Author: littleshoeprincess

Kids will be kids, Little Mister, memories, NaBloPoMo, parenting

That Time We Needed to Make the Bed Like a Pet Store (for Two Months)

littleshoeprincess

With our Little Mister, once is forever. We played Pet Store one day where we set up all of his one million stuffed animals like a store, and I was the customer and he was the owner, and I had to pick out an animal to take home as a pet. He loved it so much, that for the next TWO MONTHS we had to make his bed every morning will all of the animals lined up as the “pet store” for the customers.

Did I mention we had to do this every day? The same animals? In the same order? I had to memorize where the animals went.

Our Little Mister takes after Mr. KK: type A and very particular about everything. One time we were all in the bathroom brushing Little Mister’s teeth and he had little animals positioned around the toothpaste. Well, I knocked the toothpaste over and stood it up, and the Little Mister had to stop brushing his teeth to turn the toothpaste 1/4 millimeter to the right so that it was in the exact right place. I looked at Mr. KK like, “Can you believe this kid?” when he said to me, “I mean, I didn’t want to say anything but you did put the toothpaste in the wrong spot.”

There are two of them!

Back to the stuffed animal toy store.

For two months, the daily making of Little Mister’s bed looked something like this:

There was a method to the madness:

  1. Put on fitted sheet
  2. Line up animals in a very specific order NO CHANGES
  3. Put on flat sheet
  4. Put on comforter
  5. Fold over sheet and comforter on each side to reveal animals

And once everything is in place, the toy store could open its doors and I could go in and buy a new pet for the day!

I will remember this silly game fondly, as it was the beginning of April and we were all home together for what would be a very long time (unbeknownst to us!). But it was new and fun and something we would never have done otherwise.

cocktails, NaBloPoMo, Pandemic

Who Wants Cocktails?

littleshoeprincess

It’s not surprising that liquor stores are up like 35% in sales during the pandemic. This has been a crazy year.

There have been many beers shared in the KK household over the last 8 months after a stressful day.

My drink of choice is usually seasonal – is there anything better than a cold, hoppy beer on a hot summer afternoon? Or a glass of red wine on a chilly winter night by the fire? But I have a problem that I’ve shared before: I don’t have a go-to cocktail.

And while I don’t have a cocktail, I believe I have found my spirit (animal): Aperol. First, I single-handedly kept Aperol afloat with all of the Spritzes I consumed this summer. Then, during the summer storm that took down half the trees in our yard, right after the power went out, we tried a new Aperol drink: Intro to Aperol. GUYS, this drink is amazing!

Intro to Aperol

Let’s start with how gorgeous the color of this drink is. A vibrant not-quite-red but more of an orangey-pink.

Intro to Aperol is on the right – look at that color!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces Aperol
  • 1 ounce London Dry gin (we used Tanqueray)
  • 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 ounce simple syrup
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • Garnish: orange twist

Directions:


Fill a cocktail shaker 2/3 full with ice. Add Aperol, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters. Shake until well chilled, about 20 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with orange twist.

Then start making another round because these beauties go down SMOOTHLY and you’ll need another in no time. (I mean, these craft cocktails are so small, am I right?)

Christmas, Decorating, Pandemic, shopping, Target

Today, I Busted Out of the House

littleshoeprincess

This year, I’d like to skip right over Thanksgiving and dive antlers first into Christmas. I mentioned this constantly casually to Mr. KK who replied, “It’s not even the middle of November.” Well, seems the Grinch came early this year at least!

It goes without saying that this year is unlike any other year we’ve experienced. I remember being on a neighborhood walk in April and a house was decked out in holiday decor, with 3 different Christmas trees in the windows. Everyone’s mantra is basically, “Because, 2020.” And I’m totally down with that.

As COVID cases continue to rise, schools move to remote learning and states threaten to shut down, I saw my opportunity for one last hurrah before the sh*t really hits the fan. I took the day off from work to run a few errands on a weekday to avoid the crowds. And, in true KK style, I made sure I was at the stores waiting for them to unlock their doors for the day.

