june reads

• One False Move - Harlan Coban

More in the Myron Bolitar series. Lots of fun. Full of laughs. Lovable characters. Good guys always win.

• Iron Orchid - Stuart Woods

If you like "spending the whole book trying to catch the bad guy" then you will like this one. Mystery. Characters introduced in other Stuart Woods' books. Quick read. Still trying to understand why the title was Iron Orchid. I must have missed some reference?

• Remember Me? - Sopie Kinsella

I tried one of her "shopaholic" books and they weren't for me, but I tried to give her another chance in the name of expanding my reading. Still not for me.

• Bad Luck and Trouble - Lee Child

Another GREAT character - "Reacher", ex-military, drifter, loner, bad boy. He gets back together with his old unit to investigate (avenge) the death of one of its members. The units' tag line was "you DO. NOT. MESS. with the special investigators" and they spend the whole book making sure the bad guys know it.

• Eclipse - by Stephenie Meyer

I tried to pace myself and savor it, but at the same time I wanted to devour it in one sitting. I have loved this series Twilight, New Moon and now Eclipse. I kept waiting to be let down because my expectations were pretty high, but it was really good. Bella is graduating from high school with the looming date of becoming a vampire (by her choice). Edward (the vampire) is trying to convince her to marry him and her best friend Jacob (the werewolf) is trying to steal her away. What more could you ask out of love triangle? Oh yeah, vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies and they team up to try and save Bella! Good stuff. Now just waiting for Breaking Dawn to hit the shelves!

tennis, anyone?

Carly went to tennis camp last week. It was an hour and a half from 11:00 to 12:30 each day. And when I say it was HOT. I mean HOT, and I am not kidding. 90's, in the sun, standing on a concrete tennis court, HOT. But Carly loved every minute and wanted to be there at 10:30, so she could hit balls with one of the other little girls.

Our little town has a budding tennis program and the newly formed parks' department is putting on the camps. The paper even came out to take pictures and write a story about the program. It must have been a slow news day because Carly made the front page of the paper. Okay, it is her back, but no need to be ticky. Her name was in the caption :) Here is the picture that was in the paper. She is in the blue T-shirt.

twilight swim

We were back for more.

Remember 2 weeks ago? You can read more about it here.

We arrived at exactly 4:00 - right on time. It was rest break. When we pulled up to the pool, Carly asked "is it closing?" That is because SO many people were leaving. Woo hoo, I get to pick the lounge chair I want!

......

Carly and her friend played really hard swimming, retrieving sinking toys, taking turns riding in the inner tube, spraying each other with the water guns, jumping off the board, practicing diving, playing silly pool games just like we played as kids. Carly even attempted a front flip off the board. Kenny was playing golf and when he finished he dropped by to visit for a few minutes. There were a lots of breaks to fill up on junk food (there was watermelon, maybe that cancels out the chips, cookies, candy, and pizza).

......

Around 5:30 or 6:00, a few new families showed up. Either other people realized how great twilight swim is or they have been lurking around my blog :) But even with the late comers, at 7:30 my two little girls were the ONLY people in the pool.

.......

I love it because the temperature is PERFECT for sitting in the lounge chair and hanging out. I wrote a few thank you notes, read the paper, did the crossword and the sudoku, read a few chapters in my book looked at a couple of magazines, and even found a baby sitter for next week!

Can't wait for more twilight swim in 2 weeks.

date night...again

Last night we went here on the rooftop.

......

to see these guys...Crossing Dixon

know anything about them? they are originally from Starkville, MS and now are from "Nashville" isn't every budding country band? I think they were a local "cover" band but now have released an album. "Guitar Slinger" is the single that is getting the most attention but my favorite is "I love my old bird dog (& I love you too). It reminds me a lot of Keith Urban. They played a little Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich, Keith Urban, even some Eagles and Mellencamp. Check them out if you like a little rocking country

Even though we immediately raised the average age by 10 years (okay, more like 15) when we entered, it was a good night. It had been years since I went to a Peabody Rooftop Party, possibly 10. I think I was more appreciative of the setting this time. It was a beautiful night and the views were amazing. The sun was setting over the river and the surrounding buildings were all lit up. The Peabody is historic in Memphis and to spend the evening on the roof is a memorable experience.

......

{looking out at the river}

{redbirds playing baseball at Autozone Park}

while the mouse is away

the cats will play.....

