Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sunday Salon: Construction Edition #2


Last week I should have titled my Sunday Salon the Destruction Edition. This week we have had a bit more positive progress on our water problem.  We have not had any water in our basement since last Saturday when they turned off our water in our neighbor's basement - even the two torrential downpours we have had didn't bring in any water.  


Although we had no water for six days this past week, we have had the cement in front of our garage poured. It looks nice - as nice as cement can look, I guess.  I have been educated now in the varieties that cement comes in and how expensive this is. Who would have thought?  

The rural water company came and put a rather unattractive short white pole in our yard that is the hook up to get water and contains the meter.  I am guessing we will get used to it, and really, what was our choice?


The drilling in our basement began on Thursday afternoon to hook up a line to the rural water pipes. Amazingly, our house is still standing.  The plumbers did make sure to tell us that hooking up to this water was not going to be easy.


On Wednesday I made a trip with my oldest daughter's Girl Scout troop to Minnesota. It was only for a day but we did manage to go to the Como Zoo and the Mall of America where we visited their Sea Aquarium. The girls did a few rides each, we shopped, and then headed home.  Supper was at Johnny Rocket's, a new place to me, but I loved the 60's atmosphere, and can't wait to take all my girls there on a our next trip.  Since I will be paying for new cement, a new water heater, and excavation of my yard along with about a hundred other things with this project, I didn't do much spending.  The best purchase I made was from Marbles: The Brain Store.  They had the original Spirograph set:
Big Sister picked the game Stomple that we have added to our collection at home

This coming week is Big Sister's final softball game - YAY! I am ready for some free nights.  No big 4th of July plans here, which is OK.  The weather looks to be beautiful, although a little cool. I am so missing the heatwave of last summer.
How about you? What do you have planned for the week?

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Big Girl Panties



I have always loved books about body image and weight, perhaps because I have always struggled with those things myself.  Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich (Janet's niece) is a great beach read (although I will warn you, there are some pretty descriptive sex scenes for readers who don't want that) that covers the topic of body image.

Holly Brennan is a young widow- just 32 - and much heavier than she should be. Although she has never been thin, the death of her husband Bruce has sent her weight spiraling out of control. On a plane trip back from Toronto she meets Logan Montgomery, personal trainer to the stars, who offers to train her.

You can probably guess where this story line is going.  It is a bit predictable. But I didn't mind a bit. Evanovich doesn't just share Holly's thoughts, she also shares Logan's, and that's where I thought things got very interesting.  Holly knows she will never be a skinny girl- she is just not built that way. But, those last 20 pounds seem to be hanging on, and Holly's more sturdy build isn't the type of girl Logan typically dates. He is known for dating blond, willowy supermodels.  And he feels bad for noticing Holly doesn't fit the bill. I liked that Evanovich addresses that - and she addresses that being attracted to someone means being attracted to the whole package, not just their body.  

I've read a few other reviews that found this book too stereotyping, yet even though that may be true, I liked Holly and Logan. Yes, Holly still needed to lose weight to find love, which isn't necessarily a great message, but Logan also had a few issues he needed to work out as well.  I found this book motivating and informative as Logan coached Holly into making better life choices, and I think Evanovich did this while still allowing Holly to not need to be skinny and letting her be a real, flawed woman.

Evanovich's debut will have me looking for more from her.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Middle Sister's Reading

There was a time back when Middle Sister was in kindergarten or first grade when I just wasn't sure if she was going to enjoy reading.  I know it happens to kids.  I see it all the time.  And I know that she aspires to be different from Big Sister, who loves reading.  We spent a summer where my mom would work with her on some reading skills and activities because when my husband and I tried it was so awful we lasted all of thirty seconds.

Today - a few years later- I can happily report that Middle Sister is a reader. She loves to read, but she might not want anyone to notice that fact.  What she reads is completely different than what her sister reads. She is my dreamer, my imaginative child, so it is no wonder that the fantasy genre beckons her.  She is also the child who loves a good scare and thrives on suspense.

This summer she has decided to read The Thirty Nine Clues series.  Assigned the first book at school, we never heard such whining.  Until she got into the book. And now, it is hard to get her to do much else.  She knows how to work the system: if she tells me she is reading, I will surely leave her alone. Reading comes before work (at least that is what she believes).

