Answer Me This 4

Here We Are Again. 
Linking Up With Kendra. 
For Answer Me This. 
6 Random Questions and Answers. 

1. How often do you take public transportation?

Never. When I lived in the Twin Cities I took the light rail a few times. To Twins games. And I take a bus to the State Fair every year. But other than that... never. I have never used the bus system or The Loop. So my use of public transportation is limited to my yearly bus ride to The Great Minnesota Get Together. (12 Days of Fun Leading Up to Labor Day!) 

2. How many cousins do you have?

8 on my Mom's side. 
5 on my Dad's. 

C has 2 cousins. I imagine that is all the cousin's he'll get on Husband's side. I also imagine someday there will be cousins on my side. 

3. Have you ever fired a gun?

Do Super Soakers count? I did use my brother's air soft gun once or twice. 

I have never fired a real gun though. I'd like to. I have actually been wanting to take a gun safety class, just because. It's kind of a vicious circle though--you can't take the class without a gun and you can't buy a gun unless you've taken this class. I have zero interest in buying a gun, I just would like the knowledge in case I was faced with a situation with a gun. 

4. Do you ride roller coasters?

Sort've. I haven't in many years. And I was pretty selective about the ones I would ride in my younger years. The last time I rode a roller coaster was the summer of 2011. And I didn't really enjoy it. So I think besides the Magic Kingdom roller coasters I'll pass. 

5. What's your favorite flower?

I like tulips. 
I like daisies. 
I like zinnias.

They're all neck in neck for favorites.

6. Are you allergic to anything?

Well... I am allergic to amoxicillan and ceclor the antibiotics. 
I don't eat Kiwi because the last time I did my tongue got itchy and swell-y. 

I had allergy testing once that showed a ragweed and tree pollen allergy but those are pretty manageable.  

Enjoy your week everyone!

Nesting, Raffi and Harry. 7QT sorta.

1. Where did June go?

You guys. The 4th of July is next Friday. Like NEXT Friday. That really snuck up on me. July is going to be good though. I am willing it to be.

I think we'll do pulled pork sandwiches for the 4th. That sounds good.

2. The Beginning of Nesting. 

On Wednesday I washed all the dishes. All of them. Like even the lunch dishes moments after we ate lunch. This maybe doesn't sound so nesting like until you keep in mind that I HATE doing dishes and gave up paper plates for Lent because I love them too much.

Last night I cleaned up the living room/dining room, did dishes, wiped down the kitchen counters, a load of laundry and started packing for this weekend. Between 7:30 and 9.

It's that the mess is starting to bug me. I don't know if that counts as nesting. But whatever.

3. Ducks Like Rain. 

By Raffi. I will spare you a link because you either know what I'm talking about or you don't. Someone in the house is obsessed with this song. And sings it all day long. Which is cute. And begs to listen to it all day long. Which is less cute. But only because I am sick of the song. And in fairness he uses his words very nicely to ask. "More Ducks Like Rain Please?" (Hint: The someone I am talking about is not me. Or Husband.)

This morning we've been listening to Raffi's Box of Sunshine. 3 CD Set.

I am a Raffi girl. It was my first concert you know. And I still have my Baby Beluga Concert Tee Shirt. True story.

4. Reading To Do

Which means only one thing. It is time for my yearly re-read of Harry Potter. I used to do the last week of July, a book a day, leading up to Harry's birthday. (July 30 for anyone who is not a complete Harry loser as I am.) I am quite certain that I cannot pull that off this year. So I resolve to 7 books in the month of July. That I can do.

5. Playing Outside

It's been a weird rainy month with lots of interuppted outside play. And when we do get to go outside we have some trouble leaving nature as nature. (Picking flowers. Peeling bark off the tree.) But he has so far left the tomato and pepper plants alone except for the very first day. So... let's call it a draw.

6. I've Got Nothing Left

7. Have a Great Weekend Friends!

Theme Thursday: Swim

It's Thursday.
Time for my favorite little internet get-together.

Theme Thursday hosted by Cari at Clan Donaldson. This week's theme is "Swim."

A great summery theme for a great summery linkup.

For my dude's birthday we had another family come over to celebrate. They have two boys, one older and one just a few months younger. They swam. Those 3 boys giggled like there was nothing better on Earth. A water table. A kiddie pool. Some watering cans and cups to throw the water about. Actually ... there may actually not be anything better on Earth than listening to little boys laugh. So it was all around a perfect day in the backyard. 