......

while Carly was off at camp, Kenny and I tried to have a little time together. We met up with some friends and had drinks and dinner at Mesquite Chop House. One evening we worked in the yard together (does that count?) And one night we hung out at the Relay for Life event. Kenny's bank had a tent and were raising money. The theme for this years event was "the 70's". There was disco music and the Village People (okay, not the real ones), and Tina Turner (okay, it was a guy dressed-up for the Mr. Relay for Life - which are all men dressed in woman's attire), and lots of families mingling around. It was a nice night-out together for a good cause.

......

{Kenny in the fuzzy 70's pimp hat}

snaps by carly

Drove this morning to pick up sweet girl from camp. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough to catch her walking down the path with her new friends. She had the most content look. Happy, relaxed, secure in her surroundings and with her friends. She was chatting and smiling. When she saw me, she lit up and came over to give big hugs. I could tell that she had a wonderful week. She started talking immediately and chatted continuously until we got home an hour later.

Snaps from Carly's disposable camera.

I am so glad she had a good time. Her stories today remind me even more how much I loved summer camp. She loved playing games (capture the flag, relay races), cooking out, the zip line, swimming, playing in the creek and lake, outdoor devotion, Clue (scavenger hunt-type game), the cafeteria, talent contest, American Idol contest with "church" songs, and making new friends. I think she love the independence. Her biggest complaint was that they didn't get to do the zip line more. "That's okay, I bet we get to do it more next year!"

letter home

......

We got a letter home from camp today. It makes me smile.

First, it is good to hear from her but also

it screams "I don't have time for this!" :)

......

Aunt Kacey made her this super cute camp stationery

(with matching return address labels, bag tags,

stickers to label her stuff and

calling cards to give out to new friends).

.......

Our post card says:

.......

Dear Mommy & Daddy,

Today at camp I

played capchure (capture) the flag.

I also had fun

swimming.

Love you, Carly

......

Looking forward to picking her up tomorrow!

one picture = 5 things

The camp where Carly is has a web site and they post pictures of the campers for neurotic mothers like me. This morning when I pulled it up I was pretty excited to see a snap of Carly that I promptly sent out to everyone. This afternoon when I pulled the site back up there were some new pictures including this one. I told Kenny there was a new picture and that it told me 5 things:

......

1. She made it through the night.

2. She appears happy.

3. She looks like she is having fun.

3. She has on clean clothes.

4. She brushed her hair.

......

What more can a mother ask?

give-a-way

make your way over to this fun site

They have a fun give-a-way from Doodlebug's Stationery!

Who doesn't want some fun personalized stationery???

summer camp

One excited 8 year old settled in for a week of summer camp.

I wish I could have read her mind because she said several times

"this is not what I expected" which surprised me because

it was everything I expected,

so i keep wondering what had she been picturing?

Happy Daddy's Day

We love you!

evening at the pool

every other week the pool at the Club stays open until 8:00

(I think they should do it every Friday, but again they didn't ask me...why don't they ask me? they should, I 'm thinking)

typically it closes at 6:00.

there is always a mandatory rest break at 4:00

where all the kids have to get out of the pool.

it is amazing to me how many people leave at 4:00

(it reminds me of the beach when everyone goes in just when the sun is setting...don't they know that is the perfect time to be on the beach,

maybe we shouldn't tell everyone,

we don't want it to be too crowded) .

i like to get there at 4:10 just in time for the rest break to end. it has started to cool off and the crowd is gone.

yesterday Carly invited her friend to join us.

they played and played and played. they had such a good time

and had the pool to themselves from 7:15 until 8:00.

I felt a little guilt that we were keeping the life guard there until the very end? Why don't others take advantage of twilight at the pool?

pink mail

Look what I found in my mailbox today. A box FULL of pink goodness. Lots of wonderful "pink" happies from a new blogging friend Linda.

......

Thank you Linda for a wonderful good mail surprise!

carly's review #2

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

..... ...... Carly says: Clementine is silly. She should not have cut off her friends hair or her own hair. She should not have drawn new hair on with permanent marker. I don't know who goes to the principal more Clementine or Junie B. Jones?

...... ......

mom's 2-cents: Clementine is a precocious child who although precious, I am glad she is not mine. Clementine is "allergic to being still" and is constantly being told to pay attention, although she says "she is the only one who is paying attention." Another fun read. ......

Carly gave Clementine: 4 out of 5 stars.