I predict that by the end of summer, this entire series will have been devoured.  I'm always on the lookout for something she will enjoy. Her past favorites include:
Stolen Children by Peg Kehret

The True Meaning of Smek Day

Middle School is Worse Than Meat Loaf

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Whistling Past the Graveyard

Starla Claudelle wants nothing more than to be reunited with her mother.  Her father is working on an oil rig far away and Starla lives with her grandmother, Mamie, while he is away. Her mother left their family when Starla was little - in fact she has just a few memories of her mom.  

So, when Starla gets in trouble (a frequent occurrence)  and threatened with reform school, she takes off. As you can imagine, things don't go as planned. Nashville is a long ways off from Cayuga Springs and when Starla is offered a ride by Eula a colored woman who is headed to her home with an infant she picked up off the front steps of a colored church, she happily accepts.  And this is where things fall apart.  Eula's own home life isn't so happy, and soon Eula, Starla and the baby are on the road searching for Starla's mom.

Set in 1963, Crandall captures what life in the South was like for blacks and whites.   
Oh, what a crazy story!  Crandall's characters are true originals and the further I read, the more I wanted to keep reading.  I hoped that Starla would find happiness, skeptical that her mother would be able to live up to her expectations.  I hoped that Starla's father would be the father I thought he could be.  I hoped that Eula would have a happy ending to her struggle-filled life.  Crandall's novel had me reading until well past my bedtime, eager to finish this story.

Whatever I say about this book is not enough to do it justice.  It was an absolute pleasure to read Whistling Past the Graveyard. Book clubs and women's fiction readers will fall in love with this book.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine .

This week's pick:  Bitter River by Julia Keller
Due out: September 3, 2013

Product Information taken from Amazon:

In the next stunning novel from Pulitzer Prize-winning Julia Keller, following the popular A Killing in the Hills, a pregnant teenager is found murdered at the bottom of a river
Julia Keller’s A Killing in the Hills was one of the most acclaimed debuts of 2012. Set in Acker’s Gap, a beautiful but poverty-stricken West Virginia mountain town, Keller’s combination of shocking suspense and spellbinding characterization garnered her four starred reviews and won over critics and readers alike. Bell Elkins, the county prosecuting attorney, is the main character alongside the town itself, where she grew up—her family story is part and parcel of the tragedy of the place, but she hasn’t given up on it. Like Dana Stabenow’s Alaska or Dennis Lehane’s South Boston, the place defines the people and their stories.

Bell’s latest case is a bad one: pregnant sixteen-year-old Lucinda Trimble’s body has been found at the bottom of Bitter River. And Lucinda didn't drown—she was dead before her body ever hit the water.  But that’s not all Bell is coping with these days. Her daughter is now living with Bell’s ex-husband, hours away. Sheriff Nick Fogelsong, one of Bell’s closest friends, is behaving oddly. Furthermore, a face from her past has resurfaced for reasons Bell can’t quite figure. Searching for the truth, both behind Lucinda’s murder and behind her own complicated relationships, will lead Bell down a path that might put her very life at risk.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday- Top Ten Books of 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This week's topic:
The Top Ten Book's I've Read in 2013.  I don't always participate in this weekly meme, but I love today's topic and reading other's top 10 lists.  So far in 2013, here's what I've loved the most:

1. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

2.  Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

3.  The Smart One by Jennifer Close

4.  The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman

5.  A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

6.  The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

7.  See You  at Harry's by Jo Knowles

8.  Park and Eleanor by Rainbow Rowell

9.  The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

10.  Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Monday, June 24, 2013

In Case You Run Out of Books To Read

I will never run out of books to read- at least that is what I have calculated, but just in case, I also subscribe to several magazines.  I have tried to rein this in a bit since I could look at them at the library and never seem to get to them in a very timely fashion.  However, here are my top five magazines that I just can't live without:

1.  People Magazine.  I used to read this cover to cover, and I don't so much anymore, but it is a great magazine for keeping up on Hollywood happenings and it totally keeps me preoccupied while on the elliptical.  And, I love the book reviews.  

