This week's theme for the Photo Hunt is sweet. While my best girl doesn't always act as sweetly as she should, her eyes are always a sweet sight to me!

Labels: My Best Girl, Photography

This is the Fourth of July edition of Favorite Ingredients Friday. I am sharing a recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Salad. It is one of my favorites, and it is a cool dish for a hot day. Since our July 4th is usually in the 90s and very humid, a cool dish is perfect! Also, the finished product is red and white, so the colors fit with the holiday as well.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
2 c. crushed pretzels
3 T. sugar
1 stick melted butter
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 c. sugar
1 large box of strawberry Jello
2 c. hot water
16 oz. frozen strawberries

Preheat the oven to 350.
Mix pretzels, 3 T. sugar, and butter; spread onto the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Bake this mixture for 8 minutes; cool completely.
Beat together cream cheese and 1 c. sugar until sugar is dissolved; fold in Cool-Whip.
Spread this mixture onto the cooled crust.
Refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes.
Dissolve jello in 2 c. hot water. Let cool.
Add strawberries, and pour over cheese mixture.
Refrigerate at least four hours before serving.

Enjoy! For more recipes, visit Overwhelmed with Joy. Happy Fourth of July!

Labels: Recipes

For the past several years, Dad has travelled to Chattanooga on a regular basis. The kids and I have tagged along at least twice each year. There are so many fun things for families to do there; we always have a great time. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Dad will no longer be working in Chattanooga, so the kids and I accompanied him on his last visit.


When we arrived on Monday, we just played around at the hotel. Tuesday morning we woke up ready for fun. We have visited many attractions in Chattanooga (e.g., Rock City, Lake Winnie, the Aquarium), but our favorite place for fun is the Creative Discovery Museum. We always spend one of our days there. My best girl enjoys playing in the water exhibit, and my favorite boy enjoys everything. On this visit, we did not stay in our usual hotel right next door to the museum, so we also rode the free shuttle. This was fun as well.

On Wednesday, we headed to Coolidge Park. They have a fun merry-go-round and some great fountains for cooling off on a summer day. The kids loved that the stone animals sprayed water out of their mouths.

After spending some time in the water, we went back to the hotel to pack up our things. We had a few hours before it was time to pick up Dad, so we headed to Ruby Falls. My favorite boy loved learning about how the falls was discovered (there was an informational video at the beginning of the tour). We descended into the earth on an elevator, and then walked about a half of a mile to the falls. In the picture below, my best girl is touching one of the formations. This is one of the only times during the tour that I wasn't holding her. I carried her for the entire mile walk in the cave, and my arms are sure sore today! I don't know why she didn't want to walk, but I am sure if I had needed to hold her she would have wanted to walk without help. I guess that's typical for age two, right?



After our trip to the falls and back, we went up to the observation tower. Ruby Falls is on Lookout Mountain, so we had a great view of the Tennessee River and Chattanooga.




We enjoyed our last visit to Chattanooga (I'm sure we'll go back just for fun at some point); now we are home. With the exception of a few hours, I have been gone since last Friday, so I am happy to be here. Of course, now it's laundry time! I hope you are having a wonderful Thursday!

Labels: Fun, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy

I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I had a wonderful weekend in Albuquerque with my brother, sister-in-law, my nephew, and my niece. My mom was even there for the tail end of my brief visit. I got home Sunday night around 10:30, and then the kids and I packed up Monday morning to travel to Chattanooga with Dad. Dad works in Chattanooga every now and then, and the kids and I tag along a few times a year. We do have internet access in our room, but I have to wait until nighttime to use Dad's laptop. So, I will not be able to visit and comment as usual until we return home Wednesday.

Here are a few pics from my trip. The first two are of my niece (yes, that's me in the first one). She was under 5 pounds at birth, and she is now a whopping 7 1/2 pounds. It is so funny to think that my best girl weighed about 7 1/2 pounds at birth, and my niece is 6 weeks old! I did have a special moment with her; I was holding her during church on Sunday morning, and she grinned at me. It was her first big smile, and I was so excited. Since I won't be able to see her often, I was glad to experience that.

