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The Dream Daughter, by Diane Chamberlain

  • July 10, 2020

On Mother’s Day this year, I “forced” my boys to wander the bookstore with me. I say forced because it is not their favorite thing to do because they know it’s going to take awhile. One of them always ends up looking at the stack of books I am holding and says, “Do you really need all of those books or do you just want them?”, to which my reply is always, “Both!” But, they are used to it growing up with a mom that loves to read.

So, there I was with my stack of books trying to figure out which one to read while on vacation. I posted the photo on Instagram and basically explained my dilemma. Yes, I tagged each author’s name, assuming that I would hear from the followers of each person. It is a rather nice selection and I am a fan of each author, which makes it even harder to decide which one I should start with.


Imagine my surprise when I did receive a reply. But, not from a follower, but from one of the actual author’s! Yes, you read that. The actual author of ‘The Dream Daughter’, Diane Chamberlain. Wow! To say that I was thrilled and shocked at the same time may not be a big enough description.

Having no clue what this book was about, I packed it for my vacation. Here’s the thing, I have read enough books and by particular authors that I don’t necessarily even read the description any longer. Sure, I open it just prior to reading to get a feel for it, but I know who I like and what I like.

When Carly Sears, a young woman widowed by the Vietnam war, receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970, and she is told that nothing can be done to help her child. But her brother-in-law, a physicist with a mysterious past, tells her that perhaps there is a way to save her baby. What he suggests is something that will shatter every preconceived notion that Carly has. Something that will require a kind of strength and courage she never knew existed. Something that will mean an unimaginable leap of faith on Carly’s part.“

via Amazon

I have not read this good of a book in a very long time. Had I been left alone, I would have had it knocked out in a day. But, when you are visiting friends, the whole point is to spend time with them, soooo…. I found time to read while sitting next to the pool or on the outskirts of a group of people. Make sure that your household chores are done because you won’t want to get anything done and your kids might starve. Without giving the plot away, I have to admit that I was addicted to this book and ready to see just what would happen next. It makes you think about life and what you would do in that situation ~ Do you do as you are expected or do you take that chance?

Thank you to Diane Chamberlain for suggesting I read her book first. The Dream Daughter was excellent and I simply fell in love with these characters!

All me

Life Lessons

  • June 26, 2020

I have a tendency to learn stupid life lessons the hard way. Luckily, I have been keeping track of them for years so that I could one day share with the world. So, here you go. You’re welcome.

#114 ~ When moving a box full of yarn, make sure it is not dangling outside of the box so that it can attach to things.

#118 ~ Don’t wear long sleeves to the gym. It’s hot.

#119 ~ Driving in a small town on Sunday around noon when church gets out, is worse than rush hour traffic.

#202 ~ When the heater doesn’t work and it’s supposed to get to freezing temps, flip the breaker… Ahhh!!! Warmth!

#203 ~ Do not overfill your waffle maker… There will be a mess.

#205 ~ When falling down the stairs first thing in the morning, if you will lean towards one side, it will keep the pressure off your tailbone.

#206 ~ Pay attention when hitting the volume button on your phone a few times because if it is actually the power button, that whole SOS thing will start squawking through the blue tooth. It takes and act of congress to stop it BUT, you will remember who you listed as your emergency contacts in your phone and find out who the first one is to call.

#208 ~ If you are wearing your hat sideways, do not wonder why people are not taking you seriously. (unless it is part of a costume)

#212 ~ If a potential client is using foul words with you, stop. Their business isn’t worth it.

#228 ~ You know you are a parent when the most tearful moment in watching Undercover Boss is when the boss gives money for college.

#311 ~ When you can’t figure out why our new blue ray player won’t connect via wifi and you’re getting ready to call customer support to yell at someone, google the model number first. It’s not wifi capable… It needs land line.

#313 ~ Never throw the dog’s ball off the bed, they will then think it’s play time Especially if it’s a glow in the dark ball…

#320 ~ When not feeling well, make sure that you do not take the crack version of Sudafed before bed.

#322 ~ Always be nice to your clients. You may see them at your son’s baseball game… As the umpire.

#401 ~ If you feel the need to nap on the couch after work, you shouldn’t do it. Because it will be after 11pm, and you will be up doing dishes because you are restless.

#527 ~ Do not eat cupcakes with blue icing…

#604 ~ Getting in to a pool float is not a graceful act.

#615 ~ A flat iron will not warm up if you forget to turn it on.

#625 ~ When your children start staying in bed until the afternoon, you should apologize to your own parents for sleeping in until noon when a teenager on weekends and “wasting away a perfectly good day”. However, I think they should thank me for the quiet time I gave them.

#643 ~ Never take a water pill and then drink a bunch of water when getting ready to make an hour long drive.

#705 ~ Check the weather before heading to the grocery store if it even looks cloudy. Just a couple of sprinkles turned in to a dark sky with a lot of wind driven rain and lightning.

#804 ~ If it is a beautiful day on Saturday, you should go to the beach or get some time in the sun instead of thinking you’ll wait until Sunday. Because Sunday will end up being gloomy.

#807 ~ When babysitting an 8-month old, if they see you drinking out of a water bottle when they wake you up at 2am, they will think it’s their bottle and get upset.

#902 ~ When the ‘check engine’ light comes on, they have a cool thing at Auto Zone to plug in to your car and tell you why.

#917 ~ If driving on a back road that you are not familiar with, always have a full tank of gas.

#919 ~ Do not think that someone is trying to bribe you when they show up with your favorite wine and cookies. Maybe they are just saying congratulations!

#1003 ~ Do not wear high heels to an open house when you have to stand for an hour long teacher variety show.

#1115 ~ A dollar bill (or any bill) is 6 inches!

#1119 ~ Do not force the cork to come out from a wine bottle by pulling too hard. It can hit your face.

#1222 ~ Never leave food dye around teenage boys, they will add it to orange juice and it looks gross!

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