Ahhhh OMG! This is officially my 500th post on this little blog that I love so much. Mind officially BLOWN.
My bestie Amy bought me this shirt for no reason other than she knew that I would love it…and she was correct! It’s PERFECT!
When I started blogging 5 years ago, I was looking for a creative way to share my passion for reading with others. I had NO IDEA how much fun this was going to be, the opportunities it was going to give me, and the wonderful people I was going to meet. The money that I make from writing this blog is purely a bonus…this has been so much fun and such a wonderfully fulfilling creative outlet for me 🙂
THANK YOU to all of you for sticking around, inviting friends to read my blog, for following me on social media, for your kind comments, and for everything else. I wouldn’t even have a blog if wasn’t for YOU—my blog followers! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. Xo.
Book Coffee Happy’s 500th Post
500 posts…well that’s just crazy. I’ve shared SO many books! Some wonderful, some not so wonderful. And obviously bits of my personal life get sprinkled in here from time to time which I love. I wish I could share more!
A huge shoutout to the authors and the publishers who have allowed me the opportunity to read and review your books. Even if my opinions of you book are negative, you will ALWAYS have my respect for the amount of work and heart you have put into creating your work of art. Thank you for sharing your visions, your stories, and your characters with us.
I love this little blog so much and I’m always thinking of ways to improve it and new things to write about. I’m so looking forward to participating in Blogmas again this year…my FAVORITE time of year to be a blogger. It starts THIS FRIDAY and I’m so excited!
Cheers to 500, Book Coffee Happy! I can’t wait to see where the next 500 will take us 🙂
Xo,
Jenny
Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…
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Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I had a glorious holiday filled with family, delicious food, friends, and lots and lots of shopping 🙂
I received these turkeys when I was student teaching during my senior year of college. I hung them in my own classroom for YEARS after I graduated and then started hanging them in my house after I left teaching. This is my 24th year celebrating the holiday season with them 🙂
I love this time of year so much. Although we should be looking around all year long to reflect on our blessings and things to be thankful for, November is a great reminder to really stop and look around.
While I do this year round in my personal life, lately I’ve been thinking of all of the blessings that I’m thankful for when it comes to my blogging life! In no particular order, here are some things I’m grateful as they relate to Book Coffee Happy.
Things I’m Thankful For: Blog Edition
Instagram
Truth be told, Book Coffee Happy is MUCH more active on Instagram than any other platform. While I do post on this site, Facebook, and Twitter (X???), Instagram is my favorite. It’s so much easier, faster, and more fun to post a quick Instastory than to type up an entire blog post. I try to add to my stories on Instagram daily. If you don’t already follow Book Coffee Happy on Instagram, please do! HERE is the link.
Authors
Without authors there would be no readers and without being a reader there would be no Book Coffee Happy. Thank you to all of the authors out there who give me topics to entertain myself and to blog about!
Fellow Book Bloggers/Bookstagrammers
Ahhh the blogging/Bookstagramming community is so amazing and I have made some wonderful new friends all through our mutual love of BOOKS. We inspire each other, tag each other, and support each other and I’m so thankful. I’m even a member of a local group of book bloggers/bookstagrammers who meet up from time to time (I have yet to actually make it to a meet up but it’s something I’m so looking forward to SOON)!
WordPress
Writing this little blog is my favorite hobby and I couldn’t do it without the support of WordPress. Thank you for making it so easy for someone like me to create and run a website! WordPress has been amazing to work with and the customer support has been incredible. Between chats and emails, I have asked mannnnnnnny questions and the support I have received has been amazing. WordPress is the only server Book Coffee Happy has ever been on and I have absolutely zero plans to ever switch.
Libraries/Book Stores
Forever thankful for the places which allow me access to books (and so much more)! Thankful that the library is my happy place where I can quietly walk the stacks, work on my blog, or just peruse the shelves.
YOU
Without readers, I would have no blog. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting my little corner of the Internet today and everyday. I love writing this blog and I’m extrodinarily thankful for the people and the experiences which it has provided.
