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Saturday Recommendation.

http://www.goodreads.com/

is my saturday recommendation because it's an amazing place to catalog your books into categories. Find reviews on books you're interested in reading, connect with authors and lots of free giveaways! 

t-hee. that was easy. 

Let's pretend it's friday.

I borrowed this from Laura and decided it'd be a neat little friday treat (on Sunday because my life is not organized enough to bring time to this blog on the days I hope I can).  It's Military Spouse Friday Fill-in.

1. What is one of the things you always do special when your husband returns from a deployment?  It's been awhile since we've done a deployment. Six years since his last deployment and since then, we have married, spent four years in Italy (where we were blessed to only deal with short separations  of two months at a time) and now raising our four year old daughter. I will say, however, that with those two months away... When we return to the same place, we spend time together doing normal things.  Make breakfast, catch up on shows, spend time outside on adventures... If I'm the one at home, I usually just make sure his favorite things are in the fridge and pantry. His laundry is fresh and nice & the house is clean. 

2. What do you do to help your spouse and/or yourself re-adjust after a deployment or long separation? In this day and age, we've been pretty lucky that we've had technology to help with the adjustment. Usually, we just talk about the changes that have occurred with our daughter. How she's grown, her accomplishments, what she is really into and just learning to flow together again. 

3. Are you a crazy coupon clipper (I’m becoming one, so share your secrets with me)?  I find that this "extreme coupon" fad is a bit out there. I have watched the TLC show and seem to find two complete different types of couponers. The ones who go out to save money to support their family and another who goes out to just get as much for as little. I don't need 20 bottles of mustard or 60 boxes of cereal. In a military life style, stocking up with that much "cache" food just seems a bit redundant when you never know when you're going to move & where...or for how long. I think the concept of going to obtain more than necessary and clearing that stock pile to send to troops and give to charity is an admirable reason to spend such an extravagant amount of time on figuring out the best "bang for your not buck since you're not spending". I do think it's a great eye opener that you CAN walk away with a penny saved and with more groceries. It's just is it always necessary, I'm not so sure. 

4. What’s your most treasured memory of you and your spouse (not counting your wedding – that’s a given)?  I guess for us, a wedding isn't a given because in our military marriage. We had two options with pending orders to Italy, fast forward our nuptials or be separated. We chose to speed the process (his family lives on the other side of the country and I didn't want anyone to miss a ceremony so we opted to save it for a later date...) It was still a special moment to sign papers and legal commit to our already chosen.  My most treasured memory with my husband is the time we spent traveling in Europe, our first trip to Rome was spectacular. Seeing San Marco Square with that awe of the unknown and the birth of our daughter (to me that is more of the given). Our travels in Europe from Spain, Germany to driving from Italy to England are the moments that I can recall on when he's halfway around the world. 

5. If you could live anywhere overseas, what would you pick and why?  England or Japan! I would really love to do another tour or two overseas. It's such a great opportunity for our family to explore the cultures outside of the United States. It's eye opening to different ways of life and knowledge to feed our child. If we cant give her the life of growing up with the same friends, staying in the same town, and having that close knit group. We would love to have her grow up with a broad perspective and tolerance of the world. Not saying this can't happen living in the states, it's just what a gift to say you were born in Italy and lived all over the world. Meeting new people, traveling to great places and exploring what is offered. 

Okay, that's it for me today on the Friday Fill-in. <3 Mwuah! Saturday Rec is coming next and then some fun times for Sunday Sensations. or something witty like that...

Friday, Friday... gotta get down on Friday. ;)

Sunday Rituals.

Sunday Rituals.

Oh sweet Sunday how dependable you are. You join us once a week and we relish in the idea of relaxation. What do you do on a typical sunday? Typical as in all those sundays that slip through the cracks. The sundays that come ritually through the year where you don't have a soccer game, a paper due or a backyard to landscape? 

For us. It's pajamas, coffee and snuggle time. It's enjoying one day where we spend it together. We either will find ourselves at the park, lapping up the rays while the mist from the playground waterworks keep us nice and cool. Sometimes, I spend the entire day just lounging on the couch with my four year old while my husband and I talk about ideas for our home,  soak our minds on HGTV delicious shows and just enjoy. 

