Happy Easter

Is it bad I didn’t even realize it was Easter today?!

Exercise:

I met up with the crew for a Sunday morning run and it was awesome that Sarah came with Kula so I had company:) Kula did the park about four times while Sarah and I managed one loop of the perimeter trail. I counted this time and it has 5 hills!!!

This evening I got out for another short run to the park and back to get some mileage in and start the Squad Runner mission. My legs were a little tired, but it went okay.

Cooking:

After a quick stop at the grocery store I spent a lot of the day in the kitchen getting my food ready for the week.

Out of the The Best of Clean Eating 2 cookbook I made a berry crisp which didn’t crisp:( and a Baked Manicotti Bundles dish. I found this had a super runny inner mixture which didn’t stay put very well and once again it was quite bland:(

I also was intent on cleaning out the freezer a little bit and so made a pizza with pepperoni, green peppers and mushrooms.

Knitting:

The rest of my day was spent knitting on a sock that ended up being too big so it has been frogged. I have 284 yards of sock yarn and am on the lookout for a tank or sleeveless pattern for myself.

Oh and I finally got up the nerve to try on my April Tank. It fits, but is really a mini-dress on me as it’s super long!

Well I’m off to peruse Ravelry:)

Have fun!

AJ

She’s Back

My co teacher is back after having been off sick for two weeks and boy was it ever nice!!!

Knitting:

I started the day getting three rows done on the afghan pattern and managed to finish that one up later this evening. I am on my second to last call of yarn, so we’ll see if I’m going to have enough or have to go buy more. It seems unbelievable that I am so close to being done this big project too:)

I’m starting to daydream about what I will make next.

Teaching:

The day went pretty well! We finished our seasons mini book and the children all practiced reading it. I changed math to a 100 chart picture of a turkey. It was very interesting to see who knew the numbers well and who didn’t and got frustrated.

This afternoon I was the one frustrated as we tried to cram too large a project in the afternoon space. It got done and turned out well, but I just felt that I was always after the children to hurry and worried about running out of time. That’s what I’m trying to avoid this year!

The directed drawing turkeys did turn out super cute, even though I did the steps in the wrong order. And yes I did say this was one time they didn’t have to colour realistically:)

Baking:

I got home to beautiful sunshine and just felt like baking. I have a super easy granola bar recipe that turns out great no matter what you put in it, so I whipped up some of those:)

The recipe comes from Lunch Box: Creative Recipes for Everyday Lunches which I have had forever.

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar ( I use less)

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp flour ( I used millet)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 cups oats

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup dried fruit

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup chopped nuts or seeds

This time I used oats, raisins, craisins, dried blueberries and chopped pecans. I have done all different mix-ins though and it’s always turned out great!

Exercise:

This evening I went back to athletic yoga with my friend Corianne. It was still a great workout, but I did like that there seemed to be a bit more stretching in it this time:)

Well I’m off to sleep so I can survive Friday tomorrow:)

Have fun!

AJ

Back to Routine

I am almost back to routine.

Exercise:

I dragged myself out of bed for my Sunday morning run. I don’t know why I was so tired, but I really was. I gave myself permission to run even slower than normal, but I had to go as I was meeting people.

I ended up doing 6.5km along the river. I was super slow and it decided to pour rain the whole time we were out there, but oh well, I’d better get used to it again and we definitely need the rain!

My running buddies were awesome as I was 600m short of my distance when we got back to the car and they carried on with me:)

This evening I decided there was no time like the present to get back to routine so I found a workout to do and did it. I often screenshot workouts and then don’t know where I got them. So I apologize to whoever created this great workout. If it was you, please let me know so I can give you credit!!!

20 Around the world lunges

12 stability ball hamstring curls

12 SL Bridges

12 sumo squat calf raises

12 SL deadlifts

12 deadlifts

10 curtsy lunges

10 medicine ball jump squats

10 knee tucks

10 pikes

10 side plank knee tucks

10 banded fire hydrants

10 banded aide leg raises

10 clams

10 plank leg lifts

I love the fact that I was sweaty by the time I got to the end. It felt good to be moving again!

Reading:

I finished another Susan Mallery library book (it’s due back tomorrow!) called Second Chance Girl. It is part of the Happily Inc series and was quite enjoyable. I think Matthias is my favourite brother so far in this series as he’s more upbeat and personable. I liked that the book featured both of the Lund sisters, but I truly think they both could have had their own books as it felt quite surface for both relationships.

I of course have started another book already which I am really enjoying!

Knitting:

Around my long nap, I have also done some knitting today. I had knit a scarf for my friend while I was away, but it was too short, so I picked up more yarn and have started a new one! The yarn I picked is Loops and Threads Charisma Heather. This friend is not a knitter so I wanted something that wasn’t delicate. I have a week to get it done, and thankfully finally made some progress today while watching some old Hallmark movies.

Cooking:

I spent some more time in the kitchen today. I was amazed to learn that all of my running buddies, past and present have a lovely brunch once they get home from our run on Sunday morning! Why have I never done this??? Today I did. I love breakfast hash and so made up my own. I heated cubed sweet potato, added celery, garlic, purple pepper and onion, then chorizo sausage, mushrooms and spinach. I topped it with some mozzarella cheese and an egg. It was so good I could eat it everyday!

My egg wasn’t pretty so you get a picture pre-egg.

I also tried another recipe from my Ella Woodward cookbook

Today I tried the carrot muffins. They are edible, but I find them too heavy and dense for my taste. I’ve done a lot of gf/df baking and there is better baking out there! I will try a few of the other recipes before I decide whether to keep the book.

Well I’m back to my book, knitting and movie:)

Have fun!

AJ

Unexpected

It had its lovely moments, but overall, maybe I should have stayed in bed!

Exercise:

I got out this morning for a run so I could finish off the 7km mission. I only had to do 1.8km to get the mission, but ended up getting through 4.1km:). Then I got home to see that Squad Runner didn’t award me any points for my run, nor recognize that I had completed the mission. This new version of the app might be pretty, but it’s so buggy that it is driving me crazy!!!! I emailed the app contact so hopefully I will get the points. I know it’s good I did the run, but I WANT THE POINTS!!!😖

Baking:

I had plans to meet up with friends for lunch and had said I would bring dessert. My friend loves chocolate so I knew I had to go that route. I decided brownies would be a good idea:) I chose to make The Ultimate Flourless Brownies from the Oh She Glows Everyday Cookbook by Angela Liddon. The recipe, cut in half, can be found Here. These were very easy to make and my friends were amazed when I said they were vegan, gluten free and dairy free. One even said they were the best brownies she ever had. It made a nice presentation with the brownies topped with vanilla ice cream and sundae sauce. I also learned Hershey’s sundae sauces are gluten free and dairy free:). I’m sorry I have no pictures and I left the extras with my friend. This is definitely going to be my new go-to brownie recipe though as it was super easy to make and yet chewy and moist. I was surprised it cooks in a loaf pan, but it turned out great!

Socializing:

It was great to meet up with two friends from work for lunch. My one friend lives quite a ways out and has a lovely piece of country property! We had awesome bruschetta, then spinach salad with strawberries and egg in it and then my brownies. After lunch we hung out in her backyard

And with her other guests:)

Talk about cool, having two horses stick their heads through the hedge for carrot tops!

Exercise:

After lunch L and I headed out with her son for a bike ride. We planned to do the same 20km route I did with my other friend a few weeks ago. I was surprised when her son wanted to turn around at only 3km, but the 6km ride was probably a good thing as I took an unexpected dismount from my bike. No broken bones, but lots of cuts, scrapes and bruising:( I think I’ll just be taking it easy tonight!

I had some blood orange gelato from the Sweet Tooth Creamery to help the pain. I may not be chewing for a bit:(

Movies:

Last night I watched the Hallmark movie, One Winter Weekend and loved it!!! The characters were funny and I liked how they didn’t like each other at first. It definitely didn’t hurt that the lead male was adorable! I think I’ll watch it again tonight to take my mind off my hurt.

Have fun!

AJ

AJ-4

Well I got a hard workout in, finished something, created something yummy and didn’t let something else defeat me,… a pretty good day:)

Exercise:

My run this morning turned into a walk, but an extremely fast and hilly one, so that was okay with me:). I also got to meet the dog of my dreams- a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. It has the colouring of a Burmese Mountain dog but with short hair:)

After my quick tea, I was off to meet L for a workout and boy was it a tough one. Cardio intervals on two different machines- one increasing and one decreasing in distance. In between those intervals there was a list of exercises to work through. I did jump squats, sit ups, lat pull downs, burpees, three different types of crunches, mountain climbers, and plank jacks. I was literally dripping sweat by the end and it felt so good! I’ve missed having a good, hard workout!

This evening I went for a very short walk to deliver some mint to L, but it doesn’t count as exercise, just life:)

Cooking:

I got started on the recipe I wanted to make today as soon as possible as it’s been very hot here. Last weekend R had told me about a turkey roll recipe and as ground turkey was on sale, I decided to try it out. I may have a new favorite recipe and it has been super tough to not eat the whole thing today!!!

It is super simple- I combined my ground turkey with an appropriate amount of poultry spice and then spread it out into a rectangle on top of a piece of Saran Wrap. I then spread cooked and drained spinach on top. I used dairy free mozzarella cheese on top of the spinach, but R uses ricotta. I then used the Saran Wrap to roll up the turkey and put it on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

I stuck it in the over at 350 for 20 minutes and then removed it and spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the top. Pop it back into the oven for another fifteen minutes and it’s done:)

I just have to make it last long enough to be my lunches this week!

Crafting:

I have started the next rug square, but only just.

Knitting:

Knot-0. AJ-1

I did manage to get the knot undone in my yarn (though there were definitely moments I was tempted to just cut the yarn!) and I also got my sweater finished!🎉🎊. It is so super soft! The pattern is Tin Can Knits- Flax Light. The yarn was Diamond Luxury in colourway Footloose. This was a very different colour for me as I usually do black, grey, blue or a jewel tone, but I love how it knitted up. I didn’t make too many modifications other than to do two extra decreases in the sleeves and of course shorten all lengths so it won’t be a dress on me. The pattern was super easy to follow and I love how there were so many size options. I think I have a new favorite Spring sweater!

I’m sorry that I don’t have a good photo yet, but I’ll try for one tomorrow when it’s dry:)

The only bad thing is that it didn’t completely use up the second skein of yarn, so I’ll have to make a headband or something out of it.

Reading:

I finished the book Christmas in Evergreen by Nancy Naigle today.

This is the book that accompanies Hallmark’s original movie. It tells the story of veterinarian Allie Shaw and doctor Ryan Bellamy and how a magical snow globe brings them together.

This is the perfect read for Christmas as I think it could put anyone in the Christmas spirit. The town of Evergreen seems the perfect Christmas place and is somewhere I would like to spend Christmas. It has tons of Christmas traditions and wonderful people to share them with.

The pace of the book was well done and doesn’t drag or include insta-love which I appreciated.

The characters are interesting and it was neat to get further details of how Allie is feeling than is provided in the movie.

I also loved the ending which is slightly different from the movie and is a lovely treat.

Thank you yo Hallmark and NetGalley for providing me with a free book in exchange for an honest review.

Well that’s all I could fit into today.

Have fun!

AJ

The Fantastic Bake-a-Long: Shortbread

My day was fine but ended in a tangle.

Exercise:

I got up this morning wondering where I wanted to run my 7.5km mission. I decided on a local lake that was more than that, but figured I’d do the whole thing anyways using 4 and 1 intervals. My walking buddy had breakfast plans so I headed out on my own. It wasn’t as busy as I expected, but was wonderfully shady most of the way around. I don’t know how I did it, but I managed to lose 250m of the path🤪?

Oh well, I was slow, but got the 10km done:)

This evening I got out for a walk up the hill I live at the bottom of. I managed a 6.7km loop. Hopefully this exercise and a better eating day will get me back on track. I feel like all I’ve done lately is eat!

Baking:

It’s sure a good thing I read Emma’s blog this morning as I had managed to forget that I needed to bake today! The fantastic bake a long is hosted by Tracy and is one of my favorite days of the month!Kate was the star baker this month and chose shortbread cookies. Shortbread cookies were one of the first recipes that my nan introduced me to baking when I was a child and I have to admit I’ve been avoiding them (much to my dad’s sadness) since I can’t bake with real butter. I just don’t think they will ever live up to my Nan’s. This recipe was different from what I’m used to. First it had more flour in it than I am used to and it had a much lower oven temperature and longer bake time.

The recipe was super simple and can be found Here. The recipe took no time to come together. The changes I made were to use 3/4 cup of Earth Balance Vegan Butter Spread and I used a combination of xantham gum, buckwheat flour, sorghum flour and arrowroot starch for the flour the recipe called for. Otherwise I followed the recipe closely. They did turn out, but they don’t melt on your tongue like my Nan’s did. I think I will try her recipe as I feel like there’s too much flour in this one.

