Ruth Anne Benziger's Blog, page 5

Book Review: A Simple Murder: A Kate Burkholder Short Story Collection

New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo is known as a “master of the genre” (People) for her pulse-pounding mystery series set in Amish country. Now, together for the first time in print, A Simple Murder features six original short stories starring whip-smart chief of police, Kate Burkholder.

While on vacation with her partner John Tomasetti in LONG LOST, Kate discovers that the old house where they’re staying is haunted by a girl who disappeared decades before…

An abandoned baby is discovered on the Amish bishop’s front porch in A HIDDEN SECRET, and Kate is called in to investigate.

SEEDS OF DECEPTION unearths the secrets of Kate Burkholder’s own Amish past―and lays the groundwork for her future career in law enforcement.

In the midst of a power outage in Painters Mill, a teenage girl is attacked at an Amish party in ONLY THE LUCKY.

IN DARK COMPANY is the story of an injured woman with amnesia who seeks Kate’s help in trying to remember her attacker’s identity…and her own.

IN PLAIN SIGHT leads Kate to what she believes is a straightforward hit-and-run accident―but she soon uncovers a story of teenage passion that may have led to attempted murder.

My Thoughts

LONG LOST

To be honest, I was disappointed the story ended so suddenly. I was starting to form an attachment to the Bed and Breakfast and the story of what happened to the missing girl. Despite the story ending so soon, I was still enthralled by the story, the characters, and Castillo is really skilled at painting a really vivid image of the character’s surroundings. I also enjoyed finding the banter and relationship between the cops to be playful, growing, and the way they worked together showed respect.

A HIDDEN SECRET

The more I read Linda Castillo, the more I want to check out what else she has written. I think I’ll be adding her to my authors to watch list. The second story was heartfelt and sad. Kate is called to investigate a baby abandoned on the bishop’s doorstep. The story was full of sadness, fear, and caused Kate to do some thinking of her own. What I love about Kate is that she’s level-headed, smart, and she is in tune with her emotions. I’m really enjoying learning more about Kate and John and how well they work together. And I’m wishing the best for the child abandoned and her family deeply affected.

SEEDS OF DECEPTION

It was interesting to see Kate as a young girl still living with her family in an Amish community. I think this case especially probably developed Kate’s sense of right and wrong. Having to question your own friend and her actions wasn’t easy for her. I found that I was interested in what was going to happen, how she would side, and how her family would react. I was surprised by her decision.

ONLY THE LUCKY

Alma is attacked at a party thrown by the Amish with English invited as well. As the power outage caused by a truck striking the tower causes a blackout, Kate has to navigate the dark while investigating the party. Without knowing about the girl, she’s worried that teenagers and alcohol will cause a big stir on top of the power outage. Let me tell you this story was messed up. I won’t give anything away other than to say, be careful who you trust. Dang. I really enjoy Kate and John’s fun banter.

IN DARK COMPANY

This short story had me on the edge of my seat. I really wanted to know what happened to this woman. The more I wanted to know, the more confused the story sounded from the woman. Kate did an amazing job and went out of her way to find out what happened to the woman who couldn’t remember who she was. I was a little shocked by the reveal. This one, I wanted to go on much longer. Though, I’m glad that I got to read it. I love when short stories leave you wanting a full-length novel.

IN PLAIN SIGHT

The last short story was full of excitement and intrigue. I found myself wondering what intentions people have in this world. Crazy to find that a situation like this brought out the truth in the wrong timing. Noah and Ashley have a crazy journey ahead and I like to think that Kate taught her a valuable lesson. I’m sad that the collection was over and I’ll be looking for more Linda Castillo books in the future.

This was my first time reading Linda Castillo and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. I love Kate and John. I enjoyed these short stories and I’ll be adding Linda to my, Author to Watch list.

Until next time,

Ruth

Homeschool in January! (Goals and Intentions)

The amazing thing about homeschooling is flexible schedules. As many of you can relate, my schedule is busy and it gets hard to get all the tasks checked off the list. For us, we started our homeschool year in June.

I know! I didn’t give my kids a summer break. Let me explain.

We had a conversation about when we wanted to take a long break and we decided to wait for November and December. We wanted to enjoy the holidays instead of stressing over when our work would get done around all the fun activities. So, we took off most of December and some of November.

Now, that January is around the corner, we are getting back into our routine. The kids are going to have to adjust to the routine again as we get back to work. We are rather excited about getting back to doing all our lessons, art projects, and experiments. School for us is always fun, even when the kids complain.

