Categories
Entertainment

January 2025 Book Round-Up

I was on a bit of a Kate Quinn binge this month…

The Rose Code

The novel flashes between the looming wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and WW2 where three women work tirelessly at Bletchley Park. The women turn against each other due to an unfortunate tragedy but are suddenly thrown together due to a mysterious encrypted letter. They must put aside their trauma to save a friend and expose a traitor.

The Alice Network

Eve, a former spy from real-life Alice Network in France during World War I must help a young, unwed and pregnant American who journeys to Europe to find out what happened to her cousin at the end of the WW2. It turns out that the women have more in common than they think.

The Huntress

Nina Markova was a brave Soviet pilot who is forced to leave her unit behind after being denounced; after surviving a brutal attack by The Huntress; Nina, her husband and his assistant find themselves in Boston in the 1950s hunting down the vicious killer who has embedded herself as a suburban housewife.

Murder on the Brighton Express by CJ Archer

After receiving a blackmail note while on holiday with her family in Brighton, Cleopatra Fox is on high alert. She becomes preoccupied with the disappearance of a train passenger –realizing that the women could not have disembarked of her own volition, Cleo must figure what happened, who wanted the journalist dead and why. To assist her with the investigation is Harry Armitage.

A Death in Diamonds by SJ Bennett

It is 1957; Queen Elizabeth is undertaking a lot of tours but she is not too preoccupied to notice that things are not as they seem within the Institution; subtle sabotages make her question those closest to her. While Her Majesty tries to get to the bottom of that mystery, a young woman wearing only silk underwear and a tiara and her gentleman caller are found dead in a house not far from Buckingham Palace.

Categories
Baby Life Reflections & Lifestyle

Product Review: Finding Nemo Sea of Activities Jumper

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Our little guy loves it; well he will –right now he’s still taking it all in and his little arms are too short to reach most of the items but it won’t be long before he’s manhandling all the items.

Features

-Seat swivels around 360 degrees
-High back seat
-Easy to put together
-Widest part is just over 38 inches
-Lightweight (without being flimsy)
-Multiple height positions
-Easy to clean
-Plenty of items, sounds and lights to occupy baby
-Affordable (approx. $200)

Categories
Fashion

Cozy Footwear

I very rarely order clothes from Amazon; although returns are a breeze –I just never do it, I guess I am “Old school,” I like to see, touch and try on. My husband ordered me new boots and slippers and OH MY GOD they are amazing and fit perfectly. The best part is I get the “look” without the price. These two items I highly recommend.

Dream Pairs Mid Calf Winter Boots (Grey)

Litfun Fuzzy Memory Foam Slippers (Chestnut)

Categories
Food & Drink

Master Carve Ham

I picked up a Master Carve Ham from Costco last week and it was amazingly tasty. It also afforded me the ability to make several meals.

  1. Ham with potatoes cooked in the air fryer and peas (4 servings)

2. Potato Ham Chowder (for hubby to take to work; 8 servings)

Ingredients
1 cup Master Carve Ham (cubed)
1 cup onion (diced)
1/2 cup celery (thinly sliced)
2 cups water
2 cups potatoes (diced)
1 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bayleaf
2 cups milk
1 cup canned corn
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp AP flour

Directions

1. Saute ham, onion & celery until softened; set aside.
2. Combine water, potato, salt, pepper & bayleaf into a pot; cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender; remove bayleaf.
3. Add the 2 cups of milk, corn & ham mixture to the pot; simmer for 3 minutes.4. Combine ½ cup milk and flour in a small bowl; mix until smooth then slowly mix it into the pot.
5. Boil until thickened
6. Enjoy!

3. Ham Soup (for freezer meals)
*This recipe is also Weight Watchers friendly; it was only 3 points per 1 cup serving

Categories
Writing Prompt Wednesdays

Writing Prompt Wednesday…

What grinds your gears and really annoys you?

Ignorance, plain and simple ignorance!

I cannot stand when people bury their heads in the sand and ignore what’s happening in the world. I constantly end up listening to people make statements from a place of being ill-informed because they have seen a TikTok or a post on Instagram that is clearly misleading. It is very annoying when people don’t consistently evaluate their beliefs and values to see if they fit or are correct or even applicable. I truly feel that as people and society change we need to examine our beliefs. I also hate it when people are blind to their words and mindset flaws or they try to impose certain beliefs on others but the second they are questioned, not even imposed upon they scream and shout their mindset and freedoms are being infringe on. I hate that people don’t think critically about history and their own privilege.

What about you? Comment below!

Prompt from: Piccadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts