Book Club of One

Three Cheers for 35 Years

Miller Time!

Andrew and I drove back to Hiawatha this past weekend for the Kelly Maze/Ryan Miller wedding.  Finally - MILLER TIME!  :)

Happy Birthday Franklin!

Franklin is ONE today. I can't believe how fast this past year went. I'm sure this is what real parents feel like all the time, but it's so crazy how quickly he grew up. Lucky(?) for us he still acts like a puppy most of the time.  :)

He's already been on his morning walk, Andrew and I sang Happy Birthday to him - okay, I did Andrew just looked at me funny - had a birthday treat with breakfast and played with his two new birthday toys.  It's going to be a good day. 

Summer Reading

One of my favorite things about summer is all of the reading I get done spending as much time as I can lying by the pool. I'm also looking for new good books to read so if you have any suggestions pass them my way!

So far during the past two weeks I read the following:

Secrets to Happiness, Sarah Dunn

It was okay. I didn't love it by any means...it just had a really cute cover, and that is how I typically pick out my books. Not even going to deny that. The characters were interesting, based in NYC. It wasn't exactly chick lit, but it was fun light reading. And thank goodness it wasn't about vampires. So sick of that nonsense. Sorry Twilight lovers.

The Goodbye Summer, Patricia Gaffney

I picked this up at the library (yes, they do still exist, and I love them!) because it's from the author of The Saving Graces, which is about a group of four women/friends, and it just makes you want to have a girls weekend and be around people that love you. The Goodbye Summer isn't as good unfortunately, but was still a nice quick read. The main character annoyed me. Almost played the victim card, "woe is me" attitude and at times acted like this frail flower. Dumb. You are an adult; act like it.

I just went and got three new books over lunch - hooray! Always picks my day up to grab new reads.

So on my "nightstand" right now:

1. The Pilot's Wife, Anita Shreve - on Oprah's Book Club list so of course that's why I got it.

2. An American Summer, Frank Deford - I love reading anything with the word summer in it right now...

3. Salem Falls - Jodi Piccoult - hello, Jodi Piccoult, need I say more?!

Images from amazon.com.

Another really good thing about summer - The Sandlot! Andrew and I are re-watching it right now. We're just past the part where Squints "drowns" to french Wendy the lifeguard. Oh. My. Gosh. I just love it.

This clip just makes you smile and wish you were 11 years old again.

Also, side note. Our neighborhood pool looks EXACTLY like this pool. And, it feels like the Sandlot every time we go. Please come visit so we can all cannon ball together. Sorry male readers (are there any of you out there?) - the lifeguards will not be lotioning, oiling, oiling and lotioning... :)

Dose of Frank

Here's your daily dose of Franklin.

In honor of his birthday, how about a good before and after?

Baby Frank...
One year later...

HINT

I'm sure you've been able to tell our home improvement projects have slowed. Why else would I dedicate entire posts to Franklin and my magnolia tree? :)

Maybe it has something to do with having seven weddings in the months of June/July. And, I love wedding season so there's no way I'm going to stay at home to work on the house. But, I do have something in the works...here's a hint...

It's All About Frank

Franklin turns one year old on Friday so we're celebrating him all week long. Not that he doesn't get enough attention any other day, but still - birthdays are cause for celebration!
We actually bought him a baby pool as an early birthday present a couple of weekends ago, and he has been loving it. Although his facial expressions make him seem like he was less than thrilled. Haha.
Stay tuned for more of this cute face all week long. :)

Sweet Summertime

Summer is really just the best season of the year. Yes, it's hot, but regardless, the things you can do during summertime are the best - swim, grill, evening strolls, etc. And, the things you see, too. We have lots of fun new blooms popping up around our house, including my favorite - our magnolia tree! This is especially exciting because we thought the tree was on its way out...just not the right climate for them to thrive, but it's battling back and so pretty.Here are a couple of other fun plants around the Moore house in their prime right now.

Tick...tick...tick...