So, come on, let's see pictures of your kids swimming. I know you have them. Or pictures of you swimming. Or pictures of a fish swimming. It's all fair game on Theme Thursday. And I'm going to go there, fair warning... come on in, the water's fine! 

Happy Thursday! 

Short Little Update on Baby

We had our follow up ultrasound today.

Because it was going to be a shorter appointment we even brought C to see his baby. He told everyone he saw "See Baby." I think he wasn't too impressed with the ultrasound but Husband did a good job explaining and pointing for him. He did like the children's area in the waiting room so let's chalk it up to a win. (He most likely won't ever be going back to the office but we didn't want to find a sitter for such a short appointment.)

Everything looks great.

And they are sticking with GIRL.

Which in my gut I knew but it was nice to have visual confirmation!

So we are moving ahead with a girl room and I am going to begin sorting through the newborn clothes to see what is gender neutral enough to wash and have out. I think there are lots of cute animal onesies that will be perfect. Obviously I will need to get some fun girl stuff for her but I'm not super stressed out about it.

I would post pictures but since it wasn't the big ultrasound I didn't get digital copies and I haven't scanned them in yet. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Life As We Know It

I am deep in the trenches of the battle of everyday life. Not that it is particularly hard but, you know how it is right? Sometimes it is the monotony more than anything that gets you down. This weekend was a nice change of pace and while it brought it's own moments of stress and weakness it was all-around a pretty great one. 

We had a wedding on Saturday. I slept in just long enough to totally scrap all my "get ready" plans for the day. I know you know what I mean. Instead of a face mask and doing my nails, a regular shower and removing the gross chipped nail polish would have to suffice. 

This was further exasperated by Husband getting squeezed in for a haircut last last minute. He needed it and I am ultimately incredibly pleased he got a haircut for many reasons but it meant I had to get myself ready and a toddler packed and prepped for a day with relatives. We are fortunate that Husband's uncle and aunt live a few minutes away and are willing to watch C occasionally. (For free!) 

I know I talked about this on Friday, but my drive to get C all settled and on the road was all because of the dismissal by rows thing. I hate getting stuck in the back. It's the worst. But I, of course, stressed for no reason and we got delightful seats. We did bypass the "sign the guestbook" line at the church in order to accommodate my seating preference. But since guest books are always at the reception too (and it was) it didn't make one bit of difference and all was well. 

The wedding was really great. The bride's grandfather is a Deacon so was presiding over the wedding. (The groom's family is not primarily Catholic so it wasn't a full Mass.) He gave probably the best wedding homily I have ever had the pleasure to hear. I am sure it helps that it was his granddaughter he was speaking to, but the basic gist was that you can have God in your marriage but if you lose focus on each other and ever stop seeing your spouse for who they are that's when the trouble begins. 

The rest of the day went well. It didn't rain. The food was good. The reception venue was beautiful. It was exactly the bride's style. Which... was distressed vintage glamour. The only downfall of the distressed vintage aspect was that the air conditioning didn't work very well. At all. The room sat solidly at 80 for the duration of the evening. But once you just accepted the heat it wasn't so bad. I clearly wasn't drinking anything but water so that helped as well. We had a really good time. And when we picked up C to take him home he slept right through all the transferring so that's about as ideal as it gets. 

Yesterday my Dad and brother came to visit. Which was really great but incredibly teasy because the few hours we were able to see them wasn't really enough. I thoroughly enjoy my family and really wish seeing them could be more regular. And it breaks a mom's heart to hear your toddler say "Bye Bye Grandpa." He even woke up saying that this morning. (They left at bedtime.) 

But all in all it was a successful weekend. We have another wedding this weekend too in Husband's hometown and C will come to that reception so it should be equally fun but in a different way. We are going to have him nap as normal which will take place during the ceremony. I hope it proves to be just as much fun as Saturday's wedding! 

And that is pretty much what we did this weekend to combat the everyday monotony. This week should be pretty low-key to recover and prepare for travels. Hopefully the weather turns less rainy and we are able to get outside a bit. 

Answer Me This: 3rd Times the Charm

It's another round of Answer Me This! Hey-O! This week is especially fun for me because I was tagged by Kendra. Which made me feel all famous on the interwebs for about 10 minutes. It's always startling when the people with a bajillion followers take notice of the little guys. 

1. When's the last time you got a new bathing suit?

August 2012. It still fits. Or it did in April... I am sure with #2 taking up more room that it will be snug soon. I don't go swimming often but when I wore it in Florida I was actually quite happy with how modest it was--there's no falling out of this suit, there's not even any cleavage! I didn't remember that from 2012's trip to Florida. At that point I was just excited to go swimming! 