Happiest of Thanksgivings to all who celebrated! Stay tuned…my next blog post (will be posted mid week) will be a very special one 🙂 And the post after THAT will kick off BLOGMAS on 12/1!
Xo,
Jenny
Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby…
*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)
*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
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Happy New Year and a Change to Book Coffee Happy 🙂
Hiiiii!
I hope you loved Blogmas as much as I did. Blogmas is so much work but I absolutely loved doing it and have already started planning for next December. If you missed the end of Blogmas, you can read the Blogmas wrap up (including the entire month’s posts) HERE.
Happy New Year!
I hope your holiday was filled with lots time with those that you love and lots of time reading BOOKS 🙂
I did a LOT of reading:
An overnight hotel staycation with my family 🙂
My bestie and I went to the Half Price Books Outlet:
Me 🙂My Beautiful Bestie…Hi Amy!!!THE. VERY. BEST.Oh I sure did read this book waaaaaay back in the day written by Britney Spears and her mother!On NYE we went to a spy themed restaurant and they made you create your very own spy agent name. My daughter took one look at mine and rolled her eyes which made me love my name choice even more 🙂
A Change to Book Coffee Happy:
There is an exciting change coming to Book Coffee Happy in the new year!
I am proudly reflected in all aspects of my blog from the pink background (my favorite color of ALL TIME. The VERY first thing I did once I started blogging was to change the background from white to pink, lol) to the not so grammatically correct sentences. This blog is MINE and what I love most about it is that I put my heart into each and every aspect of it. I’ve worked hard through the years to make sure that this little blog of mine is something that I am proud of, not only because it creates revenue for me but because it is my favorite creative outlet. I love blogging and I love the community of book lovers that I have worked so hard to create!
Since I have started blogging in 2018, I have always included my “bottom line” at the bottom of all of my book reviews. It’s usually 1 (ish?) sentence that summarizes my review of the book. I have always called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”…and I have always HATED that I have called this 1 sentence my “Bottom Line”! It sounds so formal and so “businessey”…in other words, so NOT me. I guess I just didn’t know what else to call it without using a “star” rating system (I did use the “star” rating system when I first started blogging but over time I learned that it worked better for me to review books without it). I wanted a quick, few word recap of my feelings at the end of each of my reviews to summerize my thoughts but I was simply at a loss of what to call it. “Bottom Line” just made the most sense because those final thoughts have always been indeed my bottom line! The name for these last thoughts just never fit with the overall vibe of my blog.
Until now 🙂
After years of trying to come up with a better title for this little recap of my reviews, I have finally landed upon the perfect word. A word that reflects me and a word that reflects my blog in a perfect way. So starting in 2023, at the end of each of my book reviews you will also find my…
drumroll please….
EPILOGUE!
According the the Oxford Dictionary, an epilogue is defined as a section or speech at the end of a book or play that serves as a comment on or a conclusion to what has happened.
How PERFECT is that?!?
I am a huge fan of epilogues in general as I like books (and television shows) to be wrapped up in pretty little bows and using this word on each of my blog reviews is such a perfect match. It feels so much more ME and is such a better fit for Book Coffee Happy. And I obvi love that it’s a literary term. Perfect.
So cheers to 2023 and cheers to Book Coffee Happy! I have some really exciting things already planned for this blog in the coming year and I’m so happy to have you along for the ride.
Xo,
Jenny
Thank you so much for reading Book Coffee Happy! Spend some time searching through old blog posts, I have been blogging since 2018 and I’ve read a LOT of books 🙂
Book Coffee Happy’s 13 most viewed posts of 2022 can be found HERE
My Favorite Posts that I wrote in 2022 can be found HERE
I would be so thankful if you could do the following to support my favorite hobby:
*Follow me on Instagram* (I am VERY active on Instagram and usually update my Instastories daily)
*Please share this site with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
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My 400th Blog Post, Another Delicious Cookie, and a Book That I Hated
This is officially Book Coffee Happy’s 400th blog post! Thank you for supporting me and my little hobby…I really love writing this blog and I’m so thankful for YOU!
