Sunday Inspritation~ October 12, 2025

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Monique

Happy Reading~ My September 2025 Reads

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I'm a week late, but I wanted to share a book review last week. I can't believe September has come and gone. Another month of reading has come to a close, and the end of 2025 is fast approaching. I have no doubt I'll reach my reading goal. In fact, I have a feeling I may exceed it this year. 

2025 Reading Goal~ 125 Books

I've read 102 books so far this year. Good reads says I'm 11 books ahead of my schedule this year, so I'm thinking I'm going to exceed my goal. 

Here's how my book recap goes~ 

~ I have included pictures if I have them and have provided links to them on Amazon so you can find out more about the books before you buy or check them out at your local library. 

~ If I left a more detailed review for a book, I'll include the link under the book so you can check it out. I leave reviews for books I really like or have received for reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and this blog. 

~If I receive a preview book, I'll include the release date for you.

~ Each book will have a rating in bold. I rate each book with a numbered star.

The rating system I use is as follows ~

*5 This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down. I loved the book so much that I either bought the book or planned to buy it to add to my ever-growing collection so I could reread it. 

*4 This means the book is definitely worth reading. I really enjoyed the book. I liked it, but not enough to buy it and add it to my collection. 

*3 This book was good. It wasn't the best book I've read, but I did enjoy it. I wouldn't need to read it again. 

*2 This book was okay. I finished it, but had to force myself to. I probably didn't like the plot or the characters. The story just didn't work for me. 

*1 This means I didn't like the book at all, and I couldn't finish it.

Here are this month's books~

Framed and Frosted by Kim Davis

4****

This was the third book I read by Kim Davis. I love the sweet, quirky mysteries she writes. They are an easy read, but I just love the characters. 

Barefoot Promises: A Small Town Second Chance Romance by Stephaanie Tyo *ARC Review

3***

This was an ARC review for boksirens. I really wanted to love this book. I enjoyed the characters, and the plot had so much potential. I just didn't enjoy the writing style and the mistakes throughout the book were distracting. You can read my full review on Goodreads. 

Meet Me in The Dark by Laura Ahley Gallagher  *ARC Review

4****

This was another ARC Review I received. This was my first time reading a book by this author. The characters are great! I loved the book. It's a spicy romance, so if you are not a fan of spice, this may not be for you. The story is great, though, and who doesn't want happily ever after? You can read my review here. 

Mom, Rediscovered by Jen Butler *ARC Review

5*****

This is Jen's debut memoir, and it delivers. It is a must-read for moms of all ages. She recounts her life and struggles as a mom. I'll be posting a review in a few weeks!

An Irresistible Harvest by Rebecca Goldie

3***

An Evergreen Desire by Rebecca Goldie 

3***

This was another new author for me. I think I got these two books from a stuff your Kindle day. I honestly don't remember. I was in the mood to read a fall-themed book, so this one was the first one I came across on my Kindle. I then, of course, just followed up with the 2nd book (which is set during Christmas). Both books are about a small-town romance. They are cute and I liked all the characters. They were easy, quick reads. 

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Monique

Teaching Tuesdays~ The Story of Creation

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 Welcome to another week of Teaching Tuesdays. Each week, I'm going to be sharing what we are learning in Sunday school. 

Our saint this week was Saint Martha. Saint Martha was a friend of Jesus. They had a very special friendship. Jesus often visited Martha's home. After reading a short biography about Martha. The children colored a picture of her. You can find it over at Catholic Playground. 

Martha's virtue is faith. Faith is believing in God and all He has revealed. 

After our saint and virtue lesson, we moved on to our first Old Testament Lesson... The Story of Creation. I read Alice in Bibleland The Story of Creation. The children enjoyed the story, especially since I had them make the animal sounds of all the animals mentioned in the story. 

After our story, we worked on our craft for the day. It was a creation wheel. I used this one. 

Source~Crafting the Word of God

We did an easy scavenger hunt around the room. I used a game from That Resource Site (the site is no longer around), called Know and Go Who Made It? Essentially, it consists of images of various objects, including trees, flowers, fireworks, bridges, skyscrapers, and animals. I cut the images out and taped them up around the room. The children then recorded their guesses on a worksheet. G for God and M for man. 

After our Old Testament lessons, we moved on to our Catechism lesson. I showed the children a variety of Bibles, ranging from little children's Bibles all the way to my family Bible. They learned the Bible is broken up into two parts: The Old Testament(before Jesus) and the New Testament(after Jesus). 

I had the children guess how many books are in the Bible. For Catholics, we have 73 books (Old 46/New 27). Each child is given a children's Bible to take home. 

We hand out The Jesus Storybook Bible. 

We ended class by working on the Sign of the Cross. We practiced together, and then I had each child do the Sign of the Cross on their own. This is the first year that every child already knew how to do it. I send home a coloring page with the movements home with each child. You can find it here. 

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Monique

Sunday Inspiration~ October 5, 2025

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Monique

Friday Book Review~ Meet Me in The Dark

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Meet Me in the Dark 

Author: Laura Ashley Gallagher 

Publisher: Independently Published

Publication Date: September 5, 2025

Print Length: 395 pages

Meet Me in the Dark is the 3^rd book in the Skeptically in Love series. I haven’t read the first two books in the series yet. I don’t feel like you need to read the books in order. I feel they can easily be standalone books.

We first meet Celeste and her two best friends in a hilarious exchange of conversation with Celeste’s doctor after her surgery for endometriosis. Celeste, an architect, is a strong, independent woman who is still trying to figure out what she wants out of life. After suffering from endometriosis for years, she is hopeful that this surgery will change her life.