I actually just got it at J.C. Penney which was surprising and it was really inexpensive. Not a lot of people were buying the swimsuits in August. (I think school had maybe even started... or was JUST about to.) 

2. Who made the last incoming call on your phone?

My mom. I talk to my mom daily. On Skype always and the phone usually when someone is not on Skype or not answering. We have a variation of the same conversation the first minutes of every conversation. 

Person Who Answers: Hello

Caller: Why aren't you on Skype/Why aren't you answering/I called you. 

Person Who Answers: Why do you always call when we are eating/I am walking into Walgreens/We are at the playground/My phone was upstairs

Caller: Well Push Tosh About It**/Fellow has to go to bed soon/How did I know you were going to Walgreens?/Why do you even have a phone if it's not by you?

Person Who Answers: I'll go on Skype right now/I'll call you when I get home. 

End Scene. 

**My mom had a co-worker who misheard "Pish Posh" and said "Push Tosh." That was in 2003. It stuck. We say it a lot. Some times it is shortened to PTAI in both text and speak. 

3. If you receive communion, do you receive it in the hands or on the tongue?

The hands. 
I know we have been encouraged to receive on the tongue but I don't for two reasons. 

First, it wigs me out. I know that the spread of germs isn't really likely but I somehow can't get past it. 

Second, I have a very small mouth that doesn't open very wide so I would assume that would make it harder for the Priest. (I make a solid effort to only get in the Priest line regardless of where I attend.)

4. Do you have a tattoo?

Maybe. Maybe not. 

If I do it is not one that you would ever see. 

If I don't this question is irrelevant. 

5. How many dinner plates are in your house?

This is a loaded question. When we registered we picked out dishes based on simplicity and multi-use. We didn't do the fancy/casual thing we just got one set of dishes and silverware for everything. We picked based on look. (The now discontinued Sausalito in Blanca from Pottery Barn.) We didn't look at the size of plates. 

So when we moved into our townhouse after our honeymoon, we were unpacking the kitchen and putting away our brand new everything and discovered the dinner plates didn't fit in the cupboards. They were too big. So we had a plate drawer at the townhouse. When we moved they relocated to a lower cupboard. We have 12 of these unpacked and another 6 in a box in the basement in original packaging. 

But because they're so big we don't use them frequently we use the salad plates as our dinner plates. We have 8 of those. 

So... take that as you will. 

6. Do you have an accent?

I don't think I do. But I do have a bit of Minnesota that comes out. I know I go all hard Minnesotan when I say bag, bagel, bars etc. 

And in those online dialect tests I am definitely Minnesotan because I say Pop, Hot Dish and play Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. 

I am pretty sure I am going to buy this onesie for newbie.
Actually I want one too! 

It's Friday! Time for some Quick(ish) Takes

7 Quick Takes! In which I spill all my secrets and give you all my best tips. Oh also some opinions. You know, normal me.

1. The Secret to a Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 1 

My first secret is why my chocolate chip cookies are so darn tasty. It's so easy. Salt. Break all the baking rules you know and use the salted butter. THEN add the (optional) salt. It seems like a lot. But that is why cookies taste so good when you buy the dough from the store. I swear. Try it just once. Salted butter AND the salt. And tell me it didn't make a tastier than normal cookie.

I was searching for stock photos and thought... why not reuse a picture from last year's Theme Thursday?

2. The Secret to a Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Part 2 

You can find all sorts of "science of cookies" articles on the interwebs. I know. But most of them will skim over how to form the dough. Husband and I once had a lengthy experiment to find out what makes the best cookie. Obviously your personal preference will dictate your perfect cookie, but if you like a more done edge and a less done middle (crispy outside/chewy inside or chewy outside/doughy inside) then you need to be forming your cookie dough into cylinders.

It's all about the cylinders my friends. Again, try it just once. You'll be sold. And if you're going for a picture perfect cookie, after they're cylinders add a chocolate chip or two to the top of the dough. It will melt beautifully and look wonderful.

3. An Opinion On Motorcycles. 

Would someone please, please tell me why motorcycles? They just seem dangerous. And for all the road signs that say "Start Seeing Motorcycles" I want to say "Stop Being Annoying" The speed limit is not just for cars. The lines on the roads are also not just for cars. Just because you can weave in and out of cars does not mean you should. They're also loud. And you'd get to places smelling like exhaust I'd imagine. And you'd either have crazy wind hair or helmet hair. I just don't get it. Can you explain?