2.  Smithsonian - Lest you think that People was as much as my mind could handle, I love reading Smithsonian magazine. There are so many interesting topics covered in this monthly publication. For a while I was hanging on to my old issues, but just couldn't justify keeping my huge stack of them since there is no way I will ever find time to look back through them. Now I check out Smithsonian from the library.

3.  HGTV- this is a relatively new magazine.  I have become addicted to shows like House Hunters and Love It or List It.  This magazine ha some great ideas in it, even though I never get around to trying them. 

4.  All You - I feel like this is a little known magazine that most people overlook, yet it is excellent.  Fashion on a budget (things real people will wear), recipes that include cost to prepare, book, movie and music recommendations.  I get excited each time I see this magazine in my box.

5.  O -The Oprah Magazine - I should get around to reading more of this, yet I love receiving O in my mailbox.  I always look over the Reading Room section first, and then the O List, but there are also great ideas on developing yourself as a person and feeling more fulfilled in your life 

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Sunday Salon: The Construction Edition



For the past two weeks we have been having a water leakage issue in the basement.  What my husband thought was ground water seepage never subsided and just kept getting worse.  I was using the shop vac many times each day as well as laying down large beach towels to sop up the extra water that was coming in.  Friends, neighbors and professionals weighed in on where this water might be coming from. 
Here were the options:
1.  groundwater seepage (which we had pretty much eliminated)
2.  a tree root that was in the way of a tile line
3.  a plugged tile line
4.  a water supply issue



 Last Saturday we (meaning my husband and a former high school wrestler he coached) jack hammered the sidewalk apart so we could look at the tile lines.  On Thursday night we had a professional come and dig out the tile line and check for tree root problems.  As you can see from Little Sister's sign above, we no longer can use our front door.  We have a HUGE hole (see below) and our tile lines work just fine.

 By Friday morning we knew it was probably a problem with our pipes, specifically the pipes carrying water from our neighbor's well (which we share with them, but is on their property) to our house.  After trying to get a hold of them and then having them try to shut our water off (they have an emergency shut off for our well in their basement -which we just found out about on Thursday night)  and then realizing that the shut-off was broken, the plumber came yesterday to put a new shut off valve on.  Almost immediately after the new shut off valve was put on and the water shut off, our water coming into the basement stopped. Unfortunately we are without water for however long it takes for us to hook up to rural water.  There is a line out in front of our house, but we still need to have someone drill a hole and do whatever it is they need to do to get us hooked up.  Oh, please let it be soon.  Having no water is better than having no electricity, but it is a little difficult when there are five of us that need to use the bathroom occasionally.  
This is also the weekend my oldest daughter's good friend, Emily, has come to visit us.  She and  her family moved last summer.  Having her with us the past two days has been just like she was never gone.  We have gone to the pool twice, watched some movies, and gone out to eat.  Today she will go back home, but it has been great to have her around, and she has been a good sport about the mess we have going on here.

I have a few book reviews I plan on posting and am loving Mary Kay Andrews' newest book. Since it is raining here -again- I would love to curl up with it and read all day, which I doubt I have the chance to do. I can't do laundry or dishes, so my workload is somewhat diminished, even though it is all awaiting me at some point.

We've got softball games, a Girl Scout trip to Minneapolis, and trips to the pool planned for the week.  How about you? What are you up to?






Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Bracelet



Roberta Gately's novel, The Bracelet, has a social issue she is trying to address - that of human trafficking.  

Abby Monroe takes a job in Pakistan with the UN after a devastating break-up with her boyfriend, Eric.  En route to her post she spends some time in Geneva. While out for a run on her last morning there, Abby sees a woman plunge to her death from a building while arguing with a man.  Although she tries to alert the authorities, when she returns with them the body is gone.  The woman's face and that of her attacker are etched in Abby's mind, along with the bracelet the woman was wearing. 

Abby continues on to Pakistan where she begins her new job looking through vaccination information.  Her job is none too exciting, but between her new friend, Najeela, and pesky reporter Nick, Abby keeps busy.  When Nick takes her to a house for young women who have been rescued after having been sold by their families, Abby finds something to devote herself to, wanting to make a difference in the world.  

