I Really Don't Like to Finish a Good Book

I get pulled in.  Engaged in the plot.  Wrapped up in the characters.  Good books are such a good escape.  So good, in fact, that I always feel a little bit disappointed when I am done with them.

I don't want to be all done with the characters.  I want more.  I want to know what else happens.  As Paul Harvey would say, "I want the rest of the story."

This is the case with yet another blogging for books book from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers.  Thanks to them, I have discovered a wonderful author and have received many of her books for free.

Cindy Woodsmall has had me lost in all of her books, staying up way too late and ignoring too many household chores and her latest novel, "A Season for Tending" was not any different than the 7 previous books I have read.

True to her Amish stories, this one burries you deep in the culture and the characters feeling as if you were right there with them.  "A Season for Tending" tells a story of a young Amish woman who has been given special gifts and how they have haunted and blessed her life.

Rhoda Byler has a green thumb to say the least.  She grows berries and herbs and goodness galore and makes canned goods out of her bountiful harvest.  So much so, that she even has her own business, Rhode Side Stands.  Her other gift, one of intuitions, however, doesn't seems to be as profitable as her jams and jellies.  Her intuitions and knowledge of healing herbs and remedies seems to have given her a not-so-pleasant reputation and superstitious eyes through her community have labled her as somewhat of a witch. 

The King's are struggling to keep the orchard that has been a part of their family for generations alive and through series of unpleasant events, find themselves in the middle of Rhoda's berry patch.  Through a well-thought out business plan and a bit of desperation the Kings find Rhoda as their only hope to keep the orchard alive.

You'll have to read for yourself to see if Rhode Side Stands teams up with King Orchards and to tumble through the tragedies, rumors and romances that twist and turn throughout the entire book, but you'll have to wait until September 18th when the book is released.

The only thing I can say negative about this book is the fact that I finished it too soon and will now be stuck waiting for the next book in the Amish Vines and Orchards series to be published, which will be months I am sure. 

The Ickies

I'm not sure "ickies" is even a word, but we have been plagued with them around here lately.  I can't be more thankful that they have all been pretty minor, but for this generally healthy family it has been a rough couple of weeks.  Even mommy got sick, and I never get sick.

I was actually even the first one to get sick.  I started feeling crummy right before school started.  It was a good thing I wasn't starting school or I would have probably had to skip the first day.  I was so run down that I had to even ask Daddy to stay home and help me get the whole crew ready for the day.  Once everyone was dressed and fed he headed to work and I headed out the door to take Noisy Man to school, then to a meeting and then back to pick him up and then I crashed for 2 hours.  After a week of suffering and coughing I finally gave in and went to the doctor.  Diagnosis:  Bronchitis.  Ugh.   I got some powerful antibiotics, steroids and a cough syrup with codeine that would knock me out for hours.  (I wasn't able to take that very often during the day while the kids were depending on me.)   I am just now starting to feel back to normal and even considering running. That wasn't even a dream while I was sick.

On the Wednesday before she started school, Miss Firecracker started running a fever so we headed her into the pediatrician's office to find a lovely little ear infection.  She was fighting off a pretty good cold too, which probably caused the drainage in her ear as well.  Thankful for amoxicillian and she is all better!

Then my healthy boy couldn't kick a little cough he picked up at school.  It just kept getting worse and then he started running a fever off and on so we got him in to see the pediatrician as well.  Sinus infection for him.  Poor thing even stayed home from two days of school.  He would be miserable in the morning and once the cough medicine and Tylenol kicked in he would be back to normal, but with a low grade fever and uncertainty of when the Tylenol would wear off, I kept him home.  He finally headed back today fever and sinus headache free.  He spent all of last night doing homework so that he wouldn't have to miss recess today.  Quite the studious little guy.

Lastly, Miss Thumb Sucker has been battling her allergies.  I feel like a terrible mother to a kid with allergies though.  I do not have the slightest hint of allergies so I have no idea when it is a bad allergy day or not.  Hopefully, I can get into a habit of checking the allergy alert things on the news so that I know when she is going to need her medicine or not (I don't want to be doping her up if she doesn't need it).  So, if you have allergies and want to help me out on this, I'd be open to any advice. 

So, that is our icky report.  Exciting, huh?

Another First Day

Does it mean you love them less if you tear up for leaving one and not another?  Oh, this thought has bothered me all day!  I feel like a terrible mother.  But I can't remember if I cried at all for Noisy Man's 2nd year of preschool either.

All dolled up and ready to go!

Miss Firecracker started her 2nd year of preschool today and I didn't get emotional at all.  She is only gone in the afternoon, which is nap time and quiet time here, so I am not missing out on too much play time with her, and she was so stinkin' excited to go back she has asked when she started every day for the last two weeks. 

