March

March Madness

Was March long or what? It seems like forever ago that it was Stacey and Kelley's birthdays and St. Patrick's Day. So many activities and events and it will be that way until the end of the school year. Oh, and don't even get me started on actual March Madness...it's all glumsville around here. No one's teams are still in. Boo. Oh wait...not true. Tyler likes Puke...I mean Duke.

Kameron had his scout auction. He and Tyler hit the town getting donations. Kameron gets nervous about calling businesses and going in and talking to managers so it was a great experience for him...and he earned some merit badges helping to put this event together. It was extremely successful and he earned his camp money. He will be going on a week long white water rafting trip this summer. I will try to curb my irritation that the young women never even remotely earn even close to the same amount of money and encounter so many more complaints and obstacles with their fundraisers...but I digress. I will say that while we were out bid on the auction packages that I really wanted...it is totally cut throat in our ward...we did manage to win movie passes, a hotel stay, and dinner for two. Sweet.

There has also been A LOT of performing around here. Two band concerts and two choir concerts. Reilly did a fabulous job!!

Graduation is two months away...

This was my favorite song and it had me in tears. It is called Cain and was written by a composer from WA state. It is the Lord talking to Cain after he has killed Abel and asking him where is his brother and what has he done. The biblical songs really move me. The beautiful soprano that you hear ringing out is Reilly. (Reilly is on the top row, left side, third person.) I love to hear this girl sing. Goosebumps. The video quality is not great...it gets a bit better and more in focus... but you get the idea. There are a lot of quiet parts and a whisper at the end. Trust me, it was beautiful. Many of the kids in that choir are LDS and I heard for weeks how much they loved to sing that song.

We went out for ice cream afterwards to celebrate Reilly's last high school choir concert. She will still have her end of the year music department concert with band and orchestra but this is the last choir concert. :(

Ailey tried out for her 5th grade musical The Wizard of Oz and landed the part of Glenda the Good Witch. She is SUPER excited!! She had several pages of dialogue to memorize and is singing a cute solo. We found a perfect dress that will do double duty as her Glenda costume and as an Easter dress. SCORE!!

The glorious day that Ailey has been waiting for finally arrived. She got her BRACES!! She had to wait until that last stubborn baby tooth fell out. She was a total trooper and has done great with them. Her orthodontist's office is swanky with video games, hot chocolate, gift cards, prizes, online games, and all sorts of awesome swag. SO NOT like Dr. Jorgenson's office when I had my braces on for four long years. His office was dreary and dismal, not even any good magazines. and absolutely NO.SWAG.WHATSOEVER. Straight teeth were your reward.

Rocket the rocking horse finally bit the big one. It was a sad day. I got that rocking horse when I was two and named it after one of my Grandpa McKinnon's horses. Apparently I was such a crazy rocker and bouncer on that thing that my grandpa had to reinforce the foot rests and handles. I wore the factory ones out and he made new ones out of wood. I have many memories of bouncing away like maniac on that horse. When Reilly was born my Grandpa dug it out of storage (somehow it ended up back at his house) and Reilly bounced away for many years on ol' Rocket. This rocking horse was especially large and with his upgrade could bounce much older children. All four of my kids have loved this toy...and Elle too. A week ago Rocket took his last bounce and was never to bounce again. Two broken legs and sheered metal ended the poor horse's life. Bryn was beyond distraught. Those are real tears. I think my grandparents would have loved that that horse brought so much fun to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 40 years of joy. Goodbye old friend.

Such a sad Brynnie

On a happier note...Tyler and I have been having great success finding all kinds of amazing things for Farm Chicks this year. Our travels have taken us all over WA and Idaho. On this particular day we ended up in Newport and had fun seeing this:

The football field for Newport High School is named after a member of my family. Coincidentally just as I was snapping this picture I got an email from his son full of all kinds of Ellersick family genealogy. How crazy was that timing?

