I'm moving!

I'm very excited to say that I'm moving! Well...my blog is moving, I should say:) After much contemplation (and irritation with Blogger settings), I've created a page at WordPress. Many of my favorite blogs are on WP, and I've always found them very visually appealing, so I was curious to check out the features there. I went for a visit today, and was so impressed that I immediately created a page. I've been playing with it, and it's definitely a work in progress, but I wanted to go ahead and let you all know.

I hope you will come visit me at my new home and let me know what you think. What works, what doesn't....feel free to tell me!! I'll probably keep this page up for a bit, and then delete it totally, since I've already transferred all my posts.

Here's my new address:
www.overflowingbookshelf.wordpress.com.

Blogwarming gifts are welcome:)

Grateful Sunday

It's already arrived. Sunday has crept up on me again, making me wonder, "Where in the world did the weekend go???". *sigh* Another work week awaits, five more days until freedom. I like my job, truly I do, but lately I've just been soooo out of work mojo. I think it's a vacation after-effect. Just can't seem to get back in the swing of things. Now that I'm done whining, here's my list of things that I'm grateful for this beautiful Sunday afternoon:

1. My job. Regardless of the moaning I just did in the sentences before, I am very grateful that I have a job, and that I enjoy the people I work closely with each day. I've worked in jobs that I hated, and know how fully blessed I am to have landed where I have.

2. You've Got Mail- movie with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks- circa 1998 (OMG.. I just had to look up the release date, and I can't believe it's been out that long!!). I love love love this movie. Two of my favorite actors, set against the backdrop of the book business. It doesn't get much more perfect to me. Add in the fact that I adore Greg Kinnear, and I totally lust after the Meg's brownstone in the movie, it's a constant re-watch in my house. It always makes me long for autumn, twinkle lights and crisp, new books.

3. Sturdy garbage bags. Operation Simplify started this weekend and I already have three huge garbage bags of items for the thrift store. I even placed on our curb a large toy that Jalyn no longer wanted and it was gone within 15 minutes. YES! I've been taking pictures of the process, and hope to share them soon.

4. Restaurants that deliver. I'm craving some hot wings, and think I'm about to place an order. I wish grocery stores delivered. Wouldn't that be awesome!?? I hate hate hate, absolutely DESPISE, going to the grocery store. Is there a grocery shopping internet site that I just haven't stumbled across yet? If there was, it would be number one on my Grateful List.

5. WordPress. For a variety of reasons, I'm in the process of converting the OB over to WP. I'm having fun stumbling around trying to figure things out, and I hope that my readers here will happily follow me over there once it's complete. But I certainly have to figure out what I'm doing first, LOL! It's definitely different from Blogger--but so far, it seems to be a little easier. (I'm sure I'll take back that statement when I become stumped and started hassling people for help:))

I hope everyone else is having a good Sunday as well. Thanks for visiting the OB!

Simply Happy

“Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.”- Charles Dudley Warner

We've survived our first week back from vacation, and boy, was it a doozy. Not only did I have to tackle all the work waiting when I returned (in addition, of course, to this weeks work as well), but we had to get the kids ready to start back to school. You all know what that entails-- new clothes, new shoes, school supplies, haircuts, robbing a bank to pay for it all (I kid, I kid!). I had planned on doing this all the weekend before we left, but due to Jalyn coming down with strep, we were confined to the house and unable to take care of these chores. I'm proud to say that we made it-the kids got to school, my work got all caught up, and I'm still standing.

But if I must be honest, I am feeling very nostalgic. Bittersweet even. Sad, to an extent. I miss vacation. I miss the 24/7 with the ones I love, doing whatever we want to do. I miss watching my husband grill delicious food every night, never having to worry about what to make for dinner, or getting everyone into bed at a decent hour. I miss the way my kids were insanely happy to not only be doing fun things, but to be doing them with Mom and Dad. I know those days won't last forever, and I'm struggling daily to remember to live in the moment and enjoy them. When I tried to nail down in my brain why I've been feeling this way, one word jumped to the front of the pack, lit up like a theatre marquee, followed by many exclamation points:

SIMPLICITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vacation life was so simple. We had just enough clothes to get through the week. We had four plates, four cups, four sets of silverware. Two heavy blankets for each bed. Four bottles of water that we just kept

refilling. I think the only thing we had more than four of was towels. I was able to relax in this environment in a way that I haven't relaxed in a long, long while. I believe the last time I felt that way was during our honeymoon, when, you guessed it, we stayed at a cabin, where our lifestyle was very basic as well.