Labels: Family and Friends

Labels: Children's Books

I am leaving this afternoon to go and visit my new niece (born in May) and my nephew (born last May) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will also get to see my brother and his wonderful wife as well; but you know, they are way down on the totem pole. :) Did I mention I am going ALONE? I am actually looking forward to the long flight and the hours in the airports. I plan to read without any interruptions and eat without having to clean up messes. I will return late Sunday evening refreshed and ready to be with my precious children 24/7 (yes, I will miss them a lot). I will not be able to participate in Photo Hunters and Weekend Reflection, but I will be back Monday. Special thanks to Grandma! Although Dad will be here, he has enlisted Grandma's help for the weekend. I appreciate her willingness to help. She may be ready for a vacation after being with her grandkids for two days! :)


Have a great weekend!

Labels: Family and Friends

Labels: Fun

It's officially summer, and that means today is the final wrap-up for the Spring Reading Thing. Katrina asked all the participants to write a final post on our blogs. She also gave some questions to guide our thoughts. First, I will share my list, and then I will answer some of Katrina's questions.



Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson
The Innocent Man by John Grisham (click for review)
Ordinary Days: Family Life in a Farmhouse by Dorcas Smucker (click for review)
1776 by David McCullough

Fiction:
Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers
Love’s Unfolding Dream by Janette Oke
Love Takes Wingby Janette Oke
Love Finds a Home by Janette Oke
Forever by Karen Kingsbury
The Secret Life of Becky Miller by Sharon Hinck (click for review)
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (click for review)
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

Books I Reread:
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Bible Study:
Living with Discernment in the End Times: I Peter, II Peter, and Jude by Kay Arthur

Read-Aloud with My Favorite Boy (age 5):
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

Books Added after Beginning the Challenge:
Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs (click for review)
Chocolate Beach by Julie Carobini (click for review)
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

What was the best book you read this spring?
Out of all the books I read, I would have to say I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, Echo in the Darkness, and Thorn in My Heart the most. Nineteen Minutes and The Double Bind were very well written and certainly page-turners, but they were both disturbing as well.

What book could you have done without?
At Home in Mitford was my least favorite. I liked the characters, but the plot was too slow for me.

Did you try out a new author this spring? If so, which one, and will you be reading that author again?
I had never read any of Jane Austen's books. After enjoying P&P, I have Sense and Sensibility on my table ready to go!

If there were books you didn't finish, tell us why. Did you run out of time? Realize those books weren't worth it?
The only book I didn't finish was Mr. Popper's Penguins. I still plan to read it with my son.

Did you come across a book or two on other participants' lists that you're planning to add to your own to-be-read pile? Which ones?
I did add The Memory Keeper's Daughter to my list after I saw it on others' lists. The book was well written, but a little depressing to me. I have added several other authors and titles to my reading list after seeing them on Spring Reading Thing lists, but there are too many to mention!

What did you learn -- about anything -- through this challenge? I learned that it is worth it to try books you are not sure you will like. I didn't expect to enjoy a classic book as much as the others, but Pride and Prejudice ending up being one of my favorites. Also, I would never have read The Innocent Man or 1776 if I hadn't challenged myself to do so, and they were both excellent non-fiction reads.

What was the best part of the Spring Reading Thing?
My favorite part of the Spring Reading Thing was being able to see what everyone else is reading. I also enjoyed the reviews that were posted throughout the challenge.

Would you be interested in participating in another reading challenge this fall?
Absolutely!

My thanks to Katrina for hosting this challenge. I look forward to reading the other participants' summaries to find out what books were favorties of my fellow bloggers. I am always ready for reading suggestions! To view these summaries, visit Callapidder Days.

Happy Summer!

Labels: Books

For more WW, click here.

Labels: My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy, Wordless Wednesday

In February, Jennifer at Snapshot hosted the Read to Me Challenge. Jennifer has a new idea to help us read with our kids in the summer months. She is calling it Read Together.

Read Together is for anyone, but Jennifer is encouraging parents of school-aged children, especially older children, to take the opportunity to share a book as a partnership or with the whole family. You could read the book together and discuss it as you read, or you could read independently and talk about it at the end of chapters or the end of the book.

