Everyone is readying so much more during these long days at home..A friend told me that her son read one of the Monday book club books in ONE DAY!!! Woah…I need to up my game…Here are a bunch of books that you can get for your Kindle for free…they are all award-winning titles and sound really really good. If you are spending a lot of time on your computer these days, like me, try these Blue Light Blocking Glasses. They should help with headaches and eye fatigue. I just ordered mine so I can get reading!!
When Justin walks out on Alice on their honeymoon, with no explanation apart from a cryptic note, Alice is left alone and bewildered, her life in pieces.
Then she meets Evelyn, a visitor to the gallery where she works. It’s a seemingly chance encounter, but Alice gradually learns that Evelyn has motives, and a heartbreaking story, of her own. And that story has haunting parallels with Alice’s life.
As Alice delves into the mystery of why Justin left her, the questions are obvious. But the answers may lie in the most unlikely of places…
Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives. Jack, her father, who seeks vengeance against the one person he can blame other than himself; her best friend, Mo, who bravely searches for the truth as the story of their survival is rewritten; her sister Chloe, who knows Finn lingers and yearns to join her; and her mother, Ann, who saved them all but is haunted by her decisions. Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?
Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.
Kate’s return flips her family’s world upside down—her husband is remarried, and her daughter barely remembers her. Kate herself doesn’t look or act like she did before.
While the family tries to help Kate reintegrate into society, they discover truths they’ve been hiding from each other about their own relationships. But they aren’t the only ones with secrets. As the family unravels what happened to Kate, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate’s return is more sinister than any of them could have imagined.
So, when wealthy couple James and Rosemary come to choose a child to adopt, Angela is desperate to escape.
Years later, Angela starts to search for her birth mother, Evelyn, hoping to heal the scars of her childhood. But strange and sinister events start to unfold. And Evelyn fears she may not survive her daughter’s return.
Then Charlie vanishes without a trace, and all that seemed safe is shattered by a tragedy that is incomprehensible—except to Liz.
It took one fleeting moment for her to change the lives of everyone she loves—a heartrending accident that can’t be undone. Neither can the second-worst mistake of her life: concealing it. As two marriages crack and buckle in grief and fear, Liz retreats into her own dark place of guilt, escalating paranoia—and betrayals even she can’t imagine. Because there’s another good neighbor who has his own secrets, his own pain, and his own reasons for watching Liz’s every move.
And only he knows that the mystery of the missing boy on the Deschutes River is far from over.
The story she pieces together is confusing and unsettling, and appears to have been patched over with lies. But who can tell her the truth? With her father sinking into Alzheimer’s and her brother reluctant to help, it seems Cara will never find the answers to her questions. One thing is clear, though: someone knows more than they’re letting on.
Torn between loyalty to her family and dread of what she might find, Cara digs into the early years of her parents’ troubled marriage, hunting down long-lost relatives who might help unravel the mystery. But the picture that begins to emerge is not at all the one she’d expected—because as she soon discovers, lies have a habit of multiplying . . .
From behind a computer screen, Autumn watches Grace’s every memory, from birthdays to holidays to bedtime snuggles. But what starts as an innocent fascination soon spirals into an addictive obsession that comes to a screeching halt the day the McMullen family closes their Instaface account without so much as a warning.
Frantic and desperate to reconnect with her daughter, Autumn applies for a nanny position with the McMullens, manipulating herself into Grace’s life under false pretenses. And it’s only then that Autumn discovers pictures lie, the perfect family doesn’t exist, and beautiful people? They have the ugliest secrets.
I did not know how popular the Forsysia post would be. After reading it, many of you were out there cutting and displaying them in your gorgeous homes!! I especially love the photos from those who did not have Forsythia in their yards but wanted to participate anyway!!!!! As promised, I am sharing all the wonderful photos….Thank you to my amazing readership for keeping me going every day with your incredible enthusiasm and support…we really are stronger together!!!!
Let’s face it, at-home time can be boring at times. To help you out, this post will explore some of the best ways to keep yourself entertained. I was preparing this article for tips to pass the time while traveling, however, now I think it is so important to have some fun tips to pass the time while we are spending time at home.
Music
Music means something different to everyone, but most people are able to sit down and listen to their favorite tracks for hours on end to pass the time. Websites like https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-download-music-for-free can make it nice and easy to save offline versions of the songs you like without breaking the law, and this will be essential when you’re in places that don’t offer an internet connection. It can be worth choosing music you haven’t listened to for a while for this, and some people will like to use the chance to listen to music they’ve never heard before. You can also live-stream concerts, what about listening to a Bruce Springsteen show?
