The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Every once in a while, you read a book that speaks to your soul. This one did mine.
From the first line I was immersed in the story of two courageous women: Grace Darling (who was a real-life hero who rescued victims of a shipwreck in the 1830s. You can google it) and Matilda who lived a century apart. The chapters go back and forth between the two women and I was drawn into their lives: their hopes, their dreams, their loves, their families. Both wore the same locket (I have always been fascinated with lockets) and eventually you see how they were connected and how Matilda ended up with Grace’s locket. I loved this book. It gets the highest ratings from me. Thanks to my sister, Joan for recommending it to me.




View all my reviews

Memorial Day

We went on Saturday morning to decorate Ken's parents graves in the Hurricane cemetery.  It was an absolutely beautiful day.

On the way home, we stopped by the home where Ken grew up. It was sad to see in such disrepair, surrounded by weeds.  The inside is completely gutted.  It looks like the current owner is working on it though so maybe there is hope for the future.

After the Wedding

Wow! This was a powerful movie and powerful story. It was not what I expected at all. I guess I was expecting light-hearted and silly.  It was neither of those, but thought-provoking and moving.  We watched it on Netflix DVD.

To see other movies we have enjoyed, check here.

Leap Year

This one barely made the list of movies we enjoyed.  It is light and predictable and well, okay.  We watched it on Netflix DVD.

Other movies we have enjoyed.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2020 was a very nice day.  We got to talk to all three daughters and most of the grandchildren on the phone or Facetime.  Ken treated me like a queen all day, doing all the cooking, cleaning up, and giving me not one, but two footrubs.  I am grateful to be a mother and grandmother and I am ever so grateful for my own mother. 

Ken made breakfast quesadillas for breakfast.  

For dinner, he made a delicious green salad and doctored up a frozen pizza with sautéed vegetables and some fresh mozzarella cheese.

He gave me apple air buds which I have enjoyed so much as I walk.

Our daughters and their families went together and gave me a month subscription to audible.com, chocolate jewels, a Scandinavian baking cookbook and a novel to read.  I love that they know me so well and chose my favorite things. 

The ward left a beautiful rose and a mint chocolate on the doorstep.  

As you can see, I was spoiled rotten on a very nice Mother's Day!

A Dog Like Daisy

A Dog Like Daisy by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was our family’s pick for our online family book club this month. It is such an enjoyable book, written from Daisy, the dog’s perspective. Adults and kids alike will like this one! Beware! It will make you want a dog!



View all my reviews

A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Oh Ove. You hate him, but oh how you love him. He is negative and crusty. He is the very definition of curmudgeon. But under that crust, he is caring and lovable. He is the ultimate at ministering to others’ needs. I also loved the other characters in the book, even Ove’s wife, who we don’t ever actually meet. I love her and her ability to look beyond Ove’s exterior to his heart. This book made me laugh out loud and also made me cry. Except for the language it would be 5 plus stars from me. I can’t wait to watch the movie. 4.5 stars.



View all my reviews

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

This movie is based on the true story of Irena Sendler and her leading the rescue of thousands of Jewish Polish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII.  It is a powerful story, but some scenes near the end showed too much cruelty for me and I walked out.  My husband would give it a 4, me a 2 because of those scenes.

We ordered it on Netflix DVD.

Other movies we have enjoyed.

Faith, Hope, and Love

If you like dance and romance and are Christian, you will like this one!  We sure did. We watched it on Netflix.

To view other movies we have enjoyed, click here.

Ken vs. Mouse

"Well, so much for social distancing,"  Ken says as he comes home from his morning walk the other day.  He then tells of his experience.  As Ken walked by, a neighbor a few blocks over was out on her lawn, looking very distraught.  "Will you please help me?" she asked Ken. She then explained that when she opened her front door that morning a mouse was there and ran right into her house.  She blocked it off so that it was trapped in her living room, with only one escape- back out the front door.  But she couldn't get it to come out.  Ken asked for some gloves which she got him and he went to battle.  He chased, moved couches (you need to know that Ken is known for his quickness.  He's fast too, but quickness is different.  It's the ability to react and change direction quickly.)  That mouse never stood a chance.  Ken would dive at it, only to have it jump out of the way just in time.  As it ran by, Ken got it with his boot, which stunned it, so he was able to pick it up with his gloved hand and take it outside.  He had conquered the mighty mouse.  The lady was most grateful, as you can imagine. The mouse was not.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed listening to this highly rated book on Audible. The prose was almost poetic. It is a story about a little girl growing up all on her own in the marsh in the south, a romance, and a murder mystery all in one. The descriptive language was beautiful and the ending, unforgettable.



