The Buerglers

When I was pregnant with Evie, my sister and Rosemary threw us a couple's baby shower with a Hungry Caterpillar theme.   And when Evie turned ONE we threw a Madeline themed birthday party.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to have a party for Maggie's birthday, but my mother insisted and I'm glad she did. We kept the guest list very small, though you wouldn't guess it by the quality and quantity of the decorations. We chose Evie's Madeline theme because the little dog's name was Genevieve, so I wanted to see if I could find a story with the name Maggie in it. I discovered  Maggi and Milo  while in the waiting room at the pediatrician's office. We read the story and fell in love.  The book is about a girl who receives a yellow bucket and a frog hunting kit from her grandmother. She wears an orange tutu and blue polka dot rain boots. Maggi and her boarder collie, Milo, go on adventures looking for frogs. It's adorable.   For the table decora...

Ever wonder what a Back-to-the-Future meets A Christmas Carol meets A Disney Channel Original Movie would look like? (Okay, I'm the only one?)  Well, look no further, Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster hit a homerun for that niche read. No seriously, it's hilarious and amazing, especially if you lived through the 90s at all. Admittedly I did not like the first few chapters of the book.  When I first met the main character / narrator, Lissy, I thought she was too self absorbed to the point of boredom on my end.  And I was insulted by the way she described her SAHM friends and their children. However, the authors witty writing kept me captivated enough to finish the book and I’m glad I did. In the story, we find the main character at her 20 year high school reunion.  She quickly realizes that no one likes her because she was so mean, like Mean Girls mean, to them in high school.   She wakes up on a hippy classmate’s couch the morning after the reunion. Her ...

When Evie was just a few weeks old, I learned that the little dog in the Madeline stories was named Genevieve.  Within 30 seconds I knew we had a theme for her first birthday party.  My family threw a Hungry Caterpillar baby shower for us/her, so it seemed fitting to keep with the story book theme. Anything to avoid princesses and Disney while I have the power! I was torn between having a small little cake and ice cream gathering with a few family members, and renting out the parish hall for a full blown affair.  I settled for something in between. Since we were still living in our apartment (and making box forts in preparation to move), my parents graciously hosted the party at their home. My mom was a tremendous help with the decorations and my dad assisted with the food. Both went above and beyond, as usual.  INVITATIONS In order to have our guests arrive at half-past nine, I ordered a custom version of these from Etsy. {invitations} From ex...

If you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it was jump out, but if you put a frog in water and slowly warm it up, it will cook to death.  I use this analogy with the teens in the youth group when trying to explain moral relativism. (Or, in other words, how morality is slow to move on a day to day basis, but from generation to generation there are big changes) We talk about this analogy so often that I find myself constantly wondering what it would be like to be transported to the future...to see what the world is like and to see what would shock me.  It would be like the frog hitting that hot water, all jumpy and weird, shocked .  But we only get to live our lives one day at a time, so things wear on us over time, and change little by little, day by day. In What Alice Forgot , Alice fainted during spin class at instantly lost 10 years of memories.  She was “transformed” to her 1998 way of life: simple and newly married with a baby on the way.  But it is sti...

You guys! I am so excited.  My first-ever book review went live today!  Remember back in August how I was tweeting incessantly for my love of The Rules of Civility ?  Well now you can read more about my thoughts on the book... Check out my sweet review: Rules of Civility: A Tantalizing Ride Happy Reading...

What is the best book you've ever read?  I have a three that immediately come to mind.  Two because of the affect they've had on my life and one because of the literary content. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No-To Take Control of Your Life (Inspirio/Zondervan Miniature Editions)  I have mentioned this book so many times on here.  Seriously though, it helped me grow from a wacky college kid immediately into a working professional.  It helped me change my relationship with my parents into a more adult one.  It help establish lines between work and home; work and family; family and home, etc  If you struggle with any type of relationship or time management, this is a must read.  The best part is that the author know that Christian women in particular have a hard time saying "no" so this book using scripture and Christian thought to help you say "yes" and mean it and say "no" when you need to or should. Blessed Are the Bored in Spi...