This and That

Well, it's no secret. I LOVE The Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are out of this world, she's down to earth and funny, she is super chic--even living out in the middle of nowhere, etc., etc. 

Anyway, I ordered her cookbook from Amazon with some b-day $$. Woo-hoo! Let me tell ya, it all looks entirely too delicious. :) Carey was in heaven as he browsed through it. He expects way too much from me now. Haha! 

I also ordered her love story-- Black Heels to Tractor Wheels.   

 

I finished the book in 2 days. I was a fun easy read. It was clean, sweet, romantic, funny and sad. Even though our circumstances are obviously different, I think many women can relate to Ree Drummond in a lot of ways. She is definitely an inspiring woman.

In other news, it snowed AGAIN yesterday. I thought winter had it's last hoo-rah last week when it snowed....and the week before that when it snowed. It is officially spring now so snow should not be falling anymore. Me and Lucy are dying to get outside and play at the park and visit the petting zoo and take walks and go to the pool.

 

Look at those cute little chubby legs! I love babies in swim wear. :) I would totally put her in a little bikini if I didn't have double the skin to lather with sunscreen. 

Happy Monday.

On My Bookshelf...and Other Happenings.

Guess what!? We're only 9 days into February and I FINISHED a book! I am thrilled about this since January was not the best month as far as reading goes. I actually finished the book yesterday. Even better. :) I read Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers.

I am a big Rivers fan. She writes good Christian fiction. A lot of the Christian books out there are full of fluff. But Francine Rivers rises above the rest in my opinion. Sometimes there are fluffy parts though....I am moving on to "deeper" reading for my next book. Not sure I can handle another Rivers book right now. :) Anyway, I enjoy the history she weaves into her writng. Her books are easy to read and enjoyable. Her Daughter's Dream was no exception. This book is the sequel to Her Mother's Hope which I read over Christmas.

So now I have completed what was really one big book separated in to 2 still really big books. :) I'll admit it wasn't my favorite story of her's. It didn't come close to Reedeming Love and the Mark of the Lion Trilogy. Nevertheless, still great books.  
The story is about 4 generations of women and walls that often are built up between people we love. Rivers takes you through each of their lives and struggles to reconcile the hurt between them. I particularly liked the history. The books started back in the early 1900's and ended present day. I won't go into more details... you can read the books for yourself. It's worth you time! You can easily find them at the library too. =)

What's next? Carey and I are reading the C. S. Lewis novella The Dark Tower at the moment. (I needed something "deeper," remember?) It is a continuation of his Space Trilogy, which I loved (and definitely recommend!!) The novella is not terribly long. I hope to finish by the end of the month and re-cap it for you!

On to other things...Lucy is getting into everything and has gotten super fast. This mommy is tired! Haha. Welcome to life, right? Thankful for coffee. :) She daily amazes me with new words. She says "flower" which sounds like "flou-w." Only occasionaly does she add the "-er." I about fell over in shock yesterday when she brought me her Pocahontas book--which we had only read a few time--and said as clear as day, "Meeko!" (Meeko is the racoon from Pocahontas and the story is mostly about him.) I was shocked! She has said it a few more times so I know it wasn't a fluke. When did my little baby get so big??
Lucy is a little under the weather right now. She has a runny nose and is getting 2 big molars. Poor girlie. Freezing teps outside are not helping! I can't wait for spring so we can take walks and play in the park!!
That's what we've been up to lately. Happy Wednesday!

Snow Day 4

If you haven't heard--we got lots of snow. (That comment was sarcastic, by the way.) =) All 3 of us spent the day inside, warm and cozy while we watched the blizzard outside. Gotta admit...I want to be on the beach. We're getting cabin fever. Spring, come quickly! Since we're stuck with nothing to do--okay, lots to do (like organizing the storage closet) but who wants to actually do that?--I've been dreaming of a Florida Keys vacation. You have no idea how badly I want to be on that vacation right now! It probably won't happen for sometime. Like our 7th anniversary. We always said maybe we'd do something grand on our 5th. WELL, 5 years is only 1 year away. Not sure it's going to happen then. Wow, time flies. Anyway....I am dreaming of a convertible car driving through the keys with big sunglasses, cute sundresses, salty sea air and pina-coladas. *Sigh* Someday. :) 

What did we do on our snow day? We played Wii and some Super Nintendo (my personal fav). Lucy likes playing too. But sometimes she gets the controller confused with a cell phone. She randomly holds it to her ear and says, "Hello." Which sounds more like, "Ha-woah." Here are pics of some Daddy/Daughter Nintendo time. 

She was playing Star Wars. Actually killed some bad guys.

"Hello!"

