Nothing is lost in the waiting process because waiting is a growth process. (Ann Voskamp)
No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow. (Proverb)
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known. (Sharon Begley)
Day 49/365
That title seems clunky. Anyone else have trouble with blog post titles? Or is it just me? Maybe I should stick to the basics like the name of this category: Books and TV Shows. Anyway, I thought a long holiday weekend (Monday is President’s Day) might be a good time to share what I’ve been reading and watching lately.
I recently read two very good books right in a row! They were very different types of books though both extremely well-written. Made the book I read after them both stand out for its glaring mediocrity.
The first book, I somehow had mistakenly thought was going to be a comedic book. It was not. AT ALL. This was the heartbreaking memoir of the actress who played Sam on the show, iCarly. G used to watch that show when he was in middle school, I think.
Sometimes when I read memoirs, I question the claims of the author. She wrote this in a way that I didn’t do that. What I did question was how so many adults could fail her. Basically this is a story of child abuse. She spends so much time trying to please her mentally unstable mother that she loses herself, to a career she never wanted, to eating disorders (her mother basically teaches her to be anorexic!), and the wrong relationships. There are adults in this book who notice but then, seem to do nothing. It is truly heartbreaking but not without hope as by the end of the book she’s beginning to find her voice and her calling as a (clearly very talented) writer. Worth your time.
I’ve been a fan of Celeste Ng since first reading Little Fires Everywhere. By the way, I never could make it through the Hulu series despite loving the book. Not sure why. Her newest book, does not move at a fast pace. Honestly, the beginning is a bit slow, considering this is a Dystopian novel of sorts. In this story, a law passed by congress after a “crisis” makes it possible to remove children from parents who are suspected of working against the government.
It focuses on a young Asian boy and the disappearance of his mother after her poem is used in several protests. Is his mother a traitor? The law in the book is used and abused to discriminate again mostly Asian families. It’s hard to give a proper plot summary without spoilers but while the book could feel a bit political yet doesn’t, it seems a lot more chillingly possible than the likes of something like The Hunger Games. Even the ending felt realistic to me. If you are looking for a work of fiction that makes you think with well-developed characters, this is it. Each character made me consider how I would want to react to things vs. how I would actually react to the things happening in the book.
I do suggest having a good light romantic comedy or something funny lined up as your next read as both the books I mentioned here were pretty intense. I just finished Smells of Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman (#4 in a series) which while not her best had just enough sarcasm and snark to balance out some of the heaviness of my last few reads.
Or just plan to move on and watch some TV instead.
Did you know the Amazon fire stick doesn’t work if it’s super outdated? We had to get a new one! Annoying but at least now we have special buttons to go right to Netflix or Disney.
My oldest is happy because I finally started watching You over on Netflix. Somebody, please tell me why I am cheering for a psychopath stalker over here? What is wrong with me?
Still watching the one episode a week of the David Tennant era of Doctor Who.
And I started casually re-watching my favorite show of all time, Fringe over on HBO Max.
The Masked Singer is back! So excited to be watching that one again. That said, I do wish they’d go back to the format where they only did one unmasking a show. I’m kind of over the whole battle royale set-up of it all.
I also enjoy Next Level Kitchen though I missed most of the season premiere of it for some reason.
Things I don’t go out of my way to watch but will sit and watch if they happen to be on when I have time to watch: Just Call Me Kat, The Rookie: Feds, Whose Line Is It Anyway, the new Night Court one. Random PBS documentaries.
If my husband has the remote, he’s usually watching either Forged in Fire, Pawn Stars, Swamp People, the Tree Logging one (that one really annoys me!), or one of the bazillion seasons of Top Chef. And I’m reading one of my books.
What are you reading and/or watching lately?
day 48/365
This is a bit of an overdue post on my Galentine’s Day dinner as well as our Valentine’s day. Wanted to share before the details faded any more from my mind. I’m going to work backwards and start with my Valentine’s Day. I’ll have a lot more to say about Galentine’s Day.