Then Elle had her birthday extravaganza and that was a lot of fun!! I can't believe Elle and Bryn are turning six already??!! They are super cute and so much fun. Elle was having a Cinderella family party this year.

They were so excited to go see Cinderella. They got to wear their dress-ups and make-up. Reilly and Justin stopped by Elle's house to eat pizza and to wish Elle a Happy Birthday. Reilly glitzed them up with make-up, glitter, and shimmer. They loved it.

Ailey refused to wear dress-ups but she didn't turn down some make-up and shimmer. Ha ha!!

The girls LOVED the movie and so did Kelley and I!! We were as into it as the girls were.

The only way that Bryn could keep her eyes open with the flash was to do this with her mouth. Ha ha. Maybe she needs to teach this trick to my mother!!

After the movie we headed back to Kelley's house to meet up with more family and for birthday cake.

Ailey and Dane...our cute little brace faces!!

Ailey and River. I LOVE this picture of them. River is getting so tall. She might just pass Ailey up!!

The Birthday Girl and her Mommy

Dane, River, Kameron, Elle, Bryn, and Ailey

That night we went out for Thai food at Linnie's. Stacey's sister-in-law Heidi was in town and it was fun to see her and catch up.

Kelley, Kris, Ty, Mom, Heidi, John and Stacey

This month has had a bunch of fun things going on...a scout camp out, fun times with friends and family, my friend had a cute new baby boy, lots of service opportunities, lots of laughs and parenting "therapy" with friends (so needed these days!!)

We also squeezed in a visit to my Mom's house and dinner at the delicious Trinity restaurant on Lake Pend Oreille.

We also ran around like crazy people barely knowing if we were coming or going. Thank goodness for the big calendar on the wall in our kitchen or we would never know where we were supposed to be and when.

This happened too...

The suburban has been in the shop for the last week. Annoying. Our mechanic is good and cheap but SLOW!!

We've had parent teacher conferences up the ying yang. Thank goodness all were good ones!! Smart and kind kids = happy parents = treats.

Kam being celebrated at Baskin Robbins but too cool for a picture. I tell you, one of the greatest ironies is when my teenagers tell me that they don't want their pictures or things about them posted on social media (my blog usually gets the okay though) because they don't want to be "humiliated" by me. HIL.AR.IOUS. Because nearly every day when I glance at their FB or Instagram accounts I cringe and am either completely horrified, somewhat humiliated, or completely mortified. Good grief...like I said irony...Particularly with 18 year olds in love. Gross. Thankfully after last week, Reilly has blocked me from her FB account and ignorance is bliss!! SHEER BLISS.

Enjoy this little video of Kameron trying to avoid me taking his picture:




I then attempted to capture his newly sprouted mini-moustache. That is definitely picture worthy!! He should be proud, it took his dad until we were engaged to have a mini-moustache like that!! Rage in your manliness, Kameron. Also, his voice has suddenly gotten so deep. He sounds just like Tyler. It freaks me out. He might even end up with a extra deep voice like his Uncle Brett. 14 year old boys are awesome even when they hate having their pictures taken.

Now we are preparing for Easter. What no April Fool's Day fun you ask? No. I guess that it is probably the one holiday that we don't celebrate unless you count me calling Tyler every year at work to say that the car has broken down and him freaking out every year. It never gets old! This year I refrained since our other car was already broken down and I didn't think his heart, even stent enhanced, could handle it. So yeah...nothing.

But onto Easter...we have been following Holy Week starting on Palm Sunday and it has been an amazing experience. We have been reading scriptures, watching videos, and following Christ through His last week of life. I want to do it every year. It has really brought the Spirit into this Easter season in a wonderful way...and it has been a great way to prepare for General Conference.

Happy Easter and Hello April!!

