31 Days of Change

Last October, I joined a blog challenge called 31 Days of Change. I enjoyed it so much that I have began  planning this year's challenge in July! My theme this year will be:

I had several areas of our home that were "hidden" (and "not so hidden") that needed organizing, so the inspiration of the challenge helped me accomplish these projects. I really do love to organize things. I also tend to procrastinate when it comes to organizing. I have found some very helpful ideas that I hope to pass on to you during this month. Some of these ideas may seem like "duh everybody does that" but there are those out there that have never thought about easy ways to get the clutter under control and therefore shove it in a closet or under a bed (gasp!) They are to whom this series is dedicated to. So join me throughout the month of October and tackle those "hidden" areas before the holiday season sets in!

52 Weeks Book Challenge

This week I decided to review a new book series for teens by Colleen Coble. You may recognize her name because I read her Rock Harbor Series earlier in the year. This teen series is called Rock Harbor Search and Rescue. It's heroine is eighth-grader Emily O'Reilly. She was a child in the original Rock Harbor series. Her step-mom is part of a search and rescue dog team which Emily has always longed to join. Emily started a jewelry making business to save up money to buy a puppy to start training. She decides to get a booth to sell her jewelry at a local fall festival. A renowned jewelry artist, who Emily admires greatly, asks her to watch her booth for her while she goes to the ladies room. When she returns she noticed her most expensive piece of jewelry missing and the blame falls on Emily. Emily is determined to prove her innocence but she isn't prepared for all the surprises she will find along the way. I would recommend this book for teens with a small caution to parent that it does involve a story line about a local Indian folk-lore belief. I was impressed how the author had the Christian teen stand up for her beliefs and also witness the truth in love to another young person from the Indian tribe that held on to the false belief system. I saw that the next book in the series is due out October 8th of this year!

52 Weeks Book Challenge

The second book I read this week was A sister's Secret by Wanda E. Brunstetter. Grace Hostettler returns to Holmes County, Ohio and her family after her 'rumschpringe'. She joins the Amish church and life is beginning to look "normal" once again. Grace is engaged to an upstanding Amishman, Cleon Schrock but will the new life she has planned be put in jeopardy when reporter Gary Walker shows up in town? Will he reveal Grace's secret? And just about the same time that Gary shows up in town, acts of vandalism on Grace's family home start. Do they point to Gary as the culprit? This book is the first in the Sister's of Holmes County series. I did enjoy this book but it leave you at a cliffhanger so now to begin the second book!

52 Weeks Book Challenge

 I finished the Kristen Heitzmann series this week with book 3 "Echoes". This book brings us back to the Sonoma Valley to the villa Rese has restored. Soon to follow, Luke's sister Sofie, finds the beginnings of a new life for her there. The villa, once restored as an inn, is now housing a rag-tag teem of misfits, all being cared for and becoming a family. One day, a young Mexican teen, pregnant and homeless, is brought to the villa. Once the baby arrives, social services is brought into the picture. Case worker Matt Hammond is taken in with the love that is part of this "family". He is also intrigued by the beautiful Sofie with the poise of a dancer and scars on each wrist. What is her story? I was sad to see this trilogy end. 

Summer Highlights

It is time for Vee's note card party again. This is only my second time linking up with the party but I love seeing the wonderful pictures that the talented bloggers post.  Check out the party at 


I decided to share some of the highlights of our summer. Enjoy!

We had a great summer. Hope you did too!

52 Books in 52 Weeks

Well I have been busy reading but too busy to post more book reviews. In the past few weeks I have read three more books. First was Peter Pan by J.M. Barre. I have always wanted to read the original unabridged book so I took the oppurtunity to also read it out loud to Abi. We have both enjoyed this classic tale of the little boy who never grew up. 

For  my own reading, I found the book Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann. This book opens in a hospital room in Brooklyn N.Y. Lance Machelli's Nonna (Grandmother in Italian) has had a stroke and the family is keeping a "vigil" for her at the hospital. In a moment alone, with great effort, she communicates to Lance that he needs to find "something" or "someone" and make things right. She sends him on a trip to Liguaria Italy to visit a cousin who can communicate some of Nonna's wishes. From there, Lance follows a trail of "secrets" that leads him to a villa in Sonoma California. But he still doesn't have the whole picture of what it is he is looking for. The owner of the villa, Rese Bennet, hires him as a cook and maid for her new Bed & Breakfast she is opening at the villa. One thing leads to another and Lance finds himself seeking more at the villa than the secrets he has come to expose. 

Unforgotten is book two in this series by Kristen Heitzmann. After the secrets are revealed in book 1, Lance returns to Brooklyn to bring his findings to Nonna. Being around the old neighborhood brings back memories, some good-some not so good. In the end it leads to more discoveries about the life that Nonna led before she married Lance's Nonno. Another mystery is revealed which begins to put a strain on the budding relationship between Lance and Rese. When will all the secrets end? Not with this book- it's number 2 in series. 

Family Night Friday

We usually try to have Family Night on Friday's so I thought that might make an interesting  blog series. This week Zack and Britni left the grand-babies with us while they went out to dinner(as a belated Anniversary gift). We started the night off by enjoying "Crock-pot Orange Chicken", served over rice, made by Nonna. It was delicious but I forgot to take a picture so you will have to use your imagination. Next Aunt Abi and Alex played with blocks......

 Made funny faces at Poppi...........

 Wrestled with Aunt Abi...........

Snuggled with Nonna.......

Then, Alex dumped an entire box of Cheese-its on the floor (didn't get a picture of that either!) Soooo.....to change the atmosphere...........

We went for a walk/bike ride.......

Belle is not too sure about this.

And after all that....Zack and Britni came back and the big people had coffee and watched a big people movie and the little people watched a little people movie on Nana & Poppi's bed. Not fancy but lots of family fun!