Kevin's Natural Frozen Meals

I recently had the chance to try the Kevin's Natural Frozen Meals as part of a Tryabox promotion. Complimentary coupons were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could try the product and share about the experience through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

I am always looking for quick, flavorful options for feeding my busy family. We try to have dinner together a few times a week but with busy schedules, it can be hard to time things up for everyone to sit down together. I had never tried any of the Kevin's Natural Foods products but was intrigued by the variety of options they have.
The Kevin's Natural Family Size Butter Chicken is available in your grocer's freezer. It had a really nice curry flavor. I was impressed to see the pieces of chicken, the peas and the rice when I put the bag into my skillet. Unlike other frozen rice dishes I have had before, I felt the rice maintained a nice texture after preparation. The bag does have 4 servings but if your family is older, you might find that it is not quite enough to fill them up.

The other variety we tried was the Kevin's Natural Foods Family Size Teriyaki Chicken. It had a great flavor, the sauce was a good balance of sweet and salty and there was plenty of sauce for the product. I was happy to see the good size pieces of chicken, along with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. The meal was easy to prep and turned out great. I served with some spaghetti to help stretch the four servings to feed my family of four.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two varieties I tried and look forward to trying other varieties. Have you tried Kevin's Natural Foods frozen family meals? What is your favorite?
No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary coupons to purchase Kevin's Natural Foods frozen meals were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could experience the products and share with my family.

Nacho Pile #nachopile #nachopilegame #asmodeeusa #familygame #kidsgame #targetfinds #target #Tryazon

A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We love to host game nights and play games as a family. Looking back on our game nights, the group certainly has evolved. When the pictures come up in my memories, it makes me sad sometimes because we don't get to spend as much time with some of the people that we used to. Now, change is natural and we have people that join us now that didn't join in the past and our kids are now part of the evening (vs when we used to schedule to start after bedtime) and their friends/dates join us for game play too.

About Nacho Pile:

From the creator of Happy Salmon and other hit party games, Nacho Pile is a fast-paced, high-energy game that will have chips flying back and forth as players compete for full plates and stomachs. In the game, players must push their luck to pile their nacho plates high, but also cleverly snatch matching chips from other players. Don't get too risky or you will lose them all! Keep an eye out for special chips that really ramp up the heat with spicy effects. Best for ages 7+ and playtimes is 20 minutes

When I received the invite to check out Nacho Pile, the game sounded perfect for a quick family game or a filler as different tables were wrapping up longer games on a group game night. It sounds like there is a bit of luck and strategy involved, which always makes for a good balance. I like that it is playable by 2 - 6 people and that it works for most ages. Plus, it is a very portable game, making it perfect to toss into the bag when we head to friends.

When the game arrived, the first thing that I noticed was the packaging. The packaging looks just like a bag of chips, in fact my son initially set it on the table and moved over some snack bags we had of other chips so that it would 'blend' in. The bag that the game comes in doubles as the grab bag for the chips during game play. The plates serve as your game board for chips that you have collected. The chips are slightly arched, making them easy to pick up from the table and also support them a little when stacking.

The game play is fairly straight-forward and the directions were easy to follow. On your first turn, you start by grabbing chips one at a time from the bag and put them next to your plate. You decide when to stop but if you draw a duplicate, you bust and all of the chips go back to the bag. When you stop, you may gather any chips sitting next to another player's plate of the same values that you have. Then, on subsequent rounds, any chips that are next to your plate at the start of the turn, you can put on your plate.

There are chips with numbers 1-7 on them. There are also some Wild Chips and some Spicy Chips to mix up the game play. The Wild Chips you declare the value on when you draw and drawing another of that value before you stop counts as a match and you bust. The Spicy Chips are Steal, Score and Remove. The Spicy Chips can cause a bust if you draw a second of the same type of chip before you stop. All of the Spicy Chips result in action after you stop drawing. Steal lets you take a chip from someone else's plate and put it on your plate. Score let's you move chips of one value (the one you drew and the ones you stole) onto your plate before your turn ends. Remove allows you to remove one chip from another player's plate and return it to the grab bag. The game ends when there is only one chip in the bag. The score is based on who has the most of a given value chip (wilds can be reassigned to any value before scoring starts) earning a point a chip, or two for the number matching the last chip. The winner is the one with the most points.

Game play observations
- In the beginning, people are either very risky and overdraw or they are risk averse and stop after drawing a couple of chips. With time, we found that people wound up in the middle and those that were paying attention had a feel for the risk of grabbing the same chip (there are 6 of each number, 6 Wild chips and 6 Spicy chips) and that the 'sweet spot' for risk shifts as the game progresses with fewer chips remaining in the grab bag.
- The first few rounds were slow, as people got the hang of things, the game moved quicker. It really was easy to learn and I think it took a while to speed up as people figured out their strategies.
- The name is fun. There were 'nacho' jokes a plenty.

Overall, everyone found the game enjoyable but generally agreed that after a few games, it was time to move on to another game. Game time was a good amount for a quick after dinner game.

Want to check out Nacho Pile? You can learn more about the game and purchase a copy on the company website asmodee. You can also find the game at Target, Walmart and Amazon.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary copy of Nacho Pile was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could play the game and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Bestway Airbeds #Tryazon #BestwayToSleepThisSummer #BestwaySummerOfSleep #BestwayUS #BestwayUSA #InflateYourFun #YourSleepIsOurBusiness

A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

We have always lived a few hours from friends and family, meaning that it is not uncommon for us to have overnight company. We have plenty of floor space for them but that's not always the most comfortable sleeping arrangement. So, when we had the chance to check out the Bestway Airbeds for free through a Tryazon party, I jumped at the chance.

When we received the bed, of course I wasted no time in opening the box and checking it out. One of the first things that I noticed was the soft top material on the mattress - it is listed as a "soft, flocked material that creates a comortable, luxurious sleeping surface for a peaceful night's rest". Depending on who is sleeping on the bed, we will still likely use sheets or sleeping bags but it is a nice surface and makes it easier to put sheets on the mattress.

The mattress that we got was queen size and is rated for up to 661 lbs. I like that there is a slightly elevated section that can serve as a built-in pillow. I imagine that most guests will use a separate pillow but it makes it easier to prop your head up in the bed to read or watch TV before settling in for the night.

The built in air pump made it easy to inflate the bed. I like that there is a built in storage section to tuck away the cords when not needed, keeps them from laying on the floor or being in the way. The cords are a decent length but I did have to rotate the bed to plug it in. It is also nice that you can use the pump to deflate the bed, or you can also manually deflate by opening the valve and letting the air out, but that is much slower.

