Downs

• I haven’t been sleeping well the last couple of nights. Two nights ago it was because our house was incredibly hot. Last night, I had been asleep for less than half an hour when 5 jumped our baby gate and jumped into our bed. I quickly bundled her up and put her in the basement but that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the night.

Ups

I’ve been in a big reading phase recently. Within the last couple of weeks I’ve gobbled up:

• Married by Morning – I love the Hathaways series but 3 stars for this book. I think I already knew too much about the characters. However, I’m really looking forward to Love in the Afternoon
• Agnes and the Hitman – Solid 4 stars. This is the second time I’ve read it so I think it’s time to buy the book instead of just checking it out from the library.
• The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy – 3 stars, not my cup of tea
• Blood Bound – 4 stars. I read this book in one day so it must have been good but it was much creepier than I prefer. I have Iron Kissed on hold at the library to be picked up tomorrow. I’m hoping it’s not quite as creepy because I really like Patricia Briggs’ writing but I don’t like her enough to risk nightmares.
• Ten Things I Love About You – 3 Stars. I did enjoy reading this book but I prefer some of Julia Quinn’s other books more such as The Viscount Who Loved Me

Calvin Moment

• Calvin is going through a phase where he hates taking a bath. I’m not sure exactly what the problem is but the moment he is put in the bathtub, he tries to climb out of it. Thus, when I put some water outside for the cats it didn’t occur to me until too late that Calvin might enjoy playing in it. He has an old measuring cup and some other small cups to scoop sand with. They also work very well for pouring water over oneself. However, I drew the line when it looked like he was going to try driving the cats’ water.

Simplification

• Yesterday, I cleaned out one of my kitchen shelves that had become cluttered with Calvin paraphanelia along with various other kitchen gadgetry and ingredients. I packed up most of it but a couple of things where tagged for the thrift store and some stuff just had to be thrown. For instance, I had a tub of Crisco that expired in 2007. I’ve never smelled rancid Crisco before and it’s certainly not pleasant. These days I very rarely use Crisco unless it’s absolutely necessary for the baking chemistry.

Food Diary

• Breakfast – Oatmeal with Mixed Berries
• Lunch – Toasted cheese sandwich, Blueberries, and 3 chocolate pieces
• Dinner – Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad, Spinach, and a Chocolate Cookie