2023 Book Review #36:Windfalls

 

I saw this book on the towne libary shelf and the cover art drew me in.  Also, the description of the story is what made me take out this novel.  The author is new to me. 

STORY SUMMARY

Cerise and Anna are two different women. Both are young.  Both are pregnant. They both make very different choices with their lives. 

Teenage Cerise struggles to support herself and her baby daughter, Melody. 

Anna finishes college, marries, and later gives birth to two daughters, Lucy and Ellen. 

When Cerise gets pregnant again, Melody is a young teen.  With this second baby, Travis, a chubby little boy, and shortly after this birth, tragedy strikes Cerise.   It's a horrible accident and it tears her life apart.   She already had just a tenuous hold on society and now even that is gone. She is homeless. 

As the story moves forward, Cerise and Anna seem destined to approach each other.  Their stories become interwoven in a dramatic way. When they finally do intersect, both of the women become emotionally stronger, and are inspired by what they see in one another.  They are also changed by what they learn. 

MY THOUGHTS

This is one beautiful story. The character development is rich and well thought out. I loved both women.  I loved their children. There are several heart-wrenching scenes in this story and they are all exquisitely played out. 

It's a very compelling tale of motherhood.  It's just so well written  that it's probably going to be my favorite book of the summer and I've read a lot of books this summer. 

There were just a couple of things I didn't care for in the story:  one was the use of some New Age methods by a minor character and some of the ways she spoke about a female god. The quote was "Justice is the business of the Goddess......you need to find a new way to align yourself with the intention of the universe."  Now, I didn't see where the author claims to be a Christ follower but as a Christ follower and a believer in the One True God, I found this a bit disturbing.  However, I wasn't shocked by it. Nothing shocks me anymore and it's just a blip in the script I can overlook.  The world is secular and this is written as a secular story.  The character goes on to talk about tarot cards, channeling but it's only a passing mention.  Again, it's in keeping with this minor character and I could easily gloss over that, especially because the minor character only appears briefly towards the middle of the book. 

The main themes in this story are:  motherhood, mother-child relationship; single parenting/teenage pregnancy; abortion; pregnancy; homelessness; perseverance; tragedy; kidnapping; love; personal growth; art. 

There are a couple of things that could be triggers for people who have had an abortion or have been involved in a house fire, a kidnapping,  or the death of a child. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

SEEKING HIS FACE

I wrote the following devotional for a book I was asked to write for....it hasn't gone into publication yet but I thought I would share this as I've been meditating on this Scripture again.  This anecdote is about our 2nd (and last) child......her big sister was 5 yrs old when she was born and I remember having to explain to her that her baby sister would need surgery.  I'm grateful my mom could come out for a few days and be with our oldest while our youngest was in the hospital. I'm also so grateful for the support we had from our Christian friends. 

“When You said, “seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Long Lake and Owls Head Mt
SUNSET 
taken from the yard at our cottage
 August 27 2022
A place and time where I often have sought God's face. 

This scripture from Psalm 27: 8 has always helped calm my fears throughout my life. I have turned to this Psalm when I have had doubts and when my faith has faltered. Sometimes I have been afraid of my fears! Has that ever happened to you? It happened to me when our youngest daughter was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst. She was diagnosed while she was still being formed in my womb! The ob/gyn assured me this is fairly common and that it would probably pop during the birth and that all would be fine.

All was not fine. After pushing this baby girl out on a snowy December 21st near dawn, she was whisked away for an ultrasound to check on the cyst. And my faith faltered with the words “the cyst is torqued around the fallopian tube and cutting off blood supply to the ovary”.....now I was afraid of my fear of cancer! What if my newborn had cancer? 10 weeks later, she had surgery and the pediatric surgeon removed the ovary and biospied the cyst. It was benign!! Glory to God! But during those 10 weeks of waiting, I went from a woman of deep faith to one who was full of fear. I had to really lean on this Psalm to comfort me. I particularly clung to this verse. When I sought God’s face....really sought Him, He showed me peace. This verse connects with verse 1 for me which states:

"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Looking upon God’s face I see Light. He is the Light of Life...He is my strength and I don’t need to be afraid! I started placing my fears in His Hands...I pictured myself giving over the fear of the “what if’s” to Him and reminded myself to leave it there. I knew in my heart that even if the diagnosis was not something we wanted to hear, that God had plans for this baby girl. I had prayed Jeremiah 29:11 over her and now I needed to stand firm on that Scripture by applying these verses from this Psalm to my life. I sought God daily. I cried out to Him. I called all my prayer warrior friends and we anointed her in oil, laying hands on her to be healed. She wasn’t miraculously healed but God did bring my husband and I peace on the day of her surgery and Glory to God, the diagnosis was not cancer. There is nothing to fear when I place my trust in God and look upon His face for His Light to guide me.

Sunset
 from the boat cruise on Seneca Lake
June 2022

Blessings!!

2023 Book Review #35: SPEAK

 

This book was given to me by a former teaching colleague who wanted to pass it on.  I wish I had known about this book when my daughters were in high school.  

This is young adult fiction and every high school should have this in their freshman level English classes. It's an important topic.

STORY SUMMARY

Melinda Sordino is a freshman in a Syracuse area high school.  She called the police at the end of the summer during a wild party that she and her best friend Rachel were drinking at.  Now, her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know can't stand her.  Her safe place is alone....inside her head.  But even that isn't all that safe because she still has her thoughts....her memory of what happened that night in the woods at that party.   It's something that could blow her world apart. She should speak the truth...but...she can't. 

MY THOUGHTS

I would love to reveal more of this plot to you in the story summary but I don't want to ruin it for you and honestly this is a story you need to experience for your self. This book is short, and reads in the first person narrative. There are external and internal dialogues that are just brilliant.  They're tough, tender and touching. I read this book in just 2 hours. 

The author does a superb job of character development and the setting in central New York (I spent my childhood in  a  small village  just an hour or so east of the city she writes about). 

There's a harshness to this book in regards to high school and all the various cliques (Called clans in the book) that a teen experiences. She does a wonderful job of showing the reader just how much teens struggle with identity, bullying, gossip, conformity, non-conformity, and acceptance.  

The character, Melinda, is sarcastically funny but  also so sad. I just wanted to reach into the pages and embrace her. 

Melinda is brave.  Melinda ultimately triumphs in the end even though she's an outcast at the beginning. 

The main themes in this story are secrets, friendship, betrayal, gossip, teenage substance abuse, and one other main one that I won't share as it would be a spoiler. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 12 and older (note: there are some mature themes in this story).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.

2023 Book Review #34: Discerning the Voice of God

 

This was probably one of the very best books I've ever read for personal study and group discussion.

SUMMARY OF BOOK

This book is about how to understand what God is saying to you when He speaks.  

It's about how to really listen to hear His Voice. It's about God finding a way to make you understand what He is saying. 

It's about how speaking to and listening to God is actually a spiritual discipline and one we, as Christ followers, should be putting into practice daily. 

It's learning to really discern His Voice vs the other voices around and in us.

This book contains Scriptures to back up what the author is telling us. 

She teaches us the five "M's" of discerning the Voice of God: the message, model, mode, ministry, and mercy. 

She explains that the foundation of our faith is our fellowship with God.....that wonderful relationship that He wants for intimacy and interaction. 

She explains how the Enemy tries to confuse us with his voice and how we really need to be discerning to hear God's...and what that involves. 

She gives us three specific activities to engage in for sincere fellowship with our Savior:  Worship, prayerful listening, and meditation.  Each of these are explained with Scriptures and anecdotes. 

There are 3 parts to this book:  

1. Realize the Way He Speaks
2. Recognize the Sound of His Voice
3. Remember What He Wants to Accomplish

Each of these sections contain 4-5 chapters.  

• If You're Listening
• Inside Information
• What Do You Want?
• What's Better Than a Burning Bush?
• He is Persistant
• He Communicate Personally
• He Brings Peace
• He Will Challenge You
• He Exudes Truth
• He Speaks with Authority
• The Better to Know Him
• Sounds like a Plan
• Yes, Lord
• Greater Expectations

She includes her sources for the quotes she uses and she also has a preface.