Although I like to consider myself an eternal optimist, I'm also a realist. I know that I can't escape responsibilities such as work, bills, school, etc. But I also know that I don't need all these possessions in my life to get me through the day. Every time I walk through our house, I just stall out. I get exhausted just thinking of everything that needs to be done. I can't even remember the last time I fully relaxed. What a sad thing to say about my own home. There's just too much. Too much paper. Too much furniture. Too many clothes everywhere. Too much...well... for lack of a better word, shit. The realist side of me fully comprehends that living in a home with two children is never going to be perfectly uncluttered or clean. But the older I get, the more my need for less clutter, aesthetically pleasing items, organization and calming scents increases.

In my search for help in obtaining this simplicity I crave, I ran across a wonderful blog called Zen Habits. THIS article in particular, Simple Living Manifesto, really spoke to me. It is chock full of wonderful ideas, many of which I plan to implement in an effort to get my life, my home, myself in order. To give myself, and my family, the gift of simplicity. Because I know, in the deepest depths of my being, that a little simplicity would go a looooong way to making me a better wife, a better mother, a better me.

What about you? Does anyone have any words of wisdom, nuggets of advice, pearls of ideas to share? And while I wait for your ideas, and contemplate my own, I'll stare at this photo and try to inspire myself to get off this computer and start simplifying!

Dear So and So....

My sweet bloggy friend Amanda--you can find her here at www.familyofshorts.blogspot.com (sorry, my stupid links aren't working again. I SO need a new computer). Anyway, Amanda has a wonderful weekly feature on her page called "Dear Someone" where you can write letters to anyone you feel may need a few choice words from you. Since I'm not smart enough to probably figure up how to link this onto her page to join the fun, I'm just going to go ahead and post it here, and then please make sure you visit her Family of Shorts. Trust me, it's well worth the click of your mouse!

Let the letters begin!!

Dear Jalyn, sweet daughter o'mine,

When you walk in the door after your first day of school, and say, "Mom, how was your day at work?", please don't get offended or frightened if I start to cry. Your kindness and thoughtfulness are just too much for me sometimes. Not to mention that I was almost unbearably proud of how compassionate you are.

Love always,
Mommy


Dear Jaxen, six year old supa stud o'mine,

Your hair is the bees knees today. But trust me, your mohawk won't fall down if I touch it. There's no need to pull away from me. It's called Hair GLUE for a reason, you know.

Love always,
Mommy


Dear Mrs. Mac_______, teacher whom I have yet to master the pronunciation and/or spelling of your name,
You can't possibly imagine how happy it made me to hear my son say, "My teacher is very, very nice. She has army men." You passed the coolness test of my son, and that's saying a lot. I know we are going to get along famously.

Thank you,
Jaxen's mom


Dear Lice,

Thank you SOOOO much for staying out of my daughter's hair so that she could get an adorable new haircut for school. I must admit, I was a nervous wreck when the lady at the salon started combing thru Sissy's hair. I kept expecting the "AAAHHH! No haircut today-- nasty bugs in her hair!!". I'm so grateful that you stayed away so that this did not happen.

Gratefully yours,
Mom of Lice-Free Children


DeAnna, soul sistah o' mine,

You always make me laugh with your embarassing stories. I can't wait till the next time you flip off a car that does NOT have your sister in it as you assumed, or the next time you rip out the ass of your pants while at work, surrounded by men, of course.

ROTFLMFAO,
Jess, whose abs are grateful for the work-out you give them


Whew. I feel better after getting those things off my chest. What about you? Is there anything you'd like to say to anyone? Come on... you know there is...