View all my reviews

Insights From a Prophet's Life: Russell M Nelson

Insights from a Prophet’s Life: Russell M. Nelson by Sheri Dew

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book. I loved the format- each chapter a short vignette from Russell M. Nelson’s life. I loved reading one or two chapters each day. I am sad I am done. I will miss the daily uplift. The book made me love, honor, and appreciate our prophet so much more.



View all my reviews

The Shop Around the Corner/ 1940

This was a fun, old Jimmy Stewart movie.  We watched it on Netflix DVD. 3 Stars from us.

Other movies and shows we have enjoyed.

A new movie or show is posted every Monday at 8:00am.

Gracie's Choice

This was a really good movie that we watched on Amazon Prime.  It is based on a true story. The oldest girl in the family fights to become the legal guardian of her younger siblings against their dysfunctional and abusive mother.  

To see other movies we enjoyed, click here.

Washington County Utah Temple

We are excited to have a second temple in our county.  The old St. George temple is currently being rennovated.  So many wondered why they didn't just wait until the already announced new temple was done before closing the old one for rennovation.  We think it no coincidence that the old closed temple closed just as the coronovirus manifested itself on the earth.  God knew.  Temples were going to be closed anyway.

But construction on the new temple has begun.  Or preparations for it, anyway.  There has no been no ground breaking ceremony, and with social distancing, maybe there won't be one, but they are working.  They have moved a lot of dirt, leveling it.  It is 7 minutes from our house.  The old temple is 10 minutes away.  We feel so blessed.  I thought it would be fun to monthly or so take pictures at the temple site to document it's construction.  

Artist's rendering of the Washington County, Utah temple

From the site, you can see three spires of our churches in the area.  The church owns a lot of land out there in the Washington fields. One of the churches is right next to the temple site.

Mounds of dirt have been moved in leveling the ground

The dirt is in the way, but there are 10-12 machines on site, doing the work.

Argentine Cactus

Ken came across this beautiful blooming cactus on his morning walk the other day.  He posted it on Facebook.  People commented, telling him it was an Argentine Cactus and only blooms one day a year.  He felt very lucky to walk by it on it's blooming day. Isn't it amazing?  

A Lovely Surprise

Our good friend Kurtis, who owns a florist's shop sent us this beautiful bouquet just to wish us a good day.  I think Kurtis goes to work each day and asks himself, "Who can I serve today?"  We have been his target many times over the years.
We have a long history together.  Kurtis and Diana moved into the ward just a few months before us (they since have built a new home and are no longer in our ward.)  Kurtis served as Ken's executive secretary in the bishopric many years ago, then when Kurtis was the bishop, I served as Relief Society president with him.  Ken and Kurtis like to go hiking together and have hiked the Grand Canyon several times.
This bouquet was the perfect pick-me-up on a quarantine day.

Gifted

We loved this film about a very gifted young girl, adopted by her uncle after her mother commits suicide.   A custody battle with the grandma ensues.  It is really well done and a very sweet, memorable story.  We recommend this one. We got it on Netflix DVD.

To see other movies we have enjoyed, click
Here

Murder on the Orent Express

This is a remake of the old movie from the '70s.  I don't think we have seen the original.  But this one was pretty good.  The ending is unexpected.  3 stars from us.

Other movies and shows we recommend can be found here.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was an easy read, free on Kindle from Amazon Prime. A stressed single mom who works as a school librarian, takes a much-needed vacation and learns she likes her at home life best. The romance was a bit too much for me. The best part of the book for me were all the references to good books to read. I added several to my goodreads list.



View all my reviews