Thank you to the man that made all this possible!

Dear Rick Riordan:

Thank you for the scene that you see above! Thanks to you, I had two boys that have been reading reading reading since Thursday. They have been reading of their own free will and enjoying it :) What you see above was not rehearsed. Caleb is now on the third installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Corey is finishing up the first. I love when all three of us are lounging around with our heads in a book. I hope that we can find something they enjoy just as much by the time that they are finished.

If you have anything else up your sleeve, please let me know:)

Sincerely,

A Very Happy Mother (who by the way has already read these wonderful books)

The Morning After

Well, the boys got their first snow day! 

There are stairs under all that!

We are going to have to invest in a shovel!

This is great fun at 7am!!

Yes, after all that, I am still smiling :)

I am sure this is EVERYONE'S favorite part. Nice, dry and clean when you climb in your car... 

The boys had a blast in the snow ALL DAY. I wish I had been home to take pictures. 

A few pictures for you!!

I cut my hair!!

I took this just after I came from the salon so I style it a little differently usually but it is a nice change!

So, I just posted these food pics for Mia, I thought I would share them with you too!

We had a yummy dinner tonight of Spicy Chicken and Roasted Potatoes.

 

Even better, was DESSERT! I found a recipe for a Chocolate Banana Cream Cake in a 

recent issue of Taste of Home Magazine! It was delicious!

 
 

This was one of our first afternoons sledding! It was sooo cold but very Very Fun! 

 

This one is also a winner!!

This was one of the sweetest and heart tugging stories that I have ever read! It was sweet and funny and sad and wonderful! I could read this one again and again! I listened to this one on audio book and even the narrators were great. Let me know if you read it and what you think.

A MUST read INDEED!!

I t is my pleasure to tell you all about the upcoming release of the latest addition to Josi Kilpack's culinary mystery series.

I have shared her books with everyone I know! Want to know more?

Go to her website at: http://www.josiskilpack.com.

I am sure that you will find her sweet and thrilling stories as fun and exciting as I have.

To purchase this delightfully sinful read, just visit the Lovely Deseret at:

http://deseretbook.com/item/5033744/Devil_s_Food_Cake.

Just finished this one!

This is a fairly fast read and I sware there is not one fouls word or a bit of sexual anything! It was a fascinating story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in Appalacia and is all about a father's desire to help his daughter escape to the "outside". I loved it. You should give it a go!

I really should add....

Okay, so in my previous post, I mentioned the book The Traveler's wife. I had not completely finished it... UNTIL TODAY. Let me say that the story was WONDERFUL but MAN OH MAN, do people really say the "F" word that many times? Do husbands and wives never refer to their intimacy as anything other than ... well you get the picture. I do not typically enjoy anything with this type of language but I just could not help but finish the story. I do not know if this will portrayed on the big screen or not but I think I will be skipping the movie. Just wanted to let you know.

XOXOXO

Books...

I have read some good books lately, I thought that I would share them with you :)

1.) The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

I found some of this a little difficult to swallow because it is hard to imagine that anyone could be so ridiculous and so irresponsible. However, there must have been some type of mental illness involved here because no sane person could ever come up with any of this. The story is written by the daughter of Rex and Rose Mary Walls. It is a miracle that any of the kids even survived much less are functioning in society. I really enjoyed reading it. It was easy to get through.

2.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

This is the first Harry Potter book that I have read. I love the movies so much that I was afraid to read the books because they are always so much better than the movie. However, after watching the Half blood Prince, I could not help but read this because the suspense was KILLING Me!! So, I read the book and OH My GOODNESS!! It was so great! I could hardly put it down. I am still excited for the movie but I wish that I am certainly going to have to go back and start at the beginning of the series. It was certainly well written and I was kept on the edge of my seat the ENTIRE book.

3) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This was weird and difficult at times but sweet and very fun to imagine as well. I know that the books are always better than the movies but I am looking forward to seeing this on DVD next month. It was a fun trip back and forth. I love books that give you the story from both sides and the writer allows you to hear from both Henry and Claire.

3.) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Don't go see the movie UNTIL you read the book. I have read all sorts of reviews on the movie and apparently the director really tailored the movie to appeal to a younger audience, leaving out some content that truly helped you to understand what kind of "villain" we are dealing with here. The book was not gruesome by any means but there is some detail here that was important to the story. This story is told by a 13 year old girl who has been murdered and she is telling about her family that was left behind as she watches from Heaven. It was really easy to get through and I will definitely read it again!

I two Susan Wiggs books at home and Nibble and Kuhn, which my mother just reviewed and enjoyed so that is coming next. I wish I could somehow get paid to read all day, I ABSOLUTELY love it.

If anyone has suggestions on how that could work...Let me know :)

Sorry it has been so long, things are settling down and I will try to get back to regular posts!

New Chapter....

The day finally arrived and has since come and gone. "What Day" you ask? MOVING DAY. I have been in Rochester since 08-31-09 and I am feeling quite at home. How is it that we are so easily adaptable to some things and others never seem to stick? The weather has been beautiful but I am being told OFTEN that this will soon change. I will post with pictures SOON, I promise. We just had Internet installed this week so it will be much easier to keep everyone informed. I have been a BAD BAD blogger.. Sorry.

