Ellie@Home by Nicole Kapise-Perkins

   And it is Memorial Day weekend, which of course means we say "Thank you!" to all the soldiers and veterans that have served our country. My grandfather was a veteran of two wars, as are various uncles and cousins. It is also a day to enjoy all kinds of beach and barbecue fun with your family (unless you have to work all weekend, like I do. Literally. All. Weekend. Long. *sigh*)    HOWEVER, as I only work until 4:00 every day, this leaves me with plenty of time to begin my assault on my Summer Reading List! Hooray! I began book #1 yesterday, and finished it this afternoon. Orchid Fever by Eric Hansen This had far less to do about orchids than I expected, and was really more about the insidious background of the orchid trade. I get that people have obsessions. Mine tend to lean toward first editions by Louisa May Alcott, but I doubt that I'd ever enact an armed raid on a bookstore to acquire one. Not so orchid researchers and breeders. Orchid Fever tells a ...

     It's time!! I have a list of 17 titles collected, all new-to-me, which is a bit of a deviation from the norm, as I usually revisit a couple old favorites over the summer. However, with so much out there begging to be read, I figured the favorites can wait for a while. I don't have any personal reviews of these yet (obviously) but I'll share a synopsis of each, taken from Goodreads.com. Are you ready to read with me this summer? If you choose to, feel free to leave comments and opinions. :) Summer Reading List 2016  Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy  by Eric Hansen   The acclaimed author of Motoring with Mohammed brings us a compelling adventure into the remarkable world of the orchid and the impossibly bizarre array of international characters who dedicte their lives to it. The orchid is used for everything from medicine for elephants to an aphrodisiac ice cream. A Malaysian species can grow to weigh hal...

I found this on MindBodyGreen, and my Little Bit loved it. Here you are: A Bedtime Meditation For Kids So Good You'll Do It Too by Erica Golub May 13, 2016 5:00 AM Save  Photo: iStock If you're like many parents, you've probably found yourself in a situation where your little one is anxious about their day or worried about something from their imagination—and you have no idea how to find the “right” answer for them. You wish you had something to take away all their worries. I've been there many times with my now 6-year-old daughter. I'm astounded by the weight of her worries some days. As a certified yoga teacher for kids, I believe the best thing we can do for our children is to equip them with mindful tools to manage all that life will undoubtedly send their way. So I created a meditation and visualization practice based on common breathing methods to use with my little one at night. Together, we help e...

I love fabulous dinners that are on the table in 15 minutes. Sadly, I don't know too many. I have a repertoire of several good dinners that take 15 minutes or so, but the nearly-gourmet ones, not so much. (For that you need to talk to my sister. She's a chef. I make her make me food. Often.) However dinners like last nights both look and taste fabulous, and come together so quickly you barely have time to set the table. Here's my take on Rachael Ray's 'Red Wine Linguine': Red Wine Pasta with Roasted Asparagus and Asiago  Ingredients 1 pound spaghetti 2 cups   red wine 1 ...

     I must make a confession. I love tea. I don't just 'love' tea like people 'love' their salt and pepper shaker collection or they 'love' alphabetizing their sock brands in the drawer, I LOVE tea. Not much of a coffee fan, but my average day sees me drinking close to ten cups of tea. This is a horrific amount, yes. Or it would be if all I drank was black tea. I do not, however. Herbal teas are among some of my favorites, and this year I'm planting chamomile and lavender in my garden, along with the mint and strawberries that are already there. I'm going to make my own tea!!!! (Later today Little Bit and I are making lemon goat cheese. I'm getting all homestead-y here. I'll let you know how that goes.)      I find that when I'm feeling really stressful, or headachy, or just out of sorts, a mug of hot tea, or, depending on the day, a glass of iced tea will bring me back to center, giving me a few stolen moments to find myself and m...

Since I'm working on the Summer Reading List, I'm collecting all kinds of reading-related ideas, and this one from Penelope Loves Lists (http://penelopeloveslists.com) is great.   How To Take a Reading Vacation by Meredith from Penelope Loves Lists Find more articles on these topics: Mind, Body and Food / Penelope's Favorite Books / Travel Ever since I appeared as a guest on Anne Bogel’s What Should I Read Next podcast , the number one thing people have mentioned to me is that they love the idea of the “Reading Vacation” I talked about on the show. And why not? A Reading Vacation is awesome. Best idea I’ve ever had, maybe. My Reading Vacations started after I had my youngest son 5 years ago. With a full time job and a new baby, I didn’t have much time to read anymore. #duh When my favorite author’s newest ...

   I am writing this listening to a cacophony of hammers as roofers replace the siding on the back of the building I live in. I am glad it's being done, as pieces of the old siding have been falling off since we moved in four years ago, but ye gods, the banging crashing and smashing! Not to mention that I have had to clear off the shelves along the back wall or risk a smashed mess of glass spice jars on the kitchen floor. Ick. (And with the cost of some of that stuff, not a chance. Have you ever bought saffron?!? I should keep it locked in a safe, for Hestia's sake.)    This is my first week away from what I tend to call 'the real world;' I'm home, catching up on housework, writing work, and myself, really, having just wrapped up a job that took much more out of me than I expected it to. I'm on the lookout again; I really can't stay home and enjoy myself, much as I'd like to. But while I'm waiting for a job that actually adds to the household rathe...

I don't have any specific titles yet, but plans do include my son's copy of H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu , and my husband's copy of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun. I will be sifting through my Amazon and Goodreads reading lists for more material. Stay tuned :) If you are interested in reading along with me, I begin chipping away at the Reading List on Memorial Day (May 30, the 'official' kickoff of summer here in the US). Here's to ice cold lemonade, shady reading nooks, and warm sunny summer days!