed spending time before bed or curled up on a chilly day. My mom read to us every night and eventually we started reading to her. I wish I had pictures of this!

Anyways so I recently joined an online book club - I've been following Anne Bogel's Modern Mrs Darcy's blog for while now and decided to jump in and join her online community. She recently announced the books they would be reading over the next few months and I was intrigued. I love to read but I get into ruts and have a hard time finding something good, different and clean.

For the month of September we read Crossing to Safety. Such a different read for me and I'm proud to say I read it, though I didn't completely enjoy it. I appreciated the writing and the characters (though at times they drove me crazy) as well the setting (different than my normal reads).

But after our group discussion yesterday, I'm seeing a whole new side to the book, characters and author. I so completely love talking with others about books and love the community here. There was a great mix of those that liked the book to those that didn't. It was awesome to think about the book and process it from so many different prospectives. Anyone else read it?

I also just started reading "Reading People" by Anne Bogel. So far - LOVIN" IT!". I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand me better LOL. The chapter on Introverts/Extroverts and Highly Sensitive People - so good!

Here is the description from Amazon.
If the viral Buzzfeed-style personality quizzes are any indication, we are collectively obsessed with the idea of defining and knowing ourselves and our unique place in the world. But what we're finding is this: knowing which Harry Potter character you are is easy, but actually knowing yourself isn't as simple as just checking a few boxes on an online quiz.

For readers who long to dig deeper into what makes them uniquely them (and why that matters), popular blogger Anne Bogel has done the hard part--collecting, exploring, and explaining the most popular personality frameworks, such as Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and others. She explains to readers the life-changing insights that can be gained from each and shares specific, practical real-life applications across all facets of life, including love and marriage, productivity, parenting, the workplace, and spiritual life. In her friendly, relatable style, Bogel shares engaging personal stories that show firsthand how understanding personality can revolutionize the way we live, love, work, and pray.

I am currently reading this via my library app - Hoopla - love it. Completely free app and access to so many great ebooks and audio books (for FREE!). Ask your library if you have it - its awesome!

I'm also listening to a book via my Overdrive account (another free app via the library) - Death Comes to Pemberley - so good! And I just realized the movie is on Netflix - perfect!

Ok enough about what I'm reading - love to hear from you!

SUMMER FAVOURITES!

Hey everyone - Happy Friday and Happy September 1st!

As I mentioned in my September Newsletter (check it out here) I LOVE the fall and even though there are still officially 20 days left of summer - I am already starting to pull out fall decor for the house and getting ready to bake pumpkin cookies!

But I thought I would take a break from my normal crafting post to bring you a

Summer Favourites List

These are the products/items that I LOVED over the summer and thought maybe one of you (or more?) might be interested. I would love to know what your summer favourites were - let me know in the comments below!

BODY CARE PRODUCTS | 

Bath & Body Works "At the Beach"  Body Cream and Spray |  If you know me you will know that I am obsessed with anything coconut scented so this new line was a perfect match. And I really like their Shea butter lotions the best! I also appreciate that Bath & Body Works always offers great deals - be sure to sign up for their emails or check them out on FB to find out their latest deals.

Coconut Oil and Baby Oil |  My skin is very sensitive and doesn't always like skin care products. Especially on my face - but I have found that coconut oil is the best. I purchase mine from Amazon, but you can get it in a variety of stores.

And I have found that baby oil is perfect for before and after shaving legs. My legs are so soft and smooth and not irritated!



MOVIES & GAMES | I didn't get to the movies as often as I had wanted to but really I'm not sure there was much to see this year - except for these two movies!!!

Spider Man - The Homecoming | Was very thankful to hear that it wasn't another retelling of the same story but we just jumped in to his life. Loved that Iron Man was in it so much. Good family friendly movie.

Wonder Woman | I finally just saw this movie with my bestest girlfriend and we LOVED it - we both went home and put the theme music on our phones. I love any strong female movie - but this was awesome - especially if you love superheroes and where the theme is love conquers all. Highly recommend.

Ladder Golf | I think it was over a year ago we gave dad this game - ladder golf. And we finally got a chance to play with it at the cottage. Super easy and lots of fun - perfect for every age group. We even had a tournament and I'm sad to say Dad won lol!

Triominos | I was looking for a new game to take to the cottage and have on hand for when we have friends over and I found this one on Amazon. Another one that we played at the cottage!

BOOKS | I read several books this summer and still working away at a very long list - I love to read! I have two that have really stood out to me:

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen Flynn | I heard about this book through Jessica Turner's blog I believe and had to check it out. I love Jane Austen's books and have read so many different stories around here over the years but this one was completely different. Back cover:

Two researchers from the future are sent back in time to meet Jane Austen and recover a suspected unpublished novel.

ENGLAND, 1815:Two travelers—Rachel Katzman and Liam Finucane—arrive in a field, disheveled and weighed down with hidden money. They are not what they seem, but colleagues from a technologically advanced future, posing as wealthy West Indies planters—a doctor and his spinster sister. While Rachel and Liam aren’t the first team from the future to “go back,” their mission is by far the most audacious: meet, befriend, and steal from Jane Austen herself.

Carefully selected and rigorously trained by the Royal Institute for Special Topics in Physics, disaster-relief doctor Rachel and actor-turned-scholar Liam have little in common besides the extraordinary circumstances they find themselves in—circumstances that call for Rachel to stifle her independent nature and let Liam take the lead as they infiltrate Austen’s circle via her favorite brother, Henry.

But diagnosing Jane’s fatal illness and obtaining an unpublished novel hinted at in her letters pose enough of a challenge without the continuous convolutions of living a lie. While her friendship with Jane deepens and her relationship with Liam grows complicated, Rachel fights to reconcile her true self with the constrictions of nineteenth-century society. As their portal to the future prepares to close, Rachel and Liam struggle with their directive to leave history intact and exactly as they found it . . . however heartbreaking that may prove.

Me, Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild | My summer bible study read has been amazing. When I heard that Proverbs 31 was doing it as one of their online studies I knew I had to give it a try. So my bestie and I have been working away at it and are almost finished. We both have learned so much! My inner thought life is deep and complex and at times very difficult to deal with and I so appreciated the wisdom and guidance Jennifer provided with this study.

Back cover description:

Have you ever noticed the things you say to yourself―and believe?

I could never do that.
They don't like me.
I am such an idiot!

You wouldn't talk that way to anyone else, yet phrases like these constantly flow through your mind, leaving you insecure and defeated.

Jennifer Rothschild was there, as well, until she learned how to replace the lies with truth. With wisdom and authenticity, Jennifer will help you...

• silence the negative voices in your mind as you learn to speak kindly to your soul
• grow in confidence by replacing the lies that shackle you with the truth that sets you free
• overcome a lifetime of damaging self-talk by practicing godly and biblical soul-talk

Plus, you'll hear from Lysa TerKeurst, Laura Story, Lisa Whelchel, Stormie Omartian, and other popular authors and speakers as they share what they say when they talk to themselves.

FOOD AND DRINKS 

President's Choice Peach Ginger Sparking Soda | Friends of ours shared this with us at the beginning of the month and we have since purchased lots since. We took it to the cottage - perfect for the summer. Very refreshing, something different, sweet and tangy. 

Homemade strawberry jam and homemade bread | We/I ate A LOT of this over the summer. I love mom's strawberry jam and I make the bread with the dough setting in the bread machine. Super easy - homemade bread in 3 hours and I barely have to do anything! This is a summer comfort food for me.