My most recent Crumbl Cookies indulgence (caramel cake served warm). I wish I could say it was a treat to celebrate my 400 post but alas, just a random dessert, lol. Whyyyyyyy did this bakery have to open up so close to my house??? Ridiculous.
In the passenger seat just eating a monstrosity of a cookie and protecting my clothes with a paper towel while my husband drives. Classy.
I Hated This Book
I really wish this book was as delightful of an experience for me as devouring that delicious cookie. It was not.
The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}
Photo Credit goes to Amazon because I listened to this one as an audiobook
Goodreads Synopsis of The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}:
Two neighbours struggle with envy of each other’s lives—and as their friendship grows, their questions do too . . .
Sophie is a happily married mum of two who considers herself lucky—until her beautiful and highly successful new neighbour Angie moves in along with her charming husband and four talented children. The two women couldn’t be more different, but after a storm brings them together, an unlikely friendship develops. As their children grow closer, so does their bond.
But the alliance between the families is a wake-up call for both women. Angie’s success makes Sophie consider whether she really is as satisfied as she makes out. And Sophie’s uncomplicated marriage forces Angie to look at her own and accept that it’s not as perfect as it seems. Both women vow to change.
But their decisions may not lead where they expect, in this absorbing novel about risks and relationships by the author of The Missing Husband that explores whether the grass is always greener on the other side of the garden fence . . .
My Review of The Woman Next Door {Natasha Boydell}:
So…I pretty much hated this book.
It was just so boring! I kept waiting for something (annnnything) to happen but it really never did. Eventually there was a “big” plot twist but it fell short because it was so completely predictable. This. Book. Was. So. Boring.
I really disliked so many of the characters and found myself not caring what happened to any of them as the story went on…not a good way to feel while reading (listening to) a book. Ugh.
I listened to this one as an Audiobook and I must say…listening to someone actually FROM the country where the story takes place adds such a wonderful dimension. And that’s pretty much the only nice thing I have to say about this book 🙂
Bottom Line:
I just wanted it to end.
Have you read this book? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend if filled with love, BOOKS, and Crumbl Cookies!
Xo,
Jenny
This book clearly wasn’t for me…but you might love it!Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
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When I first started writing my blog, I regularly posted a series called “Let’s Chat” where I would bring up a discussion topic and then share my thoughts and feelings on it. Those posts always brought upon such wonderful discussions! It has been a VERY long time since I have written one of these posts! So today, I’m bringing back the Book Coffee Happy old school “Let’s Chat” with this discussion topic: Do you read the book synopsis before you read the book?
***I regularly use the term “book synopsis” on my blog to describe the brief description of what the book is about (what you would read on the back or inside cover of the book). Other terms that describe this same description which I don’t use can include “book blurb”, “book description”, etc. All of these terms are a bit subjective and interchangeable!It’s important to note that the synopsis that I am referring to is NOT a complete book summary which would include all major points in the book including the ending. ***
Do You Read the Book Synopsis BEFORE You Read the Book?
A few weeks ago, one of my very favorite Bookstagrammers Jenna Stop Reading mentioned not reading the book synopsis before reading a book and it got me thinking…I could NEVER do that!
This is quite a debatable topic in the book blogger world. Apparently some people prefer to read the book going into it completely blind as to what the book is going to be about while others (ME) absolutely, 100 percent read the synopsis on the back or inside cover EACH AND EVERY TIME.
I have no idea how someone could read a book without knowing what the book is going to be about! Like…how do you very literally just choose the book by it’s cover??? Mind. BLOWN.
The very first things I look at while choosing a book off the shelf is the front cover, the title, and the author’s name. Absolutely all important…BUT…then I immediately read the synopsis! There have been PLENTY of times where I pick up a book, I think it looks great aaaaaaaaand then I read the synopsis and I put it right back down. How does one go into that so blindly? (I did once write an entire post called “Judging Books by Their Covers”! You can read that post HERE).