This book was great for the 3 friends of mine who met in my house since May to discuss each chapter. I got really good feedback from these discussions and we had some powerful prayer times after each meeting.

I highly recommend this book.  It also comes with a study guide and DVD that you can order as a whole kit but we only did the book.  You can do the book your self or use it in a small group/Book Club format. Each chapter has some personal challenges that some of us incorporated into the discussion.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older or for Christ followers who have a basic knowledge of Scripture.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

End of August Faves

Wow.  The final Friday of August!  This time next week I will be in Canada heading towards Lake Huron/Michigan after spending the day/night before in western New York.  So I won't be here to participate in the FFF for the first Friday of September. For today I will pause in my packing and share FIVE of my FAVE blessings from the week.  I link up at Susanne's site who is our gracious host and helps us to be intentional with our gratitude for the things God brings to us. 

FIVE FAVES

Farm Stand purchases

Dining Room Table Centerpiece 
compliments of the Farm Stand

• FARM FRESH!  I finally went to this farm stand that I've driven past numerous times all throughout the spring and summer  and for years I've told myself I'm going to pop in one day. That day was finally this week and now I'm obsessed with this place.  I met the owner, Chrissy, and she is a wonderful person. Her shop is filled with their farm fresh produce at such better prices than the regular grocery stores AND it's all fresh picked.  Sheh as an abundance of locally sourced products as well.  I bought large tomatoes for a fraction of the grocery store price and they're so much bigger and better; a pint of sweet orange tomatoes, peach bellini  preserves made in a town near us; and  sunflowers for a dining room bouquet.  All for only $20!! I'm so thankful I finally went to this farm stand and I told her I would be back weekly. (she's open until Halloween). 

photo courtesy of the pizza place website

• PIZZA AND HULU:  Saturday evening Courtney came over for our monthly pizza dinner and another episode of Handmaid's Tale on Hulu. We finally finished Season 3 and have just the last two seasons to watch. We're hoping to finish this series by the end of summer 2024. I love when she has a free weekend night to  come over and help us eat the amazing roasted red pepper pizza we usually get from our fave pizza place.  I'm thankful for our oldest daughter and this love we have for this series.  We know it's strayed far from what Margaret Atwood wrote in her two books which this series is based on,  but the performance of Elisabeth Moss is just outstanding.  It also leads to some good conversations about what could really happen in our nation if we let cult -like leaders take over!  And we always end up talking about what Scripture actually says about men/women and our roles in society.  I'm so thankful we share this together. 

Each hole of the miniature  golf course had signage 
explaining the history behind Saratoga
and/or some historic spots that our beloved city is known for
of course, this one was my fave

This was easy for me:  I got a hole-in-one
It took Dave 3 attempts......but he still won the game overall!

the grounds are impeccable

This was a fave sculpture towards the middle of the course

•  DATE DAY!  Dave and I finally had another date day last Sunday afternoon! We hadn't had one since the beginning of July! We decided to try a new to us mini golf course I had just learned about. Mini golf dates have always been one of our fave things to do together and yes we are quite competitive!  And the cool thing is, it's off the beaten path in our fave NY city which is only about 25 minutes north of us. We loved it.  The course is just beautiful and has the cheapest rates in our area.  We will be back for sure! I'm thankful we had a fun date and yes...we followed it up with soft serve small dishes of yummy ice cream.  

• CONVERSATION AND CATCH-UP!  I went to the 11 AM service on Sunday and was so thankful I did because some dear friends of ours whom we hadn't seen since right before Covid-19 hit in 2020 were there to see their first  grandbaby girl get dedicated.  They have been our friends since about 1990 when Dave and I were first married and they also went to our former church for years before the Lord led them out of there and to the place where we've been since 2005.  Their oldest daughter and our youngest used to be friends when they were very little girls and in fact, they were in youth group together.   It was so much fun to get caught up and we  had such a great conversation. We have plans to keep in touch better and they might join our small  group in September. They currently go to the site that's just to the north of us. I was so thankful we ran into them!!  