Be sure to head over to Snapshot to see all the details. There will be a Mr. Linky on Monday for those who choose to participate. For those who appreciate extra incentive, you will be happy to know there are prizes involved! Also, if you are not sure what to read, Jennifer offers suggestions here.

I hope you will head over to Snapshot to check this out. Reading with our children is such a precious opportunity. Happy Reading!

Labels: Children's Books

On Saturday, I found something very special in my mailbox. The code for the six free months of Netflix that I won from Nan's contest arrived in a nice big envelope. HOORAY! We are so excited. Of course, now I have to decide what to watch for the next six months. The first three movies we will receive are Cars, Facing the Giants, and Hitch. After that, I need your help! We rarely go to the movie theater, so I am not up-to-date on what is worth watching. I would love to know what movies my fellow bloggers recommend. I usually do not watch R-rated movies (I will make exceptions for movies with a historical context, but I don't like too much violence, language, and all those other R behaviors). If you have any suggestions, let me know!

*Updated to Add* I really appreciate the suggestions you have made. I am adding them to my queue. I just want to let you know that we are VERY cautious about what our children watch; these suggestions are mostly for my benefit. My son watches G movies, but usually only after I have seen them first or checked out online reviews. (It's a shame that even some G movies are inappropriate for kids.) I just wanted you to know that your suggestions are not for family viewing. THANKS!

Labels: Fun

We had a great week at the Baseballs and Bows house. My parents arrived last Saturday from California. Not only did we have the opportunity to spend time with them, but they also kept the kids for us a couple of times. On Sunday afternoon, hubby and I went to see Ocean's 13, and on Tuesday evening we used a gift certificate from Christmas for dinner at Stoney River (yes, it took us almost six months to go). I also managed to sneak away on Friday afternoon for a pedicure. All of these outings were wonderful!

Because my parents were here, my aunt and uncle came for dinner on Thursday. They also brought their grandson. We grilled burgers and had blackberry dumpling cobbler; the grownups visited and the kids enjoyed playing. My parents left on Saturday afternoon, and we were sad to see them return to CA. Grammy and Papa will be happy to know that my best girl didn't really want to believe that they were gone. This morning, she wanted to run straight to the guest bedroom to see them. I am sure we will have to explain for several days that we won't see Grammy and Papa for a few months.

Yesterday, we celebrated my husband's Granny's birthday at our house with around 35 of my husband's closest relatives. We had BBQ other yummy things to eat. This is an annual event, and we usually take pictures of the whole gang. Sadly, we forgot to do our group photos this year. I did, however, snap a picture of the birthday girl. Granny is a very young 87! We hope we will be celebrating with her for many years to come.

(You'll notice in the picture that our grass is brown. Middle Tennessee could really use some rain!)

Finally, my favorite boy had swim lessons this week. I was really proud of him. He is very hesitant around water; he likes to play and splash, but when he is in deeper water, he becomes very nervous. Several of the things his teacher wanted him to do scared him. Most of the time, however, he willingly did what she asked him to do, even though I could tell he didn't want to. I hope that by the end of next week he will be feeling much more comfortable in the water.

That's it for us! We had a great week; I hope you did as well! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi.

Labels: Family and Friends, Weekend Reflection

The Magic House in St. Louis has an electrostatic generator. My husband and best girl gave it a try. For some reason, it worked much better on my daughter than on my husband! :) I tried it as well; but I am the camera woman, so I don't have a picture of me. You could feel the static electricity as it moved through your body. Even though my best girl didn't touch the generator, the static electricity moved from my husband to her. How neat!

Labels: My Best Girl, Photography

For this week's Favorite Ingredients Friday, the theme is refreshing drinks. This fruit tea recipe is one of my favorite summer drinks. Perhaps you would like it as well.

Fruit Tea
Make 2 quarts of tea using 2 family size tea bags.
Add 2 cups of sugar.
Stir until sugar is melted.
Add 12oz. frozen lemonade concentrate and 12oz. frozen orange juice concentrate.
Add water to one gallon.
Stir and refrigerate.
Stir again before serving.

For more recipes, visit Overwhelmed with Joy!