After being the envy of the entire country all summer, this is what CT looks like now.

My agenda for the day included Target, Homegoods and TJ Maxx. I broke my Target hiatus in the summer, but I haven’t been to Homegoods or TJ Maxx since before last Christmas. I was looking forward to a day of me, wandering down empty aisles with a highly-sanitized cart.

Before I left the house this morning, Mr. KK lovingly said, ” Have a great day off today! Buy everything you want, but remember that we already don’t have any room for more Christmas stuff in the basement! Love you!”

Talk about a pep talk.

I spent the morning in my glory, wandering aisles and perfecting my anti-social behavior of avoiding all other humans (except for the cleaning aisle at Target, where they were restocking Clorox Wipes; you’d have though they were handing out winning lottery tickets). I wasn’t even there to Christmas shop – as a family we talked about not really going crazy with gifts this year (what do you get for the person who doesn’t leave the house?) – but instead to hoard bottle brush trees and wooden houses from Bullseye’s Playground. Mission accomplished!

You can’t have too many mini trees is my motto!

And, because Mr. KK has so wonderfully reminded me that we didn’t have any storage room for additional Christmas decor, I smartly purchased a nice red bin to store all of my new Christmas! Problem solved!

I spy dog toys!

While it felt good to be out, between my hat, mask, glasses and Airpods, I’ve never been so decorated from the neck up. I got my fix of Christmas Inspo (and a few small gifts) and headed home. I spent the rest of my rainy day off on the couch with Mr. KK, Little Mister, Rocco and Bruno watching a movie. Which was better than any shopping trip.

cooking, Entertaining, food, NaBloPoMo, recipe

The Only Appetizer Recipe You’ll Need

littleshoeprincess

Mr. KK and I have always been big fans of visiting Portland, Maine. Aside from the fact that it reminds us a bit of Boston with it’s cobblestone ankle-breaking sidewalks and amazing restaurants (can you say lobstah rolls?), but the beer scene is top notch.

Trips to Portland became a little harder when the Little Mister came along, and as much as we were raising a bar baby, it was getting hard to ignore the stink eye we’d get from the hipsters.

One summer we rented a beach house for the three of us in South Portland, a 10-minute drive over the bridge. We were just close enough to enjoy an afternoon in our favorite city, with the luxury of being walking distance to a great little beach. Our house was conveniently located next to a Scratch Baking Company, a bakery that had somewhat of a cult following. Every morning at 6am people would start lining up waiting for the bakery to open, just to get their hands on their famous bagels. With the line of people came chit chat, so every morning we were up at the crack of dawn listening to everyone in line.

Now, having a husband with a sweet tooth and a toddler who loved all things cake and cookie, being next to the bakery was a very convenient spot for us. I could literally roll out of bed, walk out the front door, and be in line in my pajamas. Not being much a bagel person myself, they had a coffee cake that was to die for.

My favorite item from this bakery, however, was not a baked good at all. Tucked into the cooler with the cream cheese were containers of homemade pimento cheese spread.

Now, if you’re from the south, you are well aware of how life-changing pimento cheese is. If you don’t know what pimento cheese spread is, well, I’m sorry. You’ve barely enjoyed life up until this point.

First off, it’s made with cheese. If you’re a cheese whore like I am, that should be enough of a selling point. Second, it’s cheese mixed with cream cheese. (I mean, COME ON.) But perhaps the best selling point, is that you can eat it on almost anything. Crackers? Sure. Pita chips? My favorite. As a grilled cheese. Woah. Spread on a chicken cutlet on a roll? Shut the front door.

The day I discovered the pimento cheese spread at Scratch Baking Company, my entire vacation changed. I bought a container every single day, and ate the entire thing throughout the day. I had dreams about this pimento cheese. We went back to South Portland a second summer and the first thing I did was go to this bakery and secure pimento cheese for the week.

But you don’t have to live in the south or visit South Portland in order to enjoy pimento cheese. In fact, I have made pimento cheese spread many times (is there anything better to enjoy at a Kentucky Derby Party?). However, I have discovered the best of the best pimento cheese recipe; the créme de le cream cheese, if you will.

And who other to give us this amazing recipe than my girl crush: Ina Garten.

In her latest cookbook Modern Comfort Food, Ina shares her take on this amazing appetizer. In fact, once you make this and serve it, you’ll never need another appetizer recipe again.

Ina’s Spicy Pimento Cheese Spread

Recipe and photos courtesy of Ina Garten.

Click here for the recipe and a video.

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 1/2 tsp granulated onion (not onion powder)
2 large garlic gloves
1 teaspoon celery seed 
Kosher salt
3/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped 
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (3 to 4 scallions)
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers, drained (4 ounces)
4 cups shredded sharp while cheddar (10 ounces)
1 tablespoon Sriracha

Crackers and/or crudités for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, celery seed and 1/2 tsp salt with a wooden spoon. Add the pickled jalapenos, scallions and red peppers and grated Cheddar. Add the Sriracha and combine. Taste for seasonings and serve with crackers, corn chips or crudités. (Or with my favorite: pita chips).

I highly recommend you make a double batch: one batch for your guests, and the other to hide in the back of your fridge so you can shame it any time no one is looking.

You’re welcome.

Bruno, dogs, NaBloPoMo, Pandemic, Rocco, Uncategorized

Getting a Dog During the Pandemic

littleshoeprincess

“We never leave the house!” we said.

“We’ll have so much time to train him!” we thought.

“The new dog will keep Rocco company!” we hoped.

HAHAHAHA.

Meet: Bruno.

Gate Houdini. Toy stealer. Chewer of everything.

Who can’t use a dose of doggie photos to brighten their day?

We are a rescue family. Rocco was rescued last March at 4 months old, and we wanted to do the same for our second dog. Bruno was rescued in July at just 9 weeks old! They said he was a “doxie mix”, and he was available with his litter mates: two sisters, one who was black and brown like he was (but smaller) and one who was completely tan. That, in itself, was a little suspicious. When we arrived at the shelter he was alone, his sisters had already been adopted earlier in the day. He was sleeping peacefully outside, his little round, pink belly rising and falling with each breath. I picked him up and inhaled his puppy smell. Is there anything better than new puppy smell? Probably second only to new baby smell.

We left with “Dallas” as he was named, and the entire ride home, as he slept in my arms, I whispered into his soft, floppy ear: “You are Bruno. Bruno. Bruno.”

Bruno was a surprise for our Little Mister who had NO IDEA we were bringing home a dog. You know who else was surprised? Rocco.

It’s amazing how quickly you forget what house training a puppy is like, even if you just did a year earlier. And, we were right in assuming it would be easier since we were home all the time. But still, house training is exhausting! But my Type A personality ensured we only had a handful of accidents in the house as I watched Bruno like a hawk. The minute he looked suspicious, he went outside!

And, Bruno won himself some bonus points for sleeping through the night in his crate from night one with no crying. He will fit right in here with that kind of behavior.

Rocco and Bruno are still trying to figure out their place with each other. When we first brought Bruno home, he and Rocco (who is full grown) were almost the same size, Bruno being 8 pounds to Rocco’s 10. But any size advantage Rocco had quickly diminished when Bruno started gaining a pound a week. He quickly was taller (and stronger) than Rocco, though he was still a clumsy puppy so Rocco was able to push him around. They spent quite a bit of time wrestling (and still do!), though their interactions have grown louder. And Bruno has become bolder. And Rocco spends a lot of time hiding under chairs.

Rocco – who at the tender age of 2 – is like a grumpy old man. He’s possessive of Little Mister, and getting attention. And most of the time he just wants to be left alone. Bruno – who can’t take a hint – constantly wants to play so he bites at Rocco’s rear end and tail, nudges him off a bed, steals any toy he’s playing with. Basically, he’s an annoying little bratty brother.

Do I love that we have gates up all over the house to contain him until we can trust him? No.

Does leaving a room or going outside cause more drama than we’d like? Yep.