I got two dozen cookies out of the recipe and they are safely in the freezer where I can’t eat them all!

Knitting:

I have spent a lot of today knitting the sleeves of my sweater. I have gotten very close to the end- only have about 1/4″ on each sleeve before I start the ribbing. Unfortunately I have a big tangle of yarn:( This always seems to happen when I’m knitting from both ends:) Where is my mom (the expert knit detangler) when I need her?

Well I’m going to do my rug time while watching a movie, so I’ll talk to you all tomorrow!

Have fun!

AJ

Girls Night

My day was good though I just couldn’t seem to settle.

Exercise:

I ran for 6.5km in the morning while it was a little cooler out. I also managed to go for a walk in the afternoon though it ended up being shorter than I planned because my headphones died:(

Reading

I managed to finally finish a book. I’ve been reading a series and adored the first two and almost everything else this author has written, but these last two books seem to have taken me forever!

This book, Sky Full of Stars by Samantha Chase is the story of Owen who is the brilliant, quiet astrophysicist of the Shaughnessy family.

I felt like this book took me a long time to get through because the pace was a little on the slow side.

It was quite different from the other books in the series as it is definitely not as explicit. In addition, when Owen first takes Brooke home, the family isn’t welcoming. I think that may have been the biggest shock for me!

This book also left me with questions- does Brooke ever resolve her relationship with her family? What career does Brooke decide to pursue? Where does Owen end up working?

I sure hope these questions are resolved in the next book!

Crafting:

I am on track this week on my rug square:)

Socializing/ Cooking:

I had Brenda and Sarah over last night. We have been trying to get together every other month just to catch up. It’s nice not to have to run and talk at the same time!

Of course this was my chance to try out some new recipes:). They did limit me this tome to only two dishes so that we wouldn’t have quite as much food as we did Here. I had no idea we met up so many months ago though! I spent some time in the kitchen and made baked Brie and bruschetta.

The brie ( it was Vrie – vegan Brie from Black Sheep Cheese) was super poet gooey when it came out of the oven, but I unfortunately made it too early. It’s easy as all you do is put a balsamic fig spread on top and pop it into a 350 oven for 15-20 minutes, but I would do it once your guests have arrived. I was trying to do it early so I could get the oven turned off and the house cooled before my guests arrived.

The bruschetta is from the Oh She Glows recipe book by Angela Liddon. Again, very easy to make. Chop up cherries, strawberries, mint, basil and red onion, put in a little balsamic vinegar and let it sit while you toast your bread. Then assemble and drizzle with a balsamic reduction. I also added vegan feta cheese to some of them. I would definitely make them again, but I would also make them smaller!

We still had way too much food!!! It was all so yummy though! It was great to sit and talk and catch-up. The blue wine my mom had brought me was also enjoyed. Brenda and Sarah say it’s perfect for me as it’s my favorite colour.🤣

Unfortunately I did myself in as I bought gluten free fancy crackers for the Brie, but didn’t realize they had dairy in them:(

Well that was my day yesterday and I’d better start today!

Have fun!

AJ

Lovely Surprise:)

I had a lovely surprise today!

Exercise:

I knew I was running this evening so this morning was just a walk. I got dressed and headed out into the cloudy day, got halfway up the hill and it started to pour; then just as I got to the point where I would turn around it started to get brighter so I kept going. Of course when I stopped to read the sign I’ve been curious about the last few weeks, I hit the wrong button and ended my run so then the second half didn’t even count:(. Can you tell it was a calamity of errors. I was so frozen, I let myself stop for tea at Starbucks on the way home!

I did a quick lunge and squat workout this afternoon. It looked so simple, but I don’t even want to think about how many of each o ended up doing!!!

This evening I got out for a run with Dennis. We did a local park which is all hills. I have actually ran this park both ways and it is within meters of the same both ways with equal amount of hills! You just can’t win! I did better than I thought I would!

Cooking:

About a month ago I had a parent in my classroom send me a recipe for vegan fettuccini Alfredo and today with the rain, I finally had the chance to try it:). The recipe was simple easy and turned out super yummy! Unfortunately I ruined the pasta by cooking it in too small of a pot so I have no good pictures to show you:(. The recipe can be found here:https://lovingitvegan.com/cheesy-garlic-vegan-alfredo-30-minutes/

Ice Cream/ Family:

I got the best phone call after lunch today- from my nephew Gus. I already don’t want to consider the day he doesn’t want to hang out with Auntie AJ! He asked to go for ice cream which is always okay with me😀 I had a quick visit with my adorable fur nephew Banks:)

At first he thought Menchies or Dairy Queen, but thankfully he finally decided on TCBY. It was close to home, but I didn’t have high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.

