Books and Beans~October 2017

(image from www.pinterest.com)

COFFEE

Even though pumpkin spice lattes have my heart, I am having a moment with caramel macchiatos...yum!

BOOKS

October was a bit of a slow reading month for me with only three books completed. I have a head start on November, though so you will want to check back then as well. I can't believe I only have two more Books and Beans posts in 2017!

On Second Thought

by: Kristan Higgins

4 out of 5 stars

I really liked this book. It centers around two sisters who are both dealing with loss; one the death of her new husband and the other a breakup of a long-term relationship. I have read Kristin Higgins in the past and this is one of her best yet!

I Liked My Life

by: Abby Fabiaschi

4 out of 5 stars

This book was good but a slow read for me. The premise is a mother who has taken her own life, leaving her husband and teenage daughter to pick up the pieces of what used to be their perfect life. The twist is that the mom is watching from beyond and orchestrating things in their favor to help them heal. This book was strange yet engaging and did have a good twist at the end. As you know, any book that can surprise me with a twist is a good read.

The Secrets You Keep

by: Kate White

3 out of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book because I have read and enjoyed Kate White before. This one was just okay, though. I never really felt connected with the characters and there were too many red herrings for my liking. I love a good mystery/suspense, but this seemed all over the place. I actually like this book more until I got to the last two pages. It then reads like an author on a deadline. Pretty good mystery, but if you've never read Kate White, read The Sixes instead!

I'd love to connect with you on Goodreads HERE, Instagram HERE or Facebook HERE. Let me know what I should be reading next!

Friday Favorites!

(image from www.pinterest.com)

Happy Friday, everyone! Once again, I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

ONE

I love Nordstrom mail days...especially when the everything arrives just in time for the coldest day so far. You can find my scarf HERE, my shirt HERE and the softest sweater on Earth HERE. It is spendy but worth every penny! I will be wearing mine all the time!

TWO

You all know my love for all things Halloween. I had such a great time taking my little Optimist Prime to the Howl-zoo-een at our local zoo!

Squash Soup at Panera after was a must! Yum!

THREE

This guy earned his first soccer medal on Saturday....

this guy played his last game of sophomore football...

and this guy shot pics of it all!

I love watching my kids do what they love and seeing how they love each other...

FOUR

Dan and I had our very first date on 10-10-10 and had our picture taken in this booth for the very first time. Each year we return to the booth and take a picture. Eight pictures taken so far...love that this first date was my last first date!

FIVE

My October book review will be up next week, but I am already working on my list for November!  Right now, I am feeling a mystery/suspense theme and reading this book...

I really liked her book The Sixes, and so far, this one is good too!  You can buy your copy HERE.

I predict some pumpkin carving and S'mores in my future this weekend! Hope it's a good one for you and yours!

Friday Favorites! *Winner Announced!*

I'm so excited to announce the winner of the book and Starbucks gift card from last week's post! Thank you to all of you who entered. Jessica Gipson, I emailed you earlier this week. Congrats!  If you didn't win, grab your own copy of the book HERE...you will love it! Stay tuned for future giveaways on the blog. :)

It's Friday and you know what that means...

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I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

Since it's Friday the 13th, I thought it would be fun to show you our favorite ways to celebrate Halloween around the Zehr house.  To me, Halloween is just the start of the holiday season and it is the one holiday that is easy and low stress.  So fun!

ONE

Decorations

Pumpkins and mums and skulls, oh my! We love to decorate the house for Halloween and we get our pumpkins early. We either carve or paint them the weekend before Halloween.

TWO

Costumes

We love choosing Halloween costumes. Although the older boys don't dress up anymore, our little is still so excited about it! My favorite sources for costumes are Old Navy (for the littles), Costumes.com, Amazon, and Costco. Dan and I used to attend or host a party each year, but last year we just dressed up and took Mason out. Here are some of our looks in the past few years...

THREE

Yummy Soups

Halloween is the perfect night to throw together an easy chili recipe like THIS or a soup like THIS to eat before trick-or-treating. Put all of your ingredients in the slow cooker and dinner is so easy on this busy night.

FOUR

Halloween Shows

Halloween wouldn't be the same without watching It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Hocus Pocus or Spookley the Square Pumpkin. :)

(image from www.tvguide.com)

(image from www.flixlist.com)

(image from www.amazon.com)

FIVE

The Extras

Each year, we buy Mason a Halloween plate from Pottery Barn and new Halloween pajamas.  Here are his choices this year...

(image from www.potterybarnkids.com)

PJ's from Gymboree :)

SIX

Local Events

There a several fun Halloween events for families in our area and we like to do at least one each year.