Wordless Wednesday: Well.. Kind of...

I know this is technically supposed to be a "wordless" Wednesday post, but there's just so much I have to say. I have a zillion blog ideas running around in my head, creating havoc and crowding the things that I really need to be thinking about. Like school starting tomorrow, whether or not I set the coffee pot correctly to auto brew at six (ACK!) in the morning, whether Jalyn's underwear are light enough to not show thru her new dress, whether I will be able to use the Funky Spiker gel correctly to get Jaxen's mohawk perfect in the morning without creating a goopy mess... well, you know, the Mom stuff that is always running through our heads. And now I'm also thinking about how long that sentence was. Hello, Jess....run on sentences are SO not cool!

That being said - I have a ton of vacation pics that I'd love to share with everyone (and likely will in the future, along with details of our wonderful trip), but for now, here are two of my favorites that I wanted to share on this not-so-Wordless Wednesday. The sun wreaked havoc on the lighting in them, but oh well... I still love 'em!





Hope everyone is having a great week & that all of you moms out there are surviving getting back into the school groove!

My Internal Overflowing Bookshelf

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.”- Paul Sweeney

I'm having such a hard time lately focusing on what I'm reading when I'm reading it. I don't mean that I'm easily distracted by the kids, or the television, or the fact that dinner needed to be made, oh say, two hours ago. It's more like my brain is thinking, "Hey... I know you're really enjoying this book, but could you please read a little faster. There are a lot of great books out there waiting for you!!" Now, I realize that my to-be read list is always pretty lengthy. Usually though I have no trouble prioritizing what I want to move to the top. At the moment, I appear to be having a little trouble with that:)

Here are the titles that are currently calling my name. Very loudly, I might add.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman : I stumbled into this book, literally, while at Borders this weekend. I was intrigued by the title and the cover, so I opened the flap and read this:

A thrilling and original coming of- age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world. Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he's still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York.

Well, hell. That just moved to the top of the list. I was proud of myself for not purchasing it right then.

Another titled that sucked me in by looking pretty on a display, this time at Waldenbooks, is The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Any plot that centers around a "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" is just too much for me to resist.

A few months ago, author Jen Lancaster posted her picks of summer reads. I should have known better than to read that list, because then I had to add both I'm Down by Mishna Wolff and At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream by Wade Rouse. I'm a sucker for a funny memoir and both of these appear to fit that criteria.

Not to mention that I'm also fixing to begin THIS and also THIS, both of which are fun little series.

*Sigh* No wonder I can't concentrate on the book at hand-- there's just too much bookish goodness out there waiting for me!! If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times....so many books, too little time. :) What are you guys reading these days?

More Than I Can Chew?

For those two, possibly three, of my readers who don't follow me on Facebook, and are thinking, "What in the world is this girl doing posting a blog? I thought she was going on vacation?", here's the update. My daughter has strep. We've decided to still go on the trip but are delaying our leaving by one day. The doctor said that after being on the antiobiotics for 24 hours, she should be feeling worlds better. So today is going to be a day of rest and rejuvenation (and a more leisurely packing pace for me, since I'm still not done:)). Now that that is out of the way...

I wanted to toss an idea out there that I have been contemplating. I'm thinking of starting a food blog. (I can hear your snickers from here!) Wait, wait! Let me lay out for you the reasons behind this idea and maybe you won't be laughing quite so hard... maybe.

First off, in prior posts I have referenced numerous times my inadequacy as a "housewife". Or at least what I feel to be inadequacy. I'm sure it could also be called laziness as well. When it comes to the kitchen though, a lot of my avoidance stems from the fact that I'm just not comfortable there. I grew up with a mother who was very obsessed with having a clean kitchen-- thus it was not a place where I was allowed to be. Which of course resulted in my having very little experience in the kitchen when I left home. I've always been able to follow a recipe, but if it contains ingredients I'm not familiar with, I steer clear our of fear. Not fear of taste-- I'm up for anything-- but more fear of not knowing how to cook with said ingredient. And I'm certainly not an adventurous being in the kitchen. My husband can look at what's in the cupboard and whip something up that resembles a meal, and often tastes pretty darn good. I have just never had that ability.