Labels: Recipes

In recent weeks, I was tagged for two memes. I thought I would include them both today. Holly from Puddin' and Princess Stories tagged me several weeks ago for this meme about me. At the time, we were in St. Louis, so it has taken me a little while to respond. Here goes!

What were you doing 10 years ago? Ten years ago, in 1997, we were preparing to buy our first house. We lived in a very small apartment for a year, and moved into our first home on the weekend of our first anniversary, July 27, 1997. I was also in graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University working on my M.Ed.

What were you doing 1 year ago? Last June was very similar to now: playing with the kids, cleaning, typical stay-at-home mom stuff.

Five snacks you enjoy: M&Ms, Skittles, Cheetos, Lay's Sour Cream & Onion chips, and Starburst Jelly Beans. I am obviously a health nut.

Five songs that you know all the lyrics: "Jesus Loves Me", "My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music), the theme song from The Brady Bunch, the theme song from Veggie Tales, "Shake Your Sillies Out" by Raffi. Can you tell I haven't listened to much grown-up music lately?

Five bad habits: Drinking Sun-Drop, eating the aforementioned snacks, eating too much of all the other foods I didn't include in the list above, talking too much, procrastinating

Five things you like doing: reading, blogging, talking with friends, eating, exercising (enjoying this helps with the eating part).

Five things you would never wear again: acid-washed jeans, tight-rolled jeans, blue eye shadow, parachute pants, red socks

Five favorite toys: my camera, the computer, scrapbooking stuff, my cell phone, books (sorry if these don't all count as toys).

I know that's plenty of information about me, but now you will learn even more! Lu tagged me for this 4 Things meme.

Four Things I Learned or Experienced in the Last Four Years

1. Things don't always go according to my plan. Many of you already know how I learned this, but if you haven't read about the birth of my daughter, click here.

2. As much as you love doing things with your husband and children, it's okay to hang on to things you enjoy as well. I have always loved reading. For several years, I didn't take the time to read books because I was always busy participating in what everyone else wanted to do and taking care of endless baby tasks. A few years ago, I went with my husband on a business trip. I was alone during the day, so I read and read and read. I haven't stopped since. While it is still important for me to enjoy activities with those I love, I plan spend time doing things I enjoy as well.

3. A true friendship can grow even when the friends are separated by physical distance. Over four years ago, a close friend of mine moved. We were friends at the time, but through consistent e-mails and phone calls, we are closer now than we were when she lived a mile away from my house. We have shared so many ups and downs over the last 4+ years. I am thankful for her true friendship and for the email and free long distance that allow us to be in touch daily. A friendship like ours is truly a blessing.

4. If your button comes off your pants at an inconvenient time, you can use a safety pin to hold yourself together. :) I found this out when I lost a button this week. I just thought I would share this very important information.

Four Things I Want To Try or Do in the Next Four Years

1. I would like to go on a trip with my husband for a few days (alone). We haven't done that in a few years. I enjoy going on trips with the kids, but it's nice to have some grown-up time every now and then too! I would especially enjoy going back to NYC. My husband has never been.

2. I want to take both my kids to Disney World for a week. We plan to do this in September. I can't wait to see the look on my best girl's face when she meets Snow White and Cinderella in Cinderella's castle!

3. I want to redo some of my old scrapbooks. I have been scrapbooking since ninth grade. At the time, acid-free materials weren't widely available. All the photos from my high school years are in old magnetic albums, and I don't want my pictures to ruin. I hope to take some time to do this in the fall.

4. Most importantly, I want to continue to train my children to know and love God and to obey Him in everything. Obviously, this is an ongoing goal, but it will be the most important goal for me in the next four years!

There you have it. If you haven't done one or both of these memes, and you would like to play along, let me know. I would love to come and visit your post as well. Have a wonderful Thursday!

Labels: Fun

Jill at Who Could Ask for Anything More is having a fun new book giveaway called Jill's Book Bag. Head over there to check it out!

Labels: Books

Labels: My Best Girl, Wordless Wednesday

Labels: Books

The theme for today's Time Travel Tuesday is Memorable Vacations. In all honesty, I have loved all my vacations! Rather than subject you to a story about every single one, I thought I would share a few.