*I know some people on motorcycles must be great people who always wear helmets and drive the speed limit and follow all the rules of the road. They should move to my town because they are few and far between here. If you are one of those people please tell me why you love your motorcycle.*

4. Wedding Season 

We have a wedding this weekend and next. I am gearing up. Tomorrow's is local, which is nice. They are doing dismissal by rows, which is not nice. Dismissal by rows is it's own circle of Hell. We are getting there early so we're not stuck in the back.

5. In Other News

We get to go back and see Baby (Girl... probably) next week. I am looking forward to it and at that point I will start figuring out how that room is going to go. 24 weeks Sunday!

6. Hello Flo First Moon Party 

I know that videos in blogs go mostly unclicked. But oh my gosh I died. So so funny. And Hello Flo is on to something with this package of feminine products delivered with goodies right in time for cycles. The postpartum kit looks like a nice, if a little unusual, baby gift. Especially for moms who may have a lot of baby gear already. I am pretty sure that I would absolutely attend a first moon party if I was invited!

7. Husband's New Job

Husband officially applied for the job he's been doing for a while. It's a formality and his new job title and raise will kick in on July 1! Best news ever! The best part is he will also be eligible for the bonus program. It wouldn't actually pay out for us until next July but baby steps and the potential for a bonus is great! Lots of exclamation points but I'm kind of excited. So I am exclaiming.

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekends!

Theme Thursday: Sports

She had to start with a hard one. Here I was so excited to have Theme Thursday back. My favorite party on the interwebs and she picks sports. I am only 27 so maybe I'm not in my late late enough twenties to enjoy sports. Last time I was pregnant I was convinced we would get a little athlete. Because I was a theater/ mass comm major and Husband was a theater/graphic design major and neither of us love sports. 

I wish I found God or happiness or anything but hatred in running.
Alas.

Which sport he'll choose is left to be seen. Probably soccer or basketball. Because I hate the squeaky shoes of basketball. And soccer. Oh soccer. There is no such thing as a good soccer season in the Midwest. That is because it is nice out for approximately 3 weeks out of the year. So for the rest of the season it is either rainy, wet and muddy for spring soccer. Hot, muggy and buggy for summer soccer. Or icy, cold tundra fall soccer. Of course there's indoor arena soccer in the winter which would be fine but no one just plays indoor arena soccer.

And I just don't get The World Cup. These giant fields and a tiny ball that still can't seem to make it into that big goal. Then if two players on the giant field happen to bump shoulders into each other they fall to the ground, grabbing their leg and writhe in agony. The leg will probably need to be amputated. Perhaps they are actually going to die where they lay. All justincase the other person will get a red card from their near death experience.  When that doesn't happen they then miraculously pop back up after being sprayed with a magical can of air. Seems like a lot of hullabaloo to me. 

I can hear you all in your own homes begging me to get on with it. "Let's see your picture Madeline." I know. I'm sorry. I just had to establish that sports were not my thing so that the apparent lack of sporty pictures would be justified. Even though basketball and soccer are low on my list of favorites we have a soccer goal and a few balls and Christopher was the proud recipient of his very own Little Tikes Basketball hoop for his birthday.  He likes it. Slam dunking is great! 

See? I can prove it. 

My second picture is of his FAVORITE sport. Endurance swinging. He is a champion of swinging. 

This is maybe one of my favorite pictures ever because it's my son, Christopher Peter and my brother Peter Christopher. Peter is C's Godfather and all around one of my favorite people. It is also his birthday this weekend! Plus they're twinsies. (Not planned.) Pretty awesome. 

So anyway, sports. There you have it. Linking up, of course, with Theme Thursday over at Clan Donaldson because everyone should on Thursdays. Plus it's summer--there will never be better light to practice with! And if your kids mention the B word have them go out to capture the word of the week in photograph form, I'd like to see that too! 

Next week's Theme is swim. Nevermind that's also a sport *ahem.* I kid because we love swimming over here and I am excited for an easy theme! Actually the themes through July are fairly easy to pull off. I look forward to seeing your pictures. Have a wonderful rest of your Thursday!

Answer Me This: 2 Late Late Late

I am back for another round of Answer Me This! If you are popping over from Kendra's place, well then Welcome! I am glad you're here! (I started these on Sunday... it is now Tuesday.)

1. What's something you intended to do today, but didn't?

Actually today has gone pretty much according to plan. I suppose I intended to buy C a donut at the gas station but the selection was of the sticky variety so he got a muffin instead. He liked it and he didn't know he was supposed to have a donut so no biggie!


