amandaspace1330

The past few weeks have been true summer. Heat index hovering around 100 degrees Farenheit everyday. We go swimming with Grandma once a week, and have had some time with friends. Summer reading is in full swing, and I am very excited with Anastasia's interest and progress in reading. Tristan is also gaining confidence and able to read longer books. He is beginning to read on his own with retention. I have been trying to walk every day in preparation for the coming birth of baby #4. I am ready to go any day, though we are still a few weeks out from due date. I am excited to meet the little guy. To keep myself busy and happy during this time, I picked up some new sewing projects. Mostly baby  gifts for friends and family. I got kind-of addicted to the bib/burp cloth combo. Fun little projects that I can sew up in an hour of free time and then put the sewing stuff away if necessary. We are still reading about the Civil War and Abraha...

I just finished reading Unbroken , by Laura Hillenbrand. The story of former Olympic runner, Louie Zamperini, who flew in a bomber crew during WW11 in the pacific theatre. His plane crashed at sea and he and the other survivor, the pilot, were captured by Japan and served as Prisoners of War. I was able to read this book quickly, mostly reading while we were in the Poconos by the lake. My Mom gave me this book a few years back, and my sister-in-law saw the movie, if not for those two facts, I would not have picked this book for myself, nor do I recommend it. I will not see the movie. The majority of the story, pages 183-337, is about Louie's time in Japanese prison of War camp. The first 183 pages give the story of his childhood, some information about WW11 bombers and his missions before the final crash. Then he gets captured by the Japanese and the next 15 chapters are filled with detailed accounts of bea...

The last few weeks have been very full. Following our weekend to D.C. the kids and I had routine visits to the doctor, and our weekly swim with Grandma. Then we got our library pass to the Reading Public Museum to see the animatronic Dinosaurs! Having never been to the museum, we explored more than just the dinosaur exhibit, and the kids had a blast! We were able to meet up with friends there as well, which is always fun. The next day we were off to Gettysburg, PA for a reenactment of the battle, and to walk the sacred ground. We didn't walk as much of the sacred ground as we hoped. The day flew! We were able to visit the Cemetery (where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address), and walk a bit of the trail across Cemetery Ridge, we drove through The Peach Orchard, Devil's Den, the Wheatfield, and we were able to romp around Little Round Top. The kids loved that, except Anastasia became a casualty of the day, falling on rocks and skinning her knee. It's a great sto...

In keeping with my new years' resolution, oh so many months ago. I continue to read... a little. May-June I read Washington's Spies, by Alexander Rose. Jason and I have seen some of the amc tv show based on this book, and after seeing the book at the gift shop in Williamsburg, VA, I decided to read it. I can't say enough about the library system! If ever I want to read a book, our library has it! Washington's Spies took a renewal and I still returned it overdue while skimming the last pages. It was interesting, but still history, presented in a dry manner. Sorry if that's a bit harsh! I enjoyed parts of the book. I enjoyed getting more, and accurate, information on the characters involved in the TV show, Benjamin Talmadge is still my favorite. I enjoyed the pictures. I learned what role Nathaniel Hale played in the revolution, not much of one, but he's famous. I learned a lot about the Benedict Arnold story, and I was introduced to the Culper ring of spies, s...