Secondly, my daughter has said for around two years now that she wants to be a "cooker" when she grows up. (Some things are just too cute to correct!!) She likes to be my helper in the kitchen, and I desperately want to encourage this behavior. (Not to mention that it will be great when she's big enough to start taking care of dinner:)) But I would like for her to be more of a natural in the kitchen environment than her mother is. Hamburger Helper is the shiznit, but I'd like to encourage a little "from scratch" cooking.

And lastly (although I could go on for days with the reasons I've created in my head), my poor family needs some good food. And what better way to force me into the kitchen than to document my successes - and failures, I'm sure - for you, my lovely readers. I fully recognize that there are a million fantastic food blogs out there, and I'm certainly not striving to be at their level. I simply want to make a mess with my kids and maybe eat a little better in the process.

So there you have it-- my grandiose idea:) What do you think? Would anyone be interested in following the adventures of "The Hall Cookers"? Simply put- I've never cooked a roast... not even in a Crock-Pot. I've never baked a pie. I've never cooked any type of fish. Raw meat scares me. And I think it's time to change that.

Now, off to stare at beautiful food and pick our first challenge. I think
THIS may be the one. I've been lusting after it for months.

At Least I Leave My Clothes On....

I've realized lately that I only tend to write when I'm happy. This bothers me to a certain extent, since I don't want anyone to ever think that I sugarcoat my life. I certainly don't want to be one of those mommy bloggers who writes nothing but glowing things about her family and her clean house and her perfect four course meals every night... well, you get the drift. So here's a snapshot of my reality:

My house is messy. All the time. That comes with two kids, I guess--I can't seem to conquer the clutter!! I don't cook every night. Hell, I probably only go to the grocery store once a month -I hate it THAT much, so we're lucky if there's even fresh milk in the fridge. I don't "fulfill my wifely duties" enough (according to my husband). I have difficulty being a consistent discipliner, if that's even a word. Sometimes I let the kids eat whatever the want in the morning, just as long as they'll get their butts out of bed. I wear the same things over and over cause I'm just too lazy to really care. I don't change the sheets every week like I should. (Argh.. I hate that word!!). See... I sound like a total sloth, don't I?

My life is certainly not a picture perfect world. But on the other side of the coin... .I often don't want to write when I'm not happy simply because I don't want to deal with whatever it is that is bothering me. Writing about it means that I will have to analyze it enough to get it out into words, and often that's just too much work. I'm a classic avoider. I avoid confrontation in any way that I can. When faced with a situation I don't want to deal with it, I would rather just go to bed. Not so productive/healthy, I know, but at least I can admit it. Admittance is the first step, right?

After reading numerous posts lately by bloggy friends dealing with this issue, I guess I just felt the need to say these things. I kept feeling this little guilty bubble pop up over my head, like in a cartoon, thinking "Are they talking about me??" Lord, I hope not. My life's not perfect, but it's mine. And I love it. Messy rooms and all. Hey... at least I don't do this:



Everyone's got standards, right??

For My Husband

Years ago, when we first started dating, I composed a list for Darrell of things that I loved about him. I've decided that today, our one year wedding anniversary, would be a might fine time to compose a new list. I'm sure that some of the things will remain the same (and I'm sure that some of them you just really wouldn't want to know:)). I'm also going to include some pictures of us throughout the years...always good for a smile;) This one's for you, baby!! Thus begins:

Darrell's List/ Why I Love You (circa 2002)

Because you make me laugh

Because you love me even with morning breath

Because you think I look like a bulldog when I wake

Because you actually like my cold hands and feet

Because you love your mama dearly

Because you take care of others unselfishly
Because you love kids and aren't afraid to hold them
Because you are kind to animals
Because you are a hard worker
Because you always smell good

Because you look so damn sexy playing pool
Because you can make my heart flip by simply looking at me
Because you can light up a whole room with your laugh
Because you will sing with me
Because you will lower the shower curtain to make me feel tall

Because you will help me move in the freezing cold
Because you don't care that I sweat more than a normal person
Because you have faith in me and my dreams

Darrell's List (circa 2009)

Because you are a loving, hand-on father who was never afraid to change a few diapers or be a stay-at-home dad

Because you will give the shirt of your back to help a friend in need

Because you make our children laugh till they cry

Because you will ask about what book I'm reading--when I know you really don't care:)

Because you rub my aching back, arms, legs, etc.

