Slices of Life

I had another great month of reading!  I am trying to soak up every last summer day that I can and have been enjoying some great beach reads as well as a little bit of non-fiction and historical fiction too. 1.  Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith -- Written as a series of letters, I just loved this couple's journey through all the National Parks.  Not written as a park guide but as a quirky and often funny rendition of their desire to visit all the national parks in one year. 2.   Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd -- A touching coming of age story about a young girl Lily who runs away with her nanny-of- sorts Rosaleen to a bee keeping farm run by three black sisters.  Set at a time of great racial turbulence in the south the book was quite compelling.  If you liked Where the Crawdads Sing you'll like this book too. 3.  Ladies of the Lake by Haywood Smith --  Dahlia and her three sisters Violet, Iris, and Rose all inherit their grandmoth...

My sister and nephews arrived mid-week for a visit and my boys and I could not have been more excited to see them! We had great fun on Friday with quite a few science experiments.  Our favorite was making pop rock candy!  While waiting for it to cool, we went out lunch at Panera bread and then tried a few science experiments using the pop rocks once we arrived back home. Ian headed off to work on Saturday and the younger boys and I ran out to get some fresh picked apples, sweet corn, and peaches at a local orchard. I worked on a few scrapbook pages and talked to my sister on the phone for almost 2 hours about her upcoming trip and well, pretty much anything and everything.  The younger two boys were heading to the cottage with their grandmother for a sleepover after dinner but we ended up all going out for ice cream first.  It was a bit chilly for ice cream but it tasted so good I didn't care!  I got mint Oreo ice cream with fudge swirls.  YUM. Sunday w...

I might not want to admit it but the weather is slowly starting to change over and I know fall is on it's way.  While I just LOVE fall weather and all it brings I am still trying to soak up every last drop of summer... but that doesn't mean I don't realize changes are coming.  I can see a few leaves here and there starting to turn color and we've had a few pretty crisp, cool, fall- like mornings already so this weeks' features are all about fall! Welcome to Encouraging Hearts & Home! The Encouraging Hearts & Home Bloggers Join your Encouraging Hearts & Home Co-Hosts  each week for encouragement and support for your heart & your home . We hope to provide a space that builds each other up and lends a helping hand along the way. With all the negativity in the world, let's shine a positive light! ***Each week, our co-hosts will each choose our favorite links, along with the most clicked link, and pin them to our Encouraging Hearts & Home Pintere...

Today I am linking up with Shay and Sheaffer and all their blogging friends to talk about What's Up.   Schools officially started back here this week but my boys and I are extending our summer vacation this year for at least another couple of weeks.  September is right around the corner and while I know it will bring the coming of fall I am still trying to soak up all that summer fun and sun. Let's dive right in! What We're Eating This Week: This week is pretty much up in the air as far as what we'll be eating.  We have lots of family fun planned and while I stocked up on foods and planned a few meals we'll mostly be playing it by ear each and every day.  Tonight we're having my family over for a cookout of burgers, hot dogs, salads, and chips. What I'm Reminiscing About:   As this year's family vacation approaches I've been reminiscing about our old vacations-- especially last year's trip to Niagara Falls.  This year we...