Movies/TV
Back in the old days, the idea of being able to watch television and movies on a portable device would have been laughed at. Nowadays, though, your smartphone is more than capable of giving you the chance to consume your favorite TV shows no matter where you are. Services like YouTube can be used offline if you’re willing to pay for it, and there are loads of companies on the market that sell movies and television shows for temporary downloads onto your devices. It always makes sense to have these things available no matter the state of your internet connection. And, here’s what to watch when you’re caught up on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,”
Video Games
Few things are better for passing time than video games, giving you the chance to ignore the fact that you are stuck at home. Smartphones can be good for this, with most models being able to run an array of different games. Alongside this, though, a portable console like the Nintendo Switch can also be an excellent option. For those with laptops, services like Google Stradia can make it possible to play games that would usually be reserved for very high-end game consoles or computers.
Or how about some of these FUN IDEAS (adapted from Apartment Therapy):
Take notes on how to organize your freezer from Ina Garten.
Enroll in weekly art lessons from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
Tour Tate Modern’s Andy Warhol exhibit.
Or just head right inside Prince Charles’ residence.
See the Japanese cherry blossoms around the world.
Take tips (and backgrounds) from Jonathan Adler for camera time, too.
Try these no-equipment workouts that you can easily do at home.
Volunteer remotely to make a difference from home.
What to do when you declutter!!!
Yesterday I received an email from a reader in Chicago. She said that she has a bunch of upcoming zoom conferences and social calls….and wanted some tips on something new to wear (that would be within her budget) and asked for some help on how she should set up her zoom “scene”. I partnered with Belk, a fun Florida Department store, to bring you some under $30 fashion finds. Their signature brands are really great looking and take a queue from some of the more expensive lines…I love the striped sweater highlighted below, it reminds me of the NY popular fashion brand La Ligne. I also included a few pairs of statement earrings. They are a must since earrings really pop in a video conference. Right now most items are 35% off with the code AMAZINGSAVINGS. As for creating the Zoom scene, I found a few tips for you! Please keep the emails and messages coming. I am trying to cover a lot of fun topics to keep everyone entertained for the next many weeks and I love all the interesting questions, and requests that you send to me!!!! Bon Weekend!!!
Click the images below for more product information!!!
Here are some tips for elevating your Zoom background or “scene” as I like to call it!!!
Set up your computer in front of the window so your face gets natural light, which is the most flattering type of light.”
You can improve your appearance and look airbrushed. Just click the “enhance my appearance” button under video options.
Use laptops/computers over phone/tablets. It allows for better control of viewing and accessing chat features.
Mute mics and only unmute when you are speaking; it eliminates some of the screen jumping that is triggered by sound/noise.
Surround yourself with things that inspire you: a decorative piece, a Himalayan salt lamp, or burn a candle.
Place Lamps At Both Sides Of Your Desk, if you are seated at a desk.
Clean your space. Do not show clutter. Think about your background. A nice piece of artwork or your fireplace and mantle would work nicely. Basically something interesting to look at.
Add a decorative object to the background, like a vase of flowers.
A book shelf makes for an interesting and eye catching backdrop.
Have nice accessories, a pretty mug (my friend, Melissa, used these recently) or glass. Use a decorative pen or notebook, if you need one during the meeting.
I know, I know..everyone is complaining about being stuck inside and all the non-stop eating but requests are still coming in for baking recipes!! My friend Paula made this for her family this week and served it with ice cream. She said almost the entire thing went in one night. Thankfully she forwarded the recipe to me and I knew I had to share it. Don’t worry..next week I have a Weight Watchers recipe all set up for you!!!! Bon Appetit!!!
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3-1/2 – 4 cups chopped)
- Confectioners’ sugar (optional), for decorating cake
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don’t worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that’s okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular cake pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip the cake over and place right-side-up on a platter. Using a fine sieve, dust with Confectioners’ sugar (if using). Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Freezer Friendly Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, cover it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
adapted from once upon a chef
One thing that I love about all this at home time is that I really get a chance to catch up with my friends who are usually too busy for me during the week!!!!!!!!!!! My dear dear and one of my oldest friends Leeann is one person I am ecstatic that I can actually get her on the phone during the day!! I kid you not, it is probably easier to get in touch with the president than Leeann at work…soooo yesterday we were discussing one of our favorite topics, The Tiger King. In between Leeann telling me that in her lifetime, she never had a desire to pet a baby tiger (which might be the best line of this entire 2 + month quarantine!!!), she asked me if my hands are raw from all the washing. Actually, because of this dry skin fix my hands are in great shape despite the fact that I am washing them constantly. It’s really easy and really fun to make.
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil or coconut oil
10-20 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
1/2 pint mason jar, or other glass container
Combine sugar, olive oil and lavender essential oil in a mason jar. Stir well to combine. Add more oil, if necessary.
To Use:
Use a spoon or other clean device to take a couple tablespoons of the diy hand scrub out of the container. Gently massage into hands for 1 minute. Rinse with warm water.
(adapted from fountain avenue kitchen)