Sarai Henderson's Blog, page 65
August 21, 2023
Weekly Menu #519 And The Book Of The Week
Hello Monday! Welcome back to this weeks menu where I share all the recipes I will be making for my family this week.I missed you all last week while I was on vacation, but it was much needed. We took the boys to the Oregon coast. Our hotel room was right on the promenade and had a great view of the ocean beyond. It was also within walking distance from the aquarium, food and lots of things for the boys to do. We had such a blast and came home a little burnt.
I made myself a lofty goal of reading 3 books and listening to 2 pod casts last week. Lets just say, I didn't make it. So, this week I will be finishing my second book which is Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil by Timothy Zahn. This is the third book in the series and I'm really enjoying myself.
Lets get to this weeks menu. Enjoy!
WEEKLY MENUMonday
Kids - Chicken Ramen
Tuesday
Crockpot Lemon Italian Chicken
Kids - Mac and Cheese
Wednesday
Kids - Cheese Quesadillas
Thursday
Kids - Chicken Tenders and Fries
Friday
Kids - Grilled Cheese
Saturday
Kids - Chips and Cheese
Sunday
Family Dinner
August 14, 2023
On Vacation!
The monsters and I are taking a much needed break this week. Check back next week for another weekly menu, book reviews and recipes.
Stay cool out there PNW. Its going to be a hot one.
Bye, friends!
P.S. Follow my Instagram to keep up with our adventures. \
August 13, 2023
Sunday Confessions #212
Hello Sunday and welcome back to my weekly confessions. Its been a week, but its now over and I get a day or two to rest... Hopefully...
Sunday Confessions #211~Weekly Menu #518 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: The Power by Naomi Alderman~July 2023 Wrap Up~The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Weekly Menu #519 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Gallant by V.E. Schwab~Book Review: Mother's Who Can't Love by Susan Forward~Life Confessions: Post #7~
Sunday Confessions #213
I don't know if I love this show or hate it. Maybe its just my obsessive need to finish something once I've started it.
75/100 2023 Reading Challenge~54/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~60/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~62/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Another great week. Happy reading, friends.
August 11, 2023
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin
Today's review is The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin, which has to be one of the oddest books I've read this year.
Title: The Left Hand of Darkness
By: Ursula K. Le Guin
Genre: Scifi
Pages: 366
Release Date: January 1st, 1969
Publisher: Ace
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Summary from Goodreads:A lone human ambassador is sent to the icebound planet of Winter, a world without sexual prejudice, where the inhabitants’ gender is fluid. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the strange, intriguing culture he encounters...
Embracing the aspects of psychology, society, and human emotion on an alien world, The Left Hand of Darkness stands as a landmark achievement in the annals of intellectual science fiction.
There was a lot of emphasis on the non-gender aspect of the story, but the author has a really scientific way of thinking and it doesn't always translate well to the page. At least not for me. I wanted more story and not a lecture on aliens.
I have to keep in mind, this book was written long before I was born and its ideas would have been ground breaking back in the 60's and 70's. With all that in mind, maybe I should try reading this book again in the future when I'm in the mood for a little edge.
August 10, 2023
July 2023 Wrap Up
Welcome to the July wrap up. I have 8 books to share with you today so lets get to it.
Iron Widow #1Iron Widow
Xiran Jay ZhaoThe boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn't matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.
When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.
To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.
World of Solace #3The Quest to the Uncharted Lands
Jaleigh JohnsonFrom the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Mark of the Dragonfly comes another magical and thrilling story that takes readers on an exciting new adventure.
Stella Glass dreams of exploring worlds beyond her home of Solace, but when her famous parents are sent on a historic mission to the Uncharted Lands, it's simply too dangerous for her to join them. By order of the king, she is left behind.
Missing out on the excitement is one thing, but Stella is devastated at the thought of her parents flying into the unknown. So she takes matters into her own hands. Instead of staying with family as planned, she steals away and — right before takeoff — sneaks aboard the airship.
But Stella isn't the only stowaway. In the cargo bay is a boy who is also desperate to get to the Uncharted Lands. And someone else who's determined to keep the ship from making it there at all...
75/100 2023 Reading Challenge~54/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~60/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~62/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
Not my greatest month, but I read some great books and have several I'm looking forward to reading in August. Happy reading my friends.
August 9, 2023
Book Review: The Power by Naomi Alderman
I don't know if you've watched the show The Power on Prime Video, but its based on this book of the same name by Naomi Alderman. Its a really interesting look into a world where gender rolls are swapped.
Title: The Power
By: Naomi Alderman
Genre: Fantasy/Scifi/Fiction
Pages: 341
Release Date: October 27th, 2016
Publisher: Viking
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:In THE POWER, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power--they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.
All the characters are amazing, but one stood out to me and that was Eve. Not sure about the voice in her head. Is it really God speaking to her, or has she been so damaged by past events in her life that she's a bit broken? Not sure there, but I love it all the same.
There was a scene in the book where Eve uses the ocean to connect to others around her. She can even block the power of others through the water. Its a really powerful event that helps to shape her roll in this new world.
Favorite Quote: “You have been taught that you are unclean, that you are not holy, that your body is impure and could never harbor the divine. You have been taught to despise everything you are and to long only to be a man. But you have been taught lies.”
I gave this read a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It was really amazing to read and I found the book much better than the show. Naomi Alderman has a wonderful writers voice and I can't wait to see where this goes.
August 7, 2023
Weekly Menu #518 And The Book Of The Week
Welcome back to this weeks menu where I share the meals and recipes we are enjoying this week and include the weekly read as well.The youngest child and I are watching Secret Chef on Hulu and its seriously the weirdest thing. Its like Master Chef meets Claim to Fame. Super odd, but very addictive. We shall see what happens.
To tell you the truth, I just like cuddling with my little one. He's getting so big, but still likes to spend time with his parents, which our other two kiddos never emerge from their rooms. Polar opposites.
This weeks read is Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan. This is the 9th book in the series that I have been reading over the last 15 years... I know... Its taken me a while, but these books are huge. I'm really working on getting through them this year.
Lets get to this weeks menu. I know this is what you came for. Enjoy!
WEEKLY MENU
Monday
Kids - Chicken Tenders
Tuesday
Kids - English Muffin Pizzas
Wednesday
Kids - Chicken Ramen
Thursday
Kids - Mac and Cheese
Friday
Kids - Chips and Cheese
Saturday
Sunday
Family Dinner
August 6, 2023
Sunday Confessions #211
Hello and welcome back to another weekly confession. Its been a strange week and if you want to hear more about it, make sure you go back and read my lifestyle post.
Lets recap.
Sunday Confessions #210~Weekly Menu #517 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
~Series Review: The World of Solace Series by Jaleigh Johnson~Book Review: A Twisted Faith by Gregg Olsen~Life Confessions: Post #6
Weekly Menu #518 And The Book Of The Week~Book Review: The Power by Naomi Alderman~July 2023 Wrap Up~The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin~Life Confessions: Post #7~Sunday Confessions #212
We Didn't Start the Fire (remake) by Fallout Boys
73/100 2023 Reading Challenge~54/196 in my Star Wars Legends challenge~59/341 Gilmore Girls challenge~60/100 in my 100 books before you die challenge
There wasn't much time for reading last week, so I'm hoping to really dig deep this week and read some of the books I have on my list. Happy reading my friends.
August 5, 2023
Life Confessions: Post #6
The lifestyle of a PNW mom, avid reader, exballerina and food lover.
It has been a weird week. These days I wonder how much of this weird is brought on by my own making, or if weird is just attracted to me in general.Friday, I left the house for a little while on my lunch break to pick up some needed supplies for the weekend. While I was waiting for the light to turn green at the top of my street, I noticed a yard sale sign. A normal yard sale sign, but it had my address on it. For a minute I thought to myself, "Am I having a yard sale?" but no, I wasn't.
I texted my husband when I got to the store to let him know about the sign and he was a big freaked out, which made me freak out a bit. He said he would come home from work soon and take down the signs since I was needing to get back to work.
Shortly after that conversation and I was back in my home office, a young couple walked up my driveway and started looking at my husbands car parts that were strewn across the concrete. They quickly left, probably noticing it wasn't a yard sale.
After freaking out now for real, I called my husband and told him about the people in the driveway and he headed home to take down the sign. Turns out there was another sign at the other end of the street along with a yard sale, surprise surprise, at the bottom of the street. The husband confronted the people at the yard sale and it turns out they knew the signs had the wrong address. He gave the signs back to them and asked them not to put them back up until they fixed the address.
Here's a little tip for all of you who are planning on holding a yard sale. Its a really bad business practice to put the wrong address on your signs. One: No one knows where your sale is... And two: You could be the reason someone walks up the wrong driveway and gets into trouble.
Make it make sense.
There was a lot of kitten cuddles this week. Dapper Daniel went to his new home and is having the time of his life. Made him a top hat, so cute.
Pampered myself at the salon with a new haircut and massage. I feel so much better without all the weight on my head.
Dinners were also really delicious this last week. If you don't already follow me on Instagram, make sure you check out my foodstagram Dinner_with_Sara.
Thanks for stopping by the blog and checking up on what I've been up too. I look forward to see you back here again next week.
August 4, 2023
Book Review: A Twisted Faith by Gregg Olsen
Every once and a while, a story catches my eye that is not within my normal genre. A Twisted Faith was that book for me. Recommended by my favorite podcast, Morbid, I dove into this read by Gregg Olsen about one of Washington States craziest cult murder's ever seen.
Title: A Twisted Faith
By: Gregg Olsen
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 368
Release Date: March 30th, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Rating: ★★★★☆
Summary from Goodreads:New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen investigates the sensational story of a minister who seduced four of his female congregants, and hatched a cold-blooded plot to murder his wife.
On December 26, 1997, near the affluent community of Bainbridge Island off the coast of Seattle, a house went up in flames. In it was the shy, beloved minister's wife Dawn Hacheney. When the fire was extinguished, investigators found only her charred remains. Her husband Nick was visibly devastated by the loss. What investigators failed to note, however, was that Dawn's lungs didn't contain smoke. Was she dead before the fire began?
So begins this true crime story that's unlike any other. It investigates Nick Hacheney, a philandering minister who had been carrying on with several women in the months before and just after his wife's death. He would be convicted for the murder five years to the day after the crime.
From one of the foremost names in true crime, A Twisted Faith is a gripping and truly unforgettable story of a man whose charisma and desire rocked an entire community.
Its super sad to read about how the leaders of this church manipulated a lot of people for their own gain and pleasure. They used the word of god as a tool in a gross and disgusting way and in the end it ultimately lead to murder.
I would recommend listening to the Morbid podcast if you want a more in depth look at this case, but all in all, this was an interesting read.
