Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - April 27, 2025: April Showers

Wow. The high school thespian troupe finished their run of Chicago: Teen Edition last night. There are vases of fresh flowers around our house (and one wooden rose bouquet) that represent at least seven different different gifts/presentations to our daughter from people who appreciated her and her performance. Wow. And over the course of the same three show days, she got a callback to possibly deliver a speech at graduation (our school doesn't have a valedictorian give a speech), found out about a list of awards for her broadcasting class, and had to send in her video auditions for her fall shows at college next school year. It's a lot.

But I love to check in, especially with the regulars on Sunday Salon with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Sunday Post with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer. When I'm completely peopled out and want to chill, virtually visiting with these peeps is the best. I read the good and the bad - people like me, and people different - and I'm less alone. Thanks to you all, for being there, even while you're probably doing something else ;)

What I'm reading this week:

While I haven't yet written the reviews for the two books I was reading last week, I'm on to two new ones anyway. Those reviews actually might stand a chance after our family fun today (TopGolf!). In print I'm reading Karma Never Sleeps by R. John Dingle (an exciting plot labeled the first 'Gus Wheeler FBI Thriller,' which published a couple weeks ago), and my kindle is queued up to January Thaw by Jess Lourey (super fun book #9 in the Murder by Month Romcom Mystery series - an easy yet compelling read that I've been able to get a few chapters read of each day, even when I think I'm too tired).

Three Good Things:

1. I get to chaperone my last high school field trip with our daughter on Tuesday. Her photography class is going to the zoo! My boss is super cool, and approved my annual eight hours of 'volunteer time off' with less than a week's notice. Sure to be a fun time, even if it is supposed to be hotter than 80 degrees F, and patchy thunderstorms.
2. I started getting my nails professionally done again! It's been literally years, but last month I got a full gel set, and last week I even got them filled. Definitely planning to keep them up again. For just $100/month or so, it's nice to see my hands and like how they look ;) I had polished them my self for a long time, but it was starting to feel like another responsibility and schedule commitment. While getting them done also takes a couple hours a month, I can just sit there, instead of being so careful for a whole evening. LOL
3. 
   I found the bunny Lego set I wanted for our son for easter. I got both the kids different sets for their easter baskets, but I still wanted the 3-in-1 that people were using to make this hilarious facehugger thing (no, really - check out this reel). Hubs and I were at Meijer yesterday getting concessions, and I took a short cut through the Lego section (just kidding, not a short cut, but LEGO), and there it was!
   

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. You already know the senior year list is long and being worked on all the time. Next up are a couple broadcasting events to attend, and they 'don't mind' if you bring snacks for the group. LOL So probably making and bringing more chicken dip in the crock pot, since it's their favorite.
2. The office, always the office. Hahahaha...
3. I'm really hoping to get some work done on the outside of the house. The wood trim around our windows is dead, and our son said he heard birds in his wall :O. That? Sounds bad. Anyway, a contractor who was recommended by a neighbor for having done the same work on their house came to look at ours a couple weeks ago, then ghosted us. I scheduled another company to come out tomorrow and bid on the job. So far, they're way above the first one in professionalism. It will probably cost more, but actually get done. Fingers crossed!

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - April 20, 2025: Hoppy Easter!

Hoppy Easter indeed! We're not church people, so what I'm feeling today is not necessarily redemption, but another major kid holiday conquered. And trying not to think about the fact that this is likely our last Easter with both kids at home. Next year our oldest will probably be at college, 6 1/2 hours away. But it's fine, we're fine, EVERYTHING is fine.

Getting an early jump to join Caffeinated Reviewer for Sunday Post, and Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon. As befits a major American holiday, the kids (well, kid, since the older one is working to make time-and-a-half toward her upcoming expenses) will be visiting my inlaws for brunch, then heading over to my parents' house for an early dinner. Early, because I still need to get up a lil after 4am for work on Monday. I remember when we first got married, I said I'd rather host holidays than drag kids around. But apparently that's a discussion I lost. Now the kids are big enough that I have no effs to give. Off we go again, right? At least no one thinks I'm a decent enough cook to bring anything. LOL Wine it is!

