I am going to take a break for a few days. Be back soon!

It's the time of the month for the What's on Your Nightstand carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. This is my pile.


Jane Eyre is the book for this month's Classics Book Club at 5 Minutes for Books. I am only on chapter 5, so I am not sure that I will be finished by next Tuesday.

Having a Mary Spirit is Joanna Weaver's follow-up book to Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. Look for a review soon at 5 Minutes for Books.

I bought The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009 to read for fun (I love Disney World), but now I have a real reason to read it. This is truly a wonderful resource if you are considering a visit with the Main Mouse.

I recently read Just Jane and Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser. Washington's Lady is the other book in this series, and I am looking forward to reading it.

Love as a Way of Life wins the award for being in my pile for three months in a row. I still haven't started it, but I do plan to read it! :)

Sorry I don't have links this month. If you are interested in these titles, you'll have to look them up the old fashioned way! I hope you will consider participating in this carnival. Head over to 5 Minutes for Books to join the fun!

Labels: Books

Today is the first day of fall, and also the first day of Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge. I always participate in this event, but I failed to get a list together this time.

However, I did do something bookish today. My Best Girl and I went to story time at Barnes and Noble. We do this every Monday with friends from church. Today's story time was extra fun because Clifford was there. The kids really enjoyed meeting him.

Maybe I'll get my act together and make a fall reading list; maybe I won't. Either way, I will be reading something, even if it involves a big, plush dog!

Labels: Books, My Best Girl

Oops! I was supposed to announce this yesterday, but I forgot! The winner of the Home to Heather Creek series is Gail. Congrats!

Labels: Books

My hubby and I are not spontaneous at all. I am sure you figured that when I recently mentioned that I had details planned for a December 2009 trip to Disney World.

Plans have changed. Can you guess where we are going in November??????


On Wednesday, I heard about an offer that was coming out for Disney Visa cardholders. Within two hours, we made the decision to go. By the end of the evening, we had dining reservations and airline tickets booked. I almost had a nervous breakdown because of all the spontaneity (yes Amberly, I know you are laughing at me right now).

The most fun part about this plan is that our kids have no clue that we are going! We are going to surprise them on the day we leave. My Best Girl will have no problems with this whatsoever, but it will be interesting to see my Favorite Boy's reaction. Disney World is his favorite vacation destination, but he loves routines and schedules as much as his mommy does. Hopefully, he will handle the surprise well.

I'll let you know how it works out; but in the mean time, don't share my secret!

(Obviously, my kids do not read my blog.)

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun

I have read several books by Tricia Goyer. She writes wonderful historical novels. If you haven't read the Chronicles of the Spanish Civil War series or her other books written in the World War 2 era, you should! You can click here to see a sampling of her books.

Now Tricia has written her first novel with a contemporary setting. It is called Sweet September, and it is the second book in a new Guideposts series called Home to Heather Creek. These books tell the story of Charlotte Stevenson, a farmer's wife who faces the challenge of raising her grandchildren after the death of her daughter. Because Charlotte's daughter left home as a teenager, Charlotte barely knows her grandchildren, and the task of caring for them is sometimes an uphill battle. As she strives to nurture the children during this difficult time, Charlotte must learn to rely on family, friends, and most importantly, God.

The first book in the series, Before the Dawn, is by Carolyne Arsen. Tricia's book picks up where Carolyne's stops. At first, I wondered how well books written by different authors would flow, but I shouldn't have worried. While both authors added their own personal touches, both books are heartwarming stories, perfect for curling up with on a cool fall night.

To read an excerpt from Sweet September, click here. I have a copy of Before the Dawn and Sweet September to giveaway to one lucky reader. If you would like to read these books, let me know in the comments. I will draw a winner on Sunday.

Labels: Books

I think my Best Girl has what it takes to be a great English teacher one day. She was curled up in her daddy's lap listening to him read a story.

Then who will eat these cookies I made while they do their homework? asked the mother.

As my hubby turned the page, my Best Girl laughed and said, "Cookies don't do homework!"

The girl knows a misplaced modifier when she hears one.

