true boy tales: A little randomness...

Saturday, May 28, 2011

A little randomness...

Next week is Bennett's birthday week. I think at the age of 4, its time to start spending a whole week celebrating. First up on the agenda- Kung Fu Panda 2 tomorrow with his Mommy & Daddy. Secondly- a trip to the grocery store on Monday: I heard an idea from a friend a long time ago that they got to pick any cereal they wanted to eat during their birthday week. I loved that idea (since my kids get Kix as a treat) so Bennett will get his first exposure to all that freeze-dried marshmallow-ey goodness. I'll let you know what he picks.

I don't like planning birthday parties without my decorating-genius mother-in-law. (They're in England right now). So this semi-crafty, not-very-creative girl is trying to muster up every ounce of creative craftiness. Thank goodness for blogland. I'm a good copier.

I love clicking the "Hide all posts by fill-in-the-blank" on my facebook wall. Makes me feel like I'm getting rid of a bunch of junk mail :)

Jon's becoming a total rockstar mechanic. He's well past 200,000 miles on his X5 so inevitably quite a few things keep breaking or malfunctioning. Every time something goes wrong, he does a little research on the internet, watches a YouTube video, orders a part and fixes it himself. Today he's replacing the fuel pump. I'd love to know how many thousands of dollars he's saved us this year.

I'm so happy the Bachelorette started again and that my hubby watches (and enjoys it- or at least pretends to) with me. Its a cheap and romantic date night every week. (Hey, you take what you can get when you have kids!)

In book news: I added a new book to my blog book list-check it out. I never told you the results of my books from vacation. Edgar Sawtelle was enjoyable in parts but it had the worst ending of any book ever, I couldn't believe I'd wasted the whole week on it. Angela's Ashes and The Invisible Wall were both great and worth reading for sure but kind of similar so don't read them back to back. I just finished the Dragon Tattoo series. It was definitely great but there's so much super dull informative bits you have to wade through between all the great action scenes, you really have to stick with it. So don't read them unless you have a lot of patience-or you're a good skimmer. One book where the movie will likely be a lot better.

And scenes from an impromptu bonfire last night:

Jon built that big wood platform behind them last summer for our big kiddie pool since our backyard isn't level. I'm super excited-we're going to put in a big cement patio there soon.

Mmmm....s'mores

Yes, that's a birds nest burning in this picture. That's what boys do best- burn stuff. (no birds were harmed in the making of this fire)

2 comments:

jkottleyMay 28, 2011 at 9:13 PM
Mom & I are laughing at your "Men At Work" and delighted with your insight into what makes guys tick (Not a whole lot!) Love you!
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jkottleyMay 28, 2011 at 9:25 PM
Great pics!
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for the book lovers {my recent favorites}:

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan: An incredibly haunting medical memoir. There's a lot of medical info to read through but I didn't find those parts boring and difficult to wade through. I thought she shared just enough. But if you like a book that's easy to read, this isn't it. I couldn't get this one out of my mind for a very long time. An unforgettable true story.
Me Before You by JoJo Moyes and What Alice Forgot by Lianne Moriarty: I'm just going to lump these two together because they're in the same category. I'm calling them deep chick lit. A perfect summer book to get lost in. Read them. Both. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that you will LOVE them. (I liked them both way better than Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner: Most of my favorite books have a main character with a whole lotta grit. I wasn't quite sure about this one when I first started it but, oh, did it sweep me in and not let me go til the last page. I also love a book that makes me "emote out loud" as I like to think of it. This one had me smiling all the way through and crying my eyes out at the end. It follows a young girl through her life in the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's. A must read for anyone who likes Historical Fiction.
Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. I LOVED this book. Its a very well researched historical fiction novel about a young girl kidnapped from her village in Africa and sold into slavery. It follows her through her whole life and the unbelievable heartache and trauma she lives through. I've been telling people I liked it as much as Unbroken but the main character is so much more endearing and has so much spunk.
Another Place at the Table by Kathy Harrison. I have a thing for modern day memoirs of utterly heartbreaking stories (Like Breaking Night and Blackbird). This is a Foster mother's first-hand account of the children she took in over the years and the unbelievable trauma they went through before they came to her.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I loved this lighthearted yet emotional story of a strong woman making the best of a hard life in the Southwest, beginning in the 1930's. I love her writing style--just cuts to the point of every story without too much "fluff" and yet tells it in a way that you can picture everything in vivid detail. Her memoir, The Glass Castle, is one of my all-time favorites, and this true-life novel about her grandmother didn't disappoint.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. Modern day fiction about a girl raised in Foster homes and her struggles throughout life. She learns about the Victorian Era language of flowers and that becomes a huge part of her life. I finished it in two days. An easy read but very emotional and moving.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. The true story of a man's experience after Hurricane Katrina when he decided not to evacuate in order to look after several properties he owned. Quite an unbelievable story and so hard to believe this happened in the US only a few years ago.