Because you spent this entire summer making our front yard nice and green

Because you work so hard to be able to spoil our kids & me (in a totally good spoil kind of way, lol)

Because you are passionate about many things

Because you get even more handsome with age (which is highly unfair, by the way)

Because you've learned how to comfort me- sometimes I don't need opinions or things to be fixed, just need someone to listen

Because you don't laugh or get frustrated when I play (bad) golf with you... you're just happy I'm there.

Hey... it's the little things, right? I love you, baby, kudos to us for making it through the first year! Here's to many more to come!

It's Finally Here!

Finally... my vacation time has arrived!! I am officially off work until the 17th. Can I get a woot woot??! We have quite a few things going on during this time that I'm really excited about. First up: my soul sistah Renea and I have back to back birthdays (she is Aug. 12 and I'm the 13th), so every year we celebrate by having a joint birthday shindig. Nae and her hubby bought a beautiful new home this past year, and they are graciously opening their doors to our scandalous friends to celebrate tomorrow night. Getting all our peeps in one location takes an act of God these days, so I'm SUPER thrilled that so many people will be able to make it.

Our bday party is also taking place on Darrell and my's one year anniversary. When I asked him if he cared if we went to the party (I was trying to be a good wife & make sure he had made no anniversary plans without my knowledge), of course, he replied, "Sweet!!" What he didn't speak aloud was his inner voice saying "Hot dog! This means I don't have to come up with any plans!!" LOL-- I love my man, but I also know his inner dialogues very well.

Next up we have school clothes & school supply shopping on Sunday. It's tax free weekend (I just realized that I don't know if it continues on Sunday...guess I should check into that:)). Need to get the kids haircuts done that day as well. Ok....so to be honest, I'm not looking forward to fighting the crowds and I'm really not much of a shopper, but I am going to enjoying picking out super cute outfits for my adorable children.

Monday morning I have to take Jalyn in for some five year old shots so that she'll be all current before starting kindergarten. That will definitely be the low point of the vacation week, but she has assured me that she'll be tough. After that's all taken care of... off we go!!! We're going to head to northern OK and spend the night in my husband's hometown and visit with his family that we don't get to see very often. Come Tuesday, we're headed for Robbers Cave State Park (also in Oklahoma) to stay in a rented cabin until Friday. My birthday actually falls on Thursday, so I'm excited about being in a spectacular & fun locale with the whole family. We check out on Friday, and then are thinking about heading into Ft. Smith and seeing what's shaking in the big Arkansas town, LOL! Then likely back to the hometown area to spend some more time there...likely enjoying the 100 acres & spring fed creeks that hubby's aunt and uncle own.

But my favorite part of this entire week is likely going to be when we pull into the park at the cabin. The kids don't even know we're going on vacation- much less that we're going to be staying some "cool" :) They are going to go CRAZY!!! And that, of course,is what it's all about.

Wordless Wednesday: Where We'll Be Next Week

Out of the Mouths of Babes (Part II)

So --- my daughter comes up to me last night, put her hands on her hips and says (and I quote):

"Hush, girl, shut your lips... do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips."

Anyone recognize this?? Yes indeedy-- my daughter was quoting a song whose chorus is "Don't Trust a Ho".

Niiiiiice.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. After all- we ARE pretty gangsta.

Oh wait. That's me. My bad, homie.

Grateful Sunday

After my totally self-indulgent post yesterday, I thought it would serve me well to put myself in check and list things I'm grateful for on this Sunday. Thus begins the perspective:

1. I'm glad Jalyn is feeling better. She spent the majority of today throwing up (obviously had the same thing that Jaxen was plagued with last night), but as of about seven p.m., she bounced back to her normal self. Fed her a light dinner and it seems to be staying put. Thank God!

