Happy love day

I mean why not right?

We're all ready around the Queen household...

Or should I say the "Queen of Hearts?" Wink, Wink.

Whatever the case, we hope your Valentine's day is extra sweet this year!

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom turned 50 two weeks ago, and she and my sisters came here for the weekend. We had so much fun! Happy Birthday Mom, love you!

Ode to the Fork, Knife and Spoon

I saw this on Pinterest several months ago:

Aren't these fabulous?! The original link is from Etsy. They were pretty pricey so I mentioned it to Tate, and look what I got for Christmas...

What I love most about them is that Tate had my mom write several of my favorite recipes on there before she painted them.

Thanks Tate! You're the best! 

White Christmas!

We spent Christmas with my family in Borger. It was the first time I can remember since college that we had a white Christmas! 

Here we are on Christmas Eve:

Christmas Morning:

Playing outside in the snow with the dogs:

And I'll leave you with this one of Greta posing with the other bulldogs:

Borger is home to the Bulldogs - just wanted to explain my mother's collection ;)

A Few Good Books

Well, more than a few. But some good ones nonetheless.

I'm going to start with what I like to call a "smart book." You know the ones you REALLY have to think about when you're reading. These tend to take me months and months to read, and I have to have a "non-smart book" to read at the same time to give all those brain cells a break. They are usually about science or Christianity. This first one is about science...

 The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is exactly what the book cover says, "A biography of cancer." Sounds like a rip-roaring good time huh? I bought this book back in April, and just recently finished it. This book was interesting to me - mostly because I work in oncology and I'm a big nerd. If you've got some serious time on your hands, and you are want to learn about cancer, AND you're a big nerd like me then you'll like this book :)

 

Murder at Mansfield Park by Lynn Shepherd is like the original book by Jane Austen but with a twist. The twist is the murder - which is good, I like a good murder mystery. But the bad part is how far in the book you have to read to get to the murder. I was beginning to think maybe she had messed up the title, that there wasn't going to be a murder. To sum it up...slow start but a good ending.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks is not your typical Sparks romance novel. Of course, there is romance and two people do fall madly in love against their original inclinations. But this one has suspense. I say read it!

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan. OK so if I'm honest the only reason I bought this book off Amazon was because it was $.99, and I needed a quick buy before I got on a plane. I'm so glad I did! This is a really sweet story about a reclusive woman living in a small Vermont town. The people in Mill River have no idea the impact she has on them over the years...I enjoyed reading this one.

Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell is a beautiful memoir about friendship. This is a story of two women who share a love of writing, dogs, and the outdoors. Unfortunately they are faced with loss too early in their relationship. Caldwell tells a heartfelt story of dealing with the loss of her best friend. I loved this book - although I don't recommend it if you're already feeling a little down in the dumps ;)

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. I've saved this one for last because it was my favorite out of the bunch. This story is told thru the eyes of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. I loved the beginning of the book when these two first met. For an old married woman like me it's fun to relive the excitement of a new relationship! You'll then read about their early marriage when money was tight, stresses were high, but their love was strong. Later on in their marriage they are forced with a lot of adversity, trouble, and distraction. It's not near as much "fun" as the first part of the book but I still couldn't tear myself away. This was a good one...I plan to pick it back up in a few years and read it again.

Peace, Love, and Joy

We wish you all a joyous and special Christmas this year!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It seriously is the most wonderful time of the year

I love everything about this time of year. I love the spirit in the air, the parties, the cold weather (and when I say cold weather I mean boots, scarves, and hot chocolate), the decor, and most importantly the time spent with family and friends. We see my family in a few weeks so for now let's talk about Christmas decorations.

Someone was ready for all this decorating stuff to be done with...so we could get back to important things like balls and chew toys.

Midwest Thanksgiving

We had a really great time in Ohio last week with Jeris' family. It's always so good to see everybody. The highlight of our trip was meeting our sweet new niece, Tatum. We were totally obsessed with her!

Isn't she precious?

Proud Uncle Jeris and brother Adam

Michael, Jessica, and the fam

Jon, Julie, and the girls

Jeris with his mom and step dad

Jeris and I

Jeris with his dad

Having fun watching Michigan beat Ohio State!

Michigan fan in the making....