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Okay...talk about delayed gratification. I'm pretty proud of myself. This is Book 8 in the Outlander Series. This is a series that I have been reading for over 20 years. I read the first book when Tyler and I were dating. There are generally four years between each book. It is excruciating but definitely worth the pain. This series is my all-time favorite series of books. Hands down. This book came out at the end of May of 2014. Tyler bought me an early edition autographed copy for my birthday in June. I was ecstatic. Then I put it out of view on a shelf to wait for just the right time to read it. Even though I REALLY REALLY wanted to dive right into this enormous book, all 825 delicious pages of it. But I refused. The perfect time arrived in January. My least favorite month of the year. I needed something to cozy up and get through January with...off the shelf it came. But... even though I could have finished it in a weekend, I again delayed gratification. The book is divided up into several parts... after I read Part 1...I would read another book or two. Then I would read Part 2...and read another book or two. I did that over and over again.  I HAD to spread it out. Four years between books is a horrible amount of time to wait! I stretched reading this book from January through yesterday. Woohoo. Now only another 3 1/2 years to wait. It was totally worth it.

From Goodreads:

WRITTEN IN MY OWN HEART’S BLOOD is the eighth novel in the world-famous OUTLANDER series. In June of 1778, the world turns upside-down. The British army withdraws from Philadelphia, George Washington prepares to move from Valley Forge in pursuit, and Jamie Fraser comes back from the dead to discover that his best friend has married Jamie’s wife. The ninth Earl of Ellesmere discovers to his horror that he is in fact the illegitimate son of the newly-resurrected Jamie Fraser (a rebel _and_ a Scottish criminal!) and Jamie’s nephew Ian Murray discovers that his new-found cousin has an eye for Ian’s Quaker betrothed. Meanwhile, Claire Fraser deals with...the fear that one of her husbands may have murdered the other. And in the 20th century, Jamie and Claire’s daughter Brianna is thinking that things are probably easier in the 18th century: her son has been kidnapped, her husband has disappeared into the past, and she’s facing a vicious criminal... 

Again, I love this series. I am pretty much a fanatic. I subscribe to YouTube channels, websites, and blogs that discuss every in and out and hypotheses of this series. I read all the novellas and side novels. Outlander is a world unto itself. 22 years ago, when we were dating, I pretty much forced Tyler to read the first book because he seriously couldn't understand why I would rather read a book than pay attention to him for a weekend. (He wasn't a reader at the time and had no idea about getting caught up in book.) I made him read Outlander and he loved it and also discovered a love of reading. He has since read all the books and will probably finish Book 8 in the next day or so. He too has delayed gratification so that we could read it together. We can talk about this series and all it's mysteries, intrigues, and theories for hours. HOURS. Nerdy as that is...it's true...and we love it.

This book was wonderful. If I have one little critique it is that I am getting a wee bit tired of all the medical procedures Claire does and all the minute details that go into these scenes. One or two okay...twenty or more...yawn. I also loved how this book ended and I don't think I have ever said that at the end of any of the other seven books in the series. I am counting down the days until Book 9.

My Rating: Fabulous.

 The Martian by Andy Weir

This book took me by surprise. I normally don't get into Sci-Fi but this was amazing. I saw it on one of my friend's goodreads lists and I was intrigued. It looked interesting and, believe me, it was!!

From Goodreads:

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first men to walk on the surface of Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first man to die there. It started with the dust storm that holed his suit and nearly killed him, and that forced his crew to leave him behind, sure he was already dead. Now he's stranded millions of miles from the nearest human being, with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive--and even if he could get word out, his food would be gone years before a rescue mission could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to get him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills--and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit--he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. But will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him? 

Oh.My.Gosh!! I COULD NOT stop reading this book. Wow. I loved it. I was hooked instantly and I had to know what was going to happen next to Mark Watney. What a great character! He is awesome. I was rooting for him from the start and continued throughout this intense survival against all odds type of story. The book is sciency and full of technical jargon. I didn't understand half of what Mark was doing and I DIDN'T CARE!! The story was so good. I was up until all hours of the night reading my Kindle in the dark. The last 1/3 of the book had me in an absolute panic wondering what was going to happen next. It was awesome!! On a side note, there is a lot of language, but I am sure that if I was stranded on Mars I'd be saying the F-word too.

