Friday, October 26, 2012

Required Reading

So, what are you reading?  I am always on the lookout for a good book, either for myself, or for my kids.  I recently read The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman.


I am going to go as far as to say that I highly recommend this book.  I wavered for a bit as I had a problem explaining to myself why I liked it so much.  In the end, I realized it was because the author did a great job of making me like and dislike each of the characters in the book.  At times I sympathized with one or the other and later found myself placing my loyalty with a different character.  While not a book that caused me to get completely lost within its pages, I did find myself looking forward to the time I set aside each night to read.

I started two new books this week. One I am reading myself, the other, I am listening to as my youngest son reads aloud.  It is his first ever chapter book and he is so stinking proud of himself!



Junie B., First Grader. An absolute favorite in this house.  When my oldest child first discovered the Junie B. Jones series and had me read them out loud to him, I will admit to being horrified.  Junie B. DOES NOT use the English language in a way that would earn her a good grade from an English teacher.  I found myself correcting the words (for example, saying "more fun" rather than the "funner" that was in the book.)  But the spirit of the book was lost.  Junie B. is a riot!  I actually am shocked that Hollywood has not knocked down Barbara Park's door and turned this into a tv show or movie. There is a little girl who attends school with my younger two children who IS Junie B.  She would be perfect to play the part.  


 This is my grown up read.  I'm going to say, that I am highly doubting that James Patterson is doing anything other than contributing a chapter, or editing skills to all of the books he is churning out.  I am only about 40 pages into this, and like all his books, they are a very quick read.  Not loving it, but that is not unusual. These are meant to be a distraction, not literary gold.  It is serving the purpose and allowing me some time each day to unwind.

Tonight, before bed, we read another favorite.  Even my 12 year old listened - after all, it is his book.


As we wait to see what weather Mother Nature is going to deliver to our doorstep next week, it seemed fitting to read a book about her trying to get her wild child, Autumn, to bed.

That is what is being read here.  What books are you leaving dog eared on the sofa arm?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

What I Wore Wednesday

Yikes!  3 weeks have gone by without a single post.  Life has been hectic around here and I have caught myself numerous times having to remember that I am lucky to A) have kids healthy enough to participate in activities B) have money to pay for activities and all the required gear C) have a job that allows me to get my kids to all their activities.  I will admit to a lot of self pity going on though.  My husband was away for work during what turned out to be the busiest week of the season so far.  But, we made it through, no worse for the wear.

Speaking of wear .....

I am trying to sneak in under the wire and link up with The Pleated Poppy and the 100's of other bloggers who will share what they wore today.  Today will be a short one.  Even though I have been breaking out and dusting off some of my clothes that haven't seen the light of day in years, I have been horrible about taking any pictures.   Let me tell you why.

First, I have one mirror in the house long enough to allow a reflection of my entire outfit.  It happens to be in my bedroom - which is a disaster.  I had to have a window replaced during our addition and that wall is still waiting to be painted.  So that looks terrible.  The rug is getting pulled up in two weeks and hardwood going down.  But until then, that rug.  Egads!  It is in perfect condition, but the color is awful.  I have new bedding but don't want to use it until after the floor is done and walls repainted.  So for now, there is an old quilt on the bed that has seen better days.  On the sewing table, which is often visible in the reflection and photo, has 5 Halloween costumes piled on top of it.  If I stand so that the sewing table isn't visible, my husband's chest of drawers becomes visible. And he currently is mid project at work and has piles of books and papers on top of it.  All combined, my first excuse is that I am embarrassed at the condition of my bedroom.

Reason number two is that I am just barely getting to work on time each morning.  Pausing to have one of my kids snap a picture or two is just not fitting into my morning routine.  Running late is the story of my life and I don't see this changing anytime soon.

Reason three is that I am in the middle of a bang grow out and it is not going by fast enough!  I am at the point that they are too long leave alone in front of my face yet, not quite long enough to pull back in a clip.  When I do, it looks like I am getting ready to wash my face.  So I have avoided the camera.  Like the plague.

But I did get some photos today.  Two of my kids were sick and missed school.  I took the day off to take them to the doctors.  After we got home and I got some medicine into my one child and got the other one fed, we took the dog out.  It seemed a good time to take a few pictures.

Jeans - Kohl's Chaps (find here)
Vest - Land's End
Top - Old Navy
Boots - Ariat Fat Baby Saddle (find here)



Earlier this week:

I can't see anything but that rug!

Oddly enough, this outfit is a copy cat from The Pleated Poppy.  I actually found Lindsey's blog through Pinterest when I traced a this pin back to one of her earlier What I Wore Wednesday posts.  It was an outfit very similar to this.  Then, I found this outfit on Polyvore and knew I had all the pieces in my closet.  

Shirt - Macy's Charter Club
Sweater - Land's End
Trusty fake pearls from Talbot's

Jeans are capri's from Bass

Flats - Target

I am going to try to do a better job of taking photos AND of posting more often.  I realized this week that blogging helps keep me accountable for my time.  

And if you have the time, check out the Pleated Poppy and any number of bloggers who link up with her each Wednesday. Its a great way to discover new ways to combine your clothes in new ways and break out of the creature of habit mindset. If you liked the jeans I had on, or are a fan (like me!) of Kohl's, you can currently get an additional 10% off any online orders by using the code TENBLOG through December 23rd - that's in addition to any other coupon codes you may have.  Thank you to Kohl's for offering this to my readers!