2025 is long gone. However, I started this blog post in November of last year. 🤣 At the beginning of 2025, I made a list of three things I wanted to accomplish. Not resolutions, just three simple sounding things that I thought would challenge me beyond my comfort zone  be fun during the year. The first thing I wanted to do was learn how to make Sourdough Bread. 

                                           

                                                       Image: Jennifer Burke, Unsplash

All the videos and books on breadmaking (I bought this amazingly beautiful Bread Dough book) made it sound relatively simple and something that would be an outlet for destressing. Hmph. That might be true but it is not something I have achieved this year. I didn't even make a new starter after killing my old one. Now you say, but Anne, you made a starter! I did. Then life became even more incredibly busy, and I forgot about it. Our newest grand son arrived in February 2025 and they live extremely close to us, so daily life became all about babies/toddlers...again. They're sweet and cuddly and lots of fun, but they're also exhausting for this 'old' lady. LOL

I also had on my list two non-fiction books that I wanted to read, plus I planned on reading through the Bible on audio. One book has been on our shelf for years. One I bought just for the purpose of reading it in 2025. Did I get either one read? Nope. I started the one I purchased at the end of last year and hope to actually carve out some time to finish it. It's relevant for today's culture, especially after the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk, which happened on my birthday. I'm behind on my read through the Bible in 6 month plan, however I don't plan on stopping. I'm determined to finish it even if I go into 2026, which I probably will. I have to say I've really enjoyed listening to it. The narrator for the ESV version in the YouVersion app has a soothing deep voice. :) 

And now it is...May 2026!!! 

I don't know where the time has gone. Life is busy on the homestead, and I decided to teach myself to quilt near the end of Summer 2025. As of today, I've made 9 quilts!!! So maybe that's where the time has gone...into my sewing room. I've given away all but two of them. I have several more already planned and fabric already collected or purchased. 

Most of the stuff I was whining about not getting done in 2025 hasn't been done now either. LOL

Oh well.

Life goes on. And I'd rather be sewing anyway. 

The above quilt is a large throw I made using the Partial Seam Block pattern. It's the second one I've made using that pattern. Super easy for a beginner! I gifted this one to a friends daughter who reminds me of our sweet Amy who passed away on Mothers Day 2012. 

I've listened to a few really good books on audio while quilting and I plan on sharing those at some point. I'll mention this one now...The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. I know lots of folks don't like any P&P variations but this one is fabulous! I wasn't sure about it either, and it is kind of tedious to get through part one as it's a retelling of P&P through Mary's eyes, but the story is oh, so good. I highly recommend the book!!!

What's Summer 2026 looking like for y'all? Anything exciting planned? 

 

The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio of this book. It's good, with several pov's, which I really liked. Fisher always delivers a solid and captivating story. The narrator did a great job.
If you like contemporary women's fiction without an overabundance of angst, this is the one!

View all my reviews

While it may not seem like I read books other than fiction or devotionals, on occasion I am intrigued by a book advertised and pick it up. In this case, I borrowed the non-fiction book Unoffendable by Brant Hansen from the Libby app.

About the Book

It turns out giving up your “right” to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things you can do. It’s a radical, provocative We’re not entitled to get offended or stay angry. The idea of our own “righteous anger” is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet? In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, In a humorous and conversational style, Unoffendable seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.

5 STARS

Well, let me tell you...It. Is. Excellent! Anyone calling themselves a Christian needs to read this book. I listened to the audio edition read by the author. Such a great experience. I found myself verbally agreeing with his statements while at the same time remonstrating myself for doing what he plainly and compassionately states that we should not do as Christians. I mean really, what is the point of going around being offended all the time? Be UNOFFENDABLE!!! 

This is a book that I will definitely order a paperback copy of, and that doesn't happen too often for me, especially when I'm not required to write a review. But this book is so good, I want to be able to make notes in the margins.

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The first fiction book I listened to this year on the Libby app was Country Bride by Debbie Macomber.  

2 STARS

She is a secular author but her books are considered clean with moral teachings. I've read several before and enjoyed them. But this one...

No. Just no. But saying that didn't work for Kate. Luke is a bully. Macomber has written some great stories but this isn't one of them. It sends all the wrong messages about how a healthy relationship is supposed to be. I listened to the audible version, which the narrator did a good job on, hence my two stars.

It pained me to have to give such a low rating. I think it's only the second time in about 12 years I've done that. It's only 5 hours on audio and I kept hoping something would happen to redeem this story, but for me it didn't. 