My Rating: A spectacular surprise!! I loved it.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

From Goodreads:

In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book  full of words to live by.

I thought that this book was okay. There were some seriously funny parts, some not so funny parts, and some raunchy parts. I didn't love it as much as I thought I would and that was disappointing. But, I didn't dislike it either. I wished I would've listened to the audio book version. I think it would've been funnier read by Amy. (I am currently listening to the audio book of Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan and it is making a huge difference. I think it is the way to go when reading books by comedians.)

My Rating: So-So. Try it as an audio book.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Book two of the series about the Fae that I got sucked into...hated...and am still reading. The writing still sucks and the main character is still annoying. But...I'm on book three.

From Goodreads:

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh–a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious. For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

My Rating: Annoying and addictive because you STILL have no idea what is going on.

St. Patrick's Day 2015

St. Patrick's Day

Okay, remember the woman that posted on Facebook constantly about how much she hated Valentine's Day? Well, she was back in full force on St. Patrick's Day. She was irritated by all the posts from people in their green and their revelry. Good grief. So, of course, I felt compelled to post multiple pictures on both FB and Instagram. I get it. The holidays aren't your thing. Okay. But why do you feel the need to poop on everyone else's parade? If people are having fun, enjoying life, being festive, and you don't feel that way...scroll on by. Why do you feel the need to post your negative comments? Annoying, but no surprise. I get it that life is hard, stressful, painful, and what have you...BELIEVE ME... I KNOW! But for the most part, happiness is a choice, not always...sometimes really horrible things happen and you just can't be happy... or you have clinical depression or something like that...but for the most part it is.

One of the greatest gifts that my mother has given to me is the ability to find joy in the little things of life...the simple pleasures. That is a life skill that has served me well especially since life hasn't always gone my way and I have had to adapt to a lot of things. It is also a life skill I am REALLY hoping that my children inherit. It makes life so much better. Be silly once in a while, don't take yourself too seriously, have a sense of humor, find joy...even if you have to look really really hard. Put on a leprechaun hat and dance an Irish jig once in a while even if you aren't Irish...which I am thanks to my Miley side of the family. Or don't...and that's okay. You don't have be negative on every social media site you can find. That said... The Johnsons had a good time.

I decorated three days prior, scrounged up green outfits for the kids, painted little girls nails (and mine) a horrible shade of green, bought food for an Irish feast, green lunches, and Lucky Charms for breakfast, took the kids to get shamrock shakes after school at my most hated McDonalds, ate our feast, wore silly hats, danced to Irish music, watched Darby O'Gill and the Little People and had a good time. This year there were no leprechaun traps set the night before (which I hate) and no leprechaun antics (which I also hate). Although Bryn did make a trap for school and they set it there. Hooray. Some years are particularly festive like this one and some aren't quite so much but we always do something to celebrate. I enjoyed reading a lengthy group text from my siblings and mom about what they were all doing to celebrate too.

My kids really enjoy green lunches especially since their normal lunch consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat, a piece of fruit, pretzels, and water every.single.day. Pure junk food on St. Patrick's Day doesn't hurt anyone and they love it. Even my high school senior who never eats lunch these days and my middle schooler who only takes a package of cheese crackers or a granola bar for lunch (too busy socializing) wanted green lunch too. Reilly left the house super early for seminary and I hadn't made them yet so I brought hers to school for her. My kids like to be surprised so I have to put them in brown bags and staple them closed.

This year's contents:

I set the table and made homemade bread, tons and tons of boiled veggies and cabbage (my kids LOVE them), corned beef  (for me and Tyler), a rainbow fruit platter and dip, my grandma's green punch, and Trisha Yearwood's Key Lime Cake. It was good. My family likes their veggies doused in malt vinegar and horseradish cream. Me too!

