Life Lately

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that the sale our house has officially closed, I can update you on what is happening with our move. We have about 10 days until the movers arrive. They will finish up the packing ( all the breakables) and move everything out and put it in storage. Then, it's off to a temporary condo here in Michigan for a couple of months until our new house is ready. It has been a whirlwind of activity with a lot of packing, organizing, donating and selling furniture. The house sold in 3 days, thank goodness, because being out of the house for house showings (with a dog in tow) is not fun.

We are in constant contact with our builder in Florida and he sends us photo of the progress, along with our real estate agent. The photos I am showing you are a few weeks old, so there has been even more progress since they were taken. We just heard that the tile in the master bath shower is in and I can't wait to see that. We picked everything out so long ago, it's hard to remember what it is supposed to look like, but I am looking forward to seeing it all come together.

Once we are out of our house here and basically living out of a suitcase, I will be so ready to finally be home again. We are having incredibly dreary weather here too and I am longing for sun and warmth. Thankfully it won't be long until those sunshiny Florida days will be the norm. I can't wait to take you along.

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

The Bronte Sisters

 

 

Masterpiece Theatre and period dramas based on English literature have a special place in my heart. Downton Abbey, Poldark and Pride and Prejudice (with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) are all wonderful examples of the beauty of quality television with acting, writing, costumes and locations that transport us to a different time.

I was excited to see that here in the United States, PBS was finally going to air the television movie about the lives of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte. It got very good reviews on its showing in England last year and it is sometimes hard to wait for these highly anticipated shows to make it here to us.

It was very much worth the wait and I was enthralled with the sisters portrayal, as well as the story of how their literary masterpieces came about. My book club read Jane Eyre last year, so it was fresh on my mind and it was fascinating to see Charlotte Bronte writing those beautiful words by candlelight with only pen, ink and very small sheets of paper.

 

 

The main story of this movie explained the background of the sisters decision to use a male pseudonym when writing their novels. It is hard now to understand how such a thing was necessary in order for a woman to be published, but this movie made the point very well. It also delved into their relationship with their troubled brother Branwell and how their decision to keep their writing secret, also protected his fragile ego.

They were portrayed as smart, talented and strong women whose novels are still considered some of the greatest of all time.

Happy Monday!

 

March Book Club

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another month, another lovely book club. Our hostess recently downsized and moved to a beautiful lake house and this was my first time seeing her new home. Everything about it was stunning, but the sunset view over the water, post dinner, was something I could definately envy.

The meal she served had ties to the book we read which is always a fun touch. The main character in the book (The Rosie Project) has Asperger's Syndrome and one of his coping mechanisms is a weekly meal plan with an entree for every night, exactly the same each week. We had leek and potato soup and a lobster and shrimp salad as a homage to the book's Tuesday night menu. Served with two types of crusty bread, it was beyond delicious. Later, during our book discussion, we enjoyed the perfect light dessert; peach and mango ice cream, topped with Creme de Cassis.

 

 

More on our book: The Rosie Project is a quick, but touching and funny read about Don, a high functioning college professor with autism and what happens when a women called Rosie shakes up his well ordered life. Our discussion touched on many subjects, but one of the most hilarious was about the bad dates we have experienced. There are many hilarious ones in the book, but some of our memories were quite funny too. We are always learning new things about each other through our book discussions and that is what makes our book club so fun.

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Spring Reading List

 

 

It's finally the first day of spring and I am really happy about that. We are in the final stretch of preparing for the movers to come, but I'm still finding time to read. That will never change, no matter how busy I am. My reading list is fairly full at the moment and many of my favorite authors will have new books coming out in either the spring or summer. The future looks bright with nice weather, as well as good books ahead.

First, some thrillers with twists ( a la Gone Girl ) that come highly recommended. I read the previous book by Claire MacIntosh, I Let You Go, and really liked it, so I'm looking forward to this one too.

 

 

 

 

This next group are by well loved authors of series that have some of my favorite female characters. I am happy to welcome back Kate Shugak, China Bayles, Ruth Galloway and V.I. Warshawski and see what they are up to in 2017. All these are interesting female characters that will take you from Alaska to Texas, and from England to Chicago and solve a few crimes along the way.

 

 

 

 

Happy Monday and Happy Reading!

 

Celebrations

 

 

 

 

 

We had quite the weekend filled with celebrations and something we didn't expect; four days without power. Last Wednesday, a terrible windstorm with near hurricane force winds blew through the Detroit area (and the rest of the state) and left close to a million homes without power. So many trees and power lines were down, it took quite a while for the power to be restored and there are many still without power as of today. Unfortunately we are in the middle of a serious cold spell, so temperatures in the teens result in some awfully cold houses when there is no heat. Many people have generators, but those who did not needed to make alternate plans and hotels quickly filled. Luckily, we were able to stay in a condo we have rented while our house in Florida is being built - and it had heat and power!

Megan and Adam (her new fiancé) were coming in town for her birthday and we had planned a fun last weekend together at our house. But, we made the best of things and ended up having a really nice weekend. We had a delicious dinner at a new restaurant we have discovered that serves a variety of smoked meat and fresh sides, served family style. Before dinner, Megan opened birthday presents, there was an engagement present to open and a champagne toast to the happy couple. We also started to talk about wedding plans and agreed that the goal is to keep things fun. After dinner, we had a combination birthday/engagement cake to keep the celebration going.

The next morning we took bagels, coffee and mimosas to Melissa's apartment and relaxed and enjoyed a quiet Sunday morning before Megan and Adam headed back to Pittsburgh. Often in life, plans don't always work out like you imagine, but can end up being even better.

Happy Wednesday!

 

Engaged!

 

 

 

Now that family and friends have been told the good news, it is time to share with my blog friends. My daughter Megan and her long time college (University of Michigan) boyfriend got engaged on Saturday and we are beyond happy and excited for them. They live in Pittsburgh and he surprised her with the proposal and a ring during one of their favorite downtown walks in a pretty riverfront park. She is over the moon with happiness right now.

They will be coming home this weekend for her birthday and we will sneak a liitle engagement celebration into the festivities. We definitely will be popping a few bottles of champagne. We all have so much to talk about and plans to discuss. The move to Florida which has occupied our time so much lately, will be put on the back burner for the weekend and we will enjoy some family time and the last weekend all together at our house. But, it won't be sad, because there is so much to look forward to in the months ahead.

Happy Wednesday!

 

Baked Oatmeal with Canned Peaches {Recipe Redo}

 

 

 

I think it is well documented on this blog that I love to bake something yummy for breakfast. Especially on a cold morning. There is just something so comforting about pottering about in the kitchen with the lights on, chasing away the dark as you wait for the sun to rise. Also is there anything better than the scents of coffee brewing and something sweet and cinnamon flavored baking in the oven. I am not a morning person, but find myself up early if I know I can take things at a slow pace and start my morning in the kitchen.

This recipe is especially perfect for the winter, when the best and most flavorful fruit is out of season. I'm not one for canned fruit, but an exception can be made with this recipe, because when you bake this the sweetness of the canned peaches adds something special. The only change I made to this recipe redo has nothing to do with the flavor, but I thought it would look pretty to place a few peach slices whole on the top, rather than chop them all.

I just love this recipe and am glad I rediscovered it from deep in my archives. Things are quite hectic here with the move looming and the biggest news is that I'm becoming well versed in how to use Craig's list to sell unwanted furniture. So, a quiet start to the day is exactly what I needed.

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

{Linking with these friends}

French Country Cottage

A Stroll Thru Life

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Skip To My Lou

Craftberry Bush

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

Rattlebridge Farm