Not only do I read the synopsis before deciding what the book is going to be about but I actually read it quite a few times to familiarize myself with the characters and overall story lines.
I also tend to go and read it a few MORE times WHILE reading the book as a reference as to the characters and story lines.
Now there IS a very fine line between reading the book synopsis and learning a potential spoiler. I HATE SPOILERS. Hate, hate, hate (which is why I will NEVER have any book spoilers here on my blog). You can read more about my hatred for spoilers HERE.
Remember a few weeks ago when I was reading Simon Vs The Homosapien Agenda and I was planning on reading it’s sequal without knowing what it was about? I do think that’s a special circumstance as I was afraid if I read the synopsis to the sequel that it would give away spoilers from the original! HOWEVER, as soon as I finished reading Simon, the very first thing I did before reading it’s sequel was to read it’s synopsis! (You can read my review of those 2 books HERE).
When I hear of a book and want to look up the synopsis online the ONLY website that I will do this on is Goodreads. I have found that other websites (I’m looking at you, Amazon!) tend to reveal TOO much of the book description for my liking. Goodreads always shares juuuuuust enough about the book to let me know what it’s about without revealing too much. (FYI this is why I always only share the synopsis from Goodreads on Book Coffee Happy when I write my book reviews :))
So tell me…do you read the book synopsis before reading the book or do you like going in completely blind as to what the book will be about?
Happy Friday! I hope your weekend is filled with love and BOOKS!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
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I took a shower on Thursday, January 21, 2021. A normal, everyday shower. And when I came out of that shower, I glanced over at my phone not expecting to see any type of text/email notification as my shower was only about 15 minutes long.
My phone was legit BLOWING UP with blog notifications. Like…every second it was lighting up. Why??? I was so confused! What was happening??? I looked into my blog’s stats and my mouth instantly dropped open. Literally within a span of 1 shower my blog suddenly had THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of new views???
I still have no idea how it happened but apparently while I was in that shower…
….Google put a link to my Tennessee blog post ON. THEIR. HOMEPAGE.
Whaaaaat?!?
Hell yeah!
So here’s what I know:
As that initial night went on and continued throughout the next day, the numbers on my little blog literally kept climbing BY. THE. SECOND. My husband and I watched as the insanely high number of people visiting my blog climbed and climbed. It was CRAZY and so much fun to watch!
I’ve never seen anything like that and at this point I still had no idea how all of these new readers found my blog! Readers from allllll over the United States and in countries around the world were suddenly reading Book Coffee Happy! It was baffling (and super cool).
Finally, after receiving SO MANY private messages about that Tennessee blog post, I finally started asking people where they even found my blog. Their answers were all the same…it showed up on their Google homepages! A few kind people sent me screenshots:
I sent this screenshot to my best friend and she replied “THANK GOD you look cute in the picture that Google chose of you!” 😂🤷🏻♀️👍🏼 Turns out to be the most famous selfie I’ve ever taken, lol.
So here we are, 8 days later, and THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE HAVE VISITED MY BLOG. I’ve received so many new blog followers/subscribers, new Facebook followers, and new Instagram followers! The amount of visitors to my blog continues to climb and climb each day, each hour, each minute, each SECOND! It has been FUN and definitely a huge highlight of my blogging journey thus far 🙂
So…it’s probably a good idea to introduce myself since many of you are new clearly around here 🙂
I’m Jenny! I’m a former teacher and am now a stay at home mom to my 2 young children. I absolutely LOVE being a stay at home mom and it was always my dream to be one. I truly treasure this time in my life! I will always and forever be thankful for my amazing husband for so many things including working so hard so I can stay home with our kids. I have always been an avid reader and I have always loved participating in book discussions! People used to ask me ALL. THE. TIME. for book suggestions and so 2.5 years ago, I decided to start writing this blog. It has morphed into such a creative outlet for me, and I have loved all of the opportunities it has provided! It’s mostly a book blog with bits of my personal life sprinkled in. I review books, lead book discussions, host book giveaways, etc.