We put on our funny hats and blared the Irish music...

Here is the picture I wasn't allowed to post on FB or Instagram but WAS allowed to post on the ol' blog and, thank goodness, because it is clearly awesome.

Crazy eyes and all!!

Reilly had to work and missed out on most of the festivities...a sign of things to come. Graduation is only about 2 months away. Wow. See, having to adapt to things right there!!

Anyway...hopefully you all had a good St. Patrick's Day or didn't. Either way we can still be friends!! :) Tyler refused to wear green during the day and I still love him. But don't be annoying on FB, okay?

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

This author came highly recommended by a friend of mine. She has read nearly every book written by Georgette Heyer and I was excited to see what this author was all about.

From Goodreads:

When the redoubtable Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on Diplomatic Business he parks his only daughter Sophy with his sister's family, the Ombersleys, in Berkeley Square.
Upon her arrival, Sophy is bemused to see to see her cousins are in a sad tangle. The heartless and tyrannical Charles is betrothed to a pedantic bluestocking almost as tiresome as himself; Cecilia is besotted with a beautiful but quite feather-brained poet; and Hubert has fallen foul of a money-lender.
It looks like the Grand Sophy has arrived just in time to sort them out, but she hasn't reckoned with Charles, the Ombersleys' heir, who has only one thought - to marry her off and rid the family of her meddlesome ways.


I love a good well-written Regency novel! This book was an entertaining and delightful way to pass a snowy afternoon during the holidays. It is somewhat Austenesque with it's romance, humor, domestic issues, and entanglements. It is funny and charming and I laughed out loud throughout the book.

The one thing that keeps it from being a five star read is there is a negative stereotypical description of a Jewish moneylender in one scene which is unfortunate. I realize that this book was written in 1950 and perhaps reflects the stereotypes of the time. Still, it made me uncomfortable. I have heard that some editions have removed some of the more objectionable descriptions in this scene.

Despite that one particular scene, I enjoyed Heyer's writing, characters, and dialogue. I will definitely read another one of her novels.

My Rating: Good.


Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure

I admire and respect Candace Cameron Bure. It isn't easy to stand up for what you believe especially when your morals, values, and beliefs aren't what happen to be popular at the time. It still boggles my mind that we live in a time when believing in and following the tenets of the Bible makes you controversial. Crazy. I appreciate how outspoken she is about her religious beliefs and the role model that she is to many, it is quite a rarity in Hollywood these days.

From Goodreads:

In Reshaping It All, she... inspire(s) women to embrace a healthier lifestyle by moving faith to the forefront, making wise choices, and finding their worth in the eyes of God. Candace shares a candid account of her struggle with food and ultimately her healthy outlook on weight despite the toothpick-thin expectations of Hollywood. More than a testimony, here is a motivational tool that will put readers on the right track and keep them there. In addition to practical advice, Candace offers a biblical perspective on appetite and self control that provides encouragement to women, guiding them toward freedom.

Although this book is about weight loss and healthy living it also encompasses her Christian faith and how that influences everything she does in her life, including health and fitness. She uses scripture to motivate and encourage. As a woman of faith, I appreciated the scriptural references and did find encouragement therein. But, for the most part, the book is just good old common sense. Nothing new or earth-shattering here. Eat less, move more, love God, serve others, be grateful etc.

If a faith-based health and fitness book is what you are looking for, you would enjoy this book. If it is not, you probably won't.

My Rating: Not Bad.


Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Okay, I am one of those people who like to read cookbooks cover to cover. I like recipes, descriptions, and the accompanying stories. I enjoyed settling down with this cookbook and looking for a little culinary inspiration. While I did enjoy my perusal, I didn't find as much inspiration as I was hoping for. Like Trisha's other cookbooks, it is pretty basic...better than the first one...but still basic. I did collect a couple of cake recipes to try and that is something. My family loves cake and it is always a staple at Sunday dinner so I am excited to try the Strawberry Cake and the Key Lime Cake but that is about it. It is a good cookbook for a beginning cook that is looking for easy recipes with a bit of southern flare.