Mady leads the way past the summit 
to the observer's cabin where we sat on the porch and ate lunch

My niece Mady and I
on the summit of Kane Mt

Canada Lake as seen from the Kane Mt firetower
southern region of the Adirondacks

The trail down....making the hike a loop up and around one side of Kane Mt
Shaker Mountain Wild Forest Area
town of Caroga
southern Adk

• ANNUAL MOUNTAIN CLIMB:  On Tuesday, a beautiful summer day, with temps only a high of 71 at our destination, my 15 year old niece and I did our annual mountain climb together. This year I chose a shorter mountain (only 2185 feet high) but it's much steeper than the taller and longer routes that we've climbed in the past.  This year we needed a short hike due to  time constraints.  We started up the short, harder trail which is only .8 miles BUT it's so steep that the heart rate is elevated very quickly and your thighs feel like they're on fire. It's such a great work-out for cardio endurance.  After resting on the fire tower and eating lunch, we headed back down the other side of the mountain which is longer but less steep for a total of 1.8 miles.  Typically it's only 1.2 but there was so much blowdown from the July storms and the trail was still super muddy so much of it has been re-routed. I'm thankful we had the time together. It's so hard to believe my youngest niece and my hiking buddy since she was 8 is now 15!! I treated her to soft serve ice cream at my fave Adirondack place on the way home.  She got a Coffee Heath Bar ice cream and I got the Chocolate Orange Dream. We were in heaven and I'm thankful we had a lovely day. 

That wraps up my faves for the week!

I hope you all have a wonderful final August weekend!!

2023 Book Review #33: JUST ONE MORE

 

I had never heard of this author and when I saw this book on the "new books" shelf of our towne library, I decided to check it out. It was quite good! It's a thriller and super fast paced....also an easy read but with a mature theme. The author has written historical fiction but this is her debut thriller.

STORY SUMMARY

Rebecca (Becca) Kalos is a single mom, co-parenting her twin children Maggie and Davis, with her ex-husband who has the 9 year olds just once a week for one overnight. She works full time for an advertising agency and is in charge of a team of people working on a big project.  Her life is rather uncomplicated. 

Until the day she discovers her best friend, Jenn, drowned in the bathtub. Becca had been babysitting for Jenn's 5 month old baby girl Ivy but when it was time for Jenn to pick up the baby, Jenn didn't arrive. Becca tries texting, calling and finally decides to go over to the house which is just down the street, to find out if Jenn is ok.

That is when she discovers that Jenn's husband Rick is not at home (even though they were supposed to leave for a boating trip at noon) and Jenn's dead corpse is in the bathtub. 

When the sudden trauma begins to subside there are lingering questions: was this an accident? suicide? murder? Becca begins to unravel the secrets that Jenn kept in life....one of which was a very troubling marriage to Rick and his questionable past.  

The more Becca learns, the more she is determined to get justice for Jenn's death.  The details of this death are not adding up.  

Meanwhile, Jenn had done some investigating of her own in the months leading up to her drowning.  This was spurred on by the sudden odd behavior from her husband. Jenn, a skilled librarian and researcher, begins to dig into Rick's past.......only to discover that not only was he married twice before (he only told her about the first marriage) but both women died. Of Drowning. She also discovers that he isn't who he says he is. He has a different name for each wife......a version of the name his parents gave him. And his parents died from drowning in the ocean when Rick was just 10 years old and they were all on a boating excursion. Those deaths were determined to be accidental. But were they??? 

Rick is not the caring, gentle man that Jenn has been led to believe. Is he really capable of violence??  

How does Becca finally solve this case? and what will happen with baby Ivy??

MY THOUGHTS

This is a good plot and fast paced story.  The character development is rich and very believable.