Our curriculum choice is, The Good and the Beautiful. It is an amazing company that provides a Christian curriculum for kids of all ages. I bought all subjects and we fell in love with them. So, we will be using the same curriculum next year too!

As we get back into a routine, I will share what they are doing, what we study, what books we read, and I’ll share some art with you too.

Monthly Goals

In January, I want to set some goals and I hope to complete them all. Here is the list that I have come up with.

Bible devotions for the kids (journals of their own)More Projects for ScienceMore Art in all subjectsPlan Ahead for Change (I’m not great at this)More Field Trips More Field and Outside timeMore Patience and Grace for myself and the kidsIncrease Reading time for the kidsLess screen timeMore physical fitness Better nutrition for the familyLess pressure and more fun!

The kids got these cute things for Christmas and they will be able to use them in schooling too. Such fun!

I hope you will enjoy these posts. I’m not only an avid reader, but I’m a homeschool mom first.

Until Next Time,

Ruth

Christmas 2021 Recap

How was your Christmas? Did you spend time with your family? Eat delicious food? Get good presents? Celebrate the birth of Christ? Be incredibly thankful for all that you have? I sure did!

This year, without a doubt, has been hard on me. At the beginning of the year, I expressed that I had been on a weight loss journey for over a year and hadn’t had much luck in 2019 losing a significant amount of weight. In fact, I lost 20 pounds and gained it all back while on Keto, seeing a dietician, and making good choices. Boy have I learned a lot since then. I’ll go more into detail on that in my year recap post next week. But I wanted to share that I look really different from last year. As you can see in this picture. I’m so happy with what I have accomplished.

84 pounds down since May!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year because people are nicer, the decorations are beautiful, and to my pleasure, everyone seems to flock to church. I feel that anytime your heart yearns to be closer to the Lord, it makes him smile. God wants you to know that you are saved. That you are his son or daughter.

I love seeing the kids get excited over opening their stockings, ripping wrapping paper off their gifts, and the laughter is amazing to hear. I spent Christmas eve with my parents and we spent the day together watching movies, spending time prepping for the next day, and genuinely enjoying each others company. Before bed, my mom read them, The Night Before Christmas. It was so cute and the kids loved it.

Grammy reading to the kids.

The kids were excited this morning when they woke up. My dad always sleeps in, so they have to quietly walk down the hall to the back livingroom to get their stockings. With sleep in their eyes, comfy PJs, and the sound of Good Morning America on the tv, they sat down in anticipation. When I gave them their stockings, their eyes got wide, the girls starting screaming, and smiles lit up their faces. The looks on their faces made all the miserable time shopping, dealing with crowds, and staying up late to make it look just right. They were incredibly happy.

New BarbieLegosCousinsStocking Stuffers

Occupied with their stocking toys, they waited patiently for Grandpa to wake up so they could open their gifts. Luckily for them, my sister showed up and the kids and I woke up and walked across the street to her house to get the first round of gift opening started. She had gifts for the kids, stuffed animals (stuffies) for them to take home, and we got to enjoy more screaming, more laughter, and a lot of happiness. The kids were happy with all they had.

Presents from Aunties

Back at my mom’s, my son and I occupied ourselves while the turkey was put in the oven. I read some while Damian played with a Lego set he got. My dad woke up and fried bacon while they made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. My mom makes some yummy biscuits and gravy. I was disappointed that I couldn’t partake. Instead, I had scrambled eggs, bacon, and cheese. Yum. Breakfast was delicious.

After we all ate, we finally got to open gifts and that was a fun affaire. The kids were excited to open up gifts for themselves and watch everyone open what they got for them. I got Arielle a Barbie in an RV because she previously accidentally left a Barbie car and some Barbies at the park. I felt so horrible for not paying attention. So, I wanted to make it up to her. In fact, my mom and sister ended up getting Barbies too to fill in the ones that she lost. It was so sweet and she absolutely loved them.

RV

Damian has been with Titanic the ship for most of the year. He got really into the way the ship was constructed, built, how it sunk, and how. He even built many Lego titanic ships with what little he had. All year he complained that he didn’t have enough Legos or he didn’t have the right colors. So, for Christmas, I bought him a Lego set to make the Titanic with the iceberg. He went crazy when he opened the box. I’m glad that he is going to have so much fun building it. He is rather great at building things. Minecraft is is favorite game because there is no limit to what he can build. He even made a huge Titanic ship, of course. Clever boy.

Titanic!

We had turkey dinner, as we did on Thanksgiving. It’s just what we eat and it was really delicious. I allowed myself turkey, green beans, and a couple spoons of mashed potatoes because it is a holiday, after all. I had a tiny piece of chocolate and I don’t feel guilty at all.