The mattress uses what they call an I-Beam Construction. According to the box:

The Tritech Fortified Beams are made of an enhanced 3-layer material reinforced to provide durability and support. It provides stretch resistance and ensures that the airbed keeps its shape no matter how many times it is inflated and deflated. The material has been stress tested against the weight, strain and movement of a good night's sleep.

What I found is that unlike some other air mattresses that we have used before, with this one each person seems to be isolated and you don't feel every move of the other person (I think of that mattress commercial with the wine glass where it doesn't spill when the person moves about). This is important when it comes to a good nights sleep. I haven't inflated/deflated a ton of times yet but so far, it does seem that it holds its shape and provides great support.

The storage bag for the mattress is a nice added touch. It is simple but having the bag with handles to transport, store and travel is helpful. You do have to make sure that it is fully deflated and fold it as recommended to make it fit in the bag. Again, this is where the built-in pump is helpful too - you only need to remember to grab the bag and don't have to worry about whether you have everything.

Originally, we were expecting to get the mattress earlier in the season, which would have been great for some planned visitors and trips. There was a delay in the timing for receiving the mattress and hosting the Tryazon event, so we didn't get the chance to use the mattress for an overnight event or share with a larger group at one time, as hoped. Instead, we inflated and deflated to share and demonstrate the comfort with some smaller groups over the timespan that we had. The guests agreed that it was comfortable during trial and that it would likely be great for sleeping on. Of course, the good news is that we now have it for future visits too.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. A complimentary Bestway Airbed was provided to me through Tryazon so that I could experience the product and inivte my friends to check it out too.

Game Night - featuring Telestrations and Blank Slate #theOPgames #telestrations #blankslate #boardgames #Tryazon

Complimentary copies of Telestrations and Blank Slate games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

At my house, we have enjoyed playing many of the OP games that we have come across. So, when Tryazon sent me an invite to apply for a Game Night featuring two of our favorite games, I was excited to apply and hoped to get the chance to participate and share the games with more friends. This game night party kit came with two games: Telestrations and Blank Slate. We have been playing Telestrations for several years, ever since one of our friends recommendimg we check it out at a game night and we have been playing Blank Slate for a few years, since getting it one Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, it always feels a bit like Christmas to me when the party pack arrives. I enjoy unboxing it and seeing what all we got in the party pack.
The initial reveal:

After unpacking:

Once we had the games, all that remained was having friends over and introducing them to two of our favorite games.

Telestrations

Description: The outrageously fun party game Telestrations will keep your family and friends entertained and laughing! Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes.

Casual, family, party and strategy gamers alike all agree that Telestrations is one of the top 10 board games to add to their game collection, and game night. It’s an engaging game that can be played over and over with many different ages and types of groups and gatherings – it’s the perfect group game for game night!

The award-winning game Telestrations will keep your family and friends entertained and laughing! Draw what you see then guess what you saw for hilarious and unpredictable outcomes. Over 1,700 words, 8 erasable sketch books, 8 dry erase markers, and 8 clean-up cloths. Perfect for families, small parties, and friends new and old. A great ice breaker! No Drawing Skills Required. Stick figures & sense of humor welcome! Ages 12+. For 4-8 players. Play time: 10-15 minutes per round.

Telestrations combines classic drawing games with the age old game of Telephone. This is one game where laughter ensues with each reveal of the sequence from original clue through a few iterations of drawings and guesses. Sometimes we have clues that make it through 'intact' but most of the time there is a definite evolution to the guesses and drawings. As with the classic Telephone game, the miscommunication of guessing the drawing leads to some wild departures from the original clue. We love how it can be played by any age group. Our kids can play with their friends, we can play with our friends, and we can also all play together. We have found that with an all adult group there are a few more adult themed guesses and drawings (even though everyone knows the initial clues are not adult themed since we don't have the 'after dark' version of the game). The original version is intended for 8 players but they also offer a 6 player and 12 player version of the game. The difference is the number of iterations that your original clues go through before returning to you - the more iterations the broader the departure. There is also an 80s and 90s expansion pack (featuring decades-inspired words and phrases that will have you sketching out the tunes, fads, and fashion from the end of the 20th century) available for more clues. We don't own this one but would be a great game for us to play with our friends (I assume that the kids might not get all of the clues, having not lived through those years). Since we already had a copy of the original game, we shared this gift with a friend so that they could enjoy the fun with their family and friends.

Blank Slate

Description: TPick one of over 250 Word Cue cards (with 500 total cues), write the word you think best completes the phrase - and try to match it exactly to another player's word without giving a single hint.

If you're looking out for something new to introduce to the family, then the Blank Slate Board Game is your best bet. This fun game comes with 8 slates, markers and 250 double-sided cue cards. The objective is to complete phrases with any word, but you score points for matching your word with any one other player. The rules are simple to understand and each match lasts only up to 30 minutes, so you know this game is going to be the new favorite with the family.

Game night is always a hit with Blank Slate - just ask Ryan Seacrest or Bobby Bones! Blank Slate game is featured on AT40 with Ryan Seacrest and The Bobby Bones Show - fans love it!

Blank Slate is a fun game. There is a certain strategy to try to match one and only one other answer. You need a word to fill in the blank that is obvious but not too obvious. I will say that it does help if you have connections with the people you are playing with, as those common experiences are often the source of the best answers. This game is great for all ages and you don't need to have any specific knowledge to play (everyone knows words and phrases). The game plays quickly, allowing you to play multiple rounds in a few hours (and crowning your winner based on best of 5 or 7). Since we already had a copy of Blank Slate, I shared the new one with some party guests.



What are some of your favorite games for family game night? or game night with friends? Have you played Telestrations or Blank Slate before? What did you think?

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary copies of the games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog, with enough to share some with my friends too.

Dinner Time (in less time)

Complimentary product was provided to me so that I could experience the products and share about them with friends and through my blog.

As a busy mom, the one thing that I have strived to maintain is sitting down together as a family for dinner. Some nights are easier than others and as the kids get older, and busier, I have not been successful in acheiving that goal every day. With both kids, my husband and myself being active, many nights to even have dinner together (and not spending a long time in the kitchen when we get home from everything) means jumping through a few hoops and definitely some meal planning. Now that it is the fall, my son is back at school, so there is one less schedule to juggle but still appreciate time savings to help orchestrate family meal time.

As I have shared before, one of the things that I have found really beneficial about meal planning is cooking once and eating two or three times. With the help of some prepared foods, this can really help with getting food on the table when the family is together.