Halloween In the Park

Boo Bash (Trick-or-Treating at the high school where we work)

SEVEN

The Pumpkin Patch

We make a trip to a local apple farm each year to pick out pumpkins and get lost in a corn maze. It's the perfect fall day and I look forward to it all year!

I'd love to hear your ideas for making Halloween fun!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Friday Favorites!

It's been another crazy week filled with sad things in the world. It has me thinking about this quote...

(image from www.pinterest.com)

There's not much going on in the world that I can control, but I can control how I treat others.

I'm so happy to share things that made me smile this week. 

I'm linking up with fellow bloggers Erika, Narci and Andrea to share my Friday Favorites!

ONE

September Books and Beans

If you didn't see my September Books and Beans post, read it HERE and enter the giveaway for a great book and a Starbucks gift card!

TWO

Homecoming Fun

My middle attended homecoming this past weekend. They don't come much cuter than these two!

THREE

Fall Scarves

One of my favorite ways to transition into fall is to add a scarf to my outfit. There are so many great ones to choose from!  Here a few of my favorites...

Women's Bp. Leopard Print Scarf

Women's Bp. Plaid Oblong Scarf

Women's Bp. Plaid Infinity Scarf

FOUR

Fresh Flowers

I found these flowers at Costco! Aren't they the prettiest fall colors?  I love having fresh flowers in the house and it's even better when they are $14.99. :)

FIVE

Happy Birthday!

My guy had a birthday last Saturday, too. We celebrated by going out to dinner after taking pictures of the homecoming crew. I love this picture because we look soooo tired but are determined to have a date night despite feeling like we need to nap...for a week! It is such a busy season of life right now and I am so lucky to have him to share it with.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It's a long one for us with Monday off of school, so we plan to cram in a lot of fun!

xo,

Deanna

Books and Beans {September 2017}-And a Giveaway!

September was a great month of reading! Remember, you can click on the book title or image to be taken directly to Amazon to buy your own copy. There is nothing better than curling up with a good book and a hot drink when the weather turns colder. I'm so happy that fall weather is finally here, so it's time for another giveaway! Enter the Rafflecopter at the end of this post for your chance to win!

COFFEE

You all know that I LOVE this time of year and my pumpkin spice latte. This year I have been mixing it up and ordering a pumpkin spice dirty chai and it is sooooo good too! This is definitely my hot drink of choice for this month.

BOOKS

The Light We Lost
by: Jill Santopolo
4 out of 5 stars

I had heard so much about this book and it did not disappoint. The story involves star-crossed lovers who cannot seem to stay in or out of each other's lives. This is an easy read, but definitely not light-hearted. Well-written and tragic, this was a good love story.

(image from www.amazon.com)

Class Mom
by: Laurie Gelman
4 out of 5 stars

Oh my, this book cracked me up! The main character has two older children and then a young one just entering school...sound like anyone you know? I could totally relate to how her approach to being class mom had changed by her third kid...her being a former groupie, not so much. :) This book includes the emails the main character sends to the other parents in the class and that is hands down the best part of the book.  Hilarious! The author is the wife of Gelman, the producer of Regis and Kathie Lee...am I dating myself?! Such a fun book.

(image from www.amazon.com)

Every Last Lie
by: Mary Kubica
3 out of 5 stars

I love a good suspense novel and this was my first one by this author. The story is excellent and the characters are well developed. I was hooked completely throughout this book...until the end.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if you have read this, were you a little lost/disappointed at the end? Maybe it was just me, but it was one of those books that built and then stopped. I'd love to hear your thoughts or if you have read anything else by this author. I truly loved it until the end!

(image from www.amazon.com)

Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life
by: Jen Hatmaker
4 out of 5 stars

Jen Hatmaker is simply one of the most encouraging, relatable authors in the Christian/encouragement genre. Her books literally make me laugh out loud one minute and tear up the next. Think about the best conversation you've ever had with a girlfriend and that is what reading Jen Hatmaker is like. Please order this book for yourself and a friend. It will be a treasure to anyone who receives it.

(image from www.amazon.com)

I loved this book so much that I am giving my copy away to one lucky winner along with a $10 Starbucks gift card! I cannot wait to bless someone with this book and their favorite hot drink!  Simply enter the Rafflecopter at the end of this post. Good luck!

If you like reading my blog, please consider "following" me. Simply click "follow" on the right hand side of my blog. If you love reading like I do, find me on Goodreads HERE. You can also find me on Instagram HERE and Facebook HERE.

If you're looking for other books to read, see my entire list of book reviews below:

January 2016
February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
May 2016
June 2016
July 2016
August 2016
September 2016
October 2016
November and December 2016

January 2017
February 2017
March 2017
April 2017
May 2017
June 2017
July 2017
August 2017

Enter the giveaway here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway