Great end to a great night.

Last night as I was lying in bed (exhausted) after a great Wilco concert, I felt the faintest little flutters of baby movement. I rolled over from my side to my back and sure enough, I felt it again. And again. And again.

I am fairly certain it was the baby and not the tacos I had for dinner.

It seems so early (15 weeks) to be feeling this already, with Olive I didn't start feeling anything until 19 or 20 weeks. But several people have told me that everything happens faster/sooner with the second (third, fourth, etc) child.

In other (baby related) news, Olive has started kissing the baby (my stomach) and worries that when my shirt is lifted that the baby is cold.  She is a great big sister in training.

Friday Follow

Welcome to the Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.


Come join the fun! A great way to explore new blogs and get your blog out into the blogging world!






      

Book Review/Giveaway: Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner

Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group , I recently had the priviledge to read and review Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner. Hear No Evil is Turner's memoir about his spirituality and the role music played in his spiritual journey.

Here is a brief synopsis;

 "If you’ve ever had the opening bars of a song transport you back in time or remind you of a pivotal spiritual moment, Matthew Paul Turner’s honest—and frequently hilarious—musings will strike a chord. Straightforward and amusing, Hear No Evil is Turner’s “life soundtrack,” a compilation of engaging personal stories about how music—and music’s ability to transform—has played a key role in his spiritual life.

  Groove along on his journey as young evangelical Turner attends forbidden contemporary Christian concerts, moves to “Music City” Nashville, and dreams of becoming the Michael Jackson of Christian music."

 I will be honest, when I was first approached about reading and reviewing this title, I was a little hesitant. Christian Living is not the usual genre I choose to read. I don't have anything against it, just not always interested. Then I read the summary and thought it sounded interesting and not too "churchy". I am glad I gave it a shot.

 Hear No Evil is a beautifully written memoir that invites you into the author's life. His writing is smooth and natural, it like I was having a conversation with him rather than reading his memoir. Turner has a great sense of humor and successfully told his coming of age story in a way that was entertaining and honest. While it is about his spiritual journey, there is never a feeling of preaching or the "churchy" feeling I was worried about. Readers of all faiths and spiritual backgrounds would enjoy this entertaining and light hearted memoir.

I mean, who wouldn't want to read a story about a guy, who at the age of 11, thought God was calling him to become the "Michael Jackson of Christian music"? That image alone was enough to pique my interest!

 Turner's experience in the Christian music industry lends an insider look into the relationship between music and spirituality. His insights and reflections on his own musical/spiritual journey are very humorous and humbling. Turner's storytelling ability easily transports the reader back to various points in his life where music played a key role in becoming the person he is today.

 I highly recommend Hear No Evil to anyone looking for a quick, humorous read about life and music. It truly was a great read!

What's that? You're interested in reading it? Well you've come to the right place!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win their very own brand new copy of Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner!
(Sorry USA only!)

How to Win:

There are several ways to enter this giveaway, just look below. Leave a seperate comment for each entry.  Make sure to include your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner!

Main Entry:

(required!)

• 
  
  
  
  Tell me about a song/artist/genre of music that has played a key role in your life

Extra Entries:

• 
  
  
  
  Subscribe to this blog
• 
  
  
  
  Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect
• 
  
  
  
  Blog about this giveaway (leave a link!)

Winner will be drawn on March 2, 2010. Good luck!!


Congrats to Sarah!! (the first Sarah, lol)

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

To learn more about or purchase this book, visit RandomHouse.com:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400074723

Pregnancy Brain

After my lovely lunch of vegetable soup with crackers and peanut butter (by the spoonful of course), I poured my left over soup into a container and put it away.

In the cupboard. With no lid on.

And where was the lid?

In the fridge of course!

At least I didn't get into the shower with my underwear still on...that would be really embarrassing and definitely not something I would admit on the world wide web.

*sigh*

It's going to be a long 6 months.

Home again, home again

Chris and I are home from our get away in sunny San Diego. As hard as it was to leave the sunshine, warm weather and king size bed, we were very excited to get home to Olive.


She greeted us with a shriek, a hug and "Dada home! Mama home!". She then spent the next 5 minutes running around Grandma and Grandpa's house showing us her prized possesions we may have forgotten about. Babies, books, colors and toothpaste. (It is never too early to stress the importance of good dental hygiene.)


We then proceeded home where Olive was reunited with all of her toys. All 5 of her babies have been dubbed "new babies". It's amazing what a little time away will do for a toy's value! And between Valentine's Day gifts and two special deliveries in the mail, Olive has acquired 7 new books. So we spent the rest of the evening playing with "new" babies and reading new books. And every once in a while Olive would shriek "Dada home! Mama home!".


After Olive was in bed, Chris and I discussed how she had changed since we've been gone. We're pretty sure her hair grew two inches and her voice seems different. It seems she has had another vocabulary explosion and she is using more sentences. She had a lot to tell us about her stay with Gma and Gpa. All in all she seems much older, bigger, wiser and cuter. And we love her more than ever.


This morning I was greeted with "Hi Mama! Mama home!" and a big hug. Not a bad way to start the day.


Even better than lounging in bed with a cup of coffee and The Weather Channel.

Business 2 Blogger

Can't we all just get along?
 
Now we can! Business2Blogger makes that dream a reality. By (hopefully!) becoming one of their members, I will be connected with businesses that are looking for a little blog exposure.
 
What's in it for you?
 
Besides new posts on a regular basis, reviews of businesses and products and more of my witty banter? Maybe a giveaway or two! Stranger things  have happened, you know.
 
Are you a blogger yourself? Click over to Business2Blogger and sign up to become a member!