Where good books come out, video games are OK to play and just not really worrying about anything except folding laundry. I dreamt of a Sunday like this while I shoveled screening into a wheel barrel. While I trudged that barrel into the backyard and continued the process (thankfully not shoveling all of it, just transporting it). I drifted into thoughts of snuggling in my koala bear comfy pants while I watched the men lay out the beautiful new grass (turf, plastic, not real) and bring all the hard work to fruition.  

Day of rest, I know you'll come again and I will cherish you but it was fun being chased around the red truck by a four year old with water guns. It was a good time finding fun craft ideas with a dear friend. And it was a memory to finally do something and feel great about seeing it pay off. 

Off to another week with my head on my pillow! Happy Sunday to you!

Saturday Recommendation.

This is Madeline Logelin. 

This is where you can follow Matt and Maddy on the web:

http://www.mattlogelin.com/

This is the book that Matt wrote for his beautiful little girl, Madeline. & the wonderful reason it's the beginning of my saturday recommendation. http://www.twokissesformaddy.com/  

TKFM on Amazon

       Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz’s pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world on March 24, 2008.

Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward– to make a life for Maddy.

In this memoir, Matt shares bittersweet and often humorous anecdotes of his courtship and marriage to Liz; of relying on his newborn daughter for the support that she unknowingly provided; and of the extraordinary online community of strangers who have become his friends. In honoring Liz’s legacy, heartache has become solace.

Matt has a way with words, even if it's only a few sentences. He has a way to share the pain he's been dealt and the love he's holding. From the moment I heard about the cards he was dealt and saw Maddy's beautiful blue eyes. I was hooked. 

In his book, beware, he doesn't hold back on how he feels. Which is what is appealing to me but might be unflattering to others. He drops the f bomb, that's about the only warning I can offer.  Matt writes about what he's feeling but don't be fooled that he wrote this book to toss out advice on the loss of a spouse and becoming a single parent. It's not. It's about coping with loss and being surrounded by life. 

I couldn't put the book down, he brings Liz to life in the words he shares. You can hear her voice without knowing the sound. The soft cries of Maddy and the giggles of youth. He pulls you into his memories as he freezes them for Maddy. 

Two Kisses for Maddy, really doesn't have anything negative except yes, someone dies and a man that shares his love for his wife and their daughter.  Matt really is something awesome.

He started a foundation in Liz's name to help bring support to widows/widowers. If you'd like to donate or learn more, you can do so hear: http://thelizlogelinfoundation.org/

Matt is on his book tour right now, you can find him on twitter, on his blog or facebook. 

Saturday Recommendation will be coming to you.

So, I really wanted to start a blog and dedicate it to alllll of the books I read. Write a review about every single book that comes across my screen (or lap depending if it's real or digital). Well, that didn't work out so well when it turned out I was churning more books than I could keep up with in my head. I attempted to write down the reviews while they were fresh but eventually they started to slip through the cracks. 

Then... it hit me. Like a frying pan on the cliff of Tangled. Saturday's Recommendation. I don't know what else to call it, to be honest... I can't think of something cute or witty. So I figured, since I tend to read several books in a week that I would just pick a book at the end of the week and recommend it. Explain why I recommend it and who it would most appeal to. I might point out some of the other authors that could go with it, give you some links to where to go to learn more about the author or even hook you up to any giveaways on goodreads? 

So here it goes. It's another attempt to pump a bit more activity into my dusty blog. 

Fabulous Fridays.

Maybe if I do something like this I might actually post more?! It's worth a shot. Maybe I can make my posts a bit more upbeat and friendly. Instead of the "dear diary... fml (insert dramatic reason here)"

The best part about my week, well, it's a secret. ;)

Sad isn't it? haha. No really, it is a secret that I've told many. 

I tend to do that.

Anyway, just because... Well, I can't tell you the fabulous that is coming. 

So I'll shall other fabulous from this week!

Mother's Day was a day to celebrate motherhood & a special friend's birthday.

I usually like to be behind the camera but I love this. 

Happy Birthday, Katie! 

she really loved being apart of the festivities. I love her. 

love this picture. 

I'm really really lucky to have found such amazing friends in vegas.

I ended up having monday off... which was fabulous because it RAINED! :) 

which turned into a great time to pull out the camera & take some yummy shots.