Books About Books

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, it is well established that I consider myself to be a bookworm.  I love any and all books, love to read and always have a book that I am starting, in the middle of reading or finishing and looking for the next one.  My love of reading started at a young age when I spent as much time at the library as possible.  I grew up in a small town and through reading, my little life became bigger and filled with possibilities.

There are three books that I have read lately that spoke to my love of reading.  They all take place in libraries or bookshops (or both) and are filled with literary references.  Through books and the comfort of being surrounded by books, the characters make discoveries, solve problems and find their way in the world.

These characters are quirky, endearing and brave.  They each step out of their quiet, settled life and confront an imperfect past, filled with secrets.

 Three books about books that will make any book lover happy.

My Favorite Salad Recipes

One of my favorite things to take when invited for dinner is a yummy salad.  I love getting out a big, pretty bowl and filling it with fresh ingredients.  It makes such a beautiful and colorful presentation, can be made ahead of time (as long as you add the dressing right before eating) and unlike baking, there is very little that can go wrong.

We are invited to a neighbor’s house for dinner on Saturday and when I was asked to bring a salad, I began to go through some old blog posts to see what I had made in the past.  I wanted to step it up a bit from my usual Caesar Salad or my go to salad with butter lettuce, green onions, strawberries, mandarin oranges, Chinese noodles and poppyseed dressing (make it - it’s yummy).

There are three that I am deciding on and have made several times before.  All are a little bit different than a standard lettuce salad and usually receive rave reviews.  I don’t know what the main dish will be, but any of the three would be good with fish, chicken or steak.  Follow me on Instagram and I’ll post a story on what one I make.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette 

Antipasto Salad

Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad

1st Anniversary

My husband and I keep saying “ do you believe it’s been a year since the wedding?”  It really proves that time does go so fast and that life after such a big event returns to normal.  For eighteen months, we all were focused on wedding planning and while most of it was so fun, there were also a few stressful bits.  But, now that we’ve done it once, I can’t wait to do it again, because the payoff of the whole experience, especially the wedding day, is something I will never forget.  Being  the mother of the bride and watching your daughter marry her love is nothing short of amazing.

When Megan and I talk about the wedding, we both say that everything turned out exactly like we had envisioned and that we wouldn’t change a thing.  And, as far as the newlyweds go; still happy and in love, with an adorable puppy added to their life in Pittsburgh.

It’s been so fun looking back at the wedding photos, so here are a few of my favorites.

Life Lately

Isn’t August kind of a funny month?  Even though it’s still summer, there is an in between feeling as fall looms. I have already noticed that the sunset is getting ever so slightly earlier and I have needed to adjust my walking time.  And, for those of us who are college football fans (me!) the football news has begun.  But, the days are still hot and steamy here and I mostly stay in the air conditioning, golf in the mornings and as usual, have my nose in a good book.

The highlights lately include the beginning of our pool construction.  It’s quite a mess looking out the back at the moment, but the result will be worth it.  I’ve been also doing my landscaping volunteer activities, both with the neighborhood HOA committee and with Keep Venice Beautiful.  The HOA committee just met at our clubhouse and pool and spent an hour fine tuning some landscape issues that needed to be done.  I love both the community spirit of neighbors pitching in and getting my hands in the dirt.

I made one of my favorite and most successful low carb recipes a few days ago and forgot how good these pancakes are.  They are the perfect recipe for that last ripe banana staring at you from the fruit bowl too.

Finally, I want to share a book I really enjoyed.  Finding Mrs. Ford is a really good read, with a plot twist you won’t see coming.  But for me, the highlight is that it is set in Detroit in the summer of 1979.  I was going into my Junior year of college that summer and the details, both of the time period and of Detroit and its suburbs, were a blast from the past.  I’m telling all my Michigan friends and family that they must read it.

Happy Friday and weekend!