Come on kid, crack a smile. No? Oh well.
So yesterday was The Boy’s 12th birthday and yes, there are three candles on his cake. It’s supposed to represent 1 and 2 for 12, as I did not have 12 candles. You have to be creative when you are not Martha Stewart.
We had a splendid day. We took The Boy for a really nice lunch and then we went back-to-school shopping, which he actually enjoys because he’s loves getting new stuff. School starts in about 2 weeks for us which I cannot even believe. As for gifts…he got some of the things he wanted and a few things he needed but you know how that goes.
Oh, and the cake was probably the best chocolate cake I ever made. Yum!
Although I am done with shopping for clothes and shoes (everything was purchased on sale!) I need to hit the office supply store for the rest of the stuff they’ll need. I don’t know about you but I could get lost in an office supply store. I love office supplies. New pads of paper, pretty pens, calendars…I get so excited over calendars. Sigh. So we’ll be doing a bit more shopping for that stuff.
I am making Chile Verde for dinner. I don’t use a recipe really so I can’t share it but it’s simmering away for later. In case you are unfamiliar with what it is, it’s basically meat that simmers in a green chile sauce. We’ll have it stuffed into whole grain tortillas along with some Mexican rice. It should be tasty.
As for reading, I finished Labor Day for a book tour in August. Boy, was it good! I’ll save my thoughts for the review but I was pleasantly surprised by it and I am still thinking about it.
I am still reading The Stand. It’s not that I don’t have time to read it. I’ve BEEN reading but good lord, on the Kindle it feels as if I am not making any progress so it’s hard to judge how much I am reading in one sitting. Apparently, not enough.
The next book that I plan to read off my summer reading list if probably going to be Coming Up for Air. Not sure yet.
I may also start One Day since I got it in the mail yesterday and everyone is talking about it.
At some point I must start my book club book, The Lacuna but I have no desire to read it right now. I am in a weird, funky reading place. I think I am already gearing up for the end of summer, which is really a shame. It flew by and I am already getting Christmas catalogs and Halloween emails from Disney.
Hope you are enjoying the day. It’s nice here, not too hot but I am fighting a bit of a sore throat so I am taking some extra C and drinking some vitamin drinks just to be safe. Who wants to be sick in the dead of summer? Not me.
Book Chatter 
No, smiling is SO not cool mom. I think I would have heart failure if my 12 year old smiled. Her soul was abducted by aliens about a year ago it seems. I loved One Day. I didn’t want it to end. I know what you mean about having things take forever on the Kindle. I start obsessing about how many freaking clicks it takes to advance one percent..
Sandy,
That is exactly what I do! With each click, I anxiously await the moment when it will change from 50% to 51% and then when it does, I feel as if I need to read until it gets to the next “5” mark.. 55%, 60%, etc. It’s making me a bit nutty. I don’t think it would bother me with a book of normal length.
Ti
Happy birthday to your son. Sandy is right – smiling is not cool when you’re around your parents at that age, but I promise things will get better in a few years!
I love school/office supplies too. Walmart in our area had a wall of really cool notebooks etc. I resisted and only bought myself one small notebook. It is Sasquatch. 🙂
A Saquatch notebook? Now that’s one I haven’t seen before 🙂 I just finished the supply shopping. Way too much money spent. Ugh.
Ti
Happy Birthday to your son! Any excuse to make a cake is a good day, as far as I can tell! I love shopping for school supplies too. I already got a bunch of stuff from Target last week and I have no excuse whatsoever for it except that It Was There. I guess I’m their perfect victim. One Day sounds really good! Can’t wait to hear about it!
Target. Sigh. Everyone can use a $.10 box of crayons, right? I just spent way too much money at Staples only because if I went to Target I’d come home with a ton of OTHER stuff, unrelated to school. Like a new tote bag, or something.
Only two more weeks till school, yikes! Hope you kick that summer cold before it starts. 🙂
I would smile if that chocolate cake was in front of me! But I am not nearly as cool as your son and the 12 year old boys I know consider me old! Happy Birthday to your son!