There were actually four options I could have which is more than I get at Menchies. One was vegan-almond milk chocolate and then there were three sorbets- strawberry kiwi, orange and mango. I ended up with a rainbow in my cup by trying a bit of each.

I would give TCBY a 3 out of 5 because I really do like finding creamy vegan ice cream and this was definitely sorbet.

Gus went crazy of course and had a much more complex dish. He chose cookie butter and cotton candy frozen yogurt. He said the cotton candy actually tasted like cotton candy. He then loaded up on the toppings which he said there was a good assortment of. He had strawberry pearls, crushed Oreos, cookie dough, crushed Skor, nerds, mini m&ms, and caramel drizzle.

Gus gives this place a 4.2 out of 5, worse than the Sweet Tooth creamery because the frozen yogurt didn’t taste as good as the ice cream.

I spent a bit of time hanging out with him and Banks- always the best part of a day!!!!

Crafting:

I am already halfway through my rug square for the week!!!😀

Knitting:

I have separated the sleeves from the body and have commenced on 13.5″ of stockinette in the round. I predict a lot of Hallmark movies in my future!!

Oh and I just had to show you the cute cup set I got from another teacher. The kid drive her crazy all year so she wasn’t in to keeping a “kitschy” gift from him, but I never taught him and thought it was cute, so I grabbed it!

Well I guess that’s it for me!

Have fun!

AJ

Fantastic Bake Along- Maple Nut Scones

It was another lovely day:). I could get used to this doing whatever I want🤣

Exercise:

My run was to be at a local park that is all uphill, both ways!!! I got there and decided that perhaps it would be wise to just walk today as my quads and calves were still very sore. I don’t want to do anything that will keep me from running for a longer period!! I walked the perimeter route with Brenda and Dennis and then came home after grocery shopping and walked part of the inlet trail to finish up my 8km for the day. There must have been a race for the local middle school kids as there were chalk messages all over the inlet path. It was neat because I recognized some of the unique names of children I have taught! This one was my favorite:)My legs actually felt okay walking, though I’m still in pain trying to go up or down stairs. I must have really done a number with those lunges! It has until tomorrow morning to recover!

Baking:

I am once again doing the Fantastic Bake a Long that Tracy hosts. She is the star baker this month and chose these Maple Nut Scones.

I always enjoy making scones as they are a quick baked good that goes well with tea, though my gluten free, dairy free ones often seem dry and I also often make them too thin. I was curious to see how these would turn out for me.

I, of course, had to make a few adjustments to the recipe due to my allergies. I will tell you about my substitutions, but otherwise I just followed the recipe exactly.

For the flour I used Bob’s Redmill Cup for Cup flour. I like this brand as the results are usually good when I don’t have time to make up my own flour mixture.

I didn’t have any vegan cream as I’ve only found that in the US so far, so I used regular coconut milk in the scone recipe and vanilla almond milk in the glaze.

I also used Earth Balance Vegan Buttery spread for the butter. This is by far my favorite butter substitute so far:)

The recipe went together quickly and I am happy that I remembered to make them smaller and thicker at the last moment.

I had to bake mine a little longer- about 18 minutes, but that was my only change, through I should have waited longer to put the glaze and nuts on, but I was just too impatient to try them!

They turned out amazing! I have to admit I ate two today😣. I will need to take the rest to work so I quit eating them. I tried them warm and cold and they were good both ways. I’ve never had such flakey gf/df scones before!! I think this just became my go-to scone recipe and I am already wondering if I could change the flavoring and still have them turn out. Something to try for sure!!!

Crafting:

I got 1/3 of my rug square done today. I just couldn’t concentrate on it as I had a knitting project I wanted to finish! I know Kathy would like a progress picture, but I think I’ll wait until I finish this square.

Reading:

As I was working on my rug, I finally got back to listening to Great Expectations by Charles Dickens on LibriVox. I feel as though I probably have read this, but I obviously don’t remember much so I’m enjoying it.

