Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Smiles

Out of Doors
 
The weather is getting warmer.
It's time to get outside!
 
Take some time to smell the flowers,
 
 
relax in a hammock,
 
 
slide down a slide,
 
 
make some chalk art,
 
 
ride your scooter
 
 
and smell some more flowers!
 
 
Smiles,
Nikki!
 
P.S. What is your favorite way to enjoy the nice weather?


Thursday, May 23, 2013

How I Fell In Love with a Rat (and a Cockroach)


 
I recently read the Gregor The Overlander series. These are some of the best books I have read in a long time! They are by an author you may have heard of, if you read a little known book called The Hunger Games. Her name is Suzanne Collins. I was a little scared to read these books because of my deep, deep love of The Hunger Games, but I was very happy I took the plunge!
 
 
 
You may think this series is for boys because of the boy in the title, but I promise girls will love this just as much as the boys! Gregor is the main character, but there are many female and creature characters. My two favorite characters are the rat Ripred and the cockroach Temp. They are two very unusual creatures, but they both have a heart of gold. You love Temp right away because of his care for Gregor's little sister Boots. You despise Ripred in the beginning, but grow to love him as the series continues, I did anyway! He's an underdog character, my favorite type. I love characters that you don't know what to make of them. Are they nice or are they mean? They grow on you as you get to know them throughout the books.
 
The first book is where Gregor and his sister Boots fall down their laundry vent into the Underland world. In each story after that they have a different challenge to accomplish. In one they save their Dad, who has been missing for years. In another they save the Underworld from a deadly virus. Along the way they meet the many different creatures that make up the Underworld. There are people, bats, rats, cockroaches, spiders, mice and many more. I forgot to mention that all of the creatures are giant sized! They use the bats to get around in the Underland.



I don't think Pie Pie is quite old enough to read this series on her own yet. You have to make your own decisions about when the time is right for your kids to read certain books. We are planning on reading them together after we finish the Harry Potter series.

Don't worry if you are a grown-up, you can join in the adventure of Gregor too!
Young or young-at-heart, I feel these are books anyone can enjoy. They are filled with adventure, mystery, love, suspense and humor.
You may just find you have fallen in love with a rat too!

P.S. I want to say thank you to my friend Nola for suggesting this series to me!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

New Verse!

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Psalm 40:2
I have found a new "now" verse. I know a lot of people who have life verses, but I like to have a now verse. I was recently introduced to this verse by a very good friend. As soon as I heard it I knew it would be something I would dwell on for a long time. I have been living with depression for a while. I try to describe it to people and it is very hard unless they have experienced it for themselves. I think this verse very accurately describes how I feel sometimes. You are just stuck in a pit. You tend to get it on others you come in contact with on a daily basis, just like the mud in this verse. Know matter what you try it just seems to linger on your mind.
No matter what we have done so far, we need to make a choice what we are going to do next. If we are unhappy about something we need to make a change or move on. We can't let yesterday's failure take away what we may have today.
I love to visualize God as a rock. They are so strong and beautiful. Right now I am on a mission to find the perfect rock to take a picture of my feet on, so I can put it on my wall. I will put this verse with the picture, so I will never forget where to place myself.
There is much more I want to say about depression. It is something I am working on daily. I am not sure it will ever go away completely, but I will get better each and every day. Even something small is better than nothing at all!


P.S. One of the things I love to do to lift my spirits is to look for beauty in nature and take pictures!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Tiger

By: Pie Pie Edgar
 


Tiny tummies grumble.
Mommy hears them.
It's time to hunt.
She smells gazelle.
She is silent.
Then a powerful pounce.
She drags it to the babies.
Munch, crunch lunch!


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Pants Loves the Library

Pants loves to pretend.
 Her recent favorite is playing library.
She brought a ton of books down from her room and set them up just like the real library.
 
 
We had a librarian to scan the books for us. She was Tweety the canary.
We had to check the books out and then read them. 
 
 
She even had a puzzle set up for you to work on in her library.
I guess you could say we have a definite love for books at our house!