Thank you to everyone for your support and love! If you are new here…welcome! The more blog followers I have, the larger our book community can grow! I’m so glad to have you here. And a special thank you to Google…I have NO CLUE how all of this happened but it’s been such fun! I so hope it will happen again!
If anyone has insight into how this could have happened, SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge, etc. please send me an email (bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com). I’d love to pick your brain!
Oh and HERE is a link to the (now apparently famous, lol) Tennessee blog post that has now been viewed thousands upon thousands upon thousands of times 🙂
Happy Friday! May your weekend be filled with love and books! I’ll be back here on Monday with a post for you containing 2 book reviews…see you then!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
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*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
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2 months ago our family took the most lovely vacation to Spring Lake, Michigan. We rented a cottage literally on the lake and we spent a week frolicking in the water, playing in the sand, eating delicious food, and quarantining ourselves in the most wonderfully safe way. Before we even left, my husband had booked us a return visit over Labor Day weekend and we literally counted down the days from the second we got home until this last weekend. Read all about our first trip to Spring Lake HERE.
I mean…how could we NOT want to return when this was our backyard???
(For another video of this gorgeous view, check out my video on THIS POST)
I spent this last trip reading The Lies That Bind {Emily Giffin}(affiliate). It was the only book that I read while I was there and finished about 2 hours before we left to come home. I will have my full review posted later this week!
I present to you…the best meal of the trip. Village Baker PERFECTION. We ate there not once, not twice, but THREE times over a 2 day span. IT’S SO DELICIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL THERE. One of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to. Absolutely love it there.
2 eggs, cheddar cheese, grilled Asiago cheese scone. And heaven. Little bits of heaven sprinkled in throughout. Omgggggg…..
We found a gorgeous bike trail in Hart, Michigan. Stunning bike ride AND every street sign has a heart on it?! My dream town 🙂
Back at our cottage, my husband and my kids spent hours fishing and caught so many fish! My choice: The Lies That Bind > squirming, bloody fish.
Early morning reading by the lake while everyone else was still sleeping. THE BEST.
View from outside the kitchen window. So breathtaking, right? See that chair and table? Still set up from my reading scenario the previous day. LOVE.
Wouldn’t be a vacation without me noticing the local library as we drove past, lol.
I saw these earrings in a gorgeous beachside boutique and I think they might be the best thing I’ve ever seen. The Golden Girls! The Clintons! Donald Trump! Rebecca and Jack Pearson! Macaulay Culkin! Meghan and Harry! Justin Bieber! The cast of Friends! Justin Timberlake! Beyonce and Jay Z! Taylor Swift! Omgggggggggggg
Kim and Kayne! I WAS DYING.
Love this sign so, so much.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. IT’S NOT HARD, PEOPLE.
This was actually our 6th visit to beautiful Michigan and each time we come, we fall more and more in love with the picturesque beach towns, the gorgeous water, the friendly people, and the delicious food. 2 years ago, Jon and I came for 4 days all alone while my parents watched our kids. It was quiet, relaxing, and lovely! You can read about that trip HERE.
During that trip 2 years ago, I came across the cutest coffee mug in one of the stores in Grand Haven. I even took a picture with it:
I’m not sure why I didn’t buy it but that mug has literally haunted me for the past 2 years. When we were shopping in downtown Grand Haven this past July, I was determined to figure out which store I found it at and to see if by some miracle they still had it! I described the store to another shop owner in the area who immediately told me where the shop was located. I was so excited! I went straight there…and discovered that half of it is now a dog products store (??) and the other half is now a toy store…and although they DID randomly have tons of mugs, none were mine. I even sat there and went through EVERY. SINGLE. MUG. BOX. in search of my special mug. Nothing. The man working gave me the name of another store down the strip which had bought lots of the goods from the store when it was divided up. So….I dragged my family to yet ANOTHER store in search of my mug. Found the store, did not find the mug. I went into a bunch of other stores on the strip in hopes that THEY might have it and…nothing. I was brokenhearted but accepted that it just wasn’t meant to be.