Labels: My Best Girl

This week marks the first Kid Picks carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. Once a month, Jennifer is asking us to share a book that our kids are enjoying. My Best Girl is making the pick this month, and she recommends Fancy Nancy.
My Best Girl relates to Nancy is so many ways, particularly the feeling that it's so tough being the only fancy one in the family (my poor Best Girl has a mom who doesn't even wear jewelry!). We currently have every Fancy Nancy book in our library's collection at our house, but I think we are going to have to purchase a few of them. They are keepers!

If you have a little fancy pants at your house, my Best Girl and I highly recommend the Fancy Nancy books. They are adorable!

Labels: Books, Children's Books

I have kept photo albums/scrapbooks since I was a freshman in high school (before acid-free and scrapbooking were common). For about 20 years, I stuck with it and never allowed myself to fall more than one calendar year behind...until last year.

Hauling all my supplies out takes time, and I like to scrapbook in peace. Free time and peace aren't easy to come by around here, so I have come up with a plan. Every Sunday afternoon, while my Best Girl is napping, I am going to work on my photo albums. Dad and my Favorite Boy can fend for themselves during that time.

I claimed the guest bedroom as my creative space so that I don't have to put everything away after each session. I will be keeping the door closed, however, because the guest bedroom now looks like this...


It's okay for creativity to be messy, right?

Labels: Fun

Congrats to Susan! You are the winner of Get Cozy, Josey!. I hope you enjoy it!

Labels: Books

This has been a busy week for my Best Girl. She attended her first two days of preschool, and I am happy to report that she loves it. I am thrilled with her teacher, and when I told her that she has a great teacher, this was her reply...

"Well, she's not really great. I mean, she is good, but, she doesn't let me get up and walk around when she's teaching."

Ahem. Apparently, Mrs. J doesn't let my Best Girl do whatever she wants. Nevertheless, my Best Girl is excited about school, and I think she will have a wonderful year.

Even with all the new events this week, my Best Girl has enjoyed some of her regular routine as well, like having fun with the girls at the ballpark. I don't think she really realizes that we go to the ballpark for a baseball game.

As you can see, my Best Girl is not always a lady, but she is often a princess. Drop by my house any afternoon (literally every afternoon) and you will find something like this...


I guess now I have made the grandparents happy. They don't visit my blog for book posts. They just want to read about their babies!

Labels: My Best Girl

Josey's back! If you remember, I mentioned Josey here. Now, Josey is returning with a new adventure in Siberia!

Get Cozy, Josey! is a fun, light-hearted read with an important message. I relate to Josey and her struggles. She wants to be the perfect wife and mother, but she often falls short. Sound familiar?

I encourage you to read my full review of Get Cozy, Josey! at 5 Minutes for Books today. There are five copies available to those who leave a comment there. Additionally, I am giving away my personal copy here, so let me know if you are interested. I will draw a winner on Sunday, September 14th.

To read the first chapter, click here.

To enter Susan May Warren's contest for a Get Cozy Gift Basket, click here.

To read other reviews of this book, click here.

Happy Reading!

Labels: Books

Although I spent countless hours in my parents' laps being read to as a child, there is one book I remember most vividly. My favorite classic picture book is Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. I love the storyline, I love the roaring and gnashing, and I love the illustrations.

Have you ever noticed that the illustrations begin by covering only a fraction of the layout? As Max travels to his private world, the illustrations take over more and more of the page until his imagination leaves no room for words at all. Then, when the wild rumpus is over, the words begin again, and the illustrations gradually recede as Max returns to his room. I love this!

My parents still have the original copy they read to me as a child, and I have at least two hardback copies in my home. Perhaps I was a little like Max as a youngster, so this book will always have a special place in my heart. Just thinking about it inspires me to pull it off the shelf and read it to one of my Wild Things tonight!

If you would like to read about more classic picture books, head over to 5 Minutes for Books today!

Labels: Books

One aspect of first grade that seems to excite most children is homework. While we all know they won't keep that excitement throughout their years of schooling, kids equate homework with being big.

