“Hapee Birthdae Lielock”~Harry Potter/Hagrid inspired birthday cake for my daughter, Lilac Rain. 💜💙

I love it when an author I love references one of my favorite bands. 💕

When it‘s 90 degrees at 7:30 p.m., the only way to enjoy reading on the porch swing is to have a fan blowing full force pointed directly at you. 💕📖

Books are safer than people. 💕

1. Tomorrow, my husband and I are going to be working the SAT for extra money. Other than that, I‘m resting and reading to prepare me for a stressful upcoming week.
2. Cake pops!
3. Sadly, no. Probably tomorrow!
4.My daughter moved home after completing her 1st year of college. 💕
5. @CareBear @rather_be_reading @bookavore @Bookladylinda #friyayintro @jesshowbooks

I‘ve been in a serious reading slump for a while, and now that I‘m on Spring Break, I‘ve had some unfortunate health issues. So it goes. I‘ve been picking through this book feeling meh, and I came to these lines that made me literally laugh out loud. Just the medicine that I needed. 💕

Finally finishing up First Frost and admiring how perfect my bookmark is for this novel. The bookmark was a Christmas gift from my daughter this year. She was incredibly excited to give it to me, and I was so touched at the thoughtfulness she put behind the gift. She even met with the crafter to pick out the perfect flowers. I am one lucky and loved mama. 💜

1. More like go to books: Where She Went by Gayle Foreman, Summer Sisters by Judy Blume, Nick and Nora‘s Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohen, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, and 🙈🙈🙈 Twilight🙈🙈🙈 (I know, I know...stop laughing😂) 2. Babysitter 3. 6th grade EC (special education) teacher 4. Bookstore owner 5. Coffee

Keeping my fingers crossed!!! @Rachel.Rencher @Lucas.Rencher #movinggiveaway

When I was little, I would ask my grandparents to light a candle and turn off the lights, so we could “have a nice, quiet, peace-able joy”. And what is more joyful than the scent of a bookstore?! 💜 This candle is spot on!! It smells like paper and fresh ink. 💜 I think I might have a touch of the stomach bug that‘s going around 😣, so I‘m having Vernors instead of tea while I read tonight because Vernors can cure anything!! #michigangirl

Snowmageddon Day 4- My view for today. I‘ve been reading Garden Spells at an unreasonably slow pace, and with the snow days, I should be done not only with this book, but also the sequel. It just didn‘t happen; my husband and I were having fun listening to music, playing in the snow, cooking up a storm, and enjoying each other‘s company (recent empty nesters here). He had to venture out today, so I‘m enjoying a little alone time. 💕

Snowmageddon 2018 Day 2- I am unreasonably in love with the icicles hanging over my front porch. 💕❄️💕❄️💕❄️

One of the pictures I took from my porch yesterday morning (Snowmageddon 2018, Day 1). We ended up getting 7+ inches where I live in North Carolina. Since I‘m from Michigan, I consider this a dusting, but to everyone else around here, the world is ending. 😂 That‘s alright; I‘m going to enjoy having the rest of the week off of work. 💕

I didn‘t realize how much I would connect with the characters in this book. No magic here, just time and quality, organic ingredients. Pictured are the beans simmering that will be vegetarian chili dinner Tuesday night. This morning for breakfast, I made banana bread. Garlic is roasting in the oven to be added to homemade bread before baking to go with homemade vegetarian lasagna for dinner tonight.

Since I suffer from severe anxiety and depression, everyday life can be difficult for me. On bad days, getting through the next five minutes can be a struggle. To get me through, spending time and going on adventures with my husband and daughter is a MUST! They‘re my best friends! I love to cook and bake from scratch. It‘s totally weird, but I also find shopping for fresh ingredients at the health food store and farmers market grounding.

