Audrey Holidays & Celebrations!

Hello You Snuggly, Cozy, Warm, Spooky Season!

Fall always makes me want to write, even when I’m technically on a hiatus 🍁

This is Moo’s first fall! And I turn 30 next month! Despite 2020’s best efforts, we’re going to enjoy these last three months. (I’m ignoring the fact that the election is happening during this time- not neglecting to vote, though!) (Also ignoring the fact that my wallet was stolen from my car yesterday. Grrrrr.)

I dyed my hair purple for the spooky season. It took a few attempts but I’ve got it where I want it and our shower is 100% purple now. (From washing- I had it professionally done.) It is what it is.

We’re still having our annual Halloween party!! I’m excited. We’ve revamped it for COVID, of course. It will be outside in the backyard, lots of social distancing, masks and hand sanitizer available. Instead of an evening party we’re doing a kid-friendly afternoon bon fire. I’m pretty snobby about COVID protocol so you can rest assured that it’s going to either be safe or cancelled. Ha.

Speaking of Halloween, I have a pretty good idea of what our first family-of-5 costume will be… We’re not going to take M trick-or-treating (because safety and because she has no clue), but if our town decides to still have trick or treating I saw this cool idea in Parents magazine (I’m a real mom if I reference Parents magazine, right?) where you decorate the front door and post treat bags there. I’d still sit on the other side of the porch to ensure greedy little fingers only take one 😉

My bday is mid-October and we haven’t made any real plans yet… What I want to do and what we’re able to do/comfortably doing doesn’t really line up so we haven’t decided on anything. Hopefully we figure it out soon…

I’ll be around a little more in the next few weeks. (Fall gives me that creative spark ✨) Next Monday I’m remembering Lylee a year after her death, on Thursday I’m recapping my 3Q goals & sharing my new ones, & then the following week is SUYB day!

So I guess I’ll see you around 🧡

Audrey Baby

Nine Months of Madelyn

Time is a cruel mistress… I love M’s independence and intelligence, but I dislike how fast it all happens. Sigh. But here we are… my kid is NINE months old.

Nicknames: Maddie, Moo, Poodle, Moo Lou, Moo shu, Snoots

Stats: M is 21 lbs. 12 oz.  and 30 inches long. We’re essentially into 18 month clothes now. She is literally half my height- almost.

Likes: Watching people, petting cats, playing in water, eating dog bones (which we strongly discourage), bouncing on her knees or bottom, her lion Donovan & her rabbit Chad…

Dislikes: When someone leaves the room, when she’s not allowed to have dog toys, when the dogs aggressively bark, when she’s DONE eating and I make her wait 0.05 seconds while I wipe her off.

Honestly, she’s a pretty happy girl. Not much makes her mad.

Sleeping: Like a champ. She tucks her arms under her body and sticks her butt in the air. She also sleeps on her side occasionally with her leg kicked up like an adult. We’re down to two naps a day.

Eating: All the things. We’ve had to cut out bananas due to constipation issues (who knew??) but she pretty much eats anything. Not a fan of raw peaches. Big fan of noodles.

Development: The amount of development that’s happened in the last 3 months makes me want to cry. Baby Girl can sit up, crawl around, and pull herself to her knees (not to her feet yet). She’s so determined and can find/hunt/obtain almost anything she puts her mind to. She says dad and dadada, mamama (rarely), and bababa. She copies sounds and hums along to songs. She’s so incredibly smart. She lights up when the dogs pay attention to her.

Personality: I don’t know when/how I put such good energy into the universe to get such a fun and easygoing baby, but I thank the Good Lord Jesus daily. M is happy and chill. She’s opinionated and headstrong, but she’s usually up for anything. She’s smiley. She waves “hi” to anyone that’ll look at her. She LOVES watching and petting animals. She’s truly a joy to be around.

Travel: We haven’t gone far, but we did purchase a camper trailer. After a trial weekend with a borrowed camper we took the leap and jumped on the camping bandwagon. M is a fabulous camper. She likes being outside, sleeps just as well (if not better) in her bunkhouse, and seems to really like hanging in the camper. The dogs have been fantastic, too. Bristol is kind of a spitfire but has really taken to camper life!

Mom’s Summary: Someone told me that every new stage M entered would be more fun than the last. I have found this to be 100% true. She was fun 3 months ago and she’s even more fun now. But it also kills me that she growing up so fast.

In the mornings M usually wakes up around 5am for a small four ounce bottle. (I’d say she does this 5 out of 7 days a week.) When I scoop her up she hugs my neck for a few seconds before looking for her snack. And when she’s done we cuddle for a few minutes before I change her diaper and put her down for another two hours. I don’t love getting up early, but I LOVE this moment with her. It’s my favorite part of the day. I will be so so sad when she no longer needs her early morning snack.

I can’t believe our next update will be ONE YEAR.

Audrey Blog Stuff

It’s Not You, It’s Me

The internet is strange. I’ve been blogging here for almost 6 years and I’ve made some absolutely wonderful, caring, supportive friends (whom I’ve never met & may never meet). I’ve also been putting my life, my family’s life, my hobbies, and my opinions out into the universe for the past 6 years. Oddly enough, that doesn’t really bother me.

