What's on Your Nightstand ~ September

I have been reading 5 Minutes for Mom for some time now. I enjoy their weekly carnival Wordless Wednesday and have received some VERY awesome tips from Lisa, a.k.a. workout mommy in her weekly column 5 Minutes for Fitness. As I was blog hopping to check out what everybody else was reading for Fall Into Reading 2008, I saw many who had posted What's on Your Nightstand? I paused for a moment and thought, "WOW! I can't believe what I have on mine right now." I clicked on the link, it took me to 5 Minutes for Mom's sister site, 5 Minutes for Books. I must admit, I hadn't yet ventured into the four other sister sites, but I sure am glad I came upon this one!

My Fall Into Reading 2008 List

Many of you remember my first post was signing up for Katrina's Spring Reading Thing 2008. I was beyond thrilled to have been able to sit down and read 5 books during that time period. Summer has ended, the beginning of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL season has begun, and Katrina, over at Callapidder Days, is now hosting Fall Into Reading 2008. I have waffled over this list for more than a month now. I think I FINALLY have it nailed down! I hate to admit this, but I didn't pick up a single book this summer, so I have included a couple of books I didn't get read in the Spring. I've also included a few Christian authors, I've jumped on the Twilight series bandwagon, and...well, you'll see. I cannot wait to run around and see what everyone else is reading this Fall, you never know, I just might shake things up. Yea, right. LOL

Losing It - And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time by Valerie Bertinelli

sTori Telling by Tori Spelling

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas

Have a New Kid by Friday by Kevin Leman

Sheet Music by Kevin Leman

Twlight (TWICE) by Stephanie Meyer

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Menu Plan Monday ~ Family Favorites Edition

I'm so excited about this weeks Menu Plan Monday. Laura has asked us to post our family's favorite recipes. This was hard to choose just a few for the week, so as not to overpower the family with all the good stuff at once!

Sunday ~ We're at a birthday party.

Monday ~ Barilla PLUS Penne with Spring Vegetables, Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Chicken, & Salad

Tuesday ~ **FAMILY FAVORITE** Shrimp Po'Boys & Coleslaw

Wednesday ~ **FAMILY FAVORITE** Classic Chicken Parmesan with Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce and Smoked Mozzarella & Salad

Thursday ~ Grilled Cheese & Soup

Friday ~ Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Tenders, Baked Parmesan Potato Cubes, & Fruit Salad

Saturday ~ Out

Breakfast: Cereal, Yogurt, Waffles, Fruit

Lunch: PG&J, Turkey & Provolone, Fruit Salad, Veggies w/ Ranch, Leftovers

Wordless Wednesday: A New Place

A new place to play.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Menu Plan Monday

Sunday ~ Tacos (requested by Sara before she moves to Washington on Wednesday)

Monday ~ Spaghetti (made from the leftover Taco fixings)

Tuesday ~ Soup & Sammies

Wednesday ~ Crispy Shrimp Burgers & Red Potato Salad (we missed this one last week)

Thursday ~ Dino Nuggets, Mac 'n Cheese, Corn for Kids; Roasted Veggies & Chicken for Mama

Friday ~ Barbecue Steak, Baked Potato w/ Sour Cream & Chives, Broccoli, Cauliflower, & Carrots

Saturday ~ Out

Breakfast: Waffles, Fruit, Yogurt, Bagels, Cereal

Lunch: Salad, Grilled Cheese, Fruits & Veggies w/ Ranch, PB&J, Roast Beef & Swiss Cheese

Tootie-Booty

Unbeknownst to Lissa, she has a new looky-loo friend. I was going around this morning looking at all the Hot for the Holidays weigh-ins and her blog really stuck out to me. I will be visiting often, reading up and keeping track of her progress in the challenge. She had posted some unusual questions, you know the kind you don't ordinarily answer, and I couldn't help but laugh out loud and decided to post them here. I want to hear your answers, especially to #1. ;)

Here are the questions:

1. Do you pass gas in front of your spouse/partner? Hell Yes! Much to his dismay. My joke is that someone has to teach our boys to be boys. Hubby is just too darn polite. The kids call it, "Tootie-Booty".

2. Do you make your bed everyday? Not usually. Interestingly enough, hubby makes it right before we go to bed. Hello?

3. Do you floss everyday? Sadly, no. Terrible, terrible, terrible. It really is a habit I wish I could get into.

4. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Guilty! I have always slept with a bear of some kind. Hubby took offense to this after we were married. I look at my bear as the equivalent of a body pillow.

5. Do you eat when you are not hungry? No, I can't say that I do. I know you're asking yourself, "Then why the weight problem?" I'm the healthiest eater in the house. I'm also the LAZIEST person in the house. Or, was, that is.

6. Is your car always messy? No. Not if I'm the ONLY one driving it. Hubby can take the car for a day and it's disgusting.

7. How often do you clean your bathtub and shower? Once a month. This only started in May.

8. What is the first thing you do after you wake up in the morning? Put my glasses on, otherwise, I'm still in the dark.

9. When was the last time you cleaned behind/under your refrigerator? Mid-June. It's part of our Seasonal Cleaning list. This means it's coming around again in a couple of weeks. I have a disease I think. I've gone clean crazy the last few months.

Where were you?

Wasn't this the question everybody asked, "Where were you when the towers were hit?" You would run into a friend you hadn't seen in awhile and ask or they'd ask you. I remember it so vividly, yet I felt like I was in a dream. My son was 2. I had just given him a bath. He had a radio in his room, which we turned on every morning to dance to. When we came in the room the news was on, but I wasn't paying attention, we were giggling, laughing, I was blowing on his tummy. I remember saying to him, "Well I guess we hit the no music part of the hour" and turned it off to go downstairs. Downstairs I turned the TV on, which I almost immediately turn to Rugrats or Sesame Street, but for whatever reason I left it and began to watch the horror unfold. You see, I turned on my TV and a minute later the second plane hit. I slumped on my couch. Hubby was at work, did he know? This was WAY before we even contemplated having cell phones. I sat, staring blankly at my TV, in complete horror. When hubby walked through the door, he shouted, "Turn the TV to a news channel" knowing our routine and the TV would be on some kid program. I just looked up at him. We sat on that couch for what seemed like an eternity. We watched paper blowing around, people jumping from the towers, and the towers falling. Although I have always lived on the west coast, I didn't have friends there, 9/11 didn't touch my life directly, today I remember every detail of that morning. I ask you to take a few moments out of your day to remember 9/11 in prayer. There are still children without a parent, a parent without a child, a wife without a husband, a friend without a friend. God Bless!