I am sitting here with a smile on my face …a heart bursting with happiness and pride and it is all because my special friend KariAnne from the infamous Thistlewood Farms has seen her dreams come to fruition! She has written a book that will make you smile…laugh…cry…”feel” and so much more. As you turn the pages there are times you are wondering if she is talking about you! All of her words are so relatable to each one of us and laced with humor. The book is called “So Close To Amazing” but don’t let the title fool you…this book is Amazing and so is Kari!
I feel especially honored because I had a sneak peek into the books process. Kari even read a chapter to me before anyone had heard it! Hearing the excitement in her voice each time she took another step to the culmination of this masterpiece warmed my heart. She is a master story teller …you know this if you are a follower of her blog! Be assured her endless talent of spinning the perfect yarn is present in every word of this book!
Come and take the big JUMP with KariAnne and her fabulous family as they go from a “big city” to the country. Experience the excitement…the obstacles…the joys…the tears…the fears…the laughter…the heart that makes the pages come alive. She has a talent for making YOU feel as though you are amazing and sometimes…let’s face it…we all need that.
I have been so close to amazing in my life all too many time. Like the time I made an entire Thanksgiving Dinner and had to transport it to my cousins home which was only 5 blocks away. I loaded all the yumminess into the hatchback car…dish by dish …kind of feeling all about myself (I was really young) and set off to take that 5 block journey. Well on the way Mr. Squirrel decided to run in front of me and anyone that knows me…knows exactly what I did…I swerved and slammed on my breaks… as Mr. Squirrel was happily climbing the tree on the other side of the road I got out of my car to see that I didn’t close the hatchback and my beautiful dinner was smashed on the road! So close to amazing! Thank God I decided to keep some of the food for leftovers at home and then a little trip to the grocery store saved Thanksgiving! Like KariAnne would say…Total Aside…after this incident I started preparing 2 loaves of peanut butter sandwiches every morning for my squirrel friends. I wonder if that was his plan all along!
This beautiful illustration was created by a wonderful Etsy Seller you can see her creations right here.
Then there was the time I was in Art School and was almost finished with a pen and ink stippling piece that was pretty awesome…every dot was exactly where I wanted it and there were literally 10’s of thousands of them…well I was ready to finish what I thought was my best piece ever…so I picked up that pen…loaded it with ink and proceeded to put the finishing touch on it only I forgot to move the ink back and…you guessed it…I spilled the ink ALL over the piece…SO CLOSE to Amazing for sure! By the way…there was no bringing it back!
Oh yes…then there was the time I made this “special” bread that took so long to prepare and placed it in the oven. Then I started to smell something and it wasn’t good! The smoke came pouring out of the oven… OF COURSE the smoke alarm goes off and I was besides myself…I open up the door to find out that I had forgotten one of the plastic containers I thought I had removed and it is was melting and dripping all over the oven and the bread! SOOOOO close!
KariAnne’s stories are filled with humor that you will find refreshing and fun. You will even get a little DIY Project surprise at the end of each Chapter and we ALL love a good little DIY right! I know that you will also want to share this book with all of your friends and of course family…the minute they hold this pretty present and unwrap all of these stories the circle of sharing will continue.
So I suggest you grab a comfy blanket…pick out your favorite place to relax and don’t forget to bring a large cup of your favorite brew and if it is nighttime when the house is quiet…Might I recommend a smooth Merlot or Chablis : ) and then open this book up and enjoy your little escape. Oh…and don’t forget to read the beautiful Dedication to Kari’s Father…it will make you feel just about every emotion a person can feel. Then check out the next page of thank you’s …and yes…that Andrea in there is me…I mean what an honor…I just love her and seeing my name there did make me feel Amazing. It’s been a very tough year for me so far dealing with the rare hereditary heart disease I have but through it all…KariAnne lifted me and she always makes me feel like I am amazing! Thank you for being you.
You can get your copy right here (no affiliate link) I have the link hooked up to my Smile Account on Amazon so the donation will be made automatically to Almost Home Dachshund Rescue where they do AMAZING things for our furry friends.
GIVEAWAY
All you have to do to enter the GiveAway which is a signed copy of
SO CLOSE TO AMAZING is to leave a fun comment!
You can get a copy of this fabulous book for yourself…family and friends…it is truly a perfect gift!
SO CLOSE TO AMAZING
available here!
Now it is time for a collection of AMAZING Free Printables. All you have to do is click on the print size you would like 8X10 or 5X7…”save as” and then print…it is that simple! Add a little bit of Amazing to your life!
If you missed the first set of So Close To Amazing Free Printables…you can those right here!
Now as an extra treat…let’s take a quick tour through KariAnne’s amazing Farmhouse!
Welcome To Thistlewood Farms
Come inside…
have a seat in the Family Room where comfort and charm is every where…
the mantel is ready for Fall…
let’s continue on…
come enjoy a lovely cup of coffee and some goodies at the Dining room table…by the way…how amazing is that floor…
perfect pumpkins and touches of Fall…
the gorgeous Farmhouse Kitchen could not be more fabulous…
a cozy Kitchen Corner…
there is even a Butler’s Pantry…
if there was a Nautical Farmhouse Style…this would be the definition of Beachy Perfection…
even the details like this Driftwood Wreath make you feel a cool ocean breeze…
step into the Porch where you can enjoy a ice cold glass of Sweet Tea…
Be sure to stop by Thistlewood Farms for a tour of the Bedrooms and so much more. Thistlewood is a Farmhouse Treasure.
