My Hubby has Something to Say!!

Hello all,

Ok, its like this. yes, I am Mindys husband, Dave. so why am I posting on her blog? Ok, here goes. I have a confession to make. Let me begin by say my wife is the smartest person I know and I love her so much. I am a lucky man to have her.

Last week was my last week as an over the road truck driver. i begin a local job on Tues. and I will home every day. I was so happy cause I came into a very good situation.

Often, when I am gone , during my breaks, I go to museums,zoos,points of interest. Last week, on my last run, I went to the Dallas zoo. I send pics home to my family. Later that night as I was looking at the pics I took, I saw one that looked like a two shelled tortoise. At times I can be a bit silly. I wondered if I could tease my family into thinking it was indeed a two shelled tortoise.

I told her this was a rare species of tortoise and there were only four of them in the world. I thought she would catch on and know that it was just me fooling around so I kinda forgot about it.

Upon coming home, I asked er what she thought of my prank. Was I surprised to find out she posted my pic and prank. I gave some clues to her I was being silly but I guess I was more convincing than I thought.

Never in the 25yrs of marriage have a fooled anyone with my left brain humor. She says I kid around too much. She was such a good sport about the whole thing.

ok, thats it. I ,for a brief moment,tricked Mindy. I wish everyone who reads her blog ,knew her like I do.  Soon we will beginning something new. I look forward to my new job and to being home every day and we both know it will not be easy but together we can make it work

oh, and no more kidding around or being silly..promise. (unless she decides to get even)  :-)

thx for allowing me to explain,

signed....Mindys blessed and fortunate (and sometimes silly) husband,  Dave

AWW  isn't he sweet!!

Carbon Neutral Blog

I saw this on Girls Gone Reading  while I was checking out posts for Armchair BEA.

They plant a tree to help offset the emission produced by your blog.  Head over and check it out.  Just click on the button.

Wordless Wednesday

A rare camatortoise.  Only 3 in existance  Taken by my Hubby at the Dallas zoo.

It has two humps that is one turtle not two.

Head over to the website to join in the fun here

Summer Reading Part 2

Here is a site with lists for Summer reading for ages preschool through adults.  The best way to get your kids to read is to read to them and to have them see you read. 

Also get involved with your public library's summer reading program.  My kids always liked to do this and our library had some great prizes that they could earn.    

Our 25th Wedding anniversary Trip to Atlantic City

My Hubby and I had a wonderful trip to Atlantic city on May 10th and 11th.   Here are some pictures.

Customize your own digital slideshow

summer Reading List Part 1

About.com has a great list for summer reading.  You can find it here

As with any book I would encourage parents to either read the books before or read reviews of the books to see if it is a book you would want your child to read.  Just because it is on a reading list doesn't mean your child should read it.  Every family should make these decisions on their own.
  

Summer Reading

It's Time to think of Summer Reading not only for the kids but also for us Adults. 

Saw this video on readerbuzz and thought it is great to see so many kids excited about reading!!



I will posting some lists for summer reading this week so stay tuned. 

Seven Cities of Greed by Jean Sheldon

Seven Cities of Greed by Jean Sheldon

From Goodreads:A hand carved leather journal purchased at a Chicago book auction promises an adventure in New Mexico for a group of women of a certain age. Instead, they find themselves followed by a modern day Conquistador who will stop at nothing to have the book and the secrets it holds.

My Take: I thought this book was pretty good. I really enjoyed the characters and the mystery and will read other books by this author.

Pat, Jackie and Gwen all own a used book store called Ziodiac's Rare and Used Books. Jackie is wealthy, Gwen is a psychiatrist and Gwen lives above the store and manages the bookstore. Their frined Nicole is a former cop turned private investigator.

The story opens with Jackie being kidnapped the other ladies trying to rescue her. The bookstore is ransacked so they figure that her kidnapping must have something to do with a recent purchase that she made. A Mysterious package arrives and they find a handwritten journal that looks authentic. They start to read it and discover that it is a journal of a fake monk on the expedition to find the seven cities of gold.

They rescue Jackie and she hires one of her kidnappers as her body guard (this part I found alittle unbelievable expecially for the fact that one of her friends was a former cop and she (the cop) didn't question the whole thing more). They figure out where the gold should be and head to New Mexico to find it all the while being chased by a man who will stop at nothing to get the journal.

I received this book from the author in hopes I would review it. I was not required to give it a good review.