Yet, she is still plagued by nightmares of the accident she witnessed in Geneva, and things in Pakistan heat up as she and Nick find themselves targets of some of the country's top criminals.

Gately's novel is an easy read, yet it did a great job increasing my awareness of the issue of human trafficking.  The suspense and romance Gately includes will keep readers turning the pages of  The Bracelet as they race to find out what happens to Abby.  

Friday, June 21, 2013

The Remarkable Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan's presidency spanned eight years of my childhood, the years in which I first remember hearing and seeing a president on television and in the newspaper.  

The Remarkable Ronald Reagan: Cowboy and Commander in Chief by Susan Allen was a great walk down memory lane for me, as I read and enjoyed this picture book. It was also devoured by my fifth grade reader, and enjoyed by my third grader and kindergartener. 

Susan Crandall covers highlights of Ronald's life - from his childhood to his time as a lifeguard to tragic crash of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the assassination attempt against him, The Remarkable Ronald Reagan hits the major milestones of Reagan's life.  Colorful illustrations by Leslie Harrington kept my youngest daughter's interest as we read about this past president.

And, although  I loved the story, I especially love the end of this biography which includes a timeline of important events, shares some letters from his pen-pals, and also some of portions of some of his famous speeches he made while president.

Whatever your own personal political stance, this is a great biography about one of our nation's presidents; I will be ordering my school a copy to add to its collection.


Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the chance to review The Remarkable Ronald Reagan. Visit their website to see the list of other bloggers reviewing this book.






Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Best Of Us

Summer is the time of year known for beach reads - those books I can take to the pool and read while still keeping an eye out for my children.  Although I'm off to a slow start with pool trips, I have quite a list of books perfect to bring along.

Sarah Pekkanen's The Best Of Us is a fun beach read - another winner by this author.  Four college friends get together for an expense paid week in Jamaica.  Pauline throws a thirty-fifth birthday party for her husband, Dwight, and since money is no object, pays for three couples that were college friends with her husband to spend a week with them in Jamaica.  The trip is a luxury for Tina and her husband who are busy raising their four young children, Tina especially feeling overwhelmed by the demands of parenting.  Allie and her husband seem to have the perfect marriage, yet she is dealing with possibly having a genetic illness and doesn't share that information with her husband.  Savannah arrives in Jamaica without her spouse, unable to admit that he has left her.  

All the couples are in different phases of their marriages and going through a variety of struggles in their relationships.  The discussion guide included in this book asks some thought provoking questions about these marriages and relationships in general.  

Although there are a lot of characters, Pekkanen's writing is engaging and it was easy to follow the multiple story lines.  While I could relate to Tina and Allie more than Savannah and Pauline, and wasn't even sure I liked Savannah much of the time, I still felt that Pekkanen created believeable characters who are multi-faceted.

This is the third book I have read by Sarah Pekkanen, and I enjoy everything she has written.  She continues to publish great women's fiction for readers.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
Due out November 19, 2013

Product Description taken from Amazon:
Someone Else's Love Story is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren't always what they seem—or what we hope they will be.
Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced parents. She's got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up and falling in love with William Ashe, who willingly steps between the robber and her son.
Shandi doesn't know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It's been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his world. But William doesn't define destiny the way others do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in facts and numbers, destiny to him is about choice. Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, making choices that will reveal unexpected truths about love, life, and the world they think they know.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Looking For Me

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was Beth Hoffman's first book and was one of my favorite reads of 2010.  When I saw Hoffman had a new novel coming out this summer, I knew instantly that I wanted to get my hands on it as soon as it was published.

Hoffman's sophomore novel is just as wonderful as her first.  

Teddi Overman is a farm girl from Kentucky who has moved to Charleston to restore furniture.  As a child she picked up "junk," refinished it and then sold it at the side of the road.  Now she is living her dream, running her own shop and finding and fixing up treasures. Teddi's story unfolds through pictures of her present life and through some snapshots of her childhood.  Teddi and her brother, Josh, were close growing up, yet there was a part of Josh that Teddi never knew, and when he disappears, Teddi is left with many questions about her brother.  Her relationship with her mother has always seemed to be a struggle as they both try to find ways to connect with each other.  Through one of her mother's friends, Teddi learns what her mother was like before disappointments changed her once happy outlook.