SPT - Red White and Blue Version

SPT June challenge from Lelly....."in the U.S., we are in the charmed time of early summer, between Memorial Day and Independence Day. school is winding down. the pools are open. the grills are fired up. we linger longer in beds made up with crisp cottons. and freshly bathed children smile up at us with sun-kissed cheeks before dreaming of strawberries and picnics and fireflies. it is a magical time of year.

we have the chance to honor our history during this time of year. to remember how our nation came to be. to remember those who have lived and died to protect the things we hold most dear. no matter what country you call home, there is opportunity here to celebrate every homeland. every nation."

{#3 = this week's challenge of "twilight's last gleaming"}

the newest summer activity

how much fun can be had

with a dollar's worth of water balloons?

......

splash party

My friends and all our girls got together at Elizabeth's house. She had a water slide in the backyard, drinks iced down, and fun party foods. And as promised, your party written up on THE blog.

......

......

.....fun for everyone!

....all the girls

....sliding and sliding

....and more sliding

....catching up with friends

we hadn't seen in a couple of weeks

...party food!

Elizabeth, thanks for getting us all together!

carly's review

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford ...... ...... Carly says: Moxy Maxwell is a really, really good book. Moxy should have read Stuart Little all through the summer, but she didn't. She waited to the last day. Then all kind of things went wrong. She has a good sense of humor and she makes me laugh.

...... Mom's 2-cents: Moxy Maxwell was a really fun read. A perfect summer book choice to show that reading can be "just-for-the-fun-of-it". The short chapters and photographs make for super easy reading. Happy reading!

..... Carly gave Moxy Maxwell: 5 out of 5 stars

may reads

• The Ex Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

Loaned to me by my sister who wrote a review here . I thought it was amusing, with a lovable character, and a happy ending -- it was a fun read.

• Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Again, loaned to me by my sister who wrote her review here. Really, really liked this book. I liked it a lot more than I had thought that I would. It follows 2 best friends throughout their life from the 60's to the 70's, to the 80's and into the 90's. Spoiler alert: I cried through the last couple of chapters which is a fairly good indication of how attached I got to the characters. Highly recommend.

• Lost Souls by Lisa Jackson

Murder mystery in the true sense of the word "who-done-it". A fairly good, quick read with some suspense and mystery.

• A Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

In the way of expanding my reading material is to add some biographies to my list. This was an interesting story. I do not have the same religious beliefs as Mr Poitier but you have to take away something from his tenacity and belief in bettering himself. He definitely has a story of triumph.

• The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Brilliant! A historical novel that takes place in the 12 century. It begins with mystery and character development that grabs you and does not let go. For 1000 pages I did not want to put it down and was sad when it came to an end (although I hear there is a follow up?) It was so gripping that you could just loose yourself in it. I loved it and can't wait to look for the sequel.

wordless wednesday

50 things that made me smile

......

1. quality time with Carly

2. visiting with mom, sister, aunt

3. relaxing

4. sun

5. sand

6. waves

7. smell of the ocean

8. gulf breezes

9. sunsets

10. big fluffy white clouds

......

......

11. walks along the water

12. crabs

13. pelicans

14. sand pipers

15. looking for shells

16. sitting on the deck

17. taking photos

18. making drippy castles

19. trying to boogy-board

20. napping on the deck

......

21. watching 27 Dresses

22. playing top toss

23. painting Carly's nails

24. kite flying

25. board games

26. reading

27. no cell phone service

28. wireless Internet

29. stack of magazines

30. people watching

......

31. fabulous produce stand

32. summer tomatoes

33. ice tea

34. watermelon

35. pimento cheese

36. smoked tuna dip

37. shrimp poboy

38. road trip for ice cream

39. cold Mexican beer

40. eating out (LuLu's, Shrimp Basket, Doc's)

......

41. shoe shopping at Watermelon Patch

42. outlet shopping

43. tacky souvenir shops

44. sending post cards

45. people watching

46. Walter Anderson shop

47. no makeup

48. baseball caps

49. doing nothing

50. planning for next time

Girls at the beach...day 8

Last stop on our way home in

Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Ocean Springs is a wonderful little coastal town.

We were all really excited to see it looking good post-Katrina.

The biggest reason for the side trip was to stop at

Walter Anderson's Realizations.

......

......

I have been "wishing" for a couple of years for a large Walter Anderson piece to hang above my bed. I had done a lot of looking online and knew exactly what I wanted. It just took "pulling the trigger" as my husband says.

I failed to take a picture of it but Kacey was more on top of it. I swiped this one from her blog (speaking of see her post here about Ocean Springs).