2. What's your favorite grilling recipe?

Besides heat the charcoal and put the meat on? Um... sometimes I marinate the meat? I've got nothing. We actually grill often in the summer but mostly it's for meat and then we have veggies/pasta salad/fruit etc. because nobody likes a hot kitchen in the summer. But I am inspired to try one of the recipes I find this week. Game on.

3. What movie did I see most recently?

In truthfulness: While You Were Sleeping. I watch While You Were Sleeping multiple times per week. I like to fall asleep with noise. Yes I know the light is distracting and you shouldn't have a TV in the bedroom and I'm rotting my brain and I'll probably die a long painful death because of it. But: I wear an eye mask so there is no light, I don't care what the "experts" say and I am not afraid of death.

I can always tell how tired I am based on how far I get. My usual "watch til" part is when they say "He's in a coma.' "On Christmas Day!!!" (About 12 minutes in.) Once every few weeks I will watch the whole movie on purpose because I like it. I think it is funny to watch a movie titled "While You Were Sleeping" while I am trying to sleep. And Husband will almost certainly be asleep. It takes him about 30 seconds to fall asleep. Except from last night's 3:40 am tornado warning. After it expired I think we were both awake for a long while. "These mashed potatoes are so creamy."

4. Would you say your tendency is to over or under react to medical situations? 

Is there an appropriate reaction category? I tend to worry that things could happen but when faced in an actual medical situation I am actually really good in a crisis. C has only been to the doctor for illness 2 times in his 2 years. Once because I knew he had an ear infection so we went to Quick Med, he did and we went home with bubble gum medicine for him to take for a week. Once because I wanted to make sure he wasn't dehydrated. He had lots of output for almost a week and while I knew there wasn't anything we could do about the virus part I wanted to make sure I was doing the best I could with the hydration and wasn't above getting help. He was fine BTW.

And at work once a little boy ran head first into a stone corner of the park building and split his forehead open pretty good. I cleaned it, wrapped it, called Mom and Dad, called the ambulance to check him out (sirens off and not for transport) they determined he needed stitches, calmed his brother down and sent him off to the ER. (With his Mom.) I filled out an accident form and I was literally covered in blood. Because heads like to bleed.

So overused. So true in this situation.

And the whole time this was all happening I was like... no biggie. So, let's say a combo of the two because I do spend time worrying in advance but when put in the situation I am just fine.

5. Do you squeeze the toothpaste or roll it? 

Squeeze. I don't think I know anyone who rolls it.

6. What did you do for Father's Day? 

Called my Dad on Skype. Got my Husband a slice of breakfast pizza on the way to church. Sent him off to see a show during nap time. And we kept it really low key. He received new boxer shorts a few days early because the need had surpassed waiting for Sunday. He was able to open his new work shoes with his card on Sunday. (Boring present yes? Also more of a need than a want in you're curious. He old brown work shoes were BAD.) The day was about as low key as it could get. But that's okay. Good even.

So You Want to Make A Busy Bag

Busy Bags. The toddler/preschooler solution to killing time/learning/distracting during home schooling of older children/whatever. They're all the rage. Okay, so maybe not really but I have heard about them on a few different blogs and I participated in a busy bag swap. I made 8 of my activities, sent them off to Micaela and soon will get a box back with 7 other activities for me to do with C. 

For my busy bag I modified this cupcake activity for an ice cream activity. The busy bag swap was initially a toddler craft swap and I wanted something that could double team. So I thought ice cream was a good way to go. But we'll get to what to do with the busy bag later. 

First I cut up a cereal box to make stencils of the ice cream cones and ice cream scoops I wanted to make. I sized the scoops and cones around the end of a juice concentrate lid so that I could make sure they were about the same size. Also I figured that would make it a good size for toddlers and preschoolers--not too small but not too big either. 

Then I traced the shapes onto felt. And cut them out. 

Then I divided them up into each gallon ziploc. 3 scoops of each kind of ice cream and 2 different shaped cones. 

I put together a smaller bag that contained 1 "cherry" pom-pom, 2 magnet strips and a handful of "sprinkles." (I cut up the blue, purple and green felt into small pieces.) 

Then I put in the instruction sheet and called it good. 

Viola! A busy bag! But less you think I am not going to show you my instruction sheet, I will show you the first version before it got the cute ice cream cone you see above there. 

I think if you click on it, it will get bigger. But if not, there are 3 ways to use my busy bag.   You can just have free play to decorate your ice cream cones however you choose, or create cones using different patterns or craft the cones into keepsake magnets. 

