Mpartyka

LATEST ARTICLES ( 164 )

• May Update

  

  Hello friends,We celebrated one year of living in Minnesota! Can you believe it? In some ways, it feels like we never left. I'm so grateful for reconnecting wit... Read more

  Posted on 09 June 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Book Review: Flirting with Fifty

  

  I was first introduced to Jane Porter when she wrote Flirting with Forty. A lifetime ago. We were living in Omaha when I was introduced to her, shortly after... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Upcoming Book Club Selections

  

  A few months after moving to Virginia I attended a new member happy hour for a social club. I remember talking to Bill a few times that day (he was in... Read more

  Posted on 08 May 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• April Update

  

  Hello Friends,I heard this on the radio last week and thought, this is true... March had 60 days this year. It has been a chilly spring! Read more

  Posted on 01 May 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Home Sweet Home

  

  Hello Friends,Today marks one year back in Minnesota. I still can't believe it. In some ways, it feels like we never left. I have been enjoying four seasons... Read more

  Posted on 28 April 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• March Update

  

  Spring is here! Well... maybe not in Minnesota but we did get to feel warmth early in the month. We met Andrew and some family in Florida to attend our niece's... Read more

  Posted on 05 April 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• February Recap

  

  In early March I made a decision to simplify and return to my roots... I broke up with Squarespace and returned to Blogger. Why? Read more

  Posted on 06 March 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• The Chilly Open: What an Experience!

  

  I’m so happy to hear from so many that my love for winter has been embraced, even if only from the photos I have posted online (LOL). Read more

  Posted on 20 February 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• January Update

  

  Hello friends,Happy New Year! Looking back on January, I have only the fondest of memories. From time to bake and work on puzzles, to time with friends and... Read more

  Posted on 05 February 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• December Update

  

  Hello friends,Don’t you feel time passing faster in December than any other month? I made my first batch of mulled wine in October and wanted to decorate our... Read more

  Posted on 05 January 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• It's a Wrap! Another Year in Books

  

  Hello lovely friends,Some remember that I used to log the books I had read in a notebook before starting a book blog in 2008. I maintained my blog until... Read more

  Posted on 01 January 2022 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Zen Morning at the Lake

  

  Hello friends,Last winter Bill and I were talking about how amazing it would be to practice yoga on our property. It was an idea that, honestly, I didn’t... Read more

  Posted on 24 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Zen Morning at the Lake

  

  Hello friends,Last winter Bill and I were talking about how amazing it would be to practice yoga on our property. It was an idea that, honestly, I didn’t... Read more

  Posted on 23 September 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Adult Summer Camp

  

  We did it!Back in February, when we closed on our new home, Bill said he wanted to host a July 4th extravaganza. My first reaction to big ideas like this one... Read more

  Posted on 10 July 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A Broken Arm

  

  Bill loves to tell this story. On February 2 we closed on our new home in Minnesota, and I spent the coldest week of winter on the ice. I snowshoed across the... Read more

  Posted on 08 June 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Creating a Quiet Home

  

  I used to describe life as 'crazy busy.' Wake up at 5:30 AM, and lights out around midnight. Packing 30 hours into 24. In 2002 we moved from Minneapolis to a... Read more

  Posted on 10 May 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A Quick Stay in Virginia

  

  Hello friends,Does anyone remember when I used to blog? I often wonder how I ever found the time! As someone who likes to speak in bullet points for a living... Read more

  Posted on 10 May 2021 BOOKS, CULTURE

• Welcome to Virginia!

  

  Hello Friends!I can’t believe it’s been four months since we moved to Virginia. A move we knew was happening for almost two years, so you can imagine how freein... Read more

  Posted on 18 September 2019 BOOKS, CULTURE

• I Finally Ran a Ragnar!

  

  I have been interested in running a Ragnar race for years - unable to overcome the race logistics (12 runners, two vans, drivers, etc..) I accepted that I will... Read more

  Posted on 15 September 2018 BOOKS, CULTURE

• A Glimpse of Our Experience on the Trail

  

  Hello all,Hello Friends,We have been home from our trip to Nepal for a month; this hardly seems possible. Getting to Everest Base Camp was the last physical... Read more

  Posted on 05 December 2017 BOOKS, CULTURE