2. Farkle. I've resisted playing Farkle on Facebook for some time now, simply because I knew I would love it. I'm a huge Yahtzee fan, and Farkle has many similarities. But today I broke down and gave it a whirl. I lost some hours of my life that I'll never be able to get back... but that's okay. I had fun and so did the kids. They enjoy playing it as well, so I don't feel quite as guilty sitting with my laptop all day:)

3. My Dad. I'm such a Daddy's girl, and as soon as he read my post from yesterday, he called to check on me and cheer me up. (Sorry I couldn't chat longer, Dad, the kids have a problem with me talking on the phone. They don't like it when they don't have my undivided attention, LOL).

4. My new lime green nail polish. I know, I know... I'm such a dork. But you all know how much I love my green and it just makes me smile when I look at it:) And as an added bonus, I haven't been biting my nails! The only time during my life when I didn't bite my nails was when I had braces and literally couldn't do it. But as soon as I raise my nails to my mouth, I see the bright green and it triggers a little alarm bell in my head-- resist the temptation!!

5. Wasabi & Soy Sauce Almonds by Blue Diamond. I've been avoiding these at the quick-stop for the same reason I've been avoiding Farkle- I knew I would get addicted. But I broke down last night and tried some, and Lord have mercy, are they good! Almonds are my favorite nut (also my snack of choice if given the option), so when you add a little kick to them as well-- match made in heaven if you ask me.

So there it is. Just a few things that are making me happy today. Hey, it's the little things, right??

Great Expectations

Disclaimer: I'm feeling really sorry for myself today. So let me preface this post by saying that whining, bitching and moping are about to occur, so if any of these offend you, you probably want to leave before reading any further. That being said...

There is very little that displeases me more than my expectations not being met, for things to not go as I plan (in my head). I had such high hopes for this weekend-- I was looking forward to enjoying some fun times with the kids & hubby, doing some swimming, seeing some friend-- just relaxing in general. I should have known better.

Driving home Friday evening, my phone just totally dies. It was fully charged, so I'm assuming it's a battery problem. I've never been one that cares about having a top of the line phone, or whatever new thing is popular. I just want something that I can take pictures with and text easily. I've had my phone for three years, problem free, so it has served me well. I bundle up the kids and go over to my local T-Mobile store, stand in the tiniest space ever (full of about fifteen people--seriously, you couldn't even move), with two kids mind you, for an hour-- and then they tell me that the can't give me the advertised price. Apparently, you only qualify for a decent price on a phone if you're a new customer. They could care less if you are an longtime customer who pays their bill on time, and has never even had an upgrade. I had found a phone that I truly loved and was actually excited about, but I refused to write a check that was almost the equivalent of a car payment for a phone. Thus began the weekend.

Cuddled up in bed last night with my baby girl, giving her a back rub when she starts complaining that her head itches. And there it is again...the lice that we just dealt with a month or so ago. Are you f'ing kidding me?? I gave her a bath Thursday night, there was nothing there, and then she comes home from daycare on Friday with this shit again. Don't get me wrong... I don't blame the daycare in any way. I know that this is an unavoidable problem when you get that many kids in one location. But I DO blame some parent who is obviously continuously sending their child to daycare when they should have them at home treating them!! Thus began another weekend totally shot to hell spent disinfecting and washing every item of fabric in the house and giving both kids RID treatments. Jaxen hasn't been hit with it, but I see no sense in not treating him at the same time, just in case.

Wake up in the middle of the night with a lovely monthly visitor. I have such painful cycles that I knew this pretty much meant I was out of commission today. And I was right. I've hurt like crazy all day-- which always annoys Jr. to no end and makes him all short tempered and irritated with me. He doesn't understand it all of course, because he's ... well... a man. Kind of like trying to make them understand what labor pains feel like. He still thinks they were all in my head. (I'll just pause here for a moment while every female reading this gets angry over that statement.)

