Getting to Know You-Blogger edition

Welcome to another edition of "Getting to Know You".

Today I welcome Deanne from This Farm Girl Cooks to my blog. (You can also follow her on Facebook HERE

Can you tell my readers about yourself and your blog?

Hi! My name is Deanne and our family of 6 lives in the country and we farm. That means I feed a lot of people! This Farm Girl Cooks is my blog where I share some insights from our farm and simple, healthy recipes. I’m also a farmer in training so I try to share all my “firsts” because I’m 100% a rookie farmer.

Describe how you first got into blogging.

I’ve wanted to blog for years! Writing has always been something I’ve enjoyed and I finally got the courage to put myself out into the blogging world. Feeding people is a passion of mine so the topic came naturally. I also needed a creative outlet and this fills that desire.

What do you do in your spare time?

I have four kids – I don’t have spare time, ha! This summer I have tackled lots of weeds in the yard. It’s good thinking activity and I can do it while the kids play in the yard. I also like trying new restaurants and reading a good book.

Where would you like to be in blogging five years from now?

I hope I have a community of people who share my passion for feeding their families -  That’s what I’m trying to develop in my blog and my Facebook page. I don’t want to be JUST a food blog. I hope I inspire people to cook and provide them with shortcuts and tips to make cooking a pleasurable experience.

Can you name some of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?

Oh, that’s a tough one! Jen McGee, for one :) I also enjoy following Prairie Californian (link HERE) – she has great food photography and she also has farming roots. SkinnyTaste (link HERE) and DietHood (link HERE) for healthy recipes and Joanna Gaines (link HERE), because who doesn’t love her???

What inspired you to start your blog?

My husband supported me in my dream, which was huge. 

What do you find the most frustrating aspect of blogging?

Sometimes it’s finding the time to write. Other times, I have the time but I may not be in the mood to write.  I have to write when the moments strikes me. I also have about 2 million ideas floating around in my head most of the time but no enough time to execute them all!

In the future where do you hope your blog will take you?

Honestly, my hope is that I can make some money doing what I love! I also want to promote local businesses that I love through my writing.

Have you met anyone interesting/famous on your blogging journey?

Not personally, but I have met some really nice people who have been open to helping answer questions when I have them. And yesterday, a big food blogger replied to an email of mine which made my day!

Do you have any specific goals for the rest of this year?

I do! My goal is to find more time to get my ideas out there. That’s probably not happening this summer with vacations and kids around, but maybe this fall.


Thank you for stopping by, Deanne! I will be stopping by your blog (and the others you enjoy) often.
Please follow This Farm Girl Cooks on Facebook and her blog!

WILW

Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going well and that those of you in the United States are looking forward to a holiday weekend.

I hope you will pop over to Rachel's blog. She's been traveling a lot lately and has some awesome posts and photos!

This week, I am loving:

*COFFEE!!!!!!

*My husband and kids (They keep the humor going)

*Armchair traveling with my fellow bloggers and Instagrammers (PS: Check out the "Blogs You Should be Reading" tab for some awesome blogs)

*My fellow book & Disney tweeters

*An upcoming wedding I am taking photos at

*Seeing my nephew from Florida

*Seeing my niece and youngest nephew

*All the flowers blooming in our yard

*Working on photography skills and deciding what my next steps will be

I hope you all have a great rest of the week!

Just because

It's Tuesday!

Hope you have a whale of a day!

Five on Friday - Podcasts

I am linking up today with April, Christina, and Natasha for another 5 on Friday link up. (Please go check out and read their blogs!)


I don't know about you but I LOVE listening to podcasts. There are SO many good ones out there! There is a podcast for any kind of interest you may have.


Here are the five I listen to the most:
*Satellite Sisters - they are real life sisters that cover current events and trends; life; movies; books; just about anything you can think of. They laugh a lot and sometimes cry a little. They have a great Facebook community too.
*Wait Wait Don't Tell Me - it is a current events quiz show usually with a celebrity panel and an interest guest.
*Brokebot Mountain - if you like sci fi/fantasy fun (and even if you don't), this is a podcast for you. This group discusses a pop culture theme each episode that usually turns pretty lively and entertaining. (Oh and my brother may be a member of this group...)
*The Thirty20Eight - a Disney podcast. They cover a lot of different Disney related topics
*Cubs Talk - analysis of the Cubs and baseball talk.


Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones?

Wordless Wednesday

Book Review - Good Sam

Good Sam

by Dete Meserve

My rating: 5 stars

Synoposis:

After years covering murders, disasters, and tragedy for Los Angeles TV news, Kate Bradley knows that violence and cruelty are everywhere and that good is hard to find. When she is assigned to cover a story about ten people who have each found $100,000 in cash on their front porch, Kate is intrigued by the anonymous Good Samaritan, dubbed Good Sam, who is behind it all. As interest in the extraordinary gifts sweeps across the country, Kate finds the elusive Good Sam and her exclusive interview with him thrusts her into the national spotlight. Even as his message captivates viewers and wins ratings, Kate suspects he may not be all he claims to be and that the real Good Sam is still out there. Searching for answers, Kate unravels the powerful and unexpected reason behind the mysterious cash gifts and the true identity of Good Sam becomes the biggest surprise story of her career, turning her personal and professional life upside down.

My thoughts:

I loved this whole book! I loved the twists and turns; the feel good parts and the not-so-feel good parts. I think you should pick this one up!

Happy reading!

WILW

Happy Wednesday!

*Happy Flag Day!

*Armchair traveling with my fellow bloggers

*A few days off work

*Hoping for a little rain....my plants could use it

Here's hoping you have a great Wednesday 

Show Us Your Books

I haven't joined in this link up in a long time.

I am joining STEPH and JANA to show off the books I have read lately.

I have been reading quite a bit lately and I quite happy about it.

The Book of Polly by Kathy Hepinstall

Book blurb:

Willow Havens is ten years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors—and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late fifties when Willow was born, so Willow knows she’s here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow’s father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere. It’s just her and bigger-than-life Polly.

Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and especially Polly’s life pre-Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, fifty years ago and vow never to return? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her past?

The Book of Polly has a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family and you’ll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you’ve ever met.

My thoughts & rating:

I loved this book. Willow & Polly are sassy and fun. I laughed and cried reading this book. I enjoyed "seeing" Willow grow up and Polly leading her through her life.

I highly recommend this book!

4 stars

**************************************

The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman

Book blurb:

Lilian Girvan has been a single mother for three years—ever since her husband died in a car accident. One mental breakdown and some random suicidal thoughts later, she’s just starting to get the hang of this widow thing. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work, and watch TV like a pro. The only problem is she’s becoming overwhelmed with being underwhelmed.

At least her textbook illustrating job has some perks—like actually being called upon to draw whale genitalia. Oh, and there’s that vegetable-gardening class her boss signed her up for. Apparently, being the chosen illustrator for a series of boutique vegetable guides means getting your hands dirty, literally. Wallowing around in compost on a Saturday morning can’t be much worse than wallowing around in pajamas and self-pity.

After recruiting her kids and insanely supportive sister to join her, Lilian shows up at the Los Angeles botanical garden feeling out of her element. But what she’ll soon discover—with the help of a patient instructor and a quirky group of gardeners—is that into every life a little sun must shine, whether you want it to or not...

My thoughts & rating:

I enjoyed Lilian's growth and independence throughout this story. I recommend this book!

3.5 stars

**********************************

Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay

Book blurb:

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura's Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery is gearing up for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel's mother. Now Mom's a suspect, and Mel and Angie need to find time around frosting to dig into the man's shady past and discover who served him his just desserts.

My thoughts & rating:

This is the second book in the Cupcake Bakery Mystery series. I love Melanie & Angie's characters and the troubles they seem to always get in.

4 stars

*******************************

It Happens in the Hamptons by Holly Peterson

Book blurb:

