I Am Thankful For:
Foggy mornings
Plums
Veggie wraps
When a Bible verse speaks to my circumstances
Knowing it's all under control
Easy returns
When things seem to fall into p!ace
Pups eating watermelon
Books
Allergy eye drops
Puppy play date
My home office is finally (mostly) done
A long hike with the family
Not getting too close to the rattlesnake
Lemonade slush
I Am Thankful For:
My home
Spotting a bluebird on our walk
Iced coffee
The falling tree branch didn't cause any damage
Neighbors helping out
Making lunch plans with my dad
New photos for my Etsy shop
Bumblebees
Watching a movie with the grandkid
Lunch outside
Family stories
Pretty tops
The "Zoomies"
Baking cookies with the grandkid
My husband
Love
Watermelon ale
Rain
Honestly, if you asked me - I would probably say that I don't care for thrillers. Yet, I always read a few each year and almost always end up enjoying them. So... take that for what it is. One fine example of this is my most recent read: When The Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain.
Anna Hart is a missing persons detective in San Francisco. When tragedy strikes her personal life, Anna, desperate and numb, flees to the Northern California village of Mendocino to grieve. She lived there as a child with her beloved foster parents, and now she believes it might be the only place left for her. Yet the day she arrives, she learns a local teenage girl has gone missing. The crime feels frighteningly reminiscent of the most crucial time in Anna's childhood, when the unsolved murder of a young girl touched Mendocino and changed the community forever.
As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment. The most difficult lessons of her life have given her insight into how victims come into contact with violent predators. As Anna becomes obsessed with the missing girl, she must accept that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.
Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives--and our faith in one another. (Description from GoodReads)
I have very much enjoyed Paula McLain's novels of historical fiction that I read but was a little hesitant to read this mystery/suspense novel.
After personal tragedy shakes up the life of Anna Hart, a detective who specializes in finding missing children, she flees to the small town where she found comfort from her troubled childhood with her loving and supportive (and now deceased) foster parents. When she arrives, she finds that a young girl has recently disappeared and quickly becomes tangled up in the investigation.
When the Stars Go Dark expertly combines the fictional tale of the search for a missing girl in northern California with references to real-life missing person cases from the same time period, such as the disappearance of Polly Klaas.
I founded the story a little slow to start. It took me a while to get through about the first third of the book. But once it got rolling, I didn't want to put it down.
My one warning about this book is that if you are sensitive to books that contain child abuse/neglect, murder and/or violence, or sexual assault - give this one a pass.
Last week was a good week. Max, fortunately, went right back to his usual sleep habits. My dad is feeling a lot better and we met for lunch on Thursday. I got a lot accomplished when it came to my goals for the week. And we celebrated our daughter's 29th birthday.
One thing from last week that's really sticking with me is a dream I had one night about my maternal grandfather who has been gone for several years. In the dream, he was still alive but we knew he was going to pass soon. I was at his home with several other people, all of us wanting to be there with him in his final moments. I'm not sure who they all were - I couldn't really see them. They were mostly just shadowy figures in the dream. I was sitting beside his chair and singing "You Are My Sunshine" to him. A song I always identify with him due to a memory of him singing it when I was just a little kid. Usually, I can only remember bits and pieces of my dreams, or just a feeling that lingers from it. But this one was incredibly vivid and I can recall so much detail from it.
Do you typically remember your dreams?
As I said earlier, I did a pretty good job accomplishing all my goals for last week. I didn't do so great with the daily walking. And we had to reschedule our planned hike due to a high chance of rain and thunderstorms that day. But other than those two - I got everything completed that I had prioritized for last week.
Yay, me!! Now, let's keep that momentum rolling into this week...
Goals For This Week:
I love it when Thursday rolls around. It's my time to look back at my gratitude journal for the past week, reflect on how much I have to be thankful for, and share some of those things with you! My hope is that it inspires you to also think about the many blessings in your own life.
I Am Thankful For:
My dad being discharged from the hospital
Leftovers for lunch
Peaceful days
Having a good, much-needed cry
My hydrangeas
The birds singing early in the morning
The grand kid's laughter
When my husband says "I love you"
A surprise bouquet of flowers
Soft puppy ears
A quiet afternoon
An afternoon storm
Stretching outside my comfort zone
Daisies growing in the yard
At-home pedicures
Birthday gift ideas
Grilled steak
The smell of fresh ground coffee
Fireflies
Summer breezes
I've been a fan of Chris Bohjalian for years. My favorites among his works include Midwives (which was my introduction to this author), The Sandcastle Girls, and The Night Strangers. So, when I saw that he was releasing a new novel of historical fiction, I couldn't wait to read it!
Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four years old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England, she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbor is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary--a woman who harbors secret desires and finds it difficult to tolerate the brazen hypocrisy of so many men in the colony--soon finds herself the object of suspicion and rumor. When tainted objects are discovered buried in Mary's garden, when a boy she has treated with herbs and simples dies, and when their servant girl runs screaming in fright from her home, Mary must fight to not only escape her marriage but also the gallows. A twisting tightly plotted thriller from one of our greatest storytellers, Hour of the Witch is a timely and terrifying novel of socially sanctioned brutality and the original American witch hunt. (description via GoodReads )
I'm running behind and it's only Monday. I'm going to blame it on being so incredibly tired.