What bugged me about this story, though, and this is the child development experience/teacher of early childhood education coming out in me, is that the author has Ivy being only 5 months old at the beginning of the book.  Most of the book takes place during Jenn's pregnancy for Ivy and shortly after Ivy's birth until the drowning when Ivy is 5 months old. The author has the baby waving bye bye (very unusual at that stage....some babies will wave bye bye at 9 months...most are about 12 months when this milestone occurs. She also has Ivy pulling her self up onto a kitchen chair and cruising in Becca's house just the month after Jenn dies....again.....5 month olds cannot stand up independently until about 1 year of age although some can at 10 months. Those are details that might get overlooked by your average reader but it's those details I find bug me when they're inaccurate. 

(yes babies will "stand" on your lap if you pull them up and hold onto their arms).

The main themes in this book are: friendship, marriage/divorce; single parenthood; betrayal; manipulation; motherhood; death. 

I loved that each chapter was either the voice of Becca or the voice of Jenn.  It's very well done seeing the present vs what led up to the drowning.

There's an interesting twist to this plot and although it made for a poignant moment between 3 of the characters, it really surprised me even though I felt like it was going to go that way. I was hoping I was wrong! 

This would make a good beach read.  There are several editing errors and I'm finding this to be the case in many current novels. WHY???? That automatically lowers my rating score.  I find that if you hire an editor, they  should be catching these mistakes. And one was in the chapter title! 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this an 8. 

Just for Fun

 So I was on my friend Deb's  (from Utah) blog and saw she had this fun little post about all of her favorite things. I don't know if this is from some meme out there but while I wait for my 15 yr old niece to get here so we can go climb a mountain together, I thought I'd participate in this.  It's uncanny how some of Deb's faves are also mine. 

NAME YOUR FAVORITE........

PLACE:  this is hard.  I have several fave places.  Overall in general:  The Adirondack Mountains particularly the Central and High Peaks Regions.

September 2022 
Central ADK
at Elizabeth Point/Peaked Mt/Siamese Pond Wilderness Area

COLOR:  Blue (all shades but especially cerulean blue (see sky above) and Hunter Green (in the 1990s I loved teal...and that was the color of my bridesmaids dresses)

SMELL:  woodsmoke from a bonfire and the scent of the balsam trees on a mountain summit 

MAGAZINE:  The Adirondack Explorer and Adirondac (I get that one for free as I'm an Adirondack Club member!) 

image courtesy of the ADK website

image courtesy of the ADK Club website

TEXTURE:  I love a variety of textures but I guess my absolute fave is  soft organic cotton

THINGS TO DO WHEN BORED:  I'm rarely bored but if I have down time I like to practice classical or baroque piano music, read, take a leisurely walk or bike ride, watch a Netflix or Hulu movie, or just do something with my husband, sip steaming mugs of coffee laced with maple syrup

PRECIOUS STONE:  Well, Dave inherited his geat aunt's diamond for my engagement  ring but my fave stone has always been a pearl (although technically it's considered semi-precious) but also I love Jade

ANIMAL:  Horses

TIME IN HISTORY:  Anything to do with the Civil War!!  I love reading books set in that time frame, I love the history surrounding it and honestly the best president we've ever seen besides Barack Obama is Abraham Lincoln (in my opinion). 

FONT:  this one: Verdana.  Clean, neat.

SOUND:  the cry of a loon on a mountain lake or my daughters' laughing

FRUIT:  this is hard because I love all kinds of fruit.  But since I have to choose one fave it would be raspberries

VEGGIE: Again, I love most veggies!  Hm....a fave....broccoli

STORE:  hahah this is kind of difficult because it depends on what type, right?? does the person who thought of this meme mean clothing, or food, or hardware, or home decor????  Hm....I'll say Home Goods because they have a little bit of everything and their prices are so amazing!

QUOTE:  That's easy.  This has been my absolute fave quote since I was 18 years old and read the entire Les Miserables novel. Victor Hugo was spot on! 

HISTORICAL FIGURE:  Well there are many that are my faves but besides Jesus, I would have to say Moses.  and for more modern day figures: Billy Graham and Rosa Parks (may we all be as brave as them!) 

