That’s right, Mrs. Lisa’s bookworms are out of school for the summer! Uh-oh, now I better hurry up and get that library fine paid, or they are going to be so upset with me! Well, I’ve got a couple of weeks of leeway time, because we are supposed to go to Texas for a couple of weeks first! When we get back, though, oh my! I can ‘hear’ them yelling at me already! So if any of you want to add to my Library Fine Fund, feel free to do so by hitting that pretty little paypal button at the top left.

I just don’t know if I’m ready for constant bookworm presence, though. Keeping those guys entertained, rather - making sure they keep themselves entertained, can be quite the task sometimes! And keeping them from fighting. I have already gotten the “I’m bored” complaint once, though! I can’t believe it - well, the girls tried to say it to me, but, I cut them off before they got it out of their mouths! I told them not to even dare saying that already!

I might need to double up on my meditation/relaxation sessions just to survive the summer with these lovely bookworm monsters! It would be really cool to have one of those sound machines to help me out with that process - they come with all kinds of sounds in them. I love the nature sounds! I could just get all cozy and relaxed, and then I will have no trouble threatening any bored bookworms with a laundry list of chores, with a pretty smile on my face!

GO READ A BOOK!

That’s right - today is my birthday! I’ve been loving books for 37 years now! How about that?

GO READ A BOOK!

My boys are so funny - they come home from school armed with some new knowledge, and present it to the family, and invariably - the other one argues with him. They argue about whether the other has a certain concept right, or whether the other one has the right year for the end of a war, or just about anything! The other day they were arguing about peptides. So I went looking for books about them. I found some really cool science books for kids on my search, too. The one that I really liked was Homework Helpers: Biology by Matthew Distefano. It is actually one of a series of books on many topics for children. I think we will definitely have to invest in some of those, especially as my boys are getting up there in the upper grades, at a level where this Mama Bookworm is not that skilled at helping them!

GO READ A BOOK!

I was watching TV with my daughter last night, and there was a commercial on for Pigeon Forge. Everything they showed looked either very interesting or very beautiful. I was thinking to myself, ‘where is that?’ …and then when they said, Tennessee, I was so excited! That is probably not far from us at all. I bet we could totally plan a trip there! (Yes, I’m a little embarrassed that I didn’t know where it was, but, since you’re one of those nice readers, I’m sure you won’t make fun of me! Right? Right?) With our being such a rustic, outdoorsy type of family, it would be really neat to get a Pigeon Forge cabin rental. I am sure that we would all have a total blast!

GO READ A BOOK!

I would love to go there again. The kids say that I cannot, absolutely cannot, go again without them! Drats! Now you know that’s gonna be expensive! It sure would be a wonderful experience to get to take them, though! When I think about it, my mind starts going crazy with …’oh, I’d show you guys this and I’d definitely want to take you to that, etc, etc’!!! There are just so many wonderful things there that I would love to experience with them! I think if I did get a chance to go again, though, this time I would want to try to stay in a New York Bed and Breakfast - that would be so cool! New York City and a Bed and Breakfast? Wow! Two of my favorite things - all wrapped up in one! That would truly be an amazing trip!

GO READ A BOOK!

I told you it was bad! The bookworms in this house are really upset with me! One of them, in particular, let me have it the other day after school! You see, he visits the library at school almost every day. And they were informed that all books must be turned in this week and that there will be no more checking out! So he came to me, very upset, knowing that we also cannot go to the public library right now! He said, “MOM! We have to check in all of our books this week!” And he said it with such desperation in his voice, it was as if he’d been informed they’d be depriving him of oxygen this week! Besides the fact that I am in deep trouble with this kid, and that he is very upset with me, that reaction makes me SO HAPPY!!! I mean, really - what a cool kid! He just absolutely loves to read! And he loves to cook, too! At his age, I wasn’t reading very much, and I definitely wasn’t cooking! I think this kid would just love it if I would buy him some books and some cookware! But dagnabbit, those bills! Just keep getting in the way of fun stuff like books, cookware, and paying off library fines. I think I’ll put a paypal donate button on this blog, and if anyone would like to help build up my library fine fund, I just know my bookworm chef would be so happy!

GO READ A BOOK!

We moved to Alabama last summer, and ever since then, half of my books have had to stay in boxes! What, I ask you, could be more sad, for a Mama Bookworm?

I know I had more bookshelves than I do now, and somehow I think I got swindled out of a couple by the Daddy Bookworm! I know that for one of them, he brought me home a big curio cabinet and said that I could put my angels and my trucks in it if I would give him one of the bookshelves. How he got the other one, I don’t know! He’s just sneaky, I guess! And we couldn’t even bring the curio cabinet with us - it wouldn’t fit on the UHaul truck, so we stuck it in our front yard the day before we moved, and sold it!

So here I am stuck with only two bookshelves, half my books in boxes, and my precious angels and awesome trucks in a box, too!

I was checking out some Studio RTA Furniture, and it is very cool, but, also very expensive! I better start saving up!

GO READ A BOOK!

It is so sad, but, my living room is empty. Truly empty. My ‘office’ is in what is supposed to be the dining room, and right behind me is the living room. So all day I sit here at this desk with an empty room behind me. There was a rhyme to my husband’s reason, of setting up the ‘living room’ in the basement, when we first moved here, but, now, I’m not so sure. We are planning a major remodel upstairs, and he thought it would be better to just go ahead and set up the living room downstairs so that when we were ready to start the remodel, it would be easier to get started. It just is taking us longer to actually get started than we thought it would. So I sit next to this big empty room all day. I am so tempted to just buy some furniture for it, because it is really driving me crazy! I’ve been ‘window-shopping’ (read:internet shopping) some Powell furniture, but, I know I can’t really afford it.

GO READ A BOOK!

I just remembered about a very special book that I have. My mother bought it for me and it is a weight loss devotional book from the Unity Church. I have so many of my things that I still don’t know where they are, as we haven’t been able to finish unpacking - because we don’t have as much room to put stuff here. And I just cannot seem to find that book. It would be really perfect for me to be reading right now, as I’ve really been focusing on getting healthy lately. I am just going to have to dig and dig until I find that book!

GO READ A BOOK!

My grandmothers also taught me a lot about Catholic Saints. The two that I remember the most are Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony. Saint Christopher is in charge of protection and both of my grandmothers had St. Christopher medals in their cars. Saint Anthony is the saint that I call upon - often! And I do mean often. He is the patron saint of lost things. I’m probably not saying that quite right, but, he helps you find stuff you’ve lost. And I am here to tell you that he will help you, and he does help me - often! So many people scoff at the idea of asking him to help when you’ve lost your keys or cell phone or wallet, etc. I’ve even had friends that are practicing Catholics, going to mass every week, children enrolled in CCD, who scoff at the idea. But let me tell you, if you believe in him, he will help you. I’m serious. All you have to do is believe. It’s simple, really! And you can read all about him in the book, Anthony of Padua, Saint of the People, by Jack Wintz.

GO READ A BOOK!