Random Tuesday

Link up with Stacy for some random fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you have plans for feasting and fun!  I don't know exactly what my plans are yet, but it will involve family and turkey.

I've had my daughter here visiting the last few days, but she is leaving today.  I feel like I didn't get to spend much time with her, but at least we were able to go see the lights at Space Center Houston.  That was fun!

I went to see Last Christmas yesterday.  I had no idea what it was about when I agreed to go, and I was pleasantly surprised.  There was an unexpected twist so not a typical rom-com plot.  And the British accents were icing on the cake!  Emilia Clark and Henry Golding were fantastic.  I don't care what the critics say!

Will you go shopping on Black Friday?  I used to.  There isn't anything I want badly enough at super low prices.  If I were buying toys or electronics, it might be worth it.  I prefer cyber Monday, anyway.  Internet is the way to go!

And now...

Have a great week, and happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday Synopisis

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having read about Rachel Scott who was killed during Columbine, and having read Jodi Piccoult's book 19 Minutes, and having read The Chamber by John Grisham, I just didn't find this book very compelling.

It is interesting that the book is written during the time frame of a school shooting, but it was mostly about relationships, all kinds, relationships among siblings, twins, friends, homesexual partners, and relationships with those people we don't like. I don't think the book covered the motive for the shooting very well, and definitely not the preparation the killer planned. It also did not expose the aftermath of a school shooting.

I don't feel like I really got to know the characters well enough. It is told from the perspectives of four different students, two of whom are stuck in the auditorium when the shooting begins. I'm not sad that I spent time reading this book, but I also wasn't intrigued as I expected to be. Unfortunately, this book will fall into a mental category of forgettable.

View all my reviews Subscribe in a reader

Random Tuesday

Howdy!  It's been two weeks since my last confession blog post.  Link up with Stacy for some random fun!

Three things!

I gave my retirement letter to my principal.  I have five weeks until I'm free which translates to 19 school days.  Ever!  In the whole, wide world!  I can't believe it!  Now that my boss knows, I feel so free, and I also realize how little any of the things we teachers stress about matters. All the "extra" things they make teachers do, and believe me, there is a ton, doesn't even matter.  I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me.

Second, I set up and used my new sewing machine for the first time!  I'm so excited!  I had a little help from DH reading a diagram, and a lot of help from YouTube, but I got everything set up and had a chance to practice.  What a great feeling!  I have so many ideas for projects.  Plus my scrapbooking.  My sister and I have booked our scrapbook retreat for early February, and DH paid for it for my Christmas present.

And the best of all is my sweet, beautiful daughter is  coming to visit this weekend!  I. CAN'T. WAIT!

All this just makes me so happy!

Have a great week!

Random Tuesday

October finally ended!  I thought it would be forever!

  I have 29 more school days until retirement.  Yes, I'm counting!  I've got so many plans!  Well, ideas anyway, not necessarily actual plans.  I am going to keep my part-time job for a while - to give me a little extra income.  Plus I like it, and I get a discount on craft supplies!  Win-win in my book.

Image Credit

Oh, baseball, where is thy sting?  Just borrowing from Shakespeare to describe our sadness that the Astros lost.  It's so crazy that neither team won on their own home field!  That's what you call home field DISadvantage!

We are trying to decide where to go to watch our Rockets play this season.  We've been to Dallas and Memphis so far.  If your city has a basketball team, and you think we should visit your city, leave me a comment below.  Some ideas we've had so far include Toronto, Boston, and Charlotte.

And now...

Yeah, I know Halloween is over, but this is funny!

I'm pretty sure this is universal.

My kind of pun, my kind of snack!

Have a great week, and come link up with Stacy!

Random Tuesday

Wow!  Since I posted "Go 'Stros" this time last week, they lost the first two games of the World Series.  But all was no lost.  They won the next three games.  Tonight just might be the last game in this year's WS!  I would like that.  If the Nats win, I'll miss game 7 because I'm working.  Come on, Astros!  Win in 6 for me!

The Rockets have won two of three so far, It's a start.  It's also a long season.

