You've Got Mail Monday

Bet you're wondering where I've been hiding? Well, maybe not. The title of this blog is The Busy Mom's Daily, so you can guess what's happened. Yep, busy as all get out. The Lil' Princess' last regular season soccer game was yesterday. She scored two goals and the team went on to win 3-1. Now we're waiting for the playoff schedule. She also cheered at the last regular football game of the season. Oh, and the local Taste of Greece festival was this weekend, too, so pretty much I had a lot of work to do because I knew I wouldn't be around all weekend.

The mailbox was filled with all kinds of goodies last week. The latest Land's End and L.L. Bean catalogs arrived, as did a catalog from LTD Commodities. I haven't seen one from them in a while. The Lil' Diva found a One Direction throw and pillowcase on one of the pages. Maybe Santa will bring them for her. Also in the mailbox was my latest issues of Health Magazine and Shape, the last of which I still have no idea why I'm getting. The ESPN magazine that also mysteriously appears each month--and gets promptly recycled--also showed up.

What I really want to know is whose mailing list I got on. Six books were delivered last week, only two of which were ones I requested to review. Merry Humbug Christmas by Sandra Bricker and Traces of Mercy by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelly are books I'll be reviewing at Cheryl's Christian Book Connection. I honestly didn't know Landon was writing novels. This is his second one with Kelly. Traces of Mercy is set at the end of the Civil War, which already makes it appealing to me. And who can resist a seasonal read like Bricker's? The other books were all for kid's, which is great, but I am so far behind on reviews I don't know when--or if--I'll get to them. Here's the list:

• Unhooking the Moon by Gregory Hughes. This book was originally published in the United Kingdom and went on to win the Booktrust Teen Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Guardian children's fiction prize. 
• Guinea Pigs Online by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift
• Frightfully Friendly Ghosties by Daren King
• Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird by Eleanor Hawken

These last three are chapter book series launched by Quercus Publishing. 

I'm excited to see all these new books arrive, but I am anxious that I'll get through my ever growing TBR pile.

That's it for now. Hope you have a great week. 

You've Got Mail Monday

It's been a busy and sad week around the homestead. We lost a member of our extended family to cancer, my mother-in-law's only and older sister. Her sickness crept up and took her quickly, so there is a blessing in that, but it also reminds me how so many people I love have gone home to their Creator and I won't see them again on this Earth.

The Lil' Princess played soccer in the pouring rain on Sunday. The girls lost, but they still had a fun time. It was great to get back home and wrap up on a rainy day in front of the fireplace and read.

Our mail carrier brought some wonderful stuff this week. Some of the plants I ordered arrived. I want to put these in before the first frost. The Carmine Jewel Dwarf Cherry Tree and Younique Lilac Astilbe arrived from Spring Hill Nurseries, but I haven't been able to plant them yet because we are on our third straight day of rain. It looks like tomorrow will be a total washout too. Hopefully by Tuesday I can get them in the ground. The Ostrich Fern I ordered through Amazon arrived earlier in the week. The astible and fern will go in that shady area between the cellar door and the air conditioning unit that was mulched this year. The ride-on mower can't get in there, so mulching seemed like the thing to do.

I've been browsing my latest L.L Bean catalog. I've been eyeing their Fleece-Lined Flannel Shirt. I would love something for working around the yard that's warm, but not too bulky. I'm trying to decide if I want to spend $59 for something that is probably going to get dirty and torn. My mother-in-law asked me to order their Cowl-Neck Tunic in Orange Spice Heather. That color should look great on her.

For books last week, An Amish Country Christmas by Charlotte Hubbard and Naomi King arrived. I'm reviewing this book over at The Book Connection later in the month. This is How I Find Her by Sara Polsky is a book I won from another blog. I've stopped entering a lot of these giveaways because I have so many books here, but when I find one that looks too interesting to pass up, I can't help but enter.

That's it for this week's You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you have a great week.

You've Got Mail Monday

The Lil' Diva starts golf camp today. She had her first golf lesson with her dad last Monday, and since this is the only sport other than cheerleading she has expressed an interest in, I thought it would be good to sign her up for a camp this summer.

The post office finally delivered all our accumulated mail from vacation. Less than I expected, but filled with catalogs from L.L. Bean, One Hanes Place, Land's End, Gardener's Supply Company (they have a Hot Summer Sale going on), and the birthday catalog from Oriental Trading.

My July/August edition of the AAA Times was in our mailbox. The headlines read, "10 great spots to set up camp" and "Theme parks add new attractions." There was also this neat little newspaper type magazine titled Articles from Old News.  It says it covers historical topics ranging in time from the fifth century B.C. to the 1960s. Sounds right up my alley, but not sure how it was sent to me.  A six issue subscription is only $17 so I might give it a try.

The only book that arrived was Traveling for Love by Becky Due. I'm reviewing it Wednesday at The Book Connection.

That's it for this week's edition of You've Got Mail Monday. Hope you have a great week.

