20 Books that Make the Ultimate Christmas Gift

Christmas is the perfect time to share your favorite stories with friends and family.  Maybe it’s the former language arts teacher in me talking, but I think there’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book.   Looking for a good book for someone this Christmas?  These books are full of characters you wish you could meet, lives you’re thankful you didn’t live, and endings that you wish would never come.  Pick some up as gifts or as a treat for yourself that you can enjoy after the craziness of this holiday season.

Enjoy!  Happy shopping!!

20 Books that Make the Ultimate Christmas Gift

The Silent Patient

By: Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

The Henna Artist

By: Alka Joshi

The Henna Artist:  Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

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Smolak Farm

Smolak Farm

North Andover, MA

Smolak Farms is a working farm that combines agriculture, education, and entertainment in a unique way!

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Pineland Farm

Another beautiful farm I visited was Pineland Farm, in New Gloucester, Maine.  I visited this farm when I was staying in Freeport for the night.

Pineland Farm

New Gloucester, Maine

Pineland Farm is a 5,000-acre working farm that welcomes visitors to enjoy its beautiful rural landscape.

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How to Cope with the Not-On-Vacation Blues

How to Cope with the Not-On-Vacation Blues

We’ve been home for 7 months, and with no travel plans for the time being I’m starting to get a little stir crazy.  My planning notebook is starting to collect dust and It’s time to do something about it.  I am starting to get vacation fever and am daydreaming about sunshine, sandy toes,  and sand castles.  So, what do you do when you’ve got the not-on-vacation-blues?  Here are some ways I cope:

Have a quickie.

Ok…get your mind out of the gutter…I mean a quickie vacation! Plan a weekend getaway and stay in a hotel for a night or two.  Pretend you are somewhere far away and swim, order room service, or do absolutely nothing.  A change of environment can make all the difference. Choose a hotel you feel comfortable staying at and bring any items that will make you feel safer like your own pillow, towel, or blanket. Don’t forget to bring hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.  

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Wolfe Neck Center (Fall Visit)

Wolfe Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment

Wolfe Neck is a nonprofit farm with 626 oceanfront acres and 4 miles of Casco Bay shoreline that is open to the public every day. A few years back I was given a tour of the farm.  Take a peek at my post about it.

This fall, I decided to bring my bike to the farm and spend a relaxing morning riding along its gorgeous views of the coast, visiting the animals, and breathing in that coastal air!

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Snug Harbor Farm

In autumn, I love stopping in to different farms to enjoy the gifts of living in New England.  Apple picking, pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes, farm stand… I can’t get enough! Lately I’ve been spending one day a week visiting a farm nearby.  It’s the perfect way to get outside for some fresh air, walk around in nature, and ok, ok…it doesn’t hurt that lots of farms have cider donuts.

This week I’ll be showcasing some of my favorite farms I’ve been to lately.  Enjoy!

Snug Harbor Farm

Kennebunkport, Maine

Snug Harbor Farm features five greenhouses, nurseries,

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20 Years of Travel Memories

Today is my 20th wedding anniversary!  What?  That can’t be right…we must have been babies when we got married. It’s been amazing sharing these 20 years with my best friend and I can’t think of anyone better to grow old with. Throughout the years he’s given me the most unforgettable gifts of travel and we’ve created so many memories as a family.  Here’s a peek at some of our travel memories throughout the last 2 decades!!

Mexico: 2000

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Halo Hand Nail Polish Review

While my family was buckled down social distancing ourselves during this pandemic, I started rethinking what food I was putting in my family’s body.  As I realized the importance of this, I then started focusing on the products we put on our body.  The ingredients in nail polish is something I never gave second thought to, until I started doing research.  I love that Halo Hand doesn’t contain the ten most common and harsh chemicals found in nail polish.  Clean polish?  What more could you want for your nails? Let me show you what we got.

WHAT CAME IN OUR KIT?

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What’s On Your Travel Bucket List?

“We grow great by dreams. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days until they bring them to the sunshine and light, which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.”
– W. Wilson

Many of us are taking a pause from traveling, but that isn’t going to stop us from daydreaming.  Now is the perfect time to create your Travel Bucket List so you can do a little daydreaming about your next adventure.  After all…#wewilltravelagain!

Why did I start my list?

When I was in college I had an English professor that was the stereotypical hippy, turtleneck wearing, book loving, ‘Let’s have class outside’ kind of professor. I absolutely LOVED him! (Ok…it helped that he was also really cute!) He had a philosophy that everyone should have a Bucket List. However, he called it a Life List because it should be about your life, not your death. He suggested always having 100 items on your list at all time. When you accomplish one, you need to replace it with another.  As the years went on, a new list was created…my Travel Bucket List.

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Olive and June Nail Polish Review

Every week in October I will be having a Travel Beauty Tuesday, where I feature some amazing beauty products that I have been using. This week is all about Olive & June, my new nail polish obsession!

When I travel, I often end up at the spa treating myself to a manicure or pedicure.  Since this pandemic has begun, I have missed getting pampered and having my nails colored.  I hate that so many polishes chip just days after using them, and I am always looking for ones that last a long time. I have been stalking following Olive and June on Instagram, drooling over their amazing colors, and I was thrilled when I got the chance to work with them.

WHAT DID I RECEIVE?

I was so excited to get The Everything Box. ($80)

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