All The Wrinkled Ladies by Anita Renfro

O Me of Little Faith by Jason Boyett

Isn't this the best cover!!  anyway head over to my other blog A Room without Books is Empty for my review and for a link to other bloggers who are reviewing this book.

The Second Ship by Richard Phillips

From Goodread.com: On the evening of July 3rd, 1947, two starships battled in the night sky over the American Southwest, sending both ships crashing into the high desert. One of these ships was quickly discovered near Roswell, New Mexico, and spirited away, its existence officially denied by the US Government. In August of 2006, three high school students accidentally discover something which leaves them entangled in a dark web of international espionage and intrigue. Pursued by government agents and mercenary killers, they stumble upon something far more terrifying. Now, their only hope of survival may lie within The Second Ship.

My Take: What a rollercoaster ride of a book!!. I really liked this book, it grabbed you with the first page and never let go.

When the government decides to start releasing the technology that has been found on the ship the whole would is excited. The first technology to be released is cold fusion. Is this a good thing or the beginning of something else?

Heather and her friends,twins, Mark and Jen find a second ship out in the desert and enter it. what they find changes their life drastically and they have to keep it secret for now.

This is a great book and I think anyone who reads it will enjoy the mystery and thrill of the ride.

Read a book donate a Book

The good folks over at Wegivebooks.org  have a great program especialy if you have smaller children.  You head on over to their website, read one of the books they have online (they are Dk and Penguin books) and then choose the program you would like them to donate a book to,  it's that easy.

Summer Sanctuary by Laurie Gray

I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.

From Goodreads.com: Matthew knows that this summer is going to be the worst ever. His best friend Kyle is gone, his younger brother Mark has surpassed him in size and athletic ability, and his mother is pregnant for the fifth time. The eldest home-schooled son of a preacher, Matthew plans to bury himself in books about the speed of light and Einstein's Theory of Relativity to see if he can prove his own theory about the dilation of time. Instead, he befriends Dinah, a homeless teenager seeking refuge at the library. Although from very different backgrounds, Matthew and Dinah come to realize that they have a great deal in common--their love for music, and for cans of olives and potato chips found in a supermarket dumpster that are just past the sell-by date . . . and maybe even for each other. Matthew struggles with his feelings for his own family as he helps Dinah avoid Child Welfare. And in the process, Dinah helps him discover that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a very big difference.


My Take: I really enjoyed this book. I was curious about it when I first read the summary because I homeschool my daughter and homeschooled my two older children all the way through school. Beside a few spots where the author made Matthew a little naive ( seemed that he was that way because of his being homeschooled, Most homeschooled children that I know are more away of the entire world than the average child their age) I thought that the author portrayed a homeschooled child very well.


I was touched my how willing that Matthew was to watch after Dinah and how he tried to come up with solutions to her problems. They made a fine team. I was disappointed that he felt he needed to hide Dinah from his parents because I am sure that something could have been worked out that she wouldn't of had to go into child welfare.

Over all I thought this was a very enjoyable books and I am going to give it to my daughter to read next.

Gong away For a Few days

I am going on a short trip to Atlantic City with my hubby to celebrate our 25th anniversary!!!

Will be back in the blogosphere probably on Thursday.

Searching for Atlantis by Richard Barcott

From Amazon.com: Archaeologist Dr. Henry Randalls is challenged to discover one of the greatest mysteries in the world: the Lost Continent of Atlantis. This once powerful empire contained palaces of gold, silver, and wealth untold. But then, mysteriously disappeared. Accepting the venture, Dr. Randalls' team flies toward Portugal, but crash lands near the home of sea-going pirates, with evil intentions. Escaping the pirates, the group eventually joins up with their research ship near Crete. After some delay, an ancient shipwreck is discovered with priceless artifacts and a possible link to Atlantis. Before determining its total value, a hostile force kidnaps Dr. Randalls' team. Taken to a secluded location the group finds itself in the company of a bomb-on a timed fuse. Will the group somehow escape? If they do, will the shipwreck treasure lead to Atlantis?

My Take: This book was a very quick read and it wa action packed. I received a copy from the author for review purposes and he stated that it was intended for student 5th - 8th grade. I think that boys would find it especially interesting. The characters find themselves in one action packed problem after another. This adventure includes diving for sunken treasure, pirates and people mysteriously disappearing. Definietly a good summer time read for a reluctant reader.

It's Official!!

