Madison's Shower

Madison's shower...Ina, Karen and Brandy worked to make it so nice!
Me & my girl

Darling centerpieces

Love my girl

Regina, Ashley and Terri - how fun to celebrate with friends

It was a great night, the weather cooled off and it was so pleasant in Ina's backyard. We had a lovely dinner of salad and crossiant, followed by a yummy ice cream dessert. Madison then opened her presents. Regina embroidored tea towels that are absolutely darling. Carey gave her a box full of Christmas decorations. After presents, we watched a video that Justin put together of Madison and Dan being interviewed with pertinent questions, such as where they met, when did they know they were "the one" and a speed round. It was so nice! Thank you friends!

Part One of Goal...Accomplished!

So yesterday, I finished my 50th book of the year, Vampire, Interrupted by Lynsay Sands. The book is part of a series that feature the Argeneau family. A light read, perfect for summer. I have a stack on my table waiting for me to start, so I'm good to go for the next 50 :)

New Series to Read

I am now one book away from my goal of 50 books by the end of June. I'm reading a series by Christina Dodd, which features the Varinski family who 1,000 years ago made a pact with the devil which allows them long life and the ability to change into an animal at will. The series is set in modern times and features the sons of Konstatine Varinski who went against tradition and married a woman who bore him three sons and then, against all expectations, a daughter. The sons and their loves must gather together from the four corners of the earth a religious icon, which will prevent their father from spending eternity in torment.

The series is a very easy read. A bit explicit - so be warned. Fast paced with great action.

The Wedding is a Comin'

Wow! Three weeks from yesterday until Maddie gets married! On Friday, we went to meet with the decorator and finalized details about the set up and decor. It'll be soooo cute! I can't wait to see the final look. Linda with Express Yourself is one of the best party decorators I know and she has such attention to detail. The reception has a garden theme and she has a painted 13' x 36' mural that will be used as a backdrop for the receiving line. Friday afternoon we met with Nancy from Love & Garlic who is doing the food and went over the menu. Her food is delicious and her display is extraordinary. Saturday morning we met with Amy to go over the flowers and, oh sigh!, I just love fresh cut flowers. The shower is coming up this week. Let the festivities begin!

Spencer

I sent this picture of Spencer out in his graduation announcements. I thought it was such a cute picture. He looks really good in blue. I can't believe my baby is 18 and has graduated from high school. Milestones are happening left and right in our family.

Spencer's High School Graduation

Spencer graduated from Bullard this last week. Oh my! My last child to complete high school. It is a definate possibility that within three months Randy & I could be, gasp!, empty nesters. And you know what? I'm really looking forward to it! No kids coming home at midnight or later. No kids leaving dishes out or forgetting to wash their pots and pans. No kids asking for money (I hope). I'll just be hanging out with my man having a grand old time! Yep, I'm good with this stage in my life :)

What a Mess!

I'm sitting at my desk trying to get some work done and I look around, realizing the mess my desk has gotten into, yet again. What is it about me that I cannot keep my area neat? Maybe I don't throw stuff away quick enough and it piles all around me waiting for me to wade through the stuff and determine what I need to keep, throw away or file. Sigh, I really think my desk will look like this when I'm 95. I just don't see it changing anytime soon. So sad.

New Author to Check Out - Karen Chance

This is an author you should know about...Karen Chance. She has four books in her series so far that feature Cassie Palmer, a clairvoyant, who unwillingly fights the bad guys and helps to save the good against all odds. A supernatural thriller with some romance tossed in and a heroine who does her best to do the right thing...my favorite kind of book!

Chance does a cool thing in her fifth book, Midnight's Daughter. Instead of featuring Cassie Palmer, it features Dory Basarab, who is half vampire/half human as the heroine, but puts her in the same setting/world as the Cassie Palmer books. You get to see some of the characters you know from Cassie viewpoint in a different light. I don't know of any other books that have that feature and I found it intriguing. I wanted to tell Dory about the other side of someone she was having a hard time dealing with. I thought it was an interesting angle.

I realized in looking at my book count that I am close to 50 books being read so far this year. I've decided to make a goal of reading 100 books in 2009. Half way there!