I recently had the chance to try several of the Bob Evans Farms side dishes, which you can find in your local grocer's refrigerated section. We have enjoyed their Homestyle Mashed Potatoes for years but had not tried their other sides. I picked out Sliced Glazed Apples and a side of Macaroni and Cheese, as well as a familiar favorite Homestyle Mashed Potatoes on a recent shopping trip.

The Sliced Glazed Apples were a hit. I served them as a side with Pork Chops, Corn and the Home Style Mashed Potatoes. They were just the right touch to complete the meal, offering a nice balance of sweetness and a touch of spice. And let's be honest, nothing says fall like a warm, spicy apple, it was almost like having a pie or crisp without the crusts.

Of course, the mashed potatoes are a side we enjoy with the pan fried pork chops everytime I serve them. The warm, creaminess with just a touch of bite and made with real butter and milk, just like I make them, really gives them that homemade taste but ready in 6 minutes instead of the time it takes to peel, dice, boil and smash potatoes on my own. A definite time saver!

The Macaroni and Cheese, we enjoyed as a light meal. We added a bit of bacon to top the macaroni and cheese, a side salad and some rolls to make it a complete meal. The Macaroni and Cheese was a nice creamy, gooey dish with the macaroni having just enough bite and the six cheese blend providing the right balance of tanginess.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary coupons were provided to me to purchase the products of my choice, so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog.

Game Night - featuring Venn and Hues and Cues #theOPgames #VENN #HuesAndCues #BringTheFun #Tryazon

Complimentary copies of Venn and Hues and Cues games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share them with friends and through my blog. All opinions expressed are my own

As I have shared before, Game Night has always been a favorite activity at our house. We have been fortunate to have many friends and family members that enjoy not only hanging out but also playing games. Our friends have introduced us to many games and we have introduced them to many games. There always seems to be a new game to play but we still try to make time for favorites. As with any good gathering, we enjoy an assortment of snacks and always have a good time. We compete and we laugh and we genuinely enjoy the time together. When we started hosting, we had little kids and would often start around bedtime so that the kids would be sleeping through most of the time but now that they are teenagers, they often times will join in for the games too, whether with us or at their own game table with their friends.

We have enjoyed playing many of the OP games that we have come across, so when I see that there is a new game out, I am always intersted to learn more. So, when Tryazon sent me a message inviting me to apply for the Venn Game Night, I was excited to check it out. The party kit came with two games, Venn and Hues and Cues. Venn was new to us but we have owned Hues and Cues for a while now.

Venn

Description: Introducing VENN, a clever game where clues and art overlap! Race to find three secret words based on where a Clue Giver arranges unique Art Cards onto color circles. Set a timer or outguess the others to find the similarities, come to the right conclusions, and win! Go head-to-head as teams or work together through cooperative gameplay in this hands-on communication game that mixes friendly competition and fun.

Venn is an interesting game that requires creative thinking, a skill that sometimes I think we don't always get the chance to develop. It can be played competitively or cooperatively. I like this because I find that the cooperative play is an easier way to learn the game and a great way to play as a family, especially with younger kids. The concept of finding art work that applies to one, two or three of the words on your card is a fun way to get your teammates to guess the words. It did take a little while to figure out some people's thought process but with time, being able to guess became a little easier.

Hues and Cues

Description: Test your color knowledge and guessing abilities with Hues and Cues – a vibrant group party game of colorful communication where players are challenged to make connections to colors with words. Using only one and two-word cues, players try to get others to guess a specific hue from the 480 colors squares on the unique game board . The player with the most points after several rounds wins the game!

Hues and Cues is a fun game. It is helpful if you are familiar with context for your clue giver's clues. As an example, when the color card has a shade of blue and the clue giver says Cinderella for their word. If you don't know that Cinderella wears a blue dress or aren't familiar with which princess is which, then you might be guessing a shade of pink or yellow. We also discussed that for those that are color blind, it would also be quite a challenge. They can often differentiate shades but certainly aren't going to be as succesful with the nuances of the colors on the board. Since we already had a copy, I shared the new one with my brother and his family.

You can find more information on The Op or purchase your own copy of the games HERE.

What are some of your favorite games for family game night? or game night with friends? Have you played Venn or Hues and Cues before? What did you think?

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family and friends. Complimentary copies of the games were provided to me through Tryazon so that I could share my experience with friends and through my blog, with enough to share some with my friends too.

Just Under 6 Weeks to Christmas!

For as long as 2020 has felt, it is so crazy to think that Christmas is less than 6 weeks away. I think I am ready to start getting out Christmas decorations and adding a little extra cheer. There are already a handful of houses where I have seen Christmas lights and other decorations and it makes me smile.

I expect the holidays will feel different this year. We don't often travel for Thanksgiving, so it will probably be similar for us, with the exception of no plans for Black Friday shopping. Sales have started early this year, which I guess has been nice. When my mixer that had served me well for 25 years stopped working a few weeks ago, I was able to take advantage of a Black Friday deal at Target to pick one up without even going in the store. In fact, I imagine a lot more of my shopping will be online this year. I have been doing a majority of my shopping online with shipping or curbside services since March. I have always been a look and see shopper, so this was quite an adjustment for me. I have returned to buying produce in person because the items I was getting through pick up services were not to my liking.

The gatherings that normally fill my schedule for Christmas will look a lot different this year. The normal outings with girlfriends and friends, I assume will fall to the wayside this year, especially if our governor decides to close restaurants for 4-6 weeks as is currently being speculated. There won't be carry ins or outings for work. I assume that the extended family, for the first time in my life, will not be planning a family get together with family, food, and gifts. It is always a great time, a chance to see cousins that I don't get to see through out the year. With over 100 people though, it just isn't likely. Assuming that it makes sense, we do hope to see my family over the holidays for a family dinner after the holidays.

I think that gifts might be a little different this year. In part, the difference will be driven by shopping online. Plus, as the kids get older, their lists of wants and needs seems to be getting smaller. I have turned back on my Gift Guide link on the side bar. It will lead you to not only new posts from this year but ideas that I have shared over the years. I continue to stand by my approach of Foster Imagination, Stimulate Creativity, Challenge Their Problem Solving and Stretch Their Minds. I am a big fan of experiences, over things but that might be harder this year with concerts, plays, musicals, escape rooms, laser tag, and other like things being postponed/closed.

How do you shop? How will your plans change this year?

Summer Time is Coming

As we enter the last weekend of May, I am looking forward to summertime. I'm not sure that it will feel much different than the last several weeks for the most part, but it is nice to finally be getting back to some more normal things.

As a family, we went out to lunch yesterday and ate at the restaurant, inside because of the rain. It sounds like a small thing but it has probably been almost 3 months since the last time we went out to eat as a family. It was nice to to relax and just hang out.