She totally thrives in the school environment and absolutely loves it, so I think it is easier for me to send her.  Where, Noisy Man is my more shy and reserved one that I often wonder how he is doing.  Maybe that is it.  Their personalities make it different.

We need to work on her silly faces.  :)

Either way, she was thrilled to head back to school with her awesome teachers and bestest friends!  I wanted to get a pic of her and her bestie, but Miss S's bus was running late and daddy had to get back to work.  Hopefully another day!

Summer's Done

Oh how the beginning of the school year is so bittersweet.  I am so excited for the brand new adventures for my little boy and all the things he will learn, but I have such a hard time giving up all that time with him. 

That, and having an issue with knowing exactly what he is doing all the time.  I hate not knowing what he does all day, and he isn't really one for a descriptive tale once he gets home, so I have to stalk him at school by volunteering there every once in a while to find out!

So, here is my big boy on his first day of first grade.

Gotta do a silly face one!

Big Smile

They are doing a fun movie star theme in their room

His Teacher Mrs. Weichel

He gets his very own desk this year

I did SO much better this year.  Just a few hidden tears and no sobbing.  But, still, how did he get so big?  He is still supposed to be my adorable little toddler.  Now he is a big first grader with two loose teeth that he nearly did cartwheels last night after finding their first wiggle!

Summer Fun Coming to an End

We had a couple of very eventful weeks for our family.  We had the county fair, vacation and our very first day of summer camp!

The fair wasn't quite the same this year without my sister-in-law and her family and my other sis-in-law.  We usually do an entire family evening event out of it and the adults have just as much fun as the kids.  Our kids still had a blast, though and absolutely love all the rides.  I wish I could say the same.  Those things change a lot when it is your children on them instead of yourself!

Petting a cow at the fair

Fun rides!

Can't leave the fair without a snow cone

and a funnel cake!

We also got to go on a great family vacation to Kansas City.  We were hoping to make it up to Wisconsin to see my brother and his family, but schedules would never quite mesh and we ran out of time.  Hopefully, we can get Wisconsin in this fall. 

Science City and Union Station - lots of fun!

Our first hotel had cool, big bolster pillows that we used for fun sword fights!

Story time at Great Wolf Lodge

Weee!

Miss Firecraker and Noisy Man loved this little obstacle thing

Mommy even made it is a picture

The highlight of the trip for Noisy Man - LegoLand!!!

One of the rides at LL

The girls loved the cupcake area!

Last, but not least, I got to take Noisy Man to one of my favorite places on earth!  I was a camper here growing up and then at age 14 I started out as a counselor, then Staff In Training, then full time Summer Staff.  I practically spend 6 straight summers out here and met some of the people who are still my best friends in life.

They have a day camp for the younger kiddos and I was quick to sign him up.  We spent the day playing games, exploring reptiles, looking at fish, canoeing and fishing.  Finished it up with some watersliding and ice cream and it was over way too fast.  I am pretty sure I had more fun than he did as he is more the quiet, reserved type in these settings where I just dive in and go for it.  He may look just like me, but he has his father's personality. 

Petting some kind of snake or something

Canoeing!!

Awesome Waterslide
 (he only did it two times though as the line was pretty long
and he got bored waiting - once again, more like daddy)

A Good Read

It is a good thing they don't put a time limit on how long you can have a book before you have to blog about it.  If they did, I'd have been fired by now.

I received Wildflowers from Winter for free from Waterbrook/Multnomah Publishers for this review about 3 months ago and it sat on my shelf.  Finally, I took it along on vacation and got it read!

It was a good one.  No heavy thinking involved, many great little sub plots and a fairy tale romance, just my kind of book!

It is about a small town girl, Bethany, with a past no one would want.  She was determined to get as far away from it as possible and make a name for herself as a big architect in Chicago.  A series of sad events brought her back to her hometown and somewhat trapped her there. 

While the romance evolving between Bethany and Evan is a bit predictable, the author put enough twists and turns in to keep you just a little bit on edge.  I can't turn down a good romance.

The way she kept the details of Bethany's sad history, with the death of her father and relationship with her mother, a bit vague until close to the end of the book really drew me in as well.  I kept wondering what the big secret was or what had her so worked up about it.  I must admit, the author did not go into as great of detail in describing the past events as I would have liked.  She briefly explained some of it in a flashback section, but some of it remained unanswered.

Overall, the fact that I read this book in just a few days is a testament to the good book it was.  The fact that it ties in faith makes it even better.  There are way too many events occurring in this book to even think about a 'brief' explanation of all that goes on, so you'll just have to read it for yourself and find out what it is all about.