I am participating in the blog tour for Love Finds You in Lonesome Prairie Montana. Click over to 5 Minutes for Books to see my review.

While you're there, check out the great Gift Guide Giveaway. You can find some great gift ideas and win something in the process.

Happy Reading!

Labels: Books

It seems I get back into the blogging groove for a little while, and then I lag behind. Here's a quick update on what's been going on around here.

My Little Martha Stewart

When I was a child, I had a Holly Hobbie Easy Bake Oven. I can picture it vividly in my mind. With a gift card that she got for her birthday, my Best Girl purchased her own version of the Easy Bake. It looks a bit more modernized, but cooking with a light bulb is still as fun for a little girl now as it was thirty years ago!



Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween. My Favorite Boy dressed like David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) from the Boston Red Sox. My Best Girl was Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She plans to wear this for a tea with Alice during our next Disney trip.

We attended a party and went trick-or-treating with friends from church. Here are my kids with two of their closest friends Dorothy and someone from Star Wars (I am not Star Wars literate).

After trick-or-treating, the kids enjoyed some games. My Best Girl even won a gift card to Sonic for guessing the correct number of pumpkin candies in a bowl (Dad helped a little with the estimation skills).


Piano Recital

On Saturday, my Favorite Boy performed in a piano recital. One year ago, he wouldn't even consider playing in front of an audience, so we are really proud of him for participating. He did a great job, and we truly appreciate his teacher for all that she does!


These are some of the highlights of what has been going on with my kiddos. It is a busy time of year, but I do enjoy the October-December time period so much (as long as I can survive it)!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl, My Favorite Boy

My Best Girl's birthday is a few days before Halloween. This year, she decided to have a costume party. She dressed as Alice in Wonderland and was so excited to greet her guests. The first to arrive were a pirate and a gingerbread girl.

We started the party with pizza and cake. Alice and Belle enjoyed the cheese pizza, and Alice was excited to blow out her candles.


After the food, we played Halloween Bingo, the kids wrapped each other in toilet paper to look like mummies, and we did the Limbo (Alice specifically requested the Limbo). You can see that Alice and her brother David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) really had a good time with this.


Alice's favorite gift was a real camera (this was from Mom and Dad). You can see that this was an exciting gift.

I can't believe my Best Girl is five, but I know she had a memorable birthday surrounded by friends and family. I look forward to watching her grow during the coming year!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Best Girl

Last Monday, my Best Girl turned five. Between celebrations, baseball, and Halloween, I didn't have time to post about all the birthday festivities (the party post will come soon). On her actual birthday, my Best Girl and I had our bi-monthly Mother/Daughter Day. When I told her that we would be going to the mall, she was ecstatic.

Can we eat there? Can I get a cookie? Can I ride the merry-go-round? Can I play on the playground?

These questions were answered with yes, yes, and yes. Then, I added the surprise: You can also go to Build-A-Bear! This announcement was met with an enthusiastic "Oh, Thank you, Mommy!" So, we set off for some birthday fun and girl time.

Our first stop was the merry-go-round. My Best Girl asks to ride this every time we go to the mall, but I rarely have cash. I think you can tell how she feels about this treat by the look on her face.

Next, we headed to the playground. My Best Girl was the only one there, so she had me follow her around and take pictures of her while she posed (see HERE).

After the playground, we headed to the food court. No birthday meal at the mall would be complete without a cookie with icing.

Finally, we ended up at Build-a-Bear. My Best Girl chose a very cute rabbit. She selected a heart, warmed the heart, and then lovingly placed the heart inside her new friend.


After giving her new bunny a bath, she chose an outfit and a name.

Meet Rose, the bunny who likes to wear a Tinkerbell costume!

My Best Girl and I had a wonderful time. I hope she will always remember that her 5th birthday was a special day. Next year, she and Rose can celebrate their birthdays together!

Labels: My Best Girl

I recently read The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey. I really enjoyed it. Head over to 5 Minutes for Books to read my review and enter to win a copy for yourself.

Labels: Books

Labels: My Best Girl, Wordless Wednesday

Each month, 5 Minutes for Books has a carnival called What's On Your Nightstand. I haven't participated in a while, but I actually got my act together this month. I can say with great certainty that Grammy and Papa are questioning why I am posting this instead of pictures from their granddaughter's birthday, but those are coming soon!

This month, my stack includes Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am about halfway through Azkaban, and I am enjoying the series. I get more into the story with each book.

The other fiction titles in my stack are The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. I always enjoy Nicholas Sparks books, so I am looking forward to his latest. I read The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve several years ago, and that compelled me to pick up A Change in Altitude. Whether or not I finish it will depend on the content.

My two nonfiction books are Mothering Heights and Praying the Names of God. Mothering Heights explores the role of a godly mother using famous works of literature. I am fascinated by this concept, and I can't wait to read it (I'll be reviewing it soon at 5M4B). Recently, I did a Bible study on the names of God, and it was wonderful. I found the book Praying the Names of God soon after that, and I am excited to dig into it as well.

That's my current list. I look forward to reading the lists of others. If you would like to join the fun, head over to 5 Minutes for Books today!

Labels: Books