First World Problem of the day

So here's my first world problem of the weekend....The Boy and The Girl didn't have school Friday, so Mr IM took the day off and they stayed overnight at a new Holiday Inn in the mountains we've been "meaning to check out".  I had to teach (and didn't want to write sub plans or get a dog kennel reservation) so I stayed here.  Here's where the problem comes in...I (foolishly) decided that this was a good time to start watching The Walking Dead series...ummm...oops.  It doesn't help that several years ago I had a reoccurring dream that my cat was a zombie--I think that was directly related to watching part of Pet Cemetery. I seriously freaked myself out last night and considered locking myself in the bathroom until Mr IM and the kids get home....seriously...and the "best part"?  I haven't even finished episode 1 yet...If you come over in the next few days, beware of the cans on strings and the pointy sticks...especially if you're a zombie...

A lot of birthdays

My birthday was a couple weeks ago and Mr IM's was last weekend.  Because our birthday are so close, we often have one big party of a series of small parties.  This year I was thinking...the Mr. and I have actually celebrated more birthdays with each other than we celebrated before we met...that's a crazy milestone that we somehow met without realizing it...

That adds up to 23 birthdays celebrated together....crazy...and ...I don't know if we get to count his birthday this year or not, since he spent it with The Boy at a relative's condo while I spent it with the Girl getting ready for a school dance... hmm.

Chicken and Rice Cassarole

In honor of Mr. IM's birthday tomorrow, here is one of his favorite childhood recipes, as made by his mother.  I usually take too many shortcuts and he says mine isn't as good as hers.

This is a good weeknight recipe, as long as some prep is done before.  I usually leave this for a weekend though and make several recipes worth at once to freeze (it freezes well). My shortcuts (that the Mr. objects to) are:  Use 4 chicken breasts, either baked in the oven or (gasp) in the microwave;  use canned mushrooms, use "regular" rice (cook it first, mix it all together)....I've even been known to use celery salt instead of celery.
Enjoy!

Alice has another new friend!

After the Alice and Liberty friendfest over winter break, one would think that Alice had enough friends for now...But look, it appears that our new neighbors have provided her with a friendemy...

Look closely..we'd say they were friends, but I think this new kitty is trying to eat Alice's little bird friends...

Oh, pretty kitty...we hope your family takes you in at night....The (Sub)Urban Ranch has more wildlife than we'd like to admit sometimes...

Bear Goes After Dog Food

Mountain Lion Visits Castle Rock Neighborhood

Coyotes Prowl Castle Rock Neighborhoods

A Post about The Girl

Recently The Girl began a not so silent protest that there "aren't enough posts about" her.  This probably stems from the fact that she rarely says things like the Boyisms that so often are heard at our house.  (I think that is probably something to be proud of, for the most part.....just sayin...)
Since she also complains when I post anything about her on Facebook without clearing it first, this should be interesting.
So she appeared over my should while I was writing the first part and announced that I am now writing about her room.  She took my phone, took some pictures and emailed them to me.  Sooo...here you go..

Newly organized closet

Top of dresser--see her reflection in the mirror? Photos on left are of volleyball team and she and her friend E when they were 4.

New jewelry box from Grandma and Grandpa--notice "faculty" ID from my school in basket

View from the door

Another view, including stuffed "Indy" dog

Under the loft--comfy chairs (and stereo that needs to be set up)

lotion, hand sanitizer, nail polish and other pretty things....

The lace kitties were a birthday present to me when I was in middle school...making them...old?

Relaxing after the photo shoot...

2014 Reading overview

Drum Roll, please...the total number of books read by me in 2014 was.....98.  Although I'm still not sure I should count those two from December, they were really dumb...But I did read Unbroken, so that should count for several, right?  I'm trying to get better at linking my entries, I've been trying to think of the name of a book all morning, and can't, so I'm hoping that by linking entries I can follow my own train of thought...or not.  Here's what I thought about books last year at this time:
2013 Review
And here are my 2014 monthly reviews:
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

What I'm sure you all really want to know though is what are my top ten for this year....Well, here they are, in no particular order:
1.  Thrift Store Saints by Jane Knuth.  My mom recommended I read this book--I really enjoyed it.  Jane Knuth describes how she "accidentally" started working at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift store many years ago and what she has learned.  My mother-in-law is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul society and my mom works at a thrift store.  I had to order it from inter-library loan (or buy it for $10 on Kindle...I opted for free, but may still buy it--it was that good).  The book made me think about how sometimes "we" start a mission opportunity thinking about "all the good" we will do, when in reality, we are gaining more than our intended beneficiaries.  Anyway, good book, quick read...and there is a sequel!
2. Superior Justice by Tom Hilpert--A classic case of picking up something, thinking it was going to be "ok", and loving it.  This (also) was free on Amazon a few weeks ago and I thought it was set in the UP of Michigan.  Turns out it is set in Minnesota, but was delightful.  There is a (small) series of three books, all focused on a small town minister who just happens to solve mysteries.  I've actually read the first and the third...the last time I looked Amazon wanted $9 for the 2nd, so I passed, but when they show up at the library, I'm in!
3. Left to Tell:  Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza--This was recommended by one of my co-teacher's daughters who has spent a lot of time in the Rwanda, first in the Peace Corps and now as part of an internship.  Heather has a blog, I Kunda You: Life and Love Continue, if you would like to follow her adventures now that she is back in the US.  The book was very interesting--many of us have seen Hotel Rwanda, and Sometimes in April was standard viewing for our geography classes a few years ago, but both of those stories minimize the faith based portion of some people's experiences.  It reminded me a lot of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, which I haven't read in years, but would like to read again now.  Left to Tell is a memoir/biography of Immaculee Ilibagiza, telling her amazing story of survival and walk with God before, during, and after the Rwandan Holocaust.  I believe there is a sequel, which I may look for later, describing her life since she left Rewanda.
4. Carry On Warrior (Glennon Doyle Melton)  Best book I've read in a while.  Glennon writes about her life as a mom.  Many of the chapters were originally on Momastery.com, and there are a few new ones.  Although I don't agree with everything she says, she is a good writer and gave me a lot to think about.  The story behind the title will probably make every parent who has ever witnessed a child melt down in a public place smile.
5. South of Broad (Pat Conroy) My book club read this for August, so I thought maybe for something new I'd actually read the "assigned" book.  I enjoyed the book--you can read the summary on Amazon. It is set in the south and follows a group of friends from the 60's through now.  I never think I'll enjoy Conroy books, because they look so long, and then I always do enjoy them.  Before I knew who he was, I "met" Conroy in Beaufort, South Carolina--we were there for a wedding and my toddler (at the time) daughter wanted to pet his beautiful dogs.  He was very nice and let her, then when he walked away someone with us said, "Do you know who that was???!!!"
6. Monuments Men by Robert Edsel...468 pages.  Bears little resemblance to the film, which was also good, by the way.  The book was well written, entertaining and informative...A "nice" World War II piece, with some art history, biography, geography thrown in.  I kept putting off reading it, afraid it would be dry and it keep me engaged.  Lots of characters though--there is a "guide" in the beginning of the copy I read so I could keep people straight.
7. The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowlings)...455 pages.  I think Rowlings' mistake with her first post-Harry Potter book was that it wasn't a mystery, it was just a novel and the characters didn't do anything interesting...they just cursed and cheated on each other...I have to admit I never finished it.  I found out about Cuckoo's Calling, the first book in this series, (written under the name "Robert Galbraith") kind of by accident and ordered it from the library...Both Cuckoo and Silkworm are mysteries (as Harry Potter really is) and both are wonderful.  There is more "language" than in Harry, of course, and more gore..but good books.  The main character is an English Afghan War veteran who owns a private detective firm.  His secretary is awesome (she is my favorite character!) and many of the main and secondary characters have complicated personal lives that add to the story.  I really hope she continues with this series!
8. The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness...564 pages..The first book in this three book series was recommended to me by a friend and I tore through both it and the 2nd book...but there was a gap of about two years between book 2 and 3...so when I saw this one was coming out I read the "free sample" from Amazon right away...and was so confused I didn't buy it.  This series has a ton of characters, who all have complicated back stories...finally, I ordered the book from the library and, surprise, the book doesn't start where the sample did...it has some back story (whew!) so I could get my bearings, so to speak, and jump back into the story.  Once I figured out what was going on I didn't want to put the book down--loved it and it ended the series nicely...while possibly leaving the door open for more books or another linked series.
9. Moon Over Manifest (Clare Vanderpool) This is the first Newberry Award winner written in the last 15 years that I really enjoyed.  The Girl is going to read it with her class later this school year and we listened to it in the car.  The kids and I loved it.  The main character is a 12ish year old girl who is sent to live with family friends while her dad looks for work during the Depression.  Lots of interesting characters, good story, nice resolution.
10.Close Your Eyes and Hold Hands (Chris Bohjalian)--Don't ask me to pronounce his last name....I've read other books by Bohjalian and some were great (Sand Castle Girls) and others were just, um, weird. This one was about a teenage girl and a nuclear reactor meltdown in Vermont.  I noticed it while walking through the library and picked it up--very good read--horrifying on several levels, but very good.  Not scary like a vampire book, just "oh, my, some of these things really happen and what if others did?".  Worth the read.

This morning I ran across a blog entry at "We Are That Family" listing books to read with your family--it has suggestions from board books, picture books, read togethers, teen readers, and books for parents/spouses.  There are some books I want to check out--definately worth a quick look if you have a minute.

Also, a high school friend posted her top ten on Facebook this morning--some I've read and some I'm adding to my 2015 "to read list"--hope you find something on one of our lists to read!
M's list...with my notes :)

The 10 best books I read in 2014 {M's total for 2014 was 62}:

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton---haven't read it, it's now on my list!
Gone Girls by Gillian Flynn-read it in 2013 I think--great book!
I Love You, Miss Huddleston by Philip Gulley-haven't read it, it's now on my list!
Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring-haven't read it, it's now on my list!
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson-read it several years ago, good book!
Wonder by R.J Palacio-I keep saying I'm going to read it, maybe this year!
Divergent by Veronica Roth-read it, loved it...still irritated about the ending of book 3, but getting less irritated as time goes by...
I am Scout by Charles Shields-haven't read it, it's now on my list!
Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks-haven't read it, it's now on my list!
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers-I think I read most of it--it wasn't as engaging as the movie, but was interesting.

In other news I figured out the name of the book I was trying to figure out--The Double Bind by Chris Bojalian.  I think I read it in 2012 or 2013 so it doesn't make this year's "best of" list, but should receive an honorable mention as an all-time favorite.  

Happy Reading!

Random thoughts on my birthday (Version 39.5)

First of all, thanks everyone who sent notes, posted on Facebook, sent cards, found cake at work and shared it, listened to my tales of birthdays past.....so far it has been a great day!

The kids and I stopped for Jimmy John's on the way home...I was very unmotivated to cook and the leftover situation is sparse at best.  "We" have music lessons tonight so the rumor is that we are going out for a real dinner tomorrow (Yay!  Two nights with no cooking and no dishes?  Now, that's a birthday present!).   I've spent the afternoon saying to The Boy, "DON'T tell me what you got me...you only have to wait until Dad gets home!  SERIOUSLY!!! Loose lips sink ships!! Unless you got me a couch...did you get me a couch?  If you got me a couch I need to move the old couch!"

I've smiled all day as I read your messages and looked at pictures and remembered birthdays many of you have spent with me.  My secretary and I had a giggle over how I received a birthday message from someone I had a crush on when I was in middle school...giggle.  I think I've also convinced my friend, S, to bake (and decorate) a cake for me the next time I see her (yes!  she made our wedding cake---best cake ever!)

And the icing on the cake (so to speak) is that The  Girl was accepted to her first choice of high schools for next year...ah...very good!

Yay!  Thanks, everyone!