Saturday, January 31, 2015

Book of the Week: The Struggle

Today I read a children's chapter book, The Struggle, by Nancy Rue.


Books help me forget about what's going on in real life, which is sometimes a good thing and at other times, it's not so great. While the story, which was about choosing your battles and turning the other cheek (aka do you catch the cattle rustlers by yourself or tell the grownups), wasn't really applicable to what was going on in my real life, the title was very fitting for what is going on within my personal community. Some really hard stuff happened this week, and I've put a lot of energy and emotions into just trying to process and understand that it really did happen and what to do and how to feel. 

I have had these verses on my mind all day, and they have cropped up in several different places, so I want to end this post with them:

"I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. " --Psalms 121:1-2

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Book of the Week: The Princess and Curdie

The Princess and Curdie, by George MacDonald, was a classic from my childhood! I am pretty positive that I was twelve the last time I read it, and to those of you out there who are wondering, I would highly recommend it! Great book, great author, great use of time spent!



Saturday, January 24, 2015

Semester Two: MSU

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." --Sam Ewing

Grad school is really taking it out of me again this semester! It is getting a little bit unmanageable, BUT I've got one full semester down and only a few left. This is going to be so worth it!

Before I know it, I'll be graduating with a guaranteed career. I'll have my abominable student loans paid off, a decent car, a HOUSE of my own for Magoo and I, and I'll be able to watch Mama Mia! every night if my heart so desires. The best part? I'll have done it all on my own! The even better part? My special guy and I are the perfect family, and we'll never again have to deal with anyone or anything we don't want to put up with. :)

All I have to do to accomplish that is roll up my sleeves! Pretty simple, if you ask me!

Just call me Candace the Riveter!!!

J. Howard Miller's 'We Can Do It!', Westinghouse, February 1942.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Book of the Week: Whispers of the Bayou

This week's read was a Louisiana mystery, by Mindy Starns Clark, Whispers of the Bayou. I enjoyed it, although it wasn't written particularly well. The main character returns to her deceased grandparents' estate when the elderly, dying estate caretaker requests her presence. He dies before he is able to tell her why he summoned her, which sets off a chain of events leading to her eventually finding out quite a bit of truths about her family, and her past. It was definitely a lady book, but I had fun reading it!


Thursday, January 15, 2015

The Lumineers and such

Ten songs (in no particular order) I will listen to for the rest of my life:

1. Ho Hey by the Lumineers
2. Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
3. Theme from A Summer Place by Percy Faith
4. Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole
5. If I Didn't Care by Amy Adams & Lee Pace
6. Skyfall by Adele
7. Are You Lonesome Tonight (laughing version) by Elvis
8. Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash
9. I Walk The Line by Johnny Cash
10. Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat from Guys and Dolls (though I prefer the version from the 1955 film)

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Book of the Week: The Exiles

The Exiles, by Gilbert and Lynn Morris was this week's book of the week. Totally boring read, and I wouldn't recommend it! However, it was a quick read, so at least there was that.




Saturday, January 10, 2015

Magoo, Age Two

Something special happened this week! Magoo turned two! He is officially a big boy now- no longer a little baby. How did that even happen??



How did that little guy get so enormous in only two years?

Little Man's first birthday.

And here we are, age two! He's so grown up!
Boy and His Dogs, 2015


For his birthday party, we had barbecue and cake with some friends, and followed up with some Beatles Rockband. Magoo had so much fun, showing off his cars and basketball hoop to anyone he could drag into his room.

He had almost all of his favorite people with him for party night, and didn't want anyone to leave when it was over! One of his tiny friends was getting bundled up to leave and he ran over to her, grabbed her by the hand, and led her back over to his toys to play some more. Too cute!

On his actual birthday, we just relaxed and had fun playing around the house with the dogs and Magoo's new toys. We didn't do anything too overwhelming, since we'd already had a rockin' party!!




Oh, just doing a little carpentry!
This kid has so stinkin' much personality! He never ceases to make me laugh. :)

Some little facts about Magoo:

1) He loooooooves to read. 

2) He also loves to count.

3) He especially likes to read AND count. He'll turn the pages of whatever book he's reading, and with each turned page, I hear "ive! yix! eh'en! eigh! nine! nine! nine! den!!"

4) Choo-choo trains (joo-joos) are the bomb, yo!  (He had a Thomas the Train cake for his party - the frosting was a little soupy looking by the time I was done with all of the food coloring, but it still looked pretty darn good for my first-ever cake painting!)

5) He's got a mouthful of teeth, sixteen (plus some molars coming in now) to be exact.

6) He can say all of his aunts and uncles' names, which is quite a feat, considering how many aunts and uncles he has.