LETTER:  hm..not sure I really have a fave letter hahah so let's just say C since I named both of my daughters with C names. (Courtney and Claire)

MEMORY:  seriously?? how does one choose just one fave memory??  Most of my memories are so dear and special to me but one absolute fave besides my wedding day, would have to be the moment my first born was placed in my arms. A second fave is seeing my youngest perform for the first time en pointe at age 13. 

DESSERT:  this one is easy. Soft serve coffee ice cream with chocolate sprinkles or any thing I've baked that has chocolate in it but especially my famous brownies. 

CANDY:  Although I really don't eat candy any more, my absolute fave was always Snickers bars. 

RESTAURANT:  Again, how does one choose just one fave?? depends on the type, right??  Mexican? Indian? Thai? Middle Eastern? Italian?  Let's just go all american and say this local one is my fave.  I just love it there. Reasonably priced and the ambiance is super! 

LANGUAGE:  French.  All of us (Dave, the girls and I studied it in high school.  My daughters also took Spanish for a semester, one took Russian all 4 years along with French and Latin and the other taught herself Japanese as did Dave.) Both girls also had a semester of German in middle school.   Dave is currently learning Spanish and also took Hebrew.  I'm happy just to be able to remember some French words and I love listening to Claire and my sister in law's Russian  boyfriend speak Russian.  Yes we like Languages in my home! j'adore le langue de Francais! 

THING TO LEARN ABOUT:  implicit bias.  We all need to learn...or unlearn...many things regarding this topic.  Another fave thing to learn about is Russian and Jewish culture and I've always, since childhood, been fascinated with the Adirondack history and the history of the various Native American tribes in our area. (i'm 1/8 Native American!)

THING ABOUT MYSELF:  what's a fave thing about myself??  Well according to my husband I'm good at forgiving quickly.  I tend to forgive and forget although I'm also good at setting boundaries (relatively new for me).  I'm good at being ambidextrous as is my oldest girl. I'm also good at coming up with quick, easy, delicious dinners. and everyone knows I'm good at shopping!  (I only buy stuff on sale for the most part and love putting together classic outfits). 

And I'm going to add Fave Scripture: Proverbs 3: 5-6  has been my life verse since I accepted Christ in 1975. 

That was fun!!

What's your fave Scripture??

WEEKLY DINNER PLAN

 

I finally have a weekly dinner plan again.  I've already been to the grocery store today and I have enough food I think to last us until we leave for our trip across NY, into Canada and over to Lake Huron!  We leave in one week and I cannot wait!!

Here's what's cooking at our house this week:  (remember: some of this might change.....but this is my outline for the week)

• SUNDAY: Vegan Sausage, Zucchini Boats, Sweet Potatoes

• MONDAY:  Vegan Turkey Fillets with gravy; Mashed Potatoes, French Green Beans, Cucumber Salad

• TUESDAY: BLT Sandwiches, Watermelon Slices (i'll be out of town all day so this dinner is going to be super quick as it will be late when I return) 

• WEDNESDAY: Vegan "beef" burgers with lettuce, tomato, pickles  (Claire's coming for dinner!) and beef burger for Dave; Homemade Potato Salad; Steamed Broccoli

• THURSDAY: Two Season Squash Medley; Grilled BBQ Chicken; Garlic Toast

• FRIDAY:  Fish and chips (the fish is Haddock fillets) and the "chips" are homemade French Fries with garlic and parmesan; fruit salad with Watermelon, Raspberries, blueberries.  Ice Cream sundaes for dessert with Oat Milk Coffee Ice Cream, hot fudge, Low Fat Cool Whip, Walnuts, Raspberries

• SATURDAY:  I'm going to ask my husband to make his famous Rice and Beans or if I don't hike all day and come home in time, I will make my Stuffed Peppers and have  fresh corn on the cob. 

That wraps up my weekly plan!!

What's on your dinner menu this week??  

What's your favorite way to cook/eat zucchini??

Zucchini Boats

 

During the summer months, and into Autumn, Dave and I really like zucchini.  I even use it in the winter months to add to stews and soups.  I used to make zucchini bread and brownies but I mainly use it for just eating as a side dish for dinners. 