This was a work day for me and a pretty low key day. Our work party (for the preschool kids) was fun though the weather wasn’t cooperative. They keep this holiday very simple at my work. The kids decorate paper lunch bags with stickers, have an ice cream party, and then exchange Valentines. It was tiring entertaining hyped up on sugar kids with no outside option but the kids had fun.
At home, we were very low-key. I’d started losing my voice on Monday night and working all day Tuesday didn’t improve things. We planned to order in from our favorite Chinese restaurant but they were closed for Valentine’s Day! So we made do with Hawaiian Bros which was very good and probably a little (a lot) cheaper than the Chinese restaurant. I just gave all the boys a package of Kit Kats and my husband a card. He gave me flowers and a card. The kids just gave me a card (which they actually forgot to give me until last night). It was a nice, relaxing night. Much needed since I worked the next day as well.
This happened last week but today is the first day I’ve had time to share about it. We all met for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza. And we all exchanged “tokens of love and friendship” which stressed me a bit trying to figure that one out.
I opted to go simple by filling a gift bag with a few meaningful small gifts. Homemade chocolate chip cookies to start.
And, since the price of eggs lately is so high lately, I did this:
Not the best photos here. I took plastic Easter eggs, filled them with Hershey’s Kisses (strongly recommend the Lava Cake flavor if you can find it!), and added Fortune cookie sized strips of paper with the words “our friendship is priceless” printed on them.
Finally, I added small flower rockets and small Valentine’s day cards where I wrote “may our friendship continue to grow” as my message. I also gave everyone a heart necklace from the Dollar Tree just for fun (and wore one myself).
Such wonderful, thoughtful, and fun gifts! A new plant, a homemade bracelet, a beautiful scarf, more flower seeds to plant, and of course, candy!
It all worked out great in the end. I’m very blessed to have so many wonderful friendships in my life. The Galentine’s Day dinner was with a group of my mom friends. We’ve been friends for over 20 years now as we met through our local Mom’s Club. We were actually the founding members of the group in this area.
Shall I just confess to you all that I’m a mess? See my lovely dinner pictured above? It was delicious by the way! And the Cosmopolitan drink back there? (Also delicious) I managed to spill my first one all over the table before our food even arrived!
Side note here: While the food was very good indeed, let me just say we were all a bit startled by our bills (drink prices mostly). Cheesecake Factory is definitely a special occasion location. Or maybe a lunch date place.
Then, at home, I look in the mirror and I have a red “rash” all over my neck. Start panicking thinking I’m having an allergic reaction to the drinks or something in the food. Until, I realize my allergic reaction is wiping off on my hands. Cheap plastic Dollar Tree necklace turned my neck red from the beads. SIGH. I know for sure it was the necklace because I wore it again on Valentine’s Day and had the same issue.
This was the first time we’ve ever had a Galentine’s Day celebration. Imagine it won’t be the last.
Have you ever celebrated Galentine’s Day? How was your Valentine’s Day and/or Galentine’s Day if you celebrated it?
Day 47/365
This is just a quick post. I had another unexpected day of work. This is a day I’d normally skip posting. Too tired to think. However, I wanted to do a quick check-in for the Blog 365 goal. No pictures to share from my day. Time for me to read my book or spend some time with Netflix. Still need to do the post on what I’m reading and watching as well. So many posts in my mind. So little time to sit at the computer.
day 46/365
Have you ever seen red snow? Me either. However, it’s what they call it when the hometown football team wins the Super Bowl and they cancel almost all the schools so parents/kids/staff can attend the victory parade.
Note, I said almost all schools. Most of the public schools closed for today. However, no red snow at my work where I’ll be today. Hoping we might find a way to watch the parade but if not, that’s okay as well.
While we aren’t really getting red snow (unless it’s in the form of confetti), we are under a winter weather advisory starting at 9PM tonight. Right now though it’s pretty mild for February around here, 38 degrees and cloudy.