When Katie Doyle moves across the country to the Hamptons, she is hoping to find summer employment, new friends for her young son, and a chance to explore a new love affair with George, a dazzling investor. What she finds is a strange cocktail of classes, where society’s one-percenters vacation alongside local, hardworking people who’ve lived in the Hamptons for generations. Though she’s looking forward to her move, Katie is wary about mingling in her boyfriend’s East Coast elite circles. She soon discovers Southampton isn’t all that it seems to be on the surface—and neither are the people who live there.
As George takes Katie on a whirlwind tour of country clubs, haute couture, and lavish events, Katie is amazed to witness sudden whims becoming dire needs, extramarital affairs blossoming right and left, and people purchasing friends and loyalties like a pair of shoes. Even the middle-class townspeople maintain determined façades while maneuvering like sharks among the wealthy summer invaders.
The more Katie becomes immersed, the more she learns the stories of both the upstairs and downstairs, the upper crust and middle of the road. The combustion between classes becomes explosive as the summer tears on. Betrayals, a sexual predator, and a missing person lost in murky waves drive the reader on a racing Learjet through impossible twists and turns before landing at the shocking conclusion. When Katie meets Luke, a marine biologist and teacher, he makes her realize what it is she really wants, as she understands the life she’s begun for herself is built on shifting Hamptons’ dunes.

My thoughts & rating:

I thoroughly got lost in this book. I loved the portrayal of how the summer people act and what it feels like to be an "outsider". This is a GREAT summer read!

4 stars

What have you read lately? I love to have recommendations!

Weekend recap

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a good weekend.


Friday evening, we watched The Great Wall. I went into it with pretty low expectations but it wasn't terrible! I would probably rate it 3 stars.

Saturday was a lot of resting and staying cool.

Sunday, I took my Mr. and Young Miss to the airport. They are in DC this week (their pictures have been great so far). Young Mr. & I were back home by 7:30 a.m. so we had breakfast and took a walk by 9 a.m. We went shopping for my nephew's birthday then napped. 


We spent over an hour at the comic store - he was in heaven!

He hung out with some friends and it was early bedtime for me.

Here we are at Monday again...

Saturday Challenge

I found this list of writing prompts. I am going to stretch it out to one a week. Today is the start for me. Feel free to join in and spread the word.

List 10 things that make you happy

1. My husband

2. My kids

3. Sunshine

4. Holding a camera

5. Laughter

6. Someone's success

7. Books

8. Watching baseball

9. Reading others' blog posts

10. Traveling

What makes YOU happy?

#writingchallenge

Friday Letters

Dear Friday,

Dear Weekend, Please go slow!

Dear Cubbies, Keep it up! You seem to have turned the corner, just keep following "W" Street!

Dear Hammock, I hear you calling my name!

Dear Fellow Bloggers, Your posts are awesome and I love reading them. I am loving a lot of armchair traveling, photos, recipes and book reviews.

Dear Stack of Books, Your turn is coming, be patient.

Dear Full Moon, You bring out the weird in everything - thanks....

Dear Bunnies in our Yard, LEAVE THE FLOWERS ALONE!!!!!!!

Dear Me, Keep your step count going and keep drinking your suggested amount of water.

Dear Scrapbooking Supplies, I intend to spend some time with you in the next week.

Dear Friends, have a GREAT weekend!

Project Life

I am trying to use my Project Life app more to get some PL pages done to make a photo book. I love the app and that I can take my "scrapbooking" with me.

I started working on our trip to New York.

#projectlife

#ilovenewyork

Getting to Know You-Blogger edition

Welcome back to another edition of Getting to Know You.

Today, I welcome JEN from Marathons and Dog Tags. Please visit her blog and say hi!

Can you tell my readers about yourself and your blog?

Hi everyone! My name is Jen and I'm the resident writer of Marathons and Dog Tags. I'm a military spouse living in Louisiana (soon to be Kansas) with my husband, Kyle, our 9 month old daughter, Emersyn, and our 2 furbabies, Emma and Fishy. I have a Masters degree in Psychology and hope to put that to use in working with children someday. I'm an avid runner and have completed 75 races including a full marathon, it has certainly benefited me in more ways than I ever imagined. I love having this little space of the internet to write about my life and everything that comes along with it.

Describe how you first got into blogging.

I have been blogging for almost 9 years and I started it so that I could have an easy way to keep in contact with family after I married into the military. I love blogging and it has helped me through a lot of different life situations, my blog has a little bit of everything. I still don't consider myself a well established blogger, I simply do it for the enjoyment and it really is a place for me to vent. I am so thankful that I decided to give this a shot because I have met so many incredible people.

What do you do in your spare time?

My spare time is mostly spent with my daughter E, she is in such a fun stage right now and we have the best time together. She really is my little sidekick. I also run, I either take her along with me in the jogging stroller or I wait for my husband to get home and knock out a few miles. As a family we love exploring the areas we live in, being military we are lucky enough to see places we never expected to. Blogging is my downtime at night after everyone has gone to bed. 