One of our favorite ways to eat it, is like the photo above.  That's not my photo.  I tend to really fill the top of my zucchini "boat".   I'm sharing this recipe because we like it a couple of different ways. Note the tips at the end of the recipe. This recipe is for 2 servings/people. 

ZUCCHINI BOATS

1 large zucchini, washed well with stem side removed

1 tablespoon of Earth Balance butter, melted

1 tablespoon of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

about 2 cups of  traditional pasta sauce

(we prefer a local brand named Valentino's or Newman's Own)

parmesan cheese

• PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees.

• Split the zucchini down the middle after washing and removing stem side. 
• Place non stick foil on a baking sheet and place zucchini, skin side down, side by side on the baking sheet. If you have regular foil, spray it first with a cooking spray of your choice. 
• Melt the butter in the microwave for 25-30 seconds.  While it's melting, take a fork and "Score" the flesh of the zucchini.  This means just take the fork and press it into the flesh and scrape down making little rows.
• Brush the melted butter over each piece of zucchini until the little grooves/rows are filled.
• Sprinkle the ground pepper over each piece of zucchini.
• Sprinkle the minced garlic over each piece.
• Pour on (I use a small spatula) pasta sauce so entire piece is covered. 
• Place shredded parmesan cheese over the entire length of the zucchini.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until fork is inserted easily.

TIP:  this is a "plain"  type of zucchini boat.  When I make this for dinner, I usually have grilled salmon with it and some brown rice or grilled chicken with Italian seasonings, and a piece of garlic bread. Do what works for you!!

OUR FAVE WAY TO EAT ZUCCHINI BOATS:

Do all of the above steps BUT before putting on the parmesan cheese, switch it to shredded mozzarella and lay on vegan pepperoni first.  it's SO good.  

I served it with the vegan pepperoni along with vegan sausage and sweet potatoes.  You can also serve it with corn on the cob, or a tossed salad, or even another meat of your choice like a grilled burger or chicken breast. 

ENJOY!!

ps as with any of the recipes under the faithfixes label, you do have permission to copy and download/print out.  

Simple August Faves

 

Here we are in mid-August!  And I am loving it. August is truly one of my absolute favorite months. It's a simpler, slower time for us here at our home. A time to fully embrace summer, to just be........and although there are many events on the calendar, it's a much slower pace......

I'm sharing five of my fave blessings from the past week and linking this post up with other bloggers over at Susanne's place. Join in with us!  

• FRIDAY FUN! Last Friday my sister Hope and I (she's 5 yrs younger and lives out in the central part of NY) met in the village where our family camp used to be and where our dad's family had a camp, and where our mom was born and raised.  Dad sold our camp and the land in the late 1970s and yet we continued to be very connected to the village because we have relatives on both sides of the family there. Some of these relatives we have never met!  We had decided to shop in our fave stores there and then we walked what's known as the Hardscrabble road to look for the foundation of our great-grandparents camp (Dad's grandparents)that they camped in during the 1930s-1940s.   We think we found part of the  stone fireplace foundation but we only hiked a half mile in before we realized we should turn around because we really didn't know how far up the road went.  A local guy who owns land there said it's only a mile on the main "road" so we plan on going back to finish our exploring.  After the walk, we went to a local diner for lunch and then we browsed the Barn (an old barn full of antiques for sale).  I got an adorable wall hanging for my kitchen and Hope found a hurricane lamp she was looking for.  I followed up our time with reading on the town beach for a half hour before driving south to my home where we had dinner and then a beautiful bonfire as it was a perfect summer evening.  Our youngest daughter joined us.  I'm so thankful for time in the village and time with our ballerina girl. 

beginning of Hardscrabble Road
Northville NY
southern ADK
11 August

the old stone foundation
Our great-grandparents camp?

there used to be a ramshackle hovel on the rise 
behind the bushes in the foreground....
mom was born in that hovel which was torn down
sometime in the early 21st century.  she was born in 1934
and was one of 9 children