Why leave a low review you may ask when I wasn't obligated? I don't always. Macomber is such a popular women's author and her books aren't cheap. I would have been extremely disappointed had I actually spent money on this one, so that is why I left the review. Of course, you can go look at the number of 3 star and under reviews and see how they outnumber the 4 and 5 star reviews. 

I won't discourage anyone from borrowing her books from your local library, an online app where you can get them for free, or borrowing from a friend. Most of her books I've read, I liked. But read the mid-range and negative reviews and carefully consider the amount of them. 

My two cents worth which probably isn't even worth that! :-)

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I already posted my review of The Juliet Code by Pepper Basham in a separate post because that was an 'official' review.

You can read it here.

I want to say that Pepper Basham has become one of my favorite authors to read. She is able to write across a pretty wide spectrum of subjects/genre and always does such a fabulous job on her stories, both contemporary and historical. If you're looking for romance, adventure, down-home folks, and faith look no further. Grab one of her books today!

Tomorrow is the DAY!!!

Return to Satterthwaite Court 

releases from highly acclaimed author Mimi Matthews.

I pre-ordered my copy from Audible because narrator Alex Wyndham is one of my favorite narrators.

Do you enjoy audio books? I had to train myself to listen to them during the "year no one wants to remember" took place and we were all told to stay shut up in our homes. No library access, and publishers weren't mailing books for such a long time that it was excruciating for this avid reader. So I signed up for Audible and I think one of the first books I bought was by Mimi Matthews. I was hooked right then and went through every one of her books she had published at the time. Long days of sitting on porch with a sewing project in my lap and a historical novel in my ear was just about perfect in spite of the chaos going on in the world.



If you haven't read any of Matthews' books, I highly recommend them. They are considered clean Victorian Romances and quite intriguing, especially her Parish Orphans of Devon series. I've listened to the third book, A Convenient Fiction, about 5 or 6 times. 


My Review on Goodreads:


"Excellently done!!!
A Convenient Fiction is a beautifully romantic story with fabulous narration!! It was a pleasure to listen to. I loved it."






But if you aren't an audio book fan, that's ok! They're published in traditional print and e-book as well. 


I don't get any revenue from you using any links on this blog. I'm just sharing because it's easy and quick to get to Matthews' profile on Goodreads. And from there, you can decide for yourself! 
 
I sincerely hope your spring is off to a good start! I've been very busy tending to my chickens, grandbaby and family.




I love the color variations from light cream to reddish brown to blue to green to olive. Life is better with chickens!! 

Paperback, 256 pages Published May 7th 2019 by B Books

 

And for all those who know what it’s like to long for a father’s blessing: his approval, affection and attention. It’s for anyone who’s ever longed to hear your dad say, “I love you. I’m so proud of you.”

 

You may already know what it’s like to live in the rays of such a blessing, to flourish in the marvelous light of a father’s love. Yet, in this “fatherless generation,” it’s also likely you’ve never known the blessing of your earthly dad. The possibility of hearing the words, “I love you, I’m proud of you,” may be gone—washed away by your dad’s death or distance or divorce or disinterest. Your father’s blessing may be mired in a pit of regret, pain or abandonment.

 

But here’s the good news— regardless of how amazing or absent, invested or disinterested, empowering or deflating your earthly father was or is — you do have a perfect Father.

 

We see all throughout Scripture that God wants us to know Him as Father and wants us to live under the waterfall of His blessing.

 

In Not Forsaken, Pastor Louie Giglio invites us to reframe our view of fatherhood, by understanding that God is not simply the bigger version of our earthly dads, He is the perfect version of our earthly dads. And, He’s inviting us to walk in freedom as loved sons and daughters of the King. 

 

God is not the reflection of your earthly father; He is the perfection of your earthly father.

Avice Touchet has always dreamed of marrying for love and that love would be her best friend, Philip Greslet. She’s waited five years for him to see her as the woman she’s become but when a visiting lord arrives with secrets that could put her father in prison, Avice must consider a sacrificial marriage. Philip Greslet has worked his whole life for one thing—to be a castellan—and now it is finally in his grasp. But when Avice rebuffs his new lord’s attentions, Philip must convince his best friend to marry the lord against his heart’s inclination to have her as his own.





I just stepped back and quit trying so hard—allowed myself to relax and listen to God—took the time to Thank Him for all the blessing we have here in this country—praised Him for the beauty He created—that the words just started to flow and God gave me my story. Sometimes we have to step back from the busyness of life, whether it is good busyness or stress and just listen to what God is trying to say to us. He is there. He is trying to communicate with us but sometimes we allow the noise of life to drown out the beautiful voice of God.