Hopefully, I’ll be spending part of this winter Wednesday outside with the preschool kids before the weather moves into our area. (I know it says 9PM tonight but they don’t always get the timing of things right around here)
Is it odd that I don’t have spring fever any more? And wouldn’t mind just a touch of winter weather? I thought it was so strange yesterday driving through the park how it still looks like fall and not winter even now near the end of the season. (32 days if you’re counting down to spring)
Yesterday, I lost my voice, it’s still pretty scratchy and I’m pretty tired today. Looking forward to the end of the day when I can come home and relax for a few days at least.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to share posts that are bit more polished the next few days as well. And of course, visit all of you. Trying to sneak a few visits in the this morning but I do need to watch my time!
What are you doing on this winter Wednesday?
Day 45/365
Just a quick check in post to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! In a very few short minutes, I’m off to work. It’s a rainy day here in KC, so wish all the preschool and elementary teachers doing Valentine’s Day parties luck today.
Didn’t have to buy myself flowers this morning. (Ha, if you know the song I just referenced, tell me how often do you hear on the radio? I like it but the station seems to play it all the time.)
And yes, those are marshmallow peeps in the bottom left corner, that’s my husband’s purchase and not part of my Valentine. I told him it was way too early.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday!
(Probably won’t have much of a chance to visit all your wonderful blogs until tomorrow evening)
day 44/365
You knew I had to do that, right? And it was a good game as well.
Okay, now it’s time to quickly join in with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom for the Happy Homemaker Monday link up. I’ve only got about 35 minutes before I need to leave for work so this is going to be a quick one. (Let me apologize in advance for the lack of pictures in this post.)
Nice today, highs in the upper 50’s. WooHoo, preschool kids get to go OUTSIDE. Rain all day tomorrow. High 40’s for Chiefs Victory parade day and then, I think it turns a bit cooler for the rest of the week.
Blue skies and sunshine, going to be a beautiful day.
This post, then work, followed by J’s baritone lesson. Grocery store afterward.
J’s still struggling a bit with getting to school and I’m at the point where I’m just done. I know that sounds awful but I’m so tired of not knowing every morning what’s going to happen. And it just seems like every time I get my hopes up that things are going better, we have a slip. Can I please cut in line to have my breakdown now?
Just the lamp and a phone charger but you don’t want to see my dresser!
Chiefs coverage mostly. Earlier yesterday, I did watch the first episode of You. I’m hooked.
I started the dishwasher before running down here so I can hear it running upstairs.
No idea what’s for lunch at work but I’m taking a PBJ with me today.
I need to go to the store and I work until 5. They’re going to have to fend for themselves. Honestly, I’m thinking about getting an “87” concrete (special ice cream flavor from a local place) and calling it dinner
This category is such a mess after we’ve been eating out so much and all having different things.
MONDAY: On Their Own *I work 8:30-5* *J has a baritone lesson at 6:30*
TUESDAY: Maybe roast in the crockpot? *I work 8:30-4:15* OH, I just remembered it’s Valentine’s Day. Maybe OUT. Chocolate pie for dessert. I don’t know.
WEDNESDAY: Roast in the crockpot? *I might work 8:30-5 depending on whether or not school closes for the Chiefs parade, I imagine I’ll be working*
THURSDAY: A day to breathe! Maybe pepper steak that I keep putting on the menu and then, not making.
FRIDAY: No school for J (officially)…maybe spicy potato soup and homemade bread?
All of the above is subject to change and probably will change.
Between books again. Probably going to share about a couple I read in a different post. Yesterday I finished up All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers. It was ok, not the best. Of course, in fairness, the two books I read prior were excellent so it made the mediocracy a bit more apparent.
Work, Valentine’s Day, Watch the Chiefs parade if I’m home, maybe relax at some point?
Hanging out with friends
Looks like we had a Super Bowl party here instead of going to one.
Hoping I do better with this category next week. Here’s a phone pic I snapped this morning of my holiday cactus. Looks like more blooms in the future! 
Friends, family, strangers. The people of Turkey and Syria.
I’m not even going to apologize for this one 😉
day 43/365
New week. Chiefsmas is the unofficial name of the day in Kansas City. Hoping for a win in the big game!