This past week both kids returned school books and empty out their lockers. The school year is officially over. Online learning was okay at best. It was nice that several teachers would post a recording of the learning. It gave them the opportunity to watch the lesson on demand, on their schedule. I don't know that my kids did it but it also gave them the chance to rewatch the lesson if there was a question or something confusing. I think though that I would have liked them to do the lesson live in an interactive classroom space - like they do at school - where the kids can ask questions and the teacher can get real time feedback on how well the group was responding to the lesson. They all had office hours but they were not always at convenient times and some overlapped. As an example, math classes all had their office hours, a live chat space, from 8 - 9 am. The kids would need to watch the current lesson before the office hours or use the office hours for the last lesson, which was not always convenient. In addition, since all the math class office hours were at the same time, if you had multiple math classes (my son had two), you likely could only get to one or the other. Unfortunately, several teachers didn't do online lessons, video or live. They simply relied on the kids reading the book and shared some notes. I also feel like the lack of classroom discussion was a loss. How many times as a kid did you pick up on something based on what a classmate shared. Whether discussing a classic like Great Gatsby or asking a question about a chemical reaction, sometimes hearing it posed by someone else helps you process or clarify it for yourself. And then for activity driven classes, there was again a loss of opportunity. For my son, we boiled eggs for different lengths as a chemistry experiment but that was really the only experiment that the class did the last 12 weeks of school. I would have expected more labs as part of a chemistry class. And for my daughter, who was in Family and Consumer Sciences the last quarter of the school year, she missed out on so much. They normally make a drawstring bag but with stores on limited operation and most students not having access to a sewing machine, the pattern was simply shared if they wanted to try it. For the kitchen half, the lessons were limited. She made a dish with an egg (souffles for her), a bowl of fruit salad and a vegetable. She still learned from the videos her teacher would post but they normally make so much more in class. The other gap was the absence of spring sports, spring dances, lunch room socialization, after school socialization on the bus or the walk, and so much more together time with fellow students. It is a unique experience that has impacted my kids and something that they will remember always but I do hope that we can return to classroom learning in the fall for the benefit of all students.

Baseball season is restarting for my son. He had three practices this last week and we have games next weekend. I have missed the families and the experience of being at games. It will definitely not be the season we had planned - the boys didn't have their high school season and had limited access to facilities so mostly had to keep in shape on their own. We have already learned that one tournament was being rescheduled which caused the team to drop out of that tournament and pick up another one. Many schools are not opening their fields so there is a scramble to locate fields for games. In the youth program locally, several kids have dropped out (not sure if it is concern, the change in timing for the season or some other factor). I am happy to have baseball back and hope that it is as near normal as possible.

I continue with my daily walks and have done at least 30 minutes (usually closer to 50 minutes lately) each day for the past 77 days (today marks 78 but I haven't gotten out yet). It has been a great way to stay active but also a chance to 'get away', let my mind unwind and destress and a chance to relax and soak in nature and sunshine (and rain on occasion). I have easily 80+ pictures to illustrate the soaking in of nature - I have trees and flowers, blue skies and cloud formations, 'artsy' shots with puddles and capturing the droplets collected on the leaves. It has been nice. I do hope to continue the daily walk. We heard yesterday that the pool at our gym will open in just over a week for lap swimming only. I am very glad to hear that news and will try to get there 4 or 5 mornings each week and likely move my walks to later in the day when I do. I was at almost 100 miles swam since January when the pools were closed with the gyms almost 11 weeks ago. My goal is to complete the 100 mile challenge and then try for another 100 miles yet this year.

My schedule as a whole will be changing here in a couple of weeks. I was offered a job and accepted it (actually, was offered two but one required relocation). It is such a relief after 6 months of being unemployed to have a job lined up. Job seeking during closure was interesting. I did all of my interviewing from home - a mix of phone and video interviews. It will be even stranger starting a new job at a company that is (at least right now) still work from home. I will be doing remote onboarding and orientation. I will meet the team that I will be partnering with by phone. I should have ample opportunity to explore the software and learn about the products on my own. I am a people person though, so it will definitely be strange.

Made some bread last night and it was perhaps the best batch yet. This morning, I am trying a new cinnamon roll / muffin type recipe.

What have you been up to? How are things opening up where you are?

New Habits and Activities

This time at home has lead to the development of some new habits and have introduced new things into our lives - some bad, some good.

As a family, we stay up later and sleep in. The first couple of weeks when it was all new and we didn't really have a feel for how long it might last, we were especially bad, not really paying attention to the time and really messing up our schedules as a whole. It is hard to argue why not one more episode of the show or one more chapter in the book or one more game, we literally have nowhere to be and no specific time to be there. I started seeing it impacting us, so I made the decision that we had to get better at it. Certainly bedtimes didn't need to align with normal but we needed to be reasonable. We successfully shifted and are getting to bed at more reasonable times and getting up to start the day earlier in the day. We also enforce more regular schedule during the week and allow a little flexibility on the weekend. This has helped us return to more normal eating schedule and with both sleeping and eating back on a more normal schedule, everyone generally feels better and has a better attitude too. It will still be tough when we have to be up and out the door at a specific time again but with a more normal schedule it will be a little easier to shift back to that then it would have been.

As a family, we have shifted from team workouts/group workouts to more independent workouts and activities. It's not that we are more or less active or burning more or less calories, we are simply doing it differently. I used to do group exercise and swimming workouts with an occasional lunchtime or evening walk to clear the head, now that those classes are cancelled and the gym is closed, I rely on walking for my daily activity. I have steadily increased the distance so as to stay ahead of my step goal in my otherwise stay at home lifestyle that we have had to transition to. I have successfully walked at least 30 minutes every day for the past 44 days. It has been tough on days that it was rainy or snowy but I watched for the breaks and even dealt with the light sprinkle of rain to get to 30 minutes at least once. It is noticeable too; when I was out walking on Saturday, two different people that were hanging out in their driveways commented on my regular walking. Strange thing is that the time of day I walk can vary greatly so the fact that they noticed surprised me. I have also used these walks to observe the world around me and captured many pictures; yesterday it was fun playing with taking pictures using the puddles.

My husband has been sticking with his running routine but doesn't have the bike/treadmill option on the cold or wet days like he used to. He has switched to running virtual races, as his race schedule for the spring and summer has slowly been cancelled or converted to virtual races. My daughter does a daily work out and often times fits in a short run too. My son, in addition to keeping up with throwing and hitting for baseball, has done several runs and has put more miles on his bicycle than he has in years.

We are cooking and baking more. The cookie jar is almost never empty. There is fresh made bread in the house every weekend. We have found ways to create the tastes of our favorite dining out meals at home. We have tried many new recipes - although it seems they are mostly desserts or at least sweets.