Current read under the absolute BEST BLANKET IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE!!!! I‘m all snuggled under my new therapeutic weighted blanket. It‘s 25 pounds of pure awesomeness wrapped in the softest, plushest duvet ever. I‘m in LOVE!! Getting out of bed to go to work on Monday is going to be an epic challenge. 😂💕

Blankie, tissues infused with Vick‘s Vaper Rub, book, tea with honey and lemon, fire...this is my happy place. 💕

Horrible day off, so I‘m in my pajamas, waiting on my tea with lemon and honey to be done steeping, and taking a trip to Schuyler, Virginia without leaving my couch. Time to disappear for a while.

Sometimes, I think maybe I have taken my love of books too far...maybe not. 😂

This book was a reread for me; I loved it more than the first time. It still gave me all the feels, and left me a blubbering mess. Colleen Hoover never disappoints!!! 😂💕

I loved how Colleen Hoover took two minor characters and expanded their story in this novella. When I read Losing Hope, I knew that there had to be more to Six's adventures in Italy by the way she blew off Sky's questions about her travels and romance. Do I wish it was more than a novella? Absolutely! But it's still a satisfying, bow on top read.

Summer Vacation Day 8: I finished Hopeless today, and took the pack for a walk to our waterfall before starting Losing Hope. When we got there, all 4 dogs wanted to take a swim in the small pond at once. Dharma (the white Olde English bulldog shaking off), was the only one successful in submerging herself. Connor is the tan Golden-doodle, Randy is the black Bouvier/coyote mix, and Krishna is the smaller brown and white Olde English bulldog. 💕

This is the second time I've read Hopeless. I had forgotten how intense it is! This book deals with child abuse and rape. It could definitely be a difficult read for some. Still, Colleen Hoover does a wonderful job of telling Sky and Holder's story with twists, turns, darkness, and finding the light. 💕

Summer Vacation Day 7: I spent the day reading Hopeless and waiting for Lilac Rain to get home from college orientation. By the time she made it home, her new bike from her grandparents had arrived, and she was beyond excited to give it spin! We're still waiting for the basket to get here, and them she'll be all set. All I can say is, "Watch out pedestrians!" ?

When you can't think of a word stronger than "like", but you're not quiet ready to commit to "love". ?

Summer Vacation Day 6: Not a whole lot of reading time today because we took Lilac Rain to UNCG for college orientation. At the opening presentation, a speaker mentions that the book the students received in their swag bags is to be read over the summer as they'll ALL have coursework on it in the fall regardless of major. You should have heard the gasps of horror and murmurs from the audience. I was like, "WTF did you expect? This is college!"??

Summer Vacation Day 5: My next 3 books to read. I've loved every Colleen Hoover book I've read, so I'm going to work my way through her books in the order she's written them. I've already read Hopeless and Losing Hope a year or 2 ago, but I've just got Finding Cinderella, so it's time for a reread.

Lilac Rain was right...I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but wanted to throw the book across the room at the ending. I like closure in my novels, even if it's not a HEA ending, unless there's a sequel in sight. I also thought parts that I wanted to savor were a bit rushed or glossed over. Anyway, I'd still recommend Everything Everything; it's an easy, quick read for a YA fix.

Summer Vacation Day 4: I spent the day on my porch swing sipping lemon water an reading Everything Everything. So far, my daughter was right; I'm loving the story. I pulled myself away about half way through the book, so I could go to the grocery store. This visitor greeted me as I left the porch, guided me to the car, and landed at my toes right at the car door. I do believe she was posing for a picture. 💕🦋

1. Crack the spine?! 😱NEVER!!! I'm not a monster!🤣2. Tea 3. Fantasy 3. Evening 4. Owning a bookstore is my ultimate dream!! 💕📚 These are so fun!! #bookishwouldyourather

1. Fruit cut in small pieces. 2. I am completely charmed by deckled edges. 😍 3. If I'd have to pick, stand alone books. 4. Neverland. I'm never growing up!! 5. Definitely librarian. 💜 #bookishwouldyourather

