Reflections – Page 2 – A.M. Pine – Hearth Ridge Reflections

Book Questions 📚 {Part 1}

August 13, 2026 amyofhearthridge12 Comments

Thrifted these recently for our homeschool! ✨😍♥️

I saw some book questions on an Instagram account called PensandPoison (I like SOME of her stuff, she’s a bit too clickbait-y for me) recently and have been having a lot of fun thinking about my answers. I think she answered them using all fiction, but I’m using everything to answer! I adapted these questions for me. It is a lot of questions and as usual, I can’t have just one answer 🤣, so I’ll be breaking this up into parts! I’d love to hear your answers and I hope you may find a new favorite if you try any of these!

Book Questions 📚✨♥️

•favorite book ~ I think besides The Holy Bible, currently my favorite books are A City of Bells by Elizabeth Goudge, The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, Wives & Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, and Bleak House by Charles Dickens. Thinking about this question made me want to reread all of these! 😂

•2nd favorite set of books ~ Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery and The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge.

•3rd favorite set of books, currently ~ Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery and Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery. Pat of Silverbush and Mistress Pat by LM Montgomery.

•favorite book that’s not Montgomery or Goudge 😁~ Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

•least favorite books ~ usually contemporary rom coms that I keep trying 🙃😫, most recent I really disliked/low-key hated,🤣 Love in Tandem by Becca Kinzer and Date with Danger by Jenessa Fayeth. These didn’t work for me.

•second least favorite set of books ~ I really disliked both Rebecca and My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. So creepy and bleak. Not for me!

•book(s) that made me cry the most ~ I don’t cry a ton while reading, but I remember being disturbed and shaking to the point of tears by The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and The Labors of Hercules Beale by Gary D. Schmidt had me choked up.

•books that made me laugh the most ~ I can’t remember! 😂 Maybe I don’t read funny books? I think Jerome K. Jerome‘s Three Men in a Boat may have made me laugh and Lady Susan by Jane Austen?

•most underrated novel ~ there are SO many, but Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro comes to mind. That book stunned me and really made me think.

•most overrated novel ~ don’t come for me! 🤣 I actually like this novel for its disturbing look at twisted desires, obsession, and family dynamics, but I think Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a bit overrated. It’s pretty depressing. 😫

How about you? What are your answers to these? Have you read any of my choices? Agree or (kindly) disagree? 😁♥️📚 I’d love to hear! Happy Reading! 📖

Monday Ponderings ♥️🌿

August 10, 2026 amyofhearthridge6 Comments

Sauté zucchini with browned and drained sausage! Add s&p and red pepper flakes to taste! So good! 😋

Good Monday morning to you all! Getting a late start! I’m on a little accidental reading/planning retreat and I’m not complaining. 😅♥️🌿 I was thinking about all the unread books I own! 😫😱🤣 A small project I’d like to start which works well with my 50×50 list is to start reading my owned books. I get a lot from the public library or Little Free Libraries, but would like to prioritize books I own. I also reread favorites quite a bit. I was shocked that in my bedroom alone, I had over 100 books I haven’t read! 😂🙃 I had even more that I have read and want to reread. 😱So in full disclosure, I made myself write out the unread ones in my room. Eeep!

Let’s not even talk about my Kindle. 😂 Those don’t bother me as much, but I’d like to be conscious about not just getting ebooks because they are cheap or free.

This project is for fun and also a little challenge to myself as I’ve been thinking a-lot about how I can use my time and energy enjoying what I already have or creating meals or art instead of chasing something ‘out there’. Does this mean I will quit book buying/borrowing? No! I so enjoy browsing and discovering treasures. I’ve already seen myself naturally start to slow book buying over the years because of our home library being so rich. What a blessing to be able to draw from our shelves life giving words. I want to be able to choose myself how my time is used and be led by the Holy Spirit instead of social media or ‘experts’. This applies to many areas of my life, but this is one small area I can slowly make concrete changes. I can give myself ‘things to look forward to’ in nature experiences with my kids, photography, shopping our own home shelves, being creative with meals, rearranging and freshening what we have! Putting those puzzles together, using up those craft supplies, the list goes on and on! It’s actually kind of exciting.

♥️ Any thoughts?

Cozy Corners 🦋✨🌻♥️🌿

August 7, 2026 amyofhearthridge6 Comments

Hello 👋 ~

It’s taken me until today (Friday) to feel a little more relaxed! 😌 I realized I was trying to “force” myself and the kiddos to relax. Ha. 🙃😂 We were able to pop into our lovely small local library and browse. A couple of my kids have been enjoying the summer reading program, so we picked up some more picture books. I’m sure missing my wonderful, curated living books which are packed away, as you know, for continued remodeling. I may treat myself later by pulling out a few bins of our history period we are studying this coming school year. It will satisfy my itch to be among my ‘friends’ for a little while. My 14 yo daughter chose after the library to get an iced matcha and my two boys chose ice cream from our little drive in diner. We love the local hippy coffee shop with cheerful vibes and the fun diner. Our area has SO much natural beauty, too, and we have a couple of places we plan to haunt soon.

