Full of Joy Friday | Sleeping Outside; Summer Gardens; and Reading

Happy Friday, sweet friends. This week has been filled to the brim with school activities, field trips with Colton, time spent in the garden, and watching snakes slither into the bushes. We’ve had turtles migrate through our yard and down to the river behind our house. Toads hopping, doing their best to avoid the snakes waiting to catch them. Nursing seedlings and keeping our fingers crossed for rain. While we had a ton of rain last week, this week has been dry. There’s a storm forecasted for today and I hope it doesn’t evaporate before then!

Fridays are for sharing joy and I’m here today with a few things to share:

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Sleeping Outside

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I like to spend a little time after lunch reading in a lawn chair in the summer. The problem is, I almost always fall asleep! Maybe that’s not really a problem; maybe it’s a very good thing to get that little bit of extra rest. We bought a couple of Zero Gravity Chairs a few years ago and they might be one of our best investments ever. They’re the most comfortable lawn chairs I’ve ever sat in!

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Gardens

Of course I’d add gardens to my list in June!

We added a cut flower garden this year. It was inspired by a garden plan in The Flower Farmer. We started most of the plants from seed in the basement this winter and then transplanted them about two weeks ago. There were a few things that we seeded directly outside and I was so worried they wouldn’t come up — but they are! Some of the seedlings we planted aren’t faring too well – this garden is on the south side of our house and gets a ton of sunlight. I go out every morning to give it a big drink but it’s still been a rough transition for some of them.

This week we continued tidying up the second half of our vegetable garden and were able to plant cucumbers, beans, more sunflowers, and pumpkins all from seed. That’s adding to our already planted or seeded tomatoes (30 plants!), broccoli, cabbage, radishes, basil, and carrots. I think I mentioned them all. We fertilized yesterday and are crossing our fingers for a big rainstorm that’s forecasted for today. I’m ready for tomatoes but they have such a long way to go!

If we can stay focused and consistent this year, then our gardens have quite the potential. The hard part is always seeing the summer all the way through!

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Reading

This week’s reading has been wonderful. I’m enjoying sampling new genres this year and read my first regency romance. Of course, regency romances are not a new genre, just new to me!

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross
“They drank to their wounds, their regrets, and their hopes, to the past, to how the choices each had made had unknowingly brought them back together.”

I adored this book! Rebecca Ross weaves fantasy and folklore together so beautifully. This book felt like it was set in Ireland when the fae still roamed and ordinary people possessed magic. Jack and Adaira grew up as enemies but when young girls are stolen from their homes, they realize they can work together to save them. And they realize so much more about their feelings for each other.

A River Enchanted is full of the most cozy details: A woman who weaves magical plaids on her loom, a young man’s magical harp playing speaks to the wind, and an herbalist with the tidiest and most wonderful garden. There’s tender romance that I think most of us would appreciate.

And this is a great choice on audio – the narrator is excellent.

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Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long
“Because you’ve a spark about you,” he said swiftly. “In a room full of people you seem like the one visible star in the night sky.”

This was my first regency romance and I rather enjoyed it! When Delilah’s husband dies and leaves her with debt and a derelict building, she rallies with his mistress and makes something of it. They turn the old Palace of Rogues into a boardinghouse, The Grand Palace on the Thames. Little do they know, Lord Derring had been smuggling cigars through his old building and the King hired Captain Tristan Hardy to investigate.

Of course, Delilah and Tristan fall for each other instantly and their trust is tested once Delilah realizes why Tristan came into her life in the first place. I was on pins and needles waiting to find out if they’d be able to get past it. (But it’s a rule of the romance genre: they always end up happily ever after!)

Friends, this was good fun. I laughed out loud a ton and enjoyed the characters beyond measure. And I think I’ll be reading more regency romances this summer!

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Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
“Welcome home. Welcome back. We missed you. I missed you more than I should have, more than I wanted to. I went to hell for you. I’d do it again.”

This was the second book in the Alex Stern series and was even better than the first! It was so atmospheric and funny; and we got to know some of our beloved characters even more as they raced to rescue Daniel from his demonic form in hell (IYKYK). I’m glad I’m revisiting this series this summer because it’s full of exactly what I love: delicious food, found family, and an elite Ivy League backdrop. Alex herself is hard not to like, given her fierce loyalty and boundless bravery.

The ending made me wonder if there’s a third book in the works? I certainly hope so.

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This weekend will include working at the library, working in the garden, and hopefully a bit of reading and stitching. It will also include installing our air conditioners for the year because next week is expected to be a scorcher! Wherever you are, I hope you’re finding time to get cozy and enjoy some of your favorite things. Take good care!