Linking up with Kelly. Surprise, surprise!
1. I typed the majority of these earlier in the week but couldn't not acknowledge the horror of the tragedies that occurred this past week. It's so sad and mind boggling and while prayer and fasting doesn't even amount to a drop in the bucket it's a small and necessary place for me to start.
Onward and downward to the much less important matters at hand ...
2. Probably the biggest news around the Camp this week was that Sebastian learned to ride his back sans training wheels ...
... we'd tried earlier in the year but he just wasn't quite ready but he begged and begged and begged and BEGGED Simon to take the training wheels off a few days ago - even going so far as to running and getting Simon's huge and heavy tool box to speed up the process. Simon gave in and -- bada-boom.
Success.
Theo is not far behind him.
(he's not actually riding -- he's walking at the pace of the runt of a litter of snails so don't freak about the helmet)
Bosco took full credit for being Simon's assistant.
opportunistic little (big) baby.
2. Okay, so I finished Emily Giffin's book and was um, disappointed with the ending. It wasn't bad just sort of meh - one of those endings where you look for more pages -- one more chapter? SOMETHING. I think maybe I'm cursed and doomed to only read mediocre books for the rest of 2016. Woe is my life, I know. At the recommendation of a kind reader (thank you Ashley!) I put Eight Hundred Grapes on hold at the library and was thrilled to see that Elin Hilderbrand has a new book out. How I missed that is beyond me but - so far, so good. SO FAR.
3. I'm not sure how many people in Tampa or the Tampa area read the blog BUT I had to give major kudos (remember those bars? they were so good) to Laura for being the best photographer. She took the new photo in my sidebar and was so great and easy to work with. I'm a paying customer and she didn't ask for credit but if you're in the market for photos of any kind - highly recommend her and her talented eye. And if you're not from around here - you'll still love her IG account - it's quickly become one of my very favorites.
4. I keep coming back to this dress and thinking that if it came in some sort of blue or green - or something close to that color family it just might be THEE perfect dress. Or maybe I just need to be done with my aversion to red hues (on me!!). Maybe.
5. Onto something exciting ... WASPGATE. I'm fairly to very certain there is a wasp nest hidden somewhere around our porch. We need to get a professional on the premises to find and dispose of it but in the mean time whenever one manages to fly into the house -- things get lively. I'm usually able to kind of safely shoo it outside but this past week - we had a stubborn guest that wouldn't leave. I refused to just let it fly around with all the kids running free so I had the genius idea of trapping it on the wall or in the recessed light on the ceiling where it was camped -- with a Solo cup and then tape the cup in place until a delighted Simon got home. It didn't work so I busted out some Raid after I couldn't get it to come out from behind the blinds - not my finest moment but it did the trick.
Julia asked if wasps had, "poison yolk" and Sebastian suggested throwing the wasps clothes outside so that he would fly after them.
The kids talked about it for the next 7 hours. Charmed-childhoods-r-us.
Also - I had to cackle out loud because after I typed this all out - I saw that Blythe's kids just catch scorpions - willy nilly. Buck up, CAMP PATTON.
6. Things are taking a turn for the FUN because I'm about to brief you on our Friday night out to Costco ... as a family.
Please note the child that refuses to ride in the cart. The better to sneak baked goods into your cart, dear mother.
No, I won't completely debrief you but I do have to say having two carts was a game changer and I'm just not sure I can do Costco any other way again. No, I can. I suppose.
7. And that's enough out of me.
over and out - have a good one!
xo, gp
1. I typed the majority of these earlier in the week but couldn't not acknowledge the horror of the tragedies that occurred this past week. It's so sad and mind boggling and while prayer and fasting doesn't even amount to a drop in the bucket it's a small and necessary place for me to start.
Onward and downward to the much less important matters at hand ...
2. Probably the biggest news around the Camp this week was that Sebastian learned to ride his back sans training wheels ...
... we'd tried earlier in the year but he just wasn't quite ready but he begged and begged and begged and BEGGED Simon to take the training wheels off a few days ago - even going so far as to running and getting Simon's huge and heavy tool box to speed up the process. Simon gave in and -- bada-boom.
Success.
Theo is not far behind him.
(he's not actually riding -- he's walking at the pace of the runt of a litter of snails so don't freak about the helmet)
Bosco took full credit for being Simon's assistant.
opportunistic little (big) baby.
2. Okay, so I finished Emily Giffin's book and was um, disappointed with the ending. It wasn't bad just sort of meh - one of those endings where you look for more pages -- one more chapter? SOMETHING. I think maybe I'm cursed and doomed to only read mediocre books for the rest of 2016. Woe is my life, I know. At the recommendation of a kind reader (thank you Ashley!) I put Eight Hundred Grapes on hold at the library and was thrilled to see that Elin Hilderbrand has a new book out. How I missed that is beyond me but - so far, so good. SO FAR.
3. I'm not sure how many people in Tampa or the Tampa area read the blog BUT I had to give major kudos (remember those bars? they were so good) to Laura for being the best photographer. She took the new photo in my sidebar and was so great and easy to work with. I'm a paying customer and she didn't ask for credit but if you're in the market for photos of any kind - highly recommend her and her talented eye. And if you're not from around here - you'll still love her IG account - it's quickly become one of my very favorites.
4. I keep coming back to this dress and thinking that if it came in some sort of blue or green - or something close to that color family it just might be THEE perfect dress. Or maybe I just need to be done with my aversion to red hues (on me!!). Maybe.