My High School Days
During my high school years, I traveled to Orlando and New Orleans with my show choir. These were both fun trips, but they didn't compare to my dream trip to New York City. I went to New York with a school group, but only four students signed up to go. The rest of the group was teachers. Because we were all responsible kids, the teachers treated us like we were part of their group. We had so much fun. This was my first time on an airplane, and my first trip to a really big city. I was overwhelmed by the size of the buildings in Manhattan. Here is a picture from the trip (I am the third from the left). You will notice that three of us are wearing our boyfriends' letter jackets because we were so cool. Thankfully, you can't tell that I have on red socks! Sadly, you will also notice the WTC in the background. This trip was in 1991, ten years before the attacks.





The Married Trips
My husband and I have visited several great places together in our almost eleven years of marriage. We have been to Washington D.C., Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico. Our first vacation as husband and wife was our honeymoon, which we spent on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We also visited Charleston and a lovely plantation on the Ashley River. This shot was taken along the bank. If I could, I would tell that 120 pound version of myself to wear more fitted clothing. I should have saved those baggy t-shirts for 11 years later. :)

With the Kids
Having kids along for the ride changes things a bit! After children, our vacations have involved beaches and theme parks. Our kids enjoyed Clearwater Beach in 2005, and we have also been to California to see Grammy and Papa three times. Some of you know that we recently visited St. Louis. So far, one trip that stands out in my mind is my son's first trip to Disney World. My favorite boy and I tagged along with Dad on a business trip; my son was two and a half. Everything was magical: the room key card, the elevators and escalators, the bus ride to the park, and of course, Magic Kingdom. The joy you see on my son's face in this picture is the reason millions of people visit Disney World each year. I hope we can duplicate his excitement when we return this fall, and I can't wait to watch my daughter experience it as well.


I realize I was probably supposed to focus on one favorite vacation; I apologize for subjecting you to multiple vacations and appreciate you sticking with me to the end. These are such special memories, and I thank Annie for giving us the opportunity to share them. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Labels: Time Travel Tuesday

Several weeks ago, I watched a program on CNBC about Warren Buff*ett's children. Warren Buff*ett is the world's second richest man. From all accounts I have ever read or heard, he is a regular guy; from his lifestyle, you wouldn't suspect that he is worth $41 billion dollars. What about his children? Are they spoiled? Do they feel entitled? Do they feel that they are part of a privileged class of people?

Amazingly, Susie, Howard, and Peter Buff*ett say that their childhood was very normal, and they had no idea their father was amassing one of the world's greatest fortunes. Last year, Mr. Buff*ett announced that he plans to give his fortune to Bill G*ates' foundation. While a small percentage of the money will go to his children's charitable foundations, Mr. Buff*ett is leaving no money for their personal use. Most people in the world were shocked by this announcement, but his children say they were not surprised at all. Their father has always expected them to make their own way in life.

I couldn't help but think of Mr. Buff*ett's children this week during all the Paris hoopla. What a contrast! While the children of the second richest man in the world are virtually unknown (I had to look up their names even after watching the program), Paris seems to purposely throw herself into the spotlight. While it is true that I don't know her or the intent behind her choices, her actions tell me that she is focused on pleasure and self-promotion. She seems used to getting her way, and she does not appear to deal well with negative consequences.

As I continued to ponder this situation, I realized that whether you are a billionaire or in debt, it is possible to raise spoiled, dependent children or productive, responsible citizens. More and more in our society, we are allowing our children to grow up thinking their needs are the most important and that mom and dad will always be there to bail them out of trouble. As parents, it is so easy to bend to the temptation of making the road smooth for our children. We do not want them to suffer pain. We want their lives to be easy and happy. It hurts us to see them hurting. Unfortunately, making things as smooth as possible for our children does not lead to their happiness as adults; it leads to adults who cannot cope with the realities of rules and responsibilities and adults who have no compassion for the needs of others.

Mr. Buff*ett could have made the lives of his children very easy, but he allowed them to make their own way. What an example! I pray that I will love my children in such a way that they know I hold them in the center of my heart, but also realize that they are not the center of the universe. I want them to know that while I am here to guide and help them, actions have consequences. I want them to understand that they have the responsibility to care for themselves as well as for the needs of others. What a challenging job!

