The Sunday S.P.A.R.K.L.E.S. #15

What’s in my shopping cart, fall book club, a random ranking, and lots more!!!

I hope your Sunday so far has been filled with lots of things that bring you happiness. And I hope this week’s Sunday S.P.A.R.K.L.E.S. brings you even more :)

What’s on the agenda for today??

S - What’s in my SHOPPING cart

P - PICK your fall book club reads

A - ADMIRING Mother Nature

R - RANDON RANKING of all the Olipop flavors

K - In the KITCHEN

L - LETTER to myself

E - Something I am eagerly awaiting

S - Recent SECONDHAND finds

So do you want to know what I have saved in multiple online shopping carts that will probably never actually buy…here you go ⬇️

This 2 piece sweatsuit

This adorable sweater

This light green oversized sweater. I have been obsessed with this color lately 😍

These magnesium gummies. If you want the best sleep of your life, you need these.

These glue on pumpkin nails. My go to nail brand.

It’s time for the Fall Seasonal Book Club!! Below is the blurb for each book, followed by a poll. Please vote for the top 3 books you would like to see as part of the seasonal book club!

1. A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner

“I saw him first.
But it didn’t matter.
Because he saw her.

He was my best friend, and I was his.
We couldn't be together, but we couldn't stand to be apart.

And if you're not truly lovers... but you're so much more than friends... what exactly are you?”

2. Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah

“In the rugged Pacific Northwest lies the Olympic National Forest—nearly a million acres of impenetrable darkness and impossible beauty. From deep within this old growth forest, a six-year-old girl appears. Speechless and alone, she offers no clue as to her identity, no hint of her past.
 
Having retreated to her western Washington hometown after a scandal left her career in ruins, child psychiatrist Dr. Julia Cates is determined to free the extraordinary little girl she calls Alice from a prison of unimaginable fear and isolation. To reach her, Julia must discover the truth about Alice’s past—although doing so requires help from Julia’s estranged sister, a local police officer. The shocking facts of Alice’s life test the limits of Julia’s faith and strength, even as she struggles to make a home for Alice—and for herself.”

3. Once There Were Wolves by Charolette McConaghy

“Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but Aggie, too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska.

Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed―inflicted by humans on both the wild and each other. Yet as the wolves surprise everyone by thriving, Inti begins to let her guard down, even opening herself up to the possibility of love. But when a farmer is found dead, Inti knows where the town will lay blame. Unable to accept her wolves could be responsible, Inti makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn’t make the kill, then who did? And what will Inti do when the man she is falling for seems to be the prime suspect?”

4. Deadly Occupants by Mads Rafferty

“A haunted house tour on Halloween night with three of her college best friends takes a twisted turn as Blair barely escapes with her life. The night may have ended…but the horrors are just beginning.
Soon after, their own home seems to come alive, making them question if they’re truly alone. As the paranormal activity rises to a fear-filled high, Blair discovers that the house isn’t the only thing haunting her…but also her past.
Now, Blair faces the challenge of solving the devastating mystery, or risk succumbing to the same torturous fate.”

5. Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter

“It was a case that gripped the nation. In December 2003, Luke Ryder, the stepfather of acclaimed filmmaker Guy Howard (then aged 10), was found dead in the garden of their suburban family home.

Luke Ryder’s murder has never been solved. Guy Howard’s mother and two sisters were in the house at the time of the murder—but all swear they saw nothing. Despite a high-profile police investigation and endless media attention, no suspect was ever charged.

But some murder cases are simply too big to forget…”

All the snippets of fall 🍂 As I am writing this it is 82 and humid out, but we have had a few cooler days so far. I love experiencing the subtle daily changes in nature, watching the apples ripen and get more red each day and the soybean and corn fields slowly turning from green to a golden yellow.

A random ranking (that noone asked for) of ALL the Olipop flavors. 1-5 are solid and have been my favorites from the beginning, 6-14 I could take or leave and the rankings could be switched up depending on how I’m feeling, and 15-18 are always at the bottom for me.

1. Cherry cola

2. Grape

3. Root beer

4. Ginger ale

5. Tropical punch

6. Ridge rush

7. Vintage cola

8. Ginger lemon

9. Strawberries vanilla

10. Cherry vanilla

11. Crisp apple

12. Peaches & cream

13. Bananas & cream

14. Cream soda

15. Watermelon lime

16. Lemon lime

17. Orange squeeze

18. Dr Goodwin

I think I need to start a new series of my attempts of making recipes that I find because I’m not great at baking or cooking and some of my results have been quite laughable. Maybe the more I practice the better I will eventually get??

I attempted to make these apple rings and let’s just say they didn’t turn out like I had hoped. They don’t look as pretty as the video and they honestly didn’t taste that great either. Not bad, just not something I would make again.

The ingredients in case you want to give a shot ⬇️

• 1 cup flour

• 1/4 cup corn starch

• 1 cup milk

• cinnamon

Cut apples in rings, dip in batter, fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes and top with cinnamon and sugar.

On the other hand, I did try a very simple recipe and it turned out great. It was just chicken sausage, cut up bell pepper and cucumber, and then I add tomatoes in after cause I don’t like them warm, topped with chili crunch from Trader Joe’s, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast. I don’t have a picture of the final product because I was too hungry to grab my phone off the charger and take a picture.

So that’s one win and one fail for me this week. What recipes do you think I should try next??

With the last few days of summer upon us and as we transition into fall, I’ve decided to write a letter to myself to open at the end of fall/beginning of winter. Not any big goals I hope to accomplish, but rather the intentions I have for the new season, reminders of what’s most important to me and how I want to feel physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve found breaking everything up into seasons vs once a year seems more doable and less intimidating. And I can always use the extra reminder and bit of motivation.

The opportunity to wear the cutest sweatshirt ever that I purchased on Etsy. Technically I could wear it now, but with the ghosts I feel like I need to wait till at least the first day of fall. And then I will be breaking out my Hocus Pocus sweatshirt too. I’ve never gotten so many compliments on anything as I have this sweatshirt.

Books are hands down my favorite items to buy secondhand. Mostly because I never have much luck with the clothes. In the past week I’ve scored 3 Elin Hilderbrand books. If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’m especially excited to read The Perfect Couple before watching the Netflix series.

Sparkle moments - those special moments throughout your day that bring a little extra light into your life.

• Making apple pie french toast

• Decorating my nephews room for his birthday

• My niece going to her first homecoming

• Picking fresh apples off the tree

• The excitement of starting a book that you have been wanting to read

If you would like to show your support, please like, comment, share, subscribe, or buy me a coffee (aka book) :)

-Leanna