Last night, my dachshund Max did not want to go to sleep. He went in his crate as usual when we went to bed. And then he spent the next hour whining. I thought, ok.. maybe he needs to go potty. So, I took him out, he did his business, and then right back to the crate. After another 30 minutes of whining, I started to get worried (since he was so sick recently) so I took him out and went to the living room with him. Where he wanted to play!! He squeaked his ball and ran around for a while. I was not a happy dog mom. Finally, about a quarter to one when he settled in with his chew bone, I decided enough was enough and if he wanted to gnaw on his chew toy for a while, he could do it in his crate. Back he went. He did whine a couple of times, but then quieted and went to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night. All I can think is that maybe he didn't get as much activity during the day yesterday as usual, so I am making a point of playing with him more today in hopes that we have a better night tonight.
I'm already feeling exhausted due to the lack of sleep. I also have two nasty bug bites on my arm. When I first got them on Saturday afternoon the whole arm itched like crazy. It's not that bad now, but I have two huge welts that are both itchy enough to have me taking Benedryl. Which, of course, only makes me even sleepier. I could really use an iced coffee, but I know if I drink another one now in the middle of the afternoon - I'll have trouble falling asleep tonight.
This lack of energy is going to make it challenging to accomplish my goals for this week, but I'm not letting that stop me from setting them and making a good effort to check them off the list.
Goals For This Week:
Sometimes something that seems so terrible when it's happening can give us so much to give thanks for once it's over. On the fourth of July, I was woken up by a phone call telling me that my dad had been taken to the ER with chest pains. I was immediately having flashbacks to that day almost two years ago when we nearly lost him to a heart attack before he underwent a triple bypass. Fortunately, it wasn't a heart attack this time. His heart cath did show a blockage in the fourth artery, which they were able to open with a stint. He's now home and recovering well. And if that isn't something to be thankful for - I don't know what is!
I Am Thankful For:
The medicine for the dog is working
Goldfinches at the feeder
When you realize that it's not as late as you thought
Pork tacos
Baking cupcakes with the grandkid
The dogs meeting a new friend
Things that make me laugh
Long weekends
Having lunch with the Man of the House
Beautiful new yarn
Cute new accessories for the doggies
Taking a day trip with the Man of the House
Max finishing his medicine
French fries and a milkshake
Modern medicine
My dad is going to be ok
Fireworks
Happy July! Time for some cookouts, ball games, vacations, and fireworks! Whether you have all, only some, or none of these things planned for this month - I hope you are going to have a wonderful July.
June just felt a little "off" to me, if that makes any sense. I was about 50/50 on goals. Except for a few little details, the office is finally cleaned out and mostly organized. I'm not done with my crochet top, but all I have left is joining the pieces and washing/blocking. I did update my Etsy about page and a few listings. And I cleaned out the pantry. I didn't do 15 minutes of physical activity a day, because... well - I'm lazy.
What's my July looking like? Well, since you asked...
Working On: I've been creating new items to list in my Etsy shop. It's been a while since I had time to work on anything other than made-to-order requests. I reduced the number of the "pick your color" listings that were made to order and now I am working on some new soap savers, dishcloth, and washcloth sets. Soon I'll start some gift sets to have available for the holiday season.
Celebrating: July is one of those somewhat busy months for our family. We've got the 4th of July this weekend. My youngest niece has a birthday and then 6 days later is our daughter's birthday.
Wanting/Needing: A better plan for becoming more physically active. I said I was going to do daily physical activity last month but it didn't happen. I believe I need to be more specific than just "some physical activity" I need an actual activity or exercise and a schedule.
Eating: The summer fruit frenzy continues. I don't know what the difference is, but the watermelons this year have been so good! I am also starting to try eating more salads for lunch. One that I especially enjoy is a simple salad of greens, grape tomatoes, cucumber, garbanzo beans, and feta with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Loving: Baking with the grandkid. We made some cookies with shark sprinkles before he went to the beach. This week we made some 4th of July cupcakes. He likes baking, especially when I let him crack the eggs. I like that it is an activity he enjoys other than watching tv or playing video games.
Thinking About: Over the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking a lot about prayer. More specifically, my own prayer life. How I pray, when I pray, how I can strengthen and improve my prayer life, etc.
Goals for July:
I Am Thankful For:
Being able to order last minute takeout for dinner
Napping on the couch with the dogs
The Female Offspring's family home safe
Open windows to catch the breeze
Laughing so hard that my eyes water
A good sleep
An unexpected gift card
Scrap-busting projects
Cute new throw pillows for my office
Juicy summer peaches
Very playful pups
Gratitude journaling with the grand kid
Big delicious salads
A morning nap after a restless night
Playing with my dogs
My son
Sunday morning coffee
Emergency vets
All of Max's lab results were normal