Fast forward 2 months later and we were in the brand new to us town of Pentwater, Michigan (side note: LOVED THIS TOWN). My daughter and I were walking through an adorably cluttered store where you literally had to look evvvvvvvvverywhere because there was so much to look at. I spy old school trolls (the BEST) on the ceiling!
So her and I were walking along when suddenly…
I grabbed her arm and just stared. She followed my eyes and exclaimed, “CUP OF HAPPY!” This mug is even more beautiful than the original and so much more “me”. Totally meant to be. SOLD. I have happily used it every single day since we’ve been back.
Best, happiest souvenir. Literally brings me such joy when I use it! Totally worth the 2 year wait.
Thank you, Michigan, for once again providing our family with the very best memories. Already trying to figure out when we can return!
I hope you had a lovely long Labor Day weekend! I’ll have my review of The Lies That Bind posted later this week!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*
*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links. The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*
As soon as the pandemic started, my husband immediately began researching lake houses that we could rent. We wanted a place where we could safely socially distance from others and give our kids wonderful memories. After months of searching online, he found us the perfect cottage located in Spring Lake, Michigan. We booked it and immediately I started writing out my list of what to bring in my new Erin Condren planner. I actually laughed and grabbed my phone to snap a picture when I realized what the very first items were that I had just written. These were clearly quite high on my priority list of items not to forget! Eventually this entire page was filled with things to bring once I had those first 3 items written down, lol.
And somehow those 3 items morphed into this:
We stopped for lunch in one of our favorite towns…Saugatuck, Michigan. (Although indoor seating was available at restaurants, we always chose to eat outside at the restaurants we went to).
We arrived at our cottage and the view from our new backyard literally took our breath away. Perfection.
Catching frogs!
On our very first morning there, my daughter and I woke up before anyone else and snuck outside to read with a view. I ended up doing this every single morning we were there and it was just as peaceful and blissful as it looks.
Eventually my son woke up and joined us. American Dirt for me, Babysitters Club book #2 for my daughter, and dinosaur and Elmo books for my son.
So, so happy.
We drove past this hotel and I immediately thought of The Sun Down Hotel! AHHHHHH! THIS is EXACTLY how I pictured that hotel to look, even down to the sign. Such a better image than the one on the cover of the book based upon the descriptions written. The cover of that book is GORGEOUS but this is such a better representation of how I imagined that hotel to look as I was reading (you can read my review of The Sun Down Motel HERE).
My daughter and my husband fishing! The view from our dining room window. So amazing, right?!
Bike ride through a gorgeous forest…
Traveling during a global pandemic definitely was a strange experience.
Obsessed.
Cherry picking!
There was a swan family and a duck family who came to visit us each day.
After being in the lake all day, it felt great to take a shower and feel pretty 🙂
Fact: lobster rolls are in my top 5 favorite foods of all time. If there is a lobster roll on a menu, I will never even consider ordering anything else.
I brought my laptop thinking that blogging by the lake would be such fun! This picture would be the exact spot that my computer sat from the moment we arrived until the moment we left. Never even opened the bag, lol.
Dirt road leading to our private oasis.
One afternoon we sat down to an outdoor restaurant and this was my view. Ummm YES PLEASE. As soon as the order was placed, my daughter and I literally JUMPED up to go and check it out!
Oh it was so lovely! I didn’t take any pictures inside because I was trying not to touch my phone but I could have spent hours upon hours in there. It was amazing. We didn’t have nearly enough time but both her and I did manage to each find a treasure to buy. I was excited to find a book by the same author as The Housekeeper which I really enjoyed (read my review HERE). My daughter bought a present for my son which he loved! I had such a nice conversation with the man working and I promised that I would come back! If you are ever in the area, you need to check this place out…
Pontoonin’! Always drinking hot coffee, even in 90 degree weather 🙂
So handsome.