My daughter has Home Ec (they call it family and consumer sciences now though) this quarter - so far, there has only been one hands on assignment - make an egg dish. She chose a souffle - it was good and she really did learn things - separating eggs, why we fold in egg whites, why we cover custard with wax paper, why a souffle will rise and come out of the oven fluffy and deflate within a short window following. Even with that, we are still trying to support local and try to order in at least once a week from a local restaurant and get beer from the local brewery.

We are binge watching series and catching up on movies. On some shows, we have to wait for a new episode to come out and on others we have a few seasons to go. I have started watching new series on HGTV and Food Network, just for a little variety. Some shows we watch as a family, some we watch in smaller groups, some we watch on our own - we use our family room, our media room, our computers and the iPad to provide the flexibility. It helps us as we look to find the right balance of together and alone time - since we all are here pretty much all of the time.

We are reading more. I have been reading from the stack of book sale books that I have near my bedside. My daughter has been reading a couple of different YA series and has even been trying her hand at writing in the style of some of those books.

The kids are playing more. Together and apart. My daughter is spending more time on the swingset. She has always loved it but it is a way to be outside and change up the scenery. They have been playing games / challenges together. They set up a course the other day with dominoes, strings, weights and more. They sat at the top of the stairs and tried to toss a ping pong ball into a cup at the bottom of the stairs.

I am trying to continue the clean-up/purge journey I began when I lost my job. We went through the backroom in the basement and organized and got rid of and sold things that we no longer needed or wouldn't use again. We have gone through the kids clothes to pull out the things that don't fit (or don't wear) and have been trying to sell those. I have gone through some of my files (there are always more and I can only do so much at one time). I used this stay at home to organize the freezers and inventory the food we have on hand so that I could focus on what we needed at the store and ensuring we used things up. I am trying to work through my stack of magazines that have arrived monthly over the years and I simply never had the time to read them. I read them, pull out the page or two that has something that I want to try or look into and off it goes.

We finally have time to tackle home projects and it gives us something to plan and to do. I have painted doors and frames, I have painted (portions) of the playset in the backyard (limited by paint not time). My husband cleaned up and cleaned out the garage. Moved things to mark the change in season and make outdoor activities more accessible.

I have changed the way that I shop (but I will go back at least in some ways). I really like Target's drive up service. I think I will use that for more things even after this stay at home order. If I know I need a few things, it really is easier to order them and pick them up than to park and run into the store. I went for detergent and fabric softener yesterday. The whole trip - drive time and order pick up time was 10 minutes. Since I live 5 minutes away, it essentially took no time to get my order. I am convinced that the 'let us know you are coming' gives them perspective on how close you are when you push the button. They almost always are walking out the door with my stuff as I shift my car from drive to park. I love that the app / their spots are connected and it automatically lets them know I am there. I'm generally not a fan of grocery pick up service - although, I might be more of a fan when they return to allowing you to pay at pick up. I get frustrated that I can't simply maintain and add to my list as the week passes - I have to process a payment each time I make an update. I can start my cart a week out when I reserve the timeslot but I don't always know a week out what we will be low on or be craving or otherwise need when I do pick up. I also struggle to find the magic way to search sometimes. I have gotten better at managing the substitutions so that I get what I want...but that also means that I do without on some things because I ask for no sub even though I might sub if I was in store. I don't like that sales are fewer and/or that sale items are bought out all the time. I like to be able to shop the sales and stock up, so I don't have to buy during non-sales times.

What new activities or habits are you developing? What shows are you watching?

As the Week Winds Down

It has been a good week. Following the productive weekend, I feel like we accomplished some good things this week. I think in part it may have been helped by the updating of the models for COVID19. I don't know where you all live but here in Ohio we were significantly under the model and the updates lowered the expected peaks significantly and brought the peak in a few days. I am starting to believe (not just hope) that we will have a return to normal following the current stay at home order expiration.

Of course, Ohio weather has been typically weird weather. We have had some gorgeous days, where we could get outside in short sleeves and enjoy the sights of spring. We had a couple of tornadoes touch down within a few miles of our house. We had that gorgeous super moon, of course it was partially obstructed but we got some cool pictures when it wasn't obstructed. We had flurries and sleet yesterday and then this morning, we woke to a covering of snow.

I have learned, when we are home we bake. We have always been bakers but in 'normal' schedule time we are generally limited in frequency and often I do most of it. During the break, my son has been doing a good amount of the baking. I had to add flour, butter and eggs to my next order to make sure that we can continue to bake. We have made 2 batches of biscotti, 3 batches of cookies, a batch of macarons (trying all-purpose flour in lieu of almond flour), a batch of beignets and two batches of bread. The kids would like to give another try to an alternate recipe that uses all-purpose flour for macarons.

We also cook. Again, not that we don't do a lot of cooking when we are not on a stay at home order but we seem to be on the go enough that we have a lot of quick fix meals rather than longer prep meals. Over the past couple of weeks, we have made homemade macaroni and cheese and a childhood favorite chicken in gravy over biscuits (and they were homemade biscuits). We have also tried knock off versions of restaurant favorite dishes. Homemade pizza has been a staple of our weekly menu.

Tonight, we celebrate our 21st Anniversary. Normally, we would have planned a dinner out as a couple or with the family. Or, if the timing worked out, we might have even planned a getaway as a couple or a family (Niagara Falls area is one of our favorite getaways). We are getting carry-out pizza from a local place and a growler of beer from the local craft brewery. Supporting local and celebrating us.

I definitely miss people. As much as I am a homebody, I also love being with people and being social. I want to host a game night or sit with friends watching kids sports and visiting or go to trivia with friends or just visit around a bonfire. During this time, it is nice to catch up with friends on the phone or via chat - but it is not the same as in person interactions. I find great joy in crossing paths with others when I am out for a walk. Sure, I cross the street or walk on the edge of the road to allow appropriate space but just waving to the walkers, the runners and the cars that drive by gives me that sense of connection with others. It was nice to visit at a distance with the owners at the craft brewery as I picked up the growler - hearing about their dog and his peculiarities.

The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night. I was thinking about what I had to do the next day and became a little disheartened that we really have gotten to the point where the next day is the same as the last and the next. Even with looking forward to our anniversary and Easter, there still isn't much different. We still don't have 'plans' or get to see family and friends. I am excited for the Easter dinner that I will make and the little bit I have pulled together for the kid's baskets, yet without being able to share it with family, it seems less than it should be. Knowing that this social distancing and stay at home order is really having an impact is the shining light that continues to give me hope and helps me to keep moving forward.

How are you holding up?

A New Week

Today is the first day of spring break for the kids. With my son being on the high school baseball team, it's been a while since we did something more than a day-trip or stay-cation for spring break. Even though we would only get away one day, we generally filled our time with other fun activities - hanging out with friends, mother-daughter pedicures, laser tag with friends, mini-golf and go-carts, sleepovers, swimming and ice cream. This year we simply are home. I have to say, it feels a little weird.

It's not like spring break is the only unusual thing going on though. One positive of this whole experience is increased family time. I am seeing it at my house and in the neighborhood. This weekend we took a family bike ride, just over 6 miles round trip from home to lunch and back again. We picked up carryout from a local favorite and biked back to the school to use the picnic tables to enjoy our lunch before biking home. We have always loved family bike rides (okay, who am I kidding, my husband and I love them and the kids come along because they have to and sometimes with a bit of whine as we plan for it) but finding time for them lately with two very active children (and parents) has been a challenge. Normally we do closer to 20 or 25 miles round trip but the restaurants we use as destinations on the journey are sit down places, that although I assume are doing carry-out wouldn't be as conducive to finding a picnic table or eating outside. It was nice to get in a bike ride locally and spend some active time together as a family. As we were out biking, I saw a lot of families walking together, biking together, doing yard work together and playing ball in their yards. It really was a nice sight to see.

This weekend we also enjoyed a family movie night in. We are definitely a movie family and have even included destinations like the dine-in theater as part of one of our staycation adventures. We watched Onward on Friday night on Disney+. It wasn't a movie that we had talked about going to see or were anxiously awaiting, in fact, even when we suggested it, my daughter wasn't really interested in watching it but we all did and discovered it was a good movie and everyone enjoyed it.

We also tackled a few projects around the house this weekend. We are entering the eleventh season with our Ultrabuilt playset this year and the kids (my daughter much more so than my son) still enjoy it. In the early years, I was very consistent in making sure that we gave it a fresh coat of paint each spring or at least every other spring to help protect it from the sun and rain. More recently, we have been a lot more busy and it has fallen to every three (or at least that is how long we think it was) years. This was not the best idea as we found a couple of boards that had not maintained the seal created by the paint (or maybe I missed a spot during the last one?) and had a bit of rot within those boards (or was it carpenter ants or something similar?). We made the repairs that were needed and then I used the paint we had on hand to paint the main slide platform and adjacent rails. We will need more paint so I can seal the rest but the store we bought it at doesn't carry that brand anymore and we tried but couldn't figure out how to do an online order for a paint blend - we could get the base gallon but there was no where to enter the color or see/select the color from samples. The rest will just have to wait until we can get back into the stores. We also had a water issue on the frame for our back door. We put in french doors several years ago and it looks like the flashing above the frame wasn't properly overlapped and so we have had a slow trickle of water in around the frame. This caused some of the wood to rot. We used some caulk to address the issue with the flashing and then tackled the frame. We dug out the bad part and filled it with wood filler to rebuild the space, sanded it and will paint it. Again, we don't have the paint we need, so in the short term we will use what we have from the front porch and will have to repaint later when we can select the color we need at the store.

I have found that I have fallen into a steady routine. I know that I am cleaning things more often trying to reduce risk. Each morning, I get up and feed the cats. If I sleep longer than they like, they make sure I am up by climbing up on my bed and sitting on my stomach to cry about eating. Then, I open up the blinds on the first floor to maximize the sunlight we are getting inside. Then, I start by cleaning up the kitchen - put away clean dishes, address any that were soaking from the previous night, take out trash and recycles, and then I wipe down all of the counters. To be fair, I had wiped down the counters and cleaned up after dinner too but I want to make sure that we are starting each day fresh. I then wipe down the counters, the faucet and the toilet in the main floor bathroom. It is the first place we go when we walk in the door to wash up from being outside the house - whether just out for a walk or coming in from the store - so I want to make sure that nothing was left behind on a surface in there. Then, I wipe the inside and outside door handles for all three entry doors and the button on the garage door opener. Then I swap the towels in the kitchen and half bath and add them to the washer to be cleaned with the next load. Then, I will typically work a bit on our puzzle, check e-mail and Facebook, have breakfast, maybe watch a show or movie, check out job postings and hopefully apply to one or two viable options. I typically will go for a walk in the afternoon but adjust based on weather - so far, I have found a way to get in at least a 30 minute walk each of the days that have passed since social distancing began.

We found out last week that school closures have been extended to May 1st and then that the Stay At Home order has also been extended to May 1st. I am glad that they didn't go as far out as some other states; I have heard June 10th for some state(s). I am hopeful and pray that we will be able to start to return to normal come May 1st. I know it may be a gradual return but a start to return is at least a beginning and something to look forward to.

Interestingly, I counted and May 1st represents 40 days of social distancing. I counted because I saw a blurb on Facebook about the number 40 and the significance. It referenced among other things, the 40 days of the great flood, the 40 days of Lent and so on. Of course I left to verify something and couldn't find the post when I went back into Facebook and I can't remember what friend had shared it. My husband found a similar one but it had less of the connections. One of the things it referenced (and one of the things I left to verify) was that even the word quarantine comes from the Italian word meaning 40 days (from Wikipedia: The word quarantine comes from quarantena, meaning "forty days", used in the 14th-15th-century Venetian language and designating the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic).

This week, I was able to schedule a grocery pick up, so I should be able to stay out of the stores this week but likely will do my own shopping next week. In part because it is so hard to get a time and in part because I still find shopping for myself easier but also a little riskier than I want - we learned this weekend that someone that works at our grocery tested positive. We are on about a 9 - 10 day schedule for groceries at this point. I am buying two weeks worth of bread and milk products each time so that we can stretch the visits out and have partial coverage if they are out of stock. The one thing that is harder to stretch is produce. We just make sure that we get our fruits and veggies fresh when we first shop and then we can move to frozen or canned later in the time between grocery trips. When we have a Friday evening without plans, we like to stop by the store and pick up a fresh baguette to enjoy as a snack. Not wanting to go to the store for one item, this weekend I made bread. I have made bread before but it has been a while. It turned out good and was a nice accompaniment to our dinner on Saturday as well. I will definitely plan to add flour to my shopping list so that I can make more.

How have you been doing? What adaptations have you made? How long are things 'closed' in your area?

A Sense of Normalcy

Not sure how things are at your house but here days are starting to run together. I find that I have to check my phone to figure out what day of the week it is and we are only on day 6 of this social distancing. I am doing my best to try to ensure a sense of normalcy at our house.

