Reading is part of every day for our family, even if it ends up being just a bedtime story. It's been awhile since we've added new books to Alexis's bookshelf, and we haven't been to our local library since it reopened, so we've been reading the same books over and over. Unnecessarily, I might add. For some reason I can't explain, I never thought to look for e-books. This past month we've expanded our reading into the world of Kindle Unlimited. Here are some of the books we've been reading.

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes - Pete and his friends make a dozen cupcakes for a party, but someone keeps taking them!

The Giving Tree - This children's classic teaches about feelings, selfishness and selflessness, caring and giving.

That Monster on the Block - When a clown moves into the monster neighborhood, Monster isn't happy and tries to convince his neighbors that the newcomer needs to move out.

The Bad Seed - Can a seed with a bad temper, bad manners, and a bad attitude, change his mind about himself and learn how to be happy?

The Cool Bean - One bean learns what it really means to be cool.

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug - Tiny's friend needs a hug, but Tiny's arms are too small, so the little T. Rex sets off on a mission to learn how to hug his larger friend. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon - One night, Harold goes for a walk, carrying only his big purple crayon. Harold uses the crayon to draw a world around himself, but soon he gets lost.

Pinkalicious and the Flower Fairy - When Pinkalicious and her brother, Peter, plant gardens, she's sure a flower fairy will come visit hers. After all, flower fairies love pink, and her garden is filled with it!

The Roll-Away Pumpkin - Marla Little's big pumpkin is rolling away! Can she and the townspeople they meet along the way catch it before it's gone?

Never Let a Unicorn Scribble - If you give a unicorn a crayon, what's the worst that could happen?

Silly Tilly - Tilly is the silliest goose you'll ever meet, but when her farmyard friends get tired of her silliness and ask her to stop, they realize the farm isn't as much fun anymore.

Mabel and the Sock Pirates - When pirates invade the farm to steal all the socks from their special sock trees, Mabel can't just sit back and do nothing.

What's the Worst That Could Happen? - This is a cute little story about self-confidence and friendship.

The House Takes a Vacation - When the Peterson family goes on vacation, their house decides they need a break, too.

Pumpkin Jack - Tim holds onto his first jack-o-lantern for as long as he can, but even after he discards it in a field, Jack's story continues.

Scribble Stones - When a little stone with big dreams ends up being used as a dull paperweight, he teams up with some scribbles to create something new.

Skeletons are Not Spooky! - This is a fun Halloween book that teaches all about bones.

Pete the Cat Goes Camping - Pete and his family go on a camping trip and try to find out if Big Foot is real.

The Witches Cat - Pepper doesn't fit in with the other cats and asks his witch to cast a friendship spell.

The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat - This fun rhyming book is about a witch's cat refusing to move off the rat's mat.

Mac and Cheese - Mac and Cheese are about as opposite as you can get, but that doesn't matter for true friends.

Mabel and the Cloud Dragon - It's just another normal day for Mabel the Cat until she finds all the farmer's sheep on top of the trees! Turns out, a dragon put them there because he thought they were clouds!

Working at home comes with its own set of rules about how to dress. For the most part, unless you have a meeting, be it face-to-face or via Zoom, you don't have to worry about what you look like. That said, I am a firm believer in dressing for success always. When I get up and get dressed, no matter what I decide to put on, I have a more productive day.

My typical daily style could be described as dressy-casual. I don't wear traditional heels much anymore, but most days I do prefer a little added height. Slacks really don't have a place in my closet anymore either, although I do still have them for special occasions. I tend to stick with jeans or twill pants, or on days where I'm feeling a comfier vibe I'll pull out a pair of joggers. I like to dress comfortably stylish, and nearly all of my outfits feature some type of print.

Every month, I interview a local mom for my magazine with the goal of sharing her story and providing inspiration and insight for other parents. One of my go-to questions is about avoiding mom burnout, especially for working moms. Everyone has their own thing that they do to recharge and stay at their best, including me, but one of my life mottos is work smarter, not harder. If there is a way to simplify a task or make it more efficient, I am all about it.

Happy Monday, friends! We had a really nice weekend here. The weather wasn't particularly fall-ish but it wasn't summer either. On Saturday we grilled and used our fire pit for the first time since we moved in three years ago (oops). We made s'mores and just hung out in the backyard as a family. Now, Alexis is spending a few days with grandparents during her Fall Break so my work schedule isn't completely thrown out of whack.

It's the last full week of the month, and if you've been a reader for awhile then you know that it's typically my busiest week. Thankfully, I was able to plan ahead and get most of my editorial content out of the way early, but we're doing a holiday event guide and in the current situation a lot of our annual events haven't been confirmed yet so this one is slower going than usual. I feel like I've gotten into a better rhythm with posting to the website, though, so hopefully that won't be as much of a hassle as before.

In other news, I've got a zoom meeting with Alexis's teacher this week. They recently did their assessment testing so I guess we'll be talking about those results. A teacher at her school tested positive for covid over the weekend, but it wasn't one of hers. I'm not sure how I feel about that, to be honest. All the classes are self-contained in one room. The art, music, and Spanish teacher all rotate rooms. The only time they leave is for P.E. or to go outside for recess. Obviously I'll be keeping an eye on Alexis, but I feel like the chances of her getting it are pretty slim in this situation.