Do we need to each “take a dog” at certain times to keep peace in our house? Oh yeah.

When someone comes in the house does mayhem ensue? For sure.

Is Bruno wiggling his way into our hearts? Absolutely.

When you talk to Bruno, he looks right into your eyes and tilts his head, as if he’s trying to understand what you’re saying to him. Our old dog Vito used to do that, too. Vito was part human, I think.

Bruno is working on learning his commands and how to be a good doggie and a respectful member of our family. He’s scared of strangers and gets nervous in new situations. “You have to socialize him!” the vet said. Well, Dr., I haven’t socialized myself in the last 8 months, let along a dog!

But we’re working on it! Today was a test run at doggie daycare for Bruno. And we didn’t get a call to pick him up 20 minutes after we dropped him off, so to me, that’s a success. Plus, the only other dog there was about 5 pounds and Bruno still behaved himself. Extra treats for him tonight for not eating another dog today!

It’s been 4 months and we sort of hoped that Rocco and Bruno would be besties by now. Spoiler alert: that is not the case. They currently tolerate each other. (Correction: Rocco tolerates Bruno and Bruno annoys Rocco.)

Hopefully things calm down in the KK household soon. And Bruno doesn’t take down our Christmas tree (which is grounds for dismissal, btw).

He’s not a snuggler, or a kisser. But he does like to hog the couch. He’s a little kooky and quirky. But he’s all ours.

You can follow Rocco and Bruno’s shenanigans on Instagram!

Cleaning, Home renovations, Life, NaBloPoMo, Pandemic

What I Did (and Didn’t Do) During The Pandemic

littleshoeprincess

Remember when the pandemic started? When we were all confined to our houses and visions of cleaning, organizing and DIY projects filled our heads (and your social feed)?

I watched as friends purged their basements, organized their linen closets and finally refurbished that flea market find. Children’s playrooms turned went from disarray of toys to neatly stacked bins. Kitchen cabinets were orderly. Garages were cleaned out.

But not at my house.

It seemed that during this pandemic, while everyone was putting their life (and house) in order, my life and house was going in the opposite direction. Our kitchen looked like a (6-year-old) hurricane hit it each day. We couldn’t see our tabletop because it was covered in crayons, paper and dinosaurs. Our counters were cluttered. And somehow our sink ALWAYS had dishes in it, even after I loaded the dishwasher.

Was I the only person who accomplished nothing on their house and life to-do list?

I will admit, Marie Kondo I am not. However, I thought I’d at least get something done. Mr. KK – on the other hand – created a gigantic to-do list at the beginning of Spring and basically crossed off every single item. I was lucky if I got the laundry done every week.

Instead of feeling like a total failure, I decided to make a mental list of the things I did accomplish in the last 8 months; those things I didn’t cross things off an official “to do” list, but were personal and emotional wins.

What I Did During The Pandemic

I helped Little Mister become confident in coloring and drawing. Being a lefty, our Little Mister hadn’t been a big fan of coloring or drawing. He just didn’t think he was “good at it”. So we spent lots of time with me drawing scenes for him to color and decorate with stickers, which slowly transitioned to him drawing something and asking me to fill in the rest, to us creating little “books” together with drawings and words. Now, he takes out the crayons and paper on his own and starts drawing. He’s so proud of what he draws that he asks to hang it up in his room.

I stuck with my fitness and healthy eating routine and instead of gaining the COVID 15, I actually lost the COVID 15 (and then some!)

I changed my closet over from fall/winter to spring/summer in a timely manner. Each year it turns 80 degrees and I’m still trying to find something to wear from ponchos and boots. (Never mind that I didn’t wear 3/4 of the clothes I put in the closet. If it wasn’t leggings or denim shorts, it didn’t get any wear time.)

I read. A lot. I posted a few days ago about my favorite books so far this year. Reading is something I love doing and usually I feel like I just don’t have the time. Nothing a little pandemic can’t fix.

I saved money. This shouldn’t be surprising since we literally didn’t leave the house, have any social life, or spend money on anything besides food for months on end. I didn’t go into a Target for 6 months (much to Mr. KK’s happiness). Heck, we actually made money during the pandemic because we had to cancel a few vacations!