I really had a nice day and at the end of dinner, I drove home. I live about 45 minutes away from my parents and the wind is supposed to pick up. Plus, I was tired and wanted to sleep in my own bed.

There you have it. Christmas was a nice day of family, friends, gifts, and food. I forgot to mention that we prayed and thanked God for every thing that we have. God is so good and has blessed us in so many ways. I’m so thankful to have had this wonderful day. I got to see my sisters, brother, parents, and my nieces. So much love.

Christmas 2021

I hope that you enjoyed your Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Ruth

Blogmas Day 25: Merry Christmas!

Bee Culture

First I thought I’d share some pictures from last year!

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thank you for following along with my journey this year.

Tomorrow, I’ll share pictures and update you on how our day goes.

Enjoy time with family, eat yummy food, and celebrate the birth of Christ.

Until next time,

Ruth

Blogmas Day 24: Christmas Recipes

I love sharing recipes that I have made myself. I love exploring different foods, trying new flavors, and learning to eat healthier. Getting bariatric surgery changed the way I look at food. I’m learning about proper nutrition and how to use food as fuel.

First, I want to share last years post that shared my personal recipes. I hope you will click on it and look at the work I did last year.

Secondly, I wanted to share last year’s blogmas post where I took recipes out of Nora Robert’s book, Christmas With You. Look through those and I can tell you, they are fun to try.

Next, I’d like to share the links to recipes that I did share this year, in cases you missed them.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Spicy Asparagus and Meatballs

Pork Chops & Green Beans

Chicken Salad

Spicy Protein Side

Stuffed Bratwurst

Brussel Sprouts and Chicken

Bariatric Chicken Fajitas

Homemade Chicken Soup

Lastly, I wanted to share a few recipes from different places that have inspired me to be a better cook, change my diet, and help aid in better nutrition for the kids.

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP

https://www.theinstantpottable.com/instant-pot-cauliflower-soup-with-parmesan/

BARIATRIC FRIENDLY HASSELBACK CHICKEN

https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/low-carb-caprese-hasselback-chicken/

KOREAN TURKEY BOWL

https://bariatricmealprep.com/korean-turkey-bowl/

5 MINUTE CAULIFLOWER RICOTTA BAKE

https://bariatricmealprep.com/5-minute-cauliflower-ricotta-bake/

WHITE CHRISTMAS ICE-CREAM SANDWICHES

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/white-christmas-ice-cream-sandwiches-recipe/yr8zft3t?r=recipes/6rynmbp2

BOCCONCINI AND TOMATO PASTE SALAD

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/bocconcini-tomato-pasta-salad/cc0j05nw

EASY CHOC RIPPLE WREATH

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/easy-choc-ripple-wreath/uq3OKdJ5

HONEY-ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH HAZLENUT AND GOAT’S CHEESE

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/honey-roasted-vegetables-hazelnut-goats-cheese/z4LSZh0K

PESTO SALMON

https://www.acouplecooks.com/pesto-salmon/

PEARL SALAD WITH PECANS

https://www.acouplecooks.com/pear-salad/

PERFECT CHOCOLATE BARK

https://www.acouplecooks.com/chocolate-bark/

I hope you enjoyed all the recipes that I shared today. You can look forward to more recipes and I will be doing reviews on food too.

Until next time,

Ruth

Blogmas Day 23: Christmas Traditions

Old Mesilla

There are many things that I do during the holiday season. I live in Las Cruces, NM. So, I thought I’d show you some of the traditions we celebrate. I’ll even throw in some of my family traditions and what we like to do during the Christmas season.

First, living in New Mexico, we get to celebrate with food. A favorite staple of mine is Tacos! Of course, we love our tacos with lime. Don’t forget the lime. Add some Spanish rice and refried beans and you’re golden.

Second, we like to decorate our tree.  My kids love to decorate the tree and add all sorts of things to spice it up. Here is our tree this year. Look at their smiling faces.

Next, we move on to pictures with Santa! Each year, we got to several events around town. First, we are a part of the New Mexico State University Housing community. We like to support our local events.

Each year, Las Cruces has a Christmas Tree lighting event and Christmas on the Plaza. People get together and support local vendors. We love to hang out and take pictures with Santa and enjoy music and celebrations. Here are several photos of some of the events we’ve attended.

Another tradition is to visit Old Mesilla at Christmas. It’s so beautiful with all the luminarias lit, the Christmas lights, and the people. I love to visit the tree and add an ornament that my kids made. It’s a new tradition for us, but we did it last year and kept that tradition this year. All the local vendors love to come out and enjoy the festivities.

