From the Bookshelf

This bookcase Meghan is claiming as her book nook. This is the cherry bookcase that Great Grandpa Jones made for Evan. Meghan has a matching one that stores plenty of books in her bedroom. Until Derek has time to finish it, the bookcase waits in the dining room as Meghan's little nook. The quilt came from another special grandpa-Great Grandpa Whipple!

I've been a reader all my life and hope my children will be, too. Right now I am reading several books. Honestly, I don't have a lot of time to read, but it is my way to relax. Sometimes I read as Derek and I watch TV together. Audio books help make washing dishes a bit more pleasant. Books for "fun" I borrow from the library. Here is what I'm reading now.

The Late Talker by Marilyn C. Agin is quickly becoming a great apraxia resource. We bought it about two weeks ago, and I'm about half-way through it. The title is a bit misleading. Really, this book is all about apraxia, not late talkers in general. A great resource for our family.

Faking Grace by Tamara Leigh is the book I read while feeding Evan early in the morning. It's okay, but not great. The main character lies about her Christian faith (that is nominal at best) to get a job, but slowly finds herself wanting more of the real faith. I can only guess how it will end, but that's light-hearted reading for you.

Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss is the book the moms' group from church is reading. (We meet twice a month so there is not a lot of homework.) I've only read the introduction and chapter one, but I can tell this book is going to be good for me. It is already opening my eyes. I know it will be challenging (in a good way) for me. At some point I suspect I will want to put the book down because it will move me away from my comfort zone, but that's a great reason to read it with a group! I highly recommend this book!

Recently I decided to read through the Bible chronologically using the MacArthur Study Bible. Although I've read most of the Bible, I know I haven't read all of it. The format I found has me reading the Bible in a year, but I suspect it will be closer to 18 months for me. At this point, I am reading about four chapters each day which is about three more than I would typically do. I am enjoying it and learning a lot.

In the kitchen I am listening to a Mary Higgins Clark book called Where Are You Now? It's a typical MHC mystery. I'm enjoying it, as I do all of her books. It has a solid plot and not too predictable.

Is anyone else reading a good book they can recommend? I'm always looking for new authors!

Play-Doh Fun

When Evan smiles he is a handsome little boy!

Meghan's SLP (speech therapist) uses Play-Doh quite a bit with Meghan. After realizing that it would not be too awfully messy and good for a creative outlet, we got her the Play-Doh Duffle Bag with a gift card. We even had a $2 coupon. She'll play with it for 30+ minutes! WOW! I should say we play with it for that long. She isn't able to do it independently yet. It's a great evening activity for us when Derek is doing school work and Evan is napping contentedly.

I really like this accessory set because all of the cutters and other things can come out at once and it's not an overwhelming amount of choices for Meghan. (Meghan's personality is one that wants all of the choices at once.) It has the vital spaghetti maker and rolling pin! A great choice for our family!

Getting Out

We might have had company this weekend, but I feel like I'm on vacation! Saturday Derek and I took advantage of his mom's visit and went on a date! (The last time we did this was in early July when we went to Watkins Glen, NY for two nights. Janice was watching Meghan that time, too.)

Derek and I headed to Lancaster (not the touristy part) for lunch and a movie. We found a RubyTuesday in the same plaza as the theater, so we just ate there. We watched Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It was pretty good!

If you know Kevin James from King of Queens, you know he's a pretty funny fellow. This movie was clean, funny, and family-friendly. Plugged In offers online reviews here.

Then today I had the opportunity to get together with my friend, Leila. (We had taught together in Nittany Christian School, and it had been more than two years since seeing her.) Derek's Aunt Donna and I drove to Allentown to pick up Derek's grandparents, so Leila and I arranged to meet up at the mall there. It was so, so good to see her and even shop a bit. Of course the two top things on my list weren't found, but that's okay. More important was time with a friend.

So thank you Janice and Derek for letting me get out for a bit!