We sit down to dinner tonight and Jaxen was whining about the fact that we're having spaghetti for dinner, saying that it hurts his stomach. I have no idea where this began. He used to love spaghetti. So of course Jr. is telling him to just eat his damn food, when Jaxen starts to gag. Jr. thought he was faking and tells him he better not even think about acting like he's gagging on the dinner I've made. Well, when J-Bo got up and ran to the restroom, I knew we were in trouble. He didn't even make it. Threw up all over the hallway and the bathroom. Obviously, he really didn't feel good, and then I felt like crap for not believing him.

I just feel like crying. I'm not normally a crying type of person--it usually only happens when I'm really tired and/or frustrated, but I can feel the waterworks coming on. I am feeling crampy, bloated, irritated, like things are totally out of my control. *sigh* Damn those expectations that didn't get met.

Wordy Wednesday: Summer Books of 2009

Since I've already contributed my Wordless Wednesday post for the day, I thought I would now share a Wordy Wednesday post. I have been reading a LOT lately... I mean, really, what else is there to do when it's so godforsaken hot that you sweat just sitting still? In front of a fan? With no clothes on?

I won't bore you all with lengthy reviews of all the titles I've devoured lately ( at least I'll try not to... I tend to get a little, well, wordy when talking books,, LOL!). I thought I would just do a quick little bulletpoint list and share a few brief thoughts and opinions of each.

Let's the bookishness begin!

• Austenland by Shannon Hale: I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I have never even read Pride & Prejudice (or any other of Jane Austen's works). I've just never felt that compulsion, which is odd, since I do rather enjoy an occasional historical romance, and P&P has oft been touted as the best one ever. I have a friend who absolutely adores all things Austen, so I thought I would read this one, based on her high recommendation. I'm pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed. A very small book, which I easily read in two evenings of leisure on the porch, I was especially happy with the ending. And I'm now not only looking forward to Shannon Hale's newest release, The Actor and the Housewife, but I'm also contemplating diving into P&P!
• Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner: I first encountered this book probably a year and a half ago while browsing at Borders, but totally forgot to ever check and see if the library had it in stock. This past Monday I went to my favorite new place on earth (Half Price Books) and stumbled across it there for a mere $2.00. Knowing that I was going to be spending a couple hours waiting on hubby to go thru surgery the next morning, I went ahead and picked it up. And if I must be honest, I haven't put it down since. Except to go to work today. And even that was painful. I desperately wanted to be reading, which to me, is a sign that I am truly enjoying a book. Light-hearted, but still well written, Julie Kenner has taken a genre of books that seems to be really overdone these days and done the unexpected-- made it fresh & fun. I highly recommended this one, and can't wait to read the next installment in the series.
• With a Twist by Deirdre Martin: The first in her new Wild Hart saga, I loved how it combined food & romance. Two of my favorite things. I discovered Deirdre Martin a few months ago by reading a recommendation of another series of hers on Sassymonkey Reads. Looking forward to the next in this series as well.
• Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl: Simply put, I adore Ruth Reichl. I want to be her when I grow up. A huge thank you to my best friend Heather for giving me a RR book for Christmas many years ago, or else I would have likely never encountered the greatness that is Ruth's food writing. This small volume (and I literally mean small, it is tiny) was not what I expected. It veers very far away from her normal writing, and is instead a tribute to her mother. A beautiful, moving tribute to a mother that she strived her entire life to be nothing like-- I can't imagine a single woman reading this and not being struck with the urgent need to call their own mother and thank them for all their sacrifices.
• The Bookman's Promise by John Dunning: If you have not read the Cliff Janeway novels by John Dunning--- go. Go RIGHT now and buy Booked to Die, the first in the series. Set in the world of antiquarian and collectible books, they are a must for any lover of books. Add an insanely well written mystery plot line, and John Dunning can do no wrong. I'm currently re-reading the series, although I can find no hints or clues anywhere that a new one is in the works:( Boo.

Whew. There it is -- a brief sampling of what I've been up to... when I've not been blogging. Or cleaning. Or balancing my checkbook. (You get the drift:)). So now... what about you? I'd love to hear what you've been reading!

