Trade a Book Club

Never lend books, for no one ever returns them; the only books I have in my library are books that other people have lent me. - Anatole France

I know I have done this to people. In fact I probably have books that have been sitting on my shelf for years that aren't mine. Come to think of it, I think I have my friend Katie's Harry Potter book from at least 5 years ago. Katie - if you read this blog and are still up for lunch tomorrow, I will bring it with me. Surprise! Bet you forgot about that one :)

Also, I know I have lent out books that I have never seen since. Speaking of which, does anyone have my book Chosen by God?

Anyway, even though lending and borrowing books is risky business, it is great fun! So I was thinking, we should have a book sharing club. Has anyone read any really good books recently that they highly recommend? Is anyone looking for a new book to start reading and wants some suggestions? Want to trade books for a while? Great.

First, I have decided to put up on the sidebar the book that I am currently reading. I also put Greg's current book up there if any guys or husbands want suggestions. Now, please don't think I am trying to show how awesome I am by flashing around the books I am reading. I am not awesome. I am not very disciplined at extra-curricular reading. I go through phases. But overall, I enjoy reading and would like to do more of it. I like to know what other people are reading. I like to hear of good books. In fact, the book I am reading now, I heard about through a blog that I follow. So I just wanted to share what I am reading, in case it benefits anyone like I have benefited from others.

Secondly, I put up a short list of books that Greg and/or I have read and really enjoyed. If anyone wants to swap books for a bit for one on the list, then just let me know. And you don't even have to swap. Feel free to borrow any of those books if you would like. We have others, but those are our top 10 picks. Anyway, just wanted to put that out there. Happy reading!

Update

I'm back to the blogging world. These past couple of weeks have been pretty busy and I haven't had time to blog. Greg keeps telling me I better blog before I loose all my readers. So sorry for all those who check and are disappointed every time there is no new blog. I know the feeling. I get disappointed every time I check a friend's blog excitedly expecting an update only to see the same old post. Then I think to myself, why don't I just get those side bar blog update things that shows each person's latest post? But then I remind myself that is no fun because it ruins the surprise of finding out if there is a new post or not.

So last week we got some sad news. My Mom's brother, My Uncle Butch, passed away due to a blood clot in his brain. He had been sick for a while, on dialysis, and was awaiting a kidney transplant. The blood clot was a complication from a procedure he was having done to get rid of an infection. He lives in California, so I didn't even get to say goodbye. The last time I saw him was last summer when him and my Aunt came and stayed with us at the beach. The picture of him below is from that summer. We made fun of him because he caught the tiniest catfish possible on his fishing pole.

Greg and I, along with my sister, Cody, Mom, and Dad, flew out to California on Friday to attend the memorial service. It was a really emotional weekend. The service was nice, and they told many great stories about my Uncle. He had a great sense of humor, always making people laugh. Since I was a baby he has lovingly called me "minor potty" and my sister "major potty". Luckily my diapers weren't as bad as my sister's were, so I get to be minor. Sorry Lauren. Uncle Butch and my Uncle Chuck who also lives in California would always joke around with each other. One time Uncle Butch was at Uncle Chucks house and noticed how the water in the toilets was blue. He said, how did you get that blue water in there? Uncle Chuck decides to give him a hard time and says, "Oh, we have it piped in. It's only a few extra bucks a month to keep the toilets clean. You just have to call the water people". Well my Uncle Butch actually calls the water company asking for the blue water. They tell him there is no such thing. He insists, explaining how his brother has the service, and gives them their address and everything. Uncle Chuck gave him a hard time about it ever since. Uncle Butch had such a fun personality, and will truly be missed.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with family I hadn't seen in a really long time. My cousins had kids I had never even met. It was good to be surrounded by family. We flew home on Sunday and by the time we got back to our apartment we were exhausted. It was only a short trip, but I am really glad we went.

As a side note, since Halloween just passed, look how precious our niece is. What a cutie!

Ode to my frugal Husband

To the man who reuses plastic ziplock bags

To the man who heats up the last remains of the peanut butter jar in order to scrape that last bit out

To the man who coasts down hills to conserve on gas

To the man who refuses to use napkins at dinner

To the man who only chews 1/2 piece of gum at a time

To the man who does not use the A/C in his car (when alone)

To the man who goes to the restroom at work so he doesn't have to use up much toilet paper at home

To the man who eats red potatoes at work as a snack just so the extra ones we bought don't go to waste

To the man who goes to the dry cleaners once a year

I love you and your frugal ways. I love seeing all the ways you are wise with our money and are willing to make sacrifices. You are so creative in the ways you save. I love trying to sneak your one plastic drinking glass into the dishwasher when you aren't looking so that it can have it's monthly washing. You are a blast to be married to. You are frugal with money when it comes to you, but not to me. You are a generous giver and never hold back on me. Thanks love!

