Quick Takes #270: October fun

1. Autumn has arrived at last and we have been making the best of it; and hoping that fall colors are soon to follow.
2. The kids school's Octoberfest was great fun! Lisbeth danced and had fun with friends. Caitlin mourned the absences of the carousel but found enough other rides to enjoy especially the giant slide.  Liam and I checked-out the Cliff Hanger and it was so amazing we went back for seconds. Capped the night with funnel cakes and called it all a great success!!
3. Last weekend we headed out to a local orchard for a fun afternoon of apple picking.  Unfortunately the types of apples we wanted were towards the back of the orchard which included a solid hike especially for 5 year old legs but once we found the section everyone got into the fun of picking.  Later that evening we got to enjoy Dr Daddy's apple pie and Lisbeth's apple turnovers.
4. Also in the last couple weeks Liam after being so close for almost a month Liam finally threw caution to the wind and conquered bike riding san training wheels!!
5. For those of you on Instagram (who haven't already seen) check out the #postcardsformacron thread. Asked and answered Mr President!
6. & 7; Enjoy some pictures and have a wonderful weekend.

Please head over to Kelly's for more 7QT's 

Reading fun and future challenges

    Last week I finished In Farleigh Field (review in works) and with that I have completed this year's Modern Mrs Darcy reading challenge.  This is my 4th year attempting the challenge and as ever I really enjoy pushing myself to out of my reading comfort zone and try new genres or go for a longer/tougher book than I might otherwise.

Looking back at my planning post; I made a few changes but overall it was a good framework to follow.

   Speaking of challenges; as many of you know I love a book challenge and I love geography; so when a friend shared this link I knew it was something I wanted to try.  While not setting a time limit I will try to stick to their recommended list for each state though not including Look to the Mountain as a suggestion for New Hampshire is a huge omission and I'm considering that state done 😊.

As of this point I have 22 states covered ~ 28 to go 💃!

Open Books ~ October '18

The Atomic Weight of Love was Elizabeth Church's debut novel. The book begins as Meridian heads to college in Chicago, falls in love and deals with a long-distance relationship as her boyfriend had to New Mexico to work on a secret war project.  They later marry and when Alden decides to stay on at Los Alamos after the war Meridian lets go of her dream of a doctoral degree but searches for how to stay true to who she is.  Church who grew up in Los Alamos does a fascinating character study of her mother's generation as they travel from the late 40's to early 70's with all its shifting social norms.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall is the second in a series of books about 4 sisters. In this book they cope with tough homework assignments, new neighbors, and the idea of their dad beginning to date again.  The book is aimed at older elementary children and is charming, well written and well paced.


Please head over to Carolyn's for more Open Book.