7) Blue is his favorite color. He'll take apart his foam alphabet floor mat and sort all of the blue pieces into a little pile, leaving all of the other colors in one big, multicolored heap on the floor. He also has rainbow popsicle sticks with velcro pieces attached to them - what does he do with them, do you think? He tears them all apart and wanders the house with every blue popsicle stick in hand or pocket, leaving all of the other colors in their pencil box. Silly kid!

8) His speech is somewhat delayed, not enough for me to really worry about him, but enough that TV has been banned while he is awake, in order to have as much creative, hands-on learning and people interaction as possible. He is improving quite a bit already, and is a pretty chatty guy, even though I don't often know what he's trying to say!

9) FaceTime is a favorite. He would talk for hours on FaceTime if anyone was available to talk to him for that long. :)

10) He's a food thief! He eats his own breakfast every morning, and then tries to eat mine, too! I have to move pretty fast if I want to get 50% or more of my own food.  Sidenote: If I just cooked two of whatever I was eating and gave one to him, he wouldn't want it. It's just because it's mine that has a such a draw!

11) He's a tantrum boy! If he doesn't get what he wants, he will either throw himself down on the floor, or if he's sitting on something, he'll do a limp noodle and slide off of it and THEN throw himself down on the floor, and cry. He used to bang his head on the ground, too, but finally figured out that all that does is hurt is head, so at least he doesn't do that anymore, except for the occasional accident. I've tried to reason with him (dumb, right? he's a toddler), and I've tried to distract him. Mostly I just ignore him and play with something he likes on the other side of the room, hoping he'll notice during a lull and get distracted by whatever I'm doing. It usually works!

12) He's started going to Sunday School and really likes it! He has a mailbox, and he gets to sing a song with his teacher and his classmates. He also usually gets to color a picture and he gets to take a Sunday School paper home. This week the story was about Zacchaeus, so he had a little paper with a spot for his paper doll Zacchaeus to sit in the tree, and a spot for him to stand on the ground next to Jesus. Pretty fun stuff!

13) Finding Nemo was an effective bribe for washing/rinsing his hair without thrashing or crying in the tub back in December, AND he has a fish shower curtain, so ocean life is really cool right now. He loves all of his sea life storybooks and his octopus bath toy.

14) He's a big fan of the Mexican restaurant in town, although he only ever eats the refried beans and the tortilla chips and salsa. Everything else gets spit back out. Sick! ;)

15) Magoo is learning how to use a potty chair, so that's a really new development! It helps when the potty chair plays the Thomas theme song every time it gets wet. We're doing it at a leisurely pace though, so I'm not really doing the "potty training" thing. I'll ask him after naps or throughout the day if he wants to sit on the potty, and sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. No big deal either way. He'll start doing it all the time when he's ready.

16) He loves wearing hats. Sailor hats are especially cool. Or his grandma's cowboy hat. Or his raccoon hat. Or his fireman hat. Or his summertime in the pool hat. All hats. That's not true. Most hats.

17) He's very good at taking stealthy selfies. I don't usually let him touch my phone, but somehow there are always pictures of his forehead or the floor in my photos. Maybe he'll be the Ansel Adams of his generation? I've got to get him out into nature! :)

18) His dogs are his favorite. He loves petting, hugging, snuggling, chasing, and talking to them, and he loves "feeding" them food from his kitchen. Sometimes I let him give them each a treat, and he'll grab the treats, run out to his kitchen, and put each treat in a different skillet and carefully carry them over and set them down on the ground for the dogs to eat.

19) He's also really loving a panda teddy that his grandma gave him for Christmas. It is pretty special!

20) Magoo gives the best hugs and kisses!


I love you, baby boy!!




Thursday, January 8, 2015

Book o' the Week: Eventide

This week's book of the week is Eventide by Cindy Martinusen, who wrote The Salt Garden, my book of the week from a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed this book, as well. It was also set mainly in Harbor City, CA, just like The Salt Garden, and was written from the perspective of three separate characters that all intersect in very different ways. I also liked that it was Christian fiction, but it wasn't "preachy" and the characters were very real. I'd love to tour Italy with the ladies in the book!


Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Tolkien Knows What's Up

I'm really feeling this quote today and wanted to share:

"There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - Tolkien

I know I have my priorities straight, and my son and I are blessed to be surrounded by courageous and wise people who know what is truly valuable in life.  

I cannot wait for the rest of 2015 to unfold!


Love, Me and This Sweet Kid

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Book of the Week: There Is A Season

This week's book of the week: There Is A Season by Lynn and Gilbert Morris, a father/daughter author team, is the final book in the Cheney & Shiloh series. I'm a big fan of the series, which follows the Cheney Duvall, M.D. series I was finishing up earlier this month. The M.D. series consists of eight books, at the end of which, Cheney marries. The Cheney & Shiloh series picks up next with their continued travels and medical experiences. I'm sad the series is over!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015, What, What!!

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself." -- Neil Gaiman


This picture hurts my eyes, but it's our last picture of 2014!
Happy New Year, from Magoo and me!!