Still need to take time, however, to post for the Blog 365 challenge. I’m finding my Sunday posts falling into a bit of a pattern where I simply share a few photos and quotes on a topic. Love is the word for the day with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
(Photos are combination of new and old ones)
Look here and here for my bible verses on love (and in the bible!). Find other great quotes about love here and on Pinterest.
day 42/365
Well, I think perhaps I might know the cause of my headache yesterday. I needed sleep apparently. So rare for me but I slept until 8AM this morning! And I went to bed before 9PM last night.
I’m still moving slow but I don’t feel bad and my headache is gone. So glad, I was a bit concerned I was possibly coming down with something. A teacher at work was out last week as her young son had the flu.
I’ve decided to just spend the day relaxing and catching up on a few things. Paying some bills. Cleaning the house a little. Maybe watching a little tv. Washing my “hang to dry” clothes. Included in that load, my Chiefs gear for tomorrow. And of course, visiting my blogging friends!
Let’s just do a week in review post for today as somehow, though it was filled with fun things, last week felt like climbing a mountain!
Monday is honestly a blur. I know I worked in the afternoon for a very short amount of time. Just long enough for a teacher to go and take care of some paperwork. Remember taking J to his baritone lesson and trying to place the piano piece we heard while leaving. His instructor’s wife is a piano teacher and gives piano lessons upstairs while her husband gives brass lessons downstairs. So frustrated as I couldn’t place it yet knew it was Beethoven. So simple, why didn’t I remember the title of the piece: Fur Elise. Well, I guess college music appreciation wasn’t a total fail as I did get the composer right at least.
Tuesday was a fun although busy day with our first annual Galentine’s Day Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza. I spent most the day running around trying to figure out the gifts for small tokens of love and friendship. A whole post about the day and our dinner coming soon.
I planned to spend all day Wednesday focusing on my husband’s birthday. Making his cake. Cleaning the house. However, a very early phone call from a teacher led to me working part of the morning. Still spent the day doing those things just not as much time on either of them. Out to dinner at a local steakhouse, joined by my brother-in-law and his wife. They declined coming back to the house for cake at the last minute. I think they didn’t want to stay out later in the rainy weather. It was okay though I was a bit disappointed they didn’t join us for cake.
A late evening text changed my work hours on Thursday from starting at noon to starting at 9:30. And still staying until 6. We awoke to that crazy snowfall. The snow was so heavy as I cleaned off my car. Great snowman weather but by the time I left work, almost all gone! Actually, almost all gone by 2PM. Work was a bit crazy and tiring but not awful. The day had started too early, first with the gray alarm cat waking me at 4AM, only to be woke once again with the no school phone call from the public school at 5.
Yesterday I worked a full day in the class I typically work in most often. The class I started this year working in for a full week. I am in there again on Monday, working for a teacher lucky enough to go to the Super bowl this weekend. Very excited for her!
It was share day and the letter “e” sound as in elephants and eggs. First kid presents his share item and we are stumped. Tiny Minecraft figurines. Huh? In frustration, he blurts out “they’re effigies!” Okay, then. “A sculpture or model of a person.” (Google dictionary). We all learned a new word. Always interesting. After that, the items were more typical: eggs, elephants, an “empty” box…
The rest of the day was fine although I did find myself with a bit of a bad headache as the afternoon wore on (suffice it to say a preschool classroom is not an ideal setting for that). Came home, everyone did their own thing for dinner, and then, I went to bed early.
As I said earlier in my post, I’m just planning to have a slow, relaxing Saturday catching up on things before the big game tomorrow. And just one last random photo. I’ve been trying to capture a decent shot of my hyacinths with the “real” camera on and off all week but the phone camera did the job: 
How was your week? How are you spending your Saturday?
day 41/365
I came home from work with a hellacious headache. Not a bad day at all. Just a headache. I skipped the school lunch so it could be from that. A Luna bar and apple being not quite enough to get through the day. Or my hair still being damp when I put it in a ponytail. Either way, this is just going to be enough of a post to stick to the Blog 365 goal.
Here are a few phone photos from the park where I stopped for a minute on the way to work yesterday. The roads weren’t bad by the time I went to work. I had allowed myself too much time and didn’t really want to be there super early so I stopped at the park for a moment.
day 40/365