My one-and-only Prime Day purchase arrived just in time for the weekend. After struggling with our WiFi connection, we finally got everything set up with the Roomba and got it set up on a schedule. For now we're limiting it to the main living areas three times a week, but once we get some better cord organization in the master bedroom and I get my office rearranged some we'll let it loose in those rooms. Alexis's room will probably stay off limits forever, ha.

I've spent more time than I planned on this post, and I need to get my work day started. A little later than usual but since I don't have to stop to do after school pick-up, I'm not really losing any time.

Have you checked out the Prime Day Deals on Amazon yet? If I'm being completely honest, this sale is so big it's a little overwhelming (kind of like the N-Sale). One of my favorite bloggers, Audrey at Putting Me Together, put together a helpful little how-to post for finding the best deals.

13 Books to Consider Reading in October

*Ghosts of Gotham - This is one of the best books I've read this year. Investigative journalist Lionel Page is hired to locate and authenticate a lost manuscript by Edgar Allan Poe that tells the story of a man who cannot die. As Lionel follows the story, it becomes clear that he's following something more powerful than logic. Ghosts and magic are real, and this is one story that Lionel can't debunk.

*The Haunting of H.G. Wells - After a reporter pens a tale of ghostly bowmen rising to the aid of British troops during WWI, author H.G. Wells is dispatched to the Front as a correspondent to further boost morale. While the tale of the bowmen may not be true, Wells finds himself in a land of ghouls, and the ghosts of those he saw die follow when he returns home, where he becomes embroiled in a plot to disable Great Britain from the inside out.

*The Girl in Cabin 13 - FBI agent Emma Griffin is sent to a small town to investigate a string of disappearances believed to be the work of an unidentified serial killer. On her first night in Feathered Nest, a dead body is left on Emma's front porch, and things don't slow down from there.

*Moriarty's Men series - This is a reimagining of Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis. Instead of James Moriarty, we have Jemma Moriarty, a brilliant young woman who escaped from a cult that worships a very real demonic race. On her quest to avenge her sister and take down the cult, Jemma has amassed a criminal empire and enlisted the help of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, his assistant Dr. John Watson, and Scotland Yard inspector Garrett Lestrade.

*A Beautiful Poison - Three friends who were separated by circumstance are reunited as the people around them begin to die from various poisonings. As the trio work to solve the crimes, old secrets surface, and to make matters more complicated, a horrible outbreak of influenza strikes the city. This book kept me on my toes until the very end, and when the villain was finally revealed I almost didn't believe it.

*Harley Merlin series - I am currently reading book 7 of this 9-book series, and then it switches main characters and begins following one of the secondary characters (I haven't decided if I'll keep reading beyond book 9). Harley Merlin is a young magical born from a set of very powerful parents. Her aunt, who is responsible for the deaths of Harley's parents, is on a mission to become a goddess and take over the world. Harley and her band of misfit magicals are working to stop her.

*The Night Circus - Two young magicians are pitted against each other in a competition that's confined within a black-and-white circus that moves without notice and is only open at night. The two magicians fall in love, not knowing the competition will only end with one of their deaths.

*The Cousins O'Dwyer trilogy - This series focuses on three cousins - Iona, Connor, and Branna - living in the modern world who fulfill their ancestors' quest to rid the world of a great evil. Throughout the journey, each finds love and connects with the original three.

Circe - Circe is the daughter of the sun god, but she's not like the other gods, so she goes to live amongst the mortals of Earth. There, she discovers she is a powerful witch. When Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, Circe hones her craft and earns the wrath of both gods and men.

Drawer #7 - A woman with no name and a face she doesn't recognize fights her way to freedom with skills she didn't know she had. Then she meets Freddie and they start digging into who she is and the dangerous secrets she doesn't remember.

Sutton Place trilogy - Five hundred years after Queen Edith curses the ground her husband hunts on, Richard Weston is awarded the land and builds a manor house, but his family will soon pay the curse's price. Weston's son and heir, Francis, will be executed for a crime he did not commit - adultery with Anne Boleyn.

The Impossible Julian Strande duet - Alice is the new caretaker of Strande Estate, home to inexplicable noises, haunting legends, an amateur magician, and a ghost. Deep within the walls of the manor, a malevolent spirit has taken an interest in Alice. The author calls this a "villain romance," and although she guarantees a happily ever after, it may be a dark path.

The Night Crossing - This is a fictitious tale about Bran Stoker and the supernatural adventure that led to his creation of Dracula.

8 Early Fall Outfits I Wore in Real Life

Sitting down to dinner as a family is an important part of our day. Now that school is back in session and I have a more structured day-to-day during week, I've been doing more cooking. As much as I like to put together a home-cooked meal, I don't like being stuck in the kitchen for hours to achieve it. So if there's a shortcut I can take or a simplified version of a family favorite, I'm definitely going to try it.

I've tried several different home-made chicken pot pie recipes using biscuits but without much success...until now.


Ingredients