Today I was downtown at Cargill's offices. All of a sudden there are rumors that there is a bomb threat at 1st and Main, and they are evacuating office buildings. Except not ours. And wouldn't you know Cargill is located at 1st and Main. What is going on.

I hightail it out of there...get stuck in traffic since all of the streets are blocked off. Another weird thing since there is NEVER traffic in Wichita.

Go to lunch, go home and check in to see what's going on.

An elevator repairman accidentally left his bag with wires and such hanging out of it. That's the bomb.

Whoops. Talk about a bad day at the office...

To Dos

We decided to make the most out of one of the few weekends we have at home over the next couple of months (hello wedding season!), especially since I had both Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day weekend. So, among the normal weekend to do's like laundry, cleaning house, etc. we planned to tackle a few home reno projects. Nothing major, but really more fun deco jobs.
So here we go:

#1 - Our couch came on Thursday for our family room! So, so excited. We finally have furniture in this room, and it just feels so warm and cozy now. I am on the search for the right rug, but things are already coming together.We moved the coffee table from our living room... ...to add more storage since there won't be room on either side of the couch for end tables as the couch is centered between two walls with just the right amount of walking room along the arms. Don't ask where Andrew wanted to put the couch...you think he would just trust my decorating judgment by now. :)

So, now we're on the lookout for a new ottoman to put in the living room. Probably leather with storage. We actually wanted to look yesterday, but who knew all of the furniture stores were closed? Boo.

#2 - Our mantle is decorated! I shot this picture in DC and just loved the lighting. I knew I wanted to put it somewhere in our house so I could enjoy it everyday, and I think it looks great here. I went to Hobby Lobby on Friday and hit the motherload. Everything I was looking for was discounted. It felt like my purchases really were meant to be. And, like my Aunt Jan always says, "You're losing money if you don't buy something that's on sale." :) So, I found this white frame (on sale) and got a custom matte made (on sale). So pretty. Again, Andrew is questioning my decisions...wondering why there is so much white space...shhhh.

#3 - I have been meaning to update my vase on our entryway table with more seasonal foliage. I love what we had for fall... ...but let's get moving into summer (oops, skipped winter and spring - maybe next year). And all of my new springs were - shocker - ON SALE!

#4 - Andrew made me this bench and stool for our two-year anniversary...dating anniversary...yep, a long time ago. Isn't he so handy?!We love the seating it provides in our backyard, but wanted to give it a fresh look. So, we spent a lot of our weekend spray painting. So much that my arm is sore from spraying. Yikes. The issue was we didn't buy enough paint the first time. So, we went back on Sunday and they were out of our color! Had to start over...went from wildflower blue to red. Oh, and did I mention we also bought two Adirondack chairs that needed to be finished?
These are an awesome find. You should all RUN to Home Depot for your own set. Seriously, they are so cute and only $30/chair. Yes, there is some assembly required and you either have to stain or paint them, but hello. World Market has them assembled and painted for $100. Put a little elbow grease in and it's well worth the effort. And, doesn't this look like fun?
So much in fact Franklin wanted in on the action.
Hunting for outdoor cushions/pillows to tie the red and aqua together, but you have to admit they are BRIGHT and cheery all on their own. They are just begging for some BBQ attention. And, I think these Adirondack's are going to be great once we get our fire pit built...someday.
#5 - This is something I'm sure you guys have seen over and over again, but it is just such a great way to add color and texture to walls. Again, something that's been on my list for a while, but I finally had the time to get it done! And, here we go again, all of my materials were on sale at Hobby Lobby. Sigh.
After using my upholstery staple gun on six canvases. I'm sure my sister finds my covering perfectly good white painter's canvases completely absurd, but to each his own, right?

And, finally on our wall!So happy to have something interesting to look at on this wall that has been bare for so long. I'm not thrilled with my stripes (they stretch funny), but I'm content with this for now.

So, there you go. Our weekend in a nutshell. Throw in a couple of trips to the pool, a bit of grilling, and you know exactly what we've been up to over the past four days.

Aren't long summer weekends the best?