Mailbox Monday - June 27

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Monday, everyone! We're gearing up for our annual trip to the Outer Banks. The pet sitters and house sitters are ready and I am looking forward to some down time. The whole family is coming down with us, so it will be a great time.

No books this week in my mailbox, but the hubby has ordered several to take with him. Here's what I'll be reading while I'm away:

• Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin
• Deep Shadows by Vannetta Chapman
• Anna's Healing by Vannetta Chapman
• Joshua's Mission by Vannetta Chapman
• A Loaded Gun by Jerome Charyn
• The Strangers on Montague Street by Karen White
• When Butterflies Came by Kimberley Griffiths Little
• Iced Chiffon by Duffy Brown
• While We Were Watching Downton Abbey by Wendy Wax

What was in your mailbox last week?

Vacation Week Antics

School is out! The Lil' Diva and the Lil' Princess have happily been on vacation this week. With Dad in London on business, that means the girls and I are hanging out and getting into all kinds of trouble.

We started the week off at church. It was lovely outside, so we had our Sunday school lesson in the yard. 

Then the Lil' Diva attempted to show me how to take a proper selfie. Most of her shots are with half a face, but I don't see why anyone would want to see half of me. 

The great thing about school vacation is we treat ourselves to eating out. This usually leads to more picture taking.

The Lil' Princess decided to buy herself a new toy. Check out her trampoline! The girls and their friends worked hard to put it together. I had to help with the safety net and tying the net down, but everything else they handled. Notice the Lil' Diva acting as the supervisor.

We had plenty of sleepovers. This afternoon we met up with family and my sister-in-law took the Lil' Princess home with her. She'll have fun at their place until Saturday entertaining the Lil' Nephew.

It's also been a work week for me. I kept my schedule light so I could concentrate on the girls, but I'm still out showing houses. Tomorrow will be my busiest day. 

Thankfully, Dad will be home from London tomorrow night. We've missed him. 

What are some of the fun things you do on vacation?

Beach Reads: Vacation Book Update

Vacation has been lovely. We are now in our second week at the Outer Banks. We've managed to avoid sharks; though a news report indicated we missed two guys hauling a shark up onto the beach a few hours before we were there one day.

One of the best parts of vacation is catching up on my reading. I'm almost done with Out of Control: Why Disciplining Your Child Won't Work...And What Will by Shefali Tsabary, PhD. I've also read, My Spouse Wants More Sex Than Me: The 2-Minute Solution for a Happier Marriage by Dr. Ruxandra LeMay, and am currently reading ’89 Walls by Katie Pierson and Guilt Free Motherhood: A 5-Step Guide to Reclaiming Your Time, Health & Well-Being by Amber Kahn.

What have you been reading this month?

Reading List for the Beach Update

Every time I am on the Outer Banks, retiring down here comes to mind. Not sure if it is in God's plan, but hopefully He will provide some direction in that regard.

Didn't get as much reading done on the drive down this year because I was really tired and needed sleep. I've been able to catch up since then, though, so I've read the following:

• Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother (see my review here)
• The Minimum Wage Millionaire by Bill Edgar

Moving on now to Out of Control: Why Disciplining Your Child Won't Work...And What Will by Shefali Tsabary, PhD.

Hope you are having a great week.

Reading List for the Beach

Our annual trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina has started. I like to use this time to catch up on my reading. The past couple of years I haven't read much on vacation because we had family here. This year, it is just the four of us and a friend, so hopefully I'll get more done.

My list for the beach is to finish Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother and read the following:

• Love You Husband Love Yourself by Jennifer Flanders
• Out of Control: Why Disciplining Your Child Won't Work...And What Will by Shefali Tsabary, PhD
• '89 Walls by Katie Pierson
• My Spouse Wants More Sex Than Me by Ruxandra LeMay, Psy.D.
• Guilt Free Motherhood by Amber Kahn
• Candy's Chocolate Kingdom by Nirit Littany
• Ben's School Daze by Robyn Sims and Joanne Larcom 

What are you reading this summer?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

The Outer Banks - Stop #1

The first day of our vacation is usually filled by running errands and then the beach. Yesterday, we didn't get to the beach until around 4:30 PM, but it was perfect because there was still enough sun without it being overpowering. The water was a comfortable 75 degrees, but it was bit rough. The Lil Princess (8) got knocked over and went under for a second. Luckily, the hubby was right there and she was soon ready to go back in.

We had to drag the girls away at around 7 PM so we could go out to supper. We ate at Pizza Hut, which is a first night at the OBX tradition. Love the breadsticks, but I'm wondering if they've changed their ingredients because their cheese pizzas tastes differently lately. The girls have complained about it the last two visits. The specialty pizzas still taste great.

We slept in a bit today and then visited the beach this morning. Water was 77 degrees. Not sure what this afternoon holds.

Vacation Time Reading

One of the best things about vacation time--in addition to getting away from the daily grind--is catching up on my reading. This year I took half a dozen printed books and my Kindle.

Here's what I've read so far:

Class Struggle: Journal of a Teacher In Up to His Ears by Steven Verrier

Voices from the Land by Jan Marquart

Born Under a Lucky Moon by Dana Precious

Do you take books with you on vacation? What have you read so far this summer?

Books, Products and More is on Vacation!

Books, Products and More! will be on vacation from July 2nd - 10th. There may be an occasional post during that time, but we'll pick up our regular schedule on Monday, July 11th.

Enjoy your week!

Getting Ready!

We're leaving on Friday for our annual trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We'll be gone until July 18th, but I still have a few spotlights lined up to post while I'm away:

July 7th - Sue Provost
July 9th - Marilyn Meredith
July 16th - Terry Drake

In addition, I'll try to blog a few times while we're away, and also hope to post some giveaway information for other blogs too.

I hope you're enjoying your summer!