A Lifestyle Blog about Marriage, Parenting, Fashion and Fitness
Happy October! It is officially my favorite month of the year. Why? Because the weather is the perfect temperature, there are pumpkins everywhere, I can finally wear my boots and scarves and the leaves begin to change. This year is extra special because we celebrate our 2nd anniversary, Ryan’s 28th birthday, and we will be welcoming our baby boy into the world. What a wonderful month.
Welcome to the thirty-fifth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. If you are interested in co-hosting with us, please fill out this form and we will get back to you with a date. Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!
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*I was given this book in compensation for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Grounded by Angela Correll
koehlerbooks 2013
First Line: Annie couldn’t wait to get home.
Synopsis from Goodreads: New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is grounded, putting a halt to weekends in Rome and her jet-setting lifestyle. Soon her noncommittal boyfriend’s true nature is revealed, and to top it all off, she loses her apartment.
With nowhere else to go, Annie leaves the city for the family farm in Kentucky, a place she’s avoided for years. She finds a shotgun-wielding grandmother, a farm in disrepair, and a suspicious stranger renting the old stone house.
The country quiet haunts Annie with reminders of a past that can’t be changed. She tries persuading her grandmother to sell the farm, but is met with stubborn refusal? Yet in the midst of her crashing life, Annie sees a glimmer of hope for a second chance.
Jake Wilder is contemplating jumping off the corporate ladder to follow his passion for sustainable farming. He’s almost ready to propose to Camille, a girl who wants more, not less. Annie believes Jake is about to make a terrible mistake, but does she have the right to tell him?
As the summer heats up, so do Annie’s unexpected feelings for Jake and her interest in the land. When a sudden phone call comes from New York, Annie is forced to choose between coming to terms with her past or leaving it all behind.
My Thoughts: I found this novel extremely refreshing and perfect for Correll’s debut novel. Being a southern girl myself, it was extremely relatable and familiar. At times I felt like I was reading about my family and hometown. I absolutely loved the characters, especially the grandmother. Her strong personality and stubbornness reminds me of my grandmother. She definitely made me laugh. I also really loved that she quoted scripture throughout the book. I loved that this book was extremely clean. It is a nice change compared to many other novels out there. I feel really good about recommending this book to family and friends, since I am often reluctant to do so with other novels because of the language. The story reminds you how special and valuable home is and reminds you of the importance of family and your heritage.
The only negative I would give this book is that it was a little slow through the middle. It had a great beginning and end, but the middle did seem to drag for a bit. Other than that, it kept my attention and I was able to fly through it. It was a very enjoyable book.
If you’re looking for a feel-good read, this is the book for you! It will bring you home to the south and make you smile. I look forward to reading the sequel! I gave Grounded 5 stars.
This book will be available October 1st! Be sure to grab your copy!
You asked and I am here to answer! Let’s get right to it!
1) How do you handle pressure?
-This is a great question! If I’m feeling a lot of pressure to get something done, I normally stress out for a minute and then hunker down and get it done. If it is not work related and a little more personal, I normally like to exercise (run, walk, etc.) to calm down and clear my head, pray about it and then make a decision. I don’t like to jump the gun. I take a little longer to process things so I don’t make a rash decision.
2) Why did you start blogging? What motivates you to blog?
-I started blogging to journal my life. I actually didn’t even tell anyone (other than my husband) that I had a blog for nearly a year because it was kind of my escape, but I did give in and tell a couple of family members and close friends. I love to read and I wanted to discuss the books that I read. I never knew it would turn into meeting a ton of amazing women and even creating friendships. I get motivated to blog when I have something to say. That may mean posting every day one week and not at all the next. Lately I have loved documenting my pregnancy journey on here so that I can look back and read through the posts and be reminded of this little miracle.
3) What has been your strangest post topic?
-I had a hard time answering this question. I don’t know that I’ve had a really strange post topic. The only thing I really came across was when I participated in My Harry Potter Fix and created an outfit for Hermione. I am a big HP fan so to me it wasn’t strange, but extremely fun. However, I’m sure some of you probably thought it was strange.
4) How did you and your husband meet?
-We met in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on NYE in 2007/2008 when a group of mutual friends went on vacation there for the holiday weekend. We hit it off right away and have been together ever since.
5) Favorite blog post to date?
– I have many, but one popped into my mind when I saw this question. I really enjoyed The Facts of Me link-up post that Whitney hosted a while back. I loved reading everyone’s posts in that link-up and enjoyed writing my own as well.
Meet me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan
Sourcebooks, Inc., 2013
First Line: Issy Randall refolded the piece of paper and smiled.
Synopsis from Goodreads: Having grown up in an apartment above her Grandpa Joe’s little bakery, Issy Randal has always known how to make something sweet. She’s much better at baking than she is at filing, so when she’s laid off from her desk job, Issy decides to open up her own little caf . But she soon learns that her piece-of-cake plan will take all her courage and confectionary talent to avert disaster. Funny and sharp, Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe is about how life might not always taste like what you expect, but there’s always room for dessert!
My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this novel. Not only does it have a great unpredictable story, it is also filled with amazing recipes. I love to bake so that was a huge bonus for me. I’ll be honest, I had never heard of Jenny Colgan, but as I was browsing the shelves and BAM, I spotted this novel and was immediately captivated by the title and the cover. I had to buy it!
I couldn’t put it down from the beginning. I couldn’t wait to see how things turned out for Issy after she was fired from her real estate job in London. I admire a woman who follows her heart and does something she truly loves. This was the perfect cuddle up by a fire kind of read. I highly recommend this book. I gave it 5 stars.
Welcome to the thirty-fourth week of Monday Mingling! Please take the time to introduce yourselves to our co-hosts! If you are new to this blog hop, please leave us a comment letting us know you are following and we would be happy to follow you back. Thank you for joining us this week, and don’t forget to link back to us by grabbing our button. Happy Mingling!
2. Follow your co-hosts via GFC or Bloglovin’
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| Throwback pic! Did you know I used to be blonde? I think I’ll stick to brown. |
Since day one I made it my mission to be real on this blog. I want to be honest, state my opinions and let my readers feel like I’m a real person sitting behind this computer and not just a robot rambling nonsense. I love to read blogs that are honest and real and I wouldn’t want to be anything different. I love getting to know other bloggers and I thought you might like to know me on a more personal level as well. With that being said, please feel free to ask me any questions! It can be about my blog, marriage, pregnancy, Christianity, books, living in Alabama, etc. Please ask as many questions as you’d like! Either post them in the comment section or email them to me (loganab8 at gmail dot com). I will answer them next week! Ready. Set. Ask!!
~P.S. I created an Instagram account for my blog so that I wouldn’t annoy my non-blogger friends with posts. I would love it if you followed me!
Also, I just added a new ad spot for only $2! It is also available for swaps!
Ryan and I have been so blessed with an amazing church family, family and friends. We have been so overwhelmed by their support, prayers and beautiful gifts over the past few months. Our little boy is already so blessed and has more clothes than I do. Our first shower was held in our church building and honored us and 3 other couples. It was a very special night.
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| Silly friends! |
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| My cousin actually had her baby 4 days after this picture was taken! We are so excited to welcome Natalie to our growing family!
I’ll post about our third shower once I get some photos back from it. 🙂 |
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