7QT: Bubbles, bugs, & books... oh my!

~1~

I need to paint my front door. First, because we replaced the handle and the new one is a different style...

 ...and second because there was some serious bubbling going on in this particular section.

Because it was only in this one section, I'm pretty sure it's due to sun/heat exposure as opposed to latex over oil paint or something like that. I scraped it down but now I need  to fix it. Oh, did I mention I've never painted a front door before? I'm thinking I need to sand it all over, prime it and then repaint, maybe a lighter color? Will that help keep the bubbles from coming back? Advice? Thanks!

~2~

Did you know that thrips are attracted to white blooms more than colored blooms? Now you do. UGH!!!!!!!

~3~

I love raiding our library's new book shelf whenever we go and seeing what's new out there. Of course, new is relative. It just means new to our library, not necessarily newly published.

Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes
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A 2nd level reader. Penny the mouse has an attack of conscience when she finds a blue marble in her neighbor's yard and takes it home. There is a happy ending, of course, but I liked the idea of an early reader that's not afraid to introduce a moral subject like this. I'm definitely going to be collecting this one and the other Penny books when Cupcake starts reading. {affiliate link}

~4~

Bow-Wow Wiggle-Waggle by Mary Newell DePalma
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Cute illustrations with nice colors. Perfect for a little one who's really into "dogs say woof" and "cats say meow". This books is all onomatopoeias and interjections! Onomatopoeias? Why would you ever say that? (Because it's fun to say!)

~5~

Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
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Excellent illustrations. The only words in the whole book are "good news" & "bad news" which sounds strange but really creates a delightful opportunity for some creative storytelling and discussion. The book highlights the difference between an optimistic bunny and a pessimistic mouse. Really cute!

~6~

Frog and Fly Six Slurpy Stories by Jeff Mack
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BigBoy chose this one and then giggled at it all the way home. It contains six short cartoons telling the story of a frog who loves to eat flies. I can't really tell you more than that without giving something away. Let's just say it tickled the funny bone of my 9 year old boy!

~7~

Brachiosaurus: The Largest Dinosaur and Stegosaurus: The Friendliest Dinosaur
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Interesting stories about a boy and his friends (the dinosaurs) with fun facts interspersed followed by a couple of pages of more specific information about each dinosaur. The illustrations reminded me of Ben Hatke's. These would be a hit with any young dinosaur lovers.