The Story Of Us

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Synopsis- I n Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned--from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.  Enter Mia Warren--an enigmatic artist and single mother--who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her...

Calton Hill - Photograph of the entrance of the historic Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. Read more about our trip to Edinburgh  here . You can buy this print  here . Get Free Shipping with code BLOGGER Prints also available in larger sizes. Contact for more information and special requests. I am open to wholesale and licensing opportunities. Get in touch for more informatio n.                         Etsy             Instagram             Twitter             Bloglovin   

Just before the start of school we decided to take a break and get away. We had been thinking about doing something of the sort all summer but were unsure, when we finally decided to go ahead with it everything within a 3 hour radius was booked. We were only willing to go to safe states so Pennsylvania and New York seemed like our best bests. I expanded my search to the Finger Lakes district in Upstate New York and couldn't believe our lucky stars when I found a cute little place on VRBO in Canandaigua Lake with a pool! Yippee!! It was approx 5 hours away.. so we thought to break up the trip with a horse back ride once we crossed into New York. We had never done one before and H is finally of a age where some companies allow him to ride a trail. Unfortunately it rained the whole afternoon.. so that was cancelled.. :( Other than that little hiccup everything else was thankfully smooth sailing.. The House We spent a lot of time in the pool.. well they did.. I spent a lot of time read...

Arthur's Seat - An ancient extinct picturesque volcano found in Edinburgh, Scotland. Read more about our trip to Edinburgh here . You can buy this print here . Get Free Shipping with code BLOGGER Prints also available in larger sizes. Contact for more information and special requests. I am open to wholesale and licensing opportunities. Get in touch for more informatio n.                                Etsy             Instagram             Twitter             Bloglovin   

Ah where do I start? We are back from our little vacation and it was perfect.. a post on that will be coming soon.. The kids started school.. they had two virtual days.. it was smooth sailing for the 5th grader.. not so much for the 1st grader.. I wanted to send that teacher a big virtual hug.. juggling twenty something 6 year olds in school and online at the same time can't be easy. Currently their school day ends at 12pm which I guess is great for the teacher.. less great for me. Waking up early has been a real struggle.  They went to school in person for two days as well.. it's been pretty uneventful so far.. thankfully. I got them lanyards (that is such a weird word) for their masks so they don't accidentally drop them on the floor. In fact M and I attached them to our masks as well and found them very useful.  On inquiring I was not quite surprised when the boys said they prefer virtual learning to in person. They are introverts and don't crave the need to be aroun...

Things have been busy around here.. About two weeks ago we celebrated the Islamic New Year. Afterwards we observed 10 days of mourning for the atrocities committed against Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet in Karbala, Iraq during the month of Moharram.  It's practically September now.. meaning school will be starting soon. For now our school district has proposed a hybrid system. You have the choice of opting for 100% virtual learning, the rest of the students have been divided into two groups. Half of them will attend school on Mondays and Tuesdays while the other half will attend school on Thursdays and Fridays.. Wednesday everyone will stay home. September will also be a month of half days just to see how things go.. We have opted to send the kids to school for two days a week. We're not sure what to expect exactly, wouldn't be surprised in the school decides to go virtual even before it starts.. or if everything shuts down again within a few weeks. And we do all...

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah Synopsis - In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable. From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She wi...