My Rating: Okay


Good Call by Jase Robertson

This book surprised me. Jase one of my very favorite Robertsons. I love his dry wit. I was expecting it to be hilarious. It wasn't. This book shows a very different serious...and yet...spiritual side of Jase Robertson. I was impressed with his testimony and his deep personal faith. I enjoyed learning more about who he is and his own family with Missy. This book isn't as light-hearted as the other Robertson family books. It is heavy on scripture and doctrine. He is preaching God's word throughout. This book definitely reflects who he is as man rather than who he often appears to be on the TV show. Also, there is ALOT about ducks, frogs, and hunting, obviously. I appreciated learning more about the trials and triumphs that have made him who he is today. I especially liked reading about his daughter Mia and the love and inspiration that she shares with those around her.

I respect Jase. I respect that this book isn't like the others.

My Rating: Sincere

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning

This book came highly recommended to me. Like gushingly recommended. This is not my usual genre of books. Dark fantasy...the Fae. Nope. Not interested. But because I had been told that I would absolutely love it, I decided to give it a chance. Did I love it? No. But it did hook me and now I am embarrassed to admit that I am on book three of the series.

From Goodreads:

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

Let's get down to business, the writing is terrible. The character of MacKayla is annoying. But the world that Moning creates is somewhat interesting. I have never read anything about the Fae (dark fairy types) so it was all new to me. Maybe that is why I found it interesting. This series has a tremendous amount of hype. So many people, on goodreads in particular, say that this is their "favorite book series". Hmm...really? Maybe they need to read more books. I equate this series with the House on Tradd Street books written by Karen White but with more awkward sexuality. Awful writing, cringe worthy dialogue, an annoying female protagonist, and yet the books are addictive. You just want to know what is going on!! This book takes you on a dark ride and leaves you with more questions than answers. It was super annoying and I don't know who I would recommend this series to...probably no one...but like I said I am on the third book...and I still don't know what is going on!! I just want to know who Jericho Barrons really is?! Is that too much to ask?

My Rating: Irritating and dumb and yet I am still reading.

The Splendor Falls by Susanna Kearsley

I am a big Susanna Kearsley fan. I've read nearly all of her books and I really like them. I really liked this one too. When I read this, it had been a while since I had read a book that really sucked me in and kept me reading. (I hate it when I am in a reading rut.) But this book did just that during a bleak January and it was wonderful.

From Goodreads:

Chinon-chateau of legend, steeped in the history of France and England. It is to Chinon that Emily goes on a long-awaited holiday, to meet her charming but unreliable cousin, Harry. Harry wanted to explore the old town and the castle, where Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, had withstood the siege of Chinon many centuries ago, and where, according to legend, she hid her casket of jewels. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared, and as she tries to find him she becomes involved with some of the other guests and learns of a mystery dating from the German occupation during the Second World War. Another Isabelle, a chambermaid at the hotel, fell in love with a German soldier, with tragic results. Emily becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves; as she explores the city, with its labyrinthine dungeons and tunnels and its ancient secrets, she comes ever closer to the mystery of what happened to both the Isabelles of Chinon's history.

Susanna Kearsley is famous for her dual story lines. I LOVED that there wasn't one this time. There were some flashbacks and stories told but the plot and the characters stayed in the present. It was nice. There wasn't much along the lines of the paranormal either but it didn't matter. Kearsley writes such great characters and sometimes I don't want to go into the past...I like the present characters. This book was a great respite from all that flipping back and forth. I worry that Kearsley is getting too formulaic...aka too many dual story lines...in her later books and I hope that she changes things up a bit in the future.

