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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Catching Up

It's been almost a month since I've gotten on here and updated things. Sheesh. The thing is, my camera isn't working properly. That's actually the reason Camping Trip Post #3 never happened. I have a big girl camera that takes beautiful pictures, but the pictures are no longer coming off the camera. It's an issue. And then my phone - my phone takes pictures that have this tiny thin green line running along the side of them. I Googled it and supposedly it's a hardware issue and I should take my phone to the AT&T store to get a replacement, but somehow that hasn't made it to the top of my priority list yet.

You can't write a nice blog post about your kids, or a fun visit to your grandparents, or Thanksgiving or Christmas or birthday parties without pictures, so I've just been avoiding this space altogether. But I miss it. So I'm here to write a post complete with crappy iPhone pictures about the last month and hope that I can find a solution for my big girl camera in the near future.

Here's an update:



The treehouse we started this past Spring is at 90% completion. A slide and some swings are needed to complete functionality...but the kids have had a lot of fun out there already.



B Daddy and I celebrated our anniversary with a completely kid-free weekend. It was so very very nice. I love the chance to just BE US without the parent part of our relationship every now and then. 


We went hiking at Kennesaw Mountain and very nearly made it all the way to the top. Maybe next time.




My mom, the kids and I went to Savannah before Thanksgiving  to visit my grandparents and mom's side of the family. I love these people.





We also went to the coolest (and coldest on this particular day) Children's Museum while we were there. Created in the shell of the old train station, the kids had a blast running around and playing with all kinds of things. This is a pic of 2/3 of the great-grandkids. Sweet B was NOT cooperating. 


Thanksgiving happened. My favorite holiday. Fried two beauties like this and enjoyed fellowship with my family all day. 




It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We hit up the Alpharetta Christmas Tree Lighting this past weekend and have our house all festivized for the season.

Hopefully I'll get the camera situation figured out soon and a flurry of posts will be heading your way this month. What have YOU been up to this past month??

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Einstein was Right



The longer I experience this thing called marriage, the more I realize that time is most certainly relative. 

Right now most of my days are a marathon: will lunch time ever get here? Can I keep my sanity until dinner is made? If I can put one foot in front of the other for one more hour, B Daddy will be home.

After the dinner dishes are cleared, the finish line looms in front of us - we wrestle squirmy kids into pajamas, cuddle with a book, hug out a family prayer and it's bedtime for the monsters at last. Phew. I collapse onto the couch (usually with a glass of wine in one hand) grab the hand of this man who is encouragement and accountability and most of all love and give thanks for rest.

If each day is indeed a marathon, how is it that the years have passed so quickly? 




We have three kids. Never thought I'd say that. I've been pregnant or nursing for most of our marriage.  HA! Definitely never thought I'd say that. We're celebrating 8 years of married life today. EIGHT. I never imagined marriage was this good. How have eight years passed by? Just yesterday we were college kids taking B Daddy's Jeep out for a 2am cruise of Athens. Just yesterday we were honeymooning in Italy, drinking cheap wine straight from the bottle, huddled together for warmth because we never imagined Tuscany got cold. Just yesterday we were spending our Saturday mornings sleeping in and drinking coffee while it was still hot...





But the Lord has been so good to us. Marriage has been so good for us. I can't wait to see where the next 8 years takes us.





Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween 2013

The Squirt has only been up for an hour and has already asked me to explain the timeline for tonight's events three times.

E: Mom when do we get to go to the party? (Our neighborhood pre-trick or treat block party)
Me: After nap time kiddo. You'll get up, get your costume on and we'll find your treat buckets and go.

E: Ok, so how many minutes are we gonna stay at the party?
Me: I don't know kiddo. Probably an hour. When it gets dark you can start trick or treating.

E: How are you and dad gonna trick or treat with us and give candy to kids too?
Me: Good question monster. We need to work that out.

E: We should probably take flashlights with us so we can find the houses in the dark.
Me: Yea that's a good idea. You can help me find some later.

E: Mom when do we get to go to the party?
Me: -sigh-


Here's a sneak peek of Squirt's costume -


If you've seen this Flash mask lying around somewhere let me know. We lost it about .07 seconds after we bought it. (Shocker!)


I finished up the wings for Brit's Tinkerbell costume yesterday and I really hope she wears them tonight. Just in case she doesn't, I took a video for proof they existed. It's sideways because it's 8:45am and I'm too lazy to figure out how to change it. Just tilt your head to the right as you watch it. See? Much better.

