Saturday, March 12, 2011

Spring Break Reading List

If I can't be on the beach for spring break, at least I can rub some Coppertone on my face (the coconut smelling kind) and sit in the sun with a good book while the girls run track next week. This will only be after I've walked my mile, of course.

Here are the books I've selected for my reading pleasure this next week, and maybe you'll like them too:

1. The Mountain Between Us - Technically, I finished this one last week and all I can say is, "Wow! You. must. read. this. book. Today. Now." It's about an airplane crash, survival and deep, abiding love. And that's all I'm going to say, except...go get it!

2. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - written by one of my favorite bloggers, Pioneer Woman. It's the story of how she met her rancher husband and left the big city for life in Oklahoma. Guaranteed light-hearted, funny and touching all at the same time.

3. The Malacca Conspiracy - Navy lawyers, terrorism on the high seas, a mix of love, war and high-stakes geopolitical roulette -- sounds like my kind of book. Plus it has two characters from Don Brown's Navy Justice Series and I want to see what happens to them!

4. The Duchess and the Dragon - Jamie Carie is a new author for me, but I couldn't resist the $3.98 price tag and the Duke of Northumberland coming to America and running into a Quaker nurse in Philadelphia.

5. Deceived - Two bodies in an isolated canyon. One with saddlebags filled with diamonds. A suspense thriller from another of my favorite lawyer/authors, James Scott Bell.

Let's see -- 5 days of spring break and 5 books. I like that math! See you later. I've got to locate the Coppertone.







Favorites at 45

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had a birthday recently. Oh, how I try to stop them, but they keep coming. The things that bother me most about aging are gray hair and looking older, which of course is exactly what aging is, so....oh, forget it. Not like I can stop it anyway (except for the gray hair part!)

I had a lovely day filled with flowers and gifts and even made a little chocolate cake for myself. The next evening we were in Houston and decided on seafood for my birthday dinner. Since Pappadeaux's was a 1 1/2 hour wait we found a little place called Snapper Jack's and had a wonderful meal.

Jeff accused me the other day of "the older you get the less things/people you seem to like." Of course I disagreed, to which he replied, "Some days I bet you only like me and Jesus, hopefully not in that order." (Side note: Some days I don't like him.) It's okay. He hardly ever reads this blog. I vehemently deny that I don't like anything. Not true! It's just most people I don't have a tolerance for. I'm getting older so I can do that. All old people do it. You know. Get grumpy.

So, in my attempt to show myself a "likeable" person, I'm listing 45 Favorites (if I can think of that many) and the obvious Jesus, God, the Bible, my family, are not listed, so don't be callin' me out. This isn't that deep thinking of a list.

In no particular order...

1. the beach (in no particular order except this one)
2. coffee and peanut butter toast (yes, they have to be together - this isn't two)
3. hydrangeas
4. comfy jeans
5. bracelets of any kind
6. flip flops
7. tulips
8. books
9. Mozart
10. purple
11. my grandmother's buttercream icing
12. playing the piano
13. a quiet house
14. JAG on DVD
15. hooded sweatshirts
16. Michael Buble'
17. a crackling fire
18. Abigail's sense of humor
19. my mother's peach cobbler
20. violets
21. Drakkar Noir cologne
22. worship on Sunday morning
23. watermelon with salt
24. the library
25. watching Rebecca run
26. frozen yogurt
27. scrapbooking
28. pink
29. office supplies
30. Katherine's art
31. tulle
32. quilts
33. spring green
34. downtime
35. digital cameras
36. candles
37. Snickers candy bars
38. pedicures
39. roasting marshmallows
40. crossword puzzles
41. mushroom cheeseburgers
42. Johnson's baby lotion
43. Pride and Prejudice
44. the clearance section of any store
45. Honeybee Gardens lip balm

And I could go on, and on! But I won't, because you probably stopped reading up about number eight or so.





My list, of course, is just for fun. I have been so very blessed in my life and am thankful to the Creator and Giver of all good things.



Friday, March 4, 2011

Since We've Last Talked...

So, quite a few things have happened since I've last blogged. And, just so you know, I refuse to be one of those bloggers who apologize for not posting something recently because...well, because blogging is a voluntary, fun activity and who wants to be required or forced to write anything. You can ask my husband...I don't like to be forced to do anything. It's just who I am.

Here's what's been going on with the Holmes Family since I wrote about the Arctic Blast of 2011 that paralyzed North Texas for weeks on end...or maybe it was days. It's all a blur now.

Katherine won 2nd Place in the Stock Show Art Contest,
bringing with it a $1500 scholarship.

We went to the rodeo.

We had a second arctic blast that was just as
much fun as the first. Trapped at home!

We made snow ice cream.

I went ice fishing in the pool and caught
two tennis balls and a stick.

We decided that it was time for Abigail to
have some dental work done.

Barb, Melissa and I "Scrapped the Super Bowl,"
an annual tradition dating back 7 years now.

Abigail cleaned her room. Trust me. This was HUGE!
It was also forced.

I made pistachio cupcakes.

Rebecca's basketball team went to the playoffs in Tyler
and we also got to see Katherine.

I enjoyed a scrapbook retreat in Waco with
two of my favorite people, Mother and Sylvia.

At the Regional Basketball Playoffs Jeff and I had a mini reunion
with David B., with whom we went to high school .
And in all those days, somewhere in there I had a birthday. But I'll write about that in my next post, which I promise won't be a month from now.