I played. Because we’re the Little Mister’s only playmates, I spent quite a bit of time playing and pretending. We played pet store, Octonauts, Lion King, stickers, hide and seek and explorers. And just when I would think I was the worst playmate in the world, Little Mister would tell me how much he loved playing with me and I’d be suckered into another hour of being Ryder from Paw Patrol.

I stopped trying to do everything at 100%. Our house was a mess. Sometimes we ate meals that consisted of all leftovers. I worked weird hours, sometimes starting at 6am or stopping at 10pm, so I could find a work/life balance. And if something didn’t get done, so be it.

I spent a lot of time with our family. Once the weather was warm, we spent every weekend with our parents, either at our house on the patio, or at my inlaws’ or parents’ houses at their pools. And while we kept our distance (I still haven’t hugged my parents since the beginning of the year!), we were able to be together, which was the most important thing.

I lived the opposite of FOMO. During the last 8 months, we missed out on a lot of things. There were places we didn’t go, people we didn’t see, events we didn’t attend. Was it hard making decisions that would mean Little Mister might go another month (or two) without playing with another child? You betcha. Did I want a little taste of our “old life” with overnight trips and boozy boat rides? Hell to the yes. But, in the end, the health and safety of our family kept us on track. In order for Little Mister to spend time with his grandparents (who eventually came to the rescue and started watching him while we were working before school started) we had to stick to our isolated routine.

So while I didn’t rearrange my office, organize the holiday bins in the basement or clean the toy room, I did have the incredible experience of watching Little Mister grow and become confident, appreciating the little things and going to bed at the end of the weekend without Sunday stomach.

And to me, it was worth it.

food, Kids will be kids, NaBloPoMo, parenting

We Are Raising a Carb-a-holic

littleshoeprincess

When our Little Mister was younger, he would eat so many different foods. Then, slowly, he started to have an opinion (the nerve!) and decide what he did and didn’t like. Gone were the days he would happily mash salmon and potatoes in his mouth, or ask to try our shrimp or eat puréed beef stew. Now, foods he ate just two days earlier were no longer in his repertoire.

One day, he quit chicken nuggets cold turkey. What 5 year old does that? Chicken nuggets is a food group for kids under 10.

But what does the Little Mister love? CARBS. If my child could eat only white food for the rest of his life, he’d be happy. (I mean, I get it – I wish I could exist on cheese and bread, too. But there are things called balanced diets and BMI that we have to worry about).

At our recent 6 year old check up, the doctor asked Little Mister if he was eating fruits and vegetables. “Yes,” he nodded solemnly. Liar! Besides broccoli, we are anti-vegetable (tomatoes are a fruit! and corn is not a vegetable!).

Dinnertime is becoming harder and harder. Though I think I’m more bothered with Little Mister eating the same thing every night than he is. Honestly, he’d the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let him. (Why am I not letting him? Why am I driving myself crazy???)

Part of the reason it bugs me that my child won’t eat (or try) anything is that I actually cook dinners each night. Mr. KK and I eat a pretty good meal each night, the likes of which are wasted on our child. So each night, I cook 2 meals; or, rather, I cook one meal and one additional carbohydrate.

What is on the 6 Year Old Menu

Here is what Little Mister has deemed worthy of eating:

• Grilled cheese
• Pizza (he used to ask for spinach on his pizza, or bacon and olive, now it’s just plain cheese)
• Pasta (plain, no butter or cheese. sometimes he’ll concede to sauce if he’s feeling daring)
• Pancakes (shaped like snowmen or dogs; a good go-to when we’ve gone through the usual dinner rotation)
• Broccoli (I’m proud to type this, he has not yet tired of broccoli, even though it’s the only vegetable he’ll eat so I give it to him every. single. night.)
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Any type of chip (potato, Dorito, Cheeto, you name it, my kid will house it)
• Dessert (he is an equal opportunity dessert eater)

Little Mister is a bonafide snacker. Five minutes after he finishes a meal, he wants a snack. And after his snack, he needs another snack. His snacks have snacks! We are trying to teach him how to balance his snacks. He knows enough by this time, to ask specifically, “Do I have have to have a snack that’s a fruit now?” Yes, yes you do! Though he tries to be sneaky with, “Fruits snacks are fruit. It’s in the name.” Nice try, kiddo.