I’m happy to learn you enjoyed Labor Day so much, I want to read that book. I’m reading One Day now, just started really, so far so good.
Enjoy your not so hot air, it’s HOT here!
Hang in there & I hope you don’t get sick. Chug the Vit-C, Ti!
~ Amy
Oh Amy…the sore throat is winning!! I am going to take another vitamin C now. Perhaps a slice of cake after dinner would help??
Happy birthday to your son! The chocolate cake looks delicious.
Oh, lucky boy! Chocolate cake AND Chili Verde. You’re making me hungry here…
I loved Labor Day. A truly great read…
Here’s my salon:
http://laurel-rainsnowsaccidentallife.blogspot.com/2010/07/sunday-salon-july-25.html
He looks like he’s too cool to smile. Although everyone should smile for birthday cake!
Happy Birthday to your son. Who doesn’t love chocolate cake??
Me too — next to books, office supplies are my favorite…pens, markers, notebooks, moleskein journals, mechanical pencils, post it notes, little tabs for page markers…well you get the picture..LOL
Two weeks?!? That’s crazy. Another one of my blogger friends mentioned that too. Where the heck do you people live that you start that early? That’s what I want to know. I mean, really!!! 😉 <– Like it affects me, how? Um, yeah, it doesn't.
I’m in Southern California but some schools out here start after Labor Day. I guess we are just one of the lucky school districts that starts way early. We get out earlier too but it’s hard to wrap your brain around school when swim lessons are still going strong.
The cake looks yummy.
And I have a thing for office supplies too. Glad I’m not alone.
And I read “One Day” and really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend it!
Happy Birthday to The Boy!!! I love your improvisational talents. Cute Ms. Martha Stewart wan-a-bee. LOL.
Please, it is not the end of summer yet is it? I just got out of school a month ago.
When do your kids go back?
By the way, I love, love love Chili Verde Sauce. I used to love it with shrimp, but I developed a shellfish allergy and can’t eat shrimp anymore. I’m sad about that.
I don’t think I’ve ever thought to put Chile Verde on shrimp and I’m thinking why the heck not? I am allergic to so many animal proteins that I often use seafood instead but didn’t even think to do it this time. It sounds super yummy. I gotta get me some shrimp now 🙂
It sounds like you had a great day and weekend. I attempted to make carrot ginger soup but didn’t care for the recipe so I threw it out….
Labor Day – I can’t wait to read your review. I didn’t like this book, the creep factor got to me, maybe that’s what makes for a good book though.
I had a bowl of cereal for dinner (much different than slow cooked meal). 🙂
Wait until he hits 13…the teen years..yay!! NOT…lol!!
I love office supply stores…I feel like I need everything!!! I have quite the thing for Sharpies too!!
I spent nearly $100 at the office supply store. I am so in need of an intervention. Everything was for them except for this lime green stapler which “I” had to have.
Happy birthday to your son! We haven’t started the back to school shopping yet because we still have about 6 weeks until school starts, but my kids ask if the supply list is posted yet every time we visit the store. We’re trying to hold out as long as possible on the clothes shopping since both boys have already grown an inch this summer.
Oh, and I always stock up on notebooks – I love how cheap they are this time of year. I usually buy a dozen just for myself. 🙂
Mm.. I love chile verde! Happy bday to The Boy!!
I feel like we just started summer but already it’s half over.. 😦
Happy Birthday to your son! The teenage years are coming up! I love to buy school supplies but hate the thought of school starting up again. Kind of crazy!
Happy birthday to your son! He and my daughter share a birthday. 😉
Happy Bday to The Girl!!
I love the candles:) Can’t wait to hear about One Day. Been hearing alot about it.
LOL–I have done the same thing with candles. Mostly because I can never remember if I have them or not. Then I’m sure I do so I don’t buy them. Then I really only have just a few. Terrible habit.
Ohhh–I love office supply stores, too. I’ve loved that kind of thing since I was a kid. My grandma used to work at a printers and she’d bring me the stuff that had misprints. I loved all of those different colors and columns and headings. Now I’m absolutely sure I need every kind of post-it and sticky tab made!