Each day, we all get dressed. It would be so easy to stay in pajamas all day, and on holidays and snow days, we have been known to do that but there is something about the act of getting dressed that helps the day feel more normal.

Each day, I make a family dinner. Those dinners are a little 'looser' than they have been in the past. I make a protein and each person can choose how they eat it. Yesterday, I made chicken breast. My daughter ate it as a chicken breast with a side of parsley red skin potatoes and a bowl of berries. My son and husband enjoyed it as a Chipotle style bowl with brown cilantro rice, fajita veggies, salsa, lettuce and shredded cheese. I had mine on a salad.

Each day, we sit down together and watch a show. Most days it is Jeopardy but when one of our series has a new show, we try to catch up on it. On some days, we have a snack tray to go with it.

The rest of the day is pretty do as you do. Time on schoolwork, time watching shows, time walking or running, time reading, time building puzzles and playing games, time on the computer and such. That is less structured than real life but the structure of doing little things is helping us not feeling like days are simply running together and allowing us to have some sense of being individual days.

How are you keeping a sense of normalcy at your house? What are the standards in your daily routine?

Social Distancing

It has been a while...

as a Busy Mom of Two it really shouldn't be a surprise that life gets busy and crazy at times.

In fact, the course of change and challenges in the past week here in the United States is evidence of that.

The stock market. Wow! I don't know what else to say. I am confident in the advice that has been shared, we have never not seen it come back. Right now, looking at my retirement and other funds in the market and seeing the changes year to date is disheartening to say the least.

A week ago was the first confirmed case of Covid19 in Ohio.

Today marks 3 days of Social Distancing for my family.

We learned on Thursday that the schools would be closing for three weeks (plus a fourth week for spring break) at the end of the school day on Friday and that all extra curricular activities will cease until school reopens. My daughter was told to empty her locker and bring everything home. The schools are treating this week as calamity days, since we didn't use any for snow or cold weather days this year. Then, they hope to have a plan on how to support remote learning. I will give both of my kids credit for taking the initiative this morning to do something educational. My daughter read a few chapters in her book and my son read a couple of chapters and worked on some math problems on the homework syllabus they got earlier in the year.

I have been sharing some resources on Facebook for remote learning. I have seen everything from virtual tours of museums and national parks to online art lessons and cooking lessons to rebroadcasting of concerts and shows, that will allow your kids (and you) to be engaged and learning in unique ways. In addition, there are more traditional learning sites for math, reading, and science. I have even seen online gym classes/activities. It is amazing to me how the country is pulling together to make these things available and sharing them. If I get the chance, I will put them all together in one post for more easy reference.

On Saturday, we learned that the library would be closing. We grabbed a movie that we had on hold but opted not to look for additional books or movies at the time.

We learned on Sunday that all bars and restaurants will be closed starting last night at 9 pm. They are allowed to do take-out/delivery but no dining in services. For some of my friends that own restaurants, this will be a tough time. Some haven't had those as part of their standard services in the past and are having to adapt - how do you take orders, how much to prep, etc. I do like that several of the smaller places are setting up family style meals - designed to serve 2, 4 or 6 and with starters, entrees and sides. The local craft breweries and wineries are setting up limited hours to do curbside pick up of their brews and vintages.

We learned today that all gyms, theaters, rec centers, bowling alleys will close at 9 pm today. Logically, I was surprised that they didn't do this earlier. The only one that applied to me was the gyms and I was disappointed. I had been using the pool 5 times a week over the past couple of months. I had even done research to confirm if chlorine in the pool would kill the coronavirus after the first case in Ohio was reported.

Grocery stores seem to be hard hit. Last week I made a mid-week run to the grocery store for a typical shopping trip which turned out to be well-timed as stores were hit pretty hard by the weekend with out of stocks. I did head out Friday to pick up a few things, like a baguette - part of our typical Friday evening snack plan. In our area, they have shortened hours so that they have time to stock the shelves and clean. This weekend, I took inventory of my freezer stock and have a list of things that I hope to pick up to fill out the gaps in what we have on hand. I don't plan to go crazy but to get some stuff to get me through so that I can go to the store less frequently.

What are things like where you live?

Fit to Be Tied by Debby Mayne

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

Fall is upon us. It has meant busy weekends and evenings, filled with back to school and fall sports. When I wasn't at one of the schools or the field for a game, I found some time to catch back up with the Bucklin family in the second installment of the Bucklin Family Reunion Series, Fit to Be Tied by Debby Mayne.

Fit to be Tied was a well-written enjoyable story told from the viewpoint of five of the family members, some by birth, others by marriage. I really enjoy this style of writing and how the use of multiple viewpoints can engage the reader and provide additional insight into the family and their tales. The characters were relatable and enjoyable to get to know and the story was filled with a real perspective and a good balance of humor. The multiple points of view led to short chapters, which made it easy to ready in short or long installments.

It seems that everyone outside the family is yearning to go and experience a Bucklin Family reunion, which unlike your typical family reunion, occurs on a multiple times a year basis. What balances that nicely is that it seems sometimes that there is a reluctance of the family to attend the reunion...but not wanting to miss out or be the topic of conversations, brings them all together. They certainly do family reunions on a grand scale, this one was multiple days and included lots of food and even a trip to the hospital.

You can jump right into this second book in the series with no problem, as the author does a great job introducing the characters and building on their stories. But having read the first one, I really enjoyed hearing the continuing stories of the characters I met in the first book, while getting to know more members of the family.

I look forward to the next reunion story in this series to see what new adventures await this family.

Fit to Be Tied
by Debby Mayne
Bucklin Family Reunion series: Book 2


The Bucklin family loves each other too much to stay away. . . but not enough to behave

Being rich is fine, but when wealth comes from striking oil, it's a slippery mess for a family who doesn't know what to do with it. The Bucklin cousins are all together again, and this family reunion is shaping up to be another disaster.

Coralee falls for the police officer who pulls her over. Sally has finally found a guy, but now she's not sure a relationship is even worth the bother. No matter how hard Brett tries to avoid trouble, he somehow stumbles right back into the thick of it. And Marybeth and Bucky continue to fumble and bumble as they learn how to handle being rich.

The Bucklin family is known for drama—and Bucklin family drama knows no bounds.


Meet the Author
Debby Mayne writes family and faith-based romances, cozy mysteries, and women's fiction and is the author of more than 60 novels and novellas-plus more than 1,000 short stories, articles, and devotions for busy women. Debby is currently an etiquette writer for The Spruce.

Debby grew up in a military family, which meant moving every few years throughout her childhood. She was born in Alaska, and she has lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Japan. Her parents were both from the Deep South, so Debby enjoys featuring characters with Southern drawls, plenty of down-home cooking, and folks with quirky mannerisms. High Cotton is the first book in the Bucklin Family Reunion series.