My Favorite Boy hasn't had too much homework so far, but he now has an assignment every weekend that is right up his alley. On Mondays, the kids have to take the score of the Titans' game to class (they are only required to know the score, watching the game is optional). As a class, they will graph the scores, and they are also going to find the location of the opposing team on a U.S. map.

My Favorite Boy is happy to report that the Titans beat the Jaguars 17-10. While I am sure the score won't be so pleasing every week, this is an assignment that will be fun win or lose. I applaud his teacher for involving the kids in a such a fun learning experience!

Labels: My Favorite Boy

My Best Girl went to preschool/Mother's Day Out for the first time today. It was an abbreviated day to help the students adjust to their new surroundings. I have known my Best Girl's teacher for about 30 years (we lived on the same street in the same small town and were members of the same church). I am thrilled that my Best Girl has Mrs. J, and I know she will have a wonderful year!

My Best Girl is especially excited that their theme this month is "Goin' Buggy." They have some caterpillars in their room, and this was a big hit with her. She excitedly told me, "MOM! RIGHT NOW IT IS A CATERPILLAR, BUT IT IS GOING TO TURN INTO A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY!"

This is a picture of my Best Girl with her teacher. I forgot to reset the white balance on my camera (it was set on cloudy), so the color of the picture is a little off.

I am glad my Best Girl is excited. I hope she will remain that way on Tuesday when I drop her off for a longer time period!

Labels: My Best Girl

Last night, my Favorite Boy played his first fall ball game. They don't keep an official score in fall ball (they do in the spring), but for the first time, he is in an age group where they do call the boys out if they swing and miss three times. The coaches also pitch from the mound instead of closer to home plate.

My Favorite Boy had a great game! In his first at bat, he hit a triple. He also had a double and two singles. Most importantly, he had fun! These are pictures of his first at bat when he hit the triple.


We are looking forward to a fun season!

Labels: My Favorite Boy

Today is the first meeting of the Classics Bookclub. Lisa, our 5 Minutes for Books host, asked a few questions to help us with our posts.

For first time P&P readers:
Did you like the novel? Were there any surprises? Was it what you expected?

For repeat readers:
Did anything strike you differently this time? Anything you hadn’t noticed in earlier readings?

For all readers:

Do you have any favorite lines of the novel?

Why do you think the novel remains so popular 200 years after first publication? What makes it timeless?

The novel’s original title was First Impressions. Did you have any first impressions of the novel that were refuted? Any that were supported? Are all the first impressions in the novel correct?

Why do you think the novel is named Pride and Prejudice? How are each manifested in the story?

This was my second reading of Pride and Prejudice. When I read it for the first time in 2007, it took me a much longer time to read. This was my reasoning from last year about my slower pace.

As I read, I realized the reason I usually stick with more contemporary works of fiction; I prefer to read quickly. When reading a text in which words such as precipitance, thither, and insipidity are common, I must slow down and give greater attention to the language and its meaning.

This time around, I read the story much more quickly, and I also caught more of the fabulous wit, sarcasm, and humor. I contribute some of this to being more familiar with the story and Austen's writing (since reading P&P the first time, I have read all of Austen's works), but I give a great deal of credit to the A&E movie version as well. Now that I have seen the movie (several times), I could hear the characters in my mind, and I am even more impressed by how closely that movie version follows the actual story.

I am not going to attempt to answer all of the questions Lisa posed, but I would like to share my favorite passage from the book, along with a few quotes. I absolutely love the scene at the Collins' house in which Mr. Darcy first proposes to Elizabeth. I would never have been able to give such a resounding reply in such a moment! Here are a few snippets of Elizabeth's response.

You could not have made me the offer of your hand in any possible way that would have tempted me to accept it.

and

From the very beginning, from the first moment, I may almost say, of my acquaintance with you, your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form that groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.

What spunk! In my mind, I could see the sparks fly; and these sparks, of course, make the ending all the more sweet.

I look forward to reading the comments of others who are participating in the Bookclub. I didn't take the time to give a very literary response, so I will enjoy the posts of those who did.

For those who would like to participate next month, we will be tackling Jane Eyre. This is a new read for me, so I am looking forward to it! Happy Reading!

Labels: Books