Where would you like to be in blogging five years from now?

Honestly, I would be happy if I'm still in the same position, would I love to reach more people and be a positive influence, absolutely. But if that doesn't happen it's okay. I'm content and I love the readers I have, some have turned into real life friends. 

Can you name some of your favorite bloggers and explain why they are your favorites?

I have so many favorite bloggers, each one has impacted me in some way and that is an amazing thing. I love blogs that focus on real life, they don’t sugarcoat things, they let raw feelings out even when it’s uncomfortable.

A few that have really impacted me are.

Erica from Whimsical September. She is real, honest, and is truly such a sweet person. She is a great mama to her girls and a wonderful military spouse. Her blog has touched on so many different subjects that any person could benefit from.

Bailey from Becoming Bailey. I “met” Bailey several years ago through blogging and we have become real life friends. She is a new military spouse but has taken on this role with such passion and determination. She is another real and honest blogger who is not afraid to put herself out there. I so appreciate that.

Ashley from The Wandering Weekenders. She is a fur mama to Dart  and she has such a big heart and you can tell that from every one of her posts. She is encouraging and just overall such a sweet person. 

Missy from My Shitty Kitchen. I first “met” her when we were paired together for a blogger swap and I’m so glad I was introduced to her blog. She is a riot! She posts some of the most amazing recipes and she is a Louisiana gal! Her blog is one that I instantly go to every morning. 

Jen from Injenious Life. She is a service member, military spouse, and mama to 4. She is pretty much amazing! She shares the best tutorials and recipes. Plus, I love seeing photos of her littles. I’ve followed her for a few years and her posts are some of my favorites.

What do you find the most frustrating aspect of blogging?

One thing that frustrates me the most about blogging is the idea that you have to make money to have a successful blog. Obviously, if you make money from it that's awesome but I don't think that is indicative of a successful blog. I think being authentic and true to who you are is what makes a blog successful, it doesn't matter how many followers you have.

Do you have any specific goals for the rest of this year?

My goals for the rest of the year are simple, continue to grow my blog in the best way I know how and to just have fun. I want to live life to the fullest and not have any regrets. 

Thank you for participating, Jen!

PS: If you would like to be a featured blogger, drop me an email: jenmcgee34@yahoo.com

Travel Tuesday - Disneyland

Back in December, 2016, we made a trip to California. We ended the trip with a few days at Disneyland. We hadn't been in about 10 years so we enjoyed the changes and seeing what was "to come" in the future.

We stayed at the Grand Californian. It was a beautiful hotel. Our room overlooked the courtyard and we could watch the monorail go by.

I love visiting Disney parks around the holidays. The decorations are out of this world!

This is a gingerbread replica of the Grand Californian.

The tree in the lobby:

Welcome to Disneyland!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle decorated for the holidays:

There's a doorway to the right of this statue behind the castle that leads to a beautiful and amazing display of the Sleeping Beauty story (IN the castle!). Make sure you don't miss it!

Early on our first day we headed for It's a Small World. I am SO glad we did! It was the only time we rode it and it was all dressed up for the holidays!

Our other favorite "holiday" attraction at Disneyland was The Haunted Mansion.

We enjoyed California Adventure too!

Cars Land was AWESOME!

World of Color show at California Adventure was spectacular!

We attended the Dessert Party so we had wonderful views and delicious treats to enjoy.

Let me share the story that goes with this picture.

We went to Disneyland on Friday evening and the park was PACKED! We were standing there debating about heading back to our room because all the ride lines were an hour at minimum. So, as we are about to leave a Cast Member comes up and asks if we are from out of town and where from.

She says I have some VIP seats to fill for the parade, would we like them?

We accepted and were escorted "behind the rope" right across from It's a Small World with an unobstructed view of the parade and the projection on Small World. We got to sit in chairs - very comfortable view of the parade.

It was the Paint the Night parade and it was SO SO cool!

After the parade, the park emptied out a little so we wandered around, rode a couple of rides and found some snacks while we waited for our late dinner reservation.

We enjoyed Disneyland and it will probably be another 10 years before we go back but that's ok!

(I will post another Disneyland post another time - we have TONS of pictures from that trip)