Happy Halloween!

Friday, October 25, 2013

The Future's So Bright...

It's FRIDAY! Whoop whoop. I hope you have some particularly spectacular plans made for the next 72 hours. Sweet B and I have been discussing our weekend plans over some milk this AM. Sparkly pink star sunglasses help us up the awesomeness ante.

B Daddy is doing this ridiculous thing called GoRuck Heavy for 24 hours from 8pm tonight until 8pm Saturday night. Go him. There is nothing about this endeavor that sounds remotely appealing to me. The overnight low is going to be 25 degrees tonight y'all. 25 degrees. In Georgia. Poor man. He and an also-super-hardcore buddy are doing this thing, so pray for the two of them when you snuggle down in your warm bed this evening if you will. (Go ahead and file that under #firstworldprayerrequests)

I'll be man-less all day Saturday, and in the depth of my sorrow, the good Lord sent me no less than 2 party invitations for Saturday. That means I just have to pour cereal in the morning and then hopefully food + entertainment are taken care of for the rest of the day.

In light of the great sacrifice I have made so B Daddy can go out and prove his manhood, I told him I would take the kids to church Sunday by myself (so he can make up for a bit of sleep loss) and then I would be leaving for the afternoon. By myself.

Note to fellow wives: I did not choose the best time or manner in which to deliver this bit of information. Working on it.

I'm thinking there's going to be a pedicure in there somewhere and a lunch that does not consist of a PB&J eaten standing up.

What are your weekend plans? Last minute Halloween costume creation anyone? Anyone else rocking sparkly pink sunglasses at 7am? Happy Friday!



**Oh and that post where I actually tell you how our camping trip went? It's coming. Sometime. I promise. Technical difficulties with my camera. Boo hiss.**

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Fall Fun Continues: Part 2


When we left off, B Daddy and I had just herded the children back into the minivan after enduring the longest trip to buy apples we have ever undertaken.

By this time (1pm for those of you following along) the munchkins were complaining of hunger and I had abandoned my vision of a simple country picnic at the pumpkin patch down the road. As I unwrapped turkey sandwiches and handed sippy cups back from the front seat, B Daddy navigated the long dusty road out of the orchard.

The trip to Burt's Pumpkin Patch was a short drive down the road (going in the opposite direction of apple traffic) and we were there in the amount of time it took Mizzou to score again. Yes, again. As we approached Burt's I saw a little creek gurgling along the edge of the property and families spread out in the sunshine, their picnic lunches sprawled on blankets before them.  My expectations were creeping steadily upward as we pulled into the overflow parking lot and unloaded our crew. For this leg of the journey I thought we would bring Dakota with us to add to the perfectly happy family vibe we were going for. She'd been so good in the car until then and I hated to tie her to a tree while we went on our adventure.

It took about 15 minutes of weaving and maneuvering and one more trip to a porta-potty before we came upon the official entrance to Burt's. Pumpkin paradise lay just beyond us. Pumpkins of all colors, shapes and sizes. Pumpkins bigger than Blue Eyes were EVERYWHERE. The day had cooled off a bit and we were no longer cranky, hungry or tired. The Fall Fun Extravaganza was back on track.

We were barely through the gates of the patch (where admission was FREE! thank heaven) when I was stopped and told that no dogs were allowed inside with the pumpkins. Mr. Security Man was very nice about it, but my expectations for this leg of the extravaganza immediately plummeted.

Side note: I can get very irrational when my expectations are not met. 

Instead of returning to the car and staking Dakota to a tree for a bit (the day had cooled off, we had her long lead with us and we parked right next to a huge tree) an irritated me decided that B Daddy and the kids should go on in and do the pumpkin patch without me.  Dakota and I would wait for them among the picnickers by the creek. B Daddy didn't look all together thrilled with my plan, but I was insistent (and had that crazed irrational look about me) so he headed in while I turned around with Dakota in tow.

Things must have been awfully boring without me (either that or the pumpkin police kept telling the kids not to sit on the pumpkins, which was the only interesting thing a 2 and 4 year old could find to do in the pumpkin patch) because within 10 minutes B Daddy and the kids had joined Dakota and I down by the creek.