The Fishin Magician

This is what happened this weekend.

We actually did catch a lot of good sized bass but that was my favorite picture from the day. Greg and I went to a lake in Katy that my coworker told us about. We packed a picnic lunch and spent a few hours fishing. The weather was perfect.

There has been a lot of fishing recently. Last weekend we had a "hunting and gathering" weekend. My dad took Greg and Cody fishing while my mom, my sister, and I spent the day together. We mostly "gathered" at hobby lobby. Here are the pictures of the boys.

More Random Facts

I was tagged a while back to do 6 random facts, and was recently tagged again by Lynn. I currently have no blog material, so this is great. I will give 6 new facts...

1) I just bought 3 new pairs of shoes last week, all in one day. Two of them were from Target, and one from DSW. I am not a huge shoe person, but since I wear the same shoes to work all the time they get so worn down. I had 4 pairs of heels in my closet that had the caps of the heels completely worn off, to where the metal spike is sticking through. Sometimes I take them to the shoe hospital to get fixed. But there comes a point when it is no longer worth it. This not only makes walking difficult, but is slightly embarrassing. I have to adjust my walking just to conceal the scraping metal sound that occurs when walking across hard surfaces. Not an easy feat my friends. People notice. And comment.

2) Greg is laying on the floor looking at his flys while I blog. He is calling out the name of each fly as he looks at them in a very loud, deep, announcer-type voice. "Nuuumber 6: BLACK ZONKER". I just keep typing.

3) I started a new book yesterday. Knowing Scripture, by RC Sproul. I have started this book before, but got busy. It has been a while since I have read a book, and really miss it. I forget how much I enjoy it. I was attempting to read a book recently about Jesus and end times, but it was completely over my head using multiple words per sentence that I couldn't even pronounce. I was just getting frustrated. So I am looking forward to this book, and so far it is really good.

4) I am getting excited about Christmas already. My mom, sister and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby this weekend and were looking at their Christmas stuff. My sister and I picked out stockings for our husbands for when we have Christmas at our parents house. This will be Greg and my first Christmas as a married couple. I am looking forward to the following: looking at Christmas lights, singing Christmas songs (the good ones about Jesus, not so much the cheeseball ones), and making gingerbread houses.

5) I spend 3 hours today at work on rounding. ROUNDING. Decimals are my nemesis. Anyone who works on financial reports can relate. Let's start a support group.

6) It took me 45 minutes to type up this list. I keep getting distracted by the tv. A rerun of the Office is on :)

Wedding Shower Cake

So I branched out this week from undergarment shaped baked creations. I did my first wedding shower themed cake. This cake was for my best friend Lindsay's co-worker. Lindsay came up with the idea to do a cake in the shape of wedding dress. I thought it was such a good idea! Here is the final product. It was a lot of fun. Now I am looking forward to trying to make a baby themed cake in the shape of a onsie. I'll post pictures when I get the chance to try one.

Fireproof

Greg and I just saw the best movie this weekend! Fireproof is a movie currently in theatres put on by Sherwood Baptist Church, who also created Facing the Giant's. I first heard about this from Chelsi's blog (thanks Chelsi for getting the word out!) She gives a great summary of the movie which you can read about here. This was the best movie we had seen in a long time. Kirk Cameron is the main character in this movie. He is a firefighter and local hero, while at home his marriage is falling apart. This movie was amazing! It was made me tear up, laugh, and it had a great love story. Not the kind of love story we typically see in movies where someone is falling in love with someone other than their spouse. This story is about loving the person you are married to. But not the feeling of love, the action of love. And this was not just a chick flick. Greg loved this movie. We both keep talking about it and encouraging everyone to go see it. I am just so excited that this movie is in theatres. I am praising God and so thankful that a movie like this is at the box office. It is not just a clean, morally good movie, but has a clear gospel presentation. It is presented so well, with great analogies and real life situations. It is interesting to read about the movie too - none of the actors were paid. Kirk Cameron was the only actor offered money, and he instead had it donated to a ministry. Also, in the scene where he kisses his wife, he doesn't actually kiss his on-screen wife. His real wife fills in for that one shot. How awesome is that! Anyway, I am praying that people go support this movie. It is rare and so refreshing that a movie like this is ever in theatres. I am looking forward to future movies that this ministry creates. So go see this movie and spread the word!