The Bright Eyed Brunette

 Apparently, I've decided that relaxing with a good book means reading about murder, missing people, suspicious husbands, family secrets, and small towns where absolutely everyone is hiding something.  Very Soothing. I don't know what it is about true crime and thrillers, but once I get on a kick, I'm all in. Give me a suspicious death, an unreliable narrator, a detective who refuses to let something go, or a family with way too many secrets, and suddenly the laundry can wait.  So if your idea of a cozy evening also involves curling up under a blanket and reading something that makes you double-check that the doors are locked, here's what I've been reading lately. Broken Plea: The Explosive Search for Truth Behind the Idaho Murders by Christopher Whitcomb This book questions what really happened in the house on King Road--and the results of that investigation, still unfolding in real time, will astound you. Was there more than one killer? Had the crime scene been cl...

 Happy Tuesday, friends. For the past two weeks I have managed to get my weekend recap post up on a Tuesday. After waking up at 5:30 every morning last week, it was nice to be able to sleep-in until 7:30-8 o'clock! We pretty much spent the weekend with our kids and grandkids. Here is a precious picture of my sweet boy Wesley: He's just getting so big! On Saturday, Carl smoked ribs and we invited Carlie and the kids to come out and eat with us. I know that when Caleb is at the fire station, it sure makes for long days. I try to help as much as I can. We ended up taking Wrenley to the houseboat. That is the first time she has been on it since we put it in the river. She was a little scared at first (it didn't help that we took the little aluminum boat), but she really liked putting her feet in the water. Pappy forgot the key, so we had to stay on the porch. She also didn't love wearing the lifejacket, so a short trip was fine with her! She was all smiles 💗 She was pretty...

 I love watching Sunday reset videos. The sheets are stripped from every bed. The entire house gets cleaned. Groceries are bought, washed, chopped, and organized into matching little containers. Meals are prepped for the week. Laundry is folded and put away. Candles are burning. The refrigerator is sparkling. And somehow all of this happens before 4 p.m. I like the idea of a Sunday reset. I really do. There is something about starting Monday with the house somewhat put together and life feeling a little less chaotic. But I also don't want to spend my entire Sunday preparing for Monday. So over time, I've figured out my own version of a Sunday reset. It's nothing fancy, and I definitely don't accomplish every single thing every single Sunday. But these are the things that help me feel a little more ready for the week ahead. First, I look at the week ahead. This is probably the most important thing I do. I check the calendar and figure out what's coming up. Appointmen...

 Hey friends, today I wanted to share a recipe that went viral about a year ago, Swamp Potatoes. I love me a casserole or a multi-meal where your meat, vegetable, and starch are in one dish. My family absolutely raves about this recipe, and I even gave it to Carlie and she and Caleb really like it as well. Ingredients 1 pkg. of smoked sausage (if you get the 2 back, only use one link) 1 28 oz. can cut green beans, drained 1 5lb. Red Baby Potatoes -Whatever seasonings you like. I use Italian seasoning, a little garlic powder, onion, salt and pepper (measure with your heart). 1 stick of butter cut into pats Instructions -Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  -Wash your potatoes and cut in half, then place them in your 9x13 baking dish. -Drain your green beans then add on top of potatoes. -Cut your smoked sausage and put on top of your green beans. -Add your seasonings  -Add pats of butter - Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes until potatoes are tender. We usually serve ours with ...

 Hey friends, I know it's Tuesday, but I wanted to do a little recap from the weekend (Friday thru Monday). We didn't do anything super exciting, but I use this as a digital scrapbook of sorts, so I thought I would post.  Last week was Camp BeBe. Carlie went back to work, and Wrenley was on her last week of summer break. It wasn't as easy as you might think. Wrenley is still adjusting to being a big sister. She wants my full attention, and with a baby, that just can't happen. We had lots of help though. My mom would come in, Carl would come in, and Makena also came and visited. Anything to break up our days. It also happened to be the hottest week of the summer. Heat index was around 110 some days. Wrenley loved watering the plants. Wesley loves to swing on Wrenley's saucer. Boone was so excited to go for a ride on "Old Mater" with Carl Camp BeBe even braved Story Time at the Library These were just a couple of pictures they put on Facebook. I hadn't p...

 Last week my daughter took my granddaughter to her preschool open house. She was excited to see her classroom, meet her new teacher, and maybe see some friends she hasn't seen for most of the summer. At last, she spotted two of her friends. As mom was doing her thing and speaking with the other mom's the little girls were playing.                                                                                                                                 Fast forward to when I called to check and see how everything went. Carlie said Wrenley was upset because two little girls were mean to her. Evidently, they were chatting and one of the little girls looked at ...