That Creek. It was glorious. Crisp, clear, cold water bubbling over smooth rocks and tripping down from under the bridge. The Squirt tore off his shoes and waded in before I could contain him. Sweet B and Blue Eyes went running after. It took half a minute before the Squirt slipped and fell, thoroughly soaking his only pair of shorts and probably initiating the cold he has this week. I had the forethought to take off Blue Eyes' blue jeans but it didn't take long before he squatted down in the water and filled his diaper to sagging with creek water. B Daddy and I exchanged a momentary glance of irritation and then - we let go. We let go of the plans we had made for this Fall Fun Extravaganza. We exchanged the perfect plan for the magic of the moment and enjoyed our kids as they giggled and splashed. We spent half an hour playing in that creek, letting Dakota wander along the bank scavenging the picnickers' leftovers, skipping stones and finally eating our prized fried apple pie.

It wasn't what we came for, but it was starting to look like a Fall Fun Extravaganza after all.









Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Our Fall Fun Extravaganza: Part 1


If you follow me on instagram, then you saw this picture on Saturday morning right before we headed out of town. So. Much. Stuff.  B Daddy and I wanted to go camping and we thought the family was up for the challenge. I had the brilliant idea that as long as we were heading north for the day/night we might as well hit up an apple orchard and a pumpkin patch and make one big Fall Fun Extravaganza of the trip.

We were only going for one night, but the amount of gear we packed into that minivan was ridiculous. One huge tent, four camping chairs, a high chair, a queen-size Aero bed (yes that's how we roll) with sheets and blankets, a pack n play, two sleeping bags, two sleeping pads, a camping stove and camp kitchen paraphernalia, firewood, a hammock, two overnight bags, a hiking pack, a cooler full of food, two adults, three kids and one big brown dog. Thank heaven for the minivan, we actually had room to spare inside.

First up on the Fall Fun Extravaganza agenda: Apple Picking. We drove about an hour north to Ellijay (the Apple Capital of Georgia) to fill our larder so I could make homemade applesauce and Pioneer Woman's flat apple pies until Christmas.

In Ellijay, there are a dozen apple orchards strung along a picturesque two lane country "highway" that runs east-west between actual highways. Each of these orchards offers fun family activities along with apple picking each weekend during apple season. Translation: Hwy 52 on a Saturday morning in the month of October is chock full of bumper-to-bumper apple traffic. There is no way out of it and no way around it. The first two orchards you come to are insanely commercialized ($8 admission for a child to pick their own apples and participate in the "festivities") but by the time you come to them you have been sitting in slow moving traffic for 20 minutes and your choices are to remain in apple traffic and hope for a quieter setting down the lane or pull off and deal with the masses of city folks who have come up to apple country to give their children the same idyllic experience you were hoping for.


We pulled off. We followed the not-so-picturesque hired hands directing traffic and parked about a mile uphill from the entrance. We made the snap decision to buy apples from the cute orchard store and save the fun family festivities for the pumpkin patch. We unloaded the kids and strapped Blue Eyes into the hiking pack. As we bypassed the lengthy stroller-laden line for admission into the orchard I informed the children that we were not actually going to pick apples off the trees this year. We were going to go to the store where we could pick apples out of produce boxes! and it would be just as fun. This change of plan was (shockingly) not met with meek-mannered acceptance. We bribed promised them a fried apple pie to soothe their tiny little disappointed hearts.

45 minutes and two trips to the porta-potty later we were leaving the store with a 20lb bag of apples and one fried apple pie in hand. We trekked back up the hill to the van, (sweating now...why on earth was it 85 degrees this weekend in North Georgia? Where were the Fall Fun temperatures?) unloaded the kids and turned on the radio to hear that our beloved Dawgs were already down 14-0 to the mighty Mizzou. Oh my. The Fall Fun Extravaganza was not going precisely as planned.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Inquiring Minds


The Squirt is 4 1/2 and at the age now where the questions he asks get better and better by the day. This kid is a QUESTIONER

I (as most of you well know) love anytime I get to play the role of ANSWERER. There are few things I enjoy more in life than providing answers for people. I feel needed and smart at once - two of my favorite things.

Yesterday the Squirt was full of awesome questions in the car and I needed to record them somewhere before I forgot.

Mom, do you drive to heaven or does Jesus come and get you?

When we die will we go under the ground or up in the sky?

Where does the sun go to sleep?

Where does your mind go to sleep?

Where does the sun go when the moon comes out at night?

Mom, why is the sky blue sometimes and white sometimes?