Wordless Wednesday

And yes. He is asleep.

Priceless

Cost of undergrad degree: $30,000.

Cost of medical school: $100,000.

Knowing that your dr. needs to write this on your knee, so they don't "accidentally" operate in the wrong place: Priceless.

I'm Melting!!

I keep getting on here and starting a post...and then never finishing. I'm going to blame it on the heat. It's totally sucking the life out of me!! I can't even remember the last time it was under 100 degrees. The new forecast is that we may hit the 90s sometime next week. And I find it so incredibly sad that I'm excited about that!!!



And in closing, I thought I'd give you all a giggle for the day.

This is what I normally look like:


Here I am with the big sunburn circa '09- Courtesy of Lake Draper, OKC, OK.


But at least it's faded into this... I don't look quite so much like a tomato. *And yes, I'm rocking a nametag. Don't be jealous.*

Grateful Sunday

Five Things I'm Grateful for on this Sunday:

1. Cool summer evenings. We had a torrential downpour yesterday (yes, it resulted in the cancelling of most of our local fireworks shows. But no fear...they plan to release them next Friday, LOL. How's that for... Happy Tenth of July!), so today has been relatively cool compared to the last week. I'm enjoying sitting on the porch and NOT having sweat roll down my back. Ahhh.. it's the little things in life.

2. 7-layer bean dip. My sis-in-law made a delicious dish of it for yesterday's festivities and my belly is still doing a happy dance. The only thing she should do differently next year is MAKE MORE!!:)

3. Funny pronunciations of words by my kids. My husband has been trying to teach my six year old son how to say dwarf (sidenote: there is a dwarf as a character on a video game they are playing- that's where that came from). Jaxen is having difficulty putting the d and the w sounds together so he's going around saying "dorf". Hehehehe....

4. Restraint. Right at this EXACT moment in time, I'm grateful for my ability to hold my tongue when my husband acts like an a**.

5. My bed. It's calling my name, and I can't wait to jump in it!

Happy (Belated) Fourth to everyone! Hope you had a wonderful holiday... and got to see some fireworks:)

Random Thoughts Tuesday

It's that time again!! Let the randomness begin!

• I'm typing this as I sit on the front porch watching the clouds roll in. YEAH for rain! Last week was in the 100's almost every day, so this rain is much much hoped for. Darrell has been planting grass in our front yard so we need some rain to help the little sprouts grow too. You should see the little jig he does everytime he sees new sprouts on the ground. It's hysterical!

Speaking of Darrell, he's going to be having orthoscopic knee surgery in two weeks. It is anticipated that he will not be released to work for 8 weeks. Wow. That's a long time. Thank goodness he'll be getting paid a large percentage of his weekly pay while he's off work. I'm kind of glad that I have to go to work during that time, or we'd probably drive each other crazy, LOL!

This past Sunday we went out on the boat with a bunch of friends and family. Good good times, but I seriously look like a lobster. Still. When we got home from the lake, we walked into a hot, still house and immediately looked at each other and said, "Shit! There's no air!". The ac had gone out, so we all spent a lovely Sunday night already burning up from our sunburns, but also from having no ac. I took off work on Monday to deal with the situation, and luckily found a local company who came out right away. They had to replace the blower motor, which set me back a pretty penny, but it certainly could have been worse.

Since today was my first day for my work peeps to see my lovely red skin tone, I tried to refrain from being a smart ass. But by about the fifth time someone said, "Someone got some sun!", I had to really bite my tongue to not say, "Nope, it's just a new shade of paint I'm trying out. Wanted to see if I liked it before I painted the whole house. Here's your sign!" :)

I'm really happy these days. We've been going through some struggles in our marriage lately, but as of right now, I'm feeling pretty good about things. A lot of that may be chalked up to the fact that my hubby is currently in the kitchen whipping up some dinner. A man in the kitchen always makes me happy:)

I hope everyone else is having a good week as well. And if I don't get a chance to post again before this weekend... have a wonderful Fourth of July!