The learning aspect was clearly following patterns and listed examples of ABA, ABBA etc. patterns to establish early math knowledge. 

I was pretty proud of my bags. They were easy enough (lots of cutting but I just put on a good movie 2 nights in a row and was all set.) and came out to cost me less than a $1 a bag. (Not including the ziplocs but I had those at home already so I didn't factor the cost in but I could have gotten dollar store versions and they would have worked just fine.) 

Anyway... if you are looking for quiet activities to engage and entertain your littles I recommend the busy bag. There are so many different kinds and lots of swaps to participate in! Marie at Joy Beyond the Cross was looking to have one and I'm not sure if there's still room but it wouldn't hurt to send her an email and ask! 

3.       

Theme Thursday Going Rogue: Old Fashioned

Not like Sarah Palin "Going Rogue" but inventing my own theme for the week because sometimes you just need to post pictures with a theme.

Cari is all taking a sanity break and getting over the school year and I get it. I was burned out with the early pregnancy blahs and took off all of Lent. Just in time for Cari to need time off herself. And now she's in birthday season and I... just... needed Theme Thursday back.

So in a totally unauthorized hijack of her linkup, well, I invented my own theme for the day! I needed a creative outlet and stealing lovingly borrowing Theme Thursday is apparently the best I can do. I'm not going to make it an actual link up though. Unless you also need a creative outlet and take a picture of something old-fashioned. In which case... let me know about it I'd like to see it.

Oh yeah. My theme for the week is Old-Fashioned.

With a button and everything people! Get it? It's a Cat. Fishing. (That's like a play on the fisher cat of Cari fame you see.) 

So with a fun button and a little bit of explaining what I'm up to, here is my old-fashioned picture: 

A good old-fashioned, family fun time. Pickin' strawberries. Now I ask you, what is early June without strawberries? No fun at all I'd say! With the weird winter/spring the strawberries weren't as good as last year but we still managed to get a flat. Someone who is just the age of 2 managed to get a few into his mouth as well. 

Feel free to join in with my going rogue! Or not. Let's go ahead and declare next week's theme to be abundant just in case you need a creative outlet too. *I reserve the right to fall back in line with Cari if/when she comes back with the real Theme Thursday and her own list of themes. She is the best host of Theme Thursday and I really hope she buys the whole "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" thing."*

Enjoy your Thursday! Leave me a comment if I should pop over to you to see something old-fashioned! 

WWRW: Don't You Forget About Me

I am posting this WWRW just a smidgeon early because... you don't want to miss out on this book and it's a free Kindle promo RIGHT NOW! (And if you read this late, it's totally worth spending the $!) This is also where I remind you that you don't have to have a Kindle because there are Kindle apps and other options.

A little way back I got an email from Miss Erin McColl-Cupp sent me an email asking me to read her book and post a WWRW about it. She sent me a PDF of the book in exchange for a blog post but I assure you that all thoughts and opinions are mine and she in no way tried to convince me I had to write a positive review.

Luckily for everyone involved I have nothing but praises to sing. Don't You Forget About Me follows Mary Catherine as she attends a funeral of her former elementary school principal and essentially has a small town class reunion because everyone is there. Mary Catherine was about as unpopular as one could possibly get in elementary school and while reluctant to go back she is intrigued by the knowledge that her one friend Gene would like to speak with her. Those young love crushes are powerful draws you see.

After Mary Catherine arrives in Walkerville she is confronted by her old fears, classmates and your everyday run of the mill murder. Just kidding. Kidding about the run of the mill, not the murder. There's a murder.  McColl-Cupp is kind of a genius because she weaves a tale that will have you guessing for a very long time. I thought I knew exactly what was going on and then I suddenly knew nothing. This is not your typical murder mystery.

The sub plot follows "The Curse of '87." Many of the members of the class have major health problems especially when it comes to their reproductive health. Don't You Forget About Me is a Catholic novel and stays truthful to the Magisterium without being heavy handed.

Don't You Forget About Me is a well-written, plot-twist filled, delightful look at small town Catholic school kids all grown up. Partly funny, partly deadly serious (pun completely intended) and completely engaging. You will want to know what happens to Mary Catherine! If you like 80s music, Italian food, drama, friendships, Catholicism, and a murder mystery this is definitely the book for you. If none of those things sound interesting then I would not order a pizza, download the Kindle book and enjoy a good read.

I will eventually be linking this up with Jessica unless she goes into labor before then in which case we'll all forgive her because baby trumps books at least for a little while!