What I'm reading this week:

Wow - it's been a couple weeks, eh? I'm about halfway through with Zarna Garg's This American Woman on my kindle. It's an amusing memoir by an Indian-American comedian. Her voice is super engaging, and I'm enjoying her story. I'm also pretty close to finishing The Ghostwing's Lie by Rebecca Mix in print. I LOVE this series! This is the second, after The Mossheart's Promise. They're about fairies who first live in a terrarium, then escape to build a new life, free of mold ;)

Three Good Things:

1. I got all my time off (so far) approved! Whoo-wee... this senior year stuff is no joke. With hubs traveling so much, I got time off to help out or support for prom, graduation, broadcasting class celebration, spring musical performances, and broadcasting last anchor day (just kidding - still waiting for that date, but I'll be there, and so will her little brother, who is taller than her...). Love celebrating my kids. I made that!!!
2. The weather is finally warming up! 'Course, this is the in-between, so I'm keeping the sinus meds  handy, but the end is worth the struggles in between.
3. Chicago - Teen Edition!! Our daughter's last high school musical is this upcoming weekend. She's Mary Sunshine, as well as dancing in several other numbers, and twirling her baton during Razzle Dazzle. I cannot wait to see the show!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. I've started working on the icky mold on our bathroom ceiling, but it's a process. It is already looking a lot better, but I need to spray vinegar on the stains to kill the mold, then a few hours later I go back to scrub the spots. It's working, but my hubs is pretty sensitive to smells, so I'll wait til he leaves town again to go another round...
2. I called and met with a home improvement company about the rotted wood trim on our windows, but they never got back with a quote. So I need to start over again on that. I'd love to have it all looking better before we host our daughter's graduation party in a couple months, so I decided to just charge it. LOL I should have known the real challenge will be hiring someone in time to do the work.
3. Start counted cross-stitching again. I've got the fabulous organizer from my mom, and a kit already started. I'm feeling a little closer to getting at it again....

Shows You Don't Want to Miss! - April 2025 - Oakland County, MI

I know sometimes people 'save the best for last,' but this first show is my very favorite, with my daughter's local troupe :) Check out Chicago - Teen Edition. You will love it!! (then I tried to keep them in order of first dates after that)

Chicago - Teen Edition
April 24 - 26
Lake Orion High School
Reserved seating tickets here, or tickets at the door.

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - April 6, 2025: Will Spring...Spring?

It's starting to look prettier, while still being cold (my phone currently says it's 33° C, which, quite frankly, is some bullshit, excusemyFrench). My dresses and heels really want to be worn! But I'll stay comfy in jeans and hoodies until it warms up.

I admittedly have a couple posts I've been meaning to write, but nothing has happened at my computer since last Sunday. Maybe this will be the week - I'll add it to my goals ;) 

Welcome back to Sunday Salon (with Deb at Readerbuzz), and Sunday Post (with Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer). I'm wondering how long they've been doing this, and how many times I've posted along, since it seems to be my most consistent post of late (and 'of late' seems to run quite a while at this point...). They host a great group of bloggers around the world, and there are lots of other fun posts to read! Check some out, or feel free to join in!

What I'm reading this week:

I just started At the Island's Edge by C.I. Jerez a couple nights ago (on my kindle). It's a story about a war veteran, trying to get on with her life after all the trauma she brings home after her service. So far, I'm enjoying it. In print, I'll be finishing up The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill any day now. Love, love, love!!

Three Good Things:

1. Hubs is home this weekend! Because he works with a professional car racing circuit, he is home maybe one weekend per month between now and fall. But it is definitely a fun job for him. He'll miss us, but I daresay there's nothing better to distract him in all the time he's gone. For the weekend home, he and I went out for dinner last night, and today we're taking the kids to see A Minecraft Movie, then meeting family for dinner. 
2. Our son is running track again this year. When I got home from work last Monday, he met me at the door to tell me it was the first day of track practice. Wut??!!? I totally had not noticed it in the school newsletters. Luckily it's the sort of activity that missing the first few days won't ruin for him. We hurried to get his sports physical done, and he made it to practice yesterday. Whew!
3. I've got new ideas for next year's theatre boosters! I'm not saying it all, til after I talk to some people tomorrow, but I've been on the executive board with our theatre boosters for a few years now. I was originally taking next year off (while I won't have any kids at the high school, which is the troupe our boosters primarily support). But then I had a brainstorm. I can't decide if most people love or hate my brainstorms, but they're honestly usually pretty good ideas! I'm excited, and hoping tomorrow goes well, and I can get some other people excited too :)

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. I nEeD to write my post reviewing Little Women (the book - 5 stars), and a monthly post with all the local-ish theatre events! Our high school is doing Chicago - Teen Edition at the end of April, another high school is doing Clue - Teen Edition, I just saw 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at a local community theatre (and it's still running next weekend), and next weekend is one of our middle school's production of Spongebob - The Musical! So many great shows happening - I love to try and get the word out.
2. I'm half-way done with my Hei Hei (the crazy chicken from Moana) Lego set! I want to finish that and probably take it in to work. He makes me smile.
3. We need to design and order the party/open house invites for our daughter's graduation party! We posted it to Facebook, but I'm old fashioned and really want to mail invites too. I'm using Simply to Impress, where I also got our holiday cards. Usually, once our daughter and I are home at the same time, we're burned out and exhausted. I think today is the day we'll get this done (and never mind that I then need to address and mail them!). 

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - March 30, 2025: Yay for Spring Break!

This has been our school district's spring break week! Last Sunday we drove our daughter to the airport, where she flew to join hubs at the end of his work trip in California. Then they visited Disneyland and Six Flags California Adventure, before driving the Pacific Coast Highway in their rented Corvette convertible to visit friends and San Francisco!

Michigan weather was much less cooperative, but after working Monday and Tuesday, I took the rest of the week off for fun plans with our son. Check out my Five Things for Friday post about our trips to iFly for indoor skydiving and Top Golf. After posting, he and I had a great time at the Pistons game for Pride Night (it was just a coincidence, but there were lots of extra activities and fun giveaways!). The Pistons won in a close and exciting game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now I've got the better part of my last day of break to clean up the house, stock up on some groceries, finish up the laundry so the machines will be available, and post with the Caffeinated Reviewer for Sunday Post and Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon before hubs and our daughter get home from California. All in all, a fabulous spring break!

What I'm reading this week:

I just started See How They Fall by Rachel Parris on my kindle, and it's a real page-turner! The viewpoints alternate between a sick child's mother (with a past that makes her an unreliable narrator - my favorite!) and a detective investigating the death of the child's aunt, and the poisoning that has left the child critically ill.

In print, I'm finishing up The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. I love this charming book about a witch, a magical girl, a tiny dragon, a swamp monster and a sad village so much!!

Three Good Things:

1. So many good things to choose from after such a fun week! I was so happy that a friend visited yesterday. We technically work together, but she's on a different team, and our team's desks were moved a couple months ago. Between the actual distance and my busy-ness all day, we haven't caught up lately. It was so nice to visit for a couple hours, and we also made some more plans in a couple months :)
2. I finished my Disney Villains Lego set! This one was so much fun! There are hidden compartments for the villain mini-figures, a fancy moving spot on the VHS tape to see Little Mermaid scenes, and even the rose in the glass case from Beauty and the Beast. I'm starting Hei Hei next, I think.
3. My mom made me the most ah-mazing carrying case to get started on cross-stitch again, and even a new kit! There's lots of zipper pockets and vinyl pockets to see what you're grabbing next. Now for me to buckle down and get started. I have the kit mom got me (it says 'I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong), and owl kit I started a while ago, and a huge grandfather poem that I started when I was a teen...

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. This will be an overtime week again, I think. Which is good for the pocketbook, anyway. I believe I start training another new team member a week or two after this. If he spends some time with company trainers, it will be two weeks, but all of the in-office trainers have quit since our last new team member, so I'm really not sure how all this will work anymore. Ha.
2. I suppose this one is half mine, but I need to start listing chores for our son to do this summer. Part of the summer stuff will just be his job, since he won't have school during the day, but I may offer cash to make time for some before then. I'm excited to have the house in good shape before the graduation party we're hosting here for our daughter, even though the party will only be outside.
3. Perpetually on the list - still working on this blasted home office. It is getting better, a little at a time. I would also like to move some of my finished Lego sets in here....

 

Five Things for Friday - March 28, 2025

1. It's spring break for our school district! Our daughter flew to CA to meet up with hubs last weekend, and they've having super adventures til they fly back together this weekend. I worked Monday and Tuesday, but then took Wednesday, Thursday and today off work (and I'm not working tomorrow either) to have fun with our son. A headache yesterday kept things a lil more lowkey, but we're otherwise having a great time.
2. Wednesday we went to iFly!! Would highly recommend. The regular price for one person to have two flights is $84.99, but there's a deal during specific business hours for $69.99. While flights are actually just a minute each, with the prep and training, a two-flight visit takes about an hour. You're with a group of other flyers, and the first flight is meant to familiarize you with technique and such. If you pay for a high flight, your second flight is up to the top of the room, where your instructor flies with you to help control. Our instructor, AJ was GREAT, and according to Yelp reviews, most other people had high praise for their instructors as well. 
3. Yesterday we went out to a great local place for breakfast, then tried to check out a new local pinball place (online and their door said they opened at noon, but everything was still locked up). After I took a lil nap, we headed to the Lego store where our son got the Super Mario Piranha plant, and I finally got Hei Hei the chicken from Moana. We wrapped up the day by meeting up with my brother and two of his kids at Top Golf. While my first visits were just earlier this month, it's quickly become a favorite venue. Last night we played a couple rounds of the Angry Birds game, tried out the Sonic game, and also tried the Marvel game. Another great place I'd recommend. Tonight we're headed to the Pistons game in Detroit (against the Cavs).
4. Work still isn't a favorite, as the work load is crazy, and some of my favorite strengths (writing well) aren't used as much in the position anymore. Writing well takes a lil longer, so I sometimes feel like I'm slowing things down instead of helping. I haven't figured out quite how to fix that yet...
5. My parents got home last week! They're snowbirds, and I think this is a bit earlier than they usually come home. I feel like it usually isn't til after Easter. Last week they came over for dinner, and I made some No Peek Beef Tips, and real mashed potatoes. I also got a cole-slaw style bag salad with broccoli in it that was pretty good.

Homegrown Magic - Book Review

Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton & Rebecca Podos
Publication: March 11, 2025
Pages: 368 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆ 
Sweet Spark: Margot is the sort of character who finds joy and brings comfort to everything in her life.

While the beginning of the book felt like it may be a chore to get through, as we got to know more about Yael and met Margot, they and their relationship became a compelling story that kept me reading, and left me wanting more. 

Yael Clauneck was the heir of a rich and powerful family. There were expectations of them as they matured into adulthood, and they wanted none of it.

Margot Greenwillow was already living out a life dictated by her family. Her parents had essentially lost everything to their landlords, and the only reprieve was for Margot to finish her plant-magic grandmother's most powerful spell - to help those with minimal natural-born magic be able to achieve its greater effects. Her great sense of love and responsibility for the village was what kept her working to meet her goal in time.

When Yael tries to escape their pampered life and hide out from their responsibilities, they find themself in the village with Margot. Yael and Margot were childhood friends, when their parents moved in the same social circles. While they have fond memories of their interactions then, they need to see past their current reputations to see if a friendship (or more?) is salvageable. 

The evolution of the characters and their relationship was so warm and engaging, and I can't wait for the next book. This cozy queer romance earned 5 out of 5 stars and would be recommended for those who enjoy fantasy, romance, and stories about magic.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.