I don’t imagine the days of me making 2 meals each night will end soon, because I’m pretty sure I’m not going to start eating pancakes and dry pasta for dinner. And even Little Mister’s doctor said, “You need to determine what’s too much? It is worth stressing over now, knowing he’s likely not going to go to college only eating 10 things?” And no, it’s not. He’s healthy and growing (like a week!) so he’d getting nutrition. And honestly, there are other places in my life that I can stress over rather than having to make a grilled cheese sandwich 3 times a week.

NaBloPoMo, politics, Uncategorized

The Election that Made History

littleshoeprincess

I am the least political person on the planet. I don’t talk about politics, I don’t post about politics and I don’t read about politics. However, even a politics-phobe like me could not escape this year’s election.

I was proud to hear more Americans voted in this election than any other. If there was ever an election that needed all the votes possible, it was this one.

Last week, I was explaining to the Little Mister why he didn’t have school on Tuesday.

“It’s election day,” I told him. “A day that America votes on who will be the next President.”

“What’s a President?”

“The President is the person who is in charge of our country. The man who is currently the President is competing against another man who wants the job.” I explained.

“Why does that other man want the Leader’s job?” he asked.

“The new man wants to be in charge so he can make changes and make our country better.”

“Why do you want him to win?”

“Well,” I explained, “The man who is currently the President isn’t nice person.”

“Is he rude?” Little Mister asked.

“Yes. He also makes fun of people and calls them names.”

“Well that’s not very nice,” Little Mister said matter-of-factly.

“No, it isn’t. The new guy who wants to win is much nicer.”

“I want the nice guy to win,” Little Mister told me.

“Me too,” I agreed.

Leave it to a 6 year old to put things in perspective.

Now that we have the results of the election after a nail-biting 4 days after the votes were in, it’s amazing the change I’m seeing in the world. First, on the day they announced the who the President would be, the weather was gorgeous in New England (hello, 75 degrees in November!). Second, the tone and mood of my social feeds went from one of anxiety, anger and maliciousness, to one of hope, happiness and inspiration. Gone were the rants and name calling. Instead, my feed was filled with photos of sunsets and smiles, celebrations and champagne.

And third, something finally shut up the current President.

And, it turns out, the nice guy did win. And with him comes a female Vice President. Will they solve all the problems of the world? Probably not. Will they make mistakes? You betcha. But will they be strong leaders who fight the good fight and protect our country? I really think so.

Here’s to change for the good.

Books, NaBloPoMo

My Best Books of 2020

littleshoeprincess

I have always been a big reader. Mr. KK jokes that he goes to sleep and wakes up seeing my face lit up by my Kindle. For me, books are a easy way to escape and take my mind off of life. And there was no better time to escape with a book than this year!

I read a LOT of books in the last 8 months. So many, that I can’t even recall all of the titles. Even when going through my Kindle I had to open up the book and read a few pages because I couldn’t remember if I had read the book or not! Then there were some books I knew I read, but the prose didn’t look familiar at all (we’ll chalk that one up to the book not really leaving a big impression on me).

Here are many of the books I’ve read this year. I have a very technical rating system:

Love it!
Decent read.
Meh.

The following books all receive my LOVE IT! rating:

The Things that Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley.

This is a book about a pandemic that I read during a pandemic. Granted, their situation was a LOT worse than ours was, but still. This was written in 2011, so you may find yourself wondering why they didn’t order groceries online or get dinner from Seamless.

Sometimes you just need to laugh! And both of these books delivered! Do You Mind If I Cancel by Gary Janetti and A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost had me stifling giggles in the predawn hours while all the boys slept soundly.