The Great Sacandaga Reservoir 
from the Town Beach in Northville

Friday Nite Lites

A fun wall hanging bought at The Barn Antiques
in Northville NY....circa 1960s.
it hangs now on the wall under the cupboards in my coffee/tea corner

• SUMMER SUNDAY: Dave had to work Production on Sunday for both services so I went to the early service and afterwards enjoyed a wonderful talk with our pastor about something he had said in his sermon that related to someone  I'm dealing with. I had such wonderful confirmation from our pastor that something I had written was the right thing. I told him that sometimes it's so hard to know if it's really the Voice of God. He reminded me that if it lines up with Scripture and brings peace, it most likely is. There were other things he told me that I won't go into here but I'm so thankful for his leadership and guidance.  After church, I did some light chores around the house and then went back for our Volunteer Staff picnic where I had loads of time to talk to my dear friend Ingrid whom I hadn't seen in months.  I'm so thankful for our friendship and that we can pick up where we left off!  Then Claire came over and we drove up to the state park just to the north of us by about 40 minutes to spend the late afternoon swimming and reading on the beach. It was perfect.  By the time we were home, it was dusk and time to enjoy an evening with my husband. I'm thankful for summer Sundays that just seem so relaxing!

Claire enjoying the late afternoon sun
13 August 

Moreau Lake State Park 
one of the only state parks left with lifeguards

• FIXED! For the last 2 weeks we have had a broken dryer. It would spin just  fine but there was no heat; and yes, we checked everything the manuel said to do for a gas dryer. It took a week for the service repair guy to get out here and once we did, on Monday afternoon, it was an easy fix for him...glory to God...he had the part with him (a small sensor) and about $300 later we had our dryer back.  I know it's just a first world problem but when you don't have a clothesline and only a rack, you learn to say Thank You for the appliances you own. I'm so thankful it was an easy fix because last week we spent money on a plumber to fix a leak in a basement pipe that hindered me from doing laundry! Guess what I was doing all Monday evening! I'm thankful for good service guys and fixed appliances. 

a new to me hiking area

• MID-WEEK HIKE:  On Wednesday, after a morning of chores, I decided to check out this place in the town where our youngest daughter lives. This was a new to me arboretum! It's only a 20 min drive to the other side of the capital region.  I happened to see a former work colleague's post on Facebook about it and decided to use my iphone maps to get there and take a hike.  There are 2 main loop trails. I did most of one....only a half mile....mainly because it was super humid...the temp was perfect but the humidity levels were rising and I just can't take hiking in that any longer. I took so many good photos but I will share just 3 of them that were along what was called The Tranquility Trail.  I'm thankful for pretty places to hike and that are local to us! 

Cattail reeds and wildflowers
by the edge of Heart Pond

Tranquility Trail.....
I hiked half a mile of this loop trail
this was the dryest section and the only section with pine needles

Western Glade
along the Tranquility Trail
It was very wet here but I loved all the ferns

• SIMPLE PLEASURES: Dave and I have enjoyed some wonderful croissants this week for Cobb Salad Sandwiches and for breakfast.  We've also enjoyed farm fresh tomatoes, corn on the cob, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and nectarines, and zucchini.  I love summer produce. I love preparing simple meals too and we had several of those this week.  AND I was sitting on the deck one morning with my coffee and noticed the zinnias I planted from seeds in early July are up!  I have one bloom and it looks like maybe tomorrow 3 more will open. I'm thankful for simple pleasures that shout "SUMMER"!

  

  One Zinnia has bloomed....
  it's actually more orange in person

  

  Simple Lunch of fruit, veggies, hummus
  whole grain crackers, cheese

Simple French  breakfast:
 Croissant with Earth Balance butter (vegan)
2 slices of cheddar, berries, coffee......

That wraps up my faves for the past week.

We have a low key weekend here......hoping to get the kayaks out or get back up to one of the lakes.

Sunday will be a day to do some biking!

Whatever you have planned, I hope you spend some time out in nature.......embrace God's creation!