A Very Bones-y Update

Just thought you should know a little more about our new buddy. His birthday was towards the end of April, so he is four months old. He weighs just over 10 pounds. He is about the size of a shoe box with legs.

He is one smart puppy:

• He learned how to jump up on the couch in 2 days.
• He learned SIT in 2 days.
• He learned WATCH ME in an afternoon. This trick is just to get his attention.
  
• He climbs underneath everything. He can sit under the basement couch and destroys it from there. He also likes to hide under our bed.
• He learned LEAVE IT in about 10 minutes. We can tell him to leave things alone and not destroy everything!
• He knows that in order to lick Misty's bowl, he has to sit and wait. Otherwise, she will snap at him...

And Misty is getting the hang of this too! She took his toy away from him and then played tug-of-war with him. You would never know that she ignored him for the first 3 weeks. She will even let him cuddle her, which sometimes includes lying on her face.

Deb's Summer Reading List 2009

I was very productive this summer. I had a lot of nothing to accomplish, so I took it out on the library. This doesn't even take the pile of books I still have into account! I even included my personal review of each book. That way you know which ones not to read.....

• Anne Easter Smith, "The King's Grace" - This was a quick and easy read. I like historical romance, and this was it. The story was interesting and had me looking up extra details of the time period.
  
  
• Brenda Rickman Vantrease, "Mercy Seller" - I didn't even finish this book. I couldn't bring myself to it. I am sure that I would have enjoyed the story had I kept reading, but I had no motivation to read it, so I put it down.
  
  
• David Liss, "The Whisky Rebels" - Confession - I am halfway through this novel and I don't want to know how it ends. Something awful happened in the middle (and while I could continue reading the other story line) I want nothing to do with the conclusion of this book. But then, the fact that I keep thinking about it makes me think that maybe I should finish it? But I didn't. Maybe another time.
  
  
• Geraldine Brooks, "People of the book" - I loved this book! It tells the story of a haggadeh that was rescued and saved over and over again. It starts in the present and unravels its history layer by layer. I highly reccomend this book!
  
  
• Jane Green, "The Beach House" - I like her writing. She is a fun and easy read. Another great one of her's is "Second Chances"
  
  
• Jennifer Weiner, "Little Earthquakes" - This was about the power of friendship. 4 women who did not know each other until 3 become pregnant help each other save their marriages or other relationships and learn how to help each other through the worst. She is a quick read and a great author.
  
  
• Jennifer Weiner, "Certain Girls" - This was about anger and love and babies. It was not as compelling for me to continue reading as "Little Earthquakes," but I did finish it and I did cry at the end, twice. It was about learning to love yourself for all your "flaws" while learning to love the people who are doing the same around you. A self-discovery kind of book.
  
  
• Maeve Binchy, "Heart and Soul" - She is still my favorite author. I think it has something to do with the fact that all her stories come together. As I was reading this book I was still intereacting with characters from her previous novels. I cannot put her books down. This one is about a heart clinic that saves more than lives, it saves relationships. It was wonderful. If you have never read any of her books, you are missing out.
  
  
• Tatiana de Rosnay, "Sarah's Key" - This book is really wonderful. So far it is a parallel between a girl in the July 16, 1942 Paris roundup and a woman researching it in 2002. This is a powerful book about the importance of remembering. I highly recommend it!