The boys are doing well in school. They have made some friends and they LOVE diving at the pool with Cliff each night. It has been wonderful seeing Cliff everyday, I never dreamed that we would finally be at this point and I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here. I do miss some things, a little. I miss my job and LRP's antics. :) I miss swimming. I know I can go to the pool at R-I-T but who really wants to go to their future husbands place of employment in a swimsuit???? Not I... That much is CERTAIN.

The wedding date is driving everyone crazy, I know. I am sorry about that but not much I can do at this point. Frankly, I am sort of grateful for the extra time. I don't have cold feet but I feel very unprepared to share all of myself with anyone right now. Ridiculous? Maybe but I can't help that this is how I feel. No one seems to understand so I will NOT go in to this any further. Please just be patient with me and we will figure out the wedding date SOON!!! Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. They are priceless.

It has been so nice to have some time off work. I love putting the boys on the bus in the morning and being here when they get home. What a blessing this has been while they transition in to their new lives here. I am very grateful for Cliff's patience in this area. He has not pressured me in the least and I am thankful for that. I was called back for a second interview this week though, so.. maybe something will come of it. Keep me in your prayers, please!

Ok.. I have stayed up entirely too late for the past few nights, I must get some rest. I just wanted to say hello and that we are all alive and WELL! Pictures will soon follow!

Too Many Good-Byes!!

It's official! I have had it with Good Byes... it seems that is all I do anymore. I wish that someone would come here and just STAY for once. My mum-in-law to be left today after a very short visit. Off to the airport I went to say Good Bye. (I now know where Cliff gets his quick Good Bye skills from.) This was a little easier than the other GB I had to experience today. Mia has been here with her beautiful daughter for the last week and I was not able to spend nearly enough time with them. Having little ones changes your schedule and certainly allows for little mommy and her playtime with her friend. I loved what time I got with Mia but it was certainly not enough. I was thankful for the few minutes during sacrament that we stepped out of the chapel to soothe a crying little Layna. If Andi and the boys had not been with me, I probably would have sobbed the entire drive home. I miss my friend. I miss seeing her every day and I miss crying on her shoulder. (and since I cry a lot.. I miss this very much:) I miss Andi.I miss my parents. I really miss Suzanne and her sweet little ones. I miss my sisters who I never get to see. I miss Corey and I miss Mr. Lovely. I wish everyone would just get here, say hello and stick around for more than 48 hours :) I love you all.

I'm so alone... There's no one here beside me! -Donkey

I am not sure if anyone even bothers looking here anymore. It has been nearly two months since my last post. I find myself with a desire to write tonight and some actual time to do so. I AM ALONE. ALL ALONE. Christian, is still in Arizona with his father. Corey, is frolicking with his cousins in Louisiana and Caleb & the Joemeister, left for Boys camp this morning. Unfortunately, my better half, decided that he absolutely had to take care of his responsibilities back home in Rochester, like work or whatever so he insisted that I take him to the airport this morning, against my better judgment. :)

So.. here I am in a very quiet living room with the very loud ticking of Big Ben that so kindly keeps me advised of the time. I was excited when I got home, to strip out of my work clothes and walk straight to the couch with some ice water and a book, where I then fell asleep for three hours completely oblivious to phone calls, rain, etc. Then, I woke up to nothing but a very quiet living room and the ticking of Big Ben. Hmmm.

It is still VERY QUIET. I miss my loud, stinky boys and I miss my honey. The last 24 hours has been filled with sad news. Yes, it is tragic that Billy Mays has passed but I am thinking more along the lines of family friends that have endured not one but two terrible incidents in the past 24 hours. It makes me think about how fragile our mortal lives are. So, this week, I decided that I will spend more time reading my scriptures and praying in the quiet living room where Big Ben ticks and tocks. I will walk longer and my heart will grow fonder of the loved ones who are away for a short time.
I am so thankful that the light is stronger than the dark. I am thankful that I have the knowledge I do and the loved ones that surround me. I miss my sister, Suzanne terribly. I miss her children who completely took over my house and my heart for the short time they were here. I miss Cliff talking about Bartow, Bartholemew (or Whatever his name is) and I miss hearing him say Grace. Not Grace like a blessing but Grace, the name. I want to watch him look at crib sets in the Penny's catalog and lay on the living room floor as the boys pace back and forth because it's Sunday and they cant go outside.
I am so thankful for this life and the opportunities it provides. I am thankful for all of you.

And thank you Big Ben. For without you, I may not know that it is 9:38pm. :)

A Perfectly Delicious Day of Fun in the Sun!

Our day started out with a Boyscout car wash! Corey held this sign, danced and screamed at cars for nearly three hours straight. (Brother Fazzini is very smart. He told Corey that he was the best looking kid in the troop and he was likely to get the most cars in for the fundraiser. Corey fell hook line and sinker!)

Caleb and Koti..... Oh my! These two danced and pleaded for money all day! They made $65.00 from people who just decided to donate money, without even having their cars washed!

So we made it home after 4 hours of car washing and when we walked in the house, I let out a sigh. There are boxes and garbage bags and painting supplies EVERYWHERE. The boys asked to go to the pool and without even thinking.... I SAID OH YEAH!!!!! Now it is a well known fact that I am NOT the outdoorsy type... However I am finding that I find the Florida Sun quite Delicious these days. I am going to bask in it all I can. Caleb and Koti played leap frog right into the pool!

Corey worked hard this morning... Here he is relaxing.