I read 1 page on that boat. Literally 1 page.
My husband took this video and I had no idea…
“I’m crushing this!!!” LOL
And now I present to you the most delicious meal of the trip. Goat cheese, strawberries, walnuts, maple balsamic vinaigrette, and added grilled chicken breast. OMG. I loved it so much that I went back a few days later and ordered a second one to go to have for lunch the following day! Here is a link to the restaurant if you are ever in the area. DELICIOUS.
Lake lunch 🙂 Day 2 of THE SALAD.
Perfect magnet in a cute Grand Haven boutique. #truth
Cutest coffee mug from one of our delicious breakfasts.
6 mile family bike ride. Best bike ride of my life, it was so beautiful!
My family totally indulged me when I yelled “I SEE A LITTLE FREE LIBRARY!” The 3 of them immediately pulled over to wait for me as I turned my bike around and headed straight back to this little gem:
None of the books caught my eye but for about 20 seconds I debated taking this bookmark ONLY because so many of you ALWAYS call me out for folding down the pages of books, lol. BUT…then I remembered that I love folding those pages so I left the bookmark right where I found it to become a treasure for someone with better book manners than I 😉
After 6 miles we were SWEATY and desperately needed water. We found a local farmer’s market and immediately asked where the water was. The lady watched our 4 faces fall when she told us that there weren’t any vendors selling water! We accepted our fate and started shopping for other things. A few minutes later, she quietly told me that she had 3 bottles of water for her personal use but that I could buy them off of her! DONE. Wife and Mother of the year when I presented those bottles to my family! As we were leaving the market sipping our delicious water, the farmer’s market organizer asked where we got them. I answered “black market” 🙂
We left with fresh raspberries, fresh blueberries, honey sticks, a loaf of bread, and the most delicious water anyone has ever tasted. Delightful.
And suddenly it was our last day of our perfect getaway. As my husband and I sat on the beach watching our kids SO happily frolicking in the lake, he pulled out his phone and booked us a return trip for Labor Day weekend! YESSSSSSSSS! Best husband and father. Countdown starts NOW!
And now…we are back home. Breakfast on our first day back included farmer’s market blueberries and also a mug that I bought from one of my favorite restaurants that I have ever been to 🙂 If you are ever in the area, my whole family and I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant! This beautiful mug with it’s beautiful memories will make me smile for many years to come.
Michigan cherries have been turned into Illinois muffins! My husband and my kids say they are the best muffins they have ever had! Mama for the WIN! 🙂 🙂 🙂
AND I have quite successfully recreated my new favorite salad down to the homemade salad dressing! NAILED IT!
Thank you all so much for reading about our adventure! We had the very best week filled with the very best memories. Socially distanced perfection!
Thank you for allowing me to take a break from talking about books to share a bit of my personal life with you 🙂 As you can see I have been doing lots of reading…and I have 2 book reviews to write and publish for you ASAP!
I hope you all had a wonderful week filled with love and books!
You can read about our trip to Michigan that we took last fall (without our kids!) HERE.
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
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I love giving bloggers and vloggers a chance to publicize their blogs/vlogs and at the same time…we can all discover links to new favorite blogs/vlogs to follow! A total win for all 🙂 Let’s support each other!
In the comments on this post, please add the link to your blog/vlog and a brief description of your blog/vlog (all topics welcome).
Let’s all discover new blogs/vlogs to follow! If you have a blog/vlog, I’d love for you to participate regardless if you participated in the past or not. All blog/vlog topics welcome!
Please only add links to the comments on this post (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to keep them all in one place.
Also, if you haven’t already added your link to the comments on the other 3 posts, feel free to do that now as well 🙂 There was some great participation on those posts!
Now it’s your turn! I can’t wait to read the comments below.