Are clouds fluffy or hard?

Is the sun hard or fluffy?

What happens if you stick your hand in a tornado?

I LOVE this age. 





Monday, September 23, 2013

The Bloggedy Blog


It's September 23rd and this is my first post this month. Yikes. I guess you could say I'm dropping the blog ball. For the last 4 years I've kept Crazy Joy afloat through a combination of early morning blogging and nap time blogging.

Early mornings are out now for blogging. I get up at 6am (on a good day) and it takes every second of the 45 minutes to an hour I have alone for me and God to talk through how on earth I'm going to survive another day in my life.

And nap time my friends, is a tricky thing these days.

Nowadays I usually have one solid hour of alone time during the nap 'hours'. On a bad day it's less than thirty minutes. After the last kid is tucked in, I pick the one BIG thing that needs doing without six extra hands (usually dinner), get it done and then collapse on the couch with a book or some recorded show on the DVR and space out until I hear the padding of little feet down the hallway.

On the rare days where all the kids are down at the same time for two hours, I wander through the main part of the house wondering what on earth I'm supposed to do with all that time. I usually remember the blog about the time those little feet start heading my way.

A few things I keep meaning to blog about:

- B Daddy and I went to see Mumford & Sons. It was amazing. But dude, General Admission seating?? We are too old for that crap anymore. Next concert we will have cushy seats that no drunk guys can sit in with us.

- We have a swanky new patio out back. You should come over for s'mores sometime.

- I'm trying to lose 5 lbs (yes, again. What is it with those 5 lbs? Go away already.)

- I scored some awesome deals at the thrift store last week. Nerf guns for $1 people. Whaaaattttt??!

- Our hideous lack of landscaping out front where the garden was this summer. It's a situation in need of serious attention. If you come over anytime soon, come through the back door. We have a swanky new patio.

- I drink my coffee black now. It makes me feel like a grown-up.

- The Halloween dilemma. The Squirt has wanted to be the Flash, Batman, Buzz Lightyear, a Jedi knight and Superman in the span of the last two weeks. I'm thinking maybe he can just go as a superhero with MPD?

- Am I really going to homeschool next year???

Maybe y'all can vote on what you want to see on the blog. It's probably pictures of my kids, isn't it? My camera hates me and refuses to upload things onto my computer, so if you need more Leipprandt kids in your life, follow me on instagram - @leipprandt.

Thanks for reading and for loving on us via your emails, comments and words of encouragement. Y'all are my favorites.





Thursday, September 12, 2013

Bible Study Fellowship


I'm really excited about a new Bible study I started earlier this week. It's an international Bible study program with over 1000 locations called Bible Study Fellowship. This year they are studying the book of Matthew.

I'll be going on Tuesday mornings and - the kicker - there is a corresponding children's program that is FREE. Um yup, sign me up. My neighbor Annie told me about it over the summer and convinced me I needed this in my life as soon as she threw "childcare during the day" into her little sales pitch. 

It does mean that I'll be missing my beloved Dance Battle Build class on Tuesday mornings, so I worked out a brilliant plan to head straight to the gym after BSF and get in a quick Xfit class. (My brilliant plan also included packing a lunch and feeding the kids in the car. Bible study, working out AND no crumbs on the kitchen floor? Brill.i.ant.)  When I arrived at the First Baptist church this past Tuesday, it was clear I was slightly under-dressed in my jeans. There were ladies in pantyhose y'all. Pantyhose! Memories of avoiding the church my sister went to in college because I could never find anything appropriate to wear came flooding back. Sweet Annie (one of my favorite transplanted Midwesterners) was appalled that we hadn't warned her of the dress code. Oh Baptists.

I'm wondering how my work-out gear is going to be received next week?? 

Thursday, August 29, 2013

This Short Season

There is a time for everything, 
and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Do you think of your life in seasons? Do you ever stop to reflect that right now, the day-to-day pattern of your life is a season? One that will somehow merge seamlessly into the next. And most likely, in a few years time you'll wonder what happened to the season you are living in today?

I never thought much about the seasons of my life until I had kids. Middle school became high school and high school became college and then thank God college became married life and married life led to babies. 

And babies. Boy, babies will teach you about seasons. 

Right now I am in the season where a 16 month old, a 2 1/2 year old and a 4 year old are my to-do list each day. That's it. There's literally nothing else that I have To Do in life beyond maintaining their health and well-being. And right now doing that one thing is really kicking my tail. 

