Flashback Friday Reviews (3)

Happy Friday, readers!

I don't know if many of you have Monday off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr, but we do and I am looking forward to the three day weekend!

Book Review
Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio
Read January 2013

I had heard of Sarah Jio, but never read any of her works prior to reading Blackberry Winter. This book had been on my Kindle for a while, as it was a great sale on Amazon for the Kindle version. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like it much. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but soon I became increasingly entranced in the novel!

Blackberry Winter, set in 1933 and 2010 Seattle, tells of a young, poor mother, Vera Ray, and her search for her missing son. In 1933, Vera Ray goes to work one day, hoping to earn enough money for her and her son to live on, but comes home to an empty house. In 2010, Claire Aldridge, a newspaper reporter, covers the "Blackberry Winter" of 1933, right around the events of Vera Ray's life. The two, decades apart, become uniquely intertwined.

I was very impressed with the two stories Jio managed to weave into one. It was an entrancing tale I would definitely recommend!

Party Review
Last weekend I hosted a girl's night at my house for my coworkers. It's always so nice for us to get together outside of work; I had a blast! Nine of us were able to make it.

The theme was "cocoa bar". I asked the ladies to pair up and bring an appetizer, while I covered the beverages. I created a cute cocoa bar, and was impressed with the delicious appetizers everyone brought! We enjoyed crab wontons, a cheesy chicken dip, a s'mores dip, pasta salad, an artichoke and spinach dip, and more!

This is a picture of just the cocoa bar portion. I had cocoa, mint M&Ms, white chocolate chips, peppermint candies, marshmallows, and a variety of adult mix-ins! We also broke out a chocolate truffle martini mix from Harry & Davids--boy, was that delicious!

I work with such an awesome group of women, and really enjoy spending time with them inside and outside of work. I'm so grateful they all decided to come! I will definitely be hosting again!

Questions for my readers:

1. Did you set New Year's resolutions? If so, how are they going?
2. Have you ever hosted a "_____ bar" party? If so, what type of bar was it, and how did it go over for you?