I love the way she writes about the towns and settings where her novels take place. She does a fantastic job with her wonderful and enticing descriptions and creating atmosphere. I am adding Chinon to my list of future travel destinations.

Perhaps this wasn't her most exciting book or most interesting love story, but it was still a wonderful escape to France full of romance and mystery. That is always a good thing!

My Rating: An engaging read.



Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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Oh boy! Do I love me some Ray Bradbury!! He conjures up memories of required reading in junior high and high school. The Veldt, All Summer in a Day, Something Wicked This Way Comes. Stories that have stayed with me for decades. When I was in jr. high the boy I liked, who was older and wiser, as in already in high school, told me that reading Bradbury would make me cool. I'm pretty sure that he was right. When I was first introduced to Bradbury's writings it was like nothing I had ever read before and I was hooked. From his short stories to his novels I read and loved it all.

Imagine my joy when I was at back-to-school night this year for my middle school son and heard that they would be reading Fahrenheit 451 that semester. I decided to re-read it so I could discuss it with my son. I kept telling him. "You are going to LOVE this book!"

From Goodreads:

The terrifyingly prophetic novel of a post-literate future. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books.

Did he love it? No. His exact words, "What's so great about it? It's just another dystopian society book but boring." What?! Boring?! After my re-read I could understand his feelings a bit. In today's world nearly every other YA novel is a dystopian society and authors are competing to out do each other with weirder and weirder tales. This book did seem a bit tame in comparison...but not in vision and artistry. Yes, it is weird and bleak but it is also brilliant. It requires you to actually think and analyze. The assumptions. the symbolism, the layered meanings. What does the story mean to you, personally, and at different stages of life, and for society?  Each generation seems to see something different. Even Bradbury changed his mind a few times as to what it was all about. This book requires you to think!! Engage!! Ponder!!

On this read through there were many things I loved... Beatty's rant about how their society ended up the way it was...

It didn’t come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick.” 

I loved Bradbury's 1953 vision of the future and of technology that has proven to be eerily on the mark. His warning for society is just as relevant today in 2015 as it was 1953, actually more so.

Perhaps there is less action...less drama...no love triangles. The book still stands and I loved it all.


My Rating: Haunting, Sad, and Brilliant

So how about you? Read any good books lately?

Flashback Friday

Childhood Flashback

One morning before school the girls were playing with some vintage phones that we have. My kids have grown up playing house with them, but I recently added the old rotary phone to the collection. The rotary phone pretty much blew their minds and they couldn't keep their hands off of it. There is something so tactilely satisfying about these old phones...all the button pushing and dialing. The girls played for quite awhile with these phones, all the while talking in English accents, because apparently that is what you do when playing with "antiques". Very cute.

You know how you have muscle memory? My fingers apparently have dialing memory. One touch of that old rotary phone and I was dialing my grandparents phone number in Provo, Utah. Ask me what their old phone number was and I doubt I could just rattle it off, but my fingers remembered and happily dialed away. Crazy. Pushing the buttons on the pink phone and my fingers could remember all kinds of phone numbers thought long forgotten. Sometimes I miss using those old heavy phones, twisting the cord around in my fingers, stretching it nearly beyond it's capacity to stretch, and I dearly miss those sweet voices who can no longer answer my call.