Lately I’ve felt like a stranger in my own home, though. I feel like I’m tip-toeing around and I’m anxious about every interaction. It’s not how I want to feel when I’m just trying to a) express myself and b) unwind. So I need a break from the traditional blogging content.

Many of you guys follow me on IG and I love that we’re able to connect and catch up and interact there. 😊 I’ve never been and will never be about numbers- I don’t care about quantity of readers, only the quality.

I’ll show up for Show Us Your Books with Steph and Jana.
I’ll still be posting M’s 9 month and 1 year updates.
I’ll keep track of & update my 101 in 1001 list.

I’m also going to keep writing. I’m hoping to come back to this space more regularly in December. (I will reevaluate then.) I should have lots and lots and lots of drafts by then.

I’m not shutting anything down… I’m just going from part time to part-part time. So I hope you’ll still check back here every so often. I just need a little solace. A little privacy. A little break from being an open book.

And I know I don’t need to explain or justify myself to you guys 🖤 but I wanted to address my quietness.

I’m not as on top of it with reading blogs as I used to be, but I promise I’m still keeping up with you guys, too.

See you in September for M’s update!

Audrey Books

What I Read…

Happy Book Day! 📚 💛

I’ve noticed a pattern over the last few years where I read a bunch during the first half of the year, then fall off the wagon. This year it seems kind of opposite. Then again, nothing about this year is normal so that makes total sense. *shrug*

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller
★★★★/5; Fiction, Women’s Lit
This book was good, but it didn’t stick with me. I would label it as slightly predictable, too. An enjoyable and fairly light read, Olivia was a fun and flawed main character. All the supporting characters were fabulous, as was the setting. There were parts of the story that felt trite, but I looked forward to picking up where I left off each time and it was a nice story to get lost in- thus the four start rating. Are there deeper, more profound books in the world? Of course. But this was a perfect quaran-read. Also, the food descriptions made me D R O O L.
Read it? Sure, if you’re looking for something light. And you’re not on a diet 😉

The Guest List by Lucy Foley
★★★★★/5; Mystery, thriller
Man… every bit as good as people said it was. I love me a good locked room mystery. I felt for Jules and Hannah and Olivia at different times. And I easily hated the men- a true “boys will be boys” theme going on there. Grrrrr. Readers on GR noted some continuity issues- and I noticed some, too- but I could look past it for the sake of story. *shrug* When I read mysteries I’m always reading suspiciously and carefully to try and solve the crime. I figured out someone’s true identity before the end, but I didn’t solve the murder. I was as shocked as the victim. And I really loved that we didn’t know who the victim was until the last few chapters! I’m adding The Hunting Party to my library holds now!
Read it? Yeah!
*I have to know. Did anyone else notice the switched groomsmen in the bog? Hannah said that two of them found her, but then a few chapters later it was different groomsmen that mentioned finding her. A few readers on GR noticed, too. 

The Mermaids Melt at Dawn by Grendolyn Peach Soleil
★★★★/5; Fantasty/folklore
This is slightly difficult to review because it’s my sister-in-law’s sister’s book. Here’s what I said on Goodreads:

How to describe a book so rich in imagery? The Mermaids Melt at Dawn is a descriptive story about a rowdy Cajun man on a hunt to understand and tame the wild monsters that plague his family history. It weaves soft and beautiful French undertones with bold and brash bayou flavor. On top of that, a strong mythical and Cretan story comes to life and grabs the reader, pulling them down into the deep, dark, fantastically terrifying ocean from which the mermaids swim.

I really enjoyed this book, but it’s not something I would’ve found & read on my own. It’s very whimsical, magical, and folklore-y. Every time I’d start reading I’d think, ‘This isn’t for me’ but then I’d read one more paragraph and get lost in her whimsical world.
Read it? If it sounds like something you’d like, absolutely.

M’s Favorite Reads

*I mentioned last time that M is into eating and shaking books right now. Two of these are cloth books and linked to baby stores since GR doesn’t have them, lol.

Buddy Dog’s Busy Day – A Taggies Adventure
Or as we call it, “Bristol Dog’s Busy Day” lol

Peek-a-Boo Forest – Lamaze

Disney Princess The Little Book of Big Ideas
The girth of this book is a little inconvenient, but I love all the learning and colors. Minus Ariel. Stupid Ariel. LOL

Little One, God Made You Special by Amy Warren Hilliker, Polona Lovsin (illustrator)
Such an adorable little book.

Erin’s Challenge 13.0

| 5 p | Freebie: Coldhearted Boss (Grey)
| 10 p | Starts with “S”: Salt to the Sea (Sepetys)
| 10 p | A preposition in the title: The Marriage Bureau: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London (Halson)
| 15 p | An odd number in a series: The Bromance Book Club (Adams #1)
| 20 p | Set in a different country than yours: Bringing Down the Duke (Dunmore)
| 20 p | Female officer/detective: Murder at the Vicarage (Christie)
| 25 p | An immigrant as a m/c: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Ford)
| 30 p | Words in the title… “anything”: Anything You Can Do (Grey)
| 30 p | October themed: HP & the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) – witches
| 35 p | Words in the title… “city” & “county”: The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living (Miller)

I have 35 out of 200 points.

What did you read this month?

Linking up with Steph & Jana for Show Us Your Books!

Life According to Steph