Our lovely friends let us chrysalis babysit and we got to watch three Monarchs hatch this week. 😍♥️🌿🦋 Such a rewarding experience!

We spent the afternoon at a nearby lake and I truly felt myself relaxing. The cool wind and toasty sun, flickering through the trees was perfect. I’ve been wanting to reread my Summer Book by Susan Branch and I was able to slowly savor her lovely illustrations, quotes she collects, and recipes. I love her work so much! It made me excited to be a home keeper again. 😍☕️✨🌻 One of my favorite things was sitting on the fishing dock with the sun beating on me. The weather was perfect. We also saw a pair of Belted Kingfishers flying low over the water. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

I did a little journaling set up! I like doing little goals sheets, not religiously or anything, but to give myself a pretty way to track my habits etc that I’m continuing to work on. I’ve done these little symbol keys before! They are fun! ♥️

I made a massive Brain Dump List and some other to-do things because it helps me to focus and calm down without all that rattling around in my brain. I’m also figuring out a way of curating the quotes from my reading that I want to jot into my commonplace. I read a lot and mark my books up, but I want to figure out how to better choose quotes! I loved this video about recently on this topic. I’m letting Jane Austen’s Bookshelf simmer before choosing favorite quotes to add out of the ones I marked.

I’ve been on a Booktube watching break and it’s interesting how many other things I get done and how much actual reading I get in! 🤣 I finished The Opt-Out Family and I must say it may be so far one of my favorite things I’ve read this year. I’m going to slowly go back through it, as I want to note ideas and passages better. Highly recommend! ♥️✨

Finished my reread! Love Miss Austen so much! This isn’t a favorite of hers for me, but the 2nd half was such a wonderful character study. ♥️✨

How was your week? ♥️😍🌿✨☕️🌻

Little Pockets ✨

August 5, 2026 amyofhearthridge2 Comments

Slowly catching my breath • little pockets of goodness • catching up with things and people needing attention • trying to press into the Lord’s peace~ ✨🌿☕️♥️

Monday Ponderings ♥️🌿✨ Baggins “core” (with a Side of Tookishness) Refresh Week

August 3, 2026August 3, 2026 amyofhearthridge3 Comments

Hello, Friends! 😁♥️✨🌿 We are on the other side of my daughter’s wedding! It was a lovely day. 🥰🥲♥️ I thought I’d do a cozy refresh this week before I dive full force into to my autumn planning for all my homeschool and other responsibilities. The house needs some deeper cleaning and organizing, but mostly, my younger children and I need some summer cozy and fun. I’d like to bring you along and share little bits here and there. 😍🥰☺️ What are you up to this week?

🥰🌿😍✨♥️

The Simple Woman’s Daybook ♥️🌿✨

July 29, 2026 amyofhearthridge3 Comments

I used to participate in this blog link up on my old blog YEARS ago! I don’t think it’s done officially anymore, but loved reading them, so unofficially joining here. My Wednesday Wonders post is inspired by this original one! Thank you to the original creator wherever you are! ♥️✨

FOR TODAY~
~Outside my window… it’s gorgeous! Less humidity, sunny and smells so summery!

~I am thinking…about the wedding in a few days! I’m thinking about time flying…😭♥️

I am thankful for…so many things! Today though, for my hubby who works so hard. He puts up with my crazy moods. 😭😆🤣☠️

From the kitchen…not much! It’s been so hot and busy, my cooking is uninspired currently. Brats, hotdogs and watermelon a lot these days. My aunt made delicious food during our visit and I helped by adding fruits and veggies. 🤣

I am creating…just been working on my reading journal a tiny bit. Looking forward to after the wedding to do some writing and penpal-ing.

I am going…nowhere really. 😆 My hubby and I may sneak out for a quick date tomorrow? Maybe get some BBQ and a salad?

I am wearing… blue jeans, black & white patterned button down short sleeve shirt, brown slide sandals, antique-looking cream teardrop stud earrings.

I am reading…a million and one things, but primarily, Sense & Sensibility.

I am hoping…that the wrinkles disappear from these wedding outfits I’m attempting to steam. 🤣🙃🤓

I am hearing…A/C gurgling and blowing.

Around the house…it’s quiet! Children are either working, getting nails done, on a picnic, etc! Hubby working. It’s actually strangely quiet.