Man!  The month of October never ends!  It drags on incessantly.  It seems like the longest month of the year even though it has the same number of days as a few other months.  Wake me up when September October Ends is what Green Day should have sun about!




 Halloween is this week, and it's not like the students need another reason to act crazy, but we gave them one.  It's also Red Ribbon Week complete with wacky hair day, mismatched clothes, and so on.  I'm not a fan of Halloween.  I liked it a lot when my kids were little and could dress up as something cute and go to a party or trick-or-treating.  But I'm not a fan of kids the age of my students still going trick-or-treating. Oh, well.  No big deal.

Have a great week!
Link up with Stacy!

Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy for random fun!

I did it!  I'm almost free!  39 school days until I am officially retired after 31 years!  I signed the papers yesterday.  It's such a huge weight off my shoulders.  I get a decent pension, supposedly for the rest of my life but dependent on the state of Texas, of course.  And I still have my part-time job, and I enjoy it.  There are so many things to look forward to.  A daughter having a baby, my son (hopefully) graduating from college, another daughter probably getting engaged soon.  And CRAFTS!  All the crafts! 

It's a great week in sports, too!  Our Houston Astros are going to the World Series for the 3rd time starting today!  And our Rockets season starts Thursday.  Go 'Stros!  Go Rockets!

I think I am going to take up sewing again. The only sewing I've done since high school is hand sewing, but I think I remember the basics.  I'll need a machine, and I want to stick to something basic.  I don't need 100 different stitches, embroidery, or a serger.  Any recommendations on an inexpensive, basic, yet sturdy machine?  Singer or Brother? 

And now...

Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis

Crazy Love by Leslie Morgan Steiner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a true story. Leslie had everything going for her.. a prestigious degree, intelligence, good work ethic, a job at Seventeen magazine, looks, and great friends. She met a man on the Subway, who later won her heart. Everything seemed perfect, until it wasn't. The day before Conor and Leslie were to be married, Conor hit her for the first time. They had argued before, and he had pushed her before but this time he went too far. Was the wedding called off? No. She went through with the wedding in spite of the feeling that it wasn't a great idea.

Conor, the insecure husband, took a new job in Connecticut meaning Leslie would have to quit her job and move out to a house far from her friends and family. Doesn't that always seem like the first step of an abuser? To remove them from having a support system in place. Over the years, Conor pushed her down a flight of stairs, threatened her with a gun, because jealous at the mention of any male other than himself that Leslie talked to, an ugly fights that often turned physical. Leslie couldn't leave him. She loved him so much, but will he end up killing her?

The writing of this book was mediocre. I felt like some parts dragged on too much. It does send a message about the motives for domestic violence, so that's good. I would have liked to hear what happened later on down the road.

View all my reviews

Random Tuesday

I'm linking up with Stacy.

It's been a while!  So much is going on.

First, the good stuff.
Las Vegas!  My husband and I went for four days - not our first time - but our first time to stay downtown.  We loved it!  We usually stay on the strip, but now that Tilman Fertita owns the Rockets, we decided to stay at the Golden Nugget.

  It has changed so much since I was in there last.  In a good way.  I had never been in the Plaza, so we stayed one night there.

We had an awesome view of Fremont Street from our room!  Plus, I found a slot machine that was pretty good to me.

We went to a show, played blackjack, bingo, slots.  DH played some poker.  The live music on Fremont was pretty good, too.  All in all, a super fun trip!

Second, one of our daughters got married... in Hawaii!  No, we didn't go.  They wanted to elope, and they did, and we couldn't be happier for them!  Aren't they adorable?

I had no idea there are 65 wedding PER DAY on Maui.  As they said, they just got Maui'd!

So happy for this gorgeous girl!

Not so good news - My mom is having a diagnostic flouroscopy today.  She will need to be lightly sedated, and she doesn't do well with sedation.  If you're a praying person, please add her to your list.

And now...

Here's a knock-knock joke for you:

Knock knock. Who’s there? Hawaii. Hawaii who? I’m fine, Hawaii you?

Not funny, right?  

My cat does this!

Have a great week!