My friend, Kristin, who beat me to reading this one summed it up quite well, calling Looking For Me a nice story.  It is.  I could recommend this to readers young and old - it will appeal to readers of all ages. There is a little bit of romance, a little bit of suspense, and a little bit of Teddi finding herself. 

My only question after finishing Looking For Me, when does Beth Hoffman plan on publishing another novel?  It can't be soon enough!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Be Careful What You Ask For

Over the past few years my husband and I have moved away from gift giving for every holiday.  If there is something we need, we buy it for ourselves.  We still make sure our girls pick something out for us since they enjoy the whole idea of giving something to us, but we don't do a lot of buying big ticket items for each other. 

Today I was thinking back on some past gift giving experiences which have led us to a more gift-free lifestyle.

Before children were even in the picture, we still needed things for our home. One Christmas I requested file cabinets. How romantic, right?  But not just any file cabinets. I wanted wooden ones.  In my mind, I envisioned beautiful antique file cabinets.  Except I never said the word antique.  
This is what I pictured.  And unfortunately, this below is what I got:
I think the picture makes them look nicer than they actually were.  I am not a big fan of particle board, which is what they were made out of.  
Upon opening my gift, I just nicely smiled and thanked my husband, who really thought he had bought me what I asked for.  I then had the file cabinets in my living room next to my computer for several years, all the while upset with the fact that through my own lack of truly explaining what I was looking for, I had ended up with something I detested.


Now as we talk (heatedly) about re-doing our kitchen we have the same type of problem. What I envision isn't even close to what my husband is picturing.  We usually are able to come to some form of compromise and after my husband hears compliments from other people about things I have purchased, he begins to like whatever the item may be a lot more.  

Thank goodness we both have input in our kitchen remodel project, and I won't end up with something like the long ago Christmas gift; I had to keep those darn file cabinets for a decade and got rid of them just last year!

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Sunday Salon - A Little Bit Late

Since it's not yet Monday, I figure I can still post my Sunday Salon. 

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.  My own father is in a nursing home now. Despite his body being in good shape, his dementia has progressed rapidly.  I didn't visit him today, but will go tomorrow.  Visits with him are not very pleasant. He no longer knows who I am and is not able to even construct a sentence that makes much sense.   The picture below of my parents was taken in the fall of 2011 to celebrate their 40th anniversary.  Although we certainly knew he was getting more forgetful and his dementia was getting worse, I don't think any of us thought he would be in a nursing home just over a year later.

At our house we made breakfast in bed for my husband who spent all of yesterday jackhammering (is that a word?!) our sidewalk out since we are still leaking in our basement.  He is sore and tired, and has been watching the U.S. Open this afternoon.  Now we are getting ready to grill for supper: brats, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, chips and watermelon.  

While my husband watched golf, I took the girls and my mom to see 42 at the local dollar theater. It was amazing!
I am so glad we took the time to go, and being a teacher can hardly wait to have my girls do a little more research about Jackie Robinson and Negro League baseball. I will be thinking about this movie for quite a while.

Despite the construction/destruction mess with our sidewalk and the basement STILL leaking, I worked on one of the graduate classes I am taking on Saturday. I also spent part of Friday at another graduate class learning about Google Apps.  It is well worth the time and money.  

Highlights of the past week include two trips to the pool - finally summer weather!  More softball games, a band lesson, and enjoying a little bit of break.   Friday was also the last day of my NLXF (Next Level Xtreme Fitness) class. Ten weeks have flown by!  I did sign up for another session which begins after July 4th.  I don't think I lost more than a couple of pounds, but I love the class and the workout I am getting there.  I work a lot harder when an instructor is yelling at us than I do when Jillian Michaels is telling me to do something on a DVD.  

My reading is going along rather nicely, but books are piling up as usual. I am hoping to finish Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall (due to be published in early July) yet tonight before I go to bed.  I need to get busy writing reviews because I have been on my book a day summer reading jag.  

I'm hoping for more pool trips, more reading, and perhaps even beginning a project or two in the coming week.  Hopefully by next Sunday I'll have something good to report about our basement mess.  

What about you? What's up for your week?