We got some movies from the Library and watched a couple while Lucy was napping. We also did a little reading. Lots of reading to Miss Lu. It's her favorite activity these days. She'll bring you a "boo" (book) and sit right in your lap and look up at you with those big brown eyes. How can you say no?? We got some grown up reading in too. I have decided not to read the book previously posted: I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne du Maurier. I really enjoyed other books she has written like: Jamaica Inn, The Scapegoat, Frenchman's Creek, and Rebecca. I got about 6 chapters in to I'll Never Be Young Again and decided it wasn't worth my time. It's not worth yours either....trust me. Unlike her other books, there was no mystery and intrigue. It was actually pretty boring and the story line was odd (and not in a good way). Good thing I discovered this in plenty of time to still get a book in for February! I am re-reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It has been about 8 years since I've read it and I know I'll enjoy it more now. Definitely a book worth reading (and re-reading!). And my comments on Humility by C.J. Mahaney are coming. Just have a few chapters left! 

ANYway, we were able to venture out today for a while. Hooray! So thankful for our 4x4. We had lunch with my Daddy for his birthday! After Lucy wakes up from her much needed nap we are going to spend some time at the gym. We finally have gotten back into the habit of going and we're loving it. I get some "me" time while Lucy plays in the kiddo area. Carey is loving it too. I am attempting Zumba classes in the near future. Ha!! Will definitely have to post about that. I am going to look ridiculous I just know it. But I've heard it's tons of fun. SO, I'm going to give it a try.

That's what we've been up to lately. Happy Wednesday.

Here's another snow day pic. Love this kiddo! She's pretty much irresistible. 

Carrying on a conversation with Mommy. :)

On My Bookshelf...

I've been a horrible blogger this week. It has been crazy around here and I haven't have a few minutes to myself to sit down and write anything! Remember my resolution of reading at least 1 book every month this year?? Well, I am here to report that this month was an epic fail. Tomorrow is the last day of January and have I read a book? No. Not for lack of trying. I started a book at the beginning of the month that I couldn't get into for the life of me. By the time I decided not to read it the month was half way over. I am in the middle of Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney.

Not sure if this should even count. It is a very small book--though packed with great truth! Ok, I am counting it. =) I am going to do my best to finish by 11:59pm tomorrow. Ha! But I don't want to rush it. I want the truth to sink in and penetrate my heart. I will write my thoughts on this little book when it is complete. Stay tuned.

Anyway, my 2nd excuse for not reading is being a library fugitive. Yes, I owed them money. Sad but true. =) Happy to report as of yesterday I am payed up. So I will have all the books my little heart desires! February will be better. I have great plans for lots of reading! =) Starting this book when I'm finished with Humility. I'll Never Be Young Again by Daphne Du Maurier. I like her books. They're different, mysterious and a little creepy. I've read many of her books but have never heard anything about this one. We'll see if it's good!

Well, I better get going. I plan on reading for an hour or so while Miss Lucy Lu naps! A great way to spend Sunday afternoon......

Resolutions

I'm working on a post about our trip to Arizona.
We had a great time and I took tons of pictures!
I promise to post all about it within the next few days. :)
Here's a picture of Lucy playing in the snow to tide you over.

But first.....

New year.....New goals! 

My resolutions? 

Here they are:

-Organize my life.

I keep a clean house and I'm probably pretty organized according to a lot of people. BUT, I want to go through everything in all of the closets and storage and throw away/donate anything we don't need and don't use! I feel like there's a ton of stuff we can get rid of. I am dreaming of spacious closets!! Also, I want to organize our "office." I want to have birthday cards ready to go months in advance, etc. 

-Get in shape! 

Ok, this does not mean lose weight. I am thinner than I've ever been (woo hoo!) but that does not mean I'm in shape. Ha! My only work out consists of chasing Lucy around. Probably doesn't get my heart rate up enough. :) Although it does seem like it at times! I want to do more walking--when the weather gets warm. Until then, my work-out dvd's will have to do. They work great as long as I actually do them! :)

-Read at least 1 book a month. 

So that may not seem like a lot to some of you. But I'm a mom. Reading will only happen during nap time or before I go to bed at night. And nap time is for getting other things done around the house (and for blogging, of course!). =) I might be able to get a chapter in while Lucy plays. She is pretty good at playing on her own. But that's never a for sure thing. So 1 book a month seems like a good goal for me. I would love to read one fiction and one non-fiction a month....which would mean 2 books a month. But I'm starting small and might be pleasantly surprised! So if you have any good book recommendations, send them my way!

Of course, I have more goals--including spiritual ones. 

But wanted to share these few.....hoping to stick with them! :)
Happy 2011!