Giveaway!!! (And July Update)

OK....are any of you still out there? I hope so, absent blogger that I am!

But at long last, my give-away is here!

But first...

This month of July has just flown by and I can't believe we're at the end already. Here's just a few tidbits about our month:

As some of you know, we here in the great northwest U.S. are in the middle of a heat wave. Over 100 degrees all week long, with today supposedly the highest, reaching 106 in some areas here! I was going to try frying an egg on the sidewalk with the girls...it could pass for a home schooling moment...but I find myself pretty much gravitating to inside all day where we are blessed with AC.

The girls are on their last week of swimming lessons this week, too...it's been pretty much the only times I've ventured out. I feel precariously cool watching all the kids swim below in the pool while I sit with the other parents in the hot bleachers, vying for the closest place to the fans.
But seriously, it's been a lot of fun, even for me, seeing how far they've come this year- especially my youngest who use to be afraid of the water. She is loving it this year!

In other catch up news, I gave my oldest an American Girl slumber party for her 10th birthday, complete with crafts, cupcakes (see picture at top) swimming in the backyard pool, watching an American girl movie and all the general craziness and giggling that accompanies all slumber parties.


A good time was had by all!

And now, back to our heat wave....I was remembering another heat wave that happened when I was growing up and I posted about it on Facebook today. I'll copy it here as well...don't worry, it's very short!

As Tony Curtis smiled, his white teeth gleaming at me through the little black and white television set, I smiled back and took another sip of ice tea. I was only about nine years old, but I knew a handsome movie star when I saw one!

We were in the middle of a week long heat wave in my little corner of the world- Kent, Washington. And though we didn't have air conditioning, we did have a nice, big basement- half of which doubled as my own personal play room. But this week, my parents and I were using it as our campsite...and it seemed like such a cozy adventure!
It wasn't a "finished" basement, but the cement all around only added to the cool comfort and cave-like feeling.

My parents had one mattress and I had another...and because we'd be there all week, they even strung up a rope with a blanket over it- just like in that classic movie, "It Happened One Night". I'm not sure why we needed this private wall of Jericho though...after all, they were just...you know- parents.
But somehow it just added to the adventure having my own private area for sleeping.

Yet before sleep would come, we'd all get our snacks and drinks and settle in to share the little TV, which was showing "The Great Race" ...part one the first night, followed by part two the second. It's has if they had planned this just to entertain my parents and I for our heat wave retreat down below.

This week as we go though our current heat wave, I am so thankful for our air conditioning....especially now that I'm a "mature adult".
But it will be forever ingrained in my memory the summer that my parents and I hunkered down in our cool basement with our ice cold drinks, he fan blowing breezes on us as we told stories and watching Jack Lemon chase Tony Curtis around on a little black and white screen.

OK...drum roll please...
Since I'm celebrating my three year blogaversary (a little late now!) I wanted to host a little giveaway.
I am giving the winner a choice of one of the following gently used (like new!) Christian fiction books-and tucked inside will be a $5 gift card for Starbucks!

The book choices are:

"With this ring, I'm confused" by Kristin Billerbeck
"She's finally found that nice, good-looking Christian guy who-gasp-actually wants to commit, but will she make it to the altar with her sanity intact?"



"Sweet Treats"- Four Fun Romances, written by four different authors- including Wanda E. Brunstetter.



"The Negotiator" by Dee Henderson
Book One in the O'Malley suspense series.

So, what do you need to do to enter? If you have already clicked on the sidebar to become a "follower" you are already entered! What if you don't actually want to be...let's say, you have all of these books and can't stand frappicinos? Well, if you neglect to tell me you don't want to be included but you win, I will just draw another name...simple as that! :)

If you want to be entered but haven't done that little sidbar thing yet, you have until this Friday -midnight. I'll be drawing one of your names on Saturday.

Blessings!