As school starts back up and I watch my friends take their kids to school or parents morning out programs I wonder, should I be doing that too? Would that make this season easier? I honestly don't think it would. Different- yes, easier- no. 

We've made the decision not to send our kids to school or parent's morning out in this season, and some days I wake up with a whole day stretching before me and I am completely paralyzed. I told a friend recently, I'll be up drinking my first cup of coffee and suddenly be hit with the realization, ohmygosh I have three kids who are going to wake up any minute and come in here and ask me what we're doing today and I have NO IDEA what to say to them. It's like I've never done this before. 

Lately it has either been raining outside or blazing hot with high humidity. And the pool is CLOSED during the week now. That certainly doesn't help matters much. 'Too wet to go out, too (hot) to play ball, so we sat in the house, we did nothing at all.' - Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat 

This very short season when I have 3 young children who are all mobile, opinionated and WITH ME all day long is hard. 

Would you pray for us? Would you pray that I would take Solomon's words to heart? That I would be reminded that there is purpose in this season? That I would find ways to fill our days that are enjoyable for me AND the kids? That I would believe that he makes everything beautiful in its time?  

Thanks friends. 

Friday, August 16, 2013

Dance Like Nobody's Watching

Dancing is one of my most favorite things EVER. Add 80s music, side ponytails and 60 of my closest mama friends - and I am kind of in heaven this morning.  Where am I heading for all this amazingness?


The Alpharetta YMCA of course. It's 80s day at Dance Battle Build.  I'm actually breaking my steadfast rule of not wearing make-up to the gym just for the occasion. I knew I kept a compact full of bright blue eyeshadow around for a reason.

Oh yeah and burning 600 calories while I'm at it is a nice little bonus. I LOVE MY GYM!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Missing the Menfolk

This happened yesterday. 

B Daddy and Pops took the Squirt up to Michigan for a long weekend of Mackinaw City fudge, expeditions on the Adventure IV and family time at the cabin with this view.

(So blurry - sorry, Mackinac* bridge)

I am so thrilled that they are doing this trip together now. I am (only slightly) jealous that I am at home doing my normal routine with the younger munchkins. Sweet B woke me up at 6:15 this morning and was promptly taken back to her own little bed. This mama doesn't parent before 7:30. (Disney Junior parents from 7:00-7:30.)

Last night I celebrated my single status by watching back to back episodes of Restaurant Impossible (there is seriously NO TV on during the summer months) and going to bed at 10:30. Tonight I'm upping the ante by having some girlfriends over after the kids are in bed and on Saturday I'm hosting a sleepover with my favorite 16 and 17 year old girls on the planet. So excited.

What are you up to this weekend?!


*Can some Michigander PLEASE explain Mackinaw/Mackinac to me? I'm utterly confused as to which is correct or if both are correct?

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Being Known By What We Love


This post at (in) courage really hit home today. An excerpt:

Gator Hater! Gator Hater!” the kids yell throughout the van while I scan our surroundings for the cause. There it is: the license plate on the car in front of us reads G8TRH8TR. Gator Hater.
I’ve lived in Georgia long enough to be familiar with the rivals on our southern and western borders. One of the strongest sports rivalries even polarizes Georgians: Georgia Tech vs. the University of Georgia. We transplanted from Arkansas, a place without professional teams where an entire state unites behind the Razorbacks.
Staring at that license plate while the kids chant its message I hold onto one thought: how sad to be defined by what you hate rather than what you love.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ~John 13:35
I ponder this for days, turning it over and over in my mind: how often do I live like the driver of that car, allowing myself to be defined by the wrong things? 

I too wonder, how often am I defined by what I dislike or disapprove of rather than the One I love? Is my love for my children expressed as often as the things I want them to change? Is my love for my family expressed over and above anything we may disagree about?

Working on loving without reservation this week - praying for His grace to surrender the pride that urges me to express my every thought and feeling about people/situations/the Florida Gators.

Monday, August 5, 2013

What I've Learned about Potty Training (From Someone Who's Cleaned a Lot of Poopy Underpants)


Two different friends have asked me for potty training advice this week. They both read my blog on occasion and so I wondered if maybe they missed this post somehow? Each year of parenting brings me to a fuller realization that I have absolutely no advice to give. All I can do is share my own stories of failures and (so far) successes. Oh and encouragement. I do encouragement here too. I like to think of myself as a little mama-cheerleader.

