Beautiful wisteria before the terrible weather claimed it all over the weekend! It's an invasive nuisance but still so lovely 😍
I had to take a break from the tagged ARC, I just can't get into this one (which is a big bummer since I've enjoyed others by this author).

So close to planting!! 🌱🍅🥰
Breezing through the tagged book though I'm getting a bit confused with alllllllll these characters to keep track of!

My annual re-read of the tagged book is almost over! It reminds me of all the things that I love about the growing season. This photo is from the greenhouse in February and I can't believe how much our plants have grown since then!!

Working on my spring menu this week and created a banana bread/blondie/banana pudding mash up and topped it with a vanilla wafer!
Started the tagged ARC last night and I'm enjoying the unexpected humor.

Collard melts for supper, recipe courtesy of Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf! Mason has an incredible sense of humor and makes amazing dishes with some very simple ingredients most chefs would turn up their noses at.
Fun fact: I pre-ordered a signed copy and the first print was on a cargo ship that sank 😲 so they had to reprint the entire run!
Definitely stopping at his restaurant if I ever make it to Louisiana 🤗

I have some photographs in a local gallery for a GRL PWR exhibition to celebrate women's history month. I was excited to have my daughter attend the opening with me, especially since she's my greatest source of inspiration 💖

Started this #NetGalley ARC and had trouble putting it down! This is an auto-buy author for me. LaValle's writing is always brilliant and immersive!

This is another charming cozy from the author of Dial A For Aunties. Love the humor and the warmth between characters!

Latest book haul from my indie 😍
I've read the top 3 and had to have them for my personal library, Effin' Birds is ridiculous and hilarious 😆, and I can't wait to dig in to the rest after I finish a couple ARCs for the month!

My local indie is amazing so I'll forgive them for banning me from this thrill 😆

We caught our first swarm of honeybees last weekend and this morning we transferred them to their hive! I took an online beekeeping class at the beginning of the pandemic and I'm excited to finally put what I learned to work! I'm quickly realizing that this is something you truly learn by doing rather than reading 😉
Since the bees are the experts, I'll follow their lead! 👑🐝🍯

Really enjoying this memoir as I run errands this week

This is sweet. I'm enjoying the family + the food in these pages 💕

Our gardening aspirations have outgrown the space we have in the house so we built a tiny greenhouse this year.
Slowly making my way through the tagged book; it's a tough read but I'm in it for the long haul because I trust this author. (TW for drugs/ addiction, child abuse, rape)

All the 😍 for my NetGalley shelf these days 🙌
I need to carve out more time for the tagged book so I can dig in + devour it --- and since tomorrow's forecast is rainy, it should be the perfect time to do so!

Rosemary garlic sourdough is one of my favorite bakery menu items! 😋
I was gifted a sourdough starter quite a long time ago that has been wonderful and I just recently purchased a dehydrated starter from Baker Creek, now I'm reading up more on the science!

Managed to get through almost half of this audiobook while on the road for work today. It's a really interesting look at the author's life/trauma in relation to the life of Dolly Parton. Sounds random but it is actually a compelling read!

Finished releasing the last of the Valentine's Day bakery treats with this chocolate chip cookie cake.
I can't believe I put down the tagged book (I'm obsessed!!) long enough to bake and post on social today!

I've had the tagged book on my TBR for a while and couldn't resist picking it up at the library. It's competing with my current ARC for all my attention!
Thinking about adding flour tortillas to my menu so I made some last night for shrimp tacos.

I have too many ARCs for impulse library checkouts and yet, here we are 😂
The tagged book is a slow burn but really holding my interest - and it's my first Jane Smiley!
Baked a loaf of rosemary garlic sourdough this morning for a customer (and made an extra for myself!)

I am a HUGE Tiffany McDaniel fan and somehow had no idea about this upcoming novel until NetGalley sent me an email with a read now link for the next 48 hours. Needless to say, I dropped everything to download it immediately!

I absolutely ADORE this book series and am loving the tagged upcoming third installment!
Unrelated to books, I've been busy in the bakery with these hibiscus shortbread cookies. The glaze is a simple mix of hibiscus tea and powdered sugar but the unexpected color makes it fun.