Knitting:

I have been very busy knitting today as it is getting to the end of the month and I had only done one project for HPKCHC this month, plus I wanted to get to a new number in my stash!

My friend Brenda had made a sleep sac back in November and when she saw how much white baby yarn I had (after I gave her a skein for a project) she suggested I do one too. I needed to either do two stitch patterns or two colours. Well I tried doing stickinette and double moss stripes and then stockinette and basket weave stripes and didn’t really feel like either showed up well, so I looked and found the same yarn in yellow and went with yellow and white stripes. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure about this project, but now I am super happy about it! It reminds me of summer sorbet, but it would be great for a winter baby as both the sac and cap are knit holding two strands of dk yarn so they are thick and warm! I used the pattern Baby Cocoon and Cap by Kim Kotary which is a free pattern on ravelry. I only changed it by holding two strands instead of one and doing stripes. I used Cherub baby dk yarn.

I love the end result and I love how quickly it Knit up!! Done in a day:)

Other than knitting and baking all I really got accomplished was my tub drain cleaned out of my hair and my dishwasher loaded and turned on:(. I guess one of these days I should really do something important around the house, rather than my hobbies🤣

I saw this on Facebook- maybe I should try following it?

Well, that’s it for me today.

Have fun!

AJ

Circle Route

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. I went with my friend Michelle to a football game. It was a lot of fun to be out at a sporting event with a friend:)

Exercise:

This morning I had to get up early for my run. It was a tough run, my legs and arms were sore and it took me a long time to figure out that it must have been my workout with Lyndsay yesterday that did me in. She put me on the spin bike and I literally had a puddle on the floor below me! Wow does that work different muscles than running and I obviously need to do it more often!I managed to get the 5km done, but I’m not sure I’ve run that slow in many years!

I also got a walk in this evening to try and start on the 90 minute mission for tomorrow as my friend already told me she’s not walking for that long. It’s been crazy weather here all day, but I managed to get out in a dry spot:)

I also did day 9 of the plank/push-up/squat challenge as I am hoping to get all the way through it this time. My friend’s abs are amazingly hard from this challenge. Well perhaps they were already hard before, I only poked her in the stomach after the challenge, not before🤪

Errands:

I spent most of the day running errands with my mom. I tend to pile these up for when she is in town as it’s way more fun with company! We checked out IKEA for a new light for my bedroom but they didn’t have what I liked, we looked at a lighting store and two furniture shops for lights and couches but I came away no poorer. We also hit the sewing store for some elastic so my running belt will quit riding up! I wandered through Lee Valley which is always fun! I unfortunately lost my Lee Valley list as it was on my old phone. I ended up only buying the vase brushes I went for. They work awesome for cleaning my Swell water bottle!!!We hit the mall for some tech things too.

Eating:

We tried out a new Vegan restaurant in town called NuLife Living Cafe. I’m sorry that I completely forgot to take pictures of the food. I had a nutty chai fog that was okay. My mom and I shared a curry tuna wrap and a taco salad. It was okay, but nothing spectacular. It was nice not to have to worry about gluten or dairy, but I think I’ll stick with my meat and fish:). While the food was okay, I definitely won’t be going back because the place was way too noisy!!! They had his horrible blender going every other minute and it was also noisy with customers too! When did it become good to have a noisy restaurant????

Crafting:

My mom did some alterations for me. She’s amazing at making shirts actually fit me and not look like a kid’s shirt on me. I stitched madly and furiously trying to get my rug square done this week. I have spent the week reading my Bookclub book so it’s going to be a challenge to finish!

Reading:

I finished and returned my Bookclub book, Carnegie’s Maid on the way to the football game last night.

This book was not quite what I was expecting. A definite good read- not difficult and it keeps you turning the pages. What I thought would happen, didn’t happen and what I hoped would happen, didn’t, but it was still satisfying and uplifting. It definitely made me want to do more reading about the Carnegies!

Baking:

I have tried two recipes for Bookclub tomorrow. The Irish soda bread was a flop as it looks very dry. I may try to make bread pudding out of it.

The other was an Irish Coffee Cake. It was super easy to make in my mixer and it looks pretty yummy:)

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow if it tastes okay without the coffee in it and with almond baileys:)

Movie:

I’m having a break from Hallmark movies, briefly and am watching Guys and Dolls which I found at the library the other night. I’m not a huge musical fan but there’s a few I enjoy:)

Well I have to get back to my rug!

Have fun!

AJ