Learn more about Debby and her works on her site.

You can purchase a copy here.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

The Road Home by Beverly Lewis

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

It's been a while since I have read Amish Fiction, so I was glad to see The Road Home by Beverly Lewis arrive in my mailbox. I think that in many ways, for me, Amish fiction has similarities with both current fiction and period fiction. Given their lifestyles and the old-fashioned courting rituals that they live by, as they live in the modern world and deal with many of the same challenges that others do.

The Road Home was the first book I have read by Beverly Lewis. I liked her style of writing, the way in which she developed the characters and told the story. The book was a nice, easy read with chapters that were the perfect length for picking it up a chapter at a time. The story was sweet, and full of innocence. Lena Rose was thrust into an Amish community several states from home, with different rules and traditions than her own Amish community, and with relatives that she had never met, when her parents unexpectedly died. Separated from her siblings, she had to learn to cope with not being able to help them and be there for them, and find ways to bide her time until she could come home at last. She made some quick friends and quickly became a contributing and liked member of the new community. Lena Rose was hard to not like, such a sweet and considerate person that found many ways to serve others. I found myself hoping that things would turn out well (if not exactly as she anticipated) and found myself with tears in my eyes in more than one part of the story. As the story unfold, the reader saw just how resilient Lena Rose was, as she grew and adapted to her new world.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading other works by Beverly Lewis in the future.

About the Book

As the sun began to rise, Lena Rose leaned against the cool pane of the bus window and gazed out at the familiar landscape of her life. I'm leaving my family and everything I know behind. She sighed, trying to keep her composure.

Grieving the death of her Amish parents and the separation from her nine close-knit siblings, Lena Rose Schwartz consoles herself that her new life in Lancaster County won't be forever. Surely someday soon she will return to her beloved Michigan settlement, including her beau. But even as she holds on to hope for a reunion with those she loves most, she discovers that Lancaster holds charms of its own. Will she find the courage to open her heart to other possibilities?

About the Author

Beverly Lewis, born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, has more than 17 million books in print. Her stories have been published in 12 languages and have regularly appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times and USA Today. Beverly and her husband, David, live in Colorado, where they enjoy hiking, biking, making music, and spending time with their family. Learn more at www.beverlylewis.com.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

High Cotton by Debby Mayne

A complimentary review copy was provided to me.

Spring has sprung! Only, those little shoots of spring flowers that were starting to peep through in my flower beds are now being coated in a nice spring snow. I shouldn't be surprised, it seems to be typical here to have one last snowfall before we can really enjoy spring. With spring comes a busy schedule again at my house with sports and end of school activities and shows. While I enjoyed the wind down of the winter, I read the new book by Debby Mayne, High Cotton. High Cotton is the first in the Bucklin Family Reunion Series.

The Bucklin family is a very relate-able family and I really enjoyed the format in which the story is written. The author used the point of view of four female members, by birth or marriage, of the Bucklin family to tell the story, which is set primarily in the weeks leading up to what we learn is a more than once a year family reunion. The use of multiple viewpoints is a great way to engage the reader and provide insight to the family. I love that the reader gets the impression that it is one of those events that no one really wants to go to, but everyone realizes that you can't miss it, or you will be the topic of conversation for the family. This is so real life, how many events and not just family events, do we commit to attend, not out of want but out of obligation. Of course, it also made me appreciative of the family that I have and the closeness we have. I was fortunate to grow up in a family where we spent a lot of time with my grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins and I actually look forward to seeing the family, but as we have grown bigger (and older), it certainly is harder to get together, making those opportunities so much more important to me. Of course, there are several things I have attended out of obligation, so I can still relate.

Another 'challenge' for the Bucklin family is that there seems to be a lot of pressure in the family around success, in life and love, and who can make the most and best food for the event. After all, who wants to be that person that shows up with a bag of chips or stack of plates to the family reunion? All four women had an 'image' concerns that they were facing. Some concerns were stuck in the old-fashioned values (or perhaps southern) - a woman should marry, a man should support the family and others were around perceptions of success - having a great job, owning a house. I feel fortunate that we are more inclined to celebrate success and not dwell on our differences. In fact, I don't always see a lot of comparison in my family, but I also know that there is a little bit of that out there, as with most families...my grandma always told me that she enjoyed my wedding the most and I certainly enjoyed knowing that (whether she told us all or not, I don't know, but it doesn't matter because I know she enjoyed mine for sure.

I liked that all four women experienced growth through the course of the story. They came to renewed perspectives on their situation, they learned that the truth is important and that people can surprise you and they recognized that faith is important in their lives. For several of them, they developed stronger relationships with family members. Learning from them and even going into business together. Some entered into new relationships, with promise for the future.

I really enjoyed the way the story was told by the four women. The characters were familiar and enjoyable and the story was filled with a real perspective and a good balance of humor. The multiple points of view led to short chapters, which made it easy to ready in short or long installments. I look forward to the next reunion story in this series.

High Cotton
by Debby Mayne
Bucklin Family Reunion series: Book 1

Some families are filled with so much love they can't help but drive each other crazy.

Shay Henke has mixed feelings about going to her family's next reunion. On the one hand, she'll get to see everyone in her mama's family---folks she loves unconditionally. On the other hand, she knows there'll be more drama than you can shake a stick at.

The days leading up to the event bring one surprise after another. First Shay must deal with her sister-in-law's deep, dark secret. Then she has to contend with the childish ways of her business-mogul twin cousins. And when her high school crush wants to be her date to the reunion . . . well, it may have been a dream come true for Shay's teen self, but the woman she's become doesn't know what to make of this.

Shay's contentment is challenged, and she's determined to shake things up a bit. But will she find the excitement she's looking for, or will Shay realize she prefers her quiet and predictable life?

One thing is certain: Life with the Bucklin family is never boring.

Meet the Author
Debby Mayne writes family and faith-based romances, cozy mysteries, and women's fiction and is the author of more than 60 novels and novellas-plus more than 1,000 short stories, articles, and devotions for busy women. Debby is currently an etiquette writer for The Spruce.

Debby grew up in a military family, which meant moving every few years throughout her childhood. She was born in Alaska, and she has lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Oregon, Florida, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Japan. Her parents were both from the Deep South, so Debby enjoys featuring characters with Southern drawls, plenty of down-home cooking, and folks with quirky mannerisms. High Cotton is the first book in the Bucklin Family Reunion series.

Learn more about Debby and her works on her site.

You can purchase a copy here.

No compensation was received for this review. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family. A complimentary review copy was provided to me.