One of my favorite things…TWO fat penpal letters in the post today!!! 😍♥️🌿✨

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week…steaming clothing, writing 3 minute speech, decorating, and getting myself plus two boys ready for wedding! 💒 Cooking in there, too! 😏

Here is a picture thought I am sharing for you…

Jane Austen July winding down… ✨♥️🌿🫖☕️

July 28, 2026 amyofhearthridge21 Comments

I have really enjoyed joining in with the annual appreciation of Miss Austen’s life and work by reading and watching various things by Austen or inspired by! I’m getting closer to finishing my reread of Sense & Sensibility. Lucy Steele is quickly becoming another all time villain in my book. Ha. I love Austen’s character studies! I’m still plugging away at Jane Austen’s Bookshelf. I identify with the author’s bookish love and really appreciate her personal stories of why and how she feels connected or on the flip side, uncomfortable with a book/author. I don’t love the modern spin author’s try to eke out of classic writers by trying to twist the little bit they know using their modern lenses. Romney sounds a touch whiny sometimes, but it’s at least limited to the hardships female authors had to face in the 18th century, which were true. She’s not, so far, trying to read into Austen or these other authors’s personal lives and make things up.

Overall, it’s a compelling read and I’m enjoying it.

Other things I read and did in honor were watch the 2020 BBC Emma adaptation. While I liked parts of it, unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite. I reread The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, which I really enjoy. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was a contemporary of Miss Austen’s.

I also read Sarah E. Ladd’s The Governess of Penwythe Hall, which was so enjoyable as a Regency-era story. Georgette Heyer Regency novels (love!) and Amish Pride & Prejudice (don’t really recommend! 🤣) by Ashley Emma rounded out my Austen-inspired reading. 📖 Sigh. ☕️🫖♥️🌿✨

Do you enjoy Austen? What is your favorite by her? ♥️🌿✨

Monday Ponderings at the Lake {Day 100} ✨♥️🌿

July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 amyofhearthridge4 Comments

A quick visit to my aunt and uncle’s home has been so peaceful and perfect before things pick up this weekend. Praying for a yielded and submissive heart to the Holy Spirit’s soft whispers. ✨♥️🌿🙏🏻 This ends my 100 Day Project, I didn’t quite do 100 days posting consecutively, but I really grew to love chatting and being purposeful about seeing my blessings. Hope to keep going here. How are you doing? ~

Sunday ✨♥️🌞 {Day 99}

July 26, 2026 amyofhearthridgeLeave a comment

For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.

I Corinthians 4:20, NLT

~ Happy Sunday and the last week of July. 😨😭🤓♥️✨🌿

Saturday Snaps 📸 + a Quote for Reflection {Day 98}

July 25, 2026 amyofhearthridge4 Comments

Miss Mason’s definition of an educated child both charms and challenges: “A child who possesses a sound and fairly wide knowledge of a number of subjects, all of which serve to interest him; such a child studies with delight.”

~ from Jack Beckman essay in When Children Love to Learn

Soaking up the sun 🌞 on these cooler days! ONE WEEK UNTIL WEDDING! ♥️😅🙏🏻

First ‘26-‘27 Homeschool Year Purchase {Day 97} ✏️✨♥️

July 24, 2026 amyofhearthridge9 Comments

I’m getting very excited as I begin homeschool planning! 😍 The past couple of years, I’ve purchased a School Nest planner/record keeper, but I just never use all the features, even in the Minimalist version. I love the options and beautiful covers, but I just decided to go back to my $10 Walmart Pen & Gear brand! I love the calendar at a glance and the big daily slots. That’s really all I need. These are my ‘brain’ and my record book.

I’m rereading this oldie, but goodie and it’s making me excited and refreshed as I pray about our learning!

I’m also going back through this little gem!

Are you getting excited about autumn 🍂 or are you still in summer mode? What do you do to prepare? Honestly, we are still in summer mode, but I love homeschooling and stationery and books, so it doesn’t take much for me to fall into this rabbit hole around August! 😅I felt a bit sad because I saw the Purple Lead Plant coming up and Sumac turning colors 😨 and it made me think of summer ending. I just love the seasonal shifts! ♥️✨Happy Friday!

Moment {Day 96}

July 23, 2026 amyofhearthridge7 Comments

Just took a moment to sit by local lake recently. ✨It was just what I needed. My four younger kiddos were playing on the playground and under the giant trees, so I just gazed at the clouds and lake. Don’t you just love the reflection? Prayed a little and took a deep breath! Read a little more in this library find. Not sure about the ostrich farm and dressmaker premise? 😅, but fun to try. Happy Thursday, friends.