When I was a teenager I talked and talked on the phone to my parents great annoyance. So much so that our parrot Maxwell Alexander Ferdinand the Bird would screech "Kristin!!!" every time the phone rang. People trying to call for my parents would get an endless busy signal. Remember those days? To solve this problem my parents installed a second line in our house to deal with the high call volume of their teenage daughters. It was thrilling!! I remember telling people "If you want to call me and my sisters this is OUR phone number." It felt so glamorous and sophisticated. Now even my 10 year old has her own phone number. Ha ha. So much for sophistication and glamour. In our house in Springdell, "our phone" sat on a little desk in the nook by the window in the hallway outside our bedrooms. When that thing would ring three girls would race for it! It was so exciting. That cord was all stretched out from it being pulled into our bedrooms and bathroom. When we moved to Kansas City, the phone and our private line was installed in my bedroom...by then a CORDLESS phone...I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Don't even get me started on the joy I felt when my high school boyfriend, Aaron, bought me my very own answering machine...complete with he and his brother Nate's own custom Hans and Franz message on it. "Hello! We are Hans and Franz and we are here to pump you up! But if you are calling for Kristin, Stacey, or Kelley they are not here so LEAVE A MESSAGE! Unless you are a girly-man and then you better hang up right now!..." and that's all I remember. Ha ha!!

It is so funny that my children VERY rarely chat on the phone. They text constantly or occasionally face time with their friends but when their phones do ring and someone is actually calling to TALK to them they get a weird look on their faces like "What do THEY want?!" I admit sometimes I do that too. How times have changed!!

PS...Maxwell the parrot is still alive and well and screeching my name in Kansas City. I love it.

Birthdays

Birthday Celebrations

This week two of my sisters have birthdays. One is a pretty significant birthday too. Stacey is turning 40!! Woohoo. Kelley has two more years before she joins the 40 club. A bunch of us met up on Saturday for brunch and a day of fun while my future sister-in-law, Meki, was in town on business.

We met at one of my all-time favorite restaurants...Chaps. It is owned by one of our dear friends, Celeste. This place is so fun and so cool. The decor is amazing and the food is spectacular. Let me illustrate this point... I ordered oatmeal. For reals. Who goes to a fabulous restaurant for brunch and orders oatmeal? I do!! That is how truly divine it is...even boring old oatmeal (which this is NOT!) is out of this world. It is a baked, custardy, velvety, blueberry oatmeal pudding served with cold heavy cream. It is so darn good. Anyway... it was great to see Celeste. Chaps and her cute store Lucky Detour (also a favorite of ours) were robbed and completely ransacked the previous weekend. My heart broke for Celeste. She has put so much love, time, and attention into creating these wonderful places in Spokane and to have them broken into and ransacked hurt my heart. Celeste, of course, is amazing and has the most fantastic attitude but still... it was awful...and we were so glad to be there to show her our love and support.

Stacey, Kelley, and I each had a kid with us and it actually made it extra fun. Ailey was definitely due for a little mother/daughter/aunts/cousins/grandma time and she loved every single minute. Having Meki there was also a fun bonus!!

Elle, Dane, and Ailey just chillin' at Chaps.

Having cousins there allowed the rest of us to be able to talk, catch up on all that has been going on, and enjoy our meals while they had fun together. These three were wonderful and we had fun with them all day. Dane especially was a great sport!

Elle helping her mom open her presents.

Stacey opening her gifts.

After that we headed over to Lucky Detour to do a little shopping and to show Celeste's cute store to Meki. These two cute girls found a soft comfy spot to sit on this gorgeous vintage sofa.

I missed having Bryn in on all of this fun but she had a great day hanging out with Tyler and Kameron. She's not used to having the guys all to herself and she loved it! Reilly was working all day and missed out on the fun too. Bummer.

After a little shopping, we headed over to Kelley's house for a bit until Meki had to catch her flight back to Salt Lake. We have a sweet little nephew on the way who is actually due on Kirk's birthday in August. Kaiden will be the cutest big brother!! We are super excited.

After that it was mani/pedi time. We were able to get all of us in without too much trouble. Adults on one side and kids on the other. Even Dane got in on the action!! Everyone appreciates a well groomed man. ;)

A few selfies...

After that it was onto ice cream and the fun continued. It was a great day celebrating my sisters' birthdays and spending time together. We are lucky to live near each other and to be able to have "girls days". We, of course, missed Jordin and Kirk.

Happy Birthday Kelley and Stacey!! 

Love you Sissies!!