Book Club Monday

Today’s book club choice is The Midnight Library but Matt Haig. This book first was published back in September and it quickly moved to the NYT’s Best Seller List and right now is #4 on Amazon’s charts of the most read book on the site!!!! Here is the story:

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Image Amazon.com

“A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits.”—The Washington Post 

A New York Times bestseller | Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick!

“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?” 

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place. – Amazon.com

For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.

Happy Easter and Let’s Paint Together!!

Happy Easter!!! I hope everyone had a really great day however you celebrated this Easter. I enjoyed the day safely with all of our family and we had a lot of laughs. The mood was definitely much brighter than it had been in the past year!! I have been waiting to share this fun virtual event with you. I have partnered with the talented artist Katy Garry for a tulip painting party on April 13th from 7:30-8:30 via Zoom. Katy is going to provide all of the painting supplies beforehand and includes some special gifts for each participant. Also, NS Lifestyles will also provide a special gift bag too to also help welcome spring. Here are some photos from some of Katie’s prior parties. I love the way the paintings turned out and I cannot wait for our night. Spots are extremely limited and the cost for the entire class is $60, which includes all supplies, the painting lessons, and all the little extra gifts on us!! Email me to save your spot.

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Do You Know A Good Bakery? You do Now!!!

I am always up for an adventure…around Valentine’s Day a give-a-way came up on my feed. It was from a Bakery in the Bronx called Conti’s Pastry Shop. I did not win the prize but I did start messaging with them. I asked them to tell me some of their most popular items and found out that they deliver to Westchester, on the weekends. I made a plan to go into their shop today and I have to say I was blown away. The store is located on Morris Park Ave and it was really easy to get to and park right out front. I wanted to take a video for you but since it is Easter weekend they were pretty busy but I was able to get some great photos. I tasted a few of the pastries, which were really really good. We tried the Nutella ice coffee which was so delicious. I recommend driving to the bakery just for that. Their gorgeous cakes are probably the most popular items, you should have seen some of the ones coming out of the shop today!! But, their coffee bombs have been a huge seller. They come in many different flavors and you just drop one in warm milk. I cannot wait to try mine tomorrow morning. I sent a bunch of assorted sweets to a friend’s house tonight and they are now driving there tomorrow for more!!!! So now I finally have a new answer to the question that I probably get once a week, “Do you know a good Bakery?”.

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Veggie Easter Wreath Appetizer

I wanted to find a really great recipe for you to make this Easter. I always lean toward sides because that’s what really makes a big holiday meal fabulous!! But this year I thought a really great appetizer would be awesome since I have not posted one in a while. I love this dish. The best part is that you can use any vegetables. I like shredded carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, bell peppers, and onions.

spring appetizer recipe

Adapted by Inspired By Charm

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 package crescent rolls – 8 ounces crescent rolls
  • 1 package cream cheese – softened
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ packet ranch dressing powdered mix
  • 3 cups assorted vegetables – diced
  • ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove crescent rolls from the package. Do not unroll. Cut each roll into eight slices. Arrange in a circle on an ungreased 14-inch round pan.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes before carefully moving to a serving plate to cool completely.
  • In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and ranch dressing mix until smooth. Then, spread the mixture over the baked rolls (make sure they are not warm at all). Top with assorted vegetables and shredded cheese. Chill for an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

A Piece From Frances Valentine to Spruce Up Your Spring and Summer Wardrobe

I loved the company, Frances Valentine, from the day it launched. It is the company that Kate and Andy Spade founded with their dear friend Elyce Arons. Elyce now heads up the company designing all of Frances Valentine’s pieces in Kate’s style image. As Elyce so perfect states:

We will always be inspired by Kate’s timeless style and distinct aesthetic. Frances Valentine is a design house with a unique way of viewing the world. Through this lens, we create original, vintage-modern pieces to delight and brighten your life.

I am a forever fan of Frances Valentine. I attended one of their launch events and spend time speaking with Kate and Elyce. I bought the exact shoes both style mavens were wearing and to this day they are still go to prices for me. I love Kate Spade’s style both in all her creations and in her interior design.

There is not a season that goes by that I do not miss purchasing a piece from the collection. The looks are timeless, elegant, and versatile. A beautiful tunic dress can do from a casual lunch at the beach to an elegant waterside dinner. I encourage you to view the website and check out some of this season’s newest arrivals.

Click Below to enter the Frances Valentine site:

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The Cutest Baby Gifts That I Have Seen In A While…

All around me the cutest babies are being born. Friends are becoming grandparents for the first time or Aunts and Uncles again!!! It’s so exciting. I love seeing all the baby photos. But I am so out of the baby loop. I needed to buy a baby gift for a sweet boy and I really did not know where to go. Luckily for me, I was introduced to the globally inspired company Zia NYC . They make the most adorable South Asian textile designs and the fabric is soooo soft…I wish they made adults. I thought the pricing was really really great for the amazing quality. Check out their WEBSITE to see the entire collection.

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