REVIEW: Fields of the Fatherless by Elaine Marie Cooper

FIELDS OF THE FATHERLESS by Elaine Marie Cooper is a realistic reenactment of the first day of the American Revolution in 1775 from a young woman’s point of view. Eighteen-year-old Betsy Russell grows up fast when forced to protect her family during an unexpected turn of events. Caught between the British and the American militia,…

Category: Books, Reviews, TBR Challenge 2017, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017

January 2017 Farm Share

Our January 2017 farm share was just enough to eat in-between our travels. Winter share is a bit harder to split in half, and that’s probably because I want the carrots all to myself! HA Carrots go fast in our household in the winter, especially when we have colds. That homemade chicken noodle soup isn’t…

Category: Food, What's for Dinner?

New Year / New Challenge with a Capital C

I like goals and usually set them in January. This year is different. My pursuit of a zestful life has challenges. It’s the New Year / New Challenge with a Capital C. It has roadblocks. It prevented me from my posting goals. And — it sucked the joy right out of them. Not that I’m…

Category: Books, Food, Garden, Hiking, Life through the Lens, Movie Review, Recipe, TBR Challenge 2017, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017, Travel

REVIEW: The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi

THE ILLEGAL GARDENER by Sara Alexi is the perfect title for this book. Gardening is one of my favorite themes in books, and this one made me happy with vivid descriptions in Greece. Why was this book in Dorine’s TBR? I collect books with gardening, healing, or farming themes and locations. This cover caught my…

Category: Books, Reviews, TBR Challenge 2017, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017

REVIEW: Juliet’s Answer by Glenn Dixon

Completely unexpected and delightful, JULIET’S ANSWER by Glenn Dixon is full of wit, heartfelt emotion, quandaries, love, and the quintessential happy-ever-after. This book sounded like it would be a travelogue with a man’s observations on love, but it’s not. Mostly memoir with some fiction to protect the innocent, JULIET’S ANSWER is one of the best…

Category: Books, Reviews, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017, Travel

Review Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke

Review: TBR Challenge – Where the Heart Is by Darcy Burke

WHERE THE HEART IS by Darcy Burke is a good introduction to the author’s style. The cute small town scenario snagged my interest right away and it was an easy read for this month’s TBR Challenge. I had so much fun doing Wendy’s challenge last year that I’m excited about doing it again. WHY WAS…

Category: Books, Reviews, TBR Challenge 2017, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017

REVIEW: The Road to Enchantment by Kaya McLaren

Coming of age reflection mixes with picking up the pieces after loss in THE ROAD TO ENCHANTMENT by Kaya McLaren, one woman’s growth through a broken childhood to become a healed, well-balanced adult. I loved the isolated setting near an Apache reservation, full of self-reliance ingenuity, which encourages Native American neighbors into action when Willow…

Category: Books, Reviews, TBR Mountain Range Challenge 2017

Ohio Farm Share Winter Week 5 2016 Omnivore share lasts 2 weeks until Christmas

Winter Farm Share Week 5 until Christmas

Winter Farm Share Week 5 was supposed to last until Christmas since we’re on a two week pick-up schedule until the end of the season. That’s a bit harder to figure with some things like eggs and baking. But we landed perfect by buying two half gallons of milk. We dined out several times so…

Category: Food, What's for Dinner?

REVIEW: TBR Challenge Snowflakes and Stetsons

SNOWFLAKES AND STETSONS by Jillian Hart, Carol Finch and Cheryl St. John is a historical anthology based on Western Christmas Wishes. Anthologies with a Christmas theme are my favorite books to buy for holiday reading because they’re easier to read in small snippets of time. That said, this review was written to meet our TBR…