Answer Me This

I am going to play Answer Me This this week. Because... I am trying to blog more and what better way than to start out with a link up? There is no better way. 

1. Do you have a land line?

Nope. We sure don't. When we were all getting married and registering for presents Husband kind of fell in love with this phone at Pottery Barn. (The black one.) And then his friends bought it for us. And it's been sitting as decoration ever since. We have talked about maybe getting a land line for emergencies but it's clearly been a low priority. 

2. What is your least favorite food?

This is the million dollar question my friends. I am what you may call a cautious eater. Some people may say "picky" but I don't think that's quite fair. I can be adventurous as long as I want to be. Truly. I am just extremely cautious. 

Near the top of the charts on things I really, really dislike however is Pepperoni Pizza. The pepperoni juice (grease) is just enough to make me die a thousand deaths. Pulling pepperoni off a slice of pizza does not a cheese pizza make. And telling me we can go "half pepperoni half whatever I want" is the same story. The juice leeches into the other half and ruins the whole thing. I mean, if you wanted it to taste like pepperoni you would just order a pizza to have pepperoni instead of half and half. 

3. What's on your summer reading list?

So many things. The new Jennifer Weiner book comes out next week and I usually read her books in the summer. Delightful escapism. I've heard good things about The Rosie Project so that's a definite thumbs up for summer reading plans. 

I don't even know all the books I will wind up reading. But I am excited. The best books always come out in the summer. :) 

4. Is there something that people consistently ask for your advice on? What is it?

Um... not really. I actually feel like I give advice a lot but not on the same topic frequently. 

5. What's the most physically demanding thing you've ever done?

I don't know. I've never escaped a fire. I had an epidural and have no shame in that at all. I don't run and the 5Ks I have done have been tolerable.  I suppose doing The Climb for the Cure was pretty taxing. Climbing 50 stories and becoming really thankful for elevators. And I was YOUNG then. 

Seriously I don't know that I have anything interesting to put here. Perhaps I should plan something exciting that could be physically demanding. I've always wanted to play paintball. The running/ducking/getting hit with paintballs could probably fulfill this spot. 

6. How do you feel about massages?

Any massage you don't want just send my way.

I am basically a cat. My ideal day is eating, sleeping and being rubbed on. (I also really love showering which isn't super cat like but they do clean themselves and that is my preferred method so, let's just say I'm a cat then okay?)

So I like them is what I'm saying.


I am linking up with Kendra because that's where this particular link up is hosted. Which is pretty nice of her I think.

Gardening.

There is a statistic that says something akin to gardening can reduce stress. While I feel that may be true for some people. I do not fall into the category. I can safely tell you that my first foray into vegetable gardening caused me nothing but stress and anxiety. 

It all started with a goal of mine... to grow a tomato. I aim low. I just want one. This has been my goal for 2 years. Last year it didn't happen. And this year I was determined. 

It started with 3 packets of seeds and this peet moss/indoor greenhouse kit thing. We started that in March. Due to the winter that wouldn't end they moved outside into their actual living arrangements today. So we (Husband and I) did gardening. We filled the potter things up with top soil and something called humus + manure, mixed it up and moved our little plants in. We had to use potters because our patio is the only place that gets sun with any consistency throughout the day. 

During this process I got dirty and there were lots of bugs. I am not a fan of nature. Or dirt. I can deal with it. I just prefer not to. All I can say is that this floppy little plant best be growing into something that tastes good with bacon and lettuce on bread. 

Our little tomato plants in their new homes and fake cages that we built. 

Gardening. The most popular hobby did not gain another fan today. We'll just look at each other through the windows and call it good. 

Another bunch of Quick Takes

Yeah. I know you're shocked. More Quick Takes from Madeline. But at least I sort've blogged otherwise this week. Yeah. Link ups. But I will get back in the swing of things. Probably. Life is just all kinds of boring right now. This is NOT me complaining. I love boring.

1. An Event of Monumental Proportions 

We went out to dinner last night. As a family. And it went well. I generally have the philosophy to not bring C with us to restaurants. In fact in the rest of 2014 he has been to Chic-Fil-A once and Chuck E. Cheese once. Neither of those places would be considered fancy or not kid friendly. But we went to Outback Steakhouse and the stars aligned and he did great! We had to remind him about inside voices a few times but it wasn't too bad. And my food was great. So... that's awesome. Oh and we didn't even have to break out the big guns. (The Kindle Fire)

And my Bloomin' Onion was delicious in case you were curious. 