Summer Vacation Day 3: Today was one of those days that just slips by...slept in and the day literally faded away. We did have dinner with friends tonight, so that was fun. I'm only 22 pages deep in Everyday Everyday. My daughter has insisted that I NEED to read this book, but warned me that I'm going to unequivocally hate the ending...ummm, thank you? 😂

Summer Vacation Day 2: Told in flashbacks, A Hundred Summers is an epic, twisting story of love, scandal, and the hurricane of 1938. The writing has a cadence of the 1930's, and I was completely enthralled from page 1. This novel
Is one of the best beach books I've read. On a side note, Krishna is getting so BIG!! 💕 I have to keep reminding myself that she's still a puppy. #DogsOfLitsy

Summer Vacation Day 1: I'm half way through A Hundred Summers and totally in love!! Practicing new hoop tricks to The Grateful Dead in between chapters. Life isn't good...it's excellent!! 💕📚🎶💕📚🎶📚🎶

Friday: My only child, Lilac Rain, graduated high school ???☺️ (All. The. Emotions.) Saturday: I gave the ACT for extra $$ and had her graduation party. Today: A Hundred Summers. Even though my "official" last day of school/teacher workday is Tuesday, summer vacation has officially started!!! Holla!!!

Yet another re-read of this epic, 24 hour love story beginning. I've lost track how many times I've read this book...I usually don't like, let alone LOVE, books with such an open ending. But I guess that's what happens when the playlist of the story is most definitely infinite. 💕🎶💕🎶💕🎶

I've lost track of how many times I've been on Nick and Norah's adventure. Almost to the end, and this...this...made my heart go all a flutter. "We move from song to song, from lyric to lyric, from chord to chord. There is no ending here. It's an infinite playlist." ?????? It stops me dead Every.Single.Time. ?

Best pick up line ever! ❤️💛💚💙💜

I've lost track of how many times I've read Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's definitely my go to summer read! This is a small portion of my daughter's music shrine: Grateful Dead poster, Cereus Bright sticker, live pic of Wilco, (one of many) Wilco set lists, signed Father John Misty set list, signed Ages and Ages poster, and Glenn Kotche's drumstick, but signed by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), which is extremely rare since Jeff only plays guitar.

A beautifully crafted depressing and haunting story. Vonnegut continually blows my mind with the way he weaves his tales through mazes and perfectly brings them back together in the end. This one actually made me tear up a couple of times in the last chapter. Kurt Vonnegut will forever have my heart. 💜

Sometimes when I'm reading, I get what I need when I need it most. 💜

Everything about Vonnegut is starting to make sense now.

Spent some time at my local used bookstore tonight. 💕📚💕📚💕📚 #BlameItOnLitsy #bookhaul

And the rest of it! My daughter took pics to prove to her teacher that her dog *literally* ate her homework. 🤣🐶💕

My daughter's Angela's Ashes homework for AP English thanks to our little one, Krishna. 🐶🙄🤣😆🐶

A couple days late to post a pic of the other half of our pack for #NationalPuppyDay, but these two smelly boys are hard to photograph! Connor is on the left. He's a GIANT Golden Doodle that we inherited when my FIL passed. Randy is on the right. He's a Bouvier des Flandres/coyote mix. 🤣 We had his mom, Karma, who was the Bouvier. She ran away with the coyotes for a few weeks, and we ended up with her pup.💕

Dharma and Krishna enjoying a nap. Happy #nationalpuppyday!!! 💕🐶💕🐶💕🐶

And now she sleeps. That didn't take long! 😆💕🐶 #PuppiesofLitsy #DogsofLitsy

Krishna cries until she can be on my chest. Almost makes reading impossible, but I'll take the snuggles while I can! 💕🐶 #PuppiesofLitsy #DogsofLitsy

Decided to spend some time with my most favorite author. 💕💕💕