Coming at you from my hospital bed and I’ve enlisted some help from AI as having coherent thoughts is a bit challenging right now. The next few days our focus is on books, both for the adults here and also those to share with the kids in our lives. Day 1: Have Books, Will Travel Well, this wasn’t exactly on my October bingo card. Apparently, breaking both ankles is one way to get out of doing the laundry. A bit extreme, perhaps, but here we are. Since my grand adventures are temporarily limited to wherever someone is willing to wheel me, I’ve decided it’s time for a different kind of adventure. The kind that doesn’t require shoes, a suitcase, or even leaving the couch. Books! For the next five days, we’re going to explore books for grown-ups. Because Connected Through Play isn’t just about what we do with the kids. Curiosity, imagination, and a little adventure belong to us, too. Today’s theme: Take Me Somewhere Else Some books transport us to another century. Others drop us into someone else’s life. And a few make us forget that we’ve been sitting in the same chair for three hours. Three fiction picks: 📖 The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Two sisters, occupied France, and extraordinary courage during World War II. Bring tissues. 📖 The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman Four retirees, a cold case, and the delightful discovery that growing older doesn’t mean behaving yourself. 📖 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune A wonderfully unusual orphanage, magical children, and a story about finding where you belong. Three nonfiction picks: 📖 The Wager by David Grann Shipwreck, mutiny, survival, and a true story so outrageous it could pass for fiction. 📖 The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Nine young men, one rowing team, and an extraordinary journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. 📖 The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker A fascinating look at why bringing people together matters and how we can make those moments more meaningful. A Little Book-Picking Wisdom

This weekend we all baked a cranberry walnut loaf for the Christmas holidays. This was the first time, I used a banneton and a clay baker like a Dutch oven to bake my boule bread. It is the very first time, I experimented and baked it in a vessel like this. The bread turned out super crunchy, very tasty and soft inside. I need to utilize it more to learn the pros and cons. The best part of the clay pot is it's very light and the base I can use to bake rolls on it. I am enjoying my new toys. 🍞 🥖 🥐

It's that lovely time of the season and can't believe how fast time has flew by. Christmas is around the corner again. Preparation of all my dried fruits are chopped and soaked for the holidays baking last week for Crust and Crumb Academy - future bake-alongs. It was a lot of chopping, but oh, so worth it. The smell was absolutely amazing with all the liquor. I know a lot of people frown when it comes to the Christmas cakes. The stores are dry like cardboard and if lucky to have a little liquor in it or not at all. It just does not do justice to it at all. We are marinating our fruits with the liquor and will be adding more after they are baked each week. This ensures more moisture and flavor added to that wonderful fruit cake. I am baking all 3 and planning to give them away as Christmas presents. 🎄 🎁 A lot of my Jamaican friends have already put an order for it. I will cut and share pieces with them all. I will be sharing freely and gift it to them all. Looking forward to all these wonderful bakes. 🎄 🎂 Feel free to comment, if you are a lover of fruit cake or not?🎄🥮

Wishing you all the very best for your surgery, Mary. We hope everything goes smoothly and that your recovery is gentle, comfortable and speedy. You’ve created such a supportive community for everyone else, so today it’s our turn to send some of that support back to you. 😊 Lots of love, positive vibes and healing thoughts coming your way. We’ll all be cheering you on. 💐💛

Hi Everyone, I wanted to let you know I’m going to be unavailable this week. When leaving my daughters after a lovely day, I add a little accident. I’m currently in a hospital waiting for a verdict from the ortho surgeon. Turns out I broke not one but two ankles. Sigh. I’ll find out later today when surgery will happen. My ask, can you each post a fresh post for the next few days. Could be a holiday tradition, a favorite game, or something you discovered in the classroom. Prayers, positive vibes, or a good joke gratefully welcomed.