Here are some great pictures of us over the years enjoying Christmas

Every year I am going to try and try new things, meet new people, and spread more joy.

I hope you have traditions that make you happy and joyful.

Until next time,

Ruth

Blogmas Day 22: Must Reads 2022

I have a running list of books that I have been wanting to read for awhile. So, I decided to compile them into a list for this post.

Now, there are some that I have already listed in my tbr list, but some that I haven’t at all listed.

Keep in mind that I am changing up the way I read, the genres, and the authors. So, it may look different than what you have seen from me. I’m growing as a person and growing as a reader.

Enjoy!

These are the ones on my list that I don’t want to leave any longer. I hope that I’ll get to all of them.

What is on your must-read list?

Until next time,

Ruth

Tuesday Weigh-in (14 Weeks Post-op VSG)

This week, I succeeded in drinking a lot more water than I had the previous week. I have tried to be more active but the weather hasn’t allowed me to go out as much. I am planning on incorporating low-impact exercise into my routine to combat that. I want to aim at about 30 minutes a day. That should give me a good starting place.

To ensure that I am not overdoing it, I am going to use some older walking exercises that I found a while ago. These are the two that I used to do before surgery. I was heavy and didn’t have enough energy to do more.

I hope this will be a good start. I’ll move on to more aerobic exercises after my body gets used to moving around and getting my heart rate up.

I started on Monday. So, I’ll keep track of my exercise along with my food and my water intake. I feel that my weight loss has been going so well, but I need to get moving too. I’m feeling a little lazy lately and want to feel stronger.

I’ll update you next week and let you know how it is going. You will get more updates as time goes on.

If you can offer more advice on what routines are good, let me know.

Last week I weighed 222 pounds.

This week the scale did not move. I am still 222 pounds.

Goals This Week

Drink more water

Track my food intake

Keep protein up

Exercise 30 minutes a day

Until next time,

Ruth

Blogmas Day 21: EOY Book Tag

Last year I’m participated in the #Endoftheyearbooktag created by Ariel Bisset over on YouTube. Check out her channel and see what she’s up to this year.

I hope you follow along and do the tag as well. 

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

There are a few that I put away and didn’t get back to. I started reading some skill books. Here are the few that I started and will get back to next year.

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

Not really autumnal if you count weather. These are what I’m finishing the year with.

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

These are what I’m going to read. I don’t have time for any others.

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favorite book of the year?

I’ve heard so many good things. I wonder if this will be my favorite.

Other than that, the Chronicles of The One series was my favorite.

Have you already started making reading plans for 2022?

Yes, I have started making plans. You can find that post here.

There you have it. I wanted to answer more in detail but I sucked in the reading department this year. So, I couldn’t give more. Next year, I hope will be different.

Until next time,

Ruth

Book Review: A Christmas Prayer by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Beloved, bestselling author of Amish fiction, Wanda E. Brunstetter takes readers on a journey in 1850 along the California Trail.
 
Only the brave—or foolhardy—would attempt a cross-country journey late in the season. Three wagons meet up in Independence, Missouri, in April 1850, and their owners decide to keep forging ahead despite many setbacks and delays. December finds them in the Sierra Nevada Mountains when a sudden snowstorm traps them, obscuring the trail.
 
Cynthia Cooper is traveling with her mother and the man she has promised to marry. But as Christmas is upon them and they are hunkered down in a small cabin, she is forced to reevaluate her reasons for planning to marry fellow-traveler Walter Prentice. When a widowed father heading to a California ranch and a gold prospector both show an interest in Cynthia, she weighs her dreams for marriage alongside her responsibility to care for her mother. Can love win over her timid heart?

My Thoughts

Cynthia Cooper and her mother travel in a small wagon team from Illinois to California. Along with them are Cole and his sister Virginia (Ginny) at the lead, and Jack with his two small children Alan and Amelia at the back. As they travel on the trail, they have setbacks, food scarcity, and weather that prevents them from getting where they need to go.

Cynthia is engaged to Walter, whom she is not fond of. The entire trip we get to read her diary and learn her true feelings, her worries, and prayers. I found the banter and bickering between them to be comical at times and exhausting. Brunstetter did a wonderful job at constructing this dynamic.

I enjoyed the friendships and down-to-earth moments that happen with children on the road. I quite enjoyed Alan’s mischievous side. I also enjoyed that no matter what they faced as a group, they relied on God to get them through it. They prayed and kept hope even in the darkest and scariest moments.

This was my first time reading Brunstetter’s work and I’m definitely going to add her to my author tbr list. I really enjoyed her writing.