Of course, our greatest example in this is Christ. If anyone was entitled to a life of ease and privilege, Jesus was! Nevertheless, Jesus left his home in heaven, humbled himself, and became a servant (Phil. 2:5-8). As we strive to follow the example of Christ, we must remember that our primary objective as parents is not to make our children's lives easy, but to teach them to follow Christ's example as well. As parents, we hold the future of our children (and our society) in our hands. I pray that we will make wise decisions as we help to mold our children's hearts!

Labels: Life Lessons

Isn't it amazing how my weeks seem so full, but when I sit down to write about them, I can't remember what happened!

Here's what I can recall:

We enjoyed several events at the library this week. We attended a program with Joel Reese the Singing Cowboy on Monday and went to story time on Thursday. Because the summer reading program is a "Reading Roundup," they had a rodeo cowboy at story time, and the kids got to sit in a real saddle. My son loved it.

We were able to swim with some friends on Tuesday. The kids played, and the other mom and I got to visit (while keeping a careful eye on the children, of course). My son is gradually becoming more comfortable with swimming. This is good because he starts lessons on Monday. We also had our neighbors over on Thursday for some sprinkler fun. It turned serious when the boys starting shooting me with water guns. I had to get the hose and nozzle and show them who was boss! :)

On Wednesday night, we started a new summer series at church. Each Wednesday night during the summer we have a different guest speaker. It is always uplifting and helpful to hear these speakers. I hope to share some of the things I learn throughout the summer.

My parents arrived from California yesterday. After they arrived, we headed to a neighboring town to watch my cousin's son, Jon, play baseball. My favorite boy watched every detail of the game while my best girl entertained those in the bleachers. Even though his team lost, Jon hit a home run, and we were so glad to be there to see it.

Oh, yes. I remember one more thing. I have a spider bite. It is quite unattractive, and it is so fun to have the doctor fascinated by your skin's appearance! Hopefully, antibiotics will solve the problem soon.

That's all I know. Have a great week!

Labels: Weekend Reflection

I love blackberry cobbler. Until recently, I never attempted to make it; I treated myself whenever I visited Cracker Barrel. When my January edition of Southern Living arrived, I found this recipe. (I'll throw in a plug for Southern Living; the recipes are great.) This cobbler didn't seem too difficult, so I tried it. DELICIOUS!

Blackberry Dumpling Cobbler
2 (16-oz.) packages frozen blackberries
2 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup butter
3 (8-oz.) packages 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup fat-free milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking mix
3/4 cup uncooked oats

1. Bring blackberries, 1 1/3 cups sugar, and butter to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring gently until butter is melted and sugar dissolves; remove blackberry mixture from heat.

2. Beat cream cheese and remaining 2/3 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; add 2/3 cup milk, and beat until smooth. Stir in baking mix and uncooked oats. Spread two-thirds of the cream cheese mixture (about 3 cups) onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; spoon blackberry mixture evenly over cream cheese mixture. Dollop remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over blackberry mixture.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Lauren's tip: You may want to use a pan a little deeper than a 9x13 Pyrex-type dish. The first time I made this it bubbled over a bit. I use a deeper 9x13 dish now.

Yummy! For more recipes, visit Overwhelmed with Joy.

Labels: Recipes

Bri Stone is living her dream life. She has a wonderful husband, a great son, a loyal best friend, and a fun job working as a coastal tour guide in Ventura, California. To make her life even sweeter, she lives on the beach, only steps away from the ocean she loves. Unfortunately, Bri begins to worry that her life is not as idyllic as she believed it to be. She fears that she is losing her close relationship with her husband, she begins to have problems at work, and she experiences new difficulties in the already rocky relationship with her mother-in-law. Can Bri pull herself together to fix the problems in her life?


If you are interested, Julie Carobini has a blog. Also, special thanks to Vader's Mom for letting me borrow her copy!

Labels: Books

Labels: My Best Girl, Wordless Wednesday

Today's Time Travel Tuesday is all about our fathers. My father was born (1946) and raised in McMinnville, Tennessee. His mother was a homemaker, and his father served in the navy in WWII and then worked as a United States mailman. Here is my dad as a small child.