5. Onto something exciting ... WASPGATE. I'm fairly to very certain there is a wasp nest hidden somewhere around our porch. We need to get a professional on the premises to find and dispose of it but in the mean time whenever one manages to fly into the house -- things get lively. I'm usually able to kind of safely shoo it outside but this past week - we had a stubborn guest that wouldn't leave. I refused to just let it fly around with all the kids running free so I had the genius idea of trapping it on the wall or in the recessed light on the ceiling where it was camped -- with a Solo cup and then tape the cup in place until a delighted Simon got home. It didn't work so I busted out some Raid after I couldn't get it to come out from behind the blinds - not my finest moment but it did the trick.
Julia asked if wasps had, "poison yolk" and Sebastian suggested throwing the wasps clothes outside so that he would fly after them.
The kids talked about it for the next 7 hours. Charmed-childhoods-r-us.
Also - I had to cackle out loud because after I typed this all out - I saw that Blythe's kids just catch scorpions - willy nilly. Buck up, CAMP PATTON.
6. Things are taking a turn for the FUN because I'm about to brief you on our Friday night out to Costco ... as a family.
Please note the child that refuses to ride in the cart. The better to sneak baked goods into your cart, dear mother.
No, I won't completely debrief you but I do have to say having two carts was a game changer and I'm just not sure I can do Costco any other way again. No, I can. I suppose.
7. And that's enough out of me.
over and out - have a good one!
xo, gp
I'm waiting on Elin's book to get here on Monday! Have you read any Liane Moriarty? I started with The Husband's Secret, although that's not her first book. She is one of my favorites! Her newest book comes out the end of July.
ReplyDeleteI'm completely obsessed!! I've read all her books and SO excited for her newest book! We must have almost identical taste haha
ReplyDeleteUgh darn wasps!! We have the same problem and I use the long hose on my vacuum to suck them up. Then my husband empties the canister when he gets home because I'm too convinced the will be so pissed at me for sucking them up that they will attack if I empty it.
ReplyDeleteAnn Leary's writing is pretty wonderful. I highly recommend The Good House as well as her new book, The Children. I will warn you that they are a bit dark-- The Children more so than The Good House. I'm having trouble finding good "beach" reads as of late. I need more fluff to mix in with my gritty choices (looking at you, Koch's The Dinner.) Hilderbrand is my favorite, but I have burned through all of her collection and finished the newest. Nancy Thayer, Mary Kay Andrews, Dorothea Benton Frank, etc. are all okay, but their writing styles aren't on par with Hilderbrand.
ReplyDeleteHave you read any of Lianne Moriarty's books? They are some of my favorites and light without being stupid or poorly written.
ReplyDeleteAll of them - love her!
ReplyDeleteWe have wasps that keep getting into the house and everyone was terrified until we realized that they were actually mud dauber wasps, which are GOOD wasps - they kill spiders to feed their babies and don't sting unless they're seriously threatened. Soooo maybe (although probably not...) you're getting good wasps? Who even knew there was such a thing!
ReplyDeleteTotally hear you on the Emily Giffin book. I mean it wasn't the worst way to spend my time, but at the end I'm like there has to be an epilogue? Another page...? Hmm okie dokie then guess we all just get on with our lives then?
ReplyDeleteGoing to try the new one by the nanny diary ladies. Hopefully it's fluffy enough! I need fluff damn it, the two year sucks all my brain power.
Ohhh...that doesn't sound good for Emily Giffin...I was not thrilled with her last book either. I really enjoyed Elin Hilderbrand's last book and just got Eight Hundred Grapes from the library! Have you read Beatriz Williams? I just read her last one in about 2 days!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to say it but I was disappointed with Elin Hilderbrand's latest book...I know it isn't rocket science but I didn't learn enough about any of the characters to get invested. Speaking of rocket science...I think you have mentioned that you are a fan of Bachelor books. Do you recommend any of them?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone suggested The Selection series of books yet? They are a YA series but is kind of like Divergent meets the Bachelor. A fun read.
ReplyDeletelol! Costco visitor on the regular with ONLY 4 kids 5 and under... somehow inexplicably worse when my husband goes with us?? I know, makes no sense, but I think he has yet to master the death stare that use to keep whining under control. Very impressed at your ability to have that many cart riders!
ReplyDeleteMudbound by Hilary Jordan. Five stars.
ReplyDeleteIf you're into historical fiction (I think I remember you said you loved Gone with the Wind?) you should check out The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. Seriously SO good. Will not disappoint.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that white/coral dress so much. I finally broke down and ordered it in white, but it just didn't work on me. One, I'm short (5'3) and it was way too long. I thought about getting it tailored because of how much I had been loving it, but ultimately I decided it was just too low cut for me. It cuts fairly deep, and I just didn't want to wear a tank top underneath to cover my bra. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI see above that Haley recommends The Winter Sea and I totally agree. I would also recommend Happiness for Beginners or any of the Beatriz Williams' Schuyler Sisters books. The Secret Life of Violet Grant was probably my favorite, and it's the first one. If you like just fun, light, young adult reads, I liked Jenny Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before and its sequel, P.S. I Still Love You. I liked the second one better actually.
Have you read Jennifer Weiner's books? I love each and every one of them! Chick Lit 4eva!
ReplyDelete