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying the tagged book! It fits this cozy little niche where it's charming and sweet without being eye roll inducing and that's a fine line to walk.
I'm on break from my bakery but still baking since it's my hubby's birthday tomorrow. Cookies and cream is his request every single year!

Just recently discovered Pasta Grannies and can't stop watching the videos 🤩 it's a new form of cozy comfort for me, right up there with true crime podcasts and knit socks! Really loving this cookbook I borrowed from the library.

Baking s'mores cookies for a class holiday party tomorrow and I'm now about half way through the tagged ARC. I need to find some audiobooks on libby or hoopla to get me through the last holiday orders this week!!

Diving in to this ARC this evening after picking up these Little Debbie inspired earrings from a local jewelry designer! We can't seem to find the Christmas Tree Cakes in stores around here this year - but the ice cream is stocked up!

My Christmas gift to myself 🤗🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
I cannot wait!!!!

Audiobooked it while I baked up more holiday orders today! This evening I'm planning to finish an ARC ...and possibly my re-read of Where the Red Fern Grows!

My third grader is reading this in school and I decided I should re-read so we can cry together 😭

This feels embarrassingly accurate 🤣
But I'm the one who decided to open an in-home bakery during the holiday season sooooo... 👩🏼‍🍳
I'm surviving on coffee + audiobooks in the kitchen these days. Just finished the tagged book and... Meh. 🤷‍♀️ It wanted to be a Daisy Jones with magicians instead of a rock band but it veered off on a sci fi tangent that felt kinda random.

I've had a libby hold on this for a while and didn't expect it to come through for months 😳 so I was surprised when I got the notice yesterday. Listening today while I do Thanksgiving prep!

He was delightful! Obviously I opted for the audio since he narrated 😁

I'm about half way through this #NetGalley #ARC and while there's nothing groundbreaking here, it's beautifully written and totally relatable.

Getting spooky with baking this week 👻

My daughter asked for a Stranger Things inspired Halloween photo this year 🖤🥰

My daughter and I both had some awesome book mail last week from publishers! We're excited to review our respective books 🎉

Impulse checkout at the library and I'm breezing through!

Y'ALL I'M SCREAMING.
My most anticipated book just showed up in my inbox 😍 It's like Christmas!!!!!

I enjoyed the first part of the book ...then it became a chore and I bailed at 30% because I could not deal with the college girls fawning over an older man so full of himself I wanted to barf and it was headed toward an S&M cult.
Like, that escalated quickly. But not in a good way (and not because of kink, which I don't mind)

I'm invested in this story but I've read some reviews and wish that I hadn't because now I'm waiting for it to become ridiculous.
🤞this doesn't ruin the book for me ☹️

I'm just a bit behind 🤏 on #ARCs
Excited to be starting this one today!

Ling Ma is fantastic - I loved Severance and this short story collection seals Ma as a favorite author for me! Short stories are hit or miss for me but I loved every quirky moment with this collection!

Enjoying this #ARC so far!

A friend of mine has decided to take a break from beekeeping and passed her Flowhive and keeper gear down to me! I did an online beekeeping class back in 2020 and have considered getting a hive ever since. Brushing up on my bee knowledge over the winter and getting a hive in the spring 🐝🍯

"This is not a dress rehearsal before a better kind of life."

Hoopla is my jam these days 📖🎧👩🏼‍🎤

Requested on NetGalley... 😬🤞

(I'm not too proud to beg 🤣)

Joy is not made to be a crumb

Not usually a fan of religious books, too often it's the author giving examples of minor inconveniences in their life to be relatable and explain how they "overcame" the obstacle with faith. This one is big on metaphors (roots, wells, water, seeds) but I'm still finding some Biblical truths that are worth remembering.

Couldn't resist picking this up when I found it at Dollar Tree (or should we call it Buck-25 Tree now?) back in June. There were some concerning things here (Prince seemed to be grooming her from the time she was 16 😳) and some truly heartbreaking things (including the death of their newborn son) 💔 but it was an honest look at her life with a notoriously private musician.