The Countdown Begins

Only 23 days until the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and oh yes - we will be there!  

Harry was upset that he missed out on the midnight movie for Part 1, and has been nagging me to get tickets for this one ever since. What a great surprise for him when he gets back from camp this weekend!

Summer's Top Five

I have to admit, I'm stealing this topic from another blog I read. I thought it was a cool idea for a post, and I hope the original blogger feels honored to be duplicated! Anyway, I'm sure my favorite things about summer are different, so on with the list. 

I will list my top 5 in reverse order to build suspense. I just KNOW you're on the edge of your seat! :)

5) Parades. Only a couple weeks until the 4th of July parade. We are lucky to enjoy this one in the comfort of our friends' front yard. One of the best seats in town!

4) Baseball and softball games. Both my kids play now, and I really enjoy going out to the ballpark to watch them. They don't always win, but it's always entertaining! Especially when the coaches and ump start arguing and the ump storms off the field threatening to quit...oh, wait - that's another story.

3) Summer Nights, baby. Sounds like a song title, huh? (Yeah. I think it is!) :) Sitting outside on a warm summer night is the best. As long as there aren't too many bugs!

2) Swimming Pools. As a former swimmer, I spent many summer days perfecting my "chlorine sheen" hair color (also known as "chlorine green"!) Although I don't wish for that shiny, straw-textured hair again anytime soon, I still love going to the pool.

1) FLIP FLOPS!!  In my day, we called them thongs. That takes on a whole new meaning now. But I am referring the the variety you wear on your feet. I would wear them year-round if I lived somewhere warm. Like not Iowa. :)


So there you go. What are your favorite things about summer?

Nook Madness!

I have to apologize for my latest absence. Aside from the never-ending "To Do" list that is my life, I am now the proud owner of a Barnes & Noble Nook, which is consuming my evening free time. I didn't realize I even wanted one of these until Sportsfan went to the mall in search of the perfect birthday gift for me, and bumped into the Nook display at B&N. I'm sure it was the first store he walked into. He's the king of easy shopping, by the way.

Anyway, the Nook is GREAT! I think B&N has something like a million titles available for download.  BUT, so far my favorite thing is my local library. They have eBooks for checkout - not a million - but somewhere around two thousand. Good enough. The awesome part is I don't have to step foot in the library, be put on a waiting list, risk a late fee, or search for parking (yeah, there's a shortage of that near our public library!) It's instant reading, folks!

It also has internet access, so I can read blogs, check email & Facebook, and lots of other fun things! I still haven't mastered how to do a blog post on it though. And I have to admit that it's got me a little behind schedule with the New Year's Book Club resolution. I know, I know, don't judge! I promise to get back on track!

So anyone out there in the market for a Nook, I highly recommend it!

I Heart Candles

So it's getting cooler outside, and I'm in the mood for a new candle.  For some reason colder weather just makes me crave yummy smells in my house.  I figure, if I can't bake something and create those aromas on my own, I better hunt down some manufactured scents out there somewhere.  Anyway, I found a candle today at the local superstore-slash-lumberyard, Menard's.  It fit my candle criteria perfectly:


1) Smells good


2) Cheap!


$3.34 for a jar candle works in my budget.  BUT, what sealed the deal was the enticing description on the label.  "Cranberry, cinnamon & clove - with an exciting splash of ripened apple."  Imagine that - an exciting splash of apple!!  So right there, in the middle of the Halloween/candle/doormat aisle, I entered a dream-like trance, envisioning all the hard work that must have gone into this awesome candle.  I pictured the candle makers, chubby little men (almost Oompa-Loompa-ish) still sweaty after sprinting back to the candle factory from the orchard out back...baskets overflowing...rushing in to chop up their apples...and with an excited gleam in their eyes, adding the juice (just a splash) to the already delightful candles.  All of this for only $3.34!!


Maybe I read too far into product labeling, do you think?  Maybe I have a very strange imagination (yes, definitely!)  But being an advertising/marketing type person, I have to say...someone in the candle marketing department certainly earned their gold star today!