Celeste decides to go out of her comfort zone and attend a secret, invite-only party. This is no ordinary party, though. Celeste never expects to see him again. The man who has occupied her thoughts and dreams. But life has a way of twisting our plans.

Julian Blackwood is a successful businessman. He likes to be in control. After a difficult childhood, he knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to get what he wants. He is shocked and intrigued when he realizes that his new architect for his company project is none other than the woman he can’t get out of his mind.

One night of passion leads them down a very interesting path. Both characters are amazing. I love the banter between the two. I fell in love with both of them and was rooting for them. I honestly enjoyed all the characters. They were well-connected, and the relationships between them seemed real. You can easily see yourself hanging out with them. I am looking forward to reading the first two books in this series.

If you’re looking for a romance story with great, relatable characters, this story is the one. The story is well written; the characters are amazing, believable, and fun to get to know. The story does have some spice, so be prepared!

 I had never read any stories by this particular author before. I had no idea what to expect. I’m so glad I was given the chance to review this book and get to know this author! 

I received this book as an advanced copy for my honest review.

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Monique

Wednesday Hodgepodge~ October 1, 2025

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Hello friends!  I'm joining Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond for Wednesday's Hodgepodge. Each week, she hosts a weekly link-up that is a collection of questions for bloggers to answer. It's to help bloggers get to know each other better and have a little bit of fun! It's a great way to hang out with friends. So grab a cup of coffee or tea if you prefer and join in on the fun. 

So, what is a hodgepodge? A hodgepodge is an unorganized mixture of various things, a jumble of items that don't belong together. 

Here are this week's questions and my answers for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge~ 

1. What's your favorite fall scent? Would we find this in or around your home right now? 

I love apple caramel, and pumpkin scents. Nothing with too much cinnamon. It triggers a migraine for me. I have candles and wax warmers. One of my favorite scents from Scentsy for the fall is called Scary Good. Unfortunately, they no longer make it, so I'll have to find a new favorite. 

2. October is Country Music Month...are you a fan of country music? Do you have a favorite country artist? Ever been to Nashville? In terms of lifestyle, are you more country mouse or city mouse?

Country music is one of my favorite genres of music. I enjoy Kenny Chesney in the summer. I like a lot of the older classic artists like Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, Martina McBride, etc. I find a lot of the new country music isn't so country anymore. 

I've never been to Nashville, but I've been to other areas of Tennessee. 

I was once a city mouse; I lived right outside of New York City. I worked in the city during my college years. Now, I'm a country mouse. I prefer the quiet and calm that country life gives me. 

3. How about 'country cooking'? (loosely defined as rich flavors, familiar foods, large portions, often fried, and often associated with the southern region of the US of A)? 

chicken and dumplings-fried chicken-shrimp and grits-biscuits and gravy-mac and cheese-fried green tomatoes-cornbread-collard or turnip greens-deviled eggs-'barbecue'-gumbo-banana pudding 

Which of the foods listed is your favorite? Any on the list you haven't tried or would say a firm no thank you to if offered? 

I am not a fan of country cooking. I don't like fried food. Most of the country foods have flour which I can not have. I do like a good homemade mac and cheese, though. 

4. What's something that always has a positive impact on your mood? 

I love spending time outside working in my flower garden. It has a calming effect on me. Going to Mass always leaves me with a peaceful feeling. I walk out of Mass and feel sense of calm like I get from nothing else. My stress and worries seem to disappear.

5. As we say so long to September share a noun, a verb, and an adjective that tells us something about how that month looked for you. 

Excitement~ I was able to go to one of my daughter's OBGYN appointments. I was able to see my sweet little grandson moving around. It was so special to see him. I know my daughter will be the most amazing mom. 

6. My church's bible study for women started this month. We are reading through Colossians. It amazes me how relevant this book in the BIble is to today. It's sad that we as people don't seem to learn from our past mistakes. Is society doomed to repeat the same sins? When will we learn to accept one another? When will we start treating people with the same respect we deserve and want? 

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Monique

Teaching Tuesdays~ Getting to Know One Another

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Good Morning, friends! Well, our first class was a success. I have nine adorable little ones this year. There are 6 boys and 3 girls in my class this year. I like having a smaller class. I feel like I get to know them a little better when there are not so many little ones needing help. 

Our first class is always an introduction class. We door a room tour. I explain our theme, the prayer wall, our prayer table, and the good deeds jar, and we go over the expectations and rules for the year.

I shared our theme in my previous post. I did a farm theme this year.

You can check it out here. 

Our prayer wall has posters of the 5 prayers we will be learning this year: The Sign of the Cross, The Our Father, The Hail Mary, The Glory Be, and the Guardian Angel. 

Each student has a progress chart that goes along with our farm theme. 

To get to know one another, I start with simple introductions. I have everyone, including myself, share our name, our favorite color, any pets we may have, and any sports we may play. The children love learning about each other and enjoy finding out that they have similar likes and dislikes. 

After our introductions, we play a Get To Know You Bingo game. I couldn't find the link to the one I use; I've used it for years, but a simple Google search will pop up tons of choices that would work for children of various ages. 

After our game, we talked a little bit about what a saint is and what a virtue is. I showed them our posters, where we will add a new saint and virtue each week. 

We then read the introduction and Seeing the Lord from Little Acts of Grace 2. These are a great introduction to God and how He loves us and is always with us. 

After our story, it was time to line up and head home. 

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Monique