You've Got Mail Monday

It's another busy Monday. I'm off to the dentist this morning to finish off my root canal. Yuck. On the upside, going through labor three times means visiting the dentist isn't as bad as it used to be.

I didn't work the postman quite so hard last week. My mailbox was a mix of bills and catalogs, with some books--expected and unexpected.

New catalogs arrived from Mary Kay, L.L. Bean, Frontgate, and Land's End. Plow and Hearth also sent a catalog to me last week. There are so many lovely things I could buy. My wallet tells me I should hold off a bit. We have some major bills coming down the pike in the next couple of months. Besides, the Lil' Princess needs a new bed and dresser.

The dwarf spruce plants I ordered through Amazon arrived. Thought they would ship later in the month, but I'll work around it. Hopefully the landscaper can come and help me remove the bushes that are there now, so I can plant these instead.

Circle and Square by Sally O. Lee showed up on Saturday. The girls and I have read many of her children's books. I'll be reviewing that one at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection, so keep an eye out for it. We also received a second shipment of books from tiger tales for review. I was surprised by the small shipment we received the other week, but when a publisher is sending you books, you don't complain. I'm thrilled I'll get a chance to check out more of their authors' work. They are a wonderful publisher of books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.

That's it from my neck of the woods. Hope you had a lovely Easter. My in-laws and my brother-in-law and his wife came over for dinner. It was a nice time had by all.

Have a great week!

You've Got Mail Mondays

Last week I found some interesting and fun stuff in our mailbox. The L.L. Bean Summer 2012 Catalog arrived. They are celebrating 100 years. Congratulations to them. I wish them 100 more. They offer Free Shipping every day with no minimum order and no end date.

Davy Liu, the creative genius behind the Invisible Tails Series, recently sent me his new book, Enchanted Tree, for review. He has worked for Disney Feature Animation, George Lucas at Industrial Light and Magic, and for Warner Bros. His artwork is amazing. The Lil Princess (8) already read this one and loved it.

This came in the previous week, but I had left it downstairs and forgot. King of Glory told by P.D. Bramsen is the story of the Bible in 70 scenes. The artwork by Arminda San Martin is gorgeous. I won this book from a blog and I can't wait to share it with the girls.

My UPS driver was kind enough to drop off the latest from historical fiction author, C. W. Gortner, The Queen's Vow. I fell in love with his work the first time I read it and I never miss a release.

That's it for this edition of You've Got Mail Mondays. Enjoy your week. I hope to be blogging from the Outer Banks during our trip.

You've Got Mail Mondays

There might be a law that says you can't post You've Got Mail Monday so close to the start of Tuesday, but alas, I couldn't help it today.

Last week was catalog week. I guess all those vendors want me to spend some money. Oriental Trading's Fun & Faith catalog arrived early on. I usually order craft type items from them for church and home. We also use this catalog as inspiration to create some of our own crafts for Vacation Bible School.

An L.L. Bean catalog also came in. I loved the cover on this one. It was set outdoors (as is typical). A fisherman carrying a string of trout (?) made it back to camp carrying two fishing poles and a sleeping child. He has a smile on his face. The angry wife in her flannel shirt and jeans is standing there with raised eyebrows and hands firmly planted on her hips. Based upon the stars we can assume he's late bringing supper home. L.L. Bean is celebrating its centennial with a sweepstakes. In addition, if you place an order for $50 or more, you get a FREE $10 gift card.

Land's End loved me so much they sent two catalogs: one women's, one men's. I love the look of their new Parker Knotted Espadrille, but I would be hard pressed to spend $60 on them.  These Chino Shorts are nice, and I really liked their Slim Stretch Crop Pants. Inside was a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. It's good through April 15th, so I might take advantage of that.

One Hanes Place also sent me a catalog.  They are a good place to buy undergarments and hosiery. In addition to those items, I've bought a limited amount of clothing from them, but I find their sizes run a bit big on me.

The most exciting catalog came from Proven Winners. Not sure how I ended up receiving this one, but I love the gardening ideas inside. This issue talked about discovering your style and offered ideas--with beautiful color pictures--for each type of style. Gardener P. Allen Smith shares his recommendations for annuals, perennials and shrubs. This issue also talked about one of favorite shade loving plants--the hosta--and how to create a successful container garden.

The one book that arrived last week was Blue Eyes by Jerome Charyn. It's an older paperback edition. Charyn is touring with it in May with Tribute Books.

My last interesting piece of mail came from Somers Academy: The Grammar School. The Head of School is Cynthia Flynn. She used to be owner and director at my girls' preschool. I was sad to see it close, but it certainly looks like Cindy has done well. I'm so excited for her. I can't think of a more dedicated educator of young minds. I've been considering Somers Academy for the Lil Princess (8) since I discovered Cindy is there. Cost is a factor. The drive is also a challenge. It's half an hour away. Not a big deal, but the bus doesn't come here until 8 AM right now, so I'm not sure I could swing it.

That's it from here. Hope you have a blessed week.