Elin Hildebrand will always have my heart. There are no better books to read in the summer. I somehow have lived in New England my entire life and I am yet to visit Nantucket (it’s on the list!), but after reading Elin’s books, I feel like I’ve been to Nantucket; like I’ve felt the warm sand between my toes on the beaches, peeked in the windows of the downtown shops and tasted the plump, juicy tomatoes from Bartlett’s Farm. This summer, in addition to re-reading some of my favorites of hers (as I’m known to do), I also devoured both of her new releases for 2020: Troubles in Paradise (the third book in the trilogy) and 28 Summers. Both were fantastic.

Both of these books brought New York City to life in these stories set decades ago. Park Avenue Summer about a young woman who goes to work at Cosmo for Helen Gurley Brown and The Address about a woman who takes a job at the brand new Dakota Hotel, filled with glitz and glamour.

I loved all of these books for different reasons. Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover was a sweet story by an author I admire. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett tells the story of twins separated and the different paths their lives took. Finding Mrs. Ford by Deborah Goodrich Royce is part love story part mystery with twists until the end. In Five Years Years by Rebecca Serle is the type of book you can read and read and read (and that’s exactly what I did – I couldn’t put it down and read until 3:30am when I finished it!) about a woman who experiences something and reevaluates her life. Lastly, The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is a thriller to the end and all sorts of crazy.

And for the days you just need a little bit of chick lit, Kristan Higgins and Brenda Novak delivers! My One and Only and Always the Last to Know are funny and easy reads. One Perfect Summer tackles the question of what happens if you do a genetics test and find out info that’s suprising.

The following books all receive my DECENT READ rating:

Some of these books are best sellers – and some of you may have loved them more than I did. I’ve read everything by Allison Winn Scotch and Jennifer Weiner, so I was excited to read their new releases Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing and Big Summer. I enjoyed both of them, but they weren’t my favorite, favorite of the year. But worth reading. The Jetsetters and Beach Read were both good – though they started a little slow – but both good for a vacation read.

The following book received my MEH rating:

I am probably alone on this one since this book was an immediate best seller. But I found myself reading Luster by Raven Leilani just to read it – I had invested myself in half of the book and couldn’t just stop. The writing was a little choppy for me and I found it a little far-fetched where the heroine ended up living (no spoiler alerts here).

I know there were more books than this, at one point I was reading 3 books a week!

There were many I started but didn’t finish because either my load ended or I just couldn’t relate to the content to continue and I was only 15% of the way through the book so I felt ok abandoning it.

My bookshelf is full and I’m at my limit for requests at the library so I’m ready to hunker down this winter and lose myself in a book.

Entertaining, Pandemic, Uncategorized

Entertaining: 2020 style

littleshoeprincess

I LOVE to entertain. When we bought our house and gutted renovated it, we opened up all the walls to create one big kitchen/dining/living room area that was conducive to gatherings.

During “normal” times, when Mr. KK and I were preparing to entertain, it could be an all day affair getting ready. From planning to shopping, by the time our event rolled around, we were exhausted! But, oh! How times have changed.

Our Pre-Pandemic Entertaining Checklist looked like this:

• Clean house top to bottom
• Plan out a food menu (usually a theme)
• Plan out drink menu (possibly with a specialty drink)
• Prepare food all day
• Set table, clean glassware
• Light candles around the house
• Create music playlist
• Get dolled up
• Send the dog (and sometimes child!) out for the night
• Run around like a madwoman the entire event

Once lockdown was instituted, we had to get creative in order to see our family, socially distanced and outside. The first 45 days of the pandemic the only way we say our parents was on video chat. But when the weather started getting warmer, we created a safe “party” environment outside.

First, chairs were moved to be a respectable distance apart.

Second, everyone brought their own drinks and snacks.

Third, do you best to resist hugs from the Little Mister.

Based on the above, our Pandemic Entertaining Checklist looked like this:

• Blow off patio
• Pull up takeout menus on our phones

I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed get togethers more than I have this year! No stress, no running around, no prep.

I could get used to this!

Happy Friday!