Labels: Family and Friends, Time Travel Tuesday

Head over to Joyful Days this week. She is giving away books!

Labels: Blogging, Books

I just knew there was one more Braves player in the 80s with double initials. Rafael Ramirez played shortstop. I am sure you have all been dying to know this. Whenever I forget something like that, it bothers me until I figure it out. Thanks to my hubby for helping me on this one!

Labels: Fun

Once again, it is time for Weekend Reflection. This week was pretty normal for us, but we did have some highs and lows.

On the down side, both my kids started antibiotics on Wednesday for sinus infections. As much as I hate for them to be on medication, I am glad that they are improving. My son had a mild virus on Thursday evening as well. Thankfully, it didn't last long, and the rest of us dodged this illness (so far).

We did spend Memorial Day with Grandma and Papa Don (my husband's wonderful parents). We grilled burgers and visited. Of course, the kids enjoyed having a couple of extra people to entertain. Other fun events this week included library story time and a visit from a friend. I guess my son really considered it a play date since his girlfriend was the guest!




Overall, we had a good week! Now that everyone is well, we are looking forward to starting another one. For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi!

Labels: Weekend Reflection

Here are two photos of my favorite kind of art. It is this art that decorates my fridge and fills storage containers with which I can't bear to part. To me, it's priceless! My children created these masterpieces at the City Museum during our recent trip to St. Louis.

Labels: My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy, Photography

Jennifer at Snapshot tagged me for the 8 Random Things meme, but she added a fun twist. She offered to give a topic instead of leaving it open to all the random things I could mention. She gave me the option of sports or childhood, and I chose to write about sports (my son and husband will be proud).

1. I played softball as a child, and I was on the team sponsored by Dairy Queen. After every game, all the girls rode in the back of the coach's truck to DQ where we got a free blizzard. We would scream little chants and cheers all the way through town. Of course, it would now be illegal to allow 12 young girls to ride around in the back of a pickup, but I sure remember that it was fun!

2. I have never jumped over a hurdle. For some reason, I am scared to do it. In P.E., I somehow managed to pretend that I had jumped over them, and the teacher never realized that I hadn't (or perhaps she didn't want to force me).

3. The first Major League game I ever attended was in the 80s. I went to Atlanta to see the Braves play the Dodgers with my family and our next door neighbors. I remember that we got a free picture of the team, and I had a crush on the centerfielder, Dale Murphy.

4. For some reason, I remember that this Braves team had several players with double initials: Bruce Benedict, Pasquel Perez, Chris Chambliss, and Gene Garber (I think there was one more, but I can't remember). I was only about 8 at the time, so I don't know why I noticed this or why I still remember their names!

5. My husband and I are not big hockey fans, but we did attend the inaugural game of the Nashville Predators. I remember nothing about it except we got a free puck and we were sitting in the club level (someone gave us the tickets).

6. It's good that I like sports because my husband LOVES sports. We have only been on two trips that did not include a sporting event of some kind - our honeymoon to Kiawah Island and a work event in Puerto Rico. My plan to convince my husband to see the world is to throw in a visit to a baseball, football, or basketball game during each trip. I am not sure how I will lure him outside the USA. He doesn't like soccer.

7. This field is adjacent to our backyard. What does that have to do with sports? When the corn is fully grown, I hope to see Kevin Costner in our backyard playing baseball with Shoeless Joe Jackson. :)

8. And finally, I am proud to be a stay-at-home mom. However, if I had been smaller, more flexible, and more coordinated, I would have been the next Nadia Comaneci. After seeing a movie about her when I was about six, I had my dad build me a balance beam. In the privacy of my garage, I won many gold medals. I just knew I would be the next World Champion gymnast. I even thought it would be cool to move to Romania to train with Bela Karolyi. I loved the Romanians' white leotards with the stripes down the sides and the emblem on the front. I guess I can blame the death of this athletic dreams on my DNA, but I think it all worked out for the best!

There you have it! I am sure that many of you have already done the 8 Things Meme, but if you would like to do one on a specific topic, let me know in the comments. I will think of one for you to do! Have a great day!

Labels: Fun