In the event that you're desperately seeking potty-training encouragement from a girl who's 75% certain her children are wearing clean underwear, read on.

I potty-trained the Squirt waaaaaay too early and it was not pretty. That rough road taught me that potty training happens when your child is ready. Not when you are ready.  Not when the budget is too tight to buy diapers for more than one child.  Do what you gotta do - eat some rice and beans for a while girlfriend, because diapers are AWESOME. My mom (an elementary school teacher) swears she's never seen a kid at school in diapers, so eventually they will figure it out.

But if you really think you and your little buddy are ready, well this is what has 'worked' for us.

Our kids loved going out with us to buy their new big kid undies the day before we started this insanity. They got to pick them out and in the process we got to talk about what potty-training was. Shopping always makes things more fun doesn't it? I would whole-heartedly encourage you to buy A LOT of undies. We're talking 14+ pairs. You are most likely going to have to clean poop out of quite a few pairs and well...sometimes it's just not worth it. Trash those bad boys.

When we potty-trained Squirt we did the stupid highly recommended 3 Day Method (Google it). This required keeping the Squirt naked from the waist down the entire first day. I have never been more grateful for hardwood floors in my life. We cleaned up SO MUCH PEE that day. With Sweet B we just ditched the diapers and put her straight into undies on the first day. A few months before this we tried potty-training by putting her in Pull-Ups, but she never got it. Sweet B has watered our floors far less than her big brother. Which is fortunate, because we have nicer rugs now.

When we "went for it" with both kids, we did it on a Saturday so B Daddy was home to help out. One of us kept an eye on the trainee (in theory) and the other one ran interference with the other little ones. By the time Monday rolled around, the worst of it was behind us. (Again, this is theory - not real life.)  In real life Sweet B watched a LOT of TV that first Monday B Daddy went to work and I hovered over the Squirt all day just waiting to whip out the tiny green potty at the first signs of fidgeting.

Oh and treats. We say Yes! to treats. Skittles, M&Ms, jelly beans. Something tiny and full of sugar. I have heard there are people who potty-train their children without treats. Perhaps those are the people you should be looking to for advice. The Squirt peed on the floor INCHES from the potty at least three hundred times in a row before he made the connection that aiming into the little white bowl would earn him a Skittle. Once he figured that out - done. Boy has rarely had an accident since. (Pooping was a different story. One I told here.)

When it came time for sleeping during the potty-training phase I would whip out a Pull-Up and talk about how they were special Big Boy undies just for sleeping. Yes they feel like diapers. But we do. not. play. with nap time or night time around here. Sleep is sacred. They can wear Pull-Ups just as long as they like. It's hard enough for me to be gracious to my children when they have peed in their pants during the day -  asking this of myself when I have been woken in the middle of the night is clearly setting myself up for failure.

Oh and buy some disposable plastic gloves - they are nice to have on hand when you have to clean up the more traumatic (for you) accidents.

Also, buy carpet cleaner - for the same reason as above.

And finally, the only true advice I have to offer is this:  give your kids (and yourself) A LOT of grace. I am still working on this part. My mantra is, "it's just poop. It's just poop. It's just poop." When confronted with a crisis, repeat this mantra as often as necessary.


Friday, August 2, 2013

My Summer Reading List

Summer is almost OVER! In case you've got one last beach trip/lake weekend/lazy Monday afternoon planned before the kids head back to school and the weather turns cooler ... here's a list of a few books I've read and enjoyed this summer. It's a good mix of fiction, non-fiction and total fluff :)


Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton


What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

No Easy Day by Mark Owen


Flawless by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell


 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger


 Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Wilson


The Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick

Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

And because I'm never shy of giving my opinion, two books I read and didn't like.


Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn



Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh


Now it's your turn - what have you read this summer? The good, the bad, the fluffy? 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Little Dawg Nation



Only 36 more days til football season starts for Dawg fans! 

I've been actively indoctrinating our kids this summer, they picked out coordinating outfits all on their own the other day. (Ok so maybe I dressed the little man...) Blue Eyes might actually be big enough for a spot on the team one day...so we're working hard to make sure he's got his loyalties figured out.

Oh and if anyone is looking...we have a pair of season tickets for sale - we haven't quite worked out how to get to the games with all these chilluns yet. 

Go DAWGS! 




 
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