Colleen says
Just started to follow you and love the pictures of your farmhouse. I grew up visiting my grandparents on their farm in Minnesota. Brings back a little of good memories seeing your beautiful home. Colleen
Andrea says
Hi there Colleen. So happy you enjoyed Kari’s Farmhouse…it truly is amazing! You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Susan says
I worked at a dentrue clinic and on Thursdays, the finishing touches were put on and people came in for a final fitting. We were sitting at the workbench, with masks over our noses, and eye protection. I was holding a partial, a smaller denture, in front of the intake pipe, which sucked up the plastic shavings and debris as we were fine tuning and polishing the dentures we had been working on all week.The pull of the intake pipe grabbed the partial I was holding and bang, bang, it went careening into the tube and into the motor that ran the machine. Crunch, crunch! I looked at my coworker with HUGE eyes and she burst out laughing, and frankly, I am sure I looked just like a cartoon character whose eyes bugged out. We turned off the intake and fished out what was left of the partial. The customer was called, apologies were made and I managed to survive a very embarrasing incident.. One of those stories…hard to go through, but funny in the retelling.l
Martha says
This made me giggle, OUT loud!
Andrea says
Giggling is a GOOD THING Martha lol!!! You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Andrea says
Susan…I am sure it was difficult to go through…but you sure cracked me up : ) LOVE it and thank you so much for sharing!!! You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Sherri M says
You describe the book so well! Looks amazing…
Andrea says
Oh Sherri…my description does not do justice to this book of heartwarming experiences told with such humor! You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Vickie says
Love the farmhouse tour! Beautiful home and decorated so nicely. Book does sound amazing!! Will look for it next time at book store.
Andrea says
Hi there Vickie…I am sure you will love the book!!! Isn’t her home “amazing”! You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Judy C says
We have a five year old autistic foster daughter. We fell in love with her before she was officially diagnosed. While our life is some times turmoil and chaotic, she has given us an amazing life!! And a new learning curve. I’ve been a mother
for 38 years, and am still learning! Your book sounds amazing!!
Andrea says
Hi Judy…thank you so much for the story and I am so glad that you all found each other. Your life will continue to be totally amazing with each and every day you spend with your daughter! The world needs more people like you!… You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
KariAnne Wood says
Thank you SO much for the wonderful post! Love your stories—so happy Mr. Squirrel is getting fed. 🙂
And thank you for sharing my tour, too!
You are AMAZING! Not even so close. 🙂
karianne
Andrea says
Mr. Squirrel and all the Squirrels in the neighborhood are still benefiting each and every day with fresh peanut butter sandwiches! Sending HUGS and Love your way!
Maria says
What an awesome giveaway!! Would love to read the book!!
Martha says
Conversation with a 4 year old:
4yr old: YiaYiaPoppy, Did you know, you have a bone in your skull that keeps your eyes from falling out?
Yia Yia & Poppy: Wow, you are smart, tell us more.
4 yr. old: Okay……. And you have bones in your legs. Wanna watch me dance?
Wow… Awesome farmhouse tour! Beautiful simply Beautiful. Thank you for offering the giveaway as well.
Andrea says
Hi there Martha! Thanks for the SMILE!!!! Out of the mouths of babes : ) So happy you enjoyed the post : ) You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Kimmy says
This book looks fantastic and I sure would love to kick back on my couch and spend the day reading it.
Andrea says
Hi there Kimmmy. It is a fabulous book and a great way to spend an afternoon : ) You take care now…sending tons of hugs and wishes for a wonderful day.
Katherines Corner says
It has been so fun participating in this with you and the other lovelies. Biggest hugs! P.S. thank you for the printables, pinned!
Laura S says
Thank you so much for sharing this book! Right now I’m making-trying to make-a doll for my daughter, I am really hopeful it will turn out well, there are definitely quite a few cute things about it right now, I finally just figured out how I am going to make her hair! Wish me well!! I was trying earlier and when I sewed her together it was a total flop, her cuteness morphed into an alien shaped head and it just didn’t work, so hopefully I have the kinks all worked out!
Diane Anna says
Love your site, and this books looks Amazing! I’m thinking that it would make some really good Christmas gifts. Thanks for letting us know about this book.
Amy Lindsay says
I LOVE this blog! The printables are amazing, have already used them to make a “Ciao Bella” banner for a friend’s going away party and printed a few of the artwork pieces to frame for my daughter and son’s rooms.
I enjoyed this book review and can’t wait to read it myself! Your stories of “so close to amazing” moments reminded me of the time I was baking lemon bars to impress my husband (then-boyfriend) and his family, we were all in the kitchen chatting when the timer went off for the oven; I opened the door and felt so proud of the beautiful dessert I had made for everyone. However, when I pulled the pan out of the oven it slipped and fell all over the oven door and floor–so close to amazing! Although I didn’t impress my husband’s family with my amateur baking skills, they were quite impressed I kept my composure.