Dambo’s Trolls

I’m not gonna lie, this is mostly a photo dump. I’ve wanted to see Dambo’s Trolls for months now, ever since my daughter saw some in New Jersey! There are a bunch of them in Asheville, which is a 2 hour drive from me. Weather has kept me away for a month now, and today was finally going to be the day! 

I had a hard time falling asleep last night. This has happened a lot over the last 8 months. The house is so quiet, especially since my son moved out. I’ve never in my life lived totally alone, so it’s been a huge adjustment. Sometimes I just can’t turn off my brain, and since I’ve lived alone, it’s been even harder! 

Add to that, my little dog Nugget has Cushings, and she’s starting to exhibit more symptoms. One of which is excessive thirst. At 4 a.m. Luckily for me, she woke up at 5:46 this morning, but after falling asleep late, I knew there was no way I was driving 4 hours round trip when I was already tired.

As much as it pained me, I settled for the one Troll in Charlotte. His name is Big Pete and he was very hard to find! He lives on the edge of a brand new development, and not all of the roads appear on gps. I persisted, though, and I found him!

Now I want to see more! The ones in Asheville are coming down this week, so I will have to do some research and see where else they are! 

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Have you seen any of Dambo’s Trolls?

Galentine’s Day Axe Throwing

​This was my first Valentine’s Day alone in over 35 years and I knew I would need my girls to get through it! They did not let me down! I thought axe throwing would be cathartic, so we booked a couple lanes at Craft Axe Throwing to start the night off. 

My friend Christi painted this bottle of Prosecco for me. She’s so talented!

Everyone wore flannel, how cute is this?! It was so soft and comfy as well. 

Of course we had to get a group shot! 

What’s a friendly competition without prizes? I found this cute ornament to act as the trophy for the highest score.

And I put together goodie bags for everyone else. 

Then it was off to Firebirds for dinner and drinks.

This chocolate martini was divine. 

So blessed to have these ladies in my life! 

Have you ever gone axe throwing? Did you celebrate Galentine’s Day this year?

Wordless Wednesday

 

Fiction Friday

 Thanks to the crazy weather, my adventures keep getting postponed! It looks this weekend will be a total wash as well! I haven’t posted a fiction Friday in two weeks! Here is what I’ve read since my last one!

I was on the ARC team for this one, I love Bella Greene’s books! 

What a sweet Valentine romance! Caroline is once bitten twice shy after her divorce and Tom is trying so hard to break down the wall she built around her heart. Who doesn’t love a curvy FMC and a firefighter who falls first? Throw in a cute little dog, a wedding to plan, and just a little bit of drama and you have the perfect Valentine’s Day novella! 

💕💕💕💕💕

Another ARC! This is a fun series and whenever one is offered to me, I grab it! There are quite a few authors who wrote this series together.

I can never read the books in this series fast enough! Theo is a heartbroken human with trust issues, and Calliope is a muse looking for love. When they meet it’s instant attraction, which of course they are others fighting. Theo is just so sweet and hopeful, wanting to be everything that Calliope needs. A little drama, some cameos from characters in previous books, and a Pegacorn with issues of his own make this one hard to put down! It lived up to every one of my expectations! 🦄🦄🦄🦄🦄

I have been buddy reading this author with some friends, and I always end up reading ahead! So many badass FMCs, so if that’s your thing, you’ll want to read any book by this author. 

This was a fun novella. A retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with a twist I won’t tell you about! You’ll have to read it for yourself!

Another buddy read! This was a very action packed romance with a dangerous twist. Big fan!!

Another retelling, this time Pride and Prejudice with a little time traveling thrown in. 

Quick novella from the Highlander series. It was a great story that ended too abruptly. I wonder if I had read it in order if I would have felt differently. 

Another ARC from a favorite author! 

Another beautiful book by Jenna Brandt! Second in the Christian Cowboy Search and Rescue series, this can standalone, but it does have characters from book one. Connor and Sandra are so perfect together, both pushing to solve a mystery that nobody else believes in… until they do. Just the right amount of drama, beautifully written characters, and a sweet HEA. What more can you ask for? Cannot wait for the next one!

Saturday Sourdough Bread Adventure

My daughter makes amazing bread. She makes Easter bread every year, and she bakes bread at home as well. I have never made bread without a bread machine!

I decided to take a sourdough bread class at the Sweet Spot, where I usually take my cookie decorating classes. Chef Joy is awesome, so I knew I would have fun and learn so much!

She started us off with the dough already prepped. (We were given starter to take home with us)

We learned about kneading , and stretch and folds (below)

After we did all of our stretch and folds, we were given dough that was read to bake, we scored it, and put it in the oven. Then we pre shaped our dough, and put it in a container to bring home, so we can make a second loaf. Mine is rising right now, so I can bake it in the morning. 

I can’t wait to bake my own. This is the dough she premade for us, getting prepped for the oven.

Look how cute it turned out! I cannot wait to eat this!

Chef Joy also made a loaf for us to try, with rainbow sprinkles folded in. I wonder what I should fold into my next loaf?!

What do think I should fold into my next loaf?