I am on VACATION!!  Yeah!!.  Don't have much planned except going to Atlantic city Monday Through Wednesday to Celebrate 25 Wonderful Years with my Hubby. 

Friday Follow

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Head over to One2Try and join in the fun!!

Books Make a Difference

BlogHer and BookRenter, a company that rents textbooks to college students, have joined forces because we know that books makes a difference.


From May 3-28, together we are working to make a difference in children's lives by generating new books for children who need them most -- via the nonprofit organization First Book.

Want to help? For every answer we receive in the comments to the following question, one book will be donated:  Post Comments here

What book has had the greatest impact on your life?

That's right: All you need to do is leave a comment, and BookRenter will donate a book to a child in need -- up to 1,000 books.

Want to help even more? You can blog about our campaign, then add the specific URL of your post to Mr. Linky and we'll add another book to the tally.

Because books really do a make a difference.


For me when I was little I read Dr. Seuss books like they were going out of style, I remeber my third grade teacher reading Little House in the Big Woods and bringing in Maple Sugar candy for us to eat, Whn I was about 13 I discovered the Trixie Belden Series and had to read everyone that I could, later in my teen years, Iwent through a stage when I read everything that Stephen King wrote.  As an Adult I have come to love the Bible for not only my religious beliefs but for the literary aspects as well.   

Look what I saw on my way home from work this morning!!!

Not sure how many there were.  Sorry the picture quality isn't better but I only had my phone camera with me. 

The Telling by Beverly Lewis

I received this as an MP3 download from Christianaudio.com for my honest review. I received no payment for this review.


From GoodReads.com: Grace Byler leaves Bird-in Hand in a fancy car to search for her mother in Ohio. But what if Lettie Byler doesn't wish to be found? Meanwhile, Lettie continues her private quest to find the missing piece of her life. As clues take her from state to state, she is increasingly torn between the family she has left behind and the yearning for her long-lost child. Struggling to come to terms with a grave medical diagnosis, Heather Nelson is determined to forgo traditional medicine-to her father's chagrin-in hopes of finding answers and healing in Amish country. But first, she offers to drive her Amish friend, Grace Byler, to Ohio. Will mother and daughter, and one seriously ill graduate student, find the answers they long for? Or will "the telling" cause them all further pain?

My Take:

This was a nice conclusion to the series Seasons of Grace. Although this was an abridged version(I try to only listen to unabridged versions) I don't think I missed out on anything as it tied up all the strings of the story nicely and didn't leave you wondering about anything.

This is definitely not a stand alone title so I would highly recommend that you read or listen to the first two books.

Everything that has building since the first book is brought to a head in this book, I had Heather's biological mother figured out in the first book. It did explain a bit more about the Amish shunning and whole foods.

If you like Amish stories I would definately recommend this whole series.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday is a meme hosted  here .  Head over and join the fun!!

Never Let you Go by Erin Healy

If you are a Ted Dekker fan maybe you have read the books that Erin Healy co wrote with him (Kiss and Burn). I read Kiss and liked it so I thought when this book was offered through Booksneeze that I would give it a try.


From Amazon: Losing everything has Lexi clinging to her daughter. Hell is determined to loosen her grip.

It's been seven years since disaster struck her family. Lexi Solomon has held it all together since then--just barely.

But now Lexi is losing it. The husband who deserted her is back in town, wanting to see their daughter Molly. Her sister's shameless murderer is up for parole. An unsavory old friend is demanding payment for debts that Lexi knows nothing about and can't begin to meet.

And something else is going on--something Lexi feels but can't explain. A dangerous shift is taking place between this reality and the next. Forces beyond her imagination are vying for control.

A rare novel that will satisfy a wide range of readers, Never Let You Go explores the high-stakes decisions played out in the thin spaces between heaven and earth. As the enemy's grip tightens around Lexi, she will have to decide what's truly worth holding on to.

"Keeps you glued to the pages until the very last."--Tosca Lee, author of Havak: The Story of Eve

My Opinion: I really liked this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what more could happen to this girl. Seems like everyone who had caused her some kind of trauma showed back up in her life all with the matter of HOURS. Poor girl didn't even have a break. Then weird things started happening that made her question her mental state. Erin Healy has not problem being able to hold her own with this novel. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep any reader on their toes and wondering what more could happen. Great book!!

Giveaway

I am having a giveaway on my other blog A Room without Books is Empty.  Head on over and enter if you want.