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.