I don't see this becoming a regular thing but it's nice to know it can be an option with good preparation

2. C is a hoot! 

I love the video monitor. It is absolutely a "nice to have" not a "need to have" but I love it.

This is how C was sleeping when we went upstairs yesterday.

His leg is flopped over his walrus and sticking out. 

And this is how C was found this morning during wake up.

And his walrus is in his own crib. Or the laundry basket. Same thing really.

We aren't really sure how he managed to get his laundry basket into the crib with him. But it is hilarious.

3. Counting. 

This week has been dedicated to numbers, number recognition and counting. I can safely tell you I didn't start this. Even at it's most basic level math makes my head hurt. Numbers are too close for comfort there. But I do like hearing him count. It is the cutest darn thing.

"1, 2, 3, (we fill in 4 or 5 because he is stubborn and skips them) 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!"

His favorite trick is that 6 is 9 flipped upside down. If the number is in a book, he will walk around the table so it changes direction and say "6" "9" and his bath tub numbers are equally exciting for that trick.

4. The big boy bed is in C's room.

Obviously he is not sleeping in it yet. But we are working on getting familiar with it and every night he gets 5 minutes to try his big boy bed. (He almost made it on Tuesday.) We figure if he falls asleep--great. If not, we move him to his crib and life is good. I am really not in a hurry to give up baby jail sooner than I have to. Our goal is August. Which should be enough transition time before the crib isn't his anymore.

5. It's very nearly strawberry season.

Strawberries are a family favorite. We have plans to go pick our own but our farm isn't going to be ready this weekend. Husband has a business trip mid-next week and I have no interest in going alone with a toddler so... hoepfully there's still plenty by next weekend.

6. The weather was perfect yesterday.

76 and sunny. I had the windows open and it was delightful. Along with my tasty dinner it really was the most perfect day. It's going to be warmer today at 82 but I am still going to keep the AC off with windows open. We are in that really exciting 4 days where's there's no humidity so I'm going to drink it in!

It was that kind of day. Only I didn't have to go to school. Potato Potato. 

7. Orange is the New Black Season 2 is available now!

Um... Season 1 was intense. But I am kind of really interested in what's going on so I may slowly wade into season 2. I will not be watching all 13 episodes by Monday.

Have a great weekend. Link up with Jen.

WWRW: The Snow Child

Do you know the fairy tale of The Snow Child? The basic premise is this: a couple unable to have children build a child out of snow. (S)he comes to life in the night and they live happily until spring. It's kind of like Frosty, only sadder. But the magic is the same.

So when it was announced my book club selection for May (even though we met this week) was The Snow Child: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey I wasn't really sure what to expect. So I just dove in because that's what I do. I was able to read it in a few gulps, not straight through, I did have to put it down some but it didn't take long.

Jack and Mable decide in their early 50s to leave their East Coast life behind and homestead the Alaskan wilderness in the 1920s. Alaskan life is hard, but harder for Mable is that her only child was stillborn. Through magic or... something they meet their little snow girl. As their snow child grows into a snow young lady, Mable and Jack are healed by love, a new found sense of family and Alaska. It starts out bleaker than bleak but ultimately becomes a book about the healing process and relationships.

If Alaska interests you, you will like this book.

If magic interests you, you will like this book.

If people interest you, you will like this book.

There is some delicious ambiguity about whether their snow child is ever real or not. I have made my own justifications for what I believe but others in my book club came to different conclusions and are just as happy with the book. Truthfully, when I finished, I was like "I like this. But I don't know what to say." However, we were able to have a good discussion.

I will say that this book was not a life changer for me, but it was for Eowyn Ivey. In her author notes she writes how her whole life has been spent searching for "her book." One that encompasses everything she was looking for, that would speak to her forever. Obviously writing a novel changes your life but I think this book is more than that for her. And now I am re-evaluating books I've read and trying to determine what "my book" is.

The Snow Child was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. Which is curious to me. But is probably a good indicator that I am not the only one who was enchanted without knowing exactly why.

While The Snow Child is not particularly racy at all there are 3 situations that may hesitate you when deciding what age you'd let read this book. There are some couplings (one within marriage, one prior to) that are about as vaguely written as those situations could possibly be written. There is also a failed suicide attempt and plenty of hunting stories. I didn't find any of the situations upsetting but I am a terrible judge of "what age this'll work for."

Linking  up with my friend Jessica who does such a lovely job hosting us weekly. Please let me know what you've been reading because we are putting together a summer reading book list for book club and I love those ladies but I don't necessarily trust them with their picks!