Have fun and enjoy discovering some new favorite bloggers/vloggers! While we are home and quarantined, let’s show each other some love and support.
And while you’re discovering new blogs/vlogs to follow and subscribe to, I’d so love for you to follow/subscribe to mine if you don’t already 🙂 Book Coffee Happy is a place where I write book reviews, lead book discussions, and host book giveaways (insider tip: I have a giveaway coming up this THURSDAY for an AWESOME book so make sure you check back)!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*
*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links. The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*
Unfortunately this might just become a new series here on my blog! You can read last year’s first installment of “I Broke My Elbow” here, (insert face plant emoji).
If you follow me on Instagram, you already know all of this because I’ve been updating my Instastories like crazy…it has kept me entertained! God bless Instastories.
See this railing in my dining room? I used to love it. Now it scares me.
Here’s the short version of the story:
Railing + pinkie toe + trip to the ER + x rays + getting home from the ER at 10:43 + 22 girls at our house at 11:00 for my daughter’s birthday party +medical tape + ugly boot + frozen peas + orthopedic surgeon + more x rays = 6 weeks of boot wearing, medical taping, icing, and elevating until my next appointment with my orthopedic surgeon for more x rays in March.
UGH.
Emergency Room selfies that I had sent to my best friends:
Even my beloved Dunkin’ coffee couldn’t keep my tears away.
Thank GOD for frozen peas! Regular ice packs won’t work since I broke the tip of my pinkie toe and the ice packs won’t stay put. Frozen peas for the WIN.
I basically spent 2 straight days in bed. It was awful! I finally told my husband that I needed to get out of the house and I needed to go somewhere to make myself feel better.
I took a shower (FYI shaving your legs with a broken toe is hard), I drove straight to Dunkin’ to get coffee, and then I took myself on a much needed trip to the library (aka my happy place).
Hobbling (!) silently through the stacks was EXACTLY what I needed. Just being in the library surrounded by books gave me such a sense of peace. Some people would go to a bar and drink in a situation like mine…I just go where the coffee and the books are 🙂
I try to find the silver lining in situations and this situation most DEFINITELY has a silver lining. I checked out a library book that day and because I’ve been spending so much time icing and elevating my poor toe, I’ve already finished it.
Hands down one of my top 5 favorite books I’ve read. EVER. In my entire life.
Omg this book. It was so beautifully written, I literally devoured it. Literally couldn’t put it down.
I can’t WAIT to share it with you! Full (beyond glowing) review coming later this week! Any guesses??????
As for my poor toe, it’s very sloooooooowly healing. It still hurts just as much but the bruising is SO much better. It was so disgusting when it first happened! It’s still black and blue but doesn’t look nearly as frightening.
I would say it’s taking “baby steps” but…more like “baby hobbles”. UGH!
Here are my beautiful best friends and I over the weekend. We were celebrating Amy and Beth’s birthdays! Trying my best to hide my ugly boot but not really succeeding, lol…
My orthopedic surgeon promised me that I’ll wear high heels again “someday”. Someday better get here quickly!
Xo,
Jenny
This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:
*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*
*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*
*If you already have a blog, please “follow” mine*
*”Like” my Facebook page (and please comment on, “like”, and share my posts)*
*Clicking and buying products through my Amazon Affiliate links. The cost to you is exactly the same and I receive a tiny commission off of your purchases.*
(affiliate). It was the only book that I read while I was there and finished about 2 hours before we left to come home. I will have my full review posted later this week!
On our very first morning there, my daughter and I woke up before anyone else and snuck outside to read with a view. I ended up doing this every single morning we were there and it was just as peaceful and blissful as it looks.
I had such a nice conversation with the man working and I promised that I would come back! If you are ever in the area, you need to check this place out…
I read 1 page on that boat. Literally 1 page.
I basically spent 2 straight days in bed. It was awful! I finally told my husband that I needed to get out of the house and I needed to go somewhere to make myself feel better.
Book Coffee Happy 