What’s Up Wednesday

“What’s Up Wednesday” is a quick peek into different parts of my life, what I’m reading, loving, watching, buying etc…

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What I’m … Reading

I’m about two-thirds of the way through “A life without lack” by Dallas Willard and have found it to be full of wisdom and deep insights. He writes and teaches with a special mix of gentle grace and strait forward truth that both challenges me and encourages me at the same time. I look forward to reading it each morning.

I just finished (and loved) the book “The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore. It’s a suspense/mystery about a teenager that goes missing while at summer camp. As police question the family, the counselors, and the campers regarding her disappearance, it leads them into to a deeper re-investigation into her brother’s disappearance many years ago. So there are two mysteries going on a once. It’s not a psychological thriller, heart-pounding or scary, just a good, twisty, suspenseful mystery.

And I recently started Wild Dark Shore, by Charlotte McConaghy. This one is about a family on a remote island, a woman that washes ashore from a shipwreck, and a coming storm that threatens the island. It sounded intriguing and I had such high hopes it would be a good book, but after reading almost 200 pages, I decided it was too depressing and not very interesting, so I quit reading it and returned it to Amazon.

I love books that have some depth and intensity, mystery, and excitement without being super scary or dark and twisted. I have no problem quitting a book if it’s boring, the characters are unlikeable, shallow, or dumb, or if it’s twisted psychologically.

What are you reading?

Let me know if you have any great recommendations!

What I’m … Loving

We recently gave Peyton’s room a fun new refresh. All it took was putting some beadboard along her back wall, a new Pottery Barn comforter, and a few throw pillows to get a whole new look! It still feels coastal, but in a more mature way that fits her personality better.

What I’m … Watching

It’s baseball season again and we’ve been spending our time out at the ballfields watching Hudson play. He’s been pitching more this year and it’s been fun watching his excitement and confidence grow as a pitcher. This will be his last season of little league, so it’s also bittersweet at times how fast it all goes! And if you’re also spending lots of time on the sidelines watching little league or youth sports games, this is the chair to get!

What I’m … Learning

I have to say that ChatGPT is my new best friend! Until recently, I had no idea how helpful it can be for pretty much anything you need… food/menu planning, blood work results and recommended supplements, travel or specific city information, it knows it all! As an added bonus, it’s always so encouraging and polite! It makes me feel so smart, supported, and understood. Haha! I’m sure there is so much more I have to learn about how to use it, but so far, I’ve just been super impressed! Do you use ChatGPT?

What I’m … Eating

Hu Salty Dark Chocolate Bars are my favorite sweet treat. And their clean, simple ingredients even make them guilt-free! I know they’re a splurge, so I just like to break off a square (or two!) to have with my coffee in the afternoon. So savory and delicious!

What I’m … Reminiscing

Earlier this month, Tim had to work down in south Florida for a few days, so I flew down and met him afterwards and we had a few days on our own to explore the area. It’s fun being in the parenting stage when we can leave our kids for an extended time and they will all survive (even when there’s an earthquake while we’re gone!). Tim rented a white jeep and we saw West Palm Beach, Islamorada (pictured above), Miami, and Delray Beach. The weather in Florida was sunny and perfect. It’s still pretty chilly here in San Diego, and many days are overcast this time of year (we call it May Gray and June Gloom), so I have missed the warm sunshine. It felt so good! It was a whirlwind trip, but so fun to getaway together.

What I’m … Buying

For my trip to Florida, I decided I needed a cute travel backpack to hold all my books, snacks, and personal items. I loved the look of this one and all the different compartments it has to organize my things. There are lots of colors to choose from, but I chose the olive green. I also bought this freezable lunch bag to keep a banana, some cheese sticks, and Hu salty chocolate bars cool all during my flights.

What I’m … Using Everyday

Tim recently needed to update his coffee machine because his stopped working. We chose the 2- Way Coffeemaker because it allowed us to combine what we both want in one coffee machine. He likes making a big pot of drip coffee in the morning and I like making one fresh cup of coffee at a time (several times a day). Plus, we generally don’t like the same type/brand of coffee, so this allows us each to use our own favorite coffee grounds and make our coffee just the way we like it.

We also love and use this combo air fryer/toaster oven almost every day, which is why I had to buy one that was pretty enough to sit out on the counter. The kids are constantly using it to reheat leftover burgers or pizza or to airfry some chicken nuggets for lunch. And I like using it to bake potatoes or cook the biscuits in for dinner because it doesn’t require me heating up the entire house with the main oven. It has so many options to choose from, but we mostly use it for air frying and baking.

I hope you’re having a great week! I’m linking up this post with Mix and Match Mama’s “What’s Up Wednesday” post, so if you want more fun blogs to read, head over to her link party!