baking, books, and boots ...

As an aside, I have to tell you that catching up is going to be a lot tougher than I thought ... so many things were already lagging behind before the iphoto crisis that the setback has really slammed me ... and with Thanksgiving breathing down my neck, I'm in panic mode at this point. I can actually hear those menacing paper piles laughing at me while my back is turned ...

Should I ignore the whispers and keep on writing? Probably not the most practical prioritization, but yes! After all, I have much to catch up on over here in blogland as well ... I had promised tales of baking and books and boots (oh my!). I'm happy to report that my latest photos have been safely transported over to iphoto, new storage files have been created, I've edited through all the duds, things are rolling again!

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First up, the baking ... I've been busy lately, and at the top of my list are Kim's famous mini chocolate chip muffins - they've become a staple over here, we can't get enough! Little ladybug loves to help ...

I highly recommend them - easy, delicious, and a great go-to snack ... 'nuff said! I also have an upcoming soup post for a delicious pumpkin soup made with bacon and leeks - hearty and delicious - stay tuned! Next up is the topic of books ... one of our favorite subjects to share! We've had a book influx lately thanks to the Fall Book Fair at school. My 6th grade ladybug, age 12, selected these three ...

Fun choices, right? Thirteen is like the 2010 version of a Judy Blume page-turner, she literally has tunnel vision as she reads it ... it's the sequel to a previously adored book she read last summer (called, you guessed it, Twelve). The larger book is called Cake Pops and from the looks of it, it's very Martha Stewart with those p.e.r.f.e.c.t. photos of tasty treats ... too bad Martha doesn't live here. But good for her for shooting high ;-) And the book entitled My Best Year is actually my favorite one ... it's sort of like a journal for tweens - it prompts her with questions about things like her thoughts and feelings, her friends, her interests ...

It'll be really fun for her to look back at this book when she's older and I think the self-reflection will be really healthy and helpful in the here and now, too.

My 4th grade ladybug, age 9, chose these titles from the Book Fair ...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid seems to go without saying - kids seem to loooove that series and this one was just released, so it was a hot pick for sure. Shiloh Season is the second in a trilogy about a neglected beagle named Shiloh and the boy who saves him, I'll bet that's a familiar one to most of you. The Tumtum & Nutmeg book is actually another "new release" that she's been dying to get her hands on - the first volume was purchased after reading this post from Cindy at Loving Life's Little Things last summer. The original book was a huge hit with her, she blazed through the pages, and this one seems just as riveting, she gets that same tunnel vision as her sister when she's snuggled up with it. The Penderwicks seems very promising, too, I can't wait to see how that one goes - the story of 4 sisters, their widowed father, and a memorable summer spent together in the country.

Great choices from both ladybugs, right? Well, as luck and fate would have it, look what showed up in the mail for me last Friday, right in the midst of our book fair mania ...

I received this book courtesy of Jen at Denton Sanatorium ... she had a fun giveaway to mark her "blogiversary" and I was one of a few winners ... but the only one to win a copy of her new favorite book, The Swan Thieves, written by Elizabeth Kostova, who also wrote The Historian. It's a historical thriller and I'm really excited to dig in beyond the 10 or so pages I leafed through last weekend to get a taste. I want to publicly thank Jen for this really thoughtful gift - it's much appreciated and will be greatly enjoyed, I'm sure ... lucky as a ladybug, I am!

But the funniest thing about winning Jen's giveaway book was not just the fact that it was a book amidst a very book-themed week around here ... but that when Jen posted the winners, she made mention of a pair of backordered boots that only she knows I've been waiting what seems like an eternity to receive. Ironically, in an even more amazing twist of fate, look what was delivered the very same day as my new book ...

These, my friends, are one of my biggest splurges in literally years ... and I'd do it all over again! Remember that imaginary cued music with Manbug and his Apple products? It's that kind of love ... imagine "So Happy Together" playing as I run in slow motion through a field of wildflowers ... me holding my boots close ... I love - LOVE - these boots! And the boots came into my life solely because of Jen. The same Jen who sent me the book. The book that arrived the same day as the boots. The boots that I waited over 2 months to receive due to a vicious backorder wait time. Of all the days ... they were one in the same. How crazy is that?

Jen had received these boots for her birthday at the end of August and was clearly smitten in her post about them ... when I saw them, I too went starry eyed (cue music again) ... and the timing was perfect, as I had a bit of birthday money myself, just waiting to be spent. Jen was gracious enough to give me the details and then I did something crazy - I ordered them. Something just for me. Imagine that. I blew my birthday money on ... well, me! Worth every minute of that 10-week backorder. Look out bloggers, with these in my wardrobe I might just take the plunge and participate in get my cowgirl on in one of Kim's What I Wore Wednesday series ...

Hope y'all enjoy a real nice weekend, y'hear?!